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I B RARY

OF THE

UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS

. -37

\i\\W HRTWIM1 SHRYtt

(Hliiil LBIMwIWl IPf IT

BIOGRAPHICAL

AND

REMINISCENT HISTORY

HIGHLAND, CLAY -MARION COUNTIES

ILLINOIS

ILLUSTRATED

B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Publishers

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
1909

•'. :0-» :

PREFACE,

All life and achievement is evolution; present wisdom comes frorh past
experience, and present commercial prosperity has come only from past exer-
tion and suffering. The deeds and motives of the men that have gone before
have been instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and
states. The development of a new country was at once a task and a privilege.
It required great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the present con-
ditions of the residents of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois, with
what they were one hundred years ago. From a trackless wilderness and
virgin prairie they have come to be centers of prosperity and civilization, with
millions of wealth, systems of intersecting railways, grand educational in-
stitutions, marvelous industries and immense agricultural productions. Can
any thinking person be insensible to the fascination of the study which dis-
closes the incentives, hopes, aspirations and efforts of the early pioneers who
so strongly laid the foundation upon which has been reared the magnificent
prosperity of later days ? To perpetuate the story of these people and to trace
and record the social, political and industrial progress of the community from
its first inception is the function of the local historian. A sincere purpose
to preserve facts and personal memoirs that are deserving of preservation,
and which unite the present to the past is the motive for the present publication.
The work has been in the hands of able writers, who have, after much patient
*7. study and research, produced here the most complete biographical memoirs of
Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois ever offered to the public. Es-
pecially valuable and interesting are the sketches of representative citizens of
<° these counties whose records deserve perpetuation because of their worth, ef-
^> fort and accomplishment. The publishers desire to extend their thanks to
(ti these gentlemen who have so faithfully labored to this end. Thanks are also
j__^ clue to the citizens of Richland, Clay and Marion counties for the uniform
57 kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking, and for their many
^ services rendered in the gaining- of necessary information.

In placing the "Biographical and Reminiscent History of Richland, Clay
and Marion Counties, Illinois." before the citizens, the publishers can con-
scientiously claim that they have carried out the plan as outlined in the pros-
pectus. Every biographical sketch in the work has been submitted to the
U yd party interested, for correction, and therefore any error of fact, if there be
-^ any, is solely due to the person for whom the sketch was prepared. Confident
-) that our efforts to please will fully meet the approbation of the public, we are.

Respectfully,

THE PUBLISHERS.

NDEX

Allen, Hon. James Cameron

Chapman, Robert H

481

Fritchey, Theo. Augustus..

147

Anderson, Truman B

589

Church, St. James Lutheran

465

Fyfe, George S

519

Andrews, Sevmour

533

Church, St. Joseph's Cath-

Fyke, John J

255

Arnold, James W

223

olic, of Olney, 111

504

Gaft'ner, Daniel

I'.ni

Bachmann, Adam H

273

Clark, Thomas J

117

Garner, E. P

;'.1'2

Bar of Southern Illinois Six-

Cloud, Silas

279

Gassman, Henry

ty-five Years Ago

446

Combs, Lewis

392

Genoway, Daniel C

•i:< 7

Barnes, A. C

564

Coan, William E

500

Gerber, Lydia Phillips

327

Baughman, Edmund C

154

Conant, John B

Goodale, W. B

586

Bauer, F. H

598

Conant, W. S

136

Goodenough, Wilbur Adino.

120

Bateman, John A

Cope, Allen

304

Goss, Joseph

377

Bates, Francis M

577

Copple, Eli

569

Graham, Samuel H

411

Bayler, David

290

Copple, Elmer E

568

Graham, Samuel D

139

Beck, Daniel

.3553

Copple, Jacob

549

Grav, John H

:;n:;

Beck, John

401

Copple, Samuel G

406

Gray, William H

416

Blankinship, Charles E

492

Cox, George

115

Green, Jonathan A

r.i'7

Boatman, Catherine

407

Cunningham, Charles S

343

Hardman, Thomas A

IM;

Boggs, Franklin Gilbert

360

Cunningham Family

235

Hargrave, Thomas M

n;s

Bonney, Judge John R

362

Dace, James M

328

Hauser, John T

387

Bostwick, Landon M

320

Davis, C. R

486

Hasler, Christian

10S

Bothwell, Henry C

306

Davis, John L

562

Hartley, William A

675

Bower, Hon. William

219

Dean Charles

429

Haynie D D

Bower, John

474

Delzell. James H

261

Heap, Benjamin F

484

Boynton, Frank A

Dew, Charles F

552

Heaver, George J

2!)S

Bledsoe, E. Louis

276

Dillman, William H

Hedrick, Edwin

873

Bradford, Frank

259

Donovan, John F.

Heltman, Philip ..'

196

Branch, Levi

599

Doser, George Washington .

437

Henry, John O

477

Breeze, Jacob D

566

Downey, Geo. W

545

Hershberger, David

linn

Breeze, Sidney

574

Drapar, William L

174

Hester, David M

843

Brigham, Robert O

192

Dwight, Samuel L

535

Hi'ggins, Bryant

Brinkerhoff, Prof. J. H. G.

524

Eagan, Gustin L

532

Hiltibidal, George W

:',](:

Brockman, John C

49S

Early Lawyers

426

Hodges, Isham E

312

Bronson, Horace

579

Eddings, John F

189

Holstlaw, Daniel S

Brown, Douglas C

537

Eighth Illinois Infantry,

Holstlaw D W

590

Brubaker Edgar F

365

419

Holstlaw Richard J

ii;n

Brubaker, Eli

205

Embser. Jerome N

463

Holt, Charles H. ..'..'.'.'....

Brubaker, Jacob

188

Engle Joseph A

341

Hord Henry

18V

Brims, Fr. John H

558

Evans, H. D

Holt, Luther

:::'.!

Bryan, Family

231

Erwin, Crawford S

Holt, Samuel Marion

2111;

Bryan J. E

244

Eyer Jacob

404

Hopkins Charles W

339

Bryan, Hon. William J

Farquhar, Aaron B

263

Horrall, Kenneth D

202

Buenger, Rev. John

Farthing, William H

253

Howell. James F

Bundy, Charles E

291

Feltman, Carlos A

Huddleson, Charles S

588

Bundy, William F

336

Finch Family

211

Hudelson, William H

860

Bundy, William Kell

Finch, Solomon T

226

Huff, Nathaniel G

ISO

Burgener, Jacob

329

Fisher, Alex. W

516

Huggins, Earl C

LOS

Hurt, Charles V

606

Foster, Hon. Martin D

501

Hull, Hon. Charles E

Butler, George

382

Foster, Henry C

525

Hunter, James

543

Castle, J. E .

169

Fowler ( Brothers)

567

Hyatt, James F

ITS

C.imnboll. Georee W. ..

432

French. John R. . .

217

Idleman. G. A.

Ingram, William C
Irwin, Walter C
James, O. A
Jennings, Charles E. . .

... 131

... 28
... 71
... 51V
513

Morris, Ira C
Morrison, George D
Morrison, Col. Napoleon B
Neal, Thomas B
Newman William D

. . 512
.. 137
.. 571
. . 319
604

Shriner, Hon. Harvey W...
Simcox, George B
Simer, Rev. William J. ...
Singer, Judith M
Skipworth J W

126

402

Jennings, Z. C
Johnson, William T
Jolly, John F

... 208
... 472
... 134
482

Norfleet, Benj. F
Olney in Its Infancy ....
Olney Sanitarium

.. 332
. . 423
.. 149
159

Smith, Benj. M
Smith, John
Snively & Montgomery

.,?r

Jones, J. T
Jones, Samuel W
Joy, Thomas L
Joy, Verne E
Kagy, Levi Monroe . . .

. .. 69
... 221
. .. 540
... 580
... 237
191

Pace, H. T
Palmer, Charles E
Parkinson, Joseph C. ...
Patton, Thomas A
Peak, Joseph S
Peddicord A M

, . 42
. . 469
. . 368
. . 224
.. 294
176

Snuffin, Stephen
Songer, A. W
Spring, Henry
Stratton, George W
Stiindiford, George Washing-

4:11

lor,
443

Keith, L. B
Kelchner, Henry F
Kell, Charles T
Kermicle, John Taylor .

. . . 285
. .. 520
... 128
... 459

Peddicord, Andrew M. ..
Peirce, John A
Pllaum, John W
Phillips, Samuel F

. . 506
. . 435

. . 474
, . 240

Stanford, Samuel A
Stonecipher, Judge John S..
Storment, William T
Storer, Ben. W

101

Hi.-,
144

Kimberlin, James Henry
Kinkade James M

. .. 110

478

Porter, Albert G

. . 530

Telford, J. D

27U

467

389

508

Knight, J. F
Knoph, Aden
Kocher Joseph
Lacey, Winfield S
Lane, Thomas M
Larimer, John W
Leseman, William H. . . .
Lewis, James B
Lewis, Richard
Livesay, Alfred
Loomis, Frank

... 542
. . . 494
. .. 413
. .. 386
. . . 594
. . . 281
. .. 430
... 56
. . . 178
. . . 548
... 295
510

Purceil, Francis M
Pullen, Burden
Purdue, James F
Quayle, J. R
Rainey, George S
Rapp, Michael E
Ratcliff, James M
Ratcliff, Thomas
Reed, Lewis H
Reinhardt, Julius
Reminiscent Sketch
Rhodes Henry L

. . 201
. . 596

!! 73
. . 152
. . 246
, . 487
, . 490
. . 559
.. 561
. . 419
556

Tolliver, Judge A. N
Trenary, G. H
Tufts, C. D
Tully, Joseph E
Umfleet, Harrison
Utterbeck, Jeter C
Van Alman, William
Vawter, John H
Walker, Joseph H
Watldns, Bartlett Y
Walton, Joseph W
Walton Orville T

Nil

,-,3!l

ir.'l
23
835

497
471

811

McBride H S

410

Richardson Edward

283

McCawley, John I

... 309
D 87

Richardson, James R

. 307
396

Watts, Edwin L
Wells George C

588

•\,\ i

McGahey, George A
McKnight, Roy H
McLaughlin, Joseph K. .

. . . 190
. . . 297
. .. 299
529

Robb, Francis M
Robinson, Elbridge
Rodgers, Benj. F

, . 528
. 476

. . 272
586

Welton, Edwin L
West, Charles H
Wham, Henderson B
Wham William

rut;
118
325
265

McQuin, Robert T
Madden, George
Martin Benj E Sr

. .. 26
. . . 451
29

Rogers, Frank A
Rogers, Tilmon J

. 60
.. 521
551

Wieland, Caleb F
Wilkinson, William T
Williams Augustine Robert

11 1

Martin, Gen. James S. .
Martin, John C
Martin, John E

. .. 267

'.'.'. 262
126

Rose, Albert M
Rose, Wiley
Rowland, Elbert

. 345

,. 438
. 51
489

Williams, John P
Williams, T. W
Wilson, Hon. Edward S. . .
Wilson George C

881
54

1C.7

•no

Martin, William J
Matthews, Leander C. . . .
Maxey, Bennett M
May, Harvey D
Meagher, Thomas F
Merritt. Hon. Thos. E.
Merz, Wilfred W
Michaels. M. W
Miller, Franklin P
Mills, Israel
Morton, James S

.-. . 197
. .. 148
. . . 104
... 204
. . . 601
. .. 347
... 121
... 292
. .. 581
. . . 314
... 485

Sanders, Charles C
Sayre, Perry
Schwartz Brothers
Schilt, Fred W
Schultz. John M
See, Henry William, Sr. . .
Seller, Frederick
Seiler, John
Seymour, Mary A
Shanafelt, Andrew
Shook, Samuel

. 256
. 390

.. 248
. 354
,. 351
. 395
.. 456
. 356
. 461
. 357
,. 555

Wilson, William Gilham . . .
Wilson, Lucian O
Wilson, Richard
Wilson, Samuel C
Wilson, William Henry . . .
Woods, John
Woodward, H. N
Woodard, W. R
Wolgamott, George
Xander, John P
Young, William J

112
583
468

1X2
i';'n:i
•:,--,

;!i7
I."

HON. W. J. BRYAN.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
BY PROF. J. H. G. BRINKERHOFF.

William Jennings Bryan, son of Silas L.
Bryan (see biography) and Mariah Eliza-
beth (Jennings) Bryan, was born in Salem,
Illinois, March 19, 1860. As a boy he was
not different from other healthy, hearty
American boys, fond of play and fond of
good things to eat, but rather given to seri-
ous sport than to mischief^* Among his earli-
est ambition was the desire to become a min-
ister, but in early youth that desire was lost
in the ambition to become a lawyer like his
father and as that ambition seemed to be
permanent his training was directed to that
end. ~) When William was six years old the
family moved to a large farm just outside
of the corporate limits of Salem, and here
he studied, played and worked until ten
years old, his mother, a remarkably strong-
minded, clear-headed, Christian woman, be-
ing his teacher, his guide and task-master,
his work being such chores as fall to the lot
of boys in well regulated, prosperous farm
homes. ^At the age of ten years he entered
the Salem public school, which he attended
five years, but was not particularly bright in
his studies^) his examinations show thor-

oughness rather than brilliancy, but his in-
terest in the literary and debating societies
was early developed and remained while he
attended the school and still abides, as is
shown by the Bryan oratorical contest held
annually in this school, and for which Mr.
Bryan provides a first and second prize of
ten and five dollars respectively.

In 1872 his father made the race for Con-
gress, and William, then twelve years of
age, became much interested in the cam-
paign, and from that time on he cherished
the thought of some day being a public man
and a leader of the people.

At the age of fourteen he united with the
Cumberland Presbyterian church at Salem.
While at Jacksonville he took membership
with the First Presbyterian church, and
upon his removal to Lincoln, Nebraska, he
placed his letter with the First Presbyte-
rian church of that place, and where his
membership still remains.

At fifteen years of age he entered the pre-
paratory department of Illinois College, at
Jacksonville, and for eight years was a stu-
dent in that college, spending only his vaca-
tions at home. (^Mr. Bryan while at college
was not a great admirer of athletic sports,
but took a mild interest in base ball and foot
ball, and was rather an enthusiastic runner

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

and jumper, and in a contest open to stu-
dents and alumni, three years after his grad-
uation, he won the medal for the broad
standing jump, twelve feet and four inches
being the distance covered.)
f While at the preparatory school the first
year he entered a prize contest and de-
claimed Patrick Henry's great speech, and
ranked near the fooyThe second year he de-
claimed "The Palmetto and the Pine," and
stood third. The next year as a freshman
he tried for a prize in Latin prose and di-
vided the second prize with a competitor.
The same year he gained second prize in
declamation. In his sophomore year he
took first prize with an essay, and in his jun-
ior year first prize in oration and was there-
by made representative of his college in the
intercollegiate oratorical contest at Gales-
burg, in 1880, where he received the second
prize of fifty dollars. That great orator, Gen.
John C. Black, was one of the judges and
marked him one hundred on delivery. At
the close of his college life in 1881, Mr.
Bryan stood at the head of his class and de-
livered the valedictory. This much is given
for the encouragement of young men, show-
ing that improvement only comes with ef-
fort, and to persevere, though the first at-
tempt finds you near the foot.

In the fall of 1881 Mr. Bryan entered
Union Law College at Chicago, and spent
much of his time in the law office of Lyman
Trumbull. After graduation he returned
to Salem for a short time, and won his fee
in the county court of Marion county.

July 4, 1883, Mr. Bryan began the prac-

tice of law in Jacksonville, Illinois ; he had
desk room in the office of Brown & Kirby,
and now came the real test, waiting for busi-
ness. The first six months were trying and
he was forced to draw upon his father's es-
tate for small advances, and at one time he
seriously thought of seeking new fields, but
the beginning of the year 1884 brought
clients more frequently, and he felt encour-
aged to stay in Jacksonville, and now feeling
that he could see success, on October i,
1884, he was married to Miss Mary Baird,
of Perry, Illinois.

In the summer of 1887 business called
Mr. Bryan to the West, and he spent one
Sunday with a classmate, A. R. Talbot, who
was located in Lincoln, Nebraska. So greatly
was he impressed with the opportunities of
the growing capital of the state that he re-
turned to Illinois full of enthusiasm for the
city of Lincoln, and perfected plans for re-
moval thither. In October, 1887, a partner-
ship was formed with Mr. Talbot, and
during the next three years a paying prac-
tice resulted.

As soon as Mr. Bryan settled in Lincoln
he identified himself actively with the Demo-
cratic party, of which he had been a mem-
ber in Illinois, and to the principles of which
his whole being was bound, and made his first
political speech at Seward, in the spring of
1888. Soon after he was sent as a delegate
to the state convention, and in the canvass
of the First Congressional District he made
many speeches in favor of J. Sterling Mor-
ton, and also spoke in thirty-four counties
in favor of the state ticket. Mr. Morton

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

was defeated by thirty-four hundred, as the
district was strongly Republican. In 1890
there was but little hope for the Democrats
in the First District, and Mr. Bryan was
nominated without opposition. W. J. Con-
nell was the Republican nominee. A chal-
lenge to conduct the canvass by a series of
joint debates was issued by Mr. Bryan and
accepted by Mr. Connell, and at the close
Mr. Bryan won by a plurality of six thou-
sand, seven hundred and thirteen. Mr.
Bryan was elected to Congress again from
a new district which had been formed when
the state was re-apportioned in 1891. The
Republican state ticket carried the district
by six thousand, five hundred, but Mr.
Bryan was elected by one hundred and forty
plurality. During the four years he was in
Congress, he was very active, taking part in
every important debate and speaking many
times. He declined to run again for Con-
gress but later permitted his nomination for
the Senate, but the Republicans carried the
state and Thurston was chosen Senator.

The Democratic National Convention
convened at Chicago July 4, 1896, and for
four days a battle of giants ensued over the
monetary plank in the platform. Speeches
were made for and against the free silver
coinage plank by such men of master minds
and national reputations before the conven-
tion as Senator Tillman, Senator Jones,
Senator Hill, Senator Vilas, ex-Governor
Russell. Senator Tillman favored the ma-
jority report of the committee, which fa-
vored the free coinage; all the rest opposed.
The debate was closed by Mr. Bryan in

support of the majority report in a speech
which rang so true and was such a master
piece of oratory that the convention was
swept off its feet and brought to Mr. Bryan
the nomination for the Presidency on the
fifth ballot on Friday, July loth. After a
most remarkable campaign he was defeated
by William McKinley being elected.

Four years later Mr. Bryan, greater in
defeat than other men in success, was again
the choice of the Democratic party for the
Presidency, and again suffered defeat, Mr.
McKinley being re-elected. In 1904 the
Democratic party nominated Alton B. Par-
ker, of New York, for President, and he
led the party to the most crushing defeat
ever suffered by any party since the days of
John Ouincy Adams.

In 1908 the Democratic party again nom-
inated Mr. Bryan, and the Republican party
William H. Taft and again the decision was
against the former. Thrice defeated yet
with each defeat growing greater, ad-
vocating great principles which he sees his
political opponents adopt, he stands today
the greatest living American.

When in 1906 and 1907 he took a trip
around the world, he was received every-
where with such ovations as are seldom ac-
corded to any, and were never before to a
private citizen, and his welcome home in the
city of New York was a demonstration of
love and respect from Americans to an
American that has never been equalled in
the history of the nation. Mr. Bryan may
never be President, but he has made an
impress on the nation for good that can

ilOC.KAPHICAL AND KK M I .\ ISCKNT HISTORY OF

never be effaced and from his life the peo-
ples of the world have received an uplift
that will be felt to bless generations yet un-
born. In his life of moral purity, in his sin-
cere Christianity, and in his addresses on
the duties and responsibilities of life he has
given a new impulse to many a youth for
better things and if his work closed now
the one address "The Prince of Peace," will
stand a monument, more enduring than
chiseled marble or moulded brass, standing
forever as it must in the higher aims, purer
thoughts, nobler impulses and grander lives
of the men and women of the America of
the future.

BRYANT HIGGINS.

The family of our subject has been known
in Richland county since the pioneer pe-
riod, and, without invidious comparison, it
can with propriety be said that no other
name is better known or more highly es-
teemed in Richland county. Honored and
respected by all, there is today no man in
the county who occupies a more enviable
position in the estimation of the public, not
alone by the success he has achieved, but
also for the commendable and straightfor-
ward policies which he has ever pursued and
the blameless life he has lived. He has led a
life of noble endeavor, a life not devoid of
hardship and failure, but withal successful
and happy and one that is calculated to ben-
efit any locality, therefore those who know
Mr. Higgins are glad to accord him the re-

spect due him, and in his old age he has the
cheer of loyal friends and the thought that
his life has been lived in a manner that has
resulted in no evil or harm to anyone.

Bryant Higgins, an account of whose in-
teresting reminiscences of the early days
appears in this work, and who has been one
of the leading business and public men in
Richland county, who is now living in hon-
orable retirement, enjoying a well earned
respite, was born in Edwards county, Illi-
nois, September 28, 1838. George Hig-
gins, grandfather of the subject, was a na-
tive of Connecticut, whose father, Willis
Higgins, was born in Ireland, and was a
follower of Cromwell. When that great
leader went down in defeat, Willis Higgins
soon afterward emigrated to America, lo-
cating at Hartford, Connecticut, where he
passed the remainder of his life. He used
the prefix "O" to his name, O'Higgins. He
was a military man most of his life, belong-
ing to the English army. George Higgins.
grandfather of our subject, was born in
Hartford, Connecticut, and became a tan-
ner, which profession he followed for a
number of years. He came to Illinois in
1803 with his family, settling where is now
Friendsville, Wabash county, then known as
Edwards county, which included nearly one-
third of the state. All was then wilderness
west of the Alleghany Mountains. He was
among the . early pioneers of this state.
Many hardships were endured on his trip
overland. He took up land, cleared and
improved farms. He was a typical pioneer
of sterling traits. George Higgins was a

ICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

RICH LA

Her. liavi

r Revolutionary soldit
iment of Connecticut infantry.

'ing been in a reg-
The sub-

\ ject has a pair of spectacles which his
grandfather wore from Dorchester Heights
to Yorktown. It is a relic which he prizes
very highly. A well one hundred and fifty
feet deep was dug at Friendsville in those
days when it was inside of what was then
Fort Barney, and George and Ransom Hig-
gins, the latter the subject's father, helped
dig the same. It is still in use. George
Higgins died there at an advanced age. Our
subject's father, Ransom Higgins, was born
in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was
reared, and in this state he married Ann
Bullard, a native of South Carolina. In 1800
Ransom Higgins made the long trip over-
land on horseback from Hartford to Vin-
cennes. Indiana. It was a trip of inspec-
tion to the vicinity of what is now Friends-
ville for the purpose of finding a place for
settlement of a colony which came in 1803,
already referred to. He returned to Con-
necticut in 1 80 1 and accompanied the colony
west two years later. He was a millwright
and probably built the first mill in this lo-
cality in 1805 on the Embarass river. It
was driven by water power. It was located
where Billet Station now stands on the Big
Four Railway, the mill having been built for
a Mr. Brown. The father of our subject is
described as a very humane man. He was
a man of great physical endurance, six feet
and four inches in height and weighed two
hundred and seventy pounds. About the
time he built the mill referred to he found
an Indian in the woods with a broken leg.

whom he carried to shelter and nursed.
Soon after this the Indian warned him that
Brown and his family would be killed. Mr.
Higgins urged them to leave the mill and
seek shelter, but they refused and were soon
afterward killed. Mr. Higgins was after-
wards known to the Indians as "Big Medi-
cine Man." He was Justice of the Peace
for many years, being among the first in the
territory. He was also Overseer of the
Poor. He was a man of great bravery and
courage and made a gallant soldier in the
War of 1812, and also in the Black Hawk
war, and enlisted for the Mexican war, but
was later sent home. He was at the battle
of Tippecanoe. His death occurred in 1850
in Edwards county, at the age of sixty-eight
years. His faithful life companion, a woman
of many fine traits, passed to her rest in Ol-
ney at the age of seventy-nine years. They
were the parents of eight children, all de-
ceased except the subject of this sketch, who
was the youngest of the family.

Bryant Higgins, our subject, was reared
amid pioneer scenes on a farm. He attend-
ed subscription and public schools, also had
private tutors, and made good use of his
opportunity, such as it was in those early
days, to secure a fairly good education. He
studied civil engineering and surveying un-
der a Mr. Sloan, making rapid progress in
this line of work, which he followed with
gratifying results for many years. He lo-
cated in Richland county in 1851, and has
since resided here. He did much of the
'early surveying in Richland county and has
seen the same develop from the wilderness

mOGRAIMIICAL AXD REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

to its present high position among the sis-
ter counties of this great commonwealth, al-
ways doing his just share in the work of
progress.

Mr. Higgins was one of the loyal sons of
the Union who was glad to offer his services
under the old flag when the dark days of
rebellion came, having been among the ear-
liest to enlist in April, 1861, in Company D,
Eighth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infan-
try, his enlistment having been for three
months. The subject and John Lynch were
instrumental in organizing Company D,
which was the first company organized and
mustered from Richland county. After his
first term of enlistment had expired he en-
listed in Company G, Twenty-sixth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, in which he served in a
most gallant manner until the close of the
war, having been mustered out at Moscow,
Tennessee, in 1865. During his service he
was in the siege of Corinth and the battles
there, also fought at luka. Farmington, the
siege of Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge, the
siege of Atlanta. He was wounded at Far-
mington, Mississippi, May 9, 1862, having
been hit in the right elbow by a piece of
shell. He was examined for promotion
twice and was on General Loomis' staff, but
was not commissioned, being orderly ser-
geant. Nineteen years after the war closed
he was presented with a badge made at
Meriden, Connecticut. It was given to Mr.
Higgins by Gen. John Mason Loomis, who
had it made in recognition of services ren-
dered by the subject. The arrangement of
the badge commemorates the Thirteenth,

Fifteenth, Seventeenth and Twentieth Army
Corps, the subject having been a member of
the Fifteenth, John A. Logan's Corps, which
was never defeated, and was never set
against a town it did not capture. The old
cartridge box of forty rounds became the
badge of the Fifteenth Army Corps.

After the war Mr. Higgins returned
home, having married in 1862 while on a
trip to Springfield, Illinois, on military busi-
ness. He took up surveying and civil en-
gineering and did much work settling old
disputed business. In 1892 he was elected
County Surveyor, being the only Republican
on the ticket elected in a Democratic coun-
ty, which fact proved his great popularity
in his locality. He has lived in Olney many
years and has taken an active interest in the
welfare of the community. In the spring of
1907 he was elected a member of the City
Council, being the sixth year as a member
of the same. He also served one term as
City Surveyor. He now lives retired in a
beautiful and comfortable home, modern
and nicely furnished.

The wife of Mr. Higgins was Sarah E.
Marney before her marriage, the daughter
of Robert and Sarah E. (Morris) Marney,
pioneers of Richland county, where Mrs.
Higgins was born. Her father was a na-
tive of Scotland and her mother was born
in Kentucky. The Morris family were great
slave owners, bringing them to Illinois, and
later freed them here. Colonel Morris,
grandfather of Mrs. Higgins, also her father,
Robert Marney, were in the War of 1812
and were in the battle of Tippecanoe, Col-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

onel Morris being wounded there. Robert
Marney was the first Probate Judge of
Richland county.

Mr. and Mrs. Higgins are the parents of
five children, four boys and one girl, two of
whom are living. Their oldest son. Lew
K., is in the employ of the Wells Fargo Ex-
press Company at Oakland, California,
James, the youngest son, is fireman on the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; Edward died
in infancy ; Mary died at the age of sixteen
years ; Robert was killed in a railroad wreck
in Arizona when thirty years old, having
been conductor on the Santa Fe Railroad.

Mr. Higgins has been a keen and alert
man of affairs, and long a man of power in
his community. Over half a century has
passed since he came to this county and his
name is inscribed high on the roll of honored
pioneers.

JETER C. UTTERBACK.

Prominent among the leading journalists
of southern Illinois is the well known and
highly esteemed gentleman whose name fur-
nishes the caption of this article. As editor
and proprietor of one of the influential pa-
pers in his part of the state he has been a
forceful factor in moulding sentiment in his
community and directing thought along
those lines which make for the enlighten-
ment of the public and the highest good of
his fellow men.

Jeter C. Utterback is a native of Jasper
county, Illinois, where his birth occurred on
the 8th day of August, 1873. His father,

B. C. W. Utterback, a Kentuckian by birth,
was the son of Thomas Utterback, who was
also a native of the Blue Grass state, and a
member of one of the oldest pioneer families
of Grayson county. In an early day Thomas
Utterback became prominent in the affairs
of his county and stood high in the confi-
dence and esteem of his fellow citizens. In
1836 he migrated to Illinois and settled in
the northwestern part of Richland county,
where he also became a local leader and a
man of wide influence. He was a farmer by
occupation, and in due time accumulated a
large and valuable estate in the county of
Richland, in which he spent the remainder
of his days, dying a number of years ago,
deeply lamented by the large circle of friends
and acquaintances who had learned to prize
him for his sterling worth.

B. C. W. Utterback was reared to matu-
rity in Richland county, and, like his father,
followed agricultural pursuits for a liveli-
hood. In the early seventies he disposed of
his interests in the county of Richland and
removed to Jasper county, where he contin-
ued farming and stock raising until 1878,
when heturned his land over to other hands
and took up his residence in Newton, where
he is now living a life of honorable retire-
ment. Nancy Ann Hinman, who became the
wife of B. C. W. Utterback in January, 1856,
was born in Bartholomew county, Indiana,
where her father, Titus Hinman, a native of
Ohio, settled in an early day. She bore her
husband ten children, seven of whom sur-
vive, namely : Eva, wife of George E. Hut-
son, of Dundas, Illinois; Thomas H., As-
sistant State Librarian, who lives in the

i:io<;KApmcAi, AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

city of Springfield ; Hester, now Mrs. T. C.
Chamberlin, of Newton; Charles C. resides
in Salem; Albert L., of Caney, Kansas,
where he holds the position of postmaster;
M. T., of Newton, and Jeter C., whose name
introduces this sketch.

Jeter C. Utterback spent his early life in
the town of Newton, grew up under the
sturdy and invigorating discipline of an ex-
cellent home environment and while still a
lad laid his plans for the future with the
object of becoming something more than a
mere passive agent in the world of affairs.
In due time he entered the schools of his
native place and after attending the same
until completing the prescribed course of
study, in 1889 began learning the printer's
trade in the office of the Newton Mentor,
where he made rapid progress and soon
became quite proficient, besides obtaining a
practical knowledge of other branches of the
profession. After mastering the trade he
worked for a short time in Webb City, Mis-
souri, and then accepted a position in the
office of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where
he continued until 1891, when he came to
Salem, Illinois, and entered the employ of
Mrs. Belle C. Johnson, editress and man-
ager of The Republican, with whom he
continued until affecting a co-partnership
with his brother, T. H. Utterback, for the
purchase of a paper four years later.

The Republican under the joint manage-
ment of the Utterback brothers, continued
to make its periodical visits about one year,
when the plant passed into the hands of G.
C. Harner, the subject going to the town
of Carrollton, where he followed his chosen

calling until his return to Salem in 1896,
when he again became interested in The Re-
publican, buying the paper that year from
his brother, who in the meantime had suc-
ceeded Mr. Harner as editor and proprietor.
On becoming sole proprietor of The Repub-
lican Mr. Utterback infused new life into
the paper and it was not long until its influ-
ence began to be felt throughout the county,
not only as an able political organ, but as a
clean, dignified and popular family paper,
through the columns of which appeared all
the latest news, also much of the best liter-
ature of the day, to say nothing of the
numerous productions from the pens of local
writers. Since assuming control he has
enlarged the paper as well as added to its
interest and popularity besides purchasing
new machinery, presses and other appliances
and thoroughly equipping the office until the
plant is now one of the most valuable of the
kind in Marion county, and in all that con-
stitutes a live up-to-date sheet The Repub-
lican compares favorably with any other lo-
cal paper in the southern part of the state.
Mechanically it is a model of the printer's
art, and politically is staunchly and uncom-
promisingly Republican, being the official
party organ of Marion county, while its in-
fluence in directing and controlling current
thought in relation to the leading questions
and issues of the day has brought it promi-
nently to the notice of party leaders through-
out the state.

As an editorial writer, Mr. Utterback is
clear, forceful, elegant, at times trenchant,
and in discussing the leading questions be-
fore the people he is a courteous but fearless

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

and formidable antagonist. On all matters
of public policy he occupies no neutral
ground, but fearlessly and honestly advo-
cates what he considers to be for the best
interest of the people and regardless of con-
sequences. In addition to its prominence
and influence as a party organ, Mr. Utter-
back has endeavored to make his paper
answer the purpose of an educational factor
and such it has indeed become, as its con-
tents, both political and general, tend to
improve the mind and cultivate the taste
rather than appeal to passion and prejudice,
after the manner of too many local sheets.

In recognition of valuable political ser-
vices as well as by reason of his fitness for
the position, Mr. Utterback in February,
1907, was appointed by President Roosevelt,
postmaster of Salem, the duties of which
responsible position he has discharged with
commendable fidelity, proving an able, cour-
teous and truly obliging public official. At
the time of his appointment the office was
in the third class with a salary of $1,700
per year, but since then the business has in-
creased to such an extent that it is now a
second class office with fair prospects of
advancing.

Since the establishment of a post-office
at Salem many years ago, no young man
was appointed postmaster until the honor
fell to Mr. Utterback, and to say that he has
been praiseworthy of the trust and dis-
charged the duties as ably and faithfully as
any of his numerous predecessors is to state
a fact of which all are cognizant, and which
all, irrespective of political alignment, most
cheerfully concede. The high esteem in

which he is held as an editor, public servant
and enterprising citizen, indicate the pos-
session of sterling manly qualities and a
character above reproach, and that he is
destined to fill a still larger place in the pub-
lic gaze and win brighter honor with the
passing of years, is the belief of his friends
and fellow citizens, based, they say, on the
able and conscientious manner in which he
has fulfilled every trust thus far confided to
him. Mr. Utterback, although a young man,
has achieved success such as few attain in
a much longer career, and the hope the peo-
ple of Salem and Marion county entertain
for his future seems fully justified and well
founded.

Mr. Utterback is a splendid type of the
intelligent, broadminded American of today,
and personally as well as through the me-
dium of the press he is doing much to foster
the material development and intellectual
growth of his city and county, besides exer-
cising an active and potential influence in
elevating the moral sentiment of the com-
munity. He holds membership with the
Pythian Lodge of Salem, and has labored
earnestly to make the organization answer
the purposes which the founders had in
view, exemplifying in his daily life and con-
duct the beautiful principles and sublime
precepts upon which the order is based. He
is a believer in revealed religion, and while
subscribing to the Methodist faith is not
narrow in his views, having faith in the
mission of all churches and to the extent of
his ability assisting the different organiza-
tions of his city, although devoutly loyal
to the one with which identified.

HIOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Mr. Utterback owns one of the most beau-
tiful and attractive homes in Salem, which
is a favorite resort of the best social circle
of the city, and within its walls reigns an
air of genuine hospitality which sweetens
the welcome extended to every guest that
crosses the threshold. The presiding spirit
of this attractive domicile is a lady of intel-
ligence and gracious presence who presides
over the family circle with becoming grace
and dignity, and whose popularity is only
bounded by the limits of her acquaintance.
The maiden name of this estimable woman
was Charlotte B. Merritt, and the ceremony
by which it was changed to the one she now
so worthily bears as the wife and helpmeet
of the subject was solemnized on the 2nd
day of November, 1898. Mrs. Utterback
is the daughter of Hon. T. E. Merritt, of
Salem, ex-Senator from Marion county, and
a man of influence and high standing both
politically and socially. Mr. and Mrs. Ut-
terback have one child, a son, Tom C., who
was born October 17, 1901, and for whose
future his fond parents entertain many ar-
dent hopes.

ROBERT T. McQUIN.

In the pursuit of his business career Mr.
McQuin has displayed unfaltering devotion
to the principles he has learned to cherish
and his honesty and integrity have earned
him a place among the representative and
staunchest citizens of Marion county, Illi-
nois.

Robert T. McQuin was born in Johnson
county, Indiana, October 16, 1853, the son
of William I. McQuin, a native of Kentucky
who went to Indiana when a young man.
He was a carpenter by trade. He moved
from Indiana soon after our subject was
born, locating at Oconee, Shelby county, Il-
linois, where he lived for three or four years.
Then he moved to Salem, Illinois, in July,
1859. The first work he did here was on
the Park Hotel, which was built in that year
by Amos Clark and which was known then
as the Clark House. William I. McQuin
continued to live in Salem, where he was
regarded as a man of integrity and influ-
ence, until his death in October, 1899. The
mother of the subject of this sketch was
known in her maidenhood as Mary E. Stur-
geon, who was a native of Kentucky and a
woman of many estimable traits. Her moth-
er lived to reach the remarkable age of nine-
ty-seven years. One of her brothers was a
policeman in St. Louis, Missouri. She died
in April, 1908, in Denison, Texas, where
she was living with her son, Edwin S. Mc-
Quin.

The father and mother of the subject
were the parents of nine children, five of
whom are living. Their names in order of
birth follow: Tarlton, deceased; William F.,
deceased; Robert T., our subject; James S.,
who is living at New Castle, Indiana, and
is secretary and treasurer of the Hoosier
Kitchen Cabinet Company, which is doing
an extensive business all over the world;
Sarah E., deceased; Agnes, deceased; Ed-
win S., living at Denison, Tex., being a con-
ductor on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

-'7

Railroad Company's lines: John T., a car-
penter, living in St. Louis; May lives with
her brother in Denison, Texas.

These children all received every advan-
tage possible by their parents, who tried to
raise them in a wholesome home atmosphere,
setting worthy ideals before them at all
times.

Robert T. McOuin, our subject, lived with
his father until he was twenty-five years old.
assisting with the work about the place and
attending the public schools of Salem, in
which he diligently applied himself, and re-
ceived a fairly good education. When twen-
ty years old he began working as a harness
maker and two years later commenced the
shoemaker's trade, following this with much
success until 1881, when he launched into
the shoe business for himself, having con-
tinued the same ever since with satisfactory
results, building up a large and extensive
trade by reason of his honest business prin-
ciples and his uniform courtesy to custom-
ers. His trade extends to all parts of the
county and his store is well known to all
the citizens of Salem and surrounding towns
for his patrons have learned that he handles
the best grade of footwear in the market and
always gives good value. He augmented his
business in 1889 by adding a complete stock
of harness and by doing a general line of re-
pair work. He now handles a full line of
harness and similar materials. He manufac-
tures most all of his heavy harness and some
buggy harness, being recognized as the lead-
ing dealer in this line in Marion county.

Mr. McQuin was happily married to Jen-

nie Slack, October 16, 1879, the refined and
accomplished daughter of Frederick W.
Slack, who lived in Salem at that time. Her
family were natives of Kentucky. It was
rather singular that this family moved from
Kentucky to Oconee, Illinois, and then to
Salem simultaneously with the McQuin fam-
ily ; however the last move was made a few
years after the McQuin family came to Sa-
lem. Two children have been born to the
subject and wife, namely : Maud, who is the
wife of Dwight W. Larimer, in the abstract
business in Salem ; Ralph is the second child
and a student of the Salem public schools.

Mr. McOuin has been twice honored by
being elected City Council of Salem. He
is associated with his brother-in-law, \Y. S.
Slack, in the monument business in Salem,
which is also a thriving business, the firm
name being R. T. McQuin & Company.

Our subject is a Modern Woodman in his
fraternal relations and he belongs to the
Presbyterian church, having been a consist-
ent member of the same for a period of thir-
ty-four years in 1908. Mrs. McQuin also
subscribes to this faith. Our subject has
been a deacon in the church and is now a
ruling elder.

Mr. McQuin has ever been known as a
loyal citizen and has done his share in aid-
ing the march of progress and development
in this county, and during his residence in
Salem his characteristics have won for him
recognition as a man of upright dealing and
by his many virtues he has won the respect
and esteem of his fellow citizens.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

WALTER C. IRWIN.

One of the progressive and well known
business men of Salem, Marion county, Illi-
nois, is the subject of this sketch, who has
spent his life in this vicinity, a life that has
been very active and useful, for he has not
lost sight of the fact that it is every man's
duty to aid in the upbuilding of his county
in all lines of development while he is ad-
vancing his own interests, and because of the
fact that he has ever taken an interest in
the public weal, has led an honorable and
consistent career, being at present one of the
best known druggists of the county, the pub-
lishers of this work are glad to give him
proper representation here.

Walter C. Irwin, of the Salem Drug Com-
pany, was born in luka, this county, in Oc-
tober, 1866, the son of Dr. J. A. Irwin, a
native of Johnson county, Missouri, who
came to luka at the close of the war, having
been a surgeon in the Confederate army un-
der General Price's command. He was at
the battle of Wilson's Creek, near Spring-
field, Missouri, and also the battle of Pea
Ridge, Arkansas, in addition to many other
smaller engagements. He successfully prac-
ticed his profession from 1865 to 1905, and
is now living at St. Augustine, Florida,
where he went in 1905 on account of his
health.

The mother of the subject was Mary
Dubbs, a native of Pennsylvania, who came
to Illinois in 1865. She was a woman of
many praiseworthy traits and passed to her
rest in 1894 at luka. Four children were

born to the parents of our subject, named in
order of birth as follows : \Valter,subject of
this sketch; Byrdie, the wife of Charles A.
Bainum, cashier of the First National Bank
at Bicknell, Indiana ; J. Max is practicing
medicine at St. Augustine, Florida; Maggie
Alice died in 1880.

Walter Irwin was reared at luka, where
he attended the common schools, later tak-
ing a course in Lincoln University at Lin-
coln, Illinois, which he attended for two
years, making a brilliant record as a student.
After this he attended the Business Univer-
sity at Lincoln for one year, having grad-
uated from the same. He then returned to
luka and was engaged in general merchan-
dising and the drug business until 1894,
when he came to Salem and embarked in
the drug business. While at luka he was
postmaster under Cleveland and resigned to
come to Salem, and his father was appointed
postmaster in his place. Our subject has
been in Salem ever since, with the exception
of two years spent as a traveling salesman,
when he resided in Bloomington, this state.

The Salem Drug Company was organized
August 26, 1907. Prior to that time Mr.
Irwin owned the store, having established it
in 1904, and with the exception of the two
years noted he has been continuously identi-
fied with it, building up an excellent trade
with the people of Salem and the entire coun-
ty, as the result of his unusual knowledge of
this line of business and his courteous and
impartial treatment of cutsomers.

Mr. Irwin was married in 1892 to Maggie
Stevenson, who was born in Stevenson

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

township, this county, the accomplished
daughter of Samuel E. Stevenson, now de-
ceased, for whom the township was named.
lie was a prominent citizen of the county for
many years.

One son, a bright and interesting lad, has
added cheer and comfort to the home of our
subject, who bears the name of Eugene E.,
and whose date of birth occurred November
5, 1893, while the family was residing at
luka.

Mr. Invin has prospered as a result of his
well directed energies and has considerable
business interests besides his drug store,
among which may be mentioned a half inter-
est in the Fibernie Sweep Clean Company,
manufacturers of a preparation for cleaning
floors, carpets, etc., the main office being lo-
cated at Salem with branches in Springfield,
Missouri ; Memphis, Tennessee, and Fort
Smith, Arkansas. The business of this con-
cern is growing at a rapid stride. Mr. Ir-
win is a stockholder and director in the Sa-
lem National Bank. He is also proprietor
of the White Foam Company, which manu-
factures a preparation for cleaning fabrics
without rubbing and which at present prom-
ises to become in immense demand. Our
subject is also a stockholder and director in
the Oleite Manufacturing Company, of St.
Louis, which manufactures leather dress-
ings.

Mr. Irwin has served in a most acceptable
manner as a member of the Salem Board of
Education. In his fraternal relations he is
a Mason, a member of the Knights of Py-
thias, the American Home Circle, Ben Hur

and the Eastern Star, and Mr. and Mrs. Ir-
win are members of the Presbyterian church.
They live in a modern, comfortable and
nicely furnished home, which is presided
over with rare grace and dignity by Mrs.
Irwin, who often acts as hostess to
numerous admiring friends, and every-
one who crosses its threshold is made
partaker of the good will and hos-
pitality that is always unstintingly dis-
pensed here, and because of their genuine
worth, integrity, uprightness and pleasing
manners no couple in Marion county en-
joy to a fuller extent the esteem and friend-
ship of all classes than our subject and wife.

BENJAMIN E. MARTIN, SR.

It is safe to venture the assertion that no
one attains eminence in business or any pro-
fession without passing through a period of
more or less unremitting toil, of disappoint-
ments and struggles. He who has brought
his business to a successful issue through
years of work and has established it upon
a substantial basis, and yet retains the ap-
pearance of youth, who has in his step the
elasticity of younger days and shows little
trace of worry or care that too often lag the
footsteps of the direction of large affairs,
must be a man possessed of enviable char-
acteristics. Such is a brief word picture of
the worthy gentleman whose name forms the
caption of this sketch, as he now appears,
after a long, active and prosperous business

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

career, the peer of any of his contemporaries
in all that enters into the make-up of the suc-
cessful man of affairs or that constitutes a
leader in important business enterprises.
Therefore, by reason of the fact that Mr.
Martin has attained worthy prestige as a
business man, and also because he was one
of the patriotic sons of the North who went
forth on many a hard fought battlefield to
defend the flag in the days of the Rebellion,
and also because of his life of honor, it is
eminently fitting that he be given just rep-
resentation in a work of the province as-
signed to the one at hand.

B. E. Martin was born in what was for-
merly Estillville. now Gate City. Virginia,
February 27, 1845. the son of John S. Mar-
tin, also a native of Virginia and the repre-
sentative of a fine old Southern family. The
father of the subject was Clerk of the Court
in his home county for a period of twenty-
four years. He moved to Illinois in 1846
and entered government land near Alma, the
land that Alma now stands on. He laid out
the town of Alma and there went into the
mercantile business, in which he remained
until the breaking out of the Civil war. He
died in that town in 1866. He was a man
of unusual business ability and became well
known in his community. The mother of
the subject was Nancy Brownlow, a native
of Virginia. She dide shortly after she
moved to Illinois. She is remembered as a
woman of gracious personality. Seven chil-
dren were born to the parents of our subject,
four sons and three daughters, named in 01-
der of birth as follows : Eliza, deceased ; Mrs.

Nancy Bradford, of Greenville, Illinois,
.Emily, deceased; Robert; Mrs. Kate Ben-
nett, of Greenville, Illinois; Thompson G.,
of Salem; B. E., our subject, being the
youngest. The father of these children was
married three times, his first wife being Ma-
linda Morrison, of Estillville, Virginia, to
whom three children were born, two dying
in infancy, the one surviving becoming Col.
James S. Martin, now deceased, who lived
to be eighty years of age, a sketch of whom
appears elsewhere in this volume. The sec-
ond wife was the mother of the subject of
this sketch ; the third wife was Jane See, to
whom one child was born, who died in the
Philippine Islands.

B. E. Martin, Sr., was reared in Alma,
this state, remaining there until he was six-
teen years of age, attending the local school.
When only sixteen years old he could not re-
press the patriotic feeling that prompted him
to shoulder arms in defense of the nation's
integrity, consequently on July 25, 1861, he
enlisted in the Fortieth Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry. He was in many skirmishes and en-
gagements, having fought in the great bat-
tle of Shiloh, where his regiment lost two
hundred and forty-seven men in the two
days' fight, and he was in several small en-
gagements as they advanced on Corinth.
His brother, Thomas G.. was in every en-
gagement and skirmish in which this regi-
ment was involved, never being sick a day.
and never missing a roll call. He enlisted
in 1 86 1 and at the expiration of his term of
three years re-enlisted as a veteran and
served until the close of the war. Our sub-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ject had three brothers and one half-brother
in the army.

After his career in the army Mr. Martin
went into the drug business at Greenville,
Illinois. He later went to Olathe, Johnson
county, Kansas, where he engaged in the
same line of business from 1867 to 1869;
then he returned to Marion county, Illinois,
and resumed the drug business here, in
which he remained a short time. Selling
out his stock of drugs, he began selling
agricultural implements, adding the lumber
business in connection with his brother. He
made a success of all the lines in his vari-
ous locations. In 1877 he established his
present business, that of wholesale seeds, in
which he has quite an extensive trade, hav-
ing become known as the leading seed man
in this locality, consequently his trade ex-
tends to all parts of the country. He uses
the most modern and highly improved ma-
chinery for cleaning seeds.

Our subject was united in marriage in
November, 1866, to Florida Cunningham,
who was born and reared in Salem, the
daughter of John Cunningham, then a mer-
chant of Salem. He was a man of honest
principle and influence in his community.

Eight children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, one of whom died in infancy,
the others are now living in 1908. They
are: Mary, the wife of Charles T. Austin,
of Indianapolis; B. E., Jr., who is engaged
in the general mercantile business in Salem ;
Bertha is the wife of John Gibson, living in
Manila, Philippine Islands; Nancy is living
in Salem; John C. is cashier of the Salem
National Bank ; Edith and Gena.

The subject has achieved success in an
eminent degree owing to his well directed
energy and honesty and persistency. He is
a stockholder and director of the Salem Na-
itonal Bank. He owns a modern, comfort-
able and nicely furnished residence.

Mr. Martin has served as Supervisor of
Salem township. He discharged the duties
of this office with his usual business alacrity
and foresight. He is a Democrat and has
always been active in politics. In his fra-
ternal relations he affiliates with the Ma-
sons. He also belongs to the Grand Army
of the Republic, and is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, also the Gid-
eons. He is an honorary member of the
Woodmen, and he is well and favorably
known in lodge circles, business life and
social relations, being regarded as one of
the most trustworthy and substantial citi-
zens of Salem and Marion county.

Before closing this review it would not be
amiss to quote the following paragraph
which appeared in a Salem paper some time
since under the caption, "A Remarkable
Record" :

"There resides in this city four brothers
who have a record which is remarkable and
doubtless without a parallel among their
fellow countrymen. They were all soldiers
in the Civil war; two enlisting in the Forti-
eth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in
1 86 1, and the other two in the One Hundred
and Eleventh Regiment of this state in 1862.
They participated in every battle in which
their respective regiments were engaged.
were never in a hospital, and none of them
ever received the slightest wound, notwith-

niOGKAI'HICAL AND KK.MIXISCKXT HISTORY OF

standing they were in the thickest of fights
where thousands were slain or wounded. At
the battle of Shiloh nearly three hundred
of the Fortieth Regiment were killed or
wounded, but 'Tom' and 'Ben' were among
those who came out without a scratch.
These four brothers with the remarkable
record are James S., Thomas, Robert and
Benjamin E. Martin, honorable, substantial
citizens of Salem."

HON. CHARLES E. HULL.

One of the notable men of his day and
generation, who has gained success and rec-
ognition for himself and at the same time
honored his county and state by distin-
guished services in important trusts, is
Hon. Charles E. Hull, of Salem, who
holds worthy prestige among the leading
business men of Southern Illinois. Distinct-
ively a man of affairs whose broad and liber-
al ideas command respect, he has long filled a
conspicuous place in the public eye, and as
a leader in many important civic enterprises
as well as a notable figure in the political
arena of his day, he has contributed much
to the welfare of his fellow men and at-
tained distinction in a field of endeavor
where sound erudition, mature judgment
and talents of a high order are required.
Aside from his honorable standing in pri-
vate and public life, there is further pro-
priety in according him representation in
the work, for he is a native son of Marion

county, which has been the scene of the
greater part of his life's earnest labors, his
home being in the beautiful and attractive
little city of Salem, where he it at present
the head of a large and important business
enterprise, and where he also commands the
esteem and confidence of all classes and con-
ditions of the populace.

Mr. Hull belongs to an old and highly
esteemed family that figured in the early
history of Kentucky, to which state his
great-grandparent, John Hull, emigrated
from New Jersey in 1788. Here Samuel
Hull was born in 1806. About the year 1815
the Hulls disposed of their interests in the
South and migrated to Illinois, settling at
Grand Prairie, Clinton county, where John
Hull died in 1833. Before his death he sent
his son, Samuel, into what is now the county
of Marion to a place near the site of Wal-
nut Hill, where he, in 1823, at the age of
seventeen, attended the first school ever
taught in the county. At this time Marion
was created from Jefferson county and the
young man remained here, marrying in 1831
Lucy, the daughter of Mark Tully, the
founder of Salem. He was made Recorder
in 1833, which office he held until 1837,
when he was made Sheriff, filling the latter
position by successive re-elections six terms,
the most of the time without opposition.
Later in 1849 he was further honored by
being elected County Judge, this being un-
der the old law which provided for two As-
sociate Judges, but Mr. Hull's knowledge of
law together with his fitness for the position
enabled him to discharge his judicial func-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COTNTIES, ILLINOIS.

tions without much assistance from the hon-
orable gentleman who occupied the bench
with him. He proved an able and judicious
judge, and during his incumbency of four
years transacted a great deal of business and
rendered a number of important decisions,
but few of which suffered reversal at the
hands of higher tribunals. Shortly after re-
tiring from the bench he was appointed by
President Pierce postmaster of Salem, and
four years later he was reappointed by
President Buchanan, holding the position
during the latter's administration, and in
this, as in the other offices with which he
was honored, proving a capable and popu-
lar public servant.

Samuel Hull was a pronounced Demo-
crat and influential member of the party un-
till the breaking out of the Rebellion, when
he became a Republican and a great admirer
of President Lincoln, whom he supported in
the election of 1860, and for whom he ever
afterward entertained feeling of the most
profound regard. He was a prominent fig-
ure in the affairs of Marion county for over
eighty years, during which period he be-
came widely and favorably known,
and his influence was always on the side of
right as he saw and understood the right.
During his later years he lived a life of hon-
orable retirement at his beautiful rural home
near Salem, having purchased the land
from the Government shortly after coming
to Marion county, building with his own
hands in 1831 a double log house, which still
stands — the oldest building in Marion
county. This sterling citizen and faithful
3

official lived to a good purpose and his mem-
ory is cherished as a sacred heritage not
only by his immediate family and friends,
but by the entire community, all with whom
he was accustomed to mingle, feeling his
death as a personal loss. He reached a
ripe and contented old age and it is a fact
worthy of note that he and his faithful wife
and helpmeet died the same night after a
mutually happy and prosperous wedded ex-
perience of fifty-nine years. Samuel Hull
and wife were held in high esteem by near-
ly every citizen of Marion county, their cir-
cle of friends and acquaintances being large
and their names familiar sounds in almost
every household in both city and country.
He served in the Black Hawk war, besides
participating in many other exciting strug-
gles during the pioneer period, as he was a
leader among his fellow men and always
stood for law and order, sometimes, too, at
his personal risk. The land which he en-
tered and improved and on which he spent
the greater part of his life is now owned by
his grandson, Charles E. Hull. This piece
of land, now within the city limits of Sa-
lem, has the unique distinction of the few-
est transfers, it having been transferred by
purchase from Samuel direct to Charles.

Erasmus Hull, son of the aforementioned
Samuel and father of the subject of this
sketch, was born August 31, 1832, in Ma-
rion county, Illinois, and spent his entire
life near the place of his birth, having for
many years been identified with the town
of Salem, and a leader in its business and
financial interests. He was a merchant and

I!I()C,KAIM!ICAI. AXI) KKM I \ ISCKNT HISTORY OF

banker and in addition to achieving marked
success in those capacities he was also an
enterprising man of affairs, public spirited
in all the term implies and wielded a strong
influence in behalf of all measures and
movements having for their object the ma-
terial advancement of the community and
the social and moral welfare of the people.
A leading spirit in the organization of the
Salem Bank, in 1869, and one of the orig-
inal stockholders, he was a member of the
board of directors from that time until his
death, and to his mature judgment, sound
business ability and familiarity with finan-
cial matters were largely due the continued
growth and signal success of the institu-
tion. He was also interested in the Ma-
rion County Loan and Trust Company, the
predecessor of the bank, and always kept in
close touch with the finances of the state
and nation as well as with general business
affairs, on all of which he was well in-
formed and on not a few was considered an
authority.

Mr. Hull was the first Supervisor of Sa-
lem township, also Chairman of the County
Board for a -number of years, besides serv-
ing a long time as School Director. In
these different capacities he discharged his
official duties faithfully and effectively, tak-
ing a leading part in educational matters
and using his influence in every laudable
way to promote the prosperity of the com-
munity and the happiness of the people: In
addition to his mercantile and financial busi-
ness he was quite prominently interested in
the manufacture of flour and lumber, be-

ginning to operate a mill in 1853, and con-
tinuing the business with encouraging sue*
cess as long as he lived. He also conducted
a large packing house in Salem before the
days of trusts and combines and built up an
important and far-reaching industry, buying
nearly all the hogs in the adjacent country
and shipping his meats to the leading mar-
kets, where they commanded good prices.
He was a man of brain and of practical
ideas, combined with solid judgment, wise
foresight and he seldom failed in any of his
undertakings. In politics he was an un-
swerving Democrat, and an influential
worker for the success of his party and its
candidates, though not a partisan in the
sense of aspiring for office. He discharged
his duties of citizenship in the spirit becom-
ing the progressive and broad minded Amer-
ican of the day in which he lived, while the
deep interest he manifested in his own lo-
cality made him a leader in all laudable en-
terprises for its advancement. His career,
which was strenuous, eminently honorable
and fraught with great good to his fellow
men and to the world, terminated with his
lamented death on the i6th day of June,
1896, in his sixty-fourth year; his taking
off, like that of his father, being keenly felt
and widely mourned in the town where he
had so long and creditably lived, and where
his success had been achieved.

Before her marriage Mrs. Erasmus Hull
was Dicy Finley. Her father, Rev. William
Finley, a well known and remarkably suc-
cessful minister of the Cumberland Presby-
terian church, came to Marion county in an

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

early day and for many years labored zeal-
ously to disseminate the truths of religion
among the people and win souls to the
higher life. During the years of his activ-
ity, he traveled extensively throughout
Southern Illinois, preaching and organizing
churches, and it is said that the majority of
Cumberland Presbyterian societies in the
central and southern portions of the state
were established by him, while others and
weak congregations were strengthened and
placed upon solid footing through his ef-
forts. Mrs. Hull bore her husband three
children and departed this life on May 16,
1903, beloved and respected by all with
whom she came in contact. Of her family
one of the children died in infancy, Mrs.
Mary Bradford being the second in order
of birth, and Charles E. Hull, of Salem, the
subject of this review, the youngest of the
number.

On his father's maternal side the subject
dates his family history to the earliest set-
tlement of Illinois, his great-grandfather,
Mark Tully, migrating to what is now Ma-
rion county, while the feet of savages still
pressed the soil and settling near the site of
Salem, where there was no vestage of civili-
zation within a radius of eight or ten miles,
his rude cabin having been the first human
habitation where the thriving seat of justice
now stands. He moved here from Indiana
and entered a tract of land from which in
due time he cleared and developed a farm,
and later when the county of Marion was set
off and organized, he donated ground for
the seat of justice, which was surveyed and

platted in 1823, and to which he gave the
name of Salem. In honor of the town in
the Hoosier state from which he came. He
took an active part in the county organiza-
tion, was its first Sheriff and held a number
of offices from time to time, and to him be-
longs the credit of keeping the first tavern
in Salem, which appears to have been quite
well patronized, while the town was being
settled and for eighty years thereafter, being
kept after his death by a daughter. He also
erected a mill, the first in Salem, which was
highly prized by the pioneers for many
miles around, although a primitive affair
equipped with the simplest kind of machin-
ery, and originally operated by means of a
sweep. Later it was somewhat improved
and operated by horses or oxen in what was
called a tread, but after the lapse of several
years the original structure was remodeled,
a large addition built, and new and im-
proved machinery' installed, and steam
power introduced, this being the first mill in
the county to be run by steam. Mr. Tully
was a true type of the sturdy, strong willed
pioneer of his day. He was energetic, pub-
lic-spirited, distinctively a man of affairs,
and to him as much perhaps as to any other,
is the town of Salem indebted for the im-
petus which added so materially to its
growth and prosperity. As a leader among
the pioneers of his time, he did a work that
few could accomplish and wielded an influ-
ence which had a decided effect in establish-
ing the social status of the community upon
a high moral plane. After a long and useful
career he was called from the scenes of his

BIOC.RAl'HTCAL AX1) RKM1XISCF.XT HISTORY OF

earthly struggles and triumphs in the year
1867, leaving a number of descendants,
some of whom still live in Marion county,
and are among the substantial and respected
people of the communities in which they re-
side.

Hon. Charles E. Hull was born Novem-
ber 7, 1862, in Salem, and spent his early
years like the majority of town lads, assist-
ing his parents where his services were re-
quired, and during certain months pursuing
his studies in the public schools. While a
mere child, he evinced a decided taste for
books and his progress in his studies was so
rapid that he completed the high school
course and was graduated at the early age
of fourteen, standing among the best stu-
dents in the class of 1877. Actuated by a
laudable desire to add to his scholastic
knowledge he subsequently entered the
Southern Illinois Normal University, at
Carbondale, where he took the full classical
course, which he finished in three years, one
year less than the prescribed time, graduat-
ing in 1880 with the class honors.

Shortly after receiving his degree from
the above institution Mr. Hull engaged in
merchandising at Salem, continued to the
present time a business established by Sam-
uel and Erasmus Hull, in 1853, and since
that time his life has been very closely iden-
tified with the business interests and general
prosperity of the town, in addition to which
he has conducted several mercantile estab-
lishments at other points and become a
prominent figure in the public life of Marion

county, and the state at large. Possessing
sound sense, well balanced judgment, and a
natural aptitude for business, his mercantile
experience soon passed the experimental
stage and within a comparatively brief pe-
riod he built up a large and lucrative patron-
age, and became one of the best known and
most popular merchants of the town. Ad-
vancing with rapid strides and outstripping
all of his competitors, he was soon induced
to project his business enterprises into other
parts, accordingly, as already indicated, he
established stores in various towns and vil-
lages of the county, and at one time had
five of these establishments in successful op-
eration in addition to his large general
mercantile house in Salem, all of .which
proved successful and in due season made
him one of the financially solid and reliable
men of Marion county. After some years
he closed out two of his stores but he still
retains the other three, two in Salem and
one in Kinmundy, and enjoys a well merited
reputation as one of the most enterprising
and successful business men in the southern
part of the state.

In addition to his large mercantile inter-
ests Mr. Hull is connected with other im-
portant business enterprises, having been a
director of the Salem bank since 1895, and
cashier of the institution during the years
1906-7, and in 1889 he organized the Salem
Creamery, which he operated for a period of
fifteen years, during which time he did an
extensive and lucrative business, using as
high as twenty thousand pounds of milk per

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

day, and making a brand of butter for which
there was always a great demand. By rea-
son of indifference on the part of the farm-
ers in the matter of supplying milk, Mr.
Hull disposed of the creamery at the expira-
tion of the period indicated, the better to de-
vote his attention to his other interests,
which have become important and far reach-
ing in their influence, adding much to the
material prosperity of the city and to his
fame as a leading spirit in business circles.
Among the various enterprises of which he
is the head, is the Salem Brick Mill, which,
under the firm name of Hull & Draper, has
become one of the successful industrial con-
cerns of the place, also the Hull Telephone
System, established in 1898, and of which
he is sole proprietor. This important and
much valued enterprise, one of the best of
the kind in Illinois, extends to all parts of
Marion county, connecting all the towns and
villages and numerous private residences,
besides having connection in the adjoining
counties, thus bringing Salem in close touch
with all the leading cities of the state and
nation, and proving of inestimable value to
the people as well as to the business interests
of the various points on the line. Under the
personal management of Mr. Hull, who has
operated the plant ever since it was estab-
lished, the system has been brought to a
degree of efficiency second to no other.

Since the year 1894, Mr. Hull has owned
The Salem Herald Advocate, the oldest
newspaper in Marion county, the history of
which dates from 1853. The paper origin-
ally was established by John W. Merritt,

and since the above year has been the best
patronized and most successful sheet in Ma-
rion county, and one of the most influential
in Southern Illinois, being the official organ
of the local Democracy, and a power in the
political affairs of this part of the state. Un-
der the management of Mr. Hull it has
steadily grown in public favor, and now has
a large and continually increasing subscrip-
tion list, a liberal advertising patronage, and
with an office well equipped with the latest
machinery and devices used in the art pre-
servative, and its columns teeming with the
news of the day as well as with able discus-
sions of the leading questions and issues
upon which men and parties are divided, it
promises to continue in the future as it has
been in the past, a strong influence in politi-
cal affairs and a power in moulding and di-
recting opinion on matters of general in-
terest to the people.

Aside from the various enterprises enu-
merated, Mr. Hull for a number of years
was quite extensively interested in the San-
doval Coal and Mining Company, of which
he was general manager until disposing of
his shares in the concern, and he is now and
long has been one of the largest holders of
real estate in Marion county, being an en-
terprising and up-to-date agriculturist. In
the midst of his numerous and pressing du-
ties, he finds time to devote to other than
his individual affairs, being interested in the
community and its advancement and in all
worthy enterprises for the good of his fel-
low men. Ever since arriving at the years
of manhood he has been a leading factor in

BIOGKAIMIICAl. AND RKM I N ISC K XT HISTORY OF

public matters, and in a material way has
been untiring in his efforts to promote the
prosperity of Salem and Marion county, tak-
ing an active interest in all movements and
measures with this object in view besides in-
augurating and carrying to successful issue
many enterprises which have tended greatly
to the general welfare of the community. In
political matters and kindred subjects he has
not only been interested but has risen to the
position of leader. He has been a life-long
Democrat, and since his twenty-first year
has exercised a strong influence in the polit-
ical affairs of Marion county, and became
widely and favorably known in party circles
throughout the state, a prominent figure in
local, district and state conventions, he has
borne a leading part in making platforms,
formulating policies ; as a campaigner, he is
a judicious adviser in the councils of his
party, a successful worker in the ranks, and
to him as much if not more than to any
other man in Marion county, is the party in-
debted for its success in a number of ani-
mated and exciting political contests.

In 1896 Mr. Hull was elected to repre-
sent the Forty-second Senatorial District,
composed of the counties of Clay, Washing-
ton, Marion and Clinton, in the Upper
House of the State Legislature, in the cam-
paign of which memorable year he ran far in
advance in his home town of any other can-
didate on the Democratic ticket, receiving
more votes than were polled for William
Jennings Bryan, the popular head of the na-
tional ticket, and the idol of Democracy.
Mr. Hull's career in the General Assembly

was eminently honorable, and he took high
rank as an industrious and useful member,
who spared no effort in behalf of his con-
stituents, besides laboring earnestly and
faithfully for the general good of his state.
In 1904 he was renominated by his party,
and in the ensuing election his Republican
competitor withdrew from the race, it being
evident that he would be overwhelmingly de-
feated. The district that year was com-
posed of the counties of Marion, Clay, Clin-
ton and Effingham. In the senate he be-
came the minority leader, and in addition
to serving on a number of important com-
mittees, took an active part in the general
deliberations of the chamber, participating
in the discussions and debates, and to him
belongs the credit of leading in the fight for
a direct primary, also of being the only mi-
nority leader who ever succeeded in holding
his party together on minority legislation.
Mr. Hull's senatorial experience is replete
with duty ably and faithfully performed,
and such was the interest he manifested for
his district that he won the confidence and
good will of the people irrespective of po-
litical alignment, all of whom speak in
praise of his honorable course and the broad
enlightenment spirit which he displayed
throughout his legislative career. As already
stated he is a familiar figure in the conven-
tions of his party, both local and state, and
for a period of twenty-eight years he has
not missed attending a Democratic national
convention.

For several years Mr. Hull owned and
occupied the place where Mr. Bryan was

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

born, but after the campaign of 1896 he sold
it to Mr. Bryan, between whom and himself
the warmest friendship has ever prevailed.
The two were classmates when they at-
tended high school, since which time they
have labored for each other's interests, and
as stated above, their attachment is stronger
and more enduring than the ordinary ties
by which friends are bound together. Mr.
Hull has served the people of his city as
School Director, and for a period of two
years he was president of the Inter-State In-
dependent Telephone Association, besides
being for a number of years a member of
the executive committee. He also served for
a series of years on the executive commit-
tee for the operators on the scale of agree-
ment, with the United Mine Workers of
America, a position of great responsibility
and delicacy, as is indicated by the fact of
his having devoted one hundred and twelve
days in one year to the settlement of wage
scales and of disputes between the contend-
ing parties, besides having been called upon
repeatedly to adjust differences and har-
monize conflicting interests, which arose
from time to time, between the two organi-
zations.

The domestic chapter in the life of Mr.
Hull dates from May 10, 1883, when he
was happily married to Miss Lulu Ham-
mond, the accomplished and popular daugh-
ter of Hon. J. E. W. Hammond, the
latter a prominent merchant and influential
politician of Marion county, Illinois, who
served in the Legislature, on the County
Board of Supervisors, and for many years

was one of the public spirited men and rep-
resentative citizens of Salem. On her
mother's side Mrs. Hull traces to the Lov-
ells and Hensleys, who were among the
earliest settlers of Marion county, as is men-
tioned elsewhere in this volume. Senator
Hull's beautiful and attractive home on
North Broadway, the finest and most de-
sirable private dwelling in the city, is
brightened and rendered doubly attractive
by the presence of two intelligent and in-
teresting daughters, namely: Lovell, born
January 8, 1888, and Louise, whose birth
occurred on the 3ist day of May, 1897,
these with their parents constituting a happy
and almost ideal domestic circle.

Senator Hull's fraternal association rep-
resents the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks', the Knights of Pythias, Inde-
pendent Order of Red Men, and the Modern
Woodmen, in all of which he has been an
active and influential worker, besides being
honored with important official positions
from time to time. In the midst of his
many strenuous duties as a business man
and public servant, the Senator has not neg-
lected the higher obligations which man
owes to his Maker, nor been unmindful of
the claims of the Christian religion — to
which deep and absorbing subject he has
devoted much profound study and investi-
gation, and in the light of which he has
been led into the straight and narrow way
which leads to a higher state of being here,
and to eternal felicity beyond death's mys-
tic stream. Subscribing to no human
creeds or man-made doctrines, he takes the

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Holy Scriptures alone for his rule of faith
and practice, and as an humble and consist-
ent member of the Christian, or Disciple,
church, demonstrates by his daily life the
beauty and value of the faith which he pro-
fesses. He has been identified with the re-
ligious body since his young manhood, and
for more than twenty years has been the able
and popular superintendent of the Sunday
school, besides filling other official stations.
Mrs. Hull is also a faithful and devout
Christian, an active member of the church,
and deeply interested in all lines of good
work under the auspices of the same. Since
her fourteenth year she has been the accom-
plished organist of the congregation in Sa-
lem, as well as an efficient and enthusiastic
teacher in the Sunday school. Senator Hull
is a liberal contributor to benevolent enter-
prises, and it was through his initiation and
influence that the present handsome temple
of worship used by the Christian church,
was erected, his contributions to the build-
ing fund being twenty-five dollars for every
one hundred dollars contributed by the con-
gregation. In addition to his munificence
already noted, the Senator has given largely
to various worthy objects of which the
world knows nothing, in this way exempli-
fying the spirit of the Master, by not letting
the left hand know what the right hand
doeth, or in other words, doing good
in secret in the name of the Father who
hath promised to reward such actions
openly.

Senator Hull is a splendid specimen of
well rounded, symmetrically developed, vi-

rile manhood, with a commanding presence
and a strong personality, being six feet in
height, weighing two hundred and thirty-
four pounds, and moving among his fellows
as one born to leadership. He is a notice-
able figure in any crowd or assemblage, and
never fails to attract attention, not only by
his powerful physique, but by the amiable
qualities of mind and heart, which show in
his face, and always make his presence pleas-
ing to all beholders. He has directed his
life along lines which could not fail to ef-
fect favorably the physical as well as the
mental man, having from his youth been
singularly free from thoughts which lower
and degrade self-respect, and from those in-
siduous habits which pollute the body and
debase the soul, and which today are prov-
ing the destruction of so many young men
of whom better things have been expected.
Mr. Hull is a total abstainer in all the term
implies, having never tasted, much less taken
a drink of any kind of intoxicants, nor used
tobacco in any of its forms; neither has he
ever taken the name of God in vain. He is
pleasing and companionable, a favorite in
the social circle, and a hale and hearty spirit,
whose presence inspires good humor, and
who believes in legitimate sports and pas-
times and in the idea that fret and worry
are among the greatest enemies of happi-
ness. With duties that would crush the ordi-
nary man, he has his labors so systematized
that he experiences little or no inconveni-
ence in doing them. He believes in rest and
recreation and is an advocate of vacations,
and he invariably takes one every summer,

HIGHLAND. CLAY AND MARION CO1/XTIES, ILLINOIS.

but not in the manner that many do, by
locking his office and hieing away to the
seaside, lake or forest, to spend the season
in tiresome sports. His vacations, which
are always enjoyable, are spent in the hay-
field, where he finds the recreation condu-
cive to good health and a contented mind.

Personally Mr. Hull is a gentleman of
unblemished reputation, and the strictest in-
tegrity and his private character and im-
portant trusts have always been above re-
proach. He is a vigorous as well as an
independent thinker, a wide reader, and he
has the courage of his convictions upon all
subjects which he investigates. He is also
strikingly original and fearless, prosecutes
his researches after his own peculiar fash-
ion, and cares little for conventionalism or
for the sanctity attaching to person or place
by reason of artificial distinction, tradition
or the accident of birth. He is essentially
cosmopolitan in his ideas, a man of the peo-
ple in all the term implies, and in the best
sense of the word a representative type of
that strong American manhood, which
commands and retains respect by reason of
inherent merit, sound sense and correct con-
duct. He has so impressed his individuality
upon his community as to win the confidence
and esteem of his fellow-citizens and be-
come a strong and influential power in lead-
ing them to high and noble things.
Measured by the accepted standard of ex-
cellence, his career, though strenuous, has
been eminently honorable and useful, and
his life fraught with great good to his fel-
lows and to the world.

WILLIAM H. DILLMAN.

William H. Dillman, the well known
president of the Clay County State Bank at
Louisville, Illinois, was born in Oskaloosa
township, on the family homestead, where
he grew to manhood. The date of his birth
was July 14, 1867. He is the son of Louis
Dillman, a native of Kentucky, who came
to Illinois when fourteen years old and set-
tled in Oskaloosa township on a farm,
where he lived for many years. He is now
retired, making his home in Louisville. He
was formerly president of the State Bank
and is well known in the county as a man
of much ability. Vachel Dillman, grand-
father of the subject, was also a native of
Kentucky, who came to this state at an
early day and developed a good farm. The
subject's mother was Harriett B. Smith,
whose people were natives of Tennessee,
where she was born. She is still living.
Eleven children were born to the subject's
parents, namely: Dr. Asa E., of Steuben,
Wisconsin; Mrs. Mary E. Graham, of Os-
kaloosa township; Mrs. Sarah E. Burdick,
of Oskaloosa township; William H., our
subject; Dr. J. V., at Ingraham, Illinois;
Lillie M., now deceased; Mrs. Ida Steeley,
a i Louisville, this county ; Mrs. Delia Mont-
gomery, also of Louisville; Dora, deceased;
Polly Ann, deceased; Henry, deceased.

William H. Dillman was united in mar-
riage in 1898 to Cora P. Brown, the refined
r.nd accomplished daughter of P. P. Brown,
of Louisville, Illinois, and two children have
been born to this union, namely : Howard B.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KK.M IN ISCKNT HISTORY OF

and Robert V., ten and five years old re-
spectively at this writing, 1908, both bright
and interesting lads.

Mr. Dillman acquired a good common
school education, and after spending three
years at the State Normal, at the Union
Christian College of Merom, Indiana, and
at the Orchard City College at Flora, Illi-
nois, where he graduated with honors, Mr.
Dillman entered the law office of Hagle &
Shriner in that city, and in 1896 was ad-
mitted to the bar, since which time he has
been ranked as one of the leading lawyers of
Clay county, and has built up an excellent
business, practicing in all the courts in this
and adjoining counties with great success.

When Judge Farmer, now one of the Su-
preme Judges of the state of Illinois, was on
the bench of this, the Forty-second Senato-
rial District, he selected Mr. Dillman as the
Master in Chancery of this county. Later
on, upon the death of William H. Hudelson,
Mr. Dillman, by the terms of the will, was
made the executor, the will conveying to
him in trust for twenty years money and
property representing over two hundred
thousand dollars. No better testimony of
confidence in a man's integrity has ever
been paid to a citizen of this county. Mr.
Dillman was Master in Chancery for six
years. The directors of the Clay County
State Bank elected him president of that
institution in the summer of 1908.

He was the Democratic nominee for Rep-
resentative from this district in 1908, but
was defeated. He has always been a stanch
Democrat and has taken an active part in

his county's affairs. Fraternally he is a
member of the Knights of Pythias, the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Home
Circle. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dillman are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Dillman, busy with the management
of the bank, which he gives the most care-
ful attention and which is regarded as one
of the solidest banks of the southern part
of the state, finds insufficient time to carry on
his law practice, although it is not entirely
abandoned. Mr. Dillman throughout his ca-
reer has been very active, progressive and de-
termined, carrying forward in successful
completion whatever he has undertaken in a
business way. Mr. Dillman attributes a
very large measure of his success to his
many and faithful friends. He is clearly
entitled to be classed among the leading citi-
zens of Clay county — a man whose strong
individuality is the strength of integrity, vir-
tue and deep human sympathy and no one
has more friends than he throughout the
district.

H. T. PACE.

A happy combination of characteristics is
possessed by the honorable gentleman of
whom the biographer now essays to write.
for he has shown during his long residence
in Salem, Marion county, Illinois, that he is
a man of rare business acumen, foresight and
sagacity, at the same time possessing lauda-
ble traits of character such as integrity, in-
dustry, sobriety and kindliness; these, com-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

bined with his public spirit and model home
life, have resulted in winning for Mr. Pace
the unqualified esteem of all who know him.

H. T. Pace was born one and one-half
miles south of Salem on a farm, February
3, 1850, and, believing that better opportu-
nities awaited him right here at home, he
early decided to cast his lot with his own
people rather than seek uncertain success in
other fields, and, judging from the pro-
nounced success which has attended his sub--
sequent efforts, one must conclude that he
made a wise decision.

The subject's father was George W. Pace,
a native of Kentucky, who came to Jefferson
county, Illinois, when a young man, but
soon after locating here he moved to Marion
county, where he engaged in farming, later
in the furniture business, having spent many
years in this; he also learned the tailor's
trade and conducted a tailor shop for a time
soon after coming here. He was a man of
considerable force and influence, honest,
hard working and hospitable, who spared no
pains in rearing his family in the best pos-
sible manner, always holding out high ideals
and lofty aims. He was noted as a great
story teller as well as a kindly, neighborly
man. He was born December 18, 1806, and
passed to his rest June i, 1867. He was one
of the oldest pioneers of Marion county, be-
ing one of the best known and most beloved
men in the county and familiarly called "Un-
cle George."

The mother of the subject, whose birth oc-
curred oh the same day of the month as that
of her husband, December i8th, in the year

1808, was known in her maidenhood as Ta-
bithia J. Rogers, a native of Tennessee, the
representative of a fine old Southern fam-
ily, and she "crossed over the mystic river"
to join her worthy life companion on the
other shore February 26, 1881, at the age
of seventy-three years, after closing a serene
and beautiful life of the noblest Christian at-
tributes and wholesome influence. One of
the most commendable traits in our subject
was his devotion to his mother, with whom
he lived until her death, joyfully administer-
ing to her every want and sacrificing much
in his own life that she might be comfortable
and happy. Nine children were born to the
parents of the subject, only three of whom
are living at this writing, 1908. The living
are: O. H. Pace, of Mount Vernon, Illinois,
at the age of sixty-eight years; Mrs. O. E.
Tryner, living at Long Beach, California, at
the age of sixty years; H. T., our subject.
The parents of the subject were married
May 13. 1830.

H. T. Pace remained under his parental
roof-tree during the lifetime of his parents.
He attended the common schools in Salem,
where he diligently applied himself and re-
ceived a good education. However, thirst-
ing for more knowledge, he attended college
at Jacksonville, Illinois, for a short time. The
stage having allurements and he having nat-
ural talents as a comedian, he traveled for
three years with some of the best companies
on the road as a black-face comedian, win-
ning wide notoriety through this medium.

Tiring of the stage, he went to Denver in
1880, where he clerked for a while in a jew-

I!IO<;i<AI'IIICAI. A.VI) KKMIMSCKXT HISTOUY OF

«lry store, later worked as a Pullman con-
ductor between Denver and Leadville over
the South Park Railroad. In 1884 Mr. Pace
came back to Salem and has remained here
•ever since prospering in whatever he has un-
dertaken.

The harmonious domestic life of the sub-
ject dates from 1884, when he was united
in marriage with Alice H. Andrews, the ac-
complished and popular daughter of Samuel
Andrews, who sacrificed his life for his
country, having met death in the Union lines
while fighting in defense of the flag. At the
time of their marriage Mr. Pace was sup-
posed to be on his death bed from a sudden
and serious illness. The married life of this
couple has been a most ideal one and has re-
sulted in the birth of seven children, five of
whom are living. Their names follow:
Claude S., of Salem, engine foreman at the
Chicago & Eastern Illinois shops; Erne
Jenella, Lynn Harvey, Ned R., Gladys D.,
Lowell died in infancy, as did also the last
child, Mona.

After his marriage Mr. Pace went into
the piano business, which he has since con-
ducted for twenty-five years, the greatest
success attending his efforts, his house being
known throughout Marion county, and his
trade extending many miles in every direc-
tion, as a result of his skill in managing this
line and his uniform fairness and courteous-
ness to customers. His piano parlor is one
of the popular business houses of Salem. Mr.
Pace keeps a modern and up-to-date line of
musical instruments, talking machines and
similar goods.

Fraternally Mr. Pace is a member of the
Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the
Woodmen and the Eastern Star, being the
Worthy Patron in the latter order.

Mr. Pace is now the only member of this
worthy family in Marion county, and he is
one of the oldest native bom residents of
Salem. Among his interesting collection of
relics and curios is an old clock which his
father and mother bought when they first
went to housekeeping.

In all the relations of life our subject has
been found worthy of the trust imposed in
him, being a man of rare business ability,
force of character and possessing praise-
worthy qualities of head and heart which.
make him popular with all whom he meets,
and he is today regarded by all classes as be-
ing one of the staunchest, most upright and
representative citizens of Marion county.

D. D. HAYN1E.

For the high rank of her bench and bar
Illinois has always been distinguished, and
it is gratifying to note that in no section of
the commonwealth has the standard been
lowered in any epoch of its history. To the
subject of this review, who is at the time of
this writing, 1908, the popular and influen-
tial Clerk of the Circuit Court at Salem,
Marion county, we may refer with propriety
and satisfaction as being one of the able and
representative members of the legal profes-
sion of the state. He prepared himself most

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

carefully for the work of his exacting pro-
fession and has ever been ambitious and
self-reliant, gaining success and securing his
technical training through his own deter-
mination and well directed efforts. He not
only stands high in his profession but is a
potent factor in local politics, his advice
being often relied upon in the selection of
candidates for county offices and he has led
such a career, one upon which not the
shadow or suspicion of evil rests, that his
counsel is often sought and heeded in im-
portant movements in the county, with grati-
fying results.

D. D. Haynie was born in Marion county,
Illinois, November 22, 1848. His father
was William D. Haynie, a native of
Norfolk, Virginia, where he was born
August 29, 1798. He came with his mother
to Winchester, Tennessee, when he was ten
years old, and remained there until - he
reached young manhood. He was a soldier
in the War of 1812, having performed gal-
lant service in the same, after which he re-
turned to Kentucky, settling near Hopkins-
ville, where he married Elizabeth B. Frost,
and where he lived for several years, finally
in 1832 moving to Salem, Illinois, bringing
three slaves with them, which they later lib-
erated. They lived in Salem, developing
the primitive conditions which they found,
for many years, rearing eleven children,
namely: Abner F., deceased, having died
in 1850; General Isham N., who died in
1868, having been adjutant general at the
time of his death, formerly colonel of the
Forty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry;

William M., died in 1855 ; Rebecca was the
wife of James Marshall, who moved to
Texas and died there about 1857; George
W., quartermaster of the Forty-eighth Illi-
nois Volunteer Regiment, who died in 1891,
when seventy years old; Mary and John B.,
both died in infancy ; Elizabeth is the widow
of Hon. B. B. Smith, who was one of
the first and best lawyers in southern Illi-
nois, and who died in 1884, his widow now
residing at Mount Vernon, Washington :
Martha J., now deceased, was the wife of
Dr. Thomas Williams, of Jacksonville, Flor-
ida, dying in Philadelphia in 1906; Sarah
C. is the wife of L. L. Adams, of Spokane,
Washington; D. D., our subject, was the
youngest of the family.

Our subject made his home with his
father until he died in 1870, the subject's
mother surviving until 1884. They were
people of excellent qualities of mind and
heart, and spared no pains in giving their
children every advantage possible, and the
wholesome home influence in which they
were reared is reflected in the characters of
the subject and the other children.

D. D. Haynie attended the common
schools when a boy, making rapid progress.
Being ambitious and thirsting for all the
book learning possible, he entered the State
Normal at Bloomington, Illinois, after a
course in which he made an excellent record,
he returned home and clerked, but believing
that his true life path lay along the higher
lines of the legal profession, he begun the
study of law and was admitted to the Salem
bar in 1871. His success was instantaneous

lilOCKAI'IUCAL AND REMINISCENT JIISTOKV OF

and he soon built up a good practice. His
unusual attributes soon attracted attention
and he was appointed clerk in the Pension
Agency located in Salem, which position he
held with much credit for a period of six
years. He then devoted some of his time to
farming with gratifying results, at the same
time continuing his law practice which had
by this time been built up to a very large
practice. He has continued with great suc-
cess ever since he first began practice in
1885. During this time he has served his
county and city in many official capacities.
He was twice elected president of the City
Board of Education, and afterward was a
member of the same for two terms ; during
his connection with the same the educational
interests of the city were greatly strength-
ened. He was elected Police Magistrate in
1904 and elected Circuit Clerk as a Repub-
lican and is serving in this capacity in 1908,
making one of the best clerks the court has
ever had. In all his political and official
career, not the least dissatisfaction has
arisen over the manner in which he has
handled the affairs entrusted to him, and he
has by this consistent record gained a host
of admiring friends throughout the county.

Mr. Haynie's happy and harmonious do-
mestic life dates from August 26, 1875,
when he was united in marriage with Emma
J. McMackin, the accomplished and cultured
daughter of W. E. McMackin, who was
lieutenant-colonel of Grant's Twenty-first
Illinois Regiment, and a well known and
influential man in his community.

One bright and winsome daughter was

born to the subject and wife, who was given
the name of May E., and who is now the
wife of William W. Morrow, of Oklahoma
City. The subject's wife was called to her
rest January 21, 1878, and he was married
the second time, this wife being in her
maidenhood, Maggie Bobbitt, daughter of
Joseph J. Bobbitt, who was a soldier in the
Eighth Kentucky Regiment. She proved a
worthy helpmeet and to this union the fol-
lowing interesting children were born:
Edith M., now living in Spokane, Washing-
ton; Donald C., of Salem, Illinois, is clerk
for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Rail-
way Company. The subject's wife died in
April 1890. The subject then married Rose
M. Haley, the daughter of Rev. J. L. Haley,
a well known Cumberland Presbyterian
minister, the date of the wedding falling
on July 14, 1891. No children have been
born to this union which has been a most
harmonious one.

Fraternally the subject has been a mem-
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows for thirty-seven years, having occupied
the chairs of the same, and he has been a
member of the Masonic Fraternity since
1879, a chapter member.

The subject in his political activity had
occasion to become intimately acquainted
with Governor Oglesby, Gen. John A. Lo-
gan, Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, Governor
Tanner and most of the noted men of the
state.

Mr. Haynie delights to recall reminis-
cences of his great grandfather on his
father's side, who was named Donald Camp-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

bell, who migrated from Scotland to Nor-
folk, Virginia, where he bought up all the
land between what was, then Norfolk and
the wharf, which is now known as Campbell
wharf. Mr. Campbell died in February,
1795. Mr. Haynie has in his possession a
copy of Campbell's will executed February
2, 1795. Donald Campbell's father was
Archibald Campbell, who survived his son
and died in 1802. There are many descen-
dants of the Campbell family living today
in Philadelphia and Virginia.

AUGUSTIN ROBERT WILLIAMS.

By reason of numerous rare innate quali-
ties, together with his pleasing personal
qualities, together with his pleasing personal
address, his honesty of purpose and his
loyalty to his native community, Mr. Wil-
liams has reached a conspicuous round in
the ladder of success in his chosen field of
endeavor and justly merits the high esteem
in which he is held by all who know him.

A. R. Williams, the popular and well
known teller of the Salem" State Bank,
Salem, Illinois, is a native of Marion county,
having first seen the light of day in the city
of Salem on December 15, 1875, the son of
Rowland H. Williams, a native of New
York City, who was born near Delaney
street. He early decided to leave the con-
gested metropolis and seek his fortune in
the freer and less trammeled West, and
consequently in casting about for an oppor-
tunity to properly get his initial start in the
business world he decided to try Ohio and

soon set out for Columbus and finally lo-
cated near that city, then in about 1870 he
came to Salem, Illinois, where he elected to
remain, being impressed with the superior
prospects of the place. He was proprietor of
the Salem Marble Works for a number of
years and at the time of his death, which oc-
curred on December 10, 1890, he was post-
master of Salem, this important appoint-
ment having been made in recognition of
his valuable services and his unflagging
loyalty to the principles of the party then
in power. He also showed his loyalty to
the Union by enlisting in the Eighty-fifth
Ohio Volunteer Regiment, serving with
credit throughout the war between the
states.

The grandfather of the subject on the
paternal side of the house was Robert Wil-
liams, a native of Wales, he and his good
wife having settled in New York and later
coming to Ohio. His wife, late in life, came
to Salem where she died. The grandmother
of the subject on his maternal side was a
native of Tennessee. She, too, died in
Salem where she had lived only a few years,
having been called to her eternal sleep
shortly after the war.

The mother of the subject was known in
her maidenhood as Margaret Keeney, a na-
tive of near old Foxville, Illinois, this
county, the daughter of A. W. Keeney, who
moved from Indiana to Marion county
where he settled on a farm, but moved to
Salem during the Civil war. He had a son
killed in the battle of Shiloh and this caused
him to desert the old farm homestead and
move to Salem. He was associated with

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Seth Andrews in the Salem Milling Com-
pany of Salem for many years. The last few
years of his life he lived in retirement. He
passed away July 2, 1890. The mother of
the subject, a woman of many praise-
worthy traits, is still living in 1908.

Three children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Rowland H. Williams, one having died
'in infancy. Frank L. Williams, the living
brother of the subject, was born in Salem
May 25, 1881, and is a well known con-
tractor.

A. R. Williams, our subject, spent his
boyhood in Salem attending the local
schools, having graduated from the Salem
high school in 1893, after making a splen-
did record for scholarship. Mr. Williams
was with Cutler & Hays in the mercantile
business, during which time he added very
much to the prestige of the firm and won
scores of customers from all over the county
by reason of his courteous treatment and
conscientious work, and the fact that his ser-
vices were so long continued by this firm
is a criterion that they were eminently satis-
factory in every particular. Desiring to bet-
ter fit himself for a business career which
he soon determined should be his life's chief
aim, he entered Brown's Business College
at Centralia, from which he graduated with
distinction in 1906.

The unusual ability of Mr. Williams was
soon known to the business people of Salem
and when the State Bank became in need
of an efficient and reliable teller, no one
worthier of the place could be found than
our subject, consequently he was en-

treated to accept this important post, which
he did on December 26, 1906, after resign-
ing his position with Cutler and Hays,
much to their regret, for they well knew
that they would have much difficulty in fill-
ing the place of such a valuable man.

Mr. Williams has shown rare business
ability in handling his new position and has
given entire satisfaction to his employers
from the first, having become known as one
of the most trusted and thoroughly efficient
bank tellers in this part of the state.

A. R. Williams was married to Miss
Olive M. Peters, of Sandoval, Illinois,
October 25, 1908. She is a daughter of D.
M. and Lydia (Neff) Peters. Fraternally
Mr. Williams is a member of the ancient
and honorable order of Masons, a member
of Cyrene Commandery No. 23, Knights
Templar, of Centralia, also a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at
Salem; he is also a member of the Wood-
men and the Modern American Fraternal
Order.

Mr. Williams is strong in his religious
convictions, being a faithful member of the
Presbvterian church.

CHARLES H. HOLT.

The biographical annals of Marion Coun-
ty, Illinois, would be incomplete were there
failure to make specific mention of the hon-
orable gentleman, whose name introduces
this review, who is one of the county's

CHARLES H. HOLT.

Of rwr

UCHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ablest and rnpst distinguished native sons,
for he had the sagacity early in youth to
see that better opportunities waited for him
right here on his native heath than other-
where, consequently his life labors have
been confined to this. locality rather than in
distant and precarious fields, and judging
from the eminent success he has here at-
tained he was fortunate in coming to this
decision — to remain at home. Judge Holt
has been prominently identified with the in-
dustrial, material and civic progress of the
community, having ever stood for loyal and
public-spirited citizenship, having been a
potent factor in bringing about the wonder-
ful development in this favored section, con-
tributing his influence and energy in the
transformation which has made this one of
the leading counties of the state, with its
highly cultivated farms, thriving towns and
villages, its school-houses, churches and all
other evidences of progress and culture, and
he is today not only one of the leading attor-
neys and among the most highly honered
citizens of Salem, the beautiful and thriving
county seat, but is recognized as one of the
foremost men at the bar in the state. In all
the relations of life he has been faithful to all
the trusts reposed in him, performing his
duty conscientiously and with due regard
for the welfare of others often at the sacri-
fice of his own best interests and pleasures.
Charles H. Holt was born near Vernon,
Marion county, Illinois, October i, 1868, the
only child of William H. Holt, and Sarah
(Parsons) Holt, the former a native of
Union county, and the latter a native of the
4

state of Ohio. They were married in Ma-
rion county. The mother of the subject was
called to her rest in November, 1892. Wil-
liam H. Holt is living in 1908, and making
his home with the subject in Salem. The
father was a soldier is the One Hundred
and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
having enlisted under Col. James S.
Martin, who afterward became a general.
Mr. Holt served gallantly for three years,
or until his enlistment expired, his princi-
pal services being with Sherman on his
march to the sea, and his campaigns around
Atlanta. William H. Holt has been a use-
ful and industrious man, scrupulously honest
and he yet exercises considerable influence
in his community. He and his worthy life
companion spared no pains in giving their
son, our subject, every possible advantage
and encouragement to make the most of life.
and many of his sterling attributes and
noble traits of character may be traced to
the wholesome home influence and uplifting
environment in which he was reared. Henry
Holt, grandfather of the subject, was one
of the first settlers of Marion county, having
come here from Tennessee, and participated
in organizing the county and many of the
county offices were indebted to his sound
judgment for their early development. He
was a public-spirited man and did an incal-
culable amount of good in furthering the
interests of his community. Like many of
the hardy pioneers of those early times, he
possessed many sterling qualities and won
the admiration of all who knew him.
Charles H. Holt, our subject, attended

BIOGRAPHICAL AND RKM IN JSCKNT HISTORY OK

the country schools during the winter
months while living on his father's farm
and later the Salem high school, from which
he graduated in the class of 1889. Being
an ambitious lad from the first he applied
himself most assiduously and outstripped
many of the less courageous plodders of his
day, making excellent grades. After leaving
the high school he engaged in teaching with
marked success for one year, then, thirsting
for more knowledge, he entered Northwest-
ern University at Chicago, taking a prepara-
tory course the first year. Believing that
his true life work lay along legal lines, he
spent three years in a law office in Chicago
and then located at Kinmundy, this county,
and while living here, where his success was
instantaneous, he became popular with his
party, which nominated him for the respon-
sible position of county judge, and he was
subsequently elected by a handsome majority
in 1898, serving two terms with entire sat-
isfaction to his constituents and all con-
cerned and in such a manner as to reflect
great credit upon his ability, manifesting
from the first that he had unmistakable judi-
cial talent and a profound knowledge of
law in its variegated phases.

In 1904 Judge Holt removed to Salem
and at the expiration of his term of office
resumed the practice of law, with a well
equipped and pleasant suite of rooms in the
Stonecipher building. He has one of the
largest and best selected libraries to be found
in Southern Illinois. Not only does the
Judge keep posted on all the late judicial de-
cisions and court rulings, but he is a well

read man on scientific, literary and current
topics, so that his conversation is at once
animated and learned.

The Judge is a strong and influential ad-
vocate of the principles embodied in the
Democratic party and is well fortified in his
convictions, always ready to lend his influ-
ence and time to the furtherance of his par-
ty's interests and assist in placing the best
men obtainable in the county offices. He
has served as chairman of the Democratic
Central Committee of Marion county, dur-
ing which time he displayed rare acumen
and sagacity in the management of the par-
ty's affairs.

Although Mr. Holt's extensive legal prac-
tice occupied the major part of his time, he
has considerable business interests which he
manages with uniform success. He is a
stockholder in the Salem National Bank,
and also in the Farmers' and Merchants'
Bank of St. Peter, Illinois.

Judge Holt's happy and harmonious do-
mestic life dates from 1897, when he was
united in marriage to Frances W. Fox, the
accomplished and cultured daughter of Dr.
Jesse D. Fox, of Kindmundy, this county.
Doctor Fox was one of the county's most
noted physicians and best known citizens,
who died about 1881. The following chil-
dren have blessed the home of the subject
with their cheer and sunshine: Dorothy F..
who was born in May, 1898; Ward P., born
in October, 1900; Frances S., who was born
in October, 1904; Charlotte, whose date of
birth occurred September 29, 1906. These
children are all bright and winsome, giving

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

promise of successful future careers. The
Holt home is a model one, the residence
being modern, commodious, well furnished
and invaded with the most wholesome at-
mosphere.

Our subject in his fraternal relations is
affiliated with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias,
having occupied the chairs in both. He is
truly a strong and prominent character, and
owing to his individual personal traits,
which are highly commendable, his past
record, which is unmarred by a shadow, his
pleasing address, kindly disposition, upright-
ness and public spirit, the future augurs still
greater honors for the subject, for he has
gained the undivided esteem and confidence
of his fellow citizens throughout Marion
and adjoining counties, and such a worthy
character is seldom left alone by the public
when services of a high order are constantly
being sought.

HON. ELBERT ROWLAND. M. D.

Prominent in the professional life of Ol-
ney, Richland county, pre-eminently distin-
guished for carrying to completion impor-
tant public enterprises and enjoying
marked prestige in many things far
beyond the limits of the community
honored by his citizenship, the subject
of this sketch stands out a clear
and conspicuous figure among the success-
ful men of a part of the great Prairie state

noted throughout the commonwealth for its
high order of intelligence and business and
professional talent. Characterized by breadth
of wisdom and strong individuality, his
achievements but represent the utilization of
innate talents in directing efforts along lines
in which mature judgment, rare discrimina-
tion, and a resourcefulness that hesitates at
no opposing circumstances, pave the way
and ultimately lead to great achievements.
It is not the intention of the biographer to
give in this connection a detailed history of
the subject's life, but rather to note incident-
ally his connection with various public offices
and his long and worthy practice of medi-
cine, and to show the marked influence he
has wielded in advancing the material in-
terests of Richland county and in promoting
the general welfare of its populace.

Dr. Elbert Rowland was born in New
York City, April 28, 1832, the son of Town-
send and Eliza (Sands) Rowland, natives
of Long Island, where they were reared
and married. The subject's father learned
the tailor's trade and conducted a tailor
shop in the city of New York for a number
of years. In 1840 he came to Richland
county and entered two hundred and forty
acres of land in Bonpas township. It was
wild and in the wilderness, there being but
few settlers there at that time. He erected
a log cabin and began to make a home.
There was plenty of wild game of all kinds
in the forests round about, and the wolves,
foxes and other animals gave some trouble.
The early settlers of those days had many
exciting fox chases. The family lived in

lilOGRArillCAL AND KKMIN1SCKXT HISTORY OF

a log cabin for a number of years. They
improved a good farm in due course of time.
The father of the subject died in Olney at
the advanced age of eighty-four years in
1896, his life companion having preceded
him to the silent land in 1876, at the age
of sixty-four years. They were the parents
of ten children, all of whom grew to ma-
turity, eight of the number living at this
writing (1908), the subject of this sketch
being the eldest of the family. He was only
seven years old when he r^me to what is
now Richland county, where he was reared
on a farm in Bonpas township. There were a
few subscription schools at that time, which
our subject attended during the winter
months for a few terms. As usual, the old-
est of the children worked hard to help sup-
port the family, such was the lot of El-
bert Rowland. When sixteen years old he
went to Lancaster, Wabash county, where
he became clerk in a general store where he
continued for three years. He then bought
an interest in a traveling daguerreotype gal-
lery and visited various sections of southern
Illinois, finally selling his interest after ar-
riving in Olney. In 1855 he went to Law-
rence county and began the study of medi-
cine under Dr. J. L. Flanders, who lived
on a farm, and who was at that time one of
the leading physicians and surgeons in
Southern Illinois. He studied two years and
in 1857 went to New York and entered the
New York Medical College, from which he
graduated in chemistry in 1858, and in med-
icine in 1859, having made a brilliant rec-
ord in that institution.

After leaving school, the subject prac-
ticed in the hospitals of New York for a
year. When the Civil war began, he deemed
it his duty to do something for his coun-
try and he applied for an appointment and
was commissioned first assistant surgeon of
the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New
York Volunteer Infantry with the rank of
captain, serving three years. He remained
with this regiment, was present in all the
engagement in which it participated ex-
cept one, having then been absent on a ten
days' leave to go home. Among the impor-
tant battles in which he participated were
Gettysburg, Bascom Bridge, siege of
Charleston, etc. He was active in field
work and escaped with one slight wound in
the hand.

After the war he returned to Illinois and
located at Noble, where he engaged in gen-
eral practice and soon built up a lucrative
business, continuing here until 1880, when
he located at Olney and continued practice
with his usual great success until 1905, when
he retired and has since been leading a
quiet life.

In politics he is a Democrat and for many
years was quite active and prominent in the
affairs of his party. He was elected chair-
man of the Democratic Central Committee
of Richland county in 1865, and so well did
he manage its affairs that he was annually
re-elected for nineteen consecutive years and
has been a member of the same for thirty-
five years. During this time he served as
chairman of the Executive Committee for
two terms, and Literarv Committee for two

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

terms. He served as chairman of the Con-
gressional Committee one term, and was
chairman of the Senatorial and Legislative
Committees for two terms. He has been
delegate to the county, state, legislative, dis-
trict and national conventions and chairman
of various committees. He was regarded
as one of the "wheel-horses" of the Demo-
cratic party in this locality for many years
and he wielded a powerful influence in its
councils. In 1882 he was a candidate for
nomination as representative from the Forty-
fourth District. There were four candidates
and in the convention he received the entire
vcte on the first ballot. His election fol-
lowed by a majority of one thousand two
hundred and ninety-six in a district which
at that time was about six hundred Repub-
lican. This shows his great popularity with
the masses, and his splendid work in that
body showed the wisdom of his constituents
in their selection. He has always taken
an active interest in whatever tended to pro-
mote the general interest of his community.
When a resident of Noble he was a member
of the school board for seventeen years, dur-
ing which time the schools of that place
were built up to excellent proportions, hav-
ing been president of the board of trustees
for two terms and one term as treasurer. HP
was appointed health officer of Olney in
1882 and served in a most efficient manner
for seventeen years. He served as president
of the Board of United States Pension Ex-
aminers for ten years, and as president of
the Richland County Board of Charities for
seven years. He was a member of the Board

of Censors in Evansville Hospital Medical
College for three years. In all these capaci-
ties he gave the greatest satisfaction and
always looked after such business with the
same care as if it had been his own.

The happy domestic life of the subject be-
gan January 23, 1862, when he married Kate
Mallary, a native of New York City, the
daughter of Sherland and Judah (Elliott)
Mallary, natives of Connecticut. The father
was in the real estate and rental agency
business and died there of cholera. His wife
survived a number of years and died at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Rowland, at Xo-
ble, this state.

Five children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, four of whom are living, as
follows: Kate Elbertine, the wife of I. A.
Phillips, of Waterbury, Connecticut; The-
ressa, the wife of E. E. Edwards, of Olney;
Charles Townsend, a druggist, of Streator,
Illinois: Elbert M., an attorney and Master
in Chancery, owner and editor of The Olney
Times. These children received good educa-
tions and are all well situated in reference
to this world's affairs.

In his fraternal relations the subject is a
member of the Masonic order at Olney, also
the Grand Army of the Republic, having
served as surgeon of the latter for many
years.

It is doubtful if any citizen of this part of
the state has achieved more honorable men-
tion or occupied a more conspicuous place
before the public than he whose name ap-
pears at the head of these paragraphs.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

H. D. EVANS.

H. D. Evans was bom in Marion county,
this state, September 30, 1866, the son of O.
F. Evans, Police Magistrate, and a native of
this county. The mother of Mr. Evans was
Lucy J. Tingle, a native of Kentucky, who
came here in 1850. The subject's parents
are still living in 1908. They became the
parents of nine children, four sons and five
daughters.

H. D. Evans attended school in Salem, re-
maining under his parental roof until he was
twenty-two years old. He then went to To-
peka, Kansas, in 1888, and learned the car-
penter's trade, at which he worked twelve or
fourteen years, remaining in Topeka three
years. He finally returned to Salem and
worked at his trade for two years, when he
went near Terre Haute and continued at
this trade, and was there married to Nannie
Haddock, the daughter of William Mad-
dock, of Atherton, Indiana, on March 7,
1894. Two interesting and winsome chil-
dren have been born to the subject and wife,
as follows: Gladys Marie, whose date of
birth occurred June 24, 1895, and Gretchen
Irene, who first saw the light of day on Au-
gust 19, 1899.

After his marriage Mr. Evans came to
Salem. Moving on a farm, he remained
there one and one-half years, when he moved
to Salem and engaged in contracting and the
lumber business for four years, after which
he went on the road for two and one-half
years, selling paints and varnishes. He is
now a member of the drug firm of Evans &

Harmon, which owns stores at luka, Illinois,
and Moorhouse, Missouri.

Mr. Evans is a wide awake, energetic
business man of sound judgment and mod-
ern business principles, and he has always
succeeded at whatever he undertook. He
faithfully served the city of Salem as Alder-
man several years ago. He is a Mason, a
member of the Knights of Pythias, and both
he and his wife are members of the Chris-
tian church, and are well and favorably
known to a host of friends in this commun-
ity.

T. W. WILLIAMS.

Among the strong and influential citizens
of Marion county, the record of whose lives
have become an essential part of the history
of the section, the gentleman whose name
appears above occupies a prominent place,
and for many years has exerted a beneficial
influence in the community in which he re-
sides.

T. W. Williams, the well known Justice
of the Peace at Salem, Illinois, was born in
Silver Springs, Wilson county, Tennessee,
May 22, 1837, the son of W. G. Williams,
a man of sterling worth and influence, who
was born and reared at Silver Springs. He
came to Illinois in 1845, locating in the
northern part of Marion county which is
now embraced in Kinmundy township,
where he developed a farm, making a com-
fortable home and a good living during his

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND. MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

residence there. Thomas Williams, father
of W. G. Williams and grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, came to Illinois with
the family in 1845. He was a North Caro-
linian by birth and a fine type of the true
Southern gentleman. He followed farming
all his life. He died in Kinmundy. W. G.
Williams died in 1904, at the advanced age
of eighty-seven years. The mother of the
subject was Mary Morning, a native of old
Virginia and a woman of many estimable
traits. She passed to her rest in 1852. Mr.
and Mrs. W. G. Williams were the parents
of nine children as follows: Elizabeth,
widow of R. G. Williams, who now lives in
Foster township, Marion county; T. W.,
our subject; Othnial, who is living at
Raleigh, Saline county, Illinois, was a
soldier in the Civil war; Joseph died while
in the Union army; G. H. also died in
the Union army; George M. was killed
while in the Federal ranks; Henry N. also
died in the Union army; Carroll died in in-
fancy; Mary Jane is the wife of John Car-
man, living at Kinmundy, this county.

The subject's father married the second
time, his last wife being Martha Boczkie-
wicz, and by this union five children were
born as follows : Piety Smith, now de-
ceased, who lived in Hamilton county, Illi-
nois; W. G., Jr., who is living in Hamilton
county; F. O., who is also a resident of
Hamilton county ; John V., is a Baptist min-
ister, living at Galitia, Saline county, Illi-
nois; Priscilla died at the age of ten years.

T. W. Williams, our subject, was raised
on the farm and attended the common

schools where he diligently applied himself
and received a fairly good education. After
he reached maturity he bought and sold live
stock, making this business a success from
the start, having much natural ability as a
trader. He lived on the farm for twenty-
five years. He also made a marked success
later dealing in live stock and grain, becom-
ing widely known not only as a man of
unusual industry but also of scrupulous
honesty.

Having taken a lively interest in politics
and becoming well known throughout the
county he was sought out by his political
friends for positions of public trust, having
first served as Deputy Sheriff in 1890 of Ma-
riorr county for a period of two years, with
the greatest satisfaction to all concerned and
reflecting much credit upon his innate ability
as an official. In 1893 he became Deputy
Circuit Clerk, in which capacity he ably
served for five years. Mr. Williams was
postmaster at Kinmundy, Illinois, in 1885,
during Cleveland's first administration. He
had previously been living on his farm, but
he then moved to Kinmundy and from that
town to Salem in 1900 for the purpose of
assuming the duties of Deputy Sheriff. In
all of his official career not the shadow of
suspicion of wrong has rested upon him, and
he has given uniform satisfaction to all con-
cerned in whatever place he has filled. He
was the Democratic nominee for Sheriff in
1894, but was defeated by a Republican can-
didate.

Mr. Williams' early life was devoted very
largely to school teaching, having won a

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

lasting reputation throughout Marion
county as an able instructor and his services
were always in great demand. He followed
this line of work from the time he was
twenty-one until he was forty years old,
having taught not only in Marion but also
Hamilton and Saline counties. He has
given his time to the duties of the office of
.Justice of the Peace, to which he was elected
in 1900. -He is also engaged in the hotel
business, being the present proprietor of the
Williams House, which he has managed for
ten years. Owing to the courteous treat-
ment and excellent accommodations which
the traveling public finds at this house, it
has a liberal patronage and has become well
known to those finding it convenient to stop
at a well kept hostelry.

The domestic life of Mr. Williams began
when he was united in marriage with Juliet
Boczkiewicz on March 27, 1859. She was
a representative of a highly respected and
well known family of this county. By this
union the following interesting children
have been born: Henrietta, the wife of
George M. Hargrove, of Fayette county, Il-
linois ; Annetta, deceased ; Alfe, the wife of
W. W. Newis, of Salem; W. W., of Cen-
tralia, this state; Walter, of Ashland, Cass
county, Illinois; T. S., of Salem.

These children have received good edu-
cations and careful home training which is
clearly reflected in their lives.

Mrs. Williams was called to her rest in
1 88 1, and Mr. Williams was married again
in 1884 to Nannie L. Williams, a daughter
of T. C. Williams, of Kinmundy, a well

known family of that place. There have
been no children by this union.

Fraternally Mr. Williams is affiliated
with the Masonic order, having belonged to
this lodge since he was twenty-five years
old. He is a member of the Baptist church,
and judging from his sober, upright, well
ordered daily life one would conclude that
he believes in carrying out the sublime pre-
cepts and doctrines embraced in both the
lodge and the church to which he belongs.
Mr. Williams is a man of striking personal-
ity, portly with a proper poise of dignity to
his military bearing which makes him a con-
spicuous figure wherever he goes. He is a
pleasant man to meet, always kind, affable,
well mannered and congenial; these com-
mendable traits coupled with his industry
and genuine worth make him a favorite in
Marion county and wherever he is known,
and lie justly merits the high esteem of
which he is the recipient.

JAMES B. LEWIS.

Few men in Marion county occupy as
prominent position in public and political
affairs as the well known and deservedly
popular gentleman whose name introduces
this article. His has indeed been a busy and
successful life and the record is eminently
worthy of perusal by the student who would
learn the intrinsic essence of individuality
and its influence in moulding opinion and
giving character and stability to a commu-
nity.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION* COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

James B. Lewis, editor and publisher of
The Marion County Democrat, and one of
the leading journalists of southern Illinois,
is a native of Nicholas county, Kentucky,
where his birth occurred on the I4th day of
November, 1852. His father, O. M. Lewis,
who was born and reared to manhood in the
state of New York, migrated about 1835 to
Ohio where he spent the ensuing ten years,
and at the expiration of that time removed
to Kentucky where he made his home until
his death in the year 1862. O. M. Lewis
was a man of fine mind and superior intel-
lectual atainments, having enjoyed excellent
educational advantages in his native state,
graduating when a young man from Alfred
Center College. After finishing his educa-
tion he engaged in teaching, which profes-
sion he followed with marked success in
Carlisle and Maysville, Kentucky, until the
breaking out of the war with Mexico, when
he resigned his position and entering the
army served throughout that struggle while
still in his minority. Later when the na-
tional sky became overcast with the ominous
clouds of approaching Civil war he was
among the first men of Nicholas county to
tender his services to the national govern-
ment, enlisting in 1861 in Company H,
Eighteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry,
in which he soon rose to the position of cap-
tain, and as such served with a brilliant
record until August, 1862, when he was
killed while bravely leading his men in the
battle of Richmond, Kentucky. This was
one of the bloodiest of the war, the Eight-
eenth Kentucky, a veteran regiment, losing

two-thirds of its men, while the losses of
several other regiments were almost if not
quite as great. Mr. Lewis is said to have
been the most popular man in his regiment,
and was almost idolized by his own com-
pany, during his entire period of service.
The Grand Army Post at Carlisle, Ken-
tucky, where he enlisted, is called the
O. M. Lewis Post in his honor. Although
a man of scholarly tastes and habits, and for
many years devoted to his books and studies
he inherited the martial instinct also being
descended from fighting stock on the ma-
ternal side, his mother having been a Law-
ton, a relative of the late General Lawton,
one of America's most distinguished heroes,
who lost his life in the Philippines. O. M.
Lewis was born on August 30, 1824, mar-
ried in 1850 to Elizabeth Mann, of Nicholas
county, Kentucky, and became the father of
eight children, only three now survive,
namely : Mrs. Louisa L. Davidson, of Pa-
toka, Illinois, James B., of this review and
Mrs. Anna J. Burns who lives in Fresno,
California. In September following her
husband's death, 1863, Mrs. Lewis, with her
three children, moved to Marion county, Il-
linois, and located about two miles east of
Patoka, on a farm of one hundred and sixty
acres which had been purchased by Mr.
Lewis some years previously. In 1865 she
became the wife of George Binnion, of Mar-
ion county, who was also a soldier during
the war of the Rebellion and the son of
Francis Binnion, the second marriage result-
ing in the birth of two sons, Daniel H., and
Frank. At the time of his death, which

BIOGRAPHICAL AXI) RKM 1 X ISCKXT HISTORY OF

occurred in the month of July, 1907, at the
remarkable age of one hundred and seven
years, Francis Binnion was the oldest man
in Marion county, if not in the state.

James B. Lewis spent his childhood in the
state of his birth, and when eleven years old
was brought by his mother to Marion
county, Illinois, with the subsequent history
and progress of which his life has been very
closely interwoven. At the proper age he
entered the public schools of Patoka, where
he pursued his studies until completing the
common and high school branches, the
training thus received was in Milton, Wis-
consin, where he earned an honorable record
as a close and painstaking student. On quit-
ting college he turned his attention to teach-
ing, but after devoting several years to this
field of work and finding it not altogether to
his liking he discontinued it and took up the
study of medicine. After a course of read-
ing under the direction of competent local
talent he entered the Eclectic Medical Insti-
tute at Cincinnati, where he continued his
studies and researches until receiving his de-
gree in the year 1878, following which he
opened an office in Patoka and in due time
built up an extensive practice which proved
as successful financially as professionally,
and which earned for him an honorable
reputation among the leading physicians and
surgeons of Marion and neighboring coun-
ties.

Dr. Lewis brought to his chosen calling
a mind well disciplined by intellectual and
professional training, and it was not long
until his practice took a very wide range,

embracing not only the town and a large
area of adjacent country, but not infre-
quently were his services sought at other and
remote points for treatment of difficult and
critical cases in which a high degree of ef-
ficiency and skill were required. He con-
tinued his professional business with encour-
aging success until the fall of 1884 when he
was elected Clerk of the Marion Circuit
Court, and the better to attend to his official
functions here moved within a short time to
Salem where he has since resided. Doctor
Lewis discharged the duties of the clerkship
with credit to himself and to the satisfac-
tion of the people, and during his incum-
bency of four years won the esteem and
confidence of all who had business to trans-
act in his office, proving a most capable, ju-
dicious and obliging public servant. In
February, 1889, shortly after the expiration
of his official term he established "The Mar-
ion County Democrat," which he has since
conducted, and which under his able busi-
ness and editorial management is now one
of the best and most influential local papers
in the southern part of the state, in many
respects comparing favorably with the more
pretentious sheets of the larger metropolitan
centers. The political creed of The Demo-
crat is indicated by its title, and as a party
organ it has had much to do in moulding
opinion, formulating policies and directing
public affairs, the doctor being an elegant
and forceful writer, a courteous but fearless
antagonist and in discussing the leading
questions and issues of the day he wields a
trenchant pen and makes his influence felt

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

not only on these but on all other matters
which the enterprising journalist is supposed
to bring to the attention of the public.

The Democrat office is well equipped with
the latest modern machinery and appliances
for first class work in the art preservative,
and in its mechanical make up the paper is
fully abreast of the times, all that constitutes
a first class newspaper being systematically
arranged and a model of neatness and typo-
graphical art. Aside from its political phase
it is designed to vibrate with the public pulse
and in addition to the news of the day, its
columns teem with much of the best current
literature and it has also became the medium
through which the productions of a number
of rising local writers are given publicity.

In brief The Democrat is a clean and dig-
nified and interesting family paper as well
as a popular and influential political organ,
and its steady growth in public favor be-
speaks for it a future of still greater prom-
ise and usefulness. Not only as an editorial
moulder of opinion does Mr. Lewis make
his influence felt in directing the affairs of
his town and county, but as an enterprising
public spirited citizen, with the welfare of
the community at heart, he has ever been
interested in whatever makes for the benefit
of his fellow men, encouraging to the extent
of his ability all worthy measures and takes
the lead in movements having for their ob-
ject the social, intellectual and moral ad-
vancement of those with whom he mingles.

On the 1 2th day of September, 1877, Mr.
Lewis was united in the bonds of wedlock

with Mona I. Quoyle, daughter of Capt. T.
H. and Rebecca Quoyle, of Salem, the mar-
riage being blessed with six children, four
of whom are living, the other two dying in
infancy. Anna L., the oldest of the family,
is the wife of E. H. Barenfauger, a con-
tractor of Salem. Orin M., the second in
order of birth is associated with his father
in The Democrat office and has achieved
honorable repute as an enterprising and
capable newspaper man. Before entering
the field of journalism he served four years
in the United States navy, having
visited nearly every country of the old
and new world, and completely encircled
the globe while with the squadron under the
command of Robley D. Evans or "Fighting
Bob," one of the most distinguished admir-
als of his time. Thomas O., the second son,
is a locomotive fireman at the Chicago &
Eastern Illinois yards in Salem, while Owen
W., the youngest of the number is also con-
nected with the Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Railway, holding the position of store
keeper at Salem. In his fraternal relations
Mr. Lewis is a Mason and an Odd Fellow,
belonging to the lodges of those organiza-
tions in Salem and manifesting a lively in-
terest in their deliberations. While not
actively engaged in the practice of his pro-
fession he is fully abreast of the times on all
matters relating to medical science, being a
close and diligent student and an untiring
investigator, and by keeping in touch with
the trend of modern thought maintains not
only his interest in the healing art, but the

lUOGKAlMIICAL AND KKMIXLSCEXT HISTORY OF

honorable position to which he attained
while devoting his entire time and attention
to the ills of suffering humanity.

During the entire period of his residence
in Salem as a physician, public official, edi-
tor, as the center of his family circle and
as a citizen he has made good his title to
the honored name inherited from his
ancestors, besides adding to its luster by a
strict adherence to duty in every relation to
which he has been called.

FRANK A. ROGERS.

In touching upon the life history of
the subject of this sketch the writer aims
to avoid fulsome encomium and extrava-
gant praise, yet he desires to hold up
for consideration those facts , which have
shown the distinction of a true, useful and
honorable life — a life characterized by per-
severance, energy, broad charity and well
defined purpose. To do this will be but to
reiterate the dictum pronounced upon Mr.
Rogers by the people who have known him
so long and well.

Frank A. Rogers, the present popular
County Treasurer of Marion county, was
born in Omega, this county, April i, 1871,
and while still a young man has left the in-
delible imprint of his strong personality
upon the locality where he has spent his
life. The father of the subject was William
A. Rogers, a native of Tennessee, who came
to this county in 1854. He was engaged all

his life in agricultural pursuits, and he was a
man of great influence in his community,
and was Supervisor of his township for fif-
teen years, also Justice of the Peace for
twenty years, and he was chairman of the
County Board at the time of his death, Feb-
ruary 24, 1891. The subject's mother was
Rebecca Chapman in her maidenhood. She
was born in Omega township, this county,
November 25, 1846, and is still living in
1908 on the old homestead. She is a woman
of refinement and gracious personality
which has won hosts of friends. To Mr.
and Mrs. William A. Rogers the following
children were born : Leva, who died in
infancy; the second in order of birth was
our subject; Luther A., living at Welling-
ton, Kansas; Giles N., of luka, Illinois;
Danael C, deceased; Leo Delbert, of Poca-
hontas, Iowa ; Paul, of Omega township.

The subject's father was twice married.
His first wife was Minerva Jane Craig.

Frank A. Rogers lived at home until he
was twenty-one years old, assisting with the
work about the farm until he had acquired
sufficient education to begin teaching. Be-
ing an ambitious lad he always applied him-
self diligently to his text-books and conse-
quently outstripped most of the common
plodders that made up the roll of contem-
poraneous school-fellows in his neighbor-
hood, and he has since greatly added to his
early foundation in educational matters by
coming in contact with the world and by sys-
tematic home study. But few men are to be
met with in the state of Illinois who are any
better informed on current topics of a gen-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

eral nature than Mr. Rogers, for he has al-
ways been a close student of the trend of
events, politically, scientifically and in other
leading issues. He followed teaching for a
period of seventeen years in Marion county,
during which time he established an envied
reputation as an instructor and his services
were in great demand. He was not only
popular for his superior text-book learning,
but his kind and pleasing personality, his
peculiar insight in the characters of his pu-
pils, which made it easy for him to control
and properly direct each pupil, made him
popular with all classes of people.

Mr. Rogers always took a deep interest in
political movements, being a stanch advo-
cate of the principles and policies of the
Democratic party, with which he has been
affiliated from the time of attaining his ma-
jority, and he has ever lent his aid in fur-
thering the party's cause and is well forti-
fied in his political convictions, while he is
essentially public-spirited and progressive.
Being animated with the laudable ambition
for political preferment and his general
popularity having been long ago well estab-
lished, it is not strange that his fellow citi-
zens singled him out for offices of public
trust, and he held the office of Supervisor of
Omega township for two terms. He was also
chairman of the County Board and County
Board of Review in 1903. He was nomi-
nated for County Treasurer on the Demo-
cratic ticket August 4, 1906, by a majority
of eight hundred and was easily elected over
a strong opponent the following November,
and is serving the duties of the office with

great credit to himself and to the entire
satisfaction of all concerned, not only his
constituents but members of other parties
as well, being generally regarded as one
of the best officials the county has ever had,
especially in the Treasurer's office. The
subject has made his home in Salem since
December, following the election.

The subject's happy and harmonious do-
mestic life dates from September 25, 1892,
when he was united in marriage to Lillie M.
Kagy, who was born April 7, 1875, the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William B. Kagy,
a well known, highly respected and influ-
ential family of Marion county. Mrs.
Rogers is a highly cultured and accom-
plished tady of pleasing manner and many
commendable attributes of mind and heart
and she presides over their comfortable and
cozy home with grace and dignity and she is
popular among the best class of Marion
county's estimable women.

The following bright and interesting chil-
dren have come into the home of our subject
and wife, thereby adding cheer and sunshine
to the family circle: Herschell, born June
28, 1894; Hazel, born October 5, 1897; Ver-
non V., born April 15, 1902, surviving only
till October 4th, the same year ; Rolla, who
was born August 5, 1904.

Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are consistent mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church.
They are both held in high esteem for their
friendly manners, wholesome domestic life
and upright public lives which have resulted
in winning and retaining the friendship of
all who know them.

IHOC.KAPIIICAL AND RK.MIX ISCKXT HISTORY OF

CARLOS A. FELTMAN, M. D.

He whose name initiates this paragraph is
a representative of one of the old and
honored families of Marion county, Illinois,
where he has lived from the time of his
birth and where he has gained personal
prestige and success in one of the most noble
and exacting of all vocations to which a man
may devote himself, being engaged in the
practice of his profession at Salem and con-
trolling a large business as physician and
surgeon, while he has gained precedence by
reason of his devotion to his profession and
his marked ability as an exponent of ad-
vanced and practical medical science, at the
same time establishing a record of honor.

Dr. Carlos A. Feltman was born in
Salem, Illinois, September u, 1856, the son
of Charles Feltman, a man of much sterling
worth and influence in his community who
was born in Strausburg, Germany, and was
one of the earliest German settlers in Marion
county, Illinois. He was a successful baker
for many years and later was engaged in
the mercantile business at which he was
equally successful, having built up an ex-
cellent trade with the surrounding country
districts. He spent nearly his entire life in
Salem and passed to his reward in 1875.
The subject's mother, who was a woman of
many admirable attributes, was known in
her maidenhood as Mary Appel. She was
born in Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany,
and she passed to her rest in 1888. The
parents of the subject were married in St.
Louis, Missouri. They received a fairly

good education and were people of refine-
ment and high character, having reared their
children, of whom there were eight in num-
ber, in a wholesome atmosphere which
modified and deeply influenced their subse-
quent careers. Following are the names of
their children : Emil, deceased ; Ellen, who
married R. E. Fletcher and who died in
Grand Junction, Colorado; H. C., deceased,
was a prominent attorney at law and was
grand scribe of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows at the time of his death ; Wil-
liam W. is deceased; the next in order of
birth was Carlos A., our subject; Lenora,
deceased; C. E., who is with the Eli Walker
Dry Goods Company, of St. Louis, Mis-
souri; R. B., who is in the mercantile busi-
ness at Grand Junction, Colorado.

Doctor Feltman remained a member of
the home circle until he reached manhood,
having attended the common schools in
Salem until he finished the prescribed course.
Being a diligent student he made excellent
grades and received a good education. He
went into newspaper work, believing that
journalism offered peculiar attractions. He
worked as a printer for three years. In the
meantime he felt that his calling was in
another direction, the more praiseworthy
art of medicine, consequently he began
studying during spare moments and finally
entered the- Louisville Medical College at
Louisville, Kentucky, where he remained
one term, after which he attended the
Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati,
from which he graduated with high honor
in 1882 in the same class with Dr. M. D.

R1CHLAND, CLAY AXU MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Foster, the present Congressman from this
district. Our subject showed from the time
he first entered medical college that he had
a peculiar aptitude and unusual talents for
this line of endeavor and his subsequent life,
which has been remarkably successful,
shows that he would have made a grave
mistake had he adopted any other profes-
sion as a life work.

Doctor Feltman returned to his native
community after graduation, beginning
practice at Salem. His success was in-
stantaneous and his ability became so gen-
erally known that he was selcted to the im-
portant post of United States Indian Physi-
cian at Fort Apache, Arizona, during Presi-
dent Cleveland's first administration. He
was eminently successful in this new field,
but he finally desired to return to his native
state, and in 1888 began practice at Beards-
town, Illinois, which he carried on with the
greatest success for a period of fourteen
years, building up a very large practice and
becoming City Health Officer, also a mem-
ber of the Board of Education. He was
also Secretary of the Pension Board under
Cleveland's second administration, also Cor-
oner of Cass county from 1896 to 1900;
later County Physician of Cass county. Af-
ter filling all these positions to the entire
satisfaction of all concerned, showing pro-
nounced innate executive ability as well as
superior medical skill, in 1900, greatly to
the regret of his large patronage, Doctor
Feltman moved away from Beardstown, lo-
cating at his old home, in Salem. Useless
to say that his practice was large from the

first, for he had long ago firmly established
a reputation here. He is a member of the
Board of Education at Salem, and is County
Physician. He was nominated by his party
for Coroner in 1908 and his nomination was
regarded by not only the Democrats, but
members of other party affiliations as well,
to be a most fortunate on. He was elected
at the ensuing election by a large majority
over his opponent.

The domestic life of Doctor Feltman
dates from January i, 1888, when he was
happily married at Salem to Mayme E.
Fulks, the refined and accomplished daugh-
ter of T. Charles Fulks. She received a
fairly good educational training and is a
representative of a well known and influ-
ential family.

Two interesting children, who, in their
youth, give promise of successful and happy
future careers, have added cheer and sun-
shine to the cozy home of Doctor and Mrs.
Feltman. Their names are Blanche and
Mabel, nineteen and seventeen years old,
respectively, in 1908. They are both apt
students and of winsome personalities.

Fraternally our subject is a member of
the Masonic Order, the Woodmen and the
Independent Order of Foresters, and his
daily life would indicate that he believes in
carrying out the sublime precepts of each.
He is a strict Presbyterian in religious faith.
However, he is not a member of any church,
although all his family subscribes to the
church in Salem.

Doctor Feltman is of a public-spirited na-
ture, genial personality, uprightness of prin-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCKNT HISTORY OF

ciple and habits of industry. He is re-
garded by the people of Marion county as
one of their ablest and most eminent
citizens.

WILLIAM KELL BUNDY.

The life of the early settlers in any com-
munity has ever contained much to interest
and entertain us. There is something ro-
mantic about the ruggedness of their lives
and the uncertainties they had to face which
holds a fascination for us today. The family
of the subject of this sketch were among the
earliest inhabitants of the county in which
they lived, and the hardworking lives they
lived were much more eventful than the life
of the average farmer of today.

William K. Bundy was born in section
No. i, Centralia township, Marion county,
Illinois, on May 4, 1827, and was the son of
Frederick and Mary Bundy. His mother,
whose maiden name was Wilson, was bom
in North Carolina, coming from the region
of the famous Blue Ridge Mountains. Fred-
erick Bundy was the son of Jonathan
Bundy, of Tennessee, who came to Marion
county, Illinois, as early as 1825 or 1826,
settling near Walnut Hill, where he soon
afterward died. His wife belonged to a well
known family of Tennessee named Dorcas.
They had four children, all sons — Robert,
John and William, who settled in the vicin-
ity of Walnut Hill, and the father of the
subject of our sketch, Frederick Bundy, who
settled in section No. i, Centralia township.

Frederick Bundy's father-in-law, John
Wilson, married in his native state of North
Carolina. He was a farmer who on becom-
ing attacked with the western fever, went
westward to Illinois. There he settled north-
east of Salem. On the death of his first
wife he married a widow named Jones.
Their married years must have been happy
ones, for upon a third matrimonial venture
he espoused another widow named Kelley.
After a long and active life he died on the
farm. The children by his first wife num-
bered seven. In regular order they were:
Mary, Nancy, Jane, Margaret, Samuel,
Dorrington, and Sylvester. Mary, the eld-
est daughter, was the mother of the subject
of our sketch. The children born to John
Wilson's second wife numbered three.

Frederick Bundy, living in a different
period from ours, had no chance to go to
school. His education had to be self-ob-
tained. He did not fail to sieze the oppor-
tunities which came his way, and so became
a remarkably well informed man. At the
time the family came to Illinois the journey
was made in, the old time cumberous team
wagons. The family of the mother of our
sketch also arrived by means of the same
mode of travel.

Centralia township at the time Frederick
Bundy settled there in 1826, was as yet in
its original wild state. As may be supposed,
wild game and beasts of prey of many varie-
ties abounded there, particularly wolves.
He remembered the howls and blood-cur-
dling "ki-yiings" of the timber-wolves, to
which he lay awake listening on many a

WILLIAM BUNDY.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

night inside of the rough log-cabin which he
had built with his own hands. In time he
cleared the land and erected for himself a
suitable home, and otherwise much im-
proved the property which embraced four
hundred acres. For years he carried on an
active farming business and raised consid-
erable amount of stock. Frederick Bundy
was politically a staunch Democrat, and in
those days he had to go over to Salem at
election times to record his vote. In reli-
gious life he was a member of the Christian
church. His wife died in February, 1848,
and the demise of the inseparable companion
of his life's journey was a great loss. He
died in the fall of 1849, having, however,
married secondly Elizabeth Walker, and
leaving a son by that marriage. He had
eight children by his first wife, the eldest
of which was the subject of this sketch,
William K. The others were: Alexander,
who married first Margaret Breeze, and
afterwards another member of that family,
and who is a farmer in Washington ; Nancy
Jane, deceased, first married James Harper,
and afterwards Reuben Alderson; Dorcas
married Sydney Harmon, both of whom
are dead; Jeanette, who married, also died;
John joined the One Hundred and Eleventh
Regiment, Company H, at the outbreak of
the Civil war and died while in the service
of his country ; Robert was also in the Civil
war, enlisting in Jefferson county, Illinois,
and died of small pox during his term of
service; Sallie, another daughter, married
Thomas J. Hollowell and lives in Washing-
ton with her husband.

The life of William Kell Bundy, the sub-
ject of this sketch, has been an adventurous
one. In early life he received the limited
education afforded at the only available local
institutions of learning — the subscription
schools. He remained at home doing nec-
essary work on the farm until 1847, when at
that martial period he enlisted in Company
C, No. i, United States army for the Mexi-
can war. His military career began by his
being sent to Alton, Illinois, and later to
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and later par-
ticipated in the march across the desert to
Santa Fe. He was on the march sixty days,
which was a tedious one. Later he took
part in the advance upon old Albuquerque,
the Mexican capital. Here he remained
until 1848, where he did guard duty, and
finally marched back. On his return he re-
mained with his father superintending the
old homestead until the latter's death, at
which time he bought forty acres of it, on
which he lived for fifteen years. In 1863
he changed to his present abode in section
No. 6, Raccoon township. At different times
the area of his land increased until he had at
one time three hundred and fifty acres; the
greater part of which he has since divided
among his children. All the improvements
on the place have been the fruits of his
labor and supervision. He has principally
raised stock on the farm, cattle, horses,
sheep and hogs, and has also evinced an
interest in the fancy and finer breeds.

William K. Bundy married first Eliza-
beth, the daughter of Isaac and Sarah Mc-
Clelland. Isaac was an early settler in Ma-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

rion county, Illinois, near Walnut Hill. He
followed the occupation of farmer and stock
dealer. On the death of his first wife, Mr.
Bundy married a second time on October
20, 1887, Mildred Annie Gaines, of Sumner
county, near Nashville, Tennessee. She was
the daughter of Henry Gaines. Her mother's
own name was Marian Bradley, of Nash-
ville, Tennessee. They came to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1850, and settled in Ste-
venson township. There Henry Gaines and
his wife farmed during the remainder of
their lives. He died in 1850, and his wife
in 1856. They had eight children, of which
Mildred Annie, the second wife of William
K. Bundy, was the seventh. Of the others,
Hazel married C. Tracy; P. D. is a farmer
in Stevenson township ; Josephine, the third,
is dead; Martha is also dead; Henrietta E.,
the widow of Sidney Charlton, lives in Odin
township; Agnes is still on the farmstead
and is single; Z. T. lives in Jefferson
county. The second marriage of William
K. Bundy has given him the following chil-
dren, seven in number. Mary Rebecca, the
wife of John French; Sarah Jane, who is
Mrs. Robinson, living at Sedalia, Washing-
ton; Elizabeth, who married John Lament,
since deceased, lives in Oklahoma; Joseph-
ine, who married George West, of Odin
township; Isaac M., who is a farmer in Rac-
coon township married Sarah Johnson;
Fred, who lives at home and is unmarried,
went through the Spanish-American war as
a member of Company G, Third Regiment
U. S. another child, Catherine died young.
Though now in his eighty-second year,
William Kell Bundy possesses a mind of un-

usual transparency. He is still well able to
review in detail the memories and exploits
of a long and varied career.

In politics the subject of our sketch is a
life-long follower of the Democracy. His
first vote for a presidential candidate was
recorded years ago when it went to James
K. Polk, who figured in an eventful election.
In religion he is a member of the Christian
church, in the interests of which he has ever
been active. He is now in the mellow period
of a long life which has always been at the
service of home and country. He has ful-
filled the duties of a long life; he is sur-
rounded by an affectionate circle of sons and
daughters; he has the friendship and good
wishes of a host of friends. Is not this as
much as any of us can hope for in the even-
ing of life.

CRAWFORD S. ERWIN.

No man in Clay county occupies a more
enviable position in civic and business af-
fairs than the subject of this sketch, who is
the well known and popular ex-Circuit
Clerk of the county, not alone on account
of the success he has achieved, but also on
account of the honorable, straightforward
business policy he has ever followed both in
public and private life. He possesses un-
tiring energy, is quick of perception, forms
his plans readily and executes them with
alacrity so that. he stands today one of the
leading representatives of a county widely
known for its men of force and business
acumen.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Crawford S. Erwin was born in Hoosier
township, Clay county, October 9, 1866, the
son of David, the son of William Erwin,
a native of Indiana, who was a cabinet
maker by trade, having come from Indiana
to Illinois in an early day and engaged in
the cabinet making business, also in farm-
ing. He was called to his rest August 7,
1866, six weeks before our subject was born.
William Erwin, the subject's grandfather,
was one of the pioneers of Clay county, hav-
ing come to America from Scotland, his na-
tive country, when a young man. He was
the first person buried in the old Hoosier
cemetery in Hoosier township. The mother
of the subject was known in her maiden-
hood as Eliza A. Fitzgerald, whose people
were originally from Scotland. She passed
to her rest in Hoosier township in the spring
of 1890. Five children were born to the
subject's parents as follows: Mayberry P.,
living in Henrietta, Texas; David S., liv-
ing in Clay county, Illinois ; Joseph, in Hen-
rietta, Texas; W. G., who is also a resi-
dent of Clay county; Crawford S.. the sub-
ject.

Mr. Erwin spent his early life on the
farm, attending the country schools during
the winter months, and assisting with the
work at home in the summer. He was left
to be reared by a widowed mother, who was
too poor to aid in her son's education, and
thus our subject was compelled to begin his
fight with the world early in life practically
unaided and the admirable way he has suc-
ceeded in the face of seemingly insurmount-
able obstacles, deserves the commendation
of all. When he was nine vears old, the

family moved to Texas, where they remained
four years. During this time the children
were deprived of the advantages of a good
school. Desiring to return to the Illinois
home, the family made the trip overland in
a wagon, a distance of twelve hundred miles,
in the fall and winter of 1880, having
reached Hoosier township shortly after
Christmas, during the coldest weather that
the country had known for years. Craw-
ford S. at once entered school at Center*
under the Rev. John F. Harmon, now sta-
tioned in East St. Louis. Three terms of
school were attended here by our subject.
He was an excellent student, for he had now
reached young manhood and he realized
that if he succeeded in life, he would be
compelled to prepare himself for some of
the professions or commercial life, for he
was physically unfit to follow the hard-work-
ing life of a farmer. He was enabled to
gratify his ambition to become an educated
man by working out on the farm during
the summer months, and with the money
he thus secured he entered the Northern In-
diana Normal School at Valparaiso, Indi-
ana, in which institution he made a splendid
record for scholarship.

He decided to become a teacher and be-
fore he was eighteen years old had secured
his first certificate and had taught his first
school, which was a pronounced success.
His services were then in great demand for
the ensuing ten years which he devoted to
teaching in Clay county, becoming generally
known as an able educator. Most of that
time he taught in only two school districts,

HHX1RAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

meanwhile devoting the summer months to
farming.

About this time Mr. Envin secured the
appointment of government mail weigher on
the Vandalia line, which position he filled
so satisfactorily that he was within two
years thereafter re-appointed government
mail weigher on the main line of the Balti-
more & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, op-
erating between Cincinnati and St. Louis.
His official reports quickly enabled the com-
pany to see his ability in this line and he
was placed part of his time in the office of
the chief clerk to assist in the examination
of the reports sent in by his fellow-officers.

Mr. Erwin was called home in 1894 to
fill the position of Deputy County Clerk,
the duties of which he discharged in such a
creditable manner that he became candidate
for the office of Circuit Court Clerk in 1896,
and was elected, on the Republican ticket,
and discharged his duties to the entire sat-
isfaction of all concerned and was re-elected
in 1900, and again in 1904, his term having
expired December 7, 1908. It is the con-
census of opinion that he has been the best
Circuit Clerk the county has ever had.

The official and private life of Mr. Er-
win has ever been an open book to all. for
it has been led along conservative lines,
honest and without blemish, lacking the
faintest shadow or suspicion of evil. His
donations to charitable purposes and to his
needy neighbors and fellow citizens since
his residence in Louisville have amounted to
several hundred dollars. He has always
been ready to assist in aiding any worthy
cause. It has been his custom for a number

of years at Christmas time to gather to-
gether provisions, and quietly boxing
them up himself and employing a teamster
to deliver the same to the unfortunate and
needy in his community. So unostentatious
has this charity been bestowed that the do-
nor is known to but few of his beneficiaries
to this day.

Mr. Erwin was united in marriage De-
cember 12, 1886, to Sarah Belle Conley,
daughter of W. A. Conley, of Hoosier town-
ship. She was born and reared in Clay
county, and is a woman of beautiful per-
sonal attributes. The following children
have been born of this union : May, whose
age in 1908 is twenty years; Jennie is
eighteen years old; Wilbur Esta is fifteen
years old; Crawford Leslie is eleven; Le-
land is seven and Kenneth is four.

Upon his retirement from office, Mr. Er-
win entered the real estate and abstract busi-
ness in December, 1908. He is thoroughly
familiar with abstracting, having followed
this while in office. He also owns a farm
in Louisville township, and one in Bible
Grove township, and also a half interest in a
farm in Hoosier township, and another
tract of land in Arkansas. He is also in-
terested in stock raising and stock trading.

Mr. Erwin's land is well improved and
ranks well with any in the county, and he al-
ways keeps a good grade of stock. He is inter-
ested in the concrete business, manufactur-
ing concrete blocks and other forms of con-
crete work, the firm name being Clark &
Erwin.

Our subject is Public Administrator of
Clay county. In his fraternal relations he

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

belongs to the Masonic Order, the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and the
Knights of Pythias. He was secretary of
the local Masonic lodge, at Louisville, No.
196, for ten consecutive years. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church
and has always been a loyal Republican,
born and bred in the principles of that party,-
but the most partisan Democrat was ever
treated with the same courtesy by him as
the most pronounced Republican. During
his term in office Mr. Erwin has never been
too busy to accommodate anyone seeking in-
formation on any subject whether pertaining
to the matters of the office of Circuit Clerk
or legal advice on any foreign subject, and
no one ever went away from him wrongly
advised, or feeling that what he had obtained
had been grudgingly given. Hundreds of
people in Clay county, having no regular
attorney to attend to their legal business,
and wishing an agreement, a contract, or
an affidavit drawn up, have found our sub-
ject ever willing to assist as best he could.

Mr. and Mrs. Erwin have a beautiful
home, where hospitality and good cheer are
ever unstintingly dispersed to their many
friends and admirers.

J. T. JONES, M. D.

The physician who would succeed in his
profession must possess many qualities of
head and heart not included in the curricu-
lum of the schools and colleges he may

have attended. In analyzing the career of
the successful practitioner of the healing
art it will invariably be found true that a
broad-minded sympathy with the sick and
suffering and an honest, earnest desire to
aid his afflicted fellow men have gone hand
in hand with skill and able judgment. The
gentleman to whom this brief tribute is
given fortunately embodies these necessary
qualifications in a marked degree and by
energy and application to his professional
duties is building up an enviable reputation
and drawing to himself a large and re-
munerative practice, being recognized as one
of the leading physicians of this locality and
a man of honor and integrity at all times.

Dr. J. T. Jones was born in Foster town-
ship, Marion county, Illinois, August 26,
1 86 1, and "his sober wishes never learned
to stray," consequently he has preferred to
remain on his native prairie rather than seek
uncertain fortunes elsewhere. His father is
Eli W. Jones, a native of the same township
and county. Grandfather James Jones was
an early pioneer of Marion county and a
man of many sterling qualities which have
outcropped in our subject to a marked de-
gree. He was a Southerner of the finest
type. His residence was used in an early
day for the purpose of holding church ser-
vices, he being an active and ardent Metho-
dist. He is living at this writing, 1908, in
Foster township on a fine farm where he
has become influential and widely known.
He was Circuit Clerk from 1872 to 1876.
He makes his home at present in Vernon.
He was a soldier in Company H, Twenty-

I'.IOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
and he served through the war, having
marched with Sherman to the sea and lost
a leg in the final battle at Bentonville, North
Carolina, the last battle fought by Sherman.
He was in many hard fought battles of the
Army of the Tennessee, being in the Fif-
teenth Army Corps, and in all he took part
in about thirty engagements. After the
war he returned to his farm. The maiden
name of the mother of the subject was
Mary Ryman, a native of Pennsylvania.
Her father was Dr. J. R. Ryman, who was
an early Methodist minister, later becoming
a physician. He came to Marion county
when a young man, and was at one time
Circuit Clerk of the county and also School
Commissioner, being one of the founders
of the Western Christian Advocate at St.
Louis, Missouri. He died about 1877.
The mother of the subject is living at this
writing. Three children were born to these
parents, our subject being the only one now
living. The subject's maternal grandmother
was Martha Dickens, a daughter of Samuel
Dickens, a pioneer Baptist minister.

Doctor Jones spent his boyhood on his
father's farm, attending the country
schools at Fosterburg, and when the family
came to Salem in 1872 he attended school in
in Salem in 1872 he attended school in
Salem from 1872 to 1878, graduating from
the high school here in 1878 with high
honor. After leaving school he clerked one
year in a store at Vernon, but believing that
his true calling lay along medical lines
rather than the mercantile, he began the

study of medicine, making rapid progress
from the first. He entered the St. Louis
Medical College in 1880 from which he
graduated in March, 1884, having made a
brilliant record for scholarship. He lo-
cated first at Warsaw, Missouri, practicing
there with eminent success until 1889, when,
much to the regret of his many friends and
patients, he left that town and came to Ver-
non, Illinois, where he remained, building up
a lucrative practice, until 1907, in which
year he came to Salem, having moved his
family here a year previous. Doctor Jones
took a post-graduate" course in the medical
department of the University of St. Louis in
1906. He has been very successful in his
practice in Marion county, having a large
business at present and he is often called to
other localities on serious and important
cases where his superior medical advice is
sought by local practitioners whose skill has
been baffled, and his counsels are always
followed by gratifying results.

The domestic life of our subject dates
from April 25, 1891, when he was united
in marriage with Carrie E. Bennett, who
was born and reared in Salem, the accom-
plished and refined daughter of J. J. Ben-
nett, an early pioneer of Marion county and
was the first president of the Salem Na-
tional Bank, which position he held until
within a few years of his death. Mary
Oglesby was the maiden name of the sub-
ject's mother, who was the first girl baby
born in Salem. Her great-grandfather,
Mark Tully, entered land on which the city
of Salem is built. He gave the site where

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

7 '

the court house stands. This -family was
one of the best known in the early history
of the county.

Our subject and wife have two children, a
bright boy and a winsome girl, the former,
Don Paul, having been born January 28,
1892, and the latter, Nellie, was born May
22, 1895.

Doctor Jones has been thrifty and has
accumulated a fair competence as a result
of his well directed energies. He owns a
valuable and highly improved farm in Fos-
ter township, and has numerous real estate
holdings in Marion county. He is a member
of the county, state and national medical
associations, and he belongs to the Masonic
Fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Woodmen, the Sons of Vet-
erans and the Yeomen.

The home of Dr. and Mrs. Jones is
modern, cozy, nicely furnished and is pre-
sided over with rare grace and dignity by
the latter who is often hostess to warm
friends who hold her in high esteem. This
worthy couple is regarded by all classes as
meriting the confidence and regard which
are unqualifiedly proffered to them.

O. A. JAMES.

The subject of this sketch is not the
example of a man whom the inscrutable
caprice of fortune or fate has suddenly
placed in a conspicuous position in the busi-
ness world but he has attained to the same

through careful preparation during long
years of toil and endeavor, for he realized
early in his career that success comes to
the deserving, and that to be deserving, one
must be industrious and persistent, so he
forged ahead, surmounting obstacles that
would have daunted and diverted the course
of less courageous spirits.

O. A. James, the popular and efficient
assistant cashier of the Salem State Bank,
who has, while yet a young man, left the
indelible imprint of his personality upon
the people with whom he has come in con-
tact, was born in Salem, Illinois, in 1879.

He is the son of Joshua L. James, a native
of Middle Tennessee and the representative
of a fine old Southern family. He came to Il-
linois in 1853, settling in Williamson county,
where he lived for twenty-five years, having
been reasonably prosperous during that time
and becoming known as a hard worker and
a man of the best habits. He then came to
Marion county, settling near Alma, where
he also remained a quarter of a century, de-
veloping a good farm and making a com-
fortable living by reason of his habits of
industry and economy. Desiring to spend
the remaining years of his life in the city
and enjoy a respite from his arduous agri-
cultural pursuits, Mr. James moved to
Salem in 1902 and he has since made his
home here.

The grandfather of the subject on his
paternal side was John Wesley James, a
native of Tennessee, and an excellent farmer
who passed to his rest about 1893 after a
long and honorable life. His death occurred

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

in Williamson county, this state, where he
spent the major part of his life.

Joseph L. Wnorowski, the subject's
grandfather on his mother's side, was born
in Russia and received his education in the
city of Moscow. He came to America when
thirty years old, finally settling in Salem,
Illinois, where he spent his remaining years,
dying about 1890.

The subject's mother was known in her
maidenhood as Sophia E. Wnorowski, who
was born and reared in Salem where she
received a common school education and
developed many praiseworthy character-
istics. She is living at this writing (1908).
Six children were born to the parents of the
subject, five of whom are still living,
named in order of birth as fol-
lows : Mrs. Florence Brasel, of Cartter, Illi-
nois; O. A., our subject; Mrs. Berdie E.
Stroment, living in Salem, this county ; Guy
L., of Wooden, Iowa; Mrs. Jesse Brasel,
living at Terre Haute, Indiana.

These children all received a good com-
mon schooling and were reared in a home
of the most wholesome atmosphere, conse-
quently they have developed characters of a
very commendable type.

Our subject attended the common
schools of Salem, from which he gradu-
ated in 1897. But being amibitious for
more learning and to become a teacher, he
later attended the Carbondale State Normal
School for some time. Not yet satisfied he
entered Austin College at Effingham; then
took a course in the Eastern State Normal
at Charleston, thus gaining a splendid edu-

cation, for he made a brilliant record for
scholarship in all these institutions.

After leaving school he began teaching,
which he followed in a most successful and
praiseworthy manner for a period of five
years, having taught three years in Marion
county public schools, one year as principal
at Central City, Illinois, and one year as
principal of the high school at Kinmundy,
in all of which he showed that he not only
had acquired a great fund of serviceable
knowledge which he had a penchant for
readily and clearly dispensing, but that he
possessed the other necessary prerequisites
of head and heart to make a first class and
a high grade educator, and his reputation
had overspread the bounds of Marion
county, causing his services to be in great
demand, when, much to the regret of pupils
and school boards he gave up his teaching
and accepted the position as assistant post-
master at Salem the duties of which he at-
tended to in a most able manner for a period
of two years, when he resigned to become
Deputy Circuit Clerk, having been appointed
for a period of four years, and here he
again displayed his great innate ability as
a careful and painstaking business man by
handling the duties devolving upon this po-
sition with all dispatch and alacrity and in
a most satisfactory manner to all concerned,
when after a year in this office he tendered
his resignation to become assistant cashier in
the Salem State Bank, which very respon-
sible and envied position had been proffered
by the heads of that institution after they
had carefully considered the names of many

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARIOX COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

young and talented business men for the
place, believing that Mr. James was the
best qualified to handle the work in this con-
nection, and the praiseworthy manner and
wonderful technical skill he has displayed in
this responsible position since taking up the
duties of the same, shows that the man-
agers of this institution were wise in their
decision and selection. Mr. James is still
thus connected with the Salem State Bank
and has given entire satisfaction and in-
creased the popularity and prestige of this
already popular and sound institution.

Mr. James is a member of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows and the Wood-
men, in his fraternal relations, and he is a
faithful and consistent member of the Chris-
tian church. He is known to be scrupu-
lously honest, courteous and a gentleman of
the highest address and honor and owing to
the fact that our subject is yet quite a young
man and has achieved such a place of honor
and trust the future augurs great things
for him.

J. R. QUAYLE.

The subject has always sought to in-
culcate in the minds of the young the higher
things of life, the beauties of mind and soul
known only to those who are willing to de-
vote themselves to a career of self-sacrifice,
hospitality, persistency and uprightness, and
during the long years of his professional
life Mr. Quayle succeeded in carrying out

the principles in his daily life that he sought
to impress upon others.

J. R. Quayle was born in Peoria county,
Illinois, December 5, 1859, the son of Rob-
ert Quayle, a native of the Isle of Man, a
full blooded Manxman. He was an influ-
ential and high minded man, whose sterling
traits are somewhat reflected in the life of
his son, our subject. He migrated to
America about 1856, locating first in Henry
county, Illinois, where he farmed. After
living there for a short time he moved to
Peoria county, later to Marion county in
January, 1866. He was a hard worker and
made a success of whatever he undertook.
He was called from his labors in Septem-
ber, 1879, while living in Marion county.
He was a great Bible student and he read
and talked the Manx language fluently.
James Quayle, grandfather of the subject,
was born, reared and spent his entire life
on the Isle of Man, and his death occurred
there. His wife was a Miss Harrison, who
reached the remarkable age of ninety-six
years.

The mother of the subject was Ellen
(Corlett) Quayle, also a native of the Isle
of Man, where she, too, was reared, and
where she married Robert Quayle. She
was a woman of many estimable traits, hav-
ing led a wholesome life and in her old age
was the recipient of many kindnesses at the
hands of her many friends and neighbors.

She made her home on the old homestead
near Vernon, Marion county, until her
death, September 6, 1908, where the Quayle

I'.IOC.KAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

family moved 'in 1866. This family con-
sisted of the following children, named in
order of their birth: Elizabeth, who died
in 1880; J. R., our subject; Anna, the wife
of Nathan Roberts, of Patoka, this county;
Thomas E., who lives in section 12, this
county, on a farm; James C, also a farmer
in Patoka township, Marion county; Kate,
who is the wife of J. C. Bates, of Patoka
township ; Mollie, who makes her home with
her mother ; Mona, the wife of G. I. Arnold,
of Foster township, Marion county.

These children are all comfortably situ-
ated in life and received good common
school education. They are all highly re-
spected and lead such well regulated lives as
their parents outlined for them in their
childhood.

J. R. Ouayle, our subject, attended the
country schools east of Vernon until 1880,
working at intervals on his father's farm.
He was always a close student and made the
most of his opportunities. After complet-
ing the course in the common schools he
was not satisfied with the knowledge he had
gained and entered school in the University
at Valparaiso, Indiana, taking the teachers'
course, also a commercial course. He made
a brilliant record at this institution for
scholarship and good deportment.

Believing that teaching was his proper
field of activity Mr. Quayle began his first
school in 1878 and he taught the major part
of the time up to 1906 with the greatest
success attending his efforts, during which
time he became widely known not only in
Marion but adjoining counties as an able
instructor and his services were in great de-

mand. He was not only well grounded in
the text-books employed in the schools
where he taught but his pleasing personality
made him popular with his pupils, the vari-
ous phases of whose natures he seemed to
understand and sympathize with, so that he
inspired each one to do his best in the work
at hand, and many of his pupils have since
won distinction in various lines of endeavor,
all freely admitting that their success was
due in a large measure to the training and
influence of Mr. Quayle. The teaching of
our subject was confined to Marion county
with the exception of two years which were
spent in Fayette county, where he also be-
came popular.

Mr. Quayle has been twice married. His
first wedding occurred January 8, 1889, to
Lyda E. Livesay, the accomplished daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Livesay, a well
known family of Patoka township, Marion
county, and to this union four children were
born as follows : Guy, born in 1891, died at
the age of seven years; Gladys E., born in
1892; Fanny, now deceased, who was born
in 1897; Roberta, who was born in 1900.

The subject's first wife was called to her
rest in June, 1906, and Mr. Quayle was
married December 15, 1907, to Ida M.
Quails, daughter of Alfred Quails. She is
a member of an influential family of Salem
and was born and reared there.

Mr. Quayle has been an influential factor
in politics in his county, always assisting in
placing the best local men available in the
county offices and his support can always
be depended upon in furthering any worthy
movement looking to the better interest of

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

the community and county. In 1883, 1888
and 1889 he was Tax Collector of Patoka
township, having been easily elected to this
office and performed the duties of it in a
most satisfactory manner. He was chosen
by his friends to the responsible position of
Supervisor in 1901 and 1902 and elected
County Clerk on the Democratic ticket in
1906, and is now, 1908, serving his first
term. He is said to be one of the ablest men
in this office that the county has ever had,
being careful and painstaking as well as
congenial and friendly so that all his con-
stituents are very highly pleased with his
record. They predict that he will become a
very potent factor in local politics in the
near future.

Mr. Quayle is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Eastern Star, the Rebekahs
and the Woodmen. He takes a great deal
of interest in lodge work and his daily life
would indicate that he believes in carrying
out the noble precepts of these commendable
orders.

Mr. Quayle is not only a public-spirited
and honorable man in his official and busi-
ness life, but he leads a most wholesome
home life and sets a worthy example for his
children and others, delighting in the higher
ideals of life as embraced in educational,
civic and religious matters. Both he and
his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and no people in Marion
county are the recipients of higher respect
and genuine esteem from their many friends
than they.

HENRY WARREN.

Prominent among the energetic, far-
sighted and successful business men of
Marion county, Illinois, is the subject of this
sketch, whose life history most happily il-
lustrates what may be attained by faithful
and continued effort in carrying out an hon-
est purpose. Integrity, activity and energy
have been the crowning points in his career
and have led to desirable and creditable suc-
cess. His connection with banking institu-
tions and various lines of business has been
of decided advantage to the entire com-
munity, promoting its welfare along various
lines in no uncertain manner, while at the
same. time he has made an untarnished rec-
ord and unspotted reputation as a business
man.

Henry Warren, the widely known bank
president and gallant Civil war veteran of
Kinmundy, Marion county, Illinois, was
born in this county in 1845, the son of Asa
Warren and his mother's maiden name was
Sina Howell. Grandfather Howell was sup-
posed to have come from Virginia, settling
with the pioneers in Marion county, Illinois,
in a very early day, and spending his life
on a farm doing much for the upbuilding
of the community. He entered land from
the government on which he spent the re-
mainder of his life and on which he reared
his family. He lived to be more than
eighty years of age. He was a member of
the old Hardshell Baptist church, as was
also his wife. . One of the first log churches
built in this community was erected on his

I:K><;KAPHICAL AND RKMIXISCKXT HISTORY OF

farm, of which he was one of the principal
supporters. The major portion of his
neighbors were Indians when he first came
to this county, and the woods and prairies
teemed with wild game of nearly all species
and varieties. There were but few settle-
ments in the county at that time. The
green flies were so thick and aggressive that
people could not cross the prairies in the
day time during part of the year. He man-
aged this farm until his death which then
fell to his heirs. All of the second genera-
tion of Howells have passed on to their
rest.

Asa Warren, father of our subject, came
from Tennessee to Illinois when a young
man and entered land from the government.
He sold out in time and moved to Texas
where he died when fifty-five years of age,
being survived by four children, three of
whom were boys. He was a man of much
influence, integrity and force of character.
He was a gallant soldier in the Mexican
war, having served until peace was declared
after which he returned to Illinois. He fol-
lowed farming all his life. Both he and his
wife belonged to the old school Baptists.
The subject's mother was called to her rest
at about the age of forty years. She was
a kindly and good woman in every respect.

Henry Warren, our subject, was reared in
Marion county, Illinois, having attended the
common and district schools, part of the
time in old log school-houses with their
primitive furnishings. He worked most of
the year on his father's farm during his
school days. He was about twelve years old

when he accompanied his father to Texas,
and he returned from the Lone Star state to
Illinois one year after his father's death,
the home place in Texas having been sold.
Then our subject worked out as a farm
hand, sometimes receiving only eight dol-
lars a month, continuing as a farm hand for
twelve years. He then rented land for two
years. Then he married and bought eighty
acres of land which he improved and made
into a good farm on which he lived for about
thirty-eight years, which were prosperous,
in the main, and during which he laid up a
competency for the future. From time to
time he added to his original eighty until
he finally had eight hundred acres, all of
which was in cultivation and kept in a high
state of improvement and efficiency. He
drained this large tract of land and securely
fenced it with wood and wire. Substantial
and modern buildings, a large dwelling,
two barns and other out buildings were
erected, and the place, which Mr. Warren
still owns, is one of Marion county's model
farms. While he still looks after the farm
he keeps it rented. When our subject gave
his personal attention to this place it was
in somewhat better condition and he devoted
him time largely to grass and stock.

Mr. Warren moved to Kinmundy in 1896
and one year later opened under the most
favorable auspices what is known as the
Warren Banking Company's establishment,
which met with instantaneous success and
is today regarded as one of the most sub-
stantial and safest institutions of its kind
in this part of the state. He is president

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

of the same, having filled this position with
much credit to his ability and the satisfac-
tion of the many patrons of the bank since
its establishment. His son, Henry L., who
was made cashier at the organization of
the concern, is still ably attending to these
duties. Mr. Warren owns the substantial
building in which the business of the firm
is conducted. He also owns a large, com-
fortable, modern and elegantly furnished
dwelling house besides other buildings on
the same street where he lives in Kinmundy.
He deserves much credit for the wealth he
has amassed partly because of the fact that
he started life empty handed and has made
it unaided, and partly because he has not a
single dishonest dollar in his possession, hav-
ing always been scrupulously honest in his
dealings with his fellow men. During the
last panic and bank depression his was the
only bank that kept open in the county.

Mr. Warren was first married in 1867 to
Mary C. Nichols, a native of this county,
the accomplished daughter of Robert
Nichols, and to this union the following
children were born : William, born October
6, 1868, now a farmer and minister in Jef-
ferson county, Illinois, to whom two chil-
dren were born; Harry L., born September
i, 1871, is living in Kinmundy associated
with his father in the banking business, and
who is married and the father of one child ;
Charley W., born March 21, 1874, is as-
sistant cashier in the bank, being married
and the father of one child, Lowel F., born
October 27, 1897.

Mr. Warren's first wife passed to her rest

in 1903, and the subject was again married
in 1906, his last wife being Ida Shriver,
a native of Marion county and the daughter
of William Schriver, who was a native of
Ohio. One child has been born to this
union, May Margaret, whose date of birth
fell on January 14, 1908.

Mr. Warren was one of the patriotic de-
fenders of the flag during the dark days of
the sixties when the fierce fires of rebellion
were undermining the pillars of our national
government, and he enlisted in Company E,
One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, in which he served with
credit and distinction to the close of the war
and was honorably discharged. He draws
a disability pension of twelve dollars. One
brother, Larkin A. Warren, was also a sol-
dier, having been a member of Sixth Mis-
souri Cavalry. He died at New Orleans
while in the army, after having served out
his first enlistment of three years, and it
was toward the close of the struggle when
he was attacked by a disease while in line
of duty from which he did not recover.

Our subject is a loyal Republican and in
religious affiliations is a liberal subscriber
and supporter of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Warren's methods are progressive and
he is quick to adopt new ideas which he be-
lieves will prove of practical value in his
work. Indolence and idleness are entirely
foreign to his nature and owing to his close
application to his business and his honorable
methods he has won prosperity that is richly
merited, while he enjoys the friendship and
esteem of the people of Marion county.

IHOC.KAPHICAL AXI) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

FRANK A. BOYNTON.

Through struggles to triumph seems to
be the maxim which holds sway for the ma-
jority of our citizens and, though it is un-
deniably true that many a one falls ex-
hausted in the conflict, a few by their in-
herent force of character and strong men-
tality rise above their environments and all
which seems to hinder them until they
reach the plane of affluence. It is not the
weaklings that accomplish worthy ends in
the face of opposition but those with nerve
and initiative whose motto is, "He never
fails who never gives up," and with this
terse aphorism ever in view, emblazoned on
the pillar of clouds, as it were, before them,
they forge ahead until the sunny summits
of life are reached and they can breath a
breath of the purer air that inspires the
souls of men in respite. Such has been the
history of Frank A. Boynton and in his life
record many useful lessons may be gained.

Mr. Boynton was born four miles east of
Salem in Stevenson township, April 18,
1 86 1, the son of John Boynton, a native of
Haverhill, Scioto county, Ohio, who came to
Illinois about 1859, settling on the farm on
which his widow now resides. John Boyn-
ton was a prosperous and influential farmer
all his life. He ably served as school di-
rector of Stevenson township for many
years, and after a very successful and useful
life he passed away in 1900.

The grandfather of the subject on his pa-
ternal side was Asa Boynton, who was a

native of Haverhill, Massachusetts, who mi-
grated to Ohio in an early day and settled
on the French "grant" in Ohio, and the
place where he settled was named Haverhill,
after the Massachusetts town from whence
he came. He was, like many of the early
pioneers, a man of sterling qualities, brave
and a hard worker.

The subject's mother was Eliza Copen-
hagen, born near Ironton, Ohio, on the land
where the town is situated. Her people
came from Virginia, having been among
the fine old Southern families who migrated
from that state to Ohio in the early days.
She has made her home on the old home-
stead in Stevenson township from that time
to the present day, and there she is held in
highest esteem by a host of acquaintances
and friends. Eight children were born to
Mr. and .Mrs. John Boynton, six of whom
are living at this writing (1908). Their
names are: Asa died when fourteen years
old; Frank, our subject; Elmer, of Salem,
Illinois ; Lucy who passed to her rest in
1905; Loren K., of Ruleville, Mississippi;
John Ellis, who lives with his mother in
Stevenson township; Delmont, who lives in
Stevenson township on a farm joining the
parental homestead ; Ida, who lives with her
mother.

Frank A. Boynton, our subject, spent his
boyhood under the parental roof and re-
ceived his primary education in the Bru-
baker school in Stevenson township. He
worked on the farm during his young man-
hood and he has ahvavs been identified with

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

farming interests ; he now owns a fine farm,
highly improved and very productive, lo-
cated in the northern part of Stevenson
township. It consists of over five hundred
acres, and no more choice land is to be
found in this locality. He went to Wheeler,
Jasper county, Illinois, in 1891, and was a
storekeeper and gauger there where he re-
mained for two years, making a success of
his enterprise, but he returned to his farm
in Stevenson township and in about 1903
came to Salem and is now engaged in the
real estate and loan business with offices in
L. M. Kagy's law office. He helped organ-
ize the Salem State Bank of which he is a
heavy stockholder and director. He operated
a threshing machine for twelve years with
great success in Stevenson township, and he
has been a stock shipper the greater part of
his life.

Thus we see that Mr. Boynton has been
a very busy man, and also one that had
unusual executive ability else he could not
have carried to successful issue so many ex-
tensive enterprises.

Our subject was married in 1892 to Anna
Stevenson, daughter of Samuel E. Steven-
son, a well known family of Stevenson
township. One winsome child was born to
this union, Gladys. At the time of his mar-
riage Mr. Boynton was living on his farm.
His first wife was called to her rest Febru-
ary 1 6, 1897, ar>d our subject was again
married May 17, 1906, his last wife being
Ethel Stevenson. No children have been
born to this union. Mrs. Boynton presides
over their modern, commodious, beautiful

and elegantly furnished home on South
Broadway with rare grace and dignity, and
she is frequently hostess to numerous ad-
miring friends of the family.

Possessing the executive skill and pleas-
ing personality that our subject does, it is
not surprising that his friends should have
singled him out for political preferment,
consequently he has been honored with nu-
merous local offices, all of which he has ably
and creditably filled to the entire satisfac-
tion of all concerned. He has served as
Clerk of Stevenson township and later
served two terms as Supervisor of that town-
ship. He is now city Alderman from the
Second ward of Salem. Useless to say our
subject is a loyal Republican, and he was at
one time the nominee of his party for Sher-
iff, and at another time for Treasurer, but
was defeated. He, however, made a most ex-
cellent race, being defeated by only a few
votes, although the county is strongly Demo-
cratic. He is, indeed, a public-spirited citizen
and witholds his co-operation from no move-
ment which is intended to promote public
improvement. What he has achieved in life
proves the force of his character and illus-
trates his steadfastness of purpose. He is
now one of the men of affluence and his
advancement to a position of credit and
honor in the business circles of Marion
county is the direct outcome of his own
persistent and worthy labors, and it would
be hard to find a more popular or congenial
gentleman in this section of the state than
Mr. Boynton.

riOC.KAPIIICAL AND REMIX ISCKXT HISTORY OF

JAMES F. HOWELL.

Examine into the life records of the self-
made men and it will always be found that
indefatigable industry forms the basis of
their success. True there are other elements
that enter in — perseverance of purpose and
keen discrimination — which enable one to
recognize business opportunities, but the
foundation of all achievement is earnest, per-
sistest labor. This fact was recognized at
the outset of his career by the worthy gen-
tleman whose name forms the caption of this
article and he did not seek to gain any short
or wondrous method to the goal of prosper-
ity. He began, however, to work earnestly
and diligently in order to advance himself
in the business world, at the same time do-
ing what he could for the welfare of the
community at large, and as a result of his
habits of industry, public spirit, courteous
demeanor and honorable career he enjoys
the esteem and admiration of a host of
friends in Marion county, where he has long
maintained his home and where he is known
as one of the representative citizens of the
great state of Illinois.

James F. Howell was born in Marion
county, this state, March 25, 1840, and he
has elected to spend his entire life on his na-
tive heath, believing that better opportuni-
ties were to be found at home than in other
and distant fields of endeavor. He is the
son of Jackson D. and Agnes (Gray) How-
ell. Grandfather Howell came to Illinois
from Tennessee in 1825, settling in this
county, having taken up land from the gov-
ernment, eighty acres at the time of his com-

ing. He afterward bought one hundred and
twenty acres more from the government, a
part of which was timbered and a part was
on the prairie. He cleared the timber land,
this being the part he first purchased, clear-
ing and farming the timbered land first.
There were not any settlements on the prai-
rie at that time, all the settlements there
were then being in the timbered lands. The
first Monday in May each year was wolf
day. All the settlers gathered on that day
and made a general drive, often taking large
numbers of prairie wolves. There were also
large numbers of deer at that time and our
subject has helped kill as many as forty or
fifty at one time. Grandfather Howell lived
on the land he secured from the government
during the rest of his life, being known as
one of the strongest characters of those
pioneer times. He reached the age of
eighty-five years, his wife having been called
to rest at the age of fifty. There were ten
children in this family, all of whom lived to
maturity and reared families of their own.
The subject's grandfather was the fifth in
order of birth. Two of these children lived
to be over eighty years of age. The others
lived to be about seventy.

The subject's father obtained what little
education he could in the district schools of
this county; however, there was but little op-
portunity for schooling at that time. He
worked on his father's farm until after he
reached maturity, then he pre-empted land,
and lived on it, finally owning three hundred
and sixty acres, mostly prairie land, on
which he carried on general farming. He
made his home on this land during the rest

RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

of his life, owning it at the time of his death.
He died while on the road home from Cali-
fornia. His remains were brought to Kin-
mundy and laid to rest. He was a man of
fine personal traits and exercised much in-
fluence in the upbuilding of his community.
There were ten children in this family, six
of whom lived to maturity. Mr. Howell's
first wife was called to her rest at the age of
forty-one, and he was again married. To
this union two children were born, one liv-
ing, in 1908. The mother of the subject was
born in Tennessee and was brought to Illi-
nois by her parents when about six years
old.

James F. Howell, our subject, was born
about one and one-half miles from where
he now lives. The home he owns and oc-
cupies is the fourth one in which he has
lived since leaving his father's old home-
stead. Our subject now owns twenty-six
acres of the original purchase by his father
from the government. He has always de-
voted his time to agricultural pursuits, own-
ing at this writing one hundred and six
acres of as good farming land as may be
found in the county, being kept in a high
state of productiveness, general farming be-
ing carried on in a manner that stamps the
subject as one of the foremost farmers in
this locality.

Mr. Howell was married in 1858 to Isabel
J. Robb, who was born in the township
where she has always lived, being a repre-
sentative of a well known and highly re-
spected people. Her people came from Ten-
nessee, being among the earliest settlers in
6

this county. Mrs. Howell was called to her
reward February 3, 1907, at the age of
sixty-six years, after a harmonious and
beautiful Christian life.

The children born to this union are named
in order of birth as follows: Arminda H.,
born June 18, 1859, is the wife of H. A.
Brown, and the mother of eight children:
Reufinia E., born February 24, 1861, is the
wife of Benjamin Garrett and the mother of
five children; Leander, born April 24, 1863,
who became the father of four children, is
deceased ; Ida M. and Nettie, twins, were
born September 23, 1866, the latter dying
when four years old, the former becoming
the wife of G. C. Warner; Charles H., born
January 24, 1869, is married and has three
children : Samuel E., born January 12, 1871,
is married and has one child; Ellis M., born
January 12, 1875, is married; Eva M., born
November 14, 1877, became the wife of
Lloyd Perrill and is the mother of two chil-
dren: James E., born August 5, 1880, is
married and has one child. He now lives
in Roumania, in the employ of the Standard
Oil Company.

The subject has been twice married, hav-
ing been united in the bonds of wedlock with
his second wife February 20, 1908, his last
wife being Martha Anglin, a native of this
county, her people having come from Ten-
nessee in 1839. The maternal grandfather
of the subject's wife came from Ireland and
her father's people from Scotland, first set-
tling in Alabama, later moving to Tennessee
and then to Illinois, where they spent the
remainder of their lives.

MIOGKAIMIICAI. AM) KKM I N ISCKNT HISTORY (IK

Minerva Howell, an aunt of the subject
by marriage, was born in Tennessee in 1829.
Her people were from old Virginia, who lat-
er came to Illinois when she was one year
old, her father settling in Marion county,
later moving to Williamson county, Illinois,
where he died when about seventy years old.
Mrs. Howell remarried. She became the
mother of eleven children, four of whom
lived to maturity, two of them living in
1908. Her husband died at the age of
seventy-six. He was also born in Tennes-
see.

James F. Howell is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity and the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and in his political relations
he affiliates with the Democratic party. The
subject's first wife was a member of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church.

In matters pertaining to the welfare of his
township, county and state, Mr. Howell is
deeply interested, and his efforts in behalf of
the general progress have been far-reaching
and beneficial. His name is indelibly asso-
ciated with progress in the county of his
birth, and among those in whose midst he
has always lived he is held in the highest
esteem by reason of an upright life and of
fidelity to principles which in every land and
clime command respect.

BENJAMIN M. SMITH.

In studying the interesting life histories of
manv of the better class of men, and the

ones of unquestioned merit and honor, it
will be found that they have been compelled,
very largely, to map out their own career
and furnish their own motive force in scal-
ing the heights of success, and it is such a
one that the biographer is pleased to write
in the paragraphs that follow.

Benjamin M. Smith, the well known
cashier of the Salem State Bank, was born
in Central City, Illinois, December n, 1877,
the son of Samuel J. Smith, a native of St.
Clair county, Illinois, and a gentleman of
many sterling traits who became a man of
considerable influence in his community,
some of whose commendable characteristics
are inherited by his son, our subject. Samuel
J. Smith came to Marion county when a
young man and was engaged in the milling
business of which he made pronounced suc-
cess, having been in the county several years
when the Civil war began, and he continued
in this business during the progress of the
Rebellion. He took much interest in public
affairs. He was County Treasurer and
County Clerk for twenty years and Deputy
County Treasurer for four years. During
his long official record he conducted the af-
fairs that were entrusted to him in a manner
that reflected great credit upon his ability
and in a way that elicited much favorable
comment but no criticism from his con-
temporaries and constituents. He was
called to his rest April 5, 1906, after an emi-
nently successful and useful life.

The subject's grandfather, Benjamin J.
Smith, who was a native of the old Pine
Tree state (Maine), is remembered as a
man of unusual fortitude and courage, hav-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ing been a composite of the usual elements
that go into the makeup of pioneers. He
came west in early life and was one of the
first settlers of St. Clair county, Illinois, of
which county he was at one time Sheriff,
one of the best, in fact, that the county ever
had. He was an active business man all his
life, having been in the commission busi-
ness in Chicago for a number of years,
where he became well known in the business
circles of the city in those days. He was
born in 1801, and after a remarkably active
career, reaching a venerable age, passed to
the silent land when in his ninetieth year.

The mother of the subject was in her
maidenhood Mary E. Martin, who was born
in Ohio on a farm near Wellsville. She is
in many respects a remarkable character,
benign, affable and her influence has always
been wholesome and uplifting, so that even
in the golden evening of her life she is a
blessing to those with whom she comes in
contact. She is the mother of three chil-
dren, namely: Irene, who died in infancy;
Irma, a woman of fine traits; and Benja-
min M., our subject.

Thus after a resume of the subject's
worthy ancestors we are not surprised that
he has achieved unusual distinction in his
community, and to him the future evidently
has much of good in store.

Benjamin M. Smith attended school in
Salem, graduating from the high school
where he had made a splendid record for
scholarship and deportment. Feeling that
he was destined for a business career, and
following in the footsteps of his father and

grandfather, he early began preparations to
enter the industrial field, and in order to
prepare himself more thoroughly took a
course in the Bryant & Stratton Business
College at St. Louis, Missouri, standing in
the front rank of his class when he gradu-
ated in 1900. Mr. Smith has been actively
engaged in business since he was sixteen
years old and he showed at that early age
that he was destined to the highest success.
He seems to be best fitted to the manage-
ment of banking institutions, although he
turns everything into success that he under-
takes. He has been cashier of banks for
seven years in 1908. He was cashier of
the Haymond State Bank, now the First
National Bank at Kinmundy, Illinois, for
two years, during which time the business of
this institution greatly increased. Then he
came to Salem and became associated with
the Salem State Bank of which he is a
stockholder and director and one of the or-
ganizers, in fact, one of the moving spirits
of the institution. Mr. Smith was also a
director in the bank at Kinmundy and is
still a stockholder in the same. Both these
institutions recognize his unusual industrial
ability and peculiar aptitude for managing
the affairs of a banking concern and the of-
ficials are not reluctant to give him all due
credit for the great work he has done in
placing these banks on a firm foundation and
making them among the solid and well
known institutions of their kind in this part
of the state.

Fraternally Mr. Smith belongs to the
Masonic Order, Knights Templar; also the

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen and the
Eagles, and one would judge from his con-
sistent daily life that he believes in carrying
out the sublime principles and doctrines of
these worthy orders. In politics our subject
is a loyal Democrat, but he has not found
time to take an active part in political af-
fairs. However, he believes in placing the
best men possible in local offices and his
support can always be depended upon in
the advancement of any cause looking to
the development and betterment of his com-
munity and county.

Mr. Smith has preferred single blessed-
ness and has never assumed the responsi-
bilities of the married state.

Our subject is a very strong character in
every respect and although he is yet quite a
young man he has shown by his past excel-
lent and praiseworthy record that he is a
man of unusual industrial ability and the
future will doubtless be replete with honors
and success for him.

HON. JAMES CAMERON ALLEN.

An enumeration of the representative
citizens of Richland county who have won
recognition and success for themselves and
at the same time have conferred honor up-
on the community would be decidedly in-
complete were there failure to make men-
tion of the popular gentleman whose name
initiates this review, who has long held

worthy prestige in legal and political circles,
and has always been distinctively a man of
affairs, but is now living retired. He wields
a wide influence among those with whom
his lot has been cast, ever having the af-
fairs of his county at heart and doing what
he could to aid in its development.

James Cameron Allen was born in Shel-
by county, Kentucky, January 29, 1822, the
son of Benjamin and Margaret (Youel)
Allen, natives of Augusta county, Virginia,
the former of Irish and the latter of Scotch
descent. Grandfather John Allen was born
in Ireland on the famous Shannon river,
and when about twenty years old he came
to America alone and settled in Xew Jersey,
where he married and later moved to Rock-
bridge county, Virginia, and engaged in
farming, where he lived and died. Grand-
father William Youel, was born in Scotland
and came to America when young, located
in Augusta county, Virginia, on a farm and
became an extensive stock raiser for that
time. He served in the Revolutionary war,
being slightly wounded at the battle of
Cowpens. After the British army had been
driven away, he picked up a large powder
horn, which had been used by an English
soldier. It was given to one of his sons,
and became a valuable historical relic. Our
subject used the same when a boy, while
squirrel hunting. Grandfather Youel died
in Virginia, at an advanced age, after rear-
ing a large family. The father of our sub-
ject was a farmer and when young learned
the trade of cycle maker. He kept a set of
blacksmith tools as long as he lived. Short-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ly after his marriage he emigrated to Shelby
county, Kentucky, having made the trip on
horseback, carrying all his earthly posses-
sions on one pack horse. This was in 1803,
when the country was covered with primeval
woods and overrun by Indians. In 1830 he
came to Parke county, Indiana, and located
on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
having bought part of the land from the
man who had entered it and which had on
it a small cabin and a few acres which had
been cleared. He improved the place and
developed a good farm, which he later sold
and retired. He died in Parke county, in
1849, his wife having died in 1832. They
were people of much sterling worth, typical
pioneers. To them were born ten children,
of whom our subject was the seventh in
order of birth, all now deceased except the
subject and one sister, Elvina, who is living
in West Liberty, Iowa.

The subject was eight years old when the
family came to Indiana. He remained at
home until he was eighteen years old, help-
ing clear the farm and assisting in the work
about the place, in the meantime attending
the country subscription schools during the
winter months. When eighteen years old
he went to Rockville, Indiana, and entered
the County Seminary, from which he grad-
uated three years later, having carefully ap-
plied himself and making a splendid rec-
ord. Being out of money at that time, he
returned home and rented his father's farm
for one season, having realized two hundred
and eighty dollars as his share. With this
he went to Rockville and began the study

of law, in which he made rapid progress,
and was licensed to practice two years later,
in 1843. He located at Sullivan, Indiana,
then the new county-seat, but was a small
village in the woods. Here he practiced
with much success attending his efforts until
1847. He held the office of Prosecuting At-
torney for one term of two years, and was
one of the leading young attorneys 6f that lo-
cality. He then located at Palestine, Illinois,
where he followed his profession for a period
of twenty-nine years, becoming known as one
of the ablest attorneys in the county, and
having a very extensive clientele. He then
located in Olney, in November, 1876, and
he has since lived at this place, having built
up a very large practice. He retired in 1907.

While living in Crawford county, Illinois,
he was elected to the Lower House of the
Legislature in 1850, on the Democratic
ticket and served with great credit. Such
a splendid record did he make that he was
nominated and triumphantly elected two
years later to Congress from his district, at
that time, the Fifth district, and was re-
elected in 1854, serving two terms, making
his influence felt in that body where his
counsel was always respectfully listened to,
and often followed with gratifying results.
During his first term the Kansas and Ne-
braska fight was up. During the second
term the defeat for slavery for Kansas was
accomplished. His voice was heard in the
debates of those strenuous times.

In 1856 Mr. Allen was not a candidate
for re-election, but he became Clerk of the
House during that session of Congress. In

nilXIK.UMlICAL AXI) UKM IN1SCKNT HISTORY OF

March, 1860, he came home and in that year
was the Democratic candidate for Governor
of Illinois, against Yates. He made a
splendid race and the election showed that
he was a popular man throughout the state,
notwithstanding his defeat. In April, 1861,
he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court,
and in the fall of 1863 resigned as Judge to
accept tne place of Congressman-at-large,
to which he had been elected in 1862. He
was a candidate for re-election, but was
defeated by Samuel Moulton. During his
terms in Congress he witnessed stirring
times for it was while the Civil war was
in progress.

Returning home Mr. Allen practiced law
until 1873, when he was re-elected Judge
of the Circuit Court, and after the passage
of the law establishing appellate courts, he
was appointed by the Supreme Court as Ap-
pellate Judge, occupying both positions un-
til 1879. He then engaged in practice until
his retirement in 1907, having liked the
practice better than being on the bench. He
has been United States Commissioner since
1896, for Southern and Eastern Illinois.

The happy and harmonious domestic life
of our subject began January 22, 1845,
when he was married to Ellen Kitchell, a
native of Palestine, Illinois, the representa-
tive of an influential family of that place.
To this union three children were born, who
died in infancy. The subject's first wife
was called to her rest in 1853 and in 1857
he married Julia Kitchell, cousin of his first
wife, by whom seven children were born,
namely : Harry, who was court reporter for

five years, is deceased; Frances is the wife
of John T. Ratcliff, of Olney; Caroline is
living at home keeping house for her father ;
James H. resides in Robinson, Illinois;
Frederick W. is deceased; William Y. is
living at home; Margaret is also a member
of the home circle. The second wife of our
subject, a woman of many beautiful at-
tributes, passed away in 1901. Mr. Allen
has long been a pillar in the Presbyterian
church, having been the ruling elder in the
same since 1850.

Thus standing out distinctly as one of
the central figures of the judiciary of the
great commonwealth of Illinois is the name
of Hon. James Cameron Allen. Long
prominent in legal circles and equally prom-
inent in public matters beyond the confines
of his own jurisdiction, with a reputation
in one of the most exacting professions that
has won him a name for distinguished ser-
vices second' to none of his contemporaries,
there is today no more prominent or honored
figure in the southern part of the state which
he has long dignified with his citizenship.
Achieving success in the courts at an age
when most young men are just entering up-
on the 'formative period of their lives, wear-
ing the judicial ermine with becoming dig-
nity and bringing to every case submitted
to him a clearness of perception and ready
power of analysis characteristic of the
learned jurist, his name and work for half
a century have been allied with legal insti-
tutions, public enterprises and political in-
terests of the state in such a way as to earn
him recognition as one 'of the distinguished

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

citizens in a community noted for the high
order of its legal talent. A high purpose
and an unconquerable will, vigorous men-
tal powers, diligent study and devotion to
duty are some of the means by which he
has made himself eminently useful. He is
honored and esteemed by all who know him
for his life of honor and usefulness, his in-
tegrity, kindness and genial manners and
the good he has accomplished for his state
cannot be adequately expressed.

JOHN C. MARTIN.

The subject of this sketch is a native son
of Marion county, Illinois, and a represen-
tative of one of its sterling and honored
families. He is known as a young man of
fine intellectuality and marked business
acumen. He is cashier of the Salem Na-
tional Bank, one of the most substantial in-
stitutions of its kind in this part of the
state.

John C. Martin was born in Salem April
29, 1880, the son of B. E. Martin, Sr., a
sketch of whom appears upon another page
of this volume.

Our subject attended the schools of Salem
in his early youth where he applied himself
in a most assiduous manner, having made
excellent records for scholarship and general
deportment, and as a result of his well ap-
plied time to his text-books he received a
good education which has subsequently been
broadened and deepened by contact with the
world and systematic home study. After

finishing the prescribed course in the home
schools he spent two years at Jacksonville,
Illinois, one year at the Jacksonville College,
and one at Brown's Business College, hav-
ing stood high in his classes in each.

At the early age of twenty-eight years, a
period when most men are just launching
into a career or tentatively investigating the
world that lies before them in order to test
their potential powers, Mr. Martin had al-
ready shown that he is a man of marked ex-
ecutive and business ability. He assumed
the responsible and exacting position of
cashier of the Salem National Bank in April
1907, whose duties he is faithfully perform-
ing to the entire satisfaction of all con-
cerned. He is a stockholder in this institu-
tion, which is popular with all classes of
business men in Salem and throughout Mar-
ion county, where it has long maintained a
firm reputation for soundness owing to its
careful management and the unquestioned
integrity and scrupulously honest characters
of the gentlemen who have it under control.

Fraternally Mr. Martin is a loyal mem-
ber of the Masonic Order, the Woodmen and
the Fraternal Order of Eagles. The daily
life of the subject would indicate that he
believes in carrying out the noble precepts
of these praiseworthy orders.

HON. HARVEY D. McCOLLUM.

Clay county figures as one of the most
attractive, progressive and prosperous divi-
sions of the southern part of Illinois, justly

BIOGRAPHICAL AND RKM I X ISCEXT HISTORY OF

claiming a high order of citizenship and a
spirit of enterprise which is certain to con-
serve consecutive development and marked
advancement in the material upbuilding of
this section. The county has been and is
signally favored in the class of men who
have controlled its affairs in official capacity,
and in this connection the subject of this re-
view demands representation, as he is serv-
ing the locality faithfully and well in a po-
sition of distinct trust and responsibility, be-
ing the Representative in the State Legisla-
ture, having been elected to the Lower House
in the fall of 1908, among the youngest
members of that body ; but while the young-
est, he is far from the least important. On
the contrary he is an active, vigilant and
potent factor in that honored body. He
has achieved 'a brilliant record at the bar,
while yet a young man, and to such as he the
future augurs much in the way of success
and honor.

Harvey D. McCollum was born in Louis-
ville, Clay county, Illinois, March 13, 1879,
and he early decided to try his fortune with
his own people, rather than seek uncertain
fortune in other fields, as so many of his
early companions have done. He is the son
of James C. McCollum, also a native of Clay
county, now residing in Louisville, retired,
being one of the founders of the Farmers'
and Merchants' Bank of Louisville, and who
is now one of its directors. James C. McCol-
lum, grandfather of the subject, was a na-
tive of Kentucky, and the subject's great-
grandfather, Alexander McCollum, was one
of the six men killed at the battle of New

Orleans in the War of 1812, this battle hav-
ing been fought in 1815, and his name is
mentioned in President Roosevelt's history
of naval battles. Members of the McCollum
family were among the early settlers of Clay
county and they have been prominently iden-
tified with its history ever since the pioneer
days, having always taken a leading part in
the development of the community in every
way. Robert McCollum, uncle of the sub-
ject of this sketch, has lived in this county
for a period of seventy-five years, is one of
the oldest living pioneers of the county.

The mother of the subject, a woman of
many beautiful attributes, was known in
her maidenhood as Fanny Long, a daughter
of Darling Long, an old settler of Clay
county. She is still living. To Mr. and
Mrs. J. C. McCollum four children were
bom, our subject being the only survivor.

Our subject was reared in Louisville
where he attended the high school from
which he graduated, having gained a good
common school education, for he was ambi-
tious and applied himself in a very careful
manner to his studies, outstripping may of
the less ardent plodders. Not being satis-
fied with what learning he had acquired up
to this point, he attended the University of
Illinois, taking the literary and law courses,
in which institution he remained for six
years, graduating in 1901, after making a
splendid record for scholarship.

After completing his course in the univer-
sity, Mr. McCollum returned home and at
once began the practice of law, his success
being instantaneous. He at once attracted

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

the attention of the political leaders of the
county, and he was the nominee of the Dem-
ocratic party for County Judge in 1902, and
while he headed his ticket, was defeated;
however, the splendid race he made gave
proof of his high standing with the people
of Clay county and forecasted future victo-
ries. He formed a law partnership that year
with A. M. Rose, which continued until Mr.
Rose was elected to the circuit bench.

Mr. McCollum was appointed Master in
Chancery for two terms, serving with much
credit and satisfaction from 1904 until 1908.
He is at this writing practicing law with
John W. Thomason, having formed a part-
nership, which still exists, in January, 1907.
It is generally regarded as one of the strong-
est law firms in this or adjoining counties,
and their office is always a busy place, their
many clients coming from all over the dis-
trict. As already stated, our subject made a
successful race for the Legislature during
the last election (1908), which event caused
general satisfaction throughout the county,
not only from friends, but members of other
parties, for everyone recognized Mr. McCol-
lum's ability and fidelity to duty, therefore
they know their interests will be carefully
guarded by him.

Mr. McCollum is unmarried. In his fra-
ternal relations he is a member of the Be-
nevolent and Protective Order of Elks No.
926, at Olney, the Knights of Pythias, the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Woodmen, and Masonic Order at Louisville.

Mr. McCollum is not a man who courts
publicity, yet it must be a pleasure to him, as

is quite natural, to know how well he stands
with his fellow citizens throughout this dis-
trict. The public is seldom mistaken in its
estimation of a man, and had Mr. McCollum
not been most worthy he could not have
gained the high position he now holds in
public and social life. Having long main-
tained the same without any abatement of
his popularity, his standing in the county is
perhaps now in excess of what it has ever
been. He has, by his own persistent and
praiseworthy efforts, won for himself a name
whose luster the future years shall only aug-
ment.

G. H. TRENARY.

The enterprise of the subject has been
crowned by success, as the result of rightly
applied principles which never fail in their
ultimate effect when coupled with integrity,
uprightness and a congenial disposition, as
they have been done in the present instance,
judging from the high standing of Mr. Tre-
nary among his fellow citizens whose un-
divided esteem he has justly won and re-
tained.

G. H. Trenary, the influential and popu-
lar superintendent of the Chicago & East-
ern Illinois Railroad Company, with offices
at Salem, Illinois, was born February 9,
1867, at Lafayette, Indiana, the son of Ran-
dolph B. Trenary, a native of Ohio who
came to Indiana when a boy. He was a lo-
comotive engineer, having run an engine

ilOCKAIMIICAL AND KKM I X ISCKXT HISTORY OF

during the Civil war and he followed this
profession all his life, becoming one of the
best known railroad men in his community.
He died in February, 1904, at Stone Bluff,
Indiana. The mother of the subject was
known in her maidenhood as Mollie Nor-
duft, a native of Williamsport, Indiana, and
the representative of a well known and
highly respected family there. She passed
to her rest in 1873. They were the parents
of four children, three boys and one girl,
namely: Charles W., of Kansas City, Mis-
souri; G. H., the subject of this sketch;
Evendar H., who died in 1888; Elizabeth,
the wife of Charles Mallett, of Stone Bluff,
Indiana.

Our subject attended the common schools
at Urbana, Illinois, leaving school when in
the eighth grade for the purpose of begin-
ning the study of telegraphy at Urbana.
Becoming an exeprt at this exacting profes-
sion he followed it together with that of
agent at various stations for thirteen years
with great satisfaction to his employers who
regarded him as one of the most efficient
and reliable men in this line of work in
their employ. He spent four years at Og-
den, Illinois; one year at Urbana, one year
at Waynetown, Indiana ; one year at Cham-
paign, Illinois ; two years at LeRoy, Illinois ;
three years at Veedersburg, Indiana; one
year at Hoopestown, Illinois. From 1896
to 1899 he was chief clerk to the general
superintendent of the Chicago & Eastern
Illinois Railroad Company at Chicago. For
five years our subject held the responsible
position of superintendent at Brazil, In-

diana, from 1899 to 1904, since which time
he has been superintendent of the Illinois
division of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois
road, with headquarters at Salem. The
offices of this road were located here in De-
cember, 1906, having been removed from
St. Elmo, this state. This road employs
about five hundred people in all departments.
The local offices occupy the entire third
floor of the Salem State Bank building and
is the busiest place in Salem. Mr. Trenary's
private office is also on this floor. Every-
thing is under a splendid system.

Mr. Trenary has jurisdiction over all
transportation, a very responsible position,
indeed, and one that not only requires a
superior talent along executive lines, but a
clear brain, sound judgment and steady hab-
its, but he has performed his duties so well
that the company deems his services indis-
pensable. This road has a departmental di-
vision system.

Our subject1 was happily married in De-
cember, 1884, to Beulah R. Glascock, the
refined and accomplished daughter of H. J.
Glascock, an influential and highly respected
citizen of Ogden, Illinois.

The commodious, modern, cheerful and
model home of the subject and wife has
been blessed through the birth of the six
children whose names and dates of birth
follow in consecutive order: G. W., born
April 12, 1886, lives in Salem; Nell, born
December 30, 1887; Genevieve F., born
March i, 1893 ; Robert F., born October 22,
1895; H. Kenneth, born January 29, 1901;
Randolph Bryant, born January 26, 1904.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

These children have received every care
and attention, been given good educations
and each gives promise of bright and suc-
cessful futures, exemplifying in their daily
lives what a wholesome home environment
and careful parental training can do in de-
veloping well rounded and highly cultivated
minds and bodies.

Mr. Trenary moved his family to Salem
in December, 1906. He has been honored
by being chosen alderman for the city of
Salem. Although a loyal Republican and
well fortified in his political beliefs and anx-
ious to see the triumph of his party's prin-
ciples, Mr. Trenary has never aspired to
positions of public trust at the hands of his
fellow voters. However, his support can al-
ways be depended upon in the advancement
of all movements looking to the public weal
in his community whether educational,
moral or civic.

In his fraternal relations, the subject is a
member of the Masonic Order and the Mod-
ern Woodmen, and one would soon conclude
by a knowledge of his consistent and gen-
tlemanly daily life that he believed in carry-
ing out the sublime precepts of these
commendable organizations. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Trenary are members of the Christian
church. They are pleasant people to meet,
and their cozy home is often the mecca for
numerous admiring friends who seek the
cheerfulness and hospitality so freely and
unstintingly dispensed here. No better or
more popular people are to be found in Mar-
ion county and they justly deserve the high
esteem in which they are held.

JOHN A. BATEMAN.

There is much in the life record of the
subject of this sketch worthy of commenda-
tion and admiration, and his public career
is especially notable. Like many other
brainy, energetic young men who have left
their impress upon the magnificent develop-
ment of this part of the great Prairie state,
he did not wait for a specially brilliant open-
ing. Indeed, he could not wait, for his
natural industry would not have permitted
him to do so. In his early youth he gave
evidence of the possession of traits of char-
acter which have made his life exceptionally
successful and he is today admittedly one of
Clay county's foremost and best known
citizens.

John A. Bateman was born in Richlancl
county, Illinois, September 20, 1863, the
son of Thomas Bateman, who was a native
of Queenstown, Ireland, where a sister,
aunt of our subject, still resides. He came
to America when ' he was eighteen years old,
first settling in Ohio, near Cincinnati, where
he lived about three years, after which he
came to Richland county, Illinois, locating
on a farm, having lived in 'Richland county
two years, when he moved near Sailor
Springs, Clay county, where he lived until
his death, June 24, 1879. He was a man
of much sterling worth and many of his
praiseworthy traits seem to have been in-
herited by our subject. Grandfather
Michael Bateman was a native of Ireland,
where he lived and died. Our subject's
mother was Mary A. Mitchell, whose people

r.lOOR.M'll ICAI. \NI> RKMIMSCKNT HISTORY OK

were natives of North Carolina. She was
born near Bedford, Indiana, and is still liv-
ing at Sailor Springs, Clay county, Illinois.
She is a fine old lady of beautiful Christian
character.

The following children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas Bateman: Lucinda Jane
died in infancy; John A., the subject of
this sketch; William, deceased; Charles, a
well-to-do farmer at Sailor Springs, this
county; Susanna, deceased; George P., liv-
ing at Sailor Springs; Abraham, deceased;
Robert, deceased.

Mr. Bateman spent his early life on the
farm and received his primary education
in the schools of Sailor Springs. He later
attended Hayward College at Fairfield, Il-
linois, for two or three terms. He also at-
tended the Teachers' Normal of Clay coun-
ty, having made a splendid record for schol-
arship in all these institutions. Not being
contented to leave school before he received
a high education, he borrowed money of old
Uncle Jim McKinney, and attended the
Mitchell College, at Mitchell, Indiana, com-
pleting the course.

His father dying when he was fifteen
years old, Mr. Bateman became the head
and support of the family, and although the
struggle was hard, it merely tended to de-
velop the sterner side of his nature and
spurred him to achievements that he other-
wise would never have known. After
leaving school he taught for five years in
the country with great success, becoming
known as one of the leading educators of
the county and his services were in great

demand. After his experience in teaching
he went into the real estate and insurance
business at Sailor Springs, also buying and
shipping wool and grain. He also opened
the first furniture store in that town and
while there he was elected the first Mayor of
the town, having become one of the leading
men of the community and who did a great
deal for the town's development. This was
in 1893. He remained there for ten years,
making a success of whatever business he
engaged in.

In 1898 Mr. Bateman was elected Coun-
ty Clerk on the Republican ticket, living at
the time in Sailor Springs. On June 22,
1899, he moved to Louisville. He was
elected to this office by twenty-four major-
ity. He was counted out, but was finally
seated by the Supreme Court. He was re-
nominated in 1902, and re-elected by a ma-
jority of three hundred and fifteen. Having
made such a splendid record he was re-
nominated in 1906 and re-elected by a ma-
jority of four hundred and twenty-seven in
the face of a strong fight. The Democratic
party took their regular nominee off the
ticket and placed the strongest man they
could in the race against him. He is now
(1908) serving his third term, and is re-
garded by everyone concerned as an excep-
tionally good officer, being careful and
painstaking, courteous to all and giving his
attention to the duties of the same with the
same keen discernment that characterizes
his own business affairs: in fact, he is said
by his many friends to be the best County
Clerk Clav ever had.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Mr. and Mrs. Bateman are the parents of
four children, namely : Dolores, who at this
writing is fifteen years old; Chloe Irene is
twelve years old; Mark Hanna is deceased,
having died October 6, 1908; the fourth
child died in infancy.

Mr. Bateman was very much attached to
his baby son. Mark Hanna. whose untimely
death at the age of nearly eleven years great-
ly grieved him. The little boy was the pride
of his father's heart and upon him he lav-
ished his affection and care of an indulgent
lather.

Fraternally Mr. Bateman is a member of
the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias,
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows ;
also the Modern Woodmen, Ben Hur, the
American Home Circle and the Rebekahs.
He is a member of the Christian church and
a liberal supporter of the same.

Our subject is a purely self-made man,
winning success by overcoming many ob-
stacles, and he deserves the high esteem in
which he is universally held, and is one of
Clay county's most popular men, claiming
a legion of friends in all parts of the county
and throughout this district. He has a
modern and elegantly furnished home, a
good driving horse and many other con-
veniences. His home place consists of five
acres. Mr. Bateman enjoys the fullest
measure of public confidence, because of the
honorable business methods he has ever fol-
lowed, and he is one of the most successful,
prominent and honored men in this portion
of Illinois.

G. A. IDLEMAN.

The subject of this sketch is one of
those men who have met with success along
the line of his chosen calling and he is today
one of the prosperous and respected mer-
chants of Salem, Marion county, where he
conducts a modern and attractive store, hav-
ing built up an extensive and lucrative busi-
ness by reason of his peculiar adaptability
for this line of work, his honesty of business
principles and his courteous and kind treat-
ment of customers whom he numbers by the
scores.

G. A. Idleman was born in Marion
county, Ohio, in 1844, the son of Jacob J.
Idleman, a native of Virginia, who moved
with his parents to Ohio when he was a
small boy. He devoted his life principally
to agricultural pursuits, but he also devoted
much time and labor along a higher plane
of action, that of Methodist minister, becom-
ing known as an able expounder of the Gos-
pel and a man of good deeds wherever he
went. He engaged in ministerial work for
forty years, having worked hard on his
farm during the week and preached on Sun-
day, and to show that he was an extraor-
dinarily sincere men and desirous to do good
for the sake of being true to the higher life
as outlined by the lowly Nazarene, he never
accepted a cent for his ministrial labors in
all those forty years, merely preaching for
the love of the work and the good he could
do, which was an incalculable amount. He
was called to his reward by the Good Shep-

moCKAI'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

herd whom he had so faithfully followed, in
1887, while living on his farm in Marion
county, Illinois, where he moved in 1865,
settling two miles south of Salem where he
resided the remainder of his life.

The grandfather of the subject was Jacob
Idleman, also a native of Virginia, and also
a farmer who was known as a man of in-
tegrity and many sterling qualities. He
reached the advanced age of eighty years,
•dying in Marion county, Ohio, where he had
removed in an early day when the country
was wild and unsettled. The subject's
mother was Hannah Jones, whose people
came from Pennsylvania. Her people lived
to be very old, her mother having reached
the remarkable age of ninety years. The
subject's mother, a woman of gracious per-
sonal qualities, is still living in 1908, on the
old farm homestead south of Salem at the
still more remarkable age of ninety-four
years.

Ten children constituted the family of the
parents of our subject, four having died in
infancy and two having passed away after
reaching maturity. Those living are : G.
A., our subject; Samantha, the widow of E.
W. Thompson, of Columbus, Ohio; Mrs.
Gallic M. Kell, the widow of William Kell,
living in Salem ; Mrs. Belle Sipes, who lives
on a farm near Omega, Illinois.

G. A. Idleman, our subject, spent his boy-
hood days in Marion county, Ohio, where he
received a common school education and
where he remained until he was twenty years
old, having assisted with the farm work
while going to school. He came to Salem,

Illinois, in 1865 with his parents, and has
continued to make this his home. He farmed
until he was thirty years old, thereby getting
a good start in life. Since that time he has
been engaged from time to time in various
lines of business. He has been in the mer-
cantile business here for a period of twenty-
five years, most of the time in business for
himself, but part of the time he was asso-
ciated in business with others. He has been
engaged in the grocery business for the past
eight years, since 1900, and which he still
conducts, having built up an excellent and
lucrative trade as the result of courteous
treatment to customers and his expert
knowledge of the mercantile business, hav-
ing always made this line of work pay, not
only yielding him a comfortable living, but
enabling him to gradually increase his busi-
ness and at the same time lay up an ample
competency for his old age. His customers
are not confined to Salem and vicinity, but
he is well known throughout Marion county,
having always given his customers entire
satisfaction as to the quality of goods he
handles and to price, consequently he seldom
loses a customer. Mr. Idleman built his
present store building on First South street,
which is one of the neatest and most sub-
stantial stores in Salem.

Mr. Idleman was united in marriage in
1870 to Mattie Clark, the representative of
one of Salem's well known families. To
this union one child has been born, Mrs.
Lydia M. Hubbs, of Chicago. The subject
was married again May 14, 1902, to Agnes
Ray, the daughter of Riley Rose. She was

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

born and reared in Salem. They have no
children. Their home is a commodious
and nicely furnished one in the most de-
sirable residence district of Salem, and is
frequently the gathering place for numerous
friends of the family.

Our subject has served his community in
a most efficient and commendable manner as
assessor of Salem township, having been
the first Republican assessor ever elected in
this township. In his fraternal relations he
belongs to the Red Men, of Odin, Illinois.
Both he and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Our subject
has ever taken an active interest in the wel-
fare of the community and gives an earnest
support to every movement for the public
welfare. A man of fine personal traits, he
is highly regarded by all who know him,
and he is counted one of Salem's most pro-
gressive and worthy business men.

REV. JOHN BUENGER.

The mission of a great soul -m this world
is one that is calculated to inspire a multi-
tude of others to better and grander things,
and its subsequent influence cannot be meas-
ured in meets and bounds, for it affects the
lives of those with whom it comes in con-
tact, broading and enriching them for all
time to come. He who spends his life inter-
pretating the Divine Word has one of the
greatest missions to perform vouchsafed to
man. The subject of this sketch is one of

that number and worthily wears the honor
in proper meekness and reserve.

Rev. John Buenger, minister of the Ger-
man Lutheran church in luka township,
Marion county, was born at Burg, near
Magdeburg, Germany, April 17, 1869, the
son of Otto and Antonie (Ruehlmaun)
Buenger, both natives of Germany, having
spent their lives in that country. The sub-
ject's father, who was a minister, is de-
ceased. He did a great work in the Evan-
gelical church in Germany. The mother of
our subject is still living in the fatherland.
They were the parents of eight children,
namely: Max, Werner, Sophia, Emil;
Adolph and John, our subject, are twins;
Eliza. and Erich, who is also a minister. He
and the subject are the only ones who ever
came to America. The above named chil-
dren are all living.

The early education of Rev. John
Buenger was obtained in Germany. He
came to America in 1891 and attended Con-
cordia College at St. Louis, Missouri, for
two years. He then went to Madison
county, Texas, in 1893, where he took
charge of a church. He remained in Texas
for ten years. He had very difficult charges
in Madison, Fayette and Fannin counties,
that state, but he did much good there in
strengthening the congregations of his dif-
ferent charges. In 1903 he came to his
present pastorate in Marion county, Illinois,
the German Lutheran Trinity church. He
has done a great work here, having com-
pleted in 1908 a beautiful and substantial
church edifice, costing two thousand seven

LIOGKAPHICAL AND RKM IX ISCKXT HISTORY OF

hundred dollars. He also conducts the pa-
rochial school near the church, ably assisted
by his wife, whom he married in 1894, her
maiden name having been Louisa Franke,
who was born in Barmen, Germany, the
daughter of Henry and Jane Menkhoff, both
of whom died in Germany. Henry Menk-
hoff was a teacher in the old country.

Six children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife as follows: Ruth, Gertrude,
Hans, Antonett, Frieda and Paul. Our
subject is well liked by his congregation and
by everyone who has had the fortune to
know him. He is an earnest and able ex-
pounder of the Gospel.

JOHN B. CONANT.

This venerable pioneer and representative
agriculturist of Kinmundy township, Ma-
rion county, Illinois, has lived on the farm
which is now his home practically all his life,
and thus he has witnessed and taken part in
the development of this section of the state
from a sylvan wild to its present status as
an opulent agricultural and industrial com-
munity. He early began to contribute to the
work of clearing and improving the land of
its primitive forests, later assisted in estab-
lishing schools and better public improve-
ments and facilities, while his course has
been so directed as to retain for him the un-
qualified approval and esteem of the com-
munity in which he has so long made his
home, until today he is regarded as one of
the most substantial and influential citizens

of the township, deserving of the greatest
credit from the fact that he began life un-
aided and without the tender guidance of
parents, being compelled to go it alone from
early childhood, but such stern discipline,
somewhat unpleasant and regrettable, was
not without its value, for it fostered in the
lad an independent spirit and gave him that
fortitude and courage that has made for sub-
sequent success.

John B. Conant is a native of this county,
having been born here February 17, 1839,
the son of Airs Conant, who came to Mas-
sachusetts from England, there being three
brothers of the Conant family on the ship,
one of whom settled in Baltimore, another
in the North and one, Airs Conant, went to
Georgia and joined the United States army
for the purpose of taking part in the War of
1812, having fought faithfully throughout
the struggle, being wounded in the hand.
After the war he returned to Georgia, where
he settled, and married Polly Pepper, to
which union eleven children were born, John
B. Conant being the youngest son. Airs Co-
nant and wife moved to Marion county, Il-
linois in an early day while the country was
still a wilderness. He partly improved sev-
en different farms, selling each and moved
to Missouri, pre-empting all the land he had
from the government. All the members of
this pioneer family have passed away with
the exception of our subject.

The father of our subject also taught
school in Marion county, having been hired
to teach a subscription school four miles
from home, the first term lasting three

MR. AND MRS. J. B. CONANT.

THE

1 INOIS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

months, the second term being of the same
duration; however, he taught only one
month on the second term, when he stopped
to put out a crop of corn. He worked too
hard and drank too much water while over-
heated, which caused his death in less than
a week, leaving a large famaily to struggle
with the wilderness and the clearing of a
new country. The mother of our subject
also passed away one week after her hus-
band's death, leaving John B., then eight
years old, to live with his older brother, Wil-
liam, with whom he remained until he was
fourteen years old, at which time he chose
his own guardian, Mark Cole, who cared
for our subject in a manly and fatherly man-
ner and procured a land warrant for him,
but the land was afterward sold for the lack
of payment of one hundred dollars.

Our subject's early education was limited
to the district schools, his first school having
been taught by his father, but he is well ed-
ucated and he has always been a most suc-
cessful farmer, beginning life with nothing,
as before stated, he wisely applied his energy
and managed his affairs with that foresight
and discrimination that always brings suc-
cess, and his farm properly consists of sev-
en hundred acres of as fine land as is to be
found in this locality. However, it has been
divided up and apportioned among his chil-
dren, there now being (1908) one hundred
and ninety-three acres in the home place,
which are kept in a high state of cultiva-
tion and well improved, showing that a man
of thrift and excellent executive ability has
had the management of it. He lives in a

modern, substantial and very comfortable
dwelling, surrounded by convenient out-
buildings, and everything denotes prosperity
about the place.

Our subject was united in marriage to
Mary Atkins on April n, 1861, the daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. John Atkins, natives of
Georgia and Tennessee, respectively, and to
this union the following children have been
born, named in order of birth : Fannie, who
married Isem Lansford and had four chil-
dren, one of whom is living; Ayers married
Maggie Door and has four children, all liv-
ing ; Polly married Noble Neeper and is the
mother of eight children, all living ; Mar-
garette married Guy Neeper and has one liv-
ing child ; Eli married Vinda Owens and has
six living children; Ida married Mel Gray
and has three living children, one having
died; Martha married Francis Reese and
has one child; May, Emmet, Hulda and
Ruhe are all deceased; Ira is married to
Hattie Hoovey and has one child.

Politically Mr. Conant is a Democrat and
he has been School Director in his township,
also Road Overseer. In religious matters he
subscribes to the Cumberland Presbyterian
faith, although he was reared a Methodist,
to which creed his father adhered.

Our subject is at this writing sixty-nine
years old and is well preserved, being in
fairly good health. As the architect of his
own fortunes he has builded wisely and well
and the success that crowns his efforts is
well merited. He is broad-minded, liberal,
progressive, public spirited and is well
known and highly respected in the commu-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND RKM 1XISCKXT HISTORY OF

nity which has been his home for so many
years and where he has done so much faith-
ful work, which has resulted in good not
only to himself and family, but also to his
neighbors and the community at large.

HENRY GASSMANN.

Among the progressive and enterprising
business men of Olney, Illinois, who have
achieved a definite measure of success in
their line and have at the same time as-
sisted materially in the upbuilding and de-
velopment of their section of the county, is
Henry Gassmann, who is deserving of men-
tion in a work of the province assigned to
the one at hand along with the other lead-
ing citizens of Richland county, because he
has led a life that is highly commendable in
every respect.

Henry Gassmann, the well known whole-
sale ice cream manufacturer and dealer in
soda fountain supplies, was born in New
Albany, Indiana, April 22, 1868, the son
of Lewis and Caroline (Spangler) Gass-
mann, natives of Germany, who came to the
United States when young and after their
marriage in New York state they located
at New Albany. During the Civil war they
worked in a bakery and after its close began
in a bakery business, which they continued
successfully until 1878, when they came to
Olney, where they established a similar en-
terprise, carrying on the same in a most
gratifying manner until the death of the

subject's mother August 2, 1895, the father
surviving until December 21, 1902, the for-
mer at the age of fifty-two and the latter
when sixty-eight years old. They were the
parents of five children, three boys and two
girls, the subject being the third in order of
birth. These children received every atten-
tion by their parents, who were regarded as
people of the best grade in every respect.

Henry Gassmann was reared in Olney,
after his tenth year, having received a fairly
good education in the common schools.
When twelve years old he went to work in
a bakery conducted by his father and learned
the trade. When nineteen years old he start-
ed out for himself and worked at his trade
for three years at various places in Colorado
and New Mexico. Returning to Olney he
entered the employ of his father, continuing
until the death of the latter, having in the
meantime acquired an interest in the busi-
ness and made himself very proficient in this
profession. On October 31, 1902, their es-
tablishment was destroyed by fire and the
loss was most severe since no insurance
was carried. This misfortune was followed
in December, of the same year, by the death
of the subject's father. Mr. Gassmann then
purchased such interests as remained from
the other heirs and, nothing daunted, he
started in a small way in the confectionery
and ice cream business, which he built up
by patient toil and careful management to
large proportions and became prosperous.-
In the meantime he had built up an exten-
sive wholesale trade in ice cream and in
August, 1906. disposed of his retail inter-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ests. In the winter following Mr. Gassmann
built his present handsome, modern and con-
venient brick structure, thirty-four by sev-
enty-two feet and equipped the same with all
the necessary appliances of latest design,
purchasing all the up-to-date machinery
necessary in the manufacture of ice cream
on a large scale, having a capacity of one
thousand gallons a day. He has long sup-
plied a heavy trade within one hundred
miles of Olney, and new territory is con-
stantly being added, his ice cream being
eagerly sought after, owing to its high
grade.

Mr. Gassmann started a few years ago
with nothing and he now is prosperous, be-
ing regarded by the people of Olney as a
good, hustling, all-round busines man. He
also does an extensive wholesale business in
soda water supplies in the way of syrups,
crushed fruits, etc.

Mr. Gassmann was united in marriage on
November 7, 1894, with Carrie B. Goudy.
a native of Claremont township, Richland
county, the daughter .of John Goudy. of Ol-
ney, who for many years was a prosperous
farmer in Claremont township. Two sons
have been born to the subject and wife;
Zean G., born in 1896, and Louis H., who
is ten years old in 1908.

In politics our subject is a Republican,
and in his fraternal relations is a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
at Olney.

Mrs. Gassmann is a woman of refined
tastes and a worthy representative of her
noble parents, Mr. and Mrs. John S. and

Mary E. (Dayton) Goudy, the former a
native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsyl-
vania. They were married in Ohio and
came to Richland county, Illinois, in 1865.
The present solid prosperity of Mr. Gass-
mann is due entirely to his own efforts, di-
rected along honorable channels, and today
he enjoys an enviable standing among the
leading men of his community and the fact
that many of his warmest friends are those
who have known him longest is proof that
his life has been straightforward and honest.

JOHN F. DONOVAN.

The gentleman to a review of whose life
and characteristics the reader's attention is
herewith respectfully invited, is among the
most progressive professional men of Mar-
ion county, Illinois, who by energy and cor-
rect methods has not only achieved success
for himself, but has also contributed in a
very material way to the commercial, indus-
trial, civic and moral advancement of his
place of residence. In the course of an
honorable career he has established himself
in a liberally remunerative enterprise and
won the confidence and esteem of his fellow
citizens.

John F. Donovan was born in New York
City November i, 1847, the son °f William
and Mary Donovan. The lineage of this
family, as the name implies, is traced to
Ireland, the father of the subject having
been born there. He was a longshoreman,
and was called from his earthly labors when

P.10GKAIMIICAL AXI) KK.M I . \ISCK.\T HISTORY OF

our subject was young. The mother of the
subject was also born in the Emerald Isle,
and passed away comparatively young in
life. They were Roman Catholics and peo-
ple of sterling qualities and fine traits. They
became the parents of two children.

John F. Donovan, our subject, was placed
in the Juvenile Asylum in New York City,
where he remained for about five years, or
until he was twelve years old. He was then
bound to a farmer in Randolph county, Illi-
nois. After remaining in his new home for
about eighteen months he took a leave of
absence and never returned.

In 1862 our subject, feeling that he could
not conscientiously stand idly by and see the
nation in the throes of rebellion, enlisted in
1862 in Company I, One Hundred and
Tenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which
he served for six months, when, greatly to
his regret, it became necessary to drop his
name from the company's roll on account of
physical disability ; but he later re-enlisted in
Company C, Fifty-sixth Illinois Infantry, at
Vicksburg, Mississippi, and served with dis-
tinction until the close of the war, taking
part in many hot engagements and famous
battles. He was honorably discharged. His
regiment was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas,
after the grand review at Washington, and
was finally mustered out at Springfield, Illi-
nois, in August, 1865.

After his career in the army Mr. Donovan
came to Centralia, Marion county, Illinois,
where he remained for about six years, then
came to Kinmundy, where he has since re-
sided. He was always a close observer and

a diligent student, and early in life decided
that the law should be his profession, con-
sequently he began the study of the same
and was admitted to the bar in 1874, since
which time he has devoted himself almost
exclusively to the practice of law, winning a
great reputation throughout this and adjoin-
ing counties as a learned, able and careful
exponent of this profession, never erring in
his cool calculating manner in drawing or
presenting a case, whether criminal or civil,
and he is also known as an orator of no
mean ability. His success was instantane-
ous and his office has always been filled with
clients.

Our subject was appointed postmaster of
Kinmundy, first in 1877, having served in a
most acceptable manner for eight years and
was removed by President Cleveland. He
was re-appointed in 1902 and is still ably
serving in that capacity. He has been mayor
of Kinmundy at different times for fifteen
years. He was instrumental in organizing
the Marion County Grand Army of the Re-
public, being at the head of the Reunion As-
sociation. He has served as inspector
general of Illinois on the national staff, also
on the department staff, also chief mustering
officer for Illinois. Mr. Donovan was presi-
dent of the Southern Illinois Emigration
and Improvement Association, also officer
of the day of the Southern Illinois Reunion
Association. He has held various offices in
the Grand Army of the Republic.

Mr. Donovan was united in marriage No-
vember 3, 1880, to Ellen King, a native of
Marion county, the daughter of John B.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

and Rebecca J. (Evans) King, a highly re-
spected and influential family whose people
were from Ohio. Her father was a soldier
in the Civil war, from Illinois, having been
a member of Company A, Eighty-eighth
Chicago Board of Trade Regiment, in which
he served throughout the war.

Mr. and Mrs. Donovan have no children.

In his fraternal relations our subject is a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, having
filled all the chairs in the local lodges, and
he has been representative of these lodges in
the grand lodges.

Mrs. Donovan is a member of the Presby-
terian church.

Mr. Donovan is a man of distinct and
forceful individuality, of marked sagacity,
of indomitable enterprise, and always up-
right in his dealings with his fellow men,
loyal and faithful to every trust imposed in
him, public-spirited, and in manners courte-
ous and kindly, easily approachable. His
career has ever been such as to warrant the
trust and confidence of the business world,
and his activity in industrial, professional
and civic lines and financial circles forms no
unimportant chapter in the history of Mar-
ion county.

SAMUEL A. STANFORD.

The subject of this biographical review is
one of the eminent men of Clay county, both
in business and civic affairs, whose indom-
itable courage, persistent and aggressive ef-

forts and his excellent management have
brought to him the prosperity which is to-
day his. He has ever stood ready to do
what he could in pushing forward the wheels
of progress and advancing commercial pros-
perity in this vicinity and his career, both
public and private, has been one worthy of
the high esteem and praise which those who
know him so freely accord.

Samuel A. Stanford, the popular County
Treasurer of Clay county, was born in Stan-
ford township, this county, October 25,
1867, and, unlike many of his contempora-
ries who sought precarious fortune in other
fields, he has been contented to remain at
home. He is the son of Oren \Y. Stanford,
who was also a native of Stanford township,
having lived all his life on a farm there. He
was a member of Company A, Ninety-eighth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served about
two years in the Civil war. He died when
our subject was twelve years old, in Janu-
ary, 1879. Samuel A. Stanford, the sub-
ject's grandfather, was of Scotch-Irish
stock, having migrated from his homestead
reservation in Pennsylvania to Illinois, when
a young man, being one of the first settlers
in Clay county, having located on a farm
in Stanford township, which he purchased
from the government on which he lived until
his death in January 1879. The subject's
mother was known in her maidenhood as
Mary Michaels, whose people were natives
cf Indiana. She is at this writing living in
Flora. The parents of the subject were
always known to be people of much sterling
worth. Their family consisted of the fol-

BIOGRAPHICAL AXD REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

lowing children : Mrs. Emma Dunmoyer,
of Flora, this county ; Samuel A.., our sub-
ject; John and James are twins, the former
living in Piedmont, Missouri, and the latter
in Flora, this state; Mrs. Bertha Thomas,
of Flora ; Mary died in infancy ; Charley O.
lives in Odin, Illinois, where he is in the
mercantile business.

Mr. Stanford spent his boyhood days on
a farm, where he attended the country
schools, later attending the high school at
Flora, but at the death of his father he gave
up schooling and went to work on the farm.
In 1892 he engaged in the mercantile busi-
ness in Flora, which was a success from the
first. His was a grocery business and the
manufacture of cigars and tobacco, having
been thus engaged for about thirteen years,
his business having constantly grown until
he had an extensive trade throughout this
locality. Then he sold out for the purpose
of making the race for County Treasurer
in 1906, on the Republican ticket, to which
office he was duly elected and is at this
writing, 1908, very creditably serving, with
entire satisfaction to everyone concerned,
being regarded by members of both parties
as one of the best county officials Clay coun-
ty ever had. He has a thorough knowledge
of the affairs of the office and is courteous
and obliging to everyone with whom he
deals, thereby rendering himself popular
with all classes.

Mr. Stanford was united in marriage
November 25, 1890, to Opha Dedrick,
daughter of Perry Dedrick, of Loogootee,
Indiana, and to this union have been born

eight children, namely: Eulalie, Hallie, Or-
ren Perry; Samuel A,, the fourth child is
deceased; Robert Leland, Lester, William
and Edwin. These children are receiving
good educations and careful home training
and they all give promise of successful ca-
reers.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Stanford is
a member of the Masonic Order at Louis-
ville; the Knights of Pythias at Flora, and
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at
Flora; also the Woodmen at Louisville, and
the Eastern Star at Louisville. He is a mem-
ber of the Christian church and Mrs. Stan-
ford is also a faithful attendant of the same.

Mr. Stanford is a staunch Republican in
politics, and since moving to Louisville, De-
cember 26, 1906, he has taken much interest
in the development of the town and is re-
garded as one of the representative citizens
of the place. He is unswerving in his al-
legiance to what he believes is right, and
upholds his honest convictions at the sacri-
fice, if need be, of every other interest.
Everything calculated to advance the in-
terests of Clay county, whether materially
or otherwise, receives his support and hearty
co-operation.

EARL C. HUGGINS.

Coupled with Mr. Huggins' innate ability
as an attorney, his unusual clearness of per-
ception, analytical tact and soundness of
theory is his courteous manners, persistency

E. C. MUGGINS.

Of THE

ttlNOIS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

I03

and unswerving integrity, rendering him
one of the strong young attorneys of
this locality and one of the successful prac-
titioners of this county, and to him the fu-
ture is particularly bright owing to his nat-
ural ability and past splendid record.

Earl C. Huggins, whose law and insur-
ance office is located in Kinmundy, Illinois,
was' born in Marion county, this state, Sep-
tember 9, 1877, and, unlike many of his
early companions and contemporaries, who
sought precarious fortunes in other fields,
most of them finding merely the will-o'-the-
wisp of success, Mr. Huggins preferred to
remain on his native heath, believing that
greater things awaited him right here at
home than could be found otherwhere, and,
judging from the success which has attended
his efforts, such a decision was a most for-
tunate one not only for himself, but also for
the people of this vicinity. He is the son of
Steven D. and Lena (Crundwell) Huggins,
well known and influential family for many
years in this county. Grandfather Huggins
was a Kentuckian, having come to Illinois,
settling in this county on a farm which he
purchased, and on which he remained dur-
ing the rest of his life, dying here at the age
of seventy-five years. His widow, a grand
old lady of beautiful Christian character, is
still living in 1908, at the advanced age of
ninety years. She is a faithful member of
the Presbyterian church.

Stephen Huggins, father of the subject,
was born in Marion county, this state, at-
tending the public schools here, working on
his father's farm until he became of age,

when he was married, after which he farmed
for a time with much success, then moved to
Kinmundy and followed teaming, later en-
gaging in the coal mining business in this
vicinity, being still interested in mining.
His residence is in Kinmundy.

Mrs. Lena Huggins, mother of our sub-
ject, was brought to America from England
when a child, and her people eventually set-
tled at Salem, this county, where her parents
died when she was young. She attended the
public schools in Salem, where she remained
until the age of sixteen. After the death of
her parents she was taken into the family of
Wily Cunningham, who was a soldier, hav-
ing been killed in battle during the Civil
war. After the death of Mr. Cunningham
his widow married again, her second hus-
band having been Mr. Samuel Jones. They
moved to Stevenson township, Marion
county, where our subject's mother re-
mained until her marriage.

The following children have been bom to
the subject's parents: Roy, whose date
of birth occurred March 21, 1876, is a pain-
ter by trade, living at Granite City, Madi-
son county, Illinois; and Earl C., our
subject.

Earl C. Huggins received his early edu-
cation in Kinmundy, graduating from the
high school here in 1897, after making a
brilliant record for scholarship. Following
this he clerked in the post-office for one
year, then he acted as clerk in a grocery
store for a period of one year, being an effi-
cient clerk in both, but believing that his
true calling lay along more worthy planes,

io4

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

he began the study of law under Judge C.
H. Holt, at that time a resident of Kin-
mundy, being County Judge at the time. He
made rapid progress in his studies and en-
tered the Illinois Wesleyan University, Col-
lege of Law, from which he graduated high
in his class in 1903, having won a record as
one of the ablest pupils that ever passed
through this well known institution. After
leaving the law school, Mr. Huggins formed
a partnership with his former instructor,
Judge Holt, the partnership being a particu-
larly strong one, and continuing in a most
successful manner until August, 1904, when
the judge moved to Salem, the county seat.
Since that time our subject has continued
the practice of law with his office in Kin-
mundy, but the volume of business has been
very large for one man to handle. However,
Mr. Huggins has ably dispensed with it all
and is keeping his usual large number of
clients, his business extending well over
Marion county and invading surrounding
counties, being general in its nature. He is
known as a very careful and conscientious
worker.

Although Mr. Huggins does not aspire
to positions of official preferment, he is at
present serving very efficiently as city attor-
ney of Kinmundy, being in his second term.
In politics he is a loyal Republican, and his
influence can always be depended upon in
placing the best men in the county offices
and in support of all movements looking to
the development of the community at large,
whether political, educational or moral.

Fraternally our subject is affiliated with

the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pyth-
ias, .having filled the chairs in the latter, and
one would judge from a study of his daily
life that he advocates the sublime principles
of these praiseworthy orders.

BENNETT M. MAXEY.

The efforts of the subject of this sketch
have proven of the greatest value to his fel-
low citizens as well as to himself. He has
shaped his career along worthy lines, and
they have been discerningly directed along
well defined channels of endeavor. He is a
m!an of distinct and forceful individuality,
of marked sagacity, of undaunted enterprise,
and in manner he is genial, courteous and
easily approached. His career has ever been
such as to warrant the trust and confidence
of the business world and his activity in in-
dustrial, commercial and financial circles,
forms no unimportant chapter in the history
of Clay county.

Bennett M. Maxey, publisher of the Flora
Journal, was born in Johnsonville, Wayne
county, Illinois, November 25, 1856, the son
of Joshua C. Maxey, a native of Jefferson
county, this state, where he spent the greater
part of his life on a farm. He was a ser-
geant in Company I, Forty-eighth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, and took part in the bat-
tles of Pittsburg Landing, siege of Vicks-
burg and other noted battles. He was killed
while in service at Louisville, Kentucky,
near the close of the war. He was regard-
ed by his comrades as a brave and gallant

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

105

soldier. Bennett Maxey, the subject's pa-
ternal grandfather, was one of the original
settlers of Jefferson county, where he de-
voted his life to farming, and lived to an
advanced age. Our subject is a descendant
of a prominent pioneer family of Jefferson
county. The subject's mother was Elvira
A. Galbraith, whose people were early set-
tlers of Wayne county. She passed to her
rest in 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Joshua C. Max-
ey were the parents of five children, three of
whom are living at this writing. They are
Bennett M., Mrs. Belle Sanders, of Du
Quoin, Illinois, and Mrs. Mattie Vickrey,
of Missoula, Montana.

Mrs. Maxey was educated in the common
schools of Johnsonville, Wayne county, and
in Xenia. Clay county. He also attended
school in Valparaiso, Indiana, having
graduated from that institution in 1880,
completing the teacher's course. After leav-
ing the university he taught school for five
years. In 1881 he engaged in the drug
business at Xenia which he conducted until
1887, when he sold out and went to Cali-
fornia, where he remained for four years,
engaged in the real estate business and
ranching. He returned to Clay county in
1889 and located in Flora, where he has
since resided. He was associated with J.
L. Black in the real estate and insurance
business until 1898, in which year he
launched in the mercantile business in
which he engaged until 1904, when he
bought The Southern Illinois Journal, the
leading local paper of Flora, which he has
continued to manage up to this writing
with increasing success.

Mr. Maxey has other interests of various
natures, being interested financially in sev-
eral local enterprises. He has served as
City Alderman, during which time he looked
well to the city's development in every way
possible.

Mr. Maxey was united in marriage in
1880, to Rosa Tully, of Xenia, a native of
Clay county. No children have been born
to this union.

In his fraternal relations, our subject is a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Masonic Fraternity and the
Order of Eastern Star. Both he and Mrs.
Maxey are members of the Methodist
church. In politics he is a Republican and
always loyal to its policies. His paper is an
important factor in local political affairs. It
is on a good footing and the plant is well
equipped and modern, having a cylinder
press and gas power. Mr. Maxey owns the
building in which the plant is located, and
he also owns his residence property. He
deserves a great deal of credit for what he
has accomplished, for his success in the va-
rious lines of business he has followed has
been won in the face of obstacles and by his
unaided efforts.

A. W. SONGER.

Our subject possesses untiring energy, is
quick of perception, forms his plans readily
and is determined in their execution; his
close application to business and his excel-
lent management have brought to him the

niOGKAPHICAL AX1) KKM IX ISCK.Vf HISTORY OF

high degree of prosperity which is today
his. Mr. Songer was one of the brave sons
of the North who offered his services and
his life, if need be, in the suppression of the
great rebellion during the dark days of the
sixties, which render it fitting that he should
be given conspicuous notice in the present
historical work.

A. W. Songer, the well known and popu-
lar president of the First National Bank of
Kinmundy, Illinois, was born in Clay
county, this state, November 2, 1832, the
son of Frederick and Jane (Helms) Songer,
a sterling pioneer family of that locality.
Grandfather Songer was a native of Vir-
ginia, a fine old southern gentleman. He
devoted his life to agricultural pursuits,
eventually moving to Indiana where he
spent the balance of his days. His marriage
occurred in Virginia and most of his family
were born there. He was called from his
earthly career when about sixty years old.
He was a Lutheran in his religious affilia-
tions. Eight children were born to this
family, one of them having become a soldier
in the Black Hawk war. Grandmother
Songer, a woman of many strong attributes,
survived her husband until she reached the
advanced age of eighty years. Grandfather
Helms was also a native of Virginia, who
moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and from
there to Tennessee, where he worked at his
trade of blacksmith. Charles, one of his
sons, moved to Indiana, where he spent the
remainder of his life, having lived many
years near Indianapolis. The balance of
the family were early settlers in Illinois and

from here scattered to the western states,
principally to Nebraska and Texas. One of
them was a soldier in the Black Hawk war
and another fought in the Mexican war.
The Songer family, represented by the
great-grandmother of our subject, was
from Germany. The great-great-grand-
father of the subject died in Germany, his
widow coming to America shortly after his
death, one of her children dying on the
ocean on the way over. She settled in
Virginia.

The father of the subject remained in
Virginia until he was about twenty-two
years old. He received only such education
as the public schools afforded at that early
day. However, he became a well informed
man. He was a carpenter and builder of
considerable note. He lived for some time
in Indiana, where he was married, later
moving to Illinois about 1821, settling in
Clay county, where he remained until 1835,
when he moved to Marion county, entering
about two hundred acres of land from the
government which he transformed into a
fine farm through his habits of industry and
skill as an agriculturist, living on this until
1872, in which year he moved to Kinmundy,
where he died at the age of seventy-three
years, owning an excellent farm which he
left as an estate. He became a man of
considerable influence in his community.
He was an active and loyal member of the
Methodist church as was also his wife.
He was a Justice of the Peace for a num-
ber of years. For a time he owned and
successfully operated a saw and grist mill.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

There were ten children in this family,
seven of whom lived to maturity. A brother
of our subject, Samuel T., was a soldier in
the Civil war, a member of Company G,
Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
having served for three years, engaging in
all the campaigns and battles of his regi-
ment up to the date of his discharge which
was at the termination of his enlistment.
He is living in 1908 and is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, in which he
takes a just pride. William F., brother of
the subject, was also a soldier, having per-
formed conspicuous service in the Mexican
war. He was at one time State Representa-
tive in Oregon, in which state he still re-
sides as also does Samuel T., another
brother of the subject, living at Ashland.

A. W. Songer, our subject, received his
early education in the common schools of
Illinois. Being a diligent student and am-
bitious from the start he has become well
educated. He remained on the home farm
assisting his father with the work about the
place during the months that he was not in
school until he was twenty-one years old.
Learning the carpenter's trade, he followed
this for three years, then in 1861, when he
felt his patriotic zeal inspired as the result
of our national integrity being at stake
when the fierce fires of rebellion were rag-
ing in the Southland, he enlisted in Company
G, Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Regi-
ment, having been mustered in as second
lieutenant and was soon promoted to first
lieutenant and consequently served as an
officer of that regiment for four years and

five days when he was honorably discharged
at the close of the war in 1865, after having
taking a conspicuous part in the follow-
ing engagements: Perryville, Kentucky;
Stone River, Tennessee; Chickamaugua,
having been captured at this battle and was
taken to Libby prison, where he remained
three months, when he was sent to prison
at Macon, Georgia, later to Charleston,
South Carolina, thence to Columbia, South
Carolina, then to Wilmington, North Caro-
lina, where he was exchanged, after having
been a prisoner seventeen months and eight
days, and thirty days thereafter he was mus-
tered out of the service at St. Louis, Mis-
souri.

After the war Mr. Songer returned to his
home in Illinois and worked at his trade for
a time. He then came to Kinmundy and
entered into the milling business in which he
continued with the most gratifying results
until 1907, becoming known throughout the
locality as one of the leading men in this
line of business. He sold his mill and de-
voted his attention to the banking business,
in which he has been eminently successful.
He had been connected with the State Bank
of Kinmundy for some time, becoming
president of the same. It was consolidated
with the First National Bank, becoming the
First National on August 26, 1906, the date
of the consolidation, since which time Mr.
Songer has been president. This is one of
the solidest and most popular institutions
of its kind in this part of the state and its
prestige was greatly strengthened when Mr.
Songer became its head for the public at

108

I'.HHIKAl'IIICAL AM) RKMIXISCF.XT HISTORY OF

once realized that their funds would be en-
tirely safe in his hands owing to his con-
servatism, coupled with his peculiar business
sagacity, and since then the business of the
First National has grown steadily.

The domestic life of our subject dates
from 1868, when he was united in marriage
with Margaret C. Nelm, of Cairo, Illinois,
the daughter of Norflett and Lydia (Dick-
ens) Nelm. Her paternal ancestor, Dick-
ens, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war,
which rendered the wife of our subject
eligible to the Order of Sons and Daughters
of the American Revolution. The grand-
father of the subject's wife was a Bap-
tist minister. Her father was a soldier in
the Black Hawk war. One of her brothers,
N. B. Nelm, was a soldier in the Civil war,
having served until the close of the war.

Three children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife as follows: Mary E., born
December 25, 1871, is the wife of J. T.
Brown, of Marion county; Frederick is
married and living in Kinmundy. Neither
of them have children of their own. The
third child of the subject and wife died in
infancy.

Mrs. Songer was called to her rest Sep-
tember 9, 1907, after a most happy and har-
monious married life and one that was
beautified by Christian character and many
kind and charitable deeds which made her
beloved by all who knew her. She was a
loyal member of the Methodist church, and
a member of the Daughters of the American
Revolution, of which order Mary E.
(Songer) Brown was also a member.

Mr. Songer, as might be expected, is a
consistent member of the Grand Army of
the Republic, Post 255, known as the Hix
Post. He is now commander of the same.
In politics he is a Republican and is well
grounded in his political beliefs, his influ-
ence always being felt for the good of his
party and in support of the best men pos-
sible for local offices. He has never aspired
to positions of trust and emolument at the
hands of his fellow voters. However, he has
been Alderman of the city of Kinmundy
several times. His efforts have proven of
the greatest benefit to his fellow men of
Marion county as well as to himself.

CHRISTIAN HASLER.

It is a well authenticated fact that suc-
cess comes not as the caprice of chance, but
as the legitimate result of well applied en-
ergy, unflagging determination and perse-
verance in a course of action once decided
upon by the individual. Only those who
diligently seek the goddess Fortuna, find
her — she never was known to smile upon
the idler and the dreamer. The subject of
this sketch clearly understood this fact early
in life when he was casting about for a le-
gitimate and promising line to follow, and
in tracing his life history it is plainly seen
that the prosperity he enjoys has been won
by commendable qualities, and it is also his
personal worth which has gained for him
the good standing among his fellow citizens
of Richland countv.

HIGHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

109

Christian Hasler, the well known harness
and saddle manufacturer, and dealer in
hides, fertilizers, etc., of Olney, Illinois, is a
citizen of the United States by adoption
only, being one of that thrifty class from
the little Republic of Switzerland, who has
done so much toward promoting our insti-
tutions, for he was born in the Canton of
Berne, September 20, 1845, the son of Peter
and Margaret (Von Alman) Hasler, also
natives of that place. The father was a
small farmer and gardener and died when
the subject was a child. The Von Almans
were also farmers. The mother came to
the United States and brought a family of
five children with her, having come direct
to Olney, Illinois, in 1857. She passed to
her rest here in 1865. Our subject was
twelve years old when he came to Olney.
He worked on a farm in the summer and
attended school in the winter. He had lim-
ited opportunities to attend school, but he
gained a fairly good foundation for an edu-
cation which he has since added to by home
study and contact with the business world.

Mr. Hasler early decided to learn the har-
ness business and in the fall of 1863 he was
apprenticed to a harness maker at Clare-*
mont, where he worked faithfully until the
spring of 1865, when he felt it his duty to
no longer repress the feeling that he should
stand by the Union in its hour of sore trial,
consequently he enlisted in Company E, One
Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment Illinois
Volunteers, and served until the close of the
war in a most gallant manner, having been
mustered out at Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
in September, 1865. He did duty at Nash-

ville, Tullahoma, and Murfreeboro, having
been on guard duty the major part of the
time on the railroads.

After the war Mr. Hasler returned to
Claremcnt township, and finished learning
his trade, and in 1867, he opened a harness
shop in Olney, which he has conducted con-
tinuously since that time. It is among the
oldest established businesses in Olney, and
the oldest in this line in the county. It has
become generally known throughout the lo-
cality and his trade has been lively from
the first, numbering his customers by the
hundreds all over the county. He has not
only made a comfortable living from his
shop from year to year, but has been en-
abled to lay by a competency for his old age.

Mr. Hasler was united in marriage in
1869 to Susan Bohren. a native of Berne,
Switzerland, who came to the United States
with her father, Christian Bohren, when six
years old. locating in Olney. Her father
was a carpenter and died here. Her mother
died in Switzerland and Mr. Bohren remar-
ried in the United States. Xine children
have been born to the subject and wfe, three
of whom died in infancy. Those living are :
Sue ; Robert, who is in the harness business
in Vandalia ; Laura, the wife of E. S. Hoog,
who resides in Chicago; Rosilla; Ellen is
the wife of J. W. Mayhood, of Chicago:
Charles Edward.

Mr. Hasler always handles a good grade
of material and the work he turns out is high-
class. He has a carefully selected stock and
never loses a customer as a result of handling
inferior goods or unfair treatment.

In politics our subject is a Bryan Demo-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

crat. He served as Supervisor on the County
Beard for two terms, from the third ward,
which is strongly Republican ; this fact shows
that the subject is popular and well liked in
his own neghborhood. He was the only Dem-
ocrat ever elected from that ward to that po-
sition. In his fraternal relations he is a
member of the Masonic Blue Lodge and
Chapter, also the Modern Woodmen of
America. He and his wife are members
of the German Reformed church and no
members of that congregation stand higher
in general favor than they, for they are re-
garded as scrupulously honest, kind and wor-
thy citizens in every respect, numbering their
friends by the score.

JAMES HENRY KIMBERLIN.

Upon the roll of representative citizens
and prominent and influential business men
of Marion county consistently appears the
name which initiates this paragraph. He
has been a resident of Salem for many years,
during which time he has gradually won his
way into the affections of the people, for
he possesses those sterling qualities of char-
acter which commend themselves to persons
of intelligence and the highest morality, so
it is no cause for wonder that he has
achieved so high a position in the general
estimation of all who have come in touch
with him. For many years he was a pro-
fessional man, gaining wide popularity in
this manner, but he is now rendering effici-
ent service at the Salem post-office.

James Henry Kimberlin was born in
Richland county, Illinois, January 18, 1860,
the son of W. O. Kimberlin, a native of In-
diana, having been born February 2. 1826,
near Scottsburg, Scott county. He left In-
diana and came to Richland county, Illinois,
in 1856, settling on a farm where he be-
came known as one of the progressive agri-
culturists of that community and made a
comfortable living until the year 1884,
when he was called from his earthly labors
by the "grim reaper". His widow, who was
Hannah E. Reed, born near Salem, Wash-
ington county, Indiana, October 31, 1825,
a woman of many praiseworthy traits, is
living on the old homestead there at this
writing (1908), being eighty-three years
old, yet able to do her own house work.
Her long life has been one of self-sacrifice
for the good of her family and others so that
now in her serene old age she can look back
over the years without cause for regret. The
father of our subject was a soldier in the
Union ranks during the great Civil war,
having been a member of Company F,
Forty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
was with Grant at Vicksburg and was in
many other important battles. He was in
the hospital service for some time, also did
general duty at New Orleans, having re-
mained in the service up to January 12,
1866, when he was discharged at Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and arrived home Febru-
ary 2d, following which was his fortieth
birthday. He had two brothers killed in
battle during this war. Their names were
Daniel and Jacob. Another brother, Isaac

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

M., went through the service in the Seventh
and Eleventh Missouri Volunteer Infantry,
having been a member of Company G. Dr.
H. L. Kimberlin, another brother of the
subject's father, who is now living at
Mitchell, Indiana, was a Government Re-
porter on Governor Morton's staff.

The paternal grandfather of the subject
was Jacob Kimberlin, a native of Pennsyl-
vania, who came to Indiana when a young
man. He devoted his life to farming and
died about 1871. He was well known about
Greenfield, where he operated a foil gate,
subsequent to the war. The subject's ma-
ternal grandfather was Joseph Reed, of
Scotch-English ancestry.

Eight children were born to the parents
of the subject, only two of whom are now
living. George W., the subject's only living
brother, is living at Noble, Richland county,
with his mother on the old farm. Among
the papers held by the Kimberlins is the
original land grant by the government for
their old homestead made to Joseph Reed
and signed by President Franklin Pierce.

James Henry Kimberlin, our subject,
spent his boyhood on the parental farm in
Richland county where he performed his
part of the work about the place from year
to year after he reached the age when he
could be of valuable service to his father.
He attended the neighboring schools in the
meantime where he applied himself in a
manner which insured a good education.
After leaving school and working at vari-
ous minor employments for several years
he finally accepted a position as commercial

traveler which he followed with marked
success for three and one-half years, giving
entire satisfaction to his employers, when,
much to their regret he was compelled to
tender his resignation on account of tem-
porary ill health. After this our subject
took up the study of ophthalmology, which
he decided should be his life work, conse-
quently he made rapid progress in this work,
having attended the Northern Illinois Col-
lege of Ophthalmology at Chicago, from
which institution he graduated with high
honors with the degree of Fellow of Optics
in 1892. He at once began practice and
his success was instantaneous, having prac-
ticed at Olney, Shelbyville and Salem, hav-
ing established his business in the last named
city in 1900, since which time he has been a
resident of this city. His work in this line
was always considered first class and he
achieved wide popularity in the same.

Mr. Kimberlin was, however, induced to
give up his profession to become deputy
post-master of this city, which position he is
filling to the entire satisfaction of all con-
cerned, showing that he has rare executive
as well professional ability.

Mr. Kimberlin was united in marriage to
Eva Myers, November 19, 1903, the daugh-
ter of the late Theodore Myers, of luka, Illi-
nois, and the accomplished representative of
a well known family. One child, a bright
and interesting lad, bearing the name of
James Henry Kimberlin, Jr., was born to
the subject and wife May 4, 1905.

Mrs. Kimberlin is one of a family of five
children. One child died after reaching ma-

lilOCKAPIIlCAL AND RK.M IXISCKXT HISTORY OK

turity. Theodore Myers was a farmer, and
was a soldier in the Civil war.

In his political affiliations our subject is a
strong Republican, and he is a well informed
man on political and all current questions.
He is a Protestant in his religious belief. He
is recognized as a man of sterling integrity
and of strong convictions as to all matters
affecting the best interests of the community
and is always found on the right side of
every moral issue.

WILLIAM GILLHAM WILSON.

The subject of this sketch occupies today
a prominent position in the professional
world of Marion and adjoining counties and
he deserves all the more credit for this from
the fact that he started out in life practically
empty handed, therefore has been the archi -
tect of his own fortunes, relying almost sole-
ly upon his own resources for the start
which lie had and for the success which he
has achieved. In an analyzation of his char-
acter we find many elements worthy of com-
mendation and emulation. He did not seek
for fortune's favors, but set out to win them
by honest work, and the success which ever
crowns earnest, honest toil is today his, and
he easily stands in the front rank of attor-
neys in this locality, which has long been
noted for its high legal talent, and while yet
a young man, vigorous and in the zenith of
his mental and physical powers, he is rap-
idly winning his way to a position of much
credit and significance in the great common-
wealth which he can claim as his native land ,

and while winning his way gradually up
the steeps to individual success he has not
neglected his duties to his fellow citizens,
but has benefited very materially the com-
munity is which he lives in many ways,
thereby winning and retaining the well mer-
ited esteem of all classes.

William G. Wilson was born in Madison
county, Illinois, in 1872, the son of John C.
and Elizabeth (Gillham) Wilson. The Wil-
son family has long been prominent and in-
fluential in that part of the state. Grand-
father John Wilson was born in Pennsyl-
vania, but came to Pike county, Ohio, set-
tling on a farm, later coming to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1846, taking up one thou-
sand and eight hundred acres of land on the
prairie, which he developed until it became
very valuable, still holding it at the time of
his death, which occurred when he had
reached the advanced age of eighty-nine.
Both Mr. and Mrs. John Wilson were mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. The
latter is supposed to have come from Ken-
tucky. They were the parents of a large
family. Mr. Wilson was Justice of the
Peace for some time.

John C. Wilson, father of the subject, was
born in Pike county, Ohio, and there re-
ceived his early education in a log school-
house of pioneer days. Leaving the Buck-
eye state he came to Illinois, settling in Ma-
rion county in 1852, entering land from the
government. He had about seven hundred
acres of good prairie land, which he devel-
oped into a valuable farm and which is now
known as the John C. Wilson farm. Here
our subject's father lived until his death,

LIBRARY
Of THE

UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

which occurred at the age of seventy-seven
years. He was a man of many sterling traits
of character and bore an excellent reputa-
tion. Both he and his faithful life companion
were members of the Methodist Episcopal
church.

Grandfather Gillham came from the At-
lantic coast country and settled in Madison
county, Illinois, during the earliest epoch of
the pioneer days, before the state was ad-
mitted to the Union, and when wild beasts
and red men roamed the hills and prairies.
He remained there until his death. In that
locality the subject's mother was reared and
was married there in the early sixties. She
came to Marion county. The father was
twice married, the name of his first wife
being Hults. Eight children were born to
this union. She passed to her rest in the
fifties. The subject's mother was John C.
Wilson's second wife, who bore him seven
children, four of whom lived to maturity.
The mother is living in 1908, at the age of
seventy-four years. She is a woman of many
fine personal traits and beautiful Christian
character.

William G. Wilson, our subject, first at-
tended the district schools in Marion coun-
ty, working on his father's farm in the mean-
time. Being ambitious and a diligent stu-
dent, he received a good common school ed-
ucation. Leaving the public schools when
nineteen years old he entered Austin College
at Effingham, Illinois, where he made a bril-
liant record for scholarship, standing high
in his class.

After leaving school he taught school for

five years, devoting five years also to teach-
ing in Champaign county, this state, where
he became widely known as an able instruc-
tor and where his services were in great de-
mand. But, believing that his true life work
lay along other channels, he began the study
of law with Schaefer & Rhodes, of Cham-
paign, under whose instruction he made
rapid progress. He was then admitted to
practice at Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Mr. Wil-
son then began practice at Kinmundy, be-
ing remarkably successful from the first, and
it was plain to be seen that an attorney of
unusual sagacity and innate ability had risen
to command the attention of that part of the
state. He has remained in practice at this
place since that time with the most gratify-
ing results, having frequently been called to
other localities on important cases. He is
cool and calculating, never erring in his le-
gal proceedings, whether handling a civil or
criminal suit, and he stands high in the esti-
mation not only of the public but the legal
profession throughout this part of Illinois.

Mr. Wilson was happily married April 7,
1896, to Mollie Poole, a native of this
county and the representative of a prominent
and influential family, being the daughter of
Abraham and Martha (Malone) Poole. Mr.
Poole was born and reared in Marion coun-
ty. He was a soldier in the Civil war, being
a member of the One Hundred and Eleventh
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, receiving an
honorable discharge after serving for three
years.

Four bright and interesting children have
been born to our subject and wife as fol-

IHOCUAPIIICAL AND RKM 1 X ISCK.XT HISTORY OF

lows : Basil, born August 7, 1897, who is at-
tending the public schools in 1908; Russell
was born October 22, 1899; Ruth was born
June 14, 1904; Byron first saw the light
January u, 1906.

The beautiful and nicely furnished
home of the subject is presided over with
rare grace and dignity by Mrs. Wilson, a
woman of many commendable attributes,
who delights in giving her children every
care and attention.

Fraternally our subject is affiliated with
the Masonic Order and the Independent Or-
der of Odd Fellows, having passed through
the chairs of the latter lodge. In politics he
is a loyal Republican, and he at one time per-
formed the duties of Police Magistrate, with
much credit to himself and with much satis-
faction to all concerned. He was also Tax
Collector.

Mr. Wilson belongs to the class of citi-
zens whose lives do not show any meteoric
effects, but who by their support of the mor-
al, political and social status for the general
good, promote the real welfare of their re-
spective communities and are therefore de-
serving of honorable mention on the pages
of history.

CALEB F. WIELAND.

The prominence of the subject of this
sketch in connection with the industrial and
civic affairs of Richland county is such that
he is recognized as one of the leading busi-
ness men and influential citizens of this lo-

cality, being identified with enterprises of
wide scope and importance, and being
known as a progressive and public spirited
citizen. The apparent ease with which he
has mounted to his present commanding po-
sition in the commercial world, marks him
as the possessor of talents beyond the ma-
jority of his brethren, and, being a close and
critical student of men and affairs, he ex-
periences no difficulty in sustaining the high
reputation which his business talents and
marked success have earned for him.

Caleb F. Wieland, a member of the hard-
ware firm of Jolly, Wieland & Richardson,
one of the best known and extensive firms
of this nature in Southern Illinois, was born
in Muscatine, Iowa, June 25, 1858, the son
of Frederick and Mary (Eberhart) Wie-
land, natives of Canton Berne, Switzerland,
where they were reared and married, soon
afterward coming to the United States, lo-
cating in Muscatine. The subject's father
worked there for many years, then moved
to Jefferson City, Missouri. He enlisted in
a Missouri regiment in the Union army, and
served for more than three years until the
close of the war. He saw much active ser-
vice and was in numerous engagements, but
was not wounded. After the war he re-
turned to Jefferson City, Missouri, and in
1866, came to Olney, Illinois, where he lived
until his death in 1873, at the age of fifty
years. His wife survived him several years,
dying in 1896, at the age of sixty-five. They
were people of much sterling worth and
highly honored wherever they lived. They
were the parents of six children, four of

RICHLAN'D, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

whom grew to maturity, the subject being
the oldest in order of birth.

Caleb F. Wieland was a boy when he
came to Olney, where he was reared and
where he received a limited education, hav-
ing been obliged to go to work when young
and help support the family. He was am-
bitious and fought against every obstacle
and early in life decided to take up the
hardware business, consequently when sev-
enteen years old he entered the hardware
store of William Rhode as clerk in the same
building where he is now interested, and he
has continued in this line ever since at the
same location, having been with different
firms until the present firm was organized
in 1904, when he became a partner. They
carry a stock of about twenty thousand dol-
lars, consisting of all kinds of hardware,
carefully selected and they also do an exten-
sive plumbing, heating, tinware and galvan-
ized iron work, their trade extending to all
parts of the county and is always on the in-
crease, having been built up to its present
large proportions very largely through the
•efforts of our subject. The firm occupies
a substantial and convenient building twen-
ty-two by one hundred and eighty-five feet,
three stories in height. The entire building
is occupied. It is one of the largest and
most successful lines of business in the
county.

Mr. Wieland was united in mar-
riage in 1888 to Lulu St. John, a native
of Olney, who was born, reared and married
in the same house, the affable and genial
daughter of M. M. and Mira Louise

(Cralle) St. John, who were among the pio-
neers of Richland county, and people of
many praiseworthy traits.

Five children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, namely: Esther Alean, Ber-
nice May, Gerald Hazen, Mary Louise,
Frank Clifford, all bright and interesting
with promise of successful futures.

In politics Mr. Wieland is a loyal Re-
publican. He very ably and creditably
served as Alderman for one term of two
years, from the second ward.

Mr. and Mrs. Wieland have earned and
occupy a position of high regard in their
community, being numbered among the
most prominent citizens of Olney and whose
efforts are always directed toward the moral,
social and material uplifting of society

GEORGE COX.

In the field of political life, teaching and
the railroad business in Marion county, Illi-
nois, the subject of this sketch has won dis-
tinction, and today is numbered among the
leading, influential and honored citizens of
Salem. He has figured prominently in pub-
lic affairs, ever lending his influence in the
development of all worthy causes looking to
the development of the locality at large, be-
ing an advocate of progressive measures.
He is now filling the position of Deputy
County Clerk and the promptness and
fidelity with which he discharges his duties
have won for him the favorable criticism of

BIOCK. \P1IIC.\L AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

leading representatives of both political
parties.

George Cox was born in Parke county,
Indiana, July n, 1848, and came to luka,
Illinois, September 4, 1868. His father was
Alfred Cox, a native of Ohio, who migrated
to Indiana when a very small boy. Joshua
Cox, grandfather of George Cox, was a na-
tive of Hamilton county, Ohio, who mi-
grated to Indiana at a very early date and
entered land when the United States land
office was at Vincennes, he being compelled
to go to Vincennes to make his payments,
making the trip on horseback, and it was his
custom to camp and hunt on the way.
Grandfather Cox was a farmer -of great
ability for those early times. His widow
survived him several years. George W.
Overpeck, grandfather of the subject on
his mother's side, was born in Pennsylvania.
His father and mother having died in early
life he drifted to Hamilton county, Ohio,
and died in the spring of 1867, having been
survived several years by his widow. They
spent their lives on a farm.

The father of the subject is now a resi-
dent of Illinois and makes his home among
his children here and at Shattuc, this state.
The mother of the subject was known in her
maidenhood as Mary Overpeck, a native of
Ohio. She passed to her rest in April, 1902,
at Shattuc, Illinois, at the home of her
daughter. Both the father and the mother
of our subject were the oldest representa-
tives of their respective families. Following
children were born to them, seven of whom
are living at this writing, 1908, named in

order of birth as follows : George, our sub-
ject; Mary Jane, wife of P. B. Anderson,
of Shattuc, Illinois ; Sally Ann, wife of H.
C. Brown, of Vandalia, Illinois; John, of
Clinton county, near Huey, Illinois;
Amanda, deceased ; Perry, of luka township,
this county; Warner, of Decatur, Illinois;
Eva, deceased; Julia is the wife of Milton
Andrews, of Ouray, Colorado; Libby is de-
ceased as are also the last two children born
to this couple.

George Cox was reared on the parental
farm in Parke county, Indiana, and attended
the common schools there, also the graded
schools by working mornings and evenings
to pay his tuition, as his parents were poor
and could not defray the expenses of an edu-
cation for our subject, but he was possessed
of an indomitable will and forged ahead
despite obstacles winning definite success in
after life as a result of his energy and per-
sistency. After completing the course of
study laid down in the graded schools he at-
tended school at Rockville for a time, after
which he taught school with great success
for several years, becoming known as one
of the able educators of the county and his
services were in great demand. He con-
tinued teaching until his health failed. He
then went to railroading, locating in luka
September 4, 1868, as indicated before. He
attended school that winter at Xenia, Illi-
nois, passing the examination for teacher's
license. He then took a course in the Wa-
bash Commercial College at Vincennes, In-
diana, after which he returned to railroading
first as brakeman, then a freight conductor,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

117

later as passenger conductor on the old Ohio
& Mississippi Railroad, now the Baltimore
& Ohio, Southwestern Railroad. During
all these years of railroad service he would
at times return to teaching school in both
Indiana and Illinois. In 1880 our subject
moved on a farm in luka township and for
twenty-one consecutive years taught school
during the winter months, farming the re-
mainder of the year. He made a success of
whatever he undertook whether it was farm-
ing, teaching or railroading. In the latter
he won the confidence of his employers who
regarded him as one of their most valuable
employes.

In April, 1908, Mr. Cox became Deputy
County Clerk, which position he is holding
with much credit to his innate ability and
to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.

When teaching school our subject was
principal of the luka schools. He was of-
fered many important positions as a teacher
but declined as he desired to teach near
home and live at home.

Mr. Cox was united in marriage in 1879
to Mary E. Young, the talented and accom-
plished daughter of W. J. Young, of luka
township, one of the pioneers of Marion
county. Mr. Young was an influential citi-
zen and served as a lieutenant during the
Civil war.

One child was born to the subject and
wife who died in infancy.

Mr. Cox still owns a valuable farm of
eighty acres in which he takes a great inter-
est, having improved it up to a high stand-
ard of Marion county's valuable farms, it

ranking with the best of them. It is located
four and one-half miles southeast of luka.
An excellent residence and several substan-
tial out buildings stand on the place.

Mr. Cox has been a candidate for County
Superintendent of Schools at different times
but was defeated by a few votes. In poli-
tics he is a Democrat. In his fraternal re-
lations he is affiliated with the Masons at
luka and is an honorary member of the
Modern Woodmen. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Cox are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal church and both belong to the Eastern
Star.

THOMAS J. CLARK.

The subject of this biographical review
is eminently deserving of mention in a com-
pilation as is the nature of this one, owing
to the fact that his has been an active life,
fruitful of good results and among his
friends and acquaintances he has ever held
an honorable position.

Thomas J. Clark, publisher of The Clay
County Democrat and one of the men of
influence in this part of the great Prairie
state, was born in Hancock county, Indiana,
August 4, 1853, the son of Aruna Clark,
who was a native of Sevier county, Tennes-
see, and who came to Indiana when twenty
years old, settling in Rush county. He was
a carpenter and a minister, thus emulating
the life of the lowly Nazarene. He removed
to Shelby county, Illinois, in 1860, and in
1865 moved to Effingham county, this state,

I'.IOCRAl'UICAI. AND RKMIMSCKXT HISTORY OF

where he resided until his death in March,
1884. The Clark family originated in Ten-
nessee. The subject's mother, who died in
1882, was Charlotte Furman. Her mother
was a native of Scotland and her father of
Pennsylvania, of German descent. Mr. and
Mrs. Aruna Clark were the parents of six
children, two of whom died in infancy.
They are, Jonathan E., of Chattanooga,
Tennessee; Sarah Arnold, of Tucumcari,
New Mexico; Mrs. Jennie Wood, of Beech-
er City, Illinois; Thomas J., the subject.

Thomas J. Clark spent his early life in
Efnngham county, this state, receiving a
limited education in the country schools
there, and later attended the city schools of
Effingham. After his school days he learned
the blacksmith trade at which he worked
for eight years. He then clerked in a gen-
eral store for two or three years, after which
he went to railroading, which he followed
up to February, 1908, having given his em-
ployers entire satisfaction in that line of
work. In July, 1908, Mr. Clark bought
the Clay County Democrat, which he now
conducts in a manner that shows him to be
a moulder of public opinion, his paper being
a power for good in Clay county. He has
a good plant, well equipped and his paper
is well edited and the mechanical appearance
of each issue shows that this part of the
work is well looked after. Since assuming
charge of the plant the circulation of The
Democrat has increased as well as has the
advertising.

Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Mary
Lilley, December 20, 1876. She was born

and reared in Fayette county, Illinois, and to
this union four children have been born;
William Edwin, who is married and is living
at Clarkson, Washington; Mrs. Gertrude
Roseberry, of Pana, Illinois; Mrs. Caroline
Myers, of East St. Louis; Don, a linotype
operator, living in East St. Louis.

Our subject served one term as school di-
rector at Beecher City, Illinois, and was
City Clerk of Flora, for a part of one term,
having been appointed to fill a vacancy.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Clark be-
longs to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the
Modern Woodmen. In politics he is a loyal
Democrat. He is thoroughly interested in
the affairs of his party and does what he
can in furthering the policies of the same.

CHARLES H. WEST.

The early pioneers of Marion county,
Illinois, have about all "crossed the great
divide." Year by year their numbers have
continued to diminish, until of the hundreds
who settled here in the twenties and thirties
only a few of them remain. There are, how-
ever, many men and women now living in
the county, who, though coming here in
what might be properly termed the second
period after the pioneers, have borne well
their part in making this a prosperous re-
gion. They are no less worthy of praise in
the part they bore in the labors and priva-
tions of this early period than are their par-

ot 'U.INOIS.

WEST HOME.
Kinmundy, Illinois.

C. H. WEST.

LWMY
Of THP

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ents. Among these is the subject of this
sketch, who has spent the major part of his
mature years in the county where he has
become widely known and where his labors
have benefited alike himself and the commu-
nity at large.

Charles H. West was born in Delaware
county, Indiana, October 27, 1845, the son
of George and Elizabeth (Brammer) West.

The father of the subject left Pennsyl-
vania when a young man, and settled in
Delaware county, Indiana, and came to Illi-
nois in 1865, in Jo Daviess county and in
1869 came to Marion county where he re-
mained the balance of his life, having
reached the advanced age of eighty-three
years, after a life of hard work in agri-
cultural pursuits. The subject's mother, a
woman of many fine qualities and a worthy
companion of her noble husband, lived to
be seventy-three years old, and was in her
religious belief a member of the old school
Baptists. There were seven children in this
family, six living to maturity. Samuel, the
oldest brother of the subject, was a soldier
from Indiana in the Union lines and was
killed at Marietta, Georgia, where he was
buried. A brother of the father of our sub-
ject had a son, John T. West, who was also
a soldier in the Civil war, having been in
a Pennsylvania regiment.

Charles H. West, our subject, came with
his father to Marion county in 1869. He
attended the public schools in Delaware
county, Indiana, where he worked on his
father's farm during the summer season,

having remained a member of the family
circle until he was thirty-one years of age.
He then leased his father's farm in this
county for a number of years, and after his
father returned to Illinois he purchased
the same which he has managed with
the greatest success for a period of twenty-
five years, developing it into one of the lead-
ing farms of the community and gathering
from its fertile fields from year to year
bounteous harvests.

Mr. West owns at this writing, 1908,
twelve and one-half acres in Kinmundy in
one section of the city and also a ten-acre
orchard in another section of the city, also
forty acres one-half mile east of the town,
containing a fine orchard, all well located
and good land. He also has excellent prop-
erty in the central part of the town, and
fifty acres of horticultural land, which is
very valuable owing to the large and choice
varieties of trees on it. This property
claims much of his attention since Mr. West
delights in horticultural work, being well
versed in its various phases. He owns a
modern, large, nicely furnished and alto-
gether one of the most desirable residences
in Kinmundy or vicinity. All this he has
made himself practically unaided as a result
of his genuine business sagacity, persistency
and honesty.

Mr. West was united in marriage in 1877
to Rose N. Dillon, a native of Marion
county, whose father was from Kentucky ;
her mother's people being from Ohio.
Three children have been born to this union,

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

named in order of birth as follows : Harry
T., who was born in 1878, is married and
has two children ; Maud L. is the wife of
A. G. Porter and the mother of one child;
the third child died in infancy.

Mr. West is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of
Pythias and their auxiliaries. In politics he
is a Republican and is an Alderman in the
City Council of Kinmundy, which position
he fills with great credit.

In township and county affairs Mr. West
takes an active interest and when his judg-
ment approves of any measure that is ad-
vanced he is not hesitant in giving his ap-
proval and active aid. In many ways he has
given his time and service for the general
good. He has a wide acquaintance and the
favorable judgment the public passed upon
him in the early days of his residence here
has been in no degree set aside or modified
as the years have gone by.

WILBUR ADINO GOODENOUGH.

In the history of Clay county, as applying
to the milling industry, the name of Wilbur
A. Goodenough occupies a conspicuous
place, for through a number of years he has
been one of the representative lumber deal-
ers in this locality, progressive, enterprising
and persevering. Such qualities always win
success, sooner or later, and to the subject
they have brought a satisfactory reward for
his well directed efforts, and while he has

benefited himself and community in a mate-
rial way, he has also been an influential fac-
tor in the educational, political and moral
uplift of the community favored by his resi-
dence.

Wilbur Adino Goodenough was born in
Jefferson county, New York, May 26, 1857,
the son of Morris M. Goodenough, who was
a native of Northern New York. Adino
Goodenough, the great-grandfather of the
subject, was a native of Scotland, who came
to America with Lord Howe. He passed
the winter with Washington at Valley
Forge as one of his captains, having enlist-
ed three times in the Revolutionary war.
The third time he walked from Vermont to
Boston to enlist. He spent his last days at
Watertown, Jefferson county. New York,
dying there in his eighty-seventh year. Most
of his life while in America, was spent in
Vermont. The subject's grandfather, John
Banister Goodenough, a native of New
York, died in 1864, at the age of eighty-two
years. He devoted his life to farming.
The subject's father was also a farmer, and,
like his ancestors, was a man of influence
in his community. He died at the age of
seventy-two years in Jefferson county, New
York, in 1899.

The mother of the subject was Caroline
Griswold, also a native of northern New
York, where she lived all her life and where
she ended her earthly labors in 1895, at the
age of sixty-two years. Twelve children
were born to the subject's parents, eight of
wh<;m are living, in 1908, namely: Charles,
Estella, Wilbur, Albert, Caroline, Ward,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Eaton, Morris, Emma, Belle, Mollie and
Grace.

Mr. Goodenough spent his boyhood days
in Watertown, New York, where he attend-
ed school and received a good education.
He went from there to Copenhagen, New
York, where he learned the trade of miller,
after which he went to Ogdensburg, that
state, where he worked for fifteen years
with much success attending his efforts. In
1894 he came to Louisville and bought the
Louisville Roller Mills, which burned down
October 25, 1897. The plant was rebuilt
the fall of 1898. His brother, Albert, has
been associated with him in all his business.
They have an extensive trade and carry on
a growing industry, their customers coming
from all parts of this locality, both in the
flour and lumber business.

Mr. Goodenough was united in marriage
February 22, 1883, to Luella Stanford, of
Lowville, Lewis county, New York, the rep-
resentative of a well known family there,
and to this union two children have been
born: Luella, born April 15, 1894, and
Stanford, born December 17, 1898.

Our subject is a director in the Farmers'
and Merchants' Bank of Louisville. In
his fraternal relations he is a member of the
Masons, the Chapter and Knights Templar.
In politics he is a Republican and both he
and Mrs. Goodenough are members of the
Presbyterian church.

Mr. Goodenough is one of the substantial
citizens of Clay county. He has persevered
in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and
gained a most satisfactory reward. His life

is exemplary in many respects, and he has
ever supported those interests which have
for their object the welfare of the commu-
nity and the benefit of humanity.

WILFRED W. MERZ.

The career of the subject of this review
has been varied and interesting, and the his-
tory of Marion county will be more interest-
ing if a record of his activities and achieve-
ments are given prominence, and a tribute
to his worth and high character as a business
man, a public-spirited and enterprising,
broad-minded citizen, for although he is yet
a young man he has shown by his persist-
ency and eminently worthy career what can
be accomplished by the young man who has
thrift, energy, tact, force of character and
honesty of purpose, and representing as he
does one of the best and most highly es-
teemed families of the country, whose an-
cestors did so much in the pioneer days to
prepare the country for the enjoyment and
success of succeeding generations, Mr. Merz
is peculiarly entitled to proper mention in
this work along with other leading and hon-
orable citizens of Marion county.

Wilfred W. Merz, the popular and effi-
cient agent of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois
Railroad Company, also of the Wells, Fargo
& Company Express, at Salem, Marion
county, was born at this place February 13,
1872, being the eldest child of Nicholas
Merz, who is a member of the Council of Al-

AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

dermen of the city of Salem, and an influen-
tial and highly respected citizen who has
lived in Salem practically all his life. Nicho-
las Merz's parents were born in Germany
and migrated to America in early life, and
soon established comfortable homes in the
new world and lived to a ripe old age.

The mother of our subject was known in
her maidenhood as Elizabeth A. Smith. She
was born at Decatur, Illinois, and died at
Huey, Illinois.

Sarah S. Ritchie, the maternal grand-
mother of our subject, is a native of Giles
county, Virginia, born March 22, 1828, and
at present resides near Shattuc, Illinois, in
her eightieth year. Her first husband was
John H. Smith, who was born September
i, 1831, at Chillicothe, Ohio, and died at
Metropolis, Illinois, October 2, 1888. He
was the father of nine children (the mother
of our subject being the eldest), only one of
whom is living, John Lewis Smith, of Car-
lyle, Illinois.

Nicholas Merz by his first wife is the
father of five children, of whom four are liv-
ing in 1908, and whose births occurred in
the following order: Wilfred W., our sub-
ject; Nellie, the wife of Richard Ellington,
of St. Louis; John L. , living in Chicago;
Nona died in Chicago, July 8, 1905 ; Orval
Nicholas living in Salem, Illinois. To Nicho-
las Merz and his second wife one child was
born, Mabel, who is living with her parents
in Salem.

These children received a fairly good
education and are comfortably located, each
giving promise of successful careers.

Wilfred W. Merz was reared in Salem,
having attended the city schools where he
applied himself in a most assiduous manner,
outstripping many less ambitious plodders
until he graduated from the high school as
salutarian with the class of 1900, having
made an excellent record for scholarship.

After leaving school Mr. Merz farmed on
his father's place for two years, making
agriculture a success. He then left the farm
and accepted a clerkship with the mercantile
firm of Cutler & Hays in Salem in whose
employ he remained for one and one-half
years, giving entire satisfaction as a sales-
man and by reason of his adaptability for
this line of work and his courteous treat-
ment of customers did much to increase the
firm's popularity and trade.

In 1893 Mr. Merz entered the railroad
business with the Baltimore & Ohio, and was
assistant agent at Salem during 1893 an^
1894. On January 16, 1895, he was ap-
pointed agent for the Chicago, Paducah &
Memphis Railroad Company at Kell, Illi-
nois. This road later passed into the control
of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois in 1907,
and after about eight months of acceptable
service at Kell, Mr. Merz was promoted to
the position of agent at Salem for the Chi-
cago & Eastern Illinois road, and he has
since been their faithful employe at this im-
portant post, with the exception of five
months as agent at Tuscola, Illinois, from
January to June, 1904, and as assistant cash-
ier of the Salem State Bank from October,
1904, to October, 1905, which position he
held with honor and resigned the same to

RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

re-enter the railroad service. He is regarded
by the company as one of the most conscien-
tious and reliable agents in their service.
Since the division was established at Salem
in 1905, this office has become one of the
most important along the company's line.

Mr. Merz was happily married August
24, 1897, to Nettie Kell, daughter of J. M.
Kell and wife, a well known family of old
Foxville. Mrs. Merz is a representative of
one of the oldest families of Marion county,
and one of a family 'of nine children, seven
of whom are yet living, Maudie and Robert
dying in infancy. Her father and mother
are still living at the time of this
writing, the mother being one of ten
sisters all of whom, are! living in 1908,
a most remarkable record. Her father,
John M. Kell, was a soldier in the Union
ranks during the war between the states
and was one of a family of twelve children,
one of his brothers being killed in the last
skirmish of the Civil war after a service of
three years. Mrs. Merz's grandfather, on
her maternal side, was Robert Wham, a
well-to-do pioneer of Marion county who
rendered distinguished services as a soldier
in the Mexican war. He had a brother,
French L., who died in Andersonville
prison. Mr. Wham passed away January
10, 1905, at a very old age.

Mr. and Mrs. Merz are the parents of
three bright and interesting children who
have added cheer to the cozy, modern and
nicely furnished home which is so graciously
presided over with rare dignity and grace
by the subject's wife, the names of their chil-

dren being as follows: Robert W., born
July 6, 1898; Helen Louise, born February
6, 1900; Gladys Roberta, born June 6, 1902.
The fact that the birth of these children all
occurred on the sixth of the month is a
singular coincidence.

Mr. and Mrs. Merz own their own beauti-
ful home on East Main street. Both are
members of the Cumberland Presbyterian
church, and are known as among the best
members of the congregation with which
they have always been popular. The subject
has spent his entire life in Salem where he
is well and favorably known, having gained
and retained undivided respect of all as a
result of his sober, industrious and honor-
able career. He is always to be found on the
right side of all questions looking to the
betterment of his community and may well
be said to represent Marion county's best
citizenship in every particular.

SNIVELY & MONTGOMERY,
LIVERYMEN.

Though no land is richer in opportunities
or offers greater advantages to its citizens
than America, success is not to be attained
through desire, but must be persistently
sought. In this country "labor is king,"
and the man who resolutely sets to work to
accomplish a given purpose is certain of
success if he has but the qualities of perse-
verance, untiring energy and practical com-
mon sense. William A. Montgomery, the

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

well known liveryman of Olney, Illinois,
through his diligence and persistent efforts,
has attained definite success and has won
the respect of all who know him through
his fair dealing with the public.

William A. Montgomery was born in Ol-
ney, Richland county, October 22, 1860, the
son of Thomas and Sarah (Brillhart) Mont-
gomery, natives of Virginia and Pennsyl-
vania, respectively, who came to Richland
county in an early day. Thomas came with
his parents when a small boy. The fam-
ily entered land in Edwards county, where
Thomas was reared, assisting with the work
of improving a farm in the wilderness.
When only sixteen years old, he began car-
rying the mail from Fair-field to Mt. Car-
mel, and he had charge of the route from
Olney to Grayville, for years. He also op-
erated a stage. He later became a pros-
perous farmer in Richland county.

The Brillharts were pioneers in Richland
county and became influential in their com-
munity. The parents of the subject of this
sketch died in Richland county, the father
at the age of seventy-eight and the mother
when sixty-eight years old. They were
people of many sterling and praiseworthy
traits, and were hard workers all their lives.

William A. Montgomery was reared on a
farm in Edwards county, and received his
education in the country schools of Edwards
and Richland counties. He remained at
home during the lifetime of his parents,
working on the farm until the spring of
1903, when he came to Olney and engaged
in the livery business, which he is still con-

ducting with great success, giving the pub-
lic entire satisfaction and handling an ex-
cellent grade of horses and vehicles. The
firm is known as Snively & Montgomery.
They began business in their present loca-
tion in 1906, building a modern and con-
venient brick barn which was completed in
June of that year. The building is sixty-
eight by one hundred and ten feet and is
one of the most complete and best equipped
in Olney or any of the surrounding towns.
They keep an average of twenty head of
driving stock, also a considerable number
of boarding stock.

In politics Mr. Montgomery is a Demo-
crat and a member of the Modern Woodmen
of America and the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks, No. 926, of Olney.

Edmund C. Snively, partner of Mr. Mont-
gomery, was born in Madison township,
Richland county, and what has been said
of the former regarding untiring persistence
and application to business is equally ap-
plicable to him, and they make a strong
combination in their special line. The date
of Mr. Snively's birth was December 26,
1872. He is the son of Amos B. and Sa-
rah E. (Parker) Snively, residents of Mad-
ison township. Mr. Snively was reared on
a farm and was educated in the country
schools and at the Southern Normal at Car-
bondale for one year. He received a good
education for he applied himself well to his
books and successfully taught school for one
term. He worked on a farm, in a saw-mill
and operated a threshing machine for sev-
eral seasons. In 1904 he came to Olney,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AM) MARION COl'XTIES, ILLINOIS.

125

and became a member of Snively & Mont-
gomery, and has continued in the same ever
since.

Mr. Snively was united in marriage on
June 12, 1907, to Laura D. Yelch, a native
of Olney township, the daughter of Daniel
and Margaret (Swallen) Yelch, the former
now deceased and the latter is a resident of
Olney. In politics Mr. Snively is a Demo-
crat, and in his fraternal relations he be-
longs to the Modern Woodmen of America
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
of Olney.

Fair dealing has been the watchword of
this firm and as a result they have built up
an extensive patronage, which is still grow-
ing. Both Messrs. Snively and Montgom-
ery are regarded as among the substantial
citizens of Olney, and are well spoken of
by all who know them.

GEORGE B. SIMCOX.

The subject stands as the exponent of one
of the extensive noteworthy enterprises
of the city, where he maintains a real
estate business, which is pre-eminent in the
honorable bearing and careful methods em-
ployed, and in the discriminating delicacy of
treatment which the nature of the business
renders expedient, and he has thus retained
as his own the respect and confidence of the
community, even as has his noble father, the
latter having likewise assumed a position of
priority in the business and social life of

Marion county, where he still resides at an
advanced age.

George B. Simcox was born in Kentucky
in 1864, the son of W. K. Simcox, now
living at Patoka, Illinois, a native of Penn-
sylvania, who migrated from the old Key-
stone state to Illinois in 1866, locating at
Patoka, where he has since resided. He was
in the mercantile business of which he made
a success, but he is now living retired, hav-
ing reached the advanced age of eighty-
three, and his good wife that of
seventy-eight. They are held in high esteem
in their neighborhood where their latter
years have been so honorably and happily
spent. Twelve children were born to them,
seven of whom are still living. They are :
Anna M., the widow of Dr. T. N. Livesay,
and she makes her home near Patoka ; Rob-
ert A., of Patoka; John L., also of Patoka;
Bettie, the wife of Dr. W. W. Murfin, of
Patoka; Mary A., the wife of A. T. Eaglin,
of Henton, Oklahoma; Joseph W., of Pa-
toka; George B., whose name appears at the
head of this review.

Mr. Simcox spent his boyhood in Patoka,
Illinois, where he received a common school
education, having applied himself closely to
his books. When about eighteen years old
he went to railroading and was subsequently
in the employ of various roads. Longing
for more varied experiences than could be
gained at home, he went to the Southwest
and his rise in the railroad business was
rapid there owing to his natural ability,
carefulness and personal address, conse-
quently he soon became conductor on the

126

ItKiK APHICAL A XI) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Mexican National Railroad in Old Mexico,
holding this responsible position to the satis-
faction of the superior officials when only
twenty-one years old.

After following the railroad business for
ten years he returned to Salem, Illinois, in
1895, and has been in Marion county ever
since. He first launched in the mercantile
business in Patoka, where he was doing
nicely and building up an excellent trade,
when he lost heavily by fire after two years
in this line. Then he went into the real
estate and newspaper business at Patoka, in
which he made a success and became known
as the moulder of public thought and opin-
ion. Being thus able and popular with his
fellow voters, he was soon slated for local
political offices, and held every township
office in that township. He was appointed
Deputy Sheriff in 1902 and served with
great credit for a period of four years. In-
deed, all his duties in an official capacity
were attended to with the greatest alacrity
and good judgment. He was nominated by
the Democrats in 1906 as a candidate for
sheriff, but was defeated.

In 1906 Mr. Simcox went into the hard-
ware business in Salem, in which he re-
mained for eight months, when he sold out
to C. W. Vensell, and since then he has
been interested in the real estate business,
making a specialty of city lots and booming
special sales, and his efforts have been
crowned with gratifying success, for he has
the confidence of the public and conducts
his business along safe and conservative
lines.

Mr. Simcox was united in marriage May
24, 1896, to Florence Wasem, of Patoka,
the cultured and refined daughter of Jacob
E. Wasem, a well known citizen of Patoka.
Two bright and interesting children have
been born to this union, namely: Maude
Ellen, whose date of birth occurred August
13, 1897, and Minnie May, who was born
November 24, 1903.

Our subject in his fraternal relations be-
longs to the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks at Centralia Lodge No. 493 ;
also the Marion Lodge No. 525, Knights of
Pythias; also the Modern Woodmen of
America No. 761, of Patoka. He also be-
longs to the Order of Railway Telegraphers.

Our subject has always taken a great in-
terest in political matters and public affairs,
and he was chairman of the Democratic
Central Committee during two campaigns,
and he is now a member of the County Ex-
ecutive Democratic Committee of Marion
county. In public office he has been found
most loyal to the public good, and in his
business affairs he is ever straight-forward
and trustworthy.

ROBERT MARTIN.

It is signally consonant that in this work
be incorporated at least a brief resume of
the life and labors of Mr. Martin, who has
long been one of the influential citizens of
Marion county, and through whose loyal
efforts the city of Salem and surrounding

RICH I. AM), CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

127

locality have reaped lasting benefits, for his
exceptional administrative capacity has been
directed along lines calculated to be for the
general good. A man of forceful individu-
ality and marked initiative power, he has
been well equipped for leadership, while his
probity of character and his genial personal-
ity have gained for him uniform esteem and
friendship in the city where he has so long
made his home, and of which he is regarded
by all classes as one of its most distinguished
citizens in connection with the business
world.

Robert Martin was born in Estilville, now
known as Gate City, Scott county, Virginia,
April n, 1839, the son of John S. Martin,
also a native of Virginia, and a man of rec-
ognized ability, being the representative of
a fine old Southern family, noted for its
high ideals and unqualified hospitality, his
ancestry being Scotch-Irish. John S. Mar-
tin was County Clerk for a period of twenty
years or more, and he held many other
county offices, including a judgeship, and he
won universal praise for the able manner in
which he discharged his every duty to the
public. He was called from his earthly
labors in 1865 while living at Alma, this
county. The mother of the subject was a
Stewart before her marriage, a woman of
rare mental equipoise and culture; she
passed to her rest soon after the family
came to Illinois in 1846.

Our subject spent his early boyhood on
his parental farm at Alma, having been only
five years old when the family came here.
He attended school at Alma and Salem. He

also attended the Southern Illinois Female
College at Salem, which institution ceased
to exist soon after the war. He gained a
liberal education which has stood him in
such good hand during his long and emi-
nently active and successful business career.

Our subject was one of those loyal sons
of the North, who, when the tocsin of war
sounded calling loyal sons to defend the
old flag, offered his services, enlisting in
Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, one of the fa-
mous regiments of the state, which was or-
ganized at Salem. Mr. Martin was then
twenty-one years old. The company left
Salem and went to Columbus, Kentucky,
and from there to Paducah, that state, later
to Pulaski, Tennessee, and from there
marched to Chattanooga, where it united
with Sherman's army and remained with the
same through its historic march to the sea,
and also its strenuous campaigns, having
participated in the battles at Atlanta and
many other notable engagements. After re-
maining with him until the close of the war,
he took part in the grand review at Wash-
ington City, after a very commendable ser-
vice of three years. He was mustered out
at Springfield, Illinois, where he came soon
after the review in Washington.

After his career in the army, Mr. Martin
launched in the grocery business at Salem,
in which he remained for one year, when he
sold out and went into the more lucrative
grain and lumber business, in which he has
been engaged for a period of forty-one years
during which time an enormous volume of

128

nor.KAl'lIICAL AXI) KKM IN ISC KXT HISTORY OF

business has passed through his hands, and
he has become widely known as one of the
leading men in these lines in Southern Illi-
nois, being recognized by the leading dealers
throughout this and adjoining states as well
as remote parts of the country as a man of
the highest business integrity and acumen.
He is still conducting a large lumber yard,
and carries on a very extensive and thriving
business, numbering his customers by the
thousands, not only from Salem and vicin-
ity, but throughout the county and to remote
parts of the country. He owns a beautiful,
modern and well furnished residence in one
of the most desirable portions of Salem.

Our subject was happily married in 1867
to Alice Scott, a native of Vincennes, In-
diana, a woman of affable personality and
rare refinement, the daughter of a highly
respected and influential family. Three
children have been born to this union, one
of whom has passed away. They are:
Mabel Dora, the wife of W. H. Parsons, of
Salem; C. C. Martin, of Salem, and John
Lewis Martin, formerly of Salem, now de-
ceased.

These children received every possible at-
tention from their parents, being given good
educations and careful home training.

Mr. Martin assisted in the organization
and became one of the first directors and
stockholders in the Salem State Bank. He
is also a director of the Salem Building and
Loan Association, and his sound judgment
and able advice is always carefully weighed
by the other members of these organizations
in their deliberations, for Mr. Martin has a
reputation among local business men for

remarkable foresight into all business propo-
sitions. Having always been interested in
educational affairs, he served as a member
and also as president of the School Board
of Salem for several years, but he is not at
present connected with the board, but during
the time that he was the schools of Salem
were greatly strengthened.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Martin is a
member of the Knights of Pythias and the
Woodmen. He has been a faithful and
consistent member of the Methodist church
since he was thirteen years old.

CHARLES T. KELL.

This enterprising farmer and representa-
tive citizen is a native of Marion county, Illi-
nois, and belongs to one of the old and high-
ly esteemed pioneer families of Haines town-
ship, where his parents, Thomas and Mary
(Luke) Kell, settled in an early day and bore
an active and influential part in the devel-
opment and growth of the community (see
sketch of William Kell). Charles T. was
born a short distance west of the village of
Kell, September 18, 1854, from which date
to the present time his life has been very
closely identified with Haines township, and
as stated above, he now holds worthy pres-
tige among the leading agriculturists and
public spirited men of the section of country
honored by his citizenship.

Reared in close touch with nature in the
healthful outdoor life of the farm, he earlv
acquired a vigorous physique and an inde-
pendence of mind characteristic of the sturdy

MR AND MRS. C. T. KELL.

Of THE

UNIVERSITY w ILLINOIS,

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

I29

son of the soil, and while still quite young
he became familiar with the varied duties of
agriculture and learned to appreciate the
honor and dignity which belong to those who
earn their bread by the sweat of the brow.
At the proper age he entered the schools of
the neighborhood, which he attended at in-
tervals until acquiring a practical knowledge
of the subjects taught, the meanwhile assist-
ing his father on the family homestead and
contributing his full share to its cultivation,

After remaining with his parents until at-
taining his majority, Charles T. entered into
partnership with his brother, John M. Kell.
by purchasing a half interest in a saw and
grist mill at Foxville, and during the ensu-
ing ten years devoted his attention to the
manufacture of flour and lumber, meeting
with encouraging success in the enterprise
and becoming widely known as a wide-
awake and thoroughly honorable and reli-
able business man. Disposing of his interest
in the mill at the expiration of the period in-
dicated, he located on his present home farm
in Haines township, adjoining the town of
Kell on the south, having previously become
the possessor of another tract consisting of
one hundred and twenty acres in another
part of the same township, both of which
places he has brought to a high state of cul-
tivation and otherwise improved. At the
time the railroad was constructed he sold
twenty acres, which is now a part of the
village of Kell.

As a farmer, Mr. Kell easily ranks with
the most enterprising and successful men of
his calling in Marion county, being progres-
9

sive in his methods and using the latest mod-
ern implements and machinery and by judi-
cious rotation of crops he seldom fails to
realize abundant returns from the time and
labor devoted to his fields. He also pays
considerable attention to the raising of live
stock, which he finds quite profitable, and his
domestic animals, including horses, mules,
cattle, sheep and hogs, are among the finest
breeds obtainable, and from their sale no
small share of his liberal income is derived.

Mr. Kell has not been sparing of his
means in the matter of improvement, and the
beautifying and rendering attractive his
home, the large two-story house with its
many modern conveniences, being among
the most desirable country residences in the
township, while his commodious barn, out-
buildings, wells, fences and other evidences
of prosperity compare favorably with the
best in his part of the country. He keeps
in close touch with the advancement in agri-
cultural science, and fully abreast of the
times in reducing the same to practical tests,
being progressive in all the term implies,
and believes in the latest and most approved
methods of modern farming.

In his political faith Mr. Kell is a Repub-
lican, and while interested in the success of
his party, he has never been a politician,
much less an office seeker or aspirant for
leadership. In religion he subscribes to the
Missionary Baptist creed, and for a number
of years his name has adorned the records
of that church, having held the office of dea-
con five years in the local congregation, to
which himself and entire family belong, be-

1 3o

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

sides being otherwise interested in religious
and benevolent work. He is superintendent
of the Sunday school which he attends, has
long been an influential leader in this depart-
ment of religious endeavor, and with his
wife has been instrumental in arousing an in-
terest among the young people of the neigh-
borhood and leading not a few of them to
the higher life.

Mr. Kell was married in the year 1881 to
Rebecca C. Purdue, of Haines township,
daughter of Richard and Caroline (Har-
mon) Purdue, early settlers of Marion coun-
ty and among the highly respected people of
their locality (see history of the Purdue
family). Mr. and Mrs. Kell have four chil-
dren, the oldest of whom, a daughter by the
name of Iva May, is the wife of R. A. Jef-
fries, of Haines township, and the mother of
one child, Trevor Jeffries. The other chil-
dren, two daughters and one son, are still
under the parental roof, their names in order
of birth being as follows: Myrtle, Ellis and
Ethel. Mr. Kell has taken great interest in
the rearing and educating of his children
and they in turn have responded to his every
effort in their behalf. The children all re-
ceived liberal educational advantages in the
public schools and also at Ewing Baptist
College at Ewing, 111. Ethel graduated at
the age of seventeen from that institution in
instrumental music. The family is one of
the best known and most highly esteemed in
the county and the name which is an old and
honorable one has long been synonymous
for noble manhood and womanhood and a
high order of citizenship.

HENRY HORD.

Aside from his connections with the civic
affairs of Clay county, the subject of this
sketch has long been an influential factor in
the general business and industrial interests
of the county during his entire life, which
has been spent here, everything calculated
to advance the community, materially or
otherwise, receiving his support and hearty
co-operation. He is unwavering in his al-
legiance to what he believes is right, and
upholds his honest convictions at the sacri-
fice, if necessary, of every other interest.
Conscientious in the discharge of his duties
of citizenship, he is a valued member of the
body politic, and his aim has ever been to
shape his life according to the highest stand-
ard of excellence, therefore he has won the
esteem and confidence of all who know him.

Henry Hord, the popular Sheriff of Clay
county, is a native of the same, having been
born in Blair township, December 8, 1863,
the son of Thomas B. Hord, who was a na-
tive of Indiana, and who came to Illinois
when a boy, being one of the early settlers
of Clay county, locating in Blair township,
where he now lives and is a prosperous
farmer, well known in his township. "Judge"
George Hord, grandfather of the subject,
was also a native of Indiana and a man of
considerable influence in his community.

The subject's mother was known in her
maidenhood as Alice Beal, whose people
came from Tennessee. She passed to her
rest when our subject was two years old.
Two children were born to the parents of

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

our subject, the other child dying in in-
fancy. They gave their son all the advan-
tages possible, wholesome home environ-
ment and a fairly good education, and he
owes much of his subsequent success to his
solicitous parents. He was reared on a farm
where he laid the foundations for a hardy
manhood, for he devoted the summer
months to work in the fields and attended
school in the winter in his native township,
which was the only schooling he had ; but
he made good use of his time. After leav-
ing school he continued farm work on the
home place until he married when he went
to farming for himself in Blair township.

Mr. Hord was united in the bonds of
wedlock with Percilla Eytchison, the daugh-
ter of J. W. and Charity A. Eytchison, a
well known family of Blair township, the
date of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Hord
being October 18, 1884, and to this union
nine children have been born, named in or-
der of birth as follows: Jesse, deceased,
having died when about thirteen years old;
Lillie, William, Mimmie, Roy. Elbridge. Rol-
la, Everett, the youngest child died in in-
fancy.

In 1906 Mr. Hord was elected Sheriff of
Clay county, on the Republican ticket, and
he is now serving his term of four years in
a manner that elicits praise from everyone
having occasion to know of his work, for he
is discharging his duties in a most con-
scientious and able manner, and generally
regarded as the best Sheriff the county has
ever had. Previously Mr. Hord had faith-
fully served Blair township as Supervisor

and Assessor. He owns a good farm in
Blair township, which he rents. In his fra-
ternal relations he is a Mason.

Mrs. Hord died of typhoid fever Sep-
tember 1 8, 1906, between the time Mr. Hord
was nominated and elected Sheriff. Our
subject was married a second time, his last
wife being Miss Dora Manifold, a daughter
of Reverend Manifold, now deceased. Mrs.
Hord formerly resided in St. Louis, and
she taught school in Clay county for five
years.

In his career Mr. Hord has seen the gath-
ering clouds that threatened disaster, but
his rich inheritance of energy and pluck has
enabled him to turn defeats into victory and
promised failures into success. He enjoys
in the fullest measure the public confidence,
because of the honorable methods he has
ever followed, and is one of the prominent
and honored men of Clay county.

WILLIAM C. INGRAM.

Standing in an eminent position among
the industrial representatives of Marion
county is the subject of this sketch, who
is recognized as one of Kinmundy's lead-
ing citizens, having for many years been
interested in the local flouring mill the repu-
tation of which has spread all over this lo-
cality as a result of his able management.
In this regard he is controlling an exten-
sive and important industry, for the product
of his mill is large and the annual shipment

1 32

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of flour made to the city markets bring in
return a very desirable income to the stock-
holders of the company. His success has
been won entirely along old and time-tried
maxims, such as "honesty is the best policy"
and "there is no excellence without labor."

William C. Ingram was born in Indiana
in 1848, the son of Samuel and Minerva A.
(Powers) Ingram. Grandfather Ingram is
supposed to have been born in Kentucky and
moved to Warrick county, Indiana, where
he engaged in farming and where he spent
the balance of his days in honest and use-
ful toil ; there raising his family and passing
from his labors into the great beyond, after
reaching a very advanced age. His faithful
life companion also lived to an advanced
age. They reared a large family, all but one
of whom lived to be men and women and
reared families of their own. A number of
their sons were gallant infantrymen in the
Union ranks during the war between the
states. The Ingram lineage is from Eng-
land, and were early settlers in Kentucky,
having come there in the brave days of
Daniel Boone when the principal tasks of
the pioneers were the clearing of the pri-
meval forests and the banishment of the
wary red men.

Samuel Ingram, the father of the subject,
was reared in Indiana, and was almost
wholly without educational advantages. His
date of birth is recorded as 1824, conse-
quently his boyhood was during a time when
schools had scarcely been established in the
Hoosier state. He devoted his life to agri-
cultural pursuits of which he made a suc-

cess being a hard worker. He left Indiana
in 1854 and moved to Edwards county,
Illinois, but came on to Marion county, land-
ing here April 6, 1857, ar>d bought a farm
on which he remained and greatly improved,
living there in comfort until 1866, when he
moved to Kinmundy, still working his farm ;
continuing this for ten years when he sold
out and retired from active work. He is
still hale and active at this writing (1908),
having attained the ripe age of eighty-four.
As a result of his well spent life his old
age is happy, for it is free from want and
worry and pervaded with no unpleasant
memories or regrets and compunctions over
a misspent past, for his life has been one
of honor and industry, most worthily lived.
There were eight children in his family, six
of whom are now living and have families
of their own. The mother of the subject,
a woman of beautiful Christian character,
passed to her rest at the age of seventy-
eight years. This fine old couple were al-
ways devout Methodists.

The great-grandfather 'Powers of the
subject spent most of his life in Indiana,
living to an old age. He was a Democrat
and a Baptist. Grandmother Powers died
in middle age. One of Mrs. Ingram's
brothers, John Powers, was a soldier in the
Civil war.

William C. Ingram, our subject, was
brought to Illinois by his parents when six
years old and to Marion county three years
later, having been placed at once in the pub-
lic schools here where he received his edu-
cation, and in other similar schools of

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

133

this state. He worked on his father's farm
and for others as a farm hand until he was
twenty-one years old, when he rented a farm
and worked it on his own account for two
years, making a good start in this way. He
then purchased a farm of one hundred and
fifty acres in this county on which he re-
mained for a few years when he went to
carpentry and farming, later purchasing
a saw mill which he successfully operated for
twenty-five years, which he recently sold.
He has also owned two other saw mills, and
has been known as one of the leading mill
men of this locality for many years Some
time ago he came to Kinmundy and pur-
chased an interest in the Songer flouring mill
which has been in operation for forty years,
the subject now owning forty shares in this
mill and is a director in the same, which has
a wide reputation for the excellency of its
products, customers not only coming in per-
son from all parts of the county, but many
orders are constantly pouring in from ad-
joining counties and distant cities. The sub-
ject's son is also a part owner in the mill.
He also owns and controls thirty shares
of the capital stock.

Our subject has also been a merchant,
and owing to his honesty in business, his
natural ability and his discriminating fore-
sight, he has always made a success at what-
ever he undertook, so that today he is re-
garded as one of the financially substantial
men of the county, every dollar in his pos-
session having been honestly earned by hard
work.

Mr. Ingram was united in marriage in

1869 to Mary R. Gray, a native of this
county, daughter of James H, and Susanna
Jane (Hannah) Gray. They were from
Tennessee and lived on a farm. Her father
was president of the Farmers & Merchants
Bank of Kinmundy at the time of his death,
which occurred at the age of seventy-seven
years. In their family were ten children,
seven of whom lived to maturity, but were
short-lived people.

Six children were born to the subject and
wife as follows: Jane who was born in
1871, died when two and one-half years old;
Charles H., who was born in 1874, is now
living in Oklahoma and is the father of six
children : Nellie A., who was born in 1876,
is the wife of M. E. Huston, who lives at
Maroa, Illinois, and is the mother of one
child; Isaac D. was born in 1879 and is now
associated with his father in the mill, is mar-
ried and has three children ; Robert L., who
was bom in 1880, is living in the state of
Washington, is married and has one child;
William G., born in 1882, died at the age of
twenty-one years.

The subject's first wife passed away in
1883. She was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, South. Mr. Ingram was
married a second time, the date of his last
wedding occurring in 1888. Nancy I. Gray
(nee Booth), who was then the mother of
two children, was his second choice. W. H.
Gray, a sketch of whose life appears in this
work, is her son. Her other child is dead.
There has been no issue by the subject's last
union. Mr. Ingram is a member of the Ma-
sonic Fraternity and he attends the Metho-

134

UOGKAl'HICAL AND KK M I X 1SCF.XT HISTORY OF

dist church, of which his wife is a faithful
member. In politics he supports the Re-
publican ticket and he takes a keen interest
in public affairs, though he has no ambition
for the honors or emoluments of public of-
fice, preferring to give his attention to his
own business affairs.

JOHN F. JOLLY.

The most elaborate history is necessarily
an abridgement, the historian being com-
pelled to select his facts and material from
a multitude of details. In every life of
honor and usefulness there is no dearth of
incident, and yet in summing up the career
of any man the writer needs touch only
those salient points which give the keynote
of the character, but eliminating much that
is superfluous. Thus in giving the life rec-
ord of the gentleman whose name initiates
this sketch sufficient will be said to show
that he is one of the enterprising and pro-
gressive citizens of Richland county, being
a well known horticulturist and hardware
merchant.

John F. Jolly was born at Grayville,
White county, Illinois, December 2, 1850,
the son of John B. and Elizabeth (Ferri-
man) Jolly, the former a native of Edwards
county, of English parents, and the latter
of Jamaica, who came with her parents to
Edwards county when a child, settling in
Albion. Stephen Jolly, grandfather of our
subject, emigrated to America from Eng-

land, locating at Albion, Edwards county,
this state, where he died soon after the birth
of J. B. Jolly, who is now eighty-four years
old and the oldest resident at Grayville, hav-
ing removed to the latter place about 1847,
where he engaged in merchandising for
many years. He accumulated a comfortable
competency and is now retired. His wife
passed away in 1851. The subject is the
only child of his parents, his mother having
died when he was an infant. He was reared
in Grayville, having been educated in the
public schools there, also went to school at
Normal, Illinois. He became deputy post-
master at Grayville, which position he held
for about four years, when he engaged in
the mercantile business under the firm name
of Jolly, Spring & Hollister, for about four
years. Soon afterward, in 1877, he came
to Olney and engaged in the hardware busi-
ness under the firm name of Prunty & Jolly,
in which business he has continued success-
fully ever since. A few years later the firm
name became J. B. & J. F. Jolly. In 1904
the present firm organized as Jolly, Wie-
land & Richardson. These two men had been
with Mr. Jolly as clerks for many years, the
former as manager of the store and the latter
as manager of the manufacturing depart-
ment of plumbing, tinning and heating. The
change was due to the impairment of Mr.
Jolly's health.

They carry an extensive line of hardware,
stoves, tinware and in fact a complete and
carefully selected stock of such things at all
times, and they carry on a very extensive
trade throughout the county.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

135

Mr. Jolly was united in marriage in 1880,
to Mary Morrison, a native of Olney, the
daughter of George D. and Kate (Snyder)
Morrison, the former a native of Ohio and
the latter of Lawrence county, Illinois. The
Morrisons were originally from Virginia,
and the Snyders of Kentucky. The mother
resides with her daughter, Mrs. Jolly, in Ol-
ney. The father died in 1873, at the age
of forty-one years. One daughter has been
born to our subject and wife, George Eliza-
beth, who was educated at Olney in the
high school and at Wellesley College. She
is a winsome and talented young lady and
popular in whatever society she enters.

Mr. Jolly is an active Republican. He
was chairman of the County Central Com-
mittee for twelve years, and was Mayor of
Olney from 1895 to J896, during which
time he did many things that will be of per-
manent benefit to the town, leaving more
money in the treasury at the expiration of
his term than ever had been and has been
since. His was a most excellent business
administration.

In his fraternal relations he belongs to
the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. Mrs. Jolly is a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church, and is president of
the Ladies' Guild, which has raised more
money than any similar organization, being
largely responsible for the erection of the
new church building.

In 1889, owing to poor health, Mr. Jolly
went to California and after many months
returned to his home much improved. When
he came back to Olney it was with the in-

tention of quitting the confinement of the
store and engaging in outdoor pursuits, and
he accordingly became interested in horti-
culture, and in the spring of 1890, planted
the second commercial orchard in Richland
county of eighty acres adjoining Olney.
Since then he has bought adjoining tracts
and planted additional acreage until now he
owns two hundred acres of fine fruit land,
set a well selected variety of trees, nearly
all of which are bearing. He has been very
active along these lines and is one of the best
posted and well known horticulturists in
Southern Illinois. His work and practical
experience and demonstrations, have con-
tributed much to the interest taken by others
in bringing Richland county to the front
as one of the leading fruit sections in this
part of the state, and he now has one of the
finest and best kept orchards in the state,
from which in 1902 from one hundred acres
he sold the apple crop for ten thousand dol-
lars, it having produced ten thousand bar-
rels. He employs modern methods in his
horticultural work, and his farm buildings
and equipment are of the latest and most up-
to-date in this section of the state. The
spraying plant is without doubt the most
complete in Southern Illinois, if net in the
state. He has tanks for manufacturing
spray, and the cooking of the same for four
thousand gallons capacity, the cooking be-
ing done by steam, and gasoline engines for
power in spraying. Being enthusiastic in
horticulture, it naturally follows that he is
a student and active in societies of this na-
ture. For the past ten years he has been

:36

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

president of the Richland County Horticul-
tural Society, which was organized about
1888, although its greatest and best work
has been accomplished of late years. He
has also been a member of the Illinois Hor-
ticultural Society, and for more than seven
years a member of its advisory committee,
which has been of great benefit to horticul-
tural interests of Richland county. The
state makes appropriations for experimental
work in various parts of Illinois and the
money is judiciously expended by the advis-
ory committee at such points wherein their
judgment the best results can be obtained.
Mr. Jolly is a public-spirited man, always
ready to do what he can in furthering the
interests of the county, and he is regarded
by all as one of the county's most useful
citizens, and numbers his friends by the
scores.

W. S. CONANT.

Marion county, Illinois, is characterized
by her full share of the honored and faith-
ful element who have done so much for the
development and upbuilding of the state and
the establishment of the institutions of civ-
ilization in this fertile and well favored sec-
tion. Among these worthy native sons the
name of the subject of this sketch is
properly installed.

W. S. Conant was born in this county,
September 22, 1854, the son of William R.,
and Fannie (Swift) Conant. Grandfather
Conant was a native of Massachusetts, who
moved from that state to Georgia and then

to Illinois, settling in Marion county, com-
ing here in an early day and being the first
school teacher in the county. He entered
land here and farmed for some time, having
passed to his rest about 1840, at the age of
about fifty years. His wife died within one
week of her husband. Grandfather Swift
was a native of Tennessee, who moved to
this county about 1830, entering land here
which he developed into a farm and where
he reared his family. He died a short dis-
tance from where he first located, having
moved to the former place, his death occur-
ring about 1870, when he was about sev-
enty years old. His widow survived him
about ten years. She was a Presbyterian.
There were five children in this family, all
of them living to maturity.

The father of the subject was born in
Georgia and came to Illinois with his par-
ents when he was but a boy. His father
being a teacher, he received some education,
but the father of the subject was a hard-
working man and did not take time to prop-
erly improve his education. He was always
a farmer. He entered land which he later
added to by purchase until he had a valu-
able farm of two hundred acres, which he
left at his death. The mother of the sub-
ject died when she was two years old, in
1856, his father having died at the age of
forty. He was a Democrat in political be-
lief.'

W. S. Conant. our subject, had the ad-
vantage of a common school education, and
having applied himself in a diligent manner
he became fairly well educated, not leaving

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

137

the school room until he was nineteen years
old. He worked on his father's farm until
he was twenty, when he went to work on his
own account. He farmed with his brother-
in-law, then rented a farm and so continued
for four years. He then bought a farm in
1 88 1 of three hundred and twenty acres.
It was unimproved prairie land, but the sub-
ject devoted seven years of hard work on
the place and developed a fine and well im-
proved farm. He still owns this place. He
then bought a residence property, and in
time sold that and purchased the farm
where he has since resided, which consists
of twenty-four acres on which there is a
modern and substantial residence together
with convenient out-buildings. The subject
carries on general farming in a most suc-
cessful manner, skillfully rotating his crops
so as to keep the soil in good productive
condition. He also devoted much time to
stock-raising, being a good judge of all
kinds of live stock, especially cattle and
horses. He frequently feeds for the mar-
ket, but is now selling his stock for other
purposes. He raises a good class of horses.
For six years he engaged in buying and sel-
ling live stock in connection with his farm-
ing and made this business a success in
every particular.

Our subject was united in marriage in
November, 1877, to Agnes I. Morgan,
daughter of J. B. and Martha (Doolen)
Morgan, who came to this county at an
early day. There were two of the Doolen
brothers who went through the Civil war,
and are living in 1908.

Six children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, as follows : Martha, born in
1880, who died in infancy; Gracie; Flor-
ence, who was born in 1881, died when
three years old ; William, who was born
September 22, 1885, died when six years
old; George, who was born July 8, 1887,
is a farmer, married and has one child;
Clarence C. was born July 14, 1894; Lewis
was born in 1897, is single and living at
home.

The subject is a member of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, in his fraternal
relations, and also a Modern Woodman, be-
longing also to the Royal Neighbors, having
filled all the chairs in an able manner in
the Woodmen. In his religious affiliations
he subscribes to the Methodist Episcopal
church, South, as does also his wife. Mr.
Conant is a loyal Democrat although he
does not find much time to devote to polit-
ical matters.

GEORGE D. MORRISON.

The biographer is glad to herein set forth
the salient facts in the eminently successful
and honorable career of the well remem-
bered and highly esteemed citizen of Rich-
land county whose name appears above, the
last chapter in whose life record has been
closed by the hand of death, and the seal
set thereon forever, but whose influence still
pervades the lives of those with whom he
came in contact. For many years he was
closelv identified with the industrial develop-

138

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ment of the county, and aided in every way
possible in promoting the general good of
the community.

George D. Morrison was born at Zanes-
ville, Ohio, April i, 1832, the son of George
W. and Rebecca (Potter) Morrison, the for-
mer a native of Loudoun county, Virginia,
the latter of Maryland. During his earlier
years, the subject's father was a freighter,
keeping numerous teams and transporting
merchandise from Boston and other Eastern
markets to the interior before the days of
railroads. He was a soldier in the War of
1812, and was severely wounded, suffering
from the wound for a number of years, ren-
dering finally the amputation of his limb a
necessity. After his marriage he moved to
Ohio and for several years engaged in the
hotel business. Later he came to Richland
county, and died in Olney when about
eighty years of age, his wife having died a
few months previous at a ripe old age. They
were the parents of twelve children. Four of
their sons were soldiers in the Civil war,
and five of their sons were ministers of the
Gospel. One of their sons started east from
Ohio in the early days with a load of sup-
plies but was never heard from afterwards.
The six horse team and wagon of supplies
all mysteriously disappeared in the wilder-
ness. Foul play by bandits or the Indians
was suspected. Our subject was the ninth
in order of birth. He was reared in Ohio
where he received a good common school
education, and after removing to Illinois at-
tended an advanced school at Evanston, Il-
linois. He became clerk in a store. About
1855 he came to Olney and followed clerk-

ing for a time. He later established a dry
goods store just before the outbreak of the
Civil war. His health beginning to fail he
sold out and served one term as Circuit
Clerk of Richland county, giving entire sat-
isfaction in this capacity. He was elected
County Treasurer and died during his in-
cumbency of this office in 1873, at the age of
forty-one years. He was married in 1860
to Kate Snyder, a native of Lawrence
county, Illinois, the daughter of John and
Clarissa (Spencer) Snyder. They were na-
tives of Kentucky, where they were reared
and where they were married, and in an
early day emigrated to Lawrence county,
Illinois. Soon afterward in 1838, they
came to what is now Richland county, and
located on a farm in Claremont township, for
years known as Hickory Point. This farm
was entered from the government by the
father of John Snyder, who was among the
first' settlers of what is now Richland
county. Samuel Snyder was the subject's
grandfather. He was a native of Pennsyl-
vania, was reared in Kentucky and moved
from Rockport, Indiana, to Illinois. One of
his sons, Maurice B. Snyder, was Circuit
Clerk after the organization of Richland
county, for a number of years. Grandfather
Spencer was a native of Virginia, and he
moved to Kentucky in an early day. Both
the subject's grandfathers served in the War
of 1812. Three of grandfather Spencer's
sons were in the War of 1812, also in the
Black Hawk war. Spencer county, Indiana,
was named in honor of this family.

John Snyder, father of Mrs. Morrison,
was a farmer during his lifetime and im-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

139

proved a fine farm in Claremont township,
where he died at the age of fifty-seven years
in 1861. His wife survived several years
and died at the home of her daughter at
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, at the advanced age
of eighty-three years. She was the mother
of five children, four of whom are still liv-
ing. Her only son, John Snyder, was a sol-
dier in the Civil war, having enlisted as soon
as old enough, in the Seventh Illinois Cav-
alry. He was in many engagements, and
his health was impaired while in the service.
He now lives in Douglas county, Missouri.
Mrs. Morrison is the mother of three
children ; Mary, the wife of J. F. Jolly, of
Olney; Mattie, wife of J. L. Clevlen, of
Poplar Bluff, Missouri; Kate, the wife of
E. A. Powers, of Olney. Mrs. Morrison
makes her home with her children, spending
most of her time in Olney. She is one of
the oldest residents of the county now living.
Her life has been one of the usual hardship
and pleasure, of victory and defeat, but lived
in such a manner as to result in no harm to
others, as was also that of her worthy hus-
band, both being faultless in honor, fearless
in conduct and stainless in reputation, com-
manding the uniform regard and esteem of
their many friends.

SAMUEL D. GRAHAM.

The enterprising citizen whose name
heads this article needs no introduction to
the people of Marion county. He has been

for some time prominently identified with
the financial and industrial interests of the
community where he resides and always
manifesting an active interest in the pub-
lic welfare. His long life has been a most
active and useful one in every respect, and
has resulted in the accumulation of an
ample competence for his closing years as
well as in much good to his fellow men and
the community at large, where he has many
warm friends.

Samuel D. Graham was born in Rush
county, Indiana, in April, 1836, the son of
Hezekiah and Sarah (Smith) Graham.
Grandfather Graham was born in Scotland
and came to Pennsylvania in the seven-
teenth century. Both he and his brother,
Isaac, came from Scotland and both fought
in the Revolutionary war. Grandfather
was a captain and he had his eyes burned by
the explosion of a gun in the hands of one
of his own soldiers and eventually lost his
eyesight from the effects of it, having been
blind for twenty years before his death. He
never drew his pension although it was al-
lowed. It is in the hands of the govern-
ment yet. He was about eighty years old
when he died, leaving eight children living
out of a family of nine, all of whom lived
to maturity, five of whom moved to Ohio,
where they made homes and reared families
and where they died. Grandfather was dea-
con in the Baptist church for forty years,
and he and Grandmother Graham were
Baptists and always lived the Christian life.

Grandfather Smith was a native of Penn-
sylvania, who moved from there to Butler

HKICKAI'IIICAI. AM) UK M I ,\ 1SC1CNT HISTORY OF

county, Ohio, after the death of his first
wife. He and our subject's father were
married by the same minister and with the
same ceremony. In Grandfather Smith's
family there were seven children, who lived
to maturity. The youngest daughter by
this marriage, Rebecca McClelland, was the
mother of Gen. George B. McClelland.
There was no issue from the second mar-
riage. Grandfather Smith lived to be well
advanced in years. After his remains had
been buried twelve years, they were taken
up for removal and it was found that his
body was petrified. Grandfather Smith was
a Revolutionary soldier and one of his sons-
in-law, Oren Davis, was with him as a sol-
dier, and his son, Charles was in the Black
Hawk war.

The father of the subject left Pennsyl-
vania when twenty years old. He did not
have early school advantages, but in time
became educated and a well read man
through his own persistent efforts, being
particularly well informed on historical mat-
ters and events. He settled in Butler
county, Ohio, buying timbered land which
he cleared and developed into a good farm,
living there for about twelve years, when he
moved to Rush county, Indiana, in 1831,
remaining there until his death, which oc-
curred at the age of seventy-two years, his
date of birth having occurred on August 6,
1799. His wife was born in October, 1800.
He was twice married, his first wife being
the mother of our subject. She died at the
age of thirty-seven years, having given
birth to eleven children, seven of whom

lived to maturity. The father was married
again, there being born to the last union
ten children, all of whom lived to maturity.
The father and mother were Baptists. The
former spent his entire life on a farm,
leaving a farm and a goodly share of money
to his heirs, and also left land in Iowa, all
of which shows that he was a thrifty and
prudent man of affairs.

Hezekiah Graham, father of the subject,
in addition to his own family of eighteen
children took four orphan boys and one
girl and kept them until they reached ma-
turity and in addition to these he was al-
ways hunting and finding homes for other
orphan children, and his own smoke-house
and granary were always open to the poor
and needy. He believed with the great
philosopher, Henry Drummond, that "The
greatest thing a man can do for his
Heavenly Father is to be kind to some of
His children."

Samuel D. Graham, our subject, had but
little opportunity to attend school, having
spent altogether less than six months in the
school room. He worked on his father's
farm until he was twenty-six years old, then
hired out as a farm hand for ten years, dur-
ing which time he saved his earnings and
bought a farm in Fayette county, Indiana.
He lived there for ten years, then sold out
and bought another farm in Union county,
Indiana, and sold this at the end of two
years, when he moved to Illinois, settling
in Marion county, buying a farm of one
hundred and eighty-five acres of improved
land, near Kinmundy in 1882. In 1903 he

RICIILAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

bought his splendid modern residence and
two acres of ground in Kinmundy, where
he has since resided. He sold his
farm here and bought a farm in
Butler county, Missouri, consisting of one
hundred and sixty acres of improved bottom
land on which his son resides and success-
fully manages. Since coming to Kinmundy
our subject has lived in peaceful and hon-
orable retirement, conscious of a well spent
life, which has been a very active one and
has resulted in success in an eminent
degree. He always benefited himself in
his land deals and was an unusually good
farmer, keeping his farms well improved
and in a high state of cultivation.

Our subject was married in 1870 to Mrs.
Rhoda E. Prichard, nee Patterson, a native
of Union county, Indiana. Her father,
Alexander Patterson, was born December
7, 1815, and came to Ohio when fifteen
years of age, later to Union county, Indiana,
where his father had purchased an eighty-
acre farm. He lived and died on that farm.
Mrs. Graham became the mother of three
children by her first marriage, all of whom
are deceased. One of the oldest brothers,
James M. Patterson, was a soldier during
the Civil war from Indiana, and was killed
at Winchester, Virginia, in the battle of
September 19, 1864. Her people were of
Scotch-German descent. Her grandparents
on her father's side were married Septem-
ber 6, 1798. Grandfather Patterson was
born April 14, 1769, and Grandmother Pat-
terson was born July 29, 1776.

The following children have been born

to Mr. and Mrs. Graham: Harvey McClel-
land, born August 23, 1871, was accident-
ally killed in 1904; William H., was born
in 1873, is living on a farm in Missouri, is
married, but has no children living: Tillie
Alma, who was born December 15, 1878,
died January 28, 1879; Katie L., born May
6, 1880, is the wife of Melvin Hamilton,
and is living in Indiana. They have two
children living.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Graham are active
members of the Baptist church. Our sub-
ject is a loyal Democrat, but seldom takes
much interest in political affairs, however,
his support is always for the good of the
community in all questions.

Our subject has been a great reader, hav-
ing read the Bible through not less than six
or seven times, besides scores of other good
books and much pure literary matter. He
relates that he has been acquainted with
not less than five hundred of the Grahams
and that he never knew or heard of
one of them who ever used intoxicants of
any kind or character, and but few of them
who ever used tobacco., and about one-half
of them are church people.

ERASTUS D. TELFORD.

Only those who come in personal con-
tact with the gentleman whose name appears
above, the popular and well known City At-
torney of Salem, Illinois, can understand
how thoroughly nature and training, habits

142

BIOGRAPHICAL AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of thought and action, have enabled him to
accomplish his life work and made him a fit
representative of the enterprising class of
professional people to which he belongs. He
is a fine .type of the sturdy, conscientious
American of today — a man who unites a
high order of ability with courage, pa-
triotism, clean morality and sound common
.sense, doing thoroughly and well the work
that he finds to do and asking praise of no
man for the performance of what he con-
ceives to be his simple duty.

Erastus D. Tel ford was born in Raccoon
township, Marion county, April 23, 1874.
J. D. Telford, whose life history is embod-
ied in another part of this volume, who has
long been a well known and influential char-
acter about Salem, is the father of our sub-
ject. Samuel G. Telford, who lives in
Haines township, and who was born in 1827
in this county, and who is still making his
home two and one-half miles west of where
he was born, is the subject's grandfather.
His great-grandfather was James Telford,
a native of South Carolina, who settled in
Marion county in 1822, died in 1856. Our
subject's father was the first Republican
Sheriff of Marion county, having been
elected in 1882. The mother of the subject
was known in her maidenhood as Ann
Wyatt, a native of Tennessee and the rep-
resentative of a fine old southern family.
Her father sold all his possessions in that
state and came to Illinois in 1860, settling
on the farm now owned by J. D. Telford,
father of the subject of this sketch, to whom
and his worthy and faithful life companion

seven children were born, all living at this
writing, named in order of birth as follows :
Dr. A. T., of Olney, Illinois; Erastus D.,
our subject; Ula, of the United States Life
Saving Station of Chicago ; Omer, who lives
on a farm three miles west of Salem; Oran
is living at .home; Erma, who is still a
member of the family circle; J. D., Jr.
These children were reared in a wholesome
home atmosphere and were given every ad-
vantage possible by their parents.

E. D. Telford has lived in Salem for
twenty-six years, or since his father moved
here. He worked on the parental farm un-
til he was twenty-one years old, where he
received valuable training in the out door
life of the country, not the least advantage
of which was the acquisition of a robust con-
stitution which is a necessary prerequisite
for the battle of life in any field of endeavor.
He attended the public schools in his neigh-
borhood and later graduated in 1890 from
the Salem high schools where he made a
splendid record, for our subject early de-
termined to secure a good education and fit
himself as best he possibly could for life's
ardent duties.

After leaving school he decided to teach
and consequently followed this line of work
with marked success for a few years, during
which time he became widely known
throughout the county as an able instructor.
But not being satisfied with the education
he already possessed, and with the routine
and somewhat obscure work of the teacher,
he gave up his work and entered McKen-
dree College, a denominational school at

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

143

Lebanon, Illinois, from which institution he
graduated with high honors in 1897, with
the degree Bachelor of Science. Having
decided to make the profession of law his
life work, Mr. Telford in the fall of 1898
went to Washington City and entered the
law department of Georgetown University,
where he made a brilliant record and from
which institution he graduated in 1900. In
the meantime he had been appointed to a po-
sition in the United States Treasury depart-
ment, his unusual talents having attracted
the attention of authorities in this depart-
ment. Mr. Telford remained in the Treas-
ury department, where he gave the greatest
satisfaction to the higher officials and where
his work was very creditably and faithfully
performed until April i, 1906, when he re-
signed and returned to Salem, Illinois, for
the purpose of engaging in the practice of
law, and, useless to say that his success was
instantaneous, and he at once had a large
clientele, his office being sought by clients
with a wide range of cases, and his fame
soon overspread Marion county, extending
to other fields, consequently he was fre-
quently called to other localities on import-
ant cases and his cool, careful, determined
manner in presenting his arguments before
a jury seldom failed in bringing a verdict in
his favor.

Mr. Telford was soon slated for political
preferment, leaders in his party being quick
to detect unusual ability as a public official
in him, consequently in April, 1907, he was
elected City Attorney of Salem, which posi-
tion he now very creditably fills to the satis-
faction of the entire community. At the

primaries in August, 1908, he was nomi-
nated by the Republicans for State Attorney
for Marion county.

Mr. Telford's domestic life dates from
November i, 1900, when he was united in
marriage with Coral M. Wright, the accom-
plished daughter of William Wright, a well
known and influential citizen of Lincoln,
Nebraska. The following bright and inter-
esting children have come into the cozy and
pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. Telford,
bringing additional sunshine: Elbridge
Wright Telford, whose day of birth oc-
curred September 29, 1901 ; Dorothy Mar-
garet, who first saw the light of day on
August 1 8, 1905.

Mr. Telford has been a careful business
man as well as a successful attorney, and he
has accumulated rapidly, now being a stock-
holder in the Salem National Bank, also the
Salem Building and Loan Association. He
is the owner of a modern, substantial and
beautiful residence on North Broadway.

In his fraternal relations, our subject is a
member of the ancient and honorable order
of Masons, the Blue Lodge and the Royal
Arch Chapter; also a Modern Woodman.
And both he and his wife are consistent and
faithful members of the Methodist Episco-
pal church. Mr. Telford is one of the sub-
stantial and popular men of Marion county,
and his home which is presided over with
rare grace and dignity by Mrs. Telford, is
the center of a genial hospitality. He is
liberal in his support of all religious and
charitable movements, and no one takes a
greater pride in the progress of his commu-
nity.

144

'.lor.K.MMIICAl. A\l> KKMIXISCKNT HISTORY OF

\VILLIAM T. STORMENT.

The gentleman whose name introduces
this sketch is one of the leading farmers and
fruit growers of Marion county, and also
enjoys the distinction of being a representa-
tive of two of the old and highly esteemed
pioneer families of the township in which he
lives. John Stormenit, his grandfather,
a South Carolinian by birth, moved to
Marion county about the year 1838,
and purchased a large tract of govern-
ment land, principally in what is now Haines
township, the patents for which bearing the
signature of President Van Buren are now
in the possession of the subject of this re-
view. John Storment became a prosperous ^
farmer and representative citizen and
wielded a strong influence among the early
settlers of Haines township, having been a
man of great force of character and deter-
mination of purpose. He did much to pro-
mote the interests of agriculture and will
long be remembered as one of the sterling
yeomen to whose labors and influence the
present flourishing condition of Haines
township is largely due.

William K. Storment, son of John Stor-
ment and father of William T., was a native
of Marion county and for many years one
of the progressive farmers and enterprising-
citizens of the township of Haines. He, too,
was public spirited and a natural leader
among his fellow men, stood high in the es-
teem of all with whom he came into contact
and belonged to that large and eminently re-
spectable class who in a quiet but forceful

way do so much for the material progress
of the country and give moral tone to the
body politic. At the breaking out of the late
Civil war he enlisted in the One Hundred
and Eleventh Illinois Infantry and devoted
three of the best years of his life to the serv-
ice of his country, participating in all the
campaigns and battles in which his regiment
was engaged and earning an honorable rec-
ord as a brave and gallant defender of the
Union.

When a young man William K. Stormem
married Miss Martha I. Wham, of Marion
county, and in due time became the father
of five children, namely: Elmer (deceased:
Minnie (deceased); John R., a farmer and
fruit grower of Mississippi ; William T., of
this review, and one that died in infancy.
The parents of these children were esteemed
members of the United Presbyterian church
and spared no pains to impress upon their
young minds and hearts the principles of re-
ligion and the beauty and value of a living
Christian faith. William K. Storment was
not only an influential man in the affairs of
his church, but was also a local politician of
considerable note, having been one of the
leading Republicans of his township, though
never a partisan, much less a seeker after
the honors and emoluments of public office.
He died some years ago on the home farm
in Haines township, lamented by all who
knew him, leaving to his descendants the
memory of an honored name, which they
value as a priceless heritage. Mrs. Storment
is the daughter of William Wham, one of
the early settlers of Marion county and an

RESIDENCE OF W. T. STORMENT,

OF WEti|t..

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

145

influential factor of the pioneer period. She
is still living and enjoys the acquaintance of
a large circle of friends, who hold her in the
highest personal regard.

William T. Storment, to a brief review of
whose career the following lines are de-
voted, was born in Haines township on the
farm one mile north of Kell, which he now
owns and occupies, September 10, 1867.
Like the majority of country lads, he was
reared to habits of industry, early became
familiar with the various duties of farm life
and in the public schools, which he attended
at intervals during his minority, received his
educational training. Manifesting a decided
taste for mechanical pursuits while still
young, he turned his abilities in this direc-
tion to practical use by learning carpentry, at
which he acquired more than ordinary pro-
ficiency and which he followed for some
years in his own and neighboring localities,
a number of residences and other edifices
bearing witness to his ability and skill as a
builder. After a time, however, he discon-
tinued his trade and purchasing the home
farm, has since given his attention to agri-
culture and fruit growing, meeting with
most encouraging success and achieving
much more than local repute as a progres-
sive and up-to-date tiller of the soil. In the
meantime he has made many valuable im-
provements on the place, remodeling the
house and converting it into a first class mod-
ern dwelling with all the latest conveniences,
including among others a heating plant that
adds greatly to the comfort of the home, be-
sides lessening in no small degree the ex-
10

pense of providing fuel. The barn, which is
one of the largest and most conveniently ar-
ranged buildings of the kind in the neigh-
borhood, is a model of architectural and
mechanical skill, while all the other improve-
ments are in keeping therewith, the farm
consisting of one hundred and twenty-five
acres of highly improved land, being one of
the most valuable as well as one of the most
desirable places of its area in Marion county.
Mr. Storment takes a pardonable pride in
his home and has spared neither pains nor
expense in making it beautiful and attractive
and it is now conceded to be one of the fin-%
est country seats not only in Marion county,
but in the southern part of the state. Be-
lieving this section of Illinois to possess the
necessary characteristics for successful fruit
growing, Mr. Storment some years ago
planted a part of his farm in choice apple,
pear and peach trees, the results in due time
more than realizing his highest expectations.
Encouraged by the success of the venture,
he continued planting from time to time, un-
til he now has one hundred and ten acres in
fruit, the income from which far surpasses
what he ever received from the raising of
grain. He makes horticulture not only his
chief business, but pursues it with the en-
thusiasm and delight of a pastime. He de-
votes much time to the study of the subject,
reduces his researches to practical tests, and
in this way has made the business very re-
munerative. By employing scientific meth-
ods, such as proper fertilizing, spraying,
pruning, etc., he never fails to realize abun-
dant crops of the finest fruits raised in this

i46

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

part of the state, and that, too, when other
orchards fail entirely or at least bear but a
scanty supply and of a poor and inferior
quality. Among the improvements of which
he makes use is a portable gas engine for the
purpose of spraying, the value of which in
the saving of time as well as of insuring full
yields is many hundred fold in excess of the
amount the contrivance cost.

Mr. Storment is not only the leading hor-
ticulturist in Marion county, but as a farm-
er he also occupies a place in the front rank.
making use of modern implements and ma-
,chinery and employing only the most ap-
proved methods in the cultivation of the soil.
He is essentially progressive in his ideas, be-
lieves that satisfactory results can only be ob-
tained from the exercise of sound judgment
and wise discretion and possessing the abil-
ity to foresee with remarkable accuracy the
future outcome of present action, he is sel-
dom if ever disappointed in any of his plans
or undertakings. A man of strong charac-
ter and inflexible integrity, he stands high
as a citizen, takes an active interest in pub-
lic matters both general and local and all
measures and enterprises for the material
progress of the country and the social and
moral advancement of the people are sure to
enlist his hearty co-operation and support.
His political views are in harmony with the
principles and traditions of the Republican
party, and while firm in his convictions and
earnest and fearless in maintaining the
soundness of his opinions, he cannot be
called a partisan, nor has he ever disturbed
the even tenor of his life by aspiring to of-

fice or leadership. He is first of all a credit-
able representative of the ancient and hon-
orable calling of agriculture and as such he
ranks among the most enterprising and suc-
cessful men in the state, this, with the simple
title of citizen, being sufficient to make him
contented with his lot, as well as an example
to his fellow men in correct living.

The domestic life of Mr. Storment dates
from 1892, in which year he was united in
marriage with Esta Davis, of Marion coun-
ty, daughter of Bloom P. and Mariah (Al-
bert) Davis, both natives of Illinois, the fa-
ther of Jefferson county, the mother of the
county of Marion. Mr. and Mrs. Storment
are esteemed members of the United Presby-
terian church, belonging to what is known as
the Romine Prairie congregation and active
in all lines of religious and charitable work
under the auspices of the same. Socially they
are numbered among the best people of the
community in which they reside and their
popularity is limited only by the circle of
their acquaintance. The Davis family, to
which Mrs. Storment belongs, has long oc-
cupied a conspicuous place in the confidence
and respect of the people of Marion county
and its reputation for honorable manhood
and womanhood is second to that of no oth-
er family in this part of the state. For many
years the name has been identified with the
Christian church of Marion and neighboring
counties, Mr. Davis and his wife having
been prominent members of that body and
influential in religious work in their own and
other localities. Mrs. Storment is the oldest
of a family of four children, three sisters and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

a brother, namely: Maggie, who married
Ernest Kell, of Marion county ; Anderson,
who lives on the home farm, and Minnie,
who is unmarried and also a member of the
home circle.

JUDGE THEODORE AUGUSTUS
FRITCHEY.

When it is stated that the subject of this
sketch has served as postmaster of Olney for
three terms, or since 1897, the significance
is so patent that nothing further need be
said as indicating the confidence and
esteem in which he is held by the
people of Richland county. As an
able official and representative and popu-
lar citizen, we are pleased to record in this
work a sketch of the life of Mr. Fritchey, who
is one of the best known men in the county,
and who for many years was among the
most prominent members of the bar and
bench in this locality, and who, during his
long residence here has done so much for
the material, civic, educational and moral
advancement of the county, ever having its
interests at heart and losing no opportunity
to help others in the work of progress
while advancing his own interests.

Theodore Augustus Fritchey was born in
Montgomery county, Ohio, near Dayton,
April 24, 1855, the son of Benjamin and Eliz-
abeth (McQueeny) Fritchey, natives of
Pennsylvania where they were reared and
where they married, later moving to Mont-
gomery county, Ohio, locating in Baltimore,

where the father engaged in merchandising.
In 1870 he came to Olney where he continued
in the mercantile busines until his death in
1876, at the age of seventy years. His worthy
life companion passed to her rest in 1900, at
the age of seventy-five years. They were
people of many praiseworthy traits and hon-
orable at all times. They were the parents
of eight children, all deceased except the sub-
ject of this sketch and one daughter, Mrs.
J. I. Moutray, of Kokomo, Indiana, the sub-
ject having been the fifth in order of birth.
He was reared in Ohio and Illinois, receiving
a public school education. He was an ambi-
tious lad and when twenty years old began
the study of law with Wilson and Hutchin-
son, for years the leading law firm of South-
ern Illinois. He made rapid progress and
was admitted to the bar in 1879. He then
formed a partnership with Judge J. C. Allen,
which continued until 1907. They did ar.
immmense business, the combination being
one of peculiar power and their clients came
from all parts of the county and surrounding
counties, it being generally recognized as one
of the best firms in the locality. The subject
became prosperous through his successful
practice and since the date mentioned ha=
been practically retired, having given up all
legal practice, preferring to devote all his
time to the post-office and his business inter-
ests in Richland and adjoining counties. He
has large interests in oil.

In his political relations our subject is a
Republican, always loyal to his party's prin-
ciples and always active. When he was
twenty-one years old he was elected City

i48

I'.IOCKAPHICAL AND RKM I X ISfKXT HISTORY OF

Clerk by a majority of one, and he so faith-
fully did his work that he was re-electe'J to
serve four years in all. In 1881 he was
elected City Attorney for one term of two
years. Then for two terms of four years as
County Judge. He made a splendid record
both as City Attorney and as Judge, dispos-
ing of many important cases in a manner that
stamped him as an able and learned jurist and
well versed in the law. In 1897 he was ap-
pointed postmaster of Olney by President
McKinley and is now (1909) serving his
third term with entire satisfaction.

Judge Fritchey's happy domestic life be-
gan in 1889, when he was united in mar-
riage with Mary Eliza Bucher, a native of
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter of
John E. and Mary E. (Eby) Bucher, also na-
tives of Pennsylvania. They moved to Ohio,
where her father became the head of graded
and high schools and where he died. Mrs.
Bucher lives with her daughter, wife of our
subject.

Mr. and Mrs. Fritchey are the parents of
two children, both giving promise of suc-
cessful futures, and who are receiving every
care and attention from their fond parents.
They bear the names Paul B. and Theodore
A., Jr.

In his fraternal relations Judge Fritchey
belongs to the ancient and honored Masonic
Order, Knights Templar, also the Shrine.
He is a charter member of Olney lodge No.
926, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. Mr. and Mrs. Fritchey are faithful
and consistent members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. They have a beautiful

home in which is a fine library of choice
volumes, where the judge spends many hours
in reading and reflection, and they are known
as people of kindness, integrity and culture.

Judge Fritchey stands admittedly in the
front ranks of Richland county's distin-
guished citizens, possessing a thorough
knowledge of law and keeping in close touch
with the trend of modern thought. He has
ever maintained his high standing, never de-
scending beneath the dignity of his profes-
sion nor compromising his usefulness by
countenancing any but legitimate practice.

LEANDER C. MATTHEWS.

The subject has spent his entire life in this
county and he has always had deeply at
heart the well-being and improvement of the
county, using his influence whenever pos-
sible for the promotion of enterprises cal-
culated to be of lasting benefit to his fellow
men, besides taking a leading part in all
movements for the advancement of the com-
munity along social, intellectual and moral
lines.

Leander C. Matthews was born South of
Salem, in the edge of Jefferson county, May
25, 1848, the son of Andrew J. and Hulda
(Swafford) Matthews, natives of Tennessee
and Illinois, respectively, and both repre-
sentatives of honorable and well known
families in their own communities.

Our subject remained under his parental
roof until he reached man's estate and at-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

149

tended the district schools in his native com-
munity and in Centralia, where he applied
himself in a careful manner and received a
good education.

Mr. Matthews early decided to devote his
life to a business career and he has bent
every effort to this end with gratifying re-
sults.

He commenced a general business in 1883
at Fairman, Marion county, Illinois, where
he remained ten years with much success at-
tending his efforts. He is at this writing
engaged in the hay, grain and implement
business in Kinmundy, this county, and is
conducting a thriving business, his trade
extending to all parts of the county and
penetrating to adjoining counties, in
fact he is one of the best known
dealers in these lines in this part of the state
and the able manner in which he conducts
his business and his courteous treatment
with those with whom he deals insure him
a liberal income from year to year.

Mr. Matthews was united in marriage Oc-
tober 8, 1873, to S. Elizabeth Lydick, who
was born near Odin, this county, December
24, 1854, the refined and affable daughter
of Isaac and Sarah (Sugg) Lydick, a well
known family of that locality.

The following family has been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Matthews: Lillian, Baby,
Hallie, Hulda, Carl. They have all gone to
their rest except Hulda, who is the wife of
Albert C. Dunlap, of Champaign, Illinois.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Matthews is
a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, of Kinmundy, also of the Knights

of Pythias of this place. In politics he is a
loyal Democrat and takes a vital interest in
his party's affairs, however, he has never
aspired to positions of public trust. Both
he and his wife are members of the Chris-
tian church, and our subject is regarded as
one of the substantial church workers of
Kinmundy, and he has long taken an active
part in all religious affairs. He is a man
of large public spirit and enterprise, and per-
sonally is of the genial and sunny type,
pleasant to meet and makes friends readily.
He likes a good story and enjoys a good
joke, and because of these qualities of com-
mendation and genuine worth Mr. Mat-
thews has won a host of warm friends which
he retains, being popular with all classes in
his community where he maintains a home
that is comfortable, substantial and pleasant
in all its appointments and which is regarded
as a place of generous hospitality and good
cheer.

THE OLNEY SANITARIUM.

One of the important institutions of Rich-
land county, Illinois, in fact, one of the best
known in the southern part of the state, is
the Olney Sanitarium. Its phenomenal
growth in a short time from a modest begin-
ning to a prominent place, has been due to
the untiring efforts and extraordinary surgi-
cal and business ability of the founder, Dr.
George T. Weber. Fourteen years ago, 1894,
he had just received his degree of Doctor of
Medicine and had begun practice as a young

AX1) KKMIX1SCKXT HISTORY OF

man without means ; however, he was always
ambitious and an assiduous worker and made
a good record in school, and it was predicted
by his instructors and friends that the future
held great things in store for him. His first
practice was in the village of Ingraham, Clay
county, near his birthplace, where he re-
mained for four years with growing popular-
ity and success, during which time his work
in surgery and special cases had attracted
more than ordinary attention and had sug-
gested to him the necessity and desirability
of a central point, where patients could be
cared for better than at their hofnes. Accord-
ingly in 1898 he came to Olney and purchased
the old Arlington hotel building, a three-
story brick structure which was duly remod-
eled and equipped for hospital purposes.

The hospital was thrown open for the re-
ception of patients in the fall of 1898 and
from the first the success of the undertaking
was assured. It soon became necessary to em-
ploy assistants and in due time Doctor Ziliak
became a partner. During the years 1900
and 1901, a three-story addition, which now
constitutes the main part of the structure, was
erected, making possible the care of twenty-
four additional patients in as many rooms.
In the latter part of 1905, a brother of the
founder, F. J. Weber, who had recently
graduated from a medical college, bought the
interest of Doctor Ziliak, since which time the
business has been owned and conducted by
Webers. In 1907, another brother, J. C.
Weber, also a physician and surgeon, be-
came interested in the sanitarium, also two
sisters, Catherine and Philomena Weber,

both of whom are graduated and very pro-
ficient nurses. A stock company was accord-
ingly formed and incorporated March 5,
1907, with a capital stock of forty thousand
dollars and the following officers were elected
which continue to serve at this writing:
George T. Weber, president; Frank J.
Weber, secretary and treasurer. The stock-
holders include the above and Joseph C.r
Catherine and Philomena Weber.

No institution of a similar nature ever had
a more rapid growth and it is today regarded
as one of the best in the state. The busi-
ness of the sanitarium is devoted principally
to surgical and special cases, also chronic
cases and some mild forms of nervous dis-
eases. Hundreds of operations are annually
performed here and are uniformly successful.

The Olney Sanitarium is a three-story
brick structure, with a basement underneath
the entire building with accommodations for
thirty-six patients. It is operated at the
limit of its capacity all the time and plans are
being considered for further enlarging the
building, the numerous application of pa-
tients all over the country rendering more
room a necessity. The basement is used for a
drug department, storage purposes and the.
keeping of fruits, vegetables, etc. The first
floor is devoted to reception rooms, offices,
consultation rooms, dining room and kitchen,
rooms and verandas for canvalescents, etc.
The upper floors are devoted to wards for
patients. The operating room is on the sec-
ond floor. It is sixteen by sixteen feet and
contains everything in modern equipment
usually found in institutions of like character.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Fourteen trained nurses are employed con-
tinually and six ether employes are constantly
in the building, helping in various ways. Dr.
Frank J. Weber is the house physician and
Miss Catherine Weber is the superintendent.

George T. Weber, M. D., was born in In-
graham, Clay county, Illinois, September 10,
1868, the son of Benedict and Regina (Scha-
fer) Weber, the former a native of Germany,
who came to the United States when twenty-
six years old, and the latter was born in Gib-
son county, Indiana, of German parents.
They were married in Indiana and in 1865
settfld in Jasper county, near Ingraham. His
father was a carpenter and farmer. The sub-
ject of this sketch was reared on a farm in
his native township. He received a common
school education there and an academic
training at Princeton, Indiana, from which
institution he graduated, having taught
school in the meantime to get money for a
higher education. His parents were poor
and reared a large family, there being nine
children in number, of whom our subject is
the oldest son living. He entered Washing-
ton University at St. Louis in 1891, taking a
medical course and graduating in 1894. He
located in his home town and practiced for
four years, his success having been instanta-
neous, especially in surgical cases. He came
to Olney in 1898, having purchased a build-
ing here and he had some equipment before
moving.

Dr. George T. Weber's domestic life began
November 28. 1894, when he married Eliza-
beth Hausner, daughter of Joseph and Ger-
trude (Nix) Hausner, former residents of

Clay county, a well known and influential
family there for many years. Mr. Hausner,
who was a cabinet maker, is deceased, as is
also his wife. The subject and wife are the
parents of nine children, namely : Gertrude,
Helen, Pauline ; George, Jr., was killed in an
accident by colliding with a horse and buggy
in 1907, having been knocked from a wheel
and receiving a fracture to the skull ; Ber-
nard, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, George, sec-
ond junior.

In politics our subject is a Democrat, but
is not active. However, he takes an interest
in whatever relates to the development of
his community. Fraternally he is a member
of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks
and the Knights of Columbus. He and his
family are faithful followers of the Catholic
church. He is a member of the American
Medical Association, the Illinois State Medi-
cal Society, the Southern Illinois State Medi-
cal Society, the Richland County Medical
Society, being influential and prominent in
all. He is a very progressive man, is a stu-
dent at all times and devotes his entire time to
his profession. In 1907 he took a post-gradu-
ate course at the Post-Graduate School in
Chicago, giving special attention to surgery.

Joseph Cornelius Weber, M. D., was born
in Jasper county, Illinois, October i, 1875,
and was reared on the farm, receiving his ed-
ucation in the public schools, the high school
at Ingraham and Austin College, Effingham,
Illinois. In the fall of 1896 he entered the
Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, from
which he graduated in 1899. He ranked
high in his class and was successful from the

152

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

first. He practiced one year at Newton in the
place of Doctor Crawley, whose health was
impaired. During the following seven years
he was at Clay City, Clay county. He then
came to Olney and joined his brother in the
fall of 1907, becoming a stockholder in the
Sanitarium corporation, as already intimated.

The married life of Dr. Joseph C. Weber
began in 1900 when he was united in the
bonds of matrimony with Zula Kepp, a native
of Ingraham, Illinois, the daughter of Corne-
lius and Mary (Pew) Kepp, natives of Clay
county, the former having died there in 1906.
Two children have blessed the home of Dr.
and Mrs. J. C. Weber, Paul and Frank. In
politics he is a Democrat, and a member of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
also a member of the American Medical As-
sociation, the Illinois State Medical Associa-
tion, the Southern Illinois Medical Associa-
tion, the Richland and Clay county Medical
societies.

Frank J. Weber, M. D., was born on a
farm in Jasper county, Illinois, July 23, 1878,
where he was reared. He attended the com-
mon schools at Ingraham, also Austin Col-
lege at Effingham. He entered \Vashington
University at St. Louis in 1900, having grad-
uated with honor from the medical depart-
ment in 1904. He located in Clay City and
was there engaged in practice with his broth-
er, Dr. J. C. Weber, for seven months, after
which he came to Olney and purchased Doc-
tor Ziliak's interest in the sanitarium and
joined his brother. Dr. George T., in the work.
When the corporation was formed he became
the secretary and treasurer, as already stated,

and the resident physician. He is a member
of the Richland County Medical Society, the
Illinois State Medical Society and the Amer-
ican Medical Association. He was united in
marriage, May 29, 1908, to Gertrude Loftin,
a native of Spencer, Indiana, and the daugh-
ter of J. C. and lola (Hoover) Loftin, now
residents of Marion, Indiana. Dr. Frank J.
Weber is a member of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, No. 926. and in
politics he is a Democrat. Like his brothers
he is a man of many commendable character-
istics and they all make friends easily.

GEORGE S. RAINEY, M. D.

Good intellectual training, thorough pro-
fessional knowledge and the possession and
utilization of the qualities and attributes es-
sential to success, have made the subject of
this review eminent in his chosen calling,
and he stands today among the enterprising
and successful physicians in a community
noted for its high order of medical talent,
while at the same time he has won the con-
fidence and esteem of the people of Marion
and adjoining counties for his upright life
and genial disposition.

Dr. George S. Rainey was born in Salem,
Illinois, May 18, 1849, and he is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rainey,
Scotch-Irish people of the best ancestry as
far back as it can be traced. The father was
a Kentuckian, who came to Illinois as early
as 1832, settling in Marion county on a farm

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

153

which he transformed from a practically
wild tract to a highly improved and produc-
tive farm. When the doctor was two years
old, his father moved on a farm near Wal-
nut Hill, Marion county. He was a man of
many sterling qualities, like those of most
pioneers, and he became a man of consider-
able influence in this- county, being known
as an honest and worthy citizen in every
respect. He was called from his earthly
labors in 1868. The subject's mother, a
woman of praiseworthy character, was
known in her maidenhood as Margaret
Cunningham, and was also a native of Ken-
tucky; her father, a man of unusual forti-
tude and sterling character, moved to Illi-
nois in 1824. Seven children of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Rainey died in infancy. Their
other children are: Dr. J. K. Rainey, the
oldest child, died in Florida; Matthew was
a surgeon in the One Hundred and Eleventh
Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the Union
Army, and was the first soldier from Marion
county to fall in the Civil war, having lost
his life at the battle of Bellmont while a
member of the Twenty-second Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry; Dr. A. H. Rainey, of Cen-
tralia, Illinois.

Our subject was a mere lad during the
war between the states, but he felt it his
duty to sever home ties and offer his services
in defense of the flag, consequently he en-
listed in the Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteer
Infantry when he lacked two months of
being sixteen years old, but his bravery and
gallantry were equal to that of the oldest
veteran in the regiment. He served in the

campaign around Petersburg, Richmond,
and was at the surrender of Lee at Appa-
mattox, thus being in some of the bloodiest
engagements of the war. After receiving
an honorable discharge he returned home
and assisted his father with the farm work,
attending the neighboring schools, complet-
ing the high school course at Salem, stand-
ing in the front rank of his class, for he
was a diligent student and made the best use
possible of his time. Believing that his tal-
ents lay along medical lines he began study-
ing for a career as a physician. He
graduated in medicine in 1875 at the Louis-
ville Medical College. He at once began
practice in Salem, his success being instan-
taneous, and he has been here ever since,
having always had a very large practice in
this vicinity and throughout the county.

Dr. Rainey has taken a post-graduate
course in the New York Polyclinic Institute
of Physicians and Surgeons, having spent
the winter of 1888 in the school just men-
tioned. Dr. Rainey has also taken special
courses in medical colleges in St. Louis and
Chicago, consequently he is today and has
been for many years at the head of his pro-
fession, being so recognized by the eminent
practitioners of medicine in other parts of
Illinois. He has also been connected with
the Baltimore & Ohio and Chicago & East-
ern Illinois railroads as surgeon ever since
he has been in practice.

The subject has been a member of the
United States Pension Board of Salem for
twenty-five years. The doctor is at all
times patriotic and ever ready to serve his

154

KIC.K.U'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

country, consequently when the war with
Spain broke out he offered his services and
was commissioned a surgeon in the United
States army, but the war terminated before
he saw active service.

Doctor Rainey's happy and tranquil do-
mestic life dates from 1878, when he was
married to May McMackin, the cultured
and accomplished daughter of Col. W.
E. McMackin of the Twenty-first Illinois
Volunteer Infantry. Colonel McMackin
was for many years one of the best known
and most influential men in his community.

To doctor and Mrs. Rainey one son has
been born, Warren R., who, in 1908, is a
student in the medical department of the
Northwestern University at Chicago, where
he is making an excellent record.

Doctor Rainey is the owner of a large and
fine fruit farm which is very valuable, and
he takes a great interest in it and horticul-
tural subjects, devoting considerable time
to the culture of fine fruits. He has been in
general practice ever since his graduation,
and as indicated above, not only stands high
in his immediate community but also with
his fellow practitioners at large, being a
member of the County, State and National
Medical Association, also of the American
Railway Surgeons of America.

Fraternally he is a loyal member of the
Masonic Order and carries out its sublime
doctrines in his relations with his fellow
men. He is a Presbyterian in his religious
faith, and in politics he is a stanch advocate
of the principles and policies of the Repub-
lican party, with which he has always been

affiliated. Though never animated with
ambition for political preferment he has ever
lent his aid in furthering the party cause,
and is well fortified in his political convic-
tions, while he is at all times public-spirited
to an extent of loyalty.

EDMUND C. BAUGHMAN.

Agriculture has been the true source of
man's dominion on earth ever since the pri-
mal existence of labor, and has been the piv-
otal industry that has controlled for the
most part all the fields of action to which his
intelligence and energy have been devoted.
Among this sturdy element of Richland
county whose labors have profited alike
themselves and the community in which
they live, is the gentleman whose name ap-
pears at the head of this sketch. .

Edmund C. Baughman, a well known
farmer and stockman of Olney, was born in
Coshocton county, Ohio, December 27,
1837, the son of Jacob and Matilda M.
(Houser) Baughman, the former having
been, born near Baltimore, Maryland, and
the latter on the Potomac river, Virginia.
Grandfather Baughman was a native of
Maryland and was a contractor in Balti-
more for many years, where he also carried
an extensive factory for those times in the
manufacture of sash and doors, blinds, etc.
In an early day in the history of Coshocton
county he went there and entered land, hav-
ing crossed the Alleghany mountains on

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARIOX COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

155

horseback, and had bear meat and wild
honey on the trip. However, he did not live
in Ohio but died in Baltimore, where his
wife also died. Jacob Baughman was reared
on a farm near Baltimore, and when young
went to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he
bought land and erected a hewn log cabin
in the heavy timber, in which there was all
kinds of wild game, deer, wild turkey, bear,
etc. He married in Coshocton county, his
wife having come to the county from Vir-
ginia with her parents who were pioneers.
They cleared and improved the land, and
there they lived and died. He was a mem-
ber of the state militia but was never called
upon to serve in any war. He died of pneu-
monia at the age of sixty-eight years, and
his wife survived for several years, dying at
the advanced age of ninety-two. Eight
children were born to them, six of whom
are living. Two sons served in the Civil
war, George and Zenos, the latter with
Sherman's army, both serving until the close
of the war, receiving honorable discharges.
Zenos suffered from sunstroke from which
he never fully recovered. The subject, who
was the fourth child in order of birth, was
reared on the old homestead in his native
county and received a good education, first
in the country schools, later at the academy
in West Bedford, Ohio. He remained at
home until he was twenty years old, assist-
ing with the farm work, finally going to In-
diana, where he taught school for awhile,
but in the spring of 1860 he came to Rich-
land county, bringing all the earthly pos-
sessions he had — a team, wagon, a shepherd

dog, a trunk and less than one hundred dol-
lars in money, having driven the entire dis-
tance. After reaching here he located on
one hundred and twenty acres of land given
him by his father in Madison township,
which had previously been entered by his
father, on which he went to work and im-
proved it, making an excellent farm, build-
ing a house, barn, etc.

Our subject was a good manager and was-
successful. After he married he purchased
six hundred acres in Wayne county, on
which he lived for a time, later moving to
Olney, where he has recently built a beauti-
ful home, up-to-date in every detail. For
many years he has been extensively engaged
in stock raising, being an excellent judge of
stock and always keeping many good varie-
ties. He is a man of great energy and a
hard worker, possessing excellent judgment,
conservative in his business transactions. He
deserves a great deal of credit for what he
has accomplished, for he started with only
one hundred and twenty acres of raw land
and has gradually increased his holdings
until he now owns four thousand acres of
valuable land in the Yazoo Valley, Missis-
sippi, also three thousand acres of timber
land, together with lands in Texas and the
old homestead in Ohio, which he bought
from the heirs.

In 1890 Mr. Baughman organized the
bank at Tuscola, Illinois, under the name
Baughman, Orr & Company, with a capital
stock of thirty-five thousand dollars, which
was successful from the first, and has con-
tinued with increasing prestige ever since,.

156

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the stock having been increased, it being one
of the soundest institutions in this part of
the state. One of the subject's sons is look-
ing after his interests. In 1902 he disposed
of his interest in the bank to his partners.
Mr. Baughman is still very active but does
not handle stock on a very extensive scale at
present, which proved to l>e so profitable
during his earlier business career, making a
fortune, being easily the richest man in
Richland county, and not a dishonest dollar
has passed through his hands.

Mr. Baughman was married March 28,
1 86 1, to Gabriella Reeder, who was born in
Cincinnati, the daughter of Elijah and Lu-
cinda (Smith) Reeder, who were born near
Dayton, Ohio, and who came to Richland
county in the fall of 1853, settling on a farm
in Madison township. In 1871 they moved
to Kansas, later to Missouri, and died in
Harrison, Arkansas.

Our subject and wife are the parents of
eight children who grew to maturity and are
still living, as follows: Edmund J. resides
in Duncan, Mississippi, where he owns a
plantation and also manages that of his
father, and is a very successful business
man; Lucinda married James Wilson, who
resides on a farm in Wayne county, where
she died in 1900; Lottie married J. M. Wi-
nans, a groceryman of Olney; Harry C. re-
sides in Greenville, Mississippi, where he
owns and operates an extensive plantation ;
William R. resides in Southwestern Texas,
being engaged in farming and the land busi-
ness; Ola married George H. Bainum, who
died in Independence, Missouri, in 1904,

leaving one daughter, Ella M., who lives
with the subject and wife; Frank graduated
from the Olney schools in 1901, then spent
three years at the University of Illinois, at
Champaign, having stood at the head of his
class in chemistry and making an excellent
record as a student. During certain experi-
mental work he was poisoned by gases from
which he died in February, 1907. Carl R.,
the subject's youngest child, resides at Rich-
land, Washington, where he is engaged in
the fruit industry. These children are in-
dustrious and well situated in reference to
this world's affairs.

Mr. Baughman is a Republican, but he is
not a politician, not having time to devote
much attention to the affairs of his party.

He was appointed by Governor John P.
Altgeld one of the trustees of the State Nor-
mal University at Carbondale, having been
on the financial and building committees. He
served as Supervisor of Richland county for
one term, during which time bonds were re-
funded to the amount of two hundred thou-
sand dollars, which redeemed the bonds over
which there had been litigaton to the amount
of more than three hundred thousand dol-
lars.

Mr. and Mrs. Baughman are members of
the Methodist Episcopal church at Olney,
and liberal subscribers to the same, Mr.
Baughman having been one of the principal
supporters of the new church building recent-
ly erected, which would be a credit to cities
much larger than Olney.

In business matters Mr. Baughman is
prompt, energetic, trustworthy. He has a

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

157

good fund of that quality too often lacking
in the business world — common sense.
Since starting out in life for himself he has
been self-reliant and progressive. It is all
attributable to the splendid qualities of head
and heart of which he is possessed, and
which he has most judiciously exercised.
And because of his honest and active career
no resident in Richland county is more de-
serving of honorable mention in this vol-
ume.

WILLIAM JASPER YOUNG.

The subject of this biographical review
is among the pioneer farmers of luka town-
ship, Marion county, where he has long
maintained his home, being one of the na-
tive sons of the county who have done so
much to develop Marion in all her phases
until she ranks with the leading counties
of the great Prairie state, and now in the
golden evening of his life this venerable
citizen is enjoying the fruits of a well spent
life and the esteem of a wide circle of
friends. .

William Jasper Young was born in Mar-
ion county, Illinois, June 21, 1826, in Cen-
tralia township, the son of Edward and
Sarah C. (Duncan) Young, the former a
native of Virginia and the latter of Ten-
nessee. Edward Young grew up in Vir-
ginia, and when he reached maturity he
moved to Kentucky, later came to Indiana
and prior to 1826 settled in Marion county,
Illinois. He was a plasterer and bricklayer,

and he made his home in several different
places after coming to Illinois, among them
being Alton, St. Louis, Belleville, Centralia
and Salem. Later in life he settled on the
farm. Edward Young was born June 8,
1803, and died June 9, 1876. He was a sol-
dier in the Black Hawk war. He was,
early in life, a Democrat, and he cut down
the first Whig pole ever erected in Salem.
However, he later became a Republican.
These children were bom to Edward Young
and wife, as follows: Lysander Franklin,
William Jasper, our subject; Julia Ann, de-
ceased; Letta Jane, deceased; James, de-
ceased; Harriet, deceased; Edward, living
in Minnesota ; Sarah also lives in Minnesota.

Sarah C. Duncan, mother of the subject,
was born July 22, 1808, and died November
9, 1886. She was a woman of many beau-
tiful traits of character.

The subject of this sketch worked on his
father's farm from the time he was old
enough to work, and he has followed farm-
ing all his life. In 1852 he came to his
present farm in luka township, Marion
county, having bought a part of it from the
government or state. At that time the for-
ests abounded in much wild game, such as
deer, wolves, wild turkey. He has seen
many a herd of deer from his cabin door.
He cleared up the land and now has a model
farm and modern farm buildings, all well
kept, and his home is nicely and comfort-
ably furnished. A glance over his well
tilled and well fenced fields is sufficient to
show that he is a man of thrift and rare
soundness of judgment. He has in all about

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

three hundred acres, but he now rents out
the land and is practically retired. He han-
dles some good stock of various varieties.

April 13, 1847, Mr. Young was united
in marriage with Sarah J. Songer, who was
born in Washington county, Indiana, Au-
gust 7, 1828, the daughter of Frederick and
Jane (Helm) Songer, natives of Virginia,
but they came to Washington county, In-
diana, when -young and married there, and
in 1828 came to Clay county, Illinois, where
they lived for a time. In 1835 they came
to Marion county, settling in Omega town-
ship, where they farmed and where they
died. They were members of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church.

Eleven children have been born to the
subject and wife, namely: Amanda Elmira
died in childhood; Marcus D. married
Sarah Bobbett and they have two children.
Franklin and Ada; Mary E. is the wife of
George Cox, of Salem, Illinois; Emily El-
vina is the wife of William Robinson, a
farmer living in luka township, and she is
the mother of two children, Ernest Roy and
Flo; Eliza Alice, deceased, was the wife of
Perry Cox and she left two children, Wil-
liam Jasper and George; Jennie is the wife
of Grant Bumgarner, who lives in Texas;
Douglas married Irena Buffington and they
have two children, Charles and Ruth ; Paul
married Martha Criffield; Fred married
Elva Wooden and they have three children,
Pearl, Winafred and Verl ; the tenth and
eleventh children of the subject died un-
named.

Our subject has three great-grandchil-

dren. He and his good wife are now both
more than eighty years old and are remark-
ably bright and active people for their years
and considering the long years of hard work
they both have done. Their happy, pros-
perous and harmonious wedded life extends
over sixty years of time and they have cele-
brated their golden wedding anniversary.
They are among the highly respected and
prominent citizens of the county and greatly
admired and beloved by everyone who
knows them. Our subject is a loyal Demo-
crat. He and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church at luka. They
have always contributed liberally to church
work, also have helped out school work and
all kinds of public enterprises. Fraternally
Mr. Young has belonged to the Masons
since 1863.

Mr. Young was one of the brave and
patriotic supporters of the Union who of-
fered his services and his life in its
defense during the War of the Re-
bellion, having enlisted in Company
E, One Hundred and Eleventh Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry, August 8, 1862,
and served in a most gallant manner until
the close of the war. He was mustered in
at Salem, Illinois, and mustered out in
Washington, District of Columbia, and dis-
charged at Springfield, Illinois. He was in
the Second Brigade, Second Division, Fif-
teenth Army Corps, under General John A.
Logan. He first did post duty at Columbus,
Ohio, awhile, and then, in 1864, joined
Sherman in his campaign about Atlanta,
and was in the first battle of Resaca and in

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

159

the last battle of Shiloh. He also fought at
Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta; in
fact, he was in all the fighting around At-
lanta. The last hard fight he was in was at
Atlanta, Georgia. He was taken prisoner
in front of Atlanta July 22, 1864, and after
being transferred to various prisons in the
South for a period of seven months, was
finally paroled and later exchanged at Wil-
mington, North Carolina.

Mr. Young has always been a man of in-
dustry and he has honestly made what he
has, having been a hard worker and a good
manager. He has led a life of which no one
might be ashamed in any way, for it has
been one of sobriety and filled with good
deeds.

HIRAM ORR.

Now that the summertime of life has
ended and the autumn winds of old age
have come, the subject of this review can
look backward over a career that has been
well spent, resulting in good to those whom
it touched and has brought comfort to him-
self.

Hiram Orr was born in Licking county,
Ohio, December 16, 1828, the son of Zach-
ariah and Mary (Dusthimer) Orr, early
settlers of the Buckeye state, where it is
snpposed they were born. Zachariah was a
farmer, a Democrat, and a member of the
Baptist church. He passed away in Lick-
ing county, Ohio, in 1891, his wife having
died there at an earlier date. Six children

were born to them, namely: Robert, living
in Licking county, - Ohio ; Hiram, our sub-
ject; Sarah, deceased; John, who is living
in Kansas, a retired farmer; Cyrus, de-
ceased; Eliza, also deceased. Zachariah
was married a second time. When he died
he had accumulated quite a competency,
having been a very successful farmer.

Our subject remained at his parental
home, assisting with the work about the
place and attending the old pioneer schools
in cabins with puncheon floors and seats
and windows where greased paper was used
for panes, until he was twenty-one years
old. He has since added very much to the
rudiments of education he gained there by
systematic home reading and study, and
close observation. When of age Mr. Orr
decided to devote his life work to farming
and consequently bought a farm in his na-
tive county, having managed it in a most
successful manner until October i, 1868.
when he moved to Marion county, Illinois,
believing that still greater advantages ex-
isted here on the less crowded western
prairies than in the East and where land
was much cheaper, having sold his Ohio
farm at good figures.

Mr. Orr purchased two hundred and sev-
enty-four acres of land in Stevenson town-
ship on which he continuously lived, bring-
ing it up to a high state of improvement, in
fact, making it one of the "show" farms of
this locality, the fields being well fenced
and well drained and kept in first class pro-
ductive condition through the careful rota-
tion of crops and the application of home

i6o

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

fertilizers, and on this place may always be
found large numbers of all kinds of live
stock of the best grade, Mr. Orr having
ever taken a great interest in stock of vari-
ous kinds. A modern, substantial and nice-
ly furnished residence is owned by Mr. Orr
and good bams and outbuildings in gen-
eral are found about the place. Mr. Orr at
present rents most of his land, but still over-
sees it, keeping it up to the high standard
of former years.

In 1849 our subject was united in mar-
riage with Mary Basom, who was born in
Perry county, Ohio, about 1830, the
daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth Emery,
natives of New England. Three children
were born to this union, namely: Frances,
who is the wife of Peter M. Mechling, a
farmer living in Perry county, Ohio. They
are the paraits of four children, namely:
Hiram Orvil, Bertha, Frank and Fred, the
last two twins; Martha, the second child of
our subject, is the wife of Marion Tolliver
Stevenson, who is living in Alma township,
Marion county, this state, and are the par-
ents of these children, Edgar, Mabel, Orin,
Roy, Edna, Claud and Lloyd. Edith, the
subject's third child, is the wife of John P.
Brubaker, who is also living in Alma town-
ship, being the mother of two children, Ha-
zel and Ada.

These children received all the home
training possible and were given good edu-
cations, each being .well situated in life.

Mr. Orr is a staunch Democrat in his
political affiliation, although he has never

taken a very active part in public affairs.
He ably filled the position of School Director
and his support is always to be depended
upon in any issue having for its object
the betterment of the community in any
way. The subject and wife are kind, hos-
pitable and good natured, making all who
enter their home feel like they were among
friends.

RICHARD J. HOLSTLAW.

Among the best known and highly re-
spected families of Marion county is found
the one bearing the name that forms the
caption of this article. Richard J. Holstlaw
was born in this county on the 3d of April,
1837. He still lives on the farm where he
was born and during this span of life he has
witnessed most wonderful changes in the
progress and development of the country.

Mr. Holstlaw is descended from those
hardy pioneers that crossed the mountains
into Kentucky and Tennessee, blazing the
way through the wilderness, opening up for
colonization and occupancy the rich hunting
grounds south of the Ohio. This tide of
immigrants gradually worked its way
westward and northward, crossing the Ohio
into Indiana and Illinois and blending here
with the settlers coming from Pennsylvania,
New York and New England.

Our subject's father, Daniel S. Holstlaw,
was born near Glasgow, Kentucky, in 1813,
toward the close of the second war with

R. J. HOLSTLAW.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

161

England. The treaty at the conclusion of
this war stimulated the westward movement
and when Daniel was eight years old he
came to Paoli, Indiana, with his parents.
His mother, Ruth (Middleton) Holstlaw,
a native of Tennessee, was the eleventh of
fourteen children and came to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1833. At the age of
nineteen years, Daniel Holstlaw left the
Hoosier state and immigrated to Marion
county, Illinois. Here he entered a claim and
also purchased some land, paying seven
dollars per acre. At this time the country
was still in its primitive state, and the six
children, of whom our subject was the sec-
ond, became quite familiar with early day
methods of getting along.

Among other things that Mr. Holstlaw
relates are his school experiences. The ex-
pense of paying for an instructor was met
on the subscription plan, and all the neigh-
bors joined in to obtain the privilege of a
schooling for their children. Wild game of
all kinds still abounded in the forests and
furnished part of the food for the settlers.
One morning Mr. Holstlaw counted thirty-
seven deer — after a night when the prairie
was on fire, when they could be seen clearly
— to say nothing of other game, so abundant
then, but so rarely seen now. When we re-
flect over to the fact that such a span of
years has witnessed so great a contrast be-
tween the present conditions and those of
that day, it seems almost a fiction. Yet one
needs but to ponder over the wonderful
changes of the last decade to convince him
ii

that we are even now already in the shadow
of what will come tomorrow. While now
the traction engine pulls the series of break-
ing plows rapidly through the sod, Mr.
Holstlaw recalls the time when he followed
the four yoke of patient oxen that com-
posedly drew through the virgin soil the
hand-made plow of hickory wood. Today
the hay-loader puts the sweet-scented prod-
uct of the meadow on the wagon and at the
driver's feet, while then the dogwood fork,
whittled by hand, was the only tool avail-
able. Fur and hides were hauled to St.
Louis, seventy-five miles away, and court
was held in a log structure at the county
seat of Salem.

We shall now turn our attention to the
domestic relations of our subject. In 1863
he was joined in marriage to Mary (Gag-
ger) Barry. This union, though happy, was
destined to be brief, for ere long the young
wife was called hence, followed soon after
by her infant child. On July 18, 1869,
Mr. Holstlaw took as his second wife Ra-
chel Barry, this union resulting in the birth
of the following children: Effie I., who
became the wife of Louis Barksdale; the
son is Forrest D., the second daughter of the
family, Carrie A., has become the wife of
Walter K. Shook.

In his political affiliations Mr. Holstlaw
has adhered to the Democratic party, and
he is a devoted member of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church. He and his wife are
well known in the entire community as ex-
emplary and worthy citizens.

1 62

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

HENRY SPRING.

This biographical memoir has to do with
a character of unusual force and eminence,
for Henry Spring, whose life chapter has
been closed by the fate that awaits us all,
was for a long lapse of years one of the
prominent citizens of Richland county, hav-
ing come to this section in pioneer times,
and he assisted in every way possible in
bringing- about the transformation of the
county from the wild condition found by the
first settlers to its later day progress and
improvement. While he carried on a special
line of business in such a manner as to gain
a comfortable competence for himself, he
also belonged to that class of representative
citizens who promote the public welfare
while advancing individual success. There
were in him sterling traits which com-
manded uniform confidence and regard, and
his memory is today honored by all who
knew him, and is enshrined in the hearts of
his many friends.

Henry Spring was born near Sheffield,
England, December 2, 1806, the son of
Thomas and Margaret (Bishop) Spring,
also natives of England. Thomas Spring
was a professional landscape gardener. He
was the father of five sons, namely : Sidney,
Archibald, Henry, John and George. The
family emigrated to America in 1819, the
father dying in Pennsylvania on the over-
land trip to Illinois. The mother and chil-
dren located on a farm in Edwards county,
near Albion, this state. Henry and John
remained on the farm during the lifetime

of their mother. Henry Spring, our sub-
ject, was thirteen years old when he came
to Illinois, and where he received most of
his education in the subscription schools.
However, he began his education in England.
The mother was highly educated and taught
at home. Henry was in business a short
time near Evansville, Indiana, later return-
ing to Edwards county, where he married
in January, 1842. He came to Olney and
was the second merchant to engage in busi-
ness. His store was located in a small room
belonging to T. W. Lilley, being a part of his
residence. He was a typical pioneer and had
a country stock of goods which he bought
on credit, which proved to be the foundation
of a later fortune. In the fall of 1842 he
built a frame building at the corner of Main
and Fair streets, with living rooms in the
rear. About 1855 he sold out to P. P.
Bower. In 1856 he built a brick building at
the southwest corner of Main and Boone
streets, and about 1859 again engaged in
the merchandise business. The ground on
which the building stands was bought from
the government by T. W. Lilley, transferred
to John Allen and then to the subject of this
sketch, and is still owned by his family. In
1848 he built a two-story frame building for
a residence at the southeast corner of Main
and Fair streets, which was very pretentious
for those days. In 1866 he retired from the
mercantile business and in the store build-
ing now owned by his sons, plans for the
organization of the First National Bank
were consummated in December, 1865, he
being one of the instigators and the leading

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

i63

spirit in the enterprise, and Mr. Spring was
made its first president, which position he
held with great credit to his ability for a pe-
riod of twenty years, with the exception of
one year. In the same store room in 1883
plans were formulated for the organization
of the Olney National Bank, and our sub-
ject having severed his connection with the
First National Bank, became president and
principal stockholder of the new bank, re-
maining at the head of the same for six
years. He became known as a man of the
strictest integrity, his word being as good
as his bond, and those dealing with him
were required as much. His life was de-
voted to his family, for he avoided society,
not caring for any public display, and he be-
longed to no secret orders and was affiliated
with no church, neither had he any political
aspirations except to vote the Republican
ticket, having originally been a Whig. He
was a very successful business man, being
conservative, careful and exercised various
English traits of character, and he accumu-
lated an honest fortune. He was a patriotic
man and served in the Black Hawk war.

After a long, honorable and successful
career, Henry Spring was called from his
labors August 20, 1890, being nearly
eighty-four years old, having been active
and in possession of all his faculties up to
within a few years prior to his death. He
was a man of great strength and vitality in
his prime.

Henry Spring was united in mariage De-
cember 31, 1841, to Caroline Russell
Mount, a native of Nantuckett Island, the

daughter of Freeman Marshall and Mary
Ann (Russell) Mount, natives of Massa-
chusetts.

Twelve children were born to the subject
and wife, four of whom died in infancy.
The eight living children are as follows :
Mary, who was the first white child born in
what is now the town of Olney, having been
born November 22, 1842; she married
Thomas W. Scott, who was in partnership
with her father in 1865. He is now Attor-
ney General of Illinois. Florence is the
second living child, and is the wife of John
H. Senseman, cashier of the Olney bank;
Edward M., is a business man in Olney;
Caroline M. is living at home; Elizabeth is
the wife of Medford Powell, of Olney;
Laura is a member of the family circle;
Harry B. is in business in Olney; Kate L.
is the wife of Doctor Watkins, of Olney.

Mrs. Spring, a woman of gracious per-
sonality, survived her husband until June
20, 1904, when she passed to her rest, being
past eighty-three years of age.

Edward M. Spring, son of our subject,
was born in Olney, Illinois, July 30, 1852,
being reared in Olney, where he received
his education in the public schools. He also
attended Asbury College, now DePauw
University, but he did not graduate from
that institution, however, he made a splen-
did record for scholarship. When eighteen
years of age he went to Kansas, where he
spent two years. In 1872 he engaged in the
seed and produce business, and has success-
fully continued in the same ever since, be-
ing in the store room formerly built and oc-

164

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

cupied by his father. James G. Hollister
was his partner for sixteen years, and in
1888 the firm became Spring Brothers,
which is still the name of the firm. A very
large business has been built up and a good
trade is carried on throughout this locality.
Edward M. Spring was united in mar-
riage December 25, 1873, to Kate Radens-
croft, a native of New Albany, Indiana, the
daughter of William E. and Anna C. (Jack-
son) Radenscroft, formerly of England,
who came to Philadelphia. The father of
the subject's wife was formerly a Methodist
minister. Both are now deceased. Two
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Edward Spring: Lawrence E.. who lives
in Owensboro, Kentucky, in the milling
business ; Ethel is living at home. She was
educated at Olney and in Indianapolis, and
received a musical education in Cincinnati
and Chicago, becoming a proficient musi-
cian. She is at this writing (1909) super-
visor of music in the public schools of Ol-
ney. Mr. Spring is a Republican but not a
politician. He served one term as Alder-
man. He is a member of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, the Modern
Woodmen and the Knights of Pythias. He
has a beautiful home and there is a large
oak tree in his yard under which John A.
Logan made his first speech in behalf of the
Republican party, October 12, 1866, as a
candidate for Congressman at large. At
that time the place of residence of the sub-
ject was a part of the splendid grove adjoin-
ing the village of Olney, where picnics and
rallies were held.

Harry Bishop Spring, son of Henry
Spring, our subject, was born in Olney, Il-
linois, where he was reared and where he
received his education in the public schools.
He was also a student of the University of
Illinois at Champaign. He obtained a good
education, and after leaving school spent six
or seven years in the South and West, being
on the coast for some time. After return-
ing to Olney he engaged in the seed and pro-
duce business in 1888, with his brother, un-
der the firm name of Spring Brothers.

Harry B. Spring was united in marriage
June 17, 1890, to Victoria Eckenrode, a na-
tive of Sumner, Illinois, the daughter of
Sylvester J. and Mary Eckenrode, a former
business man of Olney. One daughter was
bom, a winsome little girl named Marjorie.
Mrs. Spring was called to her rest January
4, 1905. Harry Spring is a Republican in
politics, and is a member of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks.

The family of our subject has long been
recognized as leaders in industrial affairs in
Richland county, being people of the high-
est integrity and worth, for when Henry
Spring passed away he left his family the
priceless heritage of an untarnished name,
to the county the value of good citizenship,
and to the young an example well worthy of
emulation. Public opinion in passing judg-
ment upon his life work, classed him with
the men of honor and worth, and with the
pioneers of Richland county his name is for-
ever inscribed, shinging out with peculiar
luster.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

JUDGE JOHN S. STONECIPHER.

No history of Marion county could be
consistent with itself were there failure to
make specific mention of the honored pio-
neer family of which the subject of this
sketch is a worthy scion, and no better or
more significant evidence as to the long
identification of the name with the annals of
this section of the state can be offered than
implied in the simple statement that the rec-
ord of this interesting and representative
family has been one of highest honor for a
period of sixty-five years to the time of this
writing. The subject has passed his entire
life in Marion county, and has ably upheld
the high prestige of the honored name which
he bears. He is one of the prominent and
influential representatives of the legal and
industrial world of the county, and it is with
much satisfaction that we offer in this work
a review of his genealogical and personal
history.

Judge John S. Stonecipher, like scores of
our best citizens in every line of endeavor,
was born on a farm, the old homestead be-
ing located about ten miles southeast of
Salem, his birth occurring on July 7, 1868.
His father was Samuel Stonecipher, a Ten-
nesseean who came to Marion county, Illi-
nois, about 1843, having successfully fol-
lowed agricultural pursuits and became a
man of considerable influence in his com-
munity. He here erected a primitive dwell-
ing which was the family domicile for a
number of years. The tales of the pioneer
•days have been often told, and it is needless

to here recapitulate the same, for privations,
vicissitudes and strenuous labors of the early
settlers have been so recorded as to make
special mention superfluous, though it is well
in such connection to refer to those who
lived and labored so earnestly in laying the
foundation for the opulent prosperity which
marks this favored section of the state at
the present time. Samuel Stonecipher was
called from his earthly labors in 1898, while
living on a farm in Haines township, two
and one-half miles east of old Foxville. The
mother of our subject was Susan (Ross)
Stonecipher, also a native of Tennessee who
passed to her rest when Judge Stonecipher
was one and one-half years old. Eight chil-
dren were born to the union of Samuel and
Susan Stonecipher, four of whom are living
in 1908. These are, besides the subject of
this sketch, Alexander, a farmer in Haines
township, Marion county; Joseph C, a far-
mer in southeastern Kansas; M. C, a Pres-
byterian minister at Troy Grove, Illinois.
Samuel Stonecipher, father of the subject,
was three times married. His first wife was
a Miss Henderson ; the second a Miss Ross,
mother of the subject; and the third was
Mary Chance, who died three months after
her husband's death.

Grandfather Stonecipher reached almost
the unprecedented age of one hundred and
ten years. He was reared in Knox county,
Tennessee.

Judge Stonecipher was reared on the
parental farm, and after attending the
country schools he entered Ewing College
in Franklin county, Illinois, where he made

1 66

RIOGUAPHICAL AM) KKM I MSCKXT HISTORY OF

a brilliant record for both scholarship and
deportment, taking a two years' general
course. He then attended the Southern Illi-
nois Normal School for two years, and be-
gan teaching school, which he continued for
three successful terms, but believing that his
true life work lay in another channel he be-
gan reading law with Judge John B. Kagy,
of Salem. After reading law for one year
he attended the Valparaiso University, law
department, for one year, in which he made
rapid progress. He was admitted to the
bar at Salem in 1891 and began practice
soon afterward. His success was instanta-
neous, and his friends were not mistaken in
their prediction that the future held many
honors in store for him. He was early in
life singled out for political preferment and
served as Deputy Sheriff from 1889 to 1890,
while reading law. He has ably served two
terms as City Attorney of Salem, and was
Master in Chancery for four years, from
1896 to 1900, having first been appointed
by Judge Burroughs, and later by Judge
Dwight. In 1906 our subject had attained
such general popularity in the legal world
that he was elected Judge of Marion county
on the Democratic ticket in which capacity
he is still serving in 1908, with entire satis-
faction to his constituents and all concerned.
He was chairman of the Democratic County
Central Committee at the time of his elec-
tion to the judgeship. He was selected as
alternate to the Democratic national conven-
tion held in St. Louis in 1904. Having
become so well known in the political arena
of his native community the judge will

doubtless be honored by many other offices
of public trust by his party in the future.

Judge Stonecipher has been equally suc-
cessful in industrial affairs, being something
of a wizard in organizing, promoting and
carrying to successful issues various lines of
business, and it is due to his clear brain,
well grounded judgment and indomitable
energy that many of Marion county's suc-
cessful industrial institutions owe their ex-
istence. At present he is vice-president of
the Salem State Bank, president of the
Salem Box Company, the leading manufac-
turing enterprise of Salem; he is also trus-
tee of the Sandoval Coal and Mining Com-
pany, now bankrupt, a large and important
trusteeship. He is also a stockholder in the
Salem National Bank and a director of the
Salem Building and Loan Association. He
was chairman of the building committee that
built the new Methodist Episcopal church
in Salem, one of the finest in Illinois, and it
was largely due to his energy and keen busi-
ness sagacity that this handsome structure,
which will ever be a monument to his mem-
ory as well as a pride and splendid adver-
tisement to the city of Salem, assumed
definite form.

Fraternally Judge Stonecipher is a mem-
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, the Knights of Pythias and the
Woodmen. He has occupied the chairs in
the Odd Fellows, and his daily life would
indicate that he believes in carrying out the
noble precepts advocated by these praise-
worthy orders.

Judge Stonecipher's domestic life dates

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

:67

from August 17, 1904, when he was hap-
pily married to Amy Bachman, the refined
and cultured daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A.
H. Bachman, the latter the well known and
influential president of the Salem National
Bank. Mrs. Stonecipher received a good
education, having applied herself diligently
to her educational work and the success of
her worthy life companion is due in no small
measure to the encouragement and sympa-
thy of this most estimable woman, who pre-
sides over her model and harmonious
household with grace and dignity.

Two bright and interesting children have
blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stone-
cipher with cheer and sunshine. They are:
Frank G., born July 8, 1905, and Maude
Louise, born July 24, 1907.

Judge Stonecipher has been very success-
ful in both his business and political life. He
is regarded as a man of exceptional sound-
ness of judgment, and when his name is
connected with any business institution the
public knows that the same is sound and
does not hesitate to place its funds at his
disposal, whether it be in a banking institu-
tion or manufacturing enterprise.

HON. EDWARD S. WILSON.

It will invariably be found, if an examina-
tion be made into the life records of self-
made men, that untiring industry forms the
basis of their success. It is true that many
other elements enter in, such as fortitude,

perseverance, keen discernment and honesty
of purpose which enables one to recognize
business opportunities, but the foundation
cf all worthy achievements in earnest, per-
sistent labor. The gentlemen whose name
forms the caption of this article recognized
this fact early in life and did not seek to
gain any short or magical method to the goal
cf prosperity. On the contrary, he began
to work earnestly and diligently in order to
advance himself along laudable lines and
from a humble beginning he has become one
of the prominent men of the great Prairie
state. As a lawyer, Hon. Edward S. Wilson
had few equals in Southern Illinois for up-
wards of half a century. He was for years a
leading member of the bar in Olney and is one
of the old and highly esteemed citizens of this
place, now living in quiet retirement, enjoy-
ing the respite due a long and strenuous ca-
reer. Finding him in a retrospective and rem-
iniscent mood we quote from an interview
with this distinguished character as follows :
"My grandfather, James Wilson, migrated
frcm Hardy county, Virginia, to South Bend,
Indiana, in the year 1813, and the next year
removed to Palestine, Crawford county, Illi-
nois, bringing with him a numerous family
of sons and daughters, among them my fa-
ther, Isaac N. Wilson, who was born July 21,
1804. On October 13, 1829, he married
Hannah H. Decken, who was born December
13, 1810, at the town of Vincennes, Indiana,
to which place her father moved from Rom-
ney, Virginia, in 1808 or 1809, from whence
he soon moved to a farm three miles north of
Palestine. There were nine boys and two

1 68

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

daughters born to my father and mother.
Three of us still survive. I was born June
25- J^39- I was educated in the common
schools of Palestine, and was always of a
reading rather than of a studious disposi-
tion. Any book of history or romance could
attract my attention from more serious study.
So my mind is a hotch-potch of useless lum-
ber. I know a great amount of 'worthless
things and nothing well.

"I can distinctly remember the pioneer
days of Illinois when the flax and cotton with
which we were largely clothed were raised
by the farmers of Crawford county, which
were spun and woven by the mothers and
daughters of the farmers who were entirely
from the Southern States, Virginia, North
and South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennes-
see. The wheels of the wagons consisted of
sections sawn off a log, usually a sycamore.
Oxen were more common than horses.

"The principal amusements in those days
were bear basting, horse racing, and last, but
not least, fist fighting. Residents of the
county would gather at Palestine every Sat-
urday and most of them would fill up on
old Monongahela whisky and by noon the
fighting would begin. I have seen sixty
fights in progress at one time. When the
fight was over there was no malice nor de-
sire for revenge, and the victor was the best
man until at a later date the fight could be
repeated, if the conquered was not satisfied,
when frequently the outcome was reversed.
I was eighteen years of age before I saw a
railroad or a train of cars.

"When about eighteen years old I began
the study of law in the office of James C. Al-

len, of Palestine, then a member of Con-
gress from the Tenth District from Illinois.
I was admitted to the bar in 1861, and com-
menced the practice of law at Robinson,
Crawford county, Illinois. In 1864, I re-
move to Olney, Richland county, where I still
reside. I practiced in the courts of this and
adjoining counties until 1890, at which time
I was nominated by the Democratic party for
State Treasurer and was elected to that of-
fice. For many years my hearing had been
defective and it grew worse, and after retir-
ing from the office of State Treasurer I never
resumed practice on account of my hearing.
Since that time I have lived the life of a
farmer and man of leisure, reading much, but
only for entertainment. I have pursued no
settled line, but have read everything from
theology to the flimsiest romance, but I have
spent more time on history than any other
line and would be a good historian if I had
been a student instead of a mere reader.

"On June 17. 1867, I married Ann C.
Rowland, daughter of Townsend and Eliza
S. Rowland, of Olney, Illinois. To us have
been born four sons, three living, and one
daughter, who died leaving one son. One
son died in infancy. My wife is still living,
and divides with me the burden of reading all
the latest works, historical and fiction."

Agriculture, horticulture and stock raising
have occupied Mr. Wilson's attention of late
years. He owns about one thousand acres of
valuable land in Richland county, a part of
which is devoted to the propagation of fruit
for commercial purposes. Part of the farm
is in the city limits of Olney where he has a
modern and commodious residence, sur-

HIGHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

169

round by beautiful grounds, extensive and
carefully kept. His home is one of the most
pretentious in the county. Mr. and Mrs.
Wilson are widely known for their hospital-
ity and their home is often the gathering
place for their numerous friends and admir-
ers where good cheer is always to be found.
For a number of years Mr. Wilson paid con-
siderable attention to the breeding of Clydes-
dale horses and Shetland ponies, and he pro-
duced some fine specimens which were prize
winners at state fairs. The subject was large-
ly instrumental in securing the state fair for
Olney for two years, 1887 and 1888. Mr.
\Vilson is the founder and principal stock-
holder of the ice plant at Olney. where large
quantities of artificial ice are manufactured,
in connection with a cold storage, packing in-
dustry, etc.

Mr. Wilson has always been a staunch
Democrat and active politically. He has al-
ways been interested in whatever tended tc
promote the interests of his city and county.
For twenty years he was Master in Chan-
cery. Because of his public-spirit, his hon-
esty of purpose, genuine worth and congenial
disposition, no man is better or more favor
ably known in Southern Illinois than he.

J. E. CASTLE.

Those who belong to the respectable mid-
dle classes of society, being early taught the
necessity of relying upon their own exer-
tions, will be more apt to acquire that
information and those business habits which
alone can fit them for the discharge of life's

duties, and, indeed, it has long been a no-
ticeable fact that our great men in nearly
all walks of life in America spring from
this class. The subject of this sketch, whose
life history we herewith delineate is a worthy
representative of the class from which the
true noblemen of the Republic spring.

J. E. Castle was born in Gallipolis, Ohio,
in 1845, the son of George W. Castle, also
a native of the Buckeye state, where he was
born in Zanesville in that conspicuous year
in American history, 1812. He came to
Illinois with his family in 1861, settling at
Salem. By profession he was a contractor
and builder, but he was in the drug business
while in Salem, and was also interested in
farming, however, he did some contracting
here, and in all made a success, for he was
a man of much business ability. While a
resident of Ohio he was for some time a
Justice of the Peace, having always taken
considerable interest in political and public
affairs. He was called from his earthly la-
bors in 1872 after an active and useful life.

George Washington Castle was the sub-
ject's grandfather, of Irish ancestry. He
was loyal to the American government and
was a captain of a company in the War of
1812, having met his death while gallantly
leading a battalion of volunteers at Fort
Erie in 1812, the same year the father of
our subject was born, as already indicated.
The original Castle family is related to the
Newtons, a prominent and influential family
of Cincinnati, Ohio. Grandfather Castle's
family consisted of three children, two sons
and one daughter.

The mother of our subject was known in

BIOC.RAI'IIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

her maidenhood as Eliza Bing, a native of
Gallia county, Ohio, her people being natives
of the Buckeye state. She was a woman of
many praiseworthy traits, and she was
united in marriage with George W. Castle
about 1832. She was called to her rest in
1858 while living at Gallipolis, Ohio. Six
children constituted the family of this
couple, of whom our subject is the only sur-
vivor. The names of these children follow
in order of their birth: Dr. W. H., who
died in St. Louis in 1882; Captain George
E., who died in Salem, Illinois, in 1887;
Eva M., who died at Tonti, Marion county,
June 30, 1903 ; Dr. Charles E., who died at
Great Bend, Kansas, in 1897; John E. died
at Gallipolis, Ohio, in 1859, when eight
years old; J. E., our subject, was the fourth
in order of birth.

J. E. Castle spent his boyhood in Gal-
lipolis, Ohio, where he attended the public
schools and received in part a good educa-
tion, for he was always an ambitious lad and
applied himself in a commendable manner to
his text-books. He came to Salem, Illinois,
in 1 86 1, and in the spring of 1862, immedi-
ately after the battle of Shiloh, he enlisted
in the Union army, believing that it was the
duty of loyal citizens of the Republic to
sever home ties and do what they could in
saving the nation's integrity. He was in
the Fifteenth Army Corps under John A.
Logan, with General James Stewart Martin
in Company H, One Hundred and Eleventh
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, having been
sergeant of the company of which his
brother, George E. Castle, was captain. He

served with distinction in this regiment, the
operations of which is given in detail in the
sketch of General Martin in this work, until
the close of the war, and he passed in the
grand review in Washington City before
the President and all the generals of the
army. He brought home a Confederate
flag.

On June 27, 1864, the subject was in the
battle of Kenesaw Mountain when the whole
of Sherman's army charged the forces of
General Johnson entrenched on the moun-
tain.

He took part in two months of continuous
fighting about Atlanta, July 22 and 28,
1864, being memorable dates in that city's
history. On the first mentioned date, Gen-
eral McPherson was killed and on this date,
General James S. Martin, of Salem, was
made a brigadier general. On July 28th
was fought a desperate battle lasting all day,
on which day General Martin's line received
seven terrific charges and never moved a
foot. On August 3d another hard battle
was fought in the siege of Atlanta, when
Sherman's army escaped from Hood.

On August 3 ist the subject was in the
capture of Atlanta, after which he went with
Sherman on his march to the sea. On De-
cember 1 4th, following the battle at Fort
McAllister was fought and captured by
Hazen's division, which meant virtually the
capture of Savannah, as Johnson then evacu-
ated this place. The army then went on to
Hitton Head, South Carolina, and then Co-
lumbia, Couth Carolina, was captured. At
Fort McAllister our subject and his brother

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

171

captured a Confederate flag and many other
relics which they brought home.

After his career in the army Mr. Castle
returned to Salem and took a course in the
high school, after which he went to Wes-
leyan University at Delaware, Ohio, taking
a three years' course in the sciences and
making a brilliant record in the same. Upon
his return to Salem he went into the hard-
ware business in which he remained until
1878, building up an excellent trade in the
meantime. He then traveled for ten years
for the Champion Harvesting Machine
Company, giving entire satisfaction to this
company, the patronage of which he caused
to be greatly increased. Then, much to the
regret of his employers, he severed his con-
nection with the Champion people and en-
gaged with his brother, Captain George E.
Castle, in the cattle business in Southwest
Kansas, which enterprise was continued
with the most gratifying results up to the
time of the latter's death. Since then our
subject has been farming. He has an excel-
lent farm property which is kept in a high
state of improvement, and which yields a
comfortable income from year to year
through the skillful management of the sub-
ject. On this farm is to be found an ex-
cellent orchard of thirty acres, Mr. Castle
having been an enthusiastic horticulturist
for several years. He has a substantial
dwelling house and many convenient out
buildings on his farm which he oversees, but
does not live on.

The domestic life of Mr. Castle dates
from 1897 when he was united in marriage

with Arabella Whittaker, the refined and
affable daughter of R. H. Whittaker. The
parents of Mrs. Castle were both born in
Ireland. They came to Salem, Illinois, in
1852, the father of our subject's wife hav-
ing been one of the civil engineers that sur-
veyed the route for the Baltimore & Ohio
Southwestern Railroad, at that time known
as the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. R. H.
Whittaker passed away in June, 1889, at
Salem, his life companion having preceded
him to the silent land in 1881.

The subject's wife was the only child of
Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Whittaker. She is a
highly accomplished woman, well educated
and talented. She is an able and noted
teacher of both music and painting, being
the only art teacher in Salem. She is re-
garded by every one who has seen her work
as being a finished and accomplished artist
and she has a beautiful studio in connection
with her home. She reveres the memory of
her parents and likes to tell of the happy
days when R. H. Whittaker was station
agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Southwest-
ern road at Salem, which position he held
for several years. He was also fuel agent
for many years and had a wide acquaint-
ance among railroad men. He quit railroad
business several years before he died, and
engaged in the lumber business in Salem,
which he was engaged in at the time of his
death.

Mr. and Mrs. Castle have no children.

Mr. Castle is a member of the ancient and
honorable order of Masons, also the Knights
Templar and the Grand Army of the Re-

UIOCKAPIIICAL AXI) KEM I MSCKXT HISTORY OF

public. And Mr. and Mrs. Castle are both
ardent members of the Episcopal church.
Our subject was a member of the building
committee that erected the handsome new
edifice in Salem, and he takes a special in-
terest in all the affairs of this church.

In the modern, substantial and beautiful
home of Mr. and Mrs. Castle which stands
on Whittaker street in Salem, is to be found
many curios and relics, especially of the
Civil war. The beautiful art treasures of
Mrs. Castle are numerous, the walls being
hung with many excellent pictures, the han-
diwork of Mrs. Castle, and their elegantly
furnished home is regarded as a place where
hospitality is always unstintingly dispensed.

JAMES. F. HYATT.

"Through struggle to triumph" seems to
be the maxim which holds sway for the ma-
jority of our citizens, and, though it is un-
doubtedly true that many fall exhausted in
the conflict, a few by their inherent force of
character and strong mentality, rise above
their environment! and all which seems to
hinder them, until they reach the plane of
affluence toward which their face was set
through the long years of struggle that must
necessarily precede any accomplishment of
great magnitude. Such has been the history
of Mr. Hyatt, proprietor of the well known
Linden Lawn Dairy, and in his life record
many useful lessons may be gleaned.

James F. Hyatt was bom in Versailles.
Indiana, January 7, 1855, the son of Hiram
and Bythynia (Alley) Hyatt, the former a

native of Indiana, and the latter of Ken-
tucky. The subject's father was a stockman
and farmer, and for many years carried on
a stock business on an extensive scale near
Versailles, having died in Clay City. Indi-
ana, in 1905. His widow, a woman of many
praiseworthy traits, like those of her hus-
band, is still living at this writing (1908).
They were the parents of five children who
grew to maturity, and who reside in Indi-
ana, with the exception of the subject, who
is the eldest of the family. He was reared
in his native county where he received a
common school education, having attended
the Quaker Academy for two years at But-
lerville, Indiana. He decided to become ac-
quainted with the manufacture of woolen
goods, and accordingly early in life went to
work in a woolen mill, also worked in a flour
mill owned by his father, where he remained
for several years. When twenty years old
he went to what is now Clay City, Indiana,
it being a railroad terminus before a post-
office was established. A coal mine had been
developed there. He secured employment
with the coal company as weigh boss, later
in a clerical capacity, having given the com-
pany entire satisfaction in this work. In
1878 he started a small merchandise busi-
ness which was successful from the first, and
also became interested in coal mining, brick
manufacturing, milling and various enter-
prises which he carried on with his usual
successful methods, and operated stores in
a number of different places, in fact, he pur-
chased large stocks of goods in various east-
ern cities, shipping the same to different
states and closing them out. His advance-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

173

ment was rapid and most successful. In
1894 to 1896 he sold all his interests in In-
diana, having previously got possession of
large tracts of land in Arkansas, establish-
ing a colony in northeastern Arkansas, and
has been instrumental in locating many fami-
lies from the northern and eastern states on
the same. He still carries on this business
with gratifying results. He went to Chicago
to live, where he resided until coming to Ol-
ne\ in 1900.

At the time he came to Olney he pur-
chased the Linden Lawn Dairy, which he
has since managed in a most successful
manner, having made many improvements,
increasing the capacity of the dairy, enlarg-
ing the barns, improving the fertility of the
land, and in many ways making it one of
the model dairies of the state. He has one
hundred head of dairy stock. There is a
great demand for all that his dairy produces
in Olney, where all his dairy products are
readily disposed of. This business was orig-
inally established by the Linden Lawn
Fanning Company, -a corporation organized
or promoted by C. S. Mace, now deceased.
Mr. Mace conceived the idea of forming a
corporation for carrying on farming and
dairying on an extensive scale, with the idea
of also making it a co-operative institution.
All employes invested twenty-five per cent, of
wages in stock and received pro rata of pro-
fits of the business. It grew to extensive
proportions, consisting of farming, horticul-
ture, dairying and stock raising. Modern
buildings and equipment were provided. At
the time of the death of Mr. Mace, the pro-
moter, in 1900, the stockholders decided to

close the corporation and sell the property.
Accordingly in September of that year,
James F. Hyatt, our subject, purchased the
same and has since carried on the work on
a paying basis, assisted by his wife, who is
actively connected with the management.
The dairy has eighty stalls for milch cows,
besides large sheds in close proximity. There
is a silo with four hundred tons capacity,
which was one of the first built in this
county. Linden Lawn consists of one hun-
dred and sixty-three acres, all inside the
corporate limits of Olney. Land on part of
three sides is platted and partly improved.
The land is in a high state of fertility. Six-
ty-five acres are in bearing order in fine con-
dition. The dwelling is of pressed brick,
stone trimmings, slate roof, is commodious,
convenient, and has all modern conveniences
and appliances, large verandas, stone, brick
and concrete walks, large well, beautifully
shaded lawn. The building occupies elevated
ground, giving a splendid view of the city.
The barn is metal roofed and has every
modern equipment for furnishing high
grade, sanitary milk. The barn has steam
and electric power, electric lights, running
water, concrete floors, and is in every way
up-to-date. The dairy herd is mostly full
blood Jersey. In fact, this is without doubt
one of the very finest farms in Illinois, and
one would be compelled to search long and
far to surpass it in any state.

Mr. Hyatt was united in marriage in
1888 to Iva Grim, a native of Coal City. In-
diana, the daughter of Henry and Charity
(Gray) Grim, natives of Ohio, both now de-
ceased. The father of Mrs. Hyatt was a

174

BIOGRAPHICAL AXI) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

farmer and merchant, a civil engineer and
surveyor, and a pioneer of Coal City. One
son, Frederick, a lad of much business pro-
mise, now seventeen years old, has been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Hyatt.

In 1902 Mr. Hyatt purchased the opera
house block, a three-story brick structure.
He remodeled the interior and converted the
top floors into a modern opera house, refur-
nished and entirely overhauled the same.
The interior decorations and arrangements
compare favorably with the smaller opera
houses in the large cities. This splendid,
safe and comfortable play-house is greatly
appreciated by the citizens of this commu-
nity and much credit is given the owner for
its establishment.

In his political relations Mr. Hyatt is a
Republican. He is a member of the Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge
No. 926, at Olney. He is president of the
Business Men's Association of Olney. Mrs.
Hyatt is a member of the Christian church.

James F. Hyatt is a thoroughly practical
business man, which fact, coupled with his
undoubted ability as an organizer and pro-
moter, contains the secret of the success of
the institution of which he is the head.

WILLIAM L. DRAPAR.

Mr. Drapar has for many years been an
honored resident of Marion county, whose
interests he has ever had at heart, and who
has, while advancing his own welfare done

much toward promulgating the civic, in-
dustrial and moral tone of the vicinity. His
career has been one of hard work and in-
tegrity, consequently he is deserving of the
respect in which he is held by everyone.

William L. Drapar was bom in Fayette
county, Illinois, October 29, 1850, the son
of John B. Drapar, a native of Tennessee,
who came to Illinois when a mere lad, in
the days when the inhabitants wore buck-
skin breeches and when the forests abounded
in wild game and the hills and prairies were
overrun by the red men. Grandfather Dra-
par was also a native of Tennessee, who
brought his son, father of our subject, to
this state, settling in Fayette county. Grand-
father was a well known lawyer in his day
and served as Judge of Lafayette county.
Vandalia, the county seat, was then the
state capital. Judge Drapar, like most pio-
neer men, was the father of a large family,
he and his faithful life companion becoming
the parents of fifteen children, three pairs
of twins. He was a Jeffersonian Democrat
and a soldier in the Mexican war. He sub-
sequently moved to Salem where he was
called from his earthly labors at the age of
fifty-six years, and he was buried at Xenia,
Clay county.

John B. Drapar moved to Salem in 1856.
He was1 a blacksmith of extraordinary skill,
and for some time drove a stage-coach on
the old Vandalia line. He enlisted in the
Union army during the Civil war, but never
saw service. He died about 1896.

The mother of the subject of this sketch
was known in her maidenhood as Jeanette

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

175

Abel, who was born in Bowling Green,
Kentucky, the representative of a South-
ern family of honorable repute. The
date of her birth occurred February 16,
1828, and she was summoned to join the
"choir invisible" in 1904, while living at
the home of our subject in Salem and she
is buried in the cemetery here. The follow-
ing children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
John B. Drapar: Margaret, widow of Eli-
sha Ledgerwood, who is living in the state
of Washington; William L., our subject;
Edwin, who died when four years old; an
infant girl, deceased.

William L. Drapar, the subject of this
sketch, was reared in Salem where he re-
ceived the customary common school edu-
cation. At an early age he assisted his
father in a blacksmith shop. When twenty-
one he was thrown on his own resources, but
being a youth of indomitable energy and
courage, he went to work with a will and
has prospered all his subsequent life. He
went into the milling business in 1872 at
Salem and has been thus engaged since that
time, becoming known as one of the leading
milling men in this part of the state, having
been eminently successful in this enterprise
from the first. He worked for E. Hull,
father of Senator C. E. Hull, for eighteen
years. Since January, 1890, he has been
associated with Senator Hull in business, op-
erating the Salem Brick Mill, the style of
the firm being Hull & Drapar. The present
building which this firm occupies was
erected in 1860, but has since been remod-
eled into a modem and substantial build-

ing. They do a general milling business
and their products are known not only
throughout Marion county where they have
a very extensive trade, but all over this
part of the state and to remote sections of
this and other states.

Mr. Drapar was united in marriage first
in 1872 with Sarah J. Fair, whose parents
died when she was two years old and she
was reared by a family named Castle who
came to Salem from Ohio at the close of
the war. She was a woman of many com-
mendable traits of character, and to this
union the following interesting family was
born: Ira and Louie, twins, born July u,
1874. The first named is living in Holden-
ville, Oklahoma, where he is Assistant
Cashier of the Second National Bank. He
is also City Recorder of Holdenville. He is
a graduate of the Salem high school in
which he made a splendid record, and he
is also a graduate of the Flora Business
College. For three years he was manager
of a large lumber company in Oklahoma
in which state he is very popular. Louie
lives in Chicago where he has a responsible
position with the Santa Fe Railroad Com-
pany, which regards him as one of their
most faithful and trusted employes. Leslie,
the third child, was born July 28, 1878.
He is also a graduate of the Salem high
school. He is now living in New Mexico
in the employ of the Harvey Dining Service
Company. He has been a dining car con-
ductor for years. He had the distinction of
serving for one year as superintendent of
the dining service at Yale University. He

,7r,

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

is an expert at this line of business and
has gained wide notoriety among the peo-
ple of this business. George, the fourth
child, was born November 12, 1882. He
holds the responsible position as cashier
and bookkeeper of the Sherman House in
Chicago. Babel, the winsome and accom-
plished daughter of the subject and wife,
was born March 5, 1890, and she is yet a
member of the family circle, keeping house
for her father.

Mrs. Drapar passed to her eternal rest
on August 15, 1894, after a useful and
beautiful life. Mr. Drapar was again mar-
ried on June 14, 1899, to Isabel Bell, daugh-
ter of Philo Bell, of Sumner, Illinois. Mr.
Bell was a stage driver on the old Vin-
cennes & St. Louis line before the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad was built. This wife died
without issue May 3, 1907, of a paralytic
stroke. She was a woman of strong char-
acter and had many faithful friends.

Mr. Drapar has always taken consider-
able interest in political affairs. He served
as City Alderman for six years in a most
creditable manner. He was school director
for five years, during which time the local
schools felt a great impetus. He was tax
collector for one year, refusing to serve
longer, much to the regret of every one con-
cerned.

Fraternally, Mr. Drapar has been a mem-
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows since 1874, occupying all the chairs,
both Subordinate and Encampment. He
has attended the Grand Lodges regularly
for twenty-two years. He met with the

Sovereign Grand Lodge at St. Louis several
years ago. Mr. Drapar has been a mem-
ber of the Presbyterian church since a boy.
He belongs to that class of citizens who
by their support of the moral, political and
social status for the general good, promote
the real welfare of their respective commu-
nities.

A. M. PEDDICORD.

It is interesting to study the life record
of such a man as the gentleman whose
name appears above owing to the fact that
he began life under no favorable auspicies
and has had to battle his own way through
the world, but he has succeeded remarkably
well and has shown how a man can "go
it alone" when once his face is set in the
right direction and he has the courage of his
convictions. Therefore, for this and many
other reasons, not the least of which is the
fact that he is one of the brave veterans of
the great war of the Rebellion, efficiently
serving his country during its dark days,
we take pleasure in giving him a place in
this work.

A. M. Peddicord was born in Bracken
county, Kentucky, June 4, 1841, and he was
about fourteen years old when he came to
Marion county, Illinois, and spent most of
the time since then in Carrigan township.
He is the son of Nelson and Rebecca Peddi-
cord, the subject's parents having been
cousins. The father died when the subject
was very young and he has but little recol-

A. M. PEDDICORD.

Of THE
UNIVERSITY <» ILLINOIS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COfNTIKS. ILLINOIS.

177

lection of him. The subject's mother was
born in Mason county, Kentucky, and died
about fifteen years ago. There were six
children in the family of Nelson Peddicord
and wife, namely: Emanuel J., who first
married Hester Lawrence, and they became
the parents of three children ; his second wife
was Sallie Hooker and they became the par-
ents of five or six children ; Emanuel's third
wife was Nancy Roberts ; A. E., the second
child of Nelson and Rebecca Peddicord,
served in the Union army in the One Hun-
dred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, having remained single, and he died
soon after the close of the war ; F. M. mar-
ried a Miss Faggin and they are the parents
of five children ; A. M., our subject, was the
fourth child in order of birth ; Sarah M.
was twice married; Priscilla died when
young.

The subject of this sketch was compelled
to make his own way after he was four-
teen years old and he has succeeded admir-
ably well. When he reached maturity he
was married to Eliza Britt in August, 1869,
in Marion county. She was the daughter of
Samuel and Abigail (Roderick) Britt. Her
parents lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio and In-
diana and finally settled in Marion county,
Illinois, and they died here. Mr. Britt was
a farmer. The subject's wife was the ninth
of a family of ten children.

The following children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. A. M. Peddicord: Francis M.,
who is forty-one years old in 1908, married
Mary E. Foltz and they are the parents of
seven children; Mary E. died when four-
12

teen months old; Sarah E., who is now thir-
ty-nine years, married Thomas P. Walker,
and they have three children living and
two dead.

As already intimated Mr. Peddicord was
a soldier in the Union army during the Civil
war, having enlisted in Company K, Thirty-
first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, on August
10, 1 86 1, under the command of Gen. John
A. Logan. He served in a most gallant
manner for a period of four years. He was
taken prisoner on the march to the sea at
Meridian, Mississippi. He was in the bat-
tle of Fort Donelson, was in the siege of
Vicksburg and Champion's Hill. He was
in Andersonville prison for a period of six
months, later being moved to Florence. He
contracted the scurvy while in prison, hav-
ing been in prison when peace was declared.

Our subject has an excellent farm con-
sisting of two hundred and sixty acres of
valuable land in section 34, seventy-seven
acres of which are in timber. The subject
has made most of the improvements of his
farm which now holds high rank with
Marion county's best farms. It shows good
management and is well stocked. He has
a comfortable residence which is well fur-
nished.

Mr. Peddicord was Road Commissioner
for two terms and gave entire satisfaction.
He is a loyal Democrat. Mr. and Mrs.
Peddicord are faithful members of the Bap-
tist church. Our subject deserves much
credit for what he has accomplished, for
he had little chance to attend school in his
youth. The only school-house in his com-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

munity was built of logs, and the terms of
school were very short. But he has been a
hard worker and has succeeded despite early
disadvantages, until today he is one of the
county's most representative agriculturists
and has many friends throughout the
same.

RICHARD LEWIS.

Energy, sound judgment and persistency
of effort, properly applied, will always win
the goal sought in the sphere of human en-
deavor, no matter what the environment may
be or what obstacles are met with, for they
who are endowed with such characteristics,
make stepping-stones of their adversities to
higher things. These reflections are sug-
gested by the career of Mr. Lewis, who has
forged his way to the front ranks, and stands
today among the representative men of Rich-
land county.

Richard Lewis, the well known proprietor
of the Metropole Hotel in Olney, Illinois, was
born in Breckenridge county, Kentucky, Au-
gust 17, 1844, the son of Thomas and Sa-
rah (Mattingly) Lewis, the former having
been born near Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and
the latter in Kentucky. The father was
reared in his native state and came to Ken-
tucky with his parents when young, where he
married and became a farmer. James Mat-
tingly, grandfather of the subject, was a
planter and a slave owner in Kentucky where
he lived and died. Thomas Lewis removed
to Illinois with his family in 1846 and set-

tled at Pond Grove, near St. Marie, Jasper
county. Soon afterward he changed his place
of residence to another part of Jasper county.
He was one of the pioneers of that section
and improved a good farm, consisting of one
hundred and twenty acres six miles south
of Newton, which in late years he gave to
his youngest son. He died at the home of the
subject in Olney in 1883, at the age of sev-
enty-three years. His wife had previously
died at the age of sixty-three years. Their
family consisted of six children, three boys
and three girls, two of the youngest daugh-
ters being deceased. The subject is the fifth
in order of birth. He was two years old when
the family located in Jasper county. His par-
ents being poor, his early education was very
limited on account of his having to work
hard to help support the family, working on
the farm early and late. There were only
a few schools in the county which was new
at that time, so he was enabled to attend
school only about six months; later he did a
great deal of home reading and by practical
experience became generally educated and is
today a well informed man.

During his youth the family was so poor,
according to our subject, that it took all their
money at one time to buy one hoe, which was
turned over to an older brother, William,
for use. He, however, was not satisfied to do
all the work and made a wooden hoe which
he insisted on our subject using to help. Dick
says he accordingly put in many days of
hard work with a wooden hoe. which has
probably been the experience of but few peo-
ple now living in Illinois. The family lived

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

179

in a log house for a number of years without
windows, but the father finally sawed out a
small place for one window, in which they
lived until the house was destroyed by fire.
The nearest neighbor was three miles away.
\Yild game of all kinds was plentiful, includ-
ing deer, bear, wild turkey, and wolves were
numerous and sometimes troublesome. The
father was compelled to get up at night many
times for the purpose of driving them out
of the dooryard and away from the sheep and
hogs. The father was a shoemaker and made
all the shoes and boots for the family. Rich-
ard was allowed one pair of shoes per year,
being compelled to go barefoot from early
spring until snow fell in the late fall.

Mr. Lewis was one of the supporters of
the national government during the trouble
in the sixties, having enlisted in 1861, but
not being old enough and being opposed by
his family, he did not go to the front. He
then took charge of the home place and for a
few years was very successful. He sold hogs
at Olney during the war for twelve dollars
per one hundred pounds. In 1865 he en-
listed in Company B, One Hundred and
Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
immediately went into the field. He was first
sent to Louisville and then to Nashville, also
to Tullahoma, Tennessee, returning to Mur-
freesboro, where he remained until he was
mustered out. After the war he came back
home and located on a farm of forty acres,
which he had bought with two wagon-loads
of hogs prior to enlisting. In the mean-
time his father bought forty acres more with
the money the subject had sent him. mak-

ing him eighty acres in all, with which to
start life. In 1866 and 1867 he raised crops
of wheat and sold wheat the latter year for
two dollars per bushel. On one occasion he
took thirty bushels to Olney for which he re-
ceived sixty dollars. Meeting an' old com-
rade, Jim Clark, son of "Old Sam Clark,"
after the war, the young men repaired to a
place for social refreshment and being looked
upon by the proprietor of the place as young
and unsophisticated, were induced to try their
luck at a game. It was the subject's lucky
day and he made fifteen dollars very easily.
It became a puzzle to his father how the son
could come home with so much money for
thirty bushels of wheat. During those days
Mr. Lewis was on his way to the polls at St.
Marie to vote and passed a place where a
young lady was breaking flax with a flail and
casually made the remark, "That is the girl
for me." He did not know her, but after-
ward met her quite unexpectedly and it is a
coincidence worth recording here that she is
his wife today.

After the marriage of Mr. Lewis he con-
tinued on the farm and was prosperous for
several years, buying more land until he had
a splendid place, consisting of one hundred
and twenty acres. He was ambitious to get
ahead and bought a threshing machine out-
fit, going in debt on his credit, which was
unquestioned. The panic of 1873 came on
and it was impossible to get money, so he
lost all. After he had turned over all his
property except a homestead interest which
he traded for two houses and lots in Olney,
he found judgment still hanging over him.

i8o

IJKHiRAPIlICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

He paid one judgment of six hundred dol-
lars by disposing of one house and lot and
went to work at whatever he could find to
do for several years.

In September, 1897, he bought a hotel
business opposite the Illinois Central depot in
Olney, which he conducted for about a year.
He then conducted a similar business on
West Main street for two years, after which
he took charge of the old Commercial House,
\vhich he christened the New Olney House,
and conducted the same for three years. He
then sold out and leased the Metropole ho-
tel, which he soon after sold. After a trip
to St. Louis he returned to Olney and again
engaged in the hotel business on West Main
street for about a year. Selling out, he again
took charge of the Metropole hotel, which
he has since conducted successfully. It is
the leading hotel in this part of the country
and would be a credit to larger cities, being
carefully conducted and managed in such a
manner as to constantly gain prestige with
the traveling public. It is a three-story brick
structure, modern in every detail, with thirty-
six rooms, electric lights, steam heat, hot and
cold water, and all other equipment that can
be found in an up-to-date hotel. Its cuisine
is excellent and courteous treatment is al-
ways accorded guests, so that the place is
popular with the traveling public. Its genia!
and pleasant proprietor is familiarly known
as "Old Dick Lewis."

Mr. Lewis was married December 26,
1867, to Sarah Anderson, a native of near
Madison, Indiana, the daughter of Felix and
Martha (Underwood) Anderson, both of

whom died in Jasper county, Illinois. Mr.
and Mrs. Lewis are the parents of eight chil-
dren, two of whom are living. Anna is the
wife of Victor Bolmar, who resides in Mat-
toon, Illinois; May is the other daughter.

In politics Mr. Lewis was formerly a Dem-
ocrat, but in later years he has voted the
Republican ticket. He is a member of the
Eli Boyer Post, No. 92, Grand Army of the
Republic. He has held many positions in
the same, being at present quartermaster.
He is also a member of Olney Lodge, No.
926, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. He and his family are members of the
Catholic church.

NATHANIEL G. HUFF.

The subject of this sketch has long
been identified with the progress and ad-
vancement of this favored section of the
great Prairie state, where he has maintained
his home for more than the Psalmist's al-
lotted three score years, having been born
within her borders, having spent his long;
active and useful life here and where he
has attained gratifying success in connection
with the development of its resources, being
one of the representative farmers and stock
growers in Stevenson township and having
one of the most productive landed estates in
this part of the county.

Nathaniel G. Huff was born in Stevenson
township, this county, February 6, 1841, the
son of William H., Sr., and Mary A.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

181

(Crane) Huff, the former a native of Vir-
ginia and the latter of Kentucky. The sub-
ject's grandfather was Samuel Huff, also
a native of Virginia who later removed to
Tennessee and finally came to Marion
county, Illinois, settling among the pioneers
on government land on what is now Rac-
coon township. He later moved to Haines
township, where he cleared land and made
a comfortable home, spending the rest of
his days there. Leonard Huff was the
great-grandfather of the subject. He was
born in Germany and came to America in a
very early day, settling in Pennsylvania
where he spent his life and where he died.
Mary A. Crane, our subject's mother, was
the daughter of William Crane, who was a
native of Virginia, having lived and died in
Kentucky. William Huff, father of our
subject, was raised in Tennessee and spent
several years in Mississippi and Alabama.
About April 22, 1840, he came to Marion
county, Illinois, where he married and
where he purchased four hundred acres of
wild land in what is now Stevenson town-
ship, spending the remainder of his useful
and very busy life here, dying March 10,
1863. His widow, a much beloved old lady
of fine Christian character, is still living.
William Huff was regarded as a successful
farmer. He joined the Christian church
sometime prior to his death. He was twice
married, his first wife having been Nancy
Dukes, whom he married in Mississippi.
She died leaving one child, William H., Jr.
He married Mary Crane April 22, 1840.
Eleven children were born to this union,

namely: Nathaniel G., our subject; Benja-
min F., deceased; Andrew J., deceased;
James K. and George M. Dallis, twins, are
both living; Joshua is living in this state
at Jacksonville; Marj J. is the wife of Wil-
liam Brasel; Henderson P. lives in Steven-
son township ; Harriet C. is the wife of Wil-
liam Porter Gaston; Virginia is the wife of
John B. Brasel ; Steven A. is deceased.

The subject of this sketch spent his youth
on his father's farm, having remained under
the parental roof-tree until he reached man-
hood. He was educated in the old subscrip-
tion schools and having applied himself in a
diligent manner received a fairly good edu-
cation. His father gave him a piece of land
in this township which he at once set about
improving, but which he sold in 1868 and
bought his present fine farm of one hun-
dred and seventy-eight acres, which lies in
section 30, Stevenson township, and section
25, Salem township. It was almost all in
the woods when he took possession of it,
but he has been a hard worker and has im-
proved the place up to its present high state
of efficiency, having been enabled from year
to year to reap bounteous harvests from the
same through his skillful manipulation of
crops. He did most of the work in con-
nection with his place himself, and also on
his buildings, having an excellent and well
furnished house and a good barn. Every
thing about the place shows thrift and pros-
perity and his farm is regarded as one of
the most desirable in Stevenson township.

Our subject's first marriage was in 1862
to Julia A. Hill, a native of Marion county,

[82

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

and eight children were born to this union,
namely: Thomas, who lives in Stevenson
township, married Orela Cutchin; Viola is
living at Jacksonville, Illinois ; William mar-
ried Frankie Evans and resides in Salem
township; Seymour, who is living in Salem
township, married Elizabeth Guth ; Mary A.
is deceased ; Laura is single and resides in
Jacksonville; Osceola, who is living in
Flora, this state, married Maggie Babb ; Au-
gustus L. married May Stone and lives in
Eureka, Illinois, being a minister of the
Christian church.

The subject's second marriage was
solemnized November 8, 1885, to Martha
E. Mercer, a native of Marion county and
the daughter of Silas and Rebecca Mercer,
early settlers in Marion county. The sub-
ject has sixteen grandchildren and five chil-
dren dead. He has two great-grandchil-
dren. The subject and wife are members of
the Christian church at old Mt. Maria, the
first church organized in Marion county.
The subject is a Jeffersonian Democrat, but
is not a Bryan Democrat, believing that the
old school democracy is preferable to the
new. He filled the office of Justice of the
Peace in a most able manner for a period
of eighteen years.

Mr. Huff has in his possession an old
squirrel rifle over one hundred years old
which belonged to his father. It has killed
over one hundred deer and bear. He also
has the old powder-horn and shot pouch
which his father carried. Mr. Huff has a
note made in. payment for a clock which
was given him by his father-in-law. He

also still has the clock. He has among other
relics of the past a spinning-wheel and a
Southern dagger, which was discovered in
a layer of cane.

SAMUEL C. WILSON.

The dominating spirit of self-help is what
has conserved the distinctive business suc-
cess and prestige of the gentleman whose
career we now take under consideration,
who stands at the head of one of the leading
industrial enterprises of Richland county,
where from modest inception, he has built
up one of the leading flouring mills in this
part of the state, controlling a trade which
ramifies throughout a wide area of country,
and having the high reputation which is
ever significant of personal integrity and
honorable methods.

Samuel C. Wilson, of S. C. Wilson &
Company, proprietors of the Butler Street
Flour Mills at Olney, Illinois, was born near
Maryville, Tennessee, March 17, 1844, the
son of Joseph and Ann (Gault) Wilson, na-
tives of Virginia, where they were reared.
They married after coming to Tennessee.
The subject's father was a farmer and a
man of influence in his community. In
April, 1852, the family moved to Crawford
county, Illinois, where they settled on a
farm. The same year Mr. Wilson bought a
farm in Denver township, Richland county,
which was developed into valuable property.
Joseph Wilson died at the age of sixty-nine

KICIILAND, CLAY AND MARIOX COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

years, his wife having passed away at the
age of fifty-four years. Mr. Wilson was
twice married. Eight children were bom
of the first union and two of the second,
the subject of this sketch being the youngest
of the first marriage.

Samuel C. Wilson came with his parents
to Richland county in 1852. He was reared
on a farm, and his education in those early
days was very limited, but by home reading
and study he gained a fairly good founda-
tion for later learning, which he has received
by contact with the world and general study.
He remained under his parental roof until he
was twenty-two years old, at which time he
inherited a part of the old homestead, which
he conducted in a very successful manner
until 1876, having in the meantime bought
additional land. He has been prosperous
owing to his conservative methods, his care-
ful business principles. He at one time
owned six hundred and fory acres. In 1876
our subject came to Olney and bought a mill,
the main part of the present building having
been erected in 1861. When he purchased
this property it was of the old burr system,
with a capacity of fifty barrels per day.
Since then the progress of the business has
been constant, reaching its present propor-
tions, large building and modern equipment,
consisting of fourteen sets of rollers, with
a capacity of two hundred barrels per day.
Mr. Wilson has been very prosperous and
he does a general milling business, handling
large quantities of flour and feed. He manu-
factures the famous brand known as "Our
Daily Bread" ; this special grade of flour

having long ago become known throughout
this locality, and it took first premium at
the state fair at Springfield, Illinois, 1908.

The firm consists of Samuel C. Wilson
and John C. Page, under the name of S. C.
Wilson & Company, and they employ con-
siderable help, are always busy, and con-
stantly adding new territory to their list.

The domestic life of Mr. Wilson dates
from October, 1865, when he was first mar-
ried to Emily J. Welty, a native of Hills-
boro, Ohio, the daughter of Isaac and Mary
A. (Barker) Welty, natives of Ohio. Seven
children were born to the subject and wife,
all of whom are now living, namely : Mary
A., Martha A., Isaac N., William E.,
Charles F., Edwin O., and Thomas C. Mrs.
Wilson passed to her rest March 3, 1901.
and the subject married Jennie (Bradshaw)
Lough, a native of Wayne county, Illinois.

Mr. Wilson in his political relations is a
Democrat, having long been active in his
party's affairs. In 1890 he was elected
Treasurer of Richland county, and ably
served one term of four years. In 1899 he
was elected Mayor of Olney, serving one
term of two years, being the first anti-saloon
candidate ever eleced Mayor of this city.
His administration' was regarded by the
community as one of the best the town ever
had and numerous improvements were in-
augurated. After their license had expired
all saloons were closed during the remain-
der of his administration. In the spring of
1908 Mr. Wilson was elected a member of
the City Council. In his fraternal relations
he is a member of the Masons and the

1 84

nior.KAI'JUCAI. AND K K M I MSCKXT HISTORY OF

Knight Templars. In religious matters he
is a faithful attendant of the Presbyterian
church, being one of the oldest elders in the
church.

Mr. Wilson is a man of marked business
enterprise and capability, and he carries for-
ward to successful completion whatever he
undertakes. The subject has long been an
important factor in business circles and his
popularity is well deserved, as in him are
embraced the characteristics of an unabat-
ing energy, unbending integrity and indus-
try that never flags.

DANIEL S. HOLSTLAW.

It is with a degree of satisfaction that the
biographer has an opportunity at this junc-
ture to write the following biographical
memoir of the well remembered citizen,
whose name appears above, now deceased,
who was for many years prominent in the
affairs of Marion county, .for the readers of
this book will doubtless gain inspiration
from perusing these paragraphs to lead
more industrious, kindlier and worthier
lives, seeing what the life of the subject ac-
complished not only individually but gen-
erically, affecting the whole community in
an uplifting manner. He came to this sec-
tion of the state in pioneer times and he
assisted in bringing about the transforma-
tion of the county in the wild condition in
which it was found at the time of his ar-
rival to its later-day progress and improve-
ment.

. Daniel S. Holstlaw was born in Barren
county, Kentucky, November 15, 1813, the
son of Richard and Mary (Smith) Hoist-
law, the former a native of Virginia, who
came in an early day to Indiana, settling
in Orange county and later came to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1830. Richard Holtslaw
took up government land and set about
making a farm of his holdings with very
flattering prospects ahead of him, but his
life was brought to a close August 18, 1834,
at the age of forty-six years. Mary, his wife,
continued to live on the farm where she
reared the children and made a comfortable
living, being a woman of many sterling
traits and of indomitable courage. Their
children were eight in number, seven of
whom grew to maturity and named in order
of birth as follows: Henry E., Daniel S., our
subject; Lucinda, John Andrew, Elizabeth
Ann, Malinda H., and Richard V. All of
these children have now joined their parents
in the eternal sleep of the just.

Daniel S. Holstlaw was sixteen years of
age when he came to Illinois and located in
what is now known as Stevenson township,
where he spent the remainder of his long,
busy and useful life, having been called to
his reward by the Shepherd who giveth his
beloved sleep, on December 2, 1905, con-
scious of the fact that his life had not been
lived in vain; that he had fought a good
fight and kept the faith, as did the great
Apostle, Saint Paul, in the days of our
Saviour, and that there was laid up for him
a reward in the Father's house which was
not made with hands.

KICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Mr. Holstlaw upon coming to this county
bought a claim, having that rare foresight
and sagacity that penetrated into the future
years, bringing them within his horoscope,
and which enabled him to see the great pos-
sibilities that lie ahead. This first pur-
chase was added to from time to time until
he owned a large tract of land, which, un-
der his able management was developed into
one of the best, most productive and most
highly improved farms in this locality. He
was a hard worker, and, believing that it
was his duty as well as his privilege to eat
his bread by the sweat of his brow, never
ignored any task that he found awaiting
disposition at his hands. He split the rails
that fenced his land and also put up a log
house, and, infact, did the usual work of the
pioneer. But having prospered by reason
of his indomitable energy and good man-
agement he was soon enabled to erect a
more substantial nine room house, which
was comfortable, cozy and well arranged,
and in which the family now resides.

The subject was a faithful member of
the Methodist Episcopal church and a lib-
eral supporter of the same ; he and his
worthy life companion both having pro-
fessed religion the same night at a camp
meeting held on Tennessee Prairie. In 1862,
when the local Methodist church with
which they were affiliated was divided up-
on the question which precipitated the
Civil war this intensely religious couple
united with the Cumberland Presbyterian
church in which the subject remained an ac-
tive and faithful member until his death.

Our subject was a staunch Democrat and
took considerable interest in political af-
fairs, having had the interest of his commu-
nity at heart and lending his support at all
times to whatever proposition that present-
ed itself looking to the betterment of the
community whether in a political, educa-
tional, religious or moral sense. He was
school director at one time and materially
aided the local public school through his
advice, counsel and influence.

Mr. Holstlaw was united in marriage
with Ruth W. Middleton on June 9, 1836.
She was a native of what later became
Campbell county, Tennessee, and the rep-
resentative of an influential old family,
the .date of her birth falling on Janu-
ary 23, 1819, the daughter of Wil-
liam and Sarah J. (Harris) Middleton,
the former a native of Virginia and the
latter of South Carolina. After their mar-
riage they moved to Tennessee and in 1831
came to Marion county. Illinois, locating
three miles east of luka, in what is now
luka township. They were sterling pio-
neers and made a most comfortable living
in the new country where they became
known as honest, hard-working people.
Their family consisted of fourteen children,
named in order of birth, as follows:
Thomas L., Lydia P., Harvey, William H.,
Elizabeth, John B., Joel, Martha, Jane, Sa-
rah, James A., Josephus W., Ruth W., the
wife of our subject; Lucy and Dicy E.

Mr. Middleton was a local preacher in
the Methodist Episcopal church, having be-
come well known as an able expounder of

1 86

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the Gospel and doing a vast amount of good
in his work here. His wife was also a
faithful worker in this church.

To our subject and wife eleven children
were bom, six sons and five daughters,
named in order of birth as follows : Richard
J., who was first married to Mary A. Jag-
ger, and later to Rachel Berry; John H.,
who married Lucy Downing; Thomas, who
married Aleatha E. Kite; Hattie, who is
living at home; Mary is also a member of
the home circle at this writing, 1908;
Sarah became the wife of Omer Squibb;
Daniel W., married Clara Stevenson; Joel
W., married Lucretia Stevenson; Ruth
Emma is the wife of Daniel Crayton Ste-
venson; Marion C. married Lelian Bru-
baker; Martha A. is single and living at
home; the last two children named are
twins.

The widow of our subject, a gracious old
lady of beautiful Christian character and
praiseworthy attributes, is living on the old
homestead, being idolized by her children,
and much admired and loved by a host of
friends. Many are the homes in the sur-
rounding country where she has nursed the
sick and brought sunshine and happiness.
She takes a great interest in the lives of her
children, her eighteen grandchildren and
eighteen great-grandchildren. On the old
home place, which is still well kept and in
an excellent productive state, live three of
the daughters with their beloved mother,
the family being well known in Stevenson
township and highly respected by all. In
this home are to be found many old and in-

teresting relics of the pioneer days, such as
spinning wheels and machines for spinning
flax, and many similar things.

THOMAS A. HARDMAN.

When the business interests of a town or
city are in the hands of worthy, capable and
enterprising men, an important step has been
taken toward the growth and development of
the place. Had her merchants, men of busi-
ness in general, been less worthy, capable
and enterprising than they were, Chicago
would lack much of being the city that it
is today. Cities, like persons, have a dis-
tinct individuality. One may be sluggish,
plodding, shiftless, while its neighbor only a
few miles distant, may be alert, energetic,
progressive. It is the inhabitants who give
character to a town or city ; if they are drones
the place can not disclose either development
or progress. To the merchants, contractors
and business men in general, most of the
credit is due for the desirable condition of
affairs in Olney, Illinois, today, and among
this class none hold a more worthy place nor
has done more for the advancement of the
city than the subject of this sketch.

Thomas A. Hardman, the well known con-
tractor, of Olney, Richland county, was
born near Manchester, England, July 14,
1847, the son of Alfred and Elizabeth
(Bishop) Hardman. the former a native of
England and the latter of Scotland. The
subject's father was a machinist. Both he

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

i87

and his wife died when our subject was a
child. When eight years old Thomas A.
Hardman was brought to the United States
by an aunt, who located in Franklin county,
Indiana. He had a limited chance to attend
school only a few months during the win-
ter. He was bound out to a farmer when
twelve years old and when sixteen ran away
and started in life for himself. He worked
on a farm during the summer months and
went to school in the winter. When eighteen
years old he began teaching, having ac-
quired a good education by close application
to his studies. He taught in the winter and
worked on a farm in the summer. He also
attended school at Lebanon, Ohio, having
saved money enough to defray his expenses
there, finally securing a liberal education.

When tewenty-four years old Mr. Hard-
man was elected county Surveyor of Frank-
lin county, Indiana, his certificate being
signed by Governor Hendricks. He served
in a most faithful and capable manner for
nearly two years when he resigned to accept
a position with the Smith Bridge Company,
of Toledo, Ohio, with whom he remained
two years as engineer. He proved to be an
excellent office man and all his time was de-
voted to draughting. But the confinement
was too much for him and he resigned on
account of failing health. He returned to
Franklin county, Indiana, and was appointed
by the County Commissioners as County
Engineer to look after bridge work at a time
when many bridges were being built, several
costing from twenty-five thousand to forty-
thousand dollars. \Vhile engaged in this

work he began contracting, his first work of
this nature being for the county over which
and southern Indiana, he built many bridges.
Then he began railroad work and in 1883
built eighteen bridges on one railroad, most
of them being in the Southern States. His
bridges were considered of the most modern
and careful construction, always satisfactory
in every detail. He continued that line of
work until 1890, when he came to Olney and
since which time he has been engaged in con-
tracting water works plants and engineering
and improvement work in general. For a
number of years he has done engineer work
for the city of Olney, particularly the street
grades. He has put in the majority of the
sewer systems.

Mr. Hardman's work extends all over Illi-
nois and into adjoining states; also to the
Southern States. He built the water works
at Olney which are high grade in every re-
spect and would be a credit to any city. He
has built the water works for many of the
towns and cities of this state and Indiana. He
has been uniformly successful and his name
has gone all over the country, synonymous
with high class work in this line of contract-
ing. He constructs everything of good ma-
terial and is scrupulously honest in all his
business transactions, so that the results of
his contracting are always satisfactory to
all concerned.

Mr. Hardman was united in marriage in
1876 to Julia St. John, a native of Frank-
lin county, Indiana, daughter of D. H. and
Kate (Lefforge) St. John, natives of Frank-
lin county, Indiana, and at present residents

1 88

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of Olney. Three children have been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Hardman, namely : Catherine,
the wife of J. Q. Davis, a grocer of Olney;
Thomas Thornley. who is living at home ;
the eldest, Alfred, was killed while on a va-
cation to visit his father in South Carolina,
at the age of thirteen years.

In his fraternal relations our subject is a
member of the Benevolent and Protective Or-
der of Elks at Olney; and in politics he is a
Democrat. He is a man of fine personality,
and in every respect merits the high regard
of his fellow citizens which they freely ac-
cord wherever he is known.

JACOB BRUBAKER.

It is not the intention of the biographer
to give in this connection a detailed history
of the subject's life, but rather to note inci-
dentally his connection with the various
enterprises with which his name has been
linked and to show the marked influence he
wielded in advancing the interests of Ste-
venson township, Marion county.

Jacob Brubaker was born in Fairfield
county, Ohio, in 1825, the son of Abraham
Brubaker, a native of the Buckeye state as
was also his wife who was known in her
maidenhood as Elizabeth Myers. They
came to Marion county, Illinois, in 1842
and took up government land and remained
here the balance of their lives. Abraham
was a man of influence in his community.
He passed away March 10, 1854, and his
faithful life companion joined him Febru-

ary 3, 1867. The number of children born
to them was six.

Jacob Brubaker, our subject, came to Illi-
nois with his parents when he was sixteen
years of age and received his education in
the pioneer schools where the advantages
were very limited and the terms lasted only
a few months out of each year, but he ap-
plied himself as best he could and laid the
foundation for a good mental development
which he later received by home reading and
personal observation.

Mr. Brubaker was united in marriage to
Jane Davis, who was born in Virginia.
She was taken to Pennsylvania when two
years of age and reared there, later coming
to Illinois when she had reached maturity,
remaining in this state until her earthly la-
bors closed in 1895. She was a good
woman, kind and gentle of disposition, and
in her religious affiliations was a member
of the Presbyterian church. Ten children
were born to Jacob and Jane Brubaker,
named in order of their birth as follows:
Clifford, who lives in Stevenson township
on a farm ; Lillie is the wife of M. C. Hoist-
law, a farmer of Stevenson township; Ella
is single; John is a fanner living in Alma
township, this county; Walter, who was
born February 7, 1864, lives on a farm in
Stevenson township. He was reared on a
farm and in 1887 went to Colorado, but
returned to this county and married Laura
Rodgers, a native of Marion county. He
has one hundred and forty acres of good
land and he is regarded as an excellent
farmer and neighbor. He is the father of
one child, Blanche. Frank is the name of

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

i89

the sixth child of our subject, who is liv-
ing on a farm in Stevenson township; Anna
is the wife of Charles Craig, a farmer on
the old Brubaker homestead; Herman is a
farmer in luka township; the ninth and
tenth child died in infancy.

Jacob Brubaker, after an eminently use-
ful and active life, passed to his rest on June
30, 1908, lamented by a host of friends who
regarded him as one of the leading men of
the community and who will greatly miss
him. In politics he was a Democrat and
he served as school director of Stevenson
township. He was known as a loyal citizen
and a good man.

JOHN F. EDDIXGS.

The climate, soil and general conditions
prevalent in southern Illinois are well
adapted to the purposes of general farming
and stock raising. One of the men who has
shown by their success that they were mas-
ters of the art of farming in luka town-
ship, Marion county, is the subject of this
biography. However, he is at present en-
gaged in other business, having given up
his former life work.

John F. Eddings was born in luka town-
ship, Marion county, Illinois, Feburary 22,
1844, the son of James B. and Rhoda Ann
(West) Eddings, both natives of North
Carolina. They emigrated to Kentucky
and Tennessee when very young, arriving
in the latter state in 1842. They later
came to Marion county, Illinois, and set-

tled in luka township, where they remained
a short time and then returned to Tennes-
see, but returned to Marion county in 1855,
settling again in luka township, where they
remained during the rest of their lives on a
farm. The death of the subject's father oc-
curred February 28, 1901, and his wife
died January 19, 1902. The former was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church
and after the Civil war he voted the Re-
publican ticket. He was justice of the
peace for two terms. There were nine
children in the family of Mr. and Mrs.
James Eddings, namely: Nancy, who lives
in luka, is the wife of William Nicks ; John
F., our subject, was second in order of
birth; Mary E., deceased, was the wife of
L. L. Jones; Minerva H. is the wife of
William Milburn, living in luka; James T.
is a fanner living in luka township; Jesse
J. lives in St. Louis; Martha Ann is the
wife of William Morgan, living in Alma;
William L. is deceased; Sarah, step-
daughter of the subject's father, is de-
ceased.

John F. Eddings was reared on the home
farm and educated in the common schools
of the county, remaining under the pa-
rental roof until he was seventeen years of
age, when he showed his patriotism by en-
listing in Company I, Fortieth Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry, serving four years in a
most gallant manner. So efficient was his
service that he was promoted to corporal,
and then to first lieutenant. He served
with Sherman's army, having been in all
his campaigns, with the exception of
when he was wounded at Shiloh, hav-

190

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ing been shot through the shoulder
in that great battle. His throat was
also pierced by a bullet. He remained
in the general hospital for one and one-half
months, after which he received a furlough
home of from forty to fifty days at the ex-
piration of which he rejoined his regiment
and served until the end of the war. After
his return from the army, he fanned a
while. Selling out, he came to luka and
engaged in the real estate and insurance
business, also as pension attorney which he
has since been following with marked suc-
cess.

Mr. Eddings is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, Picket Post, hav-
ing been commander, adjutant and quarter-
master of the same.

Fraternally he is a member of the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, having
passed all the chairs and he has attended the
grand lodge four times. He has been sec-
retary of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, lodge No. 694, for eighteen years.
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church.

Useless to add that in politics Mr. Ed-
dings is a loyal Republican. He is in 1908
Supervisor of luka township, having been
first appointed in December, 1903, to fill out
an expired term, taking the place made va-
cant by the death of William Gray. Mr.
Eddings was elected in 1907 for a period
of two years. Our subject has long been
interested in public affairs and always did
his part in furthering the interests of his
community in any way he could.

GEORGE A. McGAHEY.

The life of the subject of this review has
been such as to bear aloft the high standard
which has been maintained by his father,
who was one of the early residents' of this
section of the Prairie state, and whose life
was signally noble, upright and useful, one
over which falls no shadow of wrong in
thought, word or deed. Such was the type
of men who laid the foundation and aided
in the development of this state, and to their
memories will ever be paid a tribute of rev-
erence and gratitude by those who have
profited by their well-directed endeavors and
appreciated the lessons of their lives.

George A. McGahey, one of the leading
grocers of Olney, Illinois, was born in this
city, October 28, 1868, and decided to direct
his life work along channels here, rather
than seek uncertain advantages in other
fields. He is the son of David Herman and
Sarah E. (Swaim) McGahey, the former
having been born near Palestine, Illinois,
and the latter in Hamilton county, Ohio.
The mother moved with her parents to Illi-
nois when thirteen years old, settling near
Olney on a farm in Richland county, where
she grew to maturity. The father of the
subject lived in Jasper county for a number
of years, where he improved a farm. He
later moved to Richland county where he
married and bought a farm in Preston
township, being among the early settlers
here. About 1862 he moved to Olney where
he lived until his death in 1897, at the age
of sixtv-two vears. His wife, a woman of

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

beautiful Chrisian faith, survives, living in
Olney. They were the parents of two chil-
dren, George A., our subject, and a sister,
Mrs. E. W. Reef, of Carbondale, the for-
mer being the older. He was reared in Ol-
ney, where he attended the public schools,
graduating from the high school, having
received a good practical education. He
was assistant postmaster under J. C. Allen
for some time, after which he went on the
road selling wholesale groceries for a Cin-
cinnati house, having been clerk in a grocery
store for four years, during which time he
thoroughly mastered this line of business,
which he decided to make a life work. He
was on the road for two years. In 1897 he
purchased an interest in a grocery store in
Olney under the firm name of Winans &
McGahey, which firm successfully continued
for three years. In 1900 our subject es-
tablished his present grocery store, one of
the largest in Olney or this locality any-
where. It occupies a space of eighteen by
one hundred and seven feet, and a complete
line of staple and fancy groceries is carried.
A liberal trade has been built up within the
city and surrounding country, and his cus-
tomers are on the increase owing to the fair
and courteous treatment that is accorded to
all who visit this neat and well kept store.

Mr. McGahey has never assumed the re-
sponsibilities of the married state, but lives
at home with his mother and administers to
her comfort.

In politics Mr. McGahey is a Democrat,
having long taken an active part in the af-
fairs of his party, being a member of local
Democratic committees, etc. He is a director

in the Business Men's Association of Olney,
which has done much to promote the inter-
ests of Olney. He was one of the founders
of the same, and has been one of its leading
advocates. In his fraternal relations he is
a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows.

In all the relations of life Mr. McGahey
has proved signally true to every trust. He
possesses a social nature and by his genial
and kindly attitude to those about him, has
won the respect and confidence of everyone.
He has been very successful, being known
as an able and careful business man and one
whose integrity of purpose is beyond ques-
tion.

SHANNON KAGY.

The memory of the worthy subject of this
memorial biography is revered by a host of
friends and acquaintances among whom he
labored, having spent his energies through
a long life of strenuous endeavor to make
the most of his opportunities as well as to
assist as best he could his neighbors to im-
prove their condition.

Shannon Kagy was born in Marion
county, Illinois, May 26, 1844, and he was
called from his earthly labors in 1889, after
a life of usefulness and success in even-
particular. He was the son of Christian
and Anna (Hite) Kagy, natives of Ohio,
and early settlers in Marion county. Il-
linois.

The subject was reared on his father's
farm in Omega township, and was edu-
cated in the common schools of Marion

192

riOGIIAPIIICAI. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

county. He married Anna E. Brubaker,
born in Stevenson township, this county.
daughter of Eli and Ann (Warner) Bru-
baker. Mr. and Mrs. Kagy were the par-
ents of five children, namely : Myrtle, single
and living at home, is one of the popular
teachers of Marion county; Corwin, who
lives in Oregon, married Pearl Crippen ;
Clark lives in Salem, this county, and mar-
ried Quette Leckrone, and has two children,
Donald and Harvey; Frank married Nellie
Boring, living in New Mexico and they
have one child, Fay ; Ellis married Ora Dru-
endike. He is a farmer and has two chil-
dren, Keith and Rex.

After his marriage our subject moved to
Nebraska, where he remained for three
years, then returned to Marion county and
went to farming in 1882, on the place where
his widow is still living in Stevenson town-
ship, three miles east of Salem. Our sub-
ject remained on this place until his death.
He was a most excellent farmer and always
managed his fields to best advantage, reap-
ing rich harvests from year to year, making
a comfortable living and laying by an
ample competence for his family. He
raised good stock and the buildings on his
place were comfortable and convenient.

Mr. Kagy was one of the patriotic sons
of the great Prairie state who offered their
lives on the field of battle to save the
Union, having enlisted in Company K, One
Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer
Infantry and served three years. He saw
much hard service, but was never wounded
nor taken prisoner.

Mr. Kagy was a loyal Democrat and
held some of the minor public offices of
Stevenson township. He was a member of
the Grand Army of the Republic, and was
a faithful member of the Presbyterian
church. He was regarded by everyone as a
good man, honest and upright at all times
and always interested in the welfare of his
community, lending what aid he could in its
development at all times.

Mrs. Kagy, the widow of our subject,
lives on the home farm with her daughter.
She manages the entire farm with skill and
profit, being a women of rare business abil-
ity and force of character. She understands
the proper rotation of crops so as to get the
best harvests and the maintenance of the
soil to its original fertility. She also under-
stands the proper handling of live stock.
Her farm is regarded as one of the best
in Stevenson township. The buildings are
modern, and always kept in good order.
She is held in high esteem by her neighbors
and many friends for her many admirable
traits of character and her kind heart and
cheerful disposition, being a pleasant woman
to meet, as is also her daughter.

ROBERT O. BRIGHAM.

No business man of Centralia is regarded
with higher favor than is the subject of this
sketch, who, while looking to his own in-
terests does not neglect to discharge his
duties in fostering the upbuilding of the
community in general.

CENTRALIA ENVELOPE CO.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

193

Robert O. Brigham, manager of the Cen-
tralia Envelope Company, was born in
Clinton, New York, May 23, 1861, the
son of Lewis and Sophia (Johnson) Brig-
ham, the former having been born in Ver-
non Center, New York, December 4, 1820.
His parents were of English extraction on
both sides of the house. Lewis E. Brigham
was a contractor and carpenter, and was
educated in the public schools of his native
state. The subject's parents reared a fam-
ily consisting of eight sons and one daugh-
ter, Robert O., our subject, being the sev-
enth in order of birth. The subject's father
died in Clinton, New York, February 22,
1907, at the age of eighty-seven years. His
wife was born in that city April 29, 1825.
She was educated in the common schools
in her native community. The parents of
the subject were married in 1843 in the state
of New York. The mother of our subject,
an elderly woman of beautiful Christian
character, is still living in Clinton, New
York.

Robert O. Brigham received his early ed-
ucation in Clinton, New York, in the public
schools. He quit school when fifteen years
of age and went to Boston to learn the ma-
chinist's trade. Here he took advantage of
the Boston night schools and applied him-
self with his accustomed vigor to technical
drafting and the necessary commercial
branches. He served his apprenticeship
with the National Sewing Machine Com-
pany, for which he worked for ten years, at
the end of which time he was called to take
charge of the Whitmore Sewing Machine
13

Company, in the employ of which he contin-
ued for one year ; the then went to Los An-
geles, California, then to Denver, Colorado,
and worked for W. E. Scott, machinery com-
pany, having charge of the model and re-
pair work, after which he worked for the
J. C. Teller Envelope Opener Company, of
Denver, Colorado.

Robert O. Brigham invented an attach-
ment to an envelope machine for placing a
string in the envelope and then formed a
company to put such an envelope on the
market. The manufacture was continued
with much success until 1896, when he and
two other men bought the interest of the
former manager, forming the Western En-
velope and Box Company. They continued
for one year in Denver, but finding that
they were too far west for the successful
working of such a plant, they moved to
Omaha, Nebraska, remaining there one
year, after which they moved to Centralia,
Illinois.

After operating the plant for eight years
in Centralia, it was reorganized and called
the Illinois Envelope Company, and moved
to Kalamazoo, Michigan. After one year's
residence in Kalamazoo, Mr. Brigham re-
signed his position with the Illinois En-
velope Company and returned to Centralia
and helped to organize a new envelope
company with only Centralia capital. This
company is known as the Centralia Envelope
Company, and is capitalized for one hun-
dred thousand dollars, fully paid in. This
company is now only two years old and is
doing a thriving business. Its capacity at

i94

JIIOGKAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the beginning was one and one-quarter mil-
lion envelopes every ten hours, and has been
increased to one and one-half million per
day. The order for the machinery for the
plant was the largest ever given at one time
for a like enterprise.

The view accompanying this article is of
thirty of the latest improved envelope ma-
chines in the plant of the Centralia En-
velope Company mill. These machines are
marvels of ingenuity. The paper is cut to
the proper size and shape, then taken to
these machines in which they are gummed,
folded, dried and counted at the rate of one
hundred to one hundred and thirty per
minute, according to size. The picture
shows only the envelope machines. There
is also a large printing department equipped
with latest improved printing machinery
and all the necessary equipment that goes
to make a complete printing establish-
ment, cutting department, box department,
case department, handfold department, ma-
chine shop, in fact, everything that goes
to make up a complete envelope mill.

The capacity of the mill, as already
stated, is one and one-half million envelopes
every ten hours, making it one of the largest
in the United States, and one of the lead-
ing industries of Southern Illinois. Its goods
are known far and wide for their high
quality.

This mill is owned and controlled by
Centralia capital. Its directors are com-
posed of the following well known busi-
ness men : C. C. Davis, Ferdinand Kohl. Jr.,
Harry Warner, F. F. Noleman, Jacob

Erbes, Ed Cornell, J. G. Goetsch, R. O.
Brigham, W. E. O'Melveny. Officers: C.
C. Davis, president; F. Kohl, Jr., vice pres-
ident; H. M. Warner, secretary: Harry
Kohl, treasurer; R. O. Brigham, general
manager.

Our subject is particularly well fitted to
be manager of such a gigantic and success-
ful enterprise. His native constructive abil-
ity for technical mechanics and intricate ma-
chinery has eminently fitted him in this
special line. His economic foresight of
proper management, good machines, good
workmen, good material all contribute to
the success of the company.

All the machinery in the plant is modern,
up-to-date in every respect, and high grade
work is turned out rapidly. Our subject
has had. a wide experience in the manage-
ment of such concerns. He is the originator
and inventor of many of the improvements
to be found in the present highly developed
envelope machine. This company under his
superior management now operates thirty
envelope machines, ten printing presses and
ten box machines. The factory also has a
complete machine shop and repair depart-
ment, also a complete case department. The
buildings are two stories high, built of brick
and frame. The main building is two hun-
dred feet long and fifty feet wide. The
shipping and stock room is one hundred and
thirty-five by eighty-five feet. A switch
from the main track of the Illinois Central
Railroad runs to the door of the big ship-
ping room, all under cover of spacious
sheds. The Illinois Southern tracks also

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

run into the sheds of the shipping depart-
ment. The machines of the plant are run
and the buildings are lighted and heated by
a one hundred and sixty-horse power steam
plant and a sixty horse power engine. A
four hundred light dynamo furnishes the
lighting of the great plant. Eighty girls
and twenty-five men and boys are constant-
ly employed to operate the plant, the daily
capacity of which is one million and five
hundred thousand envelopes.

This new but successful enterprising
company was started by thirty-five of the
business men of Centralia, and it is owned
by Centralia people, being capitalized at
one hundred thousand dollars, which was
raised in a very short time. The capacity
of each machine runs from sixty-five to sev-
enty-five thousand each ten hours. It is an
interesting plant in every detail and one of
the rapidly growing large industrial con-
cerns of Southern Illinois.

Robert O. Brigham was married to Min-
nie G. McDonald, the accomplished daugh-
ter of James and Rebecca (Nicholson) Mc-
Donald, a well known family of Quincy,
Illinois, to which family there were four
children, Minnie being the youngest. To
our subject and wife one daughter was
born, who passed away when eighteen years
old.

Our subject is a member of Centralia
lodges, Knights of Pythias and the Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks. He
served as a member of the school board for
one term. In politics he is a Republican,
and he was reared a Baptist, but he at pres-

ent worships with the Christian Scientists,
and is president of the Church Board of
Centralia. His beautiful home just west of
the Public Library is nicely furnished, be-
ing also well filled with choicest books of
an excellent variety, also a large number of
beautiful oil paintings by his sister and
daughter. He is a genial gentleman of
good habits and modest demeanor.

PHILIP HELTMAN.

An honorable retirement from labor in
which to enjoy the fruits of former toil and
the enjoyment which life can offer, is the
fitting reward of a useful and active career,
in which one, through keen discernment, in-
defatigable labor and honorable methods
advanced steadily toward the goal of pros-
perity. Such, briefly stated, is the record
of Philip Heltman, who is now living re-
tired in Olney, Richland county, and
through his long connection with agricul-
tural interests he not only carefully con-
ducted his farm, but so managed its affairs
that he acquired thereby a position among
the substantial residents of the community.
Moreover he is entitled to representation in
this volume because he was one of the sons
of the Northland who stood by the flag dur-
ig the days of the rebellion. He came to
this county over a half century ago, and
from those early times down to the present
day he has been an interested witness of its
development, taking a just pride in what he
has accomplished and the high rank the

196

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM I X 1SCKXT HISTORY OF

county has among her sister counties of the
great Prairie state.

Philip Heltman was born in Clermont
county, Ohio, December 6, 1834, the son of
John and Elizabeth (Weaver) Heltman, na-
tives of Pennsylvania, of German parentage.
John Heltman grew up in the old Keystone
state and married there. In 1809 he emi-
grated with his wife and two children to
Cincinnati, Ohio, going down the Ohio
river in skiffs. He was a distiller and came
to Ohio for the purpose of following that
business. This was in an early day, and he
was obliged to take refuge in a fort in the
Miami valley more than once on account of
the Indians. He later located on a farm
which is now located in Clermont county,
Ohio, near the Hamilton county line, where
he died at the age of sixty-eight years, his
wife having previously passed away in 1840.
Our subject is the youngest of fourteen chil-
dren and the only one living at this writing.
He was about fifteen years of age when his
father died. He then went to live with an
older brother and was reared on a farm in
Clermont county, where he attended pub-
lic school in the winer in an old log school-
house, and one term in a frame, but he ap-
plied himself and laid a good foundation for
an education which has later been added to
by home reading and a contact with the
world of men.

In February, 1857, Mr. Heltman came to
Richland county, Illinois, and soon after-
ward bought over four hundred acres of
raw land in Denver township, on which two
log cabins had been built. He at once began

work on the place and in time made exten-
sive and radical improvements.

When the war between the states broke
out, our subject was not long making up his
mind to offer his services in behalf of the
nation, consequently he enlisted in June,
1 86 1, in Company D, Eleventh Missouri
Volunteer Infantry, and after a faithful ser-
vice was mustered out in Memphis, Tennes-
see, in August, 1864, and was paid off in
St. Louis. His regiment was assigned to
the Mississippi, and opened up the same,
raising the blockade on Island No. 10. He
soon afterward went to Tiptonville by
transport, where his regiment took about
five thousand prisoners. Later Mr. Heltman
was in the siege of Corinth, his regiment
forming the left wing of the army in the
fighting there. It was later sent against
Bragg and Price at luka, where the Confed-
erates were defeated. Then came the en-
gagements at Raymond, Mississippi, the
Siege of Vicksburg, and during the latter
part of the siege this regiment was in front.
After the surrender there, the regiment went
to Jackson, Mississippi, -and captured that
place, the subject having charge of the pro-
vost guard the first night at Jackson, when
the city was taken. It then returned to
Vicksburg and soon afterward went up the
Red river to Alexandria. After the Red
river expedition, it was sent to Memphis
where it was mustered out, and from which
place our subject went home.

After the war Mr. Heltman engaged in
farming and stock raising for many years,
making a success in these lines, for he was

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

197

a man of good judgment in buying and sell-
ing stock, and a most careful farmer, be-
sides a hard worker. He improved a good
farm in Denver township, which he still
owns, consisting of seven hundred and
twenty acres, of very productive soil, having
been so carefully ad skillfully tilled that the
land is just as strong today as when he took
possession of it. It is well fenced, has an
excellent dwelling and outbuildings on it, in
fact, everything about the place shows that
a man of thrift and energy has had its man-
agement in hand.

In October, 1874, Mr. Heltman located
in Olney, owning one hundred and twenty
acres of valuable land just outside the city
limits and eight acres within the city limits,
on which he lives. He has a beautiful resi-
dence where the many friends of the family
often gather and always find good cheer and
hospitality unstintingly dispersed. All this
Mr. Heltman has made unaided, and in a
most honorable manner, therefore he de-
serves the great credit he is given by his
friends who are limited only by the circle of
his acquaintance.

Mr. Heltman's married life began in
1854 when he was united in the bonds of
wedlock with Laura E. Smith, a native of
Clermont county, Ohio, the daughter of Or-
rin Smith. Four children have blessed the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Heltman, namely:
Georgiana, the wife of William J. Eichin,
of Olney. Illinois ; Cora is the second child ;
Mamie is residing in Arvada, a suburb of
Denver, Colorado; Hattie is the wife of
Benjamin Holscher. of Linton. Indiana.

In politics our subject was a Republican
all his life up to 1896, since which time he
has voted the Democratic ticket, except in
1904, when he voted the Prohibition ticket.
He says he is a Lincoln Republican or a
Bryan Democrat — one and the same thing
— and he has always taken an active interest
in politics. He has served several terms on
the Board of County Supervisors from
Denver and Olney townships. He is a mem-
ber of the Protestant Methodist church, as
is also his noble wife. His children are
members of the Episcopal church.

Mr. Heltman won definite success in life
because he persevered in the pursuit of a
worthy purpose, gaining thereby a most sat-
isfactory reward. His life is exemplary in
every respect, and he has always supported
those interests which are calculated to uplift
and benefit humanity, while his own moral
worth is deserving of the highest commen-
dation.

WILLIAM J. MARTIN.

A list of Marion county's prominent fami-
lies would certainly be incomplete were there
failure to make specific mention of the well
known farmer and representative citizen,
and his relatives, whose name introduces
this sketch, for his life has been one of use-
fulness and honor, resulting in good to
everyone with whom he has had dealings
whether in business or social life.

William J. Martin was born in Gibson
county, Tennessee, January 15, 1859, the

i98

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

son of Caleb and Martha J. (McHaney)
Martin, the latter a native of middle Ten-
nessee and the former of South Carolina.
Jacob Martin, the subject's paternal grand-
father, came to Tennessee from South Caro-
lina in an early day and farmed there until
his death. The parents of the subject mar-
ried in Tennessee. Martha McHaney was
the daughter of William McHaney, a native
of Tennessee. She first married David
Young, who died and left two children,
Frances, the wife of Atlas Hammond. The
second child died in infancy. Caleb Martin
first married Miss Susan Batie, who died
leaving the following children : Jacob,
George, Amos, America, Jane, Parthene,
Martha and Mary Susan.

The parents of our subject married in
Tennessee and in November, 1862, settled in
Salem township, Marion county, Illinois.
Caleb Martin was a strong Union man and
left the South on account of the war. His
wife, a noble old lady, is still living with
her son, our subject. The subject's father
farmed in Marion county, Illinois, until his
death, July 1 1, 1888. He and his wife were
members of the Christian church. He was
a strong Republican. Six children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Martin, as fol-
lows: William J., our subject; Monroe,
Houston, Benjamin Van Buren, John A.
Logan, Sarah Ida.

Our subject was about three years old
when the family came to Illinois. They
made the trip from Tennessee with ox teams
and camped out on the way, having all ox
teams with the exception of one team of

horses. William J. Martin was reared on
his father's farm and educated in the com-
mon district schools of this county. On
his farm now stands the little old school
house in which he was educated. He pur-
chased it and moved it on this place, which
he now uses for a store house and granary.
It was built about 1850. Mr. Martin re-
mained at home and worked on the farm
until he was twenty-five years old. This
was in 1884, in which year his happy and
harmonious domestic life began, having then
married Elizabeth Hershberger, who was
born in Crawford county, Ohio, the daugh-
ter of Henry and Catherine (Snavely)
Hershberger. (For a full history of this
family the reader is directed to the sketch
of David Hershberger in this work.)

Four children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, namely: Minnie, born Oc-
tober 3, 1886, is a member of the home
circle; Claude was born in April, 1888, and
died in January, 1895; William Franklin
was born December 26, 1890, and died
January 16, 1891 ; Nellie Zada, born August
14, 1892, is at home attending school.

Mr. Martin's highly improved and pro-
ductive farm consists of one hundred and
sixty acres. He has a beautiful country
home, substantial, comfortable and nicely
furnished, and a good barn and other con-
venient out buildings, everything about the
place showing thrift, good management and
industry. He keeps an excellent grade of
cattle and other live stock, and is regarded
as a good judge of stock and one of the
leading farmers of Salem township. His

RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

199

hogs are of good breed and he raises some
fine horses. Mr. Martin also owns two hun-
dred acres of his father's old farm in this
township, which he keeps well improved and
the soil in good productive condition.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin are members of the
Christian church at Young's chapel. Mr.
Martin is a trustee in the church and a
liberal subscriber to the same. In politics
he is a Republican. In the social and pri-
vate walks of life no man bears a more
enviable reputation for sterling worth. In
short, Mr. Martin is an honorable, upright
citizen, belonging to the somewhat rare class
that direct and control public sentiment
without pushing himself forward and with-
out incurring the ill will of those with
whom they come in contact and leave the
impress of their strong personality indelibly
stamped upon the community, winning the
friendship of all classes.

DAXIEL GAFFXER.

The honored subject of this sketch is now
living in retirement in Olney, Illinois, en-
joying the respite due the closing of a long
and useful business career. He has been
prominently identified with industrial move-
ments of no mean scope and importance and
the name which he bears has stood for pro-
gressiveness and large enterprise ever since
the pioneer days in this section of the state,
while he is a scion of an old family of Swit-
zerland, being numbered among that ele-

ment of foreigners in this country who have
greatly benefited America by their pres-
ence. So important have been the business
and industrial undertakings with which he
had been connected, and so high is the confi-
dence and esteem in which he is held in Rich-
land county, that it is imperative that he be
accorded recognition in a publication like
the present volume.

Daniel Gafrner was born in Interlacken,
Switzerland, July 7. 1831, the son of Daniel
and Elizabeth (Gerber) Gaffner, also na-
tives of Switzerland where they lived and
died. The subject's father was a farmer in
the mountains of that country and was sev-
enty-eight years old when he died, his wife
having died at the age of seventy-five. The
family of Gaffner was originally French, one
branch passing to Switzerland many years
ago. The father of the subject was in the
military service of his country for some time.
Grandfather Gerber was of Swiss birth and
parentage, but took part in a number of bat-
tles under Xapoleon. A remarkable fact is
that the subject remembers the funeral of his
grandfather who died in 1833, when the sub-
ject was a trine over two years old. Seven
children were born to the parents of the sub-
ject, five of whom grew to maturity. Daniel
being the fourth in order of birth. Three
members of the family came to the United
States.

Our subject was reared in his native land
on a farm and there developed that sturdy
manhood and sterling character that have
made for his later success in new environ-
ments. He received a common school educa-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

non. He left home when sixteen years old
and was apprenticed to a shoemaker, at
which trade he worked in several parts of
Switzerland. When twenty-three years old
he came to the United States, landing in New
York and went direct to La Porte, Indiana,
where he arrived without money. His father
was reluctant to have him come to America,
but after consenting gave him money enough
to pay his passage. He at once began work
at his trade in LaPorte, but soon afterward
went to Highland, Illinois, where he worked
for three years, being regarded as a high
grade workman by his employers. In 1858
he came to Olney and resumed working at his
trade, but at the end of two years he went to
Edwards county on account of failing health,
having traded property in Olney for a two-
hundred-acre farm. Two years later he sold
the same for two thousand two hundred and
fifty dollars, besides realizing about one thou-
sand dollars from his personal property.
Thus we see how our subject prospered from
the first in his adopted country. His next
move was to Albion, where he worked at his
trade for three years, having been in partner-
ship one year in a shoe shop and store. He
had bought property in Albion which he
traded for property in Olney, then taking up
his permanent residence in the latter town
where he has since resided continuously, hav-
ing carried on business here in a most suc-
cessful manner for many years. He first
opened a shoe store and later was engaged
in wholesale and retail hide and leather busi-
ness, gradually accumulating property. In
1882 he built a three-storv brick business

block on Main street, twenty by eighty-five
feet with a good basement, in addition to
a large warehouse. It is one of the
most pretentious blocks in Olney, modern,
substantial and convenient. He also owns an-
other brick block two stories in height, twenty
by one hundred and eighty-five feet, located
on Main street. He also owns a valuable
building, thirty by one hundred and eighty
feet, on Vaile avenue, together with two
stores on Railroad street, besides valuable
residence property. He is one of the stock-
holders of the First National Bank and for
some years was one of its directors.

Mr. Gafifner was first married in 1852 to
Susanna Schneiter, a native of Switzerland,
who came to the United States with her fa-
ther, her mother having died in Switzerland.
To the subject and his first wife six chil-
dren were born, four of whom are living, as
follows : Robert, a druggist in Olney ; Tell,
Charles and Walter, all reside in Seattle,
Washington. They are all young men of
much business ability. Their father gave
each one ten thousand dollars to start them
in life.

Mrs. Gaffner passed to her rest in August,
1898, and the subject subsequently married
Mrs. Fannie (Suardet) Emerson, who was
born in De Vand, Switzerland, of French-
Huguenot descent, who came to the United
States with a brother, who soon afterward
went to California during the gold excite-
ment and subsequently died there.

Mr. Gaffner is a Republican in politics, but
he has never aspired to public office and he is
not a partisan, believing in men rather than

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

201

measures. His first presidential vote was for
Stephen A. Douglas. Mr. Gaffner was reared
in the German Reformed church. His wife
is a member of the Presbyterian church.

This review of Mr. Gaffer's life history is
necessarily general in its character. To enter
fully into the interesting details of his ca-
reer would require a much larger space than
possible in this volume. Sufficient, however,
has been stated to show that he is entitled
to a place in the front ranks of successful men
who have engaged in industries in Richland
•county. He, by his pluck, energy and enter-
prise, controlled by correct principles and
founded upon unswerving honor, has at-
tained to a position meriting the respect and
admiration of his fellow citizens which they
gladly give.

FRANCIS M. PURCELL.

The subject is a representative business
man and citizen of Marion county, man-
aging one of the largest lumber establish-
ments in the county, the well known firm
being F. M. Purcell & Company, doing
business at Kell. Our subject was born in
Wilson county, Tennessee, July 2, 1843,
the son of Hiram and Parthena (Williams)
Purcell, natives of Tennessee, and a fine old
Southern family. Hiram was a prosperous
fanner and lived and died in Tennessee.
He and his faithful life companion were
members of the Missionary Baptist church.
The subject's father was a gallant soldier

in the Seminole Indian war in Florida. To
Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Purcell five children
were bom, namely: Lavina, Ella; Frances
M.. our subject; L. B. and Hiram.

The subject's father first married a Miss
Jones and they became the parents of two
children, Eliza and Henry.

Our subject grew up in Tennessee on a
farm. He remained in that state on a farm
until he was twenty-seven years old. In
1870 he came to Jefferson county, Illinois,
and engaged in farming, also the lumber
business, making a success of each. In the
fall of 1904, he came to Kell, Illinois,
where he is now located and where he has
built up an extensive business by means of
his industry, his careful methods and fair
treatment of customers. He is in partner-
ship with Omer V. Cummings in the lum-
ber business. They supply a large scope of
country with lumber and all kinds of build-
ing material as well as much hardware.
They also handle paints, cement, lime, nails,
in fact, everything that a builder uses in a
house, barn or other structure. They al-
ways handle a good line of material and
their prices are always right, according to
the statement of many of their customers.
They have extensive sheds and their office
is a nice place and is always a busy place.

Our subject's happy domestic life began
in 1866, when he was united in marriage
with America Penuel, who was born in
Tennessee, the daughter of Frederick and
Lucinda (Jennings) Penuel, natives of that
state.

Eight children have been born to the sub-

lilOC.RAPHICAL AXI) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ject and wife as follows: Amanda, the wife
of W. W. Hay, who lives in Jefferson
county, this state ; Samuel married Dora Ri-
ley and they live in Carrier Mills, Illinois;
Lucinda is the wife of George Snyder. liv-
ing in Jefferson county, Illinois ; Robert
married Anna McCormick, and they also
live in Jefferson county; Otis J. married
Tosie Hawkins ; William Edgar is single ;
Nora is the wife of Adolphus Caldwell, also
of Jefferson county; Fred is single.

Mr. and Mrs. Purcell are members of
the Missionary Baptist church. The former
is a loyal Democrat. He very ably served
for six years as Supervisor of Rome town-
ship, Jefferson county, this state. He was
chairman of the Board of Supervisors for
one year. He takes considerable interest in
political matters and his advice is often
sought in the local affairs of his county.
In his fraternal relations he is a member of
the Masonic Order, the .Knights Templar.

Mr. Purcell owns a valuable and well
improved farm, near Kell, on which he
lives, having a modern, substantial and nice-
ly furnished dwelling, an excellent barn and
convenient out-buildings. He is a very
busy man, for he successfully conducts the
affairs of his lumber establishment in town
and at the same time superintends the work
on the place, being an excellent judge of live
stock of all kinds, and he is regarded as one
of the leading business men of Haines
township. He deserves much credit for
what he has accomplished, having started
in life under none too favorable circum-
stances, but he has been a hard worker and

a good manager and success has attended
his efforts from the first. He is a gentle-
man of pleasing demeanor, easily ap-
proached, and while not an aspirant for
high political favors, he has done much in
a quiet way, as already intimated, to pro-
mote the good of the community where he
lives. He occupies a commendable stand-
ing among his fellow citizens and has a
large circle of friends who have learned to
esteem him for his industry and many-
manly qualities.

KENNETH D. HORRALL.

Kenneth D. Horrall, the well known
hardware merchant of Olney, Illinois,
which business he established in 1856, and
which he has conducted continuously ever
since in a most successful manner, his busi-
ness having steadily grown from a modest
beginning until now it is one of large pro-
portions. He carries a stock of about fif-
teen thousand dollars, often reaching twenty
thousand dollars, his store room being twen-
ty by one hundred and sixty-five feet, and
two floors, and one hundred feet on three
floors. In 1866 he erected his present brick
block. His is the oldest business in Olney,
and the oldest hardware business in Rich-
land county. His business is known all over
the county, and his customers come from all
sections of this locality.

Kenneth D. Horrall was born near Wash-
ington, Daviess county. Indiana, June 9,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

203

1838, the son of John and Rebecca (John-
son) Horrall, the former a native of Vir-
ginia and the latter of Illinois. They were
among the early settlers of this section of the
state, being sterling pioneers and people of
force of character. The father of the sub-
ject served in the wars under General Har-
rison and took part in the battle of Tippe-
caoe. He devoted his life to farming and
died in Daviess county. Indiana, at the age
of fifty-two years. His wife survived him
for several years and passed to rest while
living in Richland county, Illinois, at the ad-
vanced age of eighty-five years. Our sub-
ject was the youngest of seven children,
only two of whom are living at this writing.

Mr. Horrall was reared in his native state
and was educated in the country schools,
where he applied himself in such a manner
as to gain an education despite lack of op-
portunities. When he was fourteen years
old he came to Olney and entered the hard-
ware store of John Banks in order to learn
the tinner's trade, at which he worked suc-
cessfully for about fifteen years. In 1856 he
began business for himself in a small way,
having a stock of about three hundred dol-
lars. He built up his business to its present
proportions by years of hard' work and
close application to business, and by his fair
treatment of customers.

In politics our subject is a Republican,
but he has never been active in his party's
affairs. However, he served very faithfully
for two years as a member of the City
Council. He is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, having held about all the

offices in the same and he has been one of
the main pillars of this church.

Mr. Horrall's domestic relations began
in 1858 when he was married to Sarah J.
Baird, a native of Olney, Illinois, and the-
daughter of Asa and Lucy (Tanner) Baird,
natives of Vermont, who were among the
pioneers of Richland county, where they
spent their active and useful lives, and where
they died. Asa Baird was a contractor and
he built a large part of the national road
to Vincennes. At one time he was one of
the officials of the county. His death oc-
curred in 1849. His wife was a relative of
ex-Governor Tanner.

The subject and his wife are the parents
of seven children, namely: Adelbert,
George Lewis, Charles Asa: Carrie, de-
ceased ; Edward Eugene, Walter Lewis and
Henry Cliff. Adelbert. Charles and Walter
assist their father in the management of his
large store. Adelbert is bookkeeper, having
graduated in a business college in Buffalo,
Xew York. George is a tinner by trade and
he manages a farm two miles north of Ol-
ney, which is owned by himself and father.
It is a valuable farm, well improved and
highly cultivated. Charles also learned the
tinner's trade and also telegraphy. Edward
is a druggist and owns and operates a drug
store at Decatur, Illinois. Henry Cliff is
engaged in the hardware business at Bridge-
port, Illinois. These children have all re-
ceived good educations and are well estab-
lished in life.

No man in Richland county is better or
more favorably known than Mr. Horrall.

204

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Because of his public spirit, his honesty in
all his dealings with his fellow men, his gen-
erous and kindly nature, he has won and re-
tained a host of warm personal friends
throughout this locality.

HARVEY D. MAY.

By a life of persistent and well applied
industry led along the most honorable lines,
the gentleman whose name appears above
has justly earned the right to be repre-
sented in a work of the character of the
one at hand, along with the other men of
Marion county who have made their in-
fluence felt in their respective communities.

Harvey D. May, the present popular
Trustee of Haines township and a well
known dealer in harness, saddlery and hard-
ware in the town of Kell, Illinois, was born
in Raccoon township, Marion county, Oc-
tober 12, 1879, and while yet a young man
he has shown what properly applied energy
and a business mind can do toward wrench-
ing success from seeming insurmountable
obstacles. He is the son of Jesse H. and
Mary (Williams) May, the former a native
of Kentucky and the latter of Tennessee.
Anderson May, the subject's grandfather,
was also a native of Kentucky and was one
of the early settlers in Marion county, Illi-
nois, having settled in Raccoon township.
Jesse H. May, who has devoted his life to
farming and is still living in that township,
is a highly respected citizen. Three chil-

dren were born to the parents of our subject,
Amos is a farmer in Raccoon township;
Laura, who is deceased, was the wife of
Orvil Prater, and they were the parents of
two children, Etha and Henry, who are still
living; Harvey D., our subject, was the
second child.

Our subject was reared on a farm where
he assisted with the work about the place.
He attended school in Raccoon township,
having applied himself in such a manner
as to gain the foundation for a good edu-
cation. Deciding early in life that he de-
sired to be a harness maker and dealer, Mr.
May learned the harnessmaker's trade and
became quite a proficient workman early in
life, and he finally opened a shop in
Kell, this county, establishing his present
business, in which he was successful from
the first and which has steadily grown, his
business now extending through a wide
scope of country on every hand, owing to
the fair dealing he gives his customers and
the intimate knowledge he has of the har-
ness business. He does a general repair
business and is always very busy. His shop
is equipped with all the latest appliances and
improvements known to the harnessmaker's
art and his work is all of a high grade.

Mr. May's domestic life was begun in
1903, when he was united in marriage with
Ava Williams, who was born in Jefferson
county, Illinois, and is the daughter of N. A.
and Jane (Rice) Williams. Mrs. May was
called from her earthly labors January 14,
1908. She was a member of the Baptist
church. She was a woman of many esti-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

205

mable traits of character, a good wife and
was beloved by all her neighbors.

Mr. May is a member of Romine Lodge
No. 663, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows. He has represented this lodge at the
Grand Lodge on two different occasions,
and has passed all the chairs in the local
lodge. Our subject is a loyal Republican
and has taken considerable interest in his
party's affairs. He was elected Trustee of
Haines township in the spring of 1908. He
is regarded as an energetic, honest and in-
fluential citizen, enjoying the respect of all
who know him.

ELI BRUBAKER.

The man who has made a success of life
and won the honor and esteem of his fel-
low citizens deserves more than passing
notice. Such is the record, briefly stated,
of the gentleman whose name heads this
review, the record he left behind being one
of honor in every respect, for a more
whole-souled and popular man never lived
in Stevenson township where he long main-
tained his home and where he labored for
the general good of the community, and,
although his life work has been closed by
the good angel, who has set the seal on the
record of his life history, his influence still
permeates the lives of those who knew him
best and loved him for his fortitude, fidel-
ity, honor and industry.

Eli Brubaker was born in Fairfield

county, Ohio, December n, 1819, and he
was called from his earthly labors in 1907,
after a long and eminently useful and suc-
cessful life. He was the son of Abraham and
Elizabeth (Myers) Brubaker, and was
reared on his father's farm in Ohio, where
he assisted with the work about the place un-
til he reached manhood, attending the com-
mon schools in the neighborhood until he
received a fairly good education, such as the
old pioneer schools of those times afforded.
The school house which he attended had
puncheon seats and greased paper was used
for window panes. For a full history of
the Brubaker family the reader is referred
to the sketch of Noah Brubaker, which ap-
pears in another part of this volume.

The subject of this sketch came to Ma-
rion county, Illinois, in 1843, and settled
among the pioneers on new land in Steven-
son township, where, by dint of hard work,
he made a home and developed a good
farm. The old Brubaker homestead is to-
day one of the best farms in Stevenson
township. Eli Brubaker was a hard worker
and an excellent farmer, and he made a
comfortable living.

Our subject was first married to Mary
Ann Warner January 20, 1842, daughter
of William Warner, an early settler of Ma-
rion county, Illinois. She was born in
Lancaster county, Ohio. She passed to her
rest in 1872. She was the mother of
eleven children, namely : Isaac, who lives in
luka, this state ; Christina, deceased ; Annie,
E., widow of Shannon Kagy, lives in Ste-
venson township; William is a prosperous

206

IIIOGKAPIIICAL AND KKM I MSfKXT HISTORY OF

farmer in Stevenson township; Edgar and
Edward are twins; Logan is a farmer, liv-
ing in Stevenson township; Mary Jane is
the eighth child; the ninth, tenth and elev-
enth child died in infancy.

On February 4, 1875, the subject married
a second time, his last wife being Emma
Squibb, who was born in Ohio county, In-
diana, the daughter of George Y. and Mary
Ann (Harpham) Squibb, natives of Indi-
ana, who moved to Stevenson township,
Marion county, Illinois, where the mother
is still living, the father having died soon
after coming to this county. Mrs. Bru-
baker is living on the old homestead in
Stevenson township, which she manages
successfully.

Our subject was a member of the Cum-
berland Presbyterian church and a liberal
supporter of the same. He was a good
everyday Christian, always strictly honest in
his dealings with his fellow men, a good
neighbor, father and husband. In politics
he was a Democrat, but never held office.
The different members of his family are well
settled in life and are highly respected in
their respective communities. They reflect
great credit upon their parents, who gave
them every advantage possible, and no
doubt they will ever uphold the honor of
the family name which is one of the high-
est integrity.

The subject of this sketch was a member
of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and
was ordained elder in this church in 1847.
He was superintendent of the Sunday school
at Brubaker chapel for the long period of

over forty-two years, after which he was
elected honorary superintendent for life. He
was a leader in church work for many years
and was foremost in promoting everything
which makes for the betterment of human-
ity. It was largely due to his efforts that
the new and modern church edifice was
erected and dedicated June 20, 1896, which
he christened New Bethel, he not only do-
nating the land, consisting of four acres for
the manse, but also gave freely of his ser-
vices and money to the building fund.

Mr. Brubaker gave each of his children
a farm.

SAMUEL MARION HOLT.

The subject of this review, who, though
past the meridian of life many years, is still
in the same physical and mental vigor that
have characterized his earlier years of en-
deavor and he is almost as capable in bear-
ing his part in the concerns of his neighbor-
hood as he was in former days.

Samuel Marion Holt is a native of Ma-
rion county, having been born in Foster
township, June 25, 1845, the son of John F.
Holt, who was born in Georgia in 1806, and
came to Marion county, Illinois, when a
young man, where he took up government
land in Foster township, settling on North
Fork creek among the pioneers, there being
then only four families here, the first settlers
of this creek being Isaac Agan, Hardy Fos-
ter, John F. Holt and Moses Garrett. The
subject's grandfather was Harmon Holt,

KICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

207

who was born in Georgia and came to Ma-
rion county, Illinois, where he died at a
ripe old age. He was of Irish descent. Har-
mon Holt's wife was named Ibby Holt,
whom he married in Georgia. The maiden
name of the subject's mother was Elizabeth
Jones, who was born in the state of Dela-
ware, and who came with her parents to St.
Clair county, Illinois, when five years old.
Eleven children were born to the subject's
parents, five of whom are living. They are :
Martha, Henry, Mary, Matilda. Harmon.
Salina, Samuel M., Sally, John D., Hardy
F. (twins) and Isabelle.

The Indians made a treaty with the gov-
ernment to hunt in the new country which
was still partly a wilderness after his par-
ents had come. Our subject spent his early
life on his father's farm and attended the
common schools, such as they were in those
early days. When he reached maturity he
married, on July 21, 1864, Susan F. Atkins,
who was born in Marion county, July 16,
1847, tne daughter of John Atkins, who
was born in Franklin county, Tennessee. He
moved to Alabama with his parents when a
boy. He was about thirty years of age
when he came to Illinois and took up gov-
ernment land. He was the father of four
children, an equal number of boys and girls.
He spent the remainder of his life here, with
the exception of the last fifteen years, dying
at the age of seventy-three years, in Texas,
where he had gone fifteen years previous.

Our subject is the father of seven chil-
dren, named in order of birth as follows:
Mary M., who married Eli M. Arnold, liv-

ing in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and who are the
parents of five children; Margaret E., who
married Oscar Chance, of Salem, Illinois,
and who is the mother of six children;
Emma F., who married James A. Arnold,
living in Fort Worth, Texas, and the mother
of two children; Rhoda A., who mar-
ried Ed. Jones, of Salem, Illinois, and who
is the mother of two children; John A. was
married to Maud Davis, December 13, 1908,
and lives at home: the sixth child was an
infant, who died unnamed : Lulu B., the
youngest child, is the wife of Will Harkey,
who lives in Fayette county, near St. Peter,
this state, and she is the mother of one son.

Our subject is the owner of a fine landed
estate in Kinmundy township, consisting of
three hundred and eighty-five acres, of well
improved land, which he has successfully
managed until it is one of the most valuable
farms in the township, being under a high
state of improvement and the1 fields well
fenced and well drained. Much good stock
of various kinds is to be seen in the sub-
ject's barns and fields, and he always keeps
good horses, cattle and hogs. He has an ele-
gant and comfortable dwelling which is
nicely furnished and is surrounded by a
beautiful yard and convenient out-buildings,
in fact, the entire place has an air of evident
thrift and prosperity.

Our subject is a Democrat in his political
affiliations and he has long taken an active
part in his party's affairs. His wife is a
devout Christian and a faithful mother, be-
ing a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Mr. Holt is not a member of the

208

ilOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

church and does not hold to any Orthodox
creed, yet he is a believer in good citizen-
ship, honesty and fair dealing and is highly
respected for his good citizenship. The
different members of the family are well
settled in life and highly esteemed in their
respective communities. They reflect great
credit upon their parents and no doubt will
ever uphold the honor of the family name,
which thus far has not been dimmed by the
commission of a single unworthy act.

Z. C. JENNINGS.

The life history of the subject of this
sketch goes back to the pioneer days, since
which Mr. Jennings has been a very potent
factor in the affairs of Marion county, in
which he is regarded as a foremost citizen
in every respect, therefore, for many rea-
sons, it is deemed entirely consistent to give
him conspicuous mention in this volume.

Z. C. Jennings was bom February 14,
1838, in Marion county, Illinois. Israel Jen-
nings, the subject's grandfather, was a na-
tive of Maryland and when he reached young
manhood went to the state of Kentucky and
while at Marysville married Mary Waters
in 1808. In 1818 he came to Marion county,
Illinois, and settled six miles southeast of
Centralia, being among the very first set-
tlers there, having Indians as his neighbors,
and the dense woods abounded in an abun-
dance of wild game. He was one of the
squatters at Walnut Hill until 1827. This

section was then a part of Jefferson county.
It was here that Mr. Jennings entered land,
which he developed and where he died in
1860. His first wife passed away in 1844
and he married a second time, his last wife
being Lear Sterling, of Centralia, this
county. There were no children by his sec-
ond wife. The following are the names
of the children by his first wife: Israel,
Jr., who married a Miss Davidson, was the
father of eleven children; Charles W., the
subject's father; William W. left home in
1847 and went to Wisconsin. He was in the
mining, mercantile and grain business, in
which he made a fortune. In 1853 he went
to California and engaged in gold mining,
but on account of failing health and trou-
ble with his eyes, came back to Marion
county where he remained for several years,
at one time engaging in railroad contract-
ing in northern Missouri. In i86t he en-
listed in the Union army and served during
the war, after which he settled in Marion
county and in 1875 he went to Austin
county, Texas, where he lived until 1890,
when he came to Alvin, Illinois, and built
a modern home, having become prosperous.
He first married Margaret Noleman. The
date of his death was 1904. He was highly
respected by all. Aftn, the third child of
the subject's grandfather, married Rufus
McElwain. a farmer in Centralia township,
who later lived at Salem, this county. Mary,
the fourth child, who was known as "Aunt
Polly," married a Mr. White. They lived
near Walnut Hill where he conducted a tan-
yard. John, the fifth child, died when he

MR. AND MRS. Z. JENNINGS.

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

209

reached maturity. The sixth child died
when young. In Marion county, in the
early days, no citizen was more' prominent
than Israel Jennings, who was one of the
largest land owners of the county. He was
a faithful member of the Methodist church,
and a good Democrat. In 1827 he was
elected a member of the Legislature when
Vandalia was the capital of the state. He
was a member of the house contemporane-
ous with Peter Cartwright. He was post-
master at Walnut Hill, Illinois, for many
years, beginning in 1834. He was a slave-
holder and owned the only male slave ever
held in this county. He came here before
there were any steam railroads, but during
his life he noted wonderful changes, being
instrumental in bringing about much of the
progress of the county. He opened a store
and gave dry goods and groceries in ex-
change for produce which he hauled to St.
Louis by wagon, bringing back supplies. At
the time of his coming to this county he
had two daughters who had reached ma-
turity. They were taken sick while he was
away in Shawneetown on one of his usual
trips and one of them died. There was no
lumber in the community, so a white-oak
tree was cut and a coffin hewn from it, in
which to bury the young lady, whose grave
is on the old place he owned. He was
known to be a very eccentric man, and ten
years before his death he bought a metallic
coffin, which he kept in the house until his
death, and he was buried in it, dying April
20, 1872. His wife died April 3, 1885.
Charles W. Jennings, the subject's father,
H

was born in Kentucky, and he came to Ma-
rion county, Illinois, with his parents, set-
tling one-half mile from his father, where
he made a home, and became owner of nine
hundred acres of land. He married Mariah
Davidson, a native of Kentucky, and the fol-
lowing children were born to them: Sarah,
deceased, married Capt. R. D. Noleman,
who is also deceased ; Josephus W., deceased,
was born October 29, 1827, lived on the old
place and was educated in the district
schools. He was a merchant at Walnut
Hill, Illinois, until 1856, when he moved to
a farm one-half mile west of that place,
where he died November 20, 1890. He
married Amanda Couch, who was bom
January 8, 1834, the daughter of Milton and
Mary (Beard) Couch. They were the par-
ents of the following children : Edgar,
Frank, Mary, Lizzie and Nancy. Harriett,
the third child, married B. F. Marshall, who
lived at Salem, Illinois. They are both de-
ceased. Maria E. married Silas Bryan, who
was county Judge, and lived at Salem, Illi-
nois; Z. C., the subject of this biographical
sketch, was the fifth in order of birth. Nan-
cy married James Davenport, who is de-
ceased. She is living at Salem, this county.
America married William C. Stites. Both
are now deceased. Docia married Alram
Van Antwerp, who is deceased. She is
living in St. Louis, Missouri.

The subject's father was a man of excel-
lent business ability and a good manager,
he having become wealthy. He was a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church and
in politics was a Democrat.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Z. C. Jennings, the subject of this sketch,
grew to manhood on the old home place and
was educated in the home schools and the
high schools at Salem and Centralia. When
twenty-two years old he married Mary J.
Baldridge, daughter of James C. Baldridge,
of North Carolina, and Margaret (Rainey)
Baldridge, a native of Kentucky. At the
age of nine years, James C. Baldridge came
to Marion county with his parents. Dorn-
ton and Mary (Boggs) Baldridge, who set-
tled near Walnut Hill, Illinois. James Bal-
dridge and wife died in Jefferson county,
Illinois. He married a second time, his last
wife being Tabitha, the widow of Isaac
Casey.

The subject started on the place where he
now lives to make a home. He first owned
forty acres of land, but being progressive
he added to it from time to time until he
now owns a fine farm of four hundred and
twelve acres, which is in a high state of
cultivation and one of the best stock farms
in the county. He has raised some high-
grade horses and cattle and has made all
the improvements on the place himself, be-
ing regarded as one of the foremost agri-
culturists of the county, holding high rank
among the stockmen of this locality.

Six children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, as follows: Dr. Dwight was
born September i, 1860, and he graduated
at the St. Louis Medical College in 1890,
having previously attended the Carbondale
Normal School, and he read medicine with
Dr. Richardson, of Centralia, Illinois. He
took up his practice at 4101 Washington

avenue, St. Louis, where he has since been
residing and has built up a large practice.
He married Cora Locy, of Carlyle, Illinois,
and three children were born to this union,
Beatrice, Dorothy and Dwight L. Charles
Emmett, the subject's second child, was
born January 4, 1862. He is a farmer at
Mosco, Washington, also a dealer in stock
and grain. He married Angeline S. Creed,
of Centralia township, and they have one
son, Fred Allen. Maggie D., the subject's
third child, was born December 17, 1863.
and married Lewis E. Thomas, of Centralia,
Illinois. He is a carpenter in the employ of
the Illinois Central Railroad. Their only
son, Charles, is deceased. Samuel R., who
was born December 24, 1865, has always
been a farmer and lived at home. Maria,
who was born January 22, 1871, died in
August the same year; Harriett G., who
was born October 7, 1873, married E. M.
Jones, of St. Louis. He is traveling freight
agent for the Southern Railroad. They have
three children, namely : Leona, Dwight and
Grace.

The subject of this sketch lived at home
until 1859, and was in the lumber business
with his father for awhile, then he located
on his present place. During the past few
years he has devoted a great deal of his at-
tention to raising fruit. For two years he
successfully manufactured crates and berry
boxes at Walnut Hill, Illinois.

Mr. Jennings has always taken a great
deal of interest in politics. He ably filled
the office of Supervisor for four years and
other minor offices in the Democratic party,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

a member of the Methodist Episcopal church
and a well read man on all leading topics.
He has a substantial, beautiful and well
furnished home, presided over by a most
estimable helpmeet, his wife being a woman
of culture and refinement. Our subject is
an uncle of Hon. William Jennings Bryan.
He is well and favorably known throughout
the county, being regarded by all classes
as a man of force of character, stability, in-
dustry and honesty.

FINCH FAMILY HISTORY.

Sir Heneage Finch was the first Earl of
Nottingham, England (1682), and was
Lord Chancellor of England. He was de-
scended from an old family, many of whose
numbers had attained a high eminence in
the legal profession; and he was the oldest
son of Sir Heneage Finch, the Recorder of
London. He was born in Kent, December
23, 1621, educated at Westminster and be-
came a member of the Inner Temple, 1638;
he was admitted to the bar in 1645, and be-
came one of the leading members thereof,
being called the "English Cicero". He was
chosen a member of the Convention Parlia-
ment in 1660, and shortly afterward ap-
pointed Solicitor-General, and in 1675 Lord
Chancellor. In 1660 he was also created a
baronet, and in 1670 he was made Attorney
General. He died in Great Queen Street,
Lincoln Inn Fields, December 18, 1682, and
was buried in Ravenstone in Bucks. He was
spoken of as the father of equity, and was

the originator of the Statutes of Frauds,
which are accepted in America and Eng-
land as universal law and justice. He also
published some of the speeches in the trials
of the Judges of King Charles I, in 1660,
and later emulated himself with other publi-
cations appertaining to the execution of
King Charles I, but was not their author.

Sir Daniel Finch was the second Earl of
Nottingham, and the son of Sir Heneage
Finch, was born in 1647, and died January
i, 1730. He entered Parliament in 1679.
and was one of the privy counsellors who in
1685 signed the order for the proclamation
of the Duke of York, but kept away from
the court during the reign of James the II.
After the abdication of James II, he was one
of the leaders of the party who were favor-
able to the establishment of the Regency.
He declined the office of Lord-Chancellor
under the reign of William and Mary, but
accepted that of Secretary of State, and
filled that position until December, 1693,
and he also held the same office under Queen
Anne in 1702, and retired in 1704. On the
accession of George the First he was made
President of the Council and withdrew from
office in January, 1716; on the 9th day of
September, 1729, he succeeded to the Earl-
dom of Winchelsea and died on the ist day
of January, 1730.

Sir John Finch was a son of Sir Daniel
Finch, the second Earl of Nottingham, was
counsel to the Crown under George II, in
the early part of his reign, and for his strong
liberal views, and the active interest he took
in espousing the cause of liberalism he was

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

by King George the Second, banished from
the realm, and coming to America, landed
at the port of Boston, and married some-
where in the eastern part of Massachusetts,
and after a time emigrated to New York,
and founded what is taken to be the North-
em branch of the Finch family. To Sir
John Finch, the banished counsellor of the
court of King George the Second, were bom
two sons, whose names were respectively,
Isaac F. Finch and John Finch ; Isaac Finch
and John Finch left their homes in the State
of New York and settled in Wyoming Val-
ley in Pennsylvania, sometime previous to
the Revolutionary war ; they engaged in the
milling business in an extensive way; and
when the Revolutionary war broke out they
were each at the head of a large family.

Isaac Finch enlisted in the Revolutionary
war, and John remained at home to look af-
ter the families of his brother Isaac and his
own, and also their property ; they were then
living in Wyoming Valley, at Fort Forty.
Isaac Finch was killed in the battle of the
Wyoming Massacre, July 3, 1778, and John
and his entire family were massacred at the
same time. Unto Isaac Finch and Amy
Finch, his wife, were born five sons and five
daughters, and the names of these children
were: Isaac, Moses, John, Enos, Amy, Re-
becca, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary and Solomon.
On the 4th day of July, 1778, Amy Finch, the
widow of Isaac Finch, with the aid of faith-
ful servants, loaded her household effects into
a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen, and with
all the children, excepting Isaac Finch and
Amy Finch, who were then visiting in Mas-
sachusetts, prepared to fly from the recent

scene of the bloody carnival. As the wagon
was about to pull out with the household
goods and children, a number of Indians see-
ing one of the servants standing by the
wagon, with savage yells and flourishing
tomahawks rushed upon him and with their
tomahawks dashed out his brains, bespatter-
ing with blood and brains the five-months-
old baby of the deceased Isaac Finch and his
widow, who was lying upon the bed-clothing
in the wagon. The name of this five-months-
old baby was Solomon Finch, the last born.
The widow of Isaac Finch, together with
these children, then took their departure
from the scene of the massacre and after
many days of tedious, tiresome and danger-
ous travel, made their way through swamp
and wilderness for some three hundred miles
to Genesee county, New York, where they
were finally given shelter, food and clothing,
and abided until they were joined by the son
and daughter who had gone on the visit to
Massachusetts. They finally built them a
house of logs and remained in this settle-
ment for some years, and until the children
were grown and married.

It seems that all the children of Isaac and
Amy Finch were married in this part of
New York, except Solomon, who again re-
turned to the scene of the battle where his
father and other relatives had met their death,
and there married a Sarah Gardner, whose
father owned the battlefield on which had
been fought the bloody battle of Wyoming,
and here he was married, and soon afterward
returned to Genesee county, New York, and
joined his relatives. He was married on the
1 3th day of March, 1804.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

213

Solomon Finch was born on the 3ist day
of January, 1778, married to Sarah Gard-
ner on the 1 3th day of March, 1804, and
died on Elm Creek farm, Clay county, Illi-
nois, in June, 1851, at the age of seventy-
three ; and to this union were born Rebecca,
Mary, James Gardner, Almena, Solomon,
Tomkins and Amos Farm Finch, Rebecca
Finch was born January 5, 1805, in the
Wyoming Valley, in Pennsylvania, married
to George Shirts in Indiana, November
29, 1821, and to this union were born Wil-
liam Shirts, February 12, 1823, who died
in 1885 ; Augustus Finch Shirts, Novem-
ber 26, 1824; Mary E. Shirts, July 26,
1826; Angeline Shirts, November 26,
1828; Sarah Shirts, November 29, 1830,
and Hiram G. Shirts, July 15, 1834;
in May, 1842, after the death of George
Shirts, Rebecca Finch Shirts was married
to Jay Ridgeway, to whom was born Solo-
mon Ridgeway. Rebecca Finch Shifts died
in 1873.

Mary Finch, born January 24, 1807, in
Genesee county, New York, and was mar-
ried to Hiram Finch, son of John Finch,
who was the son of Isaac Finch, Novem-
ber 28, 1829, and to this union was born
one son, Henry Clay Finch; Mary Finch
died December 29, 1839.

James Gardner Finch was born Octo-
ber 1 6, 1809, in Rochester, New York, and
was married to Sarah Woodborn, November
28, 1833, settled in Clay county, in Novem-
ber, 1839, and to this union was born one
son, Francis M. Finch, April 29, 1837, wno
died in Andersonville prison, July 27, 1864.
After the death of Sarah Woodburn Finch.

James Gardner Finch married Mary Ann
Purdom on the 2ist day of July, 1839, and
to this union were born Walton H. Finch,
October 13, 1840, and he died in Pamona,
California in 1894, leaving a large family.
Cynthia C. Finch was born February 24,
1845; John C. Finch, born January 23,
1847; George W. Finch, born June 21,
1849, and died in Harper county, Kansas,
in 1896, leaving a large family; Henry
Clay Finch, born October i, 1852; Charles
Sumner Finch, born July 24, 1856; Flor-
ence Evaline Finch (Kelly), born March
24, 1858; Almena Finch, born in the
State of New York, January 13, 1812,
married to Stephen Knolton, afterwards to
Benjamin Creus, and later to Gabriel Man-
ly, the latter to whom she bore one daugh-
ter, Emma Manly, July 28, 1832; Emma
Manly married A. J. Hurlock in 1862, and
after his death she again married John
Ryan, in Kansas, 1876.

Emily Finch was born to Solomon and
Sarah Finch, May 12. 1816. and died Oc-
tober 13, 1871.

Augustus H. Finch was born to Solomon
and Sarah Finch September i, 1818, and
died November 12, 1820.

Solomon Tompkins Finch was born to
Solomon and Sarah Gardner Finch in
Hamilton county, in the state of Indiana,
on the 2 ist day of November, 1820,
and in February, 1847, he moved with his
parents to Clay county, Illinois, where his
mother, Sarah Gardner Finch, died June,
1847, and on the 22d day of July, 1847, he
was joined in marriage with Bethsheba
Long, who was born April 15, 1831, and

214

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

who was the second daughter of Rosamond
and Hanna Stanford Long, and to this union
were born Rebecca Margaret Finch in April,
1852, and who died with premature con-
sumption in March, 1868. Mary Elizabeth
Finch, who was born in Flora, Clay county,
Illinois, on the 25th day of September,
1854 (being the first child born in the city
of Flora), and Solomon Tompkins Finch on
the 23d day of February, 1857, in the town
of Flora, Illinois. On the I4th day of
April, 1857, Solomon T. Finch died, leav-
ing surviving him Bethsheba Long Finch,
his widow, and the three children, viz : Re-
becca Margaret, Mary Elizabeth and Solo-
mon Tompkins Finch. Solomon Tompkins
Finch, son of Solomon Finch and Sarah
Gardner Finch, was the first business man
in Flora, Clay county, Illinois, having em-
barked there into business with one George
Harter, under the firm name of Finch &
Harter, which continued until his death. In
1870 Bethsheba Long Finch on the I5th
day of February was married to John Re-
sen Finch, who was a son of Aaron, and
grandson of John Finch, who was a brother
of Moses and Solomon Finch. To this
union was born one child, Martha Luella
Finch, on the 7th day of February, 1871,
and on the i6th day of July, 1871, Beth-
sheba Long Finch departed this life.

Amos Farm Finch was married to Lou-
isa Griffith August 10, 1852, and to this
union was born one son, Hiram Clayton
Finch, on the nth day of May, 1854, and
after the death of Louisa Griffith Finch,
Amos Farm Finch married Sarah Eliza-

beth Davis on the 5th day of December,
1860, and to this union were born Rosa
Belle Finch, August 21, 1861 ; Henry Ern-
est Finch, August 28, 1868; he married
Sarah E. Sibler; Clarence A. Finch, Febru-
ary 6, 1872, married Lulu Morrean on No-
vember 17, 1895, an(l Maggie Elizabeth
Finch, November 3, 1875.

Mary Elizabeth Finch was on the 3d day
of February, 1876, married to John Minor
Cunningham, whose father was an early
settler in Clay county, Illinois, and to this
union were born three children, viz : Fre-
mont Cunningham, born on the 29th day of
November, 1876, and died six years later.
Nelle Cunningham was born September 19,
1878, and was married to Jerry J. Bow-
man, October 22, 1902. Max Finch Cun-
ningham was born April 14, 1883.

Solomon Tompkins Finch was on the
28th day of May, 1884, married to Lillie Es-
tella Pearce, the youngest daughter of Fred-
erick and Martha Ingrahm Pearce. The
father, Frederick Pearce having been born
in Leeds, England, came to this country
with his father when he was but twelve
years of age ; first settled in Western Penn-
sylvania, and afterward moved to the city
of Pittsburg. When at the age of man-
hood he married Martha Ingrahm, and in
1858, moved with his family, which con-
sisted of his wife and two children at that
time, to Ingrahm Prairie, Clay county, Il-
linois; engaged in the milling business, and
was among the first settlers of Flora. After
his removal to Flora, Illinois, his youngest
daughter. Lillie Estella Pearce, was born on

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

2I5

the 1 3th of January, 1862. To the mar-
riage of Solomon Tompkins Finch and Lil-
lie Estella Pearce were born two sons ; Earle
D. Finch, born in the city of Flora on the
I4th day of March. 1865; and Rollae D.
Finch was bom in the city of Flora on the
7th clay of September, 1887.

Solomon Tompkins Finch, after taking a
preparatory course at Loxa College, entered
the Michigan University, from which col-
lege he graduated in the law department, in
1879, and after being admitted to the bar of
Illinois commenced the law practice in
Flora, Clay county, Illinois, the home of his
birth.

Hiram Clayton Finch, after graduating
in medicine, entered into the practice, and
in 1882 moved to Iowa, continuing the
practice and on the 6th day of October,
1882. was married to Ausis Oliva Mat-
thews in Jasper county, Iowa, and to them
was born one daughter, Ethel Finch, on the
2Qth day of December, 1884.

Moses Finch, son of Isaac and Amy
Finch, was born in the Wyoming Valley,
April 15, 1771, and was married to Sarah
Beanon in 1789, and to them were born
eleven sons ; their names were : Isaac, Kin-
ney, Charles, Beanon, Abraham Wheeler,
Benoni Wheeler, Moses, Archibald Wheel-
er, James Beanon, Nathaniel, Walter and
John. Sarah, the mother of the above sons,
died in Indiana, June 17, 1831. The sons
all grew to manhood. Moses Finch, after
the death of Sarah, his wife, married Alan-
da Grange, a widow with three sons and
two daughters. To Moses Finch and Man-

da Grange Finch were born two daughters,
Florilla and Rebecca. Rebecca married in

1860, and she and her husband died in

1 86 1. Florilla married a Doctor Graydon.
of Southport, Indiana.

To John Finch, son of Isaac Finch and
wife, were born three sons, viz ; Jubal, John
and Cyrus. The mother of these children
died, after which John Finch married
again, and by his second marriage he begot
four daughters, viz : Sarah, who married a
Dr. Amos Palmer; Elizabeth, who married
a man by the name of Davidson ; Margaret,
who never married, and Laura, who mar-
ried a man by the name of Meak. After
the death of the mother of these children,
John Finch married the third time, and
unto this marriage were born, Hiram C.
Finch, John Finch, Fabious M. Finch, who
was a prominent lawyer and judge in In-
dianapolis, Indiana, and lived to an ad-
vanced age. Rebecca, who married James
Holl ; Angeline, who married a man by the
name of Williams, Cynthia married Dr. Na-
thaniel Mall, and Horatio Finch studied
law, and afterwards died in San Francisco,
California.

Hiram C. Finch was married to Mary
Finch, on the 28th day of November, 1829,
and to this union was born one son, Henry
Clay Finch. Mary Finch died December
29, 1839. and after her death, Hiram G.
Finch married his second wife, and to this
union were born Frank, Allice, who was
married to John Connor, and Horatio
Finch. The name of the second wife of Hi-
ram G. Finch was Mariah Passwatter.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Fabious M. Finch was married in
1810 to Mariah Allen, and to this union
were born John A. Finch and Alice
Finch. John A. Finch, after having
studied law, made a specialty of the
insurance law, and being associated with
his father in the law practice under the
firm name of Finch & Finch, became one of
the first insurance lawyers in the United
States, and compiled what is known in the
law practice as Finch's Insurance Reports.
John A. Finch died suddenly in Minneapo-
lis, Minnesota, while on business in that
city.

Fabious M. Finch soon followed the
death of his most honored son, and left
surviving his widow and Alice Finch, a
most estimable and accomplished daughter,
unmarried. Aaron Finch was married in
Indiana, 1823, to Mary Waddell, and after-
wards moved to Clay county, Illinois, and
settled on a farm eight miles southeast of
Flora, Illinois. To Aaron Finch and his
wife were born : James Austin Finch
and John Resen Finch ; also a daugh-
ter, Laura. Aaron Finch died in the
early fifties. James Austin Finch was
joined in wedlock with Mary P. Grif-
fith and studied medicine and died
in the early sixties. To this union
was born one son, James Austin Finch,
Mary P. Finch died in 1898. James Austin
Finch was married to Florence Brissanden,
studied law, became well up in his profes-
sion, and was elected to the office of
Prosecuting Attorney of Clay county in
1876, and afterwards located in Olney, Il-

linois, where he died in the summer of
1 88 1. To this union of James Austin
and Florence Brissanden Finch were born
four children, viz: Mary, William, Laura
and James Austin.

John Resen Finch was born in Indiana,
moved to Clay county, Illinois, with his
father, arid settled on the farm with his
father. He first married Sarah Schooley,
and to this marriage were born one daugh-
ter and one son, viz: Mary Matilda and
William Fabious Finch. After the death of
his first wife he married Rachel Schooley, a
sister of his first wife, and to this union
were born one son and one daughter, viz:
Aaron and Amy Finch. After the death of
Rachel, the second wife of John Resen
Finch, he then married Bethsheba Long
Finch, and to this union was born one
daughter, viz : Martha Louella Finch. After
the death of Bethsheba Long Finch, John
Resen Finch then married one Sarah War-
math, and departed this life in 1879, having
continued to reside on the farm upon which
he and his father located upon moving to
Clay county, Illinois.

Augustus Finch Shirts, who was born to
George Shirts and Rebecca Finch Shirts,
was born November 26, 1824, married to
Nancy Barnhill, and to this union were born
three children, viz: George Shirts, Mary
Shirts, who married a man by the name of
Baker, and Elbert Shirts. Augustus Finch
Shirts studied law. settled at Noblesville,
Indiana, became very prominent as a law-
yer, and as a politician, also became noted
as the author of the history of Hamilton

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

217

county, Indiana, and retired from the law-
practice in 1900.

George Shirts, son of Augustus Finch
Shirts, studied law, graduated at the law
department of the University of Michigan,
in 1876, entered the law practice at Nobles-
ville, Indiana, became eminent as a corpora-
tion lawyer, and in 1903, was selected by
the Governor of the state of Indiana, as
one of the Codifying Commission, and se-
lected by that body as their clerk.

In the early spring of 1814, Amos Farm,
John, Moses and Solomon Finch, together
with their families, went in wagons from
Genesee county. New York, to Olean Point,
New York, a point on the tributary of the
Ohio river, and building a flat-boat there,
they floated down the river to the Ohio riv-
er, and thence down the Ohio river to North
Bend, Ohio, the present site of Cincinnati,
Ohio, and after landing there, Solomon T.
Finch took service under Gen. William H.
Harrison (Old Tippecanoe), and after the
war was over still remained with him for a
time as superintendent of his plantations,
the old log cabins that were famous during
the campaign of Gen. William H. Harrison
as a candidate for President. Enoch Finch
settled somewhere in the eastern part of
Ohio, and Moses and John went to Brook-
ville, Indiana, engaged to some extent in
the milling business there, and afterward
went to Connersville, and were there joined
by Solomon Finch. Soon afterward Moses
went to Michigan, and died there at an ad-
vanced age.

In April, 1819, Solomon Finch and his

family and part of the family of John
Finch, moved from Connersville to Hamil-
ton county, Indiana, and settled on what
was then known as Horse Shoe prairie,
about two miles from the present site of
Noblesville, Indiana, the county seat of
Hamilton county, and they were followed
in the following September by John Finch,
and the remainder of his family. John
Finch lived to a ripe old age, and as shown
many were his sons and daughters. He
died in Hamilton county, Indiana.

The compiler of these accounts, including
deaths, births, marriages and events, has
relied upon statistics furnished him by old
members of the family in its various
brandies, and on the war records fur-
nished him from the department at Wash-
ington, and on letters from the Lord Mayor
of Nottingham, England, and on the true
historical data as furnished by reliable au-
thors. He has compiled this short history
not for any compensation, but because he
has felt that it ought to have been done by
some member of the family, but up to this
time, they have all been too busy a lot of
Finchs to give it their attention.

JOHN R. FRENCH.

The subject is the obliging and well
known hotel proprietor, insurance and real
estate dealer of Kell, Haines township,
Marion county, who has spent his life with-
in the borders of the same, having been

nior.KAI'HICAL AXD REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

identified with the growth and taken no
small part in the same. He was born Au-
gust 4, 1861, the son of Gilbert W. and
Louisa (O'Bryant) French. John R.
French's father, a native of Tennessee,
came to Marion county, Illinois, in 1835.
He was a native of Tennessee and the son
of John P. and — — (Hartman) French.
John P. French was a native of Pennsyl-
vania, who moved to Tennessee in an early
day and in 1835 came to Marion county,
Illinois, locating in Tonti township, where
he devoted his life to farming, having died
in the town of Alma. The subject's grand-
father was a soldier in the War of 1812.
Gilbert French and his first wife were the
parents of four children, namely : Angie, the
wife of Mathew Organ; Louisa, who was
the wife of J. N. Jones, is deceased; John
R., the subject of this sketch; Amanda is
the wife of J. W. Ross, of Centralia, this
county. The subject's father married Mary
Howard, and three children were born to
this union, Thomas, living in Kinmundy,
this county; Harry B., of Odin, Illinois;
Rachel is the wife of E. W. Wilson, of
Alma, Illinois.

The subject of this sketch was reared on
a farm near Alma and was educated in the
common schools. After farming for a
while, he learned the plasterer's and brick
layer's trade. In 1891 he clerked in a store
at Alma, this county, and in 1894 he en-
tered business in a general store in Alma
which he successfully conducted for a peri-
od of eight years, when he sold out aud
went back to farming, which he followed

for a while, then he moved to Newton, Il-
linois, and bought a furniture factory and a
restaurant, ice cream parlor and bakery, all
of which he conducted with great success-
until in May, 1907, when he came to Kell
and bought the hotel here, which he
has since conducted in such an able manner
that it has become known to the traveling
public as a comfortable and well conducted
hostelry, where no pains are spared to make
guests feel at home and comfortable. He
has built up a good business which is con-
stantly growing. He also finds time to do
considerable business in insurance and real
estate.

Mr. French was united in marriage in
December, 1886, to Etta Sweet, who was
born in Alma township, the daughter of
Samuel and Sarah (Carnes) Sweet, a well
known family of their community.

The subject and his wife are the parents
of the following children: Edward is
single and living at home and is engaged in
the restaurant and bakery business. He has
a modern and fully equipped bakery and
does an extensive business, shipping bread
to many outside towns ; Cora, the second
child, is living at home; Bessie is the wife
of Wesley Howard; Gladys, who is living
at home attending school; Clara is living
at home; Clifford is a baby at this writing,
(1908.)

Mr. French is a Democrat. He has ably
served as Justice of the Peace for eight
years in Alma township and he was School
Treasurer for four terms of two years each.
In 1892 he made the race for the nomina-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

2I9

tion on the Democratic ticket for County
Clerk, but was defeated, however, the re-
sults showed that our subject was a popu-
lar man in the convention. Mr. French
helped incorporate the village of Alma. He
was also a member of the first board that
organized the Building and Loan Associa-
tion at Alma, Illinois. Our subject is a
member of the Modern Woodmen of Amer-
ica, being a charter member at Alma. His
son, Edward, is also a member of the Mod-
ern Woodmen of America at Kell. Mr.
French is known to be a man of strictly
honest business principles, industrious,
pleasant and agreeable, making both friends
and visitors feel at home.

HON. WILLIAM BOWER.

It is both gratifying and profitable to en-
ter record concerning such a man as he
whose name appears at the head of this life
record, and in the following outline suffi-
cient will be said to indicate the forceful in-
dividuality, initiative power and sterling
character, which have had such a decided in-
fluence in making their possessor a leader in
enterprises requiring the highest order of
business talent, and to gain for him wide
publicity among those who shape and direct
policies of more than ordinary consequence.

William Bower, the well known druggist
of Olney, Illinois, was born May 21, 1842,
the second child of Philip P. and Mary
(Dundore) Bower, the former a native of

Germany, and the latter of Pennsylvania.
The father was bom in Hesse-Darmstadt in
1804, and when twenty years old emigrated
to the United States and lived in Pennsyl-
vania, first settling in Philadelphia in 1840.
His first wife died in the old Keystone state
and he married the subject's mother, a na-
tive of Lancaster, and the daughter of Philip
Dundore, of German descent. Philip Bower
moved to Jeromeville, Ohio, and in the
spring of 1840 came to Olney, Illinois. He
worked at the cabinet maker's trade for sev-
eral years, and also engaged in merchandis-
ing and farming. His death occurred in the
fall of 1873, at the age of sixty-nine years.
William Bower, our subject, is a member
of a family of six children, born to Philip P.
Bower by his second wife, being the second
white male child born in what is now the
city of Olney. The mother of the subject
was called to her rest in 1856. Our subject
attended school at the old log school-house
of Olney, having finished his education at
the Olney Seminary, where he applied him-
self in such a careful manner that he re-
ceived a good education. He began to make
his own way in the world soon after his
mother's death, leaving his parental fireside
at that time. Beginning life as a teacher,
he taught a six months' term at Macksburg
and afterward two terms in Olney, making
a success in this line, but not feeling that
this should be his life work, he began learn-
ing the trade of marble cutter and later en-
gaged to learn the trade of watch maker,
having worked a few months at each, but he
never finished either. He then engaged with

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

K. D. Horrall, then as now, a hardware
merchant in Olney. He was to receive three
dollars per month for the first year, four
dollars per month during the second year,
and an increase of one dollar each month
for the third year, also board and lodging.
After remaining at this for a period of two
years, Mr. Bower could not restrain the pa-
triotic fervor he felt when the War of the
Rebellion began, consequently he enlisted in
the spring of 1861 in Company D, Eighth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel
Oglesby, afterward Governor of Illinois.
After serving his enlistment of three
months, proving to be a very capable sol-
dier, he returned home and taught school,
working at night at the tinner's trade. In
the spring of 1863 he engaged to Charles
Schultz as sutler clerk. While thus em-
ployed he was captured by General Whee-
ler's forces, shortly after the battle of Chat-
tanooga, but after being held prisoner for a
few days, was paroled and sent north.

In October. 1863, Mr. Bower bought a
stock of tinware and stoves and carried on
a business in Olney until the following De-
cember, when he sold out and bought a half
interest in the drug store of Dr. E. W.
Ridgway. Fifteen months later he pur-
chased his partner's interest and has since
conducted the business alone, now being the
oldest druggist in point of years of continu-
ous trade in Richland county. He was suc-
cessful in this line from the first and his
business has gradually increased until he has
quite an extensive trade throughout this lo-
cality. Mr. Bower is the second oldest busi-

ness man in years of uninterrupted dealing
in Olney. He has been actively identified
with the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association
for many years, having served as its first
vice president and chairman of the commit-
tee on legislation during the period when the
Illinois pharmaceutical law was first en-
acted. On November 29, 1864, Mr. Bower
was married to Sarah E. Ridgway, a repre-
sentative of a well known family. Her father
having been the late Dr. E. W. Ridgway.
She was born in Mansfield, Ohio. Four
children have been born to the subject and
wife, as follows : Catella, now the wife of
M. E. Sebree, now superintendent of the
Indiana Southern Railroad Company ; Ernst
Zeledon, who is in the store with his father,
also owner and manager of the "Bower
Knoll Stock Farm", the home of "John G.
Carlyle" and other high bred horses ; Emma
died at the age of four years and Nina when
two years old. The children of Mr. Bower
have received good educations and are cul-
tured and popular.

Mr. and Mrs. Bower are members of the
New, or Swedenborgian church. In politics
our subject is a Democrat. He served as
Alderman from the second ward in Olney
in the early seventies, and was elected by a
large majority from the forty- fourth dis-
trict as representative to the Thirty-first Il-
linois General Assembly, where he served as
a member of the Committee on Education,
Printing and Militia. He was the author
of some important measures and proved a
most industrious and useful member, show-
ing that he was thoroughly alive to the in-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

terests of his constituents and he succeeded
in making his influence felt in that body,
gaining the admiration of all concerned for
his clear and logical counsel. Mr. Bower
was elected Mayor of the city of Olney in
the spring of 1901, serving one term during
which the city's interests were carefully con-
served and many new policies inaugurated
that will be of lasting benefit to the commu-
ity. During the two years in which he served
as Mayor, among the more important things
accomplished for the public good was the
building of the reservoir, costing over six
thousand dollars, the city building remod-
eled, the Bower Park established and over
four thousand dollars expended for water
pipes, and there was an unusual activity in
all departments of the city, while the debts
of the city were not increased, but on the
contrary, were somewhat reduced. During
Mr. Bower's term an epidemic of smallpox
was wiped out at a cost of over fifteen hun-
dred dollars.

Socially Mr. Bower is a Royal Arch Ma-
son, also belongs to the Richland Lodge
No. 1 80, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and he is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic.

Mr. Bower has one of the most extensive
drug stores in this part of the state, carrying
a very carefully selected stock ranging from
twelve thousand to fifteen thousand dollars,
consisting of all kinds of drugs, physicians'
supplies, books, paints, wall paper. He oc-
cupies his own building, a substantial two-
story stone structure, twety-five by one hun-
dred and sixty-five feet, running from Main

to Market streets, and lie also has a very
pleasant home.

In all the relations of life our subject has
proven true to the trusts imposed upon him,
and because of his past honorable record,
his public-spirit, his genial disposition and
his honesty of purpose, he is held in high es-
teem bv all who know him.

SAMUEL W. JONES.

The honored subject of this sketch is a
representative of one of the sterling pioneer
families of Marion county and is personally
identified with the industrial interests of
this section of the state where he has spent
his life, being the owner of a fine farming
property in Kinmundy township.

Samuel W. Jones was born in Marion
county, Illinois, September 15, 1858, and
he has preferred to spend his entire life
within the borders of the same, where he
believed he would have better advantages
among the people where the Jones family
had long been noted for their industry and
honesty, than he would have in other coun-
ties of this or any other state of our great
Union. He is the son of Jackson C. and
Margaret (Whiteside) Jones. A history of
the subject's father and mother and their
ancestry will be found under the head of
James R. Jones, whose sketch appears in
another part of this volume.

Our subject received his early education
in the district schools where he applied him-

lilOGU.U'HICAL AX1) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

self in a diligent manner to his books and
received a fairly good education, having fed
a large herd of his father's cattle in the
meantime. He left school at the age of
nineteen and began farming, which enter-
prise he has since been identified with and
which he has made a great success, being
recognized today as one of the leading ag-
riculturists of his community. He has pros-
pered until he has become the owner of a
valuable farm consisting of one hundred
and thirty-five acres. His land is under a
high state of cultivation and the soil has
been kept in a very good condition through
proper management until excellent crops
are reaped from it year by year, the sub-
ject being thus enabled to make a comfort-
able living and also lay by something for
the future. He has a good income also
from his stock, being especially interested in
the raising of Poland China hogs and
Shropshire sheep, both being noted for their
excellent quality, for Mr. Jones certainly
understands the successful handling of
stock. He has a nice, modern and com-
fortable dwelling and a large number of
good outbuildings, in fact everything about
his place shows excellent management and
prosperity.

Our subject was united in marriage Sep-
tember 20, 1877, to Hannah Atkins, who
was born in Foster township, Marion coun-
ty, December 24, 1861, the daughter, of
Nathan Atkins, who was born August 28,
1817, in Alabama. He came to Illinois
when a young man and took up govern-
ment land, cleared a farm which he contin-

ued to work the rest of his life and on which
he reared a family of twelve children, eight
boys and four girls, five of whom are still
living. Their names are James, Moses, John,
Thomas, Barbara, Margaret, George, all
deceased: Joseph, Richard, Hannah, Eliza-
beth and Catherine, all living. Nathan At-
kins has long since passed to his rest. He
married Mary Garrett, the daughter of
Moses and Hannah Garrett, pioneers of this
county.

Our subject and wife are the parents of
three living children and one child that is
dead. Their names are, Charles W., Wil-
liam O., deceased; Bessie C, and Mary J.
Charles W. J'ones married Susie Pearson,
and they have one son, named Carroll G.
William Pearson, the father of Charles W.
Jones's wife, was born in Marion county.
Her. mother's name was Emiline Anglin,
who was also born in this county. William
Pearson was the father of six children, two
boys and four girls. Mrs. Hannah Jones
was educated in the country schools of this
county where she diligently applied herself
until she was sixteen years of age when she
was married to our subject who was nine-
teen. She is a good housewife and mother,
of a cheerful disposition and is beloved by
all who know her for her many beautiful
traits of character.

Our subject, while not a member of any
church, is a believer of the principles of
Christianity and good government. He is
a stanch Democrat and his support can al-
ways be depended upon when any measure
looking to the public good are at issue.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

223

JAMES W. ARNOLD.

The subject of this sketch is a citizen of
Foster township, Marion county, and he is
so loyal to what he considers his duty that
no personal consideration will deter him
from its accomplishment. It is such worthy
citizens as Mr. Arnold who have made this
county the productive and prosperous region
that it is today.

James W. Arnold was born in section 9,
Foster township, February 14, 1847, the son
of John Wesley Arnold, who was born in
Alabama, he the son of John Arnold, of
Georgia. He married Elizabeth Webb and
they came to Illinois, settling near Charles-
ton in 1825, where they remained for one
year, when they went back to Alabama.
Twelve years later they located near Leba-
non, Illinois, where they remained until
1844, when they moved to Foster township,
Marion county, buying land there. Later
they went to Ellis county, Texas, where Mr.
Arnold died in 1887, at the age of eighty-
seven years. His wife died in Foster town-
ship, this county. Mr. Arnold was a farmer
and also owned a mill. The following chil-
dren were born to them : William ; Nancy,
of Cairo, Illinois ; John W., Joseph ; Adeline,
who is living in Missouri ; Margaret, Esther,
Ivey, living in Oklahoma; James A., Felix,
Nathan of Texas; Fletcher was killed at
Atlanta, Georgia, during the Civil war.

John Wesley Arnold married Nancy
Jones, of Foster township, Marion county,
the daughter of James and Laura Jones.
He settled in section 9, Foster township,

where he secured- wild land and made a
home. He was always a farmer and stock
raiser and owned five hundred acres of good
land. He was active in politics, being a Re-
publican, and was at one time Supervisor of
Foster township. He was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He was born
in 1820 and his death occurred in 1889. His
wife was born in 1827 and died in February,
1905. Seven children were born to them
as follows: James W., our subject; Mary
E., who married Alexander Mussey, living
near Vernon, Illinois; John I. is living re-
tired in Foster township; Elizabeth married
John Doolen, living at Kinmundy, this
county; Joseph T. lives at Kinmundy; Eli
M. is in the oil business at Shawnee, Okla-
homa; Rosie E. married Isom W. Doolen,
living at Vernon, this county.

James W. Arnold, our subject, attended
the home schools. He remained a member
of the family circle until his marriage, No-
vember 1 8, 1869, to Permelia J. Robb, who
was born in Kinmundy township, the
daughter of Samuel and Agnes Pruitt, who
were pioneers of this county and who died
here. The following children have been
born to the subject and wife : Cyrus Elmer,
a farmer in Foster township, who married
Ann Green and who has one child, Gladys;
Samuel W., living in section 3, Foster
township, was married first to Jennie Green,
and his second wife was Isabelle Nichols.
He had two children by his first wife, Doris
and Dale, and two children by his second
wife, Thelma and an infant born in 1908.
Lola Etta is the name of the subject's third

224

BIOGRAPHICAL AXI1 RKM I XISCKXT HISTORY OF

child, who is the wife of Cyrus Green, of
Foster township, and the mother of four
children, Glen, Lovell, Anna and Russell;
Orin M., graduate of the Business College
of Dixon, Illinois, married Laura Garrett,
of Foster township, is farming and they
have two children, Florence and Harold D.
The subject's children were educated in the
home schools, receiving careful mental train-
ing, and they all give much promise of suc-
cessful futures.

After Mr. Arnold's marriage he lived on
the old home place for two years when he
bought the place where he now lives, con-
sisting of one hundred and eighty-three
acres. He at one time owned considerably
more but gave it to his children. Besides
his farming Mr. Arnold successfully oper-
ated a saw mill for a while. He also
managed a store at Lester, Illinois, for two
years and was also successful in this venture.
He was postmaster of that town, giving en-
tire satisfaction to all concerned. He made
all the improvements of his farm which now
ranks among the best in Marion county.
He has a most excellent and valuable apple
and peach orchard, consisting of forty acres,
also of small fruits. He carries on general
farming and stock raising. He is active in
politics, being a Republican, and he has
filled all the township offices. He is a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. In
his fraternal relations he is a Mason, the
Blue Lodge, No. 398, at Kinmundy, Illi-
nois. Mr. Arnold is well known through-
out Marion county for his industry and his
honesty in dealing with his fellow men.

THOMAS A. PATTON.

For various reasons the subject of this
sketch is deemed eligible for specific men-
tion in this volume, not the least of which
is the fact that he was one of the brave
"boys in blue" who offered his services in
defense of his country during the dark days
of the sixties. His life has been one of hon-
est endeavor and filled with good deeds
throughout, and now in its golden evening
he is enjoying a respite in his serene home
in Centralia township, Marion county.

Thomas A. Patton was born in Mt. Ver-
non township, Jefferson county, Illinois, De-
cember 8, 1837, the son of Austin and Ange-
line (Thorne) Patton, the former a well
known physician, both natives of Virginia,
of which state William Patton, the subject's
grandfather, was also a native. Austin
Patton grew up in Virginia, receiving only
a limited education, but he was ambitious
and became self-educated, reading medicine
with Dr. Frost, of Jefferson county, Illinois,
beginning practice at Walnut Hill, where he
located about 1830. He secured a farm of
three hundred acres, but devoted most of
his time to his practice, which was always
large. He became widely known, and is re-
membered as a very jolly man, resulting in
his winning hosts of friends. Although a
good Democrat, he never held office. His
death occurred in 1896. His first wife died
December 24, 1837, and he was married a
second time to Ann Bateman, a native of
Jefferson county, Illinois. She is now liv-
ing at Walnut Hill. Austin Patton and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

225

wife were the parents of three children,
namely : William, deceased ; Mary, also de-
ceased; Thomas A., our subject. Nine
children were born to Austin Patton and
his second wife, as follows : James L., de-
ceased, was a farmer at Walnut Hill; Li-
vona J., deceased; Lewis J. is a farmer, liv-
ing at Newton county, Kansas; Joseph T.
is a farmer in Harvey county, Kansas;
Iduma A., deceased : George B. is a farmer,
living in Jefferson county, Illinois; Carula,
who first married Bell Talbott and then
Frank Gore, of Walnut Hill; Ila C, who
married Willa Copple, of Centralia town-
ship ; Omer P. is farming on part of the old
homestead in Centralia township. He mar-
ried Helen Telford.

Our subject had only a limited chance
to attend school, having studied in a sub-
scription school for a time. Living at home
until he was twenty-three years old, he then
started in business for himself in Centralia
township, section 36, and farmed there with
great success for seven years, when he
bought a farm in Raccoon township, con-
sisting of forty acres of new and unim-
proved land on which he remained for four
years, then selling it and renting near Wal-
nut Hill in Jefferson county. In 1881 he
bought one hundred and fifty acres in Rome
township, Jefferson county, which he
worked with most gratifying results until
he retired in 1902, when he sold out and
moved to Walnut Hill, having since lived
retired.

Mr. Patton was first united in mar-
riage in 1861, to Alena Smith, of Walnut

Hill, and she passed to her rest May 19,
1901. He married again, his second wife
being Augusta Maltimore, whom he married
October 5, 1905. She was the widow of
Christopher H. Maltimore, of Ohio, and
she was the daughter of Benjamin F.Nelms,
who married Nancy Bailey, the former was
of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky.
Benjamin Nelms was the son of Jerry
Nelms, a native of Virginia. His father
was also a Virginian. The first of the fam-
ily to come to Illinois was Jerry's wife,
Mary A. He died in St. Genevieve, Mis-
souri, and his wife, in 1854, came to Marion
county, Illinois, and located on a farm near
Walnut Hill, where she died, in 1897. He
now lives at Decatur, Illinois. Mrs. Pat-
ton had one daughter, Mary L., by her first
marriage.

Five children were born to the subject
by his first wife, namely: William L., who
is living in Centralia township on a farm,
and who married Cordelia Snow; Zina D.
married Alta Kell, and is living on a farm
in Jefferson county, Illinois; May married
Oscar Breeze, of Jefferson county; Mary
married Edward Watts, of Centralia, Illi-
nois ; Frank L. is a stationary engineer in
the mines, now located in North Dakota.

Our subject has always been a farmer,
and being interested in public affairs, he has
been entrusted with various local offices.
He was Highway Commissioner at one time
and School Director for twenty years. He
has always voted the Republican ticket, hav-
ing cast his first ballot for Abraham Lin-
coln in 1860. Fraternally he is a member

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
having1 been identified with lodge NQ. 710,
at Walnut Hill for the past thirty-five years.
Our subject enlisted August 12, 1862, in
Company H. Eightieth Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, at Centralia, under Colonel Allen.
He was sent to Louisville, and later to Per-
ryville, Kentucky, being in the battle there,
October 8, 1862. He was in the battle of
Stone River, also at Knoxville, and at Chat-
tanooga in the spring of 1863. He was
picked out of a division of men to go on an
expedition into Georgia. At Rome the
whole number of men on this expedition,
consisting of fifteen thousand, were cap-
tured and sent to Belle Isle Prison, where
they were held for fifteen days and paroled.
They went to Camp Chase, Ohio, where they
remained for ten days, when they were sent
to St. Louis, Missouri, where they remained
fifteen days. On July 4, 1863, they reor-
ganized and went to Nashville, Tennessee.
They opened up the valley leading to Look-
out Mountain, and after remaining there
for about forty days, they went to Mission-
ary Ridge and engaged in the battle there,
also at Lookout Mountain, after which they
went into winter quarters in Chattanooga.
The subject contracted rheumatism and
could not go on the Atlanta campaign, con-
sequently he was transferred to the veteran
reserve and was detailed to the hospital
steamer for Washington City, District of
Columbia, and was sent to City Point, Vir-
ginia, to look after the sick and wounded of
Grant's army. Part of the time the sub-
ject was located in Washington City, New

York, Annapolis, Fortress Monroe, Vir-
ginia, having served in this capacity until
the close of the war, and was discharged
June 15, 1865, at Washington City. He re-
ceived two scalp wounds and was shot
through the hat once. These wounds have
troubled him a great deal since the war.

Mr. Patton is a good scholar, is well
posted on current topics and is a fine con-
versationalist. He is held in high esteem
by the people of Marion county for his life
of industry, his honesty and friendly man-
ners.

SOLOMON T. FINCH.

One of the men who has stamped the im-
press of his strong individuality upon the
minds of the people of Clay county in a man-
ner as to render him one of the conspicu-
ous characters of this locality, is the sub-
ject of this sketch, one of the prominent at-
torneys of the southern part of the common-
wealth of Illinois. Faithfulness to duty and
a strict adherence to a fixed purpose, which
always do more to advance a man's inter-
ests than wealth or advantageous circum-
stances, have been dominating factors in his
life, which has been replete with honor and
success worthily attained.

Solomon T. Finch was born in Flora,
Clay county. February 23. 1857, the son
of Solomon T. Finch, who was born in
Indiana, and who came to Illinois in
1849, settling in Clay county. He was
the first merchant in Flora, and was influ-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

227

ential in the affairs of the pioneer days of
this community. He was in business here
until his death in 1857. The subject's pa-
ternal grandfather was also named Solo-
mon. He was a native of New York,
having removed from the Empire state to
Southern Indiana, and was superintendent
of the log cabin display in General Har-
rison's campaign in 1832. He came to Il-
linois with his father in 1849. His death
occurred in 1851. The subject's mother
was Bathsheba Long, who was a native of
Virginia. She passed to her rest in 1872.
She was a representative of a fine old
southern family. Three children were born
to the subject's parents, namely: Rebecca
was born in 1852, and died when fifteen
years old; Mary is the wife of J. M. Cun-
ningham, of Flora, she having been the first
child born in Flora, the date of her birth
being 1854; Solomon T., the subject of
this sketch, is the youngest child. The
father of the subject moved to Flora in
1853, ar>d engaged in the dry goods busi-
ness.

Mr. Finch received his preliminary
schooling in the common schools of Flora.
He attended Loxa College in Coles county,
this state. Desiring a higher education, he
entered the University of Michigan in 1876,
from which he graduated in 1879, from the
law department, having made a brilliant
record in the same. He was admitted to
the bar in 1880, and has been engaged in
practice ever since. He removed to Spring-
field in 1900, where he practiced for five
vears with his usual success, but he moved

back to Flora in 1905, much to the satisfac-
tion of his many clients and friends in Clay
county.

Mr. Finch was united in marriage May
28, 1884, to Lillie E. Pearce, daughter of
Frederick Pearce, who was born in Eng-
land, having emigrated to the United States
in 1858, when he was twenty years old.
Lillie E. Pearce was born in Flora within
one block of where Mr. Finch was born.
Two sons have been born to the subject and
wife, Earl D., who is associated with his
father, is a graduate of the Springfield
high school and also a graduate of the law
department of the State University ; Rollae
D. also graduated from the Springfield
high school, and is in 1908 a student in the
medical department of Washington Uni-
versity, St. Louis. They are both bright
young men, who give promise of brilliant
careers.

Mr. Finch was nominated by the Demo-
cratic party for County Judge in 1898, but
was defeated, however, by only one vote,
although the county was largely Repub-
lican. He was also his party's nominee for
State's Attorney in 1908, but went down
in defeat with the rest of the ticket. He
is engaged in the law and abstract busi-
ness and his office is always a busy place.

In his fraternal relations he belongs to
the Blue Lodge, Royal Arch and Knights
Templar Masons. He organized and was
the first chancellor commander of the
Knights of Pythias in Flora. He also be-
longs to the Woodmen. He is a loyal
Democrat. He belongs to the Presbyterian

BJOr.KAl'HICAL AM) KKM I X 1SCK XT HISTORY OF

church. Mrs. Finch and their youngest son
are members of the Methodist church.

Mr. Finch has seen many changes in
Clay county during his lifetime. Progress
has been made, doing away with the old
landmarks and substituting in their places
all the evidences of advanced civilization,
and in all matters pertaining to the general
good and improvement he has been deeply
interested, nor has he withheld his aid when
it has been solicited for the advancement
of any public measure of worth, but on the
contrary he has often been the instigator of
movements that have resulted in permanent
good to the community honored by his
residence. He is a highly respected citizen,
held in uniform regard by those who have
known him through long years.

JAMES F. PURDUE.

The subject was born in Montgomery
county, Tennessee, March i, 1833, the son
of Jarrut and Rebecca (Farmer) Purdue,
the former a native of Georgia, and the lat-
ter of North Carolina. They went to Ten-
nessee when young and married there, and
removed to Illinois in 1838, settling in what
is now Haines township, where they took
up government land. They made the trip
from Tennessee in ox carts. When they
settled here among the pioneers there was
much wild game. They developed a good
farm and worked hard. They died on the
place, after becoming the parents of eight
children: Margaret, Mary, Richard, Wil-

liam C., John W., Jacob H., James F., our
subject, and Andrew V. Jarrut Purdue
was a Democrat. His wife was a member
of the Baptist church.

Our subject was six years of age when
he came with his parents to Marion county,
Illinois. He was educated in the common
schools of the early days, and he has spent
the balance of his life here, having re-
mained at home until he reached manhood.
He was married the first time in 1855, to-
Louisa Brasel, a native of Tennessee, and
three children were bom to them: Nancy
Jane, who is living in Haines township, is
the wife of Zach Brasel; Joseph H. is a
farmer living in Haines township ; John R. is
also a farmer living in Haines township.
The subject's second mariage was in 1867,
his second wife being Loretta Price, a na-
tive of Ohio, to whom one child has been
born, Louisa, now the wife of Harry Alvis,
of East St. Louis.

The third marriage of the subject was
to Vilinda Murphy, the ceremony having
been performed in 1876. To this last mar-
riage two children were born, Tence and
Harry.

Mr. Purdue is a Democrat in his political
relations. He has devoted his life to farm-
ing and has been very successful. He is
now living retired, having moved to his
neat, comfortable and pleasant home in Kell
in September, 1908. He is well known
throughout the county, being a member of
old and prominent families of this region
in which he himself was one of the earliest
pioneers.

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

229

HARVEY F. PIXLEY.

The able and popular president of the First
National Bank of Flora, Illinois, is most con-
sistently accorded recognition in a work of
the province assigned to the one at hand,
since it has to do with the representative citi-
zens of Clay county, of which number he
unquestionably is a worthy member and has
long played well his part in the development
of the interests of this locality.

Harvey F. Pixley was born in Ingraham,
Clay county, November 25, 1869, the son
of Osman Pixley, who was a native of New
York, having settled in Edwards county in
1852. The subject's father was a merchant
and for many years was the president of the
First National Bank of Flora. He was a
prominent man in this community, and was
Representative in the Legislature in 1871 and
1872, representing this district, having been
elected on the Republican ticket. He was
for many years a leading and influential citi-
zen here. He was postmaster of Ingraham
for the long period of forty years. He re-
ceived a request from Postmaster General
Wanamaker for his photo to be used at the
Chicago World's Fair. He was the fourth
oldest postmaster in point of service in the
United States. After an active and useful
life he was called to his rest April 7, 1903.
Asa Pixley, the subject's grandfather, was
a native of Vermont, but he removed to
Western New York and finally settled near
West Salem, Edwards county, Illinois, about
1830, being among the pioneers. He was
born March 26. 1805, and died February 9.

1883. The Pixley family is of Puritan stock.
The mother of the subject was Frances
Wood, a native of near Allendale, Wa-
bash county, this state, where she was born
June 29, 1832. She was a woman of beau-
tiful attributes, and she passed to her rest
May 16, 1907. Nine children were born to
the parents of our subject, Harvey F. being
the seventh in order of birth. Four girls and
one boy are deceased. Dewitt C. is living
in Orange, California, a prominent business
man of that place, is married and has five
children: Arthur H.. who lives in Chicago,
is a member of the Board of Trade and is as-
sociated with Ware & Leland. The subject's
mother was a member of a large family, con-
sisting of nine children. Her father was
Spencer Wood, who was born near New
Haven, Vermont, February 14, 1788, and
died December 5. 1846. Her mother was
Matilda Flower, who was born in Hardins-
burg, Kentucky, March 19, 1791, and died
March 12, 1855, the mother being the last
surviving member of the family. Mr. Pixley's
father's mother was Amanda Ingraham. The
township of Pixley was named after Mr.
Pixley's father, and the town of Ingraham
was named after Mr. Pixley's grandmother,
who was born February 22, 1806, and died
September 26, 1844. Her parents are buried
in Ingraham cemetery. Philo Ingraham, her
father, was born June 28, 1768, and died
April 21, 1842. Her mother was Arvilla
Barney, born September 12. 1782, and died
September 19, 1854. They are supposed to
be the first white people buried in Clay
county.

230

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

. Harvey F. Pixley, our subject, spent his
life up to 1899 in Ingraham. After receiving
a common school education there he attended
Eureka College, in which institution he spent
two years, making an excellent record. Then
he began work in his father's store, having
remained there for twelve years, assisting
to build up an excellent trade. In August,
1899, he came to Flora and began work in
the First National Bank, becoming its cash-
ier January i, 1900, serving four years. He
was then elected vice president of the in-
stitution, serving four years in this capacity,
and was made president of the bank at the
January, 1909, meeting of the board of direc-
tors. He has done much to increase the
prestige of this bank and place it on a solid
foundation so that it is today recognized as
one of the soundest in Southern Illinois.

Mr. Pixley is treasurer of the Breese-
Trenton Mining Company, which operates
three coal mines at Breese, Beckemeyer and
Trenton. He is also treasurer of the Ebner
Ice & Cold Storage Company, operating four
plants, one at Vincennes, Seymour and
Washington, Indiana, and one at Flora, Illi-
nois. He is also a director and large stock-
holder in both the above named companies.
Mr. Pixley also has an interest in the Flora
Canning Company, and is also a stockholder
and one of the organizers of the Flora Tele-
phone Company ; also interested as a stock-
holder in two wholesale houses in St. Louis.
He was one of the executors of the late Gen.
Lewis B. Parsons, of Flora, having left an
estate of one hundred thousand dollars with
a will.

Mr. Pixley was married on October 22,

189., to Gallic Cisel, daughter of John Cisel,
of Allendale, Wabash county, Illinois. She
was born on the adjoining farm to where Mr.
Pixley's mother was reared. To this union
one son has been born, December 10, 1892.
He is a bright lad and is attending the West-
ern Military Academy at Upper Alton, Illi-
nois.

In his fraternal relations our subject is a
member of the Blue Lodge, No. 204, Free
and Accepted Masons, and Royal Arch Chap-
ter No. 154. He is a member of the Order
of Eastern Star, as is also Mrs. Pixley. They
are members of the Christian church, the sub-
ject being a member of the official board. He
was also a member of the building commit-
tee that erected the new church, a splendid
edifice that would be a credit to a much
larger city. Mr. Pixley is one of the trus-
tees of the Carnegie library of which he is
treasurer. He has been trustee of the same
since it was built and he was a member of
the building committee. He was at one time
president of the school board. He is now a
member and one of the directors of the Flora
Mutual Building, Loan and Homestead As-
sociation. In politics he is a Republican.

Something of the subject's ability as a
financier may be gained from the statement
that when he became associated with the First
National Bank there was a surplus of only
twelve thousand dollars; it is now twenty-
five thousand. The undivided profits were
less than one thousand dollars. They are
now over sixteen thousand. The dividends
are now five per cent., payable semi-an-
nually.

Mr. and Mrs. Pixley have one of the finest

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

231

homes in the county, modern, and is presided
over with rare dignity by Mrs. Pixley, who
is a woman of refinement.

Mr. Pixley has always taken a great inter-
est in the advancement and prosperity of
Clay county and endorses every movement
which he believes will prove a benefit to hu-
manity. He is a sociable gentleman and is
held in the highest regard by all who know
him. His achievements represent the result
of honest endeavor along lines where ma-
ture judgment has opened the way. He
possesses a weight of character, a native sa-
gacity, a discriminating judgment and a
fidelity of purpose that command the re-
spect, if not the approval, of all with whom
he is associated. He takes first rank among
the prominent men of this locality and is a
leader in financial, business, educational, so-
cial and civic affairs.

THE BRYAN FAMILY.
(By Mrs. Anna Torrence.)

In giving the genealogy of the Bryan
family, who have long been considered
among the most noted and highly esteemed
of Marion county, Illinois, there are some
characteristics which the reader will at once
note as being particularly strong and
plainly marked throughout the entire line-
age. First, as a family whose veracity is
never questioned ; second, they are noted for
being strictly honest in every detail of social,

political and business life; third, those who
are Christians are very devoted, believing
emphatically in a prayer hearing and prayer
answering God, believing that He guides
man in every right act of life. The pub-
lishers of this work are glad to be able to
give their readers an insight into the life
records of this remarkable family and can
state with all authenticity that the sketches
contained herein are to be relied upon.

William Bryan, the great-grandfather of
Hon. William J. Bryan, was born in Eng-
land and was married there, having come to
America before the Revolutionary war, set-
tling in Culpeper county, Virginia. Five
children were born to them, namely : James,
John, Aquilla, Francis and Elizabeth.
James moved to Barren county, Kentucky.
Aquilla went to Ohio. One of the girls mar-
ried a man named Baldwin. Nothing fur-
ther is known of these families at present.

John Bryan, the second son and grand-
father of Hon. William J. Bryan, was born
in 1790. In 1807 he married Nancy Lillard,
a representative of one of the finest old
southern families of Virginia, and she is re-
membered as a very refined and cultured
woman, endowed with more than ordinary
intelligence. In 1828 they moved to Cobal
county, Virginia, and lived there two years.
From there they moved to Mason county,
Virginia, where they lived and passed to
their rest and where they lie buried. To
them ten children were born. The oldest,
William W., was born in 1808. He mar-
ried Emily Smith and about 1838 moved to
Lincoln county, Missouri, near Troy. They

IJIOCKAIMIIfAI. AXI) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

were the parents of four children, namely:
William Hamilton, John J., Gallic and Vir-
ginia. William Wr. Bryan reached an old
age and died a few years ago, his wife fol-
lowing him to the other shore only a few
months later. William H. Bryan is an
honored and respected citizen of Troy, Mis-
souri, and he has a nice Christian family.
Gallic and Virginia are noble Christian
women. John J. is deceased. John J.
Bryan, Sr., died in early manhood. Howard
died in infancy. Jane, the eldest daughter,
married Joseph Cheney, a wealthy hat man-
ufacturer of Gallipolis, Ohio. She was left
a widow with six small children whom she
reared to be useful women and men. Their
names were : Robert, Mary, Russell, Linna,
Harriet and Emma. She spent the last few
years of her life at various places, wherever
she preferred to stay, spending seven years
with the family of Judge Silas L. Bryan.
The last three years of her life she lived
with Mrs. Mollie Webster, one of her nieces,
whom she comforted in her early widow-
hood. She was the idolized aunt around
whom all the nieces and nephews clustered,
who regarded her as an earthly saint. She
was never heard to utter an unkind word
against any of God's creations. The night
she was called from earth she praised God
aloud with every shortening breath.

Nancy Bryan married George Baltzell
and moved to Walnut Hill, Illinois, where
she died. Two sons were born to them,
Silas L. and Russell B. Both are active
business men, the former living at Ham-
mond, Louisiana, and the latter at Cen-

tralia, Illinois. Nancy is described as a
very handsome woman, refined and cul-
tured. To her early training, motherly care
and prayers, Judge Silas L. Bryan owed
much of his success in life.

Martha Bryan married Homer Smith, of
Gallipolis, Ohio, and moved to Illinois.
She was left a widow with two small girls,
Jane and Mary. She was called from earth
before the girls were grown. Jane made
her home with Russell Bryan and Mary
with Judge Bryan's family. Jane was a suc-
cessful school teacher for several years. The
mother was a very devoted Christian and
always had family prayers and is today a
sainted mother. The youngest daughter,
Mary, now Mrs. Mollie Webster, has been
a widow several years. She manages a
large farm very successfully, and she is a
great temperance and church worker. She
has been county president of the White
Ribbon Army for a number of years and is
also treasurer of the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union in the Twenty-first Con-
gressional District of Illinois. It was she
who taught Hon. William J. Bryan his little
infant prayers. She taught and trained him
in his first boyhood speeches. When he was
in Salem once visiting his old home they re-
viewed some of the scenes and incidents of
their interesting childhood days.

Dr. Robert Bryan was killed in a steam-
boat explosion.

Silas L. Bryan, father of Hon. William
J. Bryan, was born in Culpeper Court
House, Virginia, in 1822. He came to Illi-
nois in 1842, where he lived, died and was

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

233

buried. He worked on a farm at nine dollars
a month, saving his money to defray his ex-
penses at McKendree College. During the
winter while at college he would chop wood
on Saturdays to help pay expenses. Many of
his colleagues made fun of him, but in after
years many of them, came to borrow money
of him and to seek his legal advice. He was
a man of sterling qualities, the kind that
always make for success when rightly and
persistently applied. He was a very devout
Christian, always had family prayers, and
he promised the Lord if He would prosper
him to get through college he would pray
three times a day the rest of his life. This
promise he faithfully kept, praying morn-
ing and evening at his home, and at
noon wherever he happened to be. He
would drop on his knees and ask God's
blessings. He was a member of the Marion
county bar for a period of thirty years, a
member of the State Senate for eight years,
and for twelve years was Circuit Judge of
this judicial district. He was a member of
the convention that framed the present state
constitution of Illinois. He was a man of
unusual tact, shrewdness, soundness of
judgment and force of character, and it was
from him that Hon. William J. Bryan in-
herited his gift of oratory and his brilliant
intellect. He imbued the boy with lofty
ideals and taught him by example and pre-
cept how to make a grand and noble man.
Silas L. Bryan married Mariah Elizabeth
Jennings, a woman of many praiseworthy
traits and a devoted Christian wife and
mother. She gave the best part of her life

to the care of her family. She was truly "a
mother in Israel." To this union were born
nine children, namely: John H., Virginia,
William J., Russell, Harry, Frances,
Charles, Nancy and Mary. John and Vir-
ginia died within six weeks of each other
when young. William J. was born March
17, 1860. He was taught at home until ten
years of age, after which he attended the
public schools for five years, during which
time he gave evidence of being a most pre-
cocious child and one to whom the future
augured great things. He afterward at-
tended college at Jacksonville, Illinois,
where he made a brilliant record for both
scholarship and deportment. He then
studied law in Chicago in the office of Ly-
man Trumbull, making rapid progress from
the first. He was admitted to the bar and
successfully practiced for some time, finally
entering the political arena, since which
time his career has been too meteoric to need
reviewing here, since his record is well
known to all, and is given in detail in an-
other part of this volume. Russell Bryan
died in early manhood. Frances has a nice
comfortable home in Shaw, Mississippi, and
is a jolly, whole-souled woman, loved by
everyone. Charles is a very successful busi-
ness man in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nancy is
a quiet, refined and modest girl. She was
at one time William J.'s private secretary.
Mary, the youngest of the family, became a
successful school teacher. She has winning
ways and is a great favorite. Russell
Bryan, the youngest brother of Judge
Bryan, came to Salem in 1841. He was

334

BlOGKAl'HICAL AND KEM IXISCKXT HISTORY OF

familiarly known to all as "Uncle Russ,"
being well known throughout the county.
He was endowed with a wonderful memory.
Often when dates or records of events
seemed obscure he was referred to, and sel-
dom failed to give the correct names, dates
or places desired. He had stock scales in Sa-
lem for thirty years, or since 1878, and his
weights were never questioned. He never
went in debt for anything, and he never had
a law suit, and as a result of his upright
life he was honored and respected by all who
knew him. He married Amanda L. Tully,
who was always a very bright and active
woman, a fine financier and business woman
of unusual ability and acumen. Twelve
children have been born to this union as
follows : Anna E., Alice J., John E., Lewis
O., Andrew R., Mark T., Silas L., Rosa A.
The ninth in order of birth died in infancy.
Minnie M. was next in order ; then Emma
A. and Adis M. Anna chose the teacher's
profession when quite young. She success-
fully taught for twenty-four years, and after
she became a widow and had reached the
meridian of life attended one of the state
normals and graduated therefrom, since
which time she taught in a normal train-
ing school in Chicago and later in Salem.
Alice J. is a very domestic woman, and her's
is one of the coziest homes in Salem. She
is a natural artist and at one time was quite
a cultured singer. John E. is a prosperous
lawyer in Salem. He was a school teacher
for many years, and has served as Master
in Chancery for eight years. He is noted
for his honor and integrity. (A fuller

sketch of John E. Bryan appears elsewhere
in this volume.) Lewis O. is a lawyer at Van
Buren, Arkansas, and is quite wealthy. He
is noted for his true philanthropy and is the
poor man's friend. Andrew R. lives in
Salem and is highly esteemed by all who
know 'him. Mark T. died when six years
old. Silas L. died in infancy. Rosa A.
lives a mile from Van Buren, Arkansas, on
a fine fruit farm. She is a woman of thrift
and has a bright, interesting family. Min-
nie M. is a resident of Indianapolis. Emma
A. resides in Centralia, this county. Adis
M. is in the real estate business at Van
Buren, Arkansas, and has become noted as
a politician.

Elizabeth Bryan, the judge's youngest
sister, married George Baltzell, and they
live at Deer Ridge, St. Louis county, Mis-
souri. She is the mother of the following
children, namely: Anna, Albert, Florence,
Edwin. The last named died while in col-
lege. They are influential and highly re-
spected in their community.

Thus it is no wonder that this family
should become so useful and influential and
should be leaders of society in its various
phases, when we consider how they have
kept the even tenor of their way, how they
were reared in "the fear and admonition of
the Lord," and how they have kept the
faith of their worthy ancestors, maintaining
in all the relations of life that strict in-
tegrity and loyalty of principle to lofty
ideals and honorable records in private,
commercial, professional and public life.
The influence for good to humanity and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

235

the amelioration of the human race of such
a noble family is too far-reaching and in-
scrutable to be measured or contemplated
with any degree of accuracy. Truly such
characters are as "a shining light which
grows more and more unto the perfect day,"
purifying, refining, strengthening and en-
couraging the wayworn traveler on life's
rugged steeps, teaching the less courageous
that he who would ascend to the heights
of life where the purer atmosphere that in-
spires the souls of men may be breathed,
must be true, loyal, ambitious, energetic,
honorable and of indomitable energy

THE CUNNINGHAM FAMILY.

The name of Cunningham has long been
an honored one in Clay county, Illinois,
where for several generations have lived most
worthy representatives of the family, who
were, and are, always to be found associated
with every movement which promised an
addition to the community's wealth and ma-
terial advancement. Especially is this true
of the late John M. Cunningham, for many
years a valued and honored citizen of Flora,
and his son, Charles S., the prominent busi-
ness man and present head of the city govern-
ment. The family is of Scotch origin and
descends from an old and honored one of Vir-
ginia, where was born Benjamin F. Cun-
ningham, who, when a young man, made
his way westward and settled in Clay county,
becoming one of its earliest pioneers. He

first located in the southern part of the county
along Cottonwood creek and there engaged
in the milling industry. His equipment was
crude and his labor arduous, but by sturdy
industry he succeeded. Later he came to
Flora and engaged in the banking business
under the firm name of the Cunningham and
Harter Savings Bank. It was one of the
pioneer institutions of the locality. This
business he conducted with much ability un-
til withn a year of his death which occurred
in 1876. He possessed many rare and excel-
lent traits of character, and abounding in-
dustry and was much honored and es-
teemed. Among his children was John M.

John Minor Cunningham was born near
Flora, March 24, 1844, and was there
reared and grew to manhood. He acquired
such an education as the community afforded
which was broadened in later life by reading,
association, contact and native intelligence.
He was associated with his father for some
time in various enterprises, finally embark-
ing in the jewelry business which he con-
ducted profitably for many years. He was
directly and indirectly connected with vari-
ous other enterprises, ever putting his shoul-
der to the wheel of progress, and was deeply
interested in the growth and advancement
of his native county, and in all that per-
tained to its welfare.

Mr. Cunningham first married on January
i, 1866, Jennie E. Hawkins, whose early
death occurred on September 24, 1874. To
this yqion three children were born, one of
whom died in infancy. Those living are
Charles S., and Clyde L., the latter a resident

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of Julesburg, Colorado. The mother of
these, whose death was sincerely mourned,
was of Scotch ancestry, her mother and
grandmother having emigrated from Scot-
land.

On February 3, 1876, Mr. Cunningham
again married, the lady being Mary Eliza-
beth Finch, a direct descendant of Sir Hene-
age Finch, who was born in Kent, England,
in 1621, and whose eldest son, Heneage, was
first Earl of Nottingham and was Lord
Chancellor of England. Mrs. Cunningham
was born September 25, 1854, and was the
first white child born in Flora. To this
marriage there came children as follows:
Fremont, who died in infancy; Nelle, born
September 29, 1875, and married Jerry J.
Bowman, October 22, 1902, and Max F.,
born April 14, 1883.

Mr. Cunningham was a member of Flora
Lodge No. 204, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, Order of the Eastern Star No. 105,
Royal Arch Chapter No. 154, and of Grand
Commandery No. 14, Knights Templar. He
was much attached to these orders and highly
prized the associations there enjoyed. He
attended the Knights Templar conclaves at
Boston, Louisville and Denver. At his death
the funeral auspices were conducted by Gorin
Commandery No. 14, of Olney. He and his
wife were for many years regular attend-
ants and liberal contributors of the First
Presbyterian church of Flora and of whose
board of trustees he was an honored mem-
ber. At the death of Mr. Cunningham.
which occurred suddenly and unexpectedly
March 13, 1906. fitting and appropriate reso-

lutions were adopted by the various commer-
cial, religious and fraternal units with which
he was connected, and from these we quote
the following: "From among us there has
been taken a loving husband, a kind and in-
dulgent father, a faithful friend, a genial
companion, a successful business man and
honored citizen and one whose place can
not be filled."

At a special meeting of the directors of
the Flora National Bank, of which he was
a director from January, 1893, to his death,
suitable resolutions were drawn and spread
upon the minutes. In part these resolutions
said : "His counsels were always wise and
at all meetings he took a prominent part. We
feel our great loss and will miss the sound
advice which he was ever ready and compe-
tent to give, and his good judgment in all
matters pertaining to the bank." Resolutions
of like character were adopted by the Ma-
sonic and other bodies.

Of Mr. Cunningham on eld friend has
written: "A grand life indeed was that of
John Minor Cunningham, a life set to the
Golden Rule, to kind acts and ways, helpful
at needed times, a friend to his fellowman,
assisting, if it were a loss to him, aiding, if
the sacrifice fell on him, and in an active
business career covering many years he was
ever fair and just in his dealings. He was
associated with Flora from its infant state,
aided in its growth, assisted in the introduc-
tion of its schools, churches and public itu
stitutions. He was foremost in establishing
business in Flora, co-operating with the best
interests of the city 'and its rural districts.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

237

daring and bold in the advocacy of social
order, sober living, good government and
fair and honest transactions of business."

Charles S. Cunningham, son of John M.,
was born in Flora, March 27, 1870, and, like
his father, has lived there all of his life. He
attended the public schools, afterwards en-
tering the jewelry store of his father. He
long ago mastered every detail of the busi-
ness and conducts perhaps the leading estab-
lishment in that line of trade in Southern
Illinois.

Mr. Cunningham married in 1890, Eva L..
daughter of John Jackson, of Allegan, Michi-
gan. To this union two sons have been
born, Rexford J., and Charles J. He has
figured somewhat conspicuously in the politi-
cal affairs of Flora and was first elected City
Treasurer, in which capacity he served two
years; he was then Alderman for two years
and in the spring of 1907 he was elected
Mayor of Flora and has given the city an
economical, efficient and thoroughly moral
administration, taking the same care and
interest in public affairs as he does in those
of purely personal nature. Mr. Cunning-
ham, it may be here stated, has not sought
for or accepted office because of the honor
that might be attached thereto, but has been
actuated solely by a desire to lend the best
efforts that is in him toward the maintenance
of law and order and the growth and ad-
vancement of the city and its commercial,
moral and material worth. He has been es-
pecially vigorous in the enforcement of lo-
cal option laws and is earnestly advocating a
system of water and other municipal advan-

tages. Aside from his official duties and his
personal affairs, Mr. Cunningham is also
prominently connected with various other
enterprises, being a director and vice-presi-
dent of the First National Bank of Flora, a
director of the Breese-Trenton Coal and
Mining Company and of the Friend Tele-
phone company of Flora. He is a Repub-
lican in politics ; fraternally he is a member
of the Flora Lodge No. 204, Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons, of the Knights of
Pythias, and of the Ben-Hur lodge. He is
a member of the Illinois State Historical So-
ciety of Springfield, and both he and Mrs.
Cunningham are members of the Methodist
church of Flora. Mr. Cunningham appears
entirely capable of emulating the example of
his worthy progenitors and is closely follow-
ing in their footsteps. He possesses an un-
blemished character, a strict integrity, an in-
telligent appreciation of his responsibilities
and a faculty of accomplishment. He fully
realizes that these traits of character have
described through the blood of his ancestry
and to whatever heights he may be destined
to ascend, his most valued possession, his
greatest pride shall ever be that priceless her-
itage of his forefathers — an honored name.

LEVI MONROE KAGY.

In the collection of material for the bio-
graphical department of this publication
there has been a constant aim to use a wise
discrimination in regard to the selection of

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

subjects and to exclude none worthy of rep-
resentation within its pages. Here will be
found mention of worthy citizens of all vo-
cations, and at this juncture we are per-
mitted to offer a resume of the career of one
of the substantial and highly esteemed, in
fact, one of the leaders of the industrial
world of this section of the state, where he
has long maintained his home and where he
has attained a high degree of success in his
chosen field of labor and enterprise.

Levi Monroe Kagy, the popular and well
known president of the Salem State Bank,
of Salem, Marion county, Illinois, was born
near Tiffin, Senaca county, Ohio, December
15, 1855, the son of David Kagy, also a
native of Seneca county, who came to
Marion county, Illinois, in the year 1859.
He devoted his life to agricultural pursuits
which he made successful and at the time
became a man of much influence in his com-
munity and well known as a scrupulously
honest and public-spirited citizen. He was
called from his earthly labors February 8,
1887, after a very active and useful life.
The mother of the subject was known in
her maidenhood as Sarah Milley. She is a
woman of many estimable traits and is the
recipient of the admiration and esteem of a
large coterie of friends and acquaintances
in the vicinity where she is still living in
1908 on the old homestead where she and
her worthy life companion settled nearly a
half century ago. To Mr. and Mrs. David
Kagy were born only two children, Alice A.
a woman of fine attributes, who is making
her home with her mother; and Levi Mon-

roe, our subject. The parents spared
no pains in giving these children every pos-
sible care and advantage and the wholesome
environment of their home life is clearly re-
flected in the lives of the subject and his
sister.

Our subject lived on the parental farm
until he was twenty-five years old and as-
sisted his father with the farm work, giving
him all his earnings up to the time of his
maturity, and it was while thus engaged in
the free outdoor life of the farm that he
acquired many qualities of mind and body
that have assisted very materially in his sub-
sequent success in life. He attended the
neighborhood schools where he applied him-
self in a most assiduous manner, outstrip-
ping many of his classmates, and therefore
gained a broad and deep mental foundation
which has since been greatly developed by
systematic home study and contact with the
world. After receiving what education he
could in the home schools Mr. Kagy taught
several terms of school in a most praise-
worthy manner, teaching in the winter
months and farming in the summer, having
possesed not only a clear and well defined
text-book training, but also the tact to deal
with his pupils in a manner to gain the best
results, at the same time winning their good
will and lasting friendship.

After reaching young manhood, Mr.
Kagy decided that his true life work lay
along a different course than that of farm-
ing and school teaching, so he accordingly
began to save his earnings in order to de-
fray the expense of a course in Union Col-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

239

lege of Law at Chicago, now the North-
western University, and he graduated from
that institution with high honors on June
14, 1883, after having made a brilliant rec-
ord in the same for scholarship and de-
portment.

He at once began practice at Salem,
where his success was instantaneous, and
with the exception of one year spent on the
farm after his father's death, he has been
in Salem ever since where he is now recog-
nized as one of the most potent factors in
her civic, industrial and social life. Mr.
Kagy practices with uniform success in
county, state and federal courts, and his ser-
vices are in constant demand in cases re-
quiring superior ingenuity and apt ability.
His untiring energy, indefatigable research
and persistency have made him successful
where less courageous characters would
have quailed and been submerged.

Something of the subject's peculiar and
unquestioned executive ability is shown
from the fact that he was one of the princi-
pal organizers in 1903 of the Salem State
Bank, one of the most substantial, popular
and sound institutions of its kind in south-
ern and central Illinois. Mr. Kagy is presi-
dent of the same, the duties of which he
performs in a manner to gain the unqualified
confidence of the public, and the citizens of
Salem and Marion county do not hesitate to
place their funds at his disposal, knowing
that they could not be trusted to safer and
more conservative hands. He is also stock-
holder in the First National Bank of Kin-
mundy, Illinois. He also helped organize

the Haymond State Bank of Kinmundy, and
afterwards was instrumental in merging this
institution with the First National Bank of
that city. Mr. Kagy was appointed Master
in Chancery of Marion county in 1889, and
afterwards twice re-appointed. He has
served as president of the Salem School
Board and declined re-election. In all these
public capacities he displayed unusual
adroitness in handling the affairs entrusted
to him.

Mr. Kagy's happy and harmonious do-
mestic life dates from May 18, 1887, when
he was united in marriage to Alice Larimer,
the youngest daughter of the late Smith
Larimer, an ex-Treasurer of Marion county,
an influential and highly respected citizen.
Mrs. Kagy is a cultured and highly accom-
plished woman of many estimable attributes
and possessing a gracious and pleasing per-
sonality which makes her popular among a
wide circle of friends and acquaintances,
and she presides over the modern, cozy,
elegantly furnished and beautifully appoint-
ed home of the subject and family with
modest grace and dignity. Into this model
home two bright and interesting children
add sunshine and cheerfulness. They are:
John Larimer, who was born February 22,
1888, now a student, in 1908, in the Uni-
versity of Illinois, where he is making a
splendid record; and Leigh Monroe, who
was born March 15, 1901 ; a girl died in in-
fancy.

In 1898, during the Spanish- American
war, Mr. Kagy was active in organizing a
company, and was elected captain of the

240

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

same ; after much drilling it was ready to go
to the front. Later Mr. Kagy was appointed
by Gov. John B. Tanner, major of Pitten-
ger's Provisional Regiment. Although it
was fully ready to go to the front it was not
called upon to do so.

Levi M. Kagy was one of the twenty-two
men who subscribed twenty-two thousand
dollars in order to induce the Chicago &
Eastern Illinois Railroad shops to locate in
Salem. The public-spirited and energetic
disposition of the citizens of this progressive
city can be ascertained by the statement that
this sum was raised in one night. Mr. Kagy
was in San Francisco at the time, but his
friends volunteered to vouch for him for
eleven hundred dollars, and he promptly
paid the full amount upon his return home.
Mr. Kagy always practiced law alone until
January, 1907, when he took E. B. Van-
dervort, of Portsmouth, Ohio, as an as-
sociate. They have a splendid and well
equipped suite of rooms in the Kagy Build-
ing. Mr. Kagy, although interested in many
industrial enterprises, gives his time almost
exclusively to his law practice which is very
large and which requires the major part of
his time.

Fraternally our subject is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen. He
has occupied the chairs in the local Odd Fel-
lows lodge, and is one of the trustees of
the I. O. O. F. Old Folks' Home of Illinois,
of Mattoon, Illinois.

Mr. and Mrs. Kagy and their oldest son
are members of the Presbyterian church.

In politics he is a stanch advocate of the
principles and policies of the Democratic
party, with which he has been affiliated from
the time of attaining his majority, and he
has ever lent his aid in furthering his party's
cause, being well fortified in his political
convictions, while he is essentially public-
spirited and progressive. In all the rela-
tions of life he has been found faithful to
every trust confided in him and because of
his genuine worth, splendid physique,
courteous manners and genial disposition
he has won and retains the warm regard
of all with whom he associates.

SAMUEL F. PHILLIPS.

Among the members of the many families
of early settlers who have forged to the
front in the realm of public life and in their
daily avocations in Marion county, Illinois,
few indeed, have reached a higher standing
than the subject of this sketch, whose long
life has ever been associated with the prog-
ress of the county, especially in the township
where he resides.

Samuel F. Phillips was born October 20,
1829, in the vicinity of Clarksville, Mont-
gomery county, Tennessee. His fatherjona-
than Phillips, came of a well known family
in the state where he resided, and his moth-
er's maiden name was Sarah Fowler, who
came of a family equally well connected.
Jonathan Phillips' father was Samuel Phil-
lips, who, together with his wife. Nancy

MRS. XAXCY. PHILLIPS.

S. F. PHILIPS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

241

(Crow) Phillips, born in Virginia, were
among the earliest settlers in Tennessee. The
elder Phillips was a hardy and industrious
farmer and he and his wife lived a long life
on their farm in Davidson county, Tennes-
see, where they reared a family of eight
children; four sons and four daughters.
The sons were David, Thomas, George and
Jonathan, the father of Samuel F.

Jonathan Phillips spent the early part of
his life on his father's farm, and he re-
ceived a limited education in the common
schools in the neighborhood of his home.
When he had reached manhood he married
and in 1831 he and his wife drove in the an-
tiquated vehicles of the period across the
long stretches of country, starting from
Montgomery county, Tennessee, finally
landing and settled in section i, Centralia
township, Marion county, Illinois. At this
time he obtained one hundred and sixty
acres of government land at one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, which farm he
added to at different times until he had six
hundred acres, becoming a farmer of more
than average industry and he succeeded in
improving and changing the appearance of
the property. Though well known and
widely respected in the locality, he never
aspired for public patronage. In politics
he was first a Whig and on the disappear-
ance of the older party became a Democrat.
He was a member of the Presbyterian
brotherhood in religious life and a sturdy
upholder of that belief. As a man and an
active farmer, he was well known and
16

widely esteemed. The date of his birth was
in the year 1799, and his death occurred
on April 2, 1856. His wife was born July
20, 1806, and died July 10, 1893. Her
father, William Fowler, lived in Montgom-
ery county, Tennessee, where he died. He
had married a Miss Fyke and their union
brought forth four children, two sons and
two daughters, namely: Drury, Richard,
Sarah, the mother of the subject of our
sketch, and Mary.

Jonathan Phillips and his wife reared six
children, James George Washington, died
1856, was a farmer, married Margaret
Sugg, and lived at home until his death.
Another was Samuel F., the subject of this
sketch. William, who married Rebecca Al-
len, was a farmer in Centralia township
where he died in 1859. Joseph R. died
April 2, 1862. Nancy married Isaac Phil-
lips and lived at Cobden, Illinois. She, as
well as her husband, is dead. John P., a
farmer in Centralia township, married three
times: first, Vitula Cazy; second, Martha
Norfolk ; and third, Ida Johnson.

As a boy, Samuel F. Phillips had little
chance to go to school. However, he attend-
ed the local subscription schools at infre-
quent intervals. The circumstances of his
youthful schooling did not affect him in after
life, for he was always of an observant and
intelligent turn of mind and in this way as-
similated much useful information. He
was of much assistance to his father in im-
proving the paternal residence, and he re-
mained there in a useful capacity until his

242

inoGKAPHICAL AXIJ REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

thirtieth year. In 1859 in Davidson county,
Tennessee, he married the daughter of
Thomas and Eliza (Chadwell) Phillips, of
the same county and name, his wife's first
name being Nancy Jane. This Phillips fam-
ily had come to Marion county, Illinois, set-
tling there in section 12, Centralia township,
in 1852. The father spent his life on the farm
in his new surroundings where he died;
his wife died in Odin, Illinois. The children
of the marriage were : Nancy Jane, the wife
of Samuel F. Phillips, the subject of this
sketch; Martha E., who married Noah
Wooters, both deceased ; Mary K., who was
the wife of James Stroup, both of whom
are dead ; Minerva T., the wife of Dr. J. J.
Fyke, of Odin; Sarah B., the wife of W.
D. Farthing, attorney-at-law, at Odin;
George died young, at home; William H.,
druggist at luka, Illinois, lives in Centralia
township. He married Frances Summer-
ville; Samuel D., druggist at Odin, married
Jessie Lester; John G. married Laura John-
son, and lives in Oklahoma.

Samuel F. Phillips and his wife lead a
happy domestic life and have had nine chil-
dren. His sons and daughters are mostly
all married and are important factors in the
life of the community. William W. is1 a
farmer in Centralia township and is married
to Malissa Rial. Sarah E. married John
H. McGuire, engineer on the Illinois Central
Railroad at Centralia ; they have two chil-
dren, Tressa and Erma. Etta, the widow
of G. W. S. Bell, lives near Centralia.
Patra married John F. Guymon, of Cen-
tralia, and they have one daughter, Beulah.

Martha B. is the wife of Charley Whit-
church, of Centralia township, and the moth-
er of three children, Carl, Boyd and Harry.
Allie married W. B. Carr, of Raccoon town-
ship. Alphia married Joseph L. Hill, of
Ewing, Illinois. Samuel T. married Nora
Sutherland, of Centralia township, and has
two children, Hazel, born October 17, 1905,
and Samuel Howard, born March 7, 1907.
Samuel T. is a farmer in Centralia township.
George Robert, another son, who is at home
working with his father, is unmarried.

In the year 1860, Samuel F. Phillips lo-
cated on his present property. Since then
he has striven to enhance the value of the
land. It consists of two hundred and fifty
acres. He principally engages in stock
raising and does a general farming business.

Samuel F. Phillips is a member of the
Missionary Baptist church and is influen-
tial in church advancement matters. In
politics he gives his support to the Demo-
cratic party. The first time he exercised his
right to vote he recorded it for Granville
Pierce.

The subject of this sketch has received
fitting public recognition. His record as Jus-
tice of the Peace is of forty-four years'
standing, and he has been a Notary Public
for fourteen years. He has been associated
with the Board of Trustees of Centralia
township for twenty years. For sixteen
years he has been Township Assessor.
He is also a member of the board
of township high school. He is still
in harness, his seventy-nine years weigh
but lightly upon him, and it is the wish

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

243

of a large circle of friends that he be
long spared to his affectionate family, and
to the people of his township for whom he
has worked so diligently.

CHARLES S. CUNNINGHAM.

The subject of this sketch occupies a
prominent place in the esteem of the people
of Flora and Clay county, and is universal-
ly respected and as a business man fair
dealing is his watchward in all his trans-
actions. He is optimistic, looking on the
bright side of life and never complains at
the rough places in the road, knowing that
life is a battle in which no victories are
won by the slothful, but that the prize is to
the vigilant and the strong of heart.

Charles S. Cunningham, the present pop-
ular Mayor of Flora, Illinois, was born in
this city, March 27, 1870, the son of John
M. Cunningham, who was a native of Clay
county. He was the founder of the jewelry
business now conducted by our subject,
which he carried on successfully until 1896,
when our subject bought the business. In
March of that year John M. Cunningham
was called from his earthly labors. B. F.
Cunningham, grandfather of the subject,
was a native of Virginia, who came to Clay
county when a young man and was one of
the first settlers, having first located in the
southern part of Clay county, called Cotton-
\vood creek, and there engaged in the mill-
ing business. Later he came to Flora and

established the Cunningham & Harter Sav-
ings Bank, which he conducted until about
1875. He died in 1876. The Cunningham
family is of Scotch origin. The mother of
the subject was Jennie Hawkins, whose
people were also of Scotch descent, her
mother and grandmother having emigrated
from that country. Mrs. John M. Cun-
ningham passed to her rest about 1875.
Three children constituted this family, one
of whom died in infancy; the subject's
brother, Clyde L. Cunningham, lives in
Julesburg, Colorado.

Charles S. Cunningham has spent all of
his life in Flora, where he attended the pub-
lic schools and received a good education.
He went to work when eighteen years old
in his father's jewelry store, and has been
identified with the same ever since. He
long ago mastered every detail of the busi-
ness and is one of the leading jewelers of
this part of the state, having a mod-
ern and nicely furnished store, and an ex-
cellent and carefully selected stock.

Mr. Cunningham was united in marriage
in 1890 to Eva L. Jackson, the daughter
of John Jackson, of Allegan, Michigan, and
to this union two sons have been born. Rex-
ford J. and Charles J., whose ages at this
writing are fifteen and twelve, respectively.
They are attending school and making ex-
cellent progress in their studies.

Mr. Cunningham has figured somewhat
conspicuously in the political affairs of
Flora, and was first elected City Treasurer
in which capacity he ably served for two
vears. He was then Alderman for two

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

years, and in the spring of 1907, he was
elected Mayor of Flora, and he has given
the city a very economical administration,
managing its affairs with as much care as
he does his individual business. He has
been vigorous in his fight against illegal
liquor selling, the saloons having been voted
out when he was elected. In many ways
he has benefited the community in a last-
ing and material way. At the present time
plans and specifications are making for a
system of water works, and Mayor Cun-
ningham is very much interested in secur-
ing this for the city.

The subject has won definite success in
the financial world through his close appli-
cation to business and his honorable meth-
ods. He is a director and vice-president in
the First National Bank, also a director in
the Breese-Trenton Coal Mining Company,
the head offices of the company being in
St. Louis. He is also a director in the
Friend Telephone Company, of Flora.
Fraterally he is a member of the Flora
Lodge No. 204, of Masons, also the Ben
Hur and the Knights of Pythias. He is a
member of the Methodist church as is also
Mrs. Cunningham. Mayor Cunningham is
a member of the Illinois State Historical
Society of Springfield, and in politics he is
a Republican, always taking an active in-
terest in his party's affairs. His fearless-
ness in the discharge of his duties and his
appreciation of the responsibilities that de-
volve upon him are such as to make him a
most acceptable incumbent of the Mayor's
office, and his worth is widelv acknowl-

edged, while his record as a business man
has been so honorable that he has gained
the confidence and trust of all with whom
he has been brought in contact.

J. E. BRYAN.

The gentleman whose name heads this
sketch has long enjoyed prestige as a lead-
ing citizen of the community in which he
resides, and as an official against whose
record no word of suspicion was ever uttered
he has been for years an important factor
in the history of Marion county, Illinois.
His prominence in the community is the di-
rect and legitimate result of genuine merit
and ability, and in every relation, whether
in the humble sphere of private citizenship,
or as a trusted public official, his many ex-
cellencies of character and the able and im-
partial manner in which he discharged his
every duty won for him an enviable repu-
tation as an enterprising and representative
self-made man. He was for some time a
prominent figure at the local bar, but desir-
ing the more prosaic routine of the abstrac-
ter, he abandoned the legal profession and
has for many years successfully conducted
an abstract office in Salem, being known
throughout the county in this line of work.

J. E. Bryan was born two and one-half
miles north of Salem, July 4, 1851, the son
of A. R. Bryan, a native of Virginia and a
fine old southern gentleman, who came to
Illinois when a boy. He was a tanner by

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

245

trade and after a busy, successful and hon-
orable career passed to his rest in 1901. He
lived first at Shawneetown, then at Mt.
Vernon, later at Walnut Hill, then at Salem,
where he spent the balance of his life. The
mother of the subject was Amanda Tully,
whose people came from Tennessee and were
among the first settlers in Marion county,
having come here when the prairies were
overrun by red men and wild beasts, but
they were people of sterling qualities and
surmounted every obstacle, winning a com-
fortable home as a result of their habits of
industry and economy. The maternal
grandfather of the subject was the first
Sheriff of Marion county. This family con-
sisted of twelve children, nine of whom are
living in 1908, namely: Mrs. Anna Tor-
rence, who resides on the old homestead,
where the mother of the subject was born,
in Salem; Mrs. Alice J. Kite, who is also
living at the old homestead in Salem; J. E.,
our subject ; Lewis O., living in Van Buren,
Arkansas; Andrew R., of Salem; Mrs. Rosa
Kagy, living in Arkansas; Mrs. Minnie
Fisher, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Mrs.
Emma Shepherd, of Centralia, Illinois; Ad-
is, living at Van Buren, Arkansas. The
mother of the subject, who was a woman
of many praiseworthy traits, passed to her
rest several years ago. Mr. Bryan's father,
A. R. Bryan, was a brother of Silas Bryan,
father of W. J. Bryan.

J. E. Bryan was reared in Salem, and he
preferred to risk his fortunes in his native
community rather than see uncertain success
in other fields, consequently he has spent his

life right here at home. He attended the
common schools at Salem, applying himself
most diligently to his text books and at
the age of twenty began to read law, making
rapid progress from the first, and in 1876
he was admitted to practice, his success be-
ing instantaneous and he soon became
widely known as an able practitioner in all
the local courts; but after twenty years of
arduous work at the bar, during which time
he built up an extensive business and won
the unqualified confidence and esteem of a
large clientele and of his brothers in the
legal profession, he abandoned the law and
opened an abstract office in Salem since
since which time he has devoted his time
and attention to this business with gratify-
ing success as indicated above. In his fra-
ternal relations Mr. Bryan is a member of
the Knights of Pythias.

Mr. Bryan was married in 1876 to Jo-
sephine W. Pace, a native of Salem and the
accomplished representative of an old and
highly respected family. No children have
been bom to this union.

Something of the confidence which the
people of Salem repose in our subject will
be gained when we learn that he has been
School Treasurer of Salem township for
over thirty years at the time of this writing,
1908. He has devoted much attention to
the development of the local public school
system with the result that much has been
accomplished toward making the Salem
schools equal to any in the country. Mr.
Bryan was also Master in Chancery for
Marion county for a period of eight years,

246

B10CKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OE

which responsible position he filled with
great credit to himself and to the entire
satisfaction to all concerned. In business he
has always been successful and is at present
one of the stockholders of the Salem State
Bank, He has ever had the welfare of his
community at heart and has always been
found willing to devote his time to any
movement looking to the development of the
public weal, and as a result of his genuine
worth, his pleasing demeanor, integrity of
principal and honesty of purpose, he is to-
day recognized as one of Marion county's
foremost citizens.

MICHAEL E. RAPP.

Michael E. Rapp was born in Wurtenburg,
Germany, April 3, 1843, the son of Leon-
hart and Margaret (Eberhardt) Rapp, both
natives of Germany, where they were mar-
ried and where they lived on a farm until
1853, when they emigrated to the United
States, having come across the Atlantic in
a sailing vessel, the voyage requiring fifty
days. They did not encounter many storms
on the way, but the slow passage was caused
by the absence of winds. They landed in
New York, where they remained a few days
when they went to Buffalo, touching at Al-
bany, Philadelphia and other points on the
way, having been three days making the
trip. The parents of the subject settled at
Buffalo and remained there until their death,
the father dying about 1891, at the age of

nearly seventy-five years, having been sur-
vived by his widow for about two years, she
dying in 1893, having reached the age of
seventy-five. Both are buried in the city
cemetery there. They were the parents of five
children, only two of whom grew to ma-
turity, three having died in childhood, the
subject being the oldest in order of birth. He
remained with his parents until he was about
twelve years of age, when he came to Ohio
to live with an uncle who was engaged in
the smelting business where he remained for
nearly two years, when he came to Indiana,
and later returned to Buffalo, New York,
where he undertook to learn the brass fin-
ishing business, but he remained at this for
only about two years, when hard times caused
the shop to practically close down. The
subject then went back to Indiana, working
on a farm in Vanderburg county by the
month until the war broke out, when he en-
listed and on August 18, 1862, was mustered
into service at Indianapolis, Company E.
Thirty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry,
under the command of Captain Eslinger.
The subject was at once sent south and im-
mediately marched to the front, joining the
regiment just after the battle of Shiloh.
From that time on he was in all the engage-'
ments of his regiment, but was never cap-
tured or wounded, however, he had many
"close calls" from both. Some of the prin-
cipal battles in which he fought in a most
gallant manner, according to his comrades,
were: Stone River, Liberty Gap, Chicka-
mauga. Missionary Ridge. The regiment
was later sent to Knoxville to re-enforce

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

247

Burnside, where they remained during the
winter of 1863 and 1864, having suffered
greatly from cold weather and exposure,
and lack of clothing. In the following
summer the subject took part in every en-
gagement from Tunnel Hill to Atlanta,
Georgia, and endured many great hard-
ships and privations. He was mustered
out of service at the close of the war, June
25, 1865, having been honorably discharged.
Mr. Rapp then returned to Indiana and on
November 24, 1868, was united in marriage
with Catherine Frye, in Evansville. She was
born in Posey county, Indiana, December 24,
1848, the daughter of Michael and Charlotte
( Stauff) Frye, both natives of Wurtenburg,
Germany, where they married. They came
to the United States about 1840, landing in
New York, but soon came on to Indiana, set-
tling in Posey county on a farm in the midst
of the wilderness where they experienced
many hardships in clearing the land and de-
veloping a home for themselves and family.
They remained there the rest of their lives,
their home having been in Parker township.
The mother of Mrs. Rapp died in August,
1850, at the age of thirty-two years, the
father having survived several years, later
remarrying. They were the parents of six
children, four of whom grew to maturity,
Mrs. Rapp being the youngest of the number.
Mr. Frye's death occurred February 16.
1 86 1, at the age of fifty-one years. He was
buried in the St. Peter cemetery and his wife
in the Methodist cemetery of the old Brick
church, Parker township. Mrs. Rapp re-
mained at home with her parents until her

father's death when the home was broken up
and she went to work out for herself, which
she continued to do until her marriage with
the subject. Her education was obtained in
the German schools of Posey county, but she
never learned to read or write English, for
she was not permitted to attend school long
in those early days. The same was true with
our subject who attended school for a time
in Germany before he came to the United
States. He also went to school a short time
in Buffalo, New York, learning to read and
write German, but received only a meagre
English education.

When our subject and his wife were mar-
ried they lived in Evansville, where Mr. Rapp
worked as a stationary engineer until he
moved to Illinois in March, 1876, when
they settled in Richland county, in Denver
township, near the Clay county line on a
farm where they lived for about two years,
when they moved to the place where they
now live.

Ten children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Rapp, nine of whom have grown to
maturity, one having died in childhood. They
are: George M., Edward Frederick, de-
ceased ; Michael, deceased ; John Henry, Car-
oline, Catherine, Daniel W., Margaret, Eve
Charlotte and Mary E. George M., who mar-
ried Celia Ruppert, resides on a farm in Den-
ver township. Catherine is the wife of Wal-
ter Coffee, residing in Stonington, Christian
county, Illinois. The other children are all
single and make their home with their par-
ents on the farm.

Mr. Rapp has served on the County Board

248

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

as Supervisor in Denver township for two
years, and an unexpired term of Township
Clerk, also served as School Trustee for a
period of nine years. His son held the office
of Township Clerk at the time of his death.
Mr. Rapp has always been a Republican. He
is a member of the Grand Army of the Re-
Public. Mr. and Mrs. Rapp and some of
their children are members of the Methodist
church in Denver township, having long
taken an active part in church work, the sub-
ject having been a steward in the church
for several years, which office he now very
creditably holds.

THE SCHWARTZ BROTHERS.

Eminent business talent is composed of a
combination of high mental and moral at-
tributes ; although these are essential, there
must be sound judgment, breadth of capa-
city and rapidity of thought, justice and
firmness, the foresight to perceive the course
of the drifting tides of business and the
will and ability to control them. The sub-
jects of this review afford a striking exem-
plification of this talent, in a very high order
of development and of such character as to
gain them worthy prestige in business cir-
cles and positions of commanding influence.

The Schwartz brothers, Joseph and
Frank, are not only twins but their lives
and interests have been so closely inter-
woven, their purposes and ideals so nearly
identical and their achievements of such

similar character that the history of one is
practically the history of both.

As the name indicates the Schwartz fam-
ily is of German origin, the subject's father,
Bernard Schwartz, having been a native of
Luxemburg, where his ancestors had lived
for many generations. When a young man
Bernard Schwartz came to the United
States and located at Worcester, Massa-
chusetts, where he worked for some years
at the tailor's trade and where in due time
he married Christina Lacroix, who was also
of German birth. Disposing of his inter-
ests in Massachusetts in 1855 he moved to
Salem, Illinois, where he opened a shop and
conducted a very successful tailoring busi-
ness for a number of years, the meanwhile
by judicious investments and careful man-
agement becoming the possessor of a large
amount of valuable property in various
parts of Marion county, and earning the
reputation of an enterprising and praise-
worthy citizen. From 1868 until his death
in the year 1906 Bernard Schwartz lived a
life of honorable retirement, but kept in
close touch with business matters, amassed
considerable wealth and for a number of
years was classed with the financially solid
and reliable men of Salem. He was a fine
type, of the successful German-American,
possessed to a marked degree of the ster-
ling qualities for which his nationality is
distinguished, did much to promote the ma-
terial interests of his adopted city and his
death was deeply lamented by all who knew
him. Bernard and Christina Schwartz
were earnest and devout Catholics in their

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

249

religious belief and trained their children in
the faith of the Holy Mother church, to the
teaching of which they have been ever true
and loyal. Their oldest child, a daughter,
by the name of Flora, is the wife of Mi-
chael Berens, and lives in Salem ; the twins,
Frank and Joseph being the next in order of
birth; Christine died when four years of
age and Bernard, the youngest of the famv-
ily, a young man of fine business ability and
high social standing, departed this life on
the 1 5th day of January, 1907. Like his
older brothers, Bernard Schwartz pos-
sessed much more than ordinary powers of
mind and had reached an important and in-
fluential position in the business world,
when his brilliant and promising career was
untimely terminated by the stern hand of
death. He was a graduate of the Salem
high school with the honors of his class,
after which he took a pharmaceutical course
in which he became especially proficient and
for a number of years served on the State
Board of Pharmacy, to which position he
was first appointed by Governor Tanner,
and later by Governor Yates and had not
death intervened he doubtless could have
held the place indefinitely as Governor De-
neen signified his intention of reappointing
him a short time prior to his demise.

Joseph and Frank Schwartz, to a brief re-
view of whose career the reader's attention
is here respectfully invited, were born on
August agth, of the year 1859, in Salem,
and spent their childhood and youth in their
native town. As indicated in a preceding
paragraph their lives having been passed

under similar circumstances were in most
respects strikingly similar, nevertheless to a
better understanding of the purposes and
ambitions of each it is deemed proper to
give their early lives separately.

Joseph Schwartz was reared under ex-
cellent home influences and during his
youth received from his parents a thorough
instruction in the basic principles of moral-
ity and correct conduct so that while a mere
lad he became so imbued with these princi-
ples as to make them a rule by which his sub-
sequent life should be governed. At the prop-
er age he entered the public schools of Sa-
lem and in due time completed the pre-
scribed course of study graduating from
the high school with the class of 1877. Ac-
tuated by a laudable desire for a more thor-
ough scholastic training he subsequently
became a student of the State University at
Champaign, where he prosecuted his studies
and researches until 1881 when he was
graduated with an honorable record, im-
mediately after which he engaged in the
drug business with his brother Frank, their
place of business being the store room on
the site originally occupied by the house in
which he was born.

By diligent attention and successful man-
agement the Schwartz brothers soon built
up a large and lucrative patronage and it
was not long until they led the drug busi-
ness in Salem, their establishment being the
largest and most popular of the kind not
only in the city but in the county. From
the beginning the enterprise prospered be-
yond their highest expectations and proved

250

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the source of an ample income which being
judiciously invested in due time placed them
on the high road to fortune.

Frank Schwartz, like his brother, spent
his early life pretty much after the manner
of the majority of town lads but unlike
many was not permitted to eat of the bread
of idleness, during the formative period of
his character when fancy paints with glow-
ing colors the future and holds out to the
unwary those pleasures which have no sub-
stantial foundation and which if identified
invariably terminate in regret and remorse.
Under the guidance of his parents he grew
up to the full stature of well rounded man-
hood with a proper conception of life and
its duties and responsibilities and with the
idea ever paramount that all true success
and advancement must depend upon con-
secutive toil and endeavor. After obtaining
a good practical education in the public
schools of Salem, he entered at the age of
sixteen the drug store of D. K. Green &
Son, where he clerked for a period of four
years, during which time he devoted his at-
tention very carefully to the business with
the object in view of ultimately engaging
in the trade upon his own responsibility. At
the expiration of the time indicated he pur-
chased an interest in the establishment,
which during the following year was con-
ducted under the name of Green &
Schwartz; his brother, Joseph, then bought
Mr. Green's interest and under the firm
name of Schwartz Brothers, the business
grew rapidly in magnitude and importance
and, as already stated, soon became the
leading establishment of the kind in Salem,

and proved to be the source from which no
small part of their subsequent fortune grew.
Meanwhile the Schwartz Brothers turned
their attention to various other lines of
business becoming largely interested in real
estate, agriculture and horticulture, which
with other enterprises of an industrial and
financial nature paved the way to the high
position they now hold in business circles,
and gave them much more than local re-
pute as capable, judicious and eminently
honorable business men. Without follow-
ing in detail the different lines of enterprise
to which the Schwartz brothers have given
attention, suffice it to state that all of their
undertakings have been prosperous and they
are today not only the leading business men
of their own city and county, but occupy a
conspicuous place among the leaders of in-
dustry in the southern part of the state. In
1907 they disposed of their drug house,
since which time they have not been active-
ly identified with any particular enterprise,
devoting their attention to their large prop-
erty interests and other investments, being
heavy stockholders in the Salem State Bank
and owning extensive tracts of real estate
in Marion and other counties, including one
fruit farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
two and a fourth miles southeast of Salem,
another consisting of eight hundred acres
within a reasonable distance of the county
seat, besides being associated with Mr.
Rogers in the fruit evaporating business,
under the firm name of Rogers & Schwartz
Brothers, they do an immense and far-
reaching business. They are also mem-
bers of the real estate firm of Telford &

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

251

Schwartz, which with loans and insurance,
constitutes the most successful business of
the kind in the city. They own the
Schwartz Block, one of the largest and most
valuable properties in Salem, and as mem-
bers of the firm of Rainey & Schwartz, own
Rainey Lake, also a large pear orchard
which adds much to their liberal and con-
stantly growing income. In addition to the
interests enumerated the Schwartz broth-
ers have many other valuable holdings in
both city and country, including the busi-
ness block occupied by the Sweeney &
Company's drug stock, a large lot at the
rear of the State Bank, also quite a num-
ber of private dwellings in various parts of
the town to say nothing of a vast amount of
valuable personal property and bank ac-
counts, comparing favorably in bulk with
those of any other depositor in the county.

Under the name of Schwartz Brothers,
by which the firm has always been known,
Joseph and Frank Schwartz have filled a
prominent place in the business affairs of
Salem and Marion county, and from the be-
ginning their careers present a series of
continued successes which have placed them
among the most progressive men of their
day and generation in southern Illinois and
earned them state wide reputation in busi-
ness and financial circles.

They are politicians of the Democratic
school and alive to all that concerns the
best interest of their party. Religiously they
are loyal to the tenets of the Roman Catho-
lic church in which they were reared and
for which they have the most profound love

and regard contributing liberally to its ma-,
terial support and by their daily lives ex-
emplifying the beauty and value of the
principles and doctrines upon which it is
based.

Joseph Schwartz was married in the year
1886 to Clara Rose, of Salem, daughter of
Gordon Rose, an engineer on the Baltimore
& Ohio road, and a most excellent and
praiseworthy citizen. The pledges of this
union are two bright and interesting daugh-
ters, namely : Helen, born in 1893, and Chris-
tine, whose birth occurred in the year 1905.
The domestic life of Frank Schwartz dates
from the 8th day of July, 1896, at which
time he was united in the holy bonds of
wedlock at Indianapolis, Indiana, with An-
nie Trimpe, of that city, a union terminated
by the death of the wife on Thanksgiving
day, 1903, after bearing her husband two
children, Mattie Christine and Emma Ger-
trude, born in 1897 and 1901, respectively.
On September 19, 1907, Mr. Schwartz
chose a second wife and companion in the
person of Mrs. Fannie Simpson, of Salem,
a lady of many estimable qualities, who
presides over his household with grace and
dignity and who is deeply concerned in all
of his undertakings making his interests her
own and contributing not a little to his suc-
cess. Fraternally Joseph Schwartz is iden-
tified with the ancient and honorable Ma-
sonic brotherhood and also holds member-
ship with the Orders of Woodmen and Ben
Hur, in all of which he is an active and in-
fluential worker, which may also be record-
ed of his brother, Frank.

252

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

HON. HARVEY W. SHRINER.

Mr. Shriner stands admittedly among the
leaders of the legal profession in Southern
Illinois, where he has long been practicing
in all the courts, often handling some of
the most important cases on the various
dockets. Being courteous, genial, well in-
formed, alert and enterprising, he is rec-
ognized as one of the representative men of
Clay county — a man who is a power in his
community.

Harvey W. Shriner was born in Vinton
county, Ohio, October 25, 1861, the son of
Silas Shriner, also a native of Ohio. He
was a farmer and came to Clay county, Il-
linois, in October, 1864, remaining here un-
til his death in June, 1906. His grand-
father was Francis Shriner, a native of
Pennsylvania, who afterward removed to
Ohio. He also devoted his life to agricul-
tural pursuits. The subject's mother was
Susan Luse, whose people were from Ohio.
She is living in Flora, and is a woman of
gracious personality. Six children were
born to the subject's parents, five of whom
are living. They are : Ibbie. deceased ;
Mrs. Louisa Frame, of Chicago; Harvey
W., the subject; Albert G.. of Springfield,
Illinois ; Mrs. Ida McGregor, of Flora :
Pearl V., who is living on the old home
farm, five miles northeast of Flora.

Mr. Shriner received his primary educa-
tion in the Flora public schools, and then
attended business college at Carmi, Illinois.
Then he attended the National University

at Lebanon, Ohio, making a splendid rec-
ord for scholarship. He taught school for
six winters in Clay county. He made his
way through school. Believing that the
legal profession was best suited to his tastes,
he began the study of law and was admitted
to the bar in February, 1887. In June fol-
lowing he formed a partnership with D. C.
Hagle, a prominent lawyer. This partner-
ship proved' to be a very strong one and
lasted up to the death of Mr. Hagle in
1897, since which time the subject has been
practicing alone. He was successful from
the first and his practice has steadily in-
creased until he Is now a very busy man. He
has a well equipped law library, which is
kept stocked with the latest legal books and
decisions. He was elected State's Attorney
of Clay county, in 1888, on the Republican
ticket. And he was re-elected in 1872 and
in 1892, having faithfully performed the
duties of this office. He was again elected
in 1896. He has been a member of the
Board of Education for several terms and
also Supervisor of his township. In 1904
Mr. Shriner made the race and was tri-
umphantly elected to the Legislature, serv-
ing one term in a manner that proved the
wisdom of his constituents in selecting him
for their representative. He voted for and
was one of the original advocates of local
option. A conclusive proof of his popular-
ity is the fact that he ran ahead of his ticket
when elected to the Legislature.

In November, 1905, Mr. Shriner was ap-
pointed Deputy Revenue Collector for Di-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

253

vision No. 4, of the Thirteenth District of
Illinois, which he has very creditably held
to the present time.

Mr. Shriner was happily married in Sep-
tember, ; 1885, to Emma Critchlow, of
Louisville, Clay county, the representative
of an influential family of that place. To
this union three sons were born: Austin D.,
Carlton C. and Silas. Mrs. Shriner was
called to her rest in January, 1896. After-
wards the subject was married again, his
last wife being Frances Higginson, of
Flora, and to this union one winsome
daughter, Mabel, has been born.

Mr. Shriner owns a valuable and well
improved farm in Standford township, this
county, five miles northeast of Flora, in
which he takes much interest. He is a good
judge of stock, and some good breeds may
be found on his place. Fraternally he be-
longs to the Masons and the Woodmen.

Mr. Shriner takes an abiding interest in
local affairs and labors for the welfare of
the county, looking beyond the exigencies
of the moment to the possibilities of the fu-
ture, working not alone for what will bene-
fit his fellow citizens today, but also for
what will be of advantage at a later time.
He is a man of distinct and forceful in-
dividuality, as is evidenced by the fact that
he started out in life on his own account,
without money or influential friends to aid
him. He looked at life, however, from a
practical standpoint and placed his de-
pendence upon elements that are sure win-
ners in the race for success — persistent pur-
pose, indefatigable industry and unabating-
energy.

WILLIAM H. FARTHING.

The subject has long been recognized as
one of Marion county's foremost business
men, holding high rank among the finan-
ciers of the community in which he lives and
whose interests he has ever had at heart and
which he has ever striven to promote in
whatever laudable manner that presented it-
self. The life of Mr. Farthing has been led
along high planes and has been true to
every trust that has been reposed in him.

William H. Farthing, the well known
banker of Odin, Marion county, Illinois,
was born in Odin, February 2, 1869, and
not being lured away by the wanderlust
that caused so many of his contemporaries
to leave the old hearth stone he has pre-
ferred to live here. He is the son of
George and Susan (Michaels) Farthing,
natives of the state of Mississippi,
Grandfather Farthing was from Kentucky,
having come to Marion county, Illinois, in
the fifties and settled in this vicinity where
he worked a farm, and where he spent the
remainder of his days having died in the
seventies. Both he and his wife were Bap-
tists. They were the parents of five chil-
dren.

The father of our subject was born in
Logan county, Kentucky, and received his
education in the Blue Grass state. He de-
voted his life to farming and railroading,
and was about sixty years old at the time
of his death. He left a widow and six
children. The subject's mother is living at
the age of fifty-three. Our subject was the
second child in order of birth. He received

254

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

his education in the public schools of Odin,
but was obliged to leave school at the age
of twelve years, when he commenced clerk-
ing in a store in which he continued for ten
years, in the meantime developing into an
excellent salesman. Being economical, he
was enabled at the end of that time to pur-
chase one-half interest in the store from his
savings. He continued in this store for an-
other period of ten years, during which time
the trade of the firm rapidly increasd, cus-
tomers coming from all parts of the county,
because of the reputation of the firm for
fairness and courteous treatment had ex-
tended to all localities roundabout. Mr.
Farthing finally sold his interest in the store.
He then handled real estate and other lines
for two years with gratifying success. Then
he purchased the bank at Odin, which had
been started some time previous. Under
Mr. Farthing's management it was soon
placed on an excellent basis and it was pat-
ronized by the local people and by the farm-
ers in that locality, for Mr. Farthing's name
gave the bank a sound prestige, for every-
one knew that their funds would be entirely
safe entrusted to him, owing to his natural
ability as a financier and his reputation for
honesty in all his business dealings. The
bank is still under his management, he be-
ing the sole owner. This bank was first
opened for business in May, 1905.

Our subject was first married on Novem-
ber 15, 1893, to Effie Sugg, a native of
Odin. Four children were born to this
union, one of whom is living, Ira J. F.,
whose date of birth occurred August 17,

1898. The subject's first wife was called to
her rest April 12, 1901, and Mr. Farthing
was again married on September 12, 1906,
to Ida A. Kell, of this county, the daugh-
ter of James and Martha (McWham) Kell,
natives of this county. Joseph McWham
is paymaster at the present time in the
United States Army. The grandfather,
Robert McWham, was a soldier in the Civil
war in the One Hundred and Fifty-Third
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he
served about two years and was honorably
discharged at the close of the war. Our
subject has one child by his last wife, Mar-
tha, who was born September 7, 1907.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Farthing is
a member of the Masonic Blue lodge, the
Chapter, the Knights Templar, also the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and the
Woodmen and Eastern Star. He has
passed all the chairs in the Blue lodge and
the Odd Fellows. He has been a delegate
to the grand lodge of the state of Illinois.
Mrs. Farthing is a member of the Presby-
terian church. Mr. Farthing is a Demo-
crat in his political relations and has al-
ways been interested in his party's welfare,
giving his time and influence to the work of
his party in the county. He was elected
and served in a most creditable manner as
City Clerk, Alderman and was also presi-
dent of the Town Board and is at this writ-
ing Treasurer of the city of Odin. He has
long been noted throughout the county for
his honesty, integrity and fair dealing, and
his interest in all movements tending to pro-
mote the county's welfare in any manner

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

255

possible, and as a result of his sterling worth
his integrity and his pleasing manner, he is
held in high regard by all classes and has
hosts of friends.

JOHN J. FYKE, M. D.

One of the representative members of the
medical fraternity in Marion county is the
subject of this sketch, who is engaged in
practice in Odin, and who holds high rank
in his profession, while his ability and cour-
tesy have won him the confidence and es-
teem of all who know him.

Dr. Fyke is a successful, self-made man.
Peculiar honor attaches to that individual,
who, beginning the great struggle of life
alone and unaided, gradually overcomes un-
favorable environment, gaining at last the
g'oal of success by the force of his own in-
dividuality. Such is the record, briefly
stated, of this popular citizen of Odin, Il-
linois, to a synopsis of whose life and char-
acter the following paragraphs are devoted.

Dr. John J. Fyke was bom in Marion
county in 1842, the son of Joshua A. and
Margaret (Wilson) Fyke, the latter being
the first female white child born in the coun-
ty, a distinction of which anyone might be
justly proud. The date of her birth was in
1822, and in 1908 she is still living, being
in possession of her full faculties. It is in-
teresting to hear her tell of the great
development she has seen here since the
early pioneer days — wonderful, indeed, the

most wonderful progress in the history of
the world, having been made during the
lapse of her long life. Her people came to
Illinois from North Carolina, in 1818, and
settled among the earliest pioneers in this
locality. They took up government land,
and developed excellent farms. Her parents
reared their children here and died here at
advanced ages. There were three boys and
three girls in this family. Grandfather
Fyke was reared in North Carolina and
moved to Tennessee, where he spent the
balance of his days.

The father of the subject was born in
1812, an historic year in our national his-
tory. His father was a farmer and lived to
an advanced age, having reared a large fam-
ily. His wife also lived to be very old. The
father of our subject came to this county in
1839. His early educational advantages
were limited, but he was a great reader and
finally became well informed. He was a
Methodist and an exhorter. He made polit-
ical speeches, and was a loyal Democrat.
He was Justice of the Peace for thirty
years. His family consisted of twelve chil-
dren, five boys and one girl having lived to
maturity. Two brothers of the subject liv-
ing in Kansas City, Missouri, are practicing
attorneys.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was obtained in the common schools
of this county and one year in McKendree
College, Lebanon, Illinois. He then com-
menced reading medicine under the direc-
tion of Doctor Davenport, of Salem, where
he continued for three years, making a

256

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

splendid record for scholarship. During
this time he attended medical college, part
of the time at Chicago and the balance at
St. Louis, making splendid records at both
places. He commenced practice in 1866,
having located in Odin, where he has con-
tinued practice ever since. He was success-
ful from the start and his patients are now
so numerous that he can hardly find time to
do anything outside of his regular work.

Doctor Fyke was united in marriage in
1867 to Minerva Phillipps, a native of Ten-
nessee, the daughter of Thomas and Eliza
(Chadwell) Phillipps. They were natives of
Tennessee, having moved to Marion county,
Illinois, in 1855. They settled on a farm
here where they spent the remainder of
their lives and where they died, both having
lived to an old age, having reared a family
of eight children.

Three children, all boys, have been born
to our subject and wife, namely: Edgar E.,
who was born in 1868, who is now a prac-
ticing physician, and the father of three
children, all girls. The second and third
children of Dr. Fyke and wife were twins,
Thomas Emmett and Josiah Harley, who
were born in 1872. They are both living
on a farm near Odin.

Our subject in his fraternal relations is a
Mason, having passed all the chairs in the
local lodge. He is a trustee of the Metho-
dist church, of which both he and his wife
are faithful members and liberal supporters.
The doctor is a loyal Democrat. He is a
member and president of the pension board.
Dr. Fyke is one of the well known men in

Marion county, where his long and success-
ful career has been spent, and has a pleas-
ant and well furnished home in Odin.

CHARLES C. SANDERS.

The subject has seen the development of
Marion county from an obscure wild prairie
district to one of the leading counties- of
the state, and he has done his full share in
promoting the industrial and civic affairs of
the county, ranking today among her best
known and most highly honored citizens.

Charles C. Sanders was born in Centralia
township, Marion county, December 21,
1848, the son of Robert and Nancy (Cop-
pie) Sanders, both natives of Indiana. The
father came to this county a single man in
an early day and married here. He was al-
ways a farmer and blacksmith, having
bought a farm in Centralia township which
he sold and went to Missouri, where he re-
mained a short time, then came back to
Centralia township and bought another
farm on which he lived until his death in
1855. His wife died in 1854. They were
the parents of six children, namely: Cath-
erine, deceased; Charles C., our subject;
John, deceased; Samuel, Robert and the
youngest child was a boy. The subject's
parents died when he was small and he went
to live with John Thomas for three years in
Centralia township, also three years with
John McClelland, who was his guardian
until 1865.

When seventeen years old our subject

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

257

went to enlist in the Union army as a sub-
stitute, but his uncle prevented him from en-
listing. He then went to work out at
different places, until he was nineteen years
old. On December 28, 1867, he married
Martha Jane Hudlow, who was born De-
cember ii, 1849, m Jefferson county, Illi-
nois, the daughter of James and Roxanna
(Hildibiddle) Hudlow. James Hudlow
died in 1849. His widow then married
Alexander Garren; her third husband was
John Sprouse, and her fourth husband was
George Birge. She died in 1898. Mrs. San-
ders had one sister who married Thomas
Groves. She lived in Indiana.

After his marriage the subject lived on
his father!s place for a time, then he traded
for his present farm in section 25, Centralia
township, where he has one hundred and
twenty acres. It had only a few improve-
ments on it when he took charge, but being
a hard worker he developed a good home
and a fine farm, about half of the place now
being cleared, on which highly productive
land he raises corn, hay, apples, peaches,
pears and much small fruit, and he also
raises some good horses, hogs and cattle,
and carries on a general farming business
with great success, being a good manager.
He has always been a farmer, but he found
time to operate a threshing machine for
twenty-seven years and did a thriving busi-
ness.

Mr. Sanders is a Democrat and he has
held minor offices, having served on the
school board. He is a member of the Chris-
tian church.

The subject and wife are the parents of
six children, namely: Robert C., a farmer
in Clinton county, this state, married Addie
J. Cameron and they have five children,
namely : Fred, Dwight, Claude, Melinda and
Menzo. Mary Etta, the second child of the
subject, married Elmer Satterfield, of Rac-
coon township, and they have the following
children : Frank, Bert, Clara, James, Sarah
and Ottie. Nancy, the subject's third child,
married Edgar Morrison, lives at Odin, Il-
linois, and has three children, Jessie, Charlie
and Mary. Lillie, who married George
Day, lives at Odin, Illinois, and has one
daughter, Pearl ; Edgar is a farmer in Rac-
coon township, this county, who married
Delle Martin, and they have two children,
Ruby and Floyd; Dicey May is living at
home.

Our subject is a well known man in this
county where he has many friends and bears
an exemplary reputation.

DANIEL C. GENOWAY.

The people of Denver township, Rich-
land county, Illinois, point to Daniel C.
Genoway as one of their most valued citi-
zens, admiring him for his high moral
character, for his life among them for more
than a half century may well be likened
unto an open book. That they place implicit
confidence in him is evidenced by the fact
that they have elected him to several town-
ship offices, the duties of which he dis-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

charged with credit. He made his advent
into the world in the pioneer days, and
spent his boyhood days upon the farm.

Mr. Genoway was born in Clermont
county, Ohio, September 7, 1831, and in
his early "teens" left the farm to become an
apprentice to a carpenter. He also learned
the cooper's trade, but did not work at it
for a great length of time. The father of
the subject was Joseph Genoway. His
mother's maiden name was Rebecca Crum-
baugh, born in Ohio in 1799. The paternal
grandfather of the subject, Joseph. Geno-
way. came from his native France, as one
of General LaFayette's soldiers to aid the
America colonists in the Revolutionary
war. Liking the country, he remained here
becoming a citizen of the young republic,
and finally settling in Connecticut. Mr.
Genoway's maternal grandfather. Jacob
Crumbaugh, emigrated from Germany to
this country, settling in Kentucky, and a
few years later was married to Mary Baker,
of Maryland, whose ancestors were from
Germany.

The subject came to what is now Denver
township, Richland county, in 1855, and
worked industriously at his trade, building
many dwellings and bams. He and Philip
Heltman, well known in this locality, were
engaged in building a barn in Jasper county
during the days of the Civil war, when a
recruiting officer happened to pass, and de-
scending from the roof Mr. Heltman en-
listed on the spot. Mr. Genoway was mar-
ried to Ruth McGuire in January, 1861.
Their children were Charles Vanlanding-

ham, bom October 27, 1862; Peter Elmer,
born February n, 1865. The first named
was educated for the medical profession,
and after some local practice being anxious
to advance, studied medicine in New York
City, Vienna, Austria and Rome. He is
now an eminent physician in Spokane,
Washington. He has a wife and three chil-
dren. Peter Elmer was educated at Olney,
and is now a professional teacher. He
holds a high official position in the Ben Hur
fraternity. He married Miss Eva McLain,
and has two children. Some time after the
birth of these children the wife of the sub-
ject died, and on March 7, 1869, he es-
poused Martha Washburn. His second
wife was born in Denver township, Febru-
ary 22, 1851, and was the daughter of Hen-
ry and Eleanor (Gard) Washburn. Her pa-
ternal grandparents were Willis and Nan-
cy (Allender) Washburn, born respective-
ly in 1799 and 1801. Her uncle, Joseph
Washburn, was a soldier in Wilders' fa-
mous brigade, as was her uncle, James
Washburn. who died in the army hospital
at New Albany, Indiana. Her ancestors
were generally members of the Baptist
faith. The subject and his wife had six chil-
dren : Harry E. was born February 9, 1870.
He has traveled extensively, but is now at
home with his parents ; Rebecca E., born
November n, 1871, died the same year;
John H., born March 5, 1873, married to
Florence Watts in 1894, and lives near Fred-
ricktown, Missouri, being a miner: Lemuel
T., born September 6, 1874. served in the
Spanish war and died October 19, 1904;

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Lillie M., born February 2, 1877, now the
wife of Clifton O. Walker, of Piatt county,
with three children, Fern, Martha and Del-
bert; George Andrew Louis, born Novem-
ber 7, 1883, married December 24, 1905, to
Bertha Cook, was in the regular army as
telegrapher in Alaska for three years, and
received from the government one hundred
and sixty acres of land near Wendt, South
Dakota, where he is now operator and ex-
press agent, and where he owns in addition
to government land a tract of equal size
which he purchased.

The father of the wife of the subject,
Henry R. Washburn, is still an active man
at the age of eighty-three years, and lives
in Piatt county, Illinois. He was twice
married and the fruit of each union was
nine children. When he first came to Il-
linois he worked for fifty cents a day, and
through his own efforts acquired a farm of
two hundred acres. Mr. and Mrs. Geno-
way are known as very charitable people,
and they are now raising two little girls,
who were left homeless, Frances Steward
and Cora Cagel. The former was taken into
the home when eleven years old, and the
latter when two years old.

FRANK BRADFORD.

The subject of this review enjoyed dis-
tinctive prestige among the enterprising
men of Marion county, having fought his
way onward and upward to a prominent

position in industrial circles and in every
relation of life his voice and influence were
on the side of right as he saw and under-
stood the right. He was always interested
in every enterprise for the general welfare
of the community and liberally supported
every movement calculated to benefit his fel-
low men; and although the last chapter in
his life drama has been brought to a close
and he has been called to a higher sphere
of action, his influence is still felt for good
in his community and he is greatly missed
by hosts of friends and acquaintances.

Frank Bradford was born in Weymouth,
Medina county, Ohio, August 10, 1852,
where he spent his boyhood days and at-
tended the common schools. About 1865 he
came with his father, George Bradford, and
family to Flora, Illinois, where the father
conducted the old Buckeye House and where
Frank engaged successfully in farming and
trading until 1879, in which year he was
happily married to Mary E. Hull, the only
daughter of the late Erasmus Hull, and to
this union a son and a daughter were born,
the former having died in infancy ; the latter
is now Mrs. Roland C. Brinkerhoff. Of
Mr. Bradford's own family but two sisters
survive in 1908, namely: Mrs. Minnie
Bettis, of Arkansas, and Rose Lebus, of
Ardmore, Oklahoma. Mrs. Bradford, a
woman of many fine traits, is living in Salem
in the cozy, substantial and well furnished
Bradford residence. Frank Bradford was
a descendant of the ninth generation of
Gen. William Bradford, of Revolutionary
fame. George Bradford, father of our sub-

200

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ject, was born in Rowley, Essex county,
Massachusetts, and he was called to his rest
while living in Arkansas. The mother of
the subject was known in her maidenhood
as Abalinda Russell, who was born in Hart-
ford, Connecticut, April 10, 1823, and she
was called to her reward while living in
Flora, Illinois, February 27, 1872, at the
age of forty-eight years. The subject's
parents were of the best blood and reputa-
tion and were much admired in whatever
community they lived for their honest and
hard-working lives.

When but a mere lad Mr. Bradford united
vvith the Methodist Episcopal church at
Flora, Illinois. He was received into the
Methodist church in Salem by letter on De-
cember 12, 1879, under the pastorate of Rev.
Fred L. Thompson and he remained in that
faith, an ardent supporter of the church un-
til his death.

Soon after his marriage, Mr. Bradford
located in Salem and entered upon a long
and honorable business career of which all
speak with words of praise. Being of a
jolly disposition and having a kind word
for everyone, he commanded, perhaps, the
largest patronage of any single salesman in
the community. His scrupulously honest
methods and his natural ability also at-
tracted scores of customers. He first en-
tered the mercantile establishment of Hull
and Morris. In 1880, Mr. Hull having
purchased the interest of Mr. Morris and
also the interest of Scott Muggy in the firm
of Atkin & Muggy, the two stocks were
combined under the firm name of Hull &

Atkin, and Mr. Bradford took a position
with this firm which soon became E. Hull
& Son, . changing later to the Hull Dry
Goods Company and then to C. E. Hull.
Mr. Bradford remained through all these
changes, having been regarded as indispens-
able to the firm's business, until he went as
manager for the firm to Kinmundy, where
he remained for a short time building up the
trade in a very substantial way, and later
he was manager for Hammond & Hull in
Salem. While conducting the latter busi-
ness Mr. Bradford suffered an attack of ner-
vous prostration and was very sick for a
time. Both for recreation and as a means,
of regaining his health he began managing
his farm, spending only an occasional day
in the store; but improvement was not so
rapid as was expected for the long and
strenuous life in the commercial world had
undermined his health so extensively that
rapid improvement and even recuperation
could not be expected, consequently on Wed-
nesday night, February 6, 1907, when he
was planning to attend a meeting of the
Pythian Sisters in company with his wife,
about 5 130 o'clock in the afternoon, he was
seized with an attack of apoplexy while at
his home. This soon developed into paraly-
sis of the left side which soon became com-
plete. He remained in an unconscious state
until 6 150 the following morning, when the
white winged messenger came. The funeral
services were conducted at the residence
Saturday afternoon following, by Rev. J.
G. Tucker, of the Methodist Episcopal
church and interment was made in the

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

26l

family lot in East Lawn Cemetery. The
floral offerings were beautiful and elaborate
from the many friends of the deceased and
also from the Knights of Pythias and Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows lodges, the
Pythian Sisters and the Rebekahs, of which
orders either he or Mrs. Bradford had been
consistent members. And the great throng
of sorrowing friends and acquaintances that
came to pay a last tribute to their much
loved friend attested as fully as was possible
the love and high esteem in which Mr.
Bradford was held by every one who knew
him. Public-spirited and liberal he was
ever in the forefront of all plans for im-
provement and the betterment of Salem and
his sudden calling away was a distinct loss
to the entire community, for his life had
been industrious, scrupulously honest and
kind.

JAMES HARVEY DELZELL.

James H. Delzell is justly proud of the
fact that his ancestors were among those
hardy pioneers who endured with great for-
titude the numerous perils and hardships
that beset men and women who sought
homes in the wilderness of the new republic
in its earlier days. Mr. Delzell is one of
the striking figures in Denver township,
Richlancl county, Illinois, not only from a
physical, but a mental standpoint. He is a
man who has seen much of the world, and
has kept in touch with human events. He
ranks among the heaviest land owners in

the township, and such possessions as he
holds he has accumulated through the prac-
tice of honest and straightforward business
methods.

The subject is the son of John N. Delzell,
and was bom in Tennessee August 13,
1845. His father, who was born December
29, 1818, in Blount county, died December
12, 1903. He was educated in a college at
Marysville, Tennessee, and after leaving
that institution became a teacher, and later
engaged in mercantile business. He re-
moved to Denver township in 1861 with
his family and team, and with eighty-four
dollars in his pocket. Through his indus-
try he eventually accumulated farm land
amounting to four hundred acres, a large
portion of which he cleared for cultivation.
The grandfather of the subject. Robert Del-
zell, came to Denver township in 1853, and
died there. He was born about 1788, and
was a soldier in the War of 1812. His
wife, whose maiden name was Dorcas Da-
vis, was of Scotch ancestry, and her father
served as a soldier during the Revolution-
ary war. The subject had five brothers and
two sisters. Daniel, bom July 5, 1847. was
educated for the ministry, while John,
whose birth occurred September 9, 1849,
became a teacher, and was for many years
Clerk of Olney, Illinois. Both of these
brothers were educated at McKendree Col-
lege, Lebanon, Illinois, and both are now
dead. William H. was born April 27, 1852,
and is now a resident of Wichita, Kansas,
having retired from active life. Charles
was born October 27. 1855, and died in

262

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

early manhood. The birth of Alice (Del-
zell) Adams occurred February 28, 1858,
while Laura (Delzell) Mitchell was born No-
vember 24, 1860. The date of George's
birth was August 24, 1868, ad he lives at
Newton, Illinois.

The subject married Martha Lowe March
24, 1868, and their children were D. W.
and Mrs. Ora (Delzell) Hoel. The former
was married to Teressa Tippett, and they
have six children, Mattie, Howard, Grace,
lister, Edna and Mabel. Mrs. Hoel, daugh-
ter of the subject, is the mother of three
children. The subject has been married
four times, his second wife having been
Emma Monroe, his third Nancy Adeline
Hardin. His present wife, whose maiden
name was Mary Jackson, was born Novem-
ber 22, 1854, and married May 10, 1877.
Their children are: John, born March i,
1 88 1, a merchant at Palestine, Illinois; Mrs.
Sadie Dauwalder, born November 27, 1882;
Mrs. Dora Seessengood, born July 26,
1884; Elsie, born September 21, 1888; Ed-
ward, born October 26, 1890; Myrtle, born
May 6, 1893; Raymond, October 31, 1895.

The father of Mrs. Delzell, Cornelius
Jackson, died April i, 1894, aged sixty
years. The subject of this sketch is the
owner of two hundred and twenty acres of
well improved land, and has been one of
the most active agriculturists in this com-
munity, combining the cultivation of the
soil with stock raising and shipping. The
family of which he is a member has al-
ways preserved an honorable name, and is
highly esteemed in this county. Mr. Delzell

was made a Mason in 1866. He has strong
religious convictions, and is a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church of long
standing.

JOHN E. MARTIN.

John E. Martin has spent his entire life
in Salem, Illinois, having been born here
December 24, 1857, the son of Gen. James
S. Martin. His mother was known in her
maidenhood as Jane Elston, of English
ancestry. The parents of the subject were
married in Salem. To them were born seven
children, three of whom are living, namely :
John E., our subject; Luther, living in
Salem; and Mrs. Grace M. Webster, also of
Salem. They all received the most care-
ful training possible by their parents and
were given good common school educations.
The subject's father, whose life history is
given in detail on another page of this
work, passed away in 1907, after a long and
busy career, and the mother of the subject,
who was a woman of beautiful attributes,
was called home in 1889.

John E. Martin, our subject, spent his
boyhood in Salem, where he attended the
common schools, making a splendid record
in the same. He later attended the Claverack
(New York) Military School, and a
private school at Kennett Square, Penn-
sylvania, which was later moved to Media,
that state. He also went to school at Boon-
ville, Missouri, to the Kemper Family
school. In both of the latter he made rapid

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

progress and came out well fitted for life's
duties. After leaving school Mr. Martin
launched in the dry goods business in Salem
in which he continued with marked success
attending his efforts for a number of years,
finally moving his store to Sandoval, Illi-
nois, where he also remained for several
years, building up an excellent trade by rea-
son of his minute knowledge of this line
of business and his courteous treatment of
customers, always giving them value re-
ceived. In 1888 our subject assisted his
father, who was State Chairman of the Re-
publican State Committee, in the clerical
work, and after the campaign he accepted
a position with J. B. Farwell Company at
Chicago, as salesman, and he remained with
this firm for five or six years, giving entire
satisfaction in his work. He came back to
Salem about 1890 for the purpose of ac-
cepting a position with the Salem Na-
tional Bank which he has been connected
with since that time, giving the managers
of this institution entire satisfaction and
handling his position in such a way as to
increase the prestige of the bank and reflect
much credit upon his innate ability. He
has prospered by reason of his executive
ability and modern business methods until
he has accumulated considerable property,
owning at this time valuable farming lands.
He is also a stockholder in the Salem Na-
tional Bank.

Mr. Martin's domestic life dates from
June 1 8, 1894, when he was united in mar-
riage with Clara Merritt, the accomplished
daughter of Hon. T. E. Merritt, an old and
respected family of Salem. This union has

been blessed by the birth of five children,
two of whom are living and three deceased.
Their names are: The first child died in
infancy, unnamed ; James Stewart and Mar-
garet Merritt, twins, are both deceased;
Merritt Elston and Alice Jane are living,
both bright and interesting children.

Mr. Martin takes a great interest in
church work, being a member of the Episco-
pal church, to which his wife also belongs.
He has been interested in helping build the
new church on West Union street, which is
one of the most attractive and subtsantial
little churches in Salem. In politics Mr.
Martin is a loyal Republican, always ready
to lend a helping hand to promote the in-
terests of his community whether along po-
litical, educational, moral or religious lines.
The home of the subject is nicely furnished,
and presided over with rare grace and
dignity by Mrs. Martin, who is often host-
ess to numerous friends of this popular
family. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are pleasant
people to meet, always courteous and kind.

AARON BUGHER FARQUHAR.

Another of the representative farmers of
Richlancl county is the subject of this sketch,
who is the owner of a fine landed estate in
sections 22 and 23, Denver township, and is
carrying on the various departments of his
enterprise with that discretion and diligence
that insures success.

Aaron B. Farquhar was torn in Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1841, the
son of William and Sarah (Moss) Farquhar.

264

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

They were both natives of Washington coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, and were married in Fay-
ette county, that state, living on a farm
there the remainder of their lives, the father
dying January 26, 1856, at the age of fifty-
five years ; his wife survived him many years,
dying about 1898, at the advanced age of
eighty-five and was buried in Red Stone
cemetery, Fayette county, Pennsylvania,
while the remains of her husband rest in the
Quaker- cemetery, near Fayette City, Penn-
sylvania. They were the parents of six chil-
dren, five of whom grew to maturity, one
dying in childhood, the subject of this sketch
being the youngest in order of birth.

Aaron B. Farquhar remained at home on
the farm and attended the free schools there
until about eighteen years of age, his father
having died when he was about fifteen years
of age, he remained on the place with his
mother for three years after his father's
death. In 1860 the subject came by rail to
Illinois where he worked on a farm by the
month in Knox county, near Galesburg. He
left Knox county in 1861, returning to Penn-
sylvania and began the study of dentistry and
began practicing the same in Knox county,
Illinois, in 1861, to which place he had re-
turned from Pennsylvania. He was very
successful in his practice and he remained in
Knox county until 1862. In May of that
year he went to California, where he prac-
ticed his profession part of the time, also
did some gold mining while there. In Octo-
ber, 1863, he returned to his old home in
Pennsylvania, where he remained that win-
ter and on March 24, 1864. gave way to his

patriotic feeling and enlisted his services in
defense of his country, in Company H, Eight-
eenth United States Infantry, under Cap-
tain Mills, in which he served until October,
1866, when he was transferred to Company
C, Second Battalion, where he remained un-
til he was mustered out of service, March
24, 1867, at Fort Philip Kearney. Dakota.
This was at the place of the Sioux Indian
massacre, December 21, 1866. Eighty- four
men were sent out to protect a wood train
from the Indians and not a man returned
alive, all having been killed and scalped,
by the Indians, and had it not been that the
subject was on guard duty at that time he
would have been with the unfortunate sol-
diers that fell a prey to the Sioux. During
the Civil war Mr. Farquhar served gallantly
in the battles of Resaca, Buzzard's Roost,
Missionary Ridge, Kenesaw Mountain,
Chickamauga and many others, comprising
ten principal battles, from Missionary
Ridge to Jonesboro, Georgia. He returned '
to Lookout Mountain and did picket duty
during the winter of 1864. In March, 1865,
he was detailed to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
where he did recruiting service. He was
also at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Chicago, on
the same mission. In April, 1866, he again
joined the regiment and moved to the Da-
kotas, where he remained until mustered out.
He returned to Pennsylvania where he re-
mained one year after he had been mustered
out, enjoying a rest after the many hard-
ships of an army career.

Mr. Farquhar then came to Illinois, first
settling near Galesburg, where he had for-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

merly lived. He remained there for one year,
then moved to Richland county and pur-
chased the farm which he now owns in Den-
ver township, consisting of two hundred and
forty acres in this township and thirty-two
acres just across the border in Noble town-
ship. It was on February 14, 1870, that the
subject came to this county, paying as high
as twenty-five dollars per acre for some of
this land. He has an excellent farm which
he has greatly improved and he has good
buildings on it; also keeps some good stock
on the place.

Mr. Farquhar was married January 18,
1870, in Fayette City, Pennsylvania, to Ma-
ria Eckard, who was born April i, 1839, m
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, the
daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Rhine-
hardt) Eckard, also natives of Pennsylvania,
where they were married and where they
lived all their lives, Mr. Eckard dying in
1876, and his wife in 1888. Both are buried
in the Fayette City cemetery, Fayette county,
Pennsylvania. They were the parents of
eight children, all of whom grew to maturity,
only three of them now living, Mrs. Far-
quhar being the fourth in order of birth. She
remained with her parents at home until her
marriage to the subject. Mr. and Mrs. Far-
quhar are the parents of four children, three
of whom grew to maturity, one having died
in childhood, namely : Frank D., who mar-
ried Ida Cope, resides in Olney, Illinois,
where he is interested in the marble works.
One child born to them, died in in-
fancy. Following are their children : lola,
who at this writing, 1909, is eleven years
old : Alora, age eight ; Aaron, age seven ;

John, age six; Ersula, age four; Ira Ennis,
age one. Ennis M., the second child of the
subject and wife, is single and is still a mem-
ber of the home circle on the farm ; Dessie
B. is the wife of Walter Hall, residing on a
farm in Denver township. Mrs. Farquhar
has been an invalid for the past three years,
totally helpless.

Our subject has held the office of Town-
ship Trustee for twenty-one years in a very
acceptable manner in this township. He is a
very staunch Republican, although he never
aspires for any political office. He voted
first for Abraham Lincoln for his second
term. The subject and his wife have always
been active in church work, always attending
the Methodist church, giving assist-
ance to its work, both morally and finan-
cially, although neither of them are members.
The subject has held the office of trustee of
the church for twenty years or more.

The subject has been very successful finan-
cially and now owns one of the modern and
valuable farms of Denver township, also a
very desirable home. He is now sixty-eight
years old and his wife is two years his senior.
They live as nearly a retired life as a farm
will permit and they are both held in high
esteem by their neighbors.

WILLIAM WHAM.

He of whom this sketch is written is a
representative of one of the honored pioneer
families of Marion county, Illinois, where
he has passed practically his entire life, and

266

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

he is one of the successful and prominent
citizens of Cartter, where he is the leading
merchant, being well known to the people of
that vicinity as a man of clean business prin-
ciples and public-spirited, having attained
prosperity through his own well directed ef-
forts.

William Wham was born in this county
in 1853, the son of William Wham, a na-
tive of Tennessee, who came to Illinois
when a young boy and settled in Marion
county where he developed a good farm and
always made a comfortable living. He was
a charter member of the Masonic lodge,
Xo. 130, at Salem. He became well known
and influential. He passed to his rest in
1893. The mother of the subject was Lou-
isa Anna Rainey, a native of Hopkinsville,
Kentucky, who came to Illinois, when elev-
en years old. She was a woman of many
praiseworthy traits. She died some six
years prior to her husband's demise.

Eight children were born to the parents
of the subject, four of whom are living in
1908. They are named in order of their
birth as follows: Margaret is the widow of
James Mount, of Kell, Illinois; Martha I.,
living at Cartter, is the widow of William
K. Storment; H. B. owns a farm near Cart-
ter, Illinois; William, our subject, who
spent his boyhood on a farm near Cartter,
working during the summer months, and
attending the country schools the balance
of the year. His early life was spent in
farming, trading and dealing in stock, of
which he made a success. After abandoning
this he went into the mercantile business in

1895 at Cartter, Illinois, and has been thus
engaged since that time, having built up an
excellent trade by reason of his courteous
treatment of customers and his natural abil-
ity. His store is known throughout this
locality as the place where the best goods in
the market can be obtained at reasonable
prices, and his trade has constantly grown
from year to year. Mr. Wham has pros-
pered by reason of his well directed energy,
and he has become the owner of the Park
Hotel at Salem, the leading hostelry of that
city, and he is also a director of the Salem
National Bank. He also has a large inter-
est in the Robinson oil fields in Crawford
county. He was chairman of the building
committee for the new building for the Sa-
lem National Bank, which was erected in
1908. He also has valuable farm lands. All
this our subject has attained by reason of
his own unaided efforts, and every dollar
he possesses was obtained in an honest man-
ner.

Mr. Wham was united in marriage in
1874 to Emma C. Adams, the refined and
accomplished daughter of James Adams, of
near Salem. Her father is a well known
farmer. One child, born to the subject
and wife, died in infancy. Mrs. Wham is
postmistress at Cartter, which position she
has creditably filled for the past fourteen
years, having been appointed by Grover
Cleveland and re-appointed by every Pres-
ident since. She is a woman of rare execu-
tive ability as well as many pleasing traits
which renders her popular with all classes.
Mrs. Wham's mother. Mrs. Paulina Adams.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

267

is living at Springfield, Illinois. The father
of the subject's wife is deceased. They
were both natives of Virginia and scions of
well known old southern families. Mr.
Wham's grandfather was also named Wil-
liam Wham. He was a native of Ireland,
and a man of sterling qualities.

Our subject is a member of the Masonic
Blue Lodge, Chapter at Salem., and the
Commandery at Centralia. He is also a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Wham are mem-
bers of the Christian church at Cartter, be-
ing liberal subscribers to the same. Mr.
Wham was Chairman of the Board of Su-
pervisors of Marion county, having been
elected as an independent and was a good
official, having ably disposed of the duties
of this important trust in a manner that re-
flected much credit upon his ability.

GEN. JAMES STEWART MARTIN.

It is a great badge of honor to have the
distinction of serving the government in the
conflict with Mexico, assisting in the ardu-
ous campaigns until the stars and stripes
were unfurled on the citadel of the Monte-
zuma, and also, less than two decades later
to have been permitted to serve the na-
tional Union in the four years of polemic
struggle between the states. Among the
conspicuous figures of these great inter-
necine conflicts is the well remembered gen-
tleman whose name forms the caption of

this biographical memoir, who, although
his life history has been closed by death,
his influence continues to pervade the lives
of those with whom he came in contact.
He was always mindful of his duty to his
fellow men and ready with word or deed to
assist them in the struggle up life's steep
path. No man in his day and generation
in this locality exercised a greater influence
for the civic, material and moral uplift of
the community than General Martin, for his
life was that of the patriot, the Christian
gentleman, the true American nobleman.

General James Stewart Martin was born
August 19, 1826, in Estillville, now Gate
City, Scott county, Virginia, the son of
John S. and Malinda (Morrison) Martin,
pioneers of that part of the Old Dominion
state and a fine old Southern family of great
influence in their day, his father having been
a man of considerable political prominence
and highly educated. He served as County
Clerk, Circuit Clerk, and Master of Chan-
cery for about twenty years. The mother
of the subject, who was born in Sullivan
county, Tennessee, was a woman of many
commendable attributes, noted for her
broad charity and high culture, and before
she was called to her rest, in 1828, she
emancipated her slaves. The subject's
father moved to Illinois in 1844 and settled
on a farm seven miles north of Salem,
where his son, our subject, resided for a
period of three years, assisting in develop-
ing the farm from its primitive state into a
highly productive place.

James S. Martin, our subject, received his

268

HIOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

education in the public schools of his native
community in Virginia, making such notable
progress and manifesting such a thirst for
the higher learning that he was subsequently
placed in Emery and Henry College, Wash-
ington county, Virginia, where he made a
brilliant record for scholarship. A lad of
strong patriotism from his early youth
which continued to increase with advancing
years, he was glad to have an opportunity
to enter the army during the Mexican war,
having enlisted in Company C, First Regi-
ment, Illinois Volunteers, in the spring of
1847, and he made such an excellent soldier
that he was made third sergeant of his com-
pany. The regiment was mustered into ser-
vice at Alton, then transported to Fort
Leavenworth and marched across the plains
to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He performed
conspicuous service during the strenuous
campaign against the Mexicans. After the
war, while on the homeward trip, his com-
pany nominated him for County Clerk of
Marion county, and the people here ratified
their action upon the arrival of the men at
Salem. He was duly elected and in a most
able and creditable manner discharged the
duties of the same for a period of twelve
years. He was also Master in Chancery for
two terms, in which he also showed his su-
perior ability in official capacity. Being an
ambitious man he sought every means pos-
sible to improve himself and to be of the
greatest service to his fellow men, conse-
quently while holding these offices he de-
voted his spare moments to the study of law,
and upon admittance to the bar, July 4,

1 86 1, formed a partnership with B. F.
Marshall and D. C. Jones and opened an of-
fice in Salem. Owing to the great strength
and prestige of this well known trio their
legal business was heavy from the first and
the reputation of the firm soon spread
throughout this part of the state.

In 1862, when the clouds of rebellion
were the darkest and the lambent flames of
discontented citizenship of the South were
the most direful, our subject realized that
every loyal son of the North should do what
he could toward preserving the integrity of
the Union, consequently he sought and ob-
tained permission from Governor Yates to
raise a regiment, with the result that the
famous One Hundred and Eleventh was
mustered, and Mr. Martin was selected as
the man most worthy and able to command
it, therefore he became colonel of the same.
It was composed of seven companies from
Marion county, one from Clay and one from
Clinton county, the regiment comprising
nine hundred and thirty men and officers,
and it was mustered into service September
1 8, 1862, and joined General Davies at Co-
lumbus, Kentucky. Our subject served in
the capacity of colonel all through the war,
his services showing that he was a man of
much military courage and genius, having
from time to time led his men into the brunt
of the fighting. During 1863 he was in
command of the post at Columbus and later
at Paducah, Kentucky. From there he went
to Florence, Alabama, whither he was or-
dered by General Sherman, and he later
went into winter quarters at Pulaski, Ten-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

269

nessee. From March 16, 1864, he served
with the Sixteenth Army Corps, until the
close of the struggle, having seen much
hard service during that time, being with
Sherman on his march to the sea and having
led his regiment at the great battles of
Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta,
Jonesboro, Fort McAllister and received
the surrender of the commander of this fort.
He was brevetted brigadier general in July,
1864, and participated in the grand review
in Washington City, and was mustered out
in Springfield, Illinois, in June, 1865.

After the war General Martin plunged
into the active affairs of civil life and won
signal distinction in the field of politics and
business. He launched into banking in Sa-
lem, building up the nucleus of a large for-
tune through his wonderful executive abil-
ity. Taking an interest in Republican poli-
tics after the war he was elected County
Judge in 1866, overwhelming a Democratic
majority of six hundred. He was nominated
for Congress in 1872 and was elected over
Judge Silas L. Bryan, father of Hon. Wil-
liam J. Bryan. He ably served one term
in Washington.

General Martin was appointed Commis-
sioner of the Southern Illinois Penitentiary
by Governor Cullom, September 4, 1879,
which position he creditably served for four
years. He served as a member of the Re-
publican State Central Committee for a
period of nearly twenty years, and was chair-
man of the same during the canvass which
elected Governor Fifer. He was a delegate
to the National Convention in 1876, when

he voted for the nomination of James G.
Elaine for President. As might be expected
he was an interested member of the Grand
Army of the Republic and was honored in
the same by being elected department com-
mander of Illinois for two terms. He was
largely instrumental in 1882 in organizing
the Southern Illinois Soldiers and Sailors
Reunion Association, of which he continu-
ously served as commander. In all the offi-
cial positions, General Martin conducted
himself as a most able and worthy exponent
of the country's good, and proved at all
times to be an unselfish public servant of
the most humanitarian and altruistic mo-
tives and principles.

The domestic life of our subject dates
from 1852, when he was united in marriage
with Jane Elston, of Salem, Illinois, to
whom four children were born, three sur-
viving. They are : Grace M., the wife of
George O. Webster; Luther and John E.
A complete history of the last child named
is to be found on another page of this work.
The subject's first wife passed to her rest
in 1889, and in 1903 General Martin was
married to Margaret Savage, of Ashland,
Kentucky, who, with their daughter, Daisy,
a cultured and refined lady, survive in 1908.
Three brothers of the subject, Robert, Ben-
jamin and Thomas, are also living in Salem.

Thus after a most active, useful and ex-
emplary life which the kind Heavenly
Father greatly prolonged he passed to his
rest, November 20, 1907.

The city of Salem owes a great debt of
gratitude to General Martin for he aided in

2JO

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

many ways in its upbuilding and general
development as he did also Marion county,
where he was for many decades held in the
highest esteem by all classes, for he was
universally regarded as a hero both in war
and in peace, one of the component parts of
the nation's substantial pillars, and the rev-
erence with which the citizens of this lo-
cality cherish his memory will serve as a
greater monument than marble shaft or
bronze obelisk. He was truly a brave and
good man whose life was a continued sacri-
fice for others, a benefactor in the true sense
of the term. His career was fraught with
untold blessings to the world, and when in
common with all things human his earthly
course was ended and he was called to a
higher plane of action, the memory of his
noble deeds and honorable achievements
continued to constitute a record to which
each passing year will give additional luster.

]. D. TELFORD.

In such men as Mr. Telford there is pecu-
liar satisfaction in offering their life his-
tories justification for the compilation of
works of this character — not that their lives
have been such as to gain them particularly
wide notoriety or the admiring plaudits of
men, but that they have been true to the
trusts reposed in them, have shown such
attributes of character as entitle them to
the regard .of all.

J. D. Telford was born in Marion county,

Illinois, September 2, 1848. He is the
son of Samuel G. Telford, a native of Jef-
ferson county, Illinois. Grandfather James
Telford, a native of South Carolina, came
to Jefferson county as early as 1822, and
moved to this county in 1836, when the
father of the subject was nine years old, and
like most of the sturdy pioneers of that early
time, was compelled to undergo many pri-
vations and do much hard work in estab-
lishing a home, but being a man of sterling
qualities and indomitable energy he con-
quered the many obstacles that confronted
him and led a useful and influential life as
a farmer there, as did also his son, father of
our subject, who seemed to inherit much of
the older Telford's better traits, and, indeed,
the family characteristics have come on
down to our subject, who is carefully order-
ing his life so as to carry out the early
praiseworthy characteristics of his ances-
tors. Samuel G. Telford spent his life on
the farm, having lived on the same farm for
sixty years. This was taken out of the new
prairie land, but the wild soil was soon
transformed into highly productive fields.
He was a soldier in the Union army, having
enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-
sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and ren-
dered gallant service until the winter of
1864. He is still living in 1908 near Cartter,
Marion county. The mother of the subject
was called to her rest in 1882. Her maiden
name was Mary Baldridge. She was a na-
tive of Illinois, but her people came from
North Carolina.

James Telford was an Abolitionist and

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

27I

was an historic character in his day, having
played an important part in the famous un-
derground railway when Illinois was ad-
mitted as a free state in 1818. He came to
this state because he was opposed to slavery.
His wife's maiden name was Kell, and she
was also a native of South Carolina. They
were the parents of eight children, five of
whom are living at this writing, the father
of the subject being the only one of the boys
living.

Samuel G. Telford and wife were the
parents of nine children, named in the order
of their birth as follows: J. D., subject of
this sketch; Joseph, of Alma township,
Marion county; Margaret J., deceased; Eva,
who is married and living in Ashville,
North Carolina ; Alice, the wife of William
Wyatt, of Durant, Oklahoma ; Kate, wife of
Doctor Richardson, of Union City, Okla-
homa ; George B., who is living in Kansas ;
Arthur, a -farmer of Marion county ; Belle,
who became Mrs. Arnold, is deceased.

J. D. Telford, our subject, lived with his
father until he was twenty-three years old,
assisting with the work on the old home-
stead and attending the country schools
during the winter months. Having applied
himself well to his text-books he became
fairly well educated, and later has added to
this by home reading and coming in contact
with the world. The happy and harmonious
domestic life of the subject dates from
January 19, 1872, when he was united in
marriage to Sarah A. Wyatt, the estimable
daughter of John and Margaret Wyatt, a
highly respected family of Marion county,

natives of Tennessee, who came to Marion
county in 1860.

The following children have been born to
the subject and wife, all of whom are well
established in life and give promise of suc-
cessful futures: Dr. A. T., who lives at
Olney, Illinois; E. D., is an attorney at
Salem, this county; Ula, is a stenographer
in the Life Savings Station at Chicago;
Omer F. is a farmer in Marion county;
Oran is a member of the family circle at
their home in Salem, as is also J. D., Jr.
The Telford residence is modern and always
cheerful.

The subject is engaged in farming and
real estate, largely interested in fruit grow-
ing, at which he is highly competent, having
long taken an abiding interest in horticul-
ture. He has two large orchards containing
six thousand and five hundred apple trees
of excellent variety and quality. He de-
votes much of his time to the care of his
orchards, which are among the most valu-
able in this part of the state, and useless to
add that the financial returns from the sale
of his fruit are usually quite satisfactory.
Politically Mr. Telford is a stanch Repub-
lican and having been actuated by a laudable
desire for political preferment, his friends
elected him to the important office of Sher-
iff of Marion county, the duties of which he
faithfully performed to the satisfaction of
all concerned for a period of four years,
having been elected in 1882 and serving
until 1886. He is well grounded in his po-
litical convictions, and always lends his
aid in supporting his party's principles, en-

272

IUOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

deavoring to place the best men possible in
local offices. He is a well informed man,
not only on political matters and current
events, but he is well read on scientific, liter-
ary and diverse subjects which make his
conversation interesting as well as instruc-
tive, and he is generally regarded as one of
the substantial men of Marion county.

BENJAMIN F. RODGERS, M. D.

In giving the life record of the subject of
this sketch the publishers of this work be-
lieve that it will be an incentive to the
young who may peruse it to lead nobler
lives, have higher ambitions and accomplish
more for their fellow men, for his life has
always been led along a plane of high en-
deavor, always cdnsistent with the truth in
its higher forms and ever in keeping with
honorable principles. He is the scion of
pioneer ancestors of the most sterling qual-
ities who did much in their day for the com-
munities in which they lived, and Doctor
Rodgers is a worthy descendant of his for-
bears, thus for many reasons, not the least of
which is the fact that he was one of the
patriotic sons of the North, who, when the
tocsin of war sounded, left his hearthstone
and business to do what he could in saving
the country from treason, the biographer is
glad to give him just representation in this
work.

Dr. Benjamin F. Rodgers was born
in York, Pennsylvania, in 1829, the son of

Joseph D. and Mary (Hamilton) Rodgers.
Grandfather Rodgers, who came to America
in 1776, settling in Maryland, was a weaver
by profession and a soldier in the Revolu-
tionary war. He lived to be ninety-four
years old, and the grandmother of the sub-
ject lived to her ninety-sixth year. They
were the parents of a large family.

The father of the subject, who was born
in Maryland, moved to Pennsylvania when
a boy, later to Ohio, where he spent the bal-
ance of his days on a farm. There were
eleven children in this family, six of whom
lived to maturity. The subject's parents
were Presbyterians and the father and moth-
er both died at the age of sixty-four years.

The subject of this sketch was nine years
old when he moved to Ohio, where he re-
ceived a fairly good education by attending
the subscription schools of his community.
He clerked in a store in Ohio for two years,
then learned to be a shoemaker; but neither
of these lines seemed to suit his tastes, be-
lieving that he was capable of rendering a
better service to humanity, consequently he
began the study of medicine, in which he
made rapid progress and he soon entered a
medical college. After completing the pre-
scribed course with honor, he began prac-
tice in Ohio, and later located at Elizabeth-
town, Kentucky, having soon gained a firm
foothold. But believing that better oppor-
tunities awaited him at Belleville, Illinois, he
removed thereto in 1849, and afterwards
removed to Jacksonville, and at that place
the doctor enlisted in September, 1861, in
the Union, enlisted in September, 1861, in

B. F. RODGERS. M. D.

.***•

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

273

the Second Illinois Light Artillery, and so
efficient were his services that he was com-
missioned captain of Company K. His rec-
ord in the army is a most creditable one. He
was at the battle of Fort Donelson, at Jack-
son, Mississippi, and was in the siege of
Vicksburg. Engraved on a monument erect-
ed at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in honor of
Company K, Second Illinois Light Artillery,
are the words :

"Battery K, Second Light Artillery,

Capt. Benjamin Rodgers,
"Fourth Division Sixteenth Corps.
"Entered Campaign About May 20,
1863. Served with the Division Dur-
ing siege."

He takes great pride in his military life
and relates his battery was nearer the en-
emy's works than any other battery of the
siege, which occupied forty-two days. He
was Chief of Artillery on the staff of Gen-
eral Lauman, Gen. Crocker Gresham,
Logan, and was Chief of Staff of General
Ranson at Natchez.

He was also in the southwestern cam-
paign and the battles subsequent to that. He
was mustered out at Memphis, Tennessee,
December 31, 1864. After the close of the
war Doctor Rodgers located in Patoka,
where he has practiced his profession ever
since.

Doctor Rodgers was united in marriage

on November 3, 1848, with Mary K. Chiell,

daughter of Casper Chiell. He has four

children living, also fourteen grandchildren,

and seven great-grandchildren. Mrs. Rod-
gers was called from her earthly labors at
the age of seventy-two years.

In politics our subject is a loyal Repub-
lican, and he has ever taken a great interest
in public affairs, having made his influence
felt for the good of his community in many
ways and served in a most able manner as
postmaster and also Mayor of Patoka; in
fact, he might be called the father of this
town. He is a member of the Grand Army
of the Republic, and has been commander of
the local post. In his fraternal relations he
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the
lodge at Jacksonville, Illinois. No man in
this part of Marion county is better or more
favorably known than he, known for his
professional skill, his public spirit, his integ-
rity and kind heartedness.

ADAM H. BACHMANN.

The United States can boast of no better
or more law-abiding class of citizens than
the great number of German people who
have found homes within her borders.
Though holding dear and sacred the beloved
mother country, they are none the less de-
voted to the fair country of their adoption.
Among this class is the subject of this
sketch, who for a number of years has been
one of the foremost citizens of Marion
county, Illinois, where he has labored not
only for his own advancement, but also for
the good of the community, his efforts hav-

274

r.IOCK. UMIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ing been amply repaid with abundant finan-
cial success and the esteem of his fellow
men.

Adam H. Bachmann, the well known and
popular president of the Salem National
Bank, was born in Saxony, Germany, No-
vember 28, 1845, the son of George Bach-
mann, a man of sterling qualities, who was
also a native of Germany, and who died
there in 1860. The mother of the subject
was known in her maidenhood as Mocklin
Sputh, also of the Fatherland, who was
called to her rest in 1866. Of the six chil-
dren born to the elder Bachmann, there are
living the following in 1908: Mrs. Lizzie
Sputh and Ernest Bachmann, both of Ger-
many, and the subject of this sketch. These
children received every care and attention
possible by their parents who were people of
industry and uprightness.

Adam H. Bachmann left Germany in
March. 1866, landing in America the fol-
lowing April, having barely attained his ma-
jority. He had received eight years of
schooling in his native land, receiving a
fairly good education for he was an am-
bitious lad and diligently applied himself to
his school-books and this careful founda-
tion has since been greatly strengthened and
built up through his contact with the world
and his habits of home reading, so that Mr.
Bachmann's conversation is at once learned,
interesting and instructive. Our subject lo-
cated at Lebanon. Illinois, shortly after
coming to the New World, where he
worked as a cabinet maker. In the spring
of 1868, he came to Salem, this state, and

engaged in the furniture business with
which he has since been identified, and
which was a successful venture from .the
first and by reason of the subject's careful
attention to duty, his natural ability as a far-
sighted and cautious business man, coupled
with his kind and courteous treatment of
customers, his trade has gradually grown
all these years, his place of business being
generally known as one of the safest, most
reliable as well as up-to-date furniture estab-
lishments in this locality. After building the
business up to its present high state of effi-
ciency, Mr. Bachmann turned it over to his
two sons, Frank and Charley, both very able
and progressive young men, who are con-
ducting a modern and well stocked store,
being numbered among the leading young
business men of the county, to whom the fu-
ture holds unbounded success and honor,
since they are not only young men of sound
business principles, but also of the finest
personal traits.

Mr. Bachmann was united in marriage
November 15, 1868, to Mary Alkire, the
representative of a highly respected and influ-
ential family of Lebanon, Illinois, who was
born in Pennsylvania. Eleven children have
been born to the subject and wife, seven of
whom are living at the time of this writing.
1908, named in order of their birth, as fol-
lows : Mrs. Lizzie Kolb, of Lebanon, Illinois ;
Frank, of Salem, this county; Mrs. Amy
Stonecipher, also of Salem ; Maud, living at
home: Charley, Adam H., Jr.. and Paulina,
all live with their parents in Salem.

Mr. Bachmann deserves much credit for

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

275

the well defined success he has attained since
casting- his lot among Americans, partly be-
cause he has been the architect of his own
fortunes, beginning his business career ab-
solutely empty-handed, and with no one to
encourage or assist in any way, and partly
because he has made his competency by hon-
est, straight-forward business methods that
no one can question. When he first landed
on our shores he had a capital of only three
cents and today he is the wealthiest man in
Marion county. He had the insight, the
rare sagacity and perceptive instinct to
grasp situations as they arose and the splen-
did business acumen to turn seemiing ob-
stacles into ultimate sucess. Such men are
born leaders in the financial world and they
are not any too frequently met with.

Mr. Bachmann is president of the Salem
National Bank, president of the Farmers'
and Merchants' Bank at St. Peter, Illinois;
besides being an extensive land owner, hav-
ing nine large farms in Marion county.
They are all very valuable, well drained, se-
curely fenced, the soil being highly produc-
tive and the buildings on each modern and
convenient. Besides these he has much other
real estate. Also owns about as much prop-
erty in East St. Louis as he has here. Mr.
Bachmann has large property interests at
Mattoon and Oakland, this state. His large
real estate holdings and financial loans oc-
cupy the major part of his time and atten-
tion, however, he finds time to assist in for-
warding any movement for the betterment
of his community. In fact, he is a pioneer
in the development and progress of Marion

county. He came to Salem, when there was
only one brick house here, but he had the
sagacity to note the possibilities in the place
and soon decided to cast his lot here with
the result that he has benefited not only
himself, but also the entire community,
more, perhaps, than any other man has done
or is likely to do in the years to come. In
other words, the wonderful things that the
future held seemed to be within Mr. Bach-
mann's horoscope, and he began on the
ground floor, developing with the country,
which is wonderfully rich in resources and
possibilities. While Mr. Bachmann has
been too busy to devote much time to polit-
ical matters, never having entertained an
ambition for political preferment, he has
ever assisted in any way he could the de-
velopment of the community whether polit-
ical, educational, moral or civic, and he did
much in making the1 city a clean and de-
sirable place in which to live, principally
while ably serving it as Alderman. In his
fraternal relations our subject is a Mason.

The Bachmann residence, which is one of
the finest, most modern, substantial and
beautiful in Salem, is elegantly furnished
and a place where the many friends and ad-
mirers of this popular family delight to
gather, being presided over with rare grace
and dignity by the subject's wife who is a
charming hostess, congenial and talented.

Mr. Bachmann is a pleasant man to meet,
jovial, and at all times agreeable, never
pompous or phlegmatic. His is a well
rounded character, in which the different in-
terests of life are given their due proportion

276

IIIOCKAPHICAL AND REM1 XISCKXT HISTORY OF

of attention. One line of thought or work
to the exclusion of all others produces an
abnormal development and makes the in-
dividual narrow in his views of life. Mr.
Bachmann has never followed such a course
for while giving his chief attention to his
business, as do the majority of men, he
finds time and opportunity to take an in-
terest in matters pertaining to the progress
and growth of his county, state and nation,
and to mingle with hisi friends, enlarging
the circle of his acquaintance and broaden-
ing his mind through the interchange of
thought with others.

E. LOUIS BLEDSOE.

The names of those men who have dis-
tinguished themselves through the posses-
sion of those qualities which daily contrib-
ute to the success of private life and to the
public stability and who have enjoyed the
respect and confidence of those about them,
should not be permitted to perish. Such a
one is the subject of this review, one of the
leading lumber dealers in Marion county.

E. L. Bledsoe, president of the Bledsoe
Lumber Company, of Salem, was born in
Bradford, Indiana, in 1858. His father was
William J. Bledsoe, a native of Tennessee,
who came to Indiana when a young man.
He was a United Brethren minister. Wil-
liam J. Bledsoe was a soldier in the Union
army during the Civil war, having been a
member of the Thirty-seventh Iowa Volun-

teer Infantry. He died in a hospital in St.
Louis, Missouri, from illness contracted
while in line of duty. Two sons, William
J., Jr., and James W., were also in the army,
having enlisted in Company H, Twenty-
fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. They
fought side by side in twenty-seven battles.
Both re-enlisted after their time was up and
served until the close of the war. James
W. was wounded twice. Both1 were with
Sherman on his famous march to the sea.
They are both living. The father died May
5, 1867.

The mother of the subject was Martha
Ridgeway, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio,
who married the subject's father in Franks-
ville, Indiana. She was a woman of many-
fine traits and was called to her rest in 1883
while living at Rock Island, Illinois. The
following children were born to this union :
James W., of Rock Island; William J. Jr.,
also of Rock Island ; George B. died at Rock
Island in 1906; J. P., of Davenport, Iowa;
E. L., our subject; Frank A., of Rock Is-
land; Mark S., of St. Louis; Mattie J., who
is a physician located at Chickasha, Okla-
homa. Our subject was taken to Iowa by
his parents when about three years old. The
family located at Washington, but most of
the subject's boyhood was spent in Mar-
shall. He received only a common school
education, his course of study being inter-
rupted by reason of the fact that his father
frequently moved from town to town in car-
rying on his ministerial work, but he is a
well educated man, nevertheless, having-
gained it first handed from the world.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

277

Mr. Bledsoe has been twice married, first
in 1876 to Minnie Dizotell, of Eldon, Iowa,
the ceremony having been performed in that
city. She was born in Canada. Her father
was of French lineage and her mother was
Irish. After bearing the subject one child,
she was called to her rest in 1901 at St.
Louis, Missouri. The child bom to this
union is Truman C. Bledsoe, manager of
the Bledsoe-McCreery Lumber Company,
of St. Louis. He married Stella Farrell, of
that city, and they are the parents of two
children, Barbara Louis, and Truman C,
Jr. The subject was married in 1903, his
second wife being Lillie Mattox, of Terre
Haute, Indiana. One son has blessed this
union, Maurice William, who was bom on
September 2, 1904.

The following history of Mr. Bledsoe's
railroad career, which forms the lengthiest
and one of the most important chapters in
his life history, is based on a sketch which
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway
system issued in book form, containing a
history of the road's representative em-
ployes, which article shows the high regard
this company had for Mr. Bledsoe.

When only a lad of fifteen our subject
began working as a water boy for Howell's
corps of engineers in 1870. A survey was
then being made from Washington, Iowa,
to Princeton, Missouri, the line being an ex-
tension of the Chicago and Southwestern
Railway, which was later absorbed by the
"Rock Island System." The lad was famil-
iarly known as "Squire," which soubriquet
has clung to him through life. He worked

his way to more important positions in this
corps, having remained with them until the
survey was completed and the corps was
disbanded at Princeton. Our subject then
returned to Eldon, Iowa, to which point his
mother had moved during his absence. In
the fall of 1872 he determined to become a
brakeman, to which idea his mother strong-
ly protested, arguing that such a life was
too hazardous for her son to undertake, but
the son began his career as head brakeman
on a very cold night the following winter,
his duties being partly to watch for dangers
ahead and to watch the lights on the ca-
boose. The rear cars had broken loose on
this particular occasion and were running
down grade as if about to crash into the
section of the train ahead. There were no
air brakes on freight trains at that time,
and the old square draw bar was danger-
ous and hard to handle. It was up grade
and down grade from Eldon to Washing-
ton, but the boy stuck faithfully at his post
and all came out well, and from that night
of somewhat exciting initiation to the last
one on which he pulled the brakes, he proved
loyal to his trust, having laid off only about
ten days during his entire service. Mr.
Bledsoe was a model young man and soon
all who formed his acquaintance learned to
admire him. and up to this writing, 1908,
not a drop of intoxicating liquor has ever
touched his lips or a profane word ever
passed them, and up to the time of the death
of his first wife he had never used tobacco,
but since that time he has been accustomed
to smoke, having been greatly shocked at

278

P.IOGKAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

her demise from which he has never fully
regained his former vivacity. His word
has always been as good as his note and he
has been all his life an exemplary character,
which is the result of careful teachings by
a Christian mother. He has always been a
modest and retiring man, unassuming and
never in the least pompous or found seek-
ing notoriety, according to the friends who
know him best. He has always been cool
and calculating and this fact has doubtless
saved him accidents while in the railway
service, however, death stared him in the
face twice during his service on the road:
once when he was assisting the fireman in
taking coal at Perlee, Iowa, he was caught
between the cob and the apron of the schute,
but the engineer, Frank Hudler, prevented
the accident. At Washington, Iowa, while
making a coupling he was pressed into a
very close place by the giving way of a draw
bar, but the rear car received the impact and
rebounded away preventing an accident. In
due time Mr. Bledsoe was promoted for his
faithful service and wore the badge of con-
ductor. When he resigned it was after nine
years of freight runs on the first Iowa di-
vision of the southwestern branch of the
Rock Island System, his resignation taking
place in 1881, which was tendered for the
purpose of retiring permanently from rail-
road life, but he was induced to accept a po-
sition on the St. Louis division of the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, with
which he remained for three years, and then
resigned to accept a position as sleeping car
conductor for the Pullman Palace Car Com-

pany. He remained with that company for
four years, during the latter part of which
he was inspector of all the company's cars
entering St. Louis. He had the distinction
of placing in the union station at St. Louis
the first Pullman vestibuled train, it being
under his personal inspection. He subse-
quently resigned this position to accept an
offer from the Huttig Sash & Door Com-
pany, of St. Louis, and in 1900 he was trav-
eling representative of this firm in southern
Illinois. He remained with this firm for
eighteen years, during which time he ren-
dered them services of the most efficient type
and was the cause of their business rapidly
increasing. And during his long services
with the above mentioned companies he was
held in the highest esteem by his employers
who placed in him implicit confidence and
had unqualified faith in his ability and in-
tegrity.

Mr. Bledsoe came to Salem, this county,
in 1904 and organized lumber companies
here and at Sparta, Illinois, known as the
Bledsoe Company, retail yards, wholesale;
the Bledsoe-McCreery Lumber Company,
being interested in all of them, and by reason
of his knowledge of this line of business and
his reputation for square dealing, coupled
with his courteous manners, he has built up a
very extensive business throughout this local-
ity which is constantly growing. In his fra-
ternal relations our subject is a member of
the Knights of Pythias. He also belongs to
a lumber dealers' association, the Con-
catentated Order of Hoo-Hoo, and both
Mr. and Mrs. Bledsoe are members of the

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

279

Christian church, and they are among the
popular and highly respected residents of
Salem.

SILAS CLOUD.

Among the venerable and highly re-
spected citizens of Denver township. Rich-
land county, Illinois, who deserve special
mention in a work of this character, is Silas
Cloud, for his life has been one of consecu-
tive and honest endeavor, resulting in good
both to himself and family and those of his
community, which he has seen develop
through all its stages.

Silas Cloud was born in Clinton county,
Ohio, January 7, 1833, the son of Henry
and Anna (Laymon) Cloud, the former a
native of Ohio and the latter of North Car-
olina. They were married in Ohio, settling
on a farm in Clinton county soon after-
ward, where they remained until the death
of the subject's father, which occurred in
1835, when Silas was two years old. Henry
Cloud was not fifty years old when he died.
He is buried in the old Masonic cemetery
at Lynchburg, Ohio. His widow remained
on the farm in Clinton county until about
1850. The subject was then seventeen
years of age. Mrs. Henry Cloud was re-
married, her second husband being Chris-
tian M. Foster, who was also a native of
North Carolina. They both remained in
Clinton county the remainder of their lives,
the subject's mother dying first in 1880,
when nearly seventy years of age. She is

buried in the same cemetery with her first
husband. Her second husband survived
her about three years. No children were
born to them. The subject's father and
mother were the parents of seven children,
all boys but one, all of whom grew to ma-
turity, Silas being the sixth child in order of
birth.

Silas Cloud's early education was ob-
tained in the common schools of Clinton
county, Ohio, having first attended a select
school and later a free school in the days
when pupils sat on rude benches, which
were usually too high for the feet to touch
the floor. He did not get much education
until after he became of age, then he fitted
himself for a teacher which profession he
followed with much success for a period of
twenty-eight years. The subject remained
at home with his mother until his marriage
on October 26, 1860, to Mary E. Montgom-
ery in Clinton county, Ohio, in which place
she was born, November u, 1839, the
daughter of William and Mary Ann (Ex-
tel) Montgomery, both natives of New Jer-
sey, the father of Irish descent. Mrs.
Cloud's parents were married in New Jer-
and moved to Ohio, buying a farm in Clin-
ton county, upon which they lived the re-
mainder of their lives, Mr. Montgomery
dying -in 1867, at the age of seventy years,
and Mrs. Montgomery survived until 1884,
dying at the age of eighty-one years. Both
are buried in the Masonic cemetery at
Lynchburg, Ohio. They were the parents
of twelve children, ten of whom grew to
maturity, two having died in infancy, the

280

lUnCkAI'HICAI. AM) KK.M I \ ISC'IC \T IIISTOKV OK

subject's wife was the eighth child in order
of birth. Mrs. Cloud attended the common
schools in Ohio. When she and the subject
were married they rented a farm in Clinton
county, Ohio, where they lived a few years,
the subject farming during the summer
months and teaching school in the winter.
In September, 1863, they moved to Illinois,
settling in Richland county, where they
bought a sixty acre farm of unimproved
land in Denver township, forty acres being
on the prairie and twenty acres in timber.
He at once erected a log house and other
similar buildings, making rapid and exten-
sive improvements and later buying an ad-
joining farm of forty acres. They finally
owned a substantial frame dwelling. Mr.
Cloud taught school during the winter
months in Richland county. In 1873 they
sold their principal farm and moved to the
eighty acres upon which they have since re-
sided. It is now well improved and nearly
all under cultivation. Mr. Cloud at one
time owned one hundred acres of good land
in Denver township, but he has since sold
twenty acres of timber land, now owning
eighty acres of improved land. He has
never lived out of Denver township since
coming to Richland county in 1863. Al-
though both Mr. and Mrs. Cloud have seen
may years of hardship and privation during
their lives, their old age is comfortable and
happy. They have always worked hard
and have been successful. Mr. Cloud's
record as a farmer is worthy of praise, but
that of school teacher is especially worthy
of commendation, for it covers a long

stretch of time, twenty-eight years in Ohio
and Illinois, and twenty-six years without
missing a year. After he had taught two
years he attended college in Lebanon, Ohio,
for two years. He intended teaching for
thirty years, but thought it advisable to give
it up on account of trouble with his eyes.
He won a wide reputation as an able edu-
cator and his services were in great demand.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cloud six children have
been born, three of whom grew to maturity,
only two of them now living. They are:
Ida, deceased; John L., living; William
Henry, deceased ; Thomas W., deceased ;
Albert, deceased ; Wylie L., living. John is
single and is living at home with his par-
ents. Wylie, who is also single, is engaged
in the laundry business in Chicago where he
has lived for eight years.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Cloud be-
longs to the Lynchburg lodge, No. 151, In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, at Lynch-
burg, Ohio, where he joined in 1855, in
which order he has passed through all the
chairs in the subordinate lodge. He has
also been a member of various other secret
orders, such as the Illinois Grange, and the
Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association. In
politics he is a Republican, and once ran for
the office of County Treasurer on the Farm-
ers' Mutual Benefit Association ticket in his
county. He has been treasurer of the Com-
mission of Highways for sixteen years in
Denver township, which position he has
very faithfully filled. He now holds the
office of School Trustee, and he has been
president of the School Board for nearly

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

28l

thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Cloud are
members of the Methodist church at Marion
chapel in Denver township. Mr. Cloud has
been active in church work and in the duties
of the same for many years, having been a
member of the church for thirty years. He
has been steward and recording steward for
twenty-five years, having never missed but
one meeting during that time. He has been
superintendent of the Sunday school for the
past fifteen years. He is now one of the
trustees of Marion chapel, also trustee of
the parsonage of the circuit. Mr. Cloud has
now reached the age of seventy-six years,
ad he has always been blessed with good
health, now being hale and hearty for one
of his age. His good life companion is now
sixty-nine years old and she has not enjoyed
her usual splendid health for the past few
years. They are a fine old couple and ad-
mired by all Denver township and sur-
rounding country for their lives of whole-
some influence and their kindness of heart,
and for the great good they have accom-
plished in material, educational and re-
ligious work.

JOHN W. LARIMER.

The gentleman whose name forms the
caption of this biographical review is now
recognized as one of the leading organizers,
promoters and all around business men and
representative citizens of Marion county,
Illinois, where he was born in what is now

Stevenson township, May 14, 1852. John
W. Larimer's father was Smith Larimer,
a native of Ohio who came to Marion
county, this state, about 1846. He devoted
his life very largely to agricultural pur-
suits. He was elected Treasurer and As-
sessor of Marion county, serving twelve
years with great satisfaction to his constitu-
ents. He moved to Salem in 1858. He was
a loyal Democrat and was elected to office
on this ticket. The offices of Treasurer and
Assessor were conducted as one at that
time. Smith Larimer died in Salem in 1887,
at the age of seventy-six years, after a use-
ful and very active life. Robert Larimer,
grandfather of the subject, was a native of
Ireland who emigrated to America when a
boy, devoting his life to the farm. He lived
to be an old man.

The mother of the subject was known in
maidenhood as Sarah Brown, a native of
Ohio, who traced her lineage to Scotland.
She was a woman of fine traits of char-
acter and she passed to her rest in 1861,
when the subject of this sketch was nine
years old. Mr. and Mrs. Smith Larimer
were the parents of eight children, six of
whom are living, namely: Andrew Jack-
son, who was first lieutenant of Company H,
One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volun-
teer Infantry, which was mustered largely
in Marion county, and this brave young
officer met his death in the great battle of
Atlanta, July 22, 1864; Wilson S. was a
member of the same company, having gone
through the war, dying in the spring of
1888: Mrs. Sarah M. Kite, of St. Louis;

282

lUOC.RAIMIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Mrs. Xancy J. Moore, of Salem, Illinois;
W. F., of Denver, Colorado; John W., our
subject; Ann E. Irvin, also living in Den-
ver ; and Mrs. Kagy, wife of L. M. Kagy,
president of the Salem State Bank.

John W. Larimer, our subject, was born
on the farm, and when six years old moved
with his parents to Salem where he attended
school and when fourteen years old went
into the court house with J. O. Chance, who
was engaged in the abstract business and
who afterward became Clerk of the Supreme
Court of Illinois. Our subject began learn-
ing the abstract business at this early age,
and in 1870 he was appointed Deputy
County Clerk for one year under J. O.
Chance, who was then Clerk. Shortly af-
terward Mr. Chance and Mr. Larimer
formed a partnership in the abstract and
real estate business, which partnership con-
tinued for about four years, when Mr.
Chance was elected Clerk of the Supreme
Court, then Mr. Larimer continued the busi-
ness himself up to the present time, becom-
ing known as one of the ablest, most ac-
curate and reliable abstracters in this part
of the state and his office is always a busy
place.

Our subject was married May 6, 1871, to
Rosa Andrews, daughter of Seth S. An-
drews, now deceased, formerly a representa-
tive citizen of Salem. Three bright and in-
teresting children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife as follows: Dwight W., who
is associated with his father in the abstract
business ; Sarah Louise and Kathryn.

Mr. Larimer has ever taken an active part

in politics and as a result of his innate
ability and his loyalty to his party's prin-
ciples he has been chosen to positions of
public trust by his fellow voters, having
been elected Town Clerk in 1877. He has
also been City Clerk, and he represented
the old third ward as Alderman, also was
honored by one term as Mayor. He served
as a member of the Board of Education for
four years, and in 1896 he was a member of
the State Board of Equalization, serving
four years. This was an elective office and
Mr. Larimer carried Marion county by over
one thousand votes, which speaks for his
popularity in his home county. He received
ten more votes than William J. Bryan. He
was Secretary and a member of the Board- of
Directors of the Salem Building and Loan
Association, having organized this associa-
tion of which he has been secretary for
twenty-five years in 1908, or ever since its
organization. Our subject is also president
of the Business Men's Association, and
president of the Marion County Agricul-
tural Board. Thus we see that our subject
has the confidence and good will of the pub-
lic who have entrusted him with these vari-
ous positions of honor and trust, and that
he has conscientiously and ably discharged
his duties at all times goes without saying,
in fact, no man in the county is more popu-
lar than Mr. Larimer, who is regarded as
one of the county's most valuable men and
one of its foremost citizens.

His business interests have been varied;
he is one of the stockholders in the Salem
State Bank. He is a prominent Mason, hav-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

283

ing been through all the offices in both the
lodge and the chapter, being a Thirty-second
degree member. He is also a member of the
Knights Templar. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Larimer are members of the Presbyterian
church. They reside at Walnut and Church
streets in a beautiful modern home which
they own.

EDWARD RICHARDSON.

Individual enterprise which is so justly
the boast of the American people is strikingly
exhibited in the career of the gentleman
whose name forms the caption of this sketch.
While transmitting to posterity the record of
such a life, it is with the hope of instilling
into the minds of those who come after the
important lesson that honor and station are
sure rewards of individual exertion. That
the career of such a person besides being
treasured in the hearts of relatives and
friends, should have its public record also, is
peculiarly proper because a knowledge of
men whose substantial fame rests upon their
attainments and character must exert a
wholesome influence upon the rising gener-
ation. The life of Mr. Richardson has in-
deed been a busy and successful one and the
record is eminently worthy of perusal by the
student who would learn the intrinsic essence
of individuality and its influence in mould-
ing public opinion and giving character and
stablity to a community.

Edward Richardson, the well known edi-
tor of the Olney Democrat, of which he is
owner, also publisher of the Olney Review,

both now popular, and one of the influential
men of Richland county, Illinois, was born
in Lawrence county, this state, October 7,
1867, the son of Thomas H. and Eliza J.
Richardson, the former a native of Kentucky
and the latter of North Carolina, both repre-
sentatives of old families of sterling char-
acter.

The early education of our subject was ob-
tained in the public schools of Olney, where
he carefully applied himself, evincing an ear-
ly liking for literary studies and deciding
when a mere boy to devote his life to news-
paper work in some form.

The business career proper of Mr. Rich-
ardson began October 22, 1891, when he
commenced the publication of the Olney
Democrat with C. L. V. Tinker, who sold
his interest to become city editor of the Vin-
cennes Sun. Since that time, twelve years
ago, Mr. Richardson has owned and edited
the Democrat alone, building up the paper
until it now has a wide circulation and its
mechanical appearance shows that he has a
modern plant, the office being one of the
best equipped in this section of the state.
The Olney Review was established by our
subject early in 1908 and it has been a suc-
cessful venture, supplying a long felt want in
the field it seeks to serve. These papers have
been especially noted for their strong sup-
port of all moral questions and they have en-
joyed the support of the best citizens. Aside
from the political phase of these papers they
are designed to vibrate with the public pulse
and in addition to the news of the day, their
columns teem with much of the best current
literature and they are clean, dignified family

I1IUCUAPHICAL AND RKM I MSCKNT HISTORY OF

papers as well as popular and influential po-
litical organs and their steady growth in
public favor bespeak for them futures of
still greater promise and usefulness under
the able management of Mr. Richardson,
who is not only an editorial moulder of pub-
lic opinion, but he also makes his influence
felt in directing the affairs of the county, be-
ing an enterprising, public-spirited citizen
with the affairs of his county at heart.

Our subject was united in marriage with
Hulda Strathmann, on February 9, 1898.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adolph
Strathmann, who became Mrs. Richardson,
was born in St. Louis, Missouri, January 17,
1877. Her father is now deceased and her
mother is now Mrs. Emma L. Busefink. The
subject and wife are the parents of three
children, namely: Paul, nine years old in
1909; Martha and Mary, twins, who are
five years old.

Mr. Richardson is a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal church and in his political
relations he supports the Democratic party.
He is a forceful factor in directing thought
along those lines which make for the en-
lightenment of the public and the highest
good of his fellow men.

JOHN H. VAWTER.

Improvement and progress may well be
said to form the keynote of the character of
our subject, and he has not only been inter-
ested in the work of advancement in indi-

vidual affairs but his influence is felt in up-
building the community, where he has al-
ways resided. Mr. Vawter has been a very
industrious man all his life, striving to keep
abreast of the times in every respect, and
as a result every mile post of the years he'
has passed has found him farther advanced,
more prosperous, more sedate and with a
larger number of friends than the preceding.
John H. Vawter was born in Salem, Illi-
nois, in 1860. His father was Reuben T.
Vawter, a native of Tennessee who came to
Marion county about 1850, when he was yet
a young man, settling in Salem, where he
established a tailor shop, having always been
a tailor by trade and a first class workman
in this line. He lived here and met with
worthy success until his death which oc-
curred in 1862. The mother of the subject
was known in her maidenhood as Eleanor
M. Kimball, a native of Tennessee, who was
a woman of many beautiful traits, who
was called to her rest in 1903. Besides the
subject of this sketch Mr. and Mrs. Reuben
T. Vawter were the parents of another child,
A. K. Vawter, now living in Oklahoma,
where he is known as a man of good char-
acter and much business ability. The sub-
ject's mother's second marriage occurred
about 1867, to William Metcalf. John
H. Vawter made a splendid record while
attending the common schools in Sa-
lem. After reaching maturity he went
into the coal and teaming business,
later entered the produce business, prosper-
ing at each of these, but he decided that the
hardware business was more to his liking

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

and consequently he entered this field in his
home town in the spring- of 1901. His suc-
cess was assured from the first, and his busi-
ness has rapidly grown, making it necessary
for him to gradually increase his stock,
which he has done until at present he has one
of the most complete and carefully selected
hardware stocks in Marion county. He has
been in his present location ever since he en-
tered the business and he numbers his cus-
tomers from all parts of the county, and
owing to his courteous treatment and the
excellent quality of goods he handles, to-
gether with the fact that they are always
sold at reasonable figures, his reputation has
been firmly established and gained for him
not only hundreds of loyal customers, but at
the same time hosts of friends.

Mr. Vawter was married in 1883, to
Maggie T. Garner, the refined daughter of
Albert C. Garner, a well known and highly
respected family of Salem, and to this union
four interesting children have been born, as
follows : Lillian G., whose date of birth oc-
curred in 1886; Hattie N., who was born in
1889; Marietta's birth occurred in 1891;
and Irene first saw the light of day in 1901.

Mr. Vawter has always taken a conspicu-
ous part in public affairs and as a result of
his humanitarian impulses his fellow citi-
zens have honored him by electing him
Mayor of the City of Salem, which respon-
sible office he at present (1908) holds, the
duties of which he ably performs to the en-
tire satisfaction of this vicinity, and
during his administration he has done much
for the betterment and material progress of

the city, with the result that Salem is one
of the cleanest, most inviting and well gov-
erned cities in this part of the state. He
also served faithfully for four years as Al-
derman.

Mr. Vawter is a staunch Democrat and
well fortified in his political beliefs, being
at all times ready to lend his support to the
party's good, and his counsel is often sought
and always heeded in local conventions and
elections, for the public knows that Mr.
Vawter always stands for the best man pos-
sible in local offices, and whoever he places
the stamp of approval on is sure to be ac-
ceptable to the public at large. In his fra-
ternal relations, he is a member of the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen. Sa-
lem is glad to number him as one of her
leading merchants and among its representa-
tive citizens. The record of his busines ca-
reer might be summed up in the terse ex-
pression that he is "above want and below
envy."

L. B. KEITH.

It is not every man who succeeds in giv-
ing his name to a town, but this distinction
fell to Peter Keith, who emigrated from
Pennsylvania during the first half of the
last century and found his way to Noble
county, Ohio. He there entered a section
of land from the government and by hard
work eventually whipped it into the condi-
tion of a fairly productive farm. Gradual

286

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

increase of population in the neighborhood
led to the demand for a town, which was
eventually established on Peter Keith's land
and named in his honor. He continued to
reside there until his death in 1865. He
left a son, P. C. Keith, who was born on
the Noble county homestead, became a mer-
chant later in life and still resides in' the
town which bears his family name. He
married Susan Coffey, whose parents emi-
grated from Scotland to America in 1826
and settled near Caldwell, Ohio, where they
spent the remainder of their days, the father
dying in 1872, and his wife in 1876. Mr.
and Mrs. P. C. Keith had ten children,
whose births are thus recorded : Clara
Frances, deceased; L. W., deceased; L. B.
subject of this sketch; Mary Eliza Groves,
of Caldwell, Ohio; Charles, of Keith. Ohio;
Asa, of Waterford, Ohio ; Edward, of Gree-
ley, Iowa; O. W., a merchant at Water-
ford, Ohio; W. O., of Detroit, Michigan;
Raymond C., of Phcenix, Arizona.

L. B. Keith, who is number three in the
above list, was born in Noble county, Ohio,
October 12, 1862. He attended school at
Keith, and in 1888 he removed to Illinois,
locating at Reinard in the county of Wayne.
He engaged at once in the mercantile busi-
ness, which he prosecuted diligently until
his removal to Flora in 1900. At this point
he resumed in the same line and so con-
tinued for two years. Being appointed
City Marshal, he devoted two years of his
time to the duties of this office and then
accepted the position of lieutenant of police
in the service of the Baltimore & Ohio

Railroad. This he held for one year and in
1904 engaged in the seed and implement
business under the firm name of Borders &
Keith. In politics he is a red hot Democrat
and always at the front when a campaign
is in progress. His fraternal relations are
with the Odd Fellows, Rebekahs, Red Men,
Modern Woodmen and Maccabees.

In 1892 Mr. Keith married Miss Julia
A. Neff, a native of Reinard, and they have
three children; Harry, born in 1893, Marie
born in 1896, and Eddie Fay, born in 1898.
Mrs. Keith departed this life January 9,
1907, and was mourned as a good wife and
mother.

JOSEPH A PRATHER.

This venerable citizen of Raccoon town-
ship, Marion county, has been a very active
man in the development of this part of the
Union, having spent his long life in this and
her sister state on the east. He has seen the
wonderful growth of the country from its
wild prairies, dense forests, inhabited by
red men and wild beasts to one of the rich-
est and best countries in the world.

Joseph A. Prather was born in Clark
county, Indiana, January 31, 1824, the son
of Sihon and Elizabeth (Williams) Prather,
the former a native of North Carolina and
the latter of Virginia. The subject's father
grew up in the Tar Heel state and moved to
Clark county, Indiana, where he lived on a
farm and where he and his wife both died.
He was a Democrat and held the office of

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

28;

Justice of the Peace several years. He was
a member of the Methodist church, well
known and influential. They were the par-
ents of the following children : Louisa, de-
ceased; Samantha, deceased; Thomas, de-
ceased; John, deceased; Joseph A., our sub-
ject; William, deceased; Margaret lives in
Clark county, Indiana. Several children
died young.

Joseph A. Prather, our subject, had few
opportunities to become educated, however
he attended subscription schools for a time
and lived at home until he was twenty-one
years of age, when he went to Floyd county.
Indiana, and in 1844 married Sarah Ann
Patrick, a native of Clark county, that state,
where she was born December 3, 1827, the
daughter of William and Nancy (Harris)
Patrick, the former a native of North Caro-
lina and the latter of Virginia. They lived
and died in Clark county, Indiana, on a
farm. There were twelve children in their
family as follows : Jeremiah, Rebecca, John,
Elizabeth, Mary, William, Solomon. James,
Nancy, Lewis, Sarah Ann, and Eliza. They
are all deceased except the wife of our sub-
ject. Mr. and Mrs. Prather became the par-
ents of nine children, three deceased, name-
ly : Nancy, who married Roland Warren,
lives in Centralia, Illinois, and is the mother
of eight children : Margaret, who is now de-
ceased, having died January 24, 1908, mar-
ried Lewis Patton, having become the moth-
er of ten children, one of whom is deceased ;
John, who married Belle Oldfield. is a
fanner and teamster at Centralia, and has
for children: Eliza J.. who married Thomas

Shaw, of Centralia township, is the mother
of eight children; Emmons R., a farmer in
Raccoon township, first married Mollie Gas-
ton and later Lillie Blair, of Raccoon town-
ship, having had four children by his first
wife and two by the second ; Etha is the wife
of Charles Bundy, of Raccoon township, a
full sketch of whom appears in this work ;
Orville, who is living on part of the old
home place in Raccoon township, married,
first Laura May, and his second wife was
Annie Howard, had three children by each
wife; William died at the age of seven
years : George died when two years old.

The subject has fifty-three grandchildren
and thirty-four great-grandchildren. After
his marriage our subject lived in Floyd
county, Indiana, having come to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1854. where he pur-
chased two hundred and twenty acres of
land in sections 29 and 32. He made all
the improvements on the place, there having
been but very little when he took charge,
but being a good manager and a hard
worker he soon developed a most excellent
farm and established a comfortable home.
He carries on general farming, raising all
kinds of grain, fruit and stock and making a
success of all that he undertakes. He is a
Democrat in politics and has held some of
the offices in Raccoon township, always
taking much interest in the affairs of his
township. He is a member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church at Walnut Hill. He
has always been a hard working man and
is still very well preserved for a man of his
years, having a good business mind and able

IIIOC.KAIMIK-AL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

to manage the many details of his fine farm
with profit from year to year. He is a very
well read man, keeping well posted on all
current topics. As a result of his life of in-
dustry, honesty and kindness he has scores
of warm friends and if a single enemy he
does not know it. Everybody in this part
of Marion county knows "Uncle Joe" Pra-
ther, as he is familiarly called and every-
body respects him very highly.

J. W. SKIPWORTH.

This venerable and highly hnored citi-
zen of Centralia is eminently entitled to con-
spicuous mention in this history, owing to
the fact that he might properly be called a
pioneer of this section, having seen and par-
ticipated in the development of the same
from the early days and the life he has led
is one of commendation and worthy of emu-
lation by younger generations, for it has
been led along lines of usefulness and integ-
rity.

J. W. Skipworth was born in Maury
county, Tennessee, September 25, 1823,
therefore he is at this writing in his eighty-
sixth year, hale and hearty as a boy, active
and in possession of all his faculties as if he
were many years younger. His parents,
Hosea and Cassander (Ward) Skipworth,
were both natives of North Carolina, the
former having been born in 1776. The pa-
ternal grandfather of the subject, Nathan
Skipworth, was in the American army at
the time of the Revolutionary war for a pe-

riod of six years. Our subject was present
at his death. Eight children were born to
the parents of the subject, four boys and
an equal number of girls. J. W., the
youngest of the number, is the only one liv-
ing in 1908.

Captain Ward, the father of our subject's
mother, owned and operated a merchant
sailing vessel on the Atlantic ocean from
Wilmington, Delaware, to Liverpool , Eng-
land. This was before the days of the Revo-
lution.

Hosea Skipworth, the subject's father left
Tennessee and came to Illinois because he
was opposed to slavery and the seceding of
the Southern states from the Union.

Our subject was five years old when his
parents moved to Lebanon, Illinois, settling
on a farm. Hosea Skipworth died at Leb-
anon in 1832, his widow having survived
until 1846, having died two miles south of
Centralia, Marion county. Our subject's
education was obtained at Centralia. He
lived in that vicinity until he was sixty years
old, when he moved to Centralia in 1873.
He followed farming, trading and stock
shipping. Our subject saw Centralia grow
from a wilderness which abounded in
wolves, deer, wild cats and some bear, when
there were no houses except cabins in the
woods, from one-half to three miles apart.
The country round about was open prairie.
Most of the residents of this community
lived on wild meats during the winter, such
as deer, prairie chicken, quail, wild turkey
and squirrels. Often as many as one thou-
sand prairie chickens were seen in one flock.
Deer was more plentiful than cattle is now.

J. W. SKIPWORTH.

Of THE

UNIVERSITY Of 1LLINOI.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

The wolves killed the sheep and pigs. The
bridges were all built by the nieghbors, being
constructed of heavy logs.

The subject recalls the campaign of James
K. Polk for President, when the wagons
throughout the country were decorated with
polk-berry stain and those taking part in
the parades and rallies used polk-stalks for
canes. The market post for all trade was
sixty-five miles away, St. Louis. The hogs
were fattened for the most part on wild
nuts or mast. It was then the custom for
several neighbors to place their hogs in one
drove and drive them to St. Louis for mar-
ket. Mr. Skipworth says that the amuse-
ments in those days consisted principally in
shooting-matches, dances or "hoedowns,"
also horse races. The first choice of a beef
was its hide, tallow and horns; meat was
the second choice. July 4th always called
for a big barbecue of beeves, mutton or
pork, cooked in large trenches. The Dec-
laration of Independence was always read,
the drum and fife were very popular and
the orator of the day was in evidence. Dur- '
ing election times the candidates furnished
kegs of whisky, which was poured into
buckets, by which sat a tin cup, and each
one helped himself. The bucket always
bore the name of the candidate. Where the
railroad yard is now located in Centralia
our subject says, he once saw a thousand
wild geese and as many ducks in the water.
The swampy place was filled with cinders
and made solid.

It was 1835 when our subject came to
Marion county, through which no railroad
19

was built until 1854. Coal mines were then
unknown and government land and "squat-
ter sovereignty" were the conditions prevail-
ing here. Not one man in twenty owned his
land. It was the cheaper not to own land,
for then there were no taxes to pay.
The first land sold for one dollar and twen-
ty-five cents per acre, then two dollars and
fifty cents per acre. When the Vandalia
Railroad came through in 1852 the farmers
bid in all their land; then came the specu-
lators. This land now sells for one hun-
dred dollars per acre.

Mr. Skipworth was married to Martha
Crabtree, daughter of William and Mary
Crabtree, who lived in Jefferson county, lat-
er moved to Southwest Missouri. They were
the parents of four children, the subject's
wife being next to the youngest in order of
birth. The date of the subject's wedding
was January 3, 1841. The subject's wife
had three brothers in the Mexican war. Four
children were born to our subject and his
first wife, namely: Julian, deceased; John
H., deceased; Ellen, living; Virenda, de-
ceased. The first wife of the subject passed
away April 4, 1854, and on May 29, 1855,
Mr. Skipworth was married to Nellie Hos-
kins. Eight children have been born to this
union, namely : Louisa, who married Phillip
Straus, living in Chicago ; Charles, who died
in 1875; Rhoda married Edward Root, liv-
ing in Chicago, and they are the parents of
one son, Charles. The other five children
of the subject and his last wife have all
passed away.

Mr. Skipworth ably served his commu-

292

1MOGKAIMIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

township, the former on August 9, 1838, the
son of John, known as Jack, Bundy. The
subject's father grew up and married in
Raccoon township and lived there all his
life. He was one of the prominent farmers
and stockmen. He was a Republican, was
Justice of the Peace and served in many
minor township offices. He and his wife
were members of the Christian church. He
died July i, 1904, and she died January 30,
1900. He was not only popular but high-
ly esteemed. The subject of this sketch was
their only child.

George Bundy was one of the patriotic
citizens of the Prairie state who responded
to the call for volunteers to save the na-
tion's integrity during the sixties, having
enlisted in the Union army, August 12,
1862, and served faithfully in Company H,
Eightieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
he was mustered out June 19, 1865. He
was a flag bearer. He met with an acci-
dent while on duty in the service. While car-
rying the flag, he caught his foot on a grape
vine, fell and was very badly injured. After
the war our subject returned to Raccoon
township and being a hard worker he se-
cured two hundred and thirty-nine acres in
this township. He had only a common
school education in the home schools. He
has always lived on a part of the old home-
stead.

Our subject, Charles E. Bundy, was united
in marriage October 29, 1885, to Effie Jane
Prather, who was born in Raccoon town-
ship, the daughter of Joseph Prather, a na-
tive of Indiana. He was one of the old and

favorably known residents of Raccoon town-
ship. Eleven children have been born to-
our subject and wife as follows: Sarah
Gladys, Earl, Iva May, George Ashton,
Carroll Ashton, Thomas Oren, John Guy;
Lola Elizabeth; Ula Violet; Paul Sherman,
and Charles Deward.

Our subject has always been a man of
industry and has made many valuable and
lasting improvements on his place. He re-
modeled his fine home in 1908, making it a
very attractive, substantial and comfortable
one. He has a most excellent and valuable
orchard of forty acres. He carries on gen-
eral farming and stock raising with that
rare foresight that insures success.

While Mr. Bundy is a loyal Republican,
and anxious to see his county develop along
all lines, he has never aspired for public
office. He is a member of the Fanners'
Union. He is known to be a man of thor-
oughly honest principles, public-spirited and
agreeable to all his neighbors and many-
friends.

M. W. MICHAELS.

Mr. Michaels, of this review, is one of
those strong, sturdy characters who has con-
tributed largely to the material welfare of
the community and township in which he re-
sides, being a modern agriculturist and a
business man of more than ordinary sagac-
ity and foresight, and as a citizen public-
spirited and progressive in all that the terms
imply. For a number of years he has been

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

293

an important factor in promoting the prog-
ress of Marion county.

M. W. Michaels was born near Sumner,
Lawrence county, Illinois, May 19, 1861,
the son of Samuel Michaels, a native of
Pennsylvania, who was born in 1815, and
came to Illinois when a young boy, before
Chicago was known. He was a sturdy pio-
neer and braved the dangers, inconveniences
and obstacles of the early days, securing a
wild piece of land which he transformed
into a valuable and highly productive farm,
devoting his entire life to agricultural pur-
suits. He came to Marion county in 1880
and was called from his earthly labors in
Romine township, Illinois, in 1897. The
mother of the subject was also a woman of
the strongest mould and possessed the ster-
ling qualities of the typical pioneer woman.
Samuel Michaels was three times married
and had a family of twenty children, eight-
een of whom are living in 1908, a somewhat
remarkable record. His first wife was a Ea-
kas, who became the mother of six children,
all now living, as follows: Mary A., wife of
W. J. Jones, of luka, Illinois; Anna, the
wife of Joseph Clevy. of Pomona, Kansas;
Adline, the wife of Isaac Williams, of
Browns, Illinois; Mrs. Lafe Jones, of Cal-
houn, Illinois; Mrs. Martha Jones, of Sum-
ner, Illinois; William' B. lives at Kremlin,
Oklahoma. The second wife of Samuel
Michaels was Mary A. Collins, daughter of
William Collins, who was murdered near
Lawrenceville, Illinois, in the seventies. The
following children were born to this union :
M. W., the subject of this sketch; Samuel,
of Gettysburg, Washington; L. G., of

Franklin, Alaska; C. J., of luka, Illinois;
R. B., of Centralia, Illinois; W. N., of luka,
Illinois ; Rose, widow of John Meadows, liv-
ing in St. Louis, Missouri; Charlie, who is
living in one of the Western states. The
mother of these children passed to the other
shore December 13, 1879. The third wife
of the subject's father was Caroline Turner,
a native of Illinois, who became the mother
of the following children : Cora, wife of
Charles Bryan, of luka, Illinois; Elizabeth,
who was the wife of Charles Williams, is
now deceased; Alvin, Ida and Minnie all
live in Romine township ; Albert died in in-
fancy. L. J. Michaels, brother of 'the sub-
ject, has been in Alaska since about 1897,
and has made a great success at placer min-
ing, refusing fifty thousand dollars for his
claims.

The subject of this sketch lived with his
father, assisting with the farm work and
attending the neighboring schools in the
winter, until he became a young man, when
he went west, where he spent several years
in the railroad business, gaining a fund of
valuable experience and information. He
finally returned home and married, Novem-
ber 6, 1883, Maggie Taylor, daughter of
P. A. Taylor. Both he and his wife were
natives of Kentucky. Mr. Michaels went
west again in 1887 with his family and
worked from Colorado to New Mexico, but
was in California most of the time. He re-
turned to Illinois in 1897, and began farm-
ing in Romine township. He made a signal
success of farming, having improved a good
tract of land and skillfully managed the
same until he soon had not only a comfort-

294

1UOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

able living, but quite a competency laid by.
Mr. Michaels is a stockholder in the First
National Bank at Salem, however, he de-
votes his attention to farming interests
principally and is known as one of the best
and most painstaking agriculturists in the
township and his farm shows unmistakably
that a man of thrift and industry manages it.

Mr. Michaels is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, also the Woodmen, and
both he and his wife are members of the
Christian church. The subject and wife
are the parents of two children, namely:
Clarence, who was born July 18, 1885. He
is a bright young man who gives prom-
ise of a brilliant and successful future. The
second child, Everett, died in infancy.

Mr. Michaels has always taken consider-
able interest in political matters and of re-
cent years has been influential in local elec-
tions, being well grounded and well read in
his political opinions and on political sub-
jects. Having a laudable ambition for offi-
cial preferment, and being a popular man
in his party, his Republican friends selected
him for Sheriff, having been elected to this
important office in 1906, by a big majority
in a county nominally Democratic, which
shows that he is regarded as a strong man
in his community. He also served as a
member of the County Board for two terms,
representing his township. He has shown
himself eminently capable in all the offices
or positions of public or private trust that
have been proffered, giving entire satisfac-
tion to all his constituents and, in fact, every-
one concerned.

JOSEPH S. PEAK.

The state of Maryland contributed her
proportion of emigrants to form the army of
pioneers who crossed the Alleghanies in the
earlier part of the nineteenth century to grap-
ple with the western wilderness. Among
the number was Joseph Peak, whose birth oc-
curred about the time of the Revolutionary
war, and who, after marrying Lucy Leach,
started on the perilous trip to the "Dark and
Bloody Ground," south of the Ohio river.
He does not seem to have been pleased with
the opportunities offered by Kentucky, as we
find him soon crossing over to the more con-
genial soil of the Buckeye state. He settled
in Butler county, then as now, one of the
best sections of Ohio and made his living by
farming until his death in 1835. He had
eight children and among them William B.
Peak, whose birth occurred on the Butler
county homestead, September 25, 1812. He
also followed the occupation of farming, but
concluding late in life that the Illinois prai-
ries offered better inducements, he removed
to that state in August, 1864, and settled in
Flora, where he engaged in business until his
death, January 7, 1896. Aside from agricul-
tural pursuits, he became a preacher of the
Methodist Episcopal church and did much
religious work during the active period of
his life. He married Cynthia Planner, a
native of Butler county, Ohio, who made
him a faithful companion until her death
in 1874. This worthy couple had eleven
children, all but one of whom lived to ma-
turity and eight are still living. Of

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

295

these. Mrs. Angelina Chidester is a resident
of Flora, Mrs. Mary Floyd is a resident of
Dublin, Indiana. Rev. T. De Witt Peak is
a citizen of Litchfield, Illinois. Mrs. Caro-
line Major makes her home in Flora. Rev.
R. F. Peak holds forth at Oakland, Califor-
nia. Mrs. S. C. Manker is the sixth in order
of birth. Mrs. C. E. Beckett resides at Cen-
tralia, Illinois. Joseph S. Peak, the second in
order of birth of the surviving children, was
born in Butler county, Ohio, March 16, 1837.
He accompanied his parents to Clay county
during the latter part of the Civil war, after
obtaining a fair common school education,
partly in his native county and partly n Shel-
by county, Indiana, where the family so-
journed for a while. For many years after
reaching Illinois, he combined farming and
school teaching as a means of livelihood. In
August, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company D,
Thirty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer In-
fantry, with which he served nine months,
being discharged on account of sickness. He
farmed and taught school in Indiana before
he came to Illinois, where he spent his time
on a farm until the winter of 1893, when he
removed to Flora, Illinois. In 1884 he was
elected Surveyor of Clay county on the Re-
publican ticket, in which office he served ac-
ceptably for four years. In 1888 he obtained
the nomination for the same office, but was
defeated, at the polls. He tried again
in 1894, and was triumphantly elected,
but after serving his term, aban-
doned politics for the real estate and gen-
eral notary business. In 1896 he was elected
Justice of the Peace and has continued to

exercise the duties of that office by repeated
re-elections. He had served in this capacity
also while a resident of the country, previous
to his removal to Flora. Mr. Peak is a hale
and vigorous man for his age and possessed
of a cheerfufl disposition, fortified by many
of the sterling virtues. He has resided in or
near Flora for forty-five years and is known
to every one in the county. He is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church and for
five years was secretary of the International
Sunday School Association. He is com-
mander of the local post of the Grand Army
of the Republic. On October 7, 1857, Mr.
Peak Married Susan E. Lick, who was born
and reared near the town of Hope in Barthol-
omew county, Indiana. Their marriage re-
lations have continued harmonious for over
fifty-one years. Of their seven children,
those living are Mrs. Addie Lewis, of Oma-
ha, Nebraska ; Charles A. Peak, of the same
city ; Mrs. Mary Chapman, also of Omaha ;
W. B. Peak, Omaha ; E. E. Peak, of Detroit,
Michigan; Miss Stella Peak, of Flora.

FRANK LOOMIS.

Among those men of Marion county,
who by the mere force of their personality,
have forged their way to the front ranks
of that class of citizens who may justly be
termed progressive, is the gentleman whose
name heads this sketch, who has a fine farm
in Tonti township, which he has taken a
great interest in and which he has improved

296

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

in a most systematic way until it is the equal
of any in the vicinity where it is so admir-
ably located.

Frank Loomis was born in this township,
March 20, 1865, the son of S. E. and Mar-
garet (McMurray) Loomis, a highly re-
spected family and for several generations
well known in Marion county. S. E.
Loomis was a native of Ohio, where he was
bom October 12, 1841, and came with his
parents to Marion county, Illinois, in 1846,
and after a life of hard work in practically
a new country, he passed to his rest in 1885.
Almon Loomis, the grandfather of our sub-
ject, also came to this county from Ohio,
settling on the farm where Frank Loomis
now lives. He was one of the pioneers in
this part of the county and reclaimed the
farm in question from the wilderness. He
is remembered as a hard worker and a good
man in every respect. He passed to his rest
in this township July 26, 1893.

S. E. Loomis was married in Marion
county, his wife having come to this country
from Scotland, where she was born. Four
children were born to this marriage. Three
sons are now living, namely : Frank, our
subject; Byron C, and Louis L. Frank
Loomis was reared upon his father's farm
in Tonti township and worked during the
summer months on the farm, attending the
district schools during the winter months
until he had a fairly good common school
education. He remained at home until he
was twenty-one years old, and at the age
of twenty-three was united in marriage with
Ida M. Martin, the affable and congenial

daughter of Caleb and Martha J. (Mc-
Heney) Martin. Her father was born in
North Carolina, and he moved to Tennessee,
later coming to Marion county, Illinois.
The mother of Mrs. Loomis was born in
Tonti township, this county. Ida M. was
the sixth child in order of birth in this fam-
ily. She was educated in the dis-
trict schools, where she applied her-
self in such a manner as to become
well educated. Two children were born
to the subject and wife, namely: Glen
M., born September 12, 1890, and Omer F.,
who was born April 23, 1895. They are
both bright boys, and will, no doubt, make
their mark in the world. Mr. Loomis is
the owner of a farm consisting of one hun^
dred and twenty acres on which he carries
on general fanning which yields him a com-
fortable living from year to year and at the
same time permits him to lay up a compe-
tency for old age and to give his children
every necessary advantage in launching
them successfully in the battle of life. His
fields are well tilled, the crops of heavy
grain being rotated with clover so as to re-
tain the strength of the soil. He has a
comfortable and substantial residence which
is well furnished and nicely kept. Many
and convenient out buildings also stand on
the place, and much good stock of various
kinds is to be found in his fields and barns.
In politics Mr. Loomis is a staunch Re-
publican, but he does not take a very active
part in party affairs, being contented to
spend his time on his farm. Fraternally he
is a member of the Ben Hur lodge, Odin,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

297

No. 226. Mrs. Loomis is also a member
of this organization. He is regarded as one
of the substantial and best citizens of Tonti
township.

ROY H. MCKNIGHT, M. D.

The grandfather of this popular physi-
cian was James A. McKnight, a native of
Indiana, who became an early settler of Il-
linois. He located at Ingraham, in the
county of Clay, and prosecuted his trade as
a miller, a business of much importance in
a pioneer community. His death occurred
in 1895, when he was quite advanced in
years. He had been accompanied to Il-
linois by his son, Frank, who was born in
Indiana, learned his father's trade of mill-
ing, and continued in this calling during the
working period of his life, which ended at
Ingraham, in 1894, at the comparatively
early age of forty-seven years. Frank Mc-
Knight was married in early manhood to
Lou Shriner, a native of Ohio, who is
still residing in Chicago. The chil-
dren of this union, three in number, were:
Roy H.. Rolla, now at Minnie, Arkansas,
and Hazel, a resident of Chicago.

Roy H. McKnight was born March 14,
1 88 1, at Ingraham, Clay county, Illinois. Af-
ter the usual elementary course in the district
schools at home, he was graduated in 1899
from the Jefferson high school in Chicago.
In 1900. he matriculated in the medical de-
partment of the Illinois University and spent
three years in diligent prosecution of his

studies. After leaving this institution, three
additional years were spent at the Dearborn
Medical College in Chicago, from which he
was graduated in the class of 1906. After
practicing a year in Chicago, Dr. McKnight
opened an office in Clay City in the fall of
1907 and since then has continued in busi-
ness at that place. He had a lucrative prac-
tice in the hospital at Englewood, but was
forced to give this up and seek the country
on account of ill health. The doctor's early
career was at once a test of his ambitious
determination and a guarantee of his success
in life, as he early learned the valuable les-
son of self-denial and saving. When his fa-
ther died, he was thrown on his own re-
sources at the tender age of thirteen. He
bought a pair of overalls and a cap, took
a freight train to Chicago and found employ-
ment at four dollars per week. All but fifty
cents of this went for board, but on this scant
surplus he saved money. When by hard work
and faithful service he was promoted to a
stipend of four dollars and fifty cents a week,
he was correspondingly happy. His first
work was for the Thompson (bicycle) Man-
ufacturing Company and his next job was
with the Western Electric Company. His
hard labor extended through seven years, at
the end of which time he found himself in
possession of the, to him, munificent remuner-
ation of twenty-five dollars per week. In the
seven years he saved four thousand dollars,
every cent of which was spent in procuring
his education as a physician. It is hardly
necessary to add that the doctor is a pro-
gressive young man, of boundless ambition

298

HIOC.KAPHICAL AND KK M I X ISC K NT HISTORY OF

and possessing especial aptitude and ability.
Dr. McKnight is a member of the American,
Clay County and Cook (Chicago) County
Medical societies. He is a Mason and holds
membership in Union Park Lodge, No. 610,
of that order in Chicago.

In 1903, Dr. McKnight was married to
Bertha May Hill, of Wheeling, West Vir-
ginia, and they have one child, Mildred,
born July i, 1904. The parents are mem-
bers of the Christian church at Clay City.

GEORGE J. HEAVER.

The gentleman to whom the biographer
now calls the reader's attention was not fa-
vored by inherited wealth or the assistance
of influential friends, but in spite of this,
by perseverance, industry and a wise
economy, he has attained a comfortable sta-
tion in life, and is well and favorably known
throughout Tonti and surrounding town-
ships, Marion county, as a result of the in-
dustrious life he has lived there for over
a half century.

George J. Heaver was born in Crawford
county, Ohio, December 8, 1838, the son
of George Jacob and Christena (Fritz)
Heaver, both natives of Wertenburg, Ger-
many. They married in the Fatherland
where two children were born to them.
Deciding that greater opportunties were to
be found in the United States they landed
at Sandusky, Ohio, July 3, 1838, and be-
fore becoming hardly established in the new

country the father died December I, 1838.
His widow re-married in 1841, her second
husband being Levi Kline, of Crawford
county, Ohio, and in 1849 they emigrated to-
Marion county, Illinois, locating west of
Salem, where they lived until 1854, when
Mr. Kline died, and his widow was again
married, her third husband being George
Kline; both are now deceased.

The first marriage of Christena Fritz re-
sulted in the birth of four children, two
boys and two girls, all deceased but the sub-
ject of this sketch. George J. Heaver re-
mained at home under the parental roof-tree
until he reached maturity. His educational
advantages were very limited but he early
acquired enough schooling to read and write,
but being by nature an intelligent man, he
has succeeded admirably well without tech-
nical training. Our subject was one of
those loyal sons of the North, who, when the
fierce fires of rebellion were raging in the
Southland, felt it his duty to forsake home
ties and offer his services in behalf of the
stars and stripes, consequently he enlisted in
Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh Il-
linois Volunteer Infantry, on August 12,
1862, under Capt. Amos Clark, of Salem, Il-
linois, and was in camp at that place. He
was called to Camp Marshall where he re-
mained until October 31, 1862, when his
company was sent to Columbus, Kentucky,
and was assigned to the Army of the Cum-
berland, later taking part in the battle at Re-
saca, Georgia, and the strenuous Atlanta
campaign, also in Sherman's famous march
to the sea. Our subject also came back with

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

299

Sherman's army through the Carolinas to
Washington City. He was mustered out
here after rendering conspicuous and valu-
able service, and returned to Springfield,
Illinois, on June 6, 1865. He was wounded
on May 13, 1864, which resulted in his be-
ing absent from duty for some time. He
rejoined his regiment at Rome, Georgia, af-
ter he had recovered. After his career in the
army our subject returned to Salem, this
state, and engaged in farming.

Mr. Heaver was united in marriage in
1866 to Maggie Williams, of Salem, who
was born in Ohio, February 13, 1838. She
was a woman of many fine characteristics,
and after a harmonious wedded life of
twenty-six years she was called to her rest
in the fall of 1902. Four children were
born to our subject and wife as follows:
George W. was born February 19, 1870;
Louie C. was born September 29, 1874;
William W. was born October i, 1869, died
aged seven years; Charles W. was born in
1879.

Mr. Heaver was in Texas for a period of
eight years where he made a financial suc-
cess of his labors, but he returned to this
county in 1885. He is now the owner of
sixty-five acres of land in Tonti township
which he farmed with the greatest results at-
tending his efforts, for he understands well
all the details of managing a farm success-
fully. His fields are well fenced and cleanly
kept. Most of the corn the place produces
is fed on the farm to various kinds of stock.
He has a nice and comfortable dwelling and
plenty of good out buildings. His son,

George W., and daughter, Louie C., live
with him.

In his social relations our subject is a
member of the Salem Post, No. 202, Grand
Army of the Republic, in which he takes
a great interest, as might be expected. He
is a member of the Presbyterian church, a
regular attendant at the local gatherings of
this denomination in which he has long
taken a delight. In his political affiliations
he is a loyal Democrat, and faithfully served
the public as Commissioner of Highways
and Road Supervisor. He is regarded by
every one who knows him as a man of sound
business principles, honest and kind.

JOSEPH K. MCLAUGHLIN.

Our subject is the present Supervisor of
Raccoon township where no man is better
known or is held in higher respect than he,
for his life has been led along honorable
lines and he has always had the interest of
his county at heart.

Joseph K. McLaughlin was born in Wal-
nut Hill, Marion county, September 26.
1850, the son of James and Ann E. (Lyons)
McLaughlin, both natives of Ireland, where
they married. They came to the United
States in 1845 and settled in Randolph
county, Illinois, later came to Marion county
and in 1848 settled near Walnut Hill, about
1855 locating in Raccoon township. They
were members of the Reformed Presbyterian
church. The subject's father was a Repub-

3oo

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

lican. He and his wife were the parents of
the following children: Ann Eliza, Eliza-
beth, Nancy, Thomas J., Joseph K., our sub-
ject; Annie E., Jane, James A. and Ann-
ette E. The subject's father devoted his
life to farming. He died February 7, 1878,
at the age of sixty-two years, and his wife
died February 14, 1908.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was obtained in the home schools. In
1 882 he bought his present farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres in Raccoon township.
He carries on general farming and stock
raising in a most successful manner, being a
man of sound judgment and a hard worker.
His farm is highly improved and very pro-
ductive. He raises much good stock and his
dwelling and other buildings are substantial
and comfortable.

Mr. McLaughlin was united in marriage
in 1870 with Tirzah E. Morton, who was
born in Raccoon township, the daughter of
James and Mary Morton, a well known
family in their neighborhood. Nine chil-
dren have been born to the subject and wife :
Charles, who married Dorothea Huff, has
three children, Merlyn, Paul, Dorothea;
James C. married Mora Bennett and they
have two children, Bennett and Collin C. ;
Harry married Kate White; Stella married
Willis R. Burgess and they have two chil-
dren, Buford and Nellie ; Hugh Archie mar-
ried Lulu Kell; Joseph is a law student at
Champaign, Illinois; John is a member of
the family circle and is a teacher; Walter
is also teaching and living at home ; Elma
lives with her parents. These children are
bright and have received good educations.

Mrs. McLaughlin is a member of the
Presbyterian church and a faithful attend-
ant upon the same. Mr. McLaughlin is a
Democrat and is serving his second term as
Supervisor, giving his constituents entire
satisfaction in this capacity.

DAVID HERSHBERGER.

The subject of this sketch was reared to
the sturdy discipline of the homestead farm
and during all the succeeding years of his
life he has not wavered in his allegiance to
the great basic art of agriculture. To the
public schools he is indebted for the early
educational privileges that were afforded
him, and he duly availed himself of the
same, while he has effectually broadened his
knowledge through active association with
men and affairs in practical business life.
He has become the owner of a fine stock
farm and devotes his attention to diversified
agriculture with the discrimination, energy
and constant watchfulness which inevitably
make for definite success and prosperity.
He has spent practically all of his life in
Marion county.

David Hershberger, living two miles west
of Salem. Illinois, was born October 20,
1865. in Crawford county, Ohio, the son of
Henry and Catherine (Snavely) Hershber-
ger, the former being a native of Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, where he was born
February 14, 1824, and the latter of Leb-
anon county, Pennsylvania, both having
been reared in the Keystone state. They
moved to Crawford county, Ohio, where

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

301

they farmed for several years and then in
1 866 moved to Marion county, Illinois, set-
tling in Salem township where Henry
bought a large tract of land, becoming the
owner of about two thousand acres in Ma-
rion county. He improved this land and -it
became very valuable. He died August 29,
1898. He is remembered as a thrifty
farmer and a highly respected citizen. Both
he and his wife were members of the Ger-
man Baptist church, or Dunkards. Jacob
Hershberger, grandfather of the subject,
was also a native of Lancaster county, Penn-
sylvania, and the great-grandfather of the
subject, Henry Hershberger, was also a
native of that place. Henry, the father of
the subject, and Catharine Snavely were
married February 10, 1848. They were
very active in the church and Henry was a
preacher for many years, having done a
great amount of good in his work. He was
a Republican in politics. He and his wife
were the parents of nine children, named in
order of birth, as follows : Jacob, a promi-
nent farmer in Marion county ; Samuel, de-
ceased; Mary, widow of John Schanafelt;
Elizabeth is the wife of W. J. Martin, a
prominent farmer in Marion county; Anna
is the wife of S. A. Schanafelt; Sarah is
the wife of C. W. Courson. who lives in
Marion county; John lives in Salem town-
ship on a farm; Henry lives in Centralia,
Illinois; David, our subject, is the youngest
child. The mother of the subject passed
to her rest April 14, 1906.

The subject remained at home on his
father's farm until he married. He was one

year old when he came to Marion county,
he was married December 31, 1888,
to Lida Dickens, the daughter of Eli-
jah and Elizabeth (Tate) Dickens, both
natives of Tennessee, but pioneer settlers of
Marion county, Illinois, both now deceased.
The subject's wife was born in this county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hershberger six children
have been born as follows: Leland, de-
ceased; Walter E., Lottie M., Loren D.,
Henry R., and Wayne D.

The subject and family are members of
the German Baptist church in Salem town-
ship, and the subject is a deacon in the
church. He is a loyal Republican, having
served his township as Highway Commis-
sioner in a most acceptable manner. He
lives on the old home farm, this together
with his own farm constitutes two hundred
and eighty acres. He is regarded as one
of the leading farmers of Marion county,
and always keeps excellent stock. He has
a beautiful home which is elegantly fur-
nished, and everything about the place is
kept in first class order.

MRS. JUDITH SINGER.

Words of praise or periods of encomium
could not clearly convey the personal char-
acteristics of the noble woman of whom the
biographer now essays to write in this con-
nection, for only those who have had the
good fortune to know her personally can
see the true beauty of her character and in-

302

ISIOCKAPHICAL AND RE MIXISCKXT HISTORY OF

dividual traits, which have been the resul-
tant, very largely, of a long- life of devo-
tion to duty, a life filled with good deeds
to others and led along worthy planes. Mrs.
Singer lives in Tonti township, Marion
county, where she successfully manages a
fine landed estate, exercising rare sagacity
of foresight and business acumen, which
always result in definite success, and as a
result of her commendable characteristics
she enjoys the friendship of a large circle
of acquaintances in this community.

Mrs. Judith Singer was bom in Berks
county, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1838, the
daughter of Peter and Lyda (Mildenber-
ger) Beisel. The Beisel family came to
America from Germany in an early day and
settled in Pennsylvania, where they devel-
oped farms and made comfortable homes.
The parents of our subject always lived on
a farm, and when her father died, Grand-
father Beisel moved to Illinois, and the
mother of the subject was married and came
to Illinois in 1867, settling in Marion coun-
ty. She was a good woman and her home
life was calculated to foster right principles
in her children. The father of the subject
was a man of many sterling traits of charac-
ter, always bearing a good name.

Judith Beisel was given every advantage
possible by her parents, and while her early
educational training was not extensive, she
applied herself in a diligent manner and has
since been an avid reader of the best gen-
eral literature with the result that she is an
entertaining and instructive talker, especial-
ly when she elucidates on the pioneer clays

and the aftermath of commercial develop-
ment of this section of the country.

Our subject was married to Oscar Singer
January 2, 1858, the ceremony having been
performed in Northumberland county, Pen-
sylvania. Mr. Singer was born in Germany
on June 18, 1834. He was educated in the
Fatherland, and came to the United States
with his parents when eighteen years old,
where he learned to be a mechanic of no
mean ability. He worked at his trade in
Centralia, Marion county, Illinois, being re-
garded as one of the best men in the insti-
tution where he was employed. He later
moved to St. Louis, where he went into
business on his own account, and in which
city he was living when he was called from
his earthly labors on November 20, 1882.
His remains were interred in the cemetery
at Salem, Illinois. He was a good business
man, honest and industrious and made
friends wherever he went. He was a public
spirited man, being a loyal Republican in
politics.

Mrs. Singer purchased an eighty acre
farm in Tonti township, Marion county, in
1883, and moved thereto soon afterward,
having resided there ever since. It is a splen-
did place, well managed and highly im-
proved in every respect, producing excellent
crops from year to year and yielding a com-
fortable income for the family. Mrs.
Singer's home is one of the most attractive
in the community. Good stock of various
kinds and a fine variety of poultry are to be
seen about the place.

Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

303

Singer. Two boys and three girls are living
at this writing, namely : Ida is the wife of
Will W. Langridge, who lives in Terre
Haute, Indiana; Lillie is the wife of Lewis
Parks, who lives on a farm; Ollie travels
for an Indianapolis firm; Oscar married
Maude Kline and lives on a farm; Rose L.
is a bookkeeper at Salem, Illinois. All these
children had careful training and all re-
ceived a good common school education.

JOHN H. GRAY.

He to whom this sketch is dedicated is a
member of one of the oldest and most hon-
ored pioneer families of Marion county, Il-
linois, and he has personally lived up to the
full tension of the primitive days when was
here initiated the march of civilization, so
that there is particular interest attached to
his career, while he stands today as one of
the representative citizens of Tonti town-
ship, for his life has been one of hard work
which has resulted in the development of a
good farm which he owns and which yields
him a comfortable living.

John H. Gray was born in this county
January 14, 1839, anc^ believing that he
could succeed as well here as anywhere de-
cided to stay in his native community where
he would have the added advantage of home
associations. He is the son of James and
Mariah E. (Nichols) Gray. Both the Gray
and Nichols families were born in Tennes-
see, being of that hardy pioneer stock that

invades new and unbroken countries and
clears the wilderness, developing farms from
the virgin land. It was for such purpose
that they came to Illinois. The parents of
the subject came to Marion county in their
youth and were married here, having first
settled in this locality during the Black
Hawk war. James D. Gray, our subject's
father, moved to Tonti township in 1851. He
was a man of many sterling qualities, a good
neighbor and citizen, and, as already inti-
mated, was industrious and a hard worker.
He was also a minister of the Methodist
church for many years. His family con-
sisted of nine children, three boys and one
girl living at this writing, 1908, all fairly
well situated in reference to this 'world's af-
fairs.

John H. Gray, our subject, received a lim-
ited schooling in his native community.
However, he applied himself well and did the
best he could under the circumstances. He
remained at home, working on his father's
place until he reached maturity. He was
united in marriage in 1860 to Susan Bal-
lance, a member of a well known family.
After a brief married life she passed to her
rest in 1864. This union resulted in the
birth of one child, which died in infancy. In
1866 the subject was again married, his sec-
ond wife being Rebecca A. Boring, who is
still living, having proven to be a most faith-
ful and worthy helpmeet and a woman of
gentle disposition. She was born in 1848
and attended the district schools in her
maidenhood.

Four children have been born to the sub-

304

IlIUGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ject and wife, three girls and one boy,
whose names follow : Susan E., Mattie E.,
Etta and William A. They have received
what schooling that is available in their
community and are all interesting children
with every prospect for future success.

Mr. Gray in his political affiliations is a
loyal Democrat and has taken considerable
interest in local political affairs, his support
always being on the right side of all ques-
tions affecting the public good. He has
ably served as Highway Commissioner,
giving entire satisfaction in this work, and
he is known to all as a man of industry,
honesty and integrity, thereby winning and
retaining a large circle of friends.

ALLEN COPE.

For nearly half a century the subject of
this review was a well known resident of
Marion county. He was a man of many
talents, having been a successful lawyer for
several years prior to 1861, at which time
he located upon a farm in Tonti township
and turned his attention to agricultural pur-
suits. He also became an enthusiastic stu-
dent of horticulture and for many years was
recognized as one of the leading authorities
upon this subject in Southern Illinois, as well
as a practical demonstrator of the same. He
was one of the first citizens of Marion
county to engage in the fruit business upon
an extensive and systematic scale, develop-
ing one of the largest and most successful

fruit industries in the pioneer history of hor-
ticultural pursuits in the county.

Allen Cope was born near New Water-
ford, Columbiana county, Ohio, August 4,
1827, where he resided until 1845. For nine
years he resided at Salem, Ohio, where he
was engaged in a mercantile business. In
1854 he came to Fairfield, Illinois, where
he studied and practiced law with Judge
Charles Beecher.

Owing to ill health he retired from the
law in 1860 and the following year located
upon a farm in Tonti township, Marion
county, where he developed one of the finest
fruit farms in the county. It was here that
he passed to his reward, October 24, 1907,
at the age of eighty years.

Mr. Cope's career as a horticulturist be-
gan with his removal to Marion county. He
planted forty acres of apples in the springs
of 1861 and 1863, a very large area indeed
for that period. It is worthy of note, too,
in this connection that he was one of the
first to plant largely of the Ben Davis vari-
ety. This venture proved successful and as
this orchard began to fail he planted again
from time to time, and indeed his labors
ceased only with the coming of his long
rest. Mr. Cope was an active member of
the State Horticultural Society and of its
subordinate society, the Southern Illinois
Horticultural Society.

He was a member of the Independent Or-
der of Odd Fellows, and was born and
reared a Quaker.

Originally a Whig in politics and a strong
abolitionist, it was but natural that he should

ALLEX COPE.

SARAH A. COPE.

.HOIS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

305

become a Republican upon the birth of that
party, and for many years he was an ardent
supporter of its principles and an active
worker in the ranks. In late years, how-
ever, he espoused the cause of Democracy,
believing- that the latter party adhered more
closely to the principles of Lincoln Repub-
licanism. Having been a lawyer of more
than ordinary ability and always a student
and an observer^, Mr. Cope wielded no small
amount of influence in his community and
his opinions upon the leading questions of
the day were always treated with great re-
spect. He was a man of many sterling
qualities, successful in business and influen-
tial in his community, and was also known
as a public spirited man of the most scrupu-
lously honest type.

Mr. Cope was united in marriage at Sa-
lem April 16, 1856, with Miss Sarah A.
Ray, who was born near London, Madison
county, Ohio, June 30, 1834, Mrs. Cope be-
ing a daughter of Jesse and Helen (Warner)
Ray. The Ray family was of English de-
scent, the grandparents on the Ray side be-
ing natives of Virginia, who later settled in
Madison county, Ohio. The Warners were
of Scotch-Irish descent, the great-grandfa-
ther of Mrs. Cope having been born in Dub-
lin.

Jesse Ray, the father of Mrs. Cope, wa3
one of the well known and highly honored
pioneers of Marion county, having secured
land from the government near Salem and
locating thereon in 1839. He entered seven
hundred acres of land in Tonti township, the
present Cope home being a portion of the
20

original grant. Mr. Ray developed and im-
proved a good farm and became one of the
largest and most successful farmers and
stock growers in the county. He moved
from the farm to Salem in order to give his
children an education, where he operated a
hotel and also engaged in merchandising, in
the meantime carrying on farming opera-
tions. He finally returned to the farm, where
he died August 27, 1859. Mr. Ray was one
of those patriotic sons who participated in
the Mexicon war, having enlisted in 1847.
He was with his regiment until the close of
hostilities and experienced many hardships
and privations in the long and tedious march
across the desert to Santa Fe, New Mexico,
and back again, every mile of which was
covered on foot. He was a man of much
sterling worth and influence in his commu-
nity and accomplished much for the improve-
ment and development of his section of the
county.

Mrs. Cope was five years old when she
came with her parents to Marion county.
She attended the country schools and later
went to Salem with the family, where she
received a liberal education, having applied
herself in a most assiduous manner to her
studies. After her marriage with Mr. Cope,
as above indicated, she resided in Fairfield,
this state, for a few years, where her hus-
band was engaged in the successful practice
of his profession. Since locating on the
farm in Tonti township in 1861, Mrs. Cope
has continued to make this place her home,
where her children have also been reared.
Their names are as follows: Laura Isbell and

3o6

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Lenora are both deceased; Walter Lincoln
and William Abraham were twins, the lat-
ter dying in infancy.

Walter L. Cope, the only surviving child,
was born May 27, 1864. He received a
common school education and also attended
the University of Illinois at Champaign for
three years. June 6, 1888, he was married
to Miss Anna Vaughan, of Odin township,
Marion county, and seven children have been
born to them, as follows : Allen, Bessie, Lo-
rin, Leila, Howard and Margaret, all of
whom are living. One child, Raymond,
died in infancy. Walter Cope is a member
of the Masonic Order at Salem and his wife
affiliates with the Order of the Eastern Star
at that place.

The Cope home is one of the finest coun-
try houses in Marion county, being commo-
dious, comfortable and having modern im-
provements and conveniences. The house is
heated with hot air. A system of water
works has been installed, together with
baths, etc. The furnishings are up-to-date
and tastefully arranged, and this beautiful
home is presided over with rare grace and
dignity by the Mesdames Cope, who often
show their unstinted hospitality in enter-
taining their numerous friends.

HENRY C. BOTHWELL.

This family name was familiar among
the early settlers of three states and its
members figured both in Ohio and Illinois

during the pioneer period. James Both-
well, the founder, was a Pennsylvanian.
who migrated into Ohio at an early day,
settled on a farm purchased from the gov-
ernment, reared a family and ended his
earthly career about 1863. His son, James
K. Bo'thwell, was torn in Vinton county,
Ohio, near McArthur, during the first quar-
ter of the nineteenth century and removed
to Illinois in 1840, settling at old Maysville,
then the county seat of Clay. He was a
cabinet maker by trade, but afterward en-
gaged in the mercantile business. In 1863,
he removed his store to Clay City and con-
tinued in business until 1887, when he re-
tired to his farm of seventy acres, within
the corporate limits of the town. At this
homestead he passed peacefully away. May
24. 1899, in the eighty-first year of his age.
He married Mary A. Brissenden, who was
born near Albion, in Edwards county, Il-
linois, her parents being of English stock.
She died July 16, 1898, at the age of sev-
enty-seven years. This pioneer couple had
seven children, of whom four are living, the
complete list being as follows: Henry C.,
subject of this sketch; J. Homer, an attor-
ney at Sedalia, Missouri ; Florence ; Camil-
la, deceased, and William, who died when
ten years old; James K., in the loan and in
surance business at Seattle, Washington
and Frank, deceased.

Henry C. Bothwell, the oldest child, wa?
born in old Maysville. April n. 1847. Ht
was reared in Clay City, where he attended
the local schools. During the years 1863-
64, he was a student at McKendree College

RICHLAXD, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

307

in Lebanon, Illinois, afterwards attended
Nelson's Commercial College at Cincinnati,
Ohio, and then accepted a clerkship in his
father's store, folding this position and
later as a partner, he spent the years from
1865 to 1886 iii this line of business. In
the year last mentioned he became a can-
didate on the Republican ticket for Treas-
urer of the county, and was elected. In
1894 he was re-elected to the same office,
and served during the four following years.
After retiring he devoted some time .to the
abstract business, continuing in this line
until 1899, when he was made Chief Clerk
of the Joliet Penitentiary, which position he
held two and a half years. Returning to
Clay City he formed a partnership undei
the firm name of Bothwell & Gill, and this
business engaged his attention until 1907,
when he received the appointment of post
master at Clay City. This was no new ex-
perience, as he had previously served as
postmaster for sixteen consecutive years,
while in the mercantile business. Besides
this, he had served as Tax Collector of Clay
City township a number of times and was
county collector for eight years. He was
always popular and successful both in his
business pursuits and official holdings, be-
ing regarded as one of the prominent and
influential men of the county. His fra-
teral relations are extensive and conspicu-
ous, especially in the Masonic Order. He
is a member of Blue Lodge No. 488. at
Clay City, Chapter at Flora, Commandery
at Olney and the Shrine at Medina Temple

in Chicago. He is also an Odd Fellow and
a Woodman.

In 1869 Mr. Bothwell married Mary C.
Myers, who was born near Wilmington,
Ohio. They lost four children in infancy,
but have three living, to-wit: Lucy, E. L.,
who is practicing law at St. Joseph, Mis-
souri, and Ada, a teacher in the Hillsboro
(Illinois) high school.

JAMES R. RICHARDSON.

One of the sterling citizens of Marion
county is he whose name initiates this para-
graph, being engaged in farming in Tonti
township. As a result of his industry, in-
tegrity and genuine worth he is held in high
esteem by the people of this vicinity, mainly
as a result of his principal life work — the
noble profession of teaching.

James R. Richardson, the son of John and
Sarah A. (Chandler) Richardson, was born
in Williamson county, Illinois, at Bolton,
December 19, 1841. The Richardson fam-
ily are of Irish descent. John Richardson
was born in Licking county, Ohio, and he
was eight years old when his parents died.
He was reared by a family named Decker,
a farmer at Groveport, Ohio. He received
his educational training in the public schools
in the Buckeye state, which was somewhat
limited, owing to the primitive condition of
the public schools of that early day. He
was a man of no extraordinary ability but
he was a hard worker and succeeded in

3o8

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

making a comfortable living. He came to
Illinois about 1838, settling near Peoria,
where he remained a few years. He moved
to St. Clair county, Illinois, and thence to
Williamson county and later he came to
Marion county in 1853, buying a farm in
Tonti township, where he lived until his
death in March, 1856.

The Chandler family came from Penn-
sylvania. The father of Sarah A., our sub-
ject's mother, came to Ohio and engaged
in farming, but not on an extensive scale.
The mother of the subject was educated in
the public schools of Franklin county. She
was a woman of many estimable qualities.
Eleven children were born to this couple,
ten girls and one boy. Sarah A. was mar-
ried to John Richardson about 1838, and
she passed to her rest in 1870. Mr. Rich-
ardson was a large land owner in Marion
county, this state, and he was regarded as
a man of many sterling qualities.

James R. Richardson, our subject, was
the second child in a family of eight chil-
dren. He remained under the parental roof
tree until he was seventeen years old. He
refleiy^d his education in the district schools
and later at Salem. He was an ambitious
lad from the start and outstripped most of
his contemporaries. After finishing the
public school course, he was not satisfied
with the amount of text-book training he
had received and consequently entered the
State Normal School at Bloomington, Il-
linois, where he made a splendid record for
scholarship, and where he graduated in the
class of 1871, with high honors.

After leaving school Mr. Richardson at
once began to teach, first in the county
schools, having soon become principal, and
he was principal in several places. Becoming
known as an able instructor, his services
were in great demand. He was principal
of the schools at Woodson, Franklin, Stan-
ford, Morton and Marseilles, all in Illinois,
and he also taught a year in Kansas. He
gave the greatest possible satisfaction as an
instructor, being well grounded in the texts
then included in the public school curricu-
lums, and he was very popular with his pu-
pils, owing to his friendliness and kindness.
His teaching extended over a period of
twenty-six years during which time his
reputation extended not: only to adjoining
counties but he attracted -the attention of
the ablest educators of the state, receiving
much laudable comment on his work in the
school room.

Mr. Richardson could not restrain the
wave of patriotism that pervaded his whole
being when, in the dark days of the sixties,
our national integrity was threatened, and,
believing that it was his duty to sever home
ties, leave the school room and offer his ser-
vices in defense of the flag, he accordingly
enlisted in Company G, Twenty-first Il-
linois Volunteer Infantry, and was in the
regiment assigned to Grant's army during
the first part of the war. He was in the
great battle of Stone River and the still
bloodier conflict of Chickamauga, and many
other smaller engagements. He was taken
prisoner at Chickamauga, and was in -prison
at Richmond and Danville for six months.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

309

He effected his escape, but was recaptured,
and later exchanged. After performing
gallant service for a period of three years,
he returned home and entered the Univer-
sity of Illinois in 1864, where he completed
his education.

Our subject's domestic life dates from
December 25, 1876, when he was united in
marriage with Sarah Martin Williams, a
highly educated woman, a native of Cass
county, Illinois, where she was born March
10, 1856. She lived in Morgan county, this
state until seventeen years old, when she en-
tered the State University at Bloomington,
and was a student there for several years,
where she made a brilliant record for schol-
arship. No children have been born to Mr.
and Mrs. Richardson. Mrs. Richardson is
a faithful member of the Christian church
in Salem. Our subject is a Prohibitionist
in his political affiliations.

JOHN I. McCAWLEY.

Few men on the threshold of the anniver-
sary of the eightieth year of their age pos-
sess the remarkable energy and activity of
the subject of this sketch, John I. McCaw-
ley, who is ^nd has been for years, the lead-
ing spirit in every big enterprise that has
been launched in Clay county, Illinois. He
is not only the wealthiest man in that
county, but has the distinction of being the
oldest native born citizen thereof. He is

the son of parents who penetrated the un-
broken wilderness of Illinois, when hidden
dangers menaced their every step. In those
early days the great forests of that state
were filled with hostile Indians and fero-
cious beasts. The subject experienced all of
the hardships and privations that fell to the
lot of the youth of those days, but he had
inherited many of the rugged qualities of
his courageous ancestors, and the great
wealth that he possesses today is the reward
of perseverance and industry.

Mr. McCawley was born on the Little
Wabash river, about two miles and a half
from Clay City, Illinois, August 20, 1829,
and has spent his entire life in Clay county.
He is a son of John McCawley, a native of
Kentucky, who came to Illinois in 1810.
Soon after this pioneer had located in Clay
county the Black Hawk war broke out, and
he was warned by friendly Indians to leave
the country, add realizing that to remain
meant sure death he heeded the admonition.
He started back to Kentucky with an escort
of Indians who accompanied him as far as
Vincennes, Indiana. In 1816, when peace
had been restored he returned to Clay coun-
ty, and remained there until his death, in
1854. He was one of the first settlers in
this section of Illinois, having been born
in Jefferson county, Kentucky, December
24, 1782. The grandfather of the subject
was James McCawley, a native of Scotland,
who afterwards moved to the north of Ire-
land, where he married, and came to
America, settling in Jefferson county.

3io

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

The mother of the subject was Martha
Lacey, who was born in Jefferson county,
Kentucky, February 4, 1791. She died Oc-
tober 14, 1844. Her parents were of Irish
extraction.

Mr. McCawley remained upon his fa-
ther's farm until he was twenty years of
age, and then traveled about the country,
spending three or four years in St. Louis,
where he traded in stock. He finally en-
gaged in the grocery business at Maysville,
then the county seat of Clay county. He
was thus engaged for fifteen years, having
added dry goods to his stock, after starting.
When the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern,
then the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, was
finished, in 1856, he moved to Clay
City, where he re-embarked in the mercan-
tile business, and until 1898, he had one of
the largest establishments in the city. It
was at the close of that year that he retired
from active business affairs, although his
local interests are large and varied, and he
gives them personal attention.

On May 17, 1856, the subject was mar-
ried to Maria L; Moore, who was born in
Johnson county, Tennessee, February 9,
1840. Seven children were the fruits of
this union: Arthur H., born May 14, 1857,
resides in Clay City; Sarah L., wife of
John T. Baird, of Olney, Illinois, born De-
cember 7, 1858; Martha Maria, wife of Dr.
T. L. Leeds, of Michigan City, Indiana;
Mina Julia, wife of Oscar W. Gill, of Chi-
cago, born June 25, 1865; John G., born
March 5, 1871, lives in St. Louis, in the

commission business; Mary Eliza, wife of
Richard S. Rowland, lawyer of Olney, Il-
linois, born September 9, 1873; Lewis W.,
born February 24, 1871, died August 17,
1905.

Mr. McCawley is a director in the Olney
Bank, of Olney, Illinois. He has much
money invested in real estate, and owns sev-
eral large and substantial business blocks in
Clay City. At one time he was the owner
of three thousand acres of land, but .he has
disposed of the greater portion of this as it
required too much of the time that he de-
sired to devote to his other interests. His
wealth is the result of his own thrift and
enterprise. He was compelled to enter the
battle of life at a very early age, receiving
a limited education. The subject's father
was blind for twenty years previous to his
death, and dutiful son that he was, Mr. Mc-
Cawley gave him the most tender attention.
The subject belongs to both the Masons
and Odd Fellows' lodges, and in politics is
a Democrat. He was the candidate of his
party for State Senator ten years ago, but the
district being strongly Republican, was de-
feated with the rest of the ticket. Mr. Mc-
Cawley was the first Baltimore & Ohio
ticket agent at Clay City.

The subject is a man of commanding
presence, intellectual features, with a kindly
and genial disposition, and is held in high
esteem by the people of Clay City, regard-
less of class or condition. Few men have
done as much toward the material progress
of this community.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

JOSEPH WILLARD WALTON. M. D.

Indiana was decidedly a wild and wooly
territory when Joseph Willard Walton in-
vaded her borders in search of work and a
career. Born in North Carolina in 1801, he
left his native state in early manhood to cast
his fortune with struggling pioneers cf the
West, lie was lucky in his location, as the
county he chose was Washington and the
land he settled was a part of the alluvial bot-
toms which in later years gave fame to the
White river valley. Land was cheap when
this newcomer arrived from the South, and
he was able to secure a full section, which at
the present time is worth at least one hundred
and fifty dollars an acre. It is the region of
great corn crops, unsurpased in the produc-
tion of fine melons, as well as all the cereals
and varieties of fruit. The old pioneer pros-
pered as a fanner for those days, but wealth
was then out of the question for a tiller of the
soil, owing to lack of market and transporta-
tion facilities, which the prices of products
as well as the land placed at a low level. This
patriot survived until 1901, and had rounded
out a full century of existence before the final
summons. He left a son named Daniel R.,
who caught the roving fever in early man-
hood and decided to move farther west. He
formed a satisfactory location in Clay coun-
ty, Illinois, where he farmed until his death,
which occurred in Harter township, north
of Xenia, in 1862. After reaching Illinois
he met and married Ellen Golden, who
though a native of the state, was of Indiana
parentage. She survived her husband fifteen

years and passed away in 1877. Their 'five
children, all living, are Samuel, who resides
on grandfather Golden's place, northwest ot
Flora; Mrs. Maria Abel, of Santa Rosa,
California ; Joseph W., subject of this sketch.
Marlow Walton, of North Dakota; Thomas
J. Walton, of Eagle Grove, Iowa.

Joseph Willard Walton, third in order of
birth in the above list of children, was born
in Clay county, Illinois, July 5, 1869. As
he was only seven years old when he lost his
father, the struggle of this boy towards suc-
cess was rendered unusually difficult. He
was, however, a bright and courageous boy,
obedient to his uncle, with whom he lived
near Flora, and doing cheerfully the chores
that fell to him, while also proving a diligent
student in -the district schools. After the
usual elementary course, he entered as a pupil
in Orchard City College at Flora, and later
took a course in Austin College at Effing-
ham. For ten years subsequent to leaving col-
lege,, he taught school in his native county.
He had, however, always been ambitious to
become a physician, and in 1902 entered the
Medical Department of St. Louis Univer-
sity, from which he was graduated in the
class of May, 1906. On July, of the same
year he hung out his shingle in Clay City and
has since diligently prosecuted his profession.
Dr. Walton belongs to the American, State
and Clay County Medical societies and is
the official examiner for the New York Life,
Prudential, Springfield, Woodmen, Royal
Neighbors and other insurance orders. His
fraternal connections are with the Odd Fel-
lows, Woodmen and Ben Hur societies. He

I;KK;RAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

has a commodious office well equipped with
all the modern appliances suitable for his
business. The doctor has made his own way
from orphanage and poverty to a command-
ing and prosperous condition in life.

In 1893, Dr. Walton married Miss Josie
Nash, a native of Clay county, and they have
had three children, Violet Evelyn, Daph-
ney Ruth, and Charles Willard, deceased.
The parents are members of the Christian
church.

ISHAM E. HODGES.

Among the sterling Tennesseans who
have settled in Marion county since the pio-
neer days, none have shown more worthy
traits of character or been more active in
the development of the county than the gen-
tleman whose biography we herewith pre-
sent. Mr. Hodges is the owner of a fine
farm in Raccoon township which has been
brought from a wild state to one of the
best in the locality through his skillful
management.

Isham E. Hodges was born in Sumner
county, Tennessee, July 30, 1840, the son
of Marcus A. and Elizabeth (Marcum)
Hodges, the former a native of Sumner
county, Tennessee, where he grew up, made
a farmer and where he died, and the latter a
native of Abbyville Court House, Virginia,
who died in Montgomery county, Tennessee.
They were members of the Christian church.
Our subject was their only child. His
father married a second time, his last wife

being Susan Hodges, of Sumner county,
Tennessee. She is still living there on the
old place. Nine children were born to the
subject's father by his second union. He
was a soldier in the Indian war in Florida in
1836, being a prisoner of that struggle.
Our subject's great-grandfathers on both
sides served in the Revolutionary war, being
in General Starke's and General Green's
command.

Isham E. Hodges had little opportunity to
attend school. However, he obtained some
education in subscription schools of the early
days. He left home when seventeen years
of age and came to Marion county, Illinois,
where he worked out and carried the mail
from Fairfield to Salem. He also farmed
in Salem and Raccoon townships. On Oc-
tober 31, 1865, choosing as a life partner
Frances Hays, of Raccoon township, the
daughter of Elijah M. Hays, whose sketch
appears in full on another page of this work.
Eleven children have been born, eight of
whom are living: Effie, deceased, married
Harvey England, who lives in St. Louis,
Missouri. She was born August 23, 1866,
and died August 8, 1883. Iva E., the sec-
ond child, was born October 28, 1867, mar-
ried Harvey Mercer; they live in Sadora,
Arkansas, and are the parents of five chil-
dren, Clinton, Sylvia, Stewart, Howard and
Opal. Clara B., the third child, was born
March n, 1869, died February 8, 1892,
married Charles Anderson, of Chicago, Illi-
nois; John D., who was born March 21,
1873, first married Lucy White and second
Lydia Kell, having had two children by his

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

313

first wife, Clayton and Robert, and one child
by his second wife, named Donald. He has
been postal clerk for several years on the Chi-
cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. He was
first on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern
Railroad, his first run being between Mc-
Leansboro and Shawneetown, Illinois. He
runs between Marion and Villa Grove. Ralph
Waldo, the fifth child, was born June 6,
1874, and died October 25, 1875; Mark
Ainsly was born January 2, 1877, married
Indiana Stonecipher, and they have four
children, Delta, Isham, Charles and Mary;
Grace was born September 13, 1878, mar-
ried Levi Bigham, a farmer in Raccoon
township; Mabel J. was born August 28,
1880, married Henry F. March, station
agent at Cartter, Illinois, on the Chicago &
Eastern Illinois Railroad, and they are the
parents of three children, Everett, Franklin
and Marie ; Minnie Blanche, born September
26, 1882, married Elisha Harmon, a car-
penter of Raccoon township; Elaine E., born
November 8, 1884, who married Clara
Pitts, is a farmer in Raccoon township;
Dwight E., born October 28, 1886, is an
operator on the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad at Herrin, Illinois, married
Xellie Dukes, and they have one child, Clara.

The subject's children have been educated
in the home schools, John D. and Iva went
to Carbondale, and Elaine attended the agri-
cultural department of the University of
Missouri at Columbia.

In 1865, after the subject of this sketch
was married, he rented land in Raccoon
township. After farming here for a while

he went to Idaho, also the state of Wash-
ington, also the Shoshone agency and the
Red Cloud agency in Wyoming. He was
in the West from 1869 to 1871. He was a
clerk and did office work most of the time.
After 1871 he worked in the United States
Pension Agency at Salem, Illinois, under
Gen. J. S. Martin, from March 4, 1872, to
March 4, 1873, having given entire satisfac-
tion in this capacity, after which he entered
the railway mail service on the Baltimore &
Ohio Southwestern Railroad and run be-
tween Cincinnati and St. Louis for three
years, when he was transferred to the Illinois
Central Railroad, his run being between
Cairo and Centralia for three years, and on
the northern division from Centralia to Chi-
cago until April 20, 1889. During this time
he lived in Centralia, from 1878 to 1880.
In 1869 he bought the farm he now lives
on in Raccoon township. In 1880 he built
his fine brick house and made all the other
improvements on the place which is one
of the choice farms of this locality. It con-
sists of one hundred and forty acres in sec-
tions 24 and 25, Raccoon township. One
hundred and twenty-five acres are under
a high state of cultivation. He has a very
valuable orchard of one thousand apple
trees, three hundred peach trees as well as
pears, cherries and small fruits. He also
raises much good stock, horses, mules and
cattle and fine Chester White hogs. His
farm is also well stocked with fine chickens,
White Wyandotte and Rhode Island Red
chickens.

Mr. Hodges was one of the patriotic sons

IMOCKAl'lllCAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of the North who fought to preserve the
Union during the dark days of the sixties,
having enlisted July 4, 1861, in Company
G, Twenty-second Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, under Capt. J. S. Jackson and Col.
Henry Dougherty, having been mustered in
at Casseyville, Illinois. He and his com-
pany were sent to Birds Point, Missouri,
and was in the engagement November 7,
1861, at Belmont, Missouri. They joined
General Pope and was at the surrender of
Tiptonville, Tennessee, where they cap-
tured about seven thousand prisoners. They
then went down the Mississippi river to Ft.
Pillow and after the battle of Ft. Donelson
and Pittsburg Landing, they went up
the Tennessee river and were at the siege of
Corinth, and, after several skirmishes,
marched to Nashville, Tennessee; and oc-
cupied that city until December 26, 1862.
Our subject was in General Sheridan's di-
vision, McCook's corps, General Rosecrans
commanding. They were in the marches and
battles from Nashville to Murphysboro,
Tullahoma, Bridgeport, Alabama, and
Chickamauga, Georgia, being wounded in
the latter battle September 20, 1863, where
he was shot in the thigh and sent to the field
hospital at Crawfish Springs, where all the
wounded men captured were paroled next
day and sent to Nashville and Louisville,
later to Quincy, Illinois, and then to Benton
Barracks. Then the subject was on detail
duty and in the commander's office until
July i, 1864, and he was sent to Springfield,
Illinois, and mustered out July 7, 1864.
Mr. Hodges is a loyal Populist. He has

been Supervisor of his township for two-
years, has also been School Director and
held minor offices.

ISRAEL MILLS.

The streams of emigration, pouring from
Pennsylvania and Virginia in the pioneer
period usually united in Ohio, the first of the
western states to be reached. Marriages often
resulted between the descendants of the
northern and southern branches and the in-
fusion of blood often produced fine types for
future citizenship. We find this working out
well in the Mills family which, on the fa-
ther's side, came from the state of Pennsyl-
vania, and on the mother's side boasted of
origin in the Old Dominion state. It was far
back in the nineteenth century that Thomas
Mills, with his wife, Hannah, crossed the
Alleghanies from one of the counties of
Pennsylvania. To the same locality in Ohio
where he settled came Hugh and Mary
Downing from the western part of Virginia.
Jonathan Mills, a son of the first mentioned
couple, eventually found a wife in the
person of Sarah Downing, both the con-
tracting parties being natives of Ohio.
The former, who was a farmer, passed
away in the early seventies, but his
wife survived until 1894, being eigh-
ty-two years old at the time of her death.
This couple became the parents of twelve
children, the six still living being as follows :
Hugh, a resident of Clay City township:

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

315

Thomas, a resident of Oklahoma ; Israel, the
subject of this sketch; James D., of Carroll
county, Ohio ; Josephine Fry, of Tuscarawas
county, Ohio; and William, of Tobacco
Plains, Washington.

Israel Mills, who was the sixth in this
iarge family, was born in Tuscarawas coun-
ty, Ohio, April 18, 1843. He assisted his
father on the farm until June, 1862, when he
enlisted in Company K, Eighty-seventh
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and
served until taken prisoner at Harper's Fer-
ry in September of that year. Being speed-
ily paroled and discharged on October 3rd,
he took a rest until June 29, 1863, when he
re-enlisted in Company B, One Hundred
and Twenty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, with which he served until the ex-
piration of his term, March 5, 1864. For
the third time, he took up his musket as a
private in Company H, One Hundred and
Seventy-Eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, with which he served until the close
of the war and was honorably discharged
June 29, 1865. . In October of that year, he
came to Clay City, where he has since re-
sided for forty-three consecutive years. He
settled at first one mile south of town and
engaged in farming, paying particular at-
tention to the breeding of stock, in which line
he acquired a high reputation. With the ex-
ception of seven years spent in merchandis-
ing, Mr. Mills has devoted practically all his
time to breeding, handling and dealing in
stock, with a preference for the fine grades
in all varieties. Though he has other and
varied interests, his heart has been set upon

and his attention always turned to the noble
animals that have brought wealth and fame
to Illinois. He is an extensive land owner,
his possessions in this line lying in Clay City
and Standford townships. At present he
owns five hundred and seventy-five acres,
though at one time he was proprietor of
twice that amount. He is a thorough-going,
practical and scientific farmer, well informed
in everything relating to advanced agricul-
ture, and an enthusiast in all movements to
educate and improve conditions in the farm-
ing industry. Appreciation of his qualifica-
tions was shown by Governors Tanner,
Yates and Deneen, when they appointed him
delegate during six years to the B'armers'
National Congress. He has held the position
of director from his Congressional district
for the State Farmers' Institute. He is an
able and forceful speaker in the debates at
county, state and national farmers' institutes.
It may be said in short, that there is not i
man in Clay county whose business judg-
ment is more highly valued than that of
Israel Mills. A man of the loftiest integrity
and most benevolent impulses, he has been an
honor and a treasure to his adopted county.
Mr. Mills is president of the Clay City
Banking Company, and for twenty years has
held the same position with the Clay City
Loan and Homestead Association. He is
also president of the Opera House Company
and president of the Clay County Farmers'
Institute. He has been frequently honored
with positions of trust in his township, serv-
ing as a member of the board of supervisors,
school trustees and as collector. He has

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

never desired office and never had a lawsuit
during all the years of his active business
life. He is a director of the Farmers' and
Merchants' 'Bank at Louisville, Illinois. As
president of the Clay City bank, he insisted
during the panic of 1907, that all depositors
should be paid on presentation of their
checks. '• He is a Mason, and Eastern Star
and a member of the Grand Army of the Re-
public.

September 10, 1867, Mr. Mills married
Elizabeth L., daughter of Thomas and Din-
iah E. (Whitman) Bogwell, very early set-
tlers of Clay county. The children from
this union were: Edna M., born July 2,
1870, died April 2, 1905. Edna married
Jabez Edwin Coggan, April 29, 1891. Ont
son survives her, Kenneth M., born June
23, 1896; James B., born October 22, 1881,
married to Annettie Crackles December 28,
1904. One child, a daughter, Ethel, was
born to them December 5, 1906. Mrs. Mills
is a member of the Christian church and the
entire family enjoy the highest social consid-
eration and popularity.

GEORGE W. HILTIBIDAL.

The subject of this biographical review
has well earned the title to be addressed as
one of the progressive, self-made men of
Marion county, being the owner of a very
valuable landed estate in Raccoon township,
where his labors have benefited alike him-
self and those with whom he has come in
contact.

George \V. Hiltibidal was born in Grand
Prairie township, Jefferson county, Illinois,
March 15, 1867, the son of George and
Elizabeth Bradford, both natives of Indiana.
They moved to Marion county, Illinois, and
finally located in Raccoon township. After
building a dwelling house and making ex-
tensive improvements on his farm here he
moved to Grand Prairie, Jefferson county,
where he died in 1869, on a farm which he
had improved, and where his wife also died
in 1876. He was a strong Republican and
he and his wife were members of the Chris-
tian church. They were the parents of five
children, namely: Mary is living in Wash-
ington county, this state, having married
Neil Kingsley ; Ella, who married Robert
Birge, lives at Walnut Hill, this county ;
John died young; Sarah, who married
James Sprouse, lives in Jefferson county,
Illinois; George William, our subject, was
the youngest child.

The subject's mother died when he was
nine years old. He had not been to school
up to that time. He then went to live with
his uncle, George Bundy, in Raccoon town-
ship, with whom he remained for eleven
years. He then located on his present farm
in Raccoon township, section 28, having
secured forty-five acres known as the May
place. It had an old log house and stable
on it. The subject has been a hard worker
and a good manager and he built his present
fine substantial and modern home in 1907,
and his excellent barn in 1906, and he has
made all the extensive improvements on the
place.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

317

Mr: Hiltibidal was united in marriage
April 5, 1888, to Josie Heyduck, the daugh-
ter of Jacob and Phillimina Heyduck, na-
tives of Germany, having lived in the River
Rhine country. They came to America and
secured wild land in Raccoon township,
which they developed and on which they
made a good home where they lived until
1903, when Mr. Heyduck retired and moved
to Centralia. The subject's wife was born
in Raccoon township, this county. Mrs.
Heyduck died in 1890. Ten children were
born to them as follows: Lizzie, who lives
in Decatur, Illinois ; Ricca is deceased ; Lucy
is deceased; Kate lives at Odin, Illinois;
Josie, wife of our subject ; John is deceased,
Emma lives on the old place in Raccoon
township ; Henry lives at Centralia ; Ben-
nie lives in Centralia ; Laura also lives in
Centralia.

Five children have been bom to the sub-
ject and wife as follows: George, Gracie,
Esther, Bertha, Julius. The subject carries
on a general farming business with great
success. He is considered an excellent judge
of live stock and raises some good horses.
He has always been a farmer, but for many
years has worked at the carpenter's trade.
He has put up all his own buildings and
done all his own work. He is regarded as
an excellent carpenter and his services are
frequently sought by those desiring to build.

Our subject has faithfully served as a
member of the local school board for six
years. He is a Republican in his political
affiliations. He is a member of the Farm-
ers' Educational Co-Operative union at Bun-

dyville, Illinois. He has gained his success
not through the assistance of relatives or
friends, but by his own efforts.

JOHN PETER XANDER.

Scientific methods of farming dissem-
inated through the medium of the agricul-
tural schools throughout the country have
come- as a great blessing to those pursuing
agricultural callings. Yet the farmers in
our younger days had no such advantages.
They had tc depend upon their own judg-
ment, their own foresightedness, their own
intuition, as it were, to overcome many a
perplexing agricultural problem; Their
success was more often than not almost phe-
nomenal ; and we can pardon them if they
look askance upon our newer methods. The
subject of the present sketch began his
farming career (on his own land) about the
Civil war period, and his well cultivated
land today shows that his efforts did not
go unrewarded.

John P. Xander, of Richland county,
Claremont township, was born May 26,
1833, in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. He
was the son of Joseph and Mary (Dorney)
Xander, natives of that state, who in the
year 1834, took a boat on the Ohio river
from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to Evans-
ville, Indiana, enroute to Illinois. They
brought with them on the boat their horses,
wagons and all belongings. During the
voyage one of the deck hands happened to

I'.IOCUAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

throw one of their wagon wheels overboard
and the voyage had to be interrupted to
fish it but. They landed in Evansville, In-
diana, April 28, 1834, when they crossed
the Wabash river on the ferry boat and set
forth on a journey by land settled in Wabash
county, Illinois. Mrs. Xander's parents
also came along at the same time and set-
tled in Illinois. Grandfather Dorney took
a farm there at that time and Joseph Xan-
der and his wife went to live with them for
several years. Later they took up eighty
acres of government land, paying one dol-
lar and twenty-five cents an acre for it in
Wabash county, and on this place they con-
tinued to live until their death. John P.
Xander's mother died about five years be-
fore his father. He remained with his par-
ents assisting them on their farm until his
twenty-sixth year when he started on his
own account. At the age of thirty years he
married Mary Betebenner on August 23,
1863. He then rented a farm in Wabash
county, where he remained about seven
years, at the end of which period he bought
a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in
Claremont township, Richland county, and
moved onto same where he remained for
thirty years, again removing to the home
he now occupies. His farm life was all the
time marked with industriousness and his
improvements did much to enhance the
value of the land he settled on. He built
every portion of the substantial house he
now lives in.

John P. Xander's wife was born Novem-
ber 1 8, 1839, in Frederick county, Mary-

land. She was the daughter of Geor
and Lydia Betebenner, her mother's ov
name being Everheart, who were natives
Pennsylvania. She was the fourth of ni:
children. Her parents came to Illinois
the year 1856, coming by train over t
early railroad, where they settled in W
bash county, Mrs. Xander then being seve
teen years of age. She remained with h
parents on their farm until the time of h
marriage. Her mother died at the age
sixty and her father survived about fi
years, dying at the age of eighty-five. Bo
died on the farm they occupied and we
buried in the Lutheran cemetery in W
bash county, where the parents of Jol
Xander are also interred.

John P. Xander's married life has bei
blessed with seven children, one of who
died in infancy. In the order of birth h
children are: Ida A., who is the wife <
Peter Crum, and resides on her husbanc
farm in German township; Furman, wl
has married, and lives at home with his pa
ents; William H. is married and resid
near Altus, Oklahoma, on a farm. Ev
the wife of George Bragunier. who residi
in Emporia, Kansas. James E. is marri<
and lives in Lincoln, Illinois. John H.
single and resides in Ogden, Utah, whei
he is employed by a large meat packin
concern.

At the time of the Civil war John 1
Xander was drafted for service in 186
having responded to the call to arms, bl
upon arriving in Cairo, Illinois, he was r
turned home on account of a sufficier

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

319

number of soldiers having already been ob-
tained.

In his yonth and early life, John P. Xan-
•der attended the subscription schools in
Wabash county, where he imbibed all the
knowledge that institution could give him.
His school days were at the period of the
elementary spellers, first, second and third;
and McGuffey's readers. Arithmetics were
also in use in the log1 school-house. The
old hewn planks, pin supported, were the
seats, and the desks along the wall were of
the same quality.

In politics the subject of this sketch is
and has been a Democrat and a loyal sup-
porter of W. J. Bryan. The first Presiden-
tial candidate for whom he exercised his
right as a voter was James Polk. In for-
mer days he took a man's part in the poli-
tics of the township and county. He was
for three terms Township Assessor in
Claremont township.

John P. Xander, his wife and the mem-
bers of his family, belong to the English
Lutheran church. He has been very active
himself in church circles, holding both the
office of deacon and elder, and is a man
looked up to by all of his co-religionists.

The subject of this sketch is now living
quietly upon his farm of eighty acres which
through his industry and zeal has been
brought to its present state of cultivation.
His health, which has always been of a
rugged character, has failed somewhat
within the past year and he is consequently
a sufferer to some extent. He has always
"been unsparing in his hardworking efforts

to irnprove his land, and as a result his
labors have marked his frame. Aside from
his ill health, his home life is extremely
happy.

THOMAS B. NEAL.

The gentleman whose name heads this re-
view is one of the leading farmers in his
community in Marion county, and this
volume would be incomplete were there fail-
ure to make mention of him and the enter-
prise with which he is identified. Tireless
energy and honesty of purpose are the chief
characteristics of the man.

Thomas B. Neal, a native of Marion
county, Illinois, was born October 31, 1830.
the son of Thomas and Rossanna (Walters)
Neal. The former came to this county from
Kentucky about 1828 and located near
Owens Hill where he spent the remainder of
his life, having made a comfortable living
from his farming pursuits, being a hard
worker and a man of highest integrity. The
Walters people were born in Georgia and
came from that state to this county. The
father and mother of our subject were mar-
ried in Kentucky.

Thomas B. Neal, our subject, was reared
on a farm which he helped develop from
the wild country into which the father had
moved, but this was an industrious family
and soon a good and productive farm was
developed. His early schooling was some-
what limited owing to the fact that it was
necessary for him to work on the farm and

320

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM I X ISC H.\T HISTORY OF

schools were of the most primitive type in
those days, taught only a few months out
of each year. Our subject showed his
loyalty to the "old flag that has never
touched the ground" during the forties
when this country was in war with Mexico.
Being unable to restrain his patriotism when
he heard the call for troops to fight the
descendants of the Montezumas, and he is
today one of the few highly honored sur-
vivors of that famous conflict in this coun-
try, and it is indeed a privilege to meet and
to show proper courtesy to such heroes.
Mr. Neal enlisted in Company C, First Illi-
nois Volunteer Regiment, and served with
marked distinction in the same throughout
the war. He is now remembered by his
government with a pension of twenty dol-
lars per month, as the result of his valor in
this war. The only other living Mexican
war veteran in Marion county besides our
subject is William Bundy.

After his experience in the army, Mr.
Neal returned home and was married in
1851 to Julia H. Chandler, whpse people
were from Wilson county, Tennessee. To
this union eight children were born, all de-
ceased but four. Mr. Neal's first wife passed
away May 2, 1898, and he was married
again April 10, 1900, to Manda S. Cozad.
No children have been born to this union.
The names of the subject's children by his
first wife follow: Alexander, deceased;
John A., deceased; Etta, Delia, Rose A., de-
ceased ; Cora, Charley and Ben, deceased.

Our subject has six grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren, of whom he is justly

proud. Mr. Neal owns a fine farm of forty
acres in Tonti township, which he has de-
veloped to a high state and which has yield-
ed him a comfortable living from year
to year and enabled him to lay up a compe-
tency for his old age. This place shows that
a man of good judgment has had its man-
agement in hand, and while he is now in the
evening of life he is able to still successfully
manage his affairs. He lives in section 9
of Tonti township in a substantial farm
house which is surrounded by convenient
outbuildings, and his farm is properly
stocked with various kinds of live stock and
poultry. He delights to see the advance-
ment of his community and county, and he
formerly took an active part in the affairs
of the Democratic party.

LANDON M. BOSTWICK.

It is always pleasant and profitable to
contemplate the career of a man who has
made a success of life and won the honor
and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is
the record, briefly stated, of the well known
and progressive gentleman whose name
forms the caption of this article, than whom
a more whole-souled or popular man it
would be difficult to find in the business cir-
cles within the limits of Marion county,
where he has long maintained his home and
whose interests he has ever had at heart, for
in all the relations of life he has proven true
to every trust reposed in him and few cit-
iens of the county are worthier of the high

RESIDENCE OF L. M. BOSTWICK.

Centralia, Illinois.

L. M. BOSTWICK.

Of THE

0' 'LLINOIS.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

32I

:steem which they enjoy than Mr. Bost-
vick, who is known as one of the leading
umbermen of this part of the state.

The subject of this review is descended
rom a long line of sturdy ancestors, the
:arliest generations being easily traced to
he settlement of the Bostwick family at
stratford, Connecticut, prior to 1650. John
3ostwick, the subject's great-great-great-
>reat-grandfather, was born at Stratford,
Connecticut, May 4, 1667, and he became
deputy to the General Court of Connecticut,
erving during twenty-one sessions, from
September, 1725, to October, 1740, and he
icrved in the army as lieutenant and major,
fhe great-great-great-grandfather of the
ubject, Ebenezer Bostwick, was born in
693, and he was captain of the First Com-
iany or train band, of Danbury, Connecti-
ut, in October, 1743. Edmond Bostwick,
he great-great-grandfather of our subject,
vas born September 15, 1732, and died Feb-
uary 2, 1826. The subject's great-grand-
ather, Ebenezer Bostwick, was born June
!2, 1753, and died March 16, 1840. He
lad an excellent war record, like his an-
estors, having been an orderly sergeant in
he Revolutionary army and he was a pen-
ioner until his death. This family remained
ti the state of Connecticut through many
generations and the subject's grandfather,
Andrew Bostwick, was born at New Mil-
ord, that state, November 3, 1778, but he
nigrated to the West and died at Berrien
springs, Michigan, October 21, 1838. The
ather of our subject was a merchant at
>Iiles, Michigan, his store having been the
21

first brick building in that town. At Pres-
ident Lincoln's call for volunteers he en-
listed as a private in Company E, Twelfth
Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and he was
made a prisoner of war at the battle of
Shiloh and served nine months in Ander-
sonville and Libby prisons. After his re-
lease he received several promotions and
finally was made captain of the company,
serving as such in a very creditable manner
until the close of the war. He died at Niles,
Michigan, in the year 1876, when fifty-six
years old, and was given a military and
Masonic funeral, which was very largely
attended.

. Among the subject's ancestors on the ma-
ternal side of the family was Rev. Peter
Pruden, one of the founders of the colony
at Milford, Connecticut, and in 1639 the
founder of the First Church of Christ.
When the two hundred and fiftieth anni-
versary of Milford was celebrated, a memo-
rial window was placed in the church in
honor of his memory. There is also in the
memorial bridge a stone in his memory,
bearing the text of his first sermon, "The
voice of one crying in the wilderness." Of
him the noted Cotton Mather says, "His
death was felt by the colony as the fall of
a pillar which made the whole fabric to
shake." Another distinguished ancestor of
the subject's mother was Capt. Thomas
Willets, the first Mayor of the city of New-
York.

Landon M. Bostwick, one of the fore-
most business men of Centralia, Illinois,
was born December i, 1862. He received

322

BIOGRAPHICAL AM) KI.M I X ISCKXT HISTORY OF

his early education in the public schools and
afterward was instructed in the higher
branches by a private tutor, the course of
study including some travel. The death of
the subject's father made it necessary for
him to give up study and seek means of
self-support, which he found in the locomo-
tive department of the Michigan Central
Railroad, becoming an engineer at the early
age of nineteen years. While serving in the
capacity of fireman and engineer, he took
a course in mechanical mathematics and
draughting, and otherwise fitted himself for
work other than locomotive engineering.
At the age of twenty-four he designed and
built the machinery plant at the Michigan
State prison at Jackson, Michigan, which,
at this writing, twenty-two years after com-
pletion, is still in active service with prac-
tically no alteration or change.

After acting as manager of this plant for
one year, Mr. Bostwick was offered, and
accepted, a position as engineer on the
Panama Canal, when it was owned by the
French government, and was being con-
structed by the famous French engineer De
Lesseps;,but by a curious turn of fortune's
wheel, Mr. Bostwick gave up the Panama
Canal project, while enroute and also the
mechanical line of business in which he had
so successfully launched. At this time the
South was just beginning to be called upon
to take the place of the North in supplying
lumber, and Mr. Bostwick grasped an op-
portunity to become a lumberman, making
his initial beginning in the backwoods of
Howell county, Missouri. The pay was
poor and the work was hard, but opportu-

nity had knocked at the door and the sum-
mons were willingly and gladly answered.

After working up through every depart-
ment to the position of manager and finally
stockholder in some of the best mills of the
South, he has no regrets over the humble
beginning in the backwoods of Missouri.

The Bostwick Lumber Company of Cen-
teralia, Illinois, is a corporation of which our
subject is president and the heaviest stock-
holder. He knows the lumber business thor-
oughly and always gives his customers a
fair deal, consequently his trade, which has
steadily grown, is now very extensive.

Landon M. Bostwick was happily married
February 3, 1892, to Frances Pease, a na-
tive of Wilson, New York, the daughter of
A. Douglas and Abigail Pease. One of her
ancestors received a grant of land from
King George, this family having been
originally from England. The subject and
wife are the parents of three children, name-
ly: Willard D., born January 26, 1893, ar>d
who is at this writing attending the public
schools; Dorothy was born November 17,
1900; the date of Allen L.'s birth is Oc-
tober 1 8, 1903. They are interesting chil-
dren and add much sunshine to the modern
and pleasant home of the Bostwicks.

In his fraternal relations Mr. Bostwick
is a member of the Masonic lodge at Cen-
tralia, No. 201, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, Centralia Chapter No. 93; also
Centralia Council No. 28, and Cyrene Com-
mandery No. 23 ; he also belongs to the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
No. 493, and the United Commercial Trav-
elers; the Modern Woodmen and the Hoo-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

323

Hoo, the latter an organization of lumber-
men, purely social, now consisting of nearly
thirty thousand members. The mystic num-
ber of this association is nine, every mem-
ber having a number, and is fortunate if
there is a nine in it. President Roosevelt's
number is 9999. The Bostwick family for
nlany generations have been members of
the Episcopal church. Mr. Bostwick is now
and for many years has been senior ward-
en of St. John's Episcopal church at Cen-
tralia.

Our subject is a member of the Episcopal
church as is also his estimable wife. In pol-
itics Mr. Bostwick is a Republican, and
while he has not been prominent in the af-
fairs of his party, he has ever assisted in
whatever way he could the furthering of
good city government and the welfare of
his community. He is now president of the
Board of Education.

Whatever of success has attended our
subject's efforts has been entirely owing to
his own endeavors, his energy, industry and
natural ability. From small beginnings he
has gradually attained a prominence in his
county which entitles him to be regarded as
one of its leading citizens.

DANIEL BECK.

The name Daniel Beck, of Claremont
township, needs very little introduction to
the people of Richland county for it is a name
that has ever been associated with the mate-

rial and spiritual progress of the community
for an extended period. No aspersions can
be made on any action of his during a pil-
grimage of upwards of sixty-three years. He
has been one of the original promoters of
the establishment of St. James Lutheran
church, and he has lent himself at all times
to all movements for the betterment and ad-
vancement of the people of the locality in
which he resides.

Daniel Beck was born in Olney township
on the i gth of October, 1845, on what was
known as the "Hooverler'' farm. He was
the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Phillips)
Beck, both natives of York county, Pennsyl-
vania, in which county they were married.
His parents at the time of their marriage
soon moved to Ohio, where they lived for a
few years in Stark county. In the year 1842
they migrated overland in a one-horse wagon
to Illinois, where they settled in Richland
county and moved onto the "Hooverler"
farm in Olney township, which they rented,
living there for three years. In their family
they reared Bessie Hooverler for six years,
for which they received sixty dollars. With
this money they entered forty acres of tim-
ber land in German township, although they
had intended to enter the land where the St.
James Lutheran parsonage now stands in
Claremont township. There was not a sin-
gle effort at improvement made in the land
they entered. They set to work and cleared
enough space to build a log house, after
which they started to clear the rest for farm-
ing purposes, and bring it to perfection.
Here, Daniel Beck's parents remained until

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the time of their deaths. His mother died
in April, 1872, having passed her sixtieth
milestone. His father survived her several
years, dying in April, 1882, at the age of
eighty-four. Both are laid to rest in Goss
cemetery, German township, which is about
two miles from the spot in which they lived
for so many years. They were the parents
of ten children, seven of whom grew to ma-
turity, three dying in infancy. Daniel, the
subject of our present sketch, was the ninth
in order of birth. He remained with his
parents on the home farm until his marriage
to Susan Ditch, which took place December
24, 1867. His wife, who was born Decem-
ber 25, 1851, in Stark county, Ohio, was the
daughter of John and Catherine ( Boatman )
Ditch, her father being a native of Pennsyl-
vania, and her mother of Ohio, their mar-
riage taking place in Ohio. Her parents
came to Illinois in the spring of 1852, com-
ing along down via the Ohio river to Evans-
ville, Indiana, thence overland to Illinois,
where they settled on a farm in Claremont
township, Richland county, where her father
bought forty acres, for which he paid two
hundred and fifty dollars, and which con-
sisted of unimproved land. He started in
and built a log house for his family, and put
the land into the shape of a farm. Here they
lived until the death of her mother which
occurred December 23, 1880, at the age of
fifty-four years. Her father survived five
years longer, dying January 16, 1885, at the
age of sixty-six. Both were buried in Goss
cemetery, German township. They were the
parents of fourteen children, of whom half

the number arrived at maturity ; seven dying
in childhood. Mrs. Daniel Beck was the
seventh in order of birth.

For a year after their marriage Daniel
Beck and his wife lived with his parents on
the German township homestead. At the end
of that time Daniel took a lease on ten acres
in German township. This was all timber.
He built a log house, a rather small one, and
cleared the land, remaining there for four
years. He then moved upon the farm he
now occupies in section 28, Claremont town-
ship. During his early days in Richland
county, as is well known, deer and wild tur-
keys were very numerous, and the many
wolves which inhabited the timber made life
precarious for the sheep.

In his early days Daniel Beck met with
some hardships and ill-luck which might
have daunted a weaker man. Application and
industriousness brought prosperity, however,
and he has now a well kept farmstead. In
order to build his house there he cut the tim-
ber on his land, hauled it to the saw mill, and
had it sawed into lumber, and hauled it back
again, unaided. He employed his brother-
in-law, John Ditch, to build the house.

He and his wife have had six children.
Four grew up and two died in early life.
Sarah E. is the wife of Eli Sager in Clare-
mont township; Rachael C. died at the age
of fifteen ; Mary Matilda married Sam Cer-
ber, deceased, and is now the wife of Adolph
Scherer in German township; John Luther
died aged eight years; Ira J. lives on a farm
in Madison township ; and Emma Eunice
died in infancy. Daniel Beck and his wife

RICHLAND, CLAY AXD MARION* COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

325

also reared three orphan children, two boys
and one girl. One of the boys, Charles
Smith, is now married and lives in California
near Long Beach. Leslie Dickerson, the
other boy, and Carrie Shaw, the girl, still
live at home on the farm. They are receiv-
ing a good education; Miss Shaw is a grad-
uate of home schools and possesses three
diplomas.

Daniel Beck before he was quite five years
old attended subscription school in Clare-
mont township ; afterwards at a subscription
school in German township ; and for another
term in Claremont township with Ben Law-
yer as teacher. He attended school off and
on irregularly until his twenty-first year. The
"three R's" were principally the studies en-
gaged in, and considering the schooling of
the day he received a very good education.
The hewn pin-legged seats, without backs,
were then in use, and wide planks set against
the sides of the wall were the desks used to
write on.

In politics Daniel Beck is a Democrat,
with a lasting admiration for both Stevenson
(once Vice-President) and the silver-tongued
William J. Bryan. He is, or at least has been,
somewhat active in local affairs. He was
once elected poundmaster, an office which he
declined. He served several terms as a
School Director in the school district of Hick-
ory Point. He lives in section No. 28. He
has never sat on a jury, and though he was
summoned several times as a witness the
few cases never came to trial.

He and his wife and family have always
been members and faithful workers of the

St. James Lutheran church in Claremont.
He is an elder of the church, having been
chosen to fill a vacancy. He can lay the
claim also, as before stated, to be one of the
originators of the church, which is now in
its third building, being at one time an old
log structure.

In everyday life, Daniel Beck is a man
whose word is as good, if not better, than the
bond of many. Honesty and integrity are
no meaningless words with him and his
records as a man and citizen are without
blemish.

HENDERSON BOYAKIN WHAM.

A native of Haines township, Marion
county, and having spent the sixty years
of his life there, naturally the subject of
this sketch is known to every man, woman
and child in that section of the state. Mr.
Wham has been very much in the public eye,
in various capacities, having on more than
one occasion been closely identified with
the affairs of the township in an official way,
and it may not be amiss to state, in this
connection, that his constituents never had
cause to regret the fact of having conferred
upon him their suffrages. He is known as
a devoutly religious man.

Mr. Wham was born in Haines township
March 25, 1848, being the offspring of Wil-
liam and Louisa (Rainey) Wrham, the for-
mer a native of Tennessee, while the latter
was born in Kentucky. The grandfather of
the subject was a native of Ireland, and

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

came to America shortly after the Revolu-
tionary war, settling in South Carolina on
a farm. Later he went to Tennessee, where
he died, and the father and grandmother of
Mr. Wham moved to Marion county, set-
tling in Haines township, where later the
former was married. The couple entered a
farm of prairie and timber land in Haines
township that was purchased from the gov-
ernment. He broke the land and built upon
it what was then considered a very com-
modious dwelling. He was a very progres-
sive man, and did much to develop the
region. After improving his own land he
did much work for his neighbors in the way
of breaking the sod, using an ox team, and
to him was also due the construction of
many good roads. He was a Whig and
later a Republican. His wife died in 1883,
and he survived her ten years. He was born
in 1817, and his helpmate in 1818. They
were both devout members of the Presby-
terian church for many years, but in later
years became members of the Methodist
denomination. There were born to the
couple eight children, namely: Margaret
Ann, widow of James M. Mount; Martha,
widow of William K. Storment, living at
Cartter, Illinois; Elizabeth, deceased, was
the wife of John R. Morrison ; Minerva, de-
ceased, was the wife of Thomas J. Holt;
Jerusha, deceased, was the wife of Mathew
M. Gaston; H. B., our subject; Mathew R.,
deceased, and William R., living at Cartter,
Illinois.

The early life of the subject was spent on
a farm in Haines township. He attended
the common schools and later the high

school at Centralia, Illinois. In 1871 he
married Nancy Jane Stonecipher, daughter
of Joshua and Nancy A. (Hall) Stone-
cipher, both being natives of Tennessee and
early settlers of Marion county. The sub-
ject and his wife had ten children, viz. :
Prof. George D., a teacher of pedagogy in
the State Normal School at Carbondale,
who married Edith Page, of Olney, Illinois,
and who is the father of one child, John
Page Wham; Nellie Eunice, wife of T. E.
Maulding, East St. Louis, has one child,
Howard B. ; Phoebe, wife of E. P. Gaston,
Centralia, Illinois, has one child, Helen,
Edgar B., a successful merchant of Cartter,
Illinois, married Anna Blair; Frederick,
senior in law department of the University
of Illinois at Champaign, Illinois; Charles,
in school at Champaign, taking a literary
course; Florence, at home; Benjamin in
school at Carbondale, normal course; Wil-
liam J., died in infancy; infant, unnamed,
deceased.

Joshua Stonecipher and wife, parents of
Mrs. Wham, had fourteen children and
they are all dead but five, Hiram, Phoebe,
Mary, Curtis and Mrs. Wham. The Stone-
cipher family is very highly respected in
Marion county. William Wham, grand-
father of the subject, was the father of eight
children, Joseph, John, Benjamin, William,
Isabella, Ann, Jane and Elizabeth. Mathew
Rainey, the maternal grandfather of the
subject, also had eight children, all of whom
are dead. They were: Louisa Ann, Jeru-
sia, Jane, Sarah, Patsey, William, Robert
and Samuel.

The subject has one of the most attractive

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

327

farms in Haines township. He has con-
structed a spacious dwelling and ample
barns. He has been a stock raiser for many
years, and handles the very best grade of
horses, mules, cattle and sheep. Although
he is a very busy man Mr. Wham has a
great love for literature, and spends much
time among his books. The subject began
teaching school in 1867, and spent alto-
gether twenty-five years as a pedagogue.
He was a successful instructor and did
much for the cause of education in Marion
county, and particularly Haines township.
He early became an enthusiastic champion
of the State Normal School located at Car-
bondale, and it is a matter of record that
Marion county stands first in the state out-
side of the county in which the school is lo-
cated in the number of students attending
that institution. It is also a fact, of which
Mr. Wham may feel justly proud, that
Haines township, where he taught for so
many years, has furnished more students for
the State Normal than any other township
in Marion county. He is a Republican and
has been Supervisor of Haines township
twice, Town Clerk one term, besides serving
as Assessor. As an evidence of his popu-
larity it may be stated that Haines town-
ship is Democratic normally, but Mr.
Wham received an unusually large plurality.
He has rarely been defeated for public
office, but when he ran for County Treasurer
in 1906 he was defeated by forty-two votes.
Mr. Wham has been a Sunday school
teacher and superintendent for a number of
years, and has taken a great interest in
church work.

LYDIA PHILLIPS GERBER.

Of the older residents of Claremont
township there are few that are better
known and more widely respected than the
subject of this brief notice, who was born
July 14, 1834, in Stark county, Ohio, the
daughter of David and Sarah Phillips, her
mother's name being Hosier and a native of
Stark county. Her father was a Pennsyl-
vanian and moved from there with his par-
ents when almost at the age of manhood.
His parents settled in Stark county, Ohio,
where they lived for some years before
coming to Illinois. About the year 1840,
they moved and settled in Claremont town-
ship, Richland county, one year before
Richland county was surveyed. Lydia
Phillips was then but six years of age. In
Richland county her parents entered forty
acres of unimproved land, the greater part
of which was covered with timber. This
land he (her father) bought from the gov-
ernment at one dollar and twenty-five cents
an acre. He started to clear and improve
the land and built a crude log house of
hewn logs. Industriously he kept adding
to his property until he had two hundred
acres at the time of his death. When two
years in Illinois his parents left Ohio and
made their home with the younger family,
where they remained until their deaths,
which took place when they were well on
in the eighties.

Lydia Phillips remained with her parents
on their farm until her marriage to Wil-
liam Gerber, which was celebrated on June
20, 1856. She and her husband settled on

I'.lor.KAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

forty acres of land in Claremont township,
at a later period they bought more, making
a total of one hundred acres. Here they
remained in peaceful married life and work-
ing hard until the death of William Gerber,
which event occurred on January 3, 1896,
when he had reached his sixty-sixth year.
He was the son of Phillip and Susannah
Gerber, his mother's name being Sager,
both of them being natives of Pennsylvania,
where William was born on February 24,
1830. He moved with his parents to San-
dusky, Ohio, then to Indiana, and later re-
turning again to Ohio. Afterwards they
moved to Illinois and settled in Richland
county, where his parents died. They are
buried in Claremont township cemetery.

Lydia Phillips was the eldest of eight
children born to her parents, all of whom
grew to maturity. She herself was blessed
with eight children. All of them grew to
maturity, but four have since died. In the
order of their birth, they are : Sarah Jane,
Elizabeth, Matilda K., John P., George W.,
Levi D., Ellen and Henry. George is the
only child who married. He and his wife
live on the homestead with his mother and
are the parents of four children, all of whom
live. They are: Inez Myrtle, Charles Os-
car, Grace A., and Francis W.

Lydia Phillips Gerber attended in her
early days the free schools in Claremont
township near her home. The building was
an old log house with a fireplace which was
built of mud and sticks. The seats were
four log slabs balanced upon four pegs
which stood for legs. The books used were

McGuffey's readers and the elementary
speller and a few others which were the
principal text-books of the time. Here she
attended school for seventeen years and ob-
tained a good share of information.

Her husband during his life was a Demo-
crat in politics. In religion she and her
husband and the grandparents were mem-
bers of the Lutheran church in Claremont
township. During her long life she has
never omitted to give her church duties a
proper share of attention. She has always
been respected in the congregation to which
she belongs.

JAMES M. DACE.

Among the representative business men
of Marion county is the subject of this
sketch, who is at present proprietor of a well
known and flourishing restaurant in Odin,
and who is carrying on his line of business
with that enterprise and discretion which
are sure to find their sequel in definite suc-
cess.

James M. Dace was born in Monroe City,
Monroe county, Illinois, on April 18, 1861,
but was educated in the public schools of
this county, where he applied himself in a
careful manner and received a good educa-
tion. He later took a commercial course in
the Bryant and Stratton Business College
of St. Louis. After leaving school, our
subject devoted himself to fanning, having
while attending school worked on his fa-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

329

ther's farm. This he followed with success
attending his efforts until 1888, then he
traveled for a period of seven years for the
D. M. Osborn Company, successfully han-
dling a line of agricultural implements, and
obtaining a large amount of trade for them.
In 1895 Mr. Dace gave up his position on
the road and opened his present business in
Odin, that of conducting a restaurant. His
success was instantaneous, and he has since
conducted the same with much satisfaction
attending his efforts, his neat, well equipped
and carefully managed restaurant being
known far and wide to the transient visitors
to Odin, as well as to numerous local pa-
trons. Here is served the very best grade
of materials that the market affords and all
guests are accorded the kindest considera-
tion and most courteous treatment, so that
a customer is never lost, but all speak in
praise of our subject's place of business,
which would be a credit to any town, much
less one the size of Odin.

Mr. Dace has long taken considerable in
terest in public affairs, his unusual talents
having been recognized early by his many
political friends, so that he was sought out
for public office, with the result that he has
been Supervisor of his township for the
past twelve years which position he has
held with great credit to himself and with
satisfaction to all concerned. In politics
he is a loyal Democrat.

The married life of Mr. Dace dates from
1884, when he was united in the bonds of
wedlock with Lulu Charlton, a native of
this county and a daughter of Sidney and

Henrietta (Gaines) Charlton, natives of
this county. The paternal grandfather ot
our subject's wife came to this county in an
early day, taking up twelve hundred acres
of land, which he developed and on which
he raised his family and where he died, hav-
ing lived to an old age. His wife, who is
still living, is very old.

The subject and wife have no children
living. Mrs. Dace belongs to the Christian
church. Our subject in his fraternal rela-
tions is a member of the ancient and honor-
able order of Masons, the Knights of
Pythias and the Woodmen, having filled
many of the chairs in the latter. He at
present holds offices in two of these lodges.
He also belongs to the Red Men. Mr. Dace
has always been known as a man of sound
business principles, kind hearted, liberal and
pleasant to all.

JACOB BURGENER.

It is almost unnecessary at this time to
speak of the part played by European exiles
in the upbuilding of this nation. They came
here prior to the Revolution, the stream grew
larger and more constant at its close, and
they have still continued to come in large
numbers. We have always plenty of room
for them and they pay us back, and have
paid us back, by their industrious and frugal
lives and by their contributions to the pros-
perity of our United States.

The subject of this sketch comes of a mid
European race — the hardy Swiss mountain-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

eers. Jacob Burgener was born in the Can-
ton of Bern, Switzerland, on June 3, 1845,
the son of Jacob and Anna Burgener. His
parents were both natives of Switzerland,
where his father was born. In April of the
year 1847 the subject of this sketch came
with his parents to the United States, land-
ing in New York harbor. The voyage across
the vast stretches of the Atlantic ocean was a
tedious one in those days and their trip in a
sailing vessel was of forty-six days' duration
having been beaten out of their course sev-
eral times by storms; many hundred sharks
followed at times in the wake of the ship;
and many, of the emigrants died at sea, their
bodies being sewed in a sack in lieu of a
shroud and then thrown overboard to make
food for the sharks.

On their arrival in New York they set out
for Richland county, Ohio, where they rent-
ed a farm and remained for two or three
years. In the year 1850 they migrated over-
land in wagons from Ohio to Illinois, where
they settled in Richland county, Preston
township. Here they worked on the farm
of an old inhabitant named Jacob Yoggy,
and some few years later they entered eighty
acres bought from the government at the
current price of one dollar and a quarter an
acre in Preston township, and later added
forty acres. Eighty acres of this land was
mostly prairie land, and forty acres con-
tained timber, and there was not even a fence
or a well on the property. Jacob Burgener
began at once to improve his holding and
built a log house with a long shed on the side
running the full length of the house. In

this shed the cows were kept and the noise of
the cow-bells ringing every night sounded
almost like alarm clocks to the family. A log
stable was also built and fences were put up,
and in this work the family were helped by
an uncle, William Van Alman, who broke
many an acre of the ground. At this time
the subject of our sketch was nine or ten
years old. His grandfather Burgener was
also with them, having come from Switzer-
land. He also settled in Preston township
where he lived until his demise, being buried
in the German Reform cemetery, Preston
township, aged eighty years.

Jacob Burgener was about fourteen or fif-
teen years old when his mother died. She
is buried in the German Reform cemetery
in Preston township. Her mother and fa-
ther were born in Switzerland, when mother
died father came to the United States,
and she had two brothers and three
sisters who helped to swell the tide of emi-
gration to the United States. Some time
after his mother's death his father mar-
ried again, his second wife's name being
Margaret Stucchi. She died in the year
1903 and is also buried in the German Re-
form cemetery in Preston township. Jacob
Burgener remained with his father on the
farm until about twenty-two years of age.
During his years on his father's farm rattle-
snakes abounded there. Herds of wild deer,
wolves and wild game were also in evidence,
the wolves, especially, being so numerous
and ferocious that they did not dare let the
sheep out at night.

At the age of twenty-two Jacob Burgener

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

331

left his father's farm and went to work for
some neighbors, obtaining a wage of about
thirteen or fourteen dollars per month. In
December, 1871, he married Anna Combs,
who was born in Claremont county, Ohio.
She was the daughter of Abner and Eliza-
beth Combs, her mother's name being Eliza-
beth Smizer, natives of Ohio, who came to
Illinois and settled in Preston township in
the year 1860, where they built a fine house
and barn and spent about two thousand dol-
lars in improvements upon their farm of over
three hundred acres. Mrs. Burgener's fa-
ther died in 1884 and her mother still sur-
vives, living in Preston township at the age
of ninety-two years.

On his marriage Jacob Burgener settled
on a farm of forty acres in Olney township,
which his father-in-law had given him, and
there he remained until his removal to his
present farm of two hundred acres in Clare-
mont township in the year 1881. While liv-
ing in Olney township his wife died on Feb-
ruary 23, 1878, in her thirty-first year, and
was buried in Olney. Three children were
born of the marriage, two boys and one girl,
all of whom are now married and have fami-
lies of their own. Their names are: Wil-
liam A., Harry L., and Winona. William
A. lives in Olney township on a one hundred
and sixty acre farm. Harry L. lives in Clare-
mont township on forty acres of fine im-
proved land. Winona is the wife of Charles
Elliott and lives in Montana.

Jacob Burgener re-married on October 15,
1 88 1, Sophia (Fritchle) Garber, widow of
John Garber. She was born September 2,

1845, in Olney township, Richland county,
Illinois, being the daughter of Jacob and
Lydia (Strathe) Fritchle. Her father was
a native of Germany and her mother of
Pennsylvania. They were married in Ohio
and lived for some time near Canton, Ohio,
afterwards, about the year 1839, coming to
Richland county, Illinois, and settling on the
farm on which they lived until their deaths.
Her mother died in the year 1857 an<^ ner
father in 1899, at the age of eighty-one or
eighty-two years. Both lie buried in the
Lutheran cemetery in Claremont township,
situated near where the old log church used
to stand. By her first marriage the second
Mrs. Burgener had four children, only one
of whom is living. They were: Jake P.,
Daniel, Charles, all deceased, and Mary E.,
who is living and is married to William H.
Haulterman, the owner of a splendid farm
in Jasper county, Illinois.

Jacob Burgener in his young days attend-
ed about two winter terms at the free school
in Preston township. His work at home on
the farm interfered with his school attend-
ance and he consequently did not receive
much education. He was quick to learn,
however, and became proficient in reading,
writing, spelling, and some arithmetic. He
has been active in the life of the township and
county, is a Democrat in politics, and has
served a term on the county grand jury at
Olney. He and his wife and the members
of their family all belong to the Lutheran
church, his first wife being a Methodist. The
Burgeners have always been known to take
an active part in church affairs.

332

BIOGRAPHICAL AND RKM I MS( ' I-.NT HISTORY OF

During his lengthy life Jacob Burgener
has worked hard and prospered and as a re-
sult has two hundred acres of fine farm land
well improved. He is now past his sixty-
second year, with his present wife the same
age, and he enjoys fairly good health. He
is an influential man in the township and well
known and respected by his neighbors.

BENJAMIN F. NORFLEET.

This venerable and highly honored citi-
zen of Raccoon township, represents that
class of noble American citizens who spend
their lives in the rural districts, the great
producers, on whom the rest of the world
depends, and his life has been so active and
carefully lived that success has attended al-
most his every effort.

Benjamin F. Norfleet was born in Mont-
gomery county, Tennessee, May 29, 1832,
the son of Marmaduke and Malinda (Mc-
Fadden) Norfleet, natives of Montgomery
county. The subject's grandfather was
James Norfleet, a native of North Carolina.
He married in that state, but lived in Mont-
gomery county, Tennessee, most of his life.
He was a farmer and raised a good deal of
fruit. He was noted for the fine apple and
peach brandy which he made. He and his
wife died in that county. They were the
parents of three sons and four daughters.
He was of Welsh descent. There were three
brothers of the Norfleet family who came
to America, namely: James, Marmaduke
and Starkey. They settled in North Caro-

lina. The subject's grandfather, David
McFadden, was a native of Ireland. He
married Elizabeth Elliott. He came to
America shortly after they were married.
He came first to this country and in six
months sent for his wife. He settled in
Montgomery county, Tennessee, on the Red
river. He got six hundred and forty acres
of government land. He cleared a great
deal of the land and built a fine home on it.
He was a farmer and a successful business
man. They lived the rest of their lives in
Montgomery county and reared a large
family. The subject's father and mother
were both born in Montgomery county,
Tennessee. The former was educated in
the home schools and was a self-learned
man and became a good scholar. He was
a carpenter and farmer. In 1855 he went
to Stewart county, Tennessee, and bought
a farm there. He was Justice of the Peace,
was active in Democratic politics. He and
his wife were members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. Mrs. Norfleet died in
Stewart county, Tennessee. They were the
parents of thirteen children, namely : Ben-
jamin Franklin, our subject; David, a
farmer in Stewart county, Tennessee; Hen-
ry A., a farmer in Stewart county, Tennes-
see; George, a farmer in the same county;
Virginia, who lives in the same county;
Josephine L. also lives in that county ;
Mary Elizabeth became a resident of Wil-
liamson county, Illinois, where she died.
The rest of the children are all deceased.

The subject of this sketch had only a lim-
ited education, obtained in the subscription
schools. He lived at home until he was

RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

333

twenty-two years of age. He was united
in marriage October 10, 1855, to Josephine
Hamlett, of Montgomery county, Tennes-
see, the daughter of James and Jane (At-
kins) Hamlett, the former of North Caro-
lina, and the latter of Montgomery county,
Tennessee, to which county the former went
when ten years of age. He was a carpen-
ter and cabinet maker, and he and his wife
lived in that county the rest of their lives.
They were the parents of eight children,
namely: James, deceased; Frank is a car-
penter in Marshall, Texas; Mary Jane is
deceased; the fourth child died in infancy;
Jackson is deceased; Josephine, the sub-
ject's wife; Maria, of Nashville, Tennes-
see; Margaret, of Clarksville, Tennessee.
Eleven children have been born to the
subject and wife, one of whom is deceased,
namely : Emma is the wife of F. G. Boggs,
of Raccoon township, whose sketch appears
in full on another page of this volume;
Marmaduke, a farmer in Raccoon township,
married Lucy Boggs ; Edgar, who is con-
nected with "The Houston Post," at
Houston, Texas, married Belle Clayburn;
Ella died young; Jefferson, who married
Minnie Brown, is a farmer at Springfield,
Illinois; Dora, who married Ira Richard-
son, lives at Muskogee, Oklahoma ; Thomas
M., who is an engineer in a coal mine at
Springfield, Illinois, married Hattie Few;
Sidney, a carpenter living at St. Louis, Mis-
souri, married Nettie Stader; Beulah, the
widow of William Stewart, lives at Centra-
lia, Illinois; Benjamin F., Jr., who lives in
Lexington, Kentucky, married a Miss Mc-

Murphy. He is a well known professor in
that city, being connected with a correspon-
dence school there. Starkey, the youngest
child, who married Ava Davis, is a farmer
at Muskogee, Oklahoma.

After our subject married he and his wife
lived in Montgomery county, Tennessee,
until 1865, when he went to Trenton, Ken-
tucky, where he purchased a farm. He also
worked at the carpenter's trade until 1870.
He came to Marion county, Illinois, lo-
cating in Raccoon township, on Tennessee
Prairie, where he rented land for one year
and bought eighty acres in section 22 and
twenty acres in section 27, on which he
built a house and lived there for twenty
years, when he bought his present place of
forty acres known as the Wesley Willis
place in Raccoon township. He has worked
at the carpenter's trade since he was sixteen
years old, and, being thus naturally gifted,
he became a very fine workman. He has
worked at his trade with much success. He
has been a most excellent farmer. He re-
tired in 1905. He learned his trade from
his father. A great deal of the time he pre-
ferred to rent his land and follow carpentry.

Mr. Norfleet has served as Highway
Commissioner for five years, and two terms
as school trustee; also two terms as director.
He is a Democrat in his political relations.
Mrs. Norfleet is a member of the Christian
church and the subject is a member of the
Free Will Baptist church. Members of the
Norfleet family are well known in Marion
county and they have a modern and nicely
furnished home.

334

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

LUTHER HOLT, M. D.

Although but in the meridian of life the
subject of this sketch has had wonderful
success in alleviating the ills and sufferings
of his fellow men, and in Haines township,
Marion county, he is regarded as a credit
to the noble profession in which he has been
engaged for more than twenty years. His
boyhood days were spent on a farm, but
early in life he showed a desire to become a
medical practitioner, and when his school
days came to an end his parents decided that
the longing of his heart should be realized.

Dr. Holt was born in Haines township,
May 14, 1862, the son of Charles Wesley
and Violindia (Wilkins) Holt. The father
of the subject first saw the light of day in
West Virginia, November 20, 1834, and
was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Jack-
son) Holt, the latter a native of South Caro-
lina. Joseph, after going South, where he
was married, settled in Virginia, and final-
ly removed to Tennessee, where he lived
until 1837, when he decided that he could
better his condition by moving further west,
and as a result, emigrated to Marion coum
ty, settling at Centralia. Later he took up
his residence in Washington county, Il-
linois, and remained there until the death
of his wife, Elizabeth (Jackson) Holt,
which occurred in 1847. After this sad
event he went to Texas, and died there a
few years later. The couple were survived
by eleven children, Joseph, John, Eliza,
Gordon W., Lee, Sarah J., Thomas J.
Charles W., Nathaniel. Albert and Fletcher
L.

Charles W. Holt, father of the subject,
has spent all of his life in Marion county,
Illinois. He was only three years old when
the family removed to the state, making the
trip with an ox team and pack horses.
When a young man he worked on farms,
and was employed at times as a laborer on
public improvements. He helped to grade
the Illinois Central road when it was con-,
structed, and this work was done with shov-
els and wheel-barrows. Later he began
farming for himself on forty acres in sec-
tion 12, settling on his present farm in sec-
tion 15, in 1865, which was almost an un-
broken prairie at the time. This farm now
consists of 220 acres of well tilled land.

The mother of the subject is a native of
Marion county, being the daughter of Ben-
jamin and Cloanna (Brewer) Wilkins, the
latter a native of Kentucky. Her parents
were early settlers of Marion county, and
are both dead. The father and mother of
the subject are members of the Baptist
church at Pleasant Grove. Mr. Holt is a
Democrat and has served in the capacity of
school director. In connection with the cul-
tivation of his farm, he gives considerable
attention to stock breeding, raising a high
grade of mules, horses, cattle, sheep, hogs.
Dr. Holt, the subject of this sketch, lives on
the farm with his father and mothW, upon
which is a building which is utilized by him
as an office. He received a common school
education, and in 1884 entered the St.
Louis Medical College, and three years later
graduated in medicine and surgery. He
then returned to Illinois and began prac-
ticing with Dr. A. P. Kell, at Fortville, but

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

335

after a short time went to Xenia, Illinois,
where for one year he practiced with T>r.
Shirley. At the end of that interval he re-
turned to his father's farm, and since then
has conducted his practice from that place.
In 1889 the subject was married to Josie
Huff, who was born and raised in Haines
township, and is the daughter of Thomas
and Emma (Fulton) Huff. Seven children
were born to the subject and his wife, six
of whom survive. They are Hallie, Althia,
Edna, Earl, Edgar, Ida and Roy. Althia
is dead; Edna lives with her parents, and
Hallie is a teacher in the Marion county
schools. Dr. Holt is a member of the Ma-
rion County Medical Society, and in politics
he is a Democrat. He has served as School
Director, and is a stockholder in a Salem
bank. He has always taken a great interest
in public affairs.

WILLIAM VAN ALMAN.

One of the owners of extensive farming
interests in Richland county is the gentle-
man whose name initiates this sketch, who
resides in Preston township. His valuable
property has been acquired through his own
efforts — his persistency of purpose and his
determination, and the prosperity which is
the legitimate reward of all earnest effort
is today his.

William Van Alman was born in
Switzerland. July 5, 1828. the son of
Christian and Anna (Milliman) Van Al-

man, also natives of Switzerland, where
they lived and died. The father of the sub-
ject was a farmer and died when the latter
was ten years old, and he was only three
years old, when his mother died. They
were the parents of seven children, four
girls and three boys, William being the
youngest. He was reared in his native land
and received a common school education.
When nineteen years old he went through
the regular drill required of all able bodied
young men. He had left home when six-
teen, having secured the required passport
to leave his native section of Switzerland.
He worked on farms and at dairy work for
several years. In the latter part of 1849
in company with two older brothers and a
cousin, he came to the United States in an
old-fashioned sailing vessel, being fifty-four
days making the ocean voyage, landing at
New Orleans, where he says he saw his first
"nigger." He came up the Mississippi and
Ohio rivers to Louisville, Kentucky, where
he arrived January i, 1850. He soon went
to Ripley county, Indiana, where his cousin
lived, and in the following March went to
Mount Vernon, Illinois. That same spring
he came to Richland county, and went to
work on a farm for seven dollars per
month. He saved his money which he add-
ed to what he had when he came to the
United States. In 1852 he entered one
hundred and sixty acres of land in Preston
township, eighty acres of prairie and eighty
acres of bottom land. He at once built a
log cabin and began improving his place,
having bought a yoke of cattle and began

336

inOGKAPHICAL AXU REMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

breaking the prairie land, and being a hard
worker, he was not long in making many
changes on his farm. He bought more
oxen and continued breaking land for his
neighbors for ten years— rover one thousand
acres in all. He operated a threshing ma-
chine for thirty years, wearing out six ma-
chines during that time, and doing a large
and prosperous business in this line. He
became prosperous and at one time owned
three hundred acres. He is at this writing
the owner of two hundred and fifty acres.

Olney was a hamlet of only a few houses
— mean wooden structures — when Mr. Van
Alman came here. William Van Alman
was united in marriage October 7, 1862,
to Elizabeth Mattingly, who was born in
Jasper county, Illinois, the daughter of
George and Elizabeth Mattingly. The sub-
ject and wife are the parents of thirteen
children, six of whom grew to maturity.
They are, Matilda, Stephen, died when thir-
ty-two years old ; Charles, Emma is the wife
of William Lamkin, who lives in Louis-
ville, Kentucky; Fred W. is a farmer in
Preston township ; Louise is the wife of Ed.
Williams, living on the old homestead.

Politically Mr. Van Alman is a Demo-
crat, having always supported the principals
of that party. He and his wife are mem-
bers of the German Reformed church in
Preston township.

Mr. Van Alman was the first person to
break the banks of the Ambrose river to
cross with a wagon in this section. He was
the first person to subscribe fifty dollars for
the construction of a bridge across this
stream, where a ferry used to be main-

tained. He built the first ferry across the
Ambrose river in the pioneer days; in fact,
he built four ferries before a bridge was
constructed. His name is associated with
progress in the county of his adoption and
among those in whose midst he has so long
lived and labored, he is held in the highest
esteem by reason of an upright life of fidel-
ity to principles.

WILLIAM F. BUNDY.

Holding distinctive prestige among the
enterprising citizens of Marion county, is
William F. Bundy, whose record here briefly
outlined, is that of a man who has been the
architect of his own fortunes, a self-made
man, who, by the exercise of talents with
which nature endowed him, has successfully
surmounted unfavorable environment and
rose to the position he now occupies as one
of the influential attorneys of the city hon-
ored by his residence. He is a creditable
representative of one of the old and highly
esteemed pioneer families of southern Il-
linois, and possesses many of the admirable
qualities and characteristics of his sturdy
ancestors who figured in the history of the
early days in this section of the great
Prairie state. Isaac Bundy, the subject's
father, was born October 4, 1828, in Rac-
coon township, this county, where he de-
voted his manhood years to agricultural
pursuits and became known as a most ex-
emplary citizen, for many years a minister
in the Methodist Episcopal church, always
doing his full share in the promotion and

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

337

growth of his part of the county. On June
7, 1849, he was united in marriage with
Amanda M. Richardson, after he had re-
turned home from the Mexican war, in
which he served with distinction, having en-
listed in Colonel Newby's First Regiment,
on June 8, 1847, and soon afterward began
the long and arduous march from Kansas
City, Missouri, to Albuquerque, New Mex-
ico; after the close of hostilities, marching
back over the same route. John A. Logan,
afterwards a conspicuous general in the war
between the states, was then a second lieu-
tenant of Company H, of the famous First
Regiment, which did such effective work in
the land of the ancient Montezumas, in
which regiment Mr. Bundy served until his
honorable discharge on October 13, 1848,
having been a member of Company C. This
was usually referred to as the Illinois Foot
Volunteer Regiment, in which General
James S. Martin, whose sketch appears in
this volume, was a private. Isaac Bundy
was also in the Civil war, having enlisted
as a private at Springfield, Illinois, Novem-
ber 1 8, 1 86 1, remaining at Camp Butler, near
that city for a time. He was appointed
chaplain, October 7, 1862, and after serving
faithfully until October 24, 1864, resigned
on account of illness and returned home in
Raccoon township, where he spent the re-
mainder of his life, passing to his rest De-
cember 13, 1899, his death having been
deeply lamented by the people among whom
he had so long lived and by whom he was
held in such high esteem.

Amanda M. (Richardson) Bundy, moth-
22

er of the subject, was the daughter of Rev.
James I. Richardson, of the Methodist Eis-
copal church, who came to this state in an
early days, and for some time was presiding
elder of the Southern Illinois Conference,
of the above mentioned denomination, hav-
ing been located at Salem, McLeansboro,
Benton, Spring Garden, Central City and
many other charges in the southern part of
the state. Although his education was
gained by the pine knot and tallow candle,
with a short term in the common schools,
he developed a strong mind, and this, coupled
with an indomitable will, enabled him to sur-
mount many obstacles and accomplish much
good. He was a large man physically, hav-
ing stood six feet two inches in height. Be-
ing a strong Abolitionist, he took an active
part in "underground railroad" work, as-
sisting to free the negro from slavery when-
ever an opportunity came. His talents at-
tracted public attention wherever he went,
and he was sought for positions of public
trust and very ably served as a member of
the sixteenth General Assembly, from Ma-
rion county. Many of his associates in the
House at that time later became noted in
many walks of life. Reverend Richardson
served in the Black Hawk war of 1832, hav-
ing been a member of the Spy Battalion,
Mounted Volunteers, under Capt. William
Dobbins, which was mustered in June 17,
1832, taking part in the battle of Kellogg's
Grove, eight days later, June 25th, under
eral Atkinson, in which engagement this
company had fourteen horses killed, six
wounded and three captured. The Spy Bat-

338

mnCKAl'IIlCAI, AXI) KKMIMSCKNT HISTORY OF

talion, which was first organized in Marion
county, May 4, 1832, was mustered out on
August i6th, following. For his war rec-
ord, his political service and his ministry,
covering a period of over thirty years, Rev-
erend Richardson was a noted character in
Southern Illinois.

The subject's paternal great-grandfather,
Jonathan Bundy, was also a well known
character in this part of the state in its earli-
est pioneer period. He came from North
Carolina in 1817, having made the trip over-
land with his family, consisting of the fol-
lowing sons: William, Robert, Frederick
and John. William, who remained single
all his life, was a soldier in the War of 1812,
having fought at New Orleans, under Gen-
eral Jackson. Robert and Frederick reared
families, the descendants of whom still live
in Marion county, among whom is Wil-
liam K., the oldest son of Frederick Bundy.
John Bundy's family consisted of five sons,
namely: Isaac, Bailey, Alexander, George
and Samuel.

To Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Bundy, parents
of our subject, the following children were
born: Elizabeth Jane, who married Noah
E. Barr, is living near Salem, Dent county,
Missouri, their family consisting of four
boys and three girls; Asbury and Samuel
both died in infancy; Laura Alice married
James N. Adams, and they are the parents
of four boys and one girl, namely: Ernest
J. Sanford, James O., Rollin and Maud, all
living in Centralia, with the exception of
James O., who is living in Idaho. William
F., the subject of this sketch, was fifth in
order of birth, having been born in Rac-

coon township, Marion county, Illinois,
June 8, 1858. He was educated in Southern
Illinois Normal University, at Carbondale,
Illinois, and decided to study law. He was
married to Mary E. McNally, daughter of
James J. and Sarah A. (Carter) McNally.
Mr. McNally was born in Ireland, Septem-
ber 8, 1836. After coming to America, he
located in New York state, and when the
Civil war broke out he enlisted in the Thir-
ty-fifth New York Infantry and later in the
Twentieth New York Cavalry. In the latter
he became second lieutenant in Company E.
Mrs. McNally was born in Constableville,
Lewis county, New York, April 16, 1843.
She married Me McNally September 21,
1862.

To Mr. and Mrs. William F. Bundy the
following children have been born : Donald
M. (deceased) ; Dorothy E., Sarah Pauline,
and Margaret M.

Politically Mr. Bundy is a Republican,
and he has been called upon to serve in va-
rious official capacities, among which was
that of City Attorney, also City Clerk of
Centralia, for several terms each. When he
was young in the practice of his profession
he represented the Forty-second District of
Illinois in the General Assembly in the
House of Representatives, both in the forty-
second General Assembly (1901 to 1903),
and in the forty-third General Assembly,
(1903 to 1905). During the forty-second
General Assembly he was chairman of the
important committee of Senatorial Appoint-
ment and he was also a member of the
Steering Committee of the Republican
party, and in the forty-third General As-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

339

sembly he was chairman of the Committee
on Judicial Department and Practice. Mr.
Bundy took a very active part in the Legis-
lature while a member and won a record of
which anyone might be justly proud. He
was a member of the Republican State Cen-
tral Committee for the Twenty-third Con-
gressional District of Illinois from 1906 to
1908. Under the appointment of the Gov-
ernor, our subject is serving as one of the
trustees of the Southern Illinois Normal
University at Carbondale, his alma mater,
having been appointed early in 1908. He
has ever kept in touch with the interests of
his city and county and is an ardent advo-
acte and liberal patron of all worthy enter-
prises, making for their advancement and
prosperity. As a lawyer he is easily the peer
of any of his professional brethren through-
out the southern part of the state and the
honorable distinction, already achieved at
the bar is an earnest of the still wider sphere
of usefulness that he is destined to fill, as
he is yet in the prime of manhood and a
close observer of the trend of the times and
an intelligent student of the great questions
and issues upon which the thought of the
best minds of the world are centered.

CHARLES W. HOPKINS.

Charles W. Hopkins, retired hardware
merchant of Clay City, Illinois, is well and
favorably known at the present time as the
owner of one of the "banner" farms, for-

merly the property of his parents, of Clay
county. For fifteen consecutive years Clay
City was the scene of his successful en-
deavors as a hardware merchant. He has
not yet reached his fiftieth year, and while
he has already "made good" as a citizen
and a business man, many years of in-
creased prosperity await him in his farming
pursuits.

The subject of our sketch was born in
Mason county. West Virginia, on January
12, 1860, and was the son of William and
Adriana (Donnelly) Hopkins. Both par-
ents were natives of old Virginia, and came
of good stock. William Hopkins married
in his native state, resided on a farm there,
and was a member of the convention called
to partition the state into the present di-
visions of east and west. He ran boats on
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers for thirty-
five years. During that time he was cap-
tain of "The Tigress," which General Grant
pressed into service at Cairo, Illinois, dur-
ing the progress of the Civil war. All
through its meteoric career in the military
service he remained its captain under com-
mand of the gallant Grant. At Pittsburg
Landing, Grant made his headquarters upon
on the boat, and he and the elder Hopkins
had many chats together. Later then ran
the blockade at Vicksburg successfully, but
when they had safely passed the last battery
"The Tigress" sank, having been shot
through the hull. At this time Captain
Hopkins was home on a furlough, and ow-
ing to the loss of his boat was discharged
from the service. He then moved with his

340

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

family to Illinois, and settled in Clay
county, in the winter of 1865, having
bought nearly one thousand acres of land.
This he was easily able to do as at the time
of his arrival in Illinois his capital amount-
ed to something like seventy-five thousand
dollars. He had previously sold a farm in
Virginia for forty-three thousand dollars.
The farm settled in Clay county is now the
property of the subject of our sketch. In
1883 William Hopkins retired from his
farming activities and moved with his fam-
ily to Flora, Illinois, where he afterwards
died on July 25, 1887, aged sixty-nine
years. William Hopkins married three
times. Our subject was the youngest of
three children, and his mother died when he
was only three years of age. One of his
brothers, Andrew, by name, is now dead.
His father afterwards married Marian Kel-
ly, who died in 1873. Later he espoused
Kate Wilson, who still continues to survive
him. His second marriage brought Wil-
liam Hopkins three children, all of whom
grew to maturity though only one is now
living. His third marriage brought him
one son, Frank, who lives with his mother
in Evansville, Indiana.

Charles W. Hopkins remained in the pa-
rental home up to the time of his marriage
which occurred on the I5th of March, 1883,
with Mary E. Brissenden in Clay county,
Illinois. For a number of years he lived
on a farm near Clay City. In the spring
of 1886, he and his wife removed to Fur-
nas county, Nebraska, where he purchased
a farm of three hundred and twenty

acres. There they remained three years,
when Mrs. Hopkins returned to Clay coun-
ty, Illinois, on a visit. There she died on
May 25, 1887, being buried in the Clay
City cemetery. Our subject soon sold his
Nebraska property and went back to live in
Illinois in the fall of 1888. His marriage
resulted in the birth of two girls, Adrianna,
now the wife of Clayson Black, of Clay
City, who is engaged in the grocery busi-
ness, and Sarah A., who lives at the family
residence. Shortly after his return to Il-
linois, Charles W. Hopkins engaged in the
hardware business in Clay City, continuing
in the same for fifteen years to a day. De-
cember 24, 1889, he married Mary Barnes,
of Clay county, where she was born April
i, 1 86 1. She was the daughter of Joseph
and Ellen (Gardner) Barnes, natives of In-
diana. They married in the Hoosier state
and came to Illinois in 1857, settling in
Clay county, where they remained until
their deaths. Mrs. Barnes died December
i, 1866, aged thirty-three years. Her hus-
band married secondly Lou Chapman, a
widow, but their married life was of short
duration as she died within two years. Jo-
seph Barnes died April 27, 1891, aged fifty-
five years, and was buried in Xenia. His
first wife was buried in Oskaloosa. They
were the parents of five children, of whom
two died in infancy, our subject's wife be-
ing the third in order of birth.

Charles W. Hopkins sold his hardware
business on February 19, 1904, remained in
Clay City until April 29, 1906, and then
moved to the old homestead of his parents.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

341

where he now lives. He owns approximate-
ly five hundred and seventeen acres of some
of the best land in Clay county. His pres-
ent married life has also been a happy one,
three children having been born to him;
two boys and a girl — William B., Charles L.
and Hazel — all of whom live at home with
their parents.

Our subject has always been politically a
Republican and has served as Supervisor,
as member of the County Board in Clay
county for two years, as President of the
Town Board in Clay City for three terms.
He is a member of the Modern Woodmen
of America, Jefferson Lodge No. 1437, at
Clay City. Mrs. Hopkins is a. member of
the Methodist church in Clay City, and has
always taken an active part in church af-
fairs.

JOSEPH A. ENGLE.

The present Mayor of Claremont, Rich-
land county, Joseph A. Engle, is a veteran
of the Civil war. He was born December
12, 1829, in Vigo county, Indiana, and was
the son of John and Hannah Engle. His
father was a native of the Blue Grass state,
coming from Kentucky to Indiana with his
parents in early life. There they settled
upon a farm in Vigo county, where subse-
quently the older couple died. John Engle
at the time of his marriage bought a farm
of eighty acres in Parke county in the same
state. The newly married couple remained
there but a short time, returning to Vigo

county and purchasing a farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres. About this time
Joseph A. Engle, the subject of our present
sketch, was born. Later ninety-six acres
adjoining land was added to the family
property. Work upon the farm went on
steadily with good results, and it became
the permanent family residence. Here his
father's death occurred in 1863, and his
mother's the following year. At the time
of his father's death he was in the army,
but was home on wounded furlough when
his mother's death took place. His parents
are buried in Sulphur Springs Meeting-
house cemetery, which is but a mile and a
half from the farm where they died. Jo-
seph worked manfully on the farm in early
life and was of much assistance to his par-
ents. In his youth the homestead was a log-
cabin and the land was in a very raw state.
He helped materially to change the existing
condition of affairs.

His mother was born on the loth of Jan-
uary, 1812, and belonged to an old Indiana
family. Up to the time of her marriage she
lived with her parents on a farm on the
banks of Deer creek in Perry county. Her
father's death preceded her mother's by
several years. During her married life she
reared ten children, the oldest of which was
Joseph.

In his sixteenth year Joseph A. Engle
was apprenticed to the blacksmith trade in
Terre Haute. At the end of his term he
opened shop for himself, where he contin-
ued to work and prosper until the outbreak
of the Civil war. His business as a black-

342

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

smith necessitated the use of three furnaces
and the help of several skilled assistants.
Plows were manufactured in his establish-
ment and numerous wagons and buggies
were quipped. At this period of his life his
marriage with Rhoda C. Howell took place
in February, 1851. His wife was born in
the state. Her father died when she was
quite young; her mother, whose maiden
name was Gookins, survived him for sev-
eral years.

His marriage resulted in a family of five
children — three boys and two girls. Four
grew to maturity, one child dying at the
age of two years, while its father was
away on active military service. His wife
closed a happy life at the age of sixty-six
on June n, 1897. She is buried at Sod-
dom cemetery. Her children's names are:
Olive, John H., Samuel A., William and
Mary, who died in infancy, as above record-
ed.

Joseph A. Engle in July, 1862, joined
Company B, of the Eighty-fifth Regiment
Indiana Volunteers, under Col. John P.
Beard, in the western division of the army
commanded by Sherman. His company
moved to the front via Indianapolis, Cin-
cinnati and Covington, his company first
engaging the enemy at Thompson Station.
Being unwell at this crucial period he did
not participate, but his brother, who was
also on the ground fought in the engage-
ment. He was a flag bearer to the company
and was captured, being immediately shipped
to Libby prison, from which place he was
later discharged on account of chronic sick-

ness. Joseph's indisposition, however, was
only temporary. He was destined to go
through the thick of the struggle. He par-
ticipated in nine of the fierce engagements
which took place in the vicinity of Georgia.
He fought at Buzzard's Roost, Georgia,
May 8, 1864; at Burned Church on May 26,
at Calfsville, May igth to the 22d; Gulp's
House, June 22d; Dallas, also known as
Burnt Hickory, May 25th to June 5th ; Dai-
ton, May 9th and August I4th to i6th and
October I3th; Lost Mountain, June Qth to
30th; near Dalton, January 21, 1864; New
Hope Church, May 25th to June 5th ; Battle
of Resaca, May I3th to i6th; Peach Tree
Creek, July 2Oth. In this last encounter
he received a serious wound, a ball striking
him on the head. After he had lain uncon-
scious on the field for half an hour he was
found and taken to a hospital. From there
he was shortly afterwards invalided home,
where he remained. He received his dis-
charge at Indianapolis during the latter
part of 1864.

On recovering from his wound and the
wear and tear of the terrible conflict, he
moved with his family to Richland county,
where he had some time before acquired
one hundred and twenty acres. At the end
of seventeen years of a peaceable farm life,
he moved to Olney, where he engaged in
the grocery business for a few years, when
he once more moved to Claremont town-
ship, where his wife died in 1897. Shortly
afterwards he again sold his farm and
moved into Claremont, where he purchased
property. Here a second marriage took

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

343

place on January 18, 1898, when he es-
poused Laura Stevens, daughter of Edward
and Melissa ( Shepherd) Stevens, natives of
Illinois. She was born in Lawrence coun-
ty, February 7, 1860. Her father was a
Civil war veteran. Her mother still lives
in Lawrence county with a young daughter.
Her mother was born in 1835, an<^ ner
father in 1836. On the mother's side the
grandfather of Mrs. Engle was the first
white child born in Lawrence county. In
after life this relative took an active part
in the Black Hawk war.

Joseph A. Engle's second matrimonial
venture has proved to be as much a success
as his first. He has been blessed with two
more children, Joseph L., and Mary Jo-
sephine, aged nine and six years respective-
ly.

In early life the subject of our sketch at-
tended about three terms in the old sub-
scription schools in Parke county, and after-
wards attended for an equal period the
schools at Sulphur Springs, Indiana. The
old time elementary speller and Ray's arith-
metic were then used ; blackboards were un-
known; plain rough planks, propped with
stout wooden "pins," were used as seats,
and the high desks ranged along the sides
of the room for the pupils to write upon.

Joseph A. Engle's mind is still as vig-
orous as ever, his health also, though not
as robust as formerly, is still good. His
public life has been a most popular one and
he well maintains his place as Claremont's
premier citizen. He is well and favorably
known in fraternal and social circles. He

was formerly a member of the Ancient Or-
der of United Workmen, and is a member
of the Grand Army Post at Olney, Illinois.
Joseph A. Engle's public life began as a
Ward Supervisor in the Third ward at Ol-
ney, serving in that capacity for four years.
The esteem in which he is regarded by his
fellow citizens may be determined from the
fact that he is now serving a third term as
Mayor of Claremont. In politics he has
been an active Republican from the days of
the Civil war, and is a vigilant party
worker. The first time he cast his vote at
a Presidential election it went to Henry
Clay, who was then running in the old
regime as a Whig candidate. He and his
wife are both active and devoted members of
the Christian church. They are diligent
church workers.

DAVID M. HESTER.

Among the men of Marion county who
have appreciated present day opportunities
and have profited by his ingenuity and per-
sistency in the business world as a result of
the favorable conditions existing in the
great commonwealth of Illinois, is the sub-
ject of this sketch, David M. Hester, who
was born in Centralia township, this county,
August 16, 1841, the son of Milton P. Hes-
ter, of Clark County, Indiana, who married
Christina Copple in 1840 in Centralia town-
ship. Matthias Hester, the subject's grand-
father, was born in Hanover, Germany, and

344

ISKHiKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

came with his parents to America. He mar-
ried a Susannah Huckleberry. He was a
farmer and he and his wife lived and died
in Clark county, Indiana. They were the
parents of twelve children. Grandfather
David Copple lived near Walnut Hill, Illi-
nois, on a farm. The father of the subject
came to Marion county, Illinois, in 1839
when he was still single and settled near
Centralia on a farm, remaining here until
his death in 1905. His first wife died in
1855 and he was again married, his second
wife being Martha O. Johnson, of near Mt.
Vernon. She died in 1890. He was noted
as a great stock raiser. In politics he was
a Republican, and was active in church
work. He was also a promoter of the gen-
eral good of the public. There were eight
children born to him by his first union,
namely: David M., our subject; Julia, de-
ceased, who married Mark Young, who
lived in Salem township; William A. is liv-
ing on a farm near Mt. Vernon; John C.
is a farmer near Jefferson, Kansas; Sarah
E. married A. H. Young, of Centralia;
Isaac is single and living on a farm in
Centralia township ; Samuel M. is living on
a farm in Clinton county, Illinois; Mary is
single and living on the old place. Four
children were born to Milton P. Hester by
his second wife, namely : Ella is single and
living in Centralia ; Albertus V. is farming
near Dallas, Texas; Carrie married Mark
Anthony, who is a lumber dealer in Streator,
this state; Lillian, the fourth child, is the
wife of George Cams, a locomotive engi-
neer, living in Centralia.

As already intimated the subject's father
located on a farm which he secured from
the government near Walnut Hill, Marion
county, in 1839, securing from five hundred
to eight hundred acres. Our subject lived
at home attending the common schools in
the winter months until he was twenty-one
years of age. He then went to Kansas and
located in the eastern part of that state,
where he remained a short time. When the
call for troops was issued to put down the
rebellion he was one of the patriotic sons of
the North who responded, having enlisted in
November, 1861, in Company H, Ninth
Kansas Cavalry, under General Blunt, re-
maining in this branch of the service for two
years. He was in many battles and skir-
mishes in Arkansas and Missouri, being
wounded in the left arm and shoulder at
Cain Hill. He was laid up at the camp
hospital for some time and came home on a
furlough, but returned to the service, re-
maining three years and three months, hav-
ing re-joined his regiment at Duvalls Bluffs,
Arkansas. He served in such a gallant man-
ner that he became first lieutenant. After
the war Mr. Hester returned to Kansas and
resumed fanning for one year then he came
back to Centralia. He had a farm in Kan-
sas consisting of eighty acres.

Our subject married Sarah A. Young,
of Salem township, in 1867. She was the
daughter of Matthew and Sarah (Ware)
Young. Nine children have been born to
the subject and wife, four of whom are de-
ceased. Their names are: Ella, who mar-
ried J. P. Rogers, of Salem township; Rose,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

345

who married William Gaines, of Stevenson
township; Mathew married Pearl Hopkins
and is living in Salem township ; William is
living on a farm, having married Effie Mc-
Coy; Daisy is living at home. These chil-
dren received good educations at the home
schools. Mr. Hester is considered one of
the best farmers in his community, having
made all the improvements on the excellent
farm which he has owned for two score
years. He successfully carries on general
farming and raises some excellent stock of
all kinds. He has about five hundred acres
of excellent land all in Salem township. He
is a loyal Republican, but has held no offices,
being content to lend his influence in placing
the best men available in the local offices,
but prefers to manage his business affairs
and keep out of politics as much as possible.
He is a member of the Grand Army of
the Republic, Chandler Post, at Salem.
Both he and his wife attend the Christian
church. They are both pleasant people and
they have a comfortable home.

JUDGE ALBERT M. ROSE.

A member of one of the honored pioneer
families of Clay county, the name Rose has
long been closely associated with the history
of this section of the state, and the subject
of this review, like his father, is numbered
among the worthy citizens of this locality.
In business he has always been known to be
straightforward and reliable, is patriotic in

citizenship, and his social relations ever
wholesome. He is esteemed for these com-
mendable traits of character together with
his cordial disposition and genuine worth,
but his name stands out more prominently
in connection with the bench and bar of
Southern Illinois, where he has long been a
prominent figure.

Albert M. Rose, Judge of the Fourth Ju-
dicial Circuit, was born in Bible Grove
township, Clay county, September 26, 1862,
the son of Drury Rose, a native of Grayson
county, Kentucky, who came to Illinois in
1856, settling first in Edwards county, then
in a short time removed to Clay county. By
trade a carpenter, but he always took an
interest in local public affairs and very ably
served his community as Justice of the
Peace for a period of sixteen years. He
moved from Bible Grove township to Clay
City in 1891, where he lived until his death
in 1897, closing a busy and useful career,
mourned by a host of people to whom he
was known as a kindly and honorable man.
the paternal grandfather of the subject
was also a native of Kentucky, who came
to Illinois when a young man, settling in
Clay county among the pioneer element,
where he played well his part in the early
struggles of the locality and established a
good home amid primitive conditions. The
mother of Judge Rose was known in her
maidenhood as Caroline Ackison. whose
people were from Pennsylvania. She was
born in Illinois, spent her life here and
passed to her rest in 1905, remembered by
a wide circle of friends as a woman of many

346

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

beautiful attributes of character. To Mr.
and Mrs.. Drury Rose the following chil-
dren were born : Mary Jane, wife of Henry
Crum, of Bible Grove township; Albert M.,
the subject of this sketch; Rosa, wife of
George Stang, of Watertown, Illinois;
Ophelia, wife of Frederick Lyons, of Water-
town, Illinois; Stephen H., also living in
Watertown, where resides the next child,
Addie, the wife of William Ausbrook; La-
vina, Althea, wife of Godfrey Peterson.
The ninth and tenth children are deceased.
Thomas B., died in the Philippine Islands,
while a soldier in the regular United States
army in 1904. George died in infancy.

Judge Rose spent his boyhood days on
the farm, where he remained until twenty-
one years of age, assisting with the work
about the place and storing up the qualities
of a sturdy manhood, successfully managing
the farm while his father, who was a car-
penter, as already intimated, worked at his
trade. Not satisfied with a common
schooling and actuated by a desire to fol-
low the legal profession, Albert M. Rose
entered Vincennes University from which
institution he graduated in 1888, having
made very creditable grades and estab-
lished an excellent record for scholarship.
After leaving college Mr. Rose turned his
attention to teaching which he followed
with much success until 1891, winning the
hearty approbation of both pupils and pa-
trons, studying law in the meantime, first
under Barnes & Ramsey, attorneys of
Louisville, in 1888, making rapid progress.
He was admitted to the bar in August, 1890,
at Mount Vernon, and began practice in the

spring of 1891 in Louisville, where he has
been practicing continuously ever since, his
success having gradually increased until he
now has a liberal patronage and has be-
come one of the leading attorneys in the
southern part of -the state.

The local leaders of the Democratic
party early noted his talents and general
favor with the public and sought him for
office, first serving as Trustee of Louisville
for a period of six years, during which
time he assisted in securing the installation
of electric lights and water works, also se-
cured sidewalks and in many ways rendered
lasting good to the town. In November,
1906, Mr. Rose was elected to fill a vacancy
in the Fourth Judicial circuit, the term ex-
piring in June, 1909. He has so ably and
faithfully performed the duties of this re-
sponsible position, that he is regarded by all
concerned as one of the best jurists in the
district, his decisions showing a trained and
acute legal mind and a desire to be fair and
unbiased in all cases, weighing carefully in
the judicial balance all details of whatever
case he has in hand, feeling the weight of
his responsibility and ever desiring to dis-
charge his' duties in a manner that meets
the approval of his constituents.

The domestic life of Judge Rose began
December 28, 1892, when he was united in
marriage with Lulu Branson, of Wayne
City, Illinois, the talented daughter of Dr.
J. M. Branson, a well known physician of
that place. To this union one son, Robley
Branson Rose, now a bright lad of fourteen
years, has been born.

In his fraternal relations the judge is a

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

347

member of the Masonic Brotherhood, also
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and in politics he affiliates with the Demo-
cratic party, as intimated in a preceding
paragraph. Mr. and Mrs. Rose are faith-
ful members of the Christian church.

The law office of our subject is always
a busy place where numerous clients and
friends of the judge gather, and it is
equipped with one of the most extensive law
libraries to be found in this locality. When
he first began practice, he formed partner-
ship with John A. Barnes in 1891, the firm
being known as Barnes & Rose, but the for-
mer left the firm in 1896, and the subject
has had different partners since then. Yet
in the prime of vigorous manhood and hav-
ing accomplished so much that merits the
praise of his fellow men and gained a firm
standing in the affections of the people of
this vicinity, the future to such a man as
Judge Rose must necessarily be replete with
honor and success.

HON. THOMAS E. MERRITT.

During the dark days of the Revolution,
the colonies had no defender more loyal
than Ebenezer Merritt, our subject's grand-
father, who served with valor until captured
by the British when he was placed in an old
hulk of a ship in New York harbor. In
after years he was wont to say that the
sweetest morsel of food he ever tasted was
a rotten Irish potato, which he found in his
prison.

The father of our subject, Hon. John W.
Merritt, was born in the city of Albany,
New York, July 4, 1806, and in his early
youth evinced a very decided literary taste,
contributing articles to many of the most
prominent magazines of that day. Entering
the practice of law, he built up a lucrative
business in that line in connection with J.
J. Brady. Meantime he also invested in
real estate and so fortunate was he in his
speculations that he became independent at
a comparatively early period of life. How-
ever, the crisis of 1837 destroyed the value
of his investments and made him a poor
man once more. Deciding to seek a home
in the West, Mr. Merritt came to Illinois
in 1840, and settling in St. Clair county es-
tablished The Belleville Advocate, which he
successfully conducted from the year 1848
until 1851. Meantime he also superin-
tended the management of his farm and con-
tributed to eastern magazines and New York
papers. He also wrote and published a
novel called "Shubal Darton." Coming to
Salem in 1851, he established The Advo-
cate, of which he was proprietor and editor
for many years.

In 1 86 1 he was elected Assistant Secre-
tary of the Constitutional Convention and
in the following year became a member of
the Legislature.

The State Register at Springfield having
lost its prestige, Mr. Merritt with his son,
Edward L., assumed editorial charge of the
paper in January, 1865, and attempted to
place it upon a substantial footing. The
enterprise though not prudent proved a sue-

348

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

cess. For some years Mr. Merritt conducted
its editorial columns with great ability and
during a portion of that time supplied The
St. Louis Republican with its Springfield
correspondence. As an editor he justly at-
tained celebrity throughout the country and
was one of the most successful journalists
of the day. His county may well feel proud
of his life and labors. He was modest, un-
assuming, never ambitious for worldly dis-
tinction and preferring the success of his
friends to his own. In politics he was an
old-school Democrat and was one of the
most influential workers in his party
throughout the state. He was devoted to
the doctrines of the Episcopal church and
was a faithful member of that denomination.
In disposition mild, he never used profanity
and was also a man of temperate habits,
never tasting intoxicating liquor through-
out his life. He married in Rochester, New
York, in August, 1827, Julia A. De Forrest,
who was born in Oswego, New York, and
there received a good education. Ten chil-
dren blessed this union, of whom five are
now living.

During his residence in New York, John
W. Merritt served as Alderman and aided
in formulating a new plat of the Fifth Ward,
which he represented in the Council. In
1860 he was a member of the state dele-
gation to the National Democratic Conven-
tion at Charleston, South Carolina, later
was present at the recall of that convention
in Baltimore, Maryland, where Stephen A.
Douglas was nominated for the Presidency.
He was president of the first Press Associa-

tion held in the state of Illinois, and was
at the time of his demise the oldest Odd
Fellow in Salem. While uniformly success-
ful in business enterprises, he nevertheless
met with reverses and at one time lost by
fire two valuable blocks of buildings in
Brooklyn. By his long and virtuous life he
left a name to which his descendants may
point with pride and when, November 16,
1878, he departed this life, he left many
warm friends to mourn their loss. The fu-
neral services were largely attended by the
citizens of Salem and Marion county, as
well as many friends from a distance.

Thomas E. Merritt, our subject, was
born in the city of New York, April 22,
1832. He was brought in childhood to
Illinois and received a good education in
the schools of Belleville. Before attaining
his majority he went to St. Louis, where he
learned the trade of carriage and omnibus
painting in the shops of Theodore Salom,
serving a three years' apprenticeship at the
trade. Afterward he followed the occupa-
tion for four years in St. Louis. He then
came to Salem and in 1859 began to read
law with P. P. Hamilton, an attorney of this
place, now deceased. In 1862 he was ex-
amined before the Supreme Court and was
admitted to the bar, after which he opened
an office in Salem and has since made this
city his home. Always a stanch Democrat,
reared in the faith of that party, Mr. Merritt
early became an active worker in its ranks.
In 1860 in Romine township, Marion
county, he made his first political speech and
since then has participated in every cam-

HIGHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

349

paign. Until 1875 he stumped every town-
ship in the county each campaign year.

The first National Democratic Conven-
tion that he attended was held in St. Louis
when S. J. Tilden was nominated President
in 1876. Later, he was sent as a delegate
for the state-at-large to the convention that
nominated Gen. W. S. Hancock, in 1880,
and the night before the convention met he
made a speech in favor of Col. W. R. Morri-
son on the steps of the Burnet House, Cin-
cinnati. At the next national convention he
was alternate-at-large, and as Col. W. R.
Morrison, who was delegate-at-large, was
appointed on the Committee on Resolutions,
and obliged to give his entire time to the
work of that body, Mr. Merritt took his
place in the convention. It was this assem-
bly that nominated Grover Cleveland at the
time of his first term. Our subject was a
delegate from the Nineteenth Congressional
District to the convention at St. Louis that
nominated President Cleveland the second
term. In 1892, he attended as a citizen the
convention at Chicago which nominated
Cleveland the last time. During the three
campaigns in which that famous man was
the presidential candidate, our subject made
fifty-six speeches in Illinois, and at the time
believed that his party promised more than
it could fulfill.

In 1868 Mr. Merritt was elected to the
State Legislature and was a member of the
House of Representatives for fourteen con-
secutive years. In addition he served as
State Senator for eight years, from 1882 to
1890, thus making a legislative experience

of twenty-two years. He was a member of
the joint session which elected John A. Lo-
gan three times and defeated him once, also
the joint session that elected Richard
Oglesby United States Senator and those
that elected Shelby M. Cullom and John M.
Palmer. In 1875, he was a leading member
of the House when the city judge of East
St. Louis was to be impeached, and through
his influence the measure was reconsidered
and laid on the table. During the same year
he secured the passage of the first coal mine
bill through the legislature, which was the
first act ever passed in the state in the inter-
est of the coal miners. Hon. John M. Pal-
mer, State Auditor and Secretary of the
State, gave to Mr. Merritt the honor of
passing the bill assessing the capital stock
of corporations, and he was banqueted after-
ward. In 1871, he introduced and secured
the passage of the bill compelling railroads
to pay for burning property along their
lines, which has since been warped by the
construction placed on that act by the Su-
preme Court. He was prominent in the at-
tack made upon state officials for extrava-
gant expenditures, and in that way saved to
the tax payers of Illinois more than enough
to pay the entire expenses of that General
Assembly. His services in that capacity
were so greatly appreciated throughout the
state, that many of the papers advocated his
nomination as Governor of Illinois. Another
bill introduced by Mr. Merritt was that of
allowing parties to sue before the Justice of
the Peace for killing stock along the rail-
roads. The anarchist bill introduced by him

350

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

in 1887, and passed June i6th of that year,
was the cause of the greatest fight of his
life. Afterward it was published by Great
Britain, France and Russia, while at the
meeting of the United States National Bar
Association at Saratoga, New York, the
President gave one hour to its consideration
before that body. Mr. Merritt worked long
and faithfully upon the bill which finally
passed, receiving one hundred and eighteen
votes in the House.

The Anti-Trust bill, January 22, 1889,
was the first ever introduced in the state.
This passed the Judiciary Committee by one
majority, . and the House by one hundred
votes, but was hung up in the Senate by
the two-thirds rule. While a member of the
Senate, Mr. Merritt introduced a bill to
compel insurance companies to pay the full
value of the policy for destruction of prop-
erty. This he passed twice through the
Senate, and it was defeated in the House.
He passed it twice in the House and it was
as many times defeated in the Senate. In
1868 he introduced in the House a bill se-
curing the investigation of the proceeds for
the sale of lands and other moneys connected
with Irvington Agricultural College. After
investigation, the State Auditor and Secre-
tary of State took possession of the institu-
tion, and from the wreck saved to the state
a large amount of money.

In 1868 Mr. Merritt introduced a resolu-
tion calling upon the Secretary of State to
account for the interest received by him on
about three million dollars of surplus money
that was lying idle in the treasury and could

be used only to pay off the old state indebt-
edness which was held by English capital-
ists in the shape of state bonds, this money
being set aside to pay the bonds as they be-
came due. It had been collected from the
Illinois Central Railroad as seven per cent,
of its gross earnings, and was invested in
United States ten per cent, gold interest-
bearing bonds. The resolution introduced
by Mr. Merritt was to the effect that the
Governor and Attorney-General of Illinois
should look after the interest of this money
and report their action to the next session
of the General Assembly. He passed the
resolution through the House, but by a
strong lobby it was defeated in the Senate.
In 1872 three million dollars' worth of these
bonds became due and were paid in New
York in gold, to the English bondholders,
the Secretary of State having to purchase
the gold in New York. He notified Gould
and Fisk that he would require so much gold
on that day. By bulling the market, gold
advanced one-third of one per cent., so that
the three million dollars paid that much
premium. The State Treasurer making by
this deal the interest on United States bonds
that this money was invested in, came out
four hundred thousand dollars ahead, which
was a loss to the people of the state by the
defeat of the resolution in the Senate.

During Mr. Merritt's entire legislative
experience, covering a period of twenty-two
years, it cannot be shown that he ever cast
a vote against the interests of the people.
As one of the delegates of the state-at-large,
he attended the conventions at St. Louis in

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

351

July, 1892, and at New Orleans in Febru-
ary, 1893, in reference to the Nicaragua
canal. At the latter place, he made a speech
for Illinois before the convention. He was
one of the commissioners to locate the In-
stitute for the Feeble Minded at Quincy,
Illinois (now at Lincoln), also the Asylum
for the Incurable Criminal Insane at Ches-
ter. For ten successive years he served as
Alderman of Salem.

From the above account it will be seen
that Mr. Merritt has been one of the most
prominent Democrats in Illinois, and he still
occupies a foremost position among the
leaders of that party. His work in behalf
of the people of the state entitles him to a
high place in their regard, and his name will
be deservedly perpetuated in the annals of
the state as a loyal, able and eminent man.
From the press of the country he has re-
ceived the highest of commendation for his
unwearied services in the interests of the
people as well as for his great ability.

The State Register said of him that,
"The man who wields the keenest satire is
Merritt, of Marion". The Mount Vernon
Free Press paid him the following tribute:
"He is always awake to the interests of
southern Illinois, and no influence, let it
come from what source it may, is ever able
to swerve him from the path of duty to his
constituents and the people generally". An-
other paper says of him : "Merritt is a wit,
besides he is a good fellow and everybody
likes him. He never rises but he commands
the attention of the House. He is a Bour-
bon of Bourbons". In addition to his other

services, previously mentioned, he was a
member of various committees of import-
ance. To him belongs the honor of having
nominated both William R. Morrison and
John M. Palmer for United States Senator.
On the 3d of February, 1862, Mr. Mer-
ritt was married to Alice McKinney, a na-
tive of Jefferson county, Illinois, and a
daughter of William McKinney, who was
killed in battle in the Civil war. Four
daughters and three sons have blessed this
union, as follows: Addis D., Frank F.,
Clara, Harriet, Lottie, Edith and Harold.
In religious belief Mrs. Merritt is a devoted
member of the Episcopal church.

JOHN M. SCHULTZ.

No man in Marion county is more de-
serving of the success he has attained in
business and political circles than John M.
Schultz, not alone because of the splendid
results he has achieved, but also because of
the honorable, straightforward business pol-
icy he has ever followed.

John M. Schultz, Circuit Clerk, was born
in Salem, Illinois, January 30, 1867. He is
the son of Ephraim Schultz, a native of
Kentucky, who came to Illinois when
a young man, first settling in Alma
township on a farm. He moved to
Salem a short time before the Civil war,
and continued to live in this place up to his
death about 1895. He was successful
farmer and business man and retained the

352

IMOCKAl'llICAL AND KK M I N ISCK.NT HISTORY OF

well-wishes of those who knew him. David
Schultz was the subject's grandfather, a na-
tive of Germany. Mrs. Becky Frizzell, who
is living in Foster township, an aunt of our
subject, has reached the advanced age of
ninety years. She is a sister to Ephraim
Schultz. The subject's father was twice
married, his second wife being the mother
of the subject of this sketch. His first wife
was a Miss Crawford, who was born in
Baltimore, Maryland. Five children were
born to his first wife, two of whom are liv-
ing at this writing. The mother of the sub-
ject's father was Hannah Hull, who was
born in Hull, England. The maiden name
of the subject's mother was Kissie Mar-
shall, a native of Tennessee, who came to
Marion county in an early day. She was
called to her rest twenty years ago, in 1888.
Eight children were born to the father and
mother of the subject, four of whom are
living, namely: Mrs. Millie Siefman, of
Centralia, Illinois; Mrs. Charles Martin, of
Davenport, Iowa; Elizabeth Schultz, who
is living in Salem; Joseph Schultz, de-
ceased ; Christian and Mary died in infancy.
David and Samuel Schultz, of Salem, Il-
linois, who were both in the Twenty-first Il-
linois Volunteer Infantry, were sons of a
former marriage, also John Schultz, who
was killed when seventeen years old on the
battlefield of Resaca, Georgia. He was in
the One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois
Volunteer Infantry. William Schultz, an-
other son of the first marriage is de-
ceased; also a daughter, Lydia, who mar-
ried George Jennings, of Patoka, this coun-
ty, and died several years ago. Hannah

Belle, another daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Ephraim Schultz, and sister of our subject,
who became the wife of L. G. Finch, was
a teacher in the public schools of Salem for
several years. She passed to her rest two
years ago, in February, 1906.

Joseph Schultz, a brother of the subject's
father, was captain in the One Hundred and
Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He
was afterward Sheriff of Marion county,
also postmaster of Salem and Revenue Col-
lector. David Schultz, another brother of
Ephraim Schultz, was wagon master in the
One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volun-
teer Infantry.

John M. Schultz, our subject, spent his
boyhood days in Salem, attending the local
schools in which he made a splendid record,
receiving a fairly good education.

Mr. Schultz was an industrious lad and
soon cast about for the best way in which to
direct his life work. He decided to be a
mechanic. He is always a very busy man,
for his work is satisfactorily done and his
business has steadily grown, owing to the
fair treatment he accords his customers.
Fraternally he is a member of the Wood-
men. He is a loyal Democrat, and was
nominated and triumphantly elected Circuit
Clerk in 1908, his election being regarded
as a most fortunate one by his many friends.
Mr. Schultz has remained unmarried. His
sister, Elizabeth, keeps house for him. He
is well known in Marion county, being in-
terested in whatever has tended to promote
the interests of the county in any way. He
is accurate, persistent and painstaking in
his business affairs.

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

353

H. N. WOODWARD.

The subject of this sketch is a man of
courage, self-reliance and of the utmost in-
tegrity of purpose, as a result of which he
has, during his entire life stood high in the
estimation of his neighbors and friends and
is therefore deserving of a place in this
book.

H. N. Woodward was born in Des
Moines county, Iowa, in 1855, the son of
Abner M. and Silvia (Scogin) Woodward.
His paternal grandfather was born in New
Jersey. He moved to Ohio and devoted his
life to farming. Like all his people, he was
a Quaker in his religious affiliations. Grand-
mother Scogin was born in Kentucky, and
lived to be eighty-two years old, rearing a
large family of fifteen children. She was
twice married. Grandfather Scrogin was
born in November in the memorable year
in our country's history — 1812.

The father of the subject of this sketch
was born in Ohio and received his early ed-
ucation in the public schools there and after
that he received an academic education. He
left Ohio before he was twenty-one years
of age and went with his mother to Iowa,
and settled on a farm near Burlington,
where he remained for some time. He
later went South about the close of the war
to the Polk plantation, for the purpose of
managing negroes under the Freemen's Bu-
reau, and from there he went to Mississippi,
later spending two years in Tennessee, hav^
ing spent one year in Mississippi in a very
responsible position, which was filled to the
23

entire satisfaction of the Bureau. They
gave him fine letters commending his course
and the results of his work while there.
He then bought a farm in Marion county,
Illinois, in 1866, and farmed with much suc-
cess for a period of thirteen years. He then
formed a partnership with Colonel Morri-
son, in Odin, for carrying on a grain busi-
ness which partnership continued for a
period of eight years, when he bought out
Colonel Morrison's interests and Mr. Wood-
ward retained his interest until his death.

In 1886 the Odin Coal Company was put
in operation, and Mr. Woodward financed
the corporation. He was secretary and
later treasurer of the same and always a
director, having remained such until his
death which occurred in 1890. He was a
loyal Mason. The mother of the subject is
living in 1908, at the age of eighty years.
She is a fine old lady with many beautiful
attributes. There are six children in this
family, four of whom lived to maturity.

H. N. Woodward, our subject, first at-
tended the public schools in Marion county,
but thirsting for higher learning he entered
the University of Illinois, where he made a
splendid record for scholarship. After leav-
ing college he decided to continue the work
which he knew the most about — farming,
and he followed this until he was twenty-
seven years old. He went into the grain
and hay business by purchasing Colonel
Morrison's business. He was successful in
this from the first, more so, in fact, than at
farming; however, every year he devoted to
farm work added to his competence, for he

354

I'.IUCR.U'IIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OK

was a careful and conservative manager. He
has enlarged his latter line of business until
he now carries on a general merchandising
establishment. In 1902 the same was in-
corporated since which time Mr. Woodward
has been president and is the largest stock-
holder, being the active manager, under
whose able direction the business has in-
creased to a satisfactory state and is rap-
idly growing.

After the death of his father, our subject
was director and treasurer of the Odin Coal
Company, which position he ably retained
for a period of twelve years. He is at pres-
ent connected with the Marion County Coal
Company, of Junction City, a corporation.
Mr. Woodward was a director in the same,
but is not at present. In all his business deal-
ings he has been regarded by every one as a
man of unusual tact and shrewdness and
ever fair and honest. Success seems to at-
tend his efforts in whatever line he under-
takes.

Mr. Woodward was united in marriage in
1883 with Agnes Ferguson, daughter of
William and Eliza (Hildreth) Ferguson,
natives of Ohio, where they lived on a farm.
Five children have been born to the subject
and wife, named in order of birth as follows :
Grace, born in 1884, is living at home with
her parents ; Lucile, the second child, was
born in 1886, is single and living at home;
Nelson was born in 1888, and is deceased;
having died in 1890; Edwin was born in
1893, and is attending high school in 1908;
Agnes, who was born in 1897, is also a pu-
pil in the Odin schools.

Mr. Woodward, in his fraternal relations,
is a member of the Masonic fraternity and
the Woodmen. In politics he is a Repub-
lican, taking considerable interest in the af-
fairs of his party, especially in reference to
the local officials. Both he and his wife are
faithful members of the Methodist church.
The former takes a great interest in educa-
tional matters. He is known as a man of
industry and frugality. He has a beautiful
home at Odin.

FRED W. SCHILT.

The subject of this sketch is one of the
progressive agriculturists of Richland,
whose fine farm ranks with the best in this
locality, having been improved by Mr.
Schilt to its present high state of excellency
by years of patient toil and skillful man-
agement. His success has been won entire-
ly along lines of old and time-tried max-
ims, "honesty is the best policy," and "there
is no excellence without labor."

Fred W. Schilt was born in the township
where he now resides. March i. 1868, the
son of Christian and Barbara (Schilt)
Schilt, natives of Canton Bern, Switzer-
land, who came to the United States with
their parents. John Schilt. the subject's pa-
ternal grandfather, also emigrated to the
United States, bringing his wife and chil-
dren in 1852, and settled in Claremont
township, Richland county. He improved
a good farm on which he lived until his

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

355

death. Christian was a young man when
the family came to this country. He soon
afterward bought a farm in Preston town-
ship which he improved and he married
here. He had a brother in the Civil war.
He remained on his farm in Preston town-
ship until his death. May 12, 1889, at the
age of sixty-two years. His widow is still
living on the old homestead. Of nine chil-
dren born to them, six are living in 1908,
our subject having been the seventh in or-
der of birth.

Fred W. Schilt was reared on a farm in
Preston township and received a common
school education, having remained at home
assisting with the work on the place until
he was twenty-one years old. He then
bought a farm of ninety acres in German
township, where he soon located and where
he lived and prospered for twelve years,
during which time he bought forty-five
acres more. In the fall of 1902 he became
a candidate for County Treasurer on the
Democratic ticket and was subsequently
elected. This resulted in his removal to
Olney, where he carried on the duties of
this office in a manner that reflects much
credit on his native ability and careful busi-
ness methods. When his term of four years
expired his successor found the affairs of
this office in a most excellent shape. He
had previously served in a praiseworthy
manner as Supervisor for two terms of two
years each, having been chairman of the
County Board for one term. After retiring
from the Treasurer's office he resided in Ol-
ney for one year, and in 1907 located on

his present fine farm of one hundred and
twenty acres in Preston township, about
four and one-half miles north of Olney,
which he had recently bought. It is one of
the best farms in the township, well fenced,
well drained, and on it stand a commodious
dwelling and convenient outbuildings, in-
cluding a large barn, recently erected. Gen-
eral farming is carried on and much atten-
tention is given to stock raising, especially
cattle and hogs, the latter of the Berkshire
breed, of which Mr. Schilt always has some
fine specimens to show. He has an orchard
of sixteen acres of carefully selected trees,
which bear a good quality of fruit.

Mr. Schilt was united in marriage Au-
gust 25, 1889, to Anna Jorris, a native of
Poland, Indiana, daughter of Peter and Al-
etta (Mermon) Jorris, natives of Germany,
having been born near the Rhine river, who
came to the United States when young,
married here and settled in Wisconsin, later
lived in Indiana and Illinois. Mrs. Schilt's
father died in Poland, Indiana, October 25,
1891, and his wife died in 1898.

Mr. and Mrs. Schilt are the parents of
four children, namely: Verna May, Chris-
tian Franklin Jorris ; Esther Magdalena and
Paul Frederick Foster.

The subject in his fraternal relations is
a member of the Moodern Woodmen of
America at Dundas. He and his wife are
members of the German Reformed church
in Preston township, the former being a
deacon in the same, having served several
years as such. In manner Mr. Schilt is
cordial, in disposition, genial : in tempera-

356

H10CRAIMIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ment, kindly, and his many sterling traits
have won for him the warm friendship of
those with whom he has been brought into
contact.

JOHN SEILER.

Switzerland is a small country, but no
foreign nation has sent to the United States
a larger number of law-abiding and indus-
drious citizens in proportion to its size.
They are almost without exception, pro-
gressive, honorable, thrifty and among our
best citizens. The subject of this sketch,
one of Preston township's substantial farm-
ers, is a worthy representative of this type,
having spent many years in Richland coun-
ty, during which he has not only benefited
himself, but also those with whom he has
come in contact.

John Seiler was born in Bern, Switzer-
land, September 12, 1833, the son of Wil-
liam and Anna Seiler, also natives of
Switzerland, where they were reared and
where they married. They emigrated to
the United States in 1851, crossing the At-
lantic in an old sailing vessel, encountering
a severe storm on the way which delayed
them and they were seven weeks making
the voyage. The lives of all on board were
imperiled, the waves having washed over
the vessel, and the baggage was thrown
from one side to the other of the ship and
members of the Seiler family narrowly es-
caped being injured by coming in contact
with the baggage, etc. Many times the

passengers thought that it was impossible
to save the ship, but it finally arrived at
New Orleans on Christmas day, 1851. The
Seilers soon afterward took a boat up the
Mississippi and Wabash rivers to Vin-
cennes, Indiana. The first week in Jan-
uary they secured a four horse team to car-
ry their effects to Richland county, where
William Seiler bought one hundred and
twenty acres of land in Preston township,
on which the family located. The trip from
Vincennes was a very difficult one, the
roads being poor and very muddy. The
older members of the family walked to their
destination. It cost one thousand dollars
to bring the family to this country under
the most trying conditions and poor con-
veniences in transportation. The land on
which the Seilers located was prairie, a few
acres of which had been broken, and on it
stood a log house and stable. These im-
provements had been made by the predeces-
sor of Mr. Seiler, the former having lived
on it two years. The new comers at ince
began work on the place and improved it,
building a comfortable home and making a
good living. William Seiler did not live-
long after coming to the United States,
having died on his farm at the age of fifty-
seven years. His wife survived until she
reached the age of seventy. They were the
parents of seven children, all of whom
grew to maturity, John being the fourth in
order of birth. One son, Peter Seiler,
served in the Civil war a short time before
the close, and continued in the regular
army for three years.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

357

John -Seiler, our subject, was reared in
his native land, in which he remained un-
til he was nineteen years old and there re-
ceived a good common school education.
He came to the United States with his par-
ents and continued to reside on the home-
stead after his father's death for several
years. In the meantime he began buying
land, at first securing fifteen acres which is
a part of the present farm. He later add-
ed to the same and built a good frame
house on the place on which he located in
1861. Here he has continued to live ever
since, having prospered from the first as a
result of his good management. At one
time he owned five hundred acres in Rich-
land and Jasper counties, but in late years
he has sold much of it to his children, now
owning two hundred and sixty acres. His
is one of the model farms of Richland
county. He has been enabled to live well
all these years and to give his children a
good start in life. He is now living in re-
tirement from the active working of his
lands.

Mr. Seiler was united in marriage No-
vember 22, 1855, to Mary Zerbe, a native
of Stark county, Ohio, the daughter of
Amos and Susanna (Klingman) Zerbe, the
former a native of Maine, and the latter of
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Her fa-
ther came to Ohio when a small boy and
was reared in Stark county, where he was
married and in 1848 he came to Richland
county, settling in Preston township. He
later returned to Ohio, but died in Preston
township at the age of seventy years. His

widow survived for several years and died
in Richland county when seventy-five years
old.

Mr. and Mrs. John Seiler are the parents
of twelve children, namely : John, who died
at the age of seven years; Susan, Anna,
Christian, Peter, Elizabeth, Mary, Rosetta,
Henry Amos, Emma Louisa, William
Charles, Ernest Wesley. They have been
educated in the home schools.

In politics Mr. Seiler is a Republican, but
has never taken a very active part in his
party's affairs. He and his family are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church
in Preston township.

Since coming to this county Mr. Seiler
has lived to see great changes, towns and
villages have sprung up and fertile farms
have been developed from the wild prairie
and the wilderness, and marked progress
has been made along educational, social and
moral lines. What has been accomplished
for the substantial benefit and material im-
provement of the county has been of much
interest to our subject and the active co-
operation which he has given to measures
for the general good is worthy of notice in
the reckoning of what has been accom-
plished here.

ANDREW SHANAFELT.

Among the well known citizens of Ma-
rion county who have finished their labors
and gone to their reward, the name of An-

niOC.KAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

drew Shanafelt is deserving of especial no-
tice. He was a pioneer himself and the son
of a pioneer. He was one of the sterling yeo-
men, whose labors and self-sacrifice made
possible the advanced state of civilization
and enlightenment for which southern Illi-
nois has long been noted.

Andrew Shanafelt was born August 5,
1821, in Licking county, Ohio, where his
parents, Peter and Catherine (Cover) Shan-
afelt, settled in a very early day, making the
journey from their native state of Pennsyl-
vania by means of a sled and experiencing
many hardships and suffering on the way.
Peter Shanafelt purchased a tract of heavily
timbered land which by dint of hard work
he finally succeeded in clearing and reduc-
ing to cultivation and on which he died,
shortly after becoming situated so as to live
comfortably. His wife, who survived him
a number of years and for some time prior
to her death, which occurred in Marion
county, Illinois, at the age of seventy-seven,
made her home with her children. The fam-
ily of Peter and Catherine Shanafelt con-
sisted of nine children, seven sons and two
daughters, the subject of this sketch being
the youngest of the number. Both parents
were of German extraction and representa-
tives of old families which immigrated to
the United States in an early day and set-
tled in Pennsylvania, where numerous de->
scendants still live.

Andrew Shanafelt was reared on the
home farm in Ohio, early learned by prac-
tical experience, the true meaning of hard
work and grew up strong and vigorous and

well able to cope with the difficulties and
discouragements which life had in store for
him. After remaining in his native county
until 1847, he disposed of his holdings there
and came to Marion county, Illinois, where
for some time he labored as a farm hand,
subsequently renting a farm near the vil-
lage'of Odin. On March 22, 1849, he was
united in marriage with Katherine Johnson,
of Licking county, Ohio, and two years fol-
lowing that event, purchased forty acres of
land near Odin, on which he lived and pros-
pered until the summer of 1856, when he
sold the place and bought one hundred and
twenty acres, which he made his home to
the end of his days and on which his widow
still resides.

Mr. Shanafelt labored long and diligently
to reduce the latter place to cultivation and
make it profitable, the land being about half
timber and half prairie, on which no im-
provements of any kind had been previously
attempted. He addressed himself resolutely
to his task, however, and after working
for a number of years and experiencing
many hardships and privations, finally suc-
ceeded in developing a fine farm and placing
himself in independent circumstances.
Methodical in directing his labors and emi-
nently progressive in his methods of cul-
tivating the soil, he became widely known
as a model farmer while in business matters
his sound judgment and wise forethought
enabled him to take advantage of unfavor-
able conditions and mould them to suit his
purposes. As a citizen he ranked high and
was ever public spirited in matters relating

RICHLANDj CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

359

to the material improvement of the county
and the moral progress of those about him.
Few men in the community were as much
esteemed or showed themselves more wor-
thy of the regard of the people of the com-
munity and throughout a long and emi-
nently useful life he discharged his every
duty as he would answer to his conscience
and his God.

Mrs. Shanafelt, who is still living. at the
ripe old age of seventy-eight years, is a
daughter of William and Rachel (McClel-
land) Johnson, the former a native of Mary-
land, the latter of Licking county, Ohio.
She shared her husband's fortunes and vicis-
situdes, encouraged him by her wise counsel
and judicious advice and being in every
sense of the word a helpmeet, contributed
not a little to the success which he achieved.
Ten children were born to this couple, three
of whom are deceased, viz: Elizabeth, Wil-
liam and Isaac; those surviving are Adam,
a farmer of Salem township; Rachel, wife
of T. M. Branch, of Salem township ; Mary,
who married John R. Branch, of Marion
county ; Susanna, now Mrs. Riley Farthing,
of Salem ; Martha ]., wife of Frank Young,
also of Salem; Samuel and David, prosper-
ous farmers of the township of Salem.

In his political views, Mr. Shanafelt was
a Democrat, but aside from serving as
School Director and Supervisor, never as-
pired to public position. He was always in-
terested in what made for the advancement
of the county and the development of his re-
sources, believed in enterprise in all the term
implies and had great faith in the future of

Marion county and the progress of its peo-
ple. He lived with the greatest good of his
fellow men ever in view and reached the ad-
vanced age of eighty years, retaining to a
marked degree, the possession of his phys-
ical and mental powers. On May ist of
the year 1901, he died very suddenly of
heart failure, and it goes without the say-
ing that his loss was deeply felt and pro-
foundly regretted by the large circle of
neighbors and friends with whom he had
been so long associated. Since his death,
his widow has resided on the family home-
stead and although nearly eighty years old,
she feels few of the infirmities incident to
advanced age, having remarkable action,
and able to attend to all her household du-
ties, besides manifesting a lively interest
in the labors of the farm. She has spent
her entire life within the geographical lim-
its of Marion county and has yet to take her
first ride behind a locomotive. Although
circumscribed within a narrow area, she is
quite intelligent and well informed and
keeps in touch with the times on all matters
of general and local interest.

William Johnson, father of Mrs. Shana-
felt, was taken to Ohio when thirteen years
old, and grew to manhood in Licking
county. He was reared a farmer and in due
time married Miss Rachel McClelland, who
bore him four children before he disposed of
his interests in Ohio and moved, in 1842, to
Marion county, Illinois. He made the jour-
ney to his new home by wagon and after
purchasing eighty acres of wild prairie land,
addressed himself to the labor of improving

36o

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

a farm and providing for those dependent
upon him. His first dwelling was a hewed
log building with a large fire-place for heat-
ing and cooking, such modern articles as
stoves and carpets being unknown in the
pioneer homes of those days and the good
wife and mother was obliged to attend to
her many duties with but few of the con-
veniences now found in the humblest of
households.

Mr. Johnson and family lived after the
manner of the typical pioneers of the early
times and experienced not a few hardships
and privations ere the farm was fully devel-
oped and capable of producing a comfort-,
able livelihood. In the course of time, how-
ever, he added to his original purchase and
became one of the enterprising and well-to-
do farmers of his township, besides taking
an influential part in the development of
the community along other than material
lines. He lived to see Marion county grow
from a sparsely settled prairie to one of the
most enterprising and progressive sections
of Southern Illinois, and with strong arm
and clear brain, contributed his share to-
wards bringing about the many changes
that are now apparent. He departed this
life at the ripe old age of eighty-one, his
wife dying several years later, when seventy-
eight years old. A daughter, Mrs. Lavina
Ross, lives on the family homestead at the
present time and a son by the name of
Isaac served in the late Civil war as a mem-
ber of the One Hundred and Eleventh Illi-
nois Infantry, Mrs. Shanafelt being one of
the seven surviving members of the family.

FRANKLIN GILBERT BOGGS.

The subject was born November 30,
1854, on the old Boggs homestead in Rac-
coon township, Marion county, the son of
James Clark Boggs, who was born in Jef-
ferson county, this state, April 3, 1828, and
reared, educated and married in Marion
county. He married Margaret Hicklin,
who was born February 23, 1834, in Lin-
coln county, Tennessee. James C. Boggs
was the son of Spruce Boggs, who married
Martha H. Kell, January 21, 1825. They
were of North Carolina. They were mem-
bers of the Reformed Presbyterian church,
and gave the land on which to build the
church, and were active in church work.
He was born May 9, 1808. They came to
Jefferson county, Illinois, in the early twen-
ties and were the first settlers in Rome town-
ship, the north part. He got wild land here,
and in those days the Indians were quite
troublesome and ate most of his crop the
first year. There was an abundance of wild
game then. He was a hard working, rugged
man, and won success despite obstacles,
through his agricultural labors. He and
his wife died on the place. They were the
parents of fourteen children, seven of whom
grew to maturity. They are all now de-
ceased. Those who grew up were : Thomas,
Clark, William, John, Sarah, Joseph and
Hugh. The subject's grandfather, William
Hicklin, was a native of South Carolina.
He married Ann Sloan, of that state. They
went to middle Tennessee where they re-
mained for a number of years after their

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

marriage, and they went later to Randolph
county, Illinois, and then to Marion county,
settling in Raccoon township, where they
secured wild land in section 27, having got
eighty acres of government land, which they
developed into a good farm, and on which
they died. They were the parents of four
children, John, Margaret, Betsy J. became
the wife of T. B. Parkinson, of Raccoon
township, this county; Florida A. lives in
Raccoon township, the widow of Benjamin
Cook. The subject's father received only a
limited education. However, he was self-
learned. When a young man he taught
school. He was reared on his father's old
homestead and lived at home until he was
twenty-one years old, after which he was at
different places for awhile. When he bought
eighty acres of land in section 34, Raccoon
township, on which he made his home until
in April, 1862, when he enlisted in Company
H, Eightieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
He was in several engagements, among
which was the great battle of Stone River.
In fording the river there the troops had to
wade the water up to their arm pits. The
subject's father was very warm at the time,
and the cold water caused him to take a
severe cold, which resulted in his death on
April 6, 1863. He was buried in the Na-
tional cemetery at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
His wife remained on the place until her
death, September 3, 1893. They were mem-
bers of the Reformed Presbyterian church.
Mr. Boggs was a Justice of the Peace and a
Republican in politics. Mr. and Mrs. James

Clark Boggs were the parents of four chil-
dren, namely: William, who died single at
the age of nineteen; Franklin Gilbert, our
subject; Mary A., the wife of E. R. Davis,
who now lives on the old Boggs place in
Raccoon township; Florida married Joseph
C. Telford, a farmer in Raccoon township.
The subject of this sketch was educated
in the home schools and lived at home until
he reached the age of twenty-four years.
He was united in marriage December 6,

1877, to Emma Norfleet, who was born in
Tennessee, the daughter of Benjamin F. and
Josephine (Hamlett) Norfleet, who now
live in Raccoon township, and whose sketch
appears in full in this work. Three sons
have been born to the subject and wife, as
follows : Vivian O., was born December 25,

1878. He is in the mercantile business in
Mounds and Dongola, Illinois, making his
home in the latter town. He married Anna
May Eimer, of Bellville, Illinois, and they
have one son, Leland. Vivian O. was a
stenographer and teacher previous to going
into the mercantile business. He attended
school at Carbondale, Illinois, and took a
business course at Centralia. He is a bright
young business man. Victor, the subject's
sdneco child, was born September 30, 1880.
He attended school at Carbondale, Illinois,
and at the University of Valparaiso, Indi-
ana, where he made a brilliant record for
scholarship. He is a graduate in pharmacy.
He is now in St. Louis, engaged in carpen-
try and building, also real estate. He buys
lots and builds on them for investment pur-

362

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

poses. He married Iva Wyatt on Septem-
ber 24, 1908. Earl, the subject's youngest
son, was born August 22, 1887. He is a
farmer and carpenter at Fruti, Colorado,
where he is doing well. He attended the
Centralia schools.

After 1877 the subject located on his pres-
ent farm in section 34, Raccoon township,
where he purchased forty acres. It was a
new place, but the subject was a hard
worker and soon developed a fine farm, well
improved in every respect, and his home is
one of the finest in Raccoon township. He
does most all his own carpenter work, being
naturally a skilled workman. He also owns
one hundred and thirty-one acres of well
improved and very productive land in sec-
tions 27, 34 and 35, in this township. He
has a very valuable orchard. He raises fine
fruits of all varieties, and he used to raise a
great many strawberries. No small part of
Mr. Boggs' income is derived from his live
stock. He always keeps a good grade, his
Duroc and Jersey hogs being especially well
bred. He has also been extensively engaged
in the poultry business for the past seventeen
years, raising mostly Barred Plymouth
Rock chickens. He carries on a general
farming, and his place shows thrift, good
management and industry, being all in all
one of the most desirable farms in the town-
ship.

Mr. Boggs is a stanch Republican and a
faithful member of the United Presbyterian
church. He is well read on modern topics,
and he makes all his friends and acquaint-
ances feel at home when thev visit him.

JUDGE JOHN R. BONNEY.

To present the leading facts in the life of
one of Clay county's busy men of affairs
and throw light upon some of his more pro-
nounced characteristics is the task in hand
in placing before the reader the following
biographical review of Judge John R. Bon-
ney, who has, while yet in the prime of vig-
orous manhood, won a conspicuous place in
the legal world of this locality, who, for
many years has stood in the front rank in
his profession in a county well known for
its splendid array _ of legal talent. He long
ago succeeded in impressing his strong per-
sonality upon the community in which he
now lives, and where for a quarter of a cen-
tury he has been a forceful factor in di-
recting and controlling important move-
ments looking to the development of Clay
county, whose interests he has ever had at
heart, and where he has labored for the
general good while advancing his own in-
terests, which he has done in such a man-
ner as to win the hearty commendation of
all who know him.

John R. Bonney was born on a farm in
Monroe county, Illinois, April 27, 1848, the
son of Philip C. Bonney, a native of Cum-
berland county, Maine, who came West in
1840, settling at Waterloo, Monroe county,
Illinois. The subject's father was a mem-
ber of Company A, Thirty-first Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, which was commanded
by Gen. John A. Logan. He was through
all the Vicksburg campaign and partici-
pated in many battles. He died in Jackson

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

363

county, Illinois, in 1863, from the effects of
exposure while in the service, having lived
only three days after he returned home
from the army.

Thomas Bonney, the subject's grand-
father, was born in England. The mother
of the judge was Mary Fisher in her maid-
enhood, whose people were from Tennessee.
She lived to the advanced age of eighty-
seven years, having died in Louisville, Il-
linois, May 12, 1908. The judge's parents
were people of much sterling worth and
reared their children in a wholesome home
atmosphere which has had a marked effect
upon their subsequent lives. The names of
their eight children follow : Marshall and
DeGrass both died in infancy; Lyman died
in 1887; John R. was the fourth child in
order of birth ; Rowland died in 1875 ; Wil-
liam died in 19x55 ; Samuel died when three
years old; Olive is the wife of A. L. Bar-
nett, Sheriff of Searcy county, Arkansas.

Judge Bonney received a good common
school education, despite the fact that op-
portunities for being educated in the early
days were limited, yet he was an ambitious
youth and applied himself as best he could
to whatever books that fell into his hands.
His business and professional career briefly
stated, is as follows:

He was one of the men of Illinois to offer
his services in behalf of the Union during
the Rebellion, having enlisted in 1865, and
served until the close of the war. Return-
ing home he began blacksmithing, at which
he worked with success from 1866 to 1873.
Being still desirous of gaining a higher ed-

ucation, he then entered Shurtliff College,
Upper Alton, Illinois, in 1873, in which he
remained for two years, making rapid
progress, after which he began teaching in
Clay county, having taught during 1876
and 1877, in a manner that won much fa-
vorable comment from all sources. He was
Justice of the Peace and Township Treas-
urer of Hoosier township from 1881 until
1898. Having made rapid strides in the
study of law, he was admitted to the bar in
1896, and in a short time had a good legal
business. He was elected County Judge on
November 8, 1898, and served with much
credit and entire satisfaction to his constit-
uents until his term expired December i,
1902. Having given such splendid service
in this office, he was re-elected in 1902 and
served four more years, retiring in Decem-
ber, 1906. During these eight years many
cases of great importance were handled by
him with the usual dispatch and clearness
in analysis, also fairness to all concerned.
He will, no doubt, be remembered as one
of the ablest jurists the county has ever
had.

Judge Bonney was married November 7,
1869, to Samantha Erwin, the representa-
tive of a well known family. She was called
to her rest November 26, 1888. Six chil-
dren were born to this union, namely:
Laura, the wife of J. H. Chandler, of Clay
county; Etta is the wife of George W. Mc-
Glashon, of Louisville, Illinois; Lillian is
the wife of E. G. Johnson, of Mill Shoals,
Illinois, where he is agent for the Baltimore
& Ohio Southwestern Railroad Company;

364

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Roscoe lives at Monta Vista, Colorado, in
the government service ; Maude is employed
by the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
in St. Louis; Jessie is living at home.

The Judge again married, on November
7, 1890, his second wife being Jennie
Wolfe. One child has been born to this
union, Harold, who is ten years old in
1908. Mrs. Bonney is a woman of many
commendable traits.

Our subject is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, and is a Republican
in politics, having long been active in his
party's affairs. The keynote of his charac-
ter are progress and patriotism, for, as al-
ready intimated throughout his career he
has labored for the improvement of every
line of business or public interest with
which he has been associated.

JUDGE A. N. TOLLIVER.

It is with a great degree of satisfaction
to the biographer when he averts to the life
of one who has made a success in any voca-
tion requiring definiteness of purpose and
determined action. Such a life whether it
be one of prosaic endeavor or radical ac-
complishment, abounds in valuable lesson
and incentive to those who have become dis-
couraged in the fight for recognition or to
the youth whose future is undetermined.
For a number of years the subject of this
sketch has directed his efforts toward the
goal of success in Clay county, and by pa-
tient continuance has won.

A. N. Tolliver, the well known County
Judge of Clay county, Illinois, is a native
of the same, having been born October 12,
1870, the son of John H. Tolliver, who was
a native of Lawrence county, Indiana, and
who came to Clay county, Illinois, when a
young man. He has spent most of his life
engaged in farming, but he has been in the
drug business at Ingraham, this state, for
many years. Isom Tolliver, the judge's
grandfather, was also a native of Indiana,
who came to Clay county, Illinois, being
among the first settlers here. He died in
1874. The judge's mother was Margaret
Sanchner, whose people were from Tennes-
see. She passed to her rest in November,
1905. Seven children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. John H. Tolliver, as follows: A.
N., the subject; Fred D., living in Hoosier
township: Dora S., of Hoosier township;
Mrs. Minnie O'Dell, living in the same
community; Myrtle; Mrs. Cora Erwin. of
Hoosier township; Claud, deceased.

A. N. Tolliver spent his boyhood days on
the parental farm in Hoosier township,
where he developed a sturdy manhood. He
attended the country schools during the
winter months, applying himself in a most
assiduous manner and becoming well edu-
cated. Deciding to take up the teacher's
profession, he had no trouble in finding an
opportunity and for a period of ten years
taught in an able manner, becoming known
as one of the popular educators of the
county, but believing that the law was his
proper calling, he began the study of the
same while teaching, and he was admitted

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

365

to the bar in Clay county in 1902, soon be-
ginning practice. Successful from the first,
he soon built up an excellent business, be-
coming active in political affairs, it was not
long until the party leaders singled him out
for public office. He was the choice of the
Republican party for the nomination of
County Judge, and he was triumphantly
elected to this office in 1906, and is now
serving in that capacity in a manner that
stamps him as an able jurist, thoroughly
versed in the law and fair and unbiased in
his decisions. His term is for four years,
and before it is half gone he has shown that
his constituents made no mistake in select-
ing him for the place. He had held various
minor township offices prior to his election
to the judgeship, and his services were al-
ways characterized by a strict fidelity to
duty. He was principal and superinten-
dent of the Louisville schools from 1898 to
1901.

Judge Tolliver was united in marriage,
June 15, 1892, with Elizabeth A. Bryan,
daughter of Josiah Bryan, of Hoosier town-
ship, and to this union five children have
been born as follows: Zola A., Flossie E.,
Lowell S., Elizabeth and Bryan. They are
attending the local schools.

The judge devotes his entire time to the
duties of his office and to the practice of
his profession. His clients come from all
over this locality and he handles some very
important cases, always with satisfaction to
his clients. In his fraternal relations, he
belongs to the Masonic Order, the Knights
of Pythias, the Woodmen and the Tribe of

Ben Hur. He has occupied the chairs in
the Masonic fraternity, and is secretary of
the Knights of Pythias. He is a member
of the Baptist church.

Mrs. Tolliver was called to her rest De-
cember 10, 1905.

Judge Tolliver takes an abiding interest
in the progress and improvement of the
schools in Clay county and, in fact, all mat-
ters that pertain to the development of the
community. He belongs to the class of
substantial citizens whose lives do not show
any meteoric effects, but who by their sup-
port of the moral, political and social status
for the general good, promote the real wel-
fare of their respective communities, and
are therefore deserving of honorable men-
tion on the pages of history.

EDGAR F. BRUBAKER.

The subject of this sketch, Edgar F. Bru-
baker, is a man who is an important fac-
tor in the farming and mercantile business
in the county in which he lives. The son of
one of the pioneer residents of Marion
county, a man who held a record as a large
farmer and merchant, and as a church
worker and a prominent citizen, entitled
him by birth to a place in the life of the
community. He has, however, had the ad-
vantages of a present-day education, and
his trained brain and industrious habits have
brought him success in life.

Edgar F. Brubaker, a twin brother of

366

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Edwin M. Brubaker, was born in Alma
township, on October 6, 1859, and was the
son of Eli Brubaker and Mary Warner, his
wife. His father, who was born December
11, 1818, and who died July 10, 1907, was
universally known and respected in the com-
munity. He was one of the pioneers of Ma-
rion county, where he made a name for him-
self. He helped to establish a Presbyterian
church in Stevenson township, and was an
active, conscientious, and untiring religious
worker. For over forty years he held the
position of superintendent of Sunday
schools, after which he was elected hono-
rary superintendent for the remainder of
his life. He was noted and known through-
out the county as a raiser and breeder of
Durham cattle. His farm at one time com-
prised fourteen hundred acres of as good
land as there was in the county. For many
years he turned his attention to the mer-
cantile business in an extensive way in Sa-
lem. He was a life-long Democrat and one
of the most popular and important men in
his section of the county. His family con-
sisted of seven children. They were : Isaac
B., who married Dolly Kagy, and has one
child; Christian M., who married Wood-
son Cheely and has eight children ; Anna
B., who married Shannon Kagy, has five
children ; William A. married Marindy Van
Gilder, and has five children ; Edwin M.,
the twin brother of the subject of our sketch,
married Catherine Byers and has two chil-
dren; and Logan E. married Rachel Kagy
and has two children.

Edgar F. Brubaker married Marietta

Kagy, on April 3, 1888. No children
have been born to them. In his youth
he was educated at the common schools,
afterwards attending Lincoln University,
where he took a scientific course. Like
his father before him, he started ex-
tensively in the farming business and with
much success until about eleven years ago,
when he decided to go into the mercantile
business in Brubaker. His venture along
mercantile lines was an assured success, and
his business has a turnover now of about
twenty thousand dollars. In addition to his
large mercantile interests, Edgar F. Bru-
baker still holds about four hundred acres
of land and is a breeder or Polled-Angus
cattle on an extensive scale, the Polled-An-
gus herd which he now has on his farm
being of a remarkably good quality. In
the past he has been quite a large raiser of
sheep and has the reputation of being a
shrewd and experienced agriculturalist.

In politics Edgar F. Brubaker is a Demo-
crat. In the political life of his township
he has been as active as his business inter-
ests could permit him to be. He has served
a term as Road Supervisor, and twice as a
Justice of the Peace. His reputation along
agricultural lines gained him the distinc-
tion of serving on the Board of Agricul-
ture at the State Fair at the time of its be-
ing held at Peoria, Illinois. In the social
and religious life of the township and
county, the names of Edgar F. and Mrs.
Brubaker are well to the fore. Their names
have rarely been absent from social and
religious functions in the neighborhood. As

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

367

a citizen and a representative business man,
the subject of our sketch is admired and
respected. He has all the qualities which go
to the making of the desirable and conscien-
tious member of the community.

JOHN W. THOMASON.

Mr. Thomason is known as a man of
high attainments and practical ability as a
lawyer, and as one who has achieved suc-
cess in his profession because he has worked
for it persistently and in channels of honest
endeavor. His prestige at the bar of Clay
county stands in evidence of his ability and
likewise serves as a voucher for intrinsic
worth of character. He has used his intel-
lect to the best purpose, has directed his
energies along legitimate courses, and his
career has been based upon the wise as-
sumption that nothing save industry, perse-
verance, sturdy integrity and fidelity to
duty will lead to success.

John W. Thomason was born in Blair
township. Clay county, July 5, 1874, the
son of William B. Thomason, who was a
native of Indiana. He came to Bible Grove
township when a boy, where he settled
on a farm and continued to* live in this
county until his death, about 1878, when
only about twenty-eight years old. Allan
Thomason was the subject's grandfather, a
native of North Carolina, who emigrated
to Kentucky and then to Indiana, residing
on a farm in Washington county. He was

a soldier in the Mexican war. The sub-
ject's mother was known in her maiden-
hood as Caroline Kellums, whose people
were natives of Indiana, she having been
born in Greene county, that state. She was
called to her rest in 1900, when living at
lola, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. William B.
Thomason were the parents of three chil-
dren, only two of whom are living at this
writing, Walter L. Thomason living at
Madison, Illinois, and John W.

Mr. Thomason spent his early life on the
farm. His father was called to his reward
When John W. was four years old, and the
mother and son lived with the latter's ma-
ternal grandfather. The mother remarried
when John W. was eight years old. His
step-father was J. W. Fender, of lola, Il-
linois, by which union six children were
born.

Mr. Thomason attended the district
schools until he was eighteen years old,
when he entered Orchard City College, at
Flora, from which he graduated in 1894,
having made a splendid record for scholar-
ship. He taught school one year before
graduating and a few terms afterward, with
much success attending his efforts. He
then went to Mercer county, this state,
where he engaged in the grain and stock
business with an uncle, having been asso-
ciated with him for four years, making a
success of this line of work in every par-
ticular. But a business life was too prosaic
for him and he decided to enter the profes-
sion of law, and accordingly began study
at Aledo, Mercer county, this state. He

368

lUOCKAIMIICAI. AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

attended Kent College of Law one term, in
Chicago, and was admitted to the bar in
1899, in Clay county, where he at once be-
gan practice and has continued ever since
in a manner that has stamped him as one
of the leading representatives of the bar in
this part of the state. He first practiced
alone.

In 1900 Mr. Thomason was elected
State's Attorney on the Democratic ticket,
for a term of four years, which office he
filled with much credit and to the satisfac-
tion of all concerned. He was a candidate
for re-election, but was defeated by one
vote only, the rest of the ticket being de-
feated by majorities ranging up to four
hundred and seventy-three. This shows
Mr. Thomason's great popularity in the
county with his party. He then formed a
partnership with H. R. Boyles, which con-
tinued until Mr. Boyles died in 1905. He
practiced alone then until 1907, when he
formed a partnership with H. D. McCollum,
which now exists. The firm has a very
large and complete library, which is kept
well replenished with late decisions and the
most standard works, in fact, it is one of
the best in Clay county, and few firms do a
more extensive business than this one.

Mr. Thomason was united in marriage
March 28, 1900, to Margaret L. Downing,
daughter of John Downing, of Joy, Mercer
county, this state. She is the worthy rep-
resentative of an influential family of that
locality. To this union two winsome
daughters have been born; Corrinne and
Helen. Mr. Thomason has a farm in Blair
township, and he is interested in the stock

business, always keeping some good breeds
on hand. His farm is a valuable one and
is kept well improved.

Our subject is chairman of the Demo-
cratic County Central Committee, and is
very active in politics. He was appointed
Master in Chancery in March, 1908. and
is now ably serving in this capacity. In
his fraternal relations he is a member of the
Masonic Order, and at this writing Master
of the Louisville Lodge No. 196. He is a
member of the Knights of Pythias, being
Chancellor Commander. He is also a mem-
ber of the Woodmen and Ben Hur.

It stands to Mr. Thomason's credit that
he has attained prosperity and definite suc-
cess through his own efforts, since he
started out in life with no further reinforce-
ment than that implied in a stout heart,
willing hands and a determination to suc-
ceed through honest and earnest effort.

JOSEPH C. PARKINSON.

No family in Marion county is better or
more favorably known than the Parkin-
sons, who have been identified with the
growth of this locality since the early pio-
neer days, and who have in every instance
played well their parts in the county's his-
tory. The subject of the present sketch is
a worthy representative of his ancestors.

Joseph C. Parkinson was born on the old
Parkinson homestead in Raccoon township,
February 27, 1869, the son of Brown and
Mary J. (Leuty) Parkinson, the former a
native of Tennessee, and the latter of Jef-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

"369

ferson county, Illinois. He married in Jef-
ferson county and came to Marion county,
locating in Raccoon township, where he se-
cured one hundred acres of land in section
23, all wild land, but he was a hard worker
and cleared it, making a good home. He de-
voted his life to farming, and was School
Director, a Republican, and he also held
several minor offices. He and his wife were
members of the Reformed Presbyterian
church. He died in October, 1883, and his
wife died August 29, 1905. The father of
the subject was not only well known but well
liked. To the parents of the subject the
following children were born : John, a
farmer in Raccoon township, living on part
of the old place ; Luella married B. F. Mer-
cer, of Raccoon township; William K. is a
farmer in Raccoon township; Nettie is de-
ceased; Charles A. is superintendent of the
public schools at Glen Carbon, Illinois; Jo-
seph C, our subject, is the youngest child.

Joseph C. Parkinson lived at home with
his mother until he was twenty-two years
old. He attended the neighborhood schools
there and got a fairly good education. He
was happily married February 5, 1891, to
Flaura J. March, of Raccoon township, the
daughter of John S. March (whose sketch
appears in full in this volume). To the sub-
ject and wife seven children have been born
as follows: Maude, Hattie, Harris, Roy,
Helen, May and Merle.

After his marriage Mr. Parkinson located

on a part of his father's farm and lived on

the old homestead, making a success of his

farming operations until the spring of 1901,

when he moved to the south line of the old
homestead, where he has since resided. He
owns fifty acres of the old place and twenty-
six and one-half acres adjoining it, making
his a very valuable and desirable farm,
highly improved and one of the most pro-
ductive in the township. The subject car-
ries on a general farming business. He
raises all kinds of grain, horses and cattle,
good hogs; his cattle are Jersey and Dur-
ham, and his hogs are Poland-China and
Duroc Red. His fine stock is known all
over the county, and no small portion of his
income is derived from this source. He has
always been a farmer and is considered an
excellent one by those who know him. He
has a comfortable home and convenient out-
buildings.

Mr. Parkinson has ably served his com-
munity as Township Clerk for two years
and School Director for three years. He is
a stanch Republican, and always takes an
interest in the affairs of the county, doing
what he can to promote his interests,
whether politically, socially or materially.
He and his wife are faithful members of the
United Presbyterian church.

WILLIAM H. HUDELSON.

The history, biographical record or mem-
oir of Clay county or of Southern Illinois,
would be singularly incomplete without
mention of William H. Hudelson, deceased.
Therefore the following article has been

KIOGRAPI1ICAI. AND KKM 1 \ ISC'KXT HISTORY OF

compiled from facts available and quota-
tions from the utterances and writings of
those who knew him intimately throughout
his long career as a citizen of Clay county.

In every community there is to be found
a man, or a few men, whose names are pre-
eminently and unmistakably identified
with the community's material growth and
development, and who are always to be
found associated with every movement that
seems to promise an addition to that com-
munity's wealth, resources and enterprise,
and to enhance the importance of its loca-
tion and surroundings. Such men are sel-
dom obtrusive, though always on the alert,
and always to be found when called upon.
The masses feel their presence, though it is
not thrust upon them, and almost insensi-
bly, but no less surely, do they leave their
impress upon the character, institutions and
developments of that community. Such a
man was \Yilliam H. Hudelson.

He was born on a farm three miles south
of Princeton, Gibson county, a son of Sam-
uel Hudelson, a pioneer of that community.
He was not exactly a child of the wilder-
ness, but wilderness features surrounded .
the rude cradle in which he was rocked.
The trail of the wolf was yet to be seen in
the snow and the alarm of the rattle-snake
at the base of the hill. It was the period of
the legendary cabin and fire-place, the old
family Bible and alphabet, and the school-
house with its floors of puncheon, its un-
hewn logs and roof of boards. It was the
day of the hasty, primitive education, when
the subjects taught were reading and writ-
ing, spelling and arithmetic, when grammar

was catalogued with, the natural sciences,
and geography among the classics. It was
the time of day of the pious mother, who
had her pleasant legends and fairy tales,
with which she suppressed the rising sighs
and kept open the leaden eye-lids of the
little ones, as she plied her spinning-wheel
and waited for the return of her husband
from his labors, when perchance, driving
snowstorm delayed him far into the hours
of thickest night.

Amid such scenes our subject spenthisboy-
hood and the revolving years on to his man-
hood, until, in April of 1852, he located in
Louisville, Clay county. Illinois. With a
limited financial capital, he established in
the grocery and "general store" business
with John McGriffin as a partner. This
was some years before the advent of Rail-
roads, and their stock of goods was
brought by wagon from Evansville, In-
diana. By industry and fair dealing the
firm was successful and endured for a pe-
riod of five years, when in 1857, Mr. Hud-
elson exchanged his interest for the farm
of Harrison Rayburn. Here from dawn
far into the night he labored and toiled.
His tremendous industry, his splendid phys-
ical strength and endurance made him
known throughout the countryside and
many are the tales related of his wonderful
powers. In 1866 he sold his then titled
farm and he again became a resident of
Louisville village. At about this time the
building of the court-house was agitated,
and bonds providing for same were issued
by the county. Clay county was even then
much in the "back woods'' and the financial

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

371

men of the East to whom the then young
West looked for its cast supply, did not
take kindly to the court-house bond issue.
In consequence they were not greatly
sought and were offered at a most liberal
discount. With a far-seeing wisdom and
an abiding faith in the community and its
citizens. Mr. Hudelson invested his capital
and savings in these bonds and the subse-
quent years fully warranted his faith and
trust in the county's future. His first ven-
ture in the whirlpool of finance proving suc-
cessful, he for some years, devoted himself
to investments and private banking. In
about 1870, with Henry Watson as a part-
ner, a savings bank was established, known
as the Bank of Louisville, and this he con-
ducted until in about 1879, the business
was closed, after which he continued as a pri-
vate banker and an investor in lands and real
estate. At one time his land holdings were
estimated at between thirty-five hundred
and four thousand- acres, and his wealth, a
portion of which he inherited from deceased
relatives, was said to have been about two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

He was one of the organizers of the
Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Louis-
ville, in 1892. and served as its president
for a number of years. Some years pre-
vious to his death he launched a series of
philanthropical movements, which it was his
aim should result in advancing the cause of
Christianity, education and the betterment
of mankind. He gave lavishly of his
wealth to Ewing College, of Ewing, Illinois,
and erected a handsome building and
grounds in Clay county, known as Hudel-

son Academy, which flourished during his
life largely through his contributions for
its maintenance.

He was a Democrat in his political faith
though in no respect a politician. He held
the office of Justice of the Peace for some
time and in 1868, he was a candidate
against Hon. L. S. Hopkins for County
Judge, which contest resulted in a vote
whereupon Mr. Hudelson magnanimously
relinquished his claim and Mr. Hopkins was
seated. He was of deeply religious temper-
ament, and joined the Baptist church at Lou-
isville in 1868, continuing his membership
there for many years, though a few years
before his death he withdrew from that
congregation and became a member of the
Wabash Baptist church. He contributed
much to the church and was largely re-
sponsible for the erection of the church edi-
fice at Louisville, a building which would
do credit to a much larger city.

Mr. Hudelson was twice married, his
first wife being Frances C. McCawley, of
near Clay City. They were married Octo-
ber 26. 1854, and her death occurred Au-
gust 12, 1856. One child, Cornelius, who
died in infancy, was born to them. On Oc-
tober 12, 1858, he married Mrs. Pennina
Bentley (nee Bundy), who died May 13,
1903. Mr. Hudelson died March 9. 1905.

"Uncle Bill" and "Aunt Piney" Hudel-
son will live long in the memories of the
citizens of Clay and adjoining counties,
where one or both of them were known al-
most universally. "Aunt Piney" was an
affectionately comforting and ' devoted
woman, deeply attached to her husband.

372

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM I XISCEXT HISTORY OF

and wholly consecrated to his well being.
His circle of home was cheerful, tranquil,
and in that charmed spot he1 ever seemed
as happy as a child, and when after forty-
five years she was taken from him, he felt
an irreparable loss, for his devotion to her
was the echo of hers for him.

"Uncle Bill" and "Aunt Piney" found
great pleasure in the association of friends
and deeply enjoyed their society. To those
in whom the former had confidence and
with whom he became most intimate; to
those who merited and won his friendship,
he was indeed a friend, tried, trusted and
true. In his dealings with his fellow men
he was honorable, fair, punctual, his word
as good as his bond. If he was your debtor
he would repay to the last farthing and he
exacted the same treatment, the same ster-
ling integrity from those who were in his
debt. He possessed a genius for execution
and management and of that quality of
personality which accompanied by deed de-
termination is bound to rise no matter what
the environment or circumstances.

E. P. GARNER.

The subject of this sketch has well earned
the honor to be addressed as one of the
progressive, public-spirited men of Marion
county. His early labors were devoted to
railroad work, but the latter years up to the
time of this writing, 1908, were spent in
the management of a grocery store in Salem,
where he held high rank as a merchant and
successful business man.

E. P. Garner was born in Salem, Illinois,
March 4, 1856, the son of Albert Garner, a
native of Tennessee, who came to Illinois
when a young man, settling in Salem. He
drove a stage coach on the old Mayesville
and St. Louis lines ; in latter years he was a
stock trader and butcher. He died in Sa-
lem after an active and useful life replete
with success and honor. The mother of
the subject was known in her maidenhood
as Letitia Pace, who was born in Mt. Ver-
non, Illinois. She is a woman of beautiful
Christian character and admirable traits and
is living in Salem in 1908, at the age of sev-
enty-five years. The parents of the subject
had a family of seven children, four of
whom are deceased at this writing. They
are: Florence, deceased; Ann, deceased;
Albert, deceased; E. P., our subject;
Blanche, deceased; Maggie, the wife of J.
H. Vawter, of Salem; Frankie, who is liv-
ing in Salem.

Mr. Garner was reared in Salem, having
attended the common schools until he was
fiften years old. His first position was as a
brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road, on a passenger train, having followed
this from the time he was nineteen until he
was twenty-four years old. He then fired a
locomotive on the same road for one year,
between East St. Louis and Vincennes. Af-
ter this he went to work for the Wabash
Railroad at East St. Louis as a car account-
ant, having followed this up to 1906, on
which date he abandoned railroading and
went into the grocery and meat business in
Salem, which business he has handled with
success, building up an excellent trade.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

373

Our subject was happily married March
8, 1883, to Janie Jackson, a daughter of
John W. Jackson, of Frankfort, Kentucky,
who is a brother of the late Capt. James
S. Jackson, of Salem. This family has
always been influential. Three interesting
children have been born to the subject and
wife, as follows: Carrie J., whose date of
birth occurred March 17, 1884, in Salem;
Sherrill P., who was born February 25,
1889, in East St. Louis; Ralph E., born De-
cember 23, 1898, in Salem, is in the public
schools at Salem. These children have re-
ceived every care and attention at the hands
of their parents and they all give promise of
successful futures.

Our subject is a charter member of the
Modern Americans, and in his religious af-
filiations he subscribes to the Christian
church. Mrs. Garner and the three boys
are also members of this church.

Mr. Garner was on the Executive Com-
mittee of Salem township in 1880, with W.
J. Bryan at the organization of the Hancock
and English club. This was Mr. Bryan's
first political act, he being only twenty years
old at that time. Mr. Bryan was chairman
of the committee on permanent organization.

EDWIN HEDRICK.

The student interested in the history of
Richland county does not have to carry his
investigations far into its annals before
learning that Edwin Hedrick has long been

a leading representative of its agricultural
interests, and that his labors have proven a
potent force. More than half a century has
passed away since he came to the county.
There was much difficult work before the
early settlers, like the Hedricks, in clearing
the land for improvement and for many
decades Edwin has successfully carried on
the various lines of farming, and while he
has prospered in this he has also found
ample opportunity to assist in the develop-
ment of the county.

Edwin Hedrick, whose farm lies in Deck-
er township, Richland county, was born in
Ohio county, Kentucky, January 23, 1830,
the son of Samuel and Sarah (Lucas) Hed-
rick, the former a native of Ohio and the
latter of South ' Carolina. Grandfather
Philip Hedrick was bom in Germany,
where he was reared and where he mar-
ried. He came to the United States and
settled in Clark county, Ohio, where he en-
tered a great deal of land, and became very
wealthy. He reared a large family of fif-
teen children and carried on a big dairy.
He made large quantities of cheese which
he hauled to Cincinnati by the wagon load
every two weeks. He continued to buy
government land, and acquired many sec-
tions, dividing it among his children, giv-
ing each a large farm. He was a German
to the core, and did not acquire much Eng-
lish education. His cousin was Colonel
Hedrick in the Revolutionary war. After
the war the colonel returned to Germany,
where he had invested money and became
a millionaire. He never married and his

374

1UOGKA1M1ICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

fortune finally went to the German govern-
ment. Philip, the father of the subject, ac-
quired a farm from his father and consid-
erable money from the estate. He sold out
in Ohio, and went to Kentucky, where he
married and engaged in farming for sev-
eral years. He then sold out and in 1841
came to Richland county, Illinois, settling
in Decker township, where he entered about
one thousand acres of land, paying one dol-
lar and twenty-five cents per acre. It was
a wild, unsettled country at that time, and
later he went to Palestine to enter land.
There were no roads at that time, and there
was plenty of wild game of all kinds, tur-
keys, deer, by the hundreds. He lived only
five years after coming here, having died
in 1846, at the age of fifty-three years. He
had been a minister in the Cumberland
Presbyterian church for several years. His
wife survived him twenty-five years, and
she married a second time, her last husband
having been a Mr. Harrison. She was sev-
enty-six years old when she died on the old
homestead in Decker township. She be-
came the mother of eight children by her
first husband, of which number our subject
was the third in order of birth. Three of
them are living at this writing; a younger
brother. Mason Hedrick, was a major in
the Union Army during the Civil war, in
the Twelfth Kentucky Cavalry, having en-
listed from Davis county, that state, and
served' until the close of the war. He is
now living at Odin, Illinois.

Edwin Hedrick was eleven years old
when he came to Richland county. Reared
on a farm he received what education he

could in the public rural schools, which was
somewhat limited, school having been
taught in the primitive log cabin, with rude
furnishings. He attended only a few
months during the winter. However, after
the death of his father he went to Ken-
tucky, and lived for several years, where
he secured a good education and taught
school in that state in an acceptable man-
ner for a period of eight years. He was a
fine penman and taught penmanship during
vacations. In 1857 he returned to Rich-
land county and settled on the old home-
stead, having bought the interest of the
other heirs and he has since lived here. But
few improvements had been made on the
place. About that time he got married and
began housekeeping in a small log cabin.
There were but few roads through the
country, and he endured a!5 the privations
and hardships of frontier life. Forty acres
having been left him by his father, he
bought forty acres more from his mother,
going in debt for the same. He prospered
from the first and bought more land, which
he improved, and is now the owner of six
hundred acres, comprising one of Rich-
land county's model farms, besides having
given six hundred acres to his children.
For forty years he was widely known as an
able farmer, trader and stockman, dealing
in live stock on an extensive scale. He was
a large dealer in mules for many years,
and usually had from one hundred and fifty
to two hundred head of cattle every year
for many years. He has been unusually
successful in whatever he has undertaken.
Mr. Hedrick was united in marriage

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

375

June 23, 1857, to Mary A. Adamson, a
native of Union county, Kentucky, the
daughter of Aaron and Martha Jennings
(Thompson) Adamson, the former a native
of Kentucky, and the latter of Tennessee.
She moved to Edwards county, Illinois,
with her parents, when young. Her father
died in Kentucky when about forty years
old. The subject's wife's mother died in
Wayne county, Illinois, when she had at-
tained the advanced age of eighty-four
years. Grandfather Thompson served in
the \Yar of 1812. He was a native of
Louisiana, and came to Edwards county,
Illinois, among the early pioneers and lo-
cated here.

Eight children were born to the subject
and wife, seven of whom grew to maturity.
They are Elvira ; Francis Marion ; Samuel
Aaron, Eva McClelland, Mara Martha,
Mary Elizabeth, Edwin, a prominent law-
yer in Chicago. All these children are liv-
ing except Eva McClelland, who died when
thirty-six years old. These children have
received good educations.

In politics Mr. Hedrick is a Democrat,
and has always been very active, being one
of the local "wheel-horses" for many years
in local affairs, and was for quite a long
time very influential in his township, but
since he has reached old age he does not
take much part in political matters. He
has never aspired to positions of public
trust, preferring to give all his attention to
his business and in rearing and. educating
his children.

In June, 1907, Mr. and Mrs. Hedrick

celebrated their golden wedding anniver-
sary on the homestead. There were sixty-
five relatives present. Both our subject and
his wife received beautiful gold watches in
remembrance of the occasion, which they
prize very highly. Mr. Hedrick has been
a faithful member of the Presbyterian
church for sixty-five years, and he was an
elder of the same for many years. Mrs.
Hedrick has also been a member of that
church for many years.

Our subject deserves the great credit
which he is given for his success, for not
a dishonest dollar ever passed through his
hands, and his lands, money and stock ag-
gregate from forty to fifty thousand dol-
lars, all the result of his own efforts, for
he started in life with only forty acres of
wild land.

W. R. WOODARD.

The subject is now practically living re-
tired in Salem, Illinois. Through his long
connection with agricultural interests he
not only carefully conducted his farm, but
so managed its affairs that he acquired
thereby a position among the substantial
residents of the community. Moreover he
is entitled to representation in this volume
because he is one of the native sons of Ma-
rion county, and his mind bears the impress
of its early historical annals, and from the
pioneer days down to the present, he has
been an interested witness of its develop-
ment.

376

lilOGKAPHICAL AND REMIXISCICXT HISTORY OF

\V. R. Woodard was born in Marion
county, about five miles northwest of Sa-
lem, August 8, 1844, the son of Charles
Woodard, a native of Ohio, who came to
Illinois in 1840, settling on the farm where
our subject was born, and he continued to
live there until 1904, developing an excel-
lent farm and reaping rich rewards for his
toil from year to year, for he was a thrifty
man of the best type of agriculturist. In
1904 he moved to Salem where he spent
his old age, surrounded with the comforts
of life, which his manhood years, in the
youth and "noon" of life had accumulated,
having passed to his rest in Salem, Febru-
ary 10, 1907, more than eighty-seven years
old. He was at one time postmaster at
Tonti.

He worked in a carding mill in Salem
for some time, and had the weave made up
into clothes. The paternal grandfather of
the subject was Joshua Woodard, who was
a native of Pennsylvania and who migrated
to Ohio and then to Illinois with his son,
the father of our subject. He made a suc-
cess of whatever he undertook, being a man
of sterling qualities, like most of the pio-
neers of the country of those early days.
He finally went back to Ohio where he died.

The mother of our subject was Ann All-
mon in her maidenhood, the representative
of a fine old family in Tennessee. Her peo-
ple finally moved to Marion county, Illinois,
where she passed to her rest in 1884. Four
children were born to the subject's parents,
W. R.. our subject; A. J., who lives on a
farm near the old home place: Elizabeth

Ann, widow of J. H. Scott, living near
Tonti; Ann, who died in infancy.

Our subject was reared on his father's
farm and attended the country schools in
that neighborhood, having applied himself
in such a manner as to gain a fairly good
education for those primitive school days.
He lived on the old farm where he made a
decided success at agricultural pursuits un-
til he moved to Salem in 1904. He erected
a house on the old homestead for himself,
where he spent his years of labor in com-
fort and plenty. Mr. Woodard was united
in marriage in 1871 to Mrs. Martha N.
(Deeds) Nichols, whose parents came to
this state from Virginia when she was one
year old. She was always known as a wo-
man of many fine personal traits. Four
children were born to the subject and wife,
all deceased, three having died in infancy,
and the fourth after reaching maturity.
Our subject always took considerable in-
terest in public affairs and he was ap-
pointed postmaster of Tonti after his
father gave it up. He has also been hon-
ored with township offices in Tonti town-
ship.

Mr. Woodard is a faithful member of
the Methodist Episcopal church of Salem,
and his wife is also a consistent member of
this church, both ranking high in the con-
gregation of the same. Our subject has
spent his long and useful life in Marion
county, and it is interesting to hear him tell
of the early days when Salem was a small
hamlet with but a few houses and much
wild game was in the great forests and on

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

377

the uncultivated prairies roundabout. He
has been a man of good business judgment
and a hard worker, consequently he has
made a success of his life work which has
always been carried on in an honest man-
ner. He owns a good residence in Salem,
where he is regarded as a good law abiding
citizen, and where he has many personal
friends.

JOSEPH GOSS.

We rarely find two persons in every-day
life who attribute their success in their dif-
ferent spheres to similar qualities. Hard
work and plodding industry paved the way
for one. good judgment and a keen sense
of values for another, intuition and a well
balanced mind for the third. An admix-
ture of some of the qualities above named,
emphasized by hard work and plodding in-
dustry, has been responsible for the success
of the subject of the present sketch in his
battle for the spoils of victory.

Joseph Goss of German township, Rich-
land county, is a familiar figure in the life
of his township and county. He was born
on the 3d of October, 1833, in Stark coun-
ty. Ohio, the son of Jacob and Margaret
(Bolinger) Goss, both natives of Stark
county, Ohio. His grandparents on the
father's side, came from Germany. They
married in New Jersey, and after having
spent a short time in Pennsylvania, moved
to Stark county, Ohio, where the father of
our subject was born, and where they lived

until the death of the elder Mrs. Goss. At
that time Grandfather Goss came to Illi-
nois, where he died at the age of ninety-
five, being buried in Goss cemetery in Ger-
man township. The father of Joseph Goss
remained with his parents until his mar-
riage to Margaret Bolinger in Stark county,
where he removed to a farm of his own on
which he remained until he came to Illinois
in the year 1840. The journey to Illinois was
made overland, bringing with him his fam-
ily of eight children, one of whom was Jo-
seph, then only seven years of age. In
German township they entered one hundred
and twenty acres of government land, pay-
ing one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre
for it. It was all timber land and totally
unimproved. They set about clearing it,
cut down trees and hewed out logs with
which a rough log house was built. It was
a small family dwelling, eighteen feet by
twenty in area, and having four windows
and two doors. A log stable was also built.
As fast as Jacob could clear the land he
planted wheat and corn and from time to
time added adjoining land, and owning at
the time of his death about two hundred
acres. His death took place on the farm,
his wife having preceded him to the un-
known, in the year 1861, he, himself dying
in the year 1873. on April 28th, at the age
of seventy-five years. Both are buried near
the family home in German township. Ten
children were born during their married
life, of which Joseph was the fourth in or-
der of birth.

Joseph Goss remained with his parents,

378

IlKIC.RAl'HICAL AND RK.M I XISCKXT HISTORY OF

helping them in their arduous tasks until
his twenty-seventh year, at which time he
married Julia Gerber, on May 14, 1860,
their marriage taking place in Richlancl
county. His wife was born in Pennsyl-
vania in the year 1831, and was the daugh-
ter of Philip and Mrs. Gerber. Her family
came to Richland county from Pennsyl-
vania, in the year 1845, where they re-
mained until their deaths. Julia Gerber re-
mained with her parents until her marriage
in 1860.

At the time of his marriage, Joseph Goss
bought some timber land, ninety acres in
Claremont township, and for many years he
put in much hard work clearing, fencing
and improving it. He built a frame house
for himself and his wife. The outbreak of
the Civil war occurred just then, and in the
warmth of his patriotism, he volunteered
for service. His sen-ices were refused,
however, on account of one of his hands
being somewhat crippled, but his family
was well represented on the field of battle,
having had two brothers and two nephews
in active service, his nephews both being
killed — one at the battle of Fort Donelson.
His brothers luckily escaped, neither being
injured nor taken prisoner. About the year
1869, Joseph Goss sold his property in
Claremont township, and bought one hun-
dred and twenty acres in German town-
ship, the place on which he now lives.
Since coming into possession he has added
more land and now owns one hundred and
forty acres of well improved land. His

wife died in January, 1875, aged forty-four
years, and is buried in Goss cemetery. Four
children were born to them, all are living,
and in order of their birth they are: Johrr
Mathias, Jacob, Daniel and Emma : all are
married. John M. lives at home with his
father; Jacob and Daniel both own farms
and live in Jasper county, Illinois; Emma
is the wife of Ernest Kennedy, a farmer,,
and lives in Lawrence county.

Joseph Goss remarried in July, 1888.
This time he took for a wife Salome (Seil-
er) Gerber, the widow of Edwin Gerber,
who was a brother of his first wife. The
second Mrs. Goss was born in Stark county,
Ohio, September 3, 1837.

Joseph Goss did not receive a very ex-
tended education — two or three terms was
his limit, for farm work was urgent in his
young days, and the school was five miles
away, so he had to bow to circumstances.
In politics he is a Democrat and he has
made his influence felt in his locality, hav-
ing been in his younger days very active.
He served for several years as a School Di-
rector in district No. 4.

He and his wife and family are frequent
in their attendance at St. James Lutheran
church in Claremont township, all being in-
fluential and active members of that per-
suasion. His first wife was also active in
the same church.

Joseph Goss's honesty and genial good
fellowship have given him a recognized po-
sition in the community and his life in the
declining period is peaceful and sunny.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

379

GEORGE WOLGAMOTT.

George Wolgamott was born January
22, 1826, in Cambridge, Guernsey county,
Ohio, the son of David and Sophia (Shee-
ley) Wolgamott, both natives of Maryland,
in which state David Wolgamott remained
until his marriage at which time he re-
moved to Ohio, coming overland with his
wife, and encountering the usual quota of
hardships which traveling in those days en-
tailed. He entered three hundred acres
from the government, paying one dollar
and twenty-five cents an acre, in Guernsey
county. It was all timber land with no
improvements of any kind, but he imme-
diately erected a home for his family in
which he and his wife remained until their
deaths. David Wolgamott died about
1878, having passed his ninetieth milestone.
His widow survived ten years, dying in
1888, having also reached her ninetieth
year. Both are buried in the Liberty cem-
etery in Guernsey county, Ohio. David
Wolgamott served about one and a half
years in the Civil war in an Ohio regiment,
mostly as one of the home guards in the
vicinity of Columbus, Ohio. He was the
father of a family of ten children, eight of
whom grew to maturity, two dying in early
life. Joe Wolgamott, one of his eldest
sons, went through the Mexican war under
command of General Taylor.

George Wolgamott remained at home
until his fourteenth year when he ran away
from home and volunteered for the Mexi-
can war. On account of his youth he

could not be taken as a soldier and served
as a hostler. Later, when he became older,
he got into the regular service. The first
battle he took part in was that of Buena
Vista, in whrch he received a wound in the
leg, which was the only wound he received
throughout the campaign, but it did not
hinder him from service, and he remained
with his regiment until the close of the war.
He then returned to his parents in Guern-
sey county, Ohio, and resumed work on
the farm. At the age of twenty-one, he
came to Illinois and entered eighty acres
of prairie land in German township. Rich-
land county, in the fall of 1847, and he
came in company with Billy K. Johnson, a
banker of Coshocton county, Ohio, who also
entered a great deal of land surrounding
our subject's eighty acres. He thai went
back to Ohio in the spring of 1848, and
once more farmed with his father. In 1850
his marriage with Nancy Jane Rogers
took place. They left Ohio in 1852 and
came overland to Illinois and settled on the
land which he had already entered. On
their arrival he built a log cabin, broke
prairie and raised corn and wheat, and
otherwise improved the land. At the out-
break of the Civil war he enlisted at Olney
in the winter of 1860. He had had small-
pox when a boy and therefore was placed
in the Union hospital in Springfield, Illi-
nois, where he served as an attendant. This
occupation proved too irksome for him and
he ran away to New Orleans, rejoining his
regiment, the Sixty-third Illinois, Com-
pany A, two years later. The company

38o

r.lOC.KAIMIICAI. AND KK M I \ iS( K \ T HISTORY OF

was commanded by Captain McClure.
George Wolgamott in active service then
went through many of the principal en-
gagements of the war. He marched with
Sherman to the sea and took part in the
battles of the Wilderness, Buzzard's Roost,
Lookout Mountain, Big Shanty, Atlanta,
Missionary Ridge and many others. At
the close of the war he was mustered out
at Springfield, Illinois. He was with his
regiment at Raleigh, North Carolina, when
the war ended, marched to Washington, D.
C, and came to Parkersburg in open stock
cars, then taking boat to Louisville, Ken-
tucky, and thence to Springfield, Illinois.
His wife had returned to Ohio during the
war to which place he went to bring her
back to Illinois. On their return home his
wife soon died. Two children were born
of this marriage; they were named Lemon
and Emma; the former lives in Iowa, and
the latter at Lewiston, Illinois: she is the
wife of Anderson Whites. The subject
of our sketch then married Eliza Thomp-
son in 1868: she died about four years
later. Three children were born to this
union; one, Savannah, married William
Campbell, and lives in German township.
The other two children died in childhood.
George Wolgamott married shortly after,
taking for his third wife Jane Foster. On
November 30, 1879, he again ventured into
matrimony. marrying Nancy (Fisher)
Carr, the widow of David Carr, a sol-
dier of the Civil war, who died in 1874, and
is buried in Bridgeport cemetery, Guernsey
county, Ohio, his death occurring at the

age of forty-six. To them were born three
children, namely: Sylvester (deceased);
Lillis and Ida. Lillis married Heldon
Travis and lives in Topeka, Kansas; Ida is
the wife of Edward Stradge, and resides in
Curtis, Frontier county, Nebraska. Nancy
(Fisher) Carr was born in 1838, February
27th, of that year, in Troy,. New York.
She lived in Troy with her parents until
about three years of age, when they moved
to Schenectady county, New York. Here
she lived until her fourteenth year, when
her parents moved to Ohio and settled in
Tuscarawas county, later moving to Guern-
sey county. Her parents came to Richland
county, Illinois, prior to the date of her
marriage to our subject. Both her parents
died in Richland county, her father dying
in 1879; her mother survived him for many
years, dying at the age of eighty-eight, years
about the year 1906. Her parents are in-
terred in the Wagner cemetery, German
township.

George Wolgamott in his early years at-
tended the subscription schools in Ohio.
His present wife was also educated in the
subscription schools in New York state, but
she left school at the age of fourteen.

Mr. Wolgamott has always voted the
Republican ticket, taking an active part in
local politics. He was a school, director
for about sixteen years in his home district.
He has also been for many terms road over-
seer in German township. He is a member
of the local camp of the Grand Army of
the Republic Post No. 745, in Chancey.
Lawrence countv, Illinois. He was elected

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

post commander several times. Both he
and his wife attend the Christian church,
though neither are members of any par-
ticular church.

JOHN P. WILLIAMS.

The subject of this sketch belongs to that
class of men who win in life's battles by
sheer force of personality and determination,
and in whatever he has undertaken he has
shown himself to be a man of ability and
honor.

John P. Williams was born in New York
City, May 10, 1849, the son of Robert Wil-
liams, a native of Wales, who came to
America when a young man. He was a pat-
tern-maker and ship carpenter of great skill.
He left New York in 1853, and went to
Licking county, Ohio, where he remained
until his death in 1854.

The subject's mother was Margaret
Parry, also a native of Wales, who came
to America when very young. She is re-
membered as a woman of many fine traits
and a worthy companion of Robert Wil-
liams. She passed to her rest while living
with our subject in Salem, July 10, 1882,
to which place she had come four years pre-
vious. Three children were born to the par-
ents of the subject of this sketch, the only
one living being John P. Williams. Row-
land H., his brother, died in Salem, Decem-
10, 1890. He was appointed postmaster of
Salem by President Harrison, and his death

occurred after he had served only about
eighteen months. Robert, the subject's other
brother, died March 10, 1877, in Licking
county. Ohio. These children recived ev-
ery advantage possible that their parents
could give them.

John P. Williams was reared in Lick-
ing county, Ohio, making his home there
from the time he was three years old un-
til he was twenty-eight. He received his
education in that county, having applied
himself in a manner that resulted in a fairly
good common school education. After leav-
ing school Mr. Williams engaged in the shoe
making business, which he followed for.
twelve years and in which he was eminently
successful. He came to Salem in 1878 and
worked as a solicitor for his brother who
was then in the monument business, fol-
lowing this in a most satisfactory manner
until 1882 when he went into the life and
fire insurance business, spending consider-
able time on the road as a special agent in
life insurance and making a marked success
in this line of business.

Mr. Williams was appointed postmaster
of Salem, April i, 1898, in which capacity
he served with entire satisfaction to the au-
thorities and in a manner that reflected much
credit upon his natural executive ability, un-
til 1907. This appointment was made by
President McKinley, and he was re-ap-
pointed by President Roosevelt. After leav-
ing the office, Mr. Williams opened a real
estate and insurance office in 1907 and has
been conducting the same to the present
time, building up an excellent patronage and

IMOCKAI'IIICAI. AND RKMIXISCKXT HISTORY OF

is now doing an extensive business through-
out this community. He represents eight
old-line companies and the business of these
could not be entrusted to better or abler
hands, owing to Mr. Williams' popularity
in Marion county, his genuine worth and
integrity.

Our subject was happily married in 1873
to Laura A. Ruton, an accomplished daugh-
ter of E. E. Ruton, a native of New York
state. The ceremony which united this con-
genial couple was performed in Ohio and
their subsequent life history is one of the
utmost harmony and happiness, and to this
union six interesting children have been
born, named in order of their birth as fol-
lows: Margaret, the wife of James N.
Chance, a merchant tailor of Salem; Lucy,
the wife of William P. Morris, a wholesale
cigar dealer of Salem; Frances, the wife
of L: W. Fellows, a broker, of New York
City ; Lena, who is living at home ; R. Carl,
who is a train dispatcher on the Missouri
Pacific Railroad at Jefferson City, Missouri ;
Rowland L., who is living at home, and is
assistant time-keeper for the Chicago &
Eastern Illinois Railroad Company at
Salem.

Mr. Williams, in his fraternal relations,
belongs to the Salem Blue Lodge, Council
and Chapter, Masons, and judging from his
daily life one would conclude that he be-
lieves in carrying out the noble precepts of
this ancient and praiseworthy order. Both
he and his wife are members of the Cum-
berland Presbyterian church. The career of
Mr. Williams clearly illustrates the possibili-

ties that are open in this country to earnes
persevering men who have the courage c
their convictions and are determined to 1
the architects of their own fortunes.

GEORGE BUTLER.

George Butler was born in Richlar
county on July 9, 1844, being the son (
Samuel and Nancy (Baker) Butler, bol
natives of Muskingum county, Ohi
George Butler's father and mother wei
married in Ohio, where three children wei
born to them. They came to Illinois in tl
year 1842, making the trip overland :
wagons, being four weeks on the journe
and they endured the customary hardshi]
of that tedious system of travel, arriving
German township, Richland county. 111
nois, in September, 1842, and entered tw
hundred acres at the government price <
one dollar and twenty-five cents an acr
all timber land, on which stood one sms
log house and a log stable capable of hou
ing two horses; these had been erected t
Gabriel Reed, who had taken a squatter
claim on the place, for whose good will ar
the improvements Samuel Butler paid tl
sum of sixty-five dollars. He had to go
Palestine on horseback to make entry of tl
land and was but twenty-four hours ahe;
of a man named Lathrop (since decease*
who intended making entry of the san
place. Samuel Butler having successful
entered the land proceeded at once to cle;

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

383

and improve same. He moved into the log
house, and a few years later built a double
log house, and erected other buildings.
Wild animals and game, including wolves,
wild turkey and deer, were in abundance.
Mrs. Samuel Butler died November n.
1860. aged about sixty years. Her husband
survived her about twenty years, dying
November 14, 1880. aged eighty. Both are
buried in Mount North cemetery, in Ger-
man township. Our subject remained in
the paternal home assisting his father and
mother until the Civil war broke out, when
he enlisted July 9. 1861. though not quite
seventeen years of age at the time, having
obtained his father's consent to fight for
his country. He was sent to St. Louis and
was attached to Company E, Eleventh Mis-
souri Infantry, under Captain Levenston.
He was then transferred to Cape Girardeau,
Missouri, for a course of training of three
months. He was ordered from there to the
front where he participated in some of the
historic battles of the conflict, such as Island
No. 10, at Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Land-
ing, Corinth. Mississippi; the battle of
luka : Holly Springs, and the siege of
Vicksburg, in which he was wounded by a
shell striking him in the side, which broke
several ribs and inflicted other injuries. He
remained for only two or three weeks in a
field hospital, and again returned to his
regiment with which he remained in active
service until mustered out at St. Louis,
Missouri, on January 23, 1866.

George Butler then returned home to his
parents in Richland county, and again took
up his agricultural calling in which he con-

tinued until his marriage which took place
on March 2. 1869. On that date he mar-
ried Buleau Burnell in Richland county.
His wife was a native of Richland county,
being born there on August 6. 1850. She
was the daughter of Hizer and Sophia
(Sumner) Burnell. Her father was born
in Ohio, and her mother in Lawrence coun-
ty, Illinois. The former came with his par-
ents from Ohio, when only a small boy.
They settled on a farm in Wabash county.
where his father died when he was still
young. His mother survived her husband
for many years, and married a second
time, a Mr. McMullen, who afterwards
died. Mrs. Butler's father continued to
make his home with his mother until he
married Sophia Sumner, about the year
1845. He then settled in Lawrence county
for three or four years, after which he came
to Richland county and entered one hun-
dred and sixty acres of land in Preston
township, where he remained until his
death, August 26, 1854, being buried in
Springfield cemetery, Lawrence county.
Mrs. Burnell married secondly in March.
1865, William Musgrove, and came with
her family to reside in German township,
where she remained until her death. Wil-
liam Musgrove, the step-father of the sub-
ject of our sketch, died January 13, 1895 ;
her mother born July 21, 1826, died April
24, 1903. Both are buried in Butler cem-
etery in German township. Mrs. Butler's
parents had a family of three children.
They were, besides herself, Quintes and
Mul ford, who died in childhood. Her
mother by her second marriage had seven

niOCKAPHICAL AND KKM1N ISCKNT HISTORY OF

children, namely: Symmia, deceased; An-
drew; Mauzella, deceased; Filina; Effie. de-
ceased; Warren and Erdie, deceased; Bu-
leau Burnell remained at home with her
parents until her marriage in 1869.

From the money which George Butler
received and saved while serving in the Civ-
il war, he bought eighty acres of raw tim-
ber land in German township. On this he
built a log house and made a clearing on
the land and at the time of his marriage
moved with his wife into the place where
they lived for several years. About the
year 1882 he sold the land and changed to
another farm in German township in which
they now reside. Their property now con-
sists of three hundred and sixty-two acres
of the choicest land, all of which is in Ger-
man township. In 1888, the subject of
our sketch had built upon his land a two-
story house of seven rooms, which cost
about two thousand dollars.

Our subject and wife are the parents of
four children, only two of whom grew to
maturity, one dying in infancy. The others
are Bertha E., Burton E., and Bennie H.,
who died aged seven years. Bertha E. is
the wife of Harvey Stoltz, residing in Zal-
ma, Missouri, where Mr. Stoltz is engaged
in the moving and transfer business; they
are prosperous and are the parents of three
children, Marrietta, Hester and George.
Burton Butler married Glennie Bauman ;
they reside on a portion of his father's
property in German township and are very
successful; three children were born to
them, Lady June, Trail and Katie Jean.

George Butler in his early years attended

only the subscription schools, but never
continued in attendance for three months
altogether. Owing to his heavy farm du-
ties and his enlistment in the army at the
age of seventeen, his schooling was almost
entirely neglected. He did not even learn
to read at school, and never held a pen in
his hand. These necessary accomplish-
ments he had to acquire in after life
through self-study. His wife met with
much the same experience during her early
life, although she is now well able to read
and write.

George Butler is a member of the Bour-
ier Post, Grand Army of the Republic No.
92, at Olney, Illinois. In politics he has
always been a Republican. His first bal-
lot for President was cast while in the
army and went to Abe Lincoln. He has
always taken an interest in local politics,
and served as Road Commissioner for over
nine years in German township, and as
School Director for over thirty years. He
and his wife and all members of his family
are regular attendants of the Methodist
church.

GEORGE C. WELLS.

The fact that the subject was one of the
patriotic sons of the north who offered his
services and his life, if need be, on the field
of battle in defense of the flag during the
dark days of the rebellion, entitles him to
the high honor which is due everyone ot
the gallant boys in blue.

George C. Wells was born in Washing-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

ton county, Rhode Island, January 20,
1844, the son of Peter C. and Elizabeth
(Stillman) Wells, both natives of the same
county, in Rhode Island. He was a farmer
and died in 1872, at the age of sixty-six
years; she passed away in July, 1888, at
the age of seventy-eight years. The sub-
ject's parents had seven children, namely;
Anna Elizabeth ; Maria, of Alleghany
county, New York; Harriett, living in
Rhode Island ; George Clark, our subject ;
Adeline, Emeline and Oscar, all living in
Rhode Island.

The subject of this sketch was educated
in the home schools and Alford College,
New York. In July, 1862, he enlisted for a
period of three years in Company A,
Seventh Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry,
at Hopkinton, Rhode Island. He was in
the army of the Potomac, Ninth Army
Corps. He was in the great battle of Fred-
ericksburg and was shot in the right hip,
December 13, 1862, and was sent to Wash-
ington, District of Columbia, where he re-
mained for one month, and he was in the
home hospital for one year, was then dis-
charged and came home. He. served six
months. After the war he went to Westerly,
Rhode Island and engaged as a mechanic
until December 10, 1865, when he came west
and located in section 4, Meacham township,
Marion county, Illinois. He first bought
forty-four acres of land, but being thrifty
and a good manager, he gradually added to
this until he owned two hundred and ninety
acres. He made all of the improvements on
25

the place and was considered one of the
best farmers in the township.

Our subject was united in marriage Feb-
ruary 1 6, 1868, with Emma L. Brown, a
native of Niagara county, New York, and
three children have blessed this union,
namely: Oscar C., who married Inez Ran-
dolph. He is a farmer and poultry raiser
in Meacham township, and the father of
five children, Gale, Glenn, Ora, Elsie and
George. Harriett, the subject's second
child, is living at home; Lena, the young-
est, is also a member of the home circle.
Oscar Wells taught school for many years.
Lena is now in the Farina high school.

The subject carries on a general farm-
ing business, raises Red Polled stock, Red
Comb and Brown Leghorn chickens, Pekin
ducks and several varieties of good live
stock. Since 1896 Mr. Wells has been liv-
ing in practical retirement, however, he still
oversees his farm. He has for many years
dealt very successfully in poultry, feed and
fertilizers. He has held several of the
township offices, and is a Republican of
pronounced convictions.

Mr. Wells is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, No. 426, at Farina,
Illinois. He has been commander of the
same, having held all the offices of this
post. He is a member of the Seventh Day
Baptist church at Farina. Mr. Wells de-
serves a great deal of credit for what he
has accomplished. He started life poor,
but being ambitious he worked hard and
has achieved eminent success, being today

386

lUOC.KAI'IllCAL AM) KICM I .\ ISCKX T JIISTOKV ( ) F

one of the solid and substantial men ot
his township and well and favorably known
by every one. He is remembered as a
teacher of more than ordinary ability, hav-
ing taught school for six years, one year in
the Farina, Illinois, high school. What his
hand and mind have found to do he has
done with his might, and having attained
a commanding position among his contem--
poraries he wears his honor in a becoming
manner.

WINFIELD S. LACEY.

Among the citizens of Meacham town-
ship, Marion county, whose lives have been
led along such worthy lines of endeavor
that they have endeared themselves to their
fellow citizens, thereby being eligible for
representation in a volume of this nature,
is the gentleman whose name appears
above.

Winfield S. Lacey was born in Morrow
county, Ohio, September 30, 1849, the son
of Hiram G. and Sophia (Sell) Lacey, the
former a native of Ohio, who grew to man-
hood there and married before leaving that
county. He lived in Ohio until 1855.
when he brought his family to Marion
county, Illinois, settling in Meacham town-
ship. He drove through the country from
Ohio, bringing twenty-two head of cows
with him, also three teams. He secured
one hundred and twenty acres of land in
sections 10 and 15. It was partly improved
and had an old house, eighteen by thirty-six

feet, of split timber, and there was an old
log stable. These soon gave way to com-
fortable and substantial buildings, and the
place was put under a high state of im-
provements. Being thrifty he soon bought
more land and lived on this place until his
death. His wife died in Farina, this state.
They were Methodists. Mr. Lacey was a
Republican, but never aspired to office.
The following children were born to them :
Gabriel S.. who lives in Meacham town-
ship; Mahala also lives in Meacham town-
ship; Thomas S. lives in the same town-
ship; Francis M., enlisted in the Union
army when eighteen years old and served
during the war. After the war he mar-
ried and moved to Cowley county, Kansas;
Abram F., was also a soldier in the Federal
ranks, who served three years. After the
war he returned to his home in this county,
where he remained until his death; A. H.,
resides on the old place, and was also a
soldier; Nancy married Michael Butts,
and is living in Meacham township; W. S.,
our subject; Anthony and Catherine were
twins, the former is deceased, and the lat-
ter is the wife of Jacob Althon, of Clay
county, Illinois; Hiram is living in Meach-
am township, this county ; Hugh is de-
ceased; Mary is the wife of Douglas
Roberts, who lives in Fayette county.
Illinois.

The subject of this sketch had only a lim-
ited education, not having an opportunity
to attend school very long in his youth. He
remained a member of the parental family
circle until he was twenty- four years old.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

He was married February 27, 1873, to
Nancy Hitchcock, of Harrison county, Ohio,
the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Hitch-
cock. Her parents moved to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1870, and located in
Omega township, where they remained two
years and then moved to Meacharr town-
ship, remaining here one year, then they
went to Iowa, where Mr. Hitchcock died.
His wife is living at this writing in Ne-
braska. Seven children were born to the
subject and wife as follows : Edward, who
is farming in Meacham township, married
Margaret Gotshall, of Ohio; Lydia, who is
now deceased, was the wife of Lon Myres :
Haman is living in Farina, Illinois, en-
gaged in the hardware business, and in mar^
ried to Olive Warren; Orville is deceased;
Hugh is also deceased; Ollie married Jesse
Norman, and is living in Meacham town-
ship ; Milton is living at home. These
children attended the local schools, receiving
fairly good educations.

After his marriage the subject bought
forty acres of land in Meacham township
lives, in section 4, Meacham township. It
was raw land, but Mr. Lacey was always a
and lived there for three years, when he
sold out and bought the place where he now
hardworker and a good manager, and he
rapidly improved the place up to its present
high state of efficiency. The subject now
owns three hundred and forty acres, which
lie rents, being now retired. His farm is
well up to the standard of Marion county's
choice farms, being well fenced, and in
every way in fust class condition. He has

a substantial and beautiful dwelling and a
good barn and other out buildings.

No little part of Mr. Lacey's income has
been derived from live stock, raising an ex-
cellent grade of hogs, cattle and sheep. He
is also a good judge of horses and has al-
ways kept some fine ones. He has devoted
his life to farming, consequently he has
mastered every detail of this class of busi-
ness. In politics he is a Populist, but has
never held office. He started in life in a
small way, but he is now one of the sub-
stantial men of the township, having gained
all his property unaided, by his careful man-
agement and hard work. The subject's first
wife was called to her rest in February.
1903, and he married Rebecca Minard, of
Harrison county, Ohio, in October, 1905.
Mr. Lacey is known by the people of Mea-
cham township for his honesty and useful
life.

JOHN THOMAS HAUSER.

The people in the vicinity of Claremont
township and we might say of Richland
county in general, are well acquainted with
the life history of its pioneer inhabitants,
and the story of the career of John T.
Hauser is not the least known. He was
born on the 28th day of December, 1817,
in Stokes county, now known as Forsythe
county, in North Carolina, the son of John
and Annie Hauser. both of his parents na-
tives of the state in which they lived : his
mother's maiden name being Canuse.

388

BIOCKAPHICAl. AND KKM I \ ISCKXT HISTORY OF

When six years old his father died and he
came to be of much assistance to his mother
on the family farm. At the age of fifteen
he started in to learn the trade of shoe-
maker and, upon becoming a proficient
workman, he left home. His travels took
him over various portions of the Carolinas
and the state of Kentucky, successfully ply-
ing his trade as he went along. On the
outbreak of an epidemic of cholera during
his stay in Kentucky he decided to return
home, traveling by way of the famous Cum-
berland Gap. A short time after his re-
turn his mother died and once more he set
about to seek a change. He was then about
twenty-three years of age and upon settling
upon a small farm in .the state of Ohio, he
soon married. His choice fell upon Lucy
Ulrich, but their married life was unfortu-
nately a brief one, his wife dying in the
following year, being buried at New Phil-
adelphia. On March 21, 1851, he married
Elizabeth, the widow of Oliver Weaver.
She was the daughter of Jacob and Eliza-
beth Cable, natives of Pennsylvania, who
came to the state prior to the War of 1812,
both of whom were well known and respect-
ed in the community.

John T. Hauser's life in Ohio was not
an uneventful one. Those were early Ohian
clays; many Indians still lingered in the
western part of the state, reluctant to leave
their patrimony; game abounded in large
quantities; marauding bears and ferocious
wolves were not uncommon visitors, and
consequently many hardships were suffered.

In the year 1867, once more a prey to

wandering instincts — and possibly with a
view of taking a hand in "the winning of the
West," the subject of our sketch pressed
onward to Illinois, where he settled on a
farm in Richland county. On his arrival
he set to work and built a rude house, and
two months later, his wife and family ar-
rived in the new surroundings in which they
were destined to live. Year after year has.
seen improvements made on the property.
The land today is in an admirable state of
cultivation. A substantial brick house has.
been erected.

The death of his wife occurred on the
26th of September, 1908. Seven children
resulted from the union, all of whom are
still living. In order of birth they are:
Anna Elizabeth, Cable, Ira A., Susie, John
L., Benjamin F., and Harvey E.

John T. Hauser has now reached the ripe
age of ninety-one years — an age not reached
by very many nowadays.

Such a man as John T. Hauser could
not fail to be drawn into the whirlpool of
at least one of the struggles for supremacy
that convulsed the country in the early half
of the century. He passed through the Civil
war, serving four arduous years in an Ohio
regiment. At different periods of the time
he served under Grant and Sherman. He
is a member of Grand Army, Post No. 92,
at Calhoun.

In religion Mr. Hauser is a member of
the Methodist communion, though formerly
he was affiliated with the German Moravian
church for many years. While his health
permitted he was ever active in church work.

RICHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

His wife was for twenty years a German
Lutheran, but at the time of her death she
was a Methodist.

Mr. Hauser has ever been a Republican
in politics and, had his delicate health per-
mitted him, would have attended the elec-
tion of November, 1908. Had he done so
he would have voted for eighteen consecu-
tive Presidents of the United States.

SAMUEL PUFFER.

Prominently identified with the industrial
and civic affairs of Marion county is the
subject of this sketch who is one of the
leading farmers of this locality, residing on
a beautiful farmstead in Meacham township,
which he has improved.

Samuel Puffer was born in Effingham
county, Illinois, June n, 1848, the son of
John Puffer, a native of Maury county,
Tennessee. He married Martha J. Gray, in
Illinois. He was the son of Samuel Puffer,
a native of the New England states, who
came to Tennessee in an early day. About
1833 he came to Marion county, Illinois,
and settled near Kinmundy. His father came
later and lived with him until the latter's
death. His wife died in Tennessee. He
married a Miss Eagan. His second wife was
a Miss Caldwell. He had two sons and a
daughter by his first wife and two daughters
by his second marriage. The subject's
father located in Effingham county, Illinois,
about 1836, taking up government land on

Fulfer creek, where he lived until about
1857, when he went to Collins county,
Texas, where he secured eighty acres of
land and in 1862 he went to Bates county,
Missouri, where he owned a farm of one
hundred and twenty acres. He died there
in 1862, having been preceded to the other
world by his wife in 1851. He married a
second time, this wife being Lovina New-
man, who died in Texas. He again mar-
ried, his third wife being a Miss Degraften-
read, of Texas. There were two children by
his second wife, one dying when small
John, who grew to maturity, lived in Mis-
souri, and went to Colorado in 1890.

The subject of this sketch came to Ma-
rion county, Illinois, in 1862, and located
near Kinmundy, where he lived until 1878,
when he bought a farm of one hundred acres
in Meacham township, section 7, where he
has since lived. He made all the improve-
ments on his farm, which is considered equal
in every way to any in the county, and he has
a beautiful, well furnished and comfortable
home.

On February 12, 1872, the subject was
united in marriage with Sarah Eagan, of
Kinmundy township, the daughter of Isaac
and Athlina Tulley, the former of Tennes-
see, where his youth was spent. They
were pioneers of Marion county, first set-
tling at Salem, later at Kinmundy. He was
the owner of a large tract of land, part of
which is the present site of Kinmundy. He
died in 1874 and his wife passed away in
1888. They were the parents of eight chil-
dren, of whom four are living at this writ-

39«

IIIOGRAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ing, namely: John, who resides in Kin-
mundy township; Sarah, the subject's wife;
Ras, of Salem, Illinois ; Harriett, widow of
James Hayworth, of Kinmundy. Two chil-
dren have been born to the subject and wife,
namely: Myrtle, the wife of Charles E.
Wenck, who lives east of Farina, Illinois;
Mae, who was maried June 24, 1903, to
Mark Boyd, of Meacham township, and
who is the mother of one son, Richard F.
Mark Boyd lives with the subject and as-
sists him in managing the place. Mr. Puffer
has lived on his present place since 1878. He
carries on general farming in such a man-
ner as to gain a comfortable living from
year to year and lay by a competency for his
old age. His farm is well improved and he
raises not only good crops of various kinds,
but also excellent horses, hogs and cattle. He
has held some of the township offices, and is
a loyal Democrat. He is a member of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church. He de-
served a great deal of credit for what he
has accomplished. Having started in life a
poor boy, he has, by hard work, achieved
success.

PERRY SAYRE.

Action is the keynote of the character of
all who achieve success on this planet of
ours — action subtilly planned and carefully
carried out. The successful life story of the
subject of this sketch is a case in point, be-
ing one of a determined struggle for a definite
purpose.

He is now comfortably established on his

farm of two hundred and forty acres, which
he has wrested from a resisting nature and
improved year by year, and which through
his efforts is now as good land as Richland
county contains.

He was born in November, 1857, a short
distance from Waverly, in Ross county,
Ohio, and was the son of David O. and
Frances Sayre. His mother, whose maiden
name was Lee, belonged to an old Virginia
family. His father came at an early age
from Virginia with his parents, who set-
tled on a farm in Ross county. Here he as-
sisted his parents on the farm until his mar-
riage with Perry's mother, at which time he
purchased a farm of forty acres in the same
county. There Perry was born and there
his life was spent until the family, including
the grandparents, who also wished to come
further afield, migrated to Illinois. As no
railroad communication was established at
the time the itinerary was made overland,
the tedious journey was not performed with-
out a mishap, however, for in the accidental
breakdown of a light wagon Grandmother
Sayre sustained injuries from which she
never completely recovered. The two fam-
ilies finally landed in Jasper county, Illinois,
where they bought farms and settled in the
vicinity of Newton, Perry being then in his
seventh year. Shortly afterwards his grand-
father and grandmother passed away, the
space of three or four weeks only separating
their demise. They were buried near New-
ton. In the spring of 1865 — the following
year — his parents sold their property and re-
moved once more. Claremont township,
Richland county, was the destination on

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

391

this occasion. Here the parental farm con-
sisted of forty acres which continued to in-
crease until it comprised one hundred and
twenty-eight acres. The land they settled
was mostly unimproved. At first the build-
ings thereon consisted of a small log house
and stable, and only eight acres had been
cleared for cultivation. Clearing the land,
making important improvements and build-
ing a substantial homestead were the occu-
pations of the following years, a period in
which the youthful Perry underwent a
strenuous apprenticeship.

The subject of our sketch is the third
member of a family of four children. The
other members living are Ellen and Henry
Clinton. Another brother, named Harrison,
died a few years ago. On February 5, 1900,
his father died at the age of seventy-two.
The family burial lot at Antioch contains
the remains of his father and brother. His
mother is still alive, being in her seventy-
fourth year and enjoying good health.

Perry had two uncles who saw active ser-
vice in the Civil war, each one sacrificing
his life for the Union cause. Their fate
was very sad. One languished as a prisoner
of war in Salisbury prison, where he was
allowed to starve to death ; the other was
killed in battle. Both served in Ohio regi-
ments, and in General Grant's division.

We have already touched upon his moth-
er's antecedents. She was born in 1834,
and like her husband, came to Ohio from
Virginia with her parents in early life. Her
mother died in 1885 and her father in 1890.
She was the fourth eldest of a family of

nine children — three boys and six girls. Her
eldest brother also is a Civil war veteran.

Perry remained with his parents on the
farm up to the time of his marriage to
Amanda E. Chaplain on September 9, 1882,
when he moved onto the farm he now occu-
pies. The property had then a very prim-
itive appearance. It boasted a log cabin and
the land around was almost totally uncleared.
The soil was marshy and in the springtime
it closely resembled a frog-pond. Then it
was that Perry Sayre performed by far the
most strenuous work of his life. He cleared,
drained and ditched the land. In time he
was repaid for his efforts. It became as
good a farm as any in the vicinity. An in-
stance of his industriousness at this period
may not be amiss. In wintertime when farm
work was at a standstill he cut and made
railroad ties and fence posts, etc., selling the
posts at three cents and the ties at twenty-
eight cents a piece. In the course of time
he built a substantial frame structure where-
in he still lives. Each year has seen im-
provements, which go to make his the home
of a prosperous farmer.

His family life has been happy. Two of
his children have grown to maturity, the
only other dying in early life. His two sons,
Clarence and Roy, live in St. Louis, where
they are skilled workmen, and a constant
source of comfort and satisfaction to their
parents on the farm in Illinois.

Mrs. Perry Sayre was the daughter of
Perry and Ellen Chaplin, Ohio folk, who
came to Illinois in the year 1851. Her mother
died some years ago. but her father still

392

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORV OF

survives at the age of seventy-five. She is
the fifth in order of succession of a family
of ten children, six of whom grew to matu-
rity. In the regular order her living sisters
and brothers are: Otis O., Milton F.,
Nanna B., Ellen and Curtis.

Outside of agricultural pursuits, Mr.
Sayre is a good business man. As a boy he
attended the Claremont common schools, at-
tending whenever possible until his twen-
tieth year, and receiving all the education
that the institution could give him.

Rutherford B. Hayes was the first Presi-
dent for whom he voted. Though not ag-
gressive in politics he takes a passing inter-
est in the game, and when election time
comes he is always found solidly Repub-
lican. In the spring elections of 1908 —
pressure being brought to bear upon him to
come forward as a candidate. He did so
and came within a vote of being elected
Township Supervisor of Claremont. Strange
to say he was himself responsible for his
opponent's victory. He chivalrously re-
corded his vote for him, thereby placing him
in office by the slender margin of one. Perry
Sayre and his wife have been ever active
in Methodist church affairs.

LEWIS COMBS.

Eighty years have dissolved in the mists
of time since the venerable subject of this
sketch first saw the light of day and they
have been years of failures and triumphs,

victories and defeats, sorrows and joys, but
withal, satisfactory as most lives of honest
endeavor as his has been.

Lewis Combs was born in Dubois
county, Indiana, November 20, 1828, the
son of John Combs, of Tennessee. His
mother's name was Delila Vancouver, a na-
tive of Scott county, Indiana. John Combs
went with his parents when a boy to Du-
bois county, Indiana, where they were pio-
neers. They secured wild land which they
cleared, made a comfortable home and
on which they died. John Combs lived
to about 1842. He came by wagon, bring-
ing seven head of horses to Walnut Prairie,
Clark county, Illinois, and later to Marion
county, settling in Meacham township on
Scritchfield Prairie, where he stayed two
years and went back to Indiana, remaining
there one year when he returned to Marion
county, Illinois, where he remained for six
years. Then he went to Missouri where
he remained for two years, moving then to
Arkansas, where he died. His wife died in
Indiana. They were the parents of six
children, as follows: Lewis, our subject;
Starling ; Wesley, Smith, Minerva Lytle ;
the last four named are all deceased.

Lewis Combs, our subject, had no chance
to go to school and learn to read and write.
He remained with his father until twenty
years old when he began working out at
various places. He first bought forty acres
of land in Omega township, Marion county,
Illinois, in 1864. He sold this the following
year and located where he now lives in sec-
tion 35, Meacham township, then known as

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

393

Miletus township. He served as postmaster
for a period of fourteen years. He was
married three times, first to Martha
Schritchfield, a native of Indiana. His sec-
ond wife was Isabelle Simonds, a native of
Kentucky, and his third wife was Caroline
Melton, a widow of Christopher Melton and
a daughter of Charles and Rebecca Lock-
hart. The latter was a native of Orange
county, Indiana. The subject's wife was
born in Clay county, Illinois, in 1841. Her
parents located in Oskaloosa, Illinois, and
in 1860 went to Arkansas. Her husband
in 1862 enlisted and was taken sick at
Helena, Arkansas, and died at St. Louis in
a hospital in October, 1862. The family
came to Clay county, Illinois, and the
mother died in March, 1895. Three chil-
dren were born to them, namely: Martha,
who died in April, 1862; Caroline, the wife
of our subject; May, who died April 10,
1863. Our subject has six children by his
first wife, namely: Frances, widow of
Thomas Garner, and she lives near Salem,
Illinois; Louisa married Austin Hanks, of
Omega township ; Logan is a farmer in
Meacham township; Julia is the wife of
Lorenzo Phillips, of Omega township ; Aus-
tin is a farmer in Clay county, Illinois;
Samuel, the sixth child, is deceased. The
subject had four children by his second
wife, namely: Nellie, the wife of Frank
Dravance, of Effingham county, Illinois ;
Ella is the wife of Henry Smith, living
near Salem, Illinois; Lee is a farmer in
Omega township; Edgar died when young.
Two children have been born to the sub-

ject and his third wife, namely : Mae, who
is the wife of Jesse Payon, a teacher of
Marion county; Bessie is the wife of Loyd
Hanks, of Meacham township. Mrs. Combs
had eight children by her first husband,
six of whom are still living, namely : Louisa,
who married Allen Smith, of Clay county,
Illinois; Belle is deceased; Emma married
Edward Threewit, of Meacham township;
Lockhart, of Sharpsburg, Illinois ; Martha is
the wife of Walter King, of Meacham town-
ship; Franklin is living in McCoupin county,
Illinois, and he is engaged as engineer in
the coal mines; James is deceased; Ellen is
also deceased.

The subject of this sketch purchased
eighty acres of land where he now lives and
first started to make a home. He kept add-
ing to this by thrift and economy until he
now has a farm of two hundred and sixteen
acres, in Meacham and Omega townships
and where he carries on a general farming
in such a manner as to stamp him as one
of the leading farmers of the township. He
has always been a stock dealer and is re-
garded as one of the best judges of stock
in the county. His farm has always been
kept to a high standard of excellence and
the soil has been so skillfully manipulated
by the proper rotation of crops until it is
as rich today as when he first took posses-
sion of it.

Mr. Combs has always been a loyal
Democrat but he has never aspired to office,
being content to devote his time to his work
of the farm. Both he and his wife are
faithful members of the Christian church.

394

BIOCKAPIIICAL AND REMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

WILLIAM HENRY WILSON.

The ancestors of the Illinois family of
this name were early pioneers of Ohio, set-
tled in Licking county. In 1851 the gran-
parents of our subject removed to St. Paul,
Minnesota, and entered four hundred and
eighty acres of government land in Anoka
county. The grandmother, whose failing
health had caused the removal to the north-
west, died there in 1852, but her husband
long survived her, his death occurring in
West Virginia in 1883, when he was more
than eighty years old. He left a son, Wil-
liam O. B. Wilson, who remained with his
parents on the Ohio farm until 1850, when
he married Mary Margaret Seymour, when
they settled on a rented farm and worked it
until 1853. Deciding then that they could
improve their fortunes by going farther
west, they emigrated to Illinois in wagons
and encountered the usal hardships of trav-
eling overland. Purchasing eighty acres of
land in German township, Richland county,
some years were spent in its improvement.
Later, forty acres additional of timber was
bought, and from this the rails were cut and
split for building fences and necessary dwell-
ing and out houses. In 1861, Mr. Wilson
enlisted in Company E, Eleventh Regiment
Missouri Volunteer Infantry, commanded
by Captain Levinson, of Olney, Illinois.
After serving a year an attack of erysipelas
compelled him to return home on a furlough.
After returning to the army at the end of
sixty days there was a relapse, necessitating
his removal to the hospital at Cape Girard-

eau, Missouri, where he died and was bur-
ied February, 1862. His wife died June
24, 1861, shortly before his enlistment in
the Union army. They had four children,
of whom only two grew to maturity.

William H. Wilson, one of the survivors
of the family, was born in Licking county,
Ohio, March 18, 1853, and was conse-
quently about nine years old when he be-
came an orphan at the death of his father.
He went to live with his mother's parents,
who had come to Illinois in 1852, and set-
tled on a rented farm in Richland county. In
1859 they purchased eighty acres of land in
Lawrence county and it was here that their
orphaned grandchild joined them. The grand-
mother died at the age of sixty-eight years
and her husband survived until 1872. when
he passed away at the age of seventy years.
This venerable couple were buried in Wag-
oner cemetery by the side of their daughter.
At the death of his grandfather, Mr. Wilson
was nineteen years old and removed to Allen
county, Kansas, but after a few months
went back to Illinois. In 1874 he again took
up his abode in Kansas, but eventually re-
turned to his old home, residing a while in
Lawrence county, but eventually taking up
his permanent residence in Richland. He
has prospered in his undertakings as the re-
sult of hard work and good management.
He owns eighty acres of well improved land
as good as the best in Claremont township
besides thirty-five acres in Minnesota, in-
herited from his grandfather.

March i8th, Mr. Wilson was married to
Phoebe Miller, who was born in Carroll

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

395

county, Ohio, January 18, 1856. Her par-
ents were Jacob and Phoebe (Lewis) Miller,
natives of Ohio, who came to Illinois in
1 864, and settled in Richland county, where
the latter died December 6, 1891, and her
husband November 27, 1894, aged seventy-
six years. They had nine children, all of
whom are still living, Mrs. Wilson being the
sixth in order of birth. Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
son have five children : Charles, Clifford,
Clyde, Cloy and Cora. The first two men-
tioned are married and both are prosperous
farmers in Claremont township. The other
three children, one son and two daughters,
still remain with their parents. Mr. Wilson
is a member of Amity Lodge, Court of
Honor, in German township. Though not
a member he attends services at the Meth-
odist church and is interested in all good
works undertaken by the denomination. In
politics he is a Republican and takes an act-
ive interest in all local campaigns. His first
Presidential vote was cast for Rutherford
B. Hayes in 1876, when he was twenty-three
years old. Mr. Wilson has a comfortable
home and an excellent farm which he has
made by dint of much toil and trials that
come to fanners.

HENRY WILLIAM SEE, SR.

Our subject is the representative of an
honored pioneer family of Marion county,
so that a consideration of his genealogical
and personal history becomes doubly inter-

esting and doubly apropos in connection
with the prescribed province of this publi-
cation. Mr. See is one of the prominent
farmers of Kinmundy township, having a
finely improved landed estate of two hun-
dred and forty-four acres and he is carrying
forward his operations with that energy,
foresight and careful discrimination which
ever betoken the appreciative and model
yeoman.

Henry William See, Sr., is a native of
Marion county, where he has been satisfied
to spend his entire life, having been born
April 30, 1849, in Kinmundy township, the
son of Michael See, who married Elizabeth
Allman May i, 1848, and to this union the
subject of this sketch was born, the mother
dying when the son was seven months old.

Our subject received his early education
in the district schools of his native county
where he applied himself in a careful man-
ner to his studies. He spent his boyhood on
his father's farm assisting with the work
about the place until he reached maturity
when he was married to Mary Alice Black-
burn June 29, 1869, in Hillsboro, Mont-
gomery county, Illinois, the ceremony which
made them one having been performed by
a Justice of the Peace. The family from
which Mrs. See came were, many of them,
known as eminent lawyers, doctors arid
preachers. On her mother's side of the
house many of the family were Baptist
ministers. Mary Alice was born March 16,
1849, in Medora, Macoupin county, Illinois.
Her father was George P. Blackburn, who
was born in Huntsville, Alabama, May 24,

396

ISIOCRAI'll ICAI. AM) KKMIMSCKNT HISTORY OF

1826, and who was married February 14,
1848, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Emily E.
Farrow, who was born in Mount Sterling,
Kentucky, December 9, 1830. Seven chil-
dren were born to them, five girls and two
boys, all of whom lived to be grown and all
married, the subject's wife being the oldest
of the number.

Our subject and wife are the parents of
eight children, named in order of their birth
as follows: Harry M., deceased; Ollie E.,
who married James Lasater; they live in
Redlands, California, and are the parents of
six children, an equal number of boys and
girls. Ernest B., the subject's third child,
is deceased; Sabyon G. is also deceased;
Mabel I. married J. R. Kelly, a Baptist min-
ister of Highland, Illinois, and they are the
parents of four sons; Emma A. married
Dellis Malone and is the mother of one son.
She lives in Taibin, New Mexico; Michael
J. and Richard E. are both deceased. These
children have received good educations and
are fairly well situated in life. The subject
has eleven grandchildren, all living but one
girl.

Mr. See has devoted his life to agricul-
tural pursuits, of which he has made an
eminent success, now owning a fine farm.
No small part of his income from year to
year is the result of the successful handling
of stock, he being an extensive breeder of
Polled-Angus cattle, and good horses. His
farm is also well stocked with many fine
varieties of chickens, among the principal
breeds being the Black Langshan, which has
often taken prizes at fairs and poultry

shows. Mr. See is regarded as one of the
best farmers in Kinmundy township as the
general thrifty appearance of his place
would indicate. He is always at work and
never neglects anything about his place that
needs his attention.

Mr. See is a Democrat in his political
relations and takes considerable interest in
political affairs, always casting his ballot for
the man whom he believes to be the best
fitted morally and intellectually for the of-
fice sought. He and his family are Mis-
sionary Baptists as was also his ancestors,
among whom was one minister. The Sees
are regarded as people of the highest in-
tegrity and are known as substantial citi-
zens wherever they reside. Our subject's
well improved property is a monument to
his thrift and well directed efforts. He is a
man of earnest purpose and upright life.

JAMES AUSTIN RICKEY.

Mr. Richey is the owner of one of "the
banner" farms of his county, and there are
very few indeed among his friends and
neighbors who envy him the success which
his honest efforts and steady onward plod-
ding has brought him.

James Austin Richey, of German town-
ship, Richland county, Illinois, was born
August 10, 1848, in Meigs county, Ohio,
near Pomeroy, the county seat. He was
the son of Thomas L. and Elizabeth
(Frank) Richey. His father, who was born
May 5, 1810, was a native of Pennsylvania;

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

397

his mother, who was born March 2, 1808,
was a native of Germany. Grandfather
Richey was a native of Ireland. Thomas L.
Richey came from Pennsylvania to Meigs
county, Ohio, with his parents and re-
mained with them on the family farm until
they died, his father dying first, and his
mother survived for several years. Thomas
L. Richey then worked for a man who was
engaged in running produce boats down
the Ohio river. He later worked on steam-
boats running from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
to New Orleans, continuing in this employ-
ment for several years. In Meigs county,
Ohio, about the year 1834, he married Eliza-
beth Frank. At this time he bought forty
acres of land which he improved and sold,
and with the proceeds of the sale he bought
an eighty acre farm nearby, on which he re-
mained until he sold out in 1855, and started
with his wife and four children for Illinois.
They took the riverboat at Racine, Ohio,
down the Ohio river, landing in Evansv'ille,
Indiana, in the fall of 1855. Thomas L.
Richey then made a prospecting trip to Illi-
nois, where he bought one hundred and
twenty acres in German township, Richland
county, then returned to Evansville and
brought his family to their n^w home, ar-
riving in November, 1855. /About thirty
acres of the land was already cleared and a
combination log and frame house stood in
the clearing. This land had first been en-
tered by Joseph Basden, his deed from the
government being written on a piece of
sheepskin. It was from Mr. Basden that the
father of our subject bought the farm.

At the time of the family migration to
Illinois James Austin Richey was but seven
years old. As soon as he was large enough
to work his services were enlisted in the
hard work of the clearing and farming pro-
cesses. In those far off pioneer days great
herds of deer roamed the woods and prairies
and flocks of wild turkey and much wild
game of all kinds were abundant. He
worked hard and faithfully assisted his par-
ents until their deaths, his father dying in
the fall of 1874, at the age of sixty-five. His
mother died in January, 1877, aged sixty-
six years. Both are buried in Lone Tree
cemetery in Prairieton, Lawrence county.
They were the parents of six children, only
four of whom grew to maturity, James Aus-
tin being the youngest in order of birth.
John Andrew and Sarah Matilda are de-
ceased. Mary died some years ago ; the
two other children dying in infancy. James
Austin Richey, the only living member of
his family, was married to Mary W. Richey
on the 1 4th of October, 1879. Mary Richey
was born in Meigs county, Ohio, on the
1 9th of February, 1857. She was the
daughter of Hugh David and Cyrena
(Nease) Richey, both natives of Ohio. Her
grandparents on both sides are now dead
and are buried in Meigs county, Ohio. Her
parents were married in April, 1856, and
lived in Syracuse, Ohio, until they came to
Illinois in the same year, where they re-
mained but a few months. Her father had
bought a farm in Richland county and his
son, David, had come to live upon it. After
a few months the family returned to Ohio,

398

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM I X1SCKXT HISTORY OF

where Mary W. Richey was born. They
remained in Ohio till 1864, when they again
returned to Illinois and settled in Richland
county, where they remained on a farm in
Claremont township until 1881, when a
change was made to Flora, Illinois. Here
Mrs. Richey's father died on January 30,
1904, at the age of seventy-one years, and
was buried in the cemetery at Flora. His
widow still survives him and lives in Flora,
reaching the age of seventy-two years on
September 30, 1908. Mrs. Richey's parents
had four children born to them. Her brothers
Arthur and William E., are still living and a
sister, Ida, died when eighteen months old.

James Austin Richey and his wife at the
time of their marriage settled on the farm
in which they still live. Previous to his
marriage he built the present substantial
house at the cost of one thousand dollars.
Other good improvements on the farm were
also made. Upon the death of a sister, James
Austin Richey, together with the members
of his family, moved to Arkansas, where the
family lived for about two years and a half
in Green county. After the death of his
elder brother in Illinois, the subject of our
sketch and the members of his family re-
turned to Richland county in the year 1905.
During his farming career in German town-
ship he has been successful and is. now the
possessor of a farm which embraces two
hundred and forty acres.

Three boys and two girls constitute the
family of Mr. and Mrs. Richey ; all are now
grown up, the youngest being fourteen years
old. In the regular order their names are:
Thomas E., who is married to Clara B. Al-

sey, and they live on a farm in German
township ; Clem D. is the husband of Mamie
Young; they reside on a farm in German
township. Bessie Blanche, Cerena Maude
and William Earl, all three reside at home
with their parents and are single.

The subject of our sketch attended several
winter terms of the free common school in
Amity school district. When sixteen years
of age he had to devote himself entirely to
farm life and thus his education was not of
a very complete nature. He obtained a good
general training, however, becoming pro-
ficient in reading, writing, arithmetic and
spelling.

James Austin Richey's father and elder
brother, John, served through the Civil war,
his father having enlisted December i, 1861,
and his brother in 1862. Father Richey
joined the- Sixty-third Illinois Regiment,
Company A, under Captain Glaze (after-
wards promoted to colonel, Captain Mc-
Clure taking charge of the company).
Thomas L. Richey was soon promoted to
the rank of sergeant and went to the sea
on the march with Sherman. On the I3th
of July, 1864, he was mustered out of ser-
vice, obtaining surgeon's certificate of total
disability, his term of service having covered
two years and eight months. John Richey
served but a little over a year, being dis-
charged in St. Louis in the spring of 1863,
from the hospital there on account of his
broken health. He was attacked with the
measles at Memphis, Tennessee, brought
about by the hardships entailed and lack of
shelter.

James Austin Richey has served as School

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

399

Director in the home distfijfil for twelve

years, while his wife served' in the capacity
of post mistress at Amity post-office in Ger-
man township, for over three years. He
also served as Road Supervisor for two
terms in German township. He has a good
record as a resident of German township,
having lived for fifty-two consecutive years
in the same school district. He was in the
township when the first school-house was
built in the year 1855.

In the arena of party politics, James Aus-
tin Richey is a strong Republican, having
always voted a straight national and state
ticket. His first vote went to Lincoln to
help him into office for a second term. He
has never taken a very active part in local
politics as he has always strenuously object-
ed to be foisted into public office.

Mr. and Mrs. Richey are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church in German town-
ship, where they have always held member-
ship with the exception of the two years
spent in Arkansas, when membership was
transfered to the church there. The Richeys
have always been active in church work and
church duties.

JOHN SMITH.

The subject of this sketch early in life
realized the fact that success never smiles
upon the idler or dreamer and he has ac-
cordingly followed such an aphorism, de-
voting his life to ardent toil along lines that

cannot but insure success. The prosperity
which he enjoys has been the result of energy
rightly applied and has been won by com-
mendable qualities.

John Smith, one of the progressive
farmers of Tonti township, Marion county,
Illinois, was born in this locality October 7,
1838, the son of Britton and Mahala (Fos-
ter) Smith. Great-grandfather Smith was a
soldier in the Revolutionary war, having
taken part in many of the famous battles
and strenuous campaigns of the same. This
old family finally settled in North Carolina,
where Britton Smith was born in 1811, on
November 7. He came to Tennessee and
then to Marion county, Illinois, in 1829,
among the pioneers and overcome the ob-
stacles always to be encountered in such a
country, however, he remained here only
about a year when he returned to Tennes-
see, but soon returned to Illinois bringing
his father, having been enthusiastic of the
prospects in the new country, believing that
the future was filled with great possibilities.
The entire family made the trip from Ten-
nessee as soon as they could arrange to do
so and they set to work at once making a
home here, where their labors were richly
rewarded by mother nature, who seldom
fails in just compensation for labor
expended in her domain.

Our subject's father was united in mar-
riage in 1836 to Mahala Foster and settled
in section 28, in Tonti township. His wife
was the daughter of the well known Hon.
Hardy Foster, who was an early settler
in this county, having come here from

400

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OK

Georgia, becoming popular and a leader
in political affairs, having represented
this district in the legislature. Fos-
ter township was named in honor of this
pioneer. Britton Smith at one time owned
two hundred acres of land in this county,
being one of the best known farmers in this
locality and he also took much interest in
local politics, having served as Deputy
Sheriff of Marion county for about seven-
teen years, during which time he rendered
much valuable service to the public. He
was a Democrat in his political faith. From
time to time he held several township
offices.

John Smith, our subject, was born here
and worked upon the farm, having a poor
chance to receive an education. However, he
applied himself as best he could and has
since broadened his intellectual horizon by
general reading and travel.

When twenty-one years old Mr. Smith
went to Texas, where he remained a short
time. In 1862 he was united in marriage
with Flotiller Nichols, who passed away
fourteen months after her marriage, and on
October 2, 1868, Mr. Smith married Eliza-
beth Smith, who was reared in this part of
Illinois, and who was called to her rest in
November, 1877. Two children were born
to the subject, one of whom, Charles B., is
living in this county. His date of birth oc-
curred in 1873. Our subject was again
married, his third wife being Lenora E.
Coe, who is also now deceased. He was
married a fourth time to Martha C. (Mea-
don) Lawson, who has also been called to

her rest. Four children were born to in.
Smith by his third wife, three of whom art
living. Our subject has devoted his life
principally to farming with the result that
he has achieved definite success in this field
of endeavor, for he has great ability in ag-
ricultural lines and is a hard worker. He
at present owns eighty-one acres of land in
this township, which have been developed
into an excellent farm, being very produc-
tive and yields excellent crops from year to
year. He has an excellent residence, well
furnished and all the necessary equipments
for carrying on successful farming in a
general way. Although Mr. Smith has now
retired from the farm, he still oversees its
management.

Our subject is a faithful member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, South, being
one of the Stewards of the local church, and
is at this writing (1908) superintendent of
the Sunday school. Fraternally he is a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows at Patoka, Lodge No. 860. In poli-
tics he is a Democrat and takes a lively in-
terest in local political affairs, having served
as Township Assessor, also as Township
Clerk, and Township Treasurer, which
office he still holds, having had charge of
the same since 1885. This would indicate
that he has given entire satisfaction in the
dispensation of all his public duties, and is
held in strictest confidence by his constitu-
ents else he would not have been entrusted
with so many important public offices, nor
retained so long.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES. ILLINOIS.

-401

JOHN BECK.

The history of Mr. Beck has for many
years been entwined with that of German
township, Richland county, in which he
lives, where he has always been regarded
as a valuable and influential citizen and one
who possesses all the higher qualities of the
successful farmer.

John Beck was born in Stark county,
Ohio, on the 3<Dth of July, 1841, and was
the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Phillips)
Beck. Both were natives of Pennsylvania,
the former having been born on the 28th
of January, 1797, and Elizabeth Phillips in
April, 1806. Jacob remained at home with
his parents on the farm in the Keystone
state until his twenty-eight year, when his
marriage took place in 1825. For about
four years he and his wife remained in
Pennsylvania and then removed to Stark
county, Ohio, where Jacob bought about
forty acres of land, on which they lived for
some time, until the discovery was made
that the title was worthless and they were
forced to give up the place. This, needless
to say, was a great loss to them. They then
lived in different parts of Stark county for
sometime afterwards, but did not purchase
any land and, finally, in the early fall of
1842 they set out overland in wagons for
Illinois. The trip covered four weeks and in
October they landed in Richland county, Illi-
nois. Jacob Beck found himself there with
a wife and one boy, John, aged one and a half
years, one dollar and twenty-five cents
in money, an old blind mare and a one-horse
26

wagon, in which they had journeyed from
Ohio. (For further information on John
Beck's parents, see biography of Daniel Beck,
of Claremont township, in another part of
this volume.)

John Beck made his home with his parents
until his mother's death in April, 1872. Our
subject for some time afterwards lived with
his father. During this time he had acquired
a half interest with his brother Henry in
forty acres of timber land in German town-
ship. Some time later he sold this half inter-
est to William Miller for three hundred and
fifty dollars, with which he acquired a saw-
mill. He later sold the mill to J. J. Goss. On
the 8th of October, 1874, he married Eliza-
beth Sager, who was born on the I7th of
March, 1855, i° Northampton county, Penn-
sylvania. She was the daughter of Reu-
ben and Elizabeth (Snider) Sager, also na-
tives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Beck's mother
died when she was but four years old and
she went to live with an elder sister. When
about nine years old she came with her father
from Pennsylvania to Richland county, Illi-
nois, in the fall of 1864. She and her father
remained with a brother. Peter Sager, senior,
until his marriage to Leah Crumb, the widow
of Isaac Crumb. Our subject's wife then
remained with a cousin, Daniel Sager, for
about three years and then worked for neigh-
bors. She continued in occupations of this
kind until her marriage. Her father after-
wards died and is buried in Goss cemetery in
German township; his age at the time of his
decease was fifty-six. Mrs. Beck was a
member of a family of eleven children, nine

402

IIIOC.KAIMIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of whom grew up and six are now living.
Upon his marriage, John Beck and his wife
rented a farm in Crawford county in the
year 1875, and on account of unfavorable cir-
cumstances removed that same fall to Rich-
land county. It was at this time that he
traded for the saw-mill referred to before.
He then moved into Decker township and
later bought twenty acres in Preston town-
ship which he afterwards sold and returned
once more to German township. In January
of 1882 he moved to his present farm which
then consisted of forty acres. Since that
time he has built the house and barn now
standing and otherwise changed the face of
the land and brought it to its present ad-
mirable state of cultivation.

John Beck was the sixth of ten children
born to his parents, seven of whom grew to
maturity. His father died in April of 1881,
aged eighty-four years, and was buried in
Goss cemetery. John was not able to obtain
an extended education in his young days.
However, he attended the subscription school
and went for several terms to the free school
in Richland county, learning to read, write
and spell, also obtaining a knowledge of
arithmetic. To John Beck and wife six
children were born ; three girls and two boys
grew up; one child died in infancy. In regu-
lar order they were : Dorothy Viola is the
wife of George W. Gerber, a carpenter of
Claremont township; Sidney Paul married
Maggie Byrd and resides on a farm in Shelby
county; Bertha May is the wife of E. W.
Craig, a farmer of German township ; Clara
Agatha and Frederick Stephen are both sin-

gle and live with their parents on the farm.
All are fairly prosperous.

In politics the subject of this sketch is a
Democrat and has for the greater part of his
life taken an interest in local politics. He
has been for six years Commissioner of High-
ways in German township, and School Di-
rector for the long period of twenty-one
years. Active as he has been in the pub-
lic life of his community, he has never
aspired for a political office of any kind.
He and his wife and family are all
members of the the St. James Lutheran
church in Claremont township. He is
himself one of the original founders and
builders of that church. He has served as
church treasurer for about twenty years, as
a deacon for several terms, and as a teacher
of the Sunday school class for the past thir-
ty-five years, and is now an elder. It is need-
less to say he has ever been active in all
things pertaining to his church. In the town-
ship in which he has lived the best part of
his life .he is favorably looked upon as an-
upright and honest man and as an industrious
farmer whose success is well deserved.

REV. WILLIAM JACKSON SIMER.

This sterling and honored citizen of
Omega township, Marion county, is the
owner of one of the best farms in this com-
munity and is a local minister of the Gospel
of much popularity, having for many years
performed a grand service among the people

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

403

whom he has elected to serve, burying the
friends who pass over the mystic river, mar-
rying the young, beginning life's more seri-
ous walks, and in many ways assisting in
ameliorating the condition of the public at
large and his character has from his youth
up been unblemished by shadow of wrong,
so that the community regards him as one
of its most valuable citizens.

William Jackson Simer is a native of
Marion county, having been born here Sep-
tember 9, 1849, and is therefore fifty-nine
years old at this writing (1908). His
father's name was Jason R. Simer, a Ten-
nesseean, who came to Illinois when fifteen
years of age and worked by the month until
he was married at the age of twenty-five
years to Amelia Gaston, who was born near
the Marion County Home and who was
called to her rest in 1866, at the age of
forty years. Jason R. Simer married a sec-
ond time to Ruth Carpenter in the year
1870. Seven children were born to him by
his first wife, our subject being one of the
number; and three children were born of
the second union.

Our subject worked out among the neigh-
bors .until he was seventeen years of age,
having attended the local schools in Jef-
ferson county, later the Huff school, in the
meantime during the winter months, and
received a good foundation for an education
by diligently applying himself to his studies,
and he has now become a well read man by
constant home study and personal observa-
tion. When twenty-five years old he be-
gan to make public addresses on local po-
litical issues and so well did he speak that

when his name was announced to appear on
a program he was always insured a large
and interested audience, and his powers as
an orator and his ability as a political
worker were soon recognized by party lead-
ers and he was invited to speak in other
communities.

Our subject has always been more or less
interested in farming pursuits and he early
in life gave marked evidence of being a man
of affairs, and he began to work for him-
self when seventeen years old. He now
owns a fine farm of two hundred and three
acres, forty acres being in timber, the rest
being under a high state of cultivation.

Rev. Mr. Simer has always been an ac-
tive church worker and Sunday school
worker, especially so since 1880, and he is
now filling the pulpit each Lord's day at
Level Grove, Smith's Grove, Bethel in Clay
county, and at Brubaker, giving a fourth of
his time to each charge, all of which he has
built up and greatly strengthened.

Our subject has been twice married, his
first wife's name being Sarah E. Easley,
to whom seven children were born, four of
whom are living, the family being com-
posed of six sons and one daughter. His
second wife was Mary Alice Farson, to
whom two children were born, both living.
Their names are Clay and Frank. The
names of his children by his first wife fol-
low : The first child died in early infancy ;
Leroy, who married Goldin Allen, and who
had three children, two living, a son and a
daughter; Hershel, who married Jennie
Tate and who has four children, two sons
and two daughters; Charley, who married

404

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Ama Hultz; Hugh, who married Minnie
Jennings, and who has one son ; Margaretta
and Rollie.

Mr. Simer takes a great interest in public
affairs and is serving his third term as Su-
pervisor of Omega township in a manner
that reflects much credit upon his ability and
to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.
He is greatly interested in the cause of edu-
cation, and he has taught six successful
terms of school in his own neighborhood,
gaining considerable praise as an able in-
structor and his services were in great de-
mand. He is a very versatile man on almost
any topic and he is ever ready for any good
work. He has a large, well arranged and
carefully selected library, consisting of the
best books of modern and early days on a
wide range of themes among which much of
his time is spent. He has always been a
close student of the Bible, having an ardent
desire to know and comprehend the same,
being anxious to know and do the will of
the Heavenly Father, and to follow His
teachings at all times. In matters affecting
the general welfare Rev. Simer has been
most active and influential.

JACOB EYER.

The well known farmer, Jacob Eyer, of
German township, Richland county, Illinois,
is the son of one of this county's earliest set-
tlers. He was bom on May 10, 1829, near
Rhinebier, Germany, on a farm. At the

age of six years he was brought by his par-
ents to the United States, crossing the broad
Atlantic is a sail-boat which served to carry
both passengers and freight. His father
brought a large amount of property with him
including a wagon made in Germany. The
voyage lasted six weeks and encountered the
usual experience of the travelers in early
clays. They landed in New York harbor in
the spring of 1837, and came to Ohio, where,
in Stark county, the Eyers settled upon forty
acres. Father Eyer built a log house, but
sold the place two years after, the family
then starting in wagons overland for Illinois,,
several other families accompanying them.
They forded the Wabash river at Palestine,,
and the Eyer family settled in what is now
German township, Richland county. Pre-
viously Jacob Eyer's father had entered Il-
linois and entered the one hundred and
twenty acres of timber land they settled on.
In those early days Richland county went by
its old title of Lawrence county. For the
land the elder Eyer had paid the government
price of one dollar and twenty-five cents an
acre and also one hundred dollars to a man
named King, who held a squatter's claim on
the place. This sale was negotiated before
the family migration to Illinois took place.
The family settled in German township in
the fall of 1839, two years before Richland
county was laid out, the members of the fam-
ily moving into the lob cabin vacated by King
and started to improve the land. A large
log house was built, the timber was cleared,
and the place was put into a good state of
cultivation. Our subject's father died in

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

405

1850, having passed the age of fifty years,
his mother surviving for many years, died
in 1891, aged ninety-one. Both are buried
in the old Lutheran church cemetery in Ol-
ney township. The elder Eyer reared eight
children, of whom Jacob was the third in
order of birth.

Jacob Eyer remained with his parents un-
til his twenty-first year, when he hired out
during the summer and in winter time made
his home on the farm with his mother. On
the 3d of April, 1855, he married Catherine
Eyer, who was born in the same part of Ger-
many as the subject, on the 26th of Septem-
ber, 1831. the daughter of Jacob and Mar-
garet Eyer, both of whom lived and died in
Germany. Catherine Eyer came to this
country at the age of twenty-three and land-
ed at New Orleans. She ascended the Mis-
sissippi river to Evansville, Indiana, going
thence to Richland county, Illinois. About
one year afterwards she married the subject
of our sketch. She was the younger of two
children born to her parents. After their
marriage Jacob Eyer and his wife remained
at the family home with the former's
mother for six months. About this time
he built a log house upon forty acres he
had previously entered, paying the price of
one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre.
They settled on the place and for seven
years worked hard; then they became able
to buy more land in the township and built
the large frame house they now live in.
Since that period much land has been ac-
quired and Jacob Eyer now is the owner of
two hundred and forty acres of fine farm

land, all of which is in German township,
well improved, all but ten acres of the farm
being under a high state of cultivation.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Eyer are the parents
of nine children, of whom three died in
childhood ; the living members of their fam-
ily are; John is single and remains at home
with his parents. Phillip, who is also
single, has interested himself in drilling
wells and resides in the state of Washing-
ton. Joseph married Vatie Scherer, and re-
sides in Dwight, Illinois, engaged in the
hardware business. He has four children.
Lizzie is the wife of John Metzger, a sales-
man for a Chicago wholesale drug house.
They are the parents of two children and
reside in Hewe, Illinois. Christian, Rena,
George, Frederick and Daniel are deceased.

Jacob Eyer attended about three terms
of subscription school. In his school days
teachers were hired for terms of three
months and were paid at the rate of eight
dollars per month. He learned to read and
write English, and also spell. The schools
were of the usual primitive character of
such institutions in the Middle West in
those days. His education was limited as
there was necessary work to be done on the
family farmstead. He had two younger
brothers, John and Phillip, who served
through the Civil war. Both joined the
Sixtieth Illinois Regiment under the com-
mand of Captain Coconaur. John came
home from the conflict on sick furlough
and died soon after. Phillip died in St.
Louis, Missouri, and is buried there.

In politics Jacob Eyer is a Democrat, for-

4o6

BIOGRAPHICAL A XI) RKM I X ISCKNT HISTORY OF

merly taking quite an active interest in
township and county affairs. He has served
as school director for many years, and has
been a Road Overseer. He helped the
cause of education by generously giving the
•district the land, and by helping to build
the brick school-house which now stands on
his farm in German township. He worked
for two years helping to survey and build
the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, now the
Baltimore & Ohio, which was finished in
1855. It went at that time as far west as
St. Louis. Our subject and his wife and
family are all members of the St. James
Lutheran church in Claremont township.
He was for many years an elder of the
church. He is also known as one of the
first organizers and a builder of the old log
church erected in Olney township. He and
his wife and family are very active* in
church circles.

SAMUEL G. COPPLE.

Mr. Copple is one of the leading business
men in Omega township, Marion county,
having successfully managed a store and
carried on other lines of business in a man-
ner that shows him to be a man of unusual
business ability, but having the honored an-
cestry behind him of which he can boast,
we do not wonder that he is a man of rare
force of character, for in the genealogical
history in both the paternal and maternal
lines, there is much data signally germane
to a compilation of this sort.

Samuel G. Copple was born in Washing-
ton county, Indiana, April 24, 1849, the
son of Abraham and Rozan (Hanger) Cop-
ple, the former having been born in Indiana
April 2, 1827, and was the father of nine
children, seven girls and two boys, three of
whom lived to maturity, the subject of this
sketch being the oldest in order of birth.
Abraham Copple left Indiana in 1875, and
came to Marion county, Illinois, where he
farmed on a parcel of land which he pur-
chased, and also rented additional land. He
was called from his earthly labors in Omega,
this county, February 17, 1892. He mar-
ried Rosannah Hauger September 21, 1847,
and they first moved to Sullivan county, In-
diana, then to Marion county, Illinois,
where Abraham lived for over thirteen
years. His three surviving children are:
Samuel G., our subject; Alice M., and Ma-
hala M., who is now deceased.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was gained in the district schools of
his native county, which were taught from
two to three months each year during the
winter, in log school-houses, the windows
of which were made of greased paper for
panes. He was compelled to walk four
miles to school. During the remainder of
the year he worked on his father's, farm.
When he had reached maturity he married
Mary C. Sill, the daughter of Commodore
and Sarah (Beard) Sill, of Jackson county,
Illinois, and she, too, received her education
in the district schools of the country which
she attended three months out of the year.
Sarah Beard was bom in Tennessee, No-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

40/

vember 6, 1820, and died at the home of
her daughter, Mary C, at the advanced age
of eighty-eight years. Commodore Sill was
born in 1822 and lived to be past fifty.
They were the parents of nine children, five
boys and four girls, of whom four are now
living, namely : Marguerite J. Sellers, whose
home is in Sandoval, Marion county ; Ace-
nith A. Walker, of Jackson county, this
state; Ransom M. Sill, living at Blue
Mound, Marion county; Mary C. Copple,
living at Omega, this county; Alice Sill
lives in Blue Mound, also ; Mahala Solomon
died and was buried in Texas. The father
of the subject's wife was born in Pennsyl-
vania, from which state he moved to Indi-
ana, then to Illinois, where he bought a
farm in Marion county.

Our subject and wife have only one child,
a son, named Charles E., who is married to
Etta Kline; they have one son.

Mr. Copple is the owner of sixty acres
of good land, which is highly improved and
lies in and near Omega. It is a valuable
and most desirable farm. He has been in
the general merchandise business for over
twenty years at Omega, and he has built up
an excellent trade on general lines, handling
a fine quality of goods and giving his nu-
merous customers the best goods possible
for the money, so that he seldom loses a
customer, all of whom he treats with uni-
form courtesy. His store is a credit to the
community and would be conspicuous in a
much larger place. He also manages in a
most successful manner the hotel at Omega,
which has become known to the traveling
public as a comfortable place for transients,

where generous treatment is always accord-
ed the friend or stranger alike. Our sub-
ject also conducts an up-to-date feed barn,
and manages a telephone line, and he is re-
garded by everyone as an enterprising and
accommodating gentleman. Although these
various lines of business occupy most of
his time, he does not neglect his duty to his
county or state, but his support can always
be depended on in the promotion of good
government and honesty in politics. Re-
ligiously his parents were members of the
Christian church and he has followed in
their footsteps. Mrs. Copple is a member of
the same, as was her mother. Mr. and Mrs.
Copple set a worthy example in all religious
and mortal matters before their children and
the community where they live.

CATHERINE BOATMAN.

The part women played in assisting the
early settlers can not be underestimated. By
nature not as robust physically as their male
companions, hardships and privations leaned
more heavily upon them, but the women of
that day who came with their husbands and
families into the loneliness of what was then
the wilderness were equal to the occasion.
They helped to dispel the gloom, the sense of
hopelessness which occasionally fell upon the
settlers in their relentless labor.

A woman of such caliber was the subject
of our present sketch, the hardships and ad-
ventures of whose early career would prove
material for a volume.

4o8

5IOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Catherine Boatman (nee Hanes,) of Ger-
man township, Richland county, Illinois, was
born September 9, 1827, in York county,
Pennsylvania, the daughter of Daniel and
Susanna (Phillips) Hanes. Her grandmoth-
er Phillips being the daughter of Eva Eliza-
beth Reame and John Phillips, died at the
age of eighty-seven years. They were all na-
tives of Pennsylvania. Catherine Boatman's
mother was born in York county, Pennsyl-
vania, and her father in Philadelphia. Her
father remained in Philadelphia until seven-
teen years of age with his parents; he then
went out on a farm and also taught school un-
til his marriage to Susanna Phillips, which
was solemnized on August 13, 1822, in Lit-
tle Rock church, York county, Pennsylvania.
They farmed in that state until 1830, when
they decided to move to Stark county, Ohio.
Catherine, the subject of our sketch, being
then three years old. Some time after they
again moved to Portage county, Ohio, re-
maining there three years, when they re-
turned to Stark county, which was their abid-
ing place for nine years. Then they decided
to migrate to Illinois. Together with Uncle
Peter Sager, his wife and three children :
grandfather John Phillips and his wife : Ja-
cob Beck, his wife and family ; and their own
children, three families in all, consisting of
twenty-two people, they started on October
1 8, 1842, on an eventful overland journey
fraught with much danger and hardship.
They arrived in Richland county, Illinois,
on November 18, 1842, a month later, after
encountering a snow-storm and many of the
customary hardships. As an instance of en-
durance on the part of the subject of this

sketch, it is recorded that she walked almost
the entire way from Ohio with the exception
of about fifty miles. Of the twenty-two par-
ticipants of that journey, but four survive.
They are Mrs. Sallie Goss, Mrs. Cassie Goss,
Miss Susan Beck and John Beck.

When Catherine Boatman first landed in
Richland county, her family first lived with
Uncle Dave Phillips for a time, after which
they moved to what was known as the Tegue
farm, where they lived one year, at the end
of which her father entered forty acres in
section 21, German township, paying one
dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. The
farm at the time of his purchase was all tim-
ber. He first made a small clearing on which
he built a hewn log cabin which still
stands, and into which he moved his
family. During their first winter there
the necessary cooking operations were per-
formed in the stump of a huge tree, which
stood close by the door of the cabin.

Daniel Hanes continued to clear his land
and to sow and plant wheat and corn as fast
as he could get the soil in condition. In the
course of time he built a frame addition to the
the log house, in which abode they lived un-
til their death. Catherine's mother died April
21, 1864, aged sixty-five. Her father sur-
vived about four years, dying August 9,
1868, at age of seventy. Both are buried in
Goss graveyard, where grandfather Phillips
is also laid. Daniel Hane's parents both died
in Portage count}', Ohio. He had three chil-
dren: John, who died at the age of eighty-
two ; Cassie, who died at the age of seventy-
nine, and Catherine, who was the youngest.
He also took charge of and raised his broth-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

409

er's son, George Hanes by name, who is now
dead.

Catherine remained on the farm with her
parents untilher marriage to John Boatman,
on November n, 1847, in Richland county.
Her husband was born in Columbiana county,
Ohio, July 12, 1817, the son of Henry and
Elizabeth (Goss) Boatman, natives of Penn-
sylvania. His grandfather Boatman was a
native of France and died at the advanced
age of one hundred and three years, his
grandfather Goss also died at the ripe old
age of ninety-six. John Boatman's parents
were married in Columbiana county, Ohio,
having both come there with their parents
from Pennsylvania. He came to Richland
county from Akron, Ohio, with his brother
George, the pair walking every step of the
way with a package of clothes on their backs
and a gun on each one's shoulder. After en-
countering adventures and privations on the
way they arrived in Richland county in
April, 1847. George Boatman bought land
on which he settled and on which he died in
1884. John bought forty acres from Jacob
May in German township, for which he paid
him one hundred and twenty-five dollars. It
was timbered land and he set to work and
cleared, cultivated, and built a house upon it.
He later annexed some forty acres of ad-
joining land and at the time of his death
owned a well cultivated property of eighty
acres in area. He died September 13, 1896.
aged seventy-nine years, two months and
one day. His parents, subsequent to his ar-
rival in Illinois, moved to the state where
they remained a year, thence moving to Mich-

igan where they died. Catherine Boatman
and her husband had thirteen children born
to them, one of whom died in infancy. There
were seven boys and six girls. In regular or-
der they were: Mary, wife of Stephen D.
Best, is a widow and lives at home with
her mother; Elizabeth is the wife of Jacob
Scherer, of Preston township; David mar-
ried Delithe English and lives in South
Bend, Indiana; Lydia, the wife of Louis
Schulte, lives in Claremont township; Susie
is the wife of Joseph Wilson, of Preston
township ; Simon, who is single, lives on the
homestead; Isaac lives in German township
and is married to Emma Fritz ; Maggie is the
wife of James Henby, of Preston town-
ship; William P. married Mellie Feet, and
they live in South Bend, Indiana: Stephen
married Rella Krieg and lives at South
Whitley, Indiana; John lives at home. He-
married Julia Wachtel, deceased; Milton is
married to Lucy Sager and lives at home;
they have one child, Elsie Catherine Boat-
man. Catherine Boatman died February i,
1909, aged eighty-one years, four months and
twenty-two days. Mrs. Boatman was buried
February 3, 1909, and the funeral sermon
was preached by her nephew, Rev. Isaiah
Boatman, of Eaton Rapids, Michigan.
She reared twelve children, all of whom
are still living. She had thirty-three grand-
children and twenty-five great-grandchil-
dren ; the eldest grandchild, David I. Scher-
er, being thirty-seven years old and the
youngest. Elsie Catherine Boatman, was
born July 21, 1908.

Catherine Boatman went to the subscrip-

4io

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KK.M I.\ ISCKNT HISTORY OF

tion schools in Ohio in her young days, where
she did not go very high. She learned to
read, write and spell, that being the extent of
her education. She could not find time to
be a regular attendant. She and her family
were among the earliest settlers in Richland
county. She could well lay claim to being its
"grand old woman." In hex early days the
country possessed is quota of wild and fero-
cious animals, and the picturesque figure of
the Indian had not faded from the vicinity.

Always a strictly religious woman, she was
a member of the Lutheran church since she
was sixteen years of age, having been one of
the first to enter the St. James Lutheran
church in Claremont township. Her com-
munion class which numbered twenty-two
communed in the old log church many,
many years ago. Her companions of the
class are now all dead with the exception of
two : Michael Eyer and Chris. B. Balmer.

For years Catherine Boatman's home life
was happy; quiet and peaceful — a fitting close
to a useful life. Her name is a household
word in Richland county, with whose history-
it has been closely entwined from the earliest
vears.

H. S. McBRIDE.

In enlisting men of enterprise and integ-
rity in furthering its general business ac-
tivities, is mainly due the precedence and
prosperity enjoyed by Marion county, and
the firm of which the gentleman whose
name initiates this paragraph is a member,

is recognized as one of the representative
druggists of the county, being engaged in
business in Centralia and enjoying an ex-
tensive wholesale and retail trade.

H. S. McBride was born in Decatur, Il-
linois. September 5, 1869, the son of Dr.
Alexander and Mary E. (Jones) McBride,
the father of the subject having been born
in Ross county, Ohio, June 21, 1821. His
wife was born in Urbana, Ohio, April 18,
1835, and they were married in the Buckeye
state and came to Illinois in 1866, locating
in Decatur. They became the parents of
three children, two of whom are living, H.
S., our subject, and Frank A., who was
born in 1875 in Decatur.

The subject of this sketch began his edu-
cation at Decatur, where he attended school
for two years. He was then sent to Car-
thage, Missouri, remaining in school there
until 1887, where he made an excellent rec-
ord, and after completing his education, he
returned to Decatur and worked as a drug
clerk for one year in the employ of A. J.
Stoner. He then went to St. Louis and
worked for the P. G. Alexander Drug Com-
pany for two years and while there took a
course in pharmacy in the St. Louis School
of Pharmacy. From there he went to Webb
City, Missouri, to work for the McClelland
Drug Company in whose employ he re-
mained for about two years, when he moved
to Mattoon, Illinois, remaining there until
1898, clerking for the Killner Drug Com-
pany. He gave entire satisfaction in all
these positions owing to the fact that he had

RICJ1LAXD, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

411

an intimate knowledge of drugs and was
courteous to customers.

Our subject was one of the patriotic cit-
izens of the great Sucker state, who felt it
his duty to assist the cause of humanity
when Cuba was being oppressed by the tyr-
rany of Spain, and when the Spanish-Amer-
ican war broke out he enlisted in Company
A, Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, un-
der Capt. Joseph P. Barricklom and re-
mained in service until the close of the war,
having been mustered out of service at Au-
gusta, Georgia. He served at Springfield,
Illinois, as first sergeant and was promoted
to second lieutenant at Camp Cuba Libre,
Jacksonville, Florida, September, 1898.

In 1900 Mr. McBride moved to Centralia
and clerked for Will J. Blythe for two
years, then for L. H. Reed for four years.
He then opened the Red Cross Pharmacy
at 204 East Broadway, an incorporated in-
stitution under the state laws of Illinois, the
company consisting of C. D. Tufts, presi-
dent; C. E. McMahon, vice-president; H. S.
McBride, secretary and manager; F. Pullen,
treasurer. The room occupied is twenty-
four by one hundred feet. It is large, airy
and commodious. A general wholesale and
retail drug business is carried on among
physicians and surgeons, covering a radius
of forty miles. The house carries a large,
complete and carefully selected stock, and
the fixtures and equipment are modern, well
arranged and up-to-date in every particular,
and a very liberal trade is enjoyed.

H. S. McBride was united in marriage
with Ida A. Mattock on September 8, 1895.

She war reared at Mattoon, Illinois, and is
the daughter of W. D. and Temperance
(Hackett) Mattock. Four interesting chil-
dren constituted the Mattock family, three
girls and one boy, Ida A, being the oldest.
Mr. McBride is recognized as a first class
pharmacist by all who have had occasion to
investigate his work. He is registered in
Illinois, Missouri and Florida, and he stands
at the front of Centralia's business men.
Fraternally he is a member of the Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 493,
of Centralia. In politics he is a Democrat
and follows the teachings of his parents in
religious matters, affiliating with the Epis-
copal church.

SAMUEL H. GRAHAM.

One of the substantial citizens of Marion
county is the gentleman to a review of
whose life work we now call the attention of
the reader. Mr. Graham is a man who,
while advancing his own interests does not
lose sight of the fact that it is his duty to
lend his influence in furthering the interests
of his community.

Samuel H. Graham was born in Marion
county, Indiana, in 1855, the son of John
and Sarah Elizabeth (Oldharrt) Graham.
Grandfather Graham was born in Penn-
sylvania. He came to Butler county, Ohio,
and then to Rush county, Indiana, where
he died, after a busy and useful life as a
farmer. He had a large family. Grand-

412

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKMIN ISCKXT HISTORY OF

father Oldham was an early settler in
Marion county, Indiana, where he had a
farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He
also raised a large family, some of his sons
becoming soldiers in various Indiana regi-
ments. The father of the subject was born
in Butler county, Ohio, and moved to Rush
county, Indiana, when ten years of age,
having been reared to manhood in that
county. He then went to Fayette county,
rented a farm and later moved to Marion
county, Indiana, where he bought eighty
acres on which he lived for three years, and
it was while living there that our subject
was born. He then sold this farm and
moved to Franklin county, Indiana, where
he lived for twenty years and then came to
Clay county, Illinois, where he bought a
farm on which he spent the balance of his
life, dying April i, 1888, at the age of sixty-
four years, his wife having preceded him
to the narrow house on August 9, 1881,
while on a visit in Indiana. She was fifty-
two years old. Fourteen children were
bom to this family, six boys and eight girls,
eleven of them reaching maturity. The
subject's father affiliated with the Baptist
church and his mother was a Methodist.
John Graham was a Democrat, and was
School Director, and always supported the
schools.

Samuel H. Graham, our subject, attended
the public schools in Indiana, remaining in
the common schools until he was twenty
years old, attending high school at Harts-
ville, and later the University at Valparaiso.
He applied himself diligently and became

a well educated man and commenced teach-
ing on June 7, 1876, which he continued
for twenty-five years and in all these years
he never taught in more than eight different
districts. However, his services were much
sought after, his reputation as an able in-
structor having been widely known. After
his career as a teacher, Mr. Graham for a
short time engaged in agricultural business
in Fayette county, Indiana, but moved to
Clay county, Illinois, when yet a single man
and resided with his father up to the time
of his death in 1888, then moved to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1890. He had been living
in Clay county, this state, since 1881, and
then came onto the farm which he had pre-
viously bought and where he has since re-
sided, his present highly improved farm
consisting of ninety-nine acres. He was
administrator on his father's estate in Clay
county. Our subject carries on farming of
a general nature and handles some good
stock.

Our subject was united in marriage on
May n, 1890, with Eunice K. Wilkinson,
a native of Iowa, and the daughter of Ste-
phen and Lois (Maak) Wilkinson, natives
of Ohio, who moved to Iowa, and then back
to Ohio, later to Indiana and then to Van
Wert, Ohio. Mrs. Wilkinson died in Ham-
ilton county, Ohio, and Mr. Wilkinson at
Van Wert. There were fifteen children in
this family, seven of them living to
maturity.

Five children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Graham as follows: Elsie Floy, born
in 1891, and died the following July: Wai-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

413

ter T., who was bom in 1892, is living at
home with his parents; Earl, who was born
in 1894, is also a member of the family
circle; Harold was bom in 1897; Roy Syl-
vester was born in 1901.

Mr. Graham in his farternal relations is
a member of the Woodmen and the Royal
Neighbors. He has been Auditor, serving
with much credit to himself and to the sat-
isfaction of all concerned. In politics he
is a Democrat and has been County Chair-
man of the Board since April, 1908; also
has been Supervisor of his township and
has been Town Clerk for eight or nine
years; also Town Collector, School Direc-
tor for fifteen years. He still holds the po-
sitions of the Chairman of the Board and
School Director and Supervisor. He was a
Justice of the Peace for four years, and a
delegate to the state, judicial and county
conventions. He is also a member of the
Board of Review of the county. In religion
our subject subscribes to the Baptist faith,
while his wife affiliates with the Methodists.

JOSEPH KOCHER.

Mr. Kocher, of German township. Rich-
land county, is an industrious farmer who
owes his birth and kindred to the romantic
county in Europe through which the river
Rhine flows. He is German by birth and
descent. By adoption he is an American cit-
izen, sturdy and industrious, whose life of
forty-three years in Richland county has won

him the respect and friendship of his neigh-
bors. He was born on the ijth of April, 1836,
near Strasburg, Germany, and was the son of
Martin and Catherine (Orrick) Kocher.
Martin Kocher worked in Germany as a
blacksmith and married Catherine Orrick
sometime about the year 1831. They, with
their family, left their native Germany on the
2d of November, 1852, and sailed for the
United States, landing at New Orleans on
the 3d of March, 1853, after a voyage across
the ocean of seventy-five days' duration, dur-
ing which they encountered all the privatins
which ocean traveling at that time engen-
dered. From New Orleans they took a
steamer up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers
to Cincinnati. From there they went through
Akron and settled in Summit county, Ohio,
where our subject's father and brothers
worked in the coal mines.

On May 31, 1859, in Stark county, Ohio,
Joseph Kocher married Elizabeth Weiler,
the daughter of Matthew and Teresa (Getz)
Weiler. Mrs. Kocher was born in the county
in which she was married on the 28th of July,
1840. Her parents, natives of Germany,
died when she was but fourteen years old.
They were buried in Canton, Ohio. Our
subject's wife lived with an elder sister until
her marriage.

Joseph Kocher had bought twenty acres
previous to his marriage and afterwards
bought eleven acres more upon which was a
log house and into which he and his wife
moved and lived for six years. During this
time he farmed this place in Ohio and also
worked in the coal mines. In March, 1865.

KIOGRAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

they moved to Illinois, coming by railroad,
This was just three weeks before the fatal
tragedy which ended the life of Abraham
Lincoln. Our subject having sold his place
in Ohio, he purchased eighty acres of timber
land in German township, Richland county,
and paid seventeen dollars an acre for the
same. A rude, small log shanty stood upon
the land which he changed without outside
help into the substantial structure in which
he and his wife now live. He built barns
and cleared and cultivated the land. In
after years he added to the property,
and today he owns one hundred and
twenty acres in one of the best districts
of German township, all of which, with
the exception of about fifteen acres, is
under cultivation. Five or six years after
Joseph Kocher's arrival in Illinois his father
and mother also moved to Richland county,
and bought ninety acres of good land in the
same township, and upon which they after-
wards died. His mother died in 1883, hav-
ing passed her eighty-third year; his father
died in May, 1892, aged eighty-two years
and ten months. Both were buried in old
St. Joseph's cemetery in German township,
situated on Ginder farm. Our subject was
the second child born to his parents, who
had six children in all, one of whom died in
Germany.

Joseph Kocher and his wife experienced
many hardships and privations in their early
days in Richland county. Game and wild
animals were very much in evidence, par-
ticularly wolves and bears. In early times
the prairie-grass grew to the height of ten

or fifteen feet. To get started in Richland
county he worked hard on the farm and at
times during the first winter worked in the
coal mines at Washington, Indiana. He and
his wife are the parents of eleven children.
One died at two years of age and two more
have died. In regular order the children
were named : Andy, who married Catherine
Hahn, is deceased; William married Anna
Rennier ; Mary is ,the wife of Leo Hahn, and
Catherine of Joseph Hahn ; Simon married
Helen Kramer, of Indiana, (deceased) is
now married to Friedrika Shuttie. Rosa
Elizabeth is single and makes her home with
her parents. Martin married Mary Doll and
lives in the vicinity of Vincennes; Frances is
deceased ; Aloyese married Anna Shuttle-
bauer, and Leo, who married Ida Rennier.

In politics our subject is a Democrat of the
Douglas pattern. He served six years as a
school director and was elected for another
term, but would not serve. He has never
sought office as he preferred to devote the
greater part of his time to his agricultural
interests. In his young days Joseph Kocher
attended school in Germany until his four-
teenth year and was well equipped for life's
batttle. Later he attended English school,
but his education in the English language
was mostly gained through his own efforts.
He and his wife, as well as their family, are
members of St. Joseph's Catholic church
in German township and have always been ac-
tive in church work and duties. He held one
term as trustee of the church.

Joseph Kocher's land has the reputation
of containing oil springs of value, and this

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

415

feature is sure to greatly enhance the value
of the property and bring forth great re-
turns in the future.

WILLAM H. GRAY.

An enumeration of the enterprising men
of Marion county, Illinois, who have won
recognition and success for themselves and
at the same time have conferred honor upon
the community would be incomplete were
there failure to make mention of the popu-
lar gentleman whose name initiates this re-
view. He holds worthy prestige in business
circles, and has always been distinctively a
man of affairs and wields a wide influence
among those with whom his lot has been
cast, having won definite success and shown
what a man with lofty principles, honesty
of purpose and determination can win while
yet young in years. In both banking and
agricultural circles Mr. Gray stands in the
front rank of the men who honor these
callings in this county and because of his
industry, integrity and courtesy he is a man
to whom the future holds much of promise
and reward.

William Harvey Gray was born in
Marion county, Illinois, in 1876, the son
of James Robert and Nancy Illinois Gray
(nee Boothe). James Harvey Gray, grand-
father of our subject, was born in Maury
county, Tennessee, and was brought to this
county by his parents when four years of
age. His father, James Gray, was the son

of William Gray, the great-great-grand-
father of our subject. William Gray was
born in North Carolina and moved to
Maury county, Tennessee. He married a
young lady by the name of McNabb in the
year of 1 776. Five sons were born to them,
James, Joseph, William, John and Samuel.
William Gray was a soldier in the American
Revolution and was also in the Indian wars
of Kentucky and Tennessee. He was a
farmer by occupation. He had one brother
by the name of James Gray. William Gray
died when about the age of eighty-three.

James Gray, great-grandfather of our
subject, was born in Maury county, Ten-
nessee, June 20, 1789. He married Martha
Denton in the year 1808 and moved to
Marion county, Illinois, in 1828, and settled
the old homestead on section 10, being one
of the first settlers of the county. They had
four sons, Joseph, William Harrison,
James Harvey and Isaac Denton. James
Gray was called into the United States' ser-
vice by the Governor's proclamation dated
April 19, 1832. He enlisted as second lieu-
tenant of Spy Battalion, First Brigade of
the Illinois Mounted Volunteers. He had
one horse shot from under him and was on
furlough August n, 1832, and honorably
discharged August i6th, having served un-
der Capt. William N. Dobbins. He also
served in the Creek and Indian war and the
Black Hawk war. He was a powerful man
physically, having measured six feet two
inches and weighing two hundred ten
pounds. He was the first Justice of the
Peace in Kinmundy township, which office

4i6

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

he held until his death. He also sowed the
first timothy seed in this township in 1843.
He and his brother Joseph furnished to
the settlers the first sawed lumber, which
they sawed with a whipsaw. He also
taught school in a cabin in the neighborhood.
The early preachers of the Baptist and Cum-
berland Presbyterian denominations held
meeting in his home. He died suddenly by
an accident on October 3, 1835, leaving a
widow and family of eight children.

His widow, Martha Gray, entered eighty
acres of land February 13, 1837, where
they started their improvements. It was the
west half of the southeast quarter of section
10, Kinmundy township. The following
fall she entered forty acres more in the
same section. She was born in April, 1786,
and departed this life May 27, 1844.

James Harvey Gray, the grandfather of
our subject, was born in Maury county,
Tennessee, April 25, 1825, and as stated
above came to this county when four years
old. He began life's struggle at the age
of ten by first making a crop for his mother.
Full of ambition, grit and energy he was
successful from the start, though so young.
At the age of eighteen, it may be said, he
commenced life for himself, purchasing a
yoke of cattle and a horse on credit. He
remained, however, on the old place putting
in crops until ready to invest in a piece of
land, which he did at the age of twenty-six
by making a purchase of one hundred and
sixty acres, partly paying therefor with
money borrowed. From that time his ca-
reer was onward. He rapidly accumulated

property by his just and upright dealings,
adding acre to acre until he could look over
twelve hundred acres of land, all of which
was in one body, and call it his own. He
also had other valuable property. He was
a man of powerful mental ability and men
would go to him for advice and he was
always glad to aid his fellowman. Mr.
Gray at the age of nineteen years and
seven months was married November 28,
1844, to Susanna Jane Hanna, who was
born October 18, 1824, and departed this
life December 24, 1862. To this union
five children were born. A second marriage
was contracted with Margaret Lucinda
Hanna in 1863. This lady, to whom three
children were born, died in 1871. In the
year of 1872 Mr. Gray united in marriage
with Mrs. Elizabeth Boothe, widow of Col.
James W. Boothe, who commanded the
Fortieth Illinois Infantry during the Civil
war. Before this he was first lieutenant in
the Mexican war and was at the battle of
Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. Mr. Gray did
not enjoy the advantages of an education,
being too early deprived of a father and
compelled, being the eldest son at home, to
care for the family. He was a natural
mathematician and could calculate mentally
the amount of anything almost instantly.
He was six feet tall, stood erect and was
well formed. His temperament was bilious,
nervous and sanguine. He was fitted for the
execution and power to endure both mental
and physical labor. Mr. Gray was one of
the original stockholders of the Farmers'
and Merchants' Bank of Kinmundy, which

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

417

was organized in January, 1870, soon after-
wards became president, which position he
held during his life. It was known as a
co-partnership or private bank. The stock
was held by himself, his widow and T. W.
Raymond, cashier, at the time of his death.
Mr. Raymond died shortly after Mr. Gray.
The bank was closed by Mrs. Gray, the only
surviving stockholder, through the subject
of our sketch. Mr. Gray was a man that
enjoyed his home life and visitors were sure
of receiving a warm welcome at his fire-
side. He belonged to Kinmundy Lodge
No. 398, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma-
sons, also a member of Rosedale Lodge No.
354, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
In his religious views he was a Cumberland
Presbyterian. In politics, he was a Demo-
crat of the old Jeffersonian school. He lived
on the old homestead seventy-two years,
outliving all of his children. He died at the
age of seventy-six years and six months on
October 25, 1901.

Mrs. Elizabeth Gray, widow of James H.
Gray and grandmother of our subject, was
born May 13, 1827, in Indiana, later corn-
to Illinois in February, 1858, locating in
Kinmundy. Daniel Clark, the father of
Mrs. Gray and a blacksmith by trade, lived
to be over seventy years old. Her mother
lived to be about ninety-six years of age.
Mrs. Gray was first married to James W.
Boothe May i, 1851. To this union five
children were born. Mr. Boothe was born
October 9, 1820, and died February 17,
1863. Mrs. Gray married James H. Gray
in 1872. At this writing Mrs. Gray is hale
27

and hearty and her mind is clear, quick and
active. Since 1901 she has made two trips
to the Pacific coast and is now past the
eighty-first mile-stone in her journey
through life. As time passes swiftly she
pieces quilts and makes fancy pillows so as
not to have any idle moments in her life. In
her religious views she is a Cumberland
Presbyterian and is a member of that
church.

James Robert Gray, father of our sub-
ject, was born July 2, 1854, on the old
homestead. He married Nancy Illinois.
Boothe August 19, 1875. Two sons were
born to them, William Harvey, our subject,
and James Lemon, who died when about
six months old. James R. Gray departed
this life September 8, 1880, after a use-
ful and active career filled with good deeds.

William Harvey Gray was born April 12,
1876, as indicated in a preceding paragraph.
He attended the district school near the old
homestead, later attending the public
school in Kinmundy, and from there to St.
Louis, where he completed a thorough
course in banking and general business in
the Bryant and Stratton Business College.
After graduating from this institution he
went to Raymond, Illinois, and engaged in
the general mercantile business for two
years, when he sold out on account of his
grandfather's death and the death of Mr.
Haymond, returning to Kinmundy to set-
tle up the business of the Farmers' and Mer-
chants' Bank, of which, at that time as
stated before, Mrs. Elizabeth Gray was the
sole surviving partner. He settled up the

4i8

I'.IOCKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

affairs of that institution, paying the de-
positors in full in less than sixty days from
the time the bank was closed on December
4, 1901. He then was a main factor in or-
ganizing The Haymond State Bank, becom-
ing cashier of the same and holding that
position until its consolidation with the
First National Bank on August 15, 1906.
During this time he assisted in the settling
up of his grandfather's large estate. After
the consolidation of the banks our subject
resigned, taking the active management of
his real estate properties which were ex-
tensive. He now owns two hundred and
eighty acres of the old homestead property
which has never left the control of the
Gray family from the time the grandfather
bought it. In all he owns one thousand
acres of improved land, mostly prairie. He
rents this out, reserving the control of the
method of cultivation so that the soil may
be kept in good productive condition. The
fences are mostly of wire, the fields drain
naturally and general farming is successfully
carried on. Mr. Gray is one of the directors
of the Kinmundy Building and Loan As-
sociation, having been first elected in 1902,
being elected treasurer in 1907 and presi-
dent in 1908. He was married on March
20, 1900, to Mrs. Winifred Grady (nee
Shultz), of Olney, Illinois. She is the rep-
resentative of a well known and influential
family of that place. Mrs. Grady's father,
Charles Shultz, came to America from Ger-
many when fourteen years of age, settling
first in New York City, later coming to
Olney, Illinois, where he now lives engaged

in general merchandise business. Mr.
Shultz was married in Olney to Sarah Eliza-
beth Gaddy and ten children were born to
this union, Mrs. Gray, our subject's wife,
being the seventh in order of birth. The
commodious and well furnished home of
Mr. and Mrs. Gray has been blessed with
the presence of three bright and interesting
children, Elizabeth, Anna Winifred and
James Harvey. One singular, interesting
and enjoyable feature in the life of our
subject is that for fifteen years there were
four generations living under one roof, and
for the past eight years, and at the present
time, there are four generations living. Our
subject is the only one left to perpetuate
the name of his grandfather, James H.
Gray. He is a member of Kinmundy
Lodge No. 398, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons; Salem Chapter No. 64, Royal
Arch Masons; Cyrene Commandery No.
23, Knights Templar, Centralia, Illinois;
Oriental Consistory, S. P. R. S., and Me-
dina Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles
of Mystic Shrine, Chicago, Illinois. He is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, being a trustee in the same and was
treasurer of the building committee when
the new structure was erected in 1905. In
politics he is a Republican, and while he
has never aspired to positions of public
.trust at the hands of his fellow voters, in
matters pertaining to the welfare of his
township, county and state he is greatly
interested and his efforts in behalf of the
general progress has been far-reaching and
beneficial. Mr. Grav's name is associated

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

419

with progress in the county of his birth
and among those in whose midst he has
always lived he is held in the highest es-
teem by reason of an upright life and of
fidelity to principles which in every land and
clime command respect.

REMINISCENT SKETCH OF RICH-
LAND COUNTY.

BY BRYANT HIGGINS.

THE ORGANIZATION OF COMPANY D, EIGHTH
ILLINOIS INFANTRY.

These were the first soldiers to leave
Richland county, for the Civil war: Com-
pany D, was organized by Bryant Higgins
and John Lynch. Fort Sumpter was stormed
Friday, April 12, 1861 . Higgins and Lynch
sat up until midnight April 14, 1861, to get
a copy of a little paper printed in St. Louis
in the evening, to see if the President had
issued his proclamation for troops. On
getting the paper we went up Walnut street
to a printing office managed by a deaf and
dumb man, named Spurgeon. After knock-
ing on the door and getting no response,
we went around to the back of the office,
pushed up a window and crawled in and
struck a light, but finding the printer absent
(it being Sunday night, April 14, 1861),
we began trying to get into form, matter for
handbills, with big wooden type. About that
time the printer came in about I o'clock on

Monday morning, April I5th. We showed
him the paper, and it did not take him long
to get the matter in form and ready for the
press. Higgins worked the roller to ink
the type and Lynch made a pot of paste.
Lynch then wrote an enlistment paper and
signed it. He was the first commissioned
officer to enlist in this company; then I
signed it, being the first private soldier to
enlist in the company, of which act I am ex-
ceedingly proud. We went to the court-
house and rang the bell, woke up Reuben
Kinney, sexton of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and he rang the church bell. We
posted our bills and by that time the whole
town was up and men, regardless of political
affiliations, signed the paper. By this time
it was after daylight, and Lynch and my-
self started to the old Olney House for
breakfast. We met Arch Spring, who
signed the paper, being the sixty-third on
the list in less than two hours. When we
reached the hotel, William Harrah, of Vin-
cennes, Indiana, who had just came in, said :
"Boys, if you want to get your company in,
one of you must go to Springfield at once,
because when I came through Lawrence-
ville I saw old Dan Grass (an old Mexican
soldier) drilling a company with a lantern."
In those days a train left here for St. Louis
at 7 o'clock in the morning. Lynch took
the train for Springfield and I kept on tak-
ing enlistments. When Lynch reached St.
Louis and changed cars for Springfield, a
well dressed man with a silk hat and other
clothes to correspond, took a seat beside him
and the following conversation took place:

420

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

"Where are you going, young man?"

"Going to Springfield."

"What for?"

"To tender the governor the services of
a company to help put down this rebellion."

"That is about what I thought; now
young man, go home and attend to your
own business."

Lynch being a very positive man, an-
swered :

"Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Look out, there, young man ; do you see
that big warehouse across the river?"

"Yes."

"See that name, 'D. A. January?' "

"Yes."

"See those two steamboats tied there?"

"Yes."

"Well, young man, that is my warehouse
and those are my boats; now go home and
mind your own business."

"Now, look here, I will tell you some-
thing," replied Lynch. "We will bring some
cannon down here and just shoot hell out
of you, your warehouse and your boats."

By this time the train reached Alton and
the man of the warehouse and boats left
the train. Lynch went on to Springfield,
reported to the governor, who was much
pleased with the patriotism of Richland
county, Company D being the first to ten-
der its services as a company except an or-
ganized company of militia in the city of
Springfield. Lynch came back at once. In
the meantime I had one hundred and twen-
ty-three names on the roll. Then it became
necessary to devise ways and means to get

that many men to Springfield. There was a
meeting called at once at the court-house, to
provide means of transportation. In less
than half an hour the money was raised. It
took nearly one thousand dollars to pay the
fare of one hundred and twenty-three men
that far in those days.

THE LEAVE TAKING.

We marched from Elliott's hall to the
depot, lined up for the people to bid us
good-bye. The whole county I think was
there at 7 o'clock in the morning. Rev. John
Crozier presented every man with a copy
of the New Testament. Our best girls of
course were there. I remember Jake Mush-
rush, who was like myself at that time, about
as long as a bean pole and about as big
around. His girl was rather short. When
she came to him she took hold of his hand
in both of hers and said, "Good-bye Jake,
good-bye, Jake, good-bye." Jake was look-
ing over the top of her head; finally he
dropped her hand and kissed her good-bye.
Poor Jake was fighting a harder battle than
he ever fought afterwards. The stores in
Olney did not open that day. The people
sat and stood around on the streets all day,
so I was told, and did not leave town until
about night. You may think strange I re-
ceived no office. Lynch and I had our plans
laid higher up, and as Lynch has passed
away and they were only known to us, it
is not meet to divulge or tell them now ; they
miscarried.

We went to Springfield and were there
sworn into the service, given a musket, and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

421

forty rounds of ammunition were loaded on a
long train of freight cars and started for
Cairo, Illinois. When we arrived there
were no tents nor accommodations of any
kind. We went into camp at the junction
of the two levees. By this time there came
a battery of artillery from Chicago and Ben-
jamin M. Prentiss took command of all the
troops there. The camp now began to look
like war, sure enough. Orders were issued
to the troops to let no more boats go down
the river. I think I am safe in saying this
was the first blockade of the war. Shortly
after the order by General Prentiss, there
came a boat down, the artillery men fired a
blank charge. The boat kept on as though
nothing unusual was at hand; they then
fired a shot, skipping across the water in
front. Still the boat kept on ; then they fired
two guns for damage. About a wagon-load
of the upper part of the boat flew off and
she began to whistle, came to the landing,
and we took possession of her, I being one
of the privates and William Bower was an-
other; and the strange part of it was that
this was one of the boats shown to Lynch
about ten days before. She was loaded with
munitions of war: twelve hundred stands
of arms, hundreds of kegs of powder, tons
of pig-lead and hundreds of thousands of
percussion caps.

FIRST ACT OF CONFISCATION.

I have no doubt but this was the first act
of confiscation of the war. When we were
unloading the boat I remember hearing this

conversation between Colonel Oglesby and
General Prentiss:

Oglesby said : "General, is there any law
for this?" Prentiss: "Damn the law; take
the goods ; they are contraband, then look for
the law." At that time we were not as fa-
miliar with the word "contraband" as we
were afterward.

We were then sent into Johnson county,
Illinois, to guard a railroad bridge on the Il-
linois Central, across Big Muddy river. We
then returned to Cairo and after doing camp
duty we were duly discharged from the three
months' service, I going into the infantry
again and Lynch into the cavalry. Lynch, af-
ter serving one month as captain of the com-
pany, resigned and served the other two
months in the ranks as a private. In the
cavalry, after passing the different grades in
promotion, he reached the office of colonel of
the Sixth Illinois Cavalry. Lynch has
passed into the other life. He was a very
positive man, very strict military disciplina-
rian. He commanded, and no mistake, while
on duty. At the battle of Nashville he com-
manded five regiments of cavalry. He was
ordered by General Thomas (Old Pap) to
take and hold a certain point. He took it,
but that brought him in range of a Confeder-
ate fort, which opened on him at once. He
ordered his men to dismount, draw sabres,
and ordered the buglers to sound the charge.
Away went the five regiments (less the horse
holders) on foot; took the fort, turned the
guns on the retreating enemy and turned the
entire Confederate wing, changed the entire
alignment of the two armies. Shortly after

422

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the Confederate rout was complete. After
the battle was over Thomas sent for him
and they had this conversation :

"General Thomas, my name is Lynch —
you sent for me."

"Thomas replied: "Are you Colonel
Lynch, of the Sixth Cavalry ?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where is your uniform, Colonel?"

"I never owned one."

"Are you the man that took that rebel fort
with cavalrymen on foot?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you order a charge of cavalry
on foot for?"

"That damned rebel fort was shelling hell
out of my men, and I did not propose to
stand there and take it and not fight back."

"Don't you know that nowhere on record
is mention made of cavalry charging on
foot?"

"Well, you can now put it on record."

And so ended the conversation. Of that
one hundred and twenty-three men, Andrew
J. Robinson was the first man killed. He
met his fate at Fort Donelson. Some were
killed at Pittsburgh Landing; some in front
of Corinth ; some at Corinth on October 4th
and 5th, 1862; some at Raymond and Dai-
ton ; some at Champion Hill, at Big Beach,
at Vicksburg, in front of Atlanta and on the
March to the Sea. There is left of the one
hundred and twenty-three only about four-
teen.

During the war the writer was at home
a short time on business. Olney was then the
headquarters for drafting men of this dis-

trict. There were some very dissatisfied men
here and in adjoining counties, and other
counties not adjoining. They organized a
raid to destroy the enrolling papers for the
draft. The command of that expedition was
given to a man by the name of Isaac Gibson,
who now (November 10, 1908) lives in St.
Louis county, Missouri, or did a few months
ago. The citizens were informed of the
raid, and hastily arming themselves, put
themselves under my command. The first
thing to do was to preserve the enrollment
papers. Myself and some others put the pa-
pers into wheat sacks and into a buggy and
were driven by Jacob May out of the county.
Mr. May long ago passed away. At that
time there was a high picket fence around
the old wooden court-house. We made the
court-house our headquarters. William T.
Shelby brought out the old flag I carried
away from Olney in 1861 over the first com-
pany that left. I took it and climbed up
into the cupola, knocked out a slat in the
blind and let the flag float. I put pickets
out on the roads leading to town, and gave
them military instruction how to proceed.

GIBSON AND HIS GANG.

In a few nights here came Gibson and his
bushwhackers. At a given signal, firing of
the anvil, all the pickets were to come in
quick. Gibson and his gang surrounded the
court-house, but when he sized up the crowd
I had inside that picket fence, he found I
had about two to his one, and he was like
the officer who led his men up the hill and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

423

then led them clown again. He withdrew
his forces. We heard no more of him. We
guarded the enrolling office until the govern-
ment sent five companies of cavalry here,
and this ended the war in Olney as far as I
was concerned. I went back to where there
was trouble for sure. In the process of
time. I, like others, was mustered out of the
service of my country. I saw many hard-
ships and much hard fighting, but if I was
of the proper age, and the same circum-
stances presented themselves, I would enlist
again, knowing as I know just what it is to
be a soldier.

The writer has a letter from the War
Department in which, among other things,
this language is used : "You were certainly a
good soldier for the records show you were
fifteen months in active hard field service
before you took a dose of medicine ; you was
never in a hospital nor absent from duty."

In closing this military sketch, I wish to
say, not boastfully, but in all sincerity, I
tried under all conditions and all circum-
stances to serve my country honestly and
faithfully to the best of my ability. Now
I am living here in the place of my early
manhood, in the enjoyment of the fruits of
our labor. My wife and I have reached a
reasonable, and I hope, an honorable old
age. Let us say to all our friends and neigh-
bors : We wish you well, and may the good
Lord smooth the rough places in your life's
uneven journey.

OLNEY IN ITS INFANCY.

Richland county was part of Clay and
Lawrence counties. At the organization of

the county, there was no town here, what
is now Main and Walnut streets and Whit-
tle avenue, was a cross-road, called Lilley's
crossing. The land was owned by Thomas
Lilley and Hiram G. Barney, who proposed
to give ten acres of land each, to be laid out
in lots and sold at public sale, the money thus
raised to be used to build a court-house and
jail. The lots were laid out and platted by A.
T. David, a surveyor, the 2Oth day of Sep-
tember, 1841.

Commencing on the north side of Main
street, opposite Coen's Hotel, was the first
lot west, and occupied by a saloon, owned
and kept by Louis Sawyer, the first Sheriff
of the county. The next was the residence
of G. F. Powers, the next was a building
occupied by the American Fur Company,
where they dressed the pelts, put them into
bundles and shipped them direct to Leipsic.
Germany. The next was the residence of
Joseph Harmon, the next was John Von
Gunten's Bakery, the first regular bakery in
Olney. Old man Ross, an old Revolutionary
soldier, baked gingerbread before Olney was
laid out. Mr. Von Gunten made "spruce"
beer out of persimmons and some other truck
unknown to the writer. The next was thf
residence of William Alkire, the next was a
little building in which Dr. Ridgeway after-
ward had a "drug store" and his office, next
came the hotel, kept by Thomas Lilley, next
was a one-story building, planked up and
clown, in which K. D. Horrall learned the
tinner's trade, next was the drug store and
office of Dr. Haynie, next was the store of
Henry Spring. Redman's store is now on
that site. Where Schultz's store is lived

424

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Jonas Notestine, a tanner by trade, where
Elliott's Hall and Hyatt's Opera House now
stand lived John H. Gunn ; where the Metro-
pole is now lived Dr. Graig; where Landen-
berger's buildings are now, "Uncle" Jimmy
Briscoe conducted a small saloon and the
post-office in the same building, next was the
store of Newell and Darling ; next was the
store of A. L. and R. Byers, next was their
warehouse, over the front of which was
painted :

Iron, Nails, Stores, Plows, Flour, Salt, Ba~
con, Castings and Whisky.

Castings here mentioned were skillets and
lids, pots and other cast-iron utensils for
cooking by the old fire-place. The next was
their pork-house, about thirty feet wide by
one hundred and eighty feet long, the next
was the residence of John Garret, then a two-
story building occupied below by P. Shaw
as a book store and watchmaker's shop,
the first in Olney. In the upper story was
the "Olney Dollar Weekly Gazette" office,
which was owned, edited and printed by J.
J. Bunting, Milo Powers and James Nabb,
The next was Tom Nettletor's store. Where
the Sanitarium now stands lived Frank
Heap, and the old Union Hotel was located
on a part of the ground. Next was the resi-
dence of Thomas Ratcliff and his good wife.
Where Dan Geatheart now lives lived Wil-
liam Newell; next was a long (about
one hundred feet) low building, in which
lived many families. It was called "Hugel
Row," after the owner; next was the resi-

dence of William Kidd, and that is as far east
as the town was platted at that time and from
Walnut street east only one tier of lots deep.
On the south side of Main street, opposite
Mr. Kidd, lived "Uncle" Jimmy Briscoe, in
a big-two-story house (going west), next
was the residence of Michael Stauffer, also
his tailor shop, the first tailor in Olney.
Next was Mrs. Heifner, the first milliner in
Olney.

WHEN BLEACHED BONNETS WERE WORN.

In those days the ladies wore white Leg-
horn bonnets, which had to be "bleached"
every spring and rebuilt. The bleaching
process was performed by burning sulphur
and sending the fumes through the straw by
a process unknown to the writer, but if you
were in the immediate vicinity of the
"kiln" when it was opened you would think
there was a fresh crack in the roof of hell.
The next was the residence of Mr. Benclel. a
very highly educated man ; next was the
building in which the writer and many oth-
ers went to school to Mr. Bendel. The next
was a large building where Frank Heap
made furniture by hand. Then came Uri's
blacksmith shop, where Tom Ratcliff learned
his trade. Ashiel Powers painted a sign,
for Mr. Uri, of himself, nearly as large as
life and perfect in every particular as to
Mr. Uri. He was represented as working
on a plow on the anvil, and on the opposite
side, on his hind legs, stood a big bear
with the sledge drawn, and around his
neck was an iron collar fastened with

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

425

a padlock, a chain fastened to the col-
lar, the end of the chain fastened to
the collar, the end of the chain fastened to
a tree just behind the bear. Now this pic-
ture, to the ordinary reader who was born
later on, may not have much meaning, but
to us old men it means something.

Mr. Powers was born and reared in Ver-
mont. He was a humane man. In those
days a boy was "indentured" — that is, bound
out to a tradesman for a certain number of
years, the boss having the right to follow
and bring back the "indentured," and in many
cases the poor boy was treated very, very
badly. The indentured to a trade was called a
"cub." Now you can see what Mr. Pow-
ers represented in his picture of the bear,
the collar, the chain and the tree to which
he was firmly fastened. Mr. Uri's treatment
of Mr. Ratcliff was good, which was rather
an exception. The next was the residence
of S. H. Gunn, whose widow is living there
now ; the next was Gunn's store. On Satur-
day, Mr. Gunn took a tub, put in about three
gallons of whisky and two gallons of mo-
lasses and stired it up. He called the mix-
ture "black strap." This was free for his
customers.

The next was a small house in which the
telegraph office was kept. The line was from
Baltimore to Washington, to Pittsburg to
Cincinnati to Louisville, to Vincennes, then
along the old state road to St. Louis, Mis-
souri. Reuben Gardner, now living in this
county, helped to build this line. I think
beyond doubt, he is the only man now liv-

ing who helped to put it up. He is now over
ninety years of age.

The next (where Cooksey is now was
a harness shop, owned by John Allen.
Where McShane and Meunch is now, was
the residence of John M. Wilson, the found-
er of the Olney Republican in 1848. The
next was the residence of Ashiel Powers,
then Henry Springs's residence. Where
Foskett & Gafner are now was the black-
smith shop of J. H. and Henry Johns ; then
a small room about twelve by sixteen in
which K. D. Horrall began business in
1856; then the harness shop of Henry Bar-
ney, then a big low, one-story building in
which Louis Hugel kept a clothing store,
the first exclusive store of this kind in the
county, back of which was a building origin-
ally built for a stable, but was remodeled
by Hugel, and into which the "Olney Dollar
Weekly Gazette" was moved, and there sold
to William M. Beck, and by him moved
into another building, and the name changed
to "The Olney Times," and in 1859 Mr.
Beck put at the head of his columns, "For
President in 1860, Abraham Lincoln, of Il-
linois," the first paper to publicly an-
nounce Mr. Lincoln's name for the Presi-
dency. He was elected November 8, 1860.
Mr. Beck passed into the other life Decem-
ber 17, 1860. The next was the harness
shop of W. P. Laird; then a little short
street, called "Lilley" street, running from
Main to Market, one block : A. Dar-
ling lived at the Market street end,
then a building sidewise to the street

426

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

in which G. F. Powers and Nelson
Cobley made furiture by hand. Where the
head of Whittle avenue is now, stood the
saloon of Andrew J. Saulsbury. Where the
first National bank is, was the store of
William Alkire; then the old wooden court-
house, then the office of Horace Hayward,
and that was as far west as the town was
platted. South of Hayward's office lived
Judge Alfred Kitchell, then Levi Notestein.
Where the jail and stables belonging thereto
are now, was the tanyard of Jonas and Levi
Notestine, across the vats of which the wife
of the writer jumped in her girlhood days.
Where the four courts are now, lived Rob-
ert B. Mamey, the first Judge of the Pro-
bate Court of this county, and where the
writer found his wife, now almost forty-
seven years ago, south of the building and
loan office lived M. B. Snyder, the Clerk of
the Circuit Court, whose son, Samuel, was
the first boy baby born in Olney.

North on Walnut, from Main at York
street on the west side, lived George Lutz,
whose daughter, Sarah, was the first girl
baby born in Olney. Next Jonas Spanglor,
next Jacob Hofman, Clerk of the County
Court. On the east side was a big two-story
house in which lived many families. North
on Mulberry street from Main, lived Henry
Spanglor; north of Butler street was the
old log school-house in which the writer's
wife and many others got their first rudi-
mental knowledge of the English language.
This house was used as a court-house until
the first one was built. It was also used
as a Methodist Episcopal church, until 1855,

when the first Methodist Episcopal church
was built here. Of all the people living in
Olney at that time, there are only about ten
persons living November, 1908.

Then came the building of the old Ohio
& Mississip*pi (now the Baltimore & Ohio
Southwestern Railroad, and Olney took on
new life; then the old Peoria, Decatur &
Eastern, now the Illinois Central; then the
Cinncinnati, Hamilton & Dayton (old Dan-
ville & Olney). Olney has grown from a
small village to a city of about six thou-
sand five hundred people.

EARLY LAWYERS.

I remember some of the early lawyers of
Olney, among whom was Lindes Usher
Ficklin, of Charleston. Charles H. Con-
stable, of Mt. Carmel; Judge Wilson, the
first judge of this circuit, and Judge F. D.
Preston, who was born in old Fort Barney,
in Wabash county. Also I was personally
known to Silas Bryan, of Salem, Marion
county. He was the father of William J.
Bryan. There is a good joke told on Silas.
He was a very devout man, given to much
prayer. He was elected to the State Senate
from that district. I think he was a Pres-
byterian. Mortimer O'Kean was elected to
the State Senate from this district. He
was a Catholic. Salem, Mr. Bryan's home
town, was the mecca for divorces, it being
on the stage line, and about the center of
the state, east and west, and for the purpose
of getting a divorce a residence of three
months was all that was necessary, and the

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

427

geographical location of Salem was fine for
all persons concerned, and that part of the
law practice made much bread and butter
for the lawyers of Salem. O'Kean being a
Catholic, he was eternally opposed to di-
vorces, and about the first thing he did was
to introduce a bill requiring twelve months'
residence. That was striking deep and hard
at the flour barrel of the lawyers of Salem.
When the bill came up in the Senate for
passage, Silas made a long speech against
it. As soon as he was through, O'Kean
arose in his seat, to reply. He was a quick-
witted Irishman. He said: "Misther Prisi-
dint, I have been for a long time thrying
to find out what church Brother Bryan be-
longs to ; now I know ; he is a Mormon," and
sat down. Never before was there such a
tumult in the Senate chamber, whooping,
yelling and stamping so much so that the
House members came in to see what the
fun was and on finding out, joined in the
hurrah. As soon as the president of the
Senate could get quiet enough to be heard,
he put the bill on its passage and there was
but one vote against it, and from that day
to this, one year has been the limit.

HIGGINS' PIPE DREAM.

From the Olney Times of April 9, 1908.

"In the fall of '66 or '67 Bryant Higgins
asked Wilson and Hutchinson for desk
room in this office during the winter which
request was granted. He was then always
very busy, figuring and plotting. One
day, when no one was in he asked if we

wanted to know what he had been doing,
and, expressing our curiosity, he read
us what we thought to be the wildest, weird-
est and most improbable scheme ever pro-
posed or ever dreamed of by a sane man.
He proposed that the Russian government
should build a railroad commencing at
Orenberg on the Ural river, which is the
dividing line between Europe and Asia,
thence east to Harbin, thence build a branch
south to Pekin, China. From Harbin, east
to Vladivostock, on the Pacific Ocean, a dis-
tance of six thousand miles. This road has
been built exactly as mapped and planned
by Higgins, except they ran the southern
branch to Port Arthur, which at that time
was unknown, and they ferry Lake Baikal,
while Higgins mapped his road around the
north shore.

"To meet this road he planned a road to
start at Duluth, west to Seattle, north from
Seattle to Cape Prince of Wales, north of
the sixty-seventh degree, near the mouth of
the Yukon river, along the trail now trav-
eled to reach the Klondike ; then across Beh-
ring Strait, either by ferry or bridging into
Asia. He said this bridging should be
done with concrete cassions for piers from
island to island, like that now being done
on the Florida coast.

"He had a chapter on isothermal lines by
the trend of which the Japan current he
claimed Alaska was destined to become
thickly populated; that strawberries grew
and ripened on the Yukon bottoms and that
river did freeze until one hundred and fifty
miles from the mouth. You who are old

428

I1IOGKAPI1ICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

enough to remember if you look back forty
years, can see how wild I deemed this
when it was first read to me. After a few
days, I said : 'Bryant, what are you going to
do with your scheme ?' He did not know.

"At that time S. S. Marshall was the
representative of our district in Congress.
I proposed we should send it to him to see
what he could do with it. Marshall sub-
mitted it to the Russian minister at Wash-
ington and that part pertaining to Russia,
I was informed was translated and sent to
the government of Russia, and I have no
doubt was the origin of the Trans-Siberian
Railroad. Afterwards Marshall gave the
papers to a member of Congress from New
York. Shortly after Higgins received a long
letter from Charles Villard, whom he had
never heard of, and they had quite a corre-
spondence. I read that Charles Villard de-
manded of his friends ten million dollars in
ten days ; no questions to be asked. He got
the money and out of that grew the North-
ern Pacific, the Oregon Short Line, and later
the roads running up into Alaska through
British Columbia, and now building to Behr-
ing Strait. I had not thought of this matter
for years until lately I met Higgins and
asked him to allow me to record the ar-
ticle over again, when he informed me he
had sent the only copy he had ever made
with all his maps and figures to Marshall.

ENTIRE SCHEME MAY BECOME A FACT.

"This scheme of Higgins' contemplated
the building of miles of railroad starting at
Duluth, crossing Behring Straits, and con-

necting on the Asiatic shore with the Rus-
sian end, and thus giving an all rail route
from any point in the United States to any
point in Europe. Since then eleven thousand
miles have been built and in a few years
more Higgins' dream will be a reality by
the completion of his entire proposition,
even possibly of the bridging of Behring
Strait.

"The best of prophets of the future is the
prophet of the past. So far he has never
been known as the originator of the idea,
and it was a mere accident that brought
it to my mind.

"E. S. WILSON."

"Since the above was put in print, one
thousand five hundred miles more of rail-
road in Siberia, running northeast from
Vladivostock, has been opened up for traffic."

MAY-DAY PICNIC FORTY YEARS AGO.

Fifty years ago the following persons held
a May-day picnic on Fox river, at Water-
town. (Watertown has long since faded
out):

K. D. Horrall and Sarah Baird : Devius
Baird and Rose McWilliams, Clark Richard
and Lizzie Nesbit. Arch Spring and Mary
Spring, J. H. Roberts and Manda Gunn,
Frank Powers and Sue Hofman, S. P. Con-
nor and Ella Hofman, T. W. Scott and Lib
Hofman, Charles Hollister and Lib Corroth-
ers. Dan Edmiston and Hetty Whitney, Bry-
ant Higgins and S. E. Marney.

Of the above, Mr. Baird married Rose
McWilliams, who is now deceased; Mr.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

429

Rickard married Miss Nesbit, both deceased ;
Mr. Roberts married Miss Gunn, the latter
deceased.

Arch Spring and Miss Spring are living.
Mr. Powers, now deceased, married Miss
Hofman. He is dead. Mr. Connor married
Ella Hofman. She is dead. Lib Hofman
is dead. Charles Hollister was killed at Cor-
inth, October 5, 1862. K. D. Horrall mar-
ried Miss Baird. Dan Edmiston married
Miss Whitney. Both are dead. The writer
married Miss Marney, and of the couples
here mentioned, eight married and of the
eight, the writer and his wife, K. D. Horrall
and his wife, are all that are now living, who
were afterward married.

CHARLES DEAN.

Americans are not hampered by the
shackles of class distinction and it is every
one's privilege to build the structure of his
life as he sees fit. This gives us what is
often termed the self-made man, a good ex-
ample of which is found in the subject of
our sketch, Charles Dean, of Alma township,
Marion county. Mr. Dean is a descendant
of that sturdy type of pioneers that pushed
westward along the highway marked out by
Daniel Boone in the early days of our
country's history. His father, Samuel
Dean, was a native of Maryland, and his
mother, Cerena (Bishop) Dean, was born
in Tennessee. When he was quite young his
mother died, leaving the father surviving
with several children. Thrown largely upon

his own resources thus early in life, the boy
developed that spirit of self-reliance and
energy that forms such a marked character-
istic of the self-made American.

In 1875 Mr. Dean was married to Sarah
E. Rush, who was born in Marion county,
Illinois, November 14, 1851. She was the
daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Hatfield)
Rush, the latter still living at the age of
seventy-three years, in 1908.

Mr. and Mrs. Dean have become the par-
ents of three children, two of whom, Dollie
and Daisy, died when quite young; the
third, Noah, is now a practicing physician
at Alma. As a boy he showed a keen in-
terest in his studies and manifested consid-
erable aptitude for the study of natural
phenomena.

As he approached manhood he decided to
make medicine his profession, and his suc-
cess in this field demonstrated his fitness for
his chosen calling. He resolved to pursue
his medical studies at some school of un-
impeachable reputation, and finally entered
the Iowa State Medical College, Keokuk,
Iowa. Here he applied himself so vigorous-
ly that he soon attracted the interest of the
instructors and won the admiration of his
classmates. His previous experience of
four years as a teacher in the Marion county
public schools, gave him a broad founda-
tion for his later efforts and he finished his
work with a standing of third in the gradu-
ating class. Since establishing himself in
practice he has joined in marriage to Miss
Ester Delassus, of Patoka, a lady of most
excellent culture and accomplishments.

,430

IJIOGKAI'lllfAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

As a result of his years of hard and
steady work, Charles Dean has brought his
farm of eighty acres to a high degree of
productiveness and has gained a wide repu-
tation as a stockdealer, rivaling in this re-
spect the excellent reputation of his father
before him. Although a Democrat in poli-
tics, Mr. Dean has never given any atten-
tion to questionable political methods, stand-
ing at all times for a square deal for every-
body concerned. He and his wife are mem-
bers of the Methodist denomination and are
held in high esteem by both neighbors and
friends.

WILLIAM H. LESEMAN.

From many parts of the world people
have come to enjoy the advantages of the
great state of Illinois, and few have re-
gretted their corning. Although the per-
centage of Prussians, compared with the
number of inhabitants of that country and
the number of immigrants from her sister
nations who have settled in the land of the
free, is not large, those found in this state
are most progressive and they are always
regarded as loyal and law-abiding citizens.
The subject of this sketch is no exception to
the general rule.

William H. Leseman was born in Price
Ninon, near Backonen, Prussia, October 10,
1834, and when ten years of age was
brought to America by his parents in 1843,
first settling in Washington county, this

state, but not finding conditions exactly to
their tastes there, finally came on to Marion
county, where they located in August of
1884, and where they soon became assim-
ilated with the new conditions and civiliza-
tion, developing a good farm from the un-
improved soil which they secured.

Our subject is the son of Henry and
Christina Leseman, whose family consisted
of three sons and an equal number of
daughters, William, our subject, having
been the second in order of birth. He is
the only one of the family now living.

After receiving what education he could
in the common schools of this county and
working on his father's farm until he had
reached manhood, our subject married
Catherine Dewyer June 18, 1862, and soon
thereafter began to work for himself on the
farm. James and Catherine Dewyer were
the parents of our subject's wife. There
were eight children in this family, an equal
number of boys and girls, Catherine, the
wife of the subject, being the youngest and
the only one of the children now living.

The following children have been born
to our subject and wife, there being eight,
seven of whom are still living; Eddie, de-
deased; Katie, Henry, James, Albert, Wil-
liam, Alice and Walter.

Mr. Leseman is the owner of one hun-
dred and sixty acres of very fertile land, lo-
cated in Alma township, all under a high
state of cultivation. He carries on a general
farming with that discretion and energy
that always insure success and as a result
of his able management of the place he

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

431

reaps excellent harvests from year to year,
making a comfortable living, and laying up
an ample competency for his old age. He
keeps his fields in an excellent condition,
carefully rotating his crops and thereby re-
taining the original richness of the soil. He
has a good and comfortable dwelling which
is nicely furnished, and also a good barn,
and considerable farming machinery, and
good stock. All this he has made himself
by his own energy and wise economy.

In politics our subject is a loyal Repub-
lican and takes a great interest in political
affairs. In his religious belief he seems to
favor the Methodist denomination, how-
ever, his parents were always Lutherans in
the Fatherland. The faith of the subject's
wife's people was that of the Catholic be-
lief, however, they later turned Protestant,
and are now Methodists. Our subject has
always been known as a man of honesty and
integrity and he has many friends in his
community as a result of his well regulated
life.

STEPHEN SNUFFIN.

Mr. Snuffin is well known and respected in
German township, where for many a day he
has lived and prospered. He was born on
November 22. 1846, in Union county, Ohio,
being the son of Levi and Cathryne (Clark)
Snuffin. His father was born and reared in
Ohio and his mother was a native of Ken-
tucky. Their marriage took place in Ohio,
where thev lived on a farm until 1860. when

they came to Illinois and bought thirty-seven
acres of land in German township, for which
they paid about ten dollars an acre. It was
prairie land, unimproved, but well fenced.
Levi Snufiin built a plank house upon the
land and other buildings, and put the land
into a state of cultivation. Here he remained
and died at the age of sixty-two, being buried
in Stolz cemetery in German township.
Mother Snuffin survived for several years,
dying June 20, 1906, aged eighty-five years;
she is also buried in Stoltz cemetery. They
were the parents of eleven children, nine of
whom grew to maturity, the subject being
the third in order of birth.

Stephen Snuffin remained with his parents
until his marriage. When the Civil war
broke out he was but seventeen years old, and,
filled with the martial fervor of the time, he
stealthily left home one morning at three
o'clock, with the intention of enlisting at Ol-
ney, but his father put a bar to his military
career by reaching Olney in time to com-
pel him to return home. Stephen's marriage
took place on April 14, 1867, when he mar-
ried Margaret Stoltz. She was born No-
vember 23, 1847, in Richland county. Illinois,
being the daughter of Henry and Savilla
( Peoples) Stoltz. Her father was a native of
Illinois, having been also born in Richland
county. Her mother belonged to a Kentucky
family, coming to Illinois with her parents
when she was about three years old. Her
mother and father, on their marriage, settled
on a farm in German township, where they
remained several years. They then sold their
land and bought nineteen acres in another lo-

432

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

cation in German township, which, at the
time of their deaths, contained over one hun-
dred acres. Mrs. Stoltz died in August, 1872,
aged fifty years. Henry Stoltz died in March,
1900, aged seventy-five. Both were buried
in Stoltz cemetery, German township. They
were the parents of ten children. Mrs. Snuf-
fin being second in order of birth. An eldei
brother served in the Civil war in the Fifth
Illinois Cavalry, having died at Vicksburg
from small-pox while in service.

Stephen Snuffin and his wife at the time of
their marriage, settled on a farm in Richland
county, and although they have moved sev-
eral times since then, they have never left the
county. During their married life six chil-
dren have been born to them, two of whom
are now dead. In the regular order the chil-
dren were named : Henry C. ( deceased ) ;
Ella S., Alvord, Edgar (deceased) ; Edwin.
Samuel married Delia Jeffries, now deceased.
His wife is buried in Kirksville, Illinois, and
he has no living children. Ella married War-
ren Musgrove. They reside on a farm near
Electra, Texas, and have four children ; two
boys and two girls : Lawrence, Lex, Maurice
and Ethel. Alvord and Edwin Snuffin are un-
married.

The subject of our sketch received but a
limited education in his young days. He
attended the free common schools in German
township, but owing to the necessary work
to be done on the farm his attendance was
anything but regular. He, however, mas-
tered reading, writing and spelling. Mrs.
Stephen Snuffin in her young days had edu-
cational difficulties very similar to that of her

husband and therefore did not receive an ex-
tended education.

In politics Stephen Snuffin is an uncompro-
mising Republican and has taken quite an ac-
tive part in politics in German township. He
served as a county road supervisor for sev-
eral terms. He never aspired to hold any po-
litical offices and has contented himself as a
worker in the cause.

In the religious world, while he and his
family are not members of any particular
church, they have always attended the Meth-
odist services and have liberally contributed
to the support of the same church.

The home life of Mr. and Mrs. Snuffin is
very peaceable and happy, the children they
have reared being a constant and unfailing
source of satisfaction to them.

GEORGE W. CAMPBELL.

One of Xenia's most prosperous mer-
chants is Mr. Campbell, who needs no intro-
duction to the people of his township and
county. During the years of his residence,
from the close of the Civil war when he,
with nothing more than half a dollar in his
pocket, arrived in the township to the pres-
ent time, his progress has been marked and
rapid. A veteran of that war, his life uncov-
ers one of those unhappy family tragedies
which that crisis in our history brought about,
especially in the states of Virginia nad Mary-
land, when the spectacle of father and son
taking different sides in the quarrel was seen.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

433

George W. Campbell fought and bled for
the Union, and his career in a business
sphere since that time has been another suc-
cessful struggle.

He was born in Virginia on August 18,
1843, the son of George Campbell and
Amanda Wilcox, his mother, a native of
Pennsylvania. His grandparents on his fa-
ther's side were of Scotch-Irish descent and
came to this country from Scotland. His
father migrated to Virginia where he mar-
ried and followed the occupation of a farmer.
When the war broke out the elder George
espoused the Southern cause, becoming a
member of the Eighth Confederate Cavalry,
and, having gone through the conflict died
at Rock Island, Illinois, some years after. His
wife died in 1878.

George W. Campbell, at the outbreak of
the war, was a member of the First Virginia,
later the Ninth Virginia Volunteers, who
supported the Northern banner, and this
placed father and son in different camps. On
account of his fighting against the Confed-
eracy he was harshly dealt with by his par-
ents who forbid him to return to the paternal
home. His father was a prosperous farmer
and upon his death the management of his
estate falling to his wife, she disinherited her
son George W.

Our subject saw four years' service in the
Civil War, engaging in thirty battles, be-
ing twice wounded and twice taken prisoner.
He was wounded at the battle of Sumner-
ville, being shot in the thigh, and again at
Sugar Creek, a ball entering his foot. In this
last engagement the Union forces suffered
28

defeat in the morning, completely turning
the tables in the afternoon when they com-
pletely routed the enemy.

George W. Campbell came to Xenia almost
absolutely penniless, after doing a man's part
to preserve the consolidation of his country,
in the winter of 1867. He obtained work as
a painter and afterwards learned carpentry
and the cabinet-making trade. About thir-
ty-six years ago he started in the undertaking
and furniture business. Ever since he has
engaged in that line his success has been
marked. He met with trials and setbacks
during the early period of his business life
but they were of a temporary nature and nev-
er obstructed his steady prosperity.

He married on September 6,1874, Addie
Morris, a lady whose parents came from
Ohio, bringing her with them when she was
but three years old. Mrs. George W. Camp-
bell bore her husband one son, Wrilliam, who
has been a constant source of comfort to his
parents during their life. He is a licensed
embalmer and is associated with his father in
business. Some years ago he marred Ada
Corson, of Xenia. They have two children.

Mr. Campbell is a Democrat in politics and
a sturdy adherent of the Democratic ticket.
He has never been ambitious to hold public
office, but he has served for a time as Mayor
and Alderman. George W. Campbell and
his wife are members of the Baptist church
and zealous in church affairs. He is, himself,
a prominent member of the Masonic Fra-
ternity in Xenia and a leading member of the
local branch of the Grand Army of the Re-
public.

434

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

George W. Campbell, in addition to his
large mercantile business, is a large real es-
tate owner in Xenia, and the owner of resi-
dential as well as business property. His
store is a spacious one, being eighty feet by
thirty-five feet, the business being conducted
on two floors.

The subject of our sketch is deservedly
popular with the people of every creed and
class in the community, and the well merited
success he has won during the course of an
eventful life is but his just deserts.

WILLIAM THOMAS WILKINSON.

In the subject of this review we have a
representative of one of the most honored
pioneer families in Marion county and one
who is recognized as one of the most pro-
gressive farmers of his locality, owning and
operating in a most successful manner at
this time three farms of great value. He is
regarded by all who know him as being a
most capable and energetic man, broad
minded and sound in his business principles.

William Thomas Wilkinson was born in
Meacham township, this county, January
21, 1859, tne son °f H. C. Wilkinson, who
was born in Kentucky in 1825, and who
passed to his rest at the early age of forty-
six years, but not until he had stamped his
individuality upon the community where he
lived. He was the father of seven children,
three sons and four daughters, three of
whom are now living, the subject being the

third in order of birth. Our subject's
mother's name in her maidenhood was Har-
riet A. Nichols. She married H. C. Wil-
kinson in Marion county, Illinois.

Our subject spent his early life on the
home farm and attended the district schools
where he applied himself in an able manner
and gained a fairly good education.

Mr. Wilkinson has devoted his life to
agricultural pursuits and he has been emi-
nently successful in his chosen work, hav-
ing by sheer force of individuality, business
acumen and persistency won his way from
an humble beginning to a place of promi-
nence and comparative affluence in his
county, owning three farms, consisting col-
lectively of three hundred and sixty-eight
acres. One hundred and forty acres is in
Meacham township, one hundred and forty
acres in Alma township and sixty-eight
acres in Kinmundy township. All these
farms are under a high grade of cultivation
and yield the owner a comfortable compe-
tency from year to year. They all show that
the owner is a man of the best modern
methods of agriculture. On each of these
is located a good house and out buildings.
Mr. Wilkinson has various kinds of good
stock on the farms.

Mr. Wilkinson married Prudence Kenedy
on August 17, 1882, in Marion county, Illi-
nois. She is a native of Washington
county and the daughter of James P. and
Elizabeth (McBride) Kenedy, the former
a native of Tennessee and the latter of Ran-
dolph county, Illinois. The wife of the sub-
ject was one of a family of eleven children,

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

435

she being the eighth in order of birth. Her
parents were United Presbyterians but she
worships with her husband, as do all the
family, in the Methodist church, of which
Mr. Wilkinson is a steward.

The following children have been born
to the subject and wife: Bert E. is a tele-
graph operator in Wyoming in the employ
of the Union Pacific Railroad; Claude E.,
Jennie P., Charles H., Irene. Bert E. mar-
ried Alice Hiddleson, living in Cheyenne,
Wyoming, and they have one child. Claude
E. married Stella Danison. Jennie P. mar-
ried John R. Telford, who lives in Kin-
mundy township. Claude is a teacher in the
county schools, and he farms one of his
father's places. He has a good wife and
a nice home. He was educated in the Kin-
mundy high school.

Our subject is a loyal Democrat, and he
has faithfully and conscientiously served his
community as Township Collecter and as
Road Commissioner for three terms. He
has always taken a deep interest in public
affairs and his support can always be
counted on in all movements looking to the
general good of the locality where he lives.
Considering the hardships and obstacles of
his early life he deserves a great deal of
credit for what he has accomplished, for his
father died when he was fourteen years old
and he and John H., his brother, had to help
their mother raise the rest of the children.
This developed a strong independent and
sturdy manhood and a frugal and thrifty
mentality which is very largely re-
sponsible for his subsequent success in life.

Prosperity seems to have attended every
worthy effort he has made, with the result
that before the evening of life advances
upon him he finds himself and family very
comfortably situated, and the future, what-
ever it may have in store for him and his,
inspires no shadow of fear in his breast.

JOHN A. PEIRCE.

Who is there who is not proud of his fam-
ily tree, be it of ever so short a growth ? A
great many find a fascinating pleasure in
looking back over the vista of the years with
their memories of Plymouth Rock and Revo-
lutionary struggles to trace their line of an-
cestry through the labyrinths of history.
The family memory of the subject of the
present sketch runs back to the sixteenth cen-
tury when its originators emigrated from
England, and some members of his family
hold an heirloom in the form of a Bible print-
ed in 1608, the pages of which have been
thumbed by succeeding generations of the
Peirce family down to the present time. • John
A. Peirce, the member of the family whom
\ve wish to refer to at present, however, is
not content to allow the memory of the past
to overshadow the future. As a practical and
industrious skilled mechanic he has upheld
the family tradition of progress and push,
and the activity of his life has won him a
front place in the industrial world. His busi-
ness today is the best equipped on the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad line of any of its kind
between St. Louis and Vincennes.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

John A. Peirce was born in the vicinity of
Xenia, on March 12, 1843, his father being
John Peirce, a native of Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, who came west in 1835, and lo-
cating first at Rock Island, Illinois, thence
coming to Clay county in 1837. His father
followed the occupation of farmer and print-
er, being a farmer most of the time. When
the present Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was
built, his father owned forty acres of land
on the site of the present railroad station and
which is part of the original town of Xenia.
John Peirce, Senior, was the first station-
agent of the Balitmore & Ohio, filling the
position for two years, becoming the agent
in June, 1855, the Baltimore & Ohio people
running their first train through on the 4th
of July following. The subject of the pres-
ent sketch has in his possession a freight or-
der sheet — one of the first written — issued
in his father's handwriting. Upon leaving
the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio, the eld-
er John Peirce went into the woolen mill in-
dustry, which business was disposed of in
1863. The grandfather of the subject of
our sketch was Thomas Peirce, who is
thought to have been a native of New Hamp-
shire, the family having come as we have
already stated, from England, their ancestors
emigrating to America in 1697.

The mother of John A. Peirce was born
Jane Catherine Davenport. Her people were
natives of Virginia. She died in October,
1855, having given birth to three children,
of which the subject of this sketch is the
only survivor.

The education received by John A. Peirce
was of the common school variety. It took

place in the old common schools in Xenia. At
eighteen years of age he enlisted in Com-
pany G, Twenty-first Illinois Volunteers (in-
fantry) for service in the Civil war, his
term of service running over four years and
eight months. During that period he passed
through the hardest part of the conflict, par-
ticipating in the battles of Chickamauga, Sep-
tember 19-20, 1863 ; historic Frederickstown,
October 21, 1861 ; Perryville, Kentucky, Oc-
tober 8, 1862; Stone River, December 30-31,
1862; Franklin, Tennessee, November 30,
1864; Nashville, Tennessee, December 15-16,
1864. He emerged from the Civil war unin-
jured, and on January 25, 1866, he obtained
his discharge. He then came back to Xenia
and went to work as an engineer in the wool-
en mills. Later on he applied himself to the
painting trade and also as a tinner. In 1878
he interested himself in machine shop work
and in 1880 established himself in his present
location in the machine industry. His plant
at the present time is equipped with all the
most up-to-date machines and appliances and
contains lathes, shapers, etc., of the most
improved type. Mr. Peirce is a skilled and
experienced machinist and superintends as far
as possible the output of his factory.

His marriage took place January 12, 1868,
to Fidelia Westmoreland, who is a native of
Illinois. Mrs. Peirce bore her husband five
children: Helenora (deceased) ; Mary Eliz-
abeth, (deceased); Nellie, Mrs. Amanda
Jane Bradley, of Xenia, Illinois ; Mrs. Mary
Stout, of Taylorville, Illinois. Mrs. Peirce
is still active in life and conducts a mil-
linery store in Xenia, on her own behalf.

John A. Peirce is a member of the Metho-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

437

dist Episcopal belief, being a trustee of the
local church. Mrs. Peirce is also of the same
religion as her husband. In fraternal life,
John A. Pierce belongs to the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, at Xenia. He was
a charter member of the John A. Logan Post
of the Grand Army of the Republic, but has
now retired from active participation in
same. In politics he is a Republican. He
contents himself in voting his party's ticket
at election times, and does not dabble in local
political affairs. He is progressive and in-
telligent citizen and a man whose record in
private as well as in every-day life is pecu-
liarly free from taint of all that is undesirable.
He is known to be a charitable and friendly
neighbor and a man whose success in h'fe is
looked upon with pleasure by his large cir-
cle of friends and by his townspeople in gen-
eral.

GEORGE WASHINGTON DOSER.

Although his journey along the pathway
of life has been beset by many obstacles, and
he has undergone many privations, George
Washington Doser, in the sunset of his ca-
reer, is living quietly at his home in Pres-
ton township, Richland county, Illinois, amid
most pleasant and congenial surroundings.
The subject of this sketch is the true type
of what is termed the self-made man, who
through his industry and perseverance accu-
mulated a sufficiency of this world's goods to
enable him to enjoy a life of ease in his de-
clining years. In the locality in which he

has lived for almost a half century, this ven-
erable man is held in high esteem for his
sterling worth and rugged honesty.

Mr. Doser was born in Clark county, Ohio,
October 2, 1825. He was the son of Michael
and Regna (Zirkle) Doser. Of his father
the subject has very little knowledge, ow-
ing to the separation of his parents during
his early boyhood. His mother was born in
Virginia in 1808, and her parents were na-
tives of the same state. While a young girl,
her parents removed to Ohio, and she re-
mained with them until her marriage to the
father of the subject. As a result of this
alliance two children were born, of which the
subject was the eldest, the younger brother
dying in infancy. Shortly thereafter, owing
to an incompatibility of temper, the couple
decided that they were not well-mated, and
the marital bonds were dissolved. When
Mr. Doser was in his sixth year his mother
again entered wedlock, espousing Jonathan
Zirkle, and eight children were the fruit of
this union. The subject remained with his
mother and step-father until he was fifteen,
when he took up his residence with his grand-
father. He was twenty-three years old, No-
vember 23, 1847, when he married Eliza
Welgamuth, in Clark county, Ohio. He and
his bride took up their abode on a rented
farm, where they remained until 1864, when
they moved to Richland county, Illinois, set-
tling upon eighty acres of land, in Preston
township, for which they paid fifteen dollars
per acre. Of this land, sixty acres was prai-
rie, and had never been tilled, while the re-
maining twenty acres were bottom timber

!! I

438

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

land. The only improvement on this farm
was a frame house, and the subject of this
sketch was compelled to remodel this struc-
ture, and build stables, fences, etc. Mr. Doser
finally sold this farm, and for the next nine
years rented farms. At the end of that pe-
riod he had accumulated a competence, and
as the result of a decision to give up the pur-
suit of agriculture he purchased property
in the town of Dundas, where he and his wife
now live.

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Doser, three boys and three girls, namely:
Socrates, John, Albert, Mary, Harriet and
Anes. All of them reached the years of
maturity but Socrates, Mary and Anes have
passed to the beyond.

In the boyhood days of Mr. Doser the edu-
cational facilities were limited, and decidedly
crude as compared with the splendid sys-
tem in vogue today. He attended about two
months of what was known as subscription
school before he had attained his fifteenth
year, using only an elementary spelling book
in pursuing his studies. Later he became
a pupil in the free school for the short space
of three months in three years, making a
total of nine months. Here he used an ele-
mentary speller and reader, and absorbed a
smattering of arithmetic. Blackboards were
unknown in those days. The desks were
wide boards placed across wooden pins, fas-
tened in holes bored in the walls. The seats
consisted of benches, home-made with four
wooden pins for legs.

Although Mr. Doser has never taken an
active part in politics, he has always affiliated

with the Democratic party, having cast his
first vote for President Van Buren. He has
served four years as road overseer, but in
the year 1908 was the first time that he re-
ceived any remuneration for his services.

Both the subject and his wife in the early
years of their life in Ohio united with the
Lutheran church, and they have been active
members of this denomination ever since,
very seldom missing a service.

.WILEY ROSE.

One of the fascinating features of the
farming industry is the opportunity it af-
fords for individual effort and experiment.
One can not only till the soil in raising the
usual routine of crops, but he can also
specialize along certain lines and thus
broaden his own knowledge by experiment
and in this way contribute to the knowledge
and advancement in such special fields.
We make mention in this connection
of the name of the subject of this brief re-
view, Wiley Rose, a life-long resident of
this county. Mr. Rose has not only farmed
but has devoted special attention to the
raising of poultry and has given this subject
considerable thought and study. As a re-
sult he has become thoroughly familiar with
the business and is good authority on the
various phases of the industry. Mr. Rose
was born on the I2th day of September,
1857, being the son of James and Peggy
Ann (Burkette) Rose, who were the parents

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

439

of four children, our subject being the third.
Mr. Rose was brought up on a farm, an
environment which is now and always has
been a most wholesome one for growing
youth. He received his education in the
neighboring district schools, and as he grew
to manhood he made up his mind to make
farming his chief occupation.

On September 7, 1879, he was joined in
marriage to Serelda Wooten, who was born
in Ohio in October, 1861, being one of a
family of nine children. This union has
been blessed with a family of six children.
Nora M. was born on January 7, 1881, and
has become the wife of William Wantland
and is the mother of one boy; Gertrude A.
was born on the 26th of June, 1884, and
was married to Frank Schaffer, being the
mother of two sons; Pearl M. was born on
the 26th of March, 1886, and was joined
in marriage to Miss Laura Smith; Fannie
B. was born on the 8th of October, 1888,
and has become the wife of Albert Smith;
Elmer L. and Mormon E. are still at home,
the former being born on June 23, 1892,
and the latter on June 12, 1895.

Mr. and Mrs. Rose are members of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church, and are
held in high esteem by the members of the
congregation. They stand well in the com-
munity, being most accommodating in their
dealings and ready at all times to lend a
helping hand to whoever opportunity af-
fords. Mr. Rose has been a lifelong Demo-
crat, but is most pronounced in his stand
for a fair and honest discharge of all offi-
cial duties. He maintains that service in

public office is not only a privilege but a
sacred obligation, and should not be looked
upon in any other light, except the one
calling for the highest integrity and con-
scientiousness.

JOSEPH E. TULLY.

The portly form of Joseph E. Tully is but
a natural indication in one respect of his
largeness. He is large in mind as well as
body and his business interests are appreci-
ated not alone in Xenia and Clay county, but
also through all that section of the state of
Illinois. His standing in the community is
of the highest and as one of Xenia's leading
citizens and as president of the Orchard City
Bank, he has established for himself the rep-
utation of a man of business talents of the
highest order. He is a citizen in whom the
most implicit confidence may be placed with-
out fear of betrayal and one in whose com-
position the elements of honesty is not lack-
ing-
Joseph E. Tully was born in Marion coun-
ty, Illinois, on the 3ist of December, 1849;
his father was also a native of Marion coun-
ty, and a farmer, who moved to Clay county
about the year 1855, where he lived until
his death which happened about 1903. His
grandfather was Mark Tully, who was well
known in the life of Marion county at one
time. The family originally came from Vir-
ginia, and Grandfather Tully was at one time
a farmer, and later a hotel-keeper in Salem.

440

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCKNT HISTORY OF

Joseph E. Tully's father served with distinc-
tion in the Civil war, being a soldier in the
Forty-eighth Illinois Infantry. His mother's
own name was Sarah Ellston, who belonged
to a family of English extraction. She was
herself reared in Marion county, her death
occurring about 1902. To his parents six
children were born, five of whom are now liv-
ing, viz: Joseph E., the subject of our
sketch; Mrs. Ida Kribs; Miss Aggie Tully;
Mrs. Rose Maxey, and Mrs. Lou Gaugher.

The Tully family came when the subject
of our sketch was but six years old to Clay
county, where they settled. Joseph received
an education in the local common schools and
showed aptitude and ability whenever he
cared to study. When not quite fourteen
years old, about the time of the Civil war,
his youthful patriotism asserted itself and he
joined the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth
Illinois Volunteers and later affiliated with
the One Hundred and Fifty- fourth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, his term of military ser-
vice extending over a period of sixteen
months. At the conclusion of the war he
went into the grocery business in Xenia
and later branched out extensively in the
mercantile line. He has now been in busi-
ness in Xenia for forty years and he is
looked upon as one of the most important
and influential figures in its business life
as well as a substantial and prosperous citi-
zen.

In 1870, on the loth of October, his mar-
riage with Fanny Paine, who was born in
New Bedford, Massachusetts, took place. Mr.
and Mrs. Joseph E. Tully's married life

proved a very happy one, and three children
have been born to them. The sons, James
M. Tully and W. P. Tully, are now grown to
manhood and are of great assistance to their
father, both being associated with him in his
constantly growing business. Their only
daughter is now Mrs. Lois Holstlaw, of
luka, Illinois.

In politics Joseph E. Tully is a consis-
tent and loyal Republican. He has never as-
pired much to make a name in local political
affairs, contenting himself to attend to the
business interests which he has been so suc-
cessful in guiding. However, he was hon-
ored with the postmastership of Xenia for
the twelve years immediately following the
Civil war and while that position was en-
trusted to him he fulfilled the duties of office
to the entire satisfaction of the people of
the community, whose willing servant while
a public officeholder he ever proved himself
to be.

His keen business insight and intuition in
the industrial world was not allowed to go
without recognition, and he has been in-
stalled as president of the Orchard City Bank,
which is a stable and conservative institution
and the business of which is carried out in
harmony with the best methods of the bank-
ing world of today. Joseph Tully has given
time and attention to the affairs of the insti-
tution and his advice and counsel have been
responsible for tiding it over obstacles in
the past. He is also the owner of an up-to-
date dairy, equipped with all the modem
dairy appliances, which is a pleasure to in-
spect. He has also found time in his busy

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

441

life to superintend extensive farming in-
terests and his success along agricultural
lines has admirably compared with his suc-
cess in other endeavors.

Joseph Tully and his wife are of much im-
portance in the social life of Clay county
where their genial and winning qualities
have made them much sought after. He is a
member of the Baptist church and they have
not been behind in helping onward the
good work of religious progress in the town-
ship.

He is active in fraternal and club life where
his genial appearance is generally heralded
by the good humor and cheerfulness which
he seems to have a trick of imparting to all
who come in contact with him. He is a
popular and prominent member of the Ma-
sonic Fraternity and is one of the most widely
known Grand Army of the Republic men in
the vicinity.

PETER KERMICLE.

When he gazes over his broad acres of well
cultivated land the subject of this ketch is
justified in feeling that he has achieved the
acme of his ambition, when in his early life
he became imbued with a determination to
some day take front rank among the agricul-
turists of the Middle West. That Peter Ker-
micle is a popular man and stands high in
the estimation of the people of Preston town-
ship, Richland county, Illinois, is attested by
the fact that he has been elected to public

office on many occasions, and is at the pres-
ent time Justice of the Peace for that town-
ship, having discharged the duties thereof
for the past fifteen years.

Mr. Kermicle was born May 28, 1830, in
Hardin county, Kentucky, which afterwards
became La Rue county, being the second of
nine children of Samuel and Mary (Trainor)
Kermicle. The former was born in Mary-
land, the latter in Virginia, January 30, 1800.
The father of Mr. Kermicle moved to Ken-
tucky when the son was quite young and
settled on a farm in- La Rue county, where he
died in 1855. It was not long after the death
of the father before the family moved to
Richland county, and it was a very long and
tedious trip, part of the trip being made by
wagon and water. Upon their arrival at
their destination they took up their resi-
dence with two older brothers, who had pre-
ceded them to Richland county. The moth-
er of Peter Kermicle died in 1874.

Of the nine children born to the parents of
the subject, seven grew to the years of ma-
turity. In 1850 Mr. Kermicle removed to
Coles county, Illinois, where he worked for
two years for a cousin in the capacity of farm
hand, sharing crops one year, and receiving
ten dollars per month for the other twelve
months. In 1852, on a soldier's land warrant,
he entered eighty acres of land in Richland
county, and later entered eighty additional
acres, paying therefore the sum of one dollar
and twenty-five cents' per acre. On Decem-
ber 6, 1852, he was wedded to Elizabeth
Veech, who was born in Hardin county,
Kentucky. September 10, 1827, and came to

442

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Coles county, Illinois, with an elder sister in
1.852, removing from there to Richland coun-
ty two years later. She was the daughter of
John and Mary (Kinkade) Veech, both be-
ing natives of Kentucky. The wife of the
subject was the youngest of nine children.
Her mother died in Kentucky in 1848, and
the husband survived her but five years.
Three children of this family died in Ken-
tucky and six in Illinois. The wife of Peter
Kermicle died on the home place in Preston
township, January i, 1897, aged sixty-nine
years. She was a member of the Baptist
church. As the result of this union four
children were born, namely: John William,
Mary Jane, Samuel Warren and Lucy Ann,
all of whom are living, and are fairly pros-
perous.

The subject contracted a second marriage
November 17, 1898, when he wedded Mrs.
Nancy Lanter (nee Ping), who was born in
Jasper county, Illinois, March 4, 1854, her
parents both dying while she was still a
child. The father of the second wife of the
subject was born in Kentucky in 1830, and
the mother in Decatur county, Indiana, in
1835. The father of Mrs. Kermicle went to
Jasper county, Illinois, with his parents in
1840, where they entered a large tract of
land, but the Indians were so numerous and
troublesome that the family returned to Ken-
tucky, remaining there but a short time when
they returned to Illinois, and settling upon
the land that they had originally taken up
in 1840. The Indians having been driven
out of that section of the state, they now
built a hewed log-house, and other buildings

needed out of hewed logs. The mother and
grandfather continued to live on this place
until the fall of 1867, when the latter died,,
the mother passing away five years later.

Silas Ping married Amanda Todd in
1852, and they settled on what was known
as Ping Prairie, ten miles east of Newton,,
the same being a part of the old homestead
settled by his parents in 1840, forty acres-
having been given him by his father. He
finally sold this farm, and moved to Craw-
ford county, settling in that locality that is
now known as "Dark Bend," buying eighty
acres of land. He remained here two years,
and rented a farm north of Willow Hill,
where his wife died February 21, 1865.
Subsequently he married again, his bride
being a widow, Mrs. Sarah Jane Gibbons
(nee Mock), the ceremony being performed'
in Coles county, in November, 1866. His
death occurred four weeks later.

The mother of the subject's second wife
was born in Decatur county, Indiana, and
was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth
(Callahan) Todd, who were both natives of
Kentucky, her mother dying when she was
about ten years of age, the father remarry-
ing shortly after to Ruth Ridlen, a native of
Indiana. She accompanied her parents to
Willow Hill, where she married Silas Ping.
She was the third of ten children, seven girls
and three boys, all of whom lived to maturity.
Her father died in 1872 in Jasper county at
the age of seventy-two years.

The second wife of the subject is the sec-
ond of seven children, five girls and two-
boys. Her first husband, William Lanter,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

443

died in 1898, one boy being born to them,
and he is still living, Nathan Samuel being
his name. He is married, with a family at
Bone Gap, Edwards county, Illinois.

Mr. Kermicle is a Democrat, and takes
quite an interest in township and county poli-
tics. He has been Road Supervisor, Road
Commissioner, Township Assessor, and
Township Collector two terms each. Both
himself and wife are members of the Baptist
church. The subject is considered one of the
most prosperous men in the township, and
there are none in the community to begrudge
him his success. He is a self-made man in
every sense of the term. Mr. Kermicle had a
farm of two hundred acres, which he has di-1
vided among the children.

. GEORGE W. STRATTON.

It affords great pleasure and satisfaction
to anyone to be able to refer to his an-
cestors as worthy representatives of noble
character or specific achievement. Perhaps
one of the most interesting and universally
admired characteristics of many of our
forefathers was their bravery and self-sacri-
fice when our Republic was in danger and
the great willingness on their part to stake
their all in its defense. This is especially
true when we find that our line of fore-
fathers includes members of the Revolu-
tionary troops. Viewed through the per-
spective of the years that have gone by, we
are almost amazed at their heroic spirit. A

descendant of one of these heroes is George
W. Stratton, of Alma township, this county,

Mr. Stratton was borri in Columbia
county, Pennsylvania, on the last day of the
year 1832. As intimated above his grand-
father was an officer in the Continental
army under Washington, and did valiant
service in the cause of liberty and union.
His father was William Stratton and his
mother Mary Farley. They were devout
members of the Christian church. George
received his education in the common
schools of the neighborhood and early be-
gan work on his own responsibility. He
was the second of five children and came
to Marion county irr 1:875: -He has devoted
the most of his time to farming and stock
raising and has succeeded in carrying out
his ideas and methods to a most successful
issue.

On February 16, 1854, he was united in
marriage to Catherine M. Alperman, and
this union has resulted in the birth of the
following children : Mary J., wife of Rob-
ert Wright, of Oklahoma, and the mother
of one child. She was again married after
his decease; Elias B., deceased, married
Anna Eaton, to whom were born three chil-
dren; Alice E., wife of Aaron Hutchinson;
Philip R. married Marie Marshall, and they
are the parents of five children, two of whom
are deceased; William Edwin married Dor-
othy Kagy, and has a family of two chil»
dren; Emma, deceased. Mrs. Stratton was
one of a family of six children, she being
the second in order of birth.

The Stratton farm of eighty acres is one

444

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of the best kept and productive homesteads
in the neighborhood and stands as a tes-
timonial to what hard work and steady,
intelligent application can accomplish.

Mr. and Mrs. Stratton are members of
the Christian church and are willing and
efficient workers. No one receives from
them anything but kind and considerate
treatment and the social atmosphere of the
home is one appreciated by their many
friends and neighbors. Politically Mr.
Stratton is a believer in Democracy, and ad-
heres to the party's principles, though never
an aspirant to public preferment.

GEORGE WASHINGTON STANDI-
FORD.

The subject of this sketch is a veteran of
the War of the Rebellion, and as a souvenir
of one of the many battles in which he en-
gaged with distinction carries in his knee a
leaden missile from a Confederate gun. He
displayed great valor in those strenuous days
of carnage. In Preston township, Richland
county, Illinois, where he has lived for many
years is well and favorably known.

Mr. Standiford was born in Hardin coun-
ty, Kentucky, September 5, 1846, the son
of Archibald B. and Eliza Jane (Courtright)
Standiford, who were also natives of that
state, as were their parents before them. The
grandfather of the subject served for seven
years in the Revolutionary war under George
Washington, and when the strife came to an

end returned to Kentucky to engage in agri-
cultural pursuits. The father of the sub-
ject was born in 1804. He was also a sol-
dier, having served three months in the Black
Hawk war. Shortly after his return to his
home in Hardin county, Kentucky, he was
wedded to Eliza Jane Courtright, and in the
year of 1850 they started overland to Illinois,
enduring many hardships before they arrived
at their objective point, Jasper county. Here
Mr. Standiford purchased eighty acres of
land, of which seventy acres were of timber,
while the remainder had been cleared. Their
dwelling was a rude log house, and there
was also on the land a sort of makeshift of
a stable. The clearing of the timber land
was a herculean task, but Mr. Standiford
finally succeeded in getting forty acres
thereof under cultivation. The subject was
then four years old, and the family remained
on the place until the death of the father,
September 16, 1866, aged sixty-two years.
The mother survived him by several years,
she dying in Indian Territory, August 20,
1903, at the ripe old age of ninety-
five. When the subject became old
enough to do hard work, he hired out
to neighboring farmers, but finally de-
cided to return to Kentucky. He re-
mained in that state two years. His em-
ployer owned a store in Nashville, Tennes-
see, and he worked at that place for about a
year, at the end of which time he was called
back to Jasper county, his father having met
with an accident. He then worked on the
farm until December, 1862, when he enlisted
in the Forty-sixth Illinois Regiment, Com-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

445

pany F, Col. John J. Jones, commanding.
At the close of the war he was mustered out
at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, January 21,
1866. After drawing his pay at New Orleans
he returned home to Jasper county. The
subject received a gunshot wound in the knee
at Fort Blakely, Alabama. He participated
in many battles, among them being at Yazoo
City, Vicksburg, Meridian Hill, Champion's
Hill, Jackson, seige of Richmond, Spanish
Fort, and Fort Blakely. During these bat-
tles his regiment was under command of
General Sherman. In Jamiary, 1865, he was
transferred under A. J. Smith, Fourteenth
Corps, when he engaged in the battle of Mo-
bile, and then moved to Dolphin Island to
guard the gunboats, after which he went to
Baton Rouge, where he remained until he
was mustered out.

After the death of the father of Mr. Stand-
iford, in 1866, the wife and mother sold the
farm, and lived with her children until her
death. The subject is the third of seven chil-
dren, all of whom grew to the years of ma-
turity, and married, two of them now being
dead. After the war, Mr. Standiford learned
the milling business, and after five years
returned to Kentucky, where he married
Laura Ann Smith, March 14, 1871. He con-
tinued in the milling business, operating
large water mills for the parents of his wife.
At the end of five years they removed to
Arkansas, where he purchased a farm, upon
which they remained for nine years, when
they went to Macoupin county, Illinois, where
Mr. Standiford took a position in a flour
mill. His wife died February 26, 1881,

aged forty-five years. Three children had
been born to the couple, two girls and one
boy, the latter dying in infancy. After the
demise of his wife the subject engaged in
the business of selling fruit trees in Southern
Illinois and Missouri, which he continued
for fifteen years. He finally settled in No-
ble, Richland county, and after a residence
there of three years moved to Dundas, Pres-
ton township, where he married Mrs. Lottie
McCarty (nee Evans), April n, 1900, his
bride being the widow of Robert S. McCar-
ty, and daughter of Miller and Elizabeth
(Hough) Evans. She was born in Ross
county, Ohio, July 17, 1850, her father dying
when she was eight years old. She had
lived on the farm with her mother until her
marriage to Robert S. McCarty, October 1 1 ,
1868, and as a result of this union there
were four children.

Although he had but three months' school-
ing in Jasper county, in a log house where
rough planks served for desks, and this in
the days when if a pupil could write a fairly
legible hand, he was considered eligible for
the position of teacher, he accumulated much
knowledge in after life, spending all of his
leisure time while in the army learning to
read and write.

Mr. Standiford is a Republican and cast
his first vote for Lincoln. He is a member
of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post 449,
Chesterfield, Illinois. He and his wife are
both active members of the Methodist church
in Dundas, both of them having been allied
with this denomination for more than four
decades. They are in comfortable circum-

446

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Stances, owning a pretty home, and four lots
in the town of Dundas. The subject draws
a small pension.

THE BAR OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
SIXTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.

JAMES C. ALLEN.

At the request of the President and Ex-
ecutive Committee of the State Bar Associa-
tion of Illinois, I have attempted to prepare
a paper in response to that request.
. In 1844, while residing in another and
adjoining state, I had occasion to visit some
of the courts in what at that time was called
the Wabash Circuit, and while attending
some of their courts, formed definite im-
pressions from what I heard and saw of its
members while on these occasional visits.
These impressions were much strengthened
after I became a citizen of the state and a
member of the Wabash Bar, from associa-
tion with its members, in the courts and in
social life.

My first visit to an Illinois court was at
Palestine, in Crawford county. I found the
venerable justice, William Wilson, one of
the Supreme Judges of Illinois, presiding
over the Circuit Court, and found at the bar
E. S. Janey and Augustus C. French, repre-
senting the local bar. Wickliff Kitchell, the
first local member of the bar, had a short
time before that removed to the western
part of the state. O. B. Ficklin, then of Mt.

Carmel; Justin Harlan and Timothy R.
Young, of the Clark county bar; Usher F.
Linder, of Coles county, and Aaron Shaw,
of Lawrence County, were in attendance on
the court. These men were at that time re-
garded as good lawyers and some of them
as very able advocates.

Of Judge Wilson, the presiding judge, I
can only say that he impressed me as a man
of sound judgment; well versed in law as it
was written in the books; courteous to the
members of the bar; possessing the fine so-
cial qualities ; always urbane and pleasant in
his bearing toward others. He drove to the
buggy in which he traveled the circuit a
white mule, to which he was somewhat at-
tached, of the good qualities of which he
often talked to his companions while passing
from one court to another. Justin Harlan
says that, while riding with him from Paris
to Danville, the Judge, in speaking of the
good qualities of his white mule, said one of
its qualities was never to leave the beaten
track over which it had once traveled, and
no matter what inducement or obstruction
might lie in the way, it never required any
guidance. While thus discoursing on the
subject, the mule, not feeling the power of
the line and tempted by the green grass that
grew on the roadside, left the beaten track
and wandered some distance from the road,
gathering as it went mouthsful of luxuriant
grass. When the Judge's attention was
called to the fact he attributed its dereliction
in this regard to want of proper food the
night before, arguing that a man, however
honest, when hungry would sometimes steal

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

447

a meal. The Judge, while thoroughly
equipped as a judicial officer, was somewhat
deficient in his orthography, and many sto-
ries were told by the clerks and bar as to his
deficiency in this line in making entries in
his docket.

Justin Harlan, a native of Ohio, a sound
lawyer, deeply versed in its elementary
principles, while not an orator in the general
acceptance of the term, possessed fine con-
versational powers, and before court or jury
was a formidable opponent. His sound
judgment and personal qualities made him
popular in the profession. After the consti-
tution of 1848 was adopted he was elected
to the circuit bench and filled that position
for two full terms with great acceptance to
the bar and the people of the Circuit, and
only left the bench when age and increasing
infirmities rendered it, in his opinion, proper
to retire.

Timothy R. Young, a native of New
Hampshire, a citizen of Clark county, was
a well educated lawyer and a man of much
promise in his profession, but early in life
he was elected to Congress from his district,
and having great taste for the life of a
farmer, at the end of his first term in Con-
gress he left politics and the bar and became
an "honest farmer". He lived till a good
old age, more than four score years, and
died respected and honored by all who knew
him.

E. S. Janey, a native of Alexandria, Vir-
ginia, came to Crawford county and settled at
Palestine shortly after the state was admitted
into the Union. He was a gentleman of lib-

eral education; well versed in the element-
ary principles of the law; was twice elected
to the General Assembly of the state from
Crawford county. After several years of
successful practice he quit the profession and
turned his attention to farming.

Augustus C. French, born in New Hamp-
shire, came to Paris, Edgar county, and
was shortly afterwards appointed Register of
the land office at Palestine, and made that
his home until later in life, when he removed
to Lebanon that he might have the benefit
of the college at that place for the education
of his children. Mr. French was more of a
politician than lawyer, and after a second
term as Governor of the state he -abandoned
the practice of law, although he possessed
qualities that well fitted him for the bar.

Aaron Shaw, a native of the state of New
York, came to Lawrenceville, Lawrence
county, Illinois, shortly after the organiza-
tion of the county. He was a fair lawyer
in point of ability; was appointed and
elected by the General Assembly, State's At-
torney for the circuit, an office in which he
exhibited great skill in the conduct of crimi-
nal cases. He possessed a sharp and inci-
sive voice, and became a "terror to evil-
doers" while he held that office. He was
twice elected to the House of Representa-
tives of the state from his county ; one term
on the circuit bench, and one term to the
Congress of the United States from his dis-
trict. While State's Attorney he accom-
plished from a jury a verdict of "guilty"
without a single witness upon the stand, a
fact which is without parallel in modern

448

riOGKAl'HICAL AND REMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

criminal jurisprudence. Upon a call of the
people's witnesses, no one appeared ; he then
called a jury and read the indictment, and
stated that twenty-three grand jurors had
sworn on their oaths that the prisoner was
guilty and asked what was the use of intro-
ducing further testimony. Defendant's
counsel had nothing to say ; the jury retired
and returned a verdict of guilty, very much
to the astonishment of the court and bar. It
is useless to say that the verdict was prompt-
ly set aside by the court. Mr. Shaw had a
good share of civil practice on the circuit.
He was a good financier; accumulated a
nice property to leave to his family when he
died. He was cordial with his friends, but
rather unforgiving toward his enemies.

Orlando B. Ficklin, a native of Kentucky,
came to Wabash county and settled at Mt.
Carmel, where he remained for several
years. Afterwards he located at Charles-
ton, Coles county, where he spent the re-
mainder of his life. He was, when I first
met him, in the prime of life and manhood ;
a profound lawyer in the full tide of pro-
fessional success on the Wabash circuit. He
was a man of infinite humor and enjoyed the
society of the judges and his associates at
the bar as well as that of his very general
acquaintance outside his profession. His
knowledge of the law and his knowledge of
human nature made him a successful law-
yer. He was not only a good lawyer but a
politician of considerable note in the state.
While quite young he was elected to the
Legislature from Wabash county. He was
three times elected to Congress from his dis-

trict, and might have remained there longer,
but his taste and inclination led him back to
the bar. He was plain in speech, logical in
argument, and at times, when aroused, he
exhibited great power over minds of courts
and juries. He had a host of friends, in-
cluding all who knew him, except such as
professional jealousy might alienate. In the
later years of his life he consented to go to
the Legislature from Coles county, and
though age was telling on him, his last great
speech in that body in seconding the nomi-
nation of Gen. John C. Black for the of-
fice of United States Senator will be long
remembered by those who had the pleasure
of hearing it. He lived his four score years
and died full of honors, to the regret of all
who had known him in his active and useful
life.

Usher F. Linder was a native of Kentucky,
and a near relative of the celebrated John
J. Hardin. He came to Charleston, Illinois,
in the thirties, and practiced law in the
Wabash circuit and courts of the state until
a few years before he died, when he re-
moved to Chicago. He was a lawyer of fine
ability and obtained a first class reputation
as such in Southern Illinois. He possessed
two characteristics seldom found in the same
individual. He was both a wit and a hu-
morist. When addressing the court on some
controverted question of law he was clear,
logical and forcible. He was imaginative,
and when inclined, was wonderful in tropes
and figures; was an adept in posing and
facial expression, could be ridiculous or sub-
lime, as moved by the spirit within. He pos-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

449

sessed a musical voice and could play upon
the passions and emotions of a jury or an
audience at his pleasure. As an orator, I
think he excelled any member of the bar in
Eastern Illinois in his time. He was all this
when his surroundings were agreeable, but
he had some failings that often destroyed
the effect of his speeches. O. B. Ficklin, who
knew him as well, perhaps, as any other
man, once said of him : "That if it were not
for his personal vanity and want of moral
courage he would have been the greatest
man in Illinois". An attack upon either his
personal habits or arguments would render
him for the time being helpless and incap-
able of parrying the blows. He was a Whig
in politics while that party was in existence,
then for a time became a Free Lance, but
eventually allied himself with the Demo-
cratic party. He was twice elected to the
General Assembly of Illinois and was an
active member in that body. He died at his
home in Chicago after more than half a cen-
tury of active professional life.

In the summer of 1845 I had occasion to
visit Mt. Carmel while the Circuit Court was
in session. I found a young man who had
located in Mt. Carmel, a graduate of a
Maryland college, Charles H. Constable, a
rising young lawyer, who afterwards be-
came an important factor at the bar of
Southern Illinois. He was a young gentle-
man of pleasing manners with a highly cul-
tivated mind and fine social qualities, of sober
and industrious habits, as I judged from the
preparation of his cases in that court. He
afterwards acquired a good reputation on
29

the circuit as a safe counselor and an ablq
advocate. Modest and unassuming in his
demeanor, he became popular with his
brother lawyers. In 1849 he left Mt. Car-
mel and took up his residence at Marshall,
Clark county. He attended all of the courts
of his circuit, as was the custom of that time
with members of the bar, and in 1859 was
elected to the Circuit bench, where he pre-
sided until his death. - His character for
honesty and integrity was unimpeachable,
and, possessing a judicial mind, he was a
very popular judge, but he was stricken
down in the midst of his usefulness before
age came to impair his powers.

While at the Wabash court I met and
made the acquaintance of Battice Webb, of
Carmi, a Virginian by birth, a man then in
the prime of life and enjoying in his circuit
a lucrative practice. His father had been a
noted lawyer of Southern Illinois. I was im-
pressed with the idea that the son had a bril-
liant future before him, judging from his
gentlemanly bearing and his evidently pro-
found knowledge of the law, but he lived
but a short time thereafter, and died la-
mented by all who were fortunate enough to
have made his acquaintance.

In the fall of 1845 I had occasion to visit
Greenup, then the county seat of Cumber-
land county. Circuit Court was in session in
a little school-house in the south part of the
village, Judge Wilson still presiding. I met
Alfred Kitchell, a son of Wickliff Kitchell,
a former Attorney General of the state. Al-
fred Kitchell was a graduate of the law
school at Bloomington, Indiana. He lo-

450

mOGKAPHICAL AX1) REMINISCENT HISTORY O1-"

cated at Olney shortly after the village (now
city) was adopted as the county seat. He
had succeeded Judge Aaron Shaw as State's
Attorney on the circuit. He made a vigor-
ous prosecutor. His belief in the necessity
of enforcing the law and his observance of
the ethics of the profession rendered him
popular with the courts and the people. He
was elected for a term to the Circuit bench,
.but refused a re-election, preferring to re-
turn to the bar, having extensive property
interests in and around Olney. He did much
for the improvement of the county seat.
Much to the regret of the people of Olney
and vicinity, he sold his possessions in that
place and located at Knoxville, Illinois,
where he resided until his death in 1869,
much respected and honored.

At this same term of court I met a law-
yer from Springfield, who had been called
to defend a man indicted for "an assault to
kill." When I entered the court-room the
the evidence had just been concluded and
the State's Attorney was opening the argu-
ment for the prosecution. After its conclu-
sion a gentleman of angular build arose to
address the jury on behalf of the defendant.
He had an earnest look in his face, but I was
not impressed with his opening remarks.
Later he seemed to gather up his mental
forces and I listened with interest to his
plain, common sense argument. He was not
eloquent, but evidently knew how to touch
the chords that move the hearts of the av-
erage juror, and when he concluded I felt
that he was no common man. Upon inquir-
ing I learned that it was Abraham Lincoln,

whose fame afterwards reached the boun-
daries of the civilized world, and who fell a
martyr to his love of country and of human
rights.

I have thus given a brief sketch of the
prominent members of the bar of the Wa-
bash Circuit in 1844-5 from first impres-
sions, as well as a more extensive acquaint-
ance after I became a member of this bar in
1847. After this I made the acquaintance
of a number of prominent members of the
bar throughout Southern Illinois, of whom
I cannot give notice in this article on ac-
count of its length.

GEORGE C. WILSON.

The day of the pioneer in this country is
gone, and we are in the midst of a settled
stability and permanency. Nevertheless, as
we look about us, we find a few represen-
tatives of the early days, who become at
once the center of interest because they
carry in their minds recollections of our
hardy forefathers. In this connection we
make reference to one of the sturdy farm-
ers of this county, George C. Wilson. This
gentleman was born in Pike county, Ohio,
on November 9, 1840, being the son of
Samuel and Eliza (Foster) Wilson, the
former having been born on April 15. 1804,
and the latter on the 17* of May, 1806
The other children of the family were
John, born August 10, 1828; Richard, born
August 1 8. 1831 ; Harriet, born February
12, 1833: Rachel, born May 5. 1836: Sa-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

451

rah, born July 18, 1838; George, our sub-
ject; Tilton and Thornton, twins, born
May 27, 1843; Margaret, born September
20, 1846.

In 1842 the family removed to Illinois,
where George was married October 20,
1864, to Mary J. Leckrone, the daughter
of Mathias and Julia (Johnson) Leckrone,
the former having been born in Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1815, and
the latter in Licking county, Ohio, Janu-
ary 24, 1821. The following list gives the
children of the Leckrone family : William,
born November 10, 1838; Mary J., Decem-
ber, 1840; John, May i, 1843; Harvey,
August 29, 1847, born in Illinois; Sarah,
January 25, 1852; George, July 30. 1861.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have become the
parents of the following children: Theo-
dore Edgar, a teacher, and who is now an
acting Justice of the Peace, was married to a
Miss Appleman; Samuel M., married to
Myrtle Maxfield; Harry E. married Louise
See, and is now practicing medicine at Cen-
tralia, Illinois; Frank O. married Carrie
Coombs and is now filling the pulpit of the
Methodist church at Bunker Hill; two
children, Harvey and Emma, are deceased.

Mr. Wilson has followed farming all his
life and has been not only successful but
progressive as well. He has taken good
care of himself in every way, never having
used tobacco or liquors in any form. Look-
ing back over the vista of his years he often
speaks of the little log cabin of his early
days and the pioneer experiences of the
times. A precious as well as interesting
family relic in this home is a chair made in

1846 by his father, who was a tanner. The
bottom is made of calf-skin, sewed with
whang, and the leather is as good as new
today. Mrs. Wilson takes pleasure also in
bringing out a china plate given to her by
her mother upon her marriage to Mr. Wil-
son. Those were the days of the loom and
the spinning wheel, and the old wheel now
set aside as a family treasure was kept busy
for many a year by the skillful hands of
Mrs. Wilson herself. She spun all the
clothing for the men, and has today a quilt
of three colors, red, white and blue, spun
by her own hands. There was no need in
those days for schools of manual training,
as each household was a school in itself,
and one not excelled by the later day insti-
tutions. No roads nor bridges were in es-
istence at that time, and experiences with
all kinds of wild game were quite common.
Wild forests and untilled land occupied the
places where the neighboring towns now
stand, and Mr. Wilson speaks of the time
when he had to go to Salem to vote. Doctor
Wilson, brother of our subject, at one time
hauled his oats to St. Louis and sold them
for fifteen cents per bushel.

Mr. Wilson adheres to the tenets of the
Republican party, and together with his
wife, affiliates with the Methodist church.

GEORGE MADDEN.

Mr. Madden is one of the veterans left to
us who. in the stormy and turbulent days
of the Civil war, participated in Sherman's

452

I1IOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

famous march to the sea; and this was but
an event in the military portion of his career.
At the close of the Civil war, on obtaining a
creditable discharge, he settled down and
began his career as a farmer, in which sphere
he has attained prosperity and no little recog-
nition in public life.

George Madden, of Richland county, Pres-
ton township, was born July 25, 1842, on a
farm near Ashland, Ohio. He was the son
of John Thomas and Mary (Poff) Madden,
Pennsylvanians, who came with their par-
ents to Ohio when quite young. John Thomas
Madden was the eldest child of his parents'
family. He remained with his parents on
their Ohio farm until his marriage to Mary,
the daughter of George and Mrs. Poff, his
marriage occurring sometime about 1834. He
then moved to several small places near Ash-
land, where he worked at his trade of shoe-
maker. In the fall of 1844 he came to Illi-
nois in search of land. Here he settled upon
eighty acres, or rather took them as a squat-
ter's claim and started in to improve the
spot. However, another party rode into Pal-
estine and registered the land as his hold-
ing, which John T. Madden had failed to
do. He thereby lost the farm and the im-
provements made thereon. In the course of
the three or four following years he bought
eighty acres on Sugar Prairie in Richland
county (Madison township). Here he re-
mained and his family came to join him the
following spring. The journey, as were all
the journeys of the period, was made over-
land, and the usual trials and hardships at-
tendant upon long land journeys encoun-

tered. The land on Sugar Prairie was in its
primitive condition. John T. Madden started
in to erect a log house and log stable and en-
closed the place with fences. At this period
the elder brother of the subject of our sketch
hauled all the rail for fencing with a yoke of
cattle. John T. Madden meanwhile worked
at his trade of shoemaking, having his shop
on the farm, leaving his ons to do the farm-
work. John T. Madden remained here until
the death of his wife, which event occurred
in the fall of 1876, at the age of -sixty-five
years. She is buried in Richland cemetery.
In time the farm was well improved, and
good buildings erected.

George Madden remained at home with
his brothers, helping his father until his
twentieth year, when the Civil war broke out.
The military enthusiasm of the period seized
him and in the fall of 1861 he enlisted in the
Sixty-third Illinois Regiment, Company Lr
under the command of Captain John Craig.
He was first sent to Jackson, Tennessee,
where he remained but a short time, hurriedly
breaking camp to march on Vicksburg, but
the rebels had cut off supplies, and the Un-
ion army retreated, returning to Memphis,
Tennessee. In Memphis he remained with
ultory fighting and marching were indulged
the troops till spring, when once more des-
in. He served all through the seige of Vicks-
burg, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, and other
engagements, with much bravery. He not
only followed the valiant Sherman to the sea
but marched with him back to Washington,
where they got a memorable reception. He
also attended the grand review of the sol-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

453

dirs at Washington in 1865, and was mus-
tered out of the service at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, going from there to Springfield, Illi-
nois, where he received an honorable dis-
charge about a month later, on the 2ist day
of July, 1865, having served three years
and eight months of valiant military serv-
ice. He had the good fortune never to have
been wounded in all that eventful time.

At this time George Madden returned to
the family farmstead where he remained up
to the time of his marriage. Later in life
his father sold the family farm and lived
a retired life and dying in March, 1884, at the
age of seventy-five. George Madden's moth-
er's death had occurred previously. As stat-
ed before, she was the daughter of George
and Mrs. Poff, natives of Pennsylvania. They
both died in Richland county, Illinois, where
they had lived (Madison township). George
Poff reached the age of eighty, and his wife
died about the same age. They are laid to
rest at Parkersburg cemetery, Richland
county, Illinois.

George Madden was the fourth of a family
of seven boys and one girl, all of whom
grew to maturity with the exception of one
boy, aged fifteen years. He married on
June 14, 1866, Mary Jane Coons, in Richland
county. She was a native of Kentucky,
where she was born December 19, 1846. Her
parents originally belonged to that state. Her
mother died in Kentucky at the age of forty-
four when she was but twelve years of age.
Her father then came to Illinois, but after-
wards returned to Kentucky, where he died
in 1902, at the age of eighty-four years, hav-

ing been born February 14, 1818. Her
mother (deceased) was born December 20,
1814.

At the time of his marriage George Mad-
den settled on a farm of one hundred and one
acres, all timber, east of Parkersburg. He
paid twelve dollars an acre for this land.
Here he built a house and cleared about fif-
teen acres when he sold the place and rented
farms for several years and following the oc-
cupation of threshing for several seasons. In
1885 he bought fifty-six acres in Preston
township where he settled and where his
wife died on December 4, 1899, at the age
of fifty-three years. Mrs. Madden bore her
husband one child, Annie Lou, who is now
the wife of William L. Murry, and resides
upon the home place with her father and hus-
band.

George Madden attended the subscription
schools as a boy and later the common
schools. Owing to the heavy work done on
the farm for his father he did not have a very
great opportunity to advance very far in his
studies. He was, however, attending school
at the period he volunteered for service in
the Civil war. In the religious realm he has
always been a practical worker. In his
younger days he attended the Methodist
church, but now, and for many years, he
has been a member of the New Light
branch of the Christian church. A marked
characteristic of his family and himself has
been their activity in church affairs. He
was ordained a deacon, of his communion
eighteen years ago, a position he still holds.

In politics he has taken somewhat of an

454

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

active part at various times in his township
and county. He held the office of Township
Trustee in Madison township, Richland
county, for three terms. On his being elected
to office for another period of three years, he
served but two, as he removed out of the
township. He is a Republican and a firm
believer in the efficacy of his party. He has
also been a member of the Knights of Pyth-
ias of the Olney lodge.

Mr. Madden holds an honored place in the
prosperous community in which he resides.

HARRISON UMFLEET.

Among the native born residents of Rich-
land county who have reached a well-mer-
ited success we must certainly include the
name of Harrison Umfleet. He is now ap-
proaching his eightieth year and has been
prosperous in his agricultural calling. Few
men are better known in this township and
county than he. Honesty and fair dealing
have been his watchwords, and these twin
virtues have been personified in his active
life.

Harrison Umfleet was born on October 26,
1829, in Richland county, or as it was then
known, Lawrence county. His family lived
in the vicinity of Claremont. He was the son
of Seth and Rebecca Umfleet, his mother's
maiden name being Cummings, a daughter
of Daniel and (Durman) Cum-
mings. His father was born in North Caro-
lina and his mother in Kentucky, her birth
occurring in 1810. His father came with his

parents from North Carolina to Kentucky in
the year 1815, in which state they settled on a
farm. Here he remained with his parents
until he married Rebecca Cummings, Febru-
ary 4, 1827. They then went to farming for
themselves, and in 1 828, moved to Lawrence
county, Illinois, making the long journey
on horseback and ferrying the Ohio and Wa-
bash rivers. He did not sell his farm on
leaving Kentucky, possibly for the reason
that he regarded his journey as a tentative
one. Seth Umfleet first entered forty acres
near Sumner on government license, paying
one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre for
it. It was all prairie land at the time. He,
however, quickly set to work and erected a
log house and stable and a rail fence on the
settlement. At the time he was possessor of
only one horse and it was much of a draw-
back to him. In order to draw the rails he
hitched his horse to a sled and loaded three
rails on at a time, carrying another on his
shoulder, during the building of the fence.
At the same time he was busy in another oc-
cupation. He taught country school in Clare-
mont township at the same time. When Har-
rison Umfleet was but an infant his parents
returned to Kentucky on a visit to his grand-
parents, making the journey once more on
horseback. It was then a bad time for such a
journey, being late in the fall of 1829. They
returned to Illinois again in the early winter
of 1830, where they farmed in Claremont
township. Soon afterwards they sold the
place and moved into Lawrence county, buy-
ing forty acres on state road. Here they
remained five or six years when they moved

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

"455

to South Sumner, which was their home un-
til 1865, whereupon they again moved, this
time to Olney, Illinois. Here the family re-
mained until the death of Mrs. Seth Umfleet,
in the fall of 1871, at the age of sixty-one
years. Seth Umfleet married again, secondly
a widow Truskett, and Harrison Umfleet
lived near his father until his death in Feb-
ruary, 1892, at the age of eighty-seven years.

Harrison's mother was the daughter of
Daniel and Mrs. Kilburn, both natives of
Kentucky, where they died en a farm near
Crab Orchard. Her mother died when she
was but ten years of age and her father sur-
vived for many years, eventually dying in
Kentucky at a period after she had married.

The subject of our sketch remained at
home with his parents, helping and assisting
them in their daily round of work, until his
marriage to Martha Elston, on April 3,
1853. His wife was the daughter of Martha
and Lucy Elston, her mother's name being
Cropper. They were natives of Kentucky,
who had moved from there to Ohio, where
Martha was born on June 10, 1837. At an
early age she removed with her parents to
Richland county, Illinois, where her father
died at the age of seventy-nine, after he had
survived her mother who died at the age of
fifty-seven years on February i, 1858; her
father's death occurring in the fall of 1879.
Mrs. Umfleet remained with her parents up
to the time of her marriage in 1853. She
was the seventh in order of birth of ten chil-
dren who all grew to maturity. One of her
brothers participated in the Civil war.

Harrison Umfleet was the second in order

of birth of a family of four children, all
ci whom grew to maturity. His oldest broth-
er, James Fountain, served in the Mexican
war under the gallant General Taylor (well
known as "Old Rough-and-Ready"), for
about three or four years and was never
wounded in any encounter.

When Harrison Umfleet married in 1853
he moved onto a forty-acre farm in Law-
rence county, inherited from his father, and
lived en it until 1864, when he sold the place
and bought two hundred acres in Preston
township, Richland county, for which he paid
six dollars an acre. This is the spot on
which he and his wife now live. He has pros-
pered in his farming business and has greatly
improved the farmstead. The land is mostly
all under cultivation, an improved type of
buildings have been erected, and fencing and
other improvements have been carried out
upon the property. He and his wife are now-
living on the place, having retired from active
work. He has divided up some of his land
among his children, but yet has one hundred
acres in his possession. This is being taken
care of by one of his sons, who, with his
youngest sister, lives upon the place with
their parents.

Harrison Umfleet obtained his early edu-
cation during his attendance at the sub-
scription schools in Lawrence county. Owing
to the conditions prevalent in those days he
was not able to attain very much in the educa-
tional way, although his younger brother
Benjamin went very far in that line. He
taught school for years in Richland and
Lawrence county, and served through the

456

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

greater part of the Civil war. On enlisting
a second time he was assigned to a post in
the Christian Commission.

To Harrison Umfleet and his wife six chil-
dren have been born, namely : Olive, Lucy,
William, Seth, Matthew and Rebecca. All
married with the exception of Rebecca, who
is the youngest. He and his wife have led
a married life of singular happiness, and
their sons and daughters have always been a
source of much gratification to them.

Harrison Umfleet has played an active part
in county and township politics* 'In' the old
regime his father and elder brother belonged
to the Whig party. He is himself a Repub-
lican and a loyal supporter of his party. John
C. Fremont was the first Presidential candi-
date he recorded his vote for. He has been
for several terms a School Trustee and as a
School Director and he has been also road
overseer for many terms.

Practical religious work has been one of
the characteristics of Harrison Umfleet and
his family, being staunch believers in the
Bible and church work. Though he him-
self favors the Baptist communion, his wife
and children are members of the Christian
church and work actively for its expansion.

FREDERICK SEILER.

This land of ours owes a debt of gratitude
to the stalwart and hardy European races
whose sons came in large numbers in the
early "twenties" and "thirties" when there

was a crying need of fearless men to assist
in the work of winning the western states
from their primitive wiklness. The people
of Switzerland who came at that time formed
a goodly contingent and numbered in their
ranks the present subject of our sketch and
his parents.

Frederick Seiler, son of Olrich and Anna
Seiler, was born on the 1-5 th of December,
1830, in Switzerland. In 1852, his parents,
his brother John, and himself, bidding adieu
to the Fatherland, sailed for the United
States. Upon landing they settled in -Illi-
nois, and the subject of this biography lost
no time in getting down to the work of mak-
ing a living. For some time he worked as a
farm hand on different farms, covering corn
with a hoe for twenty-five cents a day and
board. He also helped his brother for some
time, assisting him in his trade as carpenter.
For this work he received fifty cents per day
and his board. He again returned to farm
work. He next became an employe of the old
Ohio & Mississippi Railroad (now the Balti-
more & Ohio) where his rate of wages was
one dollar and twenty-five cents per day and
board. Here his industry and frugal habits
permitted him to save some three hundred
dollars, which enabled him to make his first
start in life on his own account. In August,
1856, he married Mrs. Barbara Biber (nee
Friedley), in Preston township. She was the
daughter of Lawrence and Barbara Friedley,
her mother's maiden name being Stingley.
Like her husband, Mrs. Frederick Seiler was
born May 30, 1830, in Switzerland, coming
from there to the United States with her par-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

457

ents when but thirteen years of age. The
family settled near Mansfield, Ohio, upon a
farm, where they remained for twelve years.
In 1848, she (Barbara Friedley) married
Caleb Biber, remaining in Ohio till May,
1852, when, together with her husband and
her parents she came to Richland county,
Illinois, the journey being made overland
in wagons. In Richland county, they settled
on a farm of one hundred acres, obtaining
same from government at one dollar and
twenty-five cents an acre. Caleb Biber died in
1854, having had two children born to him,
namely : Mary and Lawrence. Mrs. Sell-
er's parents died 'on the farm, her father in
1861 and her mother in 1864.

On his marriage Frederick S'eiler settled in
1856 upon his wife's farm of two hundred
acres, where they lived for about ten years,
when Frederick Seiler much improved the
property, building a house, etc., on forty
acres adjoining which he now lives, which he
had previously bought. The family then
moved into the new home where they lived
until 1902, when they moved to Dundas,
where they lived until the death of Mrs. Fred-
erick Seiler in 1904, at the age of seventy-
four. She closed a happy married life and is
buried in Preston township in the Lutheran
church cemetery.

In this short period up to 1904, Frederick
Seiler had acquired altogether two hun-
dred acres of very choice land, one hundred
and sixty acres of this being mostly tim-
ber, sixty-five was cleared and cultivated. In
the early days wild deer and other game ex-
isted in large quantities in the township ; har-

rassing wolves and wildcats infested the tim-
ber.

Eight children were born to Frederick
Seiler and his wife, seven of whom grew to
maturity and one died in infancy. Their
names are: Frederick H., lives on a farm in
Oklahoma; John F. lives on the home farm
in Preston township ; Lucy D. is in Pennsyl-
vania and is the wife of a Presbyterian min-
ister; Christian R. lives in Evansville, Indi-
ana, where he has been for twenty years;
Louise E. lives at Newton, Illinois. Henry
E. and Charles are both deceased.

Frederick Seiler, on the death of his first
wife, remarried, July 26, 1906, his second
wife being Mrs. Sadie Austin (nee Crane),
the widow of James Austin. She was born
in 1843, at Bridgeport, Lawrence county,
Illinois, and was the daughter of Ishmael and
Mrs. Crane. They were Easterners, the
father being born in New York and the
mother in New Jersey. Frederick Seller's
second wife had one daughter, Laura (Aus-
tin) Hollingsworth, by her first husband;
Mrs. Hollingsworth lives in Ohio. The. sec-
ond Mrs. Seiler died in Sumner, Illinois, Feb-
uiary 1 1, 1907, and was buried in the county
cemetery southeast of Bridgeport, where her
parents were also buried.

The subject of our sketch received a good
education in the canton in which he lived in
Switzerland, and it may surprise many to
learn that at that early time the laws of the
country compelled all children up to the age
of sixteen to attend school for the period
of eleven months in each year. He is well
versed in the German language and his early

458

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

training has been of much advantage to him.
As he was not tall enough in his youth in
Switzerland to drill as a soldier, according
to the constitution of the country he should
have paid the sum of one dollar and serve a
conscriptive term in the home guards. He
was able to evade this law through coming
to the United States.

In politics Frederick Seiler has been a con-
sistent Democrat. At one period of his life,
however, he voted the Prohibition ticket dur-
ing the McKinley administration. In his
younger days he was very active in the town-
ship and county political affairs. For a period
of twenty years he was a School Trustee of
the township. He was also formerly active
in fraternal and social affairs, being at one
time a member of the Grange lodge in
Dundas, Preston township. He is a mem-
bes of the Lutheran Evangelical church.
He has 'himself taken a very active part in
church work during the twenty-four years
he has been connected with it. He was for
twenty years or over an elder in the church.
His wife during her long life belonged to
the German Reformed communion.

Frederick Seiler is now in his seventy-
ninth year and is enjoying the fruits of a
very successful though arduous life. Start-
ing life and making it a success in a new
country, the language and customs of which
were foreign to him, was not an easy task.
He has been through the mill, he suffered
many hardships and many privations at
the beginning of his career, he has been for
many years a prosperous farmer. He has
reared a large and intelligent family, and

now in his retirement the memory of those
early years of struggle makes his leisure
years all the more appreciable.

RICHARD WILSON.

Among the many industries carried on
in our country there is none that calls for
more intelligent judgment than that of
farming. One of the most successful men
in the business in Marion county is Rich-
ard Wilson, who was born in Clark county,
Ohio, on the i8th day of January, 1831.
His father, Samuel Wilson, a native of
Pike county, Ohio, was born in 1804, while
his mother, Eliza (Foster) Wilson, also a
native of Ohio, was born in 1806. Sam-
uel Wilson was the father of nine children,
of whom our subject, Richard, was the sec-
ond in order of birth. This family removed
to Marion county, Illinois, in 1842, where
Mr. Wilson departed this life on December
20, 1847. He was survived by his wife
until 1900.

Richard received his early education in
the district school of the neighborhood, and
upon reaching manhood chose farming as
his occupation in life. In 1856 he was
married to Rebecca A. Fulton, who was
born in Marion county, Illinois, in 1837.
Ten children graced this union, five boys
and five girls. Letitia A. married James
Roberts, and was the mother of six chil-
dren. Seth C. married Irma Chapman, of
Michigan, and is the father of one child.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

459

Samuel A. is the husband of Florence Bar-
num, a cousin of P. T. Barnum of world-
wide circus fame. He is the father of four
children. Sarah E. married Pack Parcell,
and is the mother of eight children. Wil-
liam T. married Ella Wagner, their union
being blessed with four children. Maggie
is the wife of Charles Spencer, to whom
have been born four children: Carrie be-
came the wife of Mason Weerns; Charles
R. is deceased; John D. married Nellie
Custer, who is related to the brave General
Custer, being a cousin of the same, and
they are the parents of one child. Mary
P. was joined in marriage to Elmer E.
Spencer, and they have a family of three
children, one died in 1907.

The task of raising such a large family
was not a light one, but Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
son have demonstrated their ability to meet
the requirements most successfully. The
home life has been of the most congenial
and wholesome sort, and the recollections
of the family hearth stone are cherished as
one of the most precious heritages by all of
the children. The religious atmosphere of
the family was never found wanting, the
affiliations being with the Methodist church.

Mr. Wilson was for three years school
trustee, and discharged the duties of his
office in an economic and intelligent way.
He owns and manages his farm of one hun-
dred and twenty acres and has given some
attention to the raising of good horses. In
both of these projects he has met with sin-
gular success.

Mr. Wilson has been a life-long Repub-

lican, his father and grandfather before
him having been adherents to the tenets of
the Whig party. Mr. Wilson still takes an
active interest in the political and civic
affairs of the neighborhood, but does not
consider himself bound to support any
party to the sacrifice of principle, a fact for
which he is to be most heartily commended.

JOHN TAYLOR KERMICLE.

Although his opportunities to procure
the thorough education for which he so ar-
dently yearned were limited the subject of
this sketch has been exceptionally success-
ful in the battle of life, and he is today
known as one of the most substantial citi-
zens of Preston township, Richland county,
Illinois. The entire career of John Taylor
Kermicle has been characterized by indus-
try, and a determination to overcome all
obstacles in his efforts to make his way in
the world.

Mr. Kermicle is a product of the fair
state of Kentucky, having been born in La
Rue county, December 17, 1846. His par-
ents were Samuel and Mary (Trainor)
Kermicle. His father was born in Mary-
land, and his mother at Rock Bridge coun-
ty, Virginia, January 30, 1800. Samuel
Kermicle, father of the subject, moved to
Kentucky with his parents when quite a
small boy, and they settled on a small farm,
where he died in November, 1855. Short-
ly after the death of his father, the sub-

460

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ject and his mother moved to Richland
county. They made the trip by wagon to
Louisville, from there they crossed on the
ferry to New Albany, Indiana, thence by
rail by way of Greencastle to Vincennes,
where they changed cars to the Ohio & Mis-
sissippi Railway, which is now the Balti-
more -& Ohio Southwestern. This road
carried them to Olney, Illinois. Two older
brothers of the subject had prior to that
located in Richland county, and the newly
arrived travelers made their home with
them. Mr. Kermicle's mother died Novem-
ber, 1874, having attained the age of sev-
enty-four years and ten months.

When eighteen years old, Mr. Kermicle,
who was then living with a brother in Pres-
ton township, made arrangements with a
neighbor to work land on shares, the agree-
ment being that he should be furnished
with all the necessary agricultural imple-
ments and receive one-third of the crop as
his share, for his labor. This agreement
lasted for two years, and during this period
the subject plowed most of the ground
upon which now stands the town of West
Liberty. During the three years following
the termination of this agreement, he
worked on shares with an older brother.

On September 28, 1869, Mr. Kermicle
was married to Sarah C. Zerkel. Imme-
diately after his marriage he rented a farm,
known now as the Fred Schilt place, con-
taining one hundred and sixty acres. He
remained there three years when he pur-
chased sixty acres in Preston township, dis-
posing of the same, however, within twelve

months. His next venture was the pur-
chase of the land upon which he now lives,
which consists of two hundred and ninety-
six acres, of which eighty acres was the
original amount first purchased, and for
which the price paid was ten dollars per
acre, and which now averages a value of
fifty dollars per acre.

The subject is the youngest of nine chil-
dren, only five growing to maturity. His
wife was born October 12, 1847, in Clark
county, Ohio. She is the daughter of Noah
and Martha (Foltz) Zerkel, both of whom
were natives of Virginia, but left there
when mere children. They were married
in Clark county in 1845, and remained there
eighteen years, when they removed to Rich-
land county, Illinois, making the trip in a
wagon and encountering many difficulties
on account of the bad condition of the
roads. They purchased one hundred and
eighty acres east of Dundas, Preston town-
ship, paying twenty-two dollars per acre
for a well improved farm. They remained
here for eight years, at the end of which
time they purchased a farm in Clay county,
where the husband remained until his death,
which occurred July 14, 1889, when he was
in the sixty-ninth year of his age. The
mother survived him many years, she dying
October 24, 1908, at the age of eighty-one.

To Mr. Kermicle and his wife nine chil-
dren have been born, one having died in its
infancy. They are, Perry, Aden, Rosella,
Warren, Delia, Levina, Edgar and Olive,
all married except Edgar.

The subject of this sketch attended one

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

46l

term of three months of subscription
school in Kentucky, and was a pupil in the
free school at Dundas for a short time. Mr.
Kermicle believes in the principles of the
Democratic party, and has always been an
active worker in that political organization.
He has held the office of Township Clerk,
Assessor, Supervisor and has been High-
way Commissioner for fifteen years. He
has held office in the township altogether
about twenty-two years.

The subject is a member of the Baptist
church, and is very faithful in his attend-
ance upon services.

MRS. MARY A. SEYMOUR.

The subject of our sketch is one of those
brave women who gave so much help to
their- husbands and brothers during the
early days of the settling of our counties,
and in the dread days of the Civil war when
gloom and danger seemed for awhile to
settle upon our land. She is still able to
bear her seventy-five years comfortably and
enjoy the little spell of peaceful retirement
which is but a fitting accompaniment to her
life of activity and good work.

Mrs. Mary A. (Tade) Seymour was
born in Withe county, Virginia, on May
24, 1833, and was the daughter of James
and Catherine (Hines) Tade. Her father
was a native of Kentucky, and her mother,
born November 28, 1812, was a Virginian.
Her father, who had come to Virginia,

married there in 1832, and her parents re-
turned to Kentucky when she was but five
months old. In Kentucky her father
bought a farm in Montgomery county,
where they lived until about 1841. Her
father's death occurred in 1839, being killed
while on a steamboat near New Orleans.
Two years later her mother married Joseph
Tade, a brother of our subject's father, the
marriage taking place in March, 1841.
The family then migrated overland in
wagons to Illinois, the trip requiring five
weeks. In Illinois they located in Richland
county (then known as Lawrence county) ;
Richland county not yet being laid off.
Here our subject's mother and stepfather
purchased a farm of three hundred acres,
partly under fence, paying three hundred
dollars for same. On the land there was a
small log house in which they continued to
reside for many years. There was also a
log stable originally on the property. The
land was at once improved and cultivated,
and after a residence upon it of forty years
they left Claremont township, in which the
farm was situated, and bought forty acres
of land in German township with the pro-
ceeds of the sale of their former farm.
Here they remained for several years, when
they removed to Liberty, Jasper county, II-
nois, where our subject's step-father died
in December, 1880, at the age of ninety-
two. He is buried in Stoltz cemetery, Ger-
man township. Her mother survived for
several years, finally dying at our subject's
home in German township on December
29, 1906, at the ripe age of ninety- four

462

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

years, one month and one day. She is also
buried in Stoltz cemetery. Our subject's
parents had four children, of whom she was
the eldest. Her mother by her second mar-
riage raised six children. There are only
four members of both families now living.

Mary A. (Tade) Seymour remained at
home with her mother and stepfather until
her eighteenth year when she married
James T. Seymour, the ceremony taking
place on October 22, 1852, in Richland
county. He was born October i, 1826, in
Lincoln county, Ohio, and was the son of
Isaac and Sarah (Sproll) Seymour. Isaac
Seymour was a native Ohioan, his father
coming from England and his mother from
Ireland. James T. Seymour came to Il-
linois in the spring of 1852, from his native
Ohio. He was followed by his parents,
who came to the state in the following fall.
They lived in Richland county for one year,
then buying a farm in Lawrence county,
where they remained until their deaths.
His mother died first, at the age of sixty-
three; his father surviving her about three
years, his death occurring at the age of
sixty-six. They are both buried in Wag-
ner cemetery, Lawrence county. Eight
children were born to them, one of whom
died in childhood. James T. Seymour was
the eldest member of his parents' family.

On their marriage Mary A. (Tade)
Seymour and her husband in 1852, settled
on the farm on which she now resides, and
which contains forty acres, in German
township. They paid the government price
of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre

for the land, which was all raw and unim-
proved. It comprised tall prairie-grass and
hazel thickets and was the last forty acres
remaining unentered in Richland county.
They immediately set about clearing and
improving the place and built a small log
house in which they lived for four years.
They then built a small frame house which
burned down a few years later. After-
wards they erected the house in which
Mary A. Seymour now lives; it was built
about the year 1872.

When the Civil war broke out her hus-
band enlisted in July, 1861. The Illinois
regiments being of the required strength
at the time, he was placed in Company E,
of the Eleventh Missouri Regiment, under
command of Capt. John Blue. He served
the three-year term of enlistment returning
home in 1864, having been mustered out of
service in St. Louis, Missouri. During his
term of service he was never wounded nor
taken prisoner. At one period he was con-
fined to the hospital at Jefferson barracks
on account of sickness. On his becoming
convalescent he was ordered to attend to
the other sick patients which he did until
he was able once more to rejoin his regi-
ment. He served in the Western Division
under General Sherman though he was not
with him at the time of the march to the
sea as he was not in service. During the
campaign he served in the Red River ex-
pedition, the siege of Vicksburg. battle of
Missionary Ridge, and many others of the
hard fought and principal battles of the
war, and also endured many long and hard

RICH LAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

463

marches. Though he was never wounded
he became badly broken in health on ac-
count of the hardships of the years of 1860-
1865.

While her husband was in the army, the
subject of our sketch remained on the farm
with her children. Trying to run the farm,
performing all the work entailed thereby,
and caring for herself and her small chil-
dren, she suffered much hardship. On his
return home he resumed work with his wife
and family on the farm. His death took
place on March 12, 1907, at the age of
about eighty years. He is interred in Wag-
ner cemetery in Lawrence county, Illinois.

Mrs. Mary A. (Tade) Seymour is the
mother of the following children: Mor-
timer S., Isaac C. and John W. are liv-
ing. Sarah Catherine and Joseph, both
deceased, are buried in Wagner cemetery.
Mortimer, married and is living in Craw-
ford county, on a farm. Isaac is married
and resides at West York, Crawford coun-
ty. John is also married and lives on a
farm near his mother in German township.

Mrs. Seymour obtained a good educa-
tion, considering the educational facilities
of the time of her youth, in the subscrip-
tion schools in Richland county, Illinois,
having attended school at intervals from
Tier ninth until her sixteenth year. The
common free schools did not come into ex-
istence until she was eighteen years old.
Notwithstanding this she was enabled to
obtain much information in the subscrip-
tion schools.

James T. Seymour was a member of the

Whig party up to the time of the Civil
war: from that time onward he was a Re-
publican. He was School Director for
several years, but never held any other pub-
lic office as he never cared for public recog-
nition. He was a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, the John Liddle
Post, No. 745, at Chancy, Illinois. He and
his wife and the members of their family
all belonged to the Methodist Episcopal
church in German township. Mrs. Sey-
mour has been a class leader in the Metho-
dist Episcopal church for several years, and
was for three years superintendent of the
Sunday school. Her husband was a good,
religious man and a steward of the church
for several years.

Mrs. Mary A. Seymour is now living a
happy life of retirement on the farm which
the labors of herself and her devoted hus-
band made one of the best improved in
German township.

JEROME N. EMBSER.

One of the most up-to-date and intelli-
gently managed farms in the county is that
belonging to the subject of this review,
Jerome N. Embser, who was born on May
23, 1869, in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania.
His father, Francis Embser, was born on
April 22, 1833, in Prussia, Germany. His
experiences would form an interesting
story if taken up in detail. Before coming
to America all the family except Francis

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

and one brother fell victims to the dreaded
plague that swept over Europe at that time.
Having survived this, the next problem
that faced the boys was the service in the
regular army. On account of its position
and the hostility of the surrounding na-
tions, Germany is compelled to maintain an
extensive military system. This involves a
great expense and causes a steady drain on
the resources of the people. Not only that,
but it makes it necessary for the govern-
ment to require military service from all of
its male population. Hence all able bodied
men must enter the national service, most
of them for a term of at least three years.
No one is exempted except for physical in-
capacity. As the time approached for
Francis to enroll in the regular army he
began to dread the prospects and tried to
bethink himself of some plan by which he
might avoid this protracted confinement to
the life of the soldier. Fortunately for him,
he had an uncle who was captain of a ves-
sel that plied between Germany and Amer-
ica. It was to him that Francis made
known his desires, the result being that
plans were made to smuggle the boy
through. This was carefully arranged and
successfully carried out, and after six
weeks of sailing on the Atlantic, he arrived
at New York.

Before leaving the Fatherland he had
served his apprenticeship as a shoemaker,
and upon coming to America he continued
his work in that capacity. After going to
Pennsylvania, he took up farming in con-
nection with his trade, and continued thus

to combine his work even after he came to
Marion county, Illinois. He soon became
well known as a man of superior intelli-
gence and an excellent workman, and ere
long the neighbors made it a point to bring
their repairing to Mr. Embser, at his shop
on the farm, and to spend the evenings in
such discussions and diversions as would
spontaneously spring up in their midst.
Every one for miles came to know and love
"Old Frank Embser". He was not a be-
liever in orthodox religion, and ended his
days in this county, in 1905.

Jerome Embser's mother, Elizabeth
(Driesbaugh) Embser, was bom in Penn-
sylvania and is still living. Her father,
John D. Driesbaugh, was a prominent citi-
zen in western Pennsylvania, was the owner
of several flour mills, located on streams in
order to utilize the running water for power
purposes. Her mother's name was Katie
Shoop.

Mr. Embser joined in marriage Jessie
N. Spiese, daughter of Wilfred and Alice
(Heaton) Spiese, to whom have been born
five children, namely: Alice E., Francis
W.. John T., Anton J., and Leon.

Mr. Embser's education was limited to
that of the. common schools of the neigh-
borhood, but he learned early in life to be
self-reliant and industrious, and as he ad-
vanced in years he applied these traits to
his daily life, with the result that he has a
most excellent country homestead, a mag-
nificent farm, and an intelligent family.
He has the full confidence of neighbors and
friends, having been asked to serve his

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COl'XTIES. ILLINOIS.

community as Township Treasurer, High-
way Commissioner and School Trustee. In
all of these duties he has shown himself an
able manager and a man of unimpeachable
integrity.

HISTORY OF ST. JAMES LUTHER-
AN CHURCH.

As far as known, Reverend Seacrist was
the first Lutheran minister who preached the
gospel to the scattered Lutherans in Rich-
land county, Illinois. He was succeeded by
Rev. Daniel Scherer, who labored faithful-
ly among the people, preaching the Gospel
and administering the sacraments. His
field, however, being so large he called his
son, Jacob, from Gettysburg to his assist-
ance, who preached at Olney and various
other places in the county.

Services in this neighborhood were first
held in David Phillip's barn. In 1842 St.
James congregation was organized, and in
1844 a hewn log church was erected in the
northeast corner of Olney township, about
one and one-fourth miles from the present
house of worship. This log church is still
in a fair state of preservation.

Rev. Gottlieb Lauener became minister
in 1852, and Rev. Conrad Kuhl in 1856,
Rev. William Hunderdose and Rev. G.
Berwick supplied the congregation. In
1858 Reverend Abele became pastor and
labored a few years for them, until 1859,

In 1860 Rev. D. D. Schwartz and in
1 86 1 Rev. Killiam Earth preacher for
30

them. In 1862 Reverend Schnur took
charge and continued as pastor until 1867,
when a serious difficulty having arisen in
the congregation in regard to the propriety
of holding protracted meetings and some
other tilings he, with thirty-five members,
withdrew from the congregation and
formed another church more in accord to
their views. They built a church only a
mile from the St. James. They continued
to hold services for several years. But from
some cause or other the congregation has
become extinct and the church edifice has
been sold and is in Claremont used as a
warehouse by a grain dealer.

It was during the time that Reverend
Schnur was pastor that the St. James
church and the one near Olney united by
general agreement and consent, determined
to build a new house of worship, as the log-
church was too small. After some delay on
account of a disagreement about the site, a
new frame structure was erected on the
present site in 1863. This was made pos-
sible through the zeal of the members who
donated timber and labor. The timbers
were hewn poles and the plastering laths
were split out by hand. The finishing lum-
ber was brought from Mt. Carmel, Illinois,
a distance of thirty miles. It was also dur-
ing Reverend Schnur's pastorate that the
congregation secured an acre of ground
near the church and erected a two-story
house for a parsonage. After Reverend
Schnur resigned. Reverend Harkey was
called as pastor in 1867. and continued to
serve them until his death in 1875. It was

466

lUOGRAl'IIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

while he was pastor that the congregation
made application to the Indiana Synod, now
Chicago Synod, and were received as mem-
bers-of that body in 1874. Reverend Har-
key was also received. He with the con-
gregation had formerly belonged to the
Lutheran Synod of Illinois. While Rever-
end Harkey was pastor, Trinity church,
near Lancaster, and St. James, formed one
pastorate. But after his death, the Lancas-
ter church withdrew and joined the central
synod of Illinois. The congregation was
vacant now until March, 1876, when Rev-
erend Laner became pastor and served until
December 29, 1878, when he resigned and
they were without pastoral care until Rev-
erend Hursh, Versailles. Ohio, was called
and became pastor in 1880. He continued
to serve them until 1894, when he became
disabled on account of old age and disease.
During his service the congregation con-
tinued to prosper spiritually. The preach-
ing was held in both German and English
language, but the German was discontin-
ued at the end of his pastorate. In 1882,
on account of crop failure, the congregation
was excused from the payment of their ap-
portionment, and were also granted one
hundred dollars this year as a supplement
to their pastor's salary. This was petition-
ed for by the congregation. Reverend
Hursh continued to live in the parsonage
until his death in 1897. In 1896, Rev. J.
M. G. Sappenfield began to supply the St.
James church in connection with Union,
Gila, Illinois. He continued as supply until
he was called and became regular pastor in

1901, being installed that same year by the
president of the synod Rev. M. L. \Yagner.

The congregation at its annual meeting
on New Year's day, 1904, decided to erect
a new church. A building committee was
chosen, consisting of G. Hanes, W. Hanes,
J. P. Xanders, Frederick Scherer and Ca-
leb Buss. The pastor was made chairman
of the committee. A soliciting committee,
consisting of the trustees, J. Mosser, Levi
Phillips and Charles Stangel, were chosen
to secure the necessary funds and H.
Burgener and Edward Buss, a committee
to get donations. The plan was drawn up
by the pastor for a building, the audience-
room thirty by fifty and Sunday school room
sixteen by thirty feet, the windows to be
Gothic, and ceiling to be arched in the audi-
ence room: a pulpit recess in the north end,
the main entrance to be in the tower. But
before the building was begun the pastor
was taken away by death and also G.
Hanes, one of the building committee. The
congregation now set about to secure an-
other pastor. A call was extended to Rev.
J. V. Sappenfield, residing at Corydon, In-
diana, a son of their late lamented pastor,
in March, 1904. He accepted the call and
entered upon the work in May, 1904.

The congregation now determined to be-
gin the erection of the church. Specifications
were made according to the plans of the
former pastor, and the contract for the erec-
tion of the building was let to John Beck,
a member of the church. On September 12.
1904, the old church was torn down and
the erection of the new church began on

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

467

the same site. The corner stone was laid
by the president of synod, Rev. H. Peters,
of Decatur, Illinois, assisted by Rev. J.
Knauer and the pastor, on October 23,

1904. On Christmas morning, 1904, the
first services were held and it has been used
ever since. The church was finished in May,

1905, and dedicated October 22, 1905. The
furniture consists of lecturn, pulpit, pews,
organ and chairs for Sunday school.

The pastor, Rev. J. V. Sappenfield, re-
signed and left the field in December, 1906,
leaving the congregation vacant until
March, 1908, when Rev. John Knauer was
called, who is now in charge of the field,
and also serves Gila and Wheeler, Illinois.

REV. JOHN KNAUER.

Enjoying marked prestige among the
dergy of Southern Illinois, the subject of
this sketch stands out a clear and distinct
figure among the useful men of Richland
county, characterized by breadth of wisdom
and strong individuality. Rev. Knauer's
achievements but represent the utilization
of innate talent, in directing effort along
lines in which mature judgment, rare dis-
crimination and resourcefulness that hesi-
tates at no opposition, has caused him to
succeed in the accomplishment of much
good in his line of work. Having always led
a life along such planes of sobriety, indus-
try and integrity he has become one of the
most influential men in his community

whose interests he has at heart and whose
moral, educational and material develop-
ment he ever seeks to promulgate, thereby
winning and retaining the undivided esteem
of all who know him.

Rev. John Knauer, pastor of St. James
Lutheran church in Claremont township,
Richland county, Illinois, was born April
25, 1873. in Wuerttenberg, Germany, the
son of Gottlieb and Jacobin (Stipe)
Knauer; the father died in Germany Octo-
ber 21, 1874, and is buried in Hohenhaslach
place, in the district Yaihingen, having died
when forty-eight years old.

In the year 1887, the subject of this
sketch, then fourteen years old, with his
mother and three sisters emigrated to the
United States and settled on a farm in
Washington county, Pennsylvania, where
our subject remained with his mother,
working on the farm until the fall of 1895,
when he went to Carthage, Missouri, where
he took a high school course under tutorship
of an older brother, who had previously come
to the United States, having been accom-
panied by two other brothers and one sister.
In the fall of 1896 John Knauer entered
the Washington-Jefferson College at W'ash-
ington, Pennsylvania, taking a four years'
course, and in the fall of 1901 he entered
the Theological Seminary in Chicago. He
made a splendid record in school and he en-
tered upon his pastorate at Gila charge. Jas-
per county, Illinois, after his graduation in
the last named school in the spring of 1904,
having begun his pastorate work on May i,
1904, and on June 3Oth following he was

468

IMOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

married in Wheeling, West Virginia, to
Hope Kenamond, who was born near
Washington, Pennsylvania, October 6,
1878. She is the daughter of Frederick
and Elzena (Shipe) Kenamond, both na-
tives of Pennsylvania, in which state they
were married, but later moved to West Vir-
ginia, when Mrs. Knauer was nine years of
age. Her parents remained in that state
about four years when the family returned
to Pennsylvania, settling this time near
Claysville, where they bought a farm upon
which they lived for three years when they
again removed to West Virginia, where
Mr. and Mrs. Kenamond still reside on a
farm. They are the parents of five children,
all of whom are still living, the wife of our
subject being the oldest in order of birth.

John Knauer is a member of a family of
eight children, he and a twin sister being
the youngest. They are all living at this
writing. The mother of these children is
still living on the old homestead in Wash-
ington county. Pennsylvania, near Bur-
gettstown, having reached the age of sev-
enty-four years.

Rev. and Mrs. Knauer reside in the par-
sonage of the Lutheran church in Clare-
mont township, Richland county, where the
subject performs the duties of pastor, also
preaches at Gila and Wheeler, in Jasper
county, Illinois.

No children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Knauer.

Our subject is making a great success of
his work in this place and he and his es-
timable wife are held in high favor by the

congregation and all who know them. He
and his wife are highly educated and they
are both diligent workers in the cause of the
lowly Nazarene, and they are apparently
justly fitted for so responsible work, for
they are broad-minded and ever have the
good of their congregation at heart.

THOMAS M. HARGRAVE.

The subject of this review is one of the
sturdy spirits who has contributed largely
to the material welfare of the township in
which he resides, being a farmer and stock
raiser, and as a citizen, public-spirited and
progressive in all the terms imply. For a
number of years he has been actively iden-
tified with the agricultural interests of the
county. He represents that class of earn-
est, foreign born citizens, who have done
so much for the development of the United
States, while at the same time they have
benefited themselves in a very material man-
ner.

Thomas M.Hargrave was born in Eng-
land October 20, 1851, and was ten years
old when he came to America with his
father and only brother, George, who now
lives in Fayette county, Illinois, is married
and the father of five children.

Our subject received his early education
in the common schools of this country, but
leaving school when sixteen years of age he
did not have the opportunity to take a high
course, but is, notwithstanding this fact, a

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

well educated man, having always' been a
close observer and an extensive reader,
keeping- well posted on current events at all
times.

Mr. Hargrave has won his way to a po-
sition of prominence and comparative
affluence in his community by reason of his
own individual efforts. Starting life with
but little means, he has succeeded admir-
ably well and is today the owner of a fine
farm consisting of one hundred and sixty
acres, all under an excellent system of
fencing and a high state of cultivation, for
he understands well the proper rotation of
crops so as to preserve the natural quality
of the soil and the many other methods
known to up-to-date farmers. His farm is
located in Kinmundy township, and it ranks
well with the other excellent farms of this
community. He has a number of good
horses and herds of other stock, besides
much good poultry, in fact he carries on a
general farming and stock raising industry
with that discretion and industry which al-
ways insures ultimate success. Mr. Har-
grave has a comfortable, well furnished
and substantial residence, which is neatly
kept, and it is surrounded by a sufficient
number of convenient out buildings.

When twenty-five years old Mr. Har-
grave was united in mariage with Anna
McHatton, the representative of an excel-
lent family, and she passed to her rest when
forty-four years old. Our subject has four
children, all boys, namely: John, Emmett.
Harry and Roy. The first twro named are
both married. Emmett lives in Alma town-

ship on a good farm, and is the father of
one son. John, who is employed on the Il-
linois Central Railroad, lives in Clinton,
Illinois. Mrs. Hargrave was one of a fam-
ily of three children. She was a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Our subject has always taken a great in-
terest in the affairs of his children, and
has spared no pains in assisting them in
life's struggle.

Mr. Hargrave is a man of com-
manding personal appearance, easy in
disposition, courteous in manner, and
possessing a large social nature and
is regarded by all his neighbors as
a most excellent citizen. He believes in
good government and honorable citizen-
ship. He was raised by Methodist parents
and consequently is a believer in the funda-
mental principles of Christianity. In his
political relations he is a stanch Republican.

CHARLES EDWARD PALMER.

Having been born and Beared in Noble
township, Richland county, Illinois, and
since reaching manhood's estate identified
with some of the most important business
interests of that community, it is not
strange that Charles Edward Palmer should
be widely and favorably known within the
confines of the territory in question. His
career has been marked with success at al-
most every turn, and he certainly is an ex-
ample worthy of emulation by the young

i:i(ii;k \1M1IC.\L AXD REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

men of today, who would embark upon the
sea of commercialism. Perseverance coup-
led with energy and brains has placed him
in an enviable position in the business
world.

Charles Edward Palmer was born in
Noble township, October 14, 1859. His
father was James F. Palmer, bom in
Brown county, Ohio, in 1829. while the
mother was Maria C. Danbury, also a na-
tive of the Buckeye state, having been born
there in 1833. Their deaths were not far
apart, the husband passing away in 1893,
and the wife and mother two years later.
The father of the subject was a graduate
of the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincin-
nati, and in 1856, rode horseback from
Ohio to his future home in Noble township.
His wife followed a year afterwards on the
Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad,
which had just been completed. The grand-
father of the subject was a soldier in the
War of 1812; his paternal grandmother
was a niece of the Revolutionary General
Stark, while his uncle, Jacob A. Palmer,
did valiant service throughout the Civil
war.

Mr. Palmer was educated in the public
schools, and when quite young began to
read law. Later he entered the insurance
business, and also took part in politics, final-
ly being elected Supervisor of Noble town-
ship. While discharging the duties of this
office he was instrumental in having the
county board appoint an expert accountant
to check up the accounts of the county offi-
cers. He eventually became an expert ac-

countant himself, and investigated the
books of other counties, serving in that ca-
pacity for eight years. In 1899 he con-
ceived and organized the mercantile firm of
Palmer & Company, and this concern has
forged to the front with remarkable rapid-
ity, carrying an immense stock of dry
goods, furniture, stoves, hardware and ag-
ricultural implements. In connection with
this concern the firm operates a concrete
block factory, and an evaporator. Mr.
Palmer is the president and general man-
ager of the establishment, and is also vice-
president of the bank of Noble. He was
wedded in 1882 to Mollie U. Philhower,
and this alliance resulted in the birth of
two children, one of whom died when quite
young. The other, Beulah May Palmer,
became the wife of a prominent contractor
of Olney, Illinois.

Mr. Palmer is a Mason, an Odd Fellow,
Red Man, and a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America. He has for years
been more or less prominent in politics, be-
ing an adherent of the Independent party.
When the Spanish-American war broke out
he raised a company, and was made cap-
tain thereof. They reported to Colonel
Pittenger, at Centralia, and the company,
although placed on the list, was never called
out.

The wife of the subject was the child of
Ira B. and Adeline (Smith) Philhower, of
Clermont county, Ohio, who removed to Il-
linois in 1854, and purchased a farm in
Noble township. Mr. Philhower was for
eight years station agent at luka, Illinois.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, II LIXOIS.

471

At the end of that time he returned to
Xoble township, and worked as a miller,
after which he became a merchant. He
was a member of the Methodist church, and
for vears served on the School Board.

BARTLETT Y. WATKINS.

A great essay written once said that
"when one has given the best that is in him
to a work, he experiences a feeling of sat-
isfaction." While this statement may seem
rather broad yet a greater truth than this
was never spoken. Whether one is success-
ful or not in what one undertakes if he
realizes that nothing on his part has been
left undone, he should have no regrets. This
does not mean that the unsuccessful person
feels just as good over defeat as the suc-
cessful over victory. When one does his
best and is successful he has a double rea-
son to be happy. To this class belongs Mr.
Watkins, for he did his best and has suc-
ceeded.

Bartlett Y. Watkins was born near Ashe-
ville. North Carolina, July 20, 1842. His
paraits were good old Southern people.
The father, James G. W'atkins, was torn in
North Carolina, while the mother, Mary D.
(Patterson) Watkins, was a native of Vir-
ginia. To this union were born eight chil-
dren of whom Bartlett was the oldest. On
his mother's side he was of Irish and Ger-
man descent, while on his father's side his
ancestors were English and Welsh.

When Bartlett was ten years old the fam-
ily came north to live in Richland county,
Illinois. Here the father died November
9, 1872, and the mother died eleven years
later in Christian county, Illinois.

The family being poor it was necessary
for Bartlett to leave school with just a com-
mon school education, but this he made the
most of. After leaving school he began
working on the farm which occupation he
has followed all his life. At the age of
twenty-two years he was married to Eliza-
beth Lawless, daughter of Hiram and Cath-
arine (Holden) Lawless, who had moved
to Richland county from Highland county.
Ohio.

To Mr. and Mrs. Watkins were born
twelve children. Five boys and three girls
are living, four of the children dying in in-
fancy. The other eight are all living in
Richland county, with the exception of
Laura, wife of James R. Brown, a mechanic
living at Evansville. Indiana. Nancy Jane
is the wife of Ed. Stage, a fanner of Noble
township: Lora, the other daughter, is the
wife of Parker Bolby, a farmer of Olney
township.

The toys are all married ; Olis, with his
family, is living on the home farm which
he cultivates; Commodore D. and Edmond
T.. farmers, live in Noble township. Wil-
liam F.. the only son who has not followed
the occupation of the father, is a machinist
living at Olney: Oliver B.. is also a ma-
chinist at Olney.

Mr. Watkins was a member of Company
E, of the Thirteenth Illinois Cavalrv in the

472

I'.IOGKAl'IIICAL AND KEMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

War of the Rebellion. He saw little active
service, however, for he was discharged on
November 27, 1862, because of his physical
condition. He returned to Richland county
and November 22; 1864, the marriage of
which we have already spoken took place.
In 1887 Mr. Watkins, by hard, honest
labor had accumulated enough to buy a
comfortable little home, a farm of one hun-
dred and four acres.

He farmed in a general way and was
quite successful. During his long life he
never allied himself with any church, but
his wife was a member of the Christian
church, and he attended the Elaine church
with her.

Politically Mr. Watkins was a Demo-
crat, but having never aspired to office, he
took no active part in politics.

CAPT. WILLIAM T. JOHNSON.

There can be no greater honor or privi-
lege than to conscientiously serve one's coun-
try during its days of peril. It requires
something more than patriotic zeal for a
man to forsake home, business, the pleasures
of social or public life and voluntarily as-
sume the hardships of the camp and the
field, much less risk one's life in the brunt
of battle, and the younger generation of to-
day are apt to not give the respect due the
brave "boys in blue" who saved the nation's
integrity and who did so much for them.
The subject of this sketch is one of those

whose name is to be found on the scroll of
honor in this connection.

Capt. William T. Johnson was born in
Scott county, Indiana, October 29, 1841, the
son of Stephen and Levina (Williams)
Johnson, the former having been born in
Lexington, Indiana, in 1815 when Lexing-
ton was the county seat of Scott county. The
subject's paternal grandfather secured land
in Scott county just as the Indians were
leaving there. Elijah English also secured
land nearby at the same time, which land
is owned at present by Capt. W. E. English,
of Indianapolis. The father of the subject
was a cabinetmaker, a preacher and a farm-
er, and quite a prominent man of that time.
He was a great admirer of Millard Fillmore.
He turned to the Republican party late in
life, but never sought political office. He
was called to his rest in 1870. Levina Wil-
liams Johnson, mother of our subject, was
born in the memorable year of 1812. Her
uncle was an Indian fighter for many years
and was with Lewis and Clark in their raid
through Indiana. Her uncle's name appears
on a monument in the West where the last
raid was made on the Indians in the battle
of Tippecanoe. She had four brothers and
four sisters. The parents of the subject mar-
ried in 1835. Eight children were born to
them, all living at this writing, namely:
Sarah, William T., our subject; Caroline,
John and David, twins; Martha, Mary and
James.

The subject's paternal grandfather was a
"minute man" under Washington.

William T. Johnson was educated in the

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

473

public schools of his native community.
However, his schooling was somewhat lim-
ited. He worked about the home place un-
til the time he enlisted in the army. He
came to Marion county, Illinois, in 1870, to
engage in farming and has lived in Patoka
township ever since. He was for several
years in the dairy and stock raising business,
having made a pronounced success of what-
ever he undertook, being a man of great in-
dustry and rare soundness of judgment. He
always kept his farm in first class condition
and it was well tilled and produced excel-
lent crops. For the past eleven years Mr.
Johnson has lived in quiet retirement in a
beautiful and comfortable home in Vernon.

Mr. Johnson was first married to Saman-
tha Gray in the year 1866. There are no liv-
ing children from this union. Mr. John-
son's second wife was Addie Gray, daugh-
ter of Thomas and Amanda (Carroll) Gray.
Amanda Carroll was a distant relative of
Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. The second
wife of Mr. Johnson was the fifth child in
a family of twelve. One girl and one boy
have been born to the subject and wife : Tina,
who married Warren Murfin; Biness, the
son, is single and living at home.

As intimated above our subject was one
of the gallat defenders of the flag during
the dark days of the sixties, having enlisted
in 1 86 1 in Company C, Thirty-Eighth Indi-
ana Volunteer Infantry, under command of
Colonel Schribner, and was sent at once to
General Sherman's command. Walter Q.
Gresham was in line with the subject as a

private at the organization of the regiment.
He engaged in a skirmish lasting thirty
days before the battle of Stone River, in
which great battle our subject was wounded.
At the battle of Chickamauga our subject
was under the command of Colonel Thomas
in the One Hundred and Forty-Ninth Regi-
ment. He was captured at Chickamauga and
sent to Libby prison for six months, but he
was one of the six men who dug out of that
prison and escaped. Twenty men made the
effort, but the others failed. They worked
in relays of five men and tunnelled under
the wall from the basement of the old ware-
house where they were confined. They had
nothing but an old chisel to work with.
Those who escaped were, beside our sub-
ject, Charles Vaughn, Thomas A. Morrison,
Alex Lorington, T. McVey and D. Laporte.
They spent seventeen days and nights dig-
ging their way to freedom. The subject
was thirty-six days and nights getting back
to the Union lines. He remained in hiding
during the day and traveled at night. He
came out of the army in October, 1865, a
captain and acting adjutant at the time. He
is said by his comrades to have been a most
gallant soldier and never flinched from duty.

Our subject was captain of Company D,
in Pittinger's Provisional Regiment, dur-
ing the Spanish-American war.

The above is a record of which anyone
should be proud. Captain Johnson has been
Justice of the Peace since living in Vernon
and his court has been a popular one, his
decisions being fair on all matters submitted
to him. He is a loyal Republican and is

474

r.IOGKAPHICAL AXI) REMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

known to all classes for his honesty, in-
tegrity, public spirit and good natured per-
sonality, which makes him one of the most
highly esteemed men in Patoka township.

JOHX WILLIAM PFLAUM.

Inheriting the thrifty and frugal habits
of a sturdy German father and mother, who
many years ago left the shores of the Fa-
therland to seek their fortune in the new
world, it is little wonder that the subject of
this sketch has won his spurs in the battle
of life. The people of Noble township,
Richland county, Illinois, have known him
as boy and man. and as his dealings with
his fellow beings have always been honor-
able they repose in him the most implicit
confidence, as his election to township
offices on different occasions would amply
demonstrate.

John William Pflaum .was born in Meigs
county. Ohio, March 31, 1855, his parents
being Valentine and Elizabeth (Hartman)
Pflaum, both of them having been bom in
Baden, Germany. Shortly after their mar-
riage in 1851 they came to this country,
and settled in Meigs county, Ohio, from
which place they removed to Noble town-
ship in 1873, being in the eighteenth year
of his age. Mr. Pflaum began purchasing
land in small tracts until he had accumulated
nine hundred acres, the greater portion of
which he eventually had under a high state
of cultivation.

The subject of this sketch was married
to Cordelia Rexrout in 1886. She was
born in Russell county, Kentucky, August
12, 1867. Their children are Bertha, wife
of Alfred Woods, who lives on a farm
with her husband near the home of her
parents; Ralph, Flossie and Raymond.
Ralph and Flossie are twins, and the latter
is married to a prosperous farmer of the
neighborhood by the name of John Ireland,
while Raymond and Eva live at the home
of their parents. All of the members of
the family, except Ralph, are members of
the Church of Christ, and take a great deal
of interest in the affairs of their denomina-
tion. When he attained his majority the
subject of this sketch cast his lot with the
Republican party, and he remains stead-
fast to the same. He has for some years
been a member of the Modern Woodmen
of America.

Mr. Pflaum takes great pride in the
appearance of his well cultivated farm
of one hundred and fifty acres, from which
he raises abundant crops. He is a public
spirited citizen in every sense of the word,
and takes an active interest in the affairs
of Noble township. He has twice held
office, having been Collector and Road Su-
pervisor.

JOHN BOWER.

Prominent among the men of Noble
township, Richland county, who have at-
tained a competence through their individ-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

475

ual efforts is John Bower, fruit grower and
farmer. Despite his years, for he is near-
ing the sixty-ninth milestone, Mr. Bower
is an active man, and gives close personal
attention to his business. He has spent al-
most a half a century in the community in
which he now resides, and holds a high
place in the estimation of his neighbors,
who know him as a man of probity and in-
tegrity. He is of German parentage.

Mr. Bower was born in Ross coun-
ty, Ohio, April 10, 1840, and came to
Richland county, Illinois, in March, 1865.
His parents, Robert and Geneva Bower,
were born in Germany. For seven years
the father of the subject served in the Ger-
man army, and was with Blucher in the
famous battles of Leipsic and Waterloo.
He was wounded twice in these engage-
ments, receiving a sabre thrust and a bullet
in the leg. He was the father of eleven
children, John being the tenth in the order
or birth.

John Bower was married twice, his first
wife being Catherine Martin, daughter of
Joseph Martin, of Clermont county, Ohio.
This alliance was contracted January 21.
1864, and as a result thereof the following
children were born : Clara, died in infancy ;
Flora is a missionary in Forida; Louis J.,
a resident of British Columbia; Ella is in
St. Louis : Charles lives with his parents.
Mr. Bower's first wife died May 9, 1880.
It was two years later when the subject
took unto himself a second help-mate in
the person of Jemima Hammet, daughter
of William and Rebecca Hammet, who

came to Olney township from Clermont
county, Ohio, with her parents when a
little girl. Five children were the fruits of
this union, two of them dying in infancy.
Of the survivors Bessie is a teacher at
Cerro Gordo, Piatt county, Illinois, while
Hazel and Paul are at home.

In his early youth Mr. Bower attended
the country schools, and when he had com-
pleted his course there, evinced such a great
desire to continue his studies that one of
his brothers loaned him sufficient money to
enable him to attend college in Missouri,
where he remained for some time. The
subject learned the trade of stone cutting,
but finally abandoned the business for fruit
growing and farming. His orchard of for-
ty acres is conceded to be one of the finest
and most productive in Noble township,
and besides this he owns a well cultivated
lands in Xoble. Preston and Olney town-
ships, consisting in all of about two hun-
dred and forty-six acres. It will be seen
from this that Mr. Bower is well supplied
with this world's good which are the fruits
of a life of industry.

Mr. Bower is not a member of any re-
ligious denomination or fraternal organiza-
tion, but he is a man of unimpeachable
character, who has done much toward ad-
vancing the business interests of Noble
township, being always ready and willing
to contribute his share toward insuring the
success of any project that has for its pur-
pose the weal and welfare of that section
of Richland county. Mr. Bower is a Dem-
ocrat, but in his political belief is neither

476

I'.KM.K. \1-HICAL AND KI-.M I \ ISCKXT HISTORY OF

"hide-bound" nor partisan, always giving
his franchise to men whom he believes will
best subserve the interests of the people.

ELBRIDGE ROBINSON.

The life of the subject of this sketch has
not been of an unusual character, nothing
strange or tragic about it, but rather the
antithesis, quiet and unostentatious, a life
that has resulted in no harm to those who
have come under the influence of the sub-
ject. He is one of the "boys in blue", to
whom all honor is due.

Elbridge Robinson was born in Morgan
county, Ohio. January 7, 1844, on a farm.
He came to Marion county after the war.
Mr. Robinson is the son of Israel and Mar-
garet (Warne) Robinson, the former hav-
ing been born March 3, 1804, in Brook
county, West Virginia, who came to Ohio
when six years old, a pioneer of the woods.
He became a public man and served one
term in the Legislature. He was a Whig. Is-
rael Robinson was one of eleven children, a
prominent man in his locality. He died
in 1872. The mother of the subject was
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1812,
being a member of a family consisting of
twelve children, six girls and an equal num-
ber of boys. The parents of the subject
married December 31, 1829. Our subject is
the only one of six children living.

Elbridge Robinson spent his early life on
a farm. His education was secured in the

common school and at Roos College at Sha-
ron, Ohio. When only sixteen years old he
obtained a certificate to teach, and success-
fully taught school both before and after
the war. His services were in great demand
for he gained quite a reputation as an able
educator.

As already intimated, Mr. Robinson was
one of the brave sons of the North who of-
fered his life in defense of his country, hav-
ing enlisted in Company C, One Hundred
and Twenty-second Ohio Volunteer Infan-
try, in August, 1862, under the command
of Colonel Ball, a judge at Zanesville, Ohio,
and he served until the close of the war with
much credit. He was wounded at Cold
Harbor, June 3, 1864, which wound did
not heal until after the close of the war. He
was in the battles of Milroy's Defeat in
June. 1863, Locust Grove in November,
1863, also fought at the Wilderness and
at Spottsylvania, and several other en-
gagements, some of his comrades having
been killed in every battle. He was all
through the strenuous Wilderness cam-
paign. He has a congressional medal of
honor for heroic service, having saved a
fallen comrade from being captured by the
Confederates. The unfortunate man was
Price Worthington of Company B. One
Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, the
same as that of our subject. Mr. Robinson
rushed back in the face of the enemy's fire
through their lines and saved Mr. Worth-
ington. After his return he was warmly
congratulated by the officers and men for
his heroic deed. He was then only nineteen

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

477

years old. He is remembered by his gov-
ernment by a pension.

Mr. Robinson was united in marriage on
March 3, 1870, to Moretta Reichert and to
this union the following children were born :
Fora, born February 21, 1872, married
Mamie Smith; they are living in Vernon,
and are the parents of two children ; Lewis
was born April 12, 1874, and died January
13, 1898; Harry was born October 21,
1877. The subject's first wife died in 1877.
He was again married, his second wife be-
ing Martha L. Peddicord, the daughter of
A. M. and Mary Peddicord. No children
were born to this union. But a little child,
Bertrice Reynolds, whose parents and fam-
ily had just moved to the village in very
destitute circumstances with mother sick,
the little six months' old Bertrice was found
by Mrs. Robinson while on one of her visits
of charity in an out building with scarcely
any clothing or attention. Her sympathetic
nature prompted her to carry the little waif
to her home and assume the duties of
mother. By proper consent she has ever
since remained with her new found parents
to scatter sunshine in their home, and with
her affectionate disposition and loving
words cheer their declining years down
life's shaded pathway.

The life of our subject has been spent on
a farm and in the mercantile business, both
of which he made a pronounced success of,
and was enabled to lay up an ample compe-
tence for his old age which he is spending
in comfort and peace in quiet retirement.
He is the owner of four hundred and fifteen

acres of valuable land in a high state of cul-
tivation and highly improved, being one of
the model farms in Patoka township. He
has a substantial and well furnished home,
an excellent barn and convenient out build-
ings, and he always keeps good stock of
various kinds. He lives in Vernon at this
writing.

Mr. Robinson has always been a Repub-
lican, however, he has never aspired to po-
sitions of public trust, preferring to lead a
quiet life and devote his time to his individ-
ual business. He is a great reader, keeping
posted on all current events. He is a deep
thinker, has an excellent memory and is a
very interesting conversationalist. He is
held in high esteem by all who know him.

JOHN O. HENRY.

Mr. Henry is identified with the financial,
commercial and social life of Richland
county, having succeeded in building up a
prosperous banking business. He has been
entrusted by his fellow citizens with the
office of Mayor of Noble, Illinois, and dur-
ing his term performed the duties of office
with dignity and credit. He has been re-
turned as Supervisor of Noble township at
two succeeding elections. And this is but
a chapter from the life of a man of thirty-
five years of age.

John O. Henry is the son of Mason and
Lucy Henry. On his father's side he comes
of sturdy Irish pioneer stock, his grand-

478

HIOGKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

father's parents being natives of Cork
county, Ireland. His father, a native of Il-
linois, removed to Lawrenceburg, Missouri,
and there, in 1845, Mr- Henry was born.
In his sixth year he came with his family
to Noble, Illinois, which has been his home
ever since, and where in company with his
four brothers and two sisters he laid the
foundation of his education. Upon leaving
school he entered business life where his
strenuous efforts and affable manner soon
brought him to the forefront.

The year 1902 marked an important
epoch in the life of Mr. Henry. In that
year he married Bessie Shannon, prominent
in Noble society circles, whose father, Wil-
liam Shannon, had the distinction of serv-
ing his country all through the Civil war.

In addition to directing the affairs of an
ever-growing banking business, Mr. Henry
is active as a stock buyer. He is reputed to
be an excellent judge of stock, and it is
said he pays a good price for anything he
fancies.

As a public man, Mr. Henry is thorough-
ly clean and conscientious. He has a sane
conception of public interests; never allows
himself to be swayed by prejudice or party
feelings ; and is an alert student of the
needs of the day. He is broad-minded and
tolerant, and the many occasions he has had
during his public career to display his pub-
lic spirit have indelibly marked him as a
most desirable citizen. His integrity and
practical common sense combine to give
him a high place in a community where he
is most popular. He has a praiseworthy

ambition to be of further service to his
town and county, and many prophesy for
him a higher place in public life than he
has heretofore attained.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Henry are prominent
members of the Methodist Episcopal church
and lead a happy domestic life.

JAMES MARSHALL KINKADE.

The old-fashioned notion that hard work,
patient industry, and far-sightedness make
for success in the various avenues of life
does not seem to be accepted so unreserved-
ly in our day. The spread of pessimism
engendered by many phases of our complex
life is in a great measure responsible for
the lack of faith in the old idea. However,
if we observe conditions closely we will find
that the intelligent individual, who leads a
practical and industrious life, will reach a
point of success commensurate with his ef-
forts. The life of the subject of this sketch
will afford us an instance of this.

James Marshall Kinkade, of Preston
township, Richland county, Illinois was born
October 22, 1845. in Hardin county, Ken-
tucky. He was the son of James and Mar-
tha A. Kinkade. his mother's maiden name
being Veach. Both were natives of Hard-
in county, as were their parents before
them and both came originally of Irish
stock. In the fall of 1850. then being five
years of age. the subject of our sketch
came with his parents from Hardin county.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

479

Kentucky. The journey was a formidable
one in those days. The wagons of the pio-
neer had to be requisitioned; the Ohio had
to be crossed by ferry at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, camping out was a necessity. Added
to this were the usual strain and restless ex-
pectation which always attended such
journeys. They landed eventually in Shel-
by county, Illinois, where his father rented
a farm remaining on the same for two
years. Then they moved to Richland
county, where one hundred and sixty acres
of government land was purchased at the
then current price of one dollar and twenty-
five cents an acre. The place was then in
the original state of wildness and its ap-
pearance bespoke years of hard and unre-
mitting labor to bring it to perfection. Un-
daunted, the elder Kinkade set about the
task, and at once started building a house
for his family upon the property, in the
meantime placing them for safety under the
roof of the log cabin of another family at
the next settlement. The house erected
was a frame one, being the first of that de-
scription built in what is now Preston
township. Having added barns and other
buildings he moved the family into their
new home. This was at a period eight or
ten years before the district had been sur-
veyed. There were no roads. People
drove haphazardly about over cow-paths
and trails. Upon the official survey being
made, the elder Kinkade was elected Super-
visor and as the township was as yet un-
named the process of christening it was left
to the father of the subject of our sketch.

He named it Preston township which name
it bears today. In the period we are refer-
ring to the antiquated horse-mills were in
use. It was customary for people to bring
"grist to the mill" on horseback, utilizing
the horses on their arrival to grind their
produce. Whole wheat flour and that of
the coarse variety were in use at that time.
The process of evolution asserting itself,
later on the windmill superseded the horse
as motor power. Old time methods ruled
in the agricultural line. In the planting of
corn it was usual to hitch three yoke of
oxen to the plow. At every third furrow
corn was dropped in and the soil turned
over upon it. The subject of our sketch re-
members this process perfectly and many
youthful days spent in assisting his father
in the operation. As another instance of
the backwardness of agricultural life at this
time the threshing machine had not yet ap-
peared on the scene. Threshing was done
in this manner: The sheaves of wheat
were laid upon the ground in a circle and
horses were ridden around over them.
When one side was threshed, or more liter-
ally, trampled out, the sheaves were turned
and the process repeated. The elder Kin-
kade continued to improve the farm all
through this time, fencing and erecting out-
buildings. He obtained his timber supply
from a plantation of eighty acres which
stood in his land.

James Marshall Kinkade remained at
home on the farm until his twenty-first
year. Afterwards, as something of a
change he hired out with neighboring

48o

inOCKAI'HICAL A.NI) KEMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

farmers. When past his twenty-third birth-
day lie married Margaret J. Upton, on Feb-
ruary 28, 1869, at which time he erected the
home he now lives in on the family prop-
erty, and having purchased forty acres from
his father settled down to farm. His
parents continued to live in the nearby
home until the fall of 1884, when they
bought town property in Dundas, Preston
township, whither they moved, and where
they remained until their demise. The el-
der James Kinkade was born October 26,
1817, married April 9, 1838, as before
stated, in Harclin county, Kentucky, and
died August 23, 1893. His wife preceded
him February 3. 1891. Both are buried in
Dundas cemetery, Preston township. Du-
ring their married life they reared nine chil-
dren, five boys and four girls, of which
James Marshall Kinkade was fourth in or-
der of birth. Seven of the family grew to
maturity, while one died at the age of ten
years.

The mother of James Marshall Kinkade
was born August n, 1816, in Hardin
county, Kentucky. On her marriage she
left the home of her parents who were also
natives Kentuckians, and who died in their
native state. She was one of seven chil-
dren, all of whom grew up.

Margaret J. Upton, the wife of the sub-
ject of our sketch, whom he married in
1869, was born in Richland county, Preston
township, October n, 1852. and was the
daughter of Isaac and Cynthia Upton, na-
tives of Ohio, whose parents originally
came from Kentucky. Her parents married
in September, 1851. in Mercer county.

Ohio. In 1851, her father and grandfather
went to Iowa in search of land, when not
finding a suitable location they turned their
faces toward Richland county, Illinois, in
which they settled on one hundred and sixty
acres, paying the government price of one
dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. Upon
settling in Illinois they sent to Ohio for
their families. They remained in the new
location for three years when they sold out
and purchased another one hundred and
sixty acres of prairie and eighty acres of
timber which they settled on and where
Grandmother Upton died. Grandfather Up-
ton surviving her a few years and dying
upon what is known as the Hill farm. He
had reached his seventieth year. The
younger people, Isaac and his wife, re-
mained on the farm at Dundas, Illinois
( Preston township) until the time of their
death. Mrs. Upton died at the age of
thirty-one, in the year 1866. Her husband
survived her several years, dying Decem-
ber 13, 1889, aged fifty-seven years, two
months and two days. The couple were the
parents of six children — five growing to
maturity, one dying in infancy. The wife
of the subject of this sketch was the oldest
of her family.

During his long farming life, James
Marshall Kinkade prospered, and he now
owns one hundred and five acres of rich
farm land and which has been painstakingly
improved and admirably cultivated under
his supervision. He leads a very happy
family life and has had three children born
to him. Two grew to maturity while one
died in earlv life. Qf his children, Luella

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

481

became the wife of Allison T. Phillips, a
well known accountant in Casper, Wyoming,
and James I. has been an employee of the
Illinois Central for several years on which
road he is a brakeman.

In early life James Marshall Kinkade ob-
tained a better education than many in the
township. He spent a term of six months
in the subscription schools, after which he
attended the free common schools until his
twenty-first year. In his school-boy days
he was considered a very apt pupil ; and his
early training has been of much benefit to
him in after years.

In politics he is a Democrat and is an
ardent admirer of William Jennings Bryan.
He has been quite active in township af-
fairs where his ability and practical com-
mon sense have received recognition. He
has been for some time Road Commissioner,
an office for which he is well fitted and
which he still holds. He served a term
of nine years as Treasurer of schools in
Preston township. In religion his wife is
a member of the Missionary Baptist church
at Dundas. Preston township, Richland
county, Illinois.

ROBERT HAMILTON CHAPMAN. .

The blue blood of the Hamiltons, who
were so prominent in those troublous days
when the American forefathers were sac-
rificing their life's blood for that priceless
boon — liberty, flows through the veins of

Robert Hamilton Chapman, he being a de-
scendant of the distinguished Alexander
Hamilton, who was so closely identified
with the early history of the republic as
secretary of the treasury in President
Washington's cabinet. Being a man of
great energy, with a determination to ac-
complish perfectly whatever task he set out
to perform the subject of this sketch can
look back over a very busy career. Al-
though he has been a resident of Noble
township, Richland county, but a short time
he has many friends who admire him for
his sterling qualities.

Mr. Chapman was bom in Kent county,
Michigan, March n, 1853. His father was
Anthony Chapman, who moved from New
York to Michigan in 1828. His mother's
maiden name was Adeline Hamilton, and
she was a native of New York. Four chil-
dren were born to the couple, viz: Malina
(Potter): Edwena (Doris): Robert, the
subject, and Amherst Cheney.

The subject was wedded to Ida Kent,
December 23, 1876. She was born in Wil-
liams county, December 23, 1856. Her
father lineally came from Irish stock, and
was born in 1810. Her mother was Sarah
(Kearns) Kent, and was of German ances-
try. Her father was a pioneer in Ohio, and
when he settled in Williams county, it was
in a very wild state, being practically a
wilderness. He entered upon the task of
clearing this land, with vigor, and eventual-
ly concerted the unbroken forest into fruit-
ful fields. Incidentally he made "good In-
dians" out of several verv bad Indians. Mr.

482

r.KlCRAI'HICAL AND KKMIXISCKXT HISTORY Of

Kent helped build the first court-house that
was erected in Williams county.

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman are the parents
of five children, namely; Robert, bom May
20, 1878, is a prosperous farmer and car-
penter in Alberta, Canada; Pearl (Mrs. Bil-
lings) was born October 17, 1879, resides
in Noble township, her husband being man-
ager of a tile and brick factory. She has
three children. Hazel, Myrtle and Claude.
George, born August 31, 1882, is a black-
smith, of Alberta. Canada, where also re-
sides Ruby (Mrs. Davis), who was born
July 9, 1886, has two children. Daisy and
Dorothy. Barney Kent, l>orn April 20,
1888. is also a resident of Canada.

Mr. Chapman was a carpenter, fanner
and lumber dealer until he removed to Lake
Arthur, Louisiana, in 1888, where he con-
fined himself to his first named trade. In
1892 the family made another change, re-
moving to Richmond. Texas, where Mr.
Chapman combined the pursuit of agricul-
ture with mechanical labor. The great Gal-
veston storm and tidal wave of 1900, which
created so much devastation, moved him to
dispose of his interests in Texas, and to re-
move to Noble township, where he worked
as a blacksmith until 1901, when he de-
cided to try his fortunes in Alberta, Can-
ada, where the majority of his children
were living, and shortly upon his arrival
there he acquired a homestead. After five
years' residence in Canada the family re-
turned to Noble, where they purchased a de-
sirable farm on which they have placed
many improvements in the way of modern
machinerv for its cultivation.

Throughout his life Mr. Chapman has
been imbued with the war spirit, and his
first attempt to serve his country was dur-
ing the civil strife, when he tried to enter
as a drummer boy, but much to his chagrin
was refused on account of his tender years.
He volunteered for Spanish-American war
service at Rosenburg. Texas. 1898, but
failed to pass the examination, hence he has
given up all hope of ever satisfying his
thirst for military glory. He has been a life-
long Democrat. He is the possessor of a
modest competence, and he and his wife
live in a very comfortable dwelling, happy
in the knowledge that they will be able to
live a life of ease in the declining years of
their life.

ELI W. JONES.

The honored subject of this sketch has
lived to see Marion county develop from
the wild prairie and primeval forests in-
habited by wild animals and a few pioneer
settlers to its present magnificent prosperity,
its elegant homes, comfortable public build-
ings, fertile farms and thriving cities; and
he has played no small part in this great
work of transformation.

Eli W. Jones was born in Marion county,
Illinois, April 20, 1839, the son of James
and Laura (Luelen) Jones, the former hav-
ing been born in October, 1795, in Georgia,
near where Atlanta now stands. He came
to Illinois in 1814 and was in the War of
1812, having served two short terms guard-
ing the surveyors when the state was sur-

UCHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

veyed. He was in Captain Schurtz's com-
pany. He married in Bond county, Illinois,
at Keysport, in 1823, and came to Marion
county soon afterward, where he settled
among1 the earliest pioneers and where he
lived until his death, August 29, 1865. He
devoted his life to farming. He was a very-
pious man, a member of the Methodist
church and an exhorter. He entered gov-
ernment land in this county which he im-
proved and put a part of it in cultivation.
There were some Indians here at the time.
He was a Democrat until the time of Frank-
lin Pierce, when he turned Republican. He
was always opposed to slavery. He never
took much interest in politics, but devoted
his time to the farm and the church. The
mother of the subject was born in Kentucky,
December i, 1806, and died February 26,
1885.

Eli W. Jones spent his boyhood days
much like the other boys of his time, in as-
sisting with the work on his father's farm
and attending school in the country district
for a short time during the winter, receiv-
ing a meager education.

When the national government was in
need of loyal supporters to defend its in-
tegrity it found no more willing patriot than
our subject, who enlisted in 1861 at the
beginning of hostilities in the Twenty-
sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, being as-
signed to Company H, under command of
Colonel Loomis and Capt. A. B. Morrison.
He faithfully and gallantly served for four
years when he had a leg shot off, having
been shattered bv a minie-ball in Sherman's

last big fight, which fact causes him to
wear an artificial leg. He never missed a
battle or a march until losing his leg. He
was in the famous march to the sea, in the
battle of Corinth, the siege of Vicksburg,
the battle of Missionary Ridge and out of
fifty-seven smaller engagements was never
defeated. He is remembered by his gov-
ernment for his gallantry with a pension of
forty-six dollars. He was never in the hos-
pital a day while in the army until he was
wounded. He spent ten days in the ambu-
lance beore finding a hospital.

Mr. Jones was united in marriage to
Mary Rymon, August 28, 1860. When he
went away to war he left a little baby, three
months old. His wife was born December
31, 1839, the daughter of Justus R. Rymon,
who was born November 14, 1808. The
mother of the subject's wife was Martha
Dickens in her maidenhood. She was born
July 26, 1816. Mr. and Mrs. Rymon were
married May 4, 1836. Mr. Rymon was a
preacher and a doctor and was a prominent
man in his community. He was called from
his earthly labors February 24, 1878, and
his wife passed to her rest January i, 1881.

The following children have been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Jones: J. T., a well known
physician of Salem, Illinois, who is at pres-
ent unable to practice on account of failing
health. He married Carrie E. Bennett and
they are the parents of two children. Logan
M., the subject's second child, was born
November i, 1864, and died in 1873; Flora
was born May 10, 1868, and died Novem-
ber 9, 1873.

484

moCKAI'lIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Our subject was for many years a breeder
of fine horses and hogs and the owner of
some high grade imported stallions and
others of fine variety.

Mr. Jones has always been a loyal Re-
publican, having cast his first vote for Abra-
ham Lincoln. In 1872 he was elected Cir-
cuit Clerk of Marion county, being the first
Republican clerk the county ever had.
This shows Mr. Jones's great popularity in
his own county. He faithfully served in
this capacity, giving entire satisfaction to
all concerned. He has also served his town-
ship as School Trustee, was the first Town
Clerk of Foster and is at present Justice
of the Peace. He is regarded as being en-
tirely fair in his decisions. He served as
Supervisor of Patoka township for one term
of two years. He is well known politically,
and he is held in high favor by all who
know him.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HEAP.

Benjamin Franklin Heap, living in sec-
tion 23, Olney township, was born January

26, 1847, in this township. He is the son
of Isaiah and Rachael (Powell) Heap, the
former 3 native of Guernsey county, Ohio,
where he was reared. When a young man
he came to Richland county, Illinois, and
entered government land in Olney town-
ship, where he lived until his death, April

27, 1 88 1, having improved a farm. He
was among the pioneers of that section.
Isaiah Heap was a soldier in the Union

army in the Civil war, for about a year,
having been a member of Company E, Sixth
Illinois Cavalry. His wife survived him.
dying February 23, 1905. She was born
in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1824,
and when two years old was taken to Win-
chester, Guernsey county, Ohio, where she
was reared. When ten years old she was
left an orphan. In 1840 she came to Rich-
land county, Illinois, with James Wilson
and family, who were relatives. She entered
land with a warrant issued to her by her
father for services in the War of 1812.
She joined the United Brethren church in
1842, at a log school-house, a short distance
from her home and in the winter of 1877
united with the Methodist Episcopal church
at Calhoun. She lived to see four genera-
tions of her family living. She was a
woman of beautiful characteristics.

Benjamin F. Heap, our subject, was
reared on the old homestead, where he re-
mained assisting with the work until eight-
een years old, attending school in the winter
months. Like his father he was patriotic,
and on March 28, 1865, enlisted writh the
former, becoming a member of Company E,
Sixth Illinois Cavalry. A year earlier he
quit school and offered his services, but was
rejected on account of his youth. He was
mustered out at Selma, Alabama, and was
discharged December 25, 1865. He was
on the march most of the time during his
service in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama
and Florida. After the war he was sick
about a year as a result of his exposure in
the service, then he began work as a farm

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

hand, later renting land and began for him-
self. He now owns a farm of eighty acres,
three and one-half miles south of Olney,
where he has lived many years and which
he lias improved and which produces ex-
cellent crops from year to year under his
efficient management. He devotes consid-
erable time to the manufacture of brooms,
finding a ready market for his product
which is of fine quality and excellent work-
manship. He raises large quantities of
broom-corn on the farm.

Mr. Heap was united in marriage March
6, 1 870, to Mary D. Wilson, who was born
March 19, 1847, 'n Guernsey county, Ohio,
then living in Coles county, Illinois. Mrs.
Heap is the daughter of William J. and
Mary (Powell) Wilson, the former a na-
tive of Virginia, who emigrated to Ohio
with his parents, his wife having been born
in Pennsylvania and moved to Ohio with her
parents when seven years old. The subject's
great-grandfather Powell was a soldier
in the Revolutionary war and Grandfather
Powell was a soldier in the War of 1812.
The latter also had three brothers, David,
John and Benjamin, in the War of 1812.
Two brothers of Mrs. Heap, Abel and Wil-
liam Wilson, served in the Civil war, Wil-
liam dying in the service of the Seventh
Illinois Cavalry, at Little Rock, Arkansas,
about a year after his enlistment. The par-
ents of Mrs. Heap emigrated to Coles coun-
ty. Illinois, in 1861. where her father died
at the age of sixty years. The mother died
in Wright county, Iowa, at the age of
eighty-four years. Mrs. Heap is from a

family of long longevity. Her grandfather
lacked but a few days of being one hundred
years old when he died.

Three children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife: Carrie, who was born April
22. 1871, is the wife of Owen Hudson, of
Vancouver, Washington; Mark O. was
born March 8, 1874, is a carpenter in Rich-
land county; Karl L., born September 22,
1876, is a veteran of the Spanish- American
war, and a farmer in North Dakota. He
served one year in Cuba with Company H,
Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

Mr. Heap is a stanch Republican and a
member of the Ed. Ketchell Post, No. 662,
Grand Army of the Republic. He is honest
in his dealings with his fellow men and
one of the well known citizens of the countv.

JAMES S. MORTON, M. D.

Concentration of purpose and persistently
applied energy rarely fail of success in the
accomplishment of any task however great,
and in tracing the career of Dr. Morton,
a well known physician of Vernor, Marion
county, it is plainly seen that these things
have been the secrets of his rise to a po-
sition of prominence and respectability.
Moreover he possesses genuine love for his
work and regards it as a privilege to carry
comfort and aid to the sick and suffering.

Dr. James S. Morton was born in Clin-
ton, Alabama, September 8, 1864, the son of
Samuel and Julia (Bizzell) Morton. His

486

nnxiKAI'IIH'AL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

father was born in Belfast, Ireland, March
28, 1827, and came to the United States
in 1852, landing in New Orleans, soon af-
terward coming on to Clinton, Alabama,
where he remained for a short time when
he began the study of medicine, later attend-
ing the University of Pennsylvania from
which institution he graduated with honor,
after which he returned to Alabama and
became one of the state's most able physi-
cians. He came to Patoka, Illinois, in 1868
and went to farming, five miles northwest
of that town. He came to Vemon in 1872
for the purpose of resuming the practice of
medicine which he continued with much
success until his death July 10, 1906. He
was one of a family of ten children and he
came to America unaccompanied. The
mother of our subject was born near Golds-
borough, North Carolina, in 1841. The
parents of our subject were married in 1860,
and to them the following children were
born : Andrew B., who became a physician,
died at the age of thirty-eight; James S.
was the second in order of birth ; John died
in infancy; Eliza P., who is thirty-eight
years old at this writing, married William
Binnion. They have three children and are
living in Vernon, Illinois. Samuel, the third
child of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Morton, died
when three years old ; George died in in-
fancy ; Anna is thirty-five years old, is single
and living with the subject.

Doctor Morton received his early educa-
tion in Vernon, this county, where he at-
tended the common schools and made a
splendid record. Being ambitious to follow
in the footsteps of his worthy father in the

medical profession, he went to Valparaiso,
Indiana, where he took a course in the uni-
versity from 1880 to 1883, after which he
entered Rush Medical College in Chicago in
1884, from which institution he graduated
with high honors in 1887, and he has been
engaged in practice in Vernon, Illinois, ever
since, being the oldest doctor here.

C. R. DAVIS.

Any volume which ventures to give any-
thing like a comprehensive enumeration,
biographically, of the prominent citizens of
Clay county, Illinois, must necessarily be
incomplete without inclusion of the life his-
tory of C. R. Davis, the popular editor and
proprietor of two newspapers of large cir-
culation— The Toledo and The Louisville
Republican. In his sphere of endeavor he
has earnestly sought to expound and incul-
cate the higher ideals of citizenship; and
not even the modesty characteristic of him
has prevented his obtaining recognition as
a moulder of public opinion in his section
of the state.

Our subject was born in Maysville, then
the county seat of Clay county, on the 28th
day of January, 1844. He was the son of
John W. Davis and his wife, whose maiden
name was Mary Bishop. John W. Davis
was a well known figure in the political life
of the state in his day, and for many years
of his life held responsible official positions
of trust. He provided well for his family
and lived a well ordered life. C. R. Davis
spent his youth in the shelter of the paternal

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

homestead and being eighteen years of age
during the Civil war he enlisted in July of
the year 1862 and served as a soldier, par-
ticipating in many engagements, until Sep-
tember. 1865. His first vote as a citizen
was recorded during this time and was cast
for Abraham Lincoln while at the front in
Georgia in 1864. On returning from the
war he entered a printing office in Louis-
ville and there learned the various phases of
the printing trade, serving an apprenticeship
of three years.

In the year 1871, in partnership with an-
other, he launched the publication of a
newspaper in Greenup, Illinois, which he
sold in the spring of 1872. He then re-
turned to Louisville and took charge of the
official Republican paper of Clay county,
which he conducted with marked success.
In 1874 he became the publisher of The
Baptist Banner for Reverends Kelly and
Allen at Ewing. Franklin county. In 1876
he was in Louisville as editor and pub-
lisher of The Louisville Ledger. In 1882
he started The Farina News at Farina. Il-
linois, which he conducted for over nineteen
years, disposing of the plant on the loth of
January, 1902. On the I7th of December,
1901, he purchased The Pinckneyville Ad-
vocate, the official Republican paper of
Perry county. Here he remained for four
years and built up the paper when, having
made it one of the best circulating in the
southern part of Illinois, he sold it for a
good price and purchased a job office in
Centralia, where for a year he did excellent
business and finally disposed of it to a
company.

In October of the year 1907, gaining
control of The Toledo Argus, he re-named
it the Toledo Republican and added ma-
chinery and new material, making it an up-
to-date modernly equipped newspaper plant.
The paper from the time of its reorganiza-
tion gained in popularity, and each suc-
ceeding week saw an increase in its circu-
lation. At the present time C. R. Davis
also controls the destiny of The Louisville
Republican which was established in 1894.
Both papers are ably edited with undi-
minished vigor and receive all the benefits
of the foresight and judgment of our sub-
ject.

The veteran Republican newspaper edi-
tor and soldier of the Civil war is now in
his sixty-fifth year and indications point to
his still being in the harness many years
from today. He is a well known figure at
the gatherings of Republican newspaper
editors and is popular with his confreres.
In fraternal and social circles the subject
of our sketch is a memljer of the Grand
Army of the Republic, local post; of the
Masonic Order up to the Royal Arch de-
gree, and of the Eastern Star. In religion
he is a member of the Methodist church.

JAMES MILLER RATCLIFF.

To his own efforts is the success of James
M. Ratcliff attributable, for he started out
upon his business career practically without
capital or aid from anyone, but being am-
bitious and industrious he forged ahead and

488

lUOC.k.U'HICAL AND KKM I N ISCKXT HISTORY OF

is the owner of a good farm in Olney town-
ship, Richland county. This, too, is the
visible evidence of his prosperity and in-
dustry, for when it came into his possession
it was only partly improved and not nearly
so productive as it is at this writing. Such a
man deserves the high regard in which he
is held by his neighbors.

James M. Ratcliff was born in Noble
township, Richland county, August 20,
1848, the son of John and Mary (Bullard)
Ratcliff, the former a native of England,
the latter of Noble township, this county.
John Ratcliff came to the United States
when twelve years old with his parents,
William and Mary Ann (Miller) Ratcliff.
locating in Ohio, where they remained for
a short time, and, later came to Richland
county, taking up one hundred and sixty
acres of land in what is now Olney town-
ship. The country was then wild and un-
inhabited. They were among the early
pioneers. Here William and Mary Rat-
cliff lived a number of years, developing a
good farm, and died on the same, the for-
mer November 8, 1868, at the age of sev-
enty-eight years, his wife surviving him sev-
eral years.

John Ratcliff, father of our subject,
born January 27, 1823, was twelve years
old when he came to the United States with
his parents. He grew to manhood in Rich-
land county, and bought an unimproved
farm in Olney township which he devel-
oped into a good farm, selling the same in
a few years and engaging in merchandising
at Louisville. Illinois, for a few vears, later

going to Texas where he died October 27,
1900. His wife, born May 29. 1827, also
died in the Lone Star state, February 10,
1907. They were the parents of thirteen
children, seven of whom grew to maturity,
five of them living at this writing, the sub-
ject of this sketch being the third in order
of birth. When he was six years old the
family located on a farm in Olney town-
ship, where James was reared and where he
attended the common schools, receiving a
fairly good education. The father of the
subject being a preacher in the Methodist
Episcopal church, James was compelled to
do much of the work on the farm and he
did not have the advantages of an educa-
tion that he desired. He remained under
his parental roof until he was twenty-two
years old, when he married and settled on a
farm which he rented, consisting of one
hundred and twenty acres in Madison town-
ship, where he remained for twenty years,
having thrived from the first owing to his
habits of industry and economy. Besides
engaging in general farming he raised
much good stock.

In 1903 Mr. Ratcliff bought forty acres
where he now lives in section 27, Olney
township, having previously bought forty
acres in Madison township. His farm
shows that a man of good judgment and
business ability has managed it, for it
ranks well with the modern farms of this
county in every respect, on which is to be
found an excellent, comfortable and con-
venient residence.

Mr. Ratcliff was united in marriage

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

489

August 27, 1870, to Levina Stauffer, a na-
tive of Olney, and the daughter of Michael
and Elizabeth (Lutz) Stauffer, natives of
Pennsylvania, who were early settlers in
Richland county, near Calhoun. The par-
ents of Mrs. Ratcliff died in Olney. The
subject and wife are the parents of three
children: Cora, born July 2, 1871, the wife
of Harvey Barnes, of Madison township;
Oris, born June 15, 1874, who is living at
home; Ira, born April 10, 1879, married
Elsie Kite and lives in Vinton, Iowa. Mr.
and Mrs. Ratcliff also have a (foster)
daughter, Lena, who has' been in their home
since she was two and a half years old, and
is now over fifteen years old.

In politics Mr. Ratcliff is a Republican.
He faithfully served on the School Board
for a number of years. In his fraternal re-
lations he is a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America at Calhoun. He and
his family are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which he has been a
steward, class leader, etc., for many years.
He and his family are held in high favor
by their neighbors and all who know them
for their clean and industrious lives.

HERBERT D. RYMAN, M. D.

The subject of this sketch, although yet a
young man, has won a wide reputation in
the medical profession and shown what a
man of careful mental training, honesty of
purpose and an abundance of zeal and per-

sistence can accomplish, although his early
advantages were none too nattering. He is
naturally endowed with the capacities of
the successful practitioner of medicine, at
least this would be inferred, judging from
the eminent success he has attained.

Dr. Herbert D. Ryman was born April
II, 1878, in Vernon, Illinois, the son of
Samuel T. and Martha S. (Jones) Ryman,
the former having been born near Salem,
this county, in 1850. He was a successful
merchant in Vernon for many years, but in
later life was a farmer, having died on his
farm in 1882. He was a well known Re-
publican and took quite an active part in
local political affairs in Marion county. He
ably served as Collector, Assessor, Super-
visor and in many other township offices.
He was the son of old Doctor Ryman, of
Salem, who was known to everyone in the
county during his residence here. The Ry-
man family came from Heidelburg, Ger-
many, being the descendants of the royal
family. One of them who was entitled to
high rank in Germany died in 1882. The
grandmother of our subject on his father's
side was a direct descendant of Charles
Dickens, the famous English novelist. The
mother of the subject was bom in Foster
township in 1860 and passed to her rest in
1902. She belonged to the Methodist Epis-
copal church. The subject's paternal grand-
father was a preacher, a doctor and a tailor
at Salem.

The subject had one brother who is de-
ceased ; one sister also deceased, and two
half sisters, one of whom is deceased. Our

490

I',I( (GRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY GE

subject is from a family of physicians and
it is quite natural that he should take to the
medical profession. He is the cousin of
Doctor Jones, of Salem, and the grandson
of old Doctor Ryman, of Salem. His grand-
mother's father was also a physician.

Dr. Herbert D. Ryman received his early
education in Marion county, first attending
the public school at Vernon. Being an am-
bitious lad he applied himself in a most as-
siduous manner and made rapid strides in
his studies. He entered the medical col-
lege at Topeka, Kansas, from which he
graduated with high honors. He is both a
registered physician and pharmacist of Kan-
sas and a registered doctor of Illinois.

After leaving college, Doctor Ryman
practiced for a short time in Shawnee coun-
ty, Kansas, with much success from the first.
Then he moved back to Vernon, Illinois,
and has been engaged in practice here ever
since, having built up an excellent patron-
age.

Only about two years of the subject's life
was spent out of the school room since he
was six years old. He taught school for
several years in Kansas where he became
known as an able educator. He was prin-
cipal of the Richmond, Kansas, schools. He
was also principal of the schools at Roches-
ter, just north of Topeka. Through years
of study and experience in teaching and
practice he has become a well educated man
and is an interesting conversationalist. His
practice is not confined to Patoka township,
but it extends to remote parts of the county,
being often called on serious cases and in

counsel with other physicians, and his ad-
vice is invariably followed with flattering
results.

Doctor Ryman was happily married to
Cora B. Norris, of Vernon, this county,
September 7, 1898. She is an accomplished
and refined lady, the representative of an ex-
cellent family, being the daughter of J. P.
Norris, whose sketch appears in full in this
work. Two interesting children have been
born to our subject and wife, namely:
Christene, who was six years old in Febru-
ary, 1908; and Lucile, who was two years
old in June, 1908. Our subject was mar-
ried at high noon and left at one o'clock
for Kansas. His wife is also a teacher of
much ability, having taught school in Kan-
sas with her husband. Doctor Ryman served
as Town Clerk in Richmond, Kansas. He is
a loyal Republican. The future to such a
man as our subject holds much of promise,
for he is a man of genuine worth, ambi-
tious and popular, being well liked by all
who know him.

THOMAS RATCLIFF.
(1824-1909.)

Richland county is characterized by her
full share of the honored and faithful ele-
ment who have done so much for its de-
velopment and upbuilding and the establish-
ing of the institutions of civilization in this
fertile and well favored section. In this
work are comprised many biographical and
memorial sketches of this class of citizens

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

491

and it is not in the least too early to record
in print the principal items in the lives of
such honest people, giving- honor to whom
honor is due. Among those sturdy pio-
neers, if not pioneers in settlement, at least
in certain lines of business that have de-
veloped along with the rest of the county,
the gentleman whose life history we now
take under review is properly installed, for
his eminently useful career which has now
been closed by the inevitable fate that awaits
us all, resulted in incalculable good to this
locality as many who revere his memory can
attest.

Thomas Ratcliff. long one of the most
widely known business men of the county,
but who lived in retirement in the
town of Olney for several years prior
to his death, was born in the County of
Kent, Canterberry, England, April 24,
1824. the son of William and Mary Ann
(Miller) Ratcliff, who emigrated to Amer-
ica in 1830, locating at Buffalo, New York,
where they remained two years, then moved
to Richland county, Illinois. William Rat-
cliff had previously entered one hundred
and sixty acres in what is now Olney town-
ship, five miles south of Olney. Here the
family located, built a log house and began
making improvements, developing a good
farm, being among the pioneers. William
Ratcliff died on the farm he entered, having
reached the age of seventy-nine years, and
his good wife passed to her rest a year later
at the age of seventy-six. They were the
parents of fourteen children, three of whom
died in infancy, only one of the number is

now living, Elijah, who is residing in Osh-
kosh, Wisconsin. He was the eighth in
order of birth and our subject was the sev-
enth. The family was nine weeks and three
days in crossing the Atlantic from Liverpool
to New York, making the trip on the
"Mount Vernon," an old sailing vessel.

James M. Ratcliff, brother of Thomas,
was a soldier in the Civil war, having
served three years. Two brothers of the
subject's mother, George and John Miller,
came to the United States in an early day
and became farmers in Richland county,
Ohio, where they died.

Thomas Ratcliff was six years old when
he came to the United States, and in his
fourteenth year when he came to Richland
county, Illinois. He was here reared on a
farm and attended the subscription schools,
such as they were in those early days, and
received a good foundation for an education
which in later life was supplemented by
home reading and contact with the business
world. He helped clear and improve his
father's farm, experiencing many hardships
and privations, remaining at home until
1842 when he began the trade of black-
smith in the village of Olney, in a shop lo-
cated on the lot owned by the subject until
his death. He served an apprenticeship of
three years under James Urie, who had
come from Ohio and opened a shop here.
He received three dollars and fifty cents
per month, board and washing. Mr. Rat-
cliff succeeded his employer in business in
a little frame shop. He later erected a two-
story brick on the lots and conducted the

492

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY ()!•-

business for about thirty years with splen-
did success, after which the work was car-
ried on by his son for several years. In
early days he manufactured tools, plows,
wagons and many other things used by
farmers.

Thomas Ratcliff was united in marriage
September 19, 1844, to Catherine Ransted,
a native of Vigo county, Indiana, who
came with her step-father and mother to
Richland county, Illinois, in 1839, her father
having died previously. Her mother mar-
ried Thomas Ellingsworth, a farmer, own-
ing a farm adjoining the village of Olney;
he later sold the same and bought a farm
in Claremont township, where he died. Her
mother died in Olney at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Ratcliff. To Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Ratcliff nine children were born,
four of whom are deceased. They are Albert,
William F.. Luther, John, Oscar, George
W., died when young; Caroline, Julia Ann.
Ida Eudora. Albert, the eldest child, en-
listed in Company B, Ninety-eighth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, and served until the
close of the war. without mishap, having
been in many engagements. He became a
blacksmith and machinist and carried on
this business very successfully for many
years after his father retired. He later
moved to Princeton, Indiana, where he en-
gaged in similar work, and where he died.

After retiring from blacksmithing Mr.
Ratcliff was engaged in the sale of agricul-
tural implements for several years. By
years of hard work and good management
he laid up a comfortable competence.

In politics Mr. Ratcliff was a Republican,
and served in several local positions, having
been one of the Supervisors at the time the
court-house was built, and he was also on
the building committee. He also served as
Alderman of Olney.

On September 19, 1908, Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Ratcliff celebrated the sixty-fourth
anniversary of their marriage, one of the
leading events in the history of such gather-
ings in the county. They were then both in
good health and in full possession of all
their faculties, but the dawning of another
year meant the closing of their beautiful
lives on earth and the breaking of a new
day in the mystic beyond, for death, "like
a friend's voice from a distant field," called
them hence, only a few days apart, the
summons coming to Mrs. Ratcliff on Jan-
uary 8, 1909, and on January 23, 1909, to
her honored and faithful husband.

CHARLES E. BLANKINSHIP.

He whose career we now take under con-
sideration and to whom the reader's atten-
tion is respectfully directed is numbered
among the progressive and successful busi-
ness men of Marion county, of which he has
been a resident for many years, while he has
gained prosperity through his own honest
efforts in connection with the development
of the natural resources and the subsequent
business prosperity.

Charles E. Blankinship was born in Fay-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

493

ette county, Illinois, August 8, 1861, the son
of Edward and Susannah (Lollar) Blank-
inship. Grandfather Blankinship was a na-
tive of Tennessee, who came to Illinois
about 1837 and settled in Fayette county,
on a farm and where he lived until his death
in 1860. The father of the subject was
born in Tennessee and was brought here by
his parents when a child. After he reached
manhood he first engaged in farming and
later engaged in merchandising the balance
of his life, having passed to his rest in 1871,
at the. age of thirty- four years. The sub-
ject's mother was also about the same age
when she died in 1877. The father was a
member of the Methodist church and the
mother of the Christian church. The for-
mer was a Democrat. They were the par-
ents of five children, all having died young
except our subject.

Charles E. Blankinship attended the pub-
lic schools at Patoka until he was seven-
teen years old. He then attended school at
Valparaiso, Indiana, and at Eureka, Illinois,
receiving a good education, having made a
splendid record in each.

After leaving school he went to farming
on his own account. He inherited a farm
from his father in Marion county on which
he remained for a period of five years, mak-
ing agriculture a paying business. He then
moved to Patoka and became postmaster
under President Harrison, and served four
years under that appointment and four
years under McKinley's administration. He
made a most efficient public servant and won
the approbation of all in the community.

and the high favor of the Post Office De-
partment.

Since' he left the office he has been en-
gaged in the hay, grain and coal business,
also has been handling farming implements
and is still in this line of business which he
has built up until he has a lucrative patron-
age, his trade constantly growing by reason
of his sound business principles and his
courteous and kind consideration of custo-
mers. He is vice-president of the local
bank.

Mr. Blankinship was married on March
9, 1882, to Albertine F. Clark, daughter of
Henry I. and Mary J. Clark. Her parents
were natives of Virginia, who settled in
McLean county, Illinois. Her father died
in Woodford county, this state. He was
over eighty years old at the time of his
death and he had been a soldier in the War
of 1812. Her mother, a woman of fine
traits, is still living at the age of eighty
years. The subject's wife has one brother,
two sisters and two half-sisters.

Four children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, namely: Leta C, whose date
of birth occurred in January, 1883, is the
wife of Robert A. Ward, and the mother of
one son; Dean Francis, who was born in
August, 1885, is now cashier of the bank
at Patoka and is married; Nellie M., who
was born in 1887, is the wife of Albert J.
Earl and the mother of one son ; Clark J.,
who was born in October, 1898, is living at
home.

The subject of this sketch is a great Ma-
son, belonging to six lodges in this frater-

494

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

nity, namely: Patoka lodge No. 613, An-
cient, Free and Accepted Masons, Centralia
Chapter No. 93, Cyrene Commandery,
Knights Templar, No. 23, Centralia Coun-
cil No. 29, Royal and Select Masters, Ori-
ental Consistory (thirty-second degree)
of Chicago; also Chapter 253 Order
of the Eastern Star, of Patoka. He
is also a member of the Modern Wood-
men. He has filled all the chairs in the
local lodge of the Free Masons.

Mrs. Blankinship is a member of the
Christian church. Our subject has long
taken an active part in political and public
affairs, having served as Supervisor of the
township, also Township Collector. He
was a member of the School Board for nine
consecutive years, and was Mayor of Patoka
for two terms. In all these public offices
he served the people in a most capable and
praiseworthy manner, eliciting nothing but
favorable comment from everyone, and be-
cause of his past honorable record, his in-
tegrity and his successful enterprises, to-
gether with his gentlemanly bearing to both
stranger and friend, he is popular with all.

ADEN KNOPH.

Aden Knoph, the well known president
of the First National Bank, of Olney, Illi-
nois, was born in Lawrenceville, this state,
December 18, 1843, tne son °f Thompson
and Lucinda (Brunson) Knoph, a former
resident of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he
was born. The latter was a native of Ohio.

The subject's father came to America in
1830 and engaged in the mercantile busi-
ness in Evansville, Indiana, operating a
wholesale grocery in 1835, which was a large
undertaking in those early days. In 1839
he located at Lawrenceville, Illinois, and
continued in the merchandise business. He
was one of the original pork packers of that
place, having built up an extensive business
for that time, giving a market for most of
the hogs raised in Southern Illinois. He
retired from the packing business in 1855.
In 1859 he located in Vincennes, Indiana,
and engaged in the mercantile business and
in 1 86 1 he came to Olney, Illinois, where
he was engaged in business until 1865 when
he retired. He was successful in whatever
he undertook and was a man of many ster-
ling traits of character that made him in-
fluential wherever he went. He was called
from his earthly labors in 1867, at the age
of sixty-seven years. His first wife died
many years previous and he re-married the
sister of his first life companion, who passed
away in Washington before it was a state.

The subject's paternal grandfather was
bom on the day that Commodore Nelson
bombarded the city of Copenhagen, Den-
mark. When he was twelve years old he
went to sea as cabin boy and as he grew to
manhood he worked his way up until he
became master of the ship and he made
many long voyages to foreign lands and
was several times around the globe.

Aden Knoph. our subject, was reared in
Lawrenceville, Illinois. His educational ad-
vantages were limited owing to the re-

KICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

495

verses of his father and the death of his
mother shortly after his birth. When nine
years old he entered the store of his father
to help with the work and he stood on a
box behind the counter when he measured
goods. Yielding to his patriotic spirit
when the war between the states began, he
tried to enlist, but was rejected when he
sought to become a private in the Eighth
Regiment, Illinois Volunteers. He was
later rejected by the Fourteenth and Twen-
ty-fourth Indiana regiments. Still persist-
ent lie finally enlisted in the Ninety-eighth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry in January, 1864.
This regiment was first assigned to the
Army of the Cumberland, later to the Wild-
er Brigade. He served in a most gallant
manner until the close of the war, taking
part in many closely contested engagements.
In September, 1864, Mr. Knoph was pro-
moted to sergeant and on December 5,
1864 he was promoted to adjutant of the
regiment. He participated in all the battles
in which this regiment was engaged. He
was wounded at Selma, Alabama, being
shot twice through the left leg; one of the
bullets he carries today. He was mustered
out at the close of the war. July 7, 1865.
at Nashville, Tennessee.

After the war our subject returned to
Olney and entered the store of his father,
where he remained for about a year, when
the business was closed out on account of
the failing health of the subject's father.
Mr. Knoph then turned his attention to the
study of law. entering the law office of Hay-
ward & Kitchell. where he remained for one

year, making rapid progress. Mr. Kitchell
was later colonel of the subject's old regi-
ment. The father's health now gave way
and he met with financial reverses, so our
subject began clerking in the store to assist
in supporting the large family, during the
year 1867-68. During the latter year he
was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, and
was twice re-elected, but he resigned at the
close of the third term, each term being of
four years, after having given his constitu-
ents entire satisfaction in the faithful dis-
charge of his duties. He was a Republican
in a strong Democratic county, but his pop-
ularity was such with all parties that he was
chosen without serious opposition for this
office.

Mr. Knoph assisted in the organization
of the Olney Electric Light Company, in
1887, and was its secretary and treasurer.
He organized the Olney Elevator Com-
pany and one of the largest and most com-
plete elevators in the southern part of the
state was built, having a capacity of sixty
thousand bushels. Mr. Knoph afterwards
became its sole owner.

Mr. Knoph became traveling salesman in
1880, for the Cincinnati Wholesale Dry
Goods Company, giving his employers en-
tire satisfaction and showing that he had
much native ability in this line of work.

In 1882 our subject was elected president
of the First National Bank, of Olney. The
honor came unsolicited and as a surprise.
He quit the road and entered the bank and
has continued as its president ever since,
with a most excellent record, having built

496

5IOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

up the institution until it is regarded as one
of the soundest institutions in the southern
part of the state. It was organized De-
cember 6, 1865, with a capital stock of one
hundred thousand dollars, and its first offi-
cers were: Henry Spring, president; An-
drew Darling, cashier: the first board of
directors was William Newell, M. O. Kean,
H. Hayward, J. H. Parker, Jacob Kramer
and Robert Byers. In 1877 on account of
excessive taxation the capital stock was re-
duced to fifty thousand dollars, at which
it has since stood. In December, 1885, the
charter expired and was renewed. The bank
first occupied a small frame building in the
east part of town, but it prospered and went
gradually forward and in a very few years
became one of the solid institutions of the
state, being so recognized generally. It
was moved to its present splendid location
several years ago and a modern block was
purchased in which to house it properly.
It has the latest designs in safety deposit
boxes and all other necessary equipment.
The deposits in 1908 are four hundred thou-
sand dollars, loans and discounts two hun-
dred and sixty thousand dollars. The pres-
ent officers are Aden Knoph, president;
Deuel Gould, vice president; John T. Rat-
cliff, cashier; Nellie Levering, assistant
cashier.

In 1878 our subject was a candidate for
Supreme Clerk of the Southern District of
Illinois, embracing thirty-six counties, all
Democratic, but he was defeated. In 1894
Mr. Knoph made a tour through Illinois
with Major McKinley, . being an original

McKinley man. At the request of Mr. Mc-
Kinley our subject became the candidate for
delegate to the national convention from
this district. After the election he received
a letter from President McKinley, asking
him to call at the White House when con-
venient, for he desired to thank Mr. Knoph
for his interest in the election. This he did
later, and lunched with the President. He
prizes McKinley's letter very highly. In
1898 Governor Tanner, who was in the
subject's old regiment and a personal
friend, sent a message to the subject ask-
ing him to organize a regiment for the
Spanish-American war, which resulted in
his organizing the Nineteenth District Vol-
unteer Infantry, and Mr. Knoph was elect-
ed colonel of the same, but it was not called
on to go to the front, although it became
well drilled and everything was in readiness
due to the subject's untiring interest in the
same.

Mr. Knoph's domestic life began July i,
1869, when he was united in marriage with
Carliette Morehouse, a native of Richland
county, the daughter of O. B. and Mary
(Elliott) Morehouse, natives of Connecticut.
The Morehouse family was among the first
settlers in Richland county, which then in-
cluded a large territory. The father of
Mrs. Knoph was the first white child born
in the county. He was a farmer and later
a merchant of Olney. He and his wife are
now living retired.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Knoph has
been blessed with the birth of three children,
namely: Ada died at the age of twenty-two

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

497

years ; Edward, who married Mary Clutter,
resides in Freeport, Illinois, being conduc-
tor on the Illinois Central Railway, and
Maud married Edgar P. Cochennour, and
they reside in Pratt, Kansas. Her husband
is a conductor on the Rock Island Railway.

In his fraternal relations our subject is a
member of the Masonic Order, being past
eminent commander of the Templars. He
is also a member of the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, and belongs to sev-
eral fraternal insurance societies. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
while his wife beongs to the Episcopalian
church.

Mr. Knoph has always been in the public
eye and his friends have often sought him
for various public offices. At their solicita-
tion he was a candidate for nomination for
State Treasurer in 1904, and although he
received a large vote in the convention, he
failed.

The home of Mr. Knoph is a modern
and imposing one. His private library is
next to the largest in Olney, consisting of
many choice and carefully selected vol-
umes. Because of his genuine worth, his
past record of usefulness and honor, his
honesty of purpose and his friendly dispo-
sition, Mr. Knoph is held in high esteem by
all who know him, and is regarded as one
of the foremost citizens of the county.

JOSEPH H. WALKER.

The life of this venerable and highly re-
spected citizen has been led along lines of
32

honorable and useful endeavor and has re-
sulted in the accomplishment of much good
not only to himself but to those with whom
he has been associated. He has seen the
development of the West and has taken a
leading part in it, consequently in his old
age he can look back over a life well spent
and for which one should have no regrets.

Joseph Hill Walker was born in Beaver
county, Pennsylvania, twenty miles from
Pittsburg, October 19, 1822, and he lived
there until 1848 when he moved to Jackson
county, Ohio, and then to Marion county,
Illinois, in 1862. Our subject is the son of
William Walker, who was born in Beaver
county, the old Keystone state, in 1773. He
was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. Our
subject is one of nine children, six boys and
three girls.

Joseph Walker obtained what education
he could in the pioneer schools of his day.
He bought land in Marion county and be-
gan farming, but when the war between
the states began he gladly left his work
and his home and offered his services in de-
fense of the flag, enlisting in the army in
the quartermaster's department and served
three enlistments as a wagon maker, one
in West Virginia, one at Nashville, Tennes-
see, and one at Little Rock, Arkansas, hav-
ing been foreman of the wagon department
at the last named place. He learned the
trade of wagon making in Pittsburg, in
which city he worked at his trade for many
years. After the war he returned to Marion
county and resumed farming. He has been
a hard worker and has made all the ex-
tensive improvements on his farm which

498

r-IOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ranks well with Marion county's excellent
farms. He has a good residence and barn
and everything about his place shows thrift.
Our subject was married to Josephine
Miles, who was born in Jackson, Ohio, Sep-
tember 17, 1834. She came to this county
when twenty-six years old. There was no
town where Vernon now stands when she
came here. She was the daughter of Bran-
son and Angeline (Sargent) Miles. Bran-
son Miles was born in 1808, in Shenandoah
valley in Virginia. His wife was born in
Ohio in 1821. Our subject and wife mar-
ried October 9, 1850. His wife and family
drove from Ohio to Vandalia on the old
National Turnpike and from Vandalia to
Marion county during the war. The follow-
ing children have been born to the subject
and wife. Angeline, born December 3, 1851,
married Abner Moore, who is in the real
estate and insurance business at Irving, Illi-
nois. They are the parents of four chil-
dren. Frank, the subject's second child,
was born in 1854, and died in March, 1875;
Miles, born August 29, 1857, married Emily
Johnson. He is engaged in the creamery
business in Ewing, Missouri. They have
four children. Thomas B., born February
25, 1860, married Nora Jackson, later mar-
rying Mary Taylor, three children having
been born by the first union and one by the
second union. Thomas B. is station agent
at Patoka. Ellen, the subject's fifth child,
was born June 5, 1864. She married
Charles King, a factory manager in Chi-
cago, and they are the parents of two living
sons; Henry was born April 26, 1868, mar-

ried Mary Mealy. They live in St. Louis
and are the parents of three children.

Mr. Walker has devoted his life to farm-
ing and stock raising with great success, and
he now lives retired in Vernon. In politics
he is a stanch Republican, having first voted
for Henry Clay in 1844, although our sub-
ject never took a very active part in politics.
In religion he is a faithful supporter of the
Methodist church. Mr. Walker is widely
known in this section of the country and he
numbers his friends by the score, for he is
known to be thoroughly honest, a fine and
friendly old gentleman to meet, making all
feel at home who visit him.

JOHN C. BROCKMAN.

It requires considerable personal courage
and strong resolution to sever the ties which
bind one to home, friends, kindred and na-
tive land and seek a home in a foreign
country, where the language is unknown,
where manners and customs are strange
and where the future is uncertain, but John
C. Brockman took the risk incident to such
a course, nor has he been dissappointed in
the hope which led him to 'eave Germany
and come to the United States, a young
man of eighteen years at the time of his ar-
rival, possessing no capital save a willing-
ness to work and a strong determination to
succeed, which he has admirably done, as
we shall see by the study of the following
paragraphs, which will show the ease with

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

499

which thrifty Germans come to this coun-
try, achieving such financial success that it
is astonishing to most Americans. It need
not. however, be wondered at. The German
is more industrious and less extravagant
than the average American, for he realizes
the value of money and hoards his earnings.
He knows its power and ability to earn
other money for him in the way of interest.
The average American is much more a suc-
cess at spending money than he is at getting
or saving it. The record of Mr. Brockman
is not only one of industry but also of
honor.

John C. Brockman, now living in retire-
ment at Olney, Richland county, Illinois,
was born in Hanover, Germany, January
31, 1830, the son of Peter and Anna
(Gieschen) Brockman, also natives of Ger-
many, where they died; the former was a
carpenter and farmer. Our subject re-
mained in his native country until he
reached maturity and received a common
school education. He came to the United
States in 1848, believing that better oppor-
tunities existed here than in the Fatherland
for a man of his ambition. He first located
in St. Louis, Missouri, where he secured
work in a drug store, remaining in the same
for a few years and giving his employer
entire satisfaction. He was without money
when he landed there, but soon got a start
through his industry and economy. Later
he managed a confectionery store for a
time. In January, 1857, he located in
Xewton. Jasper county. Illinois, and in
1 86 1, in company with Walter Patrick.

raised a company for the Union army, our
subject being loyal to the stars and stripes
and espousing the national cause, giving
vent to his patriotism in a most laudable
manner. This company became Company
K, of the Fifty-fourth Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, and he and Patrick became partners
as sutlers of the regiment. Later the sub-
ject sold his interest and returned home.
Then he joined David Scott in the sutler
business of two companies in the Hitchcock
Battery, also at a later date had the sutler-
ship of the Eighth Kansas Regiment in
which he continued until the close of the
war. In the meantime a friend of John C.
Brockman had taken charge of the treas-
urer's office and was later elected to suc-
ceed him. The friend made a settlement at
the expiration of the term of the subject
while he was in the army and everything
proved satisfactory.

After the war Mr. Brockman and his
partner came to Olney in 1866, where the
firm name of D. Scott & Company, jobbers
and retail grocers, produce, etc., was
formed. They also established a small
stock of dry goods. They had a large busi-
ness in a short time which extended to
remote parts of this locality. They shipped
the first carload of dressed poultry from
Olney or Southern Illinois. Just after the
war was a time of high prices, and while
they did a big business for a few years it
was usually on a falling market and not al-
ways successful, but it brought much trade
to Olney and helped immeasurably to build
up the town. The partnership of this firm

lilOGKAPHICAI. AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

was dissolved in 1887, and the business
closed out. The subject then operated a
cafe and eating house which he successfully
conducted for a number of years. His res-
taurant was popular and he fed large num-
bers continuously.

Mr. Brockman owns a fine business prop-
erty on Main street and also a beautiful
residence property, having retired from ac-
tive business a few years ago, being one of
the oldest business men in town.

Our subject's domestic life began in
1854, when he was united in matrimony
with Mrs. Johanna Greninger, widow of
John Greninger, and who had two children,
Mary and William. She is a native of
Switzerland, who came to the United States
with her parents in 1845, locating in St.
Louis, Missouri. Mrs. Brockman has been
a faithful helpmeet. Five children have
blessed their home, namely : Anna, Caroline,
Louisa, Agnes, John F. They have re-
ceived educations and all give promise of
happy futures.

Mr. and Mrs. Brockman and their chi-
dren are adherents to the Catholic faith,
and faithful attendants of this church.

Mr. Brockman very ably and creditably
served as County Supervisor for one term,
during the time when the county was sued
for two hundred thousand dollars in rail-
road bonds.

The splendid success our subject has won
in life is due entirely to his own efforts.
There are few men who begun in a humble
way as he did when coming to this country,
who can show as much for their time and

talents as he can. It is all attributable to
the splendid qualities of head and heart of
which he is the possessor and which he has
so judiciously exercised.

WILLIAM ELICE COAN.

Among the residents of Richland county.
Illinois, who are especially worthy of no-
tice as having been active in the improve-
ment and prosperity of the county, and
have built up reputations which shall en-
dure for decades to come, none have figured
more prominently in their respective com-
munities or exerted a more beneficial influ-
ence on those about him than Mr. Coanr
whose life since coming to this county has
been closely interwoven with the progress
of the same. His leading aim has been to
provide well for his own and do good to
others, and those who have reason to know
are authority for the statement that no one
has dispensed his means with more liberal
hand to the deserving poor than has the
large-hearted, generous subject of this brief
review, whose long and unusually active
life has been so full of incident and worthy
deeds that it would be impossible here to
set forth all of them in detail. He early
realized the necessity for good citizenship,
and with strong mind and determined pur-
pose addressed himself to bringing about
this deserved result. His life has been a
power for good and hi si influence has al-
ways been exerted in behalf of whatever

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

501

tended to promote morality in his neighbor-
hood. When a mere boy he determined to
become a good man and a useful citizen, and
that he has successfully carried out his
original intentions is attested by a long life
fraught with so many beneficial results to
humanity. He has always been optimistic
enough to look on the bright side of life,
partly due to the encouragement and sym-
pathy of his worthy life companion, and,
unlike the majority of old men, he still re-
tains much of his youthful spirit and is
popular with all who know him.

He has indeed, borne well his part, and
now as life wanes and he proceeds toward
the twilight and the joureny's end, he car-
ries with him the respect and love of nu-
merous friends whose prayers are that his
years may yet be many in the land of the
living.

William Elice Coan. the scion of a sturdy
Southern family, was born in the state of
South Carolina, November 16, 1826. He
is the son of Isaac Coan, a man who bore
well his part in the pioneer days of the
old Palmetto state, established a good home
and reared a good family.

The parents of the subject of this sketch
were natives of Ireland and Virginia, the
mother's side of the house being well known
and influential in their native locality.

Mr. Coan had little opportunity to ob-
tain a high intellectual training, owing to
the fact that during his youth primitive
schools were taught only a few months out
of each year, and also the children of the
pioneers were compelled to assist in the im-

portant work of home building, but Wil-
liam E. has been a close observer and has
done much extensive miscellaneous reading
so that he is well informed on general
topics.

When he reached man's estate Mr. Coan
was united in marriage with Mary Ann
Whaley, daughter of a sterling old Hoosier
family, having been born in Pike county,
Indiana. Her father was William Whaley.

To Mr. and Mrs. William Elice Coan
four children were bom, namely: Francis,
Allen, William and Malica.

Mr. Coan has devoted his life principally
to agricultural pursuits which he has made
a success, having always been a hard work-
er and economical, so that in his old age
he is enjoying the well earned fruits of the
labor of his earlier years.

In his political relations Mr. Coan loyal-
ly supports the Democratic ticket.

HON. MARTIN D. FOSTER, M. D.

An enumeration of those men of the
present generation who have won honor and
public recognition for themselves and at
the same time have honored the state to
which they belong would be incomplete
were there failure to make prominent refer-
ence to the one whose name initiates this
review. He is characterized as a man of
great breadth of wisdom, indomitable per-
severance and strong individuality and yet
in his entire life there has not been one
esoteric phase, his history being as an open

502

I1IOCUAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

scroll, inviting the closest scrutiny. There
is, however, in him a weight of character,
a native sagacity and fidelity of purpose
which commands the respect of all and he
has left his impress for good, while yet a
young man, upon the political, medical and
business circles of Richland county, whose
interests he has ever had at heart.

Dr. Martin D. Foster was born in Ed-
wards county, Illinois, September 3, 1861,
the son of Blashel and Emily (Houser)
Foster, the former having been born near
Lexington, Indiana, and the latter at Sa-
lem, North Carolina. Grandfather Martin
Houser was a minister of the Moravian
church, one of the greatest, in fact, in this
country. He was a native of North Caro-
lina and moved in the early days to Indi-
ana, where he was identified with the early
history of the state, having established the
town of Hope, which he laid out. He later
moved to what is now West Salem, Ed-
wards county, Illinois. Grandfather Wil-
liam Foster was born in England, and be-
came a minister in the Christian church.
After coming to America he located on
government land near West Salem, in an
early day, many English settlers having
come to the same locality. Grandfather
Houser had eight daughters. He drove
from Hope, Indiana, to Salem, North Caro-
lina, taking two daughters at a time, taking
two every two years. They were educated
in a female seminary there. He made sev-
eral trips in that way. He preached on
Sundays and farmed through the week
days. He took up much land and became

wealthy for those days. The father of the
subject was reared and educated in Ed-
wards county and became a farmer, rearing
his family there. He and his wife now
live in Monmouth, Oregon, to which state
they moved in 1888. Five children were
bom to them, all of whom are living, the
subject of this sketch being the third in
order of birth.

Doctor Foster was reared on the farm
and received his early education in the
public schools. Being ambitious he studied
hard and later entered Eureka College. In
1880 he entered the Eclectic Medical Insti-
tute at Cincinnati, from which he grad-
uated with high honors in 1882. He later
graduated from the Hahnemann Medical
College in Chicago in 1894. In the fall of
1882 he located in Olney and began prac-
tice which he continued for many years,
his success being instantaneous from the
first and he built up a very large business,
his practice extending to all parts of the
county, being known as one of the best gen-
eral practitioners in this part of the state.

He continued to practice medicine until
he was elected Congressman. In the fall of
1904 he was a candidate for Congressman
on the Democratic ticket from the Twenty-
third district, but was defeated in the
Roosevelt landslide. In 1906 he was the
unanimous nominee for this office and was
elected by a majority of one thousand three
hundred and fourteen votes, and the able
and conscientious manner in which he
served his constituents soon proved their
wisdom in his selection. He was on the

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

503

Committee of Pensions, Mines and Mining,
and he made a splendid record, especially
was his work commendable in reference to
pensions. In the fall of 1908, Doctor Fos-
ter was nominated without opposition to
succeed himself, and with one exception he
carried every county in the district, includ-
ing' one county which Taft carried. His
home township, which is one hundred and
fifty Republican, he carried by three
hundred and fifty majority, and carried
the county by seven hundred and thirty-
one. This shows his high standing and
popularity in Rich land county and the
Twenty-third district. Doctor Foster was
elected Mayor of Olney in 1895, ^or
a term of two years and was again elected
in 1903 for two years. During his incum-
bency of this office he did many things that
will be of permanent benefit to the city and
community, making a record that was high-
ly praised by all. He served for four
years as president of the School Board, and
he was a member of the Board of Pension
Examiners for eight years.

The harmonious domestic life of Doctor
Fostor began in 1888 when he married
Alice Igo, who was born in Shelbyville. Il-
linois, the talented daughter of Samuel and
Catherine Igo. Mrs. Foster was called to
her rest in 1889. No children were bom
to this union. The subject was again mar-
ried, his second wife being Lulu B. Clifre,
a woman of gracious personality, whom he
married October 27, 1891. She is a native
of Olney, the daughter of Rev. William
and Martha (White) Cliffe, the former a
native of England and the latter of Indiana.

Reverend Cliffe was chaplain of the Ninety-
eight Illinois Regiment during the Civil
war and was a prominent minister of the
Methodist Episcopal church for many years.
He died in 1869. His wife is also de-
ceased.

Doctor Foster is a member of the Ma-
sonic Order, the Knights Templar, being
Past Eminent Commander of the latter ; he
is also a member of the Shrine, and is a
charter member of the Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, No. 926, and is Past
Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He
belongs to the Modern Woodmen of Ameri-
ca. He is a liberal subscriber to the Chris-
tian church of which he is a member. Mrs.
Foster is a faithful attendant of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church. Our subject is a
member of the National Eclectic Medical
Society and also the Illinois State Medical
Society.

Doctor Foster is widely and favorably
known throughout the state, his -abilities
well fitting him for leadership in political
and social life. The terms progress and
patriotism might be considered the keynote
of his character, for throughout his career
he has labored for the improvement of
every line of business or public interest with
which he has been associated, and at all
times has been actuated by a patriotic love
for his county and her welfare. No man
in Richland county is better known or held
in higher esteem, and because of the high
position he has gained so young in life, the
future must necessarily hold much of good
and promise for him.

504

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

HISTORY OF THE ST. JOSEPH'S

CATHOLIC CONGREGATION OF

OLNEY, RICHLAND COUNTY,

ILLINOIS.

In the beginning of the last century this
section of the country was but thinly set-
tled. Most of the country was timber. The
first Catholic settlement in this neighbor-
hood was that of Ste. Marie. In 1838, J.
Picquet landed on the shores of this country
from Alsace to seek for himself and
countrymen a home in the new world. He
journeyed on horseback from Philadelphia
to Chicago, which was then a little town.
He did not tarry long but started out for
St. Louis, Missouri, from which city he
came to Jasper county, Illinois. This sec-
tion of the country with its wide prairies
and extensive timber lands along creeks and
rivers pleased him. He secured a grant of
one thousand two hundred acres of land
from the government. With his few com-
panions he repaired to the spot he had se-
lected for his home.

His first act was to erect a cross on a
little hill and kneeling down he and his com-
panions sang the "Salve Regina," in honor
of the Heavenly Queen. The spot was
named "Ste. Marie." In the course of time
a church was built and the spiritual wants
of the little faithful band were attended to
from Vincennes. Later on a resident priest,
or rather a missionary, was located at Ste.
Marie, with headquarters at that place.
The various missions in the surrounding
neighborhood such as Mt. Carmel, Flora,

Carlyle and others were attended from
here. When the parish had grown to such
an extent that two priests were required for
all the work, an assistant was sent to Ste.
Marie to attend to the outlying missions.

Meanwhile the town of Olney had
sprung up on the Baltimore & Ohio line,
fifteen miles southwest of Ste. Marie.
Some few Catholic families from Ste. Marie
moved to the new place. The first priest
to visit them was Father Loghren. He
came in July, 1859. Services were held in
a brick building, the so-called O'Donnell
home. Thisl house is still in good condition
at 122 West North Avenue. Father Logh-
ren attended Olney until June, 1860, when
Father Sandrock, pastor of Ste. Marie, took
charge until February, 1861. So far no
services had been held on Sundays. In
February, 1861, Father John Vahey was in-
trusted with the Olney mission. Father
Vahey was a good organizer. It seems to
have been his particular work to visit dif-
ferent places with the result of establishing
churches. His principal work in Olney was
to collect funds for a church building.
Father Vahey was originally an Irish law-
yer and very fond of debating. He was
called away in July, 1861. For the next
six months Father Sandrock had no as-
sistant. The continuation of the work was
left to him. He succeeded in building the
church in the fall of the same year. The
site was donated by Tom Lilly. The
church was erected by the firm of Gadus &
Lutz. It was situated on what in now Fair
street.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

505

From January until July, 1862, the Rev.
H. J. Koven attended to Olney and was
succeeded by Father Thomas Walsh in Oc-
tober, 1862. Father Walsh was a fine speci-
men of manhood physically and a neat
dresser. He left in December, 1862. For
the next eighteen months no records of
baptisms are found on the books. During
this time Father Sandrock was without an
assistant and baptisms were conferred at
Ste. Marie. He would, however, occasion-
ally come to Olney and minister to the
spiritual wants of the faithful.

In June, 1864, the Rev. James Harty was
assigned to Olney as its first resident pas-
tor. He boarded for the greater part with
private families notably Frank Gillespie.
Father Harty was true to his name, a
hearty, genial gentleman, and a good
"mixer." He was in consequence well
liked by both Catholics and non-Catholics.
His health, however, was not robust. He
stayed but one year. From July until De-
cember, 1865, Father Sandrock again took
charge of Olney. In December, 1865, the
Rev. Patrick Dee was sent to Olney. He
boarded with a family named Hines. He
was a young energetic priest. During his
administration of the parish two acres of
ground were secured in the extreme south-
western part of town and set apart for a
Catholic cemetery. Father Vahey also or-
ganized a private school for Catholic chil-
dren with Miss Gillespie as first teacher.
Father Vahey went from here to Alton, but
soon after died in the St. Vincent hospital
at St. Louis.

Rev. A. "T. David succeeded him in June,
1868, but remained only until October of
the same year. Father David was an elder-
ly gentleman. In the fall of 1868 he built
an addition to the parsonage, added a
steeple to the church and placed bells in the
belfry. Messrs. Gallagher and Schilt were
the contractors. In January, 1869, Rev. P.
Kearney came to Olney and stayed until
October of the same year. He was ad-
vanced in years.

Next came Father Meckel, who is at
present in Alton, Illinois. He had just ar-
rived from the old country and was at once
assigned to Olney parish. He was pastor
from November, 1869, until August, 1874.
In 1871 Father Meckel built a school and
engaged a private teacher. Heretofore the
school had been conducted in the parsonage.
He was succeeded by Rev. J. B. Molitor,
who is now Rural Dean of the Alton diocese
and stationed at Newton, Illinois. Father
Molitor was in charge until January, 1877,
when Rev. J. W. Merscher was called to
Olney. In September, 1884. Rev. F. H.
Budde, who is now in Mt. Carmel, took
charge of Olney. He stayed until March,
1888. During his time the mission of
Stringtown was added to Olney.

In March, 1888, the Rev. J. B. Schnelten
was commissioned to the congregation at
Olney, which he faithfully held until No-
vember, 1906. In 1893 Father Schnelten
moved the church building to the corner of
East Chestnut and South Elliott streets.
The property consisted of three lots and
was bought of the Dowling estate and is

IIIOCRAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

favorably situated. A new parsonage was
also built in connection with the old church.
In 1906 Father Schnelten resigned the pas-
torate on account of ill-health. He retired
to Carrollton, Greene county, Illinois.
Father Schnelten was very well liked by all
who knew him. He was very genial and
gentlemanly in his character and diplomatic
in his ways. His successor is the present
incumbent, the Rev. J. B. Henken.

The Rev. John B. Henken was born Sep-
tember 4, 1870, near Germantown, Clinton
county, Illinois, of German parents. He
received his early education in country
schools. At the age of sixteen he began to
study Latin, and in the year 1888 entered
the Franciscan College at Teutopolis, Illi-
nois. The next year found him in Ouincy,
where he finished his classical studies. In
1893 he took up theological studies at the
St. Francis Seminary near Milwaukee, Wis-
consin. He was ordained priest June 16,
1895. His charge was as assistant at the
Belleville cathedral where he stayed one
year. For the following twelve months he
acted as substitute for different priests in
the diocese, viz: Four months at Ridgway,
six months at Damiansville, six weeks at
New Baden, six weeks at Centralia. In 1897
he was sent to Rosiclare, Illinois, as the
first pastor of that congregation. Here
he remained six years when he was trans-
ferred to Sandoval, Illinois. Here he
stayed three years, but through all that
time he was in poor health owing to a siege
of typhoid fever. In 1906 his bishop asked
him to take charge of Olney. During his

stay here Father Henken has succeeded in
erecting a two-story, brick building which
now serves the manifold purpose of school,
church and sisters' dwelling. The school
was opened January i, 1908,- with a roster
of forty-five. In the fall of the same year
four Ursuline sisters from Paolo, Kansas,
took charge of the school which now has
about seventy pupils. In February, 1908,
the furniture was moved from the old
church building to the second story of the
new school building which for the present
serves the purpose of a church. The con-
gregation now numbers eighty-five fam-
ilies. The parish is well organized, having
different societies which look to various
needs of church and parsonage. The old
church building serves as a hall for enter-
tainments. All in all the parish is prosper-
ing and bids fair to become one of the fore-
most in this section of the country.

ANDREW M. PEDDICORD.

The life record of this venerable citizen
of Patoka township is one of interest and in-
struction, for it has been active, always so
modulated as to be of the greatest service
to those whom it touched. He has lived to
see the transformation of a great country
from the primeval forests and the wild
prairies and he has performed well his part
in this great work.

Andrew M. Peddicord was born May 9.
1822, in Mason county, Kentucky, where

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

507

he lived in 1851, when he came to Jackson-
ville, Illinois, having- farmed sixteen miles
from Jacksonville, paying only two dollars
per acre for rent of land, the first cash rent
ever paid for land in that part of the county.
He was at the first state fair ever held in
Jacksonville. A few years later he came to
Marion county for the purpose of engaging
in farming. He first landed in Salem and
bought wild land here, which he improved.

Our subject is the son of Andrew and
Delilia (Eaton) Peddicord, being one of
fourteen children born to them, consisting
of seven boys and an equal number of girls.
They were said to be the healthiest and
finest looking family in Kentucky. The sub-
ject's father was born in Mason county,
Kentucky, and the subject's mother was
born in Harrison county, the Blue Grass
state, both being representatives from large
families.

Mr. Peddicord was united in marriage on
August 29, 1845, to Mary Foley, born
September 29, 1829, the daughter of Daniel
and Mildred (Mastison) Foley, the former
having been born in Virginia and the latter
in Kentucky. Ten children have been born
to our subject and wife as follows : Daniel
E., born May 18, 1848, married Katherine
Weeks and they are living in Decatur, Il-
linois; William M., born November 27,
1851, married Mary Tune; they are living
in Vernon and are the parents of six chil-
dren, two children being deceased ; Mollie
L. married E. Robinson; James L., born
January i, 1854, married Belle Mann, they
have one son and live near Odin; Martha

L., was born November 22, 1855; Ora An-
na, bom March 20, 1858, married Charles
Tillman, and they live in Springfield; Clay-
brook B. was born October 31, 1860, and
died in infancy; Charles M. was born Sep-
tember 26, 1862, and is deceased; John
Henry was born May 21, 1865, married
Ulga Friar, and they have three children.
He is engaged in the livery business at
Vernon.

Mr. Peddicord was one of those brave
sons of the great Prairie state, who offered
his assistance in saving the nation's integ-
rity during the dark days of the sixties, hav-
ing enlisted in Company G, Seventh Illinois
Cavalry in 1865, and served with credit
until the close of the war.

Our subject is a great lover of horses and
he has always kept some good ones about
him. His place used to be stocked with very
fine ones. He was said to have been the
finest horseman in Marion county in his
younger days. He had the reputation of
bringing more good stock to Marion county
than any other man. He was a well known
character in his younger days, and is today
possibly the best known man in the county.
He was a loyal friend of Judge Bryan,
father of William J. Bryan. Our subject
' saw the great Commoner when he was only
three days old. Mr. Peddicord has been a
man of thrift, unusual business ability and
foresight and he laid up an ample compe-
tence to insure his old age free from want.
He has been living in quiet retirement for
the past ten years. He has been a stanch
Mason, having been identified with the or-

5o8

lilOliUAL'MlCA], AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

der in Mason county, Kentucky. He is a
good Democrat, but notwithstanding his
ability and popularity he never took much
interest in politics. Our subject has been
a very able bodied man in his day, strong,
of fine appearance and much endurance, but
now his great weight of years is telling on
him and his eyesight and hearing have failed
considerably. He is an uncle of A. M. Ped-
dicord in Carrigan township, a well known
man whose sketch appears in full in this
work.

Mr. Peddicord has a comfortable home in
Vernon. He gets a pension of twenty dol-
lars a month. He has numerous friends
who are always glad to pay him the respect
due a man of his years and who has led a
useful and influential life.

HOX. THOMAS TIPPIT.

Illinois has been especially honored in
the character and career of her public and
professional men. In every county there
are to be found rising above their fellows,
individuals born to leadership, men who
dominate not alone by superior intelligence
and natural endowment, but by force of
character which minimizes discourage-
ments and dares great undertakings. Such
men are by no means rare in the great
Prairie state and it is always profitable to
study their lives, weigh their motives and.
hold up their achievements as incentives to
greater activity and higher excellence on

the part of others just entering upon their
struggles with the world. Such thoughts
are prompted by a study of the life record
of the gentleman whose name appears at
the head of this article who has long been
one of the prominent figures in Richland
county whose interests he has ever had at
heart and sought to promulgate.

Hon. Thomas Tippit was born in Olney,
Illinois, June 6, 1851, and he has been con-
tented to spend his life in his native com-
munity. He is the son of Matthew L. and
Sarah (Ellingsworth) Tippit, the former a
native of Tennessee, and the latter of Ohio.
Grandfather Tippit was a native of Vir-
ginia. He moved to Tennessee and in
T82O came to Illinois and located about six-
teen miles south of Olney, in what is now
Edwards county at a point now known as
Samsville. He was among the early pio-
neers in that wild country, but he did not
live long after coming to this state.
Matthew, the oldest of the two sons and
one daughter, was only about six years old
when his father died. The family experi-
enced many hardships in their struggle for
existence. Matthew, by hard work assisted
his mother in rearing the family, caring
for his crippled brother and sister. He
had no educational advantages other than
what he acquired himself by home study.
The family located in what is now Rich-
land county prior to the settling of Olney.
They took up land, a portion of which is
now within the corporate limits of Olney.
Matthew bought and sold much land in the
county and eventually became well-to-do.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

509

In 1849 ne went to California, having been
one of that famous band who crossed the
plains with an ox team. He remained in
that state two years and was successful in
mining. After returning to Richland
county he carried on extensive farming and
stock raising for years and died on the
place adjoining Olney at the age of fifty-
five years, in 1871. His wife passed away
in 1903, at the advanced age of eighty-six.
They were the parents of seven children,
five boys and two girls, the subject of this
sketch being the sixth in order of birth.

Thomas Tippit was born in a log cabin
north of Olney. He was reared on a farm
and received his education in the common
schools, assiduously applying himself to his
studies and took advantage of what oppor-
tunities he had, and attended high school
in Olney. When the subject's father died
he took charge of the farm and he has con-
tinued farming ever since, at present own-
ing one hundred acres of highly improved
land, all within the corporate limits of Ol-
ney, also owns land in Wayne county. For
years he has been extensively engaged in
the stock business, paying particular atten-
tion to horses, of which he is regarded as
an excellent judge. Until 1890 he bred
draft horses of a fine quality, but in that
year he discontinued draft horses and be-
gan breeding roadsters and trotters. He
now has from twenty-five to thirty head
almost all the time. They attract much at-
tention, being of a high grade and well
kept. His first horse to gain special prom-
ise was "Redbrook," registered and sired

by good masters. "Favorite Prince," with
a record of 2-22 1-4, in Indiana and Illi-
nois, gained some prominence and is now
nineteen years old in 1908. "Royal Prince"
is generally regarded as one of the best
horses ever in this part of trie state. Mr.
Tippit has also bought many good horses,
having raced them in a number of states.
The subject is known as one of the leading
horsemen of the state. He has a beautiful,
commodious and modern residence, with
well kept lawn and grounds. He also has
large and convenient bams and outbuild-
ings, in fact, everything about the place
shows prosperity, good taste and careful
management.

In politics Mr. Tippit is a Democrat. He
was Circuit Clerk by appointment to fill a
vacancy and so faithfully did he perform
his duties that he was elected three terms,
having served over twelve years in all. He
served as Master in Chancery from 1892 to
1896. In 1894 he was elected to represent
his district in the state Legislature, having
been re-elected in 1898, 1902, 1904. Dur-
ing his tenure of (his important office he
served his constituents in a most acceptable
manner, showing that he possessed rare in-
sight into the workings of the body politic,
was conservative, careful and calculating,
just as if he had been managing his own
business, and his counsel was often sought
and followed with gratifying results while
he was a member of that body. Many
things were accomplished by him in this
capacity that resulted in incalculable good
not only to the people of his own section

lilor.KAI'IIICAI. AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of the state but throughout the common-
wealth. One of the most important acts
of our subject was securing the adoption of
a resolution providing for the submittal of
the vote of the Legislature to elect a United
States Senator by direct vote of the people.
He was candidate for Speaker of the House
in 1901 and was defeated by only two
votes. In 1905 he was one of the four in
his party for candidate for Speaker of the
House, being elected and became by reason
of his candidacy the minority leader at that
session of his party. He was always
active and among the leaders of his party.
In 1908 he was also the candidate of his
party for election to the Legislature, and
was successful in this race.

Mr. Tippit was married in 1877 to Eva
Leaf, a native of Richland county, the tal-
ented daughter of George and Nancy
(Moore) Leaf, natives of Ohio, who came
to Richland county in 1854.

The home of the subject and wife has
been blessed by the birth of three boys and
one girl, namely: George M., who is living
in Oklahoma; Mabel, the wife of H. C.
Horrall, of Bridgeport, Illinois: Albert V.
is living at home: Thomas. Jr., is living in
Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Tippit is a Mason in his fraternal
relations, also a member of the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights
of Pythias, the Knights Templar and the
Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, having been past commander and
held other stations of the former.

From the foregoing brief outline of a
busv career, it is not difficult to arrive at a

just estimate of Mr. Tippit's character or
to fix his proper standing in the community.
Beginning life in moderate circumstances,
he has not only gained an honorable posi-
tion in the business world, but has also
lived to become a power in the political af-
fairs of the state and one of the most influ-
ential men in the development of his com-
munity. Interested in all that tends to
benefit his fellows, materially, educational-
ly and morally, his influence has always
been exerted in the right direction and
from what he has accomplished along the
lines to which his talents have been directed
it is clearly demonstrated that the world
has gained by his presence.

AMEL LUCAS.

The subject of this sketch, who is one of
the well known fanners of Foster township,
is a scion of one of the sterling French fam-
ilies whose presence in America has always
been most desirable, for it is a well known
fact that the French people are thrifty, en-
ergetic and intellectual wherever found,
therefore they always contribute much to
the development of any country, and the
subject's people were not unlike the rest of
the immigrants from that country.

Amel Lucas was born in Southern France
on January 16, 1842, the son of Pascale
and Louisa Lucas, both natives of Sonti,
France, the former being a farmer and came
to America in 1855 on a sailing vessel which
was thirty days in making the voyage, hav-
ing landed in New York City. He went

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

from there to Taylor county, West Virginia,
and purchased a farm of eighty acres. It
was partly improved. He lived on this
place until 1871 when he sold out and
moved to Grafton, West Virginia, where he
conducted a hotel until his death in August,
1892. His wife died in August, 1904. They
were members of the Catholic church. He
was a man who started in life in a small
way and by hard work and good manage-
ment he became well situated before his
death. Eight children were born to the sub-
ject's parents, namely; Marie, Frank and
Mary Ann, all three deceased; Amel, our
subject; Victor, who is living in Taylor
county, West Virginia, on a farm; John,
who is living at the same place, is a butcher ;
Albert is an engineer on the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad at Grafton, West Virginia,
having been an engineer on this road for the
past thirty years, in 1908; Louisa is living
in Grafton, West Virginia.

Our subject had only a limited education.
However, he attended the common schools
for several terms. He lived at home until
he was twenty years old and worked at
teaming for several years. He saved his
money and in 1872 came to Marion county,
Illinois, and located in Carrigan township,
where he secured one hundred and twenty
acres of land on which he lived, making a
success at farming for ten years, when he
sold out and moved to Foster township,
where he got two hundred acres at first and
being thrifty and a good manager, he added
to this until now he has a very fine farm of
three hundred and sixty acres. It was
.known as the old Lee place. The subject

built a comfortable, substantial and commo-
dious home, also a convenient barn and in
many ways improved the place, making it
equal to any in this township; everything
about the place shows thrift and prosperity.
He carries on general farming with that
discretion and foresight that always insures
success. He is also considered an excellent
judge of live stock and devotes much of his
time to stock raising, no small part of his
income being derived from this source. No
more up-to-date farm is to be found within
the borders of Marion county, and no better
farmer than Mr. Lucas lives in this locality.

Our subject was happily married March
15, 1870, to Sarah E. Osborne, of Mononga-
hela county, West Virginia. She is the re-
fined and affable daughter of Richard and
Elinore (Britt) Osborne. They formerly
lived in Pennsylvania, then came to West
Virginia and lived there the remainder of
their lives. Mr. Osborne was a wheel-
wright, wagon maker and carpenter. He
died in 1881 and his wife passed to her rest
in 1851. Mrs. Lucas was their only child.
They were known as influential and highly
respected people in their community.

To the subject and wife eight children
have been born, namely: Theodore Britt,
who runs teams and a dray at Cement,
Oklahoma; Frank is a farmer in Foster
township ; Lou married E. Lynch, of Foster
township; Mollie is the wife of Isaac Walk-
er, of Patoka township; Annie is the wife
of Otis Davidson, of Tonti township; Os-
borne, Magnes and Millicent are all living
at home.

Mr. Lucas served very creditably as a

512

HOCKAI'IIJCAT. AND KK M I MSCK.XT HISTORY OF

member of the local school board of Foster
township for a period of twenty years, dur-
ing which the cause of education in this
township received an impetus which had
never before been known. He has held
other minor offices, always with credit. He
is a loyal Democrat.

Mr. Lucas deserves much credit for what
he has accomplished in the business world,
having started life a poor man, and he has
gained a position of ease and prominence in
his community through his own unaided ef-
forts, by hard work, good management and
sound common sense which always brings
tangible results when properly exercised.
Because his industry, his honesty of pur-
pose and his public-spirit and his loyalty to
all movements looking to the good of the
locality where he lives, he is highly
respected by all who know him.

IRA C. MORRIS.

It is a pleasure to investigate the ca-
reer of a successful, self-made man. Pe-
culiar honor attaches to that individual who,
beginning the great struggle of life alone
and unaided, gradually overcomes unfavor-
able envi'ronment, removes one by one the
obstacles from his pathway to success and
by the force of his own individuality suc-
ceeds in forging his way to the front and
winning for himself a position of esteem
and influence among his fellow men. Such
is the record, briefly stated, of the popular

citizen of Marion county, Illinois, to a brief
synopsis of whose life and character the
following paragraphs are devoted, and while
yet a young man has shown himself to be
able to successfully compete with all classes
of men in the business world.

Ira C. Morris was born in Marion county,
May 5, 1883, the second son of William and
Elizabeth Morris, whose family consisted of
six children.

Our subject attended the public schools in
his native community where he diligently ap-
plied himself and where he made much
headway in his studies. He also went one
term to Alma College in Marion county.
After leaving school he decided that the life
of the farmer offered the greatest ad-
vantages for a man of his temperament, con-
sequently he soon entered this work and has
devoted his time and undivided attention
to it ever since with the result that he is
today one of the most progressive and sub-
stantial of the younger farmers of Kin-
mundy township, where he owns a fine and
highly productive farm of sixty-seven
acres.

Our subject was united in marriage to
Laura Lewella Lambom, the pleasant and
congenial daughter of I. M. and Margaret
Lamborn, both natives of Jasper county,
Indiana. The subject's wife was born in
Indiana, being a native of Jasper county at
Rensselaer, November 28, 1882. Her
mother is deceased. Mr. Lamborn is living
in Tennessee. Mrs. Morris has three
brothers and one sister living, all married
with the exception of one of the brothers.

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

513

She was educated in the public schools of
her native city and her subsequent life has
been filled with good deeds to others, being
a woman of gracious demeanor and kind
hearted to anyone in need.

Two children have been born to our sub-
ject and wife, a boy and a girl, namely:
Vera L., whose date of birth occurred April
16, 1903; and Billie Morris, Jr., who is four
years old, having been born June 20, 1904.
They are bright and interesting children,
who are receiving ever care and attention
possible at the hands of their fond parents.

Our subject is a loyal Democrat in his
political affiliations, and while he does not
aspire to public office, he takes considerable
interest in political matters always casting
his vote for whom he deems to be the most
honest and best fitted to fill local offices,
where the interests of the public must be
conserved. Fraternally he is a member of
the Masonic Order, Kinmundy Lodge No.
398, and is junior deacon in the same. He
is also a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, Rosedale Lodge No. 354,
at Kinmundy.

THE JENNINGS FAMILY.

This old and well known family has lived
so long in America that little of its early
history can be learned and it is not posi-
tively known from what country the found-
ers of the American branch came, though
from the name, the nationality is supposed
to be English. Sufficient has been learned,
33

however, to fix the date of immigration to
the colonies at a very early period, inasmuch
as several generations have been identified
with the settlement and development of dif-
ferent parts of the United States and for
over ninety years various representatives
of the family have figured prominently in
the history of Marion and other counties of
Southern Illinois. Israel Jennings, the
first ancestor of whom anything definite is
known, is supposed to have been a native
of Maryland, where his birth occurred about
the year 1774. When a youth he went to
Mason county, Kentucky, and settled at
Maysville, where about 1799 or 1800 he
married Miss Mary Waters, of whose na-
tivity or genealogy there is no record. After
living in the above state until about 1818,
Mr. Jennings moved to Illinois and located
six miles southeast of Centralia, the country
at that time being almost as nature had made
it with only a few sparse settlements long
distances apart, the majority of the inhabit-
ants consisting of straggling bands of In-
dians, whose principal village was near the
present site of Walnut Hill. Entering a
tract of government land, he at once ad-
dressed himself to the task of developing
a farm and founding a home in which laud-
able undertaking he succeeded admirably,
for in due time he became not only the lead-
ing farmer and stock raiser of his section
of the country but also one of the most en-
terprising and public-spirited citizens of Jef-
ferson county, to which this part of the
state then belonged. It is a matter of inter-
est to note that his entry was the second

riOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY

purchase of government land in what is now
Marion county, and that it was made in
1819, one year after Illinois became a state.
Mrs. Jennings departed this life October 30,
1845, tne mother of eight children, whose
names are as follows: Israel, Jr., who is
survived by eleven children; George, de-
ceased; Charles Waters, deceased, who had
a family of eight children; William W.;
Elizabeth, who married William Davidson;
America, wife of George Davidson; Mary,
married Edward White, and Ann, who be-
came the wife of -Rufus P. McElwain. All
are deceased. William W. died recently at
Alvin, Texas. Mr. Jennings was again
married, but the second union was without
issue. He died August 7, 1860.

For a number of years Israel Jennings
held worthy prestige among the prominent
citizens of Marion county and took an ac-
tive and influential part in the development
of the country. He was a leader in many
enterprises for the social and moral ad-
vancement of his fellow men, a liberal con-
tributor to churches and educational institu-
tions and all laudable measures for the good
of the community found in him a warm
friend and earnest advocate. He early be-
came prominent in public affairs and in
1827 was elected to the lower house of the
Legislature, being the third representative
from Marion county. He was one of the
leading Democrats of the county and his in-
fluence as a politician, together with valu-
able services rendered his party, made him
widely known and led to his appointment in
1834 as postmaster at Walnut Hill, which
position he held for many years. He was

more than ordinarily successful in business
matters and accumulated a handsome for-
tune, being at one time the largest land
owner in the county and one of the only
two men in this part of the state to own
slaves. A man of strong character, un-
questioned integrity and upright Christian
principles, he exerted a wholesome influ-
ence on all with whom he mingled and his
death, which occurred in the year 1860, re-
moved from Marion county one of its lead-
ing citizens and prominent men of affairs.

Charles Waters Jennings, third son of
Israel and Mary Jennings, was born Janu-
ary 8, 1802, in Mason county, Kentucky,
and accompanied his father to Illinois in
1818, settling within a half mile of the lat-
ter and like him becoming a successful tiller
of the soil. He was married on December
14, 1826, to Maria Wood Davidson, who
bore him the following children : Josephus
Waters, deceased, who lived near the home
of his father ; Harriet married B. F. Mar-
shall and died at Salem, Illinois, May 3,
1901 ; Sarah married Robert D. Noleman,
of Centralia, both deceased; Mariah Eliza-
beth, deceased, was the wife of the late
Judge Silas L. Bryan, of Marion county,
and mother of Hon. William Jennings Bry-
an; America, deceased, married William C.
Stites, then a resident of Marion county;
Nancy, wife of Dr. James A. Davenport,
lives in Salem; Docie, now Mrs. A. Van
Antwerp, lives at St. Louis, Missouri, and
Z. C., who is living near the town of
Walnut Hill. Charles W. Jennings died
August 1 8. 1872.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

515

Charles Waters Jennings was a man of
high standing in the community, successful
as a farmer and stock raiser, and his char-
acter was ever above the suspicion of re-
proach. Courteous in his relations with his
fellows and the soul of honor in all his
dealings, he measured up to a high stand-
ard of manhood and citizenship and made
the world better by his presence. By good
business management he succeeded in amas-
sing a sufficiency of this world's goods to
place him in easy circumstances, owning at
the time of his death one thousand acres of
valuable land, the greater part improved,
and the source of a liberal income. He was
called from earth on August 18, 1872, his
wife following him to the grave April 3d,
of the year 1885.

Josephus Waters Jennings, the oldest of
the family of Charles W. and Maria W.
Jennings, was born on the homestead near
Walnut Hill, Marion county, October 29,
1827. He was reared under excellent pa-
rental influences, received the best educa-
tion which the schools during his childhood
and youth afforded and while still a young
man, engaged in merchandising at Walnut
Hill, to which line of trade he devoted his
attention with gratifying success until 1856.
Disposing of his business that year, he
moved to his farm near by and during the
encuing forty-four years followed the life of
a tiller of the soil in which pursuit he was
also successful as his continued advancement
bore witness.

Amanda Couch, whom Mr. Jennings
married on the 24th day of November, 1850,

was born in Marion county, Illinois, Janu-
ary 8, 1834, being the daughter of Milton
and Nancy (Baird) Couch, early residents
of the county and representatives of well
known and highly esteemed families. Dur-
ing the three years following their marriage,
Mr. and Mrs. Jennings lived at Walnut
Hill, but at the expiration of that time,
changed their residence to a farm in section
26, Centralia township, where Mr. Jennings
engaged in agriculture and stock raising on
quite an extensive scale and met with finan-
cial success commensurate with the energy
which he displayed in all of his undertak-
ings. He also manifested an active interest
in public and political matters and was long
one of the leading Democrats and influential
politicians of the county, besides achieving
much more than local reputation in party
circles, throughout the southern part of the
state. He served for some years as As-
sociate Judge of Marion county, the duties
of which position he discharged very accept-
ably, also filled the office of Supervisor sev-
eral terms, and in 1850 was elected Coroner.
During the Civil war he was Deputy Col-
lector of internal revenue, later served as
Deputy Sheriff and for several years was
Justice of the Peace, an office for which
his sound sense, well balanced judgment and
love of justice peculiarly fitted him. His
official career was eminently honorable and
he proved an efficient and very popular pub-
lic servant, adorning every position to which
he was called and fully meeting the high ex-
pectations of his fellow citizens.

The children, of Mr. and Mrs. Jennings,

lilOCKAI'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

nine in number, are as follows: Mary R.,
who married I. N. Baldridge, of Walnut
Hill; Charles E., who is noticed at some
length further on; Frank E., of Centralia;
Daisy, deceased, who married O. V. Kell,
also of that city ; Hon. William S. Jennings,
ex-Governor of Florida; Mrs. Nannie D.
Stover, Mrs. Eva Shaw and Thomas J. are
three living at Walnut Hill, and Mrs. Eliza-
beth Wheeler, whose home is in Kalamazoo,
Michigan. Mr. Jennings was a man of pro-
found religious convictions and in early life
united with the Methodist Episcopal church,
of which he continued a faithful and con-
sistent member to the end of his days. He
died November 20, 1890, in the full assur-
ance of a triumphant resurrection. His
widow, who lives on the old homestead, has
reached the age of seventy-six and retains
to a remarkable degree the possession of her
powers, both mental and physical. She is
one of a family of six children, three are
living. Robert Couch, whose home is at
Marissa, Illinois, and Porter, who resides at
the town of Sparta, this state. Milton
Couch, the father, was a son of James and
Elizabeth Couch, the former a native of
North Carolina and among the early pio-
neers of southern Illinois.

ALEXANDER W. FISHER.

An illustration of skill as a farmer as well
as the ability to concentrate efforts along
some special line until success is achieved

in that undertaking is found in the case of
our subject, who is not only a successful
farmer as that term is understood but has
also made a specialty of breeding Poland-
China hogs, Mr. Fisher being a standard
authority in this remunerative industry.

Alexander W. Fisher was born in
Marion county, Illinois, on the i6th of Janu-
ary, 1870, the son of E. A. and Susan
(Louis) Fisher, both of whom are among
the county's substantial and highly respected
citizens. They are members of the Metho-
dist denomination and were the parents of
a robust family of eleven children, of whom
Alexander was the eight in order of birth.
This family circle was one typical of its
kind, the tie of kindred fellowship being
strong, and the fireside brightened with the
light of domestic happiness and harmony.

Our subject received his early education
in the Kagy district school, but farm life was
also an instrument in his trainings, develop-
ing in him that sturdy independence and
wholesome self-reliance that has character-
ized his subsequent career.

On August 6, 1890, Mr. Fisher was mar-
ried to Nannie H. Stevens, daughter of Le
Roy and Mary Stevens, resident of this
county. She is the youngest of five chil-
dren , is a woman of excellent tastes and
refined judgment, and is proving to be a
most excellent mother. In this latter ca-
pacity she has adorned the home with four
children, all of whom show the results of
uplifting parental influence and affection.
The children are: Georgia B., born Octo-
ber 27, 1891 ; Milton E., born January 9,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

1894; Clarence S., born February 16, 1895,
and Mamie M., born March 12, 1896; Clar-
ence S. died March 31, 1895.

Mr. Fisher owns and operates a farm of
seventy acres, all under cultivation. It im-
presses the visitor at once as bearing the
marks of thrift and industry and shows
economy in its management. The Fisher
homestead is one where neighbors and
friends find at all times a hearty welcome,
and is surrounded with an atmosphere of
friendliness and sociability.

Mr. Fisher takes an active interest in the
general affairs of the community and affili-
ates with the Democratic party, but has
never aspired to political prominence. He
is satisfied to discharge his obligations as
a citizen by lending his support at the bal-
lot box to such men as will discharge their
official duties with the utmost conscientious-
ness and integrity.

CHARLES EDGAR JENNINGS.

The subject of this sketch has not only
gained recognition and prestige as a promi-
nent and successful member of the Marion
county bar, but has also kept in touch with
all that relates to the material progress and
general prosperity of his home city, being
known as one of the enterprising and pub-
lic-spirited citizens of Salem, having con-
tributed both by influence and tangible aid
to all legitimate projects which have tended
to conserve the best interests of the com-

munity. In the legal circles of Souther
Illinois, his reputation is second t
none of his contemporaries, indeed ther
are few lawyers in the state whose succes
has been so continuous and uninterrupted c
who have achieved as high distinction i
their profession. Endowed by nature wit
in active and brilliant mind which has bee
cultivated and strengthened by much stud
and discipline, he has made rapid progres
in his chosen calling and today he stand
admittedly at the head of the bar in the fiel
to which the major part of his practice i
confined, besides yielding a commandin
influence among the leaders of his profe;
sion in other parts of the state.

Charles Edgar Jennings, second child an
oldest son of Josephus Waters and Amand
(Couch) Jennings, is a native of Mario
county, Illinois, and dates his birth fror
January 7, 1855. After receiving a pn
liminary education in the public schools, h
entered Irvington Illinois Agricultural Co'
lege, where he took a scientific course an
from which he graduated June 16, 187;
with an honorable record as a diligent an
critical student. He taught one term in th
public schools, prior to his collegiate cours<
and after graduating took charge of th
school at Walnut Hill, which he had attend
ed in his childhood and youth, meetini
with encouraging success as an instructo
and disciplinarian and fully satisfying bot
pupils and patrons.

Having decided to make the legal profe<
sion his life work, Mr. Jennings in 187
became a student of the Union College o

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Law, Chicago, Department of North Wes-
tern University, where he prosecuted his
studies and received his degree on June 5,
1878, the diploma from this institution be-
ing his passport to admission to the bar by
the Supreme Court without further exam-
ination. This court being in session at
Mount Vernon the month of his graduation,
he presented his diploma and was duly ad-
mitted to practice, following which he
formed a partnership with the late Judge
Bryan of Salem, which lasted until the
death of the latter in 1880 and which in the
meantime became known as one of the
strongest and most successful legal firms
not only in Marion county, but in Southern
Illinois. His license to practice which bears
the date of June n, 1878, was signed by
Hon. Sidney Breese, the distinguished pio-
neer jurist of Illinois, this being among the
last official acts in the long and eminently
honorable career of this eminent man.

Mr. Jennings was Master in Chancery
from 1885 to 1889, resigning the position
the latter year to assume his duties as
State's Attorney to which office he was
elected in 1888 and the duties of which he
discharged with credit to himself and to the
satisfaction of the public for a period of
twelve years. A pronounced Democrat, he
has long been a power in local politics and
to him as much as any one man is due the
success of his party, in a number of cam-
paigns to say nothing of his influence in con-
tributing to the triumph of the district, state
and national tickets. As stated in the begin-
ning Mr. Jennings has kept in close touch

with enterprises and measures, having for
their object the material progress and social,
intellectual and moral advancement of the
city in which he resides. He served a number
of years on the local school board, part of
the time as president of the body and dur-
ing his incumbency, labored earnestly to
promote an interest in educational matters
and advance the standard of the schools of
the city in which laudable endeavor his suc-
cess was most gratifying. Believing knowl-
edge when properly disseminated, to be tot
the perpetuity of the state and the happiness
and best interests of the people, he has been
untiring in his efforts in behalf of institu-
tions of learning, especially those of the
higher grades, and his advice to young peo-
ple has been to take advantage of the oppor-
tunities which the high school, the college
and the university present in the way of pre-
paring for the duties of life and the obliga-
tions of citizenship.

Since the death of Judge Bryan, Mr. Jen-
nings has been alone in the practice of law
and as already indicated he is now one of
the leaders of the bar of Southern Illinois,
with a large and lucrative professional busi-
ness in the courts of his own and neigh-
boring counties. The keynote of his charac-
ter seems to be an intense and absolute fix-
ety of purpose, a dominating resolve to rise
and make his influence felt and in the court
as well as the public arena, he has not been
content to occupy a second place. He moves
in only one direction and that is forward
and the success and eminent standing al-
ready achieved bespeak still greater ad-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

519

vancement in his profession and higher hon-
ors in years to come.

Mr. Jennings has been twice married, the
first time on May 5, 1880, to Daisy Martin,
youngest child of Gen. James S. Martin, of
Salem, the union resulting in the birth of
two children; Hazel, and a son that died
in infancy. Mrs. Jennings died July 12,
1894, and on June loth of the year 1903,
Mr. Jennings entered the marriage relation
with Maude Cunningham, daughter of M.
R. Cunningham, of Salem.

Fraternally, Mr. Jennings is a Mason of
high degree, having passed all the chairs in
the local lodge to which he belongs, be-
sides representing it at different times in
the Grand Lodge. He has spent his entire
life within the bounds of his native county,
has labored hard to reach the high place in
professional circles which he now occupies,
and in the true sense of the term, he is a
self-made man and as such is certainly en-
titled to the universal esteem in which he is
held and the high honors with which his
career has been crowned.

GEORGE S. FYFE.

Although the character of the immigrants
that come to America today seems to be
changing, yet there is not a single doubt
but that in years past some of the most
sturdy, energetic and progressive people liv-
ing upon our soil were the ones that come to
us from foreign lands. They have brought
to us not only the spirit of thrift and en-

durance, but have contributed to the loyal
American spirit to a degree which can
hardly be overestimated. Among the many
worthy of mention in this connection we
refer to Mr. and Mrs. George S. Fyfe, of
Alma, Illinois. Mr. Fife was born at Dun-
dee, Scotland, January 20, 1820, and his
life experiences have been most interesting
and varied. He became a machinist by
trade, serving as an apprentice in his native
town, at the end of which period he went
to London, and there followed his trade for
two years, but not being fully satisfied with
the confinement incident to the work in
which he was engaged, he kept alert for an
opportunity for a wider experience and this
came to him, when he enlisted in the Turkish
navy as an engineer. His father, George
Fyfe, was a sea captain before him and the
son seemed to inherit the father's spirit for
a life of travel and adventure. He remained
in the Turkish navy for three years and
during this time and thereafter he traveled
in many countries, spending considerable
time in Palestine and Egypt, sailing up the
Nile from Alexandria to Cairo, where
Moses was born, and where Paul wrote his
speech to the Philistines. Here he saw the
noble Egyptian obelisk, that famous shaft
of stone that lay for centuries prostrate upon
the sands, but which was later, -at great
expense, taken to New York and set up once
more to mark the path of the sun by day and
at night to point again to the same glittering
stars that have studded the clear Egyptian
skies since the daybreak of time. Here,
also, he stood under the shadows of the
pyramids, those wonders of ages past that

520

i:i(M,U AI'IIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

have been the marvel of mankind through-
out all history.

Mr. Fyfe also had a brother who was a
sea captain, now deceased, and another
whose home was in Melbourne, Australia.

After coming to America, Mr. Fyfe spent
some time in Boston, and it was here that he
was married to Miss Hutchinson Spinks, on
February 5, 1852. Miss Spinks is also of
Scotch descent, having emigrated to
America from her native land when sailing
vessels were the ones most used for cross-
ing the broad Atlantic. Ten children were
born to this union.

When Mr. Fyfe came west he bought
mostly prairie land from the Illinois Cen-
tral Railroad. Mr. Fyfe now has a fine
farm to show for his energy and application.
Both he and his wife have used good judg-
ment in their work, and Mrs. Fyfe, though
seventy-seven years old, has never worn
glasses. They belong to the Baptist church,
although their parents before them were
Scotch Presbyterians. Mr. Fyfe affiliates
with the Republican party and through his
calm judgment and broad minded experi-
ence has done much to advance the cause of
good citizenship in the community.

HENRY F. KELCHNER.

When we state in an initiative way that
the honored subject of this sketch has re-
sided for fifty-six years in Marion county,
having devoted his attention to agricultural

pursuits during that time, the significance
of the statement is evident in that it must
necessarily imply that he is one of the pros-
perous farmers of the community.

Henry F. Kelchner was born in Pennsyl-
vania, September 23, 1828, the son of David
and Elizabeth (Follmer) Kelchner, who
were the parents of four children : Henry,
our subject being the second in order of
birth. He has one brother and two sisters.
Our subject attended the common schools
in his native community in the Keystone
state, where he received a fairly good edu-
cation, assisting his father with the work
about the place. As already indicated he
came to Illinois in 1852, arriving here in
the month of June and after working at
whatever he could secure that was honor-
able and remunerative, he married on Jan-
uary n, 1855, Lucy C. Lovell, and to this
union these children were born: Robert B.,
who married Belle Ritter, and to whom one
daughter was born; Eugene married Hattie
Samuels, living in Tazewell county, this
state, and they are the parents of one
daughter; Ida married George Asher and
they have seven children; Katie married G.
E. Brandeberry, and is the mother of one
son; Harvey F. married Clara Millican, the
daughter of Filmore and Maggie ( Porter)
Millican.

Henry F. Kelchner was one of the sturdy
and patriotic sons of the North who be-
lieved it his duty to do what he could in
suppressing the great rebellion, consequent-
ly he enlisted at Springfield. Illinois, in
September, 1861, in Company K. Thirty-

RICH LAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

521

third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under
Colonel Hovey and Charles E. Lippencott,
as captain. His first battle was at Freder-
icksburg and he took part in many other
battles and skirmishes in which this regi-
ment was engaged, always conducting him-
self as a brave soldier. He was mustered
out in Springfield in September, 1864, and
as a reward for his faithful services he is
remembered by his government with a pen-
sion of twenty dollars per month.

Our subject is the owner of a fine and
highly improved farm, consisting of one
hundred and thirty acres, sixty-five acres of
which are in cultivation. He carried on
general farming, but now in his old age he is
leading a practically retired life at the home
of his son, Harvey.

Mr. Kelchner has always been a public-
spirited man and in 1882 he was nominated
on the Union Labor ticket for Circuit Clerk.
He has very ably and acceptably filled the
offices of Town Clerk, School Director and
Township Treasurer.

He votes a mixed ticket, always believing
in honesty in politics and preferring to
place the best men possible in local and na-
tional offices. He is a Prohibitionist at
heart, and he believes in a Democratic gov-
ernment. Religiously he is a member of
the Christian church.

Although Mr. Kelchner is eighty years
old he still has a very bright mind and is
well read and keeps abreast of the times.
Having during his entire life been closely
identified with the interests and develop-
ment of whatever section of the country he

lived in. By close application to the duties
which lay before him, he has won his way
into the hearts of the people who know him.

TILMON J. ROGERS.

There can never be aught but apprecia-
tion of the services of the men who fol-
lowed the stars and stripes on the sanguin-
ary battle fields of the South during the
most crucial epoch of our national history.
One of the honored veterans of the war of
the Rebellion, who went forth as represen-
tative of Marion county patriotism is the
subject of this tribute, who has passed the
greater portion of his useful life in this
county.

Tilmon J. Rogers was born in Maury
county, Tennessee, February 24, 1842, the
son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Alderson)
Rogers, the former a native of Tennessee,
where he was born in 1801. The latter was
also born in that state, the date of her birth
occurring in 1811. There were ten chil-
dren in this family, an equal number of
boys and girls, our subject being the eighth
in order of birth.

Tilmon J. Rogers came with his parents
to Marion county, Illinois, when ten years
old, in 1852. The family rented a farm
and made a good living in the new home.

Our subject drove an ox team to break
the ground in this county, and assisted with
the farm work until he reached maturity,
having gone to school but very little. How-
ever he learned to spell, read and write but

522

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

he never studied arithmetic a day, but prac-
tice in the business world has been his edu-
cator and he counts interest and all meas-
urements mentally. His first school was in
Tennessee, a subscription school. He has
always been a hard worker and is even now
a strong man both physically and mentally,
keeping well posted on current events and
is therefore an interesting conversationalist.

Mr. Rogers was united in marriage in
1866 with Martha C. Clack, daughter of B.
B. and Cornelia (Vanduzen) Brown, who
were the parents of seven children, six girls
and one boy. Mrs. Rogers' mother was born
in Edgar county, Illinois, in 1825. Seven chil-
dren have been born to our subject and wife,
three boys and four girls, namely: Emory
J., who was married to Lora Keller, is the
father of two children, both girls; Laura
Stella married Frank Arnold, and they have
five children, four of whom are living, three
boys and one girl ; Vantoliver married Lu-
ella Stevens, and they have one son ; Henry
O. married first Leona Arnold, by whom he
has one daughter; his second marriage was
to Edith Southward and one daughter has
also been born to this union ; Martha C.
married John Davis; Nellie E. married Lu-
ther Beard and they are the parents of two
sons; Bessie T. died at the age of eleven
years. These children all received fairly
good common school educations and are
comfortably situated in reference to this
world's affairs.

Tilmon J. Rogers was one of the patriotic
citizens of the fair North who believed that
it was his duty and privilege to offer his

services and life, if need be, in defence of
his country's integrity, which was threat-
ened during the dark days of the sixties,
consequently he enlisted August 14, 1862, in
Company E, One Hundred and Eleventh
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under J. M.
Martin, and was in the service nearly three
years, having taken part in many a hard-
fought battle, being wounded at Resaca,
Georgia, May 14, 1864, having been struck
in the right arm by a musket ball which
took effect near the shoulder. He was in
the hospital but a short time as a result of
this wound. He was in a number of en-
gagements while in Sherman's march from
Atlanta to the sea. He was discharged
June 28, 1865, at Washington City, after
which he went to Springfield, Illinois, where
he received his pay, then he came back to
Marion county and took up farming, at
which he has prospered ever since.

In politics Mr. Rogers is a loyal advocate
of the principles fostered by the Democratic
party, and while he has never found time to
take much interest in active political affairs
his vote is always cast for the men whom
he believes will best serve the public inter-
ests. In religious matters his parents were
Missionary Baptists on his mother's side.
Personally Mr. Rogers adheres to the prin-
ciples of good citizenship and believes in at-
tending strictly to his own affairs.

He owns a valuable and highly improved
farm of one hundred and eighty-five acres,
having lived on the same since the fall of
1867, and during his lapse of years he has
seen this county undergo great changes.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

523

ORVILLE T. WALTON.

The subject of this sketch has passed his
life in Marion county, and as a representa-
tive of one of the honored families early set-
tled in this section he is well entitled to rep-
resentation in this volume.

Orville T. Walton was bora in Patoka
township, Marion county, November 6,
1868, the son of Iradell and Louisa (Fos-
ter) Walton, both natives of Illinois. They
lived mostly in Patoka and Foster town-
ships, having come to the latter in 1869 and
settled in section 19. He first purchased
sixty acres and later sixty acres more were
added and then another sixty acres, still
later, forty-eight acres, all in Foster town-
ship and twenty acres in Patoka township,
having always been a farmer, well known
and highly respected by all ; an active Dem-
ocrat, having served as Town Clerk and
Treasurer, and he was a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. His death
occurred April 17, 1897, and his wife passed
to her rest April 27, 1900. The subject's
grandfather and grandmother Walton both
died of cholera in 1849. Iradell Walton
and wife were the parents of eleven chil-
dren, namely: Monroe, a farmer in Foster
township, who married Harriet Friend, the
latter dying January, 1908; Rosie Maud,
now deceased, married Arthur Irvin ; Rachel
married Marshall Livesay, of Foley, Mis-
souri; Lillian married Thomas Bundy, of
Fayette county, Illinois; Orville T., our
subject ; Effie married Leonard Arnold, of
Foster township; Abbie is the wife of David

M. Giddeon, of Slater, Missouri; William
A., who married Annie Grouse, of Patoka,
this county; Edna is the wife of Charles
Meadows, of Patoka; Delia is a nurse, liv-
ing in Foster township ; Robert lives on the
old home place in Foster township and mar-
ried Lizzie Ballance.

The subject of this sketch had only a
limited education, attending the home
schools for a short time. He remained a
member of the family circle until he was
twenty-three years old.

Orville T. Walton was united in marriage
March 17, 1891, with Florence Chance, of
Foster township, daughter of Willis J. and
Matilda (Foster) Chance. They were both
born in Marion county and lived in Foster
township. They are farmers and have four
children, namely : Florence, the subject's
wife; Mary, the wife of Eli Logan, of Pa-
toka township; Elza is a traveling salesman
with headquarters at Clay Center, Kansas ;
John is living at home.

The subject and wife are the parents of
two sons, Charles Addis, born December
27, 1895, and Kenneth O., born March 31,
1899.

After the subject's marriage he located
on the George McHeny place in Foster
township, where he remained for one year,
also one year on the Chance place and one
on the Foster place. He then bought
forty acres in section 18, the J. H. Walker
place, where he lived for five years and then
moved to Harvey, Illinois, where he lived
two years, when he moved back to Foster
township in the fall of 1907, locating where

524

lilOGKAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

he now lives. He bought the John Chick
place, consisting of forty acres. He was al-
ways a hard worker and thrifty, consequent-
ly he has been enabled to add on to his
place until he now has ninety acres of as
good land as can be found in this locality,
which is well improved and managed so that
abundant harvests are reaped from year to
year. He raises good horses, cattle and
hogs and carries on a general farming
business. He has ii comfortable dwelling
and convenient out buildings. He has al-
ways been a public-spirited man and has
ably served as school director and Town
Clerk. He is a loyal Democrat and a worthy
member of the Methodist Episcopal church,
and is regarded by his neighbors as among
the leading young farmers of Foster
township.

PROF. J. H. G. BRINKERHOFF.

The biographer in wrting of the repre-
sentative citizens of Marion county, Illinois,
has found no subject worthier of representa-
tion in a work of the province of the one
at hand than Professor Brinkerhoff, author
of the historical portion of this history, who
is known as a man of high attainments, and
practical ability, as one who has achieved
success in his profession principally because
he has worked for it. His prestige in the
educational circles of this locality stands in
evidence of his ability and likewise stands
as a voucher for intrinsic worth of char-
acter. He has used his intellect to the best

purpose, has directed his energies in legiti-
mate channels, and his career has been
based upon the wise assumption that nothing
save industry, perseverance, sturdy in-
tegrity and fidelity to duty will lead to suc-
cess. The profession of teaching which our
subject has made his principal life work
offers no opportunities to the slothful, only
to such determined spirits as that of Mr.
Brinkeroff. It is an arduous, exacting, dis-
couraging profession to one who is unwill-
ing to subordinate other interests to its de-
mands, but to the true and earnest
devotee it offers a sphere of action whose
attractions are equal to any and whose re-
wards are unstinted. That the subject pos-
sesses the qualities enumerated is undoubted
owing to the success he has achieved and the
high regard in which he is held by all who
know him.

Prof. J. H. G. Brinkerhoff was born De-
cember 14, 1844, in Hackensack, New Jer-
sey, and he came to Illinois with his father
in 1852, who settled in Grandview, Edgar
county, where the subject's father estab-
lished a plow and wagon shop, which he
conducted for four years. In 1856 his
father moved on a farm where young Brink-
erhoff was inured to the hard work of the
farm on that day. He was educated in the
common schools of those early days when
opportunities for higher learning were
limited. Being desirous of making the most
of his life work, he later attended Steele's
Academy and the Kansas high school, also
the Indiana State Normal School. He de-
cided to take up the profession of law and

•ROF. J. H. G. BRINKERHOFF

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

525

subsequently entered McKendree College
and received the degree of Bachelor of Law
from that institution, but believing that
teaching was best suited to his tastes he ac-
cordingly began that line of work in 1864
and he followed that profession with un-
abated success for a period of thirty years,
becoming known as one of the ablest educa-
tors of this section of the state. During
that long stretch of continuous service he
never lost a day on account of sickness.
For ten years he was 'at the head of the
city schools in Lebanon, Illinois, and for
the same length of time held the same posi-
tion in Salem. Owing to his high educa-
tional attainments, his close application to
duty and his native ability in this line of
work, he was a favorite with both pupils
and their parents and his services were al-
ways in great demand.

Professor Brinkerhoff was united in mar-
riage with Amanda S. Clark at Mascoutah,
St. Clair county, Illinois, in 1873. She is
a representative of a well known and
influential family of that county. To this
union seven cihldren have been born, four
sons and three daughters, one daughter
dying in infancy. The other six are all
living in Salem.

In 1878 our subject united with the
Christian church and he has for many years
preached the Gospel of Christ, as occasion
permitted.

Professor Brinkerhoff is a descendant of
sterling old Knickerbocker Dutch stock, the
founder of the family having settled in
Long Island in 1632, and in 1685 he re-

moved to a farm on the Hackensack river
in New Jersey, which farm remained in pos-
session of the family until after the Revo-
lutionary war. The paternal great-grand-
father of the subject was a lieutenant in the
New Jersey Continentals and he was in ac-
tive service during the war except for a
period of eighteen months when he was a
prisoner of war on the Jersey prison ship
in the East river, from which -he finally es-
caped by jumping overboard and swimming
to the New York side of the river. The
family have always been patriotic, law-
abiding and firm believers in the right of
man to govern himself.

HENRY C. FOSTER.

Among the sturdy and enterprising farm-
ers of Foster township, Marion county, is
the gentleman whose name appears above,
whose life has been one of industry and
strict adherence to honorable principles,
which has resulted in gaining a comfortable
living and at the same time winning the
respect of his fellow men.

Henry C. Foster was born in Clinton
county, Illinois, January 29, 1842, the son
of William Henry and Nancy (Lowe) Fos-
ter, the former of Georgia and the latter of
Tennessee. William Henry Lowe came as
a boy with his parents to Illinois and lo-
cated in Clinton county, where they were
among the early pioneers. They later came
to Foster township, Marion county, and

526

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

purchased wild land and made extensive im-
provements on the same. The subject's
father grew up in Foster township and re-
ceived only a limited education, having
scarcely any chance to attend school. He
married here and lived at the old homestead.
Although he at one time conducted a store,
he devoted his life to farming pursuits. He
was a Republican but never aspired to office.
He and his wife were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. The follow-
ing children were born to them: William,
deceased, married Pyrena Nichols; John
was in Company I, One Hundred and Elev-
enth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, who lived
in Clinton county, Illinois, after the war un-
til his death; Jane, who married David
Nichols, of Foster township, the former is
now deceased; Elizabeth, deceased, married
David Nichols, of Foster township ; Andrew
J. was in Company F, Seventh Illinois Cav-
alary, having served four years and four
months, who located in Kinmundy after the
war, where he has since resided; Henry C,
our subject; Irwin W., a farmer of Labette
county, Kansas, who was in the Union army
during the Civil war; Winfield Scott is
single and living in Foster township.

The subject of this sketch had little
chance of attending school. He lived at
home until he reached the age of twenty-one
years. On September 30, 1869, he married
Cynthia A. Garrett, of Foster township,
and a daughter of Moses and Hannah
(Morris) Garrett, both natives of Georgia.
They were pioneers of Foster township, this
county, where they devoted their lives to

farming. Four children have been born to
the subject and wife, namely : Charles H.,
who has always lived at home; Nola mar-
ried S. Williams, of Foster township, and
they are the parents of two children, Flossie
and Relzia; Fannie C. married Jake
Thomas, of Foster township, and they are
the parents of five children, namely : James,
Carrie, Nona, Eva and Van ; James Emery,
the subject's youngest child, is living in
Foster township. He married Maude Hol-
land, of Patoka, and they have three chil-
dren : Basel, Waneta, deceased, and
Harrell.

One of the patriotic men of this state" who
felt it his duty to offer his services in de-
fense of the flag was the subject of this
sketch, who enlisted in Company F, Seventh
Illinois Cavalry, at Camp Butler, where they
drilled for awhile, after which they were
sent to Nashville, Tennessee. The subject
was in the second battle of Corinth. He
was on an eight hundred mile march from
Lagrange, Tennessee, to Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, which took sixteen days, having
been in many- skirmishes all along the
march. He was taken sick and went home
on sixty days' furlough. He rejoined his
company at Germantown, Tennessee, and
went up the Mississippi river and was in
Tennessee until the close of the war. He
was sick a great deal and his eyes were af-
fected, having lost the sight in the left one.
He was discharged November 9, 1865, at
Springfield, Illinois, after gallantly serving
in the Union ranks. After the war he lo-
cated in Foster township, and in 1878

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

527

bought the farm where he now lives, this
having been his home since that time. The
place consists of one hundred acres in sec-
tion 23. He has made all the improvements,
his farm now ranking with any in the town-
ship. He has always been considered a first
class farmer. He has a substantial and com-
fortable residence and everything about his
place shows good management. He is a
Republican in politics. He ably served as
School Director for many years. He is a
faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal
church.

JONATHAN A. GREEN.

The subject of this biography has always
been an honest and hard-working man, and
the success that crowns his efforts is well
merited. He is liberal and public-spirited,
well known and highly respected in the coirh
munity which has been his home all his life.

Jonathan A. Green was born in Foster
township, Marion county, Illinois, August
13, 1867, the son of Monroe Green, who
was the son of Jonathan Green, of Tennes-
see. He came to Marion county, this state,
in an early day and secured government
land, locating in Foster township. He
cleared the land and made a home here,
having always been a farmer. Monroe
Green was also a farmer all his life. He
was a member of the Cumberland Presby-
terian church and a Democrat; was well
known and highly respected. He was a
soldier in the Civil war, having been a

member of Company D, One Hundred and
Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. His
first wife was the mother of four children,
namely: Jonathan A., our subject; Cyrus,
a farmer in Foster township, this county;
Anna, who married Elmer Arnold, of Fos-
ter township; Jennie, who married Samuel
Arnold, is deceased; Eliza (Jones) Green
was the daughter of Samuel and Mary Ann
Jones. They were early settlers in Marion
county, Illinois.

Jonathan A. Green was educated in the
local public schools, having been raised on
his father's farm, where he remained until
he was married December 31, 1885, to
Anna Chick, a native of Ohio, the daughter
of John and Lucinda (Carter) Chick, of the
Buckeye state, who came to Illinois in 1875
where the former died.

Four children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, namely; Ora, Ola May, John
and Dowe.

After the subject's marriage he purchased
his present farm of one hundred and twen-
ty-six acres in Foster township, which was
partly improved. The subject has made
many important changes on the place, which
now ranks among the best in the township,
being very productive and producing ex,
cellent crops from year to year through the
skillful management of Mr. Green, who is
regarded as one of the best farmers in a
general way in the community.

Mr. Green has faithfully served his town-
ship as Supervisor for two terms and has
always taken a great deal of interest in pol-
itics, having held many minor local offices.

11IOGRAPIIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Fraternally he is a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America at Vernon, Illinois,
and was formerly a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is well
informed on current topics and he is wide-
ly known and liked in Foster and adjoining
townships or wherever his acquaintance
extends.

FRANCIS M. ROBB.

One of the influential citizens of Foster
township, Marion county, is the gentleman
to whose career attention is now directed,
and it may be said that the agricultural in-
terests of the county have few if any more
able representatives.

Francis M. Robb was born in Kinmundy
township, Marion county, Illinois, the pres-
ent site of the village of Kinmundy, Sep-
tember 22, 1847, the son of Samuel and
Agnes (Pruitt) Robb, the former of Ten-
nessee and the latter of Virginia. Samuel
was the son of Eli Robb, a native of Ten-
nessee, who came to Marion county, Il-
linois, in 1820 and settled where Kinmundy
now stands. He secured land which he con-
verted into a valuable farm and made a
comfortable home here, where he died in
1854 of cholera. He was one of the pio-
neers of this county. He was a Democrat
and a member of the Presbyterian church.

Samuel Robb, the father of the subject
of this sketch, was twelve years old when
his father, Eli Robb, came to this county,
the former receiving only a limited educa-

tion and lived the rest of his life on a farm
in this county, owning a large tract of land,
and he was a stock dealer. He was a strong
Democrat and was well known throughout
the county, and his death occurred in 1881.
The subject's mother, Agnes (Pruitt) Robb,
was the daughter of Robert and Martha
Pruitt, who came to Marion county in a
very early day, about 1812, settling in what
is now Meacham township, where they got
government land, but later went to Mis-
souri. Samuel Robb and wife were the par-
ents of nine children, namely: Francis M.,
our subject; Martha, deceased; William,
deceased; Permelia; Eli, deceased; Robert,
Mary, Edwin, and an infant, both deceased.

The subject has spent all of his life in
Marion county, where he received only a
limited education. He has always been a
farmer and is considered one of the best in
the township by his neighbors. He first got
government land in Kinmundy township,
and in 1882 moved to Foster township,
where he now lives and owns two hundred
and forty acres on which he has made all
the improvements and which he has devel-
oped into a very fine farm, being well
fenced, and the crops have been so skillfully
rotated that the original richness of the soil
has been retained. He has a substantial and
pleasant home, a convenient barn and many
good out buildings.

Mr. Robb was united in marriage in 1867
with Julia Lowe at St. Louis, Missouri, the
daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Arnold)
Lowe, both now deceased. They were na-
tives of Tennessee, having come to Marion

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

529

county, Illinois, at an early date, locating on
a farm in Foster township.

Eight children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, named in order of birth as
follows: Hattie, the wife of J. Arnold;
Delia, the wife of Charles Doolen ; Margar-
et ; Agnes, the wife of Emmet Jones ; Emma
the wife of Guy Arnold; Lulu, the wife of
Frank Jones; Ella, who died in infancy;
Eli, who married Josie Ballance, a farmer.

The subject and wife are faithful mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The subject is a loyal Democrat, and was
Supervisor of this township for two terms.
He has also held other minor local offices.
He is a faithful member of the Masonic
lodge at Kinmundy.

Mr. Robb is honest in all his dealings
with his fellow man and public-spirited, and
he has many friends in Marion county.

JAMES McNICOL.

The subject of this sketch is a member of
that sturdy citizenship from the lands of
hills and heather, bonny Scotland, from
which rugged country so many hardy sons
have gone forth to bless humanity in vari-
ous ways, and he is in every way typical of
those whose lives benefit all with whom
they come in contact.

James McNicol was born on the Isle of
ArraiT, Scotland, in March, 1847, the son
of Archibald and Anna (McBride) McNic-
ol, both natives of Arran, as was also the
34

grandparents of the subject. The ancestors of
our subject were farmers. Archibald Mc-
Nicol and family came to America in the
early sixties on the steamship Caledonia.
They landed in New York City and then
went to St. Louis county, Illinois, where
Alexander McBride, the brother of Mrs. Mc-
Nicol, lived. The father of the subject rented
land there for a while, and then came to
Marion county, Illinois, where he bought
land two miles west of Patoka. This place
was wild and consisted of one hundred and
sixty acres. He later went back to St. Louis
county, where he remained several years,
after which he went to North Dakota where
he secured government land in Benson
county, living there for a period of eight
years, when he sold out and went to Pierce
county, Washington, where he lived with
his children until his death in 1897. His
wife died in 1896.

They were the parents of five sons and
two daughters, namely: May is living in
Buckley, Pierce county, Washington ; Mag-
Buckley, Pierce county, Washington, as does
also Alexander, who is a merchant; John,
the fourth child, married Mary Hulsey, and
he is in partnership with his brother in a
store at Buckley, Washington; William
who was a mill man at Buckley, Washing-
ton, was killed in 1900; Archie died at Pa-
toka ; James, the subject of this sketch and
Alexander are twins and the third and
fourth members of the family.

Mr. McNicol, our subject, received only
a limited schooling and he remained at
home until his marriage in the fall of 1865,

53°

I'.KXIK.U'IIICAL AND KK.M I MSCK.NT HISTORY OF

to Ella J. Simcox, a native of Kentucky,
the daughter of W. K. and Agnes Rebecca
Simcox, natives of Kentucky. They came
to Marion county, Illinois, in about 1866,
and settled in Patoka township. The sub-
ject's wife passed to her rest April 6, 1902.
Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
McNicol, one of whom is deceased. They
are : William, a farmer in Foster township,
who married Lola Caldwell; Archibald,
who has remained single, is a ranchman in
Montana; Mary is the wife of C. H. Ar-
nold of Sterling, Colorado; Jessie is the
wife of Luther Caldwell, of Foster town-
ship ; Agnes is the wife of Cyrus E. Arnold,
of Foster township; Maggie is living at
home, as are also James and Warren ; Ruth
is deceased.

After his marriage the subject located in
Foster township, Marion county, where he
has since resided, having purchased land
here. In 1876 he went to Benson county,
North Dakota, and took up one hundred
and sixty acres of government land, where
he remained for six years, engaged in farm-
ing and stock raising, which he made a suc-
cess. He sold out there and returned to
Foster township, this county, where he pur-
chased land, now owning 'an excellent farm
of three hundred and fifty-nine acres, all in
Foster township. It is under a high state
of improvement and is regarded as one of
the model farms of Marion county, being
in- every way in first class condition and
showing that a man of rare soundness of
judgment and business ability has managed
it. He raises abundant crops of corn, wheat,

hay and oats. No small part of his income
is derived from live stock, for he is a most
excellent judge of stock and some fine vari-
eties of Poland China hogs and Red Poland
cattle are to be found about the place. He
carries on a general fanning business with
that rare discretion which always insures
success.

While our subject has never aspired to
office he has held several local public po-
sitions. He is an independent voter, pre-
ferring to cast his ballot for the man he be-
lieves will best serve the public, rather than
for the party. He is a faithful member of
the Christian church of Patoka. Mr. Mc-
Nicol's life has been one of industry,
scrupulous honesty and integrity.

ALBERT G. PORTER.

Among the enterprising and progressive
citizens of Marion county, Illinois, is the
gentleman whose name forms the caption of
this ketch, who has engaged in various lines
of business activity in this county and is
known as one of the leading liverymen of
the locality, at present managing an exten-
sive livery stable in Kinmundy, while he
maintains a fine home there, and the years
of his residence has but served to strengthen
the feeling of confidence of his fellow citi-
zens. Although yet a young man, scarcely
one-third of the years usually allotted to
human life having passed over him, our sub-
ject has shown what a rightly directed priii-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

531

ciple, coupled with honesty and integrity,
can do toward winning definite success.

Albert G. Porter was born in this county
October 14, 1880, the son of Emmett D.
and Rachael (Henry) Porter, the- father a
native of Ohio, and the mother of Illinois.
There were seven children in this family,
all of whom lived to maturity. The father
of the subject was a soldier in an Ohio regi-
ment during the Civil war and after being
mustered out returned to Ohio and soon
thereafter came to Fayette county, Illinois,
and after remaining there for a time came
to Marion county. He engaged in the hard-
ware business while living in Fayette county
and when he came to Marion county, he
went into the livery business and after man-
aging the same for about two years he sold
out and became agent for a marble works
establishment. Later he handled fire insur-
ance and became adjuster of claims, holding
his position, official and otherwise, until his
death, having faithfully served the company
to the entire satisfaction of all its members
for a period of thirty years, which is a sure
criterion of his ability and integrity. He
was fifty-six years old at the time of his
death. The mother of the subject, a
woman of many beautiful traits of charac-
ter, is still living in 1908, at the age of fifty-
nine years. There were four children in
this family, all of them reaching maturity
and all but one are married and have fam-
lies. They are Harry E., who is at the
time of this writing thirty-six years old, and
a traveling salesman ; he is married and has
one child. Charles H., the second child of

the parents of the subject, was in busi-
ness in the city of Chicago. He is now
in the fruit and poultry business at Los
Angeles, California, having made a pro-
nounced success of this business from the
first. One sister, Nellie, is now the wife of
Gus Elbow, of Oklahoma City, and the
mother of one child. Her husband is an at-
torney. Our subject was the fourth child
in order of birth. He attended the common
schools in Kinmundy, until he was nineteen
years of age, and received a fairly good edu-
cation, which has since been greatly
strengthened by home study and by coming
in contact with the world. He also attend-
ed a business college in Centralia, Illinois,
after leaving the public schools and thereby
received a good business education. He
also read medicine for one year, and then
attended to various matters until 1908,
when he opened up a livery business in Kin-
mundy, which he is at present conducting,
having built up an extensive business.

Our subject was united in marriage on
March 3, 1907. to Maud L. West, a native
of this county, and the daughter of Charles
H. and Rosa (Dillon) West. Mr. West is
a native of Indiana. He was a farmer and
stock raiser, having made the raising of
Hereford cattle a specialty for a number of
years, but is now living in honorable re-
tirement, making his home in Kinmundy.
having sold his principal farm, but he still
owns several orchard farms, consisting of
hundreds of acres.

Mr. and Mrs. Porter have one infant son.
Thev own their nicelv furnished home. The

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

mother of the subject also owns her home
and is living by herself. Mr. Porter is a
young man to whom the future holds out
much of promise, being industrious, quick
to grasp an opportunity, and it would be
hard to find among the younger generation
of business men in Marion county, a
worthier subject than he.

GUSTIN L. EAGAN.

The family of which the subject of this
sketch is an honored representative has been
known in Marion county since the pioneer
period and the record they have made has
been one of which Mr. Eagan can justly be
proud, for his ancestors left a priceless heri-
tage to their posterity, the memory of names
and deeds which time can neither obliterate
nor dim.

Gustin L. Eagan was born in Marion
county, Illinois, in 1857, the son of Henry
and Margaret (Hatten) Eagan. Grand-
father Isaac Eagan, who was born in Ten-
nessee, came to Illinois, settling in Kinmun-
dy, when a young man. He drove a stage
coach through Salem and to the south, and
later became a farmer and lived until about
the age of seventy-five years. He was the
father of nine children, eight of whom lived
to be men and women. His wife was also
about seventy-five years old when she was
called to her rest. They were members of
the Cumberland Presbyterian church.
Grandfather donated ground for the local

church in Kinmundy, the deed having been
made to the trustee of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church and their successors,
for the use of this denomination. The
Presbyterians are now seeking to take the
property from the hands of the original
grantees to be used by the Presbyterian
church. Grandfather Eagan was a Demo-
crat, a man of industry, leaving consider-
able property of value which reverted to
his heirs.

Grandfather Hatten was a native of
North Carolina and lived and died in that
state. Grandmother Hatten moved to Ma-
rion county, this state, where she settled,
after her husband's death. She lived to
be about sixty-five years old. There were
four child --en in the Hatten family, one of
them becoming a soldier in the Civil war,
having served in an Illinois regiment, serv-
ing out his time and receiving an honorable
discharge.

The subject's father was born in Marion
county and always lived here. He was a
wagon-maker, also manufactured plows, for
many years making all the wagons and
plows used in this part of the country, fol-
lowing his trade periodically all his life, also
owned a small farm. He was called from
his earthly labors when forty-eight years
old, the subject's mother being only a year
older than her husband when she was called
to the spirit land. They were Cumberland
Presbyterians, and were the parents of ten
children, eight of whom lived to maturity.
Henry Eagan was a Democrat in his po-
litical beliefs.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

533

Gustin L. Eagan, our subject, was edu-
cated in the public schools, which he left
when eighteen years old, and began the
blacksmith's trade. Following in the foot-
steps of his father, he soon became a very
skilled artisan and upheld the high reputa-
tion for first class work that his worthy
father had so long borne. At this writing,
Mr. Eagan is proprietor of the Hotel Ea-
gan, one of the most popular and conve-
nient places for the accommodation of tran-
sients to the city that can be found in the
county, being known as a place of home-
like comfort, and where courteous treat-
ment is extended to all. As a result of these
facts this house has become widely known
to the traveling public, and Mr. Eagan en-
joys a liberal patronage. Besides this, line
of business he still successfully conducts his
blacksmith shop, enjoying, as usual, a lib-
eral patronage from Kinmundy and sur-
rounding country. He has been able to lay
by a comfortable competency for his old
age.

Mr. Eagan was united in marriage in
1889 to Jennie Darney, a native of Ohio,
whose father died in Illinois, after which
event the mother of Mrs. Eagan moved
back to Ohio, where she died. Mr. Dar-
ney came to America from France. He was
a soldier, having seen service in the Franco-
German war. The family of our subject
and wife consists of four interesting chil-
dren, named as follows: Beulah, who was
born in 1891, is the wife of F. H. Spillman,
and the mother of one child; Mascelline,
who was born in 1893, graduated from the

local schools in 1907; Lawrence was born
in 1895, and is living at home; Henry was
born in 1897, died in infancy.

In his fraternal relations he is a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and the Knights of Pythias. In politics he
is a stanch Democrat, and faithfully served
as Alderman for a number of years. He
has also been Trustee, Collector and Super-
visor. Mr. Eagan was Mayor of Kin-
mundy from 1906 to 1908. In all these of-
ficial capacities he discharged his duties
with great credit to himself and to the entire
satisfaction of all concerned. He is held
in high favor by the people of Marion
county, where he is well known and where
he labors for the advancement of the gen-
eral good.

SEYMOUR ANDREWS.

Nearly a century has dissolved in the
mists of time, the most remarkable century
in all of the history of the race of mankind,
since our honored and venerable subject first
saw the light of day. Heaven has bounte-
ously lengthened out his life until he has
seen the crowning glory of this the most
wonderful epoch of all the aeons of time,
rewarding him with an unusual span of
years as the result of virtuous and consist-
ent living in his youth and years of his man-
hood, until now in the golden evening of
his life, surrounded by comfort and plenty
as a result of his earlier years of industry
and frugality, Mr. Andrews can take a ret-

534

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

respective glance down the corridors of the
relentless and irrevocable past and feel that
his has been an eminently useful, successful
and happy life, a life which was not devoid
of obstacle and whose rose held many a
thorn, but with indomitable courage he
pressed onward with his face set in deter-
mination toward the distant goal which he
has so grandly won; a life of sunshine and
shadow, of victory and defeat, but nobly
lived and worthily rewarded as such lives
always are by the Giver of all good and pre-
cious gifts, who has given our subject the
longest span of years of any citizen in Ma-
rion county, Illinois, a great gift, indeed, of
which Mr. Andrews is duly grateful. He
was one of the hardy pioneers, a member of
the famous band of "forty-niners" who
crossed the trackless plains that stretched
to the "sundown seas," whose courageous
feats have been sung in song and exploited
in story, for "there were giants in those
days."

Seymour Andrews was born in Jefferson
county, Illinois, January 17, 1825, the son
of Nelson and Jane (Gaston) Andrews, the
former a native of Oneida county, New
York, where he was born in 1799. There
were ten children in his family, an equal
number of boys and girls, of whom our sub-
ject is the oldest in order of birth. The sub-
ject's mother, who was born in South Caro-
lina, was one of a family of eight chil-
dren. Nelson Andrews came west with
his parents in 1819, and settled in
Jefferson county, Illinois. They built
a raft in Olean, New York, constructed a

rude cabin on it and floated down the Mo-
nongahela river to Cincinnati. This was in
1818. They stopped and made shingles and
sold timber and rafts. They made a flat boat
there and floated to Shawneetown, where
they hitched their two ponies onto a large
wagon and drove to the vicinity of what is
now known as Dix, Jefferson county. Arra
Andrews, brother of Nelson Andrews, who
is the father of Seymour Andrews, made the
first plat of Salem and surveyed it. Jane
Gaston's father, Samuel Gaston, the grand-
father of Seymour Andrews, was one of the
first commissioners appointed by the gov-
ernment to locate the county seat of Clinton
county, which is Carlyle, Illinois.

During the days of Nelson and Jane An-
drews a company of Rangers visited this
part of the state between the years 1820 and
1825. They drove out the Goings family
from Jefferson county by whip. Members
of this family were said to be noted coun-
terfeiters, horse thieves and harbored all
such people at their home near that of Sam-
uel Gaston, the maternal grandfather of our
subject.

Seymour Andrews was married to Mar-
tha C. Hendrixon, of Jefferson county, Illi-
nois, August 15, 1844, and they are now,
1908, the oldest married couple in this coun-
ty, having enjoyed a harmonious wedded
life of over sixty-four years; they are both
in fairly good health and enjoying a se-
rene and comfortable old age. The follow-
ing children were born to them : Harvey T.,
deceased; Elizabeth J., deceased, married
John Morsman and had one son, Charles, a

HIGHLAND. CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

535

dentist in Minnesota; Truman B. mar-
ried Amanda McClellan and has three
children, all married ; Sidney W. married
Belle Mathews and is living in Arkansas,
where he is postmaster at Walnut Ridge,
and is the father of two children ; Margaret
married G. J. Goetch, of Centralia, Illinois,
and she is the mother of two children ; Ida
L. married T. L. Baltzell, who lives in Los
Angeles, California; Altha married G. C.
Matsler, of Centralia, and lives with her par-
ents, her husband being a telegraph operator
on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road; the eighth and ninth children both
died in infancy.

As already indicated Mr. Andrews
crossed the plains to California before the
days of the trans-continental railways. This
was in 1850 and the trip was made with an
ox team, in company with John Parkinson,
James Parkinson and Preston McCullough.
They left Walnut Hill April 3, 1850, with
four yoke of oxen and arrived in California
after much hardship and adventure August
loth, the same year, having been on the road
over four months. They wintered four
miles from the famous Sutter mill and
crossed the old ditch where gold was first
discovered many times.

Having been a hard worker and an indus-
trious man all his life, Mr. Andrews always
made a comfortable living and was enabled
to lay up a competency to insure his old age
free from want. He has faithfully and ably
served his community as Justice of the Peace
for the past sixteen years. He is also a
notary public and handles a successful line
of fire insurance.

The parents of the subject belonged to
the Christian church, but our subject is not
a member of any orthodox church. Howev-
er, he is a believer in the principles of the
golden rule and in good to all men. In poli-
tics he cast his first Democratic ballots in
1848 and 1852, but upon the organization
of the Republican party became a stanch
supporter of the same and has always main-
tained the same political faith.

SAMUEL L. DWIGHT.

One of the central figures of the judiciary
of southern Illinois is the honorable gentle-
man whose name forms the subject of this
review. Prominent in legal circles and
equally so in public matters beyond the con-
fines of his own jurisdiction, with a repu-
tation in one of the most exacting of pro-
fessions that has won him a name for dis-
tinguished service second to that of none of
his contemporaries, there is today no more
prominent or highly esteemed man in Ma-
rion county, which he has long dignified
with his citizenship.

Samuel L. Dwight was born March 15,
1841, at Mount Vernon, Jefferson county,
Illinois, the son of Lewis and Mahala Pen-
nington (Casey) Dwight. The subject's
mother was the daughter of Governor Za-
doc Casey, of Illinois. She was born while
her father was a member of the Legislature
at Vandalia, capitol of Illinois at that time.
He originated the bill to create the county
of Marion, naming the same after his fa-
ther's Revolutionary commander, Francis

536

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Marion, of historic fame. Lewis Dwight
was born in Massachusetts and educated in
that state. However, he graduated at Yale
University, after which he came to Jeffer-
son county, Illinois, and taught school for
a number of years. He died at the age of
seventy years, after a very useful and ac-
tive life. Samuel L. Dwight was reared
with the family of Governor Casey and was
educated in the public schools of Mount Ver-
non, Illinois, having taken one year's course
of study at McKendree College. Being am-
bitious from the first, he applied himself in
a most diligent manner to his studies and
became well educated. Early deciding to
enter the law as a profession, he began the
study of the same with Tanner and Casey
at Mount Vernon. But when our national
horizon was darkened with the clouds of re-
bellion in the early sixties our subject left
Blackstone behind, severed home ties and
offered his services in defense of his coun-
try's integrity, having enlisted in Company
I, Sixtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
so gallant were his services that he was mus-
tered out at the close of the war as captain
of the same company. He served one and
one-half years, having taken part in many
engagements and faithfully performing
what service he could.

After his career in the army Mr. Dwight,
in July, 1866, left the farm at Mount Ver-
non, Illinois, and resumed the study of law,
this time under his uncle, Colonel Lewis F.
Casey, who had married an aunt of Samuel
E. Dwight, and the daughter of Governor
Casey.

Our subject was admitted to the bar in
1868, and he entered into partnership with
Colonel Casey, with whom he continued in
a most successful manner until the death of
Colonel Casey early in the eighties, the pres-
tige of this firm having gradually grown
until their practice was equal to that of any
other firm in the county.

In 1870 Samuel L. Dwight was elected a
member of the lower house of the Twenty-
seventh General Assembly and served to the
entire satisfaction of his constituents for
one term. After the death of his former law
partner he carried on the business of the
firm successfully, practicing law in all the
local courts until 1897, when he was elected
to the bench of the Fourth Judicial Circuit
of Illinois, and so faithfuly did he discharge
the duties of the same that he was re-elected
to the office in 1903 for another term of six
years, and is, therefore, at this writing, 1908,
still holding the position. His tenure of of-
fice has been marked by a remarkable clear-
ness of decision and fairness to all parties,
his decisions having seldom met with disap-
proval at the hands of a higher tribunal, for
he came to the bench well qualified for its
exacting duties and responsibilities and from
the beginning his judicial career was char-
acterized by such a profound knowledge of
the law and an earnest and conscientious de-
sire to apply it impartially that he was not
long in gaining the respect and confidence
of the attorneys and litigants and earning
for himself an honorable reputation among
the leading jurists of the state. From the
first his labors were very arduous and many

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

537

important cases were tried in his court, in
addition to which he was also frequently
called to other circuits to sit on cases in
which larger interests were involved.

The happy and harmonious domestic life
of Judge Dwight dates from September 4,
1872, when he was married to M. Irene
Noleman, the cultured and accomplished
daughter of Capt. R. D. Noleman and Sarah
A. Jennings, the mother of Mrs. Dwight
having been the daughter of Charles W.
Jennings. R. D. Noleman was for many
years a leading citizen and business man of
Centralia.

Fraternally Judge Dwight is a member
of the Masonic Order, the Knights of Py-
thias, the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, the Grand Army of the Republic
and the Modern Woodmen. Both he and
his wife are members of the Methodist Epis-
copal church. Their beautiful home is fre-
quently the gathering place for numerous
friends and admirers of Mr. and Mrs.
Dwight.

Judge S. L. Dwight is ready at all
times to make any reasonable sacrifice for.
the cause in which his interests are enlisted,
He is not only an able and reliable coun-
selor, with a thorough acquaintance of the
principles, intricacies and complexities of
jurisprudence, but his honesty is such that
he has frequently advised against long and
expensive litigation, and this, too, at the
loss of liberal fees which he could otherwise
have earned. His treatment of the case he
has in hand is always full of comprehension

and accurate, his analysis of the facts clear
and exhaustive, and he seems to grasp with-
out effort the relation and dependence of the
facts, and so groups them as to enable him
to throw their combined force upon the
point they intend to prove. He is, withal, a
man of the people, proud of his distinction
as a citizen of a state and nation for whose
laws and institutions he has the most pro-
found admiration and respect.

DOUGLAS C. BROWN.

Every human being either submits to the
controlling influence of others or wields an
influence which touches, controls, guides or
misdirects others. If he be honest and suc-
cessful in his chosen field of endeavor, in-
vestigation will brighten his fame and point
the way along which others may follow
with like success. Consequently a critical
study of the life record -of the gentleman
whose name forms the caption of this para-
graph may be beneficial to the reader, for
it has been one of usefulness and honor.

Douglas C. Brown, the well known prin-
cipal of Brown's Business College of Cen-
tralia, and also superintendent of the Cairo
and Marion business colleges, the largest and
most modern institutions of their kind in
southern Illinois, was born in Clay county,
this state, January 28, 1860, the son of Wil-
liam and Lucy (Murphy) Brown, the sub-
ject being the second child in a family of

538

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

four children. The parents of these chil-
dren died when Douglas C. was but a child
and he was reared by an uncle, John A.
Flick, with whom he remained until of age.
His early education began at Xenia, in Clay
county, which was continued at Danville in
the Normal School, later at McKendree Col-
lege, Lebanon, Illinois. In all the schools
he attended he made a splendid record for
scholarship. Having been ambitious from the
first, he applied himself in a most assiduous
manner to his text-books and always stood
high in his classes.

After leaving school Mr. Brown began
teaching at the age of eighteen years. His
first schools were taught in Clay county, lat-
er in Fayette county. His last public school
work was as superintendent of the Vandalia
schools, which position he held for five years.
His educational work continued for a period
of twelve years, during which time he
achieved a broad reputation as an able ed-
ucator and his services were in great demand.
He left the work in the public schools for
the purpose of opening a business college,
which he subsequently launched at Vandalia,
having conducted the same for two years,
making a success from the start, for his fame
as an educator was by that time so firmly
established that whatever school his name
was associated with was bound to be a suc-
cess. After his experience with the Vanda-
lia school he associated himself with Prof.
G. W. Brown, in the Decatur Business Col-
lege, remaining there three years. Our sub-
ject then took charge of the bookkeeping de-
partment of Brown's Business College at

Peoria, Illinois, which he ably conducted for
three years, after which he came to the Cen-
tralia Business College in the fall of 1898.
Each of the above schools has been highly
successful and has turned out thousands of
pupils well prepared to play their parts in
the business and commercial world. The
patronage that Prof. Douglas C. Brown now
enjoys is largely due to his own outlay of
time, talent and business sagacity, coupled
with indomitable energy and persistency.
The average daily attendance and the en-
rollment of the school in Centralia is two
hundred each year. The pupils who have
graduated in this school have and are con-
stantly taking good positions in the various-
branches of business for which they have
prepared.

The domestic life of our subject dates
from October 12, 1881, when he was united
in marriage with Maud Bryan, the accom-
plished and refined daughter of Samuel and
Harriett (Hartman) Bryan, of Xenia, Illi-
nois. To this happy union six children have
been born, named in order of birth as fol-
lows: Clyde L, William H., Harriet M.,
.Harry, Dean C. and Robert E. Clyde L.
married Carrie Scheiber, of Peoria, Illinois.
Harriet married O. A. Rosborough, Wil-
liam H. is in the United States navy at this
writing (1908), being a yeoman, or book-
keeper and stenographer in the office of Ad-
miral Sperry of the flagship Connecticut.

Mr. Brown owns a modern, commodious,
nicely furnished and pleasant home in Cen-
tralia, which is frequently the gathering
place for numerous friends and admirers of

RICH LAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

539

the Brown family, each member of which
is noted for his hospitality and cordiality.

In politics our subject is a Prohibitionist.
In religious matters he supports the
Christian church. He is a most companion-
able gentleman and all who come within the
range of his influence are profuse in their
praise of his admirable qualities, and the
high regard in which he is held not only pro-
fessionally but socially indicates the posses-
sion of attributes and characteristics that en-
title him to the highest esteem.

C. D. TUFTS.

The gentleman whose name forms the cap-
tion of this sketch did not seek any royal
road to the goal of prosperity and independ-
ence, but began in legitimate ways to ad-
vance himself and the result is that he is
now numbered among the successful news-
paper men of Southern Illinois, having de-
voted practically his entire life to the man-
agement of an old and popular paper, the
Democrat, published at Centralia, and he
has been a molder of public opinion, having
been a faithful defender of the rights and
interests of the people of this vicinity at all
times.

C. D. Tufts was born in Centralia, Illi-
nois, January 27, 1864, the son of Samuel
P. and Zerelda (Goodwin) Tufts, the for-
mer having been born in Fitchburg, Massa-
chusetts, January 28, 1827. The latter was
born in Indiana October 6, 1833. They
were married October 4, 1857, in Marion

county, Illinois. Four of their children are
now (1908) living, namely: Gay L. ; C. D.,
our subject ; Elsie M., and Zerelda D. Elsie
M. married Ray Greene, of Sterling, Illi-
nois. They have no children. Samuel P.
Tufts passed to his rest October 4, 1903,
at the age of seventy-six years. His widow
is still living and enjoys excellent health ;
she is a woman of beautiful Christian char-
acter, being a member of the Baptist church.

The early education of C. D. Tufts was
obtained in the Centralia high school, in
which he graduated in 1882. He has pub-
lished the Democrat since 1883, having had
charge of the office since then. His father
was formerly the editor of this paper, which
was established in 1869. Samuel P. Tufts
had charge of the paper when it was. burned
out in 1871, and he re-established it as a
weekly. It has been conducted as a daily
and weekly since 1892. The circulation has
gradually increased from the first until it
now consists of one thousand and two hun-
dred on both the daily and weekly. The pa-
per has always been popular with the people
of Marion county, having been a faithful
defender of the local interests. It is ably
and carefully edited, and the news service is
prompt and of the best. The mechanical ap-
pearance of the paper shows that the best
and most modern equipment is used in the
plant.

Mr. Tufts has been honored with many
official positions, all of which he has dis-
charged with ability. He was president of
the Board of Education of Centralia for one
term, also president of the Illinois Press As-

540

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

sociation for one term. During Governor
John P. Altgeld's administration he was pri-
vate secretary of the Lieutenant-Governor
for a period of four years. He was a mem-
ber of the Democratic State Central Com-
mittee and is at present Master in Chancery
of Marion county. He has long been an able
exponent of the principles of the Democratic
party and his support can always be depend-
ed upon in furthering the local interests of
this party.

In his fraternal relations, Mr. Tufts is a
member of Centralia Lodge No. 201,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Cen-
tralia Council, No. 93, Royal Arch Masons;
Centralia Council, No. 28, Royal and Select
Masters; Cyrene Commandery No. 23,
Knights Templar. He is in command of the
Commandery. Mr. Tufts is also a member of
Centralia Lodge No. 394, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks ; also a member of
Helmet Lodge No. 26, Knights of Pythias,
of Centralia. He is a member of the Order
of Eastern Star and the Pythian Sisters, of
Centralia lodges.

Mr. Tufts is a man of sunny disposition,
affable, approachable and makes friends eas-
ily, which 'he has no trouble in retaining.
While strong in his views, he is always will-
ing to be fair and is candid at all times and
under all circumstances. He enjoys an ex-
tensive acquaintance all over the state of
Illinois among men of all classes, and he is
held in high favor by all who know him for
his honesty of purpose, pleasing manners
and the future to such a man cannot help
but be replete with abundant success.

THOMAS L. JOY.

Examples that impress force of character
on all who study them are worthy of rec-
ord. By a few general observations may
be conveyed some idea of the high standing
of Thomas L. Joy, as a business man and
public benefactor, or, an editor of unusual
felicity of expression and whose wonderful-
ly facile pen delights thousands of readers,
although now retired from the active af-
fairs of everyday life and spending the last
half of his years of strenuous and eminently
useful life in the enjoyment of the peace and
quietude to which he is so justly entitled,
and which he has so nobly earned. United
in his composition are so many elements of
a solid and practical nature, which during a
series of years have brought him into promi-
nent notice, and earned for him a conspicu-
ous place among the enterprising men of
the county of his residence, that it is but
just recognition of his worth to speak at
some length of his life and achievements.

Thomas L. Joy, retired editor of the Even-
ing Sentinel of Centralia, Illinois, was born
in Equality, this state, September 15, 1850,
the son of Ephraim E. Joy, a Southern Illi-
nois Methodist preacher of wide celebrity.
He raised a company in 1862 for the pur-
pose of taking part in the Union service. It
was assigned to a regiment of Illinois vol-
unteers. Mr. Joy was ordered to Fort Doug-
las to be sworn in as captain of the com-
pany. Upon reaching the place he received
the sad news that his wife was lying at the
point of death. This cut his war record and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

541

he hastened home to his dying companion
and two little sons, Andrew F. and Thomas
L. The grandfather of the subject was a
Baptist minister whose work was also con-
fined to the southern part of this state. The
Joy family has been well known and influen-
tial in the affairs of the southern part of the
Prairie state since it was first settled.

The early education of Thomas L. Joy
was obtained in the district schools and
small towns, as his father itinerated from
place to place. His last school was at Shi-
loh, St. Clair county. He received a fairly
good education, which was later supplement-
ed by extensive home reading and by com-
ing in contact with the world.

Mr. Joy served his apprenticeship as a
practical printer in St. Louis, Missouri, with
the Woodward and Tiernan Printing Com-
pany, of that city. Being a young man of
great energy and executive ability, Mr. Joy
established the Carmi Times, at Carmi, Illi-
nois, with his brother, Andrew F. Joy, in
1872. Our subject, who made a success of
this venture, later sold his interest to his
brother, Andrew F. Joy, in 1882. In 1880
the Joy brothers established the Cairo Daily
and Weekly News. Thomas L. took full
charge. In 1881 he closed out the paper and
returned to Carmi and later purchased the
Mt. Carmel Republican, which he conduct-
ed for over five years, with his usual suc-
cess. He came to Centralia October 20,
1888, and bought one-half interest in the
Sentinel; the firm name was then Joy &
Hitchcock, the firm continuing for five
months, when Hitchcock retired, H. F. Till-

man taking his place, continuing for a pe-
riod of two years, at the expiration of which
time our subject bought his interest and con-
tinued to publish the paper with increasing
success until 1906, when he leased his paper
to his son, Verne E. Joy. The latter took
complete charge of the business on January
i, 1907.

While engaged on the Sentinel Thomas
L. Joy, for a period of five years, published
the Sandoval Times, a weekly paper at San-
doval, Marion county, which was liberally
patronized. He also published the Odin
News and the Patoka Enterprise, each a
weekly paper, with a good, active circula-
tion. Mr. Joy was a very busy man in over-
seeing all these papers, but his wonderful
executive ability, his capacity for the ac-
complishment of a vast amount of work and
his persistent qualities enabled him to carry
them all to successful issue, and he was for
many years the molder of public opinion in
Marion county, and became known as one
of her foremost and most influential citi-
zens. He is still a regular contributor to
the Sentinel. His articles are terse and
pithy — always interesting. He enjoys his
quiet home life in his beautiful home in Cen-
tralia, where hospitality and good cheer are
always dispensed. He is an admirable con-
versationalist and keeps abreast of the times
in all matters.

The domestic life of Thomas L. Joy dates
from September 14, 1873, when he was unit-
ed in marriage with Lizzie V. (Lockwood)
Joy, of Wayne county, Illinois. She is the
refined daughter of William and Elizabeth

542

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

(Wiley) Lockwood, of Wayne county, Illi-
nois, long well known and influential in their
community.

Our subject has always been a stanch Re-
publican and ever ready to foster the prin-
ciples of his party, doing what he could to
insure the success of the same in his county
and his counsel has been frequently sought
and in the affairs of the party at home. In
religion he follows his father's early train-
ing.

J. F. KNIGHT.

Mr. Knight has long maintained his
home in this county, and while he has been
benefited himself in a very material way
through his efforts in a varied line of work,
he has ever done what he could in the up-
building of the community at large, and to-
day he stands as one of the substantial and
foremost citizens of Sandoval, where he is
held in high favor by everyone.

J. F. Knight was born in Wenona, Illi-
nois, May 23, 1867, the son of John and
Susan (Ingersoll) Knight. The subject's
grandfather, a native of Pennsylvania and
of German lineage, was a farmer and
lived and died in the old Keystone state.
He was the father of eight children, all of
whom lived to maturity. Eli Knight was a
soldier in the Civil war, having enlisted .in
a Pennsylvania regiment and served three
years, His brother, Thomas Knight, was
also a soldier in the Federal ranks. They
were both Lutherans in their church rela-

tions. Grandfather Knight lived to an ad-
vanced age, and grandmother Knight
reached the age of ninety-four years.
Grandfather Ingersoll was from New York.
He came to Illinois in the fifties and settled
in Wenona, where he lived the balance of
his life, having reached the great age of
ninety-six years. Grandmother Ingersoll
met death in an unfortunate manner, by
being killed when sixty-five years old.

The father of our subject was raised in
Pennsylvania, and after his marriage to his
first wife he came to Illinois and settled in
Wenona. While in Pennsylvania he worked
at the miller's trade, but after he came to
Illinois he worked at farming, and he
reached the age of fifty-two years. The
subject's mother lived to be sixty-four years
old. She was a member of the Christian
church. Three children were born to John
Knight by his first wife, and the same num-
ber by his second. He was a Democrat and
served as County Clerk in Pennsylvania.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was obtained in the schools of Ma-
rion county. He later attended the South-
ern Illinois Normal School, where he gained
a good education, having applied himself in
a diligent manner to his text-books. Tak-
ing the advice of Horace Greeley, who told
the young men of the East to seek their
fortune in the West, Mr. Knight went to
California after he left school, and for some
time kept books. But he later returned to
Illinois and worked his father's farm for a
period of seven years, then bought land in
Marion county and sold live stock, and later

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

543

engaged in the livery business in Sando-
val, which he conducted for seven years. He
owns an excellent farm in this county, con-
sisting of one hundred and fifty acres of
highly improved land. He also owns an-
other farm which he rents, having the man-
agement of the first mentioned. Mr.
Knight was also engaged in the ice business
for a period of fourteen years. He owns
ten houses in Sandoval, which he rents, and
ilso owns a beautiful and modern residence.
All this he has made practically unaided,
having been a careful business man and ex-
ercised the best of judgment in all his busi-
ness transactions.

Mr. Knight was united in marriage in
1891 to Stella Reinhardt, a native of this
county, and the daughter of Charles and
Frederick (Deitz) Reinhardt, natives of
Germany. Mr. Reinhardt came to America
in an early day and settled in Marion
county. He was a weaver in the old coun-
try, but took up the baker's trade here.
There were five children in his family.

Two children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife. The first, Merle, was born
in April, 1893, and is in high school at this
writing, 1908. The second, Norman, was
born in 1896. They are both bright and in-
teresting children.

The subject is a member of the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, also the
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen,
having passed all the chairs in the Odd Fel-
lows. In his political relations he is a Dem-
ocrat, and has long taken an active part in
his party's affairs. He is at present Town-

ship Supervisor and has been Tax Collector.
He was president of the Village Board for
three terms, and he was Alderman for sev-
eral terms. In his official capacities he gave
the people of this community the best possi-
ble service and gained the approval of all.

JAMES HUNTER, M. D.

The medical profession in Marion county
has an able representative in the subject of
this review, who is to be considered one of
the leading physicians of the community of
Sandoval, where he at present maintains his
home, where he has long been established in
practice. He has been closely identified with
the civic and social affairs of Sandoval and
he controls a large and representative prac-
tice throughout this part of the county,
where he is held in the highest esteem as
a physician and surgeon and as a public-
spirited and loyal citizen.

Dr. James Hunter was born in Randolph
county, Illinois, in 1837, the son of Alexan-
der and Martha (Kell) Hunter. Grand-
father Hunter was from Ireland. He first
settled in South Carolina after coming to
this country, and it is supposed that he died
there. In that state Grandfather Kell was
born. He moved to Randolph county, Illi-
nois, having devoted his life to farming.
About 1830 he bought a farm there, set-
tling among the pioneers, reared his family

544

lilOC.KAl'IIICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

of two children, both girls, and died there at
the age of sixty-seven years. He was a
member of the Presbyterian church.

The father of our subject was born in
South Carolina and came to Illinois when
twenty-eight years old, settling in Randolph
county, where he bought land and on which
he lived until his death, which occured when
he was twenty-nine years old. His wife
passed away at the age of forty. Their
family consisted of three children, our sub-
ject being the only survivor. Mr. and Mrs.
Alexander Hunter were both members of
the Presbyterian church.

Doctor Hunter was reared in Randolph
county, Illinois, and attended the public
schools there, working on his grandfather's
farm in the meantime, until he was seven-
teen years old. He early decided that his
life should be devoted to the healing art, and
actuated by this laudable ambition he began
the study of medicine under the direction
and instruction of Dr. Hopkins, of Sparta,
Illinois, having remained with him for one
year. He then took two courses of lectures
in the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincin-
nati and began practice in Randolph county
in 1858, where he remained with gratifying
results attending his efforts for a period of
five years. He then located in another part
of the same county, where he remained a
short time.

Much to the regret of his patients
and numerous friends in Randolph county,
he moved to Newport, Kentucky, in 1864,
and took up practice there, where he re-
mained for four years, his success having
been instantaneous. He located in Switzer-

land county, Indiana, where he practiced
with most flattering results for a period of
nineteen years, after which he came back to
Randolph county, Illinois. He then spent five
years at Irvington, Washington county, hav-
ing come to Marion county in 1890, and
has been practicing here ever since, having a
lucrative business and a growing practice. To
further qualify himself Doctor Hunter at-
tended the medical department of the Nash-
ville State University and graduated from
the same in 1879. Recently the doctor was
appointed to the chair of Theory and Prac-
tice in the Hypocranium Medical College, a
night school in St. Louis.

Doctor Hunter was married in 1857 to
Miss N. J. Askins, of Sparta, Illinois. Two
of Mrs. Hunter's brothers were soldiers in
the Civil war, having enlisted from Illinois.
They served their time out and were hon-
orably discharged.

Six children were born to the subject and
wife, four girls and two boys. The doctor
has four grandchildren living. One of his
daughters lives in San Francisco, California,
another lives in St. Louis, one in Boston and
another in New York. They are all well
situated in reference to this world's affairs.

Our subject is a Mason and a Woodman.
He has filled most of the chairs in the Ma-
sonic lodge. Both he and his wife are mem-
bers of the Methodist church and are lib-
eral supporters of the same.

Doctor Hunter takes an active part in poli-
tics, having been a liberal supporter in the
Democratic ranks all his life. He has faith-
fully served his community as Justice of the
Peace for the past twelve years. What his

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

545

hands and mind have found to do he has
done with his might, and having attained a
commanding position among his contempo-
raries, he wears his honor in a becoming
manner and is today one of the prominent
citizens of Marion county.

GEO. WASHINGTON DOWNEY, M. D.

The subject of this sketch has gained pres-
tige in the healing art, which is always the
outcome of close application and the ability
to apply theory to practice in the treatment
of diseases. Good intellectual training, thor-
ough professional knowledge, have made the
subject of this review successful in this chos-
en calling, having been in practice here for
over a quarter of a century, during which
time he has built up a lucrative patronage.

Dr. G. W. Downey was born in Prince-
ton, Indiana, March i, 1832, the son of Wil-
liam and Anna (Davis) Downey. Grand-
father Downey, who was a millwright,
which trade he followed all his life, was
born in Ireland, came to America and set-
tled in Virginia, where he spent the remain-
der of his life, and where he reared his
children, being survived by six children, who
lived to maturity. There were three min-
isters in the family. Grandfather Davis,
who was also from Ireland, came to America
and settled in Tennessee, later removing
to Indiana, where he spent the remainder of
his days, devoting his life to farming, living
to an advanced age and rearing a family
consisting of four daughters.
35

The father of our subject, who was born
in Virginia, moved to Indiana when he
reached manhood and followed his trade,
that of millwright, having learned it from
his father, but feeling that he was called to
higher work, he abandoned this and devel-
oped into a Cumberland Presbyterian min-
ister of considerable notoriety, living to be
over sixty years old. He was the father of
twelve children, of whom the subject of this
sketch was the youngest. The wife of Rev.
Downey passed away at the age of sixty-
four years.

Doctor Downey attended school in Indi-
ana and when a young man worked out as
a day laborer, his family being poor, making
it necessary for him to earn his own living,
but while somewhat unpleasant, it was good
discipline for him and he developed an in-
dividuality which made greatly for subse-
quent success. Saving what he could with
a view to obtaining a higher education, he
was enabled in a few years to enter college
at Newberry, Indiana. Believing that his
true life work lay along medical lines, he
began the study of medicine in Indiana. He
took a medical course in Chicago and later
in Iowa, having made a good record for
scholarship in both.

Our subject practiced medicine for a pe-
riod of four years before the breaking out ot
the Civil war, in which he took conspicuous
part, having been one of the patriotic volun-
teers who went forth to battle for the na-
tion's rights. He enlisted in October, 1861,
in Company F, Fifty-sixth Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, and served two years. He was in

546

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

the great battle of Corinth, having been
through the siege there; also took part in
other engagements and marches in which his
regiment participated, and was discharged
on account of disease contracted while in
line of duty.

After the war our subject returned to prac-
tice, locating in Hamilton county, Illinois,
later removing to Washington county, then
to Marion county in 1882, and has been in
practice here ever since. Wherever he has
practiced he has left an honorable name and
a reputation as a high class physician and a
conscientious citizen.

Doctor Downey was united in marriage in
1858 to Margaret Pace, daughter of Joseph
Pace, whose people were originally from
Kentucky. Seven children were born to our
subject and wife, two of whom are deceased.
Those living are: Annie, the widow of Cy-
rus Hamilton; Homer is married and has
two children ; Ada is the wife of a Mr. Knox
and the mother of three children ; Corrine is
married and has one child; George is the
fifth child and youngest. A singular coin-
cidence in the history of the Pace family is
the fact that Mrs. Downey's grandmother
on the father's side of the house fell and
broke a hip; Mrs. Downey's father also fell
and broke a hip ; later his twin brother broke
his hip in a similar manner ; then his daugh-
ter fell and broke her hip; later Mrs. Dow-
ney's brother fell and broke his hip; finally
Mrs. Downey fell, breaking her hip, from
which she has become a life cripple. In
each case it was the right hip.

Our subject is a member of the ancient

and honorable Masonic fraternity. Both he
and his wife are members of the Methodist
church, the latter having been a church mem-
ber since she was fourteen years old. In
politics Doctor Downey is a Republican, and
he has the interests of his community at
heart, ever laboring for its development
along political, religious and educational
lines. His comfortable and well furnished
home in Sandoval is frequented by his many
friends and those of the family, and holds
high rank in this community.

EDWIN L. WELTON.

The record of a life well spent, of tri-
umph over obstacles, of perseverance under
difficulties and steady advancement from a
modest beginning to a place of distinction
in the industrial world, when imprinted on
the pages of a history, present to the youth
of a rising generation a worthy example.
Such a life is that of the gentleman whose
name appears at the head of this review,
who is at this writing encumbent of the re-
sponsible position of postmaster of the city
of Centralia, Illinois, and the able and con-
scientious manner in which he has ever
looked after the interests of this city have
called forth much praise from his fellow
townsmen.

Edwin L. Welton was born at New Al-
bany, Indiana, May 16, 1857, the son of
Tandy and Mary E. (Carlan) Welton, the
former having been born in Harrison

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, .ILLINOIS.

547

county, Indiana, January 4, 1827, and is
still living in the Hoosier state. The mother
of the subject was born near New Albany,
Indiana, in 1832. They became the par-
ents of eleven children, of whom Edwin L.,
our subject, was the sixth in order of birth.
There were six boys and five girls, seven of
whom are living.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was obtained in the common schools
of New Albany. He early began working
on a farm and later in the Ohio Falls Iron
Works at New Albany. He came to Marion
county, Illinois, in young manhood without
a dollar, but possessing courage and energy
he set to work and his subsequent career has
been a most successful one. He now owns
a costly and well furnished home in Cen-
tralia, besides considerable other property
in real estate, and his rental income pays
over one thousand dollars a year on his in-
vestment. He arrived in Centralia Febru-
ary n, 1879.

After coming to this«state our subject
worked for the Illinois Central Railroad for
a period of seventeen years and for thirteen
years was an engineer on the road, having
been one of the most trusted and efficient
employes of this company. He also worked
for some time in the nail mills of Centralia.

Our subject supports his aged father and
mother, which he has done for years. He
subscribed the first one hundred dollars for
the erection of the present Catholic hospital
erected in Centralia the latter part of 1908.

Our subject met with the misfortune to
lose his left eye nine years ago by the ex-

plosion of a lubrication glass on an engine.

Edwin L. Welton first married Addie J.
Andrews, of Centralia, October 17, 1882, by
whom one son was born, Dwight E., whose
birth occurred July 22, 1884. He lived
eight months and seventeen days, having
died in March, 1885. The subject's first
wife passed to her rest October 15, 1887.
Mr. Welton was married a second time, his
last wife being Isabel H. See, the wedding
occurring January 31, 1894. To this union
five children have been born. The first died
in infancy. The names of the others are
Helen F., Frederick E., Winifred L. and
Edna L., all living at home and attending
school in 1908. Mrs. Welton is the daugh-
ter of C. M ^nd Anna M. See, of Alma.

Mr. Welton was elected Township Col-
lector in 1902, the duties of which he faith-
fully performed, as he did also while serv-
ing as a member of the School Board of
Centralia from 1887 to 1889. He was ap-
pointed postmaster of Centralia in 1903 and
has faithfully continued to serve the people
of this city under Roosevelt's administra-
tion, still being the incumbent of this office
in 1908, and according to the consensus of
opinion is one of the best postmasters the
city has ever had, possessing as he does a
remarkable executive ability and being of
a pleasing address he is popular with all
classes.

In politics our subject is a Republican,
having always voted this ticket and done
what he could in furthering the interests of
his party. Fraternally he is a member of
the Free and Accepted Masons, the Blue

548

i:icx;K APHICAL AXD RKMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

Lodge, also Chapter, Council and Com-
mandery. He is a member of the Knights
of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen and the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
Firemen. Both he and his wife are members
of the Order of Eastern Star.

Our subject's people and also those of his
wife were Methodists. Mrs. Welton is an
active member of this church. Mr. Welton,
while not affiliated with any special church,
contributes liberally to the support of the
Methodist church and worships there with
his family, being a stanch believer in prac-
tical, every-day Christianity, a man of gen-
erous disposition who has always given his
aid and influence to enterprises for the pub-
lic good, and since becoming a resident of
Centralia he has contributed largely to the
material advancement of the city and to the
social and moral welfare and he keeps
abreast of the times in all matters in which
the public is interested. No act inconsistent
with the strictest integrity has ever been
imputed to him, nor has his name ever been
connected with any measure or movement
that would not bear closest and most crit-
ical scrutiny. Thus far his official career has
fully demonstrated the wisdom of his friends
in urging his selection for the position which
he holds.

ALFRED LIVESAY.

Although the unmarred life-chapter of the
subject of this sketch has been closed and
the seal set thereon forever by the "grim

reaper," his influence for good still pervades
the lives of those with whom he was asso-
ciated, for his life was led along high planes
of endeavor and resulted in not only the ac-
complishment of good for himself and fam-
ily, but also his neighbors.

Alfred Livesay was born in Tennessee
February 15, 1822, and when seven
years of age he came to Washing-
ton county, Illinois, at the age of
seven years, and in about 1866 he came to
Marion county, locating in Patoka township.
Our subject was the son of John Wesley and
Margaret (Lyons) Livesay, both natives of
Tennessee, who came to Marion county, Illi-
nois, where they spent the remainder of
their lives, dying on the same place on which
they settled.

Our subject made nearly all the improve-
ments of his place, having been a hard
worker and an excellent manager. He was
always a Democrat, but never sought pub-
lic office. Entering the ministry, he was a
Methodist preaches .for several years, doing
much good and becoming widely known as
an earnest expounder of the Gospel, but he
gave up preaching quite a while before his
death, abandoning the ministry owing to
failing health. He had the distinction of
serving one year and one month in the Mex-
ican war, during which he contracted sick-
ness from which he never fully recovered.
He was a farmer and an extensive stock
raiser and was highly successful at his work
wherever it was applied, being a man of
good judgment and always industrious. He
was a cousin of Dr. Thomas Livesay, one

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

549

of the leading physicians of Marion county
and a man respected by all.

After receiving such common schooling
as the times afforded our subject worked at
various things, principally farming, until he
married, February 26, 1846, in Washington
county, Hannah Logan, who was born in
Washington county September 30, 1830,
and to this union the following children
have been born ; William T. married
Eliza Seward and are the parents of
four children and live in Stanley, Iowa;
Elizabeth R. is single and takes care of her
mother; Isaac B., who married Leticia Rock
and who has two children, lives in Kansas;
Pearl married Joseph Larimer and they are
the parents of two children ; Hester A. mar-
ried Perry Davidson, of Marion county, and
she is the mother of five children; Ransom
P. married Louisa Suter and they are the
parents of five children; Marshall A. mar-
ried Rachael Walton and they have nine
children; Liddie, deceased, married Robert
Quale, and they are the parents of two liv-
ing children and two deceased; Harvey R.
married Mollie Chick and they are the par-
ents of five children ; Allen H., who remained
single, died when forty-four years old ; Dan-
iel R. married Laura Cruse and they have
three children; Etta married James Smith
and they became the parents of eight chil-
dren, four of whom are living; Clinton O.
marreid Elvira McHaney and they became
the parents of seven children, one of whom
is deceased.

Alfred Livesay departed this life, after a
strenuous and useful career, on April 22,

1883, honored and respected by all who knew
him, and his place in the neighborhood has
since been greatly missed, for he was a good
and useful man, who, while laboring to ad-
vance the interests of himself, did not fail
to do what he could in promoting the wel-
fare of the public. He left his family about
six hundred acres of well improved land.
Mrs. Livesay now manages in a most suc-
cessful manner one hundred and thirty-four
acres, all under a high state of cultivation.
She is a woman of rare business tact and
ability, although she is now well advanced
in old age, and she has a wonderful mem-
ory and is an interesting conversationalist.
She draws a pension of twelve dollars per
month. She is held in high esteem by the
people of Patoka township for her many
commendable traits of character and beau-
tiful life.

JACOB COPPLE.

It is hard for the present generation to
properly appreciate the brave deeds of the
"boys in blue," who sacrificed so much on
the altar of patriotism during the sixties,
but as years go by the immensity of their
deeds will be realized to a fuller extent and
each veteran will be accorded full measure
of credit and praise. The gentleman whose
name appears above is a member of this
great number of patriots.

Jacob Copple was born in Clark county,
Indiana, December 23, 1835, the son of An-
drew and Christina (Fine) Copple, both na-

550

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

tives of North Carolina, who were among
the pioneers in the vicinity of Walnut
Hill, Illinois, where they lived for a
short time, then moved to Raccoon
township, Marion county. He secured wild
land and developed a good farm, on which
he and his wife both died. He was a Demo-
crat, but held no office, and an active mem-
ber of the Christian church. The subject's
mother was twice married, first to James
Snow, and she had two sons by this mar-
riage, William and James, the former a
farmer and the latter a minister in the Chris-
tian church for many years. They are both
deceased.

Four children were born to Andrew Cop-
pie and wife, namely: Jacob, our subject;
John L., deceased, who lived in Raccoon
township on a farm and was also a black-
smith; Simpson is living in Hood River,
Oregon, a retired farmer; Mary Elizabeth
is the widow of Robert Sanders, who lives
in Raccoon township.

Our subject had only a limited amount of
schooling in his youth, but he became self-
educated and he taught five terms of winter
schools in a most successful manner. He
was married in March, 1856, to Malinda F.
McCullough, a native of Tennessee, the
daughter of Thomas McCullough, of Ten-
nessee, who were among the early settlers
in Jefferson county, Illinois, having located
on a farm. Mr. McCullough lived to be
over eighty years old. His wife survived
him, dying in 1844. The subject's wife
died November 20, 1901. Seven children
were born to them, five of whom grew to

maturity, namely: Rebecca J., who married
J. H. Creed, and who lived in Centralia
township, died in 1884, after becoming the
mother of three children; Charles L., a ho-
tel keeper living near Portland, Oregon, is
married and has four sons: Theopolis V., a
farmer living in Raccoon township, is sin-
gle; Samuel A., a farmer in Raccoon town-
ship, married Florence Copple and has three
children ; George F., deceased, married Min-
nie McMillin, and became a farmer near
Walnut Hill. These children were educat-
ed in the home schools and are all fairly
well situated in reference to business and
homes.

Mr. Copple, as already intimated, was a
soldier during the war of the Rebellion, hav-
ing enlisted on April 6, 1865, in Company
H, Fifty-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
He first went to New York City, being sick
with the measles, and came home in 1865,
and was sick until the spring of 1866. He
had moved to Jefferson county, Illinois, in
1 86 1, and he lived there until 1881, when he
moved to Raccoon township, where he
bought the Robert Rainey farm. His fine
farm now consists of one hundred and
twelve acres and he carries on general farm-
ing and stock raising in a most successful
manner, having his farm highly improved
and carefully tilled. He has always been a
farmer and has taken much interest in pub-
lic affairs. He has been School Director
and he cast his first vote for Abraham Lin-
coln, but since 1876 he has been a Populist
and he has the splendid record of having
been a member of the Christian church for

HIGHLAND, CLAY AXD MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

the past fifty years. Our subject has been
retired since 1900, when he bought a home
in Walnut Hill, where he has since lived.

JOSEPH PORTER ROOT.

One of the venerable and highly respected
citizens of Marion county is he whose name
appears above, a man whose life has been
led along useful and conservative lines, re-
sulting in good to those with whom he came
in contact and resulting in success to him-
self and family.

Joseph Porter Root was born August 4,
1828, in Orange county, Vermont, the son
of King and Elizabeth (Bacheldor) Root,
both natives of Orange county, Vermont,
the former's father and mother also being
natives of that county. Jethro Bacheldor
was the subject's maternal grandfather. He
and his wife were both natives of New
Hampshire. The subject's father, who grew
up and married in Vermont, was a very ac-
tive man. a great drummer, and a farmer
by occupation. Both he and his wife died
in Vermont ; the latter was a member of the
Free Will Baptist church. The former was
a Democrat. They were the parents of thir-
teen children, twelve of whom grew to ma-
turity and married. The subject had one
brother, Lawton, a farmer, who came west
in about 1838, going to Chicago and down
the Mississippi river and through Southern
Illinois and in two years went back to Ver-
mont.

The subject of this sketch, who receive
only a limited schooling when a boy, live
at home with his parents until he reache
manhood. In early life he worked as a tun
er at the lathe and made tool handles. I
1852 he came west unaccompanied and k
cated in Marion county- where Centralia noi
stands. The country was then wild and h
has seen the development of the community
taking no small part in the great work. Thei
was no railroad in the county when he cam
here. He went into partnership with Rot
ert Hensley in 1854 and put up a steam saw
mill on Fulton creek, the first mill in tte
locality. Lumber was sawed here for th
Illinois Central Railroad Company to b
used in the construction of round house;
shops and buildings in general. Our sul
ject operated the mill for about two year;
when he sold it and went into partnershi
with Josiah Gilkey and they made wh«
barrows and such implements by hand an
later took up painting. He secured Ian
and started to make a home.

Our subject was united in marriage o
June 14, 1856, to Sarah Ann Stradley, o
Ashville. North Carolina, who was bor
November 20, 1832, the daughter of Davi
and Mary (Bruce) Stradley, the forme
having been born in England and the latte
in North Carolina. Mr. Stradley was sen
by a syndicate to Mexico to look after thei
interests in a silver mine, and he remaine
there three years. He had relatives in Norti
Carolina, where he went and in which stat
he was married, and later came to Marioi
county. Illinois, settling in Centralia town

552

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ship, where he got land, where he and his
wife both died.

The wife of the subject, a woman of many
beautiful traits of character, passed to her
rest August 24, 1898.

After his marriage our subject lived in
Centralia township, having cleared land and
made a good and comfortable home and
where he lived in ease until the death of his
wife, since which time he has lived among
his children. Eight children were born to
the subject and wife as follows: Mary E.,
born August 8, 1857, married Oliver P.
Moore; they live in Jefferson county, Illi-
nois, and are the parents of eight children,
one deceased. Erastus S., the second child,
was born September 20, 1859, married Celia
Wood ; they live in Centralia, this county,
and are the parents of eight children, two
being deceased; King David was born Oc-
tober 24, 1861, married Orphelia Van Hou-
ten, and they are the parents of four chil-
dren and make their home in Centralia;
Charles Burdette, who was born September
n, 1863, married Edith Creed; he is a
farmer and teacher in Centralia township,
being the parents of three children, one child
being deceased. Joseph Elmer, the fifth
child, was born May 8, 1866, is a farmer in
Centralia township, married Mary Bates,
and they have three children living and one
dead. Jethro Bacheldor, the sixth child, was
born March 4, 1870, and married Mollie
Burge, of Centralia, and they have five chil-
dren. Ella B. was born April 25, 1872, mar-
ried Lloyd Burge, living at Hyattville, Wyo-
ming, and they are the parents of three chil-

dren; Cyrus, the youngest child, was born
October 6, 1878, married Grace Burge, of
Marion county, Illinois, the daughter of Jar-
rett and Susan (Warren) Burge, both of
this county. They were of Virginia and
Tennessee stock. Jarrett Burge lived all of
his life in Marion county, this state, on a
farm. He now lives one mile east of Odin.
His wife died in January, 1904.

Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Root are the parents
of three children, namely : Earl, Evelyn and
Lavinia. Our subject is regarded as one of
the representative farmers of Centralia
township, having always devoted his life to
the farm. However, he has been practically
retired since 1898. He is a Democrat; his
wife was a member of the Baptist church.
Mr. Root is a remarkably well preserved man
for his advanced age, still hale and hearty.
He is a great reader and is well posted. He
started in life in a small way, but being in-
dustrious and a good manager, he has
achieved success and is today one of the
substantial men of the county.

CHARLES F. DEW.

The gentleman whose career is briefly
sketched in the following lines is an in-
fluential member of the Marion County Bar,
who by reason of his professional success
has been honored from time to time with po-
sitions of responsiblity and trust. He also
holds worthy prestige as a citizen, being in-
terested in whatever tends to benefit his fel-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

553

low men, and in matters of public import.
His reputation as an influential factor and
trusted leader is duly recognized and ap-
preciated.

Charles F. Dew is one of Illinois' native
sons and a descendant of an old Virginia
family that was first represented in the West
by his grandfather, Rev. John Dew, a
Methodist minister of much more than local
repute and one of the leading men of his
church in the central and southern parts of
the state. This eminent pioneer divine was
the intimate associate and co-laborer of the
celebrated Peter Cartwright, whom he as-
sisted in evangelistic work among the early
settlers, and his name frequently occurs in
the latter's autobiography and personal rem-
iniscences. He was not only an able and
earnest preacher, but also a prominent edu-
cator and to his efforts more perhaps than
to those of any other man is due the found-
ing of McKendree College, of which he was
the first president. Subsequently he served
for many years on the board of directors of
that institution and was untiring in promot-
ing its interests by every means at his com-
mand. He migrated from Virginia in a very
early day and settled originally near Tren-
ton, Clinton county, but spent the greater
portion of his time in ministerial work in
different parts of the state and establishing
churches, many of which are still in exist-
ence and flourishing organization.

Henry P. Dew, son of the above and
father of the subject, was born in St. Clair
county, Illinois, in the year 1833. He mar-
ried in 1 86 1, Sarah C. Arrowsmith, whose

birth occurred in June, 1838, and who bore
him three children, namely: Edward, died
in early years, Lulu, who also died young,
and Charles F., whose name introduces this
sketch. Henry P. Dew departed this life
at Odin, Illinois, in the year 1872, his wife,
who is still living, makes her home with
Charles F., her only surviving child. The
Arrowsmiths moved to Illinois from Ohio
and were among the early settlers of Marion
county, the parents of Mrs. Dew locating
near Salem in 1848. Mr. Arrowsmith pur-
chased land and in due time became a pros-
perous farmer and praiseworthy citizen. He
reared a family of eight children, three sons
and five daughters, and with his good wife
has for a number of years been sleeping the
sleep of the just.

Charles F. Dew was born March 20, 1866,
in Washington county, Illinois, and received
his preliminary education in the public
schools, this training being afterwards sup-
plemented by a course in the high school of
Centralia, where he was graduated in 1883.
Actuated by an earnest desire to add to his
scholastic knowledge, he subsequently en-
tered McKendree College, where he prose-
cuted his studies until completing the pre-
scribed course and receiving the degree of
Bachelor of Science, after which he engaged
in educational work, devoting the ensuing
ten years to teaching in the schools of Illi-
nois, Missouri and Minnesota.

Mr. Dew achieved honorable distinction
as an educator, and while in the profession
taught in the schools of St. Louis, Kansas
City, and served for some time as superin-

554

MIOCKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

tendent of the public schools of Rush City,
Minnesota, in the meantime receiving from
his alma mater the degree of Master of
Science. Although a natural teacher and
fond of the work, he had no intention of
making it his permanent calling. Accord-
ingly, in 1893, he retired from the school
room and began the study of law in the of-
fice of Judge William Stoker, of Centralia.
After three years of close application, un-
der the direction of that able lawyer and
jurist, he took the required examination at
Springfield and received his license to prac-
tice in the state and federal courts, his ad-
mission to the bar bearing the date of 1896.
The year in which he was granted his li-
cense, Mr. Dew engaged in the practice of
his profession at Centralia, and after expe-
riencing the usual difficulties which beset the
young attorney at the beginning of his ca-
reer, he forged rapidly to the front among
the successful lawyers of the city, and in
due time built up a large and satisfactory
legal business. His habits of study and con-
centration together with his previous ex-
perience as a teacher were greatly in his
favor and he brought to his profession a
well disciplined mind, which enabled him to
grow in public favor within a comparatively
brief period. In connection with the duties
of his calling, he became actively interested
in political affairs and it was not long until
he acquired considerable political prestige,
not only locally, but in district and state
matters as well. In recognition of valuable
political resources as well as by reason of
his fitness for the position, he was elected

City Attorney of Centralia, and so ably did
he discharge his official functions that he
was twice chosen his own successor. His
record while looking after the interest of
the municipality was without a blemish and
compared favorably with those of his
predecessors.

As a lawyer Mr. Dew stands deservedly
high and his career thus far has been char-
acterized by continuous advancement and a
success such as few of his professional ex-
perience attain. He is well grounded in the
principles of jurisprudence and by critical
study has become so familiar with the lead-
ing authorities that he experiences little dif-
ficulty in applying his knowledge to practice
or in successfully competing with older and
more experienced men. He is regarded as a
safe and judicious counselor, careful and
methodical in the preparation of legal pa-
pers and all matters entrusted to him are
sure to receive his earnest attention and to be
attended to with promptness and dispatch.

Mr. Dew is a man of scholarly tastes and
an influential factor in the literary life of
Centralia. His office in the Ramer Build-
ing on North Locust street is not only fre-
quented by clients and those deserving legal
advice, but it is also a favorite resort of the
intellectually inclined, for therein are fre-
quently considered and discussed matters of
high import in which only men of like tastes
and inclinations have an interest. Mr. Dew
is a member of the Masonic fraternity and
the order of Woodmen, and the Methodist
Episcopal church represents his religious
creed. Although earnest in his views and

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

555

with the courage of his convictions on all
subjects, he is a man of liberal ideas and
only requires the same respect for his own
opinions that he accords to the opinions of
those who may differ from him. Mr. Dew
was happily married on the 25th day of No-
vember, 1908, to Hattie H. Porter, of Cen-
tralia, daughter of William and Rose R.
(Ray) Porter, early settlers of Salem. Mrs.
Dew's grandfather was one of the large
land owners of Marion county and for many
years a leading citizen of the county in which
he lived.

SAMUEL SHOOK.

The subject of this sketch has for many
years ranked among the modern agricul-
turists of this section of the state, where his
entire life has been spent, resulting in the
accomplishment of a comfortable living for
himself and family.

Samuel Shook was born in Centralia
township, Marion county, September 15,
1845, the son of Amos and Martha (Shel-
ton) Shook, the former a native of Penn-
sylvania and the latter of Georgia. Amos
Shook came to Illinois when a boy with his
uncle, Samuel Shook, and located near Belle-
ville, when the present state was still a ter-
ritory. The uncle procured land in Centra-
lia township, being among the very first set-
tlers here, early in the nineteenth century. He
developed a farm, making a comfortable
home. His neighbors were Indians and wild
beasts, consequently he never went any place

without his rifle. He spent the remainder
of his life farming in Centralia township.
He was a Baptist preacher, the first in the
locality, preaching around in the homes in
log cabins. Amos Shook, the subject's father,
who had little chance to attend school,
grew up in Centralia township and was a
farmer all his life, a leading Democrat in
his community, but held no public office. He
was a member of the Christian church. He
died in 1877, and his wife passed to her
rest in 1846. He was twice married, his
second wife being Susan Whitchurch, of
Centralia township, the daughter of William
Whitchurch, of St. Clair county, this state,
having been pioneers of that county.

Eight children were born to Amos Shook
and his first wife, two of whom are now
living, namely: Sallie, deceased; Martha
Jane; Roanna, deceased; David, deceased;
Lucy Ann, deceased; James H., a farmer in
Wayne county, Illinois; Morris, deceased;
Samuel, our subject. Two children were
born to Amos Shook and his second wife,
Robert and Ivy, both deceased.

Our subject had only a limited schooling
in the early subscription schools, but he made
the best use possible of his opportunities and
is today a well read man.

Mr. Shook was happily married March
9, 1865, to Julia A. Garren, of Jefferson
county, Illinois, having been born there in
1846, the daughter of Alexander and Betsy
(Copple) Garren, natives of Indiana, who
came to Centralia township, Marion county,
Illinois, having been pioneers of that locality.
Mr. Garren died in Marion county and his

556

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

wife's death occurred in Jefferson county.
He was twice married, his second wife be-
ing Roxanna Hudlow, a widow. Four chil-
dren were born to Alexander Garren and his
first wife, namely: William, John, Eli, all
three deceased ; Julia Ann, the subject's wife.
The following children were born to Alex-
ander Garren and his second wife, namely:
Riley, who lives in Missouri; Robert and
Phoebe, both deceased ; Alexander, Jr., a liv-
eryman at Walnut Hill ; Lewis, deceased.

Eight children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, five of whom are now living,
namely: Melvin, a farmer at Lane, South
Dakota ; Albert, a farmer in Centralia town-
ship; Ira, deceased; Plannie, deceased;
George, deceased; Frank, a farmer on the
old home place; Elmer, a farmer at Lane,
South Dakota; Myrtle May, living in Cen-
tralia township.

After the subject's marriage he located
where he now lives in Centralia township
and erected a substantial house and barn
and made all of the improvements on the
place, which are extensive and equal to any
in the county. He has lived on this place
continuously since that time. He has al-
ways been a farmer and stock raiser, having
been highly successful at each, being con-
sidered by his neighbors and those who know
him as one of the leading farmers of the
township and an excellent judge of live
stock. He is a Democrat, but has held no
offices. He is a member of the Christian
church.

The subject is one of those patriotic citi-
zens who felt it their duty to offer their

services in defense of their country during
the sixties, consequently he enlisted in 1864
in Company F, Forty-eighth Regiment, Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry, at Centralia. He
was sent to Scottsboro, Alabama, and was
wounded three times, first at Resaca, hav-
ing been shot through the right shoulder. He
was later wounded at Fort McAlister, hav-
ing been shot through the right leg, at which
battle he was also shot through the left
thigh. He was under Sherman and Gen.
John A. Logan in the Fifteenth Army Corps,
Fourth Brigade and Fourth Division. He
took part in all the battles and engagements
of his regiment. After he was wounded he
was first sent by boat to Bedford, South
Carolina, later to New York, and then to
Quincy, Illinois, where he was discharged
May 13, 1865.

Mr. Shook is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, Post No. 55, at Cen-
tralia, Illinois; also a member of the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows at Wal-
nut Hill, this state; the Knights of Pythias
at Centralia, also the Farmers' Mutual Ben-
efit Association.

HENRY L. RHODES.

No compendium such as the province of
this work defines in its essential limitations
will serve to present in detail the interesting
life career of the subject of this sketch who
is well known in Marion county, where he
has long maintained his home, being now a
retired railroad man and a leading member

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOL-

557

of the Free and Accepted Masons, No. 101
— a man who is entitled to the respect of
his fellow men owing to the well ordered
life he has led.

Harry L. Rhodes was born at Port Jar-
vis, Orange county, New York, May 24,
1829, the son of Simeon and Jane (Mc-
Daniels) Rhodes, the latter of Scotch-Irish
ancestry, the former a native of New York
and of German ancestry. Two children
were born to them, Henry L., our subject,
being the oldest of the two. When eight
years old our subject went on the tow path
where he remained for ten years. When
eighteen years old he was captain of a boat
on the Erie canal. After he entered the ser-
vice of the Erie Railroad which was taking
the place of the boat, and was afterward
conductor for seven years on the New York
& Erie Railroad. In April, 1856, he came
to Centralia and was conductor on the Illi-
nois Central Railroad for a period of thirty-
four years, then retiring to private life. He
gave these roads the very best of service
and was regarded by them as among their
best and most trusted employes. By his
economy and industry and his judicious in-
vestments, he acquired a handsome compe-
tence and is now considered one of the well-
to-do men of Centralia, where he has a good
home, nicely and comfortably furnished.
His success has been worthy his honorable
business career.

Henry L. Rhodes married in Port Jarvis,
New York, in 1853, to Sarah E. Smith,
and the following children have been born
to this union : George H. ; Libbie is the

wife of B. F. Statlemey'er, of St. Louis;
William A. died in St. Paul, Minnesota,
when twenty-three years old.

Our subject came to Illinois in 1856 and
began railroading as a passenger conductor
on the Illinois Central, where he remained
for a period of forty-three years. He was
also train master for six years.

Having ever taken considerable interest
in the development of Marion county in all
lines, especially politically, he was elected
Mayor of Centralia which office he very ably
and acceptably filled for two terms. He ex-
ercises the franchise of men and measures
of the Republican party, and he feels a deep
interest in all political affairs and is well in-
formed on all the leading issues of the day.
He has been a frequent delegate to the
county, congressional and state conventions,
and in 1896 was a delegate to the Republi-
can National Convention.

Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes attend the Presby-
terian church at Centralia, which they liber-
ally support. Mr. Rhodes is a Master Ma-
son, having filled all the stations in the local
Blue Lodge. He was made mark master,
past master, most excellent master and
Royal Arch Mason of No. 93 ; then council
of No. 28, having filled the highest offices,
of these illustrious masters for five years.
He went to the Commandery and served
six terms as eminent commandery of the
Scottish Rite, thirty-third degree, and as a
life member served as sovereign grand and
inspection general in the thirty-third and
last degree. Mr. Rhodes is one of Cen-
tralia's best known men.

558

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKM I X ISCK \T HISTORY OF

FATHER JOHN H. BRUNS.

Although yet a young man the gentleman
whose name introduces this biographical
sketch has accomplished much toward ameli-
orating the condition of his fellow men,
often laboring with disregard for his own
welfare if thereby he might attain the ob-
ject he sought — to make some one better,
happier. Such a life as his is rare and is
eminently worthy of emulation, being
singularly free from all that is deteriorating
or paltry, for his influence is at all times
uplifting and thousands of people have been
made better for having known him.

Father John H. Bruns, who has done
such a commendable work in promulgating
the interests of the Catholic church and
school in Centralia, Illinois, was born in
Borken, Germany, June 30, 1870, the son
of Joseph and Adalaid (Rademacher)
Bruns, .being the oldest child of a family of
eight children. He came to America in
1880. His early education was obtained in
the common schools of Europe and partly at
Pinckneyville, Illinois. Under the Fran-
ciscan Fathers at Tentrepolis, near Effing-
ham, he studied the classics and graduated
in 1891 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts
and as the valedictorian of his class. He af-
terward took a degree, Master of Arts, in a
school of philosophy at Quincy, Illinois.
Then he took a tree years' course in theology
at St. Francis, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Being ambitious our subject applied himself
in a most assiduous manner to his studies
and made an excellent record in all those
schools.

Father Bruns was ordained to the priest-
hood June 16, 1895, and soon thereafter as-
signed to be assistant pastor at St. Peter's
cathedral, Belleville, Illinois, where he re-
mained for a period of eight years, having in
the meantime accomplished much in the
builing up of this organization and winning
a lasting monument in the hearts of the
people of that church. He was appointed
pastor at Centralia August 20, 1903, and is
at this writing, 1908, carrying on the work
here with that discretion, energy and de-
votion that insures abundant success. Many
improvements have been inaugurated since
his coming, among which might well be
mentioned the installation of a new and
modern heating system in the church and
school, an addition to the school building,
costing about three thousand and one hun-
dred dollars, the purchase of a cemetery at
a cost of one thousand and five hundred dol-
lars, also the purchase of a hospital site at
a cost of four thousand dollars. He has la-
bored faithfully in the building up of the
church and the school, the former now rep-
resenting one hundred and sixty families,
and there are at this writing one hundred
and fifty-six pupils enrolled in the school.
Three teachers are employed and the course
includes the eighth grade work and a com-
plete course of bookkeeping. Six sisters are
employed to take care of the sick. When
the work on the new hospital is completed
a large number of sisters of the highest
efficiency will be constantly engaged to care
for the sick and those who are brought for
treatment. The church building is one of
the handsomest in the city and would be

REV. JOHN H. BRUNS.

ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Centralia, Illinois.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

559

a pride to any city, having cost fifty thou-
sand dollars. The parsonage cost four
thousand dollars, and the school building
proper cost five thousand dollars, the second
floor of the school building having an ele-
gant hall and stage, where entertainments
and other exercises are held, such as socials
for the church and the school. The original
building of the hospital will cost when com-
pleted about twenty-five thousand dollars.
It will be so built that new additions can
be added without marring the beauty and
unity of any part.

It has been no small task to do what
Father Bruns has done. It required much
hard work and a zeal and perseverance that
only those who were closely connected with
and took active part in the work of the
parish can clearly understand and appreciate.
Beside the business end of the work, he has
been busy in building up the parish and
raising the spiritual standing of the congre-
gation, which is now in a good condition,
both temporal and spiritual.

In the purchase of property, the erection
of buildings and in looking after the trans-
actions attendant upon them he has shown
business tact and energy, as well as a spirit
of devotion to his church. His acts, both
spiritual and temporal, have met with the
united approval of his own people and all
others. But these are too well known to
require further detailed mention, and the
writer knows that whatever of good the
reverend priest may have accomplished he
would far rather have it engraved on the
hearts of the people than to be put into

print, and that the approval of his own
conscience and of his Divine Master are the
reward he wishes for his labors in behalf of
the church.

LEWIS H. REED.

The subject of this sketch has well earned
the honor to be addressed as one of the
progressive, public-spirited men of Marion
county, since from the beginning of his
residence here he has been conspicuously ac-
tive, securing for himself the comforts of
life and home and an ample competence
for his declining years. Mr. Reed's home
is at Centralia, where he is engaged in the
drug business and wherever he is known he
is held in the highest esteem owing to his
life of honor and industry.

Lewis H. Reed was born in Vermilion
county, Indiana, December 20, 1849, the
son of John W. and Sarah (Ralston) Reed,
the former having been born August 3,
1822, in Stokes county, North Carolina.
He came to Indiana in 1832 with his par-
ents, whose family consisted of six children,
five boys and one girl, of whom the subject
of this sketch was the third in order of birth.
His mother was born February 7, 1827, in
Brown county, Ohio, near Georgetown, and
she came to Indiana when quite small, her
family having located in Vermilion county.
She was one of a family of five children,
being the youngest child. John W. Reed
was a Republican and a member of the

56o

;i(K,KAI'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Methodist Protestant church. His wife was
a Presbyterian in her youth, having been
so reared, but later in life became a Metho-
dist Protestant. There were eight children
in the family of the parents of our subject,
six boys and two girls, the subject being
the oldest in order of birth.

Lewis H. Reed was educated in the pub-
lic schools of Vermilion county, Indiana.
He worked on his father's farm until twenty
years old. He then entered Ascension Semi-
nary in Sullivan, Sullivan county, Indiana.
After obtaining a good education, having
made a splendid record for scholarship in
the last named school, he began teaching,
which profession he followed with great
success for a period of ten years, during
which time he became well known as an able
educator and his services were in great de-
mand, having taught many successful terms
in both Illinois and Indiana.

Believing that a better field for his talents
was to be found in the drug business he
entered the same on March 28, 1879, in
St. Bernice, Indiana. He continued in the
drug business at St. Bernice until 1888,
having built up an excellent trade and mak-
ing a success of the business from the first.
During that time he held the office of post-
master under President Rutherford B.
Hayes, having begun in May, i88i,and con-
tinued the same with much credit to himself
and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned
for five years, five months and fifteen days,
when he resigned and moved to Mississippi,
having remained one winter at Ocean
Springs. In 1889 he removed to Centralia,

Illinois, and held the office of Town Clerk
for two terms, in a manner that elicited
praise on every hand.

Mr. Reed is still in the drug business,
having one of the best equipped and neatest
stores in Centralia and he has an excellent
patronage numbering many customers
throughout the county. Owing to his court-
eous treatment of customers and his inti-
mate knowledge of the drug business his
trade is always all that could be desired.

Mr. Reed united in marriage to Isabella
Benefiel on July 13, 1881. She is the
daughter of Robert and Mary (Ingram)
Benefiel, of Carlisle, Indiana. She was edu-
cated in Edgar county, Illinois. Her father
met an untimely death by being killed by a
horse.

Mrs. Reed is a member of the Pythian
Sisters, Lotus Temple No. 8, having
passed all the chairs. She is a teacher in
the First Methodist Episcopal church Sun-
day school, having been identified with
Sunday school work for many years. She
is a member of the Ladies' Aid and the
Missionary societies of the church. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Reed are faithful members
of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Politically our subject is a loyal Repub-
lican and he takes a great interest in the
affairs of his party. He is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
Queen City No. 179, having been identi-
fied with the same for the past twenty-five
years and having passed all the chairs. He
has been representative to the Grand Lodge
twice at Springfield, Illinois. He is also

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

a past chief patriarch of the Centralia En-
campment No. 75, having represented the
Encampment twice at Springfield. He is
also a member of Helmet lodge No. 26,
Knights of Pythias, and has passed all the
chairs in the same.

JULIUS REINHARDT.

Mr. Reinhardt is one of those characters
whose integrity and personality must force
them into an admirable notoriety, which
their modesty never seeks, who command
the respect of their contemporaries and their
posterity and leave the impress of their in-
dividuality upon the lives of those with
whom they come in contact.

Julius Reinhardt, jeweler and musician of
Centralia, Marion county, and one of the
representative business men and honorable
citizens of this locality, was born in Leba-
non, Illinois, May 16, 1874, the son of
Charles, Sr., and Marie (Blass) Reinhardt.
The father of the subject was born in Ger-
many, near Saxony, and the subject's
mother was born in Bavaria, Germany.
They came to America when young and
were married in St. Louis, Missouri. They
are now both deceased, the father having
been called from his earthly labors in 1905
and the mother passed to her rest in 1904.
There were eight children in their family,
seven of whom are living in 1908, our sub-
ject being the youngest in order of birth.
36

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was obtained in the public schools of
Lebanon, Illinois. Later he attended Mc-
Kendree College, taking a business course
in this institution and making a splendid
record for scholarship.

The domestic life of our subject dates
from September 12, 1900, when he was
united in marriage to Alberta Allmon, the
representative of an influential family of
Salem, Illinois, and to this union two sons
and one daughter have been born, namely:
Edwin A., Virginia M., and Julian, the two
oldest being in school at this writing, 1908.

Mr. Reinhardt's business life properly be-
gan in 1889, when he launched in the jew-
elry business in Centralia, having first lo-
cated in Buck's drug store, conducting a re-
pair shop. Since that time Mr. Reinhardt
has been known as a conscientious as well
as a skilled workman. He conducted this
business for a period of three years, when
he conducted a similar business with like
success for a period of two years in Zar-
beck's hardware store. He started in with
a stock of jewelry in 1889 and he has
gradually built up a trade, having been ex-
tensively patronized from the first, until he
now has a very extensive and beautiful stock
of goods in commodious and elegant quar-
ters, and he enjoys a liberal income, al-
ways treating his numerous customers with
the utmost courtesy and giving them full
value received, having an intimate knowl-
edge of the jewelry business and giving
them the benefit of this knowledge by plac-

562

IHOCKAI'HICAI. AM) RKM I X ISCKXT HISTORY OF

ing the best goods obtainable in his store.

In politics Mr. Reinhardt is strictly inde-
pendent. There are many features of each
of the great parties which commend them-
selves to him, but, from his observation and
experience, he has decided that far more
depends on the man than on the platform.
It has often been demonstrated that party
pledges have never yet been fabricated out
of indestructible material and sensible peo-
ple know that more reliance can be placed
upon the word and work of a truly honest
man than upon the most sacred pledge of
the best political party that was ever or-
ganized. Hence the man and not the party
should be the first consideration of the voter.
That the subject is a man of much origin-
ality of thought is clearly evidenced by the
position he takes in politics.

The parents of the subject were Presby-
terians, but Mr. Reinhardt is not affiliated
with any church organization, but his sup-
port can always be depended upon in the
advancement of any movement looking to
the religious, moral, civic or educational
welfare of the community. In his fraternal
relations he is a member of 'the modern
Woodmen.

Mr. Reinhardt is a musician and is a
member of the McNeil's orchestra of the
Pittenger Grand Opera House in Centralia,
one of the leading musical organizations in
this part of the state. Our subject has thor-
oughly mastered the English language, be-
ing able to speak either English or German
fluently. He is a man of genial personality,
a perfect type of the true gentleman.

JOHN L. DAVIS.

A man of marked individuality, the sub-
ject of this review is a typical representative
of that large and enterprising class of busi-
ness men to whom the great commonwealth
of Illinois owes much of its prosperity and
development, and his record shows him to
have been faithful in the performance of his
duty in the community, to his neighbors and
to himself.

John L. Davis was born in Centralia,
Marion county, April 30, 1858, the son of
Thomas P. and Wilhemina C. (Beal) Da-
vis, the former having been born in Tennes-
see, March n, 1827. The mother of the
subject was born in Steinfeld, Germany,
April 8, 1835. They were married in Belle-
ville, Illinois, in 1853, and they were the
parents of ten children, eight boys and two
girls, our subject being the second child in
order of birth. The subject's father was a
carpenter and contractor in Centralia, to
which place he came in 1855. His death
occurred in 1899, and that of his wife No-
vember 6, 1908. Thomas P. Davis was a
soldier during the Civil war, enlisting in
1862 in Company H, Eightieth Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry, as a private. He served
with bravery and valor in many hard-fought
battles in which his regiment participated,
and became corporal of his company. He
was mustered out in the fall of 1864.

John L. Davis worked first on the fruit
farms in Centralia township, until he was
eighteen years old, having in the meantime
attended the public schools in Centralia,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

563

where he received a fairly good education,
having applied himself in a most diligent
manner to his text-books. He went to work
on the Illinois Central Railroad when a
young man and continued in the employ of
the same until 1901, having given this com-
pany entire satisfaction. Two years were
spent in the shoe business, and in 1901 he
returned to the same business and he is now
to be found daily in his store where he has a
liberal patronage owing to his courtesy and
his intimate knowledge of the shoe business,
always giving his customers, many of whom
come from remote parts of Marion county,
the worth of their money, for he handles a
high-class line of goods. His store is well
kept, everything about it showing system
and careful management. The store is lo-
cated at 144 East Broadway.

Our subject was united in marriage to
Mary C. Marsh, December 16, 1880. She
is the refined daughter of R. L. T. and
Catherine (Sherwood) Marsh, who were
the parents of four children, our subject's
wife being the second in order of birth.

The pleasant and comfortable home of
Mr. and Mrs. Davis has been brightened
by the birth of the following children:
Thomas M., who married L. Myrtle Denny,
living at Cliffs, Washington; Ralph R., who
married Edith Pease, and who is living in
Springfield, Idaho; John June is assistant
State Entomologist at Urbana, Illinois;
Harley A. is in the Art Institute at Chicago,
Illinois; Reba C. is now (1908) at home
and is attending high school at Centralia.

John L. Davis, our subject, is a member

of the Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge
No. 201 ; the Royal Arch Chapter No. 93 ;
Council No. 28 ; Commandery No. 23 ;
Oriental Consistory of Chicago. He also
belongs to the Order of Railway Conduc-
tors, Centralia Division, No. 112.

In politics Mr. Davis is a Republican and
takes a great interest in local affairs, always
desiring good men in the county offices and
lending his aid in placing them.

In religious matters Mr. Davis is identi-
fied with the Baptist church, as is also his
wife and children.

He has been frequently called upon to
serve the public in some official capacity,
and has very ably held the office of Alder-
man for one term and has been on the Board
of Education for three terms, during which
time the interests of the city and the schools
were carefully considered by Mr. Davis and
much good accomplished by his suggestions,
which were usually followed out. He has
filled all the chairs of the lodges of his mem-
bership to the Consistory, and is now treas-
urer in all these four lodges of which he is
a very loyal member. He has been secretary
of the railroad division of the lodge of Rail-
road Conductors since 1890, and also was
its first secretary, from 1884 to 1886. He
was also chief conductor from 1886 to 1888.

LUCIAN O. WILSON.

Among the popular citizens of Centralia,
Marion county, Illinois, is the gentleman

564

AND RKM INISCKXT HISTORY OF

whose name appears at the head of this
sketch, the well known assistant postmas-
ter, who was born in New Albany, Indiana,
July 12, 1866, the son of Oliver O. and
Maggie E. (Ma thews) Wilson. His
father's family consisted of three children,
our subject being the second child and only
son. His parents were both natives of Indi-
ana. Oliver O. Wilson was superintendent
of the Indiana Reformatory. He is now de-
ceased, as is also his wife, who passed away
March 30, 1900. Our subject was five
years old at the time of his father's death.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was gained in the public schools,
where he applied himself as best he could
and gained a fairly good education. He
went to work in the Nail Mill of Centralia,
working for two years as a nail cutter, and
was later employed by F. D. Rexford, of
the Centralia House, and worked there for
a period of seventeen years, having given
entire satisfaction in each of these lines, be-
ing industrious and quick to gain a knowl-
edge of the business. He was clerk and
general utility man in the latter's employ.
He then went to Boone, Iowa, and managed
the Cole Hotel for one and one-half years,
selling out and returning to Centralia in
March, 1903, where he was appointed as-
sistant postmaster under E. L. Welton. He
has very creditably and satisfactorily filled
this position to the entire satisfaction of all
concerned.

Mr. Wilson was united in marriage with
Nellie Surles September n, 1900.

One daughter brightens the home of Mr.

and Mrs. Wilson, bearing the name of
Helen Lucile, whose date of birth occurred
March 14, 1903.

Mr. Wilson in his fraternal relations is
a member of Blue Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons, No. 201 ; also the Centralia Chap-
ter No. 93; and Council No. 28, Cyrene
Commandery No. 23. He also belongs
to the Oriental Consistory, of Chicago,
also a member of the Mystic Shrine, of
Madina Temple, Chicago. He is a mem-
ber of the Knights of Pythias, No. 26, of
Centralia.

In his political relations Mr. Wilson is a
loyal Republican. His mother was a mem-
br of the Christian, but he and his wife wor-
ship in the Baptist church. Mr. Wilson was
at one time a member of the Centralia Vol-
unteer Fire Department.

Our subject has by pluck, energy and
enterprise, controlled by correct principles
and founded upon strict integrity and honor,
attained to a position meriting the respect
and admiration of his fellow citizens, which
they freely accord.

A. C. BARNES.

The prominence of the subject of this
sketch in connection with the professional
and civic affairs of Marion county is such
that he is regarded as one of its representa-
tive citizens, having for a number of years
been one of the leading business men of the
thriving city of Centralia, and ever showing

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

565

by his fealty to high principles and his ac-
tivity in promoting the affairs of the county
that he merits the confidence of all.

A. C. Barnes was born at Richview, Illi-
nois, ten miles south of Centralia, Febru-
ary 13, 1853, the son of J. W. and Nancy
(Johnson) Barnes, the former having been
born in Gallatin, Tennessee, July 2, 1818.
He was left an orphan at the age of five
years and when twelve years of age he was
bound out to a saddle maker for a period
of four years, at the end of which time he
purchased a horse, saddle and bridle and
rode to Mt. Vernon, this state, where he
called upon William Thorne, the first saddle
maker in Mt. Vernon, who refused to give
him a job because he was too young, his
age then being eighteen years. But nothing
daunted, he purchased the material with
which to make a saddle which he accord-
ingly did and presented it to Mr. Thorne,
who hired the boy for three years. This
was in 1836.

Two years later J. W. Barnes was mar-
ried to Nancy Johnson. He soon thereafter
moved to a farm near old Shiloh, later
moving to Washington county, where he
farmed and lived comfortably until 1888
when he moved to Centralia, where he
passed to his rest September 17, 1905, after
a successful business career in Centralia,
having purchased the L. C. Demmick har-
ness shop in this city in 1888, having stood
just south of the old National Bank. His
son, A. C., our subject, bought his business.
He was living with his son when he died.
Nancy Johnson was born in 1813 in Ken-

tucky. Her father was an itinerant Metho-
dist Episcopal preacher, who came to Illi-
nois in 1818 and settled on a farm at
Shiloh church, where he farmed and
preached and where both he and his good
wife passed to the silent land. Four chil-
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. J. W.
Barns, as follows: L. R., who married
Laura Robinson, daughter of Elder J. A.
and Eliza Robinson, and they became the
parents of six children, one of whom is liv-
ing. L. R. Barnes was in the famous One
Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer
Infantry during the war between the states,
under the late Gen. James S. Martin, of
Salem, having gone out in 1862 and was
discharged at the close of the war, having
been in the grand review at Washington
City. Louise, the second child of the par-
ents of our subject, married a Mr. Under-
wood and is now living in Oklahoma, be-
ing the mother of four living children, one
child deceased. John T., the third child
of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Barnes, enlisted in
the Sixtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry un-
der Colonel Anderson, at Mt. Vernon, and
he re-enlisted in 1863. He came home on a
furlough. Rejoining his regiment, he re-
mained at the front until the close of the
war when he was mustered out. He mar-
ried and in 1885 removed to Wichita
county, Kansas, where he located on three
hundred and twenty acres of land. He has
a family of four girls and one boy. He now
lives at Leota, Kansas.

Our subject, A. C. Barnes, came to Cen-
tralia in 1891 with his father. He had re-

566

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

ceived a good education in the district
schools of Washington county, Illinois, hav-
ing left school at the age of sixteen years
and went to work for himself. Being a
loyal Republican and having taken an inter-
est in political affairs from early manhood,
his friends elected him Sheriff of Marion
county in 1904 and he served with much
credit. When his term had expired he re-
turned to business. In 1902 he was elected
Treasurer of the city of Centralia for two
years and served in a most acceptable man-
ner in this capacity. Mr. Barnes has an ex-
cellent business in the harness and repair
trade, his shop being well equipped and he
has become widely known throughout the
county.

Mr. Barnes married Susan M. Gunn,
daughter of J. C. and Caroline Gunn, of
Richview, the ceremony that made them one
having been performed at Kinmundy, this
county, July 20, 1880. He was first mar-
ried in 1873 to Sarah Anderson, a native
of Ohio, and she died at the birth of James,
their only son, who was born October 18,
1878. He is now living at Lafayette, In-
diana, being in the printing business as a
linotype expert. He married Lottie Had-
den, of Kinmundy, and they have three chil-
dren, two boys and one girl.

Our subject ably served for a period of
five years on the Board of Education in
Kansas, where he lived for several years,
and while on the board just mentioned they
built two elegant school-houses.

Fraternally Mr. Barnes is a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at

Centralia, having originally joined that or-
der at Pittsburg, Kansas, in 1886. He is
also a member of the Knights of Pythias,
having joined Lodge No. 26, in Centralia
in 1893. He became a Mason in Salem in
1896, and joined the Modern Woodmen of
America in 1897. He follows the example
of his people by worshiping with the Metho-
dist denomination.

Our subject is a man of unusual imposing
physique, possessing great physical strength
and endurance. He also has a strong mind
and the power of concentration, is congenial
and makes friends readily which he always
retains.

JACOB D. BREEZE.

Dependant very largely upon his own re-
sources from early youth, the subject of this
sketch has attained to no insignificant suc-
cess, and though he may have, like many
another business man, met with some mis-
fortune and encountered many obstacles he
has pressed steadily forward, ever willing
to work for the end which he has in view.
He has become one of the leading mer-
chants of Centralia, Illinois, and he has
built up a business that is known through-
cut the county.

Jacob D. Breeze was born September 27,
1868, in Washington county, Illinois, the
son of David and Eliza (Baldwin) Breeze.
There were fourteen children in their
family, eight of whom are living in 1908,

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES ILLINOIS.

567

our subject being the eighth in order of
birth; of those living seven are boys and
one a girl. David Breeze was born in Jef-
ferson county, Illinois, in 1844, and died
when fifty-two years old, after a busy and
useful life. The subject's mother is still
living in Jefferson county on the old home
place and, although advanced in years, en-
joys fairly good health. She was born in
Washington county, this state.

Jacob D. Breeze received his early edu-
cation in the common schools of his native
community and remained at home until he
reached maturity.

Mr. Breeze was united in marriage with
Ida V. Walker on October 22, 1885. She
was the daughter of G. W. and Esther
(Breeze) Walker, being the fourth child in
a family consisting of five children. To
our subject and wife two children have been
born, both bright and interesting, namely:
Jewell, whose date of birth is recorded as
May 30, 1897; and Lottie, who was born
October 2, 1899. Both are attending the
public schools in Centralia.

After leaving school at the age of eight-
een years, our subject went to work on a
farm in that neighborhood in Jefferson
county and made a success of this line of
work, but believing that the city of-
fered greater inducements to him, he came
to Centralia and began the livery, feed and
sale business, and for five years made this a
marked success in every respect when he sold
out and started in the implement and harness
business, which he has since conducted, the
firm name being Breeze & Watts. They enjoy

a liberla patronage, their trade extending to
all parts of the county, for they handle an
up-to-date and carefully selected stock at all
times, and their prices are always right.
Here all customers are accorded the most
courteous treatment by the managers and
their efficient employes. This store has a floor
space of one hundred and sixty by forty feet.
In politics our subject is a Republican and
always takes a great interest in political af-
fairs, lending what assistance he can in
placing the best men possible in local offices.
Mr. Breeze follows the precepts of his par-
ents and is a faithful member of the Chris-
tian church. He is always on the right side
of all public questions.

FOWLER BROTHERS.

One of the most extensive, modern and
systematically managed plumbing concerns
in Southern Illinois is that conducted by the
firm of Fowler Brothers at Centralia, be-
ing worthy successors of their father, Reu-
ben G. Fowler.

This firm's place of business fronts on
South Locust street and South Second
street. They carry a full and complete line
of plumbing supplies, heating, electrical and
gas fixtures and supplies, also fire clay and
fire brick. They have two neat show and
display rooms. All the latest, complete,
automatic machinery, run by electric dyna-
mos for heating, lighting and plumbing, are
to be found here. They also carry a full

568

IMOCK.M'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

line of nickel-plated plumbing supplies. An
extensive business is carried on and is being
constantly enlarged and extended to meet
the growing demands of the trade of South-
ern Illinois and adjoining states.

Harry A. Fowler married Mattie Adams,
of Centralia, and they are the parents of
one little girl, who bears the pretty name,
Marjorie.

John R. Fowler, the younger member of
the firm, was educated in the Centralia city
schools, and began when quite young to
learn his father's trade of plumbing. He is
a practical and up-to-date artist in his work
as well as a good business man. He has a
state certificate, awarded to him in 1902 for
his thoroughness and proficiency in his
chosen occupation. Harry and John Fowler
are both members of the National Plumbers
and Steam Fitters Association, and are also
graduates in this line of the International
Correspondance School, of Scranton, Penn-
sylvania, and they are keeping pace with
twentieth century methods. They have a
good business and enjoy the entire confi-
dence of their many friends and patrons in
Marion county and throughout this part of
the state.

ELMER E. COPPLE.

In the development of Marion county the
subject of this biography has borne an im-
portant part, for he has long been identified
with the farming and business life of the lo-
cality, and while advancing his own interests

he has not been neglectful of his duty to his
fellow citizens, therefore he is accorded a
full measure of esteem by all who know
him.

Elmer E. Copple was born January 9,
1862, on the old Copple homestead in Cen-
tralia township, this county, the son of Eli
Copple, a complete sketch of whom appears
elsewhere in this volume. However, it is
not amiss here to state that the father of the
subject was born January 8, 1820, in Clark
county, Illinois, the son of David Copple,
a native of Germany, who married Lavina
Huckleberry first and later Permelia King.
They came to Marion county, Illinois, in
1832 and settled in section 32, Centralia
township, where they entered wild land and
set about improving it like the rest of the
pioneers of that time, and they lived and
died at this place. He had only a limited
opportunity to attend school in the old log
school-houses. Although self-learned he be-
came an excellent speller and scholar. He
was a large farmer, stock dealer and
breeder. In 1874 he went to Europe and
imported some French Norman horses. He
never aspired to office although an active
Republican. He started in life in a small
way, but worked hard and was very suc-
cessful. He was a member of the Metho-
dist church.

He first married Martha Flannagan, of
Jefferson county, Illinois, who died in 1850.
and his second wife was Sarah Dolson. The
following five children were born to Eli
Copple and his first wife: Arminda, who
married W. A. Dolson, of Fullerton. Ne-

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

569

braska ; Loretta, who married A. J. Hardley,
of Irvington, Illinois ; three children died
in infancy. Seven children were born to
Eli Copple and his second wife, namely:
Charles, a farmer in Nebraska; Mary mar-
ried Joseph Baldridge, and she died in
1899; Julia married H. S. Baldridge, who
lives in Seattle, Washington; Willis, a
farmer in Centralia township, Marion
county, who married a Miss Patton; Elmer
E., our subject; Robert, a farmer in Cen-
tralia township, who married Lillian Ethel
Leonard; Ada is the wife of T. S. Kell, who
now lives on the old Copple homestead with
Mrs. Copple.

The subject of this sketch lived at home
and attended the neighboring schools. He
married September 9, 1883, to Ida A. Bald-
ridge, of Jefferson county, Illinois, who was
born in Grand Prairie township, the daugh-
ter of Thomas and Mary (Williams) Bald-
ridge, the former a native of Jefferson
county, Illinois, and the latter of Virginia.
She died in 1870, and Mr. Baldridge was
again married, his second wife being Miss
M. E. Allen, of Jefferson county, this state.
It was in that county that he spent his life
on a farm, dying there in 1904. His second
wife died in February, 1908.

Four children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, as follows: M. Allen, who
married Nellie Root Carpenter, of Cen-
tralia, and who are the parents of two chil-
dren, Lola and Vera; Ralph Roy, who is
living at home, is a graduate of the Cen-
tralia high school ; Dwight and Ruth are the
youngest children.

In 1883 our subject located on his present
place in Centralia township. It was then a
new place and Mr. Copple has made all the
improvements on it, bringing it up to any
place in the township. He is regarded as a
good farmer and an excellent judge of
stock and his farm is carefully managed,
yielding excellent harvests of all kinds from
year to year. His home place consists of
two hundred and forty acres, thirty acres
of which are in peaches, apples and pears.
This is a most valuable orchard, consisting
of a fine variety of excellent fruit, and
since Mr. Copple is something of an expert
horticulturist, no small part of his income is
derived from this source. He carries on a
general farming. His dwelling is a most
convenient and substantial one, and his
barns and out buildings are of the best.

ELI COPPLE.

The subject of this sketch, who has passed
to his rest, is well remembered by the peo-
ple of Marion county, where he so long la-
bored not only for his own advancement
but also for that of the community at large,
therefore, it is with pleasure that we give
a record of his honorable career in this
book, believing that it will be an inspira-
tion to the younger generation who per-
use it.

Eli Copple was born January 8, 1820, in
Washington county, Indiana, the son of Da-
vid Copple, who was born in Germany and

57°

I'.IOCUAI'IIR'AL AM) KKMIMSCKXT HISTORY OK

when a young man came to America with
his parents, locating with them in North
Carolina. Later they came to Clark county,
Indiana, where the parents died. David
Copple grew to manhood in Clark county,
Indiana, where he married Lavina Huckle-
berry, of German-Irish extract. David
Copple and wife located in Washington
county, Indiana, in 1818, and fourteen years
later they came to Marion county, Illinois,
where they both died in Centralia township.
He was considered one of the valued and
leading citizens of the community in which
he lived. They were the parents of twelve
children, all but one of whom grew to ma-
turity, namely: James lived in Centralia
township and was twice married, first to
Jane Wells and second to Emily Huckle-
berry; Elizabeth married Jacob Breeze;
Angeline married Henry Bingaman, and
they are living in Crete, Nebraska; Eli, our
subject; Christiana married M. P. Hester,
of Centralia township, and they are both de-
ceased; Samuel is deceased; John Harvey
is also deceased; Edmund is a farmer living
in Grand Prairie, Illinois ; Julia married
Marion Roper, who is now deceased, but she
is living in Grand Prairie; David, now de-
ceased, was a farmer living in Centralia
township; Pollie A. is living in Kansas, hav-
ing married David Roper, who is deceased.
Eli Copple was reared in Centralia town-
ship, Marion county, Illinois, and was
among the successful farmers of that vicin-
ity, having come with his parents to this
county when twelve years of age and lo-
cated on what is known as the Seven-Mile-

Prairie. He was reared among the wild
scenes of the frontier and developed thereby
a sturdy manhood. He was first married in
1840 to Martha Flannagan, a native of Jef-
ferson county, Illinois, who died in 1850.
Two children, who grew to maturity, were
born to them. Arminda married William
Dolson, who is living in Fullerton, Nebras-
ka; Loretta married A. J. Hartley, of Irv-
ington, Illinois. The subject of this sketch
married a second time, his last wife being
Sarah Dolson, daughter of Allen and Mary
Louisa (White) Dolson, the wedding occur-
ring in February, 1851. Mr. Dolson was
a native of New York, near Albany, on the
Hudson river. His wife was born in Geor-
gia. Allen Dolson was the son of Peter and
Rachael (Quinby) Dolson, both natives of
New York. Mr. Dolson was a farmer. Al-
len Dolson came west when a boy alone, go-
ing to the Platt river country, Nebraska,
having lived among the Indians for a time.
He descended the Missouri river in a canoe
to St. Louis, later to Carlyle, Illinois, and
then went to Grand Prairie, Jefferson coun-
ty, Illinois, where he devoted his life to
farming. He entered government land. He
came to Marion county, where he and his
wife both died. The following children
were born to them: Sarah, the subject's
wife; Robert, Elizabeth, Melville, all de-
ceased ; Mary is living in Kansas ; Christina,
deceased; William, living in Nebraska;
Harvey is living in Kansas. The subject
and his second wife were the parents of
seven children, namely: Charles, a farmer
living in Fullerton, Nebraska, was first mar-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

571

ried to Lucy Jackson, second to Sarah Aver-
ill; Mary married Joseph Baldridge, and
she is now deceased; Julia is the wife of
Harvey Baldridge and they are living in
Seattle, Washington ; Willis is living in Cen-
tralia township on a farm, having married
Henrietta Patton ; Elmer, living in Centralia
township; Robert, living on a farm in Cen-
tralia township, married Lillian Ethel Leon-
ard ; Ada May married T. S. Kell and they
are living with the subject's mother on the
old home place, the parents of one son, Cecil
Edward.

After a very active and useful life, re-
plete with success and honor, Eli Copple
passed to his reward August 14, 1905.

Our subject started in life under none too
favorable circumstances, but his father gave
him one hundred and sixty acres of wild
land and he worked hard and became suc-
cessful. He was thrifty and a good man-
ager, and at one time owned as much as
two thousand acres. He carried on a gen-
eral farming and stock raising business and
was eminently successful in both, becoming
known as one of the leading citizens of Ma-
rion county. In 1874 he made a trip to
France and imported a large number of Nor-
man horses of a very fine quality. Besides
raising some fine horses he always raised
many good cattle, hogs and sheep. He was
an organizer and leading member of the
Farmers' Club of Marion county.

The subject cast his first vote for Wil-
liam Henry Harrison and since that time
was a loyal Republican. He was a faith-
ful member of the Methodist Episcopal

church and a liberal subscriber of the same.
He erected his first substantial and commo-
dious brick home in 1872 and he and his
noble and faithful wife made all the im-
provements about the place. No man in
the county was better or more favorably
known than he and everyone remembers
him as a very polite and kindly gentleman,
as well as a very able business man, and
therefore his influence for good in the coun-
ty was very great.

COL. NAPOLEON B. MORRISON.

The life of the subject of this biography
has not been altogether devoid of the spec-
tacular, but has been entirely free from os-
tentation, and he has never forced himself
on public attention, yet his fellow citizens
recognize in this venerable character a man
of genuine worth, whose every duty has
been discharged with commendable fidelity
and whose influence has always been exer-
cised for the good of his kind. He has trav-
eled extensively and come in contact with
the world in such a way as to quicken his
perception, enlarge his mental vision and
give him ideas of men and things such as
he could not have obtained by spending his
life in one locality, and as a result of his
altogether consistent career he has won the
esteem of all who know him.

Col. Napoleon B. Morrison was born in
Water ford, Vermont, Februray 12, 1824.
and reared in New Hampshire by sturdy

572

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

New England parents. He is the son of
Moses F. and Zilpha (Smith) Morrison.
Grandfather Morrison was of Scotch-Irish
lineage from Londonderry, Ireland, who set-
tled in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Our
subject is a direct descendant of Samuel
Morrison, who was a charter member of
Londonderry. Grandfather Smith was a
Revolutionary soldier. He was bom in
New Hampshire, where he spent his days
on a farm. He had eight children, seven
boys and one girl ; all lived to maturity.

The subject's father was a graduate of
Dartmouth College and became a physician,
devoting his entire life to practice, having
remained in the eastern states. He was an
extensive writer and was assistant geologist
of the state of New Hampshire. A number
of his manuscripts are yet in perfect condi-
tion, and they are considered of much value.
He lived to be about seventy years old. He
was a Christian man of advanced thought
and culture, who could not be tied down to
any dogma or creed. He followed his pro-
fession with energy, enthusiasm and love,
love for the science and love for the pa-
tients, therefore he not only became well
grounded in his profession but had hosts of
loyal friends. He endeavored to discover
the cause of disease and treat it from that
standpoint.

Eight of his children grew to maturity.
Two died in infancy. They followed the
various avocations of educated men.

The subject of this sketch first attended
the public schools in New Hampshire, later
went to the academy at Newburry, Ver-

mont, where he prepared for college. He
then took a course in civil engineering which
profession he followed for a period of
twenty years with great success in New
Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Ohio and
Illinois. In 1849 and 1850 he surveyed and
located the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad
from Chillicothe to Cincinnati, Ohio, which
has since been absorbed by the Baltimore &
Ohio Railway, and became a part of that
great system. It is now known as the Bal-
timore & Ohio Southwestern.

In 1862 he settled in Odin, Marion
county, where he has lived ever since.
Twenty-three years ago, from 1908, he
opened the coal mine here which has been
running successfully all the time since, and
it has been under his immediate manage-
ment ever since it was started. It is incor-
porated and our subject has been the presi-
dent from the start. The capacity is one
thousand tons daily. Last year the mine
produced two hundred and forty thousand
tons. It is operated with two hundred
miners and is always a very busy place.

The coal produced here is of a very high
grade and always finds a ready market.
Colonel Morrison also has large farming in-
terests in this county, and an excellent stock
ranch. He breeds high grade cattle, having
some thoroughbreds. His cattle are usu-
ally fattened on grass for the market, and
no small portion of his yearly income is de-
rived from his shipments of live stock which
always demand high prices owing to their
fine quality. His farms are kept in a high
state of improvement and are up-to-date in

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

573

every respect, showing that a man of un-
usual soundness of judgment has their man-
agement in hand.

Colonel Morrison has frequently been
called upon to display his innate ability in
public offices, having faithfully served for
twelve years as Police Judge, and he served
his people in a most praiseworthy manner in
the legislature for two terms, during which
time he won an enviable reputation as a law
maker, and his advice and sound counsel
were always listened to with the greatest re-
spect by his colleagues in the house.

Colonel Morrison likes to tell of the early
days. When he was born there was neither
mill nor railroad in his section of the state.
He was three years old when the first stone
was hauled to build the Bunker Hill monu-
ment. The entire railroad and telegraph
system has been built up since he can re-
member. He was in Chicago when the con-
tract was let for building the Illinois Central
Railroad. Mr. Morrison will soon be eighty-
five years old, and is as active and hale as
ever, being as active in his business manage-
ment as at any time during his life. He
built the first dwelling house in Odin. He
has seen land sell under the government for
twenty-five cents per acre that is now worth
two hundred dollars per acre. He has long
been actively associated with the locating
and building of railroads, and is an enthu-
siastic believer in the useful results obtained
by means of railroad facilities.

Colonel Morrison's married life dates
from 1853, when he was united in the bonds
of wedlock with Lavinia M. Smart, daugh-

ter of Judge Hugh and Elizabeth (Hughes)
Smart, of Ohio. Six children have been
born to Colonel Morrison and wife as fol-
lows: Sadie; Jean, who is the wife of
Hamilton Rapp, of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
He is an architect, plans and superintends
the territorial buildings. Jessie, the sub-
ject's third child, is deceased; Helen is the
wife of Doctor Fyke, of Centralia, Illinois,
and the mother of three daughters, Jean,
Helen and Lavinia; Charles Hugh has
charge of the coal mine and its interests, and
is general manager of his father's business.
He was a student of the State University at
Champaign, Illinois, and as a business man
he ranks high in the county, being well and
favorably known to the business world;
Vedie, the subject's sixth child, is deceased.
When Colonel Morrison came to Illinois
there were neither settlements nor settlers in
this part of the commonwealth on all of the
broad prairies. From 1892 to 1898 he was
a member of the Board of Trustees of the
University of Illinois, and was chairman of
the Committee on Agriculture. After an
investigation he found there was but one
professor and four students in the agricul-
tural college of the state of Illinois. He at
once set about remedying this condition,
and it was due to his agitation and efforts
that this department was brought up to its
present day state of efficiency, it being rec-
ognized at present as one of the most effect-
ive departments of the State University. He
has on his own farm an experimental sta-
tion which is conducted under the supervis-
ion of the Agricultural College at

574

BIor.KAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Champaign, and also of the agricultural
department at Washington. He has as a
result of his faithful work, been invited to
accompany special trains which have trav-
eled over all the trunk lines in Illinois, giv-
ing lectures and practical demonstrations of
the excellent work which has been accom-
plished at the college. On the Illinois Cen-
tral road he also visited the states of Missis-
sippi and Louisiana in this capacity.

SIDNEY BREEZE.

Notwithstanding the fact that the life his-
tory of the man whose name appears above
has been closed by the hand of death, his
influence still permeates the lives of those
he came in contact with. His was a life of
noble deeds and consistency to the truth in
all its phases.

Sidney Breeze was born in Rome town-
ship, Jefferson county, Illinois, February 15.
1842, and he passed to his rest July 2, 1889.
He was the son of Owen and Margaret
(Falkner) Breeze, the former a native of
Indiana, and the latter of Kentucky. Owen
Breeze came to Illinois when a young man,
with his parents, and settled in Rome town-
ship, Jefferson county, being among the pio-
neers of that district. They engaged in
farming, and both died in Grand Prairie
township. They were the parents of three
children. Martha Jane, who married Henry
West, is living in Irvington, Illinois; Sid-
ney, our subject; Harriet, who married
Joseph Boles, of Jefferson county, this state.

Mr. Breeze, our subject, attended the

country schools, and the subscription schools
and lived at home until his marriage, No-
vember 26, 1863, to Maria Stonecipher,
who was born October 14, 1843, m Harri-
son county, Indiana, and a daughter of Ja-
cob and Sarah (Riley) Stonecipher, the
former having been born in Harrison coun-
ty, and the latter of North Carolina. The
Stoneciphers are of German descent, and the
Rileys of Irish ancestry. Jacob and Sarah
Stonecipher were the parents of six chil-
dren, namely: William, a retired farmer,
living in Centralia township; Franklin died
during the Civil war, having been a mem-
ber of Company H, Forty-eighth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry. His death occurred in
Tennessee. Sarah, the third child, married
James Steward, of Centralia, Illinois. Henry
and Etta, the fourth and fifth children, are
twins. Henry is in the West. Etta is de-
ceased. Marion was the second child in
order of birth.

To our subject and wife eight children
have been born, namely: Oscar L., a farmer
in Jefferson county, Illinois; Alva, a hostler
for the Illinois Central Railroad, living in
Centralia, Illinois; Gilla died April 5, 1884;
Julia Ann married James Holland and is liv-
ing in Centralia; Clara died June n, 1900;
Lawrence died September 14, 1875; Albert
is living in Jefferson county, Illinois, on a
farm; Zina, a farmer and clerk, is living at
home.

The subject's children were educated in
the home schools. Zina not only attended
the home schools, but he also attended
school at Jackson, Tennessee, in the South-
western Baptist University, where he made

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

575

a splendid record for scholarship. He has
always remained at home with his parents.
He clerked in a most successful manner in a
store at Walnut Hill, and he has been equal-
ly successful as a farmer.

After his marriage Sidney Breeze lived
in Grand Prairie township, Jefferson
county. In 1866 he moved to Rome town-
ship, Jefferson county, Illinois. He bought a
farm consisting of five hundred acres in one
body, and he was a most successful agricul-
turist, being known as a man of good judg-
ment and industrious habits. In 195 the
family moved to Walnut Hill, where they
have since resided. They still own the old
homestead. The subject was a loyal Re-
publican, but he never aspired for office.
Both he and his estimable wife were mem-
bers of the Christian church for many years,
and were always active in church work. Mr.
Breeze is remembered as a man of gentle
disposition which won him hosts of friends.
In his fraternal relations he was a member
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
having belonged to this order for a period
of twenty-five years, lodge No. 710, Walnut
Hill, and he took a great deal of interest in
lodge work. He was a useful man, and his
good deeds and honorable life will long be
remembered by the people of Marion
countv.

WILLIAM A. HARTLEY.

The subject of this sketch wears the
proud title of one of the "boys in blue", a
title that anyone might justly be proud to

bear, for such privilege does not come to
many men in a country, and we of the after-
math are glad to respect those of this class,
but this is not the only reason why the sub-
ject of this sketch is entitled to representa-
tion in a work of this nature, having been
a man of industry, honesty and influence
during his long life in Marion county.

William A. Hartley was born in Jefferson
county, Grand Prairie township, February
25, 1841, the son of Hugh Hartley, who
was born in 1805, and who married Nancy
Huckleberry. The former was a native of
Virginia and the latter of Indiana. William
Hartley, the subject's grandfather, a shoe-
maker by trade, was a native of Virginia,
having been born and grew up in Monon-
gahela county. In 1816 he came to Clark
county, Indiana, and later moving to
Charlestown, Indiana, where he died in
1844. Then Hugh Hartley, the subject's
father, came to Jefferson county in 1839.
He was married in Indiana. He purchased
two hundred acres of wild land in Grand
Prairie township. He improved the place
and lived there until his death in 1871. His
wife died in 1896, at the advanced age of
eighty-eight years.

In early life he devoted his time to shoe-
making. He was in Chicago when city lots
were selling for five and ten dollars each.
He served during the Black Hawk war of
1832 in Arkansas, where he remained until
the close of hostilities. He was a great
reader and debater. He was an active Dem-
ocrat, although he never held office. He
was a member of the Methodist church, and

576

lUOCRAl'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

was well known and highly respected by all
who knew him. Nine children were born
to the parents of the subject as follows:
John W., who was in the Mexican war dur-
ing the 'second year of the war for one year.
He was in Company H, Fourteenth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, during the second year
of the Civil war, having been lieutenant in
General Palmer's regiment, having served
two years when he lost his voice and was
compelled to resign. He was the first City
Marshal of Decatur, Illinois, and lived there
the rest of his life. He was also the first
man to run a bakery in that city. He died
there in 1901. The second child was named
Mary Ann and is deceased; James R. is
living in Grand Prairie township, Jefferson
county, Illinois. He was formerly a teacher
and painter by trade. He was in Company
F, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Illinois
Volunteer Infantry, having served over one
year. Martha J., who died in November,
1904, remained single and lived at home.
Alfred died in infancy; Hugh, the sixth
child, learned the bricklayer's trade. He
made a trip overland by Pike's Peak to Cal-
ifornia and was there two years. After he
returned he went to Louisiana. He was in
the Confederate army, and died three
months before the close of the war, having
been buried at Richmond, Virginia. Wil-
liam A., our subject, was the seventh child
in order of birth; Clara, who became the
wife of Rev. J. C. Baldridge, a Methodist
minister, is deceased. He lives in Chicago.
Andrew J. lives at Irvington,' Illinois, and
is a stock dealer and engaged in farming.

The subject was educated in the home
schools. After he left school, Mr. Hartley
was one of the brave sons of the North, who
offered his services in suppressing the re-
bellion, having enlisted August 18, 1861, in
Company C, Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, at Centralia as a private. He was
sent to Bird's Point, Missouri, remaining
there until February 5, 1862, where he was
drilled. He then went to Fort Henry, ten-
nessee, remaining there four days, when he
marched to Fort Donelson and was in the
battle there, the regiment he was in losing
six hundred men out of seven hundred
and fifty in killed, wounded and
prisoners. He was at Fort Donelson until
the middle of March, 1862, when he went
to Shiloh, and was in that battle. He was
wounded April 6, 1862; he was shot
through the right shoulder and was sent to
a hospital in Tennessee. He ran off from
there and went back to his regiment and
the captain ordered him back to the hospital.
He was later sent home, where he remained
until in August, 1862, when he went back
to his regiment, remaining until November
2Oth, following when he was discharged at
Cairo, Illinois, after which he returned
home. His health was poor and in the
spring of 1863 he went to Memphis, Ten-
nessee, where he clerked in a wholesale
house, where he remained until the follow-
ing October, when he returned home and
began teaching school at Grand Prairie
township, Jefferson county, devoting the
following thirty years to teaching in that
county, and the following ten years to teach-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

577

ing in Marion county, mostly in Centralia
township, having taught fourteen terms in
one district. He became well known as an
able instructor and his services were in great
demand. In 1889 he moved to Walnut Hill,
Illinois, where he taught in the winter and
.worked in a store during the summer
months, having worked five years for D.
B. Kell.

Our subject was united in marriage April
27, 1865, to Rebecca J. Boggs, a native of
North Carolina, the daughter of Joseph B.
and Mary (Wyant) Boggs, both natives
of North Carolina. Mr. Boggs came to
Marion county, Illinois, and settled in Rac-
coon township in 1858. Both he and his
wife are now deceased.

One son has been born to the subject and
wife, namely: George, who was born
March 16, 1866. He was educated in the
home schools, and is in the Sentinel office
at Centralia, Illinois. He married Flora
Pierson; they have one son, William A.

Mr. Hartley has been Supervisor for four-
teen years and in the spring of 1908 he was
re-elected for two years. He was clerk of
the town of Grand Prairie, and was Jus-
tice of the Peace at Walnut Hill for six
years. He has always been an active work-
er in the Republican ranks. In his fraternal
relations he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, at Walnut Hill,
having joined the lodge there in 1882. He
has held all the offices and attended the
Grand Lodge. He is also a member of the
American Home Circle, also belongs to
the Grand Army of the Republic No. 600 at
37

Walnut Hill, of which post he is now adju-
tant, having held all the offices in this post.
The subject and wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, having been
identified with the same for the past forty
years. Mr. Hartley has been industrious
and success has attended his efforts, and he
has become widely known.

FRANCIS M. BATES.

The subject of this sketch is one of the
sterling citizens of Centralia township, Ma-
rion county, where he has long maintained
his home near Walnut Hill, being known
as one of the progressive men of the com-
munity and always interested in movements
looking toward the development of the
same.

Francis M. Bates was born in Jefferson
county, Illinois, in Rome township, May
15, 1841, the son of James and Elizabeth
(Bostwick) Bates, the former a native of
Maine and the latter of Maryland. The
father grew up in Maine and was well edu-
cated. He left that state when a young
man and went to Ohio, where he engaged
in farming, having devoted his life to the
farm. Later he went to St. Clair county,
where he bought land and where he lived
for several years. Then he went to Jeffer-
son county, Illinois, in the early thirties; he
got a farm there in Rome township, and
settled on land which he purchased for one
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. His

578

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

death occurred there in 1860, and his wife
died in 1873. He held no offices, but was
an old-line Whig and later a Republican.
He was a member of the Baptist church,
and she of the Methodist church. They
were the parents of thirteen children, name-
ly: Benjamin, James, Sarah A., Belle,
George, Francis, Wesley, Mary J. Five
children died in infancy.

The subject of this sketch attended the
home schools, principally subscription
schools. He remained at home until he was
twenty years old, when he married on Feb-
ruary 20, 1 86 1, to Nancy Martin, a native
of Bedford county, Tennessee, and a
daughter of Willis and Jane (Stamper)
Martin, both of Bedford, Tennessee. They
grew up in that country, and were married
there. They came to Jefferson county,
Illinois, where Mr. Martin secured wild land
and settled near Mt. Vernon. He was one
of the brave "boys in blue," having enlisted
in the One Hundred and Tenth Illinois Vol-
unteer Infantry. He fell sick at Nashville,
Tennessee, died and was buried in the Na-
tional cemetery in 1863. His wife survived
until 1893. Nine children were born to
them, six of whom grew to maturity,
namely: Nancy, William, Mary, James,
John, Martha.

Fourteen children, nine of whom
reached maturity, were born to the subject
and wife as follows: William, a miller, liv-
ing in Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Spencer is a
miller at Walnut Hill, Illinois; Luther is a
blacksmith at Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Ida is
the wife of Zelter Patton, who is living in

Chester, Illinois; Mary married Joseph
Root a farmer of Centralia township; Wal-
ter is a farmer in Raccoon township, this
county; Flora married Irvin Smith and is
living in Centralia township: Mettie is the
wife of J. Smith, of Centralia township ;
Homer is a miller living at Shattuc, Il-
linois.

After his marriage Mr. Bates located
near Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and took up
farming, which he made a success of until
he heard the call for brave sons to save the
Union, consequently he enlisted in Company
E, Eightieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, as
as private, on August 25, 1862, at Mt. Ver-
non and was drilled at Centralia. His first
engagement was at Perryville, Kentucky,
on October 8, 1862, where he was wounded,
having been shot through the left wrist. He
was sent to the hospital at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, where he remained for three months
and was discharged on account of disability,
much to his regret, for he desired to see fur-
ther service and do what he could to help
suppress the rebellion.

After his army experience he came home
and worked at farming for several years.
Then he engaged in the milling business at
Dix, Jefferson county, Illinois. In 1875 he
came to Walnut Hill, and bought an inter-
est in the Walnut Hill Flour and Feed Mills,
later he bought the entire plant and finally
sold the mill in 1905. Since then he has
devoted his time principally to farming.
He purchased a farm of eighty acres in
Raccoon township, and also other land.
which he sold, but he still owns a small

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

579

place which is well cultivated. Mr. Bates
has always been a hard worker and success
has attended his efforts. He formerly voted
th Republican ticket, but in late years has
voted the Prohibition ticket. He is a mem-
ber of the Grand Army of the Republic at
Walnut Hill, also a member of the Metho-
dist church at that place. Mr. and Mrs.
Bates are fine people and they enjoy the
friendship of all their neighbors and exten-
sive acquaintance owing to their good lives.

HORACE BRONSON.

Among the highly respected and influen-
tial citizens of Centralia township, Marion
county, Illinois, is the subject of this sketch,
whose long and active life has been one of
usefulness and honor, a native of the great
Empire state, which has sent so many of its
best sons into the West. He has kept up the
state's reputation for sterling citizenship and
loyalty to the government.

Horace Bronson was born in Oneida
county, New York, November 14, 1831, the
son of Allen and Triphena (Hudson)
Bronson, both natives of Chautauqua coun-
ty, New York. Allen Bronson devoted his
life to farming and in 1859 he came to Illi-
nois, and located in Grundy county. He
later went to Dennison, Iowa, and in 1893
went to Odell, Illinois, where he died in
1894, his wife having died in the state of
New York. The subject's father married
a. second time, his last wife being Kate

Douglas, of New York state. She died in
Grundy county, Illinois. Mr. Bronson was
a loyal Republican and an influential man
in his community. His wife was a member
of the Methodist church. The following
children were born to Allen Bronson by his
first wife, namely: Horace, our subject; Jay
was a soldier in the Civil war in the Seventy
sixth New York Volunteer Infantry and
located in Detroit after the war, where he
engaged in business; Walter, a farmer at
Pontiac, Illinois, served in the navy during
the Civil war; James Gordon served in the
Fourth Illinois Cavalry during the Civil war
after which he located on a farm near Pon-
tiac, Illinois, where he later died; William,
a farmer at Odell, Illinois ; Isaac, also a vet-
eran of the Civil war, is a farmer at Odell,
Illinois. The following children were born
to the second marriage: Byron is in the
United States Signal service, having been
stationed in the West for many years ; Fred
is a conductor on the Burlington Railroad,
located at Galesburg, Illinois; Charles is
also a conductor on the Burlington at Gales-
burg.

The subject attended the home schools in
his native community and remained a mem-
ber of the family circle until 1852, when
he went to California by water, where he
worked at mining for four years, then went
back to New York state and first married
in 1856, Margaret Wright, of Utica, New
York. She died May 14, 1871. His sec-
ond wife was Ella Fitzgerald, a native of
Centralia, Illinois. She died in 1875. He
married a third time to Elizabeth Eberts,

58o

I'.IOC.KAI'IIICAL AM) REMINISCENT HISTORY OK

of Camden, Ohio. The subject had three
children by his first wife, namely: George,
who is living in the West; Frank, an elec-
trician in Chicago; Ellen is deceased. The
subject had no children by his second wife,
but four by his third wife, namely; Grant,
a carpenter living at Centralia, Illinois, who
married Mary Thurston, and they are the
parents of one daughter, Mabel; Albert J.
is living at home; Walter is also living at
home; Horace is deceased.

In 1857 the subject came to Centralia,
this state, and took up farming, which he
made a success of until 1869 when he moved
to Champaign, Illinois, where he farmed
and raised broom corn with great success
for a period of thirteen years, and in 1882
he came back to Centralia and located where
he now lives, just south of the city of Cen-
tralia in section 30, where he owns thirty-
six acres of valuable land, where he carries
on fruit raising and farming. He also
raises some stock.

The subject began making brooms in
1858 and has carried on the same, most of
the time ever since. He and his sons have
carried on this business in connection with
other lines with uninterrupted success. They
have no trouble in disposing of all the
brooms they can make in the home market,
for they are known to be a superior grade
and are eagerly sought after.

Mr. Bronson has always been a stanch
Republican and he takes much interest in
all movements looking to the well being of
his county. Mrs. Bronson is a member of
the Christian church.

VERNE E. JOY.

Verne E. Joy was born at Carmi, Illinois,
December 12, 1876. He was educated in
the common schools, and after receiving a
business education spent over three years
in Germany, as United States Consular
Agent at Selingen and Sonneberg. Mr.
Joy became editor and publisher of the
Centralia Evening and Weekly Sentinel on
November i, 1906, at the time of his father's
retirement, who had spent a life-time in the
business and had built up a splendid prop-
erty in The Sentinels. Under the new man-
agement the papers assumed a new aspect,
reflecting the former training of Mr. Joy
on Denver, Pueblo and Colorado Springs
papers in addition to his acquirement of
the printing trade under his father. The
Evening Sentinel was given a new style of
make-up, wire service was added, illustra-
tions secured and the paper has since ap-
peared in eight page form instead of four.
New machinery and equipment was in-
stalled and the paper has made a remarkable
stride forward in circulation and advertis-
ing, until at present The Sentinel has the
largest sworn afternoon circulation of any
daily in Southern Illinois. This paper
moved to its own new and well appointed
building the last of October, 1908, where
it has ample and commodious quarters and
is now more than meeting the fondest ex-
pectations of its numerous patrons. It now
occupies two floors, each one hundred and
forty-seven feet long and has practically
five thousand square feet of floor space.

F. P. MILLER.

•SIONITi. /U A1ISMJAIMA

m w>

AHVU8I1

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MAKIOX COUXTIKS, ILLINOIS.

New machinery, new type and other modern
appliances and accessories have been added
throughout; a new linotype machine pur-
chased, and it is now one of the most com-
plete and up-to-date equipments for the pub-
lication of a newspaper in all Southern Illi-
nois. The mechanical appearance of the
paper is very attractive and in a small way
equal to any metropolitan paper in the coun-
try, and in keeping with the paper's claim
of being "Egypt's Greatest Daily." All
kinds of job and other high class printing
are done at The Sentinel office in a large and
separate department.

FRANKLIN PIERCE MILLER.

No resident in Centralia township, Ma-
rion county, is deserving of specific mention
in a book of this nature more than the sub-
ject of this sketch, owing to the fact that
he has led a very industrious and honor-
able life, and is widely known as one of the
leading fruit dealers in the Middle West.

Franklin Pierce Miller was born in Cale-
donia, Pulaski county, Illinois, October 23,
1852, the son of Henry and Catherine
(Coover) Miller, the former a native of
North Carolina and the latter of Maryland.
Henry Miller, who grew up in North Caro-
lina, was a farmer and he also engaged in
real estate speculation. He located in Jones-
boro, Union county, Illinois, in the early set-
tlement of the county, and was one of the
pioneers of that locality. His father was a

pioneer merchant there and also run a tan-
nery. He was accustomed to take leather
to St. Louis and trade for merchandise. The
subject's grandfather Miller raised a large
family and died in Union county,' this state.
The father of the subject had only a limited
education, but he later devoted much time
to home-study and became a well read man.
He was a Democrat and took much interest
in political affairs, a member of the German
Reformed church, in which he took a great
interest, while his wife was a member of the
Lutheran church. The subject's mother
had the first cook stove brought into Jones-
boro and also owned one of the first sewing
machines, which she operated for many
years. Henry Miller passed away in 1872,
at the age of fifty-seven years, and his wife
survived until 1898. The following children
were born to them: George, now deceased,
having died at the age of fifty-seven years,
married first a Miss Castleman, and his sec-
ond wife was Addie Phillips. He died near
Anna, Illinois. He was a teacher in early
life, and later a commission merchant in
Chicago. Andrew J., the second child, is
deceased; he was a merchant at Cobden,
Illinois, and married Allie Phillips; Alice,
the third child, married Arthur Moss, who
is deceased; she is living at Anna, Illinois;
John, the fourth child, who was a merchant
at Anna, Illinois, and who married Mollie
Green, is deceased. Franklin Pierce, our
subject, was the fifth child in order of birth.
Mary married James N. Dickison, a mer-
chant and a director of the First National
Bank at Anna, Illinois. David Watson is

582

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

a grain and lumber dealer at Winnebago,
Minnesota; Caleb Monroe lives at Anna,
Illinois; he is a farmer and fruit grower in
Southern Illinois. He owns about four hun-
dred acres of fruit, all kinds of vegetables,
devoting especial attention to asparagus
growing. He owns the opera house block
and other valuable real estate and is in-
terested in the bank at Anna.

The subject of this sketch was educated
in the home schools and remained a mem-
ber of the family circle until he was nine-
teen years old, when he clerked in his broth-
er's store at Cobden, Illinois, where he re-
mained for one year and then went to Chi-
cago, where he was engaged with his
brother, George, in the commission business
on South Water street for about eight years.
He closed up that business and came to
Centralia in 1889, and bought his present
home. He first put out twenty acres of
strawberries the first year and the next year
ten acres more and later planted many ap-
ple and peach trees. He raises mostly small
fruits, apples and Elberta peaches. He has
been a fruit grower and dealer at Centralia
on an extensive scale for the past twenty
years, the firm name being F. P. Miller &
Company, fruit dealers and brokers. They
buy fruit from Texas, Missouri, Tennessee,
Georgia and all of the southern states and
their trade extends as far north as this
county. They are the largest dealers in
Illinois and are known throughout the coun-
try. Their offices are in the Merchants'
State Bank building in Centralia. J. E.
Hefter, of Centralia, is a partner in the firm.

They are known as "The Fruit Kings."
Their business is a credit to this county and
is of much importance in establishing in
other states the prestige of the locality in
commercial and horticultural lines.

The subject of this sketch built his mod-
ern and nicely furnished home in 1900 and
his substantial and attractive barn in 1908.

Mr. Miller's happy domestic life began in
July 8, 1885, when he was united in mar-
riage with Laura Hoag, a native of Cen-
tralia, Illinois, the daughter of Peter and
Carolina Hoag, natives of New York. They
are both deceased. He was foreman of the
blacksmith shop of the Illinois Central Rail-
road for forty years. Two bright children
have added sunshine to the pleasant
home of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, namely:
Myrtle L., the wife of Robert Goodale, of
Centralia, Illinois, where he is a wholesale
manufacturer of ice cream. The second
child of the subject is named Dwight Paul,
who is at this writing attending Blees Mili-
tary Academy at Macon, Missouri. He is
a graduate of the Centralia high school.

In his fraternal relations the subject is a
member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, Queen City lodge, at Centralia,
Illinois; also the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks and the Woodmen. The
family attends the Baptist church.

Mr. Miller started in life under none too
favorable environment, but being ambitious
and a man of industry, rare common sense
and foresight, he has always prospered and
today is ranked among the progressive and
substantial citizens of Marion county, II-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

583

linois. He learned much in the way of be-
ing a general business man from his father,
who was one of the well known men of in-
dustry in his day, having conducted a saw
and grist-mill which were run by water-
power with an old-style propeller saw. It
was located on Mill creek, Union county.
He also owned a large maple grove and
made maple syrup and sugar.

CHARLES S. HUDDLESTON.

Dependent very largely upon his own re-
sources from early youth, the subject of
this sketch has attained to no insignificant
position, and though he has encountered
many obstacles, he has pressed steadily on
and has won an eminent degree of success,
and is today one of the foremost business
men in Marion county, being the owner of a
large marble and granite works in the thriv-
ing city of Centralia.

Charles S. Huddleston was born near Mt.
Auburn, Kentucky, February 27, 1867, the
son of George P. and Melinda (Pribble)
Huddleston. Grandfather Huddleston was
born in Pennsylvania and moved to Ken-
tucky in an early day, where he spent the
remainder of his life and where he died.
He was a Confederate soldier and died
from disease contracted while in the serv-
;ce. His wife died when about fifty-two
years old. Their family consisted of nine
children. Grandfather Pribble was a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, who moved to Illinois
in 1882 and died the following year at the

age of sixty-five years. His wife died at
the age of seventy-two years. They were
the parents of four chilren and were mem-
bers of the Christian church.

The father of our subject remained in
Kentucky until he was forty years old, when
he moved to Illinois in 1881. He was a sol-
dier in the Eighteenth Kentucky Volunteer
Infantry in the Union army. He was
wounded and captured at the battle of Rich-
mond, Kentucky, and was discharged on ac-
count of the wound, and he carried his arm
in a sling for two years as a result of the
same, the bone in the shoulder joint hav-
ing been shattered with a bullet. His wound
still gives him much pain and he draws a
pension. He now makes his home with our
subject. He holds to the faith of the
Christian church. The mother of the sub-
ject passed to her rest when thirty- four
years old, and was buried in the beautiful
Mt. Auburn cemetery. She was also a
faithful member of the Christian church.
George P. Huddleston was a farmer and
carpenter in his active life, having devoted
twenty years to his trade with marked suc-
cess. He had a brother, Charles I., who
was also a soldier in the Union ranks, hav-
ing enlisted from Kentucky and served
through the war, having been with Sher-
man on his march to the sea. He came out
of the war on a mule which he captured
while on a foraging expedition and which
he rode in the grand review at Washington.
Another brother, John, also enlisted from
Kentucky in the Union army, and another
brother, Peter, was also in the Union serv-
ice, having also been with Sherman and

HHM.kAPHICAL AND REMIXISCEXT HISTORY OF

served to the end of the war, receiving an
honorable discharge. Lorenzo, another
brother, was in the Federal ranks. He died
soon after the close of the war.

The parents of the subject reared five
children.

Charles S. Huddleston, our subject, first
attended school in Kentucky, which state
he left when fifteen years old and came to
Illinois, in which state he went to the pub-
lic schools for four or five winters. He had
to walk nearly three miles each way to
school. During this time and until he was
twenty years old he worked on the farm,
after which he served eleven years as a let-
terer and carver on marble and granite.
After four years he became superintendent
of the works, so efficient had his services
been. He continued as superintendent for
a period of seven years. Then the owner
died and Mr. Huddleston was selected to
close up the business, which he did in a
most satisfactory manner and finally bought
the business without the payment of one
dollar, all being in time notes, which he
paid when due and had the business clear
of indebtedness. This was in 1901, and he
has since conducted the works successfully.
It is now the largest works of its character
in this locality and is well patronized, yield-
ing the owner a handsome income.

Mr. Huddleston was united in marriage
in 1891 to Jennie Baldridge, who was born
in Irvington, Illinois, the daughter of James
and Lydia (Pitchford) Baldridge, a native
of Illinois.

Three interesting children have been
born to the subject and wife, namely: Neva,

born in 1892, is in her second year in high
school in 1908; Ruby was born in 1895, is
also in school: Nina, bom in 1898, is in
school.

In his fraternal relations our subject is
a member of the Knights of Pythias, the
Woodmen, also a member of the United
Commercial Travelers. The subject, wife
and two oldest children are members of
the Christian church. Mr. Hnddleston is a
charter member of the Young Men's Chris-
tian Association and still retains his mem-
bership in that society, which boasts of the
second largest membership in the state. In
politics he is a loyal Republican and is now
filling his second term as Alderman from
the Third ward of Centralia in a most able
and praiseworthy manner.

BEN W. STORER.

Mr. Storer is one of those estimable char-
acters whose integrity and strong personal-
ity must force them into an admirable place
among the citizens of any community, who
command the respect of their contemporaries
and their posterity.

Ben \Y. Storer, the well known grocer,
was born in Centralia, Illinois, July 19, 1868,
the son of Samuel and Susan B. (Bates)
Storer, and he has taken part in the devel-
opment of his native village, which he has
seen grow to a thriving city. The parents
of our subject reared a family of five chil-
dren, three boys and two girls, of whom Ben
W. was the fourth in order of birth.

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

The subject of this sketch was educated
in the Centralia public schools. He first be-
gan his business career in a grocery store,
working for Barton & Stevenson, with whom
he worked for two years, giving entire sat-
isfaction. He then took a position with the
R. D. Beaver Grocery Company, remaining
in their employ for four years with equal
success, when he engaged with Colonel Pit-
tenger in the same business, continuing there
for four years, building up an excellent
trade, at the expiration of which time he
embarked in the grocery business for him-
self. Having mastered all the details of this
special line, his success from the first was
assured, as time soon substantiated.

Our subject was united in marriage with
Mabel Kerr, of Centralia, the daughter of
the late J. N. Kerr, former editor of the Cen-
tralia Sentinel and Mayor of the city for
several years, our subject's wife being the
oldest member of the family. To Mr. and
Mrs. Storer two bright and interesting sons
have been born, namely: Wilson Bates and
Ben Wade, Jr., both now in school.

Our subject is a member of Helmet Lodge,
Knights of Pythias No. 26, of Centralia. In
politics he is a loyal Republican, and re-
ligiously he was reared a Presbyterian.

In 1892 our subject began business at
114 East Broadway, having here launched
successfully a grocery store, which steadily
grew in its volume of business, until now his
store is known throughout the community,
his trade extending all over the city and to
all parts of the county. He has a neat, up-to-
date store and carries a full line of fancy

groceries, canned goods, fruits and vege-
tables of all kinds in season. He employs
eight clerks and runs three wagons. His
trade is very largely among the best class of
people of Centralia, where he is known to all
classes as a man of honest principles.

W. B. GOODALE.

W. B. Goodale was born in Centralia,
Marion county, August 17, 1855, the son of
William and Mary (Sherwood) Goodale,
who were the parents of five children, four
boys and one girl, of whom our subject was
the fourth in order of birth. He bears the
distinction of being the first white male
child born in Centralia. The parents of our
subject were Eastern people. They both
passed away when our subject was about
thirteen years of age. W. B. Goodale re-
ceived his early education in Centralia. When
in his "teens" he went to work for the Illi-
nois Central Railroad Company, learning
the machinist's trade, at which he worked,
giving entire satisfaction, with this company
for a period of fourteen years, at the expira-
tion of which time he had accumulated suf-
ficient money to buy a fruit farm near the
city, and for the next fifteen years he ap-
plied his skill and industry to raising small
fruits of all kinds with great success, when
he sold his farm and began the manufacture
of ice cream, having purchased an interest
in a plant in 1901. At that time the yearly
output of the plant was very small, but un-

Kin.lK.U'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

der the efficient management of our subject
the capacity was gradually increased as trade
poured in from all sides until now the out-
put is fifteen times greater than formerly.

The plant has been thoroughly remodeled
in every way, having all the latest equip-
ment for the business, is thoroughly sani-
tary and always kept very clean. The prod-
uct of this well known plant is shipped to
over fifty cities and towns throughout
Southern Illinois. The cream is bought
from Elgin and Chicago markets and the
milk is obtained from the dairymen in and
about Centralia.

The plant proper is forty by seventy-five
feet. All milk and cream is here thorough-
ly pasteurized by the most complete process.
It is the only firm in the city that carries
the state inspector's certificate, being up to
the standard required by the state. This
firm also manufacture all their own ice and
cold storage, and recently purchased the fac-
tory and equipment of the Mt. Vernon Ice
Cream Company.

W. B. Goodale was united in marriage to
Mary E. Wild on October 27, 1881. She
is the daughter of Samuel and Ann Wild,
one of the old English families of Centraliar
The wife of the subject is the oldest of
three girls in the Wild family. One son has
blessed the home of our subject and wife,
named Robert W., who is a full partner with
his father in business and a young man of
great ability and promise of a future re-
plete with happiness and success. Robert
W. Goodale married Myrtle Miller on Jan-
uary 9, 1907. She is the only daughter of

Frank and Laura (Hoag) Miller, the father
of Mrs. Goodale being a prominent fruit
grower and commission merchant of Cen-
tralia. Robert W. Goodale is regarded by
all who know him as a thoroughly modern
business man and one of the rising young
men of Centralia. His education, natural
ability and commendable qualities have well
fitted him for an active and thorough busi-
ness career.

In politics both our subject and his son
vote for the character of the man rather
than the party, although they are sometimes
counted upon as being Democrats, especial-
ly in national issues. Religiously they are
Baptists. Both father and son are thorough,
practical men in every respect. W. B. Good-
ale in former years was a member of the
United Workmen. Robert is a member of
the Modern Woodmen lodge at Centralia.

ROBERT ROHL.

Conspicuous among the representative
citizens and progressive business men
of Marion county, Illinois, is the gen-
tleman whose name appears at the head
of this article, who has by his great in-
dustry, wise economy and sound judgment
developed a good business.

Robert Rohl was born in Marquette,
Michigan, January 14, 1856, the son of
Carl and Caroline (Weiland) Rohl, both na-
tives of Germany, the father having come
from Prussia and the mother from Wur-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

temburg. They both came to America when
young and were married in Marquette,
Michigan. They were the parents of nine
children, of whom our subject is the oldest
child of the four now living. His younger
brother, August, lives in Centralia.

Robert Rohl's early life was spent in Mar-
quette, Michigan, where he acquired his ed-
ucation. While yet a boy he began clerking
in a hardware store, where he gave entire
satisfaction to his employer for three years.
He afterward worked at odd jobs, such as
carrying hod, stone and brick mason work,
mixed mortar and did general, all-around
work on brick, stone and frame building
construction. After two years of this kind
of hustling he went to Minnesota, where he
worked on a farm for five years in the sum-
mer and during the winter months cut cord-
wood and sold pumps. Then he returned
to Marquette, Michigan, and went to work
in the powder mills, making black powder,
having worked there for one year, at the
end of which time he and his younger broth-
er, August, conducted a beer bottling plant
in that city, which they successfully conduct-
ed for six months, when our subject bought
August's interests in the business and con-
tinued it for four years from 1881 to 1886.
While in this business he added soda water,
bottling and supply trade to his already large
business. He then sold his business in Mar-
quette and came to Centralia and began in
the same business, where he bought out Mr.
Hayes in 1886, and has since continued with
marked success, his busness being located at
117 North Oak street. He paid fifteen hun-

dred dollars for the plant and has so in-
creased the trade and the value of the plant
until it is now worth several times that
amount. His goods are shipped to the whole
surrounding country, throughout Southern
Illinois, and new territory is constantly be-
ing added, for the superior quality of his
goods is recognized by all, and new custom-
ers are constantly coming to him. Mr. Rohl
now carries about thirty towns on his ship-
ping list and does a general carbonated soda
water, ginger ale and all sorts of temperance
drink business, also wholesale and retail, for
beers, bar supplies and soda water fountains.

Our subject was married to Anna Sta-
bler in May, 1881, and four children have
been born to this union, namely: Thersa,
Anna, Caroline and Robert, Jr. Anna mar-
ried George F. Hails, of Centralia, a switch-
man on the Illinois Central Railroad.

In politics our subject is a Republican,
and religiously he was reared a Protestant.
He has always taken a great interest in local
political affairs and his political friends hon-
ored him by electing him Mayor of Centra-
lia, his term extending from 1901 to 1903.
He was Alderman of the Fourth Ward for
two terms. During his incumbency in these
positions the city was carefully looked after
and many public interests promulgated, so
that his record was one of which anyone
might well be proud.

Mr. Rohl in his fraternal relations is a
member of Helmet lodge, Knights of Py-
thias, also the Red Men and Pocahontas. He
belongs to the Turners, also the United Com-
mercial Travelers. He is a member of the

588

r.IOCKAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Travelers' Protective Association, and was
secretary and treasurer for four years of
the United Commercial Travelers. He was
chosen president of the Illinois State Bot-
tlers' Protective Association for two years.
He was a state delegate to the convention of
the National Bottlers' Protective Associa-
tion, held in Denver in 1907.

The subject's father is still living at Mar-
quette, Michigan, at the age of eighty-two
years. His step-mother is also living at the
same age. Our subject's mother died when
forty years old. Grandfather Rohl died in
Germany at the advanced age of ninety-six
years, and his maternal grandfather died at
the age of seventy-eight years.

• EDWIN L. WATTS.

The subject of this sketch is recognized
as one of the leading citizens of Centralia,
where he is known by all as a business man
of unusual ability, a man of progressive
ideas and at all times ready to do his part
in furthering any interest for the public
good.

Edwin L. Watts was born in Clinton
county, five miles west of Centralia, on a
farm, November n, 1873, the son of Wil-
liam M. and Martha (Short) Watts, both
natives of Illinois, in whose family there
were five children, two boys and three girls,
Edwin L., our subject, being the youngest
in order of birth.

Our subject received his early education

in the common schools of his native com-
munity, having applied himself in a careful
manner and gained a good education which
has later been added to by home reading,
and by coming in contact with the world.
He devoted his life to farming up to 1904,
having been prosperous at this line of work,
laying up from year to year a competence
and making a comfortable living. But be-
lieving that larger interests were to be
found in Centralia, he came to this city and
entered the livery business in which he was
very successful for a period of two years,
at the end of which he went into the im-
plement business, having been associated
with J. D. Breeze since 1906, the firm being
Breeze & Watts, their well known place of
business being 321 South Locust street, Cen-
tralia. They handle a full line of imple-
ments, vehicles, harness, buggies, wagons,
drills, seeders, corn shellers and they deal in
general stock on a large scale. Their store
is always filled with customers and is one
of the busiest places of its kind in Centralia.
Before coming to Centralia, our subject
served as Assessor of Raccoon township in
a very creditable and acceptable manner for
one year, during which time the interests of
the township were as carefully looked after
as if they had been his individual business.

Mr. Watts was united in marriage to
Mary Patton, November 20, 1895. She is
the daughter of T. A. and Lena (Smith)
Patton, a well known and influential family
of this county.

Mr. Watts' comfortable and cheerful
home has been brightened by the presence

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

of the following children : William R., Len-
na F., Ruby R., all bright children and mak-
ing good grades in the local schools.

Mr. Watts is a genial and most com-
panionable gentleman and has many warm
and admiring friends among the res-
idents of his adopted city as well as in the
township where he lived so long, and the
high regard in which he is held not only in
business but socially indicates the possession
of attributes and characteristics that fully
entitle him to the respect and consideration
of his fellow men.

TRUMAN B. ANDREWS.

Characterized by breadth of wisdom and
strong individuality, the achievements of
the subject of this sketch but represent the
utilization of innate talent in directing ener-
gies along lines in which mature judgment
and a resourcefulness that hesitates at no
opposing circumstances, pave the way and
ultimately lead to achievement.

Truman B. Andrews was born in Jeffer-
son county, Illinois, September 25, 1852,
the son of Seymour and Martha (Hender-
son) Andrews, who were the parents of ten
children, the subject of this sketch being the
third in order of birth. When about four
years of age he went to Warren county, Il-
linois, with his parents, where he remained
until ten years of age, then moved to Cen-
tralia, where he has since remained, having
been identified with the growth of the com-
munity and taking a prominent part in its
development for a period of over forty-six

years at this writing, 1908. He received his
schooling in the Centralia common and high
schools. Following in the footsteps of his
father, he decided to become a merchant,
and when he left school he began clerking
for his father and later became bookkeeper,
with whom he remained assisting in build-
ing up a fine trade in the dry goods and
clothing business until his father retired
about 1890. Truman then went with the
firm of G. L. Pittenger, who conducted a
grocery store, remaining with the same for
four years with his usual success. He then
went to work for the Pittenger & Daves
Mining and Manufacturing Company, as
their assistant secretary in the office work
of this extensive enterprise, with which he
was identified for six years, giving high
class service in every respect. Mr. Andrews
then worked in the Centralia Mining and
Manufacturing Company, which is operated
by the same people as their secretary, re-
maining as such for seven years, or until
they retired from active business. He con-
tinued to work or the firm that succeeded
them remaining until he bought an interest
in the firm of Gillett & Company, clothiers
and gents' furnishers. They manage a big
and well stocked store and Mr. Andrews Is
to be found here daily ready to wait upon
his scores of customers who know that
they will here receive the most courteous
consideration and always receive the full
value of their money. The stock is kept
well up-to-date and is carefully selected at
all seasons. This store is one of the most
tastefully arranged and neatly kept of any
in Southern Illinois and customers are al-

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KKMIXISCliXT HISTORY OF

ways pleased to visit it where they are made
to feel at ease.

The domestic life of the subject of this
sketch dates from December 17, 1874, when
he was married to Amanda J. McClelland,
daughter of John and Margaret McClelland,
of Marion county, a well known and in-
fluential family. To this union three in-
teresting children have been born, namely:
Hallie, Lois and Cinnie. Hallie married
Bessie Robinett, of Columbia, this state, and
they are the parents of one son, Raymond,
born in 1904. Hallie Andrews is firing an
engine on the Illinois Central Railroad.
Lois is married to L. R. Porter, a blacksmith
on the Illinois Central Railroad, of Cen-
tralia, and they are the parents of two chil-
dren, one boy, Emmett, born in 1905, and
one girl, Lorena, who is one year old in
1908. Cinnie, the subject's third child, mar-
ried George Green, of Centralia, where he
is engaged in the barber business.

In politics our subject is a supporter of
Republican issues. He is a member of the
Christian church, having been a deacon for
a period of fifteen years, and is also a trus-
tee of the same. In his fraternal relations
lie is a member of the Modern Woodmen,
No. 397; the Knights of Pythias, No. 26;
also a charter member of the Knights and
Ladies of Honor, having served in many of
the chairs of the last two lodges. Mr. An-
drews was Township Public School Treas-
urer or twenty years, being still in this po-
sition. He is greatly interested in educa-
tional matters and has always done what he
could to further the interests of the local
schools. He also faithfully served as Town

Clerk of Centralia for a period of six years.
He has also been a member of the Centralia
City Fire Department for over twenty-five
years, having frequently hazarded his life
day and night in order to save property.

HON. D. W. HOLSTLAW.

Few names in Marion county are as wide-
ly known and as highly honored as the one
which appears at the head of this review.
For many years as a farmer, banker and
prominent business man, D. W. Holstlaw
has ranked and also occupies a conspicuous
place in business and state. On both sides
of his family Mr. Holstlaw springs from
sturdy antecedents and he has every reason
to be proud of his forbears. His father,
Daniel S. Holstlaw, was a stock dealer and
farmer, being a native of Kentucky and
widely known and highly esteemed citizen.
He became a resident of this county about
1830, settling in Stevenson township, where
in due time he accumulated a large and val-
uable estate and achieved much more than
local reputation as breeder and dealer in
live stock, besides attaining an honorable
standing as a public spirited citizen and en-
terprising man of affairs. Daniel S. Hoist-
law did much to promote the material prog-
ress of the section of country in which he
lived, and was equally interested in the so-
cial and moral advancement of the commu-
nity, doing all within his power to benefit
his neighbors and fellow citizens, and leav-
ing to them the memory of a useful life and
an honorable name when called from the

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

591

scenes of his labors and triumphs on the
fifth day of December, 1905. The maiden
name of Mrs. Daniel Holstlaw was Ruth
Wade Middleton. She was born in Ten-
nessee and is still living on the old family
homestead in Stevenson township, where,
surrounded by relatives and friends, she is
passing the evening of a well spent life with
nothing in the future to fear or in the past
to regret. The family of this estimable cou-
ple consisted of eleven children, all of whom
are living. A more extended mention of
this family will be found upon another page
of this volume.

Daniel W. Holstlaw was born February
5, 1849, at the family home in Stevenson
township, and there spent the years of his
childhood and youth, learning at an early
age the lessons of industry, economy and
self-reliance, which had much to do in form-
ing a well rounded character and fitting him
for the subsequent duties of life. When
old enough to be of service he helped with
the labors of the field and in due time be-
came a valuable assistant to his father in
the latter's live stock interests and other
business, proving faithful to his various
duties and worthy of the trust reposed in
his integrity and 'honor. Meanwhile as op-
portunities permitted he attended the com-
mon schools of the neighborhood, but by
reason of his services being required at home
his education was somewhat limited. In
after years, however, he made up very large-
ly for this deficiency by a wide range of
reading and careful observation, but more
especially by his relations with his fellow

men in various business capacities, thus be-
coming the possessor of a fund of valuable
practical knowledge, which could not have
been obtained from schools or colleges.

Mr. Holstlaw spent his minority under
the parental roof, in the cultivation of the
farm and otherwise looking after his par-
ents, but in the year 1870 he severed his
home ties to accept a clerkship in a mer-
cantile house in the town of luka. After
serving in the capacity of clerk until becom-
ing an efficient salesman and acquiring a
knowledge of the business he formed a part-
nership with James W. Humphries, and dur-
ing the two years ensuing the firm conduct-
ed a thriving trade and forged rapidly to the
front, among the leading merchants of the
town. At the expiration of the period noted
Mr. Holstlaw purchased his partner's inter-
est and adding very materially to the stock,
soon built up a large and lucrative patron-
age, and it was not long until he became one
of the most successful business men of the
county, a reputation he sustained during the
thirty odd years which he devoted to mer-
cantile life. Meantime he saw a favorable
opening at luka for the banking business,
and in compliance with the suggestions of
many of his fellow townsmen and others
as well as consulting his own inclinations,
he finally established a bank in his store,
which soon formed a valuable adjunct to the
business interests of the town and surround-
ing country. After conducting the two lines
of business jointly until 1907, he disposed
of his mercantile interests, and since that
time has devoted his entire attention to bank-

592

I'.hXiKAPHICAL AND KK.M I \ ISCKNT HISTORY OF

ing, establishing in luka the Holstlaw Bank,
which is now one of the most successful and
popular institutions of the kind, not only
in Marion county, but in the southern part
of the state. The growth of the bank in
public favor has more than met the high ex-
pectations of Mr. Holstlaw and others in-
terested in its success, the patronage, which
takes a wide range, being liberal, but all that
could reasonably be desired, and the solidity
of the institution beyond the shadow of
a doubt.

As the executive head and practical man-
ager of the bank, Mr. Holstlaw exemplifies
the sound judgment, wise discretion and rare
foresight which have ever characterized his
business dealing, while his familiarity with
financial matters enables him to conduct the
institution in the broad though wisely con-
servative spirit which bespeaks its continu-
ous growth and solidity. The bank building
is an elegant modern structure, erected espe-
cially adapted for the purpose and amply
equipped with all the appliances necessary
to the successful prosecution of the business,
the safe, furniture and other fixtures being
of the latest and most approved patterns and
calculated to satisfy the taste of the most
critical and exacting. Mr. Holstlaw is also
a stockholder and director of the Salem Na-
tional Bank and also the bank at St. Peter.

In addition to his long and eminently suc-
cessful career in business, Mr. Holstlaw has
for many years been one of the leading poli-
ticians of Marion county, his activity in po-
litical circles, however, being by no means
confined to local affairs, but state wide in

its influence. He is firm and unchanging in
his allegiance to Democratic principles and
mid all vicissitudes in which the party has
been subject during the last two decades, he
has never wavered in his loyalty, nor when
necessary hesitated to make sacrifices for
its success. Judicious in counsel and an
untiring worker, he has been a standard
bearer in a number of campaigns and it was
not until recently that he consented to serve
his party in a public capacity, although fre-
quently importuned and solicited by his
many friends to accept the offices for which
by native training he is eminently fitted. In
the year 1908 he was elected to the upper
house of the General Assembly, and although
but fairly entering upon his official duties he
has already made his influence felt among
his brother Senators, and bids fair to ren-
der his constituency and the state valuable
service and earn an honorable record among
the distinguished legislators of the common-
wealth.

On January 3, 1875, Mr. Holstlaw and
Clara R. Stevenson were united in the holy
bonds of wedlock, a union blessed with two
children, the older a son, Herschel D., and
the younger a daughter, who answers to
the name of Florence E.

Herschel D. Holstlaw, whose birth oc-
curred on December 20, 1875, was educated
in the home schools and Bryant & Stratton's
Commercial College, and since beginning
life for himself has been associated with his
father, being at this time cashier of the
Holstlaw Bank and a man of fine business
ability. He was married October 3, 1900,.

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

593

to Louise Tully, of Xenia, Illinois, whose
parents, Joseph E. and Fannie (Paine)
Tully, still live in that town, the father being
a banker and merchant, and one of the old-
est of three children. Mrs. Holstlaw
is the oldest of three children born
to these parents, her two brothers, Joseph
M. and William Paine Tully, being residents
of Xenia, and associated with their father in
merchandising and banking. Florence E.,
the subject's second child, married Albert
E. Kelly, of North Vernon, Indiana, but
now a resident of luka, Illinois, where he is
engaged in the mercantile trade at the old
Holstlaw stand.

Mr. Holstlaw's activity in business to-
gether with his superior methods and hon-
orable dealing has resulted greatly to his
financial advantage and he is now one of
the wealthy and reliable men of Marion
county, being in independent circumstances,
with more than a sufficiency of this world's
goods to render his future free from care
and anxiety. Additional to his mercantile,
banking and other interests at luka, he owns
several valuable farms in various parts of
the county and is also quite extensively in-
terested in live stock, being one of the larg-
est breeders and raisers of fine cattle in this
part of the state, these and his other hold-
ings indicating the energy and capacity of a
mind peculiarly endowed for large and im-
portant enterprises.

Clara R. Stevenson, who became the wife
of Hon. D. W. Holstlaw, as stated in a pre-
ceding paragraph, is a native of Stevenson

township and a daughter of Hon. Samuel
E. Stevenson, in whose honor the township
was named. Mr. Stevenson was born in
Ohio August 9, 1819, and his wife, whose
maiden name was Elizabeth Kagy, was also
a native of Ohio. The Stevensons were
among the pioneer settlers of Fairfield coun-
ty, Ohio, and it was there that Samuel E.
spent his youth, beginning to earn his own
living at the early age of six years. Later
he received eight dollars per month for his
services as a farm laborer, and by industry
and strict economy succeeded in saving in
four years the sum of one hundred dollars,
his expenses for clothing during that time
amounting to only forty dollars. Going on
horseback to Illinois, he invested his savings
in cattle, which he drove to Ohio and sold at
a liberal profit, the venture proving so suc-
cessful that he decided to continue the busi-
ness. During the several years following he
made a number of trips to and from Illi-
nois , buying cattle and disposing of them
at handsome figures, and in this way laid
the foundation of what subsequently became
an ample fortune. After his marriage to
Miss Kagy, which took place in Marion
county, Illinois, in 1848, he located in what
is now Stevenson township, where he en-
tered a large tract of land and engaged in
farming and stock raising, devoting especial
attention to the breeding of cattle, in which
lie met with the most gratifying success.
Later he became interested in public affairs
and in due time rose to a position of consid-
erable influence among his fellow citizens.

594

nim.KAl'HICAL AXU REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

who in recognition of valuable political serv-
ices elected him in 1866 to the lower house
of the Legislature.

Mr. Stevenson was one of the leading
Democrats of his day in Marion county and
achieved a wide reputation throughout the
state as an able and adroit politician. He
filled worthily a number of positions of honor
and trust, won the esteem of the people ir-
respective of party alignment and became
one of the most popular men of his time in
Southern Illinois. In connection with farm-
ing and stock raising he held large interests
in the Sandoval coal mines and was also a
heavy stockholder in the Salem National
Bank and appeared to succeed in all of the
enterprises to which he devoted his atten-
tion. He not only gave his children the
best educational advantages the country af-
forded, but also provided liberally for their
material welfare by giving each a good start
when they left home to begin life for them-
selves. He was long a sincere member of
the Baptist church, as was also his wife, and
spared no pains in instructing his children
in the truths of religion and the necessity
of moral conduct as the only basis of a true
and successful life. Mrs. Stevenson died in
1876 and her husband in the year 1899, the
loss of both being greatly deplored and pro-
foundly mourned by their many friends in
Marion and other counties of Southern Il-
linois.

The children of Samuel E. and Elizabeth
Stevenson, nine in number, were as follows :
Clara B., wife of Hon. D. W. Holstlaw;
Marion T.. a farmer and stock dealer of
Marion county: Joanna, widow of the late

Aaron Warner, of Stevenson township,
where she now resides: Edgar, for some
years one of the leading teachers of Marion
county and a young man of noble aims and
high ideals, who departed this life Novem-
ber, 1878, in the prime of his physical and
mental powers. He began school work at
the age of eighteen, soon attained an hon-
orable standing as an educator, and at the
time of his death was considered one of the
finest and most accomplished instructors in
this part of the state. Homer R., the fifth
in order of birth, married Clara Humphries
and devotes his attention to farming, in
which his success has been very gratifying.
Van C, who married Ella Brunton, lives on
the old family homestead and is also a suc-
cessful tiller of the soil; Frank M., the sev-
enth of the family, was graduated from Illi-
nois College in 1886, and the year following
was killed by lightning. He, too, was a
young man of intelligence and culture and
his untimely death terminated what prom-
ised to be a useful and honorable career.
Anna, who married Frank Boynton, of Sa-
lem, is deceased, and Maggie, the youngest
of the family, is the wife of W. E. Irvin,
and lives in Salem.

THOMAS M. LANE.

The honorable gentleman whose name ap-
pears above is entitled to wear the badge
indicating that he is one of the brave "boys
in blue," and while some casual thinker
might not attach much importance to this

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

595

fact, those who rightly consider the matter
know that no greater badge of honor could
be conferred upon a man.

Thomas M. Lane was born in Madison
county, Ohio, August 19, 1844, the son of
Hooper and Margaret (Martin) Lane, who
were the parents of four children, our sub-
ject being the oldest in order of birth. Hoop-
er Lane was born in Ohio, as was also his
wife.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was gained in Washington county,
Iowa, where he was reared on a farm and
labored hard as a boy and young man until
1 86 1, when on June isth of that year, being
unable to resist the call of his government
for help in its hour of need, he enlisted in
the Tenth Iowa Infantry, under Colonel
Parsell, of Keokuk, Iowa, and was mustered
into the service of the United States Sep-
tember 28, 1 86 1. He was in Company D,
under Captain Berry, of Boone county,
Iowa. He remained with this company un-
til 1863, taking part in all its engagements,
when he re-enlisted at Huntsville, Alabama,
and was transferred to Company E of the
same regiment as a veteran. April i, 1864,
by Captain York, under Captain Shepherd
and Colonel Strong. Our subject made a
most gallant soldier, having fought in twen-
ty-eight battles and skirmishes. He was dis-
charged August 15, 1865, at Little Rock,
Arkansas, by Adjt. Gen. N. B. Baker.

After the war Mr. Lane returned to Wash-
ington county. Iowa, where he remained for
two years and devoted his time to farming.
He then turned his attention to railroading

in 1867, in the fall of that year beginning
work on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad
at East St. Louis. From there he went to
North Missouri, where he was employed on
the Wabash Railroad for two years. He
then went to the Rock Island Railroad, run-
ning as a brakeman from Davenport to Des
Moines. He was also switchman and final-
ly conductor for the Hannibal Railroad,
from St. Joseph to Hannibal, Missouri. He
then went to the Missouri Pacific Railroad,
running from St. Louis to Chamoise, Mis-
souri. Mr. Lane then was employed by the
C. B. & U. P., a branch of the Missouri Pa-
cific Railroad ; later he went to the Illinois
Cental Railroad as yard crew conductor,
which position he held for eight years in the
East St. Louis yards. While thus employed
our subject had the misfortune to lose his
right hand on October 14, 1897. When he
recovered from this injury he was placed
on the detective force of this road, in which
capacity he remained until 1900, when he
resigned and came to Clinton county, where
he bought a fruit farm, which business he
followed for two years, when he sold out
and came to Centralia, where, on February
19, 1902, he formed a partnership and
launched in the real estate business, later
purchasing his partner's interest and be-
came sole manager of the "Home Real Es-
tate Company," of Centralia, and he now
enjoys a good, thriving business.

Mr. Lane became widely known during
his railroading days, giving the various
companies for which he worked entire satis-
faction, being regarded by them as one of

596

r.lOCUAHIICAI. AM) RK.M1MSCKNT HISTORY OF

the most trusted and efficient employes, al-
ways at his post and conscientious in his
work, so that he was always highly recom-
mended for his services. He enjoys the full
confidence of his numerous friends. His
long and wide experience in army and rail-
road life has made him a reader of men and
a most appreciative neighbor. He votes the
Republican ticket, having first voted for
Abraham Lincoln at Savannah, Georgia. He
was reared by pious Methodist parents. Our
subject is unassuming and open hearted and
honest to the core.

BURDEN PULLEN.

As a member of one of the pioneer fami-
lies of this country, Mr. Pullen calls for
recognition in a compilation of the province
assigned to the one at hand, and it is a pleas-
ure to enter this review of his upright and
successful career, for he has ever been faith-
ful in the performance of whatever duty he
found to be his, without thought of reward
or praise from his fellow men.

Burden Pullen was born in Mercer coun-
ty, New Jersey, June 8, 1833, the son of
James B. and Sarah (McCabe) Pullen.
Grandfather Pullen, who was of English
descent, lived in New Jersey and died at the
advanced age of ninety-eight years. He de-
voted his life to agricultural pursuits and
reared to maturity a family of nine children.
His noble life companion was a faithful
member of the church. Grandfather Mc-

Cabe, who was of Scotch-Irish blood, lived
on a farm, and both he and his wife lived
to advanced ages, rearing a large famliy.
The father of the subject was reared in New
Jersey, and being poor, his parents could not
give him the school advantages that he de-
sired. However, he made the best use pos-
sible of what he had, and after leaving school
learned the cooper's trade, although he never
worked at it to any extent. He left New Jer-
sey in 1839 and settled in Middletown, Ohio,
going into the fruit and nursery business
and developing into a well known and prom-
inent horticulturist, the study of which he
had begun before leaving New Jersey, and
devoted his life to that business with pro-
nounced success. He died at the age of
sixty-five years, having been survived by a
widow until she reached eighty-six. They
were members of the Baptist church and
their family consisted of nine children.

The early education of the subject of this
sketch was obtained in the district schools
of Ohio, where he diligently applied him-
self. Desiring to receive a higher educa-
tion, he later entered Franklin College in-
Indiana, but on account of sickness was
obliged to leave before finishing the course
he had hoped to take. He worked on his
father's fruit farm and was with him as an-
associate in the business until 1856, when he
came to Centralia, Illinois, then being twen-
ty-three years old. He opened a nursery,
becoming a horticulturist of more than lo-
cal note. He bought the place where he now
resides in 1857. The place consisted of
seventy acres and all of it was used as a nur-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

597

sery and fruit farm. Much of his land is
now laid out in city lots and has been sold.
He closed the nursery branch and gradually
worked all into the horticulture line, which
he made a great success.

Mr. Pullen's happy married life dates
from December i o, 1857, when he was unit-
ed in the bonds of wedlock with Lucille O.
Gex, a native of Kentucky. Her ancestry
was of French descent. Her grandparents
on the mother's side were named Price. They
were from England and her grandfather
was a Baptist minister. Her father was an
educated man, a linguist. He was a planter
in Kentucky and a slave holder.

Nine children have been born to the sub-
ject and wife, named in order of birth as
follows: Lucian C. is married and the fa-
ther of four children : Rena is the wife of E.
S. Condit and the mother of two children;
Maud, who was the wife of Dr. George Ab-
bott, is deceased; Blanche is also deceased;
May is the wife of Charles P. Marshall and
the mother of two children; Fred is mar-
ried and has one child; Rome B. is the sev-
enth child and Bird G. the eighth, the latter
married and has two children; Lillie is the
youngest and the wife of Raymond A. Beck
and the mother of one child.

The subject's first wife died in 1891, and
he was again married September 13, in 1893,
to Mrs. Anna E. Russell, of Clinton county,
Illinois.

Our subject is one of the original organ-
izers of the local First Baptist church, of
Centralia, and is the only living member of
the original organization. In politics he was

originally a Whig, then a Republican, but
in late years a Democrat. He was a mem-
ber of the State Board of Agriculture, hav-
ing been vice-president of the same for twen-
ty years. He was one of the Commission-
ers appointed by the Governor to take charge
of the Illinois exhibit at the World's Fair in
1893 at Chicago, and was chairman of the
Committee on Horticulture and Floriculture.
He spent two years in this work, having
charge of and preparing the grounds and
buildings for this display. He was for some
time Trustee of the University of Illinois,
by appointment of Governor Oglesby, hav-
ing been Chairman of the Committee on
Grounds. He was also Auditor of the State
Board of Agriculture, having had charge of
the purchasing department and a number of
other departments. He has had charge of
some one of these departments for the past
twenty years.

Mr. Pullen, besides having been a very
busy man in this line, has also had other
business of much importance. He assisted
in the organization of the Merchants' State
Bank of Centralia and was its first presi-
dent, having faithfully performed the duties
of this exacting position for a period of six
years, and withdrew on account of physical
disability. E. S. Condit, a grandson of the
subject, is now assistant cashier of this bank.
Mr. Pullen was one of the organizers of the
Centralia Ice and Cold Storage Company,
and has been its president ever since it was
first organized. His son, Fred, is secretary
and business manager of the same and has
ably filled this position since 1898.

598

l!l(i<; KAI'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Mr. Pullen has long taken an active in*
terest in public affairs and he has served
creditably as School Trustee and Director,
also Township Supervisor. He was active in
the District Fair Association and was the
first president of the same, having been
chosen by acclamation, and it was largely
due to his efficient efforts that the success of
the fair was due. Whatever of success has
been attained by our subject is due entirely
to his own industry, energy and ability. From
small beginnings he gradually, by the most
honorable methods, attained a prominence in
his county which entitles him to be regard-
ed as one of its leading citizens, his reputa-
tion being that of a man of business in-
tegrity, and his modem home is often the
gathering place for numerous friends of
himself and family.

F. H. BAUER.

All honor should be due the men who turn
the ideal into the practical, inaugurate such
conditions and crystalize into the probable
and actual what appear to be wild flights of
fancy and imagination. It is of such a man
that the biographer here essays to write.

F. H. Bauer, the well known proprietor
of the Centralia Steam Laundry, one of the
busiest places in the city, was born in Ma-
rion county, Illinois, September n, 1866,
the son of Fred and Amelia (Ruple) Bauer,
in whose family there were two sons, our
subject being the older.

Mr. Bauer was educated in the Centralia
public schools and the high school. Being
ambitious to receive a business education he
attended the night schools in St. Louis, Mis-
souri, where he made a splendid record. He
began his life work when eighteen years old
by entering the employ of the Illinois Cen-
tral Railroad. He worked for some time as
fireman and was later promoted to locomo-
tive engineer, and for a period of twelve
years gave entire satisfaction in whatever ca-
pacity he served, and being regarded by the
company as one of the most trusted and
valuable employes.

After his railroad experience he turned
his attention to mining in the Joplin (Mis-
souri) zinc and lead mine district, where he
remained one year, after which he returned
to Centralia, Illinois, and took the occupa-
tion of tonsorial artist, which he pursued
with marked success for a period of four
years, at the expiration of which time he pur-
chased the laundry plant originally known
as Ormsby & Ormsby laundry, having been
started in 1880. H. C. Watts bought the
Ormsby plant and run it for several years,
when his interests were purchased by the
enterprising and hustling subject of this
sketch. Mr. Bauer at once proceeded to re-
model the plant throughout, replacing the
old worn-out machinery with latest models
and most up-to-date equipment in every re-
spect. He also rebuilt the engine in every
part. Outside of the large cities this is one
of the oldest laundries in the state and none
turns out better work, for the plant is
equipped with the best machinery obtainable

RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

599

and only expert employes are to be found
here. Useless to say that with such an en-
terprising man at the head of this old es-
tablished institution that it at once assumed
new life and his success was instantaneous,
his patronage having steadily increased from
the first. When he first assumed charge the
total income of the plant was only sixty-five
dollars per week. Mr. Bauer has increased
this to two hundred dollars per week. In
1901 this plant employed only three girls;
now thirteen are constantly employed. The
main room of this plant is one hundred and
forty feet long by twenty-four feet wide and
the capacity is now over-crowded. Work
is done in this laundry for all surrounding
towns as far east as Wayne City and as far
north as Kinmundy, west to Evansville, Il-
linois, and south to Herrin. They do hotel,
barber shop and family washings for more
than one hundred and fifty patrons per
week.

The domestic life of Mr. Bauer dates
from October 30, 1891, when he was united
in the bonds of wedlock with Louise Jones,
the daughter of a well known family, and to
this union one child has been born, Wen-
dell A., whose date of birth occurred Feb-
ruary 20, 1901.

Our subject was reared a German Luth-
eran. He is an ardent Democrat in his po-
litical beliefs. He holds membership in the
following orders in Centralia : Masons, Blue
Lodge No. 201 ; Chapter No. 93 ; Council
No. 28; Knights Templar No. 26; Knights
of Pythias No. 26; Pythian Sisters, Lotus
Temple No. 8; Odd Fellows No. 179; En-

campment No. 75. He is also a member of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Engineers No. 37. Mr. Bauer takes a
great interest in lodge work.

LEVI BRANCH.

There can be no greater honor than to
serve one's country honestly and conscien-
tiously in any capacity, but when the na-
tion's integrity is at stake and it becomes
necessary for the citizen soldiery to leave
plow and workshop and go into the conflict,
risking limb and life, it is a much greater
sacrifice and the honor attached thereto is
higher than almost any other known to man.
Of this worthy class belongs the subject of
this sketch, a veteran of the war between the
states, who has long led an active and useful
life in Marion county.

Levi Branch was born in Meigs county,
Ohio, January 3, 1843, the son of Samuel S.
and Elizabeth (Smith) Branch, the former a
native of Vermont, of hardy New England
stock, having been born there December 27,
1801. He was a farmer and also a Baptist
preacher. Grandfather Stephen Branch
moved to Ohio when Samuel was an infant
of twelve months. There were three boys
and one girl in their family. He died Jan-
uary 29, 1862. Elizabeth Smith, mother of
the subject, was born in Pennsylvania Au-
gust 4, 1806. Samuel S. Branch and wife
were the parents of seven children, four boys
and three girls, of whom Levi, our subject,

6oo

BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

is the sixth child in order of birth. He was
the son of Samuel S. Branch's third wife.
There was one son by his first wife and one
daughter by his second wife. A half broth-
er of the subject was also in the Union army
and five of the Branch brothers were in the
Civil war, all of whom returned home after
their enlistments had expired. Levi Branch
enlisted at Springfield, Illinois, and he left
Wayne county April 27, 1863, being a mem-
ber of Company M, Fifth Illinois Cavalry,
under Colonel McConnell and Capt. R. N.
Jessup. His first active service was in a
skirmish in Missouri and he was captured
ne"ar Collinsville, Tennessee, where he and
three of his comrades were held for twenty-
four hours and were then sent to Memphis
on fictitious parole given by the colonel in
the saddle. He was discharged at Spring-
field October 27, 1865, after having made
an excellent record as a soldier, returning
to Wayne county and took up farming after
the war.

Mr. Branch was married to Clarinda Phil-
lips January 3, 1864, and to this union six
children have been born, all deceased. The
oldest daughter, Ida E., who was a grad-
uate of the Centralia high school, died when
twenty-four years of age. The other chil-
dren died in infancy.

Clarinda Phillips, the daughter of John
and Harriett Phillips, of Wayne county, Il-
linois, is the third child in a family of five
children, all girls. Mr. and Mrs. Branch
moved from Wayne county to Austin, Min-
esota, in 1876, where they remained one
year, then came to Rice county, Kansas,
where they remained for fifteen years, and

in 1892 moved to Centralia, where Mr.
Branch followed the carpenter's trade, hav-
ing done considerable contracting also in
this city. He has always been known as a
very able workman, his services being satis-
factory to all concerned, for he is conscien-
tious and painstaking.

In politics Mr. Branch is a Republican,
but he is a great admirer of William J.
Bryan, for whom he voted three times. In
religion he adheres to the Baptist faith, in
which he was reared, but he joined the
Christian church, and is a faithful attendant
of the same. He is known to be a man of
uprightness and honest in all his dealings
with his fellow men, and he has won many
friends since coming to Centralia, where he
has been very successful in his line of busi-
ness.

JOHN A. SNODGRASS.

The gentleman whose name initiates this
sketch has shown by a long life of industry
and honesty that he is entitled to a place in
the history of Marion county. John A. Snod-
grass was born August 28, 1836, in Scott
county, Indiana, the son of Samuel Snod-
grass, a native of Kentucky, who was born
in 1800 and who married Mira Hardy, of
New Hampshire. He lived in Kentucky un-
til 1818, when he went to Jefferson county,
Indiana, with his father, Hugh, where he
lived until his death in 1850. He was a
farmer and a member of the Christian
church, also a temperance worker and a
member of the Sons of Temperance. His

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

601

wife died in 1851. Seven children were
bom to them, namely: Norma, deceased;
Marion, who died in Pilot Knob, Missouri,
in 1863, was a soldier in the Union army;
Tirzah is single and always lived with the
subject; Mary married Solomon Cutshall,
a farmer at Patoka, Illinois; John, subject
of this sketch; Alonzo, a plasterer in Okla-
homa, was in Company H, Twenty-second
Illinois Infantry, for two years, later re-en-
listing; Lambert, who is deceased, lived with
the subject in Centralia.

John A. Snodgrass received a limited ed-
ucation in the subscription schools of the
early days. He lived at home, assisting with
the work about the place, until the Presi-
dent's call for loyal citizens to aid in sup-
pressing the rebellion induced him to enter
the conflict, having enlisted in September,
1862, in Company H, Twenty-second In-
diana Volunteer Infantry at Lexington, In-
diana. He was sent to Kentucky and Ten-
nessee, and was in the engagements at Per-
ryville, Lancaster, Nolansville and Murfrees-
boro, having fought seven days at Stone
River. He was taken sick after that battle
and was in the field hospital, later sent to
Nashville, still later to Louisville, suffering
with rheumatism and fever, becoming so sick
that he was given up by the physicians to
die. He was discharged from the army for
disability, October 20, 1863, after which he
returned home, where he remained until the
spring of 1866, when he came to Illinois and
located one mile west of Central City on a
farm. He then came to Centralia township,
where he remained three years, moving one
and one-half miles south of Centralia, where

he has remained far the past twenty-six
years. He bought a home and three lots in
Centralia, and in 1900 purchased his pres-
ent splendid home at 1301 South Locust
street. He has farmed, made brick and
teamed, making a success at each. He re-
tired in 1906.

Mr. Sodgrass was married in 1868 to
Mary Crawford, of Centralia, the daughter
of Zachariah Crawford, of Kentucky, who
in 1840 came to Illinois, locating two miles
west of Centralia. He was a blacksmith and
also owned a good farm. The subject's wife
passed away in 1870. Mr. Snodgrass has one
daughter, Lulu, who is the wife of Charles
Phillips, of Centralia. He is now engaged
in the round house of the Illinois Central
Railroad. Our subject has reared two of
his brother's children, John and Lizzie Snod-
grass.

Mr. Snodgrass is a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, the post at Centralia,
and his sister is a member of the Christian
church. Our subject is a fine old man whom
everybody likes and everybody respects and
honors for his life of industry and loyalty
to high principles.

THOMAS F. MEAGHER.

The subject of this sketch is one of the
well known men of Centralia, and his resi-
dence in Marion county has shown him to
be a man of business ability and honesty of
purpose so that he has won the confidence
of those with whom he has come in contact.

602

1MOCRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

Thomas F. Meagher was born December
23, 1848, in Toronto, Canada, the son of
James W. and Anna (Ryan) Meagher, the
former a native of the county of Tipperary,
Ireland, as was also his wife, where they
grew up and married. He was a carpenter
by trade and he came to Toronto, Canada,
in 1842, and in 1865 he moved with his fam-
ily to Chicago, where he worked at his trade
until his death in 1869, his widow having
survived until 1892. They were members
of the Catholic church and they were the
parents of the following children; Joseph
P., who was in the United States navy dur-
ing the rebellion and later a policeman and
butcher in Chicago; Thomas F., our sub-
ject ; Harry is a painter and foreman in the
Denver & Rio Grand Railroad shops in Colo-
rado City, Colorado. He was quartermaster
in the army for five years under General
Miles. Maria is the widow of Samuel Pal-
ing and lives in Chicago; Margaret is the
widow of Jerome P. Merrill, of Chicago.

Our subject went to the common schools
and later educated himself. He and ' his
brother Joseph went in the fall of 1864 to
Chicago and followed the lakes for five years
steamboating, and he was for three years in
the wholesale house of J. W. Doane & Co.,
of Chicago. After this he went into the
land office of the Illinois Central Railroad
in Chicago. During the great fire of Octo-
ber 8 and 9, 1871, he saved all the land
records and books of this company. After
the fire the office was moved to Centralia
and the subject came here to look after the
business. He continued in the land office

and also traveled all over the country for
this road as traveling land agent, selling
land and collecting and looking after their
interests in general. In 1882 he was ap-
pointed Deputy Revenue Collector of the
Thirteenth United States District of Illi-
nois for one term. After this he returned
to the employ of the Illinois Central, with
which he remained until 1884. He was re-
garded by this company as one of the most
trusted and indispensable employes.

Mr. Meagher was united in marriage No-
vember 3, 1872, with Mary A. Lawler, who
was born in Chicago, the daughter of Mich-
ael and Johanna (Phelan) Meagher, both
natives of Tipperary county, Ireland. They
came singly when young people to America
and settled in Chicago when the country
thereabout was a wilderness. He was a
gardener by trade and also teamed exten-
sively. He helped lay out the famous Lin-
coln park of that city, putting out trees,
etc. He died in 1893 and his wife died in
1898. Their children were: Mary A., the
subject's wife; John, who is with J. W.
Reedy Elevator Company in Chicago; Ed-
ward is a street car conductor in Rochester,
New York ; William is shipping clerk for a
candy manufacturing firm in Chicago ; Mar-
garet is single and living in Chicago; The-
resa is single and operating a hair dressing
establishment at 92 State street, Chicago;
Sarah is the wife of J. W. Reedy, of Chi-
cago.

Ten children have been born to the subject
and wife, as follows : Frank J. is single and
living at home, clerking in the offices of the

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

6o3

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in
Centralia ; Margaret is saleslady at Marshall
Field's & Co., Chicago. ; Mary is saleslady
at Hartman's Dry Goods Company, Centra-
lia; Thomas T. is a machinist on the Big
Four Railroad at Mattoon, Illinois; James
W. is a cigarmaker in Naples, New York;
Henry Edward is foreman of The Democrat
office in Centralia; Charles A., who died
at the age of twenty-one years, was clerk
for the Illinois Central Railroad at Chicago,
also in Centralia, having died February 25,
1905 ; Frederick D. is a machinist in Dan-
ville, Illinois, for the Illinois Central Rail-
road Company; Anastacia is bookkeeper at
Marshall Field's & Co., Chicago; Richard
T. is a boilermaker in the Illinois Central
shops at Centralia.

In 1884 the subject was elected Circuit
Clerk and County Recorder of Marion coun-
ty, serving with much credit for a period of
four years. He has always been active in
politics and is a loyal Democrat. He is not
a member of any church. He has made a
success of his life work, for he has been a
very industrious man and possesses rare
business acumen.

JOHN WOODS.

The venerable and highly honored citizen
of Centralia whose name appears above has
through a long life of industry and fidelity
to duty shown that he is worthy of a place
in the history of Marion county along with

his fellow citizens of worth. John Woods, a
retired farmer, was born in Tennessee, De-
cember 29, 1827, the son of Willis and Mary
(Willis) Woods, both natives of North Car-
olina, who went to Tennessee in an early
day, and in 1828 came to Marion county,
Illinois, settling south of Odin, taking up a
claim, later locating near Kinmundy, Illi-
nois, just northwest of Centralia. He died
in 1859 and his wife is also deceased. He
was twice married, his last wife being Nellie
Berge, of Connecticut. ' She is deceased. The
father of the subject was always a farmer,
a man well known and highly respected, a
Democrat, but never aspired for office. He
and his wife were members of the Christian
church. Six children were born to them as
follows: Louisa, deceased; John, our sub-
ject; William, deceased; Mary, deceased;
Green, deceased ; the youngest child died in
infancy.

Mr. Woods had little chance to attend
school, having lived at home until he was
twenty years of age and assisted with the
work about the place, attending subscrip-
tion school a few months in the winter. He
was married March u, 1847, to Catherine
McClelland, who was born in April, 1831, in
Centralia township, the daughter of Isaac
and Sarah (Welsh) McClelland, the former
a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of
Tennessee. He came to Illinois in 1820, set-
tling near Walnut Hill, Marion county, later
coming to Romine Prairie and then to Cen-
tralia township, north of Centralia in San-
doval township. He secured seven hundred
acres of land. He engaged extensively in

6o4

P.IOGK.U'HJCAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

farming and stock raising and became a
prominent man in his locality. He held many
local offices and spent the latter part of his
life in the city of Centralia. He died in
1881, his wife having preceded him to the si-
lent land in 1848, and he married a second
time, his last wife being Mary J. Collum, of
Maryland, who is deceased. Six children
were born to Mr. McClelland, all by his
first wife, namely: Alexander, who is now
deceased, lived in Sandoval township; John
went to Oregon in 1883 and died in 1906;
Rachael married Thomas N. Deadman, and
she is now deceased; Catherine is the wife
of the subject; Elizabeth, who is deceased,
married W. K. Bundy, of Raccoon town-
ship; Rebecca J., who married Richard Col-
lins, lives in East St. Louis.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
John Woods, four of whom are now living,
namely: Isaac N., who remained single, is
deceased; Willis died young; Mary F., who
is deceased, married Asa Mattocks; Luella
married William Ingrahm, of Centralia;
Sarah Ellen, who remained single, is de-
ceased; Cella Ruth married Erastus Root
May 6, 1883, and eight children have been
born, namely ; Lawrence, Nellie, John, Kate,
Jessie, Clyde, Marie and Charles, all living.
John died when young ; Susan married John
Heyduck, of Centralia, an engineer on the
Illinois Central Railroad, and they are the
parents of five children, Lawrence, John,
William R., George H. and Ruby May,
George, who was the fifth child in order of
birth, is a farmer on the old home place in
Centralia township, who married Martha

Sanders, and they have four children, Buell,
Myrtle, Helen and Mabel.

After his marriage our subject and wife
located in section 15, Centralia township,
where he secured one hundred and sixty
acres of land, which was entirely unim-
proved, but he was a hard worker and soon
had a comfortable home and carried on gen-
eral farming and stock raising in a most suc-
cessful manner. He was popular in his
township and was School Director for four-
teen years and held a number of minor of-
fices. He was always a stanch Democrat
and he and his good wife are members of the
Christian church. Mr. Woods retired from
active business life in December, 1898, and
has since lived in Centralia. He and his wife
are well preserved for their years and they
can tell many interesting things that hap-
pened in the early days in Marion county.

WILLIAM D. NEWMAN.

This venerable citizen of Centralia ranks
with Marion county's conspicuous figures,
having been one of the sterling pioneers
from Eastern Tennessee, from whence so
many men came to this state and did so
much in its upbuilding, William D. New-
man having been born in Blount county,
that state. August 13, 1833, twelve miles
south of Knoxville, the son of Louis J. and
Rachael (Logan) Newman, both natives of
Blount county, Tennessee, the former the
son of David and Elizabeth (Phillips) New-

HIGHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

6o5

man, also of the above named county, who
came to Illinois in 1833 and settled five
miles west of Richview in Washington coun-
ty, where he secured three hundred acres of
land, which he later added to, dealing ex-
tensively in stock growing and general
farming, and he became a prominent man in
that locality. Daniel died in 1840 and his
wife followed him to the silent land in 1852.
He was a cooper by trade. Twelve children
were born to them, the only one now living
being Campbell Newman, in Chanute, Kan-
sas. The subject's maternal grandfather
was William Logan, of Tennessee, who mar-
ried a Miss Edmonston, of Tennessee. They
both died in that state. He was a farmer
and he and his wife were the parents of four
children, all deceased. The subject's father,
Lewis J. Newman, was educated in the pub-
lic schools and in 1854 came to Illinois, set-
tling in Richview, Washington county. He
was a carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade.
In 1861 he located in Patoka, Illinois, and
lived there many years, and in 1873 went
to Collins, Texas, and he died there in 1876.
His wife died September 5, 1863. They
were members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, South. He was Justice of the
Peace at Patoka and active in politics, being
a Democrat. Twelve children were born to
them as follows: Alexander, who formerly
lived in this county, went to Texas in 1874
and died there. He was a preacher for many
years in the Methodist Episcopal church,
South. He was in the Thirty-first Wiscon-
sin Volunteer Infantry. The second child
was William D., our subject; Elizabeth, who

is deceased, married Charles Smith, living
at Patoka, Illinois; Sarah, who remained
single, is deceased; Eveline, who also re-
mained single, is deceased ; Lorenzo D. lives
in Patoka. He is a carpenter and he mar-
ried Fannie Rice. He was in Company F,
One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volun-
teer Infantry; Martin is deceased; Mathew
C. is deceased; Henry is also deceased;
George W. and Andrew J., twins, are both
deceased ; James lives in Dallas, Texas.

William D. Newman, the subject, had only
a limited schooling in the home schools. He
lived at home until he reached the age . of
twenty-four years, and he came to Illinois
in 1855, locating at Richview. He learned
the carpenter's and cabinetmaker's trade with
his father. He married February u, 1858,
Mary E. Gray, who was born October 3,
1840, in Tonti township, Marion county, the
daughter of J. H. and Nancy M. Eddington,
the former having been born in Maury coun-
ty, Tennessee, in 1817, and died in Patoka,
Illinois, September 2, 1878. His wife was
born in Clinton county, Illinois, October
27, 1819, and she died in 1905. J. H. Gray,
a farmer, was the son of Joseph and Agnes
(Denton) Gray, the former a native of Ten-
nessee and the latter a French woman. They
married in Tennessee and came to Marion
county, Illinois, in 1820, settling near Kin-
mundy. They died near the above named
place. To them were born the following
children: Rev. James D., of the Methodist
Episcopal church; John H., Samuel, Abner,
William, Martha Jane, Joseph. The chil-
dren of John H. Gray and wife are as fol-

6o6

moGR.U'HICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

lows: James D. was in Company F, One
Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry; Captain A. S. lives in Patoka, Illi-
nois (see his sketch) ; Mary E. is the wife of
the subject; Thomas Benton was clerk for
Col. James S. Martin during the Civil war;
Jane is deceased ; Amanda, deceased ; Henry,
deceased; Samuel died in infancy; Albert is
deceased; Alfred is deceased; Sarah, de-
ceased; Hattie lives in Memphis, Tennes-
see; Emma, deceased.

Eleven children have been born to William
D. Newman and wife, as follows : Lina, de-
ceased; John A., who is in the office of the
first vice-president of the Burlington Route,
Telegraph Operators' Association headquar-
ters in Chicago, who married Maria Wertz ;
Jennie, deceased; Alice, deceased; Ella, de
ceased; Nellie, deceased; Fred, who died in
Kansas City in 1904, was a telegraph op-
erator, and he married Evelyn Brooks, who
is the mother of three children, Claude,
Floyd and Esther; Lillie, who is deceased,
married Clyde Soots. She was an accom-
plished musician, both in vocal and instru-
mental music. Mattie, the ninth child in
order of birth, is deceased; W. D. is a car-
penter by trade. However, he now runs a
meat market in Centralia, and he married
Ethel Ralston, who is the mother of one
son, Arthur, and a daughter, deceased ; Jesse
B. married Mary Hollinger and they have
two children, Harvey and Bessie. He is a
carpenter and contractor in Centralia.

After his marriage our subject and wife
lived in Richview, Illinois, for three years
and then went to Patoka. Marion county.

where Mr. Newman engaged in the under-
taking business for over thirty years, hav-
ing been very successful in this line of work.
In February, 1901, he came to Centralia and
has since that time been a successful con-
tractor and builder. He is a Democrat and
has long taken an active part in politics. He
joined the Masonic Order in 1870 at Pa-
toka, the Blue Lodge No. 613. Mrs. New-
man is a member of the Eastern Star. Mr.
Newman is also a Good Templar. He and
his wife are members of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church, and they have always
been active in church and Sunday school
work. Mr. Newman has a fine voice and is
a great singer. He is a leader in the local
church and is very prominent in church
work. His past record is that of a man of
genuine worth and honesty, and because of
his many good qualities he is highly respect-
ed wherever he is known.

CHARLES V. BURT.

The record of the gentleman whose name
introduces this sketch is that of a man who
by his own unaided efforts has worked his
way from a modest beginning to a position
of influence and comparative prosperity in
his community while yet young in life.
Throughout his career he has maintained
the most creditable standards of personal
and business integrity, and without putting
forth any efforts to the end of attaining
popularity he has achieved it in a local way

BIOGRAPHICAL AND KK.M I N 1SCT.XT HISTORY OF

6o7

by the manner in which he transacts the
everyday affairs of a busy man. His life has
always been one of unceasing industry and
perseverance and the systematic and hon-
orable methods which he has followed have
won him the unbounded confidence of his
fellow men.

Charles V. Burt was born in Marion
county, Illinois, twelve miles east of Cen-
tralia, October 25, 1876, the son of Addison
and Margaret A. (Morrison) Burt. The
father of our subject was born in Indiana,
January 3, 1852, and after attending the
home schools until he was about fifteen
years old, went to Wisconsin with his par-
ents, and about a year later came to Illi-
nois and located on a farm in Marion coun-
ty, where he resided until 1885, when he
moved to Macon county, this state, his death
occurring there in 1886. A Republican in
politics and a man of excellent repute, he
was highly respected by all who knew him.
Luther Burt, grandfather of the subject,
came from Pennsylvania in an early day,
having been born in Washington county,
that state, where he grew to manhood, and
when the Civil war broke out enlisted in
Company F, One Hundred and Forty-sev-
enty Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving
through the war as a private. He moved
to Wisconsin in 1866, then to Illinois in
1867, locating in Marion county, removing
to Macon county, this state, in 1881. where
he now lives. On August 2, 1852, he was
united in marriage with Violet Swain, who
was born in Preble county, Ohio, and she is
still living. Mr. and Mrs. Luther Burt are

the parents of ten children, five boys and an
equal number of girls.

Mrs. Harriett Morrison, maternal grand-
mother of the subject, who was born near
Walnut Hill, Jefferson county, Illinois, and
who is a sister of Squire Andrews, of Cen-
tralia, is still living in Marion county and
is enjoying good health for one of her ad-
vanced age. After the marriage of the sub-
ject's maternal grandparents they moved to
Little Prairie, where Mr. Morrison died.
They were known for many years through-
out the community where they resided for
the excellent quality of sorghum molasses
they made, and were largely patronized by
the farmers for miles around. No towns
were in the county at that time and all
goods used in the county were hauled from
St. Louis, to which city local products were
placed on the market, usually in exchange
for goods, provisions, etc. Most of the
teaming was done with oxen. The subject's
mother was born twelve miles east of Cen-
tralia, June 23, 1857, and lived at the old
home until she married in 1876, then she
moved to a farm on Romine Prairie, seven
miles south of Salem in Raccoon township.
She now lives with our subject most of the
time. Mr. and Mrs. Addison Burt were
the parents of four children, three boys and
one girl, namely: Charles V., our subject;
Frank Le Clare, deceased ; Esther D. is
married ; Roy C. is also married.

Our subject was about nine years old at
the time of his father's death. He remained
at home during his boyhood days, attend-
ing school in four different places, working

6o8

BIOCRA1MUCAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF

in the meantime on the farm during the
summer months, which work he continued
until his mother moved to Kell, Illinois,
where she conducted a hotel. Here Charles
V. managed a livery barn with much suc-
cess for a period of four years, after which
he moved to Centralia and worked in the
envelope factory for one year, then secured
employment at the South Mines for eight-
een months ; but, not satisfied with his work,
he decided to become a merchant and accord-
ingly went to work in a grocery store as
clerk, which position he filled with entire
satisfaction to his employer. Finding it to
his advantage to give up the grocery busi-
ness on account of a better opportunity
opening up in another direction, Mr. Burt
accordingly formed the firm of Burge &
Burt, dealing in real estate, farms and city
property, their business having been large
from the first and has steadily increased,
having been so conducted as to gain the con-
fidence of the many patrons of the firm
throughout this locality. An extensive
business is also carried on in fire insurance,

city and farm, also accident and health in-
surance.

The happy domestic life of Charles V.
Burt began May 31, 1900, when he was
united in marriage with Estella Stonecipher,
daughter of Hiram and Dorcas Stonecipher,
of near Kell, Illinois. Mr. Stonecipher is one
of the substantial agriculturists of that
community, and the subject's wife is the
third in order of birth in a family of five
children.

Mr. and Mrs. Burt are the parents of
three children, Wandah V., born April 3,
1902 ; Thaddeus L., who was born October
17, 1903, and one died in infancy, all hav-
ing been born in the city of Centralia,
where the subject has a comfortable and
nicely furnished home, where their many
friends often gather.

Our subject is a member of the Modern
Woodmen of America and is in the team
work of the lodge, No. 397, of Centralia.
In his political relations he supports the
principles of the Republican party, and he
and his estimable wife are both members of
the Christian church.

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