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Full text of "Portrait and biographical record of Christian County, Illinois : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies of all the Governors of the state, and of the Presidents of the United States"

"LIB R.AR.Y 

OF THE 

U N IVE.R.SITY 
OF ILLINOIS 

$17.381 
7838 



IIUNOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY 



RECORD 




i^lr 
OF 



CHRISTIAN COUNTY, 

ILLINOIS. 



CONTAINING 



Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, 

Together with Biographies of all the 

lovernors nhe Itate, and f ie Iresidents 



OF= THE UNITED STMTES. 



LAKE CITY PUBLISHING CO. 

CHICAGO: 

1893 



97 T. 






}HE greatest of English historians, MACAULAY, and one of the most brilliant writers ot 
the present century, has said : "The history of a country is best told in a record of the 
lives of its people." In conformity with this idea the PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL 
RECORD i0 f ^is county has been prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and 
taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, oui 
corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by theii 
enterprise and industry, brought the county to rank second to none among those 
comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life 
struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli- 
gent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the 
imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by 
industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited 
advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an 
influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who 
have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have 
become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and 
records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very 
many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content 
to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy "they have done what 
they could." It tells how that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left the plow and the 
anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's 
call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace 
once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not 
be lost upon those who follow after. 

Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact 
that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be 
inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible 
given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter them- 
selves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph 
ical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given. 

The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the 
publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused to give the 
information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of 
the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested 
one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made 
at their residence or place of business. 

November, 1893. LAKE CITY PUBLISHING Co. 



775679 




GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS, 



AND OF THE 



ft* Llbrirj 

of th 
I IMi 



FfJtST PRESIDENT. 





HE Father of our Country was 
born in Westmorland Co., Va., 
Feb. 22, 1732. His parents 
were Augustine and Mary 
(Ball) Washington. The family 
to which he belonged has not 
been satisfactorily traced in 
England. His great-grand- 
father, John Washington, em- 
igrated to Virginia about 1657, 
and became a prosperous 
planter. He had two sons, 
Lawrence and John. The 
former married Mildred Warner 
and had three children, John, 
Augustine and Mildred. Augus- 
tine, the father of George, first 
married Jane Butler, who bore 
him four children, two of whom, 
Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
maturity. Of six children by his 
second marriage, George was the 
eldest, the others being Betty, 
Samuel, John Augustine, Charles 
and Mildred. 

Augustine Washington, the father of George, died 
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his 
eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on 
the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, 
and to George he left the parental residence. George 
received only such education as the neighborhood 
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left 
school, when he received private instruction in 
mathematics. His spelling was rather defective 



Remarkable stories are told of his great physica 
strength and development at an early age. He was 
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and 
was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- 
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. 

When George was 1 4 years old he had a desire to go to 
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, 
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was 
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed 
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In 
this business he spent three years in a rough frontier 
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
essential to him. In 1751, though only 19 years of 
age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of 
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for 
active service against the French and Indians. Soon 
after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother 
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They 
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence 
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter 
who did not long survive him. On her demise the 
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. 

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie, as Lieutcn- 
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was 
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- 
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to 
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this 
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- 
cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro- 
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- 
western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed 
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, 
and the journey was to be made without military 
escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



trip was a perilous one, and several times he came near 
losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished 
a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- 
mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was 
commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was 
then begun against the French and Indians, in which 
Washington took a most important part. In the 
memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- 
dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer 
of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock 
vere disabled early in the action, and Washington 
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter 
to his brother he says : " I had four bullets through 
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped 
unhurt, though death was leveling; my companions 
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was 
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken 
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit 
him. 

After having been five years in the military service, 
and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he 
took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the 
expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, 
to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the 
Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an 
active and important part. January 17, 1759, he 
married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy 
widow of John Parke Custis. 

When the British Parliament had closed the port 
of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces 
that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." 
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- 
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- 
delphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, 
peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash- 
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of 
England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- 
cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the 
first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- 
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and 
responsible office was conferred upon Washington, 
who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted 
it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he 
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account 
of expenses and expect Congress to pay them and 
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to 
trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the 
fortunes and liberties of the people of this country 
were so long confided. The war was conducted by 
him under every possible disadvantage, and while his 
forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every 
obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion 
and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest 
nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 1783, Washington, in 
a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his 



commission as Commander-in-chief of the army t< 
to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. Hi 
retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumec 
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all 
connection with public life. 

In February,i789, Washington was unanimously 
elected President. In his presidential career he wa: 
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new 
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the pan 
of other governments ; trials from want of harmonj 
between the different sections of our own country 
trials from the impoverished condition of the country 
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the 
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. Hi; 
clear judgment could discern the golden mean ; anc 
while perhaps this alone kept our government front 
sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed tc 
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter anc 
very annoying. 

At the expiration of his first term he was unani 
mously re-elected. At the end of this term mani 
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolute!) 
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March 
1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- 
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass then 
his few remaining years free from the annoyances o 
public life. Later in the year, however, his repos( 
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France 
At the prospect of such a war he was again urged t( 
take command of the armies. He chose his sub. 
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat 
ters in the field, which he superintended from hi; 
home. In accepting the command he made tht 
reservation that he was not to be in the* field unti 
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparation; 
his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2, he tool 
a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling 
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminatec 
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- 
teenth his body was borne with military honors to it; 
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at 
Mount Vernon. 

Of the character of Washington it is impossible tc 
speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- 
miration. The more we see of the operations o; 
our government, and the more deeply we feel the 
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest 
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- 
ent and character, which have be*n able to challenge 
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- 
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits 
of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will 
be as lasting as the existence of man. 

The person of Washington was unusally tan, erect 
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was 
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry, 
He commanded respect without any appearance o) 
haughtiness, and ever serious without V>*ingr dull. 



DM library 

f tk 

Wi 



SECON'D 'PRESIDENT. 





OHN ADAMS, the second 
President and the first Vice- 
President of the United States, 
was born in Braintree ( now 
Quincy ),Mass., and about ten 
miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 
1735. His great-grandfather, Henry 
Adams, emigrated from England 
about 1640, with a family of eight 
J> sons, and settled at Braintree. The 
parents of John were John and 
Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His 
father was a farmer of limited 
means, to which he added the bus- 
iness of shoemaking. He gave his 
eldest son, John, a classical educa- 
tion at Harvard College. John 
graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the 
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 
''school of affliction," from which he endeavored to 
gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself 
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He 
had thought seriously of the clerical profession 
but seems to have been turned from this by what he 
termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- 
jils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,'" 
of the operations of which he had been a witness in 
his native town. He was well fitted for the legal 
profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being 
ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep- 
tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 
1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, 
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- 
tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial 
steps toward huldir. B a town meeting, and the resolu- 



tions he offered on the subject became very populai 
throughout the Province, and were adopted word for 
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos 
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous 
and prominent advocates of the popular cause, and 
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
lislature) in 1770. 

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates 
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congre&s, 
which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himsell 
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- 
vocated the movement for independence against tb 
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved 
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies 
should assume the duties of self-government. H$ 
was a prominent member of the committee of vive 
appointed June n, to prepare a declaration of inde- 
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but 
on Adams devolved the task of battling it through 
Congress in a three days debate. 

On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with ths 
glow of excited feeling, he wrote a. letter to his wife 
which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated 
by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the 
greatest question was decided that ever was debated 
in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or wil 
be decided among men. A resolution was passed 
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 
pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of 
July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history 
of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated 
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary 
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of 
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty 
God. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows 



JOHN ADAMS. 



games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations 
from one end of the continent to the other, from this 
time forward for ever. You will think me transported 
with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of 
the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to 
maintain this declaration, and support and defend 
these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the 
rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is 
worth more than all the means; and that posterity 
will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I 
hope we shall not." 

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a 
delegate to France^ and to co-operate with Bemjamin 
Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in 
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money 
from the French Government. This was a severe trial 
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, 
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- 
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- 
ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
1779. In September of the same year he was again 
cliosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- 
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce 
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet 
might be found willing to listen to such proposels. He 
sailed for France in November, from there he went to 
Holland, where he negotiated important loans and 
formed important commercial treaties. 

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed 
Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement, 
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed 
threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- 
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he 
was advised to goto England to drink the waters of 
Bath. While in England, still drooping and despond- 
ing, he received dispatches from his own government 
urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was 
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through 
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,he made the trip. 

February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams 
envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face 
to face the King of England, who had so long re- 
garded him as a traitor. As England did not 
condescend to appoint a minister to the United 
States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- 
plishing but little, he sought permission to return to 
his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788. 

When Washington was first chosen President, John 
Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at 
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again 
at the second election of Washington as President, 
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- 
ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was 
elected President,though not without much opposition. 
Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by 
Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 

Wh\\e Mr. Adams was Vice President the great 



French Revolution shook the continent of Europ 
and it was upon this point which he was at issue wit 
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jeffersoi 
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French peopl 
in their struggle, for he had no confidence in the 
power of self-government, and he utterly abhored th 
class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused i 
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongl 
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence o 
iginated the alienation between "these distinguishe 
men, and two powerful parties were thus soon orgar 
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathi 
were with England and Jefferson led the other i 
sympathy with France. 

The world has seldom seen a spectacle of moi 
moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by th 
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feelin 
had died away, and he had begun to receive that jui 
appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded ti 
after death. No one could look upon his venerabl 
form, and think of what he had done and sufferec 
and how he had given up all the prime and stren^t 
of his life to the public good, without the deepe; 
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculij 
good fortune to witness the complete success of th 
institution which he had been so active in creating an 
supporting. In r824, his cup of happiness was fille 
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highe; 
station in the gift of the people. 

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the ha 
century since the signing of the Declaration of Ind< 
pendence, arrived, and there were but three of tb 
signers of that immortal instrument left upon th 
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it i 
well known, on that day two of these finished the 
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable a 
to seem miraculous. For a few days before M 
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the mornin 
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise froi 
his bed. On being requested to name a toast for th 
customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " Ii> 
DEPENDENCE FOREVER." When the day was ushere 
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannon 
he was asked by one of his attendants if he kne' 
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glo: 
ions fourth of July God bless it God bless you all 
In the course of the day he said, "It is a great an 
glorious day." The last words he uttered wer 
"Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, r< 
signed his spirit into the hands of his God. 

The personal appearance and manners of M 
Adams were not particularly prepossessing. Hisfaci 
as his portrait manifests,was intellectual ard exprei 
sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and h> 
manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteou! 
He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nc 
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marke 
the manners and address of Jefferson. 



the 



THIRD PRESIDENT. 



1P1I DMAS JEFFE IRS OK 





HOMAS JEFFERSON was 
born April 2, 1743, at Shad- 
well, Albermarle county, Va. 
His parents were Peter and 
Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson, 
the former a native of Wales, 
and the latter born in Lon- 
don. To them were born six 
daughters and two sons, of 
whom Thomas was the elder. 
When 14 years of age his 
father died. He received a 
most liberal education, hav- 
ing been kept diligently at school 
from the time he was five years of 
age. In 1760 he entered William 
end Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat 
of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion 
and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 
years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine 
horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he 
was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- 
able in his morals. It is strange, however, under 
such influences,that he was not ruined. In the sec- 
ond year of his college course, moved by some un- 
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, 
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had 
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen 
hours a day to hard study, allowing himself for ex- 
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out 
of the city and back again. He thus attained very 
high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- 
phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and 
Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished 
scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls ; and 



there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a 
more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. 

Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
study of law. For the short time he continued in the 
practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin- 
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a 
lawyer. But the times called for greater action. 
The policy of England had awakened the spirit of 
resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged 
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led 
him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen 
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In, 
1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti- 
ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow 

Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shad well, there 
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which 
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and 
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected lor his new 
home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet 
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon 
became the most distinguished resort in our land. 

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
was placed upon a number of important committees, 
and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw- 
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- 
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. 
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed 
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested 
a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- 
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made 
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 
4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that 



28 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



man what the emotions that swelled his breast 
Who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- 
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of 
America, was also to publish her to the world, free, 
Boverign and independent. It is one of the most re- 
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort 
of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be 
sufficient to stamp his name with immortality. 

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time 
the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to 
Moniicello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five 
minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- 
ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- 
sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never 
very good, was much injured by this excitement, and 
in the summer of 1782 she died. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
Two yeirs later he was appointed Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States 
in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State 
in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned 
Jan. i, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- 
dent, and four years later was elected President over 
Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In 
1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, 
and George Clinton, Vice President. 

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- 
tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the 
tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con- 
spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election 
to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled 
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a 
military expedition into the Spanish territories on our 
southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
a new republic. This has been generally supposed 
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been 
generally known what his real plans were, there is no 
doubt that they were of a far more dangerous 
character. 

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for 
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined 
to retire from political life. For a period of nearly 
forty years, he had been continually before the pub- 
lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of 
the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- 
voted the best part of his life to the service of his 
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his 
declining years required, and upon the organization of 
the new administration, in March, r8og, he bid fare- 
well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. 

Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole 
families came in their coaches with their horses, 
fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and 
nurses, and remained three and even six months. 
Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a 
fashionable watering-place. 

The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver- 



sary of the Declaration of American Independenc 
great preparations were made in every part of tl 
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, ar 
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemni 
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the frame 
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declar; 
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an il 
ness, which had been of several weeks duration, ar 
had been continually increasing, compelled him 
decline the invitation. 

On the second of July, the disease under whic 
he was laboring left him, but in such a reduce 
state that his medical attendants, entertained r 
hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfect! 
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the ne; 
day, which was Monday, he asked of those aroun 
him, the day of the month, and on being told it w 
the third of July, he expresied the earnest wish th; 
he might be permitted to breathe the airof the fiftiet 
anniversary. His prayer was heard that day, whos 
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our lam 
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed fo 
ever. And what a noble consummation of a nobl 
life! To die on that day, the birthday of a nation,- 
the day which his own name and his own act ha 
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings an 
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to hin 
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessing 
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his lifi 

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kir 
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to be; 
him company, left the scene of his earthly honor: 
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions ( 
freedom; hand in hand, during the dark and despei 
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered an 
animated their desponding countrymen; for half 
century they had labored together for the good c 
the country; and now hand in hand they depar 
In their lives they had been united in the same gres 
cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were nc 
divided. 

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rathe 
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eye 
were light, his hair originally red, in after life becam 
white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore 
head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent an 
thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind a 
well as personal courage ; and r.:s command of tem 
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friend 
never recollected to have seen him in a passior 
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un 
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded tha 
all found at his house a ready welcome. In convei 
sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic ; an 
his language was remarkably pure and correct. H 
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings i 
discernable the care with which he formed his styl 
upon the best models of antiquity. 



if the 
of I 



FOURTH PRESIDENT. 




AMES MADISON, "Father 
of the Constitution," and fourth 
President of the United States, 
was born March 16, 1757, and 
died .at his home in Virginia, 
June 28, 1836. The name of 
James Madison is inseparably con- 
nected with most of the important 
events in that heroic period of our 
country during which the founda- 
tions of this great republic were 
laid. He was the last of the founders 
of the Constitution of the United 
States to be called to his eternal 
reward. 

The Madison family were among 
the early emigrants to the New World, 
landing upon the shores of the Chesa- 
peake but 15 years after the settle- 
ment of Jamestown. The father of 
James Madison was an opulent 
planter, residing upon a very fine es- 
tate called "Montpelier," Orange Co., 
Va. The mansion was situated in 
(i&jffl the midst of scenery highly pictur- 
esque and romantic, on the west side 
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of 
Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of 
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and 
political attachment existed between these illustrious 
men, from their early youth until death. 

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted 
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. 
Here he applied himself to study with the most im- 



prudent zeal ; allowing himself, for months, but three 
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so 
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor 
of constitution. He graduated in 1771, with a feeble 
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a 
mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning 
which embellished and gave proficiency to his subsf - 
quent career. 

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of 
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. 
This educational course, the spirit of the times in 
which he lived, and the society with which he asso- 
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong 
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work ot 
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of 
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that 
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- 
tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mind 
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with 
almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed 
all the arguments for and against revealed religion, 
until his faith became so established as never to 
be shaken. 

In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he 
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to 
frame the constitution of the State. The next year 
(r777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly. 
He refused to treat the whisky-loving voters, and 
consequently lost his election ; but those who had 
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the 
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, 
and he was appointed to the Executive Council. 

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained 
member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his 



JAMES MADISON. 



intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not 
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year 
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental 
Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in 
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of 
the most conspicuous positions among them. 

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con- 
gress, one of its most active and influential members. 
In the year 1784, his term having expired, he was 
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. 

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na- 
tional government, with no power to form treaties 
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There 
was not any State more prominent than Virginia in 
the declaration, that an efficient national government 
must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison 
carried a resolution through the General Assembly of 
Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis- 
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss 
this subject. Five States only were represented. The 
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up 
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft 
a Constitution for the United States, to take the place 
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at 
the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island 
<*as represented. George Washington was chosen 
president of the convention ; and the present Consti- 
tution of the United States was then and there formed. 
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac- 
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind 
and the pen of James Madison. 

The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was 
to be presented to the several 'States for acceptance. 
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected 
we should be left but a conglomeration of independent 
States, with but little power at home and little respect 
abroad, Mr. Madison was selected by the conven- 
tion to draw up an address to the people of the United 
States, expounding the principles of the Constitution, 
and urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and 
went into effect in 1789. 

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the 
avowed leader of the Republican party. While in 
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. Todd, a 
young widow of remarkable power of fascination, 
whom he married. She was in person and character 
queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied 
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society 
which has constituted our republican court as Mrs. 
Madison. 

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
was chosen President. At this time tbe encroach- 
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war. 



British orders in council destioyed our commerce, and 
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison 
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring 
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the 
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood 
boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought 
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser. 
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal- 
ance he selects any number whom he may please to 
designate as British subjects ; orders them down the 
ship's side into his boat ; and places them on the gun- 
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the 
battles of England. This right of search and im- 
pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce 
the British cabinet to relinquish. 

On the 1 8th of June, 1812, President Madison gave 
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war 
against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter 
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country 
in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th 
of March, igi3> w as re-elected by a large majority, 
and entered upon his second term of office. This is 
not the place to describe the various adventures of 
this war on the land and on the water. Our infan'. 
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap- 
pling with the most formidable power which ever 
swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest 
by the appearance of a British fleet, early in February, 
1813, in'Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole 
coast of the United States under blockade. 

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me 
ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit- 
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks 
of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa- 
peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens- 
burg, upon Washington. 

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown 
into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict 
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the 
metropolis. The whole population fled from the city. 
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the White 
House, with her carriage drawn up at the doer to 
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers 
in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed, 
and he could not go back without danger of being 
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential 
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in 
Washington were in flames. 

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on 
Feb. 13, 1815, the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, his second term of 
office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair 
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau- 
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re- 
mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the 
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi- 
son died July 12, 1849. 



of (lib*. 




'* s 



'FIFTH PRESIDENT. 





AMES MONROE, the fifth 
Presidentof The United States, 
was born in Westmoreland Co., 
Va., April 28, 1758. His early 
life was passed at the place of 
nativity. His ancestors had for 
many years resided in the prov- 
ince in which he was born. When, 
at 17 years of age, in the process 
of completing his education at 
William and Mary College, the Co- 
lonial Congress assembled at Phila- 
delphia to deliberate upon the un- 
just and manifold oppressions of 
Great Britian, declared the separa- 
tion of the Colonies, and promul- 
gated the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly 
probable that he would have been one of the signers 
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left 
school and enlisted among the patriots. 

He joined the army when everything looked hope- 
less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased 
from day to day. The invading armies came pouring 
in ; and the lories not only favored the cause of the 
mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, 
who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- 
tending with an enemy whom they had been taught 
to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James 
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through 
difficulty and danger, the United States owe their 
pclitical emancipation. The young cadet joined the 
ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country, 
with a firm determination to live o. lie with her strife 



for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel- 
ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White 
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled 
before its foes through New Jersey. In four months 
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots 
had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of 
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- 
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left 
shoulder. 

As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro-| 
moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered, 
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, 
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an 
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- 
paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy 
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued 
aid-de-camp ; but becoming desirous to regain his 
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a 
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed 
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon 
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable 
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, 
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; 
but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun 
teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. 

In 1782, he was elected from King George county, 
a member of the Legislature of Virginia, and by thai 
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive 
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence 
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having 
at this early period displayed some of that ability 
and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards 
employed with unremitting energy for the public good, 



JAMES MONROE. 



he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of 
the Congress of the United States. 
Deeplyas Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old 
Confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution, 
ihinking, with many others of the Republican party, 
that it gave too much power to the Central Government, 
and not enough to the individual States. Still he re- 
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm 
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition 
secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member 
of the United States Senate ; which office he held for 
four years. Every month the line of distinction be- 
tween the two great parties which divided the nation, 
the Federal and the Republican, was growing more 
distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep- 
arated them were, that the Republican party was in 
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a 
strict construction of the Constitution as to give the 
Central Government as little power, and the State 
Governments as much power, as the Constitution would 
warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England, 
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
stitution, which would give as much power to the 
Central Government as that document could possibly 
authorize. 

The leading Federalists and Republicans were 
alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the 
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more 

Jure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and 
ames Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In 
building up this majestic nation, which is destined 
to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness,Jthe com- 
bination of their antagonism was needed to create the 
tight equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de- 
nounced as almost a demon. 

Washington was then President. England had es- 
poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi- 
ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn 
into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. 
Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be- 
tween these contending powers. France had helped 
us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms 
of Europe were now combined to prevent the French 
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse 
than that which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more 
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in 
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous 
and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres- 
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in 
magnanimity. 

Washington, who could appreciate such a character, 
developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, 
by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de- 
nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister 
of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention 
in France with the most enthusiastic demonstB^tions. 



Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon 
roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held th 
office for three years. He was again sent to France t 
co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtainin 
the vast territory then known as the Province c 
Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob 
tained from Spain. Their united efforts were sue 
cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteei 
millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans an< 
district of Louisiana were added to the United States 
This was probably the largest transfer of real estat 
which was ever made in all the history of the world 

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob 
tain from that country some recognition of ou 
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate afiinst thos 
odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng 
land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng 
land on the same mission, but could receive n< 
redress. He returned to his home and was agaii 
chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resignet 
to accept the position of Secretary of State unde 
Madison. While in this office war with England wa 
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and durin] 
these trying times, the duties of the War Departmen 
were also put upon him. He was truly the armor 
bearer of President Madison, and the most efficien 
business man in his cabinet. Upon the return o 
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con 
tinned in the office of Secretary of State until the ex 
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec 
tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself hac 
been chosen President with but little opposition, anc 
upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four year 
later he was elected for a second term. 

Among the important measures of his Presidenc] 
were the cession of Florida to the United States ; th< 
Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.' 

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monro< 
doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1823. At tha' 
time the United States had recognized the independ 
ence of the South American states, and did not wisl 
to have European powers longer attempting to sub 
due portions of the American Continent. The doctrim 
is as follows : " That we should consider any attempl 
on the part of European powers to extend their sys- 
tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous 
to our peace and safety," and "that we could noi 
view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing 
or controlling American governments or provinces in 
any other light than as a manifestation by European 
powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United 
States." This doctrine immediately affected the course 
of foreign governments, and has become the approved 
sentiment of the United States. 

At the end of his second term Mr. Monroe retired 
to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830. 
when he went to New York to live with his son-in- 
law. In that city he died,on the 4th of July. 1831, 



SIXTH PRESIDRNT. 





OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the 
sixth President of the United 
States, was born in the rural 
home of his honored father, 
John Adams, in Quincy, Mass., 
on the nth cf July, 1767. His 
mother, a woman of exalted 
worth, watched over his childhood 



during the almost constant ab- 
sence of his father. When but 
eight years of age, he stood with 
his mother on an eminence, listen- 
ing to the booming of the great bat- 
tle on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on 
upon the smoke and flames billow- 
ing up from the conflagration of 
Charlestown. 

When but eleven years old he 
took a tearful adieu of his mother, 
to sail with his father for Europe, 
through a fleet ot hostile British cruisers. The bright, 
animated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where 
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as 
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted 
the notice of these distinguished men, and he received 
from them flattering marks of attention. 

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again 
Tohn Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he 
applied himself with great diligence, for six months, 
to :,tudy; then accompained his father to Holland, 
where he entered, first a school in Amsterdam, then 
the University at Leyden. About a year from this 
time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen 
yea-s of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- 
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. 

In this school of incessant labor and of enobling 
culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned 
to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and 
Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the 
winter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed 
MS studies, under a pri"*te tutor, at Hague. Thence, 



in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father t; 
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance 
with the most distinguished men on the Continent 
examining architectural remains, galleries of j aintings 
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again 
became associated with the most illustrious men ol 
all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal 
themes which can engross the human mind. After 
a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and 
consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, 
when he returned to America. To a brilliant young 
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, 
and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a 
residence with his father in London, under such cir- 
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive 
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- 
ferred to return to America to complete his education 
in an American college. He wished then to study 
law, that with an honorable profession, he might be 
able to obtain an independent support. 

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, 
he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be- 
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- 
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the 
Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached 
London in October, where he was immediately admit- 
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pincknty, 
assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with 
Great Britian. After thus spending a fortnight ii, 
London, he proceeded to the Hague. 

In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as 
minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, 
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches 
directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting 
him to remain in London until he should receive his 
instructions. While waiting he was married to as 
American lady to whom he had been previously en- 
gaged, Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter 
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London 
a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom- 
plishment which eminently fitted her to move in tl{ 
elevated sphere for which she w^s 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 



He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ; 
where he remained until July, 1799, when, having ful- 
filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his 
recall. 

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to 
the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then 
was elected Senator of the United States for six years, 
from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his 
ability and his experience, placed him immediately 
among the most prominent and influential members 
of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- 
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach- 
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- 
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more 
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon 
these points, and no one more resolved to present 
a firm resistance. 

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- 
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John 
Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign- 
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked 
at Boston, in August, 1809. 

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- 
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and 
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the 
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to 
the climate and astronomical observations ; while he 
kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and 
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a 
more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. 
All through life the Bible constituted an important 
part of his studies. It was his rule to read five 
chapters every day. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the 
Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr. 
Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num- 
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he 
sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the 
r8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his 
home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon- 
roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary 
of State. 

Some time before ;he close of Mr. Monroe's second 
term of office, new candidates began to be presented 
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought 
forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. 
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and 
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- 
ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; 
William H. Crawford, forty -one ; Henry Clay, thirty- 
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the 
question went to the House of Representatives. Mr. 
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and 
be was elected. 

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now 
:ombined in a venomous and persistent assault upon 
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in 
he past history of our country than the abuse which 



was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this 
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never wa; 
an administration more pure in principles, more con- 
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun 
try, than that of John Quincy Adams ; and never, per 
haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- 
lously and outrageously assailed. 

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- 
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising 
early, and taking much exercise. When at his hcmeir 
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast 
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was saic 
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting hi: 
own fire and applying himself to work in his library 
often long before dawn. 

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retiree 
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew 
Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- 
dent. The slavery question now began to assume 
portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned tc 
Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- 
abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- 
main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was 
elected representative to Congress. For seventeen 
years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre- 
sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready tc 
do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title ol 
" the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in 
the House, he announced that he should hold him- 
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a 
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually 
the first in his place in the morning, and the last tc 
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could 
be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The 
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against 
the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime 
in its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he 
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, 
with expulsion from the House, with assassination , 
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final 
triumph was complete. 

It has been said of President Adams, that when his 
body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of 
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little 
child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before 
he slept, the prayer which his mother taught him in 
his infant years. 

On the 2 1 st of February, r848, he rose on the floor 
of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the 
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly- 
sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him. 
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to 
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- 
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and 
said " This is the end of earth /'then after a moment's 
pause he added, "/ am content" These were the 
last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent." 



f the 



IIHlHM. 




^z- 



SEVENTH PRESIDENT. 





NDREW JACKSON, the 
seventh President of the 
"United States, was born in 
VVaxhaw settlement, N. C., 
March 15, 1767, a few days 
after his father's death. His 
parents were poor emigrants 
from Ireland, and took up 
their abode in Waxhaw set- 
tlement, where they lived in 
deepest poverty. 
Andrew, or Andy, as he was 
universally called, grew up a very 
rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
features were coarse, his form un- 
gainly; and there was but very 
Httle in his character, made visible, which was at- 
tractive. 

When only thirteen years old he joined the volun- 
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 
1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and 
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer 
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am 
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of 
the dauntless boy. 

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate 
Dlow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. 
Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- 
ful gashes, one on the hand and the other upon the 
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert 
with the same demand. He also refused, and re- 
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite 
disabled him, and which probably soon after caused 
his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and 
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their 
mother was successful in obtaining their exchange, 



and took her sick boys home. After a long illness. 
Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon 
left him entirely friendless. 

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as 
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and 
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he 
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, 
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the 
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed 
solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of 
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved 
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of 
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, 
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish 
with the Sharp Knife. 

In I79T, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who 
supposed herself divorced from her former husband. 
Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, 
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been 
definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage 
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- 
rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. 
Jackson into disfavor. 

During these years he worked hard at his profes 
sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, 
one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then 
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the 
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- 
stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven 
counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. 
The new State was entitled to but one member in 
the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack- 
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he 
rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its 



ANDRE W JACKSDN. 



sessions, a distance of about eight hundred miles. 

Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired 
Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. 
Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose 
second term of office was then expiring, delivered his 
last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a 
complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson 
did not approve of the address, and was one of the 
twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to 
say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been 
" wise, firm and patriotic." 

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. 
Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court 
of his State, which position he held for six years. 

When the war of 1812 with Great Britian com- 
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was 
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who 
would do credit to a commission if one were con- 
ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson 
offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred 
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops 
were assembled at Nashville. 

As the British were hourly expected to make an at- 
tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was 
in command, he was ordered to descend the river 
with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The 
expedition reached Natchez ; and after a delay of sev- 
eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything, 
the men were ordered back to their homes. But the 
energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire 
devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him 
golden opinions ; and he became the most popular 
man in the State. It was in this expedition that his 
toughness gave him the nickname of "Old Hickory." 

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. 
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman 
made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in 
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, 
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was 
lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the 
Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from 
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- 
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- 
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with 
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in 
a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- 
tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama. 

The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on 
one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the cen- 
ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. 
With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson 
traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven 
days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or 
Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend 



of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of 
tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow 
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast- 
work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, 
with an ample suply of arms were assembled. 

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- 
perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When 
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- 
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- 
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was 
awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the 
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as 
they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- 
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam 
the river and escaped. This ended the war. The 
power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold 
plunge into the wilderness, with itsterriffic slaughter, 
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants 
of the bands came, to the camp, begging for peace. 

This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- 
centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the 
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will 
than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian 
campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he 
was appointed major-general. 

Late in August, with an army of two thousand 
men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to 
Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed 
a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, 
and from both ship and shore commenced a furious 
assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length 
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. 

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little 
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
And the battle of New Orleans w hich soon ensued, 
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won 
for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his 
troops, which numbered about four thousand men, 
won a signal victory over the Briiish army of about 
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the 
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. 

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men- 
tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824, 
he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however, 
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected 
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he 
assumed the reins of the government, he met with 
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of 
his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has 
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of 
her death he never recovered. 

His administration was one of the most nic-mcrabie 
in the annals of our country; applauded oyone party, 
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter 
enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his 
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where 
he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack- 
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man. 



f the 

y of IHIno,, 



EIGHTH PRESIDENT. 





ARTIN VAN BUREN, the 
^eighth President of the 
United States, was born at 
Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5, 
1782. He died at the same 
place, July 24, 1862. His 
body rests in the cemetery 
at Kinderhook. Above it is 
a plain granite shaft fifteen feet 
high, bearing a simple inscription 
about half way up on one face. 
The lot is unfenced, unbordered 
or unbounded by shrub or flower. 

There U uut Utle in the life of Martin Van Buren 
of roman! t interest. He fought no battles, engaged 
in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in 
political and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many 
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those 
incidents which give zest to biography. His an- 
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin, 
and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland 
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, 
residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, 
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
ligence and exemplary piety. 

,-fe was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un- 
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the 
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies 
in his native village, and commenced the study of 
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven 
years of study in a law-office were required of him 
Before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with 
JL lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur- 
sued liis studies with indefatigable industry. After 
spending six years in an office in his native village, 



he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his 
studies for the seventh year. 

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of 
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- 
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and 
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van 
Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, 
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the 
many discussions which had been carried on in his 
father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with) 
Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the 
cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed- 
eral party held the supremacy both in his town 
and State. 

His success and increasing ruputation led him 
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, th/ 
county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years, 
constantly gaining strength by contending in th* 
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned 
the bar of his State. 

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi. 
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump. 
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep ovei 
her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was 
an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record 
of those years is barren in items of public interest. 
In 1812, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to 
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to 
Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was ap-' 
pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved 
to Albany, the capital of the State. 

While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
piominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
not require that '' universal suffrage" which admits 
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of 
governing the State. In true consistency with his 
democratic principles, he contended that, while the 
path leading to the privilege of voting should be open 
to every man without distinction, no one should be 
invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were 
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue 
and some property interests in the welfare of the 
State. 

In 1821 he was elected c. member of the United 
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat 
in the convention to revise the constitution of his 
native State. His course in this convention secured 
the approval of men of all parties. No one could 
doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the 
interests of all classes in the community. In the 
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a 
Conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator. 

In 1827, John Quincy Adams beirg then in the 
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to 
the Senate. He had been from the beginning a de- 
termined opposer of the Administration, adopting the 
"State Rights " view in opposition to what was 
Meemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof 
the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his 
^eat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United 
States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q. 
\dams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it 
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether 
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re- 
garded throughout the United States as one of the 
most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians. 
It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how 
to touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all 
the wires to put his machinery in motion ; and how to 
organize a political army which would, secretly and 
stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By 
these powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, 
Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
few thought then could be accomplished. 

When Andrew Jackson was elected President he 
appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This 
position he resigned in iSjr, and was immediately 
appointed Minister to England, where he went the 
same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met, 
refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned 



home, apparently untroubled ; was nominated Vi< 
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-electic 
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all an 
frowns for none, he took his place at the head of th; 
Senate which had refused to confirm his nominatic 
as ambassador. 

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal < 
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favo 
ite ; and this, probably more than any other caus 
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execi 
tive. On the 2oth of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren n 
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gei 
Jackson as President of the United States. He wj 
elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of th 
retiring President. " Leaving New York out of th 
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Va 
Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gei 
Jackson as though the Constitution had conferre 
upon him the power to appoint a successor." 

His administration was filled with exciting event 
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to ir 
volve this country in war with England, the agitatio 
of the slavery question, and finally the great comme: 
cial panic which spread over the country, all wei 
trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was a.' 
tributed to the management of the Democratic part; 
and brought the President into*such disfavor that h 
failed of re-election. 

With the exception of being nominated for th 
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 184! 
Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate unt 
his death. 

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habit 
and living within his income, had now fortunately 
competence for his declining years. His unblemishe 
character, his commanding abilities, his unquestione 
patriotism, and the distinguished positions which h 
had occupied in the government of our country, s< 
cured to him not only the homage of his party, bi 
the respect ot the whole community. It was on Ih 
4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired frot 
the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwak 
he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politic 
of the country. From this time until his death, o 
the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, h 
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, c 
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy ol 
age, probably far more happiness than he had befoi 
experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active lift 






fe library 

of tht 

of II!!- 



tfTNTH PRESIDENT. 



WJ&M&M mm* mmmsk 




ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- 
SON, the ninth President of 
the United States, was born 
at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. 
His father, Benjamin Harri- 
son, was in comparatively op- 
ulent circumstances, and was 
one of the most distinguished 
men of his day. He was an 
intimate friend of George 
Washington, vv as early elected 
a member of the Continental 
Congress, and was conspicuous 
among the patriots of Virginia in 
resisting the encroachments of the 
British crown. In the celebrated 
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- 
rison and John Hancock were 
both candidates for the office of 
speaker. 

Mr Harrison was subsequently 
chosen Governor of Virginia, and 
was twice re-elected. His son, 
i William Henry, of course enjoyed 
in childhood all the advantages which wealth and 
intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
ing received a thorough common-school education, he 
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated 
with honor soon after the death of his father. He 
then repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under 
the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of 
Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, 
ligners of the Declaration of Independence. 

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- 
withstanding the 'emonstrances of his friends, he 
abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, 
.laving obtain^ a commission of Ensign from Presi- 



dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old 
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank 
until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose 
death he resigned his commission. He was then ap- 
pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This 
Territory was then entitled to but one member in 
Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that 
position. 

In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory 
was divided by Congress into two portions. The 
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced 
in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory 
north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which 
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and 
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- 
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap- 
pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana 
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of 
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as 
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He 
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- 
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now 
rapidly increasing white population. The ability and 
fidelity with which he discharged these responsible 
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four 
times appointed to this office first by John Adams, 
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presu 
dent Madison. 

When he began his adminstration there were but 
three white settlements in that almost boundless region, 
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the 
tumult of wealth and traffic. One of these settlements 
was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at 
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French 
settlement. 

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrisoii 
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. Abou' 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, 
of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of 
these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching 
Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet." 
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man 
of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- 
able perseverance in any enterprise in which he might 
engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, 
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred 
the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- 
grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was 
an orator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored 
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which 
they dwelt. 

But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was, 
in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested 
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a 
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter 
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went 
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent 
by the Great Spirit. 

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate 
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- 
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. 
October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When 
near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made 
their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harrison was 
approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a 
short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- 
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. 

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with 
the Indian character to be deceived by such protes- 
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en- 
campment, he took every precaution against surprise. 
His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept 
upon their arms. 

The troops threw themselves upon the ground for 
rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his 
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The 
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in 
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- 
tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It 
was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In 
the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- 
ble, and j'ist then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all 
the desperation which superstition and passion most 
highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
little army. The savages had been amply provided 
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 
war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets. 

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the 
light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- 
ous yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a 
speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's 
troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them 
until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous 
charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be- 
fore them, and completely routing the foe. 



Gov. Harrison now had all his energies taski 
to the utmost. The British descending from the Ca 
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; b 
with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from tl 
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, bur 
ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide fronti 
was plunged into a state of consternation which evi 
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceh 
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in ti 
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagi 
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had ma 
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detro 
Under these despairing circumstances, Gov. Harris 
was appointed by President Madison commander-i 
chief of the North-western army, with orders to reta 
Detroit, and to protect the frontiers. 

It would be difficult to place a man in a situati 
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; b 
General Harrison was found equal to the positic 
and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the i 
sponsibilities. 

He won the love of his soldiers by always shari 
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, whi 
pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in 
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blank 
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British office 
his prisoners of war, supped with him after the batt 
The only fare he could give them was beef roasti 
before the fire, without bread or salt. 

In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member 
the National House of Representatives, to represe 
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved ; 
active member; and whenever he spoke, it was wi 
force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrest 
the attention of all the members. 

In 1819, Harrison was elected to the Senate 
Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electc 
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. T 
same year he was chosen to the United States Senai 

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought hi 
forward as a candidate for the Presidency again 
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close 
Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by \ 
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominal* 
by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidenc 
The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson ga^ 
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; b 
his triumph was signal. 

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webst 
at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the mo 
brilliant with which any President had ever bei 
surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admi 
istration more flattering, or the hopes of the count 
more sanguine. In the midst of these bright at 
joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by 
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sici 
ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month aft- 
his inauguration as President of the United State 



of th 
of 





a 



TENTH PRESIDENT. 





m 



OHN TYLER, the tenth 
Presidentof the United States. 
He was born in Charles-city 
Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He 
was the favored child of af- 
fluence and high social po- 
' sition. At the early age of 
twelve, John entered William 
and Mary College and grad- 
uated with much honor when 
but seventeen years old. After 
graduating, he devoted him- 
self with great assiduity to the 
study of law, partly with his 
father and partly with Edmund 
Randolph, one of the most distin- 
guished lawyers of Virginia. 

At nineteen years of age, ne 
commenced the practice of law. 
His success was rapid and aston- 
ishing. It is said that three 
months had not elapsed ere there 
was scarcely a case on the dock- 
et of the court in which he was 
iot retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he 
was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State 
Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of 
Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he 
wiis elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the 
unanimous vote or his county. 

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and 
ably wuh the Democratic party, opposing a national 
bank, intern-,! improvements by the General <^ovem- 



ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con- 
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful 
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress 
were so arduous that before the close of his second 
term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his 
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He. 
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the 
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful 
in promoting public works of great utility. .With a 
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen 
by a very large majority of votes, Governor of his 
native State. His administration was signally a suc- 
cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election. 

John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the 
United States. A portion of the Democratic party 
was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course, 
and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent, 
considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient 
popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of 
Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor. 

In accordance with his professions, upon taking his 
seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi- 
tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and 
voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren- 
uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist- 
ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen- 
eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. 
Calhoun's view of nullification; he declared that Gen. 
Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had 
abandoned the principles of the Democratic party. 
Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, a record 
in perfect accordance with the principles which he 
had always avowed. 

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of 
his profession. There was a rplh in the Democratic 



JOHN TYLER. 



(arty. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef- 
fersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli- 
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of 
forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con- 
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- 
vate affairs had fallen into some disorder; and it was 
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice 
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan- 
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, 
for the better education of his children ; and he again 
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia. 

By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national 
convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in 
'839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har- 
rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment of 
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- 
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the 
convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres- 
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- 
thy with the Whig party in the North : but the Vice 
President has but very little power in the Govern- 
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- 
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap- 
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a 
Democratic Vice President were chosen. 

In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- 
Jent of the United States. In one short month from 
that time, President Harrison died, and Mr.- Tyler 
thus .cund himself, to his own surprise and that of 
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential 
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our 
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our 
country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler 
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the 
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri- 
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of 
April was inaugurated to the high and responsible 
office. He was placed in a position of exceeding 
delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been 
opposed tc the main principles of the party which had 
brought him into power. He had ever been a con- 
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record. 
Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should 
he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun- 
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own ? or, 
on the other hand, should he turn against the party 
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har- 
mony with himself, and which would oppose all those 
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- 
lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in- 
vited the cabinet which President Haorison had 
Delected to retain their seats. He reccommended a 
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and 
bless us. 

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the 
incorporation of a fiscal bank of the United States. 
The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with 
his veto. He suggested, however, that he would 



approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as 
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, 
privately submitted to him. He gave it his appro 
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it t 
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupt 
It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this m 
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John 
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who seve 
touched the pride of the President. 

The opposition now exultingly received the Pi 
dent into their arms. The party which elected 
denounced him bitterly. All the members of 
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The W 
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, hel 
meeting and issued an address to the people of 
United States, proclaiming that all political allia 
between the Whigs and President Tyler were 
an end. 

Still the President attempted to conciliate, 
appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs 
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong p 
men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary tores 
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. T 
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate adminii 
tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied, 
land wa,s filled with murmurs and vituperation. W 
and Democrats alike assailed him. More and rr 
however, he brought himself into sympathy with 
old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his t> 
he gave his whole influence to the support of 
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor 

On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from 
harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, 
probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first i 
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in i! 
and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again man 
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lac 
many personal and intellectual accomplishments. 

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mi 
in retirement at his beautiful home, Sherwood 
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentlemai 
his manners, richly furnished with information i 
books and experience in the world, and posses 
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle 
the scene of unnsual attractions. With suffic 
means for the exercise of a generous hospitality 
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the 
friends who gathered around him, were it not for 
storms of civil war which his own principles 
policy had helped to introduce. 

When the great Rebellion rose, which the Si 
rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. ' 
houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced 
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Con 
crates. He was chosen a member of their Congr 
and while engaged in active measures to destroy 
force of arms, the Government over which he 
once presided, he was taken sick and soon d 



of tfci 
of l 



ELE VENTff 'PRESTDEtfT. ' 




AMES K. POLK, the eleventh 
^President of the United States, 
was born in Mecklenburg Co., 
N. C.,Nov. 2, 1795. His par- 
ents were Samuel and Jane 
(Knox) Polk, the former a son 



of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
at the above place, as one of the 
first pioneers, in 1735. 

In the year 1806, with his wife 
and children, and soon after fol- 
lowed by most of the members of 
the Polk farnly, Samuel Polk emi- 
grated some two or three hundred 
miles farther west, to the rich valley 
of the Duck River. Here in the 
midst of the wilderness, in a region 
which was subsequently called Mau- 
ry Co., they reared their log huts, 
and established their homes. In the 
hard toil of a new farm in the wil- 
derness, James K. Polk spent the 
early years of his childhood and 
youth. His father, adding the pur- 
suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, 
gradually increased in wealth until 
he became one of the leading men of the region. His 
mother was a superior woman, of strong common 
sense and earnest piety. 

Very early in life, James developed a taste for 
reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain 
a liberal education. His mother's training had made 
him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- 
uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty 
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his 
father, fearing that be might not \>c able to endure a 



ess than two and a half 
sntered the sophomorel 
h Carolina, at Chapell 



sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the 
counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. 

This was to James a bitter disappointment. He 
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his 
earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made 
arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon 
after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With 
ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed 
forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half j 
years, in the autumn of 1815, er 
class in the University of North Ca 
Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of 
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing 
himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious 
service. 

He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be- 
ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in 
mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty- 
three years of age. Mr. Folk's health was at this 
time much impaired by the assiduity with which he 
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of 
relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the 
office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk 
renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who 
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few 
miles from Nashville. They had probably been 
slightly acquainted before. 

Mr. Folk's father was a JefTersonian Republican, 
and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- 
cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was 
constantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that 
he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump. 
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and 



fAMES K. POLK. 



courier us in his bearing, and with that sympathetic 
nature in the joys and griefs of others which ever gave 
him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected 
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his 
strong influence towards the election of his friend, 
Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States. 

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
'Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was 
altogether worthy of him, a lady of beauty and cul- 
ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a 
member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave 
to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that 
for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- 
tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, 
only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair 
of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious 
member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was 
always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever 
he spoke it was always to the point, and without any 
ambitious rhetorical display. 

During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was 
Speaker of the House. Strong passions were roused, 
and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per- 
formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- 
tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was 
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of 
March, 1839. 

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a 
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was 
elected by a large majority, and on the 1 4th of Octo- 
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841, 
his term of office expired, and he was again the can- 
didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur- 
ated President of the United States. The verdict of 
the countryin favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted 
its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the 
administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- 
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 
3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to 
the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas 
as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, 
Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and 
'Jaft the country, declaring the act of the annexation 
lo be an act hostile to Mexico. 

In his first message, President Polk urged that 
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- 
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the 
other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent 



with an army into Texas to hold the country. He w 
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was t 
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nea: 
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Gram 
where he erected batteries which commanded t 
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated 
the western banks. 

The anticipated collision soon took place, and fl 
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. T 
war was pushed forward by Mr. Folk's administrati 
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was fi 
called one of " observation," then of " occupatioi 
then of " in vasion, " was sent forward to Monterey. T 
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopeles; 
ana awfully slaughtered. The day of judgeme 
alone can reveal the misery which this war caus< 
It was by the ingenuity of Mr. Folk's administrati 
that the war was brought on. 

'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico w 
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our ham 
We now consented to peace upon the condition tli 
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Tex 
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower C 
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive 
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. Tl 
was an extent of territory equal to nine States of t 
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighte 
majestic States to be added to the Union. There w( 
some Americans who thought it all right : there wt 
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecuti 
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives a: 
more than a hundred million of dollars. Of tl 
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. 

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired frc 
office, having served one term. The next day w 
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugural 
as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in t 
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same eve 
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return 
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of aj 
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habi 
and his health was good. With an ample fortur 
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ti 
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long yea 
of tranquility and happiness were before him. But tl 
cholera that fearful scourge was then sweeping i 
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracte 
and died on the 151)1 of June, 1849, in the fiftv-four 
year of his age, greatly mourned by his countryme 



Tfc Library 
of the 

of HIM 




ff 



TWELFTH PRESIDENT. 





ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth 
President of the United States, 
was born on the 24th of Nov., 
1784, in Orange Co., Va. His 
father, Colonel Taylor, was 
Virginian of note, and a dis- 
tinguished patriot and soldier of 
the Revolution. When Zachary 
was an infant, his father with his 
wife and two children, emigrated 
to Kentucky, where he settled in 
the pathless wilderness, a few 
miles from Louisville. In this front- 
ier home, away from civilization and 
all its refinements, young Zachary 
could enjoy but few social and educational advan- 
tages. When six years of age he attended a common 
school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char- 
acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and 
manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight 
the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There 
is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his 
childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation. 
In 1 808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him 
the commission of lieutenant in the United States 
army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed 
at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after 
this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady 
from one of the first families of Maryland. 

Immediately after the declaration of war with Eng- 
land, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been 
promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort 
Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above 
Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- 
ness by Gen. Harrison,on his march to Tippecanoe. 
It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, 
;ed by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken 



company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of 
whom were sick. 

Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, stealthily, 
and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their 
approach was first indicated by the murder of two 
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor 
made every possible preparation to meet the antici- 
pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of 
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, 
waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that 
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk 
with him. It was evident that their object was merely 
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept 
them at a distance. 

The sun went down ; the savages disappeared, the 
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before 
midnight the war-whoop burst from a thousand lips 
in the forest around, followed by the discharge of 
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick 
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that 
defeat was not .merely death, but in the case of cap- 
ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor- 
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can 
conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc- 
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses- 
Until six o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict 
continued. The savages then, baffled at every point, 
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. 
Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the 
rank of major by brevet. 

Until the close of the war, Major Taylor was placed 
in such situations that he saw but little more of active 
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the 
wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which 
empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little 
to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as ono 
best could. There were no books, no society, no in- 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



tellectuai stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful 
years rolled on Gradually ne rose to the rank of 
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in 
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor 
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. 

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in 
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in 
'employments so obscure, that his name was unknown 
t>eyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. 
Jn the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel 
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- 
tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, 
iiac 3 promised they should do. The services rendered 
tieie secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of 
ihe Government; and as a reward, he was elevated 
ic ;he rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon 
ifter, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- 
nand of the United States troops in Florida. 

After two years of such wearisome employment 
imidst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor 
obtained, at his own request, a change of command, 
;nd was stationed over the Department of the South- 
west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters 
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family 
to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. 
Hi.-re he remained for five years, buried, as it were, 
fiom the world, but faithfully discharging every duty 
jnvposed upon him. 

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land 
bolween the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river 
being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed 
"by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico 
was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
PaJma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the 
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet 
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name 
was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in 
the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
E uena Vista in which he won signal victories over 
5c jrces much larger than he commanded. 

His careless habits of dress and his unaffected 
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, 
ti/e sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.' 

The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista 
El/read the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The 
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The 
W hig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- 
fu/ popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un- 
" -.''?red, honest soldier as their candidate for the 
Pi esidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- 
ncuncement, and for a time would not listen toil; de- 
cbiring that he was not at all qualified for such an 
oft ice. So little interest had he taken in politics that, 
fot forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not 
wnhout chagrin that several distinguished statesmen 
w'ho had been long years in the public service found 
'l.:flr claims set aside in behalf of one whose name 



had never been heard of, save in connection with Pa 
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buer 
Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste n 
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." 

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fir 
writer His friends took possession of him, and pr< 
pared such few communications as it was needfi 
should be presented to the public. The popularity < 
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tr 
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates,- 
Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Burei 
Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the goo 
old man found himself in a very uncongenial positioi 
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassec 
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probabl 
tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery part 
was pushing its claims with tireless energy, exped 
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California wa 
pleading for admission to the Union, while slaver 
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor foun 
the political conflicts in Washington to be far moi 
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans c 
Indians. 

In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylo 
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but littl 
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness < 
but little over five days, died on the pth of July, 1851 
His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I ai 
ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He die 
universally respected and beloved. An honest, ur 
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in th 
affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly h 
mented his death. 

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted wit 
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthfi 
description of his character: " With a good store ( 
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been er 
larged and refreshed by reading, or much convers 
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the const 
quence. The frontiers and small military posts ha 
been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for hi 
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sm 
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable prejii 
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to th 
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectablt 
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his ha 
a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leav 
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out 
side pocket, in any such case, this critic held th 
offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse' 
whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase 
'touch with a pair of tongs.' 

"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil 
worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing ; 
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utte 
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short 
few men have ever had a more comfortable, **+ 
saving contempt for learning of every kind. 15 



Ffc. LltHr; 
( th 



THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT. 





ILLARD FILLMORE, thir- 
teenth President of the United 
States, was born at Summer 
Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on 
the 7th of January, 1800. His 
'father was a farmer, and ow- 
ing to misfortune, in humble cir- 
cumstances. Of his mother, the 
daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, 
of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been 
dd that she' possessed an intellect 
of very high order, united with much 
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- 
position, graceful manners and ex- 
quisite sensibilities. She died in 
1831 ; having lived to see her son a 
1 young man of distinguished prom- 
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high 
dignity which he finally attained. 

In consequence of the secluded home and limited 
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- 
vantages for education in his early years. The com- 
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were 
very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce 
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- 
acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he 
was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ; 
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred 
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, 
and had laid the foundations of an upright character. 
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him 
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of 
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
Neai the mi'l there was a small villiage, where some 



enterprising man had commenced the collection of a 
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing 
to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- 
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with 
books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate; 
and the selections which he made were continually 
more elevating and instructive. He read history; 
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- 
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more 
than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be' 
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, 
educated man. 

The young clothier had now attained the age of 
nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance 
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened thai 
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample 
pecuniary means and of benevolence, Judge Walter 
Wood, who was struck with the prepossessing ap- 
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- 
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and 
attainments that he advised him to abandon his 
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The 
young man replied, that he had no means of his own, 
no friends to help him and that his previous educa- 
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had 
so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to 
take him into his own office, and to loan him such 
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous 
offer was accepted. 

There is in many minds a strange delusion about)* 
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to 
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- 
lege. But many a boy loiters through university hul' > 
<ind then enters a law office, who is by no means as 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was 
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- 
mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during 
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- 
tense mental culture. 

In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he was 
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then 
went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the 
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, 
his practice of course was limited, and there was no 
opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. 
Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great 
moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station 
she might be called to fill, Miss Abigail Powers. 

His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, 
gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to 
enter into partnership under highly advantageous 
circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in 
Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, 
he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the 
State of New York, as a representative from Erie 
County. Though he had never taken a very active 
part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with 
the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, 
and he found himself in a helpless minority in the 
Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties, 
that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very 
unusual degrc e the respect of his associates. 

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in 
the United States Congress. He entered that troubled 
arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our 
national history. The great conflict respecting the 
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was 
then raging. 

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to 
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- 
utation and success. After a lapse of two years 
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- 
elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- 
rience as a representative gave him stength and 
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to 
any man can be but little more than an introduction. 
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- 
gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every 
measure received his impress. 

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and 
his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, 
he was elected Comptroller of the State. 



Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seve 
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, i 
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very coi 
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about t 
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Pres 
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on tl: 
waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough ol 
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battle 
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to h 
proclaimed in tiumpet-tones all over the land. Bi 
it was necessary to associate with him on the sarc 
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. 

Under the influence of these considerations, tr 
namesof Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore becarv 
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates fc 
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket wj 
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1841 
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millai 
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. 

On the pth of July, 1850, President Taylor, bi 
about one year and four months after his inaugur; 
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Coi 
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Pres 
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of whic 
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of Stat 

Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to conten 
with, since the opposition had a majority in bol 
Houses. He did everything in his power to concilia 
the South ; but the pro-slavery party in the South fe 
the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliatio 
The population of the free States was so rapidly ii 
creasing over that of the slave States that it was ii 
evitable that the power of the Government shoui 
soon pass into the hands of the free States. Tr 
famous compromise measures were adopted under M 
Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expeditio 
was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fil 
more, having served one term, retired. 

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pre; 
idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beate 
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived i 
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil wa 
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed \\iz 
his sympathies were rather with those who were en 
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. Presides 
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without an 
cordial words of cheer to the one party or the othei 
He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a rip 
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874 



Ik. Llbitry 

f the 
IMnratty of (life* 



FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



FIERCE 

^^*&&^*&&^<il^&^JMyb&bMiiMii*M 





RANKLIN PIERCE, the 
fourteenth President of the 
United States, was born in 
Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 
23, 1804. His father was a 
Revolutionary soldier, who, 
with his own strong arm, 
hewed out a home in the 
wilderness. He was a man 
of inflexible integrity; of 
strong, though uncultivated 
mind, and an uncompromis- 
ing Democrat. The mother of 
Franklin Pierce was all that a son 
could desire, an intelligent, pru- 
dent, affectionate, Christian wom- 
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. 

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- 
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the 
love of old and young. The boys on the play -ground 
loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors 
looked upon him with pride and affection. He was 
by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, 
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact 
which taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
devotion to books, he was a good scholar ; in body, 
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. 

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he 
entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me. He was 
one of the most popular young men in the college. 
The purity cf his moral character, the unvarying 
courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and 



genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. 
There was something very peculiarly winning in his 
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- 
gree studied: it was the simple outgushing of his 
own magnanimous and loving nature. 

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce 
commenced the study of law in the office of Judge 
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
the State, and a man of great private worth. The 
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his 
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant 
political career into which Judge Woodbury was en' 
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- 
nating yet perilous path of political life. With all 
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. 
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the 
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected 
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here 
he served for four yeais. The last two years he was 
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. 

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Without taking an active 
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty 
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom 
he was associatad. 

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, 
he was elected to the Senate of the United States; 
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced 
his administration. He was the youngest memberin 
the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane 
Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- 
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every 
station with which her husband was honoied. Of the 



bRANKLIN PIERCE. 



three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with 
their parents in the grave. 

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame 
and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his 
residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. 
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed 
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but 
the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous 
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos 
state of Mrs. Pierce 's health. He also, about the 
same time declined the nomination for governor by the 
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. 
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of 
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his 
troops, at Newport, R. I., on the ayth of May, 1847. 
He took an important part in this war, proving him- 
self a brave and true soldier. 

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native 
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- 
cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- 
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, 
very frequently taking an active part in political ques- 
tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery 
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise 
measures met cordially with his approval ; and he 
Strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- 
inous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious 
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- 
guished as a "Northern man with Southern principles."' 
The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 

On the I2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- 
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the 
Presidency. For four days they continued in session, 
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a 
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown 
for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation 
brought forward his name. There were fourteen 
more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly 
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he 
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all 
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was 
the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with 
great unanimity. Only four States Vermont, Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee cast their 
electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce 
was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
States en the 4th of March, 1853. 



His administration proved one of the most stormy 01 
country had ever experienced. The controversy bi 
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching i 
culminating point. It became evident that there w< 
an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and th; 
this Nation could not long exist " half slave and ha 
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ac 
ministration, did every thing he could to concilia! 
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict evei 
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolutio 
of the Union were borne to the North on every Soutl 
ern breeze. 

Such was the condition of affairs when Presidei 
Pierce approached the close of his four-years' ten 
of office. The North had become thoroughly alier 
ated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goade 
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; a 
the intellectual ability and social worth of Presider 
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ac 
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, alsi 
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advc 
cated those measures of Government which they aj 
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he ha 
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to b 
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully droppe 
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed hin 

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce r< 
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, tw 
had died, and his only surviving child had bee 
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and h: 
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished < 
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. Th 
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was le 
alone in the world, without wife or child. 

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which d 
vided our country into two parties, and two only, M 
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which \ 
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies 1 
that pro-slavery party with which he had ever bee 
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voi( 
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Go' 
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord unt 
the time of his death, which occurred in Octobe 
1869. He was one of the most genial and social < 
men, an honored communicant of the Episcop; 
Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Ger 
erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the a 
leviation of suffering and want, and many of his town 
people were often gladened by his material bount 



to library 

tf th< 




C 



t m* J < 



FIFTEENTH PRESIDENT. 





AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- 
teenth President of the United 
States, was born in a small 
frontier town, at the foot of the 
eastern ridge of the Allegha- 
nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on 
the 23d of April, 1791. The place 
where the humble cabin of his 
father stood was called Stony 
Batter. It was a wild and ro- 
mantic spot in a gorge of the moun- 
tains, with towering summits rising 
grandly all around. His father 
was a native of the north of Ireland ; 
a poor man, who had emigrated in 
1783, with little property save his 
own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married 
Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, 
and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- 
ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a 
clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- 
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- 
cluded home, where James was born, he remained 
for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual 
advantages. When James was eight years of age, his 
father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where 
his son was placed at school, and commenced a 
course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His 
progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he 
entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- 
veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among 
the first scholars in the institution. His application 
to study was intense, and yet his native powers en- 



abled him to master the most abstruse subjects wi " 
facility. 

In the year 1809, he graduated with the highest 
honors of his clast. 1 . He was then eighteen years oi 
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of 
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with 
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately 
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was 
but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose 
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand 
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but 
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- 
cessfully defended before the State Senate ore of the 
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles o) 
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally 
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and 
there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu- 
crative practice. 

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and foi 
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House 
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally 
tried some important case. In 1831, he retired 
altogether from the toils of his profession, having ac- 
quired an ample fortune. 

Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency 
appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The 
duties of his mission he performed with ability, whicl, 
gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, ir, 
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States 
Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster. 
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the meas- 
ures proposed by President Jackson, of mating repri- 



76 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



sals against France, to enforce the payment of our 
claims against that country; and defended the 
course of the President in his unprecedented and 
wholesale removal from office of those who were 
not the supporters of his administration. Upon 
this question he was brought into direct collision 
with Henry Clay. He also, with voice and vote, ad- 
vocated expunging from the journal of the Senate 
the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for remov- 
ing the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the aboli- 
tion of slavery in the District of Columbia, and 
urged the prohibition of the circulation of anti- 
slavery documents by the United States mails. 

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he ad- 
vocated that they should be respectfully received; 
and that the reply should be returned, that Con- 
gress had no power to legislate upon the subject. 
"Congress," said he, "might as well undertake to 
interfere with slavery under a foreign government 
as in any of the States where it now exists." 

Upon Mr. Folk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. 
Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, 
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct 
of the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that cross- 
ing the Nueces by the American troops into the 
disputed territory was not wrong, but for the Mex- 
icans to cross the Rio Grande into that territory 
was a declaration of war. No candid man can read 
with pleasure the account of the course our Gov- 
ernment pursued in that movement. 

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with 
the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension 
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 
to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his 
cordial approval to the compromise measures of 
1850, which included the fugitive slave law. Mr. 
Pierce, upon his election to the Presidency, hon- 
ored Mr. Buchanan with the mission to England. 

In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- 
tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. 
The political conflict was one of the most severe 
in which our country has ever engaged. All the 
friends of slavery were on one side; all the advo- 
cates of its restriction and final abolition on the 
other. Mr. Fremont, the candidate of the enemies 
of slavery, received 114 electoral votes. Mr. Bu- 
chanan received 174, and was elected. The popular 
vote stood 1,340,618 for Fremont, 1,224,750 for 
Buchanan. On March 4, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was 
inaugurated. 

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only 
four years were wanting to fill up his three-score 
years and ten. His own friends, those with whom 
he had been allied in political principles and action 
for years, were seeking the destruction of the Gov- 
ernment, that they might rear upon the ruins of our 
free institutions a nation whose corner-stone should 



be human slavery. In this emergency, Mr. Bu- 
chanan was hopelessly bewildered. He could not, 
with his long-avowed principles, consistently op- 
pose the State-rights party in their assumptions. As 
President of the United States, bound by his oath 
faithfully to administer the laws, he could not, 
without perjury of the grossest kind, unite with 
those endeavoring to overthrow the Republic. He 
therefore did nothing. 

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration 
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard- 
bearer in the next Presidential canvass. The pro- 
slavery party declared that if he were elected and 
the control of the Government were thus taken from 
their hands they would secede from the Union, tak- 
ing with them as they retired the National Capi- 
tol at Washington and the lion 's share of the ter- 
ritory of the United States. 

As the storm increased in violence, the slave- 
holders, claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Bu- 
chanan avowing that Congress had no power to 
prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions of 
governmental imbecility was exhibited the world 
has ever seen. He declared that Congress had no 
power to enforce its laws in any State which had 
withdrawn, or which was attempting to withdraw, 
from the Union. This was not the doctrine of An- 
drew Jackson, when, with his hand upon his sword- 
hilt, he exclaimed. "The Union must and shall be 
preserved!" 

South Carolina seceded in December, 1860, nearly 
three months before the inauguration of President 
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless de- 
spair. The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Ft 
Sumter was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and 
arsenals were seized; our depots of military stores 
were plundered; and our custom-houses and post- 
offices were appropriated by the rebels. 

The energy of the rebels and the imbecility of 
our Executive were alike marvelous. The nation 
looked on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to 
glide away and close the administration, so ter- 
rible in its weakness. At length the long-looked- 
for hour of deliverance came, when Abraham Lin- 
coln was to receive the scepter. 

The administration of President Buchanan was 
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with 
pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his 
fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its 
billows of flame and blood over our whole land, no 
word came from his lips to indicate his wish that 
our country's banner should triumph over the flag 
of the Rebellion. He died at his Wheatland re- 
treat, June 1, 1868. 



of th 



SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT. 





BRAHAM LINCOLN, the 
sixteenth President of the 
United States, was born in 
Hardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, 
1 809. About the year 1 7 80, a 
|. man by the name of Abraham 
Lincoln left Virginia with his 
family and moved into the then 
wilds of Kentucky. Only two years 
after this emigration, still a young 
man, while working one day in a 
field, was stealthily approached by 
an Indian and shot dead. His widow 
was left in extreme poverty with five 
little children, three boys and two 
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the 
boys, was four years of age at his 
father's death. This Thomas was 
the father of Abraham Lincoln, the 
President of the United States 
whose name must henceforth forever be enrolled 
with the most prominent in the annals of our world. 
Of course no record has been kept of the life 
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among 
the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched 
log-cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. 
Education he had none; he could never either read 
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for 
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his 
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- 
Jess, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- 
self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a 
Tiborer in the fields of others. 

When twenty-eight years of age he built a log- 
(abin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi- 
grants, who had also come from Virginia. Their 
second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of 
this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble 
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn 
.1 palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel. 
''All that I am, or hope to be," exclaims the grate- 
ful son "I owe to my angel-mother. " 

When he was eight years of age, his father sold his 



cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana, Wher 
two years later his mother died. 

Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated 
community around him. He could not have had a 
better school than this to teach him to put thoughts 
into words. He also became an eager reader. The 
books he could obtain were few ; but these he "cad 
and re-read until they were almost committed to 
memory. 

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family 
was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and 
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sisto 
Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mai 
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and 
soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr 
Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim ; n 1830 
and emigrated to Macon Co., 111. 

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age^ 
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing 
another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this 
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and theii 
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when 
he announced to his father his intention to leave 
home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- 
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril- 
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value ol 
education, and was intensely earnest to improve his 
mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin 
which ardent spirits were causing, and became 
strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi- 
cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in 
God's word, "Thou shall not take the name of th 
Lord thy God in v a r. ;" and a profane expression ha 
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. Hi 
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a 
single vice. 

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired labore 
among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield 
where he was employed in building a large flat-boat 
In this he took a herd of swine, floated them dowi 
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mia 
sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lin 
coin undertook, he performed so faithfully as to givt 
great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven 



So 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon 
his return they placed a store and mill under his care. 

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he 
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He 
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 
years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but 
was defeated. He soon after received, from Andrew 
Jackson the appointment of Postmaster of New Salem, 
His only post-office was his hat. All the letters he 
received he carried there ready to deliver to those 
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon 
made this his business. In 1834 he again became a 
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected. Mr. 
Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He 
walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of 
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and 
began his legal studies. When the Legislature as- 
sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back 
one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it 
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re- 
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. 
His success with the jury was so great that he was 
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. 

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. 
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, 
in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became 
one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's 
speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con- 
test in. 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most 
notable part of his history. The issue was on the 
slavery question, and he took the broad ground of 
ihe Declaration of Independence, that all men are 
created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- 
test, but won a far higher prize. 

The great Republican Convention met at Chicago 
on the i6th of June, 1860. The delegates and 
strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty- 
five thousand. An immense building called " The 
Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven- 
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes 
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame 
as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most 
prominent. It was generally supposed he would be 
the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received 
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then 
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the 
bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him : 
and as little did he dream that he was to render services 
to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of 
the whole civilized world, and which would give him 
a place in the affections of his countrymen, second 
cnly, if second, to that of Washington. 

Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180 
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, 
constitutionally elected President of the United States. 
The tirade of abuse that vas poured upon this good 



and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was 
greater than upon any other man ever elected to this 
high position. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started 
for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his 
way making speeches. The whole journey was fraught 
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination 
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- 
more had arranged, upon his arrival to " get up a row," 
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with 
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled 
the plot. A secret and special train was p-ovided to 
take him from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an 
unexpected hour of the night. The train sorted at 
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- 
cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con- 
federate gang in Barltimore, as soon as the train had 
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln 
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, 
although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people 

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
to Mr. Seward the Department of State, and to other 
prominent opponents before the convention he gave 
important positions. 

During no other administration have the duties 
devolving upon the President been so manifold, and 
the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to 
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and 
feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in 
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he 
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in 
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his 
trials, both personal and national. Contrary to his 
own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the 
most courageous of men. He went directly into the 
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, 
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had been 
made for his assassination.and he at last fell a victim 
to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant, 
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It 
was announced that they would be present. Gen. 
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- 
ing, wiili his characteristic kindliness of heart, that 
it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, 
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to 
the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth 
entered the box where the President and family were 
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the 
next morning at seven o'clock. 

Never before, in the history of the world was a nation 
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. 
Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless 
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was 
in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a 
model. His name as the savior of his country w:M 
live with that of Washington's, its father; his c^untry- 
mer. being unable to decide which is t^e greater. 



of the 
of 



SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT. 





NDREW JOHNSON, seven- 
teenth President of the United 
"States. The early life of 
Andrew Johnson contains but 
the record of poverty, destitu- 
tion and friendlessness. He 
/ was born December 29, 1808, 
in Raleigh, N. C. His parents, 
belonging to the class of the 
"poor whites " of the South, were 
in such circumstances, that they 
could not confer ;_,'ei\ the slight- 
est advantages of education upon 
their child. When Andrew was five 
I years of age, his father accidentally 
lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a 
friend from drowning. TT ruil teri /ears of age, Andrew 
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the 
labor of his mother, who obtained her living with 
her own hands. 

He then, having never attended a school one day, 
and being unable either to read or write, was ap- 
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman 
was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- 
ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often 
read from the speeches of distinguished British states- 
men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more 
than ordinary native ability, became much interested 
in these speeches; his ambition was roused, and he 
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. 

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and 
with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen, 
iearned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- 
man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, 



pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the booK ; 
but assisted him in learning to combine the letters 
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed oi- 
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours 
at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest 
and recreatior to devote such time as he could to 
reading. 

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at. 
Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos 
sessed some education. Under her instructions he 
learned to write and cipher. He became prominer.; 
in the village debating society, and a favorite with 
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- 
ganized a working man's party, which elected him 
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which 
position he held three years. 

He now began to take a lively interest in political 
affairs ; identifying himself with the working-classes, 
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a 
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- 
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. 
He became a very active member of the legislature 
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Tan 
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to thosv 
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
his reputation. 

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he 
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive 
elections, held that important post for ten years. In 
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and' 
was re-elected in 1855. In all these responsible posi- 
tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abi. 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- 
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected 
United States Senator. 

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his 
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- 
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable 
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, 
and become merged in a population congenial to 
themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com- 
promise measures, the two essential features of which 
were, that the white people of the Territories should 
oe permitted to decide for themselves whether they 
would enslave the colored people or not, and that 
the ^ree States of the North should return to the 
South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. 

Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin: 
on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that 
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir,"' 
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget 
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam 
was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- 
ior was the son of a carpenter." 

In the Charleston- Baltimore convention of i8bo, ne 
.was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the 
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South- 
ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided 
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery 
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever 
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly 
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of 
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the 
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- 
pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he 
established the most stringent military rule. His 
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 

1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United 
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 

1865, became President. In a speech two days later 
he said, " The American people must be taught, if 
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and 
must be punished ; that the Government will not 
always bear with its enemies ; that it is strong not 
only to protect, but to punish. * * The people 
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of 
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole 
administration, the history of which is so well known, 
was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent 



opposition to. the principles laid down in that spec 
In his loose policy of reconstruction and gem 
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress ; and he cl 
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and Jawlei 
defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost, 
the beginning of 1868, on account of "high crii 
and misdemeanors," the principal of which was 
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the T 
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were ] 
ferred against him, and the trial began March 

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly th 
months. A test article of the impeachment was 
length submitted to the court for its action. It 
certain that as the court voted upon that article 
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronoun 
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was r.e< 
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced 
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority aga 
him. The change of one vote from the not gu 
side would have sustained the impeachment. 

The President, for the remainder of his term, 
but little regarded. He continued, though impoten 
his conflict with Congress. His own party did 
think it expedient to renominate him for the Pr 
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unj 
alleled since the days of Washington, around the n 
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotl 
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to 
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never ' 
there presented to a man a better opportunity to 
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude o 
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his he 
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part 
politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an excit 
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of T 
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth C 
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the spei 
session convened by President Grant, on the 5th 
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-Presid 
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Ca 
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he i 
apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on rea 
ing the residence of his child the following day, i 
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscic 
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away 
2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His f 
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of Augi 
with every demonstration of respect. 



TfeUbruy 

f the 



EIGHTEENTH PRESIDENT. 





LYSSES S. GRANT, the 
eighteenth President of the 
United States, was born on 
the 29th of April, 1822, of 
Christian parents, in a humble 
home, at Point Pleasant, on the 
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after 
his father moved to George- 
town, Brown Co., O. In this re- 
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses 
received a common-school edu- 
~ cation. At the age of seven- 
teen, in the year 1839, he entered 
the Military Academy at West 
Point. Here he was regarded as a 
solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of 
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank 
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the 
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- 
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- 
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary 
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating 
Indians. 

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first 
battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here 
for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at 
Resaca de la Palma, his second battle. At the battle 
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that 
he performed a signal service of daring and skillful 
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- 
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along 
a. route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. 
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, 
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one 
side of the anir>vil ran the gauntlet in entire safety. 



From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantty, 
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In 
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he 
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the 
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a 
first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- 
pultepec. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- 
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again 
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The 
discovery of gold in California causing an immense 
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. 
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in 
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- 
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. 
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the 
States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- 
tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but 
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- 
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into 
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- 
lena, 111. This was in the year 1860. As the tidings 
of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears 
of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, 
"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army: though 
I have served him through one war, I do not feel that 
I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge 
my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my tword 
and see Uncle Sam through this war too." 

He went into the streets, raised a cempany of vol- 
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, 
the capital of the State, where their services were 
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by 
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. 
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the, 
volunteer organization that was being formed in the 
State in behalf of the Government. On the 15'^ ol 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as 
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- 
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who 
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such 
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
'General and was placed in command at Cairo. The 
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth 
of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- 
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The 
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and 
stripes were unfurled in its stead. 

He entered the service with great determination 
and immediately began active duty. This was the be- 
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond 
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and 
effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- 
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry 
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight 
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the 
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was 
immediately made a Major-General, and the military 
District of Tennessee was assigned to him. 

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well how 
to secure the results of victory. He immediately 
pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the 
terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the 
siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an 
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty 
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- 
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most 
severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, 
and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 

Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from 
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he 
was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid 
jf Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and 
by a wonderful series of strategic and technical meas- 
ures put the Union Army in fighting condition. Then 
followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout 
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
were routed with great loss. This won for him un- 
bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- 
ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant- 
general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. 
He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials 
and enter upon th duties of his new office 



Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge 
the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed Nation 
troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nomin 
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to d 
stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly 
sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whc 
continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of the 
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle fiel 
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trai 
were burdened vith closely packed thousands. I: 
plans were comprehensive and involved a series 
campaigns, which were executed with remarkable e 
ergy and ability, and were consummated at the si 
render of Lee, April 9, 1865. 

The war was ended. The Union was saved. T 
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Ge 
Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its si 
vation. The eminent services he had thus render 
the country brought him conspicuously forward as t 
Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. 

At the Republican Convention held at Chicaj, 
May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated for t! 
Presidency, and at the autumn election received 
majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 2. 
electoral votes. 

The National Convention of the Republican par 
which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 187 
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second ter 
by a unanimous vote. The selection was empha 
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 21 
electoral votes being cast for him. 

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Gra 
started upon his famous trip around the world. P 
visited almost every country of the civilized worl 
and was everywhere received with such ovatioi 
and demonstrations of respect and honor, priva 
as well as public and official, as were never befo 
bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. 

He was the most prominent candidate before tt 
Republican National Convention in 1880 for a n 
nomination for President. He went to New York an 
embarked in the brokerage business under the fin 
nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villair 
wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent t 
the penitentiary. The General was attacked wit 
cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-lik 
manner, never complaining. He was re-instated a 
General of the Army and retired by Congress. Th 
cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 2 
1885, the nation went in mourning over the death c 
the illustrious General. 



ffc Llbfir, 
I the 
of 



NINETEENTH PRESIDENT. 





UTHERFORD B. HAYES, 
the nineteenth President of 
the United States, was born in 
Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al- 
most three months after the 
death of his father, Rutherford 
Hayes. His ancestry on both 
the paternal and maternal sides, 
was of the most honorable char- 
acter. It can be traced, it is said, 
as far back as 1280, when Hayes and 
Rutherford were two Scottish chief- 
tains, fighting side by side with 
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert 
Bruce. Both families belonged to the 
nobility, owned extensive estates, 
1 and had a large following. Misfor- 
rane ovwtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- 
land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
George way born in Windsor, and remained there 
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- 
ried Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar- 
riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, 
son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- 
turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, 
son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was 
born inNew Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, 
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to 
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, 
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- 
erford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was 



born. He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia 
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt, whose ancestors emi- 
grated thither from Connecticut, they having been 
among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. 
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders 
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers 
in the Revolutionary War. 

The father of President Hayes was an industrious 
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- 
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock^ 
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to 
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active 
in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con- 
ducted his business on Christian principles. After 
the close of the war of 1812, for reasons inexplicable 
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day 
when there were no canals, steamers, noi- railways, 
was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was 
first made, occupying four months. Mr, Hayes deter 
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived 
in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial 
fever, less than three months before the birth of the 
son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- 
reavement, found the support she so much needed in 
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
household from the day of its departure from Ver- 
mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted 
some time before as an act of charity. 

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the 



RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 



subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he 
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at 
most. As the months went by he grew weaker and 
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- 
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died 
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on 
fiiniliar terms with the family, after* alluding to the 
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of 
him, said in a bantering way, " That's right ! Stick to 
him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't 
wonder if he would really come to something yet." 

" You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. " You 
vait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him 
President of the United States yet." The boy lived, 
in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy 
death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was 
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his 
mother. 

The boy was seven years old before lie w<;nt to 
school. His education, however, was not neglected. 
He probably learned as much from his mother and 
; ister as he would have done at school. His sports 
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being 
Ins sister and her associates. These circumstances 
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo- 
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings 
of others, which are marked traits of his" character. 

His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest 
k'n his education ; and as the boy's health had im- 
proved, and he was making good progress in his 
studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre- 
paration commenced with a tutor at home; but he 
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the 
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en- 
tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, 
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. 

Immediately after his graduation he began the 
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., 
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in 
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter 
the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- 
mained two years. 

In 1845, after graduating at the Law School, he was 
admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly 
afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law 
with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- 
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, 
and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- 
Cession. 

\n 1 849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his ambi- 
tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how- 
ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at 
this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse- 
quent "ife. One of these was his marrage with Miss 
Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of 
Chilicothe; the othev was his introduction to the Cin- 
cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its 
members such men as^hief Justice Salmon P|hase v 



Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. NoyeS, and ma 
others hardly less distinguished in after life. T 
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, 
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of o 
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenc 
and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one c 
more than she to reflect honor upon American woma 
hood. The Literary Cluu brought Mr. Hayes ir 
constant association with young men of high ch; 
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display t. 
qualities so long hidden by his bashfulne^s a 
modesty. 

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judgj 
the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to s 
cept the nomination. Two years later, the office 
city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Coin 
elected him for the unexpired teim. 

In 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was 
the zenith of his professional lif .. His rank at t 
bar was among the the first. But the news of t 
attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take 
arms for the defense of his country. 

His military record was bright and illustrious. 
October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, ai 
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 7gth Ol 
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrad 
and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, 
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the bat! 
of South Mountain he received a wound, and wh 
faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitU' 
that won admiration from all. 

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, aft 
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and plao 
in command of the celebrated Kanawha divisic 
and for gallant and meritorious services in the battl 
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he w 
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetti 
Major-General, "for gallant and distinguished f ervic 
during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." 
the course of his arduous services, four horses we 
shot from under him, and he was wounded four tim< 

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, fro 
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dei 
ocratic. He was not present during the campaig 
and after his election Was importuned to resign 1 
commission in the army ; but he finally declared, ' 
shall never come to Washington until I can come 1 
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866. 

In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohi 
over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democn 
In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleto 
He was elected Governor for the third term in 187 

In 1876 he was the standard bearer of the Repu 
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after 
hard long contest was chosen President, and was 
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served h 
full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his part 
but his administration was an average orv 



TfcUbrwy 



TWENTIETH PRESIDENT. 








AMES A. GARFIELD, twen- 
tieth President of the United 
States, was born Nov. 19, 
1831, in the woods of Orange, 
Cuyahoga Co., O His par- 
ents were Abram and Eliza 
(Ballou) Garfield, both of New 
England ancestry and from fami- 
lies well known in the early his- 
tory of that section of our coun- 
try, but had moved to the Western 
Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- 
ment. 

The house in which James A. was 
born was not unlike the houses of 
poor Ohio farmers of that day. It 
,ifls about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- 
vween the logs filled with clay. His father was a 
nard working farmer, and he soon had his fields 
cleared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built. 
The household comprised the father and mother and 
;heir four children Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and 
Tames. In May, 1823^ the father, from a cold con- 
-racted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At 
chis time James was about eighteen months old, and 
Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can 
fell how much James was indebted to his biother's 
toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years suc- 
ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very 
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- 
ters live in Solon, O., near their birthplace. 

The early educational advantages young Garfield 
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of 
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- 
penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that 
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed 
mother in he' =tmggles to keep the little family to- 



gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of bis 
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- 
gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they 
ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor 
the humblest friend of his boyhood was as kindly 
greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the 
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness 
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain, 
modest gentleman. 

The highest ambition of young Garfield until hi 
was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of 
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard 
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She 
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the 
understanding, however, that he should try to obtairi 
some other kind of employment. He walked all the 
way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city 
After making many applications for work, and trying 
to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with 
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re- 
mained at this work but a short time when he wen^ 
home, and attended the seminary at Chester for 
about three years, when he entered Hiram and the 
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in 
the meantime, and doing other work. This school 
was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of 
which church he was then a member. He became 
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way 
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon 
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the 
fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which 
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest ho..- 
ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram 
College as its President. As above stated, he early 
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at 
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- 
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where" 
he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of 
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion : 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



" President Garfield was more than a man of 
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole 
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to 
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and 
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs 
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In 
my judgmenc there is no more interesting feature of 
his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of 
Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent 
sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian 
communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty 
and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to 
the less stately and cultured Christian communions 
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true 
that as they step upward in social and political sig- 
nificance they step upward from one degree to 
another in some of the many types of fashionable 
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the 
-hurch of his mother, the church in which he was 
trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an 
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- 
'arian charity for all 'who loveour Lord in sincerity.'" 

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss 
Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. 1 1, 1858, who proved herself 
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and 
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of 
whom are still living, four boys and one girl. 

Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856, 
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three 
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- 
ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he 
was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio 
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, 
and in 1861 was admitted to the bar. The great 
Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, 
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had 
talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- 
ceived his commission as Lieut.-Colonel of the Forty- 
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 
14,1861. He was immediately put into active ser- 
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, 
was placed in command of four regiments of infantry 
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
work of driving out of his native State the officer 
'Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of 
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given 
to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- 
ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- 
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him 
Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had 
been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years 
before, so now he was the youngest General in the 
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, 
in its operations around Corinth and its march through 
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the 
General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John 
Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose- 
crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." 

The military frstory of Gen. Garfield closed with 



his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he w< 
the stars of the Major-General. 

Without an effort on his part Ge? Garfield w, 
elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from tl 
Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Oh 
had been represented in Congress for sixty yea 
mainly by two men Elisha Whittlesey and Joshi 
R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that 1 
resigned his place in the army. At the time hee 
tered Congress he was the youngest member in th 
body. There he remained by successive r< 
elections until he was elected President in 188 
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : "Sim 
the year 1864 you cannot think of a question whic 
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before 
tribunel of the American people, in regard to whi( 
you will not find, if you wish instruction, the arg 1 
ment on one side stated, in almost every instani 
better than by anybody else, in some speech made 
the House of Representatives or on the hustings 1 
Mr. Garfield." 

Upon Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected 
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of tl 
same year, was nominated as the candidate of h 
party for President at the great Chicago Conventio 
He was elected in the following November, and c 
March 4, 1881, was inaugurated. Probably no ai 
ministration ever opened its existence under bright 
auspices than that of President Garfield, and eve 
day it grew in favor with the people, and by the fir 
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pr 
liminary work of his administration and was prepa 
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Willian 
College. While on his way and at the depot, in con 
pany with Secretary Elaine, a man stepped behir 
him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his bac 
The President tottered and fell, and as he did so tl 
assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting tl 
left coat sleeve of his victim, but inflicting nofurth< 
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this w; 
" the shot that was heard round the world " Nevi 
before in the history of the Nation had anything 01 
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the peop, 
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smi 
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, an 
was at the summit of his power and hope. Foreighi 
days, all during the hot months of July and Augus 
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remaine 
master of himself till the last, and by his magnified 
bearing was teaching the country and the world tl 
noblest of human lessons how to live grandly in tl 
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpas 
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sep 
19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J.,on the very bank of tl 
ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. Tl 
world wept at his death, as it never had done on tl 
death of any other man who had ever lived upon i 
The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exi 
cuted, in one year after he committed the foul dee< 



Th Library 

of the 
Untonfty of Ill 



TWENTY-FIRST PRESIDENT. 





HESTER A. ARTHUR, 
twenty-first Presi'i-iu of the 
United States, was bom in 
Franklin Courty, Vermont, on 
thefifthofOdober.iSao, and is 
the oldest of a family of two 
* sons and five daughters. His 
father was the Rev. Dr. William 
Arthur, aBaptistd'-rgyman,who 
emigrated to tb.s country from 
the county Ant.im, Ireland, in 
his 1 8th year, and died in 1875, in 
Newtonville, neai Albany, after a 
long and successful ministry. 

Young Arthur was educated at 
Union College, S< henectady, where 
he excelled in all his studies. Af- 
ter his graduation he taught school 
in Vermont for two years, and at 
the expiration of that time came to 
New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
and entered the office of ex-Judge 
E. D. Culver as student. After 
I being admitted to the bar he formed 
a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate, 
Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing 
in the West, and for three months they roamed about 
<"n the Western States in search of an eligible site, 
Out in the end returned to New York, where they 
hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success- 
ful career almost from the start. General Arthur 
;^oon afterward nvrr ; < > d the daughter of Lieutenant 



Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at 
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in 
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's 
nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two 
children. 

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity 
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, 
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had 
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior 
Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon, 
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with 
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when 
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided 
that they could not be held by the owner under the 
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from 
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the 
Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal. 
Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed 
to represent the People, and they won their case, 
which then went to the Supreme Court of the United 
States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause 
of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs 
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward 
the emancipation of the black race. 

Another great service was rendered by General 
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, 
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth 
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. 
General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a 
verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa- 
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride 
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly 



CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 



followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- 
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- 
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. 

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention 
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the 
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- 
ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineer- 
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- 
tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- 
ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered 
great service to the Government during the war. At 
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the 
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. 
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney 
of New York, was added to the firm. The legal prac- 
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- 
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able 
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if 
not indeed one of national extent. 

He always took a leading part in State and city 
politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of 
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21, 1872, to suc- 
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 
20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous 
National Republican Convention held at Chicago in 
June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political 
convention that ever assembled on the continent. It 
was composed of the fading politicians of the Re- 
publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and 
fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their 
respective candidates that were before the conven- 
tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- 
ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur 
for Vice-President. The campaign which followed 
was one of the most animated known in the history of 
our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of 
the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his 
party made a valiant fight for his election. 

Finally the election came and the country's choice 
vvas Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated 
March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President. 
& few months only had passed ere the newly chosen 
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then 
came terrible weeks of suffering, those moment* of 
anxious suspense, wher the hearts of all civilized na- 



tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the i 
covery of the noble, the good President. The remar 
able patience that he manifested during those hou 
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible si 
fering man has often been called upon to endure, w 
seemingly more than human. It was certainly Go 
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety M 
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to t 
credit that his every action displayed only an earne 
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, 
serve the remainder of the term he had so ausj 
ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifest' 
in deed or look of this man, even though the me 
honored position in the world was at any mome 
likely to fall to him. 

At last God in his mercy relieved President Ga 
field from further suffering, and the world, as nev 
before in its history over the death of any oth 
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty 
the Vice President to assume the responsibilities 
the high office, and he took the oath in New Yor 
Sept. 20, 1881. The position was an embarrassii 
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that i 
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would d 
what policy he would pursue, and who he would s 
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had be< 
greatly neglected during the President's long illnes 
and many important measures were to be immediate 
decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him 1 
did not fail to realize under what circumstances \ 
became President, and knew the feelings of many r 
this point. Under these trying circumstances Preside] 
Arthur took the reins of the Government in has o\v 
hands; and, as embarrassing as were the condition < 
affair.-- he happily surprised the nation, acting s 
wisel) .hat but few criticised Ais administratioi 
He served the nation well and faithfully, until tli 
close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and wa 
a popular candidate before his party for a secon 
term. His name was ably presented before the cor 
vention at Chicago, and was received with grej 
favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularit 
of one of the opposing candidates, he would hav 
been selected as the standard-bearer of his part 
for another campaign. He retired to private life cai 
rying with him the best wishes of the American pec 
pie, whom he had served in a manner satisfactor 
tr them and with credit to himself. 



lb Llbr.rj 
of th 
of HIl 




&. 



TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT. 





TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- 
LAND.thetwenty-second Pres- 
ident of the United States, was 
born in 1837, in the obscure 
town of Caldwell, Essex Co., 
N. J., and in a little two-and-a- 
half-story white house which is still 
standing, characteristically to mark 
the humble birth-place of one of 
America's great men in striking con- 
trast with the Old World, where all 
men high in office must be high in 
origin and born in the cradle of 
wealth. When the subject of this 
sketch was three years of age, his 
father, who was a Presbyterian min- 
ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, 
by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to 
Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a 
larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
straggling of country villages, about five miles from 
Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. 

At the last mentioned place young Grover com- 
menced going to school in the "good, old-fashioned 
way/' and presumably distinguished himself after the 
manner of all village boys, in doing the things he 
ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of 
all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he 
arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the 
capacity of the village school and expressed a most 



emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this 
his father decidedly objected. Academies in those 
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to 
become self-supporting by the quickest possible 
means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed 
to be a position in a country store, where his father 
and the large family on his hands had considerable 
influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services 
the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to 
receive $100 the second year. Here the lad com- 
menced his career as salesman, and in two years he 
had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness 
that his employers desired to retain him for an in- 
definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex- 
hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or 
eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. 
But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- 
ville, he went with the family in their removal to 
Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a 
high school. Here he industriously pursued his 
studies until the family removed with him to a point 
on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a 
village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, 
N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching 
but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, 
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a 
small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an 
asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two 
years, and although he obtained a good reputation in 
this capacity, he conduced that teaching was not his 



S. GROVE R CLEVELAND. 



calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, 
he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going 
to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as 
there was some charm in that name for him ; but 
before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to 
*sk the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted 
stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not 
speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do, 
my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
law," was the reply. "Good gracious!" remarked 
ih old gentleman ; " do you, indeed ? What ever put 
that into your head? How much money have you 
got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got 
any." 

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a 
place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a 
year, while he could "look around." One day soon 
afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, 
Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told Ihem what he 
wanted. A number of young men were already en- 
gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and 
he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and 
fiave the use of the law library, for the nominal sum 
of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for 
his board and washing. The walk to and from his 
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although 
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
shoes were out of repair and his overcoat he had 
none yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. 
On the first day of his service here, his senior em- 
ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him 
with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's 
where they all begin." A titter ran around the little 
circle of clerks and students, as they thought that 
vras enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; 
Out in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland 
exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for 
chasing principles through all their metaphysical 
possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do 
it," was practically his motto. 

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was 
eiected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in 
which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell 
to his duty to inflict capital pi>r.ishment upon two 
criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the 
City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es- 
pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms 



in the administration of the municipal affairs of that 
city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his 
performance of duty has generally been considered 
fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer- 
reted out and magnified during the last Presidential 
campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui- 
tous street-cleaning contract: "This is a time foi 
plain speech, and my objection to your action shall 
be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of 
a mos' bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme 
to betray the interests of the people and to worse 
than squander the people's money." The New York 
Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- 
land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- 
upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire 
State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, 
and his administration of the affairs of State was 
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if 
any, were made very public throughout the nation 
after he was nominated for President of the United 
States. For this high office he was nominated July 
n, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at 
Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. 
Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, 
Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he 
was elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- 
lican statesman, James G. Elaine. President Cleve- 
land resigned his office as Governor of New York in 
January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as 
the Chief Executive of ihe United States, in which 
capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of 
March, 1885. 

The silver question precipitated a controversy 
between those who were in favor of the continu- 
ance of silver coinage and those who were opposed, 
Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, even before 
his inauguration. 

On June 2, 1886, President Cleveland married 
Frances, daughter of his deceased friend and 
partner, Oscar Folsom, of the Buffalo Bar. Their 
union has been blessed by the birth of one daugh- 
ter, Ruth. In the campaign of 1888, President 
Cleveland was renominated by his party, but the 
Republican candidate, Gen. Benjamin Harrison, 
was victorious. In the nominations of 1892 these 
two candidates for the highest position in the gift 
of the people were again pitted against each other 
and President Cleveland was victorious by an 
overwhelming majority. 



f the 

Of Illi 



TWENTY-THIRD PRESIDENT. 




'O+o-gfrW Mai V* 




ENJAMIN HARRISON, the 

twenty-third President, is 
the descendant of one of the 
historical families of this 
country. The head of the 
family was a Major General 
Harrison, one of Oliver 
Cromwell's trusted follow- 
ers and fighters. In the zenith of Crom- 
well's power it became the duty of this 
Harrison to participate m the trial of 
Charles I, and afterward tc sign the 
death warrant of the king. He subse- 
quently paid for this with his life, being 
hung Oct. 13, 1660. His descendants 
came to America, and the next of the 
family that appears in history is Benja- 
min Harrison, of Virginia, great-grand- 
father of the subject of this sketch, and 
after whom he was named. Benjamin Harrison 
was a member of the Continental Congress during 
the years 1774-5-6, and was one of the original 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. He 
W three times elected Governor of Virginia, 
^cn William Henry Harrison, the on of the 



distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a suo. 
cessful career as a soldier during the War of 1812, 
and with -a clean record as Governor of the North- 
western Territory, was elected President of the 
United States in 1840. His saroer was cut short 
by death within one month after liis inauguration. 
President Harrison was born at SToi*!i Bend. 
Hamilton Co., Ohio, Aug. 20, 18S3 His life up to 
the time of his graduation by the Miami University, 
at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a coun- 
try lad of a family of small means. His father was 
able to give him a good education, and nothing 
more. He became engaged while at college to the 
daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female schoo 
at Oxford. After graduating he determined to en- 
ter upon the study of the law. He went to Cin 
cinnati and then read law for two years. At the 
expiration of that time young Harrison received tt:. 
only inheritance of his life ; his aunt dying left him 
a lot valued at $800. He regarded this legacy as & 
fortune, and decided to get married at once, take 
this money and go to some Eastern town an '. be- 
gin the practice of law. He sold his lot, and with 
the money in his pocket, he started out witn hia 
young wife to fight for a place in the world He 



108 



BENJAMIN HARRISON 



decided to go to Indianapolis, which was even at 
that time a town of promise. He met with sliglit 
encouragement at first, making scarcely anything 
the first year. He worked diligently, applying him- 
self closely to his calling, built up an extensive 
practice and took a leading rank in the legal pro- 
fession. He is the father of two children. 

In 1860 Mr. Harrison was nominated for the 
position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- 
gan his experience as a stump speaker He can- 
vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by a 
handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 17th 
Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its Colonel. His 
regiment was composed of the rawest of material, 
but Col. Harrison employed all his time at first 
mastering military tactics and drilling his men, 
when he therefore came to move toward the East 
with Sherman his regiment was one of the best 
drilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he 
especially distinguished himself, and for his bravery 
at Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier Gen- 
eral, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most 
complimentary terms. 

During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the field 
the Supreme Court declared the office of the Su- 
preme Court Reporter vacant, and another person 
was elected to the position. From the time of leav- 
ing Indiana with his regiment until the fall or 1864 
he had taken no leave of absence, but having been 
nominated that year for the same office, he got a 
thirty-day leave of absence, and during that time 
made a brilliant canvass of the State, and was elected 
for another term. He then started to rejoin Sher- 
man, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet 
jever, and after a most trying siege made his way 
to the front in time to participate in the closing 
Incidents of the war. 

In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined r, re-election as 
reporter, and resumed the practice of law,, In 1876 
be was a candidate for Governor. Although de- 
feated, the brilliant campaign he made won i'or him 
a National reputation, and he was much sought, es- 
pecial.y in the East, to make speeches. In 1880, 
as usual, he took an active part in the campaign, 
and wai elected to the United States Senate. Here 
ic served six years, and \jas known as one ox the 
Ablest men, bebt lawyer' and strongest debaters in 



that body. With the expiration of his Senator: 
term he returned to the practice of his professio 
becoming the head of one of the strongest firms 
the State. 

The political campaign of 1 888 was one of tl 
most memorable in the history of our country. Tl 
convention which assembled in Chicago in June ai 
named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bear 
of the Republican party, was great in every parti 
ular, and on this account, and the attitude it a 
sumed upon the vital questions of the day, chi 
among which was the tariff, awoke a deep intere 
in the campaign throughout the Nation. Short' 
after the nomination delegations began to visit M 
Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This movi 
ment became popular, and from all sections of tl 
country societies, clubs and delegations journeye 
thither to pay their respects to the distinguishe 
statesman. The popularity of these was great! 
increased on account of the remarkable speechi 
made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke daily all throug 
the summer and autumn to these visiting delegi 
tions, and so varied, masterly and eloquent wei 
his speeches that they at once placed him in tl 
foremost rank of American orators and statesme; 

On account of his eloquence as a speaker and h: 
power as a debater, he was called upon at an ui 
commonly early age to take part in the discussio 
of the great questions that then began to agital 
the country. He was . an uncompromising ant: 
slavery man, and was matched against some of t~ 
most eminent Democratic speakers of his Stat. 
No man who felt the touch of his blade derred t 
be pitted with him again. With all his eloq -i enc 
as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effec 
but his words always went like bullets to the marl 
He is purely American in his ideas and is a spier 
did type of the American statesman. Gifted wit 
quick perception, a logical mind and a ready tongue 
he is one of the most distinguished im prompt 
speakers in the Nation. Many of these speeche 
sparkled with the rarest of eloquence and containei 
arguments of greatest weight. Many of his ters 
statements have already become aphorisms. Origl 
nal in thought, precise in logic, terse in statement 
yet withal faultless in eloquence, he is recognized a 
th sound statesman and briiuan orator o- tac di 



Ik* Librtr/ 
of tli 
f 




^9*+*' ~ 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





HADRACH BOND, the first 
Governor of Illinois after its 
organization as a State, serving 
from 1818 to 1822, was born in 
Frederick County, Maryland, 
in the year 1773, and was 
raised a farmer on his father's 
plantation, receiving or.ly a plain 
English education. He emigrated 
to this State in 1794, when it was a 
part of the "Northwest Territory," 
continuing in the vocation in which 
he had been brought up in his native 
State, in the " New Design," near 
Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe 
County. He served several terms as 
a member of the General Assembly 
of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such, 
and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth 
and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3, 
1812, and serving until Oct. 3, [814. These were 
ihe times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov- 
ernment had its last st r uggle with Great Britain. 
The year 1812 is also noted in the history of this 
State as that in which the first Territorial Legislature 
was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and 
adjourned Dec. 26, following. 

While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond 
was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-emp- 
tion on the public domain. On the expiration of his 
term at Washington he was appointed Receiver of 
Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of I lie 
Territory. In company with John G. Comyges, 



Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jones, 
Warren Brown. Edward Humphries and Charles W 
Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the 
initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor- 
able location at the junction of the two great 
rivers near the center of the Great West, would 
rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter- 
prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis- 
lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of 
Cairo. 

In 1818 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor 
of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6 
that year, which was several weeks before Illinois 
was- actually admitted. The facts are these: In 
January, 1818, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti- 
tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a 
State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The 
petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the 
State on the latitude of the southern extremity of 
Lake Michigan ; but the bill was afterward so amend- 
ed as to extend this line to its present latitude. In 
July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a 
constitution, which, however, was not submitted to 
the people. By its provisions, supreme judges, pros 
ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record- 
ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed 
by the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This 
constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At 
that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties, 
namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson, 
Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington 
and Franklin, the northern jxmion of the State be- 
ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears 
that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a 



SHADRACH BOND. 



county before he was elected Governor. The present 
county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80 
miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor 
the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and 
worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State 
is named. In this election there were no opposition 
candidates, as the popularity of these men had made 
their promotion to the chief offices of the Slate, even 
before the constitution was drafted, a foregone con- 
clusion. 

The principal points that excited the people in 
reference to political issues at this period were local 
or "internal improvements," as they were called, 
State banks, location of the capital, slavery and the 
personal characteristics of the proposed candidates. 
Mr. Bond represented the " Convention party," for 
introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias 
Kent Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc- 
Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led 
the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did 
not become very much excited over this issue until 
1820, when the famous Missouri Compromise was 
adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south 
of the parallel of 36 30' except in Missouri. While 
this measure settled the great slavery controversy, 
so far as the average public sentiment was tempor- 
arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed 
under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, the issue 
as considered locally in this State was not decided 
until 1824, after a most furious campaign. (See 
sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 1818 was a 
com promise one, Bond representing (moderately) the 
pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the anti-slavery. 

An awkward element in the Sta.te government 
under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec- 
tion of the State constitution. The Convention 
wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor 
of Public Accounts, but, as it was believed that the 
new Governor would not appoint him to the office, 
the Convention declared in a schedule that " an 
auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and 
such other officers of the State as may be necessary, 
may be appointed by the General Assembly." The 
Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint- 
ing power in the Governor ; but for the purpose of 
getting one man into office, a total change was made, 
and the power vested in the Legislature. Of this 
provision the Legislature took advantage, and de- 



clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners, 
bank directors, etc., were all " officers of the State '' 
and must therefore be appointed by itself independ- 
ently of the Governor. 

During Gov. Bond's administration a general law 
was passed for the incorporation of academies and 
towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of 
1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis- 
sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners 
appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the 
practicability and expediency of improving the navi- 
gation of the Wabash River; also inland navigation 
generally. Many improvements were recommended, 
some of which have been feebly worked at even till 
the present day, those along the Wabash being of no 
value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the 
capital of the State was removed from Kaskaskia to 
Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress 
authorizing this State to open a canal through the 
public lands. The State appointed commissioners 
to explore the route and prepare the necessary sur- 
veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution; 
but, being unable out of its own resources to defray 
the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned 
until some time after Congress made the grant of 
land for the purpose of its construction. 

On the whole, Gov. Bond's administration was 
fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from 
any party. In 1824, two years after the expiration 
of his term of office, he was brought out as a candi- 
date for Congress against the formidable John P. 
Cook, but received only 4,374 votes tc 7,460 for the 
latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but had made 
many fast friends by a judicious beciowment of his 
gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously 
for him in the campaign. 

In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by the Leg- 
islature, with Wm. P. McKee and Dr. Gershom 
Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni- 
tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton. 

Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis- 
position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- 
preciation of events. His person was erect, stand- 
ing six feet in height, and after middle life became 
portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were 
strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and 
eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died 
April n, 1830, in peace and contentment 



f the 
of Kiln* 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





DWARD COLES, second 
Governor of Illinois, 1823- 
6, was born Dec. 15, 1786, 
in Albemarle Co., Va., on 
the old family estate called 
"Enniscorthy," on the 
Green Mountain. His fath- 
er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the 
Revolutionary War. Having been fit- 
ted for college by private tutors, he 
was sent to Hampden Sidney, where 
he remained until the autumn of 1805, 
when he was removed to William and 
Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va. 
This college he left in the summer of 
1807, a short time before the final and graduating 
examination. Among his classmates were Lieut. 
Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Wm. S. Archer, 
United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice 
Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The 
President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was 
a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir- 
cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming 
personally acquainted with the President and re- 
ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15. 
The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir- 
ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old- 
fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by 
such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison, 
Monroe, the Randolphs, T azewell, Wirt, etc. At the 
age of 23, youno Loles found himself heir to a plant- 
ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever 
since his earlier college days his attention had been 
drawn to the ques'.io i of slavery. He read every- 



thing on the subject that came in his way, and 
listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more 
he reflected upon the subject, the more impossible 
was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration 
"that all men are born free and equal" with the 
practice of slave-holding. He resolved, therefore, to 
free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove 
his residence to a free State. One reason which de- 
termined him to accept the appointment as private 
secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed 
that through the acquaintances he could make at 
Washington he could better determine in what part 
of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he woulc 
prefer to settle. 

The relations between Mr. Coles and President 
Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished 
men, were of a very friendly character, arising from 
the similarity of their views on the question of slavery 
and their sympathy for each other in holding doc- 
trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti- 
ment in their own State. 

In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a 
portion of the following autumn in exploring the 
Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo- 
cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his 
negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with 
an extra man and horse for emergencies, through 
many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, 
determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time, 
however, a misunderstanding arose between our 
Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected 
to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear- 
ing important papers concerning the matter at issue 
The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex- 



,-,6 



EDWARD COLES. 



ander) of the error committed by his minister at 
Washington, and the consequent withdrawal of the 
the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles 
visited other parts of Europe, especially Paris, where 
he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette. 

In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his 
negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the 
intention of giving them their liberty. He did not 
make known to them his intention until one beautiful 
morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio 
River. He lashed all the boats together and called 
all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad- 
dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him- 
self that by a turn of a sentence he proclaimed in 
the shortest and fullest manner that they were no 
longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty 
to proceed with him or go ashore at their pleas- 
ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is 
best desciibed in his own language : 

" The effect upon them was electrical. They stared 
at me and then at each other, as if doubting the ac- 
curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless 
silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word, 
but with countenances beaming with expression which 
no words could convey, and which no language 
can describe. As they began to see the truth of 
what they had heard, and realize their situation, there 
came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After 
a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, bathed 
in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to 
their gratitude and implored the blessing of God 
on me." 

Before landing he gave them a general certificate 
of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu- 
larly with the law of this State requiring that each 
individual should have a certificate. This act of 
Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering 
the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding 
him, has challenged the admiration of every philan- 
thropist of modern times. 

March 5, 1819, President Monroe appointed Mr. 
Coles Registrar of the Land Office at Edwardsvihe, 
at that time one of the principal land offices in the 
State. While acting in this capacity and gaining 
many friends by his politeness and general intelli- 
gence, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in 
Illinois on the slavery quesiion culminated in the 
furious contest characterizing the campaigns and 
elections of 1822-4. In the summer of 1823, when a 
new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr. 
Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions, 
putting forward for the executive office Joseph 
Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C. 
Browne and Gen. James B. Moore, of the State Mil- 
itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr. 
Coles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns, 
succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural- 
ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of 



over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected 
by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech 
was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a 
wise expression of appropriate suggestions as to 
elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But 
he compromised not with evil. In his message to 
the Legislature, the seat of Government being then 
at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation of the 
modified form of slavery whn-.h then existed in this 
State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi- 
tion on this subject seems the more remarkable, when 
it is considered that he was a minority Governor, the 
population of Illinois being at that time almost ex- 
clusively from slave-holding States and by a large 
majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic 
of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course, 
a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority of 
them were led on by fiery men in denunciations of 
the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and 
deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the 
public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of 
mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence 
of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled 
and groaned and spat fire. 

The Constitution, not establishing or permitting 
slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be 
defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired 
a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub- 
mit a new Constitution; and the dominant politics 
of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven- 
tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people, 
Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address 
published by the latter party. This address revealed 
the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man- 
ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti- 
mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in 
which the Governor was placed at that time. 

Our hero maintained himself honorably and with 
supreme dignity throughout his administration, and 
in his honor a county in this State is named. He 
was truly a great man, and those who lived in 
this State during his sojourn here, like those who 
live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see 
and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them. 

Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop 
De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter 
of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry, 
who cam .J to this country with Wm. Penn in 1682. 

After the expiration of his term of service, Gov. 
Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup- 
erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond 
of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri- 
cultural society in the State. On account of ill 
health, however, and having no family to tie him 
down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities. 
About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel- 
phia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at 
Woodland, near that city. 



f the 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





' u 



INIAN EDWARDS, Governor 
from 1827 to 1 830, was a son 
of Benjamin Edwards, and 
was born in Montgomery 
County, Maryland, in March, 
1775. His domestic train- 
as well fitted to give 
his mind strength, firmness and 
honorable principles, and a good 
foundation was laid for the elevated 
character to which he afterwards 
attained. His parents were Bap- 
tists, and very strict in their moral 
principles. His education in early 
youth was in company with and 
partly under the tuition of Hon. Wm. 
Wirt, whom his father patronized 
and who was more than two years 
older. An intimacy was thus 
formed between them which was lasting for life. He 
was further educated at Dickinson College, at Car- 
lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but 
before completing his course he moved to Nelson 
County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to 
purchase homes and locate lands for his brothers and 
sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute 
companions, and for several years led the life of a 
spendthrift. He was, however, elected to the Legis- 
lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson 
bounty before he was 2 1 years of age, and was re- 
lected by an almost unanimous vote. 




In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the 
following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes- 
see. About this time he left Nelson County for 
Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his 
dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and 
devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He 
then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon 
became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years 
he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge 
of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of 
the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State, 
all before he was 32 years of age! In addition, in 
r8o2, he received a commission as Major of a battal- 
ion of Kentucky militia, and in 1804 was chosen a 
Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton 
ticket. In 1806 he was a candidate for Congress, 
but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of 
Appeals. 

Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in 
the spring of 1809, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief 
Justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, received 
from President Madison the appointment as Gover- 
nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date 
April 24, 1809. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in 
June, and on the i ith of that month took the oath of 
office. At the same time he was appointed Superin- 
tendent of the United States Saline, this Government 
interest then developing into considerable proportions 
in Southern Illinois. Although during the first three 
years of his administration he had the power to make 
new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he always 
allowed the people of each county, by an informal 



NINIAN EDWARDS. 



vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili- 
tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward 
United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed 
by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of 
the Territory, which office was accepted for a short 
time only. 

The Indians in 1810 committing sundry depreda- 
tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from 
the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol- 
lowed between the respective Governors concerning 
the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav- 
ages at Peoria in 1812, and a fresh interpretation of 
the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de- 
predations, and was not re-settled for many .years 
afterward. 

As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in 
1812, he was re-appointed for another term of three 
years, and again in 1815 for a third term, serving 
until the organization of the State in the fall of 1818 
and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time 
ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States 
Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As 
Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and 
acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that 
came up in that body, being well posted, an able de- 
bater and a conscientious statesman. He thought 
seriously of resigning this situation in 1821, but was 
persuaded by his old friend, Wm. Wirt, and others to 
continue in office, which he did to the end of the 
term. 

He was then appointed Minister to Mexico by 
President Monroe. About this time, it appears that 
Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of 
Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States 
Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi- 
dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of 
his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in 
order fully to investigate the charges. The result 
was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards. 

Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws," 
disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and 
;he State of Illinois during the whole of his career in 
:his commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main- 
tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important 
actor in the great struggle which ended in a victory 
for his parfy in 1824. 

In i826--7 the Winnebago and other Indians com- 
mitted some depredations in the northern part of the 



State, and the white settlers, who desired the lands 
and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu- 
ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of 
the aborigines and thereby produced a hostility be- 
tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war, 
known in history as the "Winnebago War." A few 
chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson 
succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief, 
and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at 
least until the troubles commenced which ended in 
the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre- 
tation of treaties and execution of their provisions 
Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The 
Indians kept themselves generally within the juris- 
diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor, 
Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor- 
respondence with him was difficult or impossible. 
Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to 
the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to hava 
been very efficient and satisfactory. 

For a considerable portion of his time after his re- 
moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his 
farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with 
horses, cattle and sheep from Kentucky, also with 
fruit-trees, grape-vines and shrubbery. He estab- 
lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively 
in mercantile business, having no less than eight or ten 
stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding 
the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur- 
chased the goods himself with which to supply the 
stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi- 
cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex- 
tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and 
taking care of, the sick, generally without charge. 
He was also liberal to the poor, several widows and 
ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him 
even for their homes. 

He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in 
1803, and they became the affectionate parents of 
several children, one of whom, especially, is well' 
known to the people of the " Prairie State," namely, 
Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Superintendent c' 
Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield 
Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas- 
kaskia from 1809 to 1818; in Edwardsville (named 
after him) from that time to 1824; and from the lat- 
ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his 
death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards 
County is also named in his honor. 



of the 
of 



GO VERNGRS OF ILLINOIS. 





OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831- 
4, was born in Montgomery Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788. 
His father, Robert Reynolds and 
i mother, nee Margaret Moore, 
were both natives of Ireland, from 
which country they emigrated to 
the United States in 1785, land- 
ing at Philadelphia. The senior 
Reynolds entertained an undying 
hostility to the British Govern- 
ment. When the subject of this 
sketch was about six months old, 
his parents emigrated with him to 
Tennessee, where many of their 
relatives had already located, at the base of the 
Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of 
the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex- 
posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest- 
ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior 
of the State. They were poor, and brought up their 
children to habits of manual industry. 

In 1800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with 
eight horses and two wagons, encountering many 
Hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed 
the most of his childhood, while his character began 
to develop, the most prominent traits of which were 
ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle 
and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating 
liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal, 



this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of 
the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest 
of Edwardsville. 

On arriving at his 2oth year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing 
that he must look about for his own livelihood and 
not yet having determined what calling to pursue, 
concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly 
went to such an institution of learning, near Knox- 
ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his 
diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of 
his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered 
wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a 
shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself 
into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of 
Knoxville! He attended college nearly two years, 
going through the principal Latin authors ; but it 
seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern 
times, had but very little use for his Latin in after 
life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good 
degree of literary discipline. He commenced the 
study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble 
came on and compelled him to change his mode 
of life. Accordingly he returned home and re- 
cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and 
law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of r8i2 he was 
admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this time 
he also learned the French language, which he 
practiced with pleasure in conversation with his 
family for many years. He regarded this language 
as being superior to all others for social intercourse. 



JOHN REYNOLDS. 



From his services in the West, in the war of 1812, 
he obtained the sobriquet of the " Old Ranger." He 
was Orderly Sergeant, then Judge Advocate. 

Mr. Reynolds opened his first law office in the 
winter and spring of 1814, in the French village of 
Cahokia, then the capital of St. Clair County. 

In the fall of 1818 he was elected an Associate 
Justice upon the Supreme Bench by the General 
Assembly. In r825 he entered more earnestly than 
ever into the practice of law, and the very next year 
was elected a member of the Legislature, where he 
acted independently of all cliques and private inter- 
ests. In 1828 the Whigs and Democrats were for 
the first time distinctively organized as such in Illi- 
nois, and the usual party bitterness grew up and 
raged on all sides, while Mr. Reynolds preserved a 
Judicial calmness and moderation. The real animus 
.if the campaign was " Jackson " and " anti-Jackson," 
'he former party carrying the State. 

In August, 1830, Mr. Reynolds was elected Gov- 
anor, amid great excitement. Installed in office, he 
did all within his power to advance the cause of edu- 
cation, internal improvements, the Illinois & Mich- 
igan Canal, the harbor at Chicago, settling the coun- 
try, etc.; also recommended the winding up of the 
State Bank, as its affairs had become dangerously 
complicated. In his national politics, hr was a 
moderate supporter of General Jackson. But the 
most celebrated event of his gubernatorial admin- 
istration was the Black Hawk War, which occurred 
in 1832. He called out the militia and prosecuted 
the contest with commendable diligence, appearing 
in person on the battle-grounds during the most 
critical periods. He was recognized by the President 
as Major-General, and authorized by him to make 
treaties with the Indians. By the assistance of the 
general Government the war was terminated without 
much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This 
war, as well as everything else, was materially re- 
tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the 
West. This was its first appearance here, and was 
the next event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds' 
term. 

South Carolina nullification coming up at this time, 
t was heartily condemned by both President Jackson 
and Gov. Reynolds, who took precisely the same 
grounds as the Unionists in the last war. 

On the termination of his gubernatorial term in 
-834, Gov. Reynolds was elected a Member of Con- 
gress, still considering himself a backwoodsman, as 
e had scarcely been outside of the State since he 
became of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful 
iays v. the wildest region of the frontier. His first 
nove in Congress was to adopt a resolution that in 
all elections made by the House for officers the votes 
should be given viva wee, each member in his place 
naming aloud the person for whom he votes. This 
created considerable heated discussion, but was es- 



sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin- 
ciple for many years. The ex Governor was scarcely 
absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses- 
sions of Congress, covering a period of seven years, 
and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed 
to get the Democratic party to foster his " National 
Road" scheme. He says, in "My Own Times" (a 
large autobiography he published), that it was only 
by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in 
Washington. During liis sojourn in that city he was 
married, to a lidy of the place. 

In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company 
with a few others, he built the first railroad in the 
Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long, 
leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to 
the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Having not 
the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it 
by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com- 
pany sold out, at great sacrifice. 

In 1839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the 
Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow 
money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord' ngly, he 
repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining 
a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth 
of what was wanted. The same year he and his 
wife made at our of Europe. This year, also v JMr. 
Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility 
of introducing to President Van Buren the noted 
Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day 
Saint!" 

In 1846 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of 
the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu 
larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter 
for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis, 
a distance of nearly r4 miles. This was immediately 
built, and was the first road of the kind in the State. 
He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when 
he was chosen Speaker of the House. In 1860, aged 
and infirm, he attended the National Democratic 
Convention a'. Charleston, S. C , as an anti-Douglas 
Delegate, where he received more attention from the 
Southern Delegates than any other member. He 
supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After 
the October elections foreshadowed the success of 
Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo- 
crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi- 
ately preceding and during the late war, his corre- 
spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern 
secession, and about the first of March, i86r, he 
urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the 
treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal 
at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative 
man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch- 
words that ever gained currency, besides many cun- 
ning and odd ones of his own manufacture. 

He was married twice, but had no children. He 
died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close 
of the war. 



f th, 

of I 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 




a fn 




ILLIAM LEE D. EWING, 
Governor of Illinois Nov. 3 
to 17, 1834, was a native 
of Kentucky, and probably 
of Scotch ancestry. He had 
ne education, was a gentle- 
man of polished manners and 
refined sentiment. In 1830 John Rey- 
nolds was elected Governor of the State, 
and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor, 
and for the principal events that followed, 
and the characteristics of the times, see 
sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we 
see in history concerning Mr. Ewing, in- 
_ forms us that he was a Receiver of Public 
Moreys at Vandalia soon after the organization of 
thin State, and that the public moneys in his hands 
v.'ere deposited in various banks, as they are usually 
r,r UK /resent day. In 1823 the State Bank was 
obbed,. by which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand- 
dollar deposit. 

The subject of this sketch had a commission as 
Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies 
n<? acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832, 
<vhen i was rumored among the whites that Black 
Hawk ar.d his men had encamped somewhere on 
Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of 
reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians 
from the State. After some opposition from his 
subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed up 
Rock River in search of the enemy. On the igth of 
'uly, early in the morning, five baggage wagons. 



camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti- 
cles were piled up and left, so that the army might 
make speedy and forced marches. For some miles 
the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps 
and the worst thickets ; but the large, fresh trail 
gave life and animation to the Americans. Gen. 
Dodge and Col. Ewing were both acting as Majors, 
and composed the " spy corps " or vanguard of the 
army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50 
miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed 
became fresher, and was strewed with much property 
and trinkets of the red-skins that they had lost or 
thrown away to hasten their march. During the 
following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and 
the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor- 
oughly drenched. 

On approaching nearer the Indians the next day. 
Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a 
battalion of men, were placed in front to bring on the 
battle, but the savages were not overtaken this day 
Forced marches were continued until they reached. 
Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued, 
resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's 
men. The next day they continued the chase, and 
as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians 
leading toward the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed 
his battalion in order of battle and awaited the order 
of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the 
ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted 
in chasing the red warriors across the great river. 
Maj. Esving and his command proved particularly 
efficient in war, as it seems they were the chief actors 
in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in- 



is8 



WILLIAM L. D. EWING. 



eluding Black Hawk himself, across the Mississippi, 
while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex- 
pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for 
them in another direction. 

In the above alTair Maj. Ewmg is often referred to 
as a " General," which title he had derived from his 
connection with the militia. 

It was in the latter part of the same year (1832) 
that Lieutenant Governor Casey was elected to Con- 
gress and Gen. Ewing, who had been elected to the 
Senate, was chosen to preside over that body. At 
the August election of 1834, Gov. Reynolds was also 
elected to Congress, more than a year ahead of the 
time at which he could actually take his seat, as was 
then the law. His predecessor, Charles Slade, had 
just died of Asiatic cholera, soon after the elec- 
tion, and Gov. Reynolds was chosen to serve out his 
unexpired term. Accordingly he set out for Wash- 
ington in November of that year to take his seat in 
Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virtue of his office as 
President of the Senate, became Governor of the 
State of Illinois, his term covering only a period of 
15 days, namely, from the 3d to the iyth days, in- 
clusive, of November. On the lyth the Legislature 
met, and Gov. Ewing transmitted to that body his 
message, giving a statement of the condition of the 
affairs of the State at that time, and urging a contin- 
uance of the policy adopted by his predecessor ; and 
on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan 
was sworn into office, thus relieving Mr. Ewing from 



the responsible situation. This is the only time that 
such a juncture has happened in the history of Illi- 
nois. 

On the 29th of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was 
elected a United States Senator to serve out the 
unexpired term of Elias Ken: Kane, deceased. The 
latter gentleman was a very prominent figure in the 
early politics of Illinois, and a county in this State is 
named in his honor. The election of Gen. Ewing to 
the Senate was a protracted struggle. His competi- 
tors were James Semple, who afterwards held several 
important offices in this State, and Richard M. 
Young, afterward a United States Senator and a 
Supreme Judge and a man of vast influence. On 
the first ballot Mr. Semple had 25 votes, Young 19 
and Ewing 18. On the eighth ballot Young was 
dropped ; the ninth and tenth stood a tie ; but on 
the 1 2th Ewing received 40, to Semple 37, and was 
accordingly declared elected. In 1837 Mr. Ewinr; 
received some votes for a continuance of his term in 
Congress, when Mr. Young, just referred to, was 
elected. In 1842 Mr. Ewing was elected State 
Auditor on the ticket with Gov. Ford. 

Gen. Ewing was a gentleman of culture, a lawyer 
by profession, and was much in public life. In person 
he was above medium height and of heavy build, 
with auburn hair, blue eyes, large-sized head and 
short face. He was genial, social, friendly and 
affable, with fair talent, though of no high degree of 
originality. He died March 25, 1846. 




Tfclftrvy 

tf the 

<**r*Jty of Ililnw. 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





OSEPH DUNCAN, Governor 
1834-8, was born at Paris, 
Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At the 
tender age of 19 years he en- 
listed in the war against Great 
Britain, and as a soldier he 
[uitted himself wiih credit. He 
5 an Ensign under the daunt- 
3 Croghan at Lower Sandusky, 
Fort Stephenson. In Illinois 
rst appeared in a public capa- 
city as Major-General of the Militia, 
a position which his military fame 
had procured him. Subsequently 
he became a State Senator from 
Jackson County, and is honorably 
mentioned for introducing the first bill providing for 
a free-school system. In 1826, when the redoubt- 
able John P. Cook, who had previously beaten such 
men as John McLean, Elias Kent Kane and ex- 
Gov. Bond, came up for the fourth time for Congress, 
Mr. Duncan was brought forward against him by his 
friends, greatly to the surprise of all the politicians. 
As yet he was but little known in the State. He was 
an original Jackson man at that time, being attached 
to his political fortune in admiration of the glory of 
his militaiy achievements. His chances of success 
against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless, 
hut he entered upon the campaign undaunted. His 
speeches, though short and devoid of ornament, were 
full of good sense. He made a diligent canvass of 
the State, Mr. Cook being hindered by the condition of 
his health. The most that was expected of Mr. 
Duncan, under the circumstances, was that he would 



'obtain a respectable vote, but without defeating Mr. 
Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was a 
source of surprise and amazement to both friends 
and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahead! 
He received 6,321 votes, and Mr. Cook 5,680. Un- 
til this denouement, the violence of party feeling 
smoldering in the breasts of the people on account 
of the defeat of Jackson, was not duly appreciated. 
Aside from the great convention struggle of 1824, no 
other than mere local and penonal considerations 
had ever before controlled an election in Illinois. 

From the above date Mr. Duncan retained his 
seat in Congress until his election as Governor in 
August, 1834. The first and bloodless year of the 
Black Hawk War he was appointed by Gov. Rey- 
nolds to the position of Brigadier-General of the 
volunteers, and he conducted his brigade to Rock 
Island. But he was absent from the State, in Wash- 
ington, during the gubernatorial campaign, and did 
not personally participate in it, but addressed circu- 
lars to his constituents. His election was, indeed, 
attributed to the circumstance of his absence, be- 
cause his estrangement from Jackson, formerly his 
political idol, and also from the Democracy, largely 
in ascendency in the State, was complete ; but while 
his defection was well known to his Whig friends, 
and even to the leading Jackson men of this State, 
the latter were unable to carry conviction of that fact 
to the masses, as mail and newspaper facilities at 
that day were far inferior to those of the present 
time. Of course the Governor was much abused 
afterward by the fossilized Jackson men who re- 
garded party ties and affiliations as nbove all 
other issues that could arise ; but he was douotless 



JOSEPH DUNCAN. 



sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter 
.;ad vetoed several important western measures 
which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural 
message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand 
tigainst the course of the President. The measures 
te recommended in his message, however, were so 
desirable that the Legislature, although by a large 
majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain 
from endorsing them. These measures related 
mainly to bar.ks and internal improvements. 

It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the 
people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in- 
ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank- 
"upted the State. The hard times of 1837 came on, 
and the disasters that attended the inauguration of 
ihese plans and the operation of the banks were mu- 
tually charged upon the two political parties. Had 
any one man autocratic power to introduce and 
carry on any one of these measures, he would proba- 
bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public; 
but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow 
handle, no success followed and each blamed the other 
for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan 
was carried along, suffering the like derogation of 
character with his fellow citizens. 

At the height of the excitement the Legislature 
" provided for " railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton 
to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the 
eastern boundary of the State in the direction of 
Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabash, 
Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, in all 
about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the 
improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia, 
Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ; 
also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis- 
.ributed to the various counties wherein no improve- 
ments were ordered to be made as above. The 
estimate for the expenses for all these projects was 
placed at a little over $10,000,000, which was not 
more ihan half enough! That would now be equal to 
saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000 ! It 
was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times 
over, even counting all the possible benefits. 

One of the most exciting events that ever occurred 
in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love- 
ioy in the fall of r837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's 
term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist," 
editing the Observer at that place, and the pro- 
slavery slums there formed themselves into a mob, 



and after destroying successively three presses be- 
longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse 
where the fourth press was stored away, endeavoring 
to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends 
were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the 
brave reformer! 

About this time, also, the question of removing the 
State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for 
its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close. 
There was, of course, considerable excitement over 
the matter, the two main points competing for it be- 
ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat- 
ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully 
allayed. 

Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842 
he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu- 
tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam 
W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the 
Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi- 
date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died 
before the campaign had advanced very far, and his 
party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected 
receiving 46,9or votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and 
909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success 
at this time is mainly attributed to the temporary 
support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the 
want o.' any knowledge, on the part of the masses, 
that Mr. Ford was opposed to any given policy en- 
tertained in the respective localities. 

Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa- 
tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited 
greatly by his various public services, and gathered 
a store of knowledge regarding public affairs which 
served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear 
judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral 
courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his 
deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira- 
tion of the people. His intercourse with them was 
both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov- 
ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was 
made, represents him as having a swarthy complex- 
ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing blaci; 
eyes and straight black hair. 

He was a liberal patron of the Illinois College at 
Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and 
died, after a short illness, Jan. i;, 1844, a devoted 
member of the Presbyterian Church, leaving a wife 
but no children. Two children, born to them, had 
died in infancy. 



ft* libra* 

fib 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





[HOMAS CARLIN, the sixth 
Governor of the State of 
Illinois, serving from 1838 
to 1842, was also a Ken- 
tuckian, being born near 
Frankfort, that State, July 
18, 1789, of Irish paternity. 
The opportunities for an education 
being very meager in his native 
place, he, on approaching years of 
judgment and maturity, applied 
himself to those branches of learn- 
ing that seemed most important, 
and thus became a self-made man ; 
and his taste for reading and 
study remained with him through 
life. In 1803 his father removed 
to Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he 
died in 1810. 

In 1812 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici- 
pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the 
war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un- 
daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca 
Huitt, and lived for four years on the bank of the 
Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Mis- 
sc.,vi, where he followed farming, and then removed 
to Greene County. He located the town site of Car- 
re- 'ton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal 
donation of land for county building purposes. He 
was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate 
organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a 
Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the 
Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a 
post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap- 
pointed by President Jackson to the position of 
Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office 



more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy. 

While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal improvement 
system of the State was in full operation, with all its 
expensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions 
throughout the United States, a great stringency in 
the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds 
forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest 
times " existing that the people of the Prairie State 
ever saw, the general election of State officers was 
approaching. Discreet men who had cherished the 
hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua- 
tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and 
Legislature were to be elected, and these were now 
looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State 
policy. But the grand schema had not yet lost its 
dazzling influence upon the minds of the people. 
Time and experience had not yet fully demonstrated 
its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting 
its career of profligate expenditures did not become 
a leading one with the dominant party during the 
camp.iign, and most of the old members of the Leg 
islature were returned at this election. 

Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State 
Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the 
office of Govjrnor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten- 
ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed- 
wards, brotherof Ninian Edwards, formerly Governor, 
and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly 
for a continuance of the State policy, while Catii^ 
remained non-committal. This was the first time 
that the two main political parties in this State were 
unembar-assed by any third party in the field. The 
result of the election was: Carlin, 35,573; Ander- 
son, 30,335 ; Edwards, 29,629 ; and Davidson, 28,- 
7t.S- 

Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature 
(1839), the retiring Governor CDuncan) in his rues- 



THOMAS CARLIN. 



sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the 
internal improvement system, presaging the evils 
threatened, and uiged that body to- do their utmost 
to correct the great error ; yet, on the contrary, the 
Legislature not only decided to continue the policy 
but also added to its burden by voting more appro- 
priations and ordering more improvements. Although 
the money market was still stringent, a further loan 
of $4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich- 
igan Canal alone. Ch'cago at that time began to 
loom up and promise to be an important city, even 
the great emporium of the West, as it has since in- 
deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe- 
tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan, 
and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons- 
ible errand, and negotiated the loans, at considera- 
ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment 
to Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de- 
clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary 
of State until a vacancy existed, and A. P. Field, a 
Whig, who had already held the post by appointment 
Jirough three administrations, was determined to 
keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car- 
lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in 
this regard, however, was finally sustained by the 
Supreme Court, in a quo warranto ease brought up 
before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov- 
ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that 
dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!" 
endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure 
of office. 

A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici- 
ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges 
were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas 
Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B. 
Scales, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas- 
all Democrats. 

It was during Cov. Carlin's administration that the 
noisy campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc- 
curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however, 
did net affect Illinois politics very seriously. 

Another prominent event in the West during Gov. 
Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by 
the Mcrmons and their removal from Independence, 
Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time 
they began to figure somewhat in State polirics. On 
account of their believing as they thought, accord- 
ing to the New Testament that they should have 



" all things common," and that consequently " all 
the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's " 
and therefore the property of his " saints," they 
were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing 
many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that 
were so rife throughout this country in those days. 
Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the 
Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of 
Missouri the Mormons always supported the Dem- 
ocracy until they were driven out by the Democratic 
government, when they turned their support to the 
Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the 
Legislature of 1840-1, therefore, it became a matter 
of great interest with both parties to conciliate these 
people. Through the agency of one John C. Ben- 
nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing 
through the Legislature (both parties not daring to 
oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir- 
tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed- 
eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the 
Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov. 
Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader, 
as a fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued tlvj 
writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved. 
It was again issued in 1842, and Smith was arrested, 
but was either rescued by his followers or discharged 
by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus. 

In December, 1841, the Democratic Convention 
nominated Adam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov- 
ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla- 
ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter 
naturally turned their support to the Democratic 
party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex- 
Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime 
the Mormons began to grow more odious to the 
masses of the people, and the comparative prospects 
of the respective parties for success became very 
problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and 
Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as 
a candidate, and was elected. 

At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin 
removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where 
he spent the remainder of his life, i.z before his ele- 
vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 18/^9 
he served out the unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the 
Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4, 
1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife 
and seven children. 



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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



139 





HOMAS FORD, Governor 
from 1842 to 1846, and au- 
thor of a very interesting 
history of Illinois, was born 
at Uniontown, Pa., in the 
year 1 800. His mother, after 
the death of her first hus- 
band (Mr. Forquer), married Rob- 
ert Ford, who was killed in 1802, 
by the Indians in the mountains 
of Pennsylvania. She was conse- 
quently left in indigent circum- 
stances, with a large family, mostly 
girls. With a view to better her 
condition, she, in 1804, removed to 
Missouri, where it had been cus- 
tomary by the Spanish Govern- 
ment to give land to actual settlers ; but upon her 
arrival at St. Louis she found the country ceded to 
the United States, and the liberal policy toward set- 
tlers changed by the new ownership. After some 
sickness to herself and family, she finally removed to 
Illinois, and settled some three miles south of Water- 
loo, but the following year moved nearer the Missis- 
sippi bluffs. Here young Ford received his first )' 



schooling, under the instructions of a M*. Humphrey, 
for which he had to walk three miles. His mother, 
though lacking a thorough education, was a woman 
of superior mental endowments, joined to energy, 
and determination of character. She inculcated in 
her children those high-toned principles which dis- 
tinguished her sons in public life. She exercised a 
rigid economy to provide her children an education ; 
but George Forquer, her oldest son (six years older 
than Thomas Ford), at an early age had to quit 
school to aid by his labor in the support of the family. 
He afterward became an eminent man in Illinois 
affairs, and but for his early death would probably 
have been elected to the United States Senate. 

Young Ford, with somewhat better opportunities, 
received a better education, though limited to the 
curriculum of the common school of those pioneer 
times. His mind gave early promise of superior en- 
dowments, with an inclination for mathematics. His 
proficiency attracted the attention of Hon. Daniel P. 
Cook, who became his efficient patron and friend, 
The latter gentleman was an eminent Illinois states- 
man who, as a Member of Congress, oDtamedagrant 
of 300,000 acres of land to aid in completing the 
Illinois & Michigan Canal, and after whom the 
county of Cook was named. Through the advice of 



THOMAS FORD. 



this gentleman, Mr. Ford turned his attention to the 
study of law; but Forquer, then merchandising, re- 
garding his education defective, sent him to Transyl- 
vania University, where, however, he remained but 
one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On 
his return he alternated his law reading with teach- 
ir.g school for supix>rt. 

In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed him Prosecuting 
Attorney, and in 1831 he was re-appointed by Gov. 
Reynolds, and after that he was four times elected a 
Judge by the Legislature, without opposition, twice a 
Circuit Judge, once a Judge of Chicago, and as As- 
sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 1841, 
the latter tribunal was re-organized by the addition 
of five Judges, all Democrats. Ford was assigned to 
the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and while in this capacity 
he was holding Court in Ogle County he received a 
notice of his nomination by the Democratic Conven- 
tion for the office of Governor. He immediately re- 
signed his place and entered upon the canvass. In 
August, 1842, he was elected, and on the 8th of De- 
cember following he was inaugurated. 

All the offices which he had held were unsolicited 
by him. He received them upon the true Jefferson- 
ian principle, Never to ask and never to refuse 
office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he stood 
deservedly high, but his caU of intellect fitted him 
rather for a writer upon law than a practicing advo- 
cate in the courts. In the latter capacity he was void 
of the moving power of eloquence, so necessary to 
success with juries. As a Judge his opinions were 
"jound, lucid and able expositions of the law. In 
practice, he was a stranger to the tact, skill and in- 
sinuating address of the politician, but he saw through 
:he arts of demagogues as will as any man He was 
plain in his demeanor, so much so, indeed, that at 
one time after the expiration of his term of office, 
during a session of the Legislature, he was taken by 
a stranger to be a seeker for the position of door- 
keeper, and was waked upon at his hotel near mid- 
night by a knot of small office-seekers with the view 
of effecting a " combination ! " 

Mr. Ford had not the " brass " cf the ordinary 
politician, nor that impetuosity which characterizes a 
political leader. He cared little for money, and 
hardly enough for a decent support. In person he 
was of small stature, slender, of dark complexion, 
with black hair, sharp features, deep-set eyes, a 
pointed, aquiline nose having a decided twist to one 
side, and a small mouth. 

The three most important events in Gov. Ford's 
r.dir.inistration were the establishment of the high 
financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and 
the Mexican War. 

In the first of these the Governor proved himself 
to be eminently wise. On coming into office he found 
the State badly paralyzed by the ruinous effects of 
the notorious "internal improvement" schemes of 



the preceding decade, with scarcely anythi,:.; {-. 
show by way of "improvement." The enterprise 
that seemed to be getting ahead more than all the 
rest was the Illinois & Michigan Canal. As ilvis 
promised to be the most important thoroughfare, 
feasible to the people, it was well under headway in 
its construction. Therefore the State policy wa; 
almost concentrated upon it, in order to rush it on te 
completion. The bonded indebtedness of the State 
was growing so large as to frighten the people, and 
they were about ready to entertain a proposition for 
repudiation. But the Governor had the foresight to 
recommend such measures as would maintain the 
public credit, for which every citizen to-day feels 
thankful. 

But perhaps the Governor is remembered more for 
his connection with the Mormon troubles than for 
anything else; for it was during his term of office 
that the " Latter-Day Saints " becam? so strong at 
Nauvoo, built their temple there, increased their num- 
bers throughout the count-y, committed misdemean- 
ors, taught dangerous doctrines, suffered the loss of 
theirleader, Jo Smith, by a violent death, were driven 
out of Nauvoo to the far West, etc. Having been a 
Judge for so many years previously, Mr. Ford of 
course was non-committal concerning Mormon affairs, 
and was therefore claimed by both parties and also 
accused by each of sympathizing too greatly with the 
other side. Mormonism claim! ag to be a system of 
religion, the Governor no doubt was ".between two 
fires," and felt compelled to touch the matter rather 
" gingerly," and doubtless felt greatly relieved when 
th.it pestilential people left the State. Such compli- 
cated matters, especially when religion is mixed up 
with them, expose every person participating in 
them to criticism from all parties. 

The Mexican War was begun in the spring of 
1845, and was continued into the gubernatorial term 
of Mr. Ford's su.cessor. The Governor's connection 
with this war, however, was not conspicuous, as it 
was only administrative, commissioning officers, etc. 

Ford's " History of Illinois " is a vay readable and 
entertaining work, of 450 small octavo pages, and is 
destined to increase in value with the lapse of time. 
It exhibits a natural flow of compact and forcible 
thought, never failing to convey the nicest sense. In 
tracing with his trenchant pen the deviousoperations 
of the professional politician, in which he is inimit- 
able, his account is open, perhaps, to the objection 
that all his contemporaries are treated as mere place- 
seekers, while many of them have since been judged 
by the people to be worthy statesmen. His writings 
seem slightly open to the criticism that they exhibit 
a little splenetic partiality against those of his con- 
temporaries who were prominent during his term of 
office as Governor. 

The death of Gov. Ford took place at Peoria, 111., 
Nov. 2, 1850. 



Ik Library 
f the 
of Uth 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 




Augustus c. French. 




-K- 



: UGUSTUS C. FRENCH, 
Governor of Illinois from 
1846 to 1852, was born in 
the town of Hill, in the 
State of New Hampshire, 
Aug. 2, 1808. He was a 
descendant in the fourth 
generation of Nathaniel 
French, who emigrated from England 
in 1687 and settled in Saybury, Mass. 
In early life young French lost his 
father, but continued to receive in- 
struction from an exemplary and 
Christian mother until he was 19 years 
old, when she also died, confiding to 
his care and trust four younger broth- 
ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with 
parental devotion. His education in early life was 
such mainly as a common school afforded. For a 
brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but 
from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers 
and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently 
read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and 
shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at 
Albion, Edwards County, where he established him- 
self in the practice of law. The following year he 
removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained 
eminence in his profession, and entered public life 
by representing that county in the Legislature. A 
strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste- 
phen A. Douglas. 

In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of 
the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw- 
ford County, at which place he was a resident when 



elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was 
a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for 
James K. Polk. 

The Democratic State Convention of 1846, meet- 
ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French 
for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were 
Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of 
Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scales. 
Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, an array of 
very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per- 
haps defeated in the Convention by the rumor that 
he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, 
as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant 
Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi- 
dates were Lewis Ross, Wrn. McMurtry, Newton 
Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and W. W. Thompson. The 
resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita- 
tion of the old State Banks. 

The Whigs, who were in a hopeless minority, held 
their convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected 
Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor, 
and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for 
Lieutenant Governor. 

In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's 
record and connection with the passage of the in- 
ternal improvement system, urging it against his 
election ; but in the meantime the war with Mexico 
broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un- 
popular in this State. The war was the absorbing 
and dominating question of the period, sweeping 
every other political issue in its course. The elec- 
tion in August gave Mr. French 58,700 votes, and 
Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Eells, Abolitionist 
candidate for the same office, received 5,152 votws. 



AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH. 



By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for 
State officers was ordered in November of that year, 
before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was 
re-elected for the term of four years. He was there- 
fore the incumbe.it for six consecutive years, the 
only Governor of this State who has ever served in 
that capacity so long at one time. As there was no 
organized opposition to his election, he received 67,- 
453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the 
first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V. 
Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for 
James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of 
Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in 
place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected 
and did not run again. 

Governor French was inaugurated into office dur- 
ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed 
during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of 
Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2, 
1848. The policy of Gov. French's party was com- 
mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair 
he was, of course, only an administrative officer. 
During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla- 
ture, by special permission of Congress, declared that 
all Government lands sold to settlers should be im- 
mediately subject to State taxation; before this they 
were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar- 
rangement the revenue was materially increased. 
About the same time, the distribution of Government 
-and warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty 
threw upon the market a great quantity of good 
lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State. 
The same Legislature authorized, with the recom- 
mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern 
Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the 
first in the State and now a section of the Wabash, 
St. Louis & Pacific). It sold for $100,000 in bonds, 
although it had cost the State not less than a million. 
The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve 
in Gallatin County, granted by the general Govern- 
ment to the State, were also authorized by the 
Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In 
1850, for the first time since 1839, the accruing State 
revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was 
sufficient to meet the current demands upon the 
treasury. The aggregate taxable property of the 
State at this time was over $100,000,000, and tha 
population 851470. 



In 1849 the Legislature adopted the township or- 
ganization law, which, however, proved defective, 
and was properly amended in 1851. At its session 
in the latter year, the General Assembly also passed 
a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions 
This beneficent measure had been repeatedly arge<J 
upon that body by Gov. French. 

In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com- 
menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of 
their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississippi 
in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking 
away from them as it sometimes threatened to do. 
This they undertook without permission from the 
Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and 
as many of the inhabitants there complained that 
the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable 
land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re- 
sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; r.nd since 
then a good site has existed there for a city (East St. 
Louis), and now a score of railroads center there. 

It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted 
to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of 
the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
which constituted the most important epoch in the 
railroad we might say internal improvement his- 
tory of the State. The road was rushed on to com- 
pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in- 
terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi- 
zens, and by the charter a. good income to the State 
Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road. 

In 1851 the Legislature passed a law authorizing 
free stock banks, which was the source of much leg- 
islative discussion for a number of years. 

But we have not space further to particularize 
concerning legislation. Gov. French's administra- 
tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised, 
while the country was settling up as never before. 

In stature, Gov. French was of medium height, 
squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy face 
and pleasant countenance. In manners he was 
plain and agreeable. By nature he was somewhat 
diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con- 
victions of duty. In public speech he was not an 
orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In 
business he was accurate and methodical, and in his 
administration he kept up the credit of the State. 

He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St 
Clair Co., HI. 



fc Llfcf.r, 

f the 

Of Ilitr,;,.. 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





j:OEL A. MATTESON, Governor 
1 85 3-6, was born Aug. 8, 1808, 
in Jefferson County, New York, 
to which place his father had re- 
moved from Vermont three years 
before. His father was a farmer 
in fair circumstances, but a com- 
mon English education was all 
that his only son received. Young 
Joel first tempted fortune as a 
small tradesman in Prescott, 
Canada, before he was of age. 
He returned from that place to 
his home, entered an academy, 
taught school, visited the prin- 
cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had 
given him, made a tour in the South, worked there 
in building railroads, experienced a storm on the 
Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern 
Georgia, and returned via Nashville to St. Louis and 
through Illinois to his father's home, when he mar- 
ried. In 1833, having sold his farm, he removed, 
with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered 
a claim on Government land near the head of Au 
Sable River, in what is now Kendall County. At 
that time there were not more than two neighbors 
within a range of ten miles of liis place, and only 
three or four house; between him and Chicago. He 
opened a large farm. His family was boarded 12 



miles away while he erected a house on his claim, 
sleeping, during this time, under a rude pole shed. 
Here his life was once placed in imminent peril by 
a huge prairie rattlesnake sharing his bed. 

In 1835 he bought largely at the Government land 
sales. During the speculative real-estate mania which 
broke out in Chicago in 1836 and spread over the State, 
he sold his lands under the inflation of that period 
and removed to Joliet. In 1838 he became a heavy 
contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon 
the completion of his job in 1841, when hard times 
prevailed, business at a stand, contracts paid in State 
scrip; when all the public works except the canal 
were abandoned, the State offered for sale 700 tons 
of railroad iron, which was purchased by Mr. Mat- 
teson at a bargain. This he accepted, shipped and 
sold at Detroit, realizing a very handsome profit, 
enough to pay off all his canal debts and leave him a 
surplus of several thousand dollars. His enterprise 
next prompted him to start a woolen mill at Joliet, 
in which he prospered, and which, after successive 
enlargements, became an enormous establishment. 

In 1842 he was first elected a State Senator, but, 
by a bungling apportionment, j'c'in Pearson, a Senator 
holding over, was found to be in the same district, 
and decided to be entitled to represent it. Mat- 
teson's seat was declared vacant. Pearson, however 
with a nobleness difficult to appreciate in this day of 



i 4 8 



JOEL A. MATTESON. 



greed for office, unwilling to represent his district 
under the circumstances, immediately resigned his 
unexpired term of two years. A bill was passed in a 
few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days' 
time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took 
his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity 
as a business man, he was made Chairman of the 
Committee on Finance, a position he held during 
this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms, 
discharging its important duties with ability and faith- 
fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest, 
when work was resumed on the canal under the new 
ioan of $1,600,000 he again became a heavy con- 
tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in 
building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most 
energetic and thorough business man. 

He was nominated for Governor by the Demo- 
cratic State Convention which met at Springfield 
April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con- 
vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of 
Cook ; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of 
Menard; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton; and D. P. Bush, 
of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom- 
inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices 
the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A. 
Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at 
the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408. Mat- 
teson's forte was not on the stump; he had not cul- 
tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being 
all things to all men. His intellectual qualities took 
rather the direction of efficient executive ability. His 
turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage- 
ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov- 
ernmental principles, as in those more solid and 
enduring operations which cause the physical devel- 
opment and advancement of a State, of commerce 
and business enterprise, into which he labored with 
success to lead the people. As a politician he was 
just and liberal in his views, and both in official and 
private life he then stood untainted and free from 
blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social 
rirtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or 
citizen, he had few superiors. His messages present 
a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the 
State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant 
diction. 

The greatest excitement during his term of office 
was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, by Con- 



gress, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas in 
1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Terri- 
tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of 
the Whig party of the North, through their bitter op- 
position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted 
into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what 
was temporarily called the " And- Nebraska " party, 
while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne- 
braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this 
embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham 
Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska" 
candidate for the United States Senatorship, while 
Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom- 
inated by the Democrats. But after a fewballotings 
in the Legislature (1855), these men were dropped, 
and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, 
was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson, 
then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot 
Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac- 
cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson s 
term expired, the Republicans were fully organized 
as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a 
full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but 
not the nation. 

The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import- 
ant measures, the present free-school system and a 
submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the 
people. The latter was defeated by a small majority 
of the popular vote. 

During the four years of Gov. Matteson s admin- 
istration the taxable wealth of the State was about 
trebled, from $137,818.07910 $349,951,272; the pub- 
lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,- 
T44; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the 
State resumed paying interest on its debt in New 
York as fast as it fell due ; railroads were increased 
in their mileage from something less than 400 to 
about 3.000 ; and the population of Chicago was 
nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad- 
rupled. 

Before closing this account, we regret that we have 
to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an 
upright man and a good Governor, was implicated 
in a false re-issue of redeemed canai scrip, amount- 
ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir- 
cuit Court the State recovered the principal and a.11 
the interest excepting $27,500. 

He died in the winter of 1872-3, at Chicago. 



f the 



GO VEKNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov- 
ernor 1857-60, was born 
April 25, i8n, in the 
State of New York, near 
Painted Post, Yates County. 
His parents were obscure, 
honest, God-fearing people, 
who reared their children under the daily 
example of industry and frugality, accord- 
ing to the custom of that class of Eastern 
:iety. Mr. Bissell received a respecta- 
ble but not thorough academical education. 
By assiduous application he acquired a 
knowledge of medicine, and in his early 
manhood came West and located in Mon- 
roe County, this State, where he engaged in the 
practice of that profession. But he was not enam- 
ored of his calling: he was swayed by a broader 
ambition, to such an extent that the mysteries of the 
healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him 
further any charms. In a few years he discovered 
liis choice of a profession to be a mistake, and when 
he approached the age of 30 he sought to begin 
anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him- 
self, discovered a singular facility and charm of 
speech, the exercise of which acquired for him a 
ready local notoriety. It soon came to be under- 



stood that he desired to abandon his profession and 
take up that of the law. During terms of Court he 
would spend his time at the county seat among the 
members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready 
welcome. 

It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift 
into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem- 
ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and 
was an efficient member of that body. On his re- 
turn home he qualified himself for admission to the 
Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo- 
cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a 
pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures, 
clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly 
humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible 
effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut- 
ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and 
in that position he fully discharged his duty to the 
State, gained the esteem of the Bar, and seldom 
failed to convict the offender of the law. 

In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and 
with a straight, military bearing, he presented a dis- 
tinguished appearance. His complexion was dark, 
his head well poised, though not large, his address 
pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary 
in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent. 
He was twice married, the first time to Miss James, 



'5* 



WILLIAM H. BISSELL. 



of Monroe County, by whom he bad two children, 
both daughters. She died soon after the year 1840, 
and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter 
of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator 
from this State. She survived him but a short time, 
and died without issue. 

When the war with Mexico was declared in 1846, 
Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his 
regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost 
unanimous vote, 807 to 6. Considering the limited 
opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of 
military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista 
he acquitted himself with intrepid and distinguished 
ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second 
Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver- 
ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely 
contested battle. 

After his return home, at the close of the war, he 
was elected to Congress, his opponents being the 
Hons. P. B.'Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served 
two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician. 
During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor 
of the adjustment measures; but in 1854 he opposed 
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and 
therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Douglas, and 
thus became identified with the nascent Republican 
party. 

During his first Congressional term, while the 
Southern members were following their old practice 
of intimidating the North by bullying language, 
and claiming most of the credit for victories in the 
Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the 
Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena 
Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern 
troops; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel, 
which was accepted. This matter was brought up 
against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor 
and during his term of office, as the Constitution of 
this State forbade any duelist from holding a State 
office. 

In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth 
a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the 
United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell 
for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy, 
for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi- 
nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of Adams County, 
for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook 
County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the 



election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard- 
son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a 
ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal- 
anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor. 
His message to the Legislature was short and rather 
ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup- 
posed obligations of the people to the incorporators 
of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re- 
opening the slavery question by allusions to the 
Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion- 
ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was 
passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor 
at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious 
debate followed, and the question whether the Gov- 
ernor had the authority to recall a signature was 
referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in 
favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another 
outrageous attempt was made for a re-apportionment 
and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature 
failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor. 

It was during Gov. Bissell's administration that 
the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light; 
implicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent 
State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat- 
ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except- 
ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.) 

In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu- 
lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and 
thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a 
million dollars. The State Government was impli- 
cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex- 
plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other 
matters previously mentioned, Gov. Bissell has been 
severely criticised, and he has also been most shame- 
fully libelled and slandered. 

On account of exposure in the army, the remote 
cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance 
into his system and eventually developed paraplegia, 
affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left 
his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco- 
motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was 
generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste- 
rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its 
stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18, 
1860, over nine months before the expiration of his 
gubernatorial term, at the early age of 48 years. He 
died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, of 
which he har\ been a member since 1854. 



f the 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



'55 





HN WOOD, Governor 1860-1, and 
the first settler of Quincy, 111., 
was born in the town of Sempro- 
nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co., 
N. Y., Dec. 20, 1798. He was 
the second child and only son of 
Dr. Daniel Wood. His mother, 
nee Catherine Crause, was of 
German parentage, and died 
while he was an infant. Dr. 
Wood was a learned and skillful 
physician, of classical attain- 
ments and proficient in several 
modern languages, who, after 
serving throughout the Revolu- 
tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted 
him by the Government, and resided there a re- 
spected and leading influence in his section until his 
death, at the ripe age of 92 years. 

The subject of this sketch, impelled by the spirit 
of Western adventure then pervading everywhere, 
left his home, Nov. 2, 1818, and passed the succeed- 
ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum- 
mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown, 
and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun 
County. In 1820, in company with Willard Keyes, 
he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast 
of Quincy, where for the next two years he pursued 
farming. In 1821 he visited "the Bluffs" (as the 
present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited) 
and, pleased with its prospects, soon after purchased 
a quarter-section of land near by, and in the follow- 
ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin, 



1 8 x 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which 
he then became the first and for some months the 
only occupant. 

About this time he visited his old friends in Pike 
County, chief of whom was William Ross, the lead- 
ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that 
county, which was thought then to be the possible 
commencement of a city. One day they and others 
were traveling together over the country between thq 
two points named, making observations on the com- 
parative merits of the respective localities. On ap- 
proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place, 
the latter told his companions to follow him and he 
would show them where he was going to build a city. 
They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high 
point, from which the view in every direction was 
most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet 
untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept 
by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by 
navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at 
length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross 
replied, " But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to 
anything!" 

Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a 
city of over 30,000 population. 

In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice, 
as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply 
to the General Assembly for the formation of a new 
county. This was done the following winter, result- 
ing in the establishment of the present Adams 
County. During the next summer Quincy was se- 
lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then 
containing but four adult male residents and half 



JOHN WOOD. 



that number of females. Sinoe that period Mr. 
Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un- 
til his death, and far more than any other man was 
he identified with every measure of its progress and 
history, and almost continuously kept in public posi- 
tions. 

He was one of the early town Trustees, and after 
the place became a city he was often a member of 
the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the 
face of a constant large opposition political majority. 
In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856, 
on the organization of the Republican party, he was 
chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the 
ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the 
death of the latter, March 18, 1860, he succeeded to 
the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until 
Gov. Yates was inaugurated neariy ten months after- 
ward. 

Nothing very marked characterized the adminis- 
tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam- 
paign of 1860, resulting in the election of the honest 
Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the 
United States, occurred during the short period 
while Mr. Wood was Governor, and the excitement 
and issues of that struggle dominated over every 
other consideration, indeed, supplanted them in a 
great measure. The people of Illinois, during all 
that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes 
under Bissell's administration to the overwhelming 
issue of preserving the whole nation from destruction. 

In 1861 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele- 
gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at 
Washington, and in April of the same year, on the 
breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed 



Quartermaster-General of the State, which position 
he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com- 
mand as Colonel of the i37th 111. Vol. Inf., with 
whom he served until the period of enlistment ex- 
pired. 

Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi- 
fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few 
men have in personal experience comprehended so 
many surprising and advancing local changes as 
vested in the more than half century recollections of 
Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler 
on the "Bluffs," with no family, and no neighbor 
within a score of miles, the world of civilization away 
behind him, and the strolling red-man . almost his 
only visitant, he lived to see growing around him, 
and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the 
wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second 
only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in 
beauty, prosperity and promise ; whose people recog- 
nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and 
liberality that attach to the name and lengthened 
life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor." 

Gov. Wood was twice married, first in January, 
1826, to Ann M. Streeter, daughter of Joshua Streeter, 
formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had 
eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in 
June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow 
of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4, 
1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight 
children are now living, namely: Ann E., wife of 
Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C., who married Mary J. 
Abernethy ; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner, 
and Joshua S., who married Annie Bradley. The 
last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and 
all the rest are still at Quincy. 




of the 

of I 




ilCHARD YATES, the "War , 
Governor," 1861-4, was born j 
Jan. 18, 1818, on the banks of 
the Ohio River, at Warsaw, 
Gallatin Co., Ky. His lather 
moved in i83T to Illinois, and ) 
after stopping for a time in 
Springfield, settled at .Island 
Grove, Sangamon County. Here, 
after attending school, Richard joined 
the family. Subsequently he entered 
Illinois College at Jacksonville, 
where, in 1837, he graduated with 
first honors. He chose for his pro- 
fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har- 
din being his instructor. After ad- 
mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an 
advocate. 

Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon 
appeared in the political hustings, and, being a 
passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the 
West. Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to 
-he party of his idol. In 1840 he engaged with great 
<: r dor in the exciting " hard cider " campaign for 
-farrison. Two years later he was elected to the 
Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic 
stronghold. He served three or four terms in the 
Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora- 
r>ry that by 1850 his large Congressional District, 
extending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties 
i orth to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him 
trie Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic 
opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop- 
lar man who had won distinction at the battle of 
Cerro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had 
aeaten Hon. Stephen T. Logan for the same position, 



two years before, by a large majority. Yates wa? 
elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over 
John Calhoun. 

It was during Yates second term in Congress that 
the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com- 
promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re- 
opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took 
strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became 
identified with the rising Republican party. Conse- 
quently he fell into the minority in his district, which 
was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest; he 
fell behind Major Harris only 200 votes, after the 
district had two years before given Pierce 2,000 
majority for President. 

The Republican State Convention of r86o met at 
Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov- 
ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B. 
Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming- 
ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were 
also candidates before the Convention. Francis A. 
Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for 
Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr. 
Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re- 
membered as characterized by the great whirlpool 
which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion. 
The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen cf 
Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross, 
of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The 
Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party 
had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear- 
ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr. 
Yates T72,i96 votes, and Mr, Allen 159,253. Mr. 
Yates received over a thousand more votes than did 
Mr. Lincoln himself. 

Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the 



RICHARD YA TES. 



most critical period of our country's history. In the 
fate of the nation was involved that of each State. 
The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance 
from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates 
seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself 
both loyal and wise in upholding the Government. 
He ha* a deep hold upon the affections of the 
people, won by his moving eloquence and genial 
manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of pre- 
possessing appearance, with a winning address and a 
magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele- 
ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and 
captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they 
were transported. He was social and convivial. In 
the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far. 

The very creditable military efforts of this State 
during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the 
field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers, 
were ever promptly and ably seconded by his excel- 
lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of 
"the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battle of 
Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look 
after the wounded, and his appeals for aid were 
promptly responded to by the people. His procla- 
mations calling for volunteers were impassionate 
appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re- 
quirements of patriotism; and his special message 
in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State 
pleading for material aid for the sick and wounded 
soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor 
of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in 
beauty or felicity of expression. Generally his mes- 
sages on political and civil affairs were able and com- 
prehensive. During his administration, however, 
there were no civil events of an engrossing character, 
although two years of his time were replete with 
partisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar- 
rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton 
County, attempted suppression of'the Chicago Times 
and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of 
1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting 
during the Governor's term. This Convention assem- 
bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high position that 
'he law calling it was no longer binding, and that it 
ad supreme power; that it represented a virtual 
assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was 
sovereign in the exercise of all power necessary to 
effect a peaceable revolution of the State Government 



and to the re-establishment of one for the " happiness, 
prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only 
by the Federal Constitution. Notwithstanding the 
law calling the Convention required its members to 
take an oath to support the Constitution of the State 
as well as that of the general Government, they 
utterly refused to take such oath. They also as- 
sumed legislative powers and passed several import- 
ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present 
executive duties, Gov. Yates was "revoked to tell 
them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right 
of the Convention to instruct him in the performance 
of his duty." 

In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats 
by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after 
a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to 
waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and, 
while the two houses were disagreeing upon the 
question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having 
the authority in such cases, surprised them all by 
adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the 
first Monday in January, 1865 ! " This led to great 
excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the 
Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in 
his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive 
abuse for weeks and months afterward. 

During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de- 
tected at Chicago which had for its object the liber- 
ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the 
burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion 
in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the 
camp at the time, first had his suspicions of danger 
;iroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters 
which passed through the Camp postoffice. A de- 
tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen. 
Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed 
name, and he, with other rebel officers Grenfell, 
Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles 
Walsh was arrested, most of whom were convicted 
by a court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to 
imprisonment, Grenfell to be hung. The sentence 
of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison- 
ment for life, and all the others, after nine months' 
imprisonment, were pardoned. 

In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was appointed a Gov 
eminent Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in 
which, office he continued until his decease, at St. 
Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following. 



Tk. Ubw, 

of the 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



,63 





ilCHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov- 
ernor 1865-8, and re-elected 
in 1872 and 1884, was born 
July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co., 
Ky., the State which might 
be considered the " mother of 
Illinois Governors." Bereft of 
his parents at the tender age 
of eight years, his early education 
was neglected. When 12 years of 
age, and after he had worked a year 
and a half at the carpenter's trade, 
he removed with an uncle, Willis 
Oglesby, into whose care he had 
been committed, to Decatur, this 
State, where he continued his ap- 
prenticeship as a mechanic, working six months for 
Hon. E. O. Smith. 

tn 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring- 
field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him 
one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and 
commenced the practice of his chosen profession at 
Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County. 

The next year the war with Mexico was com- 
menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered, 
was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois 
Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat- 
tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. 

On his return he sought to perfect his law studies 
by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but 
on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in 
1849, he crossed the plains and mountains to the 
new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com- 



pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader. 

In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and 
was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket 
of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe, 
Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his 
return home he resumed the practice of law, as a 
member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby. 
In 1858 he was the Republican nominee for the 
Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the 
Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In 1860 he 
was elected to the Illinois State Senate ; and on the 
evening the returns of this election were coming in, 
Mr. Oglesby had a fisticuff encounter with " Cerro 
Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious, 
and which was regarded as " the first fight of the 
Rebellion." The following spring, when the war 
had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature 
quickly responded to the demands of patriotism and 
he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature 
elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry, 
the second one in the State raised to suppress the 
great Rebellion. 

He was shortly entrusted with important com- 
mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point 
and Cairo ; in April he was promoted Brigadier Gen~ 
eral ; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van, 
being stationed on the right of General Grant's army 
and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500 
men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these 
men were from Macon County. He was engaged in 
the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this 
place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball, 
and was carried from the field in expectation of ina- 



i6 4 



RICHARD J. OGLESBY. 



mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this 
day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as 
Major General, for gillantry, his commission to rank 
from November, 1862. In the spring of 1863 he 
was assigned to the command of the i6th Army 
Corps, but, owing to inability from the effects of his 
wound, he relinquished this command in July, that 
year. Gen. Grant, however, refused to accept his 
resignation, and he was detailed, in December follow- 
ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeon General of 
the Army at Washington, where he remained until 
May, 1864, when he returned home. 
The Republican, or Union, State Convention of 

1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr. 
Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor, 
while other candidates before the Convention were 
Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois, of Sanga- 
mon, and John M. Palmer, of Macoupin. Wm. 
Bross, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant 
Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were 
James C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S. 
Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Lieutenant Governor. 
The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority 
of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a 
majority in both the Legislature and in the repre- 
sentation in Congress. 

Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, r865_ 
The day before the first time set for his installation 
death visited his home at Decatur, and took from it 
his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of six 
years, a great favorite of the bereaved parents. This 
caused the inauguration to be postponed a week. 

The political events of the Legislative session of 

1865 were the election of ex-Gov. Yates to the 
United States Senate, and the ratification of the 131)1 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 
abolishing slavery. This session also signalized 
itself by repealing the notorious " black laws," part 
of which, although a dead letter, had held their place 
upon the statute books since 1819. Also, laws re- 
quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a 
State Board of Equalization, were passed by this Leg- 
islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor- 
ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted 
some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota- 
bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse 
railway, granted in 1859 for 25 years, and now 
sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure 
was promptly passed over his veto by both branches 
of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to 
attempt to check their headlong career. At this 
session no law of a general useful character or public 
interest was perfected, unless we count such the 
turning over of the canal to Chicago to be deepened. 
The session of 1867 was still more productive of 
private and special acts. Many omnibus bills were 
proposed, and some passed. The contests over the 
.ocation of the Industrial College, the Capital, the 



Southern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement 
and Illinois River improvement, dominated every- 
thing else. 

During the year 1872, it became evident that if 
the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the 
office of Governor, they could also elect him to the 
United States Senate, which they desired to do. 
Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu- 
tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with him for 
Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook 
County. On the other side the Democrats put into 
the field Gustavus Koerner for Governor and John 
C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election 
gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from 
35'334 to 56,174, the Democratic defection being 
caused mainly by their having an old-time Whig and 
Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket 
for President. According to the general understand- 
ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature met 
it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate, 
whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena- 
tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having 
served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of 
statesmanship beyond criticism. 

During the campaign of 1884 Mr. Oglesby was 
nominated for a "third term" as Executive of the 
State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor 
of Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both 
gentlemen " stumped " the State, and while the peo- 
ple elected a Legislature which was a tie on a join': 
ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the 
jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of I5,or8 for Gov- 
ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The 
Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on 
account of its equal division between the two main 
parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each 
party to checkmate the latter in the organization of 
the House. 

Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with 
regular, well defined features and rotund face. In 
stature he is a little above medium height, of a large 
frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear- 
ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight- 
out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are weli. 
calculated favorably to impress the average masses. 
Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol- 
icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism 
among Republicans, while at the same time his iovia. 
and liberal manner prevents those of the opposite 
party from hating him. 



He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe- 

ent, passionate and scornful tone and gestures. 

tremendous physical power, which in speaking he 



exercises to the utmost ; with frequent descents to 
the grotesque; and with abundant homely compari- 
sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest 
vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphasis, 
he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure, 



TWUbrary 

of the 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





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)HN Me AULEY PALMER, Gov- 
ernor 1869-72, was born on 
Eagle Creek, Scott Co., Ky., 
Sept. 13, 1817. During his in- 
fancy, his father, who had been 
a soldier in the war of 1812, re- 
moved to Christian Co., Ky., 
where lands were cheap. Here 
the future Governor of the great 
Prairie State spent his childhood 
and received such meager school- 
ing as the new and sparsely set- 
tled country afforded. To this 
he added materially by diligent 
reading, for which he evinced an 
eaily aptitude. His father, an ardent Jackson man, 
was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which 
he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 1831 
he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County. 
Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for 
about two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's 
mother broke up the family. About this time Alton 
College was opened, on the "manual labor " system, 
and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his 
elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained 
1 8 months. Next, for over three years, he tried 
variously coopering, peddling and school-teaching. 

During the summer of 1838 he formed the ac- 
quaintance of Stephen A. Douglas, then making his 



first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in 
political accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi- 
dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The 
following winter, while teaching near Canton, he be- 
gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading 
of la iv, and in the spring entered a law office at Car- 
linville, making his home with his elder brother, 
Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con- 
siderable orginality of thought and doctrine.) On 
the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad- 
mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners. 
He was not immediately successful in his profession, 
and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville 
had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty 
was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes 
the success of his life. 

From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his 
profession, he participated more or less in local 
politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In 
1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con 
vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 IK 
was elected to the State Senate, and at the special 
session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slaverj 
sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in op 
position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, 
and when the Nebraska question became a party 
issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for th< 
Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuin; 
a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward. 



j68 



JOHN MC AULEY PALMER. 



however, hesitating to break with his party, he par- 
ticipated in a Congressional Convention which nomi- 
T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which 
unqualifiedly approved the principles of the Kansas- 
Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made 
the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat, and was elected. The following winter 
he put in nomination for the ^United States Senate 
Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men 
who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their 
support and elected their man. 

In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State 
Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in 
1859, but was defeated. In 1860 he was Republican 
Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861 
he was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re- 
publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at 
Washington. 

When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his 
services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the 
:4th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements 
at Island No. 10; at Fartr.ington, where he skillfully 
extricated his command from a dangerous position ; 
at Stone River, where his division for several hours, 
Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a 
rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major 
General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's 
divisions for two hours maintained their position 
when they were cut off by overpowering numbers. 
Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the i4th 
Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign. 
At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert 
disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as- 
signed to the military administration of Kentucky, 
which was a delicate post. That State was about 
half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter 
element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves. 
He, who had been bred to the rules of common law, 
trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary 
power over the persons and property of his fellow 
men, with which he was vested in his capacity as 
military Governor ; and he exhibited great caution in 
the execution of the duties of his post. 

Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi- 
nois by the Republican State Convention which met 
at^Peoru May 6, 1868, and his nomination would 
probably have been made by acclamation had he not 
persistently declared that he could not accept a can- 



didature for the office. The result of the ensuing 
election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over 
John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee. 

Oa the mseting of the Legislature in January, 
1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was 
that portion of the Governor's message which took 
broad Slate's rights ground. This and some minor 
points, which were more in keeping with the Demo- 
cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge f jr 
the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received 
from the Republican party, and ultimately resulted 
in his entire aleniation from the latter element. The 
Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro- 
duction of numerous bills in the interest of private 
parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor. 
Among the public acts passed was that which limited 
railroad charges for passenger Iravel to a maximum 
of three cents per mile ; and it was passed over the 
Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto, 
the "tax-grabbing law" to pay r^.ilrocd subscriptions, 
the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State 
Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a 
peaceful " revolution" which took place during Gov. 
Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the 
great Chicago Fire of October, 187 1, was greatly 
alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency. 

Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers's term, he has 
been somewhat prominent in Illinois politics, and 
has been talked of by many, especially in the Dem- 
ocratic party, as the best man in the State for a 
United States Senator. His business during life has 
been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate 
appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles. 
The great number of his able veto messages abun- 
dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to 
point them out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner 
and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker, 
though not fluent or ornate. Without brilliancy, his 
dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with 
appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot 
and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is 
above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy 
complexion and sanguine-nervous temperament. He 
has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social 
in disposition, easy of approach, unostentatious in his 
habits of life, democratic in his habits and manners 
and is a true American in his fundamental principle.' 
of statesmanship. 



Tk Library 

of the 
Unvrtlty ol 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



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OHN LOWRiE BEVER- 
IDGE, Governor 187 3-6, was 
born in the town of Green- 
wich, Washington Co., N. Y., 
July 6, 1824. His parents 
j|l* were George and Ann Bever- 
idge. His father's parents, An- 
drew and Isabel Beveridge, be- 
fore their marriage emigrated 
from Scotland just before the 
Revolutionary War, settling in 
Washington County. His father 
was the eldest of eight brothers, the 
youngest of whom was 60 years of 
age when the first one of the num- 
ber died. His mother's parents, 
James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated 
from Scotland at the close of the 
Revolutionary War, settling also in 
Washington Co., N. Y., with their 
first-born, whose " native land "was 
the wild ocean. His parents and 
grandparents lived beyond the time 
allotted to man, their average age 
being over 80 years. They belonged to the "Asso- 
ciate Church," a seceding Presbyterian body of 



America from the old Scotch school ; and so rig'd 
was the training of young Beveridge that he never 
heard a sermon from any other minister except that 
of his own denomination until he was in his igth 
year. Later in life he became a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still 
holds. 

Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed- 
ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood 
only by rigid economy and industry, could not send 
him away to college. He was raised upon a farm, 
and was in his i8th year when the family removed 
to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was 
very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000 
inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a 
farm laborer, teaching school during the winter 
months to supply the means of an education. In the 
fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at 
Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several 
terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris, 
Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At 
this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers 
were anxious to have him go to college, even though 
he had not money sufficient; but, n ,t willing to bur- 
den the family, he packed his trunk and with only 
$40 in money started South to seek his fortune 



JOHN L. BE VE RIDGE. 



Poor, alone, without friends and influence, he thus 
entered upon the battle of life. 

First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and 
Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under- 
went considerable mental drill, both in book studies 
and in the ways of the world. He read law and was 
admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn 
to love the institution of slavery, although he ad- 
mired many features of Southern character. In De- 
cember, 1847, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 1848, 
he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark- 
Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at that 
time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring 
of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee, 
where his two children, Alia May and Philo Judson, 
were born. 

In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement 
of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu- 
lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to 
earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb 
Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro- 
fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival 
from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in 
money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself 
and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced 
iaw, worked in public offices, kept books for some of 
the business men of the town, and some railroad en- 
gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed 
to Evanston, 1 2 miles north of Chicago, a place then 
but recently laid out, under the supervision of the 
Northwestern University, a Methodist institution. 
Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial 
agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge 
prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law 
office in Chicago, where he found the battle some- 
what hard; but he persevered with encouragement 
and increasing success; 

Aug. 12, 1861, his law partner, Gen. John F. 
Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment of 
cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a 
company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais- 
ing the company, of course enlisting himself along 
with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles, 
111., was mustered in Sept. 1 8, and on its organiza- 
tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at- 
tached, Oct. n, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the 
Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment 
until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat- 



tles and skirmishes : was at Fair Oaks, the seven days 
fight, around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- 
ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment 
the greaterpart of the summer of 1863, and it was while 
lying in camp this year that he originated the policy 
of encouraging recruits as well as" the fighting capac- 
ity of the soldiery, by the wholesale furlough system. 
It worked so well that many other officers adopted 
it. In the fall of this year he recruited another com- 
pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was 
commissioned Colonel of the I7th 111. Cav., and 
skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the 
reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's 
army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various 
sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered 
out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and 
a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men 
idolized him. 

He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with 
no library and no clientage, and no political experi- 
ence except to help others into office. In the fall of 
1866 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving 
one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced 
law and closed up the unfinished business of his 
office. He was then elected State Senator; in No- 
vember, 1871, he was elected Congressman at large; 
in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesby; the latter be- 
ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became 
Governor, Jan. 21, 1873. Thus, inside of a few 
weeks, he was Congressman at large, Lieutenant 
Governor and Governor. The principal events oc- 
curring during Gov. Beveridge's administration were: 
The completion of the revision of the statutes, begun 
in 1869; the partial success of the "farmers' move- 
ment;" " Haines' Legislature " and Illinois' exhibit at 
the Centennial. 

Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov. 
Beveridge has been a member of the firm of Bever- 
idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers in commercial 
paper at 71 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block), 
Chicago, and since November, 1881, he has also been 
Assistant United States Treasurer' office in the 
Government Building. His residence is still at Ev- 
anston. 

He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in 
De Kalb County James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet 
Henry and Mrs. Isabel French. 



TWUbnry 

f the 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover- 
nor 1877-83, ib the sixth child 
of the late Richard N. Cullom, 
and was bom Nov. 22, 1829, in 
Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa- 
ther then resided, and whence 
both the Illinois and Tennessee 
branches of the family originated. In 
the following year the family emi- 
grated to the vicinity of Washington, 
Tazewell Co., 111., when that section 
was very sparsely settled. They lo- 
cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at 
the time occupied by a party of In- 
dians, attracted there by the superior 
hunting and fishing afforded in that 
vicinity. The following winter was 
known as the " hard winter," the snow ^being very 
deep and lasting and the weather severely cold; and 
the family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or 
hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In 
the course of time Mr. R. N. Cullom became a prom- 
inent citizen and was several times elected to the 
Legislature, both before and after the removal of the 
capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about 
8?3- 

Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up 

to agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had 

ipportunity during the winter. Within this time, 

ov/ever, he spent several months teachin" school. 



and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with 
an ox team for the neighbors, With the money ob- 
tained by these various ventures, he undertook a 
course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a 
Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County; 
but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu- 
dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken 
home, being considered in a hopelesa condition. While 
at Mt. Morris he heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make 
his first speech. 

On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to 
study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln, 
at Springfield, who had by this time attained some 
notoriety as an able lawyer; but the latter, being ab- 
sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr. 
Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards. 
After about a year of study there, however, his health 
failed again, and he was obliged to return once more 
to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs for 
packing, for A. G. Tyng, in 1'eoria, and while he re- 
gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in 
a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he 
went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City 
Attorney, on the Anti-Nebraska ticket. 

In 1856 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi- 
dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as 
such, he was at the same time elected a Representa- 
tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a 
local coalition of the American and Republican par- 
ties. On the organization of the House, he received 
the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. Practicing 



i 7 6 



SHELB Y M. CULLOM. 



law until 1 860, he was again elected to the Legisla- 
ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo- 
cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow- 
ing he was elected Speaker, probably the youngest 
man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis- 
lature. After the session of 1 86 1, he was a candidate 
for the State Constitutional Convention called for 
that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the 
disgrace of being connected with that abortive party 
scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In 
1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but 
was defeated. The same year, however, he was ap- 
pointed by President Lincoln on a Government 
Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of 
Massachusetts and Cnarles A. Dana, since of the 
New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the 
Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at 
Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty. 

In 1864 he enteied upon a larger political field, 
being nominated as the Republican candidate for 
Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in 
opposition to the incumbent, JohnT. Stuart, who had 
been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over 
Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago. 
The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem- 
ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he 
was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by 
the magnificent majority of 4,103! In 1868 he was 
again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards, 
another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes. 

During his first term in Congress he served on the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expenditures in 
the Treasury Department; in his second term, on 
the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ; 
arid in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of 
Ohio, to the Chairmanship of the latter.. He intro- 
duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of 
law in Utah, which caused more consternation among 
the Mormons than any measure had previously, but 
which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the 
Senate. 

The Republican Convention which met May 25, 
1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the 
other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten- 
ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor 
of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the 
Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists, 
olaced in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy 



farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The 
result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom 
obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated 
Jan. 8, 1877. 

Great depression prevailed in financial circles at 
this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of 
1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed 
to gather force from that time to the end of Gov. 
Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative 
period was not calculated to call forth any new 
issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time I 
put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that ) 
had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring 
classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East 
St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring 
men for a short time refused to work or allow others 
to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and 
the wheels of industry again set in motion. 

In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by ] 
the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by the 
Democrats; and although the former party was some- I 
what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous ; 
faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant 
men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected 
by about 314,565, to 277,532 for the Democratic State 
ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was 
about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again 
became Republican, and no representative of the 
Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov. 
Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, iS8i. In his mes- 1 
sage he announced that the last dollar of the State j 
debt had been provided for. 

March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United 
States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul- 
lo n was chosen to succeed him. This promoted 
Lisutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov- 
ernorship. Senator Cullom's tenn in the United 
States Senate will expire March 4, 1889. 

A.S a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member 
of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring- 
field; and he has also been President of the State 
National Bank. 

He has been married twice, the first time Dec. 
ii!, 1855, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had 
tv*o daughters; and the second time May 5, 1863, 
to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is p, member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr. 
C. is also in sympathy. 



Tfet librae, 
f the 

Of HlllHN. 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





OHN MARSHALL HAMIL- 
TON, Governor 1883-5, was 
born May 28, 1847, in a log 
house upon a farm about two 
miles from Richwood, Union 
County, Ohio. His father was 
Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son 
of Rev. Wm. Hamilton, who, to- 
gether with his brother, the Rev. 
Samuel Hamilton, was among the 
early pioneer Methodist preachers in 
Ohio. The mother of the subject of 
this sketch was, before her marriage, 
Mrs. Nancy McMorris, who was 
born and raised in Fauquier or Lou- 
doun County, Va., and related to the 
two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well 
known in that commonwealth ; and from the latter 
family name was derived the middle name of Gov. 
Hamilton. 

In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's father sold out 
his little pioneer forest home in Union County, O., 
and, loading his few household effects and family 
(of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons, 
moved to Roberts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being 
2 1 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams 
and innumerable hardships and privations met them 
on their way. Their new home had been previously 
selected by the father. Here, after many long years 
of toil, they succeeded in paying for the land and 
./taking a comfort^''' home. John was, of course, 1 



brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling 
except three or four months in the year at a common 
country school. However, he evinced a capacity 
and taste for a high order of self-education, by 
studying or reading what books he could borrow, as 
the family had but very few in the house. Much of 
his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in 
the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial 
panic of 1857 caused the family to come near losing 
their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two 
sons, William and John, "buckled to" and perse- 
vered in hard labor and economy until they redeemed 
their place from the mortgage. 

When the tremendous excitement of the political 
campaign of 1860 reached the neighborhood of Rob- 
erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been 
brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal- 
ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special 
efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he 
joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag- 
nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the 
ensuing election it became evident that trouble 
would ensue with the South, and this Wide-Awake 
company, like many others throughout the country, 
kept up its organization and transformed itself into a 
military company. During the ensuing summer they 
met often for drill and became proficient ; but when 
they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton 
was rejected on account of his youth, he being then 
but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 he 
attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County, 



JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON. 



and in the following May he again enlisted, for the 
fourth time, when he was placed in the i4ist I'll. 
Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111., 
for the too-day service. He took with him 13 other 
lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the 
service. This regiment operated in Southwestern 
Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine, 

The following winter, 1864-5, Mr - Hamilton taught 
school, and during the two college years 1865-7, he 
went through three years of the curriculum of the 
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The 
third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46, 
in the classical department. In due time he received- 
the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the 
Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad- 
emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By 
this time he had commenced the study of law, and 
after earning some money as a temporary Professor 
of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at 
Bloomington, he entered the law office of Weldon, 
Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of 
this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge. 
Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Hamilton 
was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton hav- 
ing been elected Judge. In October following he 
formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time 
Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then 
small, but they increased it to very large proportions, 
practicing in all grades of courts, including even the 
U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued 
nbroken until Feb. 6, 1883, when Mr. Hamilton 
Fas sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th 
f March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con- 
gress. 

In July, 1871, Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen 
M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Wm. G. Williams, 
professor of Greek in the Ohio Wejleyan University. 
Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son. 

In 1876 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re- 
publicans for the State Senate, over other and older 
competitors. He took an active part " on the stump " 
in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was 
elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic- 
Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on 
the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti- 
tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel- 
lany ; and during the contest for the election of a 
U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re- 



elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on 
every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi- 
cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and 
the Democrats and Independents elected Judg? 
David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the 
first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of 
which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, agair.c, :o> 
much opposition that the bill was several times 
" laid on the table." Also, this session authorized 
the location and establishment of a southern peni- 
tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session 
of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President pro tern. 
of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John 
A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who was this time 
elected without any trouble. 

In May, 1880, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on 
the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Governor, his 
principal competitors before the Convention being 
Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, Judge Robert Bell, of ^abash 
County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and 
Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. Reengaged 
actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected 
by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor, 
he presided almost continuously over the Senate in 
the 32d General Assembly and during the early days 
of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship. 
When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom 
to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton 
succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the 
oath of office Feb. 6, 1883. He bravely met all the 
annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon 
taking up another's administration. The principal 
events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as 
the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis- 
aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clairand Madison 
Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the 
State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license 
liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc. 

The Governor was a Delegate at large to the 
National Republican Convention at Chicago in June, 

1884, where his first choice for President was John 
A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but 
he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr. 
Elaine, true to his party. 

Mr. Hamilton's term a* Governor expired Jan. 30, 

1885, when the great favorite " Dick " Oglesby was 
inaugurated. 



Tit library 
of the 
of (HIM,, 









t f 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





SEPH WILSON FIFER. This 
distinguished gentleman was 
elected Governor of Illinois 
November 6, 1888. He was 
popularly known during the 
campaign as "Private Joe." He 
had served with great devotion 
to his country during the Re- 
bellion, in the Thirty-third 
Illinois Infantry. A native of 
Virginia, lie was born in 1840. 
His parents, John and Mary 
(Daniels) Fifer, were American 
born, though of German de- 
scent. His father was a brick 
and stone mason, and an old 
Henry Clay Whig in polities. John and Mary 
Fifer had nine children, of whom Joseph was the 
sixth, and naturally, with so large a family, it was 
all the father could do to keep the wolf from the 
door, to say nothing of giving his children any- 
thing like good educational advantages. 

Joseph attended school for a while in Virgina, 
but it was not a good school, and when his father 
removed to the West, in 1857, Joseph had not ad- 
vanced much further than the "First Reader." 
Our subject was sixteen then and suffered a great 
misfortune in the loss of his mother. After the 



death of Mrs. Fifer, which occurred in Missouri, 
the family returned to Virgina, but remained only 
a short time, as during the same year Mr. Fifer 
came to Illinois. He settled in McLean County 
and started a brickyard. Here Joseph and his 
brothers were put to work. The elder Mr. Fifer soon 
bought a farm near Bloomington and began life 
as an agriculturist. Here Joe worked and attended 
the neighboring school. He alternated farm- work, 
and brick-laying, going to the district school for 
the succeeding few years. It was all work and no 
play for Joe, yet it by no means made a dull boy 
of him. All the time he was thinking of the great 
world outside, of which he had caught a glimpse 
when coming from Virginia, yet he did not know 
just how he was going to get out into it. He 
could not feel that the woods around the new farm 
and the log cabin, in which the family lived, were 
to hold him. 

The opportunity to get out into the world was 
soon offered to young Joe. He traveled a dozen 
miles barefoot, in company with his brother George, 
and enlisted in Company C, Thirty-third Illinois 
Infantry, he being then twenty years old. In a 
few days, the regiment was sent to Camp Butler, 
and then over into Missouri, and saw some vigor- 
ous service there. After a second time helping to 
chase Price out of Missouri, the Thirty-third Regi- 



184 



JOSEPH W. FIFER. 



ment went down to Milliken's Bend, and for several 
weeks "Private Joe" worked on Grant's famous 
ditch. The regiment then joined the forces oper- 
ating against Port Gibson and Vicksburg. Joe 
was on guard duty in the front ditches when the 
flag of surrender was run up on the 4th of July, 
and stuck the bayonet of his gun into the embank- 
ment and went into the city with the vanguard of 
Union soldiers. 

The next day, July 5, the Thirty-third joined 
the force after Johnston, who had been threatening 
Grant's rear; and finally an assault was made on him 
at Jackson, Miss. In this charge "Private Joe" fell, 
terribly wounded. He was loading his gun, when 
a minie-ball struck him and passed entirely 
through his body. He was regarded as mortally 
wounded. His brother, George, who had been 
made a Lieutenant, proved to be the means of sav- 
ing his life. The Surgeon told him that unless he 
had ice his brother could not live. It was fifty miles 
to the nearest point where ice could be obtained, 
and the roads were rough. A comrade, a McLean 
County man, who had been wounded, offered to 
make the trip. An ambulance was secured and 
the brother soldier started on the journey. He re- 
turned with the ice, but the trip, owing to the 
roughness of the road, was very hard on him. Af- 
ter a few months' careful nursing, Mr. Fifer was able 
to come home. The Thirty-third came home on a 
furlough, and when the boys were ready to return 
to the tented field, young Fifer was ready to go 
with them , for he was determined to finish his 
term of three years. He was mustered out in Oct- 
ober, 1864, having been in the service three years 
and two months. 

"Private Joe" came out of the army a tall, tan- 
ned, and awkward young man of twenty-four. 
About all he possessed was ambition to be some- 
body and pluck. Though at an age when most 
men have finished their college course, the young 
soldier saw that if he was to be anybody he must 
have an education. Yet he had no means to ena- 
ble him to enter school as most young men do. 
He was determined to have an education, however, 
and that to him meant success. For the following 
four years he struggled with his books. He en- 



tered Wesleyan University January 1, 1865. He 
was not a brilliant student, being neither at the 
head nor at the foot of his class. He was in great 
earnest, however, studied hard and came forth with 
a well-stored and disciplined mind. 

Immediately after being graduated, he entered 
an office at Bloomington as a law student. He 
had previously read law a little, and as he continued 
to work hard, with the spur of poverty and prompt- 
ings of ambition ever with him, he was ready to 
hang out his professional shingle in 1869. Being 
trustworthy, he soon gathered about him some in- 
fluential friends. In 1871 he was elected Corpora- 
tion Counsel of Bloomington. In 1872 he was 
elected State's Attorney of McLean County. This 
office he held eight years, when he took his seat in 
the State Senate. He served for four years. His 
ability to perform abundance of hard work made 
him a most valued member of the Legislature. 

Mr. Fifer was married in 1870 to Gertie, daugh- 
ter of William J. Lewis, of Bloomington. Mr. Fifer 
is six feet i n height and is spare, weigh! ng only one 
hundred and fifty pounds. He has a swarthy com- 
plexion, keen black eyes, quick movement, and pos- 
sesses a frank and sympathetic nature, and natur- 
lly makes friends wherever he goes. During the 
late gubernatorial campaign his visits throughout 
the State proved a great power in his behalf. His 
faculty of winning the confidence and good wishes 
of those with whom he comes in personal contact 
is a source of great popularity, especially during a 
political battle. As a speaker he is fluent, his lan- 
guage is good, voice clear and agreeable, and man- 
ner forcible. His manifest earnestness in what he 
says, as well as his tact as a public speaker, and his 
eloquent and forceful language, make him a most 
valuable campaign orator and a powerful pleader 
at the bar. At the Republican State Convention, 
held in May, 1888, Mr. Fifer was chosen as its 
candidate for Governor. He proved a popular 
nominee, and the name of "Private Joe" became 
familiar to everyone throughout the State. He 
waged a vigorous campaign, was elected by a good 
majority, and in due time assumed the duties of 
the Chief Executive of Illinois. 



!* Library 

of the 
of Iflh 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



I 1 . 




)HN P. ALTGELD, the present 
Governor of Illinois, is a native 
of Prussia, born in 1848. Shortly 
after his birth his parents emi- 
grated to America, locating on 
a farm near Mansfield, Ohio. 
When but a mere lad, young 
Altgeld had to walk from the 
farm to Mansfield with butter, 
eggs and garden produce, which 
he peddled from house to house. 
About 1856, his parents moved 
to the city of Mansfield, and for 
a time our subject was engaged 
morning and evening in driv- 
ing cattle to and from the pas- 
ture, a distance of eight miles. When fourteen 
years of age he hired out as a farm hand, and con- 
tinued in that avocation the greater part of his 
time until he was sixteen years of age, when he 
enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Sixty- 
fourth Ohio Infantry, and served until the close of 
the war. On being mustered in, the regiment was 
sent to Washington and was actively engaged in 
the various campaigns in and around that city 
until the surrender of Lee. In the fall of 1864, 
young Altgeld was taken sick, while with his regi- 
ment in the front, and the surgeon desired to send 
him to a hospital iu Washington; but he asked to 



be allowed to remain with the regiment, and soon 
recovering from his sickness was actively engaged 
until the close of the war. He was mustered out 
at Columbus, Ohio, in the spring of 1865. The 
succeeding summer he worked with his father on 
a farm, during which time he became connected 
with the Sunday-school and was given charge <)i 
the Bible class. Before entering the army he had 
but very limited educational advantages, having 
attended school but a part of two summers and 
one winter. He had at home, however, studied 
the German language and had become familiar 
with some German authors. Determining to fit 
himself for a useful life, he resolved to attend a 
select school at Lexington, Ohio, and in a little 
eight-by-ten room, meagrely furnished, he kept 
"bachelor's hall," and in time was so far advanced 
that he secured a certificate as teacher, and for 
two years was engaged in that profession. At the 
end of that time he left home and traveled exten- 
sively over the country, working at odd jobs, un- 
til he finally reached Savannah, Mo., where he en- 
tered a law office, and in 1870 was admitted to the 
Bar. In the fall of 1872, he ran as .. rosecuting 
Attorney for Andrews County, Mo., and was de- 
feated by four votes. He ran again in 1874 and 
was elected. But life in the small town of Savan- 
nah was a little too monotonous for him, and he 
determined to locate in Chicago. In October, 



JOHN P. ALTOELD. 



1875, be resigned the office of Prosecuting Attor- 
ney, moved to Chicago, and at once commenced 
the practice of law. For some years after he had 
but little to do with politics, confining himself to 
his practice and dealing in real estate. One year 
after his arrival in Chicago he found himself with- 
out a dollar, and in debt some $400. By a streak of 
good luck, as it might be termed, he won a case in 
court, from which he received a fee of $900, and 
after paying his debt he had $500 left, which he 
invested in real estate. This venture proved a 
successful one, and from that time on the profits 
of one transaction were invested in others, and 
to-day he is numbered among the millionaire resi- 
dents of the great metropolis of the West. 

In 1884, Mr. Altgeld was nominated for Con- 
gress, but was defeated by three thousand votes. 
In 1886, he was nominated and elected Judge of 
the Superior Court of Cook County. His services 
as Judge were such as to commend him to the peo- 
ple. Early in the year 1892, by the solicitation of 



many friends, he announced himself as a candi- 
date for Governor. At the convention held 
April 27, he received the nomination and at once 
en tered upon an active canvass. Alon e, he traveled 
all over the en tire State, and visited and consulted 
with the leading politicians of every section. lie 
made few public speeches, however, until near the 
close of the campaign, but it was very evident that 
he was master of the situation at all times. When 
the votes were counted at the close of election 
day, it was found that he had a majority of the 
votes, and so became the first Democratic Governor 
of Illinois since 1856. 

Born in poverty, alone, single-handed and un- 
aided, he faced the world, and with a determina- 
tion to succeed, he pressed forward, until to-day he 
has a National reputation, and is the envied of 
many. The lesson of his life is worthy of careful 
study by the young, and shows what can be done 
by one who has the desire in his heart to attain a 
front rank among the noted men of the country. 




CHRISTIAN COUNTY, 



ILLINOIS. 




INTRODUCTORY 





JHE time has arrived when it 
becomes the duty of the 
people of this county to per- 
petuate the names of their 
pioneers, to furnish a record 
of their early settlement, 
and relate the story of their 
progress. The civilization of our 
day, the enlightenment of the age 
and the duty that men of the pres- 
ent time owe to their ancestors, to 
themselves and to their posterity, 
demand that a record of their lives 
and deeds should be made. In bio- 
graphical history is found a power 
to instruct man by precedent, to 
enliven the mental faculties, and 
to waft down the river of time a 
safe vessel in which the names and actions of the 
people who contributed to raise this country from its 
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly 
the great and aged men, who in their prime entered 
the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their 
heritage, are passing to their graves. The number re- 
maining who can relate the incidents of the first days 
of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an 
actual necessity exists for the collection and preser- 
vation of events without delay, before all the early 
settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. 

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind 
from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, 
in spite of their best works and the most earnest 
efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of 
their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion 
and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. 
Trn pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from 
buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people 



to perpetuate the memory of their achievements 
The erection of the great obelisks were for the same 
purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the 
Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their 
great achievements and carry them down the ages. 
It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling 
up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea 
to leave something to show that they had lived. All 
these works, though many of them costly in the ex- 
treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac- 
ters of those whose memory they were intended to 
perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses o< 
the people that then lived. < The great pyramids and 
some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity ; 
the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- 
bling into dust. 

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- 
gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
a full history immutable in that it is almost un- 
limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and 
this is through the art of printing. 

To the present generation, however, we are in- 
debted for the introduction of the admirable system 
of local biography. By this system every man, thougr 
he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, 
through the coming ages. 

The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
physical man is left. The monument which his chil- 
dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme^ 
tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
by a record of this kind. 

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- 
lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to 
wait until they are dead, or until those who know 
them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to 
publish to the world the history of those whose live? 
are unworthy of public record. 



Til* Library 
of th 
0< Illlr 




BIOGRAPHICAL. 




&ILLIAM W. ANDERSON, whose name is 
intimately connected with every interest 
tending to advance the financial, social or 
moral condition of the community in which he 
lives, whose personality is closely interwoven with 
local affairs, and whose counsel has in many re- 
spects shaped the course of events in Christian 
County, is President of the First National Bank 
of Ta3'lorville and is a prominent figure in many 
other busness enterprises; besides which he is 
closely identified witli public affairs and every en- 
terprise calculated to promote the general welfare. 
A man of high character, his thousands of warm 
personal friends will find pleasure in close inspec- 
tion of the excellent steel engraving of him found 
in this volume. The pleasant expression of coun- 
tenance is faithfully reproduced in most artistic 
lines, and the indication of years of development, 
of the generous manhood, and of the warmth of 
friendship and love of right-dealing and justice 
that have endeared him to every resident of Chris- 
tian County, are all found preserved in such del- 
icate and yet permanent form that lapse of time 
cannot efface them. 

The Anderson family is of Scotch-Irish origin, 
and was established in the South, probably in Vir- 
ginia, in early Colonial days. It is known that 
both the paternal and maternal grandfathers of 
William W. were soldiers during the memorable 
struggle for the independence of the Colonies, and 
that his father, George II. Anderson, served un- 
der Gen. Jackson in the later conflict with Great 



Britain and was present at the battle of New Or- 
leans. He was married in Tennessee, not many 
years after the return of peace, to Miss Nancy- 
Mann. They soon after migrated to Henderson 
County, Ky., where they resided for ten years, and 
where our subject was born October 27, 1825. 
When he was a lad of five years, the family came 
to Illinois, and settled two miles east of Hillsboro, 
Montgomery County. There George Anderson 
reared his family, developed a comfortable home, 
and acted his part in the growth of the new coun- 
try. He was honored by the most responsible 
local offices of the time, being a man of varied 
experience, well read for his time, and he is re- 
membered by the pioneers as a man of generous 
impulses and strong character. He died at the age 
ot sixty -one. His widow, a woman whose impress 
was early stamped upon the minds of her children, 
survived her husband about twelve years. 

Their family numbered twelve children, of whom 
William is the sixth in order of birth, and one of 
four yet living, all residing in this county. The 
days of his boyhood were noted for their meagre 
privileges for education, and what education he 
received was in one of the first log schoolhouses 
built in Montgomery County. The demands of 
the farm were such that he was required to assist 
in the labors of the field when but a lad of nine, 
and his attention was almost constantly given to 
home duties until he had reached his seventeenth 
year. He then entered the employ of Judge Hiram 
Rountree, of Hillsboro. He remained in the em- 



200 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ploy of Judge Rountree for eight years, first work- 
ing on the farm, then in the store, and assisting in 
his office while he was Circuit Clerk of Montgom- 
ery County. He was married to Miss Nan B. 
Rountree, a daughter of Judge Rountree, in Aug- 
ust, 1850. 

The following year they came to Christian 
County, and Mr. Anderson assumed charge of a 
farm four miles east of Taylorville. The farm did 
not satisfy his nature, as his tastes led in the di- 
rection of mercantile life, he being educated in that 
direction while in the store of the Judge in Hills- 
boro. Accordingly, after three years, when har- 
vests were not sufficiently abundant to satisfy his 
business sense, he left the farm, removing to Tay- 
lorville, and we soon find him installed as a sales- 
man in the dry-goods store of Shumway & Cheney. 
Mr. Cheney died in January, 1854, and his broth- 
er-in-law, Albert Sattley, whose figure is still a fa- 
miliar one on the streets of Taylorville, succeeded 
to the Cheney interest, and he in turn was suc- 
ceeded by Mr. Anderson. The firm of Shum- 
way <fc Anderson continued for about two 3 r ears, 
when Mr. Anderson became sole proprietor of the 
constantly increasing business. He carried an ex- 
tensive stock of goods, ranging from threshing- 
machines to the most delicate dress fabrics, as de- 
manded by the trade of the day. The financial 
depression of 1857, the worst in American histoiy, 
coming so soon after his embarkation upon the 
seas of mercantile life, was a test of business abil- 
ity that gave him ample opportunity for meeting 
the many demands incident to hard times. By 
judicious selection of goods, untiring attention to 
delinquents, and universal courtesy to patrons, he 
succeeded in passing through that trying period, 
and his success was ample proof of his business 
ability. Henceforth he was considered by all one 
of the cleverest and most successful merchants of 
the county. During the succeeding decade his 
business assumed immense proportions, and his 
standing, not only among his friends at home, but 
among the large wholesale houses, was such that 
it was possible for him to conduct much the larg- 
est business of any firm in a large radius of 
territory. 

After fifteen years of close attention to these ex- 



tensive interests, Mr. Anderson disposed of a part 
of his establishment and placed his brother in 
charge of the boot and shoe department, thus plac- 
ing his mercantile interests in shape to admit of 
his devoting personal attention to another line of 
business, to which his tastes naturally led him, 
and which was the logical outgrowth of a suc- 
cessful career. Accordingly, in the year 1871, 
he established the banking house of W. W. An- 
derson & Co., his partner being another one of 
the most capable business men of Taylorville, D. 
D. Shumway. The well-known carefulness and 
ability of the proprietors assured a substantial 
business, and the confidence of the public was 
fully accorded the new institution. The partner- 
ship as indicated continued with most pleasant re- 
lations for twelve years, when Mr. Shumway re- 
tired and Mr. Anderson's son, Hiram R., became 
partner with his father. He was a. young man of 
brilliant mind, a close student, and a general fav- 
orite with friends of the bank, who rejoiced to see 
him advanced in responsible positions. On the 
1st of November, 1886, the bank passed into its 
present form, being incorporated as the First Na- 
tional Bank of Taylorville, with a capital of $75,- 
000. W. W. Anderson became President; A. L. 
Augur, of Mt. Auburn, Vice- President; and H. R. 
Anderson, Cashier. Its Directors were W. W. An- 
derson, A. L. Augur, J. G. Drennan, N. D. Ricks, 
Matthew Kavanaugh, John White, R. M. Powel, 
G. R. Sharp and H. R. Anderson. Of these, Messrs. 
Sharp, Powel, White and H. R. Anderson are now 
deceased. The present Board of Directors is com- 
posed of the following: W. W. Anderson, Presi- 
dent; A. L. Augur, Vice-President; Mat Kava- 
naugh, W. M. Pi-ovine, Hiram White, J. N. C. 
Shumway, J. C. McBride, D. D. Shumway and F. 
W. Anderson. The latter is the present Cashier, 
and E. R. Wright is Assistant Cashier. Mr. An- 
derson began business on his present site in 1871, 
and carried on operations in his first building un- 
til 1884, when the present building was erected. 
The bank is supplied with a McNeale & Urban 
safe, with the Fowler door attachment, and the 
other furnishings are complete in all appointments. 
The First National Bank is a conservative and 
substantial institution, run on a perfectly safe 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



201 



basis, and is doing a good business, having now a 
capital and surplus of $100,000. 

Every venture to which Mr. Anderson has de- 
voted personal attention has prospered to an emi- 
nent degree, and his foresightedness in making in- 
vestments have borne out the views that he had 
formerly advanced. He served for two years as 
President of the Board of Supervisors. He has 
had a firm belief in the future of Taylorville, not 
Only as the county seat and on account of its ex- 
tensive country trade, but as a coal-producing 
point, and soon to become a manufacturing center. 
He has invested largely in business property, and 
is now owner of one-half the frontage on the 
south side of the square. He has always advo- 
cated the advantages of railroad facilities, and 
was one of the promoters and at one time Direc- 
tor of the Ohio & Mississippi Railway, which pass- 
es through the county, giving a direct outlet to 
the East. He has always taken an interest in, and 
frequently furthered, legitimate means of building 
up his home town, and in no little degree to him 
is owing the present advantages the city enjoys in 
its excellent system of electric lighting, its water 
works and its ample hotel accommodations. His 
means, advice and energy were called upon and 
freely given when its extensive coal fields were 
developed, and thus a permanent basis of growth 
and prosperity was assured to the city. Prosper- 
ing to an unusual degree, he has been blessed with 
ample means, which, unlike some moneyed men, 
he has liberally devoted to progressive uses. A 
member and Trustee of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, he has been a ready supporter of church 
interests. A Royal Arch Mason, he is held in high 
esteem by all brother Masons, though his gifts to 
charity are not circumscribed by any bounds of 
fraternal character, for he recognizes the rights 
and obligations that man owes to man on the 
broad plane of universal brotherhood. Politically, 
Mr. Anderson has been a life-long supporter of 
thii Democratic party, but has preferred to devote 
his attention to private, rather than to public, 
business, and hence has never sought honors at the 
hands of the party. 

Only four years after his marriage, Mr. Anderson 
was called upon to mourn the death of his com- 



panion, whose only child had died in infancy. 
This was a blow whose sorrow only years of busi- 
ness activity could mitigate. When prosperity 
had come to him, he again felt the need of loving 
words- and womanly counsel, and in 1860 he made 
Martha L. Wright, widow of Dr. Wright, of Car- 
linville, his wife. She was a woman of estimable 
character, and proved a valuable companion and 
helpmate on life's journey. She, too, was taken 
from him after a companionship of nearly a quar- 
ter of a century, her death occurring August 2, 
1884, at the age of fifty-four years. Unto them 
were born five children: Hiram R., who was Cash- 
ier in the First National Bank, and died September 
4, 1891, at the age of twenty-nine years; Nannie 
West, who died in childhood; Fred W., who is 
now serving as Cashier; Grace E., wife of F. C. 
Hawley, of the Paddock-Hawley Iron Company, 
of St. Louis; and Julia W., a young lady of nine- 
teen, who is now a student in the Auburndale 
Seminary, of Boston, from which she will graduate 
in the Class of '94. 



JAMES H. HAYES, who is engaged in the 
manufacture of brick in Taylorville, began 
operations here in this line in 1889. He at 
that time established the business now oper- 
ated by Hoover & Michels. After carrying it on 
for two years he disposed of it to that firm, and in 
1891 established his present yard. That year he 
manufactured eight hundred thousand brick, and 
in 1892 one million four hundred thousand. He 
has five acres of land, and in the manufacture 
employs about fifteen men. He uses the Palet 
system of making mud-sand brick, his machinery 
is complete in all its appointments, and the daily 
output is from ten to fifteen thousand. Having 
used up the clay at the present location, he expects 
to remove a mile southwest, where he has thirty- 
one acres of clay land, increase the plant and 
greatly enlarge the works. To the manufacture 
of building brick he will add that of paving, or 



202 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



vitrified, brick. Mr. Hayes is numbered among 
the leading brick manufacturers of central Illinois 
and lias built up an extensive business, being now 
at the head of one of the leading industries of the 
county. 

As one of Taylorville's leading and influential 
citizens, we are pleased to record the life work of 
our subject in this volume. He was born in 
Decatur, 111., on the 21st of February, 1854, and 
was reared in that city and in Cerro Gordo. His 
father, J. E. Hayes, was a native of Ohio, and 
emigrated from the Buckeye State to Illinois in 
November, 1851. By occupation he was a farmer, 
and followed that business throughout his entire 
life. His death occurred on the 2d of May, 
1892, at the age of seventy-eight years. His wife, 
who bore the maiden name of Sarah Sell, was also 
a native of Ohio, and is now living in Cerro 
Gordo, 111. 

Mr. Hayes, whose name heads this record, is a 
self-made man, who has been dependent upon his 
own resources since the early age of thirteen. At 
that time he began working in the brickyards, and 
was thus employed each season until he had 
attained his majority. In 1880, he opened a brick- 
yard in Cerro Gordo, making the first brick ever 
manufactured at that place, and he there carried 
on business for nine years, when he came to Taylor- 
ville. He spent one year in Texas in the brick- 
yards at Sherman, Dennison and McKinney. 
When he went to Dennison all of its brickyards 
had proved a failure and were shut down, for the 
brick would fall to pieces as soon as exposed to 
the air. Mr. Hayes took charge of a yard at that 
place and introduced the method of mixing sand 
with the clay. The process met with success from 
the start, and the result is that Dennison has since 
proven to be one of the best brick-making points 
in the South. The trouble had been that only 
joint clay was used, and sand was needed to pro- 
duce the proper consistency. 

On the 4th of March, 1884, was celebrated the 
marriage of Mr. Hayes and Miss Elizabeth Savage, 
of Dallas, Tex., a native of England. Five chil- 
dren have been born of their union: Marion; 
Walter; Frank, who died in infancy; Louis and 
Jennie. They have a pleasant home, which is the 



abode of hospitality, and their friends throughout 
the community are many, although their residence 
here is of comparatively short duration. Socially, 
Mr. Hayes is a member of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows and the Encampment, and his 
wife holds membership with the Christian Church. 
In politics, he is an inflexible adherent of Repub- 
lican principles, a stanch advocate of the "Party of 
Reform," and is now efficiently serving as a member 
of the City Council. He is a wide-awake and 
enterprising man, full of life and activity, and his 
good management and business ability have made 
his career a successful one. He is very popular 
with all classes, and Taylorville finds in him a 
valued citizen. 



SAMUEL AINSWORTJI, manager of the 
Taylorville Mining Company, is a practical 
and progressive business man, whose saga- 
city and far-sightedness, combined with 
perseverance and well-directed efforts, have made 
his life a successful one. The record of his career 
is as follows: A native of England, he was born 
in Staffordshire, on the 8th of May, 1837, and is a 
son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Ashmore) Ainsworth, 
who were also natives of England. The paternal 
grandfather, William Ainsworth, lived in Roches- 
ter, England, and reached the very advanced age 
of one hundred and one years, while his wife passed 
away at the ripe old age of ninety-nine years. 
The maternal grandfather, Samuel Ashmore, lived 
to be about seventy, and his wife survived him 
several years. 

The father of our subject was a wheelwright in 
England, and in his native land spent his entire 
life, being called to the home beyond at the age 
of fifty-six. After the death of her husband, Mrs. 
Ainsworth was again married. Her second hus- 
band lost his mind on account of religion and died 
in the insane asylum. She was seventy-three 
vears of age at the time of her death. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Ainsworth were members of the Church 



POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



21 1;; 



of England, and took a very active part in all 
that would advance its best interests. Their family 
numbered twelve children, six sons and six daugh- 
ters, as follows: Walter; William; Samuel; John; 
Arthur; Jesse; Sophia, wife of Thomas Hall; Myra 
Ann, wife of Enoch Glass; Mrs. Harriet Welch; 
Jane, widow of Henry Els more; Emily, deceased; 
and Hannah, wife of John Betz. 

The subject of this sketch spent the days of his 
boyhood and youth in the land of his nativity. 
His early years were quietly passed, no event of 
special importance occurring. His education was 
acquired in the public schools. After arriving at 
years of maturity, he chose as a companion and 
helpmate on life's journey Miss Mary Ann Hall, a 
daughter of Thomas and Lydia (Smith) Hall. 
Their union was celebrated on the 13th of April, 
1857, and has been blessed with a family of eleven 
children, four sons and seven daughters. Jesse, 
the eldest, married Catherine Jones and they now 
reside in Lyons, Kan., with their four children: 
Samuel, Jesse, Ida and William. Emma is the 
wife of Benjamin Stringer, of Taylorville, by 
whom she has six children: Annie, Benjamin, 
Grace, Florence, Jesse and Samuel R. Thomas 
married Miss Anna Utley, of Collinsville, and they 
have four children: Edith, Myrtle, John and 
George. Sophia is the wife of David Jones, of 
Taylorville, and their family numbers three sons: 
David, William and Albert. Mary Ann is the 
wife of Edwin Taylor, and with their three chil- 
dren, Edwin, Clyde and Loretta, they reside in 
Trenton, Clinton County, 111. Edith is the -wife 
of Frank Auth, of Smithboro, 111., and they have 
one child, Mabel. Samuel, Nellie and Margaret 
Elizabeth are at home, and two children died in 
infancy. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Ains worth are adherents of 
the faith of the Methodist Church, and in his social 
relations he is connected with Mattoon Lodge 
No. 62, A. F. & A. M.; Mattoon Chapter, and 
Springfield Commandery No. 6, K. T. He is also 
connected with Madison Lodge No. 43, I. O. O. F., 
of Collinsville, and with Mizpah Lodge No. 68, K. 
P., of Collinsville. With the Miners' Institute, of 
Springfield, 111., he also holds membership. 

In 1872, Mr. Amsworth determined to seek a 



home in America, and, crossing the Atlantic, caine 
directly to Illinois, where he has lived continuous- 
ly since, with the exception of eight months spent 
in Colorado. Owing to the general depression in 
business prevailing at that time, Mr. Ainsworth 
could not get employment for some months after 
his arrival. It was in March, 1875, that his wife 
and family came to this country and joined him 
at Rochester, this State. He has sunk numerous 
mines in various places in Illinois. Since about 
fourteen years of age, he has been connected with 
mining, and thoroughly understands the business 
in all its details. He took the contract for sinking 
a coal shaft of the Taylorville Mining Company 
in 1887. This shaft is over five hundred feet 
deep. The vein is over eight feet thick and yields 
a splendid quality of coal. 

Mr. Ainsworth has been successful in his busi- 
ness career, and is now the owner of eight houses 
and sixteen lots in Taylorville. He has made the 
most of his opportunities and privileges, and al- 
though he has had to depend upon his own efforts, 
he is now in comfortable circumstances. 



<x AVID RIDGE. Among the enterprising 
farmers of Assumption Township has long 
been numbered our subject, who dates his 
residence here from 1859. He now re- 
sides on section 27, where he carries on general 
farming. He has spent nearly his entire life in 
this county, as he was a child of only five years 
when his father settled here. From his youth he 
has been engaged in farming, and has made a great 
success of agricultural pursuits. 

Our subject was born in Greene County, 111., 
April 28, 1854, and is a son of James Ridge, who 
was born in Devonshire, England. The father 
married in his native county Miss Sarah Tucker, 
and in 1851 crossed the Allan tic, settling in Greene 
County, this State, where he engaged in farming 
for several years. In 1859 he purchased laud and 



204 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



opened up a farm on section 21, Christian County, 
where he still resides. David Ridge remained 
with his parents until arriving at his majority, 
and was given good common-school advantages. 
In 1878 he purchased the farm which he is still 
engaged in cultivating, a tract of one hundred 
and six acres, located two miles from the village 
of Assumption. This farm is fenced with a nice 
and well-trimmed osage hedgerow, and the fields 
are divided in like manner. The owner has erected 
a large barn and remodeled and otherwise im- 
proved the house on the place. He has put in 
considerable tiling, planted orchards, and now 
finds himself in the possession of a valuable farm. 
He may truly be called a self-made man, for he 
started out in the business world with very lim- 
ited means, and his success is due entirely to his 
own labor and enterprise. 

On the 9th of February, 1876, the marriage of 
Mr. Ridge and Miss Rebecca Corzine was cele- 
brated. Mrs. Ridge is a native of Guernsey County, 
Ohio, and is a daughter of Allen Corzine, of As- 
sumption. To our worthy subject and wife have 
been born two children, William Oscar and James 
Allen. 

Mrs. Ridge holds membership with the Presby- 
terian Church of Assumption, and is a lady well 
received in social circles. Our subject has 
been a supporter of the Republican party sine* 
casting his first ballot in 1876 for Rutherford B. 
Hayes. He gives his hearty support to our pub- 
lic-school system, and for ten consecutive years 
has served as a member of the School Board. 



JOHN G. ADELHART is one of the pros- 
perous and thrifty agriculturists of As- 
sumption Township, his home being on sec- 
tion 2. He is an example of the self-made 
man, as he Las carved out a fortune for himself 
single-handed. He has been a resident of Chris- 
tian County for about twenty years, and during 
this time he has done all in his power to advance 



the interests of the community in which he dwells. 
A native of Germany, he was born in Bavaria, 
August 18, 1846. He received a good education in 
the German language, and early formed a deter- 
mination to emigrate to the United States. For 
several years he engaged in farming in Bavaria, 
but in 1872 took passage in a sailing-vessel at 
Hamburg, and in due time landed in New York, 
on the 15th of June. He proceeded directly West- 
ward to Illinois, joining an elder brother who was 
located in Nokomis. For about three years Mr. 
Adelhart worked by the month, and then bought 
a piece of corn in the field, which he harvested, 
making quite a profit on his investment. The 
following year he rented a place in this county of 
Samuel Winters, which he farmed for one year, 
and then rented a half-section of land, and in 
company with two brothers operated this land for 
two years. For several successive years our sub- 
ject continued as a renter, carefully saving his 
profits, and thus in 1885 he was enabled to be- 
come a land-owner himself. 

In 1871, previous to leaving his native land, 
Mr. Adelhart was united in marriage with Miss 
Elizabeth Price, who has proved a true helpmate 
to him along the voyage of life. Eight children 
have come to bless their home. In order of birth 
they are as follows: John, Joseph, Fred, Robert, 
Peter, Maggie, Elizabeth and Helen. Anna died 
at the age of two years. The children have been 
given good educations in the Assumption schools, 
and the two older sons have been of great assist- 
ance to him on the farm. The family are mem- 
bers of St. Mary's Catholic Church, of Assump- 
tion. 

In 1885, Mr. Adelhart became the owner of his 
present valuable farm on section 2. This place 
comprises ninety acres adjoining the corporate 
limits of Assumption. Our subject has made sub- 
stantial improvements on the place, has erected a 
large and pleasant house, with barns and farm 
buildings, and set out an orchard. He is consid- 
ered one of the thrifty farmers of the county, and 
has shown that he possesses practical ideas on the 
subject of farming. 

In his political opinions, Mr. Adelhart is a strong 
Democrat and takes great interest in elections. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



205 



He has, however, never desired office for himself, 
but chooses rather to give his entire time and at- 
tention to his agricultural duties. He is a man of 
upright character and has made many friends dur- 
ing his residence in this community. 



REDERICK REULECKE is one of the pro- 
gressive agriculturists of Assumption Town- 
ship, his home being on section 28. He is 
one of the early settlers of Christian County, hav- 
ing located on the farm where he still resides in 
1867, when there were but five houses between his 
home and Taylorville. He is a native of Germany, 
born in Hanover May 24, 1828. After receiving 
a fair education in his mother tongue, he learned 
the gardener's trade and then concluded to emi- 
grate to the New World. In 1854, he took pass- 
age at Bremen in a sailing-vessel, and at the end 
of forty-two days arrived at his destination, New 
York City. He worked as a gardener at Freehold, 
N. J., and after a residence there of two years 
came West to Illinois. This was in 1856, and his 
first settlement was in Menard County, near the 
town of Athens. For two years he worked by the 
month on a farm for a Mr. Kendall, after which 
he rented an eighty-acre farm, which he carried on 
for ten years. At the end of that time he bought 
a tract of forty acres in this county, a part of his 
present farm, and flve years later bought an ad- 
joining forty acres. In time he erected a good 
residence and barn and planted a good orchard on 
the place. Other improvements, such as tiling, 
fencing, etc., have added greatly to the value of 
the farm. It is one of the most thrifty farms of 
the township, and the osage hedge which sur- 
rounds it adds much to its appearance. Mr. Reul- 
ecke is now well-to-do, and in addition to his home 
farm owns two large tenement houses in Assump- 
tion. 

In June, 1856, our subject was married in New 
York to Miss Johanna Helenberg, who was born 
and reared in Brunswick, Germany. She was en- 



gaged to our subject at the time of his leaving the 
Fatherland, and according to agreement came to 
New York to meet him, where they were married. 
Four daughters have blessed this union. Louisa is 
the wife of James Locke, a substantial farmer of 
this county; Mary is the wife of L. V. Patton, a 
farmer who is now carrying on the Reulecke farm; 
Emma became the wife of Samuel Michael, of 
Shelby County; and Maggie is Mrs. Frank Good- 
house, her husband being engaged in farming in 
Shelby County. Mr. and Mrs. Reulecke have also 
eight grandchildren. 

In regard to the question of politics, our sub- 
ject is a Democrat. His first Presidential ballot 
was cast in 1856 for James Buchanan and he has 
never failed to vote for Democratic nominees for 
the Presidency since that time. He lias served as 
Highway Commissioner, but has preferred to de- 
vote his attention mainly to his farm and business 
interests. With his wife he was a member of the 
Lutheran Church in Germany, but now attends 
the Presbyterian Church. During his long resi- 
dence in Illinois, he has witnessed vast changes 
and has been a factor in her progress and devel- 
opment. As a man and citizen he is highly re- 
spected in this and adjoining counties and has the 
good-will of one and all. 






^H HARLES M. MEREDITH, a grocer of Tay- 
[ff^-, lorville, is one of Illinois' native sons, for 

^dy he was born in Sangamon County, on the 
23d of July, 1839. His paternal grandfather, 
Solomon Meredith, was one of the pioneer settlers 
of that county. He was a native of Virginia, and 
a farmer by occupation. Both he and his wife 
spent their last days in Sangamon County. They 
reared a large family, one of whom, Davis Mere- 
dith, became the father of our subject. He was 
born in Ohio, and when a young man came to 
Illinois, in 1835, locating in Sangamon County, 
nine miles south of Springfield, where he is still 
living. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk War. 



20G 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Upon the old home farm, where he and his wife 
still reside, all of their children were born. He is 
now the oldest settler living in Sangamon County. 
Mrs. Meredith bore the maiden name of Mary 
Newcomer. She too is a native of the Buckeye 
State, as was her father, Christopher Newcomer, 
who came with his family to Illinois in an early 
day, and died in Sangamon County. 

The Meredith family numbered seven children, 
three sons and four daughters, and the family 
circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of Death. 
Susan is now the wife of Drury Jones; Charles is 
the second in order of birth; Mary J. is the wife 
of J. R. Kincaid; Sarah is the wife of L. R. Hed- 
rick; Christopher Columbus, Osborn and Fannie 
are the younger members. 

We now take up the personal history of the 
gentleman whose name heads this record. The 
days of his boyhood and youth were spent in the 
usual manner of farmer lads upon the old home- 
stead in Sangamon Count}'. During the winter 
season he attended the district schools of the 
neighborhood, and in the summer months aided in 
the labors of the field, giving his father the benefit 
of his services until the war broke out, when he 
responded to the country's call for troops, enlist- 
ing in Company E, One Hundred and Fourteenth 
Illinois Infantry, in which he served two years 
and eight months. He participated in the siege 
of Vicksburg, the battles of Guntown and Jackson, 
and a number of other engagements, being always 
found at his post of duty. 

On the 8th of March, 1861, was celebrated the 
marriage of Mr. Meredith and Miss Laura, daugh- 
ter of Ozias Wagner. Four children were born 
unto them, a son and three daughters, but Minnie 
and Charles, the eldest and the youngest of the 
family, are now deceased. Those still living are 
Mary and Ida. 

When Mr. Meredith returned from the army, he 
resumed farming in Saugamon County, where for 
a number of years he continued agricultural pur- 
suits. In 1868, he came to Christian County, and 
for one year followed farming. He then took up 
his residence in Taylorville, and during the suc- 
ceeding five years was in the employ of Hatch & 
Anderson, dealers in agricultural implements. He 



then embarked in the clothing business in company 
with Charles Dean, but this venture proved a 
failure, and during the succeeding nine years he 
was employed as a salesman in the clothing-house 
of Samuel H. Mossier. On the expiration of that 
period he formed a partnership, in 1888, with J. 
C. Hunter, and they opened a grocery store, under 
the firm name of Hunter & Meredith. They have 
since successfully engaged in business and are now 
enjoying a good trade. 

In his political affiliations, Mr. Meredith is con- 
nected with the Republican party. Socially, he is 
connected with the Knights of Pythias and the 
Odd Fellows' fraternity. His wife is a member of 
the Christian Church. Mr. Meredith takes a com- 
mendable interest in all public affairs calculated to 
benefit or upbuild the community, and is a pro- 
gressive citizen, who is alike true to his country in 
times of peace as in times of war. 



JOHN O. ROLLINS was bora in Hamblen 
County, Tenn., May 22, 1856, and removed 
with his parents to Kentucky when he was 
a lad of ten years. For about fifteen years 
he has been a resident of Christian County, and 
since coming here has acquired a desirable farm 
and a comfortable fortune. His pleasant home is 
located on section 23, Stonington Township. 

George Rollins, the father of our subject, was 
born in the eastern part of Tennessee, and there 
passed his boyhood and youth. On arriving at a 
suitable age he married Miss Eveline Phillips, who 
was also born and reared to maturity in the same 
State. They became the parents of eight children, 
two of whom are deceased, and our subject is 
third in order of birth. The parents are still 
living, industrious and respected citizens of Okla- 
homa Territory. 

As previously stated, the early years of John 
O. Rollins were passed under his parents' roof in 
Tennessee, where his birth occurred. He after- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



207 



wards located for some time in Kentucky, and 
on reaching his majority started out to make his 
own way in the world. In June, 1879, he arrived 
in Taylorville and went to work at whatever he 
could find to do in order to make an honest 
livelihood. On the llth of December, 1882, he 
wedded Miss Mary E. Brauer, of Cass County, 
a lady of German descent. They have been 
blessed with a family of four sons, namely: Will- 
iam L., Elmer, Clarence and Roy. 

Our subject was brought up by his father to be 
a patriotic and true citizen of this glorious land, 
and has ever felt the responsibility of each and 
every man in matters pertaining to the public 
welfare, which he has endeavored to promote. His 
father was in the service during the Mexican 
War for about one year. In politics, Mr. Rollins 
is identified with the Democratic party. His wife 
holds membership with the Lutheran Church, and 
he, fraternally, belongs to the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows. His farm, on which he is en- 
gaged in stock-raising and general farming, com- 
prises two hundred and forty acres of arable and 
fertile land. He has made many improvements 
on the place, and has a commodious and attractive 
home. He is a self-made man to the fullest extent 
of the word, and has acquired a fortune in half 
the time taken by men of less enterprise and 
business ability. 



k E WITT C. WILLEY is one of the pro- 
gressive farmers of May Township, and 
makes his home on section 5. He was 
born October 30, 1831, in Hamilton Coun- 
ty, Ohio, being the third in a family of eleven chil- 
dren, comprising eight sons and three daughters. 
His parents were Israel and Arthenia (Stevenson) 
Willey. The eldest child, Stephen, died in this 
county; Allen died in childhood; De Witt C. is our 
subject; Horace is now deceased; Israel is a min- 
ister of the Methodist denomination, and is now 
located at Belle Plaine, Kan.; Alga is a dealer in 



implements in Nebraska; Winfield S. is engaged in 
farming in Kansas, as is also the next younger, 
Frank; Sarah Jane and Lucy are deceased; and 
Ann Eliza, who became the wife of John Cather- 
wood,is a resident of California. 

The father of our subject, Israel Willey, was a 
native of Stonington, Mass., born in 1808. He re- 
moved to Ohio with his parents when quite young, 
and, emigrating to Christian County in 1844, he 
entered a tract of land, which he engaged in culti- 
vating until he was called from this life, Dec- 
ember 10, 187S. He was of French and English 
extraction, and his father, who bore the Christian 
name of Jude, was a patriot in the War of 1812. 
The father was a distant relative of De Witt Clin- 
ton, one of the early Governors of the Empire 
State. Our subject's mother, who was also of 
French and English extraction, was born in Hamil- 
ton County, Ohio, and died in this county in 1863. 

The early life of De Witt C. Willey was passed 
at his birthplace, where he was given practical 
training in canning on a farm. There were veiy 
few schools at that early day in this locality, but 
he made the most of his opportunities and is now 
a man of good education. When he became of 
age he purchased the farm where he still resides. 
At that time it was unimproved prairie land. He 
has placed it under good cultivation, and waving 
fields of grain are the result of his care and labor. 
The farm comprises one hundred and sixty-nine 
acres of fertile and desirable land, and the owner 
is numbered among the leading farmers of the 
township. 

In the year 1856, Mr. Willey was united in 
marriage with Miss Mary Black, a native of San- 
gamon County, 111. Unto this worthy couple has 
been born a family of nine children. Three of the 
number died in infancy. John Andrew is a far- 
mer of this county; Hattie became the wife of 
John David, who owns and operates a farm in 
Christian County; Henrietta wedded Newton 
Brown, a resident of Taylorville; Horace Lincoln 
also makes his home in the same place; and the 
two younger, Raymond and Frank, are still resid- 
ing with their parents on the homestead. 

In his political views Mr. Willey is a stanch 
Republican, and has always taken a great deal of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



interest in political matters. He is a public-spirited 
citizen, and uses his influence for the promotion 
of all enterprises calculated to benefit the neigh- 
borhood in which he dwells and the community 
at large. He has served as one of the School 
Directors in May Township, and is a firm advo- 
cate of good schools and teachers. Religiously, he 
holds membership with the Methodist Church, and 
as a man is upright and honorable at all times. 



j>ILLIAM EUGENE HAYWARD, Mayor 
of Pana. It affords the compilers of this 
work much pleasure to present to their 
readers a brief sketch of a gentleman and of a 
family whose interests are so prominently identi- 
fied with the early growth and advancement of 
Christian County. The Hay ward family in this 
country originated during the misty period of 
Colonial history, and various branches from the 
parent stem are now found in several States, and 
in many instances men of the name have exerted 
a substantial influence in advancing civilization. 
There is a natural sturdiness of manhood and re- 
finement of character found in numbers of those 
who have borne the name, so that to one familiar 
with the family history they have certain charac- 
teristics easily recognizable as belonging to them. 
There appears a natural reticence in individuals 
bearing the name, which often prevents them 
from reaching those public positions of honor so 
frequently obtained by other men of less ability. 
There is also a marked steadfastness of purpose in 
them, which rarely fails to carry to a successful 
issue any venture undertaken; and a natural ten- 
dency of mind for matters of advanced intellectual 
thought. It is also noticeable that the family has 
furnished a large quota of finely educated men. 
In the early days of Harvard University one of its 
famed graduates was Beza Hayward, the grand- 
father of our subject. He embraced the ministry, 
but did not make that his life work, having 



preferences for a political career. For years he 
held the responsible position of Register of Deeds 
in Plymouth, Mass., and later he became a repre- 
sentative of the people of his district in the Upper 
House of the General Assembly. Entirely at 
home in debate, his abilities especially fitted him 
for forensic battle, and he is remembered as a man 
of brilliant intellect and one not easily conquered 
in the discussion of public questions. He was a 
leader of men, his abilities and training giving 
him a power and eloquence that made him well 
known in whatever field his lot was cast. He died 
at Plymouth at the advanced age of seventy-eight 
years. 

John S. Hayward, father of our subject, inherited 
many of the family traits and became a man of 
wealth and influence in this and adjoining coun- 
ties of Illinois. He was an extensive land operator 
and one of the representative men of the Prairie 
State. His birth occurred at Bridgewater, Mass., 
in 1803. . Further mention of him is found on an- 
other page of this work. He married Harriet F. 
Comstock, and of their family of six children, our 
subject is one of three who arrived at years of 
maturity. John Augustus and Harriet are both 
deceased, and our subject is the only one now 
surviving. 

The education of W. E. Hayward was acquired 
in the public schools at Hillsboro, and was supple- 
mented by a course at Autioch College, in Ohio, 
and the Williston Seminary, in Easthampton, Mass. 
The outbreak of the war coming before his college 
course was completed, he, at the age of nineteen, 
enlisted in Battery I, Second Illinois Artillery, in 
which he became Second Lieutenant and did val- 
iant service with his brigade for two years. In 
1865, he became Captain of Company F, Second 
Regiment United States Volunteers, with which 
command he operated until the close of the war. 
His father having large interests in Pana, he then 
located here, and soon embarked in the banking 
and real-estate business, which he conducted with 
unvarying success until 1878, when he discontinued 
his banking business and has since devoted his 
attention more particularly to real estate and 
loans. As will be seen by reference to his father's 
sketch, large landed properties had been obtained, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



209 



and the improvement of these demanded much of 
his time. His interests in real estate extend over 
various States, including Illinois, Missouri, Kansas 
and Nebraska, and his management has resulted 
most satisfactorily. 

Mr. Hayward was married November 26, 1868, 
to Miss Clara M. Turnbolt. Of six children born 
to them, Beza T., Lucian P., Clara T. and Eugenia 
are deceased. Susan L. and Evadne, two lovely 
and charming little girls, are the joy of their 
parents' home. The Hayward residence is a beau- 
tiful roomy brick structure, standing conveniently 
near the business centre of Pana, and is widely 
known as the abode of hospitality and refinement. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hayward have traveled exten- 
sively, and every country and every clime has 
contributed not only to their general information 
and culture, but has supplied many articles of 
virtu and beauty for the elevation and adorn- 
ment of their pleasant home. Being devoted to 
masterpieces in art and literature, elegant volumes 
of the standard poets, historians, philosophers and 
novelists are found on the shelves of their library, 
which is one of the finest and most elaborate pri- 
vate collections in central Illinois. Here are 
found the best thoughts of the ablest men, and 
human nature, as depicted by the pens of the 
brightest writers, in the " LesMiserables" of Victor 
Hugo, or the no less interesting study of the 
" Wandering Jew," by Eugene Sue. To one 
absorbed in living with these men who have painted 
in brilliant colors all phases of human life, this 
library would be a never-failing source of enjo3'- 
ment. The studios of the most famous painters 
have contributed in finest reproductions of their 
choicest .gems, and almost every first-class art pub- 
lication in America is found on these shelves. To 
no less a degree have other lines of art furnished 
beautiful productions in artistic and valuable 
vases from domestic and foreign artists, in exquisite 
and intricate hammered brass from Benares, and 
deeply engraven shells from the best workmen of 
Italy. One noticeable and beautiful gem, a mas- 
ter-piece of marble, is the bust of a handsome 
woman, chizeled with such naturalness and delicacy 
that the beholder expects each moment to see the 
bosom heave. It comes from an Italian sculptor, 



and stands upon a pedestal of delicate Mexican 
onyx, the whole making a work of art that leaves 
a sense of lasting pleasure. 

While selecting works of art for the adornment 
of his home, Mr. Hayward has not neglected the 
beautiful and far more wonderful works of nature, 
the greatest artist of all. He has extensive cabi- 
nets filled with choicest gems, well illustrating all 
the various stages of geological formations, especi- 
ally those wherein Nature as a painter and design- 
er most distinctly shows. Having ample means to 
supply all desires of his mind, Mr. Hayward has 
not hoarded his wealth, but has poured it out with 
a lavish hand to secure those things that contribute 
so much toward the elevation and advancement 
of humanity. He has gathered these rare gems 
around him not to appease the base vanity of a 
shallow mind, but to gratify an innate love of the 
beautiful and ennobling, and to exert an influence 
on the lives of those around him that no other 
expenditure of wealth would secure. He has been 
ably seconded in these tastes by his estimable 
wife, whose gracious presence adds a charm to the 
home circle which rounds out and completes a 
most interesting family. 



eHARLES GREB is one of the German-born 
citizens of Christian County, and has been 
no small factor in her development and 
present prosperity. His farm is located on sec- 
tions 5 and 16, Stoniugton Township. The birth 
of our subject occurred in Hessen, Germany, Oc- 
tober 24, 1853. His father, John Greb, was born 
and reared to manhood in Germany, where he 
married Miss Katie Pope. After the death of his 
wife he crossed the broad Atlantic to try his for- 
tune in the United States, and made a settlement 
in Cass County, 111. There his remaining years 
were passed, and there he died at a good old age. 

In the family of six children, Charles Greb was 
the second-born. He acquired a good education 
in his native land, and made his own livelihood 
from the time he was sixteen years of age. He 



210 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was twenty years old when he left his native land, 
and on his arrival in New York he went to work 
at the carpenter's trade, which he had mastered in 
Germany. He continued to reside in the Eastern 
metropolis for about three years, when he set his 
face Westward and arrived in Cass County, 111., in 
1876. Four years later he came to Christian 
County, where he has since made his home. 

In the same year in which Mr. Greb settled in 
this county, he was united in marriage with Miss 
Hannah Brauer, who was born and grew to 
womanhood in Cass County. Her parents, how- 
ever, were natives of Germany, and became 
respected settlers of Cass County. The union of 
our subject and wife has been blessed with two 
bright children, John F. and Alice. 

The beautiful and fertile farm of Mr. Greb 
consists of two hundred acres located on section 
16. He also owns another good farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres on section 5, of Stoning- 
ton Township. In politics, he is identified with 
the Democratic party, and fraternally is associ- 
ated with the Modern Woodmen of America. 
Both himself and wife are members of the Luther- 
an Church, and rank high in the friendship and 
esteem of all who know them. The many broad 
acres now owned by our subject have been ac- 
quired in a very few years, but it is owing to the 
unusual energy, industry and business ability 
which are his native characteristics. In addition 
to the farm owned by him, his good wife, besides 
giving him great assistance and loving counsel, 
has brought him an inheritance of two hundred 
acres from her father's estate. 



R. VALENTINE, who is engaged 

in farming on section 20, of Taylorville 
Township, is one of the native sons of this 
county, where he was born June 4, 1860. He is a 
son of George W. and Mary M. (Clark) Valentine, 
early and respected settlers of this community. 
The father was born October 14, 1818, in what was 



then the Territory of Illinois, near Greenville, 
Bond County, and has lived here ever since. His 
father and mother were natives of South Carolina, 
who removed to Tennessee, where they were mar- 
ried, and later came to Illinois, in 1817. 

George W. Valentine was married September 2, 
1845, in Christian County, 111., to Miss Mary M. 
Clark, who was born in 1825, in the same county, 
and of their union were born fourteen children, 
as follows: Cordelia S., born in December, 1846; 
Cyrena A., in 1848; Hannah F., in 1849, who is de- 
ceased; William E., born in 1851; James C., in 
1853; L. L., in 1855; Emma L.,in 185J; George R., 
in June 1860; Mary Bell, in 1861; Albert H. and 
Lizzie I. (twins), in 1863; Jennie P., in 1865, who 
is deceased; Martha H., born in 1867; and Eddie, 
U., in 1869. 

The subject of this sketch received a practical 
training in carrying on a farm, and remained with 
his parents, assisting in operating the old home- 
stead, until he was twenty-four years old. He re- 
ceived a good common-school and business educa- 
tion, thus fitting him for the practical duties of life. 
In 1884 he located on his present farm, which com- 
prises one hundred and twenty acres, and has since 
been engaged in general farming and stock-raising, 
in which he has met with good success. He is con- 
sidered one of the enterprising and progressive 
young farmers of the township, and he uses mod- 
ern and practical methods in conducting his farm 
work. - 

On the 1st of May, 1883, was celebrated the 
marriage of Mr. Valentine and Miss Lula Slater, 
daughter of Dr. and Sarah (Stockwell) Slater, who 
are well known in this community. Three children 
have been born to our subject and wife, Lyman 
G., Maria and Hiram. The father of Mrs. Valen- 
tine has been engaged in the practice of his pro- 
fession for many years in Taylorville. 

Our subject is active in the ranks of the Repub- 
lican party and is greatly interested in its success. 
He and his estimable wife hold membership in the 
Methodist Church, and are active in the work of 
that denomination. Mr. Valentine is a man who 
is known to be just and honorable, and is entirely 
worthy of the high regard and confidence which 
is accorded him by his friends and neighbors. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



211 



SILAS W. CULP has been engaged in the 
drug business in Morrisonville since 1882, 
having resided here since 1876, and for 
the last six years. has also been proprietor 
and publisher of the Morrisonville Times, a. weekly 
independent newspaper, which has an extensive 
local circulation and is ably conducted. In 1889 
Mr. Gulp also engaged in the jewelry business, 
and is still carrying on the three distinct enter- 
prises. 

Our subject is a son of Jacob W. and Eliza 
(Branch) Culp, natives of Ohio. He is one of 
eleven children, four sons and seven daughters, 
eight of whom are yet living, two having died 
in infancy, and Martha, the fourth in order of 
birth, and formerly the wife of Horace Kilton, of 
Tupper's Plains, Ohio, is also now deceased. The 
others in order of birth are as follows: Maria, 
wife of Lewis Worthen, of Arkansas: Silas W., 
who was born April 22, 1845, in Meigs County, 
Ohio; Phoebe, wife of Henry ,Runge, of Nokomis, 
111.; Mary, wife of John Anderson, a resident of 
Monticello; Caroline and Calvin, who reside in 
Nokomis; Douglas, of Sioux Kails, S. Dak.; and 
Lowis, of Nokomis. 

Our subject's paternal grandfather, Adam Culp, 
who was of German parentage, was a native of 
Pennsylvania, but removed to Ohio, where he fol- 
lowed farming. He lived to be sixty-three years 
of age, and reared a family of sixteen children. 
The maternal grandfather, Cyrus Branch, who was 
also a farmer, was born in Massachusetts, and at- 
tained a good old age in his Ohio home. Jacob 
W. Culp was for many years engaged in farming 
near Nokomis, 111. lie came to this State from 
Ohio in the fall of 1865, locating on the farm 
where he still resides near the town of Nokomis. 
His wife died in 1880, at the age of fifty-seven 
years. Both parents have been for many years 
members of the Christian Church. 

Silas W. Culp, whose name heads this sketch, 
was reared to manhood in Meigs County, Ohio, 
there receiving a good education. lie pursued 
his higher studies in Blackburg University, at 
Carlinville, graduating from that institution of 
learning in 1873. For nine successive years he 
engaged in teaching school successfully, and after- 
9 



ward embarked in the drug business in Morrison- 
ville, coming here in 1876. As a business man 
he has met with good success, and merits the ex- 
tensive patronage which he receives on account of 
his correct methods and honorable manner of con- 
ducting his affairs. 

On the 27th of January, 1886, Mr. Culp was 
united in marriage with Miss Nina Maxon Dun- 
ning, a daughter of Andrew J. and Sarah J. 
(Hale) Dunning, well-known residents of Chris- 
tian County. She was reared to womanhood in 
Sangamon County, and presides over the home 
of our subject with womanly grace and hospi- 
tality. 

Mr. Culp owns some eighty acres of land in Da- 
kota, and had in former years a slight acquaint- 
ance with farming, as during the years from 1865 
to 1871, when he was engaged in teaching school 
during the winter season, he carried on a farm 
the remainder of the year near Nokomis. He owns 
a good home property in Morrisonville in addi- 
tion to his store building. For one term he held 
the office of Township Collector, is the present 
Township School Treasurer, and for six years ac- 
ceptably filled the position of School Trustee. So- 
cially, he is a member of Morrisonville Lodge No. 
681, A. F. & A. M., of Taylorville Chapter, and 
belongs to St. Omar Commandery, of Litch field. 
He is also connected with the Modern Woodmen 
of America. In politics, he is a supporter of the 
Democratic party. 






1EORGE DEAL is a well-to-do farmer resid- 
ing on section 1, King Township. He was 
born in Luzerne County, Pa., February 25, 
1842, and is a son of George Deal, who died in 
Pennsylvania when our subject was a little over 
ten years of age. For further particulars of the 
life of the father, see sketch of William H. Deal, 
which ma}' be found in another part of this work. 
Our subject's early years were passed on the 



212 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



farm and he had but little chance to obtain an ed- 
ucation, as he only went for two terms to a sub- 
scription school. After his father's death he was 
obliged to make his own living, and worked in the 
coal mines near Wilkes Barre, Pa., driving a horse 
attached to a coal car. In August, 1862, he en- 
listed in the army at Greenfield, Greene County, 
111., whither he had gone with his mother and the 
family. He became a member of Company K, 
Ninety-first Regiment of Illinois Infantr}', under 
Capt. Newman and Col. Day. He was sent to 
Louisville. Ky., and thence dispatched after Mor- 
gan. At Elizabethtown he was taken prisoner by 
Morgan's men after a hard fight and was kept un- 
der guard in a store building. After passing for- 
ty-eight hours without anything to eat, he was pa- 
roled and sent to the parole barracks in St. Louis, 
where he was finally exchanged. He then took part 
in the engagements at Vicksburg, Ft. Pillow and 
New Orleans. At the latter place he was stationed 
for two months on provost-guard duty. He was 
afterwards for fourteen months in Texas and was 
obliged to do a great deal of marching. On the 
march oC one hundred miles to Salt Lake, Tex., in 
deep sand, he received an allowance of only one 
pint of water a day, as it had to be transported 
and it was impossible to obtain it in the desert. 
-He was in the fight at White's Ranch, on the Rio 
Grande, and on the voyage to New Orleans was 
eleven days on the Gulf, when a severe storm de- 
stroyed two vessels of the fleet. Many of the men 
were taken sick with scurvy, and our subject 
nearly died after his arrival in the Crescent City. 
From New Orleans he went to Spanish Fort and 
took part in the siege for thirteen days, and 
then supported the charge on Ft. Blakely. Re- 
turning to Spanish Fort, he participated in the 
battle of Whistler. From New Orleans he went 
on boat to Ship Island, in charge of a detail of 
men, to exchange prisoners. From Mobile his 
company proceeded to the Tombigbee River and 
captured Gen. Taylor and ten thousand men. He 
was within a-quarter of a mile of the magazine ex- 
plosion in Mobile that destroj-ed four blocks of 
the city and killed many persons, and in the fight 
at Elizabethtown the rim of his hat was shot off. 
In 1865, he was mustered out, having served 



nearly three years. For his valiant services, pri- 
vations and sufferings he is justly entitled to the 
pension which he now receives. 

In South Fork Township, of this county, Mr. 
Deal married Miss Sarah, daughter of Jo Meredith, 
of Sangamon County, and formerly of Ohio. 
Unto our subject and his wife have been born 
three children, Amy, Stella O. and Nonia, who 
have been educated in the public schools. 

On returning from the army our subject went 
to work on a farm, and continued for two years 
after his arrival in Christian County. He bought 
eighty acres of land at the rate of $30 per acre, 
this being unimproved prairie. He has put up 
good buildings, a substantial residence, and made 
other improvements on the farm, the boundaries 
of which have been extended until they now com- 
prise one hundred and sixty acres. 

Mr. Deal is a Grand Army man, belonging to 
the Morrisonville post. For about twenty-three 
years, he and his wife have been members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church at Shiloh, and he has 
been Trustee and Treasurer of the church. His 
first Presidential vote was cast for Gen. Grant in 
1868, since which time he has still voted the Re- 
publican ticket. He is a good citizen and an in- 
dustrious farmer. 



ffiL_, UGH C. LAWLER, a brick mason and con- 
iTjV tractor, is recognized as a wide-awake and 
ifftj? enterprising young business man of Tay- 
(^) lorville. It is to such men as our subject 
that the prosperity of the city is due, for their en- 
ergy and industry form the foundation upon 
which the successful structure is reared. Mr. Law- 
ler has the honor of being a native of Illinois. 
He was born in McLean County, near Blooming- 
ton, and is one of three children whose parents 
were Jonathan and Adeline (Campbell) Lawler, 
both natives of Kentucky. His paternal grand- 
father, Gibbon Lawler, was a native of North 
Carolina. He afterward became a resident of Terre 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



213 



Haute, Ind., and was a contractor on the National 
Plank Road. His death occurred in 1834. The 
maternal grandfather, Hugh Campbell, was born 
in 1812, and was a farmer by occupation. He be- 
came one of the earl}' settlers of Illinois, locating 
in Morgan County about 1830. His last days 
were spent in Bloomington, he having gone to Mc- 
Lean County in 1855, where he died in 1888, at 
the age of seventy-six years. The father of our 
subject was in early life a farmer, and followed 
that pursuit until his removal to Illinois, after 
which he became a brick mason and contractor. 
To that business he still devotes his time and at- 
tention. He and his wife make their home in Tay- 
lorville, whore they are widely and favorably 
known. With the Christian Church they hold 
membership. Their three children were Mary Alice, 
now deceased; Hugh C., of this sketch; and Clar- 
ence E. 

In the county of his nativity, our subject passed 
the days of his boyhood under the parental roof, 
and in the public schools acquired a good practi- 
cal education. His life has been a busy and use- 
ful one, devoted to the work which he now car- 
ries on. He learned the trade of brick-laying with 
his father, and in time became a contractor. He 
first began contracting in 1883, since which time 
he has erected many of the fine buildings in Bloom- 
ington, including several store buildings and the 
Jewish S3 r nagogue. He also built a schoolhouse 
in Clinton and one in Carrollton, and the Antlers 
Hotel in Taylorville. Under his supervision the 
Gephart Block of Decatur and the St. Nicholas 
Hotel of Decatur were built, and the fine new 
Christian Church of Taylorville is now being 
erected. Mr. Lawler is also building two public 
school buildings and the Huber Block atPana. He 
is an expert workman and has a high reputation 
in various parts of the State for doing fine work 
and living up to his contract. Although only a 
young man, he has had a large experience as a 
contractor and builder of masonry. 

On the 22d of November, 1882, Mr. Lawler was 
united in marriage to Miss Jennie Amelia West, a 
daughter of Andrew C. and Etta (Schaum) West, 
of Bloomingtoii. Five children have graced their 
union: Ida May, Hugh M., Alma L., Henrietta A. 



and Alice A. The parents are members of the 
Christian Church, and in social circles where 
true worth and intelligence are received as the 
passports into good society they hold an enviable 
position. Mr. Lawler exercises his right of fran- 
chise in support of the Republican party, but has 
never been an aspirant for political preferment. 
He is a pleasant, genial gentleman, and the high 
regard in which he is held has been won by an 
upright and honorable life. 



>ILLIAM B. DAVIS is a noted agricultur- 
ist and stock-raiser of Taylorville Town- 
ship, and owns a good farm on section 6. 
He was born in what is now South Fork Township, 
Christian County, on the 4th of March, 1836, and 
is a son of Barnett and Sophronia (Vandeveer) 
Davis. The father was a native of Kentucky, and 
the mother is a sister of Judge Vandeveer, who is 
well known in this and adjoining counties. 

Barnett Davis was a carpenter by trade and was 
also engaged in farming in his native State. In 
middle life he removed to Indiana, and from there 
to Sangamon County, 111., in 1829. He located on 
land which is now comprised within South Fork 
Township,, in this county. He took up a Govern- 
ment claim and was one of the earliest settlers of 
the locality. His nearest trading point for many 
years was Springfield or Alton, where he had to 
drive his stock in order to obtain a market for 
them. He erected a log cabin, which was the home 
of his family for many years. He was born in 
1802, and continued to live in this county until 
his death, in 1857, when he was buried in the Hill 
Cemetery. His wife is still living at the advanced 
age of eighty-two years. 

Our subject is one of ten children, whose record 
is as follows: Nancy is the wife of James Brooks, a 
resident of Taylorville, and Justice of the Peace; 
Aaron is engaged in farming in Taylorville Town- 
ship; William B. is the third of the family; John 
is a farmer of Nebraska: Horatio M. lives in Edin- 



214 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



burgh, Christian County; Mary J. became the wife 
of Francis Perry, who carries on a farm in Taylor- 
ville Township; Monroe is deceased; Freeland is 
also deceased; Jerome lives in Taylorville Town- 
ship; and one died in infancy. 

William Davis was born and reared on the old 
homestead in South Fork Township, where his 
father settled in 1829. When ten years of age he 
removed to Taylorville Township with his parents, 
and attended the subscription schools of the neigh- 
borhood for two or three months during the win- 
ter time. A part of the time he was obliged to 
walk nearly three miles to the nearest school, which 
was held in a log schoolhouse of the most primi- 
tive fashion. Since arriving at years of maturity 
his education has been mainly acquired. When 
fifteen years of age he decided that he was old 
enough to make his own livelihood, and as he was 
one of the elder children it seemed best that he 
should do so. He commenced working on a farm 
by the month, receiving at first forty cents per 
day- For the succeeding eight years he was em- 
ployed at farm work, and was so industrious and 
gave such good satisfaction to his employers, that 
he worked for only three farmers during that time. 
He had saved his earnings carefully and commen- 
ced farming on his own account on rented land. 
With wise foresight he continued as a renter until 
he found it would be to his benefit to purchase the 
farm on section 6 where he now lives. This place 
comprises one hundred and ninety-two acres of 
fertile land, on which the owner raises abundant 
crops. 

In 1859, Mr. Davis married Miss Maria E. Potts. 
Four children have been born of their unio n. Flora 
E. resides with her parents; George is deceased; 
Joel J. is married and is an enterprising young 
farmer of Buckhart Township; and Julian E. has 
passed away. 

Mr. Davis has always used his influence in the 
support of the Democratic party. Religiously, he 
holds membership with the Universalist Church 
and takes an active part in church and ben- 
evolent work. His assistance can always be re- 
lied upon in the furtherance of public enterprises, 
for he is progressive and broad-minded in all 
things. He is a practical farmer and has met with 



great success in his commercial ventures. Socially, 
lie holds membership with Blue Lodge No. 647, 
Edinburgh, Christian County, and is also a member 
of Taylorville Chapter No. 102. 



ILL! AM LAFAYETTE IGOU, who owns 
and operates a farm of two hundred and 
thirty-seven acres on section 34, adjoin- 
ing Grove City, is one of the substantial citizens 
of Mt. Auburn Township. Pie is a native of the 
Prairie State, and has passed nearly his entire life 
in Christian County. His birth occurred August 
11, 1851. His parents, Joseph and Frances (Day) 
Igou, were natives of Ohio and Virginia, respect- 
ively. The father was born in Champaign County, 
and when a young man came to Illinois with his 
father, becoming one of the pioneers of Christian 
County. It was in this State that his marriage 
with Miss Day was celebrated. She was only a 
child when she came to this locality, and here she 
was reared and educated. For a number of years 
Mr. Igou devoted himself to farming, but in 1885 
he went to Dakota, where he spent the remaining 
years of his life, passing away in 1891. His wife 
is still living and now resides Oshkosh, Oklahoma, 
I. T. 

The subject of this notice spent his youth in 
the county of his birth, and on account of limited 
educational facilities was obliged to rely upon his 
own resources in the acquisition of an education. 
At the age of eighteen years he left home and 
went to work on a farm, continuing to hire out 
by the month for over three years. During this 
time he carefully kept his means and purchased a 
small tract of land. For ten years he rented a 
farm, after which lie bought a farm of forty acres, 
on which he located. He still continued as a 
renter also, and in a few years was able to pur- 
chase an adjoining forty acres. This property he 
still owns and occupies and has greatly improved 
and placed under good cultivation. He has erected 
a good substantial house and set out a thrifty 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



215 



orchard. In the fall of 1892, he became the owner 
of one hundred and fifty-seven and a-half acres, 
adjoining Grove City. This is a well-improved 
:ui(l valuable farm, both on account of its situa- 
tion and fertility. There are a pleasant residence, 
large barns and a well-trimmed osage hedge upon 
the place. It is also divided into forty-acre fields 
by means of this same useful hedge. 

The 24th of August, 1875, was an eventful day 
in the life of Mr. Igou, for at that time Miss 
Martha Jane Gideon was united in marriage with 
him. Mrs. Igou is a native of the Old Dominion, 
but was reared in this county. Her father, Frank 
Gideon, is now a resident of Indiana. Mr. and 
Mrs. Igou are consistent members of the Grove 
City Methodist Episcopal Church, of which the 
former is one of the Trustees. 

In regard to the question of politics, Mr. Igou 
is well known as a true friend to the Republican 
party, and is a patriotic citizen, in all that term 
implies. He is a member of the School Board, 
and upholds all educational measures to the ex- 
tent of his ability. He is a public-spirited man, 
and takes an active part in everything calculated 
to serve the good of the people. 



ISAAC N. WARD, a successful agriculturist of 
Mt. Auburn Township, owns and operates a 
good farm on section 36. For upwards of a 
quarter-century he has made his home in this im- 
mediate vicinity, and is one who has endeavored 
in every possible manner to promote the good of 
this community. 

Our subject is a son of John and Mary Ann 
(Smith) Ward, and was born September 14, 1840, 
in Guernsey County, Ohio. His father was a na- 
tive of the Old Dominion, who passed his youth 
in that part of the country, but removed to Ohio 
in his young manhood. In the Buckeye State was 
celebrated his marriage with Miss Smith, a native 
of England. After his marriage, Mr. Ward en- 



gaged in farming in Guernsey County for a few 
years, later removing to Washington County, 
where he cleared and developed a farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres, and reared his family in 
the fear of God. During his residence on th'is 
farm he lost his wife, and after'a few years he sold 
the property, returning to Guernsey County, where 
he spent the remainder of his life. 

Isaac N. Ward is one of a large family, compris- 
ing ten sons and four daughters. Of this number all 
lived to maturity and were married with one ex- 
ception. Eleven are still surviving, and during 
the late war three of the brothers were soldiers. 
One of the latter, James, was taken sick and died 
at Carthage, Tenn. 

Our subject's boyhood days were passed on the 
old homestead in Washington County, and his 
services were dutifully given to his father un- 
til he had attained to his majority. On the 
13th of August, 1862, Isaac N. Ward donned the 
blue and went in defense of the Union. He 
became a member of Company H, Ninety-second 
Ohio Infantry, and saw considerable active service. 
With his regiment he -took part in a number of 
important campaigns, and participated in the bat- 
tles of Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Buzzard's 
Roost, and went through the Atlanta campaign. 
He was on the march with Sherman to the sea, and 
at the close of the war marched with the victorious 
army in the Grand Review at Washington, where 
he was mustered out. 

Returning to his Ohio home after the storm 
clouds of war had rolled away, Mr. Ward resided 
there for about three years. It was. in the fall of 
1868 that he determined to try his luck in Illi- 
nois, where he arrived in October. Having pur- 
chased a team, he engaged in farming on rented 
laud for a number of years in this county, and in 
1880 became the owner of the farm on which he 
still makes his home. This place once belonged 
to three heirs, Mrs. Ward being one of the num- 
ber, and after buying out the others she succeeded 
to the place. Like many of the farms in this lo- 
cality, it is fenced with osage hedge and divided 
into forty-acre sections. Mr. Ward has erected a 
good residence, substantial barns and granaries 
and has set out an orchard. 



216 



POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In 1867, in Washington County, Ohio, occurred 
the first marriage of our subject. The lady of his 
choice was Miss May Jane Hupp, who was born in 
Noble County, of the same State. She departed 
this life in 1873, leaving two children. The elder, 
Laura, is the wife of Lewis Hurlbutt, who is en- 
gaged in farming in this vicinity. The younger 
daughter, Mary A., became the wife of William C. 
Brubeck, now of Oklahoma. In Springfield, on 
the 8th of April, 1880, at the St. Nicholas Hotel, 
Mr. Ward and Miss Amanda Montgomery were 
united in marriage. The lady was born on the 
farm where she now resides, and is a daughter of 
Ira Montgomery, an honored pioneer of Christian 
County, who died in 1858. By this union six 
children have been born: Ida Pearl, James N.,Eva 
Grace and Ella Myrtle (twins), Jessie and Tilhe 
Belle. 

Socially, Mr. Ward is a member of Grove City 
Odd Fellows' lodge, and is Noble Grand. He 
also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, 
and is greatly interested in these organizations. 
He ranks high in the estimation of all his friends 
and neighbors as a man of excellent business abil- 
ity and true worth of character. He has been an 
ally of the Democratic party for many years, sup- 
porting its nominees and measures in Presidential 
elections, but he prefers to be independent at local 
elections. He has served as a member of the 
School Board, but has declined other official hon- 
ors, choosing to give his entire time to the super- 
vision of his farm. 



flUj, ELVILLE W. STAPLES, M. D., of Grove 

I \\\ City, is one of the active and successful 

j 1ft professional men of Christian County. He 

is a native son of this State, having been 

born in Tazewell County, September 8, 1850, and 

has passed nearly his entire life in the Prairie State. 

Rev. John J. Staples, the father of the Doctor, was 

born in the Old Dominion, and was a lad of only 

nine years when he came with his parents to Illi- 



nois. The family settled in Peoria County, about 
1825. The marriage of Mr. Staples occurred in 
Springfield, 111., his wife being an adopted daugh- 
ter of Erastus Wright, one of the early settlers and 
pioneer teachers of Illinois. After his marriage, 
Mr. Staples settled in Tazewell County, where he 
engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1859,when he 
emigrated to Missouri and took up his residence 
in Carrollton, where he remained for a few years. 
In 1861, he returned to Illinois, settling in Deca- 
tur. He was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and was placed on the Decatur Circuit. At 
the end of two years he was transferred to the Har- 
ristown Circuit, and in 1865 came to Taylorville, 
where he engaged in pastoral work until 1874. At 
this time he retired from the conference and went 
to Kansas on account of his health. After a short 
time, this being partly restored, he returned to the 
pulpit and was afterward made Presiding Elder, 
acting as such until his death, which occurred May 
3, 1882. 

Under the careful guidance of his father, Dr. 
Staples grew to manhood and received a good edu- 
cation. He attended the Bloomington Normal af- 
ter leaving the common schools, and for six months 
taught school quite successfully. That avocation 
not being to his taste, however, he learned the 
painter's trade, following that business for several 
years in order to obtain the means whereby to pur- 
sue a thorough course of medical study. During 
the winter of 1881-82, he took his first course of 
lectures in the St. Louis Medical College, returning 
the two following winters. He was graduated in 
the Class of '84, after having spent seven years 
in his medical studies. He had come to Christian 
County as early as 1865, and his first practice in the 
line of his future work was in Edinburgh, 111., but 
he soon removed to Grove City, arriving here on 
the 4th of June, 1885, and has since continued ac- 
tively engaged in practice. His efforts have been 
crowned with success and he is kept busy all the 
time, his practice being quite extensive. 

In Edinburgh, 111., on the 1st of March, 1874, oc- 
curred the wedding of Dr. Staples and Miss Mary 
Ida Johns, who was born at Columbus, Ga., but 
grew to womanhood in Illinois. To our subject 
and wife have been born five children: Arthur, 



of the 

of Illirn. 







\ 

^njk 





v 




o( the 



PORTEAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



217 



Gertie, Roy, Altha,and Lizzie, who died in infancy. 
The family move in the best social circles of the 
place, and are active workers in the Grove City 
Methodist Episcopal Church, to which the Doctor 
and his wife belong, the former being one of its 
officers. 

Our subject is greatly interested in civic soci- 
eties, is a member of the Odd Fellows' Lodge of this 
place and has passed all the chairs. He is Past 
Grand and has represented the lodge in the Grand 
Lodge. He is now Deputy Grand Master, and is 
also a member of the Taylorville Encampment. He 
is a true-blue Republican, having voted for every 
Presidential nominee of that party since the elec- 
tion of 1872. He has been alwa3 r s a hearty sup- 
porter of public schools, and one of the prime 
movers in securing the graded schools of which the 
citizens of this place are so justly proud. 



CHENEY, one of the enterprising 
[M and successful farmers of Christian County, 
Ijbz?' whose home is just outside the corporation 
|H limits of Taylorville, claims Ohio as the 
State of his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
Coshocton County, on the 30th of November, 1842. 
His parents, Abraham and Jeannette (Evans) Che- 
ney, were both natives of Pennsylvania. In 1824, 
the father left the State of his nativity and removed 
to Ohio, where he remained until 1843, when he em- 
igrated to Illinois. Locating in Sangamon County, 
he there made his home until 1870, which year 
witnessed his arrival in Taylorville. His death 
occurred in that city September 22, 1887, at the 
age of eighty-nine years, six months and ten days. 
By occupation he was a farmer, and followed agri- 
cultural pursuits during the greater part of his 
life. His wife had passed away several years pre- 
vious to the death of her husband, dying Septem- 
ber 26, 1875, at the age of seventy-eight. The 
family numbered eight children, of whom Harry 
is seventh in order of birth. John, the eldest, 
has made his home in Colusa, Cal., since 1852; 



Thomas died in Taylorville; Amon died at the 
age of thirty-two, leaving a family, and his son, 
Thomas H. Cheney, of Springfield, is now Court 
Stenographer; Talitha became the wife of Dr. W. J. 
Chamblain, of Mason City, 111., and both are now 
deceased; Rebecca C. is the wife of Alpheus Lewis, 
and resides in Roscville, III.; Elizabeth, wife of 
J. R. Johnson, is now keeping house for her 
brother Harry, who is the next younger in the 
family; and Margaret Ellen is the widow of J. E. 
Bradley, of Springfield. 

The subject of this sketch acquired a good 
English education in the schools of Springfield. 
He was reared to manhood in Sangamon County, 
having been only a year old at the time of his 
parents' removal thither. His education was com- 
pleted by a course in a commercial school at St. 
Louis, and when he had completed his studies in 
that line he secured a position as clerk in the post- 
office of that city, serving for four years under 
Presidents Buchanan and Lincoln. Subsequently 
he was made Deputy Marshal for St. Louis County, 
and in a prompt and faithful manner discharged 
the duties of that office for two and a-half years. 
On his return to Springfield, Mr. Cheney em- 
barked in the drug business, which he carried on 
for several years, and in the spring of 1870 turned 
his attention to agricultural pursuits, whicli he has 
since followed. The farm which he now owns was 
mainly improved by his brother Amon, and after 
his death was carried on by the father, until he too 
departed this life, when our subject purchased it. 
It comprises one hundred acres of rich and val 
uable land and lies just west of the corporation 
limits of Taylorville. The fields are well tilled, 
and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place 
indicates the careful supervision of the owner. 
Mr. Cheney has made a specialty of breeding, rais- 
ing and selling fine stock and now has a fine herd 
of about twenty Jersey cows. He supplies cream 
to the restaurants of the city and has upon his 
farm a cold storage warehouse, in which to keep 
his cream and milk. He also raises hogs, and has 
some fine horses. His land is a beautiful tract, and 

j the place is one of the model farms of the county. 
Mr. Cheney has always been a supporter of the 

j Democratic party, having been a war advocate of 



218 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



its principles. His first Presidential vote was cast 
for George B. McClellan in 1864. In 1880, he was 
elected Township Supervisor by a handsome ma- 
jority, and discharged his duties with credit to 
himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents, 
being a prudent and painstaking officer. Socially, 
he is connected with Mystic Lodge No. 64, K. P. 
For almost a quarter of a century, Mr. Cheney 
has now lived in Christian County, and through- 
out the community in which he now makes his 
home he is widely and favorably known. 



il/ATTEN GASKINS is an old resident and 
W jlj prominent farmer, who makes his. home on 
ill^ section 16, King Township. He is a native 
(|S^ of Illinois, having been born in Saline 
County, May 6, 1835, to Wilson G. Gaskins, whose 
birth occurred in Howard County, Ky. The fa- 
ther grew to manhood in his native State, and 
came to Illinois at an early day, becoming a resi- 
dent of Gallatine County, afterward a part of Sa- 
line County, in 1812. He was one of eleven chil- 
dren. In 1818 he married Lydia Bracken, who 
was a native of North Carolina. He died at the 
age of seventy-seven years, about 1872, on the 
farm where he had resided for so many years. 
Both he and his wife were members of the Baptist 
Church, and in politics he was a Democrat. 

Hatten Gaskins is one of eleven children, and 
passed his boyhood and youth at his birthplace. 
He received a limited education in the subscrip- 
tion schools of the day, but as the family was large 
lie was early set to work, and at the age of eigh- 
teen commenced to be self-supporting. His ambi- 
tion was to possess a good farm, but though he 
was industrious it was man}' years before his wish 
was fulfilled. 

In 1861 Mr. Gaskins came to this county from 
Montgomery County, where he had married Miss 
Delia Davis, who was born on the Lamoille River, 
twelve miles from Burlington. Her father, 



Davis, was a native of Vermont, and her grand- 
father was under Ethan Allen at the capture of 
Ticonderoga. Mr. Davis had the contract for 
furnishing the first telegraph poles in the United 
States. He died in Fremont, Neb., in 1872. 

In 1857 our subject purchased eighty acres of 
land in this county, and four years later settled 
permanently upon it. He bought two hundred 
and forty acres at the rate of $12 per acre. The 
land was in a wild condition, and often herds of 
from thirty to forty deer were seen grazing near 
his home. He has converted his land, which was 
mainly a swamp, into its present condition. Mr. 
Gaskins has considerable inventive genius, and in 
October, 1892, received a patent on a pump of an 
improved type. He also has invented a windmill, 
which is so constructed that it is better able to re- 
sist wind storms than most on the market. 

The marriage of our subject was celebrated on 
Christmas Day, 1857, and by the union have been 
born the following children: Henry, who died at 
the age of nine years; Fannie, wife of Samuel 
Balsley, a farmer of King Township; Rosa May, 
who lives in Ellis, Kan., and is the wife of Lewis 
Morton; Berry, who is at home on the farm; and 
Betsy, wife of Edwin Vigal, of this township. 
They are all well educated and have made a good 
start in life. Our subject and his wife have seven 
grandchildren, of whom they are very proud. 
They are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and were among the charter members of 
the church, which formerly convened in the little 
log schoolhouse of the neighborhood. Mr. Gas- 
kins himself built the first schoolhouse in King 
Township, in 1867. 

The first ballot of our subject was cast for 
Buchanan and he was one of the Democratic party 
until two years ago. He is now a member of the 
Farmers' Alliance, and as the author of the Farm- 
ers' Alliance Song Book is well known in all 
parts of the Union. He has attended all of the 
principal meetings of the organization, and was at 
the Omaha Convention, which was composed of 
sixteen hundred and forty delegates. He is a 
member of the local Alliance and is a leading man 
of his party. A good singer, his voice has been 
often heard in the meetings and he is the chief ex- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



219 



ponent of the Alliance in this neighborhood. He 
is a natural poet, and lias been called the poet of 
the county. It is his intention to rent his farm 
and devote himself to making known the merits 
of his inventions. During the thirty-two years he 
has lived in this county he lias been a witness of 
the great changes that have taken place. Taylor- 
ville was then a small place, with only one church. 
He was often several weeks on the journey to and 
from the nearest trading point, and the roads were 
so bad that it took two days to go fifteen miles to 
the mill. In 1859 he went to the Rocky Mount- 
ains, across the plains by team, and was twenty- 
four days going to the Missouri River and twen- 
ty-one days on the return from that point. He 
spent seven months in the mountains and was one 
of the second part}' to enter the region. He made 
considerable out of his venture, and his wife has a 
ring which was made from the gold he obtained. 
Everything in the West was extremely high, and 
he has paid as high as $24 for a small sack of flour. 



ffi SABEL (BAKER) BERRY, who lives on sec- 
|| tion 11, Johnson Township, came with her 
/i. parents to Christian County in her young 
womanhood and has since' passed her life in this 
county. Her husband was for many years a promi- 
nent and respected citizen of this county, which 
in his death met with a severe loss. The birtli of 
Mrs. Berry occurred in York County, Pa., on the 
14th of November, 1830. Her father, Henry Ba- 
ker, was born in the same county in 1802. He 
has now passed away and lies buried in Clark 
Cemetery, of Johnson Township. His wife, whose 
maiden name was Mary Klinefelter, was born in 
1804, and grew to womanhood in York County, 
Pa. 

Our subject is the second in order of birth in a 
family of ten children. Alexander, the eldest, is 
deceased; Matilda is the wife of Richard Johnson, 
a resident of this township; Surilla is deceased; 
Jacob, William, Hester Ann and Samuel have also 



passed away; Eliza is the wife of Henry Ebert, and 
lives in California; and Mary, who was the wife of 
Matthew Stone, is deceased, and with her husband 
lies buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. The father of 
this family died in 1880. He followed the life oc- 
cupation of farming, and carried on a farm in this 
county. His wife died in the prime of life, in the 
year 1849. 

The marriage of Mrs. Berry was celebrated in 
1850, when she gave her heart and hand to Thomas 
H. Berry, who was born in Montgomeiy County, 
111., in 1828. To them were born three children. 
Henry H. is an enterprising carpenter and builder, 
a resident of Taylorville; John T. is a well-to-do 
agriculturist of Johnson Township; and Mary 
Jane, wife of Allen Raiborn, lives on the old 
homestead with her mother. Mrs. Berry has five 
grandchildren, namely: John, Eunice, Grace I., 
Daisy and Goldie May. John Berry has resided 
for several years with his grandmother, and has 
been of great assistance to her in carding on the 
home farm. He is a young man who is very am- 
bitious, and who fully realizes of what benefit a 
thorough education is to a man in the battle of 
life. This winter he expects to teach school and af- 
terwards attend the business college at Springfield, 
111. He is a young man who is bound to suc- 
ceed and who has a future of great promise before 
him. 

The homestead owned and operated by Mrs. 
Berry is one of the best in the township. Of this, 
one hundred and sixty acres are situated on the 
prairie, and forty acres are timber-land. During 
his lifetime Mr. Berry served in various local po- 
sitions of responsibility and honor to the satis- 
faction of his friends and neighbors. Among others 
he was Highway Commissioner, and also served as 
one of the School Directors. His influence and 
ballot were used in behalf of the Democratic party. 
For a period of over twenty years he was a faith- 
ful and consistent member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. In 1873, he was called from his 
labors, being stricken with malarial fever. He 
lies buried in the United Brethren Church Ceme- 
tery. During his entire life, which was spent in 
the Prairie State, he followed agricultural pur- 
suits,and was an honorable, upright man, whom to 



220 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



know was to love. His name deserves to be placed 
among the worthy pioneers who did so much in 
the development and preparation of the State for 
the prosperity and success which have now be- 
come assured. Mrs. Berry is well and favorably 
known in this community as a lady of good ed- 
ucation, right judgment and business ability. 
Since her husband's death she has managed the 
farm most creditably, and has shown herself most 
capable to direct the management of a large farm. 



JOHN GORE is one of the early pioneers of 
Christian County, having arrived here with 
his parents in 1830. He is an honored resi- 
dent of Taylorville Township, and cul- 
tivates his valuable farm on section 7. He was 
born in Trigg County, Ky., near Cadiz, August 9, 
1825, and has consequently passed all but five 
years of his life in the community where he yet 
makes his home. 

Our subject's parents, John and Sophia Gore, 
were natives of Kentucky, who made their home 
for several 3'ears after their mairiage in the Blue 
Grass State. Believing that they could do better 
in a newer country, they started with their family 
and earthly possessions by ox-teams to Illinois, 
where the father took up one hundred and sixty 
acres of Government land on the present site of 
Taylorville. This property, for which he paid 
$1.25 per acre, was situated where the Baxter Ele- 
vator now stands. 

Our subject grew to manhood in this county 
and obtained his education in the subscription 
schools, which were held in log schoolhouses from 
three to four miles from his home. He can well 
remember when there was not a house in Taylor- 
ville. Remaining with his parents until he had 
reached his majority, he then purchased forty acres 
of land, for which he paid $150,150 of the amount 
down and the rest to be paid in several years. 
This land was entirely wild and a portion was 
heavily timbered. In order to pay the remainder, 



our subject began working for $10 per month at 
farm labor and continued thus employed for sev- 
eral years. In the mean time he made many sub- 
stantial improvements upon his place, which he 
afterward sold and then bought a Mexican land 
warrant for one hundred and forty-five acres on 
section 7, Taylorville Township. This place has 
since been his home. It was mostly prairie and 
unimproved. He built a log cabin, which in later 
years was supplanted by his substantial resi- 
dence. In his boyhood the nearest trading point 
was Springfield. He was always an incfustrious 
worker and was many times employed at cutting 
and splitting rails. This occupation was not very 
remunerative, but he was economical and managed 
to board himself while receiving only twenty-five 
cents per hundred rails. 

In July, 1862, Mr. Gore enlisted in the Union 
service for three years as a private of Company A, 
One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois Infantry. 
His brother William also enlisted on the same day 
in the same company, while his brother Joseph 
joined the company a few days afterward. They 
were mustered into service at Camp Butler, and 
their first engagement took place at Franklin, 
Tenn. Mr. Gore was for three days in the battle 
of Chickamauga, was in the engagement at Resaca 
and the battles of Bull's Gap, Nashville and many 
others of less note. He was never taken prisoner 
or wounded, though he served until the close of 
the war and was often in the front of the battle. 
He suffered many privations and was often sent 
on forced marches. During his service he lived 
for a day and a-half on eighteen grains of coffee) 
being otherwise entirely without food. He re- 
ceived an honorable discharge in 1855, after hav- 
ing made a record of which he may well be proud. 
He was a soldier on whom his superiors could 
safely rely, and ably defended the Nation in her 
hour of need. 

Returning to his home, Mr. Gore took up the 
work on his farm and has since devoted his entire 
attention to its improvement. He was married in 
1870 to Miss Harriet Welch, who died about a 
year later, and was placed to rest in Buckhart 
Cemetery. Mr. Gore has been a Republican 
since the organization of the party, but though 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



221 



interested in politics has never been an office- 
seeker. He is a member of the Methodist Church, 
and a Grand Army man. His success in life is 
justly merited, for he began at the very bottom 
round of the ladder, as did many of this Nation's 
brave sons, and has steadily progressed in fortune 
and the esteem of his fellow-citizens. 



JOHNSON is one of the influen- 
IWf tial farmers of Johnson Township, his home 
tfc fli being on section 14. He is a native of the 
Buckeye State, born May 14, 1830, in Cadiz 
and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Orr) John- 
son, who were both natives of Washington County, 
Pa., where they grew to manhood and womanhood. 

Richard Johnson is one of six children, of whom 
he is next to the youngest. His eldest brother, 
James, is deceased, and was buried in Louisville, 
Ky.; Margaret, who was next in order of birth, and 
was formerly a resident of Waterbury, Conn., is 
now deceased; Albert was one of the devoted 
missionaries to India and was killed in the mutiny 
in 1848, about seven hundred miles from Calcutta; 
Junius C. died in Ohio; William, who was in In- 
dia for a few years, is now President of the Biddle 
Institute in North Carolina, and is a man of supe- 
rior attainments. The father of these children died 
in 1837, and was buried in Cadiz, Ohio. His wife 
died three years later and was placed in her last 
resting-place in Washington County, Pa., which 
was also the county of her birth. 

Our subject was early deprived of his father's 
guidance and mother's loving care, for he was only 
a child of seven years on the death of the former, 
and three years later occurred his mother's death. 
He was therefore early obliged to strike out and 
make his own livelihood. He obtained employ- 
ment in a tannery and worked at that business for 
six years in Ohio. In 1859 he wedded Matilda 
Baker, who was born in Pennsylvania, and with her 
parents removed to Clarke County, Ohio. With 



her parents, she later settled in Christian County, 
111. They were natives of Washington County, 
Pa., and were of Scotch and Irish descent. They 
became residents of these parts in 1854, when the 
county was a wilderness. Our subject and wife be- 
came the parents of eight children. Margaret mar- 
ried James Hawkins, of Johnson Township; Will- 
iam, who is deceased, lies buried in the Taylorville 
cemetery; Mary became the wife of Henry Dappert, 
a farmer of Johnson Township; Drusilla and 80- 
phronia are at home; Rebecca is married and re- 
sides on the homestead; Matthew is also at home; 
and Rachel died in infancy. 

The farm belonging to our subject is well 
improved and comprises four hundred and seventy 
acres. The owner is one of the enterprising farm- 
ers of the township and is thoroughly familiar 
with the duties pertaining to farm work. He is a 
stanch Republican, prior to the organization of 
which party he affiliated with the Whigs. His first 
vote in a Presidential election was cast for Winfield 
Scott. For many years after coming to this county, 
the father of our subject was well known as one of 
the pioneer plrysicians. In everything pertaining 
to the upbuilding of the community in which he 
dwells, Mr. Johnson is active and interested, and 
is a believer in giving the rising generation the 
best possible advantages in the way of an educa- 
tion. He has served as one of the School Directors, 
and is ever to be found on the side of progress. 



ICHARD KIMBALL is one of the enterpris- 
ing merchants of Mt. Auburn, and has 
i resident of Christian County for 
three decades. He carries a well-selected 
stock of general merchandise and has a well-estab- 
lished business. He is accounted one of the sub- 
stantial citizens of the county, and by his methods 
of fair dealing has established an enviable reputa- 
tation. 

Mr. Kimball is a native of Vermont, born near 
Montpelier, Washington County, May 21, 1846. 




222 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



His grandfather, Richard Kimball, was born in 
Boston, Mass., and was of Scotch parentage, his 
ancestors having lived in the Highlands of Scot- 
laud. Coming to the United States, they settled 
in New England prior to the War of the Revolu- 
tion. For a number of years, Richard Kimball 
was engaged in business in Boston. 

Nathan Allen Kimball, the father of our sub- 
ject, was born and grew to manhood in Vermont. 
He there married Sarah Stagg, also a native of the 
Green Mountain State, and after that event he 
engaged in milling and merchandising for many 
years. In 1855, he concluded to seek his fortune 
in the West, and, coming to Illinois, settled in 
Rochester, where he engaged in the same business. 
He died in 1860. His wife, who survived him for 
a number of years, passed away in Missouri. 

In the family, comprising three sons and three 
daughters, Richard Kimball is the second in order 
of birth. One sister has since passed to the home 
beyond. Our subject was only nine years old 
when his parents brought him to Illinois. He was 
given good school advantages, and in 1863, when 
in his seventeenth year, he came to this county 
and entered the employ of M. Stafford & Co. as 
a clerk. He continued with this firm for ten years 
and received a thorough, practical business train- 
ing. In 1873, Mr. Kimball bought out the old 
firm and succeeded to the business. Since that 
time he has carried it on alone and has been fort- 
unate in his management of the enterprise. 

In Christian County, on the 26th of February, 
1873, a marriage ceremony was performed which 
united the destinies of Mr. Kimball and Miss 
Frances J. Henderson. Her father, John A. Hen- 
derson, is one of the earliest settlers of this county, 
and is a son-in-law of old Gen. Whitesides, of 
southern Illinois. Mrs. Kimball was born in Mad- 
ison County, 111., and by her marriage has become 
the mother of four children. The eldest, John A., 
is a talented young man. The younger mem- 
bers of the family are called respective^-: Pearl, 
Grace and Cora. The parents hold membership 
with the Christian Church. Mr. Kimball is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity, is a Royal Arch 
Mason, and a member of Illiopolis Chapter. The 
political support of Mr. Kimball is given to the 



Democratic party on all national issues. He has 
found his time and energies necessarily devoted 
to his business interests, and has therefore never 
accepted official honors. He is well known to be a 
man whose word is as good as his bond, and in all 
his dealings with his fellow-men his course has 
been marked by a high sense of honor and justice. 



*p NDREW J. TAYLOR is a native Virgin- 
(^O| ian, and from his earliest years has been 

Ij It engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has 
(fjj a well-improved farm on section 23, Green- 
wood Township, where in addition to general 
farming he devotes considerable attention to stock- 
raising. He has seen much of the development of 
this county, to which he came when only seven- 
teen years of age. 

Our subject was born in the eastern part of Vir- 
ginia, in Rockbridge County, June 3, 1850, being 
a son of Gabriel and Catherine (Smith) Taylor. 
The former was a son of Sinclair Taylor, who was 
a farmer and was also a native of the Old Domin- 
ion. John Smith, our subject's maternal grand- 
father, was probably born in Germany, as he spoke 
very broken English. He was also a farmer in 
Virginia, and lived to be about eighty-five years 
of age. Gabriel Taylor owned and operated a 
farm in his native county, and was called from 
this life in early manhood. He and his wife were 
members of the United Brethren Church. They 
were the parents of five children, only two of 
whom are now living: Mary, wife of John Suther- 
land, of Brownsburg, Va.; and Andrew J., whose 
name heads this sketch. 

The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
passed on his father's farm in Virginia. He re- 
mained on the old homestead until seventeen 
years of age, when he started out to make his own 
way in the world. He came directly to Christian 
County, arriving here when Taylorville was a very 
small town, having no railroads. For four years 
he lived five miles west of Edinburgh,, nt ter which, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



223 



in the spring of 1871, he moved into Greenwood 
Township, where he rented and operated a farm 
for six years. By carefully husbanding his means, 
he acquired enough money to purchase a farm of 
eighty acres, which is located on section 23. He 
has made substantial improvements and has thus 
materially increased its value. For a number of 
years he has raised horses, sheep and hogs exten- 
sively, and is now one of the leading farmers of 
the township. 

In this county, Mr. Taylor was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Elmira V. Orr, on the 1st of De- 
cember, 1870. She is a daughter of Thomas and 
Caroline (Suddith) Orr, who are well known in 
Christian County. Seven children have been born 
to our subject and his estimable wife. They are 
as follows: Rena C., William A., Thomas O., John 
W., Charles A., Jesse and a baby boy. 

Mr. Taylor is a member of the Modern Wood- 
men of America and is identified with the Farmers' 
Mutual Benefit Association. The cause of educa- 
tion finds in him a warm friend, and for a period 
of three years he served as a School Director. At 
the present time he is acting in the capacity of 
Supervisor of the township. In politics he sup- 
ports the men and measures of the People's party. 
Whatever fortune he now possesses is the result of 
his industry and untiring energy, for be started 
out in the battle of life without a dollar capital, 
and has made his way unassisted by the money or 
influence of others. He is therefore deserving of 
great respect, and is held in high regard by his 
friends.and neighbors. 



JULIUS A. WOLFF is one of the energetic 
business men of Morrisonville, being a 
dealer, packer and shipper of poultry and 
eggs. During the summer season he gives 
employment to about twelve men, and in the win- 
ter to about fifty hands. He has been engaged in 
this branch of business for a number of years and 
has become fairly conversant with its details. 



The birth of Mr. Wolff occurred in Davenport, 
Iowa, May 2, 1864, his parents being Joachim and 
Julia (Hensen) Wolff, who were natives of Ham- 
burg, Germany. The former was a merchant 
tailor in the Fatherland and came to America 
about 1840. He settled in Davenport, Iowa, where 
he died in 1886, at the age of about seventy-five 
years. During the late war he served as a mem- 
ber of the Davenport regiment, and in one en- 
gagement was badly wounded. His father, Mi- 
chael D. Wolff, died in Germany when over ninety 
years of age. The mother of our subject passed 
from this life in Burlington, when she had attained 
the age of seventy years. Both parents were 
members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

Julius A. Wolff is one of five children, three 
daughters and two sons, only two of whom arc 
now living. His only sister, Carolina, is the wife 
of Nicholas Lau, and is a resident of Burlington, 
Iowa. Our subject was only five years of age 
when his parents removed from Davenport to Bur- 
lington, where he was reared to manhood and re- 
ceived his education. Upon completing his stud- 
ies he obtained a position as book-keeper for the 
Orchard City Packing House, of Burlington, and 
remained in the employ of that firm for eight 
years and a-half. Going to Chicago, Mr. Wolff 
became a commercial traveler for the firm of Op- 
penheimer, Casing & Co. 

The first commercial venture of our subject was 
in 1886, when he entered into partnership with 
C. E. Hensen, and opened a poultry and produce 
shippers' office in Virden, 111. In time they en- 
larged their business and opened branch houses at 
Carlinville, Farmersville and Morrisonville. At 
the end of a year they dissolved partnership, Mr. 
Wolff taking the Morrisonville and Farmersville 
houses, and Mr. Hensen keeping the other two 
branches. In addition to his business interests, 
Mr. Wolff has money invested in good property 
in Farmersville and Morrisonville. He possesses 
good business ability and is making a success of 
his various enterprises. 

On the 24th of September, 1887, a marriage cer- 
emony was performed by which Miss Augusta 
Hensen became the wife of Mr. Wolff. She is a 
daughter of Frederick and Magdalene (Westphall) 



224 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Ilensen. In politics, Mr. Wolff is a Democrat and 
is greatly interested in the success of that party. 
Since casting his lot with the citizens of this place 
he has been active in promoting her best interests 
and is a public-spirited man. He is upright and 
exact in his business dealings, and for that reason 
makes friends of his patrons. 



ELIJAH A. MILLER is one of the respected 
old settlers of Taylorville Township, hav- 
ing lived on his present farm since 1850. 
This property is situated on section 16, and has 
been developed from the wild prairie to its present 
thrifty and well-improved condition by our sub- 
ject, who -has acquired a good farm and a com- 
fortable competence for his remaining years. He 
is a native of this county, having been born in 
South Fork Township, which was then a part of 
Sangamon County, on the 10th of March, 1825. 
His parents were Samuel and Hannah (Hainen) 
Miller, who were of German and Scotch-Irish de- 
scent, respectively. The former was a native of 
Virginia, and the latter of South Carolina. They 
were the parents of the following children: Sal- 
lie, Melinda, Isaac, Daniel, Martin, Levi, Elijah, 
Jane, Eli, Charles, and two who died in infancy. 
Only three of the number are yet living. Martin 
and Jane are residents of Saline County, Neb. 
The former is a retired farmer. 

Samuel Miller removed from his native State to 
Kentucky, and grew to manhood in Christian 
County of that State. He was a farmer and maker 
of weaver's reeds. In 1822, he came to Illinois 
and settled in South Fork Township, this county, 
the trip overland being made on horseback. He 
pre-empted a piece of Government land, for which 
he paid Si. 25 per acre. In the early days he gave 
as high as one hundred per cent, on borrowed 
money. On his farm he erected a small log cabin, 
16x20 feet. The nearest trading point was at 
Springfield. He was born in 1790, and passed 



away in October, 1833, having been a member of 
the Universalist Church. His wife was born in 
1799, and died in 1866. 

The subject of this sketch was born and reared 
on his father's farm in this county, and his educa- 
tion was obtained in the early subscription schools. 
The first one he ever attended was taught by 
Judge Vandeveer and was situated nearly a mile 
and a-half from his home. He obtained a good 
business education largely through his own study 
and diligence. When about sixteen years of age, 
he began teaching school, and continued during 
the winter months in that occupation until in his 
twenty-eighth year. From, the time he was a 
youth of sixteen years he took charge of his 
mother's old homestead, which he continued to 
manage until 1850. 

The farm on which Mr. Miller still lives was 
purchased by him in 1850. This property of one 
hundred and sixty acres was school land and was 
purchased at the rate of $1.75 per acre. He has 
since extended its boundaries until it now comprises 
two hundred and seventy acres, where he carries 
on general farming and stock-raising. At the 
same time that he settled on this place he married 
Miss Jane S. Bishop, who was born in Rochester, 
N. Y., August 6, 1830. 

Six children have been born to our subject and 
wife. Ada, whose birth occurred in April, 1855, is 
the wife of H. J. Huffman, who is a school teacher 
in Seward County, Neb.; Henry died November 
30, 1866; Annie died in infancy; Jennie, born 
October 22, 1862, became the wife of O.E. Badger, 
a Methodist minister; Fannie, wife of A. J. Ha}'- 
ward, a farmer of Taylorville Township, was born 
July 6, 1864; and Alice, the youngest of the 
family, born JulyS, 1866, died September 19, 1869. 

The first vote cast by Mr. Miller was for Frank- 
lin Pierce, and he has supported the Democratic 
party ever since that time. A number of times 
he has been honored with various township offices, 
and among others we mention that of Town- 
ship Collector, School Director and Trustee. Mrs. 
Miller holds membership with the Presbyterian 
Church. The family is highly respected and have 
always been warmly received in the social circles ' 
of the neighborhood. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



225 



|J UGUSTUS M. SMITH. One of the exten- 

@/Llli sive land-owners of Christian County, 
jr* and one of the early settlers, is the gentle- 
^j/ man whose history we will proceed to 
briefly trace. His home is located on section 15, 
South Fork Township. His birth occurred in 
Washington, D. C., January 11, 1836, his parents 
being Justus and Catherine (Hartner) Smith, who 
were both natives of Germany. In 1828 the father 
crossed the Atlantic on a sailing-vessel, which con- 
sumed nine weeks in making the voyage. He was 
a baker by trade, and after his arrival in America 
located in Washington, where he worked at his 
calling for a few years. In 1835 he came to Illi- 
nois by stage and located in Greene County, 
where he began working on a farm by the month, 
receiving $8 or $9 for his services. He continued 
to make his home in Greene County until 1844, 
when he came to Christian Count3' and bought an 
eighty-acre tract of school land in South Fork 
Township. He erected a log cabin and proceeded 
to develop a good farm from the wild prairie. 
Though he commenced life without any capital, 
he was in good circumstances at the time of his 
death, which occurred in March, 1877. His wife, 
who died two years previous, lies buried by her 
husband in Bethany Cemeteiy. 

Our subject is one of a family of six children 
and is the only son. His sister Johanna is the 
widow of Thomas Melugin, and is a resident of 
Edinburg, 111.; Mary is deceased; Catherine is the 
wife of John Jysey, a farmer of this township; 
Elizabeth became the wife of Charles Hanna, who 
is also engaged in farming in South Fork Town- 
ship; and Polly is deceased. 

Mr. Smith of this sketch was only an infant 
when he was brought by his parents to Illinois, 
and with them came to Christian County when 
eight years of age. He grew to manhood on his 
father's farm in South Fork Township, and at- 
tended the winter term of school in the nearest 
schoolhouse, which was about a mile and a-half 
from his home. The school advantages of that 
early day were extremely meagre, and his education 
has been mainly acquired since reaching adult 
years. He remained with his father until twenty- 
two years of age, when he started on his own ac- 



count as a farmer on forty acres of raw prairie 
land, which was given him by his father. On this 
place he lived for about eight years, and, having 
made many improvements upon it, he then sold 
it to good advantage and moved to Taylorville, 
where he made his home for a year. His next 
business venture was the purchase of one hundred 
and sixty-four acres on section 15, South Fork 
Township, the farm on which he now resides. 
He has extended his possessions considerably in 
later years, and is now the fortunate owner of 
nearly seven hundred acres of well-cultivated and 
valuable land. He is engaged in raising general 
farm products, and also deals considerably in stock. 
The marriage of Mr. Smith took place on the 
20th of May, 1863, when Miss Elmira Adams be- 
came his wife. Two children have been born of 
their union: Lizzie, the wife of William Taylor, a 
well-to-do farmer of South Fork Township; and 
Bessie, who died when three years of age. Polit- 
ically, Mr. Smith is a Democrat, and takes a great 
interest in political and general affairs. Though 
not desirous of official honors, he has served his 
township as Supervisor. He is a worthy man and 
patriotic citizen, who is devoted to the promotion 
of all enterprises which have for their object the 
good of the community and the progress of his 
fellow-men. 



JA. WHITECRAFf. This gentleman is well 
known as one of the most extensive land- 
owners of Christian County and as a prom- 
inent citizen who is always to be found 
in the front ranks of improvement. His well- 
equipped farm is situated on section 25, Soutli 
Fork Township. He is a native of Bath County, 
Ky., born January 11, 1819, and is a son of John 
Whitecraft. His grandfather, who was of Irish 
descent, was reared in Lancaster, Pa. Thence he 
removed to Tennessee, and later to Kentucky, 
where his death occurred. 

The father of our subject was a native of Ten- 



226 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



nessee and was eight years of age when his parents 
settled in Kentucky. His early education was 
limited, and he was early inured to farm work. 
On arriving at suitable years he married Rachel 
Arnick, a native of Bath County, Ky. On the 
loth of September, 1835, the family left Kentucky 
and started for the Prairie State, reaching Spring- 
field at the end of thirty days. Central Illinois 
was still in a nearly wild condition, and wolves 
and deer yet roamed over the prairies. On the 
6th of April of the following year, the father 
came to this county and made a settlement on the 
farm which is now owned by our subject. lie 
bought a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, 
paid $4 per acre, and entered a large tract of land 
at $1.25 per acre. The prairie was without fences, 
and there was only a small house, containinga large 
fireplace, upon the farm by way of improvement. 
John Whitecraft became the owner of nearly eight 
hundred acres, all of which is in the family. He 
died in 1847, aged sixty-two years, seven months 
and twenty da3's, and was buried on the farm. 
His wife lived to reach four-score years and was 
killed in Springfield by a runaway team. They 
were both members of the Presbyterian Church, 
and in politics the father was a Whig. He was 
greatly opposed to secret societies. 

Our subject is the eldest child born to his par- 
ents. Harvey died in this county, as did also 
Ahisah, the next younger; Jane, who is deceased, 
became the wife of a Mr. Williams, of Brush Creek; 
John lives retired from business and resides in 
Taylorville; Silas lives in Springfield; and George, 
who is also retired from active business, lives at 
Berry Station. 

The early years of J. A. Whitecraft were passed 
in Kentucky, and at the time of the family's emi- 
gration to this State he was a youth of sixteen 
years. His education was obtained in the sub- 
scription schools of that early day, and he learned 
to be an expert with the rifle, cradle, axe and 
scythe. He continued to reside at home until his 
father's death, when he inherited a portion ,of the 
old homestead, a tract of three hundred acres. 
He has since greatly extended the boundaries of 
his farm and may well be proud of his broad estate, 
for he owns in one body fourteen hundred acres. 



He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising 
and has met with unusual success. 

Mr. Whitecraft is a good citizen and has been 
identified with the progress of this region for 
fifty-seven years. His first Presidential ballot was 
cast in 1840 for W. H. Harrison. He has seen thir- 
teen elections since that day, and the last time 
voted for the grandson of the Tippecanoe hero. 
He was well acquainted with President Lincoln 
and had the pleasure of voting for him. His 
father was always an anti-slavery man and left 
the South on that account. 



OSCAR F. MORRISON, a well-known citizen 
of Taylorville, claims New Hampshire as 
the State of his nativity. The place of his 
birth is in the city of Keene, and the date May 
22, 1837. His parents were David and Betsy 
Ann (Wilson) Morrison. His boyhood days were 
quietly passed, and the public schools afforded 
him his educational privileges. Since the age of 
fifteen he has made his own way in the world. At 
that time he began learning the printer's trade, 
serving a three-years apprenticeship. When a 
young man of twenty years he determined to seek 
a home and fortune in the West, for he believed 
that better privileges were here afforded than in 
the older and more thickly settled States of the 
East. In consequence he arrived in Pana, Christian 
County, on the 22d of July, 1857, and in that 
place and in Clinton he was engaged in newspaper 
work until 1866. In connection with Mahlon De 
Levis he founded and published the Clinton Pub- 
lic, which he carried on during the war. 

On the 3d of October, 1861, Mr. Morrison was 
united in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Frink, the 
ceremony being performed on the site of their 
present home. The lady is a daughter of Judge 
W. S. and Sarah G. (Grant) Frink. Her father 
died September 12, 1887, of paralysis, in his nine- 
ty-seventh year. Pie was the last survivor in a 
famity of twelve children. Throughout Christian 
County he was recognized as a prominent citizen. 



Tke Library 

of the 
Untartlty of Illlnoh 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



229 



He laid out Frink's Addition to the city, consist- 
ing of eighteen lots, and was prominent in all pub- 
lic affairs. For seventy-five years he was a member 
of the Masonic fraternity, having been made a 
Mason in North Stonington, Conn., in 1821. He 
was always an active member of the society, was a 
charter member of Mound Lodge, and took the 
Knight Templar degree. Further mention is made 
of Judge Frink on another page of this work. 

After the death of her mother Mr. and Mrs. 
Morrison came to Taylorville, in 186(5, to make 
their home with the Judge, she being his only liv- 
ing child. The family numbered six children, but 
one died at the age of fifteen, one at seven years, 
another at twenty-one, and two in early childhood. 
Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have two children: Mary 
Emma, who is employed as a teacher in the sixth 
grade in the Taylorville public schools; and Lor- 
etta Frink, wife of Nathaniel Gandy, of Taylor- 
ville. 

After coming to this city, our subject spent six 
years in the store of C. E. Barnes <fe Co., of Tay- 
lorville. In politics, he is a Republican and a 
stanch advocate of its principles, but has never 
been an aspirant for political preferment. His 
wife is a member of the Baptist Church, and also 
belongs to Hazelmere Chapter No. 221, O.E. S., of 
which she is now Treasuier. Mr. and Mrs. Morri- 
son hold an enviable position in social circles, and 
have many friends throughout this community, in 
which they have so long resided. 



JUDGE WILLIAM STANTON FRINK, de- 
ceased, was one of Christian County's 
leading and influential citizens, and well 
deserves representation in its history. He 
was born in Lebanon, New London County, Conn., 
December 17, 1790, and was a son of William and 
Wealthy (Downer) Frink, who were also natives 
of the Nutmeg State. The family is of Welsh 
origin, and was founded in America during Col- 
onial days, a tract of land being granted to Isaac 
10 



Frink by King George III. This is still in the 
possession of the family. The father of our sub- 
ject died in 1850, at the age of eighty-two. He 
was a substantial farmer and a man esteemed for 
his many excellencies of character. The mother 
was an exemplary Christian lady, who did much 
toward molding the lives of her children. 

The primary education of our subject was sup- 
plemented by study in an academy at Westerly, 
R. I. He remained at home until eighteen years 
of age, and during the succeeding twelve years 
engaged in teaching in Connecticut and New 
York. In 1824, he made a voyage to Martinique 
as supercargo on a vessel owned by Messrs. Trum- 
bull, Smith & Co., of Stonington, Conn., and in 
1826 went to the island of Trinidad, where he 
visited the grave of Commodore Perry, who was 
there interred. In February of the following 
year he was appointed assignee of a bankrupt 
concern, and his duties occupied his attention for 
two years. In 1829 he began business for him- 
self at his old home, and afterwards spent four 
years in Brooklyn, N. Y., in mercantile pursuits. 

During a business trip to the West, Mr. Frink 
was so impressed with the future prospects of 
Illinois that he determined to here make his home, 
and accordingly, in 1837, settled on Flat Branch, 
in the southeastern part of what was then Sanga- 
mon County, where he entered land and began 
farming. In 1838 and 1839 he took an active 
part in the formation of Christian County, in 
which was included his farm. There he success- 
fully carried on agricultural pursuits until 1853, 
when he removed to Taylorville, where he spent 
his remaining days. 

Judge Friuk was married October 21, 1830, to 
Sarah Grace, daughter of Nathan Grant, of Troy, 
N. Y. She was born September 22, 1808, and 
died November 24, 1866. Two children survived 
her, but Emily J., wife of William M. O'Farrell, 
of New York, died April 26, 1868. Sarah Ann, 
wife of Oscar F. Morrison, is now living in Tay- 
lorville. 

Judge Frink was frequently honored with public 
office. In 1837 he was appointed Deputy Sur- 
veyor of Shelby County, and from 1838 until 
1840 was Postmaster of AHentown. During that 



230 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



time lie was also proprietor of what was known as 
the Halfway House, on the Great Eastern stage 
route, and there frequently entertained Abraham 
Lincoln and Gen. Baker. In 1843 he was elected 
Probate Judge of Christian County, and served 
four years. He afterwards spent five years in 
merchandising in Taylorville with marked suc- 
cess, and in 1863 was appointed Deputy United 
States Collector of Internal Revenue for the Third 
Division of the Tenth Congressional District, a 
position which he held until his resignation, in 
1868, from which time he lived retired until his 
death. 

Judge Friuk served as a private in the War of 
1812, in the company in which his father was 
Lieutenant. For his faithful and efficient service 
he was awarded a grant of one hundred and sixty 
acres of land, forty of which formed a part of the 
farm which he owned at his death. In politics, 
he was identified with the Whig and Republican 
parties. In 1841 he became a member of the 
Baptist Church, and throughout his life was a 
liberal supporter of religious and benevolent 
work. His death resulted from a stroke of par- 
alysis, September 12, 1887, in his ninety-seventh 
year. Probably no -man in the county is more 
widely known, and none is held in higher regard 
than Judge Frink, who is numbered among the 
honored pioneers, to whom a debt of gratitude 
is due for the prominent part which they took in 
the upbuilding of the county and the promotion 
of its best interests. 



yiLLIAM F. GORE, a well-known and 
wealthy farmer of Taylorville Township, 
has for many years made his home on sec- 
tion 12. He was born in Trigg County, Ky., Oc- 
tober 31, 1828, and is a son of John and Sophia 
(Barten) Gore, the former of Irish descent and a 
native of South Carolina. The father was a 
farmer by occupation throughout life, and was 
only a boy when his parents removed to Ken- 



tucky. There he lived until 1830, when he came 
to what is now a part of Christian County. He 
located on a tractof land in Taylorville Township, 
and for two years lived in a log cabin, which he 
erected on the land. Then, removing to South 
Fork Township, he entered a piece of land, which 
is now the home of our subject. This property of 
one hundred and sixty acres on sections 12 and 13 
was unimproved prairie, which was held at $1.25 
per acre. 

On his tiew farm, Mr. Gore erected a log cabin, 
16x18 feet, in which he made his home for a num- 
ber of years. The Indians were very numerous 
at that time, but were not troublesome until the 
Black Hawk War. When he came to Illinois he 
made the trip with ox-teams. For years he was 
obliged to do his trading in Springfield, and in 
order to find a market for his stock drove them 
to St. Louis. He participated in the War of 1812, 
while his father was one of the heroes of the Rev- 
olution. He was a member of the Methodist 
Church, and was active in the organization of 
schools and roads. 

Our subject's mother died in 1831. Her family 
comprised the following children: Mary, widow of 
Homer Wright, of Missouri; James, deceased, and 
Mary J., twins; Margaret, who died in 1824; John, 
a farmer of Taylorville Township; Rebecca, who 
lives at Friend," Neb., and is the wife of Jacob 
Slieble; Joseph, a retired farmer of Taylorville; 
William F., our subject; and Ben ton F., who died in 
1883. There was one child, Sophia, who is now 
deceased, born of the second union of our sub- 
ject's father. 

From boyhood, William F. Gore was trained to 
agricultural duties, and from the age of two years 
has been a resident of this county. His education 
was obtained in the subscription schools of those 
early days, which were kept only two or three 
months during the winter. He walked often as 
far as three miles to the log schoolhouse, where 
he was a student until sixteen years of age. He 
remained upon his father's homestead until he 
reached his majority, after which he worked for 
farmers by the month for a year, receiving $12 
per month. During the summer he farmed a piece 
of rented land for four years, and in the winter 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



231 



worked at various occupations. Returning then 
to the old farm, he took charge of the same until 
his father's death. He now owns one hundred 
and twenty acres of the old homestead, and has 
since extended the boundaries of his farm to one 
hundred and sixty acres. 

In August, 1862, Mr. Gore enlisted as a private 
soldier under the Stars and Stripes and was en- 
gaged as First Duty Sergeant, being mustered into 
service at Springfield. His term of enlistment 
was for three years, and he saw much active serv- 
ice. His first engagement was at Franklin, Tenn., 
after which he took part in the battles of Resaca, 
Tunnel Hill and Buzzard's Roost. He was 
wounded at Ch'ckamauga by a minie-ball, which 
entered his left arm. He was taken to the hos- 
pital in Nashville, where he remained three month?, 
and was mustered out as Orderly-Sergeant, receiv- 
ing his discharge July 7, 1865. He at once re- 
turned to his farm in this county, and has here 
carried on operations ever since. He is always 
foremost in all public enterprises, and in times of 
peace and war has been a true citizen and patriot. 
He is a member of the Grand Army of the Repub- 
lic. 



R. BEAMAN, who owns a good farm on 
section 16, Greenwood Township, has 
given his main attention to agricultural 
pursuits since boyhood, and is one of the success- 
ful farmers of the county. He was born in Owen 
County, Ind., November 5, 1833, and is a son of 
James Beaman. His grandfather, Samuel Bcaman, 
was born in North Carolina, as was also his son. 
He went as a pioneer to Indiana, which was then 
a wilderness, and made a farm in the heavy timber- 
land. There he passed his remaining years and 
died on the old farm. 

James Beaman, fattier of our subject, located in 
Indiana with his parents in boyhood and managed 
to obtain a good education. He afterwards en- 
gaged in teaching, and was noted as a fine penman. 
He was one of three boys who constituted the 



family. In later years he became a minister of 
the Missionary Baptist Church, and for a quarter 
of a century was an itinerant preacher and laborer 
in the Master's vineyard. He is still living, at the 
age of eighty-two years, on the old Indiana farm 
where our subject was reared. He married Lj-dia 
Helm, a native of Kentucky, who removed with 
her parents to the Hoosier State at an early day. 
She is now deceased. Her eldest son. Calvin, lives 
in the southwestern part of Missouri; George W., 
who was for three years in an Illinois regiment, 
resides near Ft. Scott, Kan.; Samuel is a farmer of 
Greenwood Township; Jacob B. lives on the same 
farm as his father; Elihu resides near the old home 
in Indiana; James F., who is a minister of the Bap- 
tist Church in Douglas County, 111., was educated 
at Ladoga, Ind., and is a leading minister of his 
denomination; John T. is a farmer of Oklahoma; 
Rachel Goff lives in Christian County; Sarah Goff 
is deceased; Elizabeth Meek is a resident of Indi- 
ana; and Nancy Jane, now Mrs. Burton, lives in 
southern Missouri. The father of these children 
was for a great many years a Justice of the Peace 
and School Trustee. He was formerly a Whig and 
in later years a Democrat. 

W. R. Beaman grew to manhood among pioneer 
surroundings. The farm was covered with rock 
and stumps, and the home was a hewed-log house 
with doors and floors of lumber cut with an old 
whipsaw. After learning what he could in the 
district schools, he went, when nineteen years old, 
to Franklin (Ind.) College, to pursue his studies 
further, and there look a scientific course. After 
two years spent in college, he returned home and 
taught school for a time and also clerked in a 
store. In 1854, he went to Montgomery County, 
III., and taught there and in Bond and Fayette 
Counties. Thence he went to Nodaway County, 
Mo., where he was engaged in teaching, and was 
also thus employed for some time in Kansas. The 
border-iulflan war caused him to return from the 
West, but in 1860 he made two trips across the 
plains with freight by ox-teams to Pike's Peak. 
Though this business was paying, he was obliged 
to give it up on account of the hostile Indians. 

In 1862, Mr. Beaman returned to Christian 
County, and taught school until 1865. He then 



232 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



began farming during the summers though lie en- 
gaged in teaching during the winter months, and 
has lived since that time on his present farm, sixty 
acres of which he bought in 1865. He has con- 
tinued to improve and develop the place, which he 
has brought under good improvement. He owns 
three tracts, one of one hundred and sixty-four 
acres and the others of eighty acres each. 

In 1859, Mr. Beaman married in Montgomery 
County Mary Jane Landers, who was born and 
reared in that county, where her family were early 
residents. Mr. and Mrs. Beaman are the parents 
of the following children: James L., who married 
Miss Hall and lives on a farm in this township; 
Laura B., wife of Mr. Livergood, of Stonington; 
Osta Estelle, wife of Charles Oiler, now living on 
the home farm; Sina, wife of William Shafer, of 
Greenwood Township; George Herman, who lives 
on the home farm; Eva and William Grant. They 
were all reared on the home farm and educated in 
the public schools. Laura was a successful teacher 
of this county until her marriage. 

In 1856, Mr. Beaman deposited his first Presi- 
dential ballot for Fremont, and has since been a 
true-blue Republican. In the canvass of 1859 he 
had the pleasure of hearing a speech by Abraham 
Lincoln. He has held several local offices and has 
been Township Clerk. He is a reliable business 
man and good citizen of the county, having al- 
ways been alive to its best interests. 






|J QUILLA M. COUNCIL, a farmer residing 
(@/L!|[ on section 15, South Fork Township, was 

j if born on the same farm April 27, 1843. 
t^jl His parents were Aquilla and Sarah E. 
(Melugin) Council, natives of North Carolina and 
Tennessee, respectively. Their family comprised 
nine children: Amanda, Rebecca, Joseph and James, 
who are all deceased; Sarah, widow of L. J. Dun- 
can, and now living in Edinburgh; Elizabeth, 
wife of J. Young, a farmer of South Fork Town- 



ship; Aquilla; William, who lives in Jasper County, 
Mo.; and Amelia, wife of James Galloway, a far- 
mer and stock-raiser of Taylorville Township. 

The father of our subject followed the occupa- 
tion of farming during his lifetime, and removed 
from Tennessee to Illinois in 1829, making the 
trip by team. He located in Sangamon County, 
about sixteen miles from Springfield, where for 
about three years he was engaged in farming 
rented land. He then came to this county and 
purchased a small tract of land from the Govern- 
ment in what is now South Fork Township. He 
erected a log house and engaged in cultivating 
this farm until his death. He took quite an ac- 
tive interest in politics, being a supporter of the 
Democracy, and held a number of local positions 
of more or less responsibility during the early 
years of the county's history. For a number of 
years he was Justice of the Peace, and for years 
was Township Treasurer. He departed this life 
July 13, 1857, and lies buried in Finley Cemetery, 
South Fork Township. His wife is still living, 
though well along in years, being now eighty- 
three. 

Aquilla M. Council, whose name heads this 
sketch, was born and reared on the piece of land 
where his father first located, and which he has 
inherited. His first schooling was in the early 
subscription schools, after which he attended those 
of the district. After his father's death he re- 
mained on the home farm with his mother, and soon 
after took entire charge of the place. His home- 
stead now comprises three hundred and fifteen acres 
on section 15, all well improved and valuable land, 
which is well adapted to general farming and 
stock-raising. 

On Christmas Day of 1868, Mr. Council mar- 
ried Miss Martha Williams, by whom he has had 
three children. Phoebe is the wife of Charles Bauf- 
man,a boot and shoe merchant of Edinburgh; 
Alice is deceased; and William T. is still at home. 

Mr. Council bears an honored record as one of 
the devoted defenders of the Union, having en- 
listed as a private in Company D, One Hundred 
and Thirtieth Illinois Infantry, on the 14th of 
August, 1862, and was mustered in at what was 
then Blueville, but is now Edinburgh. The term 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



233 



of his enlistment was for three years, and with his 
regiment he was at once sent to Mississippi, where 
he took part in the engagement at Ft. Gibson. 
He was in the battles of Champion Hills, Black 
River, and look part in the sieges of Vicks- 
burg and Jackson, Miss. In Mansfield, La., he 
was taken prisoner, and was held a prisoner for 
thirteen and a-half months in Camp Ford, near 
Tyler, Tex., being only released at the close of the 
war. He received an honorable discharge July 6, 
1865, after having spent many a weary month on 
marches and many days in hotly-fought battles 
for his country's sake. 

On his return home Mr. Council resumed his 
fanning duties, and has since given his time to 
the cultivation of his farm. He has been elected 
to fill various local offices of honor and trust, and 
has proved himself thoroughly capable and true 
to his duties. He has held the offices of Super- 
visor and Assessor, and has been one of the Com- 
missioners of Highways. Fraternally, he is a 
member of the Masonic order, and belongs to the 
Grand Army of the Republic. 






ICHAEL OATS is numbered among the 
best farmers and citizens of Johnson 
Township, his well-equipped farm being 
situated on section 9. He was born in 
Hampshire County, W. Va., December 21, 1825. 
His father, George Oats, was born and reared in 
Maryland. The date of his birth was 1785, and 
when he had arrived at a suitable age he was 
united in marriage with Miss Catherine Slonaker, 
who was born in West Virginia in 1793. The 
death of the father occurred in 1841, and his 
mother died some seven years later. They were 
the parents of nine children, in order of birth as 
follows: George, Polly, Christopher, Jonathan, 
Mary Jane, Silas, Sylvia, Michael and Margaret. 
Only two of the family are now living. 

The subject of this sketch was employed in the 
usual manner of farmer boys until he had reached 



his sixteenth year. He then started out to earn 
his own livelihood, and for one year worked upon 
a farm for $6 per month. For the two years suc- 
ceeding he received $9 per month. As this occu- 
pation did not appear to be very remunerative, he 
resolved to learn a trade, and chose that of a car- 
penter. For about three years afterwards he 
worked at that occupation in Virginia. At this 
time he became convinced that he could better his 
fortune in the West, and in 1849 went as far 
Westward as Logan County, Ohio, where for three 
years he worked at his trade. 

In the year 1852, Mr. Oats arrived in Christian 
Countjr, having emigrated here in a covered 
wagon. He at once settled in Johnson Township, 
where he rented land and where he has been 
located ever since, engaged in farming and stock- 
raising. His farm, which comprises some two 
hundred acres, is highly cultivated and well im- 
proved. 

In November, 1864, Mr. Oats wedded Miss 
Harriet Shivers. Her father was born in Mary- 
land, June 20, 1803, while her mother, who was 
also a native of the same State, was born in 1813. 
They were the parents of thirteen children, as 
follows: Thomas, a resident of Shelby County, 1 11.; 
Jacob, who lives in Nebraska; Robert, whose home 
is in Ohio; Kate, wife of John W. Johnston, of 
Missouri; Sampson, who makes his home in Johnson 
Township; Washington C., who resides in El Dor- 
ado Springs, Mo.; Harriet, the wife of our subject; 
John W., now deceased; Matilda, deceased, who 
was the wife of J. B. Eaton; Delilah, wife of 
Dr. Lilie, of Raymond, Montgomery County, 111.; 
Sallie, who is now Mrs. Eads, of Decatur; and 
Rebecca, the wife of William Black, of Edinburgh, 
Christian County. The parents came to this 
county in 1863, and here made their home until 
claimed by death. They lie buried in the Ander- 
son Cemetery. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Oats has been born a family 
of nine children. Catherine, John Wesley and 
Nancy May are deceased and are buried in An- 
derson Cemetery; Dora and Charles live with their 
parents; Arthur is deceased; George, Cleveland 
and Bertie Leland complete the family. For 
many years our subject has been a member of the 



234 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Methodist Episcopal Church. He has served as a 
School Director and School Trustee and has also 
filled the position of Road Commissioner. By 
his manly and straightforward course in life he 
has won the friendship and confidence of his 
fellow-citizens, and is considered a worthy man in 
every sense of the word. 



OS. NASH, a grain dealer of Sharpsburg, was 
born in Franklin County, Mass., near Green- 
field, April 3, 1843. His paternal grand- 
father, Robert Nash, was also born in the Bay State. 
He was a clothier by trade and a dresser of cloth 
in Greenfield. The ancestry is traced back through 
Tubal, Daniel (who was a farmer and blacksmith), 
Daniel, Sr., and Lott Timothy Nash, all of whom 
were natives of Massachusetts. The father of the 
last-named, Thomas Nash, was a native of Eng- 
land, and in 1620 braved the dangers of an ocean 
voyage in order to make a home in the New World. 
He became a resident of the Massachusetts Colony. 
Robert S. Nash, the father of our subject, was 
born in Massachusetts in 1814, and was a farmer 
by occupation. Emigrating Westward, he located 
in Wisconsin, and thence came to Christian County 
in 1859, taking up his residence in Buckhart 
Township. He now resides with our subject. He 
married Joanna Packard, wlio was born in Enfield, 
Mass., and was of English descent. Three sons 
and two daughters were born of the union of Mr. 
and Mrs. Nash, the eldest of whom is O. S.; Rob- 
ert is now living in Taylorville Township; Edwin 
C. makes his home in Buckhart Township; Mary 
died at the age of twenty-eight years; and one 
child died in infancy. 

Our subject spent the first thirteen years of his 
life in the old Bay State, and then accompanied his 
parents on their removal to Wisconsin. He was a 
boy of sixteen when he came to Christian County, 
where he has since resided. He was reared to the 
occupation of farming, and has followed that pur- 
suit throughout much of his life. In November, 



1868, he was joined in marriage with Rachel Shep- 
ardson, a native of Massachusetts, and a daughter 
of Orash Shepardson. She was born in March, 
1841, and died in 1877. Two children were born 
of their 'union, a son and daughter: Edwin H., who 
is now at home, and May L., who died at the age 
of eleven months. 

Mr. Nash is a Royal Arch Mason, belonging to 
the Blue Lodge of Edinburgh and the Chapter of 
Taylorville. In politics he is a supporter of Re- 
publican principles. In addition to farming he 
does business as a dealer in live stock and grain at 
Sharpsburg. He purchased the elevator at this 
place and buys and handles large quantities of 
grain, doing a good business, which has constantly 
increased from the beginning. Mr. Nash is well 
known in Buckhart Township and is also fa- 
vorably known in Taylorville Township, where he 
has his home. He has long made his home in this 
county, being numbered among its earliest set- 
tlers, for his residence here covers a period of more 
than a third of a century. He lias therefore wit- 
nessed much of its growth and upbuilding and has 
seen the rapid progress and development which it 
has made. He is a genial, pleasant gentleman and 
very prominent in business and social circles. 



IAL DAVIS, of Mt. Auburn, has lived in 
Christian County since 1832, when he was 
a small lad, and his life history therefore 
has been closely interwoven with that of 
the community in which he has dwelt for more 
than sixty years, and a history of the representa- 
tive men of Christian County would be sadly in- 
complete if his was not placed among the others. 

Mr. Davis is a native son of Illinois, born in 
Sangamon County January 10, 1826. His father, 
John Davis, was born in Tennessee, in that State 
passed his youth, and was married to Sarah Mill- 
igian, also of Tennessee. In 1818, Mr. Davis 
came to Illinois, and settled near the present 
thriving city of Springfield. For a few years he 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



235 



lived upon a tract of land east of Clear Creek. 
He- after wards located south of Mechanicsburg,and 
while there he spent the memorable winter of 
incredibly deep snow, well remembered by the 
hardy pioneers and first settlers of Illinois. In 
1832, he came to what is now Christian County, 
and opened up a farm in ML Auburn Township. 
Here he passed his declining years, dying in 1847. 
His wife's death occurred some years previously. 

During the boyhood days of Dial Davis, educa- 
tion was obtained under rather trying circum- 
stances, as the nearest schoolhouse was situated 
four miles from his homo. In June, 1846, he en- 
listed for the Mexican War, joining Company C, 
Fourth Illinois Infantry, under Capt. Pugh and 
Col. E. D. Baker. The company to which Mr. Da- 
vis belonged was raised in Decatur. With his 
regiment he went to Mexico, and passed the twelve- 
months term of his enlistment in active service, 
participating in the battles of Cerro Gortlo and 
Vcra Cruz under the noted commander, Gen. Scott. 
He was honorably discharged in June, 1847, re- 
ceiving a land warrant for his services. This he 
traded for a piece of land in ML Auburn Town- 
ship. After improving this property, he sold it, in 
1852, and bought other land, on which he located 
and opened up a large farm. At this time he is 
the owner of thirteen hundred acres of choice 
farming land and business property in ML Auburn. 
He has a substantial and commodious residence and 
has made valuable improvements on his farm. 

In his political affiliations, Mr. Davis is a Demo- 
crat and cast his first Presidential ballot for Lewis 
Cass. In local politics he has also been greatly 
interested, and after returning from his service in 
the Mexican War, he was elected to the position of 
Constable, and served in that capacity very cred- 
itably for eleven years. He has also served as 
Supervisor and Collector of the township, and was 
one of the Commissioners who laid out ML Auburn 
Township. Our public-school system has always 
been strongly supported by him, as, in short, have 
all public enterprises. 

On the 4th of February, 1852, Mr. Davis was 
united in marriage in Mechanicsburg, Sangamon 
County, with Miss Edmonia E. Hesser, who died 
July 4, 1864. Three children of this union are 



still living. Charles E. is married and lives in 
ML Auburn; Sallie D. is the wife of E. R. Mooney, 
of the same place; and Carrie E. is the wife of 
William L. Rasor. The three children now de- 
ceased are Frank P., Henry N. and Dial M., who 
died at the ages of twenty-five, twenty and fifteen 
years, respectively. 

Our subject was again married, in 1867, when 
Miss Hulda J. Stobaugh became his wife. She is 
a native of Indiana, and a daughter of James Sto- 
baugh, formerly of Indiana. One daughter, Nel- 
lie M.. has blessed this union. She is the wife of 
George W. Morgret, of ML Auburn Township. 
Our subject and his wife are members of the Chris- 
tian Church of ML Auburn, and with their family 
are highly esteemed in social circles. 



AVID BURCHFIELD, a retired farmer 
now residing in Taylorville, and one of 
the honored veterans of the late war, has 
during his residence in Christian County 
been recognized as one of its best citizens, for he 
has ever faithfully discharged his duties of citi- 
zenship and borne his part in all that pertains to 
the welfare and upbuilding of the community. A 
native of the Buckeye State, he was born near Car- 
rollton, in Carroll County, on the 1st of March, 
1833. His father, Joseph Burchfield, was a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania, and in his youth went to 
Ohio, where he met and married Phoebe Tope, 
a native of that State, born on the 16th of April, 
1795. Coming to this State, they located in 
Greenwood Township, 'where they spent the re- 
mainder of their lives. The father, who was born 
February 2, 1802, died on the 1st of March, 1880, 
at the age of seventy-seven, and his wife, who was 
seven years his senior, and who survived him 
seven years, was called to her final rest February 
25, 1887, at the age of ninety-two. They had six 
children, three of whom are now living: Thomas, 
Joseph and David. 



236 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The subject of this sketch was reared to man- 
hood in the usual manner of farmer lads, and re- 
mained at home until twenty-six years of age. 
For three years he followed the carpenter's trade, 
and then resumed the occupation to which he was 
reared. As a companion and helpmate on life's 
journey, he chose Miss Mary Price, their marriage 
being celebrated March 22, 1860. Her father, 
Benjamin Price, was born in Jefferson County, 
Ohio, April 1, 1808, and was a son of Thomas and 
Sarah Price. On the 16th of January, 1830, he 
married Elizabeth Seran, who was born October 
11, 1806. Together they traveled life's journey 
for fifty-four years, sharing with each other its 
joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity; but 
at length the hand of Death separated them, and 
the mother passed away in Leesville, Ohio, Novem- 
ber 4, 1884. Mr. Price survived her a few years, 
dying in Leesville, April 12. 1888. They held 
membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and were people whose lives of uprightness won 
them the respect of all with whom they were 
brought in contact. 

At the time of his marriage, Mr. Burchfield 
possessed no cash capital, and had only a small 
farming outfit, but he rented land, upon which he 
made his home until after his return from the 
army, when he bought a farm of forty acres. 
Feeling that his country needed his services, in 
the fall of 1864 he joined Company H, One Hun- 
dred and Seventy-eighth Ohio Infantry, which was 
attached to the Army of the Cumberland. They 
were, however, detailed to supply cattle for Sher- 
man's army, and for that purpose were stationed 
at Tullahoma, Ga. The regiment afterward went 
to Raleigh and joined Sherman's army at Wheat- 
swamp Church, in North Carolina. Afterward 
the regiment was sent to Charlotte, N. C., as guards, 
and its members were discharged June 29, 1865, 
and mustered out at Columbus, Ohio. At one 
time, Mr. Burchfield was with a squad of twenty- 
five men, all of whom were captured except him- 
self, but lie stood his ground, and after the rebel 
guns were discharged, he and his comrades turned 
on their captors and escaped. He took part in 
about one hundred and fifty skirmishes while en- 
gaged in guarding railroads. When the war was 



over and the country no longer needed his serv- 
ices, Mr. Burchfield returned home and carried on 
farming in Ohio until 1867, when he left his na- 
tive State for Illinois. Coming to Christian 
County, he located in Greenwood Township, where 
he purchased eighty acres of land, making that 
farm his home for eight years. In 1875, he rented 
one hundred and sixty acres of land in Johnson 
Township, and removed to that place for the 
educational facilities of that neighborhood were 
superior to those near his old home and he wished 
to afford his children good advantages. For 
eleven years he operated a rented farm, and then, 
in 1886, purchased a small tract of land in John- 
son Township, to the cultivation and improve- 
ment of which he devoted his energies until the 
spring of 1891, when he came to Taylorville. He 
has now invested in city property, which 3*ieldsto 
him a good income. 

By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Burchfield, five 
children were born, two sons and three daughters: 
James William, Elizabeth, M. Belle, Benjamin 
Price and Violet F. With the exception of the 
eldest child, all are still under the parental roof. 
The family have a pleasant home in Taylorville, 
and their hospitable doors are ever open for the 
reception of their many friends. In his farming 
operations, Mr. Burchfield was successful, and un- 
der his care and cultivation the soil was made to 
yield to him a ready return, so that he is now 
comfortabty situated in life, having a competence 
that enables him to live retired. 



IIL.^ ENRY CLAY BOHN is one of the honored 
iTjlj veterans of the late war, having served 
u^jfl nobly in the defense of the Stars and 
((|y! Stripes. He is now engaged in the cloth- 
ing business in Morrisonville. and is one of the 
prominent business men of the place. His birth 
occurred in Franklin County, Pa., October 15, 
1843, and his boyhood was spent in his native State 
until his thirteenth year, when he removed with 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



237 



his father to Hagerstown, Md., where he obtained 
his education. He there learned the cigar-maker's 
trade and followed that business until the open ing 
of the Civil War. 

Our subject is a son of Adam and Hannah 
(Wingard) Bohn, who were both natives of Penn- 
sylvania. The former was a farmer by occupation 
in the Keystone State, where his death occurred 
in 1878, at the age of eighty-six years. His fa- 
ther, Adam Bohn, was a native of Germany, who 
emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he engaged in 
farming for a number of years, reared his family 
of nine children and lived to be over seventy 
years of age. Our subject's mother was a daugh- 
ter of Jacob Wingard, a native of the Keystone 
State, who followed agricultural pursuits and was 
also a well-known preacher of the United Brethren 
denomination. He died after having attained the 
ripe old age of eighty-one years. Mr. and Mrs. 
Bohn were mem bers of the United Brethren Church. 
The latter was called from this life in 1846. 

In a family of eleven children, comprising five 
sons and six daughters, the subject of this sketch 
is the youngest. Only three of the family are 
now living. Maria is the wife of August Shirey, 
of New Castle, Ind.; and Elizabeth is the wife of 
George Alsbaugh, also of New Castle. In August, 
1861, our subject became a member of Company 
E, First Regiment of Maryland Infantry, and was 
in active service for three years and three months. 
He received a slight flesh wound at the battle of 
Gettysburg, but otherwise was fortunate in escap- 
ing injury. He also participated in the battles of 
Winchester, Falling Waters. Antietam, Harper's 
Ferry, and a number of minor engagements. Af- 
ter receiving an honorable discharge, he went to 
Greencastle, Pa., where he engaged in the dry- 
goods business for three years. 

In 1868 Mr. Bohn came to Marion County, 111., 
where he embarked in the agricultural business 
and operated a farm for three years. He after- 
ward obtained employment in a dry-goods store 
as a clerk, in Sandoval, 111., where he was sta- 
tioned for a number of years. In 1882 he came 
to Morrison ville and opened a clothing store, 
which business he has carried on up to the present 
time. He is the owner of a farm comprising one 



hundred and sixty acres of land in Clinton County, 
111., and also owns the building in which his store 
is located, besides other desirable town property, 
in addition to his residence. He is a business 
man of good ability, and has secured the patron- 
age of the citizens of this place and the surround- 
ing country. 

On the 3d of November, 1865, Mr. Bohn was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary Frances Savin, 
daughter of John and Margaret (Hiatt) Savin, 
of Harper's Ferry, W. Va. Two children have 
been born of this union, Ida and one who died in 
infancy. Mrs. Bohn is a valued member of the 
Presbyterian Church, in which she is an active 
worker. 

In politics our subject affiliates with the Demo- 
cratic party. He was President of the Village 
Board of Trustees for two terms, and was a mem- 
ber of that body for some five years. For one 
term he served acceptably as Supervisor of Ricks 
Township. In his social relations he is identified 
with Morrisonville Lodge No. 681, A. F. & A. M., 
with Taylorville Chapter and the Litchfield Coin- 
mandery. He is also a member of the Morrison- 
ville lodge of Odd Fellows, and belongs to the 
Modern Woodmen of America. He is a Grand 
Army man, being a member of Dan Nutt Post. 



JAMES R. VANDERBELT has been engaged 
in active merchandising in Mt. Auburn for 
over twenty years, and is numbered among 
the old residents of this locality. He is a 
native of Indiana, born near Shelbyville, Shelby 
County, February 15, 1837, and is a son of David 
and Mary Ann (Nichols) Vanderbelt. The former 
was a native of Pennsylvania, coining from a fam- 
ily of Dutch ancestors, who were among the early 
settlers of the Keystone State. 

David Vanderbelt, on arriving at manhood, left 
the scenes of his youth and went to Ohio, in which 
State he met the lady who became his wife. At 
an early day he removed further West, settling in 



238 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Shelby County, Ind., where he followed his trade, 
that of a tanner. He also opened up a farm there, 
but after a few years went to Sullivan Count}^ 
Ind., where he made his home until his death, 
which occurred in August, 1863. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in 
Shelby and Sullivan Counties. Since arriving at 
man's estate he has mainly acquired his education, 
as in his early days he had but few school privi- 
leges. In 1856 he came again to Illinois, drifted 
Westward to Missouri and Kansas, and finally was 
married in St. Clair County, Mo., to Miss Frances 
Shank, their marriage being celebrated February 
13, 1859. The young couple returned to Illinois, 
and in 1860 located in Rochester, Sangamon 
County, where they resided about one year. 

In 1861, Mr. Vanderbelt started in the harness 
business in Taylorvillc, and had made a fair start 
in this direction when he felt obliged by his pa- 
triotic impulses to drop all other considerations 
and go to the defense of the Union. He became 
a member of Company D, Forty-third Indiana 
Infantry, joining the regiment in Indianapolis, 
and going with it to the front. He was in active 
service until the close of the war, receiving his 
discharge papers June 6, 1865. 

On his return from the South, our subject went 
to Cumberland County, 111., and for two an da-half 
years conducted a harness business at Neoga. In 
October, 1868, we find him in Christian County, 
located at Taylorville, and carrying on the busi- 
ness which he has followed without interruption 
during the most of his commercial career. In 
1870 he finally settled in Mt. Auburn and em- 
barked in general merchandising. He has been 
very successful as a business man, and the large 
patronage which he now has is owing entirely to 
his upright method of conducting his affairs. 

Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbelt have two children liv- 
ing. Minnie Mabel is the wife of Frederick Shue, 
an agriculturist of this count}^; and Ada R. is the 
wife of James Lindsley, a farmer of Mt. Auburn 
Township. Two children died in e&rly childhood, 
David Albert and Mary Idabelle. The parents 
are members of the Baptist Church. 

During the administiation of President Arthur, 
Mr. Vanderbelt was appointed Postmaster of Mt. 



Auburn, in which capacity he served for about 
seven years to the thorough satisfaction of his 
constituents. Since the war he has been a sup- 
porter of the Republican party, but cast his first 
vote in 1860 for Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. 




EREMIAH MALIN, a well-known farmer 
of section 8, Greenwood Township, has 
>u engaged in cultivating the farm on 
which he makes his home for thirty years, 
and turned much of the soil upon the place him- 
self. He has brought it from its original state 
to what it now is, a well-improved and fertile 
tract of land. He is a native of Ohio, born in 
Pickaway County June 4, 1836, his father, Jared 
Malin, being a native of Virginia, though his an- 
cestors were early settlers of Pennsylvania. 

The father grew to manhood in Virginia and 
went to Pickaway County, Ohio, where he married 
Elizabeth McDonald, who was born and grew to 
womanhood in the Buckeye State, but whose par- 
ents were from Virginia. Mr. Malin improved a 
timbered farm, and in the fall of 1838 proceeded 
by team to Illinois with his wife and six children. 
He settled in Shelbyville, where he rented laud 
for a year and then entered a tract in the neigh- 
borhood. He never lived upon this farm, how- 
ever, but came to Christian County in 1840 and 
took up a claim, on which he settled the following 
year. This farm was just east of Pana, and there 
he passed his remaining days, dying in 1871. His 
good wife also passed away on the same farm, and 
both were buried near Pana. In their pioneer days 
they suffered many hardships, but accomplished a 
great deal, as, though coming here poor, they left 
a good property and plenty to their children. Mr. 
Malin was a Democrat all his life, was a just man, 
and one who attended strictly to his own affairs, 
He was an active and faithful member of the Old- 
school Baptist Church. 

Our subject is one in a family composed of 



Til* bt>i.j 
of the 
of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



239 



the following children: Lucinda; Denton, who 
lives in Rosemond; William, who was a farmer 
and died near Pana; Thomas, deceased; Amy Ann, 
now Mrs. Cox, who resides near Pana; Elisha, 
whose death occurred in this county; Josiah, a 
farmer, who also makes his home in this county; 
Jared, a resident of Kansas; John, who lives near 
Pana; Ann E. and Sarah E., the latter of whom is 
deceased. 

The boyhood days of Jeremiah Malin were 
passed in this neighborhood, and he has been a 
witness of most of the development of this county. 
In the early days the wolves often howled around 
the cabin and wild game was abundant. He saw 
the town of Pana grow from the start, and helped 
with an ox-team in grading the Illinois Central 
Railroad. His education was limited, as he could 
attend school only a few days at a time and would 
then be obliged to work for a number of days to- 
gether on the farm. What education he obtained 
was during a six-months term of school held in a log 
house, which was used as a blacksmith shop. He 
remained at home until his majority, and learned 
to swing the scythe and cradle and hew out rails. 
When he embarked in business for himself he first 
worked for a year on a farm, and then rented land 
for one season. 

In the spring of 1860 our subject was married 
in this neighborhood to Mrs. Amanda C. Pierce, a 
native of Sangamon County. Her father was born 
in Tennessee, and was an early settler of San- 
gamon and Christian Counties. She died in the 
spring of 1870, leaving three sons, and also a 
daughter by a former marriage. Asa B. resides in 
Guthrie, Okla.; James F. is a farmer of Kansas; 
and Jared N. is engaged in farming in North 
Dakota. The daughter is Mrs. Mollie Wilkerson, 
of Kansas. 

The present wife of our subject, who was form- 
erly Mrs. Miller, became Mrs. Malin on the 13th of 
December, 1874. Mr. Miller was killed while in 
the army. The maiden name of Mrs. Malin was 
Bicmer, and her birth occurred in Tuscarawas 
County, Ohio. She grew to womanhood in Van 
Wert County, the same State, and after the war 
came with a sister to Illinois. Our subject and his 
wife have one daughter, Minnie B., who is an ex- 



ceptionally intelligent young lady and is pursuing 
her studies in the public schools, where on nine of 
her studies she recently made an average of nine- 
ty-five and three-fourths. 

The first Presidential ballot cast by Mr. Malin 
was in favor of Douglas in 1860, and since that 
time he has been a leading Democrat in this region, 
having been a delegate and committeeman in the 
conventions of his part}'. He supports churches and 
is foremost in all public advancement. His farm 
is Bnely improved and comprises some eighty acres, 
which are under good cultivation. In this county, 
where he has spent nearly his entire life, he has 
won the respect and regard of all. 



JOHN WEISER, one of the prominent and 
representative agriculturists of Christian 
County, who is now practically living a re- 
. tired life in Sharpsburg, Buckhart Town- 
ship, was born in Darmstadt, Germany, November 
30, 1828, and is a son of Philip and Mary M. 
(KimbeiTmg) Weiser, who were also natives of the 
same locality. The father was a farmer by oc- 
cupation, and carried on that business in his na- 
tive land until 1838, when he crossed the briny 
deep to the New World, locating in Pennsylvania, 
where he spent two years. In 1841 he came to 
Illinois, locating in Cass County, where he entered 
land from the Government and began the devel- 
opment of a farm. His death there occurred at 
the age of sixty-two years. His wife survived 
him for a number of years and reached the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-four. 

This worthy couple had a family of nine chil- 
dren, numbering five sons and four daughters, of 
whom our subject is fourth in order of birth. His 
earliest recollections are of the Fatherland, but 
when he was a lad of ten summers his parents left 
the Old Country, and he has since known no other 
place of abode than his American home. Since 
his thirteenth year he has lived in Illinois. Upon 
his father's farm in Cass County he was reared to 



210 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



manhood, acquiring his education in the public 
schools of the neighborhood. As a companion 
and helpmate on life's journey, Mr. Weiser chose 
Miss Anna D. Musch, a native of Germany. Their 
union was celebrated in 1852, and has been blessed 
by four children, of whom only two are yet liv- 
ing: Louis P. and Otto N. 

Mr. Weiser's residence in Christian County dates 
from 1859. On his arrival he located upon a par- 
tially improved farm on section 33, Buckhart 
Township, and began its further development and 
cultivation. He labored with untiring zeal, and 
his industrious efforts soon transformed* it into a 
tract of rich fertility. It now comprises three 
hundred and forty-five acres, of which iwenty- 
n've acres are timber-land, while the remainder is 
divided into fields of convenient size for raising 
the cereals adapted to this climate. Recently Mr. 
Weiser has removed to Sharpsburg, 'where he is 
living retired in the enjoyment of the rest which 
should follow years of active labor. Through his 
own efforts he has acquired a handsome compe- 
tency, which now enables him to lay aside business 
cares and surrounds him with all the comforts 
that go to make life worth the living. In politics 
he is a supporter of Republican principles, but has 
never sought or desired public office, preferring to 
devote his time and attention to business interests 
and the enjoyments of the home circle. 



JH. MARTIN, who carries on farming and 
stock-raising on section 34, Buckhart Town- 
ship, is numbered among the early settlers 
of the community, and for more than 
twenty years he has resided upon the farm which 
he now makes his home. He was born in Law- 
rence County, Ind., November 3, 1838, and is the 
sixth in order of birth in a family of eight chil- 
dren. His paternal grandfather, Abram Martin, 
who was of English descent, was born in Kentucky, 
and served in the War of 1812. The father of 
our subject, Lewis Martin, was a native of the 



Hoosier State. He married Rachel Garrison, who 
died when J. H. was quite a small lad, after which 
he again married. 

Mr. Martin whose name heads this record came 
with his father and step-mother to Illinois when 
a youth of ten summers, and remained with them 
until he had attained his majority. In 1861, a 
marriage ceremony was performed which united 
his destiny with that of Lucy J. Jones. She was 
born in Illinois, and is of Welsh descent. Her 
parents were natives of Tennessee. They began 
their domestic life upon a rented farm in Sanga- 
mon Count}', and in 1862 came to Christian Coun- 
ty, Mr. Martin renting land near Edinburgh. He 
afterward purchased a farm, which he subsequently 
sold, and in 1871 he became owner of his present 
place of residence. It was then but slightly im- 
proved, but a great transformation has taken 
place in its appearance in the years which have 
since passed. It now comprises three hundred 
and twenty acres, all under a high state of culti- 
vation. It is supplied with three houses, good 
barns and all the other necessary buildings. All 
the equipments of a model farm are there found, 
and the place seems complete in all its appoint- 
ments. 

Eleven children were born of the union of Mr. 
and Mrs. Martin, of whom nine are yet living: 
Isaac; James M.; Leona Belle, wife of Henry Mil- 
ler, of Oklahoma; Lucretia, wife of Frank Brown, 
a farmer of Buckhart Township; Charlie; Emma, 
wife of Irvin Donner, of Buckhart Township; Mar- 
tha, of Chicago; Pearl, at home; and Grover, who 
completes the family. 

Mr. Martin started out in life for himself 
empty-handed. His possessions consisted only of 
a team of horses and a wagon, and he had gone in 
debt for these to the extent of $ 150. With the ex- 
ception of five years spent in Edinburgh, he has 
always followed agricultural pursuits. He also en- 
gages in stock-raising, owning an imported Eng- 
lish Shire stallion and several standard-bred trot- 
ting horses, including "Mandett," a Hambleton- 
ian. He also has a fine colt, "May wood." Hisgood 
management, careful attention to the details of 
his business, and his perseverance and industry 
have brought him a high degree of success, which 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



241 



now places him among the substantial farmers 
of the community. In politics he votes with the 
Democratic party on questions of National im- 
portance. He has long been a resident of Chris- 
tian County, has watched with interest its progress 
and upbuilding, and has aided materally iu its ad- 
vancement. 



eORNELIUS B. KELLER, a respected agri- 
culturist and farmer, residing on section 
22, Johnson Township, is a member of a 
pioneer family who took up their abode in Chris- 
tian County in 1850. He was born in York 
County, Pa., on the 19th of June, 1827, and was 
consequently only twenty-three years old when 
he came to the West. His father, John Keller, 
was long numbered among the best residents of 
this community. He was also a native of York 
County, where he grew to manhood and was un- 
ited in marriage with Miss Lydia Baker, of the 
same county. Mr. and Mrs. Keller departed this 
life in Christian County, on their old homestead, 
and were buried side by side in the Clark Ceme- 
tery, of Johnson Township. 

The subject of this sketch is one of eight chil- 
dren, five sons and three daughters, and is the 
eldest of the family. His youth was spent on his 
father's farm, to the cultivation of which he gave 
his energies until reaching his majority. He de- 
termined to learn a trade, and accordingly became 
master of the art of manufacturing paper. Desir- 
ing to see something of the world and particu- 
larly of the great West, he went in 1855 to Kan- 
sas with a party of Government surveyors. The 
twelve years following he traveled in Arkansas, 
Nebraska and Kansas, visiting all parts of those 
States. 

It was in 1867 that Mr. Keller returned to 
Christian County to settle down for life, and since 
that time he has made his permanent home in 
Johnson Township. His entire attention has been 



given to general farming and stock-raising, and as 
the reward of his industry he now finds himself 
the owner of a valuable tract of land, comprising 
several hundred acres. His farm is well adapted 
to stock-raising, being well sheltered from storms 
of wind and rain by heavily timbered lands, sit- 
uated along a branch of the Sangamon River, 
which borders his farm. He makes a specialty of 
stock-raising, and usually from twelve to fifteen 
head of horses, fifty to one hundred head of hogs, 
and upwards of fifty head of cattle can be seen 
feeding in his beautiful meadow lands. 

Mr. Keller is a man of intelligence and keeps 
well informed on the leading questions of the day. 
He is congenial and friendly in his social relations, 
and stands high in the respect of his neighbors 
and fellow-citizens. He has chosen to remain 
single, but his home is so well kept and pleasant 
that one would hardly imagine it was not presided 
over by a lady. His course in life has been ever 
strictly upright and within the lines of justice 
and truth. He is the architect of his own for- 
tunes, having started out empty-handed in the 
battle of life. In politics, he is a Democrat. 



EV. ALOYSIUS TEPPE has been located 
in Morrisonville since the fall of 1877, 
succeeding the Rev. Father Klaus. There 
! are about sixty families in his parish, and 
he has ministered to their wants as an adviser and 
friend for about fifteen years. 

The birth of Rev. Mr. Teppe occurred at Volk- 
marsen, Germany, on the 27th of November, 1854. 
He is son of Louis and Regina (Belzer) Teppe, 
both natives of Germany, and is one of four chil- 
dren, and the eldest of the family. 

Father Teppe was a lad of only eleven years 
when he entered Fulda Seminary, where he in- 
dustriously pursued his studies for eight year,-'. 
At the expiration of that period he entered thu 
University at Louvain, Belgium, and there com- 
menced his study for the priesthood. At the end 



212 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of three and a-half years lie graduated from that 
institution and was ordained a priest, this being 
in 1877. . 

Soon after his ordination, Father Teppe came to 
America, and, as we have said before, was immedi- 
ately placed in charge of the parish at Morrison- 
ville. The old church edifice, which has been built 
for a number of years, will soon be converted into 
a school for the use of the families of the church. 
It is the intention of Rev. Mr. Teppe and his par- 
ishioners to erect a handsome church building in 
the near future at a cost of about $12,000, and 
the plans for it are now well under way. 






/^|j) APT DAN DE CAMP, one of the most 
(l(^~ prominent citizens of Edinburgh, and an 
^^/ early settler of Christian County, was born 
in Giles County, Va., August 31, 1824. His fa- 
ther, David De Camp, was a native of New Jersey, 
from where he removed to Virginia. By trade 
he was a hatter. The grandfather, Zachariah De 
Camp, was born in New Jersey, and his father was 
a native of France and the founder of the family 
in America. The mother of our subject bore the 
maiden name of Elizabeth Ford. She was born in 
the Old Dominion, and was a daughter of Lewis 
Ford, a native of the same State. The parents of 
our subject were married in Virginia, and located 
in Pearisburgh, Giles County, where Mr. De Camp 
worked at his trade. His wife died in that place, 
after which he came to Illinois, spending his last 
days in Galena. They were the parents of eight 
children, six sons and two daughters, namely: 
Elizabeth, Henry, Lewis, Daniel, John D., William, 
Sarah A. and Napoleon. 

The subject of this sketch remained in the 
county of his nativity until eighteen years of age, 
and when a youth of fifteen started out in life for 
himself, since which time he has been dependent 
upon his own resources. He served an apprentice- 
ship to the hatter's trade, and then for three years 
and a-half drove a team for one company, driving 



fifty-three miles each day from Salem to the Nat- 
ural Bridge. In 1842, Capt. De Camp emigrated 
Westward, taking up his residence in Springfield. 
He drove a stage from Taylorville to Shelbyville 
for about a year, also engaged in staging from 
Taylorville to Springfield and from St. Louis to 
Springfield. Subsequently he established himself 
in the livery business in the capital city and con- 
tinued in that line for about four years, when he 
purchased a farm in Christian County, comprising 
two hundred acres of partially improved land. 
At that time there was but one house at Buckhart 
Grove. The county was wild and undeveloped, 
and he lived in true pioneer style. During one 
winter he shot forty-four deer with forty-two 
shots from a small rifle. Wild game was very 
plentiful and kept the table supplied with meat. 
The Captain at once began the development of a 
farm, and soon transformed the unimproved tract 
into rich and fertile fields. 

In 1862, our subject entered the service of his 
country as a member of Company D, One Hun- 
dred and Thirtieth Illinois Infantry, and for two 
years served as Captain, He was sunstruck at Al- 
exandria, La., in 1864, and being thus disabled for 
duty resigned his position. He participated in 
thirteen hard-fought battles and the siege of Vicks- 
burg, was always found at his post and proved 
himself a valiant defender of the Union. 

After being mustered out, Capt. De Camp re- 
turned to his home, purchased more land, and de- 
voted his energies assiduously to farming. In 
1870, lie laid off the town of Edinburgh, which was 
built on his farm and has laid off the fourth addi- 
tion to the place. Within the corporate limits 
are now comprised eighty acres. He has been in- 
strumental in the upbuilding of the county from 
an early day, and has ever borne his part in the 
work of public improvement and advancement. 
He has seen the many changes that have taken 
place, and has watched with interest the onward 
march of progress that has placed Christian Coun- 
ty in the front rank in Illinois. 

On- the 7th of October, 1847, Capt. De Camp 
was united in marriage with Pernecy Langley, a 
native of Kentucky, who in early childhood was 
brought to Christian County, in 1828. She is a 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



243 



most estimable lady and presides with grace over 
the hospitable home where their many friends de- 
light to gather. In politics, the Captain has been 
a Republican since the organization of the party. 
He voted that ticket when he and William George 
were the only Republicans in the precinct. He 
was elected Justice of the Peace, filling the office 
eight years, and was the first Postmaster of Edin- 
burgh. He established the office and named it 
Blueville. While in the war he resigned the posi- 
tion, in 1863. He again was Postmaster under 
Gen. Grant, and during that time changed the 
name to Edinburgh. The Captain was one of the 
organizers of Mother Bickerdike Post No. 402, G. 
A. R., at Edinburgh, was Commander of the same 
for three terms, and largely through his instru- 
mentality a good hall was built for the society. 
He is now engaged in dealing in fine horses, and 
is a true lover of the noble steed. He owns sev- 
eral of the best horses that can be found in this 
part of the State. The Captain is a gentleman in 
the truest and best sense of the word, is genial and 
pleasant in manner, kindly and generous in dispo- 
sition, and has the warm regard of all who know 
him. 



eHARLES WALTER SIBLEY, residing on 
section 6, Pana Township, was born in the 
Bay State, the place of his birth being 
Spencer, Worcester County, Mass., and the date 
July 2, 1826. His grandfather, Paul Sibley, was 
a native of the same town, was of English descent 
and was a farmer by occupation. The father, Wal- 
ter Livermore Sibley, was born in Spencer, where 
he followed farming and was a prominent and in- 
fluential citizen. He served as Colonel in the State 
militia, was Justice of the Peace, and filled many 
offices of honor and trust, and was a Deacon, Choris- 
ter and Sunday-school Superintendent for many 
years. He married Ruth Watson Ryan, who was 
born in Spencer, of Irish parentage. Her father, 
Samuel Ryan, was born in the Bay State and had 
a family of fourteen children, thirteen of whom 



attended school at one time. Mr. Sibley, father 
of our subject, died at the age of forty-five, and 
his wife, who long survived him, passed away in 
Christian County, 111., at the age of ninety-four. 
Their family numbered three sons and two daugh- 
ters: Mary, who died in infancy; R. Eliza, of Pana 
Township; William Evans, who is living in the 
same township; and Henry Nelson, who was 
drowned at the age of sixteen. Two nephews, 
David and Nelson Scott, late prominent and suc- 
cessful druggists in Worcester, Mass., were reared 
in the family. Mr. and Mrs. Sibley stood with 
David Scott, the father, in three marriages, and 
in 1851 Mrs. Sibley stood alone with Mr. Scott, the 
fourth time as his wife, and died his widow. 

The subject of this sketch remained upon the 
home farm until nineteen years of age and at- 
tended the district and high schools. He then en- 
tered Leicester Academy, graduating in 1850, and 
later became a student in Yale College. When his 
education was completed, he became clerk for the 
Ryan Manufacturing Company, of Norfolk, Conn., 
and continued his connection with that firm for four 
years. On the day of his marriage the firm made 
an assignment, and he lost nearly all he had, but he 
managed to open a general store in Norfolk, where 
he carried on business for two years. On the ex- 
piration of that period, he sold out and emigrated 
Westward, locating in Louisiana, Mo., where he 
carried on merchandising until 1859. That year 
witnessed his arrival in Pana, where, with G. P. 
Lawrence, he carried on a general store until the 
breaking out of the war. 

In 1861, Mr. Sibley donned the blue as a de- 
fender of the Union, becoming a member of the 
Fifth Illinois Cavalry. He enlisted as a private, 
but was promoted to be Commissary Sergeant and 
clerk of the regiment. After a year, on the reor- 
ganization of the regiment, he was tendered a com- 
mission as Quartermaster, but declined. Return- 
ing to Pana, he secured a position as clerk in. the 
office of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, 
where he remained for a year, and then removed 
to Pleasant Mound, his present home, in 1855. 
Within the boundaries of his homestead are com- 
prised four hundred and fifty acres, the greater 
part of which is under a high state of cultivation. 



244 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In November, 1855, Mr. Sibley wedded Susan 
Pettibone Lawrence, daughter of E. Grove Law- 
rence, of Norfolk, Conn., where the lady was born 
and reared. They have adopted four children.' 
Elizabeth, who came to them at the age of twelve, 
is a graduate of the Protestant Hospital of St. Louis, 
and is now a professional nurse in that city. Josie, 
eighteen years of age, William Michael, also eigh- 
teen years of age, and Rose Michael, a maiden 
of sixteen, are still with Mr. and Mrs. Sibley. 

Our subject was reared a Whig, became a Free 
Soiler, and then a Republican. He now votes with 
the Prohibition party. He has always been a strong 
temperance man and has never even used tobacco 
in any shape. He gives his support to whatever 
lends to upbuild the moral interests of the com- 
munity and prove of public benefit. The cause of 
education finds in him a friend; and as a member 
and Secretary of the Educational Board, he was ac- 
tive in organizing the graded system of Pana and in 
building the- first school building. Afterward for 
fifteen years he was School Trustee. He is a mem- 
ber of the Good Templars' Society and the Grange, 
and is a faithful and consistent member of the 
Presbyterian Church. He served both as Deacon 
and Elder from 1860 until 1885, and bore a prom- 
inent part in promoting the work and interests of 
the Presbyterian Church. He is now serving as 
Superintendent of the District Sunday-school. His 
life has been well and worthily spent, and he can 
look over the past with little regret. 



\F_^ T. GARDNER, a genial, popular and highly 

rjV esteemed gentleman, who follows general 

&%? farming on section 16, Buckhart Township, 

((^) is a native of Maury County, Tenn., born 

June 12, 1841. His father, Nathan Gardner, was 

born in the same State in 1817, and his mother, 

who bore the maiden name of Frances Harris, was 

born in Virginia, in 1818. Their marriage was 

celebrated in the State of his nativity, where they 



resided until 1841, which year witnessed their 
emigration to Illinois. They took up their resi- 
dence m Fayette County, where they made their 
home until 1856, when they came to Christian 
County, locating in Buckhart Township. Here 
Mr. Gardner carried on agricultural pursuits until 
his death, which occured on the 22d of January, 
1889, at the age of seventy-two. His wife still 
survives him and is now living in Sharpsburg. 

The subject of this sketch is the third in order 
of birth in a family of eleven children, of whom 
four sons and two daughters are now living. It 
was during his infancy that his parents came to 
Illinois, so that he has no recollection of his native 
State as a place of residence. He remained under 
the parental roof until he had attained his ma- 
jority, and his boyhood days were quietly passed 
midst play and work. He attended the district 
schools during the winter season, thus acquiring a 
good English education, while his time in summer 
months was devoted to farm labor. 

In August, 1864, Mr. Gardner led to the mar- 
riage altar Miss Clarinda Doak, who died the same 
year. For his second wife he chose Miss Harriet 
Ward, a native of Macon County, 111., and by 
their union has been born a family of three sons, 
William, Lewis and Frank, who arc still living 
with their parents and aid their father in his farm- 
ing duties. Since 1864, Mr. Gardner has resided 
upon the farm which is now his home. He first 
purchased eighty acres and began its development, 
but as his financial resources have increased lie has 
added to his landed possessions from time to time, 
until he now owns two hundred acres of rich and 
fertile farming land. In connection with its cul- 
tivation, he also raises some good stock, making a 
specialty of the breeding of Shorthorn cattle. 

Mr. Gardner has several times been called upon 
to serve in positions of public trust by his fellow- 
townsmen, who have recognized his worth and 
ability. He was Road Commissioner for the long 
period of fifteen years, and is now Trustee of the 
school funds. Socially, he is connected with Edin- 
burgh Lodge No. 647, A. F. <fe A. M.; and religiously 
with the Free Baptist Church. In politics he is an 
advocate of the Democracy. Pleasant and social 
in manner, he gains friends wherever he goes and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



245 



has a host of them in this community. He is one 
of the leading and influential citizens of Buck- 
hart Township, and it is with pleasure that we pre- 
sent to our readers this record of his life work. 



. PRATER, an attorney of Edinburgh, and 
President of the Citizens' State Bank, is a 
native of Illinois. He was born in Fay- 
ette County, January 21, 1851, and is a son of 
Elislia and Nancy (Watkins) Prater. His father 
was born in Tennessee in 1815, and was of Irish 
descent. In his native State he was reared upon 
a farm, and in 1840 emigrated to Fayette County, 
111., where he met and married Miss Watkins, her 
family having there located in a very early day. 
In 1861, Mr. and Mrs. Prater came to Christian 
County, where the father died in 1887, at the age 
of seventy-two years. His widow is still living in 
Edinburgh. They were the parentsof nine children, 
five sons and four daughters, two of whom died in 
infancy. Louisa J. is now the wife of A. McCarty, 
of Edinburgh; J. A. is living in Taylorville; C.A. 
is the next younger; Sarah J. is the wife of Henry 
Jenkins, of Centralia, 111.; and Mary C. is the wife 
of W. W. Love, of Edinburgh. 

Our subject is the fifth in order of birth. When 
a lad of ten summers he came with his parents to 
Christian County. He began his education in the 
district schools of Fayette County, and completed 
it in this county. Upon the home farm he was 
reared to manhood, and to his father gave the 
benefit of his services until twenty-four years of 
age, when he began teaching in the district schools, 
which profession he followed for a period of seven 
years. During that time he began studying law, 
and pursued hid researches in that direction with a 
law firm in Springfield. After thorough prepar- 
ation he was admitted to the Bar, in January, 1882, 
and at once entered upon the practice of his 
chosen profession. Locating in Edinburgh, he has 
here since made his home and has been numbered 
among its leading attorneys. 
11 



In 1877, Mr. Prater was united in marriage with 
Miss Martha J. Finley, a native of Christian 
County, 111. Their union has been blessed with 
one son, Lyman, who is still with his parents. In 
his political views, Mr. Prater is a Democrat, has 
served as Justice of the Peace and has held other 
local offices. In his social relations he is con- 
nected with Edinburgh Lodge No. 631, 1. 0. O. F., 
of Edinburgh, and is a member of the Christian 
Church. He possesses skill and ability as a lawyer 
and has secured a large number of clients. The 
liberal patronage which he receives is well merited, 
for he takes rank among the prominent leading 
practitioners of. the community. He is also Presi- 
dent of the Citizens' State Bank, and is recognized 
as an enterprising, progressive and public-spirited 
citizen of Edinburgh. 



DOLPHUS DE BARR has been engaged 
in agricultural pursuits for the pastthirty 
years and has made it the business of his 
life. He is of French and English extrac- 
tion, and was born in Virginia April 28, 1834. He 
is one of the most successful farmers of the county, 
and is one of the extensive land-owners of Locust 
Township, his home being on section 21. He is a 
man of broad and liberal views, who has the wel- 
fare of the entire community always at heart, and 
both himself and wife are highly respected and 
merit the esteem accorded them by one and all. 

The father of our subject, John De Barr, was 
also a native of the Old Dominion, where he grew 
to manhood and chose for his life companion Miss 
Sarah Daws. The birthplace of this lady -was in 
Virginia, and by her marriage she became the mo- 
ther of four children, the eldest of whom is our 
subject. William, the next younger, is now liv- 
ing at the home of his brother; Mary, deceased, 
was buried in Taylorville; and Harriet is the wife 
of Isaac McCune, of Taylorville. 

Adolphus De Barr started out to fight life's bat- 
tles at the age of twenty-one years empty-handed. 



246 



^OETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



He learned the carpenter's trade, at which he 
worked in Taylorville for several years after his 
arrival in the West, in 1857. He commenced 
farming about 1863, since which time he has made 
it his chief business. He has been successful be- 
yond his expectations, and now at the end of three 
decades finds himself possessed of about five hun- 
dred acres of fertile farm land under good im- 
provement. 

In December, 1857, was celebrated the first mar- 
riage of our subject, Sarah Ann Huffman being the 
lady of his choice. She was a native of Ohio, and 
to her were born four children. Joseph and James 
are living at home; John is a merchant, conduct- 
ing a general store at Millersville, Locust Town- 
ship; and Annie is the wife of Joshua Cleary, a 
farmer of the same township. The present wife 
of Mr. De Barr was formerly Miss Sarah Ann 
Leeper. Their marriage took place in Christian 
County in 1874. Mrs. De Barr was born in Noble 
County, Ohio, and is of Irish and German ances- 
try, being first cousin to Ira D. Sankey, the world- 
renowned singer. They became the parents of 
five children: Willie. Mary, Erma, Albert L. and 
Eugene. Willie aud Eugene died in early child- 
hood. 

Our subject deposits his ballot in favor of the 
Democratic party and supports its principles. In 
his social relations he is a member of the Masonic 
order and is a Royal Arch Mason. As an industri- 
ous man, whose course in life has been marked 
by strict attention to his own affairs and a high 
regard for the rights of others, he well merits the 
respect and confidence in an eminent degree of 
his hosts of friends and neighbors. 



,EUBEN WILKINSON is one of the best- 
known citizens of Taylorville, and a his- 
toiy of Christian County would be in- 
complete without the life record of this 
worthy man. His energy and determination have 
made a success of his life, and it is with pleasure 



that we present to our readers this account of him. 
He was born in Kentucky, but when a small boy 
accompanied his parents to the prairies of Illinois, 
so that nearly his entire life of seventy years has 
been intimately connected with the development 
and prosperity of this section of the State. His 
boyhood days were indications of his after years, 
and, early learning the value of a dollar, he 
was not slow to develop a trait for money-mak- 
ing, and to that end he has devoted most of his 
time His business ability was soon recognized, 
and for nearly half a century he has been classed 
as one of the successful financiers of this county. 
Not having the advantages afforded by the schools 
of the day for academic studies, his education is 
mostly of a practical kind; and though his atten- 
tion has been fully engrossed by business cares, the 
years of application have had such an effect upon 
him that no little thought and attention are given 
to the affairs of his friends and neighbors as well 
as to his own. Probably no man in the county is 
of a more helpful nature than he. 

When yet a young man, Mr. Wilkinson married 
Miss Hester Pratt, a native of England, and unto 
them have been born two children: George C. and 
Emma J., wife of George P. Nerrington, a banker 
of Edinburgh. He has not stood aloof in investing 
his means in such measures as would develop the 
resources of his home and city, but has given lib- 
erally. The present coal interests are largely de- 
pendent upon him for development. The fine 
flouring plant of the Ruth Mills owes its existence 
to him. It was erected in 1867, at a cost of $27,- 
000, and since then the firm of Price & Wilkinson 
lias done an extensive and successful milling busi- 
ness. Illustrative of the boldness of his business 
methods, he, not content to market the mill prod- 
ucts near home, shipped his fine flour to the 
world's milling center, Minneapolis, and there 
secured a market for much of his surplus goods. 
He has probably been financially interested in 
more enterprises than any other man in this local- 
ity, and when he has had full control, or his ad- 
vice has been closely followed, disaster has not 
overtaken any of his business ventures. 

Mr. Wilkinson is an enthusiastic advocate of 
Prohibition. Not only by precept, but by ex- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



247 



ample as well, has he advocated temperance. He 
has never sought public office, preferring to devote 
himself to the more congenial commercial life. He 
has a rugged nature the diamond in the rough 
but is warm hearted and true. Of a genial, so- 
cial nature, he has hosts of warm friends, who es- 
teem him highly and delight in his successes. His 
home is the abode of hospitality, his estimable wife 
being a lady of many excellencies of character, 
and having the happy faculty of making her 
guests feel at ease. 



JAMES H. JOHNSTON, a well-to-do farmer 
of Johnson Township, has been engaged 
in farming in Christian County for nearly 
forty years, and has been a prominent 
factor in the development of this region. He 
was born in Delaware County, Ohio, November 
22, 1836. He removed with his parents to Madi- 
son County, the same State, and later arrived in 
this county in 1854. 

Our subject's father, Alexander Johnston, was 
born in Ireland in 1818. His father was a soldier 
in the British army for five years. In 1825, 
Alexander Johnston crossed the Atlantic and first 
settled in Pike County, Pa. In 1831, he emi- 
grated to Ohio, where the following year he mar- 
ried Susan Allen, who was born and reared in 
Delaware County, that State. She was of German 
origin, her father having emigrated from the 
Fatherland and settled in Virginia at an early day. 
Mr. Johnston died in 1871, and lies buried in 
Anderson Cemetery, Johnson Township. His wife, 
who died two years later, now rests by his side in 
the same cemetery. They were the parents of 
eleven children, our subject being the second in 
order of birth. 

Until reaching his majority, James H. Johnston 
resided with his parents and received a good 
education. Having been brought up to the busi- 
ness of farming and stock-raising, he felt himself 
best qualified for that occupation and chose it as 



his life work. He has been successful to an emi- 
nent degree in his business undertakings, as will 
be seen from the fact that he is at present the 
owner of five hundred and sixty acres of fertile 
farm land, which is all under good improvement 
and is well stocked with horses, cattle, sheep and 
hogs. Mr. Johnston usually has on hand from 
one hundred to one hundred and fifty head of 
cattle, and from one hundred and fifty to two 
hundred and fifty head of hogs. He is also en- 
gaged in buying, selling and shipping live stock 
to a considerable extent, is a good judge of their 
value, and has made considerable money in that 
direction. He is well known as one of the prin- 
cipal farmers of the township, and has made his 
home on his present farm for some fifteen years. 
He has a pleasant and comfortable residence and 
good farm buildings upon the place. 

The marriage of Mr. Johnston took place March 
18, 1879, when Miss Hattie Murray, of La Salle 
County, 111., became his wife. They have had born 
to them five children, who are all living and at 
home. In order of birth they are as follows: 
Eugene, Grace, Pearl, Blanche and James. The 
parents are highly respected citizens, and are well 
received in the social circles of the neighborhood 
in which they dwell. Our" subject is a Democrat 
politically, and is a member of the Masonic order. 



E. SEATON, who is the present Super- 
visor of Buckhart Township, follows farm- 
ing on section 30, where he has a well-im- 
proved and valuable tract of land. One of Illi- 
nois' native sons, he was born in Fayette County 
on the 5th of November, 1840, and is a son of 
William and Ellen (Williams) Seaton. The father 
was born and reared in Tennessee, and in 1830 
emigrated to this State, locating in Fayette County, 
where he entered land from the Government at 
$1.25 per acre. Upon the farm which he there 
improved his death occurred at the age of forty- 
two. His wife was also a native of Tennessee, 



248 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and was called to her final rest at the age of fifty- 
seven. The family numbered seven children, 
four sons and three daughters, all of whom grew 
to manhood and womanhood. Levi is now living 
in Fayette County; Louisa is the wife of James 
Little, of the same county; Amanda is the widow 
of Tony B. Williams, of Fayette County; Clarissa 
is the wife of John Farber, of Fayette County; 
W. E. is the next younger; John is now deceased; 
and Riley is living in Fayette County. 

In the usual manner of farmer lads the subject 
of this sketch was reared to manhood. The com- 
mon schools afforded him his educational priv- 
ileges. He studied through the winter season and 
in the summer months aided in the labors of the 
fields. Having arrived at years of maturity, he 
was married, in 1862, to Julia Piatt, a native of 
Fayette County and a daughter of John F. Piatt. 
Unto them were born four children: Marinda, who 
died at the age of six years; John W., Jesse E. 
and Gordon E., who were born on the Seaton farm 
in this county, and are still with their father. The 
mother of this family was called to her final rest 
February 22, 1888, and her death was widely 
mourned by a large circle of warm friends. 

Mr. Seaton came to this county in 1865, and lo- 
cated upon the farm which has since been his 
home. There was a small house upon it, but no 
other improvements, and the place of which he 
came into possession bears little resemblance to 
the fine farm of to-day. Within the boundaries 
are comprised three hundred and sixty acres of 
rich land, which by well-kept fences is divided 
into fortj'-acre fields, all under a high state of 
cultivation. There are a tasty residence, good barns 
and outbuildings and all the accessories and con- 
veniences of a farm of the nineteenth century. 
In connection with theraisingof crops, Mr. Seaton 
is also engaged in stock-raising, and this branch 
of his business yields him a good income. 

Our subject exercises his right of franchise in 
support of the Democratic part}'. In 1889 he was 
elected Supervisor of the township, and has since 
been unanimously re-elected to that position, be- 
ing the choice of both parties. He has served for 
twenty-one years as School Director, and has done 
much to advance the cause of education in this 



community. He proves a faithful and competent 
officer, and the trust reposed in him is never be- 
trayed. No better citizen can be found in the 
community than Mr. Seaton, who always bears his 
part in the work of public improvement, and in 
private life is alike true. 



HOMAS J. ELLIOTT was one of the hon- 
ored early settlers and representative men 
of Christian County. From his early years 
he was obliged to depend upon his own resources, 
and was a self-educated and self-made man. He 
was a native of Illinois, having been born in Clay 
County on the 16th of February, 1829. He be- 
came a resident of this county in 1853, and was 
located in Taylorville Township, on section 29, 
for about a quarter of a century. 

His father dying when he was young, Mr. El- 
liott began working when only about nine 3 r ears old, 
and received for a number of years only twenty- 
five cents per day for his services. His education 
was necessarily very limited, and it was owing to 
his habits of study and desire for information that 
he acquired such as he possessed. After living 
for a number of years in his native county, he 
went to Sangamon County, where he made his 
home for some time, and, as previously stated, came 
to Christian County in 1853. For some years he 
was a resident of Bear Creek Township, thence re- 
moving to Taylorville Township. In 1868 he 
purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty acres, 
to the cultivation of which he devoted himself 
during the remainder of his life. He afterward 
purchased another thirty-acre tract, and there en- 
gaged in general farming and stock-raising with 
good success. 

On the 26th of December, 1868, was celebrated 
the marriage of Mr. Elliott and Miss Ruth Clay- 
ton, who was born in Sangamon County, and re- 
moved with her parents, Jefferson and Elizabeth 
(Scott) Clayton, to Christian County when she 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. . 



249 



was a little girl. To our subject and his wife was 
born a family of eight children, who, with the ex- 
ception of one, are still living. They are as fol- 
lows: Luella, Alvin I., Minnie E., Worthy E.. 
Dwight, Ida M., Franklin O. and Leda G. Myrtle 
is deceased. 

The death of Mr. Elliott occurred on the 12th 
of February, 1888, and his mortal remains were 
placed to rest in the Taylorville Cemetery. In 
politics, he was ever to be found in the ranks of 
the Democratic party, and was greatly interested 
in promoting the welfare of the community with 
which his lot was cast. His widow and children 
are still living on the old homestead, and occupy 
a high place in the friendship and good-will of 
their friends and neighbors. Mr. Elliott's course 
in life deserves the highest commendation, as he 
was possessed of a courage and fortitude which 
surmounted all obstacles in his pathway. Of these 
there were truly more than falls to the lot of most 
men, but he at last reached the goal of his hopes, 
becoming a good citizen, a practical and progress- 
ive farmer, and a friend who could be ever re- 
lied upon. 



EVERLY VAN BUREN MARTIN, who is 
engaged in the dray and transfer business 
in Taylorville, comes from the far-off State 
of West Virginia. He was born in Harri- 
son County, on the 6th of July, 1840, and is a son 
of John B. and Mary Ann (Wood) Martin, who 
were both natives of the Old Dominion. His 
grandfather, Levi Martin, was born in West Vir- 
ginia, and there followed the occupation of farm- 
ing for many years. He was called to his final 
rest in 1845, when about eighty-five years of age. 
The maternal grandfather of our subject, Alex- 
ander Wood, carried on agricultural pursuits in 
Virginia, the State of his nativity. 

Of the family of ten children, numbering six 
sons and four daughters, to which our subject be- 
longed, six are now living, namely: Martha E., 



wife of Monterville Bartlett; Emery; Catherine 
E., wife of John Payne; Beverly V. B., whose name 
heads this sketch; Cree; and Homer. The father 
of this family carried on farming and stock-deal- 
ing in West Virginia, where his death occurred in 
February, 1892, at the ripe old age of eighty-four 
years. He had long survived his wife, who had 
passed away in 1851. Both were consistent mem- 
bers of the Methodist Church. Mr. Martin was a 
second time married, the lady of his choice being 
Miss Hannah Bailey, a daughter of Albert Bailey, 
of Virginia. She now makes her home in Des 
Moines, Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch remained upon the 
home farm in the State of his birth until sixteen 
years of age, when he began the study of medi- 
cine. For two years his energies were directed 
along that line, after which he went to California, 
in 1861, spending four years upon the Pacific 
Slope. Returning to West Virginia in 1865, he 
there remained until 1870, when he determined to 
seek a home in the West. Coining to Illinois, he 
located in Dorchester, where he embarked in mer- 
chandising and also engaged in buying stock. It 
was in the centennial year of 1876 that he went 
to Staunton, where he carried on the livery busi- 
ness until 1880. That year witnessed his arrival 
in Taylorville. Here he again opened a livery 
stable, carrying on business along that line until 
September, 1892, when he sold out to Messrs. 
Fisher <fe Kinney. He also imported Clyde, Ham- 
bletonian, Perclieron and Norman stallions. Since 
disposing of his livery business he has continued 
in the dray and transfer business. 

On the 22d of May, 1871, Mr. Martin was united 
in marriage with Miss Mary Ann Wayne, a daugh- 
ter of Churchill and Mary (Kellar) Wayne, of 
Dorchester. By their union they became the parents 
of four children, all sons: John, Frank, Alonzo 
and Harry. The first-named died at the age of 
seventeen years, but the other children are still 
with their parents. 

Socially, Mr. Martin is connected with the An- 
cient Order of United Workmen, and his wife 
holds membership with the Cumberland Presby- 
terian Church. He votes with the Republican 
party and is a stanch supporter of its principles. 



250 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



He was honored with the olfice of Mayor of Tay- 
lorvillefor a term of two years, was Supervisor for 
two terras, and has been School Director and Pres- 
ident of the East School Board for seven years. 
With promptness and fidelity his public duties 
were discharged. The cause of education finds in 
him a warm friend and he has done effective serv- 
ice in its interests. Besides his residence and 
other city property in Taylorville, Mr. Martin 
owns one hundred and sixty .acres of farming land 
in South Dakota. He lias a wide acquaintance 
throughout this community and by his pleasant, 
genial manner and excellencies of character has 
won many warm friends. 






JOHN W. NICODEMUS, who is well known 
in Christian and neighboring counties as a 
minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church, now owns a farm of one hundred 
and twenty acres in Taylorville Township. He 
was one of the pioneers of his denomination in 
central Illinois and was for a period of twenty-two 
years on the Illinois circuit. He was zealous and 
active for years as a minister and often walked 
from ten to twenty miles to conduct a religious 
service. 

The birth of our subject occurred in Knox 
County, Tenn., February 29, 1824. He is a son of 
Frederick Nicodemus, and is one of two children, 
he being the eldest, and Locky Ann, who is de- 
ceased. The mother died when John was very 
young, and his father passed away when he was 
a lad of only seven years. He was taken by an 
uncle, and remained with him until he was seven- 
teen years of age. Desiring to learn a trade, he 
apprenticed himself for two years to a blacksmith, 
working for his board and clothes. For two terms 
he was in Knoxville pursuing his studies. After- 
wards he built a shop of his own and continued to 
work at his trade for a few years. Returning to 
Knoxville, be there resided until 1860, when he 
came to Illinois, making the trip by team. He lo- 



cated in what is now King Township, and pur- 
chased eighty acres of unimproved prairie land, 
where he lived for about five years. 

Mr. Nicodemus became a resident of Taylorville 
Township in 1865, having sold his former farm 
and purchased one of eighty acres on section 14. 
There he engaged in agricultural pursuits for a 
few 3' ears and then located on his present farm, to 
which he came in 1882. This property comprises 
one hundred and twenty acres of arable and well- 
improved land, and has been placed under a high 
state of cultivation. 

Our subject has been twice married, his first un- 
ion being celebrated October 3, 1843, with Miss 
Mary E. Ault, by whom he had six children: Joel 
A., who died in March, 1845; Martha A., who died 
in March, 1847; William K., a resident of Taylor- 
ville; Wesley B., a farmer of this county; Mary A., 
who died January 10, 1852; and Willie B., who 
died April 20, 1854. The mother departed this 
life May 7, 1854. The second marriage of Mr. 
Nicodemus was with Miss Mary A., daughter of 
John and Mary Falkner. The wedding ceremony 
took place July 20, 1854. She was born near 
Knoxville, Tenn., January 20, 1829. 

In his political faith Mr. Nicodemus is a Demo- 
crat. He has held the office of Commissioner of 
Highways and lias been a School Director. In his 
early life he met with a great deal of discourage- 
ment, and is a self-educated as well as a self-made 
man. He has alwa3's taken a great and active in- 
terest in all church and educational work, and is 
one of the valued citizens of this county. 



R. ANDREW F. HAMMER, of Taylor- 
ville, who is engaged in the practice of 
the medical profession, was born in the 
city which is now his home, December 7. 
1849. His paternal grandfather, Frederick Ham- 
mer, vvas a native of Kentucky, and was a black- 
smith and farmer by trade. Having emigrated to 
Illinois in an early day, he served in the Black 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



251 



Hawk War. Locating in Christian County, he 
here carried on agricultural pursuits for a number 
of years, and his death occurred on his farm two 
and a-half miles from Taylorville, at the age of 
seventy-three years. He was laid to rest in the' 
Stonington Cemetery. The maternal grandfather 
of our subject, who bore the name of Josiah Lang- 
ley, was also a native of Kentucky, and he too 
was a farmer. He died at his home, three miles 
west of Taylorville, at the age of fifty-five years. 

The parents of our subject, Addison W. and 
Rebecca Adeline (Langley) Hammer, were both 
natives of Kentucky. The father was a black- 
smith by trade, but after emigrating to Illinois 
became a tiller of the soil. He came to this State 
in 1827, locating with his parents in Sangamon 
County. In 1837 the family removed to the east- 
ern part of Christian County, and lived near the 
present site of Moweaqua until 1847. In the 
mean time Mr. Hammer learned the blacksmith's 
trade from his father, and then removed to IVylor- 
ville, where, in connection with his brother Lucian, 
he carried on business along that line for some 
years. He now resides in Custer, Sangamon 
County, and is at present serving as Postmaster of 
that place. His wife, who was a member of the 
Christian Church, died in the fall of 1865, and in 
1868 Mr. Hammer married Miss Millie AVoods, 
who was also born and reared in Kentucky. He 
is a member of the Universalist Church, and is a 
highly-respected man. 

The Doctor is one of a family of eight children, 
numbering five sons and three daughters, of whom 
the daughters and two sons are now living. They 
are Andrew F.; Hugh L.; Margaret, wife of Isaac 
B. Jordan, a lawyer of Kingman County, Kan.; 
Laura B., wife of T. H. Johnson, of Taylorville; 
and Lura M., wife of John S. Neal, of Springfield, 
111. 

We now take up the personal history of the 
Doctor, who was reared in this city and vicinity 
and acquired his early education in the Taylor- 
ville public schools. He remained at home with 
his parents until twenty-seven years of age and 
aided in the labors of the farm. With a desire to 
make the practice of medicine his life work, he en- 
tered upon a medical course in the Hahnemaun 



Medical College, of Chicago, from which institu- 
tion he was graduated in 1877. He then located 
in Custer, formerly known as Berry, and opening 
an office began practice. For fifteen years he re- 
mained in that place, receiving a liberal share of 
the public patronage. He then determined to re- 
turn to his native city, and in 1892 took up his 
residence in Taylorville, where he has since 'made 
his home. 

On the 14th of June, 1878, the Doctor was uni- 
ted in marriage with Mrs. Alice A. Allen, widow 
of John W. Allen, and a daughter of John S. and 
Mary J. (Bell) Dickerson. Two children grace 
their union: Stella P. and Lena J. The Doctor 
and his wife are members of the Christian Church, 
and, socially, he is connected with Mound Lodge 
No. 122, A. F. & A. M., and Berry Lodge No. 26, 
I. O. O. F. He also belongs to the Modern Wood- 
men of America. He owns two hundred and forty 
acres of land half a mile from Clarksdale, and his 
wife has a forty -acre tract near Berry. They also 
have a residence property in Berry. In politics, 
the Doctor is a Republican and a strong Protec- 
tionist. Although he has made his home in Tay- 
lorville but a short time, he is already building up 
a good trade, and his skill and ability merit a lib- 
eral patronage. He is a pleasant, genial gentle- 
man and is highly esteemed for his sterling worth. 



>INSTON LEANDER LONG has been en- 
gaged in the mercantile business in Mor- 
risonville for a number of years, being a 
junior member of the firm of Hewitt & Long. 
A. M. Hewitt, of the firm, is a brother-in-law of our 
subject, and they have been in business together 
since 1885. Mr. Lqng was born in Christian 
County, Ky., where the village of Herndon now 
stands, January 15, 1851. 

John Culbertson Long, father of our subject, was 
born in Muhlenburg County, Ky., June 19, 1779. 
His mother, Rebecca Stevenson (McCormick) Long 



252 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was born in Lincoln County, N. C., September 18, 
1812. Her parents removed from North Carolina 
to Missouri when she was six months old, and 
from Missouri to Kentucky when she was two 
years of age. She was married to Mr. Long in 
Christian County, Ky., in 1837. 

Five sons and four daughters blessed their home. 
The eldest, Andrew McCormick Long, died in in- 
fancy. John Turner Long, the second child, now 
living in Danville, Ten u., is a mechanic; he was 
married in 1862 to Mrs. Elvira R. Luck, whose 
maiden name was McCraw, and they have one 
son, Lucian Clyde. The third in order of birth, 
Sarah Ann Long, married Benjamin Scott Pickard 
in 1859, and four children came to them: Herschel 
W.,Ida May, Minnie Lee and Benjamin Scott. Mr. 
Pickard died in 1866, and some ten years later 
Mrs. Pickard married John A. Myers, of Dan- 
ville, Tenn. Two children, Hattie Belle and Dora 
Pearl, were the result of this union. Mrs. Myers 
died in 1888, and Mr. Myers is now living in 
Christian County, Ky. James Marion Long, the 
fourth child, was married to Miss Carrie McCraw, 
a niece of Mrs. John Turner Long, in 1867; they 
have four children: Drucilla Ann, Jhumie L., 
Oscar Woodson and Birch. The greater part of 
James Long's life has been spent in merchandising, 
but a few years ago he removed to his farm near 
Bennettstown, Christian County, Ky., where he re- 
sides. Eliza Long, the fifth child, died at about 
three years of age. Isabella Washington Long, the 
sixth in order, married James B. Radford in 1867; 
they had two children, Edgar Clarence and Viola 
Mattie. Mrs. Radford died in 1874, and some years 
later Mr. Radford married Miss Amelia Park, and 
now resides in Christian County, Ky. Eudora Clem- 
entine Long, the seventh child, married William G. 
Williams in 1877, and died the year following. 
Mr. Williams died about a year later. Fidelia M. 
Long, the ninth child, died at about one year of 
age. 

Winston Leander Long, the eighth child and 
the subject of this sketch, passed his boyhood in 
Christian County, Ky., being reared to agricultural 
pursuits. After his father's death, which occurred 
when Winston was only ten years old, he worked 
on his mother's farm, getting such advantages as 



the country schools afforded. At the age of fifteen 
it became necessary for him to take charge of the 
farm, his elder brothers having gone from home. 
The war coming on the year of his father's death, 
the freeing of the slaves, and the depreciation 
of values generally, consequent upon the war, 
brought his mother to very straitened circum- 
stances, which financial embarrassment made it 
trying for so young a farmer. His opportunities 
were very limited until the age of eighteen, when 
he entered the male academy at Garrettsburg, Ky., 
his teacher being no less a personage than that most 
profound scholar and instructor, Q. M. Tyler, whose 
name is dear to so many men who were boys in 
southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. Af- 
ter continuing here two years, he returned to 
the farm. For several j'ears after this, our sub- 
ject aspired to the medical profession, but his ed- 
ucation not being entirely satisfactory, and his 
mother and two sisters still being unprotected, he 
remained at home. He, however, began to make 
arrangements to enter the mercantile business, and 
in 1874 bought an interest in his brother James' 
grocery store, at Roaring Spring, Ky., his brother 
retaining almost entire control. A year or so later 
it became necessary, according to the terms of his 
father's will, to sell all real estate belonging to 
deceased. Winston bought the homestead, but 
soon sold to his brother James, and in the spring 
of 1877 he came to Christian County, 111., and 
entered into the dry-goods business in partnership 
with A. E. Boyd, of Palmer, 111. 

On June 19, 1878, our subject was married to 
Miss H. Lou Hewitt, of Taylorville, by the Rev. 
E. P. Rankin, a Presbyterian minister of Morrison- 
ville. Miss Hewitt was the third daughter of 
William T. and Anna (Gibson) Hewitt. Her eld- 
est brother, Francis M., died in 1872. Olive C., 
the second child, married Joseph S. Wallace. 
Aurelius M., the third, married Miss Florence An- 
derson. James Byron, the fourth, died in 1869. 
Laura J., the fifth, married J. L. Boyd. Mrs. Long, 
the sixth, was born in Christian County, 111., Sep- 
tember 23, 1856. Her mother died when she was 
eight months old. Some three years later her fa- 
ther married Miss Mary R. Wilcockson, a very 
estimable lady, and daughter of Col. John H. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



253 



II. Wilcockson, of Sangamon County, 111. Three 
children were the result of this union, William T., 
Lee D. and Homer B. William T., Jr., died in 
1872. Lee D. married Miss Ella Russell. 

William T. Hewitt, Sr., was born in Stafford 
County, Va., January 15, 1816. He removed to 
Christian County, Ky., when yet a young man, 
and was married there. He moved to Christian 
County, 111., in 1842, and became a prosperous 
stock-raiser, farmer and a man of wealth. He was 
a good and learned man, and a man of sterling 
integrity. He died November 24, 1890. Mrs. 
Long's mother, Anna (Gibson) Hewitt, was born 
in Christian County, Ky., in 1821. She was a wo- 
man of piety, and was noted for her benevolent 
and amiable disposition, and for her charity to the 
poor. She died June 8, 1857. Mrs. Long is a 
Christian lady, being an earnest worker and an ac- 
tive member of the Presbyterian Church. She is 
of high social standing, a kind and affectionate 
wife and mother, and makes home pleasant and 
happy for her husband and little son. 

In the fall of 1878 the firm of Boyd & Long dis- 
solved, the former partner retiring and the latter 
continuing in business. In 1884, Mr. Long sold out 
and moved to Sully County, S. Dak. In 1885, he 
returned to the Prairie State, and has since been 
located in Morrison ville. Socially, he is connected 
with Morrison ville Lodge No. 681, A. F. & A. M., 
and is a member of Mound Lodge and Chapter of 
Taylorville. In politics he is a Democrat, first, 
last and all the time, and is at present serving as 
Supervisor of Ricks Township. Mr. Long is quiet 
and retiring in manner, but he has a host of 
friends and acquaintances who consider him a 
man of integrity and of a high sense of honor. 
Mr. and Mrs. Long had only two children, the elder 
of whom died in infancy. The other, Troy Lovell, 
was born December 27, 1881. He is now a lad of 
twelve, healthy, but of a delicate frame. 

John Culbertson Long, the father of our subject, 
was the eldest of ten children, the second being 
William; the third was Robert F., who married Lu- 
cretiaBoyd; the fourth Joseph; the fifth William; 
the sixth Isaac, who married Sarah Vincent; the 
seventh Agnes A.; the eighth Mary, who married 
Collins Calvert; the ninth Rebecca, who married 



Wilson Cates; and the tenth Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried Jacob Gish. John Culbertson Long was a 
temperate man and a Christian, being an Elder in 
the Presbyterian Church for a number of years, or 
up to the time of his death, which occurred July 11, 
1861. The grandfather of our subject, Samuel C. 
Long, was born in the State of Pennsylvania, and 
married Joanna Culbertson. 

Rebecca S. (McCormick) Long, the mother of 
our subject, was one of a family of six children. 
The eldest, Joseph Manson McCormick, married 
Miss McKenzie. Immediately after their mar- 
riage, in Christian County, Ky., they moved to 
Texas, which was not yet admitted into the Union. 
The opportunities being favorable, he -became a 
wealthy man. They had only one son, Andrew 
Phelps McCormick, who is now United S.tates 
Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit in Texas. He 
also sits in the Circuit Court of Appeals at New 
Orleans from the middle of November to the fol- 
lowing June of each year. Eliza McCormick, the 
second, married Joseph Causey. Juliet McCor- 
mick, the third, married James Boyd. Zillah A 
McCormick, the sixth, married Alfred Boyd, a 
brother of her sister Juliet's husband. Both of the 
Boyds and their families moved from Christian 
County, Ky., and settled in Christian County, 111. 
They reared large families, many of whom are 
well-known and prominent business men of this 
county and State. Rebecca S. McCormick, the 
mother of our subject, had a twin brother, whose 
name was John, but he did not survive infancy. 
She was a very large lady, and at one time weighed 
nearly three hundred pounds. She was a woman of 
considerable force of character, was a great reader, 
and was a Christian, having joined the Presb}'- 
terian Church when quite young, and she remained 
in it until she died, March 16, 1881. 

Mrs. Long's father, Andrew McCormick, was 
born in Lincoln County, N. C., in 1780, and mar- 
ried Sarah Steele, who was born in the same coun- 
ty in the year 1775. The latter's family were 
people of wealth for their time, and had great 
force of character. For some cause they opposed 
their daughter Sarah's marriage to Mr. McCor- 
mick, hence little is known of her ancestors. She 
had three brothers, however, one of whom was 



254 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



named Henry. Andrew McCormick having died in 
Christian County, Ky., in 1822, she married a man 
by the name of Howard. He died some four years 
after their marriage, and she went to make her 
home with her daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Long, 
where she spent her declining years. She died at 
the age of eighty. Andrew McCormick had an older 
brother, Joseph, who moved from North Carolina 
to Washington County, Mo. One of his sons, 
James Robinson McCormick, now lives at Farming- 
ton, St. Francois County, Mo. He is a physician 
by profession, and has twice been elected State 
Senator, has three times been elected to Congress, 
and was a General in the Union army. He is a 
wealthy man and has retired from public life and 
from active business. Andrew had two other 
brothers, David and John, who died without heirs. 
He had three sisters, Elizabeth, Catharine and 
Mary. Elizabeth married Enos Sherrill. Cathar- 
ine married John Alexander. Mary married A. T. 
Alexander, a brother of Catharine's husband. The 
families belonging to these three sisters were peo- 
ple of prominence. 

The great-grandfather of our subject was also 
named Andrew McCormick. He emigrated to this 
country from Ireland some time between 1746 and 
1750. Information is not definite as to where he 
was born, but the impression is that he was born in 
Scotland. But if not born in Scotland, it may be 
stated with some degree of certainty that he was 
of Scotch descent. He met and married Catharine 
Adams in Pennsylvania. She, Catharine Adams, 
had three brothers, John, Peter and Jacob, and 
two sisters, Mary and Hannah. Mary married a 
man named Groves. Hannah married Mr. Low- 
ranee. Catharine (Adams) McCormick 's father, 
John Adams, is the earliest of the common ances- 
tors, so far as the knowledge of the subject of our 
sketch, or family tradition, reaches. This John 
Adams was born in Holland or. in one of the Ger- 
man Stales. While still a youth, he and a sister of 
his came with a colony of Calvinist Protestants to 
New Jersey. He married and settled on or near 
the Delaware Rivet, not far from Philadelphia. 
Here he resided with his family until the fall of 
1776. He was an early and ardent supporter of the 
patriot cause, and when Earl Cornwallis overran 



the Jerseys in 1776, John Adams moved his fam- 
ily into Pennsylvania, then into Virginia, and 
about the close of the next year, 1777, reached 
and permanently settled in what is now Rowan 
County, N. C. The McCormicks, kindred of our 
subject, have been farmers, stock-raisers, merchants, 
bankers and lawyers, with an occasional physician 
and Presbyterian preacher, but few office-holders, 
either civil or military. Very many have been 
Ruling Elders in the Presbyterian Church. 



EDWARD BUGG, a well-known agriculturist 
of Christian County, has spent his entire 
life in May Township, having been born 
March 31, 1848, on the same farm where he now 
resides. This place was entered from the Govern- 
ment by his father, who was among the pioneers 
of the county. The home of our subject is lo- 
cated on section 23, where he owns a well-im- 
proved farm. 

Edward Bugg was the seventh child in a family 
of eight children born to Joseph and Susanna 
(Peck) Bugg. Four of the family are now de- 
ceased. John, the eldest living, is a retired far- 
mer, and now a resident of Assumption; William 
is a prosperous agriculturist of this township, as is 
also Joseph R., the only other survivor. The fa- 
ther was born March 12, 1810, at Levin, Yorkshire, 
England, where he continued to reside until his 
marriage, which occurred February 27, 1833. In 
June, 1834, the young couple set sail for America 
and landed in Quebec, Canada, where they spent 
the winter. In May of the following year they 
removed to Indiana and settled on a farm three 
miles northeast of Terre Haute, where they made 
their home for four years. At the end of that 
time they came to this county and made a settle- 
ment on section 4, May Township, north of Flat 
Branch. Their location was on the open prairie, 
half a mile from the timber. At that time all the 
settlements had been made along the timber-land, 
and they were the only ones who had yet ventured 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



255 



out on the prairie, which people in those days lit- 
tle expected could be developed into good farms. 
lu 1844, the family removed to the places where 
our subject now resides and built a log house. To 
the eastward the prairie stretched for eighteen 
miles without a single house or improvement of 
any kind. Though they were much annoyed by 
the depredations of wolves and had much sickness, 
they remained on this tract of land and improved 
a farm of three hundred and eighty acres. Mr. 
Bugg was called from this life May 10, 1865, and 
was laid to rest in the Harris Cemetery in May 
Township. He was an active man and numbered 
many friends in the county. Religiously, he held 
membership with the Methodist Church. His wife 
was born in Yorkshire, England, August 10, 1812, 
to Simon and Jane (Butledge) Peck. Her death 
occurred October 28, 1882, at Terre Haute, Ind., 
where she was visiting. She had for many years 
previously made her home with our subject. 

Edward Bugg, whose name heads this sketch, 
resided at his birthplace on the same farm he now 
cultivates until he was of age. His education was 
such as was afforded by the country schools of 
those days. On reaching man's estate he rented a 
part of the home farm for a number of years, and 
on the 10th of February, 1874, was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Christina Bailey. She was born 
in Oneida County, N. Y., March 7, 1841, and was 
a daughter of M. S. and Lydia (Taylor) Bailey. 
The former was a native of Massachusetts, who re- 
moved with his parents to Oneida County, N. Y., 
when a small boy. There occurred his marriage, 
and in that county he resided until his death, 
which occurred when he had reached an advanced 
age. He was of English descent, and was one of 
the early settlers of Oneida County. His father 
participated in the War of the Revolution. The 
mother of Mrs. Bugg was born in Steuben County, 
N. Y., where she is still living, now well advanced 
in life. Her father was a native of Scotland, and 
came to America in his boyhood. 

Three children have blessed the union of Mr. 
and Mrs. Bugg, but two died in infancy. Gracic 
Fidelia, who lives at home, is an accomplished musi- 
cian and has received a superior education. Though 
not a member of any church, Mr. Bugg contrib- 



utes to their support, especially to the Presbyte- 
rian Church, of which his wife is a member. In 
politics, he uses his influence in behalf of the Re- 
publican party. His farm now numbers two hun- 
dred and fifty acres, which are fertile and well cul- 
tivated. It is a desirable piece of property and 
bears little resemblance to the wild prairie which 
it was at the time of his father's location upon it. 



JOHN LEWIS TURNER, a carpenter and 
manufacturer, ranks high in the business cir- 
cles of this communit_y and well deserves 
mention in the history of Christian County 
for the prominent part he has taken in all the public 
affairs that tend to benefit and upbuild the com- 
munity. The record of his life is as follows: A 
native of Indiana, he was born in Greene County 
on the 2d of September, 1844. He is of P^nglish 
and Scotch descent, the paternal grandfather hav- 
ing been a native of England, who died in Ten- 
nessee. He is also descended from one of the 
Revolutionary heroes, his maternal grandfather, 
Benjamin Phillips, a native of Scotland, having 
served as a soldier in the War of Independence. 
He lived to quite an advanced age, and died in 
Greene County, Ind. 

The parents of our subject, Archelaus and Susan 
(Phillips) Turner, were both natives of Tennessee. 
The father was a farmer and mechanic. His death 
occurred in 1846, of brain fever, in Greene County, 
Ind., but his wife lived until the 3d of April, 1883, 
surviving her husband about thirty-seven years, 
and died at the home of the subject of this sketch. 
They were both members of the Cumberland Pres- 
byterian Church and were highly respected peo- 
ple. Their family numbered ten children, five 
sons and five daughters, of whom seven grew to 
mature years. Nancy is now the widow of William 
Anderson; Delphia, who is the second in order 
of birth, lives with her brother Thomas; William 
is a minister of the Gospel, residing at Lincoln and 
is the father of President Turner of Lincoln Uni- 



256 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



versity; Jane is the wife of Rev. R. J. P. Lemmoii, 
of Benton County, Ark.; James Riley died at 
Owaneeo, this county, June 21, 1893; Thomas J. 
makes his home in Taylorville; and John L. is our 
subject. Those who died in early childhood were. 
Elizabeth, Benjamin and an infant. 

John L. Turner, whose name heads this record, 
was only two years old when his father died, and 
when he was a lad of ten summers his mother re- 
moved with the family from Indiana to Shelby 
County, 111. This was in 1854. There he was 
reared to manhood upon a farm, remaining with 
his mother until he had attained his majority. 
His education was acquired in the district schools 
of the neighborhood, and no event of special im- 
portance occurred during his boyhood and youth. 
After arriving at man's estate he was united in 
marriage, on the llth of April, 1867, with Miss 
Lizzie, a daughter of William and Mary Haskins, 
of Dubois County, Ind. Foui'children have been 
born of their union: Benjamin Archelaus, John 
Ellis, William Ezra and Docia Mae. The eldest 
son married Miss Lydia B. Sweigert, and resides 
in Edinburgh, 111., and is cashier of the banking 
house of George P. Harrington. One child graces 
their union, Homer A. 

In the winter of 1865-66, Mr. Turner removed 
to Christian County and located in Taylorville, 
where lie has since made his home. For the first 
ten years after his arrival he engaged in carpen- 
tering, which he then abandoned to enter upon 
the manufacture of brick and tile. This business 
he followed for a number of years. He made the 
first drain tile in this section of the country, and 
that branch of his business was his specialty. Al- 
though he began on a small scale, the demand for 
his product constantly increased, and in conse- 
quence his facilities were enlarged. This is one 
of the leading industries of the community, and 
adds greatly to the prosperity of Taylorville and 
surrounding community, as it furnishes employ- 
ment to a number of men and insures good crops 
on lands that are well tiled. 

Mr. and Mrs. Turner and their children are 
members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 
in which he serves as Deacon. In politics, he is a 
supporter of the Republican party. Mr. Turner 



has had a successful career, which is due entirely to 
his own business ability and sagacity, combined 
with well-directed energies and persistent effort. 
His prosperity, therefore, is well merited, and he 
may truly be called a self-made man. He owns 
a good home and other city property, and, having 
disposed of his manufacturing business, he and his 
good wife are at this lime living rather retired, 
devoting themselves to the education of their 
children, trying to prepare them for useful lives. 



EPHRAIM BOLLINGER was for long years 
one of the highly respected and truly 
worthy citizens of Stonington Township. 
The whole community was deeply shocked on 
learning of his death, which occurred in March, 
1893. While attempting to cross the railroad 
track to look after some business near the crossing 
by the Stonington Station, he was run down and 
instantly killed by the train. He was laid to rest 
in Grove City Cemetery. 

The birth of Mr. Bellinger occurred in Balti- 
more County, Md., October 24, 1832, and he grew 
to manhood near his birthplace. He was of German 
descent, though his father and mother were born 
and reared in Baltimore County. The family re- 
moved to Christian County, 111., in 1869. Our 
subject worked at his trade of a millwright until 
the commencement of the late Civil War. For 
three years during that struggle he was employed 
as a teamster in and near Baltimore. After his 
arrival in Illinois, he gave his whole time and 
energy to farming. When he started out to fight 
life's battles, he had his own way to make from 
the first, and even at the time of his marriage he 
was only in moderate circumstances. He was the 
eldest of thirteen children, eight of whom were 
sons. 

The marriage of Mr. Bellinger occurred in Bal- 
timore County, Md., his wife being Miss Mary 
Ann Street, who was born in that county August 



POKTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



257 



23, 1832. They have become the parents of eight 
children: Oliver, who is now deceased, and James 
M., deceased, both of whom were buried in Balti- 
more County; Mary E., who died in Christian 
County, and lies buried in Grove City Cemetery; 
Henry C., John T., William E., Daniel S. and 
Samuel W., who arc respected citizens of this 
count}'. Henry C. married Miss Keziah Coffee, 
who was born and educated in this county. They 
are residents of Stonington Township. John T. 
married Miss Caroline Cooner, of this county, and 
lives near the old homestead. The three younger 
brothers are at home with their mother and lend 
their dutiful assistance in carrying on the home- 
stead. The farm is one hundred and twenty acres 
in extent, located on section 14, and has good 
improvements upon it. 

In his political faith Mr. Bellinger was a Repub- 
lican and was a worthy example of the agricult- 
ural class. He bore a high reputation for integrity 
of purpose and justice in the various walks of life. 
Both himself and wife for many years held mem- 
bership with the German Reformed Church, to 
which the latter still belongs. 



J^j& UGUST CAZALET, a retired merchant of 
(JJyLJj Assumption, was born in France on 
Ipfc Christmas Day of 1828. He spent his 
^gj youth and grew to manhood in his native 
country, where he received fair school privileges. 
He then served an apprenticeship at the stone ma- 
son's trade, which he followed for some years, af- 
ter which he engaged in contracting and building 
for a few years. 

Ere leaving the land of his birth, Mr. Cazalet 
was married to Miss Julia Galliac, a most estimable 
young lady. Their union was celebrated in 1853, 
and for five years they continued in France, our 
subject being engaged in contracting and building 
from that time until 1858, when with his wife he 
emigrated to the New World, taking passage from 
Havre on a Westward-bound sailing-vessel, which 



at length dropped anchor in the harbor of New 
York, in the month of December, and the young 
couple found themselves in the New World. 

Mr. Cazalet at once came to Illinois, and made 
a location in Ottawa, La Salle County, where he 
established a stoneyard and engaged in contract- 
ing and building for three years. On the expira- 
tion of that period, in 1862, he removed to El 
Paso, Woodford County, where he engaged in 
merchandising in connection with his brother, un- 
der the firm name of Cazalet Bros. They con- 
tinued in the dry-goods business at that place, en- 
joying a good trade, until 1865, when our subject 
sold out his interest and came to Assumption. 
Here he built a storeroom and embarked in gen- 
eral merchandising. For about fifteen years he 
was actively engaged in business and then sold 
out. During that time he purchased land at vari- 
ous intervals and opened up several farms. Since 
disposing of his mercantile interests, he has pur- 
chased more land from time to time and now owns 
ten farms, one in Shelby County and the others in 
Christian County. His landed possessions aggre- 
gate about one thousand acres, the greater part of 
which is under a high state of cultivation and 
well improved. These properties yield to the 
owner a good income. Mr. Cazalet has also done 
much toward improving the town of Assumption, 
and has built fourteen business houses in the place, 
five of them being good brick structures. He has 
also built two residences. In 1881 he engaged in 
the grain and lumber business, and was actively 
connected with that industry for ten years. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cazalet have been born two 
children. Leona is the wife of Joseph H. Staple- 
ton, a prominent grain-dealer and business man of 
Assumption; and Leon is a leading farmer, who is 
connected with his father as a dealer in fine im- 
ported horses. 

In 1887 Mr. Cazalet made a trip to France and 
visited his boyhood friends and the scenes of his 
youth, spending about three months in his na- 
tive land. While on the way he made a purchase 
of a number of Percheron and French Coach 
horses. The following year he again crossed the 
Atlantic to purchase more horses, and he and his 
son have since been engaged in importing and 



258 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



dealing in Hue stock. In 1892 he made a third 
trip, spending about three months. Since his resi- 
dence here, Mr. Cazalet has been one of the most 
active, enterprising and successful business men, 
and probably has done more for the upbuilding 
of Assumption than any other of her citizens. His 
aid is never solicited in vain for the promotion of 
worthy enterprises, and his support and co-opera- 
tion are heartily given for the benefit all public 
improvement. 



?ILLIAM D. COFFMAN, who owns and 
operates a good farm on section 20, Ma}' 
Township, is cue of the early settlers of 
Christian County, to which he came when only 
five years of age, in 1 850. He has the esteem and 
respect of all who know him, and his word is con- 
sidered as good as his bond. 

The birth of our subject occurred on the 9th of 
July, 1845, in Ohio County, Va., and he is a son 
of James D. and Margaret (Settle) Coffman. The 
former was born in Virginia, and in his youth 
learned the blacksmith's trade. This avocation he 
pursued until 1850, when he emigrated to the 
West and made a settlement in this county. He 
became the owner of land on the same section 
where our subject now resides, and devoted him- 
self to its improvement and cultivation until his 
death, which occurred November 1, 1885. He 
was of German descent, and was much respected 
by the early settlers as well as by the later arrivals 
in this region. His wife was also a native of the 
Old Dominion, born in Lancaster County. She 
came from one of the old families of Virginia, her 
ancestors having settled there in Colonial days on 
coming from their native land, England. A num- 
ber of the family participated in the War of the 
Revolution. Mrs. Coffman was called from this 
life in Christian County, July 9, 1872. 

In the family of five children our subject is 
the eldest. Two of the number are deceased. 
Josephine became the wife of Leonard F. Peak, a 



well-known agriculturist of this county; and Sarah 
married Isaac Corzine, who also owns a farm in 
this county. The parents removed here in 1850, 
and reared their children to lives of usefulness. 
Until his twentieth year our subject remained on 
the home farm, attending the common schools of 
the neighborhood. In 1865, he went to Peoria, and 
there pursued his studies for about one year. Re- 
turning, lie worked for his father on the farm for 
the two succeeding years, after which he rented 
land, which he engaged in cultivating for himself. 
His father then gave him the use of forty acres of 
land, which had been little improved and only had 
a small log house upon it. With undaunted en- 
j ergy he began to clear the place, which was cov- 
I ered with brush and stumps. For nine years he 
kept house for himself, most of the time in his 
little cabin, and brought the land into good 
shape. 

The maniage of Mr. Coffman was celebrated 
January 19, 1881, with Miss Lillian II. Fraley, 
who was born December 17, 1857, in Christian 
County. She is a daughter of John S. and Sarah 
J. (Wiley) Fraley. The father was a native of 
Ohio, and became a resident of this county in 
1847, being one of the honored pioneers. He 
was prominent in those early days and was widely 
known, as he lived on the old Terns Haute and 
Springfield stage road, and a great many travelers 
were hospitably entertained at his home in those 
days. He was of German descent, and died on 
the 1st of March, 1888. His wife, who was also 
born iu Ohio, died in April, 1869. Five chil- 
dren blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Coffman, 
namely: Mabel E., Minnie, Roy, Mary, and one 
who died in infancy. 

In regard to the question of politics, Mr. Coff- 
man is a Prohibitionist and is a strong temper- 
ance man. He holds membership with the United 
Brethren Church, while Mrs. Coffman is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist denomination. Our subject 
has been at various times called upon to fill town- 
ship offices, which he has filled acceptably, but still 
prefers to give his time and attention to his busi- 
ness interests. He served for nine years success- 
ively in the capacity of Township Clerk, at the 
end of which time he declined being re-nomina- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



259 



ted. lie is giving his children good educational 
advantages and is a strong supporter of the most 
advanced educational methods. For fourteen 
years he has been School Treasurer of the town- 
ship, and has used his influence in the erection of 
many schoolhouses. 

The well-improved farm of Mr. Coffman now 
contains within its limits two hundred and sixty- 
five acres, which are all under cultivation and have 
many substantial improvements upon them. Our 
subject is well informed on general topics and is 
especially posted on all matters pertaining to ag- 
ricultural pursuits. He takes a number of leading 
farm journals, and keeps fully abreast with the 
times, though still standing by the old and tried 
methods. He has the respect of all who know him, 
for he is a man of unblemished reputation and 
sterling integrity. 



^7-"lIOMAS BRADLEY is one of the early set- 
f/^\ tiers of Christian County, and during the 
V.L/ late war saw much active service in the 
Union army. His birth occurred in Hard in Coun- 
ty, Ky., September 23, 1823. His parents were 
William and Elizabeth (Crowder) Bradley, who 
were natives of Virginia and North Carolina, re- 
spectively. They were the parents of fourteen 
children, seven sons and seven daughters. 

Thomas Bradley is the seventh child in his fa- 
ther's family, and with his parents removed from 
Kentucky to Sangamon County, 111., in 1832. He 
received his education in this State, remaining 
under the parental roof until reaching his major- 
ity. For one year he engaged in driving a stage 
from Springfield to Vandalia. In 1850 he em- 
barked in his life occupation of farming and 
stock-raising, but in 1859 worked for a short time 
at the furniture business. 

On the 20th of May, 1845, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Martha Morris. She 
is a daughter of Achilles Morris, and was born and 
reared to womanhood in Macon County. By this 



marriage three children have been born: G. W., a 
resident of Pana, 111., and an engineer by occupa- 
tion; Mary Ann, wife of J. W. Handel, of Owan- 
eco, 111.; and Lunetta Lora, wife of M. Danford, of 
Locust Township, who has retired from active 
business. 

In 1844 Mr. Bradley located in Christian 
County, and two years later purchased seventy 
acres of land, for which he paid $1 per acre, and on 
which he made a settlement. He continued run- 
ning a stage from Decatur to Springfield for two 
years. He enlisted in Company A, Tenth Illinois 
Cavalry, in September, 1861, and was sent to St. 
Louis and fiom there proceeded to Springfield, 
Mo., where he was stationed for a time. He was 
next sent on an expedition with Gen. Curtis, after 
which he remained in Helena, Ark., until the 
spring of 1863. He served in the bodyguard of 
Gen. Fisk at the time he was at the head of the 
Yazoo siege, near Vicksburg. After taking Ft. 
Pemberton he returned to Yazoo, thence went to 
Helena and from there to Vicksburg and Milli- 
kin's Bend, remaining on duty until June 6, 1863, 
when twenty-three of the number were captured 
by the enemy. He was held as a prisoner until 
October 1 of that year, when he was paroled and 
sent to St. Louis. He rejoined his regiment at Lit- 
tle Rock, Ark., and acted as a scout in Mississippi 
and Louisiana. He was sent to New Orleans just 
before the assassination of President Lincoln. A 
gunboat undertook to run the blockade, and Mr. 
Bradley assisted in its capture. During the en- 
gagement large quantities of cotton were set on 
fire, and eight men were taken prisoners. Our sub- 
ject was next sent to Mobile on the ship "Tilla." 
and landed a few days before Taylor surrendered. 
After ten days spent at that place he went to 
Baton Rouge under Gen. Bailey. He took part in 
the Red River expedition, and finally arrived in 
San Antonio, Tex., where he staid until September, 
1865. He was mustered out at San Antonio, and, 
returning to Springfield, received an honorable 
discharge January 8, 1866. 

On his return from his valiant service in the 
South, Mr. Bradley again engaged in farming, and 
has since given his attention to the cultivation of 
his place. His wife died in 1876 and was buried 



260 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in Doner Cemetery, two miles west of the old 
homestead. In June, 1878, Mr. Bradley married 
Mrs. Mary E. Phelps, of Bear Grove, Gutbrie 
County, Iowa. She was born and grew to woman- 
hood in Pennsylvania and Ohio, ajid is of 
English descent. Our subject and his wife are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 
politics Mr. Bradley is a champion of the Repub- 
lican party. 



R. BENJAMIN F. OWEN was a native of 
Kentucky, having been born in that State 
May 20, 1835, and was reared on a farm. 
His parents were natives of the Old Do- 
minion, having emigrated from Virginia in an early 
day to Kentucky. His mother dying when he was 
quite young, our subject left home and began life 
for himself. He first engaged in carpentering and 
in such work as pertained to outdoor construction 
labor; afterward he worked at cabinet-making, but 
having a desire for the study of medicine and 
surgery, he subjected himself to the most rigid 
economy until he bad saved money from his bard 
earnings sufficient to enable him to attend the 
University of Medicine at Louisville, Ky. He was 
graduated with honors from that institution March 
1, 1860. 

On commencing bis professional career, Dr. 
Owen at once became associated in partnership 
with Dr. Yarndell, one of the professors of the 
university. Beginning his practice of medicine in 
Louisville, he continued there for six years, hav- 
ing all the advantages arising from the general 
work of the dispensary practice, of which Dr. 
Yarndell had charge. The manner of Dr. Owen's 
coming to Illinois was somewhat curious, and 
it was most certainly providential for many 
whose lives he saved. Prof. Yarndell had been 
sent for to visit Mrs. Robert Davis, of Hillsboro, 
Montgomery County, 111. She was of a very 
wealthy and prominent family, and bad been suf 
fering from a chronic disease for several years, a 
disease which had baffled the skill of physicians 



far and near. She had been to New York City 
and other places, but had found no one who could 
cure her. Prof. Yarndell, relying on the ability 
of Dr. Owen, sent him in bis place. So great was 
the confidence of the husband in Dr. Owen, that 
he offered to give him $1,000 if be would stay until 
she was either better or worse. Though our subject 
and his partner had made all arrangements to en- 
ter the Southern army as surgeons, having even 
purchased their surgical instruments, Dr. Owen 
consented to remain, and after two weeks the lady 
was able to walk to the dinner table, and the 
treatment resulted in her complete restoration to 
health. The husband gladly paid the $1,000, and 
the Doctor returned to Louisville, expecting to 
enter the army, as Prof. Yarndell had already 
gone and had written him to follow. Petitions 
had been circulated among the citizens of Hills- 
boro to have Dr. Owen remain among them, but 
he felt bound by his agreement and partnership. 
On reaching Louisville he found that be could 
not get through the lines, and be therefore at once 
returned to Hillsboro. 

The Doctor continued his practice for some 
time alone in Hillsboro, having his office there, and 
then formed a partnership .with Dr.F. M. Stratton, 
who had his office at Litcbfield. At the time of 
the gold excitement in Montana, both parties were 
influenced to enter the list as gold-hunters. While 
on the way, Dr. Stratton was severely bitten by a 
bear, which disabled him so that be could not 
walk. This made a double burden for our subject, 
but, nothing daunted, he nursed his partner and 
kept up the journey until Dr. Stratton recovered. 

After returning from the West, our subject 
found what gold cannot buy, an estimable and 
congenial helpmate and wife. Meeting first 
on the cars they were attracted to each other, 
and not long afterward the lady, who was well 
and favorably known as Miss AddieDunn, became 
the happy wife of our subject. The wedding 
ceremony was celebrated on the 27th of Septem- 
ber, 1870. Five children were born of their union: 
Delia, on November 14, 1874; Laila, February 14, 
1877; Fairy, October 16, 1878; Browder Gail, 
March 25, 1883; and Benjamin F., February 5, 
1888. 



Tfe Library 
I the 

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?< 4 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



265 



After an illness of only three days Dr. Owen 
passed from this weary life unto the care of the 
Great Physician, who had healed his soul from the 
malady and sting of sin, and who now called him 
to rest. His work was well done, and he could 
gladly answer the call. He died on the 24th of Oc- 
tober, 1888, in Morrisonville. Some years before, 
his health had failed, and he was compelled to quit 
practicing for two years. Had it not been for the 
skillful attention and sympathetic helpfulness of 
his faithful wife, who was at once physician, nurse 
and companion to him while traveling in search 
of health, he would not have recovered, but hav- 
ing fully regained his health he returned to 
Litchfield, thence went to Illiopolis, and finally 
to Morrisonville. Few physicians find such sweet 
fellowship in Christ and Christian work as did 
Dr. Owen, whose faithfulness and knowledge of 
the Scriptures caused him to be chosen as an Elder 
in the Church of Christ at Litchfield, where he 
labored; and the genial nature and spiritual cul- 
ture of his wife caused her to be chosen the 
teacher for the advanced class in the Sunday- 
school. Their home was the preacher's home, and 
the generosity they displayed will be richly re- 
warded in the future as surely as it has devel- 
oped such beautiful characters in this life. 



J^pf 1 LLEN CORZINE is one of the extensive 
IsO land-owners and wealthy agriculturists of 
I Is Christian County. His broad and fertile 
@j acres lie on sections 11 and 13, May and 
Stonington Townships, respectively. Our subject 
was born November 27, 1854, in Guernsey Coun- 
ty, Ohio, and he is a son of Allen and Mary 
Ann (Warren) Corzine. The father was born in 
1816, in Pennsylvania, and settled in Guernsey 
County, Ohio, in boyhood. He continued to re- 
side in the Buckeye State until 1868, when he 
made a settlement in Christian County, and be- 
came the owner of a farm. He is now retired 
from active care and is a resident of Assumption, 
12 



111. His grandfather came from Holland to Amer- 
ica when a young man, and at one time owned 
sixty acres of land where Wall Street in New 
York City is now located. 

Our subject's mother was born in 1819, and is 
still living in this county. Her grandfather was 
an officer in the War of 1812. Mrs. Corzine reared 
a family of nine children, the eldestof whom, Jon- 
athan, is engaged in farming near Hendricks, Neb.; 
Martha Ann is the wife of S. D. Moore, of As- 
sumption; Lavina died at the age of twenty-nine 
years; Rebecca became the wife of David Ridge, 
a farmer of this county; Allen is the subject of 
this notice; Warren is engaged in the lumber bus- 
iness in Stonington; Benton is a well-to-do farmer 
of this county; and the twin brothers, Jacob and 
Isaac, are also prosperous farmers of Christian 
County. 

Living with his parents on the homestead farm 
until seventeen years of age, Allen Corzine then 
concluded to make his own livelihood. For a 
year he worked for neighboring farmers, after 
which he went to Chicago and there drove an ex- 
press wagon for six months. Returning to this 
county, he worked on a farm for two years, care- 
fully husbanding his resources during all this 
time. Subsequently for several years he rented 
land, and then became the owner of one hundred 
and twenty acres, which has since been his home 
and which was the beginning of his landed pos- 
sessions. 

On the 12th of March, 1879, our subject and 
Miss Janet A. Burdick were united in marriage. 
Mrs. Corzine was born October 13, 1860, in May 
Township, and is the second child of Benjamin M. 
and Rebecca (Boyd) Burdick. Of her four broth- 
ers and sisters, only one is now living, Minerva 
E., wife of Warren Corzine, of Stonington. Her 
father was born in Connecticut in 1824, and after 
obtaining a good education engaged in teaching 
school in his native State until some time in the 
'40s, when he came to Christian County, and for 
a number of years engaged in teaching during the 
winter months and farming the remainder of the 
year. lie was of Irish descent and lived to be 
fifty-five years of age. His wife, who was born in 
Kentucky, came to this county with her parents 



266 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



when she was only two years old. Her death oc- 
curred in 1879. 

The pleasant home of our subject and wife is 
graced by the presence of two sons and two daugh- 
ters: Roy Allen, Bertha May, Clarence Glenn and 
Gracie Adelaide. The parents are consistent mem- 
bers of the Methodist Church. In regard to the 
question of polities, our subject is on the side of 
the Prohibition party. For six years he has been 
one of the School Directors in his district and has 
been Road Commissioner in the township. During 
the passing years he has added extensively to his 
farm, which now comprises five hundred and forty 
acres within its boundaries. This is one of the 
choicest pieces of farm property in May Township, 
and with the exception of one hundred and thirty 
acres that his wife inherited from her father's es- 
tate, it is the result of his years of honest effort 
and industry. He is one of the most upright and 
honorable of men, and well merits the high esteem 
and kindly regard in which he is held by his 
friends and neighbors. 



,j|r^ AMUEL M. PEABODY. Few men are 

^& better known in this section than he whose 

VVL,j| history we will now proceed to trace. He 

is one of the pioneer settlers in Stoning- 

ton Township, and has here spent the greater part 

of his life. His farm is located on section 35 and 

is one of the best-conducted and best-equipped 

places of the neighborhood. 

The youngest in a family of ten children, Mr. 
Peabody was born January 21, 1820, in North 
Stonington, Conn. His parents were Samuel and 
Lucy (Bread) Peabody. The father was born in 
the same place in 1774 and was reared on a farm 
in Connecticut. Our subject relates that he can 
remember his father's telling about the battle 
of Stonington Point, during the Revolutionary 
War, in which he was a participant. Samuel Pea- 
body, Sr., was married in his native State, where he 



remained until 1839. At that time he came with 
his family to Christian County. At the same time 
about fifteen other families emigrated from Con- 
necticut and settled near one another in this coun- 
ty, forming what was called the Stonington Col- 
ony. Our subject's father, who was a Deacon in the 
Baptist Church, was of English descent. His great- 
grandmother, Elizabeth Starr, was the first female 
child born in New England. He passed away when 
seventy-eight years of age. His wife was born in 
1776 and died in 1842, a short time after coming 
to this county. She was the first person buried in 
the old Stonington Cemetery, and by her side now 
reposes the earthly remains of her husband and 
deceased children. 

Of the children of Samuel and Lucy Peabody the 
following is recorded: Ellen B. died in Christian 
County when thirty-five years old. William A., who 
died in his seventy-ninth year, came with one of 
his brothers to this county in 1837. He was called 
by the title of Captain, as for a number of years 
he was Captain of a military company here. Dr. 
Elias, born in 1812, is still living, and is one of the 
oldest physicians in the county, though he has now 
retired from professional life; Amos P., a resident 
of Taylorville, was born in 1815; our subject is 
the next in order of birth; Mary died when about 
twenty -eight years of age; Elvira and Lore died 
in Connecticut; Martha died at an advanced age; 
and Nancy died in the Nutmeg State, after having 
reached four-score years. 

Samuel Peabody, whose name heads this sketch, 
passed his boyhood on the old farm in his native 
State, and received his education in the common 
schools there. In 1839. he came with the family 
to this county, making the greater part of the 
journey by water. After becoming of age, he 
farmed a part of his father's estate until the latter, 
on his death, left him a farm of one hundred and 
sixty acres. This has since been the home of Mr. 
Peabody. In the early days of his residence in 
this county, Decatur was a very small town and 
Taylorville was unknown. 

In 1846 our subject married Miss Jane Burnam, 
of this county, who died about eight years later. 
In 1857 Mr. Peabody married Miss Maria Park- 
hurst, a native of Connecticut, who is still living. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



267 



For twenty years our subject served as a School 
Trustee and was a School Director and Township 
Trustee for a number of years. For nearly a-half 
century lie has been a Deacon and Trustee in the 
Baptist Church. In his political views he is a Re- 
publican. The confidence of one and all is fully 
bestowed upon him, and he well merits the good- 
will and friendship which are freely his. He is an 
honorable and upright man and his course in life 
is one of which he may justly be proud. 



JOHNSON BROTHERS are the prosperous 
proprietors of Maple Farm, Assumption 
Township, their residence being on section 
21, and they are well known in this and 
neighboring counties, as they have been resi- 
dents of Illinois for forty-three years, and for a 
third of a century their lot has been cast with the 
inhabitants of Christian County. They are num- 
bered among the honored old settlers and most 
worthy citizens, and their many friends will be 
pleased to read the history of their lives in this 
record. 

Benjamin Johnson, the father of the gentlemen 
who are the subjects of this sketch, was born in Lon- 
don, England, June 8. 1799. He early learned the 
cabinet-maker's trade, and in 1823 emigrated to 
the New World, first locating in Baltimore, Md., 
where he followed his trade for a few years. Re- 
moving to Ohio, Mr. Johnson first located in Bel- 
mont County, in St. Clairsville, afterward going to 
Guernsey County, where he resided for a number 
of years, still working at his trade. While in Bel- 
mont County, Ohio, .in 1826, he was married to 
Miss Elizabeth Foote, who was a native of County 
Cork, Ireland, and emigrated to America the same 
year Mr. Johnson came to this country. In 1849, 
he removed to Illinois, and settled in Greene 
County, where he and his sons entered into part- 
nership with a Mr. Harden, and engaged in farm- 
ing and stock-raising for ten years. In 1860, the 
family removed to Christian County, and pur- 



chased a tract of land located in Assumption 
Township. Here the father spent the last years of 
his life, dying in January, 1876, at the age of 
seventy-seven years. His wife, who survived him 
and passed away March 12, 1891, reached the ad- 
vanced age of ninety years. 

The family of Benjamin Johnson comprised 
seven sons and two daughters, who lived to ma- 
turity. The eldest, Robert G. Johnson, was born 
in Belmont County, March 10, 1827; Wade F. 
was born in the same county, September 13, 1828; 
Margaret died in 1878; Edward was a partner 
with his brothers for several years, and after his 
marriage was a successful farmer of this county 
until his death, in 1882; Martha lives with her 
brothers; Walter was also in partnership with the 
brothers until his marriage, and engaged in farm- 
ing until his demise in 1890, when he left a wife 
and two sons; William L. is next in order of 
birth; and Benjamin and Leo, both well-to-do 
farmers, complete the family. 

The firm of Johnson Brothers originally com- 
prised the father and seven brothers. They bought 
land, farmed and raised stock, and carried on an 
extensive business for years. As the brothers mar- 
ried, they withdrew their interests from the firm, 
and at the present time it consists of the follow- 
ing: Robert G., Wade F. and William L. They 
own about eighteen hundred acres of valuable 
land in this county, besides other real estate and 
personal property. They first entered a tract of 
nine hundred acres of raw land, which they im- 
proved, and set out maple and other forest trees. 
This beautiful grove, so well known in the local- 
ity, stands near the home, and many of the trees 
now measure from twenty-four to thirty inches in 
diameter. The substantial residence, barns and 
outbuildings are kept up in good shape, and, sur- 
rounded as they are by the noble trees, make a 
most pleasing picture of a model farm. Three of 
the Johnson brothers served in the Union army 
during the late Civil War. Edward F. and Will- 
iam L. both enlisted in Company G, One Hundred 
and Sixteenth Illinois Infantry, in 1862, and 
served until the close of hostilities. They were 
with Sherman, and took part in all the engage- 
ments in which that army participated, including 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the celebrated march to the sea. Benjamin J. en- 
listed May 14, 1864, for the one hundred-day 
service, but served about five months. 

Wade Johnson was only a lad when he planted 
one and a-half acres of corn, and cared for it until 
it was harvested. He has taken quite an active 
part in local politics of late years, and served for 
ten consecutive years as Highway Commissioner. 
During that time eighty miles of township roads 
were laid out and opened on the section lines. He 
also served for thirty years as Township Trustee, 
and for live years was President of the Assump- 
tion Fire Insurance Company, at the same time 
serving as Treasurer. Since locating in this coun- 
ty, the brothers have given their attention more 
especially to the raising of stock, and have a large 
portion of their land devoted to pastures. In 
politics they are all true-blue Republicans, and 
active in local politics. Robert Johnson, like his 
brother, has also held numerous local positions of 
responsibility, the duties of which he has dis- 
charged satisfactorily. 



AVID M. MOORE. It is a special plea- 
sure to trace the history of one of the 
honored veterans of the Civil War, who 
fought and suffered untold hardships in 
the defense of this fair and now prosperous land. 
The gentleman of whom we write was one of the 
soldier boys who donned the blue early in the war 
and did valiant service under the Stars and Stripes. 
Mr. Moore has only been a resident of Christian 
County for some twelve years, during which time 
he has been engaged in farming on section 25, 
Stonington Township, but since casting his lot in 
this neighborhood he has become thoroughly inter- 
ested in its prosperity. 

The birth of Mr. Moore occurred in Licking 
County, Ohio, July 8, 1833. He is the eldest in a 
family comprising three sons and three daughters. 
His parents are Samuel and Jane M. (Gaughy) 
Moore. The next younger in the family is Jane, 



wife of Henry Safford, who resides in McLean 
County, 111. Anna is the wife of Henry Morris, a 
retired farmer, now residing in Kankakee, 111. 
Eliza became the wife of E. H. Roberts, of Ottawa, 
111. Hugh B. is a farmer, residing near Jamestown, 
N. Dak. One child died in infancy. 

Samuel Moore was born in Adams County, Pa., 
August 18, 1802. His father, David Moore, was 
also a native of that county, and was one of its 
Trustees in 1799, when the county was organized, 
prior to which time it was a part of York County. 
He was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, 
and was a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church. 
The father of our subject was only two years old 
when his parents took him to Licking County, 
Ohio, where he was reared to manhood on a farm. 
After his marriage, he carried on a farm and oper- 
ated a gristmill. He was a prominent man in 
the Whig party at that time, and was Justice of 
the Peace for a number of years. In 1856, he emi- 
grated to La Salle County, 111., where he resided 
until his death, in February, 1863. His wife was 
also a native of Adarns County, Pa., born in 1810, 
and was of Scotch descent. She was called from 
this life in Livingston County, 111., when in her 
seven ty-cighth year. 

David M. Moore passed his early years on his 
father's farm in Licking County, Ohio, and re- 
mained with his parents until twenty-nine years 
of age, being given a good common-school educa- 
tion. On the 25th of September, 1861, he joined 
Yates' Sharp-shooters, Sixty-fourth Regiment Illi- 
nois Infantry, and served with them for two years 
and three months. He enlisted as a private, but 
before two months had elapsed he was elected 
Sergeant, while at Camp Butler. A short time 
afterwards he was promoted to the Second Lieu- 
tenancy, and after valiant service in the battle of 
Resaca, in which the Captain of his company was 
killed, he was promoted to fill the position. He 
was a participant in the noted engagements of 
Atlanta, Corinth, Resaca, Island No. 10, and in a 
great many other battles of more or less note. 
He received an honorable discharge on the 26th of 
November, 1864, being obliged to leave the army 
on account of much trouble he was experiencing 
with his eyes. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



269 



Returning to La Salle County, 111., he was there 
wedded on the 19th of November, 1866, to Miss 
Nellie Briggs, of that county, who died in 1872, 
leaving two sons, David E. and James B., who are 
both engaged in farming in this county. After 
living for some years in La Salle County, Mr. 
Moore removed to Livingston County, where he 
continued to reside until 1877, then going to Ne- 
braska. At the end of four years spent in the 
West, he returned, in 1881, and bought land in 
Christian County, the farm which he still operates. 

In 1874, occurred the union of Mr. Moore and 
Miss Sarah E. Peabody. She is the daughter of 
Capt. M. M. Peabody, one of the early settlers and 
most worthy citizens of this county. Our sub- 
ject's farm comprises eighty acres, on which are 
substantial improvements and a fine orchard. In 
politics, Mr. Moore is an active Republican and is 
now one of the School Trustees of this district. 
In his social relations, he is a member oC the Ma- 
sonic order and belongs to Post No. 392, G. A. R., 
of Taylorville. 



bEE SCHRANTZ. Among the many men 
who have contributed to the building up of 
Stonington Township, stands the name of 
our subject, whose farm is situated on section 18. 
Like many of the residents of Christian County 
he hails from the Buckeye State, having been born 
in Stark County, December 16, 1855. He is one 
of four sons and a daughter born to Ephraim and 
Nancy (Mohler) Schrantz, whose record may be 
found in another portion of this work, in the his- 
tory of Sylvester Schrantz. 

The early years of our subject were passed on 
his father's farm in Ohio, and at the age of eleven 
years he attended his parents on their removal to 
Christian County. Until reaching his majority he 
gave his time to assisting his father on the home- 
stead and acquiring a good common-school educa- 
tion. When he was twenty-one years of age, his 
father gave him a good start in life by deeding to 



him an eighty-acre farm. On this place he has 
continued to reside up to the present time and has 
made quite a success of agricultural pursuits. 
Although he follows general farming, he makes a 
specialty of breeding thoroughbred Jersey cattle, 
in which he deals quite extensively. 

On the 28th of December, 1876, Mr. Schrantz 
married Miss Emma Wood, who was born in Octo- 
ber, 1854, in Piatt County, 111. She is a daughter 
of George and Sarah (Hodge) Wood, who were 
old and respected settlers of Piatt County. Three 
bright children have blessed the union of our sub- 
ject and wife. In order of birth they are as fol- 
lows: Ross, Roy and Claude. They are all at 
home and are being given good educations. 

A patriotic citizen at all times, Mr. Schrantz 
endeavors to the extent of his ability to promote 
the general welfare, and believing that the meas- 
ures of the Republican party are best adapted to 
that end he deposits his ballot in favor of its nom- 
inees. He has in his possession a secretary which 
was made for his father's family in 1840, a pocket- 
book of his grandfather's, which was purchased 
in 1836, and a letter written to Hans Schrantz 
from Germany and sent to Pennsylvania May 
22, 1761. He has been a witness of much of the 
development of this county and has done his 
share in assisting in her prosperity. He is an up- 
right and honorable man, one whose fairness of 
dealing and good judgment have won for him the 
confidence and high regard of his friends and 
neighbors. 



OZ. HOUSLEY is senior member of the firm 
of Housley & Drake, who are engaged in 
general merchandising in Grove City, and 
have a branch house at Stoninglon. Mr. Housley 
is well known as one of the successful business 
men of Christian County, of which he is one of 
the honored early settlers, his residence here dat- 
ing back to 1856. He is a man of recognized 



270 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ability as a business man, and is truly self-made, 
as he started out to carve his career without means 
or assistance. As the years have passed he has suc- 
ceeded in adding to his property, until he is now 
one of the substantial and well-to-do men of the 
county. 

The birthplace of Mr. Housley was near Akron, 
Ohio, and the date of that event was July 15, 
1851. His father, Henry Housley, was a native 
of the Old Dominion, who went with his parents 
to Ohio when only a child. On arriving at man's 
estate, he was wedded in the Buckeye State to 
Miss Charlotte Uhrich, a native of Pennsylvania. 
For a number of years he followed agricultural 
pursuits in Ohio, and in 1856 located in Mt. Au- 
burn Township, Christian County, where he pur- 
chased a farm and devoted himself to its cultiva- 
tion for a number of years. He then rented his 
farm and removed to Grove City, where he has 
since lived a retired life, honored and respected by 
all. lie was a strong Republican, and during the 
Lincoln and Douglas campaign, our subject, who 
was then a lad, took sides with Douglas. He 
raised a hickory pole in his honor, being doubtless 
influenced thereto by his grandfather Uhrich, who 
read to him the Democratic papers. The father, 
not knowing what else to do, decided to place an 
ash pole beside the hickory pole, both remaining 
during the campaign. 

O. Z. Housley has passed nearly his entire life in 
this county, as he was only five years old when his 
parents located here. For those days he had good 
school advantages, as, in addition to his district- 
school education, he went for one term to a High 
School near Des Moines, Iowa. After leaving the 
parental roof, he worked for about a year at the 
carpenter's trade, and at the expiration of that 
time found he had a surplus of $40. This money 
he carefully invested in a small stock of shelf 
hardware and tinware, with a few agricultural 
implements, selling the latter on commission. 
Though this beginning was extremely small, he 
was not discouraged, but kept manfully adding to 
his stock of goods as fast as possible. When a 
few years had passed he added a stock of groceries, 
and in time drugs and dry goods. During the 
past twenty years the firm lias been changed sev- 



eral times, the present partnership being formed 
in 1881. 

The firm of Housley & Drake have a large store 
building, and carry an immense assortment of dry- 
goods, groceries, drugs, hardware, boots and shoes. 
Handling as much money as they have for many 
years, they have found it convenient for their 
patrons to establish an exchange bank, and do 
considerable local banking. They have built up 
a large trade, which has been increasing for years. 
In the spring of 1893, their branch business house 
at Stonington was established. There they have 
put in a good stock of groceries and hardware, 
and also an exchange bank, which is under the su- 
pervision and management of Mr. Drake, the 
junior partner. The prospects for this branch 
store appear to be very encouraging. When we 
consider from what a small beginning these two 
large business houses have grown, it can but be a 
matter of surprise. It is simply an example of 
what strict attention to business and the wants of 
patrons can accomplish. 

Mr. Housley is a stanch supporter of the Demo- 
cratic party, having voted for its nominees in every 
Presidei*t**i campaign since 1872, and was one of 
the first supporters of Hon. Mr. Springer in this 
district. He has also been active in local politics, 
and has filled various township positions, among 
which we mention that of Highway Commissioner, 
Township Treasurer and Clerk. During the ad- 
ministration of President Hayes, he was appointed 
Postmaster, and was again appointed during Cleve- 
land's administration. His successor was Mr. 
Drake, who served also for four years. Mr. Hous- 
ley was then again appointed to the position, and 
at the present time is the efficient incumbent of 
the office, which has been in his hands now for 
some fourteen years. 

The marriage of Mr. Housley and Miss Victoria 
Reese was performed in this county in October, 
1873. The lady is a native of Pennsylvania, 
where she grew to womanhood. The family com- 
prises four children: Maud, who is employed in 
her father's store; Frances C. and Flora B., twins; 
and Carrie May. The eldest child died in in- 
fancy. The parents with the elder members of 
the family are members of the Methodist Episco- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



271 



pal Church of Grove City, of which Mr. Housley 
is one of the active members, having served in 
various offices. He is a Mason, belonging to 
Grove City Lodge, in which he held the office of 
Worshipful for some seven or eight years, and is 
now acting as Secretary. For several years he 
was called upon to represent his lodge in the 
Grand Lodge of Illinois. He also holds member- 
ship with the Modern Woodmen of America. 



JUDGE ALEXANDER McCASKILL, one 
of Christian County's prominent lawyers, 
who is engaged in practice in Taylorville 
as the senior member of the firm of McCas- 
kill & Son, has been prominently identified with 
the judicial interests of central Illinois. Both on 
the Bench and as an advocate he has won a high 
reputation, and his abilities, both natural and ac- 
quired, have placed Jiim in the front rank among 
his professional brethren. 

The Judge has spent nearly his entire life in 
this State. He was born in Sanaramon County, 
near Rochester, January 23, 1833, and is a son of 
Rev. Daniel and Esther (Turner) McCaskill, the 
former a native of North Carolina, and the latter 
of Virginia. They were married in Sangamon 
County, 111., and in 1834 removed with their fam- 
ily to Brown County. The father was a minister 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was also 
a medical practitioner. He died in Brown County 
about 1846, at the age of fifty years. His wife 
survived him some time, and passed away in 1861. 
The subject of this sketch was the fourth child 
in his parents' family. He was only about a year 
old at the time of their removal to Brown County, 
and was a youth of only thirteen when his father 
died. lie remained with his mother and aided in 
the labors of the home farm until twenty-three 
years of age, with the exception of the time spent 
in school. He attended school in Mt. Sterling, the 
county seat of Brown County, and was afterward 
a student in the school of the Cumberland Presby- 



terian Church, in Cass County, Va. His tastes 
were in the direction of a professional life, and 
while still on the farm he began reading law. Sub- 
sequently he pursued his literary studies for two 
years, and then entered the law office of Bailey, 
VanVleck & Wells, of Macomb, 111. He passed 
an examination in Mt. Sterling and was admitted 
to the Bar in 1856. 

In December of the same year, in Prairie City, 
111., Mr. McCaskill was united in marriage with 
Miss Elvira Medcalf, who died in 1862, leaving 
two children: William H., who for the past ten 
years has carried on farming and stock-raising 
near Rocky Ford, Otero County, Colo.; and David, 
who is also a ranchman. In 1863, the Judge was 
again married, his second union being with Mrs. 
Elizabeth Head, widow of Dr. Head, of Macomb, 
111. They have one son, who is now the junior 
member of the firm of McCaskill & Son. 

On the same year of his admission to the Bar 
Judge McCaskill began practice in Prairie City, 
where he remained for about a year. In 1857 he 
came to Christian County and opened an office in 
Taylorville. Here he found Judge H. M. Vande- 
ver, Benjamin Mason, A. McWilliams, Judge An- 
drew Simpson, Judge Moon, the Circuit Clerk and 
Harrison Havens. None of these gentlemen are now 
in practice at this place, although Judge Moore is 
now proprietor of a hotel in Morrisonville. Mr. 
McCaskill suspended his professional labors in 
1859, going to Pike's Peak. He spent about two 
years at Russell's Gulch, near Pike's Peak, where, 
in connection with his brother, Dr. John McCas- 
kill, he purchased and operated some mines. The 
Judge also engaged in practice. In 1861 he re- 
turned to Christian County and once more opened 
a law office, forming a partnership with his brother 
Daniel. The latter served throughout the late 
war, went with Sherman on the celebrated Atlanta 
campaign, and after the struggle studied law and 
then entered into partnership with his brother, 
as above stated. This connection was continued 
until some ten years ago, when the health of the 
brother failed and he went to Pueblo, Colo. 
Judge McCaskill then admitted to partnership 
with him Kleber E. Willcockson, now of Oakley, 
Kan., and later the present firm was formed. 



27, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In his political views Judge McCaskill is a stal- 
wart Democrat; he has taken an active part in cam- 
paign work and has made hundreds of speeches in 
support of his party. From the beginning his ca- 
reer as a legal practitioner has been one of success. 
He is a clear reasoner, a logical thinker, carefully 
weighs evidence, and his deductions therefore are 
generally correct and have weight with the jury. 
He has been employed on nearly all of the murder 
cases of the county, usually on the defense, and 
was one of the counsel for the'defense in the fam- 
ous Emma Bond case. Frequently he has been 
called upon to fill public offices. In 1864 he was 
appointed County Superintendent of Schools for 
one year, and on the expiration of that period was 
elected for a four-years term, serving until 1869. 
He was then elected and served for four years as 
State's Attorney, after which he was placed upon 
the Bench as County Judge, filling that office for 
five years. For two years he served as Master in 
Chancery, his term expiring in January, 1893. 

Socially, the Judge was made a Mason in Mound 
Lodge No. 122, A. F. & A. M., of which he served 
as Worshipful Master for some years. He has filled 
the principal offices in Taylorville Chapter, R. A. 
.M. Judge McCaskill is well fitted to be a leader 
of men and has therefore been prominent in pub- 
lic life. He possesses more than ordinary ability, 
yet his success is due in no small degree to his ap- 
plication and earnest efforts. Respected by his 
colleagues and honored by all, he well deserves 
prominent mention in the history of his adopted 
county. 



ARION C. BRENTZ, who resides just out- 
side the city limits of Taylorville, where 
he is engaged in the culture of small 
fruits, has spent his entire life in this 
community, Christian being his native county, 
and he is a worthy representative of one of the 
pioneer families. His father, William C. Brcntz, 
was born in Kentucky, April 16, 1814, and was 
the sixth of seven sons. His father died in Ken- 



tucky, and his widowed mother with her seven 
sons and one daughter came to Illinois, locating 
in Christian County at an early day. Upon the 
home farm William Brentz was reared to man- 
hood, and there spent his entire life. He was 
married July 10, 1853, to Patience Durbin, but 
lost his wife on the 29th of May, 1854. He was 
then married, on the 16th of November, 1856, to 
Mary A. Martin, also a native of Kentucky. They 
continued to reside on the old homestead until 
the death of Mr. Brentz, which occurred February 
3, 1861. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brentz were born four chil- 
dren: Alice, who died at the age of fourteen; 
Alma, who died in infancy; William A. and 
Marion C. William A. was born August 26, 1858, 
and died on the old homestead in September, 1879, 
soon after his twenty-first birthday. His death 
resulted from a knife-cut inflicted by Frank 
Trailer, a cousin, who later on was convicted for 
the offense. A quarrel arose between them over 
a collision of buggies, and the result was as above 
stated. It was thought that companions of Trailer 
bore an old grudge against Y^illiam and took this 
opportunity to get even. His cousin served one 
year in the penitentiary and died soon after his 
release. 

After Mr. Brentz's death his widow became the 
wife of Dennis O. Johnson, of Sangamon County, 
who came to Christian County and here died Sep- 
tember 21, 1873, at the age of fifty years. The 
mother of our subject was called to her final rest 
on the 7th of December, 1876. By her second 
marriage she had eight children, four of whom 
were living at her death. Thomas, a young man 
of nineteen years, now resides in Taylorville. 

In taking up the life record of Marion Brentz, 
we give to our readers the history of one who is 
widely and favorably known in this community. 
He was born on the old home farm April 14, 1861, 
after his father's death. Midst work and play his 
boyhood days were passed, and after the death of 
his brother he carried on the farm, keeping the 
family of three children together. The farm is 
located just south of Taylorville, and comprises 
two hundred and twenty acres cf land. They 
also owned two other tracts of forty acres each , 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



273 



but these were sold. On the death of Mrs. John- 
son, her brother, A. S. Martin, was appointed 
guardian, and continued to superintend the estate 
until our subject became of age. In 1888, Mr. 
Brcntz left the old homestead, but he still owns a 
part of the farm. He has eleven acres of rich 
land where he now lives and forty -six acres of the 
old place. About seven acres are planted in small 
fruits, and he is giving his special attention to 
horticulture. 

On the 1st of May, 1882, Mr. Brentz was 
united in marriage with Miss Helen Killman, 
daughter of George Killman, of Kentucky. Her 
mother, who bore the maiden name of Matilda 
Newman, is now a widow, and resides in Tay- 
lorville, where she has made her home since 
1880. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brentz was born a son, 
Francis Marion, who died January 14, 1889, at 
the age of three and a-half years; another little son, 
whom they call Herman, was born May 28, 1893. 
This worthy couple are highly respected citizens 
of the community, and their many excellencies of 
character have gained them numerous friends. In 
politics, Mr. Brentz is a Democrat, and himself 
and wife hold membership with the Christian 
Church. 



PRANCIS STEWART. This gentleman, who 
is well known in Christian County, where 
he has made his home since 1860, is en- 
gaged in farming on section 32, Mosquito Town- 
ship. He was born in 1837, in County Down, Ire- 
land, and grew to manhood in the home of his 
parents. He was early inured to farm duties and 
became thoroughly conversant with everything 
pertaining to the successful management of the 
farm. This practical information has been of 
great use to him in his agricultural pursuits, and 
in his youth he formed habits of industry and 
perseverance which have been the foundation of 
his prosperity in later years. 

The parents of our subject were James and 



Dorothea (Brown) Stewart, who were both natives 
of County Down, where they passed their entire 
lives, both dying after attaining an advanced age. 
Our subject is the youngest in the family of seven 
children. When he was eighteen years old he 
bade adieu to the friends and scenes of his youth 
and went to Scotland. For two years he worked 
in the city of Glasgow, after which he determined 
to try his fortune in America. 

In 18o7, Mr. Stewart crossed the broad Atlantic, 
and after arriving in New York City first settled 
in New York State, where he obtained work on a 
farm. In the fall of 1860, he came to Illinois 
and purchased the nucleus of his present farm, a 
tract of forty acres, on which he has ever since 
made his home. At the time of his coming here 
there were few settlers in the township. His 
farm is fertile and well tilled, his broad acres 
yielding an abundant income to their fortunate 



The year after his arrival in Christian County, 
Mr. Stewart was united in marriage to Miss Isa- 
bella Irvine. She is a native of Ontario, Canada, 
and has become the mother of seven children: 
James, who is engaged in farming in this county; 
Dorothea and Maggie, twins, the former of whom 
died in infancy, and the latter at the age of twen- 
ty years; Belle, the wife of William Black, a pros- 
perous farmer of Macon County; William, an 
agriculturist of this county; Charles, who is now 
attending Knox College, in Galesburg, 111.; and 
Rutherford B., who died in infancy. 

The farm owned by Mr. Stewart has been ex- 
tended from the forty-acre tract he originally pur- 
chased to one covering two hundred and forty 
acres. Many valuable improvements have been 
made upon the place, and waving fields of golden 
grain have for many years yielded him an abun- 
dant income as the reward for his untiring care 
and cultivation. 

In politics, our subject is a thorough Repub- 
lican, having always voted for the nominees of 
that party since casting his first vote for Abraham 
Lincoln. As all true American citizens should be, 
he is interested in educational matters and has 
served for twenty years as one of the School 
Directors in his district. Fora period of six years 



274 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



be was one of the Commissioners of Highways. 
In religion, lie is a Reformed Presbyterian. His 
wife holds membership with the Methodist denom- 
ination, lie has seen the prairie, which in former 
years was covered with rank grass, become a fertile 
and beautiful farming country, and has taken his 
share in its happy transformation. He was also 
in the service of his country in the late war, hav- 
ing enlisted in the One Hundred and Fifty-second 
Illinois Infantry for one year, and served till the 
war ended. 



PRED WHEELER, a leading photographer 
of Tnylorville, and one of the progressive 
and public-spirited business men of the 
county, claims New York as the State of his na- 
tivity. He was born in Waterloo, on the 26th of 
August, 1845, but when only a year old was taken 
by his parents to Washington Ccunty, Ohio, and 
in Beverly grew to mature years. No event of 
special importance occurred during his early boy- 
hood, which was passed midst play and work and 
in attendance at the public schools, where he ac- 
quired his education. 

Mr. Wheeler's connection with photography be- 
gan when he was sixteen years of age. At that 
time he commenced learning the business, which 
he has since followed, and after two years of thor- 
ough preparation and practice he embarked in 
business for himself at the age of eighteen, Zanes- 
ville, Ohio, being the scene of his labors. From 
that time he has engaged in business, first in Park- 
ersburg, W. Va., and later in Bement, 111. The 
year 1877 witnessed his arrival in Taylorville, 111., 
where he opened a gallery. For five or six yews 
he carried on operations in Taylorville, but at 
length left this city, in 1882. 

Before his removal, however, Mr. Wheeler was 
married, on the 28th of March, 1882, the lady of 
his choice being Miss Alice Simpson, daughter of 
J. L. and Isabel Simpson, of Taylorville. The 



same year he removed with his young wife to 
Nebraska, locating in Teoumseh,and subsequently 
went to Marion, Kan., where he remained until his 
return to Illinois. In 1888, we again find him in 
Taj r lorville, where he once more opened a gallery. 
He leased the ground and erected the building in 
which he is now located, a structure suitable for 
his business, and supplied with all modern equip- 
ments and accessories. From the beginning a lib- 
eral patronage has been accorded him. In connec- 
tion with photographing, Mr. Wheeler does all lines 
of portrait work, crayon, pastel, India ink, water 
colors and oil portraits. He is an artist of no 
mean merit, in fact his work ranks favorably with 
that of our large cities, and in consequence of its 
excellence he is now doing a good business. 

Mr. Wheeler exercises his right of franchise in 
support of the Republican party and is a stalwart 
advocate of its principles, but has never sought or 
desired political preferment. He manifests an 
active interest in all that pertains to the welfare 
of the community, and gives -his support for the 
advancement of those enterprises calculated to 
prove of public benefit. 



JOY K. KESTER is a public-spirited citizen 
and enterprising farmer, who is engaged in 
agricultural pursuits on section 3, Stoning- 
ton Township. He is a native of Indiana, 
having been born in Washington County, Sep- 
tember 8, 1846. His father, William Kester, was 
also a native of the Hoosier State, and there mar- 
ried Miss Rebecca Hall, a native of the same State 
and county. At an early day Mr. Kester came 
West to purchase land, and was taken sick and 
died in this State. He was taken back to Indiana 
for interment, and was buried in Posey Creek 
Cemetery, Washington County. His death oc- 
curred in tfce year 1852. His wife is still living 
and is yet a resident of Indiana. They were the 
parents of four children, who are all living. Maria 
E. is the wife of Peter Hauger, of Washington 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



275 



County, Ind.; our subject is the next in order of 
birth; May is the wife of Joel P. Grubb; and 
William D. completes the family. The two last- 
named are residents of Washington County, Ind. 

Until reaching his twentieth year, Joy K. Kes- 
ter was employed upon his father's farm in the 
usual manner of country boys, his time being di- 
vided between work on the farm and in attend- 
ance at the district school. On the llth of Oc- 
tober, 1866, he was united in marriage with Miss 
Sarah A. Smith, who is a daughter of George M. 
and Sarah (Cathcart) Smith. Mrs. Kester was 
born in Washington County, Ind., where she grew 
to womanhood. 

When in his twenty-seventh year our subject 
came to Christian County and first located in Tay- 
lorville. After living there some years, he settled 
on section 3, where he still continues to make his 
home and owns a valuable farm of two hundred 
acres. It is well equipped with substantial build- 
ings, good fences and other improvements. It is 
especially adapted to stock-raising, though a large 
share of it is under cultivation. The owner is 
numbered among the most practical farmers of 
the vicinity, and keeps fully abreast with the times 
in modern methods of farm management. He 
numbers many friends in this locality, and is con- 
ceded by all to be a man of merit and unblem- 
ished character. 

The union of our subject and wife has been 
blessed with a family of five children. Lorena is 
the wife of William McCloskey, who resides on sec- 
tion 3 of this township; William died at the age 
of four years, and was buried in Sharpsburg Ceme- 
tery; John is married and making his home in 
Taylorville; Charles, the youngest son, is at home; 
and Ida is the baby. In his political views, 
Mr. Kester is a Democrat. He has held the office 
of School Director, Township Treasurer and Com- 
missioner of Highways, and in each of these posi- 
tions he has shown himself devoted to the inter- 
ests of the public, and has tried in every possible 
way to promote their welfare. Also he holds the 
office of Treasurer of the Mosquito Township Mu- 
tual Insurance Association. He is a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and, relig- 
iously, both he and his wife are faithful members 



of the Christian Church. It is to such enterpris- 
ing men that the county owes her prosperity and 
development from her former wild state, and Mr. 
Kester, as one of the early settlers, deserves a rep- 
resentation in the records of the pioneers. 



OBERT A. GRAY, Supervisor of Mosquito 
Township, is engaged in carrying on his 
farm, which is situated on section 33. He 
is one of the well-to-do and influential 
agriculturists of this vicinity, and has been a res- 
ident of the county for some twenty years. He 
has served in many public positions of honor with 
credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his 
constituents, and has represented this district in 
the State Legislature for two terms and served on 
a number of important committees. 

Our subject was born in County Donegal, Ire- 
land, October 16, 1835. His father was likewise 
a native of the same country, descended from an 
old Scotch family that settled in Ireland in 1542. 
The Grays of Castle Torras, though Protestants, 
were always celebrated for their liberal political 
views, which won them the love and esteem of 
their Catholic fellow-countrymen. There he grew 
to man's estate and was married in 1834 to Miss 
Elizabeth Patton. In 1836, the father, Joseph 
Gray, came to the United States on a visit to 
friends in Maryland and was taken sick and died 
in Philadelphia the same year. His wife survived 
him several years, and died in 1845. 

Our subject was only ten 3'ears of age when he 
was left an orphan by the death of his mother, and 
he was placed in charge of a guardian, who robbed 
him and his family of everything. When only 
eighteen years of age he commenced teaching, and 
for the past twenty-five years has been engaged 
as an educator in this State. In 1860 he was 
united in marriage with Miss Martha Blackburn, 
who was born in Ireland. 

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Gray comprises 
eleven children, as follows: William A., who lives 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in Blue Mound; John K., who is at home; Annie, 
wife of William Wallie, of Stonington Township; 
Joseph, Maggie I., Lizzie M., Robert H., Sarah, 
James M., Frank and Edna, who complete the 
family. Robert H. and Mary are deceased. The 
parents and several of their children are members 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

Since 1874 Mr. Gray has been a member of the 
Christian County Board of Supervisors and Chair- 
man of the Board. He has filled many local offi- 
ces, and in 1885 was elected to the State Legisla- 
ture. He was re-elected to that important posi- 
tion two years later, and was a member of the Com- 
mittees on Claims, Education and Elections. He 
is a well-educated man and is posted on all public 
topics, is broad in his views, and in addition to 
his other accomplishments is a poet of no mean 
degree. He is from the county in Ireland that 
produced such men as Gens. Montgomery and 
Carleton, and the fathers of Presidents Polk 
and Buchanan, and also John C. Calhoun. In 
politics, our subject is a Democrat, and socially is 
a member of the Masonic fraternity. His farm 
consists of two hundred acres, which are well culti- 
vated and upon which is a substantial residence. 
He is at present one of the Board of Trustees of 
the State Historical Library, associated with Judge 
Lambert Tree and Hon. J. N. Pen-in. 



JOSIAH T. BAUER is one of the wide-awake 
business men of Stonington, owning and 
carrying on a good drug store, which is 
well equipped, and in connection with this 
he operates a general merchandise store. He mer- 
its the large and remunerative trade which is 
given him, for he is just and honorable in his deal- 
ings with his many patrons. 

Mr. Bauer is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 
Northampton County November 13, 1851, his 
parents being William and Lydia (Miller) Bauer. 
He is next to the youngest in a family of eight 
children. Two of the number are deceased, Polly 



and Marietta, the former of whom died in in- 
fancy. James E. still resides on the old homestead 
in Pennsylvania; Aaron is engaged in the boot 
and shoe business in the same State; Lucy became 
the wife of Frank Kunkel, a boot and shoe dealer 
of Nazareth, Pa.; Charles R.. a retired farmer, re- 
sides in Blue Mound, 111.; and Andrew F. is en- 
gaged in general merchandising in Butler County, 
Neb. The father of these children, who was born 
in the Keystone State, was a weaver by trade. He 
died in Pennsylvania, at the age of fifty-four 
years. He was a fine workman, and in addition 
to his trade owned a small farm. His father emi- 
grated to the United States from Germany. The 
mother of our subject was also born in the same 
State, and her death occurred at about the age of 
sixty-four. Like her husband, she was of German 
extraction. 

Josiah T. Bauer remained with his parents on 
their farm until fifteen years of age, attending the 
schools of the neighborhood. As the home was 
broken up at that time, he worked for two years 
by the month for farmers during the summer, and 
during the winter was given the privilege of at- 
tending school by working morning and eve- 
ning for his board. He was ambitious and made 
the most of his opportunities. He attended the 
Keystone State Normal School of his native State, 
at Kutztown, for one, term, after which he began 
teaching, and continued thus engaged fora period 
of eight years in Pennsylvania. In 1877 he came 
to Christian County, where he taught school for 
one year. In the spring of 1878, he engaged in 
business, opening a drug store and general mer- 
chandise store in Stonington, which he has since 
conducted successfully. 

The marriage of Mr. Bauer was celebrated No- 
vember 8, 1882 ; with Miss Katie Smith, whose par- 
ents, George and Catherine (Bowman) Smith, now 
deceased, were early pioneers of this county. Two 
children bless the union of our subject and his 
wife, Ralph Stanley and Effle Lucy, who are bright 
and interesting children. 

As Mr. Bauer was well known for many years 
as an educator and promoter of good schools, it 
was eminently fitting that he should be elected 
to serve in the capacity of School Treasurer, which 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



277 



office lie held for nine years in this district. He 
is a member of the Lutheran Church, in good 
standing, and in politics, is a stanch Republican. 
The store of Mr. Bauer is well stocked with a gen- 
eral line of drugs and merchandise, in which he 
has a large trade. In addition to this business he 
owns two hundred and thirteen acres of valuable 
farm land adjoining the corporate limits of Ston- 
ington, besides several valuable business lots and 
residences in Stonington. Mrs. Bauer inherited 
one hundred acres of her father's estate. In ad- 
dition to carrying on his business, our subject 
manages and operates his farm. 



OSCAR J. OWEN is well known in Stoning- 
ton Township as an enterprising agricul- 
turist and good citizen. He owns a well- 
improved and desirable farm on section 5, which 
has been his home for many years. During the 
late war he enlisted under the old Stars and Stripes, 
and suffered much in the cause of freedom. 

The birth of Mr. Owen took place in Washing- 
ton County, Ohio, on the 27th of June, 1843. His 
father, James Owen, was also a native of Washing- 
ton County, born March 22, 1808. His life work 
was that of a farmer, and he continued to reside 
in his native State until his death, which occurred 
in his sixty-fifth year. His father was one of the 
early settlers of Ohio, going there when quite 
a young man, and was one of the brave de- 
fenders of the fort at Marietta during the In- 
dian War. The Owen family is of Irish ancestry, 
but they have long been residents of the United 
States. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name 
was Catherine Baldwin, was of German extraction, 
and was born in Washington County, Ohio, May 
3, 1813. She was sixty-four years old at the time 
of her death, and lies buried by her husband in 
the cemetery at Lowell, Ohio. 

James and Catherine Owen were the parents of 
eight children, two sons and six daughters: Vesta, 



who died in infancy; Jane, who died when about 
ten years of age; Lorinda, wife of James Wilson, 
an Ohio farmer; Catherine, who became the wife 
of Benjamin Shattick, a resident of Washington 
County, Ohio; Beulah, deceased, wife of Charles 
Davis, of Ohio; our subject, the. next in order of 
birth; Angelina, wife of Amos Wilson, a farmer 
of Nebraska; and Charles, who is teaching school 
in Washington County, Ohio. 

Oscar J. Owen remained under the parental 
roof until eighteen years of age, when, fired by 
patriotism, he enlisted as a member of Com- 
pany A, Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteers, enteiing 
the service July 29, 1861. In the battle of Chick- 
amauga, he received a wound in the left shoulder 
and was taken to the Nashville hospital. Thence 
he was transferred to Louisville, Ky., and at the 
end of three months returned to his regiment. 
He took part in the battles of Louisburg, Va., 
Antietam, Winchester, Bull Run, and many lesser 
engagements. On the expiration of his three- 
years term of service he received an honorable 
discharge at Columbus, Ohio, September 10, 1864, 
and returned to his home. 

During the winter of 1865, Mr. Owen engaged 
in teaching school, and in the spring moved to 
Christian County. He engaged in farming 
and teaching for several years, since which 
time he has given his whole attention to 
the carrying on of his farm, which has two 
hundred and forty acres within its limits. The 
owner has developed into a practical farmer and 
has made many substantial improvements upon the 
place, which is considered one of the best in the 
township. 

A marriage ceremony was performed October 5 , 
1865, by which Miss Mary Wickens became the 
wife of our subject. She was born February 25, 
1844, in Washington County, Ohio, where sho 
grew to womanhood. Her parents were George 
and Rebecca Ann (Carlin) Wickens. The former 
came from England when sixteen years of age, 
and was one of the early settlers of Washington 
County, Ohio. The mother was of Irish and 
English descent, and was also born in the Buckeye 
State. Four children have been born to our sub- 
ject and wife. The eldest, Henry M., is principal 



278 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of the Decatur Business University, of Decatur, 
111.; Joseph Irving has just graduated from Shurt- 
leff College, at Alton, 111., and is now at home on 
the farm, but expects to secure a professorship 
soon; Jesse Bell is a student in Shurtleff College; 
and Harry Roach is still at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Owen and their three eldest chil- 
dren are members of the Missionary Baptist 
Church and valued workers in the same. Our 
subject takes quite an active part in local politics, 
being a true Republican. For a number of years 
he has served in the capacity of School Director, 
and has also been Commissioner of Highways. 
Fraternally, he belongs to Francis M. Long 
Post No. 392, G. A. R., of Taylorville. He is 
honored and respected by his friends and neigh- 
bors and deserves the high esteem in which he is 
held by all having the pleasure of his acquaintance. 



JOHN NELSON WADDELL, an honored 
veteran of the late war, and a retired farmer 
now residing in Taylorville, was born near 
Wheeling, Ohio County, W. Va., April 4, 
1841, on the day on which William Henry Harri- 
son passed from this life. His parents, James and 
Jane (McDonald) AVaddell, were also natives of 
the same county. In 1867, they removed to Wash- 
ington County, Iowa, where their last days were 
spent. They had a large family of children, 
the eldest of whom, Rev. William, came to Illinois 
about 1853, and preached for the Spring Creek 
church of the United Presbyterian denomination. 
He did much to establish the present church, but 
died while engaged in this work in his twenty- 
seventh year, and was buried in Hall Cemetery, 
one mile east of Taylorville. Archibald came to 
the Waddell farm in Christian County in 1850, 
and there made his home until 1860, being exten- 
sively engaged in stock-dealing. In 1860, how- 
ever, he returned to Virginia, but is now living 
in Bureau County, 111. Joseph B. was a student 
in the Theological Seminary of Allegheny, Pa., 



but left the college to join the Christian Com- 
mission with the Army of the Potomac during the 
late war. He afterwards finished his course of 
study, and died while engaged in ministerial work 
in Midway, Pa., at the age of forty-eight. James 
V. enlisted in the Twelfth West Virginia Infantry 
during the late war, but was rejected, and then 
joined the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. He 
rose from the ranks to be first Sergeant, and at the 
age of twenty-three was killed while making a 
charge at the battle of White Sulphur Springs, 
August 26, 1863. The three daughters of Ike 
Waddell family are Elizabeth, wife of Alex Duff, 
of Washington, Iowa; Maggie, Widow of Rev. A. 
Conner, of Washington, Iowa, and now a resident 
of Minneapolis. Minn.; and Belle, wife of Rev. 
Ferris Brown, of New Concord, Ohio. All came 
to Christian County in the '50s, and all were 
teachers in May Township. At one time nine 
families of Waddells lived in that township. 

We now take up the personal history of our 
subject, who remained upon the home farm until 
twenty-one years of age, when, on the 14th of 
August, 1862, he entered the service of his country 
as a member of Company D, Twelfth West Vir- 
ginia Infantry, under Col. W. D. Curtis. He did 
service in the Shenandoah Valley, and in front of 
Petersburg and Richmond. He went to Appo- 
mattox, and continued in active service until after 
the close of the war. For a while he was on de- 
tached duty in the'hospital as clerk at Annapolis, 
Md., and at Parkersburg, W. Va., and was clerk in 
the Provost-Marshal's office in Martinsburg, W. 
Va., for four months. On the 15th of March, 1865, 
he reported to his regiment at Richmond, and 
was with the troops during the battles of Hatchie's 
Run, Fort Gregg, Farmville and Appomattox. In 
June, 1865, He was honorably discharged, after 
about three years of faithful service, for the war 
was now over and the Stars and Stripes proudly 
floated over a united Nation. 

Mr. Waddell at once returned to his home, 
but in 1866 came to Christian County. He, how- 
ever, went back to his old home, and on the 17th 
of January, 1867, near Wheeling, was celebrated 
his marriage with Adessa Wilson, a native of that 
State. He brought his bride to Illinois, and was 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



279 



also nccompanied by his two brothers, Benjamin 
E., now of Willey Station, and Thomas J., of 
Taylorville. Each had a farm of two hundred 
acres in May Township, which had been purchased 
in 1850 by their father. Mr. Waddell at once be- 
gan the development of the land, and his arduous 
labors soon transformed it into a valuable farm. 
In connection with its cultivation, lie also engaged 
extensively in raising and breeding stock. Pros- 
perity came to him as the years passed, and though 
he began life empty-handed he is now enabled to 
live retired in the enjoyment of a comfortable 
competence. He still owns one hundred and 
twenty acres of the home farm. 

Mr. and Mrs. Waddell are the parents of four 
children: Millie, now the wife of Charles Hunter, 
a farmer of Locust Township; Anna; J. Clark and 
Jennie. In politics, our subject is a Republican 
and takes an active interest in the success of his 
party. Socially, he is a member of Francis M. 
Long Post No. 392, G. A. R. He has long been a 
member of the Presbyterian Church, and for ten 
years has served as Elder. True to his country in 
her hour of peril, he is alike faithful in times of 
peace, and in Mr. Waddell the community finds a 
valued citizen. 



&jjj LBERT T. KINNEY, State Agent of the 
.(?/ I I'hcnix Insurance Company, is one of 

|/iii Taylorville's leading citizens. To her 
^j prominent business men the prosperity of 
a city is always due, for their enterprise and energy 
are the materials of which it is built. Our subject 
is connected with several of the most important 
concerns of the county seat, and besides his insur- 
ance business he is a member of the Taylorville 
Coal Company, and is an extensive stock dealer. 

Mr. Kinney is a native of the Empire State, 
having been born in St. Lawrence County, on the 
18th of October, 1846, and in the usual man- 
ner of farmer lads he spent his boyhood days midst 
play and work. His education was acquired in 



the country schools and supplemented by study 
in the academy at Ft. Covington. At the age 
of seventeen years he began teaching in Franklin 
County, and was there employed in that capacity 
until 1866. The year just mentioned witnessed 
his arrival in ^ Illinois, where he determined to 
seek a home and fortune. For a time he taught 
school in Whiteside County, and in 1867 began 
his connection with the fire insurance business. 
He became an agent for the Rockford Company, 
of Rockford. 111., and made that city his home un- 
til 1871, when he came to Taylorville as solicitor 
for that company and established their business at 
this place. He continued his connection with the 
Rockford Company until July, 1879, having a 
district agency with some eight or ten men under 
his charge. On the expiration of that period lie 
severed his connection with the Rockford, and be- 
came special agent for the Phenix Fire Insurance 
Company, having charge of all the farm business in 
the State. He has about one hundred and fifty 
local agencies in Illinois and several district 
agencies. The company receives from $250,000 
to $300,000 annually in premiums from his de- 
partment of the business in Illinois. Under the 
able management of our subject the business is in- 
creasing each year. A large part of his time is 
spent on the road, and he does all of the adjusting 
in his department. He employs about thirty-five 
men in the office and as solicitors. The interests 
of his fire insurance company will never suffer 
at the hands of Mr. Kinney, for his employers will 
ever find him most trustworthy and efficient. 

In June, 1870, in Clinton, 111., our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Frances Barnett, a 
native of Clinton. She died July 29, 1892, leav- 
ing three sons: Will, who is engaged in stock- 
dealing and in the insurance business with his fa- 
ther; Fred and Lloyd. Mr. Kinney is a Mason, 
belonging to the Blue Lodge and Chapter of Taj'- 
lorville, and to Elwood Commandery, No. 6,.K. T., 
of Springfield. In politics he is a stalwart sup- 
porter of Republican principles, and is not afraid 
to let the people know where he stands. Firm 
in his convictions, he supports his opinions of 
what he believes to be right or wrong without 
fear or favor. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In his business affairs, Mr. Kinney has met with 
success. He is now the owner of three good 
farms, one of one hundred and forty, and two 
of one hundred and sixty, one of the latter being 
in De Kalb County. On his farms he engages in 
breeding standard-bred horses, but the business is 
practically managed by his eldest son. He was also 
connected with the Taylorville Coal Compan}', 
of which he was one of the originators, and of 
which he served as President for two years. It 
is characteristic of Mr. Kinney that whatever he 
undertakes he carries forward to a successful com- 
pletion, overcoming all difficulties and obstacles 
in his path by determined energy and enterprise. 
He has frequently served as a member of the City 
Council, is at present representing his ward in 
that body, and is Chairman of several important 
committees. 



JOSEPH SIMONS, one of the enterprising 
and public-spirited citizens of Assumption, 
Christian County, has been a resident of 
this locality for twenty-eight years. He 
has retired from commercial life and now only 
looks after his various investments in real estate. 
He is a self-made man, having started out in life 
almost entirely without capital, and he has made a 
considerable fortune. 

Mr. Simons is a native of Prussia, his birth hav-' 
ing occurred August 20, 1832. His youth was 
spent in his native land, where he received a good 
education in his mother tongue. He has acquired 
the English language since coming to the United 
States. He served an apprenticeship and learned 
the baker's trade in Germany, where he afterwards 
followed the business for two years. Being an 
ambitious young man, he concluded to try his 
fortune in the New World, and in 1857 took pass- 
age in a sailing-vessel, going from Antwerp to 
New York. He arrived at his destination after 
the lapse of five weeks, during which time the 
vessel encountered a very severe storm fortweuty-! 



two days. Mr. Simons at once proceeded to Illi- 
nois, and at first found work at Aurora, on the 
seminary, which was then in course of construction. 
The following few months of his life were spent 
on the farm, as he hired out for the winter to a 
neighboring farmer. In 1858, Mr. Simons went 
to Sangamon County, where he spent four years 
also working on a farm. 

In August, 1862, our subject enlisted in de- 
fense of the country of his adoption, becoming 
a member of Company C, One Hundred and Four- 
teenth Illinois Infantry, and was in the service 
until lie received an honorable discharge at the 
close of the war, in July, 1865, being mustered 
out at Camp Butler, Springfield, 111. Mr. Simons 
saw much active service, and with his regiment 
took part in a number of very important engage- 
ments. He was all through the Vicksburg cam- 
paign, and was present at the surrender of the 
stronghold, July 4, 1863. He was in the two 
battles at Jackson, Miss., and met with a severe 
accident in the battle of Guntown, June 12, 1864, 
when his arm was shattered by a musket ball. The 
member was amputated above the elbow a few 
days later. On account of being disabled he was 
taken prisoner a few days after the battle, and 
the operation was performed by a Confederate 
surgeon in the hospital at Mobile, Ala. After his 
partial recovery he was sent to Cihaby, and after- 
wards to Audersonville Prison, being confined in 
the last-named until the close of the war. Upon 
being released he made his way back to Vicksburg, 
in which city he was on the night of President 
Lincoln's assassination, April 14, 1865. 

Mr. Simons embarked in the restaurant business 
soon after his return from the South, in Assump- 
tion, which was then only a small village. From 
year to year he increased the business and was very 
successful for many years. In 1880, he sold out 
his interest, and since that time has attended to 
investments in real estate. In addition to his 
restaurant, he was for a few years also engaged in 
the grocery business. A number of years ago Mr. 
Simons purchased a tract of land near the village, 
comprising two hundred and sixty-six acres. Upon 
this place he has made many improvements and 
has since bought another farm of one hundred and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



281 



sixty acres, which he has also placed under good 
cultivation and improved. Thus he is the owner of 
four hundred and twenty-six acres of valuable 
farm land in Assumption Township. He has also 
erected four business houses in the village, two of 
them being substantial brick buildings. He also 
owns a fourth interest in the Opera House, and a 
neat modern residence which he occupies. 

The marriage of Mr. Simons was celebrated 
November 6, 1867, when Miss Flora Bickner 
became his wife. She is a native of New York, 
and came to Illinois when a child with her father, 
Edward Bickner, who was one of the earliest 
settlers of this county. By the union of Mr. and 
Mrs. Simons have been born five children. Jennie 
is the wife of Michael Donovan, of Assumption; 
Joseph holds a good business position in Chicago; 
Jacob lives at home; and Eliza and Willie complete 
the family. Our subject, his wife and children 
are all members of the Catholic Church. 

Mr. Simons cast his ballot in favor of the Dem- 
ocratic party, and has been several times elected to 
fill local positions of responsibility and trust. He 
is weil known in this and neighboring counties, 
and well merits the reputation he bears as a man 
of unblemished honor and upright character. - He 
has ever been found on the side of progress, and 
lias been no small factor in the development of 
Christian County. 



eHARLES H. STOCKON. For over twenty 
years Mr. Stockon has been identified with 
the progress of Christian County, and has 
long been accounted one of her best citizens. For 
the past eleven years his home has been in Bear 
Creek Township, where he is engaged in general 
farming and stock-raising. 

Chautauqua County, N. Y., was the place of our 
subject's birth, which occurred July 10, 1838. 
His parents were Charles II. and Jane (Winchell) 
Stockon. The paternal grandfather is believed to 
have emigrated to America from tlie northern part 
13 



of Ireland, and lived to an extreme old age. The 
mother of our subject was the daughter of Albert 
Winchell, a native of Connecticut, who also lived 
to a good old age, being ninety-one years old at 
the time of his death. Charles H. Stockon was 
born in Connecticut, while his wife was a native 
of Lowell, Mass. 

In 1845, the father removed to Ohio, and en- 
gaged in the mercantile business at Hagerstown. 
This enterprise he conducted successfully for about 
fifteen years in that location. Thence he removed 
to Moscow, Iowa, there engaging in the same line 
of trade until he was cut down by the hand of 
Deatli in the prime of manhood, being only forty- 
four years of age. The date of his demise is 1862, 
and after surviving her husband nearly three de- 
cades, Mrs. Stockon passed from the scenes of this 
life, in 1891. when nearly eight3'-three years of age. 
She was a faithful wife and mother, and was for 
years a member of the Baptist Church. Of her 
three sons and two daughters, three are yet liv- 
ing: Martha I., who married Dr. James Cottor, 
now deceased, and formerly of Sacramento, Cal.; 
Mary J., who is now Mrs. John Williams, and also 
lives in Sacramento; and Charles H., our subject, 
who is the youngest of those living. 

In his seventh year the subject of this sketch re- 
moved from the Empire State with his parents to 
Ohio, and lived in Hagerstown until he arrived at 
mature years. In 1857, he went to Iowa, and en- 
tered the store conducted by his father, with 
whom he remained for four years. In April, 1861, 
he was among the first to enlist for his country's 
defense. He became a member of Company A, 
First Iowa Infantry, serving with them for four 
months. He participated in the battle of Wilson 
Creek, and the engagement of Bryce Springs. In 
the former he was wounded and returned home. 
He was again emplo3 r ed in his father's store until 
1872, when he came to this county. Some ten 
years later he became the owner of ninety acres of 
land in Bear Creek Township, on which is still his 
home. He has extended his domains, adding a 
tract of twenty acres to his original farm. 

On the 27th of August, 1861, Mr. Stockon mar- 
ried Miss Mary L. Slaton. Three children were 
born of this union: Ernest E., Charles H., and oue 



282 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



who died in infancy. The eldest son, Ernest E., 
married Miss Annie Stamm, and resides on a part 
of his father's farm. He is the father of five chil- 
dren: Ophelia, Walter, Golda, Cora and Myrtie. 

Socially, Mr. Stockon is a member of Higgins 
Post No. 400, G. A. R., at Palmer. For seven 
years he served as Supervisor of his township, to 
the satisfaction of his friends and neighbors, and 
also occupied the position of Assessor for two 
years. In his various business enterprises, Mr. 
Stockon has been very successful and has been of 
late years dealing considerably in live stock. 



SYLVESTER SCHRANTZ, one of the most 
enterprising agriculturists of Stonington 
Township, is the owner of one of the best- 
improved farms in the county and which 
is situated on -section 8. His earliest ancestors in 
America were natives of Switzerland, who emi- 
grated in 1745. Since that time the descendants 
have been stanch and true patriots of their adopted 
country. 

The birth of Mr. Schrantz occurred February 28, 
1847, in Canton, Ohio, his parents being Ephraim 
and Nancy (Mohler) Schrantz. The father was a 
native of Lancaster County, Pa. His great-grand- 
father, John Schrantz, was a native of the canton 
of Berne, Switzerland, and, as previously stated, lo- 
cated in America in Colonial days. With his pa- 
rents our subject's father removed to Ohio, and 
settled on a farm near Canton, where he remained 
until 1867. He then made a settlement in this 
count}', and purchased seven hundred acres of wild 
land in Stonington Township, paying at the rate 
of $7 per acre. The remainder of his life he de- 
voted to the cultivation and improvement of this 
land. He died June 24, 1892, at the age of sixty- 
nine years, and lies buried in Oaklawn Cemetery, 
in Taylorville. In politics, he was a Republican 
and was a much respected early settler of these 
parts. His land and property he divided among 



his children. His father was an Advocate Judge 
of Stark County, Ohio, at the time of his death 
and was a Captain in the Mexican War. Our sub- 
ject's mother was also born in Lancaster County, 
Pa., and is still living, her home being in Stoning- 
ton. 

Sylvester Schrantz is one of five children. The 
others are still living and are as follows: Sy villa, 
the wife of B. F. Young, a well-to-do farmer of 
Stonington Township; Wilson, Lee and John, who 
are also engaged in farming in the same township. 
Remaining witli his parents on the home farm, our 
subject's time was occupied until his seventeenth 
year iu farm duties and in attending the common 
schools. On the 29th of February, 1864, he joined 
Company A, Nineteenth Ohio Infantry, and served 
until May 27, 1864. He was captured at the bat- 
tle of New Hope, and was taken to Andersonville 
Prison, where he was held until the 13th of Sep- 
tember. He was then transferred to the Charles- 
ton prison, there kept until October 15, and thence 
removed to Florence. In the latter prison he re- 
mained until December 1, when he was paroled at 
Charleston. He was then so weak that he could 
not walk, and was left lying in a lumber-yard with 
the dead and dying. The Sisters of Charity had 
him taken to a hospita!,where he partially regained 
his health and strength. With about sixty others 
he was then taken by the rebels and placed upon 
boats to be sent to their parole ship. These poor 
soldiers, still weak and exhausted, were exposed 
all night to the weather, and with the exception of 
fifteen they all died from the result. Only a few 
days had passed when there were none living of 
the number with the exception of our subject and 
one comrade. Mr. Schrantz was next taken to the 
St. John's College Hospital, at Annapolis, Md., 
where he stayed for about two months. After a 
furlough of ninety days at home, he went to Camp 
Chase, Ohio, where he received an honorable dis- 
charge June 25, 1865. 

Returning to the old farm, our subject attended 
school at Greensburg Seminary until the fall of 
1866, when he came to Christian County. He 
continued to live at home until the fall of 1870, 
when he came to the farm on which he now re- 
sides, a portion of which had been given him by 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his father. The farm now comprises one hundred 
and sixty acres, which are well managed and thor- 
oughly cultivated by the owner, who has practical 
and progressive ideas on farm work. 

On the 4th of September, 1873, Mr. Schrantz 
and Miss Lovine Waltz were united in marriage. 
The lady was born in Medina County, Ohio, and 
by her marriage has become the mother of two 
children, a son and a daughter. Brace D. is a 
highly educated young man and has taught school 
in this community. Jessie M. has also been given 
a superior education and is an accomplished 
musician. The family is well received in social 
circles of the neighborhood. In politics, Mr. 
Schrantz is a loyal Republican, and, fraternally, 
holds membership with Francis M. Long Post No. 
392, G. A. R., of Taylorville. 



(fpN& AMUEL M. NEEL is one of the early set- 
^^ tiers of Stonington Township, and has re- 
llL^j| sided on section 15 for a quarter of a 
century. At the time of his arrival in the 
township the place was a swamp and in a nearly 
wild condition. During the lapse of time this has 
been changed, until to-day it is one of the best 
agricultural districts in the county. The birth of 
our subject occurred April 1, 1831, in Lancaster 
County, Pa. His parents were Hugh and Mary 
(Neeper) Neel. The father was also a native of 
Lancaster County, his birth occurring in the same 
house in which occurred the birth of our subject. 
In the Keystone State he was engaged in farming, 
and there made his home until forty-seven years 
of age. He removed to Baltimore County, Md., 
at that time and purchased a farm, which he cul- 
tivated until his death, when in his sixt3'-eighth 
year. He is buried in the Reisterstown Cemetery, 
in Baltimore County, Md. In politics, he was an 
Old-line Whig. His father served in the War of 
1812, and was also a native of Pennsylvania, but 
was of Scotch parentage. 

The mother of our subject was born and grew 



to womanhood in Lancaster County, where her 
marriage was celebrated. Her father was a native 
of Pennsylvania, and participated in the War of 
1812. She passed from this life in Baltimore 
County, at the age of eighty-five years, and lies 
buried by the side of her husband. By her mar- 
riage she became the mother of six children, four 
sons and two daughters. Thomas died when thirty 
3'ears of age; Samuel M. is next in order of birth; 
Martha Jane became the wife of Washington Gore, 
who is a farmer of Baltimore County, Md.; Bcckie, 
John and Jo are unmarried and living on the old 
homestead in Maryland. 

The boyhood of our subject was passed on his 
father's farm, and his education was that of the 
common schools of the neighborhood. He con- 
tinued to make his home with his parents until 
about thirty years of age, when, in October, 1861, 
he chose for his life companion Miss Sarah Ann 
Streveg, who has been the mother of three chil- 
dren: Thomas, who died at the age of eight years; 
Mary, wife of Henry Bloom, a farmer of this 
county, who has one son, Samuel Neel; and one 
child who died in infancy. 

After his marriage Mr. Neel continued to work 
for his father for some seven years, receiving for 
his services $100 per year. He was careful and sav- 
ing of his means, for it was his intention to invest 
his money in Western land. Accordingly, in 1868, 
he came to Illinois and after looking about for a 
suitable place of settlement came to the conclusion 
that it would be well to settle in Christian County. 
He invested his little capital in one hundred and 
sixty acres of wild prairie land. His prospects 
were rather discouraging, for the country was 
little better than a swamp and bore little promise 
of the great future which was in store for it. He 
was not daunted by the hardships and hard work 
he saw before him, but went to work with energy 
and fortitude to overcome the obstacles in his 
pathway. He has risen to a position of compara- 
tive independence and now takes rank with the 
prosperous farmers of the county. His farm, which 
yields abundant crops, covers two hundred and 
forty acres and has had many improvements 
placed upon it. 

A true patriot and loyal citizen, Mr. Neel dis- 



284 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



charges his duties as such, but has never been pre- 
vailed upon to accept official honors. In his polit- 
ical faith he is a firm Republican. His first ballot 
was cast for Fremont. Religiously, he has been for 
many years a member of the Methodist Church, 
and is a man who is respected by all who have the 
pleasure of his acquaintance as one of true worth 
and sterling manhood. 



S ETER MICHELS, who is now living a re- 
tired life in Taylorville, was born Decem- 
ber 26, 1824, in Polch, in the Rhenish 
province of Prussia, between the Rhine 
and Moselle Rivers. His brother Anthony came 
to America in 1843 and established himself in 
business as a carpenter in Taylorville. Nine years 
later Peter followed him to the New World, and 
on the 25th of May, 1852, arrived in Springfield. 
He at once came to Taylorville, where he joined 
his brother. He had been reared to agricultural 
pursuits, but for two years he worked with his 
brother at the carpenter's trade and also engaged 
in well-digging. Thomas Cheney, who could ob- 
tain no one to dig a well, finally asked Mr. Mi- 
chels to perform the task. Our subject consented 
to undertake it, and finding it to be a paying bus- 
iness continued it for fifteen years. 

Mr. Michels had about $300 when he came to 
this county, which he invested in one hundred 
and twenty acres of land northwest of the city. 
While engaged in well-digging he made from $6 
to $14 per day, and with the capital he acquired 
he also made other purchases of real estate. He 
erected a business house on the north side of the 
square, now used as a saloon, and also the store 
occupied by Allmau's meat-market. Altogether 
he has four dwellings and two business houses in 
Taylorville. His own residence, a fine brick struc- 
ture, is in the midst of a half-block of ground. 
Mr. Michels also has two hundred acres of land in 
May Township, and sixty acres of timber-land. 
On the 25th of May, 1852, our subject was 



united in marriage with Miss Catherine Weiler, 
who was reared in the same locality as her husband, 
their homes being only two miles apart, and on 
the same vessel, the "Eastern Queen," crossed the 
Atlantic with him. They sailed from Havre, 
France, and after twenty-six days reached the 
shores of the New World. Their marriage was 
celebrated the day after their arrival in Spring- 
field. Mrs. Michels was born near Coblentz, June 
27, 1831, and by her marriage has become the 
mother of five children, who are yet living. 
Amelia Louise is now the wife of Anthony Wog- 
getzer, of Taylorville, by whom she has five chil- 
dren; Margaret is the wife of Sylvester Patterson, 
of Taylorville, and they have one child; William 
Sebastian Julius, County Surveyor of Christian 
County and a resident of Taylorville, married Miss 
Nellie Sheehan, and they have one child; Katie 
was educated in the public schools and in St. Ur- 
suline's Convent of Springfield; and Joseph com- 
pletes the family. They also lost six children in 
early childheod. 

Mr. Michels is a stalwart Democrat in politics 
and a warm supporter of President Cleveland. 
He and his wife are faithful members of the Cath- 
olic Church and have reared their children under 
its auspices. Mr. Michels need never regret his 
emigration to America, for here he has found a 
comfortable home, and his labors have been blessed 
with a handsome competence. 



TEPIIEN WILLEY, deceased, was a prom- 
inent man and pioneer citizen of Christian 
Count}'. For nearly a quarter of a century 
was active in everything pertaining to 
the good of the community in which he dwelt, and 
was devoted to the advancement of every measure 
tending to benefit his fellow-men. 

The birth of our subject occurred June 7, 1827, 
in Hamilton County, Ohio, where he grew to man- 
hood. With his parents he came to Illinois in 
1843, and at once located in Christian County. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



He was of French and English descent. On the 
26th of December, 1849, he married Miss Nancy 
Blunt, who was born March 10, 1831, in Tennessee, 
and came to this county with her father in her 
girlhood. Mr. Willey began life without means, 
but possessed of determination and energy, and 
made a grand success of his various enterprises. 
After his marriage he devoted himself to the culti- 
vation of a farm during the remainder of his life. 
He accumulated a valuable estate, and at the time 
of his death, which, occurred December 10, 1873, 
possessed seven hundred and twenty acres of the 
choicest land in the county. He was enterprising 
and ahead of the times in his methods of con- 
ducting his farm, and was the first man to intro- 
duce Shorthorn cattle into the county, and was 
also the first to purchase the McGee hogs. 

The wife of Mr. Willey was of English and 
Irish extraction and by her marriage became the 
mother of two children, both of whom are still 
living. Mary was born March 15, 1851, in Chris- 
tian County, and here received a good education. 
On the 20th of February, 1871, she gave her hand 
in marriage to William Ettinger, who was born 
October 17, 1841, in Dauphin County, Pa. For a 
number of years lie was engaged in the harness 
business in Taylorville. His death occurred May 
11, 1882, and he lies buried in the Taylorville 
Cemetery. During the late Civil War, he served 
for nearly' four years as a member of a Pennsyl- 
vania regiment which participated in forty-two 
engagements. He was in the cavalry service, 
being attached to the Eighteenth Pennsylvania 
Cavalry. By the union of Mr. and Mrs. Ettinger 
was born a family of three children, all living. 
Hayden, who was born July 1, 1873, is a highly 
educated young man and is now assisting his 
mother in managing the home place; Jessie was 
born July 10, 1877; and Allen's birth occurred 
May 6. 1881. Mrs. Ettinger still resides on the 
farm of four hundred and forty acres, two hundred 
and forty of which formerly belonged to her hus- 
band. It is one of the best farms of the county, 
and in addition to this she owns eighty acres in 
Taylorville Township and a good residence prop- 
erty in Taylorville, where the family reside during 
the winter. In 1870, on the death of her father, 



she inherited two hundred and forty acres of land, 
and at this writing she is the owner of five hun- 
dred and twenty acres. Anthony Willey, the only 
son of our subject, is a progressive and well-to-do 
farmer of Christian County. 

The town of Willey Station was laid out by 
Stephen Willey, who built and owned the station 
house. The village is now quite a thriving place, 
numbering a good many inhabitants. In politics, 
our subject was a stanch Republican and was much 
interested in the success of his part} 7 . 



SlL ENRY KIRK, a retired farmer of Taylor- 
ifj) ville, claims Ohio as the State of his nativ- 
ub/?' ity, his birth having occurred near Fulton, 
(H) in Stark County, December 19, 1829. His 
father, Jacob Kirk, was a native of Centre County, 
Pa., and married Ann Furst, who was also born in 
the Keystone State. HP became one of the pio- 
neer settlers of Ohio, locating there in 1808. He 
and his wife both spent their last days in Stark 
County, where they had so long resided and where 
the}' were numbered among the most highly es- 
teemed citizens. 

The subject of this sketch was reared to man- 
hood in the usual manner of farmer lads, and the 
public schools afforded him his educational privi- 
leges. He remained at home until 1851, when, on 
the 16th of October of that year, he was joined in 
marriage with Miss Hannah B. McFarland, a na- 
tive of Wayne County, Ohio. His father made 
him a present of one hundred and seventeen acres 
of land, upon which was a small clearing but no 
house. He hewed the logs for a cabin and lived 
upon that place for six years, during which time 
he cleared and improved sixty acres. 

It was in 1857 that Mr. Kirk sold his farm in 
Ohio, and traveled Westward until he had reached 
Christian County, 111., when he made a settlement 
in Buckhart Township. He was accompanied by 
John Harmon, now of this county. Mr. Kirk had 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



previously visited this locality and purchased one 
hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which a 
crop had been planted, at $25 per acre. In Nov- 
ember following his arrival, he was joined by his 
family. Turning his attention to the develop- 
ment of his land, he devoted himself assiduously 
to its cultivation and improvement until 1891. 
He had made other purchases, becoming the owner 
of four hundred and ten acres, which were divided 
into two farms. In connection with general farm- 
ing he also engaged in fee'ding stock for ten years, 
and in breeding heavy draft horses. His farms 
are both well improved and are valuable and de- 
sirable places, being supplied with all modern con- 
veniences and equipments. Mr. Kirk has recently 
also purchased a section of wheatland in Furnas 
County, Neb. In 1891 he left his country home 
and came to Taylorville, where he erected a fine 
residence and is now living a retired life. 

In 1869 our subject was called upon to mourn 
the loss of his wife, who died on the 31st of De- 
cember. On the 18th of August, 1870, he was 
married in Pana to Miss Margaret Bell Orr, a sis- 
ter of Prof. Orr, County Superintendent of Schools. 
Seven children were born of the first marriage and 
three of the second. Four of the number are now 
deceased, three having died in infancy. Thad- 
deus David, the eldest, who had been a student in 
Lexington, Ky., died at the age of nineteen years. 
Charles Dwight is now a farmer of Buckhart 
Township, and School Treasurer. Emma Cora is 
the wife of R. F. Oplinger, book-keeper and cash- 
ier in a store in Taylorville. Arthur Burton 
operates a part of the old homestead. Hattie is 
the wife of Irving Baughman. a farmer of Buck- 
hart Township. Grace graduated as a stenog- 
rapher and type-writer from the Springfield Busi- 
ness College. Josie Pearl is a student in the High 
School. 

Since the age of sixteen Mr. Kirk has been a 
member of the Christian Church, and his wife is 
also a member. He was made a Mason in Grove 
City Lodge No. 585, A. F. &. A. M., and belongs 
to Taylorville Chapter No. 99, R. A. M. He was 
initiated into the mysteries of the Odd Fellows' 
fraternity in 1854. In politics, he is a Republican, 
and for eighteen years served as Treasurer of the 



school fund in his township, although it is a 
strongly Democratic district. Through well-dir- 
ected efforts, Mr. Kirk has acquired a handsome 
property and is now numbered among the sub- 
stantial citizens of Taylorville. where he is now 
living retired in the enjoyment of the rest which 
he has so truly earned and richly deserves. 



ICHARD McCLELLAN POWEL was born 
in Parkersburg, W. Va., September 2, 1846, 
and died- November 1, 1892, respected 
by all who knew him. In his death the 
community lost one of its best citizens and one 
who will be I6ng mourned by a large circle of 
friends. He came of a family of English origin, 
which was founded in America by his grandfa- 
ther, Richard Powel, in Colonial days. During 
the War for Independence the grandfather ob- 
tained letters of marque, and as Captain of a pri- 
vateer sailed from these shores. It is supposed 
that all on board perished, for no news was ever 
received of them. Richard Powel left a little son 
of six months, who also bore the name of Richard, 
and became the father of our subject. He was 
born in Philadelphia, Pa., December 9, 1801, and 
was a cabinet-maker by trade. He married Sarah 
Firth, and in 1841 removed to Parkersburg, W. 
Va., where he remained until September, 1851, 
when he emigrated to Springfield, I II. In 1853 he 
came to Taylorville, and his death here occurred 
September 11, 1875. 

Our subject was only about six years of age 
when the family came to this city, and with the 
history of Christian County he was identified un- 
til his death. When quite young he began the 
study of surveying, and mastered the profession 
almost entirely through his own efforts, being as- 
sisted to some extent by Charles Manners, who 
was then County Surve3 r or. For a time Mr. Powel 
followed surveying in Indiana, with headquarters 
at Indianapolis, locating railroad lines in Indiana, 
Ohio, Iowa and Missouri. In 1869 he was elected 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



287 



County Surveyor of Christian County for a term 
of two years, was re-elected in 1871, 1875 and 
1879, his term of office expiring in 1884, after a 
period of fifteen years spent in that position. 
Although the county is Democratic and life was a 
Republican in political faith, he was elected by 
very large majorities, a fact that indicates the con- 
'fldence placed in him, his personal popularity and 
his excellent ability. He laid out several drain- 
age systems, and that a large area of the country 
surrounding Taylorville is now fine farming land 
is due entirely to the labors of Mr. Powel. 

On the 17th of December, 1885, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Ernma Catherwood, 
daughter of Jarnes and Lydia (Tussey) Cather- 
wood, the former a native of Ireland and the lat- 
ter of Pennsylvania. For some years they made 
their home in Guernsey County, Ohio. The fa- 
ther died when Mrs. Powel was only two years 
old. Mrs. Catherwood removed to Shelby County, 
111., about 1857, and from there came to Taylor- 
ville. She is still living in this city, at the age of 
eighty-nine years. Of her family of ten children 
seven are now living. Mrs. Powel was only six 
years of age when she came to Christian County. 
By her marriage she has become the mother of two 
children: Ellen C. and Ruth Firth, aged six and 
three years respectively. 

In addition to his other business interests, Mr. 
Powel was one of Hie incorporators and a Director 
of the First National Bank of Taylorville. He 
was also the owner of two farms, comprising four 
hundred and forty acres of land, which yielded to 
him a good income. An indefatigable worker, he 
possessed a robust constitution and spared himself 
not in the least when he thought his work de- 
manded his attention. He worked up to within a 
few days of his death, being anxious to complete 
a drainage system before winter set in. His ad- 
vice and counsel were often sought by business 
men, who placed the utmost confidence in him. 
His woid was as good as his bond, his integrity 
unquestioned. lie was a firm, kind friend and a 
loving and tender husband and father. Honor- 
able and upright in all things, he won the esteem 
of everybody with whom business or social rela- 
tions brought him in contract. Mrs. Powel is still 



living in Taylorville, where she has a pleasant 
home that she has recently erected on the old 
Powel homestead. She is a member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, and through her many ex- 
cellencies of character has gained a large circle of 
warm friends. 



JOSEPH F. MILLER, M. D., who is engaged 
in the practice of his profession in Palmer, 
has a large practice in this place and the 
surrounding country. He is a native of 
Illinois, having been born in Fayette County 
April 28, 1857, to Jacob and Mary Jane (Stapp) 
Miller. The father is also a native of that county, 
while his wife was born in Kentucky. Their fam- 
ily comprised five children, three of whom died in 
early childhood. Those surviving are John H., 
who is a physician at Pana, 111.; and Joseph F., 
our subject. Dr. Miller, of Pana, married Miss 
Laura Thiele. They have two children, Lewis 
Henry and Cora. 

After the death of our subject's mother, his fa- 
ther married Elizabeth Forester, by whom he had 
three children. Two died in infancy, while the 
third child, Andrew D., is still living. The third 
wife of Mr. Miller bore the maiden name of Cath- 
erine Sanford. She became the mother of a son 
and daughter, Lewis A., and Addie M., who died 
at the age of thirteen years. After the death of 
Mrs. Catherine Miller, the husband wedded Lytha 
J. Burns, and to them were born two children, 
Lola and Gertrude. Mr. Miller has been for a 
period of forty years a minister in the Christian 
Church. He was a valiant soldier during the war 
with Mexico. 

Dr. J. F. Miller, whose name heads this sketch, 
was reared on his father's farm in Fayette County, 
and lived at home until he had attained his sev- 
enteenth year. He received his early education 
in the district schools, and while still quite young 
determined to become a physician. He therefore 



288 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



entered the Missouri Medical College of St. Louis, 
and after pursuing his studies there for several 
years, was graduated from that justly noted insti- 
tution in March, 1889. In the following July he 
located in Palmer, where he began the practice of 
his profession. He lias already acquired a large 
practice, as he is well informed and well read on 
all matters pertaining to the science of medicine, 
and keeps fully abreast of the times. 

The Doctor was united in marriage with Miss 
Henrietta Lowe on the 8th of June, 1890. The 
lady is a daughter of Milton and Priscilla (Hin- 
ton) Lowe, of Shelby County, 111. By her mar- 
riage she has become the mother of a bright little 
boy, who was given the Christian name of his 
grandfather, Jacob, and whose middle name is 
Clyde. 

Socially, the Doctor is a member of Palmer 
Lodge No. 501, 1. O. O. F., and also holds mem- 
bership with the Modern Woodmen of America. 
He casts his ballot in favor of the nominees of the 
Republican party, and has served for one term as 
a member of the Village Board of Trustees, and 
always takes an active part in educational matters. 
He owns a pleasant and desirable home properly, 
where he has his office. In addition to this he has 
ten acres of land which is situated one mile from 
Palmer. By those who know him well he is held 
in the highest regard, and is a man of justice and 
upright character. 



JESSE HANON is one of the pioneers of 
Christian County, his birth having occurred 
April 14, 1830, about ten miles from Tay- 
lorville. He is a farmer, now residing in 
Morrisonville, and is the owner of a number of 
fine farms. His father, Martin Hauon, was the 
first settler in this county, having settled near Tay- 
lor ville in 1818. He was a nativeof Tennessee, and 
was a farmer by occupation. He took up about 
eighty acres of land, but afterward bought a lum- 
ber mill, which was located on the farm where our 



subject was born. This mill was subsequently 
known as the Elgin Mill, and this lie operated for 
a number of years. From there he removed to the 
present site of Taylorville, before the town was 
laid out, His father, Michael Hanon, was born 
and reared in Ireland, and came to America when 
a young man. He was a farmer in Tennessee, and 
died while still in the prime of life. The name of 
the family was originally spelled Hening. Michael 
Hanon reared a family of four daughters and five 
sons. Our subject's father died April 5, 1879, 
aged seventy-nine years. 

The wife of Martin Hanon, whose maiden name 
was Sarah Miller, was born in Pennsylvania, her 
people being of German birth. Her parents came 
to America after their marriage, settling in Penn- 
sylvania, -where the father died in middle life. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Hanon were born ten children, 
only four of the number now living: .Jesse; Jo- 
seph; Susan, wife of G. R. Sharp, of Sharpsburg. 
111.; and Elijah, who is a resident of Lamed, Kan. 
Joseph lives at Willow Springs, Mo. The parents 
were members of the Predestinariau Baptist 
Church. 

The subject of this sketch has spent his entire 
life in this county with the exception of three 
years, when he was absent during the late war. 
His early education was obtained in the old-fash- 
ioned subscription schools, but in later years he 
enlarged his knowledge by wise reading and 
thoughtful observation. His life work lias been 
mainly that of farming and stock-raising, though 
for about four years he carried on a sawmill. He 
has been very successful in his enterprises and now 
with his three sons, William, John and Cyrus, 
owns eight hundred acres of land in Clay County, 
near the town of Flora. This land is operated by 
them under the firm name of J. Hanon <fc Sons. 
He is also the owner of a good home property in 
Morrisonville. 

During the late war, Mr. Hanon enlisted in 
Company A, One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois 
Infantry, and was in the service for about three 
years. He took part in the battle of Chicka- 
niauga and was in a number of important skir- 
mishes. On the battlefield of Chickamauga he was 
taken prisoner and was confined for seven months 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in Libby Prison; was thence removed to Macon, 
Ga., where lie was a prisoner for two months, and 
was then transferred to Savannah, Ga., and 
Charleston, S. C., being two months in each prison. 
For four months lie was in the prison at Colum- 
bia, S. C., and after spending a short time at Char- 
lotte and Raleigh was exchanged. Altogether he 
was :i prisoner for seventeen months and ten days. 
He received an honorable discharge at Camp But- 
ler, September 23, 1865, after three years of serv- 
ice and imprisonment for his country's sake. 

On his return from the army, Mr. Hanon re- 
sumed his sawmill business, at which he continued 
for two years. Prior to the war he was Superin- 
tendent of the Schools of this county for two 
years. For three terms he served as Justice of the 
Peace, and for three terms was a member of the 
Board of Supervisors. In 1890, he was the Repub- 
lican nominee for Congress, running against Will- 
iam M. Springer. The honor was entirely un- 
sought. Socially, he is a member of Morrison ville 
Lodge No. 681, A. F. & A. M., and also took the 
chapter degrees at Taylorville. 

In October, 1847, Mr. Hanon was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Missouri Ann Minnis, daughter of 
James and Hester Ann (Outhouse) Minnis, of 
Christian County. Twelve children have blessed 
this union. Thomas E. was the eldest of the 
family and is now deceased. Alice E. became the 
wife of John D. Murphy, by whom she had four 
children, only one now living, William J. Af- 
ter the death of Mr. Murphy, his widow re-mar- 
ried, becoming the wife of Lucian Murphy. They 
now live at Pawnee Rock, Kan., and have three 
children, Charlie, Glenn and Ralph. William F. 
married Miss Sarah Halgren and lives in Flora, 
111., where he is engaged in the fruit-growing bus- 
iness. He has two children, Jessie E. and Winnie. 
Sarah E., Eva, George R., Nellie and Jennie are 
now deceased. Cyrus E. married Miss Katie Hayes 
and is also engaged in fruit-growing and farming 
near Flora. lie has one child, John Edgar. Ferd- 
inand M. and Seth are also deceased. John E. is 
a resident of Morrisonville, 111. 

Mr. Ilanon is a man of originality and liberality 
of thought. He is an earnest believer in the prin- 
ciples of morality and is a strong advocate of ab- 



stinence from intoxicating liquors and of temper- 
ance in every respect, but controverts the theolog- 
ical ideas which enter into the creeds of orthodox 
churches. He is a sincere admirer of that great 
sentiment of Thomas Paine, "The world is my 
country ,and to do good is my religion." 



J\ riJKLIfS M. IIKWITT, one of the exten- 
&/ I sive land-owners of Christian Count\ T , is 

/// It engaged in farming in Bear Creek Town- 
||f ship. He is now making his home at his 
pleasant residence in Palmer. He is a son of Will- 
iam T. and Andronica (Gibson) Hewitt, and was 
born in Christian County, Ky., February 19, 1849. 
The father was a native of Virginia, as was also 
his father. He followed farming and stock-raising 
in the Old Dominion for a livelihood until 1851, 
when he emigrated to Illinois. He located in this 
county, on land now comprised within Johnson 
Township. There he entered and purchased land 
to the extent of some six hundred acres, and lived 
in that neighborhood until the death of his wife, 
in 1857, when he removed to the old Vincent 
place, where his remaining years were passed. Our 
subject's mother was a member of the Christian 
Church, and was a most lovable and noble lady. 
She had a family of three sons and three daugh- 
ters, our subject being the third child. The oth- 
ers are as follows: Francis M., Olive C., James B., 
Laura J. and Hannah L. After the death of his 
first wife, William Hewitt was married to Miss 
Mary R. Wilcoxson, by whom he had three sons, 
William T., Lee Davidson and Omer B. The fa- 
ther died in 1890, at the good old age of seventy- 
five years. 

The subject of this notice was an infant of only 
two years when his parents came to this county. 
He was reared and received his early education in 
the neighborhood where he has spent a large por- 
tion of his life. He supplemented his early edu- 
cation by a course of study in Eureka College, 
which is located in Eureka, 111., and in order to fit 



290 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



himself for business life went to Baile3''s Com- 
mercial College, at Keokuk, Iowa. Upon the com- 
pletion of his studies he engaged in teaching 
school, following that vocation for about ten years 
during the winter season. 

In Christian County, on the 15th of February, 
1883, Mr. Hewitt and Miss Nancy F. Anderson 
were united in marriage. Mrs. Hewitt was the 
daughter of Thomas and Virginia B. (Trailer) An- 
derson. She became the mother of three children: 
Inez A., Nigel B. and Brice. Mr. Hewitt lost his 
wife, who died on the 15th of December, 1891, 
aged only twenty-six years. 

After teaching for a number of years, as pre- 
viously stated, Mr. Hewitt concluded to devote his 
energies to agricultural pursuits, which have been 
his main occupation since that time. He has 
made a particular business of raising and shipping 
stock, and has also been interested in the general 
stores in Palmer, Morrisonville and Harvel, 111. 
At the present time he owns an interest with \V. 
L. Long in a general merchandise store at Mor- 
risonville. He is the owner of land in Taylor- 
yille, South Fork, Bear Creek, Johnson and Ricks 
Townships, these farms comprising fully seven 
hundred acres. lie also is the owner of a resi- 
dence and other property in Palmer, and other 
real estate elsewhere. In politics, he is a Demo- 
crat. He is a man who has acquired his fortune 
through his own efforts and industry, and has 
shown good business ability and correct business 
methods in the management of his affairs. 



Jf H. SALLIDAY, deceased, was for many 
years numbered among the substantial farm- 
ers and enterprising citizens of Stonington 
Township. Coining to Christian County a 
poor man, through the exercise of his industri- 
ous qualities he acquired a large estate and won 
the respect of his friends and neighbors. His 
birth occurred March 10, 1837, in Bucks County, 
Pa. His father, Jacob G. Salliday, was also a 



native of the same county, and removed to Ohio 
with his parents. He was a soldier in the War of 
1812, and died when nearly seventy-nine years of 
age. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary 
Hai-tsell, was likewise a native of the Keystone 
State, and was called from this life while a resi- 
dent of Philadelphia, at the age of seventy-eight 
years. The boyhood and youth of our subject 
were passed under the parental roof, where he re- 
mained until about twenty-two years of age. He 
was given a fair education and became thoroughly 
acquainted with the proper methods of farm 
work. 

On the loth of November, 1861, Mr. Salliday 
was united in marriage with Miss Angeline 
Holben, who was born March 27, 1840, in Medina 
County, Ohio. She was the eldest child in a 
family of five whose parents were Elias and Mar- 
garet (Hartman) Holben. The former was a na- 
tive of New York and emigrated to Ohio in an 
early day. In 1866 he came to Illinois, where he 
still makes his home, now well along in years. 
His father was a native of France. Mrs. Holben 
was born in Pennsylvania, of German ancestry, 
and died when in her thirty-fourth year, in 1856. 

Our subject was the third in a family of eight 
children, and by his marriage he became the fa- 
ther of a like number. The eldest, Roland E., died 
at the age of twenty-three years, being accidentally 
killed in a runaway; Victorine is the wife of John 
D. llackenberg, a prominent farmer and stock-rais- 
er of this county, a sketch of whom appears else- 
where in this volume; Edson P. died in infancy; 
Ella H., wife of Thomas E. Gragg, and Reuben J. 
reside at home, the latter operating the farm; 
Eben O. died in infancy; Monroe H., who is well 
educated, is attending the School of Pharmacy at 
St. Louis; and Angle M. is still living with her 
mother. 

Mr. Salliday was often honored with local po- 
sitions of responsibility and honor, and filled 
about all of the township offices. On the question 
of politics, he was always to be found on the side 
of the Democratic party. As a farmer, he was 
very successful and acquired a valuable estate. 
On the 12th of July, 1890, death called him from 
the scene of his labors, when he was in his fifty- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



291 



fourth year. Me lies buried in the Grove City 
cemetery. In his death the community in which 
he had so long made his home feel that they have 
sustained a most severe loss. He was active in all 
good works and public enterprises, was earnest 
in the cause of Christ, being a member of the 
Reformed Church, and was numbered among the 
representative and honored agriculturists of the 
county. In his personal and business relations 
with his fellow-men lie was thoroughly honorable, 
and could be depended on as reliable and just. 
His memory will ever be dearly cherished by his 
many friends and wide circle of acquaintances. 



J. CURRAN, one of the leading merchants 
of Stonington, Christian County, 111., 
was born October 29, 1854, in County 
Mayo, Ireland. He was the fourth in 
order of birth in a family of nine children, live 
sons and four daughters, whose parents were Pat- 
rick and Hannah (Higgins) Curran. Both pa- 
rents were natives of the Emerald Isle, but the 
family removed to England when our subject was 
only about six months old. The father followed 
the life of a farmer, and continued to make his 
home in England until his death. The eldest 
son, Edward, died in infancy. Bridget is deceased. 
Mary is the wife of Timothy Dunn, who fol- 
lows the trade of carpet-weaving in Philadelphia. 
Frank is an engineer on a vessel plying the Lakes 
and running between Buffalo and Chicago. John 
is an overseer in a large distillery in England. 
James, the youngest of the family, is also still 
living in England. 

Our subject remained at home with his parents 
until he was sixteen years of age. He worked in 
the cotton mills and had a very responsible posi- 
tion for a youth of his years. He was not satis- 
fied, however, but believed he would be afforded 
greater opportunities by coming to the United 



States. He took passage on a steamer, which en- 
countered some very severe storms and consumed 
twenty-one days in crossing the ocean. A sister 
had previously located in Thompsonville, Conn., 
and there Mr. Curran first proceeded to visit 
her. He soon went to St. Louis, Mo., where he 
worked for about eight months, a part of the time 
driving a team and afterward obtaining employ- 
ment in the car shops. 

The next business undertaking of Mr. Curran 
was in selling dry-goods, starting out from Litch- 
field, 111., and traveling by team from point to 
point. He followed this business for some three 
years, after which he worked on a farm in this 
county for three years. In company with Erastus 
Murphy, he next engaged in the harness business 
in Stonington. His partnership with Mr. Murphy 
lasted about thirteen months, at the expiration 
of which time he bought out the latter's interest, 
and has since conducted the business by himself. 
In 1887, he added farm implements to his stock, 
commencing on a small scale, but eventually car- 
rying a full line of carriages, buggies and imple- 
ments. He is one of the wide-awake business 
men of the town and is very ambitious. His bus- 
iness has grown to large proportions, and now in 
addition to his present home, he also owns the 
building in which his store is situated. He has 
made a comfortable fortune by his own industry 
and enterprise, as when he came to the United 
States he was a poor boy without a dollar. 

On the 6th of October, 1887, Mr. Curran led to 
the marriage altar Miss Sarah Shanks, who was a 
resident of Stonington. They have one son, Rus- 
sell Emmet. Our subject is independent at local 
elections, but deposits his ballot for Democratic 
candidates at National elections. When the town 
of Stonington was incorporated, Mr. Curran was 
made one of the Trustees. He is a member of the 
Odd Fellows' society, belonging to Lodge No. 695, 
of this place, with which he has been connected 
for a number of years, and which he represented 
in the Grand Lodge at Springfield, 111. He also 
holds membership with the Modern Woodmen of 
America. Mr. and Mrs. Curran have a large cir- 
cle of friends and acquaintances, who hold them in 
the highest respect. 



PORTEAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



|| LBERT SATTLEY, one of the early set- 
^/ j tiers and well-known business men of 

l/ni Taylorville, who is now living a retired 
@jl life, has the honor of being a native of 
Illinois, his birth having occurred in Sangamon 
County, at South Rochester, on the 10th of April, 
1821. His parents, Archibald and Harriet (Haw- 
ky) Sattley, were both natives of Vermont. In 
1819, they came to Illinois, and were married in 
the Eastern part of the State, their union being 
celebrated on the 13th of February, 1819, near 
Carmi, in White County. The father was born 
near Vergennes, Vt., October 2, 1794, and his wife 
was born March 7, 1801. She was a twin sister of 
Mrs. Robert Sattley, and the two brothers and their 
wives removed to Sangamon County in June, 
1819. Our subject was one of eight children. 
Two died in childhood, but the others are still liv- 
ing. His mother died October 13, 1833, and in 
March, 1834, the father married Julia E. Sherman, 
of Vermont. His death occurred in Sangamon 
County, March 16, 1842. 

Upon the home farm the subject of this sketch 
was reared to manhood, and about a year and 
a-lialf after his father's death he went to Spring- 
field, where he engaged in clerking until April, 
1849. Attracted by the discovery of gold in Cal- 
ifornia, he then joined a party of twenty which 
left the capital city for the mines. Fitting out a 
mule-team with supplies, he crossed the plains, 
reaching his destination after six months of travel. 
He entered the mines at Redding, Cal., and also 
sought for the precious metal on the Yuba River, 
being associated with his brother-in-law, Thomas 
Cheney. In 1850, he returned by way of the 
Isthmus route to New Orleans, and then came up 
the Mississippi. The boat on which he made the 
trip had a cholera passenger on board. 

At length Mr. Sattley arrived safely at home, 
and soon afterward resumed clerking in the store 
where he had previously been employed, there re- 
maining until 1854, when his brother-in-law, 
Thomas Cheney, having died, he came to Taylor- 
ville to settle up the estate, and soon purchased Mr. 
Cheney's interest in the store of Shumway & Che- 
ney, the firm name then being changed to Shum- 
way & Sattley. For two years business was car- 



ried on under that style, when Mr. Sattley sold 
out. He then purchased one hundred and sixty 
acres,of land at $20 per acre, situated a-quarter of 
a mile from the square in Taylorville. With the 
exception of forty acres all this has since been 
platted and added to the city. For two years Mr. 
Sattley carried on farming. In 1866, he returned 
to Taylorville, where he and his brothers, Marshall 
and Archibald, established the Sattley Brothers' 
plow shop. Large works were built near the Ohio 
& Mississippi depot about 1873, and the flrm did a 
good business for some years. They also had an 
agricultural implement warehouse, and in their fac- 
tory they manufactured plows, cultivators, har- 
rows, etc. They invested about $10,000 in busi- 
ness and enjoyed a liberal trade. Our subject 
continued a member of the flrm until 1886. His 
brothers carried on the business in Taylorville 
until 1889, when they removed their works to 
Springfield, where they still carry on operations, 
under the name of the Sattley Manufacturing 
Compaii3 r . While a member of the firm, Albert 
attended to the sales department, and until within 
two years he continued to deal in agricultural 
implements. 

On the 21st of September, 1853, Mr. Sattley 
married Susan C. Torrey, who was born in Massa- 
chusetts. March 18, 1831, and is a daughter of Jo- 
seph and Abigail (Sibley) Torrey. Her father 
was born March 25, 1788, in Connecticut. In an 
early day he emigrated to Madison County, 111., 
where he married Olive Slater. After his removal 
to Sangamon County, her death occurred, in 1820, 
and in Millbury, Mass., he was united in marriage 
with Miss Sibley, who was born in the Bay State, 
in 1804. With his wife he returned to Illinois 
in 1836, and spent his remaining days in this 
State. He died on his farm near Illiopolis, Sep- 
tember 2, 1845, and his wife passed away in Tay- 
lorville in 1857. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs." Sattley have been born six 
children. Charles Albert, born July 11, 1854, died 
in Springfield at the age of three years; Ralph, 
born July 7, 1857, died August 18, 1858; Olive, 
born July 26, 1859, graduated from the Illinois 
State Normal School, at Normal, and for the five 
years just passed has engaged in teaching in Lena, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



293 



111.; Walter, horn September 10, 1861, superin- 
tends his father's business affairs; Nellie, born 
November 8, 1864, is cashier at the Hedrick gro- 
cery store; and Grace, born January 27, 1869, died 
in April, 1870. 

The parents and their family are members of the 
Presbyterian Church, are people of sterling worth, 
and have the warm regard of a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances. In politics, Mr. Satt- 
ley has always been a supporter of Republican 
principles, and served as United States Govern- 
ment Assessor for Christian County during the 
war. In connection with his other business inter- 
ests he has also handled real estate, and still owns 
several lots and business buildings in the city, 
from which he receives H good income. He has 
made the most of his opportunities through life, 
and by careful attention to the details of his busi- 
ness, as well as by industry and perseverance, he 
has succeeded in accumulating a competence, which 
now enables him to live retired, resting in the en- 
joyment of the fruits of his former toil. 



JOHN TILLSON ANDERSON, a contractor 
and builder of Taylorville, has spent his 
entire life in Illinois, his native State. He 
was born in Montgomery County, on the 
22d of October, 1830, and is the eighth in order 
of birth in a family of fifteen children, all of 
whom were reared to maturity, but only four are 
now living. The parents were George H. and 
Nancy (Mann) Anderson, the former a native of 
Virginia, and the latter of Tennessee. Their mar- 
riage was celebrated in North Carolina, and for 
some years they lived in Kentucky. About 1827 
they came to Illinois, locating in Montgomery 
County. 

Our subject was reared to manhood upon the 
home farm, and educated in the district schools of 
the neighborhood. He remained under the pa- 
rental roof until after his father's death, when he 
started out in life for himself. He had learned 



the carpenter's trade with his father, who was a 
carpenter as well as a farmer, and followed the 
dual occupation. At the age of twenty-four, Mr. 
Anderson whose name heads this record went to 
Hillsboro, 111., and at once began contracting and 
building. There he carried on business until 1862, 
which year witnessed his arrival in Christian 
County. lie located in May Township, seven 
miles southeast of Taylorville, and for five years 
engaged in operating a rented farm. In 1867 he 
came to this city and at once resumed contracting 
and building, which he has carried on continu- 
ously since, with the exception of three years. 
In 1875 he purchased a furniture store, which he 
conducted until 1880, when he resumed opera- 
tions in his present line. He contracts for all 
classes of buildings, both brick and frame, and has 
erected a large part of the brick blocks around the 
square. He employs an average of six men, a 
fact which indicates that he is enjoying a liberal 
trade. 

We now turn from the business life to the pri- 
vate life of Mr. Anderson, and note that on the 
5th of September, 1854, in Montgomery County, 
111., when twenty-four years of age, he was united 
in marriage with Rachel Easley. She died Feb- 
ruary 1, 1867, leaving two children: Jennie, now 
the wife of Jacob Ballet, a hardware merchant of 
Edinburgh; and Laura, wife of Anson Simpson, 
a teacher now employed in Foreman, N. Dak. 
Mr. Anderson was again married, January 25, 1870, 
his second union being with Sarah E., daughter 
of Alfred E. Boyd, a pioneer of Christian County, 
who had settled near Palmer at an early day. By 
the second marriage there have been born two 
sons and a daughter: Walter H., who is now book- 
keeper for the Taylorville Coal Company; George 
Burton, who is with T. B. Kraft, a plumber; and 
Addie, a maiden of fifteen, who is still with her 
parents. 

Mr. Anderson has always been a stalwart sup- 
porter of Democratic principles, but is not strictly 
partisan. Socially, he is a member of the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen and of the Indepen- 
dent Order of Odd Fellows. He was reared in the 
faith of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 
uniting with that organization at the age of six- 



294 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



teen, and is now serving as Elder of his congrega- 
tion, and has done so over twenty years. Straight- 
forward and honorable in all his business deal- 
ings, and true to every private trust, his upright 
life has gained him universal confidence, and the 
record of such a man we gladly present to our 
readers. 



^, OBERT W. ORR, who for many years has 
been the efficient County Superintendent 
of Schools of Christian County, and who 
will have served in that office for seven- 
teen years on the expiration of his present term, 
is a resident of Taylorville and ranks among the 
leading men of the county seat. As he is widely 
and favorably known, we feel assured that this 
record of his life will prove of interest to many of 
our readers. 

Prof. Orr was born in St. Clairville, Ohio, Sep- 
tember 30, 1833, and is the eldest child of Andrew 
and Ann (McNary) Orr, who were natives of east- 
ern Ohio. In 1854 the family left the Buck- 
eye State and became early settlers of Christian 
County, locating on Buckeye Prairie, in Locust 
Township, where the father carried on agricultural 
pursuits until his death, which occurred two years 
later, at the age of fifty-seven. He lived a quiet, 
unassuming life and had the esteem of all who 
knew him. His wife survived for some years and 
passed away in 1882, at the age of seventy-four. 
The last ten years of her life were spent in Pana. 
On her husband's death she was left with a family 
of nine children to support, and had often a hard 
struggle to provide for them, but she nobly la- 
bored in their behalf. The members of the family 
who still reside in this county are Robert; Marga- 
ret I., wife of Henry Kirk, of Taylorville; Mary 
J., of Pana, widow of G. W. Turnham; and John, 
who is engaged in the groceiy business in Pana. 
Thomas A. resides in Leadville, Colo.; Andrew J., 
in Covington, Ohio; and Kate M., in Denver, Colo. 
Samuel M., who followed farming near the old 



homestead, died at the age of fifty years; Hugh, 
who was a soldier of the Fifth Illinois Cavalry, 
died at the age of twenty-six, when home on a fur- 
lough. 

The Professor was a young man of twenty-one 
when the family came to Illinois, and he aided his 
father in the labors of the farm until the latter's 
death. He was educated in the public schools and 
in the seminary of Bloomingdale, Ohio, which he 
attended one year. He then began teaching in the 
Buckeye State, and after coming to this county 
followed the same profession until his enlistment 
for the late war. On the 14th of August, 1862, he 
joined Company D, One Hundred and Thirtieth 
Illinois Infantry, and was elected Orderly-Sergeant 
on the organization of the company at Edinburgh. 
He was ordered into camp at Taylorville, then 
sent to Camp Butler, and in October the regiment 
joined the army at Memphis. Tenn., where the 
troops went into winter quarters. They joined 
Grant's army, participating in the siege of Vicks- 
burg, and taking part in the battles of Champion 
Hills and Black River Bridge. They took part in 
the entire siege against Vicksburg, and after the 
surrender of that city went to Jackson, Miss., and 
subsequently to New Orleans. While at New Iberia, 
Mr. Orr was ordered to Springfield on recruiting 
service, where he remained until May, 1864. On 
the 1st of March he was commissioned First Lieu- 
tenant and subsequently commanded his company 
as Captain. During his absence as recruiting offi- 
cer many of his company were killed or captured 
at Sabine Cross Roads, Tex., and the regiment lost 
so heavily that it was divided into three divisions, 
Capt. Orr being given charge of Companies A, 
F and D. In February, 1865, the regiment was 
consolidated with the Seventy-seventh Illinois 
Infantry, under which consolidatiou he was mus- 
tered out of the service. 

Mr. Orr then resumed his work in the school- 
room and was employed as a teacher in Sharpsburg, 
Owaneco and Taylorville, having charge of the 
West Side schools of this city for three years. He 
then returned to his farm in Locust Township, 
and while there residing was elected County Su- 
perintendent of Schools, in the fall of 1872, filling 
the office for nine years. Then after an interval 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



295 



of four years spent upon the farm, he was again 
elected, in 1886, and re-elected in 1890, the term 
comprising four years, so that he will continue 
to fill the office through 1894. There are two 
hundred and ten teachers in the county, to whom 
from *35 to $65 a month are paid in the country 
schools, and from $65 to $125 in the graded schools. 
There are thirteen graded schools in the county, 
and two township High Schools, with sixty-four 
teachers. For twenty years annual institutes and 
normal schools have been held for the benefit of 
the teachers, and for ten years the session has 
lasted from two to four weeks, with from one hun- 
dred and fifty to two hundred in attendance. 

Prof. Orr was married July 12, 1870, to Mrs. 
Harriet E. Shumway, widow of Z. P. Shumway, of 
Taylorville. She was born in Connecticut and 
bore the maiden name of Harriet E. Pray. Her 
father, Rev. Paris Pray, is still living in Taylor- 
ville, in his eightieth year. He came here as a 
minister of the Gospel, and about 1858 organized 
the Taylorville Baptist Church, of which he was 
pastor for many years. By her first marriage Mrs. 
Orr had one daughter, Lou A. Shumway, who for 
six years successfully engaged in teaching, but is 
now an invalid and lives with her mother. Unto 
the Professor and his wife have been born four 
children: Lillie, now Mrs. Zimmerman; Daisy, 
Frank and Charlie. Frank and Daisy are students 
in the High School of Taylorville, and Charlie is 
still in the ward school. 

Prof. Orr was reared in the faith of the United 
Presbyterian Church, but he and his wife now be- 
long to the Baptist Church, in which he serves as 
Deacon. He is a Royal Arch Mason, having been 
initiated into the Blue Lodge in Taylorville in 
1867, and is a member of the Grand Army of the 
Republic. He votes with the Democratic party, 
but is not strongly partisan, and is as popular 
among the Republicans as among the people with 
whom he holds similar views. During the late 
war he was a faithful and valiant defender of the 
country, always found at his post of duty. He is 
true to every public and private trust reposed in 
him and has led an honorable, upright life. No 
higher testimonial to his efficient service in the 
office of Count}' Superintendent of Schools can.be 



given than the fact that he has so long held the 
position. It is an office that is won by merit. 
Under the able management of Prof. Orr the 
schools of Christian County are in a flourishing 
condition and would be an honor to any commu- 
nity. 



JOHN A. BOYD, a business man of Palmer 
is a member of the firm of Simpson & Boyd ; 
dealers in hardware and agricultural imple- 
ments. He is a native of this county, hav- 
ing been born in Johnson Township on the 7th of 
October, 1859. He comes from one of the pioneer 
families of the county, being a son of Joseph and 
Minerva A. Boyd, whose sketch may be found on 
another page of this volume. 

John A. Boyd passed his early years on his fa- 
ther's farm in the usual manner of farmer lads, 
and received a good common-school education in 
the district schools. He remained under the paren- 
tal roof until his marriage, which occurred on the 
3d of March, 1885. He chose for his life compan- 
ion Miss Ida A. Cassel, who is a daughter of Al- 
exander and Mary L. (Alexander) Cassel, of Low- 
ell, Ohio. Three children have come to brighten 
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bo3 : d. They areas fol- 
lows: Alfred C., Bunita and Mary. 

For a period of fifteen years Mr. Boyd was em- 
ployed in the grain business owned by his father, 
and for six years of that time was placed in charge 
of the business. In 1892 he severed his connec- 
tion with the firm, and in February, 1893, formed 
a partnership with James M. Simpson, and bought 
out J. W. Lee's hardware and implement business. 
This firm, though almost new, is 'succeeding ad- 
mirably in conducting their new enterprise, and 
in time will undoubtedly have a large share of 
the local patronage. In addition to the money he 
has invested in his business, Mr. Boyd owns a 
good residence propert}' in Palmer. 

Our subject and his estimable wife are members 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which 
the former is one of the Elders. Politically, he 



2!)G 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



supports the Republican party, and social!}' is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows 
and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a 
progressive and enterprising young man, who is 
bound to make a success in the world of business. 
Mr. and Mrs. Boyd move in the best social circles, 
and have won innumerable friends in Palmer and 
the neighboring country. Mr. Boyd is known to 
be a man of upright character and strict integrity, 
and here in the county of his birth, where he is so 
well known, he is most highly esteemed. 



vEERT BAUER. Among the native sons 
of Germany who have been an important 
factor in the progress and development of 
Christian County, is our subject, who owns and 
operates a farm on sections 29 and 30, Greenwood 
Township. He is also one of the veterans of the 
late war, and had only been in the- land of his 
adoption about two years when he enlisted in her 
defense. He took part in a number of important 
battles, being in the service for three years. 

The birth of Mr. Bauer occurred in the King- 
dom of Hanover, Germany, August 9, 1842. His 
parents, Hiram and Hannah (Schlotter) Bauer, 
were likewise natives of Germany, and were the 
parents of ten children, five sons and five daugh- 
ters, namely. Heile; John, deceased; Weerl; Her- 
mann; Engel; Albert; Annie, wife of John Dickin, 
of Germany; Grace, wife of John Parrboom, of 
Greenwood Township; Henry; and Mary, wife 
of Peter Bollen, of Moweaqua. The father of 
these children was a farmer in Germany, and died 
in the faith of the New Lutheran Church when 
seventy-two years of age. His wife, who was also 
a member of that denomination, passed away about 
1884, aged sixty-two years. She was the daugh- 
ter of John Schlotter, who came to America in 
1853 and after residing for two years in Madison 
County, 111., was called from this life. 

Weert Bauer was named in honor of his paternal 



grandfather, who was a farmer and lived to be 
sixty-five years old. Our subject came to Amer- 
ica in 1860, having been for several years filled 
witli a desire to try his fortunes in Madison 
County, 111., where his grandfather had settled a 
few years previously. On his arrival there he 
worked for neighboring farmers, receiving $1.25 
per week, and was thus employed for two years, or 
until his enlistment in the army. He became a 
member of Company A, Ninety-seventh Illinois 
Infantry, and participated in the sieges of Vicks- 
burg, Ft. Henry, Ft. Blakely and many less impor- 
tant engagements. On his return from the war 
he engaged in farming for one summer in Macou- 
pin County, 111. 

On the 14th of September, 1866, Mr. Bauer inar- 
ried Mrs. Annie Miller, widow of Frederick Miller, 
and daughter of John and Mete (Gelkin) Johnson, 
who were natives of the Kingdom of Hanover. Ger- 
many. Seven children were born to our subject 
and wife, as follows: Henry; Rhinehart, deceased; 
Rhinehart, Herman, Annie, William and Lydia. 
Henry married Miss Emma Bair and is a resident 
of Johnson Township; and Rhinehart, who mar- 
ried Miss Lena Elmers, lives in Rosemond Town- 
ship. 

After his marriage Mr. Bauer bought a farm of 
eight} 7 acres in Macoupin County, 111., near Gilles- 
pie, and there engaged in farming for seven years. 
In 1874 he came to Christian County and pur- 
chased a farm of two hundred and seventy acres 
of land in Greenwood Township, on which he has 
since continued to live. He has made a number 
of substantial improvements upon his place since 
it came into his possession and here carries on gen- 
eral farming, but gives his main interest and at- 
tention to raising stock. He has now about fifty 
head of cattle, and deals extensively in that kind 
of stock. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bauer are members of the German 
Methodist Episcopal Church. The former is a 
member of Nokomis Post No. 336, G. A. R. In 
politics he supports the Republican party, and 
though not desirous of political preferment has 
been elected by his fellow-citizens to fill various 
local offices of more or less responsibility. For six 
years he served as Commissioner of Highways and 



TW Library 
of the 

lWv-.!tv mi, 




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y 



Ik* llbfifjr 
of the 

of Illhwli. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was one of the School Trustees for over twelve 
years. He is a business man of ability, and his 
dealings with all have ever been marked by a 
strong sense of justice, and his conduct is in keep- 
ing with the Golden Rule. 



ELDER ALFRED LEWIS, who is now liv- 
ing a retired life, in Taylorville, is widely 
known throughout central Illinois, for the 
greater part of his life has here been passed, and 
he has been prominent in public affairs. He was 
born in St. Francis County, Mo., March 26, 1823, 
and is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Fleury) Lewis. 
The father was born sixteen miles from Philadel- 
phia, Pa., and the mother was a native of Virginia. 
Five times the father crossed the Alleghanies. For 
sixteen years he lived in Missouri, and in 1830 
removed to Sangamon County, 111., locating in 
Cotton Hill Township. In 1846, accompanied by 
his wife, he removed to Delaware County, Iowa, 
where he spent his remaining days, dying in his 
one hundred and first year. His family was noted 
for longevity, his mother having passed the ad- 
vanced age of one hundred and fourteen years. 
His wife died at the age of sixty, but her mother 
survived until past the age of one hundred and 
six. In the family were eight sons and seven 
daughters, of whom five are now living. One son, 
Samuel, was burned in an hotel fire in Centerville, 
Iowa, in 1893. Alfred is now the only resident 
of Illinois. A. G. makes his home in Montana; 
and A. B. is a merchant in Murray, Iowa. Alvin 
resides at Nova Junction, Iowa; and Narcissa Har- 
mon is located in Lyons, Kan. 

Alfred Lewis was a lad of only seven summers 
when, with Ins parents, he went to Sangamon 
County. His boyhood was not an easy one, as he 
was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life, 
and was early inured to the arduous labor of de- 
veloping wild land. At the age of eighteen years 
his father gave him his time, and he began 
working as a farm hand for 17 per month. 
14 



With his first wages he purchased a watch. For 
two years he followed farm work for others, 
and then, forming a partnership, engaged in agri- 
cultural pursuits for himself for about three years. 
His next business venture from 1847 to 1849 was 
in selling "Thomas' History of the United States." 
For three years he canvassed for that work all 
over Illinois. Previously he had been engaged in 
teaching classes in geography. He had also stud- 
ied book-keeping for a day and a-half, and then 
took charge of the books of a store. Being very 
apt and quick, it did not take Mr. Lewis long to 
master any branch of study in which he became 
interested, and one of his teachers said that Mr. 
Lewis, while a student, had taught him how to 
teach arithmetic. 

On the 14th of March, 1850, in Loami, Sanga- 
mon County, 111., Mr. Lewis married Miss Eliza 
Jane Abel, daughter of Dr. J. R. and Julia Ann 
Abel, and a granddaughter of Adam Barger. She 
was born in Rick Creek Township, Sangamon 
County, October 28, 1832. In 1828, at the age of 
twenty-three, her father became a pioneer of that 
county. He engaged in the practice of medicine 
in Sangamon, Montgomery and Christian Coun- 
ties, and died in Taylorville May 11, 1881, from 
the effects of an injury caused by a railroad train 
at Edinburgh. He was then in his seventy-fifth 
year. His widow is now living with her son John, 
at the age of eighty-one. The grandfather, Rev. 
Jeremiah Abel, was a pioneer Methodist minister, 
and died in Macomb, 111. The Doctor was widely 
known throughout the central part of the State, 
and was au influential and highly respected citi- 
zen. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis began their domestic life in 
Loarni, Sangamon County. At that time he had 
a capital of about $1,000, and in connection with 
Dr. Abel he embarked in general merchandising, 
which he carried on for a year; he did not like that 
business, however, so operated a carding machine 
for a year. He then turned his attention to the 
development of land which he had entered in 
Sangamon County, and carried on fanning from 
1852 until 1872. He was a successful agricultur- 
ist and acquired a handsome property. In 1872 
he came to Taylorville in order to afford his chil- 



300 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



dren better educational advantages. At that time 
he owned seven hundred acres of land in his home 
farm, and still retains possession of four hundred 
anfl twenty-five acres of it. He was extensively 
engaged in stock-raising, and some years cleared 
$1,500 from his sales in stock. He also owns four 
farms in Christian County, with an aggregate of 
five hundred and seventy-five acres, besides thirty 
acres within the corporation limits of Taylorville. 
Indolence and idleness are utterly foreign to the 
nature of our subject, and, not content to lay aside 
all business cares, he now has an apiary of from 
seventy-five to one hundred and fifty stands and 
engages in bee culture. His sales of honey have 
amounted to from $200 to $1,000 per year. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were born nine chil- 
dren, but four died in childhood. Sarah Sophia 
is now the wife of James White, of Springfield. 
Maria Adeline is the wife of W. G. Brown, of 
Sangamon County. John S. married Minnie Mc- 
Donald, and lives in Springfield. Louise Theresa 
became the wife of W. E. Barber, and died leav- 
ing one child, Clarence, aged three years. Cor- 
nelia E. is the wife of J. B. Colman, of Taylorville. 
In connection with his extensive business inter- 
ests, Mr. Lewis has found time to devote to the 
cause of the Master, and has been a local preacher 
of the Christian Church since 1860. He is a char- 
itable and benevolent man, and the needy and 
distressed find in him a friend. He has a fine 
library, containing all of the standard authors, and 
is a well-read man. His life has been well and 
worthily spent, and in his declining years he can 
look back over the past with little regret for lost 
opportunities. 



JOSEPH H. BOYD has been a resident of 
Christian County for about half a century i 
and is one of the representative men of this 
section. He owns a fine farm in Bear 
Creek Township, and is also engaged in dealing in 
grain in Palmer. His residence is on his farm, 



which is situated half a mile east of the village. 
Mr. Boyd was born in Christian County, Ky., Jan- 
uary 21 1834, his parents being Alfred and Zilla 
A. (McCormick) Boyd. The father was a native 
of North Carolina and passed his youth in Ten- 
nessee. His wife was born at Herndon, Christian 
County, Ky., where Alfred Boyd made her ac- 
quaintance and where their marriage was cele- 
brated. 

The father was a farmer by occupation, and on 
his arrival in Illinois, on the 6th of April, 1839 
he located on a farm in this county. He became 
the owner of fifty-eight acres of wild prairie land 
and as the years passed increased the extent of his 
possessions until his property comprised two hun- 
dred and thirty-eight acres, besides residence prop- 
erty in Palmer. He was one of the pioneer set- 
tlers, as there were only a few families in this 
neighborhood when he located here, among them 
being Gabriel R. and Lewis Jernigan, William 
Ricks, Col. Bond, Emanuel T. Lee, Sr., Joel 
Trailor and Mr. Clark, About that time Jesse and 
Tom Anderson also located here. Mr. Boyd was 
killed by the cars in 1880, at the age of seventy - 
one years. He was a son of John Bo3'd, who was 
a native of North Carolina, and during the Rev- 
olutionary War was in the service a short time 
He was also a farmer, and reared a large family oi 
fourteen children.. His death occurred in Ten- 
nessee, at the age of eighty-seven years. 

Our subject's mother was a daughter of Andrew 
McCormick, who was also from North Carolina, 
He followed agricultural pursuits for a liveli- 
hood, and died at Herndon, Ky., while still a 
young man. Our subject is one of thirteen chil- 
dren, eight sons and five daughters. Eight of the 
number are still living: Joseph H.; James M.; 
Elizabeth E., widow of Cyrus Denny, of Bond 
County, 111.; Alfred E.; Robert A., of California; 
'Eliza, wife of John Anderson, of Taylorville; 
Josiah L.; and Mary, widow of George E. Ander- 
son, of Lincoln, 111. The mother of these children 
died at the age of sixt3 - -six years. Both she and 
her husband were members of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Chinch, in which Mr. Boyd was a 
Deacon for about forty years. 

Joseph II. Boyd of this sketch was not yet six 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



301 



years of age when his parents removed to this 
county. He was reared on his father's farm, and 
remained at home until his nineteenth year. In 
early life his education was limited, but he after- 
wards pursued his studies by himself and learned 
surveying. On leaving home he was first em- 
ployed on a farm during the summer, and in the 
fall and winter seasons worked for five years in a 
sawmill, located between Palmer and Taylorville. 
Being ambitious and frugal, he managed to lay 
aside a considerable sum, which he invested in 
land, and farmed during the summer. During the 
last two years of his work in the mill, he acted as 
foreman. 

On the loth of September, 1858, Mr. Boyd was 
united in marriage with Miss Minerva A. Donald, 
daughter of John and Polly Donald, of Bond 
County, 111. Seven sons and two daughters were 
born of this union. John A. married Miss Ida 
Cassel and has a family of three children, Alfred 
C., Bunita and Mary. James A. married Miss 
Minnie Kirvy and has one daughter, Vera. They 
reside on the old homestead. Adelai M. wedded 
Miss Lizzie Heuffner, and they live in Appleton, 
Mo., where he is a half-owner in the Appleton 
City Mills. Otis H. is the next in order of birth. . 
Ewing D. married Miss Cora Corn. Calvin O. and 
Robert are the sixth and seventh of the family. 
Olive Luella married James Shrout, of Palmer, and 
is the mother of one child, Earl. Flossie A. com- 
pletes the family. The mother of these children 
was called from this life April 3, 1886, at the age 
of forty-five years, one month and twenty days. 
She was a devout member of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church and numbered many friends 
in the neighborhood of her home. 

Our subject engaged in farming in Johnson 
Township until 1864, carrying on a farm of one 
hundred and thirty-three acres. He then sold the 
place and purchased six hundred and forty acres 
of improved land in Bear Creek Township, and 
also bought considerable other property, about 
eleven hundred acres in all. He is still devoting 
himself to the cultivation of this land and has 
been very successful as an agriculturist. He has 
good improvements upon the farm, which is one of 
the best in this region. 



A marriage ceremony was performed August 5, 
1891, whereby Mrs. Florence Davis became the 
wife of Mr. Boj'd. She was the widow of Alex- 
ander Davis, and a daughter of Harrison and 
Lizzie (Hawthorne) Marquis. One child has been 
born unto Mr. and Mrs. Boyd, a daughter, Emily 
Elizabeth. The mother was formerly identified 
with the Methodist denomination, but is now a 
member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

In the financial crisis of 1873 our subject met 
with severe reverses, as at that time he went secur- 
ity for some men for a large sum of money. It 
was a number of years before he recovered from 
these losses, but he is now prospering financially. 
He has given his children a good education, and is 
giving his boys a good start in business. In pol- 
itics, he is a very strong Republican, but has de- 
clined to fill office. He is a member of Palmer 
Lodge No. 501, I. O. O. F. 



PLETCHER HAINES, one of the prominent 
stock-raisers and farmers of Bear Creek 
Township, whose residence is on section 
5, where lie owns a valuable farm, has lived in 
the Prairie State since 1829. He was born in Ken- 
tucky, near the village of Scotsville, November 5, 
1824, and was therefore only about five years of 
age when he arrived in Illinois. 

The parents of the gentleman of whom we write 
were Christopher and Myra (Gatewood) Haines. 
The former was a native of Virginia, while the 
latter's birth occurred in Georgia. The mother 
was a daughter of Roland Gatewood, of that State, 
who married and removed to Kentucky, where lie 
died in middle life. Christopher Hiines was for 
many years engaged in farming in Barren County, 
Ky., where he was one of the early settlers. In 
1829, he removed with his family to Illinois, set- 
tling near the Torrence Mill, in Sangamon County, 
where he was one of the pioneers. There he con- 
tinued to reside until his death, which occurred 
about 1851, at the age of fifty-three years. His 



302 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



wife survived him until 1860, dying when about 
sixty years of age. They were members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and were devoted 
Christians. 

In the family of ten children who grew to ma- 
turity, our subject is the fifth in order of birth. 
Only six of the family are yet living, the others 
being as follows: John G., Samuel, Frances A., 
Benjamin K. and William F. The boyhood of 
Fletcher Haines was mainly passed in Sangamon 
County on his father's farm, in the cultivation of 
which he assisted until attaining his majority. 
He received a good common-school education for 
those days, and obtained a practical experience in 
carrying on a farm. 

On the 14th of September, 1848, Mr. Haines 
wedded Miss Lucinda Jane, daughter of James 
Hatler, of Kentucky. By that union were born 
two children: J. Will and Sarah M. The latter 
died in infancy, and the mother passed away in 

1851. The son wedded Miss Susan Kessler, and 
is a resident of Taylorville. Their family com- 
prises two children : Fred K. and Floy A. 

The present wife of Mr. Haines was formerly 
Miss Lydia Ann Anderson, and her marriage 
with our subject was celebrated November 4, 

1852. Her parents were Thomas and Nancy 
(Laughlin) Anderson, of Kentucky. By this un- 
ion were born eight children, the two elder of 
whom, Thomas T. and Edgar D., are now de- 
ceased. Millard C. was united in marriage witli 
Miss Annie M. Young, by whom he has three 
children: Dwight D., Glenn and Lyman. Nancy 
Elizabeth became the wife of S. W. Hayes, and has 
two sons: Francis Clyde and Lester Calvin. Mary 
J. became the wife of Jacob Schnepp, and has four 
children: Roy, Harry, Charlie and Fred. Sherman 
II. married Miss Henrietta Kauriff, and has one 
child living, Russell Fletcher. Edith M., now Mrs. 
George Schnepp, is the mother of two sons: Er- 
nest F. and Carroll D. One child who died in in- 
fancy, unnamed, completes the family. 

In February, 1855, Mr. Haines removed to this 
county, becoming the owner of three hundred 
acres of land, a portion of his present farm, which 
at the present time comprises over eight hundred 
acres. Though he has engaged in general agricul- 



ture, he has paid particular attention to raisinj 
stock, cattle and horses, mules and hogs. Whei 
he first came to the county few fences had beei 
placed on the land, and there were no houses ii 
sight of his home. He is numbered among th 
early settlers of this locality and is one of its ref 
resentative men. During the late war he held th 
office of Justice of the Peace, and has also serve 
in several local offices.. He was in the Mexica 
War, and four of his brothers participated in th 
War of the Rebellion. In politics, he espouses th 
measures of the Republican party, and is active! 
in its success. 



PRANCIS M. LONG, who is 
gardening and fruit-growing in Taylo 
ville, is one of the worthy citizens thi 
Ohio has furnished to Christian County. He is 
native of Belmont County, of the Buckeye Stat 
his birth having there occurred on the 16th ( 
January, 1852. He comes, however, from an ol 
Pennsylvania!! family. His grandfather, Williai 
N. Long, was a native of the Ke3 r stone State, an 
served as a soldier in the War of 1812. E 
reached the advanced age of eighty-four year 
His son, William Long, tlie father of our subjec 
was born in Pennsylvania, but in his 3'outh L 
emigrated to Ohio, where he became acquainte 
with and married Miss Susanna Sears. Nine chi 
dren were born of their union, six sons and lint 
daughters, but 01113' three are now living: F. M 
William N. and Albert. In 1866 William Lou 
left Ohio and emigrated with his family to Wayn 
County, 111., locating upon a farm, where he mad 
his home until 1877. He then came to Christia 
County, where he has since made his home. II 
served for a short time in the Civil War, and wa 
ever a loyal citizen. His wife died in May, 1891 
She was a member of the Methodist Episcop? 
Church, and was an active worker in its interests 
We now take up the personal history of Franci 
M. Long, who is widely and favorably known ii 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



this community, and his sketch therefore will 
prove of interest to many of our readers. The 
first fourteen years of his life were spent in the 
State of his nativity, and he then came with his 
parents to Illinois. He remained upon the home 
farm until he had attained man's estate, and to 
his father gave the benefit of his services. The 
district schools of the neighborhood afforded him 
his educational privileges. On starting out in life 
for himself, he followed the occupation to which 
he had been reared, and for a number of years car- 
ried on agricultural pursuits in southern Illinois. 

An important event in the life of Mr. Long oc- 
curred on the 3d of April, 1873, when was cele- 
brated his marriage with Miss Julia Jones, a daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Emma (Andrews) Jones, who 
are natives of this State. Five children have been 
born of their union: Elma, Edward, Cora, Charlie 
and Edith. The family circle yet remains un- 
broken, and all are still under the parental roof. 

The parents are members of the Christian Church, 
and are highly respected people, whose true worth 
has gained them many friends. Socially, Mr. 
Long is connected with Camp No. 30, M. W. A.. 
and politically he is a supporter of the Democratic 
party. Mr. Long has a good home in Taylorville 
and three and a-half acres of land, upon which he 
raises garden vegetables and all kinds of fruit. In 
the market he finds a ready sale for his products, 
and is now doing a good business, which he well 
merits. 






,ICHARD B. TEMPLE, the efficient and 
popular Mayor of Taylorville, is a man of 
sterling worth, whose excellencies of char- 
) acter and fitness for the position have 
placed him at the head of municipal affairs in his 
adopted city. He claims Tennessee as the State 
of his nativity, and was born in Knoxville April 
4, 1846, being a son of James and Mary E. (Alex- 
ander) Temple, the former a native of Georgia, 
and the latter of South Carolina. In 1849, when 



their son was only three years of age, they came 
to Illinois, locating on a farm in Greene County, 
where the father died two years later. The mother 
was thus left with a large family dependent upon 
her. In her later years she removed to Wichita, 
Kan., where her death occurred. 

Our subject was educated in the public schools, 
and remained at home until sixteen years of age, 
when he began earning his own livelihood. Since 
that time he has been dependent upon his own re- 
sources, so that whatever success he has achieved 
is due entirely to his own industry and enterprise. 
He entered upon his business career in a grocery 
store in Rockbridge, 111., where he was employed 
as a salesman for two years. He then went to 
Macon,Macon County, where he engaged in clerk- 
ing in a drug store for about five years. At the 
age of twenty-three he came to Christian County, 
111., and embarked in merchandising in his own 
interest. He also began dealing in live stock and 
subsequently formed a partnership with A. B. 
Chapman. When he began business for himself 
he had a capital of about $1,000. After two years 
he was joined by Mr. Chapman, and operations 
were carried on under the firm name of R. B. 
Temple <fe Co. for two years, they doing a large 
business. Mr. Temple continued business at Ston- 
ington for two years after the dissolution of the 
partnership, and during that time sold over $50,- 
000 worth of goods, besides making extensive 
deals in live stock. 

In the latter line of business Mr. Temple has 
since continued. Removing to St. Louis, he con- 
tinued in the live-stock commission business for 
one year, and was live-stock agent for the Mis- 
souri Pacific Railroad, having charge of the Kan- 
sas business, with headquarters at Wichita, Kan. 
He opened up the Kansas territory for the Mis- 
souri Pacific Railroad Company and secured a 
fine share of the trade in that line. 

Returning to Christian County, Mr. Temple re- 
sumed business in his own interest, and continued 
his residence in Stonington until September, 1891, 
when he came to Taylorville. He yet continues 
to make extensive shipments of stock from Ston- 
ington, Willey, Taylorville and Owaneco. He 
handles about $75,000 worth of stock per year, and 



304 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in some years bis sales of cattle, sheep and hogs 
have reached $150,000. For four years he has been 
engaged in feeding from five hundred to eight 
hundred head of cattle annually, and from five 
hundred to two thousand hogs. 

On the 1st of May, 1872, Mr. Temple mar- 
ried Miss Hattie A. Peabody, of Stonington, daugh- 
ter of W. S. Peabody, deceased. Their union has 
been blessed with two daughters: Maud, who is a 
student in the High School; and Edith G., deceased. 
Mrs. Temple and her daughter are members of the 
Presbyterian Church. Mr. Temple is a member of 
the Modern Woodmen. In politics he is a Repub- 
lican, for two years served as Supervisor of Stou- 
ington,'and in April, 1893, was elected Mayor of 
Taylorville over J. B. Ricks. He has never had a 
law suit, but has lived a quiet, unassuming life, 
that has gained him the confidence and high re- 
gard of all with whom business or pleasure has 
brought him in contact. 



ENJAMIN HAMLIN H ARGRAVES, who is 
engaged in general farming on section 28, 
Pana Township, owns and operates ninety 
acres of the rich land of Christian County. 
His farm is one of the best improved places of the 
neighborhood, neat in appearance and highly cul- 
tivated. The owner is a native of Virginia. He 
was born in Sussex County, on the 26th of Sep- 
tember, 1815, and is a son of Robert Hsu-graves, 
who was born and reared in the same State. The 
paternal grandfather, Jesse Margraves, was a 
native of England, and was the founder of the 
family in America. Robert became a farmer by 
occupation, and also followed school-teaching for 
a number of years. He married Nancy Ellis, who 
was also born in the Old Dominion and was of 
English and Scotch descent. Her father, Benja- 
min Ellis, was likewise a native of England. The 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hargraves was celebrated 
in Sussex County, and they there began their do- 



mestic life upon a farm. He served as a privati 
in the War of 1812, and after that struggle thej 
removed to Kentucky, in 1816, there making theii 
home until 1830, when they came to Illinois. Lo 
eating at Edwardsville, Madison County, they re 
moved thence to Macoupin County, 111., where Mr 
Hargraves entered land from the Government anc 
began the development of a farm, upon which IK 
resided until his death, which occurred at the ag< 
of sixty-six years. The mother there passed awaj 
at tlje same age. 

The subject of this sketch was the second soi 
and child in a family of five children. He was 
only a year old when his parents left Virginia anc 
went to Kentucky, where he remained until i 
youth of fifteen, when he accompanied the familj 
to Illinois. He was reared in the usual manner o; 
farmer lads and received such educational privi 
leges as the district and subscription schools af 
forded. Experience and observation and con tad 
with men and things have made him a well-in' 
formed man. Like a dutiful son, he remainec 
with his parents until their deaths, and tenderlj 
cared for them in their old age, as they hac 
done for him in childhood. He is now the ownei 
of a good farm of ninety acres on section 38, Pans 
Township, where he successfully carries on agrl 
cultural pursuits. 

Mr. Hargraves was once a member of the Far- 
mers' Alliance but is not now connected with thai 
society. In 1892, he made a trip to Oregon on 
the Northern Pacific Railroad and spent about foui 
months in the Far West, visiting many points ol 
interest on the journey. He has long lived in this 
neighborhood, and has therefore witnessed mud 
of the growth and development of the county 
He is recognized as a valued citizen and one that 
manifests a commendable interest in all that per- 
tains to the welfare of the community in which he 
now makes his home. 

On the 3d of December, 1878, Mr. Hargraves 
was united in marriage with Louise M. Randle, a 
daughter of John H. and Sarah (Arnold) Randle. 
the former a native of North Carolina, and the 
latter of Virginia. They were pioneer settlers of 
Illinois. Mr. Randle first came to this State about 
1814, and was for some years in the United States 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



305 



Land Office at Vandalia. In 1825 he went to 
Kentucky and married Sarah Arnold, and three 
years later returned to this State. Settling at 
Edwardsville, Madison County, he there built a 
mill, which he lost by Jire soon after it was erected. 
He later removed to Macoupin County, where he 
spent the remainder of his days. 

In early life Mr. Hargraves was a Whig in poli- 
tics and cast his first Presidential vote for William 
Henry Harrison, in 1840. He has been a supporter 
of the Republican party since its organization. 



LLIAM M. STIVERS is a self-made man 
and enterprising agriculturist, who makes 
his home on section 35, Mosquito Town- 
ship. From his eighteenth year he has made his 
own way in the world, and has risen from poverty 
to a secure income and to a place as one of the 
substantial business men and citizens of Christian 
Count}'. He is a native of Kentucky, born in 
Jefferson County, on the 19th of March, 1844. 

Felix Stivers, father of our subject, was also a 
native of Jefferson County, Ky., and passed his 
entire life in his native State. He followed the 
occupation of a farmer, and was also master of the 
cooper's trade. His father was one of the early 
settlers in the blue grass region, and was of Irish 
descent. Our subject's mother, who bore the 
maiden name of Edna Frederick, was born in Jef- 
ferson County, Ky., and is still living, though 
having passed the allotted three-score and ten 
years. She was the mother of twelve children, ten 
sous and two daughters, only three of whom have 
passed away. 

William M. Stivers remained under the parental 
roof until he was nearly eighteen years of age, 
when he started out to make his' fortune. Com- 
ing West, he arrive'd in Maeon, 111., near which 
place he worked by the month on a farm. He 
continued to be employed by farmers for the suc- 
ceeding five years. He was industrious and care- 
ful with his money, and therefore in the course of 



a few years he was enabled to purchase a farm for 
himself. Previous to this he rented a farm in 
Christian County for several years, and has thus 
been a resident of the count} 7 for considerably 
over half a century. 

On the 10th of November, 1867, Mr. Stivers 
wedded Miss Mary E. Masters, who was born in 
Maryland. They have had a family of ten chil- 
dren, five sons and five daughters: Cora I., Will- 
iam Franklin, Lou Edna, Daniel, Myrtle, Jessie, 
Albert Clay, Emma, Arthur and Altha. The chil- 
dren are all at home, and the older ones have re- 
ceived good common-school educations. 

Fraternally, Mr. Stivers is a member of Blue 
Mound Lodge No. 595, I. O. O. F. He sup- 
ports the Democratic party, but has never been 
prevailed upon to accept any local position within 
the gift of his fellow-citizens. His desirable farm 
is situated three and a-half miles northwest of Blue 
Mound. He has brought the place under good 
cultivation, and has made many substantial im- 
provements upon it. No man in the community 
is more highly esteemed, and his neighbors accord 
him the reputation of being an honorable, enter- 
prising and upright man. His success in his busi- 
ness life is the result of his well-directed energy 
and honest toil, for he commenced in life without 
a dollar, and with only his determination to suc- 
ceed and strong willing hands wrth which to hew 
his fortune. He has succeeded in a marked de- 
gree, and well deserves the competency which he 
has acquired. 



fF^ I CHARD N. EMERSON, deceased. Among 

^M$ the worthy pioneers of Christian County 

*i was our su ' 3 J e ct, who was one of the first set- 

tiers of Stonington Township. He was a 

man of good education and was a musician of no 

small merit. He was born February 17, 1825, in 

Fayette County, Ky., and was the eldest of the 

large family born to Perry and Catherine (Al- 

dridge) Emerson. The father was of German an- 



306 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



cestry and followed tbe occupation of a farmer. 
He passed from this life after having reached an 
advanced age. His wife was also a native of Ken- 
tucky, and was only thirty-five years of age at the 
time of her demise. 

Richard Emerson was only a small child when 
his mother died. His 3'outh was passed in farm- 
ing during the summer months and attending 
school during the winter. He taught in Kentucky 
for several years, and continued in that pursuit 
during the first winter of his residence in Stoning- 
ton Township, this county, to which he came in 
1854. Becoming the owner of eighty acres of 
prairie land, he found his time occupied for sev- 
eral years in bringing it under cultivation. He 
taught school, however, during the winter months 
for a number of years. 

The marriage of our subject to Miss Ann E. 
Keiser took place May 2. 1854. Mrs. Emerson 
was born August 29, 1835, in Fayette County, Ky., 
being a daughter of James L. and Abigail (Stipp) 
Keiser. Her father was born near Lexington,Ky., 
and came to Christian County, 111., in 1854, at the 
same time as our subject! He was a farmer and 
engaged in tilling the soil until his death, when 
in his fifty-fourth year. His wife, also a native of 
Kentucky, died in that State, aged fort_y-one 
years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Emerson became the parents of 
eleven children, six sons and five daughters: Thad- 
deus W., a farmer of Christian County; Joseph 
M., also a farmer, of Stonington Township: Elliott 
M., likewise a farmer of the same township; Henry 
J., who now owns the old homestead, and is one 
of the prominent young men of Hie community; 
Reuben L., a resident of California; George H., 
who is engaged in farming in Christian County; 
Abbie, wife of William Hull, of Taylorville; Ola, 
who owns a store in the same city; Mary E., wife 
of B. F. Winter, an agriculturist of this commu- 
nity; and Ha G. and Emma G., who both died in 
childhood. 

A poor man on his arrival in Christian County, 
Richard Emerson left at his deatli two hundred 
and seventy acres of well-improved land. His 
deatli occurred March 10, 1882. He was quite in- 
terested in political affairs, voting for the Repub- 



lican nominees. As he was one of the first set- 
tlers of the township, he was called upon to fill 
nearly every local office within the gift of the peo- 
ple. He lies buried in the old Stonington Ceme- 
tery, where his last resting-place is marked by a 
substantial monument. He had a host of friends 
and no enemies. His widow survives him and still 
resides on the old homestead. In the early 'days. 
Mr. Emerson often went a number of miles to play 
for a dance or the entertainment of a party of set- 
tlers gathered at the home of one of the number, 
He delighted in music and was a good musician 
for those days. 



JOHN DAPPERT is one of the extensive 
land-owners of Christian County, and is 
ranked among the substantial citizens oi 
Taylorville, where he now makes his home 
A native of Bavaria,'Germany, he was born on the 
7th of September, 1827, and in 1835, at the age oi 
eight years, came with his widowed mother tc 
America. Crossing the Atlantic, he took up hii 
residence in Holmes County, Ohio, where he grew 
to manhood. There he served an apprenticeship 
for three and a-half years with his step-father 
learning the shoemaker's trade. He then sought 
employment in the same line, and worked for five 
months at $5 per month. At the age of seventeer 
he began business for himself, opening a shop ir 
Killbuck, Ohio. For some time he continued hi; 
labors in that State. With his tools in a sack 
which he hung over his shoulder, he would go front 
house to house among the farmers and make shoes 
for the members of the family. At intervals h( 
also engaged in splitting rails. At the end oi 
about two years he had accumulated some 160 
and with his hard-earned savings he opened a shoj 
for himself. When twenty-one years of age, he 
had become owner of eighty acres of land, worth 
*500. To this he added from time to time as his 
financial resources were increased, until his farm 
comprised one hundred and eighty acres. In con- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



307 



nection with the cultivation of his land, he also 
worked at his trade, and in 1864 he had accumu- 
lated about $5,000. 

As a companion and helpmate on life's journe} 7 , 
Mr. Uappert chose Miss Catherine Silveus, who was 
born in Wayne County, Pa., but from her sixth 
year lived in Ohio. Their marriage was celebrated 
on the 7th of November, 1846, and by their union 
were born the following children: Mary Ann, who 
became the wife of Wesley Resler, and died at 
the age of thirty; George, who died at the age of 
twenty-five; John M., who died in infancy; Joseph 
M., who died in childhood; Rosanna, who died in 
infancy; Henry A., a resident farmer of Johnson 
Township; James W., a surve3'or and City Engi- 
neer of Taylorville; Amanda, wife of J. C. Large, 
of Locust Township; Lucy C., wife of Elmer Sho- 
over, who is living near Indianapolis, Ind.; Sarah 
Catherine, wife of Lewis Henney; Emma M., wife 
of Elmer Brooking, who operates the old home 
farm; and Otto Elmer, who died at the age of four 
years. They also have sixteen grandchildren and 
one great-grandchild. 

The year 1864 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Dap- 
pert in Christian County. He settled in Johnson 
Township, purchasing two hundred acres of land 
at $22 per acre. This was an improved farm and 
to its cultivation he successfully devoted his en- 
ergies until the autumn of 1892. He had also 
made other purchases, and his landed possessions 
aggregated six hundred acres, divided into three 
farms of three hundred and sixty, one hundred and 
sixty, and eighty acres respectively. He engaged 
in raising wheat and made a specialty of the breed- 
ing of cattle, sheep and hogs. Mr. Dappert also 
owns nine hundred and sixty acres of land in 
Grant and Stevens Counties, Kan. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Dappert hold the religious 
faith of the United Brethren Church and are mem- 
bers of Mound Chapel, in Johnson Township. They 
have been closely connected with church work, 
and take an active part in all that pertains to the 
upbuilding and promotion of the cause. Mr. Dap- 
pert exercises his right of franchise in support of 
the Prohibition party, being a strong advocate of 
temperance principles. A self-made man, all that 
he now possesses has been acquired through his 



own efforts and the assistance of his industrious 
and frugal wife, for he started out in life empty- 
handed. Overcoming the difficulties in his path 
and surmounting the obstacles, he has steadily 
worked his way upward to success. 



W. MORGAN is numbered among 
the enterprising farmers of Bear Creek 
Township, and has made his home since 
1865 on his farm, which is situated on section 5. 
In addition to general farming he has devoted a 
great deal of his time and attention to raising 
horses, cattle and hogs. He was born in Fayette 
County, Ky., near the city of Lexington, on the 
23d of March, 1835. His parents were James and 
Belinda (Raney) Morgan, who were also natives 
of Kentucky. The father was a farmer by occu- 
pation, and removed with his family from Ken- 
tucky to Illinois in 1837, making a settlement 
near Springfield, in Sangamon County. He there 
became owner of a good farm, comprising some 
two hundred acres, which he cultivated until his 
death, which occurred in 1868. His wife had died 
several years previously. She was a member of 
the Baptist denomination, while he adhered to the 
faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

George W. Morgan was one of six children, three 
sons and three daughters. Three of the number 
are now deceased. Zerilda is the wife of George 
Runyan; and Philemon resides near Wellington, 
Sumner County, Kan. The youth of our subject 
was passed in Sangamon County, on his father's 
farm, where he was early inured to the duties and 
cares of farm life. He lived under the parental 
roof until reaching man's estate. In 1865 he 
came to Bear Creek Township, Christian County, 
and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of 
land, to the cultivation of which he has devoted 
himself up to the present time. He has raised 
large numbers of horses, cattle and hogs, giving 
his special interest to the raising of Norman draft 



308 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



horses. As an agriculturist and business man, he 
has met with distinct success, being accounted one 
ot' the most thrifty farmers of the neighborhood. 
His place is a model one in every respect, and is 
kept up in the best possible manner. 

On the 9th of September, 1859, Mr. Morgan was 
united in marriage with Miss Martha, a daughter 
of Abisha and Millie (Funderburk) Rape. The 
mother was a native of Illinois, while the fa- 
ther came fr.om Tennessee. To our subject and 
his estimable wife was born a family of twelve 
children, six sons and six daughters. Thomas, 
the eldest, chose for his wife Miss Charlotte Ges- 
ell. They have two living children, Bertha and 
Stella. Albert and Mary are next in order of 
birth. William wedded Miss Maggie Mitchell. 
The other living children are: Clara, Millie, James 
and Effle. John F., Sarah F., Moses and Addie 
are deceased. 

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan hold mem- 
bership with the Methodist Church. Our subject 
has always been a Democrat, having cast his vote 
in. favor of its nominees ever since attaining his 
majority. He has discharged the duties pertain- 
ing to several township offices with credit to him- 
self and to the satisfaction of his friends and 
neighbors. He is a man of true worth and recog- 
nized merit, being just and upright in all his busi- 
ness transactions, and being a.man in whom all 
may place implicit confidence. 



&jft LBERT GILBERT BARNES, of Taylor- 
^pu| ville, is well known to the people of 

//flii Christian County. Thomas Macaulay says 
(Hi' that the history of a country is best told 
in the lives of its people. This is certainly true 
in recording the life work of such men ns our sub- 
ject, who has not only witnessed the growth and 
development of the county but has been identified 
with its progress and upbuilding and has aided in 
its advancement. Many of the most important 
business concerns of Taylorville are the result of 
the enterprise and industry of Mr. Barnes. 



Born in Harrisburg, Pa., on the 4th of Septem- 
ber, 1835, our subject is a son of Daniel and Mar- 
garet A. (Richardson) Barnes, who were also na- 
tives of the Keystone State. His father was a 
hardware merchant. In 1840 he came to Illinois 
and located in the capital city. He carried on a 
general store in Springfield, and after coming to 
Taylorville, in 1858, bought a hardware store, 
which he successfully conducted until his death. 
It was the largest establishment of the kind in 
this place, and its proprietor was recognized as a 
leader in business circles. 

At five years of age Albert Barnes went to 
Springfield, at fifteen removed to Decatur, and at 
twenty left that city. While there, however, he 
learned the printer's trade and helped set up and 
roll the first sheet that ever came from a Deca- 
tur press. This was in 1852. The publication 
was the Decatnr Gazelle, of which James Shoaff was 
proprietor. Mr. Barnes worked at the case for 
one year, then aided his father in the store, and 
was also employed for one year as salesman in a 
clothing store. On the 5th of September, 1855, 
he came to Taylorville, and opened a clothing 
store,. the first exclusive store of the kind in this 
city. His stock was valued at about $1,200, but 
owing to constantly increasing demands it was 
steadily enlarged, and he continued trade in that 
line alone until 1862. At that time his stock was 
valued at $10.000. In 1862 he added a stock of 
general merchandise and carried on business alone 
as a dry-goods merchant until 1871, when the 
present firm of Chamberlain & Barnes was formed. 
This partnership has existed continuously since 
1871, during which time they have worked up a 
very large and profitable business. They deal ex- 
clusively in dry goods, carpets and millinery, and 
carrv a well-selected stock of about $30,000. Mr, 
Chamberlain had formerly been a salesman in the 
employ of J. V. Farwell, of Chicago. 

Other business interests also occupied the atten- 
tion of Mr. Barnes, who in 1867 established the 
Christian County Bank. After a year his partner 
Col. John Williams, of Springfield, President oi 
the First National Bank of the capital city, re- 
tired, and the concern became known as the A. G, 
Barnes Bank. On the 1st of January, 1893, his 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



309 



son, A. T. Barnes, became a partner, and business 
is now carried ou under the style of A. G. Barnes 
& Co. Our subject is Treasurer of the Taylorville 
Coal Company and owns a quarter-interest in its 
property. He is also Treasurer of the Taylorville 
Gas Company and has large real-estate interests. 
He built the first brick storeroom of the city in 
1866, and now has four good business rooms 
around the square. He platted and added eight 
acres to the city, under the name of the Barnes 
Addition. He is also owner of the well-known Oak 
Lawn Slock Farm, in connection with his eldest 
son, B. L. This is situated two and one-fourth 
miles southwest of Taylorville, and comprises nine 
hundred and eighty-five acres. Th*ey make a 
specialty of breeding fine standard-bred trotting 
horses, and have on hand upwards of one hun- 
dred registered animals, and about forty standard 
brood mares. In connection with the Oak Lawn 
training stables there is a good half-mile track, 
with twenty-four box-stalls. They have in train- 
ing a number of choice colts from some of the 
most distinguished trotting families in America. 
Some of them give promise of becoming very 
speedy, and taking rank among the record-break- 
ing flyers of the present. Among the many men- 
tion can only be made of a few of the most 
prominent, as "Nut Pine," 2:15^, sired by "Nut- 
wood," dam "Maggie Wilkes," by " George 
Wilkes;" " Sidney Bell, "a three-year-old, sired by 
"Sidney," 2:19, sire of " Frou Frou," a yearling 
with a record of 2:24^. Some of the finest horses 
in the State are found upon Oak Lawn Farm, and 
its stock deservedly brings the highest prices. 

We now turn from the "business to the private 
life of Mr. Barnes, and note that on the 28th of 
August, 1861, in Mechanicsburg, was celebrated 
his marriage with Miss Henrietta Branson, daugh- 
ter of Ben Branson and a native of Sangamon 
County. They have a family of five children, 
namely: Benjamin Lincoln, Albert Thompson, 
Mary Henrietta, Clara May and AVilliam Edward. 
They" also lost two in infancy: Henry A. and 
Harry. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have been members 
of the Presbyterian Church -since 1857. He is a 
Knight-Templar Mason, belonging to El wood 
Commandery of Springfield. He has been Treas- 



urer of Mound Lodge No: 122, A. F. <fe A. M.; 
also belongs to Taylorville Chapter No. 102, R. A. 
M., and to Hazelmere Chapter, O. E. S., of which 
his daughter, Clara May, is also a member. In 
politics, he is a supporter of Republican principles 
but has never sought public office, preferring to 
devote his energies to his business interests, in 
which he has met with signal success. 



JAMES MUIRSON TAYLOR, the senior mem- 
ber of the firm of Taylor & Abrams, at- 
torneys-at-law of Taylorville, is of Scotch 
birth. He was born on the 2d of Decem- 
ber, 1839, in New Byth, Abcrdeenshire, Scotland, 
and is a son of Samuel and Isabella (Lawrence) 
Taylor. His father was a bookbinder and book- 
seller, a man of superior intelligence and an in- 
cessant reader, who took a great delight in collect- 
ing rare books, of which he possessed many. He 
also took an active part in the establishing of cir- 
culating libraries. He and his wife were members 
of the Baptist Church, and carefully looked after 
the religious training of their children. 

Our subject was only about five years old at the 
time of his mother's death. He inherited a liter- 
ary taste, and his books were his dearest compan- 
ions in boyhood. With an elder sister and younger 
brother, he sailed from Aberdeen, April 24, 1854, 
and crossed the Atlantic to the New World, join- 
ing a sister who was living near Millburn, Lake 
County, 111. There he began working as a farm 
hand at $7 per month. He also attended school 
in Lake County, and in the fall of 1856 went to 
La Crosse, Wis., where he aided in setting up an 
engine in a sawmill and became assistant engineer. 
He was thus employed for a year, after which he 
returned to Lake County, where he engaged in 
teaching school during the winter seasons. He 
had attended for a limited time the High School 
of Kenosha, Wis., and the academ}' of Wauke- 
gan, 111. 

Prompted by a desire to aid his country in her 



310 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



struggle to preserve the Union, Mr. Taylor joined 
the boys in blue August 1, 1862, and became a 
member of Company C, Ninety-sixth Illinois In- 
fantry, his younger brother, John Y., having en- 
listed in the same company. The regiment was 
assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and took 
part in all the engagements -throughout the sum- 
mer of 1863. Mr. Taylor was left at a hospital 
for six weeks in Tennessee, and then rejoined his 
command in Georgia. May 9, 1864, at Buzzard's 
Roost, just after the Atlanta campaign had begun, 
he was wounded, a gun-shot shattering his right 
arm, which on the 27th had to be amputated. 
This terminated his career as a soldier. He re- 
mained in the hospital until the 27th of July, 
when he was sent home, but gangrene set in and 
for a long time his life was despaired of. October 
had come before he was even able to ride, and it 
was nearly a year before he had sufficiently recov- 
ered his strength to engage in any kind of labor. 
He was discharged March 20, 1865, with the rank 
of Second Sergeant. His brother was wounded 
at the battle of Chickamauga, and died from the 
effects of snid wound November 24, 1863. 

When lie had somewhat recovered his health, 
Mr. Taylor went to Philadelphia and took a course 
of book-keeping in Bryant & Stratton's Business 
College. In January, 1866, he became a student 
in the law office of Blodgett, Upton & Williams, 
and there remained until October 1, 1868, although 
he was admitted to the Bar in March of that year 
before the Supreme Court. At the date above 
mentioned, he came to Taylorville and formed a 
partnership with Judge Andrew Simpson, which 
connection continued two years. The firm of 
Taylor & Abrams has been in existence three 
years and does a general law practice, receiving a 
liberal share of the public patronage. 

On the 26th of November, 1868, Mr. Taylor 
was married in Waukegan, 111., to Miss Adelia A. 
Stewart, a native of this State, and unto them have 
been born seven children, as follows: Samuel S., 
who is now proprietor of a book store in Taylor- 
ville; Mary F., who was educated in Mt. Carroll 
Seminary and Moulton College; Mabel Geneva and 
Leslie J., who are students in the High School; 
John W., George G. and Clara Isabel. The fam- 



ily circle yet remains unbroken and the children 
are still at home. The household is the abode ol 
hospitality and its members rank high in social 
circles. 

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are members of the Baptist 
Church and take an active part in church work, 
He has served as Trustee for a number of years 
and has also been Superintendent of the Sunday- 
school. The early religious training given oui 
subject by his parents has borne fruit in his 
honorable, upright life. Socially, he is a mem- 
ber of the Odd Fellows' society and Encampment 
belongs to the Knights of Pythias and to Francis 
M. Long Post No. 392, G. A. R. In these various 
orders he has held a number of offices. In poli- 
tics, he is an inflexible adherent of the Republican 
party, and has been an active campaign worker 
making many speeches in support of the candi- 
dates of that party. With the same fidelity, with 
which he went to the relief of his country when 
the Union was in danger, .he discharges his duties 
of citizenship, taking an active interest in all thai 
pertains to the welfare of the community. He has 
now been engaged in the practice of law with 
marked success for about a quarter of a century 
and is classed among the prominent legal practi- 
tioners of Christian County. 



JB. WADDINGTON, a farmer, residing on 
section 26, Rosemond Township, and a hay 
and grain dealer of the village of Rose- 
mond, is a native of the Buckeye State, 
He was born in Harrison County, on the 30th ol 
November, 1839, and is a son of William and Ann 
(Wallace) Waddington. His father was born in 
England, and in his native land was reared tc 
manhood. On attaining his majority, he crossed 
the Atlantic and located in Harrison County 
Ohio, where he was united in marriage with Miss 
Wallace, a native of Stark County, that State 
They located upon the farm where our subject 
was born, and there resided until 1851, when they 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



311 



removed to Tuscavawas County, Ohio. There the 
father's death occurred at the age of seventy-five 
years, while the mother was called to her final rest 
at the age of sixty -eight. Unto them was born a 
family of nine children, six sons and three 
daughters. 

Our subject is the eldest. He was eleven years 
of age at the time of the removal to Tuscarawas 
County, where he was reared to manhood, re- 
maining under the parental roof until he had 
attained his majority. Mr. Waddington has been 
twice married. In 1862, he chose as a companion 
and helpmeet on life's journey Miss Mary J. 
Ximmerman, a native of Ohio, who died, leaving 
four children: Emma, who is now living in the 
Buckeye State; Anna, wife of Charles Negley, of 
New Philadelphia, Ohio; Maggie, wife of Edward 
Loney, of the Buckeye State; and Harry, who 
married Aggie Dodge, and is now a prominent 
farmer of Rosemond Township. Mr. Waddington 
was again married, on the 8th of June, 1873, his 
second union being with Miss Maria C. Grimes, 
who was born in Mill Township, Tuscarawas 
County, Ohio, and in that community resided 
until eighteen years of age, when she removed to 
New Philadelphia. Eight children grace this 
union, four sons and four daughters, as follows: 
Lucy, Jennie, Grace, Mary, James C., Emmett, 
Frank and Ralph. 

After his first marriage, Mr. Waddington located 
on a farm in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where he 
carried on agricultural pursuits until the spring of 
1881, when he came to Christian County. He 
took up his residence upon the farm which is still 
his home. It comprises one -hundred and sixty 
acres of good land, and the place is well improved 
with good buildings, and the fields are well tilled. 
In connection with general farming he entered 
into the grain and hay business in 1892, and has 
an elevator in Rosemond. Industry and enter- 
prise are numbered among his chief characteristics 
and have doubtless been the means of bringing 
him the success which has crowned his efforts and 
made his life a profitable one. 

In his political views, Mr. W'addington is a 
Republican. He has served as School Director, 
and the cause of education finds in him a warm 



friend. He himself is a well-informed man, hav- 
ing gained a good general knowledge, not only 
through textbooks, conned in the schoolroom, 
but through experience and observation as well. 
Socially, he is connected with the Modern Wood- 
men Lodge of Rosemond, and is a member of the 
Congregational Church. 



EH. DAVIS was for many years one of 
the respected agriculturists of Taylorville 
Township, and owned a farm located on 
section 2, to the cultivation of which he gave his 
attention until he was summoned to rest from his 
labors. He was born in Warren County, Ohio, 
near Lebanon, October 25, 1827, being one of 
eleven children whose parents were Richard and 
Rebecca Davis. 

The boyhood of our subject was passed in the 
usual uneventful mannerof a life which is spent on 
a farm, but there he received a practical training in 
agricultural duties, which was the basis of his fu- 
ture success. His time was divided between ac- 
quiring an education in the district schools and 
rendering such assistance as was in his power to his 
father. On attaining his majority he began working 
at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for only 
a couple of years, and then returned to farming. 
He remained in Warren County, Ohio, until 1854, 
when he determined to try his fortune in the 
West. 

On his arrival in Illinois Mr. Davis first set- 
tled in Adams County, where he became the owner 
of a one hundred and twenty acre farm, on which 
he continued to live for twelve years. In the 
spring of 1866 he came to Christian County, and 
after renting land for two years, while making up 
his mind where to invest, he purchased a farm 
on section 2, Taylorville Township, which was his 
home until his death. This place comprises one 
hundred and sixt}' acres and is well adapted for 
general farming and stock-raising. 

Prior to leaving his native State, Mr. Davis was 



312 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



united in marriage on the 10th of November, 1851, 
to Miss Adria M. Beel, who is a daughter of Noah 
and Rebecca (Kirby) Becl, natives of Warren 
County. Mrs. Davis is one of ten children, and by 
her marriage has become the mother of eight, as 
follows: John C., who operates the old homestead; 
George C., a resident of Taylorville; James II 
who lives in Missouri; Alice M., wife of Reube 
Bunstine, of Renton, Wash.; Richard, who is 
farmer of Taylorville Township; Adolphus, who 
also located in the State of Washington, being 
farmer in Thurston County; Jennie, wife of Frank 
Anderson, of Taylorville; and Isabella, who lives 
with her mother. 

In everything pertaining to the public welfare, 
Mr. Davis was greatly interested, and held a num- 
ber of offices within the gift of the people. Among 
others he was Road Commissioner and School Di- 
rector, and was a stanch supporter of the best edu- 
cational facilities. In politics, he affiliated with the 
Democratic party. Both he and his wife were 
members of the Dunkard Church, to which the 
latter still belongs. The death of Mr. Davis oc- 
curred April 14, 1873, and his remains were in- 
terred in Taylorville Cemetery. He was respected 
and beloved by all who knew him, and was a man 
of upright character and true worth. 



eONRAD STORK is the fortunate possessor 
of one of the best improved farms of Ston- 
ington Township, his home being made on 
section 33. The farm is located only two miles 
south of Stonington Station. Mr. Stork, who is one 
of the representative farmers of Christian County 
and a native of Germany, was born November 21, 
1837, in Bavaria, being the youngest in his fa- 
ther's family. 

John and Barbara (Mauelem) Stork, the parents 
of our subject, were, like him, natives of Bavaria. 
The father was a wagon-maker by trade, which 
calling he followed until his death, which occurred 



when he was in the prime of life, at forty-foui 
yeaj-s of age. His wife did not long survive him 
but was called from this life in her fifty-first year 

A lad of only eight years at the time of his fa- 
ther's death, Conrad Stork went to live with ar 
uncle on a farm, where he continued to make hi; 
home for five years. He was only thirteen when 
he crossed the Atlantic and went to work on a 
farm near Utica, N. Y., for $3 per month. At this 
employment he continued for five years, afterward 
going to Adams Count} 7 , III., where for four yean 
longer he worked by the month for farmers. Go- 
ing from there to Logan County, he was employed 
at farm work until the 9th of August, 1862, when 
he enlisted for the defense of his adopted land, 
Joining Company B, One Hundred and Sixth Illi- 
nois Infantry, he served until the close of the war 
but never participated in an important battle, 
He was discharged from the service July 12, 1865, 
at Pine Bluff, Ark. 

On his return from the war, Mr. Stork clerked 
for three years in a general store in Logan County, 
after which he rented and operated a farm one 
year. For fourteen years subsequently he rented 
land in Austin Township, Macon County. Com- 
ing to Stonington, this county, in 1885, he became 
the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of 
partly improved land, on which he still resides. 
It is now one of the best pieces of property in the 
township. The owner has made many improve- 
ments upon it and has set out several acres of fruit 
trees. 

The marriage of Mr. Stork and Miss Mary E. 
Schick was celebrated October 28, 1865, soon after 
his return from the South. The lady was born in 
Logan County, 111., and is a daughter of Frank 
and Margaret (Young) Schick, who were old set- 
tlers of that county and both natives of Germany. 
Mr. Schick located in Illinois in 1839, and for 
many years prior to his death, which occurred at 
the age of seventy years, he was engaged in mer- 
chandising in Pulaski. Seven children have been 
born to our subject and wife. Frank is still at 
home and assists in managing the home farm; 
Annie is the wife of Henry Polk, a former of Ne- 
braska; Katie married William Colbrook, a farmer 
of this county; Lizzie, Maggie, Christina and John 



rORTEAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



313 



complete the family. Mr. Stork and the other 
members of his household are members of the 
Catholic Church. He deposits his ballot in favor 
of the Democratic party. 



.^ffl AMUEL BROWN, who is now living a re- 
^^? tired life in Taylorville, was born in Cum- 
(fi^J berland County, Pa., two miles from Carl 

~^^ isle, February 26, 1818. His father, George 
Brown, removed to Ohio with his family in 1831, 
and in 1845 went to Shelby County, 111. About 
1854 he left Taylorville and went to Blooming- 
ton, where his death occurred in 1857. 

Samuel accompanied the family to the Buckeye 
State in 1831, and with his father learned the 
shoemaker's trade. Ere leaving Ohio, he was mar- 
ried, on the 31st of March, 1839, in Mt. Vernon, 
to Miss Margaret Sapp, and the following year 
started Westward with a desire to try his fortune 
on the broad prairies of Illinois. He cast in his 
lot with the early settlers of Shelby County, and 
there purchased a small tract of land. In those 
days trade was mostly barter. Mr. Brown operated 
his farm in Cold Spring Township, which was sit- 
uated a mile and a-half north of Williamsburg, 
until the autumn of 1846, when he began working 
for James C. Morrison, a tanner. He worked 
that winter at Mr. Morrison's home, and the next 
spring he opened the first shoe shop in Taylor- 
ville. Since that early day he has been promin- 
ently connected with the various interests of this 
city. Mr. Morrison's was the only tannery in the 
locality. Our subject formed a partnership with 
that gentleman, and together they carried on busi- 
ness for one year, after which the connection was 
discontinued and Mr. Brown was in business alone 
until 1852. 

In 1852, our subject resumed farming, which he 
followed for two years. In 1854, he went West to 
Nebraska, but the Indians still held that country 
and he could not enter land until May, 1855. 
While waiting at Mormons' Ferry, on the Missouri 



River, he lost his wife, who was called to her final 
rest in January, 1855. However, he continued 
his journey, and, crossing the river, made a claim 
on Rock Creek, of which he took possession in 
May. There he remained for two years and then 
returned to Illinois. Again taking up his resi- 
dence in Taylorville, he was here variously em- 
ployed for some years. He carried on farming, 
dealt some in real estate, and for an extended 
period served as Constable, tie was elected to 
that office in 1858, and for thirteen consecutive 
years filled the position with credit to himself and 
to the satisfaction of all concerned, as is indicated 
by his long term. Mr. Brown has also engaged in 
renting houses. He has built a number of resi- 
dences, which he rents, and also has the rental of 
dwellings belonging to other parties, but, practi- 
call3 r ,he is living a retired life, and his rest is well 
deserved, for his career has been a busy and useful 
one. 

Mr. Brown was a second time married, May 3, 
1857, Amanda C. Brown becoming his wife. She 
was at that time a resident of Cass County, Neb., 
but was born in Ohio, and was reared in Decatur, 
111. Her father, Henry M. Brown, was the propri- 
etor of the Social Hall Hotel of that city. By 
the first marriage were born six children: Willard 
Jackson, who is a carpenter and Street Commis- 
sioner of Taylorville; Harriet, wife of Levi A. 
Witherell, of Taylorville; Martha Ellen, wife of 
William Fasriacht, of Denver; Adelaide, who be- 
came the wife of W. B. Nicodcmas, of Taylorville, 
and died at the age of forty; Jerome, who died in 
infancy; and Oliver, who died in Taylorville, in 
1883, at the age of thirty. By the second union 
were born the following*children: Clara, wife of 
P. D. Biggs, of Kansas City, Mo.; Etta, wife of 
W. H. Moore, of Taylorville; Eva, who is a success- 
ful teacher, now employed in Assumption; Minnie, 
also a teacher in the schools of Assumption; Edna, 
who is cashier and book-keeper in the Morrison 
store of Taylorville; Grace, who died at the age 
of seven years; two children who died in infancy; 
and Eugene and Roy H. at home. 

Mr. Brown has been an eye-witness of the 
growth of Christian County for more than half a 
century and has been prominently identified with 



314 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



its upbuilding and development, doing all in his 
power for the promotion of its best interests. He 
well deserves to be numbered among its honored 
pioneers, and is justly classed among its best citi- 
zens, for his life has been one of uprightness and 
has won for him the high respect of all. 



JOHN G. DRENNAN, Taylorville's young 
and brilliant attorney, was born in Caldwell 
County, Ky., December 3, 1854. His pa- 
rents were John L. and Henrietta (Wim- 
burley) Drennan, the former of Irish, and the 
latter of French and German, descent. Their 
early ancestors came from the Old Country to the 
Carolinas and went thence to Kentucky. The 
family moved from the latter State to Illinois in 
the fall of 1856, and settled in Mt. Auburn, 
Christian County. Subsequently they occupied 
the Drennan homestead in Mosquito Township, 
where the _subject-of this sketch worked on his 
father's farm until he had attained his majority, 
with the exception of the last three winters, when 
he taught school, giving his father all the proceeds. 
On the 15th of March, 1876, John Drennan en- 
tered the law office of Hon. B. Jones, of Taylor- 
ville, as a law student. He passed a most thorough 
written examination for admission to the Bar at 
Springfield, December 3, 1878, acquitted himself 
with much credit, and received the highest grade 
in a class of seventeen applicants. In January, 
1879, Hon. H. M. Vandeveer, one of the Judges of 
the Fifth Judicial Circuit, appointed him Master 
in Chancery of the county, which position he filled 
for two years. About the same time he formed a 
law partnership with his preceptor, Mr. Jones, 
which continued until the fall of 1880, when Mr. 
Drennan was elected State's Attorney of his 
County. His success as a lawyer and prosecuting 
attorney was quite pronounced from the start. He 
was re-elected State's Attorney in the fall of 1884, 
and continued to fill that position acceptably until 
the expiration of his term, in the fall of 1888, 



when lie declined further candidacy. He wa 
a vigorous and uncompromising prosecutor an 
during his eight years' service secured over on 
thousand convictions, with less than twent' 
acquittals. As State's Attorney he paid over t 
the school fund of the county nearly $3,500, 
larger sum than has been paid by all the prosecut 
ing attorneys from the organization of the count 
up to the present time, although the county ha 
always had excellent prosecutors. Mr. Drennan, be 
ing an active and uncompromising Democrat, th 
Republicans, who secured the control of the Boan 
of Supervisors of the county about the close of hi 
term, sought to break him down by a partisan in 
vestigation. After a most thorough investigatior 
instead of Mr. Drennan being a defaulter, th 
county was found to be indebted to him ove 
$200, which the succeeding Board of Supervisor 
paid him. 

Mr. Dren nan's accomplishments as a lawyer an< 
business man are as varied as the avenues of th 
profession. He is strong in all its departments, am 
prosecutes or defends civil or criminal cases will 
equal ardor and success. He has been on almos 
every important case that has been tried in Chris 
tian County within the past ten years, and ha 
also practiced much in the counties of Sangamon 
Macon, Shelby, Forsythe and Montgomery. H 
has taken part in more than twenty murder trial 
with exceptional success, and he prosecuted tin 
only case where capital punishment was admin 
istered in the county. Mr. Drennan 's keen sens 
of public justice and his personal courage receivec 
a powerful test in the upsand downs of the famou. 
Emma Bond case, lie vigorously prosecuted the de 
feudants, but when the mob broke into the jail anc 
took the three defendants to the court house yar( 
to hang them, Mr. Drennan at the risk of his owr 
life, which was loudly and furiously threatened 
faced the mob, and in a speech of over an houi 
brought the maddened and misguided crowd tc 
their senses and secured the return of the prison 
ers to the jail, for which he received an autograpt 
letter of thanks from Hon. Shelby M. Cullom, thei 
Governor of the State. 

For years Mr. Drennan has been the locaKattor- 
ney for the Wabasb and Ohio & Mississippi Rail- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



315 



road Companies, the Panama Coal Company, and 
the First National Bank of Taylorville, and lias 
practiced much in the Appellate, Supreme and 
Federal Courts. He was one of the attorneys 
that tested and defeated, in the Supreme Court, 
the noted Truck Store Law. He recently assisted 
the United States District Attorney, Hon. W. E. 
Shutt, in representing the Government in tlie pros- 
ecution of the famous Benton-Newby case, in the 
Federal Court at Springfield, 111., in which the 
victory of the Government was most signal. Over 
two hundred and fifty witnesses were examined, 
the case lasting for two weeks. Mr. Drennan 
opened the argument for the Government in a 
three-hour speech, which was characterized by the 
St. Louis, Springfield and other papers as the most 
powerful and convincing speech ever delivered in 
the Federal Court. 

Mr. Drennan is an industrious, enterprising and 
public-spirited citizen. He began penniless, and 
has accumulated quite a competency, having now 
over twelve hundred acres of good land in 
this county. He organized the Taylorville Coal 
Company, the Electric Light Company, and assisted 
in the organization of the First National Bank of 
Taylorville, of which he was a Director until he 
removed to Springfield. John E. Hogan, a prom- 
ising young lawyer, who was formerly a student 
of our subject, has been in partnership with Mr. 
Drennan for several years, and the connection still 
continues in Taylorville. 

On the 1st of June, 1892, Hon. John M. Palmer, 
now United States Senator for Illinois, and Hon. 
"William E. Shutt, now United States District Attor- 
ney for the Southern District of Illinois, who have 
for years formed one of the foremost law firms 
of Springfield, invited Mr. Drennan to join them 
as a full partner. He accepted the offer and re- 
moved to Springfield, where he still resides,and we 
are reliably informed that the association has been 
most agreeable as well as profitable to all con- 
cerned. Mr. Drennan has long held the position 
of Judge Advocate of the State of Illinois in the 
Uniformed Rank of the Order of Knights of 
Pythias, with the rank of Colonel, and a like posi- 
tion on the staff of Gen. Barkley, of the Second 
Brigade of the Illinois National Guards. He 
15 



served several terras on the Board of Aldermen 
in the city of Taylorville, and was regarded as a 
public-spirited and efficient officer. 

On the 26th of May, 1881, Mr. Drennan mar- 
ried Maggie, daughter of Dr. L. B. Slater, of 
Taylorville. He and his wife are the happy pos- 
sessors of two energetic boys: Leonard H., born 
January 4, 1888; and Walter R., born October 20,' 
1889. Their last child, a beautiful little girl, died 
in infancy. For several years before her marriage, 
Mrs. Drennan was a teacher in the public schools 
of Taylorville. She is an accomplished lady, a 
woman of rare judgment, and to her wise counsel, 
faithful companionship and practical economy, Mr. 
Drennan attributes much of his success. Our sub- 
ject is a man of pleasing address, frank and open 
in manner, though firm in his convictions. Quick, 
logical and resolute, possessing excellent qualities 
for combining forces, he is devoted to his profes- 
sion, and we predict for him a bright future. 



|jj? NDREW JACKSON WILLEY is the senior 
||O member of the firm of A. J. Willey & Son, 

Jfflfi of Taylorville, dealers in lumber. A na- 
il^ tive of Ohio, he was born in Ross, Hamil- 
ton County, January 31, 1832, and is a son of 
Horace and Anna (Tate) Willey. His father was 
a native of Massachusetts, and his mother of Penn- 
sylvania, hut in youth they emigrated to Ohio, 
where their marriage was celebrated. Their re- 
maining days were spent in Hamilton County, 
where they were highly respected citizens. The 
father enlisted for the War of 1812, but was never 
mustered in. 

The subject of this sketch spent the days of his 
boyhood and 3'outh in his parents' home, and re- 
mained in the county of his nativitj 7 until twenty- 
six years of age. On attaining his majority he 
left the parental roof and began earning his own 
livelihood. On the 31st of December, 1857, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Miller, and 



316 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in March, 1858, emigrated Westward with his 
young wife. With the hope of bettering his fi- 
nancial condition in Illinois, he cast his lot among 
the early settlers of Christian County, locating 
eight miles south of Taylorville, on Buckeye 
Prairie. He had twice visited this county before, 
and was pleased with its prospects and advantages. 
With a capital of $2,000 he reached his destination, 
and invested the same in land, buying a partially 
improved tract of two hundred acres, at $13 per 
acre. 

For many years thereafter, Mr. Willey was en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits. He remained upon 
his first farm until 1871, and increased its value 
to from $35 to $40 per acre. He raised both grain 
and stock, and made his place one of the best 
farms in the community. In 1871, he came to 
Taylorville. He purchased a farm near Willey 
Station, five miles from the county seat, on the 
Wabash Road. That comprised two hundred and 
forty acres, and he also bought another tract of 
one hundred and twenty acres. Tins land he op- 
erated successfully for fourteen years, and in addi- 
tion carried on stock-raising, although he still 
made his home in the city. In 1884, however, he 
retired from agricultural pursuits, and in 1887 he 
opened a lumber-yard in Taylorville, on the Ohio 
& Mississippi Railroad. 

In 1875, Mr. Willey was called upon to mourn 
the loss of his wife, who died on the 5th of May. 
He was again married, May 23, 1878, his second 
union being with Cordelia, daughter of George 
W. Vollentine, one of the early settlers of Bond 
County, where she was born. They have one son, 
Horace S., who has been a partner in the lumber 
business since 1889. 

Willey Station was named in honor of an uncle 
of our subject, Israel Willey, who is now deceased. 
He gave the site of the town and did much for its 
upbuilding. He came to Christian County in 
1845, and was one of its large land-holders. His 
death occurred about twenty years ago. 

In his political views, Mr. Willey has always 
been a Republican and ever votes that ticket, al- 
though he has never been an office-seeker. For 
twenty years he has been a member of the Presby- 
terian Church. In addition to his business in 



Taylorville, he is also interested in Chicago n 
estate. He invested about $12,000 in the luml 
trade and now does an annual business of $40,0( 
In addition they have a branch yard at Owanei 
Mr. Willey is a man of good business ability, a 
his success in life has been achieved as the resi 
of his labor, perseverance and enterprise. His < 
reer has been characterized by honorable dealin. 
and he has therefore gained the confidence and 
teem of all with whom he has been brought 
contact. 



REDERICK PAYNE, who is now maki 
s home in Palmer, is retired from bu 
iss life, enjoying a well-earned rest afi 
years of industrious effort in the battle of life. ] 
is a veteran of the late Civil War, and in times 
peace as well as in the hour of his country's pe 
has been a patriotic citizen. He was born in Gi 
rard County, Ky., February 1, 1826, being a son 
Robert and Sarah (Stipe) Payne, who were be 
natives of the Blue Grass State. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject, A 
brose Payne, came to America at the time of t 
Revolutionary War, soon after the close of whi 
he settled in Kentucky, and there reared his lar 
famil}'. His death occurred when he was still 
the prime of life. Frederick Slipe, the rnateri 
grandfather, was a native of Scotland. On co 
ing to America, he went to Indiana, where 
made his home for some years, engaged in agrici 
tural pursuits. In later years he removed to Ke 
tucky, where he lived to a good old age. 

The life occupation of Robert Pavne was th 
of a farmer, and most of his 3'ears were spent 
Kentucky. In early life he lived for four ye* 
in Indiana, but returned to his native State. '. 
1850 he removed with his family to Illinois, ai 
made a settlement in Christian County, on Be 
Creek, in the township of the same name. The 
he bought and carried on a farm of one hundn 
acres. He did not long survive his removal, as 1 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



317 



3ied July 24, 1851, aged fifty-one years. His wife 
iied a few days later, on the 3d of August. They 
were members of the Baptist Church, in which Mr. 
Payne was an officer. 

Our subject is one of a large family which con- 
sisted of five sons and eight daughters. Only 
;hree of the number are now living. Kittie Jane 
s the wife of William T. Fulcher, of Mattoon, 111.; 
ind Martha Susan is the wife of Frank Hay, of 
Indianapolis, Ind. The boyhood of Frederick 
Payne was passed in Kentucky, and with his par- 
ints he removed to Illinois in 1850. Since that 
ime he has been a resident of this county with 
he exception of one year spent in Montgomery 
bounty. His early education was received in the 
ild-fashioned subscription schools of the day. 
iVild game was then abundant in this region, and 
'requently deer, wolves and wild turkeys fell be- 
:ore his unerring aim. He resided with his pa^ 
ents until reaching man's estate. His farm com- 
irises one hundred and ninety-three acres of good 
and, a part of which is in the corporate limits of 
he town. Mr. Payne also owns other desirable 
illage properly and has acquired a competence 
or old age. 

On the llth of September, 1846, Mr. Payne was 
inited in marriage with Miss Mary Ann Bell, a 
laughter of Lewis and Elizabeth (Allen) Bell, of 
[entueky. By this union three sons and two daugh- 
ers were born, who are in order of birth as fol- 
DWS: Lewis F., now deceased; Robert; Sarah E. and 
Willis M.. also deceased; and Mary Jane. Robert 
larried Miss Mary J. Compton, and has two chil- 
,ren, Emma and Robert. Mary Jane, who became 
lie wife of Thomas Bradley, of Palmer, is the mo- 
her of eight children, as follows: Lillie Belle, 
Idith Ann, Frederick, Clara F., James, Minnie 
lay, Hiram and Eva. 

For a number of years Mr. and Mrs. Payne were 
lembcrs of the Baptist Church, but of late years 
ave been identified with the Christian Adventist 
Ihurch. In politics, our subject is a Republican 
nd served for one year as Justice of the Peace, 
)uring the War of the Rebellion he went to the 
efense of the Union, his name being' enrolled as [ 

member of Company G, Fifth Missouri Cavalry, 
le served for three years and six weeks, taking 



part in a number of important skirmishes and bat- 
tles, and was sent in the raid after Gen. Price. He 
is now a member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
public. 



JAMES HENRY DICKERSON, one of the 
most prominent physicians of Christian 
County, now resides in Taylorville, al- 
though his practice extends far beyond the 
limits of the city. In professional circles he cer- 
tainly ranks high, and his skill and ability make 
his reputation well deserved. The Doctor was 
born in Washington, Ind., June 24, 1847. His 
parents, John and Mary (Bell) Dickerson, were 
natives of Kentucky, and when young people 
came to Illinois. They were married in Sangamon 
County, and afterward removed to Indiana. The 
grandfather, Isaac Dickerson, had .emigrated to 
this State, but left it for the Hoosier State. The 
maternal grandfather, Robert Bell, also became 
one of the pioneers of Sangamon County. John 
Dickerson returned with his family to Sangamon 
County, and there lived for many years, but he 
and his wife now reside on their farm a mile west 
of Taylorville. Throughout life he has followed 
agricultural pursuits. In the family were six 
children, five of whom are yet living. One 
daughter, Alice, is now the wife of Dr. A. F. 
Hammer, of Taylorville. 

The subject of this sketch was on\y three years 
of age when his parents returned to Sangamon 
County. Upon the home farm he remained until 
seventeen, when for two years he attended the 
State Normal School. He then engaged in teach- 
ing for two winters, while in the summer months 
he aided his father in the labors of the field. 
Previous to this time he had begun reading 
medicine, and while teaching, during his leisure 
hours and at other spare moments, he studied 
medicine in the office of Dr. Brooks, of Spring- 
field. Later he pursued a course of study in the 
Philadelphia Medical College, from which he was 
graduated in the Class of ^70 with the degree 



318 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



of M. D. After thirteen yenrs of practice he took 
a post-graduate course in Rush Medical College, of 
Chicago; two years later took the Bellevue 
regular course, and six years afterward, when he 
had practiced for twenty years, took the regular 
course at the medical department of the California 
University. The Doctor has spared neither labor 
nor expense in perfecting himself in his profession. 

After his first graduation. Dr. Dickerson located 
at Blackburn, which was then scarcely more than 
a blacksmith shop. He expected to remain there 
only a short time, but his practice steadily in- 
creased and yielded him a good income, so that he 
extended his residence there until it had covered 
a period of sixteen years. After a time he secured 
the postofflce at that place, built a store, and 
carried a stock of general merchandise. He also 
received a liberal patronage in that line, enjoying 
a flourishing trade. 

On the 3d of Mnrch, 1875, the Doctor was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary J.Humphreys, 
daughter of A. B. N. Humphreys, one of the 
pioneer settlers of South Fork Township. She is 
one of seveu children, three of whom are now 
living. Born in Springfield, 111., she was a maiden 
of ten summers when her parents came to Chris- 
tian County. With the Methodist Church she 
holds membership, and throughout thecommunity 
she is recognized as a most estimable Iad3 r . 

In 1886 Dr. Dickerson went to Los Angeles, 
Cal., where he spent five years. He there became 
identified with the real-estate boom and made 
considerable money. He still owns property in 
that place. He served as a member of the Board 
of Health in Los Angeles. In 1892 he returned 
to Illinois, and has since lived in Taylorville. He 
has sold his store in Blackburn, but still owns his 
farm at that place. Previous to his removal to 
California lie had engaged in practice in Taylor- 
ville each summer, and his merits had become well 
known throughout the community, so that on 
locating permanently here he was at once ac- 
corded a liberal practice, which has constantl}' 
increased. He has served as a member of the 
Fifth Regiment, Illinois National Guards, with the 
rank of Captain. He takes considerable interest 
in civic societies, and at the age of twenty-one 



was made a Mason in the lodge in Rochester. I 
is now a member of Mound Lodge No. 122, A. '. 
& A. M.; Taylorville Chapter No. 102, R. A. ft 
Cunir de Leon Commandcry No. 9, K. T., of L 
Angeles, Cal.; and Al-Maliakah Temple, A. A. ' 
M. S., of Los Angeles. He is a member of t! 
Knights of Pythias, and is serving as Major 
the Second Regiment, Second Brigade, Unifornn 
Rank, K. P. In politics, the Doctor was reared 
Democrat, but being a man of decided opinio 
and firm convictions, he does not hold hiinsi 
bound inseparably to any party. He believi 
however, that America is for Americans. He h 
been prominently interested in all that pertains 
the welfare of the city and the promotion of 
leading enterprises, and has been connected wi 
the Gas Company and the Antlers Hotel, i 
home is one of the most beautiful in the city, 
stands on a natural building site, and was erect 
by G. J. S. Culver, the marble man of Springfie! 
It is a monument to the industry and enterpr 
of the Doctor, for his possessions have all be 
acquired through his own efforts. 



JOSEPH CARTER. Among the substant 
and well-to-do farmers of Assumption Ton 
ship is this gentleman, who is one of t 
honored old settlers of Christian Coum 
He is well and favorably known in this and a 
joining counties, and merits in a high degree t 
respect in which he is held by all who ha 
the pleasure of his acquaintance. He has assist 
very materially in the marvelous growth ai 
prosperity of the community in which he mat 
his home, and it is fitting that his name should 
placed in this record of the honored pioneers 
the county. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Oh 
boni in Warren County September 26, 1832, ai 
is a son of John Carter, a native of Virginia. T 
latter went to Ohio in his early manhood, and the 
married Miss Jemima Patton, whose birth occurn 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in the Buckeye State. For several years after his 
marriage, Mr. Carter engaged in farming in War- 
ren County with good success, and then removed 
to Indiana, settling in Clay County, twelve miles 
east of Terre Haute. Here he opened up a farm, 
and reared his family to lives of usefulness. The 
last few years of his life he lived retired from ac- 
tive duties in Greencastle, and passed away in 
1865. During the War of 1812, he was pressed 
into the service and was assigned to the department 
of artillery. 

Joseph Carter is one of a family of seven sons 
and two daughters. The brothers, who all grew 
to mature years, married and became heads of 
families. One brother, C. N., now resides in Kan- 
sas City, and is a retired merchant. The only other 
surviving brother is Jasper N., who is engaged in 
farming in Neosho County, Kan. 

Our subject grew to manhood in Indiana, and 
spent his youth on his father's farm, receiving 
there a practical experience in all the duties which 
fall to an agriculturist and which have served 
him in good stead in later years. In his studies he 
was diligent and made the most of his advantages 
in that direction. He remained with his father 
until he had arrived at his majority, after which 
he learned the carpenter's trade at Greencastle 
and followed thatcalling for a few years. He then 
formed a partnership with three of his brothers, 
and engaged in the flouring and grist mill business. 
In this he continued for about five years with very 
good success. In the fall of 1866, he came to Illi- 
nois and bought a tract of one hundred and twent}^ 
acres of raw prairie land, the same farm which he 
now cultivates. He erected a small house and 
brought his family to his new home. When he 
first settled here nothing whatever had been done 
for the improvement of the land, and as it stands 
to-day, a model farm with good buildings, neat 
hedges and other improvements, it is a monument 
to his own industrious efforts, for it bears little re- 
semblance to the original farm on which he located. 
In 1867, he bought an adjoining forty acres, thus 
making his farm contain one hundred and sixty 
acres. There is a good orchard on the place and 
the fields are subdivided by a well-trimmed osage 
hedge. Mr. Carter also owns a good farm of two 



hundred and twenty-four acres in Shelby County, 
two small farms in Neosho County, Kan., besides a 
house and lot in Assumption. 

In 1860 occurred the marriage of Mr. Carter in 
Greencastle, Ind. The lady of his choice, whose 
maiden name was Harriet M. Sever, was a native 
of England and passed her girlhood in that coun- 
try. Two children have graced this union. War- 
ren, the elder, is deceased; and Elmer E. is assist- 
ing his father in carrying on the home farm. The 
mother died in 1884. She was an amiable and 
thoroughly lovable lady, who numbered many 
friends in the neighborhood of her home. 

Politically, Mr. Carter has ever supported the 
Republican party and principles since becoming a 
voter. He is an advocate of the best educational 
measures and served for nine years as a member of 
the School Board. For over a quarter of a century 
he has been a resident of this county, and has pro- 
moted its interests in every possible manner. He 
is honored and respected by his friends and neigh- 
bors as a man of integrity and sterling worth. 



ORLANDO MANVILL HAWKES, whose hon- 
orable, upright life has won him the confi- 
dence and esteem of all with whom he has 
been brought in contact, is now engaged in farm- 
ing on section 26, Rosemond Township. He was 
born in Franklin County, Mass., November 14, 
18'20. The family was founded in America by 
three brothers of English birth, who emigrated to 
this country in early Colonial days and located in 
Massachusetts. One was made an officer in the 
French and Indian War, and was killed in that 
struggle. Their descendants are now very num- 
erous, over five hundred members of the family 
having assembled at a re-union in Salem, Mass., a 
few years ago. One of the three brothers was the 
great-grandfather of our subject. The grand- 
father, Jared Hawkes, was the first male child born 
in Charlemout, Mass. 



320 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The parents of our subject, Horace and Rachel 
(Smedley) Hawkes, were also natives of the Bay 
State, and there spent their entire lives, the father 
dying at the age of eighty-five, while the mother 
reached the advanced age of ninety-one. In their 
family of twelve children, our subject was fourth 
in order of birth. His boyhood days were quietly 
passed under the parental roof, and his education 
was acquired in the common schools, and in the 
academy at Charlemont. 

On the 1st of September, 1846, Mr. Hawkes of 
this sketch married Debby A. Hawley, who was 
born in Hinsdale, Mass., March 19, 1824, and is of 
English descent. Her parents were William A. 
and Debby A. Hawley. Mr. and Mrs. Hawkes be- 
gan their domestic life upon a farm in Franklin 
County, Mass., where they resided until 1854. 
Going to Buffalo, N. Y.. our subject became clerk 
in a hotel, and in the spring of 1856 he emigrated 
to Christian County. His was one of the first fami- 
lies to settle in Rosemond Township. He pur- 
chased a tract of land and began the development 
of a farm. The county was in its primitive con- 
dition, deer and wolves were seen in the neigh- 
borhood, and the work of progress and civiliza- 
tion seemed scarcely begun. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hawkes were born ten chil- 
dren, as follows: Emma, wife of William O. Wil- 
cox; Nellie C., who died at the age of eleven years; 
Herbert H., now of New York City; Henry M., 
who is in business in New York City; Leila A., 
wife of Wellington Walker, of Springfield, Mass.; 
Martha O., wife of Herbert V. Bullock, who is in 
the Globe-Democrat office of St. Louis; Mary A., 
twin sister of Martha, now the wife of Marion 
Nicholson, of Rosemond Township; Flora A., wife 
of Clinton Hawkes, of Massachusetts; Edwin A., 
who for seven years was in business in New York 
City, but is now at home; and Joseph B., who is 
also in New York City. 

Mr. Hawkes cast his first Presidential vote for 
William Henry Harrison, in 1840, and has never 
failed to support a Presidential candidate since 
thattime. He has been a stalwart Republican si nee 
the organization of the party. During the late war 
he was a member of the Union League, and is now 
a member of the Good Templars' Society. He has 



always been a strong temperance man, using neithei 
intoxicants nor tobacco, and with one exception al 
of his sons abstain from the use of the latter 
Since twenty-one years of age, Mr. Hawkes hai 
been a faithful and consistent member of the Con 
gregational Church, and, with the exception 01 
three years, has been Deacon of the church ir 
Rosemond since locating here. He has also been 
Trustee, and was Superintendent of the first Sun 
day-school organized in the place. On varioui 
occasions lie has again filled the office. Heisalway: 
found in his place in the house of worship, anc 
has been one of the prominent leaders in churcl 
work in this community, untiring in his efforts t< 
promote the Master's cause. He believes in prac 
tical Christianity, is charitable and benevolent, ii 
generous and open-handed, and to the poor an( 
needy is a friend. 



JAMES BENJAMIN RICKS, a member of tin 
law firm of Ricks & Creighton, is one of th< 
leading lawyers of Taylorville. Probablj 
no man in this city has been more promi 
nently connected with its growth and upbuilding 
than he, and the prosperity of the place is due ii 
no small degree to his untiring efforts in its be 
half. Christian County claims him as one of hei 
native sons, his birth having occurred in Beai 
Creek Township, on the 23d of December, 1852. 

Mr. Ricks is the eldest in a family of five chil 
dren whose parents were John Bond and Docia B 
(Hines) Ricks. When lie was a lad of twelve 
years his parents removed to Taylorville, and, af- 
ter attending the public schools of that city, ir 
1869 he entered the Wesleyan University ol 
Bloomingtou, 111., where he pursued his studies 
until 1872. A professional life furnished attrac- 
tions for him, and he began the study of law with 
Judge Andrew Simpson and John B. Jones, attor- 
neys of Taylorville. Having successfully passed 
a thorough examination, he was admitted to the 
Bar in June, 1874. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



321 



On the 23d of December, 1872, on his twentieth 
birthday, Mr. Ri'cks was united in marriage with 
Miss Pamtnie L. Geltmacher, of Bloomington. 
Their union has been blessed with three children, 
who are still living: Agnes, who is now the wife 
of W. II. Houser, D. D. S., of Taylorville; Jesse 
and Glenu, aged respectively fourteen and nine 
years. In social circles this family ranks high, and 
the household is the abode of hospitality. 

Immediately after his admission to the Bar, Mr. 
Ricks began practice, and continued alone until 
1885, when the present partnership was formed. 
He is an able and successful lawyer, and the public 
affords him a liberal patronage. In politics, he is 
a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party, and 
has taken an active part in campaign work, doing 
all in his power to promote the interests of Democ- 
racy. He has frequently served in positions of 
public trust, and spent three years in Washington 
as Supervising Examiner of the Pension Bureau, 
from the Hudson District, having about one hun- 
dred special examiners under his charge. In 
June, 1892, he served as delegate to the National 
Democratic Convention in Chicago, and strongly 
advocated the nomination of President Cleveland. 
In 1889 he was elected Mayor of Taylorville, 
serving a term of two years, and his administra- 
tion proved to be a prosperous era in the history 
of the city. During his term the electric-light 
system was established, and many other works of 
public improvement were put in operation. Mr. 
Ricks started the petition for the establishment 
of water works. While reading law with Mr. 
Jones, he drew plans which changed the old town 
to a village, and after one year drew up a petition 
to make Taylorville a city, which was done. While 
running for Mayor he plainly stated that he 
would not accept the office unless the water works 
system was strengthened, and 'so during his term 
this commendable work was accomplished. The 
water supply was doubled, the original plant, 
worth $20,000, was supplemented by one worth 
$50,000, and then miles of mains were laid. Ev- 
ery work calculated to benefit the community and 
promote the general welfare receives the hearty 
support and co-operation of Mr. Ricks, and the 
gratitude of the city is due him in no small degree. 



He was also one of the promoters and is one of 
the Directors of the Gas Company, and was one of 
the prime movers in establishing and building the 
Antlers Hotel. 

In social circles, Mr. Ricks is also prominent. 
A member of the Knights of Pythias, he served as 
Grand Chancellor in 1885 and in 1886, and is now 
Past Grand Chancellor. He was made a member 
of the fraternity in Mystic Lodge No. 64, K. P., 
and has passed all the chairs of the local order. 
He is also a member of the Arion Club, and takes 
an active part in its gatherings. A pleasant, gen- 
ial gentleman, Mr, Ricks is very popular, and his 
friends throughout the community are many. 



P ^RANKLIN PIERCE DRENNAN, attorney- 
at-law of Taylorville, is a highly respected, 
widely known and influential citizen, and 
a worthy representative of one of the prominent 
pioneer families of the county. Mention is made 
of his parents, John L. and Henrietta (Wimburley) 
Drennan, on another page of this work. They 
were also born in Kentucky. The father died 
September 5, 1882, at the age of fifty-five years. 
His widow is still living, at the age of sixty-four, 
and her mother, Emily Sanders, yet resides in 
Taylorville, at the ripe old age of eighty-six. 
John L. Drennan is a farmer by occupation, and 
on his arrival in this county, in 1856, located upon 
a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Mos- 
quito Township, where he made his home until 
called to his final rest. In politics, he was a sup- 
porter of the Democratic party, and for a number 
of years served as Supervisor of his township. The 
family numbered fourteen children, and all are 
yet living with the exception of Oscar W., who 
died in January, 1893, at the age of twenty years. 
Franklin Pierce Drennan was born near Prince- 
ton, Caldwell Count}', Ky., March 15, 1853, and is 
the second child of his parents. With the family 
he came to Illinois, and amid the wild scenes of 
frontier life was reared to manhood. The public 



322 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



schools of the neighborhood afforded him his edu- 
cational privileges, and he remained at home until 
twenty-one years of age, when he started out in 
life for himself. At first he earned his livelihood 
as a teacher in the public schools near his home. 
Subsequently he secured the position of Deputy 
County Clerk under William H. Kirkwood, in 
whose office he remained for eighteen months, 
from July 1, 1876, until December 1, 1877. At 
that time he was made Deputy Circuit Clerk, and 
served for three years under Josiah A. Hill, and 
for the same length of time under N. D. Ricks. 

In the mean time Mr. Drennan had been reading 
law, and was admitted to the Bar in January, 
1882, having passed the examination before the 
November term of the Appellate Court the preced- 
ing year. However, he continued in the County 
Clerk's office until 1883. He had secured a set of 
abstract books, and in 1883 combined the practice 
of his chosen profession with abstract work. For 
a year he was in partnership with Judge Ferry, 
but since that time has been alone. In December, 
1892, the Christian County Abstract Rating and 
Guarantee Company was incorporated, and Mr. 
Drennau became its President. This combines 
three sets of abstracts, the only ones in the county 
besides that owned by N. D. Ricks. The capital 
stock of the company is $20,000, and our subject 
is the leading stockholder. James E. Mills is Sec- 
retary and business manager of the company. In 
his law practice, Mr. Drennan has met with excel- 
lent success, receiving a liberal share of the public 
patronage. He lias given special attention to real- 
estate cases and land titles, his experience in ab- 
stract work, and as Deputy County and Circuit 
Clerk, having been of special advantage to him in 
this direction. 

On the 29th of May, 1881, our subject was 
united in marriage with Miss Lizzie May, daugh- 
ter of W. S. Moore, now of Morrisonville,Ill. She 
was born in Taylorville, in 1863, and is a cultured 
and refined lady, who holds an enviable position 
in the circles of society in which she moves. Two 
children grace their union, Lela Moore and Frances 
Patti, aged eight and five years, respectively. 

Mr. Drennan is a Democrat in politics, and has 
taken an active part in campaign work. He was 



appointed by the Circuit Judge as Master ii 
Chancery, and for two years held that olfice. H 
has been quite extensively interested in real estate 
and laid out the F. P. Drennan Addition to Tay 
lorville. In connection with John B. Colegrovt 
he laid out two additions to Assumption. He ha 
also a ten-acre addition to Pana, and in additio: 
to this he has another ten-acre tract near Pans 
His farm of eighty acres is situated seven an 
a-half miles south of Taylorville, and he has 
twenty-seven acre tract southeast of the city. Fc 
three years he has been engaged in breeding an 
training fine trotters. Socially, he is a Knighl 
Templar Mason, belonging to Elwood Commai 
dery of Springfield. Mr. Drennan is ambitious, pei 
severing and, above all, enterprising, and owin 
to these sterling qualities, he has not only won tb 
high rank to which he has attained among his pro 
fessional brethren, but has also gained hissplendi 
success in other lines of business. He takes a 
active part in all that goes to promote the welfai 
of the county, and deserves to be classed amon 
her honored early settlers. 



JOHN BEYERS, a retired farmer and stocl 
dealer, now living in Pana, is a native < 
Germany. He was born in Hesse Darn 
stadt, March 26, 1821. His parents, Job 
and Margaret (Ernst) Beyers, spent their eutii 
lives in their native land. There were only tw 
children born of that union, and Adam, tl 
brother, is now deceased. The mother died at tl 
age of twenty-eight, when John was a babe < 
three summers, after which his father marric 
again, and by his second union had one daughtc 
There was also a daughter born of his third ma 
riage. He was a trader on the river, and owned 
vessel, which was used in commercial interest 
His death occurred when about sixty-eight yea 
of age. 

The gentleman whose name heads this recor 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



323 



remained at home with his father until about 
eighteen years of age, when he was drafted into 
the regular army, in which he served for four 
years. The following year, in 1847, he bade 
adieu to home and friends, and, in company with 
some acquaintances of his youth, sailed for Amer- 
ica. His first location was in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
where he remained for a few months, when he re- 
moved to Franklin's Landing, Ohio, where the 
succeeding two years of his life were passed. 

During that time, Mr. Beyers was married. On 
the loth of September, 1849, he wedded Miss 
Sarah Shepherd, daughter of Xaphier Shepherd, 
who was born in Baden, Germany. They have 
become parents of eight children, seven sons and 
a daughter, but the latter died in infancy. Henry, 
the eldest, wedded Mary J. Enders, and resides on 
a farm, three miles from Pana, with his wife and 
three children, Celia, Herman and Arthur. Joseph, 
who is also a farmer, living near Pana, married 
Emma Eckholt, and they have three children: 
Lizzie, John and Benjamin. Frank A. married 
Minnie Goodhouse, by whom he has two sons and 
a daughter: Sadie, William and Frank. John S., 
an agriculturist, married Barbara Wagner, and 
unto them has been born a daughter, Gertrude. 
Louise F. is the next younger. Edward married 
Tillie Goodhart, and with their daughter, Nellie 
Louise, they reside on a farm north of Assumption. 
Goodhart, the youngest of the family, was 
drowned in the Ohio River, at the age of three 
years. 

Mr. Beyers came to Illinois in November, 1867, 
trading his business in Ohio for seventj'-five acres 
of land. This he traded for one hundred and 
seventy acres, three miles southwest of Pana, 
where he made his home until 1882. As his finan- 
cial resources increased, he extended the boun- 
daries of his farm until it comprised four hundred 
and sixty-eight acres of valuable land. The fields 
were placed under a high state of cultivation, and 
the farm was supplied with all modern improve 
ments and conveniences. He also engaged quite 
extensively in stock-dealing, and his efforts in 
this direction also met with good success. Having 
purchased some lots in Pana, he built a fine resi- 
dence upon one of these in 1882, and has since 



here made his home, surrounded by all the com- 
forts and many of the luxuries of life. Himself 
and wife are members of the Catholic Church, and, 
in politics, he is an advocate of Democratic prin- 
ciples. He has made his money through his own 
labors, perseverance and well-directed efforts and 
the assistance of his estimable wife. He is a man 
of generous impulses, and has given his children a 
good start in life. 



WILLIAM LANGEN is a prominent young 
farmer and citizen of Ricks Township, 
where he is engaged in carrying on the 
old homestead on section 30 which formerly be- 
longed to his father, Theodore Langen. He is 
one of the progressive agriculturists of this com- 
munity, and has been very successful in general 
farming and stock-raising. He was born Septem- 
ber 17, 1861, in Greene Count}', 111., and has spent 
nearly his entire life in Christian County, in the 
development of which he has done his share. 

Theodore F. Langen, our subject's father, was 
born in the village of Wiennenburg, Prussia, Feb- 
ruary 27, 1827. His parents were Frederick and 
Elizabeth (Wegener) Langen, and he was the 
youngest of eight children. His father being a 
farmer in good circumstances, he received superior 
educational advantages, and attended the higher 
schools, where he always stood at the head of his 
class and became proficient in Latin. He served 
for three years in the Prussian army during the 
Revolution of 1848. In the spring of 1852 he 
landed in New York, and proceeded to Jersey 
County, 111., in which county his brother was liv- 
ing. On the 17th of October, 1855, he married 
Elizabeth Brockamp, who was born in Allenburg, 
Germany, March 10, 1840, being a daughter of 
Henry B. and Catherine (Morman) Brockamp. 
Her father, who died in February, 1870, was 
for many years previous engaged in operating his 
farm seven miles west of Jerseyville. He was a 
blacksmith by trade, and had served in the German 



324 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



army. Mrs. Langen came to America with her 
parents when five years of age. 

After his marriage, the father of our subject 
removed to Greene County, this State, and rented | 
a farm three miles distant from Carrollton, where 
he resided for eight years. In the spring of 
1853 he came to Christian County and bought 
one hundred and sixty acres of wild land on sec- 
tion 30, Ricks Township. He made the road and 
surveyed it from his farm to Nokomis, fourteen 
miles across the prairie. The country was wild 
and the farm unimproved, but he was industrious 
and energetic, and at the time of his death left six 
hundred and forty acres, which were divided among 
his children. He died August 31, 1876, in the faith 
of the Catholic Church, to which his family all 
belonged. He was straightforward and upright in 
his business and made many friends. In politics, 
he was a Democrat. His wife was appointed ad- 
ministrator of his estate and wisely managed the 
affairs. Sho is now living in Morrisonville, where 
she has a pleasant residence and makes her home 
with her youngest daughter. She gave her chil- 
dren good educations, and her daughters attended 
the convent at St. Louis, where they became pro- 
ficient in music and other accomplishments. 

In the spring of 1863 William Langen came 
with his parents to Christian County and assisted 
his father in improving his land, which was nearly 
all a swamp. After his father's death he contin- 
ued to make his home with his mother, brothers 
and sisters. Of the children, Henry lives in Mor- 
risonville and is married. His wife was formerly 
Miss Amelia Schwab. Katie is the wife of Antony 
Lantz, of Morrisonville. Mary is the wife of Her- 
man Todt, a farmer living in Montgomery Coun- 
ty. Eleanora is the wife of Frank Todt, of the 
same county. John, who is also a farmer there, 
married Maggie Todt. Elizabeth and Helena live 
at the home of their mother in Morrisonville. 

The education of William Langen was acquired 
in the common schools and in Alton, 111., where 
for two winters he attended the German Catholic 
school, where his brothers and sisters were also 
students. Until reaching his majority he lived on 
the old homestead, of which he had charge for 
many years. His farm comprises two hundred 



and forty acres, in addition to which he operates 
another farm of a like amount. He lias brought 
the place under good improvement and has laid 
over four miles of tile on the farm. 

In Raymond, Mr. Langen was married in Sep- 
tember, 1885, to Miss Elizabeth Todt, a daughter 
of John and Mary Todt, both natives of Germany. 
She was reared to womanhood on her father's 
farm, located five miles north of Raymond, and 
received her education in the public schools and 
the convent at Litchfield. " She has become the 
mother of five children: Johnnie, Theodore, Mary, 
Joseph and Florence. Our subject has served for 
six successive years as Township Commissioner 
and is now School Director. His first Presidential 
ballot was cast for Grover Cleveland, and he al- 
ways votes on the side of the Democratic party. 
He and his wife are members of the Catholic 
Church at Morrisonville, and are highly respected 
in this vicinity. 



y>ILLIAMM. PROVINE,an attorney-at-law 
of Taylorville, 111., was born in McDon- 
ough County, 111.. August 22, 1841. His 
father and mother are now living, at the age of 
seventy-seven, in Vermont, 111., where the boyhood 
days of the subject of this sketch were mostly 
spent. His education was acquired in the com- 
mon schools, supplemented by a few months in an 
academy at Macomb, 111. After a short expe- 
rience as a clerk and school teacher successively, 
he enlisted on July 30, 1862, in Company B, 
Eighty-fourth Regiment of Illinois Infantry, and 
was elected Sergeant on the organization of the 
company. He was afterward elected First Ser- 
geant, and in 1863 First Lieutenant. He served 
in the Army of the Cumberland in all its campaigns 
until July 20, 1864, when he was taken prisoner 
at Peach Tree Creek, in front of Atlanta, Ga. 
Shortly afterward he was one of six hundred Un- 
ion officers who were placed by the Confederates 
in the city of Charleston under fire of the Union 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



325 



guns on Morris Island. From Charleston the 
prisoners were removed to Columbia, S. C., and 
on March 1, 1865, were exchanged at Wilmington, 
N. C. Upon the expiration of his thirty days' 
leave of absence, the war being over, he was 
ordered to Ben ton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., where 
he was assigned to duty as adjutant of paroled 
prisoners, who were then coming North in large 
numbers. He was discharged- from the service 
May 15, 1865. 

After a brief visit to his home, our subject en- 
tered Mayhew's Business College, at Albion, Mich., 
where after completing the.course of study he re- 
mained two years as Principal of the "theory de- 
partment," reading law in the mean time. On 
severing his connection with the college, Mr. Pro- 
vine entered the law office of Palmer & Hay, of 
Springfield, and was admitted, upon examination, 
to the Bar of the Supreme Court in the fall of 
1868. He was tendered and accepted the position 
of Cashier of the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank 
of Galesburg, 111., but, preferring the law, resigned 
his position there after a year's service. Since 
1872 he has resided continuously in Taylorville, 
and devoted his energies assiduously to his chosen 
profession. His attention is chiefly devoted to 
commercial and chancery laws. He is an able ad- 
vocate, and receives from the public a liberal pat- 
ronage, which is well deserved. In politics, he 
was long a supporter of the Republican party, 
but in 1888 and again in 1892 he voted for Mr. 
Cleveland for the Presidency, on account of his 
views on the tariff question. 

Other interests have found in Mr. Provine a 
supporter. He was one of the organizers of the 
First National Bank of Taylorville, and since its 
organization has been one of its Directors. He 
has served on the Township Board of Education 
since its organization and is President of the Board, 
which numbers five members. Under their super- 
vision and through their instrumentality the fine 
High School building of Taylorville was erected in 
1890, the building and grounds being valued at 
$32,000. Mr. Provine takes a commendable in- 
terest in educational matters and in every enter- 
prise calculated to prove of public benefit. 

On the llth of May, 1869, in Vermont, 111., was 



celebrated the marriage of William M. Provine 
and Mary Murray. They have two children. 
Bertha graduated from Oxford College of Ohio, 
in the Class of '91, and is now a teacher of litera- 
ture and languages in the High School of Taylor- 
ville. She is a cultured and refined young lady, 
and has marked ability as an instructor. Walter 
is now a student in the High School. The parents 
are members of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. 
Provine is connected with the Masonic fraternity. 



ENJAMIN H. HAILEY, who is engaged in 
the grocery business in Palmer, is one of 
the veterans of the late war, having en- 
listed for the defense of the Old Flag when 
he was only twenty years of age. He saw much 
active service, taking part in many of the impor- 
tant battles and skirmishes. He may justly be 
proud of his army record, for few men were called 
upon to do more active duty and suffer more 
hardships. In local affairs he has been prominent 
for many years, and has always been esteemed as 
one of the most public-spirited citizens of the place. 
He was the genial and efficient Postmaster for 
four years under Harrison's administration, retir- 
ing from that office in June, 1893, of his own ac- 
cord. 

Born in Sangamon County, 111., January 9, 
1841, Mr. Hailey is a son of Thomas J. and Mel- 
venia M. (Higgins) Hailey. They were the parents 
of two children, our subject, and Edward, who 
died in 1864, shortly after being discharged from 
the army, on account of disease contracted while 
in the service. He had enlisted and was a mem- 
ber of Company A, Third Illinois Cavalry. 

Thomas J. Hailey learned the trade of a carpen- 
ter and followed that occupation in early life. 
He was bora in Virginia, and removed to Tennes- 
see when a boy, with the family of the man to 
whom he was apprenticed. In 1830, he came to 
Illinois, and settled in Sangamon County. He as- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



sisted in putting on the first shingled roof in 
Springfield, and served in the first Black Hawk 
campaign, in 1832. In 1871, he came to this 
county and made his home in Palmer until his 
death, which occurred in 1887, at the age of 
eighty-two years, lacking one month. His first 
marriage -was with a lady by the name of Narcissa 
Moore, by whom he had two children, only one of j 
whom is now living, Emeline E. Thomas, who is j 
now a widow. Mr. Hailey afterward married Miss 
Melvenia Higgins, whose death occurred in 1885, 
at the age of sixty-eight years. Our subject's pa- 
ternal grandfather, Edmund Hailey, was a native 
of the Old Dominion and participated in the War 
of 1812. He was twice married, and lived to be 
about seventy-six years of age, dying in Virginia. 
William Higgins, the maternal grandfather, was 
also born in Virginia, and served in Anthony 
Wayne's campaign. He was twice married, and 
was the father of eighteen children. He emigrated 
to Illinois in 1831, and died when sevent3 r -five 
years of age, in Sangamon County. 

Benjamin H. Hailej 1 , whose name heads this 
sketch, lived until his twentieth year on a farm in 
Sangamon County, six miles from Springfield. He 
enlisted in Company A, Third Illinois Cavalry, 
and served three years and fourteen days. He 
participated in the battles of Pea Ridge, Chickasaw 
Bayou, Arkansas Post, Champion Hills, Big Black 
Ridge, the sieges of Vicksburg and Jackson, and 
participated in over forty skirmishes. For thirteen 
successive days he was engaged in the skirmishes 
of Green's cavalry. He was very fortunate in 
never meeting with injury and was never in a hos- 
pital. Indeed, he has always been extremely 
healthy and robust, and perhaps to this fact is due 
much of his success in life. 

Returning to Sangamon County after the war, 
our subject engaged in farming for one year, and, 
feeling the need of a better education to qualify 
him for his future life work, he attended the Illi- 
nois State University at Springfield for three 
terms and also took a commercial course in the 
Bryant & Stratton Business College of that city. 
In partnership with George E. Stake, he next 
opened a general store at Cotton Hill, and was 
soon afterward appointed Postmaster, acting as 



such for a year and a-half. In 1869, he came with 
his partner to Palmer, where they did business to- 
gether for about two years, at the end of which 
time our subject bought the interest of Mr. Stake 
and has since continued in business alone, with the 
exception of a year and a-half during the panic of 
1873. He was soon on his feet again financially, 
and has an extensive trade. 

Mr. Hailey was united in marriage on the 29th 
of June, 1871, with Miss Mary E. Wood, whose 
birth occurred in Ohio. Mrs. Hailey is a daughter 
of George and Sarah (Hodge) Wood, of Blue 
Mound, 111. Mr. Wood is a native of Virginia, 
while his wife claims Ohio as her birthplace. Two 
children born to our subject and his wife died in 
infancy, Frances E. and Eleanora E. They have 
three daughters living, namely: Lilian C., Stella 
M. and Cora E. 

Jn his social relations, Mr. Hailey holds mem- 
bership with William A. Higgins Post No. 400, 
G. A. R., Department of Illinois, and has served 
as Commander of the post for seven years. He is 
a Republican in politics and has filled several lo- 
cal positions of trust and honor. He was Town 
Clerk for two years, and was President of the Vil- 
lage Board at one time. In 1887, he was made 
a candidate for the position of Sheriff, and only 
missed the nomination by one vote. For several 
years he has been Notary Public. In the various 
capacities of his public life his work has been con- 
ducted with fidelity and zeal. In addition to his 
business and store in Palmer he owns a pleasant 
modern residence. 



EORGE ROSS, a native of Scotland, was 
born in Sterlingborough on the 27th of 
[ay, 1865. Having learned the tailoring 
business thoroughly in all its branches, and hav- 
ing heard of the fine facilities for enterprising men 
to acquire wealth, or at least a competency, in the 
New World, he embarked for America in the fal 
of 1887, being then only twenty-two years of age 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



327 



yet his proficiency will be readily acknowledged, 
when it is known that he learned his trade in Lang- 
holm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He first located at 
the capital of Illinois, but in March, 1891, came to 
Christian County. 

Having previously formed the acquaintance of 
his life partner in Macon County, on Christmas 
Eve of 1889, in Decatur, Mr. Ross was united in 
marriage with Miss Ada F. Boaz, daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. E. A. Boaz. The father was long known 
as Lieut. Boaz, having been promoted from the 
ranks for his valiant service in the Civil War. 
He displayed more than ordinary merit, and hence 
received from the Governor of Missouri the posi- 
tion of Officer of the Guard in the Jefferson City 
Peniteutiar}'. From the Governor of Illinois, he 
received a like appointment for the Joliet Peni- 
tentiary, which position he held when he died, 
having acted in the same capacity for a period of 
eighteen years in the two States. He was buried 
at Decatur, 111., in 1889, with military honors. 
His wife bore the maiden name of Nancy E. 
Murphy, and she, with Ada, the only child, born 
January 1, 1868, are the only survivors of the 
family. They mourn the loss of a kind and de- 
voted husband and loving father, and the com- 
munity remembers him with gratefulness as a 
brave soldier and valiant officer, both in war and 
peace. 

Our subject's parents were John and Catherine 
(Cuthbert) Ross, both natives of Scotland. He is 
the fourth in order of birth in a family of ten 
children. John was born in 1861; William, in 
1863; James, in 1864; Maggie, in 1867; Annie, in 
1868; David, in 1870; Jessie Jane, in 1873; Nellie, 
in 1875; and Robert in 1879. They all reside in 
the Fatherland with the exception of the eldest son, 
eldest daughter and our subject. 

On embarking for the United States, George 
Ross took passage in the vessel '"Lake Nepigon," 
a Canadian liner. After they had been on the 
ocean for about fourteen days, a dense fog settled 
down on the vessel, and they were unable to sight 
anything for six days. When the fog lifted they 
found that they were near the coast of Newfound- 
land. Mr. Ross is one of those genial gentlemen 
whom America may be proud to receive, and he has 



chosen for his companion a lady of rare merit and 
goodness. The children that have come to share 
their home are Roxie, born October 1, 1890; Ed- 
ward, February 10, 1892; and Robert, May 6, 
1893. This is one of the well-respected families 
of Taylorville, and Mr. Ross may well be proud 
of the enviable position he has alreadj' achieved 
among his fellow-citizens. He ranks first as a 
practical tailor, and the variety and extent of the 
patterns which he is enabled to give the customer 
are gaining for him a liberal patronage, and it is a 
pleasure to number him with the enterprising 
business men of this community who are entitled 
to representation in this record. 



;ILLIAM AUGUSTUS GOODRICH. The 
public offices of Taylorville and Christian 
County have found no more efficient in- 
cumbent than the gentleman whose name heads 
this record. He has long been prominently iden- 
tified with public interests, and his name is inse[ - 
arably connected with the history of this com- 
munity. Genial and pleasant in manner, he is 
quite popular, and we feel assured that this sketch 
will be received with pleasure by his many friends. 
The Goodrich family from which our subject 
sprang were long prominent in Great Britain. Fre- 
quent mention is made of land-holders of the 
name at the time of the Norman conquest, in 1066. 
In the Tower of London is a cannon, the inscrip- 
tion upon which tells us that it was presented to 
King Charles I. by Sir Maurice Goodrich; while 
history tells us that Thomas Goodrich became Bish- 
op of Ely and Lord High Chancellor of England, 
under Henry VIII. Goodrich Castle stands on the 
Wye River, in Herefordshire, Wales, and was the 
seat of the late Sir Samuel C. Rush Meyrich, LL. D., 
the famous antiquarian. This castle is now a ruin, 
but it is a grand and gloomy one. An authentic 
account of the family says that a Goodrich mar- 
ried a sister of the Duke of Marlborough,and had 
two sons: John, named for the Duke, and William. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The father dying, his brother brought the two 
boys to New England. John afterward started 
back to the Old Country in accordance with a re- 
quest .of the Duke, who desired to make him his 
heir, but died en route. In 1640 the uncle pur- 
chased a farm for William in Weathersfield, Conn. 
The family had come directly from Suffolk and 
Bury St. Edmunds, England. 

From William Goodrich just mentioned our 
subject is descended. He was born near Bury 
St. Edmunds, and his marriage in 1648 to Sarah 
Marvin is the first mention of him in the records 
of Connecticut. He died in 1676. His son Eph- 
raim, who was his eighth child, continues the suc- 
cession. He died in 1739, his home having been in 
Rocky Hill, Conn. He married Sarah Treat, and 
after her death wedded Jerusha Treat. The sev- 
enth child of that family, Gideon Goodrich, was 
born in 1705, and died in 1769. He was a sea- 
captain, and lived in Weathersfield and Upper 
Middletown, Conn. His sixth child was Lieut. 
Caleb Goodrich, who was born in 1731, and died 
in 1777. He was a Revolutionary soldier, was 
present at Burgoyne's surrender, and died just 
three weeks after returning home. Orin Good- 
rich, the fifth child of his family, and the fifth in 
succession, was born January 15, 1771, and died 
July 17, 1855. For more than a quarter of a cen- 
tury he served as a magistrate, and served in each 
branch of the State Legislature. In 1793, he mar- 
ried Lydia Sackett, and after her death wedded 
Mary Bagg. He was a prominent and influential 
man, and had the respect of all who knew him. 

We now take up the personal history of our 
subject, who was born in Pittsfield, Berkshire 
County, Mass., November 24, 1818, and remained 
in his native State until nineteen years of age, 
when, in November, 1837, he emigrated to Spring- 
field, 111., where his sister Frances was living. For 
two years he engaged in railroading. The day 
after the Presidential election of 1840, at which he 
cast his first vote for Martin Van Buren, he came 
to Christian County. His father had purchased 
three hundred and twenty acres of land in Mt. 
Auburn, for which he paid $10 per acre, and Will- 
iam and his brother Montgomery settled upon 
that tract. The}' had a span of horses and possi- 



bly about $200 in money. For ten years our sub- 
ject resided upon that farm, devoting his energies 
to its cultivation, and was quite successful in his 
undertakings. After two years the land was di- 
vided between himself and his brother. 

On the 24th of December, 1841, Mr. Goodi-ich 
married Miss Nancy Auger, sister of A. L. Auger, 
now of Mt. Auburn. Unto them were born the 
following children: Charles F., who carries on 
farming two and a-half miles west of Taylorville; 
Henry A., a farmerof the same neighborhood; and 
Julia B., who became the wife of I. N. Richard- 
son, and died three years later. The mother of 
this family was called to her final rest November 
29, 1854, and June 17, 1855, Mr. Goodrich mar- 
ried Miss Martha A. Ryan, of Springfield, Ohio, ;i 
daughter of James H. Ryan. Their only child, 
William R., died in infancy. 

In August, 1843, while living on his farm, Mr. 
Goodrich was elected Surveyor of Christian Coun- 
ty, and filled that office until 1850, in which year 
he was elected County Sheriff 011 the Democratic 
ticket. In order to fill the position, he removed 
to Taylorville, and six years later he sold his farm. 
His first term comprised two years, after which he 
served as Deputy for two years under William C. 
Brentz. In 1854, he was again elected Sheriff, but 
before his two years' term had expired he was ap- 
pointed to take charge of the County Clerk's 
office, filling theunexpired term of his predecessor, 
John Hinton, who had died in office. He was 
then four times elected to the position, serving in 
all for seventeen years. At length he retired, in 
1873. 

Mr. Goodrich has also been interested in the 
real-estate business, buying, selling and trading 
lands. For two years he was associated in this en- 
terprise with his son-in-law, I. N. Richardson. He 
has also built a number of residences, and laid out 
a forty-acre addition to Taylorville in 1853. In 
1868 he was elected as Representative on the Re- 
publican ticket. In his earlier life he had been a 
Democrat, but in that year he supported Gen. 
Grant, and joined the ranks of the Republican 
party, with which he has since been identified. 
Mr. Goodrich takes some interest in civic socie- 
ties. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and became con- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



329 



nected with that fraternity in Mound Lodge No. 
122, A. F. & A. M., of Taylorville, in 1852. He 
has passed the chairs, served as Worthy Master 
one year, and was also a member of the Grand 
Lodge. In the same year he also became a mem- 
ber of the Baptist Church. His public and private 
life are alike above reproach, and the faithfulness 
with which he has discharged his official duties is 
equalled only by the fidelity with which he has 
performed private trusts. From the early days of 
its history he has been identified with Christian 
County, and its best interests have ever found in 
him a friend. Good words and works make up 
his well-spent life. 



PHINEAS LEECH DODGE, a grain dealer, 
and proprietor of the elevator in Rosemohd, 
was born in the village of Glenn, Mont- 
gomery County, N. Y., June 10, 1843, and 
is the second in order of birth in a family of ten 
children, whose parents were Asa P. and Mary J. 
(Faulkner) Dodge. The paternal great-grandfa- 
ther, Asa Dodge, was of Scotch-Irish descent, and 
died at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. 
The grandfather, Phineas Dodge, and the father 
of our subject were both born in Montgomery 
County, N. Y. The latter was a cooper by trade, 
and also followed the occupation of farming. He 
married Miss Faulkner, a native of Glenn, N. Y., 
and a daughter of Daniel Faulkner, who was born 
in Connecticut, and was of English lineage. The 
parents of our subject celebrated their marriage in 
their native county, and there began their domestic 
life,and in 1891 they celebrated, their golden wed- 
ding. The mother survived her husband a few 
months and died August 30, 1893. The father 
died May 14, 1893, at the age of seventy-four 
years. Of their seven sons and three daughters, 
six grew to manhood and womanhood, and are 
still living. 

Under the parental roof Phineas L. Dodge was 
reared to manhood, remaining at home until his 



removal to the West, in'1865. His education was 
acquired in the common schools, which he at- 
tended through the winter season, while in the 
summer months he worked on a farm. In the year 
above mentioned he became a resident of Hills- 
borough, 111., and in that neighborhood worked 
by the month as a farm hand for a short time. On 
the 4th of June of the same year he came to Chris- 
tian County, where he followed farm work until 
1866, when he became clerk for the firm of Cope- 
land & Bros., dealers in general merchandise, and 
grain buyers, with whom he remained about one 
year. He then became messenger for the Ameri- 
can Express Company, running from St. Louis to 
Indianapolis, Ind., on what was then the Indian- 
apolis & St. Louis Railroad, but is now the Big 
Four. After nineteen months he returned to 
Rosemond, and began clerking for B. M. Schermer- 
horn, in which capacity he served for a year and 
a-half. In 1869 he became station agent at Rose- 
mond, and for more than ten years served in that 
capacity, filling the position until December 16, 
1880, when he became a dealer in hay, buying and 
shipping that commodity. He also added dealing 
in grain, and now uses four buildings in his busi- 
ness, two hay barns, a building for grain and the 
elevator. 

Mr. Dodge was married in 1869, to Marie A. 
Chase, who was born in Schuyler County, 111., and 
is a daughter of William A. and Mary M. (Cook) 
Chase, the former a native of Massachusetts, and 
the latter of Baltimore, Md. Mrs. Dodge is the 
eldest of seven daughters. With her parents she 
catne to Christian County in 1857. Her mother 
is still living with her children. Unto our subject 
and his wife have been born three daughters: 
Mary Agnes, who became the wife of H. W. Wad- 
dington, a farmer of Rosemond Township, Febru- 
ary 24, 1892; Mabel Reed, who on the 6th of Sep- 
tember, 1893, married A. B. Smith, and resides in 
Chicago; and Grace E., who is at home. 

In his political affiliations, Mr. Dodge is a Re- 
publican, and for six successive years served as 
Tax Collector. He is School Treasurer of the 
township, and has filled the position for twenty- 
one years, his faithfulness and fidelity insuring 
his continuance in office. He is a member and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Treasurer of the First Congregational Church of 
Rosemond, and belongs to the Masonic lodge and 
to the Modern Woodmen of America. Besides his 
business, he owns a valuable farm of seventy-five 
acres, adjoining the corporate limits of Rosemond. 
He is a wide-awake and enterprising business man, 
and the community in which he lives recognizes 
in him a valued citizen. 



jjUfc.ON. JOHN L. DRENNAN, the founder of 
if))) the Drennan family in Christian County, 
/.^^ is a native of Kentucky, his birth having 
(jjy) occurred in Caldwell County, November 
14, 1836. His grandfather, John Drennan, was a 
resident of South Carolina at the time of the 
Revolutionary War, and served in the Colonial 
army. About the year 1802, he removed from 
that State to Kentucky, settling in Caldwell, then 
Livingston County, and was one of the pioneers 
of that part of the State. The location in which 
he took up his residence was a wilderness and still 
inhabited by the Indians. The father of our sub- 
ject, Eli Drennan, was born in South Carolina in 
the year 1800. From 1802 he resided in Caldwell 
County, Ky., until his death, which occurred in 
1872. He married Margaret McDowell, of the 
same county, about 1824. She was descended 
from an Irish family that had also settled in South 
Carolina and removed from there to Kentucky at 
an early day. 

John L. Drennan, whose name heads this record, 
was the eldest of nine children. The family was 
poor, work plentiful and schools scarce. The re- 
sult was he only attended school for about three 
months, and for the education he received he is 
indebted entirely to his own efforts. On the 13th 
of March, 1850, he married Henrietta Wimburley, 
only daughter of Moore and Emily Wimburley. 
Her father was of French and German descent, 
and his wife was a daughter of Isaac Rucker, who 
was a soldier iu the Revolutionary War, and be- 



longed to the distinguished Rucker family so 
numerous in Kentucky. Moore Wimburley was 
captain of a boat on the Mississippi in an early 
day. He lost his life from a relapse after measles, 
brought about from exposure on the river. His 
widow afterwards married Henry Sanders. She 
was the mother of five children and is still living, 
her home being now in Taylorville. She is a wo- 
man of powerful intellect and great force of char- 
acter, which qualities she transmitted to her daugh- 
ter Henrietta. 

John L. Drennan, with his wife and four chil- 
dren, Alfred M., Frank P., John G. and Adelia J., 
removed from Kentucky to Mt. Auburn Township 
in the fall of 1856, and thence to the present 
homestead of the family in Mosquito Township in 
1862. The other children are Laura A. E., M. 
Emily, Henry E., George R., Henrietta A., Cora A., 
James L., Thomas M., Oscar W. and Charlotte O. 
These were born in Christian County. Alfred M. 
now resides in Taylorville. Frank P. is an able 
and painstaking lawyer of Taylorville, and is re- 
garded as one of the safest counselors, as well as 
one of the most careful business men, in the coun- 
ty. He has been quite successful. In 1881. he 
married May, youngest daughter of Judge W. S- 
Moore, and has two charming daughters. He 
served one term as Master in Chancery, and has 
always taken a prominent part in the councils of 
the Democratic party. John G., now residing in 
Springfield, 111., is the junior member of the well- 
known law firm of Palmer, Shutt & Drennan, the 
first-named being now United States Senator, while 
Mr. Shutt is United States District Attorney for the 
Southern District of Illinois. He married Mag- 
gie, daughter of Dr. L. B. Slater, May 26, 1881, and 
has two promising boys. Adelia J. is the wife of 
John F. Cole, and with their seven children they 
reside in Edinburgh, this county. Laura is the 
wife of James George, of Caldwell County, Ky., 
and they have three children. Emily is the wife 
of Clayton Clements, of Decatur, 111., by whom she 
has four children. Henry E., now of Denver, Colo., 
has been twice married and has one daughter. 
George R., who married Miss Hignight and has 
three children, is a successful farmer and resides 
on the old homestead in Mosquito Township. 



of the 

itv of 




MRS. Jos. A DAMS. 



I lie Libfirj 
l the 
o< IW 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



335 



Henrietta A. is the wife of Lewis Wilson, by whom 
she has four sons, and they reside on their farm 
near Greeley, Kan. Cora A. married Miles Scott, 
and lives in Kansas. They have four bright lit- 
tle boys to gladden their home. James L. mar- 
ried May, daughter of Richard Jones, of Mt. Au- 
burn. He is a law student of much promise, and 
has displayed much capacity and tact as a trial 
lawyer, although he has not yet been admitted to 
the Bar. Thomas M. is a young man of promise. 
He is also studying law and gives evidence of suc- 
cess. Oscar W., an amiable young man of twenty, 
died a few months ago in Texas, where he had 
gone in the hope of regaining his health. Al- 
though he was too young for a business career, he 
displayed all the family qualities of a useful citi- 
zen. Charlotte A., now a young lady, resides with 
her mother in Taylorville. 

The father of this family, John L. Drennan, 
died at his home in Mosquito Township, Septem- 
ber 5,1882, of typhoid fever. He always com- 
manded the confidence and respect of the people, 
and creditably filled several positions of public 
trust. He was several times Assessor of Mosquito 
Township, and also represented his township as 
Supervisor for nine years. Political!} 7 , he was al- 
ways a Democrat and cast his first vote for Gen. 
Cass. A man of good habits and much force of 
character, he was devoted to his family and used 
every effort to promote habits of industry and 
integrity in his children. The family is one of 
prominence throughout the county, and well de- 
serves representation in this volume. 






jlL_ ON- JOSEPH ADAMS is one of the worthy 
ifjV citizens of Christian County whose home 
uhgr is situated on section 11, Prairieton Town- 
(^) ship. He served his district in the Legis- 
lature in the winter of 1891, and is one of the 
memorable one hundred and one who stood firmly 
by and voted for Hon. John M. Palmer until he 
was triumphantly elected on the one hundred and 
16 



fifty-fourth ballot. He has also occupied nearly 
all of the local positions within the gift of the 
people, and his discharge of the duties pertaining 
to whatever office he has filled has been marked 
by fidelity and a realization of the trust be- 
stowed in him. He is one of the honored pioneers 
of this county, with whose welfare he has been 
connected since 1836. 

Mr. Adams was born in Montgomery County, 
Ky., January 17, 1833, and is a son of Ellington 
and Elizabeth (Gordon) Adams. The father was 
also born in Montgomery County, Ky., coming 
from one of the early pioneer families of that State. 
His father was of English descent and a native of 
the Old Dominion. Our subject's mother was a 
daughter of Randel Gordon, who was also from 
Virginia, and one of the early settlers of Ken- 
tucky. Ellington Adams removed to Illinois in 
1833 and first made a settlement in Sangamon 
County. After a residence there of three years lie 
finally located in what is now Christian County, 
the date.being 1836. He entered land in Prairie- 
ton Township and proceeded with industry to de- 
velop a farm in the wilderness. He reared his 
family and spent the remainder of his life on this 
farm, dying in 1875, aged seventy-two years. The 
wife and mother survived him for several years, 
passing away in 1885. 

Joseph Adams is one of a family of ten chil- 
dren, namely: Rachel, who died in her thirty- 
fifth year; Isom, a well-known farmer of this 
township, whose sketch may be found elsewhere in 
this work; Joseph, the subject of this sketch; 
Richardson, who is engaged in farming in the 
same township; G. W., who was formerly a promi- 
inent farmer of the county, but met his death by 
accident in July, 1893; James Martin, deceased; 
Robert, whose death occurred at the age of four- 
teen; Martha, wife of Benjamin Bramlett, of this 
county; and Lucy, who died at the age of sixteen 
years. 

Our subject's boyhood was passed in Christian 
Count}', and in those early days, as educational 
advantages were of the most limited description, 
he was not able to obtain much assistance, and 
therefore has had to depend upon his own study 
and resources. The nearest school was situated 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tlyee miles from his home, but the subscription 
school which he attended, and which was kept 
only three months during the year, was six miles 
distant from his home, and he made the distance 
on foot. 

On reaching his majority, Mr. Adams bought a 
tract of three hundred and sixty acres of railroad 
land and one hundred acres of other land ad- 
joining. On this farm he located in 1856, at 
which time only about thirty acres had been 
cleared for cultivation, and a small frame building 
was the only improvement. This was the home 
of himself and family for a few years, during 
which time he rapidly developed the farm, and as 
the years rolled by the income of his industry and 
energy was invested in more land, until he now 
owns sixteen hundred acres. Much of this is rich 
bottom land, and on these various farms are six 
large and substantial residences, good barns and 
other buildings. The success of Mr. Adams shows 
what can be done on these fertile Western prairies 
by a man who is able and willing to do his utmost 
in their development. 

In Decatur, Macon County, Mr. Adams and Miss 
Nancy Widick were married, June 9, 1856. The 
lady was born in Macon County and is a daugh- 
ter of Samuel Widick, who was one of the original 
settlers of Kentucky and participated in the War 
of 1812. He also fought valiantly for the Old 
Flag during the late Civil War, and at the end of 
three years died in the service. Our subject and 
his wife have reared a family of nine children. 
Millie became the wife of John Myers, now de- 
ceased; George A. is married and is engaged in 
business in Moweaqua, Shelby County; Wheeler, a 
farmer, lives in Shelby County; Florence is the 
wife of Henry Harpool, also a farmer, of Christian 
County; Iva is the wife of Leonard Cazalet, a 
fanner of Assumption Township; Eva is the wife 
of Frank Johnson, of Shelby County; Bettie and 
Annie are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Adams have 
twelve grandchildren, one of whom, Johnnie Myers, 
resides with them. 

Mr. Adams is well known as a supporter of the 
Democratic party and has supported its candidates 
since 1856, when he voted for Hon. James Bu- 
chanan. He has also taken an active part in lo- 



cal politics, and for a great many years has served 
his friends and neighbors in various positions, 
among which we mention that for twenty years 
he was Supervisor of Prairieton Township, and 
was for thirty-four years one of its School Trus- 
tees. It is very fitting that to one who is faithful 
over a few things greater honors should be added, 
and it was with this idea in view that his many 
friends chose him as their Representative in the 
Legislature. Mrs. Adams is a member of the 
Christian Church, while our subject, though not 
a member of any church organization, is very 
liberal in the support of this and other denomina- 
tions, as well as of all general benevolent enter- 
prises. 



JOHN L. SANDERS, one of the honored old 
pioneers and representative farmers of Ston- 
ington Township, resides on section 26. For 
over half a century he has been identified 
with the history of Christian County, and has seen 
its development from a wilderness to the garden 
spot of Illinois. He well remembers when the 
family were obliged to go to Springfield for their 
mail and to do their trading, although that city 
was thirty-two miles distant. 

The birth of our subject occurred February 11, 
1831, in Voluntown, Conn. He is the third in a 
family of five children born to Nicholas and Sarah 
(Douglass) Sanders. Louisa, the eldest, died only 
six weeks after the family's arrival in Illinois, 
when she was ten years of age. Nicholas D. is 
now one of the active farmers and stock-dealers of 
this count} 1 . Lydia married Tyler Chapman, a re- 
tired farmer and one of the pioneers of Christian 
County. Julia became the wife of Alfred Briggs, 
also engaged in farming in this locality. The 
father was born and reared in Connecticut on a 
farm. For several years after his marriage he con- 
tinued a resident of the Nutmeg State, but believ- 
ing that he could better his fortune in the West, 
he came in 1837 with several other families to Illi- 
nois, and founded what was known as the Ston- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



337 



ington Colony. He was one of the most respected 
citizens of the township and for a number of years 
was Justice of the Peace. Here he continued to 
reside until called from his labors by death in Sep- 
tember, 1878. His wife, who was also born in Con- 
necticut, is still living, though she is eighty-nine 
years of age. 

John L. Sanders was a child of only six years 
when his parents brought him to the West. They 
made the journey by water to St. Louis, proceed- 
ing from that city to Christian County by ox- 
teams. They found the country sparsely settled 
and wild animals still numerous. Mr. Sanders re- 
sided with his parents until he had reached his ma- 
jority, and received but limited educational oppor- 
tunities, as the schools of the early days, which were 
poor, were only kept for a couple of months in a 
year and were conducted on the subscription plan. 
When he was thirty years of age he purchased a 
farm of eighty acres, which he has improved and 
lived upon ever since. 

On the 19th of February, 1860, Mr. Sanders was 
united in marriage with Achsah F. Palmer, who 
was born in the same county in Connecticut as her 
husband, and came to this county with her parents 
when about twelve years old. Nine children have 
been born of this union. Mary became the wife 
of William Bugg, who is a well-known agricul- 
turist of Christian County; Nicholas is carrying 
on the home farm; Laura lives at home; Ernest is 
assisting his brother in managing the homestead; 
Katie Pearl is the wife of Edward D. Moore, who 
is a progressive farmer of the county; Oliver is still 
at home; and three children died in infancy. 

The homestead belonging to Mr. Sanders com- 
prises at the present time four hundred acres of 
valuable farm land. The property is located four 
miles southeast of Stonington and is well improved. 
Until 1892, our subject affiliated with the Repub- 
lican party, but at that time joined th'e ranks of 
the Prohibition party. He has no desire to fill of- 
ficial positions and has ever declined to serve. For 
about thirty-six years he has been a consistent 
member of the Baptist Church, and is active in all 
good works. He is well posted on all of the lead- 
ing topics of the day, and is largely self-educated, 
as he is also a self-made man in financial matters. 



He has a large circle of friends and probably not 
an enemy, as he is upright and a man of integrity, 
who makes friends wherever he goes. 



AMUEL MILLIGAN, deceased, who was 
prominently identified with the growth 
and upbuilding of Taylorville, was born 
in Champaign County, Ohio, August 10, 
1827, and died at his home in this city on the 21st 
of April, 1884, respected by all who knew him. 
His parents were William and Eliza (Pollock) 
Milligan. The former, a native of Pennsylvania, 
died November 7, 1850, and the death of the lat- 
ter occurred in 1865. 

No event of special importance occurred during 
the youth of our subject, which was quietly passed 
in his parents' home. It was in 1856 that Mr. 
Milligan left the State of his nativity and re- 
moved to Taylorville, 111., where he made his home 
until his death. He was a butcher by trade, and 
in this place opened a meat-market, which he car- 
ried on continuously for many years. From the 
beginning his business constantly increased, and 
he enjoyed a liberal patronage, which was well de- 
served, for his dealings were ever characterized by 
the strictest honor and integrity. 

Our subject was married in Taylorville, in 1866, 
the lady of his choice being Mrs. Rebecca Mc- 
Arthur, widow of Thomas McArthur, who was a 
member of Company H, Thirty-sixth Ohio Infan- 
try, during the late war, and died in the service 
in 1864. The following year his widow came to 
Taylorville, and on the 18th of November, 1866, 
occurred her marriage with Mr. Milligan. She 
bore the maiden name of Rebecca Snuffln,and is a 
native of Champaign County, Ohio, her girlhood 
being passed in the same community in which our 
subject was reared. By her first marriage she had 
five children: Duncan, who is engaged in the 
dairy business; Levi, who is a jeweler of Taylor- 
ville; Walter, who is connected with a coal mine 



338 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of this city; and two who died in childhood. Mr. 
Milligan's family numbered the following children: 
Mary, who became the wife of William Fousnacht, 
and died at the age of nineteen; William, who 
died at the age of three years; David F., who car- 
ries on the business formerly conducted by his fa- 
ther; Anon C., Charles II. and Walter, who died 
at the age of fifteen, seven and two years, re- 
spectively; Amos, who died at the age of eighteen 
months; Rosa May, who is engaged in the milli- 
nery business; and Nellie, who is pursuing a course 
in music. 

Mr. Milligan came to Taylorville a poor man, 
but by his industry, perseverance and well-directed 
efforts he accumulated a handsome competency, 
and left his family in comfortable circumstances. 
He platted five acres of ground, known as Milli- 
gan's Addition to Taylorville, and erected thereon 
a number of desirable residences, the greater part 
of which he had sold before his death. In politics, 
he was a supporter of the Republican partv, but 
was never an aspirant for the honors or emolu- 
ments of public office. His death resulted from 
blood poisoning, and occurred three weeks after sus- 
taining an injury, the point of a small saw pene- 
trating his foot. He lived a quiet, unassuming 
life, yet was a public-spirited and progressive citi- 
zen, and had the esteem of all who knew him. 
Mrs. Milligan is a member of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church, and is a most estimable lady. 
Since her husband's death she has continued to 
make her home in Taylorville. 



,EV. WILLIAM W. WEEDON, pastor of 
the 'Christian Church of Taylorville, was 
born in Columbiana Count}', Ohio, Decem- 
! ber 23, 1846, and his parents, Samuel and 
Letitia (Farr) Weedon, were natives of the same 
State. The paternal grandfather, James Weedon, 
however, was a native of Virginia, and was a 
farmer by occupation. In an early day he emi- 



grated to Illinois and located in Wayne County, 
where he spent the remainder of his life. 

Samuel Weedon has always been an agricultur- 
ist. Although in early life he learned the cooper's 
trade, lie followed that pursuit for only a short 
time. In Ohio he married Miss Farr, daughter of 
William Farr, a native of Virginia, who in an 
early day removed to Ohio, living for many 
ye'ars in Columbiana County, where his last days 
were speut. Mrs. Woedon died in 1854. She was 
a member of the United Brethren Church. In 
her family were four children, two sons and two 
daughters, but Teresa C., the eldest, is now de- 
ceased. William W. is the next in order of birth; 
Rachel A. is the wife of Lindley W. Rossiter, of 
St. Louis; Leven H. completes the family. After 
the death of his first wife, Mr. Weedon was mar- 
ried, in 1856, to Sarah A. Casebeer, daughter of 
Samuel Casebeer. She too was a member of the 
United Brethren Church, and her death occurred 
in 1876. The present wife of Samuel Weedon 
was formerly Mrs. Joan Hood. They were mar- 
ried in 1879, and arc now living near Fairfield, in 
Wayne County, 111. Mr. Weedon came to this 
State in 1860, and has since lived in Wayne 
Count} 7 , where he owns a farm of forty acres. He 
is a member of the Christian Church, and a highly 
respected citizen. 

The subject of this sketch was a youth of four- 
teen years when he came to Illinois. He acquired 
his early education in the public schools of Ohio, 
afterward attended in Wayne County, and com- 
pleted his studies in the High School in Fairfield. 
He lived at home until the war broke out, when 
he entered the service as a member of Company G, 
Eighth Illinois Infantry, in which he served one 
year, participating in the battles of Spanish Fort 
and Ft. Blakeley and the engagements of the 
Mobile campaign. After the war he spent one 
year at home, and then went back to Ohio, where 
he farmed and worked at carpentering. 

In June, 1867, Mr. Weedon was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Julia A. Morlan, a daughter of 
Salathiel and Minerva (Burson) Morlan, of Ohio. 
Three children were born unto them, a son and two 
daughters, but all are now deceased. They were 
Edwin S., who died in childhood; Lettie M., who 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



339 



became the wife of William Darnell, of Kansas 
City, Mo., where she died in her twenty-third year; 
and Lillie, who died in her eighteenth year. The 
mother of this family died in June, 1872, in the 
faitli of the Christian Church, of which she was 
a consistent member. Two years after the death 
of his wife, Mr. Weedon left Ohio, and in 1874 | 
came to Illinois, locating in Cisne for a short time. 
On the 24th of December, 1874, he married Miss 
Carrie Van Fossen, of Cisne, daughter of Dr. T. 
and Christina (Lamp) Van Fossen. Their union 
.has been blessed with four children, two sons and 
two daughters: Fred O., Lulu Mabel, Frank L. 
and Sarah Edna, all at home. 

Feeling a desire to enter the ministry, in 1876 
.Mr. Weedon began studying to fit himself for 
what he now makes his life work, and in 1878 
passed his ordination, and in 1879 accepted a 
pastorate at Brownstown, Fayette County, 111. 
Since then he has preached at Edinburgh, South 
Fork, Assumption, Blue Mound, Barnett and Tay- 
lorville. He has occupied the last-named pastorate 
for about seven years. The weak congregation of 
which he took charge is now a strong one, and 
during his work here he has received about two 
hundred and fifty into the church, besides receiv- 
ing hundreds of others while working in the 
.evangelistic field. Through the instrumentality 
of Mr. Weedon, a fine new church building is now 
being erected, costing about $15,000, the Davis 
Memorial Christian Church. Hois untiring in his 
labors, and his example, as well as his precept, lias 
led many to walk in the right path. 

Our subject is a member of the Odd Fellows' 
fraternity, and is at present serving his third term 
as Grand Chaplain of the State of Illinois. He 
has lectured frequently to Odd Fellows, and has 
filled all the subordinate .offices in the lodge, be- 
ing Noble Grand for three terms, "and representa- 
tive to the Grand Lodge. He is at present Past 
Chancellor of Mystic Lodge No. 64, K. P., and is 
Chaplain of the Second Regiment, Uniformed 
Rank. With Francis M. Long Post No. 347, 
G. A. R., he also holds membership. In politics, 
he is a Republican. He was honored with an elec- 
tion to the Thirty-seventh Illinois General Assem- 
bly, being the nominee of the Republican party, 



though a minority candidate. He had a position 
on five important committees: Insurance, Libraries, 
Sanitary. Soldiers' and Orphans' Homes, and Mili- 
tary, and made one of the nomination speeches in 
favor of Richard J. Oglesby against John M. 
Palmer. Mr. AVeedon enters with enthusiasm and 
energy into any work that he undertakes, and his 
progressive spirit has no doubt been an important 
factor in much of his success. That he is loved 
by the people of his church is well indicated by 
his long-continued service, and outside of his 
own denomination he is also held in high regard. 



yiLLIS H. SKELTON, the efficient and well- 
known agent of the Wabash Railroad at 
Taylorville, has occupied his present posi- 
tion since the spring of 1887, and has been con- 
nected with railroad work throughout his entire 
business career. His life record is as follows: A 
native of West Virginia, he was born in Parkers- 
burg on the 25th of September, 1856, and is a son 
of William M. Skelton, who was born in the same 
State. His mother bore the maiden name of Ellen 
S. Douglas. His parents remained in the South 
until 1866, when, with their family, they emigrated 
to Illinois, taking up their residence in Litchfield. 
As will be seen, our subject spent the first ten 
years of his boyhood in the city of his birth. In 
the public schools he acquired his education, and 
at the age of fourteen he started out to make his 
own way in the world. Since that time he has 
been dependent entirely upon his own resources. 
At that time he secured a position as telegraph 
messenger in the Western Union Telegraph office 
at Litchfield, on the Big Four Railroad, where he 
remained two years. When a youth of sixteen he 
began braking for that road, with which he con- 
tinued his connection until 1885. During the 
last year he served as conductor. On leaving the 
old company, he entered the employ of the Wa- 
bash Road, with which he continued as conductor 
for two years, his run being between St. Louis and 



340 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Decatur. On account of meritorious and faithful 
service, he was placed in charge of the office in 
Taylorville in September, 1887, and has since 
filled that responsible position. He now has five 
employes under his care. 

A.n important event in the life of Mr. Skelton 
occurred on the 25th of March, 1883, when was 
celebrated his marriage with Miss Clara Yates, of 
Gillespie, 111. Their union has been blessed with 
three children, a son and two daughters: Anna, 
Earl and Lottie. The parents are highly respected 
citizens, and although their residence here is of 
comparatively short duration, they have already 
won many friends. In politics, Mr. Skelton is a 
supporter of Republican principles, but has never 
been an aspirant for office. Socially, he is con- 
nected with Mystic Lodge No. 64, K. P. He is a 
trusted and faithful employe of the Wabash Com- 
pan3', and the interests of his employers will never 
suffer at his hands. 



^^ EORGE ARMITAGE is a practical farmer 
|f| (_, of Bear Creek Township, and has lived on 
'^Jjj his farm, which is located on section 5, for 
thirty years. This is a well-improved piece of 
property, known by the name of Pleasant View 
( Farm. The owner has of late years engaged in 
stock-raising extensively, making a specialty of 
fine grades of cattle and hogs. He has been a 
witness of much of the development of the county, 
and has seen its transformation from an unculti- 
vated prairie to its present condition of thrifty 
farms and enterprising villages. 

Our subject's paternal grandfather, Thomas Ar- 
mitage, was a native of England, and was an agri- 
culturist. His family consisted of four sons and 
one daughter, and after living a long and 'useful 
life he was called to the home beyond. His son, 
Arthur, who became the father of our subject, was 
reared to the life of a farmer, but in later years 
was a manufacturer. He married Elizabeth Stead, 



daughter of Benjamin M. Stead, who was a fore- 
man in a shoe manufactory. He was a member 
of the Society of Friends, and was over seventy 
years of age at the time of his death. The pa- 
rents of our subject passed their entire lives in 
England, where they died within two weeks of 
each other. They had a family of three sons and 
three daughters, and of the number George is 
probably the only one now living. 

Like his father, our subject was reared on a 
farm, and when nineteen years of age he con- 
cluded to try his fortune in the United States. 
This was in 1841, and lie was born March 1, 1822. 
On his arrival, he at once turned his face toward 
the West, going to live witli an uncle in Macoupin 
County, 111, near the village of Harris Point. 
After remaining with him for a year, he went to 
Zanesville, where he spent one winter. About 
this time he undertook to learn the tanner's trade, 
but on account of sickness was obliged to give up 
the idea, and in a short time resumed agricultural 
pursuits. In 1844 he rented a farm of thirty-five 
acres, and thus got his first start in business life. 
After his marriage, in 1845, he purchased a farm 
of thirty acres, adjoining a tract of fifty acres in 
Sangamon County which belonged to his wife. 
As his resources allowed, he added land until their 
joint possessions comprised three hundred acres. 

The marriage of Mr. Armitage and Miss Frances 
M. Crow was celebrated January 27, 1845. She 
is. a daughter of Robert and Margaret (Cashner) 
Crow, the former a native of Ireland, while the 
mother was a native of Maryland and of German 
descent. Four children have been born to our 
subject and his wife. Uriah G. married Miss 
Eliza Loveless, and is engaged in farming one 
mile west of the old homestead. They have two 
sons, Clarence E. and Homer. Margaret A. resides 
with her parents. Robert B., who wedded Miss 
Jane Craig, has two children, Roy and- Bessie, and is 
a resident of Willow Ford, this county. Edward 
C., who married Miss Alice Prime, and is the fa- 
ther of two children, Bertha and Ray, is a res- 
ident of Virden, 111. 

Selling his farm of three hundred acres in San- 
gamon County, Mr. Armitage removed to this 
county in November, 1863, and invested his 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



341 



means in a place of two hundred and seventy 
acres, where he still continues to live. He has 
since added more land, and now owns three hun- 
dred and sixty acres. He raises fine Durham cat- 
tle and Berkshire and Poland-China hogs. He has 
held a number of local offices, such as School Di- 
rector, Road Commissioner, etc., and has used his 
influence in securing good roads and other im- 
provements beneficial to the people and county at 
large. He is a Mason of longstanding, and, polit- 
ically, is a Democrat. With his family he holds 
membership with the Presbyterian Church. 



G. RICHARDS, who carries on general 
farming on section 10, Rosemond Town- 
ship, where he owns and operates one liun- 
. dred and twenty acres of good land, is a native 
of the Buckeye State, his birth having occurred 
near Canton, in Stark County, on the 21st of 
March, 1839. His father, Abraham Richards, was 
a native of Pennsylvania, and was a farmer by 
occupation. The paternal grand father of our sub- 
ject died in Albany, N. Y. Abraham Richards, 
having attained to mature years, was united in 
marriage with Miss Anna Gerber, a native of Ohio 
and a daughter of John Gerber, who was born in 
Pennsylvania, and became one of the pioneers of 
the Buckeye State. He settled in the midst of 
the forest and hewed out a farm, one hundred 
miles from Pittsburgh, and sixty miles from Cleve- 
land. The latter was the nearest trading-post, and 
they had to obtain many of their supplies from 
the Indians. The father of Mr. Gerber was a 
slave-holder of Maryland, and removed from that 
State to Pennsylvania. 

The parents of our subject were married near 
Canton, Ohio, and located upon a farm in Stark 
County, where they reared their family. The fa- 
ther died at the age of sixty-four years. He was 
a prominent agriculturist of the community and 
one of the honored pioneers. He was a member 
of the Methodist Church. His widow, who was 



born in 1812, is still living, and makes her home 
near Lincoln. Neb. The family of this worthy 
couple numbered five children, four sons and a 
daughter, all of whom are still living. Lydia is 
the wife of Samuel Grove, of Stark County, Ohio. 
John is living on the old homestead in Stark 
County. C. G. is the next younger. David is 
living in Nebraska, and Joseph lives in Canton, 
Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch is the only represent- 
ative of the family in Illinois. He was reared in 
the county of his nativity, and acquired the 
greater part of hiseducation in the district schools, 
but for one year was a student in Greenbush, Ohio. 
Under the parental roof he remained and to his 
father gave the benefit of his services until twenty- 
five years of age, when he started out in life for 
himself. Going to Noble County, Ind., he worked 
on a farm for $14 per month, and after a year re- 
turned to his native State, where he ran an en- 
gine for a year. He then again went to Indiana, 
and worked for his old employer for $20 per 
month. With the money which he could save he 
would purchase stock, and did considerable trad- 
ing in horses and cattle. In 1865 we again find 
him in Stark County, Ohio, where he spent one 
year, operating a sawmill south of Canton, in 
which he purchased a half-interest. 

On the 3d of October, 1867, Mr. Richards was 
united in marriage with Miss Lucy Yant, who was 
born in that county and is a daughter of Daniel 
Yant, a native of Pennsylvania. They became the 
parents of four children, but two are now de- 
ceased, the eldest having died in infancy, while 
Arthur died at the age of six years. Maud and 
Blanche are still at home. 

In the year following his marriage, Mr. Rich- 
ards brought his young wife to Christian County, 
111., and purchased the farm on which he now re- 
sides. It was an unimproved place, the land was 
wild, there were no fences, and the only building 
was a small frame house. The many improve- 
ments now seen thereon are the handiwork of our 
subject. The well-tilled fields and good buildings 
all indicate his thrift and enterprise, and he is justly 
classed among the representative and progressive 
agriculturists of the community. He has made a 



342 



POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



specialty of the breeding of Jersey cattle, and has 
some fine stock now on hand. 

In politics, Mr. Richards is a stalwart Republi- 
can. He was elected Supervisor in 1890, and 
again in 1892, and is now holding that office. He 
has been School Trustee for fifteen years, and was 
Assessor for six years. He is a member of the 
Congregational Church of Rosemond, and has 
served as Trustee and Deacon. No man is more 
highly esteemed in the community than the sub- 
ject of this sketch. 



GILBERT BURNETT HANKINS, wh6 for 

)me years was connected with the agri- 
cultural interests of Christian County, is 
now living a retired life in Taylorville. He is a 
self-made man, and his business career of strict 
honor and integrity is well worthy of emulation. 
He has been successful, yet his prosperity is not the 
result of good fortune, it being the legitimate out- 
come of toil and energy. 

Mr. Hankins is a native of Kentucky. He was 
born April 12, 1828, in Shelby County, and comes 
on the maternal side from a family of German 
origin, which was founded in America by his 
grandparents. His father, Gilbert Hankins, Sr., 
was a native of Virginia, and when a young man 
went to Kentucky, where he spent his remaining 
days.' His wife, who bore the maiden name of Re- 
becca Caress, was born in that State. 

Under the parental roof our subject spent his 
boyhood days midst play and work, no event of 
special importance occurring during his child- 
hood. In 1856, he left the State of his nativity 
with the determination to try his fortune on the 
broad prairies of Illinois, and located near Roch- 
ester, in Sangamon County. The following year 
he came to Christian County, and when a young 
man he followed the carpenter's trade. In this 
way he secured sufficient money to purchase a 
farm, and became the owner of a slightly im- 
proved tract of land in South Fork Township, 



nine miles west of Taylorville, for which he paid 
$12.50 per acre. With characteristic energy he 
began the development of his land, and in the 
course of time abundant harvests rewarded his la- 
bors, the wild prairie being transformed into rich 
and fertile fields. 

For a companion and helpmate on life's jour- 
ney, Mr. Hankins chose Miss Mary Mason, the 
daughter of John and Isabella (Clemens) Ma- 
son. Her father was a native of England, and 
when a young man came to Illinois, entering 
land near Springfield. He is numbered among 
the pioneer settlers of Sangamon County. Up- 
on his farm he was married when about twenty- 
one years of age. His wife was a native of Vir- 
ginia, was reared in Kentucky, and at an early 
day came with her parents to Illinois. In 1856, 
Mr. and Mrs. Mason removed to Christian Coun- 
ty, where they lived until called to the home 
beyond. His death occurred in South Fork Town- 
ship in 1878, at the age of eighty-one; and she 
died in Taylorville, in 1892, at the age of eighty- 
four, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Hankins. 
Of their family of eleven children, all grew to 
mature years, and nine still survive at this writ- 
ing, in the fall of 1893. Mr. Mason was an exten- 
sive farmer and land-owner in Christian and Macon 
Counties, and his possessions were all acquired 
through his own efforts. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hankins was cele- 
brated in South Fork Township, February 11, 
1864. They have no children of their own, but 
have reared two: William Kelley, who came to them 
at the age of thirteen, and is now living in Twin 
City, Tex.; and Mary Prince, who made her home 
with them from the age of four years until her 
marriage to R. S. Peck, of Taylorville. They now 
reside in Ft. Smith, Ark. These children received 
good educational advantages and were carefully 
and tenderly reared. 

In 1875, Mr. Hankins left his farm and came to 
Taylorville, since which time he has engaged 
quite extensively in selling nursery stock. He 
still owns his home farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres of valuable land, and another tract of eighty 
acres in this county, besides some fine city prop- 
erty, including four lots where he now ' lives, 



POETRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



343 



upon which are two good residences. Mr. Han- 
kins has never taken a very prominent part in 
public affairs, yet always faithfully performs his 
duties of citizenship. He was formerly a Republi- 
can in politics, but is now a stalwart supporter of 
the Prohibition party. He was made a Mason in 
Shelby County, Ky., about 1854, and now holds 
membership with Mound Lodge No. 122. A. F. & 
A. M., of Taylorville. 



JOSEPH C. PHINNEY is engaged in busi- 
ness in Taylorville as a contractor and 
builder. He began operations in this line 
in 1872, and during the greater part of the 
time since has been a leading member of the trade. 
As he is widely and favorably known, both in bus- 
iness and social circles, we feel assured that this 
record of his life will prove of interest to many of 
our readers. 

A native of New York, Mr. Phinney was born 
in Lewis County, on the 18th of July, 1836, and 
there spent his first thirteen years. His father, 
Clark Phinney, then emigrated with the family to 
Lake County, 111., settling in Hainesville. He 
was a carpenter by trade, and under his instruc- 
tion our subject began learning the business. His 
father died when Joseph was twenty years of age, 
after which our subject went to Lowville, N. Y., 
his native town, and further perfected himself in 
his knowledge of carpentering. After finishing 
his trade, he continued to follow the business in 
the East for a year. He began contracting im- 
mediately after his father's death, but on going 
to the Empire State, he found that he could ad- 
vance in his business, and in consequence de- 
voted himself to further improvement along that 
line. 

While in New York, our subject was married, 
on the 17th of September, 1861, the lady of his 
choice being Miss Mary Ellen Phinney, his cousin. 
Their union has been blessed with two children: 
Charlie C., who is now working with his father; 



and Grace, wife of Frank Martin, agent for the 
Adams Express Company of Taylorville. The 
family is one of prominence in the community 
and its members rank high in social circles. 

Returning with his young wife to Illinois, Mr. 
Phinney began contracting in McLean Countj', 
where he remained until his removal to Taylor- 
ville, in 1872. Since coming here, however, he 
spent one year in Independence, Iowa, and for 
two years, in 1888 and 1889, he was foreman 
in White's lumber-yard. With the exception of 
these short periods, he has continuously carried 
on business for himself in Taylorville. He em- 
ploys from six to twelve men, and as he always 
lives up to his contracts, fulfilling his part of the 
agreement, he has received a liberal patronage, 
which has constantly increased from the begin- 
ning. In connection with contracting and build- 
ing, he has, to some extent, carried on farming, and 
has improved property in his own interest, erect- 
ing and selling a number of residences. He now 
owns seven and a-half acres of land, lying adjacent 
to the village, which he expects soon to plat and add 
to Taylorville. Straightforward and honorable 
in all his business dealings, he is a man of un- 
swerving integrity, and has the confidence and 
high regard of all with whom he has been brought 
in contact 



x^APT. JOHN EDWARD HOGAN, one of 
((( r Ta y lorville ' s popular and representative 
^^^7 citizens, is here engaged in the practice of 
law, as a member of the firm of Drennan <fe Hogan, 
and is Master in Chancery for Christian County. 
He has the honor of being one of the native sons 
of this county, his birth having occurred in Pana 
on the 30th of July, 1865. His parents are Thomas 
and Mary A. (Murphy) Hogan. The father was a 
native of Ireland, and on leaving the Emerald 
Isle crossed the Atlantic to America, where he 
met and married Miss Murphy, a native of Canada. 
In 1866 he came with his family to Taylorville, 



344 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



where he is still living, at the age of sixty-six 
years. For some time he was proprietor of the 
Central Hotel, but is now living, a retired life. 
His wife was called to her final rest in December, 
1891. 

The subject of this sketch has always lived in 
the county of his nativity. When in his first year, 
he was brought by his parents to Taylorville, 
where midst play and work his boyhood days 
were passed. He entered upon his business career 
at the age of fifteen, at which time he secured a 
clerkship in the grocery store of W. R. Callaway. 
He also served in the same capacity with Baughman 
& White, continuing as a clerk for five years. 
Preferring a professional to a commercial life, how- 
ever, he decided to take up the study of law, and 
at the age of twenty entered the office of J. G. 
Drennan, a well-known and prominent practi- 
tioner. After receiving thorough instruction, he 
was admitted to the Bar before the Supreme Court 
of Mt. Vernon, in March, 1888. He then em- 
barked in practice, and has since followed his 
chosen profession. The next month after being 
admitted to the Bar, he was elected Police Judge, 
and served in that office for a year. In 1889 the 
present partnership with Mr. Drennan was formed. 
The connection still continues, but in 1892 Mr. 
Drennan removed to Springfield, and became a 
partner with the firm of Palmer <fe Shutt, of the 
capital city* The senior member of the firm is 
John M. Palmer, United States Senator, and Will- 
iam E. Shutt is the present District Attorney for 
the United States. 

Our subject exercises his right of franchise in 
support of the Democratic party, and is one of the 
stalwart advocates of the Democracy. He has 
been a member of the County Central Committee 
for some time, and is now its Secretary. In cam- 
paign work he is very active, and is an able 
speaker. Mr. Hogan is also the popular Captain 
of Company B, Fifth Regiment Illinois National 
Guards, which numbers sixty men. It was for- 
merly commanded by Capt. Arthur Crooker, and 
under his leadership took part in many compet- 
itive drills and won a number of prizes. The 
troops attended the New Orleans Exposition in 
1885, camping at Mobile. This company has fur- 



nished a number of illustrious men, including 
Col. McKnight, who served on the staff of the 
Governor, and Col. Culver, of Springfield, who 
commands the Fifth Regiment. Capt. Hogan has 
filled his office for a year. In 1892 he attended 
the Encampment at Springfield, and in October of 
that year went with his men to Chicago to take 
part in the dedicatory exercises of the World's 
Fair. The company is now well equipped, and 
takes rank among the best in the State. Mr. Ho- 
gan isalsoVice-President of the Arion Club. His 
pleasant, genial nature makes him a favorite, and 
throughout the community he has a large circle of 
friends. 



WILLIAM L. COHENOUR, one of the prom- 
inent and representative citizens of Pana, 
has the honor of being a native of Illinois, 
his birth having occurred near Griggsville, in 
Pike County, September 10, 1837. His parents, 
Jacob N. and Jane (Likeley) Cohenour, were both 
natives of Pennsylvania, and in the Keystone 
State were married. One child was there born 
unto them, and in 1836 they came with it to Illi- 
nois. The father was a carpenter and farmer, and 
spent his remaining days in Pike County, where his 
death occurred in 1868, at the age of fifty-seven 
years. His wife was called to her final rest in 
1857. 

The boyhood days of our subject were quietly 
passed upon his father's farm until eighteen years 
of age, when he turned his attention to commer- 
cial pursuits. He had been educated in the pub- 
lic schools and in the Pittsfield Academy, and at 
the age of eighteen he entered a store in Pitts- 
field, where he engaged in clerking for several 
years. He later engaged in teaching in Pike 
County, and was also employed as a teacher in 
Nodaway County, Mo., after which he returned to 
the State of his nativity and taught school in St. 
Clair County until 1863. 

On the 10th of December, 1863, was celebrated 
the marriage of Mr. Cohenour and Miss Mary S. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



345 



Moore, of St. Clair County. Uuto them have 
been born the following children: Charles A., who 
read law in Algona, Iowa, was admitted to the Bar 
in June, 1892, and is now practicing in Sioux City, 
Iowa; Jacob A., a hardware merchant of Oconee, 
111.; William L., who is engaged in farming in 
Harper County, Kan.; Mertie J., Howard H., Cora 
J. and Mary Florence. The four last named are 
still under the parental roof. 

Mr. Cohenour located in Bond County, 111., in 
1864, and in the spring of 1865 came to Christian 
County, settling four miles northwest of Pana, 
where he purchased of the Illinois Central Rail- 
road Company one hundred and twenty acres of 
wild land, at $11 per acre. Since that time he has 
engaged in farming in Pana and Assumption 
Townships, having improved two hundred and 
forty acres of fine farming land iii Assumption 
Township, besides the tract of one hundred and 
twenty acres above mentioned. He has also lived 
on two other farms. He now owns and manages 
a quarter-section of land in Assumption Township, 
and has thirty acres where he now lives, adjoin- 
ing the city of Pana. In addition, he has some 
land in Clark County, Kan., and some in Florida, 
which is adapted to orange-growing. He has car- 
ried on a general line of farming and has culti- 
vated a fine orchard of about seventeen acres. At 
one time he resided in Pana for about four years, 
during which time he was engaged in the grocery 
trade. 

Mr. Cohenour has been honored with a number 
of local offices, having served as Justice of the 
Peace and Supervisor of Assumption Township 
with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of 
his constituents. He was made a Mason in New 
Salem Lodge, of Pike County, when he was twenty- 
one years of age, is a member of both the blue 
lodge and chapter in Pana, an'd himself and wife 
belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. She is 
also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Mr. Cohenour has been prominently connected 
with the business interests of Pana and was one of 
the incorporates of the First National Bank, which 
was established in May, 1889. At the first elec- 
tion held he was made its President, and has since 
continued to fill that position. He gives tlie bank 



his personal supervision, and under his able man- 
agement it is now in a flourishing condition. He 
was one of the promoters of, and is a stockholder in, 
the Pana Fair Association, and up to within a year 
was superintendent of the textile department. In 
connection with others he was prominent in the 
development of the coal interests, which have 
proven one of the leading industries of this locality. 
Our subject is a man of excellent business ability, 
sagacious and far-sighted, enterprising arid pro- 
gressive, and to his efforts the upbuilding and 
prosperity of the community are due in no small 
degree. His labors have brought him success, and 
he is now the owner of a handsome competency as 
the result of his good management. 



J^jft RTHUR CLARK BUTLER, who is Princi- 
I^O| pal of the Taylorville Township High 
jnt School, and is recognized as one of the 
^f/ leading educators of central Illinois, has 
spent his entire life in this State, being numbered 
among her native sons. He was born near Jack- 
sonville, in Morgan County, on the llth of April, 
1848. His father, James L. Butler, was a native 
of Virginia, and after arriving at years of matur- 
ity he married Oletha Sargent, who was born in 
the Buckeye State. 

Prof. Butler spent the first fourteen years of his 
life in the county of his nativity, and from that 
time until he had arrived at man's estate he lived 
upon a prairie farm in Macon County, near Blue 
Mound. He early became familiar with agricul- 
tural pursuits, and aided his father in the cultiva- 
tion of the land until he had arrived at years of 
maturity. His educational privileges previous to 
that time were limited. He had attended the 
common schools, and for two years was a student 
in the State Normal. Anxious to acquire a good 
education, his own labors made it possible for him 
to carry out this desire. While still upon the 
home farm he engaged in teaching, and for some 
years his time was spent between teaching and study 



346 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in the State Normal. It was seven years before 
he had completed the four-year course of that in- 
stitution, as his studies were interrupted by the 
teaching, which made it possible for him to pay 
his tuition and meet his other expenses. 

At length, however, Prof. Butler was graduated 
in 1878, and among twenty-six pupils carried off 
the class honors. He also studied the languages, 
not included in the regular course. Since that 
time he has been continuously engaged in educa- 
tional work. For two years he was employed as 
Principal of the schools of Virginia, Cass County, 
and then went to Beardstown, where for nine 
years he was employed as Superintendent of the 
schools of that city of five thousand inhabitants. 
While there he introduced manual training into 
the schools, a feature which attracted much atten- 
tion among educators. In July, 1891, he came to 
Taylorville, where he has now taught for two 
years. This was an instance of the place seeking 
the man, for after the committee visited his school 
at Beardstown the position was offered him. 

On the loth of June, 1871, in Christian County, 
Prof. Butler married Miss Eliza Eaton, of Prairie- 
town Township, a daughter of William K. and E. 
Eaton, early settlers of this county. Unto them 
have been born three children: Wilbur F., who is 
now serving as operator in Taylorville; Gazella,who 
devotes her time to the study of music; and Ruby 
Alberta. The ancestors of our subject were prom- 
inent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and he and his family hold the same faith. He 
takes quite an active part in church work, is a 
member of the Board of Trustees, and has borne a 
prominent part in building the new house of wor- 
ship. He was made a Mason in Beardstown. 

Mr. Butler devotes much of his vacations to in- 
stitute work. He is a member of the State Teach- 
ers' Association, and for one year was President 
of the Central Illinois Teachers' Association. He 
has contributed many able articles to educational 
journals, and in 1892 the Blackburn University, of 
Carlinville, conferred upon him the honorary de- 
gree of A. M. In May, 1893, he commenced a 
series of articles in the School News, entitled 
"Tea-table Talks on Education." These articles 
are of special interest to teachers, and have re- 



ceived favorable comment from many persons in- 
terested in promoting the best welfare of our edu- 
cational system. The same enterprise and resolute 
spirit which secured for him his education have 
made Mr. Butler's life a success and won for him 
the high position which he to-day occupies among 
teachers. 



. WALLS, editor of the Democrat, is a na- 
tive of Edgar County, 111., and first saw 
the light at Paris December 3, 1852. He 
attended the public schools of that city until 
he was nine years old, when his father, Elza 
Walls, having died, he removed with his mother, 
(who re-married two years afterward) to a farm. 
The war coming on unsettled the country school, 
and for the next eight years he had little or no 
opportunity for education. Happening to see in 
a copy of a local newspaper that a boy was wanted 
to learn the printing trade, he applied for the po- 
sition, was accepted, and in two years became fore- 
man. Having employed all his time between 7 
p. M. and midnight in study, a year later he was 
advanced to the position of associate editor, which 
he threw up to enter college at Chicago. While a 
student, he dashed off a few lines of jingle, which 
he sent to the Terre Haute (Ind.) Gazette, and which 
attracted the attention of the editor, O. J. Smith, 
who offered him a place on the editorial staff of 
the Saturday Evening Mail, which he contemplated 
establishing. He remained with the Mail for nine 
months, when he took editorial charge of the Mo- 
ravia (Iowa) Vedette. He left Moravia to estab- 
lish the Democrat at Princeton, Mo., but in a few 
months returned to Moravia and started the Mess- 
enger. 

Mr. Walls married Miss Mary McDivitt, of Ed- 
gar County, 111., and bought the Indianian, the 
Democratic organ of Hendricks County, and re- 
moved to Danville, Ind., in June, 1872. He re- 
mained at Danville for five years, and was Chair- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



347 



man of the Democratic Central Committee during 
all of that time. In 1879 he removed to Decatur, 
111., and established the Decatur Saturday Herald, 
now the Herald Despatch. His health failing, he 
sold the Herald and did a little reportorial work 
on the Republican, at Paris, 111. In 1881 he bought 
the Macon (111.) Independent, and a year later es- 
tablished the Assumption Enterprise. He ran both 
papers for two years, and then bought the Monti- 
cello (111.) Bulletin, making Monticello his head- 
quarters. Not content with having three papers 
on his hands, he entered the Railway Mail Service 
as Postal Clerk on the Champaign <fe Havana Line. 
He passed a final examination at the end of three 
months, in half the time required, leased the Ma- 
con and Assumption papers, and remained in the 
service for nearly two and a-half years, when he 
sold the two smaller papers and bought the Tay- 
lorville Democrat and removed to Taylorville 
March 31, 1888. In May he resigned ; as Postal 
Clerk, and in October following he sold the Mon- 
ticello Bulletin. Having only one paper to run, 
he turned his attention partially to invention, and 
had obtained ten patents up to the date of the is- 
sue of this work. He was Secretary of the Demo- 
cratic Central Committee of Christian County for 
more than four years, and since Januaiy, 1893, 
has been Chairman. Such, in brief, is the record 
of a busy life, and a gratifying triumph over many 
difficulties. 



jr_ENRY A. PEABODY, a successful and en. 

rjV terprising merchant of Taylorville, now 
ii)^^ carries on business as a dealer in groceries, 

(^) glass and queensware and pocket and 
table cutlery. He has carried on business along 
this line since 1878, and has succeeded in securing 
a good trade, which is constantly increasing. It 
is his desire to please his custo mers, and, carrying 
a stock of goods such as the public demands, he 
has met with success. 

Mr. Peabody is a native of the county which is 



still his home, his birth having occurred on the 
27th of September, 1848. His father, Amos Pea- 
body, was born in Connecticut, and the grand- 
father, Samuel Peabody, was also a native of the 
same State. The latter left the East and, joining 
the Stonington colony, came with his family to 
Illinois in 1837. He was a farmer by occupation 
and followed that pursuit throughout his whole 
life. He died in this county, being drowned in 
Flat Branch when more than seventy years of 
age. Amos Peabody for many years followed 
farming in Christian County. He married Wil- 
helmina Fredericka Stetcher, a native of Germany, 
who when a young lad}' crossed the Atlantic with 
her parents, the family settling in Christian 
County. Her father died in Springfield at an ad- 
vanced age, and her mother reached the age of 
eighty years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peabody were 
born three children, but two died in infancy. 
The mother died in 1850, after which Mr. Pea- 
body was again married. By the second union 
four children were born. Orrin, Samuel, and two 
who died in infancy. The father of our subject 
is now eighty years of age. With his wife he is 
still living in Taylorville, one of its respected 
citizens. 

Henry A., whose name heads this record, was 
reared in the county of his nativity, and began 
his education in the district schools, but his 
primary course was afterwards supplemented by 
study in the High School of Decatur and in the 
Commercial College at Springfield, so that he was 
well fitted to enter upon the practical duties of 
life. On the 5th of October, 1880, he was joined 
in marriage with Miss Elizabeth A. Jones, of Sang- 
amon County, a daughter of Moses A. and Nancy 
(Armstrong) Jones. -Their marriage has been 
blessed with one child, a son, Frederick A. 

Mr. Peabody takes considerable interest in 
civic societies and belongs to Mystic Lodge No. 
64, K. P., and Birchfield Camp No. 130, M. W. A. 
He is a charter member of both societies, and has 
been Clerk of the Camp since its organization. In 
politics, he is independent, preferring to support the 
man whom he thinks best qualified for the office, 
regardless of party affiliations. In 1893, he was 
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who 



348 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was called to her final rest in March, at tlie age of 
forty-two years. She was a lady of many excel- 
lencies of character, and a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances mourned her loss. 

Mr. Peabody continued to follow farming with 
good success until 1875, when he determined to 
make his home in the city. However, he still 
owns one hundred and twenty acres of rich and 
valuable land in Prairieton Township, which 
yields him a good income. He also has a pleasant 
residence in Taylorville besides his store. His 
property has all been accumulated by his own in- 
dustry and economy, and is the reward which 
crowns his well-directed efforts. 



JOHN W. PRICE, of the firm of Price & Wil- 
kinson, proprietors of the Ruth Mills, of 
Taylorville, has been engaged in his present 
line of business since 1867, and the present 
partnership has continued since 1869. A native 
of Ohio, he was born in Leesville, Carroll County, 
October 12, 1829, and is a son of James Price, 
who was also born in Ohio, and is still living in 
Carroll County, at the advanced age of ninety- 
four. 

Our subject spent the days of his boyhood and 
youth in the county of his nativity, and served a 
four-years apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade. 
In 1856, he bade good-bye to friends and home and 
came to the West, believing that he could better 
his financial condition thereby. He started for 
Kansas, but the slavery troubles were then agitat- 
ing that community, and he made a location in 
Christian County, where he has since resided. 
He was first employed on the court house, and 
then worked as a journeyman for two years, when 
he began contracting in his own interest. The 
first work upon which he was engaged was the 
erection of the old Forest Mills, which were 
burned about 1870. He then built the residence 
of W. A. Goodrich and Judge W. S. Moore, erect- 
ing the latter in 1860, on the site of the present 



High School. Mr. Price continued contracting and 
building until'lie built his mill, since which time 
he has devoted his energies to milling and to the 
grain business. 

On the 18th of February, 1862, Mr. Price mar- 
ried Miss Ilattie Cowgill, who was born in the 
Buckeye State. They are both members of the 
Presbyterian Church, and are pleasant, genial peo- 
ple, who in their intercourse with the residents of 
the community have gained man}' warm friends 
who esteem them highly. In early life, Mr. Price 
was a supporter of the Whig party, but on the or- 
ganization of the Republican party he joined its 
ranks, voting for Fremont in 1856, and has since 
fought under its banner. He has efficiently served 
as Township Trustee, and in other ways has been 
connected with public affairs, especially in aiding 
and encouraging any enterprise calculated to 
prove of public benefit. He is a strong friend to 
temperance and has always opposed license. In 
1855, he was made a Mason in Urichsville, Ohio, 
and has been an active member of the fraternity, 
being now Worthy Master of Mound Lodge No. 
122, A. F. & A. M. His wife holds membership 
with the Order of the Eastern Star. They have an 
attractive home, situated on the principal street of 
Taylorville, and it is always open for the recep- 
tion of their many friends. 

Mr. Price has made some investments in real 
estate, and now owns two residences in the city, 
but gives his principal attention to the milling 
business. The Ruth Mill was built by Moore, 
Price & Co. in 1867, at a cost of $27,000. After 
a year Judge W. S. Moore, the senior partner, 
who is now living in Morrisonville, 111., retired, 
leaving Mr. Price and Mr. Wilkinson as proprie- 
tors, and their connection has continued, under the 
name of Price & Wilkinson, from the year 1869 
up to the present time. The mill stands near the 
Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. An addition was 
made in 1883, and the roller process was intro- 
duced. It has a capacity of two hundred barrels 
daily. They also handle grain at other places. 
They have a mill and do business at Farmingdale, 
and have an elevator at Morrisonville, but it is 
rented. They have mad extensive shipments of 
their flour, which has been sent into the Caroliuas, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



349 



Florida and Georgia, and even to Minneapolis, 
which is considered to be the centre of flour manu- 
factories. Mr. Price is a man of excellent busi- 
ness ability, and by close attention to his business, 
together with perseverance and enterprise, he has 
succeeded in establishing a fine trade and acquir- 
ing a handsome competence. Thirty-seven years 
have passed since he came to the county, during 
which time he has not only witnessed its growth 
and upbuilding but has aided materially in its 
welfare and progress. He well deserves mention 
in this volume among the honored early settlers 
and men of prominence. 



JACOB YOCKEY, a retired farmer now resid- 
ing in Taylorville, has made his home in 
Christian County for almost thirty years. 
As he is both widely and favorably known, 
we feel assured that this record of his life will 
prove of interest to many of our readers, and 
therefore gladly give this sketch a place in the 
history of his adopted county. The place of his 
birth was near Chambersburg, Franklin County, 
Pa., the date being November 17, 1835. His pa- 
rents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Snyder) Yockey,were 
also natives of the Keystone State, and the father 
was a farmer by occupation. With their family 
they emigrated to Ohio about 1852, and there 
the parents spent their remaining days. 

Mr. Yockey comes of a very old Pennsylvania 
family, his great-grandfather having been born in 
Lancaster County, that State, as was also his 
grandfather, John Yockey, who removed to Frank- 
lin County, where his son Joseph, the father of 
our subject, was born. His great-grandfather on 
the maternal side, Conrad Snyder, was born in 
Prussia, and emigrated to this country when a 
young man, settling in Pennsylvania. John Sny- 
der, son of Conrad, was born in Franklin County. 
He served as a Colonel in the War of 1812 and 
was a prominent man in his time. 



Mr. Yockey of this sketch was a young man of 
seventeen years at the time of the removal. At 
the age of twenty he left home and went to Akron, 
Ohio, where he secured a clerkship in a drug and 
grocery store, receiving about $800 per year for 
his services. Later he suffered from a lingering 
illness, and in order to benefit his health removed 
to Columbus, Ind., in 1857. He then engaged in 
teaching school in Bartholomew County until the 
fall of 1864, and proved an able and successful 
instructor. 

On the llth of August, 1864, Mr. Yockey was 
united in marriage with Miss Sarah Martin, their 
union being celebrated in Indianapolis, Ind. The 
same year they came to Christian County, where 
they have since resided. Their union has been 
blessed by the birth of six children, as follows: 
Dr. William M.,who was graduated from the Nor- 
mal School of Valparaiso, Ind., and was graduated 
from the Rush Medical College, of Chicago, in 
1891, has since been engaged in the practice of his 
profession in Joplin, Mo.; Jacob Arthur is now a 
student in the Valparaiso Normal School; Sarah 
Louise, Charlotte Emma, Jane Miriam and Ella 
May are the younger members of the family. 

On coming to Christian County, Mr. Yockey 
located in Mt. Auburn Township, about twelve 
miles north of Taylorville, and resided just east 
of Grove City for nineteen years. Subsequently 
he purchased a farm two miles southwest of Mt. 
Auburn, comprising two hundred and eighty-two 
acres of arable and valuable land, upon which he 
resided until the 1st of January, 1893. This is 
one of the best farms and most desirable places in 
the county, being complete in all its appointments 
and supplied with all modern conveniences. The 
fields are well tilled and the improvements stand 
as monuments to the thrift and enterprise of the 
owner. His property lias increased in value from 
$44 to $80 per acre. When he came to the county 
he had only about $1,500, but is now numbered 
among the substantial citizens of Taylorville. In 
addition to his other property he owns a one hun- 
dred and sixty acre farm in May Township, north 
of Willey Station, which is rented. 

In 1892 Mr. Yockey erected a neat residence in 
Taylorville at a cost of $2,500, and since the 1st 



350 



PORTRAIT AXD BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of January, 1893, has made his home in this city, 
where he is now living a retired life, enjoying a 
well-earned rest. In politics, he is a supporter of 
Democratic principles, takes an active interest in 
the success of his party, and has been called upon 
to fill various township offices, the duties of which 
lie has ever discharged with promptness and fidel- 
ity. He and his wife are members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, and he served the congrega- 
tion at Grove City as Trustee. 



JOSEPH DAWSON, a retired farmer, now 
living in Taylorvillc, is a native of the 
Buckeye State. He was born in Tuscarawas 
County, Ohio, September 14, 1823, and is a 
son of Joseph and Orpha (Bufflngton) Dawson. 
His parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, 
and their marriage was celebrated in that State. 
Removing to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, they 
there spent the remainder of their lives. 

Our subject is the youngest in a family of six 
ions and three daughters, all of whom grew to 
mature years, while four are now living. He was 
a lad of only four summers when his parents 
located upon the old homestead farm, where their 
last days were spent. He aided in the labors of 
the field and attended the public schools until 
seventeen years of age, after which he served an 
apprenticeship of two years and a-half to the black- 
smith trade in Uhrichsville. The first year he re- 
ceived $35, the second $50, and $125 for the last 
six months. After his term had expired he con- 
tinued to work for his employer, Andrew Brisbane, 
who is now a Justice of the Peace at Pana. 

On the 12th of March, 184(5, in Uhrichsville, 
Mr. Dawson wedded Lucinda Treakle. He then 
formed a partnership and opened a shop. He had 
only $65 in cash and went in debt $75 for his 
tools. There he remained for eight years, carry- 
ing on business with fair success. On the 25th of 
September, 1854, he started from his Ohio home 
to Illinois by team, and at length arrived in 



Taylorville. He settled on the Buckeye Prairie, 
but in the spring of 1855 removed to John- 
son Township, where he rented land for three 
years, operating it in the summer months and 
working at his trade in town during the winter. 
When he had obtained a sufficient capital, he pur- 
chased eighty acres of partially improved land in 
Johnson Township, three and a-half miles south- 
east of Taylorville, and also a tract of raw land 
of eighty acres. Previously he had traded a horse 
for forty acres near Rosemond,and subsequently 
bought another forty-acre tract. Mr. Dawson 
continued to carry on agricultural pursuits in 
Johnson Township until September, 1890, and 
made of his place a finely improved farm, one of 
the best in the county. It sold for $50 cash per 
acre. In connection with the raising of crops, he 
engaged in breeding and raising fine hogs, and 
was quite successful in the undertaking. On 
account of rheumatism that crippled one arm, Mr. 
Dawson was forced to lay aside business cares, and 
in 1890 he removed to Taylorville. 

In 1878. our subject was called upon to mourn 
the loss of his wife, who died on the 14th of Sep- 
tember, his fifty-fifth birthday. She had proved 
a faithful companion and helpmate to him for 
thirty-two years. Unto them were born the follow- 
ing children: Sarah Emeline, who died at the age 
of eighteen; John F., a farmer and stock-dealer of 
Missouri; Amanda A., wife of Samuel Denton, of 
Taylorville; Alice A., wife of John Robinson, of 
Kansas; William A., a carpenter of Missouri; 
Cynna A., wife of Ed H. Hopson, of Texas; Laura 
B.,at home; Julia A., widow of Adam J. Aufrecht; 
and Henry, who died at the age of three years. 
Julia was married May 13, 1891, to Adam Auf- 
recht, who for three years had been employed as 
motorman on the St. Louis Street Railway. Shortly 
after his marriage he was stricken with typhoid 
fever, and died at the home of Mr. Dawson 
August 22, 1891. His widow has since lived with 
her father. Four years before her marriage she 
engaged in teaching, and recently she has taken a 
course of study in the business college of Spring- 
field. 

Since coming to Taylorville, Mr. Dawson has 
purchased a number of residences, which he rents, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



351 



and thus a good income is afforded him. His own 
home is a pleasant dwelling on Franklin Street. 
He has led a busy and useful life, and his industry 
and perseverance have gained for him a comfort- 
able competence, which is well deserved. 



WALTON, M. D., is a physician 
surgeon of Clarksdale, Christian Coun- 
ty, where he has been engaged in practice 
for nearly twenty years. His patients do not 
come merely from the town, but are scattered 
throughout the neighboring country. He is de- 
scended from an old North Carolina family, his 
birth having occurred near Morgan ton, that State, 
January 22, 1849. His parents, Thomas G. and 
Eliza (Murphy) Walton, were also natives of North 
Carolina. The father was a son of Thomas Wal- 
ton, whose birth occurred in the Old Dominion. 
When very young he removed to North Carolina, 
and was the first merchant and Postmaster in Mor- 
gan ton. He reared a large family, and died at the 
age of seventy-nine years. Our subject's ma- 
ternal grandfather attained the age of about 
sixty years. 

Thomas G. Walton, who is still living near Mor- 
ganton, is a farmer and politician of local promi- 
nence. He was a soldier during the late war in 
the Confederate army, and for a time was Captain 
of an independent company. He did not, how- 
ever, serve until the close of the conflict, but was 
retired on account of his age. He is a member of 
the Episcopal Church, as was also his wife, who 
died in 1881. They were the parents of eleven 
children, six sons and five daughters. All but 
three of the family are still liviug. They are as 
follows: Edward $.; James T.; George; Herbert H.; 
Margaret T., wife of C. F. Kesson, of Morgan ton; 
Lucy W., wife of Rev. Nielson Falls, of Washing- 
ton, D. C.; Martha M., now Mrs. C. S. Smith, of 
Morgan ton; and Florence L., wife of John H. 
Pierson. also of the same place. 

Dr. Walton grew to mature years in his native 
17 



town and received a superior education at David- 
son College, Mecklenburgh County, N. C. Heat- 
tended the New York University afterward, and 
was graduated from the medical department in 
the Class of '73. He began the practice of his 
profession at once in the eastern part of his native 
State, being for one year located in the village of 
Stantonsburg. Believing that the West afforded 
better opportunities for a young professional man, 
he removed to Illinois in February, 1875, since 
which time he has been situated in Clarksdale, 
where he has built up a large and remunerative 
practice. He owns a good home property and a 
store building in this village, and is one of her 
public-spirited citizens. 

On the 26th of September, 1876, the Doctor was 
united in marriage with Mrs. Annie Johnson, 
widow of James Johnson, and a daughter of 
John and Teresa Shehan. Three children have 
come to bless their home: Loretta, who died in 
infancy; Thomas George and Ellen Teresa. Mrs. 
Walton is a member of the Catholic Church, is a 
lady of good education, and presides over her 
husband's home with genial grace and hospitality. 

In his social relations, the Doctor is a member 
of the Modern Woodmen of America. He ad- 
heres to the principles of the Democratic party 
and supports its candidates with his ballot. For 
two terms he held the office of Justice of the 
Peace, making an efficient and trustworthy officer. 



>ILLIAM EDGAR MORRISON is a promi- 
nent attorney of Morrisonville and comes 
from a pioneer family of this State. His 
grandfather, Robert Morrison, came West about 
1792, settling in Kaskaskia, 111., where he became 
a leader in commercial enterprises and one of the 
influential men of the times. Our subject's fa- 
ther, James L. D. Morrison, was born in Kaskaskia, 
April 12, 1818. He was also a lawyer, and was 
actively engaged in practice at Belleville, 111., and 
St. Louis for many years, his specialty being real- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



estate titles. He was u prominent man and was 
one of the principal supporters of Stephen A. 
Douglas in the West, but after the defeat of that 
statesman for the Presidency in 1860, he aban- 
doned his political career. 

During the Mexican War, the father of our sub- 
ject was a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second 
Regiment, and was .in command of the regiment 
at Buena Vista. His services were fittingly recog- 
nized on his return from the war by the Legisla- 
ture of Illinois, which presented him with a sword 
suitably inscribed. He succeeded Lyman Trum- 
bull as a member of Congress when the latter was 
elected to the Senate, and was afterward elected to 
fill the full term. On returning from Mexico, he 
devoted his attention to his law practice and in- 
vestment in lands. 

In 1842, James L. D. Morrison wedded Miss 
Mar} 7 A., daughter of Ex-Governor Thomas A. 
Carlin. The lady was also a native of Illinois, 
and by her marriage became the mother of five 
children, namely: J. L. D., William Edgar, Eugene 
M., Guy R. and Mary E. Only two of the number 
are now living, our subject and his sister, who is 
the wife of Joseph P. Carr, of St. Louis. The 
parents were devoted members of the Roman 
Catholic Church. The father died in St. Louis, 
August 17, 1888, and his wife passed away many 
years before, on the llth of September, 1855. Ex- 
Governor Thomas A. Carfin, our subject's maternal 
grandfather, entered land in Christian County in 
1852. The Wabash Railroad Company named the 
village of Morrisonville in honor of the father 
of our subject. 

The boyhood of our subject was mainly spent 
at Belleville, and his education was chiefly ob- 
tained at the Christian Brothers' College in St. 
Louis. He was only sixteen years old when, in 
1862, he entered the United States navy as a mid- 
shipman, his first service being on board the good 
ship "Constitution." He was on the sea for about 
two years, when, at the request of his father, who 
wished him to enter the legal profession, he re- 
signed from the navy, February 16, 1866. Return- 
ing to Belleville, he entered the law office of 
Judge William II. Snyder, now deceased. At the 
end of two years he was examined by a committee 



appointed by the Supreme Court, who pronounced 
him qualified for the practice of the legal profes- 
sion. As he was then less than twenty-one years 
of age, he could not be admitted to the Bar ac- 
cording to the law, and was therefore given the 
oath on his twenty-first birthday, April 13, 1867. 
The succeeding fall he embarked in practice at 
Springfield in the office of Stuart, Edwards & 
Brown, and afterward in that of McLernand, 
Broadwell & Springer. He remained in Spring- 
field until May, 1871. 

Mr. Morrison has always taken an active inter- 
est in politics, and from boyhood has been a stanch 
advocate of the Democratic party. During the 
campaign of 1868, in which Seymour was the Dem- 
ocratic candidate for President in opposition to 
Grant, he made the canvass of seven counties in 
this State at the request of the State Central Com- 
mittee. He inherited a talent for oratory, and his 
speeches have always been received with favor. 
In this part of the State Mr. Morrison has been 
very influential in shaping the policy of his party. 
In 1876 he received the Democratic nomination 
for Representative to the Legislature, and was 
elected by a majority of several hundred votes 
in excess of that received by the general ticket. 
On taking his seat he was, with one excep- 
tion, the youngest man in the House. He was 
placed on the Committee on Railroads, and took 
an active part in the work of that session. The 
resolution for the appropriation of 850,000 for 
the completion of the Douglas monument was 
introduced in 1877, and his speech in favor of its 
acceptance, and in answer to the bitter speech of 
Mr. Merritt, was greeted with tremendous ap- 
plause, and was afterward conceded to be one of 
the finest oratorical efforts ever made in the 
House. 

October 20, 1869, Mr. Morrison married Miss 
Annie C. Perkins, a native of Springfield and 
daughter of Joseph Perkins, an old resident of 
Sangamon County. Her death occurred March 
20, 1874, and she left one child, James L. D. 
Morrison, Jr., who is now at the University 
of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, completing his law 
studies, and will graduate in the Class of '94. 
Our subject, having gone to Iowa in 1882, was 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



353 



active in the canvass of that State for Cleveland, 
and afterward was one of the first to bring Mr. 
Boies into prominence as the Democratic candi- 
date for Governor in Iowa. 



JAMES MONROE SIMPSON, one of the old 
settlers of Christian County, has been for 
long years engaged in farming in Bear 
Creek Township, and is one of the mos* 
substantial and prosperous agriculturists of the lo- 
cality. He is especially interested in stock-raising, 
and introduced the first thoroughbred horse into 
the county. He has handled some of the finest 
racehorses in America, and has won a national 
reputation in that line. Many of the business con- 
cerns and enterprises of Palmer have been furth- 
ered by the influence and means of Mr. Simpson, 
who is public-spirited to a marked degree. 

The parents of our subject were Thomas and 
Caroline (Badger) Simpson. The former, who was 
born in Virginia, was a son of Andrew Simpson, 
also of the Old Dominion, who was one of the 
early settlers of Kentucky, where he made his 
home for many years. He followed agricultural 
pursuits for a livelihood, and was the owner of a 
large number of slaves. In 1835 he went to 
Springfield, 111., where he died at the age of fifty- 
six years. His family consisted of six daughters 
and two sons. Mrs. Simpson, whose birth occurred 
in Kentucky, was oneof ten children, eight daugh- 
ters and two sons, whose father was David Badger. 
He was of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Virginia 
in 1777, and died in Indiana in 1849. He followed 
the life of a farmer and was a man of considerable 
wealth. At the time of his death he was sixty-six 
years of age. 

The family of Thomas and Caroline Simpson 
consisted of two daughters and four sons, namely: 
Andrew, David, James M., Emily, Mary and Ham- 
ilton. James M. is the only survivor. In 1835 
the father brought his family to Illinois, spending 



his first winter in the Prairie State in Springfield. 
Afterward he settled in Mechanicsburg, where he 
made his home until 1846. He then removed to 
this county, buying a farm of two hundred and 
sixty-two acres in Bear Creek Township, one mile 
northeast of the present site of Palmer. For this 
property lie paid $800 and made a good bargain, 
as the place was improved and had a good house, 
barns and fences upon it. At that time it was the 
best-improved farm in the county. The owner 
afterward extended his possessions, until at the 
time of his death he owned four hundred and 
forty-four acres. One tract of one hundred and 
sixty acres he secured by paying only $125. On 
this farm he made his home until his demise, which 
occurred in December, 1856, at the age of fifty-six 
years. His wife died in 1842, and was buried in 
Sangamon County. Mr. Simpson was a promi- 
nent Mason, and during the early days held vari- 
ous township offices, both in Sangamon and Chris- 
tian Counties, once serving as County Commis- 
sioner. 

The birth of our subject occurred near Sharps- . 
burg, Ky., October 3, 1834, and he was just a year 
old on the day when his father set out for Illinois. 
He was a lad of eleven years when he came to this 
county, which has since been the scene of his life 
career. Though his educational advantages were 
limited, he improved what opportunities he had, 
and by observation and study has become a well- 
informed man. In 1853 he crossed the plains to 
California, taking five months to make the trip. 
For the succeeding six years he was engaged in 
mining much of the time, but also raised, bought 
and sold cattle in partnership with his brother 
David. In December, 1858, he returned to his old 
home, which he inherited. He has made great im- 
provements on the place since it became his, and 
now owns one thousand acres. For the property 
which he has purchased in addition to the old 
home place, he has paid from $1.25 to $40 per acre. 
His place he has turned into a stock farm, and he 
makes a specialty of breeding fine horses. For his 
first thoroughbred horse he paid $1,025 when he 
was only a year old. At the present time there are 
from sixty to seventy head of horses on the farm. 
Mr. Simpson is constantly raising, buying and 



354 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



selling high-grade horses and has made a decided 
success of the business. 

A marriage ceremony was performed on the 
29th of March, 1860, uniting the fortunes of 
Mr. Simpson and Miss Margaret Ricks, who is 
a daughter of William S. and Margaret (Bond) 
Ricks, natives of Christian County, Ky. Of the 
children born to our subject and his wife, An- 
drew, Nellie, Eva and Katie are deceased. Cyrus 
D. married Miss Mary Dietz and lives near the old 
homestead. Quintas I. married Miss Rosa Miller, 
and resides near Palmer. Andrew is the next in 
order of birth. Thomas L. married Miss Effie May 
Chapel and lives in Oklahoma. Jessie P., Caroline, 
Eugene, Emma and Hamilton complete the family. 

In politics, Mr. Simpson is a stanch supporter of 
the Republican party. Besides his extensive farm 
and stock-raising interests he is a partner in the 
firm of Simpson & Boyd, dealers in hardware, ag- 
ricultural implements and furniture in Palmer. 



JAMES PARKER WALKER, who after a 
successful career is now living a retired 
life in Taylorville, was born near Almira, 
in Tioga County, N. Y., July 23, 1828, and 
is a son of Daniel E. and Rachel (Miller) Walker, 
the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter 
of Pennsylvania. In 1835, the family removed 
to Champaign County, Ohio, and in 1839 came to 
Illinois, locating in Springfield. The father was 
a farmer and stock-raiser. In 1847 he came with 
his family to Christian County, and settled in 
Greenwood Township, where he secured eight 
hundred and eighty acres of land, of which only- 
sixty acres had been improved, paying $1.25, $5 
and $10 per acre. He also obtained a part of it on 
land warrants, and the cost of that was about 
ninety-two cents per acre. Here he carried on 
farming until 1862, when he went to Montgomery- 
County, and there carried on agricultural pursuits. 
His death occurred February 14, 1882, in his 
eighty-third year. He had improved the greater 



part of his land, was an extensive farmer, and be- 
came quite wealthy. P\>r a number of years before 
his death he lived retired. His wife passed away 
in 1872, at the age of seventy-six years. Their 
family numbered eight children, five of whom are 
now living. Charlotte, widow of George Comp- 
ton, is living in Christian County; two members 
of the family reside in Montgomery County; and 
one brother is living in Texas. 

The first seven years of his life our subject 
spent in the State of his nativity, and then accom- 
panied his parents to Ohio. He was a lad of 
eleven years at the time of the removal to Illinois. 
Upon the home farm he remained, and to his fa- 
ther gave the benefit of his services, until nine- 
teen years of age, when he left the parental roof, 
and became overseer on a farm six miles south of 
Springfield, receiving from $12 to $20 per month 
| for his services. In connection with his brother 
William, he then began improving Congress land, 
as he had not enough money to enter land from 
the Government. He soon, however, managed to 
purchase a land warrant of one hundred and sixty 
acres for $150, and thus secured a farm. Upon it 
he built a cabin and with his brother kept "bach- 
elors' hall." They lived in primitive style in this 
rude and hastily constructed log cabin, their table 
being a dry-goods box, and their chairs rude 
benches. They did their cooking at a fire place. 

He again entered land, in 1851 and 1852, in 
Johnson and Greenwood Townships, and de- 
voted his energies to its cultivation during the 
summer months, and also engaged in breaking 
prairie for $2.50 per acre, his team being made up 
of five yoke of oxen. In winter he would pur- 
chase hogs and drive them to the St. Louis market. 
In this way he secured money with which he pur- 
chased land warrants, and in time he and his 
brother became owners of six hundred acres. 

On the 14th of March, 1854, Mr. Walker wedded 
Nancy, daughter of John and Margaret (Randall) 
Bowman, who had settled in Johnson Township 
in 1852. Unto them were born two sons: Joshua 
Bowman, who is book-keeper for the First Na- 
tional Bank, of Taylorville; and Charles Henry, 
who is at the head of a large publishing house in 
Houston, Tex. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



355 



Mr. and Mrs. Walker began their domestic life 
upon the farm, the young husband devoting him- 
self to the improvement of his land, while the 
wife cared for the household. He grew corn, wheat 
and oats exclusively for a few years, and then be- 
gan feeding and shipping cattle and hogs, which 
business he carried on until 1870. During the 
three last years of the war, especially, he had an 
extensive and profitable trade in that line. In 
1870, he left his farm, removing to Pana, where 
for three years he engaged in the grocery business 
under the firm name of Walker & Vandever. 
They had two stores in that place and did an ex- 
tensive business. After disposing of his interest, 
Mr. Walker engaged in stock-dealing for two 
years in connection with Messrs. Miller & Abel, 
owning two farms near Pana. He then embarked 
in the dry-goods business with his old partner of 
the grocery trade. They carried a stock of $23,- 
000, and from the beginning they enjoyed a lib- 
eral patronage, which yielded them excellent re- 
turns. Again he sold out after three years, and 
for two years dealt in stock with his former part- 
ners, Messrs. Miller and Abel. In 1881 he began 
dealing in real estate. The following year he dis- 
posed of all his businss interests in Pana, includ- 
ing a bank, with which he had been associated 
and which had proven quite a successful venture, 
and came to Taylorville, where a year later he 
opened a grocery store, which he carried on for 
three years, his sou Joshua being his partner. 
The firm of Walker & Son also carried on a mar- 
ble-yard for eighteen months. To quite an ex- 
tent our subject has dealt in real estate all along 
his business life, and he still owns three hundred 
acres of land, a part of which he had entered from 
the Government at a cost of about ninety-two 
cents per acre. He holds the reputation of a care- 
ful, shrewd financier, and no man in the county 
stands higher among business associates. 

In politics, Mr. Walker and his sons are Demo- 
crats. For forty-three years he has been a faithful 
and consistent member of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, and has served as Trustee and in oth- 
er official positions. He has been active in raising 
money for the building of a new church in Tay- 
lorville, and does all in his power for the cause of 



Christianity. The cause of temperance finds in 
him a true friend, and socially he is connected 
with the Masonic fraternity and the Ancient Or- 
der of United Workmen. Mr. Walker may truly 
be called a self-made man, for he started out in 
life without a cent, and all that he has acquired 
has been gained through his own efforts. He car- 
ries forward to a successful completion whatever 
he undertakes, and his prosperity is the just reward 
of his labors. He is numbered among Christian 
County's representative and honored citizens. 



ILLIAM GRIMES, a farmer residing on 
section 30, Rosemond Township, claims 
Maryland as the State of his nativity. He 
was born in Baltimore County, seven miles east of 
the city of Baltimore, January 30, 1811. His fa- 
ther, Nicholas Grimes, was born in the same State, 
was of English descent, and was a farmer by occu- 
pation. He married Keziah Rolland, who was 
born in the same State and is of German lineage. 

Our subject, who is their eldest child, was reared 
in the county of his nativity until seventeen years 
old. He then began learning the blacksmith's trade, 
at which lie served a three-years apprenticeship, 
and then worked at that business in Pittsburgh, 
Cincinnati and Mississippi. In 1835 he came to 111- 
nois, locating in Macoupin County, where he suc- 
cessfully followed his chosen occupation for some 
years, and later engaged in farming until his re- 
moval to Christian County, in 1873. Since then he 
has devoted his time to farming, and he now owns 
eight hundred and fifty acres of valuable land in 
the home farm in Rosemond Township, besides 
other tracts elsewhere in the county. 

In 1837 Mr. Grimes was married to Nancy Wag- 
ner, a native of Madison County, 111., who died 
many years ago, leaving three children, a son and 
two daughters: Elizabeth K., wife of F. M. Adams, 
of Macoupin County; Mary Ann, widow of John 
Kessinger; and Stephen N., who now operates the 
home farm. 



356 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Grimes cast his first Presidential vote for 
Andrew Jackson, and has since been a supporter 
of the Democracy, the principles of which he 
warmly advocates. He was once a member of the 
Blacksmiths' and Mechanics' Society, of Balti- 
more, Md. All that he has he has made by his 
own efforts, and he may truly be called a self-made 
man. When he became one of the pioneer settlers 
of Macoupin County, 111., he was in quite limited 
circumstances, having nothing to depend upon 
but his own exertions. He has led an industri- 
ous, busy and useful life, and as the result of his 
labors, good management and business ability he 
has risen to a position of wealth and affluence. 
He is one of the largest land-holders of Christian 
County, his possessions aggregating some two 
thousand acres in Christian, Montgomery and 
Macoupin Counties. His children now manage 
part of his land and the remainder is rented. Mr. 
Grimes is now practically living a retired life, and 
his rest is certainly well earned after the years of 
arduous toil which have preceded it. His exam- 
ple may well serve to encourage others who like 
himself have been dependent upon their own ex- 
ertions from an early age. Success is not the result 
of chance, but is the reward of labor and may 
come to all. 



( ANIEL K. CORNELL, M. D., has been 
continuously engaged in the practice of 
the medical profession in Taylorville since 
the spring of 1877, and is recognized as 
one of the leading and successful practitioners of 
the county, his ability being attested by the liberal 
patronage which he receives. The Doctor comes 
from the far East. He was born in Providence, R. 
I., on the 18th of January, 1840, and the Cornell 
family traces its ancestors back two hundred years. 
His parents, Serril and Eliza (Hopkins) Cornell, 
were also natives of Rhode Island, and the mother 
was a direct descendant of Stephen Hopkins, one 



of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. 
In 1858 the family came to Illinois, locating in 
Bloomington, and two years later removed to Cen- 
tralia, where the mother is still living, at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-three years. The father, who 
was born in 1812, was called to his final rest No- 
vember 23, 1889. He was a tanner by trade, and 
established a tannery in Centralia. Almost up to 
the day of lus death he carried on business, his 
last illness covering only a week. 

In the city of his birth, Dr. Cornell spent the 
days of his boyhood and youth, and at the age of 
eighteen was graduated from the High School of 
Providence. He then came with his parents to 
the West, and at the age of nineteen began teach- 
ing, following that profession through the winter 
season. His choice of a life work falling upon the 
practice of medicine, he began reading in the 
office of Dr. D. H. McCord, in Centralia, 111., and 
subsequently, in order to further perfect himself, 
entered the St. Louis Medical College, from which 
institution he was graduated in 1866, with the de- 
gree of M. D. In October, 1861, he had enlisted 
in the late war as a musician in the Twenty-sev- 
enth Illinois Infantry, becoming cornetist in the 
band of that regiment, but as the full number of 
musicians was not secured, he was discharged, af- 
ter being stationed at Cairo for three months. 

Dr. Cornell began practice in Centralia, as a 
partner of Dr. McCord, his old preceptor, and for 
three years the connection was continued. He 
then removed to St. Anne, Kankakec County, 111., 
where he spent the succeeding seven years of his 
life, after which he came to Taylorville. Dr. Kitz- 
miller and Dr. Fiery are the only physicians now 
in practice who were here on his arrival. Having 
ever been a close student of his profession, the 
Doctor is abreast with all the discoveries and theo- 
ries connected with the science, and his skill and 
ability have gained him an excellent reputation. 
On coming to Taylorville, lie was made surgeon 
of the Ohio <fe Mississippi Railroad Company, and 
served as such until the 1st of January, 1893. 

On the llth of June, 1870, in Centralia, Dr. 
Cornell and Miss Mary Hay were married. The 
lady is a native of Illinois. By their union were 
born three children. Lynn, who studied dentistry 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



857 



with Dr. Bonbrake, was graduated from the Illi- 
nois College at Jacksonville in 1892, with the de- 
gree of B. A. He has spent the summer of 1893 
as express messenger on the Northern Pac-ific Rail- 
road, but in the autumn he expects to enter the 
Cincinnati Dental College. Margaret is now a 
student of elocution in St. Paul, Minn.; and Cora 
is still at home. 

For some years the Doctor has been a member 
of the Board of Health, and is a member of the 
Central District Medical Society. He also belongs 
to the Grand Army of the Republic, and he and 
his wife hold membership with the Presbyterian 
Church, in which he serves as Elder. He has 
taken a prominent part in church work, contributes 
liberally to its support, and has done much for its 
upbuilding. Few men are more widely known in 
Christian County than the Doctor, and he has a 
host of friends among all classes of people. 



eYRUS RAYHILL, who is numbered among 
the early settlers of the county, where he 
has lived since 1864, now resides on sec- 
tion 22, Pana Township. With the agricultural 
interests of the community he was identified for a 
quarter of a century, but is now living retired in 
the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. He 
was born in Washington County, Ind., near New 
Philadelphia, April 24, 1835, and is a son of John 
and Elizabeth (Cathcart) Rayhill. The paternal 
grandfather was a native of Virginia. The father 
was born in Botetourt County, Va., in 1810, and 
at the age of six years accompanied -his parents on 
their removal to Washington County, Ind., where 
he was reared to manhood. He there married Miss 
Cathcart, who was born fifty miles from Charles- 
ton, S. C., February 4, 1814. Her father, Hugh 
Cathcart, was a native of the same State, and was 
of Irish descent. Their marriage was celebrated 
December 16, 1831, and they began their domestic 
life near New Philadelphia, where Mr. Rayhill fol- 
lowed farming, though he was a tanner by trade. In 



1864, he came direct to Christian County, 111., and 
located upon a farm in Pana Township, where he 
spent his remaining days, dying in 1883. His 
widow still survives him. 

The Rayhill' family numbered teu children: 
Catherine S., now the wife of Harry C. Johnson; 
Cyrus, of this sketch; Alexander, of Davis County, 
Ind.; Henrietta, now deceased; Elizabeth, widow 
of John Snyder; John, of Pana Township; Sarah 
Jane, wife of C. Yount, of Pana; Carrie L. C., wife 
of William Hoj'le, of Pana; and two children who 
died in infancy. 

Mr. Rayhill of this sketch, who is the eldest son, 
was reared in the county of his nativity and early 
became familiar with the tanning business, working 
in hi* father's tanyard. He was trained to habits of 
industry and usefulness and through his labors in 
early life developed self-reliance and force of char- 
acter which have proven of much benefit to him in 
his later years. On attaining to man's estate, he left 
home and in 1860 was joined in marriage with Miss 
Hannah E. Wilson, a native of Indiana. Eight chil- 
dren were born unto them, namely: John M., de- 
ceased; Maria E., wife of A. A. Austin, of Pana 
Township; James A., of Pana Township; C. W., 
who is employed as a salesman in Chicago; Joseph 
C. and David R., both of whom reside in Pana 
Township; one child who died in infancy; and 
Sarah A. who died at the age of fourteen years. 
Mrs. Rayhill died at her home in Pana Town- 
ship, August 16, 1878, at the age of forty-four 
years, and her remains were interred in the West 
Cemetery, of Pana. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rayhill began their domestic life 
in Washington County, Ind., but in 1862, he left 
home to enter the service of his country as a 
member of Company B, Sixteenth Indiana Infan- 
try. He aided in raising his company and was 
elected First Lieutenant. During his first battle, 
at Richmond, Ky., he was wounded by a piece of 
shell, which passed through the lower part of his 
left arm. This disabled him for further duty, and 
in 1863 he was honorably discharged. 

Mr. Rayhill at once returned to his home in 
Indiana, and in 1864 came with his family to 
Christian County, 111. Locating on a farm in 
Pana Township, he has since here made his home, 



358 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



and to its cultivation he gave his time and atten- 
tion until the year 1887, but since then has lived 
retired. Under his arduous labors acre after acre 
was placed under the plow, until waving fields of 
grain took the place of the once barren tract, and 
the farm became a valuable and desirable place. 
Our subject has led a useful and busy life and has 
now a handsome competence, which surrounds him 
with many comforts and luxuries. He keeps up 
his army acquaintance through his relations with 
Pope Post No. 411, G. A. R., of which he is a 
charter member. He also belongs to Adair Lodge, 
No. 334, I. O. O. F., and is a demitted Mason. 
In politics, he is a supporter of the Republican 
party, and at one time served as Assistant Super- 



eHRISTIAN WENZLER, who is engaged in 
farming on section 35, Bear Creek Town- 
ship, has been a resident of Illinois for 
about forty years. It is now over two decades 
since he cast in his lot with the citizens of Bear 
Creek Township, his home being still on the farm 
where he first located. He has accumulated a large 
properly by his own industiy and thriftiness, and 
is highly esteemed by his neighbors and friends. 
They have honored him a number of times by 
electing him to fill positions of trust, and their 
confidence has never been misplaced. 

Mr. Wenzler is a native of Germany, having 
been born in Wurtemberg, December 20, 1831. 
He is a son of Joseph and Monica (Haller) Wenz- 
ler, both natives of Germany. The grandfather 
of our subject, George Wenzler, was a cabinet- 
maker by trade, and was a fine musician. He was 
the father of a large family, and lived to be about 
fifty-five years of age. Mathias Haller, the mater- 
nal grandfather, was celebrated as a teacher, and 
conducted a school in one town for forty-seven 
years. He died at the age of sixty-six years. 

Joseph Wenzler was also a wood-turner and 
cabinet-maker by trade. He was a musician in 
the regular standing army of Germany, and died 



in his native land at the age of sixty years. His 
wife died some years previously. They were both 
adherents of the Catholic faith. Their family 
comprised eight sons and four daughters, namely: 
Christian, Paulina (deceased), Kate, Mary Ann 
(deceased), Magdalene, Bertha, Mary, Paulina (de- 
ceased), Ludwig, Stephen (deceased), John, and 
one who died in infancy. 

The subject of this sketch in his youth learned 
from his father the cabinet-maker's and wood- 
turner's trade, and followed that vocation until 
twenty .eight years old, when he was obliged to 
abandon it on account of failing eyesight. Be- 
lieving he could better make a livelihood in 
America, he left his native land in 1851, and for a 
short time, as he did not know what other means 
to take, continued at his trade in Pike County, 
Pa. In the fall of 1853 he removed to Indiana, 
and in the following year located at Springfield, 
111., where he worked at various occupations for 
the following six years. 

Jn 1860, Mr. Wenzler concluded to try his 
hand at farming, and rented a farm in Pawnee 
Township, Sangamon County, where for the eleven 
years succeeding he farmed on rented land. In 
1872, he came to Christian County, and invested 
in one hundred and sixty acres of land in Bear 
Creek Township, which has been his home ever 
since. To his original purchase he has since added 
fifty acres. He has made good improvements 
upon the farm, which has upon it substantial build- 
ings and is one of the most fertile and best-culti- 
vated places in the district. 

The marriage of Mr. Wenzler was celebrated 
July 19, 1860, with Miss Hester Ann Staley, 
daughter of Thomas and Jane (Fikes) Staley. 
The father, who was a native of Kentucky, was 
a man of patriotic impulses, and although past the 
usual age when he enlisted, served for two years 
as a soldier in the late war. He was wounded at 
the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and afterward 
died of his injuries at Benton Barracks, near St. 
Louis, Mo. His father before him was also a pa- 
triot, being in the service during the War of 1812. 
Nine children blessed the union of our subject and 
wife. In order of birth they are as follows: Will- 
iam T., Louis C., Joseph E., Mary Ann, Ida Belle, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



359 



Laura, Ella, Rosetta L., and one who died in in- 
fancy. They are deceased with the exception of 
Joseph, Ida Belle and Rosetta L. The latter is 
the wife of John L. Corn, and has one daughter, 
Alice. Their home is now in Taylorville. Mrs. 
Wenzler, the mother of these children, was called 
from this life in 1878. She was a consistent mem- 
ber of the Baptist Church, and was a lady who 
was greatly beloved by all who had the pleasure 
of her acquaintance. 

Foi a number of years, Mr. Wenzler served in 
the capacity of Commissioner of Highways. He is 
greatly interested in educational movements, and 
served for several years as School Director, and 
was also School Trustee for one year. He is a 
Republican in politics, and religiously holds mem- 
bership with the German Reformed Church. He 
is greatly esteemed by his neighbors and friends, 
and is unquestionably a man of high character 
and unblemished reputation. 



WILLIAM W. BAILEY, one of the early 
settlers of Illinois, and a representative 
farmer, residing on section 35, Rosemond 
Township, has here lived since 1867. His farm 
comprises two hundred acres of rich land, which 
was but slightly improved twenty-five years ago, 
but which he has transformed into rich and fertile 
fields. The little house which was upon it at the 
time of his purchase has been replaced by a sub- 
stantial and tasty farm residence, which he erected 
in 1882 at a cost of $4,000. 

The owner of this desirable place was born 
in Springfield, Essex County, N. J., June 21, 1812, 
and is a son of David W. Bailey, who was also a 
native of New Jersey. The grandfather, Abram 
Bailey, was of Welsh descent. When a young 
man, David Bailey engaged in the manufacture 
of nails, afterward carried on a shoeshop, and later 
operated a gristmill. He married Elizabeth Vree- 
land, who was born in New Jersey and was of 



Dutch descent. Their marriage was celebrated in 
Essex County, and there they spent their entire 
lives. Unto them were born nine children, five 
sons and four daughters, of whom our subject is 
third in order of birth. 

W. W. Bailey acquired his education in the sub- 
scription schools of his native State, and at the 
age of twenty started out in life for himself. 
Since that time he has made his own way in the 
world. He began earning a livelihood by work- 
ing at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for 
some years. In 1835 he emigrated to Greene 
County, 111., and aided in building the town of 
Jerseyville. During his residence there he helped 
divide Greene and Jersey Counties and to estab- 
lish Jerseyville as the county seat of the latter. 
He became Trustee of the town and was one of its 
prominent and influential citizens. Some of the 
first houses erected in that place were his handi- 
work, many of its important buildings were put 
up by him, and he was largely interested in prop- 
erty there for many years. 

In 1843 Mr. Bailey was united in marriage with 
Mary A. Parker, a native of Hartford, Conn., who 
removed to Jerseyville when a little child. She 
died in 1874. Nine children had been born to 
them: John C., who served as Sergeant during the 
late war and is now deceased; Mary, widow of 
Rev. C. T. Deering, a Congregational minister; 
W. W., who served as one of the boys in blue and 
now resides in Bates City, Mo.; David W., of 
Leadville, Colo.; Laura, who died in infancy; 
Laura P., Lottie I. and Charles S., all at home; 
and one who died in infancy. 

Mr. Bailey came direct to Christian County in 
1867, and has since lived upon the farm which is 
now his home. In politics, he has always been a 
stalwart Republican. During the late war he tried 
to enter the army, but was not accepted on account 
of his age. Although he has always taken an ac- 
tive part in political affairs, he has never been an 
office-seeker, and though once elected Constable he 
refused to serve. He was made a Mason in Morn- 
ing Sun Lodge No. 47, and later became a charter 
member of Darsey Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Jer- 
seyville. When he started out in life he was a 
poor boy, but he was ambitious and industrious, 



360 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and he determined to win a foremost place among 
those with whom he should cast his lot. To this 
resolution lie steadily adhered, and in the legiti- 
mate channels of business through well-directed 
efforts and perseverance he has acquired a compe- 
tency which places him among Christian Coun- 
ty's substantial citizens. 



JOHN RAYHILL, who is engaged in general 
farming on section 1, Pana Township, is a 
native of the Hoosier State. He was born 
in Washington County, Ind., May 14, 1844, 
and is the sixth child and third son in a famil_y of 
ten children. We see him in his boyhood spend- 
ing his time in work around the home and in the 
fields, or else engaged in the sports which furnish 
entertainment for farmer lads. He remained un- 
der the parental roof until eighteen years of age. 
when, prompted by patriotic impulses, he offered 
his services to the Government, enlisting as a 
drummer boy in Company B, Sixteenth Indiana 
Infantry. He thus served for one year, after 
which he was made Corporal. He participated in 
twenty-six regular engagements, and for forty- 
seven days aided in besieging Vicksburg. He was 
also in the siege of Jackson seven days, and took 
part in the Red River expedition. He served in 
the mounted infantry, and although he was at the 
front in so man}' important and hotly-contested en- 
gagements, he was never wounded. His brother 
Cyrus, however, was wounded in his first battle, 
and entirely disabled for further duty. When the 
war was over and the country no longer needed 
his services, our subject was honorably discharged 
and mustered out at New Orleans. On the 22d 
of July, 1862, he went into camp, and on the 22d 
of July, 1865, just three years later, he arrived in 
Pana. 

Mr. Rayhill at once embarked in farming at the 
place of his present residence. He was married 
February 21, 1867, the lady of his choice being 
Mary Brooks, a native of Kentucky, who came to 



Illinois when a maiden of seventeen summers. In 
early life she was left an orphan, and has no 
recollection of her parents. Six children were 
born of this union, but Alexander died at the age 
of seven years; and John died at the age of six- 
teen months. Lillia M., twenty years of age; Nel- 
lie B., aged seventeen; and Frank and Fred, twins, 
aged ten, are still with their parents. 

The Republican party finds in Mr. Rayhill a 
stalwart advocate. He has been honored with dif- 
ferent local offices, for six years acceptably filling 
the position of Highway Commissioner, and he has 
also served as School Director, to the satisfaction 
of all concerned. Socially, he holds membership 
with Pope Post No. 411, G. A. R., of Pana. He 
is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, and 
does all in his power for the best interests of the 
community, but his time and attention are chiefly 
given to his business interests. He owns a half- 
interest in the old homestead farm of one hundred 
and forty acres, and in connection with the cul- 
tivation of the fields ho also carries on stock-rais- 
ing. He has long been a resident of this commu- 
nity and is both widely and favorably known. 



JOHN E. NEELY is a contractor and builder 
of Pana. He has made his home in this 
city for thirty-five years, and has been 
closely identified with its growth and prog- 
ress. On all sides may be seen evidences of his 
handiwork, for many of the business houses and 
residences of the city were erected under his su- 
pervision. In other ways, aside from his business, 
he has also aided in the promotion of Pana's best 
interests. 

A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Neely was born 
in Chesapeake County March 19, 1828. His par- 
ents, William and Maria (Hesseick) Neely, were 
also natives of the Keystone State. Of their fam- 
ily of eleven children, numbering six sons and 
five daughters, seven are yet living: Rachel Ann, 
wife of Albert Dil worth, of Pennsylvania; Anna 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



361 



Maria, widow of Philip Hughes; Emma Jane, wife 
of Thomas Wyun; Sarah, wife of S. McAfee; John 
E., William and Frank. The father of this family 
was a Pennsylvania!! farmer, and died in his na- 
tive State in 1873, at the age of seventy-three. 
His wife had passed away some twenty years pre- 
vious, in the faith of the Methodist Church, with 
which she held membership. Mr. Neely was reared 
as an Episcopalian, and was ever a great student 
of the Bible. The family is of Irish origin, hav- 
ing been founded in America by James Neely, the 
grandfather of our subject, who was a native of 
the Emerald Isle. The maternal grandfather, 
John Hesseick, was an agriculturist of Pennsyl- 
vania, his native State. 

In taking up the personal history of our subject, 
we present to our readers the life record of one of 
Pana's influential citizens. His boyhood days 
were quietly passed under the parental roof, where 
he was reared to habits of industry and useful- 
ness, and in the public schools of Chesapeake 
County he acquired his education. Not wishing 
to devote himself to agricultural pursuits through- 
out life, when a young man he learned the car- 
penter's trade, which he has followed in connec- 
tion with the undertaking business continuously 
since. His excellent workmanship, and the faith- 
fulness with which he performs his part of a con- 
tract, have won him an excellent trade, which in 
turn has yielded him a good income. 

The lady who now bears the name of Mrs. Nee- 
ly was in her maidenhood Mary Ann Mil lard, 
daughter of Joseph and Maria (Heatherly) Mil- 
lard, natives of Pennsylvania. Five children were 
born to our subject and his wife, but Emma Jane 
and John are now deceased. The three still liv- 
ing are Ida, William M. and Hannah Maria. 

In his political affiliations, Mr. Neely was form, 
erly a Republican, but is now independent in pol- 
itics. His wife is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. He has twice served on the City 
Council, but has never been an office-seeker in the 
popular sense of the term, preferring to devote 
his attention to business interests. As his finan- 
cial resources have increased, he has made judi- 
cious investments in real estate, and now owns 
one hundred and sixty acres of good farming land 



in Missouri, besides his home and other city prop- 
erty in Pana. He is a public-spirited and pro- 
gressive man, and during his residence here of 
more than a third of a century his life of upright- 
ness has won him warm regard. 



ffi YMAN WILCOX, who carries on agricul- 
I (fS) tural pursuits on sections 14 and 23, Rose- 
/ILsi&i mond Township, is one of the worthy citi- 
zens that New York has furnished to Christian 
County. He was born in Oneida County, near 
Utica, and is one of eight children, three sons and 
five daughters, all of whom grew to manhood and 
womanhood. The father of this family, Charles 
Wilcox, was born in the Empire State, was of Eng- 
lish descent, and was a machinist by trade. He 
married Harriet Robinson, a native of Oneida 
County, and a daughter of Nathan Robinson, who 
was born in Connecticut, of English parentage. 
His occupation was that of farming. After their 
marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox located in the 
town of Paris, N. Y., where he worked as a ma- 
chinist. Subsequently they removed to Niagara 
Falls, where the father died at the age of sixty- 
nine. The mother passed away the same year. 

In the county of his nativity, Lyman Wilcox 
spent his boyhood and youth, and at the early age 
of fourteen years began to make his own way in 
Hie world, so that he is now a self-made man. He 
commenced learning the shoemaker's trade, serv- 
ing an apprenticeship of six years, and receiving 
on an average $35 per year. Of this sum he re- 
quired $30 to clothe himself, and the remaining $5 
went for miscellaneous expenses. He earned his 
first money when a youth of eleven, working at 
six and a-fourth cents per day printing calico by 
hand. When he had learned the shoemaker's trade, 
he worked as a journeyman for two years, and 
subsequently started in business for himself in 
Oriskany, N. Y., in 1833. 

During his residence there, Mr. Wilcox was mar- 
ried, in 1835, to Sallie Osborn, a native of Fair- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



field County, Conn., and a daughter of Daniel 
Osborn, of the same count} 7 . Her parents died 
when she was fourteen years of age, after which 
she went to Oneida County, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. 
Wilcox removed to Verona, N. Y., where he en- 
gaged in farming until 1866, when he came to 
Christian County with his family, taking up his 
residence on the farm which is now his home. In 
1887 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his 
wife, who died on the 8th of April, the fifty-sec- 
ond anniversary of their marriage. Four chil- 
dren were born unto them;. Harriet R., Catherine 
E. and Sarah, who died in childhood; and Will- 
iam, who aids his father in the cultivation of the 
home farm. The latter was born in Oneida County, 
N. Y., and married Emma, daughter of O. M. and 
Debby Aurelia (Hawley) Hawkes. They have 
seven children: Charles Arthur, Clara E., Mary 
O. and Martha H. (twins), Herbert R., Hattie A. 
and Ethel M. William Wilcox is an enterprising 
and progressive farmer. 

In connection with his son, our subject owns 
one hundred and sixty acres of good land, and 
they are successfully engaged in general farming. 
During the late war, the latter entered the service 
of his country, enlisting in 1861 as a member of 
the Third New York Cavalry. After his previ- 
ous term had expired, he re-enlisted in the same 
company and regiment as a veteran, and remained 
in the service throughout the entire war. He 
never received a wound, although lie participated 
in many hard-fought battles. He was promoted 
to the rank of Corporal. He is now a member of 
Pope Post No. 411, G. A. R., of Pana, and holds 
membership with the Congregational Church, in 
which he is now serving as Trustee. Mr. Wilcox 
was Chairman of the first Republican convention 
held in the Third Assembly District of Oneida 
County, N. Y., and assisted in organizing the 
party there. 

Lyman Wilcox is an inflexible adherent of Re- 
publican principles, and served as Highway Com- 
missioner of Rosemond Township for three years. 
He belongs to the Congregational Church, and in 
church work takes an active interest, doing all in 
his power to promote the cause. At various in- 
tervals through sixty years lie was Superintendent 



of the Sunday-school, and through his training of 
the 3'oung exerted an influence for good which 
will be felt long after he has passed to his reward. 
He is a stanch advocate of temperance principles 
and never uses tobacco or intoxicants in any form. 
His life has been a true and upright one, devoted 
to the cause of the Master, and full of kindly and 
generous deeds. His example is well worth}' of 
emulation, for it will never lead to wrong. 



\lp^OBERT WATT, who carries on general 
|W( farming on section 9, Rosemoud Township, 
^\ is numbered among the honored pioneers 
of Christian County, his residence here, 
which covers a period of forty-one years, dating 
from 1852. He has therefore been an eye-witness 
of the greater part of the growth and develop- 
ment of the county, and has seen the transforma- 
tion which has changed it from an unbroken and 
unsettled tract to a region of comfortable homes, 
good farms and flourishing towns. 

Mr. Watt was born in the North of Ireland, 
March 22, 1833, and is a son of Robert Watt, 
who was also born in the same locality. The fa- 
ther was a flax manufacturer and owned two mills. 
He was killed in one of his mills on the 1st of 
August, 1840. His wife, who was in her maiden- 
hood Margaret McNickal, was also born in Ireland, 
and never left that land. They became the pa- 
rents of five children. 

The subject of this sketch, who is the second in 
order of birth and the eldest son, spent the first 
fourteen years of his life on the Green Isle of 
Erin, and then crossed the broad Atlantic to Amer- 
ica, lie landed in Philadelphia, Pa., and in that 
city spent the five succeeding years of his life, 
working by the day and month at various pur- 
suits whereby he might earn an honest living. 
Thinking the West furnished better opportunities 
for young men than the older and more thickly- 
settled States of the East, with the desire of bene- 
fiting his financial condition he came to Illinois 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



:KI3 



at the age of nineteen years. He worked by the 
month as a farm hand in Christian County for 
some years, but since 1872 has resided upon the 
farm which is now his home. 

In 1861 Mr. Watt wedded Miss Mary Hines, a 
native of Ireland. Their union has been blessed 
with a family of five children, a son and four 
daughters, viz.: Mary, Eliza, Maggie, Josephine 
and George W. The family have a pleasant home 
in the midst of a fine farm of one hundred and 
forty acres. The greater part of this land is 
under a high state of cultivation. In connection 
with the residence there are good barns and 
other necessary outbuildings, and these are sur- 
rounded by well-tilled fields. The place is neat 
and thrifty in appearance, a fact which indicates 
the careful supervision of the owner. Mr. Watt 
is recognized as one of the representative and 
progressive agriculturists of the community. He 
possesses the sturdy independence and force of 
the Irish people, and has therefore won success. 
He has always borne his part in the advancement 
and upbuilding of the county in which he has so 
long made his home, and well deserves represen- 
tation among its honored pioneers. 



ri|^ ON. CHARLES A. MANNERS, of Taylor- 
l|f)y ville, who has been prominent in public af- 
ubt: f a ' vs ' in this county, is an example of the 
l|p self-made men in which the Northwestern 
States abound. A native of New Jersey, he was born 
in Somerset County, on the 2d of August, 1827, and 
is a son of John S. and Penelope (Stout) Manners, 
who were also born in the same State. His father 
was a farmer in moderate but comfortable circum- 
stances. 

Our subject received a fair common-school edu- 
cation and excellent training in mathematics, his 
preceptor being a retired sea-captain, from whom 
he doubtless imbibed a love of the ocean, for after 
leaving school he went to sea, where he remained 



until the age of twenty-two years, commencing as a 
boy before the mast and steadily advancing until 
he had attained to be second in command of a 
merchant trader. In this service he made several 
voyages around the navigable world, but at length 
his health broke down, and in consequence he dis- 
continued nautical pursuits. In 1850, at the age 
of twenty-three years, the scene of his labors was 
changed. 

At that time Mr. Manners came to the West, lo- 
cating in Christian County, 111., where he still re- 
sides. In the following year he was elected County 
Surveyor, which position he filled for three years. 
In 1855, he was employed by the United States 
Survey Department to fix the boundary between the 
States of Kansas and Nebraska, and he continued 
on the public surveys of the latter State until 1860. 
In that year he returned to Illinois, and in 1862 
he was elected Sheriff of Christian County, a posi- 
tion which he filled until 18C4, since which time 
he has been extensively engaged in the construction 
of railroads, being one of the largest and most suc- 
cessful contractors in the West. He built a section 
of thirty-four miles of the Pana <fe Northwestern 
Railroad, from Pana to Rochester; sixty miles of 
the Toledo, Wabash & Western, from Decatur to 
Litchfield, and also a division of the Vandalia Line. 
He aided in extending the Terre Haute and Rich- 
mond Line from Terre Haute Westward to the State 
line, and built a division of the Springfield, Gil- 
man & Clinton Railroad, and the Warren Division 
of the Ashtabula, Youngstown & Pittsburg Rail- 
road. He also received a contract for the Port- 
land Division of the Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. 
Wayne Railroad; the Indiana & Illinois Central 
from Decatur, 111., to Montezuma, Ind.; and the 
Cairo Short Line from New Athens to Du Quoin. 
Mr. Manners also built a portion of the Indianapo- 
lis <fe St. Louis Road between Terre Haute and In- 
dianapolis, and in connection with his railroad 
work he has been engaged in various other enter- 
prises. It is his custom to carry forward to a suc- 
cessful completion whatever he undertakes, and in 
consequence he has accumulated a competence. 

On the 2d of October, 1861, Mr. Manners was 
joined in wedlock with Miss Elizabeth A. Long, 
daughter of the late Maj. Thomas Long, of Taylor- 



.KM 



i-ORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ville, and their union has been blessed with two 
children, a son and daughter: Tom and Frances 
C. The family is one widely and favorably known 
in this community, and the parents hold an envia- 
ble position in social circles. 

In politics, Mr. Manners is a supporter of Dem- 
ocratic principles. He is a most energetic and ac- 
tive business man, and his prosperity in life is 
mainly due to the promptness which has charac- 
terized all his transactions. 



JUDGE ANDREW SIMPSON was born near 
Mt. Sterling, Ky., October 22, 1830, and 
was a son of Thomas and Caroline (Badger) 
Simpson, also natives of Kentucky. His 
paternal grandfather, Andrew Simpson, was born 
of English parentage. He reared a large fam- 
ily of two sons and seven daughters, one of 
whom, Thomas, became the father of the Judge. 
He was a farmer by occupation, and followed 
that pursuit in his native State until 1831, when 
he emigrated to Sangamon County, 111. About 
1848 he came to Christian Count3% locating on 
the present site of Palmer, at the head of Bear 
Creek, where he made his home until his death, 
which occurred about 1853. The family num- 
bered six children, four sons and two daughters, 
but James is the only one now living. 

Andrew Simpson was a lad of nine summers 
when the family came to Illinois. In the public 
schools he acquired his education, and upon the 
home farm was reared, remaining under the pa- 
rental roof until nineteen years of age, when he ac- 
cepted a position in the office of the County Clerk 
(then Judge William Moore), in Taylorville. It 
then became his desire to enter the legal profes- 
sion, and, after studying for some time, he en- 
gaged in practice for a number of years. His 
natural and acquired ability made him a success- 
ful practitioner, placed him in the front ranks of 
his professional brethren, and won him the honor 
of an election to the office of County Judge, 



though a Republican in a Democratic County, 
which position he creditably filled for some years. 
His rulings were always wise and just, and the 
attorneys with whom he was associated in busi- 
ness always held him in the highest regard. 

The Judge was twice married. He wedded Miss 
Eliza Caldwell, of Mt. Sterling, Ky., who died 
about 1861. Soon after her death he entered the 
army as a member of Company H, Fourteenth Ill- 
inois Infantry, which company he had himself 
raised in Taylorville, and of which he was elected 
Captain. He was wounded at the battle of Pitts- 
burg Landing, in April, 1862, and on the 4th of 
October following resigned. Returning home, he 
resumed his law practice. On the 5th of August, 
1863, he was again married, his second union 
being with Miss Almeda daughter of Dr. Richard 
and Mary A. (Fender) Fulton, the former a na- 
tive of Loudoun County, Va., and the latter of 
Wayne County, Ind. Her paternal grandfather, 
Elisha W. Fulton, was a native of Virginia. He 
died at the age of seventy-two years, his last 
days being spent in Putnam County, Ind. The 
maternal grandfather, Henry L. Fender, was born 
in North Carolina, and was a farmer by occupa- 
tion and a soldier in 1812. He died in Wayne 
County, aged eighty-three years. Richard Ful- 
ton was a physician, and successfully engaged 
in the practice of medicine in Wayne, Union 
and Putnam Counties, Ind., for some years. After 
her husband's death, he made his home with his 
daughter, Mrs. Simpson, until called to his final 
rest, in April, 1893, at the age of seventy-five 
years. His wife still survives him and is now 
living with her daughter, Mrs. Simpson. She is 
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as 
was her husband. 

Unto the Judge and Mrs. Simpson were born 
three children, a son and two daughters. Cullen, 
who died at the age of seven years; Mary, wife 
of William Scott, a shoe dealer of Taylorville, 
by whom she has a little daughter, Eleanor; and 
Caroline, an accomplished young lady, who gradu- 
ated from De Pauw University, iu Greencastle, 
Ind., in the Class of '91, and who lives at home. 

Mr. Simpson was a stalwart Republican in poli- 
tics. He was a deep thinker and a logical reasoner. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



365 



and his conclusions were reached as the result of 
earnest and careful meditation. He was firm in 
support of what lie believed to be right, and 
neither fear nor favor could change his purpose. 
In his business dealings he was very success- 
ful, and became the owner of nineteen hundred 
and forty acres of land in Christian County, be- 
sides his fine residence and a number of business 
houses on the square of Taylorville. He was a 
lover of fine horses, and always had some excel- 
lent specimens of the noble steed in his stable. 
Possessing many excellencies of character, he gained 
many warm friends and won their high regard. 
He passed away March 10, 1883, at the age of 
fifty-three years, and his loss was widely mourned. 
His widow is still living in the home which he 
left her, and she shares its comforts with her 
mother. She is a faithful member of the Meth- 
odist Church, and, like her husband, has the con- 
fidence and respect of all. 



PR. B. GREENWOOD, a leading physician of 
Edinburgh, has long made his home in this 
county, dating his arrival from 1865, and 
well deserves representation among its early set- 
tlers. In the years which have since come and gone 
he has been prominently connected with the growth 
and upbuilding of the community, and has ever 
borne his part in the work of public improvement 
and advancement. He was born in Barren County, 
Ky., September 29, 1810, and is a son of John 
Greenwood, a native of Virginia. His grandfa- 
ther, Dr. Basil Greenwood, was a native of Eng- 
land, in that country was reared and married, 
and then emigrated to America, taking up his 
residence in the Old Dominion. 

John Greenwood married Triphena Garrctson, 
who was born in Virginia, of Welsh parentage, 
their union being celebrated in Bowling Green, 
Ky., where they resided for two years. Remov- 
ing to St. Louis at that time, they spent only a 
few months in the West, being driven out by the 



Indians. They then went back to Kentucky, but 
afterward went to lllinoistown, near St. Louis. 
Again they were driven away by the redmen, and 
the Doctor, who was then only four years old, was 
separated from his parents. lie was taken by the 
savages and lived with them for several years, and 
in 1819 he was taken by them to where the city 
of Springfield now stands. About 1824 he was 
ransomed by the Government, and remained in 
the Government employ for several years as an 
interpreter. 

In 1836 Dr. Greenwood engaged with the firm of 
Cope & Harpester, drovers, to lead the lead-ox from 
Springfield to Philadelphia, Pa. While on the way 
his employers failed, and thus he, without money or 
friends, was left to work his way back as he might. 
After three months he again reached Springfield, 
where he began serving an apprenticeship to the 
millwright and carpenter's trade. He then em- 
barked in business for himself, and in the next 
few years built mills in Iowa, Illinois and Mis- 
souri. During this time he was studying medi- 
cine, and was graduated from the old Missouri 
Medical Institute in 1847. Locating in Spring- 
field, he there remained for two years, when he 
sold out and went with an emigrant train en- 
gaged in exploration under Fremont. 

Returning to Springfield, the Doctor was there 
married, November 15, 1849, to Eliza A. Town- 
send, a native of Cape May, N. J. In 1852 he 
joined the Illinois & California Mutual Insurance 
Company for a trip across the plains. Return- 
ing in the fall of 1856, he formed a partnership 
with a brother physician and engaged in the 
practice of medicine. The war came on and his 
property was all destroyed, so he again went to 
Springfield to make a new start. On the 14th of 
February, 1865, however, he came to Christian 
County, locating four miles from his present office, 
for the town of Edinburgh had not then sprung 
into existence. In connection with medical prac- 
tice, he conducted a general store and a grist and 
saw mill. At length he sold out and removed to 
Edinburgh, establishing the first store in the place. 
He assisted in starting many lines of business, in 
fact the growth and success of the town are due 
in no small degree to his labors. At his own ex- 



366 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



pense, and at a groat cost, he sunk the first coal 
shaft. A company who worked the mine was 
afterward incorporated with a capital stock of 
$50,000, and the Doctor was elected President. 
This company is now known as the Electric Light, 
Coal and Tile and Brick Company, and has a capi- 
tal stock of $150,000, all of which has grown out of 
the first efforts of our subject, who is still President 
of the company. He has continuously carried on 
the practice of medicine with good success, and 
has been connected with other business interests. 
Greenwood Township was named in his honor. 

Unto the Doctor and his wife have been born 
four children: Triphena A., wife of Charles Whit- 
mer, of Springfield; Parthenia, deceased; John R., 
assistant superintendent of the coal shaft of Edin- 
burgh; Sarah M., wife of Robert H. Poole; and 
Julia A., wife of Asa H. Culver, now of Bates 
County, Mo. The mother of this family died in 
1885, leaving many friends to mourn her loss. 

The Doctor was a Whig in early life, but since 
the organization of the Republican party has been 
one of its stanch supporters. He was a personal 
friend of Lincoln, with whom he worked in his 
early years, and was also a personal friend of 
Douglas. Few men in Christian County are bet- 
ter known than Dr. Greenwood, on account of his 
connection with its upbuilding and development. 
He may well be called one of the founders of 
Edinburgh. His life has been a well-spent and use- 
ful one, and has been quite eventful. Wherever 
he has gone he has made friends, and in the corn- 
in unity where he now lives he is alike esteemed 
by young and old, rich and poor. 



OSES HUTCHINS is the owner of one of 
Christian County's fine farms. He resides 
on section 22, Rosemond Township, where 
he has one hundred and sixty acres of 
valuable land, whereon he has made his home since 
1875. In all its appointments the place is com- 
plete and may well be numbered among the model 



farms of the community. The substantial and 
pleasant residence was erected in 1875, at a cost 
of $2,000. Good barns and other necessary out- 
buildings stand in the midst of well-tilled fields, 
and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place 
indicates the careful supervision of the owner, 
who is both practical and progressive. 

Mr. Hutchins was born in Edwardsville, Madi- 
son County, 111., on the 10th of January, 1845, 
and on both the paternal and maternal sides is of 
English descent. His father, William Hutchins, 
was born in St. Mary's, Md., April 20, 1802, was 
there reared to manhood, and wedded Matilda 
Dorsey, who was born in 1808, in Calvert County, 
Md., and was a daughter of William Dorsey, of 
that State. They located on a farm in Maryland, 
and in 1842 removed to Baltimore, spending two 
years in that city. In 1844 they came to the 
West, locating in Madison County, 111., upon a 
farm, where they spent their remaining days. The 
father died at the age of eighty-seven, and his 
wife passed away when sixty-three years of age. 
They were members of the Cumberland Presby- 
terian Church, in which Mr. Hutchins served as 
Elder for some time. In politics, he was first a 
Whig, and afterward a Republican. Their family 
of four children numbered three sons and a daugh- 
ter, but the latter, Susan, died at the age of nine 
years; Daniel died at the age of twenty-seven; 
and David is living in Madison County, 111. 

Moses, who is the youngest of the family, was 
reared in the county of his nativity until twenty- 
three years of age, and conned his lessons in the 
district schools of the neighborhood. In 1869 he 
removed to this county and took up his residence 
on section 20, Rosemond Township, where he pur- 
chased a farm, to which he devoted his time and 
attention until 1875. He then purchased and 
removed to the farm which has since been his 
home. He now has it under a- high state of cul- 
tivation, and in connection with its improvement 
he also engages quite extensive^ in stock-raising, 
making a specialty of cattle and hogs. 

In 1871 Mr. Hutchins was united in marriage 
with Sarah J. Estabrook, a native of Madison 
County, 111., and a daughter of John and Nancy 
Estabrook, who were early settlers of that county, 



Fl Ubttrj 

f the 
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



369 



there locating in 1818, at which time the father 
secured the land from the Government and began 
the development of a home on the frontier. Of 
the family of ten children, Mrs. Hutch ins is the 
youngest. By her marriage she became the mother 
of three daughters: Clara May, Emeline Matilda 
and Bessie Estabrook, all at home. 

As his financial resources have increased, Mr. 
Hutching has made additional purchases of land, 
until he ig now the owner of eight hundred acres 
in Christian County, all acquired through his 
good management, diligence and business ability. 
In politics he is a supporter of Republican prin- 
ciples. He holds membership with the Congrega- 
tional Church of Rosemond, and is now serving 
as Trustee. He takes an active part in church 
work, and gives his support and co-operation to 
all that tends to promote its growth and insure its 
upbuilding. 



ROUNTREE ANDERSON. In the 
ifjj) death of H. R. Anderson, which occurred 
vkJ? September 5, 1890, Taylorville lost one of 
((jt)j its most useful and enterprising citizens. 
He was a son of W. W. Anderson, whose biography 
will be found on another page of this work, and 
was born in Taylorville April 30, 18G1. His 
school days were spent at Lake Forest, 111., and at 
the Illinois Wesleyan University, at Bloomington, 
his education being completed at the latter institu- 
tion in 1881. Shortly after graduation, he en- 
tered the banking business with his father, under 
the firm name of W. W. Anderson & Co., and he de- 
voted his great energy, talents and business ability 
to extending the popularity of that enterprise. 
He made a thorough study of the laws relating to 
banking and finance, and the success of the First 
National Bank of Taylorville is principally 7 due to 
his exceptional capacity, industry and faithfulness 
in its management. Associated with his father, 
he was the prime mover in its organization, and 
18 



occupied the responsible position of cashier until 
failing health, in January, 1890, compelled him to 
resign. He was ambitious and energetic to a 
marked degree, and his name was a synonym for 
truth and honor. With qualities such as these, 
his prospects for fame and fortune were very 
brilliant, but his spirit was too strong for his frail 
body, and in early manhood he perished at the 
threshhold of the goal he hoped to win. 

The following extract from the funeral address^ 
made by one who was privileged to know him 
intimately, Rev. W. A. Smith, pastor of Grace 
Methodist Episcopal Church, of Bloomington, 111., 
will serve to show his character: "Some of you 
were acquainted with his home life, and knew 
how pure, true and devoted he was to his own, 
within the sacred precincts of home. In all these 
relations, he was an honest, honorable, manly 
man. He was a man who had a mother, a real, 
true, genuine mother, who left the stamp of her 
goodness and refinement on the heart and life of 
her son. Through all his years on earth, he car- 
ried the impress of her loving touch, and felt the 
inspiration of her noble life, which was a part of 
that deathless life beyond. He lived largely 
within himself and his home, mingling only with 
congenial associates; he could not be a companion 
of one who was coarse or uncouth. He was a man 
of principle, of high aims and good purposes, and 
scorned to stoop to any unmanly act. He pos- 
sessed a keen mentality, a well-stored mind, a re- 
tentive memory, and was a remarkable conver- 
sationalist. He took an active and intelligent in- 
terest in the affairs of men, and in men of affairs. 
He was a wide reader, and was abreast of the times 
in the advanced thought of the day. He delighted 
in music, and was himself an accomplished musi- 
cian, was a lover of flowers, appreciated art of all 
kinds and the beautiful in nature wherever found. 
Regarding religious matters, he was somewhat in- 
dependent in his thought, but liberal in the best 
sense, and perfectly sincere and conscientious in 
his views, while he was in harmony with the 
orthodox teaching of the day on the cardinal and 
essential facts of Christianity. There was no re- 
ligious cant or hypocrisy about him. He pinned 
his faith to the Bible of Christ and the Christ of 



370 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the Bible. He said: 'I can never feel anyway but 
kindly towards my mother's church.' Dying, he 
pillowed his head on the promises that supported 
her, and has probably already met that mother 
and greeted her in Heaven, for in his last hours he 
had victory, through his Lord and Savior." 



LIENHART is proprietor of a 
wagon factory and blacksmith -and paint 
shop of Taylorville. The record of his life 
is as follows: A native of Alsace, Germany, he 
was born on the 6th of May, 1834, and was reared 
to manhood in his native land. His boyhood days 
were spent midst play and work and in his youth 
he served a two-years apprenticeship to the trade 
of wagon-making and blacksmithing. Hearing 
favorable accounts of the opportunities and ad- 
vantages afforded youcg men in the New World, 
he determined to test the truth of these reports by 
emigrating to America and trying his fortune in 
this land of freedom. Crossing the briny deep in 
1852, he spent the first six months after his arrival 
in Buffalo, N. Y., and during the succeeding year 
was employed in that county. 

The year 1854 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Lien- 
hart in Illinois. For one year he worked as a 
journeyman in Springfield, and in 1855 came to 
Taylorville, where he spent two and a-half years 
in the employ of Amos Cheny. In 1858, he went 
to Dallas, Tex., remaining in the South for nearly 
ten years, when, in July, 1868, he returned to this 
place. On again reaching Taylorville, Mr. Lien- 
hart established himself in business in his present 
line, and has since carried on operations. He 
thoroughly understands his business in all its de- 
tails, and as the result of his excellent workman- 
ship and fair dealing, he has gained a liberal pat- 
ronage. His trade has so increased that he now 
furnishes employment to three men. 

On the 4th of September, 1860, in Dallas, Tex., 
Mr. Lienhart was joined in wedlock with Mary 
Adeline Ridgeway, a native of Tennessee. Three 



children have been born unto them: Margaret Eliza- 
beth; John Edward, a druggist; and Mary Ida, who 
became the wife of John E. Harrison, of Owen 
County, Ind., and died November 20, 1892, at the 
age of twenty-six years, leaving an infant son, 
George Chase Harrison, who is now with his grand- 
parents. 

Mr. Lienhart has made considerable investments 
in real estate and built five residences in Taylor- 
ville. His home is situated in the midst of a tract 
of four and a-half acres. He also owns a number 
of city lots in Dallas, Tex. When he left the South 
property couM not be sold except at a very low 
figure, but it has now greatly risen in value. Our 
subject is an industrious and enterprising man and 
his well-directed efforts and untiring labors have 
brought him the property which now places him 
among the substantial citizens of the community. 
His wife is a member of the Christian Church, and 
both are highly respected people, having many 
friends in Taylorville. 



JOSEPH N. EMERSON, who is engaged in 
general farming and stock-raising on his 
well-equipped and ably-conducted farm, lo- 
cated on section 32, Stonington Township, 
is a native of this county, having been born March 
4, 1856, in the same township where he still makes 
his home. He is a son of Richard N. and Ann E. 
(Keiser) Emerson, whose sketch may be found in 
another portion of this volume. 

Our subject is the second child in a family of 
eleven, and passed his boyhood on his father's 
old homestead, which was his birthplace. He was 
only a youth of fifteen years when death deprived 
him of a father's care, and he therefore continued 
to live with his mother, rendering her dutiful as- 
sistance on the home farm, until he was twenty- 
eight years of age. 

The marriage of Mr. Emerson and Miss Angie 
O'Brien, also a native of Stonington Township, 
was celebrated April 8, 1884. Two children have 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



371 



been born of their union, a son and a daughter, 
namely: Ila G. and Clarence W. Mr. and Mrs. 
Emerson are well received in the social circles of 
the neighborhood, where they are well known, 
having made their home here since their births. 
Mrs. Emerson is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. 

Like his father before him, our subject is a true- 
blue Republican. He has always been interested 
in promoting the cause of education, has served 
as School Director for several terms, and is now 
School Trustee of his district. His desirable farm 
comprises one hundred and sixty acres of fertile 
and well-cultivated land. It is well adapted for 
general farming and stock-raising, to which it is 
devoted. The greater portion of the farm repre- 
sents our subject's own earnings and is the result 
of his years of industry. The place is located only 
two and a-half miles southwest of Stonington, 
and is considered one of the best farms in the 
township. In his business enterprises Mr. Emer- 
son has been abundantly blessed with success, and 
it is eminently fitting that such should be the 
case, for his transactions are marked witli justice 
and fair dealing. He bears an enviable reputa- 
tion in the county as a man of honor and strict 
observance of his word and contracts. 



>ILLIAM A. NEWELL. The business in- 
terests of Pana are well represented by the 
jentleman whose name heads this sketch. 
He is one of the leading grocers, having estab- 
lished himself in business in this line some twelve 
years since. By his earnest desire to please his 
customers and fair dealings he has won the confi- 
dence and good-will of all, and has secured a lib- 
eral share of the public patronage. 

Mr. Newell is a Canadian by birth. He was 
born in Peterboro, Ontario, March 30, 1857, and is 
one of twelve children whose parents were Alfred 
and Harriet (Ryan) Newell. The paternal grand- 
father, John Newell, spent his entire life in Eng- 



land, his native land. He was long a soldier, 
continuing in the service for twenty -seven years. 
His death occurred at the age of eighty-seven. 
The maternal grandfather, Thomas Ryan, was a 
native of Ireland, an inn-keepei of that country. 
He was called to his final rest at the age of fifty. 

The father of our subject was born and reared 
in England, and throughout the greater part of his 
life devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits, 
which he followed many years in Canada and 
Michigan. He came to the United States in 1857, 
and made his home in Michigan until 1878, when 
he came to Pana, where he lived retired until his 
death, which occurred January 3, 1886, at the age 
of seventy-two years. His wife survived him a 
few years and passed away on Christmas Day, 
1890, also at the age of seventy-two. They were 
both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and their lives were in harmony with their pro- 
fession. Of their five sons and seven daughters, 
Ann Jane is now the wife of Robert Bennett, of 
Marshall, Mich.; Maggie is the wife of James C. 
Essick, of Chicago; Julia is the wife of John Mur- 
dock, of Ft. Worth, Tex.; Bessie is the wife of 
James Limer, of Rosemond, 111.; Eva is the widow 
of Preston W. Smith, of Chicago; Robert is living 
in Roseraond; and William A. and Thomas C. 
complete the family. 

William A. Newell, whose name heads this rec- 
ord, was still in his infancy when his parents left 
Canada. He was reared on his father's farm, and 
acquired his education in the schools of Kalama- 
zoo, Mich. He may truly be called a self-made 
man, for at the age of fourteen he began to earn 
his own livelihood and has since been dependent 
upon his own resources. In 1880, he came to 
Pana, where he has since made his home, and em- 
barked in the bakery business, which he conducted 
for a year, and then opened a grocery store, which 
he has successfully carried on continuously since. 

An important event in the life of Mr. Newell 
occurred October 31, 1883, when was celebrated 
his marriage with Miss Arabella Higgins, daughter 
of L. D. and Cordelia (McDaniels) Higgins, of 
Pana. Four children have been born unto them, 
a son and three daughters: Cordelia, June, Creigh- 
ton and Pearl. The family has a pleasant home, 



372 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and the parents are prominent people in the com- 
rnunity. Mr. Newell is a member of the Tonti 
fraternity, and in politics is a supporter of Repub- 
lican principles, but has never been an aspirant 
for public office, preferring to devote his time and 
attention to his business interests, in which he has 
met with prosperity. Working his way upward 
from an humble beginning, he has now reached a 
place among the substantial citizens of the com- 
munity. 



BARREN CORZINE is one of the leading 
merchants and business men of Christian 
County, and has been successfully en- 

in the lumber and coal business in Ston- 
ington for several years. In addition to this, he 
owns a half-interest in a general merchandise store 
in the village, and a good farm of one hundred 
and twenty acres in this county, which is well im- 
proved, besides one hundred and twenty acres in- 
herited by his wife. 

The birthplace of Mr. Corzine is in Guernsey 
County, Ohio. He was born January 24, 1857, to 
Allen and Mary Ann (Warren) Corzine. They 
were the parents of nine children, six sons and 
three daughters, of whom our subject is the sixth 
child. All but one of the family are' still living. 
The father was a native of Pennsylvania, where 
he lived until reaching manhood. Going to Guern- 
sey County, he bought a tract of wild land, 
which he cultivated until 1868. Then, com- 
ing to this county, he located on a farm, which 
he carried on for a number of years, but is now 
living a retired life in Assumption, being eighty- 
seven years of age. His grandfather was a na- 
tive of Holland, and was killed during the War 
of 1812, while he was in the service. Our sub- 
ject's mother, who was born in the Buckeye State, is 
of German descent, and, though nearly eighty years 
of age, is still living. 

The early years of Warren Corzine were passed 
on his father's farm, where he remained until 



reaching his majority. He acquired a good edu- 
cation in the common schools, and, on starting 
out to carve his own fortune, rented a farm for a 
short time. The first land he ever owned was 
located in Otoe County, Neb., near the village of 
Douglas. After a couple of years spent in cul- 
tivating his Western farm, Mr. Corzine returned 
to Christian County and engaged in farming until 
1888, when he sold his property in Nebraska and 
became a resident of Stonington. Since that time 
he has been engaged in the lumber and coal busi- 
ness, of which he has made a good success. Only 
a few years ago he was a poor boy, but now he 
owns the leading lumber and coal yard in Ston- 
ington, and has money invested in various other 
profitable business enterprises. 

The marriage of Mr. Corzine and Miss Emma 
Burdick was celebrated in October, 1881. The 
lady is a native of this county, and by her mar- 
riage has become the mother of five children, all 
of whom are now living. They are as follows: 
Maud E., Charles J., Jessie M., Lutie Pearl and 
Edith. Mr. Corzine-is a member of the Presby- 
terian Church, while his wife belongs to the Meth- 
odist denomination. For two terms our subject 
served as Tax Collector of the township, and for 
a like period has acted in the capacity of Trustee 
of Stonington. He is a stanch Republican, being 
a firm believer in a high protective tariff. 



JACOB KAUFFMAN EBERLE, M. D, who 
is engaged in the practice of medicine in 
Pana, was born in Petersburg, Huntingdon 
County, Pa., May 17, 1824, and is the fourth 
son and seventh child born of the union of Jacob 
Eberle and Catherine Hewitt. The Eberle family 
emigrated to Pennsylvania from Switzerland with 
the Kauffmans, Neffs, Freylingliuysens, Muhlen- 
burgs and Newcomes. Nicholas Hewitt, the mater- 
nal grandfather of our subject, was a Revolution- 
ary hero and served under Washington. The pa- 
ternal grandfather, Henry Eberle, accompanied by 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



373 



his two older brothers, emigrated from Switzer- 
land and settled in Lancaster County, Pa., where 
he carried on a large gun factory in the interest 
of the State during the Revolutionary War. It 
is said that he was one of the most ingenious men 
in the working of iron in Pennsylvania, and his 
sons all inherited this trait. Jacob Eberle, father 
of our subject, was born in 1782, at about the 
time of the close of the struggle for independence. 
A prominent relative of our subject was Prof. John 
Eberle, one of the founders of Jefferson Medical 
College, and who, with Prof. Drake, founded the 
first medical college in Ohio. He was the author 
of several standard medical works, and his untir- 
ing mind and industry marked out a way for 
many a befogged allopathic student to reach his 
mooring. He was also a thorough linguist, be- 
ing familiar with eight languages. He died in 
Lexington, Ky., in 1836. 

Dr. Eberle, whose name heads this record, spent 
four years