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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron, Jr., & Co.
1879
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1879 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
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Humbolt Twp. -
JAMES EDGAR, farmer
and stock-raiser; P. O. Humbolt; the subject of this sketch was born
in Suffolk Co., England, March 21, 1838. He married Miss
Margaret Hilligoss May 8, 1862; she was born in Rush Co., Ind.,
Sept. 15, 1845; they had seven children, five living, viz., John
P., William T., Ora May, James Rue and Leroy. He
lived in England fifteen years; he then moved to Scotland, where he
lived two years and returned to England; remained there until he was
19, when he came to the United States, arriving at Chicago, and, an
1857, he came to Coles Co., and settled near his present place; in
1858, he came to his present place and has lived here since.
He has held the office of Collector, Town Clerk and has been School
Director some nine or ten years. He owns 120 acres in this
township, which he has earned by his own labor and management.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 634 |
Pleasant Grove Twp. -
JACOB EDMON, farmer; P. O. Charleston; was born in Highland
Co., Va., June 17, 1851, and lived with his father; engaged in
farming. He was married to Alwilda Amstrong Dec.
26, 1877 she was born in Highland Co., Va., Nov. 9, 1852.
Mr. and Mrs. Edmon's parents were natives of Virginia; Mr.
Edmons father was one of the early settlers in this county,
coming here in an early day with but very little property. He
now owns 168 acres of very fine farm land on Sec. 14 in this
township.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 586 |
East Oakland Twp. -
JAMES T. EDSON, Oakland, purchasing agent for Illinois of
Wm. B. Dickson & Co., Indianapolis, Ind.; born in Iredell Co.,
N. C., Jan. 15, 1841; his parents removed to Ohio when he was quite
young, where he attended school during the summer, until 1861, when
he enlisted in the 14th Ohio V. I. for three months, after which he
enlisted for three years in the 38th Ohio V. I., where he served
nearly three years, when he re-enlisted in the 38th Ohio Veteran
Regiment, in which he served during the war; he took part in nearly
all the severe battles in which the 14th Army Corps was engaged,
among which were Mill Springs, Stone River, Perryville, Chickamauga,
Missionary Ridge, and many others, and was with Sherman's
army in his march to the sea; he was mustered out with his regiment
in July, 1865, at Louisville, Ky., when he engaged in farming in
Ohio several years, until 1871, when he located in Oakland, and
engaged in buying and shipping lumber to Indianapolis, which
business he has since successfully followed. His marriage with
Cordelia Hickox was celebrated Jan. 25, 1876; she was born in
Oakland, Coles Co., May 29, 1850; her parents were among the early
settlers of Illinois, locating in Edgar Co., in 1833.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 566 |
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Hutton Twp. -
T. L. ENDSLEY, merchant, Salisbury was born in Coshocton Co.,
Ohio, Nov. 21, 1842; his parents, Thomas and Matilda,
were natives of Harrison Co., Ohio; his father was born in August,
1801, and is still living in Coshocton Co., Ohio, having lost his
eyesight in the year 1876; his mother died about the year 1854; the
subject of this sketch remained with his parents until he was 25
years of age, when he came to Hutton Tp. in the fall of 1866, and,
the first winter, taught school; in the spring of 1867, he went to
Westfield, Clark Co., Ill., and carried on a general merchandise
business until late in the fall. He then married Miss Mary
J. Eudsley (daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth Endsley, of
Hutton Tp.) Oct. 24, 1867; directly after his marriage, he came to
Salisbury, in this township, and lived upon his farm for three
years, when he moved to Charleston, and for nearly five years
clerked for Frommel & Weiss and J. F. Neal; in
the year 1875, he came back to Salisbury and opened a general
merchandise store, in which he is still engaged; his wife was born
Oct. 20, 1844, and died Jan. 31, 1876, leaving two children —
Elizabeth (born Oct. 16, 1868) and Clarence (born Nov.
25, 1870), both residing with their grandparents, Endsley.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 613 |
Ashmore Twp. -
MRS. THURZA
EPPERSON; P. O. Westfield; among the pioneers of Coles Co.
who came in the year 1834, was Green Epperson, who
was born in Madison Co., Ky., about the year 1800. He was
married Dec. 22, 1829, to Miss Thirza Woods, a
daughter of Adam and Mary Woods; she was also a
native of Madison Co., Ky., born Dec. 6, 1807. After their
marriage, they removed to Estill Co., Ky., thence to Clark Co. and
from there to Coles Co., Ill., in 1834 where they settled on the
farm still in the hands of the family, and which contains 200 acres
in the home place, besides 80 acres in Clark Co. Mr.
Epperson was a man of integrity of character, industrious
and economical in his habits, and possessed of the requisite
qualifications of success, and, had he lived, would undoubtedly have
become one of the wealthiest citizens of the county; he died Jan.
29, 1850, leaving a wife, who still resides on the old homestead.
Of a family of eleven children, nine are living, as follows: Brutus
C., was born Oct. 27, 1830, in Estill Co., Ky., and is now
a farmer in Bear Valley, Cal., to which State he removed in 18952;
Cassius C., was born in Clark Co., Ky., June 24,
1834, and also removed to California in 1852, and is now a farmer in
Sutter Co.; Sidney K., was born in Coles Co., Ill.,
Jan. 28, 1836, served in the late war, enlisting in Co. H, 59th I.
V. I., was promoted to Quartermaster, and is now a Government
Inspector at Omaha, Neb.; Rhodes was born Apr. 4,
1838, was a member of Co. A, 123d I. V. I., was wounded in the
battle of Selma, Ala, and is now a farmer in Edgar Co., Ill.; Green
was born May 2, 1840, removed to California in 1877, and is now
engaged in farming in Bear Valley; Mattie was born
Jan. 25, 1842, and is now wife of J. F. Lawson, of
Mattoon, Ill.; Joseph was born Oct. 8, 1844,
married Sept. 2, 1869, to Miss Mattie Morris, of
Edgar Co.; she was born in Kentucky Dec. 26, 1851, and died Dec. 3,
1875, leaving three children - John F., Thurza I.
and Alvy G.; Mr. Epperson resides on the homestead;
Kate was born Apr. 6, 1848, and resides at home; John C.
was born in 1849, studied medicine, and went to California in 1875,
graduated from the National Surgical Institute, in San Francisco,
and is now a practicing physician in Weston, Oregon.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 596 |
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Humbolt Twp. -
JACOB ERNST,
farmer and stock-raiser; P. O. Humbolt; the subject of this sketch
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, March 30, 1839. He married
Miss Julia Anna Joose Aug. 16, 1861; she was born in Baden,
Germany, June 20, 1844; they had nine children, eight living, viz.,
George A., John M., Flora May, Mary A., Harry D., Willis
E., Clarence and Jacob E.; Charlie died June 4, 1866.
He lived in Germany about fifteen years, when he came to the United
States and settled in Meadeville, Penn., where he lived until 1855;
he then moved to Owen Co., Ind.; thence to Hendricks Co., and, in
1857, he came to Coles Co., Ill.; he had visited here in 1856; in
March, 1867, he came to his present place, and has lived here since.
He has held the office of School Director several terms, and is at
present Commissioner of Highways in this township; he owns 159 acres
in this township, which he has earned by his own labor and
management.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 634 |
|
Hutton Twp. -
DANIEL EVINGER, farmer, carpenter and millwright; P. O.
Westfield; is a native of Ohio, having been born in Hamilton Co., of
that State, Sept. 10, 1820. In November, 1831, when he was 11
years of age, his parents moved to Coles Co., and settled upon Sec.
19, Hutton Tp., where Mr. Daniel Evinger now resides.
His parents died upon the homestead, his father in the year 1835,
his mother in the year 1855. His father carried on the
business of carpenter and millwright, and was also a minister of the
United Brethren Church in Hamilton Co., Ohio. After coming to
this county, he was mostly engaged in farming, although he turned
his experience in his trade of carpenter to good advantage in
putting up the frame of his residence and barn; the barn still
standing, its frame apparently as strong as ever, and is one of the
few buildings of that day now standing in Hutton Tp.; he also filled
regular appointments of a minister up to the time of his death, and
formed the nucleus of the United Brethren Church of this county, and
the first class was organized in the year 1832 in his house; he also
established the first Sabbath school in Hutton Tp., in the spring of
1832, near Otterbein Cemetery. The object of this sketch, with
the exception of five years, when he resided in Clark Co., Ill., has
resided upon the homestead. From the year 1853 to 1858, he was
a partner in a steam-flouring and saw mill in Westfield, Clark Co.,
Ill.; having sold out his interest he was engaged in merchandising
for five or six years, since which time he has been engaged in
farming and carpentering. Mr. Evinger, with his
brother and his son, built all the bridges and culverts from
Westfield to Kansas, for the D., O. & M. Narrow Gauge Railroad; he
also superintended the building of the Westfield College; has been
School Treasurer for a number of years. He married Miss
Mary Jones, near Hitesville, Mar. 11, 1841; she was the daughter
of William Jones, of Jefferson Co., Ky., who moved to Coles
Co., in 1831, and settled one mile south of Hitesville. They
had a family of eleven children, five boys, all living, viz.,
William H., John F., Frederick A., Benjamin H. and David M.,
and six girls, but one living, Catharine J. (now Mrs. A.
G. Brown, of Westfield, Clark Co., Ill.), and five dead,
Sarah E. (formerly Mrs. Ezra Shuey, of Cumberland, Co.,
Ill.), Mary E. and Ora S., the remaining two dying in
infancy.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 614 |
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Mattoon
Twp. -
MATTHIAS EVERHARTY, proprietor West Broadway
Meat Market, Mattoon; was born near Coblenz, Prussia, June 28, 1833;
when he was but 4 years old, his parents emigrated to America,
landing in Cincinnati July 4, 1837; here they settled, and his
father was one of the earliest German gardeners that began the
raising of vegetables for the Cincinnati market; much of the land
that he then cultivated in "garden sass" is now occupied with solid
rows of substantial brick buildings. In 1849, young
Everharty went to his trade - that of a butcher - at which eh
served as an apprentice three years; he followed the business in
Cincinnati till 1861, at which date he went out as butcher to the
first German regiment, the 9th Ohio V. I., and was with various
divisions of the army till 1863; on his return from the army, he
remained a short time in Cincinnati, and, in November, 1863, he came
to Mattoon, and engaged in operating his present business. He
was married, in1854, to Elizabeth Horn, a native of France;
they have four children - Catharine, John J., Annie L. and
Maggie. He owns real estate in the city - a residence,
five acres of land and business property.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 546 |
Pleasant Grove Twp. -
JAMES THOMAS EWING, farmer, Sec. 8; P. O. Mattoon; owns 247
acres; was born in Coles Co., Ill., Nov. 13, 1835; lived with his
parents until 22 years of age. Was married Sept. 10, 1862, to
Rebecca Jane Walker, who was born in Coles Co., Ill., Feb.
11, 1842; moved on this farm in the fall of 1862, and has had six
children, four of whom are living, viz., Nancy J., Samuel
W., Gertrude and Charles M.; the deceased are Mary L.
and an infant. Mr. Ewing was Township Collector of La
Fayette Tp. in 1859 and 1860, and Assessor in this township four
years; he was in the late war, and went out in July, 1861, as a
private in Co. C, 1st I. V. C.; elected Corporal; then went out in
1864 in the 135th I. V. I.; was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and
served four months, until discharged; he was captured at the battle
of Lexington, and eventually mustered out. Mr. Ewings
parents were natives of Kentucky and Mrs. Ewing's of
Tennessee.
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 586 |
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Mattoon Twp. -
R. L. EWING, retail grocer, Mattoon; was born
in Coles Co., Ill., Dec. 28, 1842; his father, William Ewing,
familiarly known as 'Squire Ewing, came from Kentucky and
settled upon the South Kickapoo, within the present limits of
Coles Co., in the spring of 1829; here he engaged in farming, and
here the boyhood and early manhood of R. L. was passed upon
the farm; his father died in 1866; he remained at home and had
charge of the farm until 1873; he then purchased the homestead, and,
the following year, sold out and came to Mattoon; here he entered
the law department of Michigan University, from which he graduated
in March, 1873; he then entered the office of Maj. James A.
Connolly, in Charleston, Ill., and remained till the spring of
1875; he then came to Mattoon and entered upon the practice of his
profession, in connection with H. W. Magee; soon after
locating, he was appointed City Attorney, and held the office one
year; in 1877, he formed a co-partnership with Charles Bennett,
which lasted one year; in 1876, he was elected State's Attorney for
Coles Co., which position he now holds; since the spring of 1878, he
has been practicing his profession alone, and through comparatively
young in the work, has already shown himself "a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed."
Source: History of Coles County, Illinois - Chicago - Wm. LeBaron,
Jr., & Co. - 1879 - Page 544 |
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