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Orlando Powers |
Edward Giles Powers
(this photo was found
at findagrave.com) |
Samuel Powers |
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POWERS FAMILY.
The history of Macon county would be
incomplete without extended reference to the
Powers family. Through more than six
decades the name has figured in connection
with the development of this section of the
state. Orlando Powers came to
Decatur in 1849. In matters of public
concern as well as in the conduct of large
business enterprises he played a leading
role on the stage of action. He seemed
ever to follow the mandate, "turn thy
defeats into victory; make thy hopes a
reality; never let thy personal interest
constitute the bounds of thine horizon, but
reach out for the larger, uplifting things
of life." Today there is no name
spoken in Decatur with greater honor and
reverence than that of Orlando Powers.
His business ability was proven in the
wonderful success which he achieved; his
honor in the rectitude of the methods which
he followed; his patriotism in his support
of municipal and national projects for the
general good; his charity in the generous
division which he made of his wealth to the
unfortunate.
He was a comparatively young man - thirty-seven years
of age - when he came to Decatur, and from
that time forward was closely associated
with the business development of the city
along those lines which have led to its
substantial upbuilding. Already his
experiences had covered a wide range, and
had developed in him the power of quick and
accurate judgment and keen discrimination.
He was born near the village of Charlton,
Saratoga county, New York, May 21, 1812, and
pursued his education in the common schools,
which he attended through the winter months,
while the summer seasons were devoted to the
work of the home farm. He was sixteen
years of age when his brother William
requested that he should go to Havana, Cuba,
and become his assistant in business there.
Proceeding to New York, he became a
passenger on the schooner Helen, which
encountered a severe storm three days later
and was wrecked. The rescue of Mr.
Powers was certainly marvelous. He
and Captain Tucker, who commanded the
vessel, together with three of the sailors,
drifted upon the open sea for eleven days,
clinging to the disabled hulk, part of which
was out of water. They subsisted upon
a scanty supply of sea biscuit and raw
potatoes, and a very short allowance of
water. When nearly famished because of
lack of food and almost crazed by want of
drink, they were picked up by a French brig
bound for Bordeaux, and eventually landed at
La Rochelle, whence they were taken on to
Bordeaux by land. Mr. Powers
had no money nor clothing save that which he
wore and was even without a hat but found a
kind friend in an English gentleman who
relieved his immediate wants and cared for
him until opportunity came for him to return
home. Recrossing the Atlantic, he
landed at New York, and through the
assistance of business acquaintances and his
elder brother, he was able to promptly
discharge the indebtedness which it had been
necessary for him to incur. His people
who mourned him as dead were greatly
surprised and rejoiced to welcome him, for
he proceeded at once by steamer up the
Hudson river to his home. He did not
attempt again to enter business circles in
Cuba, but on again leaving New York sailed
for Mobile, Alabama, this time on a safe
voyage, which brought him at length to his
destination. He was connected with
business interests in Alabama and
Mississippi in association with his brothers
and brother-in-law, Chauncey Wilkinson,
being located at different times at Mobile,
Tuscaloosa, Prairie Bluff and Aberdeen.
In 1849, however, he heard and heeded the
call of the middle west and Decatur gained
thereby a citizen, the value of whose
service in later years cannot be
overestimated. Two years previously he
had visited this city, his mother and two
brothers, George and Samuel
having located here some years before.
It was then a little town but the he
recognized the fact that it lay in the midst
of a rich country and gave promise of future
development. He therefore sought its
opportunities when he left the south, and
with the exception of about a decade passed
in Jacksonville, Illinois, he continued a
resident of Decatur from 1849 until his
death.
Even previous to this time the name of Powers
had figured in connection with business
activities in Macon county. William
Lorenzo Powers, who was bourn in New
York city, Dec. 9, 1804, had removed to
Mobile, Alabama, where he followed
merchandising for a number of years and then
came to Illinois, settling in Bloomington.
Making his home in that city, he engaged in
the land business, entering extensive tracts
in McLean and Macon counties. He never
resided in Decatur, but owned considerable
property here, and in 1858 erected a
building of three stories on East Main,
between Water street and the alley west,
which building is still standing. He
also owned a number of farms in Macon
county. He died unmarried, Aug. 28,
1858.
Orlando Powers' initial business effort in
Decatur was in the operation of a saw and
grist mill, which he owned and conducted for
some time. He then turned his
attention to merchandising as proprietor of
a boot and shoe store, and therein laid the
foundation for the success which in time
placed him in the front rank among the
business men of the city. For many
years he was the owner of the only set of
abstract books in Macon county. As he
came into close touch with the people and
learned of the district in which he had cast
his lot, he realized that it must in time
become a thickly settled region, because of
the fertility of the soil. He
therefore invested in real estate, adding to
his property from time to time until his
holdings of both farm land and city realty
were extensive. When opportunity came
for profitable sale he disposed of his
holdings and also improved and developed his
property. In 1889 he erected the
Decatur Opera House, a beautiful and
substantial "palace of dramatic art."
Where the interests of the city were
involved, as well as where private
enterprises were concerned he gave
liberally, and almost every public interest
of Decatur benefited by his generous
support, his cooperation, and his influence.
His name and example always carried weight
and secured for any movement on project a
large following. This was due to the
fact that his judgment was realized as
uniformly sound, and all, moreover, felt
that the spirit of municipal loyalty was one
of his strong characteristics.
The year which witnessed Mr. Powers' arrival in
Decatur also chronicled his marriage,
Miss Charlotte E. Given, of Smithland,
Union county, Kentucky, becoming his wife.
He had formed her acquaintance two years
before in traveling on horseback from
Mobile, Alabama, to Decatur, and the
friendship which then had its inception,
ripened into love and was consummated in
marriage. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Powers
were born two daughters and two sons.
Alice, the eldest, born September 30,
1856, died on the 22d of April, 1878.
Charles G. Powers, the elder son, was
born in Decatur, June 30, 1861. In the
public schools of this city he mastered the
elementary branches of learning, afterward
attended the Illinois College at
Jacksonville, and also pursued a commercial
course in Brown's Business College. He
was only thirteen years of age when he went
to Jacksonville in company with his sister
Annabel, who entered the Deaf Mute
Institute there because of her hearing.
For eight years he remained in that city.
He entered upon the study of law in Decatur
under the direction of the firm of Crea &
Ewing, attorneys, but was not admitted
to the bar, his object in studying law being
to gain enough knowledge of legal principles
to enable him to manage his father's
business. In 1884 the family returned
to Decatur from Jacksonville, and Charles
G. Powers took charge of the estate,
which he yet supervises. In this
connection he displays keen insight, sound
judgment, unfaltering enterprise and
progressive methods. The Powers estate
is one of the largest in this section, and
covers many business and residence
properties in Decatur. On the 21st of
June, 1887, Charles G. Powers was
married to Miss Effie Rogers, a
daughter of Jason Rogers of this
city, and they have one child, John
Howard, born Aug. 23, 1895. The
parents are members of the First
Presbyterian church, and are prominent in
the social circles of the city. Mr.
Powers also belongs to the Decatur Club,
the Elks Club and the Country Club, his
recreation largely coming to him through his
connection with those organizations.
Howard W. Powers, the second son, was born in
Decatur, June 20, 1864, and completed his
education in the schools of Jacksonville,
being a graduate of the Illinois College of
that city. He joined his brother in
the management of the estate left by the
father, and they have since been associated
in business under the name of C. G. & H.
W. Powers. They are recognized as
gentlemen of excellent business sagacity and
keen foresight and in the supervision of
extensive property interests have shown
marked discrimination combined with an
aptitude for successful management that is
evidenced in the excellent results which
attended their labors. On the 19th of
December, 1903, Howard W. Powers was
married to Miss Mabel Durfee, a
daughter of Captain George Durfee, of
Decatur, and they have three children:
Howard William, born Mar. 8, 1905;
Given Durfee, Apr. 20, 1909; and
Robert Charles, June 29, 1910.
Howard W. Powers has a home at Palm
Beach, Florida, where he spends the winter
months, while the summer seasons are passed
in the north, He, too, is a member of
the Decatur Club, the Elks Club and the
Country Club.
Annabel Powers, born in Decatur, Aug. 8, 1867,
lost her hearing when five years of age
through spinal meningitis, and two years
later the family removed to Jacksonville for
the purpose of educating her at the Deaf and
Dumb State Institution, remaining in that
city for ten years. She was married
June 17, 1890, to Charles Kerney, of
Evansville, Indiana, who died in Decatur,
Aug. 1, 1902, leaving a daughter,
Charlotte Wright, born Jan. 4, 1895.
Mrs. Kerney was married again on the
26th of May, 1904, becoming the wife of
William C. Tilley, of San Francisco,
where they now reside. Mrs. Tilley
owns a beautiful home of her own at Tiberon,
across the bay north of San Francisco.
When age conferred upon Orlando Powers the right
of franchise he supported the whig party,
but joined the republican party as a
supporter of Abraham Lincoln during
his first presidential candidacy. He
never faltered thereafter as an advocate of
republican principles, for he deemed them
most effective forces for good government.
He long held membership in the first
Presbyterian church of Decatur, and was one
of its most active and helpful workers,
giving generous assistance toward building
its house of worship, also to support its
local interests and its missionary
endeavors. He was the founder of the
scholarship in the Presbyterian Theological
Seminary in the northwest. He never
made religion a think apart from his life -
a Sunday observance as it were - but found
in the teachings of the church the
principles which guided his conduct and
shaped his relations with his fellowmen.
A tale of sorrow or distress awakened his
ready sympathy, and when it was in his power
to render assistance he did so. If a
census could be taken of Decatur's citizens
whom he has helped in one way or another,
the number would reach up to a large figure.
Business firms and individuals alike
received his assistance in hours of need,
and his unostentatious method of giving aid
makes it certain that many were the
recipients of his bounty of whom the public
have no knowledge. When a public
project was instituted for the benefit of
Decatur, he was among the first to espouse
the cause, and his citizenship was
characterized by an unfaltering loyalty.
He was ever devoted to the welfare of his
family, and the close companionship which
existed between himself and his wife made
theirs largely an ideal relation. The
death of Mrs. Powers occurred May 3,
1897. For five years more Mr.
Powers trod life's pathway, and on the
1st of July 1902, was called to the home
beyond. His were "the blest
accompaniments of age - honor, riches,
troops of friends." It was his to
preserve the precious prize of keen
mentality to the closing hours of life, and
when the end came, it was as "one who raps
the drapery of his couch about him and lies
down to pleasant dreams."
The Powers family is now represented in Decatur
by the two brothers, Charles G. and
Howard W., who, managing the estate,
are still actively concerned in the business
interests of the city and are, moreover,
leading figures in the social life of
Decatur, and also Mrs. Annabel (Powers)
Tilley, who spends most of her time at
her winter home in California.
Source:
City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois - Publ:
Chicago -
The Pioneer Publishing Company -
1910 ~ Page 40 |
EDWARD GILES POWERS
whose life has been devoted to art and
music, in which connection he has gained
much more than local reputation, was born
Sept. 7, 1861, in Decatur, where he yet
makes his home. He is a son of
Samuel Powers, an honored pioneer
resident of this city, now deceased.
His more specifically literary education was
acquired in Jacksonville and in
Philadelphia, while his musical education
was obtained partially as a student in the
New England Conservatory of Boston.
His training has been received under some of
the best masters, so that he has made
excellent progress in the development of the
natural taste and talent with which nature
endowed him and he has traveled extensively
in foreign lands.
On the 5th of April, 1905, Mr. Powers was
married to Miss Bell McKee, a
daughter of Edward Davis and Fanny
Vorhees (Armstrong) McKee. The
family is well known and distinguished one
of Portland, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs.
Powers have two children: Fanny
Armstrong, who is so called in honor of
her maternal grandmother; and Caroline
Maria, who bears the name of her
paternal grandmother.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Powers is one of the
artistic residences of Decatur. It is
situated some distance from the road and is
approached by a fine driveway. The
house is a frame dwelling, standing in the
midst of spacious grounds, beautifully
adorned by flowers, shrubs and shade trees.
It is in some respects a typical New England
home and has but recently been completed.
It was made after a sketch drawn by Mr.
Powers, who employed an architect to
draw up the plans. The interior
indicates artistic taste and selection and
Mr. Powers, being a lover of fine
paintings, has chosen some canvases that
indicate the master's hand. The
arrangement of the electric lights is such
as to show these to the best advantage.
Among the notable and beautiful paintings
which adorn his walls are a Quebec scene
from St. Lawrence river, by Birge
Harrison; a Colorado sunset and a golden
sunset by Charles Partridge Adams;
and a decoration of the Mississippi river,
by a St. Louis artist. The decorations
of the rooms are all in perfect harmony, the
floors are covered with the finest of
Oriental rugs and designs, colors, lights
and shades all make of the home a perfect
picture. Mrs. Powers has made a
collection of Indian baskets from all over
the western world, showing some particularly
fine specimens. Mr. Powers is
president of the Municipal Art League.
He is a lover of good horses, is himself a
fine horseman, and he is the owner of a
cotton plantation in the south. His
home is a most hospitable one and is the
delight of visitors who are in any degree
endowed with artistic perception.
Source:
City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois - Publ:
Chicago -
The Pioneer Publishing Company -
1910
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