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OTHER BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES:
Source:
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL
RECORD ALBUM
of
VERMILION COUNTY, ILLINOIS
containing
Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of
Prominent
and Representative Citizens of the County.
together with
Portraits and Biographies of all the Governors of the
State, and
of the Presidents of the United States
Publ: Chicago
Chapman Brothers.
1889
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JOHN W. BANDY,
junior member of the firm of Smith & Bandy,
druggists, is also owner of the Bandy Block on
Vermilion street, Danville, and is well-known to the
citizens of the city and vicinity as representing some
of its most important business interests. He is a
native of this place and was born Apr. 8, 1841. Of
his father, William Bandy, one of the earliest
pioneers of this county and an aged veteran of
seventy-seven years, a sketch will be found elsewhere in
this volume.
The first four years of the life of our subject were
spent upon a farm and then the family removed to
Danville, where John W., acquired a practical
education in the common schools. When approaching
manhood he entered the office of the Danville
Plaindealer, then under the control of John
Leslie and with whom he remained until the office
was purchased by Judge Daniel Clapp. Young
Bandy continued with the latter until 1864.
That year he began the study of medicine with Dr.
Samuel Humphrey as preceptor and after a time began
practicing to a certain extent. He, however,
concluded that he was better adapted to some other
business than that of a physician, which resolution was
strengthened by his failing health. He spent three
or four years in recuperating and in 1872 engaged as
clerk in the store of E. E. Boudinot about five
years. At the expiration of this time he was
admitted to partnership with his employer. Three
years later he sold out to Mr. E. G. Smith, a
native of Danville, and the only surviving member of the
family of Giles Smith. These gentleman have
been in partnership since that time and Mr. Bandy
has been in the store since 1872. Mr. Bandy
is a gentleman of great energy and enterprise, and has
accumulated a good property, including one of the finest
brick blocks on North Vermilion street which was erected
in 1887, and is equipped with all modern improvements.
Mr. Bandy was married in Danville, Sept. 28,
1861(4), to Miss Margaret Humphrey, who became
the mother of one child and who died together with the
child in 1865. Our subject contracted a second
matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary A. Campbell,
of Lafayette, Ind., Aug. 29, 1879. Of this union
there was one child, a son, Claude W., who was
born Aug. 29, 1880, and is still living. Mrs.
Mary A. (Campbell) Bandy was born June 1, 1853,
about fifteen miles southeast of Logansport, Ind., and
spent her childhood and youth in Indiana. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Bandy are members of good standing of
the Kimber Methodist Episcopal Church. Until about
1865 Mr. Bandy voted with the Republican party
but has since that time affiliated with the Democracy.
He has never had any ambition for office , preferring to
give his best efforts to his business affairs. His
home comprises a neat residence in the northeast part of
the city and as the son of a prominent family he
occupies no secondary position in social and business
circles.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Vermilion
County, Illinois - ) Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers -
1889 ~ Page 198 |
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CHARLES M. BAUM, a
native of this county, may usually be found at his
well-regulated homestead on section 25.
Besides general agriculture, he is largely
interested in the breeding of draft horses and has been
of signal service in elevating the standard of horse
flesh in this part of the State.
Active, energetic and industrious, he is a scion
of the pioneer element which located in this county at
an early day and assisted largely in its growth and
development.
There are some interesting facts connected with
the family history of
Mr. Baum
which cannot by any means be properly omitted from this
sketch. His
father, Samuel Baum, a farmer by occupation, was born twenty-five miles
south of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was the son of
Charles Baum, supposed to have been born in
Pennsylvania, whence he removed first to
Ohio and later to Illinois.
He was a gunsmith by trade, but after coming to
this country occupied himself mostly as a farmer, and
died at the advanced age of ninety-eight years.
Three of his seven children are yet living, and
Samuel, the
father of our subject, was the oldest of the family.
Samuel
Baum came to
Illinois
as early as 1828, and located on the Little Vermilion,
near the present site of Indianola.
The country then was very thinly settled and
Vermilion
County was considered
quite a frontier.
The journey was made overland in a
Dearborn
wagon, and they brought with them a bug-horned cow tied
behind the wagon.
The incidents of that long and wearisome journey,
during which they camped and cooked by the wayside and
slept in the wagons at night, and the after experiences,
replete with toil and privation, if properly related,
would fill a good-sized volume.
The parents of our subject, however, possessed the hardy
spirit requisite in the pioneers of ’28 and entered with
courage upon the task set before them.
The mother was in her girlhood
Miss Sarah Weaver,
daughter of
Michael Weaver, who also came to this county in
1828, and the young people were married in
Ohio.
Mr. Weaver
prior to this time had served as a soldier in the War of
1812, and was greatly prospered as a tiller of the soil
of Illinois, becoming
one of
Vermilion
County’s wealthiest men.
Mrs. Baum was the eldest of the eight children comprising the
parental family, of whom only two are now living.
The parents of our subject were married in 1823.
Samuel Brown became a very successful farmer, the owner of 1,400
acre of land, and devoted himself largely to
stock-raising.
After the labors of a well spent life he departed
hence in March, 1861.
The mother had passed to the silent land fourteen
years previously, in 1847.
Of the ten children born to them seven are still
living.
Charles M. was the sixth child and was born Dec. 22, 1838, at the
old homestead near Indianola.
He pursued his first studies in the district
school and in due time entered
Bryant & Stratton’s Commercial College,
Indianapolis,
from which he was graduated and at the age of twenty-two
years began work for himself on his father’s farm.
Our subject operated as a general agriculturist
two years, then for one year turned his attention to
shipping stock.
In the meantime he went into Texas and purchased 500 Texas
cattle, which he drove through the Indian Territory, in
1866, to Chicago, consuming eight
months on the journey.
He disposed of his stock, then returning to
Newtown, this county, embarked in
the mercantile business for two and one-half years.
He then purchased ground for a sawmill and in
company with
Robert Craig put up the necessary building,
equipping it with machinery and operated the mill for
two years.
Then selling out he resumed his former business as a
live stock shipper and afterward farmed again for about
two years.
About this time
Mr. Baum became interested in fine horses and began importing
Clydesdales from
Canada
and was thus occupied two years.
Afterwards he began breeding fine horses, for
which his well-equipped farm of 200 acres affords every
convenience.
He has thirty head mostly Clydesdales, including the
Knight of Colander, imported by
Galbraith Bros.,
of Janesville, Wis.,
and a very valuable registered mare imported by himself.
Mr. Baum’s
horses are gaining an enviable reputation in this part
of the State.
On the 22d of March, 1869, our subject was united
in marriage with
Miss Mary J., daughter of
William and Emily
(Vanderin) Craig, who were among the pioneer
settlers of this county.
Of this union there have been born five children:
Grace, Ernest,
Katie, Charles and
Frank, all of
whom are at home with their parents.
Mr. Baum
has been active in politics since becoming a voting
citizen, and is proud to record the fact that his first
Presidential candidate was the martyred President,
Abraham Lincoln. He
keeps himself well posted upon the political issues of
the day and for twelve years has officiated as School
Director in his district.
He is President of the Newtown Horse and Cattle
Fair and a member of the Clydesdale American
Association, also for the Newtown Horse Protector
Association.
He has been for the last three years a Road
Commissioner.
It will thus be seen that he has made a good
record as a citizen and is amply worthy of
representation in the BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM of
Vermilion County.
Source: Portrait and
Biographical Album of Vermilion County, Illinois - )
Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers - 1889 ~ Page 199
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CHARLES W. BAUM, of Carroll Township,
is the offspring of an old and prominent family which
three generations back was of the royal blood of
Poland.
His paternal grand-father,
Charles W. Baum,
a native of Poland, was banished from his birth-place during
the troubles of that unhappy country and fled to Germany during the colonial days and
about the time of the Revolutionary War.
It is not known just how long he sojourned in the
Fatherland, but he learned to speak and read the German
language fluently, although it is possible that he had
also been taught this in his native country, as being of
high birth, he received a thorough education.
After coming to America,
Grandfather Baum
served as a militia man on the reserve force in the
American army, protecting the frontier.
During that period he won and wedded
Miss Barbara
McDonald, a relative of
Gen. McDonald
of Marion’s staff.
He served several years as a soldier and the year
after Gen. (Mad
Anthony) Wayne’s treaty with the Indians, removed from Buck’s
County, Pa.,
to the farther West.
Sailing down the Ohio River and landing near the
mouth of Bullskin Creek, he made the first settlement in
Ohio.
From him sprang the
Baums of America
and the first representative of the family in this
county, was
Samuel Baum, a brother of the subject of this
sketch.
Charles W.
Baum, the third of the name and the subject of this
notice, was born in Clermont County, Ohio, Apr. 4, 1815,
and was the sixth in a family of ten children who were
named respectively,
Samuel; John;
Mary, Mrs. Weaver; Sarah, our subject; Susan, Mrs. Sandusky; Elizabeth, who died at the age of seven
years; Gideon N.
and Eliza, Mrs.
Carter.
Charles W., like his brothers and sisters, was
reared on the farm, received a common-school education
and was trained to habits of industry and economy.
His father was a man of more than ordinary
enterprise and although of German parentage, learned to
speak and read the English language and gave much
attention to the education of his children.
Samuel
Baum in making his journey to Illinois was
accompanied by his wife’s father, old
Michael Weaver
and it is hardly necessary to say, made the journey
overland by team, starting from Ohio, Oct. 12, 1827, and
arriving in this county on the 12th of
November following.
They had stopped for a short time in
Parke County, Ind., having intended to settle there, but
Mr. Weaver
did not like the appearance of things in that region and
so they pushed on further westward, settling among the
Alexanders
and McDonalds
of this county. In due time they were joined by
Charles W.,
our subject, who was the second
Baum to come
West. He
made the journey alone on horseback and was about eighty
days on the road, arriving at the house of his brother
Samuel, Dec.
26, 1836.
Our subject soon took up 160 acres of land from
the Government and made subsequent purchases until at
one time he was the owner of 1660 acres besides 200
acres given his wife by her father.
When it is remembered that he came to this region
with very little means it must be acknowledged that he
was remarkably successful in the accumulation of
property.
After coming to this county he was married Mar. 14,
1839, to Miss
Catherine Weaver, who was the fourth daughter and
sixth child in a family of twelve children.
Mrs. Baum her
husband was born in Clermont County,
Ohio, June 28, 1818, and when an infant of six
months her parents removed to
Brown
County, that State.
Mr.
Weaver, a very energetic and industrious man,
improved several farms and became quite wealthy.
He bore the reputation of great honesty and
integrity with a stern sense of justice, and loaned
large sums of money at six percent interest, steadily
refusing a higher rate although he might easily have
secured it.
He sold his corn at twenty-five cents per bushel
although he could have obtained fifty cents, his motto
being “live and let live.”
He put his own shoulder to the wheel and was one
of the hardest workers of his time.
When more than sixty years old he made three
trips a year to
Chicago, engaged in hauling bacon
and other produce.
He was a man who attracted to himself many warm
friends and he lived to be a few months over one hundred
years old.
His birthplace was
Washington County, Md.,
and he was the son of a rich planter who was excessively
patriotic and enlisting in the army rendered efficient
service. He
died when Michael was but four years old, at the age of
ninety-six years.
He had been married on the very farm whereon was
fought the battle of Antietam
during the late Rebellion.
His wife,
Mary Spessard, also a native of Washington County,
Md., lived to be ninety years
old and she had a brother who lived to the great age of
one hundred and five years.
The childhood days of
Mrs. Baum
were spent in her native county where she attended
school and became proficient in the common branches.
Although quite young when the family came to this
State she still remembers many of the incidents of the
journey and the old Alexander school-house which was the
first of its kind within the limits of
Carroll
Township.
It was a large, log structure, 18x24 feet square
with a “cat and clay” chimney and the other furnishings
of that primitive time.
Of the twelve children born of this union the
eldest, Celestine
A., is the wife of
William T. Hunt,
and they reside in the Indiana Territory;
Jasper N.,
married a Miss
Stewart and owns over 600 acres of land, his
residence being in Young America Township; they have
four children,
Blanche, Georgia, Dollie and
Weaver, the
two latter twins.
Charles Cyrus married first a
Miss Gilky,
and became the father of one child –
Lelia E.
His wife died and he was then married to
Miss Josie Baum
and they live on a large farm in Carroll Township;
A. Jacob, a
resident of Sidell, owns a farm in Sidell Township and
makes a specialty of breeding fine horses; he married a
Miss Rowand
and they have five children –
Charles, Lelia
C., Spessard and
Estelle
(twins), and
George Roy.
Gideon P.
married a Miss
Lucas and is the father of two children –
Lulie W. and
Earl L.; he
operates a large farm in
Carroll Township.
George B.
McC. married a
Miss Rawlings
and is the father of two children –
Opie and
Wilbert; he
conducts a livery stable in Ridge Farm and owns a farm
in Carroll Township.
The deceased children are
Marcus D.,
who died at the age of two years;
Orintha, who
died when ten years old;
James H., who
died at the age of two years; two infants who died
unnamed, and John W. who died when two years old.
To each of his children who have started out in
life for themselves
Mr. Baum has given a good farm.
They have been provided with a practical
education and are well provided with a practical
education and are well fitted to make their own way in
the world.
The present homestead of our subject and his estimable
wife was given to the latter by her father,
Michael Weaver.
Although mixing very little with political
affairs Mr. Baum
keeps himself posted upon matters of general interest
and uniformly supports the principles of the Democratic
party.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Album
of Vermilion County, Illinois - ) Publ. Chicago: Chapman
Brothers - 1889 ~ Page 456
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CYRUS CHARLES BAUM,
the fourth “Charlie” in the
Baum genealogy,
and a number of the popular and well-known family of
that name in this county, is a sober, industrious,
intelligent young man, and rapidly becoming wealthy.
He has a charming home, a very attractive and
accomplished wife who possesses rare musical talent,
and, in short, is apparently surrounded by a large
portion of that which makes life desirable and
satisfactory.
His well-regulated farm is pleasantly located on
section 29 in Carroll township, and comprises 250 acres
of choice land thoroughly developed.
Of Charles W. and Catherine (Weaver) Baum, the parents of our subject,
a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume.
Cyrus C.
was the second son and third child in a family of six,
and was born in Carroll, Feb. 18, 1853.
His boyhood and youth were spent in a
comparatively uneventful manner, first at the common
school and then at the graded school in Indianola, while
during the vacations he employed himself in a useful
manner around the homestead.
From boyhood up he has been temperate and of
correct habits, and upon reaching his majority, his
father presented him with a large tract of land, which
he traded for his present farm in 1884, to this latter
he has given his undivided attention for the last five
years, to what good purpose its present condition
indicates.
In 1876 Mr. Baum wa united in marriage with
Miss Emma, daughter of Allen
and Alma Gilkey¸ who were both natives of Kentucky.
They left the Blue Grass regions at an early
date, and settled in this county during its pioneer
days. Of
this union there was born one child, a daughter,
Lelia, who is now a bright girl of ten years, and is cared for with
a mother’s affection by the present wife of our subject.
Mrs. Emma
(Gilkey) Baum departed this life Oct. 5, 1880.
Our subject contracted a second marriage, Nov.
28, 1887, with
Miss Josie, daughter of
Josephus Baum,
a native of
Clermont County, Ohio.
The maiden name of her mother was
Sarah Beall,
and she was a native of the same county as her husband.
Mr. Baum
was a blacksmith by trade, and, before leaving
Ohio, living at Point Isabel, and in
Bainbridge, Ross County.
He came to Illinois in 1875, and settled at Ridge Farm,
where he is still engaged at his trade and is now
probably fifty-nine years old.
His good wife is ten years his junior.
They are the parents of seven children, viz:
Albert, Josie, Jessie, Lelia, Maggie, Charles, and
Minnie.
Mrs. Josie (Baum) Baum was born at Point
Isabel, Clermont Co.,
Ohio, Sept. 6, 1869, and was a
young maiden of fifteen years when her parents removed
to Bainbridge.
Two years later they came to
Illinois, and she completed her
studies in the High School at Ridge Farm.
She received a careful home training from an
excellent mother, and apparently takes a loving pride in
the adornment of her home and making it the dearest spot
on earth to those immediately in its precincts.
She is a tasteful performer on the piano, and the
home circle is often enlivened by music and the pleasant
intercourse of friends.
Mr. Baum,
politically, like his father and brothers, gives his
unqualified support to the Democratic party, although he
meddles very little with public affairs, preferring to
give his time and attention to the improvement of his
farm and the comfort and happiness of those by whom he
is connected by the most sacred of earthly ties.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Vermilion
County, Illinois - ) Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers -
1889 ~ Page 505
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FRANK A. BAUM, one of
the most popular men of Carroll Township, was born and
reared within its precincts, and is the off-spring of an
old and well-known family, the son of
Samuel Baum,
whose great-grandfather was born in Poland, from which
he fled during the troubles of that unhappy country, and
for some time afterward made his home in Germany.
Later he came to America, prior to the
Revolutionary War, and married an English lady by the
name of Barbara
McDonald, a relative of the daring and gallant young
McDonald,
fighting under
Gen. Marion in that war.
The senior
Baum was later appointed on the reserve corps for special duty and
the protection of the early settlements.
After the close of the war he settled in Bucks
County, Pa., where the nine children of the family were
reared, among whom was the grandfather of the subject of
this sketch,
Charles Baum, Sr.
The year following
Wayne’s
treaty with the Indians
Charles Baum and his family sailed down the Ohio
River to the mouth of Bullsink Creek, near where the
town of Chilo now stands.
Here they commenced the first settlement made in
the
Territory
of Ohio.
Grandfather Charles Baum upon reaching manhood married
Miss Susan Moier, of
Germantown,
Ky.
They became the parents of ten children, viz:
Samuel, John, M.
D.; Mary, Mrs. Weaver; Sarah, Mrs. Van Treese; Charles;
Catherine, Mrs. Patterson; Susan, Mrs. Sandusky;
Elizabeth, Gideon N.; and Eliza, Mrs. Carter.
Samuel Baum was the eldest son of his parents
(who came to this county with their children in 1839),
and while a resident of
Ohio, was married to a daughter
of old Michael
Weaver.
The latter came to this county in 1827, and settled one
miles northeast of the present site of Indianola.
There were then but five log houses on the Little
Vermilion, two of which were purchased by a
Baum and a Weaver. The latter
gentleman lived to be one hundred years old, the oldest
man on record in Carroll Township.
He was the father of seven children, of whom
Sarah, the
wife of Samuel Baum, was the eldest.
She was a native of
Ohio, and after her marriage
became the mother of two children there,
Elizabeth and
Oliver P. After their
removal to
Illinois
there were born six more children –
Susan, Catherine,
Charles M., Samuel, William and
Angeline. The first wife
died, and Samuel
Baum married a second time to
Mrs. Polly
Matkins, widow of
William Matkins,
by whom she became the mother of two children –
Theodore and
Mary.
Of her marriage with
Mr. Baum there were born four children:
Frank, the subject of this sketch; America,
Winchester C.
and Mary.
Grandfather
Baum was
perhaps as generous a man as ever set foot in Carroll Township.
He possessed the character and attributes of a
true Christian, and was one of the pillars of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Uncle Sam
Baum, as he was familiarly termed, was a large,
powerful man, six feet one inch in height, and weighing
300 pounds.
He was born in
Ohio
and reared amid the wild scenes of pioneer life, growing
up good-tempered and jovial, and following farming
pursuits. He
took the first produce which he raised in
Carroll
Township to Chicago, driving five yoke of oxen.
His sole earthly possessions upon coming to this
county were a horse, bridle and saddle, and at the time
of his death, in March, 1861, he was the owner of 1,500
acres of good land, besides personal property.
During the latter years of his life he belonged
to the Republican party, and died at the age of
fifty-six years.
The mother of our subject came to Illinois with her father
in 1831, he settling three miles east of Indianola.
She was then but thirteen years old.
After a time they moved to Louisville, Ky.,
where they sojourned three years, then returned to this
county, and the mother died about 1883 at the age of
sixty-two years.
She was a woman of many excellent qualities, and
in religion a Presbyterian.
The subject of this sketch was born Nov. 15,
1851, in
Carroll
Township, where he was
reared on a farm, and at an early age became familiar
with agricultural pursuits and stock-raising.
He was bright and courageous, and at an early age
assumed unusual responsibilities for a boy, which had
the effect of making him self-reliant and little
inclined to ask favors of anyone.
His father died when he was a lad of eleven
years, but prior to this
Frank had been engaged helping his father in purchasing cattle two
or three years.
With the demise of the head of the family the
household circle was broken up, but
Frank remained event in the life of our subject was celebrated Nov.
18, 1873, the bride being
Miss Eliza,
daughter of Dr.
McHaffie, one of the earliest physicians in Carroll
Township.
Mrs. Baum was
born in Indianola, and was a child at school with her
husband. In
1875 they moved on to the part of the father’s estate
which fell to our subject, and to which the latter
subsequently added by the purchase of land.
There were born to them five children:
Harry, Joseph, Beratrice;
Samuel, who when sixteen months old; and
Benjamin F.
Mr. Baum has given his attention largely to
the live-stock business, and has fed all the cattle his
farm could sustain.
He has never sold any other grain besides wheat.
He shipped his cattle to New
York, Buffalo,
and Chicago,
and began operations in this business when a youth of
seventeen years.
He has made two trips to the Far West, and is a man who keeps his eyes open to what is
going on around him, embracing every opportunity for
useful information.
He is at present interested in the breeding of
Clydesdale horses, and is a life member of the Scotch
and American Clydesdale Associations.
He has also bred Short-horn cattle considerably.
His son,
Harry, a bright boy of fourteen, is said to be the
best posted youth in the county in connection with this
industry.
When thirteen years old he passed a successful
examination for a teacher’s certificate, and in 1888 was
again examined and ranked the highest of any applicant.
Mr. Baum
thoroughly believes in education, and has given to
his children the best advantages in his power.
The farm of our subject embraces 160 acres of
land, well improved and very fertile.
Mr. Baum
put in the first tile ever laid in
Carroll
Township, of which he has
five miles on 120 acres.
Being thrown upon his own resources early in
life, he has had a stern battle with the world, and is
of that independent and outspoken disposition which
might, with one unacquainted with him, seem abrupt, but
at heart he is genuine gold, with sympathy for the
unfortunate, and a fine appreciation of those sentiments
of honor, which is the leading characteristic of every
true man. He
is one who naturally espouses the cause of the
persecuted and down-fallen, and has more than once
wrested a friend from trouble and disaster.
Politically,
Mr. Baum is a decided Republican, and has very clear ideas in regard
to the protective system of that party.
When assailed upon this point he is always
enabled to cause the most hotheaded Democratic
free-traders to stop and think.
He has been for some time Township Trustee, and
is Clerk of the Board of School Directors in Indianola.
He was remarkably fortunate in the selection of a
wife and helpmate,
Mrs. Baum
being very estimable and intelligent lady, one who has
greatly assisted her husband in his labors and
struggles, and very nearly approaches the ideal of the
self-denying and devoted wife and mother.
Although not wealthy, they have accumulated
sufficient to shield them from want in their old age,
and, what is better, they enjoy the esteem and
confidence of hosts of friends.
Source:
Portrait and Biographical Album of Vermilion County,
Illinois - ) Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers - 1889 ~
Page 518
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G. T. BAUM, one of the
well-known Baum
family of Carroll Township, is recognized as a very
industrious and enterprising young farmer and has a
beautiful home on section 29.
Here with his estimable and amiable wife he has
built up what might be likened to a little paradise, and
is apparently surrounded with all the good and desirable
things of life.
His natural proclivities are such as have gained
him the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens and
he thus occupies a good position socially as well as
financially.
The father of our subject was
Charles Baum,
a sketch of whom will be found on another page in this
volume.
Gideon T. was
born Oct. 12, 1860, at the old homestead in
Carroll
Township, and was the
fourth son and fifth child of his parents.
His boyhood days were spent in a manner common to
that of farmer’s sons and when reaching the
twenty-fourth year of his age he was married Nov. 13,
1884 to Miss
Clara, daughter of
Elijah and Susan
(Jones) Lucas.
The father of
Mrs. Baum is
a native of Georgetown, Ky.,
and her mother of Harrodsburg, that State.
The paternal great-grandfather was of English
descent and closely allied to royality; her
mother’s people were from Maryland.
The Lucas
family removed from
Kentucky in 1876 and the parents of
Mrs. Baum are
now living retired in Archie, in
Sidell
Township.
Mr. Lucas
is sixty-eight years of age and his good wife is ten
years his junior.
They are the parents of four children, and the
eldest, George,
is a resident of Hume.
Charles makes his home in Archie; James likewise remains with his parents;
Clara was born at Harrodsburg, Ky., where she lived until a girl of eleven years then
came with her parents to
Illinois.
They first settled near Georgetown and the father occupied himself at
farming until retiring from the active labors of life.
Mr. and
Mrs. Baum after their marriage settled on the farm
which they now own, and which embraces 215 acres of
fertile land.
The residence had been put up the summer previous
to their marriage.
The two children born of this union are a
daughter and a son –
Lulu Weaver
and Earl Lucas.
Mrs. Baum is a member in good standing of the
Baptist Church.
Our subject, politically, supports the principles
of the Democratic party.
Source: Portrait and
Biographical Album of Vermilion County, Illinois - )
Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers - 1889 ~ Page 504
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OLIVER P. BAUM owns and
carries on two farms, the homestead containing 465
acres, while the other embraces a half-section adjoining
the village of Sidell
on the east.
He also has sixteen and three-fourths acres of timber
land, close to Indianola. Therefore
Mr. Baum may
be considered one of the leading land owners.
He is a very extensive farmer and one whose
success has been steadily growing since he first started
in life.
His father,
Samuel Baum, settled in
Carroll
Township in 1829, in
company with
Michael Weaver, and was one of the prominent
pioneers.
The father was a very large man, weighing 365 pounds.
The grandfather,
Charles Baum,
was a prominent man in his day, and noted for his piety.
The great-grandfather was banished from Poland and came to the colonies,
where he soon established a reputation for patriotism
and fidelity to American principles.
He married
Barbara McDonald, and settled in Bucks County, Pa.,
immediately succeeding the struggle for independence in
1776. Soon
after Wayne’s treaty with the Indians, he with his
family sailed down the Ohio in a family boat, and made
the first settlement in that territory, close to the
mouth of the Bullskin Creek.
He died full of years and honors in Clermont County, in the State he helped to form.
The mother of the subject of this biography was
Sarah Weaver,
the oldest daughter of
Michael Weaver,
who was a man possessed of a great many peculiar
characteristics.
He always had money to loan, but would never take
more than six per cent for its use, when he could easily
ask and obtain forty.
He was a rich man when he came from
Ohio to this county, in 1829,
and many a pioneer owes to
Michael Weaver a debt of gratitude.
He was as generous and open-hearted a man as ever
lived. He
would fix the price for his corn at a reasonable rate,
and would ot take for it either a higher or a lower
price. He
adhered inflexibly to the rule that it was not right to
extort by speculation or any other method, and when he
made a price on any commodity, it was based upon actual
cost, with a living profit added.
Mr. Weaver studiously endeavored to aid the poor, but he invariably
refused to loan money to speculators.
By this it will be seen that his peculiarities
were all virtues.
At the great age of nearly one hundred and one
years he passed away to his reward.
The mother died when she was about forty years
old, leaving eight children, of whom
Oliver P. is
the oldest.
His father was married a second time, to
Mrs. Polly (Sandusky) Matkin, four children being born
of this union.
Oliver P.
Baum, was born in January, 1828, his birthplace
being Clermont County, Ohio.
He grew to man’s estate in Carroll Township,
and at the age of thirty-three his father died, leaving
him a good property.
He has been engaged in feeding cattle for the
past thirty years.
The market places for his stock are
Chicago and Buffalo, where he is well
and favorably known as a business man.
He also feeds a large number of hogs, and in his
branch of stock-raising he is equally successful.
As Mr.
Baum puts it, “nothing but prairie grass and
rattlesnakes were on the land in Vermilion County
when he came here.”
He passed through all the trials and tribulations
of a pioneer, and has witnessed
Illinois
struggle from comparative poverty up to affluence, and
attain the proud position of a
soverign
State.
Far better than all the titles that royalty can
bestow, is the simple one of a pioneer.
The nobility has torn down, while the mission of
the pioneer was to build up, and when the awards and
given to mankind, whose will be the highest?
Mr. Baum
erected the elegant mansion which he now occupies in
1875, and in its construction is exhibited a great deal
of common sense.
He also has a large barn, 44x60, which is a model
of strength and utility.
His place is laid out in a manner to insure good
results, and for the perfect handling of stock.
Taking this farm as a whole, including its
buildings, surroundings and everything connected with
it, it would be no exaggeration to make the statement
that for the purposes for which it is designed there is
not a better farm in Vermilion County.
In 1871 Mr. Baum was married to Miss
Helen McClenathen, of Washington
County, Pa., daughter of
George S. and Sarah (Remley) McClenathen, both
natives of the Keystone State.
When her parents came to Danville Township,
Mrs. Baum was
five years old, and therefore her early training and
growth to womanhood occurred in this neighborhood.
Her father and mother are both living in
Fairmount, retired at the ages of seventy and sixty-four
respectively.
They had twelve children:
James, William,
Helen, Lucy, John, Belle, Anna, Emma, Owen, Ethel,
Volney and
George Byron.
Mr. and Mrs. Baum, are the parents of one child –
Herbert.
She is a member of the Kingsley Chapel, Methodist
Episcopal Church.
Mr. Baum
votes with the Democratic party.
His present fortune and position in society are
based upon his intelligence and industry.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Vermilion
County, Illinois - ) Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers -
1889 ~ Page 683
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SAMUEL W. BAUM is one of
the many well-to-do men of
Carroll Township, and a popular stockman of Vermilion County.
For several years he has been engaged in breeding
Shorthorn cattle, and at this writing has on hand a herd
of his favorite breed of cattle of good pedigrees.
The animal standing at the head of this fine herd
of cattle is the celebrated “Commodore Barney,” a
well-known prize winner, and was owned by the late
Harvey Sodowsky,
which is a guarantee of the excellence of this beautiful
animal.
Mr. Baum
is the son of
Samuel Baum, who was a very popular gentleman, and
one of the old settlers of Carroll Township.
His mother was
Sarah Weaver, a daughter of
Michael Weaver, who lived to be one hundred years
old. The
elder Baum and Weaver came
together to this county in wagons drawn by oxen.
The Baums
built up the oldest city in the county – Indianola – and
were instrumental in directing the outside world to the
fertility and resources of Vermilion County
as a desirable location.
The Baums
were also distinguished pioneers of
Bucks County, Pa.,
and of Clermont
County, Ohio, while that country was under
territorial rule.
The grandfather,
Charles Baum,
was a gunsmith by trade.
He volunteered in the War of 1812, but was taught
to be too valuable a man to enter the ranks, so he was
employed in making and repairing firearms.
He made a gun for his own use in the army, but
gave it to another soldier.
He was very religiously inclined, and respected
by all who knew him.
Samuel
Baum was married twice, and by the first union had
eleven children:
Oliver P., Mary, Elizabeth, Susan A., Catherine, Francis, Emiline,
Samuel W., William and
Angeline.
Samuel W. was born Feb. 15, 1843, and was
reared to agriculture in this county.
He is largely engaged in the stock business, and
is an extensive shipper.
He owns several farms, the homestead containing
600 acres.
All his land has been improved by himself, as when he
bought it, it was in a wild condition.
His farms are all well fenced, conveniently
arranged, and well supplied with water; the barns are
commodious, and the pastures are of the very best.
His dwelling is a comfortable one, and in it can
be found a genial hostess, whose hospitality is
proverbial.
The stock on this farm is of the very finest.
Any one of the animals would take a prominent
place at a fair or a fat stock show.
It is safe to make the assertion that there are
no better cattle in the State of
Illinois
than those owned by
Mr. Baum.
Mr. Baum
was married to
Miss Della F. Stewart, a daughter of
Joseph and Sarah
(Cochrane) Stewart, the former being a native of
Ohio, while the latter was a daughter of
Gen. Cochrane,
a hero of the War of 1812, and who represented his
people in the Legislature.
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart came to Georgetown
from Woodford
County, Ill., having settled there first upon coming
to this State.
They floated down the Ohio and came up the Mississippi
and Illinois
rivers, until they reached their destination.
Mr. and
Mrs. Stewart are both living, and in this world’s
goods are well-to-do.
They are the parents of seven children, all
girls:
Tamer E. and Mary M.
(deceased), twins;
Lovina, Sarah A.
(deceased), Josephine,
Frances,
Delpine, and
Dolly J. Mrs. Baum was
born in Georgetown, where
she attended the public schools, and at the age of
six-then entered the High School at Danville.
She is an accomplished lady and a faithful wife.
Mr. and
Mrs. Baum have no children.
Mr. Baum
is a strong Republican, a protectionist, and a friend of
progress and prosperity.
He believes that his party’s platforms embody
political wisdom, and that its candidates, as a rule,
are good, and, therefore, he votes the Republican
ticket, though he never seeks office.
Mr. Baum’s reputation among those who know him best is
irreproachable.
Source: Portrait and
Biographical Album of Vermilion County, Illinois - )
Publ. Chicago: Chapman Brothers - 1889 ~ Page 668 ok
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WALKER
T. BUTLER is an enterprising wheelwright of
Sidell. He located in this village in December,
1887, at which time he erected his shop on Chicago
street. He laid the foundation for a large
business in a substantial manner. Mr. Butler
is one of hte solid men of his adopted town, and one
whose word is as good as a bank note.
On Feb. 23, 1840, Mr. Butler first saw the light
of day in Edgar County, Ill., about a mile from
Chrisman. His father, Asa BUtler, was born
near Lexington, Ky., while his mother, Catharine
Porter, is a native of Madison County, that
State. The Butlers were originally from
Virginia, and came to Kentucky in an early day.
The father was a blacksmith, the entire male portion of
the family of Butlers being mechanics. One
of the uncles was a cabinet maker at the age of
ninety-two, and the subject of this sketch saw him at
work making spinning wheels at that great age. In
1834 Asa Butler and his wife removed to Vermilion
County, settling close to Indianola, erecting a shop
there. He left this place and went to Chrisman,
where he remained for a long time. This couple are
the parents of nine children, whose names are given:
Ephraim P., Elizabeth A., William F., Ellen F., Walker
Turner, Sanie F., Lucinda C., Rosa A. and an
infant child, the two latter being deceased.
The father died at Indianola in 1878 at the age of
seventy-two years, while the mother is still living on
the old Butler homestead.
Ephraim resides in Richardson County, Neb.;
Samuel is in the employ of the Burlington & Missouri
River Railroad Company at South Omaha, Neb., as a
billing clerk; Eliza is living in Indianola with
her mother; William F. was accidentally killed by
traveling man who mistook his head for a prairie
chicken; the man afterward went insane; Ellen F.
is the wife of James R. Adams, who is farming
near Georgetown; Lucinda c. married Melvin L.
Porter, who is engaged in the clothing business at
Danville; Walker, of whom this sketch is written,
was reared on a farm, working alternately at farming and
in the blacksmithshp. His schooling was obtained
in the subscription schools. His first attendance
upon the public school was in Edgar County, Ill., where
the schoolhouse was erected by subscription, and built
of logs. He worked on the farm nine months,
attending school the balance of the year. He
continued in this way until he became eighteen yeas of
age, when he went to work exclusively at his trade.
On March 26, 1861, he was married to Miss Susan J.
Porter, daughter of Richard Porter,
and a half-sister of Mrs. Hawes. Her
mother was Elizabeth Howard. The Porters
originally came from Woodford County, Ky., emigrating to
Illinois in 1834.
At the time the War of the
Rebellion broke out Mr. Butler was half owner in
a shop, and had just passed his honeymoon. Their
was every inducement for him to remain at home, and
prosper in his business, but his duty lay in enlisting
in the Union army, which he did in May, 1861, by joining
Company Company D, 25th Illinois Infantry, being
mustered into service on June 4, following, at Danville.
His regiment drilled at Arsenal Park, St. Louis, for two
months, and here he was elected Captain of his company.
He was young and inexperienced, and being modest, he
refused to serve, but afterwards accepted the position
of Sergeant. On account of a severe wound in the
right foot, he was honorably discharged, after which he
came home, and devoted his entire attention to his
trade. His army record was a brilliant one, and
the men are very few who would refuse a commission as he
did, which exhibits his entire unselfishness and
patriotism. He remained in Indianola until 1879,
when he removed to Ridge Farm, there engaging in
business at his trade until 1887, when he came to his
present location.
Mr. Butler is one
of the original members and organizers of the Baptist
Church of Sidell, which came into existence May 2, 1889,
and of which he was elected Deacon. He was
belonged to this church since he was eighteen years of
age, and for twenty-two years was Superintendent of a
Sabbath-school. He is also Vice-President of
Sunday-school Association of Carroll Township.
Mr. Butler belongs to Vermilion Lodge No. 265, A. F.
& A. M., and was its master for three terns, and also
its delegate to the Grand Lodge at Chicago in the years
1873, 1874 and 1875. He is also a charter member
of the C. A. Clark Post, No. 184, G. A. R., located at
Ridge Farm. The office of School Director has been
filled by him for fifteen years.
Mr. and Mrs. Butler have had five children:
Melvine S., Gracie E., Adoniram J., Leslie F., Bessie
and Willie. Melvine S. was educated
at the Jacksonville Blind Institute. He died, and
his parents deeply felt his loss. Gracie E.
is the wife of John Fletcher, a farmer of Edgar
County, Ill.; they have three children: Henry
T., Howard and Charles. Adoniram J. and
the rest of the children are living at home.
Mr. Butler is a stanch Republican, and for several
years has served his party on the County Central
Committee. He has always been in favor of
Temperance laws, and their strict enforcement, and it
was largely through his instrumentality that the sale of
whisky was finally abolished in Carroll Township.
Mr. Butler is one of the very best men of Vermilion
County, and is so regarded by his neighbors.
Source: History of Vermilion County, Illinois -
Publ. 1889 - Page 226 ok |
NOTES: |
