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OTHER BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES:
BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
The History
of
Vermilion County, Illinois
A Tale of its Evolution, Settlement and Progress for
nearly a Century -
Vols. I & 2
By Lottie E. Jones -
Chicago - Pioneer Publishing Company -
1911
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GEORGE G. MABIN.
For a third of a century, George G. Mabin has been
regarded as one of the leading attorneys of Danville. Unflagging
application, intuitive wisdom and a determination to fully
utilize the means at hand are the concomitants which ensure
personal success and prestige in this great profession which
stands as a stern conservator-of justice. Mr. Mabin
possesses these qualities and in the practice of his chosen
profession has met with most excellent success.
A native of Tennessee, he was born in Memphis, March
30, 1853, his Parents being Howard and Mary (Lee)
Mabin, natives of Ireland and Tennessee respectively. The
father was a young man at the time of his emigration to the
United States, at which time he settled in Tennessee, and when
the Civil war broke out, he joined the Confederate army, being
killed in the siege of Vicksburg. George G. Mabin was a
mere boy when he came to this state and is indebted to the
public schools of Illinois for the early educational privileges
he enjoyed. Later he attended the University of Illinois and
after coming to Vermilion county, in 1875, successfully engaged
in teaching for two years, studying law at the same time. He was
admitted to the bar in 1877 and at once opened an office in
Danville, where he has since practiced with good success.
In 1881, Mr. Mabin was united in marriage
to Miss Margaretta Henderson, a native of
Ohio, whose father was a minister. They have become the parents
of two children, namely: Gordon H. and Isabel. The son is
a graduate of the Danville high school and the University of
Chicago and was admitted to the bar in 1910, but he prefers
farming to a professional career and is now operating a large
tract of land belonging to his father in Mississippi.
As a republican, Mr. Mabin has taken
quite a prominent and influential part in public affairs and
during the '80s was three times elected city attorney of
Danville, serving in all six years. Throughout his incumbency in
public office, he proved a very capable official at all times,
proving true to the trust reposed in him and performing the
duties that devolved upon him with an efficiency that not only
brought credit to himself but reflected honor upon his
constituents. Preeminently a man of affairs, his has been a life
of continuous activity which has been crowned with substantial
success. Outspoken and honest, he is never afraid to express his
views, but always accords to others the right of an opinion.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 301 |
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HERMAN MANTEUFEL,
who is now successfully engaged in the bakery business in
Danville, was born in Hessen-Nassau, Germany, on the 10th of
May, 1869, and comes of an old and honored German family, his
parents being Louis and Hermina (Poppe) Manteufel. It was
in 1878 that the parents brought their family to the United
States and settled in Indiana, where the father continued to
make his home until called to his final rest on the 3d of April,
1905. The mother is still living.
Herman Manteufel was only about nine
years of age on the emigration of the family to the new world
and in the public schools of Lake county, Indiana, he obtained
his literary education. He was reared upon a farm but after
leaving school, in 1885, went to Chicago, where he learned the
baker's trade. On the 19th of January, 1903, he came to Danville
and entered the employ of H. Linne, a baker, but
at the end of a year became a partner in the business, which
they carried on together until 1908. During that year Mr.
Manteufel opened an establishment of his own at No.
863-65 East Fairchild street, where he is now located. On
beginning business alone he used only about a barrel and a half
of flour per day, but his trade has so rapidly increased that
now he averages eight barrels per day and furnishes employment
to from seven to ten people. The excellence of his product has
insured him a good trade and, being a man of sound judgment and
good business ability, he is meeting with most excellent
success.
On the 24th of November, 1889, Mr. Manteufel
was married in Danville to Miss Margaret Hosh,
a daughter of Andrew and Marie (Koch)
Hosh, who for the past fifty years have made their home
in this city and are numbered among its honored residents. Mr.
and Mrs. Manteufel now have a little
daughter, Esther, who was born in Danville, June 26,
1901. They hold membership in the German Methodist Episcopal
church and Mr. Manteufel is an active worker in the ranks
of the republican party but has never cared for the honors or
emoluments of public office. He has, however, served as school
director in the Germantown district for three years, from 1906
to 1908 inclusive. Fraternally he is a member of the Court of
Honor. Home-loving and charitable, he has made a host of friends
since coming to Danville and has become one of the substantial
and prosperous business men of the city, whose success is due
entirely to his own industry, perseverance and good management.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 271 |
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GRANT MARTIN.
Among the native citizens of Vermilion county representing the
second generation of the same family born in this county is
Grant Martin, a general merchant of Vermilion Grove, Elwood
township. He is a young man but has made a commendable start
and, being possessed of ambition to forge ahead in the
World and a goodly amount of energy and common sense, the
outlook in his favor is very bright. A fair start is half the
battle and perseverance and patience, both of which he
possesses, will go a long way toward the attainment of the
desired goal. Mr. Martin was born May 16, 1871,
and is a son of Henry and Miranda (Gepheart) Martin,
both of whom are now deceased. There were eight children in the
family of Mr. and Mrs. Martin, six
of whom are still living.
The subject of this review was reared upon the farm and
educated in the public schools, remaining at home and assisting
in its maintenance until he arrived at his majority. Desiring to
become independent, he rented a farm and conducted the same for
thirteen years with varying degrees of success. In 1905 he
removed to Georgetown and for some time worked in a lumberyard,
but in 1908 entered the general mercantile business at Vermilion
Grove, in which he has since continued with quite satisfactory
results.
In 1892 Mr. Martin was united in marriage to
Miss Mary B. Cook, who is a native of Ohio and a daughter of
William and Catherine (Snyder) Cook. Her father departed
this life some years ago, but Mrs. Cook is still living
in this county. They were the parents of seven children. One
child has blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Martin, Blanch,
born May 16, 1894, and now a student at the academy in Vermilion
Grove.
Mr. Martin is a member of the Modern Woodmen of
America and accepts the principles of the republican party as
those best adapted to insure the prosperity and permanent
welfare of the republic. He has never sought political
preferment but for two years served with general acceptance as
member of the school board. Mrs. Martin holds
membership in the Christian church and by her thoughtfulness and
congeniality has made her home, indeed, a place of comfort and
peace. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are willing and active
supporters of all movements, social or otherwise, tending to
promote the permanent interests of the community and as their
lives have been thoroughly upright and honorable they are
recognized as worthy and useful representatives of the best
class of citizenship in this region.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Page 612 |
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GEORGE
W. McCRACKEN, an enterprising and prosperous business man
of Danville, is now extensively engaged in the manufacture of
davenports, couches, rockers and mattresses of all kinds and has
built up an excellent trade which extends over four states of
the union. He was born in Wailesboro, Indiana, on the 23d of
February, 1862, and on the paternal side is descended from a
good old Scotch family that was founded in America during the
colonial days and was represented in the Revolutionary war. His
maternal ancestors were of Welsh origin and on coming to the new
world first located in Pennsylvania, removing thence to Kentucky
about the time Daniel Boone settled in that state.
His parents are Marion and Elizabeth Jane (Whalen) McCracken,
who are still living. In the spring of 1877 they came to
Illinois and located in Vermilion county, but at the end of ten
years returned to Indiana where they now reside. Throughout his
active business life the father followed farming but is now
living retired.
During his boyhood George W. McCracken's
educational privileges were limited. He was able to go only as
far as the sixth grade in the Terre Haute schools. He has
supplemented the knowledge there acquired, however, by
attendance at night school and by home study, so that he is
today a well informed man. On starting out in life for himself
he worked at day labor, putting in all his spare time after
working hours in reading and study. For four years he was thus
employed and at the end of that time, deciding to learn a trade,
he began an apprenticeship as an upholsterer, at the age of
seventeen years. For eleven years he was employed by Henry M.
Kimball at No. 37 North Vermilion street, in whose shop he
became thoroughly familiar with every department of the
upholstering business. At the end of that time he purchased his
employer's establishment and for two years carried on the
business in connection with a partner, but since 1891 has been
sole owner of the establishment which he conducted at No. 37
North Vermilion street for several months. His increasing
business demanding larger quarters, he then removed to Nos.
20-24 North Franklin street, where he has now carried on the
business for the past eight years. He is today the largest
manufacturer in his line in Vermilion county and among the
largest in the state, his specialties being davenports, couches,
rockers and mattresses of all grades. He now employs on an
average of from twenty to fifty hands and ships his products
throughout the states of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.
It was on the 2d of January, 1887, in Danville,
that Mr. McCracken was united in marriage to
Miss Ann Laura Johnson, a native of Thorntown, Indiana, and
a daughter of Dr. William Johnson of that place. Her
parents are both now deceased. The children born to Mr. and
Mrs. McCracken are: Hazel L., now the wife of
William H. O'Neil, who is superintendent of a department in
her father's factory and a resident of Danville; Ruth A.
and Esther S., both at home.
The family hold membership in Emanuel Presbyterian
church and Mr. McCracken affiliates with the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of
America, having served as trustee of his camp for twenty-two
years. His political support is given to the men and measures of
the republican party, but he has never desired official
preferment. Starting in his present business with a cash capital
of only one hundred and fifty dollars, the success that he has
achieved seems most remarkable. He is, however, a very energetic
and progressive business man and to these qualities and his
untiring industry may be attributed his success. He is
thoroughly reliable in all transactions and has become both
widely and favorably known in business circles.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Page 610 |
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ALEXANDER MCDONALD
(Written by R. D. McDonald.)
Alexander McDonald, a pioneer of Vermilion County, Illinois, was
a native of Tennessee, where he was born in 1796. He, in company
with John B. Alexander and his family, one of whom he had
married, came to Illinois in the year 1820. He located near
Paris, where he remained two years, and in 1822 he moved to the
Little Vermilion timber, and made a farm about three miles west
of where Georgetown now is. His neighbors were mostly Indians,
bears, panthers, wild cats, and other wild creatures, of which
the woods were full. Among the earliest recollections of the
writer of this sketch are accounts of the child-like crying of
panthers, told by the first: settlers in this wilderness. There
was no Georgetown, no Vermilion County, no Danville, no Chicago,
then. It is hard for a citizen of Vermilion County, of sixty
years of age, to believe that only a few years before his birth,
Illinois was such a wilderness. Such it was for many years after
Alexander McDonald commenced making his farm. At that time Edgar
County reached almost to the northern border of the state. In
1826, the land attached to Edgar County on the north was made
into a new county, and named Vermilion. The south part of the
state was settled first and mostly by people from the southern
states. On his farm on the border of civilization, Mr. McDonald
lived with his wife, Catherine Alexander McDonald, who came into
this world in the year 1800, and on it they raised ten children,
six daughters and four sons, all of such character that their
acquaintances were glad to point to them as their friends. Mr.
McDonald was justice of the peace, whether by appointment or by
election, I do not know. He was also postmaster. The duties of
both offices were performed at his residence. The first
Cumberland Presbyterian church in the county was organized at
his home and in it, the congregation held all services for a
long time, and, until a meeting house was built on his land. He
was an elder in the church until his death in 1861.
Uncle Alex McDonald was an old fashioned Democrat.
Accepting the, principles of the Declaration of Independence as
to the inalienable rights of men in their true spirit, he could
not remain contented in a slave state. He was among the first
insurgents in the Democratic Party, when it attempted to extend
slavery. He claimed no advantage of birth, condition or
position. The passport to his confidence was merit. He had
sympathy and hospitality for all. I lived, when a by, in his
house for some time. I never saw, or heard of an applicant for a
meal or a night's lodging, being turned away. All were supplied
without money and without price. I can truly apply the following
lines to him:
"A man he was to all the country dear,
Remote from towns he ran his godly race
Unskillful he, to fawn or seek for power
Far other aims his heart (had learned to prize.
More bent to raise the wretched than to rise
His house was known to all the vagrant train,
He chide their wanderings, but relieved their pain.
The ruined spendthrift now no longer proud,
Claimed kindred there and had his claim allowed."
The wives of the pioneers deserve
equal honors with their husbands, if not greater. They endured,
and shared all the hardships incident to a new country and
suffered its privations aid by their womanly nature softened the
manners of the people. Catherine, wife of Alexander
McDonald, a
young girl, left society and many cultured friends among whom
she was raised, and came into the wilderness where she endured
privations unknown to women of this year 1910. She was a
helpmeet, indeed. With no servant, she, with hand spinning
wheel, hand loom, scissors, and needle made all the clothing for
the family, and over, and around an open fire, she cooked the
food they and their guests ate. I can truthfully say that Aunt
Catherine never spoke a cross word to, nor a complaining word
of, any person. I feel sure that of her, as Jesus said of little
children, could be said, "of such is the kingdom of heaven." She
lived to be eighty-one years old and died in Danville in the
home of her son, Milton, and was buried by the side of her
husband in the Weaver graveyard about one mile south of the
house where they raised their family.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. I - Pub.
1911 - Page 112 |
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WILLIAM B. McFARLAND
, a respected resident and representative agriculturist of Grant
township, makes his home on section 5, where he owns a fine farm
of one hundred and sixty acres, while his property holdings
likewise include a tract of one hundred and twenty acres on
sections 29 and 32. In addition to the conduct of his farming
interests he acts as secretary of the Grant township Mutual Fire
Insurance Company and as vice president of the Pana District
Cyclone Mutual Insurance Company.
His birth occurred in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, on
the 12th of April, 1860, his parents being James and Sarah
(McCartney) McFarland, who were likewise natives of the
Keystone state. In the year 1865 they took up their abode in
Marshall county, Illinois, there continuing to reside until
1882. In that year they came to Vermilion county, purchasing and
locating on the farm which is now the home of our subject.
James McFarland remained an esteemed citizen here
until called to his final rest in 1898, having for a number of
years survived his wife, who passed away in 1883. Their children
were eight in number, as follows: John and Sarah,
both of whom are deceased; two who died in infancy; Flora,
who is a resident of Hoopeston, Illinois; Elizabeth, the
wife of William Bell, of Vermilion county;
Samuel, who has passed away; and William B., of this
review.
The last named obtained his education in the common
schools and on attaining his majority purchased a portion "of
the old homestead farm on section 5, Grant township, where he
has made his home continuously since. He likewise owns one
hundred and twenty acres of land on section 29 and 32 and as an
agriculturist has won a gratifying measure of success. Since
1889 he has served as secretary of the Grant Township Mutual
Fire Insurance Company, the president and treasurer of the
concern being Josiah Jones and D. H. Chapman
respectively. He is also the vice president of the Pana District
Cyclone Mutual Insurance Company, of which the other officers
are as follows: George D. Taylor, president; W. E.
Killam, treasurer; and A. T. Strange, secretary. The
printed reports of both companies indicate their good standing
and success.
In 1885 Mr. McFarland was joined in wedlock to
Miss Mary A. McCoy, who was born in West Virginia
on the 7th of April 1861, her parents being Josiah and Sarah
(Jump) McCoy, likewise natives of that state. They came to
Illinois in-1867 and spent the remainder of their lives on a
farm in Peoria county. Mrs. McFarland was the
youngest in a family of ten children, five of whom are yet
living. By her marriage she became the mother of four children,
as follows: Etta, a graduate of the Hoopeston high
school; Ida May, who was born on the 15th of June,
1888, and passed away January 2, 1900; Arthur B.,
likewise a graduate of the Hoopeston high school; and James E.,
at home.
In politics Mr. McFarland is a republican
and for about twenty years he served as a school director. At
the present time he acts as clerk of the board. Both he and his
wife belong to the Presbyterian church and exemplify its
teachings in their daily lives. They have the warm esteem and
friendship of many with whom they have come in contact and the
hospitality of the best homes of the locality is cordially
extended them.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Page 491 |
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JACOB S. McFERREN
"Thrift of time," said William E. Gladstone, "will repay
you in after life with a usury of profit beyond your most
sanguine dreams and waste of it will make you dwindle alike in
intellectual and moral stature beyond your darkest reckoning."
This statement finds verification in the record of Jacob S.
McFerren, who in all of his life seems to have improved
every opportunity that has presented nor wasted a moment that
might be advantageously used. He has displayed both
initiative spirit and a genius for organization and, never
fearing to (CLICK HERE FOR
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Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Page 10 |
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WILLIAM McFERREN,
who during the later years of his life lived retired in
Hoopeston, enjoying through that period the fruits of his former
toil, was a native of North Carolina, born on the 17th of June,
1813. He represented old southern families, his parents
being James and Margaret McFerren, who removed from North
Carolina to Hopkinsville, Ohio, during the pioneer epoch in the
latter state, making the journey on horseback. The father
became a prominent farmer of that locality, also followed
merchandizing and cooperating in Hopkinsville and filled the
position of postmaster in that town. His business activity was a
prominent source of the development and progress of the section
in which he lived.
His son, William McFerren, pursued his education
in the schools of Hopkinsville, and after putting aside his
text-books entered business life. His initial training was
received under the direction of his father and later he went to
Level, Ohio, where he followed various business pursuits.
He was a man of marked enterprise and determination and carried
forward to successful completion whatever he undertook. He
continued his residence at Level until 1865, when he removed to
Highland county, Ohio, where he lived until 1873. In that
year he came to Hoopeston and his later years were passed in
retirement from business. He was one of Hoopeston's most
prominent, best known and most highly esteemed citizens.
On the 23d of April, 1841, Mr. McFerren was
united in marriage to Miss Eliza Snyder, a native of Ohio
and a daughter of John and Amanda Snyder, who lived in
the vicinity of Cincinnati, where her father engaged in the
packet business. Unto Mr. and Mrs. McFerren were
born seven children but three of the number are now deceased.
Those who still survive are: Pingree, a resident of
Asheville, North Carolina; J. S. McFerren,
a prominent banker and Merchant of Hoopeston, who is mentioned
elsewhere in this volume; Mrs. MAry J. Huey, of
Hoopeston, to whom we are indebted for the material concerning
her father; and Elvira, the wife of E. C. Griffith,
of Hoopeston.
At the time of the Civil war Mr. McFerren joined
the Squirrel Hunters of Ohio and was on active duty for thirty
days in the vicinity of Cincinnati during Morgan's
invasion with his Confederate raiders into the state. He
was a democrat, loyal in support of the party, and his religious
faith was that of the Universalist church. He also
belonged to the Masonic fraternity and in his life exemplified
the beneficent spirit of the craft. He was a lover of
horses and always kept several good specimens of the noble
steed. His social nature made him appreciative of
friendship and the hospitality of his home was always cordially
extended to those whose similarity of tastes and interests
brought him to close touch. He was devoted to his home and
found his greatest happiness in promoting the welfare of his
family. He died in 1894. His were "the blessed
accompaniments of age - honor, riches, troops of friends."
During the period of his residence in Hoopeston his leisure
enabled him to form a wide acquaintance and all with whom he
came in contact recognized his splendid qualities and gave to
him their respect and good will.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Page 348 |
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MILTON M. McNEILL.
The
history of Danville's business enterprise would be incomplete
without mention of Milton M. McNeill, a dealer in
hard wood lumber. Honored and respected by all, no man occupies
a more enviable position in commercial circles not alone by
reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to
his straightforward business policy and his ready recognition of
opportunity. He was born in Perrysville, Indiana, on the
24th of December, 1845, a son of George, H. And Rebecca K.
(Beers) McNeill, who were natives of Maryland and
Ohio respectively. The father early learned surveying, which he
followed for many years, but at a later day turned his attention
to mercantile pursuits, opening a drug store in Perrysville,
Indiana, which he conducted with success until his death. He
passed away September 9, 1892, and the community mourned the
loss of one who had long been honored as a representative and
valued citizen. He was a well read man, whose opinions were
sound and his judgment keen, and he had more over those
qualities which make for personal popularity. At his
death he was succeeded in business by his wife and son, W. K.
McNeill, who was proprietor of a business that has been
carried on by the family for over sixty-five years, but was sold
in 1907.
At the usual
age Milton McNeill entered the public schools of his native city
and in due course of time continued his education in the
Asbury (now De Pauw) University at Greencastle, Indiana,
where he was a student for two years. It was his
intention to become a druggist and to this end he made a special
study of pharmacy and chemistry. When his course was completed
he began business along that line in his father's store at
Perrysville, but on his removal to Danville, Illinois, in 1880,
he turned his attention to the lumber trade and has since made a
specialty of house furnishing and cabinet lumber, such as
walnut, ash, etc., handling hard woods exclusively. From the
beginning of his residence in Danville he has enjoyed a good
trade, his business methods being thoroughly reliable while his
business policy is such as never seeks nor requires disguise.
Mr.
McNeill was united in marriage to Miss Ruhamah R. Bell,
a daughter of William M. Bell, of Perrysville; Indiana,
who was one of the leading merchants of the Wabash valley. Unto
Mr. And Mrs. McNeill were born the
following named: Marie L., the wife of James R.
Martin, of Attica, Indiana, who is engaged in the lumber and
grain business; Rebecca B., who married Frank Hannum
and makes her home with her parents; George, engaged in
the wholesale grocery business in Danville; Ruhamah R.,
the wife of Frank D. Bushnell, of Danville; Helen M.,
now Mrs. Headley, of Danville; and Nadine, at
home. The wife and mother passed away September 21, 1905. Among
the attractive homes of Danville the McNeill residence is
numbered. It is situated on North Walnut Street and is the abode
of a generous and kindly hospitality which is greatly enjoyed by
the many friends of the family.
In
his political views Mr. McNeill is an earnest
republican and has always kept well informed on the questions
and issues of the day, so that he is able to support his
position by intelligent argument. He belongs to both the
subordinate lodge and the encampment of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and has filled all of the chairs in both
organizations. He is likewise a member of the First Methodist
Episcopal church and was treasurer of the Kimber Methodist
church at the time of its erection, serving on the building
committee. His long residence in Danville has made him widely
known and his many sterling traits of character have gained for
him the high regard which is uniformly tendered him.
He is a
public-spirited citizen, who seeks the benefit of the community
along the lines of progress, reform and improvement, and his
cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement
for the general good.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 -
pgs. 233 & 234
- Submitted by Mary Paulius |
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GEORGE
McROALES, conducting a well appointed blacksmith shop in
Danville, was born in Vigo county, Indiana, on the 24th of
March, 1866, his parents being Hiram C. and Sarah
(Guess) McRoales, natives of Virginia. They came to Illinois
at an early day, settling in Fayette county, where the father
followed general agricultural pursuits until called to his final
rest in 1878. The death of the mother occurred about 1877. Unto
them were born eight children but only two survive, namely:
Lida, the wife of Frank Buckmaster, of
Decatur, Illinois; and George, of this review.
The latter, who was left an orphan when in his
thirteenth year, was thus thrown upon his own resources at a
tender age. Securing employment as a farm hand, he worked by the
month for three years, receiving eighty-five dollars for his
services during the entire period. When a youth of seventeen he
became an apprentice in a blacksmith shop, receiving a wage of
fifty dollars for the first year and one hundred dollars for the
second year. His apprenticeship covered a term of four years and
each twelve months his salary was increased by fifty dollars.
After having mastered the trade he was able to command the
regular wage of a blacksmith and was employed at that occupation
for a few years. He then opened a shop of his own at Miller,
Nebraska, and conducted the same for three years. At the
expiration of that period he returned to his old home in
Danville, Illinois, and, buying the Minning blacksmith shop, has
here remained in business continuously since. He now furnishes
employment to two workmen and enjoys a large and gratifying
patronage.
On the 29th of August, 1899, Mr. McRoales was
joined in wedlock to Miss Maggie Parish, a daughter of
William and Elizabeth (Sutton) Parish, who were natives of
Kentucky and passed away in Indiana. They had four children, of
whom Mrs. McRoales is the only survivor.
Mr. McRoales has always
supported the men and measures of the republican party but has
not cared for office. His fraternal relations are with Modern
Woodmen Camp, No. 254, at Danville, while his religious faith is
indicated by his membership in the Christian church, to which
his wife also belongs. He has ever been diligent and
industrious, and the word fail has had no place in his
vocabulary. His life, in all of its various relations, has been
of such character as to command the respect and esteem of those
with whom he has been associated.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 606 |
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ANDREW MAKEMSON
was a resident of Kentucky until, in 1828, he with his wife and
family, came to Vermilion County, Illinois, to make their future
home in Newel1 Township. Mr. Makemson was a stalwart Republican
and both he and his wife were good members of the Methodist
church and were highly esteemed for their honesty and sterling
qualities. Mr. Makemson died in 1880 and his wife in 1889. They
were both buried in the Lamm cemetery.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 129 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
AARON MENDENHALL was born in Guilford, North Carolina, near
the scene of the battle of the Guilford Court House. Soon after
the opening of the Ohio Territory, his father brought the family
to this new territory and was killed while on his way, by
Indians. At this time Aaron Mendenhall was a small child. He
grew to manhood in Ohio and in 1824 he, with his family,
following in the footsteps of his father, started for a new
country. They came to the Little Vermilion and entered two
hundred and forty acres of land which is now in the farm of
Silas Baird. This land was entered while yet Illinois was a
wilderness, at least excepting in certain localities in the
southern part. Like other pioneers this family endured hardships
and privations incident to such a life. They were, however,
brave and stout hearted and made successful battle
In subduing the wild land and making it blossom.
Thrifty and industrious, they taught their children to work and
developed them physically and morally at the same time.
Politically, Mr. Mendenhall was, as his son said, "a Whig,
morning, noon and afternoon," as long as that party was in
power. He looked upon Henry Clay as one of America's greatest
statesmen, and so taught his children to do. Later they were as
staunch Republicans. His children who lived to maturity lived
about him, and in this neighborhood of friends were most
consistent members of that society.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Page 116 - Contributed by Mary Paulius |
| |
JOHN MILLS came to this part of Illinois in 1822, bringing his
family with him. He settled in the northwest quarter of section
23, range 12, township 17, after a journey attended with many
difficulties. He was a native of North Carolina and moved to
Ross Creek, East Tennessee, before the war of 1812. He was one
of the men who belonged to the Society of Friends in Tennessee
and left to get away from the institution of the South which was
very objectionable to him. Henry Canaday and John Kaworth had
both preceded him. He came in company with George Haworth. Along
their route there were various swamps, and when four or five
miles south of Quaker Point, their destination, they found
themselves unable to go further. There were half dozen girls in
the party of neighbors who had made the trip together, and they
started off on foot. Taking the teams from the wagons, which
they abandoned, for the present at least, the men, women and
little children came on as best they might. If the way was too
difficult for the horses to draw the wagons, it could not be in
very good condition for walking. They reached John Haworth's by
dark, however, very glad to find their journey at an end, since
he lived near Quaker Point just within the limits of present day
Vermilion County. Later, the travelers managed to get their
wagons free of the deep mud and taken on their way. John Mills
settled among the Indians and wild animals and entered four and
one fourth sections of land, w here he put up a round log cabin,
with a puncheon floor, a great fireplace in one end of the room,
with a stick and clay chimney outside and a clapboard roof. The
house contained only one room but there was a loft where the
boys slept. The nearest trading point was Terre Haute, and the
pioneers went to mill on Sugar Creek, in Parke County, Indiana,
with ox teams. Deer were numerous, the settlers being able to
kill them almost from their door. The wolves made night dismal
with their howling, and the chickens, pigs and sheep, had to be
securely housed in order to save them. The woods were full of
bee trees and there was an abundance of wild fruit. This section
of the country was almost literally a "land flowing with milk
and honey," but there was much sickness. The death of Hannah
Mills was the first one in the neighborhood. She died in the
summer of 1823, and her remains were the first to be buried in
what is now Vermilion Grove Cemetery. Mr. James Haworth, who
accompanied John Mills to Illinois and settled near him, was the
father of eleven children, most of whom lived to maturity and
did their part in molding the affairs of Vermilion County.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 112 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
D. G. MOORE, a
prominent and prosperous resident of Danville, is now
extensively engaged in the real-estate business. His birth
occurred in Keeseville, Essex county, New York, on the 15th of
December, 1834, his parents being A. D. and Mindia (Campbell)
Moore, both of whom were natives of Acworth, Sullivan
county, New Hampshire. The father an agriculturist by
occupation, removed to Essex county, New York, in 1826, making
the journey from New Hampshire by team. In the Empire state he
purchased a farm and there continued to reside throughout the
remainder of his life, becoming quite prominent in local
affairs. His demise occurred in Essex county in 1872, while his
wife passed away in Denver, Colorado. They had a family of ten
children, six sons and four daughters, seven of whom grew to
maturity, while five are still living, namely: Arthur E.,
a resident of Saginaw, Michigan, who is now eighty-one years of
age; Davis G., of this review; Juliette, the wife
of Dr. Sanford Hoag, of Denver, Colorado; and E. P.
and Albert D., both living in Ontario, California.
E. P. Moore was connected with the supply department during
the Civil war.
D. G. Moore obtained his early education in the public
schools and afterward attended the University of Vermont at
Burlington, from which he was graduated in 1858. He then took up
the profession of teaching and for seven years acted as
principal of the high school at Rutland, Vermont, at that time
the largest public school in the state. On the 1st of January,
1866, he journeyed westward to Illinois and located in Chicago,
where he entered the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railway in the capacity of freight clerk, being employed in the
freight office for nine months. On the expiration of that period
he secured a position with what is now the Wabash Railway,
remaining in the service of that corporation for eighteen and a
half years or until impaired health necessitated his
resignation. He acted as division superintendent of the Danville
and Cairo division for three and a half years and became well
known in railroad circles. From a humble clerkship he had worked
his way steadily upward to the responsible position of division
superintendent, winning promotion as he demonstrated his
ability, fidelity and trustworthiness. After severing his
connection with railroad interests he turned his attention to
mercantile pursuits, conducting a business of that character in
Danville for three and a half years. At the end of that time he
went to Chicago and there became associated with the Harvey Land
Association, which owned the town of Harvey. Later he accepted
the position of general manager with the Eastern Illinois Coal
Company of Grape Creek, Illinois, and capably served in that
capacity for about ten years or until the concern sold out.
Since that time he has devoted his attention to the management
of farm property, controlling about three thousand acres of land
in the interests of non-resident owners.
On the 1st of May, 1863, Mr. Moore was
united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Hudson, a native of
Berkshire county, Massachusetts, by whom he has two sons and two
daughters. Allen H., the eldest, is an official of the
General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York. He opened
their works in Germany and also spent two years in England in
the interests of the company, wiring the first underground
railroad in London. George D., who graduated from West
Point in 1880, has since been a member of the United States
army. He spent six years in the Philippines and is now in
Honolulu. He participated in the first skirmish at the battle of
Manila and was one of the soldiers who captured the notorious
Aguinaldo. Ollie M. Moore is the principal of the
McKinley school in Danville. Emily L., a graduate of
the New England Conservatory of Boston, Massachusetts, is now a
teacher of music.
Mr. Moore is a republican in his political
views and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the
day but has never sought public preferment. He served as a
school director for about ten years and has been a member of the
public library board for nearly twenty-five years. He belongs to
the Sigma Phi, a college fraternity, and his wife and daughters
are members of the Christian Science church. During the many
years of his residence in Vermilion county Mr. Moore
has gained a host of warm friends, and his family is prominent
in social circles of Danville. He has now passed the
seventy-fifth milestone on life's journey and can look back upon
an active, useful and honorable career.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Pages 574 & 574 |
| |
WILLIAM MOORE.
There are found many men whose industry has won them
success. Men who by their perseverance and diligence
execute well defined plans which others have made but the men
who take the initiative are comparatively few. The vast
majority does not see opportunity for the coordination of
forces in the development of new, extensive and profitable
enterprises, and therefore must follow along paths which
others have marked out. In William Moore,
however, the initiative spirit is strong. He has realized the
possibility for the combination of forces and has wrought
along the line of mammoth undertakings until he well deserves
to be ranked among the captains of industry, being the strong
center of the community in which he moves.
A native of Ohio, Mr. Moore's birth
occurred at West Bedford, Coshocton County, November 30, 1841,
his parents being Silas and Mary Moore,
the former a prominent farmer and capitalist of Spring
Mountain, Ohio. The youthful days of William Moore
were spent upon his father's farm and after mastering the
branches of learning taught in the public schools he entered
the Spring Mountain Seminary at Spring Mountain, Ohio, where
he pursued a preparatory course, expecting to make this the
foundation for the study of law. Events shaped his life
otherwise however. The Civil war came on and textbooks were
abandoned for active service in the field. He was only
nineteen years of age when, in 1861, he responded to the
country's call for troops, joining the army on the 23rd of
April, just eleven days after the Confederate forces made
their attack upon Fort Sumter. The call under which he
enlisted was for three months troops. He joined Company D,
Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private and was
promoted to the rank of orderly sergeant. In the following
August he was honorably discharged by reason of the expiration
of his term of service, but by this time it had been proven
that the war was to be no more holiday affair and to the
loyalty of the northern men an appeal was made to preserve the
Union. Mr. Moore reenlisted on the 3rd of October,
1861, and was commissioned by Governor Denison a first
lieutenant with authority to raise a company. He secured his
enlistments largely among the students of the Spring Mountain
Seminary and the organization became known as Company I of
Fifty-first Ohio Infantry under command of Colonel Stanley
Matthew. With his company, Lieutenant Moore fought
at Philippi, Perryville, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain,
Missionary Ridge and Ringgold, and in January, 1853, was
promoted to a captaincy. His command suffered severely at
Chickamauga, half of the number being killed or wounded, while
many of the remainder was captured. All, of the regimental,
officers of the Fifty-first having been taken prisoners.
Captain Moore, as ranking line officer assumed command and
with but a few men, bearing the regimental colors and the
stand of rebel colors captured from a South Carolina regiment
in the last charge, he cut through the rebel lines and safely
reached Chattanooga the next day. It was a brave move and one
which displayed superior knowledge of military tactics as well
as unfaltering courage. Captain Moore on two different
occasions was chosen for special service of a difficult and
dangerous kind. He executed his commission, however, with
signal success and was complimented by his fellow and superior
officers and also by the general in command of the army. Three
years were given by him to the defense of the Union and in
April, 1864, he retired from the army with the most creditable
military record.
While his early life was devoted to farming, Captain
Moore felt that commercial and industrial interests
offered a broader field of activity and he became identified
with the interests of Hoopeston in 1871. He had taken up his
abode in Vermilion County in March, 1865, settling upon a farm
in Grant Township of three hundred and twenty acres, which he
had previously purchased. It was not long before his fellow
townsmen recognized his ability and personal worth, and in
1866 elected him to the office of justice of the peace, which
he filled for eight years, and was also chosen collector of
Grant township in 1867 and acted in that capacity for three
years, while from 1866 until 1872 he was school treasurer. The
cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart champion
and for several years he was officially connected with the
Hoopeston public schools, his energy and enterprise being
largely responsible for the erection of the first imposing and
substantial school building in the city, which was completed
at a cost of about twenty-five thousand dollars. Mr. Moore
was strongly opposed in his efforts in this direction, but
he had firm faith in the ultimate development of the town and
time has proven his wisdom, for today Hoopeston has several
schools equally commodious and excellent in construction. He
has also served as a member of the Hoopeston Library
Association since its organization and no movement for the
benefit of the city fails to receive his endorsement and
cooperation. In fact, he is the moving spirit in many projects
for the general good and his efforts have indeed been far
reaching, effective and beneficial.
While never neglecting in the slightest degree any
public duty devolving upon him, he has yet made business
activities his chief interest and by reason of his ramifying
business connections the name of Hoopeston has largely became
known throughout the entire country. He first became
identified with real estate operations in Hoopeston in laying
out the Moore and Brown addition, utilizing for
this purpose fifty acres of land which he had purchased here
at an early day. For the more satisfactory management of his
real-estate interests he took up his abode in Hoopeston in
April, 1872, and has since operated more or less extensively
in realty here, although this by no means compasses the extent
of his activities. He was for a time a member of the real
estate firm of Moore & Brown and later became
the senior member of the well known firm of Moore,
McFerren & Seavey, whose sales for the year
beginning March, 1874, amounted to two hundred and thirty-five
thousand dollars. Not only did this firm handle Hoopeston
property but also became proprietors of large land interests
in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and other southern states.
Recognizing the fact that the up building of every city
depends not so much upon the machinery of government or the
men controlling the public policy as upon the establishment
and conduct of extensive business enterprises, Mr. Moore
has done much to make Hoopeston the commercial center which it
is today. He became one of the investors in the stock of the
Illinois Canning Company, soon after its organization and
later was made general manager and is now the president of
this corporation with N. S. Cutright, of Peoria, as
vice president; W. A. Miskimin as secretary; and
Earl Liebster as treasurer. He originated and executed the
plans for forming the Union Tin Can Company, of which he
became stock-holder and director and of which he was the
president when the company was merged into the American Can
Company. In was organized in 1892 and capitalized for forty
thousand dollars. The progressive methods of Mr. Moore
and his associates are indicated by the fact that when the
business was sold in 1900 it returned to the owners one
million dollars, the original stockholders retaining their
respective interests as paid up stock. In other sections of
the country, Mr. Moore has also largely operated
along industrial and manufacturing lines, and different
communities have profited greatly by his business activity. He
became connected with Mr. McFerren at Memphis,
Tennessee, in the ownership of an extensive enterprise
conducted under the style of the Moore & McFerren
Box & Lumber Company, of which Mr. Moore is the
managing partner. These gentlemen are also proprietors of a
double band sawmill, box factory and planning mills at
Memphis, which has an extensive capacity and they are also the
owners of a large sawmill at Luxora, Arkansas, a sawmill on
Pittman's island, another at Woodstock, Mississippi, and still
others, all of which have a large capacity. They own over
thirty thousand acres of timber land in Arkansas and to
facilitate the development of their properties and get the
lumber products to the market they have built railways. Mr.
Moore has also secured donations for the two railroads
which enter Hoopeston and was a member of the committee for
obtaining the right of way for the Lake Erie & Western
Railroad through Vermilion County. As the years have passed
his efforts have been extended into other fields and he is now
one of the directors of the H. O. Company of Buffalo, New
York; of the Federal Life Insurance Company, of Chicago; and
of the Gibson Canning Company, of Gibson City, Illinois. His
activities have been of constantly broadening scope and he has
never feared to venture where favoring opportunity has led the
way.
Mr. Moore has been married twice. In
Coshocton County, Ohio, on the 26th of February, 1865, he
wedded Louisa J. Miller, a daughter of Robert and
Susanna Miller. On the 2d of March, 1892, in Chicago, he
married Miss Anna Hamilton, a daughter of Ephraim
and Celia D. Hamilton. Her father was a
prominent merchant at Ash Grove, Illinois, in the early days,
and her brother Isaac Miller Hamilton is now president
of the Federal Life Insurance Company of Chicago. The children
of Mr. Moore are: Winfield S., who married
Jennie Jones and is living at Hoopeston, Illinois;
Claude H., who married Hattie Marsh and
resides at Memphis, Tennessee; and Cora M., the wife of
Dr. E. E. Haines, of Memphis. The Moore
residence is one of the palatial homes of Hoopeston. Mr.
and Mrs. Moore belong to the Methodist church and he is a
Knight Templar Mason, in thorough sympathy with the beneficent
spirit of the craft. He served as the first high priest of
Hoopeston Chapter, R. A. M in 1877. He is now president of the
Commercial Club of Hoopeston and during his connection with
the organization has cooperated in its various projects for
the improvement and up building of the city. His political
allegiance is given to the Republican Party and he has
consented to serve in some municipal offices, so that the city
has had the benefit of his sound judgment and broad experience
in the conduct of municipal business. He has ever displayed an
aptitude for successful management of affairs of great
magnitude and possesses marked ability in coordinating forces
and combining seemingly diverse elements into a harmonious
whole. Moreover, his business activities have ever balanced up
with the principles of truth and honor. His methods have ever
been of a constructive character and his business interests
have never sacrificed the rights and privileges of others. He
has built along legitimate lines and the various extensive
enterprises which he has fostered and promoted have
constituted an element of worth in the communities where they
are located.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Pages 84-89 |
NOTES: |
