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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
W. SALMANS. Danville has no more prominent
representative than George W. Salmans, who for
over a third of a century has been a member of the bar of
Vermilion county. He was born on the 9th of January, 1849, m
Vinton county, Ohio, and is a representative of one of the
pioneer families of that state. His paternal great grandfather
was a native of Delaware, but at a very early day removed to
Ohio and he and his family became actively identified with the
development of that state. There the grandfather was born but
his wife was of Irish extraction, her birth occurring in
Furmanaugh, Ireland. Our subject's father, George
Salmans, who was a farmer by occupation, was born in
Muskingum county, Ohio, May 13, 1818, and died on the 23rd of
May, 1873. In early manhood he married Mary Rebecca Hudson,
whose birth occurred in Baltimore, Maryland, December 25, 1820.
She died in March, 1871. Her father was also a native of
Maryland and was the son of a Revolutionary soldier, who took
part in many of the notable engagements of the war for
independence. Our subject's maternal great-grandmother bore the
maiden name of Mary Ebaugh and lived to the extreme old
age of one hundred and four years.
George W. Salmans began his education in the
district school in the northern part of Vermilion county, and
subsequently attended the Evans Union College at State Line
City, Indiana, for three terms. Having decided to make the
practice of law his life work, he next entered the University of
Michigan at Ann Arbor and was graduated from the law department
with the class of 1876. At the age of eighteen years he began
teaching school in Vermilion county and was thus employed at
various points for eight years, including several terms in
Warren county, Indiana. Being admitted to the bar in 1876,
Mr. Salmans opened an office in Danville and here he has
since successfully engaged in general practice, handling many of
the most noted cases tried in the courts here.
On the 12th of October, 1876, Mr. Salmans was
united in marriage to Miss Rachel F. Allison, a daughter
of Mark M. Allison, of Alvin, Illinois, and to them were
born five children: George E., who is now thirty-two
years of age and is engaged in the real-estate business in
Danville; Mira, the wife of William Groves and a
resident of Chicago; John E., who is assistant
superintendent of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company at
Alton, Illinois; Mark, a commercial traveler; and one who
died in infancy. The mother of these children passed away, and,
on the 20th of September, 1892, Mr. Salmans was
again married, his second union being with Mrs. Addie C.
Parks, a daughter of Nathan Brady, of
Danville. Three children have been born to them, namely: Ruby,
now seventeen years of age; Ruth, fifteen years of age;
and Fred W., fourteen years of age. All are at home with
their parents.
Mr. Salmans' ancestors were ardent
abolitionists and on the organization of the republican party
joined its ranks and have since affiliated with it. On attaining
his majority he, too, voted the republican ticket but later,
believing that the principles of the democratic party more
closely coincided with his own views, he has since given it his
support. In the fall of 1896 he was elected to the legislature
and most capably filled that office for a term of two years. By
studying the needs of his constitutients he rendered the
community valuable service and no public trust reposed in him
has ever been misplaced. He has made a splendid record as a
legislator and lawyer and his life has been such as to commend
him to the confidence and high regard of those with whom he has
been brought in contact. Fraternally he is a Master Mason and
finds pleasure in his membership in the blue lodge.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II
- Pub. 1911 - Pg. 614 |
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ABRAHAM
SANDUSKY
The Sandusky family, as is indicated elsewhere in this
work, is one of the noted families of Vermilion County. The
older generation of the family in this state is no more; the
ruthless progress of years has carried the venerable pioneer’s
away, and no longer are they to be seen in the places that knew
them so well. They have passed to their reward, but they left an
enduring monument in the beautiful farms and in the history of
lives spent in reducing nature to the uses of man. The early
pioneer is gone and the modern man of business is now upon the
stage, utilizing the railroad, the telegraph, and the latest
improved machinery for operation of the farm and applying the
discoveries.
Yet there linger upon the scene the sons of the early
pioneers and in many instances the sons were pioneers themselves
and in their earlier years endured all the trials and
dif-faculties incident to life in a new country. Among this
number is Abraham Sandusky, a respected citizen of
Vermilion County, now seventy-seven years of age and one of the
few living men whose minds carry them back to the conditions on
the Illinois frontier in the '30s. Mr. Sandusky is
a native of Bourbon County, Kentucky, where he was born March
24, 1833. He is a son of Abraham and Jane (McDowell)
Sandusky, both natives of Kentucky, the former born March
29, 1793, and the latter December 16, 1792. The son Abraham
was brought to Illinois in the arms of his mother, when he was a
babe six months old, and since the year 1833 he has been a
resident of Illinois.
It is proper here to state that the Sandusky family is
of Polish origin, the original spelling of the name being
Sodowsky. The progenitor of the family in America was
James Sodowsky, a Polish patriot, who was banished
from his native land and sought an asylum in the British
colonies. Here he became identified with the leaders of the
American Revolution and after the close of the war located as a
hunter and trader in northern Ohio, where he met his death at
the hands of the Indians, although he had been one of their best
friends. The bay of Sandusky and the city of Sandusky, Ohio,
derive their names from James Sodowsky. Members of
the family settled in Kentucky and during the earlier put of the
'30s several members of the family came' to Vermilion county,
bringing with them their wives and children. Here they erected
their early homes, preempted government land and began the work
which assisted so materially in the settlement of this county
and the introduction of the comforts of civilization into
eastern Illinois.
The subject of this review possessed little opportunity
for education in his boyhood days, as the schools were in
operation only for two or three months each winter and were
generally conducted upon the subscription plan, the teacher
boarding round among the patrons. The pioneers, however, were
not men of books; they were men of action and hours of labor
were long in a new country, where the forests were to be cleared
away, the tough prairie sod broken, houses and fences, roads and
bridges to be built, swamps to be drained and all these and many
other operations to be carried forward in the face of a scarcity
of money of which we can form no conception at the present time.
Pioneer farmers, who were obliged to deliver the produce of
their farms to market over the rough roads of those days, at a
distance of fifty or one hundred miles, appreciate the
advantages of a macadamized turnpike or a railroad. But times
improved and when the Civil war arrived Abraham
Sandusky was a prosperous farmer. In 1862 he began
purchasing lands and during the years that followed carried on
general farming on a large scale, accumulating a fortune of
three hundred thousand dollars or more. In the meantime he
became interested in the Exchange Bank, owning one-fourth of its
stock. The bank became involved in the failure of a railroad
projected from Paris to Danville and in the proceeding that
followed, the entire fortune of Mr. Sandusky was
swept away. Some men are overcome by financial disaster, others
lose faith in themselves under such circumstances, but there are
those who rise superior to the severest assaults of the
unwelcome visitor and emerge from the conflict serene and
undismayed of science in solving the problems of agriculture and
live-stock breeding.
Such a man is Abraham Sandusky. Although
called upon later to meet even worse discouragements than the
loss of money and lands, in the death of those he held most
dear, he has never despaired, but with a faith undimmed has
continued to trust that in the final summing up all will be
well. He returned, after his estate had been settled up, to
agricultural pursuits with redoubled energy, and by great
diligence recovered six hundred acres of his farm, continuing
actively
In charge until twenty years ago when he retired,
renting the farm to younger men. Shortly before the decease of
his beloved wife, which occurred January 15, 1908, he deeded to
her three hundred acres of the farm. For many years he was
president of the Indianola Fair Association and did more than
any other person in the county to keep the association alive,
contributing also very largely to its success. As a farmer he
has ranked as one of the most progressive in the county and few
men in Illinois have done more to promote a better breed of
cattle than he, his herd of shorthorns being considered for many
years the leading herd in this part of the state.
On December 16, 1869, Mr. Sandusky was
united in marriage to Miss Nancy Ellen
Baird, a daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Mendenhall)
Baird, who were early settlers of Vermilion County. Mrs.
Sandusky was for nearly forty years at the side of her husband
and she was to him a faithful and helpful assistant. The death
of his wife was the greatest loss he has ever known. She was an
earnest member of the Baptist church, while Mr. Sandusky has for
many years been affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian
church, but out of deference to his wife's views he usually
attended the Baptist church during her life time. He has always
been known as a man of most admirable principles, thoroughly
loyal to his friends, a liberal giver to all worthy objects and
a patriotic and broad-minded citizen, who has assisted in
numberless ways in advancing the permanent welfare of the
community. Indeed, no record of Vermilion County would be
complete without a review of the honorable and useful career of
Abraham Sandusky, recognized throughout the county as one of its
most respected and estimable citizens.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Lottie E.
Jones- pgs. 146-152- - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
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ISAAC SANDUSKY.
Ten years after the admission of the state into the Union Isaac
Sandusky established his home in Vermilion county, Illinois. It
is difficult for one at the present time to imagine the
conditions of things which then existed. The state which today
has more railroads than any other state in the Union', was then
largely unsettled. All traveling was done by stage or private
conveyance and comparatively few roads had been laid out. In the
greater part of the state the timber was yet uncut and the
prairies were uncultivated. In summer they were studded with
millions of wild flowers and in winter transformed into a
dazzling and unbroken sheet of snow. Wild animals were
frequently seen and wild game was to be had in abundance. It was
into such a district that Isaac Sandusky made his way in 1828,
taking up a claim on section 9, Catlin township. He had
previously been a resident of Kentucky and at the outbreak of
the second war with England had joined the American forces and
had been taken prisoner at the time of Hull's surrender
at Detroit. Managing to make his escape from his captors, he
quietly started southward for Kentucky and while en route
traveled through this region. He was pleased with the beauty and
natural advantages of the country and, standing on a mound that
is now within the limits of Catlin village, he looked abroad
over the surrounding districts and resolved that he would one
day own a farm on that beautiful prairie. He had visions of a
place of eighty acres, or at least of forty, and he never
relinquished his desire to come to this district, although a
number of years passed before his wish met fulfillment.
In 1828, however, Mr. Sandusky found
opportunity to carry out the decision which he had formed
fourteen years before. Traveling northward to Vermilion county,
he located first at Brookpoint. He was a man of energy and
thrift, made good use of all of his opportunities and was soon
the owner of an excellent farm. It was his ambition!, however,
to acquire enough land to enable him to give homes to each of
his seven children. He then left his son James on section
9, Catlin township, and went himself to the mound at Catlin. In
connection with his sons, Harvey and Josiah, he
purchased nearly all of the land around Brookpoint. At one time
it became a question as to whether he or Henry Jones should own
the township. As he prospered in his undertaking he added to his
property and became the owner of much valuable land. As the
years passed on he took an active and helpful part in the work
of general development, especially along agricultural lines. He
cooperated in every movement for the public good and when it
became necessary to fight the red men who were living in this
section of the state, he again participated in military service,
taking part in the Black Hawk war.
In early manhood Mr. Sandusky was united
in marriage to Miss Euphenie McDowell, also
a native of Kentucky. His death occurred on the 6th of August,
1852, while his widow, surviving him for a number of years,
passed away on the 15th of August, 1864. They were the parents
of six children but five are now deceased, namely: Jacob,
Josiah, James, Harvey and Agnes. The
only one now living is Mrs. Mary J. Hoyle, who in early
womanhood was married in 1853 to Gail Guyman, a
native of Vermilion county and a son of Isaac Guyman,
who was a pioneer settler of Catlin township. Gail
Guyman was a farmer by occupation and only lived for a short
time after his marriage, leaving a widow and one son, who now
owns the farm in Catlin township and resides near there. Some
time after the death of her first husband Mrs. Guyman
gave her hand in marriage to George Hoyle, who was
born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and when a young man
came to Vermilion county, Illinois. For a number of years they
lived on Mrs. Hoyle's farm in Catlin township,
Mr. Hoyle successfully conducting and improving the
property. He also bought and shipped considerable stock and
found this a profitable source of income. Later, however, they
rented the farm and removed to Danville, there to enjoy a well
earned rest from the arduous duties of farm life.
Since the death of her husband Mrs. Hoyle
has continued to make her home in Danville, where she has a host
of warm friends. She is numbered among the pioneer residents of
the county and is a worthy representative of one of its oldest
families. The Sandusky family were all members of the
Presbyterian church and Mr. Sandusky was a whig in
his political views. He took a very active part in the affairs
of the county, cooperating in all the movements which tended to
promote its early progress. Mr. Hoyle, too, was
also interested in the upbuilding of this section of the state
and gave his cooperation and support to various projects whereby
Vermilion county's best interests have been augmented.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
515 |
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WILLIAM J.
SANDUSKY.
The marvelous advancement of modern civilization
is strikingly presented when we consider the contrast
between the conditions that prevailed in the agricultural
communities of Illinois in the pioneer times before the
Civil war and those that prevail in the first decade of the
twentieth century. In the earlier days the entire family
generally lived in a log cabin of one or two rooms; people
traveled on foot or on horseback; there were no macadamized
roads; bridges were very few and far between; markets were
many miles away; all farm produce and merchandise was
conveyed by wagon or by boat; and means of communication
with the great world were indeed uncertain. The family,
which often included ten or twelve children, was supplied
only with the simplest necessities, raising its own
food--except what was secured by the Use of the rifle in
the forest-and the women of the household manufacturing the
clothing of all its members. An economy prevailed of which
we hardly have conception. Money was scarce and a silver
dollar was regarded with a greater respect than a twenty
dollar gold piece under present conditions. When we
consider the transformation to the beautiful homes of today,
the elegantly equipped railway train or the easy riding
automobile, the newspaper, telegraph, telephone, the
department store, well-conducted schools and colleges and
numberless other accessories of modern life, then may we
perceive that the
world has, indeed, moved and we are living in the midst of
so many blessings that we have become almost insensible to
their presence.
Such
are
the ideas suggested by a consideration of the opportunities
of William
J.
Sandusky, whose name appears at the head of this review, as
compared with those possessed by the earlier members of the
family, who assisted so materially in the up building of
central Illinois. The father of our subject,
Josiah
S,
Sandusky,
was born -in Vermilion County, Illinois.
September
11,
1837.
He early gained acquaintance with the hardships attendant
upon the settlement of a new country and as the years passed
became himself one of the instrumentalities in the wonderful
transformation, fortunately living until he abundantly
enjoyed the advantages that modem conditions supply.
The Sandusky family is of Polish origin,
the name originally having been spelled Sodowsky. The
founder of the family in America was of noble ancestry and
was banished from his native land one account of his efforts
in
behalf
of liberty for his suffering countrymen. Attracted westward,
he came to America in 1856 and was here married to a sister
of Governor Inslip, of the colony of Virginia, but
some years later, after the close of the Revolutionary war,
was murdered through mistake as to his identity by Indians
in northern Ohio, who had been imposed upon by white men and
took revenge on the first member of the race they met,
killing one of their best friends. The bay of
Sandusky
and also the city of Sandusky, Ohio, took their name
from this brave pioneer. The grandparents of our subject on
his father's side were Abraham and Jane (McDowell)
Sandusky, both natives of Bourbon county, Kentucky, the
former burn March 29, 1793, and the latter December 16,
1792. They immigrated with five children to Illinois in
1837 and the original cabin that sheltered the pioneer
family stood near the spot now occupied by the beautiful and
commodious family home which was erected by the father of
our subject in 1872. Eight children blessed their union:
Harvey, Elizabeth, Agnes, William, Abraham, Euphemia, Jane
and Josiah. Harvey retained the original spelling of the
family name Sodowsky all other members of the family
adopting the Americanized style.
Josiah Sandusky, the youngest of the
children, became owner of a farm inherited from his father
and added to it as the years passed until his place
comprised more than one thousand acres and was known as one
of the most valuable landed possessions in this part of the
state. For many years he was in partnership with his brother
Abraham in farming and stock raising and he becomes a
leading breeder of fine stock and fast horses, buyers coming
to visit his herds from all parts of the United States. As
the years passed he gathered a
fine library and became an unusually well informed man,
although possessing limited opportunities of education in
his youthful days. He will long be Remembered, as a true
gentleman, a man who never departed from the path of
rectitude and honor. He was called from earthly scenes
February 13, 1301, at the age of sixty-four years, and his
remains were deposited by loving hands in their last resting
place in Sandusky cemetery in the region where he had
spent his life and where he accomplished a noble mission and
established a reputation based upon the best qualities of
American citizenship that will endure as a monument to his
memory. On December
18,
1873, he was married to Miss Susan Moreland,
a
daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Hedges) Moreland,
who were both of English ancestry. Five children were
born
to the union, three of whom are living: Pearl,
born
January 27, 1878; Abraham J.,
October 2, 1883;
and William
J.,
our subject.
Born on the home farm May 27,
1888,
William
J.
Sandusky was educated in the district schools and the
Danville high school, later taking an agricultural
course at the University of Illinois. Returning home, he
assumed the management
of
the family estate, which now comprises about twelve hundred
and
fifty
acres of land and is one of the most complete farm
properties in this part
of the country.
On June 20,
1909,
Mr. Sandusky was married to Miss Pearl Burk, the
accomplished daughter of William and Martha (Snyder)
Burk, of Danville, and they have one child, Jane
Sandusky, born August 31,
1910.
Mr. Sandusky is socially identified with the Phi Alpha
Delta, a Greek college fraternity, and is in sympathy with
the principles of the Republican Party, although he has
strong prohibition tendencies, having observed the evil
effects of alcoholic liquors.
He
holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church and at
the beginning
of
his active career possessed opportunities of usefulness that
few
can
claim even under the most favoring conditions. As a
representative
of
a prominent family he has many well wishers who have every
reason to prophesy that he will prove a worthy successor to
a long line of noted ancestry.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -Vol.
II -
Pub. 1911 -
Pages 802, 803, 804 -
Submitted by
Mary
Paulius |
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PHILEMON SPICER SCONCE.
The life record of Philemon Spicer Sconce was never
marked by exciting events or sensational chapters, but there
is in his history much that is worthy of contemplation and
much that may be emulated, for he was ever loyal to duty,
discharging faithfully the tasks that came daily to his hand.
Vermilion county numbered him among her native sons, his birth
having occurred at Brookspoint, March 22, 1835. He was a son
of John L. Sconce, who came from Kentucky to Illinois
in pioneer times when the work of development and progress
seemed scarcely begun. He settled upon a farm near Brookspoint
and with characteristic energy began the cultivation of his
land, which in due time he converted into good fields. Both he
and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth (Spicer) Sconce, remained
upon that farm until called to their final rest.
Upon the old homestead Philemon S. Sconce was
reared and in the country schools he acquired his education.
He shared with the family in all of the trials and hardships
incident to pioneer life and he lived to witness the
remarkable changes wrought by time and men as the country
became more thickly settled and the advantages of the older
east were introduced. From early boyhood he followed the plow
and soon became acquainted with the best time for getting in
the crops and the best methods of caring for the fields. In
the late summer and autumn he made a hand in the harvest
fields and naturally when he started out in life on his own
account he followed the occupation to which he had been
reared. Throughout his entire life he carried on general
farming and stock-raising and became the owner of a valuable
property, equipped with all modern conveniences and
accessories. He also raised good grades of stock and this
proved a profitable feature in his business, so that in course
of time he gained a handsome competence through his well
directed labors.
Mr. Sconce was married in Vermilion county, August 31, 1887,
to Miss Kate Noone, who was born in
Ireland and came to the United States with her brother,
Patrick Noone, also a native of the Emerald isle.
The father was never a resident of Vermilion county but after
his death the mother made her home here. Unto Mr.
and Mrs. Sconce were born six children, of
whom four are yet living: Helen, Mary, Katie
and Philemon Spicer, all of whom are yet in
school.
The family attend the Methodist Episcopal church. In
his political views Mr. Sconce was a republican
and took a very active part in all of the affairs of the
township, doing everything in his power to promote public
progress and to further the best interests of the community.
He passed away December 21, 1896, when sixty-one years of age,
having spent his entire life in this county, where his many
good qualities won for him the kindly regard of all who knew
him. He was faithful in citizenship, loyal in friendship and
devoted to the welfare of his wife and children, his best
traits of character being ever reserved for his own home and
fireside.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 603 |
| |
SAMUEL SCONCE was
born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1802, and there they had
all the trials of pioneer life, so that the change to the new
country along the Vermilion River was not the place of
hardship it might have been to one from more densely populated
section. He left his old home in 1828, and made his permanent
settlement in Vermilion County the following year. The year
following this, Nancy Waters, who
bad come to Vermilion County with her father from Bourbon
County, Kentucky, the old home of Mr. Sconce, and located in
Brooks' Point, became his wife. For a few years this young
couple lived in Brooks' Point and Mr. Sconce turned his
attention to farming, but later he became a merchant in
Indianola, under the firm name of Bailey & Sconce. He was very
successful in this business but after the building burned he
retired from business life. Mr. Sconce died in 1874 at the age
of seventy-one years, and his widow survived him until 1897
when she died at the age of eighty-nine.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 128 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
CHARLES W. SEIWELL,
a passenger conductor, whose long connection with the railway
service indicated both his capability and his fidelity, was
residing at No. 418 North Hazel street in Danville at the time
of his death June 26, 1910. He was born in Pekin, Illinois,
July 10, 1846, and was a son of Arnold and Sarah (Clauser)
Seiwell. The father, who was a native of Pennsylvania,
came from Sellins Grove in Snyder county, that state, to the
west in 1833. He was the first of the family to come to
Illinois, making the trip long before the building of
railroads. In fact this section of the state was but sparsely
settled. It was the year following the Black Hawk war, when
the white race had demonstrated their supremacy, reclaiming
all this region for the purposes of civilization. Mr.
Seiwell turned his attention to general merchandising
and to the grain trade. Although he entered land he did not
live upon his farm but made his home in Pekin, where he
superintended his commercial interests. He died in 1849, when
his son Charles was but three years of age.
The latter acquired his education in the schools
of Pekin. The mother was left with the care of five children
and Charles W. Seiwell early started out in life,
providing not only for his own support but also aiding in the
maintenance of the family. He was both diligent and handy at
all that he undertook and although but a boy managed always to
have work. He became connected with railway interests when but
ten years of age, carrying water for the workmen at fifty
cents per day. He was afterward promoted to the position of
brakeman on a freight and mixed train, and continued'
railroading until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when
the country needed his services and he joined the One Hundred
and Forty-sixth Illinois Infantry under Colonel H. H. Dean
of the Cumberland Army. He served through the war, being on
active duty much of the time in Georgia, and never did he
falter in his loyalty to the old flag and the cause it
represented.
When hostilities ceased Mr. Seiwell
returned to Illinois and for four years was identified with
merchandising. He then again resumed railroading and was
employed as a conductor on a mixed train. He was afterward
made passenger conductor and ran on the Wabash for thirty
years. He was one of the oldest as well as one of the most
faithful employes, always courteous and obliging to the
patrons of the road, while at the same time he carefully
looked after the interests of the company which he
represented. He lost only thirty days in all this time and his
record was one of which he had every reason to be proud.
In 1880 Mr. Seiwell was united in
marriage to Miss Hattie D. Stevenson, of Rushville,
Illinois, and unto them were born three children. Ed A.,
the eldest, who is cashier at the electric light plant in
Danville, married Miss Nell Yeomans, and they
have two children, Helen and Charles. Belle
occupies the position of assistant librarian at Danville and
resides at home. Harry S. is a sophomore in the medical
department of the Chicago University.
The family attend the Methodist Episcopal church and
Mr. Seiwell belonged to the Grand Army of the
Republic, taking an active and helpful interest in the work
and progress, of the local post. He was well known in Danville
and along the line of the Wabash and gained many friends among
the traveling public as well as in the city of his residence.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 613 |
| |
CHARLES SHEAN,
deceased, was for many years one of the most enterprising
and progressive business men of Danville, but at the time of
his death was living retired in the enjoyment of a well
earned rest. He was born in Wisconsin, October 20, 1850, and
was a son of John Shean, who was engaged in
the meat business in La Salle, Illinois, after coming to
this state. Our subject was a mere lad on the removal of his
parents to La Salle, where he continued to make his home
until reaching manhood. He then removed to Mattoon,
Illinois, where he was engaged in the bottling of mineral
waters. While a resident of that city he was married in 1874
to Miss Emma White, a daughter of
Durant White, of Mattoon, but she lost both parents when
quite young. To Mr. and Mrs. Shean
were born four children, namely, William, Charles, Mrs.
Samuel Bracewell and Mrs. Clarence Allison.
The year following his marriage, in 1875, Mr.
Shean removed to Danville and here purchased a bottling
factory, and through hard work and close attention to
business he built up an excellent trade. He met with more
than ordinary success in his undertakings and became the
possessor of considerable valuable property, including
several residences and business blocks. About eight years
prior to his death he retired from the bottling business and
gave his entire time and attention to looking after his
invested interests. He handled a large amount of real estate
and in this way added materially to his income. At one time
he bought a beautiful tract of suburban property on the
Perrysville road, where he lived for a number of years, and
later built a house at 416 South street, where he took up
his abode just seven weeks before he passed away on the 7th
of June, 1906.
The democratic party always found in him a stanch supporter
of its principles and in religious faith he was a devout
Catholic. On starting out in life for himself he was in
limited circumstances, but through his industry, enterprise
and perseverance steadily worked his way upward until he
occupied a position of affluence and was regarded as one of
the leading men of Danville.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Pg. 268 |
| |
R. A. SHORT.
Among the men who for the last half century have utilized
the opportunities offered in Danville for business progress
and have attained thereby notable success is R. A. Short.
For many years he has now been one of the most extensive and
successful operators in real estate in thsi city and his
activity has contributed to general progress and improvement
as well as to individual prosperity.
He is a native of Vermilion county, born September 14,
1836, his parents being Thomas and Nancy Ann
(Lanham) Short, both of whom were natives of Virginia.
The father was born in Loudoun county and in 1830 came to
Illinois, settling in Vermilion county. During his
boyhood he worked on a farm for eight dollars per month and
walked three miles to school. He became a well
educated man for a time engaged in teaching school near
Maneeley's mill and took quite a prominent part in public
affairs. In early life he supported the whig party but
on its dissolution he became a republican and on that ticket
was elected the second county clerk of Vermilion county.
For twelve years he continued to fill that position in a
most creditable and acceptable manner and on his retirement
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. While
living upon his farm he was struck by lightning and being
paralyzed he was compelled to retire from active labor and
spent the last ten years of his life in Fairmount, where he
passed away in 1877. The same bolt that disabled him
killed one of his sons and a hired man, one of whom was on
his right side, while the other was on his left. The
mother of our subject came to this county about the same
time as her husband, traveling with a colony that
established homes in the west, and she died in 1849.
Subsequently the father married Virginia Lanham, a
relative of his first wife. She died in1870. In
religious faith he was a Methodist and was a man of
prominence in the community where he resided.
R. A. Short is one of a family of nine children,
two of whom have passed away, namely: James,
who was killed in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain while
serving with the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Illinois
Infantry; and Colmore, who was killed by the same
lightning bolt that injured his father. The other
members of the family are: John C., a resident
of New York; R. A., of this review; Alexander C.,
who makes his home in Los Gatos, California; Thomas,
of Danville, and Clara, the wife of Elias Holiday,
of Los Gatos.
During his boyhood and youth R. A. Short
attended the common schools of this county and completed his
education by graduation from the Danville Seminary with the
class of 1858. Thus well fitted for life by a good
practical education, he began his business career as a
druggist, to which line of trade he devoted his attention
for twelve years. He then turned his attention to the
dry-goods business, becoming senior member of the firm of
R. A. Short & Company, conducting a store in Danville
until 1893, when he retired. Not content to spend him
time in idleness, he then turned his attention to real
estate and has since carried on business as a real estate,
insurance, investment and loan agent and has since handled
much valuable property, doing a very extensive and
profitable business.
Mr. Short was married September 30, 1859, in Danville,
to Miss Emily W. Murdock, who was born in Lafayette,
Indiana, on the 25th of January, 1838, and is a daughter of
John and Jane (Sterling) Murdock. Her parents
were born, reared and married in Pennsylvania and from that
state removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where the
father followed the occupation of farming until his death.
Politically he was a democrat and religiously was a member
of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his family were
two sons and eight daughters. Six children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Short, of whom four now survive:
Lewis, who married Laura Grant, of Danville,
and is now a professor of mathematics in the technical high
school of Cleveland, Ohio; Lillian, a teacher in the
schools of Rogers Park, a suburb of Chicago: William M.,
a lawyer of Fort Worth, Texas; and Walter, who is
teller in the Citizens National Bank at Evanston, Illinois.
The mother of these children passed away in February, 1907.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Short has
always affiliated with the republican party and for many
years he has been an active worker in the First Methodist
Episcopal church of Danville, being officially connected
with the same for some time. Throughout his business
career he has always faithfully discharged any obligation
devolving upon him and thus established a reputation for
undaunted integrity, his name being an honored one wherever
known. Avoiding sham and pretence, his genuine worth
has one him the merited regard and good-will of his
fellowmen, and his record awakens admiration and respect.
He has won an enviable success and no man's history
indicates more clearly the value and power of those
application, of concentration, of earnest and honorable
purpose and the wise utilization of opportunity.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub. 1911
- Page
350 |
| |
Sidell Twp. -
JOHN SIDELL. The greatest land sale ever
known in eastern Illinois and western Indiana was conducted
by John Sidell.
John Sidell was living in the northern part of
Edgar County until in 1860 when he began his operations in
Vermilion County. He came into this county and, using
borrowed money, bought up the land which up to this time had
been owned by small farmers. These small farms he combined
and bought yet more and more land. At last he had reached
the amount of 6,000 acres. Mr. Sidell was not yet a
rich land owner because he did not yet own any considerable
extent unhindered by any debt. That fact occasioned the
great sale. Mr. Sidell spared no trouble nor expense,
for the sale was to be the most extensive ever had in the
county, and it was to be the chance for him to keep the
remainder of the six thousand acres.
John Sidell's father died when he was but eight
years old and he was obliged to make his own way early in
life. His home was in Ohio and when he was nineteen years
old he went on horseback through Illinois and Iowa, looking
for something to do better than he could find in Ohio. Not
being satisfied with what he found he went back to Ohio and
engaged to cut cordwood at thirty-three and a third cents
per cord. When he went west he was getting the sum of twelve
dollars per month. This was small wages for hard work but he
stuck to it until he found something better.
When Mr. Sidell came to Illinois he settled not
far from Paris in Edgar County and grazed cattle until he
could buy some for himself. He was something of a carpenter
but was determined to find some means of speedily making
money. He rode across Illinois and Iowa, crossing Illinois
nine times on horseback. He traveled through Texas, being in
that state before it was one of the states of the United
States. Sam Houston was the great sovereign of that
country at that time, and John Sidell built him a
house. At last Mr. Sidell looked upon the land of
southern Vermilion County to covet it and he went to work on
a great land deal. Borrowing money to make the purchase, he
went into the farms of what is now Sidell township
and bought them as far as he could, paying the price asked
for whatever he could. It is said to this day that he was
stopped only by the determination of Mr. Sconce, who
in his turn had already transformed the small farms into his
fine farm, to keep the land. A record of an old collector's
book seen the other day is to the effect that the farms in
the southern part of the county were all small, of perhaps
eighty or even less acres. Early settlers had spent a
limited sum in entering land and then he sold to those
coming afterward in yet smaller parts. All these small
farms were objects of Mr. Sidell's desire and he
accumulated seven thousand acres before he sold out any. Mr.
Sidell's money came quickly when he had bought western
cattle on these fertile fields made ever more fertile by
their presence. He sold off his land to the amount he needed
to carry him over and secure the land he desired to save.
Mr. Sidell went into politics and was elected to
the legislature. He was a man of strong personality
and very generous impulses He was liberal in giving to
advance the enterprises he thought for the good of the
public welfare. He was instrumental in taking the C. & E.
I. R. R. to Sidell and freely donated the right of way.
People had confidence in him and business men invested their
money there.
Mr. Sidell was a natural promoter and at
one time himself chartered a train and ran it free from
Columbus, Ohio, to Sidell, Vermilion County, for the benefit
of people who wanted to make their homes in the west. Sidell
was laid out in 1884 and Mr. Sidell lived to
see its marvelous growth, but not to carry out any possible
plans he had for its future. He died in the early days of
1880 and was buried with the
honors of the Masonic order.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. I - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
195 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
JOHN
SLOAN. The farming and stock-raising interests
of Grant township find a worthy representative in John
Sloan, who owns one hundred and sixty acres of rich and
arable land on section 16. His birth occurred in Ireland on
the 5th of August, 1850, his parents being Henry and
Katherine Sloan, who spent their entire lives in that
country. They had seven children, all of whom make their
home in Ireland with the exception of our subject and his
brother Michael, who is a resident of Ohio.
John Sloan was afforded the advantages of a good
common-school education and spent the first twenty-two years
of his life on the Emerald isle. In 1872 he crossed the
Atlantic to the United States, first locating in Cleveland,
Ohio, where he worked as a common laborer until 1877. I*1
that, year he came to Illinois, purchasing and locating on a
farm of eighty acres in Iroquois county, where he made his
home for twenty-one years. On the expiration of that period
he disposed of the property and purchased a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres on section 16, Grant township,
Vermilion county, in the operation of which he has since
been actively engaged. He has erected a fine residence
thereon and has also put up outbuildings for the shelter of
grain and stock, for in connection with the tilling of the
soil he makes a specialty of raising and feeding stock. Both
branches of his business return to him a gratifying annual
income and he has long been numbered among the successful
and enterprising agriculturists of the community.
In 1878, in Hoopeston, Illinois, Mr. Sloan was united in
marriage to Miss Rose Sloan, who, though of the same name,
is not a relative. She was born in the north of Ireland on
the 15th of February, 1853, her parents being John and Rose
Sloan, both of whom passed away in that country. They had a
family of eight children, five of whom are yet living. Unto
our subject and his wife have been born five children, as
follows: Catherine M., who is the wife of William Snyder and
resides at Rankin, Illinois; John H., at home; Mary Ellen,
who is a graduate of Greer College and now follows the
profession of teaching; Rose Agnes, likewise a graduate of
that institution, who is also engaged in teaching school;
and Elizabeth A., who is still pursuing her studies.
Mr. Sloan is a democrat in politics and has capably served
in the position of school director. He and his family belong
to the Catholic church at Hoopeston. He has never had
occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in the
new world, for here he found the opportunities which he
sought and through their wise utilization has gained a
comfortable competence. The period of his residence in this
part of the state covers a third of a century and the
sterling traits of his character are well known to his
fellow townsmen, the great majority of whom number him as a
friend.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
506 |
| |
CHARLES SMITH.
A professor of renown, who has devoted his life largely to a
study of the economic conditions and natural resources of
the country, has made the statement that there is no better
investment in all America than Illinois farm land.
Moreover it is a well known fact that agriculture is the
basis of all success in other lines, and the man, therefore,
whose capabilities qualify him for successful farming is
particularly fortunate. A prominent representative of
the agricultural classes in Eastern Illinois is Charles
Smith, who is the owner of ten hundred and eighty acres
upon the south side of the Attica road about three miles
from Rossville in Vermilion county.
His entire life has been spent in this locality, his
birth occurring upon the old homestead farm March 13, 1864.
He is a son of Thomas Smith, one of the early
settlers of the county. His youthful days were spent
in the usual manner of farm lads. The work of the
fields engaged his attention from the time of early spring
planting until the crops were gathered in the autumn.
The instruction of the public school developed his mental
powers, and thus school and home training qualified him for
life's practical and responsible duties. Wisely
choosing as a life work the occupation to which he had been
reared, he has become one of the extensive land owners of
the county, making further investment from time to time as
his financial resources have increased, until now ten
hundred and eighty acres annually yield to him a good
revenue. His home farm upon which he resides comprises
two handed and seventy acres adjoining the corporation
limits of Rossville, and is a valuable and well informed
tract equipped with all of the conveniences and accessories
of a model farm. He owns other land in Grant township
and all is in good condition, the work of improvement and
development keeping his fields continuously under a high
state of cultivation. He likewise owns land in Kansas.
The farm upon which he resides is known as the old
Henderson place. In addition to its cultivation he
raises some stock and also buys and ships stock. His
sound judgment in this, as in other branches of his business
is bringing to hm well merited success.
On teh 13th of October, 1887, Mr. Smith was
united in marriage to Miss Susan Pendergrast, a
daughter of Patrick and Laura (Albert) Pendergrast.
Their children are nine in number, namely:
Thomas, who married Ethel Case; Fern, a
graduate of the common schools; Edwin, who has also
completed his course in the public schools; Austin,
Minnie, Leo, Donovan and George, all attending
school; and Ray, deceased.
Mr. Smith and his family attend the Methodist
Episcopal church. He is widely known in the county
where his entire life has been spent, and that his record
has ever been a creditable one is indicated by the fact that
those who have known him from boyhood to the present time
are numbered among his stanchest friends. He early
came to a realization of the fact that "There is no
excellence without labor," and that "There is no royal road
to wealth." Therefore he put forth earnest and
unremitting effort, accomplishing the tasks to which he set
himself by reason of his unfaltering application and
determined purpose. There rewards of labor are sure
and thus in due course of time he gained a place among the
more prosperous farmers of the county.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
738 |
| |
ELIAS D. SMITH,
a well known and prosperous agriculturist of Blount
Township, is the owner of two hundred acres of rich and
productive land, constituting one of the most highly
improved farms in the county. His birth occurred in Ross
Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, on the 14th of August,
1858, his parents being George E. And Eliza A. (Fairchild’s)
Smith, natives of Ohio and Illinois respectively. Following
their marriage they took up their abode on a farm in this
county and the father have here been engaged in general
agricultural pursuits continuously since, now residing on a
tract of two hundred and forty acres on section 33, Blount
township. He is well known and highly
Esteemed throughout the community as a substantial and
representative citizen. Unto him and his wife were born nine
children, namely: John E., Marsha11 M. Wesley C., Woodard
G., Elizabeth L., Sadie, Eva J., Josie O., and Elias D. The
last named lived with his parents until he had attained his
majority and then rented a part of the old homestead farm,
operating the place for three years. On the expiration of
that period he bought a tract of two hundred acres in Blount
township, to the cultivation of which he has devoted his
time and energies continuously since. The property is
lacking in none of the improvements and accessories of a
model farm of the twentieth century and the well tilled
fields annually yield bounteous harvests as a reward for the
care and labor which he bestows upon them.
On the 25th of October, 1882, Mr. Smith was united in
marriage to Miss Clara F. Smith, who was born on the 8th of
December, 1862, her parents being Charles E. And Mary
(McMullen) Smith, natives of Ohio. They came to Illinois at
an early day, settling in Danville, where Charles E. Smith
was employed in a mill for twelve years. At the end of that
time he left the mill and became the proprietor of a feed
store, conducting the same until 1898. Daring the
Past twelve years, however, he has lived in honorable
retirement at Danville. He was twice married and by his
first wife, who died in 1875, had three children, as
follows: William, Clara F. and Ada. In 1880 Charles E. Smith
was again married, his second union being with Miss Lizzie Ringen, of Indiana, by whom he had the following children:
Mettie, Alice, Mary, Evert, Clarence, Gilbert and Grover.
The mother of these children was called to her final rest in
1900.
Unto Mr. And Mrs. Elias D. Smith were born four
children, namely: Palmer C., who has taught school for six
years; George L., at home; Mabel, the wife of
Clarence Vandivort, of Vermilion county; and Oliver
A., who passed
away on the 13th of October, 1889. The death of the wife and
mother, which occurred on the 29th of June, 1902, was the
occasion of deep and widespread regret.
Mr. Smith is a democrat in politics and has capably
served as school trustee for a quarter of a century. His
fraternal relations are with lodge No. 907 of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Henning, Illinois, and
Modern Woodmen camp No. 4425 at Jamesburg, Illinois.
Recently he has also become identified with the Masonic
fraternity at Potomac, Illinois. His religious faith is
indicated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal
Church. A resident of the county from his birth to the
present time, he is widely known within its borders and the
sterling qualities which he has displayed in his social and
business relations have gained him a high place in the
regard and good will of his fellow townsmen.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
9 -
Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
FRANK B. SMITH.
In all the relations of public and private live Frank
B. Smith worked toward high ideals and seldom failed to
accomplish what he undertook. The extent and importance of
his business interests, his support of projects for the public
good and his fidelity to the principles of honorable upright
manhood made him a valued and honored citizen. He lived
for many years in this county but was a native of New York, his
birth having occurred at Painted Post, October 12, 18148.
His father was Joseph Smith, at one time well known in
business circles in this county, where he located during the
boyhood of his son Frank, who attended the public schools
of this locality and afterward continued his education in
Stockwell, Indiana.
Following his graduation from the Stockwell schools
Frank B. Smith became associated with his father in a
milling enterprise at Myersville, doing the outside work,
including the buying of grain. He thus gained
comprehensive knowledge of the business in its various phases
and in 1875 he came to Danville and purchased a one-third
interest in a flouring mill on what was then known as Mill
street, but now Logan avenue. His partners in the business
being his father and George Giddings. After a few
years failing health necessitated a change in business, and
Frank B. Smith exchanged his mill interests for a farm on
North Vermilion street, where he removed in January, 1879.
This tract at that time was simply farm land and some distance
out of the city. The change in business at once brought about an
improvement in Mr. Smith's health. In connection
with farming he commenced raising early vegetables, also
breeding fine poultry and pet stock. As a breeder of both he
became one of the best known men in the state. He made a
specialty of Buff Plymouth Rocks, which with his other stock
were exhibited successfully all over the state. At one time he
was breeding fifteen varieties of poultry and pet stock.
He gave considerable attention to small fruits and
became widely known because of the large and fine strawberries
which he raised and which found a ready market. Mr.
Smith was thorough in what he did, and whatever he raised
was the best of its kind. He was always a great lover of
flowers, which as much as any real desire for pecuniary gain
caused him to go into the florist business. In 1881 he purchased
the Klingenspoor greenhouse on East Main street, to be
used mostly in raising vegetable plants for that branch of his
business, but seeing an opportunity for florist business, he
branched out into that line. He began in a modest way but it was
a success from the start, as had been his other ventures, and
soon became the leading and most extensive in Danville, a
position that has been maintained to the present time. While
some branches of the business were discontinued from time to
time it grew in other lines to extensive and profitable
proportions.
Mr. Smith laid out considerable of his
land in town lots, which were sold off. He planted many
beautiful shade trees and all in all did much to beautify that
section of the city. His two sons, Joseph and Herbert,
were practically reared in the business, and at their father's
death succeeded to the business, which has been kept fully
abreast of the times. Mr. Smith was one of the
most active members of the Vermilion County Poultry Association.
He died May 13, 1906, and is buried in Springhill cemetery.
On January 27, 1874, Mr. Smith was united in marriage
to Miss Flora Shockley, a native of
Greenfield, Highland county, Ohio, born July 31, 1853, but at
that time a resident of Eight-mile Prairie. The parents of
Mrs. Smith, Joshua A. and Helen F.
(Merrill) Shockley, are still living at the ages of
eighty-six and eighty years respectively. Mr. Shockley
was born near Dover, Delaware, and his wife near Columbus, Ohio.
They came to Illinois in the early '60s. Mrs. Shockley
is the only surviving member of the family to which Bishop
Merrill belonged, he being her brother.
They were parents of four children, as follows:
Raymond Delbert, was a member of Battery A during
Spanish-American war. He married Miss Nina Jump,
a daughter of Perry Jump. Raymond Smith
is wire chief for the Danville Telephone Company, with which he
has been connected for a number of years. Joseph J.
served in the Spanish-American war as sergeant of Battery A. He
married Miss Leona Burgoyne, of Danville, a daughter of
James Burgoyne and has one daughter, Letitia.
Herbert E. also a sergeant in Spanish-American war, married
Luella Prouty of St. Joseph, Missouri, and has two
children, Frank B. and Herbert David.
Juliette Jean is now Mrs. John E. Lee of Danville and
has one son, John Ersom.
In his political views Mr. Smith was an earnest
republican, giving unfaltering support to the principles of the
party. He held membership with the Knights of Pythias and the
Court of Honor and also belonged to the Kimber Methodist
Episcopal church. He was a man of domestic habits and tastes,
devoted to the welfare of his family and measuring his greatest
happiness by the welfare of his wife and children. A
public-spirited citizen, he was ever ready to advance the
interests of city and county by cooperating in the measures and
projects for the public good and as the years passed on he
established himself firmly in the public regard. The cause of
education found in him a stalwart champion and as a director for
years of the Roselawn school he did much to further its
interests. He made good use of his time and opportunities and as
the years went by gained prosperity, yet his success was
measured not alone by material gain but also by an enterprising
spirit, by intellectuality, by sincerity of purpose and his
championship of what was in his opinion right and just.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg. Pg.
203 |
| |
GEORGE S. SMITH.
On the roll of Vermilion county's honored dead appears the name
of Georgb, a life-long resident of this part of the
state, where his sterling traits of character gained him the
favorable regard of all who knew him. He was born in 1856, in
Vermilion county, and while spending his youthful days under the
parental roof pursued his education in the country schools,
which he attended through the winter months, while in the summer
seasons he aided in the work of the home farm. His entire life
was devoted to general agricultural pursuits. While in school he
gave his vacation periods to the work of the fields and after
completing his school days in Rossville he spent his entire time
in promoting the development of the old home place. Following
his marriage he farmed his father's land and as the result of
his careful cultivation of the soil he annually gathered good
harvests. He practiced the rotation of crops and by the
judicious use of fertilizers kept the soil in good condition. At
all times he marched in the front ranks of the progressive
agriculturists of the community and his labors therefore,
brought him substantial returns.
In February, 1889, Mr. Smith was united
in marriage to Miss Minnie Smith, a
daughter of b Josephine R. (Stewart) Smith. Her father
was a native of this county and a representative of a very
prominent family. He followed farming through the period of his
early manhood and afterward turned his attention to
merchandising, in which field of business he continued up to the
time of his retirement, which occurred about five years ago.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. George S. Smith were born two children:
Eugene C, who is now a student in the Culver Military
Academy on Lake Maxinkuckee, Indiana; and Josephine, who
died when three years of age.
The family have taken a prominent part in church
affairs and are interested in the moral development of the
community. Mr. Smith belonged to the Masonic
fraternity and was in hearty sympathy with the principles of the
craft, which are based on mutual helpfulness and brotherly
kindness. His political support was given to the republican
party, and he served on the town board as an alderman, in which
connection he exercised his official prerogatives in support of
various measures for the general good. When called to his final
rest December 24, 1904, he left a record that is well worthy of
emulation.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg. 207 |
| |
ISAAC R. SMITH, JR. The man who starts out at seventeen years of age and by
diligence and economy makes his own way in the world and gains a
recognized position in society, has attained a measure of
success; if he becomes the owner of a well developed farm in one
of the richest farming communities of Illinois he is to be
congratulated; but if he does all this by honest and
straightforward methods he has certainly accomplished a noble
object and presents an example worthy of imitation. Such a man
is the one whose name stands at the head of this review.
Isaac R. Smith, Jr., was born on the farm on
which he now lives, July 29, 1862, and is the son of David
R. and Lydia (McNiece) Smith, the former a native of
Virginia and the latter of Tennessee. The father came to
Vermilion county at an early day and was here married, engaging
in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in
1902. He became the owner of a well developed farm of sixty
acres and was a man of high standing in the community. The
mother is now living with our subject. Four children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Alfred, Pleasant,
Isaac R., and Allan, who died at the age of eight
months.
The subject of this review was reared upon the home
farm and received his early education in the district schools.
Even as a boy he was ambitious and energetic and at seventeen
years of age he started out for himself. He rented land,
conducting his operations with such ability that in a few years
he was able to buy a small tract, to which he has added as his
means increased, until at the present time he is the owner of a
highly improved farm, consisting of two hundred and sixty acres
of the choicest land in Vermilion county. It required many years
of toil and self-denial, but the object of his ambition has in
an important degree been realized and the family home is a large
and attractive residence, the surroundings conveying the
impression of good taste and a well applied prosperity.
On August 24, 1892, Mr. Smith was happily united in
marriage to Miss Sarah M. Coe, who was born February 10,
1857, and is a daughter of Edward G. and Sarah (Wiseman) Coe,
both of whom were born in West Virginia. Mr. Coe
came to this state, settling near Ridge Farm, where he conducted
operations in agriculture and live stock for many years, and was
called from earthly cares March 4, 1901, being at that time the
owner of one of the valuable farms of the neighborhood,
comprising two hundred and sixty acres. Mrs. Coe died in
1866. There were nine children in their family, of whom the four
now living are: Lafayette; Louisa, the wife of
Owen Canaday; Emma, the wife of Mr. Enslow,
of Chicago; and Sarah M., the wife of our subject. Those
deceased are: Virginia, Oralee, Tennessee,
Jane, and one child who died in infancy. Three
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, two of
whom are living: Sherman E., born September 16, 1895; and
Arthur R., born February 10, 1901.
Mr. Smith is an earnest upholder of the principles of the
republican party, as he believes that those principles best
insure the prosperity and continuance of popular government. He
and his wife are affiliated with the Presbyterian church and are
active workers in that organization. Their home is without
question the abode of that peace and comfort, which is a proof
of congeniality and right living. As a farmer Mr. Smith has
greatly prospered and as a citizen he is respected not only for
his business ability but for his upright personal character.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg. 604 |
| |
J. E.
SMITH, owning and operating a well improved farm of
eighty-one acres on section 22, Love township, was born in that
township on the 29th of May 1886, his parents being I. D. and
Malissa (Glick) Smith. The father is a native
of Illinois while the mother's birth occurred in Indiana.
J. E. Smith supplemented his preliminary
education by a course of study in the academy. When not
busy with his text books he assisted his father in the operation
of the home farm, thus early becoming familiar with the duties
and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He
remained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage,
when he took up his abode on his present farm of eighty-one
acres on section 22, Love township. Iin connection with
the tilling of the soil he makes a specialty of raising Poland
China hogs and both branches of his business are proving
profitable.
On the 19th of January, 1910 Mr. Smith was
united in marriage to Miss Grace Baldwin, a native of
Kansas and a daughter of J. R. and Laura (Golden) Baldwin,
who are now residents of Dana, Indiana. Mrs. Smith
was one of a family of five children born until her parents.
In politics Mr. Smith is a stanch
prohibitionist, believing that the liquor traffic is the worst
evil with which our country has to contend. He has already
won a gratifying measure of success for one of his years and is
widely recognized as one of he representative and popular young
citizens of his native county.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
734 |
| |
ROY
D. SMITH, a prosperous and energetic young farmer of Love
township, is the owner of one hundred and fourteen acres of rich
and productive land on sections 15 and 22. He is numbered among
the worthy native sons of Vermilion county and his parents were
I. D. and Melissa (Glick) Smith. The father was a son
of George and Elizabeth (Hester) Smith, who came to this
county at an early day and here spent the remainder of their
lives. On the 2d of October, 1883, in Vermilion county, I. D.
Smith wedded Miss Melissa Glick, whose
natal day was February 4, i860. Her parents, Aaron and
Lucinda (Brenklinder) Glick, came to this county in 1869 and
here continued to reside until called to their final rest. Their
children were nine in number, Mrs. Melissa Smith being
the youngest. Following his marriage I. D. Smith
purchased the farm on which his widow and son Roy still
reside, being actively and successfully engaged in its operation
until the time of his demise, which occurred on the 12th of
October, 1894. His remains were interred in the Yankee Point
cemetery and in his passing the community lost one of its most
substantial and esteemed citizens. His widow yet resides on the
old homestead farm, owning one hundred acres thereof. She enjoys
a wide and favorable acquaintance here, having won the warm
regard and friendship of all with whom she has come in contact.
By her marriage she became the mother of three children, as
follows: Jesse E., who is mentioned on another page of
this work; Roy D., of this review; and one who died in
infancy.
Roy D. Smith was reared on the home farm and
early gained practical knowledge of the best methods of tilling
the soil and caring for the crops. He now owns one hundred and
fourteen acres of land on sections 15 and 22, Love township, and
operates a part of his mother's farm in connection with his own.
His labors in the fields are annually rewarded by bounteous
harvests of golden grain and he well deserves recognition among
the substantial and enterprising agriculturists of the
community.
As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life Mr.
Smith chose Miss Almeda M. Newland, who is likewise a
native of Vermilion county and whose parents still survive,
residing on a farm in Elwood township, this county. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Smith have always lived within the borders of
Vermilion county and the hospitality of the best homes is
cordially extended to them.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
635 |
| |
HENRY E. SOUTHWICK
, owning and operating a fine farm of two hundred and seven
acres on section 6, Grant township, was born in Woodford county,
Illinois, on the 2d of November, 1863. His parents, Joseph
and Elizabeth (Joy) Southwick, were both natives of the
state of New York. In the early '50s they journeyed westward,
locating on a farm in Woodford county, Illinois, where they made
their home until 1875. In that year they disposed of the
property and came to Vermilion county, purchasing the farm which
is now in possession of our subject Thereon they continued to
reside throughout the remainder of their lives, Joseph
Southwick placing many substantial improvements on the farm
and meeting with success in the careful conduct of his
agricultural interests. He was called to his final rest in
September, 1894, while his wife passed away the following year.
Unto this worthy couple were born three children, namely:
Merritt, of Hoopeston, Illinois; Henry E., of this
review; and Arthur, who is a resident of Vandalia,
Missouri.
Henry E. Southwick attended the
common schools in pursuit of an education and remained at home
until twenty-one years of age. On attaining his majority he
purchased a farm in Polk county, Missouri, and was actively
engaged in its operation for three years. On the expiration of
that period he returned to Vermilion county and has since
remained on the old homestead, now owning the property. It
comprises two hundred and seven acres of rich and productive
land on section 6, Grant township, and is well improved in every
particular. Year after year he tills his fields, practicing the
rotation of crops and cultivating his farm after the most
approved methods of modern agriculture. His labors are annually
rewarded by bounteous harvests, for which he finds a ready sale
on the market.
In 1895 Mr. Southwick was united in
marriage to Miss Mattie M. Clements, whose birth occurred
in La Salle county, Illinois, in 1864. Her parents, H. C. and
S. M. (Bowlby) Clements, are mentioned at greater length on
another page of this work.
When exercising his right of franchise Mr.
Southwick supports the men and measures of the republican
party, being thoroughly in sympathy with its principles. The
cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart champion and
he now serves as a school director. His wife is a faithful and
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr.
Southwick enjoys the unqualified respect and confidence
of his friends and neighbors, who know him as an honorable and
upright gentleman and a true and loyal citizen.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II -
Pub. 1911 - Pg. 523 |
| |
ABSOLOM STARR.
Absolom Starr came to Johnson's Point in
1821. This was the settlement begun by Henry Johnson, a
brother-in-law of Starr's the fall previous. Absolom
Starr
came to this part of Edgar County, as it was at that time,
directly from Palestine, Illinois. The land office was
located at Palestine before it was removed to Danville.
When Mr. Starr came he brought corn and wheat
enough to keep his family for
a
year. He also brought a good yoke of oxen and was well fixed
to go into a new country to make his home. He brought his
wife and four children with him. He built his cabin on
section 36, near to his brother-in-law. So provident a man
had every reason to expect fortune to smile on him, but this
was not the case, however. During the first winter in their
new home he had
a
trivial injury to his heel, which resisted all treatment and
he was assured that cancer had developed.
A
trip back to their old home in Palestine, where there was a
physician living was of no avail, because the idea of cancer
was confirmed and there was great danger of having to lose
his foot. However, he could not raise the money demanded for
the operation and he came back to his new home discouraged
and almost despondent. There was an old Indian doctor,
called Bonaparte's Indian, who lived
about
there, and for
the
want
of
any
more
skilled practitioner, Mrs. Starr consulted him. By the use
of some herbs
he
Collected along the Vermilion river, he cured the diseased
heel which the physician at Palestine thought could be
reached only by the use of the knife. Mrs. Starr nursed her
husband back to strength, at the same time tending her
garden and two acres of corn. Henry Johnson's kind heart
helped this family to take care of themselves during these
hard days. Mr. Starr lived until October 14,
1829. He was buried in the old burying ground, now known as
Mt.
Pisgah cemetery, near Georgetown.
Mrs. Starr survived her husband and afterward
became the wife of Mr. Jones, spending her last years on the
farm she first helped get into cultivation. She was the
mother of eleven children and left many descendants in the
county, among them being Mrs.
J.
W.
Giddings.
Source: History of Vermilion Co, Ill. - Vol. I - 1911
- Page 103 -
Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
AUGUSTUS H. STARR, one of the resourceful farmers of
Vermilion County, who lives upon a well improved farm which he
acquired by his own exertions, in a native of this county, born
June 10, 1874. He is the son of James and Maria (Reiser) Starr,
who settled upon a farm in this county many years ago and are
now living retired at Danville, enjoying the fruits of well
directed industry. They are the owners of the beautiful
residence in which they live and of a productive farm of one
hundred and twenty-five acres in Newell Township. Six children
were born to them: Frederick H., who is now living at Lane,
South Dakota; William R., of Danville; Augustus H., the subject
of this review; Franklin E., a resident of Denver, Colorado;
Harry G., of Vermilion county; and Orton R., who is living at
home. The children were all given the advantages of education
not only in the common schools but in Business College. Franklin
E. Starr showed a decided inclination for intellectual pursuits
and is a graduate of Grier College of Hoopeston, also of the
Union Christian College of Merom, Indiana.
Augustus H. Starr remained upon the home farm until he
was twenty-five years of age, becoming one of the most
successful young farmers in this region and evincing an interest
in agricultural pursuits that gave promise of ample returns in
the years to come. In 1% when his parents moved to Danville, he
assumed charge of the old homestead and operated it for three
years. However; desiring to become independent, he purchased a
farm of ninety acres, which he has greatly improved and which is
now one of the highly productive places in the township.
On November 28, 1899, Mr. Starr was united in marriage
to Miss Alice Jenkins, a daughter of Richard M. And Lucinda
(Mullen) Jenkins, who were both natives of Ohio and came to
Illinois in 1861, settling on what was known as the Newell
farm,
formerly owned by the man in whose honor the township was named.
Here they lived until called to their final rest, the mother
departing this life September 29, 1899, and the father less than
three years afterward, on January 22, 1902. They rest side by
side in Walnut Corner cemetery, where they await their last
summons, surrounded by many of their old friends and associates.
Mrs. Starr is the youngest of five children born to her parents:
John Franklin, who was born June 7, 1855, and now lives in
Newell township; Elnora F., who was born May 25, 1857, and is
living upon the old homestead; Clara Dell, who was born February
13, 1859, and died April 15 following; Samuel Albert, who was
born August 13, 1864, and is living on the old homestead; Alice,
now Mrs. Starr, who was born October 24, 1869.
Mr. Starr gives his time and attention to farming and
stock-raising and by close application, and the use of good
judgment in all his operations he has been successful in a high
degree. He is greatly interested in the welfare of the community
and has given its educational system the attention of an
intelligent citizen, serving for seven years on the school
board. He is a republican in his political views, his faith
being founded on the conviction of the political equality of
man. He has always aimed to meet every obligation of life with
confidence and courage and to perform his duties to the best of
his ability. As the result he has gained an enviable reputation
as one of the representative men of this region.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub.
1911 - Pg. 175 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
FRANK L. STEWART,
who is engaged in dealing in ice in Rossville and also has
farming interests in Vermilion County, was born in Logan, Ohio,
January 31, 1857, and is a son of James McLoughlin and
Rebecca L. (Smith) Stewart. The mother, who was born in
1819, died on the 16th of June, 1857, while the father was born
April 5, 1824, in Logan County, Ohio, and died in 1907. The
founder of the Stewart family in this country came from Ireland
and was one of the early colonists of the new world. Unto James
M. and Rebecca L. Stewart there were born six
children: Willis; Mary, deceased; Charles; twins
who died in infancy; and Frank L., who is the youngest
child of that marriage. After losing his first wife the father
married Miss Nancy Hannah, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and
their children were: Edna; Lucy, deceased; Jesse;
and Dessie.
Being only a few months old at the time of his mother's
death, Frank L. Stewart was taken by his aunt and uncle, Miss
Martha Jane and G. W. Smith, who have always stood to him in
the relation of parents. Leaving Ohio, they removed to Tolono,
Illinois, when the subject of this review was about two years of
age and there established their home, living in that locality
until 1883,
When they came to Vermilion County, settling in Grant
township. G. W. Smith then secured land in that locality
and has continued to make his home there, being closely,
actively and honorably identified with agricultural pursuits.
Frank L. Stewart acquired his education in the schools of
Tolono while spending his youthful days in the home of his aunt
and uncle. He was trained to the work of the farm which claimed
his attention for six years after his school days were over. At
the end of that time he removed to Rossville, taking up his
abode in this town on the 1st of August, 1889. Thinking to find
commercial pursuits more congenial and profitable than the work
of the fields, he turned his attention to general merchandising
and was associated in that business with a partner for about
three years. He afterward resumed farming and also engaged in
the ice business, in which he actively continues. He has secured
many patrons in that locality, making the business a profitable
one, his trade constantly increasing in volume and importance as
the years have gone by. He also has farming interests, being
engaged in the cultivation of six hundred and forty acres of
land situated in Grant Township.
On the 14th of November, 1889, Mr. Stewart was
united in marriage to Miss Bell C. Smith and they have
three children: Martha, who is a graduate of Lake Forest
Academy at Lake Forrest, Illinois ; Horace, who is still
in school; and Grace, who is a pupil in the high school
of Rossville.
The family attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, of
which Mr. Stewart and his wife are active and earnest
members. He was chairman of the board of trustees, also of the
building committee of the church, has served on the building
committee of the Masonic lodge and on the building committee of
the new high school. He was a member of the school board for
nine years, and is deeply interested in all that pertains to the
intellectual and moral progress of the community. He is also
prominent in Masonry, in which he has taken the degrees of the
lodge and chapter. He belongs to the Tribe of Ben Hur and has
filled all of the offices in the local lodge of Knights of
Pythias, which he has likewise represented in the state
conventions. For the past twelve years he has
Been its minister of finance, and at all times he is
loyal to the teachings and to the purposes of these orders. His
life has been one of continuous activity in which has come due
recognition of labor. Progress and patriotism might well be
termed the keynote of his character for these qualities have
been potent forces in his life throughout the period of his
manhood and have gained him a place with the leading and
representative citizens of his adopted county.
Source: History of Vermilion
County, Illinois - Vol. II - 1911 by Lottie Jones, pgs. 238 & 239
- Contributed by Mary Paulius |
| |
HOWARD A. SWALLOW,
a graduate of the Columbian Law School of Washington, D. C, has
since 1902 engaged in the practice of law in his native city of
Danville, and the eight years which have elapsed since have
chronicled steady progress in his profession with increasing
ability to handle intricate and important litigated interests.
He was born August 18, 1878, and has therefore not yet reached
the prime of life. His father, Charles M. Swallow, a
native of Pennsylvania, came to Danville in 1871. The same year
he completed his preparation for the practice of law by
graduation from the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
and in 1872 was admitted to the Vermilion county bar and opened
a law office in Danville, where he continued in active and
successful practice until 1899. He now spends the winter seasons
in the south for the benefit of his health and takes no active
part in his profession. He has previously served, however, at
states attorney. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Clara
Northrup, was a native of Lackawanna county,
Pennsylvania, and died February 7, 1879.
Howard A. Swallow, the only son, is indebted to
the public schools of Danville for the early educational
advantages which he received. He afterward entered the Keystone
Academy of Pennsylvania and was there graduated with the class
of 1896. Later he attended Brown University at Providence, Rhode
Island, and was graduated in 1900. His broad literary training
enabled him to make rapid progress in his preparation for the
bar, for his receptive mind and retentive memory qualified him
to readily grasp the salient points in the science of
jurisprudence. In 1902 he was graduated from the Columbian Law
School at Washington, D. C, after which he joined his father in
practice in Danville and has since remained an active member of
the profession in this city. He prepares his cases with
thoroughness and care and is seldom if ever at fault in the
application of a legal principle. His mind is naturally
analytical and in his reasoning he clearly points out the
relation of cause and effect, his deduction being entirely
logical.
In 1905 Mr. Swallow was united in
marriage to Miss Grace Hamilton, a native
of Providence, Rhode Island, and they have two children:
Richard H., who was born August 16, 1906; and Barbara
Northrup, born October 15, 1909. Theirs is a hospitable
home, its good cheer being greatly enjoyed by their many friends
in Danville. Mr. Swallow belongs to the Knights of
Pythias and to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
while in the Masonic fraternity he has attained a high degree of
the Scottish Rite. He is recognized as one of the leading
representatives of the republican party in Vermilion county and
is serving as treasurer of the county republican central
committee but has never been an office seeker, preferring to
concentrate his energies upon his professional duties. His
devotion to his clients' interests is proverbial and he has
already established himself in a successful and growing practice
in his native city.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Pg. 292 |
NOTES: |
