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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 WALZ, who
comes of sturdy Teutonic ancestry and is recognized as one of
the successful farmers of Danville township, Vermilion county,
was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, September 11, 1847. He is
a son of John Walz, who was owner of a sawmill in the old
country and who died when the subject of this review was five
years of age. He was reared under the care of a kind
mother but a strange fate also deprived him of her counsel and
protection, for when he was fourteen yeas of age death called
her away and the son was left upon his own resources. He
continued in the fatherland, working at such employment as
presented itself, until 1867.
This was after the close of the Civil war and the
clouds which had overhung the republic had disappeared and many
ambitious young men of German parentage were looking toward
American with the desire to establish here a permanent home.
Among the number was George Walz and at twenty years of
age he came to America, landing at New York, where he remained
for several months, when he traveled westward as far as
Lafayette, Indiana. In the region of that city he found
employment upon a farm and continued in the state until 1874,
when he came to Danville for eight years worked for Joseph
English, who was the owner of a farm south of this city.
Feeling that the time had arrived to begin operations for
himself, he purchased seventy-two acres of wild land on the
prairie east of the city and proceeded to improve it with an
industry that in the course of years produced most gratifying
returns. He was one of the first to pin his faith to the
land in this region and many laughed at his endeavors, declaring
that it could never be made productive. However, he paid
no attention to these early critics and he now owns a valuable
farm of two hundred and twenty acres, which he has built up
through his own efforts and also maintains a herd of cows, which
yields a gratifying recompense for his investment.
In 1872, in Indiana, Mr. Walz, was united in
marriage to Miss Christina Theurer, who was born in
Germany, and twelve children have blessed the union:
Eli, deceased; Josephine, also deceased; Emma,
now Mrs. John Zieder; Kate, now Mrs. Henry
Linne; Ernest; Rosie, who became Mrs. Fred Andre and
is now deceased; Joseph; Christina; Louisa; Carrie; Ida;
and Olivia.
Mr. Walz has always been a stanch republican and
cast his first vote for General U. S. Grant for president
of the United States. He has served as school director of
the district and is at the present time acting as road
commissioner. He is recognized by those who know him as an
earnest, intelligent and public-spirited citizen and his life
presents a striking illustration of the effect of grit,
perseverance and well directed industry in determining the
destiny of any individual. From his boyhood he has been
self supporting and the principle of self-reliance which he
adopted even as a youth has been one of his prominent
characteristics and has carried him through many difficulties.
He has many friends in the county where he has made his home for
thirty-six years and where he has attained the success which
results from industry when it is directed by good judgment.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - Pg.
153 |
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portrait |
HARRY
J. WALZ was throughout the period of his residence in
Danville a popular citizen, having a circle of friends almost
coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance. His business
policy gained him the respect of all with whom he came in
contact, while his cordial spirit and genial disposition won him
the friendship of those whom he met in social circles.
Mr. Walz was born in Danville in 1864, a son of
George Walz, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, born October
1, 1830. The grandfather, Martin Walz, was a farmer of
that country and George Walz was reared upon the home
farm, where he remained until sixteen years of age. He then
began learning the cabinet-maker's trade near his father's home
and on attaining his majority enlisted for service in the German
army, with which he was connected for three years. In 1854 he
came to America, landing at New York city with but a very
limited capital. He believed, however, that the opportunities of
the new world were superior to those furnished in the
fatherland, and he never had occasion to regret his emigration
to the United States. He worked at his trade at different times
in New York; Philadelphia; Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania; St. Louis,
Missouri; and in Pike county, Illinois. It was in Williamsport,
that he first engaged in the furniture business on his own
account
Mr. Walz came to Danville in 1864 and here
established a furniture store, the stock of which he gradually
increased to meet the growing demands of his trade, keeping at
all times in touch with the latest improvements in this line.
His business gradually advanced until after fourteen years he
ranked among the leading merchants of the city. He also
conducted an extensive undertaking business in addition to the
sale of furniture.
In 1864, in Danville, George Walz was united in
marriage to Miss Fredericka Steele, of
Germany, who was brought to America in her childhood days. Unto
Mr. and Mrs. George Walz
there were born three sons and two daughters, the brothers of
our subject being Albert and George, both
residents of Danville, while the sisters are: Mrs. C. T.
Woolsey, of this city; and Mrs. George Renking, of
Owensboro, Kentucky.
Harry Walz pursued his
education in the schools of Danville and early learned the
undertaking business with his father. In 1892 he became his
father's partner in business and five years later succeeded to
the business as sole proprietor. Although only a young man at
the time, he soon established a large and growing trade, being
accorded an extensive patronage that indicated the confidence
reposed in him as a business man. He was courteous to everybody
and was therefore well liked, and he succeeded because of his
kindness of heart and his frankness of manner. During his last
illness his wife took hold of the business and since his death
has carried it on successfully. She was ever a faithful helpmate
to him and assisted him in his various business projects and
encouraged him in all that he undertook.
On the 9th of June, 1888, Mr. Walz was
united in marriage in Danville to Miss Ethel F. Church, a
daughter of G. W. F. and Sarah E. (Jones) Church,
of South Hazel, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Walz became the
parents of one child, Marie M.
In his political views Mr. Walz was an
earnest republican and kept well informed on the questions and
issues of the day. His fraternal relations were with the Red
Men, the Eagles and the Northcott Camp of Modern Woodmen of
America. He likewise belonged to the Royal Neighbors, the Loyal
Americans, the Liederkranz, the Fraternal Tribunes, the Danville
Foresters and other benevolent associations. He was true to the
basic teachings of all of those organizations and was ever found
loyal in his different relations of life, being devoted in
friendship, progressive in citizenship and unfaltering in his
efforts to promote the happiness of his wife and child.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - pg.
348 |
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CHARLES
W. WARNER, closely connected with the journalistic
interests of Hoopeston since 1879 and since 1882 manager of the
Chronicle, of which he has also been proprietor since 1887, was
born upon a farm in Montgomery county, Indiana, January 24,
1857, and is descended in the eighth generation from William
Warner, who came from England in October, 1682, with William
Penn to establish a colony upon the present site of
Philadelphia. He was made a judge in the superior court of that
colony and was a prominent man in the community. The family line
was strictly of Quaker faith for seven generations until Abner
Warner, father of Charles W. Warner, was dropped from the
roll of his monthly meeting for attending a "worldly wedding."
He was a native of Ohio and a farmer by occupation. He wedded
Mary Cadwallader, who was born in Montgomery county,
Indiana, and was also a Quaker descended from eight generations
of that faith, the first two generations being residents of
Wales. She was also dropped from the roll of her monthly meeting
for wearing a small gold pin in the collar of her dress. She
afterward united with the Methodist Episcopal church. Both
Abner and Mary Warner are now deceased
and Charles W. Warner has no near relatives living except
one brother, Perry M. Warner, who is manager of the
Rossville Telephone Company.
In the public schools at Rossville, Illinois,
Charles W. Warner pursued his education until compelled to
leave school and go to work while yet lacking a year and a half
of completing the high school course. He is, however, an
honorary member of the alumni associations of the Rossville and
Hoopeston high schools. He worked for three years during and
just after the close of his school life at cabinet making and
undertaking in Rossville. He then began to learn the printer's
trade in the office of the Rossville Enterprise, which was
published by John C. Cromer. He became connected with
that paper in August, 1877, and five weeks later the Enterprise
was removed to Homer, Champaign county. He continued his
connection with it for three weeks longer and then concluded
there was a broader field in school teaching. He accordingly
followed that profession for two terms of three months each in
district No. 10, just south of Homer, or from December, 1877,
until June, 1878. He found the profession congenial but the
remuneration was not sufficient and in October, 1878, he entered
the employ of John W. Dale, then county clerk, whom he
assisted in the extra work of getting out the tax books for the
various townships. He was employed in that way for two months
and gained considerable knowledge of mathematics and accounting
while thus engaged. On the 10th of February, 1879, he went to
work by the week as a printer in the office of the Hoopeston
Chronicle published by Dale Wallace, and has since
been connected with that paper with the exception of five months
spent in Springfield as journal clerk of the house of
representative in the thirty-second general assembly, from
January until May inclusive, in 1881. During that session
John G. Holden and Joseph B. Mann, of Danville, and
Bradley Butterfield, of Rankin, were members of the lower house,
and George Hunt of Paris was a member of the senate from
this district. On returning from Springfield Mr. Warner
went to work again in the Chronicle office and was there
employed for another year. On the 1st of July, 1882, he rented
the office and assumed the management of the paper under a lease
of five years and on the 1st of July, 1887, purchased the office
and has since published the paper, making it one of the leading
country journals of the state. He follows progressive methods in
its publication and its constantly increasing patronage is
indicative of the favor which it finds with the general public.
On the 13th of December, 1883, Mr. Warner
was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Clark,
of Hoopeston, a graduate of the Hoopeston high school and an art
student at Cincinnati under Thomas Lindsey. She
has decided talent as an artist and is also interested in the
church and benevolent work of the city, having for a number of
years been the teacher of the "Rosebud" or infant class in the
Universalist Sunday school. Mr. and Mrs. Warner have one
daughter, Gladys June, who was graduated from the
Hoopeston high school in 1909 and is now a student in the
Virginia College for Young Ladies at Roanoke, Virginia.
Since becoming manager of the Chronicle Mr. Warner
has made it the champion of Hoopeston's welfare among many lines
and aside from the field of journalism has labored effectively
and earnestly to advance the best interests of the city. Like
most of Hoopeston's residents, he is radically opposed to
saloons. Every year and several times during each municipal
campaign season he is called to various cities and towns in
Illinois to deliver addresses in opposition to saloons.
Hoopeston has certainly proved the value and worth of the
non-license policy, having an exceptionally clear record in
regard to crime, lawlessness and pauperism as compared with
those cities where the saloon has free play. Mr.
Warner served as city clerk of Hoopeston from November,
1881, until April, 1883, and was postmaster at Hoopeston from
July, 1889, until July, 1893, and again in July, 1897, was
appointed to the office, in which he is now the incumbent. He
has always been a republican—"stalwart as distinguished from the
half-breed, and regular as distinguished from the insurgent" He
was connected officially with the old Hoopeston fair and is now
an officer of the Hoopeston Chautauqua, He became a charter
member of Hoopeston Lodge, No. 195, Knights of Pythias, and was
chosen its first chancellor commander, serving from December 4,
1888, until June 30, 1889. He belongs to Hoopeston Camp, No.
257, M. W. A., which he joined in 1893, and in March, 1895,
became a member of Star Lodge, No. 709, A. F. & A. M., while in
May of the same year he took the degrees of Hoopeston Chapter,
No. 115, R. A. M., of which he has served for two years as high
priest. He is also a member of Grant Council, No. 89, R. & S. M.
He is liberal in his religious views and affiliates with the
Universalist church, although not a member. He belongs to the
Hoopeston Commercial Club, in which he has been honored with the
presidency. His name is always associated with projects of
progress and improvement and in all public service as well as
private interests he is a man of action rather than of theory.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - pp. 562, 563 & 564 |
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MICHAEL WEAVER was
born in Washington County, Maryland. His father
died while yet he was a lad and his mother took
him to North Carolina, but he ran away from home
with a cattle drover's outfit and he returned to
Maryland where his older brothers yet were. From
that time he made his way in the world. When he
became a man he married
Elizabeth Specard of Hagerstown, and about a year
later they moved to Pennsylvania. They later
made their way down the Ohio to Kentucky where
Mr. Weaver bought a farm and they
lived here for three years when they crossed the
river into Clermont County, Ohio, and soon
afterward went to Brown County, in the same
state. He remained on that farm for ten years
when he put his wife and, ten children in a big
covered wagon and well supplied with provision
and all needed for a new home, they started for
Sugar Creek, Indiana. He did not like this
location when he reached it, however, and so
went on beyond to Vermilion County, Illinois. He
settled in what is now Carroll Township and
entered land which he proceeded to improve. He
had to go to Palestine to enter the land. The
Weaver family found a cabin which someone
else had built, which had two rooms and a
kitchen built on. This they made do until they
could get something better.
A part of Mr. Weaver's family was his
son-in-law and his family. They arrived here
November 12, 1828. Mr. Weaver was
a man of a high sense of honor and justice. He
would never accept more than six per cent
interest for money loaned, nor would charge or
take more than twenty-five cents for a bushel of
corn. He declared that was all it cost to raise
it. He was very benevolent and always had his
house open for any one. Nothing pleased him more
than to help those who tried to help themselves.
Mr. Weaver lived to be more than one
hundred years old and in his old age he was a
man of great wealth. He was the father of seven
children who married into the families of the
prominent settlers and settled in the
neighborhood that many in that part of the
county are direct descendants.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - Page 123 & 124
- Submitted by Mary Paulius |
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AUGUSTUS LIVINGSTON
WEBSTER.
Forty-three years ago Augustus Livingston
Webster became connected with the mercantile interests of
Danville and continuously throughout the intervening period he
has been identified with the business interests of the city. His
record is such as any man might be proud to possess, for he has
never made an engagement that he has not fulfilled nor incurred
obligations that he has not met. In the legitimate channels of
trade he has sought his success, placing his dependence upon the
substantial qualities of industry, perseverance, and the wise
utilization of opportunities.
Mr. Webster was born in Conneaut,
Ashtabula County, Ohio, February 17, 1842, and is a son of
Daniel Noble and Emma (Wallingford)
Webster, the former a native of Swanton, Vermont, and the
latter of Stanstead, Province of Quebec, Canada. Both were
descended from good old New England families, our subject being
of the eighth generation from John Webster, who
came to this country from England about 1633 and settled in
Hartford, Connecticut, where he became a member of the general
court in 1637 and was elected governor of the colony of
Connecticut in 1656. He died at Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1661.
On the maternal side our subject traces his lineage to David
and Elizabeth (Lemar) Wallingford,
both natives of New Hampshire, the former having been born in
Bradford in 1744 and the latter in Hollis in 1747. The
Wallingford family was also of English origin and was founded in
the new world in an early day.
During his boyhood Augustus L. Webster attended
Conneaut Academy at Conneaut, Ohio, but his education has
principally been acquired through contact with the world after
leaving school at the age of sixteen years to commence the
battle of life. He was first engaged in the hardware business in
Conneaut where he opened a store in 1864, but two years later
removed to Aurora, Illinois, where he continued in the same line
of trade until coming to Danville in 1867. Here he opened a
hardware store in partnership with the late George B. Yeomans
and they carried on the same together until 1879 when they
sold out to Messrs. Giddings & Patterson, who
continued the business for many years in the building erected by
Mr. Webster at the corner of West Main and
Franklin streets. After disposing of his hardware stock in 1879
Mr. Webster embarked in the wholesale grocery
business with the late Robert Coddington, under
the firm name of R. Coddington & Company, but in 1884 he
withdrew from that firm and established a wholesale business for
himself under the firm name of A. L. Webster & Company.
In 1889 A. H. Heinly was admitted to partnership
and for seven years the business was conducted under the style
of Webster & Heinly. In February, 1896, the Webster
Grocery Company was incorporated and is now doing business
at the corner of North street and Washington avenue, where they
own and occupy a fine large building well equipped in all its
appointments. The company has a paid up capital and surplus of
one hundred and forty thousand dollars and has a large trade
which extends over a large amount of territory. Its officers are
A. L. Webster, president, George R. Angle, vice
president, and Lewis Williams, secretary and treasurer.
Mr. Webster was married in Conneaut, Ohio,
September 30, 1862, to Miss Eliza E. Innis, an adopted
daughter of Dr. James and Harriet Innis. She was born at
Fairview, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Thomas and Eliza
Baxter, but as her mother died at her birth, she was adopted
by Dr. Innis and his wife with whom she made her home
until her marriage. Later she was enabled to return their great
kindness by giving her foster mother a home for many years.
Mr. And Mrs. Webster became the parents of four children,
namely: Emma H., who died in Danville, January 5,
1898; Katie M., who died in Danville, March 7, 1899;
Clara M., who was married in 1893 to Dale Remble now
deceased; and Nellie E., the wife of Dr. R. L.
Hatfield.
In 1862, when the Confederate general, Kirby Smith,
made a raid northward from Kentucky and threatened to march
through the state of Ohio to Lake Erie, Mr. Webster
enlisted as a member of the militia company belonging to the
Ohio Squirrel Hunters Brigade and aided in repelling this
invasion. The Republican party finds in him a staunch supporter
of its principles but he has never cared for official honors,
having served only as a member of the school and library boards
and as assistant supervisor for two terms. As a public spirited
citizen, however, he takes an active interest in those measures
which he believes will prove of public benefit and has served as
president of the Danville public library and as treasurer of the
Spring Hill Cemetery Association. He is one of the prominent
Masons of this section of the state, holding membership with all
the Masonic bodies of Danville and also with the Oriental
Consistory of Chicago, having attained to the thirty-second
degree in the Scottish rite. He was grand commander of the
Illinois Knights Templar in 1895-1896 and is also identified
with Danville Lodge, No. 332, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. His business affairs, however, claim the greater part of
his time and attention and he was for many years a director of
the Palmer National Bank and also a director of the Vermilion
County Building Association, with which he has been connected
for many years. He is justly accorded a place among the
prominent and representative citizens of Danville, for he
belongs to that class of men whose enterprising spirit is used
not alone for their own benefit. He also advances the general
good and promotes the public prosperity by his able management
of individual interests. He has excellent ability as an
organizer, forms his plans readily and is determined in their
execution. This enables him to conquer obstacles which deter
many a man and it has been one of the salient features in his
success.
Source: The History of Vermilion Co.,
Illinois - 1911 - Vol. II - pgs. 181-184
- Submitted by Mary Paulius |
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WILLIAM
HENRY WEBSTER D. D. Rev. William Henry Webster, who
has devoted his life to the ministry, was born in Schoharie
County, New York, in 1835, and is a descendant of John Webster,
a native of England, who arrived in Connecticut in 1630. His
prominence as a citizen of the newly established colony is
indicated by the fact that he was appointed governor of the
province of Connecticut in 1640. Most of the representatives of
this family have remained residents of New England, and a number
of them have entered the ministry, their efforts proving
effective forces
In the moral development of the communities in which
they have lived and labored. The parents of Rev. William H.
Webster were Shadrach and Betsy (Beach) Webster. The father was
a school teacher by profession. Following the outbreak of the
second war with England he volunteered for active service at the
front and was at Plattsburg, New York, and was with the American
troops at the time of McDonough’s victory on Lake Champlain.
Rev. Henry Webster was a youth of thirteen years when
in 1848 he became a resident of Danville, Illinois. He continued
his education in the public schools but later entered the
Danville Methodist Seminary. He afterward attended the Asbury
University of Indiana and the Ohio Wesleyan University,
completing the classical course in the latter institution in
1859, when the degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred upon
him. He has since received the honorary Degrees of Master of
Arts and Doctor of Divinity. In early manhood he was employed as
a house painter and as a school teacher, and by his efforts
therein continued his education until, qualified for the
ministry, he engaged in preaching and in the fifty years of his
connection with the Illinois conference of the Methodist
Episcopal church he has labored untiringly, loyally and
zealously for the cause to which he dedicated his life in early
manhood. He was converted at a camp meeting held near Danville
when he was fourteen years of age. At different times he has
occupied pastorates in Bloomington, Quincy, Springfield,
Decatur, Champaign and Urbana, and has long since been
recognized as one of the prominent representatives of the
Methodist ministry in this state. For eleven years he was
presiding elder of the Jacksonville, Springfield and Danville
districts. He has been sent as a delegate to the general
conferences of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York and Omaha, and
has been a trustee of the Women's College at Jacksonville,
Illinois, and of the Illinois Wesleyan University at
Bloomington. He has worked untiringly for the promotion of all
those interests which have for their object the intellectual and
moral progress of the race. He has visited many churches,
strengthening the weak places in the cause and for his labors in
this connection has refused to receive any remuneration. His
zeal and efforts have been resultant wherever he has gone. He
has received many converts into the church, has succeeded in
erecting new houses of worship and in paying off large
indebtedness. He was treasurer and financial secretary of the
fund for superannuated ministers for nearly thirty years, and
for many years was superintendent of the domestic missionary
society of the conference. He now makes his home in Danville and
has farming interests in this locality.
On the 3d of October, 1867, the Rev. William H. Webster
was united in the holy bonds of matrimony to Miss Augusta
Robinson, a daughter of William and Margaret (Davis) Robinson.
She had one brother, Edward, who was a soldier of the Civil war,
while her three sisters are: Elizabeth, the wife of John
Short;
Anna, the widow of M. M. Wright; and Mrs.
Emma Robinson also a
widow.
Mr. And Mrs. Webster have one son living, John Wesley
Webster, who was born in Springfield, Illinois, pursuing his
early education in the Danville schools, and was afterward
graduated at De Pauw University. He then became a student of the
law department of the University of Illinois and completed his
legal training at Harvard. He was admitted to the bar about 1903
and is now engaged in practice in Danville. He is secretary of
the Fidelity Building Association.
He married Esther Baum and they have one child,
Elizabeth.
Rev. Webster was one of the earliest supporters of the
Republican Party, giving his ballot for Fremont in 1856. He is
now an independent anti-saloon republican, and during the period
of the Civil war he espoused the cause of the Union and the
supremacy of the federal government; His broad reading has kept
him in touch with the vital issues and significant problems of
the day. He has always been a stalwart champion of the cause of
education and for a number of years served as president of the
school board of Danville. Happiness has been defined in the
following stanza, which seems an exposition of the life and work
of Rev. Webster:
"Serene with wrong undone, and good desired,
A l a b r loved and followed to a goal,
Wealth sufficient for the needs acquired
To keep the body, not to hurt the soul,
W little over, that it may be spent
In the high joy of generous giving;
A faith so sure of the divine intent,
It dignifies the deeds 03 daily living."
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 794 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
HARDY H. WHITLOCK.
Few of the native sons of Vermilion county have taken a
more active or prominent part in public affairs than Hardy H.
Whitlock, who is now so efficiently serving as county treasurer.
He was born in Georgetown on the 19th of January, 1867, and is a
son of James and Eliza (Henderson) Whitlock. The birth of
the father occurred near Knoxville, Tennessee, of which state
his parents were also natives. Being strict abolitionists, they
finally came north about 1832, making the journey with an
ox-team and linchpin wagon. Vermilion County was their
destination and the grandfather was one of the pioneer
blacksmiths of this region, conducting a shop on the old salt
works road near the Indiana state line. With the early
development and up building of this county the families have
since been prominently identified and have ever borne their part
in the work of progress.
During his boyhood Hardy H. Whitlock attended
the common schools of Georgetown but at the age of thirteen
years was obliged to lay aside his textbooks and begin the
battle of life for himself. He was first employed on a farm and
later was for five years connected with the old Cook House,
being in the employ of S. J. Cook, proprietor, who
conducted both a hotel and livery. It was on the 7th of April,
1888, that he came to Danville to accept the position of foreman
in Lamm's livery and sale stable, holding that position
until elected constable in 1893. Since that time he has devoted
his entire attention to public affairs and has proved a most
capable official. In 1902 he was elected sheriff of the county
and while serving in that office had an experience which he will
long remember. On the evening of July 25, 1903, a colored man
got into a fight with a white man by the name of Gatter
in a saloon on East Main Street. During the melee the white man
was killed by the Negro, who was arrested and taken to the city
prison by the police. A crowd of Gatter sympathizers
followed the patrol wagon and demanded the Negro, but the police
refused to give him up and in the course of about two hours the
crowd, surging around the jail, succeeded in getting the
prisoner out and killed him with a crowbar. His body was then
dragged through the streets to where the white man was killed
and then to the county jail, before which it was burned. The mob
then demanded admittance to the jail in order to take out the
other prisoners, of whom there were quite a number, and when
Mr. Whitlock refused admittance they broke down the door,
but he and his deputies held them at bay all night until the
militia arrived. Several assaults were made without success and
in the course of events the sheriff emptied several shots into
the crowd but no one was killed. He was successful in making the
ring leaders, fourteen of whom were sent to the penitentiary for
participating in the riot and several served jail sentences.
This was the first real defense of the jail in the United States
and his course has since been followed by sheriffs throughout
the country. In 1906 he was elected county treasurer and is now
filling that office with credit to himself and to the entire
satisfaction of his constituents.
On the 12th of June, 1892, Mr. Whitlock was
married in Danville to Miss Laura E. Donnelly, a daughter
of Hiram P. Donnelly, who served as provost marshal in
the southern district of Indiana during the Civil war. His
families were pioneers of Brown County, that state. The children
born to Mr. And Mrs. Whitlock are Chris C., George E.,
Frieda M., Edna L. And Robert C. In religious faith
Mr. Whitlock is a Presbyterian and is officially connected
with Immanuel church and also with several church societies. He
is also prominently identified with fraternal orders, having for
a number of years served as presiding officer of Vermilion Camp,
No. 254. M. W. A., and is an honored member of the Masonic
order, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Court of Honor. Since attaining his majority he
has affiliated with the Republican Party and has become a
recognized leader in its ranks. He assisted in electing the
reform board of supervisors, who in three years paid up the
county debt of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, and in
other ways has been instrumental in advancing the interests of
his city and county. Public spirited to a marked degree, he
never withholds his support from any enterprise which he
believes will prove of public benefit, and he has always been
found true to every trust reposed in him, whether of a public or
private nature.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - Page
176 |
| |
AMOS SMITH WILLIAMS. Among the men who have been active in inaugurating and
shaping the business policy and commercial development of
Danville was Amos S. Williams, who was prominently identified
with a number of business enterprises. His demise, therefore,
removed from the city one whom she could ill afford to lose, a
man whose strength of purpose and undaunted energy found
expression in the development of business concerns whose
magnitude made them not only a source of individual profit but
also an element in the city's growth.
Mr. Williams was born on the 22d of August, 1831, in
Danville, and was a worthy representative of an honored pioneer
family. His father, Amos Williams who was of German descent,
came to this state from Pennsylvania at a very early day and
after living for a short time at Butler Point, took up his
residence in Danville. He at once became an active factor in
public affairs and was elected the first county clerk on the
organization of Vermilion County. For some time he engaged in
teaching school and was also employed as a surveyor, and prior
to his removal to Vermilion County served as county clerk of
Edgar County. He was a man of most accurate habits as is shown
by the records which he kept. Other positions of honor and trust
were conferred upon him and he served as circuit clerk, probate
judge, pound master and postmaster of Danville and his official
duties were always discharged in a prompt and able manner that
won the commendation of all concerned. He assisted in laying out
the city and, being deeply interested in educational affairs,
did much toward securing good schools and competent teachers.
Whatever he did he did well and his record is one well children:
Maria Louise, born at Butler Point, Vermilion County, February
22, 1827; Benjamin Franklin, born in Danville, April 19, 1829;
Amos S., of this review; Charlotte E., born December 30, 1833;
Mary Julie, born January 12,1836; and Enoch A., born July 15,
1838.
Born in Danville when this region was a frontier
settlement, Amos S. Williams early became familiar with pioneer
life. His early education was obtained in the schools of this
county and he later pursued his studies at Paris, Illinois. He
began his business career as a hardware merchant in Danville,
but subsequently spent seven years in California, and on his
return to this state resumed the hardware business here. Later
he turned his attention to the queen's ware and coal business,
which he carried on for a number of years, but his last days
were spent in honorable retirement from labor. As time passed he
became interested in many important enterprises of the city,
whose success was due largely to his untiring and well directed
efforts. He was a man of excellent business ability and sound
judgment and in the conduct of his affairs met with well
deserved success. He assisted in establishing and conducting the
Iron Wagon Works, one of the early factories of the city, also
the Starch Works and a box factory and was vice president of the
first street car company organized in Danville. Through such
business connections he materially assisted in the development
and up building of the city and did much to promote its
prosperity. Mr. Williams was married February 15 1860, to
Miss
Sarah Jane Gregson, who was born in Danville, October 19, 1835.
Her father, George Gregson, was also a pioneer of Vermilion
county and was of English birth, but crossed the Atlantic to
America in early life. He died when Mrs. Williams was only seven
weeks old. The children born to our subject and his wife are:
Mrs. Lynne Beckwith; Ernest, who died when about nine years of
age; Victor and Carroll.
In early manhood Mr. Williams united with the Methodist
church but later became an active member of the Episcopal church
and took an active part in its work, also contributing liberally
to its support. Politically he affiliated with the Democratic
Party but never took an active part in politics aside from
voting, as his extensive business interests claimed his
undivided attention. He was a lifelong resident of Danville and
had a very wide acquaintance throughout this section of the
State, especially among those who had been active in shaping the
course of events. He passed away on the 14th of February, 1891,
and a life of genuine and unostentatious usefulness was brought
to a close, his sterling worth, however, being manifest in the
appreciation of his large circle of friends.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911
- Page 171 & 172 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
|
GEORGE WILLIAMS
came
early in the twenties in company with the Bargers, the
Paytons
and
Thos.
Collison, from Pike County, Ohio. His native state was
Delaware. George Williams had two sons, Harrison and
Abner. Mrs. Williams, the mother
of
these boys died of milk sickness in
1825
and the boy, Harrison, who was then
twelve years old, went to live with Reason Zawley, in
the Current neighborhood.
An
idea of the hardships of life at that time
is
had
in the
tale
of
this boy's
going to school in the winter time. The school term was
limited to
a
short time in the winter months, and the boy, without
shoes or stockings on
his
feet found the snow-covered road between his cabin home
a dread one
to
travel. Without shoes he took a hickory board and stood
it in front of the fire place until it became as hot as
possible without catching fire. With his hot board
in
his arms
he
would dash out of the house and run as far as possible
through the snow. When he reached the limit of
endurance, he would put the board down
on
the ground, and stand on it for a little while, then
snatching it up would run on a little further. In this
way he went to school and when he was ready to go home
the same thing was done over. In 1834 Harrison Williams
married Anna Gish, a native of Virginia who had come
west when she was fourteen years old. She came with her
parents and settled in LaFayette, Ind. Mr. And Mrs.
Williams made Danville their home, owning property at
that place. Two years after
he
was married he bought the lot on the
S. E.
Corner of North and Walnut streets. At
this time the lot faced Walnut street and extended east
as far as the alley.
A
deed yet in possession of the family shows that this lot
was bought by Harrison Williams in
1836
for $30.
The least the inside lots could now be bought for is
$150
per foot. This deed
of
Mr. Williams was never recorded and a number of years
later Judge Terry was ordered by the Courts to make out
a new deed,
Mr.
Williams' address at that time being unknown.
Harrison Williams was a carpenter by trade and helped
build Gurdon Hubbard's store which was the first frame
building in Vermilion County. He also helped erect the
first Methodist church building. Mr. Hubbard's store was
on the Public Square on the corner where the Palmer
National Bank now stands. The church building was
on
the southeast corner of North and Vermilion streets,
Harrison Williams moved to LaFayette, Ind., in
1840,
and died there in
1851.
Abner Williams was a blacksmith and lived in Danville
until he went to Scott County, on the other side
of
the state. He was married twice, the first time to a
Miss Delay, a cousin of his, and the second wife was a
Miss Judd. He owned the lot on the northwest corner
of
North and Vermilion streets.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. I -
Pub. 1911 - Page 108 |
|
| |
THOMAS
B. WILLIAMS, a well known and leading resident of Sidell,
now holds the officer of postmaster and is likewise the editor
of the Sidell Journal. His birth occurred in Highland county,
Ohio, on the 14th of August, 1857, his parents being John and
Nancy (Corby) Williams. The father was born in Brown county,
Ohio, in 1812, while the mother first opened her eyes to the
light of day in Pocahontas county, West Virginia, in 1826. The
paternal grandfather of our subject, who was of Scotch origin,
participated in the war of 1812. In 1864 John Williams
removed westward with his family, locating on a farm in Edgar
county, Illinois. Following his arrival in this state he resided
in Edgar and Coles counties until the time of his wife's death,
after which he made his home with a daughter in Bloomington,
there passing away at the age of seventy-five years.
Thomas B. Williams received but a limited
education in his youthful years and after attaining his majority
he determined to continue his studies in order that he might be
better equipped for the practical and responsible duties of
life. Therefore he worked at farm labor during the summer months
and in the winter seasons attended the Tuscola high school, his
classmates being children of twelve years of age. Subsequently
he took up the profession of teaching, thus obtaining the funds
that made it possible for him to pursue a course in the State
Normal School at Bloomington. He attended that institution for
four terms, doing odd jobs in order to help defray his expenses.
For twenty years he was actively identified with educational
interests as an instructor, acting as principal of the Broadwell
schools for two years, as principal of the New Holland schools
for nine years and as grammar room teacher of the Sidell schools
for four years. During a period of five years he taught in the
district schools. In 1900 he purchased the newspaper plant in
Sidell and for four years followed teaching in connection with
his editorial duties. He still owns the Sidell Journal and
conducts the paper in accordance with the most modern and
progressive ideas of journalism. On the 4th of February, 1908,
he was appointed postmaster of Sidell, taking charge of the
office on the 1st of March following, since which time he has
proven a most efficient incumbent in the position.
On the 4th of August, 1886, Mr. Williams was
united in marriage to Miss Anna Lucas, of Douglas county,
Illinois, by whom he has three children, namely: Ernest C.,
second lieutenant in the United States marine corps, who is now
located in Washington, D. C.; Lulu Hazel, a graduate of
the Sidell high school, who is now a sophomore in the University
of Illinois; and Genevieve, who is a student in the Sidell high
school. On the 5th of January, 1907, at Danville, Ernest C.
Williams enlisted in the marine corps as a private and in
November, 1908, passed his examination for promotion, being
appointed second lieutenant on the 4th of February, 1909. He
carried a gun for only two months and did actual duty, while at
the end of six months he was made a corporal and within a year
had become a sergeant. In two years' time he had received his
commission as second lieutenant, winning the tenth highest grade
in a class of two hundred and ten, two hundred and four of whom
were college graduates and only four of whom were from the
ranks. He had left high school when sixteen years of age and
worked in his father's newspaper office until the time of his
enlistment. At present he is stationed at the Washington navy
yard.
Mr. Williams is a republican in politics
and a well known worker in the local ranks of the party, having
repeatedly served as central committeeman. Fraternally he is
identified with Sidell Lodge, No. 798, A. F. & A. M.; Sidell
Lodge, No. 225, I. O. O. F.; and the Modern Woodmen of America.
Both he and his wife belong to the Christian church and
exemplify its teachings in their daily lives. He is a
representative of that class of men whose history will ever be
of interest—men who have made their own way in the world,
depending upon their own resources and working upward by reason
of force of character and determined and laudable ambition.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. -
Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - pp. 539 & 540 |
| |
JOSEPH
A. WILLIAMSON. There is no profession in which
advancement depends more surely upon individual worth than in
the law. It is a calling in which wealth or influence avail
little or nothing toward the attainment of success but where
close application, earnest purpose and intellectual strength
constitute the foundation on which prosperity is built.
Joseph A. Williamson, now practicing at the Danville bar,
has made a creditable record in connection with the work of the
courts. He was born in Mount Summit, Indiana, on the 20th of
September, 1874, a son of Joseph S. and Frances Rebecca (Ice)
Williamson. On the paternal side his grandfather was a
native of England and on coming to America first settled in Ohio
but later removed to Indiana, locating near Muncie, where the
father of our subject was born. The paternal grandmother,
however, was of German descent. On leaving his native state,
Joseph E. Williamson came to Illinois about 1876 and has
since made his home in Tuscola. Throughout his active business
life he followed merchandising and farming. His wife, who was a
native of Mount Summit, Indiana, died in 1874. Her father, J
Jesse Ice, was from Virginia but was one of the early
settlers of Mount Summit.
Joseph A. Williamson of this review began his
education in the district schools of Douglas county, Illinois,
and for one year was a student at Austin College in Effingham,
and became well fitted for the teacher's profession. He taught
school in Douglas county for three years and then entered the
law department of the Georgetown University from which he was
graduated with the degree of B. A. in 1905. The following year
the degree of M. A. was conferred upon him. Being admitted to
the bar, he opened an office in Danville in March, 1907, and has
since engaged in practice at this place, now enjoying a large
clientage. He is regarded as a wise counselor and able advocate
and in the presentation of his cause before the court seldom
fails to win the verdict desired.
In his political views Mr. Williamson has been a
democrat since age conferred upon him the right of franchise,
but the honors and emoluments of public office have little
attraction for him. He is a member of the First Presbyterian
church of Danville and is also connected with the One Hundred
Thousand Club and White Oak Lodge, Knights of Pythias, in which
he now holds the office of keeper of the records and seal. He is
appreciative of the social amenities of life and his genial
qualities have won him many friends, but his attention is
preeminently given to his professional duties, his devotion to
his clients' interests being proverbial.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub. 1911 - pp. 561 & 562 |
| |
WALTER
E. WINN, now serving as city engineer of Danville, claims
Alabama as his native state, his birth occurring in Dallas
county, on the 28th of December, 1871. His mother, who bore the
maiden name of Eliza Ellerbe, died in 1879, but his
father, Dr. Henry J. Winn, is still living and is today a
leading physician and surgeon of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Reared and educated in the south, Walter E. Winn
attended the public schools of Alabama and later the University
of Virginia at Charlottesville, that state, where he pursued an
engineering course and was graduated in 1892. Having received a
good practical training in his chosen profession, he then took
up the practice of engineering near Birmingham, Alabama, but in
January, 1896, removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he became
associated with various railroads, including the Frisco, Cotton
Belt and Missouri Pacific. He was principally engaged in the
construction of new lines through the states and territories of
the southwest, but May 20, 1905, he came to Danville as
superintendent of construction for Hegeler Brothers,
building their zinc smelting works south of the city. In July,
1907, he opened an office in Danville as consulting engineer and
continued to carry on business along that line until appointed
city engineer by Mayor Platt on the 8th of June, 1909. He
has since filled that position to the entire satisfaction of all
concerned and well deserves the public trust that has been
reposed in him.
On the 29th of June, 1898, in St. Louis, was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Winn and Miss Emma Frances
Coulter, a daughter of W. Frank and Emma Coulter,
natives of New Hampshire. While living in the east the father
served as editor on the New York World for a time, but at an
early day removed to St. Louis, where he and his wife now
reside. Mr. and Mrs. Winn have four children, as follows:
Frances Clare, born in St. Louis, June 6, 1899; Eliza
Ellerbe, born in St. Louis, February 5. 1903; Walter
Coulter, born in Danville, August 29, 1905; and Jane Van
Voorhees, born in Aberdeen, Mississippi, May 2, 1909.
When a young man Mr. Winn served as a member of
the Alabama State Militia during the years 1892 and 1894 and
while in college became a member of the Beta Theta Pi, a Greek
letter fraternity. In religious faith he is an Episcopalian and
today is a member of the Industrial Club. Politically he is a
stanch advocate of the principles of the democratic party and
never withholds his support from any enterprise which he
believes will advance the moral, intellectual or material
welfare of the community in which he resides. He has the gift of
easily making friends and, although his residence in Danville is
of short duration, he has already become widely and favorably
known.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - pp. 543 & 544 |
| |
MILTON J. WOLFORD.-
His ability to solve intricate business problems, his undaunted
enterprise and strong determination have brought Milton J.
Wolford into important relations with numerous business
concerns and he is today president of the Palmer National Bank
of Danville. He was born on the 6th of April, 1844, in Butler
County, Pennsylvania, of which state his parents, Jacob and
Lavina (Adams) Wolford, were also natives. His father
was a farmer by occupation and throughout life made his home in
Butler County, where both parents passed away. The son received
his education in the public schools of his native county and
later attended Westminster College but left that institution in
his junior year. He was graduated from the Iron City Commercial
College of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1864.
In the meantime, however, Mr. Wolford had
entered the service of his country, enlisting in August, 1862,
as a member of Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until May,
1863. In 1864 he reenlisted, becoming a member of the
Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and was made orderly sergeant on
the organization of his company. Subsequently he was promoted to
the rank of second lieutenant and as a member of Battery A,
Sixth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, participated in a number of
engagements. He took part in the latter part of the battle of
Antietam, the battle of Winchester and the charge of Maries
Heights at Fredericksburg and later was on duty in the
Cumberland valley against Mosby, helping to keep open the
railroad there. He was never seriously wounded but was hit by a
spent ball at Fredericksburg. At the close of his service he
returned to his old home in Pennsylvania and for a year
thereafter was a student in Westminster College.
It was in 1866 that Mr. Wolford came to
Illinois, first locating in Arcola, Douglas County, where he
taught school for a couple of terms, and was then made cashier
of the Cannon & Wyeth Bank, filling that position
until the firm discontinued business. He was then with his
brother-in-law, J. C. Justice, in the banking business
for about two years and in October 1875, came to Danville, where
for a year and a half he was employed in the Vermilion County
Bank. At the end of that time he entered the service of L. T.
and C. J. Palmer in their loan office. In 1880 he was
elected secretary of the Danville Benefit & Building
Association, in which connection he is still carrying on the
insurance business in conjunction with his banking operations.
In May, 1892, in association with Messrs. Palmer,
he organized the Palmer National Bank with a capital of
one hundred thousand dollars, C. J. Palmer being made
president and Mr. Wolford its first cashier, in
which capacity he served until 1902, when he was elected
president of the bank and has since filled that position. The
bank is now capitalized at one hundred and sixty thousand
dollars and is regarded as one of the safest financial
institutions in this part of the state. They are now erecting a
fine bank building at a cost of fifty thousand dollars, which
will be complete in all its appointments and especially adapted
for the business carried on. In addition to his other interests
Mr. Wolford has served as secretary and treasurer
of the Danville Opera House Company for several years and is a
director of the Vermilion County Abstract Company and a trustee
of Lakeside hospital. His connection with any undertaking
ensures a prosperous outcome of the same, for it is his nature
to successfully accomplish any task to which he sets himself.
In 1873, Mr. Wolford was united in
marriage to Miss Maude S. Blackwell of Arcola, Illinois,
and unto them have been born one son and three daughters, all of
whom are still living, namely : Ann S., now the widow of O.
L. Ridgely ; Maude B., the wife of Charles F.
Shane; and Sarah W. and Harold E., who are
students at the Madison (Wis.) University. The family hold
membership in the Presbyterian church and Mr. Wolford
is also identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. He has never taken a very active or prominent part in
public affairs, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his
commercial and banking interests and has earned for himself an
enviable reputation as a careful man of business, being known in
his dealings for his prompt and honorable methods which have won
him the deserved confidence of his fellowmen.
Source: History of Vermilion County,
Illinois - Vol. II - pg. 224 - contributed by Mary Paulius |
| |
THOMAS M. WOOLVERTON, now one of the oldest dealers in farm
machinery in the county in years of continuous connection with
the business, has built up an excellent trade at Hoopeston in
the face of difficulties and obstacles which would have utterly
discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit. He also deals in
paints, harness and sundry lines and has based his success upon
the sure and stable foundation of honorable and persevering
effort. He was born in Grant township, Vermilion county,
September 30, 1851, and comes of a family of English origin, the
name of Woolverton being derived from the old English name
Wolverhampton, which was a county in England. Representatives of
the name came to America at an early day and Abel Woolverton,
father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania. He served as a
colonel in the war of 1812 and on leaving Pennsylvania removed
to Ohio, while about 1850 he became a resident of Vermilion
county, Illinois, settling upon a farm, where he carried on
general agricultural pursuits to the time of his death. His wife
bore the maiden name of Ann English and was a daughter of
Joseph
English, a prominent early resident of Danville.
Thomas M. Woolverton was a pupil in the district schools of
Vermilion county for only about a year. His educational
privileges were extremely limited as far as school training was
concerned but in the school of experience his lessons were broad
and comprehensive and he has gained a practical knowledge that
has made him a successful business man. He early learned the
value of industry, perseverance and integrity and these have
ever remained crowning points in his life. When he was but eight
years of age he drove five yoke of oxen to a breaking plow and
was employed at farm work to the age of fourteen, when he began
herding cattle in and near Hoopeston, spending all the day in
guarding the herd and also many nights. He remembers a time
when* deer were frequently seen in the neighborhood, while many
kinds of wild fowls were to be had in abundance. There were also
other wild animals that were a menace to the farm yard and to
the settler and the evidences of frontier life could be seen on
every hand. The years of his youth passed in earnest and
unremitting toil and at length he came to manhood and resolved
to establish a home of his own, which he did by his marriage in
1871 to Miss Eliza J. Fortner, a daughter of Elijah Fortner, a
native of Indiana.
Following his marriage Mr. Woolverton began farming on his own
account and followed that pursuit for about six years, when
believing that commercial interests would prove more profitable
he removed to Hoopeston and engaged in the hay trade and in the
butchering business. He devoted about six years to that work and
at the end of that time began selling farm machinery. His start
in the latter business was a very humble one, for he had a
capital of less than a thousand dollars, for in his previous
business through going security for others he had suffered
losses to the extent of twelve thousand dollars. He has
continued to deal in farm machinery to the present time and has
extended the scope of his activities, handling now a large line
of implements, harness and kindred goods. In this connection he
has built up a substantial trade that is accorded him in
recognition of the fact that he handles a good line and that he
is ever reasonable in prices and fair and honorable in his
dealings. He has carried on this business with ever increasing
success and he is now proprietor of the Hoopeston machine shops
and does an extensive business in McCormick harvesters, the
Deere plows, buggies, wagons and harness; in fact he carries
everything needed upon a farm in connection with its
cultivation. He has a machine shop and a general repair shop,
forty by one hundred and twenty feet, and part of this is two
stories in height. During the busy season he employs fifteen men
in the shop and does all kinds of repair work from the repairing
of a hammer to a threshing machine. His machine shop and
implements are upon the west side of Bank street, the harness
and buggy emporium on the east side, but these are near together
so that he gives his personal supervision to all branches of his
business. He engages in the manufacture as well as the repairing
of harness and also repairs buggies. The shop on the east side
of the street is fifty by sixty feet and he also has two stores
which he rents. The business has constantly grown in volume and
importance until it is now the leading industrial and commercial
concern of the town and the owner has become one of the
substantial residents of Hoopeston. Long since he has regained
his lost possessions, pushing forward to continued success in
the conduct of the enterprise which has proved to him a
profitable one. Moreover, he has proven his worth in many public
connections and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his ability and
loyalty in citizenship have frequently called him to public
office. He served as justice of the peace of Hoopeston for nine
years-and at the present time is supervisor, having been the
incumbent in the office for seventeen years as the result of
eight different elections. He has certainly reason to feel a
pride at this record as it indicates as nothing else can do the
trust and confidence reposed in him by his fellowmen. He was
also one of the first aldermen of Hoopeston and in every public
position has discharged his duties with a promptness and
fidelity that have been above question. He is an active worker
in the ranks of the republican party, for he is a firm believer
in the efficacy of its principles as factors in good government.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Woolverton were born four children, of whom
one son, son, Charles, died in infancy; Nettie S., born in this
county, is the wife of Edward R. Knox, of Los Angeles,
California; Mont G. Woolverton, born in this county, married
Jossie Williams, also a native of this county, and with their
three children, Howard, Thomas and Russell, they now reside in
California; Ora, the youngest of the family, is deceased.
Mrs. Woolverton is a member of the Christian church and
Mr. Woolverton belongs to the Masonic lodge, the Odd Fellows, the
Modern Woodmen Camp and the Improved Order of Foresters, in all
of which he has held office. He is a man whom to know is to
esteem and honor and his stanchest friends are those who have
known him longest, a fact which indicates an honorable and
upright life. His home is pleasantly situated at the corner of
Bank and Penn streets and he likewise owns a half block in the
center of the town, where he carries on business. He has
witnessed marked changes since coming to this locality, in fact
has seen almost the entire growth and upbuilding of Hoopeston
and this part of the state. A contemporary biographer has said
of him: "Mr. Woolverton possesses marked energy and keen
perception. This enables him to form his plans readily, and he
never wavers in carrying them to a successful completion. His
close application to business and his excellent management have
brought him the high degree of prosperity which is today his."
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - Page
517 |
| |
WILLIAM WRIGHT.
In 1828 William Wright with his family came to this county,
coming directly from Rush County, Indiana. At that time there
were but three children. They had not been living in Indiana
more than one year, having gone there from Kentucky. The first
settlement made was three miles north of Danville. At the time
of his location here there were not many families in Danville;
it was so recently made a town. The land was not yet in the
market, and settlements were not attempted. He, however,
ventured to settle in the timber, having the universal mistrust
of the prairie. He built his house of logs and the chimney was
constructed of a substance called stone-coal, which was thought
to be fire-proof. This was a mistake, however, for the fire was
no sooner built than the chimney began to burn and it was with
difficulty that the cabin was saved.
The little log house was soon surrounded by a well
cultivated farm and in time a neat and comfortable house was
built. During this time the village of Denmark had been growing.
Because of the disadvantages of living so near this rough
frontier town, Mr. Wright sold his farm and moved to Danville
Township. Here he spent his last days. He died in 1845. His wife
survived him by thirty-six years.
Source: The History of Vermilion Co.,
Illinois - Vol. I - 1911 - Page 128 - Submitted by Mary Paulius |
| |
D. M. WYMAN.
Fifty-eight years ago D. M. Wyman, a farmer now
living retired at Potomac, located in Vermilion County. He was
then nineteen years of age, at the beginning of an active career
which continued without intermission until five years ago, since
which time he has rested from his labors and now enjoys the
repose that is earned by one who through a long life has
attempted to perform his duty. Since Mr. Wyrnan
located in this region great transformations have taken place in
Vermilion County and throughout the entire country. The county
then thinly settled and just emerging from its primitive
condition, now blossoms with thriving farms and established
communities. The vast territory to the west as far as the
Pacific Ocean has been settled; the Civil war came and passed,
leaving its impress on the whole country and even throughout the
entire world; the railroads and telegraph have been introduced
and all the comforts that we now recognize as such important
features in modern civilization became available. Mr.
Wyman has contributed his part toward this end and now,
having laid aside the implements of agriculture, in the peace of
his home he reviews the past, many of the scenes being as clear
in his memory as if they had transpired only yesterday.
Mr. Wyman was born in Athens county,
Ohio, July 4, 1833, and is the son of De Marquis and Parmelia
(Johnson) Wyman, the former a native of Steuben county,
New York, and the latter also a native of the Empire state. The
father of our subject grew to manhood in his native state and
then decided to seek his fortune in the west, which was at that
time largely a wilderness. Means of transportation being limited
and the roads few and very poorly constructed, he built a boat
with his own hands on the upper waters of the Ohio river and
floated down that stream to Marietta, a town founded by settlers
on the Ohio river in 1788. Landing at this place, he traveled
over land to Athens, one of the old settlements of Ohio, and
built a mill. The region about Athens was thickly wooded. He
decided to establish himself in the lumber business, conveying
the product of his mill by water to Louisville, Kentucky, which
was the nearest market of importance then available. On his
first trip to Louisville Mr. Wyman was seized by
cholera, then ravaging the frontier settlements, and died far
from home and among strangers. This was in 1833, the same year
in which the subject of this review was born. The mother long
survived her husband, departing this life at an advanced age, in
1891. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Wyman, two of whom are now living: D. M., the
subject of this review; and Lavisa, the widow of John
Trebilcock, a pioneer of Van Buren County, Illinois, who
died August 29, 1910.
D. M. Wyman was educated in the public schools
and on account of the death of his father was early thrown upon
his own resources and became acquainted .with labor, thus
developing a sturdy spirit of self-reliance that has been an
important element in his life. In 1852, being then nineteen
years of age and realizing the importance of an early start for
any young man who hopes to be master of his own destiny, he
located land at Cherry Grove, in this county, on Eight Mile
Prairie. This land he improved and developed into a fertile
farm, upon which he lived until five years ago, when he retired
to Potomac. He is now the owner of four hundred and seventy-five
acres of land in Middlefork Township and also of valuable
property in Potomac.
In 1856 Mr. Wyman was united in marriage
to Miss Catherine Spencer, of McLean
County, this state. Two children were born of the union: Mary,
now deceased; and William, a farmer, of Middlefork
township. Being deprived of his wife by death, Mr.
Wyman was married in 1860 to Miss Mahala
Juvenall, who proved to him a helpful and loving companion
for forty-five years and departed this life September 5, 1905.
Four children were born of this union: Austin J., Lily, the wife
of Charles Cunningham, and Charles Wyman,
all living upon the home farm; and Elijah J., a farmer of
Ross township. Mr. Wyman cast his first vote as an
old line Whig and when that party was merged into the
republican party, he adopted the principles of its successor and
has ever since been an ardent republican. He is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church and as one of the early settlers of
the county whose activities have always been in behalf of the up
building of the community, he is eminently worthy of mention in
this volume. Esteemed wherever his name is known, everybody has
a good word for D. M. Wyman.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol. II - Pub.
1911 - Page 172 |
| |
WILLIAM
WHITE was born in Blount township of
Vermilion County Mar. 20, 1830. He was the
son of James White, a pioneer of this section.
James White was the father of fourteen children,
ten of whom reached adult years and had
families of their own. William had
four brothers and a sister beside himself born
in Blount township, and all but one brother
settled in that neighborhood. The
childhood and youth of William White and
his brothers was spent in helping on the farm.
A subscription school for three months during
the winter was the only chance by which he could
learn to read, write and cipher. More time
was devoted to following the plow than to
reading. From the time he was ten years
old he followed the plow, driving oxen. At
first it was a wooden mold plow, and afterward a
single shovel plow, while the harness had a
single line. He planted corn by hand,
cradled the grain and bound the wheat by hand.
He helped his mother "dip the candles" until
they had moulds, and at times he saw a turnip
hollowed out and filled with grease, into which
there was a rag put and lighted for the purpose
of giving desired light. People at this
time rode to church on horseback, as many as
three people sitting on one sheepskin.
William White owned the last yoke of oxen in
his neighborhood. It was a splendid team,
weighing 4,700 pounds, but the work done on the
farm did not require their strength and at last
he would the team. William White
married Elizabeth Wiles, who was a
daughter of Vermilion County, being born in
Blount township Mar. 20, 1840. She was the
daughter of Langford and Mary (Cassat) Wiles.
After they were married they settled on the
eight-mile prairie, where there was not a house
in sight. They lived in true pioneer
style, but later all the conveniences of modern
life were added to their home.
Source: Vol. II History of Vermilion Co.,
Ill. - Pub. 1911 - Pg. 235 |
| |
ABEL WILLIAMS came into this county in 1826, bringing his wife
and four children.
They came from Tennessee, his father having gone there
from North Carolina. He and his wife were both members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church and when he came here the first thing
he did was to build a place of worship. He did it without help
from any one until it was almost completed. It was the first
house of worship ever built in Carroll Township. It was built
about a mile southwest of Indianola, and was the center of
Methodism for many years and several counties. Mr. Williams was
the first advocate of "total abstinence" in Vermilion County.
When he first came there was not a man but who drank more or
less intoxicating liquor. The church members were no exception.
When Abel Williams began to advocate "teetotalism," as it was
called, he made many enemies as may be supposed. He lived,
however, to see intemperance discounted in the church' and
public sentiment banish it from the best society.
Abel Williams was the second justice of the peace and
held the office twelve years. It was well known that he would
not issue papers for law suits until he had exhausted every
means of other settlement. His decisions were always sustained
by the higher courts. Abel Williams came of Quaker stock.
Source: History of Vermilion Co., Ill. - Vol.
II - Pub. 1911 - Page 123 |
NOTES: |
