The Biographical Record of DeWitt County, Illinois, Illustrated.
Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1901.
Submitted by Judy Simpson
Note: These biographies were transcribed as written and may contain errors. We welcome your corrections concerning factual data. Just send an e-mail to the County Coordinator, and be sure to give us your name and return e-mail address.
MRS. FRANKLIN VANCE. (Volume 1, Page 375)
One of the best known and most highly respected ladies of Clinton, Illinois, is Mrs. Franklin Vance, whose maiden name was Rebecca Parkes. She was born in Madison county, Ohio, and was the daughter of Solomon and Rebecca Parkes, probably natives of Virginia. Her husband, Franklin Vance, was born in Pendleton county, West Virginia, September 16, 1837, and was a son of Jesse and Harriet (Overof) Vance. When but seventeen years of age he came to Rutledge township, DeWitt county, Illinois, with his parents and they settled on fifty-four acres, which they greatly improved. The children born to Jesse Vance and wife were: Franklin; Sylvanus; Denisa; Pleasant; Dunn: Rexread; Catherine; Susan; Robert; Julia; Isabella; Belia and Adelia.
After his marriage, Franklin Vance settled upon a nice farm which he placed in a high state of cultivation and engaged in general farming and the raising of high-bred short-horn cattle and draught horses for the market, becoming very successful. His death occurred on March 17, 1895, and his loss was greatly lamented.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Vance, namely: An infant son, Mac, Eva, Daisy A. and William F., and the four children who grew to maturity proved to be great comforts to their parents.
Mr. Vance was supervisor for seven years, having been elected on the Democratic ticket, and was also township trustee for several years, always serving his constituents with faithfulness and upholding the principles of his party. Socially he was an active member of the Masonic fraternity and was greatly respected in the community in which he resided.
MARIS WALDEN. (Volume 1, Page 215)
Among the soldier-citizens of Wilson township, DeWitt county, Illinois, one of the most prominent is Maris Walden, who resides on section 27 and was born at Randolph Grove, McLean county, Illinois, December 24, 1840. He is a son of William and Jane (Starr) Walden.
William Walden was a native of Kentucky and the mother was a native of North Carolina, and they were married in Indiana. In 1830 the parents removed to McLean county, Illinois, and in 1842 they located in Wilson township, DeWitt county, and here the father worked by the day for thirteen years, at the end of which time he had saved sufficient money to purchase some timber land and a few acres of wild prairie land. At the time of his death he was the possessor of four hundred and fifty acres of well-cultivated farm land and had also helped his sons acquire fine farms. Although they began their married life as poor people, they accumulated considerable of this world's goods. The father died in 1872, aged sixty-six, and his widow survived him until 1889, when she, too, died, aged eighty-four, and both are interred on their old homestead. In politics the father was a Democrat until 1856, then became a Republican and held the office of school director until a few years prior to his death. He was also township clerk for several years. He and his estimable wife were both Methodists, and he often filled vacant pulpits. For a long time services would be held in his barn and house, as there was no other place of worship in the neighborhood. The unfortunate always found a friend in these two good people, and Mrs. Walden was never too tired or busy to prepare a meal for anyone who came to her door hungry. Their names will be long remembered by many a person whose suffering was relieved by the gentle charity that never sought to be known of men.
To William Walden and wife were born thirteen children, of whom seven grew to maturity, namely: James, deceased; Elijah, who lives in Wilson township; Isaac, deceased; Thomas, who resides in Wilson township; Maris, our subject; William P., who lives in Wilson township; Jessie, who resides in Arkansas.
Maris Walden was seven years old when he began his education, and he attended the first school built in the township. At this time there were only fourteen voters in the township and money for the erection of the school was raised by subscription as well as of logs and timber. The structure was the frame building of the time, with slab benches, and the only book aside from the "speller" our subject possessed was a second reader. He had to walk a mile to school and never was able to attend except when there was no work upon the farm that required his attention.
When but twenty-two years of age, he enlisted on August 9, 1862, at Clinton, Illinois, in Company B, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Turner, and the regiment did guard duty until June, 1863, on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. After this they followed Morgan through Kentucky and Indiana and into West Virginia. They then went back to Lexington, Kentucky, then to east Tennessee, where our subject was placed in the Pioneer Corps, which had to open roads and rebuild bridges. This he did until the Knoxville siege, and that winter he marched up and down east Tennessee with scarcely enough to eat, the rations being reduced to an ear of corn a day. He was with Sherman until the battle in which McPherson was killed, and his regiment went back to Tennessee, where they fought against General Johnson, and there they lost many of their officers. After this they went back to Nashville and Franklin and participated in the second day's engagement on December 15 and 16 under General Thomas. They then went up the Ohio river and on to Washington. The next move was into North Carolina, and the regiment witnessed the surrender of General Johnston to General Sherman. Mr. Walden was honorably discharged at Salisbury, North Carolina, after a long and faithful service, and mustered out at Camp Butler, Springfield, Illinois, July 10, 1865.
After his war experience our subject returned home and went to work upon the farm, and upon November 8, 1866, was married to Lavina J. Belt, and she bore him three children, namely: Charles H., who resides in St. Louis, Missouri; Albert, who resides with his father; Lafayette B., who resides in Barnett township and is a farmer. Mr. Walden married for a second time Mrs. Mary C. Layton.
The farm upon which Mr. Walden resides is a well-improved piece of property, and it is well kept up in every respect. In politics he is a Republican, and, although he does not seek public preferment, he is a man of public spirit and one who occupies a prominent place in the township in which he has made his home for so many years.
HON. JOHN WARNER. (Volume 1, Page 26)
There may be found in almost all American communities quiet, retiring men, who never ask public office or appear prominent in public affairs, yet who, nevertheless exert a widely felt influence in the community in which they live and help to construct the proper foundation upon which the social and political world is built. Such a man is the Hon. John Warner, of Clinton, who for more than a half century has resided in DeWitt county. He has been an important factor in business circles and his popularity is well deserved as in him are embraced the characteristics of an unbending integrity, unabating energy and industry that never flags. He is public spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of Clinton, and with its growth has been identified from the time when he came to the county and found Clinton a little village of less than one hundred inhabitants. He is now the president of the John Warner Bank, but this represents only one branch of his various activities.
Mr. Warner was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, July 24, 1819, a son of David and Catherine (Kettner) Warner. The Warner family is of German lineage and was founded in Pennsylvania at an early period in the development of that state. The father of our subject was a native of the Keystone state, and throughout his entire life he followed farming. Removing to the Old Dominion, he there married Catherine Kettner, whose birth occurred in the same house in which her son John was born. When the latter was fifteen years of age the parents removed with the family to Henry county, Indiana, where the father purchased a farm, which he continued to cultivate for a long period. He died at the age of seventy years, his wife having passed away a few years previously. They were the parents of seven children, of whom John was the third in order of birth, and the only one who ever came to DeWitt county.
John Warner spent the first fifteen years of his life in the state of his nativity and then became a resident of Indiana. His educational privileges were those afforded by the common schools, but instruction was given him in both English and German. At the age of eighteen he entered upon his business career as a clerk in the dry goods store of Conner, Stephenson & Company, at Alexandria, Indiana. In 1839, after struggling for three years through the hard times which followed the financial panic of 1837, the firm was compelled to discontinue business and Mr. Warner was thus left without employment. He then began the study of medicine under the direction of Dr. Carmine, at Anderson, Indiana, who directed his reading for about eighteen months, at the end of which time the Doctor departed this life. Mr. Warner then continued his studies at leisure months while engaged in teaching school, the winter season being devoted to that profession.
In November, 1840, Mr. Warner was united in marriage to Miss Cynthia Ann Gardner, a daughter of Thomas Gardner, a farmer of Middletown, Indiana, and in the spring of the following year they removed to DeWitt county, Illinois. Unto them were born four children, namely: Vespasian, who is now congressman from the thirteenth district of Illinois; Mrs. Flora Mace, a resident of New York City; Mrs. Minnie Mettler, of Chicago; and Arabella, at home. After practicing in the county for a year Dr. Warner took up his abode in the village of Clinton—a mere hamlet, where the work of progress and upbuilding had hardly been begun. Here he engaged in the practice of medicine for twelve years, on the expiration of which period he abandoned his profession. This was in the year 1852. In 1848 he had been elected clerk of the circuit court, and had discharged his duties in a prompt and commendable manner. On ceasing to practice medicine he engaged in dealing in real estate and in conducting a mercantile business until 1861. Then in 1867, in company with Henry Magill, J. R. Warner and Lawrence Weldon, he embarked in the banking business in Clinton, under the firm name of John Warner & Company. Operations have since been carried on under this name, although Mr. Warner is now the only surviving member of the original firm. The institution of which he is the president has weathered many financial panics, standing strong before the storm, the confidence and support of the public increasing year by year. The bank is uniformly acknowledged to be one of the most reliable moneyed concerns in this part of the state, its officers and stockholders being men of unquestioned business ability, worthy of the highest trust.
Politically Mr. Warner has been a Republican since the organization of the party. In fact before its establishment he advocated Republican principles and attended the meeting held in Bloomington, where views were set forth which were afterward embodied in the Republican platform. He has labored earnestly for good government, both local and national, and believes that not the least of man's duty is his exercise of his right of franchise in support of the men and measures that he thinks will best advance the general good. In the winter of 1854-5 he was a member of the Illinois legislature and stood fearless and strong in defense of whatever he believed to be right. When the slavery question and its extension involved the country in Civil war, he volunteered for service in April, 1861, raised a company in DeWitt county and assisted in organizing the Forty-first Regiment of Illinois, of which he was elected major. He participated in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Shiloh, and at the last named, after the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Tupper, who had command of the regiment, Major Warner was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. In September, 1862, however, on account of illness, he was obliged to resign.
There has been no movement started in DeWitt county for the public benefit that has sought and not received his aid and cooperation. He has been foremost in every good work, and no citizen deserves more honorable mention in a volume of this character than John Warner. His business life is one of strictest honesty. Strong and fearless in action and stainless in reputation the people among whom he has so long resided rejoice in his honors and successes and an enumeration of the distinguished men of the county would be incomplete without his life history.
MRS. MARY J. WEEDMAN. (Volume 1, Page 158)
Mrs. Mary J. Weedman, widow of the late Amos Weedman, is one of the honored pioneers of Dewitt county, and none of its citizens are better entitled to place in the annals of the county. Both she and her husband have been noted for their public spirit and for the genuine interest they have displayed in everything pertaining to the progress and improvement of Farmer City and vicinity.
Mrs. Weedman is a daughter of James Washington McCord, who was one of the first settlers of the county, having located here in 1834. He was born in Overton county, Tennessee, January 25, 1811, and was a son of James McCord, of whom mention is made in the sketch of C. W. McCord on another page of this volume. In early manhood James W. McCord married Miss Julia Wheeler, a native of Virginia, and a daughter of Elijah Wheeler. She died in 1854, at the age of forty-one years. The children born of this union were Elijah; Mary J.; Sarah; James T.; Charlotte; Harriett; Martha; Hannah; William A.; and Rebecca and Julia, twins, who died young. Besides their own family the parents reared two orphan children. For his second wife Mr. McCord married Polly Herold, by whom he had four children, John, Amanda, Cora and Laura.
In 1830 Mr. McCord came to DeWitt county, Illinois, but after looking over the prairies he returned to Tennessee, and did not locate herer until March 17, 1834, when he entered forty acres of land, this being the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 32, Santa Anna township. This was the third entry of land made in the township. When he came to this county a second time he was accompanied by his family, and brought the few household effects which could be conveyed from his old home by team and wagon. Upon his land he built a log cabin of one room, and then turned his attention to the improvement and cultivation of his land. He subsequently entered another tract of forty acres, and still later a one-hundred-acre tract, and erected a more convenient and commodious log house, around whose large fireplace his family spent many a delightful hour. Mr. McCord made many improvements upon his farm, which is now one of the best in the county and is owned by Henry Reiser. He and his wife were among the six who constituted the first Methodist society in this locality and were earnest, consistent Christian people, highly respected and esteemed by all who knew them. They assisted in building the first house of worship in Santa Anna township, and always took an active part in all church work. In 1850, during the gold excitement in California, Mr. McCord crossed the plains and spent fifteen months on the Pacific slope, but he often remarked that during that time he saw nothing so grand and so promising as the prairies of Illinois. On his return home he resumed farming and carried it on so successfully that he accumulated a comfortable property which enabled him to spend his declining years in ease and quiet. He died at his home in DeWitt, November 21, 1895, and was laid to rest in Fullerton cemetery. Fraternally he was a member of the Masonic Order, and always lived up to its teachings.
Mrs. Weedman was born in Jackson county, Tennessee, May 25, 1830, and grew to womanhood in this county. On December 16, 1847, she gave her hand in marriage to Amos Weedman, who was born in Perry county, Ohio, May 12, 1826, and in 1830 came to Illinois with his parents, John and Rachel (Wilson) Weedman. The family first located near Heyworth, McLean county, but in 1836 removed to Santa Anna township, DeWitt county, where Mr. Weedman spent his early life. Here he made his first purchase of land in 1850, but sold the property three years later and bought land in Piatt county, where his son, Smith Y., now resides. Later he purchased a farm on section 32, Santa Anna township, DeWitt county, where he was successfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising until elected sheriff of the county in 1876, on the Republican ticket. So acceptably did he fill that office that he was twice re-elected, and after serving three consecutive terms refused a renomination. While in office he was called upon to execute the first man hanged in this county-Patsy Divine, who murdered Aaron Goodfellow-this proved a memorable occasion to Mr. Weedman as it occurred on his fifty-sixth birthday. Being a man of strong nerves, cool and deliberate, he never shirked the arduous duties of his office and he proved one of the best sheriffs DeWitt county has ever had. After his retirement from office he located in Farmer City, in 1882, and there made his home throughout the remainder of his life. He became prominently identified with municipal affairs, and served as alderman of the city for a time, but his attention was mostly devoted to his real estate interests. He owned one of the best improved and most valuable farms in Santa Anna township. Socially he was a member of the blue lodge, No. 710, A. F. & A. M., in which he served as master; and also belonged to the chapter, No. 60, R. A. M.; while both he and his wife were members of the Easter Star Chapter and of the Methodist Episcopal church. In all of the relations of life he was found true to every trust reposed in him whether public or private, and he commanded the respect and confidence of the entire community.
In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Weedman were two sons, namely: (1) William Rucker, a resident of Farmer City, where he lives a retired life, married Kate Page, and they have three children, Esk, Wallace and Laura M.; (2) Smith Y., a farmer of Piatt county, Illinois, married Lottie Thorne and they have six children: Harriet, who is now the wife of G. Burford, and has one child, Freeman V.; Amos; Otto; Jessie; Judson S.; and Ward.
WILLIAM WELD. (Volume 1, Page 154)
In studying the lives and characters of our leading men, we are naturally led to inquire into the secret of their success and the motives that have prompted their action. Success is a question of genius, as held by many, but is it not rather a matter of experience and sound judgment? When we trace the career of those who stand highest in public esteem we find in nearly every case they are those who have risen gradually, fighting their way in the face of all opposition. Self-reliance, conscientiousness, energy and honesty are the traits of character that insure the highest emoluments and greatest success, and to these we may attribute the success that crowned the efforts of our subject.
Mr. Weld was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, February 4, 1821, and was a son of Joseph M. and Lucy S. (Richards) Weld, natives of Boston and Dedham, Massachusetts, respectively. It was there the mother was reared and educated. She was a daughter of Jonathan Richards, a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Our subject was the sixth in order of birth in a family of ten children, the others being Joseph R., Hepsibah C., Daniel M., Lucy H., Ann, Jonathan R., Edwin, Elizabeth and Henry C.
Mr. Weld received his education in the place of his nativity, and at the age of seventeen entered the employ of Thomas Moore, of Boston, to learn the art of lithographing, and was there employed fifteen years, being foreman of his department ten years of that time. On severing his connection with Mr. Moore he came to DeWitt county, Illinois, and purchased property in Texas township, and later purchased an additional tract, where he successfully engaged in farming until three years prior to his death, when he removed to Clinton and bought what was known as the Hanger property, consisting of two and a half acres of land on Jackson avenue, with a house upon it. There he died March 12, 1895, from a stroke of paralysis. He was taken ill Saturday morning and passed away on Tuesday morning.
On the 12th of September, 1870, Mr. Weld was united in marriage with Mrs. Rachel E. (Giddings) Hickman. Her parents, Wilton [Milton] M. and Sarah Ann (Fay) Giddings, were born, reared and married in Rutland, Vermont, and from there removed to Ohio, living for a time in Union county, and later in Champaign county. In 1850 they came to DeWitt county and settled in the village of Clinton, which at that time contained only two houses that were two stories in height. They traveled with their daughter in a carriage, while their two sons rode in a wagon, it taking them two weeks to make the trip. They brought with them a few chairs and some small articles for the house, but most of their furniture was bought in Pekin, Illinois. Mr. Giddings purchased one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land in Clintonia township, which was then in a wild state, and also one hundred and twenty acres of timber land in Creek township. He placed his farm under cultivation, set out orchards, built fences, barn and a house, which are still standing. Subsequently he sold that property and purchased forty acres of land just south of Clinton, which he owned at the time of his death, but which has since been sold. He was a carpenter by trade, and followed that occupation in connection with farming for many years. In politics he was first an old-line Whig and later a Republican, but he would never accept the office. He died in January, 1873 [1874], and his wife in the same month two years later, both being nearly sixty-five years of age at the time of their deaths. Their remains were interred in the Woodlawn cemetery.
Unto this worthy couple were born three children, of whom Mrs. Weld is the second in order of birth. Edward, the oldest, was born in Vermont, and is now deceased. He spent most of his life in Clinton, Illinois, with exception of the few years he lived in Florida and the time he was in the war of the Rebellion, as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted as a private and for meritorious service was promoted to captain of his company. He married Elizabeth Slater, of Pana, who still resides in this state. His remains were interred in the Woodlawn cemetery of Clinton. Milton Giddings, Mrs. Weld's younger brother, was born in Ohio, and served as a private in the company of which his brother was captain, and was with Sherman on his celebrated march to sea. He married Phidelia Colwell, who died leaving two daughters, Minnie and Ada, who reside with him in Florida.
Mrs. Weld was born and reared in Ohio, and as previously stated, came with her parents to Clinton, Illinois, in 1850. Three years later she gave her hand in marriage to John Hickman, a native of Kentucky, who came to this county some years prior to his marriage. By trade he was a blacksmith, but principally followed farming, owning and operating land in Clintonia township. He was first a Whig and later a Republican in politics, and was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. He died December 3, 1859, and was buried in the Hickman family cemetery. He left two children, John Milton and Sarah L., both of whom died at the age of sixteen years and were laid to rest in Woodlawn cemetery. By her second marriage, Mrs. Weld became the mother of three children: Nellie, who died at the age of fifteen months; Fannie, who lives with her mother; and Ella May, wife of Arthur G. Tennant, who is a clerk in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad at Clinton. He was born in Lancastershire, England, and is a son of Walter and Eliza (Bradbury) Tennant. His father lived for some years in America, but died in England, and his mother, who is a native of Yorkshire, now makes her home in Chicago. They had nine children, of whom seven are still living. To Arthur G. Tennant and wife have been born two children: William Weld and Fannie Evelyn. They have a fine large residence on the corner of North Jackson avenue and West Johnson street, Clinton, which was erected by Mr. Tennant at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars, and with them resides Mrs. Weld, who now rents her home in that city. She still owns the farm on one hundred and eight-six acres of highly developed land in Texas township, left to her by Mr. Weld, which she rents. In addition to this she owns one hundred acres near Maroa, which is also rented. These farms are well-improved, there being good two-story residences and new barns upon both.
While a resident of Boston Mr. Weld cast his first presidential vote for James Buchanan, the Democratic candidate, but later became a supporter of the Republican party. The citizens of Texas township called upon him to act as road commissioner and school director, which offices he acceptably filled, and he always took an active interest in those enterprises calculated to advance the welfare of his township and county. In his home he was an indulgent father, a kind and devoted husband, and his genuine worth and many manly virtues were widely recognized. He never acted except from honest motives, and in all his varied relations in business affairs and in social life, he maintained a character and standing that impress all with his sincere and manly purpose to do by others as he would have others do by him. His wife and family are all members of the First Presbyterian church of Clinton.
GEORGE WETZELL. (Volume 1, Page 367)
Among the well-known and respected citizens of Farmer City, Illinois, is George Wetzell, the efficient and enterprising editor and proprietor of the Farmer City Sun, having occupied this position since October 1, 1899, succeeding Devore & Lawrence.
The birth of Mr. Wetzell occurred near Abingdon, Virginia, October 9, 1857, and he is a son of Jefferson Wetzel, who was born in Wythe county, Virginia, June 30, 1832. The Wetzel family traces its ancestry far back to one John Wetzel, who came to America either from Germany or Switzerland, and was the first settler in what is now the city of Wheeling, West Virginia. He was a farmer and was killed by the Indians, his son Lewis avenging his father’s death by slaying the murderer. The children of John were as follows: Martin, Lewis, Jacob, John, George, Susan and Christina.
George Wetzel, who was the great-great-grandfather of our subject, removed to Maryland and little is known of him in the family, except that he left a son, Peter. Peter Wetzel was a farmer in southwestern Virginia and operated a mill in Wythe county. His children were Michael, Elizabeth, George, John, Peter and Jessie. He died at the age of seventy years. George Wetzel, the grandfather of our subject, removed to DeWitt county, Illinois, in 1852, coming by team to Farmer City. By trade he was a cooper, and also engaged in farming in connection with work at his coopering. The grandmother of our subject was Margaret, a daughter of Michael Commany, who was born in Virginia. The family born to these grandparents included these children: Henry, Isaac, Solomon, Martin, Annie, Catherine, Rebecca, Margaret, Jefferson, Ambrose, George, David and Michael. During the war of 1812 Grandfather Wetzel started to join the army, but peace was declared before he reached the seat of war. In politics he was formerly a Whig, but later became a Republican, while the religious connection of the family was with the Lutheran church.
Jefferson Wetzel, the father of our subject, was educated in the public schools and engaged in farming. In 1862 he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Drum Corps, and later organized a brass band. When a young man he learned the carpenter trade and followed that in connection with farming. His marriage was to Miss Catherine Christ, who was born in Virginia, and was a daughter of Daniel and Amanda (Minnick) Christ. The children of this marriage were as follows: William A., who married Ella Cummings, lives in Salt Lake City; David C. was a minister in the Christian church, but is now deceased, his death occurring in San Francisco; Benjamin F.; George W., of this sketch; Anna Belle, married C. F. Holmes, of Piatt county; Laura M. married A. G. Albright; Vinnie R. married Harry R. Bates, of Seattle, Washington; Nettie F. is deceased; Della Maud is also deceased; and Pearl married L. S. Webb.
Mr. Wetzell has been senior vice-commander of the G. A. R. post and has filled with efficiency several political offices, notably that of tax collector. Formerly he was a Whig, but is now an ardent and active Republican, and has done some excellent reportorial work on the Bloomington, Illinois, newspapers. For many years he has been an elder in the Christian church, and has been long connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has held high office.
It was in 1859 that George Wetzell, our subject, accompanied his parents to Farmer City and as early as his fourteenth year began a career which has been one of considerable prominence. Under John S. Harper, who was one of the earliest publishers in this city, he served an apprenticeship, graduating into a first-class printer, skilled not only in the mechanical part of the business, but comprehending with ability and intelligence to other branches of the newspaper work. In 1881 he went to Bloomington and there became the foreman of the Bloomington Daily Leader, remaining for a period of four years, going from there to Greenview, Manard county, to establish the Greenview Mail, which for four years was one of the brightest little journals of that part of the county. Returning to Bloomington he became associated with the Bloomington Pantagraph and remained in that city for eleven years, leaving that well-known journal to purchase his present newspaper in this city.
Fraternally Mr. Wetzell is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America. Politically he is independent and at the present time he is serving as a member of the Farmer City school board. He is recognized as a man of ability and has increased the patronage of his paper in a remarkable degree since taking charge. Liberal-minded and careful, it has been the aim of Mr. Wetzell to furnish the news to the residents of Farmer City in agreeable form, to mold public sentiment in the direction of progress and improvement, to advance the interests of worthy enterprises in their midst and to give them a paper worthy of their support.
JAMES H. WHITEHEAD. (Volume 1, Page 388)
James H. Whitehead, who is the proud possessor of one of the finest farms in Texas township, and is himself one of the most scientific and thorough prosecutors of agricultural enterprises in the state, is a native of Illinois, and was born in Montgomery county, August 20, 1850. His parents are John Q. and Leah (Lightner) Whitehead, the former a native of Butler county, Ohio, and an engineer by trade. The elder Whitehead is a man of pronounced characteristics, and is now living in retirement on a small fruit farm in Tunbridge township. He came to Illinois in 1849, and after remaining for a year returned to the vicinity of Hamilton, Ohio, where he was an engineer for nearly eight years. He subsequently for a time lived in Indiana, and in the fall of 1867, settled in Woodford county, near Roanoke, Illinois, and engaged in farming for some years. Eventually, however, he settled in Tunbridge township, DeWitt county, where he now lives and where, at the age of seventy-six, he is hale and hearty, and able to take his place among the active citizens of the place. He is a Republican in politics and in religion is a hard shell Baptist. During the Civil war he enlisted in 1863 in Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war, participating in some of the important battles. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. The mother of Mr. Whitehead died at the home in Norristown, Indiana, when he was eight years of age and is buried in the cemetery of that place. The father later married Matilda Phillips, a native of Indiana, and the mother of six children. Of the first union there were four children, three of whom are living.
Mr. Whitehead acquired his education in the public schools of DeWitt county, Illinois, and shortly after the death of his mother he began to work on the farms in the neighborhood, and was thus very early impressed with the serious and responsible side of life. By 1886 he was enabled to purchase the present home place, which he has improved and transformed into a model and remunerative property. At first the family lived in a small frame house, but in 1899 he erected the substantial and comfortable rural house, and has also put up splendid barns, and convenient general buildings. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and has a fine orchard which yields abundantly. His land comprises one hundred and twenty-one acres of land on section 22, besides five acres of timber, and he also rents and farms two hundred and twenty acres on section 27. He is a Republican in politics, and has held the office of road commissioner and school director. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Maroa Lodge No. 314.
January 1, 1879, Mr. Whitehead married Maggie Williams, a native of Macon county, Illinois, daughter of Andrew and Susan (Funk) Williams, the former born in Pennsylvania. Andrew Williams came to Illinois at a very early day, and engaged in farming for many years in Macon county, where he died on June 27, 1901, at the age of seventy-two years. To Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead have been born the following children: Myrtle; Edward, who is deceased; Eva; Lewis; Sylvia; Leonard; James; and Opal. The children were all born in DeWitt county, and all were educated in the district schools of the township.
JOHN Q. WHITEHEAD. (Volume 1, Page 217)
John Q. Whitehead is a native of Butler county, Ohio, and was born on June 17, 1824. He lived at his place of birth until he was twenty-five years of age. His early education was obtained in the common schools and he assisted his father upon the farm. He was a son of Daniel and Ann (Whitehead) Whitehead, both of whom were natives of England. Daniel was a shoemaker by trade, and when he settled in Ohio, about 1820, he located in Butler county and engaged in the practice of his calling. The father also purchased a farm and was very successful. He died upon the farm, but his wife died in Rush county, Indiana, and both died at an advanced age. Our subject was one of six children, only two of whom are now living, and our subject was the youngest in the family.
After leaving his childhood home in 1859, Mr. Whitehead located in Shelby county, Indiana, and embarked in the stationery business, and continued in same for some years. At the call of duty, on February 9, 1863, he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to Hoover's division. He was through the Atlanta campaign, then participated in the Franklin fight, and his was the first regiment to enter Fort Anderson at the surrender. He was mustered out at Lexington, North Carolina, and was discharged on August 23, 1865, having been a brave and faithful soldier.
After his war experience he came to Illinois and located in Woodford county, near Washburn, where he remained three years, and then came to DeWitt county and settled in Texas township and rented land and engaged in farming and stock-raising for some years. During this time Mr. Whitehead farmed to some extent in partnership with his son James. About eighteen years ago he purchased his present farm and has resided here ever since, on section 13, Tunbridge township, and is engaged in fruit farming.
Mr. Whitehead married, in Indiana, Miss Leath Lightner, and she was a native of Pennsylvania, having been born near Harrisburg. She died in Shelby county, Indiana, and had borne her husband a family of four children, two boys and two girls, three of whom are still surviving, namely: Anna Eliza, who married Monroe Young, of Rush county, Indiana; James H.; John, who died at the age of forty-six years and left a wife and one child; Emma, who is the wife of Franklin Scott, of Bloomington, Illinois, and they have four children, viz.: Muneld, Mame, John and Marie.
Mr. Whitehead was married a second time, and his choice was Marilda Phillips, a native of Indiana. This marriage occurred on April 6, 1868, and she was a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Wickens) Phillips. Both Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were natives of Pennsylvania and came to Indiana at a very early day and died in that state when both were over eighty years of age, after over sixty years of happy married life. These two good people had a family of twelve children, seven of whom are now living. All of the life of Mr. Phillips was spent in farming, and he was very successful leaving behind him not only a good name but also a comfortable competence for his family.
To Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead were born eight children, six of whom are now living, namely: Mary, who is the wife of Jacob Thompson, a farmer of Tunbridge township, and they have one child, Ross; Ella, who is the wife of Harry Marshall, of Decatur, and they have seven children; George, who is in Texas township, a farmer, and he married Laura Coppenbarger and they have three children, Nettie, Rosy and Edna; Omie, who resides in Rush county, Indiana; Ralph, who resides in Decatur and runs a transfer business, married Ollie Thurber, a daughter of Isaac Thurber, of Texas township, and Ralph and his wife have three children, Gladys, Robert and Malvina; Chalmer, who is at home; Nettie and Elizabeth died in infancy.
Mr. Whitehead is an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic and has been connected with the lodge of Odd Fellows for a number of years. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church and are of the old hard-shelled school.
When our subject first came to DeWitt county the entire locality was wild prairie land, upon which the native trees reared their rustling heads. No plow had disturbed the virgin soil and wild game roamed unharmed over the rolling prairies. Up and down the streams Indians paddled their rude crafts and the clatter of machinery or the roar of the engine had not been heard in the land. Now, through the wonderful activity and foresight of its pioneers, DeWitt county takes front rank among the counties of Illinois not only as a fine agricultural district but also as a commercial center, and it has a large population of intelligent, patriotic, thinking men and women, many of whom are prominently known in connection with the state's best thought and action.
JOHN WIGHTWICK. (Volume 1, Page 210)
For almost forty years John Wightwick was a resident of Clinton and was one of its most highly respected citizens. He was a native of England, born in Tenderten, County Kent, January 6, 1827, and was a son of John and Elizabeth Wightwick. The mother dying when our subject was very young, the father married again, his second union being with Miss Harriet Sidders. In 1850 they came to America and settled in Joliet, Illinois, where he engaged in the lumber business until his death, which occurred in 1853. His wife died in Clinton in 1876, at the age of eighty-one years, and her remains were interred in Woodlawn cemetery. The children of the family were: John, our subject; Humphrey, a minister of the established Church of England, who died in London; James, who came to America with his father and was associated with him in business at Joliet, Illinois; and Elizabeth, deceased, wife of R. R. Crang.
John Wightwick was educated in the common schools of his native country, and at an early age was apprenticed to a dry goods merchant in Tunbridge, Wales, serving seven years. On the expiration of that time he engaged in clerking for the same firm for eleven years. In September, 1853, after the death of his father, he came to the United States and first located in Chicago. While there he was married in a parsonage on Clark street, May 21, 1854, to Miss Sarah Ann Appleton, to whom he was engaged before leaving England, and who came to this country to meet her husband. She was born in England, July 31, 1821, a daughter of John and Sarah Appleton. Her father was a merchant in Hampton street, London, dealing in only the very finest of groceries. He died October 2, 1852, at the age of fifty-six years, and was buried in the Ishington churchyard, London. His wife had died eight years prior to this at the age of forty-five, and her remains were interred in the Henrietta street chapel vaults of the same city. Their children were: John, who died in infancy; Sarah Ann, now Mrs. Wightwick; John William, a resident of London; Ellen Elizabeth, wife of Thomas J. Addinsell, of Dubuque, Iowa; Thomas, a resident of Hanley, Staffordshire, England; Maria, deceased, wife of Gale Smith; Emily Jane, Robert and Henry, all deceased.
For three years Mr. Wightwick made his home in Chicago, where he held the position of bookkeeper in a large wholesale house, and then went to Aurora, Illinois, where he took the business of his brother James, who died a short time prior, and continued in the dry goods business. Selling out in 1861, he then came to Clinton, where he clerked for R. R. Crang for nine years, and then retired from business, having received a large legacy from England.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wightwick were as follows: (1) Anna Maria died in 1877. (2) Elizabeth is living with her mother in Clinton. (3) Rosa Nellie is the wife of John G. M. Appleton, who is engaged in the real estate business in Chicago, and they have two children, Louise and Lillian. (4) Emily Jane is the wife of John George Keil, of Buffalo, New York, who is in the employ of the New York Central Railroad Company, and they have four children: Herbert Wightwick, Ethel, Emily and Helen.
At the age of seventeen Mr. Wightwick became converted and joined the Methodist Episcopal church, and throughout life was an earnest and consistent Christian. He materially assisted in building the Methodist church at Clinton and held the offices of steward and trustee in the same. In politics he was an ardent Republican, but could never be prevailed upon to accept official honors. He died November 29, 1899, and was laid to rest in the Woodlawn cemetery of Clinton. His life was exemplary in many respects, and he gave an earnest support to those interests which were calculated to uplift and benefit humanity, while his own moral worth was deserving of the highest commendation. His wife still survives him at the age of eighty years, and at her beautiful home on East Main street, Clinton, is surrounded by many warm friends who hold her in highest regard.
WILLIAM C. WILLIAMS. (Volume 1, Page 380)
More than sixty-two years have passed since this gentleman arrived in DeWitt county, and he is justly numbered among her honored pioneers and leading citizens. During all of this time he has made his home in Harp township and has been prominently identified with her agricultural interests. He was born near Covington, Kenton county, Kentucky, October 23, 1823, and is a son of Presley and Rebecca (Bohannan) Williams, both natives of Virginia. The Williams family came originally from Wales and was founded in America in early colonial days. Our subject's grandfather, John Williams, took part in the early Indian wars and also in the Revolution, and after the latter struggle removed with his family to Kentucky, the father of our subject being at that time a mere lad. Presley Williams grew to manhood in that state and there followed farming until called to his final rest at the age of forty-eight years. His widow subsequently came to Illinois with our subject in 1839. In the family were ten children, but only three are now living, namely: Mrs. Lizzie B. Harrold, a widow living in DeWitt county; Sarah, a resident of Jacksonville, Illinois; and W. C., of this review.
Mr. Williams acquired a limited education in the subscription schools of Kentucky, and at the age of sixteen came with the family to Illinois, his home having since been in DeWitt county. He lived with his mother in what is now Harp township until he was married. On his arrival here there were but few families in the township, and these made their home in the timber, so that for many years one could ride or drive over the prairies in any direction without passing a single cabin. Hunting was also good for many years, and Mr. Williams has often seen forty or fifty deer in a herd. He would break prairie with four or six yoke of oxen and a twenty-two inch plow, it being impossible to use horses for that purpose as they could not stand the hard work. Mr. Williams visited Chicago in 1842 and again in the spring of 1901, witnessing the remarkable changes that had been made in that time, the place being but a small town when he first went there.
On the 5th of October, 1843, Mr. Williams married Miss Lucinda Harrold, who was born in Virginia, March 18, 1822, and was a daughter of Eli Harrold, one of the early settlers of DeWitt county. Six children blessed this union, namely: (1) Eli Presley, born August 19, 1844, is now a resident of Kansas. He married Stella Fletcher and they have two children, Elmer and Charlie. (2) Martha Ann, born June 19, 1846, is the wife of George Lemon, of Kansas, and they have one child, Ora. (3) Rebecca Frances married Philetis [aka Philetus] Wakefield, and died at the age of thirty-five years, leaving three children, Ira, Bertie and Lulu. (4) Emma is the wife of Charles Fisher, of Chicago, and they have one child, Nettie. (5) Laura married M. C. Enos, and died, leaving six children, Henry, Mattie, Freddie, Della, Bessie and Sarah. (6) Luella is the wife of Walter Nixon, of Chicago, and they have two children, Charles and Luella. After a happy married life of almost fifty-eight years, the wife of our subject passed away, March 15, 1901, and was laid to rest in the DeWitt cemetery. She was a faithful member of the Methodist Protestant church and a most estimable lady.
For two years after his marriage Mr. Williams remained with his mother on the home farm and then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Harp township near his present home, only forty acres of which had been broken and a log house of one room, fourteen by sixteen feet, stood thereon. This place was his home for many years [and] is still in possession of the family. Mr. Williams met with marked success in his farming operations, and as time passed added to his landed possessions until he had eight hundred acres, but has since given a part of this to his children, still retaining about five hundred acres. He made a specialty of the raising and feeding of stock for market, which he found a profitable source of income, and for years was the leading stock-dealer of his locality, but for the past five years he has practically lived a retired life. Always a hard-working, ambitious man, his success in life is but the result of his own industry, perseverance and good management. Thoroughly reliable in all things, his word in business transactions is considered as good as his bond, and he is justly recognized as one of the leading and representative citizens of the county, as well as one of its honored pioneers. In politics he was originally a Whig, but is now a stanch supporter of the Republican party, and is an earnest member of the Methodist Protestant church.
PETER K. WILLSON. (Volume 1, Page 356)
Peter K. Willson, a practical and enterprising agriculturist of Harp township, owns and operates one of the valuable and highly-proved farms of that locality, and is also successfully engaged in stock-raising and the grain business at Birkbeck. He was born in Scott county, Illinois, in 1857, July 29, and is a son of Samuel and Lucinda (Kimble) Willson, who are now living in Clinton. The father was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, on the 11th of October, 1825, and was a son of Ezra Willson and grandson of John Willson, both natives of New Jersey, and of Welsh extraction. Ezra Willson married Nancy Flatt, a native of eastern Pennsylvania and a daughter of Andrew Flatt, who was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, entering the service when a boy of sixteen. The father of our subject is the youngest in a family of ten children. He was educated in the schools of his native county, and at the age of nineteen learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for some time. In 1849 he went overland to California with an ox team and spent four years on the Pacific slope. On his return east he located in Scott county, Illinois, where he engaged in blacksmithing for two years, and then removed to Sangamon county, where he made his home until 1873. During that year he came to Harp township, DeWitt county, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising until his retirement from active labor in 1890, and has since been a resident of Clinton. In politics he is a Republican, and in his church relations is a Methodist. On the first of March, 1855, he was united in marriage with Miss Lucinda Kimble, also a native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Jacob and Mary (McClaren) Kimble, who were born in the same state. Her grandfather, Peter Kimble, was a soldier of the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Willson have three children: Peter K., our subject; Henry C.; and Jennie.
It was during the infancy of our subject that the family removed to Sangamon county, and there he was reared and educated, attending first the public schools and later a business college at Springfield. At an early age he became thoroughly familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist. After coming to DeWitt county he gave his father the benefit of his labors until he attained his majority, and remained home until twenty-five years of age.
On the 6th of September, 1882, Mr. Willson was united in marriage with Miss Caroline P. Walker, a native of DeWitt county, and a daughter of Judge Robert Walker, of Harp township, who was one of the early settlers and prominent citizens of the county. He was originally from Pennsylvania, but came to Illinois from Ohio, and after living in Sangamon county for a time took up his residence in DeWitt county, where he died in 1897. He served as county judge and also as supervisor of Harp township for a number of terms, and was very prominent in Republican circles, though he later became a Prohibitionist. He was a member of the Presbyterian church of Clinton, and commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact either in a business or social way. His widow now lives with a daughter in Harp township. They were the parents of nine children. Nine children have also been born to our subject and his wife, but one daughter died in infancy. Those living are Charles, Harry, May, Alice, Clara, Mary, Ruth and Nellie.
After his marriage Mr. Willson commenced farming on sections 29 and 30, Harp township, where he lived for a number of years, and then removed to his father's place, where he built a residence at a cost of four thousand dollars. He now owns four hundred and eighty acres of rich and arable land, and his wife has one hundred and eighty acres, both tracts being in Harp township. Mr. Willson gives the greater part of attention to the raising and feeding of stock, and he usually keeps on hand one hundred and fifty head of cattle and from one hundred and fifty to four hundred hogs. He has a fine herd of pure-bred short horns. In 1899 Mr. Willson built an elevator at Birkbeck, and has since engaged in the grain business in connection with his other business. He is one of the most energetic and progressive men of his community, and generally carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.
Mr. Willson is a member of the Methodist Protestant church at Prairie Center, and is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles. He has served as school director twenty-one years, and has also filled the office of town clerk, but would never accept other public positions, preferring to give his undivided attention to his extensive business interests. He is a generous, liberal-minded and progressive citizen, and is held in high regard by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
ANDREW WILSON. (Volume 1, Page 244)
Andrew Wilson is a fine representative of the native born citizens of Harp township. Within the bounds of the farm in section two, which is now his home, he was born April 2, 1843, to Thomas and Charlotte (Deffenbaugh) Wilson. His mother was born in Maryland, July 13, 1800. His father, Thomas Wilson, born November 22, 1799, was also a native of Maryland. Thomas Wilson moved when a boy to Perry county, Ohio, during the early days of the settlement of that state. There he was married to his wife Charlotte, and made that his home for many years. Not satisfied to help settle one state, in 1835, with his family, he took the long and tiresome journey in wagons through the pathless wilderness and came to Macon county, now DeWitt county, and into Harp township. Here he purchased a claim of forty acres and also entered land from the government. There was a small log cabin on the claim, but he soon built a house which still stands on the farm owned by Andrew. Deer were numerous and wolves gave the few settlers here at that time much trouble.
Mr. Wilson was a man of unusual energy, enterprise and industry. He put his land rapidly into cultivation. Seeing there was a great need of a grist-mill and a sawmill, he erected a mill on the North Fork of the Salt Creek in section two, Harp township. In 1840 he added a mill stone which was a boulder such as are common on the prairies of this county. Then for many years people came from miles around to have their corn ground.
Mr. Wilson was a large cattle dealer for those early days and drove his herds to Chicago, where also he hauled his grain. When Thomas Wilson located in this county he had only his horses and wagon and from that beginning by hard work and close application to his business he worked his way up the ladder of wealth till he was the owner of fourteen hundred acres of land. He was on old line Whig in politics and one of the most active for the welfare of the township. His memory is still cherished as one who bravely bore the hardships of pioneer days and helped to make the paths smooth for those who came after. He died November 10, 1863, at the age of sixty-four years.
Mrs. Wilson was a woman of unusual capability and force of character. When a girl she rode from Maryland to Ohio on horseback and later made a trip in the same manner to visit her old home in Maryland. She was a devoted member of the Baptist church till the time of her death in 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wilson had twelve children, six boys and six girls, all of whom lived till they reached manhood and womanhood. Their children were: John, born February 22, 1821, died April 23, 1864; Joseph, born February 16, 1822, died July 8, 1855; Alley, who was born September 8, 1824, married Absalom Stubblefield, and died April 18, 1867; Aaron was born October 3, 1826, and died March 12, 1881; Mary, born September 18, 1828, died August 31, 1854; Sarah, born October 26, 1830, became the wife of W. H. Anderson and died November 30, 1872; Asa, who was born October 27, 1832, lives at DeWitt. Peter, who now lives in Harp township, was born October 15, 1834. Rachel was born October 8, 1836, and died April 19, 1859. Harriet, born July 27, 1838, died February 24, 1857; Caroline was born March 13, 1841, and died April 19, 1859.
Andrew, the subject of this sketch and youngest of the twelve children, grew to manhood in Harp township and here also was educated. When a boy he attended a log school-house which was furnished with slab benches, heated by a large open fireplace and had a puncheon floor. Its windows were low and narrow and a board put under them served as a writing desk.
At an early age Andrew Wilson began to till the soil on his father's farm. At the age of twenty he took up his life work. After his father's death he managed the home farm for his mother. Later he purchased of her two hundred and sixty-nine acres of improved land. To this he has added more till he now owns over five hundred acres of well cultivated land. A part of this which is in Wilson township he rents. His farms are well fenced and have fine buildings. Liking to see things looking their best, he keeps his property in excellent order. He takes just pride in his herds of registered Short Horn cattle.
Mr. Wilson was married February 10, 1870, to Miss Mary M. Field, who was born in Ohio, October 8, 1849. She was the daughter of Jonathan and Mary Field.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson became the parents of three children, two of whom, Thomas and Jesse, are now living, and both are at home. Charlotte died February 14, 1901. Mrs. Wilson died February 28, 1885. She was a member of the United Brethren church and a woman whose life was so helpful and cheerful that she won the respect and love of all who knew her.
March 22, 1892, Mr. Wilson married Miss Clarinda Smith, who was born in DeWitt county, Illinois. She is a daughter of John A. and Hannah (Rosencrans) Smith. Her father, Mr. Smith, born on the river Rhine, in France, in 1827, is at present a resident of Wapella township. Her mother was born in Butler county, Ohio, April 15, 1828. She died April 11, 1892, and is buried in Crum cemetery, near Wapella.
Andrew Wilson is a man of excellent business qualifications. He is a strong supporter of the principles of the Republican party. For a number of years he has held the office of road supervisor and school director. As a citizen he ranks as one of the most prominent and influential of his township, a worthy son of his efficient pioneer father.
MRS. MARTHA WILSON. (Volume 1, Page 196)
The present prosperity of the great commonwealth of Illinois is largely due to the endurance, courage and bravery of the pioneers who faced privations and overcame the terrors of the wilderness when the now flourishing towns were wild timber land and grass-grown prairies. Among those who are honorably enrolled on the enduring list of the pioneers of Illinois is Mrs. Martha (Vandeventer) Wilson, who was born in Claybourn county, Tennessee, October 31, 1819. She was a daughter of Jacob and Rachel (Hughes) Vandeventer. Jacob Vandeventer was born in Sullivan county, Tennessee, and his ancestry goes back to a Scotch ancestor, while the Hughes family can be traced back to an Irish ancestor. The first American ancestor of the Vandeventer family came to this country soon after the Revolution.
Jacob Vandeventer and wife were married in Sullivan county, Tennessee, and later they moved to Claybourn county, that state, and in the fall of 1831 they settled on the banks of the north branch of Salt Creek, in what is now Wilson township. There they took up one hundred and sixty acres of timber and prairie land and erected a log house, which contained four rooms, two below and two above. In one of the lower rooms a fire place was built and there all the cooking and baking was done. The bedsteads were the old "cord" ones and they had great fat feather beds to put on them. Jacob broke up the land and raised wheat and corn, and at an early date all of it had to be hauled by team to Chicago. Several farmers would start together on Monday morning and if they met with no delays would get back by Friday night. They would haul in their produce and bring back the necessary provisions and clothing. The fall the family settled in Wilson township was the year of the great snow and Mrs. Wilson distinctly remembers the hardships they all suffered and wonders that any escaped.
To Jacob and Rachel Vandeventer were born four girls and three boys, viz.: John; David, who was a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian church; Martha, now Mrs. Wilson; Mary, who is now Mrs. Rutledge, and she lives in the township of that name, this county, the township being called after her husband; Mahala, deceased, and her twin sister, Marana, who married a Mr. Hurley, and they live in Iowa; James, who is also deceased. Jacob Vandeventer died in 1835, aged seventy years, and is buried in the LeRoy cemetery. The mother died at the home of Mrs. Wilson at the age of eighty-three and is also buried in LeRoy cemetery. Both these good people were Presbyterians of the old school.
Mrs. Wilson lived with her mother until she married, in 1838, Edward Wilson, who was born in Ohio and was a son of Asa Wilson. Asa Wilson was of Scotch descent, and an account of the Wilson family will be found in the sketch of Andrew Wilson, a nephew of Edward Wilson, which will be found elsewhere in this volume. Edward Wilson and the father of Andrew Wilson came to this country together. Edward Wilson located on what is now section thirty-five, Wilson township (the township is named for him), and when he married, Mrs. Wilson's mother gave her forty acres adjoining the property of Mr. Wilson. This land, together with his own, Mr. Wilson cultivated and resided upon until his death, which occurred in May, 1861. He is buried in Walter's cemetery, and he attained the age of sixty years when he died. To himself and wife were born the following children, three of whom are now living: James, deceased, married, and his widow resides in DeWitt and has five children; Rachel, deceased; Noah married Callie Last, and he lives in Clinton and he has one child, Maude, who married William Nael, and they have two children; Sarah, deceased; Mary, deceased; Isaiah lives in Rutledge township, and he is married and has two children, Ella and Ethel, and these two are both married; Mahala, deceased; Louisa married a Mr. Spidle and she resides with her mother in Clinton; one child died in infancy; James, deceased.
When Mr. Wilson died he left his wife with a family of small children and a farm of one hundred and sixty acres to manage, and the way she succeeded in doing both would reflect credit upon anyone. She lived upon this farm until about 1885, when she purchased a pleasant home on North Madison and East Julia streets, in Clinton, Illinois, and there she has since resided. Mrs. Wilson well remembers the early days of the county and the hardships endured by all the people at that time. The wolves would come up to the very door of the cabin, as did also wild game of all kinds, and the Indians passed up and down the banks of the creek in front of their little home, often in crowds of two or three hundred. After her husband's death Mrs. Wilson went to market at Wapella, which was eight miles distant, on horseback, with her butter, eggs and bacon in a large willow basket in front of her and one of the children on behind. She was a woman of keen intellect, and thoroughly understood farming in all its details. This excellent farm she now rents and is very proud of, forty acres of it never having passed from her possession since it was given her by her mother at the time of her marriage, and it is a portion of the original land taken up by her father in 1831. Mrs. Wilson is a stanch member of the Presbyterian church of Clinton and is a lady of rare judgment, kindly hospitality and gentle character. Many women placed as she was with a large family on her hands and alone on a tract of only partially improved land, would have given up in despair, but such was not the character of Mrs. Wilson. With determination she conquered the difficulties and had the satisfaction of seeing her children and their children after them grow up about her and her property become some of the most valuable farm land in the state. She is honored by her neighbors and friends as well as beloved by her family, and is a noble type of the American woman who has done so much towards placing the American nation in its position to-day.
PETER WILSON. (Volume 1, Page 220)
Peter Wilson, a highly respected citizen of section three, Harp township, was born October 15, 1834, in Perry county, Ohio, and is a son of Thomas and Charlotte (Deffenbaugh) Wilson. He is of Scotch-Irish descent on his father's side and German on his mother's side. His parents were both born in Maryland, but were married in Perry county, Ohio, at the ages of nineteen and eighteen years. They lived in Ohio till 1835 when, with their children and accompanied by his brothers, Edwin and Isaiah Wilson, they came by wagons to begin life anew on the uncultivated prairies of Illinois, locating in what was then Macon county, DeWitt county not having been formed at that time. Here Peter Wilson attended with his brothers and sisters the log school-house. Sitting on its rude wooden benches he learned his alphabet and how to join the letters into words and then to read sentences by putting the words together in the good if slow old-fashioned way. On cold winter mornings he warmed his numbed fingers by the crackling log fire in the great open fireplace, then did his "sums" in arithmetic and learned to print and write. He helped his father to cultivate his land, to herd his cattle, to cut wood for their fire, to hunt the wolves that killed their flocks, to saw lumber in the saw mill, to grind the grain their neighbors brought many miles to Thomas Wilson's grist mill. And while he helped he learned from his father lessons in industry and honesty and foresight and perseverance. After his father's death he took his share of the land, one hundred and thirty acres, and moved upon it. He improved it, built a fine house and has lived there ever since.
He was united in marriage May 21, 1868, to Miss Frances Holdy Smalley, a daughter of John A. and Julia (Reckner) Smalley. Mr. Smalley was a native of Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Smalley of Maryland. They came to Harp township in 1862. Here Mr. Smalley died in 1895 at the age of seventy years. Mrs. Smalley now lives in Wilson township. Mrs. Peter Wilson is one of eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Smalley. The others are: John married Ida Nixon and now lives in McLean county, Illinois; James D. and his wife, Rosa Parker, live in Wilson township; Edmond F. married Lula Higgins [and they] now reside in Harp township; Emma, who is now the wife of William Bell, lives in Wilson township; Isabel married J. A. Curl, and their home is in Clinton; Sarah, now the wife of William Orr, lives in Harp township; Effie, who married William Litsenberger, is dead.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wilson are the parents of five children. Their oldest daughter, Ida, married William Reiley and lives in Harp township. They have two children, Helen and Fern. Edmond and his wife, Laura Provens, and their daughter, Pearl, live in DeWitt county, Illinois. Albert J. and William Harley are at home with their parents. Ollie Emmett died when four years of age.
Mr. Wilson is a supporter of the Republican party but does not seek the honors of office. He has led a quiet home life and tells with satisfaction that he was never drawn on a jury. No higher tribute can be paid to his just and peaceful character than to say that he has never been sued in his life. He is a faithful Presbyterian and his wife is a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a good citizen, an upright man, honored by all who have the good fortune to know him.
PHILIP WOLF. (Volume 1, Page 440)
The prosperity of Clinton, Illinois, is largely due to the efforts of the men who by their industry and commercial foresight developed the natural advantages of the locality, and among them the name of Philip Wolf is prominent. He is a son of John B. Wolf, who settled in Tunbridge township in 1847. The latter was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and he was the son of Wright and Mary Wolf. Wright Wolf, a native of Germany, died while still a young man, but his widow survived him many years and died at Peoria, Illinois, at the age of seventy-two. Their family consisted of two children.
John B. Wolf continued farming in Tunbridge township until 1853, when he sold his property and located in Clinton and engaged in the lumber business. He died in 1862, at the age of sixty-four years. The maiden name of his wife was Rebecca Stout, and she was a daughter of Philip Stout, of Logan county, Ohio, who died in Bond county, Illinois. To the parents of our subject these children were born, namely: Elizabeth, Lydia, Philip, Margaret, Ruzella, Joseph, Mary, John and Catherine.
Our subject was born in Logan county, Ohio, near Bellefontaine, on January 14, 1834. During his early life he engaged in farming, but later settled at Clinton, Illinois, and, in partnership with E. W. Taylor, embarked in the mercantile business. His next commercial venture was at Payne, Illinois, where he engaged in the hardware and implement business with J. W. Bell for two years. For thirteen years he was in business with A. D. McHenry at Clinton, from which connection he retired in 1872. Later he was associated with the firm of Bailer & Bryant, and after two years joined in business with Mr. Savage, a real estate dealer in Clinton. At present his attention is taken up with the management of his own property, which is considerable in Clinton and the surrounding country.
Mr. Wolf married Miss Mary Bell, who is a daughter of Henry Bell, one of the old settlers of DeWitt county. To our subject and wife have been born three children, namely: Laura, who married Rev. E. A. Hammond, a Methodist clergyman of Macon City, and they have one child, Edna; Annie, who married Reuben Hurlis, of Monticello, Illinois; and Belle, who married J. F. Deland, and they have one child, Lotta.
Mr. Wolf has been honored with the office of alderman and took a very decided stand upon the liquor question, he being an anti-license man. Socially he is an active member of the Masonic fraternity, and is now past master of his lodge. He is an energetic business man and has always taken on active part in local affairs.
Note: aka Phillip Wolfe
MRS. MARY A. YOUNG. (Volume 1, Page 193)
Mrs. Mary A. Young is a highly esteemed lady of Farmer City, where she has a very pleasant home that stands in the midst of a spacious lawn adorned with trees and flowers. She has in DeWitt an extensive circle of friends and acquaintances, many of whom have known her through a long period. She is the widow of William Young, a self-made man, who was long associated with the mercantile interests of DeWitt county. He was born in Edinburg, Scotland, April 29, 1822, a son of William Young, and as far back as can be traced his ancestors were also natives of the land of hills and heather. In 1829 his parents removed to Liverpool, England, where they spent their remaining days, and in that city William Young was apprenticed to a leading merchant. He also acquired a good education, which served as the basis of his success, coupled with his training in the store.
Hearing favorable reports of the opportunities which America extended to her citizens, and wishing to make the most of life, Mr. Young came to the United States in 1850, landing at New Orleans, whence he made his way up the Mississippi river to St. Louis. He then traveled over the country to some extent, seeking a favorable location, and finally took up his abode at Mount Pleasant, now Farmer City, Illinois. Here he entered upon his business career as a clerk in the employ of Jacob Clearwater and later he was with Mr. Lowrey. About 1860 he engaged in the grocery business on his own account, buying the old Brewster residence, which he converted into a store. It stood on the present site of the store of J. Bean. The building was destroyed by fire in the conflagration which swept over much of the city in 1871, but phoenix-like the store of Mr. Young rose from the ashes. He erected a double brick building, but in June 1879, this was also burned and he again built a business block adjoining the site now occupied by his son Thomas. There he continued in the grocery business until 1891, when he retired from the trade. He had enjoyed a liberal patronage through many years, resulting from his earnest desire to please, his reasonable prices and his straightforward business methods. Thus his income was annually augmented until he was in possession of a handsome competence. At an early day, in connection with a Mr. A. S. Bissell, he patented the Reading cultivator, which was one of the early successful machines here. Soon after the organization of the First National Bank, Mr. Young served one year as bookkeeper.
In 1853 occurred the marriage of Mr. Young and Miss Mary A. Bowser, who was born in Preble county, Ohio, while their wedding was celebrated in Warren county, Illinois. The lady is a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Maning) Bowser. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania and was a son of Guy Bowser, who was born in Germany. The former, at the age of twenty-five years, removed from the Keystone state to Ohio and in 1852 located in Warren county, Illinois. Later he resided in Iowa and then in Missouri. Throughout his active business career he followed farming. It was his plan to buy and improve a farm and then sell it and in this way he prospered, making judicious investments in his land, which brought to him a good return. He died in Boone county, Missouri, at the age of eighty-one, and his wife passed away four years later, at the same age. Their children were John, Hannah, Henry, Mary A., Theophilus and Thomas, all of whom reached adult age.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Young was blessed with six children: Walter Scott, one of the leading real-estate and insurance men of the county, living in Farmer City, married Sarah M. Hurley, a daughter of John Hurley, and they have five children, Mabel Z., Zelpha B., Jane Marie, Atha A., and Wallace S.; Robert Bruce, who is cashier of the State Bank of Clinton, wedded Clara Harwood, and their children are Emery, Bruce, Aleda and Harwood; Celia Belle died at the age of fourteen years; William Wallace died at the age of twenty-two months; Zelma, one of the popular young ladies of Farmer City, is at home with her mother; and Thomas, who is engaged in the grocery business at Farmer City, wedded Maude Gilbert and has one child, Melva.
In 1872 Mr. Young erected a fine residence on what was then the Crawford farm, but is now within the city limits. It is a spacious home, beautifully situated, and the interior furnishings and exterior adornments indicate the cultured and refined taste of the family. In his political views Mr. Young was a stanch Democrat, but never aspired to office, although he once acted as city treasurer. He was reared in the old school Presbyterian church and always adhered to that faith. His life was ever upright and honorable and when he was called to his final rest June 23, 1893, the community mourned the loss of one of its most valuable citizens, a man whose record was in every way worthy of emulation and who enjoyed the unqualified confidence and regard of his many friends. Mrs. Young and her daughter, Zelma, spent the winter and spring of 1901 in various districts of California and among the mountains of the Pacific slope, and on their return brought to their many friends valuable souvenirs of their trip, which are highly prized by the recipients. Mrs. Young and her daughter are very popular in the best social circles of Farmer City and their home is noted for its gracious and generous hospitality.
JACOB ZIEGLER. (Volume 1, Page 13)
No foreign element has become a more important part in our American citizenship than that furnished by Germany. The emigrants from that land have brought with them to the New World the stability, enterprise and perseverance characteristic of their people and have fused these qualities with the progressiveness and indomitable spirit of the west. Mr. Ziegler, now one of the prominent farmers of Dewitt county, is a worthy representative of this class.
The subject of this review was born in the province of Permanse, Bavaria, Germany, November 14, 1844, a son of Jacob and Louisa (Gebhart) Ziegler, both natives of the same province as himself. In 1852 Jacob Ziegler, with his wife and family, set sail from Havre, France, in a French sailing vessel, which consumed forty-two days between that port and New York City. Landing at Castle Garden, the family went immediately to Brown county, Ohio, where the father purchased a farm of one hundred acres and engaged in its operation for five years. At the end of that time he sold out and removed to McLean county, Illinois, locating in Normal township, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. He engaged in operating this farm for many years and died there after reaching the ripe old age of ninety-eight years. His wife had preceded him some years before, being eighty-six years of age at the time of her death.
To Jacob Ziegler, Sr., and wife were born eighteen children, of whom nine are still living, as follows: Maria is the wife of F. C. Bohrer and resides in Bloomington, Illinois; Louisa is the widow of Peter Kline and makes her home in Farmer City, Illinois; Louis has been a merchant of Spokane, Washington, for many years; Kate married Louis Haney [Henne] and they reside in Springfield, Illinois; Jacob, our subject, is next in order of birth; Sophia is the wife of Herman Hazenwinkle, a business man of Storm Lake, Iowa; Fredericka, widow of Henry Kunsch, is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa; Charles is a farmer of Pocahontas county, Iowa; and Eva, the youngest living child, is the wife of Louis Lowentrout, who is engaged in business in Bloomington, Illinois.
Our subject received his primary education in the schools of Germany, and after coming to America attended the district schools of Brown county, Ohio, for a short time, but as his father was in limited circumstances and there were many mouths to feed, his education has been principally received through reading and observation in later years. Up to the time he was twenty-six years of age, Jacob Ziegler remained at home, giving his labor and time to his father. In the spring of 1870, having seen his father comfortably located upon his own farm in Normal township, our subject made arrangements with Judge David Davis, of Bloomington, to rent one of his farms in DeWitt county, consisting of eighteen hundred acres of land. With but two hundred dollars in capital, he commenced his life labors, and for eleven years he gave his time and attention to farming and stock-raising on a large scale. After meeting with good success for a few years, cholera got among his hogs, and out of a herd of eight hundred, six hundred succumbed to the disease. Nothing daunted by his ill fortune, Mr. Ziegler began anew, and in the fall of 1881 purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land on section 1, Texas township, which was under cultivation, but not improved. This farm Mr. Ziegler has converted into one of the most desirable places in the county, erecting a beautiful country home at a cost of seven thousand dollars, which is supplied with all modern conveniences.
On the 20th of December, 1877, Mr. Ziegler was united in marriage with Miss Annie Elizabeth Simpson, a native of Miami county, Ohio, and a daughter of Henry and Annie (Hartsock) Simpson, also natives of Ohio who came to Illinois in 1855. Mr. Simpson died at the age of seventy-four years, while his wife was one year younger at the time of her death. Mrs. Ziegler was the youngest of three children born to her parents.
Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler: Wilfred I., born October 29, 1878, is a graduate of the Springfield Business College, but is now attending the State University at Champaign, Illinois; Jacob Frank, born February 25, 1882, is attending the high school in Clinton, Illinois.
Mr. Ziegler gives his attention almost exclusively to stock farming, raising and feeding cattle, hogs and sheep for the market, preferring to sell his grain on the hoof. He has ever been an advocate of all measures calculated to advance the moral or material welfare of his adopted country. He was chairman of several important committees and general manager of the Chautauqua Association of Clinton for 1901, and was instrumental in promoting the organization of the same. He was also one of the promoters of the Weldon Springs park, which has been under his direct supervision ever since. For fifteen years Mr. Ziegler was president and superintendent of the DeWitt County Fair Association and to his personal efforts is due the prosperous condition of the same. While superintendent he advocated and succeeded in having built the water works at the fair grounds, even before the city of Clinton had them. Mrs. Ziegler and her oldest son are members of the Universalist church of Clinton. He is a member of the blue lodge, chapter and commandery of the Masonic fraternity at Clinton, and he ever endeavors to live up to the tenets of the order.
In politics Mr. Ziegler is a stanch Republican, and has been a member of the county central committee for many years. In the fall of 1889 he was elected to the state legislature, serving two years in that body. As a public spirited and progressive citizen, he has given his support to all measures for the public good and his life has been such as to command the confidence and respect of all with whom he has come in contact, either in public or private life.
Note from Judy Simpson: Jacob Ziegler was born in 1843; Anna Elizabeth Simpson was a native of Montgomery County, Ohio; Henry Simpson was a native of New Jersey, not Ohio; and Jacob Frank Ziegler was born in 1883, not 1882.
CHARLES K. ZORGER. (Volume 1, Page 364)
Among Clinton's prominent and successful citizens who have retired from active business is Charles K. Zorger, who was born in Newbury township, York county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1831, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Keister) Zorger, also natives of the Keystone state. His paternal grandfather was Peter Zorger, who died young. The father, who followed farming and ran a still house, died when about forty years of age, when our subject was only two years and a half old. The mother long survived him, passing away in 1866, at the age of seventy-eight. Their children were: Susanna, wife of H. Brubacher; Adam Henry, deceased; Michael, a resident of White county, Indiana; Jacob K., of Clinton, Illinois; and Charles K., our subject.
In early life Charles K. Zorger worked at farming until eighteen years of age, and then went to York, Pennsylvania, where he learned the plasterer's trade. Subsequently he followed that occupation in Wayne county, Ohio, for two years. On the 17th of April, 1852, he landed in Clinton, Illinois, and having become master of his trade, he began business here as a contractor. Among his first work which is still standing are the homes of Dr. Edmiston and Mrs. Bishop, and several stores on the northeast corner of the square.
During the Civil war Mr. Zorger enlisted in 1862 in Company B, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. He was promoted as sergeant, and was serving as first lieutenant when discharged. He is now an honored member of the Grand Army Post at Clinton, in which he has held office.
For a year and a half after his return from the war, Mr. Zorger worked at his trade, and then bought the Ray farm of two hundred acres in Texas township, which he improved and operated for some time and which he still owns. In connection with his brother, Jacob K., he next bought the Alex Kelly farm of one hundred and sixty-eight acres in Creek township; the Greer farm of sixty-five acres in Texas township; the Davis farm of two hundred and forty acres in Clintonia township. For many years he successfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and was one of the largest horse breeders and raisers in the county, making a specialty of English draft horses. There is probably not a better judge of horses in the county, and in this line of business he met with most excellent success. In 1883 he practically retired from business and removed to Clinton, purchasing the J. North property, which he improved and later sold, it being now used as the Presbyterian parsonage. Buying the G. W. Gideon property, he replaced the old house by a fine modern residence. Mr. Zorger still retains possession of his farms, which he rents. In addition to this property he owns in partnership with George W. Woy the block on the west corner of East Main and South Monroe streets, which is used for store purposes.
Mr. Zorger has been married three times, his first wife being Miss Rachel Strominger, a daughter of Jacob Strominger, of York county, Pennsylvania, and to them were born five children, but only two are now living: Lincoln, an engineer of Clinton, who married Anna Smallwood and has one child, Louis; and Ella who resides at home. Mr. Zorger next married Mrs. Martha (Cross) Wilmore. His third wife was Miss Hulda Johnson, a daughter of Eason Johnson, one of the oldest citizens of Clinton. Her father was born near Providence, Rhode Island, August 13, 1814, a son of Joseph and Lydia (Cook) Johnson, who were natives of the same state and from there removed to Ohio, where his mother died. His father, who was a large land owner in Ohio, spent his last days in Clinton, Illinois, where he died at the age of eighty-two years. Eason Johnson grew to manhood in Ohio, and on the 17th of December, 1835, married Miss Alice Calender, who was also born in Ohio, December 25, 1816. They are now the oldest married couple in Clinton, and are highly esteemed by all who know them. Their children are: Nancy, Amos, Huldah, Ira, Alice, Joseph E., Allura, Lovina, and Emma.
Politically Mr. Zorger is identified with the Republican party, and fraternally he affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Encampment and Rebekahs. He is the oldest Odd Fellow in Clinton and is past grand of his lodge. A man of keen perception, of unbounded enterprise, his success in life is due entirely to his own efforts, and he deserves prominent mention among the leading and representative citizens of DeWitt county.