Coles County, Illinois - The whole text, 1879 (part 15 of 21)

JAMES M. MILLER, dealer in dry goods, boots and shoes, clothing and furnishing goods, Charleston ; has been a citizen and merchant of Charleston for more than forty years, being the oldest merchant now doing business in the city ; he was born in Spencer Co., Ky., Aug. 29, 1814 ; he is a son of John H. and Jane Miller, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Pennsylvania ; he was raised on a farm and followed the occupation of fiirming until 1838, when he came to Charleston and engaged in general merchandising, having visited the State and purchased land in Bond Co. two years before ; he has continued in the mercantile business to the present time, with the exception of one year which he spent in the cattle business in Wisconsin ; although Mr. Miller has passed through several seasons of financial depression, and has himself suffered some reverses of fortune, his mercantile career has, upon the whole, been a prosperous one ; he has always paid dollar for dollar, and has a comfortable competency remaining ; he has done much to improve the city, having built several stores and dwellings, expending no less than $30,000 in improvements ; he was the first of the Charleston merchants to purchase goods in New York City, which he did for the first time in 1844. He has served two terms in the City Council. He was married April 7, 1842, to Helen E. Walker of Charleston, a native of Kentucky ; she died July 24, 1851, leaving one daughter - Mary F. (now Mrs. A. C. Stallard, of Shelby Co., Ky.). Mr. Miller was married again Aug. 3, 1852, to Nancy S. Harris, of Cortland Co., N. Y,

TARLTON C. MILES, Charleston, is a native of Franklin Co., Ky. ; he was born near Frankfort, on the 1st of May, 1825 ; he is a son of Dr. James I. Miles, a physician of that county ; his early life was spent in the subscription schools in his neighborhood ; in 1845, he came to Coles Co. He was married Oct. 3, 1848, to Miss Sophia 0. Van Deren, a daughter of Joseph Van Deren, of Coles Co. ; she was born in Cynthiana, Harrison Co., Ky., Jan. 18, 1829, and came to Illinois with her parents in 1835 ; they have six children living - Isaac J., William V., Ella M., Ida T., May R. and Tarlton V. Mr. Miles first engaged in farming in La Fayette Tp., owning a large quantity of land in the county; in 1855, he removed and began business as a general merchant, in which business he continued for about three years ; in 1858, he removed with his family to Texas, with a view to engaging largely in stock-raising, but in 1860, it being apparent that a war between the two sections was inevitable and was fast approaching, he returned North, and engaged in the lumber business and in running a saw-mill near Milton Station ; he continued his farming and stock operations until about five years ago. Mr. Miles is now in England, where he has been since September, 1878 ; owing to this, the foregoing sketch is far from complete, on account of a lack of detailed information. He has served the public in various offices of trust and responsibility, and always with entire satisfaction to the people.

W. S. MINTON, of the firm of Minton, Alvey & Van Meter, proprietors of the City Mills, Charlestoo; was born in Washington Co., Penn., Dec. 10, 1828; at the age of 12 years, he began to work in his father's mill, and there became familiar with every branch of the milling business ; he continued in that for eight years, and. in 1848, started with his father in the dry goods business ; six years later - 1854 - he came to Illinois, bringing with him a thousand head of sheep, and engaged in sheep-raising in Vermilion Co. ; he soon after removed to Edgar Co., where he traded his sheep for Western lands, and coming to Coles Co., settled on a farm near Charleston ; after farming five years, he engaged in merchandising iu Kansas, Edgar Co. ; in 1864, he removed to Charleston, and with W. Gr. Wright and A. K. Spears, started in the grocery trade ; since then, he has been engaged in the hardware and lumber business, the grocery business and the boot and shoe trade ; in 1877, the firm of Minton, Alvey & Van Meter erected the City Mills, a fine brick structure, costing $15,000, containing four runs of stone, and fitted up with the latest improved machinery for manufacturing flour by the patent process. Mr. Minton was married Oct. 14, 1853, to Miss Matilda R. Wright, a daughter of Samuel Wright, now of Charleston, and has two children - Clarence H. and Evangeline St. Clair.

HON. JOHN MONROE, deceased, late of Charleston ; was born in Glasgow, Barren Co., Ky., Sept. 24, 1811 ; his boyhood was passed in the private schools of his native town ; his father dying when he was but a boy, he entered the apothecaryshop of his uncle. Dr. George Rogers, a physician of Glasgow, and there became familiar with the compounding of medicines, and also studied medicine under his uncle's instruction ; he first began practice in Tennessee, and, in November, 1833, came to Illinois and engaged in the practice of his profession in Shelbyville, soon removing to Charleston, and, a few years later, he engaged in business as a dry goods merchant. Returning to Kentucky, he was married, April 4, 1840, to Mrs. Martha Ferrish, a widow lady of Greensburg. in that State, and came again to Charleston; they had six childi'en, two of whom are still living - Mrs. Stanley Walker and Lewis Monroe, of Charleston. His wife died May 14, 1854, and, on the 6th of November, 1854, he married Miss Hannah Chambers, a daughter of James and Sally Chambers, of Cynthiana, Ky., who came to Coles Co. with her parents in 1851 ; of five children of this marriage, three are now living - Emma (wife of Thomas T. Threlkeld, of Charleston), Virginia and Henrietta. Dr. Monroe continued in the dry goods trade in Charleston until 1858, when he moved to Lafayette Tp., where he owned a farm of 1,700 acres. He laid out the village of Stockton, building the switch and a warehouse and store at that place ; he still, however, retained his interest in business in Charleston, and, in 1865, returned to that city. He was an enterprising, successful business man, genial in manner, and, although carryingon a variety of important enterprises, he never allowed the cares of business to weigh upon him ; he had great faith in human nature, of which he was an excellent, judge; he trusted largely to others, although he kept his business well in hand, and, happily, his confidence was never betrayed ; he took special pleasure in assisting worthy young men in business, and numerous instances can be found of men, now prosperous, who owe their start in life to Dr. Monroe. He owned, at his death, a fine farm of 800 acres, besides eight business houses and two dwellings in Charleston. He was an active Democrat, but never an office-seeker ; he was, however, for a number of years one of the Supervisors of the county, and one of the most efficient members ever on that Board ; he also represented this county at one time in the State Legislature. He died July 29, 1877. Mrs. Monroe still resides in Charleston, surrounded by an interesting family and in the enjoyment of an ample fortune.

LEWIS MONROE, Charleston, of the firm of Monroe & Co., proprietors of the Coles County Mill, is a son of the late Dr. John Monroe ; he was born in Charleston May 29, 1846 ; he received his education in the public schools, and, at the age of 18, began business, a partner in the dry goods house of Hutchinson, Monroe & Co.; he continued in this business seven years, when, his health failing, he retired to a. farm at Monroe Station, in La Fayette Tp. ; four years later, he returned to town and resumed business, which he continued till 1877; in October, 1878, he engaged in running the Coles County Mill. For a number of years his interests have been divided between Charleston and La Fayette Tp., where he owns a farm of 800 acres, and keeps about one hundred and twenty-five head of cattle, besides other stock ; he has other real estate interests in Charleston and Coles Co. Mr. Monroe was married Nov. 29, 1865, to Miss Lydia Chilton, daughter of James Chilton, of Charleston, and has six children.

HON. H. A. NEAL, attorney at law, Charleston ; is a native of New Hampshire ; he was born in Tuftonborough, Carroll Co., Dec. 13, 1846; he was raised on a farm until lie was ten years of age, and then his parents removed to Great Falls, N. H.; he attended the public schools of that city until 1863, when the family returned to the farm ; in the fall of 1864, he entered the army as a member of Co. K, 1st N. H. Heavy Artillery, and served till the close of. the war; on his return, he attended one term in the Academy at Effingham, N. H., and the following winter taught a country school ; in the spring of 1866, he went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and pursued a commercial course of study in Eastman's Business College, where he graduated in September following ; he at once came West, and engaged in teaching in Coles Co. ; the next year, he became Principal of the Grammar School in. Paris, 111., and, in 1868, went to Watseka, Iroquois Co., 111., where he had charge of the public schools for three years ; the winters of 1871 and 1872, he spent in the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, reading during vacations in the office of Wiley & Parker, in Charleston ; he was admitted to the bar in June, 1873, and began practice in Charleston ; in 1875, he entered into partnership with Messrs. Wiley & Parker, the firm becoming Wiley, Parker & Neal ; in 1876, Mr. Parker moved to St. Louis, since which time the firm has been Wiley & Neal. He was married June 17, 1873^ to Miss Lizzie Jones, of Paris, 111. ; she died in October, 1874, leaving one child - Orra E. In 1876, Mr. Neal was elected on the Republican ticket to the State Legislature, and re-elected to the same office in the fall of 1878.

J. W. NEAL, M. D., physician and surgeon, Charleston; was born July 22. 1851, in what is now Cumberland Co., 111., but then a part of Coles Co. ; his father. William Neal, is a prominent and wealthy farmer and stock -raiser, who came to the

State fifty-five years ago, at the age of 8 years, from Bourbon Co., Ky. ; Dr. Neal remained at home on the farm till he was 19 years old, then entered Lee's Academy, in this county, graduating in 1871, and at once began the study of medicine with Dr. T. B. Dora, of Mattoon. The winter of 1872-73 he attended a course of lectures in the Eclectic Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio ; in the spring of 1873, he began practice with Dr. Dora, and the following spring removed to Stockton ; in September, 1874, he entered Bennett Medical College, Chicago, graduating and receiving his degree of M. D. in January, 1875. On the 19th of May following, he married Miss Lizzie McCrory, daughter of James McCrory, of Stockton, and removed to Hutchinson, Kan. On the 17th of February, 1877, he was elected Vice President of the State Eclectic Medical Society, at Topeka; in October, 1877, he returned to the Eclectic Medical College, in Cincinnati, where he graduated Jan. 22, 1878, receiving the first honors of the institution, being selected by his class to deliver the valedictory address ; he at once located at Charleston, and entered upon the practice of his profession. They have had two children - Gertrude, born March 7, 1876, and Fred. M., born Feb. 18, 1878, and died March 26, of the same year.

JAY F. NEAL, dealer in groceries and provisions, Charleston ; was born in Tuftonborough, Carroll Co., N. H., June 24, 1835 ; he is a son of Nathaniel Neal, a farmer of that town ; his early life was passed in farm labor among the granite hills, but at the age of 19 years he went to Great Falls, and engaged in teaching just across the river in New Berwick Me. ; he continued teaching during a portion of the year for twelve years. He graduated at the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Tilton, N. H., in 1859, and entered the Sophomore class of the Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. At the end of a year, however, his health becoming impaired, and an opportunity presenting itself to engage in teaching in the South, he left college, and, going to Bourbon Co., Ky., taught in the Millersburg high school until 1861. He then came to Charleston and taught two years in the public schools, after which he engaged in clerking for Henry Weiss in the hardware business, and afterward as bookkeeper for the Charleston Woolen-Mill, engaging in his present business in 1870. He was married by the Rev. W. B. Anderson on the 25th of March, 1863, to Miss Sarah E. Blakeman, of Charleston Tp., a daughter of Even Blakeman, now of Oswego Co., N. Y. They have one child - Mary E.

JACKSON M. OLIVER, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Charleston ; was born on the old homestead in Charleston Tp., June 16, 1851. He is a son of George and Fannie (Lumbrick) Oliver ; his father was a native of North Carolina ; born in Rogkingham Co., in that State, June 16, 1819; his parents afterward removed to Putnam Co., Ind. ; there he lived until 1840, and then came to Coles Co., where, on the 28th of August, 1840, he married Miss Fannie Lumbrick, a daughter of James Lumbrick, one of the early settlers of the county ; she was born in Rockingham Co., N. C, April 7, 1820, and came to Coles Co. when about 11 years of age. Of eleven children of this marriage, seven are still living, viz. - James A., of Charleston Tp. ; Samuel A., of Texas ; George M., of Morgan Tp. ; Jackson M., of Charleston Tp.; Rosanah, wife of J. W. Padget, of Ashmore Tp.; Mary, wife of Franklin Alexander, of Hutton Tp.; and Stephen A., of Charleston. Mr. Oliver died March 6, 1870 ; Mrs. Oliver resides in Charleston. Jackson M. Oliver was raised on the farm, and was married Sept. 20, 1874, to Miss Biddie J. Jones, a daughter of William Jones, of Cumberland Co., 111. ; she was born in that county Sept. 3, 1856 ; they have one child living - MoUie E. ; one child, Marion H., died Aug. 20, 1878. Mr. Oliver is at present Collector of Charleston Tp., to which office he was elected in the spring of 1878.

JUDGE A. M. PETERSON, attorney at law, Charleston ; was born in Westmoreland Co., Penn., Jan. 15, 1825 ; leaving there in 1845, he went to Canton, Ohio, and began the study of medicine, attending a course of lectures at the Cleveland Medical College. He came to IlUnois in 1849, and began practice as a physician in Edgar Co., and the following year removed to Newton, Jasper Co., 111. On the 18th of April, the same year, he married Miss Nancy Whalen, of Edgar Co., a native of

Nelson Co., Ky. The practice of medicine proving distasteful to him, and having a natural preference for the law, in 1858, he abandoned the former and engaged in the practice of the latter profession, which he continued till May, 1861. He then entered the Union army, as Captain of Co. K, 21st I. Y. I., of which Gen. Grant was then Colonel ; he served until November, 18G2, when, owing to ill health, he resigned. In the spring of 1863 he located in Charleston, and resumed the practice of the law. He was elected a member of the City Council in the spring of 1864, and again in the spring of 1866; the same year he was elected Mayor of Charleston, but the duties of the office being uncongenial, he soon afterward resigned In 1869, he was elected County Judge, and held that office four years, since which time he has confined his attention to the practice of his profession.

W. R. PATTON, M. D., physician, and surgeon, Charleston ; is a native of Illinois ; he was born in Palestine, Crawford Co., Oct. 14, 1836 ; he is a son of Dr. E. L. Patton, a prominent physician of Palestine, who came from Washington Co., East Tenn., to Crawford Co., about the year 1833, and practiced medicine there until his death, which occurred in December, 1864. Dr. Patton was educated in the public schools, and at Hanover College, Ind., and, in 1858, began the study of medicine in his father's office. In 1860, he entered Rush Medical College, Chicago; graduating in the spring of 1862. He practiced two years in Palestine, and, in the winter of 1864, came to Charleston, where he has been engaged in the practice of his profession ever since ; he is a member of the Esculapian Society of the Wabash Valley. He was married May 4, 1864, to Miss Hannah Decker, a daughter of Jacob K. Decker, a well-known citizen and early settler of Charleston ; they have two children - Fredrick Lieth and Jacob Allen. Dr Patton served two years on the Board of Aldermen, and is the present Mayor of Charleston, to which office he was elected in 1877.

ALEXAND"ER PERKINS, dealer in groceries, Charleston ; is an early settler of the city, having emigrated from Marion Co., Ind., in September, 1836 ; he was born near Newcastle, Henry Co., Ky., Feb. 22, 1814 ; when quite young he accompanied his parents to Marion Co., Ind. ; he was raised to agricultural pursuits ; he was married Oct. 8, 1835, to Miss Jane Griffith, of New Bethel, Marion Co., Ind., and, in 1836, removed to Charleston ; they had five children, two of whom are living - Amanda, wife of Daniel Curd, and Margaret L., now Mrs. John James, both residing in Charleston ; two sons, William G. and Daniel A., lost their lives during the late war. On arriving in Charleston, Mr. Perkins engaged in manufacturing brick, afterward followed the clothing business for a year, and then engaged in the grocery business, which he still continues ; his wife died July 22, 1851, and on the 5th of February, 1852, he married Miss B. F. Curd, daughter of Daniel Curd, late of Charleston ; they have five children - Kate, wife of W. W. Bishop, of Kansas, Edgai- Co., Richard S., Daniel, Joseph and Minnie. Mr. Perkins has served as Street Commissioner, and for several terms om the Board of Aldermen, and was a portion of the time President of the Board.

A. H. PREVO, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Charleston ; was born in Randolph Co., N. C, Jan. 5, 1833; he is the only son of Alson H. and Pheriba (Phelps) Prevo, both natives of that State, the former of whom died when the subject of this sketch was a child, and the latter of whom now resides with her son, at the age of 70 years. At the age of 18 years he left the farm, and obtained employment in one of the lumber mills in the vicinity. In 1854, he came West as far as Fountain Co , Ind., and there engaged in teaching school. He was married Oct. 23, 1854, to Miss Mary E. Richmond, the only daughter of Henry and Sophia J. (Keller) Richmond, of that county ; they have two children - Jennie and Alson H. Mrs. Richmond, now 66 years of age, is a member of her daughter's family. Removing to Coles Co. in 1856, Mr. Prevo hired out to drive oxen at $20 a month, and board himself, and after following that for two years, he worked in the mill for two years more, when, having accumulated a sufficient sum, he purqliased the mill in which he was employed, which he ran for a number of years. In 1867, he removed to Charle-ton, and fitted up the Charleston Stave- Factory, with a new engine, and continued that business one year ; the next year, he built the Prevo & Spence Elevator, into which he removed the engine and machinery of the stave-factory ; after continuing the grain business one year, he engaged in the stock business, shipping horses and mules to the Southern States, which he followed three winters. In 1869, he purchased a mill a few miles south of Charleston, which lie ran for three years ; then, after looking after the interests of his farm for a year, he, in 1873, purchased the mill which he still continues to own, and which he ran up to 1877 ; he then retired to his farm on Sec. 18, where he makes a specialty of fine stock, keeping from one hundred to two hundred Poland-China hogs, and from fifteen to twenty horses ; he owns 325 acres in his home farm and 120 acres in Hutton Tp., all but 40 acres of which he improved himself, cutting off and sawing the timber in his mills. Mr. Prevo served three years as School Director of his district, previous to his removal to Charleston in 1867, and while a resident of that city, served four years on the Board of Aldermen, two of which he was a member of the Water Works Board ; he served one year on the Board of Supervisors, and three years on the Board of Education ; he was one of the organizers of the Second National Bank, and for two years a Director in that institution.

S. E. RAY, dealer in dry and fancy goods, boots and shoes, etc., Charleston ; was born near Montpelier, Vt., Aug. 5, 1833 ; in early childhood, he accompanied his parents to Geauga Co. (now Lake), Ohio ; there, his father resided until his death, and his mother still resides there ; at about the age of 20 years, Mr. Ray to La Fayette, Ind., and engaged as a traveling salesman for Luce Brothers in the stationery business; and, after remaining with them four years, went to Chicago, and for about six years traveled for the well-known stationery house of Culver, Page, Hoyne & Co., establishing the Memphis branch of that house, under the name of C. H. Chamberlain & Co., which continued until after the breaking-out of the war ; in 1862, he returned to Chicago, and the following year came to Charleston and engaged in the livery business ; in 1875, he disposed of his business, and eng.iged in merchandising. Mr. Ray was married March 31, 1863, to Miss Josephine Bunnell, of Charleston ; she died Sept. 18, 1867, leaving one child - Henrietta, since deceased. He was married again Dec. 10, 1867, to Mrs. Elizabeth J. Willhoit, of Edgar Co., 111., and has one child - Samuel A. Mr. Ray is President of the Board of Education of Charleston, of which he has been a member for the past two years, and has served two terms on the Board of Aldermen.

WILLIAM RICKETTS, land agent and conveyancer, Charleston ; was born in Alleghany Co., Md., March 3, 1813 ; his father, Joshua Ricketts was of an old Maryland family in Colonial days ; his mother was Sarah Taylor, a daughter of John Taylor, of Connecticut, who was a soldier of the Revolution, and was wounded at the battle of Bunker Hill and afterward at the battle of Brandy wine ; Mr. Ricketts' parents removed, in 1813, to Zanesville, Ohio ; he is the seventh in age of a family of thirteen ; he was raised on a farm. He was first married Sept. 11, 1834, in Putnam, Ohio, to Miss Ellen Alexander of that place, who died Sept. 8, 1850, leaving five children - John A., Ann (wife of T. E. Wood), Andrew A., Joshua T. and William G. ; they are all residents of Charleston except Andrew A., who is a traveling agent for the Chicago & Paducah Railroad Co. ; and resides in Windsor, Shelby Co., 111. Mr. Ricketts was married again Sept. 11, 1851, to Miss Susan Falls of Zanesville, Ohio ; they have four children living - Charles L., Emma (now Mrs. Henley Anderson, of Charleston), Ella and Edward W. In April, 1854, Mr. Ricketts removed with his family to Charleston, and engaged with his brother Joshua Ricketts in the marble business, in which he continued until about the breaking-out of the late w^r, when he opened an office as U. S. Claim Agent, which he has continued in connection with a general real estate and conveyancing business to the present time. He is at present Township School Treasurer, to which he was elected in 1874 ; he was appointed U. S. Commissioner some twelve years ago, and still acts in that capacity.

A. F. SHAW, Police Magistrate, Charleston ; is a native of Illinois ; he was born in Paris, Edgar Co., Feb. 10, 1824; he is a son of Smith and Elizabeth Shaw ; his father was born in North Carolina ; was raised in South Carolina, and when a young man, emigrated to Tennessee, and from there to Kentucky ; he was one of the pioneers of Missouri, from which State he was several times driven by the Indians ; he afterward came to Illinois, long prior to its admission as a State, and finally, in 1822, settled in Paris, where he died about sixteen years later ; Mr. Shaw learned the saddler's trade at the age of 15, and followed it till the breaking- outof the Mexican war ; he then volunteered in Col. Baker's 4th I. V. I., and was elected 2d Lieutenant of Co. H ; he marched with Gen. Taylor's army through Mexico, from Matamoras to Tampico, and afterward parucipated in the siege of Vera Cruz and the battle of Cerro Gordo ; returning at the end of a year's service, he engaged in business in Paris. In 1850, he crossed the plains to California, and engaged in mining ; on his return, three years later, he went to Carthage, Hancock Co., 111., where he carried en the saddlery business till 1856. He was married in May, 1854, to Miss Lucy A. Bunnell, a daughter of William Bunnell, of Charleston ; in 1856, he removed to Charleston, and after a short time returned to Paris, where he resided till 1869, since which time he has been a resident of Charleston ; he kept the Union House till 1874, when he was chosen Police Magistrate. He has three children living - Franklin F., Oro E., and Bessie N.

L. L. SILVERTHORN, M. D., physician and surgeon, Charleston ; was born in Stroudsburg, Monroe, Co., Penn., Oct. 21, 1830; his early life was passed upon a farm ; he was the youngest of a family of twelve children, and his father being in moderate circumstances, he was thrown upon his own resources, and obtained only such an education as the common schools afibrded ; in 1850, he began teaching school, which he continued at intervals for three years; in 1852, he entered upon the study of medicine, in Fond du Lac, Wis.; in 1854, he came to Charleston and continued his studies under the instruction of Dr. T. B. Trower; in September, 1855, he went to Philadelphia, and attended a course of lectures in the Jeiferson Medical College, in that city ; returning to Charleston, he began the practice of his profession, which he has continued for twenty-two years ; he is a member of the ^Esculapiatt Society of the Wabash Valley, of which he has been Vice President, and also of the American Medical Association. He was married October 8, 1856, to Miss Amerial Trower, a daughter of the late Dr. T. B. Trower, of Charleston, and has two children - John T. and Clara M.

RICHARD STODDERT, far., stockdealer and merchant, Charleston ; was born in Grayson Co., Ky., March 28, 1812; his early life was passed on his father's farm, and when quite young, he was apprenticed to learn the tanner's trade; about the year 1831, he went to Madisonville, Hopkins Co., Ky., where he remained until 1838, when he came to Charleston ; he engaged in the tanning business with his brother, Thomas Stoddert, the firm being R. & T. Stoddert, the partnership continuing for about thirty years in tanning, merchandising, farming and dealing in stock ; they had at one time about 800 acres of land in the county ; in 1870, Mr. Stoddert began the hardware and lumber business with W. S. Minton, who afterward disposed of his interest to George Steigman ; since 1876, the firm has been R. Stoddert & Sons ; Mr. Stoddert still continues his farming and stock operations, having a farm of nearly five hundred acres in Charleston and Hickory Tps. His first county office was that of Treasurer of Coles Co., to which he was elected in 1839, serving two terms, after which he was for two years SheriflP of the county ; he has served as Commissioner of Highways, School Trustee and two terms on the Board of Supervisors; in 1873, he was elected County Cleik, and held that office four years. He was first married Dec. 25, 1844, to Miss Catharine Rizor, of Charleston ; she died in February, 1872. leaving five children - Benjamin (who was born in Charleston Feb. 4, 1846, and is now in the hardware and lumber business with his father), Harry (who was born Dec. 8, 1847 ; educated in the public schools and at Westfield College, 111 ; married Nov. 12, 1873, to Miss Zulima Pinatel, daughter of Charles Pinatel, of Charleston, and has two children - Charles Richard and Catharine ; he is of the firm of R. Stoddert & Sons), Thomas (a law student in Charleston), Frank and Fremont. Mr. Stoddert was married a

THOMAS STODDERT, merchant, farmer and stock-dealer, Charleston; among the early settlers of Coles Co. was the Stoddert family, consisting of the mother, Mrs. Mary Stoddert, and nine children, who came from Grayson Co., Ky., at different times from 1836 to 1838; they are descended from the old Massachusetts family of Stodderts, their grandfather, Benjamin Stoddert, being a Major in the Revolutionary war, and was wounded at the battle of Brandywine ; he was afterward the second Secretary of the United States Navy ; <xen. Ewell, of the Confederate army in the war of the rebellion, was a cousin; their father, Benjamin Stoddert, removed to Kentucky about 1810, and died about 1833 ; of the nine children who came to Coles Co., as above stated, Richard and Thomas reside in Charleston ; Benjamin, William and Campbell are deceased ; Sarah is living in Covington, Ind.; Harriet lives in Charleston, the wife of C. R. Briggs; Elizabeth is the wife of Dr. A. M. Henry, of Mattoon, Susan (Mrs. Glover) resides in Ottawa, Kan., and the youngest, Artimisia, died in Charleston ; their *uiother died in Charleston some ten years ago ; Thomas Stoddert was born in Grayson Co., Ky., Feb. 28, 1815 ; he was the first of the family to come to Coles Co. ; he came in 1836, and engaged in tanning, continuing in that business till 1851 ; in 1849, he drove an ox-team across the plains to California, returning the following year, and engaging in merchandising; in 1854, he went into stock-raising and farming, which he continued till 1875 ; he then resumed mercantile business, the firm being T. Stoddert & Son ; he is now engaged in farming and stock business, in connection with his merchandising, owning a farm of 363 acres adjoining the city ; he also owns considerable town property ; in 1871, he, with John B. Hill and I. H. Johnson, built the Charleston Pork-Packing Houses. Mr. Stoddert was married Dec. 25, 1850, to Miss Melissa Olmstead, of Coles Co., and has three children living - William (now in business with his father), Mary and Thomas.

Charleston ; was born in Fleming Co., Ky., Jan. 30, 1813 ; when he was about 10 years old, his parents removed to Adams Co., Ohio ; at the age of 18, he went to Hillsboro, in Highland Co., Ohio, to learn the tinner's trade ; after which, he worked as a journeyman in Ohio and Kentucky for a number of years; in 1836, he began business for himself in Augusta, Ky., removing a few years later to Felicity, Clermont Co., Ohio, and there carried on the stove and tinware business for nearly twenty years with the exception of a short time when he was in the same business in Cincinnati ; in 1858, he removed to Charleston, and engaged in business, Dr. Byrd Monroe being his first Western partner ; since then, many changes have occurred, but Mr. Shriver has remained the leader in his line of business during all the changes of the past twenty years; the firm now consists of himself and two sons - George A. Shriver and Charles W. Shriver ; they do the largest business in their line of any house in the smaller towns of Illinois, carrying a well selected stock of stoves, tinware, queensware, glassware, silverware and cutlery ; they keep everything of the kind that any one could want, are polite to their customers, and make it a point to sell lower than any one else. Mr. Shriver was married May 4, 1837, to Miss Nancy MafFett, who was born Jan. 17, 1815. We give the following sketch of their children : William F. Shriver was born Nov. 14, 1839, and married June 10, 1862, to Miss Mary F. Hanks, a niece of President Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln giving her her own name of Mary ; they have two sons ; Ann Eliza Shriver was born Feb. 11, 1842, and died May 31, 1843; Albena Shriver was born July 11, 1845, and married 0. B. Murray, a navy banker and claim agent of Baltimore, Md., Jan. 30, 1865 ; he died in Chicago Aug. 10, 1870, leaving one daughter Alice, born in Baltimore, Md. ; Mrs. Murray married R. B. Anderson, of Charleston, in 1873, and moved to Little Rock, Ark., in 1876 ; George A. Shriver was born in Felicity, Ohio, Dec. 10, 1847, and married Miss Julia Hamlin, in 1871; he learned the tinner's trade when quite young, and as a workman and salesman is very successful'; he is book-keeper of the firm of A. C. Shriver & Sons, of which ho is a member ;

Charles W. Shriver was born in Felicity, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1851 ; he isa member of the firm, is an expert in his business, and honorable in his dealings ; he was married in September, 1876, to Miss Ida V. Ramsey, of lMcConnellsville,Ohio; they have one son, Arthur C, born March 31, 1878; Callie Shriver was born April 6, 1854 ; was married Jan. 31, 1872, to Joseph Landers, of Charleston ; they have had one daughter Katie, who died about a year ago, at 3 years of age.

GEORGE STEIGMAN, Charleston, of the firm of Steigman, Wilson & Co., proprietor of the Charleston Pork-Packing Houses ; was born in Dimboch, County of Weinsberg, Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, Aug. 5, 1827 ; he was raised on a farm, and, in 1853, came to the United States, spent one year in Meadville, Crawford Co., Fenn., and coming thence to Owen Co., Ind., where he followed farming on? year ; in 1855, he came to Charleston and engaged in farming, which he continued eight years ; he then kept a meat-market until 1871, when he revisited his native country, spending eight months; returning, he followed the hardware and lumber business four years ; in August, 1878, he became one of the proprietors of the Charleston Pork-Packing Houses, a full description of which will be found in the historical part of this work. Mr. -teigman has been prosperous in business, and is one of the solid men of the community, owning two farms in the county besides his property in town ; he has served three terms as a member of the City Council, and has been City Treasurer for the past three years. He was married Feb. 26, 1854, to Miss Rosina Ernst, of Wurtemberg, Germany ; they have had one child - John C, born Dec. 3, 1854, and died March 22, 185G.

R. A. TRAVRR, of the firm of Traver & Nixon, manufacturers of and dealers in brooms, brushes, etc., Charleston; was born in Schenectady Co., N. Y., Aug. 19, 1837 ; he was raised on a farm ; in 1856, he removed with his parents to Brooklyn, N. Y., where, for two years, he was employed as a book-keeper for A. W. Hendrickson & Co., coal-dealers; in 1858, he went to Harrison Co., W. Va., where he was ensrased in farming and carpentering till 1867 ; he then came to Clark Co., 111., and engaged in the broom business, but soon afterward removed to Charleston, where he established the Charleston Broom-Factory, and has been an enterprising citizen of the city ever since ; he is at present a member of the Board of Aldermen. His partner in the business, M. C. Nixon, is a native of Harrison Co., W. Va., his father being one of the most prominent farmers in that part of the State ; at the age of 18, he went to Pittsburgh, Penn., where he received a thorough business education in the Iron City Business College ; he then spent a few years in traveling in the West, and, in 1874, came to Charleston and entered into partnership with Mr. Traver. When Mr. Traver came to Charleston, there were but about fifteen acres of broomcorn cultivated in Coles Co.; its culture is now one of the chief sources of wealth, especially in the northern part of the county ; there are thousands of acres cultivated annually, and the amount is constantly increasing ; this firm alone has raised, during the past year, 500 acres. The importance of this enterprise to the city of Charleston will appear when it is considered that they employ in their factory about seventy men and boys, who, were it not for this, would be obliged to seek employment elsewhere ; they do a business of $60,000 per annum, manufacturing 30,000 dozen brooms yearly, besides a large quantity of brushes and toy brooms ; they pay out yearly to their employes fully $15,000 ; they keep three salesmen on the road, including Mr. Nixon, and their trade extends to all parts of the country, the most of it being in the Southern States, New Orleans being their heaviest shipping point, their next heaviest trade being in Georgia and Texas ; the extent of their trade can be estimated from the fact that, during the past fall they were 1,000 dozen behind their orders, notwithstanding they were turning out at the time a 100 dozen brooms a day : they are the owners of the Charleston Elevator and Broom Warehouse, and also own a broom-corn compress for rebaling the corn for shipment, being, probably, the only machine of its kind in the United States. Mr. Traver is the author of " Traver's Broom-Corn Culturist and Broom-Makers' Manual," the only work on the subject in the country, a well-written pamphlet, giving directions for the raising, cutting, cui'ing and preparing of broom-corn for market, etc. ; they are also dealers in broom machines, of which they sliip large numbers to the Western States and Territories.

DANIEL H. TREMBLE, Deputy County Treasurer, Charleston ; was born in Harrison Co., Ind., Aug. 28, 1829 ; the following year, his father, Hiram M. Tremble, came with his family to this county, and, after spending a short time in what is now Mattoon Tp., went to Shelby Co., and there resided until 1833, when he returned to Coles Co., and is now a prominent farmer in Mattoon Tp. The subject of this sketch started for himself in 1851, as a teacher ; he taught school two winters; in 1852, he engaged in farming, and, after gathering his first crop, came to Charleston, where he worked three months at the carpenter's trade, which he had learned of his father, who was a carpenter by trade ; after this, he spent six months in an academy in Georgetown, Vermilion Co., 111.; the following spring, his father took a contract to grade twenty miles of the Illinois Central R. R., and Daniel H. assisted him in the work ; in 1854, he engaged in merchandising in Paradise, and, in 1856, removed to Matt<^0Ti and continued in trade there two years, when he sold out and engaged as a clerk ; in 1862, he was elected Constable, and, in the spring of 1863, Collector of his township ; in the fall of the same year, he was elected Treasurer of Coles Co., and held that office three terms in succession ; after the expiration of his last term, he served four years as Deputy County Clerk. In 1872, he purchased a farm of 175 acres, about two miles from the city, on which he now resides. He was appointed Deputy County Treasurer in December, 1877. He was married Aug. 24, 1854, to Miss Catharine H. Hunt, of Paradise, a native of Wayne Co., Ind.; they have eight children living - John F., Thomas P., Daniel U., Carrie S., Eugene H., Manning H., Samuel W. and Pompey M.

THOMAS B. TROWER, M. D., deceased, late of Charleston ; was born in Albemarle Co., Va., Nov. 15, 1807, his parents removing to Kentucky a few years later ; his father died in 1816, leaving a wife and nine children ; he began the study of medicine when he was 19 years old.

spending three years under the instruction of Drs. Beamiss and Merryfield, of Bloomfield, Ky., teaching school a portion of the time to obtain means to defray his expenses ; he came to Illinois in 1830, and px-acticed medicine sixyears in Shelbyville ; in 1836, he removed to Charleston and engaged in merchandising, which business he abandoned after three years and resumed the practice of his profession ; his practice was a large and lucrative one, extending over a wide scope of country, embracing all of Coles Co.. and a portion of surrounding counties, and his acquaintance with the pioneers of this section of the State was correspondingly extensive ; his standing among physicians was very high, indeed, and his opinions in their councils most thoroughly respected ; he was a member of the Eberleau Medical Society, of the ^sculapian Society of the Wabash Valley, and of the State Medical Society ; not only was he preaninent as a physician, but was possessed of business abilities of the highest order, and by his financial skill and industry amassed a large fortune; he was President of the Moultrie County Bank, of Sullivan, 111., and Vice President of the First National Bank, of Charleston ; while living in Shelbyville, he represented his county for three years in the State Legislature. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1847. He was married Dec. 22, 1831, to Miss Polly Ann Cutler, daughter of Judge Jacob Cutler; she came with her parents to Illinois in 1828, lived awhile in Edgar Co., removing thence to Shelbyville, where she met, and married Dr. Trower ; they had five childi-en, four of whom are living - Amerial (wife of Dr. L. L. Silverthorn, of Charleston), Sinia Antonia (Mrs. Richard Norfolk, of Charleston), Sallie (wife of Daniel Sayer, a prominent merchant, of Chicago) and Xavier B. (a banker in Sullivan, 111., one son, John V., editor of the Fort Madison (Iowa) Democrat, died in Dallas, Tex., Nov. 18, 1875 ; Dr. Trower died April 15, 1878, and was buried in Mound Cemetery, Charleston.

SAMUEL VAN METER, M. D., physician and surgeon, Charleston ; was born in Grayson Co., Ky., Nov. 8, 1824; he is a son of John and Catharine (Keller) Van Meter, the former of whom died in 1827 ; his mother then removed with her family to IlHnois, settlini:- in Coles Co. ; he received snch education as the common schools in those pioneer days afforded ; at the age of 15 years, he was apprenticed to the tanner's trade, but before completing his apprenticeship he purchased his time of his employer, and was in turn bound to Dr. T. B. Trower, and entered upon the more congenial employment of studying medicine ; he remained under Dr. Trower's instruction five years ; in 1849, he made the overland trip to California, the journey occupying five months, during which time he had an extensive practice as a physician among the emigrants crossing the plains; he remained eighteen months in California and then returned to Charleston and practiced medicine three years with Dr. Trower, after which he began practice by himself; in 1857, he founded the Illinois Infirmary in Charleston, the fame of which extended to all parts of the country, patients coming from the Pacific Coast, and from England and other countries beyond the sea ; his partner in this institution for a number of years was Dr. H. R. Allen, now one of the proprietors of the National Surgical Institute at Indianapolis ; as an illustration of the success of the Infirmary, we may mention that the gross receipts during the year 1868 were $186,000, and the expenditure for the one item of postage stamps alone averaged $1,400 per month; it continued to enjoy a high reputation and uninterrupted success until 1877, when the doctor, worn out with his constant and arduous labors, closed the institution and retired from the active practice of his profession. He was married Oct. 8, 1845, to Fannie E. Hutchison, of Greensburg, Ky. ; of three children of this marriage, two are now living in Charleston - Katie (wife of C. C. Rogers) and John (one of the proprietors of the City Mills) ; their oldest daughter, Fannie R, wife of J. W. Ogden, of Chicago, died in 1870.

DANIEL A. VAN SICKLE, proprietor of the Charleston Hotel, Charleston ; was born in Trenton, Butler Co., Ohio, Oct. 20, 1833, being the oldest .son of J. C. and Belinda (Craig) Van Sickle ; his father was born in Trenton, Ohio, May 31, 1811, and his mother at Ball's Ferry, on the Miami River, in Butler Co., Ohio, Dec. 17, 1815.

The family consisted of nine children, as follows - Daniel A. Jasper, born Jan. 3, 1836, and died Nov. 12, 1868; Sally A., born March 19, 1838 ; Caroline, born June 20, 1841, and died Feb. 26, 1866 ; John Wesley, born March 18, 1843 ; George W., born Aug. 17, 1846; Newton, born Dec. 23, 1848, died Aug. 24, 1850 ; Craig, born Feb. 23, 1851, died March 15, 1853, and Cliarles P., born July 10, 1853. At the age of 17 years, Mr. Van Sickle began with Schenck & Denice, of Franklin, Warren Co., Ohio, to learn the horseshoeing business, and followed that trade altogether about fourteen years. In 1854, his father removed with the family to Coles Co., and about ten years ago, he removed to Girard, Macoupin Co., 111., where he died Sept. 25, 1876. His mother still resides in Girard. During his residence in Charleston, he has been engaged six years as a clerk in the wholesale and retail grocery house of Wright, Minton & Co.; has served as City Marshal, Street Superintendent and Township Collector, and has traveled five years selling groceries from Indianapolis. He was married Aug. 27, 1857, to Miss Belinda Wehr, a daughter of Nathan and Harriet (Flenner) Wehr ; she was born Aug. 28, 1839, near Hamilton, Butler Co., Ohio, and came to Coles Co. in 1853 ; they have one daughter - Louisa Bell, born Aug. 16, 1858. April 1, 1878, Mr. Van Sickle became proprietor of the Charleston Hotel. Whether shoeing a horse or selling groceries, his aim has always been to excel, and on assuming charge of this house, he determined to keep such a house as should deserve the patronage of the public and should earn the title of a strictly first-class hotel. His experience as a traveling man enables him to understand and appreciate the wants of the traveling public. How well he has succeeded is shown by the large and constantly-increasing patronage of the hotel. Genial in manner and accommodating in disposition, he makes every one feel at home at once, and in the variety and quality of its fare, and in attention to the comforte of its guests, the Charleston Hotel is not excelled by any house between Indianapolis and St. Louis.

in 1839, his father removed with his family to Chautauqua Co., N. Y.. and after residing there ten years, to Erie Co., Penn., thence the next year to Steuben Co., Ind., and, in 1851, to Coles Co.; his father located 800 acres of Government land in Hickory Tp., four miles north of Charleston, at a cost of $700. Three years later he removed to Livingston Co., where he is a prominent farmer. Mr. Vail left home in 1852, driving an ox-team across the plains to Oregon, and spent three years in that State and California. He returned in 1855, and, the following year, erected a mill in Livingston Co., which he ran till the breaking-out of the rebellion. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the 129th I. V. I., as Sergeant in Co. E ; he was with Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and on the famous march to the sea, and up through the Carolinas and Virginia to Washington, participating in all the battles of his regiment. He returned in 1865, and the same year located in Charleston, and ran a planing-mill for two years. He then sold out and went to farming, and, in 1868, built his livery-stable, and engaged in his present business. He was a member of the Board of Aldermen which, in 1875, put in the Charleston Water Works at a cost of less than $40,000, said to be the cheapest works in the State. He was married in 1852 to Miss Rebecca Fisher of Coles Co., and has six children - William I. (now of San Francisco), Frank, Ida, Fred, Eva and May.

Thomas Jefferson Wilson

THOMAS JEFFERSON WILSON was born in. Barren Co., Ky., on Nov. 22, 1825, and moved to Greensburg, Green Co., Ky., in 1847, where, on June 8, 1848, he was married to Lucy Ann Hutchason ; he was a wagon-maker by trade ; Lucy Ann Hutchason was born in Greensburg, Ky., on June 27, 1826 ; in April, 1857, Mr. Wilson removed with his family to Charleston, 111., where he went into the employ of L. R. & B. M. Hutchason, his brothers-in-law, who were in the dry goods trade. On Jan. 12,

1860, he began business for himself, by buying the stock of dry goods owned by Jos. Peyton, in Charleston, and he removed his stock of goods, in 1861, to Ashmore ; there, by his methods of fair dealing and strict integrity in business, he soon established a flourishing trade, and became extensively known over the eastern portion of the county ; he died in Ashmore on Oct. 12, 1865, and lies buried by the side of his wife, in the old cemetery near Charleston. He and his wife were both members of the Christian Church, and he was an Elder in the same while a resident of Charleston ; both their lives were those of the most exemplary Christians, and they were respected, trusted and beloved whereever they were known.

CHARLES EDWARD WILSON, son of above ; was born in Greensburg, Green Co., Ky., on May 1, 1849; when his father died in 1865, he, being the only child and only remaining one of the family, went to Charleston and lived with relatives, finishing a common-school education during the following winter ; in the spring of 1867, he went to Omaha, Neb., and remained one year ; returning then to Charleston, he became a salesman in the queensware store of V. Craig, and afterward book-keeper for George Tucker, who was a manufacturer of pressed brick ; in the spring of 1871, he was elected to the office of City Clerk of the city of Charleston, for one year, and was appointed by the City Council in the spring of 1872, to the same position for another year ; in the fall of 1871, he was employed at the infirmary of Dr. S. Van Meter ; ultimately became a partner in the firm, and retired from the same on Sept. 1st, 1876. On Nov. 4, 1873, he was married to Miss Emily Johnston, daughter of I. H. Johnston, of Charleston ; she was born in Coles Co., on June 15, 1851 ; three children are the result of this marriage, all daughters, as follows : Olive, born Sept. 3, 1874; Clotilde, born Dec. 23, 1876, and Emily, born Dec. 4, 1878. In November, 1873, he was elected by the stockholders of the Coles County Board of Agriculture, Secretary of said Board, for one year. In November, 1876, he was elected Director of said Boird, which position he still holds ; in March, 1876, he was made a Director of the Second National Bank of Charleston, in which position he still remains ; from September, 1876, until June. 1877, being engaged in no special business, he . read law at the office of Wiley & Neal, in Charleston; on June 25, 1877, the firm of Chambers, Johnston & Co., pork-packers.

was organized for the purpose of packing pork during that summer and the fall following; Mr. Wilson became a member of that firm, and was its secretary and bookkeeper; on Sept. 30, 1878, he became associated with I. H. Johnston and George Steigman, under the firm name of Steigman, Wilson & Co., in the business of pork-packing; and they have, at Charleston, the only packing-house in Illinois, outside of Chicago, adapted for both winter and summer packing.

SAMUEL WRIGHT, Charleston ; was born in Delaware Co., Penn., Feb. 29, 1808 ; when he was 9 years of age, he removed with his parents to Washington Co., in the same State, where he learned the trade of a carpenter and builder, and afterward taught school for seven years. He was married Aug. 20, 1829, to Miss Ruth Gordon, of Washington Co., Penn., and has four children living - W^illiam G. (of Charleston), Maria B. (wife of Dr. A. K. Spears, of Charleston), Matilda R. (Mrs. W. S. Minton, of Charleston), and Samuel H. (Corresponding Secretary of the National Surgical Institute, of Indianapolis, Ind.) ; the last named served three years in the last war ; was promoted to Major of the 31st Mo. V. I., and after his return, was for four years Adjutant General of the State of Missouri ; in 1835, Mr. Wright removed to Ripley Co., Ohio, returnmg in 1846 to Pennsylvania ; in 1856, he came to Charleston, and followed his trade here till 1860 ; he was then elected Justice of the Peace for four years, and again elected in 1864: since the expiration of his term of oflace in 1868, he has been employed as a clerk in the store of his son, W^ G. Wright, in Charleston.

WILLIAM G. WRIGHT, of the firm of Wright, Hodgen & Co., wholesale and retail dealers in groceries and provisions, Charleston ; was born in Washington Co., Penn., July 25, 1832 ; he was brought up to farming and his father's trade, of a carpenter '; he received an English education, and at the age of 18, began teaching school, which he continued three winters; in the spring of 1854, he came to Hitesville, Coles Co., and on the 24th of August, the same year, he married Miss Sarah Bane, whom he had known in Pennsylvania, and who had removed with her parents to Coles Co. the year before ; they have six children - Mary Ida, Lulu May, Harry W^arren, Florence and Nellie. In 1856, he removed to Charleston and followed his trade till the fall of 1859, when he engaged as a clerk in the store of T. Hulman, with whom he continued until the fldl of 1864; he then, with W. S. Minton and A. K. Spears, purchased the stock of Mr. Hulman, and engaged in merchandising, under the firm name of Wright, Minton & Co. till 1870, then till 1872 as W. G. Wright & Co. ; Mr. Minton returning in 1872, the firm became W. S. Minton & Co., and so continued till 1876, since when, it has been Wright, Hodgen & Co. ; in 1868, W^-ight, Minton & Co. built the brick store which forms a portion of March's Block, and is now occupied by R. Stoddert & Sons ; they were also for two years owners of the mill known as the Tinkey Mill in Charleston, and for two years were engaged in the house-furnishing business, in addition to their grocery trade.

GODFREY WEBER, deceased, late of Charleston ; was born in Oberslingen, Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, Dec. 24, 1820 : his father was a vineyardist, and his early years were passed among the vine-clad hills and sunny slopes of his native land. He was married in August, 1848, to Miss Frances Muller, who was born in Wisgoldingen, Wurtemberg, Germany, May 27, 1824 ; they immediately emigrated to America, and settled near Louisville, Ky., and engaged in gardening and wine-growing ; two years later, he removed to Clark Co., 111., and located on a farm near Westfield, to which town he afterward removed, and worked in the Westfield Mill for eleven years; in 1866, he removed to Charleston, and engaged in the bakery and confectionery business, in which he continued till his death, which occurred Sept. 7, 1877 ; he left a wife, who still resides in Charleston, and ten children - William (a farmer in Hutton Tp.), Kate (wife of John Hederich, of Charleston), Frederick C. (of Hutton Tp.), Louisa (Mrs. Schaun, of Charleston), Daniel, John and George (of Charleston), Emma E. (wife of William Louden, oi Westfield, 111.), Matilda F. and Charles.

Frances (Muller) Weber; he was born in Westfield, 111., May 31, 1854, and came with his parents to Charleston in 1866 ; he spent a part of his time on his father's farm in Button Tp., and a portion in the store in Charleston, and on the death of his father, in 1877, he, with his brother John, succeeded to the business. He was married April 29, 1878, to Miss Rosa Riegger, of Bloom ington. 111.

JOHN WEBER, the junior member of the firm of Weber Brothers, was also born in Westfield, Clark Co., HI., April 19, 1856, and came with the other members of the family to Charleston, at the age of 10 years.

GUNTHER WEISS, of the firm of Weiss & Frommel, proprietors of the Charleston Woolen-Mill, Charleston ; was born in Leutenberg, Sharzburg, Rudolstadt, Germany, July 6, 1823; he attended school till the age of 14, and was then apprenticed to learn the weaver's trade; in 1845, he came to the United States, landing in Galveston, Texas ; on the breaking-out of the war with Mexico,^ he volunteered in the 1st Tex. V. I., and served under Gen. Taylor ; in the spring of 1848, he went to Cincinnati, where he remained until 1852, when he went to Terre Haute, Ind., and began business as a grocery and provision merchant, which he continued for twenty-two years ; in 1874, he came to Charleston, and assumed an active part in the management of the Charleston Woolen-Mill, in which he bad been a partner since 1869. Mr. Weiss was married Nov. 17, 1853, to Miss Carrie Newhart, of Cincinnati, a native of Bavaria, Germany ; they have eight children - Otto P., Emma (wife of Alfred C. Ficklin, of Charleston), Louise, Aurora, Helena, Adolph G., Carrie and Maria.

M. ALSHULER, staple and fancy dry goods, Mattoon ; was born in Bavaria, Germany, A. D. 1836 ; his early life was spent in school ; having acquired a good education, in February, 1852, he immigrated to America, «ind first located in Danville, 111., where he engaged as clerk in a general dry goods store. In 1854, he went to Chicago, and was employed in a jewelry and fancy store, on Lake street ; he next located with the firm of P]dsall & Co., in Terre Haute, Ind., and remained with that firm seven years ; with another firm he remained three years longer, and, in 1865, came to Mattoon ; here the dry goods firm of Alshuler, Aaron & Co. was formed, and continued one year ; the firm of C. & M. Alshuler was next formed, and existed eleven years. In the spring of 1876, the firm of C. &. M. Alshuler was dissolved, and that of M. Alshuler & Co. formed. To Mr. Alshuler must be accorded, and justly, too, the honor of opening up the first exclusively dry goods establishment in the city ; prior to his example, merchandising in Mattoon had been conducted on the plan of "ye olden times," when each carried in stoek a line of dry goods, groceries, queeusware.

drugs, hardware, etc., etc. ; under hi healthful example, business soon became classified; by strict attention to business, fair dealing, and the establishment of a " one price " system, strictly adhered to, he has succeeded in building- up a large and remunerative business, and now operates the largest and most prosperous dry goods establishment in the city. He was married Sept. 13, 1871, to Fannie Frank, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio ; have two children - Cora and Damon T.

J. L. AUBERT, County Surveyor, Mattoon ; was born in Licking Co., Ohio, Nov. 3, 1830 ; his father was a tiller of the soil, and his early life was that of a farmer's son ; at the age of 18, he began work at the carpenter's trade, and worked under instruction three years. In 1854, became West and settled in Moultrie Co., 111., where he purchased land, farmed some, but for the most part followed his trade. In July, 1865, he located in Lebanon, St. Clair Co. ; here he remained three years, during which time he contracted and built the public school buildings and the M. E. Church. In 1868, he lived a short time in Shelbyville, and removed from there to-

Jacksonville, 111., where he was engaged on the Court House, the East Centenary Church, and on improvements to the Christian Church ; he began the study of surveying many years ago, under the direction of J. R. Anderson, his brother-in-law, formerly County Surveyor in Ohio, and later of Moultrie Co., 111. Mr. Aubert was elected Surveyor of Coles Co. in November, 1875. He was married in 1858 to Minerva R. Morgan, a native of Licking Co., Ohio.

J. I. AYER, book and music store, Mattoon; was born in Medford, Mass., Feb. 3, 1854. In 1866, the family moved to Elizabeth, N. J.; in addition to his common-school education, he enjoyed the advantages of a boarding-school at Naaareth, Penn. ; this school was of a military character, and he here pursued a course in civil engineering ; at the age of 15 years he entered the firm of Roberts & Co. (dealers in books and stationery), at Elizabeth, N. J., to take charge of his father's interest, he being a member of the firm. In the fall of 1870, he came West to Illinois, and settled in Mattoon, and engaged in engineering on the Decatur, Mattoon & Sullivan and the Grayville & Mattoon Railroads ; he was thus employed about three years; in 1874, he was employed as book-keeper in the Essex House, and remained till March, 1878; in November, 1877, he purchased his present business, and since March, 1878, has given it his personal supervision. He was married in August, 1876, to Mary L. Cleveland, a native of Melrose, Mass. ; has one daughter - Mary L., born Aug. 20, 1878. Mr. Ayer is a relative of the world-renowned Dr. J. C. Ayer, of Lowell, Mass.

V. R. BRIDGES, M. D., physician and surgeon, Mattoon; was born in Rockingham Co., Va., June 4, 1832 ; his father settled in Ross Co., Ohio, near Chillicothe, in 1836; in 1841, he came to Illinois and settled in Newton, Jasper Co.; he was engaged in contracting on public works, both in Ohio and Illinois. Dr. Bridges acquired a good academic education, mainly through his own exertions, and at the age of 14, began life for himself At the age of 17, he taught his first school ; in 1851, he was employed in the drug store of Dr. H. H. Hayes, at Lawrenceville, 111., and began the study of medicine under him. He next came to Marshall, and completed his studies under Drs. Payne and Duncan. In the spring of 1854, he located in Salisbury, Coles Co., and began the practice of his profession. In 1860, he came to Mattoon, his present residence. He entered the U. S. service as Assistant Surgeon of the 62d Regiment, I. V. I ; in 1863, he was promoted to be Surgeon of the 126th Regiment, and was mustered out in 1865, after the close of the war ; soon after his discharge from the service, he was appointed Examining Surgeon for the Pension Bureau - a position he still holds. In 1876, he attended Rush Medical College, from which he graduated Feb. 27, 1877. He was married Jan. 8, 1856, to Mary E. Boyd, a native of Indiana ; four children have been the fruits of the union - Flora J. and Charles INI., living, Edward L. and Emma, deceased. Has been a member of the City Council a number of terms, and was President of the Board two terms.

WM. BURGESS, manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes, Mattoon ; was born in North Molton, Devonshire, Eng., Oct. 12, 1827 ; he emigrated to America in May, 1849 ; for two years after coming, he followed his trade in Syracuse, N. Y.; he subsequently lived at various points in New York, Cortland, Elmira, Tioga Point, Bath, Corwin, Addison, etc. In the spring of 1855, he returned to Ens-land remaining one vear. In 1856, he returned to America, stopping for a season in New York ; thence to Pennsylvania ; thence back to New York. In June, 1857, he went to Canada, remained but a short time, and next went to Michigan ; thence to La Fayette, Ind., from there to Covington, Ind.; thence to Decatur, 111. During these years he followed his trade. In May, 1860, he came to Mattoon and opened up his present store. He is the oldest established boot and shoe merchant in the city. He was married in November, 1862, to AgnesEvans, a native of England ; three children have been born to them - Mary E., Emily F., living ; Jennie, deceased ; they have also an adopted son - Richard. Owns forty acres in Mattoon Tp. ; also two business houses and a residence in the city. Is at present a member of the City Council.

1843 ; his father came with his family to Illinois in the fall of 1852, and settled in Wayne Co. Here he engaged in farming. The subject of this sketch passed his lite upon the farm and obtained his education at tlie common schools. In February, 1862, he left home, and began the trade of saddle and harness maker ; he worked under instruction three years; he then worked as journeyman at his trade till 1870 ; in December, 1870, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Coles Co., under A. M. Brown, Sheriff. This position heheld two yeara. In 1873, he was elected Justice of the Peace in Mattoon Tp., and served tour years. In May, 1877, he began work again at his trade, and Jan. 28, 1878, entered the office of Craig & Craig as clerk and student. He was married Dec. 26, 1867, to Ellen McGuire, a native of Ireland. Has three children - James R., Julian E. and Louisa A. Owns real estate in the city. In 1874, he was chosen Assistant Supervisor of Mattoon Tp.; in January, 1878, he was appointed and commissioned by Gov. Cullom a Notary Public for Coles Co. for four years.

J. B. BENEFIBL, proprietor Boss Meat Market, Mattoon ; was born in Oaktown, Knox Co., Ind., April 22, 1847 ; his father was a physician and a man of far more than ordinary ability ; J. B. passed his early life in attendance upon school; in 1861, his father came with his family to Mattoon, 111. ; here he entered upon the practice of his profession and succeeded in building up a large and lucrative practice; young Benefiel entered the graded schools of the city, designing to complete the course, preparatory to entering the law department of Michigan University ; his father having become involved in professional difficulty in 1867, precipitately fled the country, abandoning his family, and under an assumed name has lived in Craig, Mo., ever since ; very recently he has been discovered, and has partially made restitution to his family for past neglect ; on the desertion of his father, the cares of the family devolved upon the hands of J. B., the eldest of the children ; abandoning his studies, he applied himself to the support of his mother and the younger members of the family ; in August, 1867, he entered the employ of the Merchants' Union

Express Co., and, in the spring of 1868' that of the American Express Co ; he was thus employed about three years ; in 1871, he entered the employ of J. T. Southern in buying and shipping grain and in the sale of agricultural implements ; in the fall of 1873, he engaged in the manufacture of soap in company with J. P. Clark ; in 1875, he began his present business, and has since continued it. He was married Jan. 21, 1874, to Ellen F. Aldridge, a native of Arkansas ; has had one child - Roy M., born Nov. 26, 1874, died Feb. 15, 1877. Owns real estate in the city.

HON. HORACE S. CLARK, attorney at law, Mattoon ; was born in Huntsburg, Geauga Co., Ohio, Aug. 12, 1840; his father emigrated to Ohio from Vermont at an early day ; at the age of 1 5 years, with a fliir education, he left the old homestead and came West to Chicago, where he sought employment and labored a short time ; he soon left the city and going to Kane Co., engaged in farm work during the summer and attended school during the winter season, paying his way by manual labor before and after school-hours ; in the spring of 1856, he reached Iowa City, and made his home with an older brother while pursuing a student life in Iowa State University ; here he soon became a leader among his fellow-students as an orator and debater ; during vacations, he engaged in teaching school, and in the law office of Justice William E. Miller ; read with attention and profit the works of Blackstone and various other treatises on law during: the first year of his residence in Iowa City ; he returned to Kane Co., purchased ten cows, shipped them by rail to the city, and from the proceeds of the milk, pailed by his own hands, defrayed his current expenses; in the spring of 1858, with a capital of $200, he speculated in fruittrees, but failed to secure profitable returns ; subsequently he went to St. Louis, and, purchasing various books, traveled over the country in order to dispose of them to advantage and profit ; later we find him again in Ohio, resuming his studies in the legal firm of Smith & Page, in Circleville. He enlisted as a private in Co. E, 73d Ohio V. I. ; was afterward Orderly Sergeant, Second and First Lieutenant, in which last position he often commanded his company ; July 3, 1863, he was severly wounded in the battle of Gettysburg ; later, he was oftered Lieutenant-Colonelcy by Gov. Todd, of Ohio, but not being able to take the field, declined the appointment. He next removed to Nashville, Tenn.; when in business pursuits he met with deserved success ; in 1865, he came to Mattoon, 111.; in 1868, he was admitted to the bar ; has held the oflBce of City Police Magistrate, and was chosen Judge of the Common Pleas Court, filling out an unexpired term ; though comparatively a young man, he is recognized as a very skillful and successful practitioner.

JAMES W. CRAIG, attorney at law, Mattoon ; was born in Morgan Tp., Coles Co., 111., June 29, 1844; his early life was that of a farmer's son ; his education was obtained in the common schools ; in 1864, he began the study of law with Col. O. B. Ficklin, of Charleston ; in the fall of 1865, he matriculated in the law department of the Michigan University, from which he graduated in March, 1867 ; in April, following, he was admitted to the State and Federal Courts ; he began the practice of his profession in Charleston, forming a copartnership with Col. Ficklin ; in May, 1868, he located in Mattoon, retaining his partnership with Col. Ficklin two years ; in

1872, he was chosen State's Attorney for Coles Co., and retained the office until 1876; the firm of Craig & Craig was formed in 1877. He was married in June, 1868, to Mary Chilton, a native of Scott Co., 111. ; has two children - Edward C. and Lizzie I. Owns eighty acres near the city, real estate in Mattoon and near Charleston.

ISAAC B. CRAIG, attorney at law, Mattoon ; was born in Coles Co., 111., April 28, 1854 ; he was brought up upon the farm, and his early experiences were those of a farmer's son ; with a good education acquired at the common schools, he began the study of his profession in March,

1873, with his brother and 0. B. Ficklin; in the foil of 1873, he entered the law department of the Michigan University; he graduated in the spring ot 1875, and, in June, 1875, was admitted to practice at Mt. Vernon, 111. ; he began the practice of his profession in Charleston ; in 1877, he came to Mattoon, and entered into partnership with his brother, and has since been engaged in the practice here.

S. A. CAMPBELL, surgeon dentist; Mattoon ; was born in Mercer Co., Penn., Aug. 16, 1848; his father came with his family in October, 1854, to Mercer Co., 111., and there settled on a farm ; six days after coming, he sickened and died ; at the age of 11 years. Dr. Campbell went into the office of Dr. E. B. Hamill, of Philadelphia, and at 12, began the study of dentistry ; here he remained under instruction about two and a half years ; he then entered the Baltimore Dental College, the oldest dental institution in the world ; in 1868, having completed the course he received the degree of D. D. S. ; he next located in Philadelphia, and entered upon the practice of his profession ; in May, 1870, be removed to Mattoon, 111. ; he is the oldest established dentist in the city, if not in the county. He was married in November, 1874, to Nellie FalHn, a native of Bracken Co., Ky.; has one daughter - Laura Bertha; he has a large practice, and is recognized as a skilled workman in his profession.

REV. FATHER CROWE, Pastor of the Catholic Church, Mattoon ; was born in Oswego, N. Y., Sept. 19, 1851 ; his early life was passed in the public schools of his native city; here he completed a full course of instruction, passing regularly through the high school and normal department; at about the age of 18 years, he engaged in the profession of teaching, and was a member of the Faculty in the College at Tutopolis, and, at a later date, in that at Ruma, 111. ; having for some time directed his thoughts in the channel of the legal profession, and, at a later date, to that of the medical profession, finally, in 1873, he entered the Grand Seminary, at Montreal, Canada, where for four years he pursued a course in theology ; he was ordained to the ministry Dec. 22, 1877 ; he then took chai'ge of a church at Flora, 111., for a short time, and, in March, 1878, came to Mattoon, his present residence; by virtue of his position, he is President of the schools connected with the Church, conducted by the Ursuline Sisters, from Springfield.

E. T. CURRENS, farmer and fruitgrower ; P. 0. Mattoon ; was born in Bracken Co., Ky., in 1816; his father was a farmer and tanner, and for fifty-five years conducted the two interests jointly, at Germantown, Ky. ; E. T.'s early life was spent upon his father's farm and in iearnina; the tanning business ; he entered Augusta College, Ky., in 1832, and graduated therefrom in 1836 ; he then engaged in mercantile life and farming till 1854, when he moved to Iowa and established the Kentucky settlement in Marshall Co.; in 1861, he returned to Maysville, Ky., and engaged in the hardware trade, in the firm of Carrens & Owens; in 1864, he came to Mattoon, 111., where he has since resided. Mr. Currens has thrice plighted himself at the nuptial altar ; his first marriage occurred in 1839, his second in 1849, and his last in 1859, each time choosing for his helpmeet one of Kentucky's fair daughters. His life has been one of marked activity ; he- has been an enterprising and liberal business man, and has always taken an active and leading part in introducing and rearing fine stock, in agricultural and horticultural exhibitions ; he was the first merchant to build a tobacco warehouse outside of the river towns, and to buy, price and ship the farmers' crops of Mason and Bracken Cos. ; he founded the Union Agricultural Company of these counties, and gave his woodlands for their first exhibitions, in 1854-55 ; he was a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Company so long as he remained a citizen of the State ; he was also a member of the Mason and Bracken Importing Co., and few men exerted more influence in the introduction of fine stock, machinery, or in the general improvement of his part of the State ; he organized the Marshall County, Iowa, Fair Co., and was President of that and the Central Iowa Fair Co., at the College Farm, up to the commencement of the war; both societies he left in great prosperity, and they are today leading associations for that great State ; during his administration, interesting exhibitions were held at the college farms at Newton, Marshalltown and Des Moines City, at each of which he took many premiums with individual animals and his fine herd of short-horns. Mr. Currens has taken an active interest in horticulture, fruit growing and gardening since he has been a citizen of Mattoon ; to his influence and activity Mattoon owes the existence of her Horticultural Society, and most of her advancement in the matter of ornamental shade-trees, fine fruits, berries, etc.; as a clever and enterprising citizen, he stands second to no man in his community.

J. D. CASSELL, proprietor Cassell's Restaurant, Mattoon ; was born in Montgomery Co., Penn., A. T>. 1827 ; until he was 17 or 18 years of age, he passed his life upon the farm, deriving his education mostly from the common schools ; in 1854, he came West to Jennings Co., Ind., where he remained one year ; he then went to Crawfordsville, Ind., and was a student in Wabash College a short time ; he next engaged in the merchant tailoring business there for two or three jears ; leaving Crawfordsville, he next located in South Bend, remaining one year ; in the fall of 1859, he moved to New Carlisle, Ind., and engaged in teaching school ; here he remained three and one-half years, most of the time engaged as a Professor in the Collegiate Institute ; in the spring of 1863, he moved to Rolling Prairie, taught one year, and, in the fall of 1864, engaged in the grocery trade ; in the spring of 1866, he was appointed and commissioned Postmaster, which position he held eight years ; in the fall of 1874, he came to Mattoon and engaged in his present occupation. He was first married in 1858, to Elizabeth Prance, a native of Ohio ; she died in

JAMBS T. CUNNINGHAM, deceased, Mattoon; the subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Grayson Co., Ky., July 11, 1802 ; his early life was spent on the farm, and his education limited to a few mouths' attendance upon the public or subscription schools of his native State ; from a very early period in life, the support of the family mainly devolved upon him; in the fall of 1830, he came West to Illinois with his mother-in-law, Mrs. Yocum and her family, and settled in what is now Paradise Tp., Coles Co. He is mentioned in that township as being among the early settlers; when he came West he was possessed of but little means, but here he found a wide field for speculation ; he was uniformly successful in his various undertakings, and his gains, though great, were always honorably gotten ; he fcorned to do a mean act, and, though at his death, he left a large competency to his family, no one could justly say that one farthing had been gained by trickery or dishonest means. He took a deep and abiding interest in whatever tended to advance the interests of his State. Being a man of good native ability, he was at an early day chosen by his fellow-citizens of Ct)les Co. as their representative ; he served eight years in succession in the Lower House while the capital of the State was at Vandalia. His marriage to Elizabeth C. Yocum occurred Sept. 15, 1825; she died Sept. 3, 1849 ; for almost a quarter of a century, she was to him a faithful helpmeet ; he was married a second time, Feb. 3, 1853, to Mrs. Sarah E.Hendricks; from first wedlock five children were born - John, William, James, Mary J., James H. ; of these William and James are dead ; from the second marriage two daughters were given him - Nancy T. (deceased) and Elizabeth C. (now wife of Elder W. T. Mason). At his death, which occurred June 26, 1863. he left an estate valued (after the liquidation of all debts) at 8300,000. This legacy he left to his family as the reward of a faithful, industrious, honest, upright life - a life of strict sobriety, and full of earnest, manly effort.

J. W. DORA, M. D., physician and surgeon, Mattoon ; was born near Augusta, Bracken Co., Ky., May 5, 1827 ; he enjoyed the advantages of select schools, and attended Augusta College a short time before its suspension ; in 1847, he went to Cincinnati, and became a student in Bartlett's Commercial College, from which he graduated in the spring of 1848 ; he then devoted himself to book-keeping for the firm of J. 0. Prather & Co., about a year; in the winter of 1849, he began the study of medicine, under Dr. George R. Todd, of Cynthiana, Ky., a brother of Mrs. A. Lincoln ; during the winter of 1850 and 1851, he attended the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, and the following spring, engaged in the practice of his profession, at Buena Vista, Ky. ; the winter of 1851 and 1852, he was again a student in the College, and graduated in the spring following, when he again returned to his practice; in August, 1855, he came West to Illinois, and located in Mattoon ; during the winter of 1855 and 1856, he attended a course of lectures in the Eclectic Medical College, at Cincinnati ; returning home he remained here in the practice until October, 1863, when he moved to Chicago ; during his residence of two years in Chicago, he received a degree from the Rush Medical College; in April, 1865, he returned to Mattoon, and has since resided here. He was married in the spring of 1850, to Martha E.Smith, a native of Harrison Co., Ky. ; she died March 27, 1872 ; Nov. 1.0, 1875, he was married to S. A. McQuown, a native of Kentucky ; has four children from first wedlock - Leoma C. (wife of F. D. Dole), Helen M., John W., Maggie E. He was first Mayor of the city, and for a number of years member of the City Council ; also held the office of City Treasurer a number of terms.

WILLIAM DOZIER, architect and builder, Mattoon ; was born in Muskingum Co., Ohio, Sept. 12, 1836 ; his grandfather came from Pennsylvania to Ohio as early as 1810, and settled in Muskingum Co., when that section of country was a wilderness ; his father was then a lad of some 8 or 9 summers ; through want of opportunity, the education of his father was not extended beyond spelling, he never having read a day in school ; he was a man, however, of good native ability, and, through his own exertions, obtained a fair education ; he served nine years as Justice of the Peace; he lost his life April 5, 1852, by drowning, William's early life was passed upon the farm, and he secured a good education in the common schools ; after the death of his father, he took charge of bis mother's interest, and that of eight younger members of the family, remaining at home till his majority ; at the age of 18 years, he began teaching, and taught four winters, farming or following the trade of carpenter during the remainder of the year; in 1858, he came West to Illinois, to prospect the country, and on the 1st day of April, landed in what is now the city of Mattoon, then a village of some 300 inhabitants ; here he engaged in working at his trade ; subsequently went te Cumberland Co., but soon returned to Mattoon ; in the fall of 1859, he returned to Ohio, and Oct. 11, 1859, was married to Maria

McCaslin. of Morgan Co., Ohio ; here he remained till August, 1861, when he again set his face westward, moving, in a twohorse wagon, his goods and eifects ; he came again to Mattoon; in 1865, he moved to Terre Haute, Ind., and during his residence of three and a half years, built six residences for himself, and also engaged in merchandising, a short time; in 1869, he returned to Mattoon ; since his residence he has built ten residences, six of which he now owns ; he also owns twenty acres in Okaw Tp., and four acres at his residence near the city limits. Has had two children - Wallace, living ; Cadmer, dead. In 1875, in company with his wife he visited England, Scotland and France, and contributed some interesting articles to the city papers on the manners and customs of the people, and on sight-seeing in London, Edinburgh and other noted nlaces.

W. B. DUNLAP, Cashier First National Bank, Mattoon ; was born in New Hampshire in 1840 ; he received a good, common-school education, and was fitted for college, but did not enter upon a college course. In 1861, he came West to Illinois, locating in Mattoon, where he was employed as book-keeper and clerk for the firm of Francis & Shaw. Jan. 1, 1863, he entered the banking house of Pilkington & Co., as Cashier; May 1, 1865, at which time the First National Bank was organized, he was chosen to the position of Teller ; this he held until 1868, when he was chosen Cashier; June 1, 1874, he resigned his office and organized the Mattoon National Bank, of which he was President till November, 1877, at which time he resigned the position to devote his attention to his real estate transactions. April 1, 1878, he was tendered the position of Cashier of the First National Bank a second time, and in May following that of President ; this, after mature deliberation, he declined, but consented to fill the office of (/ashier. The management of the bank, however, is almost wholly intrusted to his care. He was married in 1866, to Mary K. Woods, a native of Illinois. Has two children - Estelle and Katie. Owns 120 acres and a large amount of real estate in the city. In addition to his banking duties, he transacts a real estate business to the amount of from $60,000 to $70,000 per annum.

J. K. DONNELL, wholesale grocer,^ Mattoon ; was born in Tyrone Co., Ireland, Oct. 14, 1835. At the age of 13, he entered the employ of John and James Graham, as clerk in their grocery establishment, in the town of Strabane ; here he served an indentured apprenticeship for three years and four months, at which time he received a certificate of qualification as a practical business man. The family soon after came to America and settled in Philadelphia, where he was employed in various firms in the capacity of clerk. In 1857, he began business for himself in the retail grocery trade ; this he conducted ten years. In 1867, he came to Illinois and began the retail trade in Mattoon ; for the first four years he conducted a jobbing trade in connection with the retail department; in the fall of 1861, he leased his present place of business to operate exclusively a jobbing trade ; this he continued five years; in the fall of 1866, he leased an additional room, and again connected the retail trade with his business ; October, 1878, he abandoned the retail department and entered upon the wholesale business exclusively. .His is the pioneer wholesale establishment, being the first and only exclusively wholesale house in the city. In addition to his fine and growing business, ranging from $130,000 to $150,000 per annum, he own? a fine fruit farm of twenty acres within the corporate limits of the city, a number of residences and eightyfour acres in Cumberland Co., well improved. All this he has accumulated by honest industry and good management^ and while ill-timed adventure and unwise speculation has engulfed many in financial ruin, he feels grateful that his every obligation has been met, dollar for dollar ; and yet with his armor on, he boasts not as he may who has l^id it aside.

J. F. DRISH, dealer in general hardware and agricultural implements, Mattoon ; was bornin Leesburg, Loudoun Co., Va., May 8, 1833 ; his father came west to Illinois in 1836 or 1837, and first settled in Whitehall, Greene Co., where he engaged in the practice of his profession - that of a physician and surgeon ; at the age of 19, the subject of this sketch left home and crossed the plains to California ; here he engaged in speculating and contracting; in 1854, he returned by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York City ; he next settled in Carlinville, and engaged in the dry goods and grocery trade till 1861. At the outbreaking of the civil war, he entered in the U. S. service in the 32d I. V. I., as Adjutant of the regiment; in April, 1862, he came home and assisted in raising and organizing the 1 2 2d I. V. I., and again entered the service as Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment ; he was mustered out of the service in 1865, having been actively engaged with the regiment during its entire term of service. In 1865, he settled in Mattoon and engaged in his present occupation. He was married, in 1856, to Rosella C. Keller, a native of Illinois ; they have two daughters - L. M. and Frankie. He has held the office of Supervisor two terms, and was Chairman of the Board during his last term ; he was chosen Mayor of the city in 1867, serving out a portion of the first Mayoralty under the new city charter ; he h;is held the office of President one term, and that of Secretary one term, of the Board of Education. He participated in the battles of Forts Henry, Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Parker's Cross Roads, Nashville, and many others ; he was wounded in the shoulder on the 9th day of April, 1865, in the assault on Fort Blakely, at Mobile ; this battle was fought after the war was virtually at an end.

R. L. EWINGr, retail grocer, Mattoon; was born in Coles Co., 111., Dec. 28, 1842; his father, William Ewing, familiarly known as 'Squire Ewing, came from Kentucky and settled upon the South Kickapoo, within the present limits of Coles Co., in the spring of 1 829 ; here he engaged in farming, and here the boyhood and early manhood of R. L. was passed upon the farm; his father died in 1866; he remained at home and had charge of the farm until 1873 ; he then purchased the homestead, and, the following year, sold out and came to Mattoon ; here he entered the employ of D. D. James, as clerk in his grain office, and, the following year, was in like employment for Hinkle & Kahn ; Nov. 1, 1876, he began his present business, with Thos. McCormiok as partner, under the firm name of McCormick & Ewing. He was married Dec. 31, 1863, to Sarah S. McDonald, a native of Illinois ; they have one child living - John W., and an infant son dead. He owns eighty acres of the old homestead ; is at present a member of the City Council.