Crawford County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 17 of those read), 1909 (part 11 of 11)

WIMAN, Henry Milton. - The farming interests of Crawford County are represented by men of ability and high standing, who not only are interested in the development of their land, but also in the advancement of local affairs. Henry Milton Wiman, of Robinson Township, is one of the progressive farmers who owe their advancement to their own unaided efforts and habits of thrift and industry. Mr. Wiman was born in Sullivan County, Ind., April 20, 1870. He is a son of William Johnson and Sarah Ellen (Hunt) Wiman, born in Indiana, the former in Sullivan County and the latter in Vigo County.

In 1872 William Johnson Wiman moved with his family to Crawford County, and settled near Bellair, where Henry Milton Wiman went to school until he was eighteen, when he entered the Central Normal Christian College at Danville, Ind. Finishing his course there, he taught school for eight years, when he purchased his present farm of fifty acres, on which there is a comfortable home, with modern improvements.

On February 17, 1901, Mr. Wiman married Innis MeGovern, daughter of Philip and Louesa (Morris) MeGovern, and they have a daughter, Louesa, born March 9, 1904. In polities Mr. Wiman is a Democrat. His wife joined the United Brethren Church in 1891 and is very active in chureh work. Mr. Wiman believes in the gospel of hard, honest work. As a school teacher he was very conscientious and tried. to teach each pupil faithfully and carefully, and as a result made friends of those under his tuition. Since engaging in farming, he has pursued the same policy and whatever he undertakes, he does thoroughly, so that his farm is in excellent condition, and the results of his labors are both successful and satisfactory.

WIRT, Jacob (deceased), for many years a prosperous farmer of Oblong Township, Crawford County, was born in Lancaster County, Pa., February 28, 1825, and when about eight years old, was taken by his parents to Decatur County, Ind. where he was brought up on the farm in the woods and received but a limited education, although he studied and became essentially a selfmade man. When he was seventeen he began working for himself, but gave his father one-half of his wages until he was twenty-one. Later he farmed for his father for three years. On February 22, 1850, he married in Decatur County, Catherine Johnson, a native of Stiles County, Vt., who bore him the following family: Zachariah, Isaiah, Henry, Ennis, Mary Belle. In the fall of 1853 he moved to Crawford County, Ill., and bought 40 acres of raw land, but in six weeks moved to Davis County, Iowa, giving up the land he had secured. In 1854 he returned to the same place and bought 80 acres, to which he added until he owned 220 acres, although he gave away 160 of it to his sons. Mr. Wirt devoted his land to stock and grain raising and was successful in his undertakings.

WOLFE, Joseph H. - Within recent years the farmers of Illinois have been specializing in their work, recognizing the advantages of this. Some cultivate grain exclusively, while others devote their time and attention to raising high-grade Stock. Crawford County is specially suited for grazing purposes, and sheep have proved to be a very valuable investment. Joseph Wolfe of Section 15, Prairie Township, Crawford County, is among the progressive farmers and stockmen of this section, and he is making a specialty of raising Shropshire sheep.

Mr. Wolfe was born in Champaign County, Ohio, September 5, 1844, a son of Henry Wolfe, who was born in Virginia, May 11, 1799. The latter was reared and educated in his native State, and when twenty-one years old he left that State came to Champaign County, Ohio, where he bought a farm. This he sold and in 1849 came to Crawford County, Ill, making the trip in a wagon. Locating two miles east of Porterville, he bought 300 acres, of which he sold his eldest son 60 acres leaving him 240 acres. The farm was partially improved, there being a house and barn on it, and a large orchard of 250 trees had been planted. The first wife of Henry Wolfe was Mary Reese, who bore him three children, namely: George Pearson, Matilda and Eunice. His second wite was Sarah Y. Downey, who was born in Champaign County, Ohio, and they became the parents of the following children: Harriet, Mary, Joseph, Catherine, John and Elias.

Joseph H. Wolfe was brought to Crawford County by his father when he was five years old, and was educated in the district schools of his neighborhood, attending in the winter and working on the farm during the summer. In 1865 he married Louisa Hill, daughter of John and Lizarah Hill Mrs. Wolfe was born May 23, 1846, east of Porterville, Crawford County. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe became the parents of the following children: Mary Josephine, born.November 25, 1866, died September 7, 1870; Lizarah, born June 5, 1869, died October 7, 1870; Charles Hamlin, born March 3, 1872, died August 22, 1876; Edgar, born September 15, 1873, died August 7, 1875. During three years of his married life, Mr. Wolfe lived in Annapolis, Crawford County, being engaged in a general merchandise business. He lost his wife August 11, 1876. On August 15, 1877, Mr. Wolfe married Emma Bowman, daughter of David and Mary (Mouser) Bowman. Her father was born March 30, 1813, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. David Bowman brought his family from Licking County, Ohio, in a wagon, and they located near Robinson, Ill., where he rented a farm for a year, aud then entered 600 acres of government land, which he later divided among his children. The present home of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe was a portion of the family estate of the Bowmans. Mrs. Wolfe inherited a part of it, and Mr. Wolfe bought from the other heirs the rest of the 110 acres owned by them. This property is in a high state of cultivation, well improved and very valuable.

Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe have no children of their own, but they adopted a young girl from Chicago when she was eleven years old. She has been a great comfort to them, and they are very proud of her. She early developed a remarkable musical talent, and they had her carefully trained on the piano, so that she commenced teaching music when fifteen. She is now married to Everett Keenan, who is a farmer of Prairie Township. Mr and Mrs. Wolfe are members of the United Brethren Church, with which they became united a number of years ago. He was a Trustee and Steward of the church, as well as Superintendent of the Sunday School, and takes a deep interest in church work. His first vote was cast for General U. S. Grant, for President, and he has since continued faithful to Republican principles.

WOOD, Captain William. - In that struggle in which man pitted himself against primeval forest and aboriginal inhabitant, the strongest types of manhood and womanhood were evolved. Existence in any frontier region is never easy, and yet the result of the efforts of the pioneers seems to repay all the hardships these brave forerunners of civilization endured. Where once was but timber and wild prairie, over which roved the deer and Indians, to-day we find rich farms and large and prosperous commercial cities. The early lives of these pioneers accustomed them to hard work which developed the mind and hardened the body, so that to-day, although eightyfour years old, Captain William Wood possesses all his faculties, and is one of the most intelliment men of his community.

Captain William Wood was born at Gordon, La Motte Township, Crawford County, Ill., three miles east of Robinson, September 4, 1824, and now resides in the village of Oblong in the same county. He is a son of Joseph and Margaret Mc- Dowell Wood, and grandson of Joseph Wood. The elder Joseph Wood came to Crawford County after his son Joseph, and was one of the first men in Crawford County to serve on a graud jury. He was a soldier in the War of 1812.

Joseph Wood, the younger, was born in Virginia and died in Oblong Township, in 1866, aged seventy-four years. He, too, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and the ancestors of the family were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. The mother of Captain Wood was born in Virginia, and died in Oblong Township, in 1863, when nearly seventy years old. In 1810 or 1811, Joseph Wood came to Vincennes, Ind., where Fort Harrison now stands, and enlisted as "a ranger," serving about twenty-one months. His brother Jonathan was killed at the battle of Tippecanoe. He was given a grant of government land for his services and this he located in La Motte Township, three miles east of Robinson. On it he built a house and lived in it until 1839, when he sold a portion of the land and moved to Big Creek, three miles east of Oblong village, and bought 1,500 acres of land on which he lived until his death. He improved a great deal of land and divided over 2,000 acres among his children, retaining only a small portion of his holdings. He was first a Whig and later a Republican, a strong Harrison man. In religious views he was a Universalist while his wife was a Presbyterian. They were the parents of fifteen children, four of whom survive: Captain William ; Emily, who married R. F. Ames; J. H., and Robert. Those who died were: three infants; Rachel, who married Richard Lackey; Polly, who married John DeLapp; John; Angeline, who married William Hill; Julia, who died in infancy and was a twin sister of Emily; Joseph Houston, who died at fourteen years of age; Virginia. who married Hiram Larrabee; and Margaret, who married

Captain William Wood went to school in the typical pioneer school house, built of logs with puncheon floor, slab seats and greased paper for window glass; and yet in this primitive structure he was well grounded in the common branches. Until 1848 he remained at home, but in that year he married, and commenced farming a mile east of Oblong village, on nearly 500 acres of land, part of which he bought at a private sale, and part entered from the Government.

There was a log house on the land, in which he and his bride lived until he built a frame house which was their home until their removal to Oblong village. This home, in which they experienced so many joys and sorrows, will always seem the real home to them. Mr. Wood improved the greater part of the farm, purchased other land in this section of the county, but later sold it and now owns but 321 acres. His principal business has been buying and selling stock, and the results of his operations along this line have been gratifying. In 1860 Capt. Wood built the first brick building in Oblong village, and in 1868 he put up the first and only gristmill, and both still stand as monuments to his industry and public enterprise. In June, 1908, the Oil Belt Bank was organized, and Capt. Wood became a stockholder and Director. He is also a stockholder in the Colonial Hotel, which was built at the same time as the bank and is a part of the same building. Capt. and Mrs. Wood remained on the farm until November, 1907, when they established themselves in their present home. They have been married over sixty years.

On July 2, 1848, Captain Wood married Caroline Ames born in Clark County, Ohio, December 1, 1821, a daughter of Asa and Elizabeth (Forrest) Ames, natives of New Hampshire and Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Ames were married in Vermont, from which State they came to Ohio, and in 1841 they proceeded to Oblong Township, Crawford County, where the father, who had a government grant on account of his service in the War of 1812, took up land about four miles west of Robinson, on which he lived until his death in 1866. His widow lived with Capt. and Mrs. Wood for several years, almost to the time of her death, which occurred when she was very old. Mr. and Mrs. Ames were the parents of five children: Asa, Robert F, Stephen, who died at the age of four years; Mrs, Wood and Sarah, all dead except Mrs. Wood. Mr. and Mrs. Ames were Universalists, and Mr. Ames was first a Whig and then a Republican.

Capt. and Mrs. Wood have had children as follows: four who died in infancy; Sarah E., who died in 1874, aged seventeen years; Helen, who died the year earlier, aged fourteen; William F., married Ann Buck, they reside on the home place and have five children, - Vera, Lola, Katherine, Nora, and Elva; James A., married Frances Henry, and they also live on the home place and have had the following children, - one who died in infancy, Herbert, who died when one year old, Byrl, Mary, William H., Mark H., Ina, Ralph, Bertha and Marjorie.

On July 9, 1862, William Wood enlisted in Company D, Ninety-eighth Illinois Mounted Infantry, Wilder's Brigade. Upon the organization of the regiment at Centralia, Ill., Mr. Wood was elected Captain of his company. The regiment was assigned to the Fourteenth Army Corps. Among the more notable engagements in which it took part may be mentioned : Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Tunnel Hill, Siege of Atlanta. From Atlanta they went to Jonesboro, Ga., and he was in the fighting there for 123 days almost continuously. On a number of occasions, Captain Wood, as ranking officer, had command of the regiment. He was wounded by a bursting shell at Chickamauga. On December 9, 1864, he was honorably discharged on account of disability resulting from his service. Captain Wood had two brothers who served during the war, Albert Wood and Capt. J. H. Wood. The former enlishted in General Grant's old regiment, the Twenty-first Illinois, was captured at Chickamauga and sent to Andersonville, where he died of starvation. J. H. Wood enlisted in Company F, Fifth Illinois Cavalry, and was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Captain William Wood is a Blue Lodge Mason and the second oldest member in the County, and is a member of the Albert Wood Post, G. A. R., which was named in honor of his brother who died in the Andersonville prison. Until the organization of the Republican party, he was a Whig, and has voted the Republican ticket ever since. He has been Collector of Taxes, for twenty years was a Justice of the Peace and his wise administration is still remembered with pride. Capt. Wood well remembers when Crawford County had very few settlers, instead of one of the most fertile sections of Illinois, being then barren land. Indians roved about in large bands and deer was very plentiful. Often were seen forty deer in a herd. Flocks of wild turkeys were everywhere, and there were many more wolves than was agreeable or safe. He also remembers one peculiar circumstance that his father used often to mention. About the time that the family settled here, in 1816 or 1817, a terrible epidemic, known locally as "milk sickness," broke out among the people and stock. Many died in the vicinity of Gordon, including the elder Joseph Wood, his maternal grandfather, and two or three of the latter's daughters. Those who survived felt the effects at certain seasons of the year for some years thereafter. The majority of those who fell victims either died or moved away. Large quantities of stock also died. The trouble seemed only local, but was dreadful. In those early days Capt. Wood made five trips to Chicago driving cattle to market, and his reminiscences of them would fill a volume. On August 7, 1906, oil was discovered on Capt. Wood's farm and he now has 30 producing oil wells. Capt. and Mrs. Wood are probably the oldest married couple in Crawford County, and they are universally honored and respected. Their many good deeds and kindly words can never be told. No one ever sought aid of them in vain. No matter how small their quarters, the wayfarer was always welcome in the olden days. and the visitor to their present home is received with the same cordial hospitality as found among the survivors of pioneer days. Nothing but good can be said of these two, who in their venerable age command confidence, esteem and affection, not only from their family but from all who have the honor of their acquaintance.

WOODWORTH, Abner Palmer. - Few men have been more prominently associated with the financial and commercial growth of Crawford County than Abner Palmer Woodworth, who from 1850 has been an important factor in the life of Robinson, and who contributed largely towards its rapid advancement. Mr. Woodworth was born at Palestine, Ill., June 20, 1829, a son of John Spencer and Elizabeth (Greer) Woodworth, «the former of whom was born on a farm near Albany, N. Y., December 29, 1775, and was a farmer by occupation. His wife was born in South Carolina in 1779, and they were married in Lawrence County, IlL, where he died in 1850, his widow surviving him several years. John Spencer Woodworth came west to Kentucky in 1812, and having heard glowing reports of the land along the Wabash River from Gen. Harrison's soldiers who were home on a furlough, came with about twenty others to investigate the conditions in Illinois. Being well satisfied, they returned 1814, as soon ás the land was opened for settlement. This party was one of the first to settle in Crawford County, and Mr. Woodworth built a log house which he occupied until Abner P. was about five years old, when the first frame house was erected. At this time Indians roamed the prairies, and wild game of all kinds was very plentiful. To the north there was a settlement -of Carolinians, and to the south a party of Kentuckians. Mr. Woodworth bought land near the present site of Palestine, and on this he resided until his death. He had the honor of being the second sheriff of Crawford County, and was a man of considerable prominence throughout the county as well as the State during its early history. Crawford County at that time included Chicago, where Mr. Woodworth sold apples, shipping them there by team. At one time he owned 1,000 acres of land and cleared off a large portion of it and brought it into a high state of cultivation. His father, Roswell Woodworth, had served in the Revolution, as did the maternai grandfather, the latter being under Gen. Marion in South Carolina, and the family on both sides always took a prominent part in the upbuilding of the country.

Abner Palmer Woodworth was educated at Hanover College, Ind. During his early school days he worked on his father's farm, and learned how to farm properly. The first cook stove he saw was brought from Chicago when he was a small boy. After attending school for two years, he clerked in a store, and then, in 1852, bought a half-interest in the general store of C. B. Lagow & Co. in Robinson, which business was conducted under the style of Woodworth & Lagow from 1852 to 1863. At that time it was the only store in Robinson, which was then a hamlet of about 100 people. The stock of merchandise was eventually sold to Braden & Dorothy, and in 1863, Mr. Woodworth embarked in the mercantile business alone, thus continuing until 1868, when he started a small banking enterprise in connection with his mercantile business, under the name of Woodworth Brothers & Co., which later was changed to the Robinson Bank in 1875, and was reorganized and incorporated as the First National Bank of Robinson in 1896, with A. P. Woodworth as president, which honorable position he still retains. In 1875 he sold out his mercantile business to devote himself exclusively to his banking interests until the reorganization in 1896.

In addition to his other business enterprises, Mr. Woodworth was one of the organizers of the Paris Danville (now the "Big Four") Railroad in 1870 and 1875, is the founder of the Woodworth Hotel, and has always been interested in whatever measures promised to advance the interests of Crawford County. When twenty-one, he cast his first vote with the Whig Party, and helped to organize the Republican Party in Crawford County, but through all his political life could never be induced to hold public office. Mr. Woodworth is a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is trustee. On August 18, 1868, Mr. Woodworth was married at Binghamton, N. Y., to Ellen King, daughter of Andrew King, who moved from her birthplace, Lexington, Ky., to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she resided until reaching her maturity. Mr. King was identified with a wholesale drygoods business, under the style of King, Corwin & Co., and later in life removed to Leavenworth, Kan., where his death occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Woodworth have-no issue.

Mr. Woodworth is a man whose intelligence and publie spirit brought him into active co-operation with his fellow citizens in various movements of the day, and he can always be relied upon to take an advanced stand, his influence ever being cast on the side of progress. Shrewd, alert, eareful in looking after the interests of his depositors, he is a man who has always commanded the highest confidence, and no one has ever possessed in a higher degree the full esteem of the community, as private citizen and head of a great banking institution which his own ability and foresight built up out of a small beginning

WOODWORTH, Martin B. (deceased). - The lives of those gone before often point out morals and show the gratifying result of good living. After a man is dead, his true character comes to light, and when his memory is honored and his life pointed to as a standard of Christian endeavor, then he has not lived in vain. The late Martin B. Woodworth of Palestine, Crawford County, Ill. was a man of the most excellent habits, conscientious and hard working, and a true Christian in every sense of the word.

Mr. Woodworth was born in La Motte Township, Crawford County, August 19, 1825, a son of J. S. and Polly (Gill) Woodworth, a concise Sketch of whom will be found in connection with a biographical record of his half brother, Abner P. Woodworth of Robinson. Mr. Woodworth was educated by a private tutor in his younger days. and later attended the Palestine schools. He remained with his father until his marriage, when he commenced farming on 100 acres of land his father had given him, located in La Motte Township. Of this, 30 acres were improved, and he cleared off and improved most of the remainder, and added to his holdings until he owned some 200 acres in one body. Afterward he sold the first property and bought 100 acres on the east side of Palestine, upon which he and his wife moved in 1870, and which continued to be his home until his death, which occurred August 10, 1904, when he lacked but nine days of being seventy-nine years old.

Mr. Woodworth had united with the Methodist Episcopal Chruch when a young man, and his funeral was held in the Methodist Church at Palestine, the Rev. S. B. Edmondson officiating. The body was interred in the Wesley Chapel Cemetery, four miles southeast of Palestine, and Mrs. Woodworth has there erected a beautiful monument to his memory. He was a Republican but not an office-seeker.

Mr. Woodworth was instrumental in securing the establishment of the Illinois Central machine shop at Palestine, at the time the road was built, and he furnished and helped to raise considerable money for that purpose. After his retirement, Mr. Woodworth became a director of the First National Bank in Robinson, Ill, and was most highly esteemed in the business world. The crowd which attended his funeral was immense, all striving to render him honor.

The widow of Mr. Woodworth, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth (Crews) Woodworth, was born on a farm near Palestine, Ill., September 29, 1831, a daughter of William J. and Amelia (Spraggins) Crews, the former born October 7, 1802, in Tennessee, where he was a farmer, while the latter was born in Lincoln County, Ky., August 8, 1810. John Crews, the grandfather of Mrs. Woodworth, was English and came to Crawford County when but little of it had been developed. At that time there were no roads, and much of the land being under water, quicksands abounded. Mrs. Crews' people were from Kentucky, but they, too, became pioneers of Crawford County at a period when Mrs. Crews was only six years old.

Mrs. Woodworth attended the subscription sehools in early girlhood, but later had the advantage of attending more modern schools near Palestine. She was married at her father's home February 29, 1848, to Martin B. Woodworth. After the death of Mr. Woodworth, Mrs. Wioodworth built her present home, which is.a very comfortable one, and she now lives there surrounded by every comfort. She has been a consistent member of the Methodist Church for sixty years, and is one of the substantial residents of Palestine, who is managing her property interests thriftily and successfully. She is possessed of ample means, is prominent in church work, and an important factor in the life of her community.

WRIGHT, James Wesley. - One of the homes to which the people of Palestine point with pride is the one occupied by James Wesley Wright, once known as the Lagow homestead. It is sub- stantially built of brick, contains ten rooms and is one of the most comfortable and spacious in this locality. Set back 200 feet from the street, the beautiful lawn that surrounds it shows up to excellent advantage, and the ornamental trees are artistically interspersed with shrubs and flowers. In this charming home Mr. Wright is living retired from the active duties of life, renting his farm of 500 acres.

Mr. Wright was born in Gibson County, Ind., October 1, 1851, a son of Andrew Jackson and Lucinda (Spain) Wright. 'The father was born in Gibson County, Ind., August 24, 1822, and he died February 23, 1883, when sixty-one years of age, in La Motte Township. In 1853 he moved from Gibson County, Ind., to Pike County, Ind., and in 1862 came to Crawford County, buying 860 acres of land, part timber and part prairie. He was a very extensive raiser of cattle, horses and hogs, and raised more corn than the majority of his neighbors, even then having great faith in corn, and appreciating the suitability of Illinois soil for its production. His wife, also born in Gibson County, Ind., in 1826, was a daughter of Archie Spain who came from Virginia.

Mr. Wright was given the usual educational advantages of his place and time and made good use of them. Later he attended Merom College. Returning home he commenced farming and did not retire until he had become the owner of 500 acres, which he devoted to wheat, corn and stock. In polities he is a Republican, and fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen. For thirty-seven years he has been a member of the Christian Church and is now one of its Trustees.

On October 17, 1880, Mr. Wright was married to Eva Pearce, daughter of the late Zadok Alexander and Louisa Jane (Wilhite) Pearce, in Oak Grove Church on La Motte Prarie, near Palestine, by the Rev. T. C. Smith, President of the Union Christian College at Merom, Ind. Three girls have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wright: Pearl, born April 12, 1883, on La Motte Prairie; Laota Clair, born July 2, 1886, in Palestine; and Hazel Spain, born October 20, 1897, and died the same day. June 7, 1906, Pearl married the Rev. H. G. Rowe of Union City, Ind., who is now in charge of the large church community at Atwood, Ill. At the time of her marriage Mrs. Rowe, was a teacher of Elocution and Oratory at the Union Christian College. She is a graduate of Columbia College. A charming feature of the marriage was that it was performed on the same platform at the college on which Mr. Rowe had received his diploma, after an evening's entertainment given. by Mrs. Rowe.

Prior to marriage, Mrs. Rowe and her sister, Laota, travelled extensively. Mrs. Rowe went with her uncle William C. Pearce, International Sunday School Superintendent of Chicago, to the Holy Land in 1908, to attend the International Sunday School Convention held in Jerusalem, and from there they went to all parts of the Holy Land, and the trip consumed seventy-one days. Miss Laota went in 1907 on a trip that was equally interesting. Starting from Boston she visited the Azores and Rome, Italy, where another International Sunday School Convention was being held. She accompanied the same uncle. From Rome they went to the principal cities of Europe, including Paris, Venice, London and Heidelberg, after a tour of three months, returning home via New York.

Mrs. Wright comeg of an old and honored family. Her father, Zadok Alexander Pearce, was born in Warren County, Ind., March 4, 1829, and died October 21, 1881. She was one of & family of four children born to her parents: William C., Mrs. Ida Decker, Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Ora Godley. Coming to Crawford County in 1851, her father was one of the energetic and successful farmers here until his demise. Few men were more prominent than he in the Christian Chureh, and he was buried from the Oak Grove Church, President Aldrich of the Union Christian Church officiating, while Hon. E. han delivered a touching address. Mrs. Pearce, born on La Motte Prairie, Ill, September 18, 1833, died February 1, 1892, at the home of her son, William C. Pearce. She had been a member of the Methodist Church, but transferred to the Christian Church when it was organized. She was a daughter of Enoch and Polly (Myers) Wilhite. When she died, Mrs. Pearce left two brothers, M. H. Wilhite and W. C. Wilhite. The services were held at the home of her son, William C. Pearce, the Rev. J. E. Steele officiating, and later there were services at the Oak Grove Church where Rev. Aldrich, who three months before had performed the same office for her husband, conducted the services over her remains. She was laid to rest by the side of her husband in Oak Grove Cemetery.

WURTZBERGAR, Andrew J. - Agricultural prosperity seems to be the prevailing order in Crawford County, where broad fields and substantial buildings reflect the owner's industry, enterprise and thrift. Andrew J. Wurtzbergar of Section 36, Oblong Township, was born on the old homestead, August 23, 1877, a son of Andrew Wurtzbergar, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, November 13, 1848, and died October 28, 1900. He came to Oblong Township, Crawford County, Ill., in 1850, being brought by his father, William Wurtzbergar. William entered 340 acres, a portion of which is included in the farm of the present Andrew J. Wurtzbergar. William also erected the present home, and cleared his land of timber. In politics he was a Democrat, and at an early day was quite prominent in public affairs.

The present Andrew J. Wurtzbergar was educated in the common schools and at Wyoming Academy, and then on March 22, 1899, enlisted in Company H, Eighteenth United States Regulars, and went to the Philippines. He was in the battle of Illayas, November 21, 1899; in the battle of Lata Barbiria, December 14, 1900; Lubingan, October 15, 1900, and was honorably discharged and commended for honest and faithful service, March 21, 1902, at Fort Russel, Wyo. The commander of the regiment was Col. W. J.

Returning home, Mr. Wurtzbergar was married April 27, 1902, to Edith M. Brock, daughter of Telman H. Brock, a farmer of Oblong Township, where she was reared, having been born in Iroquois County, Ill., and brought here when nine years of age. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wurtzbergar: Charles William and Mabel Beneta, both born on the homestead, the former September 23, 1903, and the latter, October 21, 1905. Mr. Wurtzbergar has fifty acres of fine land, which he devotes to general farming. In polities he is a Democrat, and fraternally he belongs to the order of American Patriots. Mrs. Wurtzbergar is a member of the Christian Church.

WURTZBERGAR, William P. - Domestic and Social life on the prosperous Illinois farm of the twentieth century, and under varying conditions, is just so broad and so deep as are the individuals who compose it. Life in the country, as nowhere else, presents the most favorable conditions for permanent advancement. In most communities of this great Commonwealth is to be found easy communications between different portions of the county. The telephone eliminates time and distance, the daily mail brings news of the world. Mechanical genius has revolutionized the labor of the farm, and machinery transforms, in a day, the landscape of a country. Among the progressive young farmers of Crawford County is William Wurtzbergar of Section 35, Oblong Township, who was born on his present farm, April 7, 1874, a son of Andrew Wurtzbergar, now deceased, who was a farmer of Oblong Township but a native of Ohio, born in 1848. His father, William Wurtzbergar, was a ploneer of Oblong Township, born in Pennsylvania, and married in Ohio, to Frances Miller, of German descent. William Wurtzbergar and wife were the parents of five children, one son and four daughters. He brought his young family to Oblong Township at a very early date, ànd here reared them. He entered a farm of several hundred acres and placed it under cultivation, and there he resided until his death. All his life he was Democratic in his political views, and became very well known throughout the county.

Andrew Wurtzbergar was educated. in the early log schoolhouse and when,he attained to manhood estate he married Lucy (Best) Ikemire, widow of Jesse Ikemire. She had two daughters and a son by her first marriage to John Larrabe, who died in the Union Army during the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Wurtzbergar had eight children, three sons and five daughters, of whom William P. was the eldest, the others being: Andrew, Jr. Lucy, Mattie and four deceased - all born on the homestead of 200 acres. The father cleared about 70 acres of this and 70 acres each on two other farms. Like his father he became a very widely known Democrat, and was noted for his energy as a farmer and stock-raiser. His death occurred when he was fifty-two years old. A

William P. Wurtzbergar attended the district school of Oblong Township and was reared on the old homestead. On April 7, 1898, he married Pearl Jackson, a farmer of that county. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wurtzbergar: Andrew Thomas, Florence, Hazel, Chester, and Vernon. A daughter, Bertie Alice, was born to Mr. Wurtzbergar by a former marriage, his first wife having been Lucy Stifle, a daughter of Jasper Stifle., The children all have been born in the present Nome.

Mr. Wurtzbergar helped his father clear 70 acres of the present farm and has made many of the improvements upon it, developing it into a very valuable piece of property. He, too, ls a Democrat, but is not an office-seeker.

WYLDE, David Z., D. D. S. - Energy, enterprise and perseverance will accomplish large results, and no one has proved this more thoroughly than Dr. David Z. Wylde, one of the popular young dentists of Oblong, Crawford County, Dr. Wylde was born in Oblong, July 13, 1883, a son of John and Lenora (Condrey) Wylde. John Wylde was a farmer, living one-half mile north of Oblong, where he died when thirty-eight years of age. His widow was married July 4, 1899, to J. B. Hook. David Z. Condrey, grandfather of Dr. Wylde on his mother's side, served in the Civil War and was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. The grandparents on the father's side were English, the grandfather having come to this country when thirty, and the grandmother in girlhood.

Dr. Wylde attended the common school until thirteen years old, when, his mother moving into town, he spent a year in the high school, and later went to the Dental College at Keokuk, Iowa, from which he was graduated when only nineteen. He had exhausted his funds going through college, and returning home borrowed fifteen dollars from his mother and, with it went to St. Louis where he worked in the Union Depot when not employed in his profession, but in 1905, returning to Oblong, opened an office there, and is now one of the most popular men in his profes- Sion, his skill being universally recognized. His practice is a very large one and is constantly growing. He is a Republican in politics, but is liberal enough to concede that oftentimes men are found outside his party better fitted for the office in question. On May 8, 1908, he joined the Elks, and is enthusiastic over this order.

On March 9, 1905, Dr. Wylde was married at Effingham to Cloa Burroughs - no issue. Dr. and Mrs. Wylde are very popular socially, and their hospitable home is thronged with their many friends,

YORK, Wiley Grant. - The discovery of oil in Crawford County changed the complexion of business in a good many localities, and made exceedingly valuable otherwise barren land. The fortunate ones who have wells upon their property need no longer seek for opportunities to increase their material welfare, for the income from a few of these wells is sufficient to remove them forever from any fear of want. Wiley Grant York, of Robinson, owns a farm of 112 acres, on which are nineteen good oil wells, and in addition to this property he owns 1,500 acres in Arkansas. He was born near Robinson, Crawford County, Ill. October 17, 1865, a son of Charles York, a farmer, who was born in 1824 and died in 1903. Brought up on the farm, Wiley Grant York early learned all the details of farm life upon his father's property of 200 acres, at the same time attending the district school, and after spending sometime at Merom College, devoted attention to his farm, and after the discovery of oil on his property, to its proper marketing.

Mr. York has been twice married, his first marriage being with Miss Ellen May Beabout, February 21, 1892, in Crawford County. She was the daughter of a farmer, and was born February 5, 1873, and died in 1902. Mr. York was married at Danville, Ill, September 10, 1907, to Mrs. Mary (Beabout) Gordon, a widow with three children: Glenn, Dale and June Gordon. Mr. York has the following children by his first marriage: Alma Maud, born June 16, 1893, is in the eighth grade; Edna J. and Edgar Roy were twins and they died in infancy ; Virgie Bell, born August 17, 1898, attends school and is in the third grade, and Bessie Marie, born October 26, 1902, died in infancy. Mr. York has a beautiful home which is the center of domestic felicity, and is the scene of many delightful social gatherings, he and his wife displaying a lavish hospitality. Fraternally, Mr. York is a member of I. O. O. F., Masons, Modern Woodmen and Patrons of Husbandry, which succeeded the Grangers. His father was an enthusiastic Republican, naming his son for the late President Grant, and Mr. York is himself equally strong in his advocacy of the party principles. His large oil holdings have made him an important factor in the history of Crawford County, and he is prominent alike in social, public and business affairs, and universally liked.

YORK, Willis Rily. - Crawford County is not only one of the best farming communities, but has centered in it extensive oil interests that have materially influenced the commercial and industrial life of this part of the State, and placed the owners of oil-producing property in the ranks of the well-to-do class. Among those thus fortunate is Willis Rily York, born in Robinson Township, January 4, 1855, a son of Benjamin and Jane (Athey) York, natives of Crawford County, Ill., and Licking County, Ohio, respectively. There were ten children in the family of Benjamin York, namely: Willis Rily, Alice, Mary, Eva, Ida, John, Amanda, Adeline, Cora and Leota, of whom Amanda died unmarried, and Eva and John died after marriage.

Until he was twenty years of age, Willis Rily York attended the district school of Robinson Township, and then purchased 40 acres of heavy woodland and cleared it all off with his own hands. He has added to it until he now owns 160 acres, and also has an interest in 470 acres near Stoy, upon which are nineteen oil wells. For thirty-five years Mr. York has been operating a threshing machine in his neighborhood and owns the very valuable machine which he uses.

On December 28, 1878, Mr. York was married in Granville Township, Jasper County, Ill., to Julia M. English, by 'Squire Ryan. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. York: Arthur Preston, born January 9, 1880, married Zella Green, daughter of Joseph Green of Crawford County, no issue; Walter Bruce, born February 8, 1881, married Maude Newlin, daughter of Sherman Newlin, and they have one girl; Leona Ophelia, born December 8, 1882, married Dr. Andrew J. Goodwin, of Crawford County, they live in Bradley, near Kankakee, Ill., and have one son ; Alma Madge, born October 19, 1885, married Orlin Kirk, of Crawford County, and they have two sons; Gracie, born June 19, 1887; Glen Garland, born January 31, 1892; Claudia, born June 20, 1895; Ashbel Millard, born August 1, 1897; Raymond Benjamin, born September 5, 1899, and Christina May, born October 29, 1903.

Mrs. York is a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Amanda English, both born in Ohio. They had the following children: George Stephen, Wellington, Mrs. York, William Lincoln, Nettie Malinda, Alma, Lily and Cora, and of these five are married and the remainder deceased.

Mr. York is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen, and is active in both orders. For twenty years both he and Mrs. York have been consistent members of the Christian Church. Mr. York is a Republican in politics and in 1902 was elected County Treasurer on the Republican ticket when the county was Democratic by 100 majority. After serving his term as Treasurer, he still remains upon the farm farming and in the threshing business.

YOUNG, Aaron, a man who for many years operated his farm in Montgomery Township, was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, August 16, 1830, a son of Robert Young, born in Newark, N. J., February 13, 1787. By trade he was a shoemaker and traveled about working at his trade. He married in Ohio, Sarah Gogin, born September 16, 1803, in Cape May, N. J., daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Scull) Gogin, and she became the mother of seven children. Robert Young was a soldier in the War of 1812, and a son of his, Robert S., died in the Civil War. Aaron Young was educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Crawford County. On January 4, 1865, he married in Miami County, Ohio, Sarah Yates, daughter of Edmund and Sarah (Leming) Yates, born June 20, 1842. 'They had children as follows: Sarah L. Hannah C., Robert E. and Maria J. twins, and Mary L. Mr. Young is of Scotch descent, but his wife's parents traced back to Indian ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Young early connected themselves with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has long been a Republican and is a prominent and well-liked man.

YOUNG, Robert Chesley. - It is many years since registered stock was introduced into Crawford County, but now there are few farmers who do not have one or two horses, cows or hogs of registered stock. Registered stock produces better prices, are more prolifie, and not any more expensive to raise, so that, once the initial price is paid, the profits are much larger. For this reason many men whose business acumen is great, are extensively engaged in the breeding and raising of registered stock, and among those who have been eminently successful along this line is Robert Chesley Young, of Hutsonville Township, Crawford County.

Mr. Young was born west of Danville, Vermilion County, Ill, January 1, 1858, a son of David Young, who was born May 29, 1839, in Franklin County, Ohio. He came to Crawford County in 1892, and owns 239 acres of excellent farming land, which is in a good state of cultivation. He owns a good residence and his farm buildings are in excellent condition. His first wife was Mildred Swim, who was a daughter of Nathaniel Swim, and died in April, 1870. 'They

County, by the Rev. Jackson Partlow, of the Methodist Church, and seven children resulted from their union: George Monroe, born March 14, 1857; Robert Chesley; Franklin A., born in 1860; Joseph K., born February 22, 1862; Mary Florence, born in 1865; Milton Gilbert, born in 1867; Lucy, born in 1870. His second wife was Mrs. Georgiana Wood, daughter of John Gunning, from Missouri. They were married September 8, 1881, by the Rev. Charles Seals, of the Baptist Church. She died in January, 1882, leaving no issue. In politics Mr. David Young is a Demoerat, and while he has never aspired to public office, he has taken a deep interest in township affairs. He has been a good business man and worthy citizen.

Robert Chesley Young attended the Potomac School and remained in Vermilion County until he settled in Crawford County in 1892. On February 4, 1886, he married Kate Franklin. a daughter of B. G. Franklin and Mary (Buck) Franklin, natives of Indiana. The marriage was performed at the residence of A. G. Smith, by the Rev. J. R. Smith, of the United Brethren Church. Mrs. Young was born January 24, 1868, and has borne her husband these children: Cleo, born January 26, 1890, married Claude Tennyson, a son of William Tennyson, and they have no issue. They reside in Prairie Township. Mr. and Mrs. Young had twins born to them, Ray and Ralph, but Ray died July 12, 1898.

Mrs. Young has been a member of the Universalist Church for ten years. Mr. Young raises Percheron horses and Poland-China and Hampshire hogs, shipping to the Chicago market. He also ships considerable cattle, and his product always commands excellent prices on account of the superiority of his stock of all kinds.

common sense, high courage and sincerity of purpose, and they have redeemed their land from the wild prairie and made it into wonderfully valuable property. Earnest Ziegler of Oblong Township, Section 6, was born in the township where he now resides, October 17, 1868, and here was reared and received a good common school education. He remained with his father, George Ziegler, until twenty-two, when he married and since that time has managed his father's farm. Oil has been discovered on his father's land, thus greatly increasing its value, and there are fourteen wells on it in active operation.

In 1890 Mr. Ziegler married Ava Gill, daughter of Lafayette Gill of Oblong Township. Mrs. Ziegler died in 1896, having borne her husband two children, - Lulu and George. About two years later Mr. Ziegler married Julia Sentney, a daughter of Henry Sentney. Mr. Ziegler and his present wife are the parents of the following children: Marietta, Ellen E., Leo Murl and Lilly May. Mr. Ziegler has always been a Democrat, and earnestly supports the principles and candidates of that party. He is a hard-working, thrifty man who has always endeavored to do his full duty by his family and his neighbor and his success is certainly well merited.

ZIEGLER, George.--After a long and useful life filled with hard work and good deeds, George Ziegler of Oblong Township, Crawford County, is now living retired, enjoying the well-earned rest that is his. He was born in Perry County, Ohio, October 10, 1835, a son of Peter Ziegler, now deceased, who was a farmer of Ohio, and died when George was but ten years of age. Peter was born in Pennsylvania of German descent. He married Saloma Bowman, born in Pennsylvania also of German descent. In the family of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ziegler, George was the third child and second son.

Being reared and educated in Ohio, as were all his brothers and sisters, George Ziegler remained there until 1852, when he came to Illinois and settled in Oblong Township, he there rented a farm for about six years, and then bought the farm his son Ernest now operates consisting of

George Ziegler was married September 15, 1858, to Martha V. Muchmore, the daughter of Benjamin and Ruth (Robinson) Muchmore. Mrs. Ziegler was born in Indiana. They had three children: Edgar, Anna and Ernest, all born in Oblong Township, where Mrs. Ziegler died, February 19, 1896. On April 14, 1904, Mr. Ziegler married Rachel (Dedrick) Kirk, widow of Joseph Kirk, a farmer of Oblong Township, and a daughter of Jacob Dedrick, deceased, a pioneer of Oblong Township. Mrs. Ziegler was born in Pennsylvania, June 21, 1849, and is of German descent. July 29, 1847, Jacob

Dedrick, the father of Mrs. Ziegler, married Mary Delany, also born in Pennsylvania, and they had two daughters and three sons, one of the family being born in Oblong Township. Mrs. Ziegler is the oldest of this family. The father left Pennsylvania when Mrs. Ziegler was four years old, and coming to Oblong in 1852, bought 120 acres of land there, but did not settle on it until 1864. He improved the property and there Mrs. Ziegler was reared. His

While Mr. Ziegler is a Democrat he believes in voting for the right man without adhering too closely to party lines. He is a member of the United Brethren Church, while his wife belongs to the Christian Church. In 1907 oil was discovered on hís property, which has greatly increased its value, and he now has fourteen wells in active operation.