Macoupin County, Illinois - Biographical sketches, 1879 (part 10 of 15)

The game consisted of bears, panthers, wolves, wildcats, deer, turkey, beaver, mink, raccoon, opossum, prairie chickens and quail, and continued abundant up to the time of the big snow, after which but few survived, except the wolves and deer, which continued in great number until about 1849 or 50. The bear and panther did but little damage to the settler, but the wolves were very destructive. Sheep and pigs had to be closely guarded. They killed in day time, pigs that would weigh thirty or forty pounds, and in one instance they took pigs at night out of the pen adjoining the house of Lewis Solomon.

Visited by Indians - A hunting party of Indians came in the summer of 1827; they camped on the north side of the timber in the south-east part of the township. One of them visited Elijah Wills' cabin ; he was a large man about six feet high ; he was dressed in buckskin, and rode an Indian pony with a deer skin hung to his saddle. He was armed with a short rifle, and had some silver money with which he bought some meal. He was very friendly and belonged to the Sioux tribe.

The first mill was built by E. C. Vancil, who resides at present in the north part of the township. It was run by horse-power. There was a large cog-wheel which ran above the horses' heads; it ran in what was called a trundle-head, with an iron spindle, to which the burrs were attached. The mill ground slowly, but surely, as the team went round.

The facilities for milling in the township progressed but slowly, and at present there isnot a mill within its limits. The mills patronized by the farmers are at the village of Palmyra, and Waverly in Morgan county.

The first Physician was Dr. George Sims, who came in 1829. E. C, Vancil practiced to some extent. They were Thompsonians in their mode of treatment. Dr. Palmer arrived at a later period. He was an Allopath. The diseases were mostly chills and bilious fever. At present we have three doctors, and all belong to the allopathic school of medicine.

The first Justice of the Peace was Lewis Solomon, Sr. He was elected when Macoupin formed a part of Greene county. After that county was organized, he was elected for this county, and certified the poll book for the first election held in the county in 1829.

Blooded-stock, first introduced by Judge Solomon, jr. They were the By field-breed of hogs. The first cattle fed in the township, was by Judge Solomon. The short-horn Durham were introduced about 1850.

Post-ofjices - One in the town of Palmyra, T. W. Chiles, post-master ; the other at Vancil's Point, at the residence of Judge Solomon. He' has been post-master for twenty years. It was established about 1859. Fifty years have made a wonderful change in this township; it then was thinly settled, but now it is highly improved. We copy the following from the assessor's report of 1879:

Town Clerks. - J. F. Nifong, elected in 1871; W.C. Martin, elected in 1872, and re-elected in 1873 and 1874; R. Bramley, elected in 1875, and by re-election, held the office up to 1879.

Aistory Of Macoupin. County, Illinois

The following are the Justices of the Peace, since township organization : John Scott and J. F. Chiles, elected in 1871; G. W. Bullock and T. W. Chiles, elected in 1873, and re-elected in 1877.

Stir Thomas R. Harris

Is a native of Fluvanna county, Virginia, and was born May 8th, 1804. His ancestors had been residents of the Old Dominion from an early period of its history. His father was John Harris, and his mother Delilah Shores. Mr. Harris was the third of a family of seven children. His father died when he was about nine years old, and his mother, in the year 1816, moved to Bourbon county, Kentucky. He attended school some little time, mostly at North Middletown, in Bourbon county, but most of his education he acquired by his own efforts. When fifteen he became an apprentice to the tanning business in Montgomery county, Kentucky, and followed that occupation for many years. Leaving Kentucky in 1828 he settled at Palmyra, Mo. In 1829 he married Mrs. Elizabeth Forman (whose maiden name was Fry), and then embarked in the tanning business near the town of Palmyra, on his own account. In 1834 he removed to Illinois, and settled in Morgan county just across the line from North Palmyra township. He followed the tanning business in that location till 1850, and then moved to North Palmyra township, and engaged in farming. He had entered land in North Palmyra township soon after coming to Illinois, and beeame the owner of about 600 acres in sections 2 and 11. He began to improve these lands while living in Morgan county, and after coming to Macoupin county, carried on farming quite extensively. His first wife died in 1866. In July, 1868, he married Mrs. Margaret Hutchinson, born in Jefferson county, Indiana, October 24th, 1820, and came to Sangamon county, Illinois, when seven years old. Her maiden name was Westfall. Her first husband died of the cholera at Waverly, in 1851. He was a local preacher in the Methodist church, ran a carding machine at Waverly, and was a good business man.

Mr. Harris has had six children; John L., Sydney T., Virginia F., who married Edward O. Clark, of Carlinville ; Milton F., William J., and Mary E., wife of Milton Rohrer. Of the sons, John is in Iowa, William in Nebraska, and Sydney farming in North Palmyra township. John, William, and Milton were soldiers in the Union army during the war of the rebellion. John enlisted in the 14th Illinois, under Gen. Palmer, and served three years. William enlisted in the 32d Illinois regiment, under Col. Logan, and served till the close of the war. Milton was a soldier in the same regiment He took part in the fiercely contested battle of Shiloh, which was begun on the 6th of April, 1862. On the first day of the fight, while under a heavy fire he was shot through the left lung, and died at the hospital at Mound City on the first of May, 1862. Mrs. Harris has three children by her first marriage: David B. Hutchinson, of Waverly ; Melinda J., wife of F. Cole, of the same place, and Samuel H. Hutchinson. Mr. Harris was first a whig in polities, and cast his first vote for Henry Clay for president, in 1824, for whom, like all true Kentuckians, he had a great admiration, and whom he heard deliver one of his great speeches at Paris, Kentucky. He voted for Clay three times for president. He has been a republican since the organization of that party.

Tuts gentleman, a view of whose farm and residence appears on another page, is a native of Sevier county, Tennessee, where he was born May 22, 1828. His ancestors were from North Carolina. His father was Charles Alford, and his mother's maiden name was Mary Tipton. Mr. Alford was the fifth of a family of seven children. His birth-place was on Little Pigeon river, in Sevier county, and when about a year old, his father moved to Roane county, Tennessee. He settled two miles from the town of Philadelphia, in what is known as the Sweetwater valley, where he was raised. He had very poor advantages in the way of obtaining an education. His father was the owner of considerable land, but kept his children at work, instead of sending them to school. Mr. Alford attended school only a few months, and the most of the instruction he received was imparted by his father, who was a man of considerable knowledge and information. He was brought up to habits of industry, and has always known what it was to work. He remained at home until his marriage, which occurred in May, 1849, to Rebecca Edwards, who was born and raised in Roane county, Tennessee. He removed to Illinois the next year after his marriage, (1850) and settled in North Palmyra township. He rented land until February 3d, 1861, at which time he purchased sixty acres, in Scottville township, where he lived until March, 1865, when he moved to the place where he now lives, in section 30, North Palmyra township. He owns 280 acres, three eighties of which lie in section 19, twenty in section 30, and twenty in section 29. He has been one of the substantial farmers of Palmyra township. His first wife died in June, 1869. His second marriage occurred November, 1869, to Susan M. Sercy, who was born in Spencer county, Kentucky, and was the daughter of Fieldon H. Sercy. He has nine children - William, Charles, Robert, Benjamin, Caleb, Sarah, Martha, Rosa and Bertha. The last five are by his second wife. William went to Kansas in the spring of 1879, where he is now engaged in farming. Charles is farming in Scottville township. Mr. Alford was raised an old line whig, and cast his first vote for president for Scott, in 1852. Afterwards he became a democrat. Mr. Alford is a man who stands well in his community, and is one whose name deserves a place in this work. His father came to Scottville township in 1850 and died there in 1858. His mother died there a year or two after.

Amonc the old residents of the northern part of the county, the name of 'Thomas W. Chiles of Palmyra, is especially worthy of mention in this work. For upwards of thirty years he has been in the mercantile business at Palmyra, and is a gentleman who has maintained the highest respect of the community as an honorable business man and a worthy private citizen. The family from which he is descendedis of English origin, and settled at an early period in Orange county, Virginia. His grandfather, James Chiles, lived and died near Orange court-house. He was.a man of patriotic spirit, and enlisted in the regular Continental army, and served during the Revolutionary war. John G. Chiles, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born - in Orange county, Virginia, in the year 1790. He grew up to manhood in his native county, and, when a young man and still unmarried, enlisted for service in the war of 1812. Returning to the Old Dominion about the year 1816 he married Elizabeth S. Wales. She was born in Fluvanna county, and her ancestors had been residents of Virginia from a period dating back to its early colonial history. On her mother's side she was connected with the Smithson family. For a couple of years after his marriage John G. Chiles lived in Virginia, and one child, a daughter, was born in that state. About the year 1818 he moved to Smith county, in Middle Tennessee, and Thomas W. Chiles was the next child born after the family left Virginia. There were ten children in all, equally divided between sons and daughters. The second child and the oldest son was the subject of this biography. His birth occurred on the 24th of January, 1819. When he was three or four years old his father moved with the family from Smith county, Tennessee, to Todd county, Kentucky, where they lived till 1833, and then emigrated to Illinois, arriving at their place of settlement in what is now called South Palmyra township, about the lst of December. His father was in such circumstances as did not permit his embarking very extensively in agriculture. He was engaged in farming in a limited way in South Palmyra township till 1850, and then removed to Bear creek, where he died on the 10th of May, 1853. Mr. Chiles' mother lived till the 6th of October, 1876.

years of age. Like most men raised in a new country his opportunities for securing an education were limited. The subscription schools in the neighborhood of his home in Kentucky he had attended three terms, and after coming to Illinois went to school three months. The country was thinly settled. The pioneer inhabitants had their minds mostly bent on clearing the forest and making homes, and the luxuries and many of the conveniences of life were unknown. The educational advantages which the boys of that generation enjoyed were accordingly of the commonest description, and at most afforded a meagre foundation upon which the youth, ambitious of further knowledge, could, by patient study nights and at odd moments, rear the structure of a more thorough education. During his boyhood he assisted his father on the.farm. His marriage took place on the 22d of November, 1840. His wife was formerly Miss Clarissa A. Shaw. She was born at Cummington, Hampshire county, Massachusetts (the birth-place of the poet, William Cullen Bryant), March 31st, 1821. Her father, Oakes Shaw, was a native of Massachusetts; emigrated to Illinois in 1836, and settled at the old town of Cummington, a short distance east of the present town of Palmyra, which was named by him in honor of his Massachusetts home. He was the first post-master at Cummington. After his marriage Mr. Chiles rented land and began farming on his own account. He was obliged to begin life on a very modest basis. He had no means of his own, and an energetic industry and prudent economy were not matters of choice but of necessity. By October, 1848, at which date he quit farming, he had managed to accumulate a little money, and embarked in the mercantile business at Cummington, in partnership with James Matthews. There had been a store previously in existence at Cummington, but at the date at which Mr. Chiles entered into business it was closed, and he and his partner had command of the whole field without a rival. They carried a stock of goods sufficient in those days to meet all demands, and made a successful business venture. In the spring of 1850 Mr. Chiles purchased Matthews' interest, and subsequently sold a half interest in the business to his brother-imlaw, F. E. Shaw. Ta 1855 he became the owner of the whole store, and afterwards carried on the business individually. The store was moved in 1862 from the old town of Cummington to the new town of Palmyra, which had been started in 1855. Cummington was unable to keep pace with her younger and more vigorous rival : the old town died out, and Mr. Chiles has since carried on the business at Palmyra. He has endeavored to conduct business on a fair and liberal basis, and has had his full share of the large trade which centers at the town of Palmyra. He has also, to a limited extent, been engaged in farming. The six of his eleven children who are living are as follows: John T. Chiles, a partner in the store; Cornelia, the wife of John F. Rice ; Fordyce E., who is farming in North Palmyra township; Clara E., who married Elias Tungate; Thomas W., a farmer of South Palmyra township ; and James W., who is also a partner in the store. The oldest son now living, John F., served three years in Co. F, 122d Illinois regiment, commanded by Gen. Rinaker. This regiment was largely composed of soldiers from Macoupin county, and its history is well known to many of our citizens. The regiment served in Tennessce, Mississippi, Alabama, and other parts of the South. He was in the various movements and engagements in which the regiment took part, including the battles of Parker's Cross Roads, Tupelo, and the siege and storming of Fort Blakeley, the last important contest of the war. Fordyce E., was also a soldier in the Union army during the war of the Rebellion. He enlisted in the 14th Illinois regiment in 1864, and seryed till the close of the war. Arthur H., the oldest son, moved to IXansas, where he engaged in farming, and died.

Asx far as his political sentiments are concerned, Mr. Chiles began life as a member of the old line whig party, as was also his father. Like nearly all residents of Kentucky, his father was a strong supporter and admirer of Henry Clay, and voted for him each of the three times he was a.candidate tor President. Mr. Chiles was not old enough to vote for President till 1540), at the time of one of the most exciting, interesting and enthusiastic campaigns this country has ever witnessed, and which is still spoken of by old men as the "log cabin and hard cider" campaign. The popular enthusiasin swept Harrison, the whig candidate, into the presidential chair, and to this result Mr, Chiles contributed by his vote. He was a whig until that onee great party had outlived its day and sank into a state of decay and dissolution. When the agitation began regarding the question of admitting IXansas and Nebraska into the Union as free, or slave, states he had no hesitation inarraying himself on the side of the advocates of freedom, and in opposition to the encroachments of the slave power. Although born in a slaye state he had imbibed the spirit of freedom in the air of the great, free state of Illinois, and while he was willing to let slavery alone, as it constitutionally and legally existed in the Southern states, yet he was opposed to viving up one additional foot of our territory to the dominion of this blighting curse. He was one of the early republicans of the county. In 1856, the first time that this conflict was distinctly marked in a presidential contest, Palmyra precinct gave an unusually large republican vote in comparison with the rest of the county, and Mr. Chiles was one of those who supported Fremont, and aided the new party in making such an appearance of ~treneth. He was a member of the state convention, in 1860, to select delegates to the Chicago convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for President, and has since been closely identified with the republican party of Macoupin county.

He has long been post-master at Palmyra, and has made an able, efficient and popular publie officer. He was first post-master at the old town of Cummington, in 1848, under the democratic administration of James K. Polk, though he was a well-known whig. With the exception of seven years (from 1854 to 1861), he has had charge of the office ever since. He was cleeted justice of the peace in April, 1872, and has since filled that position, although the township is strongly democratic. He was one of the charter members of the Odd Fellows' lodge at Palmyra, and has taken a warm and fraternal interest in the successful working of that order. He is known as an able business man and a good citizen, and for high, personal character, and undoubted honesty and integrity, no one stands higher in the community. Since 1840 he and his wife have been members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. For a long number of years he has been ruling elder of the church at Palmyra. He has been interested in Sundayschools, and several times acted as superintendent of the union school at Palmyra. He has also been one of the most active promoters of the temperance cause about Palmyra, and has done all in his power to keep the town free from the evils of intemperance. By his diligence in enforcing the penalty against violators of the temperance laws, he has done as much, perhaps, as any other man to give Palmyra the enviable reputation it possesses as a model temperance town. His influence has eyer been on the side of religion, morality and virtue; and few citizens of the 'county have led lives of greater usefulness or credit.

Lewis Solomon

JuDGE SoLomoy, one of the oldest settlers of Macoupin county, and a man who has been intimately identified with the history of this part of the state, was born in Muhlenburgh county, Kentucky, April 1, 1812. The family from whom he is descended is of Welsh and English origin. On their emigration to America his masters settled in Maryland and North Carolina. They were living in North Carolina at a date previous to the Revolutionary war, in which his grandfather, Lewis Solomon, took part. He was one of that daring band under the gallant Marion, which did such good service in the campaigns in South Carolina, striking terror into the hearts of the British invaders. While the family were living in North Carolina, a party of Tories came to the house during the latter part of the war to capture some articles for the use of the British army. Judge Solomon's grandmother was a woman of remarkable bravery and determination of character, but prudently submitted to the confiscation of various household stores. When the Tories, however, seized some yarn on which she set a high value, her anger and indignation got the better of her prudence, and seizing the poker she drove the Tories triumphantly from the house.

The father of the subject of this sketch, Lewis Solomon, was born in Franklin county, North Carolina, in 1780, about three years before the close of the war of the Revolution. He was raised in the same county, and married Sarah Bowden, daughter of John Bowden, a well-to-do and prominent citizen of Franklin county. This marriage: occurred about the year 1798. In 1811 he moved from North Carolina to Logan county, Kentucky, where he lived one year, and in 1821 moved to Muhlenburgh county, where the family resided as long as they lived in that state. The six oldest children were born in North Carolina, and Judge Solomon, the seventh child, was the first born after the removal to Kentucky. Their home in Muhlenburgh county was in arough and'poor district of country. Judge Solomon fora few months attended a subscription school kept by a man named Shelton, and this was the only schooling he received in Kentucky. In 1825 the family came to Illinois. In that day facilities for travel were very limited. A one-horse cart was hired for the journey for ten dollars, and in this vehicle all their goods were placed. With the exception of the mother and the three youngest children, who had places in the cart, the members of the family (twelve in all) walked. The journey was tedious and wearisome. On reaching this state a settlement was made in Morgan county, near Jacksonyille. His father had lost all his means by the breaking of the Commonwealth Bank of Kentucky, and on coming to Illinois had no money with which to enter or purchase land. The winter of 1825-6 was spent in a small log cabin, part of the floor of which was composed of mother earth. In the" spring of 1826, they moved to the head of Sandy, five miles from Jacksonville, and raised a crop, cultivating the ground with a shaft plow with a wooden mold-board, and similar primitive agricultural appliances. In the spring of 1827 the family came to Macoupin county, and settled in Palmyra township, three miles north of Palmyra. Judge Solomon's father lived there engaged in farming till his death in August, 1849. | His mother died the preceding February.

Judge Solomon was in his thirteenth year when he came to Illinois, and in his fifteenth when he came to Macoupin county. When his father moved to this county only three settlements had been made in North Palmyra township, and consequently no schools had been established. For a few days in the summer of 1829, he attended a school kept by his brother-in-law, James Howard. But his opportunities for acquiring an education were limited, and a few months would comprise all the instruction he ever received. He was a boy of bright faculties, learned rapidly, and in boyhood laid the foundation of a good education. He especially excelled in mathematics - his favorite study. He and his brothers were hired out by the month, and were also the principal dependence of their father in carrying on the farm. His father borrowed the money with which to enter the first eighty acres of land, paying the exorbitant interest of twenty-five per cent., and when he died owned a farm of two hundred and fifty-six acres. In the year 1832 when twenty years of age, Judge Solomon volunteered in the Black Hawk war. He enlisted as a private in the company commanded by Capt. John Harris, in the third regiment of which A. B. DeWitt was colonel. He left Jackson- ville April 25, 1832; rendezvoused at Beardstown ; reached the Mississippi at the present town of Oquawka; thence marched to the mouth of Rock river, where they were mustered into the United States service, with Gen. Atkinson incommand. The force next marched to Dixon, from which place a detachment of 250 advanced twenty miles, and attacked the Indians, but were repulsed by Black Hawk. The next day the main army (Gn which was Judge Solomon), advanced to the battle ground, and buried the dead. They returned to Dixon. Supplies from down the river had failed to arrive, and the men in his regiment were five days without bread. The regiment afterward took twelve days' rations, marched up Rock river, crossed over to the Fox, and returned home by way of Ottawa. During his two months' campaign he experienced considerable hardships. On starting out he weighed 150 pounds, and on reaching home had lost twenty-five. Soon after his return he was elected corporal in the militia. Subsequently he was chosen captain, and not long afterwards major of the 62d regiment, 2d battalion. While holding these positions he gave much attention to military tactics, and was considered one of the best militia officers in the state.

When about twenty-one he engaged in farming on his own account. He had been paid thirty-six dollars for his services during the Black Hawk war, and sixteen dollars he borrowed from his brother-in-law, and paid for it by making rails at forty cents a hundred. With this money he entered forty acres of land; a quarter of a mile west of the town of Palmyra. He also grubbed land for his brother-in.law, who paid him by giving him onequarter of what he raised on his farm of about forty additional acres. He chopped wood at Jacksonville in 1834 for forty cents a cord and boarded himself, and the succeeding winter took a contract to cut 500-cords at fifty cents a cord. From the proceeds of his first work he obtained good clothing, and from his last contract he made enough money to enter forty additional acres of land. In the summer of 1835 he went to the lead mines at Galena, but was unsuccessful in making money, and returned home. 1855 he visited relatives in Kentucky, and the next winter made rails to fence his land in Palmyra township, having determined to settle down in some permanent location. Accordingly, in the spring of 1836 he bought a team on eredit, began breaking prairie, built a cabin, and June 23, 1856, married Nancy Aun Fink, a native of Kentucky, daughter of John Fink, one of the early settlers of Barr township. He bought ten additional acres of land, endeavored to get his farm into as good a condition as possible, and kept a sharp look-out for business advantages, so that in 1849, the year his father died, he had four or five hundred dollars surplus money. He then purchased the interest of the other heirs in his father's estate, and in the spring of 1850, moved to the homestead farm, where he lived till 1854. He had intended moving to the Military tract, but finding no location to suit him in that country, he purchased 360 acres of land in sections four, eight, and nine, North Palmyra township, for five thousand dollars cash. This farm, which has fine improvements, has since been his home. He is the owner of: the largest body of land in the possession of one man in North Palmyra township, consisting of a few acres less than eight hundred.

His first wife died September 18, 1863. He was married again May 8, 1866, to Mrs. Mary Aun Butcher. Her maiden name was Baker. She was born in Morgan county, in February, 1831. By his first marriage he had twelve children, of whom nine grew to maturity, as follows: Louisa, who married Henry Yowell; her husband died in 1864: Francis Marion, who is farming in North Palmyra township; Thomas Jefferson, who died December 3, 1875; Dempsey N. who is farming in North Palmyra township, and in 1878 represented that township in the Board of Supervisors; Annie E., Martha, John L., Lafayette, and Allen B.

In his political belief he has always been a democrat. At Jacksonville, on his return from the Black Hawk war in the fall of 1832, he cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, for President. He has been a democrat, and his political hopes and sympathies have been closely allied to the party which has numbered among its advocates such illustrious men as Jefferson and Jackson. On financial questions his views have coincided with those of the national greenback party, but he advocates the old, well-settled, and first established principles of democracy. He was a Union man and a leading war democrat during the Rebellion. He assisted in sending to the front forty-three men from Palmyra precinct, two of whom were substitutes, for three years; whom he placed in the field with his own means. Judge Solomon is a man who has received numerous tokens of the public confidence and the esteem of the people. The first position to which he was chosen was in 1839, when he was elected to the comparatively humble office of constable, the duties of which he discharged for four years. He was appointed by the county court in 1839, and in 1840 assessor, and assessed onethird of the county. He was elected justice of the peace in 1843, and held the office till his resignation in 1854. His first election to the legislature occurred in 1852, when he was chosen representative on the democratic ticket, with John A. Chesnut as the opposing whig candidate. From 1857 to 1861 he acted as county judge. In 1861, he was elected a member of the constitutional convention, the nomination being tendered him by the demoeratic convention without his making any effort to secure it. In 1870 he was elected to the state senate from the district embracing Macoupin, Montgomery, Shelby and Christian counties. While in the legislature Judge Solomon was an active and efficient member, devoting his attention to legislation which would secure the best interests of the people. While he was in the house the democrats were in the majority. While a member of the constitutional convention he served on several important committees, among them the committee on revision. In the senate the republicans controlled the organization of the body, but he served on three or four important committees, among which were the committees on revenue, on charitable institutions, and on fees and salaries. He took a moderate stand, and his views commanded the respect of the republican majority, among which he had considerable influence. He was the author of the bill giving land-owners a right to redeem lands sold at tax sales at twenty-five per cent. addition the first six months, fifty per cent. the first twelve months, one hundred per cent. for two years, and after that no redemption ; the previous law requiring an addition of one hundred per cent. penalty any time after the sale. He was also author of the bill giving counties a right to work county convicts. Politically he has acted from conscientious motives. In his views he has been moderate rather than partisan, and when a candidate has always received a considerable republican vote from his friends in the county. As a public officer he endeavored to discharge the duties of his position without regard to party, and in an impartial and honest manner, and he has always retired to private life conscious of having done his best to serve the interests of the people. Scarcely a man in the county has held so many public positions or received so many marks of popular favor. Upon his character for honesty and integrity there has never breathed suspicion. His life has been open to the view of the citizens of the county, and not a stain can be found on his record as a public officer or asa private citizen. Heisa man of unquestioned morality, and though not a member of any religious denomination, has liberally supported the churches of his part ot the county. He believes that Christianity consists in deeds, not in words, and that he is the best Christian who lives a life of the strictest rectitude, and who does the most good to his fellow-men.

Robert Horton

Tue Horton family traces its history back to Virginia, from which state came so many families who have been identified with various portions of the Great West, and have assisted in its development and progress. 'The home of the family in the Old Dominion was in Fauquier county. Mr. Horton's grandfather, Augustine Horton, was born and raised in Fauquier county, and on reaching manhood married Mary Taylor. he birth of his father, OswrLt Horton, occurred in Fauquier county, Virginia, May 26th, 1809. He was only two years old when the family moved to Green county, Kentucky, in 1811. He was raised there on a farm, and the opportunities he enjoyed in the way of obtaining an education were of a very ordinary character. Subscription schools were the only ones in existence, and these were held in log school-houses with puncheon floors and slabs for benches. The children of the present generation may congratulate themselves that they have advantages largely in advance of those belonging to those early pioneer times. He only went to school when quite small. As soon as he was large enough, so that his services became of much value, his father kept him at home. The principal experience which he remembers in his boyhood days, consisted in clearing up wild land and cultivating tobacco, the raising of which was a great industry in that country. He remained in Kentucky till twenty-one years of age, and then concluded to try his fortune in Ilinois. He came to Morgan county, and secured employment as agent for a stage company, and was thus engaged for several years. He lived at Jacksonyille a while, but most of the time at Springfield. He had charge of the line between Carrollton and Springfield via Jacksonville, and from Jacksonville to Beardstown. He afterward took charge of the Springfield and

Peoria, and the Springfield and Terra Haute lines. His duties were those of a general superintendent, looking after the drivers, and seeing that the horses were in good order and the coaches in good repair. He was obliged to be on the road almost constantly, and the consequent exposure and loss of sleep had an injurious effect upon his health. Accordingly in 1842 he concluded to go to farming. He had saved enough money to purchase, in North Palmyra township, 120 acres of prairie and two hundred of timber. When he came to Palmyra township in 1842, only fifteen acres were improved, and he went to work and soon brought a fine farm under cultivation. He had been married in February, 1835, to Matilda Norvell, a native of Summer county, Tennessee. His wife died in 1844. By this marriage there were four children, two of whom died in infancy. The other two are living in North Palmyra; Robert Horton, and Mary, now Mrs. George B. John. In politics Oswell Horton has always been a member of the democratic party, though he has taken no active part in political movements, and has preferred living the quiet and retired life of a private citizen. During his residence in Macoupin county he has borne the reputation of an enterprising and progressive farmer, and a man of strict honesty and integrity.

Roxzert Horton, the oldest child, was born at Jacksonville, in Morgan county, Dec. 26th, 1836. He was in his sixth year when he came to Macoupin county, where he has grown up and lived from boyhood. His education was obtained in the common schools of Palmyra township, and at a school in Morgan county, which he attended for some time. On the 22d of March, 1860, he married Rebecca J. Rice, daughter of Jasper Rice, an old citizen of North Palmyra township, a sketch of whose history may elsewhere be found. Mrs. Horton was born in North Palmyra township, on the 6th of May, 1843. Up to the year 1865 he was farming in partnership with his father, and has since carried on farming on his own account. He is the owner of the old homestead farm; has bought additional land ; and now owns 670 acres, 620 of which lie in one body. He is known as one of the enterprising farmers of Macoupin county, and has been successful both as a farmer and a trader. He has made the matter of dealing in stock a specialty He is one of the prominent agriculturists of the county, and a director in the Macoupin county Fair Association. He has had little to do with politics; is a man of energy, industry, and superior business qualifications. His four children are named Edward L., William H., John L., and Luther O. Horton.

Imri B. Vancil

For more than twenty years Vancil's Point has been the name of a postoffice in North Palmyra township. It received its name from the Vancil family, who settled near there in 1828. Edmund C. Vancil, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Muhlenburgh county, Kentucky, May Ist, 1799; was raised principally in Logan county; settled in Union county, Illinois; in 1824 married Mary Byers, born in Kentucky in 1804, and whose father settled in Jackson county, Illinois, in 1808; moved to Sangamon in 1827, and in 1828 settled in North Palmyra township. He put up the first horse-mill in the northern part of the county, and also the first distillery ; he possessed remarkable mechanical genius; manufactured his own boots and shoes, built his own wagons, constructed a superior flat boat, and inyented an excellent plow for breaking purposes; at the time he erected his present dwelling in 1848, it was considered the finest farm residence in the county. In 1852 he erected a steam saw-mill: he and his wife are still living in the enjoyment of a hale and vigorous old age.

Imivi B. Vancil was born in Union county, Illinois, October 15th, 1825. He was raised in North Palmyra township, and attended Illinois College two years. In the winter of 1844-5 he visited Texas, and the winter of 1847-8 attended medical lectures at Cincinnati. He then ran a saw-mill in Palmyra township, and in 1850 went to California, going overland, and reaching Sacramento City, August 13th. He returned to Illinois in'the spring of 1852. He subsequently went to farming for himself in North Palmyra township. April 4th, 1860, he married Elizabeth S., daughter of Judge Thomas B. Rice of Medora, whose biography is furnished elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Vancil was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, November 17th, 1832. Since 1860 he has been living on his present farm, of which he has been the owner since 1852. He is one of the largest farmers of North Palmyra township, and owns 640 acres of land. He is a democrat in politics, and inclined to support the financial theories of the National Greenback party. For twenty-five years he has been township trustee, and is the present township treasurer. He was elected in 1871 the first member of the Board of Supervisors from North Palmyra township, and served for seven successive terms. He has one son and three daughters. He made a trip 'to California and Oregon in the spring of 1879, spending two months on the Pacific coast, and revisiting scenes with which he was familiar nearly

Jasper Rice

Wno has been living on his present farm in North Palmyra township since 1832, was bern in Green county, Kentucky, on the 13th of May, 1812. His birth-place is now included in the new county of Taylor. Both his father and grandfather were former residents of Frederick county, Virginia, and their names were both Edwin Rice. His father was born and raised in that part of Virginia, and married Elizabeth Bayley. They emigrated to Bourbon county, Kentucky; the date of their remoyal to Kentucky is not exactly known, but it must have been at a period very early in the history of the state, for Mr. Rice was born in 1812, and was the youngest of seven children who grew to maturity, nearly all of whom were born in Kentucky. From Bourbon the family moved to Greene county. Mr. Rice's father had two brothers who were soldiers in the Revolutionary War ; and he was probably too young to go into the army. On a visit back to Virginia not long after the Revolution, he was poisoned by some tories; the poison did not cause his immediate death, but its effects remained in his system for years, and probably hastened his death; he died in 1814 when Mr. Rice was eighteen months old. His mother married again a man named Hunt, came to [linois, and is buried at Palmyra. When sixteen Mr. Rice left home and began life on his own account; he only received at first twenty-five cents a day for his labor, and by the time he had secured sufficient clothing he. had little money left for schooling. He attended school a short time for two or three winters - not more than six months altogether. He afterward worked on a farm by the month in Kentucky, not getting more than eight dollars wages. He left Kentucky in 1832, arriving in Palmyra township on the 28th of August. He had no money, and in fact, was eight dollars in debt. Inthe winter of 1832-3 he was employed at Springfield scoring and hewing timber for houses then being built in that town; and the last part of the winter also worked at Jacksonville. He returned to Palmyra township in March, 1833, and the following 16th of May marricd Mary, daughter of Stephen Jones. Her father was a Virginian, who emigrated to Ientucky, came to Illinois in 1819, and settled in Madison county six miles from Edwardsville; afterwards on the Mauvais Terre in Morgan county ; and who came to North Palmyra township in 1831. Mrs. Rice was born in Cumberland county, Kentucky, March 19th, 1816. The year that he was married, Mr. Rice built a small log house, eighteen by twenty feet, nearly on the same spot where his present residence now stands. He had no money with which to buy land, but he was energetic and industrious, dug wells, hewed and scored timber, and did anything he could in order to accumulate a little money and get a modest start in the world. In December, 1839, he entered forty acres of land, the first he ever owned. He improved this, and gradually succeeded in reaching better circumstances.

Mr. and Mrs. Rice have had fourteen children, of whom eight are now living. They are, Stephen, now a resident of Kansas; Jemima, wife of John L. Hodges; Louisa, wife of William J. Bates, of Waverly; Edwin Anderson, who has a farm in Kansas, but has returned to Illinois on account of his health; Rebecca, the wife of Robert Horton; Joseph, who is farming in North Palmyra township; and Helena, the wife of Charles Alford. Martha, the youngest daughter, died after being grown; Richard Henry died in the spring of 1878 at the age of twenty-three; William G. was a soldier inthe Union army during the war of the rebellion; he enlisted in the 32d Illinois regiment in the spring of 1864, served in Georgia, took part in several hard marches, and died in the hospital at Marietta, Georgia, in the fall of 1864, at the age of nineteen. Stephen was also in the army. He enlisted in 1862 in the 122d Illinois, and served throughout the war, taking part in the battles of Parker's Cross Roads, Tupelo, Nashville, and Fort Blakely. Edwin was a soldier in the 32d Illinois; he enlisted in August, 1861, served in the Army of the Tennessee, and took part in several battles, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Hatchie River, the siege of Vicksburg, and the siege of Jackson, Mississippi. The last year of the war he was at home sick. He was wounded at Shiloh. In politics Mr. Rice was originally a whig, and voted first for Henry Clay for President, in 1836. He was opposed to slavery, although raised in a slaye-holding state; and became a republican on the formation of that party. Mr..and Mrs. Rice have been members of the Methodist church since 1833.

OUTH PALMYRA TOWNSHIP occupies the congressional town 11 north, range 8 west, and is bounded on the north by North Palmyra, on the east by South Otter, on the south by Bird, and on the west by Barr township.

The first settlers in the township were Seth Hodges and John Love. Hodges came from Tennessee, and settled in this township, near the south line, on a stream, now called Hodges' creek, deriving its name from that family. John Love and family settled near Mr. Hodges'.* Levi Day and family came about 1824; he erected a small cabin, and improved a piece of ground.» George Mathews and family arrived about 1827 ; he was from near the banks of the Cumberland river, in Tennessee. About 1823 David T. Taylor, with his family, removed from Tennessee, and settled on the creck above Hodges' ; he afterward moved near the present town of Palmyra ; he was one of the first constables in this part of the country. Felix Hoover settled on the place where John Richardson lives, about 1829. William Hodges (a relative of Seth Hodges), a local preacher, came in the year 1829. Rey. John Howerton, a member of the Baptist denomination, arrived about 1830; he was a native of Tennessee. James Cave came here about the same year. Isaac Massey and his family, also from Tennessee, about 1829. IXzckicl Ross and family came from near the Cross-roads, in Tennessee, about 1833. His brother, Robert Ross and family, settled first in North Palmyra, about 1829; after living there a few years he moved to South Palmyra, and settled on section 8. Judge Samuel Lair moved from Carlinville township, where he had settled at an carly day, and arrived here about the year 1833 ; he raised a large family; his education was limited, but he was a man who possessed a large share of comimon sense; he had been a member .of the County Court, and died January 16th, 1870. Elijah Wills and family were from Kentucky; he first settled in North Palmyra at an early date, but moved to South Palmyra, on section 6, about 1832. Andrew Russell came yery carly, and settled near the present town of Palmyra. John G. Chiles, father of T. W. Chiles, was a native of Virginia; he removed to this township in 1833, and located on a farm on section 38. Another well-known settler was Oakes Shaw, a native of Cummington, Mass. ; he became a resident of this township in 1836, and located in what was then Newburg; soon after, the name of the village was changed to Cummington; he built the first framehouse in the town of Cummington ; he remoyed from the county in 1848, and diced at Lincoln, Illinois, in 1856.

W. B. and James Gardiner, brothers, from Kentucky, came here in 1836; they both had families, and settled near the old town of Cummington, where they continued to reside until their deaths; James was quite noted in those carly days as an auctioueer, and W. B. was a man of a jocular disposition. Henry and James Solomon were early settlers, and became residents of the township about 1834. Jos. B. Steidley, also an early settler, bought out the improyements of James Solomon in 1836.

The first land entries were made by Seth Hodges on the E.S. W. quarter section 28, December 23d, 1823 ; he had lived in the township some years before as a squatter. The next entry was made by Felix Hoover, April 10th, 1829, on the N. N. E. of section 3.

Among the old residents of Macoupin county now living in the township of South Palmyra, we find D. N. Solomon, a Kentuckian by birth, who came in 1827 to North Palmyra, and subsequently moved to this township. W. G. Ross, now living on section 18, came in 1829; he is a native of Ten- nessee. Baxter M. Skeen, from that state, came in 1832, and lives on section 20. B. F. Bivin arrived in this county in 1834, and lives on section 1. Henry Etter, a native of Tennessee, came in 1836. James S. Duncan, is a native of Macoupin county; he lives on section 23, and is the coroner of the county. M.C. Tongate resides on section 4; he came here in 1837 ; he is a Kentuckian by birth. Achilles Tongate, a retired farmer, lives on section 4; he is a native of Amherst county, Virginia, and came here in 1837; he has reached the advanced age of ninety-two years, and is hale and hearty. C. P. Tongate is a farmer, on section 9; he is a native of Kentucky, and came in 1837. The late Jesse Simpson came with his family from Sangamon county about 1838.

Drainage - The land of South Palmyra is drained on the west side by Solomon's creek; through the middle by Massey creek (sometimes known as Nassa creek), running almost in a south-west direction ; and from the southeast by Otter creek, running almost in the same direction as Massey creck. The creek derived its name from Isaac Massey, an early settler of the township. The land along the banks of the creeks is quite rolling, and in some places very broken. There is a heavy growth of timber near the banks, and in some cases it extends out a mile in width. The prairie portion of the township is fine, and under a high state of cultivation. The oldest cultivated farms are near the creeks, and were once covered with timber.

There is quite an extensive rock-quarry on the farm of C. P. Tongate. Limestone-rock and good stone for building purposes are found in different parts of the township.

The first school-house was built of logs, in the southern part of the township, and the first school was taught by James Howard, about 1831.

The first church was erected one mile south of the present town of Palmyra. It was built of hewed logs, and covered with split boards. The first regular preacher was John Howerton, of the Baptist faith.,

The first mill was built by Andrew Russell. It was a very simple arrangement, consisting of two burrs with a vertical shaft attached to the burrs and a crank at the top which was turned by hand. During the severe winter of 1829 and '30 the settlers gathered around this little mill with their corn and waited for their turn to grind. The next mill was erected near the present town of Palmyra, by James Cave, in 1835;tt was run by horses or oxen, and was called the sweep mill. It certainly was a great improvement over the hand mill.

The game consisted of deer, turkey, and occasionally a bear was seen. The turkey was often seen in the poultry yards of the settlers. They were killed in great numbers and afforded excellent food.

A small band of Indians, belonging to the Pottawattamie tribe, continued to live in the township for a short time after the settlement of the whites. They were peaceable and quiet, giving the settler no trouble, except they claimed a small tract of land and objected to white people settling on it.

The settlers were very social. It was not uncommon for them to visit their neighbors who lived twenty or thirty miles distant, and spend from one to three days with them, having a general goodtime. They did not manifest much disposition to make money, and never envied a neighbor on account of his success in any honest undertaking.

The village of Palmyra is built on the township line, between North and South Palmyra. The portion in South Palmyra stands on the north-west quarter of section 4. The part in North Palmyra on the south-west quarter of section 338. The portion of town on section 4 was laid out by D. N. Solo. mon, in the year 1855. The north portion, on section 33, was laid out by J. F. Nifong and H. Berry, in 1855. The old town of Newburg was situated on section 4, and was laid out in 1835, by James Cave. The first house was built by William Owens, in 1835; it was a log building. The first hotel was kept by W. B. Gardiner. Scott & Bosworth kept the first store. The first post office was kept by Oakes Shaw, in the year 1841. The first blacksmith shop was started by James L. Warfield. The first church was built by the Cumberland Presbyterians, in the year 1857. The first sermon was preached in the house of Oakes Shaw, by the Rev. L. S. Williams, a Presbyterian, in 1838. The first school was taught by Miss Eliza Hersey, in the fall of 1836. The first physician was Dr. Thornton, who located here in the spring of 1840. Another early physician was Dr. H. J. Vanwinkle.

About the year 1842 the town had its name changed from that of Newburg to Cummington, and continued by that name for about thirteen years, at which time new buildings were erected a little west of the old town and on a more desirable site. The ground was higher and afforded some shade. Business was changed to the new part of the town. A new name was given to the village, and from that time it has been called " Palmyra." After the survey and laying out of the town, in 1855, it received a fresh impulse. Shops, stores, &ec., were put up in rapid succession. A hotel was built on the north side by R. F. Bracken, in 1855.

Dry Goods and Groceries - Solomon and Martin, T. W. Chiles & Son. Blacksmiths - A. C. Hulse, Barron & McFarland, and H. Meyer. Flour, Carding, and Saw Milli - Farmer, Young & John. Hotel Proprietors - Z. C. Ridgway; P. S. Drake. Drugs and Groceries - Robert Bramley. Physicians - R. J. Allmond, W. A. Allen, Sprinkle & Carlile, Charles E. Smith. Agricultural Implements - Richie & Gardner. Churches - Christian, built 1867; Methodist, 1868; Cumberland Presbyterian, 1878. School building 24x36 feet, two stories high. The people are energetic, social and intellectual.

Benevolent Societies Of The Village Of Palmyra

Was born in Muhlenburgh county, Kentucky, January 11, 1821, and is the eighth son and thirteenth child of a family of fourteen children of the late Judge Lewis Solomon and Sarah Bowden, his wife. Mr. Solomon and wife were both natives of Franklin county, North Carolina. Lewis Solomon was descended from a long line of English and French ancestry. Mrs. Solomon's father's name was John Bowden. He was of English parentage, and his ancestors were among the earliest pioneer settlers of the sunny land of the Carolinas. Lewis Solomon, the father of Lewis, and the grandfather of Dempsey, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and was one of the brave and patriotic men who went forth to do battle in the cause of universal freedom, and shed his blood, if need be, in order to wrest the liberties of the colonies from the iron grasp of British despotism. When the war was over and peace declared, he returned to the peaceful pursuits of a planter's life, which he continued engaged in until his death.

Lewis Solomon, the father of Dempsey, was born in the year 1778, and grew to manhood in North Carolina, where he married, and subsequently moved to Kentucky, and afterwards came to Ilinois with his family in 1825, and lived for a time in Morgan county, and in March, 1827, removed to and settled at Eagles' Point, at the head of Solomon's Creek, in what is now known as North Palmyra township. Here, assisted by his sons, he reared his humble cabin and began improving a farm. He soon after was elected to the office of justice of the peace, and on the organization of the county of Macoupin, he was appointed one of the county commissioners, and about the first legal documents of the county are countersigned and attested by his hand.

He was a man of rare good judgment and common sense, and at that early period in the history of the county, few men possessed more business ability than he ; his integrity and honesty of purpose was never questioned. A short time after he became a citizen of Macoupin, he joined the Baptist church under the ministration of that noble man and eminent pioneer and divine, Elder Peck. Mr. Solomon occasionally preached the gospel to his neighbors. In February, 1849, he was called upon to part with his wife, the companion of his early joys, trials and sorrows. The stroke bore heavily upon him, and he survived her death only a few months, when, on the 28th of July, 1849, he passed from life to the realms of eternal rest, full of years and honor, leaving behind the affectionate love of his family and friends.

Having written at some length of the ancestors of Dempsey N. Solomon, we now turn to a contemplation of that which relates more particularly to his own life. His opportunities for acquiring an education were very limited ; his attendance at school is all embraced within a period of four months. However, the love of study was an innate principle with him, and during the long winter nights of his boyhood days, he would sit in the light of the fire burning on the hearth, or beside the tallow-dip, with book in hand, reading or solving difficult mathematical problems. He is a man possessed of good judgment and much information upon the more important subbjects of the day; he has stored his mind with the requisite knowledge to fit him for the business transactions of life, and this, too, without the aid of schools or teachers. The early years of his life were spent largely in assisting his father in farming.

Newell, the daughter of James and Ann Newell. They were then residents of this county, though natives of Kentucky. Mrs. Solomon was born in Simpson county, Ky., September 10, 1823. Mr. Solomon and wife have had born to them twelve children, eight daughters and four sons; five daughters and two sons are now living, as follows: Mary J., wife of Z. C. Ridgway, residents of Palmyra; Sarah A., wife of W. C. Martin, residents of the same place, (Mr. Martin is a partner with Mr. Solomon in merchandizing); Salome F., the wife of Dr. R. M. Wilson, now residents of Lincoln, Hlinois, where the doctor enjoys an extensive and lucrative practice. The unmarried ones are as follows: George W., now a commercial salesman; Charles D., engaged in farming; Minnie F. and Carrie J., who reside at home. Of those 'deceased may be mentioned, Jemima D., died March 21, 1851; Harriet E., August 26, 1852; William Franklin, October 7,1854; James L., December 13, 1854, and an infant daughter unnamed, December 3, 1855.

After his marriage Mr. Solomon continued farming for some time, and on account of ill health engaged in merchandizing, in Old Cummington, in 1854. In June, 1855, he laid out the town of Palmyra and erected a storeroom, and began merchandizing in that place, and in addition carrying on quite large farming operations. At present he has about 800 acres of land in cultivation.

Mr. Solomon, wife and daughter, Mrs. Ridgway, are members of the Christian church ; he is one of its generous patrons, giving liberally for the aid of the gospel; besides, he has warmly espoused the cause of education, and has given his children the benefits of good instruction; all except the two younger have had the advantages of academic and collegiate instruction.

assisted Capt. Hulse, of his town, in raising his company, and in his. neighborhood made patriotic and eloquent speeches advocating prompt and yigorous measures for the suppression of the rebellion. In 1843 he was appointed county assessor by the county court, and filled the office for one year. In 1845 he assessed the county as deputy, under James McLarning, county treasurer. In 1846 he was a candidate for sheriff - defeated by Major Burke. He has been school director several times,and township school treasurer since October, 1870. In the spring of 1871 he was elected supervisor of South Palmyra township, and by re-election held the office until 1878. (For a specific reason he resigned in 1874.) In 1877 he was elected chairman of the board. When his term of office expired he declined being a candidate again. In 1873, while a member of the board of supervisors, he voted against levying any tax which was ordered to be made by the United States district court, and was among the supervisors summoned to Springfield, and fined a thousand dollars each and costs for disobeying the order of the court. In reference to the court-house question, he was opposed to the erection of so costly an edifice, and opposed to paying anything until the courts decided the paper legal, after which he was in favor of the best compromise that could be obtained.

And thus we lay before our thousands of readers the record of one of the industrious and honorable pioneers of Macoupin county - a man with more than ordinary endowments and energies, and the possessor of an honorable ambition to excel in all commendable efforts. His social success is the result of a genial nature; the prosperity that has attended him is the result of integrity and industry rather than a love of worldly gain. What he has is the result of his own labor, the cumulative interest upon the earnings of a lifetime. He is in the largest sense of the word a self-made man, and as such we present him to the youth of the county. He has ever been an efficient worker in every enterprise that was calculated to benefit his town and county, and every needed improvement has enlisted his earliest and most active interest. He shared, in common with many of his fellowcitizens, the privations incident to life in a new country, and with them has lived to bask in the sunshine of our enlightened civilization, and enjoy comparative prosperity and its attendant blessings, nearly upon the very spot where, more than half a century ago, he appeared upon the arena an unknown and obscure youth.

Henry Etter

One of the old citizens of South Palmyra township, is a native of Tennessee, and was born in Andrew county, May 14th, 1820. His father's name was also Henry Etter; he was born in Wythe county, Virginia, and came to East Tennessee when in his twenty-third year, and there married Elizabeth Parks; she was a native of that state. The Parks' family emigrated into the state of Tennessee from the New England states. By this marriage there were twelve children, of whom Henry Etter was the seventh. When he was six years old his father emigrated with the family from Tennessee to Illinois, and settled in Greene county, three miles south-east of Greenfield. His father was one of the pioneer settlers of that part of Greene county. There were a few scattering settlements in the vicinity, but their settlement was one of the earliest in that neighborhood. The family lived there ten years. The settlements were so few that schools had scarcely been established ; occasionally a subscription school was started for a few months, but the county was so thinly settled and the schools consequently so inconyenient of access to a great many, Mr. Etter had little advantages in attending them, and only went to school about two months in Greene county. In 1836 his father moved with his family to Macoupin county, and settled in what is now Western Mound township, on section nine, where George Etter, Mr. Etter's son, now resides. There were few settlers in that neighborhood at that time. His father bought one hundred and twenty acres second-handed, and entered two hundred and eighty additional acres. Mr. Etter only went to school there about five months, and all the education he afterward obtained was mostly by his own efforts after he had grown up. He lived at home with his father until his marriage, which occurred November 14th, 1844, to Asbereen Elizabeth Davidson. Mrs. Etter was born in Barren county, Kentucky, May 12th, 1824. Her grandfather, John Davidson, emigrated from Scotland to America. Her father, E. Davidson, was born in Kentucky, and married Margaret Wright, who was also a Kentuckian by birth. Both families had lived in Barren county, or counties adjoining, in that part of the state. Mrs. Etter was the oldest of eleven children. After Mr. Etter's marriage he went to farming for himself in Western Mound township on land adjoining his father's, and in 1845 moved to his present farm on section 16, South Palmyra township, and has since resided there engaged in farming. He owned four hundred and eighty acres of land, but has given it all to his children, with the exception of one hundred and sixty acres, comprising the old homestead farm. He has been content to lead the life of a*quiet, private citizen, and has never aspired to hold office or public position, and is a man who enjoys the respect and esteem of the citizens of this part of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Etter have had four children, all of whom are living. George Etter, who is farming in Western Mound township; James Etter, who lives in South Palmyra township; Smith Etter, also farming in South Palmyra township; Elijah Etter, a resident of Palmyra. Mr. Etter in his politics has always been a member of the democratic party, as was his father before him. He isa strong believer in the principles of that time-honored organization, and believes they are best calculated to advance the interests of a free government and perpetuate republican institutions. His first vote for president was cast for James K. Polk in 1844; on the same day he procured his marriage license. His vote was cast at Carrollton, in Greene county ; the law there being that a citizen of the state could vote for president any where within the limits of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Etter have now been married thirty-five years, and have raised a family of four children without a death. He has been a man of industry and energy, and all he. has accumulated has been the result of his own labor. When he and his wife embarked in their married life they had nothing on which to rely except their own industry. They possessed nothing in the shape of this world's goods; but started out with bright hopes for the future, and a determination to succeed if it could be done by hard work. Mrs. Etter has been obliged to attend closely to home duties, having no daughters to assist her in the labors of the household ; and both have the satisfaction of knowing that they have raised a family, and have their children settled in life around them, and occupy a good position among the citizens of South Palmyra township.

William G. Ross

Was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Ross, He was born in the state of Tennessee, December 26th, 1827. Robert Ross was a native of North Carolina, and his father, Reuben Ross, was a native of Maryland, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. The family are of Scotch-Irish descent, but settled in America at a very early date. Reuben Ross emigrated to Tennessee from North Carolina in a very early day, where he lived some time, and became a farmer. Robert Ross emigrated to Morgan county, Illinois ; in the spring of 1829 he raised one crop in that county, and in the fall of the same year he came down into Macoupin county, and settled in what is now North Palmyra township. He lived in Macoupin county until his death in 1870, and followed the avocation of farming. The subject of our sketch was about eighteen months old when his father moved into this county, con-. sequently he has been a resident of Macoupin county just one half a century. He has witnessed a great change in this county. His advantages for receiving an education were very limited at so early a day. During his minority he assisted his father on the farm, and made himself generally useful. September 4th, 1862, he was married to Miss Mary C. Proffitt, also a native of Tennessee. They have had born to them a family of ten children ; nine living, namely, Sarah Frances, Robert T., John A., Mary E., James W., Joseph E., Charles A., Abigail J., and Julia A. The occupation of Mr. Ross has been that of a farmer. In politics he is a democrat; in 1878 he was nominated on the democratic ticket for Supervisor and elected ; re-elected in 1879, and now represents South Palmyra township in the county board. Mr. Ross is a man whose life has been one of industry and integrity, in consequence of which he enjoys the unbounded confidence and respect of his friends and neighbors.

Captain A. C. Hulse

Was born in East Tennessee, September 23,1835. His father, W.K. Hulse, was a native of Tennessee, and a carpenter by trade. At the age of eighteen Mr. Hulse turned his face westward and after travelling around some time located in Palmyra, and went into the blacksmith trade; a vocation he has since followed at that place. October 2, 1856, he was united in marriage. to Miss Martha A. Ross, daughter of Robert Ross, of Macoupin county. They have raised a family of four children. In 1862, when this country was at fever heat in consequence of the late civil war, Mr. Hulse turned the key on his blacksmith shop, bid his family farewell, and enlisted in the 122d regiment, under Col. Rinaker. He was elected second lieutenant of company E, a position he held until April 3, 1863, when he was promoted captain of his company. He received this promotion over the first lieutenant of his company, which position he held until the close of the war. He was in all the hard-fought battles incident to this regiment's campaign through the war. He was never wounded, under arrest or reprimanded while he was in the service. At the close of the war he returned to his home, in Palmyra, where he has since resided. Captain Hulse has always adhered to the principles of democracy ; he cast his first vote for James Buchanan, and has ever since voted the democratic ticket. He went into the war believing that "the first principle of democracy was to sustain the government." He is highly respected as an energetic and honest man, a good neighbor, and a worthy and patriotic citizen.

Was a native of Boone county, Missouri. His birth dates November 26th, 1825. He was the son of Lemuel B., and Millie A. Searcy. Lemuel B. Searey was a native of Kentucky, as was also his father, Charles Searcy. Lemuel B. Searcy was a soldier in the war of 1812, and participated in many hard-fought battles, and was one of the few that made his escape in Col. Dudley's defeat. He emigrated to Boone county, Missouri, from Kentucky, at a very early date, where he lived the life of a farmer. He accumulated considerable property, and died in that county November 13th, 1862. Mr. Searcy assisted his father on the farm during his minority, and attended the common schools and academy, whereby he received a liberal until 1860. November 16th, 1854, he was united in marriage to Miss Nancy E. Ridgway. They raised a family of three children, namely, James B., Sarah F., and William N. Mrs. Searcy was a daughter of John D. Ridgway, a native of Clark county, Kentucky. He emigrated to Boone county, Missouri, in 1823, and was one of the pioneer settlers in that county. He raised a family of eight children, and followed the life of a farmer and stock-raiser. He came to Macoupin county, Illinois, in 1861, where he has since resided. Mr. Searcy's health being poor, in 1860 he went into the territory of New Mexico with his family, where he lived until his death in

1868. He followed the vocation of farming and handling stock, in which he was very successful. Asa public-spirited citizen he was ever ready to assist in forwarding all enterprises calculated to benefit his community. He died as he had lived, a Christian, in the full confidence of a blissful hereafter. His widow, the partner of his early joys and sorrows, still survives. him, and is doing all that a mother can to educate and take care of her children. Upon the death of Mr. Searcy she immediately came to Macoupin county with her family. She purchased a farm in South Palmyra township, where she has since resided and carried on the farm. Her three children are still living with her, and also her father and mother,

Was born near White Hall, Greene county, Illinois, October 28, 1848 ; he was the son of Jesse and Mary B. Allen ; his father was a farmer. Dr. Allen received all the educational advantages afforded by the schools of his native place, and when qualified entered the Blackburn College, in Carlinville, where he remained two years; subsequently he taught a district school two terms, and at the same time he was reading medicine. At the age of twenty-three years he entered as a student of medicine the office of Dr. R. M. Wilson, of Palmyra, where he remained one and a half years. He then entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, where he graduated and received his diploma in the spring of 1874. He immediately began practice with Dr. Wilson in Palmyra, where he remained until the following fall. He then opened an office near Decatur, Illinois, where he practiced eighteen' months. In 1876 he bought out the practice of Dr. Wilson, and located permanently in, Palmyra, and almost immediately entered upon a lucrative practice. December 19th, 1878, he was united in marriage to Miss Anna Corn, daughter of A. M. Corn of Friends' Creek, near Decatur, Macon county, Illinois. Dr. Allen is as yet upon the threshold of his professional life, but he bids fair to attain to prominence in his profession. He is a student yet: although his training in one of the best medical schools in the country has been thorough, he, unlike many others, realizes that the profession of medicine is a life-long study.

James 8. Duncan

in this, then new country. During the winter months he attended the subscription schools that were occasionally organized, and by hard study and close application, he acquired the rudiments of an education. He lived with his father until his death. In 1861 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Weller, a daughter of T. J. Weller, and a native of the same township.

Mr. and Mrs. Duncan were raised within a half mile of each other, consequently they were acquainted from childhood. They have had a family of. eight children, seven of whom are living, five boys and two girls ; namely, William T., Thomas J., Lillie B., Robert P., James S., David D., and Rosie E. They are all living at home. As Mr. Duncan was raised on a farm, and educated to farm work, he has made that his life occupation; he now lives on the place he was born - the old Duncan homestead, situated on the Carlinville and Palmyra road ; the land was entered from the government by his father, near a half century ago. In politics Mr. Duncan is a staunch democrat, and takes quite an interest in the success of the party. In 1878 he was nominated on the democratic ticket for county coroner, and elected by a large majority. He filled the office of Justice of the peace in his township for six years, to the entire satisfaction of the people.

In the year 1830, the Rev. William Peter, began the first improvements in the township, on section 31; he soon after died, and his family moved to Upper Alton; where they remained untill the following spring. Then Mrs. Peter returned, and had a cabin erected, which was the first in the township.

James Honchance, built the second cabin in the township, on section 15, in the year 1833. Thesame year, Aaron Arnold, his sons Smith, and. Edwin Arnold; George D. Randle, and a Mr. Houston, settled near Coop's creek. About the same time James Haycraft, Samuel Haycraft, Joel Parker, and Mrs. Cleaver, commenced the Haycraft settlement. In the same year, came also George D. Arnold, Nimrod Dorsey, William P. McKee, and Dr. B. F. Edwards, from Madison county, Illinois. Silas Crane and James Haley, settled on sections 29 and 30, during the year 1833.

Thomas H. Wilson, Sr., and R. Meatyard, settled near the Piasa creek, in the spring of 1836; and soon after Thos. B. Rice, settled where he now lives.

In 1836, George D. Randle laid out twenty acres on section 24, in town lots, and called it Brooklyn. He built a store, and offered for sale the first stock of goods in the township. The same year the Methodists built a church in Brooklyn, (which is now owned by Peter Schneider, and occupied as a dwelling.) The first school in the township, was taught in this church, by Miss Maria Arnold.

About the year 1844, Horace Mead, John R. Denny, William Prosser, and John Richardson settled in the township; and it was about this time that the first school-house was built. It was a log building, known as the Prosser school-house. This was also used for church purposes, and Sundayschool. R. Meatyard was the first superintendant.

Dr. John Ash located at Piasa, about the year 1850, and was the first physician in the township. The following are the first land entries; Wm. Peter, May 26, 1830, 80 acres in section 30; Thomas Love, May 21, 1831, 80 acres in section 30; Robert Hargraves, July 18, 1832, 40 acres in section 31.

We mention below a few of the older settlers of the county, now residing in this township: R. Meatyard, nativity, England, settled in 1831; W. T. Peter, a Kentuckian, came in 1831; Samuel Trible, an Englishman by birth, located in the county in 1829; C. C. Rhoads, native of Kentucky, came in 1831; John T. Jolley, Kentuckian, located in 1834; Thomas B. Rice, of Virginia, settled in 1835; T. H. Stratton, native of Tennessee, settled

The following are a few of the many well improved farms in the township, views of which may be seen in this work : - C. C. Rhoads, T. B. Rice, C. B. Wilson, Samuel Trible, M. Swank, Frank Fisk, residence of the late B. C. Rhoads, R. H. Miller, E. B. Clark, E. L. Hupp, J. M. Wilson, and Henry Law.

Town Of Shipman

The village of Shipman, was named in honor of John H. Shipman, one of the original proprietors. It is located on section 24, and was laid out by John H. Shipman and John L. Roberts, and surveyed and platted by George H. Holliday in the year 1852.

Leonard Loveland, jr., erected the firss building, and opened a stock of groceries for sale, and a Mr. Phillips built the first dwelling-house. In 1853 Messrs. Denny and Meatyard erected the second business house, and began general merchandizing. Dr. M. W. Seaman located at Shipman, in the autumn of 1854, and Dr. J. W. Trabue in the spring of 1855. The same year I. and E. Green, opened a store, and continued merchandizing for several years.

church in the village, in the year 1858. There are now four churches in the village, viz.: Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Catholic. The Chicago and Alton R. R., was built through the village in 1852. Shipman was incorporated in 1867, and on the first Monday in April of the same year the following board of trustees were elected: Dr. M. W. Seaman, president ; T. G. Coffy, Dr. J. W. Trabue, J. H. Smalley and Felix Reynolds, trustees; Newcomb, constable; Samuel S. Green, treasurer; EK. P, Ford, town clerk.

The village has been fortunate in having for its business men, gentlemen of enterprise, and they have made Shipman one of the most thriving and handsome villages in the county. It has at present between five and six hundred inhabitants.

This village is situated on the line of the Rock Island division of the C. B. & Q R. R., five miles north of Brighton, where the cozners of sections 19-20 and 30-29 join. It took its name from the Piasa creek, which runs through the place.

The first person to locate where Piasa now is, was George Parker, who erected a log-cabin in the spring of 1836. In 1837 Robert Meatyard, located where Mrs. Kendall now lives.

In November, 1849, Wm. Baily opened a store with a young man, by the name of Smith as manager, which was the first in the village. It was subsequently kept by J. W. Warren.

In 1849 a school-house was erected at a cost of $250. The first post-office was established in 1850. Charles Tally was post-master. The same year H. G. Tally, opened a blacksmith shop. The first person buried in the Piasa cemetery was Charles Justison, in March, 1350.

Business Houses Of Piasa Edward B. Clark

Was born in Logan county, Kentucky, Oct. 25, 1824. Howard Clark, his father, was a native of Warren county. The family were originally from Virginia. His great-grandfather was born in England. There were two brothers who came over to America, one of whom married, and from him have sprung the present Clark family. They settled in Virginia prior to the revolutionary war, and subsequently removed to Kentucky. Howard Clark married Eliza J. Wilson. She was born in Kentucky. There were five boys born to them, and one girl, who, however, died at an early age. Mr. Clark removed to Illinois in 1831, and settled in Edwardsville, Madison county, and in 1835 removed to Macoupin county, two and a half miles west of Brighton, now known as part of Jersey county, where he remained for twenty-five years, when he removed to the village of Brighton, where he remained until his death in 1866. The mother died in 1858. The subject of our sketch went to school in the winter season and worked upon the farm in the summer months. He received a good education. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age, after which he worked on a farm, for which he received $12 per month. In 1848 he purchased land and built a small cabin on it, and commenced cultivating the soil.

who is a native of Kentucky. Her parents removed to Illinois while she was yet in her infancy. Nine children have been born to them, eight of whom are living, Charles M., the second son, died August 27, 1878, in his twenty-fifth year. Two daughters are married. One resides in the village of Piasa, and the other is a resident of Eldorado, Kansas. Isaac W. Clark, a younger brother of the present sketch, enlisted in the 27th regiment Illinois volunteers, and was wounded at Atlanta, and it is supposed was taken prisoner on the field of battle, and taken to Andersonville, where he died from the effect of the wounds soon after. Both Mr. Clark and his wife are members of the Baptist Church. He is republican, but takes no active part in politics except to vote his sentiments. He has been successful in life, and is one of the prominent and substantial farmers of Macoupin county. He is much respected for his worth as a man and citizen.

Robert Meatyard

May be regarded as one of the pioneers of Macoupin county. He was born in Dorsetshire, England, December 8th, 1812. In 1831 he left his native land and emigrated: to America and settled in New York, where he remained until November, 1835, when he came west and stopped. at Alton, Illinois. In the spring of 1836 he came to Piasa, in Macoupin county, where he entered land and commenced farming. The town of Piasa was afterward laid out and built upon a portion of the land originally entered by him. He remained there until 1853, when he removed to Shipman, where he built a store-house and engaged in general merchandizing. He at the same time was appointed agent for the Chicago, Alton and St. Louis railroad, which position he held for sixteen years. In 1853 he was appointed postmaster, and has held that office up to the present time, with the exception of four years, from 1857 untii 1861. At present he is still engaged in general merchandizing, in which he has been more than ordinarily successful. In politics Mr. Meatyard isa republican. In former years he was one of those who believed that the system of slavery was wrong. At the formation of the republican party he joined its ranks and has been a firm supporter of its tenets ever since. He has been for a number of years a consistent member of the M. E. church. As a man he is universally respected for his probity of character and honorable dealings among his fellow-citizens.

Robert P. Miller

Was born in Greenup county, Kentucky, on December 4th, 1836, and is therefore just in the prime of life and the full enjoyment of physical .and mental vigor. His father, Erastus Miller, was a native of the same state. The Miller family on the paternal side were of German ancestry. He married Mary A. Gibbs, who was a native of the same state. Her mother was a Ratcliffe. They were originally from Virginia. There were four children born to Erastus and Mary Miller, of whom the subject of our sketch is the eldest. The father died while he was yet comparatively young, and not being a man possessed of much property, Mr. Miller was forced to begin life for himself when only thirteen years of age; owing to the early demise of his father, he did not have the advantages of such an education as was afforded the youth of his day. At the age of thirteen years he went to work upon a farm for his support, and continued so engaged until 1857, when on the 13th of January of the same year he was united in marrige to Miss Mary E. Slone, who is a native of Kentucky. Her parents were originally from North Carolina.

In March, 1857, Mr. Miller determined to leave his native state, and seek his fortune for himself and young wife in the West, and emigrated to Illinois. His intention was to go further north than Shipman, but his money giving out he was from necessity compelled to stop, in order to recruit his impoverished exchequer. He soon found work on Mr. Justison's farm, where he remained for six months, and in the fall of the same year he rented a piece of land on the shares. This may be regarded as his first venture in business life for himself; henceforth he was to be the architect of his own fortune, without the guidance or under the control of others. He continued two years as a renter, but his health failing he was compelled to abandon farming and engage in something more suitable to his health. He accordingly went to huckstering, buying produce from the farmers and hauling it to St. Louis, where he disposed of it; he carried goods back, and delivered them to merchants and dealers in the small towns in the northern and western parts of the county. His health, however, did not improve, and after two years spent in the above-named business he went to Minnesota, in hope of regaining his lost health. After one year spent there, he found himself so much improved that he returned to Shipman, and commenced dealing and trading in live stock, buying and shipping to St. Louis and other markets. This business he has continued without interruption up to the present. As soon as he made sufficient money, so as to be able to spare some of it from his business, he invested it in land, and thus he added acre by acre, until at the present he is not only one of the principal shippers and stock men of the county, but also one of the leading agriculturists. Mr. Miller, in his business, is endowed with those traits characteristic of the western business men, namely, industry, enterprise, and activity in whatever he undertakes. In his family he has been blessed with a numerous progeny ; thirteen children have been born to them, eight of whom are living. He is not a member of any particular church organization.

In polities he is an unswerving democrat, and as such cast his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas in 1860, and has voted steadily with that party ever since.

In the business of life he has been more than ordinarily successful, which may be attributed to his industry and superior judgment. In fact, he started in life unaided and thrown upon his own resources while yet almost in his infancy, with nothing to help him except a sound body, a strong pair of arms, and an abundance of energy Among his neighbors and friends, with whom he has lived for nearly a quarter of a century, he is universally respected for his integrity and sterling worth as a man and citizen.

the same state. He married Phcebe Johnson, who was of Welsh extraction, and a native of Pennsylvania. She died in 1843, and Philip Hupp died in 1865. were five boys and one girl born to them, four of whom have survived the parents. At the age of fifteen Eli com- In the

Illinois, and worked at his trade in Otterville for four years, and then went upon a farm, where he remained until 1855, when he came to Macoupin county, and opened up the farm upon which he now resides, and

Mrs. Minerva J. Hupp

Jane Piggott, who is a native of Illinois. She comes from an old family, and is a niece of Judge Piggott of St. Louis. Eight children have been born to them, seven of whom are living - five boys and two girls; two of the boys and one girl are married. Philip and Newton are in Marshall, Kansas, where they are engaged in farming. In politics fields and herds of fine stock will testify ; - the accumulation of years of honest toil, and the practice of rigid economy, aided by sound judgment and business tact. He is regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of the

Was a native of Pennsylvania. He was of Scotch ancestry on the paternal side, and on the maternal Scotch- Trish. He married Miss M. Merrewether. She was a native of Louisville, Ky., and was a resident of that state at the time of her marriage. Mr. Gilson emigrated to and settled in Brighton as early as 1836. During his life he was chiefly engaged in general merchandizing, speculating in real estate, and stock-raising. He was of an enterprising turn of mind, and to him is due the credit of building up the town of Brighton. He was more than ordinarily successful in all of his business ventures, and at his death was possessed of considerable property, west he was penniless and without friends, but by epergy business men of his adopted county. His activity continued until his death, which occurred the 29th of August, 1864. His wife died August, 1873. Seven children were born to them, four of whom have survived the parents. Mrs. M. S. Brown, who resides at the old homestead in Brighton, and Mrs. H. H. Herdman are the two daughters living; E. P., the eldest son, after graduating at the Blackburn University, read law in the office of Hon. Lyman Trumbull, and is now a practising attorney in Carrollton, Greene county, Illinois, and Dr. George H. resides at Shipman. During his life, Mr. Gilson was an active and consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and took a prominent part in that organization.

GEORGE HERBERT GILSON, M. D., Is a native of Illinois. He was born in the village of Brighton, Macoupin county, September 15th, 1853, and is the son of James W. Gilson. The subject of our sketch is the youngest of the family. He spent his boyhood days in Brighton, and attended the common schools until his seventeenth year, when he entered Blackburn University at Carlinville, Illinois, and took the scientific course. He remained there for three years, after which time he commenced reading medicine, and in August, 1874, entered the St. Louis Medical College, at St. Louis, and graduated from that institution in March, 1876, and immediately thereafter commenced the practice of his profession at Shipman, Illinois, where he at present resides, and where, by close: attention to his profession, studious habits, and honorable conduct, he has succeeded in building up a lucrative and extensive practice. It is not necessary to state that Dr. Gilson belongs to the regular school of medicine, and notwithstanding the many departures from the well-beaten track, he has always remained true to his first teachings in medical science. The doctor is a member of the Preslyyterian Church. In politics ke is a republican, and cast /his first vote for Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876. He, however, is not a politician. Dr. Gilson is yet a young man, just entering upon the threshold of his professional life, and from the reputation he has already obtained as a successful practitioner of the healing art, it may not be regarded as an evidence of unusual foresight to predict for him a successful and honorable career in his chosen calling. In his manners he is an affable and agreeable gentleman.

JAMES W. CHRISTOPHER, (Decrasep,) Was born in Ohio, November 16, 1835. He was the son of John and Margaret Christopher, who moved'from Ohio to Jersey county, Illinois, about 1842. James was then about seven years of age. He received his education at the district schools, and remained at home assisting his father farm they had purchased. After living there two years he thought he would better his condition by selling that farm and buying a farm more valuable in Shipman township, Macoupin county, where he moved with his family extensive scale. He lived upon this farm until his death. After a short, but painful suffering, he died, December Ist, 1877, leaving a wife and eight children to mourn his loss. Mr. Christopher was a liberal supporter of all moral and useful enterprises, an excellent citizen and kind neighbor. He was frequently called on by his friends to accept many of the minor offices of the township. He discharged his duty with credit to himself and honor to his Of Mr: Christopher's death it can be said that

Mrs. Christopher and five children are remaining on the farm. She is entitled to much credit in the manner in which she has managed the farm, and the efforts she has