McDonough County, Illinois - Biographical sketches (2 of 3 so headed), 1878 (part 2 of 2)

In 1845 Mr. Porter became a member of the Congregational Church, at Framingham, Mass., being baptised by the Rev. Q. JS". Tarbox. His wife united at the same time. In 1856 he united with the Presbyterian Church, at Bardolph, and in 1867 united with the Congregational Church of Macomb, and is now a communicant in the latter church.

A son, Lester W., was killed in battle at Memphis, Tenn., August 21, 1864, during the rebel General Forrest's raid on that city. He was in Company I, 137th Regiment Illinois Volunteers.

Mr. Porter is about five feet ten inches in height, and a stout, well built man, and usually in the enjoyment of perfect health. In his neighborhood and wherever known, he enjoys the respect and confidence of all. In the family circle he is pleasant and agreeable, receiving the love and affection of every member thereof. It is hoped he may be spared many years to fill useful positions in society.

Hon. William 11. Randolph

David and Rebecca (Sutphen) Randolph, the parents of William II., were natives of the State of JSTew Jersey, which place they left at an early day, removing to the State of Kentucky, where they remained but a short time, emigrating from thence to Warren county, Ohio, where the subject of our present sketch was born on the tw^entieth day of August, 1813, near the town of Lebanon. They were, as regards wealth, in moderate circnmstances, but desired to give their son such opportunities for future usefulness as their means would allow, having him educated for one of the learned professions, but it was willed otherwise. The early years of his life were spent with his parents on a farm, and in attendance on the common schools of the neighborhood. In youth were foreshadowed the traits of character which afterward predominated in his life; he was brave, impulsive, kind and forbearing; a defender of the w^eak and oppressed.

When about sixteen or seventeen years of age he went to learn the trade of a fuller, or manufacturer of w^oolen goods, continuing with the firm until he reached his majority, when he determined to seek other and greater fields of labor, and came to Rushville, Schuyler county, in this State, where he remained a few" months, and from thence came to Macomb, in this county, where he resided until the day of his death. As has been remarked, his parents desired that he should prepare himself for one of the learned professions, for that purpose having him take a regular collegiate course, but William thought a trade preferable, and therefore learned one as previously stated. When he arrived in Macomb he had between three hundred and four hundred dollars which he invested in a small stock of groceries. Continuing in that branch of business until elected to the office of sherifi of the county, in 1838, to which office he was twice re-elected, viz., in 1840 and 1842. In 1844 he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives of the Illinois Legislature, and re-elected in 1846. In 1848 he was elected to the office of Circuit Clerk of the county and reelected in 1852, serving until 1856. Thus for eighteen years without intermission, he held public offices in the county, on each occasion of his election running ahead of his ticket, being always popular before the people. He was never beaten for office.

In 1854, in company with Joseph M. Parkinson, Joseph W. Blount and M. T. Winslow, he opened the first banking house in McDouough County. For two years, or over, this institution prospered greatly, but in an evil hour, the company was persuaded into an arrangement with T. L. McCoy, of Galesburg, by which they invested some |20,000 in the Nemaha Talle}' Bank, issuing a certain percent, of the amount in notes, for which part only they were to be held responsible, the arrangement being that any banking institution investing in the enterprise should be compelled to redeem only its own issue; but a further arrangement was made with the dilterent parties that all notes presented at either of their banking houses, whether of the series issued by themselves or not, might be redeemed and sent to their respective banks for final redemption. When the crash came in 1858, when the Nemaha Valley Bank bubble burst, Messrs. Randolph & Co. redeemed their whole issue, and over $5000 of the notes of other parties, lor which they never obtained value received. This firm would not suspend until they found it was utterly impossible ever to recover from the other parties, and then, and not until then, did they close their doors. The loss of Mr. Randolph alone, by reason of the failure of others to make good their promises, was over $100,000. To his honor be it said, not a man ever lost a dollar by him. Unlike many others, he did not compromise with his creditors for a few cents on the dollar and then open out in grander style than ever, but continued, as fast as it was possible, to pay oft" his indebtedness, and when death called him away he was almost clear before the world. One year more would probably have placed him in the same position he occupied before the crash came.

good. In 1856 he began the erection of the well known Randolph Hotel and finished it in the following year. This stands to-day a monument of the public enterprise of the man. As a pecuniary investment it has never paid nor ever can. It stands an honor to the city and as a free will offering to the pride of the people.

During this same year in which the erection of the hotel was began, he laid oft" for a public cemetery a tract of land just north of the city, comprising eleven acres, which he christened Oakwood Cemetery. For years the town had felt the want for a suitable place for the burial of the dead. The old cemetery, w^estof town, was too small and very inconvenient to the citizens of the place, and with his accustomed liberality and public spirit, Mr. Randolph selected the prettiest and most eligible spot adjoining thetownfcr this " City of the Dead."

On the twenty-sixth day of January, 1837, he led to the marriage altar Miss Matilda Jane Brooking, daughter of the well known and much respected old pioneer, Thomas Brooking, Esq., with whom he happily lived until the day of his death. It has been said by those who have been intimate with the couple, and who w^ere members of the family for some years, 'they never heard a harsh word pass between them. The troubles Mr. R. experienced during his eventful life were never suffered to mar the happiness of the family circle, and when together, all cares, trials and disappointments were banished, and they lived in the enjoyment of the hour. ]N"o children ever blessed their union.

In 1853 Mr. Randolph engaged ia the real estate business, in company with J. M. Parkinson, under the firm name of Randolph, Parkinson & Co., continuing the same until ITovember 3, 1856, when the firm disposed of their interests to McLean, Randolph & Co. The operations of this company were confined to the region known as the Military Tract, comprising some sixteen counties, lying between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, and, for a time, were very extensive. Several very fortunate ventures were made, in which Aveve realized a handsome sum of money, adding materially to the wealth of Mr. R. Having an extensive acquaintance throughout the section, and knowing well the geography and topograhy of the country, he was always qualified to judge of the amount of risk that could be taken. In this work he unearthed several huge frauds that had been perpetrated ujion the people, and restored to the proper persons their rights.

Ill 1858 he took charge of the Kandolph Hotel, having failed in securing a suitable tenant, and continued in charge until the day of his death, although the duties of a landlord were rather onerous, on account of the vast amount of other business to which it was necessary that he should give his personal attention. Notwithstanding the great amount of labor devolving upon him, no guest, observing the proprieties of a gentleman, ever had reason to complain of the want of attention.

In politics Mr. Randolph was always radical. Xo one ever doubted his position upon any of the great questions of the da}'. In his early life he affiliated with the Whig party, and the measures of that party received his undivided support. As a Whig he was elected to the various county offices which he held. On the organization of the Republican party in 1854, he at once embraced the principles proclaimed by its leaders. "Free press, free speech and freedom," had ever been with him a leading thought, and he entered heartily and zealously into the work of moulding public opinion for the adoption of the new principles. The cry of "Abolitionist,"' "negro worshiper," and kindred phrases, had no effect upon him. Believing in the right of the cause which he advocated, he defied all the powers of the opposition, and their jeers served but to nerve him for the great conflict of opinion then existing and the conflict of arms soon to resound throughout the land. His business affairs on the organization of the part}^ were such as to prevent him from taking the more active part to which his ardent nature prompted him, but notwithstanding, the success obtained in after years was greatly the result of his labors.

In the presidential campaign of 1856, notwithstanding his party was greatly in the minority, he labored hard, and in 1860, when the noble martyr, Abraham Lincoln, was at the head of the ticket, when victory was assured from the division in the ranks of the opposition, he ceased not to labor until the announcement was made that the favorite son of Illinois should be the nation's chief for the term of four years ; and even not then, but toiled on and on until, like his honored chief, he suffered a martyr's death, yielding up his life in the defense of his country.

The days that followed the election of Lincoln, the evil passions engendered, the war that followed in which our glorious country was deluged in blood, the widows and orphans made, the hearts broken, are now a record of history and well known to our readers. The individual part taken by thousands and tens of thousands may never be known. When, in their madness, the South rebelled, and the call to arms was made by the President, the private business of Mr. Eandolph was such he could not, without too great personal sacrifice, go forth to the tented Held, as he in his heart desired ; but no man labored more to secure enlistments, none of their private means expended more to further the cause than he. The soldier going to or from the field was an ever welcome guest at his house, and if they were possessed of no means to pay their bills, it mattered not. Whole companies were at times lodged and fed by him without a cent being paid. Many of the brave boys will ever hold in grateful remembrance the deeds of kindness of this man.

On the fifteenth day of June, 1863, without solicitation or previous notification, he received the appointment of Deputy Provost Marshall for the district of McDonough county, and on the twenty-eighth of September, 1864, he was re-appointed. His friends all advised him not to accept the appointment, as the duties required were dangerous to perform, and there being those in the county who were his deadly and sworn enemies, they might seek a pretext to take his life. The very reasons urged for nonacceptance were such as to determine him not to decline the appointment; he would do nothing that would show even a semblance of fear. It was his desire to serve his government, and he believed it was his duty to do so, and the opportunity was here offered; the duties were such as to require a man of nerve, and he would not flinch. His first duty was to make an enrollment of the militia, reporting the names to the Provost Marshall at Mt. Sterling. At this time McDonough county was short in the quota, and a draft was ordered ; and upon a certain day the number deficient was drawn, and among the number was one John Bond, of Hire township. Captain Kandoiph at once notified him of the draft and ordered him to report at Mt. Sterling, which not being done, he proceeded to Blundinsville for the purpose of arresting him. Here the two met; a few words passed between them ; Bond endeavored to escape, when Mr. R., placing his hand upon his shoulder, told him he was his prisoner. Bond then drew a revolver, and retreating a pace or two fired at Kandoli>h and then fled, followed by Mr. K., who returned the fire. ])uring the firing of the first shots they were in the hall of the hotel, from ^Yhich emerging, several more shots were exchanged, two of fhem i taking effect upon Mr. Randolph, mortally wounding him and causing death within twenty-four hours. Everything that could be done hy the best medical talent in the county was done to save; his life, but without avail; and thus passed from earth one of McDonough countv's most honored sons.

"VYilliam H. Randolph was of medium height, swarthy complexion, black hair and eyes, of a very nervous temperament, strong - and active. He was of a most positive character, loving his friends with most intense devotion, and hating his enemies. lie could not bear to hear a friend traduced, and would defend one as quickly as he would his own honor. One whom he regarded as an enemy he would have nothing to do with; he would never' provoke a quarrel with him, seeking rather to avoid it, but if it should come he never feared the consequences. Of course such a man would have many strong friends and equally strong enemies. A more benevolent man never lived than he, being always a friend to the poor, never turning a deaf ear to their appeals. Many a poor person in McDonough county blesses his memory to-day for f the assistaiice rendered them in their hour of need. As before remarked, in the family circle he was kind and gentle in the extreme - what might be termed a model husband.

James Roberts

Althongh he may not be what is termed an "old settler," yet the subject of our present sketch is well known, by reputation, at least, by nearly every citizen of the county. I^ot to have heard of James Roberts, or the mining operations of himself and brothers, is to confess ignorance on a point few desire to acknowledge.

James Roberts is a native of England, having been born in the county of Cornwall on the twentieth day of jSIareh, 1820. His parents were Hugh and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Roberts, likewise natives of the Isle of the Sea, who were possessed of but little of this world's goods, and who consequently could not give their children the advantages possessed by those in better circumstances. From five until ten years of age he attended the schools of his > native county and town, and when arriving at the latter age was compelled to enter the mines, henceforward to earn his own living by the "sweat of his face." In early life he contracted the habit of partaking of intoxicating liquors, a habit which seemed to grow on him, but happily he realized the danger ere it was too late, and at the age of twenty he signed the temperance pledge, which he has constantly observed to the present time, a period of thirty-seven years.

On the seventh day of September, 1846, he led to the marriage altar Miss Cecilia Knight, with whom he yet lives and by whom he has had nine children, seven of whom are now living, two having gone to that better land.

Believing the chances of obtaining a competency, or even obtaining a very respectable livelihood in his native land to be poor, he determined to emigrate to America, the " Eldorado " of all the down-trodden and oppressed ot earth ; so about the first of May, 1847, with his wife he sailed for America, lauding in Quebec on the twenty-sixth day of May. From this place he passed on to the copper mines of Lake Superior, but not fancying the employment obtained there, he continued his journey to New Castle, Pa., where he arrived with only fifteen dollars in cash, and where .1 few days after his first child was born. Securing employment iin the coal mines of Messrs. Crawford & Co., he went to work, and for three years continued with them as a common laborer, u'hen the position of underground boss of the mines was offered iim and gladly accepted. For two years and a half longer he

-ontinued with the firm as its superintendent, when he thought to jetter himself by coming west. Resigning the position in the 3arly part of the year 1853, he came out and purchased a tract of jne hundred and six acres of land near Webster, Hancock county. Vbout this time an advertisement was inserted in a county paper or an experienced miner to work a coal mine near the present own of Colchester, which advertisement he answered in person, md engaged to mine coal on the shares. This he continued for orae time, when he purchased eighty acres in the Welch settlement, and began to mine for himself. When he came west, not knowing where he should settle, or how he should like the county, he left his family in Kew Casile ; in November following he sent cr them, they arriving the same month. In the meantime he ented an old log house situated near the Pleasant Valley Mills, n which he moved with his family when they arrived. This louse was in very poor condition, the snow drifting through the racks and the rain pouring in on them as though the building had no coveriug. Many a time were the family compelled to take shelter under a large umbrella brought with them from England. Their first winter in this new country was indeed hard, but their experience was only such as had been the lot of hundreds before them, and served to strengthen them for the trials and duties of after life.

It did not take Mr. Roberts long to discover 'the vast treasure that lay beneath his feet, and from the first he began to organize for future operations; and by the time the railroad was completed, he was ready to engage in the business of mining on an extensive scale. In compan}- with his brother, Hugh, and also, at various times, with Messrs. Morris, Spencer and others, he opened new veins, sunk new shafts, and labored hard to develop the wonderful resources of the country. For the first four or five years only drift coal was taken out, and hauled in wagons to the railroad for shipment. In 1858 the first shaft was sunk by him, as superintendent of the mines of Roberts & Co., since which time several others have also been made, and now we have some eight or ten, with over two hundred persons engaged in taking coal from the bowels of the earth, at least one hundred feet from its surface. All this is due to James Roberts more than to any other man. With indomitable pldck and energy, without capital to begin life, he has labored on, evercomiug obstacles that would have prevented others with less courage and perseverance from accomplishing their desire. Success has crowned his every effort, and to-day he is in the enjoyment of a sufficient amount of this world's goods to live in ease should he never do another day's work. But idleness is not characteristic with him; he could not be idle if he would; it is not his nature, so we find him to-day engaged as actively as ever in his mining operations, being the president and superintendent of the Colchester Coal Company. We presume he will so live and so die - he will never rust out. A large famil}'' has grown up around him, whom he has endeavored to raise for usefulness in life. We find composing the company of which he is president three sons, two of whom live in Quincy and have charge of its interests in that city, one remaining in charge of the shaft in the mines. Each of these we believe to be industrious young men, who now enjoy the respect and esteem of all who know thorn.

At an early age Mr, Roberts experienced religion, uniting with the Wesleyan Methodists. lie has since been connected with the Primitive Methodists, Eible Christians (another branch of the Methodist family), and the Methodist Episcopal, the changes being made by reason of removals and not with desire to seek something new or better, lie is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Colchester, occupying the position of trustee, and is a pillar in that church. He was a member of the building committee having in charge the erection of their house of worship at that place.

Mr. Roberts is a man of medium height, light complexion, dark hair, and, as before remarked, a man of determination and strong will. In business matters he requires exactness. As a citizen he is respected for his love of justice, as a Christian he is God-fearing, as a husband and father kind, gentle and affectionate, yet firm in his government and discipline. Such in brief is James Roberts, who, from a very humble beginning, has fought his way through life until he now occupies a good position in society and enjoys the fruits of a life of toil.