McLean County, Illinois - Chapter 35: Miscellaneous, Continued, 1924 (part 1 of 8)

Chapter 35: Miscellaneous, Continued

Extinct Towns and Villages. - In the course of years there have been many towns proposed and some of them laid out on paper or perhaps actually surveyed and platted, which events of later years caused to be abandoned. The county has several such, which are worthy of a passing note in a chronicle like this.

Clarksville was laid out by Joseph and Marston C. Bartholomew in 1836 in Money Creek Township. It contained twenty-four lots. Gen. Bartholomew was a noted man of his time, having been a commander in the Indian wars. Clarksville at one time had a two-story hotel, a carding mill, several business houses, and its population numbered 300. After Gen. Bartholomew died in 1840, the village fell into decay, and finally only one or two buildings and the cemetery mark its site.

Monroe was laid out in Empire township by John W. Badderly the year before LeRoy was platted. It never grew to large dimensions, and when Gen. Gridley and M. L. Covell laid out Leroy they gave Badderly 27 lots in the new town and he moved his buildings to Leroy, where he continued for many years in business.

Lytleville was laid out in 1836 by John Baldwin, consisting of 85 lots located in section 23 of Randolph township, northeast of Heyworth. Peru was another town in the same township on section 24. The latter never had any buildings in it, being a paper town. Lytleville once aspired to become the metropolis, even competing for the county seat. A saw mill located on the Kickapoo had been erected by James Hedrick, and this mill formed the center of Baldwin's town. But fate was against Baldwin, and in spite of his energy he was never able to permanently establish his little city. Baldwin added a grist mill to his saw mill, and at one time did a flourishing business. There are now (1923) only two old buildings left standing in Lytleville.

Oak Grove was another village in White Oak township, located on section 28, and from 1878 to '88 it looked promising. Several stores, a postoffice, mill, harness shop and twenty dwellings were erected. In 1887 when the Lake Erie railroad passed a mile and a half southwest of Oak Grove and the town of Carlock established on the railroad, most of the buildings in Oak Grove were moved to Carlock, and the former village disappeared.

Pleasant Hill was laid out on section 21, Lexington township on April 6, 1840, and twelve years later an addition of 48 lots was planned. Isaac Smalley was the founder of the town, and the name was appropriate to' the location. Smalley was a live citizen and gave his energy to promotion of his settlement, at one time having succeeded in having there three churches, several stores, several work shops, one Academy of fifteen rooms, and some 50 dwellings. Smalley tried to get the Alton railroad to pass through his town, but it finally went through Lexington and Pontiac, passing by Pleasant Hill and sounding the latter town's death knell. The town of Oneida, east of Pleasant Hill, was another of Smalley's dreams, but after his death in 1855 both towns degenerated, only two or three houses still remaining at Pleasant Hill.

Danvers township was the site of the once planned town of Wilkesborough, in section 24. It was laid out in 1837, and in 1859 had some fifteen families residing within its boundaries. At one time the postoffice was at Wilkesborough, and the people of Concord (Danvers) had to go there to get their mail. The town, however, died out and Danvers survived.

The village of Mt. Hope was laid out June 16, 1837, by William Peck, agent of the Farmers' and Mechanics' emigrating society, being located near where the town of McLean now stands. It was a part of the Mt. Hope colony scheme, promoted in Rhode Island, by which each stockholder was to have 320 acres of land and four town lots. The panic of 1837 hit the colonization scheme and destroyed the hopes of the village. A certain Dr. Whipple had the largest house built, and there were several others. When the Alton road was built and the village of McLean was established, the church and other buildings were moved from Mt. Hope to McLean, and the town plat was vacated and reverted to farm lands about 1854, when Hudson Burr and others bought the site.

A town called Newcastle was once laid out about two miles from Atlanta, but it was abandoned when the Alton road established a station at Atlanta.

Just across the line over in Woodford county north of the McLean County border, was the town of Bowling Green, which early promised to rival Bloomington as a trading center. Four miles west of Bowling Green was a rival town, Verseilles, and these two competed for many years to become county seat of Woodford. Verseilles finally won and enjoyed the reputation of a county seat for several years. When the Illinois Central road was built, a few miles east, both Bowling Green and Verseilles went backward and finally disappeared.

Political History. - It is a cause of pride for McLean County that it has a political record worthy of its people. It has furnished a number of distinguished men to the state and nation, and has taken an active and patriotic part in every election, local, state or national. The first record of political feeling among the people living in this section is that of a history written by the late Capt. J. H. Burnham many years ago, in which he told of the sentiments of the settlers at Blooming Grove in the presidential election of 1824 as being "decidedly in favor of freedom." The slavery question was paramount at that time. The first political division with which the people came in contact was the organization of Orendorff voting precinct, which was a part of Tazewell county and took in a wide stretch of territory.

The election of 1832 was the first one in which the people here took a part after the organization of McLean county. The leaders of the Democratic party in its early history were Gen. Merritt L. Covell, Gen. Henry Miller, Welcome P. Brown, and Gov. John Morr Moore. Covell and Miller were heroes of the Black Hawk war. (23)

John Moore was the most successful politician of the county in his times. He was a member of the house, of the state senate, lieutenant governor, and state treasurer. In the Mexican war he became lieutenantcolonel of the Fourth Illinois volunteer regiment. He was a man of great ability and wide popularity.

Welcome P. Brown was the first McLean county man to be elected to the legislature, this being in 1834. The following term, John Moore and George Hinshaw, Democrats, were both elected.

The Mexican war period saw political feeling aroused to a high pitch in McLean county as elsewhere. Coming on down to 1851, the time of the granting of the charter for the Illinois Central railroad through Illinois, McLean county was fortunate to have as a member of the state senate Gen. Gridley, by whose shrewd work alone the railroad was routed through his district, composed of McLean, DeWitt and Macon counties, and thus the cities of Bloomington, Clinton and Decatur were assured of the new road. Gen. Gridley was a Whig, a man of force and eloquence and a person of great influence in the senate.

One of the periods of high tide in politics of McLean county was that prior to the Civil war, when the agitation on the slavery question was shaping itself along lines which later led to the Civil war. Of course the great personage who stands out shoulders and head above all others in that time was Abraham Lincoln, and his name and fame are closely woven into McLean county history in those days. As a lawyer he traveled this circuit, and as a politician was a familiar figure and a welcome guest at every gathering. Some of his closest personal friends were McLean county men, such as David Davis, Jesse Fell and others. It is the most interesting fact of local history, perhaps, that when Lincoln became a subject of serious discussion for the presidential nomination, it was Jesse Fell of Bloomington who besought him to write a short biography of himself, in order that it might be sent broadcast over the country and the people informed as to his life. Mr. Lincoln thereupon sat down and on two short - sheets of paper wrote that famous autobiography of himself which has become a classic in American political literature, and copies of which have been put into every library and political history of the country. The original manuscript of Lincoln's autobiography was in the hands of the daughters of Jesse Fell until recent times. It may eventually become the property of the United States government in its Washington archives.

The most famous political convention ever held in McLean county was that of May 29, 1856, when the formation of the Republican party in Illinois was cemented and when Lincoln as one of the delegates and the principal orator of the occasion delivered one of his most masterly speeches, which became known as the "lost speech." The fiftieth anniversary of that occasion was celebrated in a notable way in Bloomington on May 29, 1906, when many of the survivors of the convention were present and gave their personal reminiscences of the occasion. To preserve these personal recollections in permanent form, the McLean County Historical society published a volume embodying the complete proceedings of the anniversary celebration. That volume gives the whole story and it can be only briefly referred to here. The convention in Bloomington was inspired by a meeting of newspaper editors held in Decatur on February 22 preceding, at which resolutions were passed defining the principles of the new party which was then coming into being. The Decatur convention called for the later meeting in Bloomington whose purpose was to nominate a slate of candidates for state offices and officially launch the new party. Suffice it to say that the speech of Lincoln at that May convention served to cement the various elements of the newly formed party in a harmonious whole, and started the Republican party upon its long series of triumphs in the state of Illinois.

The joint debates between Lincoln and Douglas in the senatorial campaign of 1858, further served to elevate Lincoln to a place of prominence in Illinois and the nation. None of these debates took place in McLean county, but two years later at the state Republican convention in Decatur Lincoln was formally proposed for nomination for president, which proposal was accepted in the Chicago convention in June. The three men most influential in securing Lincoln's nomination were Jesse W. Fell, David Davis and Leonard Swett. Then followed the war, the emancipation proclamation, the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, and the end of the long slavery contest in the United States.

The next notable political epoch so far as McLean county is concerned was in 1868, when David Davis was prominently mentioned for president before the meeting of the liberal Republican convention at Cin- cinnati in May. Davis received a large vote at one time, but his strength finally went to Greeley, who was nominated and defeated at the election.

In the wave of monetary agitation which arose in the '70's, Adlai E. Stevenson was elected to congress on the greenback-democratic ticket. One of the factors of a political nature was the constitutional convention of 1870, at which Judge Reuben M. Benjamin of McLean county first wrote into a legal document the doctrine on which was based legislation for the public control of the railroads. In the presidential deadlock of 1876, Adlai E. Stevenson of this county voted in congress for the election of an electoral commission to settle the dispute, which course of action probably prevented armed strife.

Two men from McLean county became successively governor of Illinois along in the '80's. John M. Hamilton was elected lieutenant-governor in 1880, and he became governor on February 6, 1883, when Gov. Cullom was elected United States senator. Joseph W. Fifer was elected governor in 1888 and served a term of four years with high honor, being defeated for re-election in the Democratic landslide of 1892. The latter year saw another McLean county man elevated to high station, when Adlai E. Stevenson was elected vice president of the United States. His term of four years at Washington under President Cleveland was a period of fine public service. In 1908, Mr. Stevenson was the unsuccessful candidate of his party for governor of Illinois.

In the great campaign year of 1912, when the Republican party was split by the formation of the Progressive party with Theodore Roosevelt as its head, a McLean county man was called into service as Progressive candidate for governor in the person of Frank H. Funk, who had previously been state senator. Mr. Funk made a good showing, for he ran within a few thousand votes of the regular Republican nominee, Deneen. The Democratic candidate, Edward F. Dunne, was elected.

Several citizens of McLean county have served their state and country in appointive offices of great responsibility. Gov. Fifer served many years on the interstate commerce commission in Washington. Carl S. Vrooman was assistant secretary of agriculture in the Woodrow Wilson administration. There have been several judges, including Judge David Davis of the supreme court, Judge Lawrence Weldon of the U. S. court of claims, Judge Louis FitzHenry of the Southern Illinois Federal judicial district, Judge Martin A. Brennan of the Illinois state court of claims. Judge Wesley M. Owen served as federal judge in the Panama canal zone for several years.

The political history and tendencies of the voters of McLean county may be traced in the total vote cast for candidates for president in the different elections held since 1832, when the first recorded balloting in this county took place. The results by years were as follows:

Population Statistics. - The population of McLean county when organized was estimated at 2,000. Its area was twice its present area, comprising what is now part of Woodford, Tazewell and DeWitt counties. The first census of McLean county, in 1835, gave the population as 5,308. After the Black Hawk war there was a large immigration to the county from the south and east, Kentucky furnishing the majority of the newcomers. This southern inflow continued until about 1850, and it gave a southern tinge to the slavery sentiment, which lasted until the approach of the Civil war, when anti-slavery sentiment predominated.

By 1840, the census showed population of 6,565, of whom 42 were colored. Part of the county had been set off to Logan, DeWitt and Piatt counties, and this year another part was set off to Woodford.

In. 1845 the population was 6,904, the hard times having affected the growth of population, and part of the county having been cut off to Woodford since the last census. Federal census of 1850 showed 10,163. The census of other years showed:

Following is the population of the incorporated cities, towns and villages in McLean county for the years 1900, 1910 and 1920, according to the official reports of the United States census:

The First Methodist church of Bloomington was organized in 1832. The First Baptist church was organized in 1835. The Unitarian church was organized in 1859.

The first Masonic lodge was organized in 1847 and W. C. Hobbs was the first man raised. The first Odd Fellows lodge was formed in October, 1851, and John M. Scott was first initiated.

The first fire company in Bloomington was organized in 1854 and the first fire engine purchased in Philadelphia. George T. McElheny was the first fire department chief.

The McLean County Bible society was organized in September, 1852, and Rev. F. N. Ewing was president ; D. Wilkins was first secretary ; John Magoun first treasurer.

Bloomington and McLean county have the unique distinction of having two of their women elected to the position of President General of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The fact is further interesting because these two women were sisters, they being Mrs. Letitia Green Stevenson and Mrs. Julia G. Scott. Mrs. Stevenson, wife of Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson, was elected the second president general, following the death of Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, the first chief executive. Mrs. Stevenson's election occurred February 22, 1893, and she was re-elected Feb. 22, 1894. Then followed the administration of Mrs. John W. Foster, after which Mrs. Stevenson was again elected to the position on Feb. 22, 1896, and her fourth term began with her re-election on Feb. 22, 1897.

Part Ii

Hon. Thomas C. Kerrick, eminent lawyer and prominent citizen of Illinois, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Franklin County, Ind., April 24, 1848, and is the son of Nimrod and Mary (Masters) Kerrick.

Nimrod Kerrick was born in Loudon County, Va., Oct. 13, 1808, and died Dec. 13, 1897, in his ninetieth year. Mary (Masters) Kerrick was born in Lancaster County, Pa., Sept. 15, 1815, and died Jan. 8, 1908, in her ninety-third year. They were married in Fairfield, Franklin County, Ind, May 9, 1839. In 1860 they removed to Woodford County, 111., and to Bloomington, McLean County, in 1877.

In his early young manhood Nimrod Kerrick taught school a number of years, during which time he fitted himself for the ministry, and became one of the early self-sacrificing Circuit riders of the Methodist Church. After coming to Illinois he engaged in farming. Their children were Eleanor Josephine, deceased wife of Cyrus Mull, also deceased, Phoebe Ann, widow of William H. Bracken, residing at Brookville, Indiana, William M., who was killed in battle during the Civil War, Leonidas H., deceased husband of Sarah E. Funk, also deceased, and Thomas C, the subject of this sketch, who from the age of 12 to 21 years remained and worked on the farm. Prior to removing to Illinois he had received the benefit of good public schools, and an advanced, privately conducted, academy. His next school attendance was a two years elective course in the Wesleyan University at Bloomington, which institu-

Thomas G. Kerrick

He was licensed to practice law Jan. 7, 1875, and at the same time was admitted to an equal membership in a well established law firm of the Bloomington Bar, with which he had read law, and had at times attended to some of the legal work of the firm. During the many years of his arduous law practice he has held the high esteem of members of his profession and of the courts wherever his legal activities have called him.

In the sixties, particularly when the Civil War had greatly depleted farm help, farmer boys of 12 and upward to military age were practically required to do men's work. Nevertheless Mr. Kerrick acquired and retained a liking for farming, and farmer people, and the open country life, and devotes much of his time and thought to his farming interests.

In politics Mr. Kerrick is a Republican, and, although preferring the attainment of high standing in his profession to political eminence and distinction, he has taken an active part in promoting the welfare of the party of his choice, and the success of its worthy candidates for public office.

In his early practice of law he served the City of Bloomington two terms as its official legal adviser and attorney. In 1888, without opposition in his own party, he was nominated for membership in the State Senate, and elected for the- four-year term. During this term he was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Penal and Reformatory Committee, and a member of other important committees. Of the many bills, resolutions, etc., referred to his Committees, not one was smothered or left unacted upon by the Committee. Each and every one, with amendments proposed by the Committee, if any was returned to the Senate for its action, with a recommendation either "that it do pass," or "that it do not pass." In recognition of his services in the Senate he would have received a second unanimous nomination had he not declined to be a candidate for re-election.

Together with Ex-Governor Fifer, Mr. Kerrick was also a member of the recent Constitutional Convention, Ex-Governor Fifer and he being the two delegates elected from the Senatorial District composed of Mc- Lean and Ford counties.

For more than 50 years Mr. Kerrick has been an active and efficient worker in movements to promote the general welfare of his community. Always a friend of education, he served many years as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Wesleyan University, and was one of the two Generals in command of the competing forces which in a little more than one month, in the summer of 1922, obtained subscriptions amounting to more than $700,000.00 for the use of the Wesleyan.

He was the first president of the Bloomington Club, and served in that capacity a number of terms, is president of the McLean County Historical Society, and also for many years one of the trustees of the Brokaw Hospital Endowment Fund, a fund donated by Abram Brokaw, the income of which makes possible the permanent great usefulness of the Brokaw Hospital.

Although diligent and thorough in the practice of his profession, his versatility includes aptitude as a toastmaster and an after dinner talker on festive occasions, and in public speaking in general, a liking for indoor and outdoor recreative sports and exercises, and socially mingling with his friends.

In recognition of his organizing and executive ability, a mass meeting of Bloomington citizens, held while he was trying a law suit in .i distant part of the State, unanimously elected him to formulate and conduct a campaign which resulted in changing the aldermanic city government of Bloomington to the commission form. Upon the notable occasion of the visit of President Roosevelt to Bloomington, in which preparations upon an elaborate scale were required to be arranged for a full day and evening of appropriate entertainment and exercises, he acted as chairman of the general committee of arrangements by request of a preliminary meeting of prominent citizens.

On Aug. 29, 1871, Mr. Kerrick was united in marriage with Miss Tollie Armstrong, an adopted daughter of David and Sarah Armstrong. Mrs. Kerrick's death occurred May 8, 1902. Three children were born to this union, the first of whom died in early infancy. Leonidas H., the second born, the husband of Leonia (Van Lear) Kerrick, is a farmer and resides on his farm adjacent to Kerrick, a station on the Illinois Central Railroad, which takes its name from the subject of this sketch, as is also the case with the Kerrick Grain Company, operating at this station.

The daughter, Alice Kerrick Dunn, the wife of Warren C. Dunn, resides in Columbus, Ohio. There are four grandchildren, Elizabeth, Josephine, and Thomas VanLear Kerrick, and Alice Leonoir Dunn.

On June 20, 1907, Mr. Kerrick was married to Miss Alice Harpole, daughter of Peter and Laura Harpole, natives of Ohio, resident in Bloomington, 111., at the time of their decease. There were no children of this marriage. Mrs. Kerrick departed this life Aug. 17, 1918.

Mr Kerrick has many friends throughout the State of Illinois, and is among its most honored and respected citizens. Although now in his seventy-sixth year, judged by his physical and mental vigor and alertness, it would be a grossly absurd misnomer to characterize his seventysixth as a "declining year."

Dr. Ralph D. Fox, a successful physician and surgeon of Bloomington, whose practice is limited to eye, ear, nose and throat diseases, to which he has devoted special study and attention, is a native of Michigan. He was born at Cedar Springs, Mich., Sept. 14, 1877, and is a son of Dr. Asa L. Fox, one of the oldest physicians now engaged in the practice in Bloomington, and a sketch of whom appears in this volume.

Dr. Ralph D. Fox was reared at Cedar Springs, Mich., Three Rivers, Mich., Heppner, Ore., and Bloomington, 111., where his father was engaged in the practice of his profession. He received his preliminary education in the public schools and the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, graduating in the class of 1899 with the degree of A. B. He then entered the department of medicine and surgery at the University of Michigan, where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1903. He then located in Bloomington with Dr. A. L. Fox for eight years, then attended the University of Vienna. He has taken Post Graduate work at Harvard, Massachusetts, Eye and Ear Infirmary and the University of Vienna.

On Nov. 25, 1913, Dr. Fox was married at Bloomington to Miss Adella F. Mcintosh, a native of Bloomington, and a resident of this city. She is a daughter of George and Helen (McGregor) Mcintosh, the former a native of Scotland and the latter of Canada. George Mcintosh died in 1917 and his wife departed this life in 1907. To Dr. Ralph D. and Mrs.

Dr. Fox is a Republican and a member of the M. E. Church, and Mrs. Fox is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is a 32nd degree Mason, being a member of the Bloomington Consistory. Dr. Fox is a capable physician and surgeon and recognized as one of the leaders of his profession.

Dr. Asa L. Fox, one of the well known physicians and surgeons of Bloomington, who has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession for many years, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born two miles east of Danville, Pa., Jan. 23, 1846, and is a son of Daniel M. and Eliza (Lichtenmalner) Fox, both natives of Pennsylvania, the former of Bucks County and the latter of Northampton County. The father was a school teacher in early life and during the latter part of his active career he was engaged in farming.

Dr. Fox was one of six children born to his parents, the others being as follows: Mrs. Marietta Goodrich; Elizabeth Fox; Mrs. Eliza M. Kidney, and John P. Fox, all of whom are deceased, and Daniel Fox, who resides at Battle Creek, Mich.

When Dr. Fox was a child his parents removed to Calhoun County, Mich., where he was reared and attended the country schools. He later attended Olivet College and the University of Michigan, where he was graduated from the pharmacy department in 1869 and from the medical department in 1870. Immediately after receiving his degree from the medical college he engaged in the practice of his profession in Michigan, where he remained for 15 years. He then went to Oregon and for eight years was engaged in the practice in that state. Thirty years ago he came to Bloomington and since that time has been actively engaged in the practice here. It will thus be seen that he has the unusual record to his credit of having been continuously engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery for 53 years.

On July 18, 1876, Dr. Asa L. Fox was married at Lewistown, 111., to Miss Cornelia V. Deems, of Lewistown, where she was born April' 5, 1850, a daughter of John and Phoebe (Brown) Deems, natives of Ohio and early settlers in Illinois. John Deems was born in 1809 and died in 1898, and his wife was born in 1809 and died in 1886. To Dr. and Mrs. Fox was born one son, Dr. Ralph Deems Fox, a well known physician and surgeon of Bloomington, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.

Dr. Fox is a Republican and he and Mrs. Fox are members of the Methodist Church. As a physician and surgeon and a citizen, Dr. Fox ranks high in the community.

Dr. John L. Yolton has been a successful and well known physician of Bloomington for many years. He was born in Avena Township, Fayette County, 111., Aug. 10, 1858, and is the son of William and Belinda (McGeehon) Yolton.

William Yolton was a native of Pennsylvania, as also was his wife. They were early settlers of Fayette County, 111., where Mr. Yolton engaged in farming in Avena Township. Mr. and Mrs. Yolton, now deceased, were the parents of two children: Dr. John L., the subject of this sketch, and Geneva, born in 1862, now living in North Dakota, is the wife of John Arnold.

Dr. Yolton was reared on his father's farm in Fayette County and received his education in the district schools, and taught school for a time. In 1887 he was graduated from Woman's Medical College at Chicago and served one year as interne in Woman's Hospital, Chicago. From 1889 to 1892 Dr. Yolton was physician at Croy Agency, Mont., in the settlement of the Crow Indians. Since that time he has been located in Bloomington. Dr. Yolton now lives retired at 208 E. Jefferson St., Bloomington.

Dr. Yolton was married the first time in 1886 to Miss Ella B. Smith, a native of St. Elmo, 111., who died in 1889. To this union two children were born: Blanche Hossack, born in 1887, lives in Syracuse, N. Y., and Wyman B., born in 1889, died in 1919. On Oct. 22, 1896, Dr. Yolton was married to Dr. Rhoda Galloway, a native of Iowa, born in 1862, and a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Hall) Galloway, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. Galloway died in 1862, and his wife died in 1919. To Dr. John L. and Rhoda (Galloway) Yolton one child was born, Leroy W.,

Dr. Yolton was among the first to tender his services at the outbreak of the World war and he was assigned to the Student Army Training Corps of Illinois Wesleyan University. It was his lot to take care of the boys of the educational institution who were anxious to participate and who occupied the barracks erected for their accommodation north of the west end of the university buildings. Dr. Yolton served faithfully and efficiently during the period of the war and the excellent health of the students during this period was largely due to the careful attention given them by Dr. Yolton and his associates.

Judge Thomas Kennedy, a prominent attorney of Bloomington, is a member of one of Illinois' oldest and most prominent pioneer families. He was born on a farm in Minonk Township, Woodford County, 111., and is a son of Thomas and Catherine Kennedy.

Mr. Kennedy received his education at the winter terms of the district schools in the neighborhood and in the city schools of Minonk. His mother died when he was a small child and his father died when he was 19 years of age. He worked on a farm first for his father and afterward as a farm hand for neighboring farmers. While working on the farm Mr. Kennedy prepared himself for teaching, received a certificate and taught school for about four years, the last year of which was spent in the city schools of Minonk. While teaching his last year he entered the law office of Martin L. Newell, a well known lawyer and author of law books, at Minonk, 111. Here he studied for two years and passed the examination, being admitted to the bar in 1886. He served as city attorney of Minonk, was appointed Master in Chancery of Woodford County in 1887, and moved to Metamora, where he opened a law office, near the old court house, now a Lincoln Memorial building owned and cared for by the state of Illinois.

Thomas Kennedy

mer preceptor, Martin L. Newell and returned to Minonk. Mr. Newell was state senator and was engaged in writing law books and much of the law business of the firm was handled by the junior member. This partnership continued until 1893 when Mr. Newell, having been appointed assistant attorney general of the state of Illinois and reporter of the appellate courts, moved to Springfield. Mr. Kennedy filled the office of state's attorney for eight years, retiring in 1896. He afterwards held the same office for a term of four years, 1912 to 1916, making 12 years in all as a public prosecutor. During that time and since his retirement from that position he has taken part in the prosecution of many of the most important criminal cases tried in central Illinois. In a case recently tried in one of the counties of central Illinois, where he was seated with the state's attorney, the defense moved the court to order his withdrawal from the case, his experience being one of the grounds urged in support of the motion. The judge, however, refused to take such a radical step.

In 1898 Mr. Kennedy was elected county judge of Woodford County and held that position for two terms, eight years. During that time, in addition to discharging the duties of a judge, in Woodford County, he held exchange terms in many of the surrounding counties. He had a very extensive law practice and was well known in the courts of Pontiac, Ottawa, Lacon, Peoria, Pekin and Bloomington, as well as in his own county. In 1918, he moved to Bloomington and opened a law office in the Griesheim building, across from the northeast corner of the court house square. In November, 1920, he formed a law partnership with his son, Kaywin Kennedy, and they are now in active practice under the firm name of Kennedy & Kennedy. They have an extensive practice here and still retain a large practice in the surrounding counties.

Judge Kennedy married Miss Clara Hart, a daughter of Allen Hart, one of the pioneers of Woodford County. Her mother, Mrs. Martha A. Hart, is now living in Bloomington. There are two sons in the Kennedy family, Kaywin and Thomas Hart Kennedy. Kaywin Kennedy is a graduate of the University of Illinois and of the Northwestern Law School of Chicago. Thomas Hart Kennedy is a graduate of Culver Military Academy and has taken courses in economics and transportation at Leland Stanford and Columbia universities and has written many articles, and a book on aviation, transportation and kindred subjects. Both of (24) them served their country in the World War and came out of the army as commissioned officers, and one of them, Kay win, saw service overseas.

Judge and Mrs. Kennedy live in a beautiful home on Broadway, in Normal, adjacent to Bloomington, and take an active part in the educational and social affairs of the community.

Wolf Griesheim. - Fifty-nine years have passed since Wolf Griesheim left his kindred in the fatherland to make his way in the land of his adoption. He has never had reason to regret his step. His fellow citizens have never had reason to regret his coming. For it was men of his type that built up the business field of the Evergreen City until it ranked with the soundest and most successful of the inland cities of the great west. They built upon foundations of integrity and honor. They won the confidence of the community. They earned the respect and esteem of unnumbered friends. Now at the sunset, it will be timely to recall something of their early days and their experiences, the vicissitudes of the pioneer commercial activities, as they blazed the way for those who were to follow and later relieve them of the burdens and responsibilities that they had so long and so ably carried.

Mr. Griesheim was 19 years of age when he arrived in Bloomington. It was on a Christmas morning. He had $5.00 in his purse, his sole possessions outside of a purposeful ambition and industry. He made the journey from New York on an emigrant train, due to the lower price of fare. He was eight days in covering the journey of 1,000 miles, which now takes less than two. With a small bundle, which carried his spare clothing, he started to walk up West Chestnut Street to the city, the Chicago & Alton depot being located in the freight yards in those early days.

Unable to speak the English language, Mr. Griesheim found some difficulty in securing information, but finally met Tol Lawrence, later of Denver, who was able to understand the name of Resiel Livingston, whom Mr. Griesheim knew in Germany. Lawrence guided the newcomer to the Livingston store, then known as the S. & A. Livingston, located at the northwest corner of Center and Washington streets. He was given a cordial welcome and ate breakfast at the home of Sam Livingston. Mr.

Griesheim was then taken to the store of Abe Berman, now the site of the Livingston building, where he went to work at once as a clerk. It was the original plan of Mr. Griesheim to start out as a peddler and sell goods in the rural districts, but Berman argued against this and advised the youth to learn the business and then embark upon his own hook. He started his new clerk at the munificent salary of $100 per annum, which included board, lodging and washing. The new clerk startled the natives with his energy. He found the store dirty and unkempt and the stock neglected, poorly arranged, and carelessly displayed. In a few days he affected a transformation. He washed the windows, scrubbed the floors at night on his hands and knees, rearranged the stock, put on attractive displays, etc. In those days the merchants had wide wooden awnings and a large proportion of the stock was displayed on the sidewalk during the day. So faithful was the new clerk and so valuable did he become that Berman raised his pay three times, until he was finally drawing the princely wage of $35 per month and board. Then came a calamity. Berman died. A. Livingston took possession of the store while Mr. Griesheim went to the S. & A. Livingston store at the northwest corner of Center and Washington Streets, known as the headquarters. Maik Livingston and Mr. Griesheim were given an eighth interest in the business in 1868 when a new building was erected, but the two boys were dissatisfied and the firm then sold out to the pair and they formed a partnership, known as Livingston & Griesheim, which continued until 1886, when the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Griesheim opening a store alone three doors to the north. Of that little group of German born business men who came to Bloomington in the sixties and who became such an important part in the mercantile field, Mr. Griesheim is the last surviving.

The new store was known as the U. S. and the name was selected by William McCambridge, then a well-known member of the Pantagraph editorial staff. While Mr. Griesheim was in New York, McCambridge looked after the advertising. He kept the cabalistic letters "U. S." before the public and had everybody in central Illinois guessing as to the meaning. The day of the opening a page "ad" in the Pantagraph explained the secret and the inaugural was a great success.

Finding it necessary to expand and being unable to purchase either of the adjacent buildings, Mr. Griesheim in 1890 purchased the site of the present Griesheim building, paying more for the lots than ever previously recorded for business realty, and erecting Bloomington's first sky-scraper in 1896. This structure was destroyed by fire in the great fire of 1900, but Mr. Griesheim with his usual energy was open for business four days later, securing a building on Front Street, which he occupied until the present fine structure was erected the following winter, moving in on Dec. 1st. Mr. Griesheim sold out in 1915 to his two sons, and has since taken life easy, enjoying to the fullest the fruits of his labors as a business man of Bloomington, his sons successfully carrying on the enterprise that he had launched and so ably conducted.

Mr. Griesheim gives much of his credit for success to the warm friends whom he met after arriving in Bloomington. Among the first was W. 0. Davis, who came to Bloomington in 1865. Others included Col. D. C. Smith, Charles Gehmlin, Squire Vanordstrand of Hey worth; Chris Naffziger, of Danvers; J. E. McCormick; Wesleyan Crain, of McLean; Jacob Gingerich, of Dry Grove, who was his first customer; Sam A. Deal, of Dry Grove; Julius Reichel, Peter Whitmer, Joseph Pitts, William Muhl, and Warren C. Watkins. The latter saved him from serious financial loss. His money, in the early seventies, was deposited in the old Home Bank. Watkins learned that the bank was insolvent and warned him to withdraw his funds. He did so just in time. Otherwise he might have been ruined. In the reconstruction days that followed the Civil War and the panicky era of the early seventies, many retail and wholesale firms went under, and it required careful pilotage to steer clear of the shoals that perilled the mercantile craft.

Twenty years' service on the board of supervisors enabled Mr. Griesheim to do much for the city and county, and he proved a valuable member. It was the fashion in those days to ignore the claims of justices of the peace and constables for services rendered. Mr. Griesheim investigated such accounts and when he found that they were legitimate and had been well earned, he made an effective plea that the bills be allowed, and the committee, thanks to his efforts, did so, thus earning for him the gratitude of the men who had previously experienced great difficulty in securing satisfaction.

Mr. Griesheim was always a great admirer of Gov. J. W. Fifer, and, when the latter made his race for governor, Mr. Griesheim sent to Danvers and with the aid of Pete Elkins secured a wagon load of brick that Fifer and Elkins had made when they were boys together on the Danvers farm. The brick were placed in the Griesheim window and proved an effective advertisement for the governor. The display was written up in the Chicago and down state papers and proved a great hit.

Many changes have been noted by Mr. Greisheim in merchandising methods. Forty to 50 years ago traveling clothing salesmen brought the whole garment along instead of the picture style books with samples of clothes that thus reduce traveling expenses. Sometimes the salesmen would carry as many as 30 trunks filled with suits of various kinds. Today the average salesman of clothing carries usually a single suit case. The styles have changed also. No one would wear the bell bottom trousers today of two generations ago; the plug hats, the tape edged cutaways, the Windsor flowing ties, and other evidences of elegance and smartness displayed by the Beau Brummels of long ago have gone, perhaps never to return except possibly in the movies.

In the early days no one thought of keeping tailors in the stores to remodel suits. If the trousers or vests were too loose, they were tightened by the buckle. Alterations had to be performed by the patron, if they were made. This change in conditions as well as many others that might be recalled came by degrees, but so gradually that the public paid little attention to them. The great palaces of trade now bear little resemblance to the insignificance of stores of the sixties with their small stocks and primitive methods. Only those who have been privileged to witness the transformation can fully realize the contrast.

As a leading member of the Bloomington Benevolent Society for many years, Mr. Griesheim took an active part in looking after the needy and dependent, and hundreds have had reason to bless his generosity and consideration for those afflicted or in distress.

Now, in retrospection, as he gazes back over the years he has no regrets and finds satisfaction in completed service, well performed. Through unfaltering courage, a character stainless, a name that is honored, he achieved unusual success, a goal that many seek in vain.

Wolf Grieshem was married in the old Sherman House in Chicago, Oct. 12, 1870. Mrs. Griesheim was born in Albany, N. Y., June 14, 1846, a daughter of Samuel and Henrietta Friend.

Mr. Griesheim practically retired from the mercantile business about ten years ago, and his sons, Myron H. Griesheim and Julius Griesheim, continued the active management of the Griesheim clothing business,

Myron H. Griesheim, deceased, was born in Bloomington, Oct. 10, 1879. He was educated in the Jefferson schools and the State Normal University, and Wesleyan University. At the age of 18 years he entered the store of his father and when he was 21 years old he was taken into the firm, then composed of his father, Wolf Griesheim, and his brother, Julius, who continues the active management of the business.

Besides the two sons, Myron H. and Julius, Mr. and Mrs. Wolf Griesheim have had had two daughters, Florence, now Mrs. Milton Livingston, and Cora, married E. B. Heller, and died April 1, 1912, in St. Louis, Mo. A son, Edward Griesheim, died in October, 1893, at about the age of 21 years.

Lawrence Edgar Farlow, secretary of the Farmers Grain Dealers Association of Illinois, is among the substantial business men of Bloomington. He was born in Jefferson County, 111., Jan. 2, 1889, and is the son of Samuel Marion and Nancy M. (Redmond) Farlow.

Samuel Marion Farlow, a native of Jefferson County, III, attended Ewing College and taught school for a number of years. He was a successful farmer and now lives retired. His wife died in October, 1897, and is buried in the Hams Grove Cemetery, near Mt. Vernon, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Farlow were the parents of four sons and seven daughters.

Lawrence Edgar Farlow grew up on his father's farm near Mt. Vernon and attended the public schools and Ewing College at Ewing, 111. After teaching school five years Mr. Farlow was made manager of the Fisher Farmers' Grain & Coal Co., at Fisher, 111., in 1912. He continued in that work until 1919 when he was appointed state secretary of the Farmers Grain Dealers Association of Illinois.

On Feb. 26, 1910, Mr. Farlow was married at Farmington, Mo., to Miss Bertie A. Bumpus ,a native of Jefferson County, 111., and the daughter of Rev. Samuel and Effie (Riggs) Bumpus, natives of Illinois, who live at Green Valley, III, where Reverend Bumpus has charge of a Metho- dist Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Farlow two children have been born: Coenia Blanche, born Feb. 3, 1911, and Edwin Marion, born June 22, 1914. Mr. Farlow is a Democrat, a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church and belongs to the Masonic lodge and Bloomington Consistory. He is a reliable citizen and merits the esteem in which he is held in the community.

George Agle, retired, has been a prominent citizen and successful business man of Bloomington for many years. He was born in Erie County, N. Y., in 1843, and is the son of Frederick and Laney (Henry) Agle, both natives of Germany.

Frederick Agle came to America with his parents when a boy of 11 years and settled in Erie County, N. Y. His father, George Agle, was a soldier under Napoleon for llV-> years, during which time he was at the memorable siege and burning of Moscow, Russia. He lived to be 80 years of age, and a unique incident of his life was the fact that he had never ridden horseback or in a wagon. Frederick Agle followed agriculture pursuits in Erie County, N. Y., until 1880 when he removed to Bloomington. There were eight children in the Agle family, of whom George, the subject of this sketch, was the third in order of birth.

George Agle lived on a farm until he was 16 years old and received his education in the district school. He then went to Hamburg, Erie County, N. Y., and engaged in the tanning and currier trade, at which he served three years. He then removed to Illinois, locating at Bloomington, where he became a dealer in hides, wool, feed and leathers. Mr. Agle now lives retired and the business is carried on by his sons, George F., William F., and Charles F. J. Agle.

Mr. Agle was married in 1869 to Miss Caroline W. Eckhardt, who was born in Erie County, N. Y., the daughter of George and Margaret (Bley) Eckhardt. Mr. and Mrs. Agle have three sons, mention of whom is made above.

George Agle is a Republican and a member of the German Lutheran Church. He is a substantial citizen and his family has always stood high in Bloomington. His wife died May 20, 1918. She was a member of the German Lutheran Church.

Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield, of old English stock, was born in Watertown, N. Y., July 12, 1815, and was the fifth in a family of six. When a youth he worked his father's farm in summer and taught school in winter. In 1837 he came to Bloomington, on the lakes to Chicago, from there by stage to LaSalle, on the river to Pekin, where putting his luggage on a wagon loaded with merchandise coming this way he set out on foot, reaching the town of Bloomington in two days. For a time he taught school south of here but lived west of Farmer City, where later he also taught school. In four years he owned a farm and comfortable home. He was now ready for marriage and his heart went back to a beloved schoolmate in the home of his youth. On Aug. 17, 1843, he was married to Miss Harriet Richardson, a, relation of General Grant. To Dr. and Mrs. Wakefield four children were born as follows: Emma, Oscar, Harriet and Homer. Emma, deceased, was the wife of A. S. Eddy, also deceased. To this union five children were bora as follows : Emma Agusta, wife of H. N. Woods, Bloomington; Florence Josephine, deceased, was wife of H. 0. Davis, Bloomington ; Adelbert Cyrenius, Los Angeles, Calif. ; Louis 0., manager of C. Wakefield & Company factory, Bloomington; and Maxwell, residing in Chicago, 111. Oscar, deceased, early lost his two sons, Herbert and Bruce. Harriet now resides in Bloomington. Homer, a physician, lives in New York City. He is the father of three children, Sherman, Elizabeth and Harriet, all of whom reside in New York and vicinity.

Harriet (youngest daughter of Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield) was educated in the public schools of Bloomington, later attending Miss Grant's Seminary in Chicago, followed by an extended trip abroad. On May 11, 1886, she was married to Albert B. Brady, a native of Iowa, born Sept. 19, 1862. Mr. Brady was a direct descendant of General Warrington of Revolutionary fame. On graduating from Knox College he was engaged in newspaper work, which he soon gave up in order to assist his dear friend, S. S. McClure, to found McClure's Magazine. Mr. Brady occupied the position of secretary and advertising manager of the McClure Publishing Company until his death, Dec. 25, 1900, in Rome, Italy. To Albert B. and Harriet (Wakefield) Brady two children were born: Florence, now residing with her mother in Bloomington; and Albert B., who lives in Los Angeles, Calif., where he is engaged in business.

Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield's brother Zera was a fine physician and had much experience in the South before coming to Illinois in 1843. The two brothers opened a store at Point Isabelle, Dewitt County, 111. Such a demand was made for Zera's medicines that preparations were made to manufacture them. Dr. Zera Wakefield died in 1848, leaving his brother sole owner of the business and formulas.

Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield became very skillful in his work. Early in 1850 he built a two story frame house in Bloomington, where the large store of A. Livingston & Sons stands today. Passing into the front door from the hall you could enter the living room to your left, or the drug store to your right. The stairway led to sleeping rooms. In 1851 Dr. Wakefield erected a three story brick building on a lot lying to the west, which was devoted to the manufacture of his medicines - by this time well established. In 1852 he purchased an additional building and placed it on the west of the large brick building. In the third story he published a paper known as the "Illinois State Bulletin." His brother-in-law, Robert Thompson, was a partner in this business. When the firm was burned out Dr. Wakefield erected a building four stories high. The signs read "Drugs and Medicines, Wholesale and Retail", and the building, springing as it did from the ashes, came to be known as old Liberty Hall, later Phoenix Hall. It was in one story of this that many public meetings were held, including the speeches of Lincoln. In 1856 Dr. Wakefield retired from the general drug business and gave his entire attention to his own medicines.

Dr. Cyrenius Wakefield was for years a prominent member of the Bloomington Benevolent Society to which cause he contributed liberally in strength as well as finances. He was a member of the school board and took much interest in educational affairs. He had many fire losses and losses from going security for others, and yet he prospered financially - building a handsome stone residence where the high school building now stands. He traveled extensively both in America and Europe. Dr. Wakefield helped to form the Republican party in Bloomington, Sept. 9, 1854. Abraham Lincoln was often a friendly guest in his home and they were greatly attached to each other. Dr. Wakefield contracted pneumonia while personally relieving cases of destitution, and died Feb. 20, 1885.

Bloomington, where she is well known and highly esteemed. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and active in the work of this and other social and patriotic organizations. On Lincoln's Birthday, Feb. 12, 1924, fitting unveiling services were held on the occasion of Mrs. Brady's presentation of a bronze tablet at the entrance of A. Livingston & Sons store - where Lincoln had previously ascended the stairs to speak at Phoenix Hall. The inscription on this memorial tablet is as follows:

Abraham Lincoln

Dr. Franklin Cady Vandervort, a successful physician and surgeon of Bloomington, is a native of Illinois. He was born at Cedar Point, LaSalle County, 111., Aug. 5, 1858, and is the son of Dr. I. A. and Isabel (Noble) Vandervort.

Dr. I. A. Vandervort was a native of Clinton County, Ohio, as also was his wife. He was educated at the Medical Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was a commanding figure in his community, where he practiced medicine for 30 years. This was in LaSalle County, 111. Dr. Vandervort was also interested in the breeding of good road horses and was successful in breeding Shorthorn cattle. He died in Bloomington, Oct. 30, 1901, and his wife died Jan. 31, 1892. They were the parents of the following children: Charles R., died in 1911 while principal of Greeley School in Peoria, 111. ; Janie, who is a graduate in music ; Mina, married Rev. George A. Miller. She died in Washington, D. C, in 1910; Dr. F. C, the subject of this sketch, and two sons who died in infancy at Cedar Point, 111.

Dr. Franklin Cady Vandervort grew up in LaSalle County, 111., and after finishing high school at Tonica, 111., he entered Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind., and was graduated from Rush Medical College on Feb. 22, 1881. Dr. Vandervort then returned to the town of his boyhood, Tonica, where he began the practice of his profession. In 1888 he came to Bloomington to carry on the practice of Dr. William E. Guthrie, who was taking post graduate work in Germany at the time. In the year 1906 Dr. Vandervort took 3 months Post Graduate work in London, Eng. Dr. Vandervort was surgeon for the Chicago & Alton Railroad for seven years, and in 1893 was appointed district surgeon of the Illinois Central Railroad, in which capacity he still serves.

On Sept. 3, 1884, Dr. Vandervort was united in marriage with Miss Hattie Morehouse, a native of Bloomington, Principal of 3rd Ward School. She died April 10, 1899, leaving three children, as follows: Isabel Morehouse, a graduate of the University of Illinois, now teaching in the high school at Kenosha, Wis. ; Marion Louise, married Harry L. Stubblefield, lives at 516 E. Locust St., Bloomington, and Franklin Cady, Jr., a mechanical engineer associated with the Johns-Manville Company in Chicago. Mrs. Vandervort was the daughter of John and Jane (Parmelee) Morehouse, natives of New York. Mr. Morehouse died in 1898 and his wife died in 1908. On June 25, 1902, Dr. Vandervort was married to Miss Olive Harrison, a daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth Harrison of Granville, 111., both of whom are deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Vandervort were married in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the home of Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Restine.

Dr. Vandervort is a Republican and a member of the Second Presbyterian Church. He has served as health officer of Bloomington, county physician and president of the city school board for two years. He belongs to the Masonic Lodge and the Knights of Pythias. Dr. Vandervort was appointed a member of Southern Illinois Normal School Trustees by Governor Tanner in 1899, and served 11 years, the last three as presi- dent of the board. He has served as president of the McLean County Medical Society for three years, and as president of North Central Illinois Medical Society for one year. He also belongs to the Illinois State Society, the American Medical Association, and the American Association of Railway Surgeons. During the World War he was appointed a surgeon with rank of Lieutenant at Student Army Training Camp of the Illinois Wesleyan University. He is a trustee of the public library of Bloomington appointed by Mayor Jones. Dr. Vandervort is a substantial citizen of McLean County and a progressive man in his profession.

Dr. Thomas D. Cantrell, who ranks among the leading physicians and surgeons of Bloomington, is a veteran of the World War. He was born on a farm near Waynesville, 111., in Dewitt County, Feb. 3, 1864, and is the son of Zebulon D. and Susan (Foreman) Cantrell.

Zebulon D. Cantrell was a native of Springfield, 111., and when he was six months old his parents moved to Waynesville, where he was reared. He followed general farming during his entire life and met with success. In 1854 Zebulon D. Cantrell and his father rode on horseback over the prairie land between Waynesville and Clinton and returned home satisfied that there was nothing worth entering at $1.25 per acre and that people could only live in the timber and along the edge; he afterward paid the Illinois Central Railroad Company $17.00 per acre for his first 80 acres.

Mr. Cantrell died May 16, 1897, and his wife, who was a native of Union County, Ohio, died March 14, 1915. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Carmi G., lives at Topeka, Kan.; Joanna J., deceased; Elmer E., lives at Des Moines, la.; Martha Angeline Lichtenberger, lives at Philadelphia, Pa., and Dr. Thomas D., the subject of this sketch.

Dr. Cantrell spent his boyhood on his father's farm near Waynesville and attended the district schools. He attended one year at Illinois Wesleyan University and graduated at Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1888. Dr. Cantrell practiced his profession as a general practitioner until 1917, when he was commissioned and served 18 months during the World war, nine months of which were spent in France, in command of the X-Ray Laboratory of Base Hospital No. 11. Since the close of the war, Dr. Cantrell has specialized in X-ray and radium, his laboratory being located at 303 N. East Street, Bloomington. He has an excellent practice and is known as a thoroughly capable man in his profession.

On Aug. 31, 1887, Dr. Cantrell was united in marriage with Miss Marietta Arnett, a native of Arrowsmith, 111., and the daughter of John D. and Mary Margaret (Hatch) Arnett, natives of Ohio. Mr. Arnett died March 3, 1920, and his wife lives at Saybrook, 111. To Dr. and Mrs. Cantrell two children were born: Leta Fenn Briggs, lives at Minier, 111.; and Leona Fae, born Nov. 6, 1890, and died Dec. 4, 1890.

During the Spanish American War Dr. Cantrell received a commission but was not called into active service. He is at present captain of the Medical Reserve Corps. He is a Republican, a member of the Christian Church, and a 32nd degree Mason. Dr. Cantrell and his wife are well known in Bloomington and have many friends.

George H. Miller, a well known architect of Bloomington, has been engaged in his professional work for 52 years. He was born in Bloomington, May 7, 1856, the son of John George and Louisa (Scherer) Miller. They were natives of Wurtemburg, Germany, and came to this country in 1854 and settled on a farm in McLean County. They were the parents of eight children, six sons and two daughters. Four members of the family are now living, as follows: George H., the subject of this sketch; William B., who is engaged in the grocery business in Bloomington; Charles L., a jeweler in Bloomington, and Ida, a professional nurse. John M. Miller, one of the brothers who is now deceased, was engaged in the drug business in Bloomington for a number of years.

George H. Miller was reared on a farm to the age of 11 years and received his education in the public schools. When he was 15 years old he entered the office of Richter & Bunting, who at that time were the only architects at Bloomington. Later, Mr. Richter went to Indianapolis, Ind., where he achieved fame as an architect, and Mr. Bunting went to Springfield, 111., and became state architect. In 1874 Mr. Harris went to Columbus, Ohio, and Mr. Miller went with him. One year later Mr. Miller returned to Bloomington and joined Henry A. Miner, a mill con- tractor, and remained with him for 10 years. In 1885 Mr. Miller engaged in business for himself. He has had an active and successful business career and has been identified with the construction of many of the important buildings of Bloomington and other towns and cities in Illinois. He was the architect of the Oberkoetter building, which was built in 1875 when he was 19 years old. He was also architect of the county jail and built the Corn Belt Bank building, the Durley building, and the Livingston building, and superintended the construction of a number of other buildings in Bloomington as well as buildings in Peoria, Decatur, East St. Louis, Ottawa, and a number of other places. He was the first to introduce the modern system of side lighting in school buildings. This was at the Normal Training School building, and since that time this system has become in general use over the country.

In 1887 George H. Miller was married to Miss Rose Stautz, a daughter of Jacob and Bibiana Stautz, early pioneer settlers of McLean County, who came here from Germany in 1853. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born three children, as follows: Kenneth A., an architect of Chicago; Raymond Porter, who is employed in the Federal Reserve Bank at Chicago, and Sallie, who resides in Bloomington with her parents.

The Miller family are members of the Unitarian Church. Mr. Miller is a member of the Knights of Pythias and is past chancellor of his lodge. He has served as alderman and is one of the substantial and highly respected citizens of Bloomington and McLean County.

D. W. Snyder, Jr., general manager of the Bloomington & Normal Division of the Illinois Power & Light Corporation, is a leading citizen of Bloomington. He was born at Easton, Pa., March 24, 1885, the son of Chester and Amanda (Barron) Snyder.

Chester Snyder is a native of Easton, Pa., and his wife was born at Bethlehem, Pa. They have resided at Easton for many years, where Mr. Snyder is president of the First National Bank. Besides D. W., Jr., the subject of this sketch, there is another son, Edward C, who resides at Easton.

outline of his business career is as follows: 1907, employed in the shops of the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company at Pittsburgh, Pa. ; 1908, employed in the shops of the same company at Newark, N. J., sales engineer of the arc lamp department, and construction engineer for the M. A. Maswell Consulting Engineers of Boston, Mass. ; 1909, general superintendent of the Northampton Traction Company, Easton, Pa. ; 1910, general manager of the Clinton Gas & Electric Company of Clinton, 111. ; 1914, general superintendent of the Jefferson City Light, Heat & Power Company of Jefferson City, Mo., and also superintendent of the Jefferson City Bridge & Transit Company. Since 1916 Mr. Snyder has served as general manager of the Bloomington & Normal Division of the Illinois Power & Light Corporation. He is also vice president of the Lincoln Water & Light Company of Lincoln, 111.

On November 8, 1911, Mr. Snyder was united in marriage at Cape Girardeau, Mo., with Miss Lenora Ethel Gramling, a native of Dryersburg, Tenn., and the daughter of E. G. and Tennie (Gordon) Gramling, the former a native of Arkansas, and the latter of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Gramling now reside at Cape Girardeau, Mo. To Mr. and Mrs. Snyder two children have been born, Chester and Mary Gordon Snyder.

Mr. Snyder is a Republican and is affiliated with the following lodges and clubs: Masons, Elks, Rotary, Consistory, D. K. E., Young Men's Glub, Bloomington Club, and the Bloomington Country Club. He is at present president of the Illinois State Electric Association, vice president of the Union Building & Loan Association, director of the Bloomington Association of Commerce, and trustee of the Illinois Wesleyan University. Mr. Snyder is one of the progressive citizens of the county and is well and favorably known.

Miss Leta C. Davis, assistant state secretary of the Illinois Christian Missionary Society, is a native of Illinois. She was born near Redmon, in Edgar County, Sept. 23, 1892, and is a daughter of Samuel H. and Alice (Jones) Davis.

Samuel H. Davis was born in Washington County, Pa., and followed farming during his life. He died June 13, 1893. Mrs. Davis, who was born near Crawfordsville, Ind., now resides in Bloomington with her two

Miss Davis lived in Paris, 111., until 1916. After finishing high school at 16 years of age there, she became secretary to the superintendent of Paris city schools. Her next position was as secretary to the county superintendent of schools in Edgar county. After holding a position as bookkeeper in a building and loan office, she was appointed assistant state secretary of the Illinois Christian Missionary Society, which position she has held for the past eight years. Miss Davis is also state superintendent of Christian Endeavor for the Disciples of Christ.

John R. Smith. - Farming, blacksmithing, banking and merchandizing constitute the scale of activities which lifted the name of John R. Smith to enviable prominence and influence in the city of Bloomington. Mr. Smith is a man of varied capacity and unusual resource. His ideals in business and general life were on the ascending scale, else he had always followed the plow or wielded the hammer and anvil. Born in Madison County, Ky., Jan. 14, 1820, his early influences were inspiring, for his parents, Jacob and Eliza (Porter) Smith, natives of Philadelphia and Kentucky respectively, were successful people, and upon taking up their residence in Bloomington in 1851, invested heavily in farm lands, the supervision of which occupied the time of the elder Smith for the balance of his active life. He died Aug. 18, 1874, and his wife, March 13, 1875, both being 83 years old at the time of death.

John R. Smith was reared on a Kentucky farm and profited by the best training to be found in the country school. In early manhood he learned the blacksmith's trade, and upon this basis of support, he established a home of his own in Madison County, Ky., marrying Charlotte P. Fox, who was born in Madison County, Oct. 30, 1826. Mr. Smith and his wife accompanied his father to Bloomington in 1851, and here he found a lucrative field for his trade, which he followed in a well patronized little shop for several years. He then became one of the chief organizers and for ten years was president of the McLean County Bank, an occupation which he was obliged to abandon owing to the close confinement which seriously undermined his health. In a boot and shoe establishment which he opened he found the variety and change required for regaining his health, and he was thus employed until a few years before his death, April 23, 1886.

To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born three children: Mary E., who married first Homer McLean, who died Dec. 13, 1869, and who later married D. C. Carmichael, who died Nov. 14, 1883. He was in the civil service as mail operator with the Chicago & Alton Railroad and later in the shoe business. She has a daughter, Charlotta, the wife of Charles T. Stevenson ; Nannie B., the widow of James Challis, lives with her sister, Mrs. Carmichael; and I. D. Smith, deceased.

Mr. Smith was one of the best known men in Bloomington and no figure was more familiar upon the streets of the city. He had a fine nature and noble ideals, and these were reflected in the expression of his face, in the clasp of his hand, and the genuine sympathy and good fellowship which seemed always to dominate his immediate environment.

Harry H. Peters, state secretary of the Illinois Christian Missionary Society, is a widely known citizen of McLean County. He was born near Lancaster, in Lawrence County, 111., July 9, 1871, the son of Robert and Loretta (Sapp) Peters.

Robert Peters was a native of Lawrence County, 111., and his wife was born near Mt. Carmel, in Wabash County, 111. Mr. Peters was a school teacher in the early days, and died in 1915. His wife lives at Indianapolis, Ind. They were the parents of the following chidren: Mrs. Christ Lmdeman, Robert H. Peters, and James E. Peters, who lives at Glendale, Cal. ; H. C, lives at Evansville, Ind. ; Mrs. Richard Lord, lives at Glendale, Cal. ; Mrs. Russell Peed, lives in Indianapolis, Ind. ; Mrs. Meade Powell lives at Indianapolis, Ind. ; John W., lives at Evansville, Ind. ; H. H., the subject of this sketch; Rosa May, deceased, and three daughters who died in infancy.

H. H. Peters lived in southern Illinois until he was 25 years of age, and is a graduate of Eureka College. After teaching school for three years, Mr. Peters entered the ministry. After serving as pastor for 12 (25) years, he served as Endowment Secretary of Eureka College five years, pastor of the Paris Christian Church for four years, and has been State Secretary of the Illinois Christian Missionary Society for nearly eight years.

On Nov. 5, 1892, Mr. Peters was married to Miss Minnie E. Rigg, a native of Bellmont, 111., and the daughter of John Mac and Mary Jane (Ballard) Rigg, natives of Illinois, both of whom are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Peters two daughters were born: Mrs. Mary Loretta Cleaver, whose husband is a process engineer with the Remy Electric Company, Anderson, Ind., and Mrs. Ruth Jane Risser, whose husband is an electrical engineer with the Westinghouse Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Mr. Peters is a Democrat and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and are highly respected members of their community.

Leroy G. Whitmer, president of the American Foundry and Furnace Company of Bloomington, is a member of one of McLean County's prominent pioneer families. He was born at Bloomington, July 15, 1871, and is the son of Peter and Lucy (McDonald) Whitmer.

Peter Whitmer, a leading business man of Bloomington for many , years, was born at Chambersburg, Pa., Feb. 22, 1828, the son of Peter and Mary (Hess) Whitmer, the former born Nov. 27, 1775, in the same house which was the birthplace of his son and in which he lived all his life, dying there Sept. 8, 1852. Mary (Hess) Whitmer was a native of Cumberland County, Pa., born April 2, 1799, and she died March 4, 1842.

Peter Whitmer was educated in the country schools of Pennsylvania and learned the harness making and saddlery trades. In April, 1852, he came west and located at Bloomington, 111., where he established himself in the saddlery and harness making business, under the firm name of Moore & Whitmer. The business was located at the corner of Washington and Center streets, the present site of the Peoples Bank. Mr. Whitmer later sold his business and engaged in the grocery business on Center Street for three years. He then became interested in the lumber business in Bloomington, to which he devoted his time for 17 years. On Jan. 10, 1875, he sold his business and accepted the presidency of the

Peoples Bank, and for 30 years remained at its head. He was also one of the organizers of the Bloomington Canning Company, which was organized in 1888, and later was very active in that industry. Peter Whitmer and wife were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Dr. A. Hooper, lives at Pasadena, Cal. ; Charles C, an invalid, lives at Godfrey, 111. ; Mrs. J. 0. Willson, 611 North East Street, Bloomington; Mrs. H. C. Hawk, Battle Creek, Mich. ; Ira S., President Bloomington Canning Company at Bloomington, and Leroy G., the subject of this sketch.

Leroy G. Whitmer received his education in the public schools at Bloomington and was graduated from Eureka College in 1890, and in 1894 from the law department of Illinois Wesleyan University. He began his business career as a bank clerk and practiced law in Bloomington from July 1, 1894, to July 1, 1900. On that date he was elected vice-president of The American Foundry & Furnace Company, which office he held for 16 years. In January, 1916, he was elected president and treasurer of the company, which office he now holds.

On April 30, 1896, Mr. Whitmer was married to Miss Mildred E. Murphy, a native of Fort WTayne, Ind., and a daughter of Robert W. and Mary A. (Dixon) Murphy, the former a native of New York, the latter of Wisconsin. Mr. Murphy died in 1917 and his wife died three years later. To Mr. and Mrs. Whitmer have been born two children, as follows: Robert P., associated with the management of the American Foundry & Furnace Company, lives at home, and Mildred F., a student at Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Mr. Whitmer is a Republican but has never held office. He and his wife are members of the First Christian Church of Bloomington, and are both active in the social life of the city. Mr. Whitmer served as president of the Association of Commerce during 1921 and 1922. He is a substantial member of the community and a highly esteemed citizen.

H. Bert Patton, manager and secretary of the Bloomington Produce Company, has been identified with the business development of Bloomington for over a third of a century. He was born in Carroll County, Ind., April 10, 1867, the son of Hezekiah and Elizabeth (Schock) Patton.

he went to California, where he spent two years. He made the trip overland and returned by water and the Isthmus of Panama. Mr. Patton died in Indiana in 1901 and his wife died in 1915. There were three children: H. Bert, the subject of this sketch; John A., lives at Wichita Falls, Texas, and Emma, who died in 1918, was the wife of Perry Million, of Monticello, Ind.

H. Bert Patton was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools and Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, Ind. He then engaged in teaching for a time, and later became interested in the poultry and egg business at Goodland, Ind., in 1888. In 1890 he came to Bloomington and engaged in the same business, locating the following year at his present location, 512-514 South Main Street. Mr. Patton began business under the firm name of Patton Bros., with his brother who now resides at Wichita Falls, Texas. In 1907 the company was incorporated under the present name.

The Bloomington Produce Company started in a very small way and has grown to one of the largest shipping businesses in the country. In 1923 the business amounted to two million dollars. The supplies are drawn from local buying and car lot business from other states and the outlet markets are in the east, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and contributing markets. The company is capitalized at $60,000. The officers are : Charles F. J. Agle, president ; Egbert B. Hawk, vice president ; Henry Gilberts, treasurer, and H. Bert Patton, manager and secretary. The Bloomington Produce Company buys and sells produce all over and is the only institution of the kind in Bloomington.

H. Bert Patton was married on March 27, 1890, to Miss Nellie E. Gilman, of Goodland, Ind., and the daughter of William W. and Nellie (Morse) Gilman, natives of New York. At an early date Mr. Gilmar went west to Minnesota and later came to Illinois, and finally located at Goodland, Ind., where he spent the remainder of his life. He was prominent in politics and served in the legislature and also the senate of Indiana. He was a Republican. Mr. Gilman died in 1912 and his wife died in 1920. Mrs. Patton is one of six children living, as follows: Minnie, married Milton Wertsbaugh, now deceased, and she resides at York, Nebr. ; William, lives at Goodland, Ind. ; Jessie, married Frank Hitt, lives in Chicago; Fred, deceased; Carrie, married Dr. O. H. Mohney, lives at Goodland, Ind.; and George, who lives in Chicago. To Mr. and Mrs. Patton three children were born: Owen B., assistant manager of the

Mr. Patton is a Republican, a member of the First Christian Church, and belongs to the Kiwanis Club and the Y. M. C. A., being a director of Y. M. C. A. Board, chairman of board of directors of Home Sweet Home Mission of Bloomington, and interested in all church and community work for public good.

Dr. Paul E. Greenleaf, a successful physician engaged in the practice of his profession with offices at 220 14 North Center street, Bloomington, 111., is a native of Indiana. He was born at Markland, Ind., Nov. 12, 1885, a son of Dr. Hannibal A., and Mary A. (Strain) Greenleaf, the former a native of Nathez, Miss., and the latter of Cincinnati, Ohio. The father now resides at Jeffersonville, Ind., and the mother died in May, 1919, and is buried at Vevay, Ind. Dr. Hannibal A. Greenleaf was a capable physician and surgeon and was engaged in the practice for many years. He is now living retired.

Dr. Paul E. Greenleaf was one of four children born to his parents, as follows : Mrs. Grace Pell, Louisville, Ky. ; Carroll Greenleaf, Charlotte, N. C. ; Joseph Greenleaf, Waco, Texas, and Dr. Paul E. Greenleaf, the subject of this sketch.

Dr. Greenleaf was reared at Markland, Switzerland County, Ind., and received his education in the common and the high schools at Vevay, Ind., and Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. He taught school for three years. He then entered the medical department of the University of Louisville, at Louisville, Ky., where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. After serving a hospital interneship at St. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital, at Louisville, Ky., he came to McLean County and engaged in the practice of his profession at Lexington. Three years later he located in Bloomington where he has built up a large practice.

When the United States entered the World war, Dr. Greenleaf was among the first to offer his services to the government. He was commissioned first lieutenant on May 11, 1918, and left Bloomington, June 13, 1918, upon receiving a call to the service. His first orders sent him to the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York City where he was given special instruction in the Carrel-Dakin method of the treat- ment of infected wounds. Upon completion of this course he was ordered to report for temporary duty at Base Hospital at Camp Gordon, Ga., near Atlanta. He remained there during July and August and was then ordered to leave Camp Gordon and proceed to the Medical Officers Training Camp at Camp Greenleaf, Ga., for a course in military training and military surgery. After two months at Camp Greenleaf he was ordered to Bellevue Hospital, New York City, for a special course in the treatment of fractures and war injuries. This course was intended for men who were to be sent overseas for taking care of the wounded in base hospitals. His final period of duty was at Camp Meade, Md., where he was stationed at the base hospital where the formation of a base hospital was being made for overseas duty. Just when his unit was completed and all the members were in readiness to go to France, the armistice was signed and the orders to sail were countermanded. Dr. Greenleaf, however, was kept in active service until January, 1919, when he received his discharge and resumed his practice in Bloomington.

Dr. Greenleaf was married at Bloomington, June 16, 1915, to Miss Julia E. O'Neil, a native of Bloomington, and a daughter of Daniel M. and Joan (Pyne) O'Neil, natives of Ireland and both now deceased. The mother died in February, 1914, and the father in February, 1922. To Dr. and Mrs. Greenleaf has been born one child, Paul Anthony Greenleaf, born Jan. 26, 1920.

Dr. Greenleaf is a Republican and a member of the Catholic Church. His lodge affiliations are with the Knights of Columbus, Woodmen of the World and the Court of Honor. Dr. Greenleaf has an extensive acquaintance in Bloomington and McLean County and is held in the highest esteem.

James William Parker. - The firm of Parker Bros., of Bloomington, are establishers and promoters of one of the largest lumber and coal enterprises in McLean County.

James William Parker was born in Nicholas County, Ky., Sept. 18, 1844, the son of John and Nancy (Talbot) Parker. John Parker was a native of Virginia, born in 1808, and his wife was born in Bourbon County, Ky., in 1814. Mr. Parker was educated in Virginia and when a young man moved to Kentucky with his parents, where he followed farming the remainder of his life. He died in 1849 and his wife died Jan. 19, 1860.

They are buried at Carlisle, Ky. There were seven children in the Parker family, as follows : Sarah Jane, married W. W. Talbert ; Thomas, a member of the firm of Parker Bros., lives at 804 East Grove St. ; George Luther, lives at 711 East Grove St.; James William, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth Mary ; Emma, married I. M. Chism, and John T. Parker died in 1877.

James William Parker lived in Nicholas County, Ky., until he was five years old, when his parents moved to Bourbon County. He received his education in the common schools and attended Kentucky Wesleyan University and a business college in Covington, Ky. He began life as a farmer. The first member of the family to respond to the local lumber need was George Luther Parker, who arrived in Bloomington in 1866. Two years later he, with others, purchased the Horace McCurdy Lumber business and operated it under the name of Parker, Means & Scott. Means retired during the first year and in 1870, after working for the company for two years, James William and Thomas Parker purchased an interest in the business. Since that time the firm has been known as Parker Bros. The firm remained intact until 1904 when Thomas Parker resigned, his place being taken by George W. Parker, a son of James W. Parker. This partnership continued until June 1, 1922, when George Luther Parker retired, selling out his interest to the other partners, who now constitute the firm of Parker Bros. The place of business is at 923 East Grove Street, where ample buildings, sheds, and general facilities' are provided for conducting the trade with method and dispatch. In the early history of the firm of Parker Bros., before the building of the Big Four and Lake Erie Railroads, lumber was hauled from their yards as far as Ford County, 111. Most of the lumber at that time came from Michigan and Wisconsin by way of Chicago.

On Nov. 17, 1874, James William Parker was married in Bloomington to Miss Rosanna C. Weith, a native of Peoria County, 111., and a daughter Of George and Elizabeth (Walters) Weith. Mr. Weith was born in Hessedarmstadt, Germany, and came to the United States as a young man. His wife was born in Switzerland and came to this country with her parents in childhood. He died in 1851 and his wife died in 1862. To James William and Rosanna C. (Weith) Parker six children have been born as follows: George Weith, lives at 1015 East Grove Street, and is associated in business with his father; Nancy Maud, married Raymond D. Dooley, lives at 614 East Walnut Street; Elizabeth Grace, a teacher in Bloomington High School, lives at 803 East Front St. ; Christina Ella, married Henry L. Carter, lives at Carlisle, Ky. ; Emma Ruth, married Charles J. Robinson, lives at Des Moines, Iowa; and Mary Alice, at home. Mr. Parker is a member of the Baptist Church and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He lives at 803 East Front Street. Mr. Parker is a reliable business man, one of the substantial citizens of his community and the Parker family ranks among the leading families of McLean County.

Thomas Ellis Champion is a well known retired business man of Normal. He was born in Bristol, England, March 5, 1843, the son of George and Eleanor (Ellis) Champion.

George Champion was a native of England, as also was his wife. He died in 1843 on the coast of Africa and 11 years later his wife brought her three children to the United States and settled in Kane County, 111. There were three children, as follows: Thomas Ellis, the subject of this sketch ; George, a retired merchant of Normal, a sketch of whom also appears in this volume; and Miss Athaliah, who lives with her brother, George.

Thomas Ellis Champion was 11 years of age when his mother brought him to this country and he received his education in the district schools of Kane County, 111. After finishing his school work, Mr. Champion was employed by D. F. Barkley of Elgin, 111., where he learned the tinner's trade, and received $30.00 per year for his services. In 1864 he went to Waukegan, III, and worked in a tin shop there for three years, after which time he came to Normal and opened a hardware and tin shop with his brother, George. Mr. Champion later sold his interest to his brother and then opened a canning factory at Normal, which he successfully conducted for 56 years. The factory is located on East Ash Street, adjoining the Champion home. In 1919 Mr. Champion sold his factory and since that time has lived retired.

On May 5, 1866, Mr. Champion was married to Miss Fannie Hopkinson, a native of Waukegan, 111., born in 1850, and the daughter of Isaac and Pulcheria (Davis) Hopkinson. Mr. Hopkinson was a prominent attorney at Waukegan for a number of years. Mrs. Champion died May 13, 1906, leaving six children, as follows : Grace, deceased ; Trevor, lives at

Thomas E. Ci Tampion Of The

Chicago and has three children, Beatrice, Ellsworth and Catherine; Eleanor, married Bert G. Finch, lives in Oklahoma City, Okla. ; Ethel Louisa, married L. R. Manning, lives at Normal, and has one child, Hortence Clark ; Jacquelin, married Bert Kuss, lives at Gary, Ind. ; and Blanche, the widow of Edwin Iehl, lives at Long Beach, Calif.

Thomas Ellis Champion is an independent voter and he is a member of the Methodist Church. He is a man who is highly esteemed in his community and he is a valued citizen.

Dr. Arthur E. Rogers, who has practiced his profession for over 25 years with honor and exceptional ability, is a veteran of the World War and one of Bloomington's broadminded and public spirited citizens. He was born at Covell, 111., in 1870, the son of Thomas A. and Isabella M. (Shade) Rogers.

Thomas A. Rogers and his wife were natives of Lancaster, Pa., and early settlers of Covell, 111., where Mr. Rogers owned and operated 400 acres of farm land. He held public offices and was supervisor at the time of his death in 1892, which was caused by a runaway accident. His wife died in 1921. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Mary B. Hoover, died Dec. 19, 1923; Maggie J., deceased; Rev. S. A. D. Rogers, deceased; Nettie E. Mitchell, lives at Bloomington; and Dr. Arthur E., the subject of this sketch.

Dr. Arthur E. Rogers received his early schooling in the schools of Covell and Bloomington, and Illinois Wesleyan University. After teaching school for two years he entered Louisville Medical College in 1894, but the following year went to Rush Medical College at Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1897. He immediately entered Dr. Godfrey's office at Bloomington, where he remained until the fall of 1897, when a partnership was entered into with Dr. D. H. Nusbaum, which lasted until 1900, the time of the big fire in Bloomington which destroyed their offices and equipment. Dr. Rogers then practiced his profession in the Greisheim building and later in the Peoples Bank building at Bloomington. In the fall of 1908 he took post graduate work in eye, ear, throat and nose work at London and Berlin, and on his return specialized in that line of work until the time of the World War in 1917. He entered service at Fort Riley, Kan., as a specialist in the X-ray department and was as- signed to Evacuation Hospital No. 16 at Camp Meade, Md., and later sent to France. He assisted in caring for the wounded during the battle of St. Mihiel and the Argonne campaign, being located near Verdun. After the close of the war his organization was sent to Coblenz, Germany, in charge of the main hospital there. At the time of his discharge in 1919 he held the rank of Major. He again took up the practice of medicine at Bloomington as an X-ray and skin specialist. He is now serving as member of Pension Board for McLean County.

In 1896 Dr. Rogers was married at Stanford, 111., to Miss Sadie R. Paul, a native of Stanford, 111., and a daughter of William and Louise Paul, natives of Ohio, now deceased. Dr. and Mrs. Rogers have two children, as follows: Byron S., a graduate of the law school of Illinois Wesleyan University, lives at Bloomington; and W. Paul, associated with the F. W. Woolworth Co.

In politics Dr. Rogers is identified with the Republican party and he belongs to the Masonic lodge, being a member of the Consistory ; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Modern Woodmen of America, and the R. N. A., also a charter member American Legion and Veteran of Foreign Wars. He is a member of the First Methodist Church and his wife belongs to the Christian Church. Besides his practice, Dr. Rogers has also been interested in the housing situation of Bloomington and Normal, and has made a specialty of building and selling homes on the payment plan.

Dr. Harry Lee Howell, a capable physician and surgeon who has been successfuly engaged in the practice of his profession for the past 20 years in Bloomington, with the exception of a period of 29 months in the Medical Department of the United States Navy during the World War, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Porter County, Ind., June 3, 1878, a son of Lee Griggs and Kate Rhea (Bailey) Howell, the former a native of Springfield, Ohio, and the latter of Terre Haute, Ind.

Lee Griggs Howell was educated in Antioch College. He was a prominent farmer and raised horses and cattle extensively. He served as county commissioner of Porter County, Ind., for several terms. He died May 28,

1908, and is buried at Valparaiso, Ind. His widow resides at 308 E. Jefferson Street, Bloomington, 111. They were the parents of three children ; Irene, who died in infancy; Dr. Harry Lee, the subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Ruth Isabelle Sutton, 900 Taylor Avenue, Scranton, Pa.

Dr. Howell grew to manhood in Porter County, Ind., and attended the public schools at Kouts, Ind., and later the Valparaiso High School and Purdue University at Lafayette, Ind. He then entered Rush Medical School at Chicago, 111., where he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1904. He then began the practice of medicine and surgery at Bloomington, 111., and was continuously in the practice here until the United States entered the World War, when he tendered his services to the government. He was accepted for service in November, 1917, and was first sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training station. Soon after he was ordered to the Atlantic coast and assigned as one of the medical officers of the U. S. S. "Valamares" which was in the transport service. Remaining on this boat from April until October, he was transferred to the giant transport Leviathan, which was the greatest troop carrying ship under the American flag during the war. It had formerly been the Vaterland of the German Hamburg-American line, but was interned in an American port at the outbreak of the war. It was taken over by the United States government and converted into a troop ship. This vessel had a carrying capacity of 12,500 men, and the medical officers of such a ship naturally had great responsibilities. In his capacity as medical officer, Dr. Howell made 15 trips across the Atlantic during the war, but after the signing of the armistice came an even greater task for him. The great movement of troops homeward from France required extra work for the troop ships and the Leviathan was one of the most relied upon on account of its great capacity and speed. The medical officers' duties were strenuous, for many of the returning soldiers had been wounded or gassed. Prior to April 30, 1919, Dr. Howell had charge of the surgical department for troops alone, but after that date his jurisdiction was extended to cover the crew also. Dr. Howell continued in this active service until the fall of 1919, when he was permitted to return home on a furlough. Not until the spring of 1920 did he receive his discharge. He had attained the rank of lieutenant, which is a high naval rank. After his discharge he returned to Bloomington and resumed his practice and is recognized as one of the leading physicians and surgeons of central Illinois.