Piatt County, Illinois - Biographical sketches, 1903 (part 11 of 13)

At the time of his marriage Mr. Kile rented a tract of land in Macon county, upon which he lived for two years. He then purchased forty acres of land in that county, afterward added another tract of forty acres and four years later bought forty-five acres in the same locality. When seven years 'more had gone by he bought seventy acres in Piatt county, this being the first tract which he owned in the latter county. This was improved land, for which he paid fifty dollars per acre and after retaining it in possession for thirteen years, he sold it at a good profit, the sale price being one hundred and seven and one-half dollars per acre. Mr. Kile next purchased eighty acres in Macon county on section 18, Friends Creek township, and then bought one hundred and twenty acres adjoining, for which he paid seventy-two and a half dollars per acre. The next purchase made him the owner of one hundred acres on section 22, for which he paid ninety dollars per acre, and this property he still has. He owns altogether four hundred acres, which is very valuable, being a part of the rich farm land of central Illinois, which has made this state famous as an agricultural district. He also owns five lots in the town of Cisco and two residence properties. Fifteen years ago he came to the village and has since lived retired, save that he gives his supervision to his investments. On August 5, 1903, he was offered one hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre for all the land he owns, but refused the offer.

when questions of national interest are involved, but at local elections often votes independently, regarding only the capability of the candidates. He has served as commissioner of highways, has been school treasurer for six and a half years, justice of the peace for nine years and police magistrate for two years, and in these offices has been prompt and faithful in the discharge of his duties, doing everything in his power to promote the welfare of the community. He attends the Presbyterian church and has lived a life that has won for him the respect and confidence of his fellow men. Starting out for himself with very meager advantages, he has steadily progressed in the world, and his success has been won along lines which all may follow. He met difficulties in his career but he has steadily advanced by determined and honorable purpose, and many of the obstacles in his path have served as an impetus for renewed effort. The history of pioneer life in this section of the state is familiar to him and from pioneer times down to the present he has watched the progress and developn^ent of Piatt county, feeling a just pride in what has been accomplished here.

Hon. Wilbur F. Stevenson

Hon. Wilbur F. Stevenson is now serving as mayor of Monticello and is accounted one of the leading and distinguished citizens of Piatt county, for his has been an honorable and prosperous career. Success is determined by one's ability to recognize opportunity and to pursue this with resolute and unflagging energy. It results from continued labor, and the man who thus accomplishes his purpose usually becomes an important factor in the business circles of the community in which he is connected. Air. Stevenson through such means attained a leading place among the representative agriculturists of Piatt county, and his well spent and honorable life commands the respect of all who knew him.

A native of Kentucky, Wilbur F. Stevenson was born in Scott county, that state, on the 1 2th of November, 1842, and is a representative of one of the old families of Kentucky. His paternal grandfather, Job Stevenson, was an active business man, and at one time a member of the Kentucky legislature. Evans Stevenson, the father of our subject, devoted his life to the work of the ministry and became a noted, divine of the Methodist church. His services in this connection were probably required to a greater extent than any other man of local note. He solemnized many marriages, pronounced many funeral sermons and frequently was called upon to deliver lectures, public addresses and political speeches. He left the impress of his individuality upon the locality with which he was connected, his influence being widely felt in public thought and feeling, and from the time when he was seventeen years of age until his death in 1879. he figured prominently before the public, and by reason of his marked individuality, strong intellectuality and sterling worth he did much to promote progress, reform and improvement. He married a daughter of Major John Boggs, who won his title by service in the war of 1812, and who was well known as one of the early settlers of Pickaway county, Ohio.

In the state of his nativity amid the refining and ennobling influence of a good home Wilbur F. Stevenson was reared, and the lessons of integrity and nobility which were impressed upon his mind in early youth have never been forgotten, but have largely aided in molding his character in later life. His arrival in Piatt county dates from 1868. He was at that time a young man of twenty-four years, desirous of winning success by his efforts in the business world. Reaching Illinois he entered into partnership with his uncle, John Boggs, Jr., who was prominent as a stockman throughout Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Throughout the greater part of his residence in Piatt county Mr. Stevenson has been actively and extensively associated with stock-raising, and stock-dealing interests. He has secured a valuable tract of land in Willow Branch township, and there conducted a stock farm, which gained a wide reputation throughout this portion o>f the country. His business affairs were always conducted along legitimate lines and in accordance with enterprise. Quick to note and improve opportunity he has steadily worked his way upward, and his efforts have been crowned with a high degree of success.

Mr. Stevenson was united in marriage to Miss Alice Talman, a native of Pickaway county, Ohio, whence she came to Illinois in her early girlhood. Her mother is now Mrs. Susan Farra, of Monticello. Since coming to Monticello Mr. 'Stevenson has taken a prominent part in public affairs, and in 1903 he was nominated on the Democratic ticket for the office of mayor of the city, and was elected to that position, so that he is now the incumbent in the office. His administration is practical and progressive, for he takes into consideration the real condition of the city, its needs and its possibilities, and he labors along lines of permanent good and substantial development. He is a wideawake, energetic and reliable man and as a citizen he has

.at all times, the good of the community at heart, while his ability has been exerted to make his adopted county rank with the brightest and best of all composing this great commonwealth. He is now numbered among the capitalists of Piatt county, and his life record should serve as a source of encouragement to others, for he started out for himself without capital and the position which he now occupies in the financial circles is due to his own labors.

Elias P. James

Elias P. James has placed his earnings in the safest of all investments, real estate, and is to-day the owner of valuable landed holdings in Piatt county. His home is in Blue Ridge township, where he has a splendidly improved property. He was born in the neighboring state of Indiana, his birth having occurred in Rush county, on the 27th of September, 1835. His parents were Elisha and Catherine (Poston) James, and the father was a farmer by occupation. He was born in Tennessee, and the mother's birth occurred in Kentucky. After living for some years in Indiana they removed to Missouri, and afterward came to Illinois, settling in Piatt county. They spent their last days on the farm of our subject, and when called to their final home their remains were interred in the Mansfield cemetery.

Elisha P. James obtained his education in Rush county, Indiana, pursuing his studies in the Bell school. The little "temple of learning" was an old log schoolhouse with slab benches. There was a large fireplace in one end of the room, and upon the wall an old-fashioned clock. The books were some- what primitive in character, and the teaching was also after the same style. Mr. James has led a very busy and useful life. He began working for himself when twenty-one years of age, and rented a tract of land in order that he might carry on farming on his own account. The first land which he ever owned was near Bear Swamp in Wabash county, Indiana. He paid twelve hundred dollars for a tract of one hundred and sixty acres. This was all covered with timber and Mr. James cleared away half of it and then sold his land for forty dollars per acre, disposing of the property on the ist of October. 1870. He then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Blue Ridge township, Piatt county, becoming owner of this farm on the I5th of October, of the same year. He has devoted his time and energies largel}' to the raising of stock and grain, and he was at one time the owner of seven hundred and fifty acres of valuable land. This, however, he has divided among his children, giving to each forty acres, so that he now has himself a tract of two hundred and eighty acres, all in Blue Ridge township. He bought one hundred and fifty acres at twenty-four dollars per acre, forty acres for thirty-one and a half-dollars, one hundred and fifteen acres for thirty-six dollars per acre, one hundred and sixty for seventy dollars, one hundred and fifteen acres for ninety dollars, eighty acres for one hundred and six dollars, and forty acres for one hundred and one dollars per acre. Thus he has invested large amounts of money in land, but has found this a profitable way to use his capital, because of the rich yield which the fields give and because of the excellent pasturage which the land affords, this making it profitable to raise stock.

In Wabash county, Indiana, Mr. James was united in marriage on the 6th of February, 1862, to Miss Mary I. Shephard, who was born March 16, 1842, in McDonough county, Illinois. The lady is a daughter of Robert and Sallie Shephard, and by her marriage she has become the mother of seven children, four sons and three daughters: Stella B., who was born January 19, 1864; Cora B., born May 23, 1865 ; .Charles E., born September 23, 1867; Emma Z., born December I, 1869; Elmer B., January 9, 1872; Robert Ouincy, torn January 29, 1876; and Elias Ollan, born March 9, 1879. A number of the children were married and Mr. and Mrs. James and their sons and all of their children by marriage are members of the Christian church. Mr. and Mrs. James have been members of this section since 1862, and have led earnest, consistent lives in harmony with their professions. Mr. James also belongs to the Masonic fraternity of Mansfield, and he votes with the Republican party. The honors and emoluments of office, however, have had no attraction for him, as his time has been fully occupied by his business interests. He has displayed sound judgment in all of his work, untiring energy in the prosecution of his affairs, and unfaltering honesty in all of his relations with his fellow men. His life record should serve as a source of help and inspiration to others, showing what may be accomplished through persistency of purpose and diligence. He is to-day one of the best known as well as one of the most successful agriculturists of Piatt county.

William J. Sisson

of a department store that would be a credit to a city of much larger size. His is a splendidly equipped establishment, comprising a varied line of goods and in his business methods Mr. Sisson has gained general confidence. He never loses the patronage of those whose business he once secures, because in all his dealings he is found reliable, while in his treatment of those whom he serves he is ever courteous and obliging.

Mr. Sisson is one of Illinois' native sons, his birth having occurred in the city of Galesburg, Knox county, on the 5th of November, 1854. His parents were Frederick P. and Mary Ann (Field) Sisson. The father engaged in manufacturing pursuits in early life, and during the period of the Civil war purchased horses for the government. In the schools of his native state William J. Sisson obtained his education and was thus well trained for the practical duties of life. After putting aside his text-books he secured a position in a mercantile establishment in Galesburg, being employed as cash boy when about thirteen years of age. Later the firm with which he was connected failed and he then accepted a clerkship in a shoe store. In 1871 he went to Peoria, where he entered the employ of Charles Seaberry & Company, with whom he remained for twelve years, a fact which certainly indicates his fidelity to those whom he served, and the unqualified confidence reposed in him by his employers. During the last nine years of his connection with that house he served as traveling salesman upon the road, and annually negotiated a large amount of business for the firm. In severing his connection with business interests in Peoria in 1883, he removed to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he entered the employ of D. P. Erwin, with whom he remained for sixteen years. Certainly no higher testimonial of his business capability and his trustworthiness could be given than the fact that he has been so long retained in the service of these two firms. On leaving Indianapolis he came to Mansfield. He had previously purchased his store here and was also the proprietor of a store in Princeville, Illinois, but on coming to Mansfield he disposed of the store in Princeville in order to give his entire attention to the supervision of his business interests in this place. He now carries a large and carefully selected stock worth thirty thousand dollars, and has one of the most modern and completely equipped general mercantile establishments in central Illinois. The store is heated by hot water and is supplied with all modern improvements, including the Luxfer prism lights, such as are seldom found in any store outside of the large cities. He also has handsome toilet-rooms and fine bath-rooms in the building. The basement is cemented and is also used as a salesroom, being so splendidly lighted that the absence of sunlight is never noticed. Altogether the floor space of the store covers ten thousand square feet, and in addition to this Mr. Sisson has an oil house, flour house and a warehouse. He conducts a general department business, carrying a large line of dry goods, notions, carpets and floor coverings, clothing, hats, mens' furnishing goods, shoes, chinaware and groceries. His sales have reached a large annual figure, and are constantly increasing. He has studied closely the desires of the public and makes his purchases accordingly.

In 1886 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Sisson and Miss Mary E. Venemann. They now have three children all living. Frederick P. was educated in the schools of Indianapolis and Mansfield, and is now as- sisting his father in the conduct of the store. Ella Richey and Sarah are at home. The family attend the services of the Presbyterian church, of which the parents are members. In his political views Mr. Sisson is a Republican, and while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, as every American citizen should do, he has no time or inclination to seek public office. He owns a beautiful residence in Mansfield in addition to his store, and is classed among the most prominent and influential citizens here. He has been the architect of his own fortunes, -and has builded wisely and well, gradually working his way upward from the humble position of a cash boy until he is to-day a prosperous merchant, doing a large and profitable business. He is genial in manner, progressive in spirit, and as a citizen is very deeply interested in what pertains to the general welfare, co-operating largely in measures for the public good.

Elder John Arnold

Among Piatt county's honored and respected citizens should be numbered the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, the present pastor of the German Baptist Brethren church of Okaw. He was born on the i6th of June, 1846, in Mineral county, West Virginia, and is a son of Solomon and Susan (Wine) Arnold, also natives of Virginia, and of German extraction. The father who was a farmer by occupation, died in that part of the old Dominion which, during the Civil war, became the state of West Virginia. Later the mother and her family came to Piatt county, Illinois, in the spring of 1868, and she died at the home, of her daughter, Mrs. Samuel Henricks, near Cerro Gordo, in 1901. at the age of eighty-eight years. She had seven children, three of whom died in West Virginia. The others are as follows : Samuel married Lucina Rose, now deceased, and has three daughters, Laura, Mame and Flossie. Daniel is married and with his family resides in Missouri. John, of this review, is the next in order of birth. Lizzie is the wife of Samuel Henricks, and a resident of Cerro Gordo, Illinois.

John Arnold was educated in a primitive log schoolhouse with its slab benches and huge fireplace, continuing his studies there until about sixteen years of age. He made the most of his advantages in that line as it was his desire to 'obtain a good education, and by reading and observation he has added greatly to the knowledge acquired in the schoolroom. During his boyhood and youth he assisted in the work of the home farm, and has since been identified with agricultural pursuits. In the spring of 1868 he came with his family to Piatt county, Illinois, and settled in Cerro Gordo township, where he has since made his home. He and his brother, Samuel, engaged in farming together for several years, but on the marriage of the latter the partnership was dissolved. Our subject began life here in limited circumstances, but prospered in his farming operations, and in 1881 purchased his present farm of eighty acres on section 29, Cerro Gordo> township, which was then under cultivation, but in tiling and other improvements he has laid out more money than the eighty acres cost him. Since then he has added to it an adjoining eighty, making one hundred and sixty acres. In 1887 he built a good barn and also corn-cribs, and in 1895 erected a nice modern residence, which is a verv at- tractive home on the main road. The place is divided into fields of convenient size by well-kept fences, and everything is in firstclass condition.

On the 3ist of May, 1875, Mr. Arnold was united in marriage to Miss Mary Henricks, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in February, 1840, and died on the 23d of August, 1890. Her parents were Elder Joseph and Lizzie (Seitz) Henricks, also natives of Fairfield county, Ohio. Mr. Arnold was again married in June^ 1892, his second union being with Lydia Heeter, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Heeter, of Wabash county, Indiana. The children by the first marriage are Nora S., Etta May and Stella Ethel. The oldest daughter is a graduate of the German Baptist school at Mt. Morris, Illinois, and will leave this year as a missionary to India, having made preparations to devote her life to that noble work.

In 1876 Mr. Arnold was ordained as a minister of the German Baptist Brethren church, and has since served as assistant pastor most of the time, though he has been in full charge of the congregation at Okaw (formerly La Place) since 1897, succeeding Jacob Olery at that place. During his ministry the membership has grown and now numbers over two hundred, and the church has been otherwise Strengthened and built up. Mr. Arnold has preached throughout Piatt, Macon and Moultrie counties, and has labored untiringly in the interests of his. church. In 1898 he retired from active farm work, and now rents his land, living in honorable retirement from business. However, he' still attends to his ministerial duties, and on the 30th of May, 1903, went to Bellefontaine, Ohio, to attend the general annual conference of his church. He has often been a delegate to such conventions, and for four years served as .president of the mission board in southern Illinois. He is widely and favorably known throughout this section of the state, and those who know him best are numbered among his warmest friends.

William F. Lodge

One of the most progressive and energetic young business men of Monticello is the gentleman whose name introduces this review. He was born in that city on the I2th of November, 1868, and is a son of William E. and Frances A. (Piatt) Lodge, the latter a daughter of William H. Piatt, in whose honor the county was named. In the public schools of Monticello our subject began his early literary education and later became a student in the State University at Champaign, where he pursued his studies for some time. Leaving that institution he entered the law department of Northwestern University, at Evanston, Illinois, in which he was graduated on the completion of the regular course, with the class of 1892. He was then admitted to practice before the supreme court at Springfield the same year.

Returning to Monticello, Mr. Lodge joined his father as a member of the firm of Lodge, Hicks & Lodge, and became interested in the manufacture of building brick and tile, the plant being situated just outside the city limits on the north. This enterprise was established in 1891, and the machinery is of the latest improved patterns. The output of the industry is now large, and employment is furnished to a number of men and boys. Mr. Lodge also became secretary and incorporation promoter of the electric light company, and was instrumental in erecting the plant. He succeeded in selling ten thousand dollars' worth of stock, and for nine years efficiently served as manager of the company, and also as electrician. He still owns a part of the stock. Mr. Lodge was also one of the organizers of the Monticello Mutual Telephone Company, which was afterward merged into the Piatt Telephone Company with exchanges at Bement, Monticello and DeLand, and about five hundred phones in use. This company was organized and incorporated in 1896, with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars. Our subject and his brother, James P., now own about seven hundred telephones in operation throughout Piatt county, and he gives his personal supervision to that business.

The Lodge family occupy the old Piatt homestead where the first location was made in this county, and two rooms of the residence were built by Mr. Barnett, becoming, the property of our subject's father about forty years ago. The house is surrounded by a spacious lawn, the grounds comprising about twenty acres. Mr. Lodge is a young man of marked business ability and executive force, of keen sagacity and unfaltering energy, and along many lines he has contributed to the substantial improvement and permanent develppment of his native county.

Jesse W. Warner

Jesse W. Warner is one of the extensive land owners of Piatt county, his possessions aggregating five hundred and sixty acres. He is likewise well known as a large cattledealer, and both branches of his business have been so capably conducted that they have brought to him very deserved and gratifying prosperity. His home is on section 35, Goose Creek township, and for a half century he has resided in Piatt county, being one of its respected citizens and honored pioneers. ,

A native of Ohio, Mr. Warner was torn in Ross county on the i6th of December, 1829, and is a son of George and Delilah Warner, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. They were farming people and for many years the father was connected with agricultural pursuits in the Buckeye state. There he died at the age of fifty-nine years, and the mother afterward came to the west. spending her last days in Piatt county, Illinois. In the family were eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, of whom Jesse W. Warner was the sixth in order ol birth.

In the public schools of Ohio Mr. Warner, of this review, obtained his education, but his advantages were somewhat limited as his services were needed on the home farm. His father died when the son was seventeen years of age, and for two years thereafter Mr. Warner remained with his mother, assisting in the operation of the home farm. He then began farming on his own account in Pickaway county, Ohio, but thinking that he might have better business opportunities further west, he left his native state in the fall of 1852 and came to Monticello, where he arrived with a cash capital of eighteen dollars and fifty cents. He also had a horse, saddle and bridle, having made the journey westward on horseback. On reaching Piatt county he secured work by the month as a farm hand, and was thus employed until 1856. when at the age of twenty-six years he lost his right arm in an accident on a railroad. This would utterly have discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit, but Mr. Warner showed marked strength of character in facing the situation. He attended school and learned to write with his left hand. For two years after the accident he worked with another man in operating a mole ditcher, and in 1860 he engaged in the cattle business with Absalom Fisher and James Piatt, the relation between these gentlemen continuing until 1864, and their efforts were crowned with a high degree of success. With the money which he thus realized, Mr. Warner purchased two hundred and ninety-seven and a half acres of land, for which he paid five thousand dollars. This was largely unimproved, and with characteristic energy he began its development, transforming the tract into rich fields, which are now very productive. As his financial resources have increased he has added to his property until he now owns five hundred and sixty acres of the rich land of Piatt county, which is equal in productiveness to any to be found in this great agricultural state.

On the 24th of June, 1873, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Warner and Miss Katie Schultz, of Piatt county. She died in 1876 and their only child died in infancy. On the 6th of January, 1878, Mr Warner was again married, his second union being with Miss Lulu Connor, a native of Bloomfield, Ohio, and a daughter of Abner and Rachel Connor, who came to Piatt county in the year 1851. The father was a farmer and stock-buyer, and was thus closely associated with the leading business enterprises of the county for a number of years. He died at the advanced age of seventy-five years, his widow is now living with Mr. and Mrs. Warner. Unto our subject and his wife have been born four children : Ollie, Edward, Luella and Lena. The eldest daughter is now the wife of James Miner, a resident of Goose

While carrying on the work of cultivating the fields, Mr. Warner is also giving considerable attention to raising and dealing in stock, making a specialty of beef cattle and hogs, and annually he sends to the city markets large numbers of these animals. He is a man of resourceful business ability, quick to note opportunity and to utilize the advantages which come to him. In 1900 he was interested in founding the State Bank of De- Land, of which he has since been a director. For about fifteen years he has served as president of the Monticello Fair Association, an enterprise which has been of marked value to this section of the state, cultivating ambition for progress among the farmers with the result that better farm products and stock have been produced. Whatever tends to prove of value to the agricultural community is of interest to him, and he has always been a leader in matters of advancement in this direction.

Mr. Warner is also prominent and active in fraternal circles and now belongs to Selah Lodge, No. 403, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed all the chairs. He is also a member of the encampment of Monticello and has been representaative to the grand lodge, while both he and his wife and their daughter, Luella, are connected with the Rebekah degree and their son is a member of the Knights of Pythias fra-; ternity. In his political views Mr. Warner is an ardent Democrat, and has served as road commissioner for three years, while for one term he was overseer, but he has alwrays preferred to give his time to his business interests rather than to political work, and along the line of his chosen field of labor he has won every gratifying and honorable pros- perity. His life has been a useful, active and upright one, and now in the evening of his days he has the respect, confidence and good will of all with whom he has been associated. He has witnessed many changes and improvements in the county during the half century of his residence here, and well deserves credit for what he has accomplished, and mention among the honored pioneers.

John W. Cyphers

John W. Cyphers, who was one of the defenders of the Union cause during the dark days of the Civil war, and is to-day an honored citizen of Piatt county, Illinois, was born on the 2ist of August, 1843, in Morgan county, West Virginia. His parents, Joseph S. and Elizabeth (Zeger) Cyphers, were both natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in 1806, the latter in 1812, and in Mercersburg, that state, they were married in 1834. After following farming in Pennsylvania for some years, the father removed to Morgan county, West Virginia, in 1839, making his home there until coming to Illinois in 1858, when he located in Fairview, Fulton county, which was his home until - called to his final rest. Throughout life he followed agricultural pursuits, and also owned a large herd of sheep, being quite extensively engaged in buying and selling those animals. He died on the 4th of July, 1868, and his wife passed away in 1885. This worthy couple were the parents of nine children, five of whom are still living, namely : Eliza, the wife of John Cosa, a shoemaker, of Fairview ; Urias, a harnessmaker of that place : Jacob, a policeman of Chicago ; Charles, a painter of Fairview ; and John W.. of this review.

Having spent the first fifteen years of his life in the state of his nativity, John W. Cyphers began his education in its public school, the first temple of learning being an old-fashioned log structure with puncheon floor and slab seats, and after coming to Illinois in 1858, he attended school for two winters, while working on his father's farm through the summer. He early acquired an excellent knowledge of every department of farm work, and later worked at six dollars per month as a farm hand.

Mr. Cyphers was thus employed when the Civil war broke out, and not being content to remain quietly at home while the country was in danger, he entered the*army in August, 1862, enlisting in Company D, One Hundred and Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division, Fifteenth Army Corps. He participated in the battles of Mission Ridge and Kenesaw Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, Georgia, and was with Sherman on his celebrated march to the sea, being all through that campaign. The war having ended he took part in the grand review at Washington, D. C, and was there discharged from the service, being mustered out at Chicago in July, 1865, with a war record of which he may be justly proud.

Mr. Cyphers then returned to Fairview, Illinois, and learned the plasterer's trade, which he followed continuously until coming to Piatt county in 1870, when he purchased a farm of eighty acres adjoining the village of DeLand and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He has since operated his land quite successfullly, and has added twenty-five acres to the original tract, and has made many other useful and valuable improvements which have added greatly to the attractive appearance of the place, including the erection of a fine ten-room residence sur- rounded by lovely shade trees. In connection with the raising of cereals best adapted to the soil and climate, he also raises cattle and hogs for market, and in both branches of his business is meeting with well deserved success.

In 1867 Mr. Cyphers was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Cook, a daughter of Joseph and Mary Cook, of Fairview, but -she died within three weeks of their marriage. He \vas again married in January 1888, his second union being with Miss Caroline Zeger, a daughter of Joseph and Mary Zeger, and by this marriage five children were born, but only one is now living, this being Jerry, who is at home with his parents. John Wesley, Robert Franklin and Joseph Dickey all died with membranous croup, and Hattie May died in infancy. Joseph Zeger, the father of Mrs. Cyphers, was born April 3, 1822, and died February 5, 1901. when almost seventy-nine. His widow, whose birth occurred on the 3d of February, 1828, now makes her home with our subject and his wife.

Politically Mr. Cyphers is a staunch Republican, and fraternally is a charter member of De Land Lodge, No. 740, I. O. O. F. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and are held in the highest respect and esteem by all who know them.

James W. Elliott

James "W. Elliott, who is now successfully engaged in general merchandising at Voorhies, was torn in Lynnville, Morgan county, Illinois, on the I3th of October. 1855, his parents being George and Ann

(Wilkinson) Elliott, who were of English extraction. Leaving England in his twentieth year, the father came to America, landing in New York, where he worked at his trade of harness making for a time, and then removed to Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was similarly employed, bu he now follows farming in Macon county, his home being three miles west of Decatur. He has been twice married, his first wife, the mother of our subject, having died about 1860. By that union there were two childlren : James W. and Frances. The latter was for some time a popular schoolteacher, and is now the wife of a Mr. Brown, of Kansas.

James W. Elliott passed his boyhood and youth upon a farm and received a good common school education. Being a lover of good literature, he has become a well informed man, and keeps abreast of the times. At the age of twenty-three years he left the home farm in Macon county and went to Kansas, where he engaged in farming for about twelve years. While there he was married in 1881 to Miss Ella M. Orr, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1862, and was educated at Cannonsburg, that state. They now have three children, two of whom were born before leaving Kansas. In order of birth they are George, Charles and Beulah, all of whom have received good educational advantages. One of the sons is now attending business college, while the other assists his father in the store.

On his return to Illinois, Mr. Elliott' had charge of his father's farm for a time, and in 1892 removed to the E. P. Thompson farm in Unity township, which he conducted until the fall of 1895, when he came to Voorhies. Here he embarked in general merchandising on the ist of January, 1896, and in this new venture has steadily prospered,.

having a stock valued at about two thousand dollars, though he started out with a capital of seven hundred dollars. He is a thorough business man, prompt, energetic, and notably reliable, and generally carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. He is independent in politics and is well worthy the high regard so freely accorded him.

John D. Bell

An honorable retirement from labor has been vouchsafed to John D. Bell, who after many years connection with business affairs in which his success was won through honorable, persistent effort, is now resting in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. He is a native of Pennsylvania, bcrn in Mifflin county, on the 3d of September, 1830. His parents were George T. and Sara (Sample) Bell. The father was born in Mifflin county on the I5th of March, 1803, and resided at the place of his birth until 1864, when he came to Illinois. He was a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit during his residence in the Keystone state. He had also learned the blacksmith's trade in early life, but devoted his energies to it for but a brief period. A member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he was always interested in its work and progress, and in his political views he was a Democrat. In the county of his nativity he married Miss Sara Sample, who was born and reared in Mifflin county. Bringing his family with him to Illinois, he located in the village of Bement, where he spent his remaining days, passing away just two days before the seventy-seventh anniversary of his birth. His attention was not given to any business calling after his removal to the west, the small farm which he purchased being cultivated by his son, John D. and others. He was a prosperous and progressive man, public spirited and interested in all that tended toward improvement. In his work he was systematic and kept everything about his home in a neat condition. He passed away in 1880, and was survived seventeen years by his wife. She was born in i8oy and passed away at the advanced age of eightyeight years and five months. Her Christian faith was manifested by her membership in the Methodist church, with which she became identified during her girlhood days. For long years she was one of its active workers, and her labors were effective in advancing the moral development of the community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bell were torn but two children, John D. being the elder. The daughter, Mary Jane, who was born in Pennsylvania, became the wife of Jacob Mutthersbaugh,, who came to Bement, Illinois, at the time of the removal of John D. Bell and her parents to this place. Mr. Muttersbaugh engaged in the butchering business here after several years, and was engaged in it at the time of his death. He was laid to rest in Bement cemetery by the side of his wife, who passed away in 1876. They left five children : William and Harvey, who are now conducting a meat market in Bement ; James, a resident of Nebraska; Addie, a resident of Decatur, Illinois; and May, who is on a farm near Decatur.

John D. Bell obtained his early education in the old-time log schoolhouses of Pennsylvania and assisted his father upon the home farm from his early youth up to the time of his marriage, in 1853. when he took charge of the farm then vacated by his father, who located on a small fruit farm in Pennsylva- nia. remaining there until the family came west in the spring of 1864. On his arrival in Piatt county, Illinois, our subject purchased a farm just north of the village of Bement. erected a large and substantial brick residence and made other excellent improvements there. It continued to be his home until the spring of 1874, when, his wife having died in 1872, and his daughter being unable to keep house on the farm, he left the place and removed to Bement. Subsequently he engaged in the butchering business for ten years, and afterward bought a half interest in a drug store, but not liking the latter business he sold out to his partner in about a year. Since that time he has not engaged in any business on his own account, though he held a position in a furniture store until 1900, and since that time has practically lived retired from all business cares.

On the ist of September, 1853, at Mc- Veytown, John D. Bell was united in marriage to Margaret E. Oliver, the widow of G. W. Oliver. She was born in the Keystone state, a native of Huntingdon county, and a daughter of David Jackson, who was a farmer of that county. Both her father and mother died on the old home place in Huntingdon county. Mrs. Bell was a member of the Presbyterian church, and in that faith she died, November 19, 1872, at Lincoln, Illinois, while visiting her daughter, Mrs. Houser. Her remains were brought back home and at her request were then interred in the Mc- Veytown cemetery near her old home in Pennsylvania. She was a devoted wife and a kind and loving mother. By her first husband she had three children who made their home with Mr. Bell : John L. Oliver, who now resides in Colorado; Mary, the wife of Dr. W. W. Houser, of Lincoln, Illinois ; and George W. Olliver, who resides in Texas.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bell was blessed with five children, three of whom are still living : Sadie, the wife of R. O. Hickman, of Colorado; Anna, the wife of A. C. Stadler, of Bement, Illinois, by whom she has one child, Arno Karl ; and Elmer E., who is a traveling salesman, residing in New Jersey. He is married and has four children : Two children born unto Mr. and Mrs. Bell died in infancy and were laid to rest in the McVeytown cemetery.

During his residence in Piatt county Mr. Bell has so lived as to win the high regard and confidence of his fellow men. In his business relations he has been active and straightforward, and through capable management and enterprise he has won a competence that now enables him to live retired; He has passed the psalmists's span of three score years and ten, having reached the seventythird milestone on life's journey. His worth is widely acknowledged, and it is with pleasure that we present to our readers this record of his career.

Henry W. Gantz

Prominent among the successful business men of Piatt county is numbered the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. For many years he has been actively identified with the agricultural, industrial and mercantile interests of this locality, and he has attained a leading place among its representative citizens. In business affairs he has prospered through his own unaided efforts and sound judgment, and is now quite well-to-do.

Gantz, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father was born July 7, 1806, and the mother September 18, 1817. They were married in the Keystone state on the 26th of February, 1837, and subsequently removed to Ohio, where the father followed his chosen occupation - that of farming - until his death, having entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government. In his family were seven children as follows - Hiram, born in 1838, engaged in farming in Ohio until his enlistment in the Fiftyfifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war and died in the service in 1862. Rebecca, born August 21, 1840, married William Nagle, of Ohio, and died in June, 1899, leaving a husband and five children. Harriet is the wife of Michael Katzemire, a shoe merchant, owning two stores, one in Upper Sandusky and the other in Toledo, Ohio. Henry W. is the next of the family. George Washington, born June 13, 1848, is- a resident of Morgantown, West Virginia. William Franklin, born July 6, 1855, is a farmer of Wayne county, Illinois. Sarah Alice, born July 3, 1858, died September 23, 1863. During his boyhood Henry W. Gantz attended the common schools of Ohio from thirty to forty days in winter, the remainder of the year being devoted to the work of the hone farm. He would also haul wood to the neighboring town, and on the return trip would bring home supplies for the family. On leaving home he started to earn his own livelihood "in the lumber woods by manufacturing shingles. Deciding to try his fortune on the prairies of Illinois, he came to this state at the age of twenty-two years, and after working as a farm hand for one year, he purchased a team, and for one year operated a part of the Jacob Swigart farm of one hundred and sixty acres in DeWitt county. He was then taken ill and during his sickness lost all that he had made, being thus forced to accept employment on a farm at twenty dollars per month. During the year passed in that way he borrowed one hundred dollars and made his first payment on forty acres of land in this county, and then rented one hundred and sixty acres of land in DeWitt county in partnership with Jonathan Donnar, farming the same quite successfully until he had paid for his forty-acre tract in Piatt county. He then borrowed money t;> purchase an adjoining forty -acre tract, but after living upon his property for one year he traded it for one hundred and sixty acres of land in Goose Creek township, three miles southwest of De Land, which place he operated until 1883, in the meantime adding one hundred acres to his farm. Since then he has made his home in the village of De Land, but is still interested in fanning property, and now owns four hundred and twenty acres in this county, four hundred acres in Wayne county, Illinois, and a half interest in five hundred and forty acres in White county, this state. In 1882 he erected a tile factory in De Land, but sold the same two years later and embarked in the mercantile business at this place as a member of the firm of I. L. Rinehart & Company, which firm was changed to Gantz & Fuller in 1896. In 1900 Mr. Gantz became sole owner and carried on the business under the style of the Gantz Mercantile Company for one year, when he sold a half interest in the store to Wiley Dewees, the firm becoming Gantz & Dewees. In the fall of 1901. however, Mr. Gantz sold his interest to his son and Mr. Dewees sold out to a Mr. Cox, since which time business has been carried on under the firm name of Gantz & Cox. Our subject is a stockholder and one of the directors of the

First National Bank of De Land, and owns forty thousand shares in the Mascot Gold Mining Company, which is capitalized at two million dollars, and is operating in Colorado.

On the ist of October, 1873, Mr. Gantz was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Porter, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Porter, and to them have been born three children : Hattie Ethel, who was born July 8, 1874, and was married June 28, 1899, to Dr. Charles Smith, of East St. Louis; Inez, born January 10, 1878; and Ira W., born February 10, 1882. The younger children are still at home.

Dr. Gantz and his family hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and he is also connected with the Knights of Pythias lodge at De Land. His political support is given the men and measures of the Republican party, and he has served as county commissioner from Goose Creek township one term and as a member of the school board two terms. A man of keen perception, unbounded enterprise and good business ability, his success in life is due entirely to his own efforts, and he deserves prominent mention among the leading and representative business men of the county. He is what the world terms "self-made," and well does he deserve the prosperity that has come to him, for he started out in life for himself with no capital, and by industry and perseverance has overcome the obstacles in the path to success.

Jesse J. Crook

James M. Crook, father of our subject, was torn in the county of Fountain in the Hcosier state in 1830, and lost his father when he was a lad of fourteen, the widowed mother being left with seven children. With them she settled in Willow Branch township on the creek of that name about the year 1845. James, being one of the eldest of the boys, early felt the burdens of man's estate, and secured little education. Others of the family were, George, deceased ; Jane, deceased wife of George Hopkins ; Thomas J. ; Martha, wife of Dr. H. Hickman, of Oklahoma; Mary E., widow of Daniel Madden, of Danville, Illinois; Benjamin F., deceased; Harriet, wife of Sheridan Rose, of Oklahoma; and Delilah, also of Oklahoma, the wife of Murphy Secrest.

On arriving at years of maturity James M. Crook married Charity, daughter of Enoch and Elizabeth Peck, who had settled with their family in Willow Branch township as early as 1839. Life was simple and full of toil in those days, and Mr. Cook began his married life as a railsplitter. He finally succeeded in saving sufficient to make a payment on a tract of swamp land near Cisco. This he improved as he could and in 1868 sold it for a price which enabled him to purchase the first forty acres of the farm which he afterwards brought to high perfection and which our subject still cultivates. He later added to it a quarter section of land. This land was virgin and was reclaimed from that state by his hand. He was a man of shrewd judgment and gave his attention largely to one 'line, that' of the raising of hogs. He was very successful with these animals, and it is said that he paid for a full eighty-acre tract by the sale of one single drove. He had just finished remodeling his house when he took a severe cold, which after two years' illness resulted in his death, the date being November 9, 1884. He left a wife and four children, the wife still surviving him, living at Milmine. The names of the children are Wil-

Ham Wallace, now residing in Monticello; James M., who died in 1894; Jesse; and Ora, who now resides in Cerro Gordo township, the wife-of William McQuay.

Jesse J. Crook has held continuous residence on the old homestead since the date of his birth. March 8, 1868. Hawver district school equipped him in the educational line, and he aided his mother in the cultivation of the home farm until his marriage, when he assumed the management himself. His wife, whom he married on the 8th of October, 1891 , was Austie Snyder, daughter of Benner and Mary (Christian) Snyder. Her parents were farmers of Ohio, where she was born and reared, coming to Illinois in 1876. They settled on a farm in Cerro Gordo township, but after a fe\v years moved to Milmine, where the mother died in 1881. The father is now living a retired life in Milmine. In the family beside Mrs. Crook were Victoria, who married Frank Root and resides in Bement ; Virginia, now Mrs. James Doyle, of Hammond, Illinois ; Lyda, now Mrs. Frank Coakley, of Bement ; Laura, wife of Watts Caffee, of Pittsburg, Kansas; William, of Milmine; John, of Kansas; Addie, wife of John Hendricks, of Willow Branch township; Quinter, of Milmine; Bartley, of Willow Branch township ; and Jesse, at home. To Mr. and Mrs. Crook have been born Elma, Lester R.. Chattie Fay and Dimple May.

To speak of the life led by our subject would be the enumeration of the manifold duties performed by the busy farmer. Like many farmers, he has his weakness, and that is a good horse, of which he is an excellent judge. He has made a specialty of blooded stock, and has now in his possession two very fine animals. These horses are both registered. Schley III, a Percheron ; and Milmine King, a fine Shire horse.

In the county round about Mr. and Mrs. Crook have a large acquaintance, among whom they are highly esteemed for their open-handed and generous hospitality. Mr. Crook served a term acceptably as tax collector of Willow Branch township, and six years as school director, and both are popular members of the Loyal American Lodge, No. 32, at Milmine.

Albert R. Ross

The above named gentleman is a representative of one of the oldest families in the county, his father, Francis Asbury Ross, having settled here during the great Civil war, after he had rendered gallant service to his country. He was born in Essex, New Jersey, April i, 1841, the son of Simon and Eveline Ross. He came to Illinois when about three years of age, and* was educated at Whitehall, and at a college in Jacksonville, Illinois. Soon after leaving school he entered the army as a private in Company K, Twenty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served for eighteen months in the Army of the West. He participated in the battles of Belmont and Island No. 10, when he was taken sick and passed the remaining time in the hospital at Benton Barracks. Upon his return home in 1863, on the 3ist of December he married Miss Frances, daughter of William and Mary Cotter. After his marriage he purchased a farm in Blue Ridge township, then one of the wildest portions of the county. Here they patiently passed through the severe trials incident to pioneer life for a period of five years, thence removing to Mansfield, where Mr. Ross engaged in merchandising for some twenty-six years. His health failing he exchanged his store for land in Cheyenne county, Nebraska. After a period of rest he again engaged in mercantile life in Mansfield, but was again compelled to give it up and traded his store for six hundred and forty acres of choice land in Wcodson county, Kansas. He removed to Bloomington, where he passed the rest of his days, dying in September, 1898. His wife survives him and is now a resident of Chicago. To them were born four children, those living being the subject of this sketch, and Brant C. Ross, now a student in Chicago Dental College.

Albert R. Ross, supervisor pf Blue Ridge township, was born in DeWitt county, Illinois, on the 29111 of July, 1867. He received a good education and at twenty-two began life for himself as a farmer. His marriage to Hannah Belle Hilligoss occurred February 22, 1888. Mrs. Ross is the daughter of B. E. and Eliza Hilligoss, of Mansfield, and is the mother of six children. The five living are Albert L., Duane E., Frances Adelaide, Henry G. and Frank C., the three eldest being in school, the younger ones at home.

Mr. Ross is one of the extensive farmers in Piatt county, cultivating four hundred and eighty acres of land and shipping from one to two hundred cars of beef cattle and hogs every season. For investment purposes he holds one thousand one hundred and twenty acres in Nebraska, a section in Kansas, and an eighty in Minnesota. It will thus be seen that Mr. Ross is one of the large land owners in the county, and an influential and respected citizen. His interest in matters of public moment is that of the good citizen, who, though not courting public attention, is yet willing to do his duty in administering the unpaid offices of the local government. In 1902 he was elected supervisor of the township on the Republican ticket, and is serving most acceptably. He is at present chairman of the building committee which is erecting a handsome stone and brick courthouse and jail in the county seat.

Mr. Ross is a thorough believer in the fraternal principles and is a popular member of several of the best societies, notable among which are the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a charter member of No. 634 of Mansfield, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Royal Circle, of which Mrs. Ross is also a member. Still a young man, with a record of helpful and efficient service to his credit, our subject has before him a useful future. Successful in business affairs, courteous and obliging with all his associates, he is held in high esteem wherever he is known.

Nathan E. Rhoades

The activity of Nathan E. Rhoades has touched many lines and to the benefit of all, and Monticello has profited by his marked energy, keen discernment and business sagacity, for he has labored in such a manner as to promote the public welfare while advancing individual success. His name is associated with commercial and agricultural interests of the county and with its political history, and throughout the years of his connection with varied interests here, he has so guided his affairs that he has won the unqualified regard of the public by reason of his straightforward business methods.

A native of Ohio, Nathan E. Rhoades was born in Franklin county, near the village of Reynoldsburg, in 1834, and his parents, Daniel and Catherine Rhoades, were also natives of the same county. In the year 1845 the father removed with his family from the

Buckeye state to Illinois, settling in Piatt county upon a tract of land which now constitutes the county poor farm, three miles west of Monticello. His possessions included two hundred and fifty acres, and for years he occupied that property, giving his time and attention to its cultivation and improvement. He died in 1854, and many friends mourned his death, for he was a citizen of worth. His wife, who survived him for almost twenty years, died in March, 1873, in Monticello, where she had removed after the death of her husband,

Nathan E. Rhoades was a little lad of about eleven years when his parents came to Illinois, and amid the wild scenes of pioneer life in Piatt county he was reared, aiding in the arduous task of developing a new farm and sharing in the hardships and difficulties of life on the frontier. He had spent three months in school before coming to Illinois, and he continued his education in the district schools of Piatt county. Farm work became familiar to him in its various departments, but in 1853, he left the farm and came to Monticello, where he engaged in clerking for a time in the employ of various merchants' of the city. In 1859 he was called from commercial life to public service, being elected on the Republican ticket to the office of treasurer of Piatt county. Only three years before the party had placed its first presidential candidate in the field, but the new organization had gained great strength in Piatt county and Mr. Rhoades was numbered among its earnest endorsers. He has never faltered in his allegiance thereto throughout all the years which have come and gone since that time, and has done much toward securing its success in' this locality. Entering upon the duties of the office of county treasurer he proved so faithful to the trust reposed in him that he was re-elected and filled the position for eight consecutive years. He was also deputy circuit clerk for four years and deputy county clerk for a similar period. For several years he served as trustee of the Monticello school district, and the cause of education found in him a warm friend.

On his retirement from office Mr. Rhoades again became an active factor in mercantile circles - this time as a proprietor. He conducted his enterprise from 1877 until 1901, covering about twenty-four years.

During the latter part of his connection with mercantile interests, he was the senior member of the firm of N. E. Rhoades & Soa. In 1895 he established the Cedar Hill stock farm, and has since been engaged in the breeding of fine stock, often having as many as twenty head of fine horses in his stables. His stud Bernal has a record of 2:17, and was bred by Senator Stanford, of California, and after the Senator's death was sold in Kentucky. Later Mr. Rhoades purchased Bernal. He is sixteen hands high, weighs thirteen hundred pounds, is seal-brown in color and of a gentle disposition. Besides engaging in the breeding of horses Mr. Rhoades was at one time the owner of a very fine herd of shorthorn cattle.

In the way of building Mr. Rhoades has done much to improve Monticello. The Rhoades opera house block was erected in 1874 and with the exception of the room occupied by the bank and the basement underneath, and two offices, the entire building is owned by Mr. Rhoades. He also laid out an addition to the city known as the Rhoades addition, and owns a nice park just north of the town. In 1868 he erected a palatial home of fourteen rooms. It is constructed of brick and was long the finest house in the town.

In 1857 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Rhoades and Miss Mary E. Ross, of Madison county, Ohio, in which place she was born and reared. By this marriage there are two sons : Charles N., now a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Oklahoma; and Corwin E., at home. Mr. Rhoades is a member of the Independent .Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife have a wide acquaintance and large circle of friends in this part of the state. To him there has come the attainment of a distinguished position in connection with the various interests of the county, and his efforts have been so discerningly directed along well-defined lines of labor that he seems to have realized at any one point of progress the full measure of possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of distinct and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judgment, he has left and is leaving his impress upon business activity in this community. For years he has been an important factor in the development of this part of the state, and has been a witness of its growth for nearly sixty years. Great changes have occurred during this long period, the wild prairie land being developed into some of the richest farms of Illinois, while in other ways the county has kept apace with the universal progress. Mr. Rhoades has done everything in his power to further its advancement, and is justly accounted one of its most valued and respected citizens.

Scamon C. Rodman

was born on the 22d of April, 1844, near Zanesville, Ohio, and was educated in the common schools near Bloomington, Illinois, having come with his father to this state when nine years old. He was preparing to enter college when the Civil war broke out, and he laid aside his text-books to enter the service of his country, his patriotic spirit being aroused. He first enlisted in 1864 in Company H, One Hundred -and Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served six months, and later being mustered out at Camp Butler he re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Fiftieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He participated in the engagements at Cleveland, Tennessee ; Dalton and Atlanta, Georgia ; and Jonesboro, North Carolina ; and after hostilities ceased he assisted in the establishment of the civil government in the south during the reconstrucion period. A lengh he -was mustered out at Griffin, Georgia, January 16, 1866, and was discharged at Camp Butler.

On his return home Mr. Rodman remained with his father until his marriage. It was on the 6th of January, 1870, that he wedded Miss Emily Fleming, a daughter of A. M. and Sarah Fleming, and to them have have been born five children: Gertrude L., now the wife of G. W. Griffin, of Nevada, Missouri ; Roy S., who is in the employ of the Chicago Telephone Company of Chicago; Mabel F., Herbert G. and Earl C., all three at home.

For four years after his marriage Mr. Rodman operated his father's farm, and then purchased a store and grain business at Padua, McLean county, Illinois, thirteen miles from Bloomington, conducting the same until 1877, when he removed to DeLand and opened a general store in partnership with his brother, but sold out to his brother a year later. He next embarked in the grain ?,nd stock business with R. B. Moody and built the first elevator in DeLand with a capacity of seventy-five thousand bushels. That connection continued for ten years, and in 1888 he sold out to his brother, J. N. Rodman, on account of failing health. He then removed to southwestern Missouri and engaged in the real estate and mining business, under the firm name of Rodman & Mc- Clure, at Carthage, that state, the capital stock of the company being twenty thousand dollars. In 1889 Mr. Rodman also embarked in the commission and farm implement business, which he followed for eight years, and on the end of that time he went to Salem, Iowa, where he was engaged -in the clothing and general merchandise business, conducting what was known as the Salem Clothing House. After six years spent at that place he sold out and returned to De Land in September, 1892, and took the management of the J. N. Rodman elevator. He is still interested in a lead mine at Oronoga, Missouri, and has one hundred and sixty acres of land in that state, besides a nice home in DeLand, which he purchased of Edward B. Chenoweth, in 1902.

The Republican party has always found in Mr. Rodman a stanch supporter of its principles, and he has taken quite an active and commendable interest in affairs, serving as town clerk in Goose Creek township, this county, justice of the peace while in Iowa, and as a member of the school board for six years. He is a charter member of the Odd Fellows Lodge at DeLand, and both he and his wife belong to the Congregational church. He is a man in whom the community places the utmost confidence, and he has always been found worthy of and true to every trust reposed in him.

George W. Hoffman

One of the leading and representative citizens of Blue Ridge township is George W. Hoffman, who is successfully carrying on his chosen occupation on section 19, where he owns a valuable and well-improved farm of two hundred acres. A native of Illinois, he was born in Logan county on the 24th of July, 1856, and is a son of James M. and Mary (Barr) Hoffman, who are natives of West Virginia and Illinois, respectively. When the father was three years old he accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio and grew to manhood in Champaign county, that state. At the age of twenty he turned his face westward with the intention of making an overland trip to California, but on reaching Waynes vi lie, DeWitt county, Illinois, he stopped and remained there until the spring of 1869, when he removed to Mc- Lean county. He was there engaged in farming throughout the remainder of his active business life, and since 1897 he and his wife have lived retired in Farmer City, Illinois, enjoying a well-earned rest. Unto them were born six children, but only three are now living, these being George W., ofthis review ; Mrs. Delia Cross, of Farmer City; and Mrs. Addie L. Orendorff, of Bloomington, Illinois.

George W. Hoffman received his early education in the common schools of McLean and Logan counties, and passed his boyhood and youth in much the manner of farmer boys, gaining an excellent knowledge of the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist. On the 2nd of April, 1879, ne was united in marriage to Miss Ella Orendorff, of Mc- Lean county, a daughter of Lewis and Susan R. ( Hoover) Orendorff. Her father was the first white male child born in McLean county.

Of his four living children none are residents of Piatt county with exception of Mrs. Hoffman. Our subject and his wife have nine children, namely : Myrtle, now the wife of Lincoln G. Heller, of McLean county, and the mother of one child, Bernice Evelyn : Daisy Pearl ; Edith ; Elmer O. ; Mary ; Hazel Laverne ; James Lewis ; George Arthur ; and Ruth Lucile.

After his marriage Mr. Hoffman began farming in West township, McLean county, on land which Mr. Orendorff had given him and his wife, and they continued to reside there until February, 1893, when they removed to the farm in Blue Ridge township, Piatt county, where they now live. Mr. Hoffman first purchased one hundred and sixty acres, to which he has since added a forty-acre tract, making two hundred acres in one body. This he has improved and placed under a high state of cultivation. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, handling horses, mules, cattle, sheep and hogs, and gives considerable attention to that part of, his business, which he has found quite profitable.

In 1886, on account of Mrs. Hoffman's health, the family removed to Tennessee, where they spent almost a year, and while there our subject engaged in buying and selling stock. With that exception he has always made his home in Illinois. He is an active and prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Weedman, of which he has been trustee for some years, and was also superintendent of the Sunday-school six or seven years. Fraternally, he is a member of Poplar Camp, No. 253, M. W. A., and politically, is identified with the Republican party. He has filled the office of tax collector, but has never cared for political preferment, his time and attention being taken up

Elbert G. Knight

Since 1877 Elbert G. Knight has figured in business circles in Monticello, where he is now extensively engaged in dealing in grain, implements and coal, and also in the manufacturing of harness. His achievements represent the result of honest endeavor along lines where mature judgment has pointed the way. He possesses a weight of character, a native sagacity, a discriminating mind and a fidelity of purpose that command the respect, if not the approval, of friends and foes alike. His is an honorable career, and he is recognized as one of the leading and representative citizens of Monticello.

His ancestral history is one of close connection with New England from an early day, although the family is of Scotch descent. Moses Knight, the great-grandfather of our subject, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, who fought valiantly for the cause of independence, and his son, Moses, the grandfather of our subject, again took up arms in behalf of his country in the second war with England, entering the service in 1812. Patriotism has always been one of the strong characteristics in the Knight family, and many incidents might be cited of the love of country of the different people who have borne the name of Knight. Joshua Knight. the father of our subject, was born in New England, in 1802, and resided in that section of the country until after his marriage and the birth of his children. His last years, however, were spent in Illinois, his death occur- ring in Monticello in 1881. In early manhood he wedded Miss Elizabeth Gage, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Gage. She died in 1853. In the family were five children.

Elbert G. Knight, whose name introduces this record, was reared in New England, attending the public schools of Bath and later working at various pursuits until he was twenty years of age. His birth occurred in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on the 2gth of September, 1836, and in 1856 he came to Monticello, Illinois, where he entered upon his business career in the humble capacity of a clerk in a general store owned and conducted by O. Bailey. That he proved a capable and faithful employe is indicated by the fact that he remained in Mr. Bailey's service for five years. He was afterward in another store for ten years. In 1862 he volunteered his services for the Civil war, but not being accepted he returned to Monticello and was appointed deputy sheriff under E. P. Fischer for one year. On the expiration of that time he entered the employ of Piatt & Bryden, with whom he remained, sixteen years, and in 1877 started in business with L. B. Tinder, as dealers in grain. This connection continued until 1884, when he purchased his partner's interest in the business, and his son became a member of the firm in 1892. They handle all kinds of grain, and as they found opportunity they have extended the field of their labor until to-day they have several elevators on the Wabash & Illinois Central Railroads, having a capacity of sixty thousand bushels, and owing to the close proximity of the railroads they have good facilities for the shipment of both grain and coal. They deal in the latter commodity on quite an extensive scale, and in the various branches of their business they have gained success. Business was carried on under the firm style of E. G. Knight & Son until 1903, when it was incorporated under the name of the Knight Grain Company, Mr; Knight being president, while H. N. Knight is vice president and treasurer, and W. K. Davidson is secretary. This is one of the best-known firms in the county, and its business methods are unassailable.

In July, 1858, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Knight and Miss Ann R. Curran, a native of Towanda, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Daniel and Anna (Duggan) Curran. This marriage was blessed with four children : Anna E., the wife of J. W. Davison; Ella Y., who married Daniel Bohon, of Monticello; H. N., who is in business with his father; and Jessie F., wife of J. E. Andrews.

Mr. Knight is the owner of a good farm of forty-five acres about four miles distant from Monticello and situated on the banks of the Sangamon river. The place is skirted with of the finest springs in Piatt county Mr. Knight has erected suitable buildings, and has a little rustic house which he uses as a cottage in the summer months, the family spending a part of the hot season of the year in this quiet, cool retreat. In his political views Mr. Knight is a pronounced Republican, taking a deep interest in the success of his party, for he earnestly desires the welfare of the county and the election of his friends. He has, however, never been an active politician in the sense of office-seeking on his own account, although for eleven years he served as a member of the city council of Monticello. Such, in brief, is the life record of one of the well-known citizens of this state, whose labors have closely touched the interests of state and have contributed to the advancement toward that perfection for which a majority of the world's people are striving. He is a man of firm convictions, and it is doubtful if he ever weighed a single act of his life in the scale of policy, his conduct being prompted by the spirit of usefulness and conscientious obligation. Strong in his individuality he never lacks the courage of his convictions, and this taken into consideration with the sterling integriy and honor of his character have naturally gained for him the respect and confidence of men.

Herman G. Meyer

A member of the Teutonic race who has made a success of farming in Piatt county, is Herman G. Meyer, who resides on a farm on section 32, Goose Creek township. He is a native of Germany, having been born there on the loth of December, 1836, and is the son of George H. and Gertrude Frances (Hendricks) Meyer. The family is of German descent, tracing its origin far back into the middle ages. The father of our subject was born in the town of Pilsun, Province of Hanover, March 9, 1807. He grew to manhood in the fatherland, and with his family came to this country in 1867. He settled in the city of Peoria, Illinois, where he followed his trade of weaver for a period of some six years. At the solicitation of our subject, he removed to Logan county, where they together rented a farm, which they continued to operate for a period of fifteen years. The father then removed to Piatt county, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres in Goose Creek township. Here he resided some twenty years, at the end of which time he retired from active work and took up his residence in Monticello, where he died on the gth of December, 1891.

Our subject's mother was born also in the fatherland, the date being February 24, 1814, and her death occurring in Logan county, May 15, 1903, her age being eighty-nine years, three months and one day. She was the mother of seven children, five of whom are living : Herman ; Lowery, widow of Nanka Rademaker ; Henry, retired farmer residing in Monticello ; Ties, a Logan county farmer; and Albert, who also resides in Logan county.

Herman G. Meyer received a good education in the common schools of Germany, and came with the family to this country on the date above mentioned. He had for some time previous to this been the mainstay of the family, and paid the passage of his parents to this country, he himself working his way as cook on the vessel. He was first employed in this country in the coal mines near Peoria. and, as stated, associated himself with his father in the cultivation of a farm in Logan county. He accompanied his father to Piatt county and in company with him purchased a farm of eighty acres in Goose creek township. After the retirement of his father Mr. Meyer continued the operation of this farm, and in 1880 had accumulated sufficient to purchase a tract of three hundred and twenty acres near by, for which he paid thirty dollars an acre. Upon this farm he continued to reside until the death of his father, when he removed to Monticello, and for two years resided in the home which he had bought for his father upon his retirement from active duties. A long life of activity on the farm, however, has unfitted Mr. Meyer for the monotonous life in town, and he therefore again took up his residence on the home place, where he has since resided, but which he rents to tenants. Mr. Meyer has been quite a dealer in real estate, and has purchased and improved several valuable farms in the county, which he sold at a good price. His own farm is a model of the agriculturist's art, being thoroughly tiled and ditched and one of the most productive farms in the county, Large barns and many convenient outbuildings have been erected, and orchards consisting of all kinds of the best fruit surround the home.

The married life of Mr. Meyer began in the fatherland June 22, 1860, when he was joined in marriage to Rincha, daughter of Lewis and Grace Frances (Stroman) Adams. To them have been born two children, George, who married Miss Belle Reynolds ; and Lewis, whose wife's maiden name -was Dina Lubbers. Both of the sons are cultivating portions of the home farm, and reside near their parents. The mother of these boys was born in Germany, and is one of four children residing in this county, the others being Rinder, a brother, who is a retired farmer living in Ackley, Iowa ; Wupke, the widow of H. Blacker and a resident of Pekin, Illinois; Tetge, the widow of Simon Uphoff and also a resident of Pekin.

Mr. Myer is one of the substantial men of the county, and has a reputation for honesty and integrity of character. Politically, he supports the Democratic party, has been school director for a period of two years, and for the past five years has been one of the ditch commissioners of the county. He is a worthy member of the Masonic Fraternity, and holds a membership in lodge No. 58, of Monticello. He and his wife are active members of the Presbyterian church of Monticello, in this regard following in the footsteps of Mr. Meyer's father and mother, who were both lifelong members of that church.

of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Meyer are passing a happy and serene old age, conscious of duty well and faithfully performed. Honest toil and fair dealing have brought their sure reward, assuring a surcease from the heat and labor of the day for the remaining portion of their lives.

Robert Henry Allerton

One of the beautiful country homes of central Illinois is that owned by Robert H. Allerton about four miles west of Monticello, the artistic taste of the owner being shown in all its appointments. Mr. Allerton is a native of Illinois, born in Chicago, March 20, 1873, and is a son of Samuel Waters and Pamilla (Thompson) Allerton, of that city. The father is one of the most prominent farmers and bankers of this state, where he owns a large amount of land. The Allerton family was founded in America by Isaac Allerton, who came to this country in the Mayflower.

Robert H. Allerton began his education in the schools of Chicago, and later attended St. Paul's at Concord, New Hampshire. After leaving that institution he went abroad, where he spent five years in study and travel, gi ving special attention to art in Paris and Munich, and he was graduated at the Royal Academy art school at Munich in 1894. Since his return to America he has made his home principally in Piatt county as he is very fond of country life, and takes great delight in horses and clogs. He has made a scientific study of farming and practices the rotation of crops in the operation of his land, owning ten thousand acres in Piatt county, eight thousand in his own place and two thousand three miles the other side of Monticello. The land is all under cultivation with the exception of about one thousand acres of forest. His residence, which1 is a palatial structure, and also his stables and other buildings upon the place are of Georgian architecture, and the former is elegantly furnished. The grounds are also in keeping with the home, being laid out in a most artistic manner and under the supervision of expert landscape gardeners.

Mr. Allerton has become interested in a number of business enterprises which claim a portion of his attention, being president of the A. T. Ranch Company in Wheeler county, Nebraska; president of the First National Bank of Primrose, that state, and president of the Jersey City Stockyards of New York. In religious faith he is a Universalist and in politics is a Republican. He is now serving as a trustee of the St. Charles Home for Boys. By their investments and improvements Mr. Allerton and his father have done much to promote the interests of central Illinois, and have become prominently identified with its welfare and advancement.

John H. Reeves

Although for many years John H. Reeves was connected with general farming in central Illinois, he is now living retired in Cisco, in the enjoyment of a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. He was born on the I7th of June, 1837, in Pickaway county, Ohio, his parents being Josiah and Eliza (Mauser) Reeves, both of whom were natives of the Buckeye state. The father was a farmer by occupation, following that pursuit throughout his entire life in order to provide for his family. On leaving

Ohio he removed to Jackson county, Missouri, taking up his abode there after the Civil war. He continued his residence in that state until called to his final rest in the year 1887, at the age of seventy-five years, his birth having occurred in 1812. In the family were nine children, of whom five-are yet living.

John H. Reeves spent his early boyhood days under the parental roof and obtained his education in the old-time subscription schools of Ohio. Pickaway county during the period of his boyhood, was largely a frontier district, in which the work of improvement and progress had scarcely been begun. His training at farm work, however, was not meager, and from an early day he began work in the fields, assisting his father in the task of plowing, planting and harvesting, until about twenty-one years of age. Thinking that the newer west, with its more rapid development, furnished better business opportunities, he then resolved to establish his home in Illinois, and made his way westward to Champaign county, settling near Mahomet, where he lived for about three years. In the spring of 1861 he came to Piatt county, and has since been a representative of its agricultural interests.

Mr. Reeves was married in Ohio to Miss Angeline Williams, and brought his bride with him to Illinois. They began their domestic life in Champaign county upon a tract of rented land, and after coming to Piatt county he again rented land until 1872, during which time his industry and economy enabled him to acquire sufficient capital to purchase forty acres of land. Thus becoming the owner of a home of his own, with renewed courage and determination he began its development and placed the land under cultivation. He then bought forty acres more, and traded this

As the years passed he gathered good harvests as the reward of his labors and development of a property which in its neat and thrifty condition indicates his careful supervision. To the original purchase he added forty acres, which he also placed under cultivation, and ditching and tiling have made the fields very productive. He also placed excellent improvements upon his property, and as his financial resources have increased he has added to his realty holdings until his landed possessions now aggregate four hundred and forty acres, of which two hundred and eighty acres are in Piatt county and the balance in Macon county. He has also town property, including two residences and six lots in the village of Cisco. All that Mr. Reeves possesses has come to him through his own efforts, and while promoting his individual prosperity he has also been an active factor in the development of Piatt county, cooperating in many measures for the general good along lines of substantial improvement and permanent development.

After the death of his first wife Mr. Reeves was united in marriage to Sarah P. Eva, a widow. By his first union he had six children : Turney, who is now deceased ; William; Edward; Orin C. ; Corilda; and Alba, who is also deceased. Mr. Reeves has given his political support to the Democracy since casting his first presidential vote for John Bell in 1860, but while he has kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day and taken a deep interest in the success of his party, he has never sought political preferment for himself. In 1893 he came to Cisco and purchased good residence property, since which time he has lived retired from the active work of the farm, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. While there is nothing in his life history to attract the reader in search of a sensational chapter, there are valuable lessons to be learned by those who have regard for the things of life which develop honorable character, upright manhood and which win success. He has ever guided his life by principles which will bear the closest and most rigid scrutiny, and in his dealings with his fellow men has ever been straightforward and honorable.

Ira F. Miner is a son of James and Erneline (Fleming) Miner, and was born in Clarksburg, Ohio, April 5, 1840. His education was that of the common schools, and he remained with his parents until after his removal with them to Piatt county. He then began farming for himself, buying forty acres of what was known as the John Dighton farm. Holding this two years, he sold and bought eighty acres on Stringtown lane. He improved this farm, and at the end of six years again sold out and purchased eightyfive acres in Goose Creek township. After the death of his father, he sold this farm and removed to a tract of sixty-four acres, which he received from his father's estate, and where he has since resided. Mr. Miner is one of the successful farmers of the county, giving especial attention to the raising of thoroughbred horses, some of which have attracted more than a local notice. His home is modern in every respect, and is surrounded with every convenience and necessity which go to make up country life.

Amanda (Freeman) Bruffett. Her father was born in Madison county, Ohio, February 18, 1822, and her mother November 15, 1820. They were married December 18, 1843, and in the fall of 1851 C5«n« to Piatt county, Illinois, -where they were leading farmers until their deaths, the father dying July 19, 1855, the mother surviving until June 24, 1871. Mrs. Miner is the eldest of their children. David Bruffett, a brother, is in the marble business at Urbana, Illinois. Rachel, a sister, died at the tender age of seven years.

To Mr. and Mrs. Miner have been born nine children : Emma, widow of Frank Robinson, resides in Monticello; Amanda is the wife of Edward Aterson, a farmer residing near Cisco, Illinois. They have three children : Warren, Willarcl and Gladys. Fannie married William Robinson and resides north of Bement, Illinois, with their children, Nellie and Lynn. Tallie is the wife of William McCartney, and resides on a farm near Cisco with their children : Ward, _Wayne and Ira. Mary died at eleven years. James E. is a farmer of Goose Creek township. He married Olive Warner, to whom has been born Harold and Ruth. Nellie is the wife of Roy Jones, principal of schools at Foosland, Illinois. Her two children are Helen and Hazel. Roy D. is still a young man at home. Pearl, the youngest of the family, is a successful school-teacher, her last school being at Galesville, Illinois.

Fe\v families of the county stand better in all that m.akes up good citizenship than the one here treated. Strong, manly sons and home-loving, womanly daughters speak with no uncertain tone of the splendid training received in the home of our subject and his good wife, and they .constitute the crowning glory of well-spent lives. The family is

Herbert D. Peters

The many avenues of activity in which Mr. Peters has sought an outlet for his abilities and aspirations have invariably profited by his common-sense methods, his sterling worth and sound judgment. A prominent representative of industrial interests and well known in political circles, he certainly deserves mention in this history of his adopted county. His name figures conspicuously in connection with the Republican party in central Illinois, and his business interests have now assumed an importance which makes him one of the leading men of Monticello. He is now engaged in the manufacture of cigars, also writing tablets, does a printing business and is also a jobber of stationery, school supplies and tobacco articles, and his enterprise has reached extensive proportions.

Herbert D. Peters was born upon a farm in Steuben county, Indiana, November i, 1849. His paternal grandfather was Richard Peters, a native of New York, who, when a young man, became a pioneer of Summerfield township, Monroe county, Michigan, and the village of Petersburg, that state, was named in his honor. He was quite an extensive farmer and stock-raiser, and owned a large amount of land in that- locality. He was twice married, and died in 1862. Of his three sons Charles Peters was. the father of our subject. He was born in 1827 in Monroe county, Michigan, not far from the city of Detroit. Reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life, he aided in the improvement of his father's farm, and after attaining his majority he was united in marriage to Miss Julia A. Burnham, a native of Massachusetts and a daughter of Calvin Burnham. Unto them were born three children, who are still living.

Spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, Herbert D. Peters began his education in the public schools of Michigan, later became a student in the high school of Monroe, and afterward entered the State University, at Ann Arbor, in which institution he was graduated in the class of 1873. He entered upon his business career thoroughly equipped with broad mental training. For a time he was connected with journalistic work in Detroit, being employed on one of the papers of that city, and in 1874 he came to Monticello, Illinois, where he established the Piatt County Herald under the firm name of Scroggs & Peters. A year and a half later he became sole proprietor and continued the publication of the Herald as a Republican paper for eighteen years. At length he sold his interest to its present editor, Mr. Burgess, who now publishes it under the name of the Piatt County Republican.

On disposing of his newspaper Mr. Peters continued in the printing business along other lines, and also became a jobber in stationary and school supplies. Later he added another department to his business - the manufacture of tablets - and to-day he does a large business and carries an extensive stock, being represented on the road by several traveling salesmen, covering the greater part of Illinois and portions of Indiana. Later he began the manufacture of cigars and tobacco, thus adding another department to his business, and the upper story of his large brick building is now being utilized in this way. He has a building twenty-nine by ninety feet and two stories and a basement in height, and all devoted to Mr. Peters' business. In 1884 he also erected a brick business block that is now occupied by the Hott drug store, and thus he has added to the improvement of the central section of the city. In 1894 he erected his present building, which is twenty-nine by ninety-five feet and two stories in heigh with basement, and in this he conducts a part of his business. He employs a force of from twenty-five to thirty people, and is conducting an enterprise of importance to the city as well as to himself. The prosperity of any town or city depends upon its business activity and the promotion of its industrial and commercial interests, and Mr. Peters has done much in this direction.