St. Clair County, Illinois - Chapter 13 (2 of 2 so headed), 1928

Chapter 13

east, which joins the larger creek a few miles south of town. It is on the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railroad twenty-four miles from St. Louis. This road was built in 1854 and originally known as the Ohio and Mississippi. Lebanon is also connected with St. Louis by an interurban trolley line which was built in 1902. When first settled it was on the old Indian trail which connected Vincennes and St. Louis. This has been replaced by route twelve of the Illinois highway system, which in the main follows the old trail and provides bus service, both to St. Louis and eastward, and brings St. Louis within an hour's drive by automobile. The southeast quarter of section nineteen, on which Lebanon was originally laid out, was obtained from the government by original grant, being entered by Henry White, September 24, 1814. The first house was built by Gillis Middeaux. It was made of logs and located in the southeast part of the present town, but has long since disappeared. The next was built by Joseph Akin near the present site of the Presbyterian church. Joseph Hathaway built a two-story log house, on what is now St. Louis Street, and another was erected by Thomas Ray, who is referred to by Dr. Allyn in one instance as "the founder of the town," with the additional statement that at nearly fifty years of age he claimed he "had never heard the Lord's prayer." A little later another house was built on the same street by Nathan Horner. This street was merely the old road running through. Another early home builder was Adam Vinyard. The first store in the town was established as early as 1818 by William Kinney, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois, 1826-1830. Mr. Kinney lived about eight miles from Lebanon on the road to Belleville and did not conduct the store himself, but placed it in charge of his nephew, Abraham Kinney. Not much later other stores were started by Thomas Ray, Nathan Horner, MuUigan and Sublett, Samuel and Andy Christy, and James Riggin. These and a few more log buildings were erected on the present site of Lebanon prior to 1820. In that year William Kinney built the hotel "Veranda," which was a brick building and was considered a handsome structure for that day. It was first kept by Jeremiah Johnson, who was an experienced hotel keeper, having been for many years proprietor of the old "Missouri Hotel," in St. Louis. He conducted this hotel for the remainder of his life. It afterward became a part of the "Bishop House" and stood till about the year 1905, when it was removed to make a place for the handsome residence of Mr. E. S. Pfeffer. This was a regular station on the stage line running between St. Louis and Vincennes. Also about 1820 a post office was established and mails were received by stage twice a day. One of the early post-masters, whether the very first or not cannot now be determined, was Colonel Eli B. Clemson. He built the first frame house in Lebanon in the year 1821. It later became a part of the residence of Henry H. Horner and stood till 1925, when it was replaced by a modern bungalow now occupied by the daughters of Judge Horner. Dr. Addison Fillo and a Mr. Morse erected a building and kept the first drug store. The town was laid out by Governor Kinney and Thomas Ray. It was surveyed and platted by Aaron Reed, Jr., and the plat was filed in the office of the county recorder July 27, 1825. Since then there have been twentytwo additions made to the original town. In 1828, at the time of the founding of Lebanon Seminary, there were not more than thirty houses in the place and a population of less than two hundred. In 183,2 a large general store was opened by Horner and Hypes. These men represented two of the most prominent families of the village, both of whom will be mentioned elsewhere. Thomas Williams built a tannery here in 1829 and operated it successfully fof many years. Thomas W. Gray, a native of Maryland, came here in 1824 and engaged in the tailoring business. Lyman Adams, a retired sea captain, built a hotel here in 1830 and called it the "Mermaid House." At this hostelry Charles Dickens was entertained over night when he visited Lebanon on his way to see "Looking Glass Prairie" in 1846. The building is still standing, tho somewhat changed in appearance. It is now a private residence, but the owner is proud to show the room in which Charles Dickens once slept. The "Illinois Gazeteer," published in 1837 t>y Rev. John M. Peck, contains this statement about Lebanon at that date, "Lebanon has a steam mill and an ox mill, a post office, two public houses, seven stores, one grocery, three physicians, mechanics' shops of various kinds, and about sixty families." It was incorpor' ated as a town under special charter in May, 1857. The first officers were: Joseph Hypes, president; Charles Blanck, regis' ter; Samuel Hypes, treasurer; Henry H. Horner, assessor; Adam W. Wise, constable; J. L. Sargent, street inspector; and the town trustees were Hugo Wangelin, Richard F.

Cunningham, James Padon, and Thomas Jordan. After seventeen years of this form of government, it was organized as a city, under the general law, August, 1874, and the following men were selected as the first city offi:ers: Henry H. Horner, mayor; Louis Zerweck, clerk; D. R. Lasley, treasurer; Jean F. Webb, attorney; and Addison Pyle, street commissioner and city marshal. The city council at that time was composed of nine aldermen, three from each of the three wards into which the city was divided. The representation has since been changed so that now there are only two aldermen from each ward.

Following IS a complete list of the mayors, m the order in which they served down to the present. James Rankin, Jean F. Webb, James D. Baker, Louis Zerweck, Edwin L Robinson, Thomas A. Wilson, Roland H. Horner, Christian J. Pfeffer, Dr. John H. Fulgham, James S. Gedney, Frank W. Robinson, Homer C. Eisenmayer, Frank J. Betten, John E. North, and Benjamin Reibold. Rankin and Zerweck each served three terms, and H. H. Horner, Webb, R, H. Horner, Pfeffer, Gedney, F. W. Robinson, Eisenmayer, and North have each served two terms. During all these years the mayor's office has had a very small salary attached to it and the man who holds the office usually gives much time to the interests of the city without pay. In the clerk's office there has not been such a long list. One man, Mr. Cicero L. Robinson, served continuously for a period of thirty-four years and was succeeded by his son, Charles W. Robinson, who is the present incumbent. The city installed an electric light plant in 1890, when but few towns of its size had this modern method of lighting. This municipal plant was maintained until 1921, when the rising cost of fuel and labor made it so expensive to furnish light from a small plant ot that type, that in the interest of economy the plant was sold to the Illinois Power and Light Corporation, and Lebanon became one of the patrons of that great corporation which lights many of the cities in southern Illinois. Several attempts were made thru the years to install waterworks, but various hindering causes prevented the accomplishment of this desirable end until very recent times. But finally, during the term of Mayor North, a municipal water and sanitary sewer system were installed in the years 1926-27.

The most important streets were paved during the mayoralty of James S. Gedney, in the summer of 1908 and later, St. Louis Street with brick and Belleville and Alton Streets with macadam and tarvia finish. Since the close of the war Lebanon has maintained an annual "Homecoming" celebration held in September. This was initiated by the American

Legion. There is usually a crowd of from five to ten thousand people at this event. There are contests and various forms of amusement during the day, with a grand parade in the evening which includes floats representing many of the busi' ness firms of the city.

SCHOOLS The first school m Lebanon was taught in a log school house eighteen by twenty, in 1818. About four years later a small frame school house was erected, which was also used for religious meetings by all denominations who so desired. A school for girls was maintained for some years m the basement of the Methodist church. The building stood on the present site of the Presbyterian church, and was burned m i860. This school was designed to accommodate girls m the days when they were not admitted to McKendree. One pupil of this school, Mrs. Mary FitzGerrell, is still fiving in Lebanon. There was also an elementary school taught in the basement of the Baptist church. Some of the pupils of that school are now living in Lebanon. A large three-story brick school house was built in 1874, but before it was quite finished it was destroyed by fire, and there was no insurance. It was a heavy blow to the community, but the people of Lebanon would not allow any ordinary misfortune to defeat a good purpose, so a new loan was raised and another school house erected immediately, which served the community well and is still in use. When a high school was organized about 1895 it was housed in this same building, together with the grades, but as the years passed by and the school population increased, the building was no longer adequate for both schools, and so a movement was started for the erection of a new high school building. After the necessary preliminaries were arranged and an election held, a community high school was established which includes the village of Summerfield and a part of Mascoutah township. A new building was erected at a cost of $80,000, which represents the latest ideas in the modern high school. Professor C. Grouse was superintendent during the construction period and was succeeded by Professor E. M. Schuenemann, and he by Prof. Vernon G. Mays, the present incumbent. CHURCHES The religious history of the town may be said to have begun when in 1821 the Rev. John M. Peck organized a Sunday School in the little log school house. According to an old Quarterly Conference record, a Methodist preaching place was established m 182},. It was a part of the Shoal Creek Circuit. When the first McKendree building was erected in 1828, it was specified that the assembly room in the building might be used as a place of worship. In the minutes of the Illinois Conference, Lebanon first appears in the list of appointments in 1829. The Methodist Church has had a continuous run here ever since that time. The first building of the Methodists had stood where the Presbyterian church now stands and had a basement which was used for school purposes, as stated elsewhere. This building was destroyed by fire in i860. The Methodists probably worshipped in the college chapel for a few years after that until they felt able to build again. The new building was erected on St. Louis Street, where the present church stands. It was one of the best buildings Lebanon has ever had, of the rectangular type with a tall spire which out-classed the one on the college chapel. The Annual Conference was held in it in 1870. Early one Sunday morning in the spring of 1898 this took fire and was soon in ruins. The work of rebuilding was immediately begun and in December of the same year the present church was dedicated free of debt by

Bishop J. N. FitzGerald. In 1927 an extensive addition was built and other improvements made. The substantial brick parsonage was built in the early seventies, and recently improved and modernized.

There has been a Baptist church in Lebanon since an early day, tho the records of the earliest organization seem to have been lost. Their present house of worship was built in 1856. It is a substantial brick building with a basement, all well furnished. The membership has never been large, but has always contained some of the substantial citizens who have kept ahve the faith and kept their house of worship in repair.

The Presbyterian Church was organized April 8, 1866, by Rev. A. T. Norton, of Alton. The original organization contained nine members. Dr. F. W. Lytle, Miss F. M. Lytle, Miss Amanda Johnson, Mrs. Margaret H. Woodworth, Mrs. Sarah J. Seaman, Miss Ruth Danforth, Mrs. Helen M. Horner, Miss Helen Atwood, and Mrs. Elizabeth Wheeler. Their house of worship is a neat frame building which was erected in 1867. The most prominent pastor was the Rev. Lyman Marshall, who was in charge of the church for about thirty years. It is now known as the Marshall Memorial Church.

The German Evangelical Church may be regarded as an ofF-shoot of the Presbyterian Church. The organization took place in February, 1868. A number of families of German descent desired to be in a separate organization where, if they so desired, they might have the satisfaction of worshipping in their mother tongue. The original records contain the names of many well-known Lebanon families, such as Bachman, Buhr, Guenther, Schmelzer, Reinhardt, Campe. Traband, Blanck, and many others. At first they worshipped by permission in the same church building with the regular Presbyterians, tho of course at a different hour. Their first pastor was the Rev. C. W. Seaman. Under his leadership the money was raised to erect a frame house of worship of very modest pretensions, and costing about $i,')00. This is the oldest part of the present church building. It was begun in September, 1869, finished in the spring of 1871, and dedicated on April 16, of that year. Additions and improvements have been made at different times and now the church will accommodate as many as five hundred people on special occasions. All the pastors after Rev. C. W. Seaman have been members of the Evangelical Church, and so they naturally began to be called by that name and so regarded by its own membership, but it did not become in fact a part of that denomination until January i. iq2.-;, when thru the

The first Catholic people came to Lebanon about iS^o. Among them were such names as Mees, Schwab, Ward, Shannon, Curran, and Phillips. In an early day the Rev. A. Reineke, ot Breese, celebrated mass at the Ward home. In 1862 William Mees circulated a subscription paper and raised money to build a church. It was a small frame building able to seat about a hundred. The first resident priest was the Rev. F. Trojan, 1879-1881. He died in the service of the church and is buried in the local cemetery. The present building was erected under the leadership of Rev. James Gillen, who was pastor from 1886 to 1897. It is a beautiful Gothic structure and cost at that time about $10,000. The present rectory was built during the pastorate of Rev. A. Huesman. The school building was erected by Rev. A. Kamann. The school is taught by a Sister of "The Precious Blood." The sisters reside in a two-story dwelling on the same block with the church and school. Societies of the parish are: "Holy Name," " Altar Society," "Young Ladies' Sodality," and "Catholic Knights of Illinois." The parish has had its own cemetery since 1864.

There are two colored churches in Lebanon, a Baptist and a Methodist. The former has a neat frame building for a house of worship which was erected on Dee Street about forty years ago. It is seated with some of the wooden benches with backs which were originally used in the college chapel, but were removed m 1890 when the chapel was seated with opera chairs. This church does not maintain a steady pastor, but secures one at intervals.

The Methodist belongs to the denomination known as the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It was organized soon after the Civil War and has maintained a continuous history since that time. The financial backbone of the church for many years was Young Turner, an ex-slave who was successful in business and accumulated a considerable fortune before his death in 1916. One of their leading members at the present time is Henry Turner, who is no kin to the Turner just mentioned. This church has a commodious house of worship on Monroe Street and a good-sized parsonage on the same grounds, though at present they do not have a resident pastor. They have part time preaching by a preacher from East St. Louis.

The Deneen Family

In Its equipment for serving the community in a business way Lebanon has four general stores, one dry goods store, one clothing store, a furniture and undertaking establishment, two bakeries, two meat markets, a fruit and vegetable market, one Kroger store, six garages and auto sales agencies, two drug stores, two doctors, two dentists, one mill and lumber yard, one coal dealer, two ice dealers, one soft drink factory, one hat factory, two blacksmith and repair shops, one jewelry store, one music and gift shop, one variety store, three restaurants, one hotel, four barber shops, one picture show, two cigar factories, one newspaper and printing office, a commercial club, a Rotary club, lodges of the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Modern Woodmen, and possibly a few other minor businesses or organizations which a more exhaustive survey might include. THE DENEEN FAMILY The Rev. William L. Deneen was born m Bedford County, Pennsylvania, October 50, 1798. One of his ancestors was captain of a ship which traded from a French port. The family name is of French origin and was originally spelled Denesne. When he was two and a half years old his parents moved to Trumbull County, Ohio, and there he grew to manhood. His opportunities for obtaining an education were limited, but being gifted with a rare natural aptitude for mathematical studies he mastered all branches of the science of mathematics from arithmetic to calculus, with but little help from others. At the age of twenty he went to Vevay, Indiana, where he learned the hatting business, at which he worked for the four following years. Subsequently he taught school. In 1827 he was converted under the ministry of Rev . George Locke and received a call to preach the gospel. In 1828 he was received on trial in the Illinois Conference, which at that time included the two states of Illinois and Indiana. His first appointment was to Shoal Creek Circuit, which at that time included not less than half a dozen present Illinois counties. His other appointments were Salt Creek Circuit, Lebanon Circuit, Kaskaskia Circuit, Brownsville Mission, Waterloo Circuit, Edwardsville, Belleville, Upper

Alton, Alton, Belleville a second time, Waterloo, and Lebanon. For nineteen consecutive years he carried the burdens of an itinerant Methodist preacher. Then a severe attack of throat trouble induced him to give up public speaking, so he retired from the active ministry. In the year 1847 he took advantage of a provision in the by-laws of McKendree College whereby a person might receive a degree by successfully passing an examination on the entire college course without spending the usual years in class attendance. Mr. Deneen took the examination and received the degree of B. S. in 1847. Jri fact he was the whole class for that year. His was the first degree of Bachelor of Science that was ever conferred by McKendree College. Prior to that time all dc grees in regular courses had been Bachelor of Arts. As soon as his health permitted, Mr. Deneen engaged in the business of surveying lands, into which he was led by his strong predilection for the science of mathematics which had grown upon him with the passing years. He was County Surveyor of St. Clair County during the years 1849-185 1 and again 1853-1855. His unusual proficiency in mathematics and the remarkable accuracy of his work as a surveyor received the highest testimonials from those most conversant with the business in which he was employed. In repeated instances the decisions of the courts were determined by the weight of his testimony and the reputation of his work. His services were constantly in demand until he had reached his four score years. Mr. Deneen was an able preacher, a profound theologian, and a true Christian. As a minister and as a surveyor he was strictly conscientious in all his labors. He did much work in Lebanon surveying the various additions that were made from time to time. Mr. R. H. Horner, who frequently does surveying, has in his possession a little book of records made by Mr. Deneen. It is the best authority to be found anywhere for settling questions of boundary lines or corners in the town of Lebanon.

He was married in 18 ji to Miss Verlinder B. Moore, daughter of Risdon Moore, of Revolutionary fame. She was born June jo, 1802 and died on her birthday, June 30, 1855. There were three children of this marriage, Risdon Moore Deneen, who was born in 1833 and died in 1864, Samuel H., who was born in 1835 and died in 1895, and Sarah A., who became the wife of Hon. A. W. Metcalf, of Edwardsville. Mr. Deneen lived in Lebanon after his retirement from the ministry. He died in 1879 and was buried in the cemetery at Shiloh.

and graduated in the class of 1854. In the following year he taught school and continued his studies in the ancient languages. In 1855 he was elected tutor in the Classics in McKendree College, and in 1858 he was made adjunct professor of Ancient Languages. His studies now took a wide range over the field of ancient, and more especially, of the Roman Literature, and he read carefully and critically the entire existing works of the principal Latin authors. In 1862 he was elected professor of the Latin Language and Literature. However, at this time the Civil War, now in its second year, was demanding the attention of men of every walk of life and even the colleges felt the pressure of the one great demand of the time. So Professor Deneen enlisted in the Union Army, and was commissioned Adjutant of the 1 17th Regiment, of which Professor Risdon Moore, of the Mathematic Department of McKendree was the Colonel. This was known as the McKendree Regiment, since many of the students were found in its ranks. This regiment saw service in Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Mr. Deneen participated in the marches, skirmishes, and battles of his regiment until November, 1864, when on account of sickness he was granted an honorable discharge from the service and returned home. In 1865 he resumed his work in the college as professor of Latin. He engaged in this task with new vigor. Through his agency the Latin course in the college was extended and intensified. He was a most efficient leader in this field. His high scholastic attainments were recognized not only in the institution where he labored, but in much wider circles. In recognition of this, Indiana Asbury University gave him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1876. On account of faiHng health he was obliged to give up his college work in 1886. After a few years of rest and recuperation he was appointed by President Harrison in 1890 to the position of United States Consul at Belleville, Ontario. He resigned in 1893 to go into business in Chicago. His death occurred in that city April 13, 1895.

His remains were brought hack and laid to rest in College Hill Cemetery, Mr. Deneen was married in 1859, to Mary F. Ashley, a daughter of Hiram K. Ashley, who was one of the early trustees of McKendree. She was also a granddaughter of Nathan Horner. She was educated at the Illinois Female College, at Jacksonville and the Wesleyan Female College, at Cincinnati. She graduated from the latter institution. Their oldest son, Edward Ashley, died soon after graduating from McKendree. Their second son, Charles Samuel, after serving two terms as governor of his state, is now a member of the United States Senate. He will receive more adequate mention elsewhere in this book. Their two daughters graduated from McKendree. Mrs. Sarah A. Dickson now lives in Chicago; Florence Deneen also lives m the same city where for many years she has been a teacher in the public schools.

The Horner Family

The Horner family is one of the oldest in Lebanon. Nicholas Horner, with his family, moved from near Baltimore in 1812 to Ohio and thence in 181 <; to Illinois, and settled about two miles north of where Lebanon now stands. He purchased about five hundred acres of land, which of course at that time was very cheap. A part of it was somewhat improved, and for this he paid ten dollars an acre. The rest he obtained at the usual government price. He was much interested m the welfare and improvement of the pioneer community, as evidenced by the fact that he was the largest contributor to the fund raised in 1828 for the founding of Lebanon Seminary. Thomas Ray, who had a part m the early affairs of the town, was his son-in-law. He lived on his farm until his death, which occurred about 1840.

Nathan Horner, son of Nicholas, was born in Maryland in the year 1790. He came with his father to Ohio in 1812, and while living there he was united in marriage to Nancy Hypes, who was a native of Virginia, and a daughter of Henry Hypes. She was a woman of fine intelligence and remarkable energy. Mr. Horner, with his young wife, came to Illinois at the same time his father did and engaged m farming for a time, but as early as 1819 he moved to the village and started a store, which was among the earliest in Lebanon. From that time on he spent the remainder of his active life in the mercantile business. He died in 1867, at the age of seventy-seven. In 1832 he formed a partnership with Benjamin Hypes, his brother-in-law, and they conducted a large general store on the south side of St. Louis Street, near the square. In 183,'; he erected a large brick house on what is now the corner of St. Louis and Pearl

Streets. At that time it was one of the finest residences in the county. It was in this house that he extended his hospitality to John W. Merrill when he first came to Lebanon m 183,7, 'i"d there Dr. Merrill had his long illness, and there the college boys brought him water to drink from the college well. The house is still standing, and is a comfortable and commodious residence. Mr. Horner was a warm friend of education ,ind one of the staunch supporters of the struggling college m the community which he himself had helped to found. Likewise he was a leading member of the Meth' odist Church.

The Hypes Family

Henry Hypes Horner, the oldest son of Nathan, was born in Lebanon, February 22, 1821. He grew up in his native town and was educated in the college which his father and grandfather had helped to establish. A sketch of him appears elsewhere in this work as a member of the first class that graduated from McKendree. His four children, Roland H., Wilbur N., Hattie H., and Bertha, were all educated at McKendree and all graduated except the youngest daughter. They all live m Lebanon at present. The sons are both law yers. The oldest has served several terms as mayor of Leb' anon, and many years as Justice of the Peace, which office he still holds. The second son practiced law for many years in Chicago, but recently retired from active work. THE HYPES FAMILY

The Hypes family is the offspring of a sturdy German immigrant who came to America before the Revolutionary War. Several members of the family have been of such great importance to Lebanon and McKendree College that it seems appropriate to record here at least an outline of the family history. The greater part of this information was furnished by Mrs. J. F. Webb, of Denver, Colorado, who is the daugh' ter of Joseph Hypes.

Nicholas Hypes was born in Oberstien, Germany, March 8, 1728. He was educated for a Lutheran minister and served in that capacity for a while, but becoming dissatisfied m that field of work, he learned the trade of machinist and later that of cabinet-maker. He came to America in 1760, bringing with him his wife and two children. His wife sickened and died on ship-board and was buried at sea. He reached Philadelphia at the end of his sad voyage and found there a home for his motherless children, and finally found employment as superintendent of Col. Zane's iron foundry. In time he became a personal friend of George Washington, and when the war broke out he wanted to join the army, but Washington told him to stay with the iron foundry and turn out all the ordnance for the use of the patriot army, and assured him that he would best serve his adopted country in this way. He complied with Washington's request and after the war was rewarded with a title from the government to one thousand acres of land near Fincastle, Virginia. His service record was burned in the raid of Sheridan's army during the Civil War. About this time he married a wealthy widow of Philadelphia, whose two daughters objected to sharing their wealth with a stepfather. So their mother divided the wealth between the daughters and went to live with Nicholas Hypes on a farm near Winchester, Virginia, where six children came to bless their union. Of these, the oldest son, Henry, married Patience Reynolds and lived on a farm near Fincastle, Virginia for sixteen years and there seven of their eight children were born. In 1811 they moved to a farm near Dayton, Ohio, and later to a farm on which a part of the city of Xenia, Ohio, now stands. Here their youngest son was born in 1812. The eldest daughter, Nancy, married Nathan Horner, and later they moved to the village of Lebanon, Illinois, and purchased property there. Mr. Horner is further mentioned in the story of the Horner family.

The oldest son, Joseph, was born March 24, 1798, and in 1821 he came to Lebanon to assist his brother-in-law, Nathan Homer, in running his mill, which was the first to be built and run in Lebanon. In 1823 he became a mail carrier between Carlyle and St. Louis. Later in 1824-25 his line was extended from Salem to St. Louis. August 21, 1826, he joined the first regiment of the Illinois State Militia and was commissioned captain of his company. His commission, signed by Governor Cole, is still in possession of his daughter, Mrs. Webb. Abraham Lincoln was also a captain in the same regiment, and they became close friends. The regiment was only called out occasionally for special service, but in 1832 they began a longer period of service in suppressing the ravages of the hostile Indians in northern Illinois. This was known as the Blackhawk War. In 1833 he was in the employ of the W. H. Gale Company, of Carrollton, Illinois, as a millwright until an epidemic of cholera closed the business and he returned to Lebanon. When the Illinois Conference took action at Mt. Carmel in 1827, looking to the founding of a conference seminary, Joseph Hypes and David Chamberlin immediately began efforts to secure its location in Lebanon. How well they succeeded has been told elsewhere in this volume. In 1837 he made a trip to Texas on horseback to bring a widow and her httle son back to her family in Lebanon. On the return trip he walked while the widow rode the horse, as he was unable to secure another horse. In 1838, when a campaign was on for the supposed endowment of McKendree, he purchased a $500 scholarship which is still in existence, though it has never been used. This shows his continued interest in McKendree. In 1840 he formed a partnership with John McDonald in the wagon making and wheelwright business, which was continued until 1856, when he withdrew from the business and retired on a competency.

December 12, 1844, he was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas Padfield, of Dayton, Ohio. She died July 24, 1849, leaving two children, James and Mary Hypes. In 1850 he married Mrs. Helen Turner Belt, who died April 13, 1873. In June, 1850, he was one of twenty-five delegates to attend a convention held in Salem to promote the building of a railroad from Cincinnati to St. Louis. It was built in 1854. Iri 1851 he became a member of the Masonic Order and for many years was chaplain of the Royal Arch Masons of Lebanon. He was a trustee of the Methodist Church from 1851 until his death and for many years a trustee of McKendree. In 1857 the town of Lebanon was incorporated and he was elected the first president of the Board. He held the office for four years. In early life he was a Whig in politics, and in i860 he was a delegate to the National Republican Convention at Chicago, which nominated his friend, Abraham Lincoln, for President of the United States. He always maintained a keen interest in the community, the church, and the college to the end of his life. He sacrificed much for McKendree. He paid fees for a number of worthy youths who could not have gone otherwise. His own son and his son-in-law, Jean F. Webb, were students in McKendree in the Civil War period and both left college to join the army. He lived in Lebanon to the end of his life and died May 3, 1886, at the age of eighty -eight.

George Washington Hypes was educated as a physician, but joined the Navy in 1835 and never returned. From that time on his relatives have no further record of him.

Benjamin Hypes was born at his father's Virginia home, February 10, 1805. He came to Lebanon some time in the twenties, and for two years operated an ox mill which at that time was the only power available with which to run a mill. The list of tuition bills of Lebanon for its first session in 1828 contains the name of Benjamin Hypes. This is evidence that he was himself a student in the seminary for a time at least while he was a young man and before his marriage. In 1832 he became a partner in the mercantile business with Nathan Horner, his brother-in-law, with whom he was associated until 1840. He then engaged in farming for three years, after which he opened a store of his own in Lebanon which he earned on until 1863. Soon after the inauguration of President Lincoln he was appointed postmaster of Lebanon and retained the office during Lm coin's administration.

He was married in i8j4 to Caroline Murriy, who was born in Baltimore, in 1814. Her father, Daniel Murray, was one of the early settlers of the county, having become a resident of Belleville in an early day. Their six children were : Cornelia Maria; Adelaide Victoria, wife of Thomas Essex William Henry; Mary Julia, wife of Abijah S Meguire; Benjamin Murray; and Caroline Vir ginia, wife of Professor William F. Swahlen, who was for twenty years a member of the Mc- Kendree faculty. These are all now deceased except Mrs. Swahlen, who lives in Greencastle, Indiana. Mr. Hypes was formerly a Whig in poUtics and cast his first vote for president for Henry Clay. After the organization of the Republican party he gave his allegiance to it. In religion he was a life-long Methodist. He was for a generation one of the pillars of the church in Lebanon. He contributed freely to its support, and his house was always a home for ministers. He was a class leader for thirty-five years. He was a delegate to the first Lay Conference held in the Southern Illinois Conference, in 1871, at Cairo. There he was elected a Lay Delegate to the General Conference of 1872, held at Brooklyn. He was one of the charter trustees of McKendree College, was a liberal supporter of the institution financially, morally, and in every otherway. He served sixty-one years as a trustee, thirty-seven years as treasurer and for two years was president of the Joint Board of Trustees and Visitors. His son, Benjamin Murray Hypes, was born and reared in Lebanon, and graduated from McKendree in the class of 1866. He then studied medicine and practiced his profession in St. Louis during his whole medical career, which was the remainder of his life. He was for many years a member of the faculty of the Medical Department of St. Louis University. He was quite successful in his professional career and accumulated a considerable fortune. He never got quite away from his home town, and owned property there almost to the end of his life. He was never married, but after his father's death in 1896 he took his mother to St. Louis, where he maintained a comfortable home, over which she presided for the remainder of her long life. She never moved her membership from the Methodist church at Lebanon. Her son made an annual contribution to the church for her as long as she lived, and after her death he kept it up m her name as long as he lived. And before his death he established a trust fund of $5,000 for the benefit of the Lebanon Methodist Church, to be known as the Hypes Memorial Fund. He also donated a beautiful memorial window in honor of his father and mother when the present Church building was erected. He also erected a fine monument in College Hill Cemetery for the Hypes family where the mortal remains of most of them were laid to rest.

John Wesley Hypes was born May 12, 1810, and came to Lebanon in 1836. For many years he was engaged m the saddlery and harnessmakmg business m Lebanon. In 1849 he married Mary Ann Murray, of Baltimore. They had one daughter, who afterward married Mr. Keet, of Springfield, Missouri. At her home both her parents died very close to the end of the century. Mr. Hypes was an earnest church worker and for many years a trustee of McKendree.

Francis Asbury Hypes, youngest of the group of children to which he belonged, was born in Ohio, June 30, 1812. He married and came to Lebanon in early life. He was a trustee of McKendree for a time, but after a few years he went back to Ohio and died there m 1847.

Mrs. P.itience Reynolds Hypes, mother of the eight children mentioned above, died in Ohio, September 11, 1823. The next year her husband, Henry Hypes, and Mrs. Sarah N. Wright, were married. Mrs. Wright already had two sons by her first marriage. One of these afterward became the father of the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and OrviUe, of airplane fame. Oi the four children of Henry and Sarah Hypes, the oldest, Susan Maria, married Tobias Drees and was the mother of Rev. Charles W. Drees, who was so long a missionary in South America.

Nicholas Fletcher Hypes, the youngest of the family, was born at Xenia in 183 1. He was a minister in the Cincinnati Conference and was noted for his fine ministerial work.