Assumption Township (part 2 of 3)

Iverson Stokes

IVERSON STOKES, Wild ha- lived within the limits of what is now Christian county more than half a century, deserves something more than a passing notice in this work. He was born in Todd county, Kentucky, June 12th, 1825. He was the son of David and Sarah Stokes. David Stokes was a native of North Carolina, as was also his wife. His father, John Stokes, was a native Englishman, who emigrated to America prior to the Revolutionary war, and was a soldier in that struggle. Mr. Stokes is also of English descent on the maternal side, and his ancestors on that side also participated in the Revolution. John Stokes, the grandfiither of the subject of our sketch, settled in North Carolina. He raised a fiimily of ten children, nine boys and one daughter, and died in that state. David Stokes grew to manhood there, and after his marriage emigrated to Kentucky, where he followed farming. He raised a family of twelve children, seven boys and five girls, Mr. Stokes being the tenth in number. In 1829 David Stokes, with a desire to better his situation in life, emigrated with his family to Illinois, and settled in the extreme western part of what is now Christian county, where lie entered land from the government and improved a farm. He lived on the place he improved until his death, November 14th, 1844, his wife surviving him some twelve years. The subject of our sketch was between four and five years of age wdien his father settled within the boundaries of Christian county. He remained at home, a.ssisting to improve the farm, until he was twenty years of age, and then began working for himself. At the age of twenty-one he was married to Miss Loui.sa Ashley, daughter of John Ashley, a resident of Sangamon county. They have a family of children as follows: Jane A., now the wife of J. F. George, and living in Christian county ; John A., now in Kansas, railroading ; Loucinda A., who married G. D. Hooker, and lives in Kansas ; Anna, uow the wife of J. W. Miller, in Kansas; and Julia J., now the wife of Oscar Thrawls, and lives in Buckhart township. After Mr. Stokes' marriage he began the improvement of a farm, and has continued farming to the present time ; he has also worked at the carpenter trade for nearly thirty-five years. He has always lived near where his father .settled in 1829, and has endured all the hardships and privations incident to a pioneer life. His education thereby was sadly neglected when a boy, having such advantages only as were afforded during the " log school-house period." By a diligent use of the means afforded he acquired the rudiments of an education, and in after life, by his energy and industry, he qualified himself very creditably. ]\Ir. Stokes' history reaches back to the days of the early settlements of Central Illinois, and during his residence, since he arrived at the age of maturity, he has been identified with the interests of his county. He has always enjoyed the respect and confidence of the community in which he has lived. When his father first settled in this county they were accustomed to go to St. Louis, ninety-five miles distant, for sugar, salt, and other necessaries. The people, however, in those early days were sociable and friendly, and would turn out to a man to help raise a neighbor's cabin. Mr. Stokes in politics is a stanch democrat, and takes (piite an interest in the success of the party. Though not a politician, 'in the ordinary acceptance of that term, he has always taken an intelligent interest in public affairs, supporting the principles of his party from the belief that they are the best calculated to serve the interests of the masses under a republican form of government. He has filled the office of school treasurer in his township for fifteen years.

Was one of the prominent agriculturalists in Buckhart township ; he was born iu Leyden, Mass., March 15, 1811, and ^Yas the son of Salmon Sheldon. He was brought up on a farm, and educated to that avocation. At the age of twenty seven he was united in marriage to Miss Evelina ^Maxwell, a native of Vermont. Immediately after his marriage he emigrated west, and settled in what is now Buckhart township. Christian county, Illinois ; this was in the year 1838. He was unlike many others coming to a new country in this particular ; he had quite an amount of ready cash mostly accumulated by himself after he arrived at the age of maturity. He entered iu the above-named township, one thousand acres of land from the government, and began farming and stock raising on rather a large scale for those days ; in order to carry on the busine.-s in a way he wished he was compelled to borrow more or less money ; he invested his entire capital in laud and improvements, and when the crash of 1849 came on him he could not realize upon his stock, and the consequences were he lost his entire possessions, the land went into the hands of his creditors, and his father, being one of them, received two hundred and forty-five acres. Mr. Sheldon was a man of energy and industry, and while this misfortune would have unnerved some men, it seemed to renew his vigor. He rented this two hundred and forty-five acres of land from his father ; after three years he went back to Mass., making most of the trip in a one horse wagon in company with his wife. On his return lie purchased this tract of land from his father, and began life anew, and was more successful. By degrees, he added acre after acre, until his farm consisted of five hundred acres, well improved with good buildings. Mr. Sheldon was a man of integrity and industry, and proved to be a very useful citizen. He worked energetically to subdue the soil, and soon found himself the possessor of an excellent farm. He raised a family of five children, viz: Mary E., now deceased, who was the wife of C. P. C. Jliner ; Emma I., late wife of L. Bradley ; Leonora, now living at tlie old homestead ; Abby Jenette, now deceased, and Salmon M., who is now liviug at the old homestead. He was united in marriage to Miss Mary I. Wood, a native of Dixon, Illinois, February 4, 1874. They have a family of three childreu, Jennie I., Victor L. and JIaud L. Jlr. Shekhm was [last sixty-eight years of age at the time of his death Novemlier 20, 1879. He lived a quiet life, and was a member of the ]\I. E. Church nearly forty years ; he took an active part in church interests until the close of his life ; the church was always near his heart, and next to his femily he remembered the altar where he worshipped. He gave liberally, and his was a simple faith, apo.stolic iu character, evangelic in results. Though an active, busy life was his, managing quite an estate for many years, yet his mind was unusually well informed, and he was fully abreast with the thought of the age. His political affiliations were always on the side of freedom, and the Union cause of the late war had in him a strong supporter.

Was born in Claiborne county, Tenne.-see, November '23d, 1822. He was the sou of William and Barbara Sharp. His ancestry on the paternal side were Scotch-Irish, and on the maternal side, German. William .Sharp was a native of Tennessee, born in 1799. The Sharp family settled in America long prior to the Revolutionary war. They first settled in North Carolina, afterward moved into Virginia, and subsequently moved into the state of Tennessee in an early day. William Sharp married Barbara Hunter in Tennessee. They had nine children born to them in that state. In 1836 they emigrated to Macoupin county, Illinois, and settled in the north-west part of the county. They had one child born to them after coming to Illinois. In 1838 Mrs. Sharp died. Jlr. Sharp afterwards married Miss Elizabetli Wilson, by whom he had five children, of which two are now living. Mr. Sharp followed the life of a farmer and blacksmith. He died at the residence of his son, John Sharp, the subject of our sketch, June 20, 187.5. .Tohii Sharp was fourteen years of age when his father moved tu Illinois. He a.ssisted on his father's farm, in Macoupin county, until he was of age, and attended the common schools of that county during tbe winter mouths. At the age of twenty-three he enlisted in the ^lexican war. He was in Company G., under Captain .J. Wyatt, Lst Illinois Vols., Col John J. Hardin having command of the regiment. He was in the battle of Buena Vista, where Col. Hardin was killed, and within a short distance of the Colonel when he fell. Jlr. Sharp enlisted in this war in June, 1840, and returned home July, 1847, after his discharge. His brother, Henry H., accompanied him through this war. The following fall after their discharge they went to Iowa to lay their land warrants. After traveling about over the state for sometime, they made a choice near where Oskaloosa is now located. After laying their claims they remained in the state for a few months, returning the following year. From that time until 1849 Mr. Sharp farmed, broke prairie and taught school. September 9th, 1849, he was united in marriage to Miss Emeline Redferu, a native of Macoupin county. By this union they have had a family of eight children, of whom seven are living, three boys and four girls, viz. : Henry E., Joseph M., Sarah A., Ida E., Ira G., Emma C. and Lulu May. Henry E. is married and lives in Taylorville township. Sarah A. is now the wife of Dr. F. A. McNeill, living iu Sharpsburg. In 18.53 Mr. Sharp moved into Christian county, and settled iu Buckhart township, where he now re-sides. He sold his land, one hundred and sixty acres, in Iowa, for S2.50 per acre, and bought where he now lives for S5.00 per acre. His first purchase was eighty acres. He has made farming and stock-raising his life occupation. When the Springfield, Illinois and South-Eastcrn railroad was being constructed through the county, Mr. Sharp and his brothers, George R. and Henry H., were instrumental in getting a depot located near them, iu order to facilitate their shipments. The railroad company gave the name of the place Sharpsburg, In politics Mr. Sharp is a democrat. He cast his first vote for James K. Polk, and he has continued to vote for every democratic nominee to the present time. When the county went into township organization he was elected as the first Supervisor from Buckhart township. He is now Notary Public, a position he has held for five years. For a number of years he has been a member of the Masonic order. Mr. Sharp started out in life with nothing, but his mind was made up from the start to fight his way upward in the world if anything could be accomplished by hard work and perseverance. He now has a comfortable home, with everything about him to make his declining years full of ease and serenity.

Was burn in Claiborne county, Tenn., January 3, 1830. Ho wa.s tlie son of William and Barbara Sharp. They raised a family of ten children, nine born in Tennessee, and one in ^Nlacoujiin county, after their removal to Illinois. Their names are as follows : Elizabeth, now the wife of .Joseph ^Montgomery, lives in Macoupin county ; John, now living in Christian county ; Henry H., also living in Christian county; Winnifred, late wife of Gabriel Hurt, of Macoupin county; Lawson, now living in Jlissouri; George R., the subject of our sketch ; Louisa, now the wife of John Fair, living in Nebraska ; William N., now living in Barton county, Missouri ; Barbara, late wife of Thomas J. Fair, and ]\Iarv. wife of Wesley Hender-son, living in Kansas. In the fall of 1836 William Sharp, with his family, emigrated from Tennessee and .settled in ^Macoupin county, Illinois. Two years subsequently he lost his wife ; he afterwards married Miss Elizabeth Wilson. The)- had five children, two of whom are living, viz. : Susan, now the wife of William Coons, living in Missouri, and Agnes, who married Robert Middleton, and lives in Nebraska. In 1869 Jlr. Sharp removed to Barton county, Missouri, where he remained three years ; he then came to Christian county and made his home with his son, John Sharp, until his death, June 20, 1875. Too much cannot be said in praiseworthy terms of the character of William Sharp, who always taught by example what he held by jirecept. For forty years he was held as a model for the old and the young, being a professor of religion and a member of the Baptist church, in which he held the position of deacon for a number of years. His second wife died about four years prior to his death. George R. Sharp grew to manhood on a farm, and at the age of twenty-six, he was united in marriage to Miss Susan Hanon, September 28, 18.56. She was a daughter of Martin and Sarah Hanon, and born within the limits of Christian county, but before the county was organized ; her birth dates February 19, 1838. Her father, Maitin Hanon, was a native of Tennessee ; his parents moved to Kentucky when he wa.s quite small, where they lived until he was about twelve years of age. They then removed to what is now Gallatin county, Illinois, this being in the year 1812. At the age of fifteen his father died ; his mother subsequently moved further north in the state, and in 1818 Mrs. Hanon with her family settled within the present limits of Christian county. Mrs. Sharp's father was about nineteen years of age when his mother settled here. At the age of twenty-four he married Miss Sarah ^liller ; by this union they had eleven children, of whom Mrs. Sharp was the eighth. Mr. Hanon lived in this county until his death, January 25, 1879, at the advanced age of eighty years. Mr. and ]\Irs. Sharp have raised a family of seven children, two sons and five daughters, viz : William Virgil, the oldest, now deceased, who died at the age of eighteen years and six months, January 27, 1876 ; Xemenia Priiella, now the wife of N. D. Waller, living in Sharpsburg ; Mary A., George E., Emma A., Mabel Jane, and Nina Pearl. After Mr. .Sharp's marriage he began the improvement of the place he is now living on ; he has always followed farming. In politics he is a democrat. He has represented his township in the Board of Supervisors for nine successive years. His actions while in this position have met with the general support of the best classes of the community, he having determined to adopt a liberal and at the same time economic policy, and to do what he considered l)e.st for the sound interests of the county. He is now a candidate for the Legislature on the democratic ticket.

and is known as one of Christian county's industrious and successfid citizens. George C. Wilkinson was united in marriage Jauuary :.'-, 1^74, to ]\[iss Lizzie Vandevcer, also a native of Christian connt\'. They have one child - Harry. ]\Ir. Wilkinson began his business career in Kdinburg in 1S7-'j. He is engaged in the liverv business, and has one of the finest livery buildings in Central Illinois, as well stocked with good horses and rigs of every description as can be found in any fir.st-class stable. He is also engaged in farnnng and general trading. A view of hisfarm and livery buildings can be seen in another part of this work. Thus far his life has been well spent ; with his .social and iudu.?trious qualities, he is destined to make life a success. May prosperity attend him in all the varied walks of life.

This t(jwnshiii, formerly a part of Bear Creek precinct, was formed in 18fjt!, upon the adoption of township organization. It embraces the congressional township, known as T. 11 N., R. .3 W. The surfoce is a beautiful undulating prairie, with but little or no timber. The soil is a deep, rich, black loam, very fertile and proiluctive, every acre of which is susceptible of a high state of cultivation. The head waters of Bear Creek traverse its center, meandering iu a northerly direction, and pass out of the township at the north-east corner of section 5. This creek and its affluents, Prairie Fork, Lick, and two or three minor tributaries, drain the lands, and furnish a good supply of water for stock purposes.

A few years ago this whole area was comparatively an unhabited waste ; only here and there stood the lone cabin as an evidence of the more advanced pioneer of civilization ; while to-day its broad acres are subdued and made to yield, and on every hand mav be seen well-made farms and houses, teeming with life and activity. An energetic people, not to be surpassed in industry, perseverance and progression, are using their united cHiu-ts to make this one of the first townships in the county.

The early history of Ricks may lie f nind in the Bear Creek township history, as, for many years after the county was organized, it was included as a part of that precinct.

ConsUihles. - A.\\iO\i Wall and James M. Fuller, elected in 1873 ; James M. Arnold and John W. Hunter, 1877; Charles Dinwiddle, 1878; I. J. Christopher, 1879.

Justices of ihe Peace. - James H. Sisua and Joseph W. Snively, elected iu 1806; Newell D. Ricks, 1867; Sanford Petty, 1808; James H. Sisua and John S. Craig, 1870 ; John S. Craig and James H. Sisua, re-elected in 1870; John S. Craig, re-elected 1877; James Stork, 1877.

The land on which this town is located, was entered by Ex-Gov. C'arlin, June 14th, 1871, at the nominal sum of 81.25 per acre. The title of the present town site was vested in Col. J. L. D. Morrison, of Belleville, Illinois, now a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, ^vho purchased it from the heirs of his first wife, the daughter of Ex-Gov. Carlin.

Col. Morrison laid out the town, in the fall of 1809, under the supervision of the Decatur and Ea.st St. Louis Railroad Company, now the Waba.sh, St. Louis and Pacific Railwav, donating one-half the land with the express condition that the company would make tliis station a regular stopping place for all trains. He in addition (lonate'l tifty lots, conditioned that the occupants build on the same.

Sifuattoii luid Surrrii - The town is eligibly situated on high, rolling ground, in the center of a populous prairie, and commands the trade of the surrounding country for many miles. It received its name in honor of the original proprietor. Col. Morrison. The main part of the town is located on the west half of the North-west quarter of section eight, and was surveyed and platted by Richard M. Powel, count)' surveyor in 1870, and acknowledged by Col. J. L. D. Morrison and Adelia S. jMorrison, his wife, April 4th, 1871. The plat was filed in county Recorder's office, April 8th, 1871. Since then there have been two additions made, viz. : W. E. Jlorrison's addition, south-west (juarter of section five, and T. F. Potts' addition, south-east quarter of section six.

The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway runs in a south-west direction, diagonally through the center of the town plat. The track was laid throu>rh the town in May, 1870, about si.x months after the location of ]\Iorrisonville.

Setti.Eme.Vt

The first resident within the present town limits, was James Arnold, who lived on the estate of the late Mr. Perrine. This tract, however, was not within the limits of the town at the time of its location. The original town plat contained but eighty acres. The first settler, in the town proper then, was Richard McLean, who erected the first house in January, 1870. It was located near the depot, and was then used for saloon purposes. The building is now owned by J. P. Stark

Joseph Poggeupol built the first dwelling-house, in February of the same vear. During this month several families - N. N. Bell, James Sanford, and A. Wall, became residents on the same day ; and others followed in quick succession.

The first store building was erected liy X. N. Bell, in which he opened the first stock of goods for sale. This was in the latter part of February, 1870. The building is now owned by M. F. Cheney. Mr. Bell's goods were the first shipped on the new railroad to Morrisonville.

The next store was erected and opened by D. F. Bounell, with a complete stock of general goods. This store i.s now owned by N. K. Beardslee. All these stores were built and opened during the early part of the year 1870.

The following named persons located here first in their respective occupations: - E. Green, Carpenter tihoji : H. 3Ieain, /('/-.»? »ii7/ in running order; Stewart and Post, Elevator; Anson Wall, Hotel; Alpheus Wall, Post-iimgter ; C. Wucherpfennig, Blachmitli ; Mr.

Townseud & Co., Drar/c/ist-'' ; Wm. Wilkins, Banker; Geo. Britton, Hardware store; Dr. C. Voorhees, Phi/sician. George Hall, was the first child born in the town limits. The first death was an infant child of Jlr. Burts.

During the year 1871, the commercial interests were represented in almost every branch, and a large number of business houses and residences were erected.

When the census was taken in 1870, there were but one hundred and twenty-eight souls, and at present as nearly as can be judged, would reach a population of twelve hundred.

The Morr:.<unvllle Tinir.i, was established by Thomas E. Cox, editor and proprietor, and the first number issued August 20, 1875. It was a folio of twentv-f'our columns, and quite creditable and neat in its mechanical arrangement. The paper is now edited and published by Steen Brothers.

The I'Ost-Office

Was (>talili>lied in l87ii, with Alpheus Wall, as the first post-master. The .-ucceeiling ones have been Geo. H. Cox, R. A. Buxton and J. W. Campbell.

Glenn Bros. Mill and Elevator was built in 1871, and is now owned by Fredrick & Harri.son. The mill has four run of burrs. The elevator is constructed for handling all kinds of grain, and has a capacity of 20,000 bushels small grain.

A. B. Hcrdmau it Co.'s elevator was erected by J. R. Stewart, in 1871. It is constructe<l for handling all kinds of grain, with a capacity of 16,000 bushels.

History Of Ciirlstian Coi'Xty, Illinois

Present Offieers. - F. N. Haven, P. M. W. ; C. G. Kociwn, M. W. ; Ed. Charlson, G. F. ; A. W. Miller, O; J. B. Walker, Rec; J. W. Campbell, F. ; A. M. Young, Rec. ; E S. Little, Guide ; G. A. Vandcveer, I. W. ; J. W. ; J. Shake, O. W. ; J. W. Campbell, Rep. The tinancial interests are of fair proportions, as may be inferred fri>ni the fact that upward of §200,000 worth of merchandize is annually sold by retail alone, with an annual sale of from 50,000 to 60,000 feet of lumber; and from 700,000 to 800,000 bushels of grain is received yearly, and either manufirctured into flour lure. or shippeil to distant markets, together with a large anmnnt of stock, worth, perhaps, §60,000, making, in the aggregate, annually, a large sura of money that is employed in the transaction of business.

Earlv attention was given to educational facilities. I'nder t(jwnship organization, a neat frame school-hou.se was built May 1, 1870. It was used also as a town luill and for church purposes. To avoid disputes and uiiplea.sant feelings, and to keep the peace, the directors assigned a special Sabbath to each denomiuatiun. Miss Gertrude Pence wa.s the first teacher employed by the district to occupy it. As the town increa.sed in population the erection of a larger house became Iiecessary. In 1874, the board of directors met and decided on the cost and plan of a building, which was soon erected. It is a brick structure, 40x50 feet in size, two stories high, and contains suitable rooms for three departments. It was completed at a cost of S10,l»0(l.

The building is an ornament to the place and speaks well for the enlerpri.sc of the people and the interest they exhibit in popular education.

Mr. Van Emnion, a Dunkard, has the credit of preaching the fir.st sermon in Morrisonville, May 22, 1870, in the first sclioolliouse, soon after its completion.

The Presbyterian church was the first organized in the town. The society made out a list of names of those desiring to unite in the formation of a church, Sept. 1, 1870, and it was presented to the Presbytery, at Matooii, 111. On the 4th of October in the same year it received favoralile aeliini, and R"v. W. Maynard and Elder C. Goudv, were appointed a committee to visit and complete the organization, which they did January 15, 1871. Rev. E. P. Rankin, became the first resident pastor.

The Presbyterian church was the first erected in Morrisonville, on ground presented by Col Morrison. The ground was first broken, early in Octuber, 1.S71. The enclosure was completed in the following December, but the plastering was not done till the spring of 1872. The building was completed at a cost of §10,000. The house was dedicateil July 14, 1872. The sermon was delivered by Rev. E. F. Root, then at Shclhyville, 111. It is a large handsome structure of the gnthie ty]ie, with steeple.

It was re-organized August 7, 1870, with fort3--seven scholars and seven teachers, as the Union Sahbatli Seliool, composed of all denominations, with IMebane Anderson, as Superintendent, and William Anderson, Librarian and Treasurer. It was moved into the new Presbyterian church July 28, 1872.

The town was incorporated under the general city and village law in May 1872. The fir.st board of Trustees consisted of the following named persons: - C. M. Leiberman, Dr. C. Yoorhees, W. T. Ricks, E. S. Shull and J. T. Hall ; with Dr. Silas Irion as Police Magistrate.

The streets are kept in a fair condition, and good plank walks are laid on all the principal ones. A large number of shade and oruainental trees have been planted, and in a few years they will greatly aid ill enhancing the beauty of the town.

In this brief record of Morrisonville there is but little to regret, and much to awaken a just pride. On all the stirring questions of her time she has occupied advanced ground in the van of progress. Her people were early friends of the Temperance cause; and zealous advocates of education and i-eligion from the start. Knowing that good society is the outgrowth of a sound morality as taught in the church, she established churches, and liberally maintained them. Conscious that the sum of human happiness is increased by culture, she earlv established schools, and has generously sustained them. Believing that prosperity is the reward of enterprise, she has evinced a stirring activity in the pursuits of the various industries, and has prospered. Feeling that a manly independence is what makes the free man, her people have carved their own way, and are not placeseekers. Realizing that worth makes the man, her people do no homage to place or station and court no man for patronage. Her history is not yet made ; the first ten years of her existence was laying the groundwork, from which history is hereafter to be constructed.

Bi0C4Raphical Sketches

Mr. Shull, one of the leading businew men of Morrisonville, was boru at Steubenville, Ohio, on the 3d of April, 1838. AVhen he was ten years olil his father died, and he was then apprenticed to a farmer in Columbiana County, Ohio, and lived with him until he was sixteen years old. He afterward worked on a farm for two summers at nine dollars a mouth wages, and in the winter went to school. - When eighteen, he attended the high-school at Xew Lisbou, Ohio. Having thus by his own efforts secured a substantial English education, in the fall of 18-57, he took charge of a school in Columbiana county. He was engaged in teaching till the spring of 1859. Considerable excitement arose that year about the discovery of gold at Pike's Peak, and Mr. Shull, in company with three other young men, left Columbiana county, Ohio, in ^Nlarch, 1857, for Colorado. The party traveled by steamer down the Ohio and up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Leavenworth, Kansas. At this point they bought two ponies, on which they packed the neccssarv outfit for cooking and camping out, and set out across the plains for Denver. A month was occupied in making this journey of about six hundred miles. The whole distance was made on foot. On their arrival they found Denver filled with a multitude of fortune seekers and gold diggers, like themselves, without any capital, all of them anxious to get back to the states once more, and many of them totally without the means of making the journey. After a stay of two weeks in Denver, !Mr. Shull and his comrades concluded to return. In company with two others he made a skift', laid in provisions, and launched it on the Platte river, and in less than two weeks reached Brownsville, Nebraska. The whole distance was in the neighborhood of a thousand miles. Indians and buffalo were the only objects at that time discernible on the banks of the Platte. From Brownsville he took passage bv boat to St. Louis.

His comrades returned to Ohio, but Mr. Shull, unwilling to go back after such a disastrous ending to the Pike's Peak expedition, concluded to come to Illinois. At that time he was uuaciiuainted with a single person in this state, and had only sixteen dollars in money. He first went to Sangamon county, where he worked on a farm for a few months, and in the winter of 1859-60 taught school. He spent about eleven years in the southern part of Sangamon, and in the northern part of Macoupin county, mostly engaged in teaching school. On the 30th of September, 1864, he was married at Springfield, by Judge N. M. Broadwell, to Martha E. Summer. She was boru in Morgan county, but raised mostly in Sangamon, and her father, Michael Summer, was an old resident of that part of the state.

He came to Morrisonville on the 26th of July, 1870, and began the lumber business. The Wabash railway had at that time just been completed through the county, and the town of Morrisonville had been started a few months previously. The vacant land in that part of the county settled up rajiidly, aud the improvements made necessary the use of large quantities of lumber. He was first in partnership with Mr. G M. Chedester, of Virden, but since January, 1873, has carried on business for himself, and without a competitor. He has been closely connected with the business interests of Morrisonville. He is a democrat in politics. He was elected supervisor from Ricks township, in the spring of 1880. He is a total abstainer from the use of intoxicating drinks. While a member of no religious denomination, he has liberally contributed to the support of all, and has gained a reputation as an enterprising, liberal and honorable business man.

J. B. White

Mr. White is a lawyer by profession, and for a nnmbor of years was prominently connected with the bar at Springfield. He was born in Greene county, Ohio, on the 5th of June, 1828. His ancestors were of English and Scotch origin, and came to America, and settted in Maryland, in the year 1750. His grandfather, Thomas White, was too young to take part in the Revolutionary War, but six of his older brothers were soldiers in the colonial army. His grandfather removed from Maryland to Pennsylvania, and in the year 1811, emigrated to Greene county, Ohio, in which part of the state he was one of the earliest settlers

The subject of this biograph)' was the third of a fiimilv of ten children of J. B. White and Hannah Stevenson. His mother was a native of Virginia. The part of Ohio in which he was born and raised, was one of the most fertile and jjopulous parts of the state. His father's farm was eight miles south of Dayton. He was raised much after the usual fashion of farmers' sons at that day, attending the ordinary district schools, and afterward an academy. At the age of eighteen he took charge of a school, and from that time till after he had attained his majority, was emjiloyed, for a considerable part of his time, in teaching. He had formed an early resolution to study law, and in 1850 entered the office of Thomas Moore, one of the most popular lawyers of Hamilton, Ohio. He attended law lectures at the Cincinnati Law School, from which he graduated in 1852

He had already resolved to practice his profession in the West, and in April, 1853, settled at Springfield, Illinois. On his arrival in that town, he found himself a total stranger, but at once opened an office. He found that success in the legal profession was obtained only by slow steps, and by constant and persistent effort, but he gradually succeeded in establishing himself in a large practice. In 1857, the bar of the 18th Judicial District, comprising the counties of Sangamon, Macoupin, Montgomery and Chri-stian, united in recommending him for Prosecuting Attorney. He was electeil to this office, and held it for eight years. At that time the prosecuting attorney of the district embracing Springfield, was ex-ojffieio attoi'iiev general nf the state, tliii.s making the offiec niie of great care and respon>ihiIity. He occupied tliis jiosition during the period of the war, wlun its duties were more than usually Inirden- 80me and important He liad liceome the owner of a section of land in Kicks towii-liip, Clnistiaii county, and hecoming interested in its improvement, in 1^07, he removed from Springfield, (piit tlie practice of his profession, and lias .-iuce been residing in this county. His wife was .Aliss M. J. Mills, hy whom he has two children. He is a man of lilieral and progressive ideas. In politics he has always been a democrat, hut has never taken any active per.-onal interest in piditics, nor has ever been a candidate for any political office. He \v,is a member of the Board of Supervisors for six years, the latter two of which he was chairman of the Board.

JOHN ('. COXKOY. Mr. Con'Roy has been fanning in Iticks township since 18(il). His parents, Henry Conroy and Mary Davis, were natives id' the .state of Vermont. While on their way West, they stopped for a few months in Philadelphia, and in that city Mr. Conroy 's birth occurred on the fourth day of July, 1849. The following Decendier his father settled in Chicago, where ]\[r. ('oiiroy was brought up. He received his education in the pulilic schools of Chicag(.i, anil at Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College. He also spent a couple of winters at the Union High School, at Battle Creek, Michigan. At the age of thirteen he began life on his own account, traveling in the summer through Micliigan in the interests of a wholesale grocery house in Chicago. He followed this business till 1868. On the twelfth day of March, 1868, he married J\[ary A. Chance^ daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Chance, who resided in Macou. pin county, near Shipuian, and were both natives of Jersey county. Mr. Conroy 's health was, at that time, so impaired that he concluded to go to farming. He lived one year in Macoupin county. In February, 1869, he bought eighty acres of land in section thirtvfour of Ricks township, on which he settled. He is now the owner of 12.5 acres, -15 of which are in Montgomery county. When he first undertook farming his weight, on account of bad health, was greatly reduced, but exercise in the open air has fully restored him to his former vigor. On the fifteenth of August, 1870, his wife died, leaving him four children, Charles H., John W., Ella May and Lizzie. He is a democrat in politics.

Hon. W. E. Morrison

The Morrison famil}- is one of the oldest in the state. Robert Morrison, the grandfather of Mr. Morrison, came from Philadeljihia about the year 1792, and settled in Kaskaskia, which at that time was a village composed almost entirely of French inhabitants, and which, in the early history of Illinois, was the commercial metropolis of the Mississippi valley, outranking St. Louis and New Orleans as a place of importance. The Morrisons at Kaskaskia were the leaders in commercial enterprises, and among the most influential and sagacious men in the fields of business and politics iu the then territory of Illinois. Robert Morrison married Eliza L. Lowry, daughter of Col. Lowry, of Baltimore, and sLster of James Lowry Donaldson, one of tbe Spanish land commissioners, with whom she came to Illinois in 1805. She was of Irish descent. James Lowry Donaldson was killed at the battle of North Point, in the war of 1812, and a monument to his memory now stands in Monumental Square, iu the city of Baltimore.

one time his father, Robert Morrison, was one of the largest mail contractors in Illinois, and had charge of the routes extending from Kaskaskia to Shawneetown, Cairo, Vandalia, Cape Girardeau, and other points. He received his pay by drafts on the various offices, and it was Col. ^Morrison's duty, when a boy. to travel to these various jioints and collect these drafts. In the spring of 1832, when sixteen, he was appointed midshipman in the United States navy. His first cruise was to the Pacific, on board the sloop of war, "Fairfield," and it lasted twenty-seven months. He was afterward transferred to the West India squadron, and was confined for eight months iu the naval hospital at Pensacola, with an attack of rheumatism, brought on by exposure. It was there that he began the study of law. He picked u]i the first volume of Blackstone to pass away the time, and, becoming interested, sent to Mobile for Blackstone and Kent, which for seven months he studied thoroughly. He returned to Illinois, and in 1836 entered the law office of Judge Pope, and in about a year afterward was admitted to the bar. His first fee of a hundred dollars he earned by quashing an indictment for murder in Jackson county, Illinois. He took a prominent part on the whig side in the campaign of 1840. The whigs made him their candidate for Lieutenant-Governor. At the beginning of the Mexican war he rai.sed in St. Clair county the first company of volunteers organized in the state. This company subsequently became incorporated with the Second Illinois regiment, of which he was chosen Lieutenant-Colonel. At Buena Vista this regiment lost thirteen commissioned officers and ninety men. At the close of the war the legislature of Illinois presented Col. Morrison with a sword, suitably inscribed, in recognition of his services iu the field. On returning from the array he devoted his attention to the law and investments iu land. On the dissolution of the whig party he became a democrat. He represented St. Clair county in the lower house of the legislature, and St. Clair and Monroe in the senate, and was elected to Congress. Since his removal from Belleville to St. Louis, his law practice has been confined mostly to large land cases of his own in the supreme court of the United States. In 1842 he married Mary A. Carlin, daughter of Ex-Gov. Thomas A. Carlin. She was the mother of the subject of this biography.

William Edward Morrison was born at Belleville, Illiuois, ou the l:;th of April, 1846. He was the next to the oldest child. At the time of his birth his father was absent in Mexico, the Mexican war then being in progress. His boyhood was spent mostly at Belleville. The chief part of his education was obtained at the college of the Christian Brothers, in St. Louis. In 1862, when sixteen, he entered the United States army as midshipman. This was during the war of the rebellion. His first service was on board the " Constitution," originally the " Old Ironsides." He was at sea about two years. At the request of his father, who wished hira to enter the legal profession, he resigned from the navy on the 16th of February,

1866. He returned to Belleville, and entered the law office of William H. Snyder, now judge of the judicial circuit iu which St. Clair county is included. After spending about two years in Judge Snyder's office, he was examined by a committee appointed by the supreme court, who pronounced him qualified for the practice of the profession. At the time of his examination he was under twentyone years of age, and according to the statutory regulations could not take the oath until he had attained his majority. He was admitted to the bar on his twenty-first birthday, the loth of April,

1867. The fall succeeding his admission he began the practice of his profession at Springfield. He was first in the office of Stuart, Edwards & Brown, and afterward in that of McClernand, Broadwell tt Springer. He resided in Springfield till May, 1871.

Meals In Timefor All Trains N.N.Bell, Prop

hood was a democrat of a stanch and steadfast type. During the campaign of 1868, in which Se^'mour was the democratic candidate for president, iu opposition to Grant, at the request of the state central committee he made the canvass of Peoria, Fulton, Sangamon, Christian, De Witt, Scott and Menard counties, in the interests of tlie democratic candidates. He had inherited a natural taste for oratory, and the speeches of young Morrison were received with popular favor.

The farm on whicli he now resides, near Morrisonville, he first saw on the 9th of October, 1867. It was then covered with tall prairie grass. The railroad had not 3-et been built. He came to Christian county in May, 1871, for the purpose of improving this tract of land. The Wabash railway hail been constructed the previous year, and the town of Morrisonville, which took its name from Mr. Jlorrison's father, founded. In the summer of 1871 he began building his present residence, half a mile north of Morrisonville. Mr. jSIorrison has since been closely identified with the interests of Christian county. He has been an influential man in shaping the policy of the democratic party in this part of the state. In 1876 he received the democratic nomination for representative in the legislature from the thirty-fourth senatorial district, comprising Christian and Montgomery counties. The democrats of the district supported him with great unanimity and enthusiasm, and ho was elected by a majority of several hundred votes in excess of that received by the general ticket. On taking his seat, he was the next to the youngest man in the house. The house was republican by a small majorit)', except when the democrats and independents united in opposition. During this session occurred the memorable contest which resulted in the election of David Davis as United States senator. Mr. IMorrison recorded his vote on every ballot against C4en. Logan, the republican candidate, and in the democratic caucus was one of the first to advocate the throwing of the democratic strength iu favor of Davis, a movement which resulted in Davis' election, and the defeat of a regular republican. He was a member of the committee on railroads, and strongly opposed a measure introduced in the interest of the railroads, with the object of relieving their capital stock from taxation. He made a speech in favor of a uniform system of school books throughout the state, a measure which would have saved the people much money. He also supported a measure to allow the Chicago Board of Trade to appoint their own inspector of grain. In March, 1877, a resolution was introduced to appropriate fifty thousand dollars for the completion of the Douglas monument. On coming up for passage, it was ojipcjsed by Merritt, of Marion, iu a bitter speech, in which he attacked Douglas in the most vindictive manner. After Merritt took his seat, Mr. Morrison as soon as possible gained the floor, and delivered in favor of the bill a speech which was greeted with tremendous applause, and which was afterward conceded to be one of the finest oratorical eflbrts ever made iu the house. Though made on the spur of the moment, and without preparation, its power and eloquence won for the member from Christian a reputation as one of the best speakers in the legislature. The Springfield Joiinud said that the speech "was one of impassioned eloquence, and was heartily applauded." The Monitor said that the member from Christian had shown that he had " every requisite for the making of a great orator and statesman, and possessed ability and talent that would eventually seek a lofty outlet." The Chicago InUr- Ocean declared it to be " the most successful speech yet delivered on any question. In acknowledgment of his speech in support of the Douglas monument, several members of the legislature, merchants in Chicago, and Leonard Volk, the sculptor, united in presenting him with a suitable memorial, in the shape of a statue of Douglas.

Mr. ^Morrison is e.ssentially a democrat. He is not only a strong and ardent supporter of the time-honored principles of democracy, but the natural tendencies of his mind are opposed to everything in the nature of aristocracy and monopolj'.

. Hs was married on the 20th of October, 1869, to Annie C. Perkins, a native of Springfield, and daughter of Joseph B. Perkins, an old resident of Sangamon county. Her death occurred on the 20tli of JIarch, 1874, leaving him one child, James L. D. M(jrrison, jr.

Eugexe M. Morkison

EUGEXE M. MORKISON, Who has been a resident of Christian county since October, 1877, was born at Belleville, St Clair county this state, on the firet day of January, 1849. Few families have been more intimately identifieil with the history of Illinois than the one with which ~Slr. Morrison is connected. Nearly a century ago the ^Morrisons came from Pennsylvania to Kaskaskia, then the largest and most important settlement in the Mississippi Valley, and at once took rank among the leading men who gave the first impetus to the growth of the mighty empire which now has its seat in the states which border the Mississippi. His grandfather was Robert Morrison. His grandmother was Eliza L. Lowry, who made on horseback the dangerous and adventurous journey through the wilderness from Baltimore to Kaskaskia in the year 1805. His father. Col. J. L. D. ilorrison, is a man already well known to the people of Illinois. Born at Kaskaskia iu the year 1816, his boyhood made him familiar with the incidents which marked the history of Illinois during the few years after its admission into the Union as a state. Entering the United States Navy as midshipman at the age of sixteen, he cruised on the Pacific, and while sick in the Xaval Hospital at Pensacola began the study of law. Returning to Illinois he was admitted to the bar and Ijecame one of the leading law3-ers of the state. (Jn the breaking out of the war with Mexico he raised a company of volunteers in St. Clair county, which became part of the Second Illinois regiment, of which he was made Lieutenant Colonel. On the field of Buena Vista this regiment distinguished itself by its bravery, and on his return the Legislature of Illinois presented Col. ^Morrison with a sword in acknowledgmeut of his services. He represented St. Clair county in the State Senate and in the lower house of the Legislature, and was elected a member of Congress. Of late years his home has been in St. Louis, but his numerous visits have made his fiice familiar to the people of this countv. Mary A. Carlin, daughter of Thomas A. Carlin, at one time Governor of Illinois, was Col. ]\Iorrison's first wife and the mother of Eugene M. ^lorrison.

Mr. jMorrison's boyhood was spent mostly in the vicinity of Belleville. When he was six years old he was sent to the College of the Christian Brothers in St. Louis, which school he attended for about six vears. For one term he was a student at McKendree College at Lebanon. He was next .sent to Georgetown College in the District of Columbia, where he remained two years. He was at Georgetown during 1864 and 1865, the closing years of the war of the Rebellion. Washington was at that time the scene of many important events, which made a residence in its neighborhood memorable. The years 1866 and 1867 were spent at the St. Louis University, from which he graduated in the summer of 1867. During part of the years 1868 and 1869 he was in Europe with his father. In November, 1869, he went to Bloomingtiui and entered the law office of Robert E. WilL'ams, at one time Attorney General of Illinois. He read law with him fourteen months, and then returned to Belleville. In the summer of 1871 he visited Louisiana. On the twentj'-first day of November of the same year lie married Miss Olivia A. Eason, of Port Jefferson, Louisiana. :Mrs. Morrison was born in East Feliciana parish, Louisiana. Her father was Col. C. W. Easou, a native of South Carolina, but an old resident of the state of Louisiana. He had taken part in the war with Mexico. After his marriage Mr. Morrison resided in Louisiana till 1877, when he returned to Illinois and became a resident of this county. He settled on section nine of Kicks township. His residence is tiiree-quaiters of a mile east of the town of Morrisonville, which was named in honor of Mr. Morrison's father. The form under his care embraces a whole section of land, of which abont tive hundred acres have been improved. A full page illustration of his residence and its surroundings may be seen elsewhere. He has two children - Mary Adele and Alma Eugenia. He has never taken part in public life, but in his political belief is a member of the democratic party.

Thomas Moxegan

THOMAS MOXEGAN. The city of Enniskillen, in the county Fermanagh, Ireland, was the birth-place of Mr. Jlonegan. He was born on the 30th of August, 1838. In the tall of 1846 his parents, Henry and Catharine Monegan, emigrated with the family to America. After a voyage of three months in the sailing vessel, "Ashland,'" the family landed at New Orleans, where they remained till the spring of 1847, and then came up the Mississippi to Alton. His father rented land in the Dorsey settlement, in the northern part of Madison county, and lived there till 1850, then removing to the vicinity of Bunker Hill, in Macoupin county. The first land which his father owned was a farm in the north-west corner of Bunker Hill township, where the family lived till 1862, and then came to Christian county. The greater part of Mr. Monegan's common scIhjoI education was obtained at the little town of Woodburn, in Macoupin county. In September, 1858, he entered Illinois College, at Jacksonville, and attended the sessions of that institution during the winters of 1858- 59 and 1859-60. In the year 1865, in partnership with his brother William, he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, the southwest quarter of section twelve of Ricks township. The two brothers carried on the farm together, and increa'^ed the amount of their land to eight hundred acres. A division of their property was made in 1871, and he and his brother have since been living on adjoining farms. He was married on the 22d of !<epteniber, 1870, to Clara A. Estabrook, daughter of James W. and Susan Estabrook. She was born in Madison county, in this state, and came to Christian countv with her father in 1866. Mr. and IMi-s. Monegan liave four children. A view of his residence in Kicks township is shown elsewhere. He owns three hundred and sixty acres of laud. He has always been a democrat in politics. His father died on the 22d of January, 1879, in Ricks township, at the age of nearly seventy; his mother is still living. Beside his brother and himself, one sister, Jane, now the wife of William Craig, of Cireenwood township, is living in this county.

William S. Randle

WILLIAM S. RANDLE. The history of the Handle family in America, dates back to three brothers, who came over from England in the Mayflower, in 1620. From one of these brothers the subject of this sketch is descended. His grandfather, Isom Randle, became a resident of >forth Carolina, and served in the Revolutionary war with the rank of major. Mr. Handle's father, Josiah Randle, was born in North Carolina, and there married Hannah Tompkins. She was the daughter of Richard Tompkins, who was also one of the brave men who took part iu the struggle of the colonies for their independence. He held a colonel's commission, and fought through the whole seven years of the war. Josiah and Hannah Randle were the parents of eleven children, five of whom were sons, and six daughters. At this date four daughters and two sons are still living. William S. Randle was the youngest son, and the next to the voungest child, and was born in Montgomery county. North Carolina, on the 10th of May, 1827. When he was eight years old, iu the year 1835, his father moved with the family, to Madison county, in this state. The winter of 1835-6 was spent at Edwardsville, and the next spring the family moved to a farm, three or four miles south of that town. Josiah Randle afterwards moved to the eastern part of that county, and died in August, 1858. The subject of this biography had onh' ordinary advantages for obtaining an education. He attended the common schools and endeavored to improve his opportunities to the best of his ability, but still the most of his knowledge has been gained by his own efforts. On the 10th day of May, 1849, he married Sarah Hausberger, daughter of Henry Hausberger. Her father was a native of \'irginia, and settled in Madison county, in the year 1848. Mrs. Randle was born in Trigg county, Kentucky.

For a number of years previous to the war, Mr. Randle was quite extensively engaged in trading in stock. During the rebellion, he supplied the government with large quantities of horses and mules, and was engaged in other business enterprises of a similar character. In the fall of 1869, he moved from Madison to Christian county, and settled on his present farm, on section 3, of Ricks township. He and his wife have had ten children, of whom seven, five daughters and two sons, are now living. Beside farming, he has been engaged to some extent in the practice of law - a profession with which he first became familiar, while living in Madison county. His practice of the legal profession has, however, been limited to the time he has had to spare from his other business. In his political sympathies, he has been a democrat. He is a man, however, on whom party ties sit lightly, and he believes that the interests of the country are often best served, by voting for the best man for office, irrespective of party affiliations. On another page is an illustration of his farm, the improvements on which he has built since his residence in this county.

Steen Brothers

Among the business men who have more recently identified themselves with the interests of Christian county, are Messrs. George H. and Joseph W. Steen, who are engaged in the drug business at ^Morrisonville, and are the editors and proprietors of the MorrisonfiUe Times. They are natives of Tippecanoe county, Indiana. Their grandfather, George Hamilton Steen, was an Irishman by birth, who emigrated from Ireland to America about the time of the Revolutionary war. In his religious faith he was a strong Protestant. He settled near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and for several years was in the distilling business, an occupation which at that time was considered most respectable and honorable. The family was connected with the Hamilton family, of which Alexander Hamilton was a distinguished member, and the name Hamilton has since been handed down successively from father to son for several generations.

county in 1828, on which he afterward settled, and which was his home till the time of his death. This farm whicii was located in one of the richest sections of Indiana, he subsequently increased to i three hundred and twenty-eight acres; improved it with great care, and erected large and substantial buildings. In May, 183o, he married ISIary Whitson. She was about fifteen years younger than her husband. Her father was John Whitson, who was of Welsh descent, and (Quaker parentage, though his own connection with the Friends' denomination had been severed by reason of his having married outside the membership of the society. The father of the Messrs. Steen died in April, 1859. He was a man much resjiected in the community in which he lived. In disposition he was quiet and reserved, and always refused to hold office or take any active part in public afliiirs He managed his farming operations and his own private business in the most exact and methodical manner, and died possessed of abundant means. He was kind-hearted, and beside his own children raised several bo3's. Some of the best business men now of Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and of the city of Lafayette, owe their successful start in life to the excellent training which they received at his hands. In his politics he had been an old line whig, and at the time of his death was a member of the Presbyterian church. He had twelve children. Several died in infancy, and five are now living. John W. Steen, one of the sons, is in the drug business at Litchfield ; one daughter, now ]SIrs. Harriet Bumhard, resides at Lafayette, Indiana ; another daughter, INIrs. Eliza Kenyon, lives in Marion county, Ohio The two others are George H. and Joseph W. Steen. The first was the tenth child, and the latter the youngest.

(_;eor(;e h. .steex Was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, ten miles south-east of Lafayette, on the 29th of February, 1852. In the year 1864, when a boy of twelve, he was thrown violently from a horse and received severe injuries from which he has never fully recovered. In April, 1865, after partially regaining his strength he entered the Western Methodist Academy, at Dayton, Indiana, and with the exception of one or two terms was a student in this school for four years. In 1869, after leaving school, he became a clerk in a drug store at Dayton, and there received his fir.*t lessons in the business which he has since followed. The next year, 187t), he was given charge of a drug store at Waldron, in Shelby county, Indiana, and was occupied in its management till March, 1875. He had a natural inclination for the business, and to it he devoted his undivided attention and thus secured a thorough acquaintance with every branch of the trade. In June, 1875, in partnership with his brother, John W. Steen, he purchased a drug store at Litchfield, Montgomery county, and for the first time became a resident of Illinois. The firm also carried on the business of manufacturing laaking powders. While residing at Litchfield, on the 5th of September, 1877, he married Ida J. Lawrence, daughter of Joseph Lawrence. Her father was an old resident of Litchfield ; he was one of the veterans under Gen. Taylor who took part in the Mexican war, and was also a soldier in the late war of the rebellion. Mrs. Steen was born at Carlinville, Macoupin count}-.

Joseph W. Steen

the youngest son of George Hamilton Steen and Mary Steen, was born on the old homestead farm in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, on the 29th of July, 1857. He was only two years of age at the time of his father's death. In 1867, his mother moved with the family to Dayton, Indiana. His brother, George H. Steen, was already attending school at that place, and this change of residence was made so that the two younger children might also enjoy good educational advantages and at the same time live at home with their mother. In the sunmier of 1869, he returned with his mother to the farm in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. During the winter of 1871-2, he attended school at Waldo, Marion county, Ohio, where his brother-in-law, ^Ir. D. H. Kenyon, was extensively engaged in farming. The summer of 1872 and that of 1873. he spent in a little town on the Ohio river, in the extreme south-west corner of West Virginia. In the year 1874, he lived with a Dr. Kitchie, at Kensaellaer, Jasper county, Indiana. After attending the high school at Attica, Indiana, during the winter of 1S75-6, in the spring of 1876 he came to Litchfield, Illinois, where his two (dder brothers had gone into the drug business the previous vear. The following winter he attended school at Litchfield, and in the fall of 1878 went to Chicago, and was a student in the Chicago College of Pharmacy till the next spring, when he went back to Litchfield.

In April, 1878, George H. Steen disposed of his interest in the store at Litchfield to his brother, John W. Steen, and after winding up his business there, the two brothers came to Morrisonville, purchased the drug .store formerly carried on by C. A. Roach, and on the 10th of September, 1878, began business. During their residence at Morrisonville they have endeavored to secure the confidence of the public, and establish tiiemselves as liberal and enterpri-sing business men. The}' carry a full stock of drugs and other articles, and have endeavored to meet the wants of the people, and to give them the benefit of low prices and unadulterated drugs. Beside carrying on the drug business they are the publishers of the ihrrkonrille Time-^, the only newspaper published in the south-western part of Christian county. They took charge of this paper on the 1st of October, 1879, and under their management the paper has attained a larger circulation, and has been placed on a paying basis. It is a journal filled with live local news, and does credit to the publishers, who had no previous experience in the journalistic profession, except that George H. Steen was formerly connected with one of the metropolitan newspapers as special correspondent. The Messrs. Steen have proved a valuable addition to the list of bu.sine.ss men at Morrisonville, and their social qualities and liberal and obliging methods of transacting business, have made them many friends.

A. W. .MILLEK. Mk. Mii.i.EK, the police magistrate at Morrisonville, was born in Floyd county, Indiana, on the 4th of February, 1830. His father, Henry Miller, was a native of Kentucky, and an early settler in Indiana. Before coming to Indiana, he was married in Kentucky to Anna Crow. Mr. Miller's father moved from Indiana to Illinois in the year 1838, and first settled on the Macoupin creek, east of Carlinville, in Macoupin county. In 1839 he moved on a farm in South Otter township in the same county. Mr ]\Iiller was mostly raised in that locality, attending the schools of South Otter township and working on his father's farm, which he helped im. prove from the raw land. He learned the cooper trade. On the 24th of May, 1850, he married Miss Maria Gill, daughter of John Gill. She was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to this ciiuntry when seven years old, about the year 1840. In August, 1850, he moved to Carlinville, and after working one year at the cooper's trade, learned the trade of a carpenter. lu 1853 he moved back to South Otter township, rented land and improved a farm. From 1856 to 1858 he lived in Carlinville where he had an interest in a machine shop. In the latter year he went back to the farm on which he was raised and assumed its management, his father having become too old to attend to it properly. He was living there at the beginning of the war of the rebellion. He en- listed on the loth of October, 1861, in Battery K of the 2d Illinois Artillery. He served three years and two mouths and a half, all of the time in the department of the Mississippi. At Fort Douelson he was on one of the gun-boats whieh participitated in the close of that fight. After the evaeuation by the rebels of Columbus, Keutueky, lie was -tali. .ned there. In tlie summer of 1^(>'. he took part in the varimis movements under Gen. Grant whieh resulted in the capture of \'lekslinri;-. lb- was in the siege (if Jackson, Mississipi. For tliirteeu montlis his hatury was statiiuieil at Natchez. During the remainder of his term of service he was engaged in scouting and destroying the railroads leading to Mobile, with the object of cutting off the rebel communications, lie was discharged at Mempliis, December 31st, 1864.

In 1869, he bought a quarter section of unimproved land in Harvel township, Jlontgomery county, on wliich he lived till tlie spring of 1873. Since that date he has been living at Morrisonville, and carrying on the wheelwright business and manufacturing patent spring wagon seats, of the improvement on whieh he took out a patent in March, 1874. He was formerly a whig in politics, and since the war has been a republican. He has nine children. In the spring of lS7!.t, he was elected police magistrate of JMorrisonville for a term of four years.

THEODORE LAXGEX, i Deceased). Theodore Langen was one of the oldest residents of Kicks township, and a good and useful citizen. He was born in the village of Wiinnenberg, Prussia, on the 27th of February, 1827. His parents' names were Frederick Langen and Elizabeth Wegener, and he was the youngest of eight children. His father was a farmer, and a man in good circumstances. He attended school according to the German custom till he was fourteen. He was a boy of unusually bright mind, paid close attention to his studies, and invariably stood at the head of his class. He secured a good education, and was well versed in the Latin language. He lived at home till twenty-one, and then went into the Prussian array, where he served three years. After returning from the army he emigrated to America. He came over to this country by himself; the rest of the family ren:aining behind in Germany. He landed at New York in the spring of 1852, and came directly to Illinois in the neighborhoiid of Jerseyville, in Jersey county. On the 17th of October, IS-")."), he married Elizabeth Broekamp, who was born in Ahnburg, Germany, on the 10th of March, 1840. Her father, Henry Broekamp, on coming to America, settled in Jersey county, Illinois, seven miles west of Jerseyville, where he lived till his death, in February, 1870. Her mother, whose maiden name was Catharine Mormaun, also died in Jersey county.

After Mr. Langen's marriage he moved to Greene county, and rented a farm three miles from Carrollton, on which he labored for eight years. He came to Christian county in the spring of 1853. He bought from the government a quarter section of land in section twenty-nine of Ricks township, the first laud of which he was the owner. The north-western part of the county was at that time thinly settled, and few improvements had i)een made on the prairie. He was an industrious and energetic man, and afterward bought additional land. At the time of his death he owned six hundred and forty acres. He was a peaceable and useful citizen, honest and upright in his business dealings, and all his neighbors testify to his many good qualities. He died on the 31st day of August, 1876. In jiolitics he was a democrat, though he was no active politician, and had no desire to fill public office. He preferred to attend to the management of his farm and his own private business affairs. INlr. and Mrs. Langen had eight children, all of whom are now living, and residing in IJieks township. Henry Langen, the oldest son, married Amelia Schwabe, and is now farming on section twenty-one. Catharine is the wife of Anthony Lentz. The remaining children, William, Mary, Elenora, John, Elizabeth and Helena, are living at home. Mrs. Langen lives on a valuable farm, four miles from Morrisonville, which her husband improved during his life-time. A view of this place appears among our illustrations.

S bounded on the north by Stoniugton ; east, by Prairieton and A.ssumption ; south, by Locust ; west, by Tay- In-ville township. May is drained by the Flat Branch and its afHueiits, which emjity their waters in the Sangamon. JIueh of this township wa.s originally heavily tindiered with the several kinds of oak, hickory, walnut, cottonwood, and other forest trees, and at this writing there is considerable timber along the margins of the streams, sufficient to supply the necessary fuel, and timber for building and fencing purposes, for many years to come.

May comprises the congressicjual township thirteen, range one, west, and is just six miles scpmre. At first, for elective franchise purposes, its territory was attached to Taylorville and Stouington precincts; but, on the adoption of township organization, in 18G6, it was formed into a separate precinct, and named at first, bv the county authorities, " Smith." The people objected to this name, not because of the numerous family of that name, but on account of the political proclivities of the person for whom it was named. The Mr. Thomas Smith, whom it was intended to honor by his friends, was at the time a resident of the township, an Englishman by birth, and a strong partizan democrat. It was then changed to " Howard," but it was ascertained that there was already a township of that name, and that the law forbade there being more than one of the same name in the state. It was next named " May," in honor of the brave Colonel Jlay, of the artillery arm of the service in the Mexican war.

Pioneer Settlers were : John Shanock, John Estes, Benj. Williams, William B. Hall, David Hall, O. Banning, Daniel C. Cxoode, Hiram Walker, Thomas Dawson, William Rolls, Gabriel McKenzie, and their fiunilies. Some of the above were residents here before the orgaiiizatiuu of the county. At a later date cjf " uld .settlers" we will mention the nanie.< of Silas Harris, David Rutledge, James S. Grant, James JI. (ialloway, Joseph Bugg, Thomas Bngg, Thomas Smith, John S. Fraley, J. D. Allsman, John Tedlie, William Tedlie, and Joseph Funk.

Alay township is well supplied with streams for stock purposes, the Flat Branch entering it in the north-eastern part, on section one, and traversing it in a south-westerly direction, and leaving the township on section nineteen Spring Branch courses along the east side in a northerly direction, passing nearly through the centre of the eastern tier of sections, and mingles its waters with those of the Flat Branch on section one. On its headwaters is "Clawson's Point," at the head of the timber on the road from Taylorville to Assumption. It used to be one of the old " land-marks " in guiding travelers over the lonely, uninhabited prairie in going to Shelbyville.

There is a noted spring, in a romantic spot in the north-western part of the township, above the old residencr of Daniel C. Goode, more recently occupied by the Hammers. Gabriel ^McKenzie lived near it at an early day. But the improvements were long since removed, and the little cascade alone sings its requiem. This township, at a very early day, was more favored than some other sections of the county by having milling facilities. Thomas Dawson operated a cog horse-mill, near the present residence of William B. Hall, which served a useful purpose. In time he sold it to Aaron IMcKenzie, who moved it farther up the branch to Prairietou township. At a later date Silas Harris erected a horse-mill on his farm, on the east side of the Flat Branch, in 1842. Most of the .settlements at first were made along the borders of Flat Branch timber. This township is settled by an upright, industrious, energetic population, who take a great interest in churches and schools. The United Presbvterians built a church some years ago, located in the north-west corner of .section twenty-seven, on the public road leading to Assumption. There are several families of the Waddles living in this neighborhood, and for a time it was called "Waddle Settlement.'' The voting centre is at -' Tedlie's School-House," in the west part of section twenty-two, about a mile north of the I'. P. Church.

Ratlroadi. - The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad crosses the north-west corner of this township, passing through sections five, sis, and seven. Willey's Station is located in the south-east corner of section six. It was laid out by Israel Willey, and from him took its name. The first store was opened by the iSIessrs. Willey. It is a great shipping point for grain and stock. Willey Post-Office is located here. The village has considerable trade with the formers of this township. The O. and M. Railroad crosses the south-west corner of the township on section thirty-one.

Earh/ Mills. - Isaac Harris erected a horse-mill on his farm in the south-west part of the township, some four miles east of Taylorville, in 1836 ; the old mill house stood on Spring branch, for many years thereafter serving as an old land-mark of the past. The population of JMay, in 1870, was 681.

Among the persons who have well improved farms in this township maybe mentioned the following: John W. Allsman, H. B. Long, Sr, William J. Ettinger, John Shetlar. Alfred Spates, Richard Peck, Edward Bugg and Fred. F. Weiser.

The farm improvements of May will rank favorably with those of any other township in the county. Quite a number of old settlers of the county are now residents of JIay. Among them may be mentioned William B. Hall, a native of Virginia ; he settled in the county in 1835; and he subsequently married Eloisa Moore, also a Virginian by liirth ; she became a resident of Christian county in 1838. Another old settler is Xancy Willey, relict of Stephen Willey ; she is a Tenneseeau by birth, and came to the countv in 1833. Her husband was a native of Ohio, and settled in this county in 1844. N. D. .Sanders came to and settled in the county in 1837 ; he is a native of Connecticut, and has alwa3's been the stanch friend of churches and public schools, and is a farmer and stock raiser by occupation. Robert A. Hazlett, a leading farmer and stock raiser, became a resident of the county in 1827. He is an Ohioan by birth. His wife, formerly Elizabeth H. Steel, settled here in 1829 ; she is a native of Kentuck)'.

Biogeaphtcal Sketches

Richard Peck, a view of whose farm and residi'iice in May township appears ou the opposite page, and whose portrait heads this sketch, is a native of Eugland, and was Iiorn in tlie P^ast Riding, of Yorkshire, near Hull, on the eighth of December, 1816. He was the fourth of ten children of Simon Peck and his wife Jane, whose maiden name was Koutledge. In the year 18o4, his father emigrated with the family to America, and settled on a farm near Terre Haute, Indiana. For a couple of years after coming to Indiana, Mr. Peck worked in Terre Haute, and then rented his father's farm and went to farming. In 1837 he made a trip to New Orleans on a flat boat, as he did also in 1.H41, that being the usual method by which in those days the farmers of the Wabash valley disposed of their surplus produce. He was married on the sixth of March, 1842, to Naomi Gould, who was born in Lewis (now Upshur) county. West Virginia, March tiie fnirteenth, 1820. Her father, whose name was Daniel fiould, died in Vii-ginia. Her mother, whose maiden name was Margaret Strange, married a second husband, and moved to Indiana with the tiniiilv. and settled near Terre Haute in the year 1820.

land in section thirteen, of township thirteen, range one west, and at the land sales iu 1852 secured eighty additional acres. When he first came to this county the prairie in May township had not begun to be improved. On his first journey to this part of the state he rode eighteen miles without seeing a house He went back to Indiana in the spring of 1854, but returned to this county in tlie spring of 1858, and has since been a resident of May township. Since 1864 his home has been on section thirtv-six. He has one hundred and ninety acres of land. He is a gentleman in whom the people of May township seem to have every confidence as to his I)usiuess ability and personal integrity. On the adoption of township organization, he was chosen collector of the township, and served in that I'apaeity for seven years. Since leaving the collectorsliip, frdui 1873 to the present time, he has been assessor. In his political sympathies he was a whig, and ca.st his first vote for ))resident for (Jeneral Harrison, in the celebrate<l log cabin and hard eider campaign of 1840. He has been a i-epnblican since the organization of the party, though in county and township elections, he has often voted independently of party affiliations. For twenty years he has been a subscriber and reader of the New York Tribune, and has kept himself well-informed ou the topics of the day.

History Of Christiax Cousty, Illinois

Among the old settlers of 'Si&y township, was Thomas Smith, portrait appears at the head of this sketch. He was born in England on the sixth day of June, 1811. He emigrated to America in June, 1844, and soon afterward came to Christian county. He settled on a farm on the edge of the Flat Branch timber, in section 15, May township, where he lived till the time of his death. He came to this county poor, and by dint of hard work and rigid economy, be managed to become the owner of a valuable farm, and to accumulate a competence. He was full of energy, and had excellent business capacity. He filled the office of justice of the peace for twenty-six years, and the good common sense and sound judgment he displayed in this position, gave the people of the township confidence in him as an able business man, and an impartial magistrate. He also, for a long number of years, filled the office of township treasurer. He was a man very reserved in his disposition, and said little about his own business affiiirs, even to those with whom he was best acquainted. As far as his dealings with his fellow-men were concerned, he was scrupulouslv honest, and no imputation wa.s ever breathed on his integrity. He was an ardent democrat in politics. He died in January, 1877.

John Smith, who now lives on the farm in ^lay township, on which his father formerly resided, was born at Stoke, Lancashire, England, on the 18th of April, 1838. The maiden name of his mother was Elizabeth Jane Cooper. John was next to the oldest of a family of four children. He came to America in 1844, and was raised in the neighborhood of Griggsville, in Pike county, in this state. From the time he was eight years old he was obliged to work for his ciwn living. For a year and a half, he had his home with a man named Wm. Pine, in Pike county. In the fall of 1849, he went to Naples and was employed in a hotel there for some months. His home was in the vicinity of Jacksonville from 1850 to 1855. During 1852 and 1853, he carried the mail between Jacksonville and Brighton. He was then a boy of fourteen or fifteen. The distance between the two places was fifty-five miles, and he made the round trip once a week, most of the time ou horseback. His route was througli Greenfield, Khoads Point (where is now the town of Jledora ) and Piasa. He was often obliged to ride late at night to reach his stopping places, to cross streams when they were dangerous from being swollen b}' recent rains, and altogether the duty was not so pleasant as might be imagined. When he first went to Jacksonville he worked for six bits a week, and when he carried the mail he received eight dollars a month. For two years he w(irked on the farm of Anthony Thornton, ten miles south of Jacksonville.

In 1855, he went to Brown county. He was then seventeen. He there learned to chop. He mastered the art of handling an axe as well as most n)eu. He principally followed getting out rails and staves. One of the first contract* he made was to clear and fence a ten-acre tract of land and to pay fifty dollars cash for a horse. Tiie other party to the arrangement had, of course, the best of the bargain, but Mr. Smith went to work, cleared off" the timber, and got out twenty-nine luuich-ed i-ail>. He iilnady bail tliiity dulliirs, and tlie remaining twenty, with \\liirli to make the r:i>li payment, he earned l_)y chopping curd wood in the Illinois bottom. Tlie liorse was dearly earned, but it wa- the first step in the way of making his own living. The next summer he earned a second horse by working tiir an nnele. In January, l.S-"i8, he had two horses clear, liut not a niid^rl in money, and only elothe> euongh to keep him warm. He ne.xt an-anged with another man to rent land and raiso a crop in ]iartn( i>hip, but thi.s agreement was not carried out, and JMr Smith worked from JIarch to June, receiving for his labor only fifteen dollars. In 185'.i, he raiseil a small crop, but was jirincipally emphn'cd in making staves. He rented land in I'ike county, in 180(1, which he farmed for two year.s, and then leased an adjoining farm. Bv January, 1S64, he had saved three hundred dollars in money and owned beside four head of hor.ses, sixteen head of cattle, and other slock and farming utensils. lie then determined to buy land, and paid half down for eighty acres which he purchased for six hundred dollars. Only eighteen acres were cleared ; the rest was timber. He had it all paid for at the end of the year.

On the 10th of April, 1864, he married Ruth Jane Kaylor, who died on the thirteenth of April, 187o. In 1866, he bought an additional 160 acres. When not busy on the farm he was hard at work in the timber, getting out rails and ties, hauling them sixteen miles to the railroad, and working all day and sometimes late into the night. As soon as he had means, he bought another 110 acres. By hard work he managed to accumulate considerable property, and was known as an industrious, energetic and prosperous man. His second marriage was on the 7th of November, 1875, to Sarah ]->. Lane, who was born in Adams county. In April, 1878, after his father's death, IMr. Smith moved on his iather's old farm, in May township. He is now the owner of 710 acres of land - 360 in !May townshi]', and the balance in Adams county. He is a man who has made his way through the world by his own energy. He began life with nothing, and by industry managed to place himself in comfortable circumstances previous to his father's death, and to show that lie was competent to make his own way in the worhl. He has had seven children, live by his first and two by his second marriage. Two by his first marriage are dead, one of whom, Ellen Catharine Jemima Smith, was eight years old when she died, and a child of unusual brightness, whose death made a vacant place in the fiimily circle hard to be filled. The other, Arthur, died in infancy. The nam* of the children living are Lvdia Elizabeth, George Thomas, John William, Orpha Myrtle, and Virgil Arnold. He has always been a democrat in politics.

W.As born in Stafilird county, \'irginia, within twelve miles of Fredericksburgh, Jul}' 9, 1832. His grandfather, James H. Leach, came from England, and settled in Virginia, before the Revolutionary war. He had been a sailor, and during the Eevolutiou, served in the American navy. Philemon M. Leach, the father of the subject of this .sketch, was born in Prince William county, Virginia, and during the ^Yar of 1812, was one of the force raised to defend Washington City from the attack of the British. After returning from the army, he married Mary, daughter of George Curtis, of Stafford county, Virginia, who was an Englishman by birth, and had been a soldier of the Revolution. Mr. Leach was the seventh of a family of ten children. In 1839, his father moved to Perry county, Ohio. There Mr. Leach was principally raised. He attended school, working tlirough the mysteries of calculations iu

])ouiuls, shillings, and pence, in the old Pike's arithmetic, and obtained a fair education. He learned the trade of a jjotter. In 1^54, he came to Indianapolis, Indiana, and after working at his trade about eighteen months, went to farming, four miles north-east of that city. April 28, 1856, he married Minerva J. Gresh, a native of Wayne county, luiliana In 1857, he removed t) Fayette county, Illinois, and iu l.S5'.(, came to this county. His first wife having died in 1S74, he was married, on the :'ilst of August, 1875, to Mrs. Maggie Irion, widow of Dr. Silas Irion, formerl}- of Morrisonville. Her maiden name was Stout, and she was born in Greene county of this state. Mr. Leach was raised a democrat, but of late years has occupied an independent position in politics, believing that the most good can, perhaps, be accomplished, by each man voting for the best candidate for public office, irrespective of the political party to which be belong.s.

John W. Allsjian

Is a native of Jessamine county, Kentucky, and was born on the tweuty-ninth of November, 1828, the seventh of a family of fourteen children of Aaron and Elizabeth ;Logue) Allsmau. Andrew Allsmau, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, emigrated from Germany, first settling near Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Kentucky, where he was a pioneer settler. He took part in many of the conflicts which occurred "on the dark and bloody ground," and his oldest son, Andrew Allsmau, was killed in one of the Indian battles. About 1833 he moved to Sullivan county, Indiana, where he lived the balance of his life, dying at the green old age of one hundred and seventeen. He was a man of remarkable physical strength, and made a full hand in the harvest field when over one huudre<l years old. He and his wife lived together seventy-five years to a ilay.

Aaron All>man. father of John W. Allsman, was born in Kentucky ; was married in 1815 ; moved to Indiana in 1830 and to Illinois iu 1849. He settled on the farm now occupied by his son iu Christian county, entering the land, April tenth, 1850. He died iu October, 1865, surviving his wife three days. He was also a man of wonderful strength, and when sixty-five, at the town of Assumption he lifted with ease a barrel of molasses from the floor. Both he and I

John W. Allsman spent his early life iu Indiana, and had limited o]3portunities for getting an education. He is, however, well informed on the current topics cjf the day. ]March the twenty-eighth, 1852, he married Miss Frances T. Cook, daughter of Thomas Cook. She was born in the state of Arkansas. From this union eight children have been born, two of whom are now deceased. Four sons and two daughters are now living. The second son is married, and a resident of Fillmore county, Nebraska. Sir. Allsman was in early life a Whig. He joined the Republican party on its organization, and has been one of the stanch Reiniblicans of that county. During the late rebelliou the Union cause did uot have a stronger supporter. His first vote for President was cast for Scott in 1852. He voted twice for the immortal Lincoln and twice for Grant. AVheu he came to this county he only had three dollars in money, but with indefatigable industry and energy he kept on adding little by little to his original possessions, till now he has a farm of three hundred acres, a view of which is shown elsewhere. lie is essentially a self-made man, and takes pride in assisting the development and growth of his adopted county. We take pleasure iu presenting his name as one of the representative citizens of May townshij).

years. After spending a year at the Commercial College at Springfield, he returned to Taylorville, and for about six months was employed in the store of Marblestone Bros. In September, 1879, he bought out the store at Willey's Station, formerly kept by Charles Hall, and has since been carrying on a general mercantile business, and is the proprietor of the only store at Willey's. He also acts as post-master, and as station agent for tlie Wabash, St Louis and Pacific Railway. He has likewise been engaged in dealing in grain. Mr. Weiser, though still a young man, has made a good business record. A picture of his store appears on another page, and his portrait heads this sketch.

Amon'c the iilil settlers of J [ay township is Mrs. Susannah Bugg, has been a resident of the county since February, 1839. She was born in the East Riding of Yorl<shire, near Hull, on the tenth of August, 181 :^ Her maiden name was Peck. Her father was named Simon Peck, and her mother's name before marriage was Jane Routledge. She was the next to the oldest of a family often children. Slie was married on the twenty-seventh of February, 1833, to Joseph Bugg, who was born on the twelfth of March, 1810, at Levan, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In June, 1884, Mr. and Mrs. Bugg .sailed for America. They landed at (Quebec, in Canada. The winter of 1834-5 was .spent in the vicinity of Toronto, Mrs. Bugg having relations in that part of Canada. In May, 1835, Mr. and Mrs. Bugg came to Indiana, and settled on a farm three miles north-east ofTerre Haute. In February, ISo'J, they came to this county.

Their first .settlement was in .section four of May township, north of the Flat Branch, on the form recently belonging to Henry Tanner. Their location was on the prairie, half a mile distant from the timber. At that time all the settlements in May township were along the timber, and the Bugg feniily was the only one which had ventured out on the prairie. The whole south-eastern part of the township was an uncultivated prairie, which people in those daj's had little expected would develop into the fine farms which now may be seen in that part of the county. After living five years north of the tindier, they moved to a tract of land in sections fourteen and twenty-three. This was in the year 1844. At that date there was no settlement on the prairie in their neighborhood. For eighteen miles the prairie extended toward the east without a single house or improvement of any kind. People wondered at their choosing the prairie for a residence, when they might have located in the timber. Herds of deer were a frequent sight. Wolves were abundant and troublesome, filling the night with their howling, and carrying away pigs and fowls, which had ventured too great a distance from the house. The health of different members of the family also snflered, each having serious attacks of the chills and fever. The horses and cows also died, and Mr. and Mrs. Bugg almost wished that they had remained in Old England, or at least were back at their former home in Indiana. Mr. Bugg improved a farm of three hundred and eightj' acres, and died ISIay the tenth, 1865. He was a man of quiet disposition, attended to his own private business affairs, and was a good citizen of the township. For a number of years he was a member of the Methodist Church. He had eight children : Richard, who died at the age of sixteen ; John Thomas, who is now farming in this county ; William Bugg, one of the farmers of May township ; Simon, who died in infancy ; George P., whose death occurred at the age of twenty; Joseph R., who is farming in May township ; Edward, and Henry, who died at the age of nine months.

Edward Bugg, who is now living on the old homestead, a view of which is shown elsewhere, was born on the thirty-fii-st of March, 1848, on the same fiirm on which he now lives. His education he received in the schools of May township. He was married ou the tenth of February, 1873, to Christina Bailey, daughter of M. S. Bailey. She was born in Oneida county, New York, and at the time of her marriage was living in Steuben county, in western New York. Her grandfather came from Massachusetts, and was one of the original settlers of Oneida county. New York, locating there when the country was almost a wilderness. Mr. Bugg has always been a republican in politics. For three years lie was collector of May township.

J. Alonzo Waddle

J. ALONZO WADDLE Was born in Ohio county. West Virginia, October twenty-ninth, 1849. His father, James \Vaddle, was born in Virginia, though of Irish descent. He married Ruth Morri.*on,and lived in Virginia till 1856, and then came to this state, and settled on section twentytwo of May township. He died in January, 1879. His wife, mother of the subject of this sketch, had previously died in December, 1870. James Waddle was a man who began life with no capital. He was industrious, and managed to accumulate sufficient money to liuy, ou coming to this state fi>ur hundred acres of improved prairie land in May town,<hip, In ])olities he was Republican. He belonged to the United Presbyterian denomination, and for a number of years was one of the members of the Spring Creek church in May township. He had many excellent traits of character, and .served as collector and treasurer of May township,