Bald Hill Township

Bald Hill Township

DANIEL STURGIS, farmer, P. 0. Mount Vernon, was Ijorii Fcbruai y 14, 18Ij2, in Hamilton County, Ouio, son of Daniel Sturgis, Sr., a native of New Jersey ; he was a blacksmith, and died in Ohio, his father being .Mo.se.s Sturgis. The mother of our subject, Mary McKee, was a native of Ohio ; she was a daughter of Samuel McKee, a native of Ireland ; she was the mother of eleven children, and died in Mount Vernon. Our subject was educated in Ohio. In earl}- life he was a mechauic, and followed it for man^- j-ears in Mount Vernon ; for the last four years, he has been a farmer, owning a farm of 120 acres. He was joined in matrimony twice. His first wife, Anna A. Mayhevv, was the mother of four children now living, viz., Martha Hiserman, Viola, Charley and Albert. His present wife, Mrs. Sarah Kell}-, born November tj, 1841, in Brown County Ohio, was a daughter of William and Mary A. (Guthrie) Edgington, natives of Ohio. She is the motiier of four children, viz., William, Delilah, Mary A. and Daniel. Mr. and Mrs. Sturgis are both church members. He is identified with the Republican party, of which he was an ardent supporter during tiio war, in which he served about one year, enlisting in the One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Volunteers. Company D, serving till close of war, when he was honorably discharged.

R. W. MANNEN, farmer and stock-raiser, P. 0. Laur, was born in Bald Hill Township, Jefiferson County, July a, 1851 ; is a son of Sydney S. and Eliza A. (Walton) Mannen. The parents were originally from Mason Countj'. Ky., and came to this county about 1844. They settled on the farm now occupied b}' subject, where the father died in 187U. The mother is still living. Subject was the fifth of nine children, of whom eight are living. In childhood and youth, he attended the free schools of his township, and worked on the home place until the father's estate was settled. And when the estate was divided, subject inherited the part that he now occupies. At present, he owns 220 acres in Sections 1 and 10, of Town 4, Range 1, eighty acres in Section 6, of Town 4, Range 2, and eighty acres in Section 33, of Town 3, Range 1. Of the whole farm, tliere are about 240 acres in cultivation. He also pays some attention to stock-raising, having about 130 head of cattle, and some sheep and hogs.

Mr. Mannen was married, December 31, 1879, to Amanda E. Dodds, a native of Shiloh Township, Jefferson County, and daughter of 'ViU. iam and Anna (Hall) Dodds. The father was born in this county-, his parents having come here from South Carolina. The mother was a native of Gallatin County, 111. The father in his da}- was one of the foremost men of this county, and served as Circuit Judge, County Clerk, and other responsible positions. He died in 1870. The mother is still living, in Elk Prairie Township. This marriage has resulted in one child - Walton Dodds, born March 13, 1881. In politics, Mr. Mannen is a Democrat.

SIDNEY S. MANNEN, farmer, P. 0. Laur, was born October 31, 1853, a son of Sidney S. and Eliza A. (Walton) Mannen. (See sketch of T. H. Mannen, in Blissville Township.) He obtained what little schooling this county afforded in his younger days, and has, during his life, devoted his attention to the prosecution of farming industries. His present place consists of about 200 acres of land, and also a good residence, wliicb he erected in 1880. Mr. Mannen married Eliza S. Stewart, a daugliter of Peter Stewart, now deceased. Two children have blessed this union, one of whom is living - Lelia. Politically, Mr. Mannen gives his support to the interests of Democrac}'.

J. W. PHILP, farmer, F. 0. Laur, was born in Bracken Count}-, K}'., October 10, 1833, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Baltzell) Philp - the father being a native of England, the mother of Gallipolis, Ohio. Our subject was the sixth of eight children, of whom six are now living. When six years old his parents moved to Illinois and settled in Mt. Vernon, Jefferson Countv. There the family only remained about six mouths, and then moved to Bald Hill Township and settled about a mile and a half from where our subject now resides. There the father resided until the spring of 1854, -when he moved to Central City, 111., where he died in 1856, and the mother in 1872. The subscription schools of this county afforded our subject his means of education. He remained at home with his father until of age, and then commencing life for himself, settled on his present farm, whore he now owns about 400 acres situated in Sections 1, 2 and 11, of Town 4, Kange 1 east, and of that there are about 240 acres in cultivation. Mr. Philp was married, April 6 1856, to Augusta Kinne, a native of Posey County, Ind., and a daughter of George N. Kiune. This unirfn has resulted in eight children, six of whom are now living - Ida E., wife of Ichabod Newell, of Blissville Township ; Emma F., wife of Wilburn Dodds, of MeClellan Township ; Charles T., James W., Henry 0. and Maggie. He is a member of the Williamsburg Universalist Church. Has served his township as Justice of the Peace, Township Trustee and School Director. He enlisted in the Thirty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry in October, 1864, and was mustered out in June,

1865. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Bentonville, N. C, but was exchanged at Kichmond nine days after being taken. He is a Republican in politics.

PETER W. STEWART (deceased). Mr. Stewart came from Abbeville District, S. C, where he was born February 18. 1806, a son of John and Ann (Stewart) Stewart. During his life, he was mostly engaged in farming pursuits. He was first married in South Carolina, to Jane Crawford, and moved to Illinois, locating in Monroe County. She died about 1859. This marriage gave three children, all of whom died in infancy. In 1862, Mr. Stewart married the lady who now survives him. She was Hester A. Upton, a daughter of David and Margaret (Carmiehael) Upton. This union was blessed with nine children, of whom there are three who are probably living - Jennie A., Eliza S. and Ida L. Mrs. Stewart had been previousi}' married to Jeremiah Carmiehael, by whom she had one child, who was living at last accounts. His son, Hiram S., is now living with his grandmother. The Stewart place consists of about 208 acres of land.

JOHN B. WARD, farmer, P. 0. Fitzgerell, is a native of Hampshire County, Va., born September 28, 1820, to Lloyd and Catharine (Wilson) Ward, both of whom were natives of the same State. The father was a farmer. He was a son of Lloyd Ward, who served in the Revolutionary war. The parents of our subject were blessed with ten children, of whom there are six living - Sarah A., John B., William, Edward, Ruth and Lloyd S. Mr. Ward obtained but a meager education in the oldfashioned schools, and at the age of nearly fourteen, came with his parents to McLean Countj', 111., where they resided about two years, and removed to Jefferson Countj', where our subject has since made his home. He has a farm of 460 acres which he devotes to farming in its various branches. He was united in marriage in 1845 to Prudence Reeves, a daughter of

Biographical

Barnes Reeves. This union has given ten children, eight of whom survive - James S., Lewis D., William K., Franklin P., Rachel, Lncy A., Mary E. and Richard M. The oldest son, James S., served in the late rebellion, a member of the Eighty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantrj-, Col. Collins. Mr. Ward has served as Justice of the Peace and Supervisor for many years. In political affairs, he casts his lot within the Democratic ranks.

HON. CHARLES T. STRATTON, rail road and warehouse commissioner, Mount Vernon, 111. We have in the character of this sketch a representative man, vrhose earnest efforts have won for him a position of high merit, and whose genial, pleasant manners have not failed to leave an impress on the minds of all with whom he has become acquainted of genuine regard. He was born May 1, 1855, in Wilmington, Ohio. He removed with his father, Stephen T., to Mercer County, 111., in 1855, and in 1857 to Mount Vernon. He attended the Mount Vernon Seminary and awhile at McKendree College, two years at Washington University, at St. Louis, and two years he spent at the Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, finishing his school course there in 1873. In 1872, he returned home from Delaware, and being in poor health he was advised by the family physician to teach a term of school some distance in the country. This he did, taking a school at 130 per month, and rode on horseback a distance of five miles from his home and return daily. By the close of his school, he was able to resume his studies at the university, of Delaware, Ohio. In 1874, the authorities of the Mount Vernon High School wisely chose him as Principal. One year later, he accepted the Principalship of the high school at Nashville, 111. Here he had the chance to show his worth, having the advantage of one of the finest school buildings in Southern Illinois and a large number of enterprising students. He subr insertion in proper place.

sequently withdi'ew from this place, much to the regret of the citizens of Nashville, and took charge of the schools of Edwardsville, this State. In the fall of 1878, he was in- i academic department for two years. During the time he was here, hie time was not all consumed at teaching, and he studied law. In the spring of 1880, he was admitted to the bar, and in the same year was nominated and elected from the Forty-sixth District to the Thirty-second General Assembly of the State of Illinois. In 1882, he was the Republican nominee for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, but was defeated. Although beaten at the polls, he made a noble fight for the nomination, having as competitors several of the best teachers of the State. In the fall of 1882, be resiimed the practice of law at Mount Vernon, and on March 9, 1883, he was appointed by Gov. Hamilton as one of the three Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners for the State of Illinois, to succeed Hon. William H. Robinson, of Fairfield, 111. This position he now occupies. The record of Mr. Stratton's life is a history of earnest and faithful work; 'of the actions and employments of one who has done thoroughly and well whatever he undertook to do, and whose life will - imperceptibly, perhaps, but not the less surely^exercise an influence for good on those with whom he was brought in contact.

Source changes here: from Wall's History of Jefferson County, Illinois, by Wall, John A, published 1909; 372 words in this source stream.

Bald Hill Township

Next south of Blissville and bordering on Washington, Franklin and Perry counties, is also a desirable agricultural region, with surface somewhat more broken than the others, but with equally good land, with a large growth of timber of the kind to prove it. Being remote from trails and towns, this township was slow in settling up. Among the first settlers were A. McGinnis, John Turman, James Bellows, Willis Hardwick, the Smiths, the Scroggins, Irvins, Morgans, Goddards, etc. This region was so wild that the game was a menace to the pioneers, instead of a help as in some other parts. When corn or other things were planted, they were subject to be attacked by crows, blackbirds and squirrels, and when further advanced wild geese and turkeys tried to finish up the job. Deer and wolves and even panthers were a little too common for the comfort and ease of women and children. The first comers had even harder times than others in securing bread-stuffs, and many hollowed out the tops of stumps and beat their corn into mush material. These people had to depend upon their own resources for the necessaries of life. Buckskin breeches and shirts were as common as over-alls are now, and the women wore the same hnsey dress the year round. Originally this was part of Elk Prairie, but when township organization came it became Bald Hill township. John B. Ward was its first supervisor. It used to be another Democratic stronghold, but of late years it has generally been Republican by a small majority, and is taking on all the modern improvements of the day. Since the building of the Mount Vernon & Chester Railroad, two good towns have come into existence - Waltonville, which is now a bright business town of several hundred inhabitants, with up-to-date business (right on the Blissville line) and Sheller, another bright little town, a mile or so from the resort known as Sheller Lake. Both of these towns are doing big business in all lines, including the buying and shipping of stock - Sheller has a large Catholic church (Polanders), besides others, and Waltonville has a Universalist, a Methodist and Baptist church and the township has its full quota of school-houses.