Decatur Township (part 26 of 46)

At the age of ten years Dr. Dudley accompanied his parents on their removal westward to Whitewater, Wisconsin. He was reared upon the home farm and early formed habits of industry and integrity because of the lessons strongly impressed upon his mind by his parents. He supplemented his early education acquired in the public schools by study in Milton College, a school conducted by the Adventists at Milton, Wisconsin. As a youth he was interested in medicine but the opportunity to study did not come to him immediately following the completion of his literary course. Financial conditions in the family made it imperative that he provide the funds for his college training. He therefore learned shorthand, afterward engaged in teaching stenography and also served as an amanuensis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He likewise acted as under-court reporter and through these avenues acquired a sum sufficient to enable him to take up the study of medicine which he pursued in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. He was graduated with the class of 1894 and immediately thereafter began practice in Cerro Gordo, Illinois, and was a leading practitioner in Piatt county until 1909, when he came to Decatur. Although he is one of the more recent additions to the medical fraternity of this city he has, nevertheless, established himself as a capable and successful representative of the profession here. His methods have ever been progressive and he keeps in touch with the advanced thought of the profession. He purchased the first automobile in Piatt county and was the first in that county to use it in practice. He has had four different cars, the original one being an Oldsmobile, while at the present time he drives a Mitchell. He has been examining physician for a number of lodges, also for the Peoria Life Insurance Company, of which he is a stockholder. He is likewise a director of the Cerro Gordo State Bank and possesses excellent business qualifications as well as professional skill.

Dr. Dudley married Miss Nellie Knapp, a native of Wisconsin, and they have two children : Ethel, now the wife of Leonard Wise, of Rocky Ford, Colorado; and Erwin, a student in Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago. The son is a graduate of the high school of Cerro Gordo, Illinois, also attended St. John's Military School for two years and has pursued a two years' course in the Millikin University of Decatur. He is now a junior in Hahnemann.

Dr. Dudley belongs to the Elks lodge at Decatur and the Odd Fellows lodge and Modern Woodmen camp at Cerro Gordo. He is also connected with the Loyal Americans and the Court of Honor at Cerro Gordo and he attends the Grace Methodist Episcopal church. His has been an active life and in his profession he has been actuated by high ideals, performing every duty with a sense of conscientious obligation. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished as he started in life empty-handed and is a self-educated as well as a self-made man. He now belongs to the Illinois Homeopathic Society and the American Institute of Homeopathy, the national organization of this school and American Medical Association and Decatur Medical society. His ability is pronounced and his service has been of marked value to the communities in which he has resided.

T. J. Prentice

T. J. Prentice, well trained in commercial fields, is now president of the Linn & Scruggs Dry Goods & Carpet Company of Decatur, in which connection he is at the head of the leading establishment of this character in the city. His birth occurred in Hamilton, Missouri, April 10, 1870, and his education was acquired in the public schools of that city and in a business college at Galesburg, Illinois. He entered business life in the capacity of assistant cashier in the First National Bank of Hamilton, Missouri, where he remained until 1895, when he went to St. Louis, entering the house of Scruggs, Vandervoort & Barney, the leading dry-goods establishment of that city. He entered their service as bookkeeper and worked his way upward through intermediate positions, involving larger and larger responsibilities, until he became secretary of this important company. He was associated therewith until 1908. He assisted in organizing and arranging everything in the new building in St. Louis before coming to Decatur. On the 1st of January, 1907, however, in connection with J. R. Holt, he purchased the stock and business of the Linn & Scruggs store in Decatur and has since continued the business under the old firm name. The trade has increased to a considerable extent under the present management and they have continued the old reliable business principles of the house which has ever been based upon such old and time tried maxims as "there is no excellence without labor" and "honesty is the best policy." Mr. Prentice keeps in close touch with the trade, follows the most systematic methods in the conduct of the business and ever maintains a high standard in the personnel of the house, in the quality of goods carried and in the nature of the service rendered the public.

On the 13th of September, 1892, occurred the marriage of Mr. Prentice and Miss Minnie B. Johnson, of Hamilton, Missouri, and they have one son, Thomas J., Jr. Mr. Prentice is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church and also belongs to the Decatur and Country Clubs.

His interests are broad and varied and in relation to the public welfare he stands as the champion of material, social, intellectual and moral progress. In business circles he enjoys the unqualified esteem of colleagues and contemporaries by reason of his progressive methods and his conformity to the highest standards of commercial ethics.

Richard Louis Evans

Among the names that deserve an honorable place in the history of Macon county is that of Richard Louis Evans, who was a valiant defender of the stars and stripes when the Union was in danger and as a business man and later as first librarian of the Decatur public library he demonstrated his ability to perform his part in times of peace. He was born at New Albany, Indiana, May 30, 1838, and was a son of John and Eliza (Clark) Evans, the father being a shipbuilder at New Albany.

The subject of this review received his preliminary education in the public schools and became a student at Asbury (now De Pauw) University, Greencastle, Indiana, from which he was graduated in 1859, at twenty-one years of age. Soon after his graduation he entered the United States naval service, with which he was identified for four years and four months, receiving his honorable discharge August 14, 1865. He was acting master's mate on the United States steamship Benton of the Mississippi squadron and later was assigned to the gunboat Abeona, where he remained until the boat was put out of commission with the close of the war at the navy yard at Mound City, Illinois.

At the close of the war Mr. Evans came to Decatur and was for several years salesman in the dry-goods store of A. Ruth, who conducted business on Merchant street. He next entered the railway postal service and for three years filled the position of postal clerk, running between Bloomington and Centralia, Illinois. We next find him connected with the book and stationery store of W. Scott Glore, of Louisville, Kentucky, but in 1874 he returned to Decatur and on August 6, 1875, was chosen the first librarian of the Decatur public library and immediately assumed the duties, for which he was remarkably well qualified. He had charge of the library and reading room until the time of his death, which occurred November 17, 1881, and through his able management the library became the most popular institution in the city.

On May 22, 1867, Mr. Evans was united in marriage at Decatur to Miss Alice E. Glore, a daughter of Millburn and Sarah (Clark) Glore. Her father, who was a native of Virginia, went to Kentucky when a boy and became a merchant at Brownsborough, where he married Miss Sarah Clark, of that place. They came to Decatur with their family in 1858, and were the parents of eleven children, of whom Alice E. was the ninth in order of birth. She was educated in the public and private schools of Decatur, and when her husband was appointed librarian she became his assistant. Upon his death she was elected librarian and has since occupied that position. Under her able management the library has grown steadily in all directions and meets the demands of a constantly increasing population.

Although Mr. Evans passed from mortal view nearly thirty years ago, his memory is warmly cherished by those who knew him. He left an enduring monument by his efficient services as librarian, establishing the system upon which the library has since been conducted, making it one of the most useful institutions of the kind in central Illinois. Politically Mr. Evans adhered to the republican party. He was a valued member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also of the Christian church, in which he served in an official capacity and as teacher in the Sunday school. In his life he manifested many noble traits of character that gained for him the confidence and esteem of all with whom he was associated.

Dr. Charles N. Denison was well known in Macon county throughout the years of his residence in Argenta and in Decatur. Through his professional service as well as in other relations of life, he gained a wide acquaintance and was the loved family physician in many households. He held to high ideals in his practice and ever made it a point to keep in touch with the advancement of the profession. In his later years his attention was given to general agricultural pursuits and in that field of business he displayed the same reliability, enterprise and integrity that characterized him in his professional life. Then came a period in which to enjoy the fruits of his former toil and at length he was called to his final home, his passing being deeply regretted by his many friends throughout the county. He was born in Middlesex County, Connecticut, September 15, 1836, and there lived to the age of eighteen years. On leaving New England, he at once made his way westward to Illinois, settling first at Bloomington, while subsequently he came to Macon county and for a few years was engaged in teaching school here. He took up the study of medicine under Dr. W. J. Chenoweth, one of the well known physicians of Decatur, and afterward pursued a two years' course at the College of Medicine and Surgery in Cincinnati, thus becoming well qualified for the onerous and responsible professional duties which devolved upon him. He put aside all business and personal considerations, however, when the Civil war was in progress that he might aid his country in preserving the Union. He enlisted in 1861, joining the Eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry under Colonel Richard Oglesby. He entered the service as assistant surgeon and later was made surgeon of the regiment, in which capacity he served until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. He did important service for the wounded and sick soldiers and many have reason to remember him with gratitude for his kindly ministrations and ready professional aid.

When the war was over, Dr. Denison returned to Illinois, settling in Cerro Gordo, where he engaged in the practice of medicine for a short time. He was married in 1867, at Latham, Illinois, to Miss Drusilla A. Ellis, a native of Indiana, who was there reared. Following their marriage Dr. Denison and his wife became residents of Newberg, Illinois, where he continued in the practice of his profession until his removal to Argenta, being one of the first to locate here. In 1881 he removed to Decatur, that his son might have the advantage of the better schools of the city. His wife died in Decatur in 1886 and the following year Dr. Denison returned to his old home in Argenta. He then retired from his professional duties and took up stock-raising and farming until 1907, when he retired from all business. For his second wife he chose Mary McNeal. He died in Argenta, July 25, 1910, and was buried with Masonic honors, as he was long a faithful and exemplary representative of the craft having taken all the degrees in Masonry several years before except the thirty-third. His widow and son Charles A. Denison still survive him.

Captain Robert P. Lytle

No resident of Decatur has been for a longer period or more continuously connected with the postoffice of the city than Captain Robert P. Lytle. As postmaster and assistant postmaster he has been active in the management of the mail service in this city for almost thirty years, and his record in this connection is characterized by the same spirit of loyalty that marked his service as a soldier on the battlefields of the south during the Civil war. His long residence in Decatur, his close association with its business and official interests, his activity in politics and his loyalty to his friends and to every cause which he espouses, have made him so uniformly esteemed and respected that the record of his life cannot fail to prove of interest to the readers of this volume.

The Lytle family was founded in America in colonial days and John Lytle, the great-grandfather, joined the colonial army soon after the outbreak of the Revolutionary war. He was the father of John Lytle, Jr., and the grandfather of Andrew Lytle, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1806, and in early life learned and followed the tanner's trade. He afterward took up the occupation of farming and, in keeping with the military spirit that has frequently been manifested in the family, he joined the Pennsylvania Militia and served as an officer. He was married in his native state to Miss Nancy McKay, who was born in Pennsylvania and died in Waterford, that state, in 1892. She had long survived her husband, who passed away in 1876.

Their son, Robert P. Lytle, was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1837. One seeing him in the postoffice, active in the exercise of the duties which devolve upon him, would hardly suspect, however, that he has reached the seventy-third milestone on life's journey. The exercise and activity keep him alert, and his interest in affairs of public moment has never in the least abated. He began his education in the schools of his native city and later spent a year as a student in the Waterford Academy, at Waterford, Pennsylvania. He started in business life as a clerk in a general store, owned by the Sharon Iron Company at Clay Furnace, Pennsylvania, where he remained for three years. Removing to Buffalo, New York, he there qualified for active service in the business world by pursuing a course in a commercial college in the winter of 1857-58. He then came to Illinois and secured the position of bookkeeper in a general store at New Boston, Mercer county, but when the call to arms came his patriotic spirit was aroused and the Union soon numbered him among its loyal defenders. He was enrolled on the 20th of August, 1861, at Springfield, as a member of Company G, Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry, under the command of Captain Southward and Colonel N. B. Buford. The regiment was sent to Cairo, Illinois, in September, and assigned to the brigade command of General John A. McClernand. Captain Lytle participated in a number of engagements and skirmishes including the battle of Belmont, Missouri, November 7, 1861. Later the regiment was detached from McClernand's brigade and, assigned to the gunboat flotilla, participated in the siege of Island No. 10. His military history has been written as follows : "He took part in the siege of Corinth in June, 1862, was at Nashville, Tennessee, from September nth to November 23d, and during this time participated in the battle of La Vergne, followed by the battle of Stone River. On the 19th and 20th of September, 1863, he was in the battle of Chickamauga and in the battle of Missionary Ridge on the 25th of November, 1863, at which place he was wounded in the right leg and right arm. In consequence he was sent to the hospital. When he had partially recovered from his wounds he rejoined his regiment at Loudon, Tennessee, and participated in the battles of Rockyface Ridge, Resaca, Burnt Hickory and Kenesaw Mountain. In the last engagement, June 27, 1864, he lost his left arm. On the 20th of September, 1864, he was honorably discharged with his company and regiment and, being mustered out of service at Camp Butler, Springfield, Illinois, returned to Pennsylvania."

In the winter of 1864-5 Captain Lytle remained in Pennsylvania, after which he went to Nashville, Tennessee, as the representative of the American Bridge Company. When the business of that corporation was closed out there he returned to the north and in 1866 came to Decatur. Here he has since resided and has been closely associated with the welfare and interests of this city. For six and a half years he occupied the position of bookkeeper with William Lintner & Company, and then established business on his own account, forming a partnership with Thomas T. Roberts, under the firm style of Roberts & Lytle, for the manufacture of coffins. The business, carried on under the name of the Decatur Coffin Company, was continued until 1875, when Captain Lytle disposed of his interest to enter upon the duties of postmaster, to which position he had been appointed by President Grant. Reappointment under different presidential administrations continued him in the office for twelve years, and he retired from the position as he had entered it - with the confidence and regard of all concerned. In 1887 he once more became connected with commercial interests as senior partner of the Lytle & Eckles Hardware Company, and for five years continued in that position. They sold out in 1893 and soon afterward Captain Lytle received the appointment of assistant postmaster from William F. Calhoun. He has since continued in that position, so that his con- nection with the office as postmaster and assistant covers almost three decades. His course has ever been above question, being characterized by the utmost fidelity to duty and as well by promptness and efficiency in the execution of the work of the office.

As is indicated by his official service, Captain Lytle is a republican, recognized as one of the leading workers in the ranks of the party in Macon county. He has done not a little to shape its policy and guide its activities. He was for ten years chairman of the county republican central committee and for three years was township and city collector.

Captain Lytle was married January 12, 1864, to Miss Elizabeth Smith, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, a daughter of George and Mary Smith. Their children are: Harry Wells, of Kansas City, Missouri; Frank A., of Decatur; Robert B., who died in 1891 ; and Edith May, the wife of Craig Smith, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Their home has ever been celebrated for its warm-hearted hospitality which has been greatly enjoyed by their extensive circle of friends. They are among the oldest as well as among the most active and faithful members of the First Presbyterian church, and Captain Lytle has long been a prominent member of the Grand Army post at Decatur. He was here when the organization was founded and of the original post he has served as commander. In 1888 he was honored with the position of senior vice commander of tha department of Illinois and has frequently been a delegate to various national encampments.

He is a gentleman of liberal culture, of broad mind and of progressive spirit, who has learned to correctly follow life's contacts and experiences and glean from each the lesson that it contains. He has long been a forceful factor in the community and his influence has ever been on the side where progress is conserved and truth and right supported.

Gus A. Ahrens, a prominent and successful representative of the business interests of Decatur, has for the past twenty- three years carried on an extensive mineral bottling and manufacturing enterprise here. His birth occurred in Davenport, Iowa, on the 14th of August, 1858, his parents being Edward A. and Elizabeth M. (Paulsen) Ahrens. The father was born in Hamburg, Germany, on the 4th of July, 181 1 while the mother's birth occurred in Kiel, Germany, October 28, 1825. Their marriage was celebrated in the fatherland in 1847. In 1855 Edward A. Ahrens emigrated to the United States, locating at Davenport, Iowa, where he successfully carried on business as a wholesale manufacturer of sash, doors and blinds until called to his final rest on the 30th of September, 1901. His widow, who still survives, yet makes her home in Davenport.

Gus A. Ahrens attended the schools of his native city until thirteen years of age and then secured a position as grocery clerk, being thus employed for four years. On the expiration of that period he embarked in business on his own account as a tea and coffee merchant, conducting an enterprise of that character for twelve years and winning a gratifying measure of prosperity by reason of his able management. It was with the idea of taking up his abode in Lincoln, Nebraska, that he disposed of his interests in this connection. On the 17th of May, 1887, however, he came to Decatur, Illinois, to visit with friends for several days and was so well pleased with the place that he abandoned all his previous plans and decided to become a permanent resident of this city. He purchased the mineral bottling and manufacturing concern of his father-in-law Fred Kuny, and has since conducted the enterprise in a manner that has insured its continuous and substantial growth. He now enjoys an extensive and profitable trade and is widely recognized as one of the leading and representative business men of Decatur.

Mr. Ahrens has been married twice. On the 10th of June, 1886, he wedded. Miss Sophia Kuny, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred D. Kuny, both of whom were natives of Germany and are now deceased. They took up their abode in Decatur at an early day and became widely and favorably known here. Mr. Ahrens lost his first wife on the 7th of May, 1907, and on the 10th of Miarch, 1910, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Alice Latsbaugh, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Her parents are J. C. and Ida (Smalley) Latsbaugh, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Decatur, Illinois. Her father is connected with the Barry Saw Company of Indianapolis.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Ahrens has supported the democracy, believing firmly in its principles. In 1895 he was elected alderman of the fourth ward and during his two years' service exercised his official prerogatives in support of all measures instituted to promote the improvement and progress of the city. At the present time he is serving as humane officer of Macon county and plans are now under way for the organization of a society to carry on the work in this connection. Fraternally he is identified with the Royal Arcanum and the Knights of Pythias, having held nearly all of the offices in the latter organization. He is likewise an active member of the United Commercial Travelers and the Travelers Protective Association. His wife is a devoted and consistent member of the Baptist church. Mr. Ahrens has always been found loyal and faithful to his friends, who recognize his true worth, and he is held in high regard by his social as well as his business associates.

Robert Morris

Robert Morris, who is now living in honorable retirement at No. 333 West North street in Decatur, is a native of New Jersey, his birth having occurred at Seaville, Cape May county, on the 1st of August, 1838. He spent the first fourteen years of his life in the east and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1852. His father, William Morris, also a native of New Jersey, was born in 1806 and having arrived at years of maturity, wedded Eliza Hughes, whose birth occurred in the same state in 1809. They were the parents of six children : Robert, whose name introduces this record ; Albert, who died at the age of two years ; Pauline ; Lydia ; Albert, the second of the name, who died at the age of twenty-five years and was buried near Springfield; and William R. The father died in Sangamon county in March, 1892, after a residence there of over forty years. His widow survived him until 1902, and both were laid to rest in the cemetery in Farmingdale, Illinois, where the grave of their son Albert had previously been made.

Robert Morris was reared on the old home farm in Sangamon county amid pioneer conditions and environments. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges and he aided in the work of the fields when not busy with his text-books. After arriving at years of maturity he was joined in wedlock, in Sangamon county, to Miss Mary E. Lyman, the marriage being celebrated on the 15th of November, 1867. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Morris removed to Macon county, settling on a farm on section 24, Austin tov-n = rnn. He bent his energies to the development and cultivation of the place, added to it many modern improvements, and was soon recognized as one of the most enterprising and progressive farmers of the community. Year by year he carefully tilled the fields until at length he won the success that enabled him to put aside active business cares and live retired, his capital being sufficient to supply him with all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Morris were born four children: Etta Caroline, who died at the age of twenty-five years; William Ezra, who died at the age of eighteen years ;Robert Lyman, a practicing physician of Decatur; and Frank Hayes. While upon the farm, Mr. Morris filled the office of supervisor, but has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. His political support is given to the republican party. Both he and his wife are active and devoted members of the Methodist church, in which he is serving as class leader, while in the various departments of the church work he takes active and helpful interest.

Dr. Robert Lyman Morris is one of the younger members of the medical profession in Decatur, yet his age seems no bar to his success. Gradually he has worked his way upward and is now accorded a good patronage. He was born in Austin township, this county, on the 6th of December, 1879, and is a son of Robert Morris, a retired farmer of Decatur, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. His early education was acquired in the district schools while spending his youthful days upon his father's farm, but ambitious to enjoy more advanced opportunities, he pursued an academic course, spending a year in the academical department of the University of Illinois, and then one year as a university student. Entering the medical department of the state university, he there pursued his preliminary studies in preparation for the profession, and afterward entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago, where he completed the regular course and was graduated with the class of 1904. He also did clinical work in Chicago, and his experience in that di-

Immediately following his graduation, Dr. Morris located for practice in Decatur, where he has since remained. Everything which tends to bring to man the key to the complex mystery which we call life claims his interest, and as the years go by he is constantly promoting his efficiency by reason of his broadening experience and his research work. He keeps in touch with the progress of his profession through his connection with various societies for the dissemination of knowledge concerning the practice of both medicine and surgery. He belongs to the Decatur Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. In addition to his private practice he is examining physician for the Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company and the Pioneer Life Insurance Company, and is local surgeon for the Illinois Traction Hospital Association.

In 1909 Dr. Morris was married to Miss Cleona Johnston, a native of Christian county, Illinois, and they are widely and favorably known socially in Decatur. Dr. Morris belongs to Macon Lodge, No. 8, A. F. & A. M. He is actuated by a laudable ambition in his chosen life work, and also by a sense of conscientious obligation which renders him most careful in the diagnosis of cases. His work is being attended by excellent results, and he well merits the liberal practice that is now his.

George W. Mueller

It has often been pointed out that real life presents experiences of more vital interest than any stories that have ever been drawn from imagination. The truth of this statement is illustrated by contact with business men who have risen from a humble position to places of large responsibility. Ambition, pluck and perseverance have carried many a boy to financial success, and it has been largely through the application of these important principles that George W. Mueller of Decatur occupies the place he holds today as head of one of the prosperous wholesale grocery establishments of central Illinois.

He was born at Huntington, Indiana, October 2, 1863, and is a son of Francis and Eugenia (Roeder) Mueller. The father was born near Berlin, Germany, and the mother in Switzerland, but she lived most of her life before coming to America at Fulda, Hesse-Cassel, Germany. The parents settled at Newark, Ohio, in 1850, and there Francis Mueller conducted a music store. Later he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and thence to Huntington, Indiana, finally coming to Bloomington, Illinois, in 1869. He departed this life in 1892 at the age of seventy-two years. The beloved mother was called away at the age of sixty-five, in 1886.

The subject of this review possessed good opportunities for education, and was graduated from the Bloomington high school in 1876. He was then only thirteen years of age, and was the youngest graduate that has ever completed the course of that school. He attended the Illinois Wesleyan University until

1880, and then began his active career as errand boy in the wholesale grocery house of J. S. Roush & Sons. Upon the death of Mr. Roush in 1886 the business was disposed of and Mr. Mueller removed to Chicago, where he became connected with the wholesale house of Franklin MacVeagh & Company. There he had charge of various departments, but his health giving out from over-application, he resigned in 1898. In connection with Cyrus E. Wheeland and F. M. Young, he later established the wholesale grocery house of Mueller, Young & Wheeland, at Decatur, which from the beginning has been a marked success. Mr. Young's interest was purchased by E. M. Piatt and C. M. Luling, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and the name of the firm was changed to Mueller, Piatt & Wheeland Company. The capital stock paid in was twenty thousand dollars. This has been increased to one hundred thousand dollars, and the surplus allowed to remain in the business is fifty thousand. The house carries a stock of about one hundred thousand dollars and has twelve men on the road, covering a territory of about one hundred and fifty miles around Decatur. The annual sales have shown a gratifying growth from year to year, and at the present time amount to about seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

On November 26, 189 1, Mr. Mueller was united in marriage to Miss Irene Moon, a daughter of A. J. Moon, a prominent landowner and stock-raiser of Lexington, Illinois. Mr. Mueller is an adherent of the republican party, believing that its principles are best adapted to promote the permanent interests of the country. He is a member of the First Methodist church of Decatur, and socially is identified with the Masonic fraternity, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Decatur Club. He is highly respected for his sterling qualities, and during thirty years in active affairs he has made many friends among his business associates, who have always found him to be a man of the strictest integrity and one whose word is as good as his bond. He is blessed with a sound judgment and broad sympathies and possesses the attributes that belong to the good citizen. No enterprise that aims to promote the public welfare fails to receive his hearty support, and therefore he is justly numbered among the progressive and useful men of Decatur.

Edward D. Mattes

Edward D. Mattes needs no introduction to the readers of this volume. The name of Mattes has long been a synonym for brick manufacture in Decatur and, entering this field of business in early life, Edward D. Mattes has so directed his efforts that energy and capable management have brought him the experience and ability that place him as one of the most prominent representatives in this line of activity. He was born in this city November 14, 1866, a son of Frederick Mattes, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume in connection with the sketch of John F. Mattes. At the usual age he became a pupil in the public schools and passed through consecutive grades until he left the high school to take up the practical lessons to be learned in the school of experience. His training in the work of brickmaking then began and he continued his association with his father in business until the latter's retirement. At the age of twenty-one he became a member of the firm and the enterprise was conducted under the style of Mattes & Sons for a number of years, or until it was absorbed by the incorporation of the Decatur Brick Company. Edward D. Mattes becoming general manager of the greater concern. He has since acted in that capacity and his capable conduct of the business is manifest in its splendid success. His practical knowledge of every detail of the business well qualifies him for executive control. He knows the value of all the products used and the possibilities of the market and is quick to adopt every idea that leads to improvement in the product or to the legitimate extension of the trade. He is also a stockholder in the Manufacturers & Consumers Coal Company.

In 1895 Mr. Mattes was married to Miss Emma L. Roeder, of St. Louis, Missouri, and they are well known in the social circles of the city and are devoted members of the First Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Mattes is serving as steward, while in the various departments of church work both he and his wife are actively interested. He belongs to Ionic Lodge, No. 312, A. F. & A. M. ; Macon Chapter, No. 27, R. A. M. ; and Beaumonoir Commandery, No. 9, K. T. He is also connected with Mohammed Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Peoria, and both he and his wife belong to the Eastern Star lodge in Decatur. His political views are in accord with republican principles and he is always mindful of the duties and obligations of citizenship yet never an aspirant for office. His business affairs, his social relations and his home interests claim his attention and in all these he measures up to the full standard of high and honorable manhood.

The Powers Family

The history of Macon county would be incomplete without extended reference to the Powers family. Through more than six decades the name has figured in connection with the development of this section of the state. Orlando Powers came to Decatur in 1849. In matters of public concern as well as in the conduct of large business enterprises he played a leading role on the stage of action. He seemed ever to follow the mandate, "turn thy defeats into victory; make thy hopes a reality; never let thy personal interest constitute the bounds of thine horizon, but reach out for the larger, uplifting things of life." Today there is no name spoken in Decatur with greater honor and reverence than that of Orlando Powers. His business ability was proven in the wonderful success which he achieved; his honor in the rectitude of the methods which he followed; his patriotism in his support of municipal and national projects for the general good; his charity in the generous division which he made of his wealth to the unfortunate.

He was a comparatively young man - thirty-seven years of age - when he came to Decatur, and from that time forward was closely associated with the business development of the city along those lines which have led to its substantial upbuilding. Already his experiences had covered a wide range, and had developed in him the power of quick and accurate judgment and keen dis- crimination. He was born near the village of Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, May 21, 1812, and pursued his education in the common schools, which he attended through the winter months, while the summer seasons were devoted to the work of the home farm. He was sixteen years of age when his brother William requested that he should go to Havana, Cuba, and become his assistant in business there. Proceeding to New York, he became a passenger on the schooner Helen, which encountered a severe storm three days later and was wrecked. The rescue of Mr. Powers was certainly marvelous. He and Captain Tucker, who commanded the vessel, together with three of the sailors, drifted upon the open sea for eleven days, clinging to the disabled hulk, part of which was out of water. They subsisted upon a scanty supply of sea biscuit and raw potatoes, and a very short allowance of water. When nearly famished because of lack of food and almost crazed by want of drink, they were picked up by a French brig bound for Bordeaux, and eventually landed at La Rochelle, whence they were taken on to Bordeaux by land. Mr. Powers had no money nor clothing save that which he wore and was even without a hats but found a kind friend in an English gentleman who relieved his immediate wants and cared for him until opportunity came for him to return home. Recrossing the Atlantic, he landed at New York, and through the assistance of business acquaintances and his elder brother, he was able to promptly discharge the indebtedness which it had been necessary for him to incur. His people who mourned him as dead were greatly surprised and rejoiced to welcome him, for he proceeded at once by steamer up the Hudson river to his home. He did not attempt again to enter business circles in Cuba, but on again leaving New York sailed for Mobile, Alabama, this time on a safe voyage, which brought him at length to his destination. He was connected with business interests in Alabama and Mississippi in association with his brothers and brother-in-law, Chauncey Wilkinson, being located at different times at Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Prairie Bluff and Aberdeen. In 1849, however, he heard and heeded the call of the middle west and Decatur gained thereby a citizen, the value of whose service in later years cannot be overestimated. Two years previously he had visited this city, his mother and two brothers, George and Samuel, having located here some years before. It was then a little town but he recognized the fact that it lay in the midst of a rich country and gave promise of future development. He therefore sought its opportunities when he left the south, and with the exception of about a decade passed in Jacksonville, Illinois, he continued a resident of Decatur from 1849 until his death.

Even previous to this time the name of Powers had figured in connection with business activities in Macon county. William Lorenzo Powers, who was born in New York city, December 9, 1804, had removed to Mobile, Alabama, where he followed merchandising for a number of years and then came to Illinois, settling in Bloomington. Making his home in that city, he engaged in the land business, entering extensive tracts in McLean and Macon counties. He never resided in Decatur, but owned considerable property here, and in 1858 erected a building of three stories on East Main, between Water street and the alley west, which building is still standing. He also owned a number of farms in Macon county. He died unmarried, August 28, 1858.

Orlando Powers' initial business effort in Decatur was in the operation of a saw and grist mill, which he owned and conducted for some time. He then turned his attention to merchandising as proprietor of a boot and shoe store, and therein laid the foundation for the success which in time placed him in the front rank among the business men of the city. For many years he was the owner of the only set of abstract books in Macon county. As he came into close touch with the people and learned of the district in which he had cast his lot, he realized that it must in time become a thickly settled region, because of the fertility of the soil. He therefore invested in real estate, adding to his property from time to time until his holdings of both farm land and city realtywere extensive. When opportunity came for profitable sale he disposed of his holdings and also improved and developed his property. In 1889 he erected the Decatur Opera House, a beautiful and substantial "palace of dramatic art." Where the interests of the city were involved, as well as where private enterprises were concerned, he gave liberally, and almost every public interest of Decatur benefited by his generous support, his cooperation, and his influence. His name and example always carried weight and secured for any movement or project a large following. This was due to the fact that his judgment was recognized as uniformly sound, and all, moreover, felt that the spirit of municipal loyalty was one of his strong characteristics.

The year which witnessed Mr. Powers' arrival in Decatur also chronicled his marriage, Miss Charlotte E. Given, of Smithland, Union county, Kentucky, becoming his wife. He had formed her acquaintance two years before in traveling on horseback from Mobile, Alabama, to Decatur, and the friendship which then had its inception, - ripened into love and was consummated in marriage. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Powers were born two daughters and two sons. Alice, the eldest, born September 30, 1856, died on the 22d of April, 1878. Charles G. Powers, the elder son, was born in Decatur, June 30, 1861. In the public schools of this city he mastered the elementary branches of learning, afterward attended the Illinois College at Jacksonville, and also pursued a commercial course in Brown's Business College. He was only thirteen years of age when he went to Jacksonville in company with his sister Annabel, who entered the Deaf Mute Institute there because of her hearing. For eight years he remained in that city. He entered upon the study of law in Decatur under the direction of the firm of Crea & Ewing, attorneys, but was not admitted to the bar, his object in studying law being to gain enough knowledge of legal principles to enable him to manage his father's business. In 1884 the family returned to Decatur from Jacksonville, and Charles G. Powers took charge of the estate, which he yet supervises. In this connection he displays keen insight, sound judgment, unfaltering enterprise and progressive methods. The Powers estate is one of the largest in this section, and covers many business and residence properties in Decatur. On the 21st of June, 1887, Charles G. Powers was married to Miss Effie Rogers, a daughter of Jason Rogers, of this city, and they have one child, John Howard, born August 23, 1895. The parents are members of the First Presbyterian church, and are prominent in the social circles of the city. Mr. Powers also belongs to the Decatur Club, the Elks Club

Howard W. Powers, the second son, was born in Decatur, June 20, 1864, and completed his education in the schools of Jacksonville, being a graduate of the Illinois College of that city. He joined his brother in the management of the estate left by the father, and they have since been associated in business under the name of C. G. & H. W. Powers. They are recognized as gentlemen of excellent business sagacity and keen foresight and in the supervision of extensive property interests have shown marked discrimination combined with an aptitude for successful management that is evidenced in the excellent results which attend their labors. On the 19th of December, 1903, Howard W. Powers was married to Miss Mabel Durfee, a daughter of Captain George Durfee, of Decatur, and they have three children : Howard William, born March 8, 1905 ; Given Durfee, April 20, 1909; and Robert Charles, June 29, 1910. Howard W. Powers has a home at Palm Beach, Florida, where he spends the winter months, while the summer seasons are passed in the north. He, too, is a member of the Decatur Club, the Elks Club and the Country Club.

Annabel Powers, born in Decatur, August 8, 1867, lost her hearing when five years of age through spinal meningitis, and two years later the family removed to Jacksonville for the purpose of educating her at the Deaf and Dumb State Institution, remaining in that city for ten years. She was married June 17, 1890, to Charles Kerney, of Evansville, Indiana, who died in Decatur, August 1, 1902, leaving a daughter, Charlotte Wright, born January 4, 1895. Mrs. Kerney was married again on the 26th of May, 1904, becoming the wife of William C. Tilley, of San Francisco, where they now reside. Mrs. Tilley owns a beautiful home of her own at Tiberon, across the bay north of San Francisco.

When age conferred upon Orlando Powers the right of franchise he supported the whig party, but joined the republican party as a supporter of Abraham Lincoln during his first presidential candidacy. He never faltered thereafter as an advocate of republican principles, for he deemed them most effective forces for good government. He long held membership in the First Presbyterian church of Decatur, and was one of its most active and helpful workers, giving generous assistance toward building its house of worship, also to support its local interests and its missionary endeavors. He was the founder of the scholarship in the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in the northwest. He never made religion a thing apart from his life - a Sunday observance as it were - but found in the teachings of the church the principles which guided his conduct and shaped his relations with his fellowmen. A tale of sorrow or distress awakened his ready sympathy, and when it was in his power to render assistance he did so. If a census could be taken of Decatur's citizens whom he has helped in one way or another, the number would reach up to a large figure. Business firms and individuals alike received his assistance in hours of need, and his unostentatious method of giving aid makes it certain that many were the recipients of his bounty of whom the public have no knowledge. When a public project was instituted for the benefit of Decatur, he was among the first to espouse the cause, and his citizenship was characterized by an un- faltering loyalty. He was ever devoted to the welfare of his family, and the close companionship which existed between himself and his wife made theirs largely an ideal relation. The death of Mrs. Powers occurred May 3, 1897. For five years more Mr. Powers trod life's pathway, and on the 1st of July, 1902, was called to the home beyond. His were "the blest accompaniments of age - honor, riches, troops of friends." It was his to preserve the precious prize of keen mentality to the closing hours of life, and when the end came, it was as "one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him and lies down to pleasant dreams."

The Powers family is now represented in Decatur by the two brothers, Charles G. and Howard W., who, managing the estate, are still actively concerned in the business interests of the city and are, moreover, leading figures in the social life of Decatur, and also Mrs. Annabel (Powers) Tilley, who spends most of her time at her winter home in California.

John Allen

It is refreshing in this day when so much is written about graft and political dishonesty to consider the history of John Allen, whose public record has been free from attack. The position to him has been purely that of political preference, arising in no degree from personal considerations. He now occupies the position of circuit clerk and official abstractor for Macon county, continuing in the former position without interruption for ten years.

He was born in Evansville, Indiana, June 16, 1863, and is a son of James and Ellen (Vickery) Allen, both of whom were natives of Ireland, and came to America in childhood. The father was engaged in the boot and shoe business for a number of years in Evansville, where he died in 1901, having for about four years survived his wife.

John Allen was educated in the public schools of his native city, and in his youthful days sold newspapers and worked in a printing office. Throughout his life he has eagerly availed himself of every opportunity for advancement, and promotion has at all times been honestly won. For several years he was employed in a grocery store in Vincennes, Indiana, and in 1884, when twentyone years of age, came to Decatur and for several years was connected with a grocery store on Merchant street, later engaging in the real-estate business. He was elected to the board of supervisors of Decatur township in 1897, which position he held for four years, being chairman of the board for one year and was a member of the first board of review.

In 1900 he was elected circuit clerk and has three times been elected to that office, receiving at the last election the highest vote ever given to any candidate in Macon county - a fact which is indicative of his popularity as an official and of the unqualified confidence reposed in him. He is now serving for the tenth year in that position and in the discharge of his duties his promptness, faithfulness and efficiency have gained him high encomiums.

In 1903 the county board sought to establish a set of modern indices by tracts of land, commonly known as a tract index, and reposing full confidence in the ability of Mr. Allen, entrusted him with the responsibility of preparing these books. When completed the county board contracted with Mr. Allen to compile abstracts of title for hire, and for the past four years abstracts of title have been compiled and sold under the direction of John Allen to the people of Macon county with a success beyond the expectation of the county board, and the net earnings from the sale of abstracts have paid the cost of compilation of the tract index books. Macon and Cook counties are the only counties in the state that have as yet successfully engaged in the compilation and sale of abstracts of title. These tract books, fifty in number, were made under Mr. Allen's personal supervision and have proven a valuable acquisition to the records of the office of the county recorder. The plan has met with the approval of the property owners in the city and county.

On the 27th day of September, 1888, Mr. Allen was united in marriage to Miss Flora Hester, a native of Indiana, and to them has been born one son, Edgar Hester Allen. The parents are members of the Methodist church, and Mr. Allen is connected with several fraternities. His home is in one of Decatur's attractive suburbs known as Allendale, located a short distance west of the Millikin University.

Few of the residents of Decatur have a wider acquaintance or are held in higher regard than John Allen, whose devotion to duty has won him the favorable opinion of all with whom he has come in contact. Moreover, he is a gentleman of genial manner and kindly disposition, and these qualities, combined with his deference for the opinion of others, have gained for him high regard. His trustworthiness and loyalty in office may well constitute an example for other Illinois officials.

L. W. Wheeler

L. W. Wheeler resides on section 2, Oakley township, and is the owner of a well improved and valuable farm of three hundred acres. The active management of the place, however, he largely leaves to others, although for a long period he personally engaged in the raising of grain and stock. He was born in Macon county, May 9, 1838. His father, Garland Wheeler, a native of Virginia, removed from that state to Kentucky, where he was united in marriage in Bullitt county, to Miss Elizabeth Whitledge, who was also born in the Old Dominion, but was reared in the Blue Grass state. Garland Wheeler followed farming in Kentucky for many years and thirteen children were born unto them there. In September, 1834, the family left their old home for Illinois and working their way northward to Macon county, the father entered two hundred and forty acres of prairie land and eighty acres of timber land in Oakley township, where he began the development of a new farm. He became a well known and prosperous agriculturist of the community. Upon this place he reared his family and spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 1864.

L. W. Wheeler is the youngest of the family and the only one of the fourteen children born in Macon county. There were six sons and eight daughters, thirteen of whom grew to years of maturity, but only the subject of this review now survives. He was reared on the home farm, remaining with his father and mother until they were called to their final rest. Previous to the death of his parents, he .took charge of the property, bending his energies to the development of the fields and the care of the crops. He is almost wholly a selfeducated man and practical experience, reading and observation have brought him much valuable knowledge. As a companion and helpmate for life's journey he chose Sarah Kemp, who was born in Scott county, Illinois, but was reared in Macon county. Their marriage was celebrated on the nth of November, 1858, and they began their domestic life on the home farm, which was afterward inherited by L. W. Wheeler and his brother Garland. They worked together for some years. Afterward L. W. Wheeler purchased other land and is now the owner of three hundred and twenty acres, improved with three sets of good farm buildings. The equipments upon the place are modern and indicate the progressive spirit of the owner. In connection with the tilling of the soil Mr. Wheeler engaged in breeding and dealing in cattle, horses and hogs and in both lines of his work met with substantial and gratifying returns. He has resided at his present place of abode since June, 1906.

In 1865 Mr. Wheeler was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife. There were four children of that marriage: Mary E., who grew to womanhood and was married, but has now passed away ; William A., who died at the age of thirteen years; and Samuel and Edward, also deceased. On the 25th of September, 1869, Mr. Wheeler was married to Miss Anna Boyd, a native of Coles county, Illinois, and there were two sons of that marriage: Oliver, who died at the age of two years; and George R., who was married and passed away on the 5th of June, 1900. He was a well educated man and for some years successfully engaged in teaching. At his death he left a wife and son, Boyd Wallace Wheeler, who resides with his grandparents. On the 25th of September, 1879, in Oakley township, L. W. Wheeler wedded Margaret Ross, who was born in Brown county, Ohio, and was there reared to the age of sixteen years. Her education was acquired in the schools of that state and of Illinois. Her parents were Taylor and Sarah Ross, both of whom were natives of Ohio, whence they removed to Illinois in 1868, settling in Taylor county. There have been two sons born of the last marriage of Mr. Wheeler: Richard C, who is a farmer of Oakley township and is married and has two children, John Ross and Hazel Amanda; and Linn Virgil, who occupies the old home farm on which his father was born. He, too, is married and has two daughters, Verna Veech and Esther Mina.

In his political views Mr. Wheeler was formerly a democrat, but of late years has been independent, supporting the men whom he regards best qualified for office. He is a strong advocate of temperance and is a prohibitionist in principle. From his youth to the present time he has never used intoxicants nor tobacco. In 1900 his eyesight failed so that he cannot see to any practical purpose. He has passed the seventy-second milestone on life's journey, and his has been an active, useful and honorable career. He is regarded as a good business man and a public-spirited citizen, and wherever known he is held in high esteem. Macon has few native sons who have so long remained within her borders. For more than the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten he has been a witness of the growth and progress of this portion of the state, and has made for himself an excellent record throughout the entire period.

De Witt C. Corley, a leading member of the Decatur bar, who has practiced continuously in this city since 1880, was born in Shelby county, Illinois, December 24, 1852. His father, Henry W. W. Corley, was a native of Kentucky and in his boyhood days came with his parents to Illinois, the family home being established in Shelby county in 1823, where he was reared, married and spent his after life on a farm. He was at the time of his death recognized as one of the oldest residents in his county, not in years but in continuous residence therein. He wedded Miss Cynthia A. Powell, and died in March, 1890, at the age of seventy years.

The home farm was the playground of De Witt C. Corley in his youth and his training school for life's practical duties. His educational training was acquired in the public schools, and in Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, from which he was graduated in the class of 1877, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He then turned his attention to teaching in the public schools, which he followed for three successive years, but regarded this merely as an initial step to further professional labor. Desiring to become a member of the bar, he devoted his leisure hours while teaching to the study of law, and in 1878 continued his reading in the law office of Moulton, Chafee & Headen, at Shelbyville, Illinois. In 1879 he came to Decatur and continued his studies with Brower A. Bunn as his preceptor. During the winter he taught in Sulphur Springs school, and in the summer of 1880 successfully passed the required examination which admitted him to practice before the Illinois bar. In the spring of 1881 he was elected to the office of justice of the peace and served for four years in that position. He then entered upon the practice of law, which he has always followed independently. He now ranks with the leading attorneys of the city, his reputation being won through earnest effort, close application and unfaltering loyalty to the interests of his clients. He has ever been careful in the preparation of his cases, martials his evidence with the precision of a military commander, and while presenting every detail that may possibly bear upon the case, he never loses sight of the important point upon which the decision of every case finally turns.

On the 7th of July, 1887, Mr. Corley was united in marriage to Miss Laura Fulton, a daughter of Robert E. and Sarah Jane (Bigger) Fulton. Her father is now deceased, while the mother resides with Mr. and Mrs. Corley, whose marriage has been blessed with four children: Helen, who is a graduate of the University of Michigan, is now a teacher of languages at Big Rapids, Michigan; Howard is a sophomore in the University of Illinois, pursuing the engineering course ; Seymour is a senior in the Decatur high school ; Warren, a lad of ten years, completes the family.

The parents are active members of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Corley is serving as one of its trustees. In politics he is a stanch republican, but has never been an office seeker. He belongs to Celestial Lodge, No. 186, I. O. O. F., and to Decatur Encampment, No. 37, and is popular with the members of that organization. His qualities as a man, as a member of the bar, and as a citizen are such as commend him to the confidence and good-will of all, and he belongs to that class who uphold the legal and political status of the community and seek also its intellectual and moral progress.

William Gushard

William Gushard, who in 1895 established the important mercantile concern that is now known as the William Gushard Dry Goods Company of Decatur, passed away at his residence at No. 1000 Marietta street, dying very suddenly on the 23d of October, 1909. His birth occurred in Stark county, Ohio, on the 5th of March, 1862. His father, George Gushard, carried on merchandising in Stark county, where his demise occurred in 1894. He had been twice married, his second wife and the mother of our subject being Mrs. Hannah Rorabaugh, who was called to her final rest on the 25th of May, 1865.

William Gushard spent the first eight years of his life in his native county, entering the public schools at the usual age. On leaving Stark county he went with his father to Wabash county, Indiana, where he continued his studies until a youth of fifteen. Returning to Ohio, he made his home in Akron for the following nine years and during that period embarked on his business career as salesman in a dry-goods establishment. Mastering the business in principle and detail, he gained broad and practical knowledge of the methods employed in the mercantile world and, being thus well equipped for further advancement, he became a trusted employe in the dry-goods house of G. Y. Smith & Company, of Kansas City, Missouri. He remained with that concern for two and a half years and then invested the capital which he had accumulated through industry and economy, becoming the proprietor of a mercantile establishment in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Subsequently he was numbered among the leading merchants of Topeka, Kansas, being very successful in his business operations. In 1895 he came to Decatur, Illinois, and here established a dry goods and millinery store as the senior member of the firm of Gushard & Company, his partner in this enterprise being Walter Buck. The old store was located at No. 207 to 211 North Water street and its dimensions were fifty by one hundred and twenty feet. The building was three stories in height and all three floors were utilized for the accommodation of their large stock of millinery and dry goods. From forty to fifty clerks were employed at that time. On the 30th of May, 1906, the location was changed to the Wait building at the northwest corner of William and North Water streets. That year the concern was incorporated under the state laws and on the death of William Gushard it was reorganized with the following officers : Clyde F. Trisch, president ; James A. Carroll, vice president ; W. Harold Wiley, treasurer ; and J. A. Keith, secretary. The William Gushard Dry Goods Company, as the enterprise is now known, occupies two floors and a basement and has fine display windows. The basement stock comprises dinnerware, fancy china, cut glass, house furnishings, packing room, shipping department and work rooms for window trimmers and carpet makers. On the first floor may be found a general line of dry goods, the ladies' and children's shoe department and the offices of the company. The second floor is given over to a millinery emporium, ladies' ready to wear garments, corsets, furs, children's department, carpets and draperies. During the busy season as high as one hundred and fifty people are employed. Mrs. Gushard still retains her husband's large interest in the dry goods business and is a lady of excellent executive ability and sound judgment. Mr. Gushard was likewise a director of the Decatur Fountain Company and was widely recognized as one of the representative and most prosperous business men of the city.

On December 26, 1895, Mr. Gushard was united in marriage to Miss Delia Perkins, who comes of a good Kansas family and who was a popular school teacher of Topeka, where she taught for more than ten years. By her marriage she became the mother of three children, namely: Geraldine; Hannah Louise; and Ruth Elizabeth, who is deceased.

Fraternally Mr. Gushard was a Knight Templar Mason and a Modern Woodman of America. His religious faith was indicated by his membership in the First Episcopal church, in which he served as a trustee. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and he was a most public-spirited and loyal citizen. He was a member of the Houghton Lake & Fishing Club and had but recently returned from a fishing trip when his demise occurred. Mrs. Gushard is a member of the Women's Club of Decatur and also belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Following the death of her husband she purchased lots on the site of her present home, which is at No. 1171 West Main street and is a beautiful location, being opposite the entrance to the James Millikin University.

John W. Hawver

Among the residents of Decatur to whose well directed efforts in the field of agriculture is due the fact that they are now able to live retired, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of years of earnest and honest toil, is numbered John W. Hawver. Born in Indiana on the nth of September, 1851, he is a son of John and Elizabeth (Studebaker) Hawver, natives of Maryland and Ohio, respectively, who came to Illinois in the spring of 1869. The family home was established in Piatt county, near Bement, and there the father passed away in 1894 at the age of seventy-four years. He had been a farmer throughout his entire life and in politics was a democrat. His widow still survives, and at the ripe old age of eighty-five years makes her home at Cerro Gordo, Piatt county.

John W. Hawver, who was the eldest in a family of five children, was reared a country lad and amid the busy activities of rural life spent the period of boyhood and youth. The winter months were devoted to the acquirement of an education in the common schools near his father's home, and in the summer seasons he worked upon the home farm, early becoming familiar with the tasks that fall to the lot of the farm lad. Upon laying aside his text-books he remained with his father, assisting him in the cultivation of the fields, until twenty-two years of age, when, tiring of the narrow confines of country life and wishing to see something of the world, he left home. Turning his face toward the west, he made his way to Kansas, and later to Oregon and California, spending from two to three years in each state, and altogether was away from Illinois about nine years. On the expiration of that period he returned to Illinois, locating in Piatt county, and there took up the occupation to which he had been reared. In the spring of 1895 ne removed to Oreana, in Whitmore township, Macon county, and there resided until 1908, when he retired from active life. He had engaged continuously in agricultural pursuits since his return from the west, and throughout that period his labors were of a most resultant character, making it possible in the latter year to leave the farm and, with a goodly competence, seek the comforts offered by city life. He now occupies a pleasant and attractive home at 1595 North Church street, and there the proverbial hospitality of the family is enjoyed by a large circle of friends.

In the year 1893 Mr. Hawver was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Finnity, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Finnity, natives of New York, who came to the prairie state in pioneer days. She was born July 6, 1868, the third of a family of five children, and in her infancy she lost her father. The mother passed away several years ago. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Hawver has been blessed with five children, two of whom are deceased. Those living are: Paul L., born December 23, 1893, who is a student in high school; Harold, who was born February 24, 1901, and is also attending school; and Helen Lucile, born May 10, 1906. Esther E., born in 1896, died in 1900 ; and Harry W., born in 1897, died in 1900.

A careful study of the political situation led Mr. Hawver early in life to give his support to the democratic party on national issues, the principles of which he deems most conducive to the general welfare. In local politics, however, he casts an independent vote, always supporting the best men and most desirable measures irrespective of party ties. He filled the office of tax collector for two years while residing in Piatt county and was also school director for a number of terms, the cause of education finding in him a stanch champion. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife hold membership in Grace Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which both are actively and helpfully interested. He is now serving as steward of the church, and Mrs. Hawver belongs to the Foreign Missionary and Ladies Aid Societies. They have ever been guided by high and noble ideals, and in their lives have manifested those characteristics which make for the best citizenship in any community.

Dr. James W. Sanders occupies a distinguished position as a specialist in the treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, and yet has hardly reached the zenith of his powers. The ability which arises from broad experience and continued study and research is his and has won him recognition not only in a liberal patronage but also in the honor accorded him by fellow members of the profession.

Dr. Sanders was born in 1864, a son of Robert E. Sanders. The district schools of Sangamon county afforded him his early educational privileges, and he also spent one year in the Northern Indiana Normal School at Danville, Indiana. He engaged in teaching in the years 1884, 1885 and 1886, becoming teacher in the district adjoining the one in which his early education was obtained. He there remained for two years and also taught in the town school at Pawnee, Illinois. While there he made a specialty in careful instruction in penmanship and many attribute their good handwriting of the present time to his teaching. He made his way through college by his own labor and has never feared that earnest effort which is one of the concomitants of successful accomplishment whether in the attainment of an education or of financial independence. For three years he was a student in Northwestern Medical College at Chicago, from which he was graduated with the class of 1889. He then opened an office in Windsor, Illinois, for general practice, but becoming interested in the field which he now makes his specialty, he afterward pursued post-graduate work in the Chicago Polyclinic for the study of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. On the 3d of January, 1893, he came to Decatur, where he has now resided for eighteen years. When he completed his medical course he had incurred an indebtedness of four hundred dollars, drawing interest at the rate of eight per cent. He bent every energy toward discharging this financial obligation, which was soon done. Today he has an extensive practice netting him an income of perhaps a thousand dollars per month. He has won distinction in his especial line, and is now president of the Eastern Illinois Ophthalmological and Otological Society and a member of the Decatur Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Sanders married Miss Ida M. Zink, a native of Illinois, and they now have one son, Robert Zink Sanders, who was born at No. 2335 Wabash avenue, Chicago, in January, 1886. After completing the high school course in Decatur, at the age of sixteen years he entered Millikin University and was graduated there at the age of twenty. He is now a junior in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, and is occupying responsible positions in con-

Dr. Sanders is the owner of a valuable farm in Blue Mound township, where he has made an artificial lake fed by various springs. This he has stocked with fish of many kinds, and he finds great delight in here using the rod and line. With a forty horsepower automobile he quickly drives from Decatur to his farm, where he can not only indulge in fishing but also in hunting, for he has put considerable game upon the place. His son shares with him in these sports, for the Doctor believes in keeping the physical in good condition. He has developed a magnificent country home which has a picturesque situation, and will make one of the ideal estates of this part of Illinois.

Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias. He has, however, comparatively little leisure for social or fraternal interests, owing to the heavy demands made upon his time and attention by a continually increasing practice. He has a splendidly equipped office supplied with everything that is of practical value to his professional work, and the excellent results which have followed his labors prove him one of the most capable representatives of ophthalmology, otology and laryngology in central Illinois.

Linn & Scruggs Dry Goods & Carpet Company

Nothing indicates more clearly the growth of Decatur and of the surrounding country, or gives more positive proof of the employment of progressive methods than the growth of the extensive house of Linn & Scruggs Dry Goods & Carpet Company - the leading dry goods emporium of Decatur. For fortyone years without interruption this house has continued in business and has set the standard among dry-goods enterprises in this city. The original partners were William H. Linn and W. R. Scruggs, the former from Belleville, Illinois, and the latter from New York. Coming to Decatur, they formed a partnership, and on the nth of October, 1869, began business at No. 24 Merchant street, under the firm style of Linn & Scruggs. They opened with a little line of dry goods, and from the beginning were accorded a liberal share of the public patronage. Their earnest efforts to please their customers, their reliable business methods and the attractive line of goods which they handled soon brought them an increased business, and in February, 1870, they removed to the old Condel & Stamper building, where they remained for a number of years. The continued development of their business, however, led to the removal in 1880 to the building which formerly stood on the site of the present store, and which was destroyed by fire in 1895. Phcenix-like, there arose the splendid structure which they now occupy and which is one of the leading business blocks of Decatur.

The policy inaugurated at the beginning has always been maintained. The founders regarded honesty and fair dealing as the only sure principle of success. At the outset their floor space covered hardly two thousand square feet, and their stock was worth but five thousand dollars. Today they have twentyfive times the original space, their store including nearly fifty thousand square feet, while their merchandise is worth forty times the original stock, being valued at two hundred thousand dollars. This is not only the oldest established dry-goods business in Decatur, but in many respects has been the pioneer in innovations in merchandising, which today are considered among the actual necessities of service in a modern department store. It was the first Decatur store to make a feature of show windows; it inaugurated the first dry-goods delivery system; was the first to establish and maintain a pneumatic cash system; and the first store to establish passenger elevator service.

While the original partners have passed from this life, the business has been conducted without interruption, the present officers being: T. J. Prentice, president; J. R. Holt, vice president; and W. S. Grubbs, secretary-treasurer. The first two are the owners of the business which came to them by purchase on the ist of February, 1907. Mr. Grubbs had been secretary and treasurer of the company for a long period and was so continued under the new management. Mr. Holt and Mr. Prentice were both associated with the well known house of Scruggs, Vandervort & Barney, of St. Louis, of which Mr. Prentice was assistant secretary, while Mr. Holt held various positions in connection therewith. Under the new management the success of the business has increased beyond all expectations. Many improvements have been made, and the boulevard electric light system has been installed around the store, other merchants following their example in this regard. They have also established an automobile delivery system, and in fact employ every modern method to facilitate the business and raise it at all times to the highest system of mercantile service. They employ from one hundred and eighty-five to two hundred and twenty-five people. The officers of the company are most enterprising and progressive business men, of sound judgment and keen insight, with a genius for organization and marked executive ability.

Kirby Brothers

One would not attempt to write a complete history of Whitmore township without making prominent reference to the Kirby brothers, Grant, Richard and Lewis, who are numbered among the progressive farmers and stock-raisers, owning over four hundred acres of valuable land which has been brought under a high state of cultivation and is well improved with all of the equipment and accessories of the model farm of the twentieth century. There are two sets of buildings upon the place and an air of neatness and thrift pervades everything. Energy and determination are manifest in the transaction of the work and substantial results have followed. The brothers are all native sons of Illinois.

Grant Kirby was born in St. Clair county on the 4th of October, 1867, and is one of a family of three sons and four daughters. Their father, Richard Kirby, a native of Delaware, was born in 1835 and was reared to manhood in that state. When a young man, he came west to Illinois, settling in St. Clair county. He there worked by the month as a farm hand for a time, but was ambitious that his labor should more directly benefit himself and later rented land which he cultivated for a number of years. He was married there to Sophronia Ruddock, a native of Illinois, born in St. Clair county. In the year 1869 Mr. Kirby removed to Macon county and invested in property in Whitmore township, becoming the owner of one hundred and twenty acres, constituting the nucleus of the farm upon which his sons now reside. Slight improvements had been made at that time, yet comparatively little had been done to convert the place into a productive and valuable farm. The father at once began to till the fields and cultivate crops adapted to the soil and climate, and year by year the work of improvement was carried forward. Prospering in his undertaking, so that his financial resources increased, he bought more land from time to time and became the owner of four hundred acres. There he erected a good residence, together with substantial barns and outbuildings, furnishing ample shelter for grain and stock. He became recognized not only as one of the well known, but also as one of the prosperous farmers of Macon county, and his business reliability as well as his energy gained for him the respect and good will of his fellowmen. He reared his family here and spent his last years on the farm, his death occurring November 23, 1904. Deep regret was felt when he was called away, for he had endeared himself to his fellowmen and everywhere he was spoken of in terms of high regard. His fellow townsmen had given expression of their faith in his progressive citizenship by electing and reelecting him to the office of supervisor, so that he served as a member of the Macon county board for a number of years. His widow survives and resides with her sons on the home farm. She, too, is widely known in this county and has a large circle of warm friends. The daughters of the family are: Anna, now the wife of Dr. Dixon, of Decatur; and Mamie, Sue and Dott, all at home.

Grant Kirby, the eldest of the three sons, was reared upon the home farm which he assisted in cultivating to the time of his father's death, when the management and care of the property devolved upon him and his two brothers. His experiences had been practical, so that he was well qualified to assume the responsibility which came to him. On the 14th of September, 1887, he was married to Miss Mae Morrison, who was born and reared in Macon county and pursued her education in its public schools. Her father, Robert Morrison, was one of the early settlers who came from Pennsylvania. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Grant Kirby began their domestic life on the farm where they still reside. They have become the parents of two daughters, Harriet Grace and Helen Alea.

His brothers have ever been associated with Grant Kirby in farming operations, and in 1906 they purchased two hundred acres of land adjoining the old homestead. They have erected a commodious and neat residence, which is built in modern style of architecture, and in fact is one of the most attractive and pleasing country homes of Macon county. They have also built two good barns upon the place, and there are large cribs and other outbuildings which are a matter of convenience in carrying on the farm work. The brothers are progressive business men who are making a specialty of raising and feeding hogs, cattle and horses, giving, perhaps, more attention to hogs and heavy draft horses. They raise some good stock, including pure blooded and high grade Poland-China hogs, feeding about two hundred head for the market each year. In business affairs relating to the farm and its management their judgment is sound and their discrimination keen, and whatever they undertake they carry forward to successful completion.

The Kirby brother are identified with the democratic party but none of them is a politician in the usually accepted sense of office-seeking. They give their time and attention to the farm and business and are active and progressive in all of their work, keeping in touch with advanced methods of tilling the soil and raising the crops. Their labors have been attended with excellent success and they are numbered among the leading young men of Whitmore township, their honorable, straightforward methods commending them to the confidence and good will of all with whom they are associated. Those who know them find them pleasant, genial and courteous, and these qualities have made them favorites in social circles.

A. T. Hill

A. T. Hill, who passed away in Decatur in 1888, was one of the leading and influential men of the city during the thirty years of his residence here. He became a prominent factor in financial circles, being one of the founders and virtually establishing the institution which is now known as the National Bank of Decatur. His birth occurred in Virginia in 1818 and his early education was acquired in private schools in that state. He early manifested a fondness for reading and became a well educated, well informed man. After putting aside his text-books he accepted a position as clerk in a general store at Belleville, Illinois. The year 1856 witnessed his arrival in Decatur and from that time until the close of the Civil war he conducted a general mercantile establishment, selling out in 1865. He was one of the founders of the Decatur Bank, which he virtually established and placed upon a paying basis. It later became the Decatur National Bank and is now known as the National Bank of Decatur. He served as its president and was one of its largest stockholders until about the time of his demise. Earnest, discriminating study of each duty that devolved upon him and of each situation in which he was placed, brought him a keen, discriminating knowledge that enabled him to bring a ready and correct solution of the financial problems which were presented to him.

On the 6th of September, i860, at Randolph, New York, Mr. Hill was united in marriage to Miss Sarah D. Wilder, a daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Dow) Wilder. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hill was born one son, Edward. In 1861 they established their home at the corner of North Church street and West Prairie avenue - the corner facing what is now the beautiful First Presbyterian church, and there Mrs. Hill and her son and family still live.

Mr. Hill was a republican in politics and took an active and helpful interest in all matters pertaining to the general welfare. In his capacity as alderman and mayor of Decatur he instituted many measures of reform and improvement and was also an efficient officer on the board of supervisors. The cause of public instruction found in him a stanch champion from the time he first came to Decatur and he did effective service in its behalf as a member of the board of education. His labors were a potent factor in the growth and development of Decatur and in his passing the city lost one of its most influential and respected citizens. He was liberal in religious views, ever ready to support all churches, but was not a member of any particular church. However he attended the services of both the First Presbyterian and Baptist churches and the high principles which actuated him were manifest in all the relations of life.

Jerome R. Gorin

In 1833, the year following the Black Hawk war, a youth of sixteen years, Jerome R. Gorin arrived in Decatur, then a tiny village upon the western frontier. Long years passed before a colonist penetrated into this section of the country and before all of the land was taken up by actual settlers. It was almost twenty years later when the population of Decatur numbered only nine hundred, yet a start had been made and although the town was of slow growth for a decade or two, it was building upon substantial and permanent lines. From the beginning of his residence here Jerome R. Gorin took an active part in the work of public progress, helped to uphold the political and legal status of the community, to mold its commercial development and to promote its material and moral progress. His name is linked with those activities which figure as of worth on the pages of Decatur's history, and he came to an honored old age, having almost reached the eightieth milestone on life's journey when called to the home beyond.

A native of Kentucky, Mr. Gorin was born in Hopkinsville, Christian county, October 12, 1817, his parents being John D. and Mattie (Thomas) Gorin, who belonged to an old Virginian family. John D. Gorin was born in the Old Dominion but in his early youth went to the Blue Grass state with his parents and was there reared. In the spring of 1828 he came to Illinois, taking up his abode in Vandalia, then the capital city. His attention was given to both farming and merchandising and he was active and prominent among the early business men of that locality. He was also a leader of public affairs and for some years acted as receiver in the loan office. His death occurred in Vandalia, April 26, 1846, when he was fifty-six years of age, while his wife reached the advanced age of eighty-nine years, her death occurring on the 13th of July, 1876.

Jerome R. Gorin was reared amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life, although perhaps with less of the hardships than came to many for his parents were in comfortable circumstances. It is a well known fact that nothing more clearly shows the character of the individual than the experiences of pioneer life and the qualities of courage, determination, loyalty and entire absence of ostentation were early developed in Mr. Gorin. He was a self reliant young man, possessed laudable ambition when in 1833 he came to Decatur and joined his two older brothers who were then residents here. His brother, Henry M. Gorin, was for many years clerk of the court here but left the office in 1841. His

Mr. Gorin made his entrance into business life in Decatur as a salesman but professional activity seemed more desirable and he spent two years in the study of law. In 1842 he was admitted to the bar upon passing an examination before Judge Treat and the following winter was spent in Scotland county, Missouri. At the end of that time, however, he returned to Decatur and formed a partnership with Judge Charles Emerson. When that connection was severed he became a partner of Judge Kirby Benedict and later put aside the duties of private practice to enter public service, having been elected city clerk and attorney in i860 for a four years' term. He also filled the office of justice of the peace at one time and in the private practice of law was accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage. His name figured in the court records in connection with many of the important cases tried in this district. His last law partner was Judge Arthur Gallagher, with whom he was associated until 1861, when he withdrew from the field of law and was thereafter a prominent factor in banking circles in Decatur. He accepted the cashiership of the bank of Millikin & Oder, acting in that capacity at the same time that he filled the office of city clerk and attorney. Four years later he became a partner in the bank, continuing to act as cashier until 1881, when he withdrew from that connection to become the senior partner of the firm of Gorin & Bills. They established a private bank and also a real-estate and loan department, carrying on business together for two years. Mr. Gorin then became one of the organizers and the president of the bank of Gorin & Dawson, conducting a successful business in that connection for several years when he sold out to L. B. Casner. A year later this institution was merged into the Citizens National Bank, with Mr. Gorin as one of its incorporators and its first president. A year later, however, he disposed of his interests and his remaining days were spent in honorable retirement from labor and business management.

Mr. Gorin was married in Decatur, April 1, 1845, to Miss Eleanor D. Fawcett, a native of Virginia and a daughter of Isaac and Rebecca Fawcett. The six children born unto them are: Mary Emma, the wife of C. C. Middleton, a resident of Dallas, Texas; Orville B., long associated with banking interests in Decatur; Ida E., the wife of W. C. Armstrong, of Decatur; Jerome P., a business man of New York city; Mattie A., of this city; and Henry Gladden, now of Minneapolis.