Decatur Township (part 34 of 46)

He was born in Macon county, March 2, 1865, and is a son of Ulysses and Matilda (McRay) Huston, natives of Ohio, the former born in 1828 and the latter in 1829. The father emigrated to Illinois about 1840 and settled in Macon county. He first occupied the homestead where our subject lives but finally took up his residence on eighty acres in the same neighborhood, where he continued to make his home until he was called away in 1902. He was prominently identified with the republican party in this county and served for a number of years as justice of the peace. He was a man of marked ability and one who inspired confidence and respect in all with whom he came in contact. The mother of our subject departed this life in 1885. There were seven children in the family: Phoebe, now Mrs. R. McKay; Robert; Oris; Martha, now Mrs. B. Major; Jane, deceased; William N., our subject; and Minnie, now Mrs. J. Tory.

William N. Huston was educated in the public schools and after laying aside his books continued with his father upon the farm until arriving at twenty- one years of age, when he took unto himself a life companion and began farming upon his own account by renting land in the neighborhood. He is engaged in general farming, stock-raising and is recognized as one of the substantial and clear-headed men of his community.

In 1886 Mr. Huston was united in marriage to Miss Irene Major, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Beal) Major, natives of Ohio, who came to Illinois and here established a home. They were the parents of nine children, eight of whom are now living. To Mr. and Mrs. Huston three children were born: Florence, born in 1887, who married Frank Jones, of Mt. Zion, and has two children, Orval Fayette; Lola, born in 1892, who married Robert Ford and has become the mother of two children, Monta and Roy, the family living with our subject; and Roy, born in 1894, who is also living at home. In 1897 Mr. Huston was called upon to mourn the departure of his beloved wife, who was an estimable woman of many noble qualities and had many friends in this neighborhood who sincerely mourned her death.

Mr. Huston has been successful in his farming operations, as he knows how to direct his energies so as to produce a desired result. He is a man of good common sense, always straightforward in his dealings and fully alive to the importance of keeping informed as to the development along agricultural lines. Politically he is in sympathy with the republican party, believing that its principles are better adapted than those of any other party for the maintenance of the Union. Socially he holds membership in Lodge No. 1597 of the Modern Woodmen of America, of Bearsdale, Illinois.

Solomon B. Betz

Among the residents of Argenta who have retired from active business life, and in well earned rest are enjoying the fruits of their former toil Solomon B. Betz is numbered. For twenty-seven years he was closely associated with the farming and stock-raising interests of Macon county and is still the owner of two good farms in Friends Creek township. He has lived in this county since 1867 and has, therefore, witnessed much of its growth and progress. Pennsylvania numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Northumberland county, December 17, 1838. His father was Solomon Betz, a native of the Keystone state, and his grandfather also bore the name of Solomon. He was a native of Germany, born in 1735, and in young manhood came to the new world. Here he espoused the cause of the colonists in the struggle for independence, serving as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. His son, Solomon Betz, Jr., was reared to manhood in the Keystone state and, having arrived at years of maturity, was married in Northumberland county to Miss Catherine Dunkel, a native of Pennsylvania. In 1839 he removed to Pickaway county, Ohio, and developed a farm upon the Pickaway plains, converting a tract of wild land into productive fields. Upon that place he reared his family and afterward came to Illinois, spending his last years in Champaign county. His wife, however, had died in Ohio.

Solomon B. Betz, whose name introduces this record, was reared on the old home farm in the Buckeye state. He is largely a self-educated man because of the poor condition of the schools in the period of his youth and also because his labors were needed upon the farm when he was yet in his minority. His patriotic nature was aroused by the attempt of the south to overthrow the Union and on the 16th of August, 1862, he joined the Ninetieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being assigned to duty with Company F. The regiment became a part of the Army of the Cumberland and Mr. Betz was first under fire at Richmond, Kentucky, and later at Stone River, where he was wounded by a shell in the right arm. This disabled him for four months. He later participated in a number of skirmishes as the troops followed General Morgan in Kentucky and afterwards he participated in the battles of Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga and Nashville. He was with the command that drove General Hood out of Tennessee and afterward participated in the battle of Asheville. He sustained a slight wound at Kenesaw Mountain but this did not incapacitate him for duty and he served with his regiment until the close of the war, being mustered out at Nashville and then honorably discharged, in June 1865.

Mr. Betz returned home with a creditable military record, for he had never faltered in the performance of any duty. Making his way northward to Ohio, he and his brother Charles purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he cultivated for a year and then sold. At that time he came direct to Macon county, Illinois, in company with his brother and they invested in one hundred and sixty acres, which they owned, occupied and operated together for six years, at the end of which time they divided their interests. Subsequently Solomon B. Betz purchased another farm but remained upon the old home place. His second farm comprises one hundred and forty-seven acres, constituting a well improved property. He built a good house on his first place, east of Argenta, and year after year carefully tilled the fields, which responded to his labor in generous harvests. He was thus actively engaged in farming until 1896, when he rented both of his places and removed to Argenta, building there a residence which he now occupies.

On the 31st of March, 1869, Mr. Betz was married in this county to Miss Margaret C. Wilson, a native of the county and a daughter of D. K. Wlison, one of the first settlers, who came from Tennessee to this state. Mr. and Mrs. Betz have three living children: Ida S., now the wife of Robert Fullerton, of Sac county, Iowa; Arthur, who is married and is a resident farmer of Macon county ; and Willis, who is married and occupies the old home farm west of town. The parents are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church of Argenta and Mr. Betz belongs to the Grand Army post at that place, of which he has served as chaplain for twenty-six years. He has also been post commander and is popular with his old army comrades. In politics he is a republican, supporting the party where state and national issues are involved but casting an independent local ballot. He first voted in i860, when he supported Bell and Everett, but in 1864 gave his political allegiance to Abraham Lincoln and has voted for each presidential nominee of the party since that time. He would never consent to hold political office but for twenty-one years has acted as school trustee. In all matters of citizenship he is loyal and progressive, mani- festing the same fidelity to the old flag that he displayed when he followed the starry banner upon the battlefields of the south. His capable management of his farming interests has made him a prosperous resident of the county and his example proves what may be accomplished through determined and resolute purpose and straightforward dealing.

George A. Jimison

Farming interests claimed the time and energies of George A. Jimison for many years and he is still the owner of a good tract of land adjoining Argenta - a tract of one hundred and ninety-two acres. In addition to this he owns another place of one hundred and seventy acres and a third farm of eighty acres, all three being well improved places which adjoin the corporation limits of the town. His home is an attractive residence in the village and from this point he supervises his agricultural affairs. He is one of Macon county's native sons, his birth having occurred within a mile of Argenta on the ioth of September, 1841. His father, George Jimison, was born in Scotland in 1810 and was a son of John Jimison, who came from the land of hills and heather to the new world, settling first in Canada, where his son George was reared to manhood. Having reached adult age, the latter married Hannah Jimison, a native of Canada, and for several years followed farming in that country. He afterward crossed the border into the United States, making his home near Bucyrus, Ohio, until 1839, when he came to Macon county, Illinois. This was then a wild and unimproved district, much of the land still belonging to the government, while the work of development seemed scarcely begun. He entered one hundred and sixty acres near the present site of Argenta and began the development of a farm. Upon this place he spent his remaining days, continuing its cultivation until his death, which occurred in April, 1853, when he was forty-three years of age. His wife survived him until 1857, when she, too, was called to her final rest.

George A. Jimison was reared upon the old homestead farm, remaining with his father until the latter's death and then with his mother until her demise. He was only sixteen years of age when his mother passed away, at which time he inherited a part of the old homestead and later he bought out the interest of the other heirs in the property. He has made farming his life work and that he has been industrious and energetic is indicated in the success which he now enjoys.

In February, 1868, Mr. Jimison was united in marriage to Miss Molly J. Woodward, who was born in this state and reared in Macon county. The young couple began their domestic life on a farm west of Argenta, having there forty acres of land, to which Mr. Jimison added by purchasing the interests of the other heirs in the old homestead until his holdings embraced one hundred and sixty acres. He continued the work of improvement and development and success crowned his labors. As his financial resources increased he added to his holdings by investing in a farm of one hundred and seventy acres east of Argenta and, removing to that place, built thereon a good residence and barns and added other modern equipments and accessories. Afterward he made purchase of a farm of eighty acres south of the town and was busily engaged in the cultivation of his fields through all the passing years until 1899, when he rented his farms and took up his abode in the town, where he still resides. He carried on general agricultural pursuits, cultivating the crops best adapted to soil and climate and also raising and feeding stock. He handled about a carload of steers and one or two carloads of hogs each year and his business in this connection was extensive and profitable.

In 1869 Mr. Jimison was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife, who died leaving a son, Theodore, who is now married and resides in Granite City, Illinois. He was a soldier of the United States army for thirteen years, and served in the Spanish- American war with the rank of sergeant major. He has a son, John. After losing his first wife Mr. Jimison was married in 1871 to Mrs. Elizabeth E. Mulinix and their children were: Minnie, the wife of Albert Gould, of Rock Island, Illinois, and the mother of one son, Orin ; Lillie, the wife of Bun Parr, of Moline, by whom she has one son, Morris; Mollie, the wife of Charles Majors, of Argenta; Ida, the wife of David Cooper, a farmer living at Argenta; and George W., who is living on one of his father's farms. He is married and has four sons: Purley, Cecil, Paul and Ralph. By her former marriage Mrs. Elizabeth Jimison had two sons: John Mulinix, living in Argenta; and Ord, who is married and occupies one of Mr. Jimison's farms. The mother of these children passed away in Argenta in 1908 and her remains were interred in the cemetery here.

In his political views Mr. Jimison is a democrat and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has no desire for the honors and emoluments of public office. He is a careful, conservative business man who has spent his entire life in Macon county and is well known in Decatur and this part of the state. His life work is represented in three well improved farms which return to him an excellent income and which mark him as one of the representative and progressive agriculturists of the community. He deserves the rest which he is now enjoying, as it has come to him as the fitting crown of his previous earnest and intelligently directed labor.

Henry Jostes

It will be readily acknowledged by those who have studied the history of the United States and are familiar with the nationalities that have contributed to the life and growth of the republic that native sons of Germany have assisted very materially in the upbuilding of the country. Thousands of the most promising young men of the fatherland have sought fortune under the stars and stripes and here found a land of opportunity which yields abundantly to the hand of labor and seldom disappoints an aspirant for financial independence who strives energetically and faithfully. Indeed, it is doubtful whether any other country of the world ever offered such advantages as have been presented for fifty or one hundred years past under the American Union.

Henry Jostes at eighteen years of age, a native of Germany and ambitious to win an honored name for himself, bade farewell to familiar scenes and emigrated to this country. Here he found what he longed for and today, living retired at the town of Macon, Macon county, he occupies an elegant residence located on a beautiful tract of five acres, which he has ornamented with trees and shrubbery, making it one of the most desirable homesteads in the county. He is also the owner of a fine Macon county farm and is recognized as one of the leading men of the county. He was born April 8, 1839, a son of William F. and Catherine Jostes. The parents came to America in 1870, the mother passing away soon after her arrival and the father in 1877, when he had arrived at the age of seventy-seven years. There were four children in their family, two of whom are now living: Henry, our subject; and Amelia, now the wife of John Rahler, a farmer of Shelby county, Illinois.

Educated in the common schools of his native land, Henry Jostes came to the United States in 1857 and began his active career on a farm where the town of Boody, Macon county, now stands. In July, 1861, he responded to the call of President Lincoln and enlisted in Company E, Forty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which served in the Sixteenth Army Corps and later in the Seventeenth Army Corps under command of Generals McPherson and Sher_- man. He participated in a number of leading battles, among which were Fort Donelson and Hatchie's Run and also in the sieges of Corinth and Vicksburg. He was present in many minor engagements and continued in the army for three years, receiving his honorable discharge at Springfield, Illinois, in August, 1864. He was born of good fighting material and was a brave and true soldier for the Union. After returning home Mr. Jostes took unto himself a wife and purchased forty acres of wild land in Blue Mound township, Macon county, which he proceeded to develop with a patience and industry that led to highly satisfactory results. Later he acquired more land and at the present time is the owner of a highly improved farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Blue Mound township. He and his wife began their married life in a little log cabin but after a few years this was replaced by a neat two story frame residence, which was provided with all the comforts of life. In 1896 Mr. Jostes located in Macon, where he and his wife are enjoying the fruits of many years of well applied labor.

On the 1 2th of January, 1865, Mr. Jostes was united in marriage to Miss Julia Shoop, born in Pennsylvania, March 3, 1843, an^ a daughter of Daniel and Lena (Yoder) Shoop. She came with her parents to Macon county when she was four years of age and here the father died in 1854, the mother being called away at the age of sixty-one years, in 1888. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Shoop three are now living: Julia, herein mentioned; Matilda, the wife of Jacob Snider, a farmer living near Sterling, Illinois; and Rosa, who married Peter Moss, who followed farming near Blue Mound, Macon county. Eight children blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jostes: Emma, the wife of William Fedderman, a farmer living near Moweaqua; Agnes, deceased in infancy; William, who graduated from Brown's Business College of Decatur and is a farmer of Pleasant View township; Mary, now Mrs. Richard Dorsey, of Pleasant View township; Frederick, who also graduated from Brown's Business College and is living in this county; Benjamin, of this county; Lena, the wife of Frank Phillips, of Macon; Lillie; and Erne.

Mr. Jostes is an adherent of the republican party and holds membership in the Grand Army post at Macon. He has taken a deep interest in educational affairs and served as school director for eleven years, performing his duties with an ability that met the hearty approval of people of the district. His wife and daughters are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are intelligent workers for every good cause. Coming to this country in his young manhood, Mr. Jostes allied himself heartily with its institutions and demonstrated his patriotism by service in support of the flag when the life of the republic was threatened. Always governed by principles of honor and fidelity to right he years ago became recognized as one of the substantial and reliable citizens of Macon county and no man in the county is more highly honored.

Hon. James M. Gray

The history of the Decatur bar during the past two decades would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make prominent reference to Hon. James M. Gray, recognized throughout this period as one of the most distinguished lawyers of Macon county and this part of the state. In no profession is there a career more open to talent than in that of the law and in no field of endeavor is there demanded a more careful preparation, a more thorough appreciation for the absolute ethics of life or of the underlying principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. Unflagging application, an intuitive wisdom and a determination to fully utilize the means at hand are the concomitants which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession which stands as the stern conservator of justice. Possessing all the requisite qualities of the able lawyer, Mr. Gray is carving his name deeply upon the history of the courts of central Illinois.

A native of Illinois, Mr. Gray was born in Ramsey, Fayette county, on the ist of June, 1862, a son of Richard H. and Emily (Hall) Gray, both of whom were descended from prominent southern families. The father was a native of Coles county, Illinois, his parents having removed to this state from Tennessee shortly before his birth. The mother of James M. Gray was born in Fayette county, her parents having come from Kentucky. Richard H. Gray was identified with farming interests during his active life but is now living retired. His wife died in 1887 and about 1890 he removed to Ramsey, where he has since made his home, resting from the arduous cares and labors which, occupied his attention in former years. In politics he has ever been an ardent democrat and for a long period was a dominant factor in the local councils of his party. Wherever he has lived he has commanded the respect and good will of his fellow-

James M. Gray was reared at home, acquiring his education in the district schools and at Ramsey high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1880. His thirst for education, however, was not yet satisfied and he entered the Valparaiso (Ind.) University. After a year there spent he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for three years, when he again entered Valparaiso University and completed the scientific course, being graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree in the class of 1886. He resumed teaching, to which he devoted the succeeding two years but during that period gave the hours that are usually termed leisure to the study of law under the preceptorship of Henry & Foulke, of Vandalia, Illinois. He then returned to the Valparaiso University for a two years' course in law and on its completion was graduated with the class of 1890, the degree of LL. B. being conferred upon him. The last year he was honored with election as president of his class and during his college days he was prominent in debate and in the political activity of the school. His ability in debate brought him before the public in political connections and has ever kept him a prominent factor in political circles because of his power in presenting clearly, strongly and forcibly the vital and scientific questions of the day.

Following the completion of his law course in June, 1890, Mr. Gray came at once to Decatur, was admitted to the Illinois bar and entered into partnership with James M. Lee for the practice of law. A year later, however, their business relations were dissolved and Mr. Gray practiced independently for fourteen years but on the 1st of July, 1905, he formed a partnership with I. A. Buckingham and has since been a member of the well known firm of Buckingham & Gray, occupying today a most conspicuous and honorable position in connection with the work of the courts in their district. For years Mr. Gray was retained as attorney on some of the most prominent criminal cases of this section but in more recent years he has confined his attention to a more general line of practice. The firm of Buckingham & Gray is one of the most prominent in this section of the state, their clientage extending over several counties. Mr. Gray is particularly strong in argument and seldom if ever at fault in the application of a legal principle. Moreover, he prepares for defense as well as attack and in many forensic encounters he has come off victor in the strife.

His activity and influence in political circles are well known. He has taken an active part in politics since 1884 and in 1888 was one of the prominent campaign speakers. In the former year he attended the national democratic convention in Chicago, which nominated Grover Cleveland, although at the time he was only twenty-two years of age. There he became acquainted with a number of the distinguished political leaders of the country. In 1890, when he came to Decatur, he engaged actively in politics here and within a month was placed on the democratic county committee and in the spring of 1891 was made chairmain of the city committee. He has been a delegate to every state convention since establishing his home in Decatur and for the past twelve years has been chairman of the delegation. In 1898 he was elected to the Illinois legislature from this senatorial district, was reelected in 1900 and again in 1902 and 1904, when he refused longer to accept the nomination. During the eight years of his service he took a most active part in legislative work, was chairman of the democratic caucus during the third term and chairman of the democratic steering committee during the fourth term, which appointment gave to him the floor leadership of his party. His personal popularity and the confidence uniformly reposed in him as a citizen, public spirit and loyal devotion to the general good is indicated in the fact that he is the only democrat that was ever elected for more than two terms from this district in the history of the party. In 1908 he was elected a delegate to the national convention at Denver and he is now serving as chairman of the democratic city committee as well as chairman of the executive committee of the county organization. Since 1898 he has been a recognized leader in democratic ranks in this part of the state and in this as in every other cause which he champions Mr. Gray is untiring in his efforts to attain success.

On the 14th of June, 1894, occurred the marriage of James M. Gray and Miss Lillian M. Belt, of Bunker Hill, Illinois, a daughter of J. H. Belt, formerly a prominent banker of that place but now deceased. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gray have been born two children, James M. and Lucile B. Fraternally Mr. Gray is connected with the Masonic lodge, is also a Knight Templar Mason and a member of Peoria Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also holds membership in Decatur Lodge No. 401, B. P. O. E., and along more strictly social lines is connected with the Decatur Club and the Country Club of Decatur. His cooperation in community affairs is of a practical resultant character. He belongs to the Chamber. of Commerce and aids in various measures which that organization promotes for the welfare of the city. His professional connections are with the local Bar Association and with the Illinois State Bar Association and of the former he is a director. His advancement at the bar has followed as the natural sequence of his ability and earnest purpose. He is remarkable among lawyers for the wide research and provident care with which he prepares his cases. His logical grasp of facts and principles of the law applicable to them has been another potent element in his success and the remarkable clearness of expression and adequate and precise diction which enables him to make others under stand not only the salient points of his argument but his very fine gradations of meaning may be accounted one of his most conspicuous gifts and accomplishments.

William T. Beadles

William T. Beadles was a native of Cass county, Illinois, born May 13, 1838, and he lived a remarkably active and useful life of sixty-six years. The family settled in Macon county in 1851 and for over fifty years Mr. Beadles was a resident of this county, except for a few years which he spent in Moultrie county, Illinois. He was a farmer and conducted his affairs so prudently that he acquired a handsome competence, represented by one of the finest farms in the county. After a useful and well spent life he passed away February 18, 1904.

In 1862 Mr. Beadles was happily married to Miss Charlotte C. Hopkins of Macon county, who survives her husband and is now living in a substantial home at No. 1040, West Wood street, Decatur, Illinois. She recently disposed of the farm and is spending the evening of her life surrounded by those whom most most she loves. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beadles, eight of whom are now living namely: H. H, a farmer living one mile south of Decatur; M. D., a farmer of Barstow, Texas; C. R., a real-estate dealer of Chicago; W. T., Jr., who died in Nelson, British Columbia, in 1901 ; Marquis H., a letter carrier of Decatur; Mrs. Katherine Cable, whose husband is a Methodist minister of Woodbine, Iowa; Mrs. Sarah Burke, whose husband is a mail clerk on the Wabash Railroad from Toledo to St. Louis and lives in Decatur; Frank Bartram, who died in 1891 at the age of ten years; Mrs. Grace McHose, whose husband is assistant editor of the Times-Herald at Burns, Oregon; and Albert N., with the Evangelical Publishing Company of Chicago.

At the age of seventeen years William T. Beadles was converted to the Christian religion at Mount Zion, Macon county, and from that time during a period of forty-nine years he was an earnest member of the Methodist church. It became a fixed principle of his life to work for others. He served as Sunday school teacher, steward, class leader, trustee, Sunday school superintendent, and at all times put his entire energy into his work. He was for many years township president of the Sunday school and at the time of his death, notwithstanding his advanced years, was superintendent of the home department in the Sunday school of Grace church and superintendent of a mission Sunday school. He devoted the tenth of all his yearly income to the cause of religion and sacredly adhered to this principle through life. He was an uncompromising opponent of the liquor traffic and did everything possible to advance the cause of temperance. Learning at one time that a union church was about to be sold under mortgage he assumed the debt, secured a preacher and kept the church alive. His life has been epitomized by one who said : "He lived on the heights of constant trust." It is said that even in his last illness, while in delirium, he spoke as if pleading with some individual to come to Christ.

Andy Miller

Among the representative men of Macon county is Andy Miller, of Niantic township. He is one of the active and capable farmers of a community noted for the ability of its members and, although he has never sought public office or coveted notoriety, he has scored a success in his business and has attained a prosperity which indicates sound judgement and good management. He is a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, where he was born December 1, 1856, a son of John and Rebecca Miller. The father was born in Germany and came to America with his parents when he was a small boy, his father, the grandfather of our subject, being called away very soon after he landed in this country. John Miller grew to manhood in Illinois and in St. Clair county was married to

Rebecca (Thomson) Simpson, who was a native of that county. About 1865 Mr. Miller located in Macon county on the land now ocupied by the subject of this review. He was an industrious and economical man and became the owner of sixty acres in Niantic township and eighty acres of good fanning land in Harristown township. He died in January, 1906, and his wife followed him to the grave in December of the same year. There were seven children in their family, all of whom are now living except William, who died at the age of thirty-eight years.

Andy Miller grew up as a farmer boy and was educated in the district schools, becoming well acquainted with the various classes of work upon the farm, so that when he was ready to begin active life for himself he needed little further instruction. He devoted his services to the family until he arrived at twentyone years of age and then he rented the home farm which he has since cultivated. He and his two sisters, Clemmie and Clara, bought out the other heirs except the interest of one sister, Eva Oliver, who still retains her share in the property. The place has been developed into one of the most productive farms in this part of the country.

Although the father was reared a Catholic and the mother died in the faith of the Baptist church, the subject of this review is not connected with any religious denomination but is friendly toward them all. Industrious and capable in what he undertakes, he has made many improvements on the farm, providing it with modern machinery and facilities, with the necessary buildings, fences and all the accessories of an up-to-date establishment. At the same time he has shown the interest of a patriotic citizen in the progress of the community and has made many friends by his genial spirit which is one of his prominent characteristics. He may, therefore, be regarded as one of the fortunate citizens of Macon county.

Among the citizens of Macon county it would be difficult to name one who occupies a higher place in the esteem of the people of the county than the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this review. A native of Illinois, he has all his life been closely identified with the interests of this state and in professional and business circles has gained a reputation as one of the progressive and substantial men of the commonwealth. He owes his remarkable success mainly to his own energy and ability and to the good judgment that has been a prominent characteristic of his life. Always courteous and affable, his integrity is above question and his honor above reproach. As a physician he has been unusually successful and he stands deservedly high among his professional brethren.

Born in Christian county, this state, March 2, 1850, Dr. Matthew is a son of Oscar F. and Margaret (Britton) Matthew. The father was a native of Virginia, born January 30, 1824, and departed this life February 12, 1881, at the age of fifty-seven years, being buried in Brunk's cemetery at Cotton Hill, Sangamon county. He was one of the early settlers of that county, with which his name will ever be identified. Arriving here in 1836, he located on a farm near Springfield and as the years passed associated with many of the leading men of Illinois, among whom were Abraham Lincoln, Governor Yates, Senator Cullom and others whose names are prominent in the history of the state. He helped to haul the stone with which the old state house, now the courthouse of Springfield, was built and he and David Beam hauled the tiling from St. Louis that is in Bunn's Bank at Springfield. After the' bank was built and ready for business the authorities of the state of Illinois desired to make a deposit of cash and Mr. Matthew, Jacob Bunn and two other men went to St. Louis and brought the money overland to Springfield. There were many thousands of dollars involved and the money, in gold and silver, was packed in ax boxes so as to avoid suspicion on the part of inquisitive persons. It was brought safely through without military guard to the great satisfaction of the state officials and the bank officers.

The mother of our subject was born at Chillicothe, Ohio, December 2, 1821, and died December 16, 1898, after a long life of many useful and unselfish acts. She was the daughter of Benjamin Britton, who was a soldier in the Mexican war. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Matthew, six of whom are living: W. S., prominently identified with the Methodist church, who served as presiding elder of the church at San Francisco, California, for eight years, and is now in charge of the First Methodist church of Boise City, Idaho; John B., of this review; Rebecca Jane, the widow of Daniel Puffenberger, now residing in Edinburg, Illinois; Thomas L., a farmer of Oxford, Kansas; Lafayette Lincoln, a live-stock shipper of Edinburg; and May Matilda, the wife of John T. Vigol, of Mexico, Missouri.

Dr. Matthew received his preliminary education at Cotton Hill Academy, Sangamon county. Laying aside his books for a time, he turned his attention to farming but soon came to the conclusion that his tastes lay along professional lines, and many years' experience have demonstrated that his conclusion was correct. He began his medical studies under Drs. J. H. and L. H. Clark, two prominent practitioners of Taylorville, Christian county, and later entered the American Medical College at St. Louis, graduating after a course of four years, May 22, 1875, with the title of M. D. Later he pursued a post-graduate course at Tulane University of New Orleans and in 1909, in recognition of his distinguished services, was granted the honorary degree of M. D. by Bennett Medical College of Chicago. Dr. Matthew began practice at Mount Auburn, Illinois, where he continued with marked success for seventeen years, but on the 9th of November, 1892, he located at Blue Mound, where he has since continued.

On the 24th of March, 1868, Dr. Matthew was united in marriage to Miss Amanda E. Lawley, who was born at Crow's Mill, Sangamon county, June 9. 1849, and is a daughter of William B. and Sarah (Duncan) Lawley. Her father was a native of Tennessee, born in 1820, and her mother was born in the same state in 1830. Mr. Lawley, who was a farmer of Sangamon county, departed this life in 1880, his wife being called away fourteen years later. Their remains were interred in Cotton Hill cemetery. Eight children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Lawley, four of whom are now living. The family record is as follows: D. W., who at the age of seventy-five is now living retired at Cotton Hill, Illi- nois; Elijah, deceased; Amanda E., now Mrs. Matthew; Sarah, the wife of William Knotts, of Chatham, Sangamon county; Leonard W., a farmer of Cotton Hill ; James P., now postmaster of Glenarm, Sangamon county ; and Thomas and Jerome, deceased. Three of the sons performed valiant service under the stars and stripes in the war of the Rebellion, these being D. W., Elijah and James P., who were members of the One Hundred and Fourteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry under Colonel Samuel Shoup.

Five children have been born unto Dr. and Mrs. Matthew, three of whom died in infancy, and Charles Edgar died at the age of thirty years. William Oscar Matthew, the only surviving member of the family, was born at Mount Auburn, July 17, 1881. After attending the public schools, he graduated from the high school of Blue Mound and for five years was a student at the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. After completing his education he turned his attention to farming and has charge of four hundred and fifty-nine acres, which originally belonged to his father, but of which two hundred and eighty acres had been deeded to the son. Here he has engaged extensively in general farming and in the raising of cattle, hogs and sheep. In 1907 he was united in marriage to Miss Bessie Beckett, a daughter of John B. Beckett, of Blue Mound. She was a student of Northwestern University and is an accomplished lady of fine mental endowments. They have one son, Solon Beckett Matthew, who was born April 7, 1910.

Dr. Matthew is actively identified with a number of medical societies and for ten years past has been treasurer of the Illinois State Eclectic Medical Society. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the Illinois State Medical Society, the National and Illinois State Eclectic Medical Societies, the Macon County Medical Society and other organizations of a similiar nature. He is examiner for the Equitable Life Insurance Company of New York; the Franklin of Springfield; the Prudential; the Fidelity Mutual and the Bankers Life Insurance Companies of Illinois and of Des Moines, Iowa; and the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company and others; and is also examiner for a number of fraternal organizations. He has for a number of years been a member of the Masonic order and has taken the blue lodge and Royal Arch degrees. In politics he is a stanch republican. Dr. Matthew has been an extensive traveler in this country, beginning in 1876, when he visited Philadelphia and other eastern cities. In 1902 he and his wife made an extensive tour of the west and three years later they visited New Orleans and the south. In 1909 the Doctor spent two months in Texas and Mexico and few men are better informed concerning the resources and possibilities of America. In business affairs he has been highly successful and in addition to his farm he owns eighteen tenant houses and one of the most beautiful private residences in this part of the state. He has through life been a close observer, thus learning a great deal that is not laid down in books, and is a generous contributor to all worthy enterprises. He is a willing worker in every cause that seeks to advance the community or to alleviate the ills of those less fortunate than himself. In his good works he finds a sympathetic assistant in his estimable wife, who has proven in all respects a worthy helpmate. Dr. and Mrs. Matthew are both members of the Methodist church and she is actively connected with the Ladies' Aid Society, the Missionary Society of that organization and also with the Order of the Eastern Star. As leaders in their community they deserve prominent mention in the history of Macon county.

Jacob E. Chapman

Jacob E. Chapman, a prosperous farmer of Blue Mound township, Macon county, who has won his way to fortune through many difficulties, was born in Norfolk, England, February 20, 1848. He is a son of John and Mary Ann (Wymer) Chapman and came with his parents to America when he was five years of age. The family stopped for a time in New York and later moved to Indiana, finally locating in Macon county, this state, in 1864, where the parents were called to their reward. Eleven children were born to them, six of whom are now living : Jacob E. ; J. M., a resident of Decatur; Delbert and William W., both of Blue Mound township; John W., of Decatur; and Ida, the wife of Frank Brown, of Blue Mound township. Those deceased are: Charles, who died at twenty year's of age ; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Newton Howland ; Harriet, who married John Howland; Margaret, who married Irvin Hill; and one who died in infancy.

Jacob E. Chapman possessed little opportunity for education but attended the public schools for a short time in New York and later in Indiana. At fourteen years of age the family requiring his assistance, he began working on his own account, receiving five dollars per month, and of this amount he gave half to his parents. At fifteen he was receiving seven dollars per month and at sixteen his wages were advanced to fifteen dollars per month, half of which he contributed to the family treasury. The first man he worked for near Decatur was George Forest, who has long been dead. He returned to Indiana for a year and then again took up his residence near Cerro Gordo and Oakley, Illinois, receiving as high as forty dollars per month for his labor. At thirty-one years of age he was married and settled on eighty acres in Macon county, which he leased for five years. This land is located in section 5, Blue Mound township, and now belongs to Mrs. Chapman. She also own twenty acres of timber land on section 31 and he is the owner of two hundred and ninety-five acres on section 5 ; eighty acres on section 6 ; eighty acres on section 5 ; and one hundred and thirty-five acres on section 3. Seven years ago he built a handsome residence and made a number of improvements in 1907, so that the farm is one of the finest properties in the township. He carries on general farming and stock-raising and has been highly prosperous in his undertakings.

On December 24, 1880, Mr. Chapman was united in marriage to Miss Maria Evans, who was born in Blue Mound township, March 26, 1854. She is a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Stith) Evans, her father having been born in Ohio, March 1, 1820, and her mother in Indiana. Mrs. Evans was called away September 12, 1897, and Mr. Evans, May 28, 1910. There were nine children in their family: Amos, who died in 1882 and is buried in Salem cemetery; Jordon, of Blue Mound township; Maria, now Mrs. Chapman; Ruth, the wife of D. D. Chapman of Blue Mound township; Minnie, the wife of Charles Hagy, of Blue Mound township ; Arthur, of Decatur ; and Alvin and two others deceased.

To Mr. and Mrs. Chapman five children have been born : Maggie Irene, who was born November 26, 1882, and is now living at home; William E., born March 1, 1885, also living at home; Bessie A., born February 22, 1887, who became the wife of David Albers, of Blue Mound township, and is the mother of two children, Margaret and Helen; Edna E., who was born August 12, 1892, and is living at home ; and Katie, born October 25, 1895, also at home.

Mr. Chapman is identified with the Masonic order and has advanced through the Royal Arch degree. He is not connected with any religious organization but his wife is a valued member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. He supports the principles and candidates of the democratic party and, although he has not sought official preferment, he served with great acceptance for eighteen years as member of the school board. Mrs. Chapman had an uncle, James Stith, in the Civil war, who enlisted from Illinois and died in the army. Mr. Chapman began as a poor boy and by diligence and economy gained a start, making it possible for him to attain the present honorable position he occupies in Macon county. He has a remarkable memory and remembers that the first bushel of corn he planted for himself he purchased of Rev. N. M. Baker of Decatur in 1870. paying at the rate of one dollar per bushel for it. The same year he paid seventy-three cents a bushel for corn to feed his horses. He now lives in comfort, surrounded by every convenience that is to be desired and in possession of ample means for the remaining years of his life. Such are the results of well directed industry.

James Israel Lebo

South Macon township is the home of a number of capable and enterprising men, who have been instrumental in advancing the interests of the township and enhancing its prosperity. Among the number is James I. Lebo, who owns a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which has through his industry and good management been brought to a high state of cultivation. He was born in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, January 1, 1866, and is a son of Jacob and Isabel (Ash) Lebo. The father was the seventh child in a family of nine children and was born in Pennsylvania, coming to Illinois about 1868. He settled in Harristown township, this county, and was engaged in agricultural operations until 1904, when he retired. A republican in politics, he held the office of supervisor of Harristown township one term and for a number of years acted as school director of his district. The mother, a native of Indiana, was born July 5, 1841, and was married March 1, 1864. She had three children: James Israel, the subject of this review; Nellie, who was born February 12, 1877, and died in August of the same year; and Alice, who was born March 17, 1878, and married Luther Miller, of Macon county, now living in Harristown township and is. the mother of six children.

James Israel Lebo was educated in the public schools and was reared upon the home farm, where he continued until his marriage, when he purchased the place on which he has since lived. Here he has engaged in general farming and stock-raising and his application has been rewarded by the returns that usually follow well directed labor.

In 1889 Mr. Lebo was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Ida Keagy, a daughter of Stamen and Emily (Glasgow) Keagy, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Illinois. They were the parents of five children: Ophrah, living at home; Orpha, who died in childhood; Dama, at home; Ida, who was born April 22, 1866, and is now Mrs. Lebo; and Ira, who married Mary Johnston, of Macon county, and is living at Hot Springs, Arkansas. Mr. and Mrs. Lebo have one child, Chester O., born July 23, 1891.

Mr. Lebo is socially identified with South Macon Lodge, No. 467, A. F. & A. M., and Beacon Lodge, No. 434, K. P. He and his wife also hold membership in Lodge No. 344, Order of the Eastern Star. He has been for a number of years an active working member of the republican party and was elected county treasurer in the fall of 1910. He has held several offices of responsibility, serving as supervisor of his township for two terms and acting as chairman of the board during the last year. He was collector of the township one term and has been a member of the school board for fourteen years. He is an earnest believer in holy writ and is a member of the Christian church. He is known as a sincere, straight- forward man, whose word is inviolate and who never forgets a kindly act or deserts a friend.

Fred Kipp

Fred Kipp is well known in commercial circles in Decatur and his standing among business men is indicated by the fact that he has been honored with the presidency of the Decatur Grocers Association, which position he is filling at this writing, in 1910. He was born in the town of Bunde, near Bielefeld, Westphalia, Germany, May 18, 1862, a son of August and Elizabeth (Hoecke) Kipp. The father, who was a horseshoer and wagon manufacturer, died in the year 1878 at the age of fifty-two years, while his wife, long surviving him, passed away in 1895 when sixty-seven years of age. He was a successful business man and the business which he established is still conducted by his sons in Germany.

Fred Kipp, who was the youngest of the family, was a pupil in the public and high schools of his native country, and after putting aside his text-books entered business circles as clerk in a grocery store, thus receiving his preliminary training alone mercantile lines. The favorable reports which he heard concerning America and its business opportunities led him to seek a home in the new world, and in 1881 he became a resident of Cincinnati, where he remained for one year. In 1882 he arrived in Decatur, where he secured employment in a grocery store, acting as clerk until 1886, when the capital which he had saved from his earnings enabled him to embark in business on his own account with Mr. Moran as a partner. This relation was discontinued after eight years, Mr. Kipp purchasing his partner's interest. Later he formed a partnership with George W. Hamer, but since 1906 has carried on business alone. He has always been located in the 600 block on East Eldorado street, where he carries a complete line of staple and fancy groceries, vegetables, etc., catering to the best trade of the city. He has been liberally patronized from the beginning and now has an extensive business that makes his enterprise one of the profitable concerns of the city.

On the 20th of March, 1888, Mr. Kipp was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Meyer, of Decatur, a daughter of Fred and Minnie Meyer, who were early settlers and well known residents of this city but were natives of Hanover, Germany. They came across the ocean in a sailing ship which was nine or ten weeks in making the trip. The father died in 1890 at the age of sixtyfive years, and the mother still makes her home in Decatur at the age of eightyfour years.

Mr. Kipp has been active and prominent in public interests of the community aside from business. For ten years he served as a member of the board of supervisors from Decatur township, and since becoming a naturalized American citizen has always given his support to the republican party. He belongs to St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church and does all in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. As president of the Decatur Retail Grocers Association he is putting forth earnest effort to promote trade interests. His own prosperity is indicated by the fact that he has become the owner of considerable real estate in the city. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in America for here he has found the opportunities which he sought and in their improvement has worked his way steadily upward to success.

Henry Owen Acom

Henry Owen Acorn is a retired farmer living on section 4, Niantic township, where his father located in 185 1 and obtained six hundred and eighty acres of land, a part of which he secured through a Mexican land warrant that called for one hundred and sixty acres. He also entered a portion of his farm from the government. The father, Thomas Acorn, was born in Yorkshire, England, on the 1st of November, 1819, and was a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Raines) Acorn. His youthful days were spent upon a farm in his native country and there he acquired a fair common school education, after which he learned and followed the carpenter's trade. In 1840, however, he determined to try his fortune on the west side of the Atlantic and came to the new world, making his way to St. Louis, where he had a brother living. There he secured employment at the carpenter's trade and he and his brother were engaged for a time to have charge of the stage stables which sent the stage coaches into Illinois. Thus he made his start in life, giving proof of his industry and ability and therefore gradually working his way upward.

Thomas Acom

On the 31st of March, 1844, Thomas Acom was married in Morgan county, Illinois, where he had been residing for a year, to Miss Juliana Munson, who was a native of Emmitsburg, Maryland, and was a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (McDonald) Munson. Mrs. Acom had removed to Morgan county, Illinois, when she was a young lady of about twenty years, making her way to her brother's home in 1838. After a year or more spent in Morgan county following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Acom removed to Sangamon county, Illinois, where he rented land, and during the period of their residence there three children were born. In March, 1850, the family arrived in Macon county and in 185 1 took up their abode on what has since been known as the homestead farm. It was there that Thomas Acom spent his remaining days, diligently devoting his time and attention to general agricultural pursuits and at the same time faithfully performing every duty of citizenship that devolved upon him. He was ever mindful of his obligations toward his fellowmen and to the community at large and no trust reposed in him was ever betrayed in the slightest degree. In politics he was an earnest republican and for many years served as supervisor of Niantic township, discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity. The cause of education found in him a warm friend and he aceptably filled the office of school director for many years. He was always foremost in all good things for the benefit of the community and was a strong temperance man. On one ocasion he and a friend bought out a saloon and then poured the whiskey in the ditch that no one might be the victim of its power of inebriation. He had the moral courage of his convictions in every respect and stood fearlessly in support of what he believed to be right. He was reared in the faith of the Church of England and while he was never identified through membership with any church here, he assisted efficiently in raising money to pay off the indebtedness of the Methodist Episcopal church in Niantic. He believed in progress along agricultural as well as other lines, was an active member of the Grange and of the Farmers Club and was the first man to tile land in Niantic township.

The death of Thomas Acom occurred on the 20th of September, 1899, about eighteen months after the demise of his wife, who passed away March 28, 1898.

In the family of this worthy couple were eight children. Sarah Elizabeth, who was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, is still living. Sophia became the wife of Silas Grosh and for a time they made their home in Macon county but afterward removed to Chicago. At her death Mrs. Grosh left three children: Mary Laura, John Thomas and Frank Milton. The last named is married and has one child, Frances, living in Chicago. Henry Acom married Belle Harnsbarger. John W., born in this county, wedded Miss Mary J. Coble and lives in Moultrie county, Illinois. He has four children : Thomas Herman, Owen Huber, William Henry and Hazel Mildred. Martha Jane Acom became the wife of George Jacobson and died leaving one child who passed away soon afterward. Mary Ellen is the wife of Charles Bruce, living in Niantic. Robert Allen died at the age of six years. Laura A. died at the age of nineteen months. The only members of the family now living are Sarah Elizabeth, John W., Henry Owen Acom and Mrs. Bruce. To the son Henry O., we are indebted for the history of the family. He is following in his father's business footsteps and is now a representative and progressive agriculturist of the community, owning and conducting an extensive and valuable tract of land which readily responds to the care and labor which he bestowes upon it.

Lewis Bruce

Lewis Bruce, deceased, who had by thrift and energy established himself on a farm in section 19, Harristown township, was born in the city of Kiel, Schleswig, Germany, May 15, 1845. He was educated in the public schools of his native city but was early put to work and learned the miller's trade, living at home and assisting in the support of the family, as his father had died. His mother had a sister in America, the wife of George Vree, who was living in this county, and as the family was having a hard contest to keep the wolf from the door, Mr. Vree kindly supplied the money with which the mother and children were able to meet the expense of the journey to Macon county. The subject of this review was then twenty-seven years of age and after working for wages until he became acquainted with the customs and manners of the new world, he began renting land in connection with his brother, their mother keeping house for them. He prospered and in 1880 bought one hundred and seventytwo acres of land in Harristown township, for which he paid forty-eight or fifty dollars per acre. He also acquired twenty acres of timber land and, entering upon his labors with renewed vigor, he became quite successful. He was a very industrious man and, being endowed with unusual energy and strong determination, he soon became recognized as one of the most progressive and in that church the son was baptized and confirmed. He is in sympathy with farmers in the township.

On March 5, 1884, Mr. Bruce was united in marriage to Miss Anna Jensen, who was born in Schleswig, May 29, 1850, a daughter of H. and Dora (Jacobson) Jensen. She had been acquainted with Mr. Bruce in the fatherland previous to his departure for America and at his solicitation she came upon the long journey of many thousand miles and joined him in Niantic, where the marriage ceremony took place soon after her arrival. The beloved husband was called from earthly scenes March 27, 1889, and his death in the height of his usefulness was deeply deplored by the entire neighborhood, as he was greatly respected on account of his many worthy qualities. There was one son, Burchard Jensen, born December 29, 1886, and three months after the death of her husband Mrs. Bruce returned to her old home in Germany, where her son was educated. He graduated from the high school in 1903 and in the summer following returned with his mother to America, coming to this county. In 1908 a new and commodious residence was erected and in 1910 the son built a new barn from timber which was cut on the land which his father bought many years before.

Both Mr. Bruce and his wife were reared in the German Lutheran faith and in that church the son was baptized and confirmed . He is in sympathy with the principles of the republican party and cast his first presidential ballot for Mr. Taft in 1908. Socially he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the esteem in which he is held by his brethren is evidenced by the fact that he is at present worthy adviser of the lodge. Mrs. Bruce is a woman of fine instincts, possessing many of the noblest characteristics of the Teutonic race, is steadfast, patient and true in anything she undertakes, a self-sacrificing mother to her son and a generous given to any cause that aims to assist those less fortunate in wordly possessions than herself.

Henry Shlaudeman

Various business enterprises have profited by the intelligently directed effort, keen insight and careful management of Henry Shlaudeman, who is numbered among the most prominent of the sons of Germany who have made Decatur their home. He was born in the town of Wildehausen in the province of Oldenburg on the 13th of January, 1834, a son of John and Elizabeth Shlaudeman, who remained residents of the fatherland until 1846 and then sailed for the United States with their family to enjoy the broader opportunities of the new world. They established their home in Cincinnati and Henry Shlaudeman, who at that time was a youth of twelve summers, learned the trade of a tinner and coppersmith. He served an apprenticeship of six months in Cincinnati and three years and six months in Hamilton, Ohio, and subsequently devoted two years to the trade as a journeyman in Logansport, Indiana. All through this period he was actuated by a desire to one day engage in business on his own acount and to this end carefully saved his earnings until his economical expenditure and industry had made him the possessor of a capital sufficient to enable him to engage in the tobacco business for himself in Logansport. He afterwards worked at his trade, however, in Terre Haute, Indiana, for one year.

Following his arrival in Decatur in 1858, Mr. Shlaudeman became a member of the firm of Joseph Michl & Company, engaged in the cigar and tobacco trade, being associated with that house for four years. In 1862 he became half owner of a brewing business that had been established in 1855 by John Koeler and Adam Keck, his partner being Edward Harpstrite and the firm style of Harpstrite & Shlaudeman was assumed. After the first year Mr. Shlaudeman devoted his time to the manufacturing interests of the business, the essential details of which he speedily mastered. This partnership was continued until Mr. Harpstrite retired on the 1st of October, 1884. He also extended the scope of the enterprise by establishing a bottling department in 1878. During his early life as a brewer he devised and constructed a beer cooler very similar to the Baudelot, now in common use; later a hot air pitching machine; and finally took out patents on a safety valve for bunging chip casks, which devise was in use for many years. This patent is now the property of the Rochester Bunging Apparatus Company. Four years after the retirement of Mr. Harpstrite, Mr. Shlaudeman reorganized the business as a corporation under the name of the Decatur Brewing Company, of which he became president, while his two sons, Frank and Harry, entered the company as officials, the former as vice president and the latter as secretary and treasurer. In that year the Pfaudler vacuum system was introduced and in 1899 the first fermentation modification of the system was added. In the winter of 1881-2 the first refrigerating machine in the brewery was installed. It proved a failure but a sucessful Boyle machine was put in during the following winter and in 1894 a twenty ton Westinghouse machine was added to the refrigerating plant and a fifty ton De La Vergne machine in the spring of 1907. The brewery has been thus from time to time equipped with the latest improved appliances, the progressive spirit of father and sons being manifest in the continual changes and improvements that have been made. Henry Shlaudeman continued as president of the company until January, 1903, when he retired and was succeeded by his son, Frank Shlaudeman, who is now at the head of the concern.

While remaining actively in business Henry Shlaudeman was identified with various other interests beside the manufacture of beer. In 1889 he erected an ice factory, which afterwards was absorbed by the Decatur Brewing Company and in 1906 became the property of the Decatur Ice Company, of which Frank Shlaudeman is now the president. Henry Shlaudeman became financially and officially connected with other concerns, holding a large amount of stock in the Decatur Coal Company, the Niantic Coal Company, the Hatfield Milling Company, the Decatur Gas & Electric Company, the Citizens Electric Railway Company, the National Bank of Decatur and the Citizens National Bank. Of all of these he has served or is serving as a director.

He was elected in 1882 to represent his ward in the city council, serving as chairman of the finance committee. During the same year he was appointed by the mayor to serve on the library board and reappointed to this same position in 1885, serving six years altogether. In 1898 he became one of the heavy stockholders of the Citizens National Bank and for one year was its president but resigned the office in the winter of 1900 on account of ill health. He has since passed the winter months in California, purchasing a home in Pasadena, while the summer months are usually spent in Decatur. He regards this as the real place of his residence because of his long association here and the fact that the great majority of Decatur's citizens are numbered among his friends.

Dr. Alva Curtis Foster, a successful medical practitioner of Decatur, was so named in honor of Dr. Alva Curtis, of the Philadelphia Medical College, of which Robert Foster, father of Dr. A. C. Foster, was a graduate physician. Robert Foster not only devoted his life to the practice of medicine but was also one of the early ministers of the Christian church. A native of Kentucky, he was born in 1812 and died in 1875 at the age of sixty-three years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary A. Burnett, was born in Spencer county, Kentucky, and died in Niantic, Macon county, Illinois, in March, 1900, at the age of seventy-six years. For about thirty years Dr. Foster devoted his time and energies to relieving the sick and to preaching the truths of the gospel. He was a physician of the old school and his work was an effective element in the restoration of health according to the methods then in vogue. He also became a preacher of the Christian church in Decatur in the early days when this city was a small town. He was also well known in Macoupin county, Illinois, especially in the town of Carlinville, where he ministered to the physical as well as the spiritual needs of the people. One of his warm friends of that period was the young attorney, John M. Palmer, who subsequently became governor of Illinois. These two were associated in the organization of the first Masonic lodge in Macoupin county, Dr. Robert Foster being a well known and exemplary representative of the Masonic fraternity. He was practicing medicine in Carlinville at the time of the birth of his son, Dr. Alva Curtis Foster, on the 27th of August, 1847. The latter was the only living son in a family of four children. From early youth he lived upon a farm in Hancock county, Illinois, his education being largely acquired in the rural schools, while later he was for one year a student in the high school at Virden, Illinois, in his native county. Subsequently he attended the University of Kentucky where he pursued his more specifically literary education from 1869 until 1873. He then engaged in teaching school for three years, after which he devoted his life to preaching until 1882, when he gave up the active work of the ministry and became a student in the Physicians and Surgeons College at St. Louis. He located for practice in Niantic, Macon county, where he remained for four years, and then removed to Blue Mound, where he continued as an active representative of his profession for fourteen years. For over two years he remained at Columbia, Missouri, in practice, removing to that city in order to give his son the educational advantages that could be there secured, and on the expiration of that period he returned to central Illinois and settled in Decatur, where since December, 1902, he has been actively engaged in practice, firmly establishing himself in the public regard as an able, capable physician of wide personal knowledge and marked skill. He belongs to the Decatur Medical Society. Not only has Dr. Foster ministered to the needs of the body but also to the spiritual life as well. For many years he has engaged in preaching, although not accepting regular pastorates. He has officiated at many funerals and now does supernumerary work. His efforts have been untiring for the moral development of the localities in which he has lived and his own life has been an inspiration to others.

On the 7th of March, 1878, in Concord, Illinois, Dr. Foster was married to Miss Anna Harris, a daughter of Dr. John and Elizabeth (Browning) Harris. Her father also was a pioneer preacher of the Christian church as well as a practitioner of medicine for over forty years. Mrs. Foster was born in Washington county, Indiana, August 16, 1857, and her life history closed in Decatur on the 22d of March, 1910. She was a devout Christian woman and a zealous worker in the Central Church of Christ. She took a most helpful part in the missionary work of the church and in other fields of religious activity and her life was filled with the countless little ministries that make the world better, brighter and happier. She found her greatest joy in aiding others and in devoting her life to her husband and children. Her influence can never die while upon other lives is left the impress of her noble soul. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Foster were born four children: Guy Kennith; Mrs. Ina Harris Lee, of Minneapolis; Olive; and Edythe. The son, now thirty-one years of age, was for three years a student in Eureka (111.) College and for one year in Butler College of Indiana, after which he entered Missouri University at Columbia, Missouri, and was there graduated with the class of 1902 with the degrees of A. B. and B. P. E. He afterward engaged in teaching in the high school of Trenton, Missouri, for four years, and is now professor of chemistry in the State University of Colorado. He was married in Trenton, August 5, 1904, to Miss Mary Campbell, and they have one daughter, Dorothy.

Dr. Foster owns a nice residence at No. 961 North Union street. The house in which he was born stood on the present site of the million dollar courthouse of Carlinville, Illinois, the south steps of the building occupying the spot where once stood the old homestead. Dr. Foster's aim in life has been to give all of his children a good education and fitly prepare them for life's responsibilities and obligations. Reared in a Christian home, they are a credit to their parents. Dr. Foster has ever realized, as Abraham Lincoln has expressed it, that "There is something better than making a living - making a life." He has therefore endeavored to fill his years with good deeds and honorable purposes, and because of his ministry to the sick in body and in soul, and because of his ability to point out in each case the path of restoration and benefit, his life has indeed been of worth and value to his fellowmen.

Daniel W. Moore

For forty years a resident of Macon county, Daniel W. Moore has witnessed many changes in his adopted county and has assisted in forwarding many improvements which were only dimly outlined when he first came to this region. Living now on a beautiful farm in section 36, Niantic township, the head of a promising family, he is known as one of the most prosperous citizens in the county. He was born on a farm in County Antrim, Ireland, March 17, 1849, and is a son of Robert and Mary (Murphy) Moore. The father came to America with his family about 1864, making the trip across the ocean in five weeks in a sailing vessel and landing at New York city. Several relatives had preceded him and were located in Montgomery county, Illinois. Accordingly, he came to that county, where he continued upon a farm for several years. In 1869 he and his sons selected a home in Niantic township, Macon county, and removed to that location the year following, having purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land at eighteen dollars an acre. This was wild prairie land, which required a great deal of labor before it was brought to a fair state of cultivation. Here the homestead was established and the father continued until his death, which occurred in 1887. The beloved mother is still living at Niantic at the advanced age of ninety years. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Moore, six sons and three daughters: Robert, of Niantic; Thomas, of Holdrege, Nebraska ; Jane who married Samuel Erwin and is now deceased ; Daniel

W., our subject; Mary, deceased; William, Alexander and Hugh, all of Niantic; and Ellen, who married Francis Campbell and is now living at Niantic.

The subject of this review was about fifteen years of age when he came to America, the events of the journey making an impression upon his mind which has never been forgotten. He was educated in the common schools and assisted in the work upon the farm, he and his five brothers remaining together and also purchasing land together, until they became the most prominent landholders in this part of the country. One of the farms which they acquired is now one-half mile wide and two miles long, another contains two hundred and forty acres and the farm which is owned by our subject consists of four hundred and thirty acres. The place upon which he began independently comprised one hundred acres but in 1887 he purchased the home in which he now lives. He has made many improvements, has thoroughly modernized every department under his charge and today is recognized as one of the foremost farmers in central Illinois.

On January 10, 1883, Mr. Moore was happily united in marriage, in Perry county, Illinois, to Miss Sarah Cupples, a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, and a daughter of William and Eliza (Stuart) Cupples. Seven children have brightened their home: Elizabeth, Robert, William, D. Leonard, Ray, Mary and Walter. Elizabeth has a fine education and is living at home.

Mr. Moore cast his first vote for General U. S. Grant as president of the United States in 1872 and has never departed from his allegiance to the republican party. Although he has not sought political preferment he has served as assessor of the township and has been a member of the school board for thirty years continuously. He was reared in the Presbyterian faith but has never held membership in any church, although he has acted as trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church at Niantic ever since it was organized. His wife and several of his children are members of that denomination. Fraternally he is identified with Harristown Lodge, No. 431, A. F. & A. M., and has served as its junior warden. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias at Niantic. He is a man of genial, social qualities and is never so happy as when in his home circle or when dispensing generous hospitality to his friends. The blessings he enjoys are very largely the results of his perseverance and untiring industry - traits inherited from worthy parents and a stanch ancestry.

Charles Monroe Carr

Charles Monroe Carr, who resides on a beautiful farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 34, South Macon township, and is recognized as one of the progressive young citizens of the county, was born in Missouri, April 18, 1878. He is a son of George W. and Nancy (Gibson) Carr, the former of whom was born in Ohio in 1841 and the latter in Missouri in 1847. The father has devoted his attention to farming ever since arriving at manhood except during the Civil war, when he worked in the United States government shops in Missouri. He and his wife are still living. There were ten children in their family, the subject of this review being sixth in order of birth.

Charles M. Carr was educated in the common schools and assisted his father upon the home farm until arriving at twenty-one years of age, after which he began working for wages. About 1900 he came to Illinois and at twenty-eight years of age he took unto himself a wife, soon afterwards moving to Missouri, where he continued for one year. In 1907 he returned to Illinois and is now managing a farm which belongs to his father-in-law, to which he has devoted a great deal of labor, bringing it to a high state of cultivation.

In December, 1906, Mr. Carr was happily united in marriage to Miss Ella Kraschel, who was born March 1, 1878, and is a daughter of Frederick and Nancy Jane (Poe) Kraschel, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Carr affiliates with Beacon Lodge No. 434, Knights of Pythias, at Macon, Illinois, and is an adherent of the republican party. He is energetic and capable in the calling he has chosen as his life work and as a patriotic citizen and useful member of the community has a high standing among his fellows. Recognizing the opportunities presented in agriculture and stock-raising, he has earnestly applied his abilities, and the neat appearance of the farm and the ample harvests yielded each year give practical evidence of his skill. He and his estimable wife have many friends in Macon county, who are attracted by their worthy qualities.

Thomas E. O'Brien

An analyzation of the life work of Thomas E. O'Brien indicates the fact that thoroughness is perhaps his predominant characteristic. It is manifest in the minor as well as the more important duties which have come to him. He displays, moreover, a genius for organization that has continued him in the position of sales manager with the Leader Iron Works from the inception of the business and secured his election to the position of vice president, in both of which offices he is still the incumbent.

He was born in the town of Tiskilwa, Bureau county, Illinois, August 26, 1879, his parents being Timothy F. and Margaret (Canty) O'Brien, the former a native of Providence, Rhode Island, and the latter of Bristol, England, although both were of Irish lineage. The mother was brought to this country by her parents when two or three years of age, the Canty home being established in Bureau county, Illinois. In his boyhood days Timothy F. O'Brien went to Bureau county with his parents and there both the father and mother of our subject were reared and after reaching adult age were married. They have since resided in that county, the father devoting his entire life to farming, in which business he is still actively engaged, his home being about four miles from Tiskilwa. His political allegiance has always been given to the democratic party but without desire for or hope of office as a reward for his fealty.

The usual experiences and environment of farm life developed in Thomas E. O'Brien a sturdy boyhood and his intellectual training was received in the public schools of his native county, supplemented by a course in a business col- lege at Kewanee, Illinois. Through vacation periods he assisted his father and remained upon the home farm until his nineteenth year, at which time he went to Kewanee, Illinois, then quite noted as a manufacturing center. He sought and secured employment in the yards of the Western Tube Works, now the National Tube Works, where he was employed at loading tubes at a wage of seven dollars and eighty cents per week. This was night work. He proved capable and faithful, however, and thereby won promotion, being given a position in the shops where the boilers were built and repaired. For two years thereafter he was engaged on boiler work, learning something of the detail of boiler making. Leaving that position, he entered the employ of the Kewanee Boiler Company at a salary of a dollar and seventy-five cents per day. He found in this new experience that he had only gained the most rudimentary knowledge of boiler making and his real schooling began in his new position. He remained with that company for four years and his determination to learn the business thoroughly and in every detail caused him to devote much time to study aside from the practical experience which he received in the shops. He attended night school during a part of his term of service and in this way, on the expiration of his four years' employment there, he had become a boilermaker in all that the word implies, his proficiency advancing him beyond many who entered the shops about the same time. He then went upon the road as a commercial salesman for the Kewanee Water Supply Company to market a certain portion of the output of the Kewanee Boiler Company.

His position, however, was on a salary basis and after one year the Leader Iron Works of Decatur were organized as a competitive business and Mr. O'Brien resigned his position to associate himself with the new organization. In this connection he was appointed in charge of the sales department and to his ability and enterprise in that capacity much of the success of the firm may be attributed. His thorough knowledge of the business in every phase well qualified him for the superintendency of the sales department and in his capacity as sales manager he has traveled over all North America. He is in fact one of the best known men in his line in the country. Two years after connecting himself with the Leader Iron Works he was made vice president and has since served as the second executive officer. He has, however, continued in complete charge of the sales management and the progressive policy which he has instituted in this connection constitutes one of the chief sources of the company's success and prosperity.

On the 23d of February, 1909, Mr. O'Brien was married to Miss Mary E. O'Neill, of Kewanee, Illinois, and they have one son, Clement Neil. Mrs. O'Brien's parents were Michael and Sarah (Aaron) O'Neill, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Pennsylvania. Coming to the United States in 1850, the father located in Kewanee, Illinois, where he was engaged in the realestate business for some years. He died in that city in 1890 and his widow still resides there.

Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien are members of the Catholic church and he is connected with the Knights of Columbus. By his ballot he endeavors to support the men best qualified for office regardless of party ties. Thoroughness, the faithful performance of each day's duties, close study concerning business conditions, keen insight into every situation and courage to improve the opportunities offered, have been the salient features in the success of Thomas E. O'Brien, a most prominent and honored representative of the industrial interests of Decatur.

Charles W. Ashenfelter

Charles W. Ashenfelter, a resident of Decatur for about ten years and now well known as a contractor and builder of the city, was born near Fairfield, in Wayne county, Illinois, June 12, 1876, a son of John T. and Elizabeth (Mauck) Ashenfelter, who were natives of Virginia, whence they drove across the country with team and wagon to Wayne county. They left the Old Dominion in the fall of 1865 and reached their destination in the spring of 1866, having stopped for a few months in Indiana. There the father followed farming until his death in December, 1910. The mother died thirty years ago. The Ashenfelter family is of German origin and the first representatives of the name settled near Brock Gap, Virginia, where the grandfather, John Ashenfelter, and the father, John T. Ashenfelter, were both born.

Charles W. Ashenfelter attended the country schools at intervals until twenty years of age but at the age of fourteen years began to learn the carpenter's trade, hewing timber from which to make the frame work for a new house. In those days the carpenters would go into the woods and pick out suitable timber and cut down the trees for whatever purpose they intended them. Mr. Ashenfelter worked for his uncle and his grandfather at fifty cents per day and became thoroughly familiar with the practical side of the business. In 1892 he removed to Lawrence county, Illinois, where he remained for two years but on the expiration of that period returned to Wayne county, where he remained until 1896. He then again went to Lawrence county, where he worked at his trade until 1901, when he came to Decatur, where he has since made his home. In the meantime he had become an expert in carpenter work and immediately after his arrival secured employment at Millikin University, being engaged on the construction of the university and other public buildings and residences during the two years in which he remained in the employ of others. He then embarked in the contracting and building business on his own account in connection with his brother-in-law, W. A. Garber, and in addition to building they have also dealt to some extent in real estate. They are doing speculative building, erecting residences and then selling them and they have put up some of the most attractive homes of the city. Mr. Ashenfelter does his own architectural work, drawing his plans, and his ability in this direction is seen in the beauty of some of the dwellings which he has constructed.

On the 27th of July, 1899, Mr. Ashenfelter was married to Miss Nina R. Garber, of Lawrence county, Illinois, a daughter of S. W. and Katherine S. (Hensberger) Garber. Mrs. Ashenfelter was born in Virginia, which was also the birth place of her parents, who in the year 1894 removed with their family to Illinois. The father devoted his life to school teaching, preaching and farming. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ashenfelter have been born three children, Edna K., Mary and James Paul, the last named born December 23, 1909. In his political views Mr. Ashenfelter is a republican and is always able to support his position by intelligent argument, showing that he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but he does not seek nor desire office. His religious faith is that of the Church of the Brethren. He has become widely and favorably known in business circles and in the relations of social life and sterling traits of character as manifest in each connection have gained him warm regard.

Ferdinand Uhll

Ferdinand Uhll, one of the highly respected citizens of Blue Mound, was born in Germany, August 18, 1851, and came with his parents, Ferdinand and Julia Uhll, to America in 1853. The family settled at Edwardsville, Illinois, and the father began working on the railroad but passed away a few months after his arrival at his new home. Of five children in the family, two are now living: Anna, the wife of Christian Hertel, of Kansas; and Ferdinand. The mother was a second time married, in 1855, becoming the wife of Joseph Herman, and by that union three children were born, two of whom are now living: Charles and Antone, both of Christian county, Illinois. The mother departed this life in 1872.

The subject of this review was educated in the public schools of Greene county, Illinois, and remained with his stepfather until eighteen years of age, when he began working by the month for farmers in the neighborhood. In 1878 he commenced farming on his own account and after his marriage he purchased eighty acres of land in Christian county, to which he added from time to time until he now owns a highly developed farm of two hundred and eighty-four acres. As a general farmer and stock-raiser he continued for thirty years, removing on February 15, 1910, to Blue Mound. He is the owner of two threshing machines and has an interest in a third and is recognized as a man of good business ability, who generally succeeds in anything he undertakes.

In 1881 Mr. Uhll was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Pierson, who was born in Macon county, in 1862, and is a daughter of William and Caroline (Hollingsworth) Pierson. Her mother was born September 14, 1834, and died August 22, 1900, being buried in Christian county. Her father is a native of Ohio, born September 11, 1831, and is now living in Christian county, Illinois. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, the following are now living: Mary, of Christian county; James, of Kansas; Agnes, now Mrs. Uhll; Clara, of Shelby county, Illinois; Ollie, of Oklahoma; Bruce, of Christian county; William, also of Christian county.

Nine children came to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Uhll: Carrie, born May 15, 1882, who is now the wife of Benjamin Amber, of Christian county, and the mother of one child, Cressie; Annie, born April 12, 1884, who is the wife of Charles Brown, of Christian county, and the mother of three children,

John Everett, Eloise and Kenneth; Marcus, of Christian county, born May i, 1886, who married Belle Cormaney and has become the father of one child, Delmar ; James Benjamin, of Christian county, born August 26, 1888, who married Josie Young; Robert, born June 28, 1893; now living with his brother Marcus; Ferdinand, born October 29, 1895; Eva Grace, born March 8, 1899, and living at home; and Curtis, born January 14, 1904, and also at home. Warren, who was born October 12, 1890, was accidentally shot when eleven years old. He was one of the brightest and most promising members of the family and his death was the greatest sorrow that our subject and his wife have ever been called upon to endure. Six years ago Mr. Uhll suffered the loss of his right hand in a painful accident while operating a machine. He has borne the affliction manfully, accepting it as one of those occurrences which are liable to happen to any man in the active pursuit of his daily vocation.

On the 4th of August, 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Uhll celebrated their silver wedding, about one hundred guests being invited to an elegant dinner prepared by Mrs. Uhll and her daughters, and they received several silver presents, both useful and valuable, which they highly prize as gifts from dear friends.

They occupy one of the most attractive residences of Blue Mound. The house contains eleven rooms and was built by a banker who failed. Hence it was placed on the market. It is beautifully furnished, modern in every respect and would be considered an elegant residence in any city. Mr. Uhll is an advocate of the principles of the republican party and socially holds membership in the Modern Woodmen of America. His wife is a valued member of the Christian church and he has found in her a most capable and helpful assistant in all the years of their journey together - one who has been to him a constant encouragement and support. As a result of their early self-denial and many years of well directed energy they now enjoy the blessings of home and the friendship of the people of the entire community, for it is only by making ourselves worthy of confidence that we can hope to gain the confidence of our neighbors.

C. S. Lewis

Fifty-two years ago C. S. Lewis, then a young man of twenty-four, arrived in Macon county. He came from the east and here he decided to make his home. He has seen no reason to regret his choice, as he became one of the successful men of Macon county and is now living retired in the enjoyment of ease and plenty. He was born at Perth Amboy, Middlesex county, New Jersey, December 22, 1834, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret Ann (Wait) Lewis, also natives of New Jersey. The subject of this review is the only survivor of the family. His sister, Margaret A. Lewis, married Moses Martin and died on Staten Island in 1902. He remembers seeing his father only three times, for the father, who was one of the gold hunters of 1849, died when the son was quite young. He was sixteen years of age when his mother was called from