Elbridge Township (part 2 of 2)

JOHN A. RAY, farmer; P. O. Nel¬ son, Vigo Co., Ind.; was born in Crawford Co., Ill., Jan. 13, 1820, and is the son of Andrew B. and Jane (Gillespy ) Ray ; his father was born near Knoxville, Tenn.; came to Illinois and settled in Crawford Co. in 1818; in 1823, he moved to Ed¬ gar Co. and settled on the farm where Mr. Ray now lives; this farm was settled by John Ray, Mr. Ray's grandfather, in 1818; he afterward moved to Tennessee, where he died ; here on this farm lived Andrew B. Ray until March 25, 1876, when he died at little over 82 years old ; he was a soldier of the war of 1812 ; he owned the first grist-mill (run by water¬ power) in Edgar Co.; he also entered the land for Mr. Vance where the city of Paris now stands ; Mr. John A. Ray has been living on the old homestead ever since 1823, now fifty-five years ago ; he owns 320 acres of fine improved land. Has held the office of Supervisor of El¬ bridge three terms. He marrigd, Jan-

<S. A. RICKETTS, merchant, Sandford, Vigo Co., I n d . ; is one of the leading mer¬ chants of Sandford, Ind.; was born in De¬ catur Co., Ind., 1834 ; Mr. Ricketts, when a young man, learned the carpenter trade ; from that he commenced railroading ; he first accepted a position as brakeman on the Indianapolis, Cincinnati & La Fayette R. R. in about 1855 ; he followed braking about four years ; then conductor, which position Mr. Ricketts has held on the prin¬ cipal railroads East and West; was a rail¬ road man for twenty-one years ; on retir¬ ing from the railroad business, he entered the mercantile business at Terre Haute, Ind.; from there he came to Sanford Feb¬ ruary, 1878; here he opened a general store of groceries, notions and drugs, of which he constantly keeps on hand a full line, and all goods sold at Terre Haute prices.

GEORGE ROUTLEDGE, farmer and blacksmith ; P. 0. Paris ; this gentleman was born in Cumberland Co., England, March 14, 1821, and is the son of George and Mary (Archer) Routledge, of England, his father was a merchant and a weaver ; Mr. Routledge, in 1835, emigrated to America ; he first commenced to learn his trade, blacksmithing, at Worcester, Mass.; in 1837, he moved to Xenia, Ohio; here he worked at his trade, also in Cincinnati; from this city he went to Oldtown, near Xenia, Ohio; at this place, he became owner of a blacksmith-shop and followed blacksmithing in Oldtown for twenty-one years; in 1865, he came to Edgar Co., Ill., and settled in Paris ; here he was en¬ gaged as a blacksmith in a wagon and plow manufactory, and remained in Paris ; in 1868, he moved to Elbridge Tp., Ed¬ gar Co., on the present homestead ; here he has been engaged at his trade, his sons doing most of the work on the farm. Mr. Routledge has held several offices of pub¬ lic trust; that of School Treasurer, where he has given entire satisfaction ; was elect¬ ed in the spring of 1878, as Supervisor of Elbridge Tp.; this office he still holds; was elected to this office on the Independ¬ ent ticket. Mr. Routledge is a Democrat in politics and a member of the Universalist Church. Married in Greene Co.,

Ohio, Dec. 4, 1845, to Miss Sarah Mc- Neice, of Penns}dvania, by whom he has had eight children ; five children living - Mary E., Archer, Riley, Sarah and Laura J.

J. P. ROBERTSON (of the firm of Schank & Robertson), manufacturers of drain-tile ; these gentlemen commenced the manufacture of tile in 1875 ; these works have now been in running order over three years, and since they were first built they have been gradually improving, and to-day manufacture an excellent and standard quality of tile, which rank among the best manufactured ; their standard sizes are two and a half inches to six inches ; have all buildings, sheds, kilns and other apparatus, including one tile machine to turn out a large amount of tile ; have turned out this season some three thousand rods of tile. J. P. Robertson was born in Jefferson Co., Ky., Jan. 21, 1839, and is the son of James E. and Eveline (Allen) Robertson ; father was a native of Virginia, having come to Ken¬ tucky at an early day. Mr. Robertson has been in several vocations in his life ; first, we find him clerking in a dry goods store ; then in the mercantile business, etc.; after the death of his mother, he moved to Spencer Co., Ky.; here he lived with an uncle ; then to Shelby, Anderson and Mercer Cos., Ky.; he then came to Indiana ; returned to Kentucky, and was a soldier of the late war. Enlisted in Co. I, 19th Ky. V. I.; served about eleven months ; on account of health, was honorably dis¬ charged ; in 1866, came to Edgar Co. Married Miss Margaret Schank, daughter of William and Elizabeth Schank ; four children - Eva, John W., Lillie B. and Lou Ella.

WILLIAM E. SMITH, farmer; P. 0. Sandford, Ind. Perhaps there is not a gen¬ tleman more extensively known in Elbridge Tp. than the above-named gentleman, who was born near Doncaster, England, June 25, 1807, and is the son of James and Mary E. Smith ; his father was a farmer here ; Mr. Smith was raised on his father's farm ; in 1840, he emigrated to America alone ; landed in Philadelphia a stranger ; was eight months and two days in making the trip from England to America ; he came West to Ohio, and first settled in Cincin¬ nati ; here he entered the milk business, which proved a failure to him ; he lost about all his money - nearly $500 ; he then went to farming in Brown Co. and on the Little Miami River ; here he man¬ aged well and was successful, and, in 1855, he moved to Illinois, and settled on the present farm, which at that time was very poorly improved ; he set out in farming and to-day, with hard labor and good man¬ agement, owns one of the best improved farms in Edgar Co., of 240 acres. Mr. Smith owns 660 acres of land in Texas, and ranks as one of the successful farmers of Edgar Co., Ill.; when Mr. Smith first settled in Elbridge Tp. there were several Billy Smiths in the vicinity ; so, to know them apart, the name Extra was given to Mr. Smith, and ever since that time he has been known as Extra Billy Smith ; this name was given to him because his horses, cattle, hogs and land were of the extra quality. Mr. Smith has donated $300 for the erection of the M. E. Church at Sandford, of which church he is a member. He married Mrs. Mary Ann Varley '; they have five children.

JOHN VV. STAPLES, merchant, Nevins ; was born in Barren Co., Ky., Jan. 26, 1832, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Thacker) Staples ; his father was a farmer here ; Mr. S. was brought up on the farm with his grandfather Thacker, and remained with him until 1841 ; he then went to Oldham Co., Ky., and remained there until 1847 ; thence to Clarke Co., Ind.; here he learned the cooper trade, and followed this until 1850; he then went to Missouri; while there, he was working at his trade and in the mercantile business ; in 1864, he moved to Illinois, and settled in Hunter Tp., Ed¬ gar Co.; here he was engaged at his trade and farming; in 1867, in the huckster business ; in 1869 to 1874, he was engaged in the mercantile business at Clay's Prairie, in Hunter Tp.; in 1874, he moved to Nevins ; here he is engaged in the mercan¬ tile business ; keeps a full line of staple and fancy groceries, notions, dry goods, etc. Mr. S. married Miss Eliza Jane Ball, of Illinois.

HALL SIMS ; P. O. Nevins ; this gentleman is one of the oldest settlers of Edgar Co. ; he was born in South Caro¬ lina April 25, 1795 ; he, with his parents, moved to Kentucky when he was a child.

Here he married June 27, 1813, to Annie Jones, of South Carolina ; she died in April, 1846. He married the second time in 1847, to Jane Kimbrough, of Hardin Co., Ky. ; she died June 5, 1875- Mr. Sims, in 1815, came to Illinois Territory, and located on what is now known as Crawford Co. ; lived there about six years, then moved to Edgar Co. ; here he has re¬ mained ever since. Is now one of the oldest pioneers of Edgar Co. Mr. Sims has held a number of public offices of trust and honor. In 1826, he was elected to the office as County Commissioner, this office he filled until 1834 ; in 1839, was elected to the Legislature, this office he filled off and on until 1846 ; these offices he has filled with honor, havi