'LI B RA FLY 

OF THE 

UN IVERSITY 
OF ILLINOIS 

977.379 
P82.8 



II RECORD 




Clinton, Washington, flarion 



and Jefferson Counties, 

ILLINOIS. * 



Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent 

f HMD + 

Representative Citizens of the Counties, 

Together with Biographies and Portraits of all the 

Governors of the State and the Presidents of the United States, 



CHICAGO: 

CHAPMAN PUBLISHING CO. 

1894, 







HE greatest of English historians, MACAULAT, and one of the most brilliant writers of 
the present century, has said: "The history of a country is best told in a record of the 
lives of its people." In conformity with this idea the PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL 
RECORD o f tn ig coun ty nas Vjeen prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and 
taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, oui 
air corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by theii 
enterprise and industry, brought the county to rank second to none among those 
comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life 
struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli- 
gent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the 
imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by 
industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited 

> advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an 
; influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who 
have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have 
become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and 
records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very 
many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content 
to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy "they have done what 
they could." It tells how that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left the plow and the 
anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's 
call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace 
once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not 
be lost upon those who follow after. 

Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact 
that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be 
inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible 
given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers natter them- 
selves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph 
ical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given. 

The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the 
publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused to give the 
information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of 
the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested 
one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made 
at their residence or place of business. 

June, 1894. CHAPMAN PUBLISHING Co. 



71861 




Governors of Illinois, 



AND OF THE 





D8QVS. 




GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



**S~ HE Father of our Country was born in West- 
|C moreland County, Va., February 22, 1732. 
\*) His parents were Augustine and Mary (Ball) 
Washington. The family to which he belonged 
has not been satisfactorily traced in England. 
His great-grandfather, John Washington, emi- 
grated to Virginia about 1657, and became a 
prosperous planter. He had two sons, Lawrence 
and John. The former married Mildred Warner, 
and had three children, John, Augustine and 
Mildred. Augustine, the father of George, first 
married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, 
two of whom, Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
maturity. Of six children by his second mar- 
riage, George was the eldest, the others being 
Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and 
Mildred. 

Augustine Washington, the father of George, 
died in 1743, leaving a large landed property. 
To his eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an 
estate on the Potomac, afterwards known as Mt. 
Vernon, and to George he left the parental resi- 
dence. George received only such education as 
the neighborhood schools afforded, save for a 
short time after he left school, when he received 
private instruction in mathematics. His spelling 
was rather defective. Remarkable stories are 
told of his great physical strength and develop- 
ment at an early age. He was an acknowledged 
leader among his companions, and was early 
noted for that nobleness of character, fairness and 
veracity which characterized his whole life. 

When George was fourteen years old he had a 
desire to go to sea, and a midshipman's warrant 
was secured for him, but through the opposition 
of his mother the idea was abandoned. Two 



years later he was appointed surveyor to the im- 
mense estate of Lord Fairfax. In this business 
he spent three years in a rough frontier life, 
gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
essential to him. In 1751, though only nineteen 
years of age, he was appointed Adjutant.with the 
rank of Major, in the Virginia militia, then being 
trained for active service against the French and 
Indians. Soon after this he sailed to the West 
Indies with his brother Lawrence, who went there 
to restore his health. They soon returned, and 
in the summer of 1752 Lawrence died, leaving a 
large fortune to an infant daughter, who did not 
long survive him. On her demise the estate of 
Mt. Vernon was given to George. 

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie as Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia 
was reorganized, and the province divided into 
four military districts, of which the northern was 
assigned to Washington as Adjutant-General. 
Shortly after this a very perilous mission, which 
others had refused, was assigned him and ac- 
cepted. This was to proceed to the French post 
near Lake Erie, in northwestern Pennsylvania. 
The distance to be traversed was about six hun- 
dred miles. Winter was at hand, and the journey 
was to be made without military escort, through 
a territory occupied by Indians. The trip was a 
perilous one, and several times he nearly lost his 
life, but he returned in safety and furnished a full 
and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
of three hundred men was raised in Virginia and 
put in command of Col. Joshua Fry, and Maj. 
Washington was commissioned Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel. Active war was then begun against the 
French and Indians, in which Washington took 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



a most important part. In the memorable event 
of July 9, 1755, known as "Braddock's defeat," 
Washington was almost the only officer of dis- 
tinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
day with life and honor. 

Having been for five years in the military serv- 
ice, and having vainly sought promotion in the 
royal army, he took advantage of the fall of Ft. Du- 
quesne and the expulsion of the French from the 
valley of the Ohio to resign his commission. Soon 
after he entered the Legislature, where, although 
not a leader, he took an active and important 
part. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha 
(Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy widow of John 
Parke Custis. 

When the British Parliament had closed the 
port of Boston, the cry went up throughout the 
provinces, ' ' The cause oi Boston is the cause of 
us all! '' It was then, at the suggestion of Vir- 
ginia, that a congress of all the colonies was 
called to meet at Philadelphia September 5, 
1774, to secure their common liberties, peaceably 
if possible. To this congress Col. Washington 
was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
congress re-assembled, when the hostile -inten- 
tions of England were plainly apparent. The 
battles of Concord and Lexington had been fought, 
and among the first acts of this congress was the 
election of a commander-in-chief of the Colonial 
forces. This high and responsible office was con- 
ferred upon Washington, who was still a member 
of the congress. He accepted it on June 19, but 
upon the express condition that he receive no sal- 
ary. He would keep an exact account of ex- 
penses, and expect congress to pay them and 
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch 
to trace the military acts of Washington, to whom 
the fortunes and liberties of the people of this 
country were so long confided. The war was 
conducted by him under every possible disadvan- 
tage; and while his forces often met with reverses, 
yet he overcame every obstacle, and after seven 
years of heroic devotion and matchless skill he 
gained liberty for the greatest nation of earth. 
On December 23, 1783, Washington, in a parting 
address of surpassing beauty, resigned his com- 
mission as Commander-in-Chief of the army to the 



Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He 
retired immediately to Mt. Venion and resumed 
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning 
all connection with public life. 

In February, 1789, Washington was unani- 
mously elected President, and at the expiration 
of his first term he was unanimously re-elected. 
At the end of this term many were anxious that he 
be re-elected, but he absolutely refused a third 
nomination. On March 4, 1797, at the expiration 
of his second term as President, he returned to his 
home, hoping to pass there his few remaining 
years free from the annoyances of public life. 
Later in the year, however, his repose seemed 
likely to be interrupted by war with France. At 
the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
take command of the army, but he chose his sub- 
ordinate officers and left them the charge of mat- 
ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
home. In accepting the command, he made the 
reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
it was necessary. In the midst of these prepara- 
tions his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2 
he took a severe cold from a ride in the rain, 
which, settling in his throat, produced inflamma- 
tion, and terminated fatally on the night of the 
1 4th. On the i8th his body was borne with mili- 
tary honors to its final resting-place, and interred 
in the family vault at Mt. Vernon. 

Of the character of Washington it is impossible 
to speak but in terms of the highest respect and 
admiration. The more we see of the operations 
of our government, and the more deeply we feel 
the difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common 
interest, the more highly we must estimate the 
force of his talent and character, which have been 
able to challenge the reverence of all parties, 
and principles, and nations, and to win a fame as 
extended as the limits of the globe, and which we 
cannot but believe will be as lasting as the exist- 
ence of man. 

In person, Washington was unusually tall, erect 
and well proportioned, and his muscular strength 
was great. His features were of a beausiful sym- 
metry. He commanded respect without any ap- 
pearance of haughtiness, and was ever serious 
without being dull. 



JOHN ADAMS. 



(TORN ADAMS, the second President and the 
I first Vice- President of the United States, was 
(2) born in Braintree (now Quiucy) Mass., and 
about ten miles from Boston, October 19, 1735. 
His great-grandfather, Henry Adams, emigrated 
from England about 1640, with a family of eight 
sons, and settled at Braintree. The parents of 
John were John and Susannah (Boylston) 
Adams. His father, who was a farmer of limited 
means, also engaged in the business of shoe- 
making. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical 
education at Harvard College. John graduated 
in 1755, and at once took charge of the school at 
Worcester, Mass. This he found but a ' ' school 
of affliction," from which he endeavored to gain 
relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself 
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. 
He had thought seriously of the clerical profes- 
sion, but seems to have been turned from this by 
what he termed " the frightful engines of ecclesi- 
astical councils, of diabolical malice, and Calvin- 
istic good nature, ' ' of the operations of which he 
had been a witness in his native town. He was 
well fitted for the legal profession, possessing a 
clear, sonorous voice, being ready and fluent of 
speech, and having quick perceptive powers. He 
gradually gained a practice, and in 1764 married 
Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, and a 
lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his j 
marriage, in 1765, the attempt at parliamentary 
taxation turned him from- law to politics. He 
took initial steps toward holding a town meeting, 
and the resolutions he offered on the subject be- 
came very popular throughout the province, and 
were adopted word for word by over forty differ- 
ent towns. He moved to Boston in 1768, and 
became one of the most courageous and promi- 
nent advocates of the popular cause, and was 
chosen a member of the General Court (the leg- 
islature) in 1770. 

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first dele- 



gates from Massachusetts to the first Continent- 
al Congress, which met in 1774. Here he dis- 
tinguished himself by his capacity for business 
and for debate, and advocated the movement for 
independence against the majority of the mem- 
bers. In May, 1776, he moved and carried a res- 
olution in Congress that the Colonies should 
assume the duties of self-government. He was a 
prominent member of the committee of five ap- 
pointed June 1 1 to prepare a declaration of inde- 
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, 
but on Adams devolved the task of battling it 
through Congress in a three-days debate. 

On the day after the Declaration of Independ- 
ence was passed, while his soul was yet warm 
with the glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter 
to his wife, which, as we read it now, seems to 
have been dictated by the spirit of prophecy. 
"Yesterday," he says, "the greatest question 
was decided that ever was debated in America; 
and greater, perhaps, never was or will be de- 
cided among men. A resolution was passed 
without one dissenting colony, 'that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be, free and in- 
dependent states.' The day is passed. The 
Fourth of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch 
in the history of America. I am apt to believe it 
will be celebrated by succeeding generations as 
the great anniversary festival. It ought to be 
commemorated as the day of deliverance by 
solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It 
ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows, games, 
sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations 
from one end of the continent to the other, from 
this time forward forever. You will think me 
transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I 
am well aware of the toil and blood and treas- 
ure that it will cost to maintain this declaration 
and support and defend these States; yet, through 
all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and 
glory. I can see that the end is worth more than 
all the means, and that posterity will triumph, 



JOHN ADAMS. 



although you and I may rue, which I hope we 
shall not." 

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed 
a delegate to France, and to co-operate with Ben- 
jamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then 
in Paris, in the endeavor to obtain assistance in 
arms and money from the French government. 
This was a severe trial to his patriotism, as it 
separated him from his home, compelled him to 
cross the ocean in winter, and exposed him to 
great peril of capture by the British cruisers, who 
were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
1779. In September of the same year he was 
again chosen to go to Paris, and there hold him- 
self in readiness to negotiate a treaty of peace and 
of commerce with Great Britain, as soon as the 
British cabinet might be found willing to listen 
to such proposals. He sailed for France in No- 
vember, and from there he went to Holland, where 
he negotiated important loans and formed im- 
portant commercial treaties. 

Finally, a treaty of peace with England was 
signed, January 2 1 , 1783. The re-action from the 
excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr. 
Adams had passed threw him into a fever. After 
suffering from a continued fever and becoming 
feeble and emaciated, he was advised to go to 
England to drink the waters of Bath. While in 
England, still drooping and desponding, he re- 
ceived dispatches from his own government urg- 
ing the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health 
was delicate, yet he immediately set out, and 
through storm , on sea, on horseback and foot, he 
made the trip. 

February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. 
Adams envoy to the Court of St. James. Here 
he met face to face the King of England, who 
had so long regarded him as a traitor. As Eng- 
land did not condescend to appoint a minister to 
the United States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he 
was accomplishing but little, he sought permis- 
sion to return to his own country, where he ar- 
rived in June, 1788. 

When Washington was first chosen President, 
John Adams, rendered illustrious by his signal 
services at home and abroad, was chosen Vice- 



President. Again, at the second election of Wash- 
ington as President, Adams was chosen Vice- 
President. In 1796, Washington retired from 
public life, and Mr. Adams was elected President, 
though not without much opposition. Serving 
in this office four years, he was succeeded by Mr. 
Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 

While Mr. Adams was Vice-President the 
great French Revolution shook the continent of 
Europe, and it was upon this point that he was 
at issue with the majority of his countrymen, led 
by Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Adams felt no sympathy 
with the French people in their struggle, for he 
had no confidence in their power of self-govern- 
ment, and he utterly abhorred the class of atheist 
philosophers who, he claimed, caused it. On the 
other hand, Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence 
originated the alienation between these distin- 
tinguished men, and the two powerful parties were 
thus soon organized, with Adams at the head of 
the one whose sympathies were with England, 
and Jefferson leading the other in sympathy with 
France. 

The Fourth of July, 1826, which completed the 
half-century since the signing of the Declaration 
of Independence, arrived, and there were but 
three of the signers of that immortal instrument 
left upon the earth to hail its morning light. 
And, as it is well known, on that day two of 
these finished their earthly pilgrimage, a coinci- 
dence so remarkable as to seem miraculous. For 
a few days before Mr. Adams had been rapidly 
failing, and on the morning of the Fourth he 
found himself too weak to rise from his bed. On 
being requested to name a toast for the cus- 
tomary celebration of the day, he exclaimed 
"Independence forever!" When the day was 
ushered in by the ringing of bells and the firing 
of cannons, he was asked by one of his attend- 
ants if he knew what day it was ? He replied, 
' ' O yes, it is the glorious Fourth of July God 
bless it God bless you all!" In the course of 
the day he said, "It is a great and glorious 
day." The last words he uttered were, "Jeffer- 
son survives." But he had, at one o'clock, 
resigned his spirit into the hands of his God. 



OF THE 

UMIVC.SITY of t l - 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



^"HOMAS JEFFERSON was bom April 2 , 

I C 1743, at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Va. 
\S) His parents were Peter and Jane (Ran- 
dolph) Jefferson, the former a native of Wales, 
and the latter born in London. To them were 
born six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas 
was the elder. When fourteen years of age his 
father died. He received a most liberal educa- 
tion, having been kept diligently at school from 
the time he was five years of age. In 1760 he 
entered William and Mary College. Williams^ 
burg was then the seat of the Colonial court, and 
it was the abode of fashion and splendor. Young 
Jefferson, who was then seventeen years old, lived 
somewhat expensively, keeping fine horses, and 
going much into gay society; yet he was ear- 
nestly devoted to his studies, and irreproachable in 
his morals. In the second year of his college 
course, moved by some unexplained impulse, he 
discarded his old companions and pursuits, and 
often devoted fifteen hours a day to hard study. 
He thus attained very high intellectual culture, 
and a like excellence in philosophy and the lan- 
guages. 

Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
study of law. For the short time he continued 
in the practice of his profession he rose rapidly, 
and distinguished himself by his energy and 
acuteness as a lawyer. But the times called for 
greater action . The policy of England had awak- 
ened the spirit of resistance in the American Col- 
onies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had 
ever entertained soon led him into active politi- 
cal life. In 1 769 he was chosen a member of the 
Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1775 he mar- 



ried Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beautiful, 
wealthy, and highly accomplished young widow. 
In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
was placed upon a number of important com- 
mittees, and was chairman of the one appointed 
for the drawing up of a declaration of independ- 
ence. This committee consisted of Thomas Jef- 
ferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger 
Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, 
as chairman, was appointed to draw up the paper. 
Franklin and Adams suggested a few verbal 
changes before it was submitted to Congress. On 
June 28, a few slight changes were made in it by 
Congress, and it was passed and signed July 4, 
1776. 

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
Patrick Henry as Governor of Virginia. At one 
time the British officer Tarleton sent a secret 

i expedition to Monticello to capture the Governor. 

| Scarcely five minutes elapsed after the hurried 
escape of Mr. Jefferson and his family ere his 
mansion was in possession of the British troops. 
His wife's health, never very good, was much 
injured by this excitement, and in the summer 
of 1782 she died. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
Two years later he was appointed Minister Pleni- 
potentiary to France. Returning to the United 
States in September, 1789, he became Secretary 
of State in Washington's cabinet. This position 
he resigned January i, 1794. In 1797, he was 
chosen Vice- President, and four years later was 
elected President over Mr. Adams, with Aaron 



28 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



Burr as Vice-President. In 1804 he was re- 
elected with wonderful unanimity, George Clin- 
ton being elected Vice-President. 

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second ad- 
ministration was disturbed by an event which 
threatened the tranquillity and peace of the Union; 
this was the conspiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated 
in the late election to the Vice-Presidency, and 
led on by an unprincipled ambition, this extraor- 
dinary man formed the plan of a military ex- 
pedition into the Spanish territories on our south- 
western frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
a new republic. This was generally supposed 
to have been a mere pretext; and although it has 
not been generally known what his real plans 
were, there is no doubt that they were of a far 
more dangerous character. 

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term 
for which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he de- 
termined to retire from political life. For a period 
of nearly forty years he had been continually be- 
fore the public, and all that time had been em- 
ployed in offices of the greatest trust and respon- 
sibility. Having thus devoted the best part of 
his life to the service of his country, he now felt 
desirous of that rest which his declining years re- 
quired, and upon the organization of the new ad- 
ministration, in March, 1809, he bade fare well for- 
ever to public life and retired to Monticello, his 
famous country home, which, next to Mt. Vernon, 
was the most distinguished residence in the land. 

The Fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth an- 
niversary of the Declaration of American Inde- 
pendence, great preparations were made in every 
part of the Union for its celebration as the nation's 
jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to 
the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jeffer- 
son, as the framer and one of the few surviving 
signers of the Declaration, to participate in their 
festivities. But an illness, which had been of 
several weeks' duration and had been continually 
increasing, compelled him to decline the invita- 
tion. 

On the ad of July the disease under which he 
was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
state that his medical attendants entertained no 
hope of his recovery. From this time he was 



perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand. 
On the next day, which was Monday, he asked 
of those around him the day of the month, and 
on being told it was the 3d of July, he ex- 
pressed the earnest wish that he might be per- 
mitted to breathe the air of the fiftieth anniver- 
sary. His prayer was heard that day whose 
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our 
land burst upon his eyes, and then they were 
closed forever. And what a noble consummation 
of a noble life! To die on that day the birth- 
day of a nation the day which his own name 
and his own act had rendered glorious, to die 
amidst the rejoicings and festivities of a whole 
nation, who looked up to him as the author, un- 
der God, of their greatest blessings, was all that 
was wanting to fill up the record of his life. 

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the cham- 
pions of freedom; hand in hand, during the dark 
and desperate struggle of the Revolution, they 
had cheered and animated their desponding coun- 
trymen; for half a century they had labored to- 
gether for the good of the country, and now hand 
in hand they departed. In their lives they had 
been united in the same great cause of liberty, 
and in their deaths they were not divided. 

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
were light, his hair, originally red, in after life be- 
came white and silvery, his complexion was fair, 
his forehead broad, and his whole countenance 
intelligent and thoughtful. He possessed great 
fortitude of mind as well as personal courage, and 
his command of temper was such that his oldest 
and most intimate friends never recollected to 
have seen him in a passion. His manners, though 
dignified, were simple and unaffected, and his 
hospitality was so unbounded that all found at 
his house a ready welcome. In conversation he 
was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic, and his 
language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writ- 
ings is discernible the care with which he formed 
his style upon the best models of antiquity. 



. 




% 



JAMES MADISON. 



(TAMES MADISON, "Father of the Consti- 

I tution," and fourth President of the United 
(2) States, was born March 16, 1757, and died 
at his home in Virginia June 28, 1836. The 
name of James Madison is inseparably connected 
with most of the important events in that heroic 
period of our country during which the founda- 
tions of this great republic were laid. He was 
the last of the founders of the Constitution of the 
United States to be called to his eternal reward. 

The Madison family were among the early emi- 
grants to the Ne%v World, landing upon the shores 
of the Chesapeake but fifteen years after the settle- 
ment of Jamestown. The father of James Madison 
was an opulent planter, residing upon a very fine 
estate called Montpelier, in Orange County, Va. 
It was but twenty-five miles from the home of Jef- 
ferson^ at Monticello, and the closest personal and 
political attachment existed between these illustri- 
ous men from their early youth until death. 

The early education of Mr. Madison was con- 
ducted mostly at home under a private tutor. At 
the age of eighteen he was sent to Princeton Col- 
lege, in New Jersey. Here he applied himself to 
study with the most imprudent zeal, allowing him- 
self for months but three hours' sleep out of the 
twenty-four. His health thus became so seriously 
impaired that he never recovered any vigor of 
constitution. He graduated in 1 77 1 , with a feeble 
body, but with a character of utmost purity, and 
a mind highly disciplined and richly stored with 
learning, which embellished and gave efficiency 
to his subsequent career. 

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study 
of law and a course of extensive and systematic 
reading. This educational course, the spirit of 
the times in which he lived, and the society with 
which he associated, all combined to inspire him 
with a strong love of liberty, and to train him for 
his life-work as a statesman. 

In the spring of 1776, when twenty-six years of 



age, he was elected a member of the Virginia Con- 
vention to frame the constitution of the State. The 
next year (1777), he was a candidate for the Gen- 
eral Assembly. He refused to treat the whisky -lov- 
ing voters, and consequently lost his election; but 
those who had witnessed the talent, energy and 
public spirit of the modest young man enlisted 
themselves in his behalf, and he was appointed to 
the Executive Council. 

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison re- 
mained member of the Council, and their apprecia- 
tion of his intellectual, social and moral worth 
contributed not a little to his subsequent eminence. 
In the year 1 780 he was elected a member of the 
Continental Congress. Here he met the most il- 
lustrious men in our land, and he was immediately 
assigned to one of the most conspicuous positions 
among them. For three years he continued in Con- 
gress, one of its most active and influential mem- 
bers. In 1784, his term having expired, he was 
elected a member of the Virginia legislature. 

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no 
national government, and no power to form trea- 
ties which would be binding, or to enforce law! 
There was not any State more prominent than 
Virginia in the declaration that an efficient na- 
tional government must be formed. In January, 
1786, Mr. Madison carried a resolution through 
the General Assembly of Virginia, inviting the 
other States to appoint commissioners to meet in 
convention at Annapolis to discuss this subject. 
Five States only were represented. The conven- 
tion, however, issued another call, drawn up by 
Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
delegates to Philadelphia in May, 1787, to draft 
a Constitution for the United States, to take the 
place of the Confederate League. The delegates 
met at the time appointed. Every State but 
Rhode Island was represented. George Washing- 



JAMES MADISON. 



ton was chosen president of the convention, and the 
present Constitution of the United States was then 
and there formed. There was, perhaps, no mind 
and no pen more active in framing this immortal 
document than the mind and the pen of James 
Madison. 

The Constitution, adopted by a vote of eighty-one 
to seventy-nine, was to be presented to the several 
States for acceptance. But grave solicitude was 
felt. Should it be rejected, we should be left but a 
conglomeration of independent States, with but 
little power at home and little respect abroad. Mr. 
Madison was elected by the convention to draw up 
an address to the people of the United States, ex- 
pounding the principles of the Constitution, and 
urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
to it at first, but at length it triumphed over all, 
and went into effect in 1789. 

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became 
the avowed leader of the Republican party. While 
in New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. 
Todd, a young widow of remarkable power of fas- 
cination, whom he married. She was in person 
and character queenly, and probaby no lady has 
thus far occupied so prominent a position in the 
very peculiar society which has constituted our 
republican court as did Mrs. Madison. 

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
ments of England had brought us to the verge of 
war. British orders in council destroyed our com- 
merce, and our flag was exposed to constant insult. 
Mr. Madison was a man of peace. Scholarly in 
his taste, retiring in his disposition, war had no 
charms for him. But the meekest spirit can be 
roused. It makes one's blood boil, even now, to 
think of an American ship brought to upon the 
ocean by the guns of an English cruiser. A 
young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
crew to be paraded before him. With great non- 
chalance he selects any number whom he may 
please to designate as British subjects, orders them 
down the ship's side into his boat, and places them 
on the gundeck of his man-of-war, to fight, by 
compulsion, the battles of England. This right 



of search and impressment no efforts of our Gov- 
ernment could induce the British cabinet to re- 
linquish. 

On the i8th of June, 1812, President Madison 
gave his approval to an act of Congress declaring 
war against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the 
bitter hostility of the Federal party to the war, the 
country in general approved; and Mr. Madison, 
on the 4th of March, 1813, was re-elected by a 
large majority, and entered upon his second term 
of office. This is not the place to describe the 
various adventures of this war on the land and on 
the water. Our infant navy then laid the found- 
ations of its renown in grappling with the most 
formidable power which ever swept the seas. The 
contest commenced in earnest by the appearance 
of a British fleet, early in February, 1813, in 
Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole coast 
of the United States under blockade. 

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as 
mediator. America accepted; England refused. 
A British force of five thousand men landed on the 
banks of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into 
Chesapeake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of 
Bladensburg, upon Washington. 

The straggling little city of Washington was 
thrown into consternation. The cannon of the 
brief conflict at Bladensburg echoed through the 
streets of the metropolis. The whole population 
fled from the city. The President, leaving Mrs. 
Madison in the White House, with her carriage 
drawn up at the door to await his speedy return, 
hurried to meet the officers in a council of war. 
He met our troops utterly routed, and he could not 
go back without danger of being captured. But 
few hours elapsed ere the Presidential Mansion, 
the Capitol, and all the public buildings in Wash- 
ington were in flames. 

The war closed after two years of fighting, and 
on February 13, 1815, the treaty of peace was 
signed at Ghent. On the 4th of March, 1817, his 
second term of office expired, and he resigned the 
Presidential chair to his friend, James Monroe. 
He retired to his beautiful home at Montpelier, and 
there passed the remainder of his days. On June 
28, 1836, at the age of eighty-five years, he fell 
asleep in death. Mrs. Madison died July 12, 1849. 



JAMES MONROE. 



([AMfiS MONROE, the fifth President of the 
I United States, was born in Westmoreland 
G) County, Va., April 28, 1758. His early life 
was passed at the place of his nativity. His an- 
cestors had for many years resided in the province 
in which he was born. When he was seventeen 
years old, and in process of completing his educa- 
tion at William and Mary College, the Colonial 
Congress, assembled at Philadelphia to deliberate 
upon the unjust and manifold oppressions of Great 
Britain, declared the separation of the Colonies, 
and promulgated the Declaration of Independence. 
Had he been born ten years before, it is highly 
probable that he would have been one of the 
signers of that celebrated instrument. At this 
time he left school and enlisted among the pa- 
triots. 

He joined the army when everything looked 
hopeless and gloomy. The number of deserters 
increased from day to day. The invading armies 
came pouring in, and the Tories not only favored 
the cause of the mother country, but disheartened 
the new recruits, who were sufficiently terrified 
at the prospect of contending with an enemy 
whom they had been taught to deem invincible. 
To such brave spirits as James Monroe, who went 
right onward undismayed through difficulty and 
danger, the United States owe their political 
emancipation. The young cadet joined the ranks 
and espoused the cause of his injured country, 
with a firm determination to live or die in her 
strife for liberty. Firmly, yet sadly, he shared in 
the melancholy retreat from Harlem Heights 
and White Plains, and accompanied the dispirited j 
army as it fled before its foes through New Jersey. ! 
In four months after the Declaration of Inde- i 
pendence, the patriots had been beaten in seven 
battles. At the battle of Trenton he led the van- 
guard, and in the act of charging upon the enemy 
he received a wound in the left shoulder. 



As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was 
promoted to be captain of infantry, and, having re- 
covered from his wounds, he rejoined the army. 
He, however, receded from the line of promotion 
by becoming an officer on the staff of Lord Ster- 
ling. During the campaigns of 1777 and 1778, 
in the actions of Brandywine, Germantown and 
Monmouth, he continued aide-de-camp; but be- 
coming desirous to regain his position in the 
army, he exerted himself to collect a regiment for 
the Virginia line. This scheme failed, owing to 
the exhausted condition of the State. Upon this 
failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
that period Governor, and pursued with consid- 
erable ardor the study of common law. He did 
not, however, entirely lay aside the knapsack for 
the green bag, but on the invasion of the enemy 
served as a volunteer during the two years of his 
legal pursuits. 

In 1782 he was elected from King George 
County a member of the Legislature of Virginia, 
and by that body he was elevated to a seat in the 
Executive Council. He was thus honored with 
the confidence of his fellow-citizens at twenty- 
three years of age, and having at this early period 
displayed some of that ability and aptitude foi 
legislation which were afterward employed with 
unremitting energy for the public good, he was 
in the succeeding year chosen a member of the 
Congress of the United States. 

Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of 
the old Confederacy, he was opposed to the new 
Constitution, thinking, with many others of the 
Republican party, that it gave too much power to 
the Central Government; and not enough to the 
individual States. Still he retained the esteem 
of his friends who were its warm supporters, and 
who, notwithstanding his opposition, secured its 
adoption. In 1789 he became a member of the 
United States Senate, which office he held for 



JAMES MONROE. 



four years. Every month the line of distinction 
between the two great parties which divided the 
nation, the Federal and the Republican, was 
growing more distinct. The differences which 
now separated them lay in the fact that the Repub- 
lican party was in sympathy with France, and 
also in favor of such a strict construction of the 
Constitution as to give the Central Government as 
little power, and the State Governments as much 
power, as the Constitution would warrant; while 
the Federalists sympathized with England, and 
were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
stitution, which would give as much power to the 
Central Government as that document could pos- 
sibly authorize. 

Washington was then President. England had 
espoused the cause of the Bourbons against the 
principles of the French Revolution. All Europe 
was drawn into the conflict. We were feeble and 
far away. Washington issued a proclamation of 
neutrality between these contending powers. 
France had helped us in the struggles for our 
liberties. All the despotisms of Europe were now 
combined to prevent the French from escaping 
from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse than that 
which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more mag- 
nanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in 
their extremity. It was the impulse of a gener- 
ous and noble nature, and Washington, who could 
appreciate such a character, showed his calm, se- 
rene, almost divine, greatness, by appointing that 
very James Monroe who was denouncing the pol- 
icy of the Government, as the minister of that 
Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
Monroe was welcomed by the National Conven- 
tion in France with the most enthusiastic dem- 
onstration. 

Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. 
Monroe was elected Governor of Virginia, and 
held the office for three years. He was again 
sent to France to co-operate with Chancellor Liv- 
ingston in obtaining the vast territory then known 
as the province of Louisiana, which France had 
but shortly before obtained from Spain. Their 
united efforts were successful. For the compara- 
tively small sum of fifteen millions of dollars, the 



entire territory of Orleans and district of Loui- 
siana were added to the United States. This was 
probably the largest transfer of real estate which 
was ever made in all the history of the world. 

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to 
obtain from that country some recognition of our 
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against 
those odious impressments of our seamen. But 
England was unrelenting. He again returned to 
England on the same mission, but could receive 
no redress. He returned to his home and was 
again chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon 
resigned to accept the position of Secretary of 
State under Madison. While in this office war 
with England was declared, the Secretary of War 
resigned, and during these trying times the 
duties of the War Department were also put upon 
him. He was truly the armor-bearer of President 
Madison, and the most efficient business man in 
his cabinet. Upon the return of peace he re- 
signed the Department of War, but continued in 
the office of Secretary of State until the expira- 
tion of Mr. Madison's administration. At the 
election held the previous autumn, Mr. Monroe 
himself had been chosen President with but little 
opposition, and upon March 4, 1817, he was in- 
augurated. Four years later he was elected for 
a second term. 

Among the important measures of his Presi- 
dency were the cession of Florida to the United 
States, the Missouri Compromise, and the famous 
" Monroe doctrine." This doctrine was enun- 
ciated by him in 1823, and was as follows: " That 
we should consider any attempt on the part of 
European powers to extend their system to any 
portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our 
peace and safety," and that " we could not view 
any interposition for the purpose of oppressing or 
controlling American governments or provinces 
in any other light than as a manifestation by 
European powers of an unfriendly disposition 
toward the United States." 

At the end of his second term, Mr. Monroe re- 
tired to his home in Virginia, where he lived un- 
til 1830, when he went to New York to live with 
his son-in-law. In that city he died, on the 4th 
of July, 1831. 








3, a. 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 



(JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President 

I of the United States, was born in the rural 
(2) home of his honored father, John Adams, in 
Quincy, Mass., on the nth of July, 1767. His 
mother, a woman of exalted worth, watched over 
his childhood during the almost constant ab- 
sence of his father. When but eight years of 
age, he stood with his mother on an eminence, 
listening to the booming of the great battle on 
Bunker's Hill, and gazing out upon the smoke 
and flames billowing up from the conflagration of 
Charlestown. 

When but eleven years old he took a tearful 
adieu of his mother, to sail with his father for Eu- 
rope, through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. 
The bright, animated boy spent a year and a-half 
in Paris, where his father was associated with 
Franklin and Lee as Minister Plenipotentiary. ] 
His intelligence attracted the notice of these dis- 
tinguished men, and he received from them flat- 
tering marks of attention. 

John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. 
Again John Quincy accompanied his father. At 
Paris he applied himself to study with great dil- 
igence for six months, and then accompanied his 
father to Holland, where he entered first a school 
in Amsterdam, then the University at Ley den. 
About a year from this time, in 1781, when the 
manly boy was but fourteen years of age, he was 
selected by Mr. Dana, our Minister to the Rus- 
sian court, as his private secretary. 

In this school of incessant labor and of ennobl- ; 
ing culture he spent fourteen months, and then . 
returned to Holland, through Sweden, Denmark, 
Hamburg and Bremen. This long journey he 
took alone in the winter, when in his sixteenth 
year. Again he resumed his studies, under a pri- 
vate tutor, at The Hague. Then, in the spring of [ 
1782, he accompanied his father to Paris, travel- ( 
ing leisurely, and forming acquaintances with the 
most distinguished men on the continent, examin- ; 



ing architectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he 
again became associated with the most illustrious 
men of all lands in the contemplation of the 
loftiest temporal themes which can engross the 
human mind. After a short visit to England he 
returned to Paris, and consecrated all his energies 
to study until May, 1785, when he returned to 
America to finish his education. 

Upon leaving Harvard College at the age of 
twenty, he studied law for three years. In June, 
1794, being then but twenty-seven years of age, 
he was appointed by Washington Resident Min- 
ister at the Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in 
July, he reached London in October, where he 
was immediately admitted to the deliberations ol 
Messrs. Jay & Pinckney, assisting them in nego- 
tiating a commercial treaty with Great Britain. 
After thus spending a fortnight in London, he 
proceeded to The Hague. 

In July, 1797, he left The Hague to go to Por- 
tugal as Minister Plenipotentiary. On his way to 
Portugal, upon arriving in London, he met with 
despatches directing him to the court of Berlin, but 
requesting him to remain in London until he 
should receive his instructions. While waiting 
he was married to an American lady, to whom he 
had been previously engaged Miss Louisa Cath- 
erine Johnson, a daughter of Joshua Johnson, 
American Consul in London, and a lady en- 
dowed with that beauty and those accomplish- 
ments which eminently fitted her to move in the 
elevated sphere for which she was destined. He 
reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797, 
where he remained until July, 1799, when, hav- 
ing fulfilled all the purposes of his mission, he so- 
licited his recall. 

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen 
to the Senate of Massachusetts from Boston, and 
then was elected Senator of the United States foi 
six years, from the 4th of March, 1804. His rep- 
utation, his ability and his experience placed 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 



him immediately among the most prominent and 
influential members of that body. 

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the 
Presidential chair, and he immediately nominated 
John Quincy Adams Minister to St. Petersburgh. 
Resigning his professorship in Harvard Col- 
lege, he embarked at Boston in August, 1809. 

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense 
student. He devoted his attention to the lan- 
guage and history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; 
to the European system of weights, measures and 
coins; to the climate and astronomical observa- 
tions; while he kept up a familiar acquaintance 
with the Greek and L,atin classics. In all the 
universities of Europe, a more accomplished 
scholar could scarcely be found. All through 
life the Bible constituted an important part of his 
studies. It was his rule to read five chapters 
every day. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took 
the Presidential chair, and immediately appointed 
Mr. Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of 
his numerous friends in public and private life in 
Europe, he sailed in June, 1819, for the United 
States. On the i8th of August, he again crossed 
the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the 
eight years of Mr. Monroe's administration, Mr. 
Adams continued Secretary of State. 

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's 
second term of office, new candidates began to be 
presented for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. 
Adams brought forward his name. It was an 
exciting campaign, and party spirit was never 
more bitter. Two hundred and sixty electoral 
votes were cast. Andrew Jackson received ninety- 
nine; John Quincy Adams eighty-four; William 
H. Crawford forty-one; and Henry Clay thirty- 
seven. As there was no choice by the people, 
the question went to the House of Representa- 
tives. Mr. Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to 
Mr. Adams, and he was elected. 

The friends of all the disappointed candidates 
now combined in a venomous and persistent as- 
sault upon Mr. Adams. There is nothing more 
disgraceful in the past history of our country than 
the abuse which was poured in one uninterrupted 
stream upon this high-minded, upright and pa- 



triotic man. There never was an administration 
more pure in principles, more conscientiously de- 
voted to the best interests of the country, than 
that of John Quincy Adams; and never, perhaps, 
was there an administration more unscrupulously 
and outrageously assailed. 

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by An- 
drew Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected 
Vice- President. The slavery question now be- 
gan to assume portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams 
returned to Quincy and to his studies, which he 
pursued with unabated zeal. But he was not 
long permitted to remain in retirement. In No- 
vember, 1830, he was elected Representative in 
Congress. For seventeen years, or until his death, 
he occupied the post as Representative, towering 
above all his peers, ever ready to do brave battle 
for freedom, and winning the title of "the Old 
Man Eloquent." Upon taking his seat in the 
House, he announced that he should hold him- 
self bound to no party. Probably there never 
was a member more devoted to his duties. He 
was usually the first in his place in the morning, 
and the last to leave his seat in the evening. 
Not a measure could be brought forward and es- 
cape his scrutiny. The battle which Mr. Adams 
fought, almost singly, against the pro-slavery 
party in the Government was sublime in its 
moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, 
he was threatened with indictment by the grand 
jury, with expulsion from the House, with assas- 
sination; but no threats could intimidate him, and 
his final triumph was complete. 

On the 2ist of February, 1848, he rose on the 
floor of Congress with a paper in his hand, to 
address the speaker. Suddenly he fell, again 
stricken by paralysis, and was caught in the arms 
of those around him. For a time he was sense- 
less, as he was conveyed to the sofa in the ro- 
tunda. With reviving consciousness, he opened 
his eyes, looked calmly around and said ' ' This 
is the end of earth;" then after a moment's pause 
he added, " I am content." These were the last 
words of the grand ' ' Old Man Eloquent. ' ' 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



Gl NDREW JACKSON, the seventh President 
T I of the United States, was born in Waxhaw 
/| settlement, N. C., March 15, 1767, a few 
days after his father's death. His parents were 
poor emigrants from Ireland, and took up their 
abode in Waxhaw settlement, where they lived 
in deepest poverty. 

Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, 
grew up a very rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
features were coarse, his form ungainly, and there 
was but very little in his character made visible 
which was attractive. 

When only thirteen years old he joined the 
volunteers of Carolina against the British invasion. 
In 1781, he and his brother Robert were captured 
and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British 
officer ordered him to brush his mud-spattered 
boots. "I am a prisoner of war, not your serv- 
ant," was the reply of the dauntless boy. 

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such 
as working at the saddler's trade, teaching school, 
and clerking in a general store, until 1784, when 
he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, 
however, gave more attention to the wild amuse- 
ments of the times than to his studies. In 1 788, 
he was appointed solicitor for the Western District 
of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then 
a part. This involved many long journeys amid 
dangers of every kind, but Andrew Jackson never 
knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to re- 
peat a skirmish with "Sharp Knife." 

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman 
who supposed herself divorced from her former 
husband. Great was the surprise of both parties, 
two years later, to find that the conditions of the 
divorce had just been definitely settled by the 
first husband. The marriage ceremony was per- 
formed a second time, but the occurrence was 
often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson 
into disfavor. 



In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee 
then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabi- 
tants, the people met in convention at Knoxville 
to frame a constitution. Five were sent from 
each of the eleven counties. Andrew Jackson 
was one of the delegates. The new State was 
entitled to but one member in the National House 
of Representatives. Andrew Jackson was chosen 
that member. Mounting his horse, he rode to 
Philadelphia, where Congress then held its ses- 
sions, a distance of about eight hundred miles. 

Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
cratic party, and Jefferson was his idol. He ad- 
mired Bonaparte, loved France, and hated Eng- 
land. As Mr. Jackson took his seat, Gen. Wash- 
ington, whose second term of office was then 
expiring, delivered his last speech to Congress. 
A committee drew up a complimentary address in 
reply. Andrew Jackson did not approve of the 
address, and was one of the twelve who voted 
against it. He was not willing to say that Gen. 
Washington's administration had been "wise, 
firm and patriotic. ' ' 

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned 
home. Soon after he was chosen Judge of the 
Supreme Court of his State, which position he 
held for six years. 

When the War of 1812 with Great Britain com- 
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there 
was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jack- 
son, who would do credit to a commission if one 
were conferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. 
Jackson offered his services and those of twenty- 
five hundred volunteers. His offer was accepted, 
and the troops were assembled at Nashville. 

As the British were hourly expected to make 
an attack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wil- 
kinson was in command, he was ordered to de- 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



scent 1 , the river with fifteen hundred troops to aid 
Wilkinson. The expedition reached Natchez, 
and after a delay of several weeks there without 
accomplishing anything, the men were ordered 
back to their homes. But the energy Gen. Jack- 
son had displayed, and his entire devotion to the 
comfort of his soldiers, won for him golden opin- 
ions, and he became the most popular man in the 
State. It was in this expedition that his tough- 
ness gave him the nickname of "Old Hickory." 

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip 
Col. Thomas Benton for a remark that gentleman 
made about his taking part as second in a duel 
in which a younger brother of Benton' s was en- 
gaged, he received two severe pistol wounds. 
While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering, 
news came that the Indians, who had combined 
under Tecumseh from Florida to- the Lakes to ex- 
terminate the white settlers, were committing the 
most awful ravages. Decisive action became nec- 
essary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone 
just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling, and 
unable to mount his horse without assistance, 
gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Ala. 

The Creek Indians had established a strong 
fort on one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, 
near the center of Alabama, about fifty miles be- 
low Ft. Strother. With an army of two thousand 
men, Gen. Jackson traversed the pathless wilder- 
ness in a march of eleven days. He reached their 
fort, called Tohopeka or Horse-shoe, on the 27th 
of March, 1814. The bend of the river enclosed 
nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and 
wild ravine. Across the narrow neck the Indians 
had constructed a formidable breastwork of logs 
and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, with 
an ample supply of arms, were assembled. 

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly 
desperate. Not an Indian would accept quarter. 
When bleeding and dying, they would fight those 
who endeavored to spare their lives. From ten 
in the morning until dark the battle raged. The 
carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw 
themselves into the river; but the unerring bul- 
lets struck their heads as they swam. Nearly 
every one of the nine hundred warriors was 



killed. A few, probably, in the night swam 
the river and escaped. This ended the war. 

This closing of the Creek War enabled us to 
concentrate all our militia upon the British, who 
were the allies of the Indians. No man of less 
resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have con- 
ducted this Indian campaign to so successful an 
issue. Immediately he was appointed Major- 
General. 

I,ate in August, with an army of two thousand 
men on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson went to 
Mobile. A British fleet went from Pensacola, 
landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the 
little fort, and from both ship and shore com- 
menced a furious assault. The battle was long 
and doubtful. At length one of the ships was 
blown up and the rest retired. 

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his 
little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
and the battle of New Orleans, which soon ensued, 
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This 
won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. 
Here his troops, which numbered about four 
thousand men, won a signal victory over the 
British army of about nine thousand. His loss 
was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was 
twenty-six hundred. 

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be 
mentioned in connection with the Presidency, 
but in 1824 he was defeated by Mr. Adams. 
He was, however, successful in the election of 
1828, and was re-elected for a second term in 
1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins 
of government, he met with the most terrible 
affliction of his life in the death of his wife, whom 
he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps 
never been surpassed. From the shock of her 
death he never recovered. 

His administration was one of the most mem- 
orable in the annals of our country applauded 
by one party, condemned by the other. No man 
had more bitter enemies or wanner friends. At 
the expiration of his two terms of office he retired 
to the Hermitage, where he died June 8, 1845. The 
last years of Mr. Jackson's life were those of a de- 
voted Christian man. 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



|ARTIN VAN BUREN, the eighth Presi- 
dent of the United States, was born at Kin- 
derhook, N. Y., December 5, 1782. He 
died at the same place, July 24, 1862. His body 
rests in the cemetery at Kinder hook. Above it is 
a plain granite shaft, fifteen feet high, bearing a 
simple inscription about half-way up on one face. 
The lot is unfenced, unbordered or unbounded 
by shrub or flower. 

There is but little in the life of Martin Van 
Buren of romantic interest. He fought no battles, 
engaged in no wild adventures. Though his life 
was stormy in political and intellectual conflicts, 
and he gained many signal victories, his days 
passed uneventful in those incidents which give 
zest to biography. His ancestors, as his name indi- 
cates, were of Dutch origin, and were among the 
earliest emigrants from Holland to the banks of 
the Hudson. His father was a farmer, residing 
in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, also 
of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
ligence and exemplary piety. 

He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing 
unusual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At 
the age of fourteen, he had finished his academic 
studies in his native village, and commenced the 
study of law. As he had not a collegiate educa- 
tion, seven years of study in a law-office were re- 
quired of him before he could be admitted to the 
Bar. Inspired with a lofty ambition, and con- 
scious of his powers, he pursued his studies with 
indefatigable industry. After spending six years 
in an office in his native village, he went to the city 
of New York, and prosecuted his studies for the 
seventh year. 

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years 



of age, commenced the practice of law in his na- 
tive village. The great conflict between the Federal 
and Republican parties was then at its height. 
Mr. Van Buren was from the beginning a politi- 
cian. He had, perhaps, imbibed that spirit while 
listening to the many discussions which had been 
carried on in his father' s hotel. He was in cordial 
sympathy with Jefferson, and earnestly and elo- 
quently espoused the cause of State Rights, though 
at that time the Federal party held the supremacy 
both in his town and State. 

His success and increasing reputation led him 
after six years of practice to remove to Hudson, 
the county seat of his county. Here he spent 
seven years, constantly gaining strength by con- 
tending in the courts with some of the ablest men 
who have adorned the Bar of his State. 

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr. 
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
years she sank into the grave, a victim of con- 
sumption, leaving her husband and four sons to 
weep over her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. 
Van Buren was an earnest, successful, assiduous 
lawyer. The record of those years is barren in 
items of public interest. In 1812, when thirty 
years of age, he was chosen to the State Senate, 
and gave his strenuous support to Mr. Madison's 
administration. In 1815, he was appointed At- 
torney-General, and the next year moved to Al- 
bany, the capital of the State. 

While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 
the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
not require that ' 'universal suffrage' ' which admits 
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right 



48 

of governing the State. In true consistency with 
his democratic principles, he contended that, while 
the path leading to the privilege of voting should 
be open to every man without distinction, no one 
should be invested with that sacred prerogative 
unless he were in some degree qualified for it by 
intelligence, virtue, and some property interests in 
the welfare of the State. 

In 1821 he was,elected a member of the United 
States Senate, and in the same year he took a 
seat in the convention to revise the Constitution of 
his native State. His course in this convention 
secured the approval of men of all parties. No 
one could doubt the singleness of his endeavors to 
promote the interests of all classes in the com- 
munity. In the Senate of the United States, he 
rose at once to a conspicuous position as an active 
and useful legislator. 

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the 
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected 
to the Senate. He had been from the beginning 
a determined opposer of the administration, adopt- 
ing the ' 'State Rights' ' view in opposition to what 
was deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 

Soon after this, in 1828, hewas chosen Governor 
of the State of New York, and accordingly resigned 
his seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the 
United States contributed so much towards eject- 
ing John Q. Adams from the Presidential chair, 
and placing in it Andrew Jackson, as did Martin 
Van Buren. Whether entitled to the reputation 
or not, he certainly was regarded throughout the 
United States as one of the most skillful, sagacious 
and cunning of politicians. It was supposed that 
no one knew so well as he how to touch the secret 
springs of action, how to pull all the wires to 
put his machinery in motion, and how to organize 
a political army which would secretly and stealth- 
ily accomplish the most gigantic results. By these 
powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, Mr. 
Clay, and Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
few then thought could be accomplished. 

When Andrew Jackson was elected President 
he appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. 
This position he resigned in 1831, and was im- 
mediately appointed Minister to England, where 
he went the same autumn. The Senate, however, 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



when it met, refused to ratify the nomination, and 
he returned home, apparently untroubled. Later 
he was nominated Vice-President in the place of 
Calhoun, at the re-election of President Jackson, 
and with smiles for all and frowns for none, he 
took his place at the head of that Senate which had 
refused to confirm his nomination as ambassador. 

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal 
of President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated 
favorite; and this, probably, more than any other 
cause secured his elevation to the chair of the 
Chief Executive. On the 2oth of May, 1836, Mr. 
Van Buren received the Democratic nomination 
to succeed Gen. Jackson as President of the United 
States. He was elected by a handsome majority, 
to the delight of the retiring President. ' 'Leaving 
New York out of the canvass," says Mr. Parton, 
"the election of Mr. Van Buren to the Presidency 
was as much the act of Gen. Jackson as though 
the Constitution had conferred upon him the power 
to appoint a successor." 

His administration was filled with exciting 
events. The insurrection in Canada, which 
threatened to involve this country in war with 
England, the agitation of the slavery question, 
and finally the great commercial panic which 
spread over the country, all were trials of his wis- 
dom. The financial distress was attributed to' 
the management of the Democratic party, and 
brought the President into such disfavor that he 
failed of re-election, and on the 4th of March, 
1841, he retired from the presidency. 

With the exception of being nominated for the 
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats in 1848, 
Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until 
his death. He had ever been a prudent man, of 
frugal habits, and, living within his income, had 
now fortunately a competence for his declining 
years. From his fine estate at Lindenwald, he 
still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics 
of the country. From this time until his death, 
on the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty 
years, he resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of 
leisure, of culture and wealth, enjoying in a 
healthy old age probably far more happiness than 
he had before experienced amid the stormy scenes 
of his active life. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



pGJlLLIAM HENRY HARRISON, the ninth 
\ A / Ptesident of the United States, was born 
V V at Berkeley, Va. , February 9, 1773. His 
father, Benjamin Harrison, was in comparatively 
opulent circumstances, and was one of the most 
distinguished men of his day. He was an inti- 
mate friend of George Washington, was early 
elected a member of the Continental Congress, 
and was conspicuous among the patriots of Vir- 
ginia in resisting the encroachments of the British 
crown. In the celebrated Congress of 1775, Ben- 
jamin Harrison and John Hancock were both 
candidates for the office of Speaker. 

Mr. Harrison was subsequently chosen Gov- 
ernor of Virginia, and was twice re-elected. His 
son William Henry, of course, enjoyed in child- 
hood all the advantages which wealth and intel- 
lectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
ing received a thorough common-school educa- 
tion, he entered Hampden Sidney College, where 
he graduated with honor soon after the death of 
his father. He then repaired to Philadelphia to 
study medicine under the instructions of Dr. Rush 
and the guardianship of Robert Morris, both of 
whom were, with his father, signers of the Dec- 
laration of Independence. 

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and 
notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends, 
he abandoned his medical studies and entered the 
army, having obtained a commission as Ensign 
from President Washington. He was then but 
nineteen years old. From that time he passed 
gradually upward in rank until he became aide 
to Gen. Wayne, after whose death he resigned 
his commission. He was then appointed Secre- 
tary of the Northwestern Territory. This Terri- 
tory was then entitled to but one member in Con- 



gress, and Harrison was chosen to fill that position. 
In the spring of 1800 the Northwestern Terri- 
tory was divided by Congress into two portions. 
The eastern portion, comprising the region now 
embraced in the State of Ohio, was called ' ' The 
Territory northwest of the Ohio." The western 
portion, which included what is now called Indi- 
ana, Illinois and Wisconsin, was called "the Indi- 
ana Territory." William Henry Harrison, then 
twenty-seven years of age, was appointed by John 
Adams Governor of the Indiana Territory, and 
immediately after also Governor of Upper Loui- 
siana. He was thus ruler over almost as exten- 
sive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. 
He was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
was invested with powers nearly dictatorial over 
the then rapidly increasing white population. The 
ability and fidelity with which he discharged 
these responsible duties may be inferred from the 
fact that he was four times appointed to this 
office first by John Adams, twice by Thomas 
Jefferson, and afterwards by President Madison. 

When he began his administration there were 
but three white settlements in that almost bound- 
less region, now crowded with cities and resound- 
ing with all the tumult of wealth and traffic. 
One of these settlements was on the Ohio, nearly 
opposite Louisville; one at Vincennes, on the 
Wabash; and the third was a French settlement. 

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison 
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. 
About the year 1806, two extraordinary men, 
twin brothers of the Shawnee tribe, rose among 
them. One of these was called Tecumseh, or 
"the Crouching Panther;" the other Olliwa- 
checa, or "the Prophet." Tecumseh was not 
only an Indian warrior, but a man of great sagac- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



ity, far-reaching foresight and indomitable perse- 
verance in any enterprise in which he might en- 
gage. His brother, the Prophet, was an orator, 
who could sway the feelings of the untutored In- 
dians as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath 
which they dwelt. With an enthusiasm unsur- 
passed by Peter the Hermit rousing Europe to the 
crusades, he went from tribe to tribe, assuming 
that he was specially sent by the Great Spirit. 

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to con- 
ciliate the Indians, but at last war came, and at 
Tippecanoe the Indians were routed with great 
slaughter. October 28, 1812, his army began its 
march. When near the Prophet's town, three 
Indians of rank made their appearance and in- 
quired why Gov. Harrison was approaching them 
in so hostile an attitude. After a short confer- 
ence, arrangements were made for a meeting the 
next day to agree upon terms of peace. 

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted 
with the Indian character to be deceived by such 
protestations. Selecting a favorable spot for his 
night's encampment, he took every precaution 
against surprise. His troops were posted in a 
hollow square and slept upon their arms. The 
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock 
in the morning, had risen, and was sitting 
in conversation with his aides by the embers 
of a waning fire. It was a chill, cloudy morning, 
with a drizzling rain. In the darkness, the In- 
dians had crept as near as possible, and just then, 
with a savage yell, rushed, with all the despera- 
tion which superstition and passion most highly 
inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
little army. The savages had been amply pro- 
vided with guns and ammunition by the English, 
and their war-whoop was accompanied by a 
shower of bullets. 

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as 
the light aided the Indians in their aim, and 
Gen. Harrison's troops stood as immovable as 
the rocks around them until day dawned, when 
they made a simultaneous charge with the bayo- 
net and swept everything before them, completely 
routing the foe. 

Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
to the utmost. The British, descending from the 



Canadas, were of themselves a very formidable 
force, but with their savage allies rushing like 
wolves from the forest, burning, plundering, scalp- 
ing, torturing, the wide frontier was plunged into 
a state of consternation which even the most vivid 
imagination can but faintly conceive. Gen. Hull 
had made an ignominious surrender of his forces at 
Detroit. Under these despairing circumstances, 
Gov. Harrison was appointed by President Madi- 
son Commander-in-Chief of the Northwestern 
Army, with orders to retake Detroit and to protect 
the frontiers. It would be difficult to place a man 
in a situation demanding more energy, sagacity 
and courage, but he was found equal to the 
position, and nobly and triumphantly did he meet 
all the responsibilities. 

. In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member 
of the National House of Representatives, to rep- 
resent the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved 
an active member, and whenever he spoke it was 
with a force of reason and power of eloquence 
which arrested the attention of all the members. 

In 1819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
Ohio, and in 1824, as one of the Presidential Elec- 
tors of that State, he gave his vote for Henry 
Clay. The same year he was chosen to the Uni- 
ted States Senate. In 1836 his friends brought 
him forward as a candidate for the Presidency 
against Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the 
close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nom- 
inated by his party, and Mr. Harrison was unani- 
mously nominated by the Whigs, with John Tyler 
for the Vice-Presidency. The contest was very 
animated. Gen. Jackson gave all his influence to 
prevent Harrison's election, but his triumph was 
signal. 

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Web- 
ster at its head as Secretary of State, was one of 
the most brilliant with which any President had 
ever been surrounded. Never were the prospects 
of an administration more flattering, or the hopes 
of the country more sanguine. In the midst of 
these bright and joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison 
was seized by a pleurisy-fever, and after a few 
days of violent sickness died, on the 4th of April, 
just one month after his inauguration as President, 
of the United States. 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS 



JOHN TYLER. 



(JOHN TYLER, the tenth President of the 
I United States, and was born in Charles 
G) City County, Va., March 29, 1790. He was 
the favored child of affluence and high social po- 
sition. At the early age of twelve, John entered 
William and Mary College, and graduated with 
much honor when but seventeen years old. After 
graduating, he devoted himself with great assi- 
duity to the study of law, partly with his father 
and partly with Edmund Randolph, one of the 
most distinguished lawyers of Virginia. 

At nineteen years of age, he commenced the 
practice of law. His success was rapid and as- 
tonishing. It is said that three months had not 
elapsed ere there was scarcely a case on the 
docket of the court in which he was not retained. 
When but twenty-one years of age, he was almost 
unanimously elected to a seat in the State Legis- 
lature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures 
of Jefferson and Madison. For five successive 
years he was elected to the Legislature, receiving 
nearly the unanimous vote of his county. 

When but twenty-six years of age, he was 
elected a Member of Congress. Here he acted ear- 
nestly and ably with the Democratic party, oppos- 
ing a national bank, internal improvements by 
the General Government, and a protective tariff; 
advocating a strict construction of the Constitu- 
tion and the most careful vigilance over State 
rights. His labors in Congress were so arduous 
that before the close of his second term he found 
it necessary to resign and retire to his estate in 
Charles City County to recruit his health. He, 
however, soon after consented to take his seat in 
the State Legislature, where his influence was 
powerful in promoting public works of great 
utility. With a reputation thus constantly in- 
creasing, he was chosen by a very large majority 
of votes Governor of his native State. His ad- 
ministration was a signally successful one, and his 
popularity secured his re-election, 



John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of 
the United States. A portion of the Democratic 
party was displeased with Mr. Randolph's way- 
ward course, and brought forward John Tyler as 
his opponent, considering him the only man in 
Virginia of sufficient popularity to succeed 
against the renowned orator of Roanoke. Mr. 
Tyler was the victor. 

In accordance with his professions, upon tak- 
ing his seat in the Senate he joined the ranks of 
the opposition. He opposed the tariff, and spoke 
against and voted against the bank as unconsti- 
tutional; he strenuously opposed all restrictions 
upon slavery, resisting all projects of internal im- 
provements by the General Government, and 
avowed his sympathy with Mr. Calhoun's view 
of nullification; he declared that Gen. Jackson, 
by his opposition to the nullifiers, had abandoned 
the principles of the Democratic party. Such 
was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress a record in 
perfect accordance with the principles which he 
had always avowed. 

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice 
of his profession. There was a split in the Demo- 
cratic party. His friends still regarded him as a 
true Jeffersonian, gave him a dinner, and show- 
ered compliments upon him. He had now at- 
tained the age of forty-six, and his career had been 
very brilliant. In consequence of his devotion to 
public business, his private affairs had fallen into 
some disorder, and it was not without satisfac- 
tion that he resumed the practice of law, and de- 
voted himself to the cultivation of his plantation. 
Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, for 
the better education of his children, and he again 
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia. 

By the southern Whigs he was sent to the 
national convention at Harrisburg in 1839 to nom- 
inate a President. The majority of votes were 
given to Gen Harrison, a genuine Whig, much 
to the disappointment of the South, which wished 



JOHN TYLER. 



for Henry Clay. To conciliate the southern 
Whigs and to secure their vote, the convention 
then nominated John Tyler for Vice-President. 
It was well known that he was not in sympathy 
with the Whig party in the North; but the Vice- 
President has very little power in the Govern- 
ment, his main and almost only duty being to 
preside over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it 
happened that a Whig President and, in reality, 
a Democratic Vice-President were chosen. 

In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice- 
President of the United States. In one short 
month from that time, President Harrison died, 
and Mr. Tyler thus found himself, to his own 
surprise and that of the whole nation, an occu- 
pant of the Presidential chair. Hastening from 
Williamsburg to Washington, on the 6th of 
April he was inaugurated to the high and re- 
sponsible office. He was placed in a position of 
exceeding delicacy and difficulty. All his long 
life he had been opposed to the main principles of 
the party which had brought him into power. 
He had ever been a consistent, honest man, with 
an unblemished record. Gen. Harrison had se- 
lected a Whig cabinet. Should he retain them, 
and thus surround himself with counselors whose 
views were antagonistic to his own ? or, on the 
other hand, should he turn against the party 
which had elected him, and select a cabinet in 
harmony with himself, and which would oppose 
all those views which the Whigs deemed essen- 
tial to the public welfare? This was his fearful 
dilemma. He invited the cabinet which Presi- 
dent Harrison had selected to retain their seats, 
and recommended a day of fasting and prayer, 
that God would guide and bless us. 

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for 
the incorporation of a fiscal bank of ihe United 
States. The President, after ten days' delay, re- 
turned it with his veto. He suggested, however, 
that he would approve of a bill drawn up upon 
such a plan as he proposed. Such a bill was ac- 
cordingly prepared, and privately submitted to 
him. He gave it his approval. It was passed 
without alteration, and he sent it back with his 
veto. Here commenced the open rupture. It is 
said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 



ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. 
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who se- 
verely touched the pride of the President. 

The opposition now exultingly received the 
President into their arms. The party which 
elected him denounced him bitterly. All the 
members of his cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, 
resigned. The Whigs of Congress, both the 
Senate and the House, held a meeting and issued 
an address to the people of the United States, 
proclaiming that all political alliance between the 
Whigs and President Tyler was at an end. 

Still the President attempted to conciliate. He 
appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs 
and Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong 
party men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary 
to resign, forced out by the pressure of his Whig 
friends. Thus the four years of Mr. Tyler's un- 
fortunate administration passed sadly away. No 
one was satisfied. The land was filled with mur- 
murs and vituperation. Whigs and Democrats 
alike assailed him. More and more, however, he 
brought himself into sympathy with his old 
friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his 
term he gave his whole influence to the support 
of Mr. Polk, the Democratic candidate for his 
successor. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, President Tyler re- 
tired from the harassments of office, to the regret 
of neither party, and probably to his own unspeak- 
able relief. The remainder of his days were 
passed mainly in the retirement of his beautiful 
home Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, 
Va. His first wife, Miss Letitia Christian, died 
in Washington in 1842; and in June, 1844, 
he was again married, at New York, to Miss Julia 
Gardiner, a young lady of many personal and 
intellectual accomplishments. 

When the great Rebellion rose, which the 
State Rights and nullifying doctrines of John C. 
Calhoun had inaugurated, President Tyler re- 
nounced his allegiance to the United States, and 
joined the Confederates. He was chosen a mem- 
ber of their Congress, and while engaged in 
active measures to destroy, by force of arms, the 
Government over which he had once presided, he 
was taken sick and soon died. 



JAMES K. POLK. 



(I AMES K. POLK, the eleventh President of 
I the United States, was born in Mecklenburgh 
Qj County, N. C., November 2, 1795. His 
parents were Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk, the 
former a son of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
at the above place, as one of the first pioneers, in j 
1735. In 1806, with his wife and children, and ! 
soon after followed by most of the members of the j 
Polk family, Samuel Polk emigrated some two or 
three hundred miles farther west, to the rich val- I 
ley of the Duck River. Here, in the midst of the | 
wilderness, in a region which was subsequently 
called Maury County, they erected their log huts 
and established their homes. In the hard toil of 
a new farm in the wilderness, James K. Polk ! 
spent the early years of his childhood and youth. [ 
His father, adding the pursuit of a surveyor to 
that of a farmer, gradually increased in wealth, 
until he became one of the leading men of the | 
region. His mother was a superior woman, of 
strong common sense and earnest piety. 

Very early in life James developed a taste for 
reading, and expressed the strongest desire to ob- 
tain a liberal education. His mother's training : 
had made him methodical in his habits, had taught j 
him punctuality and industry, and had inspired I 
him with lofty principles of morality. His health | 
was frail, and his father, fearing that he might not | 
be able to endure a sedentary life, got a situation 
for him behind the counter, hoping to fit him for 
commercial pursuits. 

This was to James a bitter disappointment. He 
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks ] 
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this ' 
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when, 
at his earnest solicitation, his father removed j 
him and niade arrangements for him to pros- 
ecute his studies. Soon after he sent him to Mur- 
freesboro Academy. With ardor which could 
scarcely be surpassed, he pressed forward in his 



studies, and in less than two and a-half years, in 
the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore class 
in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel 
Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of 
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allow- 
ing himself to be absent from a recitation or a 
religious service. 

Mr. Polk graduated in 1818, with the highest 
honors, being deemed the best scholar of his class, 
both in mathematics and the classics. He was 
then twenty-three years of age. His health was 
at this time much impaired by the assiduity with 
which he had prosecuted his studies. After a 
short season of relaxation, he went to Nashville, 
and entered the office of Felix Grundy, to study 
law. Here Mr. Polk renewed his acquaintance 
with Andrew Jackson, who resided on his planta- 
tion, the " Hermitage," but a few miles from 
Nashville. They had probably been slightly ac- 
quainted before. 

Mr. Folk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican 
and James K. adhered to the same political faith. 
He was a popular public speaker, and was con- 
stantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such 
that he was popularly called the Napoleon of the 
stump. He was a man of unblemished morals, 
genial and courteous in his bearing, and with that 
sympathetic nature in the joys and griefs of oth- 
ers which gave him hosts of friends. In 1823, 
he was elected to the Legislature of Tennessee, 
and gave his strong influence toward the election 
of his friend, Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of 
the United States. 

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
Childress, of Rutherford County, Tenn. His 
bride was altogether worthy of him a lady of 
beauty and culture. In the fall of 1825 Mr. Polk 
was chosen a member of Congress, and the satis- 
faction he gave his constituents may be inferred 



6o 



JAMES K. POLK. 



from the fact, that for fourteen successive years, 
or until 1839, he was continued in that office. He 
then voluntarily withdrew, only that he might 
accept the Gubernatorial chair of Tennessee. In 
Congress he was a laborious member, a frequent 
and a popular speaker. He was always in his 
seat, always courteous, and whenever he spoke 
it was always to the point, without any ambitious 
rhetorical display. 

During five sessions of Congress Mr. Polk was 
Speaker of the House. Strong passions were 
roused and stormy scenes were witnessed, but he 
performed his arduous duties to a very general 
satisfaction, and a unanimous vote of thanks to 
him was passed by the House as he withdrew on 
the 4th of March, 1839. 

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, 
as a candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. 
He was elected by a large majority, and on Octo- 
ber 14, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. 
In 1841 his term of office expired, and he was 
again the candidate of the Democratic party, but 
was defeated. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was in- 
augurated President of the United States. The 
verdict of the country in favor of the annexation 
of Texas exerted its influence upon Congress, 
and the last act of the administration of President 
Tyler was to affix his signature to a joint resolu- 
tion of Congress, passed on the 3d of March, ap- 
proving of the annexation of Texas to the Union. 
As Mexico still claimed Texas as one of her 
provinces, the Mexican Minister, Almonte, im- 
mediately demanded his passports and left the 
country, declaring the act of the annexation to be 
an act hostile to Mexico. 

In his first message, President Polk urged that 
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be 
received into the Union on the same footing with 
the other States. In the mean time, Gen. Taylor 
was sent with an army into Texas to hold the 
country. He was first sent to Nueces, which the 
Mexicans said was the western boundary of Tex- 
as. Then he was sent nearly two hundred miles 
further west, to the Rio Grande, where he erected 
batteries which commanded the Mexican city of 
Matamoras, which was situated on the western 



banks. The anticipated collision soon took place, 
and war was declared against Mexico by President 
Polk. The war was pushed forward by his ad- 
ministration with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, 
whose army was first called one of ' ' observation, ' ' 
then of "occupation," then of "invasion," was 
sent forward to Monterey. The feeble Mexicans 
in every encounter were hopelessly slaughtered. 
The day of judgment alone can reveal the misery 
which this war caused. It was by the ingenuity 
of Mr. Folk's administration that the war was 
brought on. 

' ' To the victors belong the spoils. ' ' Mexico 
was prostrate before us. Her capital was in our 
hands. We now consented to peace upon the 
condition that Mexico should surrender to us, in 
addition to Texas, all of New Mexico, and all of 
Upper and Lower California. This new demand 
embraced, exclusive of Texas, eight hundred 
thousand square miles. This was an extent of 
territory equal to nine States of the size of New 
York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen ma- 
jestic States to be added to the Union. There 
were some Americans who thought it all right; 
there were others who thought it all wrong. In 
the prosecution of this war we expended twenty 
thousand lives and more than $100,000,000. Of 
this money $15,000,000 were paid to Mexico. 

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired 
from office, having served one term. The next 
day was Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was 
inaugurated as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to 
the Capitol in the same carriage with Gen. Tay- 
lor, and the same evening, with Mrs. Polk, he 
commenced his return to Tennessee. He was 
then but fifty-four years of age. He had always 
been strictly temperate in all his habits, and his 
health was good. With an ample fortune, a 
choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic 
ties of the dearest nature, it seemed as though 
long years of tranquillity and happiness were be- 
fore him. But the cholera that fearful scourge 
was then sweeping up the Valley of the Missis- 
sippi, and he contracted the disease, dying on the 
1 5th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth year of his 
age, greatly mourned by his countrymen. 



% 





ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



TAYLOR, twelfth President of j 
I. the United States, was born on the 24th of 
/~) November, 1784, in Orange County, Va. 
His father, Col. Taylor, was a Virginian of j 
note, and a distinguished patriot and soldier of ; 
the Revolution. When Zachary was an infant, 
his father, with his wife and two children, emi- 
grated to Kentucky, where he settled in the path- ( 
less wilderness, a few miles from Louisville. In 
this frontier home, away from civilization and all 
its refinements, young Zachary could enjoy but 
few social and educational advantages. When } 
six years of age he attended a common school, | 
and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, ! 
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of I 
character. He was strong, fearless and self-reli- | 
ant, and manifested a strong desire to enter the 
army to fight the Indians, who were ravaging the 
frontiers. There is little to be recorded of the 
uneventful years of his childhood on his father's 
large but lonely plantation. 

In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for 
him a commission as Lieutenant in the United 
States army, and he joined the troops which were 
stationed at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. 
Soon after this he married Miss Margaret Smith, 
a young lady from one of the first families of 
Maryland. 

Immediately after the declaration of war with 
England, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then 
been promoted to that rank) was put in command 
of Ft. Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles 
above Vincennes. This fort had been built in the 
wilderness by Gen. Harrison, on his march to 
Tippecanoe. It was one of the first points of at- 
tack by the Indians, led by Tecumseh. Its garri- 
son consisted of a broken company of infantry, 
numbering fifty men, many of whom were sick. 

Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, 
stealthily, and in large numbers, moved upon the 



fort. Their approach was first indicated by the 
murder of two soldiers just outside of the stockade. 
Capt. Taylor made every possible preparation to 
meet the anticipated assault. On the 4th of Sep- 
tember, a band of forty painted and plumed sav- 
ages came to the fort, waving a white flag, and 
informed Capt. Taylor that in the morning their 
chief would come to have a talk with him. It 
was evident that their object was merely to ascer- 
tain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, 
kept them at a distance. 

The sun went down; the savages disappeared; 
the garrison slept upon their arms. One hour 
before midnight the war-whoop burst from a 
thousand lips in the forest around, followed by 
the discharge of musketry and the rush of the 
foe. Every man, sick and well, sprang to his 
post. Every man knew that defeat was not 
merely death, but, in the case of capture, death by 
the most agonizing and prolonged torture. No 
pen can describe, no imagination can conceive, the 
scenes which ensued. The savages succeeded in 
setting fire to one of the block-houses. Until six 
o'clock in the morning this awful conflict con- 
tinued, when the savages, baffled at every point 
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. 
Capt. Taylor, for this gallant defense, was pro- 
moted to the rank of Major by brevet. 

Until the close of the war, Maj. Taylor was 
placed in such situations that he saw but little 
more of active service. He was sent far away 
into the depths of the wilderness to Ft. Craw- 
ford, on Fox River, which empties into Green 
Bay. Here there was little to be done but to 
wear away the tedious hours as one best could. 
There Were no books, no society, no intellectual 
stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful years 
rolled on. Gradually he rose to the rank of 
Colonel. In the Black Hawk War, which re- 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



suited in the capture of that renowned chieftain, 
Col. Taylor took a subordinate, but a brave and 
efficient, part. 

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged 
in the defense of the frontiers, in scenes so re- 
mote, and in employments so obscure, that his 
name was unknown beyond the limits of his own 
immediate acquaintance. In the year 1836, he 
was sent to Florida to compel the Seminole Indi- 
ans to vacate that region, and retire beyond the 
Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty had prom- 
ised they should do. The services rendered here 
secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of 
the Government, and as a reward he was ele- 
vated to the high rank of Brigadier-Ge'neral by 
brevet, and soon after, in May, 1838, was ap- 
pointed to the chief command of the United 
States troops in Florida. 

After two years of wearisome employment 
amidst the everglades of the Peninsula, Gen. Tay- 
lor obtained, at his own request, a change of 
command, and was stationed over the Department 
of the Southwest. This field embraced Louisiana, 
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Establishing 
his headquarters at Ft. Jessup, in Louisiana, he 
removed his family to a plantation which he pur- 
chased near Baton Rouge. Here he remained 
for five years, buried, as it were, from the world, 
but faithfully discharging every duty imposed 
upon him. 

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the 
land between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the 
latter river being the boundary of Texas, which 
was then claimed by the United States. Soon 
the war with Mexico was brought on, and at Palo 
Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Gen. Taylor won 
brilliant victories over the Mexicans. The rank 
of Major-General by brevet was then conferred 
upon Gen. Taylor, and his name was received 
with enthusiasm almost everywhere in the na- 
tion. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
Buena Vista, in which he won signal victories 
over forces much larger than he commanded. 

The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena 
Vista spread the wildest enthusiasm over the 
country. The name of Gen. Taylor was on 
every one's lips. The Whig party decided to 



take advantage of this wonderful popularity in 
bringing forward the unpolished, unlettered, hon- 
est soldier as their candidate for the Presidency. 
Gen. Taylor was astonished at the announce- 
ment, and for a time would not listen to it, de- 
claring that he was not at all qualified for such 
an office. So little interest had he taken in poli- 
tics, that for forty years he had not cast a vote. 
It was not without chagrin that several distin- 
guished statesmen, who had been long years in 
the public service, found their claims set aside in 
behalf of one whose name had never been heard 
of, save in connection with Palo Alto, Resaca de 
la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista. It is said 
that Daniel Webster, in his haste, remarked, " It 
is a nomination not fit to be made. ' ' 

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a 
fine writer. His friends took possession of him, 
and prepared such few communications as it was 
needful should be presented to the public. The 
popularity of the successful warrior swept the 
land. He was triumphantly elected over two 
opposing candidates, Gen. Cass and Ex-Presi- 
dent Martin Van Buren. Though he selected an 
excellent cabinet, the good old man found himself 
in a very uncongenial position, and was at times 
sorely perplexed and harassed. His mental suf- 
ferings were very severe, and probably tended to 
hasten his death. The pro-slavery party was 
pushing its claims with tireless energy; expedi- 
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba; California 
was pleading for admission to the Union, while 
slavery stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. 
Taylor found the political conflicts in Washington 
to be far more trying to the nerves than battles 
with Mexicans or Indians. 

In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor, 
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but 
little over a year, took cold, and after a brief 
sickness of but little over five days, died, on the 
9th of July, 1850. His last words were, " I am 
not afraid to die. I am ready. I have endeav- 
ored to do my duty." He died universally re- 
spected and beloved. An honest, unpretending 
man, he had been steadily growing in the affec- 
tions of the people, and the Nation bitterly la- 
mented his death. 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



IV A ILLARD FILLMORE, thirteenth President 
I V I of the United States, was born at Summer 
101 Hill, Cayuga County, N. Y., on the yth of 
January, 1800. His father was a farmer, and, owing 
to misfortune, in humble circumstances. Of his 
mother, the daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, of 
Pittsfield, Mass., it has been said that she pos- 
sessed an intellect of a high order, united with 
much personal loveliness, sweetness of disposi- 
tion, graceful manners and exquisite sensibilities. 
She died in 1831, having lived to see her son a 
young man of distinguished promise, though she 
was not permitted to witness the high dignity 
which he finally attained. 

In consequence of the secluded home and limited 
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender 
advantages for education in his early years. The 
common schools, which he occasionally attended, 
were very imperfect institutions, and books were 
scarce and expensive. There was nothing then 
in his character to indicate the brilliant career 
upon which he was about to enter. He was a 
plain farmer's boy intelligent, good-looking, 
kind-hearted. The sacred influences of home 
had taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid 
the foundations of an upright character. When 
fourteen years of age, his father sent him some 
hundred miles from home to the then wilds of 
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
Near the mill there was a small village, where 
some enterprising man had commenced the col- 
lection of a village library. This proved an in- 
estimable blessing to young Fillmore. His even- 
ings were spent in reading. Soon every leisure 
moment was occupied with books. His thirst for 
knowledge became insatiate, and the selections 
which he made were continually more elevating 
and instructive. He read history, biography, 
oratory, and thus gradually there was enkindled 



in his heart a desire to be something more than a 
mere worker with his hands. 

The young clothier had now attained the age 
of nineteen years, and was of fine personal appear- 
ance and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so hap- 
pened that there was a gentleman in the neigh- 
borhood of ample pecuniary means and of benev- 
olence, Judge Walter Wood, who was struck 
with the prepossessing appearance of young Fill- 
more. He made his acquaintance, and was so 
much impressed with his ability and attainments 
that he advised him to abandon his trade and de- 
vote himself to the study of the law. The young 
man replied that he had no means of his own, 
no friends to help him, and that his previous edu- 
cation had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood 
had so much confidence in him that he kindly 
offered to take him into his own office, and to 
lend him such money as he needed. Most grate- 
fully the generous offer was accepted. 

There is in many minds a strange delusion 
about a collegiate education. A young man is 
supposed to be liberally educated if he has gradu- 
ated at some college. But many a boy who loi- 
ters through university halls and then enters a 
law office is by no means as well prepared to 
prosecute his legal studies as was Millard Fill- 
more when he graduated at the clothing-mill at 
the end of four years of manual labor, during 
which every leisure moment had been devoted to 
intense mental culture. 

In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he 
was admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. 
He then went to the village of Aurora, and com- 
menced the practice of law. In this secluded, 
quiet region, his practice, of course, was limited, 
and there was no opportunity for a sudden rise in 
fortune or in fame. Here, in 1826, he married a 
lady of great moral worth, and one capable of 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



adorning any station she might be called to fill, 
Miss Abigail Powers. 

His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advo- 
cate, gradually attracted attention, and he was 
invited to enter into partnership, under highly ad- 
vantageous circumstances, with an elder member 
of the Bar in Buffalo. Just before removing to 
Buffalo, in 1829, he took his seat in the House of 
Assembly of the State of New York, as a Repre- 
sentative from Erie County. Though he had 
never taken a very active part in politics, his vote 
and sympathies were with the Whig party. The 
State was then Democratic, and he found himself 
in a helpless minority in the legislature; still the 
testimony comes from all parties that his courtesy, 
ability and integrity won, to a very unusual de- 
gree, the respect of his associates. 

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a 
seat in the United States Congress. He entered 
that troubled arena in the most tumultuous hours 
of our national history, when the great conflict 
respecting the national bank and the removal of 
the deposits was raging. 

His term of two years closed, and he returned 
to his profession, which he pursued with increas- 
ing reputation and success. After a lapse of two 
years he again became a candidate for Congress; 
was re-elected, and took his seat in 1837. His 
past experience as a Representative gave him 
strength and confidence. The first term of service 
in Congress to any man can be but little more 
than an introduction. He was now prepared for 
active duty. All his energies were brought to 
bear upon the public good. Every measure re- 
ceived his impress. 

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, 
and his popularity filled the State. In the year 
1847, when he had attained the age of forty- 
seven years, he was elected Comptroller of the 
State. His labors at the Bar, in the Legisla- 
ture, in Congress and as Comptroller, had given 
him very considerable fame. The Whigs were 
casting about to find suitable candidates for Presi- 
dent and Vice-President at the approaching elec- 
tion. Far away on the waters of the Rio Grande, 
there was a rough old soldier, who had fought 



one or two successful battles with the Mexicans, 
which had caused his name to be proclaimed in 
trumpet-tones all over the land as a candidate for 
the presidency. But it was necessary to associate 
with him on the same ticket some man of repu- 
tation as a statesman. 

Under the influence of these considerations, the 
names of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore 
became the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their 
candidates for President and Vice-President. The 
Whig ticket was signally triumphant. On the 
4th of March, 1849, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
President, and Millard Fillmore Vice-President, 
of the United States. 

On the gth of July, 1850, President Taylor, 
about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the 
Constitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus be- 
came President. He appointed a very able cabi- 
net, of which the illustrious Daniel Webster was 
Secretary of State; nevertheless, he had serious 
difficulties to contend with, since the opposition 
had a majority in both Houses. He did all in his 
power to conciliate the South; but the pro-slavery 
party in the South felt the inadequacy of all 
measures of transient conciliation. The popula- 
tion of the free States was so rapidly increasing 
over that of the slave States, that it was inevitable 
that the power of the Government should soon 
pass into the hands of the free States. The fa- 
mous compromise measures were adopted under 
Mr. Fillmore's administration, and the Japan ex- 
pedition was sent out. On the 4th of March, 
1853, he, having served one term, retired. 

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the 
Presidency by the "Know-Nothing" party, but 
was beaten by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. 
Fillmore lived in retirement. During the terri- 
ble conflict of civil war, he was mostly silent. It 
was generally supposed that his sympathies were 
rather with those who were endeavoring to over- 
throw our institutions. President Fillmore kept 
aloof from the conflict, without any cordial words 
of cheer to one party or the other. He was thus 
forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe old age, 
and died in Buffalo, N. Y., March 8, 1874. 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 



[""RANKUN PIERCE, the fourteenth Presi- 
j>) dent of the United States, was born in Hills- 
| * borough, N. H., November 23, 1804. His 
father was a Revolutionary soldier, who with his 
own strong arm hewed out a home in the wilder- 
ness. He was a man of inflexible integrity, of 
strong, though uncultivated, mind, and was an un- 
compromising Democrat. The mother of Frank- 
lin Pierce was all that a son could desire an in- 
telligent, prudent, affectionate, Christian woman. 

Franklin, who was the sixth of eight children, 
was a remarkably bright and handsome boy, 
generous, warm-hearted and brave. He won 
alike the love of old and young. The boys on 
the play-ground loved him. His teachers loved 
him. The neighbors looked upon him with pride 
and affection. He was by instinct a gentleman, 
always speaking kind words, and doing kind 
deeds, with a peculiar, unstudied tact which 
taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
devotion to books, he was a good scholar, and in 
body and mind a finely developed boy. 

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, 
he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me. 
He was one of the most popular young men in 
the college. The purity of his moral character, 
the unvarying courtesy of his demeanor, his rank 
as a scholar, and genial nature, rendered him a 
universal favorite. There was something pe- 
culiarly winning in his address, and it was evi- 
dently not in the slightest degree studied it was 
the simple outgushing of his own magnanimous 
and loving nature. 

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin 
Pierce commenced the study of law in the office 
of Judge Woodbury, one of the most distinguished 



lawyers of the State, and a man of great private 
worth. The eminent social qualities of the young 
lawyer, his father's prominence as a public man, 
and the brilliant political career into which Judge 
Woodbury was entering, all tended to entice Mr. 
Pierce into the fascinating yet perilous path of 
political life. With all the ardor of his nature he 
espoused the cause of Gen. Jackson for the Presi- 
dency. He commenced the practice of law in 
Hillsborough, and was soon elected to represent 
the town in the State Legislature. Here he 
served for four years. The last two years he was 
chosen Speaker of the House by a very large 
vote. 

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was 
elected a member of Congress. In 1837, being 
then but thirty-three years old, he was elected to 
the Senate, taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren 
commenced his administration. He was the 
youngest member in the Senate. In the year 
1834, he married Miss Jane Means Appleton, a 
lady of rare beauty and accomplishments, and one 
admirably fitted to adorn every station with which 
her husband was honored. Of the three sons who 
were born to them, all now sleep with their par- 
ents in the grave. 

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing 
fame and increasing business as a lawyer, took up 
his residence in Concord, the capital of New 
Hampshire. President Polk, upon his accession 
to office, appointed Mr. Pierce Attorney-General 
of the United States; but the offer was declined 
in consequence of numerous professional engage- 
ments at home, and the precarious state of Mrs. 
Pierce's health. He also, about the same time, 
declined the nomination for Governor by the 
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 



Mr. Pierce into the army. ' Receiving the appoint- 
ment of Brigadier-General, he embarked with a 
portion of his troops at Newport, R. I., on the 
27th of May, 1847. He took an important part 
in this war, proving himself a brave and true sol- 
dier. 

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his na- 
tive State, he was received enthusiastically by the 
advocates of the Mexican War, and coldly by his 
opponents. He resumed the practice of his pro- 
fession, very frequently taking an active part in 
political questions, giving his cordial support to 
the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic party. 
The compromise measures met cordially with his 
approval, and he strenuously advocated the en- 
forcement of the infamous Fugitive Slave Law, 
which so shocked the religious sensibilities of the 
North. He thus became distinguished as a 
' ' Northern man with Southern principles. ' ' The 
strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 

On the 1 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic con- 
vention met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate 
for the Presidency. For four days they contin- 
ued in session, and in thirty -five ballotings no one 
had obtained a two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus 
far had been thrown for Gen. Pierce. Then the 
Virginia delegation brought forward his .name. 
There were fourteen more ballotings, during which 
Gen. Pierce constantly gained strength, until, at 
the forty-ninth ballot, he received two hundred 
and eighty-two votes, and all other candidates 
eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was the Whig can- 
didate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with great una- 
nimity. Only four States Vermont, Massachu- 
setts, Kentucky and Tennessee cast their elec- 
toral votes against him. Gen. Franklin Pierce 
was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
States on the 4th of March, 1853. 

His administration proved one of the most 
stormy our country had ever experienced. The 
controversy between slavery and freedom was 
then approaching its culminating point. It be- 
came evident that there was to be an irrepressible 
conflict between them, and that this nation 
could not long exist ' ' half slave and half free. ' ' 



President Pierce, during the whole of his admin- 
istration, did everything he could to conciliate the 
South; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
year grew more violent, and threats of the disso- 
lution of the Union were borne to the North on 
every Southern breeze. 

Such was the condition of affairs when Presi- 
dent Pierce approached the close of his four- 
years term of office. The North had become 
thoroughly alienated from him. The anti-slavery 
sentiment, goaded by great outrages, had been 
rapidly increasing; all the intellectual ability and 
social worth of President Pierce were forgotten in 
deep reprehension of his administrative acts. The 
slaveholders of the South also, unmindful of the 
fidelity with which he had advocated those meas- 
ures of Government which they approved, and 
perhaps feeling that he had rendered himself 
so unpopular as no longer to be able to accepta- 
bly serve them, ungratefully dropped him, and 
nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
turned to his home in Concord. His three chil- 
dren were all dead, his last surviving child hav- 
ing been killed before his eyes in a railroad acci- 
dent; and his wife, one of the most estimable and 
accomplished of ladies, was rapidly sinking in 
consumption. The hour of dreadful gloom soon 
came, and he was left alone in the world without 
wife or child. 

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth which 
divided our country into two parties, and two 
only, Mr. Pierce remained steadfast in the prin- 
ciples which he had always cherished, and gave 
his sympathies to that pro-slavery party with 
which he had ever been allied. He declined to 
do anything, either by voice or pen, to strengthen 
the hand of the National Government. He con- 
tinued to reside in Concord until the time of his 
death, which occurred in October, 1869. He was 
one of the most genial and social of men, an hon- 
ored communicant of the Episcopal Church, and 
one of the kindest of neighbors. Generous to a 
fault, he contributed liberally toward the allevia- 
tion of suffering and want, and many of his 
towns-people were often gladdened by his material 
bounty. 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



(JAMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth President 
I of the United States, was born in a small 
(2) frontier town, at the foot of the eastern ridge 
of the Alleghanies, in Franklin County, Pa., on 
the 2^d of April, 1791. The place where the 
humble cabin home stood was called Stony Bat- 
ter. His father was a native of the north of Ire- 
land, who had emigrated in 1783, with little prop- 
erty save his own strong arms. Five years after- 
ward he married Elizabeth Spear, the daughter 
of a respectable farmer, and, with his young bride, 
plunged into the wilderness, staked his claim, 
reared his log hut, opened a clearing with his 
axe, and settled down there to perform his obscure 
part in the drama of life. When James was eight 
years of age, his father removed to the village of 
Mercersburg, where his son was placed at school, 
and commenced a course of study in English, 
Latin and Greek. His progress was rapid, and 
at the age of fourteen he entered Dickinson Col- 
lege, at Carlisle. Here he developed remarkable 
talent, and took his stand among the first scholars 
in the institution. 

In the year 1809, he graduated with the high- 
est honors of his class. He was then eighteen 
years of age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, 
fond of athletic sports, an unerring shot, and en- 
livened with an exuberant flow of animal spirits. 
He immediately commenced the study of law in 
the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the 
Bar in 1812, when he was but twenty-one years 
of age. 

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
ten years he remained a member of the Lower 
House. During the vacations of Congress, he 



occasionally tried some important case. In 1831 
he retired altogether from the toils of his profes- 
sion, having acquired an ample fortune. 

Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presi- 
dency, appointed Mr. Buchanan Minister to Rus- 
sia. The duties of his mission he performed 
with ability, and gave satisfaction to all parties. 
Upon his return, in 1833, he was elected to a seat 
! in the United States Senate. He there met as 
| his associates Webster, Clay, Wright and Cal- 
| houn. He advocated the measures proposed by 
President Jackson, of making reprisals against 
France to enforce the payment of our claims 
against that country, and defended the course of 
the President in his unprecedented and wholesale 
removal from office of those who were not the 
supporters of his administration. Upon this 
question he was brought into direct collision with 
Henry Clay. He also, with voice and vote, ad- 
vocated expunging from the journal of the Senate 
the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for re- 
moving the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the 
abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, 
and urged the prohibition of the circulation of 
anti-slavery documents by the United States 
mails. As to petitions on the subject of slavery, 
he advocated that they should be respectfully re- 
ceived, and that the reply should be returned 
that Congress had no power to legislate upon the 
subject. "Congress," said he, "might as well 
undertake to interfere with slavery under a for- 
eign government as in any of the States where it 
now exists. ' ' 

Upon Mr. Folk's accession to the Presidency, 
Mr. Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as 
such took his share of the responsibility in the 



7 6 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



conduct of the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed 
that crossing the Nueces by the American 
troops into the disputed territory was not wrong, 
but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande 
into Texas was a declaration of war. No candid 
man can read with pleasure the account of the 
course our Government pursued in that movement. 

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly 
with the party devoted to the perpetuation and 
extension of slavery, and brought all the energies 
of his mind to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. 
He gave his cordial approval to the compromise 
measures of 1850, which included the Fugitive 
Slave Law. Mr. Pierce, upon his election to the 
Presidency , honored Mr. Buchanan with the mis- 
sion to England. 

In the year 1856, a national Democratic Con- 
vention nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presi- 
dency. The political conflict was one of the most 
severe in which our country has ever engaged. 
All the friends of slavery were on one side; all 
the advocates of its restriction and final abolition 
on the other. Mr. Fremont, the candidate of the 
enemies of slavery, received one hundred and 
fourteen electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
one hundred and seventy-four, and was elected. 
The popular vote stood 1,340,618 for Fremont, 
1,224,750 for Buchanan. On March 4, 1857, 
the latter was inaugurated. 

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only 
four years were wanting to fill up his three-score 
years and ten. His own friends, those with 
whom he had been allied in political principles 
and action for years, were seeking the destruc- 
tion of the Government, that they might rear 
upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation 
whose corner-stone should be human slavery. In 
this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly 
bewildered. He could not, with his long-avowed 
principles, consistently oppose the State Rights 
party in their assumptions. As President of the 
United States, bound by his oath faithfully to 
administer the laws, he could not, without per- 
jury of the grossest kind, unite with those en- 
deavoring to overthrow the Republic. He there- 
fore did nothing. 

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administra- 



tion nominated Abraham Lincoln as their stand- 
ard-bearer in the next Presidential canvass. 
The pro-slavery party declared that if he were 
elected and the control of the Government were 
thus taken from their hands, they would secede 
from the Union, taking with them as they retired 
the National Capitol at Washington and the 
lion's share of the territory of the United States. 

As the storm increased in violence, the slave- 
holders claiming the right to secede, and Mr. 
Buchanan avowing that Congress had no power 
to prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions 
of governmental imbecility was exhibited that the 
world has ever seen. He declared that .Congress 
had no power to enforce its laws in any State 
which had withdrawn, or which was attempting 
to withdraw, from the Union. This was not the 
doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with his hand 
upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed: "The Union 
must and shall be preserved!" 

South Carolina seceded in December, 1860, 
nearly three months before the inauguration of 
President Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in 
listless despair. The rebel flag was raised in 
Charleston; Ft. Sumter was besieged; our forts, 
navy-yards and arsenals were seized; our depots 
of military stores were plundered, and our cus- 
tom-houses and post-offices were appropriated by 
the rebels. 

The energy of the rebels and the imbecility of 
our Executive were alike marvelous. The na- 
tion looked on in agony, waiting for the slow 
weeks to glide away and close the administration, 
so terrible in its weakness. At length the long- 
looked-for hour of deliverance came, when Abra- 
ham Lincoln was to receive the scepter. 

The administration of President Buchanan was 
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
perienced. His best friends can not recall it with 
pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his 
fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled 
its billows of flame and blood over our whole 
land, no word came from his lips to indicate his 
wish that our country's banner should triumph 
over the flag of the Rebellion. He died at his 
Wheatland retreat, June i, 1868. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



(p\ BRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth Presi- 

Hdent of the United States, was born in Hardin 
County, Ky., February 12, 1809. About 
the year 1780, a man by the name of Abraham j 
Lincoln left Virginia with his family and moved 
into the then wilds of Kentucky. Only two years 
after this emigration, and while still a young man, 
he was working one day in a field, when an Indian 
stealthily approached and killed him. His widow 
was left in extreme poverty with five little chil- 
dren, three boys and two girls. Thomas, the 
youngest of the boys, and the father of President 
Abraham Lincoln, was four years of age at his 
father's death. 

When twenty-eight years old, Thomas Lincoln 
built a log cabin, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky 
emigrants, who had also come from Virginia. 
Their second child was Abraham Lincoln, the sub- 
ject of this sketch. The mother of Abraham was 
a noble woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created 
to adorn a palace, but doomed to toil and pine, and 
die in a hovel. " All that I am, or hope to be," 
exclaimed the grateful son, "I owe to my angel- 
mother. ' ' When he was eight years oi age, his 
father sold his cabin and small farm and moved 
to Indiana, where two years later his mother died. 

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly 
family was the usual lot of humanity. There 
were joys and griefs, weddings and funerals. 
Abraham's sister Sarah, to whom he was tenderly 
attached, was married when a child of but four- 
teen years of age, and soon died. The family 
was gradually scattered, and Thomas Lincoln 
sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, and emi- 
grated to Macon County, 111. 

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years 
of age. With vigorous hands he aided his father 
in rearing another log cabin, and worked quite 
diligently at this until he saw the family com- 
fortably settled, and their small lot of enclosed 
prairie planted with corn, when he announced to 



his father his intention to leave home, and to gc 
out into the world and seek his fortune. Little 
did he or his friends imagine how brilliant that 
fortune was to be. He saw the value of educa- 
tion and was intensely earnest to improve his 
mind to the utmost of his power. Religion he 
revered. His morals were pure, and he was un- 
contaminated by a single vice. 

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired 
laborer among the farmers. Then he went to 
Springfield, where he was employed in building 
a large flat-boat. In this he took a herd of swine, 
floated them down the Sangamon to Illinois, and 
thence by the Mississippi to New Orleans. What- 
ever Abraham Lincoln undertook, he performed 
so faithfully as to give great satisfaction to his 
employers. In this adventure the latter were 
so well pleased, that upon his return they placed 
a store and mill under his care. 

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk 
War, he enlisted and was chosen Captain of a 
company. He returned to Sangamon County, 
and, although only twenty-three years of age, was 
a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated. 
He soon after received from Andrew Jackson the 
appointment of Postmaster of New Salem. His 
only post-office was his hat. All the letters he 
received he carried there, ready to deliver to those 
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and 
soon made this his business. In 1834 he again 
became a candidate for the Legislature and was 
elected. Mr. Stuart, of Springfield, advised him 
to study law. He walked from New Salem to 
Springfield, borrowed of Mr. Stuart a load oi 
books, carried them back, and began his legal 
studies. When the Legislature assembled, he 
trudged on foot with his pack on his back one 
hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here 
it was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 
he removed to Springfield and began the practice 
of law. His success with the jury was so great 



8o 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



that he was soon engaged in almost every noted 
case in the circuit. 

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas on the slavery ques- 
tion. In the organization of the Republican party 
in Illinois, in 1856, he took an active part, and at 
once became one of the leaders in that party. 
Mr. Lincoln's speeches in opposition to Senator 
Douglas in the contest in 1858 for a seat in the 
Senate, form a most notable part of his history. 
The issue was on the slavery question, and he 
took the broad ground of the Declaration of In- 
dependence, that all men are created equal. Mr. 
Lincoln was defeated in this contest, but won a 
far higher prize. 

The great Republican Convention met at Chi- 
cago on the 1 6th of June, 1860. The delegates 
and strangers who crowded the city amounted to 
twenty-five thousand. An immense building 
called " The Wigwam," was reared to accommo- 
date the convention. There were eleven candi- 
dates for whom votes were thrown. William H. 
Seward, a man whose fame as a statesman had 
long filled the land, was the most prominent. It 
was generally supposed he would be the nomi- 
nee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received the 
nomination on the third ballot. 

Election day came, and Mr. Lincoln received 
one hundred and eighty electoral votes out of two 
hundred and three cast, and was, therefore, con- 
stitutionally elected President of the United States. 
The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this 
good and merciful man, especially by the slave- 
holders, was greater than upon any other man 
ever elected to this high position. In February, 
1861, Mr. Lincoln started for Washington, stop- 
ping in all the large cities on his way, making 
speeches. The whole journey was fraught with 
much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
already seceded, and several attempts at assassi- 
nation were afterward brought to light. A gang 
in Baltimore had arranged upon his arrival to 
"get up a row," and in the confusion to make 
sure of his death with revolvers and hand-gren- 
ades. A detective unravelled the plot. A secret 
and special train was provided to take him from 
Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected 



hour of the night. The train started at half-past 
ten, and to prevent any possible communication 
on the part of the Secessionists with their Con- 
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train 
had started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. 
Lincoln reached Washington in safety and was 
inaugurated, although great anxiety was felt by 
all loyal people. 

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
to Mr.' Seward the Department of State, and to 
other prominent opponents before the convention 
he gave important positions; but during no other 
administration had the duties devolving upon the 
President been so manifold, and the responsibilities 
so great, as those which fell to his lot. Knowing 
this, and feeling his own weakness and inability 
to meet, and in his own strength to cope with, 
the difficulties, he learned early to seek Divine 
wisdom and guidance in determining his plans, 
and Divine comfort in all his trials, both personal 
and national. Contrary to his own estimate of 
himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the most cour- 
ageous of men. He went directly into the rebel 
capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, with 
no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had 
been made for his assassination, and he at last 
fell a victim to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, 
with Gen. Grant, was urgently invited to attend 
Ford's Theatre. It was announced that they 
would be present. Gen. Grant, however, left the 
city. President Lincoln, feeling, with his char- 
acteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a 
disappointment if he should fail them, very re- 
luctantly consented to go. While listening to 
the play, an actor by the name of John Wilkes 
Booth entered the box where the President and 
family were seated, and fired a bullet into his 
brain. He died the next morning at seven 
o'clock. 

Never before in the history of the world was 
a nation plunged into such deep grief by the death 
of its ruler Strong men met in the streets and 
wept in speechless anguish. His was a life which 
will fitly become a model. His name as the 
Savior of his country will live with that of Wash- 
ington's, its Father. 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



G| NDREW JOHNSON, seventeenth President 
LJ of the United States. The early life of An- 
I I drew Johnson contains but the record of pov- 
erty, destitution and friendlessness. He was born 
December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, N. C. His par- 
ents, belonging to the class of "poor whites" 
of the South, were in such circumstances that they 
could not confer even the slightest advantages of 
education upon their child. When Andrew was 
five years of age, his father accidentally lost his 
life, while heroically endeavoring to save a friend 
from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew 
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by 
the labor of his mother, who obtained her living 
with her own hands. 

He then, having never attended a school one 
day, and being unable either to reader write, was 
apprenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gen- 
tleman was in the habit of going to the tailor's 
shop occasionally, and reading to the boys at 
work there. He often read from the speeches of 
distinguished British statesmen. Andrew, who 
was endowed with a mind of more than ordinary 
ability, became much interested in these speeches; 
his ambition was roused, and he was inspired with 
a strong desire to learn to read. 

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, 
and with the assistance of some of his fellow- 
workmen learned his letters. He then called upon 
the gentleman to borrow the book of speeches. 
The owner, pleased with his zeal, not only gave 
him the book, but assisted him in learning to com- 
bine the letters into words. Under such difficul- 
ties he pressed onward laboriously, spending usu- 
ally ten or twelve hours at work in the shop, and 
then robbing himself of rest and recreation to de- 
vote such time as he could to reading. 

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 



Greenville, where he married a young lady who 
possessed some education. Under her instructions 
he learned to write and cipher. He became 
prominent in the village debating society, and a 
favorite with the students of Greenville College. 
In 1828, he organized a working man's party, 
which elected him Alderman, and in 1830 elected 
him Mayor, which position he held three years. 

He now began to take a lively interest in 
political affairs, identifying himself with the work- 
ing-class, to which he belonged. In 1835, he 
was elected a member of the House of Represent- 
atives of Tennessee. He was then just twenty- 
seven years of age. He became a very active 
member of the Legislature, gave his support to 
the Democratic party, and in 1840 "stumped the 
State," advocating Martin Van Buren's claims to 
the Presidency, in opposition to those of Gen. 
Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
his reputation. 

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843; 
he was elected a Member of Congress, and by suc- 
cessive elections held that important post for ten 
years. In 1853, he was elected Governor of Tenn- 
essee, and was re-elected in 1855. In all these 
responsible positions, he discharged his duties 
with distinguished ability, and proved himself the 
warm friend of the working classes. In 1857, Mr- 
Johnson was elected United States Senator. 

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
the annexation of Texas, stating, however, as his 
reason, that he thought this annexation would 
probably prove ' 'to be the gateway out of which 
the sable sons of Africa are to pass from bondage 
to freedom, and become merged in a population 
congenial to themselves." In 1850, he also sup- 
ported the compromise measures, the two essen- 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



tial features of which wer, that the white people 
of the Territories should be permitted to decide 
for themselves whether they would enslave the 
colored people or not, and that the free States of 
the North should return to the South persons who 
attempted to escape from slavery. 

Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly 
origin: on the contrary, he often took pride in 
avowing that he owed his distinction to his own 
exertions. "Sir," said he on the floor of the 
Senate, "I do not forget that I am a mechanic; 
neither do I forget that Adam was a tailor and 
sewed fig-leaves, and that our Savior was the son 
of a carpenter. ' ' 

In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of 1860, 
he was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for 
the Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of 
the Southern Democracy became apparent, he took 
a decided stand in favor of the Union, and held 
that "slavery must be held subordinate to the 
Union at whatever cost. ' ' He returned to Tenn- 
essee, and repeatedly imperiled his own life to 
protect the Unionists of that State. Tennessee 
having seceded from the Union, President Lincoln, 
on March 4, 1862, appointed him Military Gov- 
ernor of the State, and he established the most 
stringent military rule. His numerous proclama- 
tions attracted wide attention. In 1864, he was 
elected Vice-President of the United States, and 
upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 1865, 
became President. In a speech two days later he 
said, "The American people must be taught, if 
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime 
and must be punished; that the Government will 
not always bear with its enemies; that it is strong 
not only to protect, but to punish. * * The 
people must understand that it (treason) is the 
blackest of crimes, and will surely be punished. ' ' 
Yet his whole administration, the history of which 
is so well known, was in utter inconsistency with, 
and in the most violent opposition to, the princi- 
ples laid down in that speech. 

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress, and he 
characterized Congress as a new rebellion, and 
lawlessly defied it in everything possible to the ut- 
most. In the beginning of 1868, on account of 



"High crimes and misdemeanors," the principal 
of which was the removal of Secretary Stanton in 
violation of the Tenure of Office Act, articles of 
impeachment were preferred against him, and the 
trial began March 23. 

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 
months. A test article of the impeachment was 
at length submitted to the court for its action. It 
was certain that as the court voted upon that ar- 
ticle so would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices 
pronounced the President guilty. As a two-thirds 
vote was necessary to his condemnation, he was 
pronounced acquitted, notwithstanding the great 
majority against him. The change of one vote 
from the not guilty side would have sustained the 
impeachment. 

The President, for the remainder of his term, 
was but little regarded. He continued, though 
impotently, his conflict with Congress. His own 
party did not think it expedient to renominate 
him for the Presidency. The Nation rallied with 
enthusiasm, unparalleled since the days of Wash- 
ington, around the name of Gen. Grant. Andrew 
Johnson was forgotten. The bullet of the assassin 
introduced him to the President's chair. Not- 
withstanding this, never was there presented to a 
man a better opportunity to immortalize his name, 
and to win the gratitude of a nation. He failed 
utterly. He retired to his home in Greenville, 
Tenn. , taking no very active part in politics until 
1875. On January 26, after an exciting struggle, 
he was chosen by the Legislature of Tennessee 
United States Senator in the Forty-fourth Congess, 
and took his seat in that body, at the special ses- 
sion convened by President Grant, on the sth of 
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-Presi- 
dent made a visit to his daughter's home, near 
Carter Station, Tenn. When he started on his 
journey, he was apparently in his usual vigorous 
health, but on reaching the residence of his child 
the following day, he was stricken with paralysis, 
which rendered him unconscious. He rallied oc- 
casionally, but finally passed away at 2 A. M., 
July 31 , aged sixty -seven years. His funeral was 
held at Greenville, on the 3d of August, with 
every demonstration of respect. 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



HLYSSES S. GRANT, the eighteenth Presi- 
dent of the United States, was born on the 
2gth of April, 1822, of Christian parents, in 
a humble home at Point Pleasant, on the banks 
of the Ohio. Shortly after, his father moved to 
Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio. In this re- 
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses received a common- 
school education. At the age of seventeen, in 
the year 1839, he entered the Military Academy 
at West Point. Here he was regarded as a solid, 
sensible young man, of fair ability, and of sturdy, 
honest character. He took respectable rank as a 
scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated about the 
middle in his class, and was sent as Lieutenant of 
Infantry to one of the distant military posts in the 
Missouri Territory. Two years he passed in these 
dreary solitudes, watching the vagabond Indians. 

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His 
first battle was at Palo Alto. There was no 
chance here for the exhibition of either skill or 
heroism, nor at Resaca de la Palma, his second 
battle. At the battle of Monterey, his third en- 
gagement, it is said that he performed a signal 
service of daring and skillful horsemanship. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant j 
returned with his regiment to New York, an-1 : 
was again sent to one of the military posts on the | 
frontier. The discovery of gold in California 
causing an immense tide of emigration to flow to J 
the Pacific shores, Capt. Grant was sent with a j 
battalion to Ft. Dallas, in Oregon, for the protec- 
tion of the interests of the immigrants. But life 
was wearisome in those wilds, and he resigned 
his commission and returned to the States. Hav- 
ing married, he entered upon the cultivation of a 
small farm near St. Louis, Mo., but having little 



skill as a farmer, and finding his toil not re- 
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering 
into the leather business, with a younger brother 
at Galena, 111. This was in the year 1860. As 
the tidings of the rebels firing on Ft. Sumter 
reached the ears of Capt. Grant in his counting- 
room, he said: "Uncle Sam has educated me 
for the army; though I have served him through 
one war, I do not feel that I have yet repaid the 
debt. I am still ready to discharge my obliga- 
tions. I shall therefore buckle on my sword and 
see Uncle Sam through this war too. ' ' 

He went into the streets, raised a company of 
volunteers, and led them as their Captain to 
Springfield, the capital of the State, where their 
services were offered to Gov. Yates. The Gov- 
ernor, impressed by the zeal and straightforward 
executive ability of Capt. Grant, gave him a desk 
in his office to assist in the volunteer organiza- 
tion that was being formed in the State in behalf 
of the Government. On the 1 5th of June, 1861, 
Capt. Grant received a commission as Colonel of 
the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. 
His merits as a West Point graduate, who had 
served for fifteen years in the regular arm}', were 
such that he was soon promoted to the rank of 
Brigadier-General, and was placed in command at 
Cairo. The rebels raised their banner at Padu- 
cah, near the mouth of the Tennessee River. 
Scarcely had its folds appeared in the breeze ere 
Gen. Grant was there. The rebels fled, their 
banner fell, and the Stars and Stripes were un- 
furled in its stead. 

He entered the service with great determina- 
tion and immediately began active duty. This 
was the beginning, and until the surrender of 
Lee at Richmond he was ever pushing the enemy 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



with great vigor and effectiveness. At Belmont, 
a few days later, he surprised and routed the 
rebels, then at Ft. Henry won another victory. 
Then came the brilliant fight at Ft. Donelson. 
The nation was electrified by the victory, and the 
brave leader of the boys in blue was immediately 
made a Major-General, and the military district 
of Tennessee was assigned to him. 

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well 
how to secure the results of victory. He imme- 
diately pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then 
came the terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, 
Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. 
Pemberton made an unconditional surrender of 
the city with over thirty thousand men and one 
hundred and seventy -two cannon. The fall of 
Vicksburg was by far the most severe blow which 
the rebels had thus far encountered, and opened 
up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 

Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown 
from his horse, and received severe injuries, from 
which he was laid up for months. He then 
rushed to the aid of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas 
at Chattanooga, and by a wonderful series of 
strategic and technical measures put the Union 
army in fighting condition. Then followed the 
bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout Moun- 
tain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
were routed with great loss. This won for him 
unbounded praise in the North. On the 4th of 
February, 1864, Congress revived the grade of 
lieutenant-general, and the rank was conferred 
on Gen. Grant. He repaired to Washington to 
receive his credentials and enter upon the duties 
of his new office. 

Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge 
of the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed 
National troops for an attack upon Richmond, 
the nominal capital of the rebellion, and endeavor 
there to destroy the rebel armies which would be 
promptly assembled from all quarters for its de- 
fense. The whole continent seemed to tremble 
under the tramp of these majestic armies, rushing 
to the decisive battle-field. Steamers were crowd- 
ed with troops. Railway trains were burdened 



with closely-packed thousands. His plans were 
comprehensive, and involved a series of cam- 
paigns, which were executed with remarkable 
energy and ability, and were consummated at the 
surrender of Lee, April 9, 1865. 

The war was ended. The Union was saved. 
The almost unanimous voice of the nation de- 
clared Gen. Grant to be the most prominent in- 
strument in its salvation. The eminent services 
he had thus rendered the country brought him 
conspicuously forward as the Republican candi- 
date for the Presidential chair. 

At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, 
May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated 
for the Presidency, and at the autumn election 
received a majority of the popular vote, and two 
hundred and fourteen out of two hundred and 
ninety-four electoral votes. 

The National Convention of the Republican 
party, which met at Philadelphia on the 5th 01 
June, 1872, placed Gen. Grant in nomination for 
a second term by a unanimous vote. The selec- 
tion was emphatically indorsed by the people five 
months later, two hundred and ninety-two elect- 
oral -votes being cast for him. 

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. 
Grant started upon his famous trip around the 
world. He visited almost every country of the 
civilized world, and was everywhere received 
with such ovations and demonstrations of respect 
and honor, private as well as public and official, 
as were never before bestowed upon any citizen 
of the United States. 

He was the most prominent candidate before 
the Republican National Convention in 1880 for 
a renomination for President. He went to New 
York and embarked in the brokerage business 
under the firm name of Grant & Ward. The 
latter proved a villain, wrecked Grant's fortune, 
and for larceny was sent to the penitentiary. 
The General was attacked with cancer in the 
throat, but suffered in his stoic-like manner, never 
complaining. He was re-instated as General of 
the Army, and retired by Congress. The cancer 
soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 1885, 
the nation went in mourning over the death ot 
the illustrious General. 




o 



RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 



QUTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth j 
UC President of the United States, was born in 
P\ Delaware, Ohio, October 4, 1822, almost 
three months after the death of his father, Ruther- 
ford Hayes. His ancestry on both the paternal and 
maternal sides was of the most honorable char- 
acter. It can be traced, it is said, as far back as 
1280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two 
Scottish chieftains, fighting side by side with 
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert Bruce. Both 
families belonged to the nobility, owned extensive 
estates, and had a large following. Misfortune 
overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scotland 
in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
George was born in Windsor, and remained there 
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, 
married Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of 
his marriage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. 
Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was 
a manufacturer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. 
Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel and grandfather 
of President Hayes, was born in New Haven, in 
August, 1756. He was a farmer, blacksmith and 
tavern-keeper. He emigrated to Vermont at an 
unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, where he 
established a hotel. Here his son, Rutherford 
Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was born. 
He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia 
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt, whose ancestors 
emigrated thither from Connecticut, they having 
been among the wealthiest and best families of 
Norwich. Her ancestry on the male side is 
traced back to 1635, to John Birchard, one of the 
principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grand- 
fathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. 

The father of President Hayes was an industri- 
ous, frugal, yet open-hearted man. He was of a 



mechanical turn of mind, and could mend a plow, 
knit a stocking, or do almost anything else that 
he chose to undertake. He was a member of the 
church, active in all the benevolent enterprises 
of the town, and conducted his business on Chris- 
tian principles. After the close of the War of 
1812, for reasons inexplicable to his neighbors, he 
resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, 
when there were no canals, steamers, or rail- 
ways, was a very serious affair. A tour of in- 
spection was first made, occupying four months. 
Mr. Hayes decided to move to Delaware, where 
the family arrived in 1817. He died July 22, 
1822, a victim of malarial fever, less than three 
months before the birth of the son of whom we 
write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore bereavement, 
found the support she so much needed in her 
brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
household from the day of its departure from 
Vermont, and in an orphan girl, whom she had 
adopted some time before as an act of charity. 

Rutherford was seven years old before he went 
to school. His education, however, was not neg- 
lected. He probably learned as much from his 
mother and sister as he would have done at 
school. His sports were almost wholly within 
doors, his playmates being his sister and her asso- 
ciates. These circumstances tended, no doubt, to 
foster that gentleness of disposition and that del- 
icate consideration for the feelings of others which 
were marked traits of his character. 

His uncle, Sardis Birchard, took the deepest 
interest in his education; and as the boy's health 
had improved, and he was making good progress 
in his studies, he proposed to send him to college. 
His preparation commenced with a tutor at home; 



9 2 



RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 



but he was afterwards sent for one year to a pro- 
fessor in the Wesley an University in Middletown, 
Conn. He entered Kenyon College in 1838, at 
the age of sixteen, and was graduated at the head 
of his class in 1842. 

Immediately after his graduation he began the 
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, 
Esq., in Columbus. Finding his opportunities 
for study in Columbus somewhat limited, he de- 
termined to enter the I,aw School at Cambridge, 
Mass., where he remained two years. 

In 1845, after graduating at the I^aw School, he 
was admitted to the Bar at Marietta, Ohio, and 
shortly afterward went into practice as an at- 
torney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fre- 
mont. Here he remained three years, acquiring 
but a limited practice, and apparently unambitious 
of distinction in his profession. 

In 1849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his am- 
bition found a new stimulus. For several years, 
however, his progress was slow. Two events 
occurring at this period had a powerful influence 
upon his subsequent life. One of these was his 
marriage with Miss L,ucy Ware Webb, daughter 
of Dr. James Webb, of Chillicothe; the other was 
his introduction to the Cincinnati Literary Club, 
a body embracing among its members such men 
as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, Gen. John 
Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many others 
hardly less distinguished in after life. The mar- 
riage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of 
our Presidents was more universally admired, 
reverenced and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and 
no one did more than she to reflect honor upon 
American womanhood. The L,iteraryClub brought 
Mr. Hayes into constant association with young 
men of high character and noble aims, and lured 
him to display the qualities so long hidden by his 
bashfulness and modesty. 

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge 
of the Court of Common Pleas, but he declined to 
accept the nomination. Two years later, the of- 
fice of City Solicitor becoming vacant, the City 
Council elected him for the unexpired term. 

In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion broke out, he was 
at the zenith of his professional life. His rank at 



the Bar was among the first. But the news of 
the attack on Ft. Sumter found him eager to 
take up arms for the defense of his country. 

His military record was bright and illustrious. 
In October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel, and in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of 
the Seventy-ninth Ohio Regiment, but he refused 
to leave his old comrades and go among strangers. 
Subsequently, however, he was made Colonel of 
his old regiment. At the battle of South Moun- 
tain he received a wound, and while faint and 
bleeding displayed courage and fortitude that 
won admiration from all. 

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, 
after his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, 
and placed in command of the celebrated Kanawha 
division, and for gallant and meritorious services 
in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and 
Cedar Creek, he was promoted Brigadier-General. 
He was also breveted Major-General, "for gallant 
and distinguished services during the campaigns 
of 1864, in West Virginia." In the course of his 
arduous services, four horses were shot from un- 
der him, and he was wounded four times. 

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress 
from the Second Ohio District, which had long 
been Democratic. He was not present during the 
campaign, and after the election was importuned 
to resign his commission in the army; but he fi- 
nally declared, " I shall never come to Washing- 
ton until I can come by way of Richmond." He 
was re-elected in 1866. 

In 1867, Gen. Hayes was elected Governor of 
Ohio, over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular 
Democrat, and in 1869 was re-elected over George 
H. Pendleton. He was elected Governor for the 
third term in 1875. 

In 1876 he was the standard-bearer of the Re- 
publican party in the Presidential contest, and 
after a hard, long contest was chosen President, 
and was inaugurated Monday, March 5, 1877. 
He served his full term, not, however, with satis- 
faction to his party, but his administration was an 
average one. The remaining years of his life 
were passed quietly in his Ohio home, where he 
passed away January 17, 1893. 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



(TAMES A. GARFIELD, twentieth President 
I of the United States, was born November 19, 
G) 1831, in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga 
County, Ohio. His parents were Abram and 
Eliza (Ballou; Garfield, both of New England 
ancestry, and from families well known in the 
early history of that section of our country, but 
who had moved to the Western Reserve, in Ohio, 
early in its settlement. 

The house in which James A. was born was 
not unlike the houses of poor Ohio farmers of 
that day. It was about 20 x 30 feet, built of logs, 
with the spaces between the logs filled with clay. 
His father was a hard-working farmer, and he 
soon had his fields cleared, an orchard planted, 
and a log barn built. The household comprised 
the father and mother and their four children, 
Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and James. In May, 
1823, the father died from a cold contracted in 
helping to put out a forest fire. At this time 
James was about eighteen months old, and 
Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, 
can tell how much Jfames was indebted to his 
brother's toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty 
years succeeding his father's death. He now 
lives in Michigan, and the two sisters live in Solon, 
Ohio, near their birthplace. 

The early educational advantages young Gar- 
field enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the 
most of them. He labored at farm work for 
others, did carpenter work, chopped wood, or did 
anything that would bring in a few dollars to aid 
his widowed mother in her struggles to keep the 
little family together. Nor was Gen. Garfield 
ever ashamed of his origin, and he never forgot 
the friends of his struggling childhood, youth and 
manhood; neither did they ever forget him. 
When in the highest seats of honor, the humblest 
friend of his boyhood was as kindly greeted as 
ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the sym- 
pathy of one who had known all the bitterness of 



want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, 
plain, modest gentleman. 

The highest ambition of young Garfield until 
he was about sixteen years old was to be cap- 
tain of a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious 
to go aboard a vessel, but this his mother strongly 
opposed. She finally consented to his going to 
Cleveland, with the understanding, however, that 
he should try to obtain some other kind of em- 
ployment. He walked all the way to Cleveland. 
This was his first visit to the city. After making 
many applications for work, and trying to get 
aboard a lake vessel and not meeting with suc- 
cess, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. 
He remained at this work but a short time, when 
he went home, and attended the seminary at 
Chester for about three years. He then entered 
Hiram and the Eclectic Institute, teaching a few 
terms of school in the mean time, and doing other 
work. This school was started by the Disciples 
of Christ in 1850, of which body he was then a 
member. He became janitor and bell-ringer in 
order to help pay his way. He then became both 
teacher and pupil. Soon "exhausting Hiram," 
and needing a higher education, in the fall of 1854 
he entered Williams College, from which he grad- 
uated in 1856, taking one of the highest honors of 
his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram Col- 
lege as its President. As above stated, he early 
united with the Christian, or Disciples, Church at 
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous 
member, often preaching in its pulpit and places 
where he happened to be. 

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage, Novem- 
ber ii, 1858, with Miss Lncretia Rudolph, who 
proved herself worthy as the wife of one whom 
all the world loved. To them were born seven 
children, five of whom are still Irving, four boys 
and one girl. 



9 6 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 
1856, in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and 
three years later he began to speak at county 
mass-meetings, and became the favorite speaker 
wherever he was. During this year he was 
elected to the Ohio Senate. He also began to 
study law at Cleveland, and in 1861 was admitted 
to the Bar. The great Rebellion broke out in the 
early part of this year, and Mr. Garfield at once 
resolved to fight as he had talked, and enlisted to 
defend the Old Flag. He received his commission 
as Lieu tenant- Colonel of the Forty-second Regi- 
ment of Ohio Infantry August 14, 1861. He 
was immediately put into active service, and be- 
fore he had ever seen a gun fired in action, was 
placed in command of four regiments of infantry 
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
work of driving out of his native State the able 
rebel officer, Humphrey Marshall, of Kentucky. 
This work was bravely and speedily accomplished, 
although against great odds, and President Lin- 
coln commissioned him Brigadier- General, Janu- 
ary 10, 1862; and "as he had beej the youngest 
man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now 
he was the youngest General in the army." He 
was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, in its 
operations around Corinth and its march through 
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of 
the general court martial for the trial of Gen. 
Fitz-John Porter. He was next ordered to re- 
port to Gen. Rosecrans, and was assigned to the 
" Chief of Staff." The military history of Gen. 
Garfield closed with his brilliant services at Chick- 
amauga, where he won the rank of Major- General. 

Without an effort on his part, Gen. Garfield 
was elected to Congress in the fall of 1862, from 
the Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of 
Ohio had been represented in Congress for sixty 
years mainly by two men Elisha Whittlesey and 
Joshua R. Giddings. It was not without a strug- 
gle that he resigned his place in the army. At 
the time he entered Congress he was the youngest 
member in that body. There he remained by 
successive re-elections until he was elected Presi- 
dent, in 1880. Of his labors in Congress, Senator 
Hearsays: "Since the year 1864 you cannot 
think of a question which has been debated in 



Congress, or discussed before a tribunal of the 
American people, in regard to which you will not 
find, if you wish instruction, the argument on 
one side stated, in almost every instance better 
than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
the House of Representatives or on the hustings 
by Mr. Garfield." 

Upon January 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elect- 
ed to the United States Senate, and on the 8th of 
June, of the same year, was nominated as the 
candidate of his party for President at the great 
Chicago Convention. He was elected in the fol- 
lowing November, and on March 4, 1881, was 
inaugurated. Probably no administration ever 
opened its existence under brighter auspices than 
that of President Garfield, and every day it grew 
in favor with the people. By the ist of July 
he had completed all the initiatory and prelimi- 
nary wofk of his administration, and was prepar- 
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Will- 
iams College. While on his way and at the 
depot, in company with Secretary Elaine, a man 
stepped behind him, drew a revolver, and fired 
directly at his back. The President tottered and 
fell, and as he did so the assassin fired a second 
shot, the bullet cutting the left coat sleeve of his 
victim, but inflicting no further injury. It has 
been very truthfully said that this was ' ' the shot 
that was heard around the world. ' ' Never before 
in the history of the nation had anything occur- 
red which so nearly froze the blood of the people 
for the moment as this awful deed. He was 
smitten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his 
life, at the summit of his power and hope. For 
eighty days, all during the hot months of July 
and August, he lingered and suffered. He, how- 
ever, remained master of himself till the last, and 
by his magnificent bearing taught the country 
and the world one of the noblest of human les- 
sons how to live grandly in the very clutch of 
death. Great in life, he was surpassingly great 
in death. He passed serenely away September 
19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J., on the very bank of 
the ocean, where he had been taken shortly be- 
fore. The world wept at his death, as it rarely 
ever had done on the death of any other great 
and noble man. 



CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 



E HESTER A. ARTHUR, twenty-first Presi- 
dent of the United States, was born in Frank- 
lin County, Vt. ( on the sth day of October, 
1 830, and was the eldest of a family of two sons 
and five daughters. His father was the Rev. Dr. 
William Arthur, a Baptist clergyman, who emi- 
grated to this country from County Antrim, Ire- 
land, in his eighteenth year, and died in 1875, in 
Newtonville, near Albany, after a long and suc- 
cessful ministry. 

Young Arthur was educated at Union College, 
Schenectady, where he excelled in all his studies, j 
After his graduation he taught school in Ver- | 
mont for two years, and at the expiration of that 
time came to New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
and entered the office of ex -Judge E. D. Culver 
as a student. After being admitted to the Bar, he 
formed a partnership with his intimate friend and 
room-mate, Henry D. Gardiner, with the inten- j 
tion of practicing in the West, and for three 
months they roamed about in the Western States 
in search of an eligible site, but in the end re- 
turned to New York, where they hung out their 
shingle, and entered upon a successful career al- 
most from the start. Gen. Arthur soon after mar- 
ried the daughter of Lieut. Herndon, of the 
United States Navy, who was lost at sea. Con- 
gress voted a gold medal to his widow in recog- 
nition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. 
Arthur's nomination to the Vice-Presidency, leav- 
ing two children. 

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celeb- 
rity in his first great case, the famous Lemmon 
suit, brought to recover possession of eight slaves 
who had been declared free by Judge Paine, of 
the Superior Court of New York City. It was in 



1852 that Jonathan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to 
New York with his slaves, intending to ship them 
to Texas, when they were discovered and freed. 
The Judge decided that they could not be held by 
the owner under the Fugitive Slave Law. A howl 
of rage went up from the South, and the Virginia 
Legislature authorized the Attorney-General of 
that State to assist in an appeal. William M. 
Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed to 
represent the people, and they won their case, 
which then went to the Supreme Court of the 
United States. Charles O' Conor here espoused 
the cause of the slaveholders, but he, too, was 
beaten by Messrs. Evarts and Arthur, and a long 
step was taken toward the emancipation of the 
black race. 

Another great service was rendered by Gen. 
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jen- 
nings, a respectable colored woman, was put off 
a Fourth Avenue car with violence after she had 
paid her fare. Gen. Arthur sued on her behalf, 
and secured a verdict of $500 damages. The next 
day the company issued an order to admit colored 
persons to ride on their cars, and the other car 
companies quickly followed their example. Be- 
fore that the Sixth Avenue Company ran a few 
special cars for colored persons, and the other lines 
refused to let them ride at all. 

Gen. Arthur was a delegate to the convention 
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
Previous to the war he was Judge- Advocate of 
the Second Brigade of the State of New York, 
and Gov. Morgan, of that State, appointed him 
Engineer-in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was 
made Inspector-General, and soon afterward be- 
came Quartermaster-General. In each of these 
offices he rendered great service to the Govern- 



CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 



ment during the war. At the end of Gov. Mor- 
gan's term he resumed the practice of law, form- 
ing a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and then 
Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney of New York, 
was added to the firm. The legal practice of this 
well-known firm was very large and lucrative, 
as each of the gentlemen composing it was an able 
lawyer, and possessed a splendid local reputa- 
tion, if not, indeed, one of national extent. 

Mr. Arthur always took a leading part in State 
and city politics. He was appointed Collector of 
the Port of New York by President Grant, No- 
vember 21, 1872, to succeed Thomas Murphy, 
and he held the office until July 20, 1878, when 
he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the 
famous National Republican Convention held at 
Chicago in June, 1880. This was perhaps the 
greatest political convention that ever assembled 
on the continent. It was composed of the lead- 
ing politicians of the Republican party, all able 
men, and each stood firm and fought vigorously 
and with signal tenacity for his respective can- 
didate that was before the convention for the 
nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield received the 
nomination for President, and Gen. Arthur for 
Vice- President. The campaign which followed 
was one of the most animated known in the his- 
tory of our country. Gen. Hancock, the stand- 
ard-bearer of the Democratic party, was a popular 
man, and his party made a valiant fight for his 
election. 

Finally the election came, and the country's 
choice was Garfield and Arthur. They were in- 
augurated March 4, 1881, as President and Vice- 
President. A few months only had passed ere 
the newly-chosen President was the victim of the 
assassin's bullet. Then came terrible weeks of 
suffering those moments of anxious suspense, 
when the hearts of all civilized nations were 
throbbing in unison, longing for the recovery of 
the noble, the good President. The remarkable 
patience that he manifested during those hours 
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible 
suffering man has ever been called upon to en- 
dure, was seemingly more than human. It was 



certainly godlike. During all this period of 
deepest anxiety Mr. Arthur's every move was 
watched, and, be it said to his credit, that his every 
action displayed only an earnest desire that the 
suffering Garfield might recover to serve the re- 
mainder of the term he had so auspiciously be- 
gun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested in 
deed or look of this man, even though the most 
honored position in the world was at any moment 
likely to fall to him. 

At last God in his mercy relieved President 
Garfield from further suffering, and the world, as 
never before in its history over the death of any 
other man, wept at his bier. Then it became the 
duty of the Vice-President to assume the respon- 
sibilities of the high office, and he took the oath 
in New York, September 20, 1881. The position 
was an embarrassing one to him, made doubly so 
from the fact that all eyes were on him, anxious 
to know what he would do, what policy he would 
pursue, and whom he would select as advisers. 
The duties of the office had been greatly neglected 
during the President's long illness, and many im- 
portant measures were to be immediately decided 
by him; and to still further embarass him he did 
not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
became President, and knew the feelings of many 
on this point. Under these trying circumstances, 
President Arthur took the reins of the Govern- 
ment in his own hands, and, as embarrassing as 
was the condition of affairs, he happily surprised 
the nation, acting so wisely that but few criticized 
his administration. He served the nation well 
and faithfully until the close of his administra- 
tion, March 4, 1885, and was a popular candidate 
before his party for a second term. His name 
was ably presented before the convention at Chi- 
cago, and was received with great favor, and 
doubtless but for the personal popularity of one 
of the opposing candidates, he would have been 
selected as the standard-bearer of his party for 
another campaign. He retired to private life, car- 
rying with him the best wishes of the American 
people, whom he had served in a manner satisfac- 
tory to them and with credit to himself. One 
year later he was called to his final rest. 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS 



STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND. 



(STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND, the 
?\ twenty -second President of the United States, 
Q) was born in 1837, in the obscure town of 
Caldwell, Essex County, N. J., and in a little 
two-and-a-half-story white house, which is still 
standing to characteristically mark the humble 
birthplace of one of America's great men, in 
striking contrast with the Old World, where all 
men high in office must be high in origin and 
born in the cradle of wealth. When the subject 
of this sketch was three years of age, his father, 
who was a Presbyterian minister with a large 
family and a small salary, moved, by way of the 
Hudson River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, N. 
Y., in search of an increased income and a larger 
field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
straggling of country villages, about five miles 
from Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour 
was born. 

At the last-mentioned place young Grover com- 
menced going to school in the good, old-fashioned 
way, and presumably distinguished himself after 
the manner of all village boys in doing the 
things he ought not to do. Such is the dis- 
tinguishing trait of all geniuses and independent 
thinkers. When he arrived at the age of four- 
teen years, he had outgrown the capacity of the 
village school, and expressed a most emphatic de- 
sire to be sent to an academy. To this his fa- 
ther decidedly objected. Academies in those 
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him 
to become self-supporting by the quickest pos- 
sible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville 
seemed to be a position in a country store, where 
his father and the large family on his hands had 



considerable influence. Grover was to be paid 
$50 for his services the first year, and if he proved 
trustworthy he was to receive $100 the second 
year. Here the lad commenced his career as 
salesman, and in two years he had earned so good 
a reputation for trustworthiness that his employ- 
ers desired to retain him for an indefinite length 
of time. 

But instead of remaining with this firm in 
Fayetteville, he went with the family in their re- 
moval to Clinton, where he had an opportunity 
of attending a High School. Here he industri- 
ously pursued his studies until the family re- 
moved with him to a point on Black River known 
as the "Holland Patent," a village of five or six 
hundred people, fifteen miles north of Utica, N. Y. 
At this place his father died, after preaching but 
three Sundays. This event broke up the family, 
and Grover set out for New York City tD accept, 
at a small salary, the position of under- teacher 
in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully 
for two years, and although he obtained a good 
reputation in this capacity, he concluded that 
teaching was not his calling in life, and, revers- 
ing the traditional order, he left the city to seek 
his fortune, instead of going to the city. He first 
thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some 
charm in that name for him; but before proceed- 
ing to that place he went to Buffalo to ask advice 
of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted stock- 
breeder of that place. The latter did not speak 
enthusiastically. "What is it you want to do, 
my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
law," was the reply "Good gracious!" remarked 
the old gentleman; " do you, indeed? Whatever 



104 



STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND. 



put that into your head? How much money 
have you got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I 
haven't got any." 

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him 
a place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at 
$50 a year, while he could look around. One 
day soon afterward he boldly walked into the of- 
fice of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and 
told them what he wanted. A number of young 
men were already engaged in the office, but Gro- 
ver's persistency won, and he was finally per- 
mitted to come as an office boy and have the use 
of the law library, receiving as wages the sum of 
$3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his 
board and washing. The walk to and from his 
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and although 
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
shoes were out of repair, and as for his overcoat he 
had none; yet he was, nevertheless, prompt and 
regular. On the first day of his service there, his 
senior employer threw down a copy of Black- 
stone before him, with a bang that made the dust 
fly, saying "That's where they all begin." A 
titter ran around the little circle of clerks and 
students, as they thought that was enough to 
scare young Grover out of his plans; but in due 
time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleve- 
land exhibited a talent for executiveness rather 
than for chasing principles through all their 
metaphysical possibilities. "Let us quit talking 
and go and do it, ' ' was practically his motto. 

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland 
was elected was that of Sheriff of Erie County, 
N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated; and in such 
capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital punish- 
ment upon two criminals. In 1881 he was 
elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the 
Democratic ticket, with especial reference to bring- 
ing about certain reforms in the administration 
of the municipal affairs of that city. In this of- 
fice, as well as in that of Sheriff, his performance 
of duty has generally been considered fair, with 
possibly a few exceptions, which were ferreted 
out and magnified during his Presidential cam- 
paign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an 



iniquitous street-cleaning contract: "This is a 
time for plain speech, and my objection to your 
action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the 
culmination of a most bare-faced, impudent and 
shameless scheme to betray the interests of the 
people and to worse than squander the people's 
money." The New York Sun afterward very 
highly commended Mr. Cleveland's administra- 
tion as Mayor of Buffalo, and thereupon recom- 
mended him for Governor of the Empire State. 
To the latter office he was elected in 1882, and 
his administration of the affairs of State was 
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, 
if any, were made very public throughout the na- 
tion after he was nominated for President of the 
United States. For this high office he was 
nominated July n, 1884, by the National Demo- 
cratic Convention at Chicago, when other com- 
petitors were Thomas F. Bayard, Roswell P. 
Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. 
Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he was 
elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Re- 
publican statesman, James G. Elaine. President 
Cleveland resigned his office as Governor of New 
York in January, 1885, in order to prepare for 
his duties as the Chief Executive of the United 
States, in which capacity his term commenced at 
noon on the 4th of March, 1885. 

The silver question precipitated a controversy 
between those who were in favor of the continu- 
ance of silver coinage and those who were op- 
posed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, 
even before his inauguration. 

On June 2, 1886, President Cleveland married 
Frances, daughter of his deceased friend and part- 
ner, Oscar Folsom, of the Buffalo Bar. Their 
union has been blessed by the birth of two daugh- 
ters. In the campaign of 1888, President Cleve- 
land was renominated by his party, but the 
Republican candidate, Gen. Benjamin Harrison, 
was victorious. In the nominations of 1892 
these two candidates for the highest position in 
the gift of the people were again pitted against 
each other, and in the ensuing election President 
Cleveland was victorious by an overwhelming 
majority. 




I 



BENJAMIN HARRISON. 



HENJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty-third 

ft President, is the descendant of one of the 
\,J historical families of this country. The first 
known head of the family was Maj.-Gen. Harrison, 
one of Oliver Cromwell's trusted followers and 
fighters. In the zenith of Cromwell' s power it be- 
came the duty of this Harrison to participate in 
the trial of Charles I., and afterward to sign the 
death warrant of the king. He subsequently 
paid for this with his life, being hung October 13, 
1660. His descendants came to America, and 
the next of the family that appears in history is 
Benjamin Harrison, of Virginia, great-grandfa- 
ther of the subject of this sketch, and after whom 
he was named. Benjamin Harrison was a mem- 
ber of the Continental Congress during the years 
1774, 1775 and 1776, and was one of the original 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. He 
was three times elected Governor of Virginia. 

Gen. William Henry Harrison, the son of the 
distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a 
successful career as a soldier during the War of 
1812, and with a clean record as Governor of the 
Northwestern Territory, was elected President of 
the United States in 1840. His career was cut 
short by death within one month after his in- 
auguration. 

President Harrison was born at North Bend, 



Hamilton County, Ohio, August 20, 1833. His 
life up to the time of his graduation from Miami 
University, at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful 
one of a country lad of a family of small means. 
His father was able to give him a good education, 
and nothing more. He became engaged while at 
college to the daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of 
a female school at Oxford. After graduating, he 
determined to enter upon the study of law. He 
went to Cincinnati and there read law for two 
years. At the expiration of that time young Har- 
rison received the only inheritance of his life his 
aunt, dying, left him a lot valued at $800. He 
regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to 
get married at once, take this money and go to 
some Eastern town and begin the practice of law. 
He sold his lot, and, with the money in his pocket, 
he started out with his young wife to fight for a 
place in the world. He decided to go to Indian- 
apolis, which was even at that time a town of 
promise. He met with slight encouragement at 
first, making scarcely anything the first year. 
He worked diligently, applying himself closely to 
his calling, built up an extensive practice and 
took a leading rank in the legal profession. 

In 1860, Mr. Harrison was nominated for the 
position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- 
gan his experience as a stump speaker. He can- 



io8 



BENJAMIN HARRISON. 



vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by 
a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 
Seventeenth Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its 
Colonel. His regiment was composed of the raw- 
est material, but Col. Harrison employed all his 
time at first in mastering military tactics and drill- 
ing his men, and when he came to move toward 
the East with Sherman, his regiment was one of 
the best drilled and organized in the army. At 
Resaca he especially distinguished himself, and 
("or his bravery at Peachtree Creek he was made 
a Brigadier-General, Gen. Hooker speaking of 
him in the most complimentary terms. 

During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the 
field, the Supreme Court declared the office of 
Supreme Court Reporter vacant, and another 
person was elected to the position. From the 
time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until 
the fall of 1864 he had taken no leave of absence, 
but having been nominated that year for the same 
office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and 
during that time made a brilliant canvass of the 
State, and was elected for another term. He then 
started to rejoin Sherman, but on the way was 
stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most 
trying attack made his way to the front in time to 
participate in the closing incidents of the war. 

In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-election 
as Reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 
1 876 he was a candidate for Governor. Although 
defeated, the brilliant campaign he made won for 
him a national reputation, and he was much sought 
after, especially in the East, to make speeches. 
In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the 
campaign, and was elected to the United States 
Senate. Here he served for six years, and was 
known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and 
strongest debaters in that body. With the ex- 
piration of his senatorial term he returned to the 
practice of his profession, becoming the head of 
one of the strongest firms in the State. 

The political campaign of 1888 was one of the 
most memorable in the history of our country. 
The convention which assembled in Chicago in 
June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief st. md- 
ard-bearer of the Republican party was great in 
every particular, and on ttis account, and the at- 



titude it assumed upon the vital questions of the 
day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a 
deep interest in the campaign throughout the 
nation. Shortly after the nomination, delegations 
began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his 
home. This movement became popular, and from 
all sections of the country societies, clubs and 
delegations journeyed thither to pay their re- 
spects to the distinguished statesman. 

Mr. Harrison spoke daily all through the sum- 
mer and autumn to these visiting delegations, 
and so varied, masterly, and eloquent were his 
speeches that they at once placed him in the fore- 
most rank of American orators and statesmen. 
Elected by a handsome majority, he served his 
country faithfully and well, and in 1892 was nom- 
inated for re-election; but the people demanded a 
change and he was defeated by his predecessor 
in office, Grover Cleveland. 

On account of his eloquence as a speaker and 
his power as a debater, Gen. Harrison was called 
upon at an early age to take part in the dis- 
cussion of the great questions that then began to 
agitate the country. ; lie w,as an uncompromising 
anti-slavery man v aijd_was 'matched against some 
of the most eminent 1 :, .Demi^atic speakers of his 
State. No man who felt the touch of his blade 
desired to be pitted with him again. With all 
his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for ora- 
torical effect, but his words always went like bul- 
lets to the mark. He is purely American in his 
ideas, and is a splendid type of the American 
statesman. Gifted with quick perception, a logi- 
cal mind and a ready tongue, he is one of the 
most distinguished impromptu speakers in the 
nation. Many of these speeches sparkled with the 
rarest eloquence and contained arguments of great 
weight, and many of his terse statements have 
already become aphorisms. Original in thought, 
precise in logic, terse in statement, yet withal 
faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the 
sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. 
During the last days of his administration Presi- 
dent Harrison suffered an irreparable loss in the 
death of his devoted wife, Caroline (Scott) Har- 
rison, a lady of many womanly charms and vir- 
tues. They were the parents of two children. 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





HADRACH BOND, the first 
Governor of Illinois after its 
organization as a State, serving 
from 1818 to i&22, was born in 
Frederick County, Maryland, 
in the year 1773, and was 
raised a farmer on his father's 
plantation, receiving only a plain 
English education. He emigrated 
to this State in 1794, when it was a 
part of the "Northwest Territory," 
continuing in the vocation in which 
he had been brought up in his native 
State, in the " New Design," near 
Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe 
County. He served several terms as 
a member of the General Assembly 
of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such, 
and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth 
and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3, 
1812, and serving until Oct. 3, 18:4. These were 
the times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov- 
ernment had its last struggle with Great Britain. 
The year 1812 is also noted in the history of this 
State as that in which the first Territorial Legislature 
was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and 
adjourned 'Dec. 26, following. 

While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond 
was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-emp- 
tion on the public domain. On the expiration of his 
term a 1 . Washington he was appointed Receiver of 
Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of the 
Territory. In company with John G. Comyges, 



Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jonas, 
Warren Brown. Edward Humphries and Charles W 
Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the 
initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor- 
able location- at the junction of the two great 
rivers near the center of the Great West, would 
rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter- 
prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis- 
lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of 
Cairo. 

In 1818 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor 
of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6 
that year, which was several weeks before Illinois 
was actually admitted. The facts are these: In 
January, 1818, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti- 
tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a 
State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The 
petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the 
State on the latitude of the southern extremity of 
Lake Michigan; but the bill was afterward so amend- 
ed as to extend this line to its present latitude. In 
July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a 
constitution, which, however, was not submitted to 
the people. By its provisions, supreme judges, pros 
ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record- 
ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed 
by the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This 
constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At 
that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties, 
namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson, 
Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington 
and Franklin, the northern ]X>rtion of the State be- 
ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears 
that Mr. Bond was honored by the naming of a 



SHADRACH BOND. 



county before he was elected Governor. The present 
county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80 
miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor 
the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and 
worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State 
is named. In this election there were no opposition 
candidates, as the popularity of these men had made 
their promotion to the chief offices of the Slate, even 
before the constitution was drafted, a foregone con- 
tlusion. 

The principal points that excited the people in 
reference to political issues at this period were local 
or "internal improvements," as they were called, 
State banks, location of the capital, slavery and the 
personal characteristics of the proposed candidates. 
Mr. Bond represented the "Convention party," for 
introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias 
Ke it Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc- 
Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led 
the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did 
not become very much excited over this issue until 
1820, when the ftrrous Missouri Compromise was 
adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south 
of the parallel of 36 30' except in Missouri. While 
this measure settled the great slavery controversy, 
so far as the average public sentiment was tempor- 
arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed 
under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, the issue 
as considered locally in this State was not decided 
until 1824, after a most furious campaign. (See 
sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 1818 was a 
com promise one, Bond representing (moderately) the 
pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the anti-slavery. 

An awkward element in the State government 
under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec- 
tion of the State constitution. The Convention 
wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor 
of Public Accounts, but, as it was believed that the 
new Governor would not appoint htm to the office, 
the Convention declared in a schedule that " an 
auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and 
such other officers of the State as may be necessary, 
may be appointed by the General Assembly." The 
Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint- 
ing power in the Governor ; but for the purpose of 
getting one man into office, a total change was made, 
and the power vested in the Legislature. Of this 
provision the Legislature took advantage, and de- 



clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners, 
bank directors, etc., were all " officers of the State ' 
and must therefore be appointed by itself independ- 
ently of the Governor. 

During Gov. Bond's administration a general law 
was passed for the incorporation of academies and 
towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of 
1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis- 
sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners 
appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the 
practicability and expediency of improving the navi- 
gation of the Wabash River; also inland navigation 
generally. Many improvements were recommended, 
some of which have been feebly worked at even till 
the present day, those along the Wabash being of no 
value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the 
capital of the State was removed from Kaskaskia to 
Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress 
authorizing this State to open a canal through the 
public lands. The State appointed commissioners 
lo explore the route and prepare the necessary sur- 
veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution; 
but, being unable out of its own resources to defray 
the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned 
until some time after Congress made the grant of 
land for the purpose of its construction. 

On the whole, Gov. Bond's administration was 
fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from 
any party. In 1824, two years after the expiration 
of his term of office, he was brought out as a candi- 
date for Congress against the formidable John P. 
Cook, but received only 4,374 votes tc 7,460 for the 
latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but had made 
many fast friends by a judicioas be;towment of his 
gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously 
for him in the campaign. 

In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by the Leg- 
islature, with Wm. P. McKee and Dr. Gershom 
Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni- 
tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton. 

Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis- 
position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- 
preciation of events. His person was erect, stand- 
ing six feet in height, and after middle life became 
portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were 
strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and 
eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died 
April n, 1830, in peace and Contentment. 



UNIVERSITY 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





DWARD COLES, second 
Governor of Illinois, 1823- 
6, was born Dec. 15, 1786, 
in Albemarle Co., Va., on 
the old family estate called 
"Enniscorthy," on the 
Green Mountain. His fath- 
er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the 
Revolutionary War. Having been fit- 
ted for college by private tutors, he 
was sent to Hampden Sidney, where 
he remained until the autumn of 1805, 
when he was removed to William and 
Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va. 
This college he left in the summer of 
1807, a short time before the final and graduating 
examination. Among his classmates were Lieut. 
Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Wm. S. Archer, 
United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice 
Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The 
President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was 
a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir- 
cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming 
personally acquainted with the President and re- 
ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15. 
The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir- 
ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old- 
fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by 
such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison, 
Monroe, the Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the 
age of 23, young Coles found himself heir to a plant- 
ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever 
since his earlier college days his attention had been 
drawn i > the question of slavery. He read every- 



thing on the subject that came in his way, and 
listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more 
he reflected upon the subject, the more impossible 
was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration 
"that all men are born free and equal " with the 
practice of slave-holding. He resolved, therefore, to 
free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove 
his residence to a free State. One reason which de- 
termined him to accept the appointment as private 
secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed 
that through the acquaintances he could make at 
Washington he could better determine in what part 
of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he woula 
prefer to settle. 

The relations between Mr. Coles and President 
Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished 
men, were of a very friendly character, arising from 
the similarity of their views on the question of slavery 
and their sympathy for each other in holding doc- 
trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti- 
ment in their own State. 

In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a 
portion of the following autumn in exploring the 
Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo- 
cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his 
negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with 
an extra man and horse for emergencies, through 
many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, 
determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time, 
however, a misunderstanding arose between our 
Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected 
to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear- 
ing important papers concerning the matter at issue 
The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex- 



EDWARD COLES. 



ander) of the error committed by his minister at 
Washington, and the consequent withdrawal of the 
the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles 
visited other parts of Europe, especially Paris, where 
he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette. 

In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his 
negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the 
intention of giving them their liberty. He did not 
make known to them his intention until one beautiful 
morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio 
River. He lashed all the boats together and called 
all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad- 
dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him- 
self that by a turn pf a sentence he proclaimed in 
the shortest and fullest manner that they were no 
longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty 
to proceed with him or go ashore at their pleas- 
ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is 
best desctibed in his own language : 

"The effect upon them was electrical. They stared 
at me and then at each other, as if doubting the ac- 
curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless 
silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word, 
but with countenances beaming with expression which 
no words could convey, and which no language 
can describe. As they began to see the truth of 
what they had heard, and realize their situation, there 
came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After 
a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, bathed 
in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to 
their gratitude and implored the blessing of God 
on me." 

Before landing he gave them a general certificate 
of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu- 
larly with the law of this State requiring that each 
individual should have a certificate. This act of 
Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering 
the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding 
him, has challenged the admiration of every philan- 
thropist of modern times. 

March 5, 1819, President Monroe appointed Mr. 
Coles Registrar of the Land Office at Edwardsvihe, 
at that time one of the principal land offices in the 
State. While acting in this capacity and gaining 
many friends by his politeness and general intelli- 
gence, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in 
Illinois on the slavery quesiion culminated in the 
furious contest characterizing the campaigns and 
elections of 1822-4. 1 the summer of 1823, when a 
new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr. 
Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions, 
putting forward for the executive office Joseph 
Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C. 
Browne and Gen. James B. Moore, of the State Mil- 
itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr. 
Coles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns, 
succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural- 
ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of 



over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected 
by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech 
was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a 
wise expression of appropriate suggestions as lo 
elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But 
he compromised not with evil. In his message to 
the Legislature, the seat of Government being then 
at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation of the 
modified form of slavery whkb then existed in this 
State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi- 
tion on this subject seems the more remarkable, when 
it is considered that he was a minority Governor, the 
population of Illinois being at that time almost ex- 
clusively from slave-holding States and by a large 
majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic 
of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course, 
a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority of 
them were led on by fiery men in denunciations of 
the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and 
deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the 
public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of 
mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence 
of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled 
and groaned and spat fire. 

The Constitution, not establishing or permitting 
slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be 
defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired 
a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub- 
mit a new Constitution ; and the dominant politics 
of the day was "Convention" and "anti-Conven- 
tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people, 
Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address 
published by the latter party. This address revsaled 
the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly .tian- 
ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti- 
mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in 
which the Governor was placed at that time. 

Our hero maintained himself honorably and with 
supreme dignity throughout his administration, and 
in his honor a county in this State is named. He 
was truly a great man, and those who lived in 
this State during his sojourn here, like those who 
live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see 
and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them. 

Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop 
De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter 
of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry, 
who cami to this country with Wm. Penn in 1682. 

After the expiration of his term of service, Gov. 
Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup- 
erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond 
of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri- 
cultural society in the State. On account of ill 
health, however, and having no family to tie him 
down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities. 
About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel- 
phia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at 
Woodland, near that city. 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





INIAN EDWARDS, Governor 
from 1827 to 1830, was a sou 
of Benjamin Edwards, and 
was born in Montgomery 
County, Maryland, in March, 
1775. His domestic train- 
ing was well fitted to give 
his mind strength, firmness and 
honorable principles, and a good 
foundation was laid for the elevated 
character to which he afterwards 
attained. His parents were Bap- 
tists, and very strict in their moral 
principles. His education in early 
youth was in company with and 
partly under the tuition of Hon. Wm. 
Wirt, whom his father patronized 
and who was more than two years 
older. An intimacy was thus 
formed between them which was lasting for life. He 
was further educated at Dickinson College, at Car- 
lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but 
before completing his course he moved to Nelson 
County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to 
purchase homes and locate lands for his brothers and 
sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute 
companions, and for several years led the life of a 
spendthrift. He was, however, elected to the Legis- 
lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson 
County before he was 2 1 years of age, and was re- 
lected by an almost unanimous vote. 




In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the 
following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes- 
see. About this time he left Nelson County for 
Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his 
dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and 
devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He 
then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon 
became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years 
he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge 
of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of 
the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State, 
all before he was 32 years of age! In addition, in 
1802, he received a commission as Major of a battal- 
ion of Kentucky militia, and in rSo4 was chosen a 
Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton 
ticket. In 1806 he was a candidate for Congress, 
but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of 
Appeals. 

Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in 
the spring of r8og, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief 
Justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, received 
from President Madison the appointment as Gover- 
nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date 
April 24, 1809. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in 
June, and on the i ith of that month took the oath of 
office. At the same time he was appointed Superin- 
tendent of the United States Saline, this Governmen 
interest then developing into considerable proportion 
in Southern Illinois. Although during the first thre 
years of his administration he had the power tomak 
new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he alway 
allowed the people of each county, by an informal 



NINIAN EDWARDS. 



vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili- 
tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward 
United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed 
by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of 
the Territory, which office was accepted for a short 
time only. 

The Indians in 1810 committing sundry depreda- 
tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from 
the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol- 
lowed between the respective Governors concerning 
the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav- 
ages at Peoria in 1812, and a fresh interpretation of 
the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de- 
predations, and was not re-settled for many .years 
afterward. 

As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in 
1812, he was re-appointed for another term of three 
years, and again in 1815 for a third term, serving 
until the organization of the State in the fall of 1818 
and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time 
ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States 
Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As 
Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and 
acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that 
came up in that body, being well posted, an able de- 
uater and a conscientious statesman. He thought 
seriously of resigning this situation in 1821, but was 
persuaded by his old friend, Wm. Wirt, and others to 
continue in office, which he did to the end of the 
term. 

He was then appointed Minister to Mexico by 
President Monroe. About this time, it appears that 
Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of 
Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States 
Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi- 
dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of 
his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in 
order fully to investigate the charges. The result 
was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards. 

Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws," 
disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and 
;he State of Illinois during the whole of his career in 
ihis commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main- 
tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important 
r.ctor in the great struggle which ended in a victory 
for his party in 1824. 

In i826--7 the Winnebago and other Indians com- 
mitted some depredations in the northern part of the 



State, and the white settlers, who desired the lands 
and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu- 
ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of 
the aborigines and thereby produced a hostility be- 
tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war, 
known in history as the " Winnebago War." A few 
chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson 
succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief, 
and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at 
least until the troubles commenced which ended in 
the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre- 
tation of treaties and execution of their provisions 
Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The 
Indians kept themselves generally within the juris- 
diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor, 
Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor- 
respondence with him was difficult or impossible. 
Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to 
the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to havs 
been very efficient and satisfactory. 

For a considerable portion of his time after his re- 
moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his 
farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with 
horses, cattle and sheep from Kentucky, also with 
fruit-trees, grape-vines and shrubbery. He estab- 
lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively 
in mercantile business, having no less than eight or ten 
stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding 
the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur- 
chased the goods himself with which to supply the 
stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi- 
cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex- 
tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and 
taking care of, the sick, generally without charge. 
He was also liberal to the poor, several widows and 
ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him 
even for their homes. 

He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in 
1803, and they became the affectionate parents of 
several children, one of whom, especially, is well' 
known to. the people of the " Prairie State," namely, 
Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Superintendent c< 
Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield 
Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas- 
kaskia from 1809 to 1818; in Edwardsville (named 
after him) from that time to 1824; and from the lat- 
ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his 
death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards 
County is also named in his honor. 



Of THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS 



GO VERNGRS OF ILLINOIS. 



123 





J..OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831- 
4, was born in Montgomery Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788. 
His father, Robert Reynolds and 
his mother, nee Margaret Moore, 
were both natives of Ireland, from 
which country they emigrated to 
the United States in 1785, land- 
ing at Philadelphia. The senior 
Reynolds entertained an undying 
hostility to the British Govern- 
ment. When the subject of this 
sketch was about six months old, 
his parents emigrated with him to 
Tennessee, where many of their 
relatives had already located, at the base of the 
Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of 
the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex- 
posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest- 
ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior 
of the State. They were poor, and brought up their 
children to habits of manual industry. 

In 1 800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with 
eight horses and two wagons, encountering many 
Hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed 
the most of his childhood, while his character began 
to develop, the most prominent traits of which were 
ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle 
and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating 
liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal, 



this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of 
the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest 
of Edwardsville. 

On arriving at his 2oth year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing 
that he must look about for his own livelihood and 
not yet having determined what calling to pursue, 
concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly 
went to such an institution of learning, near Knox- 
ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his 
diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of 
his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered 
wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a 
shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself 
into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of 
Knoxville! He attended college nearly two years, 
going through the principal Latin authors; but it 
seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern 
times, had but very little use for his Latin in after 
life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good 
degree of literary discipline. He commenced the 
study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble 
came on and compelled him to change his mode 
of life. Accordingly he returned home and re- 
cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and 
law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 1812 he was 
admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this time 
he also learned the French language, which he 
practiced with pleasure in conversation with his 
family for many years. He regarded this language 
as being superior to all others for social intercourse. 



JOHN REYNOLDS. 



From his services in the West, in the war of 1812, 
he obtained the sobriquet of the " Old Ranger." He 
was Orderly Sergeant, then Judge Advocate. 

Mr. Reynolds opened his first law office in the 
winter and spring of 1814, in the French village of 
Cahokia, then the capital of St. Clair County. 

In the fall of 1818 he was elected an Associate 
Justice upon the Supreme Bench by the General 
Assembly. In 1825 he entered more earnestly than 
ever into the practice of law, and the very next year 
was elected a member of the Legislature, where he 
acted independently of all cliques and private inter- 
ests. In 1828 the Whigs and Democrats were for 
the first time distinctively organized as such in Illi- 
nois, and the usual party bitterness grew up and 
raged on all sides, while Mr. Reynolds preserved a 
'udicial calmness and moderation. The real animus 
_if the campaign was " Jackson " and " anti-Jackson," 
'he former party carrying the State. 

In August, 1830, Mr. Reynolds was elected Gov- 
ernor, amid great excitement. Installed in office, he 
did all within his power to advance the cause of edu- 
cation, internal improvements, the Illinois & Mich- 
igan Canal, the harbor at Chicago, settling the coun- 
try, etc.; also recommended the winding up of the 
State Bank, as its affairs had become dangerously 
complicated. In his national politics, he was a 
moderate supporter of General Jackson. But the 
most celebrated event of his gubernatorial admin- 
istration was the Black Hawk War, which occurred 
in 1832. He called out the militia and prosecuted 
the contest with commendable diligence, appearing 
in person on the battle-grounds during the most 
critical periods. He was recognized by the President 
as Major-General, and authorized by him to make 
treaties with the Indians. By the assistance of the 
general Government the war was terminated without 
much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This 
war, as well as everything else, was materially re- 
tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the 
West. This was its first appearance here, and was 
the next event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds' 
term. 

South Carolina nullification coming up at this time, 
t was heartily condemned by both President Jackson 
and Gov. Reynolds, who took precisely the same 
grounds as the Unionists in the last war. 

On the termination of his gubernatorial term in 
,834, Gov. Reynolds was elected a Member of Con- 
gress, still considering himself a backwoodsman, as 
r.e had scarcely been outside of the State since he 
became of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful 
lays 'u the wildest region of the frontier. His first 
nove in Congress was to adopt a resolution that in 
all elections made by the House for officers the votes 
should be given viva voce, each member in his place 
naming aloud the person for whom he votes. This 
created considerable heated discussion, but was es- 



sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin- 
ciple for many years. The ex-Governor was scarcely 
absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses- 
sions of Congress, covering a period of seven years, 
and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed 
to get the Democratic party to foster his " National 
Road" scheme. He says, in "My Own Times" (a 
large autobiography he published), that it was only 
by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in 
Washington. During his sojourn in that city he was 
married, to a lady of the place. 

In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company 
with a few others, he built the first railroad in the 
Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long, 
leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to 
the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Having not 
the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it 
by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com- 
pany sold out, at great sacrifice. 

In 1839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the 
Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow 
money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord'ngly, he 
repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining 
a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth 
of what was wanted. The same year he and his 
wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr. 
Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility 
of introducing to President Van Buren the noted 
Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day 
Saint ! " 

In 1846 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of 
the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu 
larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter 
for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis, 
a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately 
built, and was the first road of the kind in the State. 
He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when 
he was chosen Speaker of the House. In 1860, aged 
and infirm, he attended the National Democratic 
Convention at Charleston, S. C., as an anti-Douglas 
Delegate, where he received more attention from the 
Southern Delegates than any other member. He 
supported Breckenridge for the Presidency. After 
the October elections foreshadowed the success of 
Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo- 
crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi- 
ately preceding and during the late war, his corre- 
spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern 
secession, and about the first of March, 1861, he 
urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the 
treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal 
at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative 
man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch- 
words that ever gained currency, besides many cun- 
ning and odd ones of his own manufacture. 

He was married twice, but had no children. He 
died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close 
of the war. 



UNIVERSITY 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 







ILLIAM LEE D. EWING, 
Governor of Illinois Nov. 3 
to 17, 1834, was a native 
of Kentucky, and probably 
of Scotch ancestry. He had 
ine education, was a gentle- 
man of polished manners and 
refined sentiment. In 1830 John Rey- 
nolds was elected Governor of the State, 
and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor, 
and for the principal events that followed, 
and the characteristics of the times, see 
sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we 
see in history concerning Mr. Ewing, in- 
forms us that he was a Receiver of Public 
Mor eys at Vandalia soon after the organization of 
Uii* State, and that the public moneys in his hands 
vere deposited in various banks, as they are usually 
.* tlu present day. In 1823 the State Bank was 
obbed, by which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand- 
dollar deposit. 

The subject of this sketch had a commission as 
C olonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies 
no acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832, 
^hen i was rumored among the whites that Block 
Hawk and "iis men had encamped somewhere on 
Reck River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of 
reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians 
from the State. After some opposition from his 
ubordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed up 
Rock River in search of the enemy. On the iQth of 
iuly, early in the morning, five baggage wagons, 



camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti- 
cles were piled up and left, so that the army might 
make speedy and forced marches. For some miles 
the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps 
and the worst thickets ; but the large, fresh trail 
gave life and animation to the Americans. Gen. 
Dodge and Col. Ewing were both acting as Majors, 
and composed the " spy corps " or vanguard of the 
army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50 
miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed 
became fresher, and was strewed with much property 
and trinkets of the red-skins that they had lost or 
thrown away to hasten their march. During the 
following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and 
the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor- 
oughly drenched. 

On approaching nearer the Indians the next day. 
Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a 
battalion of men, were placed in front to bring on the 
battle, but the savages were not overtaken this day 
Forced marches were continued until they reached. 
Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued, 
resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's 
men. The next day they continued the chase, and 
as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians 
leading toward the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed 
his battalion in orde r of battle and awaited the order 
of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the 
ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted 
in chasing the red warriors across the great river. 
Maj. Ewing and his command proved particularly 
efficient in war, as it seems they were the chief actors 
in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in- 



[2ft 



WILLIAM L. D. EWING. 



eluding Black Hawk himself, across the Mississippi, 
while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex- 
pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for 
them in another direction. 

In the above affair Maj. Ewmg is often referred to 
as a " General," which title he had derived from his 
connection with the militia. 

It was in the latter part of the same year (1832) 
that Lieutenant Governor Casey was elected to Con- 
gress and Gen. Ewing, who had been elected to the 
Senate, was chosen to preside over that body. At 
the August election of 1834, Gov. Reynolds was also 
elected to Congress, more than a year ahead of the 
time at which he could actually take his seat, as was 
then the law. His predecessor, Charles Slade, had 
just died of Asiatic cholera, soon after the elec- 
tion, and Gov. Reynolds was chosen to serve out his 
unexpired term. Accordingly he set out for Wash- 
ington in November of that year to take his seat in 
Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virtue of his office as 
President of the Senate, became Governor of the 
State of Illinois, his term covering only a period of 
15 days, namely, from the 3d to the i7th days, in- 
clusive, of November. On the ryth the Legislature 
met, and Gov. Ewing transmitted to that body his 
message, giving a statement of the condition of the 
affairs of the State at that time, and urging a contin- 
uance of the policy adopted by his predecessor; and 
on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan 
was sworn into office, thus relieving Mr. Ewing from 



the responsible situation. This is the only time that 
such a juncture has happened in the history of Illi- 
nois. 

On the agth of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was 
elected a United States Senator to serve out the 
unexpired term of Elias Kent Kane, deceased. The 
latter gentleman was a very prominent figure in the 
early politics of Illinois, and a county in this State is 
named in his honor. The election of Gen. Ewing to 
the Senate was a protracted struggle. His competi- 
tors were James Semple, who afterwards held several 
important offices in this State, and Richard M. 
Young, afterward a United States Senator and a 
Supreme Judge and a man of vast influence. On 
the first ballot Mr. Semple had 25 votes, Young 19 
and Ewing 18. On the eighth ballot Young was 
dropped ; the ninth and tenth stood a tie ; but on 
the 1 2th Ewing received 40, to Semple 37, and was 
accordingly declared elected. In 1837 Mr. Ewing 
received some votes for a continuance of his term in 
Congress, when Mr. Young, just referred to, was 
elected. In 1842 Mr. Ewing was elected State 
Audit?r on the ticket with Gov. Ford. 

Gen. Ewing was a gentleman of culture, a lawyer 
by profession, and was much in public life. In person 
he was above medium height and of heavy build, 
with auburn hair, blue eyes, large-sized head and 
short face. He was genial, social, friendly and 
affable, with fair talent, though of no high degree of 
originality. He died March 25, 1846. 




LIBRARY 

Cf i HE 

l'N!Vn-:?MV' i.f I' 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





OSEPH DUNCAN, Governor 
1834-8, was born at Paris, 
Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At the 
tender age of 19 years he en- 
listed in the war against Great 
Britain, and as a soldier he 
acquitted himself with credit. He 
was an Ensign under the daunt- 
less Croghan at Lower Sandusky, 
or Fort Stephenson. In Illinois 
he first appeared in a public capa- 
city as Major-General of the Militia, 
a position which his military fame 
had procured him. Subsequently 
he became a State Senator from 
Jackson County, and is honorably 
mentioned for introducing the first bill providing for 
a free-school system. In 1826, when the redoubt- 
able John P. Cook, who had previously beaten such 
men as John McLean, Elias Kent Kane and ex- 
Gov. Bond, came up for the fourth time for Congress, 
Mr. Duncan was brought forward against him by his 
friends, greatly to the surprise of all the politicians. 
\s yet he was but little known in the State. He was 
an original Jackson man at that time, being attached 
to his political fortune in admiration of the glory of 
his militaiy achievements. His chances of success 
against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless, 
luit he entered upon the campaign undaunted. His 
speeches, though short and devoid of ornament, were 
full of good sense. He made a diligent canvass of 
the State, Mr. Cook being hindered by the condition of 
his health. The most that was expected of Mr. 
Duncan, under the circumstances, was that he would 



obtain a respectable vote, but without defeating Mr 
Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was a 
source of surprise and amazement to both friends 
and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahead! 
He received 6,321 votes, and Mr. Cook 5,680. Un- 
til this denouement, the violence of party feeling 
smoldering in the breasts of the people on account 
of the defeat of Jackson, was not duly appreciated. 
Aside from the great convention struggle of 1824, no 
other than mere local and personal considerations 
had ever before controlled an election in Illinois. 

From the above date Mr. Duncan retained his 
seat in Co.igress until his election as Governor in 
August, 1834. The first and bloodless year of the 
Black Hawk War he was appointed by Gov. Rey- 
nolds to the position of Brigadier-General of the 
volunteers, and he conducted his brigade to Rock 
Island. But he was absent from the State, in Wash- 
ington, during the gubernatorial campaign, and did 
not personally participate in it, but addressed circu- 
lars to his constituents. His election was, indeed, 
attributed to the circumstance of his absence, be- 
cause his estrangement from Jackson, formerly his 
political idol, and also from the Democracy, largely 
in ascendency in the State, was complete; but while 
his defection was well known to his Whig friends, 
and even to the leading Jackson men of this State, 
the latter were unable to carry conviction of that fact 
to the masses, as mail and newspaper facilities at 
that day were far inferior to those of the present 
time. Of course the Governor was much abused 
afterward by the fossilized Jackson men who re- 
garded party ties and affiliations as ibove all 
other issues that could arise; but he was douotless 



132 



JOSEPH DUNCAN. 



sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter 
ad vetoed several important western measures 
which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural 
message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand 
against the course of the President. The measures 
te recommended in his message, however, were so 
desirable that the Legislature, although by a large 
majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain 
from endorsing them. These measures related 
mainly to banks and internal improvements. 

It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the 
people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in- 
ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank- 
mpted the State. The hard times of 1837 came on, 
and the disasters that attended the inauguration of 
ihese plans and the operation of the banks were mu- 
tually charged upon the two political parties. Had 
any one man autocratic power to introduce and 
carry on any one of these measures, he would proba- 
bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public ; 
but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow 
handle, no success followed and each blamed the other 
for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan 
was carried along, suffering the like derogation of 
character with his fellow citizens. 

At the height of the excitement the Legislature 
" provided for " railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton 
to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the 
eastern boundary of the State in the direction of 
Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabash, 
Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, in all 
about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the 
improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia, 
Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ; 
also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis- 
jibuted to the various counties wherein no improve- 
ments were ordered to be made as above. The 
estimate for the expenses for all these projects was 
jlaced at a little over $10,000,000, which was not 
more than half enough ! That would now be equal to 
saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000! It 
was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times 
over, even counting all the possible benefits. 

One of the most exciting events that ever occurred 
in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love- 
py in the fall of 1837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's 
term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist," 
editing the Observer at that place, and the pro- 
slavery slums there formed themselves into a mob, 



and after destroying successively three presses be- 
longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse 
where the fourth press was stored away, endeavoring 
to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends 
were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the 
brave reformer! 

About this time, also, the question of removing the 
State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for 
its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close. 
There was, of course, considerable excitement over 
the matter, the two main points competing for it be- 
ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat- 
ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully 
allayed. 

Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842 
he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu- 
tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam 
W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the 
Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi- 
date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died 
before the campaign had advanced very far, and his 
party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected 
receiving 46,gor votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and 
909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success 
at this time is mainly attributed to the temporary 
support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the 
want of any knowledge, on the part of the masses, 
that Mr. Ford was opposed to any given policy en- 
tertained in the respective localities. 

Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa- 
tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited 
greatly by his various public services, and gathered 
a store of knowledge regarding public affairs which 
served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear 
judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral 
courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his 
deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira- 
tion of the people. His intercourse with them was 
both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov- 
ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was 
made, represents him as having a swarthy complex- 
ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing black 
eyes and straight black hair. 

He was a liberal patron of the Illinois College at 
Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and 
died, after a short illness, Jan. 15, 1844, a devoted 
member of the Presbyterian Church, leaving a wife 
but no children. Two children, born to them, had 
died in infancy. 



LIBRARY 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





HOMAS CARLIN, the sixth 
Governor of the State of 
Illinois, serving from 1838 
to 1842, was also a Ken- 
tuckian, being born near 
Frankfort, that State, July 
1 8, 1789, of Irish paternity. 
The opportunities for an education 
being very meager in his native 
place, he, on approaching years of 
judgment and maturity, applied 
himself to those branches of learn- 
ing that seemed most important, 
and thus became a self-made man ; 
and his taste for reading and 
study remained with him through 
life. In 1803 his father removed 
lo Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he 
died in 1810. 

In 1812 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici- 
pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the 
war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un- 
daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca 
Huitt, and lived for four years on the bank of the 
Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Mis- 
sc-ri, where he followed farming, and then removed 
to Greene County. He located the town site of Car- 
no 'ion, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal 
donation of land for county building purposes. He 
was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate 
organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a 
Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the 
Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a 
post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap- 
pointed by President Jackson to the position of 
Receiver of Public Mon-ys, and to fulfill the office 



more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy. 

While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal improvement 
system of the State was in full operation, witli all its 
expensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions 
throughout the United States, a great stringency in 
the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds 
forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest 
times " existing that the people of the Prairie State 
ever saw, the general election of State officers was 
approaching. Discreet men who had cherished the 
hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua- 
tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and 
Legislature were to be elected, and these were now 
looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State 
policy. But the grand scheme had not yet lost its 
dazzling influence upon the minds of the people. 
Time and experience had not yet fully demonstrated 
its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting 
its career of profligate expenditures did not become 
a leading one with the dominant party during the 
campaign, and most of the old members of the Leg 
islature were returned at this election. 

Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State 
Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin tor the 
office of Govjrnor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten- 
ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed- 
wards, brotherof Ninian Edwards, formerly Governor, 
and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly 
for a continuance of the State policy, while CarHr 
remained non-committal. This was the first time 
that the two main political parties in this State were 
unembar-assed by any third party in the field. The 
result of the election was: Carlin, 35,573; Ander- 
son, 30,335 ; Edwards, 29,629 ; and Davidson, 28,- 
715- 

Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature 
(1839), the retiring Governor CDuncan} in his mes- 



1 3* 



THOMAS CARLIN. 



sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the 
internal improvement system, presaging the evils 
threatened, and uiged that body to do their utmost 
to correct the great error ; yet, on the contrary, the 
Legislature not only decided to continue the policy 
but also added to its burden by voting more appro- 
priations and ordering more improvements. Although 
the money market was still stringent, a further loan 
of $4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich- 
igan Canal alone. Chicago at that time began to 
loom up and promise to be an important city, even 
the great emporium of the West, as it has since in- 
deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe- 
tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan, 
and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons- 
ible errand, and negotiated the loans, at considera- 
ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment 
io Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de- 
clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary 
of State until a vacancy existed, and A. P. Field, a 
Whig, who had already held the post by appointment 
through three administrations, was determined to 
keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car- 
lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in 
this regard, however, was finally sustained by the 
Supreme Court, in a quo warranto case brought up 
before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov- 
ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that 
dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!" 
endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure 
of office. 

A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici- 
ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges 
were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas 
Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B. 
Scales, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas 
all Democrats. 

It was during Cov. Carlin's administration that the 
noisy campaign of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc- 
curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however, 
did net affect Illinois politics very seriously. 

Another prominent event in the West during Gov. 
Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by 
the Mormons and their removal from Independence, 
Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time 
they began to figure somewhat in State politics. On 
account of their believing as they thought, accord- 
ing to the New Testament that they should have 



" all things common," and that consequently " all 
the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's " 
and therefore the property of his " saints," they 
were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing 
many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that 
were so rife throughout this country in those days. 
Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the 
Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of 
Missouri the Mormons always supported the Dem- 
ocracy until they were driven out by the Democratic 
government, when they turned their support to the 
Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the 
Legislature of 1840-1, therefore, it became a matter 
of great interest with both parties to conciliate these 
people. Through the agency of one John C. Ben- 
nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing 
through the Legislature (both parties not daring to 
oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir- 
tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed- 
eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the 
Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov. 
Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader, 
as a fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued th~ 
writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved. 
It was again issued in 1842, and Smith was arrested, 
but was either rescued by his followers or discharged 
by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus. 

In December, 1841, the Democratic Convention 
nominated Adam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov- 
ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla- 
ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter 
naturally turned their support to the Democratic 
party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex- 
Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime 
the Mormons began to grow more odious to the 
masses of the people, and the comparative prospects 
of the respective parties for success became very 
problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and 
Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as 
a candidate, and was elected. 

At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin 
removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where 
he spent the remainder of his life, i.z before his ele- 
vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1849 
he served out the unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the 
Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4, 
1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife 
and seven children. 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



'39 





JHOMAS FORD, Governor 
from 1842 to 1846, and au- 
thor of a very interesting 
history of Illinois, was born 
at Uniontown, Pa., in the 
year r 800. His mother, after 
the death of her first hus- 
band (Mr. Forquer), married Rob- 
ert Ford, who was killed in 1802, 
by the Indians in the mountains 
of Pennsylvania. She was conse- 
quently left in indigent circum- 
stances, with a large family, mostly 
girls. With a view to better her 
condition, she, in 1804, removed to 
Missouri, where it had been cus- 
tomary by the Spanish Govern- 
ment to give land to actual settlers ; but upon her 
arrival at St. Louis she found the country ceded to 
the United States, and the liberal policy toward set- 
tlers changed by the new ownership. After some 
sickness to herself and family, she finally removed to 
Illinois, and settled some three miles south of Water- 
loo, but the following year moved nearer the Missis- 
sippi bluffs. Here young Ford received his first 



schooling, under the instructions of a M\ Humphrey, 
for which he had to walk three miles. His mother, 
though lacking a thorough education, was a woman 
of superior mental endowments, joined to energy 
and determination of character. She inculcated in ' 
her children those high-toned principles which dis- 
tinguished her sons in public life. She exercised a 
rigid economy to provide her children an education ; 
but George Forquer, her oldest son (six years older 
than Thomas Ford), at an early age had to quit 
school to aid by his labor in the support of the family. 
He afterward became an eminent man in Illinois 
affairs, and but for his early death would probably 
have been elected to the United States Senate. 

Young Ford, with somewhat better opportunities, 
received a better education, though limited to the 
curriculum of the common school of those pioneer 
times. His mind gave early promise of superior en- 
dowments, with an inclination for mathematics. His 
proficiency attracted the attention of "Hon. Daniel P. 
Cook, who became his efficient patron and friend. 
The latter gentleman was an eminent Illinois states- 
man who, as a Member of Congress, obtained a grant 
of 300,000 acres of land to aid in completing the 
Illinois & Michigan Canal, and after whom the 
county of Cook was named. Through the advice of 






- 
. 





* 




GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



'43 





AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH, 
Governor of Illinois from 
1846 to 1852, was born in 
the town of Hill, in the 
State of New Hampshire, 
Aug. 2, 1808. He was a 
descendant in the fourth 
generation ot Nathaniel 
French, who emigrated from England 
in 1687 and settled in Saybury, Mass. 
In early life young French lost his 
father, but continued lo receive in- 
struction from an exemplary and 
Christian mother until he was 19 years 
old, when she also died, confiding to 
his care and trust four younger broth- 
ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with 
parental devotion. His education in early life was 
such mainly as a common school afforded. For a 
Srief period he attended Dartmouth College, but 
from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers 
and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently 
read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and 
shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at 
Albion, Edwards County, where he established him- 
self in the practice of law. The following year he 
removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained 
eminence in his profession, and entered public life 
by representing that county in the Legislature. A 
strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste- 
phen A. Douglas. 

In 1839. Mr. French was appointed Receiver of 
the ITiiied States La:id Office at Palestine, Craw- 
ford County, at which place he was a resident when 



elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1844 he was 
a. Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for 
James K. Polk. 

The Democratic State Convention of 1846, meet- 
ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French 
for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were 
Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of 
Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scales, 
Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, an array of 
very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per- 
haps defeated in the Convention by the tumor that 
he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, 
as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant 
Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi- 
dates were Lewis Ross, Win. McMurtry, Newton 
Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and W. W. Thompson. The 
resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita- 
tion of the old State Banks. 

The Wliigs, wiio were in a hopeless minority, held 
their convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected 
Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor, 
and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for 
Lieutenant Governor. 

In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's 
record and connection with the passage of the in- 
ternal improvement system, urging it against his 
election ; but in the meantime the war with Mexico 
broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un- 
popular in this State. The war was the absorbing 
and dominating question of the period, sweeping 
every other political issue in its course. The elec- 
tion in August gave Mr. French 58.700 votes, and 
Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Kells, Abolitionist 
candidate for the same office, received 5,152 vot*>s 



AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH. 



By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for 
State officers was ordered in November of that year, 
before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was 
re-elected for the term of four years. He was there- 
fore the incumbe.it for six consecutive years, the 
only Governor of this State who has ever served in 
that capacity so long at one time. As there was no 
organized opposition to his election, he received 67,- 
453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the 
first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V. 
Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for 
James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of 
Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in 
place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected 
and did not run again. 

Governor French was inaugurated into office dur- 
ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed 
during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of 
Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2, 
1848. The policy of Gov. French's party was com- 
mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair 
he was, of course, only an administrative officer. 
During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla- 
ture, by special permission of Congress, declared that 
all Government lands sold to settlers should be im- 
mediately subject to State taxation; before this they 
were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar- 
rangement the revenue was materially increased. 
About the same lime, the distribution of Government 
land warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty 
threw upon the market a great quantity of good 
lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State. 
The same Legislature authorized, with the recom- 
mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern 
Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the 
first in the State and now a section of the Wabash, 
St. Louis & Pacific) It sold for $100,000 in bonds, 
although it had cost the State not less than a million. 
The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve 
in Gallatin County, granted by the general Govern- 
ment to the State, were also authorized by the 
Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In 
1850, for the first time since 1839, the accruing State 
revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was 
sufficient to meet the current demands upon the 
treasury. The aggregate taxable property of the 
State at this time was over $100,000,000, and the 
population 851,470. 



In 1849 the Legislature adopted the township or- 
ganization law, which, however, proved defective, 
and was properly amended in 1851. At its session 
in the latter year, the General Assembly also passed 
a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions 
This beneficent measure had been repeatedly urged 
upon that body by Gov. French. 

In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com- 
menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of 
their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississippi 
in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking 
away from them as it sometimes threatened to do. 
This they undertook without permission from the 
Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and 
as many of the inhabitants thera complained that 
the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable 
land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re- 
sulting in favor of the St. Louis project; r.nd since 
then a good site has existed there for a city (East St. 
Louis), and now a score of railroads center there. 

It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted 
to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of 
the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, 
which constituted the most important epoch in the 
railroad we might say internal improvement his- 
tory of the State. The road was rushed on to com- 
pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in- 
terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi- 
zens, and by the charter a good income to the State 
Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road. 

In 1851 the Legislature passed a law authorizing 
free stock banks, which was the source of much leg- 
islative discussion for a number of years. 

But we have not space further to particularize 
concerning legislation. Gov. French's administra- 
tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised, 
while the country was settling up as never before. 

In stature, Gov. French was of medium height, 
squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy face 
and pleasant countenance. In manners he was 
plain and agreeable. By nature he was somewhat 
diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con- 
victions of duty. In public speech he was not an 
orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In 
business he was accurate and methodical, and in his 
administration he kept up the credit of the State. 

He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St. 
Qair Co., 111. 



LIBRARY 

OP THE 
UNIVERSITY uflLLIMIS 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS, 



0el 3L matteeott. 





|:OEL A. MATTESON, Governor 
1 85 3-6, was born Aug. 8, 1808, 
in Jefferson County, New York, 
to which place his father had re- 
moved from Vermont three years 
before. His father was a farmer 
in fair circumstances, but a com- 
mon English education was all 
that his only son received. Young 
Joel first tempted fortune as a 
small tradesman in Prescott, 
Canada, before he was of age. 
He returned from that place to 
his home, entered an academy, 
taught school, visited the prin- 
cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had 
given him, made a tour in the South, worked there 
in building railroads, experienced a slorin on the 
Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern 
Georgia, and returned via Nashville to St. Louis and 
through Illinois to his father's home, when he mar- 
ried. In 1833, having sold his farm, he removed, 
with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered 
a claim on-Government land near the head of Au 
Sable River, in what is now Kendall County. At 
that time there were not more than two neighbors 
within a range of ten miles of his place, and only 
.hree or fo ir house; between him and Chicago. He 
opened a l.irge farm. His family was boarded 12 



miles away while he erected a house on his claim, 
sleeping, during this time, under a rude pole shed. 
Here his life was once placed in imminent peril by 
a huge prairie rattlesnake sharing his bed. 

In 1835 he bought largely at the Government land 
sales. During the speculative real-estate mania which 
brokeout in Chicago in 1836 and spread over the State, 
he sold his lands under the inflation of that period 
and removed to Joliet. In 1838 he became a heavy 
contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon 
the completion of his job in 1841, when hard times 
prevailed, business at a stand, contracts paid in State 
scrip; when all the public works except the canal 
were abandoned, the State offered for sale 700 tons 
of railroad iron, which was purchased by Mr. Mat- 
teson at a bargain. This he accepted, shipped and 
sold at Detroit, realizing a very handsome profit, 
enough to pay off all his canal debts and leave him a 
surplus of several thousand dollars. His enterprise 
next prompted him to start a woolen mill at Joliet, 
in which he prospered, and which, after successive 
enlargements, became an enormous establishment. 

In 1842 he was first elected a State Senator, but, 
by a bungling apportionment, jc. in Pearson, a Senator 
holding over, was found to be in the same district, 
and decided to be entitled to represent it. Mat- 
teson's seat was declared vacant. Pearson, however 
with a nobleness difficult to appreciate in this day of 



JOEL A. MATTESON. 



greed for office, unwilling to represent his district 
under the circumstances, immediately resigned his 
unexpired term of two years. A bill was passed in a 
few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days' 
time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took 
his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity 
as a business man, he was made Chairman of the 
Committee on Finance, a position he held during 
this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms, 
discharging its important duties with ability and faith- 
fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest, 
when work was resumed on the canal under the new 
loan of $1,600,000 he again became a heavy con- 
tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in 
building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most 
energetic and thorough business man. 

He was nominated for Governor by the Demo- 
cratic State Convention which met at Springfield 
April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con- 
vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of 
Cook ; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of 
Menard ; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton ; and D. P. Bush, 
of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom- 
inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices 
the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A. 
Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at 
the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408. Mat- 
teson's forte was not on the stump; he had not cul- 
tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being 
all things to all men. His intellectual qualities took 
rather the direction of efficient executive ability. His 
turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage- 
ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov- 
ernmental principles, as in those more solid and 
enduring operations which cause the physical devel- 
opment and advancement of a State, of commerce 
and business enterprise, into which he labored with 
success to lead the people. As a politician he was 
just and liberal in his views, and both in official and 
private life he then stood untainted and free from 
blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social 
rirtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or 
citizen, he had few superiors. His messages present 
a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the 
State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant 
diction. 

The greatest excitement during his term of office 
was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, by Con- 



gress, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas in 
1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Tcrri 
tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of 
the Whig party of the North, through their bitter op- 
position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted 
into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what 
was temporarily called the " Anti- Nebraska " party, 
while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne- 
braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this 
embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham 
Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska" 
candidate for the United States Senatorship, while 
Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom- 
inated by the Democrats. But after a fewballotings 
in the Legislature (1855), these men were dropped, 
and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, 
was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson, 
then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot 
Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac- 
cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson s 
term expired, the Republicans were fully organized 
as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a 
full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but 
not the nation. 

The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import- 
ant measures, the present free-school system and a 
submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the 
people. The latter was defeated by a small majority 
of the popular vote. 

During the four years of Gov. Matteson s admin- 
istration the taxable wealth of the State was. about 
trebled, from $137,818,079 to $349,951,272; the pub- 
lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $12,843,- 
144; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the 
State resumed paying interest on its debt in New 
York as fast as it fell due ; railroads were increased 
in their mileage from something les,s than 400 to 
about 3.000 ; and the population of Chicago was 
nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad- 
rupled. 

Before closing this account, we regret that we have 
to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an 
upright man and a good Governor, was implicated 
in a false re-issue of redeemed canal scrip, amount- 
ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir- 
cuit Court the State recovered the principal and all 
the interest excepting $27,500. 

He died in the winter uf 1872-3, at Chicago, 



GO VEKMORS OF ILLINOIS. 



'- i. llL?!; 1 --' Y.<'I ;.V..'i . 'i . 'i . 'i . '' . V . 'X' . V . i 1 . '>' . ']' . i 1 .V.i 





ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov- 
ernor 1857-60, was born 
April 25, 1811, in the 
State of New York, near 
Painted Post, Yates County. 
His parents were obscure, 
honest, God-fearing people, 
who reared their children under the daily 
example of industry and frugality, accord- 
ing to the custom of that class of Eastern 
society. Mr. Bissell received a respecta- 
ble but not thorough academical education. 
By assiduous application he acquired a 
knowledge of medicine, and in his early 
manhood came West and located in Mon- 
roe County, this State, where he engaged in the 
practice of that profession. But he was not enam- 
ored of his calling: he was swayed by a broader 
ambition, to such an extent that the mysteries of the 
healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him 
further any charms. In a few years he discovered 
his choice of a profession to be a mistake, and when 
he approached the age of 30 he sought to begin 
anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him- 
self, discovered a singular facility and charm of 
speech, the exercise of which acquired for him a 
ready local notoriety. It soon came lo be under- 



stood that he desired to abandon his profession and 
take up that of the law. During terms of Court he 
would spend his time at the county seat among the 
members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready 
welcome. 

It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift 
into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem- 
ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and 
was an efficient member of that body. On his re- 
turn home he qualified himself for admission to the 
Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo- 
cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a 
pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures, 
clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly 
humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible 
effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut- 
ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and 
in that position he fully discharged his duty to the 
State, gained the esteem of the Bar, and seldom 
failed to convict the offender of the law. 

In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and 
with a straight, military bearing, he presented a dis- 
tinguished appearance. His complexion was dark, 
his head well poised, though not large, his address 
pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary 
in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent. 
He was twice married, the first time to Miss James, 



'5* 



WILLIAM H. BISSELL. 



of Monroe County, by whom he had two children, 
both daughters. She died soon after the year 1840, 
and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter 
of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator 
from this State. She survived htm but a short time, 
and died without issue. 

When the war with Mexico was declared in 1846, 
Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his 
regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost 
unanimous vote, 807 to 6. Conside j the limited 
opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of 
military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista 
he acquitted himself with intrepid and distinguished 
ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second 
Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver- 
ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely 
contested battle. 

After his return home, at the close of the war, he 
was elected to Congress, his opponents being the 
Hons. P. B. Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served' 
two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician. 
During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor 
of the adjustment measures; but in 1854 he opposed 
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and 
therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Douglas, and 
thus became identified with the nascent Republican 
party. 

During his first Congressional term, while the 
Southern members were following their old practice 
of intimidating the North by bullying language, 
and claiming mos't of the credit for victories in the 
Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the 
Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena 
Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern 
troops ; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel, 
which was accepted. This matter was brought up 
against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor 
and during his term of office, as the Constitution of 
this State forbade any duelist from holding a State 
office. 

In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth 
a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the 
United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell 
for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy, 
for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi- 
nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of Adams County, 
for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook 
County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the 



election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard- 
son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a 
ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal- 
anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor. 
His message to the Legislature was short and rather 
ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup- 
posed obligations of the people to the incorporators 
of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re- 
opening the slavery question by allusions to the 
Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion- 
ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was 
passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor 
at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious 
debate followed, and the question whether the Gov- 
ernor had the authority to recall a signature was 
referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in 
favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another 
outrageous attempt was made for a re-apportionment 
and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature 
failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor. 

It was during Gov. Bissell's administration that 
the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light 
implicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent 
State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat- 
ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except- 
ing $ 2 7.S - ( See sketch of Gov. Matteson.) 

In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu- 
lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and 
thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a 
million dollars. The State Government was impli- 
cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex- 
plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other 
matters previously mentioned, Gov. Bissell has been 
severely criticised, and he has also been most shame- 
fully libelled and slandered. 

On account of exposure in the army, the remote 
cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance 
into his system and eventually developed paraplegia, 
affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left 
his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco- 
motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was 
generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste- 
rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its 
stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18, 
1860, over nine months before the expiration of his 
gubernatorial term, at the early age of 48 years. He 
died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, oj 
which he har been a member since 1854. 



UNIVERSI 1 1 O j 



GC VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





|;OHN WOOD, Governor i86o-i,and 
the first settler of Quincy, 111., 
was born in the town of Sempro- 
nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co., 
N. Y., Dec. 20, 1798. He was 
the second child and only son of 
Dr. Daniel Wood. His mother, 
nee Catherine Crause, was of 
German parentage, and died 
while he was an infant. Dr. 
Wood was a learned and skillful 
physician, of classical attain- 
ments and proficient in several 
modern languages, who, after 
serving throughout the Revolu- 
tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted 
him by the Government, and resided there a re- 
spected and leading influence in his section until his 
death, at the ripe age of 92 years. 

The subject of this sketch, impelled by the spirit 
of Western adventure then pervading everywhere, 
left his home, Nov. 2, 1818, and passed the succeed- 
ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum- 
mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown. 
and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun 
County. In 1820, in company with Willard Keyes, 
he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast 
of Quincy, where for the next two years he pursued 
farming. In 1821 he visited "the Bluffs" (as the 
present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited) 
and, pleased with its prospects, soon after purchased 
a quarter-section of land near by, and in the follow- 
ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin, 



1 8 x 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which 
he then became the first and for some months the 
only occupant. 

About this time he visited his old friends in Pike 
County, chief of whom was William Ross, the lead- 
ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that 
county, which was thought then to be the possible 
commencement of a city. One day they and others 
were traveling together over the country between the 
two points named, making observations on the com- 
parative merits of the respective localities. On ap- 
proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place, 
the latter told his companions to follow him and he 
would show them where he was going to build a city. 
They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high 
point, from which the view in every direction was 
most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet 
untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept 
by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by 
navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at 
length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross 
replied, " But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to 
anything!" 

Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a 
city of over 30,000 population. 

In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice, 
as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply 
to the General Assembly for the formation of a new 
county. This was done the following winter, result- 
ing in the establishment of the present Adams 
County. During the next summer Quincy was se- 
lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then 
containing but four adult male residents and half 



JOHN WOOD. 



that number of females. Sinoe that period Mr. 
Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un- 
til his death, and far more than any other man was 
he identified with every measure of its progress and 
history, and almost continuously kept in public posi- 
tions. 

He was one of the early town Trustees, and after 
the place became a city he was often a member of 
the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the 
face of a constant large opposition political majority. 
In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856, 
on the organization of the Republican party, he was 
chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the 
ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the 
death of the latter, March 18, 1860, he succeeded to 
the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until 
Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after- 
ward. 

Nothing very marked characterized the adminis- 
tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam- 
paign of 1860, resulting in the election of the honest 
Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the 
United States, occurred during Ihe short period 
while Mr. Wood was Governor, and the excitement 
and issues of that struggle dominated over every 
other consideration, indeed, supplanted them in a 
great measure. The people of Illinois, during all 
that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes 
under Bissell's administration to the overwhelming 
issue of preserving the whole nation from destruction. 

In 1861 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele- 
gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at 
Washington, and in April of the san.e year, on the 
breaking oi't of the Rebellion, he was appointed 



Quartermaster-General of the State, which position 
he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com- 
mand as Colonel of the 1 37th 111. Vol. Inf., with 
whom he served until the period of enlistment ex- 
pired. 

Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi- 
fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few 
men have in personal experience comprehended so 
many surprising and advancing local changes as 
vested in the more than half century recollections of 
Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler 
on the "Bluffs," with no family, and no neighbor 
within a score of miles, the world of civilization away 
behind him, and the strolling red-man almost his 
only visitant, he lived to see growing around him, 
and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the 
wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second 
only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in 
beauty, prosperity and promise ; whose people recog- 
nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and 
liberality that attach to the name and lengthened 
life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor." 

Gov. Wood was twice married, first in January, 
1826,10 Ann M. Streeter, daughter of Joshua Streeter, 
formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had 
eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in 
June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow 
of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4, 
1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight 
children are now living, namely: Ann E., wife of 
Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C., who married Mary J. 
Abernethy; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner, 
and Joshua S., who married Annie Bradley. The 
last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and 
all the rest are still at Quincy. 




LIBRARY 

OF I HE 

UNIVERSITY ft ILLINOIS 




ICHARD YATES, the "War 
Governor," 1861-4, was born 
Jan. 18, 1818, on the banks of 
the Ohio River, at Warsaw, 
Gallatin Co., Ky. His lather 
moved in 1831 to Illinois, and t 
after stopping for a time in 
Springfield, settled at Island 
ve, Sangamon County. Here, 
after attending school, Richard joined 
the family. Subsequently he entered 
Illinois College at Jacksonville, 
where, in 1837, he graduated with 
first honors. He chose for his pro- 
fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har- 
din being his instructor. After ad- 
mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an 
advocate. 

Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon 
appeared in the political hustings, and, being a 
passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the 
West. Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to 
he party of his idol. In 1840 he engaged with great 
"rdor in the exciting " hard cider " campaign for 
Garrison. Two years later he was elected to the 
Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic 
stronghold. He served three or four terms in the 
Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora- 
^ry that by 1850 his large Congressional District, 
f Mending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties 
. .jrth to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him 
t 'i*. Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic 
opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop- 
; 'ar man who had won distinction at the battle of 
Cerro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had 
oeater. Muii. Stephen T. Logan for the same position, 



two years before, by a large majority. . Yates waf 
elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over 
John Calhoun. 

It was during Yates second term in Congress that 
the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com- 
promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re- 
opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took 
strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became 
identified with the rising Republican party. Conse- 
quently he fell into the minority in his district, which 
was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest, he 
fell behind Major Harris only 200 votes, after the 
district had two years before given Pierce 2,000 
majority for President. 

The Republican State Convention of 1 860 met at 
Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov- 
ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B. 
Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming- 
ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were 
also candidates before the Convention. Francis A. 
Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated foi 
Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr. 
Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re- 
membered as characterized by the great whirlpool 
which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion. 
The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen cf 
Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross, 
of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The 
Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party 
had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear- 
ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr. 
Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr, Allen 159,253. Mr. 
Yates received over a thousand more votes than did 
Mr. Lincoln himself. 

Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the 



i6o 



RICHARD YATES. 



most critical period of our country's history. In the 
fate of the nation was involved that of each State. 
The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance 
from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates 
seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself 
both loyal and wise in upholding the Government. 
He had a deep hold upon the affections of the 
people, won by his moving eloquence and genial 
manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of pre- 
possessing appearance, with a winning address and a 
magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele- 
ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and 
captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they 
were transported. He was social and convivial. In 
the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far. 

The very creditable military efforts of this State 
during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the 
field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers, 
were ever promptly and ably seconded by his excel- 
lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of 
"the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battle of 
Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look 
after the wounded, and his appeals for aid were 
promptly responded to by the people. His procla- 
mations calling for volunteers were impassionate 
appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re- 
quirements of patriotism; and his special message 
in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State 
pleading for material aid for the sick and wounded 
soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor 
of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in 
beauty or felicity of expression. Generally his mes- 
sages on political and civil affairs were able and com- 
prehensive. During his administration, however, 
there were no civil events of an engrossing character, 
although two years of his time were replete with 
partisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar- 
rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton 
County, attempted suppression of the Chicago Times 
and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of 
1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting 
during the Governor's term. This Convention assem- 
bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high position that 
'he law calling it was no longer binding, and that it 
:,ad supreme power; that it represented a virtual 
assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was 
sovereign in the exercise of all power necessary to 
effect a. peaceable revolution of the State Government 



and to the re-establishment of one for the "happiness, 
prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only 
by the Federal Constitution. Notwithstanding the 
law calling the Convention required its members to 
take an oath to support the Constitution of the State 
as well as that of the general Government, they 
utterly refused to take such oath. They also as- 
sumed legislative powers and passed several import- 
ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present 
executive duties, Gov. Yates was ^revoked to tell 
them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right 
of the Convention to instruct him in the performance 
of his duty." 

In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats 
by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after 
a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to 
waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and, 
while the two houses were disagreeing upon the 
question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having 
the authority in such cases, surprised them all by 
adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the 
first Monday in January, 1865 ! " This led to great 
excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the 
Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in 
his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive 
abuse for weeks and months afterward. 

During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de- 
tected at Chicago which had for its object the liber- 
ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the 
burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion 
in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the 
camp at the time, first had his suspicions of danger 
aroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters 
which passed through the Camp postoffice. A de- 
tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen. 
Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed 
name, and he, with other rebel officers Grenfell, 
Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles 
Walsh was arrested, most of whom were convicted 
by a court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to 
imprisonment, Grenfell to be hung. The sentence 
of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison- 
ment for life, and all the others, after nine months' 
imprisonment, were pardoned. 

In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was appointed a Gov- 
ernment Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in 
which office he continued until his decease, at St. 
Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following. 



UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS 



I 







GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



163 





ICHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov- 
ernor 1865-8, and re-elected 
in 1872 and 1884, was born 
July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co., 
Ky., the State which might 
be considered the " mother of 
Illinois Governors." Bereft of 
his parents at the tender age 
of eight years, his early education 
was neglected. When 12 years of 
age, and after he had worked a year 
and a half at the carpenter's trade, 
he removed with an uncle, Willis 
Oglesby, into whose care he had 
been committed, to Decatur, this 
State, where he continued his ap- 
ticeship as a mechanic, working six months for 
Hon. E. O. Smith. 

In 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring- 
field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him 
one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and 
commenced the practice of his chosen profession at 
Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County. 

The next year the war with Mexico was com- 
menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered, 
was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois 
Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat- 
tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. 

On his return he sought to perfect his law studies 
by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but 
on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in 
1849, he crossed the plains and mountains to the 
new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com- 



pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader. 

In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and 
was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket 
of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe, 
Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his 
return home he resumed the practice of law, as a 
member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby. 
In 1858 he was the Republican nominee for the 
Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the 
Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In 1860 he 
was elected to the Illinois State Senate ; and on the 
evening the returns of this election were coming in. 
Mr. Oglesby had a fisticuff encounter with " Cerro 
Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious, 
and which was regarded as " the first fight of the 
Rebellion." The following spring, when the war 
had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature 
quickly responded to the demands of patriotism and 
he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature 
elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry, 
the second one in the State raised to suppress the 
great Rebellion. 

He was shortly entrusted with important com- 
mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point 
and Cairo ; in April he was promoted Brigadier Gen- 
eral ; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van, 
being stationed on the right of General Grant's army 
and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500 
men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these 
men were from Macon County. He was engaged in 
the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this 
place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball, 
and was carried from the field in expectation of ina- 



i6 4 



RICHARD J. OGLESBY. 



mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this 
day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as 
Major General, for gallantry, his commission to rank 
from November, 1862. In the spring of 1863 he 
was assigned to the command of the i6th Army 
Corps, but, owing to inability from the effects of his 
wound, he relinquished this command in July, that 
year. Gen. Grant, however, refused to accept his 
resignation, and he was detailed, in December follow- 
ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeon General of 
the Army at Washington, where he remained until 
May, 1864, when he returned home. 
The Republican, or Union, State Convention of 

1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr. 
Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor, 
while other candidates before the Convention were 
Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois.of Sanga- 
mon, and John M. Palmer, of Macoupin. Wm. 
Brass, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant 
Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were 
James C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S. 
Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Lieutenant Governor. 
The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority 
of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a 
majority in both the Legislature and in the repre- 
sentation in Congress. 

Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, 1865. 
The day before the first time set for his installation 
death visited his home at Decatur, and took from it 
his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of six 
years, a great favorite of the bereaved parents. This 
caused the inauguration to be postponed a week. 

The political events of the Legislative session of 

1865 were the election of ex-Gov. Yates to the 
United States Senate, and the ratification of the i3th 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 
abolishing slavery. This session also signalized 
itself by repealing the notorious " black laws," part 
of which, although a dead letter, had held their place 
upon the statute books since 1819. Also, laws re- 
quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a 
State Board of Equalization, were passed by this Leg- 
islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor- 
ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted 
some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota- 
bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse 
railway, granted in 1859 for 25 years, and now 
sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure 
was promptly passed over his veto by both branches 
of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to 
attempt to check their headlong career. At this 
session no law of a general useful character or public 
interest was perfected, unless we count such the 
turning over of the canal to Chicago to be deepened. 
The session of 1867 was still more productive of 
private and special acts. Many omnibus bills were 
proposed, and some passed. The contests over the 
.ocation of the Industrial College, the Capital, the 



Southern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement 
and Illinois River improvement, dominated every- 
thing else. 

During the year 1872, it became evident that if 
the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the 
office of Governor, they could also elect him to the 
United States Senate, which they desired to do. 
Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu- 
tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with him for 
Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook 
County. On the other side the Democrats put into 
the field Gustavus Koerner for Governor and John 
C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election 
gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from 
35334 to S 6 , I 74i the Democratic defection being 
caused mainly by their having an old-time Whig and 
Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket 
fot President. According to the general understand- 
ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature met 
it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate, 
whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena- 
tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having 
served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of 
statesmanship beyond criticism. 

During the campaign of 1884 Mr. Oglesby was 
nominated for a "third term" as Executive of the 
State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor 
of Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both 
gentlemen " stumped " the State, and while the peo- 
ple elected a Legislature which was a tie on a join'; 
ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the 
jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of r 5,01 8 for Gov- 
ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The 
Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on 
account of its equal division between the two main 
parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each 
party to checkmate the latter in the organization of 
the House. 

Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with 
regular, well defined features and rotund face. In 
stature he is a little above medium height, of a large 
frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear- 
ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight- 
out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are weL 
calculated favorably to impress the average masses. 
Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol- 
icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism 
among Republicans, while at the same time hisjovia. 
and liberal manner prevents those of the opposite 
party from hating him. 

He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe- 
ment, passionate and scornful tone and gesturcr,. 
tremendous physical power, which in speak'ng he 
exercises to the utmost ; with frequent descents to 
the grotesque; and with abundant homely compari- 
sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest 
vernacular and enforced with stentorian er.ichasis, 
he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



16, 





)HN Me AULEY PALMER, Gov- 
ernor 1869-72, was born on 
Engle Creek, Scott Co., Ky , 
Sept. 13, 1817. During his in- 
fancy, his father, who had been 
a soldier in the wnr of 1812, re- 
moved to Christian Co., Ky., 
where lands were cheap. Here 
the future Governor of the greai 
Prairie State spent his childhood 
and received such meager school 
ing as the new and sparsely set- 
tled country afforded. To this 
he added materially by diligent 
reading, for which he evinced an 
eaily aptitude. His father, an ardent Jackson man, 
was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which 
he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 1831 
he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County. 
Here the labor of improving a farm \vas pursued for 
about two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's 
mo;her broke up the family. About this time Alton 
College was opened, on the "manual labor " system, 
and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his 
elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained 
1 8 months. Next, for over three years, he tried 
various')' coopering, peddling and school-teaching. 

Dining the summer of 1838 he formed the ac- 
quaintunce f Sie;ihe.i A Douglas, then making his 



first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in 
political accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi- 
dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The 
following winter, while teaching near Canton, he be- 
gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading 
of law, and in the spring entered a law office at Car- 
linville, making his home with his elder brother, 
Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con- 
siderable orginality of. thought and doctrine.) On 
the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad- 
mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners. 
He was not immediately successful in his profession, 
and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville 
had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty 
was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes 
the success of his life. 

From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his 
profession, he participated more or less in local 
politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. Ir 
1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con 
vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 h*. 
was elected to the State Senate, and at the special 
session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slaverj 
sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in op 
position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, 
and when the Nebraska question became a partj 
issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for th< 
Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuinj 
a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward 



i6S 



JOHN MC AULEY PALMER. 



however, hesitating to break with his party, he par- 
ticipated in a Congressional Convention which noini- 
T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which 
unqualifiedly approved the principles of the Kansas- 
Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made 
the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat, and was elected. The following winter 
ne put in nomination for the United States Senate 
Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men 
who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their 
support and elected their man. 

In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State 
Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in 
1859, but was defeated. In 1860 he was Republican 
Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861 
ne was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re- 
publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at 

Washington. 

When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his 
services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the 

:4th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements 
at Island No. 10; at Farndngton, where he skillfully 
extricated his command from a dangerous position ! 
at Stone River, where his division for several hours, 
Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a 
rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major 
General; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's 
divisions for two hours maintained their position 
when they were cut off by overpowering numbers 
Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the I4lh 
Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign. 
At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert 
disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as- 
signed to the military administration of Kentucky, 
which was a delicate post. That State was about 
half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter 
element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves. 
He, who had been bred to the rules of common law, 
trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary 
power ovjr the persons and property of his fellow 
men, with which he was vested in his capacity as 
military Governor; and he exhibited great caution in 
the execution of the duties of his post. 

Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi- 
nois by the Republican State Convention which met 
at Pe >ri i M ly 6, 1868, and his nomination would 
probably have been made by acclamation had he not 
oersistently declared that he could not accept a can- 



didature for the office. The result of the ensuing 
election gave Mr. Palmer a majarity of 44,707 over 
John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee. 

O.i the meeting of the Legislature in January, 
1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was 
that portion of the Governor's message which took 
broad State's rights ground. This and some minor 
pjints, which were more in keeping with the Demo- 
cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge f>r 
the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received 
f ro n the Republican party, and ultim uely resulted 
in his entire alenia'ion from the Litter element. The 
Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro- 
duction of numerous bills in the interest of private 
parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor. 
Among the public acts passed was that which limited 
railroad charges for passenger travel to a maximum 
of three cents per mile ; a.id it was passed over the- 
Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto, 
the "tax-grabbing law" to pay nulroed subscriptions, 
the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State 
Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a 
peaceful " revolution" which took place during Gov. 
Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the 
great Chicago Fire of October, 1871, was greatly 
alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency. 

Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers 's term, he has 
been somewhat prominent in Illinois politics, and 
h:is been talked of by many, especially in the Dem- 
ocratic party, as the best man in the State for a 
United States Senator. His business during life has 
been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate 
appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles- 
The great number of his able veto messages abun- 
dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to 
[>oint them out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner 
and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker, 
though not fluent or ornate. Without brilliancy, his 
dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with 
appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot 
and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is 
above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy 
complexion and sanguine-nervous temperament He 
has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social 
in disposition, easy of approach, unostentatious in his 
habits of life, democratic in his habits and manners 
and is a true American in his fundamental principle' 
of statesmansliii . 



GO VERKORS OF ILLINOIS. 



171 




. '. .,'1 . ', .>'> ,,','.:', . ', . y.,<i '. v. '. '. 'X' ; : v : >' : i> ..'..','.. ,';v :.'.. .':.'.: >*: .' : .'<;.' 




OHN LOWRiE BEVER- 
IDGE, Governor 1873-6, was 
born in the town of Green- 
wich, Washington Co., N. Y., 
July 6, 1824. His parents 
were George and Ann Bever- 
idge. His father's parents, An- 
drew and Isabel Beveridge, be- 
fore 'their marriage emigrated 
from Scotland just before the 
Revolutionary War, settling in 
^ Washington County. His father 
was the eldest of eight brothers, the 
youngest of whom was 60 years of 
age when the first one of the num- 
ber died. His mother's parents, 
James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated 
from Scotland at the close of the 
Revolutionary War, settling also in 
Washington Co., N. Y., with their 
first-born, whose " native land " was 
the wild ocean. His parents and 
grandparents lived beyond the time 
allotted to man, their average age 
being over 80 years. They belonged to the " Asso- 
ciate Church," a seceding Presbyterian body of 



America from the old Scotch school ; and so rigid 
was the training of young Beveridge that he never 
heard a sermon from any other minister except that 
of his own denomination until he was in his igth 
year. Later in life he became a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still 
holds. 

Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed- 
ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood 
only by rigid economy and industry, could not send 
him away to college. He was raised upon a farm, 
and was in his i8th year when the family removed 
to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was 
very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000 
inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a 
farm laborer, teaching school during the winter 
months to supply the means of an education. In the 
fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at 
Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several 
terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris, 
Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At 
this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers 
were anxious to have him go to college, even though 
lie had not money sufficient; but, n 4 willing to bur- 
den the family, he packed his trunk and with only 
$40 in money started South to seek his fortune 



JOHN L. BE VE RIDGE. 



Poor, alone, without friends and influence, he thus 
entered upon the battle of life. 

First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and 
Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under- 
went considerable mental drill, both in book studies 
and in the ways of the world. He read law and was 
admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn 
to love the institution of slavery, although he ad- 
mired many features of Southern character. In De- 
cember, 1847, he returned North, and Jan. 20, 1848, 
he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark- 
Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at that 
time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring 
of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee, 
where his two children, Alia May and Philo Judson, 
were born. 

In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement 
of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu- 
lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to 
earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb 
Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro- 
fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival 
from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in 
money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself 
and family. He borrowed a-little money, practiced 
.aw, worked m public offices, kept books for some of 
the business men of the town, and some railroad en- 
gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed 
to Evanston, 12 miles north of Chicago, a place then 
but recently laid out, under the supervision of the 
Northwestern University, a Methodist institution. 
Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial 
agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge 
prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law 
office in Chicago, where he found the battle some- 
what hard; but he persevered with encouragement 
and increasing success. 

Aug. 12, 1861, his law partner, Gen. John F. 
Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment of 
cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a 
company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais- 
ing the company, of course enlisting himself along 
with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles, 
111., was mustered in Sept. 1 8, and on its organiza- 
tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at- 
tached, Oct. ii, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the 
Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment 
until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat- 



tles and skirmishes : was s\ Fair Oaks, the seven days 
fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- 
ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment 
thegreaterpartofthesummerof i863,andit waswhlle 
lying in camp this year that he originated thu policy 
of encouraging recruits as well as the fighting capac- 
ity of the soldiery, by the wholssale furlough system 
It worked so well that many other officers adopted 
it. In the fall of this year he recruited anothercom- 
pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was 
commissioned Colonel of the i7th 111. Cav., and 
skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the 
reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's 
army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various 
sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered 
out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and 
a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men 
idolized him. 

He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with 
no library and no clientage, and no political experi- 
ence except to help others i.ito office. In the fall of 
1866 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving 
one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced 
law and closed up the unfinished business of his 
office. He was then elected State Senator; in No- 
vember, 1871, he was elected Congressmaii'at large; 
in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesby; the latter be- 
ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became 
Governor, Jan. 21, 1873 Thus, inside of a few 
weeks, he was Congressma i at large, Lieutenant 
Governor and Governor. The principal events oc- 
curring during Gov. Beveridge 's administration were: 
The completion of the revision of the statutes, begun 
in 1869; the partial success of t'l ; "farmers' move- 
ment;" " Haines' Legislature " a. id Illinois' exhibit at 
the Centennial. 

Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov 
Beveridge has been a member of the finn of Bever- 
idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers in commercial 
paper at 71 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block), 
Chicago, and since November, 1881, he has also been 
Assistant United States Treasurer- office in the 
Government Building. His residence is still at Ev- 
anston. 

He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in 
De Kalb County James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet 
Henry and Mrs Isabel French. 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



SHELBY M. CULLOM. 





HELBV M. CULLOM, Gover- 
nor 1877-83, ib the sixth child 
of the late Richard N. Cullom, 
and was born Nov. 22, 1829, in 
Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa- 
ther then resided, and whence 
both the Illinois and Tennessee 
branches of the family originated. In 
the following year the family emi- 
grated to the vicinity of Washington, 
Tazewell Co., 111., when that section 
was very sparsely settled. They lo- 
cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at 
the time occupied by a party of In- 
dians, attracted there by the superior 
hunting and fishing afforded in that 
vicinity. The following winter was 
known as the " hard winter," the snow being very 
deep and lasting and the weather severely cold ; and 
t'ne family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or 
hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In 
the course of time Mr. R. N. Culloro became a prom- 
inent citizen and was several times elected to the 
Legislature, both before and after the removal of the 
capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about 
' 8 73- 

Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up 

tc agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had 

lunortunity during the winter. Within this time, 

owevet, he spent several months teaching r.hool. 



and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with 
an ox team for the neighbors. With the money ob- 
tained by these various ventures, he undertook a 
course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a 
Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County: 
but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu- 
dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken 
home, being considered in a hopelesa condition. While 
at Mt. Morris he heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make 
his first speech. 

On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to 
study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln, 
at Springfield, who had by this time attained some 
notoriety as an able lawyer; but the latter, being ab- 
sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr. 
Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards. 
After about a year of study there, however, his healtb 
failed again, and he was obliged to return once more 
to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs for 
packing, for A. G. Tyng, in 1'eoria, and while he re- 
gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in 
a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he 
went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City 
Attorney, on the Anti-Nebraska ticket. 

In 1856 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi- 
dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as 
such, he was at the same time elected a Representa- 
tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a 
local coalition of the American and Republican par- 
ties. On the organization of the House, he received 
the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. 



| 7 6 



SHELB Y M. CULLOM. 



law until 1860, he was again elected to the Legisla- 
ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo- 
cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow- 
ing he was elected Speaker, probably the youngest 
man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis- 
lature. After the session of 1 86 1, he was a candidate 
for the State Constitutional Convention called for 
that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the 
disgrace of being connected with that abortive party 
scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In 
1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but 
was defea'eJ. The same year, however, he was ap- 
pointed by President Lincoln on a Government 
Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of 
Massachusetts and Cnarles A. Dana, since of the 
New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the 
Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at 
Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty. 

In 1864 he entered upon a larger political field, 
being nominated as the Republican candidate for 
Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in 
opposition to the incumbent, John T. Stuart, who had 
been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over 
Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago. 
The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem- 
ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he 
was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler, by 
the magnificent majority of 4,103! In 1868 he was 
again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards, 
ani >ther of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes. 

During his first term in Congress he served on the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expenditures in 
the Treasury Department; in his second term, on 
the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ; 
and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of 
Oliio, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro- 
duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of 
law i:i Utah, which caused more consternation among 
the Mormons than any measure had previously, but 
which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the 
Senate. 

The Republican Convention which met May 25, 
1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the 
other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten- 
ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor 
of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the 
Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists, 
nlaced in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy 



farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The 
result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom 
obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated 
Jan. 8, 1877. 

Great depression prevailed in financial circles at 
this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of 
1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed 
to gather force from that time to the end of Gov. 
Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative 
period was not calculated to call forth any new 
issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time 
put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that 
had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring 
classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East 
St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring 
men for a short time refused to work or allow others 
to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and 
the wheels of industry again set in motion. 

In May, 1880, GJV. Cullom was re-nominated by 
the Republicans, against Lyinan Trumbull, by the 
Democrats; and although the former party was some- 
what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous 
faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant 
men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected 
by about 314,565, to 277,532 forthe Democratic State 
ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was 
about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again 
became Republican, and no representative of the 
Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov. 
Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, 1881. In his mes- 
sage he announced that the last dollar of the State 
debt had been provided for. 

March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United 
States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul- 
lo n was chosen to succeed him. This promoted 
Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov- 
ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United 
St.-ites Senate will expire March 4, 1889. 

A.S a practitioner oflaw Mr. C. has been a member 
ofthe firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring- 
field ; and he has also been President of the State 
National Bank. 

He has been married twice, the first time Dec. 
itt, 1855, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had 
trto daughters; and the second time May 5, 1863, 
to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is ,1 member ofthe Method - 
isl Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mi. 
C. is also in sympathy. 



GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 





OHN MARSHALL HAMIL- 
TON, Governor 1883-5, was 
born May 28, 1847, in a log 
house upon a farm about two 
miles from Richwood, Union 
County,Ohio. His father was 
muel Hamilton, the eldest son 



of Rev. Wm. Hamilton, who, to- 
gether with his brother, the Rev. 
Samuel Hamilton, was among the 
early pioneer Methodist preachers in 
Ohio. The mother of the subject of 
this sketch was, before her marriage, 
Mrs. Nancy McMoiris, who was 
born and raised in Fauquier or Lou- 
doun County, Va., and related to the 
two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well 
known in that commonwealth ; and from the latter 
family name was derived the middle name of Gov. 
Hamilton. 

In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's haher sold out 
his little pioneer forest home in Union County, O., 
and, loading his few household effects and family 
(of six children) inlo two emigrant covered wagons, 
moved to Roberts Township. Marshall Co., 111., being 
2 1 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams 
and innumerable hardships and privations met them 
on their way. Their new home had been previously 
selected by the father. Here, after many long years 
of toil, they succeeded in payihg for the land and 
.nakir.g a com fort ->>>'> home. John was, of course, I 



brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling 
except three or four months in the year at a common 
country school. However, he evinced a capacity 
and taste for a high order of self-education, by 
studying or reading what books be could borrow, as 
the family had but very few in the house. Much of 
his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in 
the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial 
panic of 1857 caused the family to come near losing 
their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two 
sons, William and John, "buckled to'' and perse- 
vered in hard labor and economy until they redeemed 
their place from the mortgage. 

When the tremendous excitement of the political 
campaign of 1860 reached the neighborhood of Rob- 
erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been 
brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal- 
ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special 
efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he 
joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag- 
nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the 
ensuing election it became evident that trouble 
would ensue with the South, and this Wide-Awake 
company, like many others throughout the country, 
kept up its organization and transformed itself into a 
military company. During the ensuing summer they 
met often for drill and became proficient ; but when 
they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton 
was rejected on account of his youth, he being then 
but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 he 
attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County, 



JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON. 



and in the following May he again enlisted, for the 
fourth time, when he was placed in the 14151 111. 
Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111., 
for the too-day service. He took with him 13 other 
lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the 
service. This regiment operated in Southwestern 
Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine. 

The following winter, 1864-5, Mr. Hamilton taught 
school, and during the two college years 1865-7, ne 
went through three years of the curriculum of the 
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The 
third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46, 
in the classical department. In due time he received 
the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the 
Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad- 
emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By 
this time he had commenced the study of law, and 
after earning some money as a temporary Professor 
of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at 
Bloomington, he entered the law office of Weldon, 
Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of 
this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge. 
Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Hamilton 
was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton hav- 
ing been elected Judge. In October following he 
formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time 
Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then 
small, but they increased it to very large proportions, 
practicing in all grades of courts, including even the 
U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued 
arnbroken until Feb. 6, 1883, when Mr. Hamilton 
was sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th 
f March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con- 
gress. 

In July, 1871, Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen 
M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Win. G. Williams, 
Professor of Greek in the Ohio Wesleyan University. 
Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son. 

In 1876 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re- 
publicans for the State Senate, over other and older 
competitors. He took an active part " on the stump " 
in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was 
elected by a majority of 1,640 over his Democratic- 
Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on 
the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti- 
tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel- 
lany ; and during the contest for the election of a 
U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re- 



elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on 
every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi- 
cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and 
the Democrats and Independents elected Judg? 
David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the 
first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of 
which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, against co 
much opposition that the bill was several times 
" laid on the table." Also, this session authorized 
the location and establishment of a southern peni- 
tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session 
of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President pro tern. 
of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John 
A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who was this time 
elected without any trouble. 

In May, 1880, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on 
the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Governor, his 
principal competitors before the Convention being 
Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, Judge Robert Bell, of ^abash 
County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and 
Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. Reengaged 
actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected 
by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor, 
he presided almost continuously over the Senate in 
the 32d General Assembly and during the early days 
of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship. 
When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom 
to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton 
succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the 
oath of office Feb. 6, 1883. He bravely met all the 
annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon 
taking up another's administration. The principal 
events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as 
the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis- 
aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clairand Madison 
Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the 
State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license 
liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc. 

The Governor was a Delegate at large to the 
National Republican Convention at Chicago in June, 

1884, where his first choice for President was John 
A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but 
he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr. 
Elaine, true to his party. 

Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Jan. 30, 

1885, when the great favorite "Dick" Oglesby was 
inaugurated. 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



183 





5EPH WILSON FIFER. This 
distinguished gentleman was 
elected Governor of Illinois 
November 6, 1888. He was 
popularly known during the 
campaign as "Private Joe." He 
had served with great devotion 
to his country during the Re- 
bellion, in the Thirty-third 
Illinois Infantry. A native of 
Virginia, he was born in 1840. 
His parents, John and Mary 
(Daniels) Fifer, were American 
born, though of German de- 
scent. His father was a brick 
and stone mason, and an old 
Henry Clay Whig in politics. John and Mary 
Fifer had nine children, of whom Joseph was the 
sixth, and naturally, with so large a family, it was 
all the father could do to keep the wolf from the 
door, to say nothing of giving his children any- 
thing like good educational advantages. 

Joseph attended school for a while in Virgina, 
but it was not a good school, and when his father 
removed to the West, in 1857, Joseph had not ad- 
vanced much further than the "First Reader." 
Our subject was sixteen then and suffered a great 
misfortune in the loss of his mother. After the 



death of Mrs. Fifer, which occurred in Missouri, 
the family returned to Virgina, but remained only 
a short time, as during the same year Mr. Fifer 
came to Illinois. He settled in McLean County 
and started a brickyard. Here Joseph and his 
brothers were put to work. The elder Mr. Fifer soon 
bought a farm near Bloomington and began life 
as an agriculturist. Here Joe worked and attended 
the neighboring school. He alternated farm- work, 
and brick-laying, going to the district school for 
the succeeding few years. It was all work and no 
play for Joe, yet it by no means made a dull boy 
of him. All the time he was thinking of the great 
world outside, of which he had caught a glimpse 
when coming from Virginia, yet he did not know 
just how he was going to get out into it. He 
could not feel that the woods around the new farm 
and the log cabin, in which the family lived, were 
to hold him. 

The opportunity to get out into the world was 
soon offered to young Joe. He traveled a dozen 
miles barefoot, in company with his brother George, 
and enlisted in Company C, Thirty-third Illinois 
Infantry, he being then twenty years old. In a 
few days, the regiment was sent to Camp Butler, 
and then over into Missouri, and saw some vigor- 
ous service there. After a second time helping to 
chase Price out of Missouri, the Thirty-third Regi- 



184 



JOSEPH W. FIFER. 



ment went down to Milliken's Bend, and for several 
weeks "Private Joe" worked on Grant's famous 
ditch. The regiment then joined the forces oper- 
ating against Port Gibson and Vickshurg. Joe 
was on guard duty in the front ditches when the 
flag of surrender was run up on the 4th of July, 
and stuck the bayonet of his gun into the embank- 
ment and went into the city with the vanguard of 
Union soldiers. 

The next day, July 5, the Thirty-third joined 
the force after Johnston, who had been threatening 
Grant's rear; and finally an assault was made on him 
at Jackson, Miss. In this charge "Private Joe" fell, 
terribly wounded. He was loading his gun, when 
a minie-ball struck him and passed entirely 
through his body. He was regarded as mortally 
wounded. His brother, George, who had been 
made a Lieutenant, proved to be the means of sav- 
ing his life. The Surgeon told him that unless he 
had ice his brother could not live. It was fifty miles 
to the nearest point where ice could be obtained, 
and the roads were rough. A comrade, a McLean 
County man, who had been wounded, offered to 
make the trip. An ambulance was secured and 
the brother soldier started on the journey. He re- 
turned with the ice, but the trip, owing to the 
roughness of the road, was very hard on him. Af- 
ter a few months' careful nursing, Mr. Fifer was able 
to come home. The Thirty-third came home on a 
furlough, and when the boys were ready to return 
to the tented field, young Fifer was ready to go 
with them, for he was determined to finish his 
term of three years. He was mustered out in Oct- 
ober, 1864, having been in the service three years 
and two months. 

"Private Joe" came out of the army a tall, tan- 
ned, and awkward young man of twenty-four. 
About all he possessed was ambition to be some- 
body and pluck. Though at an age when most 
men have finished their college course, the young 
soldier saw that if he was to be anybody he must 
have an education. Yet he had no means to ena- 
ble him to enter school as most young men do. 
He was determined to have an education, however, 
and that to him meant success. For the following 
four years he struggled with his books. He en- 



tered Wesleyan University January 1, 1865. He 
was not a brilliant student, being neither at the 
head nor at the foot of his class. He was in great 
earnest, however, studied hard and came forth with 
a well-stored and disciplined mind. 

Immediately after being graduated, he entered 
an office at Bloomington as a law student. He 
had previously read law a little, and as he continued 
to work hard, with the spur of poverty and prompt- 
ings of ambition ever with him, he was ready to 
hang out his professional shingle in 1869. Being 
trustworthy, he soon gathered about him some in- 
fluential friends. In 1871 he was elected Corpora- 
tion Counsel of Bloomington. In 1872 he was 
elected State's Attorney of McLean County. This 
office he held eight years, when he took his seat in 
the State Senate. He served for four years. His 
ability to perform abundance of hard work made 
him a most valued member of the Legislature. 

Mr. Fifer was married in 1870 to Gertie, daugh- 
ter of William J. Lewis, of Bloomington. Mr. Fifer 
is six feet in height and is spare, weighing only one 
hundred and fifty pounds. He has a swarthy com- 
plexion, keen black eyes, quick movement, and pos- 
sesses a frank and sympathetic nature, and natur- 
lly makes friends wherever he goes. During the 
late gubernatorial campaign his visits throughout 
the State proved a great power in his behalf. His 
faculty of winning the confidence and good wishes 
of those with whom he comes in personal contact 
is a source of great popularity, especially during a 
political battle. As a speaker he is fluent, his lan- 
guage is good, voice clear and agreeable, and man- 
ner forcible. His manifest earnestness in what he 
says, as well as his tact as a public speaker, and his 
eloquent and forceful language, make him a most 
valuable campaign orator and a powerful pleader 
at the bar. At the Republican State Convention, 
held in May, 1888, Mr. Fifer was chosen as its 
candidate for Governor. He proved a popular 
nominee, and the name of "Private Joe" became 
familiar to everyone throughout the State. He 
waged a vigorous campaign, was elected by a good 
majority, and in due time assumed the duties of 
the Chief Executive of Illinois. 



GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 



>. fillgeld. 




)HN P. ALTGELD, the present 
||j Governor of Illinois, is a native 
|pw of Prussia, born in 1848. Shortly 
after his birth his parents emi- 
grated to America, locating on 
a farm near Mansfield, Ohio. 
When but a mere lad, young 
Altgeld had to walk from the 
farm to Mansfield with butter, 
eggs and garden produce, which 
he peddled from house to house. 
About 1856, his parents moved 
to the city of Mansfield, and for 
a time our subject was engaged 
morning and evening in driv- 
ing cattle to and from the pas- 
ture, a distance of eight miles. When fourteen 
years of age he hired out as a farm hand, and con- 
tinued in that avocation the greater part of his 
time until he was sixteen years of age, when he 
enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Sixty- 
fourth Ohio Infantry, and served until the close of 
the war. On being mustered in, the regiment was 
sent to Washington and was actively engaged in 
the various campaigns in and around that city 
until the surrender of Lee. In the fall of 1864, 
young Altgeld was taken sick, while with his regi- 
ment in the front, and the surgeon desired to send 
him to a hospital hi Washington; but he asked to 



be allowed to remain with the regiment, and soon 
recovering from his sickness was actively engaged 
until the close of the war. He was mustered out 
at Columbus, Ohio, in the spring of 1865. The 
succeeding summer he worked with his father on 
a farm, during which time he became connected 
with the Sunday-school and was given charge )! 
the Bible class. Before entering the army he had 
but very limited educational advantages, having 
attended school but a part of two summers and 
one winter. He had at home, however, studied 
the German language and had become familiar 
with some German authors. Determining to fit 
himself for a useful life, he resolved to attend a 
select school at Lexington, Ohio, and in a little 
eight-by-ten room, meagrely furnished, he kept 
"bachelor's hall," and in time was so far advanced 
that he secured a certificate as teacher, and for 
two years was engaged in that profession. At the 
end of that time he left home and traveled exten- 
sively over the country, working at odd jobs, un- 
til he finally reached Savannah, Mo., where he en- 
tered a law office, and in 1870 was admitted to the 
Bar. In the fall of 1872, he ran as Prosecuting 
Attorney for Andrews County, Mo., and was de- 
feated by four votes. He ran again in 1874 and 
was elected. But life in the small town of Savan- 
nah was a little too monotonous for him, and he 
determined to locate in Chicago. In October, 



JOHN P. ALTOELD. 



1875, lie resigned the office of Prosecuting Attor- 
ney, moved to Chicago, and at once commenced 
the practice of law. For some years after he had 
but little to do with politics, confining himself to 
his piactice and dealing in real estate. One year 
after his arrival in Chicago he found himself with- 
out a dollar, and in debt some $400. By a streak of 
good luck, as it might be termed, he won a case in 
court, from which he received a fee of $900, and 
after paying his debt he had $500 left, which he 
invested in real estate. This venture proved a 
successful one, and from that time on the profits 
of one transaction were invested in others, and 
to-day he is numbered among the millionaire resi- 
dents of the great metropolis of the West. 

In 1884, Mr. Altgeld was nominated for Con- 
gress, but was defeated by three thousand votes. 
In 1886, he was nominated and elected Judge of 
the Superior Court of Cook County. His services 
as Judge were such as to commend him to the peo- 
ple. Early in the year 1892, by the solicitation of 



many friends, he announced himself as a candi- 
date for Governor. At the convention held 
April 27, he received the nomination and at once 
entered upon an active canvass. Alone, he traveled 
all over the entire State, and visited and consulted 
with the leading politicians of every section. He 
made few public speeches, however, until near the 
close of the campaign, but it was very evident that 
he was master of the situation at all times. When 
the votes were counted at the close of election 
day, it was found that he had a majority of the 
votes, and' so became the first Democratic Governor 
of Illinois since 1856. 

Born in poverty, alone, single-handed and un- 
aided, he faced the world, and with a determina- 
tion to succeed, he pressed forward, until to-day he 
has a National reputation, and is the envied of 
many. The lesson of his life is worthy of careful 
study by the young, and shows what can be done 
by one who has the desire in his heart to attain a 
front rank among the noted men of the country. 




Clinton, Washington, rtarion 

and Jefferson Counties, 



f ILLINOIS. 



INTRODUCTORY 





E time has arrived when it 
becomes the duty of the 
people of this county to per- 
petuate the names of their 
pioneers, to furnish a record 
of their early settlement, 
and relate the story of their 
progress. The civilization of our 
day, the enlightenment of the age 
and the duty that men of the pres- 
ent time owe to their ancestors, to 
themselves and to their posterity, 
demand that a record of their lives 
and deeds should be made. In bio- 
graphical history is found a power 
to instruct man by precedent, to 
enliven the mental faculties, and 
to waft down the river of time a 
safe vessel in which the names and actions of the 
people who contributed to raise this country from its 
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly 
the great and aged men, who in their prime entered 
the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their 
heritage, are passing to their graves. The number re- 
maining who can relate the incidents of the first days 
jf settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an 
actual necessity exists for the collection and preser- 
vation of events without delay, before all the early 
settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. 

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind 
from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, 
in spite of their best works and the most earnest 
efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of 
their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion 
and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
tion *o the amount of intelligence they possessed. 
Thi pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from 
buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people 



to perpetuate the memory of their achievements 
The erection of the great obelisks were for the same 
purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the 
Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
ments, and carving out statues to chronicle theii 
great achievements and carry them down the ages. 
It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling 
up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea 
to leave something to show that they had lived. All 
these works, though many of them costly in the ex- 
treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac- 
ters of those whose memory they were intended to 
perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of 
the people that then lived. The great pyramids and 
some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosiiy; 
the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- 
bling into dust. 

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- 
gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
a full history immutable in that it is almost un- 
limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and 
this is through the art of printing. 

To the present generation, however, we are in- 
debted for the introduction of the admirable system 
of local biography. By this system every man, thougl 
he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
has the means to perpetuate his life, his histoiy, 
through the coming ages. 

The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
physical man is left. The monument which his chil- 
dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme. 
tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
by a record of this kind. 

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- 
lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to 
wait until they are dead or until ihose who know 
them are gone: -to do this we are ash.imed only to 
publish t> the woild the history of those whose live? 
are unwcnhy of public record. 




BIOGRAPHICAL. 




ipssa AMUEL L. DWIGHT. The record of the 
^j eminent men of Illinois, perpetuated for 
lvLH 8 enera tions yet to come, will contain 
among its galaxy of legal luminaries the 
name of S. L. Dwight, of Centralia, who both at 
the Bar and in the legislative halls has won a 
prominence and success justly merited. In his 
life he has furnished an illustration of what per- 
sistent industry and studious application will do 
for a man in securing his success, for the exercise 
of these qualities has been the potent factor in 
raising him from poverty to prosperity, and from 
a position of obscurity to one of prominence. 

In every duty, whether of public or private 
life, Mr. Dwight has been faithful. When the 
dark clouds of the Rebellion overshadowed the 
nation, he was one of the boys in blue who volun- 
teered in the defense of the Union. Such was his 
ability that he arose through successive promo- 
tions from private to Captain and aid-de-camp, 
and when, the war ended, he resigned official com- 
mand to resume the duties of civic life, he carried 
with him the esteem of his soldiers and the regard 
of every patriotic citizen to whom his valor was 
known. 

The subject of this sketch is of distinguished 
lineage and is the grandson on his mother's side 
of the illustrious Zadock Casey, at one time State 
Senator, also Lieutenant-Governor of Illinois, and 
for about twelve years a Member of Congress. 
Born in Georgia of Irish descent. Governor Casey 
was in early life a minister in the Methodist 
Church, but after coming west he engaged in 
farming and became the owner of large and valu- 
able tracts of land. Later he was interested in 
mining at Casey ville, St. Clair County. With the 
public life of the state his name is indissolubly 



connected, and for years he was Jefferson County's 
most prominent citizen. 

Governor Casey and his wife, who bore the 
maiden name of Rachel King and was born in Ten- 
nessee, became the parents of seven children, all of 
whom attained mature years, while three of them 
are now living. Samuel K., who was a successful 
lawyer and a member of the State Senate, had the 
contract for the building of the Joliet State Prison, 
and was in other ways prominently connected 
with public affairs until his death at Mt. Vernon. 
Hiram died in Texas when a young man. Ma- 
hala P., our subject's mother, died in 1841. Dr. 
N. R. is engaged in the practice of medicine at 
Mound City, 111. Judge Thomas S., an influential 
attorney, served as State's Attorney of Jefferson 
County, also as a member of the State Legislature, 
and afterward on the Circuit and Appellate Benches 
of Illinois; his death occurred in Springfield. Dr. 
John R., the youngest member of the family, is 
now a physician and surgeon of Joliet, 111. 

The father of our subject was born and reared 
in Massachusetts, and as a child displayed the 
possession of a high order of ability. When only 
eight years of age he could read Latin, and in his 
other studies was equally in advance of others of 
his age. Entering Yale College, he conducted his 
studies in that institution until graduating there- 
from. In an early day he came to Illinois, accept- 
ing the position of Principal of the Mt. Vernon 
schools, and while there he married Miss Mahala 
P. Casey. They settled in Mt. Vernon, where on 
the 15th of March, 1841, the subject of this 
sketch was born, and where soon afterward his 
mother died. 

After the death of his mother, Mr. Dwight was 
reared in the home of Governor Casey and ac- 



204 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



quired his early education in the public schools 
of Mt. Vernon. The information there gained 
was supplemented by attendance in McKendree 
College, at Lebanon, and in a private school at 
Mt. Vernon. In 1860 lie commenced to read law 
in the office of Tanner & Casey, and while pursu- 
ing his studies the war broke out. Prompted by 
patriotic impulses, he entered the service of his 
country, enlisting in 1863 as a private in Com- 
pany I, Sixtieth Illinois Infantry. From the ranks 
he was promoted to be First Lieutenant and Cap- 
tain, and later became aide-de-camp on the staff 
of General Vanderver, in which position he con- 
tinued until he took command of his old com- 
pany. He was mustered out in July, 1865, and 
after participating in the Grand Review at Wash- 
ington was sent to Louisville, Ky., thence to 
Springfield, III., where the regiment was disbanded 
in August. He took part in the battles of Rocky 
Face and Kenesaw Mountains, the Atlanta Cam- 
paign, the march to the sea, the Carolina campaign 
and the engagement at Goldsboro. 

When his country no longer needed his services, 
Captain Dwight returned to Mt. Vernon, and in 
July, 1866, came to Centralia, where he completed 
his legal studies. For a time he wag a student in 
the law school at Benton, 111., and in 1869 was 
admitted to the Bar. lie then formed a partner- 
ship with Louis F. Case} 1 , which continued until 
the death of the latter, in May, 1892. Mr. Casey 
was an able lawyer and served as a member of 
the Legislature of Illinois. Subsequently remov- 
ing to Texas, he was there State's Attorney for 
several years and a member of the Texas State 
Senate. At the close of the war he returned to 
Illinois, and in May, 1866, settled in Centralia, 
where he continued the practice of law until his 
demise. 

On the 4th of September, 1872, Mr. Dwight 
was united in marriage with Miss M. Irene, daugh- 
ter of Capt. R. D. Noleman. This lady was born 
in Jefferson County, 111., and received an excel- 
lent education in Jacksonville. Socially, Mr. 
Dwight is connected with the Grand Army of the 
Republic, and served as Commander of the post 
for two years. He is also a member of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and is identified 



with the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
and are prominent people of the community, oc- 
cupying a leading position in social circles. 

In politics a Democrat, Mr. Dwight has been 
an active worker in the interests of that party for 
many years. Frequently he has been a delegate 
to the state conventions, and has also been a 
member of the State Democratic Central Commit- 
tee. He represented his district in the Twenty- 
seventh General Assembly, and has held various 
other positions of honor and trust. As an influ- 
ential member of the Democracy he is known 
throughout the state. He is an able advocate, a 
logical reasoner, possessing keen perceptive powers 
and acute discrimination, and among Centralia 's 
attorneys none is more successful than he. 



JUDGE WILLIAM STOKER, the Nestor of 
the Bar of this county, who is now suc- 
cessfully engaged in practice in Centralia, 
was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, on 
the 10th of November, 1822, and is a son of Isaac 
Stoker, a native of Virginia. The great-grandfa- 
ther, Balzer Stoker, was born on the Rhine in Ger- 
many, and crossing the Atlantic, became the 
founder of the family in America. He first located 
in Baltimore, Md., but afterward engaged in farm- 
ing near Harper's Ferry, Va. His son John, the 
grandfather of our subject, was reared in Virginia, 
and educated at Annapolis, Md. He followed 
milling and farming and was also a Methodist 
preacher. During the Revolution he was one of 
the valiant defenders of the Colonies, and held 
the rank of Lieutenant. His wife, who bore the 
iiiaiden name of Elizabeth Critten, was also a na- 
tive of Virginia. 

The father of our subject was reared on the old 
homestead and in 1811 accompanied his parents to 
Montgomery County, Ohio, the family becoming 
pioneers of that locality. lie- there married Mas- 
sey Fryback, daughter of John Fryback, who was 
a native of Virginia, and who in 1809 became one 
of the pioneers of Montgomery County, Ohio. 
There he entered land from the Government, and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



205 



to this he added until he became one of the 
most extensive land holders of the locality. Isaac 
Stoker and his wife began their domestic life 
in Ohio, where they resided until 1838, and then 
removed to Washington County, 111. There the 
father entered a tract of prairie and timber 
land from the Government, and upon the farm 
which he developed made his home until his 
death, which occurred in August, 1847. His 
wife passed away January 11, 1864. During 
the Mexican War, he served as a member of the 
Sixth Illinois Infantry under Capt. James Burns. 
He was a successful agriculturist, carrying on gen- 
eral farming and stock-raising, and ere his death 
became the owner of eleven hundred acres of land. 
His wife was a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, and was a sincere Christian woman. 
All of their five children grew to mature years 
and two are yet living, our subject and Mrs. Har- 
riet A. Le Compte, a widow living in Nashville. 
Nancy was the wife of John O. Hornet, who was 
killed by the explosion of a cannon after his re- 
turn from the Mexican War. She then married 
William Kingston, who is also now deceased. 
Jacob, a farmer of Washington County, 111., died 
in 1854, and John H., a stock-dealer, who served 
in the late war, died in 1879. 

Mr. Stoker of this sketch was in his sixteenth 
year when he came to Illinois. He was educated 
near Dayton, Ohio, attending the old subscription 
schools. He remained on the old home farm until 
twentj' years of age, and then read law with Ben- 
jamin Bond, a noted attorney of the Third Judi- 
cial Circuit, located in Carlyle, 111. September 11, 

1844, in Nashville, he was admitted to the Bar un- 
der Judge James Shields, afterward General 
Shields, who served as United States Senator from 
three different states. At that time the Circuit 
Judges constituted the Supreme Court of the state. 
After his admission to the Bar Mr. Stoker began 
practice in Nashville, where he remained until 

1845, when he went to Salem. Soon afterward, 
however, he was forced to suspend his labors for 
nine months on account of trouble with his eyes. 

In May, 1846, Mr. Stoker enlisted in Company 
A, Second Illinois Infantry, under Col. W. A. Bis- 
sel and Capt. E. C. Coffey. He was engaged in 



detail service but took part in the battle of Buena 
Vista, and was mustered out June 18, 1847. He 
then engaged in law practice in Louisville, Clay 
County, 111., where he engaged from 1848 until 
1854, when he came to Centralia. Since that time 
he has been one of the prominent attorneys of 
that place and has done an extensive law business. 

Mr. Stoker was married June 27, 1849, to Miss 
Martha Ann, daughter of Peter Green, who was 
born and reared in Kentucky, and then removed to 
Indiana, where he remained until 1832. After his 
marriage Dr. Green went to Clay County, 111., 
where he engaged in the practice of medicine un- 
til his death, in 1869. He was one of the pioneer 
physicians of that county. His family numbered 
ten children, of whom Mrs. Stoker is the fifth in 
order of birth. To our subject and his wife have 
been born three children. Eugene Lc Compte, a 
member of the law firm of Whitehead & Stoker, 
located at 728 Chicago Opera House Block, Chi- 
cago, is a very successful attorney. While in Ma- 
rion County he served as State's Attorney, was City 
Clerk and City Attorney, and was one of the or- 
ganizers of the Centralia Building and Loan As- 
sociation. He has also served as a member of the 
State Legislature. Harriet H. E. is the wife of Dr. 
W. Scott Marshall, a successful physician of Chi- 
cago. W. A. is a graduate of the Ohio Medical 
College of Cincinnati, and is now engaged in 
practice in Centralia. 

In politics Judge Stoker has been a stalwart 
Republican since 1860, previous to which time he 
was a Whig. He has been a very active and 
prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church since 1855, when he aided in its organiza- 
tion. For many years he has served as one of its 
Trustees, is also one of the Trustees of McKendree 
College, at Lebanon, and was a representative from 
the Southern Illinois Conference to the General 
Conference of the Methodist Church in 1872. He 
is a mejnber of the Mexican Veterans' Association 
of Illinois, which he joined during the second year 
of its existence. In connection with his other 
business interests he is one of the Directors and 
stockholders of the Exchange Bank of Centralia, 
and was one of its organizers. In the legal profes- 
sion he has won a well merited success, having 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



steadily worked his way upward to a position of 
prominence among his professional brethren. He 
is one of the honored pioneers of the community, 
few having longer resided in Centralia, and it is 
therefore with pleasure that we present his sketch 
to our readers. 



eAPT. JAMES CREED, of Walnut Hill, is 
recognized as one of the leading fruit grow- 
ers of Marion County. For many years he 
has been connected with this enterprise and has 
won a high degree of success in the undertaking. 
As he is widely and favorably -known in this com- 
munity we feel assured that a record of his life 
will prove of interest to many of our readers. The 
Captain is a native of Texas, but was reared in 
Rutherford County, Tenn., and in 1844 came to 
southern Illinois, locating in what is now Saline 
County. The region was then but sparsely settled, 
wild game of all kinds was found in abundance 
and much of the land was still in the possession of 
the Government. 

Captain Creed's parents were natives of South 
Carolina, and were of English and French descent, 
respectively. His father, Robert Creed, went to 
Texas and served in Captain Anderson's Company 
under Gen. Samuel Houston, in the war which oc- 
curred in the establishment of the state's indepen- 
dence. The maternal grandfather of our subject, 
David Reed, was one of the heroes of the Revolu- 
tion, but would never accept the pension tendered 
to the soldiers of that war. He reached the age 
of one hundred years. 

The 'family was represented in the Mexican 
War by our subject, who in June, 1846, enlisted 
in the Third Illinois Regiment, serving for twelve 
months. He saw some hard service, took part in 
the bombardment of Vera Cruz, and later went to 
Cerro Gordo Pass, participating in the engage- 
ment at that place, where General Shields was in 
command. About 1876 Mr. Creed saw the Gen- 
eral in Centralia, and they had a pleasant conver- 
sation concerning the events of the campaign. 

After his return home thn Captain was married, 
in 1848, to Miss Stacy J. Randolph, a descendant of 



one of the signers of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. Six children were born to them, who grew to 
mature years. Nancy E., who was educated in the 
Southern Illinois Normal at Carbondale, and suc- 
cessfully engaged in teaching for ten years; James 
H., a resident farmer of Marion County; Scott; S. 
Angaline, wife of Charles E. Jennings, of Wash- 
ington; Mathias W. nnd Edith, wife of Charles P. 
Root, a teacher of this county. 

During the Civil War Captain Creed was again 
found as one of the defenders of the country. He 
aided in organizing Company K, of the Seventy- 
first Regiment of Illinois, and was unanimously 
elected its Captain. With his troops he was 
largely engaged in guarding the bridge at Big 
Muddy River, and for about two years was ac- 
tively engaged in raising recruits for the army. In 
1865 he came to the farm on which he now re- 
sides, and has since been engaged in general farm- 
ing and fruitgrowing. He has developed and im- 
proved a farm of four hundred acres, has about 
one hundred acres planted in apples, and is also 
considered one of the most successful peach grow- 
ers of this region. His farm is one of the valua- 
ble ones of the county, and upon it he has erected 
a beautiful brick residence, a fine country home. 
His wife was called to the home beyond in 1885, 
and her loss was mourned by many friends. She 
was a member of the United Baptist Church of 
Centralia, to which the Captain also belongs. He 
is likewise connected with the Grand Army post 
of Walnut Hill. 

In Captain Creed we see one of the founders of 
the Farmers' Grange. He was a member of the 
first farmers' club ever held. This was established 
in a lyceum of Walnut Hill, of which he was a 
member, and from this club sprang the Grange 
which has become a wide-spread organization. He 
is probably the only surviving member of the origi- 
nal club. He has traveled all over the state organ- 
izing Granges and has been the most prominent 
member of the society. Since the war the Captain 
has been identified with no political organization, 
but holds himself free to support the man whom 
he thinks best qualified for the oflice. A pleasant, 
genial gentleman, he has the high regard of all, 
and in the community in which he has so long re- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



207 



sided is recognized as one of its honored citizens. 
He was a candidate for Congress on the Green- 
back ticket, his opponents being A. J, Sparks, of 
Carlyle, and B. B. Smith, of Salem. He was nom- 
inated by the Labor party for State Senator, and 
indorsed by the Republicans, and at one time was 
a candidate for the Legislature, running indepen- 
dent. 



BAUGH. It is always a pleasure 
to see persevering industry crowned with 
success, and to find those well advanced in 
years able to retire from the toils of life and spend 
their declining years in comfort and repose. A 
goodly number of the citizens of Marion County 
have met with success in their worldly affairs and 
thus have no fears for the future. Among this 
number is George Baugh^whccis now retired and 
who is one of its most prosperous citizens. He is 
now living in Centralia, and being a general fa- 
vorite, his friends will be well pleased to read this 
sketch of his life. 

Our subject was born in Germany November 6, 
1815, and is the son of George and Catherine 
Baugli, also natives of the Fatherland, where the 
former was a weaver by trade. Three years after 
his birth the parents crossed the Atlantic and lo- 
cated in Maryland, where the mother died shortly 
after coming here, and the father lived only about 
two years when he too passed away. The parental 
family included four children, only two of whom, 
our subject and Henry, are living. The latter 
makes his home near Springfield, this state. 

George Baugh of this sketch was reared to 
manhood in Washington County, Md., where he 
learned the miller's trade, which he followed there 
until reaching his twenty-third 3 r ear. Six months 
later he came to Ogle County, this state, and spent 
the succeeding three years in operating a mill near 
Mt. Morris. He then went to Lee County and for 
six years operated a mill there. 

While residing in Lee County, Mr. Baugh was 
married, January 13, 1851, to Miss Catherine Em- 
mert, the daughter of Joseph Emmert, a minister 
of the Dunkard Church in that county. Mr. Em- 
mert was of German descent and an old resident 



of that locality. Mrs. Catherine Baugh was born 
in Washington County, Md., June 6, 1822. 

In 1865 Mr. and Mrs. Baugh came to Marion 
County, where our subject purchased land, which 
he rented. In 1866 he moved into the city and 
has since led a retired life. His union with Miss 
Emmert resulted in the birth of five children, all 
of whom are living, with one exception. Mary 
Alice is the wife of Harry Prather, and they live 
in St. Paul, Minn., where Mr. Prather is engaged 
in the grocery business; Dora Catherine is at home; 
Melinda married William Fowler, who is a grocer 
in Eau Clare, Wis.; and Ida is at home. Susanah 
is deceased. Miss Dora is a very fine artist, and 
for some time has been engaged in teaching paint- 
ing. 

Mr. Baugh owns a very fine home in Centralia, 
which comprises seven acres of land adorned with 
a handsome residence, bearing all the modern im- 
provements and furnished in an elegant manner. 
The property in Lee County which he formerly 
owned included two hundred and twenty acres of 
fine farming land, and in Alma Township, Marion 
County, he is the possessor of a quarter-section 
which he rents. 

In politics our subject is a strong Democrat, and 
while he never aspires to any political office, he is 
interested in matters of public interest and is 
prominent in local affairs. With his family he oc- 
cupies a high social position in the city and en- 
joys the confidence of his many friends. 



. KELL, who is now extensively engaged 
in farming, stock-raising and fruit grow- 
ing on section 9, Grand Prairie Township, 
Jefferson County, is recognized as one of the val- 
ued and leading citizens of the community. He is 
a representative of one of the early families of the 
county and was born April 24, 1859, on the same 
section where he now lives. His father, James 
Kell, removed with the family to Walnut Hill in 
1860, and there purchased and operated a saw- 
mill. At that place our subject spent his early 
boyhood days, and at the age of seven he entered 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



school. His education was acquired during the 
winter season, while in the summer months he 
worked at home. When a youth of fourteen 
years, he became a member of the Walnut Hill 
Cornet Band, and in one year's time had become 
an expert and skilled performer on the E flat cor- 
net. When this organization was disbanded, he 
became a leader and instructor of other bands. 
His love of music has not only afforded him much 
pleasure, but has been a source of enjoyment to 
others. 

In 1879 our subject formed a partnership with 
his brother, D. B. Kell, in the general merchan- 
dising business at Walnut Hill, and under the 
firm name of D. B. Kell & Bro. they continued 
operations until December, 1882, when he with- 
drew from the firm. He then purchased a large 
farm of two hundred and eighty acres on section 
9, Grand Prairie Township, and in 1884 began the 
improvement of the same by erecting a very large 
barn. A short time afterward his barn was de- 
stroyed by fire, but with characteristic energy he 
rebuilt it in 1885. In 1888 he erected his commo- 
dious residence at a cost of $2,000. His outbuild- 
ings are all models of convenience, and the neat 
appearance of the place indicates the thrift and 
enterprise of the owner. In connection with gen- 
eral farming, he deals extensively in horses and 
mules, and is also interested in fruit growing. He 
now has upon his farm two thousand apple trees, 
one thousand peach trees and two hundred pear 
trees. 

On attaining his majority, Mr. Kell married 
Miss Sarah E., daughter of F. R. Foust, a wealthy 
fruit grower, their wedding being celebrated Jan- 
uary 13, 1881. Their family numbered seven chil- 
dren: Clara M., born May 25, 1882; James R., 
Novembei-5, 1883; William T.,May 5, 1886; Fred 
and Frank (twins), January 27, 1888, the latter of 
whom died September 30, of that year; Dornton 
A., born August 3, 1889; and Cecil, May 21, 1892. 

The cause of education finds in Mr. Kell a 
warm friend, and he has served as School Director 
for several years. He was elected Supervisor of 
his township at the spring election of 1888, was 
again elected in 1890, and the third time in 1892. 
In 1893 he was chosen Chairman of the Board of 



Supervisors, having the honor of being the young- 
est and at the same time the only Republican who 
ever served as Chairman. He is a warm advo- 
cate of Republican principles and takes an active 
interest in the success and growth of his party. 
He is recognized as a public-spirited and progress- 
ive citizen, who takes pleasure in the upbuilding 
of the county. 



JOHN ROBERTSON, a retired farmer resid- 
ing in Centralia, was born in Tecumseh, 
Lena wee County, Mich., February 20, 1834, 
and is a son of John C. Robertson, a native 
of New Jersey. The grandfather, David Robertson, 
was also a native of that state. The mother of our 
subject bore the maiden name of Matilda Goheen, 
was the youngest of a family of eight children, and 
was born and reared in Livingston County, N. Y. 
About two years after their marriage, they located 
in Lenawee County, Mich., where some time pre- 
vious the father of our subject had entered land 
from the Government. There were only eleven 
families in the county at the time, and the Robert- 
sons, like the others, lived in true pioneer style. 
They lived on the Indian trail between Detroit 
and the west, and the red men were seen in 
the neighborhood in great numbers. Bears and 
wolves were frequently shot, and deer and other 
wild game could be secured in abundance. J. C. 
Robertson made a home in Michigan, but after- 
ward removed to La Grange County, Ind., becom- 
ing one of its honored pioneers. Subsequently he 
bought a farm in Hillsdale County, Mich., and 
carried on a store in the town of Hillsdale for 
about three years. The succeeding three years of 
his life were spent upon a farm in Steuben County, 
Ind., after which he lived with his son in Hillsdale 
until his death, which occurred in 1884. His wife 
passed away in 1864. 

In the Robertson family were twelve children, 
all of whom grew to mature years, while seven j'et 
abide. Charles G., who for twenty-three years en- 
gaged in school teaching in Hillsdale, Mich., now 
follows farming in that locality; John is the next 
younger; Harriet is the widow of O. II. Jewett, of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Toledo, Ohio; Cyrus is ex-Postmaster of Pleasant 
Lake, Ind.; Frances Helen is the wife of Mr. Kelly, 
a farmer of Reading, Mich.; Arthur is a farmer of 
Hillsdale; Agnes Matilda is the wife of Marshall 
II. Weber, a prominent attorne}' of Winona,Minn. 
The father was a Whig in politics until the organ- 
ization of the Republican party, when he became 
one of its stanch supporters. Both he and his wife 
were faithful members of the Presbyterian Church. 
Born in a pioneer home, John Robertson was 
reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier, both 
in Michigan and in Indiana. He has shared in the 
hardships and trials of such a life, and has aided 
in the arduous task of developing a new farm. He 
was married in 1858 to Eliza Barkley, daughter of 
Robert Barkley, a farmer and * minister of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. They became the par- 
ents of two children, Arthur W., who is engaged 
in farming in Centralia Township, Marion County, 
and Amy Matilda, wife of John M. Martin, a far- 
mer of the same community. The mother died 
May 6, 1861, and in May, 1862, Mr. Robertson 
was married to -Mrs. Melissa Norris, widow of J. 
B. Norris, of Hillsdale County, Mich., and a daugh- 
ter of Virgil Gould. Her father was a native of 
AVatertown,N. Y., and Mrs. Robertson was married 
in Hillsdale, Mich., where she resided. 
' In 1858, Mr. Robertson located in Reading, Mich., 
but after two years removed to Allen, Mich., where 
he remained until 1866. In the spring of that 
year he came to Marion County, 111., and pur- 
chased forty acres of land on section 13, Centralia 
Township. To this he added until he owned one 
hundred and twenty acres. He was successfully 
engaged in general farming, stock-raising and 
in fruit growing, and was thus employed until 
December 9, 1890, when he came to Centralia, 
where he has since made his home. All of the im- 
provements upon his farm were placed there by 
himself, and his labors made it one of the valuable 
and desirable country homes of the neighborhood. 
Mr. Robertson has ever taken an active interest 
in the cause of education, and for twelve years en- 
gaged in teaching through the winter season. He 
is now serving his second term as a member of the 
Board of Education in Centralia. He has also been 
Commissioner of the township, and is now Town- 



ship Supervisor. In politics he is a stalwart Re- 
publican, and is a member of the Farmers' Protec- 
tive Association of Marion County. From an hum- 
ble position he has steadily worked his way upward 
to one of affluence, and he is now living retired in 
the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. 



GILLESPIE B. WELDEN occupies the re- 
sponsible position of postal clerk of the 
Illinois Central Railroad, running between 
Chicago and Centralia, in which latter place he 
makes his home. He was born in Bradford County, 
Pa., December 4, 1839, and is the son of Matthew 
W. Welden, also a native of the Keystone State. 

The father of our subject was reared and mar- 
ried in his native place, his wife bearing the 
maiden name of Lydia A. Camp. Matthew W. 
was a farmer in Pennsylvania, where he resided 
until 1849, the winter seasons being occupied in 
lumbering. Thinking to better his condition in 
this then far western county, he came with his 
family to Illinois and located in Lee County, 
where he lived until 1857, and then removed to 
Du Quoin. In the last-named place he was en- 
gaged in farming and stock-raising until his death, 
in 1872. 

Gillespie B. was a lad of nine years when his 
parents came to Illinois, and in Lee Count}' his 
education was conducted in the common schools. 
On the outbreak of the Civil War, in April, 1861, 
he enlisted as a member of Company G, Twelfth 
Illinois Infantry, at a time when the first call was 
made for seventy-five thousand volunteers. He 
only enlisted for three months, and on the expira- 
tion of that time again entered the ranks of the 
same company, this time fora period of three years. 
He participated in many hard-fought battles of 
the war, being present before Ft. Donelson, Ft. 
Henry, Shiloh and Corinth. At Shiloh he was se- 
verely wounded and was thus disabled from active 
service for about three months. Again at Corinth 
he received a slight wound. 

Mr. Welden was mustered out of service at 
Chattanooga, Term., August 1,1864, and return- 
ing to Illinois, located at Cairo, where he was 



210 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



given employment in the postoftice. Later he en- 
tered the railway postal service, which line of 
business he has continued to follow ever since, 
with the exception of the year 1868, when he was 
removed by President Johnson. His first route 
lay between Cairo and Centralia, between which 
points Mr. Welden traveled until 1890, when his 
"run" was changed to Chicago and Centralia. 

Our subject was united in marriage January 6, 
1867, to Miss Delia E. Middleton, and of their 
union were born two children: Alfredda, now Mrs. 
Edward P. McFarland, residing in Centralia, and 
Matie. lu politics Mr. Welden is a strong Re- 
publican. He is the oldest postal clerk in the 
employ of the Government on the Illinois Central 
Railroad, and in Centralia, where he has made his 
home for nearly thirty years, he is widely and 
favorably known. Socially, he is a Grand Army 
man, and in religious matters worships with the 
Methodist Episcopal congregation at this place. 

Mrs. G. B. Welden is the daughter of Watson J. 
Middleton, a native of Tennessee and the son of 
William Middleton. In an early day, her father 
came with his parents to luka Township, Marion 
County, where he grew to manhood and was 
married to Miss Mary McGuire, also a native of 
Tennessee. Grandfather William Middleton was 
a prominent man in his locality and a soldier in 
the War of 1812. 



HOMAS B. MOORE, a successful farmer re- 
siding in section 2, Grand Prairie Town- 
ship, Jefferson County, was born on the 
27th of March, 1820, in Ohio. His father, Oliver 
Moore, was of Irish descent, and for many years 
resided in Philadelphia, where he worked at the 
blacksmith's trade. In an early day he emigrated 
to Clermont County, Ohio, and in 1827 he moved 
to Cincinnati. 

Our subject was one of nine children of the 
family. His educational privileges were limited, 
and at the age of eighteen he began learning the 
baker's trade, serving an apprenticeship of a year 
and a-half in Cincinnati. Not liking this work, 
however, he sought and obtained a situation in a 



machine shop, and was employed on the building 
of engines for about a year. He then removed to 
Jeffersonville, Ind., where he worked in a factory, 
making edged tools. He served a two years' ap- 
prenticeship to that business and then went to 
Clark County, Ind., where he was engaged in oper- 
ating a sawmill for a year. During this time he 
became acquainted with Edmond Beadles and his 
family, who were preparing to emigrate to Illinois, 
and he was induced to join them. At about sun- 
rise on the morning of November 5, 1840, the 
party started, and after a journey of four weeks 
reached their destination, on the 5th of December, 
and located on section 10, Grand Prairie Town- 
ship. 

The acquaintance thus formed between Mr. 
Moore and Miss Olivia Beadles, sister of Richard 
Beadles, was followed by marriage in February, 
1842, the wedding ceremony being performed by 
John Breeze, Justice of the Peace. To this worthy 
couple were born thirteen children, eight of whom 
are still living, Margaret, wife of J. R. Gardner, a 
successful farmer of Shiloh Township, Jefferson 
County; Azelia, wife of R. B. Hubbard, a prosper- 
ous farmer of Dahlgrecn, 111.; Luana, wife of Sam- 
uel Copple, an agriculturist of Grand Prairie 
Township; Oliver, who wedded Mary Root and 
owns and manages a large fruit farm; Edgar, who 
is now living in Colorado; Thomas B., Jr., a suc- 
cessful farmer, who married Mattie Dobbs, who died 
November 8, 1885; William Tell, who married Alma 
Garrett and is engaged in farming in Dix, 111.; 
and Susan, wife of F. M. Corners, a successful fruit 
grower. The mother of this family was born No- 
vember 4, 1825, and was a devout Christian lady, 
who for many years held membership with the 
Methodist Church. She was an earnest worker in 
the church, and the suffering and needy found in 
her a friend. She passed away December 29, 1893, 
and her loss was mourned not only by her family, 
but by all who knew her. 

After his marriage, Mr. Moore located on a farm 
on section 16, Grand Prairie Township, and build- 
ing a smithy, worked at the blacksmith's trade un- 
til 1844. He then removed to section 14, built a 
residence upon his land, and for a year engaged 
in the operation of a sawmill, which he built for 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



211 



R. D. Noleman. On the expiration of that period 
he located one hundred and sixty acres of land on 
section 11, Grand Prairie Township, securing the 
same through a land warrant, which he had pur- 
chased of a soldier of the Mexican War. With 
characteristic energy he began to clear and im- 
prove his farm, and placed the entire amount un- 
der a high state of cultivation. There he made his 
home for eighteen years, or until 1868, after which 
he purchased fifty-six acres on section 2 of the 
same township. Here he has since made his home, 
being comfortably situated amidst pleasant sur- 
roundings. For thirty-seven years he served as 
Justice of the Peace, and no more capable officer 
ever held that position. He gave five-eighths of 
an acre of land on which to erect a house of wor- 
ship. In politics he is a Republican, and during 
the war he was a zealous member of the Union 
League. He is a prominent and representative 
citizen, and has done much to improve this part of 
the county. 



JAMES ADAMS, who is the proprietor of a 
meat market in Centralia, began business 
along this line in 1888, and has worked up 
a good trade, which he well deserves. He 
has the honor of being a native of Illinois, his 
birth having occurred in Washington County Jan- 
uary 4, 1837. His parents were David and Cath- 
erine (McCrossen) Adams. The father was a na- 
tive of Ireland, and on emigrating to America 
located in Philadelphia, where he married Miss 
McCrossen, a native of that city. In 1835 he re- 
moved to Washington County, 111., becoming one 
of its pioneers, and entered land from the Gov- 
ernment six miles north of Nashville. Not a fur- 
row had been turned or an improvement made 
upon the place, but he at once began transforming 
the wild prairie into rich and fertile fields. In 
1848 he went to New Orleans, where he died of 
yellow fever, but his widow is still living in 
Nashville, 111. She is a member of the Baptist 
Church, and Mr. Adams was a member of the 
Presbyterian Church. The grandfather, James 
Adams, and an uncle of our subject, Hugh Adams, 
also took up land from the Government in Wash- 



ington County, and were numbered among its 
early settlers. 

Our subject was reared on the old home farm, 
and was educated in the district schools and in 
the seminary of Nashville. In that place in 1858 
was celebrated his marriage with Miss Mary Hill, 
daughter of Ephraim Hill, an early settler of St. 
Clair County, who afterward removed to Wash- 
ington County. After his marriage Mr. Adams 
embarked in merchandising, but later bought a 
farm of eighty acres four miles west of Nashville, 
and there carried on agricultural pursuits for two 
years. 

On the 25th of August, 1862, we find our sub- 
ject among the boys in blue of Company I, 
Eightieth Illinois Infantry, and he was mustered 
in with the rank of First Lieutenant. With his 
regiment he went south to Nashville and Mur- 
freesboro, and during a raid, on the 3d of May, 
1863, he was captured at Rome, Ga. For one year 
he was incarcerated in Libby Prison, and was 
then taken to Macon, Ga., where he was kept in 
a stockade for two months. Later they were 
taken to Charleston, S. C., and put under the fire 
of the Union guns. For about five months he 
was held a prisoner at Columbus, S. C., and the 
night before Sherman entered that city was taken 
to the outskirts of the town and given his liberty, 
being thence sent to Annapolis, and on to St. 
Louis. In June, 1865, Mr. Adams was mustered 
out. For twenty-two months he was held a pris- 
oner and suffered all the hardships and rigors of 
southern prison life. He now draws a pension of 
$12 per month. 

When the country no longer needed his services, 
our subject returned to Nashville and embarked 
in the butchering business, which he carried on 
until 1886. He then spent two years in travel- 
ing in the west in the stock business, and in July, 
1888, came to Centralia, where he has since made 
his home. To him and his wife were born three 
children: David L.; Jessie J., the wife of Andrew 
Myer, a merchant of Centralia; and Edna May, 
who is now studying bookkeeping and elocution 
in Jones' Commercial College, of St. Louis. 

In politics Mr. Adams is a stalwart Repub- 
lican, and is a member of the Grand Army of the 



212 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Republic and the Knights of Honor. Both he 
and his wife belong to the Presbyterian Church, 
and are numbered among the highly respected 
people of this community. 



JH. JOHNSON is the senior member of the 
firm of J. II. & J. T. Johnson, proprietors of 
the Centralia Mills. This is one of the 
leading enterprises of Centralia, and the 
owners are men of excellent business and execu- 
tive ability, who deserve the success which attends 
their efforts. Our subject was born in Lancaster 
County, Pa., July 5, 1838, and is of Scotch descent. 
His grandfather, James Johnson, was born in Scot- 
land. His father, Samuel Johnson, was born in 
Dauphin County, Pa., whence he removed to Lan- 
caster County, where he engaged in the milling 
business. He there married Annie Heidler, and 
continued to make his home in that county until 
his death, which occurred in 1854. His widow 
still survives him. Their family numbered eight 
children, of whom three are yet living: Samuel, a 
commercial traveler, residing in Newberg, N. Y.; 
James W. II., of Lancaster County; and J. H. Two 
of the children were drowned. 

Our subject was reared in his native county and 
after attending the public schools completed his 
education in a seminary in the same county. He 
learned the milling business with his father and 
uncle, and followed that pursuit in the east until 
1866. In the meantime he was married. On the 
15th of December, 1859, he wedded Henrietta, 
daughter of Jacob Mathiot, a prominent farmer 
and citizen of Lancaster County, Pa. Four chil- 
dren were born of this union: Flora A.; J. T., who 
is engaged in business with his father; Lewis S., a 
grocer; and William M., a jeweler of Centralia. 

In 1866 J. II. Johnson left the east and removed 
with his family to Stephenson County, 111., where 
he remained for two years, after which he engaged 
for three years in the milling business in Sioux 
City, Iowa. On the expiration of that period he 
removed to Washington County, 111., where he 
followed milling until his arrival in Centralia, in 
1873. In 1877, he bought an interest in his pres- 



ent milling property, becoming a member of the 
firm of May, Johnson <fe Cunningham, which con- 
nection continued for about three years, when the 
senior partner died, and the firm became Johnson 
& Cunningham. In 1890 the latter retired and 
the present partnership between our subject and 
his son was formed. The mill was supplied with a 
fine roller system in 1882, and has a capacity of 
one hundred barrels of flour per day. They are 
doing a good business, for the flour which they 
manufacture is of excellent quality and hence 
finds a ready sale on the market. 

Mr. Johnson is a leading member of the Masonic 
fraternity, and has served as Junior Warden of the 
lodge in Centralia. In politics he is a stanch Re- 
publican, and for two years served as Alderman of 
the city. He takes an active interest in every- 
thing pertaining to the welfare of the community, 
and is a man of good business ability, who by his 
enterprise and well directed efforts has steadily 
worked his way upward until he is now numbered 
among the substantial residents of his adopted 
county. 



ZEDDOCK C. JENNINGS, who is now living 
near Walnut Hill, is a representative of one 
of the honored pioneer families of Marion 
County. Among the first settlers who came to 
Illinois were Israel Jennings and his family. He 
was the grandfather of our subject, and was a na- 
tive of Kentucky. In that state he grew to ma- 
ture years and was married, and thence came with 
his wife and children to Marion County. The 
members of his family were: Israel, who died in 
this county, leaving a family; Charles, father of 
our subject; William, who located in Texas; and 
George, who was married, and at his death left 
two daughters, one of whom, Mrs. White, died 
leaving a son, John. The father of this family 
served in the War of 1812. 

Charles Jennings was born in Kentucky, and 
ere attaining to mature years accompanied the 
family to Illinois. Here he met and married 
Maria Davidson, and to them were born eight 
children: Joseph us, who died in Marion County, 
learing a family; Sarah, widow of Robert Nole- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



213 



man; Harriet, wife of Frank Marshall, of Salem; 
Lizzie, widow of Silas Bryan, of Virginia, and the 
mother of William Bryan, United States Senator 
from Nebraska; America, wife of William Stites, 
of Centralia; Z. C., of this sketch; Nancy, wife of 
Dr. James Davenport, of Salem; and Docia, wife 
of Abraham Van Antwerp, of Sedalia, Mo. The 
father located on a farm near Walnut Hill, where 
lie reared his family. He was a man of excellent 
business ability, and by his good management and 
industry he became quite wealthy, accumulating 
nine hundred acres of valuable land. He held 
membership with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
took an active part in politics and was an uncom- 
promising Democrat. The best interests of the 
community ever found in him a friend, and he 
was recognized as a progressive and valued citizen. 

The gentleman whose name heads this record 
was born in Marion County in 1838, was reared 
upon the old homestead farm and acquired his 
education in the common schools and in an 
academy. When twenty-two years of age he 
chose as a companion and helpmate on life's jour- 
ney Miss Mary J., daughter of James C. Baldridge, 
of Jefferson County. The young 'couple began 
their domestic life upon the farm which has since 
been their home. It then comprised only forty 
acres and was a part of the tract which the grand- 
father, Israel Jennings, had entered from the Gov- 
ernment. His landed possessions have been in- 
creased, however, from time to time until he now 
owns a valuable tract of four hundred and twelve 
acres all in one body. It is under a high state of 
cultivation and is one of the best stock farms in 
the county, the owner raising a high grade of fine 
horses and cattle. All the improvements upon the 
place were made by him and stand as monuments 
to his thrift and enterprise. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Jennings were born six chil- 
dren. Dwight, who was born in 1860, and was 
graduated from the St. Louis Medical College, has 
been successfully engaged in practice in that city 
for several years. He was married in Carlyle to 
Cora Locy. Emmett is engaged in stock-raising in 
Sprague, Wash. Maggie is the wife of Louis 
Thomas, of Centralia. Samuel is engaged in bus- 
iness with his father, Hattie is the wife of Ed- 



ward Jones, of Francisco, Ind. Maria S. died aged 
six months. 

The parents and their children are all members'of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the family is 
one of prominence in the community. Our sub- 
ject is a Democrat in politics and has held the 
office of Town Supervisor for four years, but has 
never been an aspirant for public office, preferring 
to give his entire attention to his business inter- 
ests. In 1889 he established a box factory in 
Walnut Hill for the manufacture of fruit boxes 
and still carries on this euterprise, having a ready 
sale for these commodities. He carries forward to a 
successful completion whatever he undertakes and 
his prosperity is well deserved. 



H. CULLIMORE is engaged in the manu- 
facture of fruit package boxes in Centralia. 
This is one of the leading industries of the 
place, and the owner is now carrying on opera- 
tions on quite an extensive scale. As he is wide- 
ly and favorably known in this community, we 
feel assured that the record of his life will prove 
of interest to many of our readers, and therefore 
gladly gave it a place in this volume. 

Mr. Cullimore was born in New York City, Jan- 
uary 1, 1837, and is a son of Thomas and Jane 
Cullimore. His parents were married in England, 
their native land, about 1820, and emigrating to 
America, located in New York, where the father 
followed his trade of boiler-making. In 1837, he 
removed with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, and 
a few years later embarked in business for himself 
as a boiler-maker, continuing operations along that 
line until his death, which occurred in 1860. His 
wife passed away in 1864. He was a successful 
business man, and built up a large manufactory in 
Cleveland. He held membership with the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. 

Our subject is the only survivor in a family of 
three children. He was reared and educated in 
Cleveland, and after attaining to mature years 



214 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



followed fanning in Cuyalioga County, Ohio. In 
the city of Cleveland in 1857 was celebrated his 
marriage with Miss Eliza, daughter of James Culli- 
more, who was also a native of England. The 
lady was born in Baltimore, Md., and reared near 
Cleveland, and in that locality the young couple 
began their domestic life upon a farm, which con- 
tinued to he their home until the autumn of 1860, 
when they removed to Baltimore. 

In May, 1861, Mr. Cullimore enlisted in Com- 
pany G, First Maryland Infantry. He entered the 
service as a private, but was made Third Sergeant, 
then Orderly-Sergeant, afterward Sergeant-Major, 
and later became Second Lieutenant. He partici- 
pated in the battle of Winchester, and on the 23d 
of May, 1862, at Port Royal, was captured by 
Stonewall Jackson. He was sent to Lynchburg, 
and thence to Belle Isle, and four months later 
was taken to Annapolis, where on the 17th of 
September he was exchanged. He then rejoined 
his regiment, which went to the Shenandoah Val- 
ley, and did guard duty at Maryland Heights until 
July 2, 1863, when they started across the moun- 
tains to head off Lee's Cavalry. Mr. Cullimore 
was sent to Baltimore on recruiting service, and 
on the expiration of his three months' term was 
there mustered out, June 30, 1864. 

Our subject then returned to his old farm near 
Cleveland, where he remained two years, and in 
1868 he came to Centralia. He bought a fruit 
farm of forty-two acres within the city limits, on 
which was a twelve-acre orchard of apple and 
peach trees. Much of the land he planted in 
strawberries and for twenty years was the most 
extensive strawberry raiser of this locality; He 
was very successful in his undertakings, and the 
fine fruit which he grew found a ready sale in the 
market. In 1888, however, he retired from busi- 
ness life and is now enjoying a well earned rest 
from that enterprise. He is now managing the 
factory where are manufactured boxes in which 
to ship fruit. 

Mr. Cullimore takes a very active part in politi- 
cal affairs and is a stanch supporter of the Re- 
publican party. In March, 1889, he was appoint- 
ed Postmaster of Centralia, and filled that office 
until July, 1893. He has also been Alderman of 



the city. Socially, he is connected with the Grand 
Army of the Republic, and both he and his wife 
are faithful members of the Baptist Church. The 
best interests of the community ever receive the 
hearty support and co-operation of Mr. Culliraore, 
whose progressive and public-spirited measures 
have made him one of the leading citizens of his 
adopted county. 



OBERT J. MOORE. An honorable position 
among the business men of Centralia is 
accorded our subject, who is the present 
Secretary of the Centralia Building and 
Loan Association and manager and lessee of the 
Sadler Opera House. He is a native of the Em- 
erald Isle and was born in County Tyrone Octo- 
ber 15, 1864. 

Our subject was a lad of six years when he was 
brought to America by his paternal uncle, who 
located in the city of Chicago. Subsequently 
Robert J. went to a farm near Lisbon, 111., where 
he attended the common school and afterward 
supplemented the knowledge gained therein by 
attendance at the Jennings' Seminary in Aurora. 
Later he became a student in the Northwestern 
Normal College at Geneseo, from which institu- 
tion he was graduated in 1887 with the degree of 
Bachelor of Science. 

After completing his education Mr. Moore came 
to Centralia and accepted the position of Princi- 
pal of the East Side public schools, in which capac- 
ity he was retained for two years. Then, being 
desirous of following the profession of a lawyer, 
he began reading law in the office of W. & E. L. 
Stoker, of Centralia, and on the election of E. L. 
Stoker to the Legislature our subject was ap- 
pointed to fill the vacancy thus occasioned in the 
Secretaryship of the Centralia Building and Loan 
Association. 

The Centralia Building and Loan Association 
was organized in 1879 and has handled since that 
time over three-quarters of a million dollars. It 
has eight hundred shareholders and has made al- 



U8F.AKY 

OF THE 

IVEP.SITY of ILLINOIS 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



217 



together six hundred and seventy-five loans. The 
business of the association is on the increase, and 
during the years 1892, 1893 and 1894 has nearly 
doubled. Its officers are: T. Leander Parkinson, 
President; R. J. Moore, Secretary; James E. Mar- 
shall, Treasurer; S. A. Frazier, Attorney. The 
Directors are T. L. Parkinson, Seymour Andrews, 
Will J. Blyth, S. A. Frazier, T. S. Hobbs, Michael 
Touve, John II. Oxley, A. W. Schroeder and Rob- 
ert J. Moore. 

Politically, Mr. Moore is a strong Republican. 
While 1 his private affairs naturally receive the 
major part of his time and attention, yet he is in- 
terested in matters of public importance and is 
prominent in local affairs. He is a member of the 
Library Board of the city, of which he is Vice- 
President and Treasurer, and is Secretary of the 
Centralia Provident Association. 

Socially, our subject is a Knight of P3'thiasand 
an Odd Fellow. He is a young man of excellent 
judgment and has always been progressive, fear- 
less and honest in every measure calculated to 
benefit the community. 



PERDINAND KOHL, Cashier of the Old 
National Bank of Centralia. The Old Na- 
tional is the successor of the First National 
Bank, which was organized in 1865, and went 
into voluntary liquidation twenty years later. In 
March of 1885 an organization was perfected 
called the Old National Bank, which purchased 
the assets of the First National. The capital stock 
of the institution is $80,000, surplus capital #20,- 
000. Its officers are: E. S. Condit, President; S. 
M. Warner, Vice-President; and Ferdinand Kohl, 
Cashier. The Directors are: E. S. Condit, F. Kohl, 
S. M. Warner, S. L. Dwight, W. M. Casey, Jacob 
Erbes and C. C. Davis. The present banking 
house was erected in 1888, and is one of the most 
substantial structures of the city. 

A native of Germany, our subject was born in 
Nassau, Prussia, October 28, 1831, and is the son 
of Henry and Elizabeth (Zeyher) Kohl, natives of 
Germany. The father, who was a cabinet-maker 
by trade, emigrated to America with his family in 
1853 and settled at Belleville, St. Clair County, 
2 



111., but after a sojourn there of two years came to 
Centralia, where he continued to reside until his 
death in 1873. In his family were six children, 
all of whom are still living. They are: Jacob, 
who is in business at Centralia; Mrs. Louisa Heiss, 
who resides in this city; Julius, a prominent phy- 
sician and surgeon of Belleville, 111., and a member 
of the Illinois State Board of Health; Mrs. Chris- 
tina Oster, a widow; Mrs. Minnie Geiss, the wife 
of a manufacturer residing in Belleville, 111.; and 
Ferdinand, of this sketch. 

In the land of his birth our subject was reared, 
and in its schools he gained a practical education, 
becoming a fluent speaker of the German, English 
and French languages. After leaving school, he 
devoted his attention to mercantile pursuits, and 
served a four years' apprenticeship to a business 
embracing grocery, flour mills, vermicelli factory 
and a general wholesale line. Afterward he gained 
a fair knowledge of the lumber business through a 
clerkship of two years. In 1853 he emigrated to 
the United States, and proceeding direct to Illi- 
nois, settled at Belleville, St. Clair County, where 
for two years he was a clerk in the employ of 
Kellermann Bros. 

The year 1855 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Kohl 
in Centralia, where lie formed a partnership with 
S. M. Warner, and for ten years engaged in the 
general mercantile business, the firm being Kohl <fc 
Warner. In 1865 he accepted the position of 
Cashier in the First National Bank, and when, in 
1885, the bank was merged into the Old National, 
he still retained his position. Of the latter insti- 
tution he was one of the organizers, and has been 
its only Cashier. With other important enter- 
prises of the city and county, his name is indis- 
solubly associated. He is Secretary, Treasurer 
and Director of the Centralia Light & Power Com- 
pany, in the organization of which he was a prom- 
inent factor. He aided in the organization of the 
Centralia Fair Association, of which he is now the 
Treasurer. He has been Director and Treasurer of 
the Centralia Iron & Nail Works, and at the pres- 
ent time is Director and Treasurer of the Centralia 
Mining <fc Manufacturing Company. 

In the city of New York, May 11, 1860, Mr. 
Kohl was united in marriage with Miss Louisa 



218 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Jokel, who was born and reared in Frankfort, Ger- 
many. The union has resulted in the birth of six 
children: Arnold, senior member of the firm of 
Kohl Bros., grocers of Centralia; Oscar, Cashier of 
the First National Bank of San Bernardino, Cal.; 
Ferdinand, who is the junior member of the firm 
of Kohl Bros., Centralia; Walter, who lias been 
clerking in the Old National Bank, but is now 
traveling for his health, being at present in Colo- 
rado; Flora, who resides with her parents; and 
Harry, a clerk for Kohl Bros. 

In politics a Republican, Mr. Kohl has been so 
closely engrossed in his business as to leave little 
time for public affairs. He is a friend of the pub- 
lic school system, and has served as a member of 
the Board of Education. He and his wife are 
identified with the German Evangelical Church, 
and he was one of the organizers of the church at 
Centralia, which he has served as Trustee for 
many years. He is still a member of the firm of 
Kohl & Warner, an enterprising firm of this city, 
and the owners of the Kohl & Warner Block. He 
began in business without means, but by industry 
and good business methods he has accumulated a 
handsome competence. He is peculiarly adapted 
for the intricate business of banking, and the solid 
foundation upon which the Old National rests is 
largely due to his financial skill. As a careful, 
safe and successful financier he stands high in the 
commercial world. 



. =3* 



JOHN P. STELLE, editor of the Progressive 
Farmer, of Mt. Vernon, and national lecturer 
of the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Associa- 
tion, was born in Calhoun County, 111., April 
16, 1843. His father was reared in New Jersey, 
and his iiother in New York. They became ac- 
quainted in a pioneer locality in Illinois in 1825, 
and were married the next year. The father had 
made the journey westward mostly on foot, cross- 
ing the Alleghanies and traveling through the 
forests of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois with a guide. 
He located in Hamilton County in 1817, but after 



about two years returned to New Jersey and 
brought back with him a brother and his family. 
Later he pushed on to the Mississippi, but after a 
short time spent in Calhoun County, returned to 
Hamilton County. The family, however, was liv- 
ing in Calhoun County at the time of the birth of 
our subject, but when he was a child of six months 
they again went to Hamilton County and located 
upon wild land. There the mother died in 1863, 
while the father passed away in 1870. 

Our subject still lives within seven miles of the 
old homestead and there has a good farm, well 
stocked with horses, cattle, sheep and poultry, but 
his special business is in Mt. Vernon. When four 
years old he was stricken with infantile spinal pa- 
ralysis, which disabled his right leg and made him 
a cripple for life, but from his earliest child hood he 
was a great lover of books and papers and eagerly 
studied everything which he could get hold of. 
His educational opportunities, however, were very 
limited and books were not accessible to poor fam- 
ilies. His mother taught the boy to knit, furnish- 
ing him with yarn spun by herself on the old 
spinning wheel. He knit a pair of socks which was 
exchanged at a country store for a copy of McGuf- 
fy's First Reader, the first book he had ever pos- 
sessed, and outside of the Bible and a hymn book, 
about the first he had ever seen. This book he 
thoroughly studied until he knew it word for 
word from beginning to end. He first entered a 
school in 1855, when the free schools were estab- 
lished. He was then thirteen years of age. Four 
years later he became the teacher in that school, 
where he taught for eight consecutive terms. 

When the War of the Rebellion broke out, Mr. 
Stelle espoused the Union cause, and in 1864 cast 
his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. 
That year, against his protest, he was nominated 
for Circuit Clerk, but on account of the strong 
Democratic majority was defeated, although he 
ran ahead of the ticket. About this time the Re- 
publicans of the county purchased a printing out- 
fit and established a union paper in McLeansboro, 
the Union Eagle. Mr. Stelle, who had previously 
learned something of the business, was chosen edi- 
tor and thus served until the paper was sold. He 
then resumed teaching, but in 1872, in company 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



219 



with some friends, established the Golden Era of 
McLearisboro. He became its editor and the paper 
secured the largest circulation in the county. 
When the Credit Mobilier, Whiskey Ring, etc.,were 
developed, and the granger agitation was begun 
he espoused the latter cause and organized the 
farmers' movement in his county, which in 1873 
entirely defeated the Democratic party. Mr. Stelle 
was nominated for County Superintendent of 
Schools and was elected over the Democratic can- 
didate by a vote of two to one. On the expira- 
tion of his term he was re-nominated, but at that 
election the Democratic forces were successful. In 
1876 he was a delegate to the national convention 
in Indianapolis which nominated Peter Cooper) 
and has since been an advocate of the cause of re- 
form. In 1878 he sold his interest in the Golden 
Era, and going to Murphysboro, 111., took charge 
of the editorial work of a new reform paper, 
which attained a large circulation. 

In 1866 Mr. Stelle married Miss Eliza E. Coker, 
and to them were born ten children, nine of whom 
are yet living. Mr. Stelle was prominent in or- 
ganizing the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association, 
and was elected its National Secretary, to which 
position he was annually re-elected until 1892. 
He then declined to serve further and so was 
unanimously elected National Lecturer, which po- 
sition he still fills. In the fall of 1893 he was 
elected President of the State Assembly. In 1888 
some members of the Farmers' Organization or- 
ganized a stock company to publish a paper in 
Mt. Vernon, the Progressive Farmer, in the inter- 
est of the new movement. Mr. Stelle was chosen 
its editor and soon was made sole business mana- 
ger, which position he still holds. This paper has 
been very successful financially and otherwise. It 
had no capital on the start, but has never failed 
to meet a bill on maturity or to pay the employes 
each week. New and improved material has been 
purchased, including a steam engine, and the 
building occupied is now also the property of the 
stockholders. 

Mr. Stelle has declined several nominations for 
Congress tendered him by the new party, and 
against his wish was run to fill a vacancy caused 
by the death of Hon. R. W. Townsend and polled 



a surprisingly large vote. In the celebrated Sena- 
torial contest in 1890, until he requested other- 
wise, he received the united Populist vote, and 
near the close of the contest the Republicans offered 
to give him their one hundred votes solid if the 
Populists would also support him, but two of them 
had already promised to vote for Palmer and 
would not recede. The farmers everywhere ac- 
knowledge him as a leader of the party, and he is 
undoubtedly an untiring worker in the interest of 
reform. 



yiLSON GRAGG, of Centralia Township, is 
one of the honored pioneers of Marion 
County, who since an early day in its his- 
tory has watched the growtli and development of 
tliis region and aided in its upbuilding and ad- 
vancement. The record of his life is as follows: 
A native of the state of Massachusetts, he was 
born in Berkshire County, on the 8th of August, 
1834. On the paternal side he is of Scotch and 
Irish lineage, and comes from an old New Eng- 
land family. His father, Samuel Gragg, was born 
and reared in Vermont. His family numbered 
eight children, four sons and four daughters, 
namely: Sarah, the wife of John Lane; Jane; Robert, 
who died leaving a family; John, who makes his 
home in Reading, Pa.; Susan; Wilson, whose name 
heads this record; Mary and Samuel. 

During the early boyhood of our subject, his 
parents removed to New Jersey, and he was there 
reared and educated, but when he had attained to 
man's estate he determined to make his home in 
the west, for he believed that that less thickly set- 
tled district furnished better opportunities to am- 
bitious young men than the older states of the 
east. Accordingly in 1855 Mr. Gragg left his old 
home and made a location in Berrien County, 
Mich., where he lived for two years. On the ex- 
piration of that period he came to Illinois, settling 
in Marion County. This was in 1858, and in the 
many years which have since come and gone he 
has known no other home. 

In 1861 Mr. Gragg was joined in marriage with 
Miss Mary M. Baird, and by their union have been 
born eight children, who are yet living: John, a 



220 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



resident of Sparta, Randolph County; Jennie, who 
was educated in the common schools in Sparta 
and Carbondale and is now successfully engaged in 
teaching in Marion County; Jessie,who was also ed- 
ucated in Carbondale, and is now engaged in teach- 
ing; Josie, James, Nettie, Robert and Guy. They 
have also lost two children. Mr. and Mrs. Gragg 
began their domestic life upon the farm where 
they are still living. About 1877, he erected a 
beautiful brick residence, one of the finest country 
homes of the neighborhood. It is the abode of 
hospitality and the many friends of the family 
there delight to assemble. The farm comprises two 
hundred and eighty acres of rich and arable land, 
which is under a high state of cultivation and im- 
proved with all modern accessories and conven- 
iences. The fields are well tilled, and the neat and 
thrifty appearance of the place indicates the care- 
ful supervision of the owner, who is recognized as 
one of Marion County's most practical and pro- 
gressive farmers. In his political views Mr. Gragg 
is a stalwart Republican. The cause of education 
finds him a warm friend and he has done much 
for its advancement. His wife is a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, and though he holds mem- 
bership with no organization, he contributes lib- 
erally to the cause of religion. 



&j\\ MOS CLARK, a wealthy capitalist of Cen- 
i<wj| tralia, is a native of Connecticut, lie 
IJ Is was born in Litchfield County, Novem- 
^P ber 6, 1806, and is a son of Friend Clark- 
His great-grandfather, Joseph Clark, was a native 
of England and founded the family in America. 
He settled in Litchfield County, Conn., where he 
took up large tracts of laud, and his son Amos, 
the grandfather of our subject, served as Sheriff 
of that county for forty years. Friend Clark was 
reared in Litchfield County, and there wedded 
Mary Hubbell, by whom he had ten children, our 
subject being the youngest and the only surviving 
child. The father served in the Revolution, and 
his son Chauncey was in the War of 1812. Amos 



remembers hearing the roar of the cannon at the 
battle of New London during that struggle. 

Our subject was only three and a-half years old 
when his father died. He was reared in his native 
county, and was educated in its public and private 
schools. When quite young he worked on farms 
during the summer months in order to support 
himself and his widowed mother, and his leisure 
hours in the evening he would devote to study. 
He served an apprenticeship with a man engaged 
in the manufacture of spinning wheels, and later 
embarked in the manufacture of mouse traps in 
connection with Mr. Hotchkiss, who afterwaids 
invented the Hotchkiss gun. As soon as he had ac- 
quired a sufficient capital, Mr. Clark purchased 
land in Litchfield County and engaged in raising 
sheep and cattle, becoming the owner of a fine 
place. 

On the i5th of April, 1829, Mr. Clark was united 
in marriage with Henrietta, daughter of Abijah 
Guernsey, a farmer of Watertown, Conn. Her 
grandfather, Ebenezer Guernsey, was a native of 
England. Her mother bore the maiden name of 
Anna Hotchkiss, and she too came of an old New 
England family. Mrs. Clark was born in Water- 
town, Conn., March 12, 1808, and in girlhood at- 
tended the same school as did her husband. In 
1857 they left the east and emigrated to Marion 
County, 111., locating in Salem, In 1859, Mr. Clark 
built a large three-story hotel at that place, which 
he carried on for eight years, when he retired from 
active life. In 1865, he came to Centralia, where 
he has since made his home. To him and his es- 
timable wife were born seven children, but four 
died in infancy, namely: Stephen B., Ann Maria, 
Stephen B. (the second of the name) and Joseph. 
Elizabeth died at the age of nineteen; John G. 
wedded Mary Bishop, by whom he had a daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth, who died at the age of five years. 
His death occurred at the age of twenty-nine. 
Amos A. enlisted in 1862 in Company A, One 
Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Infantry, and was 
made its Captain, for he had raised the company. 
He was shot and killed at Decatur Junction, March 
9, 1864, at the age of twenty-nine, leaving a wife 
and one child. 

In early life, Mr. Clark was a Whig and cast 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



221 



his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay. He 
has also voted the Free Soil ticket. He aided in 
organizing the Republican party, voted for John 
C. Fremont in 1856, and has since been one of the 
most stalwart supporters of Republican principles. 
He and his wife are faithful and consistent mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which 
he serves as Trustee, and to the support of which 
he contributes liberally. He was also Trustee of 
the Insane Asylum of Anna for four years, being 
appointed by Governor Beveridge, and has held 
numerous city offices in Centralia. Mr. Clark is a 
self-made man, who began life empty-handed, but 
by industry and perseverance has steadily worked 
liis way upward, until he has become one of the 
wealthiest citizens of Marion County. His deal- 
ings have always been straightforward and honor- 
able, and through the legitimate channels of busi- 
ness his success has been achieved. 



|js^ ENECA L. HAND, ESQ. There is nothing 
^%s5 of more interest to the general reader 
IJl/lj) than a sketch of a gentleman who has won 
both fame and fortune in the battle of life, 
and according to this principle a brief sketch of 
Mr. Hand cannot fail to prove interesting. He 
was born in Otsego County, N. Y., April 9, 1805, 
and was the son of Heman and Hannah (Ilaight) 
Hand. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject was 
Joseph Hand, who was born in Connecticut prior 
to the Revolutionary War. He emigrated early in 
life to New York State, where he was one of the 
pioneers of Columbia County, and there carried 
on farming. Joseph Hand was descended from 
one of two brothers who came from England and 
made their home in the United States many years 
before the devolution. His ancestor located in 
Connecticut, and the brother made his home in 
the Empire State. 

Heman Hand, the father of our subject, was 
born in Connecticut, where he received a very 
fair education for those times and was early 
trained in farm pursuits. When quite young he 
married Miss Hannah, the daughter of Jonathan 



and Marian Haight, and to them were born the 
following children: Alvah, Hosea, Seneca L. (of 
this sketch), Joseph, William, Abraham, Henry and 
Parmelia. The elder Mr. Hand later removed to 
Ohio, which was the home of some of his children, 
and where his death occurred in 1829, when in his 
sixtieth year. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hand were 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, al- 
though the mother had been reared in the Quaker 
faith. In his political relations the father was a 
strong and influential Whig. 

Seneca L. Hand is a well informed man and ac- 
quired a good education in the common schools. 
lie remained with his parents until reaching his 
twentieth year, when he removed to a place in 
Portage County, Ohio, but which is now in Sum- 
mit County, and for the three succeeding years 
he was engaged in teaching school. At the ex- 
piration of lha't time he began reading law, and 
July 4, 1830, was admitted to the Bar. Mr. Hand 
continued to reside in the above county, where 
he was engaged in the practice of law, until 1847, 
when he was compelled to abandon that profession 
on account of failing health. During that time 
he. had built up a large and paying clientage and 
was regarded as the best attorney in the county. 
While residing in Ohio, Mr. Hand held the office 
of Justice of the Peace for twelve years and in 
many other ways took an active part in public 
affairs. 

In 1853 our subject emigrated still further west, 
his destination being Dubuque, Iowa. During 
the years of his residence there he was engaged 
in handling real estate, but after making a visit 
to Marion County, in 1865, he was so well pleased 
with the outlook that he returned to Iowa and, 
disposing of his interests in that city, came with 
his family to Centralia, where he has since made 
his home. 

Mr. Hand had not resided in this city long be- 
fore its citizens recognized his ability as a lawyer 
and elected him City Attorney. Later, from 1867 
to 1889, he held the office of Justice of the Peace, 
and for one year was Police Magistrate. While 
residing in Ohio, our subject, October 24, 1832, 
was married to Esther O. Nash. Mrs. Hand was 
the daughter of Abraham and Hannah (Jordan) 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Nash and was bora at Balston Spa, N. Y., No- 
vember 16, 1810. The two daughters born to 
them were, Nellie, now deceased, and Alice, the 
wife of Andrew McLean, with whom our subject 
and his good wife make their home. They have 
also performed the part of parents to three moth- 
erless children, Mary J. Nash, a sister of Mrs. 
Hand, who married William St. John; Kate Nash, a 
niece of Mrs. Hand, who married Robert P. Min- 
shall, and George K. Minshall, the sixteen-month- 
old son of the latter. 

Mrs. Seneca L. Hand is a devoted member of the 
Episcopal Church, while Mr. Hand holds to the 
church of his youth, the Quaker Church. While 
residing in the east our subject was a prominent 
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
in which societ3 T he held all the Chairs. His po- 
litical views coincide with those laid down in the 
platform of the Republican party. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hand have been married nearly sixty-two years, 
and botli are hale and hearty for their years. 

Mrs. McLean, the daughter of our subject, is a 
Iad3' possessing a fine education, having completed 
her studies in the Dubuque (Iowa) High School. 
She was married in Centralia in 1879 to Andrew 
McLean, who is a prominent commission merchant 
of that city. 



I, 




PERRINE, who resides just in- 
Jj side the corporation limits of Centralia, 
^yj|j was born in Wayne County, N. Y., in 1822, 
and during his early childhood accompanied his 
parents on their emigration westward to Indiana. 
The family located in Ripley County, and there 
our subject was reared to manhood in the usual 
manner of farmer lads. His parents were both 
natives of New Jersey, and one of the famous bat- 
tles of the Revolution, that of Monmouth, occur- 
red on his great-grandfather's farm. During the 
engagement seven cannon balls penetrated the 
walls of the residence. The Perrine family was 
originally of French origin, and as is indicated, 



was founded in America during early Colonial 
days. 

Our subject acquired his education in the com- 
mon schools, which he attended in the winter 
season, while in the summer months he aided in 
the labors of the field. After arriving at years of 
maturity, he was married in the Hoosier State, 
the lady of his choice being Nancy J. Mills, who 
died leaving one child, Cyrus M. Perrine, who 
lives in Wayne County, 111. For his second wife 
he chose Miss Rosetta Alden, a descendant of the 
noted John Alden. Seven children were born of 
their union, but David, the second child, and 
Lucy Bell are now deceased. The others are Car- 
rie, Charles T., Samuel A., William S. and Cora B. 
Cyrus, who is married and has three daughters, is 
engaged in the nursery business. William and 
Charles T. are also engaged in the same enterprise 
with their father. Samuel, who graduated from 
the Chicago University, is now a minister of the 
Baptist Church, serving as a missionary to India. 
The family was represented in the Civil War by- 
Cyrus, who enlisted in the Union army in 1862 
and served until after the cessation of hostilities. 
David G. was a graduate of the Chicago Uni- 
versity, and was largely instrumental in establish- 
ing the present prosperity of the business now 
conducted by his father and brothers. Cora B. is 
a graduate of Wellesly College, in Massachusetts, 
and is now connected with the Chicago Universi- 
ty as assistant librarian. 

In 1867, Mr. Perrine brought his family to 
Marion County, 111., and has since resided in this 
locality. He located upon the farm which has 
since been his home, and after carrying on agri- 
cultural pursuits for some years, he embarked in 
the nursery business, in 1875. To this work he 
has since devoted his time and attention in con- 
nection with the raising of small fruits. He now 
has one of the most extensive nurseries in the 
county and is doing an excellent and lucrative 
business, which has steadily increased from the 
beginning. 

In his political views, Mr. Perrine is a stalwart 
Republican, and his sons are also supporters of 
the same party. He and his children, with one 
exception, all belong to the Baptist Church, and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



223 



the family is one of prominence in the community 
and its members are people of sterling worth. Re- 
cently, Mr. Perrine erected a beautiful home on 
his farm, just at the edge of the city limits of Cen- 
tralia, and there he expects to pass his remaining 
days, surrounded by the comforts and many of 
the luxuries of life, which he has secured through 
his own well directed efforts. 



JAMES M. .ROBNETT, a surveyor and real- 
estate dealer, who is now acting agent for 
the Loan and Protection Association of 
Patoka, 111., is a native of the Hoosier 
State. He was born in Clark County, Ind., March 
21, 1849, and comes of an old Virgina family. His 
grandfather, David Robnett, was a native of Vir- 
ginia, and emigrating westward became one of the 
pioneers of Clark County. In the midst of the 
forest he hewed out a farm, which was located 
near where Bull Creek empties into the Ohio River. 
There he spent his remaining days. In the family 
were two sons and two daughters, of whom Pleas- 
ant H. Robnett, the father of our subject, was the 
eldest. He was born at Bull Creek Landing, and 
was reared on the old homestead. He married 
Elizabeth C. F. Henley, daughter of Noah Henley, 
who was a native of Virginia, and in an early day 
cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Clark 
County, Ind. Later he removed to Carroll Coun- 
ty, Mo., where his death occurred. Mrs. Robnett 
spent the days of her maidenhood in Indiana. 

For five years after their marriage the parents of 
our subject remained on the old homestead and 
then came to Marion County, 111., in 1852. They 
settled on section 8, Centralia Township, where 
Mr. Robnett purchased one hundred and sixty 
acres of land, which he secured through a land 
warrant which was given his brother, Andrew 
Robnett, who died while returning home from the 
Mexican War. To this farm Mr. Robnett kept 
adding from time to time, and at his death he 
owned seven hundred acres of valuable land, of 
which five hundred acres were located in Marion 



County. He was a Democrat in politics, served as 
Supervisor of the township, and held other local 
offices. In his family were ten children, eight of 
whom are yet living: Sarah, wife of Charles Gal- 
braith; A. J., a farmer of Farina, 111.; Willie E., 
who died at the age of two years; Reuben A., a 
farmer of Centralia Township; Noah, a farmer and 
stock dealer of Kinmundy; Ella M. and Lena M., 
twins; Charles, who occupies the old homestead 
in Centralia Township; and Frank, who is engaged 
in the livery business in Denver, Colo. Lena M. 
died at the age of five years, and Ella M. is the 
wife of John Cretzmeyer, who is living just out- 
side the boundary limits of Centralia. 

In the usual manner of farmer lads, James M. 
Robnett spent the days of his boyhood and youth, 
and the public schools afforded him his educational 
privileges. On the 27th of September, 1877, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Millie Preston, 
daughter of Isom Preston, who in an early day lo- 
cated near Waterloo, 111., and was the third to en- 
ter land from the Government in this state. He 
there lived until 1860, when he went to Iowa, and 
in the spring of 1864 he came to Centralia, where 
he is still living. His daughter was born and 
reared on the old homestead, near Waterloo. The 
young couple began their domestic life in Boone 
Township, Jefferson County, where they remained 
for two years, when they took up their residence 
in Raccoon Township, Marion County. In 1888 
they located in Centralia, where they still make 
their home, and Mr. Robnett is now doing busi- 
ness as a surveyor and a civil engineer. He is 
agent for the Loan and Protection Association of 
Patoka, which was organized in 1889 for the pur- 
pose of loaning money to those who wished to 
build homes. 

Mr. and Mrs. Robnett are now the parents of 
five children, and they have also lost one. Those 
still living are Pleasant E., Bessie Elizabeth, Rolla 
B., Chauncey Cleveland and Ernest Marcellus. 
Socially, Mr. Robnett is connected with the Mod- 
em Woodmen of America, and was formerly a 
member of the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Associa- 
tion. In politics he is a Democrat, but is not an 
aspirant for public office. He still owns two 
farms, one of eighty acres and another of one 



224 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



hundred and sixty acres, and both are under a 
high state of cultivation. There are forty acres 
comprised in a peach and apple orchard. Mr. 
Robnett is a highly respected citizen, and his well 
spent life has gained him universal confidence. 



\OBERT ROHL, who is at present residing 
in Centralia, is agent for the Heim Brew- 
ery Branch of the St. Louis Association 
land is engaged in manufacturing soda 
water and other carbonated drinks. He was born 
in Marquette, Mich., on the shores of Lake Supe- 
rior, January 14, 1856, and is the son of Carl Rohl, 
a native of Prussia. 

The father of our subject came to America early 
in the '50s and located in the then village of 
Chicago, where he met and married Miss Caroline 
Weiland, who was born in Wurtembcrg, Germany. 
The young couple soon afterward made their way 
to Marquette, Mich., where the father engaged in 
following his trade of merchant tailor for a num- 
ber of years but now lives a retired life. Mrs. 
Rohl departed this life in 1868, after having be- 
come the mother of nine children, four of whom 
are still living, namely: Emma, who married John 
Inglis,and makes her home in Montana, where they 
are farmers; Charles, who is engaged in the jewelry 
business in Champion, Mich.; August, who is re- 
siding in West Superior, Mich., where lie is cany- 
ing on bottling works; and Robert, of this sketch. 

Our subject received a good education in the 
schools of Marquette, and when ready to make his 
own way in the world began manufacturing soda 
water and bottling beer. This he followed in the 
Wolverine State until 1886, when he came to Cen- 
tralia and established the bottling works of which 
he has since been the proprietor aad which is the 
only factory of the kind in the city. As before 
stated, Mr. Rohl is also agent for the Heim Brew- 
ery, which position he accepted about a year ago. 

In 1881, while making his home in Marquette, 
our subject was married to Miss Anna Stabler, a 
native of Switzerland. Mrs. Rohl came to Amer- 
ica with her brother when a young lady and lo- 
cated with him in Michigan, where she met her 



future husband. The four children which have 
come to bless their home bear the respective 
names of Theresa, Anna, Caroline and Robert. 

Politically, our subject is a strong Republican 
and has been sent as a delegate of his party to the 
different conventions. In 1891 he was elected 
Alderman of the Fourth Ward, and is serving his 
second term as a member of the council. He is a 
Knight of Honor and a prominent Odd Fellow, 
aiid while making his home in Michigan was a 
delegate'to the Grand Lodge. He is deeply inter- 
ested in all matters pertaining to the welfare of 
the city, and as a man of extended influence en- 
joys the esteem of hosts of fiiends. 



M. GRAY, who is now serving as Sheriff of 
Jefferson County, makes his home in Mt. 
Vernon. He claims Tennessee as the state of 
his nativity, for he was born in Sumner County, on 
the 1 1th of February, 1852. His father, David S. 
Gray, was a native of North Carolina, as was his 
mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary Lit- 
tleton. In an early day they removed to Tennes- 
see, where the father engaged in farming for a 
number of years. He became a leading and influ- 
ential citizen of that community, served as Deputy 
Sheriff of Sumner County, and was also Tax Col- 
lector. In 1860 he came with his family to Illi- 
nois, locating in Franklin County, and two years 
later he came to Jefferson County, where he is yet 
living, his home being upon a farm six miles from 
Mt. Vernon. Here he has also been honored with 
several local offices, having served as Justice of 
the Peace, Township Assessor and Tax Collector. 
In the family were ten children, three sons and 
seven daughters, all of whom are yet living. 

T. M. Gray, who is the eldest son, was reared 
upon his father's farm in the usual manner of 
farmer lads and acquired his education in the pub- 
lic schools of the neighborhood. During the 
greater part of his life he has been connected with 
public office. On attaining his majority he was 
made Constable of McClellan Township, and also 
served as Tax Collector of his township. After 
coming to Mt. Vernon he was elected Alderman, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



227 



which position he filled for four years. During 
his second term George H. Varnell, the Mayor of 
the city, died and Mr. Gray was appointed to fill 
out the unexpired term. In 1876 he was ap- 
pointed Deputy Sheriff, which position he held for 
six years, and in 1882 was elected Sheriff of the 
county. When that term had expired he was again 
appointed Deputy, in which capacity he served 
for four years, and his second election to the su- 
perior office occurred in 1890. He has ever since 
held that position, and is a fearless and faithful 
incumbent, ever ready to respond to the call of 
duty. 

In 1876 Mr. Gray was united in marriage with 
Miss Lulu E. Bradley. They are well and favora- 
bly known in this community, having many warm 
friends. In his social relations Mr. Gray is an Odd 
Fellow, and in politics he is a Democrat, who 
warmly advocates the principles of his party. 
Much of his life has been spent in Jefferson 
County, and he is recognized as one of the valued 
citizens of the community. 



SIL ON. JACOB GROSCH, of Centralia, occu- 
'if)! 1 l'' es a potion of prominence among the 
jy^ business men of this city, where he has re- 
(|^) sided for many years. He is the owner and 
manager of a general mercantile store situated at 
No. 103 Locust Street, which since its establish- 
ment in the year 1889 has enjoyed a lucrative and 
steadily increasing trade. He also owns a grocery 
and general store on the corner of Walnut and 
South Second Streets. In addition to these enter- 
prises he has other valuable and extensive inter- 
ests, and is numbered among the wealthy men of 
the county. His prosperity has been gained solely 
through his tireless exertions, as he had but limited 
means when emigrating to the United States. 

A native of Germany, Mr. Grosch was born in 
Gernsheim, on the Rhine, October 10, 1839. He is 
the son of Jacob and Magdalina Grosch, the 
former of whom came to America in 1868, while 
the latter died when Jacob was a child of six years. 
Our subject was educated in the excellent schools 
of his native land, and in his boyhood assisted his 



father, who was a miller on the River Rhine. Emi- 
grating to this country in 1856, he joined his 
brother-in-law, Jacob Kohl, at Centralia, and was 
here employed as a carpenter and cabinet-maker 
until the outbreak of the Rebellion. 

At the first call for troops, Mr. Grosch enlisted 
in the Union army, and in April, 1861, his name 
was enrolled as a member of Company C, Eleventh 
Illinois Infantry. The term of service being for 
three months, he again enlisted at the expiration 
of that period, July 25 becoming a member of 
Company B, Eighth Illinois Infantry. He was 
mustered out of the service at Springfield, 111., in 
September, 1864, after three years of arduous toil, 
during which time he had experienced alike the 
exposures and privations of camp life and the 
dangers of many a hard-fought battle. Among 
the important engagements in which he took part 
were those of Ft. Donelson, February 15, 1862 
(where he was wounded by a bullet passing through 
his hand); Shiloh, April 6 and 7, 1862; Corinth, 
May 28 and 29, 1862; Port Gibson, Miss., May 1, 
1863; Raymond, Miss., May 12; Jackson, Miss., 
May 14; Champion Hills, Miss., May 16, and the 
siege of Vicksburg, which closed with the fall of 
that city July 21, 1863. The Colonel of the regi- 
ment was R. J. Oglesby, late Governor of Illinois. 

After having been honorably discharged from 
the army, Mr. Grosch returned to Centralia, where 
he held a clerkship until 1870. He then built a 
store at the corner of Walnut and South Second 
Streets, which he stocked with a complete assort- 
ment of general merchandise, and in which he has 
since conducted a large trade. However, his prin- 
cipal occupation is fruit growing, and upon his 
forty-four acre fruit farm in Clinton County he 
raises the principal varieties of fruits, having 
thirty-eight acres planted to apple, and one acre 
to pear trees. lie also raises strawberries and 
cherries. In addition to the farm, he owns about 
eighteen tenement houses in the city, and the 
business block on the corner of South Second and 
Walnut Streets. 

On the 4th of May, 1865, Mr. Grosch married 
Miss Annie E. Pfaff, a native of Switzerland, who 
accompanied her parents to the United States in 
childhood. Her father, Jerome Pfaff, settled in 



228 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



St. Louis, Mo., and thence in 1849 removed to 
Madison County, 111., where he engaged in farm- 
ing and stock-raising. In 1863 he came to Cen- 
tralia, where he was proprietor of a boarding 
house, and continued to make this city his home 
until death. Mr. and Mrs. Grosch are-the parents 
of five children: Bertha, who is a clerk in her fa- 
ther's store; Edward J., Louisa A. and Otto W., 
who are clerking in the West Side store; and Ber- 
nard August, who is a student in the Centralia 
schools. 

Politically a strong Republican, Mr. Grosch has 
for years been very active in the ranks of his party. 
He has been a member of the Board of Education, 
and served as its Secretary. For four years he 
was Commissioner of the Southern Illinois Peni- 
tentiary, at Chester, having been appointed to that 
position by Gov. R. J. Oglesby. At the present 
time he is a member of the City Council. Fre- 
quently he has served as delegate to county, con- 
gressional and state conventions. He was one of 
the organizers of the Centralia Mining & Manu- 
facturing Company, of which he is a Director. In 
1891 he aided in the organization of the Centralia 
& Central City Street Railway Company, in which 
he owns a controlling interest. He is also a Di- 
rector of the Centralia Iron & Nail Company, of 
which he was one of the organizers, and a Director 
of the Centralia Coal & Mining Company. 

Socially, Mr. Grosch is identified with Wallace 
Post No. 55, G. A. R., and is the present Quarter- 
master. He also belongs to the Knights of Honor, 
in which he has been Dictator, and is prominent in 
the Treubund and the Turnverein. In social cir- 
cles he and his family are well known and popular. 
The success which has rewarded his exertions is 
the result of his indefatigable energy and excel- 
lent management. In business matters he is keen 
and discriminating, quick to discern and equally 
quick to decide. His prosperity is well deserved. 



PRANK M. BEADLE is the owner of one 
of the fine farms of Jefferson County, a 
tract of land of one hundred acres, situ- 
ated on sections 16 and 17, Grand Prairie Town- 
ship. His home is a comfortable and commodi- 



ous dwelling, in the rear of which stand a large 
barn and other outbuildings, which are models of 
convenience. These are surrounded by rich and 
well cultivated fields, and the farm, which is neat 
and thrifty in appearance, indicates the careful 
supervision of the owner, who is recognized as a 
most successful agriculturist. 

Our subject was born on the old Beadle home- 
stead on section 17, and is a son of Richard F. 
Beadle, who was born in Clark County, Ind., 
October 12, 1814. The father came to Illinois in 
1840, settling on section 15, Grand Prairie Town- 
ship, where he made his home for about three 
years, and then purchased one hundred and sixty 
acres of land on section 17, which he transformed 
into one of the model farms of the community. 
He was a Republican in politics and a zealous 
worker in the interests of that party. For some 
years he served as School Director and School 
Trustee. He was united in marriage June 19, 
1834, with Barbara Butoff, and to them were born 
nine children, six of whom are yet living: Susan 
A., wife of William Johnson, of Centralia; Cath- 
erine E., wife of James R. Johnson, who served 
in the late war and is now living one mile east 
of Centralia; Nancy J., wife of Z. C. Moore, who 
was a member of Company H, Eightieth Illinois 
Infantry, and is now living in Tamalco,!!!.: John, 
who wedded Mary A., daughter of John Jackson, 
and resides in Grand Prairie Township; F. M., 
who wedded Mary M., daughter of William Craig, 
and is also living in Grand Prairie Township; and 
William, deceased, who married Mary Ann Gris- 
more. The mother of this family was born December 
31, 1812, and died in February, 1866. Mr. Beadle 
afterward married Mrs. Catherine Piercy and took 
up his residence upon her large farm. In politics 
he was a Republican, and was one of the hon- 
ored pioneers and representative citizens of the 
community. He passed away June 25, 1885. 

Frank M. Beadle was reared to manhood under 
the parental roof. He attended the district schools 
of the neighborhood during the winter season 
until twenty-one years of age. To his father he 
gave the benefit of his services until twenty-five 
years of age, when he was married. On the llth 
of August, 1870, he wedded Mary M. Craig, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



229 



daughter of William Craig, of Ccntralia Town- 
ship, Marion County, but she died October 27, j 
1890, leaving six children, viz.: William C., Susan 
A., Richard F., Catherine B., Julia F. and Francis 
C. On the 30th of August, 1892, Mr. Beadle 
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Long, a 
most estimable lady. 

Our subject has always been a Republican until 
recently, when he joined the Populist party, and 
is now one of its zealous members. He has served 
as Tax Collector for two terms, was Assessor for 
two terms, and has been School Director for sev- 
eral years. He discharged his duties in a prompt 
and able manner, proving a capable officer. So- 
cially, he is a member of the Odd Fellows' lodge 
of Irvington, the Illinois Mutual Protective Asso- 
ciation and the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Associa- 
tion. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. His entire life has been passed in Jef- 
ferson County, and those who have known him 
from boyhood are numbered among his warmest 
friends, a fact which indicates an honorable career. 



SAMUEL P. TUFTS. The Democratic party 
in the state of Illinois has within its ranks 
no worker more active or influential than 
the gentleman above named, the present 
Postmaster at Centralia, and probably the oldest 
surviving settler of this city. Elected to many 
positions of honor and trust, both in the county 
and state, his entire official career has been an hon- 
orable one, and has brought him into just promi- 
nence among his fellow-citizens, irrespective of 
political ties. 

Referring to the ancestry of Mr. Tufts, we find 
that his father, Almanza, was born in Boston, Mass., 
and was there reared to manhood, in his youth 
learning the trade of a merchant tailor. He mar- 
ried Mary, daughter of John Mellen, a Revolu- 
tionary hero. She was born and reared at Milford, 
Mass., and became the mother of eight children, 
only three of whom now survive. Shortly after 
his marriage, Mr. Tufts removed to Ithaca, N. Y., 
and there for a time conducted a merchant-tailor- 



ing business. Thence, about 1834, he removed 
with his family to St. Louis, Mo., having visited 
the west the previous year in search of a suitable 
location. The removal was made by stage to the 
Ohio River at Pittsburgh, and thence to St. Louis 
on the steamer "A. N. Phillips," commanded by- 
Captain Tufts, a cousin of our subject's father. 

Locating in St. Louis, Almanza Tufts embarked 
in business as a merchant tailor, and continued 
thus engaged until 1838. In the spring of 1840 
he came to Illinois and purchased land adjoinii 
the village of Collinsville, where he engaged 
agricultural pursuits for about fifteen years. Whi 
carrying on his farm he also traveled as a con 
mercial salesman. In the early '60s he moved 
Winchester, this state, where he purchased a farm. 
About 1870 he bought property adjacent to the 
city of Centralia, and locating there made his 
home upon the farm until his death, which oc- 
curred January 28, 1879, at the age of seventy- 
five years. While attending a party in honor of 
our subject's birthday, he suddenly fell over dead, 
the victim of heart disease. Politically he was 
first a Whig and later a strong advocate of Repub- 
lican principles. He was educated and grounded in 
the faith of the Unitarian Church, but during the 
latter part of his life was a devoted member of 
the Presbyterian Church, in which he served as 
Deacon. 

Born in Fitchburg, Mass., January 28, 1827, the 
subject of this sketch was a lad of seven years 
when he accompanied his parents to Missouri, and 
was twelve years of age when he removed to Col- 
linsville, 111. The rudiments of his education 
were gained in the schools of St. Louis, both pri- 
vate and public, and the knowledge there ac- 
quired was supplemented by attendance at the 
Collinsville High School. Upon completing his 
studies, he was sent to Racine, Wis., in order to 
learn the trade of a carpenter, and remained in 
that city for two years. At the breaking out of 
the war with Mexico he enlisted at Milwaukee, 
Wis., in the spring of 1847, his name being en- 
rolled as a member of Company F, Fifteenth United 
States Infantry. The regiment enlisted for five 
years, or until the close of the war. After spend- 
ing a month at Camp Washington, near Cincin- 



230 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



nati, Ohio, they moved southward, and crossing 
the Gulf in> July, landed at Vera Cruz. 

From the coast the regiment proceeded to Pu- 
eblo, and thence accompanied General Scott into 
the valley of Mexico, participating in all the en- 
gagements from that time until they entered the 
city of Mexico. To them was given the honor of 
holding the castle of Chapultepec. Among the 
most important engagements in which they took 
part were those of Tucabia, Contreras and Cheru- 
buseo, the latter being one of the hardest-fought 
battles of the war. After the surrender of Mexico 
they were quartered for some months in the castle 
of Chapultepec, and thence proceeded to the city 
of Queretaro, where they remained until peace was 
declared. 

Mustered out of the service at Covington, Ky., 
Mr. Tufts at once returned to his home in Collins- 
ville. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California 
with an ox-team, being a member of a party of 
six. Before reaching Nevada the little company 
unfortunately lost all their stock, and after hard- 
ships and privations innumerable, reached the El 
Dorado of their dreams. Mr. Tufts engaged in 
mining for two years and met with fair success. 
At the expiration of that time he returned to Illi- 
nois via the Isthmus of Panama, and resuming 
work at his trade, spent the winter of 1853-54 in 
Belleville. 

In March, 1854, before the railroad was com- 
pleted to Centralia, Mr. Tufts came to this place, 
and embarking in business as a carpenter, was 
thus engaged until the opening of the Rebellion. 
On the 6th of June, 1861, he enlisted in the First 
Illinois Cavalry, and was elected First Lieutenant 
of Company H, which he aided in raising. Nole- 
man's Cavalry (as it was usually called) was un- 
der the command of Colonel Oglesby, afterward 
Governor of Illinois, and under the leadership of 
their gallant commander they did considerable 
scouting service. He took part in the battles of 
New Madrid and Island No. 10, and before the 
former engagement carried the first flag of truce 
known to the Union. 

At the expiration of his term of enlistment, Mr. 
Tufts was mustered out of the service at St. Louis, 
Mo., in July, 1862, and returning to Centralia, 



shortly afterward received the appointment of 
Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue, which he 
occupied for two years. He also aided in recruit- 
ing soldiers, being the enrolling officer for the 
camp near Centralia. He served as a delegate to 
the National Republican Convention at Baltimore 
that nominated Abraham Lincoln for President 
and Andrew Johnson for Vice-President. Later 
he was elected City Clerk, and in 1866 was ap- 
pointed mail agent between Cairo and Centralia, 
which office he held until January, 1869. 

In 1868, at the time of the establishment of The 
Democrat, Mr. Tufts was one of the prime factors 
in founding the paper, and for a time served as 
Secretary and manager of the company. In 1871 
he assumed complete control of the paper, which 
had the distinction of being the first Democratic 
publication in the city. In 1870 he was granted 
the contract for building railroads in Christian 
County, 111., for the Wabash Railway Company, 
and with his partner cut out a road bed through 
rock, a feat that had been attempted but aban- 
doned by two former contractors. About the same 
time Mr. Tufts was awarded the contract for build- 
ing the Cairo Short Line between Pinckneyville 
and Du Quoin. 

During the first administration of President 
Cleveland the subject of this sketch was appointed 
to the postoflice of the House of Representatives 
at Washington, I). C., which position he filled for 
about three years. In 1886 he was appointed 
Postmaster at Centralia, and under the second ad- 
ministration of President Cleveland was again 
appointed to that office, his commission bearing 
date of September 23, 1893. This responsible po- 
sition he still holds, and by his fidelity to duty 
and the efficient manner in which the office is con- 
ducted has won the high regard of his fellow-citi- 
zens, lie has held other positions of prominence. 
For one year he served as Alderman, and for three 
terms officiated as City Clerk. Socially he is iden- 
tified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
and was the representative of the Encampment at 
this place to the Grand Encampment of the state. 
He is now Acting President of the State Associa- 
tion of Mexican War Veterans. 

The marriage of Mr. Tufts occurred October 4, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



231 



1857, and united him with Zerelda Goodwin, who 
was born and reared in Clark County, Ind., and 
received an excellent education in the Bloomfield 
Seminary, at Bloom field, Ky. She came to Cen- 
tralia in the winter of 1855-56, and made her 
home with a sister until her marriage. Her father, 
John Goodwin, was born near Nicholasville, Ky., 
and upon attaining man's estate removed to Clark 
County, Ind., where he became an extensive farmer. 
He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and partici- 
pated in the memorable battle of Tippecanoe. In 
Clark County he married Miss Pauline Jenkins, 
and their union resulted in the birth of six chil- 
dren, who reached mature years. Only two now 
survive, Mrs. Tufts and Mrs. Martha Fry, the lat- 
ter being a resident of Arkansas City, Kan. Mr. 
Goodwin continued to make his home in Clark 
County until liis death, which occurred in 1859. 
His wife survived him many years, passing away 
in 1878. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Tufts resulted in 
the birth of seven children: Gay L. and Charles 
Drew, editors and proprietors of The Democrat; 
Elsie May and Zerelda 1)., those deceased being: 
Otho, Elda and Samuel. For further information 
concerning the younger son, the reader is referred 
to the sketch of Charles Drew Tufts, presented on 
another page of this volume. In the social circles 
of Centralia the family occupies a position of 
prominence, and in their hospitable home fre- 
quently gather the most refined and famous of 
Centralia's citizens. 

JEREMIAH TAYLOR, one of the prominent 
business men and influential citizens of Mt. 
Vernon, who is now extensively interested 
in the Mt. Vernon Bank, claims Kentucky 
as the state of his nativity, his birth having oc- 
curred in Warren County, November 26, 1816. 
No event of special importance occurred during 
his boyhood and youth, which were passed in the 
usual manner of farmer lads. He acquired his 
education under the instruction of a private tutor, 
and at the age of eighteen began teaching school, 
which he followed for about four years. lie then 



began trading and speculating in horses, cattle 
and produce, taking the same to New Orleans by 
flatboat. In this way he made quite a little money, 
but in 1837 he lost it all by the failure of the state 
banks in the financial crash of that year. He 
struggled on until 1843, when he found himself 
without a dollar, but he was enterprising and in- 
dustrious, and learning that photography was be- 
coming a profitable business, he set about fitting 
himself for. that work. He was an apt scholar, 
and ere long he had mastered the business, pro- 
cured an outfit and started out as a traveling artist. 
He was thus employed for about five years, during 
which time he made a considerable sum of money. 
He then took up his residence in Jefferson County 
and purchased a good farm. 

It was here that Mr. Taylor formed the ac- 
quaintance of Mrs. Frances Ham, a widow and 
the mother of C. D. Ham, the present cashier of 
the Mt. Vernon Bank. Not long afterward they 
were married, and locating upon a farm, Mr. Tay- 
lor carried on agricultural pursuits and engaged 
in stock-raising. He also owned a tannery and 
carried on a shoe shop, for his enterprising and 
progressive spirit led him to take up any honor- 
able pursuit whereby he might increase his finan- 
cial resources. He was not avaricious, but he 
wished to get a good start in life and secure a 
comfortable home for himself and family. 

After some eighteen years spent in this line of 
business, on account of the failing health of his 
wife, Mr. Taylor removed to Mt. Veruon, where he 
carried on merchandising in connection withC. D. 
Ham. They also operated a woolen mill for five 
years, when they sold out, and in company with 
others, organized the Mt. Vernon National Bank, 
Mr. Taylor being one of its largest stockholders. 
He has since been connected with that institution, 
and is also interested in other enterprises, being a 
stockholder in the water works, the car shops and 
coal mine, and he owns an extensive farm of 
nearly six hundred acres. During the Civil Wai- 
he was appointed by Governor Yates to help or- 
ganize the State Militia, and in this way did good 
service for his county. He has been a stanch Re- 
publican since the formation of the party, and for 
sixty years has been a faithful member of the 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Methodist Church, to the support of which he con- 
tributes liberally. He started out in life empty- 
handed, but has steadily worked his way upward, 
and his honorable, upright dealings well merit the 
handsome competence which he has acquired, and 
which is but the just reward of his labors. 



HOMAS L. JOY. Upon the prosperity of 
a community a newspaper exercises a mark- 
ed influence. To it, perhaps more than to 
any other agency, the growth and development of 
a city are due, and from it emanate the principles 
that promote the welfare of its best interests. 
Throughout this section of Illinois, the Centralia 
Sentinel has gained great popularity and is recog- 
nized as the leading organ of the Republican party. 
The high position it occupies in journalistic circles 
is due to the energy and ability of Mr. Joy, the 
present editor and proprietor. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Illinois, 
having been born in the town of Equality, Sep- 
tember 15, 1850. His father, Rev. Ephraim Joy, 
was born in this state September 6, 1818, and in 
his youth received a liberal education and also 
learned the trade of a tailor. In Lawrence Coun- 
ty, 111., occurred his marriage to Miss Margaret E. 
Seed, a native of Ireland, who came to America 
at the age of about seventeen years. She was one 
of a family of thirteen children, and after coming 
to the United States settled in Illinois, making her 
home in Lawrence County until the time of her 
marriage. 

A man of deeply religious nature and an inter- 
esting and earnest speaker, Rev. Ephraim Joy was 
only twenty years of age when he commenced to 
preach the Gospel, and soon afterward he was or- 
dained to the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. His first circuit embraced four whole 
counties and portions of two others, and while 
his labors were arduous, yet his energy and ability 
were such that he gained an enviable reputation 
as a successful preacher. Now a resident of Mound 



City, 111., he still follows the profession to which 
he has devoted his entire active life. His wife 
passed away in August, 1883. 

In the parental family there were four children, 
namely: Sarah Ann, who died in childhood; Mel- 
ville II., who died at the age of four years; Thomas 
L. and Andrew F., the latter living in Carmi, 111. 
The subject of this sketch was reared in this state 
and received his education in the district schools. 
At the age of about eighteen years, he started out 
to make his own way in the world, and going to St. 
Louis, there learned the trade of a printer, at which 
he served an apprenticeship of three years. Re- 
turning home, he became a member of the firm of 
E. Joy & Sons, which was organized for the pur- 
pose of conducting a newspaper. They founded 
the Carmi Weekly Times, the first Republican 
paper issued in the county seat of White County. 

One year later, Andrew F. having become of 
age, the firm was changed to Joy Bros., and as 
such continued for ten years. In August, 1880, 
the firm established the Cairo Daily and Weekly 
Neivs, which was successfully conducted under the 
management of the subject of this sketch. In 1881, 
the paper was discontinued and Thomas L. re- 
turned to Carmi. On the 1st of January, 1883, 
he sold out his interest in the Carmi Times and 
removed to Mt. Carmel, his father's old home, and 
purchased the Mt. Carmel Republican, which he 
edited and published weekly until 1887. 

Disposing of the plant in that year, Mi. Joy 
took a vacation from business until October, 1888, 
when he purchased an interest in the Centralia 
Daily and Weekly Sentinel, and in September, 1892, 
the plant passed into the hands of the present 
management. The Daily Sentinel is issued every 
evening, and the Weekly every Thursday. In ad- 
dition to this paper, the company publishes the 
Patoka Enterprise, the Sandoval Times and the 
Odin News, all of which are in a prosperous con- 
dition. The Weekly Sentinel was established in 
1864, and the Daily in 1880. The paper has a 
large circulation and liberal advertising patronage. 
It is the leading Republican paper in this section 
of the state and wields a potent influence for that 
party. It is the advocate of all judicious public 
enterprise and has contributed materially to the 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



growth of Centralia, with the interests of which its 
own are intimately associated. 

At Mt. Erie, 111., September 14, 1873, occurred 
the marriage of Thomas L. Joy to Lizzie V., 
daughter of Willard and Mary E. Lockwood. The 
parents of Mrs. Joy were natives of Ohio and Illi- 
nois respectively, and her mother is still living. 
Our subject and his wife are the parents of one 
child, a son, Vern E. In politics, Mr. Joy is a 
stalwart Republican. Socially, he is a member of 
Helmet Lodge No. 26, K. P., of Centralia, and is 
identified with the Uniformed Rank of that order. 
He also belongs to Queen City Lodge No. 179, 
I. O. O. F. The Southern Illinios Press Associa- 
tion has his name upon its roll of members, and 
at the present time he is serving as President of 
the Republican Press Association of the Twenty- 
first Congressional District. 

He has always taken an active part in politics 
and served as delegate to various conventions of 
state, district and count} 1 . He is a public-spirited 
man, and believes in Centralia and its future de- 
velopment. In disposition he is generous and 
charitable, always ready to aid a worthy cause or 
serve a friend. With such traits of character, he 
cannot but hold a strong place in the hearts of the 
people. 



JAMES WILSON, a carpenter and millwright 
of Centralia, is one of the oldest residents 
of this place. lie lias witnessed the growth 
and development of this community since 
the days of its early infancy, and has taken a com- 
mendable interest in its progress and advance- 
ment. He was born in Chester County, S. C., Oc- 
tober 1, 1816, and is a son of James Wilson, who 
was a native of the same state and was of Scotch- 
Irish descent. He wedded Mary Hamilton, who 
was born in South Carolina in 1792, and was a 
daughter of Robert Hamilton, a native of the 
North of Ireland. The latter started for America 
in 1790, and after a voyage of thirteen weeks 
landed at Charleston. 

James Wilson, Sr., followed the trade of carpen- 
tering in his native state, and also engaged in 
farming there until the spring of 1832, when he 



removed to Greene County, Ohio. In 1835 he be- 
came a resident of St. Clair County, 111., and en- 
tering land from the Government, developed a 
fine farm, upon which he made his home until his 
death, August 23, 1866, at the age of seventy-two 
years. His wife also died on the old homestead, 
January 10, 1874. They were the parents of eight 
children, but our subject is the only one now liv- 
ing. Both were members of the Reformed Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Mr. Wilson of this sketch spent the first sixteen 
years of his life in the state of his nativity, and 
acquired his education in its common schools. He 
was about nineteen years of age when he came to 
Illinois. When quite young he learned the car- 
penter's trade with his father and uncle, and for 
some years followed that pursuit, but at length en- 
tered eighty acres of land in St. Clair County, 
where he carried on farming until September, 1854. 

In South Carolina, on the 26th of Novem- 
ber, 1840, Mr. Wilson was united in marriage 
with Miss Jane B. White, daughter of John and 
Margaret (Kennedy) White, the former of whom 
was a native of South Carolina. The grandfather, 
William White, was a Revolutionary soldier and 
took part in many important engagements dur- 
ing that struggle for independence. John White 
was a fanner and stock-raiser, and died in his 
native state in the year 1840. After his death 
the family removed to Bloomington, Ind., and 
thence to St. Clair County, 111. In the family 
were seven children, the following of whom are 
yet living: Francis White, of Marissa, 111.; and 
Elizabeth, wife of William Johnson, deceased, of 
Bloomington, Ind. 

In September, 1854, James Wilson removed to 
Walnut Hill, 111., and in April, 1855, located in 
Centralia. The main line of the Illinois Central 
Railroad was just built, and the now flourishing 
city was then only a village. He began business 
as a contractor and builder, and built many of the 
first houses in this locality. He has since engaged 
as a carpenter and millwright, and has succeeded 
in securing a liberal share of the public patronage. 
His efforts being successful, he has thereby ac- 
quired a handsome income. At one time he was 
j a member of the firm of Wilson. Kell & Co., millers, 



234 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of Centralia. In 1866 he acted as Superintendent 
for an oil company. He is one of the oldest resi- 
dents of this place and is one of its most highly 
respected citizens. November 26, 1890, he and 
Mrs. Wilson celebrated their golden wedding. 

In politics, Mr. Wilson was first an Abolitionist; 
in 1856 lie joined the Republican party, but since 
1872 has supported the Greenback or Populist 
party. He was the first Assessor and Treasurer of 
Centralia, and was the first Postmaster of Marissa, 
111., which position he filled for eight years. He 
gave the name of Marissa to the office. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are both Presbyterians, 
and he was Superintendent of the first Sunday- 
school ever held in Centralia. They have had no 
children of their own, but they adopted and reared 
three girls, one of whom, Mary, is deceased. The 
other two are married. Jane became the wife of 
B. M. Kimzey, and they reside at Rush Springs, 
Ind. Ter. Nellie is the wife of C. W. Foster, 
and they live in Erie County, Pa. Mr. Wil- 
son has ever maintained his interest in church and 
benevolent work, and has done much for the ad- 
vancement of the cause in this locality. He is 
recognized as one of the best citizens of Marion 
County, for he has ever been prominent in the 
upbuilding of the community and has done all in 
his power to aid in its progress. 



jlU ON. JOHN W. BURTON, Clerk of the Ap- 
ifjj! pellate Court of Mt. Vernon, and one of 
(^^ the prominent and representative citizens 
l^y) of Jefferson County, was born on a farm 
in Johnson County. 111., on the 3d of August, 
1854. His grandfather, Fielderi Burton, was a na- 
tive of North Carolina, whence in early life he re- 
moved to Virginia, and later became a resident of 
Tennessee. In 1834 he came to Illinois, and was 
numbered among the early settlers. He became a 
prosperous farmer, and died in Johnson County in 
1859. His father was of English birth, and came 
to America as a soldier during the Revolution. A 
noted Baptist preacher, he was widely known in 
church circles. 

Charles Burton, father of our subject, was born 
in Virginia in 1824, and accompanied his parents 



on their various removals until locating in Illi- 
nois. He was a man of liberal education, and in 
early life taught school. He served in the Mexi- 
can War, and in 1869 settled in Carbondalc, 111., 
where he was extensively engaged in the produce 
business. He accumulated a handsome fortune, 
but later in life he lost much of it through invest- 
ments in cotton and tobacco. At the time of his 
death, which occurred at Mt. Vernon in the winter 
of 1893-94, he was serving as a member of the 
Board of Grain Inspectors in Chicago. His wife, 
who bore the maiden name of Caroline Russell, 
was of Irish, English, French and German lineage. 
She is now living in Mt. Vernon. 

The subject of this sketch was the third in the 
family of seven children, three sons and four 
daughters. One daughter died in infancy, and 
one son at the age of nineteen years. Charles H. 
is now an attorney of Edwards, 111., engaged in 
practice as a partner of ex-Senator Iladley; Arista 
occupies the chair of history in the Southern Illi- 
nois Normal School of Carbondale; Julia also at- 
tended that school; and Martha is the wife of S. 
W. Frizzell, a stockman of Athens, Tex. 

John W. Burton acquired his early education in 
the Southern Illinois College at Carbondale, and 
completed his literary studies in the Indiana State 
University of Bloomington, Ind., graduating in 
the Class of '76. Wishing to enter the legal pro- 
fession, he read law with Judge William J. Allen 
and Judge Andrew D. Duff, and in June, 1879, 
was admitted to the Bar of Illinois. Scon afterward 
he began practice in Marion, 111., becoming a mem- 
ber of the firm of Clemens & Burton. This con- 
nection was continued until 1884, or until the elec- 
tion of our subject as Clerk of the Appellate 
Court. In 1890, he was re-elected, and since his 
first election to the office he has lived in Mt. Ver- 
non. lie is a very able attorney, and is recog- 
nized as one of the best court officials in the state. 
While he is a stanch Democrat in political senti- 
ment, some of his strongest supporters and truest 
friends are found in the Republican party. 

On the 21st of December, 1881, in Marion, Mr. 
Burton was married to Miss Augusta, daughter of 
Dr. Robert M. Hundley, a prominent physician of 
that place and a distinguished soldier in the late 



LIBRARY 

OF THE . 

UNIVERSITY uf ILLINOIS 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



237 



war, who served as Colonel of an Illinois regi- 
ment. Her mother was a daughter of Judge Wil- 
lis Allen, who was a leading Democratic politician 
of southern Illinois. He was a Member of Con- 
gress, and was Circuit Judge of his district. To 
Mr. Burton and his wife have been born two chil- 
dren: Helen A., aged ten years; and John Allen, 
aged five. Mr. Burton is a Royal Arch Mason 
and a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is a 
leader in both organizations. 



\IL^ IRAM S. PLUMMER, M. D. This gentle- 
|M)) man, who is one of the leading physicians 
'jb^r and surgeons of Mt. Vernon, was born in 
(||) Marysville, Union Count}', Ohio, February 
25, 1831, and is the fourth in order of birth of the 
parental family. His father, Joseph Plummer, was 
born in Rutland, Vt., in 1794, and is descended 
from good old Puritan stock. The latter was a 
lad of eighteen years when his father, Asa Plum- 
mer, removed with his family to Lower Canada, 
where young Joseph remained until he had at- 
tained his majority. In 1815 he returned to the 
States and became one of the early settlers of 
Union County, Ohio. 

Our subject was only two years of age when his 
father located in Champaign County, Ohio, where 
his early life was spent on a farm, and where his 
education was conducted in the common schools. 
Upon reaching his twentieth year, he went to Ur- 
bana and entered the office of Dr. Andrew Wilson, 
under whose instruction he read medicine for three 
years. At the end of that time he entered the 
Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio, from which he was graduated. In 
May, 1857, he came to Mt. Vernon, where he was 
residing at the outbreak of the Rebellion. In 
September of 1862, he entered the Union army 
as First Assistant Surgeon of the One Hundred 
and Tenth Illinois Infantry, and remained in 
the field with his regiment until after the battle 
of Perryville. He was then given charge of the 
wounded from that conflict, and served as phy- 



sician of the hospital near that place until Jan- 
uary 1, 1863. Ordered thence to Nashville, Tenn., 
he was placed in charge of General Hospital No. 
18, and was there on duty about one year. On 
the re-organization of his regiment, he resigned 
his position as Assistant Surgeon and accepted 
that of Acting Assistant Surgeon of the United 
States army, with headquarters at Nashville. This 
charge he held for about four months, when he 
again resigned, and in February, 1864, returned 
home. Shortly afterward, however, he was ap- 
pointed Surgeon of the One Hundred and Fifty- 
second Illinois Infantry, and continued in the 
service until September 11, 1865, when the regi- 
ment was discharged. 

After the close of the war, Dr. Plummer re- 
sumed his professional duties in Mt. Vernon, where, 
besides attending to his extensive practice, he has 
filled several responsible positions. He has been 
President of the Pension Examining Board since 
1867, with the exception of four years under 
Cleveland's first administration. For four years 
he was Mayor of Mt. Vernon, and for six years 
was a member of the Board of Education, being 
President of that body the greater part of the 
time. 

The lady whom our subject married in 1860 
was Miss Martha, daughter of Harvey T. Pace, 
who was born in Kentucky January 20, 1805. 
The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Plummer, John 
M. Pace, was a native of Henry County, Vs., and 
the son of Joel Pace, Sr., who was a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War. The grandfather had twin 
brothers, Joel and Joseph, who were sold iers in the 
War of 1812 under General Harrison, and both of 
whom were noted men in the early history of Mt. 
Vernon. Joel was the first County Commissioner, 
to which position he* was elected in 1819. He also 
served as the first Clerk of the county, and was 
the first Probate Judge. In fact, he held almost 
all of the county offices at different times. He 
was also a prominent merchant. Joseph was a 
wealthy farmer in this vicinity, and both brothers 
lived to an advanced age. 

Hon. Harvey T. Pace, the father of Mrs. Plum- 
mer, was a tailor by trade, and followed that line 
of work for some time after coming to Mt. Ver- 



2.'! 8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



non, with whose interests he became identified in 

1822. Ten years later he embarked in the general 
mercantile business on the same corner and in the 
same building where Dr. Plummer's office is now 
located. It was the first two-story building in the 
town, and within its walls Mr. Pace transacted 
business for forty-four years, or until his decease, 
which occurred August 13, 1876. He was one of 
the wealthiest men in the locality, and at one 
time was President of what is now the Air Line 
Railroad. He held many local offices, and was 
three times honored by being elected a member of 
the State Legislature. At one time he owned 
about half of the original site of Mt. Vernon, as 
well as large tracts of land in other parts of Jeffer- 
son County. 

The mother of Mrs. Plummer, Mrs. Nancy 
(Bruce) Pace, was born in Wilson County, Tenn., 
April 25, 1807. Her father was a native of Vir- 
ginia, of Scotch ancestry, and served as a soldier 
in the War of 1812. He came to Mt. Vernon in 

1823, and during the early days in the history of 
this county was a member of the County Board 
of Commissioners. He departed this life in 1854, 
and the mother of Mrs. Plummer died October 30, 
1875, seven months after celebrating her golden 
wedding. 

J. M. Pace, a brother of Mrs. Plummer, was the 
eldest member of the family, and is at present re- 
siding in Mt. Vernon, of which city he was the first 
Mayor. He is employed as a Claim Agent, and 
his son, William T., is Judge of Jefferson Count}'. 
Mrs. Plummer is a member of the Christian Church, 
of which body her father was the organizer in Mt. 
Vernon. In 1854 he purchased the old Methodist 
Church, and at his own expense had it remodeled 
and used as the house of worship for the Christian 
congregation. Mrs. Plummer is a highly accom- 
plished lady, and is a graduate of the Daughters 
College of Harrodsburg,Ky. Throughout the state 
she is well known as a member of the Board of 
Education in Mt. Vernon. Her election to that 
body was contested, and by her the case was taken 
to the Supreme Court, where the election was con- 
firmed. 

Dr. and Mrs. Plummer are the parents of the 
following children; Hollie A., now Mrs. William 



Kelly, of Mt. Vernon; Grace, at home; Minnie M., 
the wife of E. W. Raymond, of St. Louis; Nannie, 
Adah R., Loolali and H. Gale. The Doctor is a 
member of the Southern Illinois Medical Associa- 
tion, and is connected with the Jefferson County 
Medical Association. Socially, he is a Chapter 
Mason and a member of the Knights of Honor. He 
also belongs to the Knights and Ladies of Honor, 
the I. O. M. A., and the National Railway Surgeons. 



;ILLIAM F. BUNDY, though still a young 
man, has already acquired a fine reputa- 
tion as a successful lawyer and has built 
up an extensive practice in Centralia. He is a 
native of this county, and was born in Raccoon 
Township June 8, 1858, to Isaac and Amanda 
(Richardson) Bundy, early residents of this lo- 
cality. 

William F.was reared to manhood in his native 
place, and after completing his studies in the com- 
mon schools, in 1879 entered the Southern Illinois 
Normal at Carbondale. After leaving college Mr. 
Bundy began reading law in the office of W. <fe 
E. L. Stoker, of Centralia, and was admitted to 
the Bar in May, 1887. When ready to begin the 
practice of his profession our subject found a 
suitable location in Centralia, whither he removed, 
and where he has resided ever since. He was mar- 
ried May 7, 1890, to Mary E., daughter of James J. 
McNally. The latter was a native of New York 
State, and at the time of his decease was residing 
in Belleville, 111. Mrs. Mary E. Bundy was born in 
Cleveland, Ohio, where she received a fine educa- 
tion and later was a student at De Pauw Universi- 
ty, in Greencastle, Ind. 

By their union Mr. and Mrs. Bundy have be- 
come the parents of two children, Donald M. and 
Dorothy K. The father of our subject was a strong 
Abolitionist, and as might be expected, the son is 
a true blue Republican. He possesses a thoughtful, 
clear mind, an intellect well balanced, and execu- 
tive talent of high order. He is recognized at an 
able and first-class all-round lawyer, and his ap- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



239 



pointtnent for two terms as City Attorney shows 
the high estimate placed upon his services as a 
lawyer. He was City Clerk for two years and 
socially is a Free & Accepted Mason. 



"77 LFRED FAULKNER, a farmer residing on 
(@//j|| section 34, Centralia Township, Marion 

Jll IB County, is one of the best known citizens 
^jl of this community. His father, William 
Faulkner, was born in Green County, Ky., in 
1797, and when he had attained his majority went 
to Orange County, Ind., where he met and married 
Miss Ann Harnett. Previously he had joined the 
Jo Davis Company of Kentucky Mounted Infan- 
try, and served for a year in the War of 1812. 
After his marriage he entered land in Kentucky, 
and there began farming in his own interest. For 
one term he served as Deputy Sheriff of Green 
County. .In 1843, lie returned to Orange County, 
Ind., where he again purchased a farm. He served 
as Road Commissioner for several years, and was a 
member of the Regular Baptist Church. In the 
family were twelve children, Warren, Albert, Mary 
Ann, Melinda, Jane, Catherine, Alfred, Martha, 
Joseph, Louisa, Thomas and Samuel, six of whom 
are now deceased. Alfred married Amanda C., 
daughter of Virgil Grubb, a prosperous farmer, 
and died in Centralia Township. Warren married 
Elizabeth Sanders and is living in Wayne County, 
111. Joseph wedded Kate Long and is living in 
Birdseye, Ind. The father of this family died De- 
cember 18, 1859, and the mother, who was bom in 
1811, passed a way in 1880. 

Alfred Faulkner was born in Orange County, 
Ind., August 2, 1833, attended the public schools 
through the winter months, and in the summer 
season worked upon the farm. At the age of 
twenty-one, he began working as a farm hand, and 
after two years went to Hardinsburg, Ind., where 
he followed the blacksmith's trade for a year. 
Later he began clerking in a general store, and as 
the postofflce was in the store he was appointed 
Deputy Postmaster. With the desire to try his 
fortune in the west, he started with a wagon in 



October, 1854, and after four weeks of travel 
reached Grand Prairie Township, Jefferson Coun- 
ty. There he learned that the Illinois Central 
Railroad was in process of construction, and ob- 
tained work on the same south of Centralia. Later 
he was engaged in the construction of the Ohio & 
Mississippi Railroad in Knox County, Ind., and in 
the spring of 1856 he returned to this state, locat- 
ing in Richview, where he obtained work in a 
woolen factory, carding wool. In the following 
year he went to Bond County, 111., where he fol- 
lowed blacksmithing for twelve months, after 
which he spent one winter in making rails in Grand 
Prairie Township. During the summer of 1858, 
he was employed as a farm hand by David Copple, 
and in the winter taught the Copple district school. 

During this time, Mr. Faulkner became ac- 
quainted with Amanda Grubb, and they were mar- 
ried March 20, 1859, after which our subject oper- 
ated a rented farm in Centralia Township. In the 
autumn of 1861 we find him on a farm in Jeffer- 
son County, and in the summer of 1862 he enlisted 
for three years' service in Company H, Eightieth 
Illinois Infantry, for three years. He was always 
ready for duty, participated in twent3 T -three battles 
of importance, and on the 19th of June, 1865, was 
honorably discharged. He then returned to his 
family, and in the autumn removed to Orange 
County, Ind., where he rented a farm, which he 
carried on for two years. During that time he 
served as Constable. 

In March, 1868, Mr. Faulkner returned to Illi- 
nois, and for nineteen years lived on a farm near 
Centralia. He then purchased a farm on section 
34, Centralia Township, and is now extensively 
engaged in the cultivation of fruit, making a spec- 
ialty of apples, strawberries and peaches. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner were born seven 
children, six yet living, Martha, who became the 
wife of William Parker, and after his death mar- 
ried II. Willis, who is living in Washington Coun- 
ty, 111.; Frank, who married Minnie Sendmoreand 
is living near Centralia; Thomas M., who married 
Rosa Dobbs and. is living in Centralia Township; 
Joseph, John and Willie, who are at home. 

Mr. Faulkner is a member of the Christian 
Church, and belongs to the Farmers' Mutual Pro- 



240 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tective Association. In politics he is a supporter of 
the Republican party, and be has served as School 
Director. He now receives a pension of 18 per 
month, which rewards him for his valuable services 
at the front. 'lie is still the same faithful citizen 
that he was in time of war, and all who know him 
respect him for his sterling worth. 

Virgil Grubb, father of Mrs. Faulkner, was born 
near Bowling Green, Warren County, Ky., Septem- 
ber 7, 1811, and -his father, Jacob Grubb, was born 
in Washington County, Va., April 30, 1775. The 
family was represented in the Revolutionary War 
and was of German descent In 1796, Jacob 
Grubb removed to Pennsylvania, and there first 
learned the English language, attending an En- 
glish school for about a year and mingling with 
English speaking people. In the spring of 1804, 
he married Sallie Rice, daughter of John and Mar- 
tha Rice, who were of English and Irish descent, 
respectively. Her father served in the Revolution- 
ary War and in the Indian War. To Jacob Grubb 
and his wife were born six children. Nancy, who 
was born August 13', 1808, became the wife of 
Elijah Burkheiser, and died in 1836, leaving six 
children; Virgil was the second of the family; Car- 
oline, born in 1814, became the wife of Elijah 
Newby, and died in her eighteenth year, leaving 
one child; Sallie, born in 1817, is the widow of 
William Collier and is living in Campbellsburg, 
Ind.; Joel, born May 1, 1819, is living in Mis- 
souri; John, born May 1, 1823, married Florence 
Burkheiser and is living in Washington, Ind. 

The parents of this family removing from Ten- 
nessee, settled in Warren County, Ky., in 1806 
and there secured a good farm, but the buildings 
upon the place were destroyed by tire. The father 
served as a soldier during the War of 1812 and 
then resumed farming, which he followed in Ken- 
tucky until the spring of 1818, when he sold out 
and removed to Washington County, Ind. There 
he continued to make his home until his death, 
June 16, 1861, at the age of eighty-seven. His 
wife, who was bom December 19, l'781, died May 
9, 1840. 

Virgil Grubb left Kentucky at the age of seven 
years. His educational privileges were limited, for 
the schools of that time were poor and books ex- 



ceedingly scarce. He had to leave school in order 
to work on the farm, and was thus employed until 
the winter of 1830-31, when he worked in his own 
interest in New Albany, Ind. In the spring he 
purchased a small farm, for which he paid *100, 
but just as he was ready to move onto it, it was 
entered by another man. 

On the 16th of February, 1832, Mr. Grubb mar- 
ried Delilah Sanders, who was born in Clark Coun- 
ty, Ind., November 24, 1814. Her parents were 
Thomas and Hannah (Copple) Sanders. With 
their families they removed from North Carolina 
to Indiana in 1809. and were married in 1812. Mr. 
Sanders was of English descent, and his father, 
Richard Sanders, died in Orange County, Ind., in 
1836. He was born in 1790, and passed away in 
November, 1832. His wife, who was born in 1796, 
departed this life in October, 1843. From Clark 
County they removed to Orange County, Ind., in 
1818, and became the parents of eight children, 
Mrs. Grubb having three sisters. Mary became the 
wife of John Free, by whom she had eight chil- 
dren, all living in Orange Count} 1 . Margaret be- 
came the wife of William H. Crittenden, later 
married James Walker, afterward married John 
McDuffy, and is now living in Centralia. Elizabeth 
is the wife of Warren Faulkner, of Wayne Coun- 
ty, 111. The brothers are, Morgan, who is living in 
New Albany, Ind., and has eight children; Jacob, 
who married Polly Breeze and has six children; 
John, who married Jane Breeze and has four 
children; Richard, who married Belinda Faulkner 
and had nine children. 

After losing his farm in Washington County, 
Ind., Mr. Grubb embarked in farming in Orange 
County, in 1832. In that year he cast his first 
Presidential vote, supporting General Jackson. In 
April, 1834, he removed to a house belonging to 
Thomas Winters, and entered forty acres of land, 
upon which he built a cabin, stable and crib, and 
took up his residence on that place. In the follow- 
ing spring he was elected Captain of a military 
company, and after holding the position for six 
years, resigned. Sometimes his crops were good 
and sometimes poor, but altogether he prospered. 
In October, 1835, he purchased eighty acres of 
land and improved his farm as he found oppor- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



241 



tunity. He also engaged in teaching school and 
bought more land. 

Mr. Grubb and his wife had a large family of 
children. Julia Ann was born March 27, 1833; 
Sallie Matilda became the wife of Jonathan Sand- 
ers, and they had six children, of whom two are 
yet living, Mary and Samuel. The mother died 
April 24, 1868. Amanda C., wife of Mr. Faulk- 
ner, is the next younger. Mary Ellen, born De- 
cember 16, 1839, married Elwood Sanders and 
had three children, one yet living, Hattie Ma- 
tilda. After her first husband's death she married 
Hugh Shipley, and died May 8, 1865. Hannah I., 
born October 20, 1841, married Eli Copple, who 
was killed in the army, and then married David 
Copple, by whom she has four children, Joel R., 
Benjamin F., Virgil J. and Ida D. Nancy Eliza- 
beth, born November 19, 1843, became the wife of 
John Copple, and seven of her nine children are 
living, Emma, Minnie, Virgil, He, John, Mary and 
Anna. Joel Lee, born October .21, 1845, married 
Mary Ellen Copple and had seven children, five 
living, Charlie Oscar, Mary Ellen Mabel, Virgil, 
Frank and Thula. Thomas Volney, born June 6, 
1848, married Alice Johnson, and died February 
23, 1877, leaving three daughters, Hattie A., Lillie 
B. and Volney J. John Franklin, born December 
27, 1849, went to Missouri, where he married 
Rindy Smith, by whom he had two children, Eva 
Dora and Cora Alice, and is now living in Chicago. 
Virgil, who was born July 8, 1852, married Lillie 
Burbanks,and travels for a wholesale house of Chi- 
cago; he has two children. Delilah J., born October 
11, 1858, became the wife of James A. Boggs, and 
died August 7, 1876, leaving a daughter, Iva J. 

In 1844, Mr. Grubb traveled through southwest- 
ern Missouri, accompanied by John Sanders and 
Wiley Johnson, and on the 9th of September, 
returned home. In 1846 he sold his farm with the 
intention of going to Missouri, but changed his 
mind and purchased another farm in Indiana. In 
1847, he was elected Captain of a compan}' raised 
for the Mexican War, but while they were drilling 
the war ended. In the spring of 1848, he was 
elected Justice of the Peace. While attending a 
wood chopping, April 5, 1851, he had his left ankle 
badly injured by a falling tree, and has since been 



a cripple. In the following winter he taught 
school, and in 1853 he bought an other farm of one 
hundred acres. In that year he was also unani- 
mously elected Justice of the Peace. He continued 
farming and school teaching until 1857, when he 
sold out with the intention of removing to Kansas, 
but on account of the slavery troubles there, came 
to Illinois. He bought a farm of two hundred 
acres near Centralia, and then returned for his 
family. They experienced many of the hardships 
and trials of frontier life, but altogether prosperity 
attended their efforts. At the breaking out of the 
late war, three of the sons-in-law enlisted and two 
were killed in the service, and on the 21st of June, 
1861, his eldest son had his right knee crushed, and 
the limb was amputated. Those were trying and 
exciting times. In the spring of 1865 his wife lost 
her eyesight. In 1867, Mr. Grubb embarkad in 
business in Centralia, and did well along that lime 
until March 3, 1870, when his store and stock were 
destroyed by fire. When he had settled up his 
affairs in town, he retired to a farm in Jefferson 
County, where he remained for three years, but 
health and eyesight having become impaired, he 
began travelling. His eyesight, however, con- 
tinued to fail, and on the 1st of February, 1877, 
his left eye was removed. He then sold his farm 
and removed to Centralia, where he made his home 
until after the death of his wife. He then lived 
with his daughter, Mrs. Faulkner, until called to 
the home beyond, March 26, 1885. He was an 
honored pioneer, and will be remembered by many 
friends throughout southern Illinois. 



,ILLIS DUFF GREEN, who for nearly 
lalf a centurj' has been recognized as the 
leading physician of Mt. Vernon, is well 
worthy of representation in this volume, and we 
feel assured that many will receive this record of 
his life with interest. A native of Danville, Ky., 
he was the eldest son of Dr. Duff and Lucy Green. 
He received his classical education in Center Col- 
lege, in his native town, and fitted himself for his 



242 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



profession in Transylvania University, of Lexing- 
ton, Ky., and the Medical College of Cincinnati, 
Ohio, being graduated from the latter institution 
with the degree of M. D. in 1844. 

The Doctor's father, Dr. Duff Green, was a lieu- 
tenant in the regular army, but on account of 
failing health was compelled to resign. During 
the War of 1812, he served as surgeon in Barbee's 
Volunteer Kentucky Regiment and then located in 
Danville, Ky., where he continued the practice of 
medicine until the summer of 1844, when with 
our subject he went to Pulaski,Tenn., and in 1846 
to Mt. Vernon, where his death occurred at the 
age of seventy-three. His mother also died in Mt. 
Vernon at the advanced age of eighty-three. 

Dr. Green whose name heads this sketch was 
. married in Kentucky in 1845 to Miss Corinna L., 
(Daughter of Isaac Morton, a prominent merchant 
of Hartford, Ky. She is a lady of fine education 
and literary attainments. They have eight chil- 
dren. Alfred Morton, the eldest, is an able attor- 
ney, who-served as State's Attorney of Jefferson 
County; he was a member of the Legislature from 
this district, and is now a leading lawyer of 
Gainesville, Tex. William H. is a prominent at- 
torney, who graduated from the Michigan State 
University, served for one term as Master in 
Chancery, was elected City Attorney, and while 
thus serving was elected State's Attorney, in 1884. 
In 1888, he was re-elected, filling the office eight 
years. He is a rising young politician, and his 
name is before the people as a candidate for the 
Legislature. Earl, who graduated from Bellevue 
College of New York, and has studied medicine 
in Vienna, Paris and London, is now practicing 
with his father in Mt. Vernon. Ineze I. is a pro- 
fessor in the Southern Illinois Normal at Carbon- 
dale. Lora Reed, Cora Lee, Minnie and Madelyn 
F. are at home. 

Dr. Green has been one of the most successful 
physicians in southern Illinois, winning a most 
extensive practice by his skill and ability. He is 
a member of the National Medical Association, 
and is an honorary member of the Illinois Medical 
Association. He owns much valuable property, 
all of which has been acquired through his own 
efforts. He was President of the Mt. Vernon Rail- 



road Company, which built the first railroad into 
this place. For nearly half a century he has been 
a prominent Odd Fellow and was Grand Master of 
the State in 1858, and Grand Representative to the 
the United States the following year. The Doctor 
was a delegate to the National Convention that 
nominated Samuel J. Tilden. 



JASPER N. KERR. With almost every en- 
terprise that has promoted the progress of 
Centralia during the past decade, the sub- 
ject of this sketch has been intimately as- 
sociated. He is now the Secretary of the Home 
Building & Loan Association of Centralia, is a 
prominent real-estate owner, and was formerly an 
extensive fruit-grower. In his official life he 
proved himself to be independent, fearless and in- 
corruptible, and he has filled with marked ability 
the highest position within the gift of his fellow- 
townsmen that of Mayor. 

In presenting the biography of Mr. Kerr, we 
claim the privilege of every historian that of re- 
ferring to the past, mentioning his ancestry and 
some events connected with the lives of his fore- 
fathers. The Kerr family was identified with the 
early history of Virginia, where our subject's 
grandfather, George, was born and reared, and 
whence he removed to Kentucky, later settling in 
Ohio. Upon crossing the Ohio River he came to 
Cincinnati, which then gave so few indications of 
its present greatness that he could have purchased 
in exchange for an old gun all the land the city 
now embraces. 

Proceeding northward, George Kerr came to 
Miami County, where he made settlement and of 
which he was a pioneer. He entered a tract of 
land from the Government, and turning the first 
furrows in the soil, gave his attention to its culti- 
vation until death claimed him. During the In- 
dian wars of early days he served as a scout under 
the Government. His brother, Hamilton, was 
killed by an Indian, and he it was who figured in 
the well known story of the Indian and white 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



243 



man who stood behind the same tree during the 
battle. The members of the Kerr family in re- 
mote generations were of English and Irish birth. 

Granfather Kerr had six sons, five of whom grew 
to manhood, our subject's father, George W., be- 
ing the youngest of the number. There was also 
a daughter who attained mature years. George W. 
spent his boyhood days upon the old homestead 
in Miami County, Ohio, where his birth occurred 
August 29, 1807. Upon starting out in life for 
himself he entered a tract of land from the Gov- 
ernment, and such was the prosperity that resulted 
from his arduous labors that he acquired large and 
valuable possessions. In 1863 he disposed of his 
property in Miami County, and coming to Illinois, 
purchased land in Hoyleton, Washington County, 
and there engaged in farming. That place con- 
tinued to be his home until his death, which oc- 
curred in September, 1878. 

The marriage of George W. Kerr occurred in 
Miami County and united him with Miss Nancy 
Collins. They became the parents of five daugh- 
ters and two sons, all of whom are now living. 
Harriet, the eldest, married Charles R. Thomas, 
and they live near Vine, Darke County, Ohio, 
where he operates a farm. Alithea M. is the wife 
of Rev. George P. Slade, a minister in the Chris- 
tian Church, residing at Danville, 111. Our sub- 
ject is the next in order of birth. Martha, who 
married Frank A. Jones, lives upon a farm in Bar- 
ton County, Mo. Mary E. is the wife of R. D. 
Baldwin, an agriculturist and large land-owner of 
Washington County, 111. Lucinda J., wife of 
Amos P. Free, lives in Jones County, Tex., where 
he is a farmer and stock-raiser. Charles V. is a 
professor of mechanical engineering in the State 
University of Arkansas, at Fayetteville. The 
mother of this family died February 10, 1880, at 
her home in Washington County, 111. In religious 
belief she was a devoted member of the Christian 
Church, while her husband was identified with the 
Baptist Church. Their home farm comprised two 
hundred and eighty acres and was one of the finest 
in the county. 

Near Troy, Ohio, the subject of this sketch was 
born March 28, 1841. His early education was 
gained in the city schools of Troy. In the fall of 



1862 he began to teach school, and after one term 
came west to Illinois, where for fifteen years he 
prosecuted farming in the summer and teaching in 
in the winter. During the Civil War he enlisted 
in the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Illinois In- 
fantry, and aided in the organization of Company 
B, of which he was elected Second Lieutenant. 
At the expiration of his term of service he resumed 
the combined occupations of farmer and teacher. 
He taught school for several years in this part of 
Illinois. 

October 1, 1867, Mr. Kerr was united in mar- 
riage with Mary A., daughter of John Wilson, a 
native of Indiana. Mrs. Kerr was born in Indiana 
July 2, 1848, and came to this state after her 
father's death. Two children have been born to 
their union: Mabel, the wife of Ben W. Storer, a 
gcocer of Centralia; and Edward W., a student in 
Purdue University, where he is fitting himself for 
the profession of an electrical and mechanical en- 
gineer. 

Upon abandoning his labors in the schoolroom, 
Mr. Kerr devoted his attention to fruit-growing 
in Clinton County, where he was also prominent 
in public. affairs, serving for two terms as Clerk of 
Brookside Township, for two terms as Supervisor 
of that township, for seven years as Secretary of 
the Fair Association, and for one year as Vice- 
President of the Board of Fair Directors. In 1882 
he removed from Clinton to Marion County. Pre- 
vious to that, however, he had, in December of 
1881, purchased a half-interest in the Centralia 
Sentinel, and about two years later he bought the 
other half-interest. In 1884 he established the Cen- 
tralia Daily Sentinel, which he edited for four years, 
and of which he was sole manager until 1888. In 
October of that year he sold the paper and plant to 
T. L. Joy, the present proprietor. During that 
time Mr. Kerr also established the Sandoval Times 
and the Patoka Enterprise, both of which he has 
since sold to the same purchaser. 

Mr. Kerr's connection with the fruit-growing 
industry of Marion County has been close and 
continuous, and he shipped the first single carload 
of strawberries from the city of Centralia in a sin- 
gle day's shipment. He is the owner of the Elm- 
wood Addition to Centralia, which is located about 



244 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



one-half mile from the center of the town, and 
which is now being laid off in lots. 

Reared in the faith of the Democratic party, 
Mr. Kerr advocated its tenets until the firing upon 
Ft. Sumter aroused his indignation and caused 
him to transfer his allegiance to the Republican 
party. He has since been a stalwart champion of 
its platform. He was the first regular nominee 
for Mayor put forward by the Republican party 
as a party candidate. He never sought office, but 
when chosen for the responsible position of Mayor 
he pledged an honest and faithful administration 
of municipal affairs and carried out to the letter 
every promise he had made. During his adminis- 
tration the water-works enterprise took its first 
substantial move forward. Fearlessness and fair 
dealing with everyone characterized his term of 
office and won the approval of the people. He 
could have been re-nominated, but declined to be 
a candidate. Independent and honorable, he has 
never during the entire period of his political life 
sacrificed principles for the emoluments of office. 
In 1891 he aided in the organization of the Home 
Building <fe Loan Association of Illinois, and has 
since been identified with the enterprise. Socially 
he belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, 
and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, 
in which he has filled all the chairs. 



|L_ENRY KEISTER has a well cultivated 
JlM^i farm on section 26, Meridian Township 
^^ and holds an honorable place among the 
(^g| men of character and principle, who have 
had the making of Clinton County and are active 
in sustaining its reputation as one of the rich 
agricultural communities in a county noted for its 
exceptionally fine resources. He has been success- 
ful in a career in which he embarked with no for- 
tuitous aids of wealth or name, and lias gained a 
high position among the substantial men of his 
township. As such he merits the regard in which 
he is held. 

. Mr. Keister is one of the German citizens of 
Clinton County, who have aided so materially in 
the promotion of its farming interests. Born in 



Hanover in 1828, he is a son of Henry and Louisa 
(Gonn) Keister, the former a native of Hanover, 
and the latter of Brunswick. The father followed 
the occupation of a farm laborer in his native 
land, and during his latter years came to America, 
where his death occurred at the age of sixty-seven. 
In religious belief he was a Lutheran. He and 
his wife were the parents of eight children, three 
of whom died in childhood. The others are, Mina, 
who married Andrew Bendra; Fritz, August, 
Henry and Christ. Mina and Christian are de- 
ceased. 

On account of the poverty of his parents our 
subject had no educational advantages in child- 
hood. At the age of eight years he was hired out 
by his parents to work for his board, and two 
years afterward began to work on levees and rail- 
roads, finally becoming "boss" of five hundred 
men in railroad contract work. During a disturb- 
ance in Germany war threatened, and not wishing 
to enter the army or become involved in interne- 
cine troubles he borrowed money and crossed the 
Atlantic to America. For about eight years he 
worked on a farm near Aurora, 111., and about the 
close of the Civil War he came to Clinton County, 
where he operated a rented farm for one year. 

Buying a tract of prairie land, Mr. Keister from 
time to time added to his first purchase until he 
now owns six hundred acres. The entire amount, 
excepting forty acres, is under cultivation, compris- 
ing as fine a farm as is to be found in the eastern 
part of the county. Mr. Keister gives his atten- 
tion largely to stock-raising and aims to keep on 
his place the best grade of horses, cattle and hogs. 
He owns a bull, half Jersey and half Holstein, 
which weighs twenty-two hundred pounds and was 
imported at a cost of $400. Upon his farm may 
also be noticed as fine a herd of mules as can be 
found in the state. 

In this country, in 1864, Mr. Keister was united 
in marriage with Miss Christina Christ, and they 
are the parents of five children, Henry, Christina, 
Emma, Arnold and Hannah (twins). Christina 
has been afflicted for a number of years with a 
diseased limb and is now receiving treatment at 
the St. Louis Hospital, where they are very hope- 
ful of her recovery. During his residence in this 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



247 



township Mr. Keister has proved the worth of his 
citizenship by his liberal support of all measures 
in any way tending to advance the community. 
His standing here is of the best, as his dealings 
are conducted upon a strictly honorable basis, and 
all who come in contact with him soon learn to 
trust him. His capacity for intelligent and well 
directed labor is of a high order, and by his thrift 
and industry he has won a competence. In his 
political relations he supports Democratic princi- 
ples and projects. 



eHARLES H. PATTON, the leading chan- 
cery attorney of Mt. Vernon, was born in 
Hartford County, "Conn., near the city of 
Hartford, May 9, 1834, and is descended from 
good old Revolutionary stock. His grandfather, 
Seth W. Patton, who served in the War of 1812, 
was a shipbuilder by trade, and being a man of 
more than ordinary ability, accumulated a fortune. 
He served as Selectman of his town, was a prom- 
inent and influential citizen, and his entire life 
was spent in the Nutmeg State, where he died at 
the age of eighty-three. His wife passed away 
three years later, at the same age. The famil}' 
was founded in America by the Pilgrim Fathers, 
who settled in Massachusetts. 

The father of our subject, Eliphalet W. Patton, 
was also a shipbuilder and a man of considerable 
means. In 1835 he removed with his family to 
Ashtabula County, Ohio, and settled on a farm, 
where he continued to prosper. In 1860 he made 
a trip to Illinois and purchased land in Jefferson 
County not far from Mt. Vernon, after which lie 
returned to his Ohio home. He was a man greatly 
respected and was recognized as a leader by his 
fellow-citizens. For many years he served as Jus- 
tice of the Peace and filled other offices. He was 
an upright, honorable man, a devoted member of 
the Christian Church, and died at the age of 
seventy-four years. His wife, who bore the maiden 
name of Ladora Ann Griswold, was born in Mas- 
sachusetts and is still living. Her father, Clark 



Griswold, removed in an early day to Connecti- 
cut with his family. He too belonged to one of 
the prominent Puritan families. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Eliphalet W. Patton were born 
six children, five brothers and a sister. Albert 
W. has for twenty-one years been master car builder 
for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad at Howell, 
Ind. Arthur is a contractor and builder of Carmi, 
111. Byron died in Arkansas. Adelaide is the 
deceased wife of Charles McKinney. Frank E., 
who is City Treasurer of Mt. Vernon and has 
been County Treasurer of Jefferson County, is 
now serving as Cashier of the George W. Evans 
Bank at this place. 

Our subject spent his boyhood days on his fa- 
ther's farm and attended Kingsville Academy, in 
Ashtabula County, at the head of which institution 
was Rev. Z. C. Graves, who later founded the Fe- 
male Seminary in Nashville, Tenn., and was the 
author of the celebrated book "Iron Hand." Mr. 
Patton taught the common and select schools for 
eight terms and studied law with Judge Milton 
A. Leonard, of Pierpont, Ohio. It had been his 
intention to go to Michigan, but his father in- 
duced him to decide to spend one season in Jef- 
ferson County upon the farm, with the ultimate 
view of engaging in legal practice in Mt. Vernon. 
'Accordingly, loading his household effects into a 
wagon, he started for the Ohio River, intending 
to go by boat to Shawn eetown, but when he 
reached the river he found that no steamers were 
in use for travelers, all having been pressed into 
Government service. In consequence he made the 
entire journey by team. After a year upon the 
farm, he associated himself with Judge J. M. Pol- 
lock in law practice at Mt. Vernon, but as the 
business was not profitable during the Civil War 
he accepted the nomination for County Clerk, 
and in 1865 was elected to that office. 

During his service of four years in that capacity 
Mr. Patton brought to the discharge of the du- 
ties his fine business training and legal education. 
He completely revolutionized the business methods 
of the office, and the reforms and improvements 
introduced by him have since been followed and 
are still in use. Since retiring from the office he 
has devoted his entire attention to law and has 



248 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



built up an extensive practice, as large perhaps as 
that of any attorney in southern Illinois. If 
possible to avoid it, he never takes a criminal 
case, but makes a specialty of chancery and cor- 
poration law. He is attorney for the George W. 
Evans Bank and the Mt. Vernon Building and 
Loan Association, general counsel for the Mt. Ver- 
non Car Works, and local attorney for the Louis- 
ville, Evansville & St. Louis, Louisville <fe Nash- 
ville, Wabash and Jacksonville Southeastern Rail- 
roads. 

During the entire period of his legal practice 
Mr. Patton has had but two partners, the first 
being Hon. Thomas S. Casey, afterward Judge of 
the Appellate Court of Illinois; and the second 
being Albert Walton, the present State's Attorney, 
who was Mr. Patton 's first law student. Our sub- 
ject owns the Phoenix Block, in which his office is 
located, and has other valuable business interests. 
He is a stockholder in the water works and the 
Mt. Vernon" Car Works. In 1883 his office was 
burned to the ground, causing the loss of his li- 
brary, which cost $3,000, but hardly had the 
smoke cleared away from the ruins before he be- 
gan the erection of another structure. His home 
an.d some other buildings owned by him were de- 
stroyed in the great cyclone of 1888. 

In Ohio, in 1854, Mr. Patton married Charlotte 
Shave, an English lady, who came to this country 
when twelve years of age. Her father was well- 
to-do and gave her a fine education. Four chil- 
dren were born of this marriage: Dr. Fred W., a 
graduate of Miami Medical College, of Cincinnati, 
and now one of the leading physicians of Mt. 
Vernon; Lulu L.. wife of S. G. H. Taylor, son of 
Mayor Taylor, and a former merchant of Mt. Ver- 
non; Lillie W., wife of James G. Nugent, of the 
dry-goods house of Nugent Bros., of St. Louis; 
and Otto C., who was educated in the State Uni- 
versit}' of Champaign and is now a student in his 
father's office. 

Socially, Mr. Patton is a Knight Templar Ma- 
son and takes a great interest in all branches of 
the order, in which he has filled various important 
offices for thirty-three years. He was High Priest 
of H. W. Hubbard Chapter, R. A. M., and Grand 
Master of the Second Veil in the Grand Chapter 



of Illinois. In the Grand Lodge of Illinois, A. F. 
& A. M., he served for several years on the highest 
committee, that of Masonic Jurisprudence, and 
has been District Deputy Grand Master for sev- 
eral terms. A charter member of the Knights of 
Honor, lie has filled various offices in this organ- 
ization and has served as representative to the 
Grand Lodge. For several years lie was Trustee 
and afterward Chairman of the Finance Commit- 
tee of the Grand Lodge, and is now one of the two 
representatives of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 
the Supreme Lodge of the United States. He and 
his wife arje members of the Eastern Star, of which 
he is Worthy Patron, and Mrs. Patton is Assistant 
Worthy Matron. They are numbered among the 
most prominent people of the community and are 
held in the highest regard by all. 



ETER BRERETON is a well known and 
influential citizen of Iluey, Clinton Coun- 
where he owns a fine residence and 
considerable real estate. He is the son of 
Benjamin Brereton, who was born in Cheshire in 
Wernetlilow, England, in 1792. His occupation 
was that of a dresser in a cotton factory in Hyde, 
in which place he spent the greater part of his life. 

The father of our subject was married when 
twenty- two years of age to Miss Ash worth, of 
Hyde, England, by whom he became the father of 
five children. Only one in that family is living 
at the present time: Joseph, who makes his home 
in Joliet. Mrs. Brereton departed this life in 
1829, and the following year the father was mar- 
ried to the lady who became the mother of our 
subject, and whose name was Miss Ann Furness; 
her parents were natives of Derbyshire. 

Benjamin Brereton departed this life in his na- 
tive country when seventy-eight years of age. 
His good wife had preceded him to the better land 
by many years, her death having occurred when 
in her sixty-fifth year. Their family included 
five sons and four daughters, of whom the subject 
of this sketch was the eldest. His brothers and 
sisters were, Edwin, John, Benjamin, Cain, Lucy, 
Ann, Mary and Sarah. They are all living in 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



249 



England with the exception of Edwin, who makes 
his home in Fall River, Mass., and John and Ben- 
jamin, who are deceased. 

Our subject was born in England, December 10, 
1831, and emigrated to America in 1857, landing 
in the harbor at New York. Very soon thereafter 
lie came west to this state and located in Joliet, 
where he was engaged in farming. When in his 
native land he worked in the factory with his fa- 
ther until reaching his majority, when he learned 
the trade of a baker, which he followed only for 
two or three years. He was married when twenty- 
six years old to Miss Martha Marshall; she also 
lived in Hyde, and was the daughter of John 
Marshall, who was born in Derbyshire in 1803. 
The latter was a wood carver by trade, which oc- 
cupation he followed until his decease, in 1853. 
The mother of Mrs. Brereton was known prior to 
her marriage as Miss Betsy Thornly; she likewise 
was a native of Derbyshire, was born in 1806, and 
died in 1882. She reared a family of six sons and 
four daughters, namely: James, Joseph, Samuel, 
Job, Benjamin, Ebenezer, Elizabeth, Hannah, 
Martha and Mary. Mrs. Brereton has one brother, 
Samuel, who also makes his home in the United 
States, and is now living in lola, 111. Previous to 
coming to America he was a private in the British 
army, and served for eight years at various sta- 
tions belonging to Great Britain on the Mediter- 
ranean Coast. In 1870, however, the mother pur- 
chased his release from the army, at which time he 
came to America, landing in Canada, in which 
place lie was married. His wife bore him four 
children, and is now deceased. Samuel later mar- 
ried a widow by the name of Williams. After the 
death of the father, Mrs. Marshall was a second 
time married, her husband on this occasion being 
Thomas Bridge. 

Peter Brereton, of this sketch, after locating in 
Joliet, worked out as a farm hand near the city, 
where he remained for three years, and then re- 
moved to Centralia, where he rented land for a 
time and soon purchased property of his own near 
Huey. This farm included forty acres, to which 
he later added eighty acres more, and a short time 
thereafter again added a like amount. 

During the late war our subject enlisted, in 1864, 



as a member of Company F, Twenty-eighth Illi- 
nois Infantry, and during his period of service 
engaged in the siege of Spanish Fort and Ft. 
Blakely, which latter place was captured April 9, 
1865. At the close of the war he received his hon- 
orable discharge at Brownsville, Tex., and on be- 
ing mustered out of the service, returned home 
and engaged in farm pursuits. In 1882 he re- 
moved with his family into the city of Huey, 
where he is living retired. He has been very sue-* 
cessful in a financial way, and besides owning a 
quarter-section of fine farming land, is the posses- 
sor of twelve valuable lots in the city, together 
with a beautiful dwelling. Mr. Brereton has never 
sought public office, but has been called upon by 
his fellow-citizens to represent them on the City 
Board. 

Our subject traces his ancestry back to Sir Will- 
iam Brereton, who served as a soldier in Crom- 
well's army. At one time he with a company of 
soldiers was sent from Ireland to Chester, in order 
to besiege the latter place, and in consideration of 
his services was given a large amount of land, on 
which he erected a building which is still known 
as Brereton Hall. The paternal grandparents of 
our subject were Benjamin and Betty Brereton, 
the latter of whom lived to the remarkable age of 
ninety-eight years. His grandparents on his moth- 
er's side were John and May Furness, both of 
whom also lived to a good old age. The father 
of our subject was a British soldier and served un- 
der AVellington during the Waterloo campaign. 

The Thorn lys, the relatives of Mrs. Brereton, 
were very numerous in Derbyshire, England, where 
they were ranked among the leading families of 
the county. By her union with our subject she 
became the mother of four children, of whom 
Arthur Peter, John Thomas, and Lucy are de- 
ceased. James Edward was born October 6, 1847, 
near Plainlield, this state. After completing the 
course of studies in the common schools, he was a 
student at Champaign for four years, and later en- 
tered the Congregational Theological Seminary in 
Chicago, where he remained for four years. His 
first charge after becoming a minister was at Cres- 
ton, this state, where he preached for a twelve- 
month and then went to Ashley, Neb., where he 



250 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



remained for a period of four years. He then ac- 
cepted a call of one year as Field Secretary of the 
Doane College, at Crete, Neb., and at the end of 
that time moved to Geneva, that state, where he 
is still residing and is pastor of the Congregational 
Church. He was married in 1883 to Miss Mary 
Linhoff, whose parents are old settlers of Huey. 
Their union was blessed by the birth of three chil- 
dren, Harold B., Loring and Winefred. 



OWIE C. WARFIELD, a prominent and 
successful fruit-grower of Marion County, 
makes his home on a fine tract of land just 
one mile north of the village of Sandoval. 
He was born in Howard County, Md., October 27, 
1835, and is the son of William R. and Eleanor 
(Watkins) Warfield. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject, Beale 
Warfield, was a native of Maryland. He was de- 
scended from Richard Warfield, who was the first 
of the name to make his home in America, coming 
hither as early as 1637 from Wales. The latter- 
named gentleman had three sons, John, Richard, 
Jr., and Alexander. John emigrated to the west- 
ern states, while his two brothers remained in Mary- 
land. Our subject is descended from that branch 
of the family which sprang from Richard, Jr. 

Grandfather Warfield was a farmer by occupa- 
tion and reared a family of three children : George, 
Catherine, and William R., the father of our sub- 
ject. The latter was born in Maryland and re- 
ceived his education in the select schools of that 
state. His father dying when he was quite young, 
he, together with his brother George, was taken 
into the home of an uncle, with whom they re- 
mained until reaching their majority. Then hav- 
ing inherited the home place, they removed thither 
and resided for many years in the old frame house 
which was erected in 1793, and which stood on the 
farm until a short time ago. 

The lady who became the mother of our subject 
was prior to her marriage Miss Eleanor Watkins, 
the daughter of Col. Gassaway and Eleanor B. 
(Claggett) Watkins. The former was born near 
Annapolis, Md., in 1752, and was descended from 



John Watkins, who emigrated to this country in 
1660. He was the original settler on the paternal 
side of the house, while on his mother's side, Capt. 
John Worthington was the first to make his home 
in the United States. Colonel Watkins was quite 
young when, on the death of his father, he was 
taken by an older brother to Howard County, 
Md., where he passed the remainder of his life 
with the exception of the time spent in the Revolu- 
tionary War. He entered that conflict in January, 
1776, with Colonel Smallwood's regiment, and par- 
ticipated in the battles of Long Island and White 
Plains. In November of that year he was taken 
sick and was confined in the hospital at Morristown. 
Later he traveled on foot to Annapolis, where 
he arrived in January, 1777, and lay sick in the 
hospital of that city until April. Then reporting 
for duty, lie was made Lieutenant of a regiment 
and was in active service in Maryland until Sep- 
tember. 

Colonel Watkins spent the winter of 1778 at 
Wilmington, where the regiment was quartered, 
and during the battle of Monmouth, which took 
place afterward, was a member of General Scott's 
Light Infantry. The following winter was spent 
in camp at West Point, and in April the army went 
south and fought the battle of Camden. At that 
place Colonel Watkins was sent to a house by Gen- 
eral Green in order that lie might secure some val- 
uable information, when being pursued by spys of 
the enemy, he made for the woods, where for two 
days and nights he remained without food of any 
kind. Later he commanded a company at the bat- 
tle of Cowpens. On the day on which General 
Davidson was killed, our subject's grandfather 
was carrying orders for General Green. He trav- 
eled night and day, and when reaching the Yadkin 
River found it swoolen and thick with floating 
logs and trees. The enemy were in pursuit of him, 
and desirous of carrying out the General's orders, 
he threw off his coat and boots and put the valu- 
able papers in his hat and swam to the opposite 
shore. When reaching camp he was received with 
great honor by General Morgan. 

Colonel Watkins also took a prominent part in 
the War of 1812, being appointed Commander-in- 
Chief of that portion of the army stationed at An- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



251 



napolis, which position he held until peace was 
declared. The Colonel was on many occasions 
petitioned to accept official positions in his com- 
munity, but always refused, preferring to spend 
the remainder of his life with his family on the 
old plantation known as "Walnut Hill" in Mary- 
laud. 

Bowie C. Wai-field, of this sketch, was one in a 
family of thirteen children, all of whom grew to 
mature years except three. They were, Rosa V., 
Gassaway, Beale, Bowie C., Gassuway (2), Eleanor, 
Emma, Albina, Camsadel, Alberta, William, Cath- 
erine and Georgetta. The father of these chil- 
dren owned a valuable plantation of four hundred 
acres in Maryland, which was worked by five negro 
men and three women, besides several children. 
One of these old slaves, John Howard, by name, 
lives in Washington, D. C., where he has two sons, 
one a prominent lawyer and the other a physician. 
William R. Warfield departed this life in 1864. 

Our subject remained under the parental roof 
until becoming of age, in the meantime acquiring 
fine education. In 1857 he came west, locating 
n Marshall County, this state, where for one year 
e hired out by the month as a farm hand. Then 
enting property he began working for himself, 
nd later leased a farm for five years. This he oc- 
upied until 1862, when, on account of the out- 
break of the late war, he gave up his lease, and in 
August of that year entered the Union army, be- 
coming a member of Company I, Eleventh Illinois 
Infantry. With his regiment he engaged in the 
fight before Vicksburg, and after gain ing a victory 
there, the company moved on to Jackson, thence 
to New Orleans, then to Mobile, later to New 
Orleans again, and lastly went up the Red River. 
He was mustered out at Springfield in July, 1865, 
after which he joined his family in La Salle Coun- 
ty, whence they had removed. 

August 24, 1862, our subject was married to 
Miss Julia, daughter of Hall and Amanda (Cul- 
ver) Gregory. Mrs. Warfield was born in the Prai- 
rie State, while her parents were natives of Ver- 
mont. The latter came to this state in 1836, loca- 
ting in Marshall County, where they were among 
the very earliest settlers of Crow Meadows. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Warfield were born two daugh- 



ters: Alverta M., who was graduated with the 
Class of '91 from the normal at Valparaiso, Ind.; 
and Alice E., who is a student in the Washington 
University Art Academy in St. Louis, Mo. These 
accomplished young ladies occupy a high position 
in the society of Sandoval, and the many beauti- 
ful pictures which adorn the walls of our subject's 
home bear evidence of the gift of his younger 
daughter. 

Mr. Warfield came to Marion County in 1866, 
at which time he purchased eighteen acres of land, 
which he devoted entirely to fruit-growing. He 
is now the possessor of one hundred and ten fer- 
tile acres, and is probably one of the most success- 
ful fruit-growers in southern Illinois. 



ESBON MERRILL is one of the most exten- 
sive and enterprising farmers in Jefferson 
County, and one of the largest land owners 
in Moore's Prairie Township, where his farming 
and stock-raising interests are centered on sec- 
tion 10. He is one of the most successful men of 
his class and a fine representative of those who 
began life without a cent and have worked their 
way to wealth solel}' through their own efforts and 
who are therefore rightly called self made. 

Our subject was born in Wayne County, N. Y., 
September 7, 1830, and was the son of Benjamin 
Merrill, who was a native of Maine and who emi- 
grated to New York when a young man, where he 
met and married Miss Alice Sanford. He was a 
farmer and stock-raiser by occupation and reared 
a family of nine children in the Empire State. They 
were, Esbon, Cornelia, Alice, Sanford, Edie, Caro- 
line, Benjamin, Lucy and Fannie. The parents re- 
moved to Chautauqua County when our subject was 
a lad of twelve years and there resided until their 
decease, the father dying in 1882, when eighty- 
one years of age. He was an ardent Democrat in 
politics and served successively as Supervisor and 
Commissioner of his township and county. He 
was a man of fine education and taught school for 
many years during his earlier life, although while 



252 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



making his home in western New York he was en- 
gaged in the dairy business. With his wife he was 
a devoted member of the Baptist Church and for 
many years took an active part in religious work. 
Mrs. Merrill died in 1884, when in her eightieth year. 
Four of the aunts and uncles of our subject on the 
paternal side of the house are still living, namely: 
Fannie, Benjamin, Cornelia and Alice. 

Our subject, although attending the district 
school, received his education mainly under the 
tutelage of his father. He remained at home until 
reaching his majority, when he began earning his 
own money and for three years worked at the car- 
penter's trade in his native state. While there he 
was married, in 1852, to Miss Fannie Brigham 
and three years thereafter came to this state and 
made his home in Fairbury, where he was engaged 
at his trade for a period of seven years. At the 
expiration of that time he purchased a farm south 
of the city, in McLean County, which consisted of 
a section of prairie land, which he placed under 
fine improvements and lived upon until Septem- 
ber, 1891, when he sold out and bought his pres- 
ent large farm of two hundred and ninety-eight 
acres, which is his home place. He is also the pos- 
sessor of a good estate in Jasper County, Ind., 
where his three sons are living, besides owning a 
ranch in Cheyenne County, Neb., on which his 
daughter and her family make their home. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Esbon Merrill were born nine 
children. Alice married L. F. Clowsmas and re- 
sides in Nebraska. Jay makes his home in Omaha, 
Neb., where he is Assistant United States I nspec- 
tor of Meats. Rollin, Forest and Cornell are 
cultivating the farm in Indiana. Delia, Mrs. W. 
M. Newell, resides in Colfax, McLean County, 
this state, which is also the home of Vina, Mrs. 
R. S. Bradford. One son, Lee, died when seven- 
teen years of age, and Sanford, the youngest of 
the family, resides with his father. The wife and 
mother departed this life in 1879, greatly mourned 
by all who knew her. 

Although inclining toward the Democratic party, 
Mr. Merrill is non-partisan in politics, and during 
local and county elections votes for the one whom 
he considers the best man. He is a great lover of 
fine horses and commenced stocking his place with 



thoroughbred animals about seven years ago. He 
first purchased "Douglas," a superb Hambletonian, 
sired by "Stephen A. Douglas," whose record 
shows a gait of 2:25. He also has two other stall- 
ions, "Guy Mark Victor," sired by "Von Bismarck," 
also a Hambletonian, and "George Douglas," sired 
by "Douglas, Jr." His stables likewise contain 
animals sired by "Mambrino King," "Marlboro" 
and "Crayton Edsall." Mr. Merrill has on his es- 
tate a half-mile race track on which he trains and 
speeds his horses, although he does not make a 
specialty of training them except to thoroughly 
break and fit them for city use. He finds a ready 
market for his carriage horses, whose record is a 
mile in three minutes. They are all beautiful an- 
imals of bay color, have perfect action and kind 
dispositions. Besides breeding horses our subject 
has on his place a fine herd of Jersey cattle, which 
are used for dairy purposes. 



JOHN P. DULANY, a history of whose life 
is herewith presented to the public, has 
passed from the scenes of earthly joys 
and sorrows to his final resting place, he 
having been blind for a number of years. He was 
born in Rockbridge County, Va., in 1809, whence 
he emigrated with his parents to Middle Tennes- 
see, where he was reared to manhood, and at the 
time of his death was living retired. 

The parental family incl