History of DeWitt County Illinois: with biographical sketches of prominent representative citizens of the county.  Chicago: Pioneer Publishing Co., 1910

Note: These biographies were transcribed as written and may contain errors.  We welcome your corrections concerning factual data.  Just send an e-mail to the County Coordinator, and be sure to give us your name and return e-mail address.

Submitted by Judy Simpson unless otherwise noted.

Biographies V - W - X - Y - Z

JOHN C. VANCE.  (Volume II, Page 201)

The farming and stock-raising interests of DeWitt county find a worthy representative in John Curtis Vance, who now makes a specialty of the breeding of high-grade Percheron horses, his home being on section 14, Rutledge township.  He was born in this township on the 17th of May, 1863, a son of George W. and Sarah A. (Arbogast) Vance.  The father was a native of West Virginia and was only a small boy when the family removed to Vermilion county, Illinois, where his father, John Vance, was subsequently killed.  About the time George W. Vance attained his majority the family removed to DeWitt county, settling in Rutledge township, where he married Miss Sarah A. Arbogast, a native of this county and a daughter of Peter Arbogast.  Prior to his marriage he had worked at farm labor by the month but had already purchased a tract of eighty acres in Rutledge township, upon which he and his young wife began their domestic life.  A few years later he sold that place and bought one hundred and sixty acres of raw land where our subject now resides and whereon he continued to make his home until about seven years before his death, when he retired from active labor and removed to Farmer City.  In politics he was independent and though a believer in the Christian religion was not a member of any church.  He died in Farmer City, June 22, 1908.  Unto him and his wife were born six children, of whom five reached years of maturity, John C. being the oldest.  Charles now lives in Farmer City, Lura is the wife of Henry W. Bailey, whose home is near DeWitt.  Cora is the wife of James G. Watson, living near Wapella.  Nettie May makes her home with her mother in Farmer City.

During his minority John C. Vance remained at home with his father, early acquiring an excellent knowledge of all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist.  In the meantime he also obtained a fair common-school education and continued to work for his father until twenty-one years of age.  He then began farming on his own account upon his father’s land and in 1892 purchased an eighty-acre tract, for which he paid fifty dollars per acre.  Not long after this he added to his property another eighty acres at sixty-five dollars an acre, now worth two hundred dollars, and has since extended the boundaries of his farm until he has four hundred acres of very valuable and well improved land.  All of the buildings upon the place have been erected either by his father or himself.  In 1908 he bought a pure bred Percheron horse and has since given considerable attention to the breeding of those animals.  He is a wide-awake, energetic business man and in his farming and stock-raising interests is meeting with excellent success.

On the 18th of February, 1886, Mr. Vance was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Susan Tingler, of Rutledge township, who was born in West Virginia, and by her marriage has become the mother of five children, one of whom died in infancy.  The others are Clara Belle, Bert, Mary A., and Frank.

In religious faith the parents are United Brethren, holding membership in what is known as Prairie Chapel, and their lives are in consistent harmony with their professions.  By his ballot Mr. Vance usually supports the men and measures of the democratic party but has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, preferring to give his undivided attention to his business interests, which have always been most capably managed.

JOSEPH M. VANCE.  (Volume II, Page 225)

Joseph M. Vance, a wide-awake and progressive farmer and stock dealer of Rutledge township, his home being on section 22, was born on the same section, February 12, 1858.  His parents, Lemuel and Mahala (Idelman) Vance, were both natives of Pendleton county, West Virginia, where they grew to maturity, were educated and later married.  They continued to reside in their native county until after the birth of all but two of their children, but in 1857 migrated to Illinois and settled in DeWitt county.  A year or two later the father purchased eighty acres of land on which our subject now resides, it being wild and unimproved at that time, and he erected thereon a small farmhouse, in which the family lived for some years, but later a more pretentious dwelling was built.  The first home was torn down by our subject in 1905.  In his political affiliations the father was a democrat and his fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and ability, called upon him to serve in the offices of treasurer, collector and school director.  He died in 1894 and his wife, who survived him for only two years, passed away in 1896.

In the family of this worthy couple were nine children, namely: Mary, who became the wife of Henry Wood and now lives near Corwin in Hancock county; Virginia, who died unmarried; Jane A., who lives on the old home farm; John W., who makes his home in McLean county, Illinois; Rebecca F. and Victoria, twins, the former of whom died unmarried and the latter of whom is now the wife of William Slaten and lives with her sister, Jane A.; Sarah, who died early in life; Joseph M., of this review; and Avalena, the wife of Frank Gardner.

Reared upon the home farm, Joseph M. Vance attended the local schools, where he pursued his studies until he had acquired a good practical education, and through the assistance which he rendered his father in carrying on the home place, gained an excellent knowledge of agricultural pursuits.  At the age of twenty-three he began farming upon his own account upon rented land.  On the 28th of December, 1881, in Rutland [Rutledge] township, he married Miss Deniza A. Harper, who was born in that township, December 8, 1863, and they now have one child, Garnette, born April 28, 1896.

One year after his marriage Mr. Vance built a residence upon his father’s farm and took charge of the property.  He inherited forty acres from his father’s estate worth about twenty-five dollars an acre, and having purchased the interests of the other heirs, he now owns eighty acres of the old homestead, besides a forty acre tract which previously belonged to his wife’s people.  He has tiled the land and placed it under a high state of cultivation and his erected thereon good and substantial buildings, which stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise.  He is a progressive and up-to-date farmer, devoting considerable attention to the raising and feeding of stock, which is proving a profitable adjunct to his business.  In his social relations he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Parnell, and both he and his wife are connected with the Daughters of Rebekah.  By his ballot he supports the democratic party and though he has served as township clerk for three years, he has never sought official preferment.  He is, however, a public-spirited citizen, who takes a commendable interest in the welfare of his township, county, state and nation.

J. HOWARD VANCE.  (Volume II, Page 241)

J. Howard Vance has throughout his active business career been identified with agricultural pursuits and now owns a well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and forty acres on sections 19, 20 and 21, Rutledge township.  A native of Illinois, his birth occurred in Empire township, McLean county, June 3, 1868, his parents being Sylvanus and Lydia A. (Simpson) Vance.  The father was born in Pendleton county, West Virginia, and was about fifteen years of age when brought to Illinois by his father, who settled on section 20, Rutledge township, DeWitt county, where Sylvanus Vance grew to manhood.  His wife was born near Ruckersville, Virginia, and came to this state with an uncle when about eighteen years of age.  Soon after their marriage they removed to McLean county, where the father became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres and continued to engage in its cultivation and improvement until about one year prior to his death, when he removed to LeRoy, dying there August 29, 1904.  His wife passed away on the 24th of December, 1901.  They were the parents of three children, of whom J. Howard is the eldest.  Minnie B. now makes her home in Le Roy, and Edgar L., who married Elsie B. Brown, lives at Farmer, South Dakota, where he is engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Like most farmer boys, J. Howard Vance pursued his studies in the district schools near his home and by assisting in the work of the farm early gained a good knowledge of agricultural pursuits.  Choosing the occupation to which he had been reared as his life work, at the age of twenty years he entered the employ of others, where he worked at farm labor by the month.  Living economically and saving his wages, he was at length able to engage in farming on his own account, renting land of his father for four years.  In 1902 he was able to buy one hundred acres, for which he paid a hundred and ten dollars per acre, and is now the owner of a hundred and forty acres of as well improved and valuable land as is to be found in Rutledge township.  In the cultivation of his place he has met with success and is regarded as one of the leading farmers of the community.

On the 6th of February, 1898, in Rutledge township, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Vance and Miss Nora E. Story, a native of this township, and they have become the parents of four children, but French died in infancy.  Those still living are Guy V., Ola A. and Edra S.

Mr. Vance affiliates with the democratic party and on that ticket has been elected to local offices, serving as highway commissioner and as school trustee.  During his incumbency in the former office an iron bridge was erected in the township.  He is connected with LeRoy Lodge, No. 149, I. O. O. F., and both he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah.  In religious faith they are United Brethren, holding membership in Prairie Chapel, of which Mr. Vance is a trustee.  Widely and favorably known, they have a host of warm friends throughout the county, who are always sure of hospitable welcome at their home.

LAWRENCE WALTERS.  (Volume II, Page 267)

Lawrence Walters, one of the representative farmers of Wilson township, now owns and operates the old homestead on section 36, which his grandfather entered from the government.  He was born on section 23 of the same township, September 2, 1884, a son of Jacob and Mary (Schelly) Walters.  His father was a native of Ohio, born in Perry county, on the 15th of April, 1832, and was a son of Jacob and Phebe Walters.  The grandfather was a Pennsylvanian by birth and from his native state removed to Ohio during his boyhood with his parents.  At an early day he came to Illinois and entered land in DeWitt county, where our subject now resides.  To its development and improvement he then turned his attention, burning the bricks of which the house is built on the home place soon after the Civil war.  Our subject’s father did the plastering and also most of the carpenter and brick work.  He was first married in 1852 to Miss Julia Ann Mathews, by whom he had four children, two of whom are still living.  After the death of his first wife he went to Ohio, where he followed the carpenter’s trade, and while there met and married Miss Mary Schelly on the 8th of October, 1874.  She was born in Perry county that state, June 9, 1852, and was only six weeks old when her mother died, after which she made her home with her maternal grandfather, James Orr, in Licking county, Ohio, where she grew to womanhood and was married August 14, 1869, to Samuel Snyder.  By that union she had one child, Oriel J. Snyder, who married Abbie S. Johnson and now lives in Brown county, South Dakota.

Soon after his second marriage Jacob Walters returned to DeWitt county, Illinois, and in the spring of 1875 located on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 14, Wilson township, which he subsequently sold, and then bought one hundred and sixty acres on section 23.  It was upon the latter place that our subject was born, and there the family resided until the father bought the old homestead entered by his father on coming to this state.  Here he continued to make his home until called to his final rest on the 10th of January, 1897.  There were four children born by his second marriage: Minnie, now the wife of Jacob C. Harrold, living at Solomon; Ira, a grain buyer of Griffin, Bowman county, North Dakota; Nettie, the wife of Lawrence Morgan, whose home is near Argusville, North Dakota; and Lawrence, whose name introduces this sketch.

On the 9th of August, 1862, the father manifested his loyalty and patriotism by enlisting in Company B, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Camp Butler.  He then went to Jeffersonville, Indiana, and took part in the military operations at Louisville, Kentucky, Elizabethtown, Mumfordville and Glasgow and went in pursuit of Morgan when on his famous raid.  For four weeks he was confined in a hospital and after rejoining his regiment was sent to the field hospital and was not able to again take part in any engagement until he met his command at Loudon, Tennessee.  He was in the siege of Knoxville and took part in various military movements.  He was with his regiment in the battles of Resaca and Rome, Georgia, and was later sent back to Chattanooga and was in the hospital for over a year.  At the close of the war, when his services were no longer needed, he was honorably discharged at Salisbury, North Carolina, and returned home.  In politics he was an ardent republican but never cared for official preferment.  He was an active member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and belonged to the Masonic Lodge, No. 262, at DeWitt.  He was a man held in the highest esteem by all who knew him and he ranked high among the leading citizens of the community in which he resided.

Lawrence Walters was but five years of age when the family removed to his present home and here he grew to manhood, receiving a fair education in the common schools.  He was only twelve years of age when his father died, leaving a family of four children, of whom he is the youngest.  He continued with his mother, giving her the benefit of his services, until he reached the age of twenty-one years and when she removed to LeRoy he went with her, making his home there for four years, during which time he worked out by the month.  In the spring of 1910 they returned to the old home farm and on the 8th of June, that year, he was married at LeRoy to Miss Artie Bracken, who was born on a farm near Altamont, Effingham county, Illinois, March 12, 1890, a daughter of Brison and Sarah (Smith) Bracken.  She attended the common schools and at the age of seventeen went to LeRoy, where she met and married our subject.

Mr. Walters is one of the progressive and up-to-date farmers of his community and has already displayed exceptional business ability in the conduct of his affairs.  Like his father, he votes the republican ticket but has never cared for office.  He holds membership in the Odd Fellows lodge, No. 149, at LeRoy; and Merlin Lodge, No. 202, K. P.  For many years the family has been prominently identified with this section of the state and it now finds a worthy representative in our subject.

THOMAS C. WAMPLER.  (Volume II, Page 262)

The history of educational progress in DeWitt county would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make reference to Professor Thomas Calvin Wampler, now county superintendent of schools and for a long period closely associated with public education in this section of the state.  He was born on a farm near Lawrenceville in Lawrence county, Illinois, April 29, 1867, and is one of the six children of George and Rebecca (Seitzinger) Wampler, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Pennsylvania.  The paternal grandfather, Henry Wampler, was also born in Virginia and was of German descent.  In early manhood he learned and followed the wagon-maker’s trade, after which he came to Illinois in the ’50s, settling in Lawrence county, where he died when well advanced in years.  His wife, Mrs. Nancy (Boyd) Wampler, passed away at an old age.  They had a large family, including: John; Henry; George; David; Joseph; Angeline, the wife of Henry Funk; Emma, the wife of Benjamin Rawlins; and Hannah, the wife of Samuel Wright.  The maternal grandfather of Professor Wampler was Leonard Seitzinger, a native of Pennsylvania, whose home was on the present site of Harrisburg.  As the name indicates, he, too, was of German descent.  He learned the blacksmith’s trade and followed it in connection with farming.  He married a Miss Mary Lambert, a native of Pennsylvania, and, removing directly from that state to Illinois, they settled in Lawrence county, where both continued to reside until called to the home beyond when in advanced years.  Their children were John, Nicholas, Leonard, William, Michael, Ann, Susan and Rebecca.

George Wampler was a farmer by occupation and after leaving his native state in his childhood days took up his abode with his parents in Knox county, Indiana.  A little later a removal was made to Lawrence county, Illinois, where he remained until 1882, when he came to DeWitt county, establishing his home near Waynesville.  His last days were spent near Kenney, where he died in 1904 at the age of sixty-six years.  He had long survived his wife, who passed away in 1871 when but thirty-one years of age.  Both attended the United Brethren church, of which Mrs. Wampler was a member.  At the time of the Civil war Mr. Wampler and four of his brothers—John, Henry, David and Joseph—enlisted for service in the Union army.  He became a member of the Sixty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but was taken ill and was obliged to spend most of the time in the hospital.  Unto George and Rebecca Wampler there were born four sons and two daughters: Josephine, who died in infancy; William H., a farmer living near Waynesville, Illinois; Mary A., who died when about eighteen years of age; Thomas Calvin; James L., who departed this life in 1901; and Franklin, who died in childhood.

Professor Thomas Calvin Wampler lived in Lawrence county, Illinois, until fifteen years of age, spending his youthful days on his father’s farm and attending the country schools.  He then left home to further pursue his education in the Normal University at Normal, Illinois, which he attended in 1887, 1888 and 1889.  He afterward engaged in teaching school for three years and then resumed his studies, completing a normal course at Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was graduated with the class of 1892.  He has since devoted his time and attention to teaching and to educational work.  He has always kept in touch with advanced methods and under his guidance the schools have made substantial and rapid progress, doing practical and effective work.  In 1902 he was called to the office of county superintendent of schools and has since filled the position, the duties of which he has discharged in a most prompt and capable manner, guiding the development and progress of the schools along lines which receive uniform endorsement and approval.

On the 8th of July, 1894, Professor Wampler was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Cloud, a daughter of Albert D. and Anna (Hoffer) Cloud.  Mrs. Wampler was born in this county, where she has always resided.  Her parents were also natives of this county, where they lived for many years, but are now residents of Nemaha, Iowa.  Their family numbered nine children: Lizzie, Edward, John, Nettie, Warren, Edna, Theodore, Hiram and Clarence.  Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wampler have been born four children: El Rey C.; Anna Mathel, who died in Weldon when but nine months old; Edna Leon; and Charles Edwin.  The parents are member; of the First Christian church of Clinton, in which Professor Wampler is serving as an elder, and in the various departments of the church work they take a helpful interest.  He is also a member of the Clinton lodge of Masons, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Eastern Star and the White Shrine, Professor Wampler being watchman of the shepherds in the latter.  Throughout his residence in Clinton he has resided at No. 601 North Jackson avenue, his home being the center of a cultured society circle, in which intelligence is recognized as a necessary attribute to congeniality.  His influence is ever on the side of right, justice, truth and progress and as an influential factor he is contributing to the welfare and upbuilding of his adopted county.

JOHN WARNER.  (Volume II, Page 323)

John Warner, assistant cashier of the bank of John Warner & Company at Clinton, has been continuously connected with the institution since 1892.  His birth occurred in Clinton, Illinois, on the 24th of October, 1863, his parents being Vespasian and Winifred (Moore) Warner, a sketch of whom appears on another page of this work.  He was reared on the home place of fifteen acres situated three-fourths of a mile north of Clinton, and obtained his education in the grammar and high schools of that city.  Subsequently he attended a military school at Faribault, Minnesota, for three years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Clinton and entered his grandfather’s bank as bookkeeper.  He has remained with the institution for the past eighteen years and is now capably discharging the duties devolving upon him in the capacity of assistant cashier.

On the 7th of July, 1902, Mr. Warner was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Sprague, a native of Belvidere, Boone county, Illinois, and a daughter of John and Martha (Swain) Sprague.  They became early settlers of Boone county and there spent the remainder of their lives, Mrs. Sprague passing away in December, 1909.  They reared a family of five daughters, as follows: Maude, the wife of Charles Lane, of Belvidere; Edna, likewise a resident of Belvidere; Alberta, the wife of Robert Mouck, of Peoria; Mrs. Warner; and Pearl.  Unto our subject and his wife has been born a son, John.

In politics Mr. Warner is a stanch republican, while fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias.  Both he and his wife are consistent and devoted members of the Presbyterian church.  They reside in an attractive and commodious home which Mr. Warner erected at No. 421 North Jackson avenue.  He enjoys an extensive and favorable acquaintance in the community where practically his entire life has been spent and well deserves classification among the substantial and representative citizens of DeWitt county.

VESPASIAN WARNER.  (Volume II, Page 3)

Mr. Warner was born April 23, 1842, in the town then known as Mount Pleasant, afterward as Santa Anna and now as Farmer City, DeWitt county, Illinois.  In the paternal line he comes of German, and in the maternal line of Irish ancestry, the families, however, having been founded in America at an early day.  His grandfather, David Warner, was a Virginia farmer and there John Warner, the father of Vespasian Warner, was born and reared.  His father, John Warner, studied medicine, became a physician, and while a young man moved westward to the state of Indiana, where he married Cynthia A. Gardner.

Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. John Warner moved westward, settling at Mount Pleasant, now Farmer City, where they lived a few months and where Vespasian Warner, their first child, was born.  They then removed to Clinton, in the same county and state, and Dr. Warner entered upon the practice of medicine in which he continued until 1852, being accorded a very liberal patronage.  He abandoned the practice in that year on account, however, of the death of his daughter, declaring if he could not save his own child he would not pretend he could cure another man’s child.

He then engaged in mercantile pursuits and commenced investing in Illinois lands that could be entered and purchased at that time at an average price of a dollar and a quarter per acre.  During the Civil war he raised a company and as its captain became a member of the Forty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry.  His valor and capability won him promotion to the rank of major and later to lieutenant colonel of that regiment, which position he held until his resignation in 1863.  Soon after his resignation from the army he was elected a representative in the legislature of Illinois.  In 1867 he founded the private bank of John Warner & Company in Clinton, Illinois, which he managed and controlled until he died, December 21, 1905, when more than eighty-six years of age.

Vespasian Warner was reared in Clinton and acquired his early education here, after which he attended Lombard University at Galesburg, Illinois, a short time.  In the spring of 1861 he was studying law with Hon. Lawrence Weldon in Clinton, Illinois, and in May, 1861, he enlisted as a private soldier in the first company raised in the county for the Civil war, and was mustered into the service of the United States with Company E, Twentieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry for a term of three years, unless sooner discharged, on the 13th day of June, 1861.  He served as an enlisted man in that company until March, 1862, when he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, later becoming a captain and major by brevet and resigned from the army July 13, 1866, after five years and one month’s service.

He received a gunshot wound at Shiloh and a serious injury at Atlanta, Georgia, by his horse falling on him.  During the Civil war after his promotion to a lieutenancy, he served on the staffs of Generals John E. Smith, M. D. Leggett and John A. Logan, being ordnance officer of the Third Division Seventeenth Army Corps at the time he received his injury at Atlanta, Georgia.  In March, 1865, he was ordered on the plains where an Indian war was in progress and where he remained until he finally resigned.

Immediately on his resignation from the army, he entered the law department of Harvard University and graduated therefrom in 1868 and immediately returned to his home in Clinton, was admitted to the bar and entered into a copartnership with Hon. Clifton H. Moore, under the firm name of Moore & Warner as attorneys and counselors at law.  After the war he served for twelve years as colonel and judge advocate general of the Illinois National Guard.

On the 26th of March, 1868, Mr. Warner was married to Miss Winifred Moore, a daughter of Clifton H. and Elizabeth H. (Richmond) Moore.  Mrs. Warner was born at Tremont, Tazewell county, and died June 8, 1894, at the age of forty-four years.  By this marriage there were born six children, but Paul, the eldest, died in infancy.  John, engaged in banking business under the firm name of John Warner & Company, of Clinton, married Gertrude Sprague and has one son, John.  Clifton, who married Maude M. Bishop, is engaged in looking after his father’s real-estate interests.  Vesper M. married Ella May Johnson.  Winifred is the wife of Dr. Guy G. Dowdall, now of Chicago, and they have a daughter, Elizabeth.  Mary Frances is the wife of Wiley F. Crist of San Francisco and they have one son.  On January 2, 1898, Mr. Warner was again married, his second union being with Miss Minnie M. Bishop, a daughter of William and Kate M. (Lewis) Bishop.

Mr. Warner is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and also with Frank Lowry Post, No. 157, G. A. R.  His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party.  In 1894 he was chosen to represent his district in congress, where he served for ten years, acting on a number of important committees and carefully conserving the interests of his constituents and of the country at large by his loyal support of the principles and measures which he deemed of the greatest good to the greatest number.  In February, 1905, he was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt commissioner of pensions of the United States and on the expiration of the term he was then serving in congress, he qualified as such commissioner and continued to act as the same until November, 1909, when he was compelled, by the demands on him by his business at home, to resign the office of commissioner of pensions.

Mr. Warner has ever manifested a public-spirited citizenship in his relation to Clinton, promoting many projects that have been matters of civic virtue and of civic pride and holding at all times to a high standard of municipal service and integrity.  He gave to Clinton the fine new library building, of which the city is justly proud and which was erected at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars.  Practically his entire life has been passed in Clinton, so that his history is as an open book to his fellow townsmen.  As the years have passed he has prospered, owing to the ability which he displayed in his profession, winning him a large clientage and his judicious investments which have made him the owner of large property holdings.

As an evidence of the esteem in which he is held by those who know him best, Mr. Clifton H. Moore, who died in 1901, and with whom Mr. Warner had been a partner thirty-three years, willed his entire estate, consisting principally of real property valued at about two million dollars, to Mr. Warner as trustee to be held, managed and controlled by Mr. Warner during his lifetime and specifying in the will that Mr. Warner should not be required to give a bond as executor or trustee, or file an inventory of the property that might come into his hands, and his father, dying in 1905, worth about eighteen hundred thousand dollars, devised his entire property to Mr. Warner in trust, the real estate to be held, managed and controlled by him for fifteen years and then by him to be partitioned among the heirs or sold and the proceeds of the real estate divided, as he, Mr. Warner, might elect and specifying that he should not be required to give any bond as such executor and trustee.

WILLIAM T. WARREN.  (Volume II, Page 302)

William T. Warren, who owns and operates a well improved and highly cultivated farm on section 34, Rutledge township, is one of DeWitt county’s native sons, his birth here occurring December 4, 1859.  His parents, Tilghman and Hetty (Collins) Warren, were both natives of Ohio and in early life came to Illinois with their respective parents, their marriage being celebrated in DeWitt county.  The father at that time was a poor man and worked as a farm hand by the month for four years, but after his marriage located upon a rented farm which he operated for a time.  Living economically he was at length able to purchase a tract of forty acres at fourteen dollars per acre and to its improvement and cultivation he devoted his time for a number of years.  His next purchase consisted of forty acres where our subject now lives, thus giving him an outlet to the road.  As time passed he steadily prospered and extended the boundaries of his farm until he owned two hundred and forty acres of prairie land all in one body and ten acres of timber land.  This property is still in the possession of the family.  He had four sons all of whom are still living, namely: Milton, William T., Charles H. and Edward.  Charles H. is now living on a farm near Hazen, Arkansas.  In politics the father was a republican but never cared for official preferment.  He died on the 30th of April, 1902, and was laid to rest at Camp Ground cemetery.  The mother passed away November 19, 1909, and was buried by his side.

During his boyhood William T. Warren attended the public schools where he acquired a good practical education, and until he attained his majority he remained upon the home farm, giving his father the benefit of his services.  On the 1st of November, 1885, he was united in marriage to Miss Ida Belle Bowker, by whom he had two children: Iva, now a resident of Farmer City; and May, who is at home with her father.  The wife and mother departed this life April 20, 1899.

Mr. Warren was again married February 28, 1901, his second union being with Mrs. Mary (Hayes) Martin of Bloomington, Illinois.  She was born in Ripley county, Indiana, March 29, 1854, a daughter of Green-berry and Mahala (Buchanan) Hayes.  Like her husband, she received a fair common-school education and during her girlhood came to Illinois with a brother.  She was first married in Danville to Frank Martin, by whom she had two children: Claude, who is now living in Bloomington and is in the employ of the Chicago & Alton Railroad; and Maude, the wife of James Forbes.  They live with her mother on the farm and have one child, Major Cleo.  There are no children by the second marriage.

For a few years after his first marriage Mr. Warren engaged in farming upon rented land and then purchased an eighty acre tract, for which he paid seventy dollars per acre.  He has met with success in his chosen life work and besides his home farm is now the owner of one hundred and fifteen acres in Saline county, Illinois, near the oil regions.  Like his father he casts his ballot for the men and measures of the republican party but has never taken an active part in politics aside from voting.  Fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and religiously both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.  They are people of the highest respectability and have a host of warm friends throughout the county.

JOSEPH WATSON.  (Volume II, Page 68)

Joseph Watson, one of the representative farmers and honored citizens of DeWitt county, living on section 23, Creek township, was born in this county on the 1st of November, 1864, his parents being James and Mary Ann (Armstrong) Watson.  The father was born in Cumberland, England, February 1, 1830, and came to the new world in 1860, making his home thereafter in DeWitt county, where he passed away November 15, 1904, being laid to rest in Rose cemetery of Lane.  The mother died when our subject was only a year old and only two of their four children are now living, the elder being Anna, the widow of Frank Bennett, of Lane.  John and William Armstrong, the mother’s brothers, were both soldiers of the Civil war and the former is still a resident of Normal, Illinois.

Joseph Watson attended the public schools of this county and continued to live with his father until the latter’s death.  For the past thirty-two years he has resided upon his present farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres on section 23, Creek township, belonging to the Warner estate.  Here he follows general farming with marked success and is a man highly honored and esteemed throughout the community.

On the 11th of December, 1886, he was united in marriage to Miss Cansetta Thompson, who was also born in this county in 1868, a daughter of Hugh Thompson.  She died before they had been married a year and was buried in the Lisenby cemetery.  Mr. Watson was again married December 9, 1889, his second union being with Miss Hattie Elsbury, whose birth occurred in DeWitt county, October 22, 1868.  Her parents, John and Eve Elizabeth (Hull) Elsbury, were also natives of this county.  Her father was born June 7, 1846, and died August 2, 1886, while her mother was born on the 21st of September, 1846, and passed away September 9, 1870, the remains of both being interred in the Cumberland cemetery.  They had but two children, the elder being Richard, who was born September 3, 1867, and died September 28, 1868.  The other, Mrs. Watson, has also departed this life, dying on the 1st of May, 1897, leaving many friends as well as her immediate family to mourn her loss.  She was a most estimable lady, a good mother, a devoted wife and a kind neighbor, and in her death the community realized that it had lost one of its best and most highly respected citizens.  She was laid to rest in Rose cemetery at Lane.  Prior to her marriage she successfully engaged in teaching school for several years, being thus employed at the Cox and Rosecrans schools, and her influence for good was widely felt throughout the community in which she lived.

By his second marriage Mr. Watson has two daughters.  Leila Maud, born September 13, 1890, began her education in the Creek township schools but later attended the Wesleyan University and is now pursuing a course in music under the direction of Miss Brown of Maroa.  Ruby May, born November 9, 1893, attended the Union school in Creek township and assists her sister in keeping house for their devoted father.  The family is one of prominence in the community where they reside and wherever known they are held in high regard.  The older daughter is a member of Center Chapel, United Brethren church.

AMOS WEEDMAN.  (Volume II, Page 185)

Amos Weedman, who for the past three years has managed the interests of Bartlett, Patton & Company of Chicago, owners of a grain elevator in Farmer City, is an enterprising young man and a representative of one of the early pioneer families of this section of the state.  Mr. Weedman was born in Santa Anna township, DeWitt county, January 27, 1883.  The paternal grandfather, who likewise bore the name of Amos Weedman, was a native of Ohio, coming to Illinois with his parents in his boyhood days.  At one time he owned a farm in McLean county, this state, located near Weedman Station, but he eventually disposed of that land and purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Santa Anna township.  He served as sheriff of DeWitt county through three consecutive terms and was the only sheriff of the county who ever hanged a man.  He wedded Miss Mary J. McCord and they had two sons, William Rucker Weedman and Smith Weedman.  The grandfather died in Farmer City, May 11, 1900, the day prior to the seventy-fourth anniversary of his birth.

Smith Weedman, the father of our subject, was born on his father’s farm in Santa Anna township and after reaching years of maturity wedded Miss Charlotte Thorne, who was born in the state of New York, a daughter of James M. and Cordelia (Phillips) Thorne, likewise natives of the Empire state.  Her father served in the Civil war as a member of a New York regiment.  In his family were three children: Charlotte, Joseph and Phoebe.  About thirty years ago the parents removed with their family to DeWitt county, where Mr. Thorne continued his operations as a farmer.  He is still living at the age of seventy-five years but his wife died in Prairie City, Illinois, when more than sixty years of age.

Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smith Weedman located on a farm in Santa Anna township and for many years he was here identified with agricultural pursuits.  However, in 1893, he removed with his family to Piatt county and there purchased two hundred and forty acres of land in Blue Ridge township, where he has continued farming to the present time.  While still a resident of Dewitt county, he served as deputy sheriff under his father.  Unto him and his wife were born four sons and two daughters: Harriet, the wife of G. E. Burford, of Muskogee, Oklahoma; Amos, of this review; Otto, who is principal of the high school at DeLand, Illinois; Jessie, who is still with her parents; and Judson and Ward, also under the parental roof.

Amos Weedman, the eldest son and second in order of birth in his father’s family, was a lad of ten years when he accompanied his parents on their removal from DeWitt to Piatt county, Illinois.  It was in the district schools of the latter place that he began his education but later came to Farmer City to take the high-school course, which he completed in 1902.  During the two subsequent years he engaged in teaching but this proved merely the starting point in his business career, for at the end of that period he embarked in the grain business and for the past three years has managed the interests of Bartlett, Patten & Company, a Chicago firm, who buy grain in this section, owning an elevator in Farmer City.  Mr. Weedman during his time has demonstrated his business ability and in the city where much of his life has been passed he finds a place among its substantial citizens.  He owns a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Muskogee county, near the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma, and from this derives a good income.

Politically Mr. Weedman is a republican, while his fraternal relations connect him with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Masons, his membership in the latter being with Farmer City Lodge, No. 710, A. F. & A. M., and with Farmer City Chapter, No. 175, R. A. M.  He is a most enterprising young man and popular among a host of friends.

MARY S. WELCH.  (Volume II, Page 111)

Mary Salisbury Welch, one of the best known and best loved ladies of DeWitt county, was long prominently identified with educational interests as county superintendent of schools and for the past four and a half years has been matron of the rest and reading rooms at the Illinois Central depot in Clinton.  Her birth occurred in Delaware, Delaware county, Ohio, her parents being Luther and Mary (Salisbury) Welch, who were natives of New York and Erie, Pennsylvania, respectively.  William Welch, the paternal grandfather, who was a cousin of President Monroe, was born in New York. When a young man he went to Delaware, Ohio, and there conducted a hotel for many years, passing away in that city at an advanced age.  Unto him and his wife, Mrs. Loretta Welch, were born six children, namely: Susanna, Ruth, Loretta, Philena, William and Luther.  Nathan Salisbury, the maternal grandfather of Miss Welch, was a native of Pennsylvania and a shoemaker by trade.  He became an early settler of Freeport, Illinois, and died in Warren, this state, at a ripe old age.  His children were eight in number, as follows: William, Nathan, Washington, John, Mary, Josephine, Fannie and Lemira.

Luther Welch, the father of Miss Welch, devoted his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career.  In 1854 he settled at Freeport, Illinois, purchased a farm and began its improvement.  He was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, however, for he passed away in 1856 at the age of fifty-nine years.  In religious faith he was a Methodist, while his wife, whose demise occurred in 1845, belonged to the Presbyterian church.  Their children were four in number.  Platt, who lost his eyesight as the result of a premature explosion in a mine, died in January, 1904, when sixty-seven years of age.  He was a man of remarkable intelligence and intellectual power and if not handicapped by blindness would have become a prominent figure in the intellectual world.  He was one of the interesting characters of Clinton and gained the love and esteem of all with whom he came in contact.  Nathan Welch, who passed away in 1906, participated in the Civil war as a member of Company E, Twelfth Iowa Volunteer Infantry.  He was wounded at the battle of Shiloh and spent four months in a hospital at Keokuk, Iowa, but never fully recovered from the effects of his injury and finally became paralyzed.  Mary S. Welch, of this review, was the next in order of birth.  Martha A., who lives in Chicago, is the wife of R. B. Bowles, an exchange merchant in the stock yards of that city.

Mary Salisbury Welch came to Illinois with her parents in 1843, the family home being established near Dixon.  Being afterward taken to Freeport, she lived there until ten years of age and then returned to Delaware, Ohio, there remaining until 1854.  In that year she again came to Illinois and during the intervening fifty-six years has remained a resident of this state.  While attending school at Freeport in the first grade she was a schoolmate of Charles Guiteau, who killed President James Garfield.  At the age of thirteen she entered the home of her uncle Aaron, an early settler of Clinton, and remained a member of his household until she had attained the age of thirty-three.  From that gentleman and his estimable wife she received much encouragement in her studies and also in her work as a teacher and gratefully acknowledges her indebtedness to them for their kindly counsel and assistance.  In the acquirement of an education she attended the schools of Clinton, the Conover Female Seminary of Bloomington and the Illinois State Normal at Normal, Illinois.  In 1857 she began teaching in the summer schools, while during the winter months she continued her own education.  Subsequently she taught in the subscription schools, the Clinton public schools and other institutions of learning.  In November, 1873, she was elected county superintendent of schools and held that position for seventeen consecutive years or until November, 1890, when impaired health compelled her to resign.  During the following ten years she lived quietly, recuperating her strength, and then again took up educational work, teaching in the public schools of Clinton for three years.  She also served as a member of the board of education.  For the past four years and a half she has been matron of the reading and rest rooms at the Illinois Central depot and is held in high esteem by all with whom she comes in contact in this connection, including engineers, conductors and railroad employees generally.

Miss Welch is a member of the Christian church and has been one of its active workers for many years.  While teaching school in Farmer City she taught a Sunday-school class in the Presbyterian, Christian and Methodist churches—all on the same day.  Her life has been dominated by the tenderest feelings and strongest sympathy for all, which qualities have undoubtedly had great weight in her eminent success as a teacher, winning her the love of all of her pupils.  Becoming interested in county institute work when it was more of a theory than a practical project, she has done much to promote the movement and make it an effective force for good to the teachers and an active element in attaining to a higher standard of education.  She has always had a sunny disposition and the faculty of passing over slights and smoothing the rough places on life’s pathway.  The circle of her friends is a very wide one and therefore the record of her career cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers.

PERRY WENE.  (Volume II, Page 347)

Nearly a quarter of a century ago Perry Wene, a son of the Buckeye state, left his home county of Warren and started west to make his way in the world.  He chose Kenney, DeWitt county, Illinois, as his future home and settled there, working for about a year as farm hand.  Then he took charge of one hundred and twenty acres of fine prairie land in Tunbridge township lying a mile and a half southeast of Kenney and has farmed there ever since, making a decided success of his venture.

Mr. Wene was born March 23, 1858, in Warren county, Ohio, being the seventh child in a family of thirteen children.  His parents were William and Mary (Pray) Wene, old residents of Warren county.  On the paternal side he is descended from Conrad and Mary Wene, both of New Jersey birth and rearing.  His maternal ancestors were from New York state, Mary Pray being the daughter of Stephen and Miriam Pray, who settled in Ohio shortly after their marriage.  The children born to William and Mary Wene were: Samuel, who died in Ohio; George, who died in Loveland, Ohio; John, living in Nashville, Tennessee; Mary, also of Nashville, Tennessee; William, who died at Evansville, Indiana; Perry, of this review; Francis and Elizabeth of Nashville, Tennessee; Nicholas, who died in Nashville, Tennessee, as did his brother James Cortland; Harry Thomas, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee; and Izora, who at the time of her death was living in Nashville, Tennessee.

Just prior to his coming to DeWitt county Mr. Wene was married, December 1, 1885, to Lillian May Cox, a daughter of Gilbert W. and Clementine (Jones) Cox.  On her paternal side she is descended from Joshua and Ann (Mounts) Cox, of New Jersey, Ann Mounts being a daughter of Allison Mounts, an early settler of the Jersey district.  She traces her descent through their son, William Cox, who was born September 26, 1810, and died December 26, 1892.  He married his cousin, Ann Craig Cox, a daughter of James and Ann Cox.  William Cox had several children, among them being Gilbert W. Cox, father of Mrs. Wene.  Gilbert Cox and his wife were born in Clermont county and Marion county, Ohio, respectively.  Their children are: Etta, Ione, Clyde and Lillian May.

Mr. and Mrs. Wene in their twenty-four years of wedded life have reared a splendid family of five children, four sons and one daughter.  The daughter, Miss Anna Laura, is engaged in teaching in the Kenney public schools.  She has charge of the intermediate grades and is one of the most efficient teachers that the schools have ever known.  George W., a resident of Wapella, Illinois, married Miss Edith Derricks, a daughter of Perry and Minerva Derricks, of Tunbridge township.  Ernest Perry, Roy Lee and Raymond C., are all of them residing at the homestead.  Mr. Wene is recognized as one of the most enterprising and competent farmers of his district and his farm in its appearance and productiveness is a substantial proof of this fact.

JEFFERSON WETZEL.  (Volume II, Page 101)

Jefferson Wetzel, now living retired in Farmer City, was born in Wythe county, Virginia, on the 30th of June, 1832, and is a son of George and Margaret (Cormany) Wetzel, also natives of Wythe county.  The history of the Wetzel family can be traced back to John Wetzel, who was one of the first settlers of the Old Dominion.  He had a son, Lewis, who was a noted Indian fighter, becoming such to avenge the death of his father, who was killed by the red men.  Our subject’s paternal grandfather was Peter Wetzel, who was born in Maryland and worked at the miller’s trade.  The maternal grandfather, Michael Cormany, was born, reared and married in Germany, his wife being also a native of that country, and on coming to America they settled in Wythe county, Virginia, where they continued to make their home throughout the remainder of their lives, both dying at an old age.

George Wetzel, the father of our subject, also became a millwright and miller, which occupation he followed in early life, but later turned his attention to farming.  In 1852 he became a resident of DeWitt county, Illinois, settling at what was then known as Mount Pleasant but is now Farmer City, where he died in 1878 when past the age of eighty-three years.  His wife passed away in 1877 when nearly seventy-nine years old.  They had been married sixty-two years and seven months when separated by death.  Both were consistent members of the Lutheran church and were held in the highest esteem by all who knew them.  The father manifested his loyalty to his country by enlisting as a soldier during the war of 1812.  In the family of this worthy couple were thirteen children, nine sons and four daughters, of whom two are still living.  In order of birth the children are as follows: Henry, Isaac, Solomon, Martin, Anna, Catharine, Rebecca, Margaret, Jefferson, Ambrose, George, David and Michael.

In the county of his nativity Jefferson Wetzel passed the days of his boyhood and youth upon a farm and obtained his education in one of the old subscription schools.  On reaching manhood he engaged in teaching vocal music for a time and also learned the carpenter’s trade, which he continued to follow until his retirement from active labor.  He recently, at the age of seventy-eight years, shingled his own house.  In 1855 he became a resident of Mount Pleasant, now Farmer City, and here he has continued to make his home, an honored and highly esteemed citizen.

On the 13th of January, 1851, Mr. Wetzel married Miss Catharine Crist, whose birth occurred November 25, 1833, in Washington county, Virginia, of which state her parents, Daniel and Amanda (Minnick) Crist, were also natives.  Her father died in Missouri and her mother in Farmer City, Illinois.  They had only two children, the elder being Benjamin, now deceased.  Mrs. Wetzel’s paternal grandparents died in Virginia when well advanced in years.  Her maternal grandfather was Peter Minnick, a native of Pennsylvania and a farmer by occupation.  He married Catharine Wurtmiller and both died in Washington county, Virginia, he in his eighty-ninth year and she in her seventy-ninth year.

There have been eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wetzel.  William A. married Ella May Cumming and is now superintendent of music in the Salt Lake City schools.  David C., a Christian minister, married Clara Cumming and died in San Francisco in 1894.  They had seven children, five now living, Charles E., Winifred, Carrie, Mabel and Ruth.  Benjamin Franklin, the next of the family, died when young.  George W. is now editor and publisher of a paper at Checotah, Oklahoma.  He married Julia Pratt of Bloomington, Illinois, and they have three children, Herbert W., Frances Gale and Gertrude.  Joseph T. also died when young.  Anna Belle is now the wife of Charles F. Holmes, who operates a large farm near Farmer City, and they have five children, Kitty May, Clarence, Ray, Alice and Gladys.  Laura M. is the wife of A. G. Albright, of Farmer City, and they have two children, George and Catharine.  Vinnie R. is the wife of Harry Bates, of Seattle, Washington.  Nettie F. and Della M. both died young.  Pearl C. is the wife of L. S. Webb, a linotype operator in the Bloomington Pantagraph office, and they have three children, Margaret D., Paul W. and Frances V.  Mr. and Mrs. Wetzel also have eighteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

They are active and faithful members of the Christian church, in which Mr. Wetzel is serving as elder, and he also belongs to Mount Pleasant Lodge, No. 126, I. O. O. F., and Lemon Post, G. A. R.  His political support is given the republican party.  When the country became involved in civil war he enlisted in July, 1862, as a member of Company I, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry as a drummer and remained in the service until peace was restored.  He participated in a number of important engagements and was in the Atlanta campaign.  At one time he served as tax collector of Santa Anna township but has never cared for official honors.  He is a man highly respected and esteemed by all who know him and those who know him best are numbered among his warmest friends.

JOHN M. WILCOX, M. D.  (Volume II, Page 171)

Holding to high ideals in his profession, continually promoting his efficiency by study and research, Dr. John M. Wilcox now occupies a prominent position in the ranks of the medical fraternity of Clinton.  He was born at Elizabeth, Jo Daviess county, Illinois, October 3, 1846, and in both the paternal and maternal lines comes of English ancestry.  His grandfather, Isaac Wilcox, was a native of Cornwall, England, and like many of the residents of that section of the mother country followed the occupation of mining.  In 1844 he crossed the Atlantic to America, settling in Elizabeth, Illinois, where he continued in the occupation that had previously claimed his attention.  There he died when about sixty-five years of age, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary May, was about seventy-five years of age at the time of her death.  They were the parents of four sons and a daughter: Abraham, Isaac, John, William and Nancy, of whom the latter became the wife of Edwin Rogers.

Of this number John Wilcox was the father of Dr. Wilcox.  He too, was born in Cornwall, England, and having made the long voyage to the new world became a resident of Elizabeth, Jo Daviess county, in June, 1846.  Like his father he had followed mining in England but in America turned his attention to farming, devoting forty or fifty years to the work of tilling the soil.  He died in Jo Daviess county in 1904 when nearly eighty-five years of age.  In early manhood he wedded Elizabeth Webb, also a native of Cornwall, England, as were her parents, Samuel and Jane Webb.  Her father, who was a miner, died at an old age, and her mother also passed away in England.  Unto them were born four daughters and three sons, Jan, Mary Ann, Susan, Elizabeth, William, Samuel and Frank.  Elizabeth became the wife of John Wilcox.  They traveled life’s journey together for many years but were separated by the death of Mrs. Wilcox, who passed away in 1894 when about seventy years of age.  Both were members of the Methodist church and people of the highest respectability, their many good traits of heart and mind winning them the high regard of all with whom they came in contact.  Unto them were born eleven children, all of whom are yet living: Isaac, a resident of Jo Daviess county; Dr. John M., of this review; Elizabeth Jane, the widow of J. H. Bateman; Samuel, of California; William, residing in Elizabeth, Illinois; Abraham, of Clay county, Iowa; Susan A., the wife of Benjamin Chapman, of Elizabeth, Illinois; Mary Ellen, who wedded Abraham Cox, postmaster of Elizabeth; Francis, of Elizabeth; Charles W., also of that place; and Marion Elsworth, likewise of Elizabeth.

Dr. Wilcox, whose name introduces this review, was reared in Jo Daviess county upon the home farm which his father owned and cultivated.  There he early became familiar with the task of plowing, planting and harvesting.  He attended the district schools and afterward benefited by three years’ instruction in the Platteville (Wis) Normal School.  He also spent two years as a student in the Northwestern German-English Normal School at Galena, Illinois.  He worked his way through that institution, where he graduated, by teaching, mauling rails and following other pursuits that would help him to obtain the necessary living, scorning no employment that would enable him to supplement his limited capital.  The laudable ambition which prompted him to advance his education and the determination which enabled him to overcome difficulties and obstacles have ever been salient features in his career and enabled him to work his way steadily upward since entering the field of professional activity.  He took up the study of medicine with Dr. W. S. Caldwell, of Elizabeth, as his preceptor, but gave up the idea of practicing to engage in teaching for three years longer.  However, he returned to the study of medicine and was graduated from the Chicago Medical College with the class of 1879, after which he opened an office in Kenney, DeWitt county, where he remained until October, 1880.  He then came to Clinton, where he has continued to the present time, the years chronicling a gratifying success that has resulted from his thorough understanding of the principles of medicine, his close application and his conscientious performance of duty.  In addition to his practice he has become financially interested in the State Bank of Clinton and is now its vice president.

On the 4th of December, 1879, Dr. Wilcox was married to Mrs. Mary Hines, the widow of Lewis Hines and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William James.  Mrs. Wilcox had one son by her former marriage, James T. Hines, who is now living in California.  She is a native of DeWitt county, while her parents were natives of Virginia.  They were reared, however, in Ohio, and became early settlers of this county, where both passed away.  The sons and daughters of the household were: Ephraim; Uriah; LeRoy; Stephen; William E.; Margaret, the deceased wife of Thomas Cornwall; Nannie, who married Sylvanus Potter; Mary, who became the wife of Dr. Wilcox; and Sarah, the deceased wife of W. S. Hughes.

Mrs. Wilcox is a member of the Presbyterian church.  Dr. Wilcox belongs to DeWitt Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M.; Goodbrake Chapter, No. 69, R. A. M.; Clinton Commandery, No. 66, K. T.; and to Mohammed Temple of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Peoria.  He is likewise a member of the Plantagenet Lodge, Knights of Pythias.  His political allegiance is given to the republican party, of which he is an active member.  He served as a member of the city committee for a term and has been a member of the school board for several terms.  He was local surgeon for the Illinois Central Railroad Company for three years and district surgeon for the same road for ten years, but resigned his commission in 1903 to resume the private practice of his profession.  Along professional lines he has interesting membership relations, belonging to DeWitt County Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.  He thus keeps in touch with the advance thought and purpose of the profession and at all times in his practice has conformed to a high standard of professional ethics.

PETER K. WILLSON.  (Volume II, Page 39)

Peter K. Willson, one of the most prosperous and influential farmers of Harp township, was born on the 9th of July, 1857, in Winchester, Scott county, Illinois, and is a son of Samuel Willson, whose birth occurred near Williamsport, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, October 11, 1825.  His paternal grandfather was Ezra Willson, a native of New Jersey and a son of John Willson, who was also born in that state and was of Welsh descent.  By occupation Ezra Willson was a farmer.  In early manhood he married Nancy Flatt, who was born in the eastern part of Pennsylvania and was a daughter of Andrew Flatt, who at the age of sixteen years entered the Continental army and fought for the independence of the colonies.  Our subject’s grandfather died many years ago and his grandmother passed away in 1873 at a ripe old age.  In their family were ten children, eight sons and two daughters.

Samuel Willson, the youngest of these children, was reared and educated in his native county and during his boyhood and youth assisted his father in the work of the farm.  At the age of nineteen years he commenced learning the blacksmith’s trade, to which he devoted his attention for some time.  In 1849, during the gold excitement on the Pacific coast, he crossed the plains and mountains to California, making the journey with an ox-team.  After four years spent in the far west he returned to the Mississippi valley and in June, 1854, took up his residence in Scott county, Illinois, where he worked at the blacksmith’s trade for two years.  He next made his home in Sangamon county, this state, and in 1873 settled on a farm in Harp township, DeWitt county, where he was successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising for many years.  In October, 1890, he retired from active labor and removed to Clinton, where he is now living.  His first presidential vote was cast for General Taylor and on the organization of the republican party he joined its ranks.  He held the office of school director but never cared for official honors.  Both he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and highly respected by all who know them.

It was on the 1st of March, 1855, that Samuel Willson married Miss Lucinda Kimble, also a native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, born in 1830, and the eldest daughter of Jacob and Mary (McClaren) Kimble.  Her father was a native of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and her mother was also born in that state.  Her paternal grandfather, Peter Kimble, was born in New Jersey and was a soldier of the war of 1812.  Her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Margaret (Smith) McClaren, was a native of Ireland.  The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Willson were Peter K., Henry C. and Jennie.

During his boyhood Peter K. Willson attended a school near Farmingdale, nine miles west of Springfield, where the family made their home until he was sixteen years of age, when they came to DeWitt county, and here he continued his studies for some time, completing his education by a course in the Springfield Business College.  On putting aside his text-books he gave his undivided attention to the work of the home farm.  Previous to this time he had assisted his father in operating his farm in Sangamon county and on coming to DeWitt county the latter purchased one hundred and sixty acres and subsequently seventy acres more, besides a couple of tracts of timber land, one of thirty acres and another of forty acres.  In the development and improvement of these places Peter K. Willson always bore his part and on nearing his majority he purchased a ninety-acre farm and turned his attention to its cultivation and improvement.  Prospering in his farming operations, he has added to his property from time to time until he now owns nearly one thousand acres of very valuable and productive land in Harp township, all under a high state of cultivation.  In connection with general farming he has always given considerable attention to the raising of stock and now feeds about two hundred head of cattle, one hundred and fifty hogs and some sheep.  For the past twelve years he has also engaged in the grain business, having two elevators at Clinton and two at Birkbeck.

On the 6th of September, 1882, Mr. Willson was united in marriage to Miss Caroline P. Walker, a daughter of Judge Robert Walker, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to this state at an early day and became prominently identified with public affairs, serving as county judge of DeWitt county.  He was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1823, and was the son of John and Eliza (Skinner) Walker.  It was in the fall of 1849 that the Judge came to this state and after spending a short time in Lincoln county went to Sangamon county and in 1865 became a resident of DeWitt county.  He was married November 1, 1845, to Miss Sarah Fretz, whose birth occurred in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, January 29, 1826, her parents being John and Kate (Harvey) Fretz.  Of the eleven children born to the Judge and his wife, eight reached years of maturity, namely: Enoch, Lewis, Katie, Carrie, Charles, Jane, Anna and Loretta.

Mr. and Mrs. Willson have become the parents of eight children, as follows: Charles R., born June 26, 1883, married Laura Fox and is now a member of the banking firm of J. Warner & Company at Clinton; Harry K., born in September, 1885; May B., at home; Alice, born May 23, 1892; Clara, born in April, 1894; Mary, born in February, 1897; Ruth, born in January, 1899; and Nellie, born in January, 1901, are all at home with their parents.

In his religious faith Mr. Willson is a Methodist and in his social relations is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the T. P. A.  Since attaining his majority he has always affiliated with the republican party and has been called upon to serve as township clerk, supervisor and school director, filling the last named position for twenty-eight years.  He has never taken a very active part, however, in political affairs, as his time and attention are required in the supervision of his extensive business interests.  He is one of the most progressive and enterprising agriculturists of the community and is a man of known reliability who wins the confidence and high regard of those with whom he is brought in contact.

ASA WILSON.  (Volume II, Page 5)

An honorable retirement from labor has been vouchsafed to Asa Wilson, who having put aside business cares is now living in a pleasant home in Dewitt, surrounded by many comforts, which have come to him as the result of his former toil.  He was at one time a progressive and enterprising farmer and stock raiser of this county and still owns one hundred and thirty-five acres on section 34, Wilson township, and forty acres on section 18, DeWitt township, adjoining the village of that name.

He was born on a farm near Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, October 27, 1832, his parents being Thomas and Charlotte (Defenbaugh) Wilson, who brought their family to Illinois in the fall of 1835 and were among the earliest settlers of Wilson township, this county.  It was in honor of our subject’s grandfather that the township was named.  In the spring of 1836 he entered a tract of land in what is now Harp township and it was there that Asa Wilson grew to manhood, his educational privileges being rather limited, for the schools were few and widely scattered during his boyhood.  His father became a large landowner, having at one time about fourteen hundred acres in Wilson, Harp and Rutledge townships.  Hardly had the echoes from Fort Sumter’s guns died away when Asa Wilson entered the service, enlisting in April, 1861, in Company E, Twentieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Joliet on the 13th of June.  He served under General Grant at Fredericktown, Missouri, and also took part in the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Britton’s Lane and also the siege of Vicksburg.  He was at Huntsville, Alabama, when honorably discharged after three years' service.  At the battle of Raymond, during the siege of Vicksburg, he was wounded in the thumb but was only in the hospital two days during his entire service.

Mr. Wilson’s father had died in the fall of 1863 and three years later the property was divided, he receiving one hundred acres of the land, which he still owns on section 34, Wilson township.  He continued to carry on farming for some years but is now living retired in DeWitt.  On the 9th of March, 1865, in what was then the village of Marion but is now DeWitt, he was united in marriage to Miss Lavina Jones, who was born at that place, September 24, 1843, a daughter of Arthur and Nancy (Swisher) Jones, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Clark county, Ohio.  Her maternal grandparents were Jacob and Rachel (Curl) Swisher.  Mrs. Jones was quite young when her father died in Ohio at a comparatively early age, but her mother lived to the advanced age of ninety-four years and became the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Harp township, this county.  It was here that Mrs. Wilson’s parents were married.  Her father was of Scotch ancestry, while her mother’s people were of Dutch extraction.  Arthur Jones became the owner of about three hundred acres of land, a part of which he entered from the government, and still owned it when the railroad was built and a part of the village of DeWitt was laid out upon his property.  It was there that Mrs. Wilson was born and reared and having acquired a good practical education, she engaged in teaching in the Swisher schoolhouse in Harp township for one term.

Our subject and his wife have become the parents of four children, namely: Ira D., whose sketch appears on another page of this volume; Nancy, now the wife of Edward C. Turk, of Bloomington, Illinois; John C., who is married and lives in the village of DeWitt with his wife and one child, Robert; and Adda, who is the wife of John J. Moore, of Wilson township, and has one child.

On the organization of the republican party Mr. Wilson espoused its principles and cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont.  He has never been an office seeker but served as road commissioner for four years.  Both he and his wife are today active and prominent members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, in which he is serving as elder and clerk of sessions.  He has also been superintendent of the Sunday school and is a member of DeWitt Lodge, No. 161, A. F. & A. M.  Mrs. Wilson, however, was reared in the Methodist Protestant church but, as previously stated, has since joined the Cumberland Presbyterian church and takes a very active part in its work.  Our subject applied for a pension under the service law and it was granted, receiving six dollars, but it was later raised to eight, then to twelve, next to fifteen and now twenty dollars per month.  He has been found as true to his country’s interests in days of peace as in time of war and DeWitt county has no more honored or highly esteemed citizen than Asa Wilson.

IRA D. WILSON.  (Volume II, Page 198)

Since reaching man’s estate Ira D. Wilson has devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits and is not only engaged in general farming but is also giving considerable attention to the breeding of pure bred short-horn cattle and Percheron horses, his home being located on section 34, Wilson township.  A native of DeWitt county, he was born in Harp township on the 7th of April, 1866, and is a son of Asa and Lavina (Jones) Wilson.  His father was born in Ohio and in early life was brought by his parents, Thomas and Charlotte (McIlfish) Wilson, to this county, the family locating in Harp township about 1835.  He started out in life for himself in very limited circumstances, but he persevered in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and finally became the owner of a large and valuable farm, a part of which he entered from the government at one dollar and a quarter an acre.  He still has two hundred acres of fine farming land in this county and now makes his home in DeWitt.  His wife, who was born here, is still living.

Ira D. Wilson was a year and a half old when the family located on the farm where he now resides and upon this place he early became familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist.  In the local schools he received a good education and during his majority continued to assist his father in the labors of the home farm.  Since the age of twenty-one years he has carried on farming on his own account and has remained on the old homestead with the exception of five years spent in DeWitt prior to his marriage, his parents having removed to that city.  He has a well improved and highly cultivated farm, supplied with a good grade of stock, and for the past ten years he has been engaged in breeding both horses and cattle.  For two years he exhibited his stock at the fairs and carried off some of the best prizes.

Mr. Wilson was married in DeWitt on the 5th of January, 1888, to Miss Mary L. Harrold, whose birth occurred in Harp township, her parents being Oliver and Amanda J. (Williams) Harrold.  Like her husband, she received a good common-school education, and by her marriage she has become the mother of the following children: Cuba L., who is now the wife of Carl Cain, a resident of Ellis, South Dakota, and has one child, Melba; Harvey B., at home; Carrie, who died at the age of eight years; Oliver Asa, born April 22, 1895; Presley, born September 3, 1897; I. Harold, born April 28, 1904; Beryl, born April 6, 1907; and Mary Amanda, born May 31, 1909.

Mr. Wilson uses his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and has been called upon to serve as school director and trustee for many years.  He was also road commissioner three years, and in 1909 was elected assessor, while his wife has served as school director for three years.  He is a prominent member of Wapella Camp, Modern Woodmen of America, and is one of the representative citizens and farmers of his community.

SMITH WISEGARVER.  (Volume II, Page 190)

Prominent among the successful farmers and substantial citizens of DeWitt county is Smith Wisegarver, who owns and operates one thousand acres of very valuable and productive land, his home being on section 36, DeWitt township.  He was born on the farm where he now resides June 20, 1868, his parents being George W. and Mary E. (Slick) Wisegarver.  The birth of the father occurred in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1822, and he was a son of Moses and Eve (Crisman) Wisegarver.  In the state of his nativity he grew to manhood and from there removed to Marion county, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Slick, she being a native of that county.  In the fall of 1853 he brought his family to Illinois, first locating on section 31, Goose Creek township, Piatt county, where he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land and bought another tract of similar size, so that he owned a half section.  Later he became the owner of property in DeWitt township, DeWitt county, and upon the latter place he erected a brick residence in 1878, the brick being made on the Jacob Swigart farm.  He subsequently removed to Farmer City, where he spent the last four years of his life, dying in November, 1903, honored and respected by all who knew him.  His wife passed away in 1905.  He was not only an industrious, hard-working man, but possessed good business and executive ability and his efforts were crowned with success.  He became the owner of about thirteen hundred acres of land in Dewitt and Piatt counties, all of which was prairie, there being one thousand acres in his home farm, upon which place our subject now resides.  The father was reared a Pennsylvania democrat but became an Illinois republican and always took a commendable interest in public affairs but never cared for official honors.  He was a member of the Masonic fraternity at Farmer City and was a man held in high esteem by all who knew him.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. George Wisegarver were born eleven children, namely: Emma and Byron, both of whom died in childhood; Abbie, who married Daniel Hurst and died in Piatt county, leaving four children; Eva L., who is now the wife of S. J. Gillespie of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and has two children; Thomas G., a resident of DeLand, who married Hattie Campbell and has one child; George F., a resident of Tuscola, Illinois, who married Anna Gehrig and has one child; Minnie, who is the wife of C. O. Gillespie of Piatt county, Illinois, and has two children; Smith, of this review; Edwin, who married Edith Patterson and died in Piatt county, leaving one child; Nettie, who is the wife of Ray Mead of Rockford, Illinois, and has two children; and Grace, who is the wife of Dr. Clarence Chapin of Weldon and has two children.

Reared on the home farm Smith Wisegarver early became familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist and as soon as large enough began to help his father with the work of the farm.  He pursued his education in the public schools and at the age of twenty-one years began operating land which he rented of his father while living at home.  He started out with a tract of eighty acres.  On the death of his father he inherited one hundred and forty acres but paid one thousand dollars for the improvements upon it.  At the age of twenty-one he purchased a forty acre tract, for which he paid fifty-four dollars per acre, borrowing the money of John Warner.  His next forty acre tract cost sixty-nine dollars per acre and he subsequently bought two hundred acres for seventy-one dollars and twenty-five cents per acre, and forty acres for seventy-five dollars per acre.  He has kept adding to his property from time to time until he now has one thousand acres or more of the finest farm property in this section of the state.  This includes the two hundred acres known as the home place, now worth two hundred dollars per acre, while three hundred and sixty acres cost one hundred and twenty-eight dollars per acre; forty acres, one hundred and seventy-five dollars per acre; and eighty acres, two hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre.  In connection with general farming he has paid considerable attention to the raising and feeding of cattle and hogs and has found this business quite profitable.  He has met with remarkable success in his business undertakings and is today one of the wealthiest men of his community.

In Goose Creek township, Piatt county, Illinois, December 16, 1891, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Wisegarver to Miss Nona Campbell, a native of Santa Anna township, DeWitt county, and a daughter of Elijah and Sarah (Carter) Campbell.  She was born and reared in this section of the state and received a good common-school education.  Mr. and Mrs. Wisegarver have become the parents of six children, namely: Warner Wayne; Carter Campbell; Elizabeth Pauline; George Elijah McKinley; Cleo Fern; and Stanley Smith.

Since attaining his majority Mr. Wisegarver has affiliated with the republican party and has been called upon to serve as supervisor of DeWitt township, though he has never sought office.  Both he and his wife and four of their children are members of the Christian church at De Land and Mrs. Wisegarver is a teacher in the Sunday school.  Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias at De Land and the Modern Woodmen of America.  Upright and honorable in all his dealings, he has made for himself an honored name in business circles and the prosperity that has come to him is well merited.

PHILIP WOLFE.  (Volume II, Page 212)

Philip Wolfe, who has made his home within the borders of DeWitt county for sixty-four years, is now living practically retired but was long prominently and successfully identified with business interests here.  His birth occurred in Logan county, Ohio, on the 14th of June, 1833, his parents being John B. and Rebecca (Stout) Wolfe, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively.  John Wolfe, the paternal grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania and came of German descent.  He followed farming throughout his active business career and passed away in Ohio, at an advanced age.  His wife, who also lived to a ripe old age, died in Peoria, Illinois.  They were the parents of two children: John B.; and Mrs. Rosebroke, who lives near Bellefontaine, Ohio.  Philip Stout, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was born in Ohio and came of Scotch descent.  He likewise followed farming as a means of livelihood and lived to attain a venerable age.

John B. Wolfe, the father of Philip Wolfe, was a cabinet maker by trade and came to Illinois in 1837, locating near Greenville, Bond county.  In 1845 he removed to Lee county, Iowa, and in the spring of 1846 came to DeWitt county, Illinois, settling near the present site of Kenney.  There he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres and reared his family.  After disposing of the property in 1853 he took up his abode in Clinton and for a number of years was successfully engaged in the grocery business.  His demise here occurred in 1868 when he had attained the age of sixty-four years, while his wife survived him until 1898, when she, too, passed away.  The latter was eighty-three years old at the time of her death.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe were devoted members of the Methodist church and their Christian faith permeated their entire lives.  Unto them were born nine children, three sons and six daughters, as follows: Lydia; Druzilla, who died in infancy; Margaret, who was the wife of Zebulon R. Humphrey and who was killed by a railroad train in Chicago; Joseph R., living in Oakland, California; John B., Jr., who is a resident of Louisville, Kentucky; Elizabeth, the widow of William F. Humphrey, of Clinton, Illinois; Philip, of this review; Mary, the wife of George S. Taylor, of Pana, Illinois; and Catharine, the widow of George Brown, of Clinton, Illinois.

Philip Wolfe, who was a youth of thirteen when he came to this county with his parents, pursued his education in the district schools and remained under the parental roof until he was married at the age of twenty-two years.  At that time he loaned his cash capital of one hundred dollars but it was never returned to him.  For a number of years he worked as a farm hand, breaking prairie, etc., and in 1865 embarked in the dry goods business at Pana.  A short time afterward he opened a drug establishment in El Paso but soon abandoned the enterprise and returned to Clinton.  Subsequently he spent two years as a traveling salesman in the employ of an implement house of this city and in February, 1868, bought out the concern.  In 1870 he admitted A. D. McHenry to a partnership and they conducted the business successfully until 1876, when they traded their hardware establishment for a farm.  In 1877 they purchased and consolidated all the furniture and undertaking stores in Clinton but five years later sold out and bought another hardware store.  In 1883 Mr. Wolfe sold his share of the stock to I. N. Bailor, who still conducts the business.  Messrs. Wolfe and McHenry have been partners for more than forty years and they yet own the building in which the hardware business is conducted.  They have divided their land, however, and Mr. Wolfe has put aside all business duties save the supervision of his property interests.  He owns a highly improved farm of two hundred and forty acres in Harp township and some city property in Clinton.

On the 17th of June, 1854, Mr. Wolfe was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Bell, a native of Hancock county, Ohio, and a daughter of Henry and Rebecca (Ewing) Bell, who were likewise born in that state.  They came to DeWitt county in 1853 and here spent the remainder of their lives.  Their children were four in number, namely: Mary, Sarah, Mattie and Alma. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe were born three children: Lura, who wedded E. A. Hamilton, resides in Louisville, Kentucky, and has a daughter, Edna; Anna, who is the wife of Reber Huston and makes her home in Monticello, Illinois; and Bell, who lives in Clinton with her husband, John F. DeLand.  The wife and mother died in 1902, when sixty-seven years of age, passing away in the faith of the Methodist church.

For many years Mr. Wolfe has supported the men and measures of the republican party and for several terms he served as alderman from the second ward.  In religious faith he is a Methodist.  In 1863 he joined DeWitt Lodge, No. 84, A. F. & A. M., and he also belongs to Goodbrake Chapter, No. 59, R. A. M.  He has now passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life’s journey and his fellow townsmen know that his career has been characterized by fidelity to duty and by honor in all his relations with his fellowmen.

DOUGLAS A. YEAKEL.  (Volume II, Page 285)

Brooking no obstacles that could be overcome by persistent and honorable effort, Douglas A. Yeakel has gradually worked his way upward and is today well known in the business circles of DeWitt county as a manufacturer of brick.  He was born in McLean county, Illinois, December 14, 1859, and in the paternal line comes of German ancestry.  The progenitor of the family in America was Michael Yeakel, the great-grandfather, who emigrated to the new world in 1736, locating first in Hagerstown, Maryland.  Later he removed to Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it was in the latter city that his son Christian, the grandfather of our subject, was born.  The latter wedded Miss Susan Ann Rodefer, of Virginia, and of their family of five sons and three daughters, Levi Yeakel, the father of our subject, was the youngest.

Levi Yeakel was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, May 4, 1818.  In early life he learned the tailor’s trade, and possessing much musical talent, also engaged in teaching vocal music, following that profession in connection with work at his trade in the south until 1854.  In that year he removed with his family to McLean county, Illinois, and, purchasing eighty acres of land, engaged in farming for many years.  It was during his residence in Harrisonburg that he was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Whistler, a daughter of John Whistler, of that city.  Unto Mr. and Mrs. Levi Yeakel were born five sons. James C., the eldest, who was born October 4, 1854, resides in Waynesville.  A. H., born March 12, 1857, was married in 1882 and also resides in Waynesville with his wife and their son and daughter.  Douglas A., of this review, is the next in order of birth.  Thomas Henry, who is mentioned below, is the fourth in order of birth.  Samuel O., the youngest, who was born September 24, 1864, was married in November, 1903, and has two sons and one daughter.  In his later years Levi Yeakel abandoned farming and made his home in Waynesville, where his death occurred November 14, 1890, when he was seventy-two years of age.  He was survived by his wife until May, 1908, when she, too, was called to the home beyond, having lived to a ripe old age.  Their long residence in DeWitt county had made them well and favorably known and they were numbered among the worthy citizens of this section of the state.

Douglas A. Yeakel acquired his education in the public schools and after putting aside his text-books engaged in clerking in a store for four years, after which he was engaged in various ways until 1888.  In that year in partnership with his brother Thomas H. Yeakel, he embarked in the manufacture of brick in Waynesville and they are conducting a successful enterprise, valued at six thousand dollars.  The plant is located on the line of the Vandalia Railroad in Waynesville, which affords good shipping facilities, their product being shipped to many points.  For more than twenty-two years Douglas A. Yeakel has been identified with this business and during the entire period has maintained an unassailable reputation for integrity and straightforward dealing.  In addition to owning a half interest in the brick plant, he likewise owns a fine residence and five acres of land in Waynesville and also thirteen and a half acres located just outside the corporation limits of the village.

Mr, Yeakel was married on the 17th of October, 1889, the lady of his choice being Miss Ella Armstrong, a daughter of John and Alvina (Marvel) Armstrong, of Illinois.  To them have been born two sons, but the eldest died at birth, the surviving son being Kirby A., whose birth occurred March 12, 1893, in Waynesville.  He is a graduate of the Waynesville Academy.

Mr. Yeakel supported the men and measures of democracy until William McKinley became a candidate for the presidency in 1896 and from that time to the present he has voted the republican ticket.  He has been a member of the village board for the past eight years.  In 1885 he united with the Methodist church at Waynesville and has since been one of its most active and faithful workers.  He is now treasurer of the church and is also assistant superintendent of the Sunday school.  A man of firm purpose and enterprising spirit he has raised himself from a humble position to one of prominence in industrial circles and has the friendship of many and the respect of all who know him.

THOMAS HENRY YEAKEL.  (Volume II, Page 286)

Thomas Henry Yeakel was born March 14, 1862, and like his brother, was reared to the occupation of farming, acquiring his education in the public schools.  Upon the completion of his studies he started out to make his own way in the world and for a few years was employed in various ways.  In 1888 he formed a partnership with his brother Douglas and they began the manufacture of brick, which has been his business connection to the present time.

On the 1st of September, 1889, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Yeakel and Miss Margaret Spencer, of Waynesville.  They have two daughters and one son: Velma, who was born in August, 1890, and is now the wife of Harry Rigdon, of Peoria, Illinois; Eileen, who was born in May, 1892, and is now the wife of Joseph Shaffer, a resident of Waynesville township; and Walter O., whose birth occurred in March, 1902, and who is still with his parents.  The family occupy a nice home in western part of the city, which Mr. Yeakel owns.  Like his brother, he possesses good business ability and has never been known to take advantage of another in any business transaction, fully meriting the esteem in which he is uniformly held.

Submitted by Mike Malerich

WALTER S. YOUNG.  (Volume II, Page 202)

Possessing a character that makes him strong, forceful and aggressive, Wa1ter S. Young has raised himself to a position of prominence among the business men of Farmer City, where for the past thirty-one years he has been identified with the insurance and real-estate interests.  His entire life has been passed in this city, for he was born here on the 6th of November, 1853, and in the paternal line comes of Scotch ancestry.  He is a son of William and Mary A. (Bowser) Young, the former a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, born in 1822, while the mother was born in Ohio in 1832, of German parentage.  The father of William Young was a carpenter by trade and spent his entire life in Scotland, where he died at the age of fifty-six years.  His wife departed this life at the age of fifty-four.

Although William Young was born in Edinburgh, he was reared in Liverpool, England, and served in the English army.  In 1848 he crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, the journey requiring six weeks.  He at once made his way into the interior of the country, choosing as his location Farmer City, then Mount Pleasant, Illinois.  For several years after his arrival in this place he engaged in clerking in a general store, after which he engaged in business on his own account along the same line until a short time prior to his death, when he turned his interests over to his son.  It was but a few years after his arrival in Illinois that he was married to Miss Mary A. Bowser, who, as above stated, was born in the Buckeye state, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bowser, who were numbered among the early settlers of that state.  They later removed to Oquawka, Illinois, and subsequently to Iowa and Missouri, where they spent their last years.  They reared a large family of children and lived to advanced years, the father passing away at the age of eighty-one, while the mother lived until 1893 and departed this life at the ripe old age of eighty-five.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. William Young were born three sons and one daughter, who reached years of maturity: Walter S., of this review; Robert B., a resident of Clinton, Illinois; Zelba, of Farmer City; and Thomas, residing in Wellington, Kansas.  The father died in June, 1893, at the age of seventy-one, in the faith of the Methodist church, to which his widow still belongs.  She resides in Farmer City and has reached the age of seventy-eight years.

Walter S. Young, the immediate subject of this review, was reared in Farmer City and attended the public schools of this place.  During the period of his youth when not engaged with his studies he clerked in his father’s store and upon reaching mature years engaged in the fire and life insurance business.  During his thirty-one years’ connection therewith he has written numerous policies, and, looking after every detail, he has attained success.  He is also engaged in the real-estate business, having negotiated many important realty transfers.  He has made a close study of both branches of his business and today finds a place among the leading and prosperous citizens of Farmer City.

On the i8th of November, 1877, Mr. Young was united in marriage to Miss Sarah M. Hurley, a daughter of John and Margaret (Johnson) Hurley, and a native of Santa Anna township.  The father, who was a native of Ohio, was a son of Dennis Hurley, who became one of the early settlers of De Witt county and followed farming as a life work.  He wedded Miss Sarah Johnson, a native of Tennessee, where her parents lived and died, the father being engaged in agricultural pursuits.  Unto Mr. and Mrs. John Hurley were born eight daughters: Mary, the wife of Baltz Moister; Hester A., the wife of a Mr. Freeman; Sarah, now Mrs.Young; Margaret Jane, the wife of John T. Savage; Martha, the wife of Andrew Johnson; Elnora, the wife of Daniel Rogerson; Lydia L., the wife of Perry Kendall; and Lulu, the wife of Samuel Campbell.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Young has been blessed with four daughters and one son.  Mabel Z., the eldest, was for five years engaged in teaching in the schools of Farmer City but is now a teacher in the public schools at Champaign, Illinois.  Zelpha B. taught school in Farmer City too and is now a teacher in the public schools of Mattoon.  Jane Marie is the wife of Carl Nichols and the mother of two children, Harmon W. and Audley, the family residing in Missouri Valley, Iowa.  Atha A. is teaching music in Marinette, Wisconsin.  Wallace S., at home, is a graduate of the Farmer City high school of the class of 1910, his sisters having likewise graduated from the same school.

Mr. Young favors the principles of democracy although he does not always vote the democratic ticket.  For twelve years he served as city clerk, while for a similar period he has filled the office of township clerk.  He is not in the sense of office seeking a man in public life, yet he has nevertheless exerted immeasurable influence in the city of his residence; in business life as a financier and promoter of commercial enterprises; in politics by reason of his public spirit and devotion to the general good as well as his comprehensive understanding of many of the questions affecting state and national welfare.  The people of Farmer City look upon him as an exemplary man and are proud to call him their own.

Submitted by Mike Malerich

CHARLES K. ZORGER.  (Volume II, Page 80)

Charles K. Zorger is one of the large landowners of DeWitt county and for many years was actively associated with general agricultural pursuits until success made it possible for him to put aside further business care other than the management of his invested interests.  He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished and has justly earned the proud American title of a self-made man.  He was born in York county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1831, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Kiester) Zorger, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania.  The paternal grandfather was a Pennsylvania farmer and died in that state.  The maternal grandparents were Washington and Margaret Kiester, the former of German descent.  They reared a very large family and the mother lived to an advanced age.  Their children were Jacob, Michael, Adam, David, Samuel, Henry, Elizabeth, Christina and a daughter whose name is not remembered.

John Zorger was a farmer by occupation and also conducted a distillery in York county, Pennsylvania, where he died when more than forty years of age.  He was twice married and all of the children of his first marriage are now deceased.  For his second wife he chose Elizabeth Kiester.  She, too, had been married previously and had children by that union, but all have passed away.  His second wife survived him for many years, living to the age of eighty-seven.  She was a Universalist in religious faith while Mr. Zorger held membership in the Lutheran church.  Their marriage was blessed with five children, of whom three are now living: Michael, a resident of Columbia City, Indiana; Jacob, whose home is in Clinton; and Charles K.

The last named was raised upon a farm in his native county to the age of seventeen years, but provided for his own support from the age of ten years.  His educational opportunities were limited to only a few months attendance at the country schools.  On attaining his majority he went to Ohio, living in Wayne county for two years.  In 1852 he married Miss Rachel Strominger, a daughter of Jacob and Rachel (Hart) Strominger, and in 1854 he and his wife came to Illinois, settling in Clinton.  In this city he began work at the plasterer’s trade, which he followed successfully until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when in response to the country’s need he enlisted as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for nearly three years.  He participated in the siege of Knoxville and in the Georgia campaign.  With his regiment he was first under command of General Burnsides, while later the regiment was attached to the command of General Foster and afterward to that of General Schofield.  He took part in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, and was at the battle of Nashville when Hood’s army was destroyed.  He also participated in a number of other important engagements of the war, after which his corps was sent east to Washington and thence to Fort Fisher by boat, going around Cape Hatteras.  From that point they arched through North Carolina, had a fight at Kingston and formed a junction again with Sherman’s army at Goldsboro.  From that point they marched northward to Raleigh and at Salisbury were mustered out.  Mr. Zorger continued with his regiment to Camp Butler, where they disbanded on the 4th of July.  He had entered the army as a private and came out with the rank of first lieutenant.  In addition to the movements already mentioned he was in the battle of Rocky Face Creek and Resaca.  At the last named about a third of his forces was destroyed by reason of the orders of an intoxicated commander.  He did hard fighting all through the Atlanta campaign, taking part in some of the most hotly contested engagements of the war.

The war over, Mr. Zorger returned home with a most creditable military record and again began working at the plasterer’s trade, which he followed for two years.  He afterward turned his attention to farming in Texas township and is still the owner of two hundred and thirty-two acres in that township, his place being a finely improved tract of land.  Year by year he carefully tilled the soil, his richly cultivated fields bringing to him a substantial income.  He lived upon that place until 1888, when he rented the farm and returned to Clinton.  The following year he erected a good residence at No. 815 North Center street, where he still makes his home.  In addition to his home property and his farm in Texas township he also has three hundred and twenty-eight acres in Harp township, one hundred and fifty-one acres in DeWitt township and two hundred and eighty-four acres in Clintonia township, making a total of almost one thousand acres.

By his first marriage Mr. Zorger had five children, but only two are now living, Lincoln and Ella.  The latter is at home and the former is an engineer, living at Springfield, Illinois.  For his second wife Mr. Zorger chose Mrs. Martha Cross, nee Wilmore.  Following her death he wedded Miss Huldah Johnson, a daughter of Eason Johnson.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Zorger are members of the Universalist church and he belongs to Frank Lowry Post, G. A. R., and is the oldest living member of Olive Lodge of Odd Fellows.  Politically he has always been a republican, unfaltering in his support of the party, which was the defense of the Union in the dark days of the Civil war and has always been the party of reform and of progress.  He is numbered among the prominent citizens of DeWitt county and among its self-made men, his business record being a most creditable one, for it proves what can be accomplished by determination and energy.  He started out for himself when a little lad of ten years and the burdens of life rested heavily upon his shoulders, but he diligently set himself to the accomplishment of every task assigned him and gradually he worked his way upward until he is now one of the most successful men of DeWitt county, having placed his money in the safest of all investments-real estate.