USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, volume II > Part 1
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GC 977.301 M24n v.2 1198438
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
u
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00839 7470
CITY OF Decatur and Macon County ,
ILLINOIS
A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement
HON. WILLIAM E. NELSON Editor
"Local history is the ultimate substance of national history."-Wilson
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO THE PIONEER PUBLISHING COMPANY
1910
1198138
2
A Millikin
BIOGRAPHICAL
JAMES MILLIKIN.
Plain and unpretentious in manner, James Millikin's breadth of vision and loftiness of ideals gave him a foremost place in Decatur's citizenship. This was not alone by reason of his success which, however, was notable, but also by reason of a humanity which found its expression in its helpfulness toward those who deserved assistance and his benefactions as manifest in liberal con- tributions to church, charity and education. The Millikin National Bank is a monument to his business enterprise; the Millikin University a monument to his public spirit. If there could be gathered in one assemblage the men who owe their present success to the timely assistance of Mr. Millikin, the number would be astonishingly large. His aid was not only of a material char- acter, but also at times constituted the needed word of advice or counsel that was the outcome of his own clear judgment and broad experience.
Mr. Millikin was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, August 2, 1827. He was always loath to give an account of himself, and thus are lacking many points which would prove of interest in his life history. His youthful days were spent in his father's home, his environment being that of the farm and the district school in which he acquired his early education. A desire for broader learning, however, prompted him to eagerly take advantage of the op- portunity for attending Washington College, of Pennsylvania, where he con- tinued his studies for three years. Many members of the Millikin family were representatives of the medical fraternity, and it was hoped and believed by his family that James Millikin might determine upon the medical profession as a life work, but his views did not coincide with the family wish, as he believed that his talents lay in other directions. To the west with its limitless opportunities he turned his attention. He realized the fact that the broad and rich Mississippi valley must eventually become thickly populated as the tide of emigration was steadily flowing in that direction. To Illinois he therefore made his way in 1848, and choosing Danville, Vermilion county, as his place of location, turned his attention to the livestock business, raising, purchasing and trading in stock of all kinds. He also rented farms upon which he pas- tured and fed his stock, and in control of his business interests showed keen
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
discernment, excellent executive ability and unfaltering enterprise. There early came to him a realization of the fact that earwest labor, intelligently directed, constitutes the safest foundation upon which to build success, and through- out his entire life he remained a busy man. Even in his later years when lib- eral success crowned his efforts, he had no idle hours, for when business did not claim his attention, reading and travel were entered into with the same zest that he gave to commercial and financial problems.
Very early in his business career Mr. Millikin came to recognize oppor- tunities that others passed heedlessly by. He saw that land must naturally rise rapidly in value as the state became thickly settled, and anticipating this increase in property valuation, he made extensive and judicious investments in Illinois and southwestern Iowa, securing much of his land for a dollar or a dollar and a quarter per acre. He was the original owner of the tract upon which the town of Bement, Illinois, now stands, and by purchase there came into his possession many acres of broad prairie upon which no improvements had been made, but which in due course of time commanded a high market price.
Decatur, too, showed the usual signs of growth and development, and in fact seemed imbued with a spirit of enterprise and progress that promised well for the future. Accordingly Mr. Millikin turned his attention to this city, of which he became a resident in 1856, remaining here until his death, which oc- curred fifty-three years later. He did not change his occupation with his resi- dence, however, but continued to deal in lands, city real estate and livestock, thus becoming recognized as one of the prosperous and enterprising men of Decatur.
It has been said that Mr. Millikin reached Decatur with seventy-five thou- sand dollars which he had made in the previous six years. This was a for- tune for those days, and when some of the citizens learned the sum of his capital they approached him with the proposition that he should engage in banking here. At or shortly before that time the banking business in Decatur was not flourishing. Financial institutions had been established, but had failed. This mark of confidence in Mr. Millikin was appreciated by him, and although he knew nothing from practical experience about the banking business, by that time he had become cognizant of his own capacities and powers in the business world, and he believed that he could master the intricacies of banking as other men had done. In 1860, therefore, the Millikin Bank, then a private institu- tion, opened its doors for business. Its office was in the old Railroad Bank building on Merchant street, and over the door was the sign, "James Millikin, Banker." The Railroad Bank had failed a short time before, and Decatur's thirty-eight hundred people had had their confidence in banking institutions somewhat shaken. Mr. Millikin's efforts, however, were followed with a meas- ure of success that encouraged him to continue in the business. In 1863 he admitted J. Q. A. Odor to a partnership under the style of Millikin & Odor, but this relation was soon dissolved. His next partner, admitted in 1865, was Jerome R. Gorin, at which time the firm style of J. Millikin & Company was assumed. The two gentlemen remained as sole proprietors until 1881, when Mr. Gorin withdrew, the bank, however, continuing under the style of J. Milli-
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
kin & Company until 1897, when it was incorporated and became the Millikin National Bank. Mr. Gorin, however, was succeeded by his son Orville B. Gorin, who had been with the bank from 1865, and later Milton Johnson be- came a partner, but sold his interests to Parke Hammer in January, 1892. Four years later Mr. Hammer died, and soon afterward J. M. Brownback acquired an interest. These were all the partners Mr. Millikin had up to 1897, when the bank of J. Millikin & Company passed out of existence, and incorporated the Millikin National Bank.
While the name of the bank remained so long unchanged, its home has un- dergone many chances, both in location and dimension. The increasing busi- ness necessitated larger quarters, and the spirit of enterprise which has ever been characteristic of the institution, demanded a more modern equipment for the conduct of the business. The first removal was made in 1864 to the north side of East Main street, and in 1880 greatly improved offices were secured at the corner of East Main and Water streets. The tearing down of the old building and the erection of the new Millikin Bank block necessitated a re- moval in 1894 to temporary quarters, and on the 12th of February, 1910, the present building was occupied. With regard to size, convenience, impregna- bility of money vaults and safety deposit vaults, the bank is unequalled by any in Illinois outside of Chicago. The years between 1865 and 1881, on which latter date Jerome R. Gorin withdrew, constitute a period within which the bank's solid and lasting foundations were laid and during which it passed through its most trying vicissitudes. It was founded on such a safe, conserva- tive policy, however, that it stood up under even the great financial stress of 1873. This was largely due to the faith and confidence which the public re- posed in its owners. The growth of the business is indicated by the fact that while it was "next to nothing in 1860, in 1910 its business totaled five million dollars." This has been the result of steady growth and the wise business management and keen discernment of Mr. Millikin and his partners. In a contemporary publication appeared the following: "The dominating character- istics of James Millikin were honesty, intelligence, industry and prudence, with broad benevolence underlying all. And it is a mistaken idea, if such a notion exists, that his benevolence was almost wholly general and seldom shown in individual cases. But, while we know that in his personal capacity he helped numerous persons to whom he could not lend the bank's funds, it is as a banker we wish now to consider him. From the first to last he rang clear and true in answer to the prime question every careful would-be depositor silently asks in his heart of a banker: Is he honest? There was never a doubt of this at any time in his career. The next questions: Has he the requisite business sagacity? The necessary prudence and conservativeness? The sound, true judgment of men and affairs that a banker must have to succeed? were all answered, year after year, with increasing emphasis in the affirmative. Not in a day, nor a year, nor a decade, did he build to the top his reputation as a banker, but in a half century. And at no time in all these years did he lose the confidence of those who entrusted their money to his care. Mr. Millikin's personal investments in nearly every instance were remunerative. And the in- vestments and loans of the bank as a rule were wisely and safely placed."
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
One of Mr. Millikin's forces of success as a banker was his keen under- standing of men. He was seldom if ever at fault in judging an individual. Long after he had become one of the most successful bankers of Illinois he said that frequently he loaned men five times as much as they were worth be- cause he believed in their ability to successfully control the business in which they were engaged. It was ever true of the record made by his bank that it never refused to pay on demand to any man who had a deposit there, and when, in the latter part of 1907, banks in all parts of the country were suspend- ing active payment and giving clearing house certificates or other paper forms that were not exactly money, Mr. Millikin determined not to break the record which he had made in always giving cash on demand, and going into the mar- ket bought currency for which he paid a handsome premium. As it turned out, he did not need the money, but he was ready if he had been asked for it, and thus was qualified to maintain the clear record of the bank untarnished.
The building up of an institution of the character of the Millikin Bank would alone entitle its promoter to the definite consideration and high honor of his fellowmen. This was not all Mr. Millikin did, however, for Decatur. He financed many business projects which have been of material benefit to the city. He stood behind the Union Iron Works until it had passed the critical stage in its existence, securing the services of good men, and did much to make the enterprise one of the most successful manufacturing concerns of the city. Many other valuable industries were well started and prosperously conducted owing to his material assistance and wise counsel, and his well formulated plans. Many who received assistance from Mr. Millikin became strong men in the growth of the city, and the enterprises that employed their energies made the town. His own business career was not always one of continuous prog- ress. In the earlier years it was one of continuous, arduous effort. He was forced to exercise the most watchful care to make the business successful, but always he held to the ideals which he set up for himself and never did he abandon a plan which his judgment sanctioned as the wisest course to follow.
A side light is thrown upon his personal character in the statement of one who knew him well: "Mr. Millikin became the richest man in Macon county, yet with most of us the first thought of the man, even after knowing him for years, was not that of a money-maker. He, of course, had to give much time to money-making, and yet he had much time to spare for something else. Those who met him in a social way were never bored by him by discussions on the art of acquiring wealth. He had something else to talk about and he talked well. Even at the bank, if you called to see him about a matter outside of the business of the house, he would sit down and talk for an hour and a half about anything and everything that had no possible connection with banking or money-making. He was indeed a most interesting companion."
Others have characterized Mr. Millikin as "the greatest benefactor Decatur ever had." He gave more than a half million dollars during his lifetime to benefactions. His gifts to Millikin University approximate four hundred and forty thousand dollars, and the Anna B. Millikin home received property and cash aggregating forty thousand dollars, while the Young Men's Christian As-
THE JAMES MILLIKIN RESIDENCE, IN "MILLIKIN PLACE," ON NORTH PINE STREET AT WEST MAIN
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
sociation, the Young Women's Christian Association, and different churches were the recipients of large sums. His plan for a university took definite form when, on the 13th of May, 1900, he made a formal offer to Dr. W. J. Darby, secretary of the Educational Society of the Cumberland Presbyterian church in Decatur, and Rev. A. W. Hawkins, pastor of the Cumberland Pres- byterian church, to found an institution of learning in Decatur under the aus- pices of this denomination. It was while attending Jefferson College that he recognized the lack of facilities for higher education for the masses of young people, and resolved that some day, if he prospered, he would make provision to meet the need. It was in this way that he explained to President Roosevelt on the day of the dedication of the university the founding of the institution. He offered to donate Oakland Park as a site for the college and pay the sum of two hundred thousand dollars in cash provided the synods of Illinois, In- diana and Iowa of the Cumberland Presbyterian church would raise one hun- dred thousand and Decatur a similar amount for its support. On the Ist of January, 1901, he was notified that his conditions had been met. The work was vigorously prosecuted, and on the Ist of July, 1901, Dr. A. R. Taylor, for- merly of Kansas State Normal School, was installed president of the institu- tion. The buildings were dedicated June 4, 1903, with imposing ceremonies, the dedicatory address being delivered by President Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Millikin was ever a most plain and unassuming man, who disliked notoriety, and even on the occasion of the laying of the corner stone of the main part of the university buildings, he refused to appear upon the platform, and after mingling quietly with the crowd for a few moments, he slipped away as quietly as he had come. The university, however, was the embodiment of a plan which he had long held and cherished, and he was greatly pleased over the surprising development of the school, not only in the structure of the buildings, but also in the equipment and exhibits of the technical and scientific departments. "In giving this institution of learning to the people James Millikin revealed the depth and breadth of his underlying benevolence. The university is a striking concrete proof of his spirit of philanthropy-philanthropy that partakes both of the individual and of the general."
Mr. Millikin married Miss Anna B. Aston, a daughter of Rev. S. M. Aston, and their first home was the property at William and Edward streets, now known as the Bohon place. In 1862 the property at Pine and Main streets was pur- chased and the home, with the improvements that have been added, make it one of the finest residences of central Illinois. Mr. Millikin passed away on the 2d of March, 1909, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. The Decatur Herald, in commenting upon him, said: "James Millikin possessed the breadth of vision that raised him above the men whose only claim to distinction is mere wealth. After he had acquired wealth, he looked about for ways in which to spend it. He saw much of his own country, and while foreign lands, which draw to their shores so many Americans, had little fascination for him, he kept his eyes open, and even in his declining years became a student of educa- tional matters."
In the perspective of the years the work of James Millikin will grow larger rather than smaller. It is a well known fact that the people of mediocre ability
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
are forgotten while those who are of real importance to the community come to their real place as factors in the upbuilding of the city. The life record of James Millikin, faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputa- tion, is indeed a most creditable chapter in the history of Decatur.
JAMES WILLIAM CARTER.
James William Carter, general manager of the Decatur Coal Company and prominently identified with the political and social life of the city, was born at Sullivan, Moultrie county, Illinois, June 5, 1861. He is a son of Charles A. and Polly Ann (Waggoner) Carter, who were both natives of Illinois. The parents came to Decatur in 1863, where the father engaged for a number of years in the hardware business. In 1890 he moved to Fresno, California, and /remained there until his death, which occurred December 4, 1907. The mother and one daughter, Mrs. Nellie M. Severns, are still living at Fresno.
The subject of this review received his education in the public schools of Decatur and after laying his books aside became clerk in a hardware store, continuing for about a year, then engaging as clerk and bookkeeper for Over- meyer & Kaufman, dealers in real estate. He next took charge of the Peter Loeb Foundry Company and then was with the Union Iron Works, but after three years with the latter firm returned to the foundry company, with which he remained for nine months. We next find him for about a year in Chicago with George D. Haworth, manufacturer of corn planters. However, our subject was again attracted to his old home and he accepted a position with B. Z. Taylor in the oil mill business, but after sixteen months resigned and in 1885 became identified as bookkeeper with the Decatur Coal Company. In this business he showed special aptitude and after an experience of eight years he purchased stock in the company and was made vice president, later being elected secretary and treasurer and then general manager, which position he now holds, as- sisting in an important degree in developing the business of the company.
For many years Mr. Carter has been actively interested in political affairs. In 1895 he was elected alderman of the seventh ward and served for one term, filling the chairmanship of the water and light committee and discharging his duties with a fidelity that met the approval of citizens of all political parties. In 1904 he was appointed a member of the board of fire commissioners by Mayor George W. Lehman and served in that position for two years. His ability was further recognized in 1907, when he was elected city treasurer for a term of two years, and in that responsible position he made many new friends as a safe guardian of the city's finances and a public official with whom it was a pleasure to transact business.
On June 28, 1882, Mr. Carter was united in marriage to Miss Idora J. Patterson, of Decatur. Three children have blessed the union: Ralph M., now a practicing physician of Green Bay, Wisconsin; Alma Lois; and Neil T., who died June 23, 1896, at two and one-half years of age.
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
Mr. Carter is actively identified with fraternal organizations and has been a member of Chevalier Bayard Lodge, No. 189, Knights of Pythias, since January 15, 1889. He has filled all the chairs in this lodge and was chairman of the local committee that secured the Pythian Home for Decatur. He is also a member of the state board that has charge of this home, which is one of the beneficent state institutions in which all Pythians of the city are inter- ested. He is a leading member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Macon Lodge, No. 8, and Beaumonoir Commandery, No. 9, and is past commander of the latter organization. He also holds membership in the Modern Woodmen of America and is a deacon of the First Baptist church of this city. A man of exceptional social qualities, Mr. Carter has many warm personal friends and he is recognized as a strong factor in political, religious and fraternal circles of the city. Whatever his hand or brain finds to do he does excellently, and few men in central Illinois have ever gained a higher position in the estimation of the people than the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this review.
WILLIAM EDWARD NELSON. BY A. G. WEBBER.
This "History of Decatur and Macon County," without a biographical sketch of the editor of this work would be like The Pentateuch without Moses. The life work of this kind old man is so intimately and so prominently related to and interwoven with the development and the historic events of this community that one would not be complete without the other.
The father was of Irish and the mother of Scotch descent. A combination that has furnished this country with her most illustrious and substantial citizens. John Nelson, the grandfather, was born in Virginia. At an early age he was left an orphan, and when he grew to manhood he enlisted in the Revolutionary war. One of the last great battles in which he was engaged was the battle of King's Mountain in October, 1780. He emigrated to the state of Tennessee, where Richard Nelson, the father, was born. The latter studied law with Judge Hugh L. White and was married to Eliza McCampbell, the mother of William E. Nelson, who was born at Sparta, Tennessee, on the 4th of June, 1824. His mother was daughter of Andrew McCampbell, who emigrated from Scotland to Virginia; served in the war of the Revolution and then removed to Knox county, Tennessee.
Richard Nelson, the father, practiced his profession, the law, for more than twenty-five years at Sparta. He was a member of the Tennessee constitutional convention in 1834 and for a number of years was judge of the county court of Carroll county, Mississippi, to which county he removed in 1846, where he died in 1865.
William E. Nelson was admitted to the bar at Sparta in 1844, and on February 26, 1846, was married to Mary Ann Snodgrass, the daughter of Colonel James Snodgrass, of White county, Tennessee. He practiced law in his native county for about ten years and early in the year 1857, with his young wife, full of hope and ambition for their future, came north and selected De-
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
catur, then a thriving little city of about two thousand inhabitants, as their home. Mrs. Nelson died in November, 1876, and Mr. Nelson was again mar- ried to Mrs. Lucy Hollingsworth Montgomery, a daughter of Judge Jeptha G. Hollingsworth, of Elkton, Kentucky, and the widow of John T. Montgom- ery, Esq., of Decatur.
Only one of Judge Nelson's children lived to attain majority, the late Theo- dore Nelson, who removed to Chicago some twenty odd years ago and died in that city, December 17, 1909. He was for a succession of terms secretary of the democratic state central committee and had perhaps the most extensive acquaintance of any man in Illinois.
Judge Nelson found here in Decatur a most brilliant galaxy of lawyers, who practiced law at the Macon county bar. Such men as Charles Emmerson, Brower Bunn, Richard J. Oglesby, Sheridan Wait, Joel S. Post, the Tuppers and Arthur J. Gallagher. These distinguished lawyers frequently had asso- ciated with them in important litigations Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Doug- las, David Davis, Leonard Swett and other celebrated lawyers who then prac- ticed law at the Macon county bar. These men set high ideals and furnished a real inspiration to other members in their profession.
The first railroads into this part of the country had just been built; land was everywhere being entered and settled up; industrial and commercial en- terprises were projected and established; the busy echo of the saw and the trowel in all directions gave unmistakable evidence that a building boom was at high tide here, just before the panic of 1857.
Amid these great business problems and perplexing legal questions, Mr. Nelson began his life work in Decatur. At that time an armful of law books constituted a good working library. It was a time which called forth the purest love of justice and the strongest common sense in the solution and settlement of the business transacted by lawyers. He found here the opportunity of his life, to prove his absolute integrity and his superior legal ability. He was rec- ognized by all who knew him for his uncompromising honesty and for his love of justice. He became the local attorney for the Toledo & Great Western Railroad, then of the Wabash and Illinois Central Railroads.
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