USA > Illinois > Champaign County > A Standard history of Champaign County Illinois : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, civic and social development : a chronicle of the people, with family lineage and memoirs, Volume II > Part 69
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He married Elizabeth Stockdale, a daughter of Hugh and Harriet Stockdale, the former a native of England and the latter of Castlemalione, Ireland. In the Stockdale family 'were the following children: Mary J., Harriet, William, Eugena, Joseph, Elizabeth, Arabella, Grace, Jessie and Mabel. Hugh Stockdale was a boot and shoe dealer. In March, 1861, he brought his family to America, lived a time in Pennsylvania and from there came to Illinois.
After their marriage Mr. A. A. Arms and wife started out to build a home and fortune for themselves. They bought land and by application of the principles of industry and economy their labors have met with pleasing success. Mr. Arms has proved a vigorous farmer and has exer- cised great wisdom in his investments. At the present time his holdings as a real estate man include 5,409 acres, scattered over the states of Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas and Texas, and peopled by an industrious, contented tenantry, all working harmoniously for mutual interests, and who unani- mously pronounce him the prince of landlords.
Mr. Arms believes that his success in life has been' due to the rigid adherence to three cardinal principles. The first is that the primary law of nature is self-preservation ; the second is care of health; and the third is an admonition to take care of wealth, including home and possessions, liberty and family: Some years ago Mr. Arms removed to Thomasboro, and established himself in one of the most beautiful and commodious homes of that village.
Mr. Arms has a truly mechanical genius. In many ways he has sought to lighten the burden of farm management and farm labor. On his place he has installed an electric motor which serves to pump the water for house
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and barn, shell the corn in one hopper and grind in another, runs the washing machine, and the power thus derived is in fact employed for nearly everything except milking the cows. Mr. Arms has also used con- crete to advantage in many ways, including the building of walks, cement floors and large drinking troughs for his cattle. He is one of the farmers in Champaign County who have cement floors in the barns.
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At his Thomasboro home Mr. Arms has almost innumerable trophies, and among other things a sportsman's cabinet which contains almost an arsenal of firearms. He has some examples of the old flintlock guns and from that the collection ranges to the most modern repeating rifles and shotguns, including the Winchester and Savage makes. Some years ago he won in a shooting match a fine double-barreled Parker Brothers Meredith gun valued at $80, and has used it frequently in his sporting expeditions. For twenty-two winters out of the past twenty-five Mr. Arms has been in Texas, Louisiana and Florida, in the remote and wild districts of those states on big hunting expeditions. One of the trophies in his home is a mounted deer head which he secured in LaSalle County, Texas. His hunt- ing companion in Texas is J. W. Buckow and together they have killed over 200 deer. The favorite gun with which he hunts big game is a Marlin rifle. Mr. Arms is not content with the ordinary sights found on the best of guns, and he makes his own, and they are better and truer than any found on the market. A hunter of no mean reputation himself, Mr. Arms has always been an admirer of the great Americans who have been similarly famed. In his library he possesses and has read through from cover to cover the lives of such American hunters and frontiersmen as Wild Bill, Kit Carson, William Drannan, Texas Jack, California Joe, Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) and Theodore Roosevelt.
In his hunter's museum Mr. Arms has a beautiful seven-foot diamond rattler skin. The snake was shot by his brother Ira in the latter's door- yard in Florida. Another curio is a rich brown necktie made from a brown rattler skin, with the rattlers for pins. Other specimens include an armadillo, a sawfish killed in Texas, a number of articles from the noted San Pedro Park at San Antonio, a Texas leopard cat, an ant-eater, civet cat and many other rare animals. In 1874 Mr. Arms participated in a buffalo hunt. That was only a few years before those vast herds of bison were practically exterminated from the American prairies. In that hunt he killed four buffalo and has the horns and robes in his home. There is an alligator skin from an animal seven feet long, numerous beards of wild turkey, the tusks of the wild hog known as the peccary, the tusks of wild boars, sea beans from the Gulf of Mexico, any number of Indian arrowheads and samples of Mexican onyx. There is a cane made of Texas ebony. Two of the firearms are the old-fashioned muzzle-loading rifles with which the early American hunters killed the antelope and buffalo.
Mr. and Mrs. Arms are connoisseurs of Japanese art. In their parlor stands a vase 31/2 feet tall with a pictured illustration of Japan's bravest generals and their wives, and containing the history of that country dating back for 500 years. The parlor is completely furnished in costly Japanese wares. Much of it is made of the famous Anoka, richly carved with dragons, the emblems of Japan. The chairs contain carvings of dragonheads, each holding between its jaws an apple, this being a symbolic representation of the old story of the temptation of Eve. On the wall of the parlor hangs a piece of Japanese royal tapestry. Worked in the design are two large white swans, a body of water surrounded with a grove of evergreens. The tapestry is made of the finest of silk, and it is a rich and handsome piece of artistic embroidery.
Any exposition would set a high value upon such a collection of
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souvenirs and trophies as is possessed and cherished by Mr. and Mrs. Arms. It requires a long examination to really understand how widely Mr. Arms has sought wild game and how well justified his fame as a Nimrod is. Mr. Arms has spent many happy vacations on Texas ranches, especially the ranch of his friend and comrade, Jim Dougherty. He has in his col- lection a photograph of a real Texas longhorn, once owned by Dougherty. From tip to tip these horns measured 9 feet 2 inches.
In politics Mr. Arms has been first and always a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln and has been voting the ticket regularly ever since. He has been ' affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for the last forty- eight years, having joined that order before he was married. Mr. and Mrs. Arms have lived in close affiliation with the best interests of Cham- paign County. This county they have witnessed transformed under their very eyes from a rude and little productive community into what is now one of the richest farming sections in the entire world. Mr. Arms voted for and did all he could to secure the University of Illinois for this county and has lent a similar support to every other progressive movement. His wife is an active member of the Episcopal Church at Rantoul.
Mr. Arms has long been a successful stock raiser and his herds of Holstein, Red Poll and Shorthorns have long been noted.
Mrs. Arms has enjoyed frequent trips with her husband and is a con- genial comrade and completely in sympathy with his outdoor sports and recreations. She received her education in the Rantoul High School, fin- ishing at Champaign, and prior to her marriage was a successful teacher in this county. Mrs. Arms is a cultured woman, of striking appearance, broad minded, an entertaining conversationalist and is a splendid type of the true American woman.
CHARLES F. WENDLING's farm enterprise is identified with the south- eastern part of Champaign County, in Raymond Township. His fine farm home is situated in section 10, on Rural Route No. 36 out of the town of Broadlands.
Mr. Wendling has been a man of affairs in this community for the greater part of his life. He was born in Sangamon County, Illinois, December 15, 1874, a son of John and Margaret (Monigan) Wendling. His father was a native of Alsace, France, and his mother of Ireland. The father was born in 1842, came to America in 1854, at the age of twelve, lived first in Macon County, Illinois, and later in Sangamon County, and in his early years, a young man with no capital, he did cattle feeding and farming. In 1876 he came to Champaign County, locating in Raymond Township, where he was successfully identified with the business of farming until his death in October, 1916. His wife also passed away on the old homestead in that township. They were the parents of six children, three of whom died in infancy. Annie is still at the home place and the mother of two children, named Roy and Ethel. The second in age is Charles F. The daughter Mary is also at home.
Charles F. Wendling acquired his education in the district schools of Champaign County and at the age of nineteen went to work on a farm, hiring out his labor for three years. He then rented a place of eighty acres, and subsequently one of 160 acres, and at his father's death he took charge of the 180 acres comprising the fine farm in section 10 of Raymond Township. Here he followed general farming and stock raising and his work is marked by distinctive success.
February 5, 1902, Mr. Wendling married Bertha Vaden, who was born at Sidney, Illinois, daughter of William A. and Sarah Elizabeth (Hughes)
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Vaden. Her father was born in North Carolina and her mother in Vir- ginia. The Vaden family came to Champaign County in 1865. Mrs. Wendling's father is an attorney by profession and is now living at Pensa- cola, Florida, at the age of eighty-one. Her mother died in December, 1901. Mrs. Wendling was the youngest in a family of three children. Her sister Laura is the widow of Isaac Palmer. Her sister Mary is the wife of Thomas Peake of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Wend- ling have two children : Roy Vaden, born July 7, 1910; and Mary Virginia, born March 22, 1914. In his political support Mr. Wendling is a Demo- crat.
LEWIS PRATHER has been a resident of Champaign County for many years. He has been one of the live and energetic business men and farmers of the community, though he was well educated for the law. Suc- cessful in business, he has not neglected the public welfare and is a man who can be depended upon for helpful support wherever the best interests of his home community are concerned.
Mr. Prather was born in Cumberland County, Illinois, April 20, 1862. His parents were James and Delilah (White) Prather, his father a native of Indiana and his mother of Illinois. The mother died in May, 1901, and the last five years of his life the father spent with his son Lewis and died March 10, 1906. He was an active farmer and developed and improved a good estate in Cumberland County. There were nine children in the family: Nettie, wife of William McGinnis, of Kansas; Lewis; Mamie and John, both deceased; Bartholomew, of Ludlow, Illinois; Josephine, deceased; Dollie, wife of Benjamin Neal, of Toledo, Illinois; Adolphus, of Champaign; and the youngest, a son, died in infancy.
Lewis Prather was educated in the district schools of Cumberland County and spent three years in Valparaiso University in Indiana. He was graduated in the law course in 1893. Instead of taking up the legal profession he taught school twelve years, three years in Cumberland County and nine years in Champaign County. In 1897 he married and soon afterwards bought the interests of the other heirs in the old home- stead. Mr. Prather has under his management a farm of 177 acres in section 23 of Urbana Township. This he has profitably devoted to grain and stock farming, and he is making the place pay good dividends both on the capital invested and for labor and management.
Mr. Prather married Lula Werts, a daughter of Jesse and Mary (Schlosser) Werts, both natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Prather have two children : Dewey and Jesse, both at home. Mr. Prather is now serving as school director, has been drainage commissioner and was the only township assessor elected in his home township on the Democratic ticket since the Civil War. He and his family are attendants of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their home receives daily mail delivery over Rural Route No. 12 out of Urbana.
BERT E. LYNCH has made his career one of fruitful endeavor amid the scenes and associations of his early childhood and youth. He is leading a very active and enterprising life as a farmer in Sidney Township, and has a well-ordered farm and good country home on Rural Route No. 57.
Mr. Lynch was born in section 14 of Sidney Township, March 17, 1870, a son of William F. and Cynthia E. (Lunger) Lynch, both of whom were natives of Indiana. His father came to Champaign County in the fall of 1862 and located his cabin home on section 14 of Sidney Township. In the course of years he converted a large section of prairie land into fertile fields, and spent his last years with ample comforts after making a generous
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provision for those dependent upon his labors. He and his wife are now deceased, his death occurring September 3, 1902. They had five children : Greeley I., living in southwest Missouri; Ida M., wife of Camuel Stewart of Philo, Champaign County; Emma of Sidney; Bert E .; and Etta of Sullivan, Illinois.
Bert E. Lynch remained a factor at the homestead until he was twenty- one and in the meantime secured a substantial education from the district schools. He had become a farmer on his own account before reaching his majority and has gone steadily ahead in this vocation until he now con- trols the operation of 180 acres and is individual owner of 125 acres.
December 24, 1891, Mr. Lynch married Ida Belle Brown of Homer, Illinois. Three children were born to them: William Ralph, who died at the age of eighteen months ; Opal J. and Arthur Dean, both at home. Mr. Lynch is a Republican, is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his family worship in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
HOWARD WISEGARVER. Profitable farming depends upon a number of essential things." First, perhaps, there must be good soil, incidentally the climate has much to do with it, and transportation facilities have to be considered, but last and by no means least, is the farmer himself. In modern days the farmer is a man not only of industry but also of a great deal of knowledge and the more experience he can call to his aid the more chance has he of being able to make every inch of his domain return him a profit. Judging by the success that has attended his agricultural efforts, Howard Wisegarver, one of Champaign Township's most respected citizens, is also one of her best farmers.
Howard Wisegarver was born August 31, 1873, in Champaign Town- ship, Champaign County, Illinois, and is a son of William H. and Myra (Hetrick) Wisegarver. They were both born in Bedford County, Pennsyl- vania, and were reared, educated and married there. The father came to Illinois in 1869 and his wife came in 1872. He settled first in DeWitt County but afterward purchased 160 acres in Section 35, Champaign Township, Champaign County. Here he carried on general farming and stock-raising and this continued his home until the time of his death, May 30, 1913. He left a fine, well improved property. To his marriage with Myra Hetrick, who survives and lives with her eldest son, there were three children born, namely: Howard, Mary and William H. Mary died in infancy.
Howard Wisegarver attended the public schools in Champaign Town- ship, thereby securing a good, solid common school education, which is an admirable foundation upon which to build in carrying on any business. He remained at home and helped his father until 1901, after which he farmed for himself on a rented tract of eighty-five acres and for three years more carried on farming operations on a still larger tract, having 100 acres to manage. In the meanwhile his attention had been called to the great opportunities offered settlers in San Luis Valley, Colorado, and becoming interested he decided to go out there and prospect a little, which resulted in his purchasing eighty acres in San Luis Valley and Conejos County, Colorado, and he spent the next four years there. Mr. Wisegarver returned then to Champaign County, his father having died in the meanwhile, and took charge of the home farm and has remained here ever since. He carries on general farming and stockraising and has the reputation of being one of the most successful agriculturists in the county.
Mr. Wisegarver was married May 1, 1901, to Miss Mary Rea, who was
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born in the State of Ohio and died in Conejos County, Colorado, in Febru- ary, 1908. In January, 1914, Mr. Wisegarver was married to Miss Minnie Emig, who was born in Piatt County, Illinois. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and are not only attendants, but active workers and dependable contributors. In politics Mr. Wisegarver has never been unduly active and maintains an independent attitude, casting his vote according to his own excellent judgment.
HENRY J. F. EDENS. One of the younger men carrying the responsi- bilities of agricultural management in Raymond Township is Henry J. F. Edens, son of parents who were pioneers in this county, and he is now cultivating one of the best farms of Raymond Township.
Mr. Edens was born on the old farm in section 10 of Raymond Town- ship, February 22, 1885. His parents, Peter and Mary (Kant) Edens, were both natives of Germany. His father on coming to America located in Champaign County, near Sidney, and from there moved to the home- stead in Raymond Township. Though he began life with comparatively nothing, he prospered by his steady industry and is now owner of 400 acres of the rich and fertile acres of Champaign County. He and his wife are living retired in Urbana. They had only two children, Alvina and Henry. Alvina is the wife of Fred J. Mohr of Raymond Township.
Henry J. F. Edens grew up on his father's farm, gained his instruction in the local district schools, and from an early youth was disciplined to handle the plow and do the other work of the farm. For several years he managed his father's entire place, and then took charge of 240 acres, which he cultivates as a general farming and stock raising proposition.
On February 5, 1913, Mr. Edens married Mary A. Etter, who was born in Champaign County, daughter of Conrad and Anna (Mumm) Etter. Her parents are now living at Philo. Mr. and Mrs. Edens are members of the Lutheran Church at Philo, and their home is on Rural Route No. 36 out of Broadlands.
HERMAN H. BUHS. Urbana Township, Champaign County, offers many examples of successful farming and no one could overlook, in this connection, the many richly cultivated acres that belong to the old Buhs homestead, 160 of which are under the direct care of Herman H. Buhs, one of the township's most highly respected citizens.
Herman H. Buhs was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, August 25, 1872. His parents are John C. and Fredricka (Albright) Buhs. The father, who is now one of Champaign County's men of wealth and the owner of 480 acres of valuable land, was born in 1847, in Germany, and came to America at the age of nineteen years with his widowed mother. He has been a very industrious man wherever he has lived, and also a dependable man, so that now his advice on agricultural matters is often sought by his neighbors, who have found it sensible and worth taking. He was married in Ohio to Fredericka Albright, and they have three sons and one daughter : Frank C., Herman H., Edward E. and Anna Fredericka, who is the wife of John Krumm, and they have a daughter.
Herman H. Buhs was brought up on a farm and his knowledge of agricultural affairs is solid and practical. He obtained his education in the public schools and has always lived on the home farm, a part of which, as noted above, he is now working. He keeps well posted on all matters relating to general farming and stockraising and is numbered with the best informed and most successful agriculturists in Urbana Town- ship. He owns some first-class agricultural machinery.
Mr. Buhs was married November 22, 1905, to Miss Sophie Wolfley, 2-30
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who was a popular young lady of this neighborhood but a native of Indiana, and they have had six children, two of whom, Clarence, the second born, and Mildred, the fifth in order of birth, are deceased. The others are: Edward W., Herman H., Charles J. and Vilma Katherine. They will all have public school advantages, as their father believes in public education and at present is serving as a member of the township school board. He belongs to the German Lutheran Church, in which faith he was reared by devout parents. In his political views he is a Democrat and gives a hearty support to the candidates of that party.
JOHN C. BUHS. One of the sound, substantial men and successful general farmers and stockraisers of Champaign County is found in John C. Buhs, who is located in section 33, Urbana Township. Mr. Buhs is one of the heavy landowners of this section and his finely improved farm extends also into sections 34 and 21, all in Urbana Township.
John C. Buhs was born in the village of Baritz, in the province of Mecklenburg, Germany, September 11, 1847. His parents were Carl and Fredricka (Raforth) Buhs. His father died in Germany and the mother continued to live therc until John C., her only child, was nineteen years of age. She was a wise and far-seeing woman and not only con- sented when he proposed seeking better opportunities in America, but agreed to accompany him. They reached the United States safely and found a home to please them in Fairfield County, Ohio. There John C. Buhs engaged in farming and continued until the spring of 1876. In the meanwhile, on September 23, 1870, Mr. Buhs was married to Fred- ricka Albright, and on March 10, 1876, they came to Champaign County, Illinois, and lived at Philo until the fall of 1887, Mr. Buhs all the time keeping himself employed in agricultural pursuits.
In 1893 Mr. Buhs bought 240 acres of land in Urbana Township and since then has kept adding to his possessions until he now has 480 acres, all finely cultivated and well improved. Mr. Buhs devotes this large body of land to crop raising and to stockraising, finding a ready market for all his land can be made to yield. He has always set an example of industry and his large amount of property has been acquired in the way of hard work.
Mr. and Mrs. Buhs have four children, namely: Frank C., who is his father's right hand man on the home farm; Herman H., who is a farmer in Urbana Township; Edward E., who resides at home; and Anna Fred- ricka, who is the wife of John Krumm, and they have a little four-year old daughter named Marie. Mr. Buhs and his family belong to the German Lutheran Church. He belongs to no political party but, never- theless, always casts his vote, and it is for a candidate who has won his approval because of his honesty and his fearlessless in doing the will of the people. As for himself, Mr. Buhs has never accepted any public office, finding his time sufficiently occupied in looking after his own affairs. He is known all over the county and is everywhere respected.
PARK T. IRWIN. Ever since the early '70s the name of Irwin has stood for agricultural and commercial integrity and good citizenship in Champaign County, for faithful performance of duty in peace or war, and for helpful support of progressive measures. Particularly is this true in the community of Longview, a town which was laid out by James W. Irwin, father of Park T. Irwin, the latter one of the representative young business men of this place. Park T. Irwin was born at Longview, July 13, 1881. his parents being James W. and Margaret (Fisher) Irwin.
James W. Irwin was born in Ohio, and during the early '70s came to
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Rufus. B. Story Martha J. Hoy
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Champaign County. At that time he was a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in his native state in the Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at the outbreak of hostilities, and subsequently being connected with the heavy artillery. He served three years and three months in the Union army, taking part in numerous important battles, and on one occasion being captured by the enemy but subsequently paroled, - and had a fine record as a soldier. On coming to Champaign County he secured land and engaged in farming, accumulating 200 acres, on which was later laid out the present town of Longview, the founders of which were Mr. Irwin and J. W. Churchill. Mr. Irwin was a man of excellent judg- ment, and his foresight enabled him to choose for his location a property which would later be in a position to attract settlement and business enter- prises. He is now retired from active pursuits and makes his home at Longview. He has never lost his interest in his old army comrades, and is still a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and one of the most popular comrades of his post. In Masonry he has attained a high position, having reached the thirty-second degree. Mrs. Irwin, who was a native of Pennsylvania, died in 1899, having been the mother of the following chil- dren : Corda, who is deceased; Paul F., a resident of Chicago; Blanche B., the wife of Charles H. Watts of Urbana, county superintendent of schools; Claude G., a resident of Omaha, Nebraska; Park T .; and Daisy D., the wife of George E. Bronson, a division city engineer of Chicago.
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