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 75
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
Mrs. Mantle and daughter are active members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church of Rantoul. Mr. Mantle in politics is a Republican and has given his support to that party first, last and always. When in 1909 Mr. and Mrs. Mantle moved to Rantoul they bought themselves a com- fortable and attractive residence on Main Street. Mr. Mantle has a tenant on the old homestead and still keeps active superintendence over the man- agement of the farm and fields.
On the old Mantle farm there still stands the old log schoolhouse where Mr. Mantle's mother attended school when she was a girl. Mr. Mantle has taken great pains to preserve this school building as a landmark and as a lesson to coming generations, whereby they may see and realize some of the hardships through which their forefathers passed. An inter- esting relic of the past in Mr. and Mrs. Mantle's home is his Grandfather Kuder's clock. It is now 100 years old, and the tired hands that for a century pointed the family to the time are at last stilled, and the clock stands in the corner, a silent reminder of days long gone by.
AMBROSE W. STRONG, who is spending the quiet years of his retirement in a beautiful home at 706 Main Street in Urbana, is one of the few men now living whose recollections go back in Champaign County for nearly eighty years. Though not a native of the county Mr. Strong came here in early infancy and as a boy he knew many of the first settlers and his own life has been closely identified with those changing developments which have transformed this part of the state into a garden spot of the world.
Mr. Strong was born in Hancock County, Ohio, October 4, 1834, a son of John and Mary (Moore) Strong. His parents were also natives of Ohio. When Ambrose was one year old the family came to Illinois. There were six children, threc sons and three daughters, Ambrose being the oldest. The family. located in St. Joseph Township, where they im- proved a tract of raw land and where the parents spent the rest of their lives.
Grandfather Cyrus Strong had preceded his son John to St. Joseph and was a prominent character among the pioneers. It was his dis-
-
1026
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
tinction to erect the notable old tavern known as the Kelley Tavern. It was a popular and notable hostelry and a famous landmark of early days. Much of the fame that is associated with this tavern is due to the fact that Abraham Lincoln frequently was entertained there during his career as a circuit riding lawyer attending court at Danville and Cliam- paign. Lincoln made these trips on horseback, and a personal friendship existed ·between him and Cyrus Strong.
Ambrose W. Strong acquired his early education in a district school kept in a log building. This was one of the most primitive types of log school houses in Champaign County. One log was left out from the side of the building and the opening was covered over with greased paper instead of glass window lights. The equipment was equally primitive, and the instruction was confined rigidly to the three R's.
Attending school and working in the fields and meadows made up the sum and substance of Mr. Strong's early career until 1853, when he estab- lished a home of his own by his marriage to Martha Ann Peters. She was born in St. Joseph Township, a daughter of William and Sarah (McNutt) Peters. Her peeople were also prominent pioneers of the county. Her father, Squire Peters, was a familiar character in the country and a very popular man. There were twelve children in the Peters family. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Strong rented a farm the first year and the second year they bought eighty acres of land, for which the purchase price was $6 an acre. With little capital except their native industry they entered upon their undertaking with enthusiasm and in the course of time had the raw prairies changed into cultivated fields and improved their home by gradual additions until it sufficed for all their needs. Fruit trees were planted, shade trees also, and the raw prairie became a center of good and comfortable living.
Mr. Strong was an active farmer and continued to be identified with the rural districts of Champaign County until twenty-eight years ago, when he removed to a residence in Urbana. He built his home on Main Street, which he occupies today. At that home in 1894 death came and Mrs. Strong entered into rest. She was a woman of many estimable qualities and had a large circle of admiring friends.
For his second wife Mr. Strong married Mrs. Mary E. Smith, widow of Elijah T. Smith. Her maiden name was Mary Etta Camerer. She was born in Indiana, a daughter of Marcus and Suzanna (Jones) Camerer, her father a native of Ohio and her mother of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Strong obtained her early education in the district schools. She was married at Broadlands, Illinois, to Elijah T. Smith, and of their three children two died in infancy, the other being Ray H., who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Strong in Urbana.
Mr. and Mrs. Strong are active members of the University Place Christian Church at Urbana. Politically he is a Democrat, and has twice supported President Wilson and believes that he is a man of wisdom capable of guiding the country through the present world turmoil.
Mr. Strong as a young man did his duty as a loyal patriot and pre- server of the Union. He enlisted in Company C of the Seventy-first Illinois Infantry, marched away to the South to Cairo, Illinois, and his regiment was chiefly engaged in guard duty around Columbus, Kentucky. He was finally mustered out at Chicago and returned home. Mr. Strong has many interesting recollections of early times in Champaign County. Where his house now stands in Urbana was within his memory a corn- field. He used his team and was employed as a contractor during the construction of the Illinois Central Railway through Champaign County. Even further back, as a small boy, he and his pet dogs were assigned the
1027
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
duty of keeping the wolves away from the geese and sheep which the family had brought with them from the East. Mr. Strong has counted twenty-four deer in one drove feeding near his father's home, and there was much other wild game in abundance.
Mr. and Mrs. Strong have a hospitable and most attractive home at Urbana. One member of the family should not be omitted. That is a splendid parrot with beautiful plumage, known as Polly. This parrot affectionately calls Mr. Strong "Uncle" and in calling for its bill of fare it frequently mentions its fondness for pie. It also whistles and sings "Glory, Glory for Polly."
DELONG BROTHERS. That push and enterprise which take men over the heights of success has been the distinguishing quality of DeLong Brothers at Sadorus. In the southwestern part of Champaign County at least their achievements and their circumstances are almost too well known to need special reference, but for the benefit of the more remote sections of the county. and also as a record for the future something should be given as an outline of their careers.
The firm consists of William H. and Edward B. DeLong. Both of them arc natives of Champaign County and belong to an old and honored family. William H. was born in Sidney Township, November 2, 1873. The parents were Charles G. and Edna (Moore) DeLong, the former a native of New York and the latter of Massachusetts. They came to Cham- paign County in 1859, living one year in Philo Township, and the next year they spent in Wisconsin. On returning to Champaign County they located in Sidney Township in 1861 and brought with them from Chicago a flock of sheep, which they drove overland. Charles G. DeLong was a successful farmer of the county and died here in 1913. His widow is still living at Sadorus. They had eight children : George A., of Foosland ; C. B., of Fithian, Illinois; Effie M., deccased; Minnie, wife of Eugene Burr, of Sidney Township ; Clinton E., of Rocky Ford, Colorado; Clarence, deceased ; William H. and Edward B.
Thus the DeLong Brothers are the youngest of the family. They began business as a firm in the grain trade on July 1, 1896, with head- quarters at Sadorus. They did not have a dollar of money of their own, and it serves to heighten the appreciation of their subsequent success when it is remembered that nothing has been given them which they have not earned. In order to purchase the local elevator from David Rice they gave notes for $5,500, secured by the names of their father, C, G. DeLong, and their brothers George A. and C. B. DeLong. They also borrowed money from their brothers to buy the first consignment of grain. There were many people who wished the young men well, and doubtless there were others who were pessimistic as to their future. However, they justi- fied the favorable expectations, and in a short time had their credit thor- oughly established and owned their plant outright. Since then the busi- ness has been growing apace. They have a large amount of money in- vested in their elevator, coal house and other local properties and besides being grain merchants they have kept in close touch with the great agri- cultural industry. The brothers own about 2,700 acres of rich land in Western Canada in the Province of Saskatchewan, besides 320 acres in Washington County, Mississippi, 320 acres of rice land in Arkansas, and several hundred acres in Champaign County. In 1915 they raised a crop of over 40,000 bushels of wheat and oats in Canada and in that year and 1916 they sold their crops on Canada soil for over $60,000, leaving a profit of $40,000 for their transactions of two years. At Sadorus DeLong Brothers handle an extensive business in grain, automobiles, insurance and
.
1028
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
as bankers, and have about fifteen men in their employ and pay out over $1,000 a month in wages.
The Bank of Sadorus is another enterprise of DeLong Brothers, and behind it stands their unassailable integrity and financial resources, which have been estimated at well upwards of $300,000. The Bank of Sadorus was opened for business May 21, 1899. In June, 1917, $181,000 was deposited in the bank, amply secured by the reserve handled in several state and national banks in Illinois and by the net worth of DeLong Brothers, which is considerably more than the total liabilities of the insti- tution.
The chief point of all these details is that DeLong Brothers belong in the ranks of the highly successful men of Champaign County, those who began on the first round of the ladder and have climbed steadily to larger things, their capacities increasing with their opportunities and their ability to serve growing with their success.
William H. DeLong married, June 24, 1896, Lydia Lavenhagen, a native of Raymond Township and a daughter of Louis and Theresa (Moore) Lavenhagen. Her parents were natives of Germany and in 1874 settled in Philo Township of Champaign County. In the Lavenhagen family were four children : John, of Philo; Phena, wife of William Anders, of Sidney; William, of Philo ; and Mrs. DeLong. Mr. and Mrs. William H. DeLong have two children : Edna Theresa, born June 19, 1897, and Ken- neth, M., born October 25, 1907. William H. DeLong is a Republican and a member of the Methodist Church.
His brother Edward married, in November, 1903, Bertha Attebery. They also have two children, Clifton Charles and William Wayne. Edward DeLong is a Republican, a Mason, a Knight of Pythias and a Woodman and is active in the Presbyterian Church.
GEORGE CLINTON BROWN. When the early settlers came to Cham- paign County perhaps few of them realized that they were seeking homes in a very desirable part of the state in relation to profitable farming. Those who were industrious and frugal had the satisfaction of finding " this out and no family has been more deserving of its good fortune than that founded by the late David Brown and now worthily represented here by George Clinton Brown, one of the substantial farmers of Homer Town- ship, who is also widely known as a breeder of race horses.
George Clinton Brown was born in Homer Township, Champaign County, Illinois, April 5, 1865, and is a son of David and Eva (Clester) Brown. The father was born in Pennsylvania and the mother in Illinois. In childhood David Brown accompanied his father to Ohio and later they came to Paris, Illinois, having to walk through Champaign County be- cause there were no railroads or other public means of transportation at that time. The lay of the land and other features in the county made a pleasant impression upon David Brown and one year later he returned to Champaign, which was then a little settlement of three houses. He went on to Sidney, where his uncle was living at that time, and worked for him for a time and then returned to Pennsylvania to be married. When he returned with his wife they settled in Homer Township, Champaign County, and that farm remained their home as long as they lived, David Brown dying in January, 1910, his wife having died in 1892. To the first marriage of David Brown there were three children born, all of whom survive: Basil, who is a resident of Champaign; Ellwood, who lives in Michigan; and Mrs. Thomas Orr, who resides at Homer. The second marriage of David Brown was to Eva Clester, who was born in Illinois, and eight children were born to this union, as follows: George Clinton;
1029
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
Jeremiah, who died in 1904; Emma, who is deceased; Sadie, who is the wife of Simon Stuckey, of Washington Court House, Ohio; Belle, who is the wife of Frank Garrison, of Jerome, Idaho; Clara, who is deceased ; Mary, who is the wife of Archie Cox, of Carmel, Illinois ; and Oliver, who lives at Jerome, Idaho. These children were all reared on the farm of 120 acres situated in section 21, Homer Township.
George Clinton Brown atttended the township schools during boyhood and youth and assisted his father until he was twenty-one years old. He then began farming for himself, on a rented farm of eighty acres and re- mained there for three years and then bought his present farm of 160 acres, situated on section 17, Homer Township. Mr. Brown has shown good judgment and good taste in the fine improvements he has placed on his property. He has made a specialty of breeding race horses for some years, and owns the thorough-bred seven-year old mare Redetta, which has a record of 2.10.
Mr. Brown was married September 4, 1889, to Miss Agnes Stewart, who was born at Philo, Illinois, and they have had three children : Glenn, who is deceased ; and Eva and Edna, who reside with their parents.
Mr. Brown has served for many years in public office, having been a member of the school board for twenty years and is now in his second term as road commissioner, and in many ways is an important and influen- tial man in Homer Township. In politics he is a Republican and fra- ternally is a Mason.
HERMAN W. BUNDY, M. D. As a physician and surgeon Doctor Bundy enjoys the complete confidence and most of the patronage of the community in and around Pesotum, where he has practiced actively for the last five years.
Doctor Bundy is a Kansas man by birth, having been born at Nicker- son, March 11, 1879. His parents, Isaac Newton and Helena (Smithson) Bundy, were both born in Ohio. His father was an attorney who enjoyed, a good practice and name as an orator in eastern Illinois, and it is recalled that he stumped the district for Joe Cannon when that Illinois celebrity made his first race for Congress. From Illinois Isaac N. Bundy moved to Nickerson, Kansas, and he died at Hutchinson in that state at the age of forty-three. His wife died in 1882. They had three children : Dr. C. D. Bundy, of Sadorus; Ralph P., an attorney at Zionsville, Indiana; and Dr. Herman W. Bundy.
Doctor Bundy grew up in the home of his maternal grandparents in Champaign County. He was still continuing his studies in high school when at the age of eighteen he enlisted with Company M at Champaign for service in the Spanish-American War. After he was mustered out he returned home and finished the high school course at Tolono. In 1901 he entered the University of Illinois, took three years of special work pre- paratory to a medical career and then for four years was in the Illinois College of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago, the medical department of the State University. He received his degree from that institution in 1907 and in 1908 began practice at Pesotum with Doctor Hoffman. A year later he located at Sadorus, but in 1912, Doctor Hoffman having died, he returned to Pesotum and took up the practice of that veteran physician. and has since become well established in his profession, his name being associated with ability and conscientious service all over southwestern Champaign County.
September 29, 1909, Doctor Bundy married Miss Edith Stone, of Tolono, where she was born. They have one child, Winford Newton, born February 3, 1914. Doctor Bundy is a Republican, a member of the
1030
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
Masonic Lodge, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his wife are members and attendants of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ALONZO S. BRAND. The career of Alonzo S. Brand, whose home is in Sidney Township, on Rural Route No. 58, has been characterized by that vim and vigor of achievement which is the admiration of all purposeful men. To say that he is a self-made man is hardly doing credit to his ability at overcoming difficulties in his way to success.
Mr. Brand was born in Noble County, Ohio, January 15, 1872, a son of Greenberry and Mary (Baker) Brand. His parents were also natives of the same county and his father a farmer. Alonzo was the oldest of their three children, the youngest, William, being deceased, and the only daughter, Olie, being the wife of J. H. McCoy, of Zanesville, Ohio. The father of the family died in 1876, when Alonzo was four years old, and the other children mere infants. It devolved upon Alonzo to contribute to the support of this household as soon as his tender years permitted. As a small child he frequently worked out on farms for ten cents a day until he was twelve years of age, after which he received $4 a month until he was sixteen and then for nine months worked in a general department store at $20 a month. Another nine months he spent at the hard labor of the coal mines. All his wages went to support his widowed mother and the other children. His mother passed away in 1915 and her later years were made comfortable largely through his efforts.
Mr. Brand finally rented eighty acres for a year and following this worked in a sawmill a year, and then in a store. From Ohio he came to Illinois, locating at Tolono, and arrived there with only seventy-five cents in his pocket. He worked out by the month for five years and then began a career as a renter which gradually brought him his successful position among Champaign County farmers. He bought eighty acres in Clark County, but sold that, and then bought 240 acres in Philo and Crittenden townships, later purchasing eighty acres more in Philo Township making a total of 320 acres. At the present time he owns a fine farm and is handling 560 acres on a broadly diversified basis.
The struggles of his earlier years in supporting himself and his wid- owed mother measure only part of the responsibilities he has carried. For the past twenty years he has had a home of his own and has been rearing and training and liberally providing for a large family of children. He married February 24, 1895, Miss Zella Chippendale, a native of Cham- paign County. They are the parents of nine children, named as follows: Leroy of Philo Township; Gladys; Charles M .; Earl F .; Fred V .; Ber- nice E., who died when four years of age; Irven G .; Clifford A .; and Thurman K., all of whom are living at home except the eldest. The family are members of the Presbyterian Church at Philo, Illinois, and Mr. Brand is a Republican.
HERMAN J. BIALESCHKE. For upward of sixty years the Bialcschke family has had a prominent part in the farming and business activities of southwestern Champaign County. Herman J. Bialeschke came to this county when a small child, industriously followed farming for many years, has played a very vigorous and public spirited part in local affairs, and is now enjoying the comforts of retired life in the village of Sadorus.
He was born in Germany, July 28, 1855, a son of Frederick and Minnie (Nofftz) Bialeschke, who were also natives of the fatherland. In, 1857, when he was about a year old, the parents came to America, first, locating in New York and afterwards in Chicago, and about 1858 settled
1031
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
in Champaign County. His father did farming at Sadorus and for two years lived on the farm of the old pioneer, Henry Sadorus. In 1865 the fruits of his industry enabled him to buy forty acres in section 8 of Pesotum Township. In the past fifty years his name has become associ- ated with the ownership of some of the best farming land in that township and he is still owner of 320 acres. He is now eighty-six years of age and his wife is eighty-eight. This venerable couple had eight children, Her- man J. being the oldest. Amelia and Hulda are both deceased ; Lafayette and Albert live in Pesotum Township; Emma is the wife of William Bachert, of Pesotum; Martha is the wife of Henry Butzloff, of Indiana; and the youngest child, Elizabeth, died quite young.
.
Herman J. Bialeschke grew up on his father's home in .Champaign County, attended the local schools, and as a youth learned the trade of carpenter. He followed that only a brief time and began his real carecr as a farmer on 160 acres of land which he rented. After several years he invested his thrifty savings in ninety acres and lived there five years. He then bought the rest of his present farm, making a place of 179 acres. Still later he bought 160 acres, selling half of it to his brother-in-law and trading the other half for 184 acres near Sadorus. Through the efforts of many years he found himself possessed of a large amount of valuable Champaign County soil. His last purchase was 120 acres in Pesotum Township. Since 1912 Mr. Bialeschke has retired from the active busi- ness of farming and has lived in Sadorus.
He married Christina Miller, also a native of Germany, who came to Champaign County when a young girl. Mr. and Mrs. Bialeschke had four children ; Frederick, of Pesotum Township; Lilla, wife of Jacob Krumm, of Pesotum; Ida, wife of Alfred Warfle, of Pesotum Township; and Arla, wife of Louis Kaske, of Tolono Township.
The acquisition of a generous material prosperity has not been the sole end and object of Mr. Bialeschke's efforts. He has always done his part as a citizen, served as township supervisor two years, as road commissioner and assessor, for fifteen years was a member of the drainage board, and for a similar period was a director in the public schools. He did much to perfect the system of drainage in this part of the county. He is a Repub- lican and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and is active in the Evangelical Reformed Church.
WILLIAM G. FULTON. The opinion has been expressed that opportuni- ties today for the farmer are just as great as they were in pioneer times when land could be obtained for little or nothing. The career of William G. Fulton furnishes testimony in point. Mr. Fulton began his career in Champaign County with hardly enough capital to buy a single acre of the high priced land of this section of Illinois. He is now one of the wealthy and most prominent farmers in the southern part of the county and his accomplishments show what a man of determination and iron will may achieve.
Mr. Fulton was born in Raymond Township, January 1, 1870, a son of Henry and Eliza (Fulton) Fulton. Both parents were born in Ireland but of Scotch ancestry. His father came to America in 1868, locating in Champaign County, and spent an active career as a farmer here. He died July 9, 1908, while the mother passed away August 9, 1905. They were laid to rest in the Woodlawn cemetery in Urbana. They were the parents of five children : George, who died in infancy; Mary, who died in 1909, married M. M. Want, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church; William G .; Jennie, widow of W. T. Gwinn, of Douglas County, Illinois ; and Thomas, who died in childhood. Mrs. Mary Want was the mother of
.
1032
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
four children : Cullen, Ruth, Fulton and Mary Lewis. Her son Cullen when a young man was appointed to a cadetship in the Annapolis Naval Academy, spent four years there, and four years at sea apprenticeship, and has recently been appointed a member of the Construction Board at Annapolis and now has charge of the equipment of mine laying boats in the present war. The daughter Ruth graduated from the Woman's College at Jacksonville and is now the wife of Charles Stewart, one of the instruc- tors in the Agricultural College at Urbana.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.