USA > Illinois > Clay County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 15
USA > Illinois > Richland County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 15
USA > Illinois > Marion County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 15
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Henry Hord, the popular Sheriff of Clay county, is a native of the same, having been born in Blair township, December 8, 1863, the son of Thomas B. Hord, who was a na- tive of Indiana, and who came to Illinois when a boy, being one of the early settlers of Clay county, locating in Blair township, where he now lives and is a prosperous farmer, well known in his township. "Judge" George Hord, grandfather of the subject, was also a native of Indiana and a man of considerable influence in his community.
The subject's mother was known in her maidenhood as Alice Beal, whose people came from Tennessee. She passed to her rest when our subject was two years old. Two children were born to the parents of
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our subject, the other child dying in in- and Assessor. He owns a good farm in fancy. They gave their son all the advan- Blair township, which he rents. In his fra- tages possible, wholesome home environ- ternal relations he is a Mason. ment and a fairly good education, and he Mrs. Hord died of typhoid fever Sep- tember 18, 1906, between the time Mr. Hord was nominated and elected Sheriff. Our subject was married a second time, his last wife being Miss Dora Manifold, a daughter of Reverend Manifold, now deceased. Mrs. Hord formerly resided in St. Louis, and she taught school in Clay county for five years. owes much of his subsequent success to his solicitous parents. He was reared on a farm where he laid the foundations for a hardy manhood, for he devoted the summer months to work in the fields and attended school in the winter in his native township, which was the only schooling he had; but he made good use of his time. After leav- ing school he continued farm work on the home place until he married when he went to farming for himself in Blair township.
Mr. Hord was united in the bonds of wedlock with Percilla Eytchison, the daugh- ter of J. W. and Charity A. Eytchison, a well known family of Blair township, the date of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Hord being October 18, 1884, and to this union nine children have been born, named in or- der of birth as follows: Jesse, deceased, having died when about thirteen years old; Lillie, William, Mimmie, Roy, Elbridge, Rcl- la, Everett, the youngest child died in in- fancy.
In 1906 Mr. Hord was elected Sheriff of Clay county, on the Republican ticket, and he is now serving his term of four years in a manner that elicits praise from everyone having occasion to know of his work, for he is discharging his duties in a most con- scientious and able manner, and generally regarded as the best Sheriff the county has ever had. Previously Mr. Hord had faith- fully served Blair township as Supervisor
In his career Mr. Hord has seen the gath- ering clouds that threatened disaster, but his rich inheritance of energy and pluck has enabled him to turn defeats into victory and promised failures into success. He enjoys in the fullest measure the public confidence, because of the honorable methods he has ever followed, and is one of the prominent and honored men of Clay county.
WILLIAM C. INGRAM.
Standing in an eminent position among the industrial representatives of Marion county is the subject of this sketch, who is recognized as one of Kinmundy's lead- ing citizens, having for many years been interested in the local flouring mill the repu- tation of which has spread all over this lo- cality as a result of his able management. In this regard he is controlling an exten- sive and important industry, for the product of his mill is large and the annual shipment
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of flour made to the city markets bring in return a very desirable income to the stock- holders of the company. His success has been won entirely along old and time-tried maxims, such as "honesty is the best policy" and "there is no excellence without labor."
William C. Ingram was born in Indiana in 1848, the son of Samuel and Minerva A. (Powers) Ingram. Grandfather Ingram is supposed to have been born in Kentucky and moved to Warrick county, Indiana, where he engaged in farming and where he spent the balance of his days in honest and use- ful toil; there raising his family and passing from his labors into the great beyond, after reaching a very advanced age. His faithful life companion also lived to an advanced age. They reared a large family, all but one of whom lived to be men and women and reared families of their own. A number of their sons were gallant infantrymen in the Union ranks during the war between the states. The Ingram lineage is from Eng- land, and were early settlers in Kentucky, having come there in the brave days of Daniel Boone when the principal tasks of the pioneers were the clearing of the pri- meval forests and the banishment of the wary red men.
Samuel Ingram, the father of the subject, was reared in Indiana, and was almost wholly without educational advantages. His date of birth is recorded as 1824, conse- quently his boyhood was during a time when schools had scarcely been established in the Hoosier state. He devoted his life to agri- cultural pursuits of which he made a suc-
cess being a hard worker. He left Indiana in 1854 and moved to Edwards county, Illinois, but came on to Marion county, land- ing here April 6, 1857, and bought a farm on which he remained and greatly improved, living there in comfort until 1866, when he moved to Kinmundy, still working his farm; continuing this for ten years when he sold out and retired from active work. He is still hale and active at this writing (1908), having attained the ripe age of eighty-four. As a result of his well spent life his old age is happy, for it is free from want and worry and pervaded with no unpleasant memories or regrets and compunctions over a misspent past, for his life has been one of honor and industry, most worthily lived. There were eight children in his family, six of whom are now living and have families of their own. The mother of the subject. a woman of beautiful Christian character, passed to her rest at the age of seventy- eight years. This fine old couple were al- ways devout Methodists.
The great-grandfather 'Powers of the subject spent most of his life in Indiana, living to an old age. He was a Democrat and a Baptist. Grandmother Powers died in middle age. One of Mrs. Ingram's brothers, John Powers, was a soldier in the Civil war.
William C. Ingram, our subject, was brought to Illinois by his parents when six years old and to Marion county three years later, having been placed at once in the pub- lic schools here where he received his edu- cation, and in other similar schools of
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this state. He worked on his father's farm and for others as a farm hand until he was twenty-one years old, when he rented a farm and worked it on his own account for two years, making a good start in this way. He then purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in this county on which he re- mained for a few years when he went to carpentry and farming, later purchasing a saw mill which he successfully operated for twenty-five years, which he recently sold. He has also owned two other saw mills, and has been known as one of the leading mill men of this locality for many years Some time ago he came to Kinmundy and pur- chased an interest in the Songer flouring mill which has been in operation for forty years, the subject now owning forty shares in this mill and is a director in the same, which has a wide reputation for the excellency of its products, customers not only coming in per- son from all parts of the county, but many orders are constantly pouring in from ad- joining counties and distant cities. The sub- ject's son is also a part owner in the mill. He also owns and controls thirty shares of the capital stock.
Our subject has also been a merchant, and owing to his honesty in business, his natural ability and his discriminating fore- sight, he has always made a success at what- ever he undertook, so that today he is re- garded as one of the financially substantial men of the county, every dollar in his pos- session having been honestly earned by hard work.
Mr. Ingram was united in marriage in
1869 to Mary R. Gray, a native of this county, daughter of James H, and Susanna Jane (Hannah) Gray. They were from Tennessee and lived on a farm. Her father was president of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Kinmundy at the time of his death, which occurred at the age of seventy-seven years. In their family were ten children, seven of whom lived to maturity, but were short-lived people.
Six children were born to the subject and wife as follows: Jane who was born in 1871, died when two and one-half years old; Charles H., who was born in 1874, is now living in Oklahoma and is the father of six children : Nellie A., who was born in 1876, is the wife of M. E. Huston, who lives at Maroa, Illinois, and is the mother of one child; Isaac D. was born in 1879 and is now associated with his father in the mill, is mar- ried and has three children; Robert L., who was born in 1880, is living in the state of Washington, is married and has one child; William G., born in 1882, died at the age of twenty-one years.
The subject's first wife passed away in 1883. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. Mr. Ingram was married a second time, the date of his last wedding occurring in 1888. Nancy I. Gray (nee Booth), who was then the mother of two children, was his second choice. W. H. Gray, a sketch of whose life appears in this work, is her son. Her other child is dead. There has been no issue by the subject's last union. Mr. Ingram is a member of the Ma- sonic Fraternity and he attends the Metho-
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BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF
dist church, of which his wife is a faithful land, locating at Albion, Edwards county, member. In politics he supports the Re- publican ticket and he takes a keen interest in public affairs, though he has no ambition for the honors or emoluments of public of- fice, preferring to give his attention to his own business affairs.
JOHN F. JOLLY.
The most elaborate history is necessarily an abridgement, the historian being com- pelled to select his facts and material from a multitude of details. In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man the writer needs touch only those salient points which give the keynote of the character, but eliminating much that is superfluous. Thus in giving the life rec- ord of the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch sufficient will be said to show that he is one of the enterprising and pro- gressive citizens of Richland county, being a well known horticulturist and hardware merchant.
John F. Jolly was born at Grayville, White county, Illinois, December 2, 1850, the son of John B. and Elizabeth (Ferri- man) Jolly, the former a native of Edwards county, of English parents, and the latter of Jamaica, who came with her parents to Edwards county when a child, settling in Albion. Stephen Jolly, grandfather of our subject, emigrated to America from Eng-
this state, where he died soon after the birth of J. B. Jolly, who is now eighty-four years old and the oldest resident at Grayville, hav- ing removed to the latter place about 1847, where he engaged in merchandising for many years. He accumulated a comfortable competency and is now retired. His wife passed away in 1851. The subject is the only child of his parents, his mother having died when he was an infant. He was reared in Grayville, having been educated in the public schools there, also went to school at Normal, Illinois. He became deputy post- master at Grayville, which position he held for about four years, when he engaged in the mercantile business under the firm name of Jolly, Spring & Hollister, for about four years. Soon afterward, in 1877, he came to Olney and engaged in the hardware busi- ness under the firm name of Prunty & Jolly, in which business he has continued success- fully ever since. A few years later the firm name became J. B. & J. F. Jolly. In 1904 the present firm organized as Jolly, Wie- land & Richardson. These two men had been with Mr. Jolly as clerks for many years, the former as manager of the store and the latter as manager of the manufacturing depart- ment of plumbing, tinning and heating. The change was due to the impairment of Mr. Jolly's health.
They carry an extensive line of hardware, stoves, tinware and in fact a complete and carefully selected stock of such things at all times, and they carry on a very extensive trade throughout the county.
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Mr. Jolly was united in marriage in 1880, to Mary Morrison, a native of Olney, the daughter of George D. and Kate (Snyder) Morrison, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Lawrence county, Illinois. The Morrisons were originally from Virginia, and the Snyders of Kentucky. The mother resides with her daughter, Mrs. Jolly, in Ol- ney. The father died in 1873, at the age of forty-one years. One daughter has been born to our subject and wife, George Eliza- beth, who was educated at Olney in the high school and at Wellesley College. She is a winsome and talented young lady and popular in whatever society she enters.
Mr. Jolly is an active Republican. He was chairman of the County Central Com- mittee for twelve years, and was Mayor of Olney from 1895 to 1896, during which time he did many things that will be of per- manent benefit to the town, leaving more money in the treasury at the expiration of his term than ever had been and has been since. His was a most excellent business administration.
In his fraternal relations he belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mrs. Jolly is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and is president of the Ladies' Guild, which has raised more money than any similar organization, being largely responsible for the erection of the new church building.
In 1889, owing to poor health, Mr. Jolly went to California and after many months returned to his home much improved. When he came back to Olney it was with the in-
tention of quitting the confinement of the store and engaging in outdoor pursuits, and he accordingly became interested in horti- culture, and in the spring of 1890, planted the second commercial orchard in Richland county of eighty acres adjoining Olney. Since then he has bought adjoining tracts and planted additional acreage until now he owns two hundred acres of fine fruit land, set a well selected variety of trees, nearly all of which are bearing. He has been very active along these lines and is one of the best posted and well known horticulturists in Southern Illinois. His work and practical experience and demonstrations, have con- tributed much to the interest taken by others in bringing Richland county to the front as one of the leading fruit sections in this part of the state, and he now has one of the finest and best kept orchards in the state, from which in 1902 from one hundred acres he sold the apple crop for ten thousand dol- lars, it having produced ten thousand bar- rels. He employs modern methods in his horticultural work, and his farm buildings and equipment are of the latest and most up- to-date in this section of the state. The spraying plant is without doubt the most complete in Southern Illinois, if not in the state. He has tanks for manufacturing spray, and the cooking of the same for four thousand gallons capacity, the cooking be- ing done by steam, and gasoline engines for power in spraying. Being enthusiastic in horticulture, it naturally follows that he is a student and active in societies of this na- ture. For the past ten years he has been
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president of the Richland County Horticul- tural Society, which was organized about 1888, although its greatest and best work has been accomplished of late years. He has also been a member of the Illinois Hor- ticultural Society, and for more than seven years a member of its advisory committee, which has been of great benefit to horticul- tural interests of Richland county. The state makes appropriations for experimental work in various parts of Illinois and the money is judiciously expended by the advis- ory committee at such points wherein their judgment the best results can be obtained.
Mr. Jolly is a public-spirited man, always ready to do what he can in furthering the interests of the county, and he is regarded by all as one of the county's most useful citizens, and numbers his friends by the scores.
W. S. CONANT.
Marion county, Illinois, is characterized by her full share of the honored and faith- ful element who have done so much for the development and upbuilding of the state and the establishment of the institutions of civ- ilization in this fertile and well favored sec- tion. Among these worthy native sons the name of the subject of this sketch is properly installed.
W. S. Conant was born in this county, September 22, 1854, the son of William R., and Fannie (Swift) Conant. Grandfather Conant was a native of Massachusetts, who moved from that state to Georgia and then
to Illinois, settling in Marion county, com- ing here in an early day and being the first school teacher in the county. He entered land here and farmed for some time, having passed to his rest about 1840, at the age of about fifty years. His wife died within one week of her husband. Grandfather Swift was a native of Tennessee, who moved to this county about 1830, entering land here which he developed into a farm and where he reared his family. He died a short dis- tance from where he first located, having moved to the former place, his death occur- ring about 1870, when he was about sev- enty years old. His widow survived him about ten years. She was a Presbyterian. There were five children in this family, all of them living to maturity.
The father of the subject was born in Georgia and came to Illinois with his par- ents when he was but a boy. His father being a teacher, he received some education, but the father of the subject was a hard- working man and did not take time to prop- erly improve his education. He was always a farmer. He entered land which he later added to by purchase until he had a valu- able farm of two hundred acres, which he left at his death. The mother of the sub- ject died when she was two years old, in 1856, his father having died at the age of forty. He was a Democrat in political be- lief.
W. S. Conant, our subject, had the ad- vantage of a common school education, and having applied himself in a diligent manner he became fairly well educated, not leaving
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the school room until he was nineteen years old. He worked on his father's farm until he was twenty, when he went to work on his own account. He farmed with his brother- in-law, then rented a farm and so continued for four years. He then bought a farm in 1881 of three hundred and twenty acres. It was unimproved prairie land, but the sub- ject devoted seven years of hard work on the place and developed a fine and well im- proved farm. He still owns this place. He then bought a residence property, and in time sold that and purchased the farm where he has since resided, which consists of twenty-four acres on which there is a modern and substantial residence together with convenient out-buildings. The subject carries on general farming in a most suc- cessful manner, skillfully rotating his crops so as to keep the soil in good productive condition. He also devoted much time to stock-raising, being a good judge of all kinds of live stock, especially cattle and horses. He frequently feeds for the mar- ket, but is now selling his stock for other purposes. He raises a good class of horses. For six years he engaged in buying and sel- ling live stock in connection with his farm- ing and made this business a success in every particular.
Our subject was united in marriage in November, 1877, to Agnes I. Morgan, daughter of J. B. and Martha (Doolen) Morgan, who came to this county at an early day. There were two of the Doolen brothers who went through the Civil war, and are living in 1908.
Six children have been born to the sub- ject and wife, as follows: Martha, born in 1880, who died in infancy; Gracie; Flor- ence, who was born in 1881, died when three years old; William, who was born September 22, 1885, died when six years old; George, who was born July 8, 1887, is a farmer, married and has one child; Clarence C. was born July 14, 1894; Lewis was born in 1897, is single and living at home.
The subject is a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, in his fraternal relations, and also a Modern Woodman, be- longing also to the Royal Neighbors, having filled all the chairs in an able manner in the Woodmen. In his religious affiliations he subscribes to the Methodist Episcopal church, South, as does also his wife. Mr. Conant is a loyal Democrat although he does not find much time to devote to polit- ical matters.
GEORGE D. MORRISON.
The biographer is glad to herein set forth the salient facts in the eminently successful and honorable career of the well remem- bered and highly esteemed citizen of Rich- land county whose name appears above, the last chapter in whose life record has been closed by the hand of death, and the seal set thereon forever, but whose influence still pervades the lives of those with whom he came in contact. For many years he was closely identified with the industrial develop-
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ment of the county, and aided in every way ing for a time. He later established a dry possible in promoting the general good of the community.
George D. Morrison was born at Zanes- ville, Ohio, April 1, 1832, the son of George W. and Rebecca ( Potter) Morrison, the for- mer a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, the latter of Maryland. During his earlier years, the subject's father was a freighter, keeping numerous teams and transporting merchandise from Boston and other Eastern markets to the interior before the days of railroads. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was severely wounded, suffering from the wound for a number of years, ren- dering finally the amputation of his limb a necessity. After his marriage he moved to Ohio and for several years engaged in the hotel business. Later he came to Richland county, and died in Olney when about eighty years of age, his wife having died a few months previous at a ripe old age. They were the parents of twelve children. Four of their sons were soldiers in the Civil war, and five of their sons were ministers of the Gospel. One of their sons started east from Ohio in the early days with a load of sup- plies but was never heard from afterwards. The six horse team and wagon of supplies all mysteriously disappeared in the wilder- ness. Foul play by bandits or the Indians was suspected. Our subject was the ninth in order of birth. He was reared in Ohio where he received a good common school education, and after removing to Illinois at- tended an advanced school at Evanston, Il- linois. He became clerk in a store. About 1855 he came to Olney and followed clerk-
goods store just before the outbreak of the Civil war. His health beginning to fail he sold out and served one term as. Circuit Clerk of Richland county, giving entire sat- isfaction in this capacity. He was elected County Treasurer and died during his in- cumbency of this office in 1873, at the age of forty-one years. He was married in 1860 to Kate Snyder, a native of Lawrence county, Illinois, the daughter of John and Clarissa (Spencer) Snyder. They were na- tives of Kentucky, where they were reared and where they were married, and in an early day emigrated to Lawrence county, Illinois. Soon afterward in 1838, they came to what is now Richland county, and located on a farm in Claremont township, for years known as Hickory Point. This farm was entered from the government by the father of John Snyder, who was among the first settlers of what is now Richland county. Samuel Snyder was the subject's grandfather. He was a native of Pennsyl- vania, was reared in Kentucky and moved from Rockport, Indiana, to Illinois. One of his sons, Maurice B. Snyder, was Circuit Clerk after the organization of Richland county, for a number of years. Grandfather Spencer was a native of Virginia, and he moved to Kentucky in an early day. Both the subject's grandfathers served in the War of 1812. Three of grandfather Spencer's sons were in the War of 1812, also in the Black Hawk war. Spencer county, Indiana, was named in honor of this family.
John Snyder, father of Mrs. Morrison, was a farmer during his lifetime and im-
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proved a fine farm in Claremont township, where he died at the age of fifty-seven years in 1861. His wife survived several years and died at the home of her daughter at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. She was the mother of five children, four of whom are still liv- ing. Her only son, John Snyder, was a sol- dier in the Civil war, having enlisted as soon as old enough, in the Seventh Illinois Cav- alry. He was in many engagements, and his health was impaired while in the service. He now lives in Douglas county, Missouri.
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