USA > Illinois > Clay County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 3
USA > Illinois > Richland County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 3
USA > Illinois > Marion County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 3
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B. E. Martin was born in what was for- merly Estillville, now Gate City, Virginia, February 27, 1845, the son of John S. Mar- tin, also a native of Virginia and the repre- sentative of a fine old Southern family. The father of the subject was Clerk of the Court in his home county for a period of twenty- four years. He moved to Illinois in 1846 and entered government land near Alma, the land that Alma now stands on. He laid out the town of Alma and there went into the mercantile business, in which he remained until the breaking out of the Civil war. He died in that town in 1866. He was a man of unusual business ability and became well known in his community. The mother of the subject was Nancy Brownlow, a native of Virginia. She dide shortly after she moved to Illinois. She is remembered as a woman of gracious personality. Seven chil- dren were born to the parents of our subject. four sons and three daughters, named in or- der of birth as follows: Eliza, deceased; Mrs.
Nancy Bradford, of Greenville, Illinois; Emily, deceased; Robert; Mrs. Kate Ben- nett, of Greenville, Illinois; Thompson G., of Salem; B. E., our subject, being the youngest. The father of these children was married three times, his first wife being Ma- linda Morrison, of Estillville, Virginia, to whom three children were born, two dying in infancy, the one surviving becoming Col. James S. Martin, now deceased, who lived to be eighty years of age, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. The sec- ond wife was the mother of the subject of this sketch; the third wife was Jane See, to whom one child was born, who died in the Philippine Islands.
B. E. Martin, Sr., was reared in Alma, this state, remaining there until he was six- teen years of age, attending the local school. When only sixteen years old he could not re- press the patriotic feeling that prompted him to shoulder arms in defense of the nation's integrity, consequently on July 25, 1861, he enlisted in the Fortieth Illinois Volunteer In- fantry. He was in many skirmishes and en- gagements, having fought in the great bat- tle of Shiloh, where his regiment lost two hundred and forty-seven men in the two days' fight, and he was in several small en- gagements as they advanced on Corinth. His brother, Thomas G., was in every en- gagement and skirmish in which this regi- ment was involved, never being sick a day, and never missing a roll call. He enlisted in 1861 and at the expiration of his term of three years re-enlisted as a veteran and served until the close of the war. Our sub-
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ject had three brothers and one half-brother in the army.
After his career in the army Mr. Martin went into the drug business at Greenville, Illinois. He later went to Olathe, Johnson county, Kansas, where he engaged in the same line of business from 1867 to 1869; then he returned to Marion county, Illinois, and resumed the drug business here, in which he remained a short time. Selling ·out his stock of drugs, he began selling agricultural implements, adding the lumber business in connection with his brother. He made a success of all the lines in his vari- ous locations. In 1877 he established his present business, that of wholesale seeds, in which he has quite an extensive trade, hav- ing become known as the leading seed man in this locality, consequently his trade ex- tends to all parts of the country. He uses the most modern and highly improved ma- chinery for cleaning seeds.
Our subject was united in marriage in November, 1866, to Florida Cunningham, who was born and reared in Salem, the daughter of John Cunningham, then a mer- chant of Salem. He was a man of honest principle and influence in his community.
Eight children have been born to the sub- ject and wife, one of whom died in infancy, the others are now living in 1908. They are: Mary, the wife of Charles T. Austin, of Indianapolis; B. E., Jr., who is engaged in the general mercantile business in Salem; Bertha is the wife of John Gibson, living in Manila, Philippine Islands; Nancy is living in Salem; John C. is cashier of the Salem National Bank; Edith and Gena.
The subject has achieved success in an eminent degree owing to his well directed energy and honesty and persistency. He is a stockholder and director of the Salem Na- itonal Bank. He owns a modern, comfort- able and nicely furnished residence.
Mr. Martin has served as Supervisor of Salem township. He discharged the duties of this office with his usual business alacrity and foresight. He is a Democrat and has always been active in politics. In his fra- ternal relations he affiliates with the Ma- sons. He also belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, also the Gid- eons. He is an honorary member of the Woodmen, and he is well and favorably known in lodge circles, business life and social relations, being regarded as one of the most trustworthy and substantial citi- zens of Salem and Marion county.
Before closing this review it would not be amiss to quote the following paragraph which appeared in a Salem paper some time since under the caption, "A Remarkable Record" :
"There resides in this city four brothers who have a record which is remarkable and doubtless without a parallel among their fellow countrymen. They were all soldiers in the Civil war; two enlisting in the Forti- eth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, and the other two in the One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment of this state in 1862. They participated in every battle in which their respective regiments were engaged. were never in a hospital, and none of them ever received the slightest wound, notwith-
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standing they were in the thickest of fights where thousands were slain or wounded. At the battle of Shiloh nearly three hundred of the Fortieth Regiment were killed or wounded, but 'Tom' and 'Ben' were among those who came out without a scratch. These four brothers with the remarkable record are James S., Thomas, Robert and Benjamin E. Martin, honorable, substantial citizens of Salem."
HON. CHARLES E. HULL.
One of the notable men of his day and generation, who has gained success and rec- ognition for himself and at the same time honored his county and state by distin- guished services in important trusts, is Hon. Charles E. Hull, of Salem, who holds worthy prestige among the leading business men of Southern Illinois. Distinct- ively a man of affairs whose broad and liber- al ideas command respect, he has long filled a conspicuous place in the public eye, and as a leader in many important civic enterprises as well as a notable figure in the political arena of his day, he has contributed much to the welfare of his fellow men and at- tained distinction in a field of endeavor where sound erudition, mature judgment and talents of a high order are required. Aside from his honorable standing in pri- vate and public life, there is further pro- priety in according him representation in the work, for he is a native son of Marion
county, which has been the scene of the greater part of his life's earnest labors, his home being in the beautiful and attractive little city of Salem, where he it at present the head of a large and important business enterprise, and where he also commands the esteem and confidence of all classes and con- ditions of the populace.
Mr. Hull belongs to an old and highly esteemed family that figured in the early history of Kentucky, to which state his great-grandparent, John Hull, emigrated from New Jersey in 1788. Here Samuel Hull was born in 1806. About the year 1815 the Hulls disposed of their interests in the South and migrated to Illinois, settling at Grand Prairie, Clinton county, where John Hull died in 1833. Before his death he sent his son, Samuel, into what is now the county of Marion to a place near the site of Wal- nut Hill, where he, in 1823, at the age of seventeen, attended the first school ever taught in the county. At this time Marion was created from Jefferson county and the young man remained here, marrying in 1831 Lucy, the daughter of Mark Tully, the founder of Salem. He was made Recorder in 1833, which office he held until 1837, when he was made Sheriff, filling the latter position by successive re-elections six terms, the most of the time without opposition. Later in 1849 he was further honored by being elected County Judge, this being un- der the old law which provided for two As- sociate Judges, but Mr. Hull's knowledge of law together with his fitness for the position enabled him to discharge his judicial func-
Chas. E. Hence
UI IT UNIVERSITY
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RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
tions without much assistance from the hon- orable gentleman who occupied the bench with him. He proved an able and judicious judge, and during his incumbency of four years transacted a great deal of business and rendered a number of important decisions, but few of which suffered reversal at the hands of higher tribunals. Shortly after re- tiring from the bench he was appointed by President Pierce postmaster of Salem, and four years later he was reappointed by President Buchanan, holding the position during the latter's administration, and in this, as in the other offices with which he was honored, proving a capable and popu- lar public servant.
Samuel Hull was a pronounced Demo- crat and influential member of the party un- till the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he became a Republican and a great admirer of President Lincoln, whom he supported in the election of 1860, and for whom he ever afterward entertained feeling of the most profound regard. He was a prominent fig- ure in the affairs of Marion county for over eighty years, during which period he be- came widely and favorably known, and his influence was always on the side of right as he saw and understood the right. During his later years he lived a life of hon- orable retirement at his beautiful rural home near Salem, having purchased the land from the Government shortly after coming to Marion county, building with his own hands in 1831 a double log house, which still stands-the oldest building in Marion county. This sterling citizen and faithful
official lived to a good purpose and his mem- ory is cherished as a sacred heritage not only by his immediate family and friends, but by the entire community, all with whom he was accustomed to mingle, feeling his death as a personal loss. He reached a ripe and contented old age and it is a fact worthy of note that he and his faithful wife and helpmeet died the same night after a mutually happy and prosperous wedded ex- perience of fifty-nine years. Samuel Hull and wife were held in high esteem by near- ly every citizen of Marion county, their cir- cle of friends and acquaintances being large and their names familiar sounds in almost every household in both city and country. He served in the Black Hawk war, besides participating in many other exciting strug- gles during the pioneer period, as he was a leader among his fellow men and always stood for law and order, sometimes, too, at his personal risk. The land which he en- tered and improved and on which he spent the greater part of his life is now owned by his grandson, Charles E. Hull. This piece of land, now within the city limits of Sa- lem, has the unique distinction. of the few- est transfers, it having been transferred by purchase from Samuel direct to Charles.
Erasmus Hull, son of the aforementioned Samuel and father of the subject of this sketch, was born August 31, 1832, in Ma- rion county, Illinois, and spent his entire life near the place of his birth, having for many years been identified with the town of Salem, and a leader in its business and financial interests. He was a merchant and
3
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banker and in addition to achieving marked success in those capacities he was also an enterprising man of affairs, public spirited in all the term implies and wielded a strong influence in behalf of all measures and movements having for their object the ma- terial advancement of the community and the social and moral welfare of the people. A leading spirit in the organization of the Salem Bank, in 1869, and one of the orig- inal stockholders, he was a member of the board of directors from that time until his death, and to his mature judgment, sound business ability and familiarity with finan- cial matters were largely due the continued growth and signal success of the institu- . candidates, though not a partisan in the tion. He was also interested in the Ma- rion County Loan and Trust Company, the predecessor of the bank, and always kept in close touch with the finances of the state and nation as well as with general business affairs, on all of which he was well in- formed and on not a few was considered an authority.
Mr. Hull was the first Supervisor of Sa- lem township, also Chairman of the County Board for a· number of years, besides serv- ing a long time as School Director. In these different capacities he discharged his official duties faithfully and effectively, tak- ing a leading part in educational matters and using his influence in every laudable way to promote the prosperity of the com- munity and the happiness of the people: In addition to his mercantile and financial busi- ness he was quite prominently interested in the manufacture of flour and lumber, be-
ginning to operate a mill in 1853, and con- tinuing the business with encouraging suc- cess as long as he lived. He also conducted a large packing house in Salem before the days of trusts and combines and built up an important and far-reaching industry, buying nearly all the hogs in the adjacent country and shipping his meats to the leading mar- kets, where they commanded good prices. He was a man of brain and of practical ideas, combined with solid judgment, wise foresight and he seldom failed in any of his undertakings. In politics he was an un- swerving Democrat, and an influential worker for the success of his party and its sense of aspiring for office. He discharged his duties of citizenship in the spirit becom- ing the progressive and broad minded Amer- ican of the day in which he lived, while the deep interest he manifested in his own lo- cality made him a leader in all laudable en- terprises for its advancement. His career, which was strenuous, eminently honorable and fraught with great good to his fellow men and to the world, terminated with his lamented death on the 16th day of June, 1896, in his sixty-fourth year; his taking off, like that of his father, being keenly felt and widely mourned in the town where he had so long and creditably lived, and where his success had been achieved.
Before her marriage Mrs. Erasmus Hull was Dicy Finley. Her father, Rev. William Finley, a well known and remarkably suc- cessful minister of the Cumberland Presby- terian church, came to Marion county in an
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early day and for many years labored zeal- ously to disseminate the truths of religion among the people and win souls to the higher life. During the years of his activ- ity, he traveled extensively throughout Southern Illinois, preaching and organizing churches, and it is said that the majority of Cumberland Presbyterian societies in the central and southern portions of the state were established by him, while others and weak congregations were strengthened and placed upon solid footing through his ef- forts. Mrs. Hull bore her husband three children and departed this life on May 16, 1903, beloved and respected by all with · whom she came in contact. Of her family one of the children died in infancy, Mrs. Mary Bradford being the second in order of birth, and Charles E. Hull, of Salem, the subject of this review, the youngest of the number.
On his father's maternal side the subject dates his family history to the earliest set- tlement of Illinois, his great-grandfather, the county to be run by steam. Mr. Tully Mark Tully, migrating to what is now Ma- rion county, while the feet of savages still pressed the soil and settling near the site of Salem, where there was no vestage of civili- zation within a radius of eight or ten miles, his rude cabin having been the first human habitation where the thriving seat of justice now stands. He moved here from Indiana and entered a tract of land from which in due time he cleared and developed a farm, and later when the county of Marion was set off and organized, he donated ground for the seat of justice, which was surveyed and
platted in 1823, and to which he gave the name of Salem. In honor of the town in the Hoosier state from which he came. He took an active part in the county organiza- tion, was its first Sheriff and held a number of offices from time to time, and to him be- longs the credit of keeping the first tavern in Salem, which appears to have been quite well patronized, while the town was being settled and for eighty years thereafter, being kept after his death by a daughter. He also erected a mill, the first in Salem, which was highly prized by the pioneers for many miles around, although a primitive affair equipped with the simplest kind of machin- ery, and originally operated by means of a sweep. Later it was somewhat improved and operated by horses or oxen in what was called a tread, but after the lapse of several years the original structure was remodeled, a large addition built, and new and im- proved machinery' installed, and steam power introduced, this being the first mill in was a true type of the sturdy, strong willed pioneer of his day. He was energetic, pub- lic-spirited, distinctively a man of affairs, and to him as much perhaps as to any other, is the town of Salem indebted for the im- petus which added so materially to its growth and prosperity. As a leader among the pioneers of his time, he did a work that few could accomplish and wielded an influ- ence which had a decided effect in establish- ing the social status of the community upon a high moral plane. After a long and useful career he was called from the scenes of his
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earthly struggles and triumphs in the year 1867, leaving a number of descendants, some of whom still live in Marion county, and are among the substantial and respected® people of the communities in which they re- side.
Hon. Charles E. Hull was born Novem- ber 7, 1862, in Salem, and spent his early years like the majority of town lads, assist- ing his parents where his services were re- quired, and during certain months pursuing his studies in the public schools. While a mere child, he evinced a decided taste for books and his progress in his studies was so rapid that he completed the high school course and was graduated at the early age of fourteen, standing among the best stu- dents in the class of 1877. Actuated by a laudable desire to add to his scholastic knowledge he subsequently entered the Southern Illinois Normal University, at Carbondale, where he took the full classical course, which he finished in three years, one year less than the prescribed time, graduat- ing in 1880 with the class honors.
Shortly after receiving his degree from the above institution Mr. Hull engaged in merchandising at Salem, continued to the present time a business established by Sam- uel and Erasmus Hull, in 1853, and since that time his life has been very closely iden- tified with the business interests and general prosperity of the town, in addition to which he has conducted several mercantile estab- lishments at other points and become a prominent figure in the public life of Marion
county, and the state at large. Possessing sound sense, well balanced judgment, and a natural aptitude for business, his mercantile experience soon passed the experimental stage and within a comparatively brief pe- riod he built up a large and lucrative patron- age, and became one of the best known and most popular merchants of the town. Ad- vancing with rapid strides and outstripping all of his competitors, he was soon induced to project his business enterprises into other parts, accordingly, as already indicated, he established stores in various towns and vil- lages of the county, and at one time had five of these establishments in successful op- eration in addition to his large general mercantile house in Salem, all of which proved successful and in due season made him one of the financially solid and reliable men of Marion county. After some years he closed out two of his stores but he still retains the other three, two in Salem and one in Kinmundy, and enjoys a well merited reputation as one of the most enterprising and successful business men in the southern part of the state.
In addition to his large mercantile inter- ests Mr. Hull is connected with other im- portant business enterprises, having been a director of the Salem bank since 1895, and cashier of the institution during the years 1906-7, and in 1889 he organized the Salem Creamery, which he operated for a period of fifteen years, during which time he did an extensive and lucrative business, using as high as twenty thousand pounds of milk per
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day, and making a brand of butter for which there was always a great demand. By rea- son of indifference on the part of the farm- ers in the matter of supplying milk, Mr. Hull disposed of the creamery at the expira- tion of the period indicated, the better to de- vote his attention to his other interests, which have become important and far reach- ing in their influence, adding much to the material prosperity of the city and to his fame as a leading spirit in business circles. Among the various enterprises of which he is the head, is the Salem Brick Mill, which, under the firm name of Hull & Draper, has become one of the successful industrial con- cerns of the place, also the Hull Telephone System, established in 1898, and of which he is sole proprietor. This important and much valued enterprise, one of the best of the kind in Illinois, extends to all parts of Marion county, connecting all the towns and villages and numerous private residences, besides having connection in the adjoining counties, thus bringing Salem in close touch with all the leading cities of the state and nation, and proving of inestimable value to the people as well as to the business interests of the various points on the line. Under the personal management of Mr. Hull, who has operated the plant ever since it was estab- lished, the system has been brought to a degree of efficiency second to no other.
Since the year 1894, Mr. Hull has owned The Salem Herald Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Marion county, the history of which dates from 1853. The paper origin- ally was established by John W. Merritt,
and since the above year has been the best patronized and most successful sheet in Ma- rion county, and one of the most influential in Southern Illinois, being the official organ of the local Democracy, and a power in the political affairs of this part of the state. Un- der the management of Mr. Hull it has steadily grown in public favor, and now has a large and continually increasing subscrip- tion list, a liberal advertising patronage, and with an office well equipped with the latest machinery and devices used in the art pre- servative, and its columns teeming with the news of the day as well as with able discus- sions of the leading questions and issues upon which men and parties are divided, it promises to continue in the future as it has been in the past, a strong influence in politi- cal affairs and a power in moulding and di- recting opinion on matters of general in- terest to the people.
Aside from the various enterprises enu- merated, Mr. Hull for a number of years was quite extensively interested in the San- doval Coal and Mining Company, of which he was general manager until disposing of his shares in the concern, and he is now and long has been one of the largest holders of real estate in Marion county, being an en- terprising and up-to-date agriculturist. In the midst of his numerous and pressing du- ties, he finds time to devote to other than his individual affairs, being interested in the community and its advancement and in all worthy enterprises for the good of his fel- low men. Ever since arriving at the years of manhood he has been a leading factor in
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public matters, and in a material way has been untiring in his efforts to promote the prosperity of Salem and Marion county, tak- ing an active interest in all movements and measures with this object in view besides in- augurating and carrying to successful issue many enterprises which have tended greatly to the general welfare of the community. In political matters and kindred subjects he has not only been interested but has risen to the position of leader. He has been a life-long Democrat, and since his twenty-first year has exercised a strong influence in the polit- ical affairs of Marion county, and became widely and favorably known in party circles throughout the state, a prominent figure in local, district and state conventions, he has borne a leading part in making platforms, formulating policies; as a campaigner, he is a judicious adviser in the councils of his party, a successful worker in the ranks, and to him as much if not more than to any other man in Marion county, is the party in- debted for its success in a number of ani- mated and exciting political contests.
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