USA > Illinois > Clay County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 38
USA > Illinois > Richland County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 38
USA > Illinois > Marion County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 38
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
Mr. Wham was born in Haines township March 25, 1848, being the offspring of Wil- liam and Louisa (Rainey) Wham, the for- mer a native of Tennessee, while the latter was born in Kentucky. The grandfather of the subject was a native of Ireland, and
326
BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF
came to America shortly after the Revolu- tionary war, settling in South Carolina on a farm. Later he went to Tennessee, where he died, and the father and grandmother of Mr. Wham moved to Marion county, set- tling in Haines township, where later the former was married. The couple entered a farm of prairie and timber land in Haines township that was purchased from the gov- ernment. He broke the land and built upon it what was then considered a very com- modious dwelling. He was a very progres- sive man, and did much to develop the region. After improving his own land he did much work for his neighbors in the way of breaking the sod, using an ox team, and to him was also due the construction of many good roads. He was a Whig and later a Republican. His wife died in 1883, and he survived her ten years. He was born in 1817, and his helpmate in 1818. They were both devout members of the Presby- terian church for many years, but in later years became members of the Methodist denomination. There were born to the couple eight children, namely: Margaret Ann, widow of James M. Mount; Martha, widow of William K. Storment, living at Cartter, Illinois; Elizabeth, deceased, was the wife of John R. Morrison; Minerva, de- ceased, was the wife of Thomas J. Holt; Jerusha, deceased, was the wife of Mathew M. Gaston; H. B., our subject ; Mathew R., deceased, and William R., living at Cartter, Illinois.
The early life of the subject was spent on a farm in Haines township. He attended the common schools and later the high
school at Centralia, Illinois. In 1871 he married Nancy Jane Stonecipher, daughter of Joshua and Nancy A. (Hall) Stone- cipher, both being natives of Tennessee and early settlers of Marion county. The sub- ject and his wife had ten children, viz .: Prof. George D., a teacher of pedagogy in the State Normal School at Carbondale, who married Edith Page, of Olney, Illinois, and who is the father of one child, John Page Wham; Nellie Eunice, wife of T. E. Maulding, East St. Louis, has one child, Howard B .; Phœbe, wife of E. P. Gaston, Centralia, Illinois, has one child, Helen, Edgar B., a successful merchant of Cartter, Illinois, married Anna Blair; Frederick, senior in law department of the University of Illinois at Champaign, Illinois; Charles, in school at Champaign, taking a literary course; Florence, at home; Benjamin in school at Carbondale, normal course; Wil- liam J., died in infancy; infant, unnamed, deceased.
Joshua Stonecipher and wife, parents of Mrs. Wham, had fourteen children and they are all dead but five, Hiram, Phœbe, Mary, Curtis and Mrs. Wham. The Stone- cipher family is very highly respected in Marion county. William Wham, grand- father of the subject, was the father of eight children, Joseph, John, Benjamin, William, Isabella, Ann, Jane and Elizabeth. Mathew Rainey, the maternal grandfather of the subject, also had eight children, all of whom are dead. They were: Louisa Ann, Jeru- sia, Jane, Sarah, Patsey, William, Robert and Samuel.
The subject has one of the most attractive
327
RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
farms in Haines township. He has con- structed a spacious dwelling and ample barns. He has been a stock raiser for many years, and handles the very best grade of horses, mules, cattle and sheep. Although he is a very busy man Mr. Wham has a great love for literature, and spends much time among his books. The subject began teaching school in 1867, and spent alto- gether twenty-five years as a pedagogue. He was a successful instructor and did much for the cause of education in Marion county, and particularly Haines township. He early became an enthusiastic champion of the State Normal School located at Car- bondale, and it is a matter of record that Marion county stands first in the state out- side of the county in which the school is lo- cated in the number of students attending that institution. It is also a fact, of which Mr. Wham may feel justly proud, that Haines township, where he taught for so many years, has furnished more students for the State Normal than any other township in Marion county. He is a Republican and has been Supervisor of Haines township twice, Town Clerk one term, besides serving as Assessor. As an evidence of his popu- larity it may be stated that Haines town- ship is Democratic normally, but Mr. Wham received an unusually large plurality. He has rarely been defeated for public office, but when he ran for County Treasurer in 1906 he was defeated by forty-two votes. Mr. Wham has been a Sunday school teacher and superintendent for a number of years, and has taken a great interest in church work.
LYDIA PHILLIPS GERBER.
Of the older residents of Claremont township there are few that are better known and more widely respected than the subject of this brief notice, who was born July 14, 1834, in Stark county, Ohio, the daughter of David and Sarah Phillips, her mother's name being Hosler and a native of Stark county. Her father was a Pennsyl- vanian and moved from there with his par- ents when almost at the age of manhood. His parents settled in Stark county, Ohio, where they lived for some years before coming to Illinois. About the year 1840, they moved and settled in Claremont town- ship, Richland county, one year before Richland county was surveyed. Lydia Phillips was then but six years of age. In Richland county her parents entered forty acres of unimproved land, the greater part of which was covered with timber. This land he (her father) bought from the gov- ernment at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. He started to clear and improve the land and built a crude log house of hewn logs. Industriously he kept adding to his property until he had two hundred acres at the time of his death. When two years in Illinois his parents left Ohio and made their home with the younger family. where they remained until their deaths, which took place when they were well on in the eighties.
Lydia Phillips remained with her parents on their farm until her marriage to Wil- liam Gerber, which was celebrated on June 20, 1856. She and her husband settled on
328
BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF
forty acres of land in Claremont township, at a later period they bought more, making a total of one hundred acres. Here they remained in peaceful married life and work- ing hard until the death of William Gerber, which event occurred on January 3, 1896, when he had reached his sixty-sixth year. He was the son of Phillip and Susannah Gerber, his mother's name being Sager, both of them being natives of Pennsylvania, where William was born on February 24, 1830. He moved with his parents to San- dusky, Ohio, then to Indiana, and later re- turning again to Ohio. Afterwards they moved to Illinois and settled in Richland county, where his parents died. They are buried in Claremont township cemetery.
Lydia Phillips was the eldest of eight children born to her parents, all of whom grew to maturity. She herself was blessed with eight children. All of them grew to maturity, but four have since died. In the order of their birth, they are: Sarah Jane, Elizabeth, Matilda K., John P., George W., Levi D., Ellen and Henry. George is the only child who married. He and his wife live on the homestead with his mother and are the parents of four children, all of whom live. They are: Inez Myrtle, Charles Os- car, Grace A., and Francis W.
Lydia Phillips Gerber attended in her early days the free schools in Claremont township near her home. The building was an old log house with a fireplace which was built of mud and sticks. The seats were four log slabs balanced upon four pegs which stood for legs. The books used were
McGuffey's readers and the elementary speller and a few others which were the principal text-books of the time. Here she attended school for seventeen years and ob- tained a good share of information.
Her husband during his life was a Demo- crat in politics. In religion she and her husband and the grandparents were mem- bers of the Lutheran church in Claremont township. During her long life she has never omitted to give her church duties a proper share of attention. She has always been respected in the congregation to which she belongs.
JAMES M. DACE.
Among the representative business men of Marion county is the subject of this sketch, who is at present proprietor of a well known and flourishing restaurant in Odin, and who is carrying on his line of business with that enterprise and discretion which are sure to find their sequel in definite suc- cess.
James M. Dace was born in Monroe City, Monroe county, Illinois, on April 18, 1861, but was educated in the public schools of this county, where he applied himself in a careful manner and received a good educa- tion. He later took a commercial course in the Bryant and Stratton Business College of St. Louis. After leaving school, our subject devoted himself to farming, having while attending school worked on his fa-
329
RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
ther's farm. This he followed with success attending his efforts until 1888, then he traveled for a period of seven years for the D. M. Osborn Company, successfully han- dling a line of agricultural implements, and obtaining a large amount of trade for them. In 1895 Mr. Dace gave up his position on the road and opened his present business in Odin, that of conducting a restaurant. His success was instantaneous, and he has since conducted the same with much satisfaction attending his efforts, his neat, well equipped and carefully managed restaurant being known far and wide to the transient visitors to Odin, as well as to numerous local pa- trons. Here is served the very best grade of materials that the market affords and all guests are accorded the kindest considera- tion and most courteous treatment, so that a customer is never lost, but all speak in praise of our subject's place of business, which would be a credit to any town, much less one the size of Odin.
Mr. Dace has long taken considerable in- terest in public affairs, his unusual talents having been recognized early by his many political friends, so that he was sought out for public office, with the result that he has been Supervisor of his township for the past twelve years which position he has held with great credit to himself and with satisfaction to all concerned. In politics he is a loyal Democrat.
The married life of Mr. Dace dates from 1884, when he was united in the bonds of wedlock with Lulu Charlton, a native of this county and a daughter of Sidney and
Henrietta (Gaines) Charlton, natives of this county. The paternal grandfather ot our subject's wife came to this county in an early day, taking up twelve hundred acres of land, which he developed and on which he raised his family and where he died, hav- ing lived to an old age. His wife, who is still living, is very old.
The subject and wife have no children living. Mrs. Dace belongs to the Christian church. Our subject in his fraternal rela- tions is a member of the ancient and honor- able order of Masons, the Knights of Pythias and tlie Woodmen, having filled many of the chairs in the latter. He at present holds offices in two of these lodges. He also belongs to the Red Men. Mr. Dace has always been known as a man of sound business principles, kind hearted, liberal and pleasant to all.
JACOB BURGENER.
It is almost unnecessary at this time to speak of the part played by European exiles in the upbuilding of this nation. They came here prior to the Revolution, the stream grew larger and more constant at its close, and they have still continued to come in large numbers. We have always plenty of room for them and they pay us back, and have paid us back, by their industrious and frugal lives and by their contributions to the pros- perity of our United States.
The subject of this sketch comes of a mid European race-the hardy Swiss mountain-
330
BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF
eers. Jacob Burgener was born in the Can- ton of Bern, Switzerland, on June 3, 1845, the son of Jacob and Anna Burgener. His parents were both natives of Switzerland. where his father was born. In April of the year 1847 the subject of this sketch came with his parents to the United States, land- ing in New York harbor. The voyage across the vast stretches of the Atlantic ocean was a tedious one in those days and their trip in a sailing vessel was of forty-six days' duration having been beaten out of their course sev- eral times by storms ; many hundred sharks followed at times in the wake of the ship; and many of the emigrants died at sea, their bodies being sewed in a sack in lieu of a shroud and then thrown overboard to make food for the sharks.
On their arrival in New York they set out for Richland county, Ohio, where they rent- ed a farm and remained for two or three years. In the year 1850 they migrated over- land in wagons from Ohio to Illinois, where they settled in Richland county, Preston township. Here they worked on the farm of an old inhabitant named Jacob Yoggy, and some few years later they entered eighty acres bought from the government at the current price of one dollar and a quarter an acre in Preston township, and later added forty acres. Eighty acres of this land was mostly prairie land, and forty acres con- tained timber, and there was not even a fence or a well on the property. Jacob Burgener began at once to improve his holding and built a log house with a long shed on the side running the full length of the house. In
this shed the cows were kept and the noise of the cow-bells ringing every night sounded almost like alarm clocks to the family. A log stable was also built and fences were put up, and in this work the family were helped by an uncle, William Van Alman, who broke many an acre of the ground. At this time the subject of our sketch was nine or ten years old. His grandfather Burgener was also with them, having come from Switzer- land. He also settled in Preston township where he lived until his demise, being buried in the German Reform cemetery, Preston township, aged eighty years.
Jacob Burgener was about fourteen or fif- teen years old when his mother died. She is buried in the German Reform cemetery in Preston township. Her mother and fa- ther were born in Switzerland, when mother died father came to the United States, and she had two brothers and three sisters who helped to swell the tide of emi- gration to the United States. Some time after his mother's death his father mar- ried again, his second wife's name being Margaret Stucchi. She died in the year 1903 and is also buried in the German Re- form cemetery in Preston township. Jacob Burgener remained with his father on the farm until about twenty-two years of age. During his years on his father's farm rattle- snakes abounded there. Herds of wild deer, wolves and wild game were also in evidence, the wolves, especially, being so numerous and ferocious that they did not dare let the sheep out at night.
At the age of twenty-two Jacob Burgener
33I
RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
left his father's farm and went to work for some neighbors, obtaining a wage of about thirteen or fourteen dollars per month. In December, 1871, he married Anna Combs, who was born in Claremont county, Ohio. She was the daughter of Abner and Eliza- beth Combs, her mother's name being Eliza- beth Smizer, natives of Ohio, who came to Illinois and settled in Preston township in the year 1860, where they built a fine house and barn and spent about two thousand dol- lars in improvements upon their farm of over three hundred acres. Mrs. Burgener's fa- ther died in 1884 and her mother still sur- vives, living in Preston township at the age of ninety-two years.
On his marriage Jacob Burgener settled on a farm of forty acres in Olney township, which his father-in-law had given him, and there he remained until his removal to his present farm of two hundred acres in Clare- mont township in the year 1881. While liv- ing in Olney township his wife died on Feb- ruary 23, 1878, in her thirty-first year, and was buried in Olney. Three children were born of the marriage, two boys and one girl, all of whom are now married and have fami- lies of their own. Their names are: Wil- liam A., Harry L., and Winona. William A. lives in Olney township on a one hundred and sixty acre farm. Harry L. lives in Clare- mont township on forty acres of fine im- proved land. Winona is the wife of Charles Elliott and lives in Montana.
Jacob Burgener re-married on October 15, 1881, Sophia (Fritchle) Garber, widow of John Garber. She was born September 2,
1845, in Olney township, Richland county, Illinois, being the daughter of Jacob and Lydia (Strathe) Fritchle. Her father was a native of Germany and her mother of Pennsylvania. They were married in Ohio and lived for some time near Canton, Ohio, afterwards, about the year 1839, coming to Richland county, Illinois, and settling on the farm on which they lived until their deaths. Her mother died in the year 1857 and her father in 1899, at the age of eighty-one or eighty-two years. Both lie buried in the Lutheran cemetery in Claremont township, situated near where the old log church used to stand. By her first marriage the second Mrs. Burgener had four children, only one of whom is living. They were: Jake P., Daniel, Charles, all deceased, and Mary E., who is living and is married to William H. Haulterman, the owner of a splendid farm in Jasper county, Illinois.
Jacob Burgener in his young days attend- ed about two winter terms at the free school in Preston township. His work at home on the farm interfered with his school attend- ance and he consequently did not receive much education. He was quick to learn. however, and became proficient in reading, writing, spelling, and some arithmetic. He has been active in the life of the township and county, is a Democrat in politics, and has served a term on the county grand jury at Olney. He and his wife and the members of their family all belong to the Lutheran church, his first wife being a Methodist. The Burgeners have always been known to take an active part in church affairs.
332
BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF
During his lengthy life Jacob Burgener has worked hard and prospered and as a re- sult has two hundred acres of fine farm land well improved. He is now past his sixty- second year, with his present wife the same age, and he enjoys fairly good health. He is an influential man in the township and well known and respected by his neighbors.
BENJAMIN F. NORFLEET.
This venerable and highly honored citi- zen of Raccoon township, represents that class of noble American citizens who spend their lives in the rural districts, the great producers, on whom the rest of the world depends, and his life has been so active and carefully lived that success has attended al- most his every effort.
Benjamin F. Norfleet was born in Mont- gomery county, Tennessee, May 29, 1832, the son of Marmaduke and Malinda (Mc- Fadden) Norfleet, natives of Montgomery county. The subject's grandfather was James Norfleet, a native of North Carolina. He married in that state, but lived in Mont- gomery county, Tennessee, most of his life. He was a farmer and raised a good deal of fruit. He was noted for the fine apple and peach brandy which he made. He and his wife died in that county. They were the parents of three sons and four daughters. He was of Welsh descent. There were three brothers of the Norfleet family who came to America, namely: James, Marmaduke and Starkey. They settled in North Caro-
lina. . The subject's grandfather, David McFadden, was a native of Ireland. He married Elizabeth Elliott. He came to America shortly after they were married. He came first to this country and in six months sent for his wife. He settled in Montgomery county, Tennessee, on the Red river. He got six hundred and forty acres of government land. He cleared a great deal of the land and built a fine home on it. He was a farmer and a successful business man. They lived the rest of their lives in Montgomery county and reared a large family. The subject's father and mother were both born in Montgomery county, Tennessee. The former was educated in the home schools and was a self-learned man and became a good scholar. He was a carpenter and farmer. In 1855 he went to Stewart county, Tennessee, and bought a farm there. He was Justice of the Peace, was active in Democratic politics. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Norfleet died in Stewart county, Tennessee. They were the parents of thirteen children, namely: Ben- jamin Franklin, our subject; David, a farmer in Stewart county, Tennessee; Hen- ry A., a farmer in Stewart county, Tennes- see; George, a farmer in the same county ; Virginia, who lives in the same county ; Josephine L. also lives in that county ; Mary Elizabeth became a resident of Wil- liamson county, Illinois, where she died. The rest of the children are all deceased.
The subject of this sketch had only a lim- ited education, obtained in the subscription schools. He lived at home until he was
333
RICHLAND, CLAY AND MARION COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
twenty-two years of age. He was united in marriage October 10, 1855, to Josephine Hamlett, of Montgomery county, Tennes- see, the daughter of James and Jane (At- kins) Hamlett, the former of North Caro- lina, and the latter of Montgomery county, Tennessee, to which county the former went when ten years of age. He was a carpen- ter and cabinet maker, and he and his wife lived in that county the rest of their lives. They were the parents of eight children, namely : James, deceased; Frank is a car- penter in Marshall, Texas; Mary Jane is deceased; the fourth child died in infancy ; Jackson is deceased; Josephine, the sub- ject's wife; Maria, of Nashville, Tennes- see; Margaret, of Clarksville, Tennessee.
Eleven children have been born to the subject and wife, one of whom is deceased, namely : Emma is the wife of F. G. Boggs, of Raccoon township, whose sketch appears in full on another page of this volume; Marmaduke, a farmer in Raccoon township, married Lucy Boggs; Edgar, who is con- nected with "The Houston Post," at Houston, Texas, married Belle Clayburn ; Ella died young; Jefferson, who married Minnie Brown, is a farmer at Springfield, Illinois; Dora, who married Ira Richard- son, lives at Muskogee, Oklahoma ; Thomas M., who is an engineer in a coal mine at Springfield, Illinois, married Hattie Few; Sidney, a carpenter living at St. Louis, Mis- souri, married Nettie Stader; Beulah, the widow of William Stewart, lives at Centra- lia, Illinois; Benjamin F., Jr., who lives in Lexington, Kentucky, married a Miss Mc- . furnished home.
Murphy. He is a well known professor in that city, being connected with a correspon- dence school there. Starkey, the youngest child, who married Ava Davis, is a farmer at Muskogee, Oklahoma.
After our subject married he and his wife lived in Montgomery county, Tennessee, until 1865, when he went to Trenton, Ken- tucky, where he purchased a farm. He also worked at the carpenter's trade until 1870. He came to Marion county, Illinois, lo- cating in Raccoon township, on Tennessee Prairie, where he rented land for one year and bought eighty acres in section 22 and twenty acres in section 27, on which he built a house and lived there for twenty years, when he bought his present place of forty acres known as the Wesley Willis place in Raccoon township. He has worked at the carpenter's trade since he was sixteen years old, and, being thus naturally gifted, he became a very fine workman. He has worked at his trade with much success. He has been a most excellent farmer. He re- tired in 1905. He learned his trade from his father. A great deal of the time he pre- ferred to rent his land and follow carpentry.
Mr. Norfleet has served as Highway Commissioner for five years, and two terms as school trustee; also two terms as director. He is a Democrat in his political relations. Mrs. Norfleet is a member of the Christian church and the subject is a member of the Free Will Baptist church. Members of the Norfleet family are well known in Marion county and they have a modern and nicely
334
BIOGRAPHICAL AND REMINISCENT HISTORY OF
LUTHER HOLT, M. D.
Although but in the meridian of life the subject of this sketch has had wonderful success in alleviating the ills and sufferings of his fellow men, and in Haines township, Marion county, he is regarded as a credit to the noble profession in which he has been engaged for more than twenty years. His boyhood days were spent on a farm, but early in life he showed a desire to become a medical practitioner, and when his school days came to an end his parents decided that the longing of his heart should be realized.
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.