USA > Illinois > Clay County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 44
USA > Illinois > Richland County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 44
USA > Illinois > Marion County > Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois > Part 44
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He worked in a carding mill in Salem for some time, and had the weave made up into clothes. The paternal grandfather of the subject was Joshua Woodard, who was a native of Pennsylvania and who migrated to Ohio and then to Illinois with his son, the father of our subject. He made a suc- cess of whatever he undertook, being a man of sterling qualities, like most of the pio- neers of the country of those early days. He finally went back to Ohio where he died.
The mother of our subject was Ann All- mon in her maidenhood, the representative of a fine old family in Tennessee. Her peo- ple finally moved to Marion county, Illinois, where she passed to her rest in 1884. Four children were born to the subject's parents, W. R., our subject; A. J., who lives on a farm near the old home place; Elizabeth
Ann, widow of J. H. Scott, living near Tonti; Ann, who died in infancy.
Our subject was reared on his father's farm and attended the country schools in that neighborhood, having applied himself in such a manner as to gain a fairly good education for those primitive school days. He lived on the old farm where he made a decided success at agricultural pursuits un- til he moved to Salem in 1904. He erected a house on the old homestead for himself, where he spent his years of labor in com- fort and plenty. Mr. Woodard was united in marriage in 1871 to Mrs. Martha N. (Deeds) Nichols, whose parents came to this state from Virginia when she was one year old. She was always known as a wo- man of many fine personal traits. Four children were born to the subject and wife, all deceased, three having died in infancy, and the fourth after reaching maturity. Our subject always took considerable in- terest in public affairs and he was ap- pointed postmaster of Tonti after his father gave it up. He has also been hon- ored with township offices in Tonti town- ship.
Mr. Woodard is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Salem. and his wife is also a consistent member of this church, both ranking high in the con- gregation of the same. Our subject has spent his long and useful life in Marion county, and it is interesting to hear him tell of the early days when Salem was a small hamlet with but a few houses and much wild game was in the great forests and on
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the uncultivated prairies roundabout. He has been a man of good business judgment and a hard worker, consequently he has made a success of his life work which has always been carried on in an honest man- ner. He owns a good residence in Salem, where he is regarded as a good law abiding citizen, and where he has many personal friends.
JOSEPH GOSS.
We rarely find two persons in every-day life who attribute their success in their dif- ferent spheres to similar qualities. Hard work and plodding industry paved the way for one, good judgment and a keen sense of values for another, intuition and a well balanced mind for the third. An admix- ture of some of the qualities above named, emphasized by hard work and plodding in- dustry, has been responsible for the success of the subject of the present sketch in his battle for the spoils of victory.
Joseph Goss of German township, Rich- land county, is a familiar figure in the life of his township and county. He was born on the 3d of October, 1833, in Stark coun- ty. Ohio, the son of Jacob and Margaret (Bolinger) Goss, both natives of Stark county, Ohio. His grandparents on the father's side. came from Germany. They married in New Jersey, and after having spent a short time in Pennsylvania, moved to Stark county, Ohio, where the father of our subject was born, and where they lived
until the death of the elder Mrs. Goss. At that time Grandfather Goss came to Illi- nois, where he died at the age of ninety- five, being buried in Goss cemetery in Ger- man township. The father of Joseph Goss remained with his parents until his mar- riage to Margaret Bolinger in Stark county, where he removed to a farm of his own on which he remained until he came to Illinois in the year 1840. The journey to Illinois was made overland, bringing with him his fam- ily of eight children, one of whom was Jo- seph, then only seven years of age. In German township they entered one hundred and twenty acres of government land, pay- ing one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre for it. It was all timber land and totally unimproved. They set about clearing it, cut down trees and hewed out logs with which a rough log house was built. It was a small family dwelling, eighteen feet by twenty in area, and having four windows and two doors. A log stable was also built. As fast as Jacob could clear the land he planted wheat and corn and' from time to time added adjoining land, and owning at the time of his death about two hundred acres. His death took place on the farm. his wife having preceded him to the un- known, in the year 1861, he. himself dying in the year 1873, on April 28th, at the age of seventy-five years. Both are buried near the family home in German township. Ten children were born during their married life, of which Joseph was the fourth in or- der of birth.
Joseph Goss remained with his parents,
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helping them in their arduous tasks until his twenty-seventh year, at which time he married Julia Gerber, on May 14, 1860, their marriage taking place in Richland county. His wife was born in Pennsyl- vania in the year 1831, and was the daugh- ter of Philip and Mrs. Gerber. Her family came to Richland county from Pennsyl- vania, in the year 1845, where they re- mained until their deaths. Julia Gerber re- mained with her parents until her marriage in 1860.
At the time of his marriage, Joseph Goss bought some timber land, ninety acres in Claremont township, and for many years he put in much hard work clearing, fencing and improving it. He built a frame house for himself and his wife. The outbreak of the Civil war occurred just then, and in the warmth of his patriotism, he volunteered for service. His services were refused, however, on account of one of his hands being somewhat crippled, but his family was well represented on the field of battle, having had two brothers and two nephews in active service, his nephews both being killed-one at the battle of Fort Donelson. His brothers luckily escaped, neither being injured nor taken prisoner. About the year 1869, Joseph Goss sold his property in Claremont township, and bought one hun- dred and twenty acres in German town- ship, the place on which he now lives. Since coming into possession he has added more land and now owns one hundred and forty acres of well improved land. His
wife died in January, 1875, aged forty-four years, and is buried in Goss cemetery. Four children were born to them, all are living, and in order of their birth they are: John Mathias. Jacob, Daniel and Emma; all are married. Jolın M. lives at home with his father; Jacob and Daniel both own farms. and live in Jasper county, Illinois ; Emma is the wife of Ernest Kennedy, a farmer, and lives in Lawrence county.
Joseph Goss remarried in July. 1888. This time he took for a wife Salome (Seil- er) Gerber, the widow of Edwin Gerber, who was a brother of his first wife. The second Mrs. Goss was born in Stark county, Ohio, September 3, 1837.
Joseph Goss did not receive a very ex- tended education-two or three terms was his limit, for farm work was urgent in his young days, and the school was five miles away, so he had to bow to circumstances. In politics he is a Democrat and he has- made his influence felt in his locality, hav- ing been in his younger days very active. He served for several years as a School Di- rector in district No. 4.
He and his wife and family are frequent in their attendance at St. James Lutheran church in Claremont township, all being in- fluential and active members of that per- suasion. His first wife was also active in the same church.
Joseph Goss's honesty and genial good fellowship have given him a recognized po- sition in the community and his life in the declining period is peaceful and sunny.
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GEORGE WOLGAMOTT.
George Wolgamott was born January 22, 1826, in Cambridge, Guernsey county, Ohio, the son of David and Sophia (Shee- ley) Wolgamott, both natives of Maryland, in which state David Wolgamott remained until his marriage at which time he re- moved to Ohio, coming overland with his wife, and encountering the usual quota of hardships which traveling in those days en- tailed. He entered three hundred acres from the government, paying one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre, in Guernsey county. It was all timber land with no improvements of any kind, but he imme- diately erected a home for his family in which he and his wife remained until their deaths. David Wolgamott died about 1878, having passed his ninetieth milestone. His widow survived ten years, dying in 1888, having also reached her ninetieth year. Both are buried in the Liberty cem- etery in Guernsey county, Ohio. David Wolgamott served about one and a half years in the Civil war in an Ohio regiment, mostly as one of the home guards in the vicinity of Columbus, Ohio. He was the father of a family of ten children, eight of whom grew to maturity, two dying in early life. Joe Wolgamott, one of his eldest sons, went through the Mexican war under command of General Taylor.
George Wolgamott remained at home until his fourteenth year when he ran away from home and volunteered for the Mexi- can war. On account of his youth he
could not be taken as a soldier and served as a hostler. Later, when he became older, he got into the regular service. The first battle he took part in was that of Buena Vista, in which he received a wound in the leg, which was the only wound he received throughout the campaign, but it did not hinder him from service, and he remained with his regiment until the close of the war. He then returned to his parents in Guern- sey county, Ohio, and resumed work on the farm. At the age of twenty-one, he came to Illinois and entered eighty acres of prairie land in German township, Rich- land county, in the fall of 1847, and he came in company with Billy K. Johnson, a banker of Coshocton county, Ohio, who also entered a great deal of land surrounding our subject's eighty acres. He then went back to Ohio in the spring of 1848, and once more farmed with his father. In 1850 his marriage with Nancy Jane Rogers took place. They left Ohio in 1852 and came overland to Illinois and settled on the land which he had already entered. On their arrival he built a log cabin, broke prairie and raised corn and wheat, and otherwise improved the land. At the out- break of the Civil war he enlisted at Olney in the winter of 1860. He had had small- pox when a boy and therefore was placed in the Union hospital in Springfield, Illi- nois, where he served as an attendant. This occupation proved too irksome for him and he ran away to New Orleans, rejoining his regiment. the Sixty-third Illinois, Com- pany A, two years later. The company
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was commanded by Captain McClure. age of forty-six. To them were born three George Wolgamott in active service then children, namely: Sylvester (deceased) ; Lillis and Ida. Lillis married Heldon Travis and lives in Topeka, Kansas; Ida is the wife of Edward Stradge, and resides in Curtis, Frontier county, Nebraska. Nancy (Fisher) Carr was born in 1838, February 27th, of that year, in Troy, New York. She lived in Troy with her parents until about three years of age, when they moved to Schenectady county, New York. Here she lived until her fourteenth year, when her parents moved to Ohio and settled in Tuscarawas county, later moving to Guern- sey county. Her parents came to Richland county, Illinois, prior to the date of her marriage to our subject. Both her parents died in Richland county, her father dying in 1879; her mother survived him for many years, dying at the age of eighty-eight years about the year 1906. Her parents are in- terred in the Wagner cemetery, German township. went through many of the principal en- gagements of the war. He marched with Sherman to the sea and took part in the battles of the Wilderness, Buzzard's Roost, Lookout Mountain, Big Shanty, Atlanta, Missionary Ridge and many others. At the close of the war he was mustered out at Springfield, Illinois. He was with his regiment at Raleigh, North Carolina, when the war ended, marched to Washington, D. C., and came to Parkersburg in open stock cars, then taking boat to Louisville, Ken- tucky, and thence to Springfield, Illinois. His wife had returned to Ohio during the war to which place he went to bring her back to Illinois. On their return home his wife soon died. Two children were born of this marriage; they were named Lemon and Emma; the former lives in Iowa, and the latter at Lewiston, Illinois; she is the wife of Anderson Whites. The subject of our sketch then married Eliza Thomp- George Wolgamott in his early years at- tended the subscription schools in Ohio. His present wife was also educated in the subscription schools in New York state, but she left school at the age of fourteen. son in 1868; she died about four years later. Three children were born to this union; one, Savannah, married William Campbell, and lives in German township. The other two children died in childhood. Mr. Wolgamott has always voted the Republican ticket, taking an active part in local politics. He was a school. director for about sixteen years in his home district. He has also been for many terms road over- seer in German township. He is a member of the local camp of the Grand Army of the Republic Post No. 745, in Chancey, Lawrence county, Illinois. He was elected George Wolgamott married shortly after, taking for his third wife Jane Foster. On November 30, 1879, he again ventured into matrimony, marrying Nancy (Fisher) Carr, the widow of David Carr, a sol- dier of the Civil war, who died in 1874, and is buried in Bridgeport cemetery. Guernsey county, Ohio, his death occurring at the
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post commander several times. Both he and his wife attend the Christian church, though neither are members of any par- ticular church.
JOHN P. WILLIAMS.
The subject of this sketch belongs to that class of men who win in life's battles by sheer force of personality and determination, and in whatever he has undertaken he has shown himself to be a man of ability and honor.
John P. Williams was born in New York City, May 10, 1849, the son of Robert Wil- liams, a native of Wales, who came to America when a young man. He was a pat- tern-maker and ship carpenter of great skill. He left New York in 1853, and went to Licking county, Ohio, where he remained until his death in 1854.
The subject's mother was Margaret Parry, also a native of Wales, who came to America when very young. She is re- membered as a woman of many fine traits and a worthy companion of Robert Wil- liams. She passed to her rest while living with our subject in Salem, July 10, 1882, to which place she had come four years pre- vious. Three children were born to the par- ents of the subject of this sketch, the only one living being John P. Williams. Row- land H., his brother, died in Salem, Decem- 10, 1890. He was appointed postmaster of Salem by President Harrison, and his death
occurred after he had served only about eighteen months. Robert, the subject's other brother, died March 10, 1877, in Licking county, Ohio. These children recived ev- ery advantage possible that their parents could give them.
John P. Williams was reared in Lick- ing county, Ohio, making his home there from the time he was three years old un- til he was twenty-eight. He received his education in that county, having applied himself in a manner that resulted in a fairly good common school education. After leav- ing school Mr. Williams engaged in the shoe making business, which he followed for. twelve years and in which he was eminently successful. He came to Salem in 1878 and worked as a solicitor for his brother who was then in the monument business, fol- lowing this in a most satisfactory manner until 1882 when he went into the life and fire insurance business, spending consider- able time on the road as a special agent in life insurance and making a marked success in this line of business.
Mr. Williams was appointed postmaster of Salem, April 1, 1898, in which capacity he served with entire satisfaction to the au- thorities and in a manner that reflected much credit upon his natural executive ability, un- til 1907. This appointment was made by President Mckinley, and he was re-ap- pointed by President Roosevelt. After leav- ing the office, Mr. Williams opened a real estate and insurance office in 1907 and has been conducting the same to the present time, building up an excellent patronage and
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is now doing an extensive business through- out this community. He represents eight old-line companies and the business of these could not be entrusted to better or abler hands, owing to Mr. Williams' popularity in Marion county, his genuine worth and integrity.
Our subject was happily married in 1873 to Laura A. Ruton, an accomplished daugh- ter of E. E. Ruton, a native of New York state. The ceremony which united this con- genial couple was performed in Ohio and their subsequent life history is one of the utmost harmony and happiness, and to this union six interesting children have been born, named in order of their birth as fol- lows: Margaret, the wife of James N. Chance, a merchant tailor of Salem; Lucy, the wife of William P. Morris, a wholesale cigar dealer of Salem; Frances, the wife of L: W. Fellows, a broker, of New York City ; Lena, who is living at home; R. Carl, who is a train dispatcher on the Missouri Pacific Railroad at Jefferson City, Missouri; Rowland L., who is living at home, and is assistant time-keeper for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company at Salem.
Mr. Williams, in his fraternal relations, belongs to the Salem Blue Lodge, Council and Chapter, Masons, and judging from his daily life one would conclude that he be- lieves in carrying out the noble precepts of this ancient and praiseworthy order. Both he and his wife are members of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church. The career of Mr. Williams clearly illustrates the possibili-
ties that are open in this country to earnes persevering men who have the courage their convictions and are determined to the architects of their own fortunes.
GEORGE BUTLER.
George Butler was born in Richlar county on July 9, 1844, being the son Samuel and Nancy (Baker) Butler, bot natives of Muskingum county, Ohi George Butler's father and mother we married in Ohio, where three children we born to them. They came to Illinois in th year 1842, making the trip overland wagons, being four weeks on the journe and they endured the customary hardship of that tedious system of travel, arriving German township, Richland county, Ill nois, in September, 1842, and entered tw hundred acres at the government price one dollar and twenty-five cents an acr all timber land, on which stood one sma log house and a log stable capable of hou ing two horses; these had been erected 1 Gabriel Reed, who had taken a squatter claim on the place, for whose good will ar the improvements Samuel Butler paid tl sum of sixty-five dollars. He had to go Palestine on horseback to make entry of tl land and was but twenty-four hours ahez of a man named Lathrop (since decease who intended making entry of the san place. Samuel Butler having successful entered the land proceeded at once to cle
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and improve same. He moved into the log house, and a few years later built a double log house, and erected other buildings. Wild animals and game, including wolves, wild turkey and deer, were in abundance. Mrs. Samuel Butler died November II, 1860, aged about sixty years. Her husband survived her about twenty years, dying November 14. 1880, aged eighty. Both are buried in Mount North cemetery, in Ger- man township. Our subject remained in the paternal home assisting his father and mother until the Civil war broke out, when he enlisted July 9. 1861, though not quite seventeen years of age at the time, having obtained his father's consent to fight for his country. He was sent to St. Louis and was attached to Company E. Eleventh Mis- souri Infantry, under Captain Levenston. He was then transferred to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for a course of training of three months. He was ordered from there to the front where he participated in some of the historic battles of the conflict, such as Island No. 10, at Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Land- ing. Corinth, Mississippi; the battle of Iuka: Holly Springs, and the siege of Vicksburg, in which he was wounded by a shell striking him in the side, which broke several ribs and inflicted other injuries. He remained for only two or three weeks in a field hospital, and again returned to his regiment with which he remained in active service until mustered out at St. Louis, Missouri. on January 23. 1866.
George Butler then returned home to his parents in Richland county, and again took up his agricultural calling in which he con-
tinued until his marriage which took place on March 2, 1869. On that date he mar- ried Buleau Burnell in Richland county. His wife was a native of Richland county, being born there on August 6, 1850. She was the daughter of Hizer and Sophia (Sumner) Burnell. Her father was born in Ohio, and her mother in Lawrence coun- ty, Illinois. The former came with his par- ents from Ohio, when only a small boy. They settled on a farm in Wabash county, where his father died when he was still young. His mother survived her husband for many years, and married a second time, a Mr. McMullen, who afterwards died. Mrs. Butler's father continued to make his home with his mother until he married Sophia Sumner, about the year 1845. He then settled in Lawrence county for three or four years, after which he came to Richland county and entered one hun- dred and sixty acres of land in Preston township, where he remained until his death, August 26, 1854. being buried in Springfield cemetery, Lawrence county. Mrs. Burnell married secondly in March. 1865. William Musgrove, and came with her family to reside in German township, where she remained until her death. Wil- liam Musgrove, the step-father of the sub- ject of our sketch, died January 13, 1895; her mother born July 21, 1826, died April 24, 1903. Both are buried in Butler cem- etery in German township. Mrs. Butler's parents had a family of three children. They were, besides herself, Quintes and Mulford, who died in childhood. Her mother by her second marriage had seven
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children, namely: Symmia, deceased; An- drew ; Mauzella, deceased ; Filina ; Effie, de- ceased; Warren and Erdie, deceased; Bu- leau Burnell remained at home with her parents until her marriage in 1869.
From the money which George Butler received and saved while serving in the Civ- il war, he bought eighty acres of raw tim- ber land in German township. On this he built a log house and made a clearing on the land and at the time of his marriage moved with his wife into the place where they lived for several years. About the year 1882 he sold the land and changed to another farm in German township in which they now reside. Their property now con- sists of three hundred and sixty-two acres of the choicest land, all of which is in Ger- man township. In 1888, the subject of our sketch had built upon his land a two- story house of seven rooms, which cost about two thousand dollars.
Our subject and wife are the parents of four children, only two of whom grew to maturity, one dying in infancy. The others are Bertha E., Burton E., and Bennie H., who died aged seven years. Bertha E. is the wife of Harvey Stoltz, residing in Zal- ma, Missouri, where Mr. Stoltz is engaged in the moving and transfer business; they are prosperous and are the parents of three children, Marrietta, Hester and George. Burton Butler married Glennie Bauman; they reside on a portion of his father's property in German township and are very successful; three children were born to them, Lady June, Trall and Katie Jean.
George Butler in his early years attended
only the subscription schools, but never continued in attendance for three months altogether. Owing to his heavy. farm du- ties and his enlistment in the army at the age of seventeen, his schooling was almost entirely neglected. He did not even learn to read at school, and never held a pen in his hand. These necessary accomplish- ments he had to acquire in after life through self-study. His wife met with much the same experience during her early life, although she is now well able to read and write.
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