USA > Illinois > Madison County > Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 1912, Volume II > Part 105
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In 1832 he was elected to the house of rep- resentatives from Madison county, which he ably represented for three terms, during two of which he was speaker of the house. His service in the legislature was broken by one term as attorney general of the state. Gen- eral Semple's ability and influence as a public leader made him one of the foremost of the Illinois Democrats of that period. Honors and large fields of useful activity lay before him. Coming when it did, therefore, the selec- tion of Mr. Semple by President Van Buren in 1837 for the vacant post of charge d'affaires in New Grenada seems to have been a distinc- tion of less degree than others which were plainly in his path had he continued his resi- dence in Illinois. He accepted the post, how- ever, and spent about four years in the heart of the South American tropical wilderness, where he made many friends and discharged his duties faithfully and well. In connection with his appointment an interesting anecdote is told. While Semple was an ardent Demo- crat and Lincoln a loyal Whig, they were per- sonally the warmest of friends. Shortly after the receipt of the appointment, the two having met, Semple informed the other of his promo- tion to the foreign diplomatic service.
"You have my congratulations, I am sure," said the man who was afterwards to be presi- dent of the nation at its greatest crisis; "but where is the scene of your activities ?"
"I was in hopes you could tell me," replied Semple, "for I haven't the slightest idea."
"My acquaintance with geography will not avail, I fear," said Lincoln. "I think we had better look it up." So the two visited a book store and after some search located the mis- sion to which Van Buren had destined Semple.
It is only briefly that the larger facts of General Semple's public career can be referred to. A studious record of his career would be to a large degree a political history of Illinois during the decades of the thirties and forties.
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His name was associated with those of practi- cally all the noted "Illini" of the period. His ability was impressed on diplomacy, state and national legislation, and the reports of the highest court of the state. This sketch will only present a concise summary of the main facts of his biography, leaving many interest- ing details to other pages of Madison county and Illinois history.
Soon after his return from South America in 1842, and on the election of Judge Sidney Breese, one of his warm friends, to the United States senate, Mr. Semple was appointed to the vacancy in the supreme court, of which he became chief justice. But a few months later, when the other seat in the federal senate was left vacant by the death of Senator Mc- Roberts, Governor Ford at once promoted his friend Semple to this important place on August 16, 1843, and he was elected to fill out the term by the legislature on December !I, 1843. Until the expiration of his term in 1847 he was one of the powers in the upper cham- ber of the national legislature. The tariff, the Texas question, the financial problems were matters to which he gave full measure of his ability, but with singular patriotism and far- sighted judgment he espoused the cause of national expansion in the troublesome Oregon question. In this connection he advocated, before the California gold discoveries made the matter a necessity, the advantage of closer communication between the Atlantic and Pa- cific coasts. The Panama Canal, now about realized after years of negotiation and work. was foreseen by General Semple seventy years ago. But when in the senate he proposed the elimination of the long and dangerous voyage around the Horn by a short cut through or over the isthmus, his speech was received with a chorus of satire and sarcasm. He was merely ahead of his time in thought and action. His associates and the general public did not often jest at General Semple, however, for his opinions had an incisive logic and perti- nence to the public welfare which could not be overlooked. His speeches at Alton and at Springfield in 1842 and 1843, on the Oregon question, were regarded as classics, and in collaboration with Stephen A. Douglas and Judge Lyman Trumbull he framed a set of resolutions expressive of western sentiment, and these, published extensively, had great weight with congress. The president and the senate were at that time agreeable to the prop- osition from the outside to divide the disputed Oregon country. and the victory of General
Semple and his associates was therefore the more noteworthy.
At the close of his senatorial term in 1847 General Semple practically retired from public life. Though loyal to his party and the politi- cal principles which had been his guide throughout his career, he was becoming more and more dissatisfied with the methods of politics, and his conviction that partisanship and selfish aims were taking the place of statesmanship increased his disinclination to continue in public life.
General Semple was connected with many of the local enterprises which are subjects for the consideration of the Madison county his- torian. He was associated in the founding of the town of Highland in 1837, and the panic of that year caused him severe losses in this and other undertakings. Alton was his home from 1837, though he was absent from the county during a considerable part of the next ten years. He laid out an addition in the upper part of the present city, which was called Sempletown. His ventures in real estate were not uniformly successful, and his advanced thought in other lines sometimes cost him money. Just as he wanted the nation to estab- lish the short route to the Pacific long before others would give the matter serious consid- eration, so he foresaw the automobile in a time when the ox wagon was deemed entirely satisfactory. He devised the self-propelling vehicle for the prairie roads of Illinois known as "Semple's Folly," but could not popularize it and lost money in the venture.
Four miles below the mouth of the Illinois river on the bluffs of the Mississippi, and extending far back into Jersey county, Gen- eral Semple bought a large estate. Here, in the heart of the forest, he built a comfortable home, where he brought his family to reside in 1853. Again he laid out a town, which he named Elsah, in memory of the Isle of Ailsa in the Firth of Clyde, near which his fore- fathers had lived in Scotland; and like them he also created a sort of patriarchal domain, of which he became the central figure. For in spite of the fact that General Semple had throughout his life sincerely held and advo- cated the most democratic sentiments, he had at heart some of the ineradicable instincts of the aristocrat. In this little retreat of his own he felt that he was sufficiently removed from the corruption of public life and the ingrati- tude of men, and here he passed the remainder of his years in a tranquil and peaceful atmos- phere. In the seclusion of this retreat he
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devoted his leisure to !'terary pursuits, and at his death left a manuscript history of Mexico and South America. The little family circle gradually decreased by the marriages of his sons and daughters, but the old homestead remained always the headquarters for the gathering of his own and his children's chil- dren. Here at Trevue, his beautiful country place, he passed away on December 20, 1866. in his sixty-eighth year. In his. youth he had participated briefly in the second war with Great Britain, somewhat later had taken part in one of the most noted of the Indian wars of the middle west, only his pressing public responsibilities withheld him from entering the service in the war with Mexico, and dur- ing his final years, from his quiet homestead overlooking the Father of Waters, he wit- nessed from afar as it were the terrific strug- gles which forever united the republic.
The personality of General Semple made him notable even in that day when there were many striking types of individuality. Six feet and three inches in height, and admirably pro- portioned, he had the erect bearing and dis- tinguished presence of those born to command. His every action was dictated by honesty and honor. To him evasions and diplomatic deal- ings of the underhand type were things to be frowned upon and not tolerated by men of character. He set a rigid standard of morals for himself and earnestly sought to have others adopt the same high ideals. He was public spirited, but not for petty purposes, a statesman as contradistinguished from the politician of the present day. His escutcheon he bore without stain through a long and hon- ored career in both public and private callings. His thoughts were pure, his purposes high and the sunset slope of life found him filled with contentment and sustained and supported by the realization of the esteem in which friends held him.
On June 5, 1833, General Semple was mar- ried to Mrs. Mary Stevenson Mizner, a daughter of Dr. Caldwell Cairns of Monroe county, who was a member of the first consti- tutional convention of Illinois and who bitterly opposed the introduction of slavery into this state. Mrs. Mizner was possessed of great beauty, accompanied by sterling qualities of mind and heart. Their wedded life was blessed with four children: Ada, now deceased, who married Napoleon Mulliken of St. Louis ; Lucy Virginia, now Mrs. Lucy V. Semple Ames, widow of Edgar Ames of St. Louis; Eugene Semple, who moved to Oregon, be-
came governor of Washington territory, and died in 1908; and Julia Ellen, now Mrs. Julia E. Scott, widow of Ashley D. Scott of St. Louis. His step-children, Lansing B. Mizner, of California, and Isabel Mizner, who married Charles Floyd-Jones, are both now dead.
FRED J. NEUBAUER is one of the prominent merchants in Madison county. He has suc- ceeded to a very large extent and he has gained the respect and esteem of the people in his community. Although he is so young, he has already become very well known in the business and political world. He has shown the mettle there is in him and his readiness to undertake any duties that may devolve on him.
He was born September 4, 1876, in Ger- many, the son of Jacob Neubauer. Jacob, the father, was a native of Germany, where he received his education. He learned the cobbler's trade and was a very good shoe- maker and mender. He was not, however, one of those who believes in the old saying that a cobbler must stick to his last. On the other hand, he spent a good deal of time in practicing on various kinds of musical instru- ments. He was a natural musician and if he had had the advantage of training would un- doubtedly have made his mark in the musical world. As it was he simply regarded music as a pastime. He married Mary Rapp, a young German girl, and after the birth of their first child he had the desire to give his child more advantages than he had had or she had been able to enjoy. He felt that America was the place to make it possible for him to get ahead. He accordingly came over alone, with the intention of sending for his wife and child after he got a footing. He came directly to Belleville and engaged in the shoe repairing business. It was not until five years had passed that he felt himself justified in sending for his family. They came to Belle- ville and joined him. He prospered and be- came well known in Belleville. He played with the Bavarian band in the town and there- by gave and experienced a good deal of pleas- ure. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Neubauer, but F. J. is the only one living.
Fred J. Neubauer came with his mother to Belleville when he was six years old. He at- tended the public schools in Belleville and was graduated from the grammar school when he was fifteen years old. He then worked in a glass factory for a year, after which he en- tered the mines at Maryville, Illinois. He
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
remained in the mines until 1901, when he entered into business for himself and he has been here ever since.
On April 28, 1896, he was married to Anna Rebeck, a native of Collinsville. She is the daughter of Martin Rebeck, and old Collins- ville resident, of Bohemian descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Neubauer were born three children. The eldest is Fred R. and he is an unusually bright boy, generally standing at the head of his class. Although he is only fourteen, he is a junior in the high school and expects to graduate when he is fifteen years old. If he continues as he has begun he will make his mark in the world. Hilda, the second child, also shows a remarkable aptitude for study. Earl Raymond is only a baby of one year, the pet of the family.
Mr. Neubauer is a member of the Red Men and 'Owls, at Collinsville, and of the Good Samaritans at Belleville. He was christened in the Evangelical faith and still holds to it. He is a staunch Republican and never loses an opportunity to support his party. He has been a Republican central committeeman since 1903. He was mayor of Maryville for one term and has been treasurer for six years. He has not reached the limit of his abilities by any means and it is whispered that his party has further honors in store for him. Every position he has held has been filled admirably, from which it is safe to infer that he could fill still higher offices to the satisfaction of everyone.
WILLIAM BLACK. The fair Emerald Isle has contributed its due quota to the citizen- ship of the United States, and it may be stated here that some of the most promi- nent business men and agriculturists in Madison county, Illinois, were born in Ire- land. An Irishman by birth, William Black was a child of but seven years of age at the time of his arrival in the United States. At the present time he is the owner of a fine farm of one hundred acres of some of the best land in St. Jacob township, and ou the same is engaged in diversified agricul- ture and the raising of stock. He was born on the 29th of March, 1842, in County Derry, Ireland, whence he accompanied his par- ents, John and Sarah (Porter) Black, to the United States in the year 1849. After disembarking in the harbor of New York, Mr. and Mrs. Black came to Madison county, Illinois, locating on a farm in St. Jacob township. Here they resided until their respective deaths, in 1874 and 1885.
They were the parents of four children, three sons and one daughter, of whom two sons are living at the present time, namely, John Black, of St. Jacob township; and William Black, the immediate subject of this review.
William Black was reared to maturity on the old homestead farm, in the work and management of which he assisted his father during the busy seasons, attending the dis- trict schools during the winter terms. At the age of fourteen years he met with an accident which made him a cripple for life. He got his right foot caught and crushed in a threshing machine, this injury necessi- tating the amputation of a portion of the limb. After this sad accident, he helped as best he could on the home farm. After his marriage, in 1870, he settled on his pres- ent finely improved estate of one hundred acres, the same being eligibly located four and one-half miles distant from St. Jacob. The well tilled fields and substantial farm buildings are the best indications of the thrift and industry of the practical owner and everything about the place shows in- telligent work and good management. In addition to general farming Mr. Black is much interested in the raising of high-grade stock and in both those lines of enterprise he has met with marked success. In poli- tics he is an unswerving advocate of the principles and policies promulgated by the Republican party. He has never been in- cumbent of any public office but at all times is ready to give his aid and influence in support of matter projected for the general good. He is not formally connected with any religious organization but attends the Baptist church, of which his wife and three children are devout members. He is a man of broad and liberal views and his own mis- fortune in life has made him a ready sym- pathizer with all manner of suffering. His square and straightforward business meth- ods have won him the unalloyed regard of his fellow men and it may be said concern- ing him that the list of his personal friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances.
On the 6th of November, 1870, was cele- brated the marriage of Mr. Black to Miss Elizabeth Moore, whose birth occurred in this county on the 23rd of March, 1853, and who is a daughter of Andrew and Mary (Sloss) Moore, both of whom were born in Ireland, of Scotch-Irish descent. The Moore family came to the United States in
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1849. Mrs. Black was reared and educated in St. Clair county, Illinois. Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Black, seven are living, in 1911, namely,-James, Will- iam, Walter, Homer, May, Elizabeth and Orrin, the latter three of whom are at the parental home. The four oldest sons are all farmers by occupation.
JACOB W. WIDICUS. At this point it is a matter of keenest gratification to the pub- lishers of this historical compilation to di- rect attention to a brief review of the career of Jacob W. Widicus, one of the prominent and influential farmers in St. Jacob town- ship, where he is the owner of four hun- dred and eight acres of finely improved land. He has ever manifested a deep and sincere interest in public affairs, and is a generous contributor to all projects forwarded for the good of the general welfare.
A native of Jarvis township, Madison county, Illinois, Jacob W. Widicus was born on the 15th of August, 1856, and he is a son of John and Catherine (Langenwalter) Widicus. The father was born in Germany, on the 8th of July, 1826, a son of Jacob and Mary C. (Greiselnner) Widicus. John Wid- icus was a lad of fourteen years of age at the time of his parents' immigration from Germany to the United States, in August, 1840. Location was made by the family on a farm in Jarvis township, Madison county, Illinois, in the vicinity of what is now Black Jack. On this homestead the young John was reared to adult age and he early began to assist his father in the work and management of the farm. Here was sol- emnized his marriage on February 15, 1855, with Catherine Langenwalter, who was born in the same village as her husband on the 3Ist of May, 1833. They passed their entire lives on the homestead estate which John inherited from his father. He achieved marked success as a farmer and stock raiser and his death occurred on the 5th of De- cember, 1895, his wife having passed into the great beyond in June, 1898. They were the parents of eight children, of whom five are living at the present time, in 1911,- George and Jacob WV. are both residents of St. Jacob township; Samuel maintains his home at O'Fallon, St. Clair county ; John lives on the old home place at Troy, Illinois, and Lizzie is the wife of Joseph Bernreuter, of O'Fallon, St. Clair county, Illinois.
Jacob WV. Widicus, the immediate subject of this review, passed his boyhood and
youth on the old farm and he attended the district schools during the winter months until he had reached the age of sixteen years. He remained at home until his twen- ty-sixth year, in 1882, and at that time was married to Miss Margaret Schoene. In March of that year Mr. and Mrs. Widicus settled on the farm in St. Jacob township on which they reside at the present time. The original tract consisted of one hundred and seventy acres, but with the passage of time Mr. Widicus has increased his landed possessions until he now has four hundred and eight acres of some of the finest land in St. Jacob township. He is engaged in diversified agriculture and the raising of high-grade stock, and in his various ven- tures has met with unusual success. In pol- itics he is an unswerving advocate of the cause of the Republican party and while he is deeply interested in community affairs the only public office of which he has been incumbent is that of a member of the board of school directors. In his religious affili- ations he is a devout member of the Ger- man Lutheran church at St. Jacob, in the various departments of whose work he is an earnest and zealous factor.
On the 28th of February, 1882, was sol- emnized the marriage of Mr. Widicus to Miss Margaret Schoene, who was born on the 26th of October, 1860, at Randolph, Illi- nois, and who was reared to maturity in St. Clair county, this state. Mrs. Widicus is a daughter of Didrich and Elisabeth Schoene, both of whom were born in the great Empire of Germany, whence they came to the United States in 1847, and were reared in Randolph county, Illinois. Concerning the five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Widicus the following brief data are here incorporated,-William J., whose birth occurred on the 7th of December, 1882, is married and resides in St. Jacob town- ship: Edward G., born on the 2nd of Octo- ber, 1884, is likewise married, and he too lives in this township; Lizzie, born May 2, 1887; Arthur S., born March 18, 1889; and Ella, born April 13, 1892. The three young- est children remain at the parental home.
FRANCIS LEDUC, for many years promi- nently known in Madison county among the more prosperous farmers of that district, was born in 1862, and is the son of John and Sophia (Henschen) LeDuc. The father was a native of France and the mother of Germany. They immigrated to America
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
at an early date, and on settling in Madi- son county John LeDuc took up the occu- pation of a farmer. They lived carefully and gave their entire attention to the mat- ter of rearing their family as well as was consistent with their means and to the ac- quiring of a home of their own.
When Francis LeDuc was yet in his 'teens he went to Denver, Colorado, where he worked with his brother at the carpenter's trade for some time. Returning to the home some years later, in 1888, on the 27th day of November, he married Miss Mary C. Plocher, of Madison county. She was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Stock- land) Plocher, both of German nativity, and was one of seven children. After his mar- riage Mr. LeDuc settled upon a small farm near to his father's home. . His worldly possessions were few, but he was rich in energy and perseverance, and as time flew by he succeeded in bettering his fortunes to a considerable extent. Fine buildings have taken the place of the primitive struc- tures which ill adorned the premises when he became the owner years ago, and in every way he has improved, amplified and built up his property, until he is now the possessor of as fine a piece of farm land as is located in Madison county. He is the proud owner of a splendid herd of Hol- stein cattle, and he ranks high among the dairymen of his locality.
Mr. LeDuc is a Democrat in his political affiliations and takes an active interest in politics. He has been for several years a school director, filling the position with all efficiency during the years of his tenure of office. The entire family are members of the German Protestant church, and Mr. and Mrs. LeDuc are members of the Court of Honor.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. LeDuc; one is deceased and the remaining four are Florence, Alvin, Clarence and Velma.
EDWARD C. JANSEN, one of the represen- tative farmers and leading citizens of Chou- teau township, Madison county, Illinois, is a native of this county and was born in Nameoki township, December 14, 1866, son of Antone and Elizabeth (Sheffil) Jansen.
Antone Jansen was born in Denmark, from whence, when a young man, he immi- grated to America, coming direct to Illi- nois, where he began life as a farm laborer. Here he met and married Elizabeth Shef- Vol. II-35
fil, a native of Germany, who had come alone to the United States and found em- ployment at St. Louis. The fruits of this happy union were two children: Rosa, wife of Fred Ferke, and Edward C., whose name introduces this sketch. When these chil- dren were young their father died, and sub- sequently their mother became the wife of Henry Meyer, by whom she had four chil- dren, all of whom are deceased except H. C. Meyer and Mrs. C. Brandes, who are now living in Granite City, Illinois.
When Edward Jansen was a boy he at- tended country school in Chouteau town- ship. His school days, however, ended with his fourteenth year, since which time his energies have been devoted to farming. He remained in Chouteau township until he was twenty-three years of age, when he went to Glen Carbon, Illinois. Four years later he came back to Chouteau township, where he has since maintained his home, and where he is now farming.
Mr. Jansen's first wife, who before mar- riage was Miss Mary Branding, died in early life, leaving him with one child, Paul- etta. For his second wife he wedded Miss Louisa Willeradt, whose untimely death left him with one other child, Luella. By his present companion, who was Christina Will- eradt, a sister of his second wife, he has two children, Harold and Gladys.
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