USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, volume II > Part 35
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W., our subject ; Mary, deceased; William, Alexander and Hugh, all of Niantic; and Ellen, who married Francis Campbell and is now living at Niantic.
The subject of this review was about fifteen years of age when he came to America, the events of the journey making an impression upon his mind which has never been forgotten. He was educated in the common schools and assisted in the work upon the farm, he and his five brothers remaining together and also purchasing land together, until they became the most prominent landholders in this part of the country. One of the farms which they acquired is now one-half mile wide and two miles long, another contains two hundred and forty acres and the farm which is owned by our subject consists of four hundred and thirty acres. The place upon which he began independently comprised one hundred acres but in 1887 he purchased the home in which he now lives. He has made many improvements, has thoroughly modernized every department under his charge and today is recognized as one of the foremost farmers in central Illinois.
On January 10, 1883, Mr. Moore was happily united in marriage, in Perry county, Illinois, to Miss Sarah Cupples, a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, and a daughter of William and Eliza (Stuart) Cupples. Seven children have brightened their home: Elizabeth, Robert, William, D. Leonard, Ray, Mary and Walter. Elizabeth has a fine education and is living at home.
Mr. Moore cast his first vote for General U. S. Grant as president of the United States in 1872 and has never departed from his allegiance to the republi- can party. Although he has not sought political preferment he has served as assessor of the township and has been a member of the school board for thirty years continuously. He was reared in the Presbyterian faith but has never held membership in any church, although he has acted as trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church at Niantic ever since it was organized. His wife and several of his children are members of that denomination. Fraternally he is identified with Harristown Lodge, No. 431, A. F. & A. M., and has served as its junior warden. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias at Niantic. He is a man of genial, social qualities and is never so happy as when in his home circle or when dispensing generous hospitality to his friends. The blessings he enjoys are very largely the results of his perseverance and untiring industry-traits inherited from worthy parents and a stanch ancestry.
CHARLES MONROE CARR.
Charles Monroe Carr, who resides on a beautiful farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 34, South Macon township, and is recognized as one of the progressive young citizens of the county, was born in Missouri, April 18, 1878. He is a son of George W. and Nancy (Gibson) Carr, the former of whom was born in Ohio in 1841 and the latter in Missouri in 1847. The father has devoted his attention to farming ever since arriving at manhood except during the Civil war, when he worked in the United States government shops in Mis- souri. He and his wife are still living. There were ten children in their family, the subject of this review being sixth in order of birth.
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Charles M. Carr was educated in the common schools and assisted his father upon the home farm until arriving at twenty-one years of age, after which he began working for wages. About 1900 he came to Illinois and at twenty-eight years of age he took unto himself a wife, soon afterwards moving to Missouri, where he continued for one year. In 1907 he returned to Illinois and is now managing a farm which belongs to his father-in-law, to which he has devoted a great deal of labor, bringing it to a high state of cultivation.
In December, 1906, Mr. Carr was happily united in marriage to Miss Ella Kraschel, who was born March 1, 1878, and is a daughter of Frederick and Nancy Jane (Poe) Kraschel, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. Carr affiliates with Beacon Lodge No. 434, Knights of Pythias, at Macon, Illinois, and is an adherent of the republican party. He is energetic and capable in the calling he has chosen as his life work and as a patriotic citizen and use- ful member of the community has a high standing among his fellows. Recog- nizing the opportunities presented in agriculture and stock-raising, he has earn- estly applied his abilities, and the neat appearance of the farm and the ample harvests yielded each year give practical evidence of his skill. He and his estimable wife have many friends in Macon county, who are attracted by their worthy qualities.
THOMAS E. O'BRIEN.
An analyzation of the life work of Thomas E. O'Brien indicates the fact that thoroughness is perhaps his predominant characteristic. It is manifest in the minor as well as the more important duties which have come to him. He displays, moreover, a genius for organization that has continued him in the position of sales manager with the Leader Iron Works from the inception of the business and secured his election to the position of vice president, in both of which offices he is still the incumbent.
He was born in the town of Tiskilwa, Bureau county, Illinois, August 26, 1879, his parents being Timothy F. and Margaret (Canty) O'Brien, the former a native of Providence, Rhode Island, and the latter of Bristol, England, although both were of Irish lineage. The mother was brought to this coun- try by her parents when two or three years of age, the Canty home being estab- lished in Bureau county, Illinois. In his boyhood days Timothy F. O'Brien went to Bureau county with his parents and there both the father and mother of our subject were reared and after reaching adult age were married. They have since resided in that county, the father devoting his entire life to farming, in which business he is still actively engaged, his home being about four miles from Tiskilwa. His political allegiance has always been given to the demo- cratic party but without desire for or hope of office as a reward for his fealty.
The usual experiences and environment of farm life developed in Thomas E. O'Brien a sturdy boyhood and his intellectual training was received in the public schools of his native county, supplemented by a course in a business col-
THOMAS E. O'BRIEN
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lege at Kewanee, Illinois. Through vacation periods he assisted his father and remained upon the home farm until his nineteenth year, at which time he went to Kewanee, Illinois, then quite noted as a manufacturing center. He sought and secured employment in the yards of the Western Tube Works, now the National Tube Works, where he was employed at loading tubes at a wage of seven dollars and eighty cents per week. This was night work. He proved ca- pable and faithful, however, and thereby won promotion, being given a position in the shops where the boilers were built and repaired. For two years thereafter he was engaged on boiler work, learning something of the detail of boiler mak- ing. Leaving that position, he entered the employ of the Kewanee Boiler Com- pany at a salary of a dollar and seventy-five cents per day. He found in this new experience that he had only gained the most rudimentary knowledge of boiler making and his real schooling began in his new position. He remained with that company for four years and his determination to learn the business thoroughly and in every detail caused him to devote much time to study aside from the practical experience which he received in the shops. He attended night school during a part of his term of service and in this way, on the expiration of his four years' employment there, he had become a boilermaker in all that the word implies, his proficiency advancing him beyond many who entered the shops about the same time. He then went upon the road as a commercial salesman for the Kewanee Water Supply Company to market a certain portion of the output of the Kewanee Boiler Company.
His position, however, was on a salary basis and after one year the Leader Iron Works of Decatur were organized as a competitive business and Mr. O'Brien resigned his position to associate himself with the new organization. In this connection he was appointed in charge of the sales department and to his ability and enterprise in that capacity much of the success of the firm may be attributed. His thorough knowledge of the business in every phase well qualified him for the superintendency of the sales department and in his capacity as sales manager he has traveled over all North America. He is in fact one of the best known men in his line in the country. Two years after connecting himself with the Leader Iron Works he was made vice president and has since served as the second executive officer. He has, however, continued in complete charge of the sales management and the progressive policy which he has insti- tuted in this connection constitutes one of the chief sources of the company's suc- cess and prosperity.
On the 23d of February, 1909, Mr. O'Brien was married to Miss Mary E. O'Neill, of Kewanee, Illinois, and they have one son, Clement Neil. Mrs. O'Brien's parents were Michael and Sarah (Aaron) O'Neill, the former a na- tive of Ireland and the latter of Pennsylvania. Coming to the United States in 1850, the father located in Kewanee, Illinois, where he was engaged in the real- estate business for some years. He died in that city in 1890 and his widow still resides there.
Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien are members of the Catholic church and he is con- nected with the Knights of Columbus. By his ballot he endeavors to support the men best qualified for office regardless of party ties. Thoroughness, the 18
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faithful performance of each day's duties, close study concerning business con- ditions, keen insight into every situation and courage to improve the opportuni- ties offered, have been the salient features in the success of Thomas E. O'Brien, a most prominent and honored representative of the industrial interests of Decatur.
CHARLES W. ASHENFELTER.
Charles W. Ashenfelter, a resident of Decatur for about ten years and now well known as a contractor and builder of the city, was born near Fairfield, in Wayne county, Illinois, June 12, 1876, a son of John T. and Elizabeth (Mauck) Ashenfelter, who were natives of Virginia, whence they drove across the country with team and wagon to Wayne county. They left the Old Dominion in the fall of 1865 and reached their destination in the spring of 1866, having stopped for a few months in Indiana. There the father followed farming until his death in December, 1910. The mother died thirty years ago. The Ashenfelter family is of German origin and the first representatives of the name settled near Brock Gap, Virginia, where the grandfather, John Ashenfelter, and the father, John T. Ashenfelter, were both born.
Charles W. Ashenfelter attended the country schools at intervals until twenty years of age but at the age of fourteen years began to learn the carpenter's trade, hewing timber from which to make the frame work for a new house. In those days the carpenters would go into the woods and pick out suitable timber and cut down the trees for whatever purpose they intended them. Mr. Ashen- felter worked for his uncle and his grandfather at fifty cents per day and became thoroughly familiar with the practical side of the business. In 1892 he removed to Lawrence county, Illinois, where he remained for two years but on the expira- tion of that period returned to Wayne county, where he remained until 1896. He then again went to Lawrence county, where he worked at his trade until 1901, when he came to Decatur, where he has since made his home. In the meantime he had become an expert in carpenter work and immediately after his arrival secured employment at Millikin University, being engaged on the construction of the university and other public buildings and residences during the two years in which he remained in the employ of others. He then embarked in the contracting and building business on his own account in connection with his brother-in-law, W. A. Garber, and in addition to building they have also dealt to some extent in real estate. They are doing speculative building, erect- ing residences and then selling them and they have put up some of the most at- tractive homes of the city. Mr. Ashenfelter does his own architectural work, drawing his plans, and his ability in this direction is seen in the beauty of some of the dwellings which he has constructed.
On the 27th of July, 1899, Mr. Ashenfelter was married to Miss Nina R. Garber, of Lawrence county, Illinois, a daughter of S. W. and Katherine S. (Hensberger) Garber. Mrs. Ashenfelter was born in Virginia, which was also the birth place of her parents, who in the year 1894 removed with their family
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to Illinois. The father devoted his life to school teaching, preaching and farm- ing. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ashenfelter have been born three children, Edna K., Mary and James Paul, the last named born December 23, 1909. In his political views Mr. Ashenfelter is a republican and is always able to support his position by intelligent argument, showing that he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but he does not seek nor desire office. His religious faith is that of the Church of the Brethren. He has become widely and favorably known in business circles and in the relations of social life and sterling traits of character as manifest in each connection have gained him warm regard.
FERDINAND UHLL.
Ferdinand Uhll, one of the highly respected citizens of Blue Mound, was born in Germany, August 18, 1851, and came with his parents, Ferdinand and Julia Uhll, to America in 1853. The family settled at Edwardsville, Illinois, and the father began working on the railroad but passed away a few months after his arrival at his new home. Of five children in the family, two are now living: Anna, the wife of Christian Hertel, of Kansas; and Ferdinand. The mother was a second time married, in 1855, becoming the wife of Joseph Her- man, and by that union three children were born, two of whom are now living: Charles and Antone, both of Christian county, Illinois. The mother departed this life in 1872.
The subject of this review was educated in the public schools of Greene county, Illinois, and remained with his stepfather until eighteen years of age, when he began working by the month for farmers in the neighborhood. In 1878 he commenced farming on his own account and after his marriage he purchased eighty acres of land in Christian county, to which he added from time to time until he now owns a highly developed farm of two hundred and eighty-four acres. As a general farmer and stock-raiser he continued for thirty years, remov- ing on February 15, 1910, to Blue Mound. He is the owner of two threshing machines and has an interest in a third and is recognized as a man of good business ability, who generally succeeds in anything he undertakes.
In 1881 Mr. Uhll was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Pierson, who was born in Macon county, in 1862, and is a daughter of William and Caroline (Hollingsworth) Pierson. Her mother was born September 14, 1834, and died August 22, 1900, being buried in Christian county. Her father is a native of Ohio, born September II, 1831, and is now living in Christian county, Illinois. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, the following are now living: Mary, of Christian county; James, of Kansas; Agnes, now Mrs. Uhll; Clara, of Shelby county, Illinois; Ollie, of Oklahoma; Bruce, of Christian county ; William, also of Christian county.
Nine children came to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Uhll: Carrie, born May 15, 1882, who is now the wife of Benjamin Amber, of Christian county, and the mother of one child, Cressie; Annie, born April 12, 1884, who is the wife of Charles Brown, of Christian county, and the mother of three children,
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John Everett, Eloise and Kenneth; Marcus, of Christian county, born May I, 1886, who married Belle Cormaney and has become the father of one child, Delmar ; James Benjamin, of Christian county, born August 26, 1888, who married Josie Young; Robert, born June 28, 1893; now living with his brother Marcus; Ferdinand, born October 29, 1895; Eva Grace, born March 8, 1899, and living at home; and Curtis, born January 14, 1904, and also at home. Warren, who was born October 12, 1890, was accidentally shot when eleven years old. He was one of the brightest and most promising members of the family and his death was the greatest sorrow that our subject and his wife have ever been called upon to endure. Six years ago Mr. Uhll suffered the loss of his right hand in a pain- ful accident while operating a machine. He has borne the affliction manfully, accepting it as one of those occurrences which are liable to happen to any man in the active pursuit of his daily vocation.
On the 4th of August, 1906, Mr. and Mrs. Uhll celebrated their silver wedding, about one hundred guests being invited to an elegant dinner prepared by Mrs. Uhll and her daughters, and they received several silver presents, both useful and valuable, which they highly prize as gifts from dear friends.
They occupy one of the most attractive residences of Blue Mound. The house contains eleven rooms and was built by a banker who failed. Hence it was placed on the market. It is beautifully furnished, modern in every respect and would be considered an elegant residence in any city. Mr. Uhll is an advocate of the principles of the republican party and socially holds membership in the Modern Woodmen of America. His wife is a valued member of the Christian church and he has found in her a most capable and helpful assistant in all the years of their journey together-one who has been to him a constant encourage- ment and support. As a result of their early self-denial and many years of well directed energy they now enjoy the blessings of home and the friendship of the people of the entire community, for it is only by making ourselves worthy of confidence that we can hope to gain the confidence of our neighbors.
C. S. LEWIS.
Fifty-two years ago C. S. Lewis, then a young man of twenty-four, arrived in Macon county. He came from the east and here he decided to make his home. He has seen no reason to regret his choice, as he became one of the successful men of Macon county and is now living retired in the enjoyment of ease and plenty. He was born at Perth Amboy, Middlesex county, New Jersey, December 22, 1834, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret Ann (Wait) Lewis, also natives of New Jersey. The subject of this review is the only survivor of the family. His sister, Margaret A. Lewis, married Moses Martin and died on Staten Island in 1902. He remembers seeing his father, only three times, for the father, who was one of the gold hunters of 1849, died when the son was quite young. He was sixteen years of age when his mother was called from
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earthly scenes, so that he was early thrown upon his own resources and learned to depend upon his own judgment.
For two years Mr. Lewis assisted an uncle in a bakery and then became apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, working for three months and three days at ten cents a day and board. On his twenty-first birthday he worked until noon and then notified his employer that he was his own master. However, the latter offered him full journeyman's wages if he would continue and he remained in that employ until he had earned enough money to purchase a good set of tools. Beginning as a contractor, he was proceeding steadily on the road toward finan- cial independence when, in 1858, he came to the conclusion that his fortune lay westward and he left New Jersey, his first stopping place being Springfield, Illinois, where he worked for the socialist colony, and while there enjoyed the pleasure of the acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln. In March, 1858, he came to Decatur and in Macon county established his permanent home. Until forty years of age he engaged in construction work and was the builder of many homes now standing in this county. About 1874 he embarked in the lumber business at Blue Mound and was also largely interested in lands and farming for twenty-five years, becoming one of the extensive landowners of Macon county. During recent years he has disposed of most of his property but retains forty acres in the county and, desiring that his children shall enjoy the advantages of his labors while he is still living, he has given to each of them a liberal allotment of land.
On September 2, 1861, Mr. Lewis was united in marriage to Miss Nancy E. Clemens, who was born in Indiana, November 19, 1841, and came with her parents, Lewis and Sarah J. (Henderson) Clemens, to this state at six years of age. She departed this life January 12, 1905, and was buried in Hall cemetery, two miles north of Blue Mound. To the parents of Mrs. Lewis nine children were born, four of whom are living: Philip, a resident of Stonington, Illinois ; Reuben, of Emporia, Kansas; Mary, the wife of Allen White and Tilatha J., the wife of D. A. Hidelbaugh, living in Iowa.
Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis: Margaret Augusta mar- ried William Gray and was called away in 1896, leaving three children, Donald A., Lelah and Margaret Augusta. Sarah E. is now the widow of Elton Nicholls. She lives near Blue Mound and has two children, Luther and Raymond. The third in order of birth died in infancy. Charles M., born December 18, 1873, was educated at the University of Illinois and married a Miss Wright, of Urbana, Illinois, who died in 1898. He now lives in Danville and is one of the prosperous architects of the city.
On January 20, 1909, Mr. Lewis was married a second time, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Matilda (Pope) Clemens, who was born near Blue Mound, December 18, 1861. Her father, Zachariah Pope, was born in Macon county about 1830 and her mother in Virginia. Mr. Pope was a soldier of the Civil war and died soon after its close, but his wife is still living in Decatur and on September 22, 1910, was sixty-nine years of age. Mrs. Lewis has a brother and sister living: Charles, of Decatur, and Zachariah, the wife of J. D. Logan, of Decatur. By her first marriage she became the mother of five children: Ethyl A., born in Macon county, May 13, 1880, is the wife of Edwin Littlefield, of
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Edwardsville, Illinois, has two children, Helen and Evelyn; Nettie M., who was born January 18, 1882, died January 8, 1887, and was buried at Blue Mound, Illinois. Raymond B., born June 27, 1884, died July 10, 1905, and was also buried at Blue Mound. Charles L., born October 9, 1886, is living with his mother. Vesta E., born March 27, 1889, is living in Los Angeles, California, and is engaged as clerk in the drug business. Albert Clemens, the first husband of Mrs. Lewis, was born in Indiana, March 12, 1856, and died July 14, 1908. He was the son of Eben T. and Eliza M. (McLain) Clemens, both of whom were born in Indiana, the former in 1831 and the latter in 1835, and they are now living at Blue Mound.
Mrs. Lewis has been for many years an active member of the Methodist church and socially is identified with the Royal Neighbors. Mr. Lewis built the home in which he now lives thirty-three years ago and it is one of the handsome residents of Blue Mound. Although he has passed the Psalmist's allotted age of three score and ten years, he retains his health and has a remark- ably clear memory. His reminiscences of earlier years in Illinois are instruc- tive and interesting in a high degree and as a conversationalist he has few superiors. Among the prized mementos which he holds as invaluable is a letter written to him by his mother in 1850. It is beautifully written and expresses in touching language the love of the mother for her son, and this letter will be handed down as a cherished heirloom in the family.
JEFFERSON GOODPASTER WILLARD.
Jefferson Goodpaster Willard, the owner of a valuable farm of seven hun- dred and twenty acres in Harristown township, was born in Overton county, Tennessee, February 21, 1827, and is now living retired, enjoying in comfort and ease with his wife and son the results of many years of labor. He is the son of William and Martha (Goodpaster) Willard and on the paternal side is of English descent. An early American ancestor, William Willard, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and afterward received a pension. Going to Adams county, Illinois, he there passed his declining years. He lived to the great age of one hundred and five and preserved his bodily strength to such a remark- able degree that he was able to ride fifty miles on horseback in one day when he was one hundred years old.
William Willard, the father of our subject, is supposed to have been born in Virginia and early in life he removed with his parents to Tennessee, In the year 1829 the family migrated to Morgan county, Illinois, where he took up three hundred and twenty acres of land nine miles west of Jacksonville. The mother was a native of Virginia and accompanied her parents on their removal to Tennessee, when they died, and where she was married. William Willard departed this life at the age of forty-seven years, in 1847, and his wife died in Macon county, November 8, 1861. They were both earnest believers in the Christian religion and actively identified with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Willard served as an officer for a number of years. He was a
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