USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, volume II > Part 4
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In the winter of 1864-5 Captain Lytle remained in Pennsylvania, after which he went to Nashville, Tennessee, as the representative of the American Bridge Company. When the business of that corporation was closed out there he returned to the north and in 1866 came to Decatur. Here he has since re- sided and has been closely associated with the welfare and interests of this city. For six and a half years he occupied the position of bookkeeper with William Lintner & Company, and then established business on his own account, forming a partnership with Thomas T. Roberts, under the firm style of Roberts & Lytle, for the manufacture of coffins. The business, carried on under the name of the Decatur Coffin Company, was continued until 1875, when Captain Lytle dis- posed of his interest to enter upon the duties of postmaster, to which position he had been appointed by President Grant. Reappointment under different presidential administrations continued him in the office for twelve years, and he retired from the position as he had entered it-with the confidence and re- gard of all concerned. In 1887 he once more became connected with commer- cial interests as senior partner of the Lytle & Eckles Hardware Company, and for five years continued in that position. They sold out in 1893 and soon afterward Captain Lytle received the appointment of assistant postmaster from William F. Calhoun. He has since continued in that position, so that his con-
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nection with the office as postmaster and assistant covers almost three decades. His course has ever been above question, being characterized by the utmost fidelity to duty and as well by promptness and efficiency in the execution of the work of the office.
As is indicated by his official service, Captain Lytle is a republican, recog- nized as one of the leading workers in the ranks of the party in Macon county. He has done not a little to shape its policy and guide its activities. He was for ten years chairman of the county republican central committee and for three years was township and city collector.
Captain Lytle was married January 12, 1864, to Miss Elizabeth Smith, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, a daughter of George and Mary Smith. Their chil- dren are : Harry Wells, of Kansas City, Missouri; Frank A., of Decatur; Rob- ert B., who died in 1891 ; and Edith May, the wife of Craig Smith, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Their home has ever been celebrated for its warm-hearted hos- pitality which has been greatly enjoyed by their extensive circle of friends. They are among the oldest as well as among the most active and faithful mem- bers of the First Presbyterian church, and Captain Lytle has long been a prom- inent member of the Grand Army post at Decatur. He was here when the or- ganization was founded and of the original post he has served as commander. In 1888 he was honored with the position of senior vice commander of the department of Illinois and has frequently been a delegate to various national encampments.
He is a gentleman of liberal culture, of broad mind and of progressive spirit, who has learned to correctly follow life's contacts and experiences and glean from each the lesson that it contains. He has long been a forceful factor in the community and his influence has ever been on the side where progress is conserved and truth and right supported.
GUS A. AHRENS.
1198438
Gus A. Ahrens, a prominent and successful representative of the business interests of Decatur, has for the past twenty-three years carried on an exten- sive mineral bottling and manufacturing enterprise here. His birth occurred in Davenport, Iowa, on the 14th of August, 1858, his parents being Edward A. and Elizabeth M. (Paulsen) Ahrens. The father was born in Hamburg, Germany, on the 4th of July, 1811 while the mother's birth occurred in Kiel, Germany, October 28, 1825. Their marriage was celebrated in the fatherland in 1847. In 1855 Edward A. Ahrens emigrated to the United States, locating at Davenport, Iowa, where he successfully carried on business as a wholesale manufacturer of sash, doors and blinds until called to his final rest on the 30th of September, 1901. His widow, who still survives, yet makes her home in Davenport.
Gus A. Ahrens attended the schools of his native city until thirteen years of age and then secured a position as grocery clerk, being thus employed for four years. On the expiration of that period he embarked in business on his own account as a tea and coffee merchant, conducting an enterprise of that
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character for twelve years and winning a gratifying measure of prosperity by reason of his able management. It was with the idea of taking up his abode in Lincoln, Nebraska, that he disposed of his interests in this connection. On the 17th of May, 1887, however, he came to Decatur, Illinois, to visit with friends for several days and was so well pleased with the place that he aban- doned all his previous plans and decided to become a permanent resident of this city. He purchased the mineral bottling and manufacturing concern of his father-in-law Fred Kuny, and has since conducted the enterprise in a manner that has insured its continuous and substantial growth. He now enjoys an extensive and profitable trade and is widely recognized as one of the leading and representative business men of Decatur.
Mr. Ahrens has been married twice. On the 10th of June, 1886, he wedded. Miss Sophia Kuny, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred D. Kuny, both of whom were natives of Germany and are now deceased. They took up their abode in Decatur at an early day and became widely and favorably known here. ยท Mr. Ahrens lost his first wife on the 7th of May, 1907, and on the 10th of March, 1910, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Alice Latsbaugh, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Her parents are J. C. and Ida (Smalley) Latsbaugh, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Decatur, Illinois. Her father is connected with the Barry Saw Company of Indianapolis.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Ahrens has sup- ported the democracy, believing firmly in its principles. In 1895 he was elected alderman of the fourth ward and during his two years' service exercised his official prerogatives in support of all measures instituted to promote the im- provement and progress of the city. At the present time he is serving as hu- mane officer of Macon county and plans are now under way for the organization of a society to carry on the work in this connection. Fraternally he is identified with the Royal Arcanum and the Knights of Pythias, having held nearly all of the offices in the latter organization. He is likewise an active member of the United Commercial Travelers and the Travelers Protective Association. His wife is a devoted and consistent member of the Baptist church. Mr. Ahrens has always been found loyal and faithful to his friends, who recognize his true worth, and he is held in high regard by his social as well as his business associates.
ROBERT MORRIS.
Robert Morris, who is now living in honorable retirement at No. 333 West North street in Decatur, is a native of New Jersey, his birth having occurred at Seaville, Cape May county, on the Ist of August, 1838. He spent the first fourteen years of his life in the east and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1852. His father, William Morris, also a native of New Jersey, was born in 1806 and having arrived at years of maturity, wedded Eliza Hughes, whose birth occurred in the same state in 1809. They were the parents of six children: Robert, whose name introduces this record; Albert, who died at the age of two years; Pauline; Lydia; Albert,
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
the second of the name, who died at the age of twenty-five years and was buried near Springfield; and William R. The father died in Sangamon county in March, 1892, after a residence there of over forty years. His widow sur- vived him until 1902, and both were laid to rest in the cemetery in Farming- dale, Illinois, where the grave of their son Albert had previously been made.
Robert Morris was reared on the old home farm in Sangamon county amid pioneer conditions and environments. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges and he aided in the work of the fields when not busy with his text-books. After arriving at years of maturity he was joined in wedlock, in Sangamon county, to Miss Mary E. Lyman, the marriage being celebrated on the 15th of November, 1867. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Morris removed to Macon county, settling on a farm on section 24, Austin townchin. He bent his energies to the development and cultivation of the place, added to it many modern improvements, and was soon recognized as one of the most enterprising and progressive farmers of the community. Year by year he carefully tilled the fields until at length he won the success that enabled him to put aside active business cares and live retired, his capital being sufficient to supply him with all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Morris were born four children: Etta Caroline, who died at the age of twenty-five years; William Ezra, who died at the age of eighteen years;Robert Lyman, a practicing physician of Decatur; and Frank Hayes. While upon the farm, Mr. Morris filled the office of supervisor, but has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. His political support is given to the republican party. Both he and his wife are active and devoted members of the Methodist church, in which he is serving as class leader, while in the various departments of the church work he takes active and helpful in- terest.
ROBERT LYMAN MORRIS, M. D.
Dr. Robert Lyman Morris is one of the younger members of the medical profession in Decatur, yet his age seems no bar to his success. Gradually he has worked his way upward and is now accorded a good patronage. He was born in Austin township, this county, on the 6th of December, 1879, and is a son of Robert Morris, a retired farmer of Decatur, who is mentioned else- where in this volume. His early education was acquired in the district schools while spending his youthful days upon his father's farm, but ambitious to enjoy more advanced opportunities, he pursued an academic course, spending a year in the academical department of the University of Illinois, and then one year as a university student. Entering the medical department of the state uni- versity, he there pursued his preliminary studies in preparation for the pro- fession, and afterward entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chi- cago, where he completed the regular course and was graduated with the class of 1904. He also did clinical work in Chicago, and his experience in that di-
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rection greatly broadened his knowledge and qualified him for the duties which he assumed on leaving college.
Immediately following his graduation, Dr. Morris located for practice in Decatur, where he has since remained. Everything which tends to bring to man the key to the complex mystery which we call life' claims his interest, and as the years go by he is constantly promoting his efficiency by reason of his broadening experience and his research work. He keeps in touch with the progress of his profession through his connection with various societies for the dissemination of knowledge concerning the practice of both medicine and surgery. He belongs to the Decatur Medical Society, the Illinois State Medi- cal Society and the American Medical Association. In addition to his private practice he is examining physician for the Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company and the Pioneer Life Insurance Company, and is local surgeon for the Illinois Traction Hospital Association.
In 1909 Dr. Morris was married to Miss Cleona Johnston, a native of Chris- tian county, Illinois, and they are widely and favorably known socially in De- catur. Dr. Morris belongs to Macon Lodge, No. 8, A. F. & A. M. He is actuated by a laudable ambition in his chosen life work, and also by a sense of conscientious obligation which renders him most careful in the diagnosis of cases. His work is being attended by excellent results, and he well merits the liberal practice that is now his.
GEORGE W. MUELLER.
It has often been pointed out that real life presents experiences of more vital interest than any stories that have ever been drawn from imagination. The truth of this statement is illustrated by contact with business men who have risen from a humble position to places of large responsibility. Ambition, pluck and perseverance have carried many a boy to financial success, and it has been largely through the application of these important principles that George W. Mueller of Decatur occupies the place he holds today as head of one of the prosperous wholesale grocery establishments of central Illinois.
He was born at Huntington, Indiana, October 2, 1863, and is a son of Francis and Eugenia (Roeder) Mueller. The father was born near Berlin, Germany, and the mother in Switzerland, but she lived most of her life before coming to America at Fulda, Hesse-Cassel, Germany. The parents settled at Newark, Ohio, in 1850, and there Francis Mueller conducted a music store. Later he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and thence to Huntington, Indiana, finally coming to Bloomington, Illinois, in 1869. He departed this life in 1892 at the age of seventy-two years. The beloved mother was called away at the age of sixty-five, in 1886.
The subject of this review possessed good opportunities for education, and was graduated from the Bloomington high school in 1876. He was then only thirteen years of age, and was the youngest graduate that has ever completed the course of that school. He attended the Illinois Wesleyan University until
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
1880, and then began his active career as errand boy in the wholesale grocery house of J. S. Roush & Sons. Upon the death of Mr. Roush in 1886 the business was disposed of and Mr. Mueller removed to Chicago, where he be- came connected with the wholesale house of Franklin MacVeagh & Company. There he had charge of various departments, but his health giving out from over-application, he resigned in 1898. In connection with Cyrus E. Wheeland and F. M. Young, he later established the wholesale grocery house of Mueller, Young & Wheeland, at Decatur, which from the beginning has been a marked success. Mr. Young's interest was purchased by E. M. Platt and C. M. Luling, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and the name of the firm was changed to Mueller, Platt & Wheeland Company. The capital stock paid in was twenty thousand dollars. This has been increased to one hundred thousand dollars, and the surplus allowed to remain in the business is fifty thousand. The house carries a stock of about one hundred thousand dollars and has twelve men on the road, covering a territory of about one hundred and fifty miles around Decatur. The annual sales have shown a gratifying growth from year to year, and at the present time amount to about seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
On November 26, 1891, Mr. Mueller was united in marriage to Miss Irene Moon, a daughter of A. J. Moon, a prominent landowner and stock-raiser of Lexington, Illinois. Mr. Mueller is an adherent of the republican party, be- lieving that its principles are best adapted to promote the permanent interests of the country. He is a member of the First Methodist church of Decatur, and socially is identified with the Masonic fraternity, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Decatur Club. He is highly re- spected for his sterling qualities, and during thirty years in active affairs he has made many friends among his business associates, who have always found him to be a man of the strictest integrity and one whose word is as good as his bond. He is blessed with a sound judgment and broad sympathies and possesses the attributes that belong to the good citizen. No enterprise that aims to promote the public welfare fails to receive his hearty support, and therefore he is justly numbered among the progressive and useful men of Decatur.
EDWARD D. MATTES.
Edward D. Mattes needs no introduction to the readers of this volume. The name of Mattes has long been a synonym for brick manufacture in Decatur and, entering this field of business in early life, Edward D. Mattes has so di- rected his efforts that energy and capable management have brought him the experience and ability that place him as one of the most prominent representa- tives in this line of activity. He was born in this city November 14, 1866, a son of Frederick Mattes, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume in connection with the sketch of John F. Mattes. At the usual age he became a pupil in the public schools and passed through consecutive grades until he left the high school to take up the practical lessons to be learned in the school of experience. His training in the work of brickmaking then began and he
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
continued his association with his father in business until the latter's retire- ment. At the age of twenty-one he became a member of the firm and the enter- prise was conducted under the style of Mattes & Sons for a number of years, or until it was absorbed by the incorporation of the Decatur Brick Company. Edward D. Mattes becoming general manager of the greater concern. He has since acted in that capacity and his capable conduct of the business is manifest in its splendid success. His practical knowledge of every detail of the business well qualifies him for executive control. He knows the value of all the products used and the possibilities of the market and is quick to adopt every idea that leads to improvement in the product or to the legitimate extension of the trade. He is also a stockholder in the Manufacturers & Consumers Coal Company.
In 1895 Mr. Mattes was married to Miss Emma L. Roeder, of St. Louis, Missouri, and they are well known in the social circles of the city and are de- voted members of the First Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Mattes is serving as steward, while in the various departments of church work both he and his wife are actively interested. He belongs to Ionic Lodge, No. 312, A. F. & A. M .; Macon Chapter, No. 27, R. A. M .; and Beaumonoir Commandery, No. 9, K. T. He is also connected with Mohammed Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Peoria, and both he and his wife belong to the Eastern Star lodge in Decatur. His political views are in accord with republican principles and he is always mindful of the duties and obligations of citizenship yet never an aspirant for office. His business affairs, his social relations and his home interests claim his attention and in all these he measures up to the full standard of high and honorable manhood.
THE POWERS FAMILY.
The history of Macon county would be incomplete without extended refer- ence to the Powers family. Through more than six decades the name has fig- ured in connection with the development of this section of the state. Orlando Powers came to Decatur in 1849. In matters of public concern as well as in the conduct of large business enterprises he played a leading role on the stage of action. He seemed ever to follow the mandate, "turn thy defeats into victory; make thy hopes a reality; never let thy personal interest consti- tute the bounds of thine horizon, but reach out for the larger, uplifting things of life." Today there is no name spoken in Decatur with greater honor and reverence than that of Orlando Powers. His business ability was proven in the wonderful success which he achieved; his honor in the rectitude of the methods which he followed; his patriotism in his support of municipal and national projects for the general good; his charity in the generous division which he made of his wealth to the unfortunate.
He was a comparatively young man-thirty-seven years of age-when he came to Decatur, and from that time forward was closely associated with the business development of the city along those lines which have led to its sub- stantial upbuilding. Already his experiences had covered a wide range, and had developed in him the power of quick and accurate judgment and keen dis-
Orlando, Powers
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
crimination. He was born near the village of Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, May 21, 1812, and pursued his education in the common schools, which he attended through the winter months, while the summer seasons were de- voted to the work of the home farm. He was sixteen years of age when his brother William requested that he should go to Havana, Cuba, and become his assistant in business there. Proceeding to New York, he became a passenger on the schooner Helen, which encountered a severe storm three days later and was wrecked. The rescue of Mr. Powers was certainly marvelous. He and Captain Tucker, who commanded the vessel, together with three of the sailors, drifted upon the open sea for eleven days, clinging to the disabled hulk, part of which was out of water. They subsisted upon a scanty supply of sea biscuit and raw potatoes, and a very short allowance of water. When nearly fam- ished because of lack of food and almost crazed by want of drink, they were picked up by a French brig bound for Bordeaux, and eventually landed at La Rochelle, whence they were taken on to Bordeaux by land. Mr. Powers had no money nor clothing save that which he wore and was even without a hat but found a kind friend in an English gentleman who relieved his immediate wants and cared for him until opportunity came for him to return home. Re- crossing the Atlantic, he landed at New York, and through the assistance of business acquaintances and his elder brother, he was able to promptly discharge the indebtedness which it had been necessary for him to incur. His people who mourned him as dead were greatly surprised and rejoiced to welcome him, for he proceeded at once by steamer up the Hudson river to his home. He did not attempt again to enter business circles in Cuba, but on again leaving New York sailed for Mobile, Alabama, this time on a safe voyage, which brought him at length to his destination. He was connected with business interests in Alabama and Mississippi in association with his brothers and brother-in-law, Chauncey Wilkinson, being located at different times at Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Prairie Bluff and Aberdeen. In 1849, however, he heard and heeded the call of the middle west and Decatur gained thereby a citizen, the value of whose service in later years cannot be overestimated. Two years previously he had visited this city, his mother and two brothers, George and Samuel, having located here some years before. It was then a little town but he recognized the fact that it lay in the midst of a rich country and gave promise of future development. He therefore sought its opportunities when he left the south, and with the excep- tion of about a decade passed in Jacksonville, Illinois, he continued a resident of Decatur from 1849 until his death.
Even previous to this time the name of Powers had figured in connection with business activities in Macon county. William Lorenzo Powers, who was born in New York city, December 9, 1804, had removed to Mobile, Alabama, where he followed merchandising for a number of years and then came to Illinois, settling in Bloomington. Making his home in that city, he engaged in the land business, entering extensive tracts in McLean and Macon counties. He never resided in Decatur, but owned considerable property here, and in 1858 erected a building of three stories on East Main, between Water street and the alley west, which building is still standing. He also owned a number of farms in Macon county. He died unmarried, August 28, 1858.
3
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
Orlando Powers' initial business effort in Decatur was in the operation of a saw and grist mill, which he owned and conducted for some time. He then turned his attention to merchandising as proprietor of a boot and shoe store, and therein laid the foundation for the success which in time placed him in the front rank among the business men of the city. For many years he was the owner of the only set of abstract books in Macon county. As he came into close touch with the people and learned of the district in which he had cast his lot, he realized that it must in time become a thickly settled region, because of the fertility of the soil. He therefore invested in real estate, adding to his property from time to time until his holdings of both farm land and city realty were extensive. When opportunity came for profitable sale he disposed of his holdings and also improved and developed his property. In 1889 he erected the Decatur Opera House, a beautiful and substantial "palace of dramatic art." Where the interests of the city were involved, as well as where private enter- prises were concerned, he gave liberally, and almost every public interest of Decatur benefited by his generous support, his cooperation, and his influence. His name and example always carried weight and secured for any movement or project a large following. This was due to the fact that his judgment was recognized as uniformly sound, and all, moreover, felt that the spirit of munici- pal loyalty was one of his strong characteristics.
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