USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, volume II > Part 66
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY
manager of the road after it became known as the Terre Haute & Peoria. At the present time it is a part of the Vandalia system. Mr. Conklin retired in 1887 but after a brief period of rest he was called to Bristol, Tennessee, to act as vice president and general manager as well as co-receiver of the Southern At- lantic & Ohio Railroad to which he devoted four or five years' work, adding to his reputation as a saver of wrecked railroads. Following his return to De- catur he was elected mayor of the city and after his retirement from office went to Anderson, Indiana, as general manager of the Chicago & Southeastern Rail- road but a year later returned to Decatur and retired altogether from railroad life. His ability in taking a bankrupt road and making it a paying property was indeed notable. He possessed marked executive force and keen discrimi- nation in the power to harmonize and unify seemingly diverse interests and com- bine them into a coordinate whole. His presence was such as inspired confidence in the men who served under him as well as those who called him to positions of management to save their financial interests. Railroad men throughout the country, both those of the operative departments and those who owned the stock, spoke of him in terms of highest regard and praise for the work which he did.
Mr. Conklin's election to the mayorality of Decatur occurred in 1895 and he filled the office for the full term of two years, discharging his duties in a care- ful, conscientious manner and with the same promptness and ability that he displayed in the management of business affairs. His pleasant manner was as characteristic of his official as well as his social life, and one who knew him well said: "I never was associated with any one who was more pleasant than Mr. Conklin. During the time that he was mayor he always had a kindly word for everyone and treated with much consideration those with whom he was thrown in his official duties. Since his retirement he has always made regular visits to the city officers and kept up the pleasant acquaintances which he formed while he was mayor."
On the 21st of November, 1853, in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, Mr. Conklin was married by the Rev. Allen, a Presbyterian minister, to Miss Hannah Leidy, who still survives him together with their two children. The son, Charles Conk- lin, is one of the oldest conductors of the Wabash Railroad and makes his home most of the time with his mother. The daughter, Mrs. Andrew Stevens, is also a resident of Decatur, her home being at No. 940 West Wood street. Her husband is also identified with railroad affairs, being connected with the Monon. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have two sons and two daughters: Henry, who at the age of thirty years is assistant cashier in a Chicago bank; Nellie, who resides with her grandmother, Mrs. Conklin; Grace and Charles, still at home.
The death of Mr. Conklin occurred on the 10th of March, 1905, and he was laid to rest in the family burying ground in New York. He was never connected with any secret organizations but held membership in the Presbyterian church, to which Mrs. Conklin still belongs. He was also a prominent member of the Decatur Club and in his last years spent many of his afternoons with friends at his club, greatly enjoying his association there. His connection with telegraph and railway interests brought him a wide acquaintance throughout the east and middle west and wherever he went he made friends. "He was a gentleman of
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courtly manners," said one of the local papers, "always dignified and always polite. He was a conspicuous figure here and even after his health broke down he carried himself with the bearing of which few men of his age could boast. While dignified there was nothing lofty or patronizing about him. He liked to meet people, regardless of their station in life, treated them all alike and had a pleasant word for all whom he knew. Forceful and enterprising, intelligent and cultured, he was a gentleman in the truest and best sense of the term."
LOUIS C. WREE.
Louis C. Wree, a farmer and stock-raiser, whose home is on section 26, Niantic township, was born in the village of Niantic on the 31st of July, 1859, and is a son of George and Frederica (Jacobson) Wree. The father was a native of Grundhof Angeln, Germany, born June 6, 1825, and was only four years of age when he lost his father. He had one brother, August, two years older, and a sister, Amelia, three years younger than himself. The mother re- moved to a farm, whereon the family lived for two years, and then took up her abode in the village of Glossburg. The principal of a school there had been an old classmate of George Wree's father, and he gave to George and his brother and sister good educational advantages.
At sixteen years of age George Wree started in business life as an employe of a wholesale grocery house, with which he was connected for about four years, having the opportunity for one year of that time of living with his mother who had removed again to Angeln. She died there, after which George Wree decided to accept an invitation from his former employer to emigrate with him to America. They started from Hamburg on the Ist of March, 1846, and landed at New York on the Ist of May, at which time only two steamers were making the trip from Bremen to New York. For three years George Wree remained a resident of the new world and then returned to the fatherland in 1849, going to Schleswig, Germany, where he was married on the 15th of February of that year. Soon afterward he started with his bride for America and established his home in Wisconsin, where he worked in the timber for sometime. He after- ward removed to Niantic, Illinois, and there engaged in merchandising, becom- ing one of the representative and progressive business men of the town. At the time of the Civil war he was drafted for service at the front but hired a sub- stitute to take his place. In 1861 he made purchase of the farm upon which his son Louis now resides. In his family were six children: Augusta, born in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, August 21, 1851; William T., born at Cottage Hill, Wiscon- sin, April 18, 1854; George William, born at Danby, Illinois, May 15, 1855; Louis C .; Clara F., born in Niantic, August 24, 1863; and Henrietta E., born in Ni- antic, September 21, 1865.
Louis C. Wree spent the first ten years of his life in the village where his birth occurred. His father then removed with his family to the farm which he had purchased and which was a tract of raw prairie land when it came into his possession. For some time he devoted his entire attention to general agri- cultural pursuits but afterward established a bank at Niantic, together with two
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partners, and to the conduct of the bank he gave his attention, filling the posi- tion of cashier. He was actively connected with its management for about six- teen years, making it one of the strong financial institutions of the county. He retired, however, about two years prior to his death, which occurred on the 2d of December, 1908. His varied activities had made him a valued citizen of the community and along many lines his efforts were of substantial benefit to the village. In his political views he was a republican, believing firmly in the princi- ples of the party. The cause of education found in him a warm friend and he served for a number of years as school treasurer. He was reared in the Lutheran church and became a member at Long Point, where he served as elder. Later he transferred his membership to the church at Niantic and was also elected elder there. His life was indeed a useful, active, honorable and upright one, and he left to his family not only the fruit of his earnest and unremitting labor but also the priceless heritage of a good name. His wife died July 31, 1893, and both are buried in the Long Point cemetery.
From the age of ten years Louis C. Wree spent his boyhood upon the home farm and acquired a common school education. He was early trained in the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops, and at twenty-one years of age he rented land and began farming on his own account. He was mar- ried when only eighteen years of age, the wedding being celebrated in Niantic township, December 27, 1877, the lady of his choice being Miss Nannie Wells, who was born in Kentucky, in which state her parents died during her early girlhood. ' There was one child of that marriage, William T., who is now book- keeper in the bank of Niantic. On the 14th of October, 1880, Mr. Wree was again married, his second union being with Miss Sarah C. Parks, who was born in Logan county, Illinois. They have two children : Laura G., the wife of Clin- ton Baer, of Harristown township, by whom she has two children, Virgil and Rus- sell; and Ethel, who is the wife of Ralph Durflinger, of Niantic township.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Wree are members of the Christian church of Niantic, in which he is serving as deacon, and in the work of which they are actively and helpfully interested. Mr. Wree belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, which he has supported since casting his first presidential ballot for James A. Garfield in 1880. He does not seek nor desire office, however, preferring to give his undivided time and attention to his business affairs. His entire life has been devoted to farming and his energy, close application and diligence constitute the chief fea- tures in his success.
L. H. ALVORD.
L. H. Alvord, president of the Decatur Fountain Company, is a business man whose enterprising spirit and laudable purpose are constantly pushing forward to the attainment of success in the field in which he labors and his efforts are of a character that contribute to the material development of the city as well as to individual prosperity. A native of Illinois, he was born in Piatt county, April 10, 1858, and secured his education in the schools of Bement, Illinois.
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On putting aside his text-books he engaged in the grocery business in Bement, continuing in that department of merchandising until 1908, when he sold out.
With his family Mr. Alvord then came to Decatur, where he has since been identified with the Decatur Fountain Company. This company was organized in January, 1907, and capitalized for fifty thousand dollars. They are manu- facturers of soda fountains and store fixtures, and in addition handle soda foun- tain accessories. Their plant is located at the north end of Lowber street in the Chamber of Commerce addition, and they have two buildings, sixty by one hundred and fifty feet each, making theirs an extensive plant. Their employes number from thirty-five to sixty-five according to the season and the payroll amounts to from three hundred and fifty to six hundred dollars weekly. The officers are: L. H. Alvord, president; K. Merris, secretary; George R. Bacon, treasurer; and W. H. Stouffer, superintendent. In addition to these Robert Mueller and George R. Bacon are members of the board of directors. The busi- ness was originally started as a mail order business but after a short time sales- men were put on the road and the trade has since been steadily growing until they now have an extensive business with trade connections throughout the greater part of the southwest and even eastward into Maine. The business has been carefully systematized under the capable management of Mr. Alvord, who bends his energies to executive control and administrative direction. His energy is unfailing and the success which has come to him is the merited reward of persistent and intelligently directed effort.
On the 2d of June, 1880, Mr. Alvord was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Williams, of Monticello, Illinois, and they have one daughter, Grace. The family occupies a beautiful home at No. 1105 Oak Crest. Mr. Alvord gives his politi- cal allegiance to the republican party, and while living in Bement served as super- visor. He holds membership in the Woodmen camp and in the Masonic fra- ternity, belonging to Bement Lodge, No. 365, A. F. & A. M .; Bement Chapter, No. 65, R. A. M .; and Beaumanoir Commandery, No. 9, K. T. Social qualities render him popular, while business ability has gained him prominence and pros- perity. His life work proves the fact that success is ambition's answer.
JESSE W. DIVAN.
Jesse W. Divan, whose death occurred on the 7th of October, 1909, was for many years well known in Decatur and throughout Macon county, where he was closely associated with agricultural interests. Moreover, he was one of the veterans of the Civil war, who bravely espoused the cause of the Union when the Confederacy disavowed the power of the American government. He was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, on the 8th of November, 1844, and spent his youthful days upon the home farm with his parents, his early experiences be- ing those which usually fall to the lot of the farm lad, who devotes the winter seasons to the acquirement of a common-school education and the summer months to the work of the fields. He remained at home until 1864, when, at the age of nineteen years, he responded to the country's call for troops, joining the army
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in October as a member of Company C, Seventy-eighth Regiment of Ohio In- fantry. He continued with that command until the close of the war and partici- pated in a number of important engagements, ever faithfully discharging the du- ties that devolved upon him as a soldier.
Soon after the close of the war Mr. Divan was married on the 30th of No- vember, 1865, to Miss Mahala E. Burch, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, on the 25th of November, 1840. In the fall of 1866 they came to Macon county, Illinois, settling east of Decatur upon a farm which continued to be their home for almost three decades, or until 1895, when they sold that prop- erty and removed to Iowa, settling near Storm Lake. For eight years Mr. Divan engaged in general agricultural pursuits in that locality, after which he returned to Macon county and settled in Decatur occupying the home which is now the residence of his widow at No. 1213 North Union street. There he con- tinued until his death, which occurred on the 7th of October, 1909, when he had reached the age of sixty-four years and eleven months.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Divan were born four children: E. J., who was born in Macon county ; Worthy J., also a native of this county ; Mrs. Cora B. Peni- well and Mrs. Jessie R. Walker, also natives of Macon county.
Mr. Divan was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and thus main- tained pleasant relations with his old army comrades. In politics he was always a republican, firm and unfaltering in his support of the party. He did all in his power to promote its interests and to further its welfare and he was a de- voted member of the Presbyterian church of Decatur. His wife was the ex- pression of high and honorable principles and conformed to the teachings of . the church. He endeavored at all times to live peaceably with his fellowmen, to deal justly with them and to act conscientiously. His sterling qualities were widely recognized and wherever he was known high regard was given him.
EDWARD GILES POWERS.
Edward Giles Powers whose life has been devoted to art and music, in which connection he has gained much more than local reputation, was born September 7, 1861, in Decatur, where he yet makes his home. He is a son of Samuel Powers, an honored pioneer resident of this city, now deceased. His more specifically literary education was acquired in Jacksonville and in Philadelphia, while his musical education was obtained partially as a student in the New Eng- land Conservatory of Boston. His training has been received under some of the best masters, so that he has made excellent progress in the development of the natural taste and talent with which nature endowed him and he has traveled extensively in foreign lands.
On the 5th of April, 1905, Mr. Powers was married to Miss Bell McKee, a daughter of Edward Davis and Fanny Vorhees (Armstrong) McKee. The family is a well known and distinguished one of Portland, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Powers have two children: Fanny Armstrong, who is so called in honor of her maternal grandmother; and Caroline Maria, who bears the name of her paternal grandmother.
Samuel Powers
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The home of Mr. and Mrs. Powers is one of the artistic residences of De- catur. It is situated some distance from the road and is approached by a fine driveway. The house is a frame dwelling, standing in the midst of spacious grounds, beautifully adorned by flowers, shrubs and shade trees. It is in some respects a typical New England home and has but recently been completed. It was made after a sketch drawn by Mr. Powers, who employed an architect to draw up the plans. The interior indicates artistic taste and selection and Mr. Powers, being a lover of fine paintings, has chosen some canvases that in- dicate the master's hand. The arrangement of the electric lights is such as to show these to the best advantage. Among the notable and beautiful paint- ings which adorn his walls are a Quebec scene from St. Lawrence river, by Birge Harrison ; a Colorado sunset and a golden sunset by Charles Partridge Adams; and a decoration of the Mississippi river, by a St. Louis artist. The decorations of the rooms are all in perfect harmony, the floors are covered with the finest of Oriental rugs and designs, colors, lights and shades all make of the home a perfect picture. Mrs. Powers has made a collection of Indian baskets from all over the western world, showing some particularly fine specimens. Mr. Powers is president of the Municipal Art League. He is a lover of good horses, is himself a fine horseman, and he is the owner of a cotton plantation in the south. His home is a most hospitable one and is the delight of visitors who are in any degree endowed with artistic perception.
DERIAS BUCKLES.
Derias Buckles, an extensive stock-dealer and shipper, whose home is on section 2, Niantic township, in the midst of a tract of two hundred and thirty acres of land, was born on a farm two and a half miles southwest of Mount Pulaski, Logan county, on the 18th of February, 1850. Reared to agricultural pursuits, he has always continued to engage in farming and the kindred busi- ness of stock-raising, and is today one of the extensive landowners of central Illinois. His parents were John and Esther Jane (Scroggin) Buckles.
Although nothing is definitely known concerning the founding of the family in this country, it is determined from the disposition and character of their descendants that the ancestors of our subject were akin to the sober-minded Pilgrims of New England or the industrious Puritans of the middle and southern colonies. "They were a substantial, religious, industrious and self-reliant people," writes a contemporary biographer. "His immediate ancestors were good repre- sentatives of the average men and the energetic, strong-minded middle class who settled in the wilderness of the Prairie state. They belonged to a family who were never reduced to a state of poverty and who have never acquired great riches, although they have always been comfortably situated according to the times as far back as tradition extends."
The first of the name of whom we have definite record was John Buckles, who is thought to be of English lineage. He was born in Virginia, in 1772, and in 1795 married Anna Vandeventer. Their children were Robert, Abraham,
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Abigail, Sarah, Thomas, Andrew, William, James and Washington four of whom were born in White county, Illinois when this state was still under territorial rule. In 1822 John Buckles became a resident of Logan county and ten years later removed to McLean county, residing near the village of Le Roy until his death in 1842. His wife passed away in 1857. Another of the great-grandparents of Derias Buckles was Jeremiah Birks, who was born in Georgia and married Elizabeth Brown, by whom he had eight children, Polly, Rial, Riley, Levina, David, Rolland, Sarah and Betsey. His second wife was Rhoda Collins, daugh- ter of Hugh Collins, and their six children were Isom, Sarah, Riley, Ann, Per- melia and Richard. Jeremiah Birks removed to White county, Illinois, in 1812 and four years later went to Missouri but in 1822 returned to Illinois, settling in Logan county, where he lived until his death.
Robert Buckles, grandfather of Derias Buckles, was born in Tennessee, April 29, 1796, and with his father came to Illinois when the state was largely a wilderness. In 1818 he wedded Mary (Polly) Birks, who in 1812 had accom- panied her parents to White county, Illinois. When they removed to Logan county in 1822 there were only six families living within its present boundaries. Many Indians still inhabited the state and the forests and prairies were the haunts of wild beasts and of wild game. Robert Buckles was fond of hunt- ing and was particularly skillful with the rifle. The family met the usual ex- periences and hardships of frontier life. Mrs. Buckles did all the cooking in the open fireplace, made all the clothing for the family from the raw material and when her husband was necessarily away on long trips taking stock to market she would split the wood for the fireplace. The death of Robert Buckles oc- curred when he was seventy years of age, and twenty-three years later his wife was laid by his side in Steenbergen cemetery, where the words "Father" and "Mother" upon their tombstones indicate the affectionate remembrance of their children. They had a family of fifteen sons and daughters, William R., Jere- miah B., John, Elizabeth, Levina, Andrew, Peter, Chalton C., Mary, Robert, Wiley, Henry H., Sarah J., Elmira and Lucinda M.
John Buckles, father of Derias Buckles, was born in a small log cabin in White county, Illinois, October 7, 1822, and three weeks later his parents re- moved to Logan county, the father erecting a cabin in the forest near the stream now known as the Lake Fork ditch. Roaming over the prairies and through the woods he spent his boyhood days and learned to use the rifle with good effect, his prowess being indicated in the many coons, prairie chickens and other game which he killed. His educational privileges were extremely limited, probably covering not more than a year altogether. In school he sat upon the log bench with the ground for a floor, while the knees of the pupils served as their desks. It was thought that the only thing necessary for instruction for the boy was arithmetic and his real training came to him in the school of pioneer experience -a school that develops force and foresight, strengthens courage and resolution, cultivates sagacity, teaches independence of judgment, promptness of action and anticipation of danger-in fact, it brings forth all the qualities of mind neces- sary to a frontiersman or a successful trader. In 1846 he was employed by John Slaughter to aid in driving cattle to New York and for this service he received twelve dollars per month. A similar trip was made the following year,
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one hundred days being required on the outward journey and thirty days on the return. Previous to this he had assisted his father in driving hogs to Racine, Wisconsin, and sheep to St. Louis, Missouri, for Chicago at that time had not become recognized as a stock market.
On his return from New York in 1847 John Buckles wedded Esther J. Scroggin, a daughter of Carter T. Scroggin, who was born in Kentucky in 1796. When fifteen years of age he went to Gallatin county, Illinois, and later married Phebe Shelby, who had settled in Pope county with her parents a few years before. In 1828 Mr. Scroggin and his wife removed to Logan county, where he built a log cabin and began the development of a farm. He and his wife were devoted members of the Baptist church, and he was a firm supporter of democratic principles. He was of Scotch parentage and his wife of Welsh descent. His death occurred in 1859 and Mrs. Scroggin passed away in 1876. Their ten children were Leonard K., Mary A., Russel L., Humphrey, Esther J., Sarah E., Carter T., Pleasant M., Thomas J. and Ellen C.
A few days after the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. John Buckles they removed to a small frame house, which he had built-one of the first frame buildings in the county. It stood on a tract of forty acres, three miles southwest of Mount Pulaski, which had been entered by him in 1843 at a cost of a dollar and twenty- five cents per acre. He made the rails that fenced the land, the shingles that covered the house and, in fact, all of the improvements upon the place. In limited financial circumstances at the outset of their married life, they achieved success in the course of years, their land grew in value and in time they came to be recognized as among the most substantial citizens of the county. From time to time Mr. Buckles added to his land and as opportunity offered secured the comforts of the older east. Clapboard roofs, a fireplace, the walls of which were made of clay, hickory bottom chairs, a slab table were all features of the pioneer homes. As there were no gristmills corn was ground in a hollowed out block, honey and maple sugar served for sweetening purposes and corn husk- ing was one of the favorite amusements of the people. All clothing was home- made, tallow candles were generally used and, in fact, the settlers had to pro- vide almost all of the necessities of the household.
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