USA > Illinois > Douglas County > Historical and biographical record of Douglas County, Illinois > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
Cogley. They have one daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who is nineteen years of age. He is a member of the Court of Honor and at present holds the office of chancellor. Mr. Hayward owns a pleasant home in Camargo, besides eighty acres of land in Murdock town- ship. He has been town clerk of Camargo for six years and was secretary of the Douglas county fair for ten years. He was also assist- ant general superintendent of the state fair in 1897-98, and served as a delegate to the Court of Honor for Douglas county, which met in Springfield in 1899. He has made his own way in the business world and at present occupies an enviable position in the affairs of Douglas county.
CHARLES S. SANFORD.
Charles S. Sandford, of Tuscola, Illinois, is the son of Isaac and Belinda ( Foster ) Sand- ford. The father was born at Bridgehamton, Long Island, in 1796, and married Belinda Foster, who was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, in 1798. The progenitor of the Sand- fords on Long Island first settled near Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1640. This branch of the family tree has had numerous descend- ants, identified with important movements at an early day in the history of Long Island. Many of them participated in the battle of Long Island, and some of them were minute men. Isaac Sandford emigrated to Edgar county, Illinois, in 1820. He served as cap- tain in the Black Hawk war and was later commissioned as brigadier-general of the state
212
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
militia by Governor Reynolds in 1833. Ile held that position for fifteen years, after which time he resigned. General Sandford was a man of great financial ability and remarkable
energy. At the time of his death, in 1853, he was one of the wealthiest men in Edgar county.
Charles S. Sandford's maternal grand- father, Luke Foster, was one of the associate judges of Hamilton county, Ohio, He was born at Riverhead, Long Island. The Fos- ters settled on Long Island as early as the Sandfords.
C. S. Sandford grew to manhood on the farm; attended school at Edgar Academy, at Paris, Illinois, and afterward for a time at Greencastle (Indiana) Asbury University- now known as the DePauw University. In 1855 he was married to Susan J. Judson, a native of Connecticut. Her girlhood home was in Vicksburg, Mississippi, but her later education was received at Steubenville, Ohio. Mrs. Sandford hails from a family of decided literary tastes, her own inclinations and prac-
tice in the several communities where resid- ing being to promote and forward intellectual advancement. To their marriage have been born six children: Walter Alexander died in infancy; Janet J. is the wife of Capt. Wm. T. Wood, who was graduated from West Point in the class of 1877, and at present is serving as treasurer at Manila, in the Phillipine Is- lands. under General Otis. They have sons : Halsey W., Sheridan C. and Isaac Russell. Sheridan C. has had an extensive experience as a commercial traveler. Grace Foster is the wife of Dr. W. E. Purviance, assistant sur- geon in the United States army, with the rank of captain, now stationed at Fort Egbert, Alaska. Isaac Russell, the youngest of the family, is partner with his father in dry-goods and general merchandise at Villa Grove. Illi- nois.
Mr. Sandford's business career has been one of unusual diversity. In 1850 he made the overland route to California and engaged in mining for two years; afterward handled cattle in Edgar county and Douglas county, Illinois; made and improved two farms from the virgin soil-one in each of the above coun- ties. He was a partner in the wholesale and retail house of C. C. Smith & Co., Terre Haute, Ind., in 1893. Came to Tuscola and followed merchandising, in which, since 1863, he has been actively engaged.
JOHN T. TODD.
John Thomas Todd, who is one of the most active and successful business men of Tuscola and who has been with the exception of two
213
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
years, agent for the I. D. & W. Railway Com- pany from the time the road was built to the present, having first entered its service as agent at Marshall, Indiana, on August 1, 1879, was born in Edgar county, Illinois, June 8, 1862. He was reared in Edgar and Champaign coun- ties and received his education in the public schools at Newman. In 1866 his parents re-
moved to Douglas county and settled on a farm near Newman. He is a son of David and Mariah ( Wilson) Todd, who were natives of Ireland, and who were both Episcopalians in their religious belief. David Todd was a bookbinder by trade and in about 1844 emi- grated to this country, first settling in New York City, where he worked at his trade until 1855, when he emigrated west and located on a farm in Edgar county. The grandfathers of Mr. Todd were, James Todd and William Wilson, both born in Ireland.
In 1883 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Miss Laura, a daughter of L. J. Cash, of
Newman. He is the founder of the Douglas County Telephone Company, now a sub- licensee of the American Bell Telephone Com- pany, the change being made in order to get the use of the instruments and the long-distance connections of the Bell Company. Mr. Todd is still the president and business manager of the company, with J. W. Hamilton as sec- retary. In 1892 he removed to Chicago, where he was engaged for two years in per- fecting and developing an invention known as the "thermograph," of which Mr. Todd is the patentee and inventor. This instrument is for automatically recording the variations of temperature of refrigerator cars while in transit, also of the several rooms of cold stor- age plants, hot houses, etc., where it is desira- ble that a uniform temperature be maintained. With Mr. Todd's invention it is possible to have a printed record made on a narrow strip of paper ribbon, showing the variations of temperature at such intervals of time as may be desired, from the time a car of meat leaves Chicago until it arrives in San Francisco, from which record any neglect in re-icing car en route may be located, and as the record shows the time of day and date of every variation, it is an easy matter to place the responsibility for any neglect by the several railway com- panies handlig the car.
John T. Todd is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and his standing as a man, espe- cially in railroad circles, is second to none. During his residence in Tuscola he has borne an important part in the progress of the city, and his courteous manner and his integrity and ability have won him a high place in the esteem of his fellow citizens.
214
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
CARL S. BURGETT.
Carl S. Burgett was born in Sargent town- ship, Douglas county, Illinois, July 2, 1867. and is a son of I. W. Burgett, whose death occurred in 1884 and whose sketch is found elsewhere. After leaving the common schools Mr. Burgett attended high school at Green .
field, lowa. and the Commercial College at Terre Haute, Indiana. In 1891 he located in Newman and has been engaged in buying and selling broom corn and the manufacturing of brooms; he is also engaged in the fire insur- ance business and buying and shipping stock.
In 1894 Mr. Burgett was wedded to Miss Emma Gillogly, a daughter of James Gillogly. of Newman. To them have been born three children : Lois V., Carl Stanton and Gladys. Besides his business interests in Newman Mr. Burgett owns one hundred and twenty acres of land in Sargent township. Hle is a Mason and belongs to the Melita Commandery of Knights Templar of Tuscola, Mr. Burgett
has for several years past taken an active and influential part in the councils of his party and was elected as a Republican to the lower house of the General Assembly of Illinois in the fall of 1898. While a member of this body he was conscientious in his work and was seldom absent at roll-call. He served on the commit- tees on agriculture, appropriations, banks and banking, labor and industrial affairs, penal and reformatories and railroads. It was largely due to his efficiency as a law maker that his party in the recent primaries gave him the re- nomination without opposition for re-election to the same office. Socially Carl S. Burgett is one of the most companionable of fellows and thoroughly appreciates the confidence and esteem placed in him by the general public.
ALBERT B. SAWYER.
Albert B. Sawyer was born in the town of Milton, Chittenden county, Vermont, January 3, 1837. Since 1885 he has been a resident of Tuscola, Illinois, having from that time until 1809 been a member of the dry-goods firm of Wardall & Sawyer.
In Mr. Sawyer's childhood his parents came to Illinois, living near and finally in Joliet. His boyhood and youth were spent in that part of the state, on the farm, going to school or assisting his father, Jed Sawyer, in filling the extensive railroad contracts which he took when the railroads around Joliet were being built. Having gone to Texas in 1860, he lived near Houston until after the Civil war broke out, when, being unable to return to the
215
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
north except as a Confederate soldier, he turned to the west, finally entering the Repub- lic of Mexico. There he turned his attention to the great business of northern Mexico-
silver mining-in which he was engaged from 1862 to 1884, when he sold out his mining in- terests there and returned to Illinois. Two years previously he had married Miss Fanny M. Wardall, of Tolono, Illinois. To their union five children have been born: Harriet, Albert B., Jr., Margaret, Gertrude and John W. Since 1885 their home has been in Tus- cola.
1. N. COVERT.
1. N. Covert, one of the retired men from active business and a most worthy citizen of Newman, Illinois, was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, December 2. 1832. Mr. Covert (Descended from ancestors who came from Hol-
land in about the year 1685 and settled in east- ern Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. about 1700 Morris Covert, his grandfather, came to western Pennsylvania and settled in Butler county. He became a large land owner, being able to give each of his twelve children a farm. John Covert, the father of the sub- ject of this sketch, was one of the steady, sub- stantial farmers of that section. I. N. Covert grew to manhood on his father's farm. After attending the common schools he completed what school education he received at North Sedgwick Academy. in Beaver county, Penn- sylvania. In the fall of 1859 he came west and located at Newman, Illinois, and taught the Hopkins school, one mile south of New- man. three successive winters before the Civil war and one year after its close. Ile was married, September 2. 1860, by the Rev. Peter Wallace, of the Methodist church of this place,
to. Miss S. L. Webster, of Athens, Ohio, hav- ing been the first couple who were married in the church. Mrs. Covert, who was a very
216
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
worthy woman, was a piece of Mother Stew- art, who was known in Ohio as the pioneer temperance crusader. Mr. Covert, in 1862. enlisted in the Seventy-ninth Regiment of Illi- nois Volunteers, and served honorably in that regiment throughout the war, receiving his discharge in June. 1865. He bought and im- proved a farm in Edgar county, three and one- half miles south of the city, where he resided from the year 1866 to 1882, when he rented his farm and moved to Newman. In the spring of 1884 he formed a partnership with Scott Burgett and engaged in the banking business, having been the first president of the Newman Bank. Mrs. Covert died August 17. 1887, and in 1888 he found the close confine- ment of his business injurious to his health and sold his interest in the bank to S. M. Long. deceased, whose sketch is found on another page. Mr. Covert has recentiy completed one of the most beautiful cottages in Newman. Hle has been an elder in the Presbyterian church since its organization and is one of the church's most devoted leaders; he is also a Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity.
LAWRENCE E. ROOT.
Lawrence E. Root, member of the well- known dry-goods firm of Root Brothers, of Newman, was born in Rome township. Athens county. Ohio, November 16, 1848, and was the ninth child born to Mr. and Mrs. Levi Root, pioneer settlers of Athens county ( see sketch of brother. D. O. Root, for ancestry). Ile remained on the farm with his parents until
1863, when, in the spring of that year, he en- listed in Company K. Third West Virginia Cavalry. At the time of his enlistment he was only a little past fourteen years of age, being the youngest private soldier there has been any record found of so far. Going out in the winter of 1862-63. he served with Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley, Custer's division, and
served up to the surrender of Lee, at Appo- mattox Court House. At the close of the war Mr. Root returned to Athens, and in 1867 came west and settled in Douglas county, lo- cating on a farm south of Newman, where he was successfully engaged in farming up to 1888. In that year he formed a partnership with his brother. D. O. Root, in the general dry-goods business, which has continued most successfully up to the present time. While on the farm he served four years as supervisor of Sargent township, in which township he resided from 1871 to 1888. He also served as supervisor of Newman township two years, and from 1890 to 1894 he served most efti-
217
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
ciently as treasurer of the county. Mr. Root since his residence in Newman has served in the city council, and has been thoroughly iden- tified with the best interests of the city. He is a large stockhokler in the Newman Electric Light & Canning Company. He is a mem- ber of Newman Lodge, No. 369, of Masons; a Knight Templar, belonging to Melita Com- mandery, No. 37. of Tuscola: a Knight of Pythias, and a member of the G. A. R. and Knights of Honor.
The store room occupied by Root Brothers is one hundred and twenty feet by twenty, two stories ; the upper story is filled with clothing, boots, etc. The firm employs five clerks, and carries from fifteen to twenty thousand dol- lars worth of stock.
In 1870 our subject wedded Miss Vashti Winkler, of Newman, a daughter of Charles and Sarah ( Lane ) Winkler, natives of Ken- tucky and Ohio respectively. To the union have been born nine children, whose names, with dates of birth, are as follows: Melvin L., January 27, 1871 ; Wallace E., January 11. 1873: Blanche, March 28, 1875: Ina, March 22, 1877; Grace, July 22, 1879: Paul .\ .. Sep- tember 8, 1881: Hattie Lane. December 28, 1883; Madge, December 11, 1887; Lois, Au- gust 9, 1890. Only Melvin and Wallace are married. The members of the family are iden- tified with the M. E. church of Newman.
CLARENCE H. CARNAHAN.
Clarence H. Carnahan, one of the leading merchants of Hindsboro, and a promising busi- ness man of the county, was born in Douglas
county, Illinois, March 1, 1876. He was reared on a farm and received his principal education at Tuscola and Terre Haute. His first business venture was in partnership with A. J. Parke, in the restaurant business in Hindsboro, at which they continued success- fully for a short time. In 1898 Mr. Carnahan engaged in his present business, and his success has been remarkable. He carries a full line
of dry-goods, notions and groceries and has the entire confidence of the people in Hinds- boro and Bowdre township. In addition to his mercantile interests he owns forty acres of valuable land near the village.
Mr. Carnahan is a son of Robert A. Car- nahan, who was born September 22, 1839, in Fleming county, Kentucky, and is a son of Jackson and Margaret ( Sousley) Carnahan, with whom he removed from Kentucky to In- diana in 1847. In 1857 the family moved to Coles county, where. in 1860. Jackson Carna- han died, which threw the support of the wid- owed mother and younger children upon Rob-
218
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
ert, who was the eldest child. His business in life was farming, cattle dealing and trading. in all of which he was very prosperous ; havng no capital to start on, he accumulated a good property by industry and good management. In 1869 he bought eighty acres of the present homestead and later added eighty acres more. It was unimproved, but later became one of the fine farms of Bowdre township.
Our subject was twice married. His first wife was Miss Sarah E. Herbert, daughter of William J. and Martha G. ( Arasmith ) ller- bert, of Coles county. His second wife was Miss Mahala Herbert, sister of his first wife. By the last marriage there was born one child. a son, Clarence H. Jackson Carnahan's death occurred March 8, 1879. Clarence H. Carna- han is one of the youngest men in successful business in the county, and displays a remark- able tact and aptitude in handling details. So- cially he is popular with his friends.
V. C. McNEER.
"Probably no death that has ever occurred i1: Tuscola came more suddenly or caused more expressions of regret and genuine sorrow to be heard among our people than that of V. C. McNeer, which occurred at Arcola at about 8:30 o'clock on Friday morning last. It came like a shock to his innumerable friends in this city, and many could hardly realize that he had passed to the beyond and that he would mingle no more among us.
"Mr. MeNeer, who has bought stock in this county for many years, had occasion to go to Arcola that morning to receive some hogs
from John Jones. The fast mail leaves here at an early hour, and in order to make the train he was compelled to run from the First Na- tional Bank to the depot. It is supposed that this over-exertion had the effect of bringing on the attack of cerebral apoplexy which car- ried him off soon after his arrival in Arcola.
"After arriving in that city he went to the scale office of W. S. Jocelyn, where he met his agent, Israel Travener, and soon afterward he sat down to write a check in payment for the animals. lle arose, and a moment later was
seen to have a peculiar look, as though in agony. He passed his hand to the back of his head and said that he felt a severe pain. Hle had scarcely made the remark when he seized the arm of Travener and reeled as if about to fall. The latter eased him to the floor and sent for a physician at once, but it was too late. The stricken man never breathed a word after receiving the fatal stroke, and died in fifteen. minutes. Dr. Mckinney attended him, but no assistance could be given. He was carried to the Arcola hotel, near by, and expired in a
219
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
room adjoining the office. W. H. Hancock and John Walling were in the city at the time, but arrived a few minutes after he passed away.
"On receipt of the painful news here, the Odd Fellows appointed a committee to go at once and take charge of the remains, he being an honored member of that order. His re- mains arrived here on the afternoon train, and were met at the depot by several hundred people.
"The funeral occurred at his home near the southern limits of the city on Monday afternoon at two o'clock, when, notwithstand- ing the intense cold at the time, a large num- ber of friends gathered to pay their last re- spects to the one who they had known so well in life, and mourned so sincerely in death. The services were brief, and were conducted by Revs. Calhoun and Wyatt, after which the remains were placed in charge of the Odd Fel- lows, who conducted the services according to their rites.
"The deceased was born near Anderson, Indiana, December 31, 1839, and was conse- quently fifty-seven years of age at the time of his death. He leaves a wife and four children to mourn his loss, besides one brother and one sister. The sister, Mrs. Catherine Jones, of Alexandria, Indiana, was in attendance at the funeral. The brother, Dan, is a resident of Omaha, and it was impossible to reach him by telegraph, as he was absent from home. Mr. Castle, a brother-in-law, from Alexandria, was also present, and on Monday Mr. and Mrs. John Renner, parents of Mrs. McNeer, arrived from Kansas. Also Mrs. Coffey, of Newman. The funeral was a sad one, and universal sym- pathy is expressed for the bereaved wife and
children, who have suffered, the loss of one who was near and dear to them, and whose every thought was to make them comfortable and happy.
"For a quarter of a century Mr. McNeer has made his home in this community, and during that time he has had business rela - tions with hundreds of people throughout the county. His business took him to every town within a radius of twenty miles, and his circle of acquaintances was perhaps larger than that of any other citizen among us. In his business relations covering these many years he was found to be honorable and upright with his fellow men, and it might be said that he has aided more men in a financial way than almost any citizen in the community. He had a large and sympathetic heart, and no friend ever went to him in trouble and was turned away. Many who have been aided by him in the past will remember his kindly acts through life and bless him for it. All feel that an honored and respected citizen has been called, and that his place will be hard to fill.
"It is more than probable that the deceased was aware that he would be taken suddenly, as he had had previous warning of his trouble. Last summer he was stricken while at home, and a few years previous he suffered a light attack."-[Copied. ]
JAMES G. TODD.
James G. Todd was born in New York City, July 16, 1846; removed to Illinois with his parents, David and Mariah Todd, in the year 1855, settling in Edgar county. In 1864
220
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
he moved with his parents to Champaign county, but two years afterward his father pur- chased a farm in Douglas county, six miles northeast of Newman, and he remained on the
farm with his parents until January 29. 1873. lle was there united in marriage to Miss Jen- nie Coolley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J A. Coolley, of the Ridge. Three children were born to this union. Minnie. Lena C. and Albert D. Mrs. Todd died February 26, 1891. Mr. Todd was afterward united in marriage to Mrs. Jennie MeClure and occupies a neat and comfortable home in this city. Mr. Todd is a Republican, as was his father, and has been a prominent factor in the success of the party in Newman township the past few years, fill- ing offices of trust and honor. He is now serving as township clerk and so well does he attend to the business affairs of the township that no one has reason for complaint. So- cially he is a member of the K. of P. lodge and takes quite an active part in the work. He is
also a member of the M. E. church and teacher in the Sunday school. Mr. Todd is kind and generous at all times and is one of the men that it is safe to "tie to." He numbers his friends in this city by the score.
Very recently he has mourned the death of his most estimable wife.
CHARLES M. CULBERTSON.
The biographies of Newman township woukd! be incomplete without an extended notice of Mr. Culbertson, who has done more than any *other one man toward developing the eastern part of the county and the improvement and beautifying of the town of Newman. The fam- ily from which he is descended is of Scotch
origin. One of his great-grandfathers emi- grated from thenorth of Ireland in an early day. and settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
221
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL.
Another great-grandfather. William McClay, who was born in Pennsylvani, and who, with Robert Morris, were the first United States senators from Pennsylvania. The descend- ants of the Culbertsons became quite numerous in Lancaster county, and the settlement was known as Culbertson's row. Here his father, Charles M. Culbertson, was born, and after his marriage of Elizabeth McPamma emigrated in 1818 to Indiana, and settled in Jefferson coun- ty. In this county Charles M. Culbertson was born Angust 5. 1819, and received only the meagre school advantages common in that day, consequently he had to rely on his own industry and perceptions for the elements of knowledge which he acquired. At fourteen years of age he left home and went to Newport, Indiana, where he commenced clerking in a store, which position he held for about eight years. At first he received a salary of eighty dollars a year, out of which he clothed himself. His salary for the year 1841 was two hundred dol- lars. He soon exhibited business qualifications of a high order and it was not long until he en- tered into a partnership with Daniel A. Jones. who carried on a general merchandising and pork packing business at Newport, which last- ed up until 1865. Up to 1854 the business was carried on at the latter place and after that date in Chicago ( Mr. Culbertson removed to Chicago in 1857). In 1843 he was married to Miss Rhoda Williams, of Newport, whose parents were from Pennsylvania. In 1852 he entered a section of land in Newman township and kept on increasing it until at one time he owned two thousand, three hundred and forty aeres, and his farms, which he recently divided among his heirs, are the finest and best im- proved in the county. The home farm of five
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.