Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2, Part 7

Author: Dyson, Howard F., 1870- History of Schuyler County. 4n
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1126

USA > Illinois > Schuyler County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2 > Part 7

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TAMAROA & MOUNT VERNON RAILROAD. (See Wabash, Chester & Western Railroad.)

TANNER, Edward Allen. clergyman and edu- cator, was born of New England ancestry, at Waverly, Ill., Nov. 29. 1837-being the first child who could claim nativity there; was educated in the local schools and at Illinois College. graduating from the latter in 1957; spent four years teaching in his native place and at Jack- sonville; then accepted the Professorship of Latin in Pacific University at Portland, Oregon, remaining four years, when he returned to bis Alma Mater (1865), assuming there the chair of

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Latin and Rhetoric. In 1881 he was appointed financial agent of the latter institution, and, in 1882, its President. While in Oregon he had been ordained a minister of the Congregational Church, and, for a considerable period during his connection with Illinois College, officiated as Chaplain of the Central Hospital for the Insane at Jacksonville, besides supplying local and other pulpits. He labored earnestly for the benefit of the institution under his charge, and, during his incumbency, added materially to its endowment and resources. Died, at Jackson- ville, Feb. 8, 1892.

TANNER, John R., Governor, was born in Warriek County, Ind., April 4, 1844, and brought to Southern Illinois in boyhood, where he grew up on a farm in the vicinity of Carbondale, enjoying only such educational advantages as were afforded by the common school; in 1863, at the age of 19, enlisted in the Ninety-eighth Illi- nois Volunteers, serving until June, 1865, when he was transferred to the Sixty-first, and finally mustered out in September following. All the male members of Governor Tanner's family were soldiers of the late war, his father dying in a rebel prison at Columbus, Miss., one of his bro- thers suffering the same fate from wounds at Nash- ville, Tenn., and another brother dying in hospital at Pine Bluff, Ark. Only one of this patriotic family, besides Governor Tanner, still survives- Mr. J. M. Tanner of Clay County, who left the service with the rank of Lieutenant of the Thir- teenth Illinois Cavalry. Returning from the war, Mr. Tanner established himself in business as a farmer in Clay County, later engaging suc- cessfully in the milling and lumber business as the partner of his brother. The public positions held by him, since the war, include those of Sheriff of Clay County (1870-72), Clerk of the Cir- cuit Court (1872-76), and State Senator (1880-83). During the latter year he received the appoint- ment of United States Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois, serving until after the acces- sion of President Cleveland in 1885. In 1886, he was the Republican nominee for State Treasurer and was elected by an unusually large majority ; in 1891 was appointed, by Governor Fifer, a member of the Railroad and Warehouse Commis- sion, but. in 1892, received the appointment of Assistant United States Treasurer at Chicago, continuing in the latter office until December, 1893. For ten years (1874-84) he was a member of the Republican State Central Committee, re- turning to that body in 1894, when he was chosen Chairman and conducted the campaign which

resulted in the unprecedented Republican suc- cesses of that year. In 1896 he received the nomination of his party for Governor, and was elected over Gov. John P. Altgeld, his Demo- cratie opponent, by a plurality of over 113,000, and a majority, over all, of nearly 90,000 votes.

TANNER, Tazewell B., jurist, was born in Henry County, Va., and came to Jefferson County, Ill., about 1846 or '47, at first taking a position as teacher and Superintendent of Public Schools. Later, he was connected with "The Jeffersonian," a Democratic paper at Mount Ver- non, and, in 1849, went to the gold regions of California, meeting with reasonable success as a miner. Returning in a year or two, he was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, and, while in the discharge of his duties, prosecuted the study of law, finally, on admission to the bar, entering into partnership with the late Col. Thomas S. Casey. In 1854 he was elected Representative in the Nineteenth General Assembly, and was in- strumental in securing the appropriation for the erection of a Supreme Court building at Mount Vernon. In 1862 he served as a Delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of that year : was elected Circuit Judge in 1873, and, in 1877, was assigned to duty on the Appellate bench, but, at the expiration of his term, declined a re-election and resumed the practice of his profession at Mount Vernon. Died, March 25, 1980.

TAXATION, in its legal sense, the mode of raising revenue. In its general sense its purposes are the support of the State and local govern- ments, the promotion of the public good by fostering education and works of public improve- ment, the protection of society by the preser- vation of order and the punishment of crime, and the support of the helpless and destitute. In practice, and as prescribed by the Constitution, the raising of revenue is required to be done "by levying a tax by valuation, so that every person and corporation shall pay a tax in proportion to the value of his, her or its property-such value to be ascertained by some person or persons, to be elected or appointed in such manner as the Gen- eral Assembly shall direct, and not otherwise." (State Constitution, 1870-Art. Revenue, Sec. 1.) The person selected under the law to make this valuation is the Assessor of the county or the township (in counties under township organiza- tion), and he is required to make a return to the County Board at its July meeting each year -- the latter having authority to hear complaints of tax- payers and adjust inequalities when found to exist. It is made the duty of the Assessor to

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include in his return, as real-estate, all lands and the buildings or other improvements erected thereon; and, under the head of personal prop- erty, all tangible effects, besides moneys, credits, bonds or stocks, shares of stock of companies or corporations, investments, annuities, franchises, royalties, etc. Property used for school, church or cemetery purposes, as well as public buildings and other property belonging to the State and General Government, municipalities, public charities, public libraries, agricultural and scien- tific societies, are declared exempt. Nominally, all property subject to taxation is required to be assessed at its cash valuation; but, in reality, the valuation, of late years, has been on a basis of twenty-five to thirty-three per cent of its esti- mated cash value. In the larger cities, however, the valuation is often much lower than this, while very large amounts escape assessment altogether. The Revenue Act, passed at the special session of the Fortieth General Assembly (1898), requires the Assessor to make a return of alı property subject to taxation in his distriet, at its cash valuation, upon which a Board of Review fixes a tax on the basis of twenty per cent of such cash valuation. An abstract of the property assessment of each county goes before the State Board of Equalization, at its annual meeting in August, for the purpose of comparison and equal- izing valuations between counties, but the Board has no power to modify the assessments of indi- vidual tax-payers. (See State Board of Equali- zation.) This Board has exclusive power to fix the valuation for purposes of taxation of the capital stock or franchises of companies (except certain specified manufacturing corporations), in- corporated under the State laws, together with the "railroad track" and "rolling stock" of railroads, and the capital stock of railroads and telegraph lines, and to fix the distribution of the latter between counties in which they lie .- The Consti- tution of 1848 empowered the Legislature to impose a capitation tax, of not less than fifty cents nor more than one dollar, upon each free white male citizen entitled to the right of suf- frage, between the ages of 21 and 60 years, but the Constitution of 1870 grauts no such power, though it authorizes the extension of the "objects and subjects of taxation" in accordance with the principle contained in the first section of the Revenue Article .- Special assessments in cities, for the construction of sewers, pavements, etc., being local and in the form of benefits, cannot be said to come under the head of general tax- ation. The same is to be said of revenue derived

from fines and penalties, which are forms of punishment for specific offenses, and go to the benefit of certain specified funds.

TAYLOR, Abner, ex-Congressman, is a native of Maine, and a resident of Chicago. He has been in active business all his life as contractor, buikler and merchant, and, for some time, a member of the wholesale dry-goods firm of J. V. Farwell & Co., of Chicago. He was a member of the Thirty- fourth General Assembly, a delegate to the National Republican Convention of 1884, and represented the First Illinois District in the Fifty- first and Fifty-second Congresses, 1889 to 1893. Mr. Taylor was one of the contractors for the erection of the new State Capitol of Texas.

TAYLOR, Benjamin Franklin, journalist, poet and lecturer, was born at Lowville, N. Y., July 19, 1819; graduated at Madison University in 1839, the next year becoming literary and dra- matie critic of "The Chicago Evening Journal." Here, in a few years, he acquired a wide reputa- tion as a journalist and poet, and was much in demand as a lecturer ou literary topics. His letters from the field during the Rebellion, as war correspondent of "The Evening Journal," won for him even a greater popularity, and were complimented by translation into more than one European language. After the war, he gave his attention more unreservedly to literature, his principal works appearing after that date. His publications in book form, including both prose and poetry, comprise the following: "Attractions of Language" (1845); "January and June" (1853); "Pictures in Camp and Field" (1871) . "The World on Wheels" (1873); "Old Time Pic- tures and Sheaves of Rhyme" (1874); "Songs of Yesterday" (1877); "Summer Savory Gleaned from Rural Nooks" (1879); "'Between the Gates" -pictures of California life-(1881); "Dulce Domuin, the Burden of Song" (1884), and "Theo- philus Trent, or Old Times in the Oak Openings," a novel (1887). The last was in the hands of the publishers at his death, Feb. 27, 1887. Among his most popular poems are "The Isle of the Long Ago," "The Old Village Choir, " and "Rhymes of the River." "The London Times" complimented Mr. Taylor with the title of "The Oliver Gold- smith of America."

TAYLOR, Edmund Dick, early Indian-trader and legislator, was born at Fairfield C. II., Va., Oct. 18, 1802-the son of a commissary in the army of the Revolution, under General Greene. and a cousin of General (later. President) Zachary Taylor; left his native State in his youth and, at an early day, came to Springfield, Ill., where he

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opened an Indian-trading post and general store; was elected from Sangamon County to the lower branch of the Seventh General Assembly (1830) and re-elected in 1832-the latter year being a competitor of Abraham Lincoln, whom he defeated. In 1834 he was elected to the State Senate and, at the next session of the Legislature. was one of the celebrated "Long Nine" who secured the removal of the State Capital to Springfield. He resigned before the close of his term to accept, from President Jackson, the ap- pointment of Receiver of Public Moneys at Chi- cago. Here he became one of the promoters of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad (1837). serving as one of the Commissioners to secure subscriptions of stock, and was also active in advocating the construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The title of "Colonel," by which he was known during most of his life, was acquired by service, with that rank, on the staff of Gov. John Reynolds, during the Black Hawk War of 1832. After coming to Chicago, Colonel Taylor became one of the Trustees of the Chicago branch of the State Bank, and was later identified with various banking enterprises, as also a some- what extensive operator in real estate. An active Democrat in the early part of his career in Illi- nois, Colonel Taylor was one of the members of his party to take ground against the Kansas-Neb raska bill in 1854. and advocated the election of General Bissell to the governorship in 1856. In 1860 he was again in line with his party in sup- port of Senator Douglas for the Presidency, and was an opponent of the war policy of the Govern- ment still later, as shown by his participation in the celebrated "Peace Convention" at Spring- field. of June 17, 1863. In the latter years of his life lie became extensively interested in coal lands in La Salle and adjoining counties, and. for a considerable time, served as President of the Northern Illinois Coal & Mining Company, his home, during a part of this period, being at Mendota. Died, in Chicago, Dec. 4, 1891.

TAYLORVILLE, a city and county-seat of Christian County, on the South Fork of the Sanga- mon River and on the Wabash Railway at its point of intersection with the Springfield Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern. It is about 27 miles southeast of Springfield, and 28 miles southwest of Decatur. It has several banks, flour mills, paper mill, electric light and gas plants, water-works. two coal mines, carriage and wagon shops, a manufactory of farming implements, two daily and weekly papers, nine lunches and five graded and township high

schools. Much coal is mined in this vicinity. Pop. (1890), 2,839; (1500), 4,248.

TAZEWELL COUNTY, a central county on the Illinois River: was first settled in 1523 and organized in 1827; has an area of 650 square iniles -was named for Governor Tazewell of Virginia. It is drained by the Illinois and Mackinaw Rivers and traversed by several lines of railway. The surface is generally level. the soil alluvial and rich, but, requiring drainage, especially on the river bottoms. Gravel, coal and sandstone are found. but, generally speaking, Tazewell is an agricultural county. The cereals are extensively cultivated; wool is also clipped, and there are dairy interests of some importance. Distilling is extensively conducted at Pekin, the county-seat, which is also the seat of other mechanical indus- tries. (See also Pekin.) Population of the county (1840). 29,666; (1890), 29,556; (1900), 33,221.

TEMPLE, John Taylor, M.D., early Chicago physician, born in Virginia in 1804, graduated in medicine at Middlebury College, Vt., in 1830, and, in 1833, arrived in Chicago. At this time he had a contract for carrying the United States mail from Chicago to Fort Howard, near Green Bay, and the following year undertook a similar con- tract between Chicago and Ottawa. Having solI these out three years later, he devoted his atten- tion to the practice of his profession, though interested. for a time, in contracts for the con- struction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Dr. Temple was instrumental in erecting the first house (after Rov. Jesse Walker's missionary station at Wolf Point), for public religious worship in Chicago, and, although himself a Baptist, it was used in common by Protestant denominations. He was a member of the first Board of Trustees of Rush Medical College. though he later became a convert to homeopathy, and finally, removing to St. Louis, assisted in founding the St. Louis School of Homeopathy, dying there. Feb. 24, 1877.

TENURE OF OFFICE. (See Elections.)

TERRE HAUTE, ALTON & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD. (See St. Louis, Alton & Terre Hunte Railroad. )

TERRE HAUTE & ALTON RAILROAD (See St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute Railroad.)

TERRE HAUTE & INDIANAPOLIS RAIL- ROAD, a corporation operating no line of its own within the State, but the lessee and operator of the following lines (which see): St. Louis. Vandalia & Terre Haute, 158.3 miles; Terre Ilaute & Peoria. 145.12 miles: East St. Louis & Carondelt, 12.74 miles -- total length of leased

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lines in Illinois, 316.16 miles. The Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad was incorporated in Indiana in 1847, as the Terre Haute & Rich- mond, completed a line between the points named in the title, in 1852, and took its present name in 1866. The Pennsylvania Railroad Com- pany purchased a controlling interest in its stock in 1893.

TERRE HAUTE & PEORIA RAILROAD, (Vandalia Line), a line of road extending from Terre Haute, Ind., to Peoria, Ill., 145. 12 miles, with 28.78 miles of trackage, making in all 173.9 miles in operation, all being in Illinois-operated by the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Com- pany. The gauge is standard, and the rails are steel. (HISTORY.) It was organized Feb. 7, 1887. successor to the Illinois Midland Railroad. The latter was made up by the consolidation (Nov. 4, 1874) of three lines: (1) The Peoria, Atlanta & Decatur Railroad, chartered in 1869 and opened in 1874; (2) the Paris & Decatur Railroad, chartered in 1861 and opened in December, 1872; and (3) the Paris & Terre Haute Railroad, chartered in 1873 and opened in 1874 - the consolidated lines assuming the name of the Illinois Midland Rail- road. In 1886 the Illinois Midland was sold under foreclosure and, in February, 1887, reorganized as the Terre Haute & Peoria Railroad. In 1892 it was leased for ninety-nine years to the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad Company, and is operated as a part of the "Vandalia System." The capital stock (1898) was $3,764,200; funded debt, $2,230,000,-total capital invested, $6,227,- 481.

TEUTOPOLIS, a village of Effingham County, on the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad, 4 miles east of Effingham; was originally settled by a colony of Germans from Cincinnati. Popu- lation (1900), 498.

THOMAS, Horace H., lawyer and legislator, was born in Vermont, Dec. 18, 1831, graduated at Middlebury College, and, after admission to the bar, removed to Chicago, where he commenced practice. At the outbreak of the rebellion he enlisted and was commissioned Assistant Adju- tant-General of the Army of the Ohio. At the elose of the war he took up his residence in Ten- nessee, serving as Quartermaster upon the staff of Governor Brownlow. In 1867 he returned to Chicago and resumed practice. He was elected a Representative in the Legislature in 1878 and re-elected in 1880, being chosen Speaker of the House during his latter term. In 1888 he was elected State Senator from the Sixth District, serving during the sessions of the Thirty-sixth

and Thirty-seventh General Assemblies. In 1897. General Thomas was appointed United States Appraiser in connection with the Custom House in Chicago.

THOMAS, Jesse Burgess, jurist and United States Senator, was born at Hagerstown, Md., claiming direct descent from Lord Baltimore. Taken west in childhood. he grew to manhood and settled at Lawrenceburg, Indiana Territory, in 1503; in 1805 was Speaker of the Territorial Legislature and, later, represented the Territory as Delegate in Congress. On the organization of Illinois Territory (which he had favored), he removed to Kaskaskia, was appointed one of the first Judges for the new Territory, and, in 1818. as Delegate from St. Clair County, presided over the first State Constitutional Convention, and, on the admission of the State, became one of the first United States Senators-Governor Edwards being his colleague. Though an avowed advo- cate of slavery, he gained no little prominence as the author of the celebrated "Missouri Com- promise. " adopted in 1820. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1823. serving until 1829. He sub- sequently removed to Mount Vernon. Ohio, where he died by suicide. May 4, 1853. - Jesse Burgess (Thomas), Jr., nephew of the United States Sena- tor of the same name, was born at Lebanon, Ohio, July 31. 1806, was educated at Transylvania University, and, being admitted to the bar. located at Edwardsville, III. Ile first appeared in connection with public affairs as Secretary of the State Senate in 1830, being re-elected in 1832; in 1834 was elected Representative in the General Assembly from Madison County, but. in Febru- ary following, was appointed Attorney-General. serving only one year. He afterwards held the position of Circuit Judge (1837-39), his home being then in Springfield; in 1543 he became Associ- ate Justice of the Supreme Court. by appointment of the Governor, as successor to Stephen A. Doug- las, and was afterwards elected to the same office by the Legislature, remaining until 1848. During a part of his professional career he was the partner of David Prickett and William L. May, at Springfield, and afterwards a member of the Galena bar, finally removing to Chicago. where he died, Feb. 21. 1550 .- Jesse B. (Thomas) third, clergyman and son of the last named; born at Edwardsville, Ill., July 29, 1832; educated at Kenyon College, Ohio, and Rochester (N. Y.) Theological Seminary : practiced law for a time in Chicago, but finally entered the Baptist minis- try. serving churches at Waukegan. Ill .. Brook- lyn, N. Y., and San Francisco (1862-69). He

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then became pastor of the Michigan Avenue Bap- tist Church, in Chicago, remaining until 1874. when he returned to Brooklyn. In 1887 he becanie Professor of Biblical History in the Theological Seminary at Newton, Mass., where he has since resided. He is the author of several volumes, and, in 1866, received the degree of D.D. from the old University of Chicago.

THOMAS, John, pioneer and soldier of the Black Hawk War, was born in Wythe County, Va., Jan. 11, 1800. At the age of 18 he accom- panied his parents to St. Clair County, III., where the family located in what was then called the Alexander settlement, near the present site of Shiloh. When he was 22 he rented a farm (although he had not enough money to buy a horse) and married. Six years later he bought and stocked a farm, and, from that time forward, rapidly accumulated real property, until he became one of the most extensive owners of farm- ing land in St. Clair County. In early life he was fond of military exercise, holding various offices in local organizations and serving as a Colonel in the Black Hawk War. In 1824 he was one of the leaders of the party opposed to the amendment of the State Constitution to sanction slavery, was a zealous opponent of the Kansas- Nebraska bill in 1854, and a firm supporter of the Republican party from the date of its formation. He was elected to the lower house of the General Assembly in 1838. '62, '64, '72 and 74; and to the State Senate in 1878, serving four years in the latter body. Died, at Belleville, Dec. 16, 1894, in the 95th year of his age.

THOMAS, John R., ex-Congressman, was born at Mount Vernon, Ill., Oct. 11, 1846. He served in the Union Army during the War of the Rebel- lion, rising from the ranks to a captaincy. After his return home he studied law, and was admit- ted to the bar in 1869. From 1872 to 1876 he was State's Attorney, and, from 1879 to 1889, repre- sented his District in Congress. In 1897, Mr. Thomas was appointed by President Mckinley an additional United States District Judge for Indian Territory. His home is now at Vanita, in that Territory.

THOMAS. William, pioneer lawyer and legis- lator, was born in what is now Allen County, Ky., Nov. 22, 1602; received a rudimentary edu- cation, and served as deputy of his father (who was Sheriff), and afterwards of the County Clerk ; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1823: in 1826 removed to Jacksonville, Ill., where he taught school, served as a private in the Winne- bago War (1827), and at the session of 1828-29,

reported the proceedings of the General Assem- bly for "The Vandalia Intelligencer"; was State's Attorney and School Commissioner of Morgan County ; served as Quartermaster and Commis- sary in the Black Hawk War (1531-32), first under Gen. Joseph Duncan and, a year later, under General Whiteside; in 1839 was appointed Circuit Judge, but legislated out of office two years later. It was as a member of the Legislature, however, that he gained the greatest prominence, first as State Senator in 1834-40, and Representative in 1846-48 and 1850-52, when he was especially influ- ential in the legislation which resulted in estab- lishing the institutions for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, and the Hospital for the Insane (the first in the State) at Jacksonville-serving, for a time, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the latter. He was also prominent in connec- tion with many enterprises of a local character, including the establishment of the Illinois Female College, to which, although without children of his own, he was a liberal contributor. During the first year of the war he was a member of the Board of Army Auditors by appointment of Gov- ernor Yates. Died, at Jacksonville, August 22, 1899.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2, Part 7

Author: Dyson, Howard F., 1870- History of Schuyler County. 4n Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1126

Author: Dyson, Howard F., 1870- History of Schuyler County. 4n
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1126