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Mr. Cooper was married, January 7, 1857, to Eleanor White, who was born in Ohio in the year, 1833, and to them have been born the following named children, Nancy J. West, John F., Rose E. Roe, Mary A. Harrison, Sarah Hunter, Thomas E., Lewis M., Annie M. Rob- erts, W. F., and one child, deceased. In re- ligious views Mr. Cooper is associated with United Brethren denomination.
J. A. CORBETT, banker, Philo, Ill., was born January 16, 1876, and acquired his education in the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, Ind. In 1895, he became connected with the Commercial National Bank at Chats- worth, Ill., as assistant cashier. He occupied that position until 1900, and then organized the Woodford County National Bank, at ElPaso, Ill., acting as cashier of this bank until 1902, at which time he disposed of his interests in that institution and located in Philo, Ill. Mr. Corbett organized and established the First National Bank of Philo, which institution cpened for business in June, 1902, and since then has enjoyed a very prosperous growth. He is also identified with the Fairland Banking Company, of Fairland, Ill., as Vice-President and General Manager. He is also Vice-Presi- dent and manager of the Citizens' Bank, of Tolono, Ill., a new institution organized by him. This bank commenced business in February, 1904.
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
JAMES . L. CORBLEY, farmer and stock- raiser of Kerr Township, Champaign County, Ill., was born on the old Corbley homestead where he now resides, December 22, 1865, the son of Lindsey and Sarah (Wood) Corbley, and grandson of William and Rebecca (Steph- ens) Corbley, of Greene County, Pa. His pater- nal great-grandfather, Rev John Corbley, emi- grated from England to America at a very early day, settling in Philadelphia, Pa., whence he afterward removed to West Virginia. Be- fore the Revolutionary War Rev. Corbley took up his residence in Greene County, Pa., where he established several Baptist Churches, and where his force of character and power of organization and control won him deserved re- nown. His death occurred in 1803.
Lindsey Corbley was born in Greene County, Pa., November 15, 1831, and in 1853, at the age of twenty-two, accompanied his brother Edward to Kerr Township, Champaign County, Ill., and bought 40 acres of land in Middle Park. February 2, 1856, he married Saralı Wood, daughter of Henry Wood, an early settler of Vermilion County, Ill., and three sons were born to them: Henry L., William Slier- idan, and James L. Mrs. Corbley died June 17, 1866, and-March 24, 1867, Mr. Corhley married Mary A. Sholl in Meadville, Pa., Miss Sholl being a native of Crawford County, that State. Three children were born of this second union: Freddie M .; Lena, wife of Oscar Wiley; and Evelyn, wife of Paul Kerry. Mr. Corb- ley now lives retired in Paxton, Ford County, IlI.
James L. Corbley had the advantage of a thorough agricultural training under his father, and eventually succeeded to the control of several hundred acres of land. He is a prac- tical and energetic farmer, modern in his methods and standards, and realizing from his property the comforts and conveniences, as well as the profits of a successful country life. August 29, 1889, he married Ella Shurham, of Ludlow, Ill., and is the father of six sons, Frank, Ralph, James, Lee, Owen, Ray and Elmer. The family are affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church, and politically Mr. Corbley is a Republican.
HARMON MASON CORRAY was born in Somers Township, Champaign County, Novem- ber 8, 1862, and was educated in the public schools of that place. His father, Isaiah, was
a native of Vermilion County, Ill., who came to Champaign County at an early age, and there married Angeline Roberts, by whom he had the following named children: Harmon M., Laura Belle (Mrs. Thomas Johnson), George M., and Carrie May (Mrs. Frank Tompkins), the latter of whom died in August 1892. Mr. Corray, Sr., and his wife still reside in Somers Township on the old William Somers place.
On March 10, 1886, at the age of twenty- three, Harmon M. Corray was married to Miss Elizabeth Powers, a daughter of William and Mary Jane (Waugh) Powers, both of whom were natives of Montgomery County, Ind., where Mrs. Corray was born July 18, 1868. When she was six years old her parents came to Illinois, settling in Urbana Township, where her mother died in 1879. Her father is still living at his home in Montgomery County, Ind.
Mr. and Mrs. Corray are the parents of five children; May, aged seventeen; Austin, aged thirteen; George, aged eleven; William, aged eight, and Fred, aged six years. Mr. Corray owns 103 acres of land on which he. lives, and also has 80 acres on Section 25 in Somers Township.
DAVID COX (deceased), former Sheriff and Legislator, was born in Ashe County, N. C., March 10, 1809. He grew to manhood in that State and came to Illinois in 1834, settling on government land near Ottawa. He and his family suffered so much from the malarial fevers which prevailed in that region during 1834, that he determined to return to North Carolina. On the way he stopped at Urbana, Ill., and after a time, found his health so much improved that he decided to remain there. He accordingly purchased a farm about three miles from Urbana, then a mere hamlet in which a few cabins had been built. After living on this farm a year or two, he removed to Urbana, and was among those who took part in or- ganizing Champaign County.
Mr. Cox was the second Sheriff of the county by election, filling that office three terms. He is remembered as a capable and faithful offi- cial, and a man of sterling integrity in all the relations of life. Later, he represented Cham- paign County in the General Assembly of Illi- nois. After living in Urbana several years he returned to Ottawa, Ill., where he lived until
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
the discovery of gold in California, when he went to the Pacific Coast, remaining there two years. He was engaged in merchandizing in Earlville, Ill., at a later date, and still later, in farming in La Salle County. About 1875 he retired from active business, but retained his home in Earlville until his death, which occurred in 1891.
While living in Ashe County, N. C., Mr. Cox married Miss Phoebe Jones, who was also born and brought up in that county. Five children of these pioneers were living in 1904, namely: Mrs. Curtis F. Columbia, of Champaign; Mrs. Elizabeth Harper; Mrs. Rachel Ross; Mrs. Jen- nie Hemenway, of La Salle County, Ill .; and Mrs. Martha Eads, of Davenport, Iowa.
WILLIAM COX was born, July 2, 1821, at Kent, England, and was there married to Miss Margaret Steel, by whom he had four children. Subsequently he and his family emigrated to America and took up their residence in Cleve- land; he later moved to Champaign County, just prior to the Civil War, and settled in Ur- bana Township, where his wife died. In June, 1872, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Peters, a native of Ross County, Ohio, her parents having been Godfrey and Susannah Pe- ters, both of which are deceased. Mrs. Mary (Peters) Cox came to Champaign when six- teen years old, making the journey from Ohio in a carriage. She saw the town in its in- fancy and has since watched its progress and growth. When she first arrived here the early settlers would have considered themselves fortunate if they could have obtained box-cars in which to live. Mrs. Cox has grown up with the city, and has always been greatly interested in its welfare.
Mr. and Mrs. Cox are the parents of two children, namely: William E. and Frank .W. The former now conducts the home farm and has charge of all business affairs. He is a young man of much promise, a Republican in politics and a leader among the young farmers of the community. The second son, Frank W., resides northeast of Rantoul. William Cox, Sr., is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mrs. Cox is affiliated with the Congregational Church.
CURTIS A. CRAWFORD, merchant of Bond- ville, Champaign County, since 1895, and Post- master since 1897, was born in Lincoln, Ill.,
April 28, 1867, and was educated in the public schools. He is of Scotch-German ancestry and his family was established in Ohio at an early day, his paternal grandfather, Simeon, having been born in Morgan County, in that State, as was also John W. Crawford, the father of Curtis A., on April 30, 1840. Simeon Craw- ford married Eleanor Hanesworth, of Maryland. The mother of Curtis A. was formerly Julia A. Staker, of Hocking County, Ohio, and his maternal grandfather was George Staker, of Germany. John W. Crawford moved to Pick- away County, Ohio, in 1870, coming to Cham- paign County, Ill., in 1875, and settling on their present farm two miles south of Bondville.
Until of age, Curtis A. Crawford worked on the home farm, and afterward was engaged in various branches of business until 1895, when he established himself in mercantile trade in Bondville. He has the thrift, energy and cour- tesy which insure successful merchandising, and has also filled local offices of trust and re- sponsibility. He is a Republican in politics, and fraternally is connected with the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen. August 24, 1890, Mr. Crawford was united in marriage to Mary B. Goodman, formerly of Peoria County, Ill., and to them the following named children have been born: Mildred J., born Sep- tember 3, 1891; and Walter J., born October 29, 1893, and died July 1, 1894.
MARTHA CROWLEY was born in McLean County, Ill., and was reared on a farm, her education having been acquired in the public schools of DeWitt County. On October 17, 1$72, she was united in marriage to James Crowley, a prosperous farmer, and they resided in McLean County, until 1878, when they moved to Mahomet Township, Champaign County, later taking up their residence in Newcomb Township. Here Mr. Crowley bought a farm of ninety-eight acres, on which the family at present reside. To Mr. and Mrs. Crowley the following eight children were born: James W., Daniel, Mrs. Myrta Ralph, Ora, Owen, Lue and Lee (twins), and Cleve- land. Mr. Crowley died in 1890.
ALBERT PALMER CUNNINGHAM (de- ceased), founder of the drug business now con- ducted under the firm style of Cunningham Bros., and for many years one of the most popular citizens and prominent business men
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
of Champaign County, Ill., was born in Lancas- bana, he served several terms as Alderman, ter, N. Y., August 11, 1832, the son of Hiram W. and Eunice (Brown) Cunningham, who re- moved in the year following his birth to Huron County, Ohio. Up to the time when he was twenty-one years old, Mr. Cunningham's life was spent on his father's farm except during the period when he was absent at school. He was a pupil in the village academy, and later pursued a course of study at Oberlin College, Ohio. In 1853 he came to Urbana, Ill., where he was employed as a clerk in the drug-store of J. W. Jaquith, who conducted the only store of this kind in Urbana. In this and in other mercantile pursuits he continued about three years, when he secured the position of assist- ant cashier of the Grand Prairie Bank, the first banking institution established in Cham- paign County, and where he remained until the outbreak of the Civil War. He was also the first editor of the Champaign County Her- ald.
In the early stages of the war Mr. Cunning- ham answered the call to arms, enlisting in the Seventy-sixth Regular Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served two years at the front, participating in many fierce engage- ments, and taking part in the siege and cap- ture of Vicksburg. He became a lieutenant in Company G of the Seventy-sixth, but ill-health compelled him to resign. On his return to Urbana, he resumed the drug business, which he successfully followed during the remainder of his life. In the fall of 1880, he removed to Champaign, where he continued to prosper in the drug business. He was very popular in the profession, and was Treasurer of the Illinois State Pharmaceutical Association one term, after which, in 1885, he served as President of that body. In every one who knew him he had a friend.
On August 16, 1855, Mr. Cunningham was married to Ophelia Jane Seger, of Clarksfield, Ohio. Of the children resulting from this union four survive, namely: Elmer, the eldest, who resides in Indianapolis, Ind., George N., and E. Ralph, who are successfully conducting the business established by their father in 1880; and Clara (Mrs. Bouton), who lives in Spring- dale, Ark. The mother of this family died June 23, 1896, the father having preceded her October 12. 1893.
Politically, Mr. Cunningham was a pro- nounced and influential Republican. In Ur-
was a member of the Board of Education, and for three years, held the office of Mayor of Urbana, and was regarded as a most valuable member of the County Board. Religiously, Mr. Cunningham was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Fraternally, he was especially prominent in the G. A. R. and the A. F. & A. M. Order. In the former he served faithfully in many important capacities. In 1880, he served as Senior Vice-Commander. In 1891 he was made Commander, and was a delegate to the National Encampment. He was a Knight Templar, a Scottish Rite Mason, be- ing a member of the Chicago Consistory, and an enthusiastic member of other branches of the Masonic order, filling important offices in the Commandery, Chapter and Blue Lodge.
In all the relations of life, the subject of this sketch was a most exemplary man. and in his death the City of Champaign suffered a lamen- table loss.
GEORGE NEWTON CUNNINGHAM, who is successfully engaged in the drug business in Champaign, Ill., was born in Urbana; December 24, 1867. He is a son of Albert P. and Ophelia J. (Seger) Cunningham, who were born respec- tively in Lancaster, N. Y., and Clarksfield, Ohio. The parental grandparents were Hiram C. and Eunice B. (Sheldon) Cunningham, the former a native of Unadilla, N. Y. On the mother's side, the grandparents were Albert W. and Jane E. (Mead) Seger. The great- grandfather, Layton C. Cunningham, married Phoebe Way.
After receiving his early mental training in the schools of Champaign and the University of Illinois, Mr. Cunningham started in the drug business in 1886. In theory and practice he is well equipped for his work, and in business relations enjoys the confidence of his patrons, who are many.
On August 9, 1899, Mr. Cunningham was united in marriage with Alice Miller, who was. born in Champaign and pursued her studies in Sheffield, Ala. One child, Eunice, has blessed their union. In politics Mr. Cunning- ham takes the side of the Republican party. Fraternally, he is connected with the K. of P. and the B. P. O. E.
JOSEPH OSCAR CUNNINGHAM, lawyer, author and philanthropist, Urbana, Ill., was.
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
born at Lancaster, Erie County, N. Y., Decem- ber 12, 1830, the son of Hiram Way and Eunice (Brown) Cunningham, his paternal ancestry, traced back three generations, including his grandparents Layton and Phoebe (Way) Cun- ningham, and his great-grandparents, Thomas and Lucy (Hutchinson) Cunningham. His father, Hiram Way Cunningham, who was a native of Unadilla, 'Otsego County, N. Y., re- moved therefrom to Erie County in 1811, and in 1833 to Clarksfield, Huron County, Ohio, where ne opened up a farm in a heavily timbered re- gion, and pursued his life occupation as a farm- er. Here the son received his primary education in a log school house, usually attending school
J. O. CUNNINGHAM.
three months each winter and for a like period during the summer, meanwhile assisting in clearing, fencing and cultivating the home farm, in some cases continuing his labors dur- ing the entire winter. At sixteen years of age, having completed arithmetic in the local schools, he took up the study of algebra for six weeks, and, at nineteen, began teaching a coun- try school in which he was engaged three years thereafter. In the meantime, having spent three years at Oberlin College, and at Baldwin Institute in Ohio, in June, 1853, he came to Champaign County, Ill., and immediately lo-
cated at Urbana, which has been his home con- tinuously ever since. When about twenty-two years of age he spent one year as teacher of a village school in the neighboring town of Eugene, in Western Indiana.
Within a month after his arrival at Urbana, Mr. Cunningham became one of the proprietors and editor of "The Urbana Union," as the suc- cessor to W. N. Coler, by whom the paper had been established during the previous year. This connection continued until August, 1858, during a part of the last year Mr. Cunningham being also, in 1858, associated with Dr. J. W. Scroggs in the publication of the "Central Illi- nois Gazette" at Champaign, then West Ur- bana.
At first occupying an indepedent position under Mr. Cunningham's management, in 1856, "The Union" became a zealous supporter of the policy of the newly organized Republican party and of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln- Douglas campaign of 1858.
Having meanwhile prosecuted his studies in the law, he was admitted to the bar in April, 1855, later (1858-59) taking a one year's course in the Law School at Cleveland, Ohio. For the next forty-seven years after his admission to the bar, Judge Cunningham practiced continu- ously in his home city, during that period not missing a single term of court. During this time he was brought in contact with many of the most prominent jurists and members of the bar in this and adjoining States, including Judge David Davis, Abraham Lincoln, and others. As a Republican, he took part in the now celebrated Bloomington Convention, which assembled at Bloomington on May 29, 1856, and which was the first State Convention of the party in Illinois.
The official positions which he has held in- clude those of Judge of the County Court of Champaign County, to which he was elected as an "independent" in 1861, serving a term of four years, and that of Trustee of the Uni- versity of Illinois, being appointed by Governor Oglesby a member of the first Board in 1867 and reappointed by Governor Palmer in 1871, serving on the Executive Committee a period of six years.
Judge Cunningham has taken an active in- terest in matters of general and State history and has delivered many addresses before Ma- sonic, Historic and Legal Associations. On June 27, 1900, he delivered an address at Nor-
1
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
walk, Ohio, before the "Firelands Historical Society" (of which he is a life member) on oc- casion of its forty-fourth annual meeting. He also read valuable historic papers in 1902 and 1905 before the Illinois State Historical Society, of which he was one of the founders and is now a member and Vice-President. In collabor- ation with William C. Jones, he prepared some twenty years ago a volume on "County and Probate Court Practice," the first edition of which was published in 1883, and of which sec- ond and third editions were issued in 1892 and in 1903, the last in revised and enlarged forın. The demand for new editions of this work, and the large sales of each, show that it is accepted as an authority in the County and Probate Courts of the State. Judge Cunning- ham's latest literary labor has been as author and editor of the "History of Champaign Coun- ty," embraced in the preceding chapters of this work, in which he has succeeded in col- lecting, and placing in a condition for perma- nent preservation, a large amount of matter bearing upon the local and general history of Champaign County, of deep interest to its citi- zens and the people of the State generally.
October 13,, 1853, Judge Cunningham was married at Bainbridge, Ohio, to Miss Mary Mc- Conoughey, who was born December 4, 1830, and whose parents were early emigrants from Massachusetts to the Western Reserve, Ohio. On October 13, 1903, Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham celebrated their golden wedding at their home in Urbana, the event being participated in by several hundred of their earlier and later friends, who availed themselves of the occasion to tender their congratulations and well wishes.
In religious belief Judge Cunningham is iden- tified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been a member since 1866, and of which his wife is also a member. One of their notable acts was the donation, in 1894, to the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Illi- nois Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of the home in which they had resided for the preceding twenty-five years, to be used as a home for orphans and other dependent children. This building, with a tract of fifteen acres of land attached-valued at $15,000-un- der the name of the "Cunningham Deaconess' Home and Orphanage," is now in charge of a number of church deaconesses who give in- struction in kindergarten and other educational
work to the children under their care, or super- intend the culinary and domestic departments. During its history this institution has furnished temporary homes to more than five hundred dependent children, of whom nearly fifty have found a refuge there at the same time. The noble work being accomplished by this benevo- lent institution reflects honor not only upon its generous founders, but upon the community in which it is located, as well.
In addition to other organizations with which Judge Cunningham is identified, he has been a member of the Masonic Fraternity since 1859, for six years being Master of Urbana Lodge, and also a member of the Urbana Knight Tem- plar Commandery. Originally a Whig in poli- tics, from 1856 to 1873 he was identified with the Republican party, but since that time has occupied an independent position and been a pronounced advocate of the principles of the Prohibition party. After nearly fifty years of continuous practice he still finds entertainment in devoting a part of his time to his profession, while manifesting a deep interest in all ques- tions of a moral and political character affect- ing the welfare of the State and the Nation. P. S.
-JAMES W. CURFMAN, building contractor, was born in Pike County, Ill., November 22, 1851. He grew up on a farm and in his boy- hood was trained to the occupation of farming. In 1866 his father removed with his family to Douglas County, Ill., and the son obtained his education in the public schools of Pike and Douglas counties. His father was a contractor and builder, as well as farmer, and Mr. Curf- man also familiarized himself with this business in his early manhood. He followed farming successfully until 1889, when he removed to Tolono, Ill., and for three years was there em- ployed in contracting and building. Removing from there to Urbana in 1896, during the fol- lowing year he turned his attention to build- ing, and at once became a leader in inaugurat- ing and carrying forward building enterprises which have vastly improved the cities of Cham- paign and Urbana. Between the years 1897 and 1903 he erected, in all, 248 dwellings in the two cities, besides business blocks and other buildings. He has given regular employ- ment to many carpenters and other mechan- ics, the number varying during the busy season from thirty to fifty. Besides his contract work he has improved considerable property on his
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
own account. Thoroughly progressive himself, he has stimulated progressiveness in others, and the result has been a more rapid building up of the "twin cities" during the past five years than during any similar period of their history. It may be said, therefore, that, while he has himself prospered, he has also been a potent factor in contributing to the progress of the two cities.
Mr. Curfman is a member of the Masonic Order and the orders of Modern Woodmen of America and the Eastern Star. In religion he is a Presbyterian, and has been a liberal con- tributor to the churches and benevolent associ- ations of Champaign and Urbana. He married, first in 1876, Miss Maria A. Whitehead, of Clyde, Macoupin County, Ill., who died in 1890. In 1892 he married, as his second wife, Miss Cora E. Willard, of Fort Madison, Iowa. Mrs. Curfman is a Presbyterian, and an active mem- ber of the Order of the Eastern Star, in 1905 being Worthy Matron, of Hope Chapter, No. 104, Urbana, Ill. Mr. Curfman's only child is Capt. Lawrence E., at the present time (1904) a student in the University of Illinois.
LUCIAN WALTON CUSHMAN, manufac- turer, Urbana, Ill., was born in Bureau County, Ill., July 21, 1868, the son of Joseph Warren and Ruth Evalina (Bruce) Cushman, natives respectively of Vermont and Illinois, the father being born April 23, 1836, and the mother Oc- tober 7, 1843. Joseph Warren Cushman was a manufacturer of pure Vermont maple sugar, but in 1861 moved to Illinois, settling in Bureau County, where he engaged in general farming until 1870, when he purchased a place on Sec- tion 29, Urbana Township, which he sold sev- enteen years later, and then moved to Ne- braska.
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