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The paternal grandparent of Mr. Sampson was James Sampson, a native of Scotland, and a well-known farmer throughout Hamilton County, Ohio. He died in the 'sixties at the advanced age of eighty-five years. His wife, a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, was born in Ire- land, and she with two daughters and a son, David, who holds a Government position in Cincinnati, are the only survivors.
E. W. Sampson was one of a family of eight children, five of whom are deceased. He was educated in the high schools of Shelbyville, and at the completion of his studies, worked for the "Big Four" Railroad Company, as fire- man, for two years. He was afterwards an engineer for eleven years on that road and on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. His position on the latter he gave up in 1890, and came from Huron, S. D., to Chicago, where, during the World's Fair, he conducted a res- taurant, which he sold at the close of the Fair, having been very successful. He then entered into the grocery business on the "South Side," which he continued for one year.
In 1895, Mr. Sampson moved to Urbana and opened a department store on Main Street, which he conducted very successfully for three years. In 1899, he engaged in the business in which he is still interested. He owns a sub- stantial and comfortable residence, also the store building in which he carries a large and well assorted stock of goods.
Socially Mr. Sampson is prominently identi- fied with the Masonic Order, being a member
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
of Blue Lodge, No. 57; Chapter, No. 80; Coun- cil, No. 19; Commandery, K. T., No. 16; Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Peoria; the Consistory, Peoria, and has taken the Thirty-second de- gree of the order. He is also a member, of the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.
Mr. Sampson was married, October 4, 1881, to Julia Heiz, a native of Vandalia, Ill. Her parents were Andrew and Catherine Heiz, natives of Baden, Germany. The father re- sides at Vandalia, and the mother is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Sampson are the parents of one child, Mabel Adna, who is a bookkeeper for her father.
JOHN H. SAVAGE, banker and prominent public official, was born in Cromwell, Conn.,
JOHN H. SAVAGE.
January 13, 1852, was educated at Middletown, in that State, having finished at the high school, and in 1873 came to Urbana, Ill., where in 1874 he entered the office of the County Treasurer of Champaign County as clerk, and has had a continuous connection with this office up to the present time (1904), principally in the ca- pacity of Deputy Treasurer. He has been more closely identified 'than any other man with the financial affairs of the county, and possesses a broad knowledge of everything pertaining
thereto. In 1888 he was one of the organizers of the Citizens' Building Association of Urbana, and has since been President of that institution, widely known as one of the largest and most successfully conducted building associations in Central Illinois. He has been President of the Urbana Banking Company since its organiza- tion, a director of The Illinois Title & Trust Company, of Champaign, since it came into existence, and has been identified with various other enterprises which have contributed to the growth and prosperity of the "Twin Cities."
A Republican in politics, Mr. Savage has been active and prominent in the councils of his party in' Champaign County for more than twenty-five years, having served as a member of the City Council of Urbana, also as Presi- dent of the School Board, and Collector for Ur- bana Township for many years. He is a Knight Templar Mason, and also affiliates with the Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Savage was married in 1887, to Miss Alida L. Nash, daughter of H. J. Nash, of Ur- bana.
R. H. SCHINDLER was born in the Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, July 2, 1851, the son of John and Sophy Schindler, who emigrated with their family to America in 1852. They re- mained in New York State four years and, in 1856, removed to Champaign County, Ill., where the father bought a partnership in forty acres of land with his brother Charles. They soon after purchased another forty acres, and each settled on their respective farms. John added to his acreage until he had 240 acres at the time of his death, which occurred December 7, 1875. His wife died August 23, 1895. Three children survive them, namely: Mary, wife of Charles Clinger; R. H., and Lewis A.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the district school and, since attaining man- hood, has followed "mixed" farming. His farm consists of 346 acres, all the improvements on which are of the latest kind and were made by him. He is a member of the Farmers' Elevator Company at Sidney. He has served as School Director and School Trustee, is a member of the Evangelical Church, and socially is affiliated with the Masonic Order, the Odd- Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America.
On December 9, 1879, Mr. Schindler was united in marriage to Alvina Block, and they
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
are the parents of five children, four of whom are living: John E., William H., Oscar W. and Fredda K.
FREDERICK SCHLORFF was born January 22, 1832, in Tarpien, Germany, and obtained his education in the public schools of that country. He was afterwards engaged in farming in Ger- many until he was twenty years old, when he emigrated to America, locating at Albany, N. Y. He worked on a dairy farm during one win- ter, and in 1865 moved to Sadorus, Ill. He was employed as one of a hand-car crew on a rail- road, and worked in that capacity for four years. He then purchased thirty-two acres of land in Somers Township, and later bought an addi- tional eighty acre tract of wild prairie land. Of this he sold forty acres and cleared the remaining forty acres, on which he built a homestead and resided there until 1892. In that year he bought forty acres adjoining the city limits of Champaign, and there he built another home, in which he has since resided. He is a member of the German Methodist Epis- copal church, in which he occupies the pulpit every other Sunday. In his political views, he is a Republican.
Mr. Schlorff was married August 22, 1860, to Miss Sarah Fry, a daughter of John and Urilla (Franks) Fry. They became the parents of the following named children: John, born May 12, 1861; Charles, born January 28, 1863; Amelia (Mrs. Matthew Myers), born May 9, 1864; Frank, born August 14, 1868, died August 20, 1869; Louisa, born March 7, 1870; Carolina (Mrs. Fred Heimlicher), born August 18, 1875; Maria, born August 12, 1878; and Frederick, born July 12, 1884.
The parents of Mr. Schlorff were John and Dorothea (Harmon) Schlorff, the former of whom died in Germany about the year 1847, at the age of forty-four years. The mother came to America with her two sons, Frederick and John, and is now eighty-eight years old.
where he owns a farm comprising 500 acres, situated on Sections 5 and 8, Scott Township. Here he is engaged in farming and stockrais- ing.
Mr. Scott participated in the Civil War, hav- ing enlisted in the Eighteenth Virginia Cavalry, which fought principally in the Shenandoah Valley, and he was promoted to the rank of Captain for honorable service. Politically, he is a Democrat, and served as Supervisor of Scott Township from 1890 to 1901.
In 1872, Mr. Scott married Sally J. Seymour, a native of Ross County, Ohio, and they are the parents of three children: Anna, Robert S. and William R.
HENRY MIDDLETON SEWALL, farmer, Ur- bana Township, Champaign County, Ill., was born in Cass County, Ill., November 28, 1850, the son of Henry Middleton and Ann E. (Hig- gins) Sewall, the former a native of Virginia, where he was born March 6, 1823, and the lat- ter a native of Maryland, born in 1824. Henry Middleton Sewall, Sr., came with his father to Ilinois in 1830, making the trip by boat down the Ohio River, up the Mississippi to the Illi- nois, and up that stream to Beardstown. Here upon the bottom-lands of the Sangamon River, they settled in what was then a part of Morgan (now Cass) County. The grandfather, William Sewall, died there in 1846. He was the son of Henry Sewall, who was born in 1750, became a General of the Revolutionary War, and died at the advanced age of ninety-one years. The ancestors of the family were among the list of the Mayflower passengers in 1620.
The mother of the subject of this sketch was born ten miles from Washington, Md., the daughter of Martin F. Higgins, who moved to Illinois in May, 1831. Here the father pur- chased a farm, became Assessor of Cass County, and later died of the cholera. Henry Middleton Sewall, Sr., died in 1850. In 1856, his widow married William H. White, of Menard County, and still survives.
A. S. SCOTT is a native of West Virginia, Mr. Sewall, in early life, attended the public schools of Illinois, and took a course of study at Jacksonville. In 1876 he moved from Men- ard County to Champaign County, purchasing there 120 acres of land in Section 27, Urbana Township, which is his present home. In 1891, he bought other land adjoining, making a total where he was born in 1839, the son of Alexan- der and Mary (Seymour) Scott, both natives of Virginia, where the father followed the vo- cation of a farmer. The subject of this sketch obtained his education in private schools and at the Virginia Military Institute, and in 1867 came to Scott Township, Champaign County, of 231 acres. During the year 1896, he lost his
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
residence by fire, but soon erected a new dwell. ing on the old site.
On August 24, 1882, Mr. Sewall was married to Clara J. Baird, of Urbana, Ill., and of this union four children were born: Mae, who mar- ried Frederick Hays, of Urbana; Maude, Harry and Bessie.
Mrs. Sewall died January 25, 1896. In 1899, Mr. Sewall was married to Avilla Mckinley, of Champaign, Ill., and to them two children have been born -- Ruth and Isabelle.
Of recent years Mr. Sewall has been inter- ested in southern real estate, and at present, is the owner of 782 acres of land in Coahoma County, Miss. In his political views, Mr. Sewall is a Republican, and in religion, is a member of the Methodist Church.
GEORGE SHAWHAN, for forty-one years identified with educational work in Illinois, ex- Superintendent of Schools for Champaign County, and manager of the Savings Depart- ment of the Illinois Title & Trust Company Bank, was born near Falmouth, Rush County, Ind., March 20, 1844, and came to Champaign County with his father and family April 17, 1806. Mr. Shawhan attended the public schools, and began teaching a country school in 1861. In September, 1871, he entered the University of Illinois, graduating therefrom in 1875. Later he pursued educational work in Mansfield and Homer, Champaign County, until 1881, when on December 9th of that year he was appointed County Superintendent of Schools, serving one year, after which he was elected for five con- secutive terms, serving until December 1, 1902. During this time Mr. Shawhan, in connection with other County Superintendents, arranged the course of study for common schools which is now extensively used, not only in this State, but all over the West and Northwest.
He was elected President of the State Teach- ers' Association at the December meeting in 1891, serving one year. He has been at the head of every committee on "Course of Study" from the time the first State course was is- sued, in 1889, until 1904. He had charge of the copy and edited every edition of the course.
CYRUS SHEPHERD was born in Virginia, September 15, 1820, a son of Philip and Eliza- beth Shepherd, and acquired his education in the public schools of his native State. While
still a young man he moved to Ohio, and, in 1853, came to Champaign County, Ill. Before coming to Illinois, he volunteered for service in the Mexican War, but did not participate in any battles. Politically he is a Republcan, and in his religious faith is an adherent of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Shepherd's first wife was Miss Nancy Richards. After her death he married, in 1864, Miss Matilda Leggett, a daughter of David and Arabell (Anderson) Leggett. Five children were born to them, namely: Ella (Mrs. Frank Clark); Virginia (Mrs. Edward Dodson), of Urbana Township; Clarence, residing at home; - Elmer, of Urbana; and Frank, who lives at home. By the first union there were three children, namely: Pearl, who lives in Dayton, Ohio; Mrs. John Leggett, of Clay County, Ill .; and Mary, residing in Springfield, Il1.
Dr. R. E. SHURTZ, physician and surgeon, No. 7 Main Street, Champaign, III., was born in Champaign County, September 26, 1870, the son of Michael W. and Malinda (Asher) Shurtz, the former of whom was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, January 8, 1818, and there re- ceived his early mental training. The father followed farming in the Buckeye State, and came to Illinois in 1842, settling in Delaran. He came to Urbana, Ill., in 1836, when there were only six houses in the village. Arriving in Champaign County in 1868, he located on a farm two miles east of the town of Cham- paign. There he lived until 1876, when he moved to Rantoul, Il1., where he stayed for two years, and then took up his residence in Cham- paign, where he died March 18, 1901.
His father, John Shurtz, came to Ohio from New Jersey, in 1828. He was a farmer and flat- boatman, and was in charge of fourteen men on a flatboat, who participated in the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. In this bat- tle one of the boatmen was killed. John Shurtz died about the year 1828, at the age of forty- five years. He married Sarah Van Leiter, who died when thirty-five years old. The father and three of the brothers of John Shurtz were soldiers in the Colonial army during the Revo- lution, and served through the war. They came from the vicinity of Trenton, N. J., and were of Dutch extraction. The great-grand- father lived to a venerable age. He and the great-uncle of Dr. Shurtz, Van Leiter, crossed
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
the Delaware River and took part in the battle of Trenton, Mr. Van Leiter held the rank of . colonel in the Revolutionary War.
The maternal grandparents of Dr. Shurtz were Watson and Sarah (Mitchell) Asher, the latter of whom was born in 1813, and came with her parents from Pike County, Ohio, to Illinois in 1820. They were pioneers in Illinois, where they lived the greater part of their lives, and where they died.
The subject of this sketch was a pupil in the public schools of Rantoul, Ill., and later, attended the University of Illinois for one year. Then he entered Rush Medical College, Chicago, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. D., in 1897. He at once began the practice of his profession in Champaign, where he has remained ever since. He is a member of the State and county medical so- cieties, and of the American Medical Associa- tion. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church.
On June 12, 1892, Dr. Shurtz was married to Nellie M. Turner, of Champaign, a daughter of Hezekiah and Margaret Turner, deceased. To Dr. and Mrs. Shurtz two children have been born, namely: Malinda Irene and Mary Francis.
ALFRED EDMOND SILVER, who is engaged in farming and operating an elevator in Urbana Township, Champaign County, Ill., was born in Champaign County in October, 1869, the only son of Perry Munger and Mary R. (Heislar) Silver, who were natives of Ohio. His father was born in Springboro, Warren County, in that State, in September, 1840, and was a son of David Silver. Perry Silver came to Cham- paign County in 1854, where he was engaged in farming until his enlistment in Company G, Seventy-sixth Regiment Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, in which he served during the war, under Col. Samuel T. Busey. On returning from the war the elder Silver purchased a farm in Philo Township, which he cultivated until 1876. He then sold the place and moved to Urbana, where, for a number of years, he was occupied as a railway postal clerk. His runs were on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton R. R., from Whiteheath to Decatur; on the Wa- bash Railroad, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, where for several years he had a night run from Chicago to Quincy.
The subject of this sketch, Alfred E. Silver,
received his mental training in the high school at Urbana, and after completing his schooling, was employed at carpenter work and farming, until he was prepared to start out in the world on his own responsibility. Then his mother sold a farm which she owned in another part of the county, and bought one in Section 21, Ur- bana Township, on which the family has since lived. In December, 1903, Mr. Silver purchased the elevator at Mira, of J. G. Holterman, and from that date he has been engaged in buying and shipping grain, under the firm name of the Silver Elevator Company. The receipts of grain run from 150,000 to 200,000 bushels per year.
Mr. Silver was married in December, 1894, to Katherine Hays, a daughter of James A. and Ruth Hays, natives of Indiana, who re- ceived her mental training in the Urbana pub- lic schools. They have two children; Harold Austin and Mary Ethel. Politically, Mr. Silver is an earnest supporter of the Republican party.
WALLACE SILVER, retired farmer, was born in Warren County, Ohio, May 29, 1829, and ac-
WALLACE SILVER.
quired his education in the public schools. As a young man he engaged in farming in Ohio, following that vocation until he was twenty.
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
five years of age. He then came direct to Champaign County and in 1856-57 purchased 240 acres of land in Philo Township. He increased his holdings until at one time he owned 400 acres, but has since disposed of most of it, re- taining eighty acres of the original purchase, He continued to follow farming in Champaign County until December 8, 1901, when he decided to withdraw from active business life, and has since lived in retirement in Urbana.
Socially Mr. Silver is a member of the Ma- sonic Fraternity, having joined the Urbana Lodge in 1857, and is at present a Knight Tem- plar. In his religious faith he is an adherent of the Baptist Church. He supports the Repub- lican party and at one time held the office of Supervisor.
In April, 1850, Mr. Silver was united in mar- riage to Miss Rebecca B. Mullen, and two chil- dren were born to them, Howard and Charles W. Subsequently he married Miss Mary D. Carr, and they have one child, David A., who resides in Philo Township, Champaign County, on part of the land originally purchased by his father.
WILLIAM SIM (deceaseu), pioneer druggist, Urbana, Ill., whose death, May 22, 1889, left a void in the religious, social and business cir- cles of his adopted town, was born in Mary- land, November 2, 1825, a son of Joseph and Ketura (Meron) Sim, and great-grandson of Colonel Joseph Sim, of Revolutionary fame. The Sim family removed to Mount Vernon, Knox County, Ohio, in 1831, when William was six years old, and he was educated at the Mar- tinsburg Academy and the Ohio Wesleyan Uni- versity. He had the energy and resourcefulness to work his way through these institutions by teaching, and later taught in the high school at Fredericktown, Ohio.
Mr. Sim came to Urbana in 1853, and estab- lished what has since become the Sim Drug Company. In this undertaking he had the ad- vantage of energy, sound business judgment and unswerving integrity, and at times was as- sociated with such leading citizens as Dr. C. A. Hines, John T. Farson, and M. Lindley. As success came his way he invested his earnings in unincumbered real estate, in time becoming one of the substantial financiers of the town. An all important branch of activity in his life was his church association, which, from 1849,
was with the Methodist Episcopal denomina- tion. He was one of the leading workers in the church at Urbana from its organization un- til his death, his means enabling him to be of great financial as well as other assistance. He was a Republican from the organization of the party, and for twenty-eight years was Treas- urer of Urbana Township.
August 9, 1853, Mr. Sim married Lucinda Lindley, daughter of Mahlon and Anna (Wulfe) Lindley, belonging to a notable family of the vicinity of Fredericktown, Ohio. Mrs. Sim was educated at Hagerman and Martinsville, Ohio, and is the mother of the following named children: Mrs. Anna (Sim) Shuck, of Urbana; Coler L., of Wichita, Kans .; Edward T. and Frank B., of Topeka, Kans .; Walter T., for a time a resident of St. Louis, but who died in 1903; and William, of Urbana.
HARLAN W. SIX was born in Bourbon County, Ky., October 21, 1861, a son of Presley and Mary Elizabeth (Palmer) Six, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter, of Penn- sylvania. They had two children, Harlan W. and Emma Belle,. The latter married Joseph Alexander, but is now deceased. The family moved to Logan County, Ill., in 1870, and to Champaign County in 1873. Harlan W. in early life became associated in farming with his father, and thus continued until the death of the latter in February, 1900. They at first secured eighty acres of land and later, pur- chased 160 acres more. The 240 acres, located on Section 33, Ayers Township, are now the property of Harlan W., who had managed the farm for many years prior to the death of his father. During his agricultural career the subject of this sketch has dealt extensively in cattle and hogs, which he fed and shipped to market. In addition to his home farm he owns land in Tennessee and Mississippi. Presley Six, the father, was a Democrat, in politics, and served his township as School Director for many years. Socially, he was connected with the Masonic order, and in religion, was a con- sistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Presley Six survives her husband and re- sides with her son.
Harlan W. Six obtained his mental training in the public schools, as did his sister, who later became a school teacher. In politics, he is a Democrat, and was School Director for
1028
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
several years. He is at the present time School Treasurer, and in 1902 was elected Supervisor, which office he still holds. Socially he is a Knight Templar, and also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Wood- men of America.
On August 25, 1897, Mr. Six was united in marriage to Miss Nellie T. Telling, and they are the parents of two children: Olga Helen and Harvey Presley.
GEORGE SKINNER, retired farmer, was born in Somersetshire, England, January 29, 1850, the son of Robert and Anna (Rich) Skin- ^ and Mrs. Skinner is an adopted son, John E. ner. The family came to the United States in 1854 and first established their home at Elk Grove, near Chicago. In 1864 they removed to Shelby County, and five years later to a farm near Homer, Champaign County, where the pa- rents died in 1883.
Mr. Skinner received a public school educa- tion and was trained in his youth to agricul- tural pursuits. His father being crippled and unable to engage in manual labor, George and his brother Henry became farm managers while mere boys. They worked together until 1893, when they divided their holdings and George became the owner of a large farm which had been a portion of their joint estate. This farm, under their management, had been made one of the most productive and highly improved . places in this portion of the country. Mr. Skin- ner was also engaged actively in stock raising until 1893, when he removed to Urbana, which has since been his home. For ten years and more he has been identified with the best in- terests of the city as a property owner and man of affairs, at the same time giving a general supervision to the operation of his farm in Ayers, Homer and St. Joseph Townships.
As a member of the Republican party Mr. Skinner took an active interest in politics for several years, and for three years prior to his removal to Urbana was a member of the Board of Supervisors of Champaign County, repre- senting Ayers Township, in which his residence was located, his farm lying partly in that township and partly in Homer. He also served as School Trustee, a position which he filled for fifteen years, and for many years was Road Commissioner. He is a Methodist in religious belief, and a member of the official board of the First Methodist Church of Urbana. Previ-
ous to this he was identified with Ames Chapel near his country home, from the time he be- came a member of the church in 1884 until he removed to Urbana. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the University branch of the Young Men's Christian Association.
In 1887 Mr. Skinner married Miss Mary E. Havard, a daughter of William R. and Rachel (Jones) Havard, both of whom were born in Wales. They came to the United States in the later '50's and for many years lived in Homer Township, Champaign County. Mr. Havard died in Urbana in 1899. The only child of Mr.
Naturally a progressive man, he has always sought to advance the best interests of the com- munity in which he lived, and, while in the country, was a leader in bringing about the im- provement of lands through drainage and other_ wise, and the erection of public buildings.
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