USA > Illinois > Cass County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Cass County, Volume II > Part 55
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Charles A. Gridley was born at Virginia, Ill., January 10, 1874, a son of James Norman and Frances (Hill) Gridley. After attending the public schools of Virginia, he took a course at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill., and later went to the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated from both the literary and law departments in 1896. Returning to Virginia, he entered his father's office, and has been en- gaged in a general law practice ever since, spe- cializing on abstract work. In 1900 he was elected state's attorney for Cass County, and was re-elected to that office in 1904. Prior to this, he had served as city attorney from 189S to 1900. He and his father own the only set of abstract records of Cass County.
In April, 1911, Mr. Gridley married Dorothy Plahn, a daughter of George and Jane (Loosley) Plahn. Mr. and Mrs. Gridley have no children. His standing as an attorney and citizen is unquestioned, and he has many friends not only among the general public, but in the fraternal order of Knights of Pythias, of which he is a charter member, and was first chancellor com- mander. He belongs also to the Maccabees and the Elks at Jacksonville.
HACKMAN, Edward Franklin, for many years one of the leading agriculturalists of Cass County, is now living retired, his two sons con- ducting his homestead. He was born in town- ship 17, range 11, this county, November 28, 1855, a son of John Frederick and Angeline (Meyer) Hackman. The parents were natives of Hanover, Germany. The grandparents, Ger- hardt and Mary Hackman, came to Cass County, Ill., in 1834. The maternal grandfather died in Cass County in 1835, about three months from the time he came here from Germany. The two families settled in the vicinity of Arenz- ville, first entering land from the government, and later adding to their holdings by purchase. After the marriage of John Frederick Hackman and Angeline Meyer, they located two miles from Arenzville, in township 17, range 11. There John Frederick secured about 570 acres of land and operated it until his death in 189S. His widow lived until 190S, when she too, passed away. Their children were as follows: Wilhel- mina, who is the widow of Henry Winklehake, of Beardstown; Herman W., who is of Beards- town; Sophia, who is Mrs. M. L. Kors, of Beatrice, Nebr. ; Matilda, who is of Beardstown ;
Edward Franklin; Sarah, who is Mrs. Philip Jokisch, of Bluff Springs, this county ; Henry F., who is of Lincoln, Nebr .; and Emma, who died at the age of twenty years.
Edward Franklin Hackman resided with his parents until his marriage, when he moved to his present farm of 240 acres on sections 23 and 26, township 17, range 12 in Arenzville Precinct, about 220 acres of which are under cultivation, the balance being in pasturage and timber. Mr. Hackman carries on general farming. This property was originally a portion of the home- stead, but in 1890 Mr. Hackman purchased it from his father. In the spring of 1914 he re- tired from active participation in the farm work.
On March S, 1SS2, Mr. Hackman married Ame- lia Paulina Jokisch, born in Bluff Springs, this county, March 27, 1859, a daughter of Gotthelf and Elenora (Carls) Jokisch, natives of Ger- many. Mr. and Mrs. Hackman became the parents of the following children : Elmer F., who is of Chicago; Orville E., who is of Cass County ; Cora M., who is Mrs. Lorenzo Burrus, of Cass County ; Morton H., and Earl R., who are at home. Mr. Hackman was educated in the schools of his district, and during his mature years has served this district as a school director and has been treasurer of the board. For three years he was district commissioner. In politics he is a Republican. The Methodist church holds his membership. A man of sin- cere purposes, he has always done what he con- sidered his full duty, and stands very high in public esteem.
HACKMAN, Louis C., one of the substantial and representative retired farmers of Cass County, was, at one time, one of the leading agricul- turalists of his locality, and has done his part in the upbuilding of his community. He was born in this county, October 12, 1846, a son of William and Elizabeth (Meyer) Hackman, natives of Hanover, Germany, he born in 1820, a son of John E. and Maria (Struve) Hack- man.
In coming to the United States, John E. Hack -. man made the trip on a sailing vessel which consumed seven weeks and two days in the voyage. He landed at old Castle Garden, N. Y., from whence he went to Buffalo, from there crossed Lake Erie and landed at Cleveland, Ohio. From that city by canal he reached the Ohio River, and voyaged down it to Cairo, Ill., then traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, and then up the Illinois River to Beards- town. Following his arrival in Cass County, he bought 120 acres in township 12, range 11, but before they located upon it, he was taken sick and died. The grandmother of Louis C. Hack- man then moved on the farm with her children, but after some years, she went to live with a· daughter, Mrs. Mary Bushman of Beardstown, where she died at the age of seventy-two years. The children were: William, Fred, Gerhardt, Henry and Mary.
William Hackman grew to manhood in this
1
Edward
Schall.
Anna Schall.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
county and became the owner of 500 acres of land, still owning this property at the time of his death, January 30, 1905. He married Eliza- beth Meyer, who died February 16, 1905. The children of these parents were: Louis C., Mrs. Lucinda Heierman of Morgan County, Ill., Matilda, Louisa and Edwin.
Louis C. Hackman lived with his parents until they died, and was manager of the homestead from 187S until his acquisition of it. In March, 1SSO, he invested in land in Richardson County, Neb., and kept adding to it until he had 480 acres. In 190S he sold 160 acres, and the balance in 1912. Another operation was in 1899, when he bought 120 acres, and rented it until the spring of 1913, when he sold it. He owns the old original homestead of 140 acres, to which he added twenty acres. In addition to his other holdings, he owns 700 acres of land in Pike County, eighty acres of which is in pas- ture, and the balance under cultivation. At present Mr. Hackman is living two miles north- west of Arenzville.
On April 1, 1880, Mr. Hackman was married to Amelia S. Kors, born at Beardstown, October 22, 1853, a daughter of Frederick and Margaret (Fellner) Kors, natives of Germany. Mrs. Hackman died February 20, 1912. They had the following children : William E., of Pike County, Ill., who married Nettie Divers; Oliver W., who is at home and conducts the home- stead ; and Zelma L., who is at home. Mr. Hack- man is a Methodist and has served his church as a trustee since 190S. He is a Democrat, and from 1880 to 1SS9 was a commissioner of Cass County.
HALL, J. W., senior member of the firm of Hall & Duchardt, manufacturers of all kinds of har- ness and saddles to order, as well as dealers in all varieties of heavy and light harness, is one of the substantial business men of Virginia. The firm are located in the Downing building, and own the only power manufacturing plant in Cass County that is operated by electricity. The firm was formed in October, 1910, and the connections then made have continued profitably ever since.
J. W. Hall was born in Morgan County. Ill., February 14, 1855. a son of James and Ellen (Phifer) Hall. His educational training was obtained in Morgan and Cass counties, and his practical education was obtained when he learned the harnessmaking trade at Chandlers- ville and Springfield, Ill. He went to the latter city in 1877, and in addition to working at his trade, he has turned his attention to several other lines of endeavor, having been in the real- estate business and also handled horses. For two years he acted as a guard at the Federal prison at Ft. Leavenworth, Kas. In 1909, Mr. Hall was elected a justice of the peace, and, re-elected to the same office in 1913, still fills it. He is a member of the Presbyterian church.
On December 1, 1SS1, Mr. Hall was married to Emma Jackson, a daughter of Milton Jack- son, who was killed at the battle of Chicka-
mauga, during the Civil war, and his wife, Louisa (Yeck) Jackson, who was born in Cass County, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have had five children : Claud W., who is in the National Home, at Leavenworth, Kas .; William A., who is working in the ice plant of the same institu- tion; Verna B., who is Mrs. Frank Frame, of Bonner Springs, Kas .; Ethel B., who is Mrs. Roy B. Slotts, of Bonner Springs, Kas., where her husband is cashier of the First National Bank; and Sheldon, who is a high school stu- dent of Bonner Springs, Kas.
HALL, Robert .- This chapter contains an inter- esting record of the career of one whose expe- rience in Cass County has been contemporaneous with the advent of the pioneer settlers of west- ern Illinois, and whose recollections are coin- cident with the period when this region had hardly begun to emerge from the solitude of a wilderness.
Robert Hall, one of the most extensive land owners and cattle raisers in Cass County, was born June 19, 1835, in the town of Virginia, Ill., and was the first white child born in Cass County, the event occurring in the little frame structure which his parents occupied on their arrival in this region, and which is still stand- ing, being known as the first dwelling put up in the district. He is a son of Dr. Henry Ham- mond Hall, a native of County Antrim, Ireland, who emigrated to America at an early age, and first settled in Accomac County, Va. There, in 1818, he was married to Ann H. P. Beard, a daughter of Matthew and Ann H. P. Beard. On April 3, 1835, they came to Illinois, and were one of the first families to settle in Cass County. They had spent the winter in Philadelphia, whence they came down the Ohio River, and then up to Beardstown, moving thence to Vir- ginia, Ill., where Dr. Hall engaged in merchan- dizing.
The Hall family were and are connected with the Presbyterian church, Mr. Hall's mother belonging to the Cumberland Presbyterian branch. Dr. Hall encouraged the first churches in the place, and was the first to establish a store in Virginia, bringing mercantile goods with him when he came. He was a physician by profession, but practiced only in urgent cases. Dr. Hall also erected the first Cass County court- house and jail, at that time a part of Morgan County, and the Doctor, by reason of his supe- rior intelligence and his technical culture, was an authority on many matters throughout the whole region, his influence being great. Ex- tended mention of Dr. Hall will be found in this work. He was born in 1798, and his wife in 1799, the former dying in 1847, and the latter, in 1880, aged 81 years. Their children were as follows : John, John second. Henry, Henry sec- ond, Eliza, Eliza second, and Anna Pitt, Robert and Jane.
Robert Hall was educated in the subscription schools, obtaining but a few months of instruc- tion in a year. He herded the cattle on the prairie, and the grass, in the hot vionths, fre-
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quently caught fire, and serious trouble fol- lowed. Mr. Hall began farming in 1851, and followed agricultural pursuits and trading throughout his life. In 1883 he moved into Vir- ginia, where he has since maintained his resi- dence.
In 1859, in Kansas, Mr. Hall was married to Anna D. McClure, who died July 24, 1892, a daughter of Samuel Louis (Graft) McClure. They had four children, as follows : Louisa A .. deceased : Eliza P., Roberta G. (Mrs. W. B. Stribling) of Virginia, Ill., and Henry Samuel, who married Florence Dunaway, of Denver, Colo. The second marriage of Mr. Hall took place June 23. 1896, to Ida Lee James. She was a daughter of John W. and Catherine (Wil- liamson) James, of Virginia. Mrs. Hall was born in North Carolina, and came to Illinois when a child.
Mr. Hall has had, at one time, on his farmi more than 1000 head of cattle, and is one of the largest land owners in Cass County. He was one of the principal organizers of the Cen- tennial National Bank of Virginia, which was chartered February 24, 1876, with a capital of $50,000, with the following officers: president, John A. Petefish : vice president, A. J. Angier ; cashier. John Woods; directors, A. J. Angier, John A. Petefish, Daniel Biddlecome. T. J. Crum, J. H. Bates. A. Struble, Robert Hall, W. L. Black and Thomas Dunaway. Mr. Hall also helped to organize the Virginia Coal Company, and sold the land for the use of the Agricultural Association as a fair ground. He participated in the organization of this body and accepted a directorship, and for many years acted as superintendent.
It may be said of Robert Hall as his pro- longed and useful life develops towards its cul- mination, that he has been identified with more important enterprises than any other citi- zen of his section.
HAMILTON, John W .- One of the most respect - ed residents of Virginia. Cass County, Ill., passed away, and one of the most valuable citi- zens was lost to the community, when John W. Hamilton died, on November 19, 1906. He was long an industrious and thrifty farmer, and did . much to promote the agricultural growth and prosperity. and to enhance the civic and moral welfare of the portion of the county with which his useful life was identified. Many are the friends who remember Mr. Hamilton with pleas- ant recollections of his kindness as a neighbor, and his trustworthiness in the relationships of everyday intercourse.
John W. Hamilton was born in the state of Indiana. July 30. 1845, and was a son of James and Melinda Hamilton, natives of Virginia. By trade. the father was a cooper, but he also followed farming. and spent a busy career in Indiana and . Illinois. In his youth John W. Hamilton attended the common schools of his neighborhood. and on reaching maturity. applied himself to farming. Thus he continued for several years. prospering in all his under-
takings, and through patient toil and judicious management, gained a competency. He was a soldier in the Civil war having enlisted for 100 days in 1864, in Company G, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and being honorably discharged December 15, 1864. He was identified with the G. A. R., belonging to the post in Virginia.
On March 26, 1884. Mr. Hamilton was mar- ried to Elizabeth Williamson, born in Jackson- ville. Ill .. a daughter of Thomas and Nancy Needam Williamson, natives of England. Atter his marriage, Mr. Hamilton moved to Vernon County, Mo., where he owned a farm. This he disposed of after operating it for eighteen months, and returned to Cass County. Here he carried on farming until 1904, when he aban- doned agricultural pursuits, and retiring from active lite, established his home in Virginia. His estimable widow still occupies an attractive residence in the city where his last days were spent, and where she has numerous devoted friends. She is a valued member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, in which her lamented husband officiated as trustee and as steward. In political matters, Mr. Hamilton, although not seeking public preferment. always acted with the Republican party.
HANSMEIER, Simon .- Among the old time res- idents of Cass County. Illinois, whose person- ality still keeps fresh in mind the recollec- tions of the Civil war, and make them especially interesting characters to the patriotic element of a later generation. is Simon Hansmeier, who is widely known, and well liked wherever his acquaintance extends.
Simon Hansmeier, agent of the Beardstown Overland Bridge, is a native of Prussia, Ger- many, where his birth took place September 13, 1842. With his parents. Henry and Louisa (Hauer) Hansmeier, he came to America when but six years old. The family located in St. Louis, Mo., in 1848, when the cholera was preva- lent there and the mother died of the disease. The father, with his children, Fred. Henry August and Simon, then went to Wisconsin, where he married again, one daughter being the issue of the second union, who left home when she became of age, and was never afterwards heard from.
At the age of fourteen years Simon Hans- meier came to Beardstown, Ill .. and was em- ployed by farmers until the commencement of the Civil war. On August 6. 1862. at Beards- town, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Fourteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was a part of the Army of the Mississippi, and served until the end of the war. For a long time the regiment to which he was attached was in pursuit of Gen. Price and then came the battle of Jackson, where he was engaged. He fought at the Siege of Vicksburg, and on June 10. 1864, was captured by the Confederates at the battle of Guntown. Miss .. and was thrown into Andersonville prison, where he suffered incredible hardships until the close of the war.
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When released, by reason of his weakened con- dition through filthy surroundings and hunger, he was carried out on a stretcher. His torture often from thirst had been beyond description, but atter a time in their imprisonment, a fine bub- bling spring burst forth, between the dead line and the stockade, which was hailed by the tever- ish soldiers as a direct act of Providence. It afforded an ample drinking supply, and saved many lives. After the close of the war Mr. Hansmeier returned to Beardstown, and on re- covering his strength applied himself again to farming.
On January 10. 1866, Mr. Hansmeier was mar- ried to Mary Cremps, a daughter of Casper Cremps. Six children resulted from this union, as follows: Henry, of Canton, Ill. ; Emma (Mrs. John Ruple), of Beardstown ; John, of Peoria ; Frank, of Canton, Ill .; Tillie, at home with her father, and George, of Beardstown. The family residence is at No. 407 West Fourth street, Beardstown, to which place the father moved in 18SS on quitting farm work, although until 1904 he combined tarm and team work. After that he served for one year on the Beardstown police force, and then was appointed agent of the Beardstown Overland Bridge. He is a member of the G. A. R., McLean Post, No. 97, of Beards- town, in which he officiates as junior vice com- mander.
The family are members of the Fourth Lutheran church of Beardstown. The father and his wife, son and daughter are all frater- nally affiliated with the K. & L. of H. Mr. Hansmeier is highly respected, and has a wide circle of friends throughout Cass County.
HARBISON, Robert F .- Some of the well known men ot Cass County, after engaging tor a time in agricultural pursuits, have moved from the country and located at one or other of the towns within its confines and there em- barked in other lines of business where they have attained equal prominence, thus proving that their abilities are not confined to any one industry. One of these men is Robert F. Harbi- son, an implement dealer at Chandlerville. He was born in Cass County, Ill., August 29, 1872. His father followed farming in Cass County.
Robert F. Harbison attended the public schools of his district, and afterward was a farmer for some years. He then was on the road for ten years as a commercial traveler and then estab- lished his present implement business at Chand- lerville. After locating here he began taking an active interest in local politics and was elected alderman from his ward and served for two years in the city council. The Modern Woodmen of America and the Masons have in him a faithful member.
Mr. Harbison was married to Daisy M. Eads, who was born March 4, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Harbison have had two children : Lela May Boensell and Edward F. Harbison.
HARRIS, Merton Henry .- The wonderful in- crease in the number of the kind of amusement
places, in our cities, which cater to the patron- age of people of moderate means, and furnish a superior quality of entertainment for a min- imum rate of admission, is one of the marvels of the present day. It is not too much to say that the projectors of the higher grade of such moderate priced exhibitions should be looked upon as publie benefactors for, by amusing and editying the members of whole families in attendance they stimulate the virtue of domes- ticity and promote the cause of sobriety and , econoniy.
Representative of this class is the Princess theatre, Beardstown, Cass County, and its owner and former manager was Merton H. Harris, of this city. The Princess was built by Mr. Harris, who completed the structure Octo- ber 19. 1911. In dimensions it is 52x115 feet, and co feet high, having a large stage space sufficient to accommodate any high grade troupe. The seating capacity, including the balcony is (31 and the ventilation is furnished by the American Blower System, which affords 18,000 cubie feet of fresh air for every minute in the building. All the material of construction is steel and the curtain is asbestos, making the anditorium as nearly fireproof as possible, while the building is the first of its kind in Illinois to be lighted by indirect system. The curtain was painted by Sosman & Landis, of Chicago, with beautiful scenic effects. The exits are six in number-tour single and two double.
Mr. Harris has been in the amusement bnsi- ness since 1892. In 1907, with L. W. Goodell, lie built the Gem theatre in Beardstown. This was first constructed for pictures only, but at a later period, Mr. Goodell added a stage. It was one of the first houses in the state intended solely for pictures. Mr. Harris sold his interest in the Gem in the spring of 1911 to Mr. Goodell. Before his connection with it (in 1893) he had bought the old Opera House and, together with Deppe Bros., and T. K. Coudet. had remodeled it, later selling it. On July 1, 1914, the Beards- town Amusement Company took over both theatres, and Mr. Goodell is now manager, Mr. Harris retiring from the active management.
Merton H. Harris was born in Cass County, Ill., March 5th, 1864, and is a son of John H. and Phoebe (Padon) Harris. In youth he re- ceived his mental training in the public schools, and formed an early business connection with Colonel Brown, of Jacksonville. On May 23, 1SS9, he was united in marriage with Emma L. Leason, a danghter of John and Julia Leason, and they had four children: Todd (deceased), Myrtle, Vidah, and Leasou (deceased). In re- ligious belief. the family of Mr. Harris is con- nected with the Methodist Episcopal church.
The fraternal affiliation of Mr. Harris is with the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodman of America, in both of which orders he has passed all the chairs, also representing both in the Grand Lodge. He is popular throughout a wide circle of acquaintance, and developed his theatrical enterprises into very prosperous concerns.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
HASKELL, Charles I .- Any detailed narrative tracing the tenure of many of the property hold- ings in the first farming settlement of what is now the Middle West, naturally leads to a review of the transitions undergone by them since the pioneer days, when the entire region was just emerging from primeval solitude. Among the old farming properties in western Illinois transmitted during the three past genera- tions is that belonging to Charles I. Haskell, who was born in Virginia, Cass County, Septem- ber 15, 1845, and is a son of John E. and Emeline (Brady) Haskell.
John E. Haskell was a native of Thomaston, Me., and died in Cass County, Ill., in 1876. He came to Cass County in 1835, making his first journey by canal-boat and sleigh, The second time Mr. Haskell came to Cass County, he rode a pony, with a big New Foundland dog for company, and just east of the then village of Princeton worked in a mill for Beggs & Brady. Later he bought this mill and moved it, in 183S, to his eleven acres of land which he had bought. This eleven acres of land was on the south side of the city square in Virginia, on which he pastured the cattle that did the work of treading for his mill. Subsequently this ground was subdivided into building lots and sold by his son, Charles I. Haskell. In this, · which was the first woolen mill in the state, he carried on carding and weaving until 1865, when he disposed of the mill. He had learned the wool carding and weaving business before coming to the West.
The marriage of John E. Haskell and Emeline Brady took place at Virginia, in Cass County, Ill. She was born near Louisville, Ky., March 4, 1826, and was brought to Cass County in 1835, and died October 22, 1901, at the home of her brother, John J. Brady, in Pomona, Cal. Her remains were brought home and committed to the earth in the Virginia cemetery. The chil- dren of John E. and Emeline (Brady) Haskell were : Lydia, who died in infancy; Charles I .; William E., whose home is in Peabody, Kas .; Adelia M: (Mrs. D. M. Duffield), of Springfield, Ill. ; and Harry, John and Edward, who died in infancy.
In political affairs, John E. Haskell took an active part, first as an old-line Whig and after- wards as a Democrat, becoming a Democrat at the time of the Lincoln-Douglas campaign. For forty years he held the office of justice of the peace, never in all that time having a decision reversed. Short in stature and ot portly form, he was known among lawyers throughout the state and elsewhere especially in Supreme court circles, and was familiarly called "Pud" Haskell. After disposing of his mill. he relin- quished all business effort. giving himself en- tirely to the duties pertaining to his official position.
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