USA > Illinois > Cass County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Cass County, Volume II > Part 67
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Until he was twenty-one years old. William Reid remained with his parents. His educa- tional training was obtained in the schools of his native land, as he was engaged in hard work on his father's farm after coming here. After attaining his majority, he began working for neighboring farmers. but in 1868 moved to Philadelphia, Cass County, and was engaged in farming in that vicinity. Moving some years later to the Sangamon River bottoms. he now rents a magnificent 400-acre farm, of which he has fifty acres in a high state of cultivation, raising grain exclusively, having found by ex- perimenting that his land is best adapted for this purpose. On February 22. 1865. Mr. Reid enlisted for service in the Civil war, in Com- pany A, Sixth Illinois Cavalry, and was in Mississippi and Alabama. He received his hon- orable discharge at Salem, in the latter state, November 5. 1865.
In 186S. Mr. Reid married his cousin, Ann W. Reid. who was born in Scotland. She died Jnly 9. 1901, having borne her husband the following family : Duncan J., who is of Omaha, Nebr. ;
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William S., who was killed in January, 1914, at Hope, Kans., by the accidental discharge of a gun, resided on a farm of 308 acres of land owned by his father; and Oliver E., who lives with his father. Mr. Reid belongs to the Cnm- berland Presbyterian church, in which he has been a presiding elder since 1890. In politics he is a Republican, and has served as road com- missioner and school director. For years he has been a member of Chandlerville Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 724. A qniet, conservative man, he has always lived up to his convictions, and is highly respected by all who know him.
REITHER, Andrew .- One of the old and hon- ored citizens of Virginia, Ill., holding prestige as the pioneer florist of this prosperons com- munity, is Andrew Reither, a man of substance and trne worth, who has spent the greater part of his career here and throngh well-directed effort has met with a full measure of success. His life has been a singularly active one, passed in varied occupations and characterized in each by fidelity to engagements and honorable deal- ing. Mr. Reither was born March 17, 1846, in Germany and his parents, Andrew and Sophia (Commetdollar) Reither, were natives of Strassburg, Germany. The sailing vessel on which they were passengers lost its bearings and it was six months before it finally reached the harbor of New York, from whence the par- ents made their way to Beardstown, Ill. Mr. Reither, the father, was engaged in blacksmith- ing until his death in 1879. The mother sur- vived him ten years. They were the parents ot the following children : Andrew ; Sophia, who is deceased; John, who is a resident of Beardstown ; Philip; Kate, who became the wife of John Weaver, of Beardstown; Carrie, who is now Mrs. Richard Dennis, of California ; and Edward, of Chicago.
After secnring his education in the public schools, Andrew Reither began to learn the bar- ber trade, and at the age of nineteen years took np that vocation at Jacksonville. Subsequently he came to Virginia, where he was the pro- prietor of a tonsorial establishment for font- teen years, and at the end of that period em- barked as a florist, erecting the first green- houses in this place. He is now the owner of one block and six lots in Virginia, with a hand- some residence and modern greenhonses, raises a large amount of nursery stock, and conducts the only business of its kind in this section. During his long business career Mr. Reither has built up a substantial reputation for com- mercial integrity and stability, and his asso- ciates have had every reason to place the high- est confidence in him, During the winter months he resides in Texas, having a property at Bnda, fourteen miles from the city of Anstin. Mr. Reither is a Republican, but has not been an Office seeker. With his family he attends the Lutheran church.
In February, 1879, Mr. Reither was married to Miss Annie Boyd, who was born at Virginia, Ill., daughter of Capt. Charles and Susan (Car-
penter ) Boyd, natives of Pennsylvania. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Reither : Bnrt, who is engaged in business with his father; Lonis, who died at the age of nine years ; George, who died when seven years old; and Clyde, who was five years old at the time of his death.
REITHER, John A., assistant engineer of the city water works of Beardstown, and one of the capable, experienced men of his calling, has been connected with this plant for twenty years. He was born at Beardstown, July 24, 1851, a son of Andrew and Sophia (Comedollar) Reither, natives of Frankfurt, and of Cologne, Ger- many. The father was a blacksmith and farmer, who married in Germany, bnt took his bride to France, and thence to the United States. After landing in this country he came direct to Beards- town, arriving in this city on March 18, 1851.
John A. Reither was educated in the schools of Beardstown and learned engineering and has worked as an engineer and at pump work all his life. His promotion to the position of assistant engineer of the city water works is felt to be a well deserved elevation. He has also charge of the heating plant of the Goodell Honse and the Gem Theater. He owns his residence and all that he has he has earned by hard work and persistent thrift.
In April, 1895, Mr. Reither was married to Mrs. Louisa (Gilles) Lebencool, a daughter of Albert and Mary (Loyhide) Gilles. There are no children by this marriage, bnt Mrs. Reither had a son, Garry Lebencool, by her first mar- riage. Mr. Reither is a Lntheran in religious faith. In yonng manhood he was a Republican, but forty years ago became a Democrat and still supports the candidates of that party.
ROEGGE, William H., a well known and pros- perous farmer and breeder of high grade horses in Cass Connty, Ill., whose farm of 280 acres is situated in township 17, range 11, and who has served as county commissioner of Cass Connty since the fall of 1912, and is now chair- man of the board, is a native of this connty, where he was born April 1, 1868. His residence is four miles northeast of Arenzville. He is a son of George and Mary ( Schroeder) Roegge, natives of Germany, who, when young, came to the United States, settled in Illinois and made their home in Cass County. There, in the course of time, they were married and reared a family. George Roegge was a farmer by oc- cupation and his operations were attended by success and he owned several hundred acres of fine land when he died, in 190S. His widow passed away in 1911. They had the following children : Sophia (Mrs. W. H. Witte) ; Wil- liam ; John H. ; Emma (Mrs. H. J. Korsmeyer), all of Cass County; Lucinda (Mrs. Henry Huppe), of Morgan Connty, Ill. ; and Henry E. and Lydia (Mrs. Christian Lovekamp), of Cass County.
William Roegge attended the Lovekamp dis- trict school, and the German school at Arenz-
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
ville, iu his youth, and remaiued with his par- ents until his marriage, which took place Au- gust 21, 1891, to Louisa Witte, born in Cass County, daughter of Heury and Minnie (Vette) Witte, natives of Germany. After he was mar- ried, Mr. Roegge moved to his present farm. On this he has erected moderu buildings, the house having been completed in 1906. He has built wire tenciug and tiled the farm thoroughly. Besides grain-raising, he is engaged in breeding registered Percheron and road horses. He also owns 136 acres in Morgau Couuty, aud he has beeu a director of the First National Bank at Arenzville, Ill.
Mr. Roegge and his wife have the following children : Lina, Clarence, Anua, Minnie, Elmer and Edward. Mr. aud Mrs. Roegge beloug to the Lutherau church. Iu politics Mr. Roegge acts with the Democratic party and has served six years as road commissioner.
ROHN, William .- The land of Cass County is well cultivated owing to the progressiveuess of some of the farmers, who exert themselves to bring it into a high state of productiveness. One of these meu, who is recoguized as a very successful agriculturist, is William Rohn, farmer and stockraiser of township 18, range 12, section 21. He was born in the county, Sep- tember 27, 1854, a sou of Henry and Elizabeth (Lammeer) Rohn, natives of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, where the father was born in 1803, and the mother in 1804. Henry Rohn came from Germany to the United States in 1834, and was married at St. Louis, Mo., to Elizabeth Lammeer, who had come to this country in the same year. They then made their_ way to Beardstown where Henry Rohn worked in the packing house for one year, then took up farm- ing and continued to follow that calling the re- mainder of his life ou laud he had entered from the government.
William Rohu atteuded the district schools of Cass Conuty, and spent his boyhood in farm- ing, hunting and fishing, holding the record for duck shooting in this viciuity, having killed 165 of them in three hours during the spring of 1878. His farm comprises eighty acres of land, and he also has a camp which he maintains for the accommodation of hunters and fishermen that is located between some lakes and the Illinois River, and during the season it is well patronized. Mr. Rohn's geuial manner aud jolly laugh make him a pleasant host and companion and he is very popular among the lovers of sport throughout the state and is one of the best known men in Cass County. A Republicau, he confines his activities in politics to votiug. , The German Methodist church holds his mem- bership.
Mr. Rohn was first married in Cass County, in 1876, to Augusta Machau and they had five children, three of whom are living: Edward, Anna C. and Fred H. On January 21, 1892, he married (second) Anua C. Mann, and they had four children, three of whom are living: Ethel
M., Howard J. and Myrtle B. All of these chil- dren were born iu Cass Couuty.
ROSS, William, one of the substantial men of Cass County, for many years has been au ex- tensive farmer aud raiser of live stock and owns many acres of highly improved laud, his home farm being situated in township 17, range 9, Cass County. He was born in County An- trim, Irelaud, November 1, 1837, a son of Sam- uel and Margaret (Bailey) Ross, both of whom died in Ireland.
In his native land William Ross atteuded an academy aud also a night school and when he came to the United States was a well informed young man. He set out on a sailing vessel bound for New Orleans, but storms blew the ship out of its course on the Caribbean sea, but it finally reached port after a voyage of almost seven weeks. Mr. Ross then came by steam- boat to Beardstown, Ill., and then to Virginia, Cass County, where he found work on farms. He was faithful and industrious and within three years was reuting land for himself near the village, on which he began to raise stock. In 1861 he sold his stock and until 1863 was engaged in trading and feeding cattle, in that year buyiug ninety-two and a half acres in township 17, range 9. In the fall of 1868 he sold that place and bought 185 acres of his present farm, on which he has since lived. At that time no trees had beeu planted and what buildings were there were burned iu 1869. Mr. Ross soou erected a large frame dwelling house and immediately began to set out trees of all kinds aud now has a beautiful grove of soft maples and a three-acre orchard of apple, peach, pear, plum and cherry trees. Later Mr. Ross added eighty acres and now has 240 acres all iu township 17. He owus a farm of eighty acres in township 18, range 9, ou section 29, which he uses for stockraising purposes, and additionally owns 367 iu towuship 17, range 9, section S, and 35 acres more on section S. He has all his 640 acres under cultivation and the rest is in timber and used as pasture land. He has his land divided into forty-acre fields by fine wire fencing with cement posts. In 1876 Mr. Ross, with William Gilbert, bought a store at Philadelphia, Ill., in which he continued to be interested until quite recently, when he sold to George Bergin of Ashland. Mr. Ross worked hard for many years and invested wisely aud may now be called one of the wealthy men of Cass County. He is a stockholder and a ·mem- ber of the board of directors in the Centeuuial Bank at Virginia, Ill.
In 1862 Mr. Ross was married to Margaret Elliott, who was born in Ireland, and died Sep- tember 8, 1893. She was a daughter of John and Nancy Elliott, early settlers iu Cass County. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ross: John, of Jacksonville, Ill. ; Mary, wife of Alfred Campbell; Nancy, wife of W. T. Schaner, of New London, Iowa; William, who died in Iowa July 24, 1894; Walter and Ethel, both liviug at home; Nellie, wife of Carl Thorn-
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
ley, of Cass County; a babe that died; Roy ; Edith, who died in 1900; Hazel; and Hughie, who died at the age of two years, September 7, 1889. In polities Mr. Ross is a Democrat. He is a charter member of the M. W. A., at Vir- ginia.
RUPPEL, Henry J. M., a prosperous general farmer and buyer of cattle, is one of the sub- stantial men of Cass County, residing in town- ship 17, range 11. He was born at Springfield, Ill., March 24, 1862, a son of Henry and Eliza- beth (Weigan) Ruppel. The father was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and came to Springfield. Ill., when young. The mother, also a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, was a daughter of Frederick Weigan, who located at Spring- field, Ill., when Mrs. Ruppel was a child, but later moved to Beardstown, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ruppel were married at Springfield, and there Henry Ruppel worked as a shoemaker until 1869, when he moved to Beardstown, and with a brother started a boot and shoe manufactur- ing concern and also a repairing establishment, conducting both lines of business until his death in 1894. His wife died in 1896. Their children were as follows: Charles, who died August 6, 1905 ; Henry J. M. : Elizabeth, who died in 1913; John. Christian and Mollie, all of Beardstown.
Henry J. M. Ruppel attended the public and the German parochial schools of Beardstown, and when fourteen years old lett home and began working for farmers, continuing to hire out by the month until he was twenty years old. He then rented his present farm in township 17. range 11, but a year later bought 100 acres of unimproved land, continuing, however, to operate his rented land as well. He kept adding to his holdings until he owned 1,150 acres, but later sold 650 acres and bought 1,260 acres in Rogers County, Okla .. and his son, Herman C., owns 240 acres of said land. Mr. Ruppel rents out the greater part of this land. He has al- ways been a general farmer and does a large business in buying. feeding and selling cattle.
On December 22, 1881, Mr. Ruppel married Amelia F. Krohe, born in Cass County, a dangh- ter of August and Christina (Jockisch) Krohe of Saxony, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Krohe be- came the parents of the following children: F. A., who is of Beardstown; Louis, who is ot Schuyler County, Ill .; Minnie, who is Mrs. Henry C. Korte, of Cass County: Henry, who is of Cass County ; Louisa, who is Mrs. Theodore Lowner, a widow, of Morgan County, Ill. ; Julia, who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Ruppel, and Ame- lia F., who is now Mrs. Ruppel, the youngest of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Ruppel became the parents of six children, namely: August H., who is of Cass County; Herman C., who is in Oklahoma : Arthur J., who is of Cass County : and Marie M .. Emil H. and Rosa, who are at home. The Lutheran church holds the membership of Mr. Ruppel. He has served as road commis- sioner for six years, also has been supervisor, being elected on the Democratie ticket, and is a member of the Drainage Commission, of
which he is clerk. Fraternally he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America at Bluff Springs. In every respect he is an excellent representative of the agriculturists of Cass County.
RUSSELL, Charles W .- The progressive spirit of the age has permeated every branch of en- deavor, and along no line is it more clearly shown than in farming. Charles Wesley Rus- sell of Virginia Precinct is one of the best ex- amples of this fact, for in all of his work he aims to conserve natural resources and develop the possibilities of his property. He was born in Cass County. June 10, 1871, a son of William and Rebecca (Needham) Russell, natives of Scotland and England, respectively. These two came with their parents to Cass County about 1839, and later married, settling on a farm near Virginia. Later, retiring, they moved to Vir- ginia, where he died September 10, 1900, his widow surviving him until January 14, 1905.
Charles W. Russell, an only child, resided with his parents until the fall of 18SS, when he entered the University of Illinois at Champaign, having previously taken a high school course at Virginia, being graduated theretrom in 1893. Following this he taught school three years in the high school of Champaign, and after this he went to the state of Mississippi, where he carried on farming until the death of his father, when he returned to Virginia, and in the fall of 1901-2 taught one term in the Virginia High school. His mother became an invalid and he took care of her until death released her, after which he moved to the homestead of sixty acres. This property he has increased by buying 100 acres and here he erected the first silo in this vicinity, which was made of staves. This was demolished in 1911 by a cyclone, and he re- placed it by one made of tile blocks. The farm is appropriately named the "Clover Hill" farm, and on it he raises Poland-China hogs and car- ries on general farming. Mr. Russell was one of the first of the Cass County agriculturists to take up scientific farming, and is continually experimenting, among other things, in the rais- ing of alfalfa. He is putting in an extensive system of water works, and has each field con- nected with his general supply, and his resi- dence is piped and is in a thoroughly sanitary condition. The tank is 14 feet in diameter and 16 feet high, and it is placed on the highest point on his farm. His work is carried on ac- cording to intensive methods, and he has used 100 tons of rock phosphate and 50 tons of ground limestone. In fact, more of his effort goes into the preliminary work than in the after cultivation. The orchard on this farm is a well selected one of varied fruits, and he tends it in the same careful manner as he does the re- mainder of his land. Of this land, he aims to keep 100 acres under cultivation, and the bal- ance in pasture and timber, maintaining an average of fifteen acres of the latter. His suc- cess in the past and the magnificent future he has already outlined for his property, proves
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
conclusively that almost nothing is impossible to the man who conducts his farm as any man would a business, according to set rules, with due calculation regarding cause and effect. His example ought to be of inestimable value to others in his vicinity.
On February 15, 1905, Mr. Russell was mar- ried to Florence Newman, born in the vicinity of Virginia, August 14, 1SS1, a daughter of Alex- ander and Ellen (Cunningham) Newman, na- tives of Cass County, The grandparents of Mrs. Russell are Robert Newman and Thomas and Euphemia (Wilkie) Cunningham, natives of the Parish of Edinburg and of Abernight, Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Russell have had three children : Mary Rebecca, who was born De- cember 6, 1905; Edna Mae, who was born April 6, 1913; and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Russell was educated in the public schools of the county. In religious faith, she is a Pres- byterian. From 1906 to 1912, Mr. Russell served as president of the Farmers Institute. For years he has been a member of Virginia Lodge No. 544, A, F. & A. M.
SALZENSTEIN, David H .- Many of the leading men of Cass County are numbered among those who have retired from active business lite at an age when they are still in full possession of all their faculties and therefore able to give much of their energy thereafter to local affairs. There are some men who neglect early opportunities, and so are compelled to work on into old age, but this seems to have been the exception rather than the rule at Virginia and its neighboring villages, for here are found many men of sub- stance who are yet in middle life. One of the retired men of the county seat of Cass County, who has accomplished much, although not yet fifty years of age, is David H. Salzenstein, who was born at Pleasant Plains, Ill., September 2S, 1866, a son of Jacob and Hannah (Hexter) Sal- zenstein.
Growing up in his native place, David H. Sal- zenstein was given the educational advantages there and at Springfield, Ill., to which city the family later removed, and he also attended its business college. After he was fully prepared, he became a clerk in mercantile houses at Ash- land and Beardstown, working thus from 1887 until 1890, and later conducted a grocery store at the latter place. In August, 1892, he located at Virginia and opened a dry goods, clothing and boot and shoe establishment, and so energetically devoted himself to its conduct, that when he and his partner, who was his brother Solomon, sold to the corporation of Uptmor, McIntire & Brei- den, on September 4, 1911, he felt justified in retiring.
On October 21, 1896, Mr. Salzenstein married Nellie Kahn, a daughter of Solomon Kahn, at Lincoln, Ill. They have three children : LeRoy J., Edgar S., and Helene, the first two attend- ing the public school. Mr. Salzenstein joined the Masonic order at Virginia and Knights of Pythias at Ashland, Ill. In religion he is of the Jewish faith.
SAUNDERS, George Turpin, police magistrate at Beardstown, and one of the prominent fig- ures in civic affairs, was born at Beardstown, Ill., March 22, 1845, a son of Thomas R. and Catherine (Spence) Saunders. The mother came from Tennessee with her brothers and sisters at an early day, while the father came from Philadelphia, Pa., in young manhood, and both settled at Beardstown, where they later were married, Their family consisted of eight children, five of whom died in infancy, the others being as follows: John W., George T., and Elva J., the last named a teacher in the Beardstown public schools. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Saunders married Nor- man Parsons, to which marriage there was no issue. Mr. Parsons had two sons, William and Melborne Parsons, who, with their father, en- listed for service in the Civil war; William, who was in Company A., Fourteenth Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, came home right after the battle of Shiloh and died; Melborne, in Company C, Seventy-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry ; and Norman, in Company C, Third Illinois Cavalry.
After leaving school George T. Saunders en- listed for service in the Civil war, entering the Seventy-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and afterward, at St. Louis, the First Missouri Ar- tillery, for three years. He was in numerous engagements and skirmishes, and while on scout duty in the Indian campaign, participated in many thrilling events. He was mustered out at St. Louis in September, 1865, and received his papers of honorable discharge. He returned to Beardstown and learned to be a harness- maker, and was thus engaged more or less for about fifteen years, but during a portion of this time was a brakeman on the C. & A. Railroad. He then went to Bloomington, Ill., and worked at his trade and was a member of the Bloom- ington fire department for five years. From there he went to Denver, Colo., where he spent four years, working at his trade, and working also for two winters on the railroads, and in the summer prospected in the mountains. In 1884 he returned to Beardstown and for a time continued to work at his trade and then entered the employ of the C., B. & Q. Railroad. He was then elected a police magistrate and has succeeded himself for fourteen years, still hold- ing that office. He belongs to McLean Post No. 97. G. A. R., of which he is at present adjutant. An interesting fact to him and his friends is that Magistrate Saunders, who. with another lad, ran away from school to be present at the famous Armstrong trial, in which Mr. Lincoln was concerned as a lawyer, should occupy as his office an apartment right under the room in which that trial was held.
On August 14, 1898, Mr. Saunders was mar- ried at Springfield, Ill., to Emma Gibbons, who was born in Kentucky, near the Ohio River, and was reared by an aunt, in Schuyler County, III. There are no children by this marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders are living in the house his father built in 1848, on the corner of Fifth and Washington streets. At the time it was erected
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
it was on the outskirts of the town. Mr. Saun- ders has always been a Republican, inheriting the political views of his father, an old-line Whig, who died in 1851, before the birth of the Republican party.
SAVAGE, Charles W., grain dealer, and an effi- cient business man and public spirited citizen at Virginia, Ill., was born three miles from Vir- ginia, Cass County, January 12, 1853, and is a son of Henry S. and Sarah Frances ( Ward) Savage, who were the parents of thirteen chil- dren, eight of whom died in infancy. The father, Henry S. Savage, died in 1865, and the mother reared the five surviving children care- fully and conscientiously. They were as follows : Charles W., Edward E., Louis L. and H. S., all residing in Cass County ; and Nellie, who mar- ried Henry Collins and died in Spokane, Wash., in 1897, leaving two children, Ward and Eliza- beth Collins.
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