Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Hancock County, Volume II, Part 119

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), 1844-1928. 4n; Scofield, Charles J. (Charles Josiah), 1853- 4n
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1174

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Mr. King not only carried on the large mer- cantile establishment before mentioned, which has occupied its present quarters since 1897, but became interested along other lines, and at one time was associated with William Turner and Henry Reynolds in the Golden State Bank at Golden, Ill., of which his son, Harry Milton King. is now president, and he also manages the branch store at Golden. Mr. King continued a member of the directorate of this bank until his death and he also was on the board of di- rectors of the First National Bank of Augusta, and the First Trust & Savings Bank of the same city. When the telephone company was organized at Augusta, Mr. King became a heavy stockholder and never lost his interest in it.

Early in life Mr. King joined the Presbyterian Church at Huntsville, but when he moved to Augusta transferred to that denomination in his new home city. In November, 1892, he was made ruling elder and held that office until his death. His many business cares led to a grad- ual breakdown, although he tried to regain his health during his later years by taking up agri- culture in a practical manner. Three years prior to his death he suffered from a stroke of

paralysis, and he finally, accompanied by mem- bers of his family, established himself at Miami Beach, Fla., and there he passed away April 4, 1916. His remains were brought back to Au- gusta, and the funeral exercises were held at his late residence by Dr. W. A. Hutchison of the Presbyterian Church. A very large concourse attended, and paid the last honors to one who was universally beloved. A beautiful resting place was made for him in Woodlawn Cemetery.

After his death Mrs. King generously donated to the city of Augusta, in memory of her hus- band, a lot on which the new Carnegie Library is to be erected, but he already has a lasting monument in the present church edifice to the erection of which he gave so liberally of his means and time, acting as a member of the building committee, and in every other way for- warding its speedy and proper completion. A man whose spoken word was regarded as equal to the bond of another, his business affairs were conducted according to the highest conception of honor, and his statement of any fact was never questioned. As one of his old friends said in part, in speaking of him :

"For his family he had a great love, and for them and others he had a self-sacrificing spirit. Thus he lived not for himself alone, but for others."

Mrs. King is very fortunate in her three sur- viving children, the eldest, Jacob Weinberg King, having died in young manhood at the be- ginning of a very promising business career. The sons are proving themselves capable busi- ness men, and the daughter is happily married to Dr. S. S. Allen of Macomb, Ill. The King and Weinberg families are rightly numbered among the most representative and honored ones of Hancock County, and the younger generations are living up to the high standards set by their elders.

KING, Henry D., proprietor of the hotel at Elvaston, is one of the best known men in Hancock County, and one who commands uni- versal respect. He was born at Ashtabula, Ohio, November 3, 1851, a son of Stephen and Barbara (Heald) King, natives of Oneida County, N. Y. He was a Methodist preacher, and minis- tered to various charges, principally in Pennsyl- vania and Ohio.

Henry D. King attended the common schools of the various communities in which his father was stationed. When he was twenty-seven years old he went to Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he learned cheese-making, and worked at it for six years, going then to what is now Moody County, S. Dak., and spent a year. From there he went to Nebraska, and bought 160 acres of land, and lived on it for ten years. He then traded that farm for one in Sullivan County, Mo., although he never lived on it, and soon traded it for lots in Hooker's addition to Car- thage, to which he moved and engaged in team- ing until he accidentally crippled his hand. For some time thereafter, he was engaged in buying and selling city property, but eight years later

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moved to Elvaston, and bought the hotel and livery business there, and still kept on handling real estate. In 1915 hie discontinued the livery business. On August 24, 1917, his hotel was Yestroyed by fire, but he immediately secured the adjoining building and still conducts his hotel for transients, it being a popular place for traveling men.

In 1876 Mr. King was married to Mary Car- ringer, born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph and Mary Jane Carringer, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. King became the parents of the following children : Fred, who lives at Carthage; James, who lives at Water- loo, S. Dak .; George, who lives at Lemmon, S. Dak .; and Mary, who is Mrs. Roy Taylor, of Chicago, Ill. Mrs. King died in November, 1914, and in March, 1917, Mr. King was mar- ried (second) to Mrs. Minnie (Pichel) Allen, widow of William Allen. By her first marriage, Mrs. King has one son, Charles Allen, who lives at Montrose, Ill.

KINKADE, Hiram Bird, who operates 200 acres of valuable land on the eastern edge of Hamil- ton, in Montebello Township, is one of the re- liable men of Hancock County. He was born in St. Albans Township, February 3, 185S, a son of L. D. and Harriet (Stewart) Kinkade, the former of whom was born at Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Ky., January 31, 1825, and died January 15, 1879; while the latter was born in Wabash County Ind., August 26, 1826, and died September 3, 1914. Two other sons of these parents, George W. and J. A. Kinkade, live in Hancock County.

Hiram Bird Kinkade attended the district schools of his native county, and after the death of his father in 1879, accompanied his mother to Kansas, where he was engaged in farming for ten years, during that period being in Harvey, Ellis and Lyon counties. In 1896, he returned to Hancock County, where he has since resided. For some years he has been conducting his present farm in partnership with J. C. Mumberg.

On October 28, 1SS6, Mr. Kinkade was married to Emma E. Samsel, in Emporia, Kas. There are no children by this marriage. Mrs. Kinkade is a daughter of Ephraim Samsel and the maiden name of her mother was Tracy Roher. In politics Mr. Kinkade is a Democrat, and for twelve years he was a member of the city council of Hamilton, and is now one of the city commissioners. It was while he was a member of the council that the present water works and sewerage system were installed. A very prominent Odd Fellow. he has filled all the chairs of the local lodge No. 697, and he is now past noble grand of the Encampment. A man of affairs, he gives to his public duties the same conscientious care that he does to his private concerns, and consequently has rendered very efficient service to his community.

KIRBY, Thomas Jefferson, who is engaged in conducting a flourishing real estate business at Carthage, is one of the substantial business men

of Hancock County. He was born at Shokok- kon, Henderson County, Ill., August 3, 1856, a son of Thomas and Sarah Almeda (Grenshaw) Kirby. Thomas Kirby was born at Hurlock, Dorchester County, Md., April 5, 1822, on the southern shore of Chesapeake Bay, while his wife was born at Harper's Ferry, Va., Septem- ber 24, 1824, and she died February 17, 1890. Thomas Kirby came from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Illinois in 1835, driving through in a wagon, while his wife came to the same state from Kentucky in 1836. He was a farmer and be- came a prominent man in his community.

Thomas Jefferson Kirby attended the com- mon schools of Henderson County, Carthage College, and the Gem City Business College at Quincy, Ill. Until 1900 he remained on a farm, but in that year entered a bank at Stronghurst, Ill .. as a bookkeeper. Subsequently he em- barked in a real estate business at La Harpe, Ill .. going thence to Adams County, Iowa, from whence he returned to Stronghurst. In 1906 he came to Carthage, where he has since re- mained, building up a large and valuable connec- tion in the realty line. He was elected county treasurer of Hancock County on the Democra- tic ticket in 1896. and held that office for four years. Mr. Kirby owns 320 acres of land in Clay County, Minn., in the Red River Valley, and 300 acres of land in Thomas County, Kas. He has never married. Fraternally he belongs to Bently Lodge No. 412. I. O. O. F., Illinois jurisdiction. He has always supported those measures which he believed would work out for the advancement of his community, and is in every respect a representative citizen of the highest type.

KIRKPATRICK, Orville C., one of the leading members of the Hancock County bar, and a man well and favorably known, not only at Dallas City where he resides, but all over the county, was born at Elvaston, Ill .. May 13, 1867. one Sarah A. (Rorhbaugh) Kirkpatrick. George W. Kirkpatrick was born in Adams County, Ill., but he has spent the past fifty-five years in Hancock County. In early life he was a farmer, but later became a merchant. The mother passed away in 1SS0.

After completing his courses in the common and the high school of his native place, Orville C. Kirkpatrick taught school for ten years in Hancock County, and then began the study of law. He was first admitted to practice in Missouri. in 1901. and in 1907 was admitted to practice in Illinois. In 1907 he located at Dallas City and soon thereafter was elected city attorney, which office he has since held. and has given entire satisfaction. His offices are con- veniently located over the First National Bank.

On July 31, 1900, Mr. Kirkpatrick was mar- ried to Miss Lena L. Damron, a daughter of Wiliam T. Damron, who is a member of a prominent and old family of Carthage. Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick belong to the Christian Church. Fraternally he is a Mason, Odd Fellow, and a member of the Court of Honor.

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

KIRSCHBAUM, Joseph H., one of the notable men of Hancock County, whose artistic talents and love for the beautiful, have been care- fully trained, is one of the honored residents of Nauvoo. He was born at Neuss, near Cologne, Germany, September 27, 1829, a son of Werner and Gertrude (Frohn) Kirschbaum. Joseph H. Kirschbaum was educated at the Col- lege of Neuss, and he also took an art course in the Dueseldorf Academy.

Leaving his home March 19, 1849, he took passage on a sailing vessel for New Orleans, and was sixty-five days crossing the ocean. From New Orleans he came up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Mo., where he worked as a fresco painter until 1861, and for many years he was called upon to execute some important work in this line of artistic endeavor in the principal cities of the east. In 1861 he came to Nauvoo, to join his parents who had lo- cated here in 1848, and for the subsequent three years taught drawing and painting at St. Mary's Academy, conducted by the Ben- dictine sisters, having two classes of students. Mr. Kirschbaum then became interested in painting flowers and landscapes, and in his work has demonstrated his genius for repro- ducing nature in color and principle, and his name is known all over the United States in this line of production. Owning two acres of land in the center of Nauvoo, he has ample space for a magnificent flower garden, and devotes much time to the study of botany. On his property is one of the old Mormon houses, although he has remodeled it to meet modern requirements. Since 1861, Mr. Kirschbaum has been a member of the choir of the Cath- olic Church, and is still a very active worker in the Catholic Church. During his resi- dence at St. Louis, he sang in the choir of various Catholic Churches of that city for twelve years.

On September 30, 1861, Mr. Kirschbaum was married to Elsie C. Reimbold, born at Cologne, Germany, March S, 1841, a daughter of Dr. Peter and Ernestine (Baum) Reimbold, who came to the United States in 1849, and after a stay at St. Louis, Mo., of some months, in 1850 located at Nauvoo. Mr. and Mrs. Kirschbaum had the following children: Joseph H., who lives at St. Louis, Mo .; Ernestine, who is Mrs. Henry Rissi of Collinsville, Ill .; Max H., who lives at Nauvoo ; Theodore, who died at the age of twenty-two years; Emil P., who lives at Fillmore, Cal .; and Anna H., who is Mrs. Wil- liam Haas, of Senora Township. Mrs. Kirsch- baum died September 26, 1916. Mr. Kirsch- baum is a Democrat, and he served for four years as a justice of the peace, succeeding Joseph Smith, a sor. of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. It is remarkable when a man is spared to attain to the age of Mr. Kirsch- baum, but when he retains his faculties and powers of usefulness as he has, he becomes one in whom the entire community feels a per- sonal pride and interest, and it is safe to say that there is no one in Hancock County who

is more venerated than Joseph H. Kirsch- baum of Nauvoo.

KLEPPER, Alexander W., one of the retired farmers of West Point, was formerly promi- nently identified with the agricultural activities of Hancock County. He was born in Washing- ton County, Tenn., November 26, 1849, a son of Daniel and Martha E. (Miller) Klepper, and grandson of Jacob and Elizabeth (Bowman) Klepper, natives of Baltimore, Md., and Ten- nessee, and Abraham Miller, a native of Ten- nessee. In 1853, Daniel Klipper and his wife traveled overland in a wagon to Hancock County, settling in Chili Township, living there until 1860, when they moved to St. Albans Township, and bought a partly improved farm of which all the sod was broken, and not long thereafter, he enlisted for service during the Civil War in Company K, Tenth Illinois Cav- alry, and died June 22, 1863, at Young's Point, La., where he lies buried. His widow continued to reside on the farm until her death, June 7, 1914. Their children were as follows: Alexan- der W .; Thomas, who died in 1865; Elizabeth. who lives on the home farm; Martha, who died in childhood ; and Mary L., who is Mrs. Samuel Howard of St. Albans Township.

Alexander W. Klepper attended the schools . of St. Albans Township, and grew up on the farm. He was married December 3, 1874, to Azelia Reeves, born in Mason County, Ill., Au- gust 4, 1849, a daughter of James and Nancy (Bowen) Reeves, natives of Pennsylvania ana New York state. The town of Bowen, Ill., was named after Peter Bowen, a brother of Nancy (Bowen) Reeves. After his marriage, Mr. Klepper conducted the home farm of 333 acres, forty acres being in Chili Township and the balance in St. Albans Township, and carried on general farming and stock raising until his mother's death, when he inherited 120 acres of land. He also owns two lots and his home at West Point, and since 1916 has lived here re- tired, renting his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Klepper have one son, Charles D., born May 6, 1877. He is unmarried and lives on the homestead. Mrs. Klepper is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Klepper attends its services with her. He is a Democrat and has served as school director and trustee. He belongs to the Sons of Veterans organization. Having done his duty as he saw it, Mr. Klepper has won the respect and confidence of his neighborhood, and is a worthy man and good citizen.

KLEPPER, Jacob, president of the First Na- tional Bank of Augusta for many years, but now deceased, was one of the most substantial men of Hancock County, and his memory is held in high esteem by all who had the honor of his acquaintance. He was one of eleven children born to his parents, William and Nancy (Gillenwaters) Klepper, of whom all are now deceased. Jacob Klepper was born in Schuyler County, Ill., June 4, 1835, his father, William Klepper, having come to this state

cours yho Ub of

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

from his native Tennessee, in both states fol- lowing the vocation of a farmer.

Jacob Klepper attended the local schools of Schuyler County, and for one year was a student of DePauw University. Upon his re- turn from the university, Mr. Klepper began farming and was so engaged for a period -cov- ering forty-two years. For fifteen years of that time he was also engaged in buying stock and shipping horses. In 1892 he further branched out by embarking in a banking busi- ness with L. H. Dexter, under the firm style of Klepper & Dexter, which concern was later merged into the First National Bank of Au- gusta, of which Mr. Klepper was president, L. H. Dexter, vice president; S. E. McAfee, cashier ; and W. S. Beard, J. A. Mead, George H. Eastman, B. B. Crain and A. F. Henning, with the other officials as the board of directors. Mr. Klepper erected the building in which the bank is located at a cost of $17,000. He also organized the Loraine Bank of Loraine, Ill., in 1904, of which he was a stockholder and director. The capital stock of the latter bank is $25,000, and the surplus, $18,000. For a number of years prior to his death, whichi oc- curred February 16, 1919, Mr. Klepper resided at Augusta, although he continued to be inter- ested in farming and stockraising, and he in- vested extensively in Augusta realty.

On September 5, 1858, Mr. Klepper was mar- ried at Greencastle, Ind., to Miss Cynthia Albin, a daughter of Joseph Albin of Putnam County. Ind., and they became the parents of the following children : Mrs. Nannie R. Grigson, who is at home; Asenath, who is the wife of Frank H. Eastman. of Boulder, Col .; Clyde, who was with his father in the banking busi- ness until his death, September 20, 1909; and Clyde and Maude, both of whom are deceased. The family all belong to the Methodist Episco- pal Church. of which Mr. Klepper was a mem- ber. Politically he was a Republican. He was a Chapter Mason and Knight Templar. A man of many and varied interests. Mr. Klepper gave to them all a careful and conservative super- vision. and he was recognized as one of sound judgment and high principles. Augusta lost one of its best and most representative men when Mr. Klepper was called to his last reward, and his associates will continue to miss him for a long time to come.

KLINGELMUELLER, John, now deceased, was for many years a successful general farmer and stock raiser of Appanoose Township. He was born in Austria, November 17, 1852, a son of Wolfgang Klingelmueller. The family came to the United States in 1854, and after stopping in Missouri for a short time, came to Nauvoo, and settled on a farm in its eastern part where both parents died.

John Klingelmueller grew up at Nauvoo, and attended the district schools. When he reached manhood's estate, he bought seventy-four acres of land just east of his father's homestead, and later he operated both farms. He built a fine

frame residence on his farm and made many other improvements, making the place thorough- ly modern, and on it he carried on general farm- ing and stockraising until his death which occurred October 1, 1904, since which time his widow and son have made it their home, although the farm is rented to a tenant.

On December 27, 1893, Mr. Klingelmueller was married to Louise Bewersdorf, born at Nauvoo, a daughter of William and Louise (Miller) Bedersdorf, born in Mecklenburg, Ger- many. Mr. and Mrs. Klingelmueller had two children namely : Minnie, who is a public school- teacher; and Wolfgang, who is at home. Mrs. Klingelmueller attended the public schools of Nauvoo during her girlhood. In politics Mr. Klingelmueller was a Democrat, and he served as a school director. From the time he was confirmed in the Lutheran Church by Rev. Kie- sel, Mr. Klingelmueller, took a deep interest in the progress of that uenomination, and was a liberal contributor as well as worker in the local church of his faith.

KNIGHT, L. C., M. D., one of the leading physi- cians and surgeons of Carthage, and a man widely and favorably known in his profession, was born in Knox City, Mo., September 24, 1884, a son of George W. and Sarah R. (Shook) Knight, both of whom were born in Iowa. They. now reside at Dallas City, Ill. The father is a minister of the Christian Church, and was graduated from the theological school at Can- ton, Mo. He and his wife had four children born to them, as follows: Dr. L. C .; Spray, who was graduated from the Dallas City High school, is the wife of George E. Shain; Nellie, who is the wife of George Yoecum of Daven- port, Iowa; and Gale, who was graduated from the Dallas City High school in 1917.

L. C. Knight was fifteen years old when the family located at Dallas City, and he attended the high school of that place, being graduated therefrom. Following that he took the civil service examination for railway mail clerk, and served as such for two years. He then had an office position in the mail service at Chicago for a year more, and then began the study of medicine at the College of Medicine in the University of Illinois, paying his ex- penses at college by working at his desk. Within four years he was graduated in medi- cine, and then was an interne at an emergency hospital, and still later held the same position in Hackley Hospital, Muskegon, Mich., for a year. Dr. Knight then went professionally to the Watertown State Hospital for the Insane and spent six months. Having so thoroughly pre- pared himself, when he opened an office at Carthage in the fall of 1916, it was not sur- prising that he was immediately successful in his treatment of his cases, nor that he has already built up a large and valuable practice. Dr. Knight is a member of the county, state and national medical societies, and has fur- nished some interesting papers to them.

In August, 1916, Dr. Knight was-married to

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Miss June Vesper Lovett, born in Henderson County, Ill., a daughter of John W. Lovett, of Henderson County, Ill. Dr. Knight belongs to the Christian Church. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and is a Republican in politics.

KNOX, George S., now deceased, was one of the energetic men of Warsaw, whose name is associated with some of the leading industries of that city. He was born in Steuben County, N. Y., 1828, a son of William Douglas and Sarah Ann (Winters) Knox, natives of New York state, who came at an early day by canal to Buffalo, and thence by way of the lakes to Chicago. From there they traveled overland to Hancock County, Ill., arriving here in 1844, and settling at Warsaw. Several years later, the father went to Galena, Ill., and worked in the lead mines, but later returned to War- saw.

George S. Knox attended the district schools of his native state, and early learned to make himself useful. He was first employed in his father's mercantile establishment, but then, in partnership with his brother-in-laws, he went into the distillery business and contin- ued in it for a time, later becoming bankers, founding the Hill Dodge Banking Co., which is still in existence, and one of the sound finan- ciał institutions of Hancock County. Mr. Knox was always a very busy man, being engaged in looking after his many affairs, although in later years he was not active in business. His death occurred in October, 1879, since which time his widow has lived in the Knox homestead.

On May 6, Mr. Knox was married to Emily A. Hill, who was born in Walker Township, Hancock County, September 3, 1857. They had the following children: Charles, who died in infancy ; Clara, who became Mrs. A. E. John- stone, is now deceased; and John Douglas, who died at the age of seven years. Mrs. Knox attended the schools of Warsaw, and was reared in this city. She is a member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Knox was a Republi- can. The Knox and Hil. families are among the oldest in Warsaw, and their representatives are held in highest esteem by the people here, as well as in other communities where they have settled.

KOEHLER, Charles Jacob, a prosperous gen- eral farmer and stockraiser of Wythe Township, is one of the substantial men of Hancock Coun- ty. He was born in Walker Township, April 10, 1876. a son of John and Margaret (Renner) Koehler, natives of Germany and Warsaw, Ill. Jacob and Elizabeth (Granlich) Koehler came to Hancock County in 1868, settling in Walker Township, and they were the paternal grand- parents. The parents resided in Walker Town- ship until they died. Their children were as follows: Charles Jacob; John, who lives in Wythe Township; William D., who is of Wythe Township; Anna, who is Mrs. Frank Meyer- sick, of Wythe Township; Clara E .; Henry C.,

who lives in St. Albans Township; and Ida L., who is Mrs. Homer Nagel, of Wythe Township.

On February 24, 1901, Charles J. Koehler was married to Elizabeth H. Schmitt, who was born in Walker Township, a daughter of Jacob and Caroline (Boedeker) Schmitt, natives of Illinois. After marriage Mr. Koehler rented land for a year in Wythe Township, then bought eighty acres on section 4, Wythe Township, but seven years later sold this, and bought 190 acres of section 35, Wythe Township. On this he erected a fine modern residence, and has all the place under cultivation except twenty acres of pas- ture. Here he carries on general farming and raises Shorthorn cattle.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Hancock County, Volume II, Part 119

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), 1844-1928. 4n; Scofield, Charles J. (Charles Josiah), 1853- 4n Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1174

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Currey, J. Seymour (Josiah Seymour), 1844-1928. 4n; Scofield, Charles J. (Charles Josiah), 1853- 4n
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1174