Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 150

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

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creditors, the late Marshall P. Ayers, of Jack- sonville, becoming the assignee and manager. Notwithstanding the fact that his liabilities ex- ceeded $1,200,000, his estate paid his creditors dollar for dollar. He retained a considerable portion of his large estate at Alexander, in Morgan County, where he continued to reside up to the date of his death, which occurred August 22, 1876.

Mr. Alexander was married at the age of twenty-four years to Miss Mary Deweese, and they reared a family of eight children.

ALLYN, Walter H., M. D., and ALLYN, Paul, M. D., physicians and surgeons, Waverly, Mor- gan county, Ill. It is not often that the biog- rapher has the pleasing task of writing the lives of two brothers, who, while not born twins, are so similar in characteristics and tendencies as to lead almost identical lives. R. T. and E. E. (Henderson) Allyn, parents of the brothers mentioned, were originally of Scotch descent, although natives of Illinois. Of their children, Walter H. and Paul early showed inclinations for a professional life, and, what is rather unusual in similar cases, both selected the field of medicine. Walter H. Allyn was born in Modesto, Macoupin County, Ill., July 16, 1876, and Paul, on April 10, 1879.

The education of both was along similar lines. Walter graduated from the High School near his home in 1891, after which for two years he attended the school at Waverly. Later he spent four years in the college at Eureka, Ill., obtaining the degree of A. B. in 1899, and thereafter entering Barnes University, at St. Louis, Mo., from which institution he was grad- uated in 1902. He was so fortunate as to secure the position of interne in a city hospital for twelve months, a position which because of the varied experience it furnishes, is eagerly sought by medical students. In the spring of 1903 Dr. Allyn came to Waverly, and a year later was joined by his brother who became the junior member of the firm, whose practice is large and continually increasing. Dr. Allyn is a member of the I. O. O. F., the Elks, K. P., Modern Woodmen, M. P. L., A. F. & A. M., Loyal Americans and D. A. K. K. fraternities.

Paul Allyn's education, as has been suggested, was very similar to that enjoyed by his senior brother. He graduated at Waverly High School, and later attended Eureka College. He also

AK Jones

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

graduated from Barnes University, at St. Louis, in 1902, and for eighteen months in the Cen- tenary and City Hospitals, had all the advan- tages of an interne's experiences. after which he removed to Waverly and became connected with the firm of Drs. Allyn & Allyn. Dr. Paul Allyn has recently taken a post-graduate course at Chicago. He does not belong to the order of Elks nor to the Masonic fraternity, but is con- nected with the Court of Honor; otherwise he is affiliated with all the organizations with which his brother is associated, while both belong to the City Hospital Alumni Medical Society, and to the American Medical Asso- ciation.

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ANDERSON, James S., one of the most worthy and successful of the pioneer residents of Jacksonville, Morgan County, Ill., was born in Loudoun County, Va., on Gladstone's birth- day, July 22, 1810, the son of Robert and Sarah Anderson. In 1815 Robert Anderson journeyed with his family to Jefferson County, Ind., where he settled on a tract of land which he cleared of timber.

For a short period of his early boyhood Mr. Anderson attended the subscription schools, meanwhile assisting his father on the farm dur- ing the summer. At the age of fifteen years, he went to Bethlehem to learn the trade of a cabi- net maker. Thence he accompanied his employer to Nutford, Ohio, where he worked at his trade for three years. His employer having died Mr. Anderson went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he secured employment in a furniture store, mak- ing furniture by hand. Having received an en- couraging letter from his brother, John, who had located in Morgan County, Ill., he per- suaded his father to sell his property, and the family started for Illinois October 24, 1830, the fall preceding "the deep snow." On arriving in Morgan County, his father entered a section of land nine miles south of Jacksonville. After assisting his father to clear a patch of the land and erect necessary buildings, a few weeks later James S. went to Jacksonville to work at his trade. As all work was stopped by the deep snow, he remained with his brother that winter on the latter's farm. In March, 1831, he re- turned to Jacksonville and entered the employ of James Hurst, who had a furniture store on East Main Street. Later he was employed by a Mr. Ament. Subsequently he and a fellow

workman, named Ross, went to Carrollton, Ill., to commence a business together, but Mr. An- derson hecame sick and returned to Jackson- ville, where he established himself in the fur- niture trade in connection with Mr. Ross. Mr. Ament had failed and they occupied his old stand, where they conducted their business for eight years. At the end of that period, Mr. Anderson bought the interest of Mr. Ross, and soon afterward located on the northeast corner of the Public Square. Near that corner, in 1840, Mr. Anderson erected a frame building, in which he conducted his business until the pres- ent hrick store was erected by him. He took a prominent part in mitigating the ravages of the cholera epidemic in 1833, nursing the sick and burying the dead, and sleeping in houses which had been vacated by those who had fled from the town.

In 1833 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage with Sarah J. Thompson, who was horn in Lex- ington, Ky., and their union resulted in eight children, of whom but one survives-Samuel T., of Jacksonville.

In politics Mr. Anderson was first a Whig and afterward a Republican. He served one term in the City Council of Jacksonville. Re- ligiously, he was a member of the Christian Church from early manhood, and officiated as Deacon for a long period. Fraternally, he was affiliated with the I. O. O. F. He served as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. Mr. Anderson died July 1, 1899, and his widow passed away on July 19th, following. He was a man of ex- cellent traits of character, diligent and cner- getic in business, and highly respected.

ANDRE & ANDRE .- This firm is classed among the leading and progressive mercantile houses of the city of Jacksonville, and thelr ex- tensive business as "High Grade House Fur- nishers" is not confined to the city, the county, or the State. While they are transacting a very large and growing business at home, they ship goods to many points in all the Western States. The heads of this establishment are the broth- ers H. M. and G. B. Andre, doing business un- der the firm name of Andre & Andre.

H. M. Andre, the elder member of the firm, was born on his father's farm in the north- western part of Morgan County, June 20, 1867. the son of M. F. and Ellzabeth A. (Graham) Andre. the former a native of France, who came

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

to America in 1851 and located as a farmer in Morgan County three years later. H. M. Andre attended the schools in his neighborhood and the Meredosia High School, assisting in the farm work, teaching in the vicinity, and later graduating from the Gem City Business Col- lege, at Quincy, Ill. His first business venture was in connection with his uncles, George W. Graham and H. S. Hysinger (Hysinger & Gra- ham), prominent merchants in the village of Meredosia. Sometime later he went to Marble, Colo., and there spent two years in the moun- tains engaged in mercantile pursuits. He then returned to Morgan County, and in 1894 secured the position of bookkeeper at the Central Hos- pital for the Insane at Jacksonville, after which he made a second trip to the Colorado moun- tains, which was more a journey for pleasure than business.

Mr. Andre was married April 28, 1897, to Louise E. Reyland, daughter of E. E. L. Rey- land, formerly a merchant of Morgan County, but now a resident of California. Mr. Andre is a member of the Episcopal Church, in which he holds the position of vestryman; is also af- filiated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Tribe of Ben Hur, and supports the principles of the Democratic party.

The firm of Andre & Andre was established June 1, 1898, when the two brothers succeeded to the business of S. A. Fairbank on the north side of the Public Square, Jacksonville. The business was then of small dimensions, but un- der the able management of Andre brothers, has become one of the leading establishments of its kind in this part of the State. The needs their business require their entire large brick store building, three stories in height with basement, the show room on the ground floor being 40 feet wide by 180 feet in depth. This commodious structure is completely filled with a valuable stock of up-to-date goods per- taining to their line of business.

G. B. Andre, the younger brother of the firm of Andre & Andre, also born on his father's farm, spent his younger days in attendance at the local schools and making himself generally useful. He was born May 18, 1876; finished his education in the High School in Meredosia, and then started on his business career in the spring of 1894, as a clerk for J. H. Osborne in Jacksonville, being later with W. L. Alexan- der. In these two positions he spent four years.

and in 1898 was therefore well qualified to join his brother, H. M., in establishing their present business. He was married June 16, 1897, to Jennie L. McFalls, daughter of James McFalls, a retired farmer of Morgan County, and they have one child, Gladys. G. B. Andre is a mem- ber of the order of Elks, Knights of Pythias and Masonic fraternity, and belongs to the Christian Church, in which he is a Deacon. In political relations he is independent.

ANDRE, M. F., father of H. M. and G. B. Andre, now retired from active farming life, is living in a pleasant home at 329 Clay Avenue, Jacksonville. He was born in Aubagne, France, now a part of Belgium, February 13, 1833, the son of John and Susan (Walsing) Andre. John Andre, the father, was a soldier of the "Old Guard," and assisted in winning the victories of the Great Napoleon for thirteen years, and also fought in the ranks at the close of his mili- tary career on the memorable plains near Brus- sels in the historic Battle of Waterloo, dying in France at the age of fifty-eight years. M. F. Andre came to America in 1851, first locating in New York and later in Wisconsin, but in 1854 came to Meredosia in Morgan County, where, for a time, he worked for others, mak- ing his first purchase of land in 1858, when he secured 20 acres east of Meredosia. He has from time to time added to the original tract, and has sold some of his land, but still owns a well-improved farm of 142 acres. A good farm residence with substantial outbuildings, shade trees, orchards and well-cultivated fields, at once proclaim the owner a thrifty and pros- perous farmer. Of late years he has followed general farming, but in former times paid con- siderable attention to the breeding and feeding of cattle. He was married December 28, 1858, to Elizabeth A. Graham, daughter of L. D. Gra- ham, an extensive land-owner and farmer in the northwestern part of Morgan County. Mr. and Mrs. Andre became the parents of five children, viz .: Linda F., wife of Theodore Rag- lin, of Quincy, Kans .; Roland Lee, who married Anna, daughter of William Holscher; Henry Milton and George Bertram, who are in part- nership in the mercantile business in Jackson- ville, and Harriet V., who is bookkeeper for her brothers. In the spring of 1904 M. F. Andre retired from agricultural pursuits to his home in Jacksonville. He served his district for eight-

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

een years on the School Board and was Com- missioner of Roads for many years. In poli- tics he is a Democrat.

ASKEW, Joseph R., M. D., (deceased), former- ly a well known and prominent physician of Jacksonville, III., was born on a farm near Win- ton, Hertford County, N. C., May 25, 1819. He was a son of Jere Dergan Askew, born in 1777, on the same place, and a planter and slave- holder of some means. His grandfather came from Scotland to Virginia before the Revolu- tionary War.

In boyhood Dr. Askew attended various pri- vate academies, and in October, 1838, when nine- teen years old, entered Jefferson Medical Col- lege, at Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1841. In 1843 he went to St. Louis by boat, and then located at Milton, Pike County, Ill., where he commenced the practice of medicine. Soon after his arrival at Milton, he had all his clothes stolen, twenty-five cents being left for breakfast. He practiced at Milton and Bethel, Ill., for some time, when he located at Jackson- ville, where he continued in professional work until 1894. His death occurred February 11, 1904. At intervals during his professional ca- reer, he turned his attention to farming, and in both pursuits met with notable success.

In September, 1845, Dr. Askew was united in marriage with Nancy L. Evans, who is now in her eighty-third year. She was born January 15, 1823, at Mercersburg, Pa., and her parents were early settlers in the vicinity of Milton, Ill. Dr. and Mrs. Askew became the parents of six children, namely: Alice, wife of John Chambers; Joseph R., who lives in Los An- geles, Cal., where he is engaged in the real estate business: Anna; Edward, an attorney-at- law; Nell and Edith.

In politics Dr. Askew was a Democrat. Re- ligiously, he was a member of the Christian Church. He was a man of excellent traits of character and exceptional skill in his profes- sion, and commanded the respect and esteem of all who knew him.

AYERS, Marshall Paul. (deceased), pioneer of Morgan County and banker, was born in Phila- delphia, Pa., February 27, 1823, and died in Jacksonville, Ill., September 30, 1902. He was a son of David B. and Eliza (Freitag) Ayers. The Ayers family was founded in America in

1632 by English ancestors who, in that year, landed at Plymouth Rock. The family in suc- ceeding generations became quite numerous, and many of its representatives have distin- guished themselves in the various walks of life. One of them, a grand-unele of David B. Ayers, served in New Jersey troops during the Revo- lutionary War, and two members of the family were hanged by the British for their loyalty to the Federal cause in providing the American troops with beef, in defiance of the orders is- sued by the British commander.

David B. Ayers, a native of Philadelphia, re- moved to Jacksonville, Ill., in May, 1830, and, locating on the site now occupied by the Ayers National Bank, established the first drug store in Illinois. He was one of the first Trustees of Illinois College and of the Jacksonville Fe- male Academy, was deeply interested in educa- tional and religious work generally, and was regarded as a man of philanthropic disposi- tion. His entire life in Jacksonville was spent in the conduct of the drug business. His death occurred in 1851.

Accompanying his parents to Illinois in 1830, Marshall P. Ayers entered the subscription schools of Jacksonville, and afterward became a student in Illinois College during the period when Rev. Edward Beecher was its President, and was graduated therefrom in 1843. Im- mediately thereafter he engaged in business with his father, and upon the death of the lat- ter succeeded him in the management of the vast real estate interests of John C. Griggs, of Philadelphia, who owned many thousands of acres of valuable farming land in Central Illi- nois. During the period devoted to the dispo- sition of these lands, Mr. Ayers was compelled to drive thousands of miles over the State, and thereby in all probability became personally known to a greater number of citizens of the State than any other man of his time. Having suffered great inconvenience from his inability to secure adequate banking facilities for the proper conduct of this business, in 1852 he or- ganized the private bank of M. P. Ayers, subse- quently taking into partnership with him Joel Catlin, and still later William H. Campbell, of Cincinnati, Ohlo. After the death of Mr. Camp- bell, he admitted his brother, Augustus E. Ayers, into partnership. About 1866 William S. Hook entered the firm, which was thereupon styled M. P. Ayers & Company. In August, 1886, the in-

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terest of Mr. Hook was purchased by John A. Ayers, who, May 1, 1901, organized the Ayers National Bank, of which M. P. Ayers became President. At the time of his death, M. P. Ayers was the dean of the Illinois bankers. It is worthy of note in this connection that an account opened by Mr. Ayers in December, 1852, with the American Exchange Bank of New York (now the American Exchange Na- tional Bank) has ever since been carried on the books of that institution.

Throughout the Civil War Mr. Ayers cam- paigned Morgan County in the interests of the Union cause. One of his acts during this pe- riod, which alone entitles his name to be per- petuated in the annals of Illinois, was his iden- tification with the material assistance rendered the Christian Commission. In 1863 Jacob Strawn, of Jacksonville, offered to give the sum of $10,000 to assist this commission in its la- bors, provided other individuals subscribed an equal amount. The offer was immediately ta- ken up, and Mr. Ayers, with the assistance of Rev. C. C. McCabe (now a Bishop in the Meth- odist Episcopal Church), William Reynolds and A. J. Tyng, of Peoria, Ill., inaugurated a sys- tematic canvass for the requisite subscriptions. They Were successful in their undertaking, with the result that more than $20,000 was raised in this way in aid of the commission.

Several enterprises of great importance to the community owed their inception to the progressive spirit always manifested by Mr. Ayers, and others received his unstinted sup- port. In 1871 he became the author of the pro- ject for

the Jacksonville

constructing & Southeastern Railroad, extending from Jack- sonville to Waverly. The road was afterward extended to Centralia, and is now operated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. In 1856 he and J. O. King, another citizen of Jacksonville, established the Jackson- ville Gas Company. He afterward erected the Home Woolen Mills in Jacksonville, which were subsequently destroyed by fire. One of the most important business transactions of his career was his identification with the immense landed possessions of John T. Alexander, an extensive land proprietor and cattle dealer of Morgan County. In company with two trustees, in 1870 he acquired 23,000 acres of land in Champaign County and 7,000 acres in Morgan County, all of which had previously been the

property of Mr. Alexander. After securing the title to this land, much of which was greatly improved under their management by drainage and otherwise rendering it highly valuable, they paid off the indebtedness thereon, leaving Mr. Alexander's widow an independent for- tune, and disposed of the land at a good profit. After the business had been placed upon a sound basis, its conduct was intrusted to A. E. Ayers & Company, as successors to M. P. Ayers and his associates. The labor of disposing of this great property occupied several years, and formed the most extensive real estate transac- tion taking place in the history of Illinois.

In early life a Whig, upon the organization of the Republican party Mr. Ayers became affil- iated therewith, voting for General John C. Fre- mont and all the later presidential candidates of that party. For many years he served as a Trustee of Illinois College. A devoted member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, he was actively identified with the progress of reli- gious work, and organized many Sunday-schools in Morgan County. He was also deeply inter- ested in the advancement of the temperance cause, and, being a fluent and eloquent speaker, was able to accomplish much good in this di- rection. His intellect was broadened by wide reading and contact with men; he was inde- pendent in thought and possessed of positive convictions on subjects pertaining to the wel- fare of the public.

On October 29, 1846, Mr. Ayers was united in marriage with Laura Allan, a daughter of Rev. John Allan, D. D., a minister in the Pres- byterian Church. She was born in Huntsville, Ala., and accompanied her parents to Illinois in 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Ayers became the par- ents of eight children, of whom seven survive, namely: John A., President of the Ayers Na- tional Bank; Lou W., widow of Edward L. Mc- Donald, of Jacksonville; Walter, of Jackson- ville; Edward A., M. D., of New York City; Effie, wife of E. F. Kaime, of Denver, Colo .; Helen A., widow of E. F. Bullard; Laura A., wife of George E. Moeller, of Decatur, Ill. Da- vid B., the third child, is deceased. Mrs. Ayers survived her husband until 1906, when she died at her home in Jacksonville.

AYERS, John Allan .- The evolution of the banking business in Jacksonville is illustrated in the history of the Ayers National Bank, or-

Lyman of Joy

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

ganized under its present form May 1, 1901, by its President, John Allan Ayers, but origi- nally established by his father, Marshall Panl Ayers, in December, 1852. As the embryo insti- tution was the outcome of the need of its facili- ties fifty years ago, so this twentieth century institution, situated in a commercial and finan- cial center and surrounded by a great and pro- ductive agricultural region, meets the require- ments of diversified and complicated energy, of permanency, solvency and stability in business, and of matured, trained skill in management.

Mr. Ayers represents the third generation of his family to thus contribute to the solid np- building of Morgan County. He was born in Jacksonville, Ill., August 2, 1S47. the son of Marshall Paul Ayers, and a grandson of David B. Ayers, both of whom are mentioned at length in another part of this work. Mr. Ayers may be said to have stepped into a business oppor- tunity already fashioned for his acceptance. His yonth was devoid of the pressure of neces- sity, yet the fact did not dull his ambition, or render him less the advocate of honest. intelli- gent labor. In 1869, soon after completing his course as a student in Illinois College. he entered his father's bank as a clerk, gradually advancing in position as he carefully mastered every detail of the banking business. In 1SS6 he purchased the interest of William S. Hook. a partner in the concern, and thereupon became one-third owner in the firm of M. P. Avers & Company, the other proprietors being his fa- ther, Marshall P., and his uncle. Augustus E. Ayers. On May 1, 1901. the bank was incorpo- rated as the Ayers National Bank of Jackson- ville, and November 2, 1902. John A. succeeded his father as President of the institution.

On November 3, 1875, Mr. Ayers was united in marriage to Lucia E. Brownell, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, a daughter of Hon. A. C. Brownell, a native of Rhode Island. Mr. Brownell was an early settler and banker of Cleveland, and Mayor of the town in 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Ayers are the parents of four chil- dren: Nellie, wife of W. H. Garrett. Professor of Mathematics at Baker University. Baldwin. Kans .; Allan B., with the Denver Trust Com- pany; Wilfred S .. a senior at Williams Col- lege. Mass .: and Helen Louise, a student at Illi- nois College. Mr. Ayers has been prominent in Republican politics for many years, and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention

of 1Sss, which nominated Benjamin Harrison for the Presidency. He has been substantially identified with many phases of civic growth, and on all occasions has sustained the family reputation for integrity, public spirit and dis- interested loyalty. Mr. Ayers served as City Treasurer of Jacksonville for four years, has been Treasurer of the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb for a like period. and for a number of years has been Trustee and Treasurer of his Alma Mater, Illinois College, and an influential factor in promoting the interests of that in- stitution.

BAILEY. J. R .. (deceased). founder of the "Jacksonville Sentinel“ and its editor and pub- lisher from January. 1855. to Jannary, 1872- seventeen years-was a native of Bucks Conn- tỷ. Pa. He was of Protestant Irish de-

scent. his ancestors having emigrated from the north OĒ Ireland during an early period in the first settlement of the colony of Pennsylvania. They bought a tract of land on the banks of the Delaware River. some thirty miles above Philadelphia. of the London Land Company, on which they set- tled, and on part of which some of their de- scendants yet reside. Here the subject of this sketch was born. in May, 181S. In 1824 his father sold his farm and moved with his tam- ily to the city of Philadelphia. At the age of fourteen years he soon found it necessary to quit school and engage in active business life. He first served two years at the printing busi- ness, in a small German and English office. At this time buckskin balls were in use for inking the type. and he remembers working at one time on the old wooden press used by Benja- min Franklin during his publishing career in Philadelphia. since on exhibition in the Patent Office at Washington. It came about in this way: The Franklin press had fallen into the hands of Mr. Ramage. the veteran Philadelphia press-maker. who had it stored away. The Ramage press in the office needed repairing, and while this was being done. the old wooden Franklin press was loaned to the office as a sub- stitute. The frame was like that of an ordinary country loom; the bed of stone and the platen a block of wood, just half the size of the bed. requiring two impressions for a full form. Tiring of the printing office. young Bailey, at the age of sixteen, began learning the carpen-

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 150

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286