Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 157

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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CLARY, John William, County Treasurer of Morgan County, Jacksonville. Ill., was born on his father's farm west of Jacksonville, June 1. 1867, a son of John and Mary Jane (Killam) Clary. He received his education in the coun- try schools and the Jacksonville Business Col- lege, from which he was graduated in the class of 1884. After the completion of his college course he returned to the farm, where he con- tinued to assist his father until he became of age. In 1890 he removed to a farm located about three miles northwest of Jacksonville, which his father had given to him, and there began agricultural operations on his own ac- count. There he has since conducted general farming and stock-raising with good success. On his farm he has raised many finely bred road and draft horses, and much pacing and trotting stock, for which he has received high prices in the market. Of these horses, one has a mark of 2:1714. He has also been unusually successful as a stock-feeder, much of the stock

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from his farm bringing the highest prices in the Chicago market. He has attended numer- ous farmers' institutes during recent years and delivered addresses on scientific stock-feeding, in which department of agricultural life he has became known as a careful student and expert.

Mr. Clary is a Democrat in politics, and has always taken an active interest in the work of his party in the county. For ten years or more he has been a member of the Democratic County Central Committee, and on several occasions has represented his district at State and county conventions. In 1898 he was elected Township Assessor, serving until 1902, when he was nom- inated for the office of County Assessor and Treasurer, to which he was elected for a term of four years. His administration of the af- fairs of this important office has been charac- terized by good business judgment, as he em- ploys the same careful methods in looking after the business interests of the county that have marked the management of his personal af- fairs.

Fraternally Mr. Clary is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Court of Honor and the Modern American. He is also Secretary of the Illinois Branch of the Ameri- can Anti-Horse Thief Association. In religion he is a member of the Catholic Church of Jack- sonville. His interest in educational affairs is illustrated by the fact that for twelve years he has served as a School Director in his district. He was married August 27, 1891, to Ellen E. McSherry, a native of Morgan County and a daughter of John and Mary (Allen) McSherry, an old established family of Morgan County. Mr. Clary is a representative of the best class of the younger representative men of Morgan County, and can always be depended upon to perform his share of the work which has for an end the advancement of the best interests of his community.

CLAYTON, Joseph, wholesale grocery mer- chant, of Jacksonville, Morgan County, Ill., was born near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, July 24, 1830. He is the eldest son of Matthew and Hannah (Buckley) Clayton, also natives of England, his father being born March 6, 1806. He was a fancy weaver by occupation, a trade which his son, Joseph, learned at an early age. Matthew Clayton camc to the United States in 1851, the mother being dead, and Jo-

seph and another son, William, and three sis- ters, Martha, Emma and Harriet, remained behind for a year, then followed the father to this country, the family settling in North Lee, Mass.

On April 7, 1857, Mr. Clayton, his father and ten other men made a journey together to the Territory of Minnesota, taking up adjoining tracts of land near Waseca. As it was found impossible to earn any money in that region, Mr. Clayton returned to the East, rejoined his wife in Uxbridge, Mass., and resumed his old occupation. From 1863 to 1874 he was designer and superintendent of the Merrimack Woolen Mills, at Lowell, Mass., and in August, 1881, as- sumed a like position at Joseph Capp & Sons' Woolen Mills, at Jacksonville, which he con- tinued to hold for about five years. He then formed a partnership with his son-in-law, W. A. Jenkinson, in the retail grocery business, and later (in 1895) in a wholesale grocery.

On March 31, 1857, Mr. Clayton was united in marriage in Uxbridge, Mass., with Urania Taft, a daughter of Azra and Susan (Keith) Taft, who died in 1865, leaving two daughters -Susan, wife of Clarence Woodbury, and resid- ing at Waseca, Minn., and Ellen M., wife of W. A. Jenkinson, of Jacksonville. In 1872 Mr. Clayton was married to Harriet A. Chase, of Pelham, N. H., and their union resulted in two children-Annie Urania and Maude Elizabeth.

CLEARY, William Charles, formerly one of the most enterprising, extensive and successful farmers of Morgan County, Ill., but now passing his declining years in honorcd retirement, in Jacksonville, Morgan County, was born in County Limerick, Ireland, May 15, 1818. He is a son of William and Margaret Cleary, natives of Ireland. While still under age he came to the United States, landing in New York City in June, 1837. He soon obtained employment with Dr. Brandreth, the noted pill manufac- turer, and afterward worked in connection with the masonry contract of the New York State Prison at Sing Sing. In the fall of 1837, together with others, he started for what was then called the "Far West." Through a portion of New York, Mr. Cleary traveled on the first railroad operated in that State, going from Buffalo to Detroit by steamer, and from Detroit to Chicago by schooner, via Lake Huron and Lake Michi- gan. At Chicago he took a stage for the Illi-

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

nois River, but on account of the condition of the roads found it necessary to make most of the journey on foot. Arriving at the river, he went by steamboat to Meredosia, Ill., and pro- ceeded thence by land to Jacksonville.

In the spring of 1838 Mr. Cleary began work as a farm hand for William Jordan, one of the pioneer farmers of Morgan County, who was located in what was known as the "Yankee Set- tlement," near the village of Ebenezer. He lent his wages to Mr. Jordan until the amount in the latter's keeping reached $300, for which he took Mr. Jordan's note. This note he turned over in 1842, together with a horse, saddle and bridle, to James Norris, in consideration for a deed to 53 acres of fine land, situated near Concord, Ill., on which Jacob Wilkinson built for him a house, eighteen feet square. In return for the carpenter work, Mr. Cleary broke up Mr. Wil- kinson's prairie. He then moved a log barn from the land of a Mr. Ticknor and added it to his re- modeled house. Into this dwelling, Julius Pratt moved and boarded Mr. Cleary for the rent. Al- fred Williams also boarded with Mr. Pratt in 1847. About this time, Mr. Cleary donated suf- ficient ground on which to build the first Bap- tist Church. Shortly afterward, he secured 'a contract for the rebuilding of a section of the Sangamon & Morgan Railroad, now a part of the Wabash system. Elizur Wolcott was then in charge of the civil engineering crew engaged in surveying and establishing grades for this work, and that gentleman became an intimate friend of Mr. Cleary. Although this contract was what Mr. Cleary now calls a small one, it yielded him a sufficient amount of money, prop- erly invested, to secure him against all future want. Soon after the completion of this road, Mr. Cleary made a trip over it to Springfield, and such was the condition of the roadbed, and so numerous were the obstacles to successful operation, that the return trip consumed a week. In the course of time Mr. Cleary bought 100 acres of land adjoining his first purchase, the combined tracts making, after improve- m'ent, one of the most valuable farms, of its size, in Morgan County. Mr. Cleary devoted his attention to this property until 1859, and then sold it to a Mr. Thorndyke, buying a farm about six miles and a half northeast of Jacksonville, where he engaged extensively in stock-raising and cattle-feeding. On this farm he resided un- til his retirement from active work, and re-

moval to Jacksonville, in 1891. He still owns the farm, which now consists of 577 acres of productive land, and also 90 acres of equally fine land, four miles southeast of Jacksonville.

On January 13, 1853, Mr. Cleary was united in marriage with Mary Alice Welch, of Alton, Ill., who died October 29, 1876. From this union resulted the following children, namely: Frank- lin Pierce, and Morrison, deceased; Mrs. Mar- garet McMillan Norris, of Paoli, Kans .; Mary, deceased; William M., who lives on the home- stead east of Jacksonville; Charlotte, wife of Ed- ward Epler, of Jacksonville; Elizabeth, who also lives at home; and Kate, deceased.

Politically, Mr. Cleary is a supporter of the Democratic party. He is not a member of any religious sect, but believes in the tenets of the Episcopal Church and attends its services. Dur- ing his long and honorable life in Morgan Coun- ty, he has witnessed its development from a wil- d'erness into one of the most prosperous and productive sections of the State. In this ex- tended period he has made the intimate ac- quaintance of men of great prominence, among others, of the great and revered Lincoln. On one occasion Mr. Lincoln acted as Mr. Cleary's attorney, in a case in which the latter had brought suit against the Sangamon & Morgan Railroad Company. The case was tried in Springfield, Ill., and Mr. Cleary, who was deeply imbued with the equity of his claim, insisted on making a personal plea to the court. This he proceeded to do, with his counsel's consent; and Mr. Lincoln, in relating the incident in later years, said that he sat back in his chair and almost died of laughter, while his client was endeavoring to impress the judge with the merits of his side of the litigation. Mr. Cleary was also well acquainted with Stephen A. Doug- las, and on the evening following his (Mr. Cleary's) wedding, in 1853, took his bride to Springfield, and attended the ball given by Douglas, whose election to the United States Senate had just occurred. Personally, Mr. Cleary has always commanded the respect of all classes, and been regarded as a man of abso- lute rectitude of character and genuine worth. Although he was always averse to ostentation in his acts of benevolence, he has been the source of many charitable benefactions. Besides rear- ing and educating a large family of his own, he has brought up six other children, on each of whom he has bestowed the advantages of

Samuel Newton

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

an excellent education. One of these, William Cleary, his nephew, during the Civil War was a Lieutenant in a Union regiment from Ten- nessec, and afterward served as a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point, dying before the completion of his course.

Around the venerable head of William C. Cleary constantly hover the affection and es- teem of hosts of his fellow citizens, whose bene- dictions must assuredly afford him grateful solace in his sunset years, as he faces, with se- rene composure, the infinite beyond.

CLEARY, William M., farmer, residing on Section S, Town 15 North, Range 9 West, Morgan County, Ill., was born where he now lives, on his father's homestead, December 25, 1859, the son of W. C. and Mary (Walsh) Cleary, both natives of Ireland, sketches of whose lives appear in another part of this volume. Mr. Cleary was reared on the farm, meanwhile at- tending the local schools, and spent one year in Illinois College at Jacksonville, after which he returned to the farm and worked by the month for his father, cultivating the land and feeding cattle. Since the age of twenty-two he has transacted business on his own account, and now rents 250 acres of his father's land, residing in the home of his youth, his father being retired and living in Jacksonville.

Mr. Cleary was married February 1, 1888, to Lillian Crum, daughter of William W. and Ann .(Clark) Crum, and they have three children : Annie Norlane, William Crum and Lillian. Fraternally Mr. Cleary is a member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of America.

COATES, Amos, a much respected resident of Jacksonville, Morgan County, Ill., who was for- merly engaged in the pursuits of blacksmithing and farming, but is now enjoying the quietude of a comfortable and honorable retirement, was born in Yorkshire, England, December 25, 1826. He is the son of Jonathan and Hannah Coates, also natives of England,

Amos Coates came alone to the United States about 1850, and proceeded directly to Morgan County. He had learned the trade of a black- smith in his native land, and for ten years fol- lowed that occupation at Lynnville, Morgan County. In 1859 or 1860, he bought a farm west of the town, and afterward rented other land,

which he cultivated until his removal to Jack- sonville, where he has lived nearly half a cen- tury. He continued at his trade in Jacksonville until about 1875, when he relinquished active efforts. He still owns a farm of 120 acres, and is the owner of his residence in the city.

In 1874 Mr. Coates was married in Jackson- ville to Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, who was born in Ireland. In political affairs, he acts with the Republican party, but has never aspired to pub- lic office. His religious connections are with the State Street Methodist Episcopal Church, of Jacksonville. Mr. Coates is known in Jack- sonville as a man of strict probity, and his long connection with this community has won for him wide respect and good will.

COBB, William Henry, the efficient foreman of the C. P. & St. L. R. R. blacksmith department, at Jacksonville, Morgan County, Ill., was born at Scarborough, England, July 8, 1857. He is a son of Hugh and Katherine (McPhail) Cobb, natives respectively of England and Scotland. His father was born in Scarborough, July 8, 1828, and his mother in Edinburgh, in 1829. They were married in 1852 and came to the United States in 1869, locating at Winchester, Ill., where for five years Hugh Cobb followed the occupation of a carpenter and cabinet-maker. He then moved to Jacksonville, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying August 18, 1899. His wife had passed away November 15, 1892.

Wm. H. Cobb received his early mental train- ing in the grammar schools of his native coun- try and in 1870 followed his father to the United States, joining the latter at Winchester. While there he worked on a farm for four years, and then moved with his father to Jacksonville. There he served a four years' apprenticeship as a blacksmith, with John W. Hall, and subsequently worked two years for George Jamieson. When the old Jacksonville Car Company was organized, he secured em- ployment with that concern as blacksmith, and continued thus during the company's existence. He afterward obtained a similar position in the shops of the Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad Company. When that company was merged into the C. P. & St. L. R. R. Company. and the latter built its new shops, he was employed in similar work there. In 1894, on account of his careful and efficient service, he was promoted to be foreman of the blacksmith department of the

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

shops. Altogether, during its various changes, Mr. Cobb has been connected with this road for a period of twenty-four years. He is a member of the Railroad Master Blacksmiths' Associa- tion of the United States and Canada, and of the C. P. & St. L. Mutual Benefit Association.

On December 7, 1880, Mr. Cobb was united in marriage, 'at Jacksonville, with Margaret Brown, a daughter of Burton and Margaret (Hilligas) Brown, who were among the earliest settlers of Morgan County. Her father served in the Civil War as Captain of Company K, Fifty-ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer In- fantry. Her great-grandfather, Elijah Smith, was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and is its only veteran buried in Jacksonville. Three children resulted from this union, namely: Clara K., born in 1883; Harry Edward, born in 1885; and Florence Margaret, born in 1889.

In politics Mr. Cobb is an active and influen- tial Republican. and has ever manifested a lively interest in municipal affairs. In 1899 he was chosen Alderman from the Third Ward of Jacksonville, and in 1901 was elected City Treasurer. He was also elected Alderman in 1903 and 1905; was a delegate to the "deadlock" Gubernatorial Convention at Springfield, Ill., in 1904, and a member of the first Board of Commissioners of the Jacksonville Cemetery. At the time of the great railroad strike at St. Louis, he was connected with the old Jackson- ville Light Guards, which served in that dis- turbance.

Religiously, Mr. Cobb was identified with the established Church of England, but during the period of his residence in Jacksonville attended the Christian Church with his family, who are all members of that denomination.

Fraternally, Mr. Cobb is a member of Har- mony Lodge, No. 3, A. F. & A. M .; of Illini Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F .; Rebekah Lodge, No. 13; Rena Tent, No. 12, K. O. T. M., and Jack- sonville Lodge, No. 682, B. P. O. Elks.

CONOVER. (Major) Peter .- One of the most con- spicuous citizens of Morgan County at the time of its establishment, was Peter Conover. The date of his coming to the county cannot now be definitely ascertained, but he must have been here as early as 1823; for in February, 1823, the Legislature of Illinois passed an act authoriz- ing the people to vote at the next election for and against calling a convention to adopt a

new constitution, the object being to provide for the institution of slavery in Illinois. That action provoked intense excitement and agita- tion, resulting in the formation of the memor- able "Morganian Society," the object of which was to defeat the establishment of slavery in the State. A list of 130 members of the society has been preserved, and Mr. Conover's name is the third in that illustrious galaxy of Morgan County pioneers. The election was held in August, 1824, and the infamous scheme failed.

At the ensuing election for county officers, Mr. Conover was chosen as one of the County Commissioners, with Daniel Lieb and Samuel Bristow as his colleagues. He was an active member of the Baptist Church, and his house, in Jersey Prairie, was for a time the place of religious services.

He was a native of New Jersey, removed to the neighborhood of Lexington, Ky., and from there to Illinois. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and was the first Presi- dent of the Morgan County Bible Society. The influence of his life and work remains in the community where he lived.

COX, Eli .- Rev. William Clark, whose father, Thomas Clark, located in what was then Mor- gan County, about five miles west of Virginia, when the son, William, was ten years old, gives the following account of the first white settler within the present bounds of Cass County:

"The earliest white settler of Cass County,. of whom we find any knowledge, was Mr. Eli Cox. He settled in the eastern part of what is now Cass County, in the year 1816. He staked out a claim, and after remaining on it for a time, left it; returned in 1819; built a cabin, and commenced permanent improve- ments, and lived there until his death, which occurred in 1860 or 1861. He was through life very eccentric in some particulars."

I knew Mr. Clark well for more than a half century. His life was spent in the ministry of the Methodist Church. He was a well-in- formed and able preacher, and had the best opportunities for knowing Mr. Cox and facts concerning his life and character.

CRABTREE, John Crittenden, was born near Louisville, Ky., March 13, 1825. In 1829 his widowed mother brought him to Scott County, Ill., where he resided on a farm near Win-

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chester until 1855, when he moved to a farm three and a half miles northeast of Franklin. There he died March 22, 1900. The deceased was one of the pioneer stock-shippers of Illi- nois and at one time possessed great wealth. He was a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin for many years.

John C. Crabtree was married December 25, 1843, to Martha A. Six, and their nine children were as follows: James W., Dillis, Isaac, John, Alice, Robert, Wilburn, Maude and Oliver New- ton. Isaac resides at Murrayville, Ill .; John at Pittsburg, Kans .; Oliver Newton at Paris, Mo. Five are deceased. The mother survived her husband more than one year, dying September 11, 1901, near Murrayville.

CRABTREE, James Washington, was born Oc- tober 7, 1844, near Winchester, Scott County, Ill., and came to Morgan County with his par- ents in 1855. He engaged in farming and ex- tensive stock operations with his father until 1876, when he moved to Jacksonville and en- gaged in general merchandising, as a member of the firm of Woods, Simmons, Cassell & Co. Subsequently he was engaged in the sale of farm implements. In August, 1901, he removed to Lawton, Okla., where he still resides.

In May, 1864, Mr. Crabtree enlisted in Com- pany C, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until October of that year, when he was mustered out. His service was performed principally in the vicinity of Rolla and Springfield, Mo., under Gen. Rosecrans, but toward the close of his term of enlistment his regiment was on duty at Alton, Ill., guarding Confederate prisoners. He is a Mason and a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church. To Mr. Crabtree and his wife four children were born: Edgar E .; Maurice Leroy, of Springfield, Mo .; Vinton Woods (de- ceased), and Charles W., of Oklahoma.

CRABTREE, Edgar Erman, banker, member of the firm of F. G. Farrell & Company, Jackson- ville. Ill., was born near Franklin, Morgan County, Ill., August 4, 1869, and is a son of James Washington and Mary Elizabeth ( Woods) Crabtree. (A sketch of James W. Crabtree ap- pears elsewhere in this work.) Edgar E. re- ceived his education in the public schools of Jacksonville. As a youth and a clerk at $3 per week, he entered the employ of William New-

man & Company, jobbers in notions and furnish- ing goods. His business ability was readily recognized even then, and his employers showed their appreciation of his talent and industry by promoting him rapidly through the various grades of employment to the positions of buyer and credit man. For some time he traveled for the concern throughout the Middle West. He with others then organized the Columbia Manu- facturing Company, with which he remained for four years, when he disposed of his interest therein and became a department manager for the Ferguson-Mckinney Drygoods Company, of St. Louis, in which he was a minor stock- holder. On February 1, 1901, he sold his stock and resigned his position, in order that he might return to Jacksonville to engage in the banking business, and was immediately admit- ted as a partner into the banking firm of F. G. Farrell & Company, with a one-third interest in the concern. Upon the death of the elder Farrell, with Felix E. Farrell he purchased the interest of the remaining heirs of F. G. Far. rell, and since that time the two have been equal partners in the operation of the bank. Under their management the business of the institution has greatly increased, and there are men of discriminating intelligence in Jackson- ville who have made the prediction that it is but a question of a few years when their enter- prise will rank with the strongest financial in- stitutions of the Middle West, outside of the larger cities.

Mr. Crabtree is Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the State Street Presbyterian Church, in which he is an earnest worker. In Masonry he affiliates with Jacksonville Lodge, No. 570, A. F. & A. M., of which he is Past Master; Jacksonville Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M .; Jacksonville Council, No. 5, R. & S. M .; Red Cross Conclave, No. 4, Saint John Knights of Constantine; Hospitaler Commandery, No. 31, K. T .; and of Mohammed Temple, N. M. S., and the Consistory of Peoria. He is also a member of the Illini Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F .: Jackson- ville Lodge, No. 152, K. P., of which he is Past Chancellor Commander; and of Ilderim Temple. No. 62, D. O. K. K., of which he is Acting Royal Vizier. He was united in marriage Au- gust 20, 1896, with Anna, daughter of the late F. G. Farrell.

Mr. Crabtree is a thoroughly representative man of the younger generation of Illinois citi- zens: Beginning life in a lowly position as a

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clerk at $3 per week, he has attained his pres- ent position of recognized success in the busi- ness world solely through individual industry, energy and perseverance. His strong personal- ity, the foundation of which is inherited from a long line of rugged and honorable ancestry, has been developed through contact with some of the most sagacious business men of the Mis- sissippi Valley, with whom he is now classed.

CROUCH, E. L., M. D., Assistant Physician and Surgeon, Illinois Central Hospital for the In- sane, Jacksonville, Ill., was born in Jefferson County, Ill., July 22, 1869, the son of W. L. and Rebecca (Harris) Crouch, the former a native of Jefferson County, Ill., and the latter of Posey County, Ind. The mother came to Illinois with her parents in childhood. Dr. Crouch's paternal grandfather, Jesse L. Crouch, moved to Jefferson County, Ill., when a young man, and later married Ruth Ward, whose fa- ther was one of the earliest settlers of that part of the State. W. L. Crouch, father of E. L., now lives retired from active farming labors. In 1862 he enlisted in Company K, Thirteenth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, was mus- tered into service at Camp Butler, near Spring- field, and in 1865 was mustered out at Quincy, Ill. To him and his wife were born four chil- dren, all excepting Dr. Crouch, who is the old- est son, residing in Mt. Vernon, III.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 157

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