Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 173

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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Mr. Larimore is a representative of the best type of native-born citizens of Morgan County, within whose borders his entire life has been spent. He has co-operated cheerfully with his fellow-citizens in all well considered efforts to advance the general welfare of the county, and has shown a charitable disposition in his deal- ings with those with whom he has come in contact. He and his wife, both of whom are honored by a large circle of friends, are en- titled to recognition among the best citizenship of Morgan County, and to representation in the annals of the State and county.

LAYMAN, Montreville Fitts, who is among the most able and prominent members of the bar of Morgan County, Ill., and one of the most pop- ular citizens of Jacksonville, Ill .. was born in Franklin County, Ill., October 31, 1844, the son

of John D. and Nancy (Henry) Layman, na- tives of Alabama and Tennessee, respectively. The father was reared in Alabama and settled in Illinois at an early period. He married Nancy Henry in Franklin County, and there spent the remainder of his life, dying when his son, Montreville, was a child. He was of Ger- man ancestry, while the mother's derivation was English, and by occupation he was a farmer and school-teacher.

The subject of this sketch grew up on a farm in Franklin County, Ill., and received his early mental training in the public schools of that county, teaching there until 1868. In 1870 he taught school in Morgan County; also attended a private law school in Benton, and in the year named was admitted to the bar. He began the practice of his profession in that place, and in 1873 moved to Waverly, Ill., locating in Jack- sonville in 1875, where he has since been en- gaged in general professional work.

On January 12, 1871, Mr. Layman was united in marriage with Elizabeth Austin, a native of Morgan County, and a daughter of Eli Austin, of Hart's Prairie, Ill. Four children were born of this union, namely: Hattie M., who died in childhood; Clara M., wife of Rev. Clyde L. Hay: Elsie and Bessie.

In politics, Mr. Layman is an ardent and in- fluential Republican, and takes an active and effective part in the campaigns of his party. He has served one term as a member of the City Council of Jacksonville and in 1882 was elected County Judge of Morgan County, per- forming his duties with especial dignity, ability and impartial firmness. He is now a member of the State Board of Pardons, having been ap- pointed to that position by Gov. Yates in Oc- tober, 1902. He is a member of the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, and highly es- teemed throughout Morgan County, both as a lawyer and a man.

LEACH, John, Sr., (deceased), who was gen- erally known throughout Morgan and the sur- rounding district as one of the successful farm- ers and stock-raisers of Morgan County, was born in Yorkshire, England, March 25, 1823, the son of John and Ann (Duckels) Leach. In the spring of 1829 his parents came to America, settling in Morgan County, his father entering a Government claim about three miles west of Jacksonville, its location being one of the most

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

sightly and attractive in the entire State of Illinois. He had been reared to agriculture in England, and came to America finely equipped to take his part in the scheme of agricultural development which was then engaging the at- tention of large numbers of immigrants to the new Western country. His first claim was a tract of 160 acres, to which he soon added by the purchase of 40 acres, giving him a fine farm of 200 acres in one of the most beau- tiful agricultural regions of the West. He was at first discouraged with the outlook in Illinois and desired to return to his native land, but his wife insisted that they remain, princi- pally because of the benefits which would ac- crue to the children in the family. His de- scendants have since had reason to rejoice in his ultimate decision in the matter. The elder Leach died December 26, 1872, at the age of eighty-six years. His wife died August 17, 1881, at the age of ninety years.

John Leach, Sr., enjoyed but limited educa- tional facilities, though he made the most of the opportunities in this direction which pre- sented themselves. Under the capable instruc- tion of his practical and hard-working father, . he became familiar with all branches of farm work. Purchasing his father's farm of 200 acres, he added thereto from time to time, always exercising great care in the choice of his land, so that it would center about the site of his home, until he finally was the possessor of 1,000 acres. Some of this land is estimated to be worth, on the open market, fully $150 per acre; and all of it is very fertile and easily cultivable.

The life of the deceased was one of great activity, and diligence and industry were his watchwords. He was highly interested in all movements looking toward the elevation of the status of the agriculturist, and was one of the founders of the Morgan County Fair Associa- tion, the first agricultural society organized in the country. In the two associations which suc- ceeded it he was an active and influential member. A stanch Republican, he filled those local offices which he felt it the duty of every good citizen to occupy, but never desired to enter the broad field of politics, except as a worker in the ranks of the party. Mr. Leach died January 2, 1893, and his demise was re- garded as a distinct loss to the county.

On February 9, 1853, Mr. Leach was united in marriage with Mary Ann Beilby, who was born in Morgan County June 29, 1835, a daughter of Samuel and Georgiana (Reid) Beilby, both na- tives of England. They first located on the island of Jamaica, West Indies, where Mr. Beilby had a coffee plantation near Kingston. About 1830 they came to Morgan County, Mr. Beilby conducting a store at Lynnville until his death in 1836. Mr. and Mrs. Leach were the parents of the following children: Georgiana, wife of William Coultas, born May 22, 1853, and died March 24, 1896; Eliza Ann, wife of Judson A. Boston, born March 3, 1855; Sarah Matilda, born February 2, 1857, died October 12, 1879; John William, born April 6, 1859; Thomas Ed- ward, born March 19, 1861; Mary Etta, wife of Stephen S. Knoles, born June 14, 1863, died February 10, 1889; George Albert, born Novem- ber 25, 1865; Hattie Belle, wife of Charles L. Reid, born April 30, 1868; Laura May, wife of Watson Leck, born June 14, 1871; Charles Franklin, who is a Director in the Ayers Na- tional Bank of Jacksonville, and variously in- terested in local affairs, born November 28, 1873; and Walter Leslie, born May 6, 1876.

LEDFERD, Frank L., the well known and suc- cessful proprietor of an attractive and well pat- ronized bookstore in Jacksonville, Ill., was born on a farm just east of the city, on Janu- ary 8, 1874. He is the youngest son of William H and Julia Frances (Chamberlain) Ledferd? of whom the father was born in 1823 at Salem, N. C., and the mother, in New York City in 1830. The former came to Illinois in 1865, and settled on a farm near Jacksonville. spending a year there he bought a farm four and a half miles east of Jacksonville, where he lived until 1902, when he retired from active business life to his home on East College Ave- nue, in that city. During the Civil War Mr. Ledferd was living in Missouri, and, being the only Union man in his immediate vicinity, lost several hundred acres of land through the hos- tility of his neighbors. He is a very active member of the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he officiated as Deacon and Trustee for a number of years. He and his wife became the parents of the following chil- dren: William C .; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of James Tunison, of Atlanta, Ga .;

After any 23 1915

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

George, deceased; Elizabeth, wife of George Graff; Fannie, deceased; Emma J., widow of Charles Corrington; Charles H., of Atlanta, Ga .; and Frank L.

Frank L. Ledferd received his early mental training in the district schools, and afterward graduated from Brown's Business College, in Jacksonville. After his graduation from this institution he was occupied for four years as traveling salesman and office manager for H. C. Tunison. In 1897 he purchased Stout's book- store in Jacksonville, which he has since suc- cessfully conducted, having to a large extent also dealt in sporting goods.

On October 6, 1897, Mr. Ledferd was united in marriage with Millicent Arenz, a daughter of Albert W. and Ella (Rapp) Arenz, of Jackson- ville. This union has been the source of four children: Frank A., James W., Aileen and By- ron. In politics, Mr. Ledferd is a supporter of the Republican party. He has always taken a lively interest in public affairs, and his benevo- lence and liberality toward the charitable enter- prises of the city are well known and appre- ciated. Religiously, he is a member of the Century Methodist Episcopal Church, and has always been active in church work. He held the office of Recording Secretary of the Y. M. C. A. for a number of years. Socially, he is popular, and is Secretary and a very active member of the Jacksonville Country Club, as well as Secretary of the Central Illinois Golf Association. In fraternal circles, he is identi- fied with Illini Lodge No. 4, I. O. O. F., and Jacksonville Lodge No. 152, K. of P. He is among the most popular and highly esteemed of the younger business men in Jacksonville.

LOAR, John Riggs, local representative of the Standard Oil Company, and former Mayor, Jacksonville, Ill., was born in Bourbon County, Ky., May 31, 1832, the son of Alexander and Eliza (Riggs) Loar. His father was a native of Baltimore, Md., and his mother a descendant of an old family of French.and English ances- try.

Mr. Loar was brought to Morgan County, Ill., in 1833 by his parents, who settled in Jackson- ville, where all his life has since been spent. His father, who was a contractor and builder, erected many of the residences and commercial houses of Jacksonville, and during the thirty- tree years of his residence in that city won the

respect and confidence of his contemporaries by reason of his straightforward and honorable business methods, and his clean, upright social life. He died in 1866, his wife having preceded him about 1842. They had four sons, named as follows: William Franklin and Erasmus, both deceased; George, of Ottumwa, Iowa; and John R.

John R. Loar was educated in the subscrip- tion schools of Jacksonville. Under the direc- tion of W. D. Humphrey he learned the trade of a carpenter and builder, and for about eigh- teen years engaged in contracting. Among the important undertakings intrusted to his care was the construction of the main building of the State Institution for the Education of the Blind. For eight years following his work as a contractor he was engaged in the wholesale and retail grocery trade, and from 1884 to 1901 de- voted his time to the wholesale oil business. In the latter year he disposed of his business to the Standard Oil Company, which he has rep- resented in Jacksonville since. For five years he had been identified with the Jacksonville Building and Loan Association, of which he is Vice-President. He also served as a member of the Board of Education for several years. A stanch Republican, he has taken an active in- terest in the political undertakings of the party, and for two terms served as Mayor of Jackson- ville, having been elected as the nominee of that party. Previous to his incumbency in that office he represented his ward in the City Coun- cil. For twenty years he filled the office of Deacon in the Christian Church, of which he is one of the active and helpful members. He is prominent in Masonry, affiliating with Har- mony Lodge No. 3, Jacksonville Chapter No. 3, and Hospitaler Commandery No. 31. He is also a member of Urania Lodge No. 243, I. O. O. F., and the Encampment auxiliary thereto.

Mr. Loar was united in marriage April 7, 1857, with Mary J. Carns, who died in 1873, survived by four children: Nellie Florence, de- ceased, who was the wife of F. D. Pendleton, of Independence, Mo .; Carrie B., wife of Cornelius F. Vandervoort, of Paterson, N. J .; Eliza, wife of Samuel J. Watson, of Paterson, N. J .; and John J., deceased. On August 31, 1882, he mar- ried Mrs. Sarah Tandy, and they have one daughter, Florence Nellie, who resides at home.

Mr. Loar is an unostentatious citizen, who has quietly endeavored to accomplish what he

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

could for the betterment of the community in- terests. During his long residence in Jackson- ville no taint has attached to his name; on the contrary, he has always been highly regarded as a model citizen, whose motives have been above question, and whose public spirit has been manifested on numerous occasions-not infrequently when it has called for no small measure of self-sacrifice.

LUKEN, (Mrs.) Johanna, widow of the late Cas- per Luken, resides in a pleasant home on the home farm, on Section 9, Town 14 North, Range 8 West, near Alexander, Morgan County. Casper Luken was born in Hanover, Germany, November 3, 1842, the son of Henry and Louisa Luken. The family emigrated to America when Casper was thirteen years old. They had but little capital, and Henry Luken worked for others by the month to support his wife and family of six children, who came with him from Germany. Casper was the oldest child and assisted his father in maintaining the house- hold. As conditions improved, Henry Luken bought land and carried on farming during the remainder of his life. Casper Luken secured a good education for a boy of his age in Germany, but was ignorant of the English language, in which he later acquired proficiency. He was industrious, persevering and economical, and made a success of farming, finally accumulating an estate of 480 acres, which, at his death, he bequeathed to his wife and children. There were eight children living at the time of his death, and each child fell heir to forty acres of land.

Mr. Luken's farm was improved beyond the average, with a substantial dwelling, good barns, shade trees, an orchard, etc., all showing taste and culture, and surrounded by well cultivated fields. He was a member of the German Lutheran Church, in which he was a Trustee and Elder. Politically, he was a Demo- crat. He was married March 20, 1873, at Jack- sonville, to Johanna Mohlenbruck, who was a native of Germany and came to America with her brother, Fred, in 1869. To Mr. and Mrs. Luken were born eight children, viz .: Lena, wife of Herman Aljets; Louise, wife of Rev. P. Fedderson; Sarah, wife of Fred Kloppe; Min- nie, wife of George Horn; Casper, Anna, George and Otto.

LUTTRELL, William T., a · well known and much respected farmer and live-stock man, re- siding in retirement on his well improved farm on Section 1, Town 13, Range 9, Morgan County, Ill., was born where he now lives, on December 20, 1831, the son of John R. and Mar- , garet (Duncan) Luttrell, both natives of Ken- tucky. His grandfather was Thomas Luttrell, who came to Morgan County from Adair County, Ky., in 1822, bought land and built a saw and grist mill on Apple Creek. He died in 1841.

The father of the subject of this sketch de- voted his life to farming, and, on reaching man- hood, bought eighty acres of land, to which he later added another eighty. He was married in March, 1831, and he and his wife raised a family of seven children-five sons and two daughters-William T. being the first born of the family. John R. Luttrell, the father, was born April 1, 1810, and died in 1900; his wife died in 1884.

William T. Luttrell was reared to farming in his boyhood, meanwhile attending school near his home, and still later in the villages of Franklin and Waverly. He was married in 1869 to Mary F. Burnett, who died February 14, 1870. He chose for his second wife Eliza A. Wright, to whom he was married February 20, 1877. She was a daughter of William Wright, of Scott County, Ky. Her father moved to Morgan County in 1829, and was a soldier in the Black Hawk War of 1832, while her grandfather fought seven years in the Revolution, during which he was promoted to Captain. The grand- father, William T. Luttrell, was also a soldier in the Black Hawk War.

Mr. Luttrell himself had too much of the an- cestral blood in his veins to remain a quiet spectator during the Civil War. He therefore enlisted at Franklin, on August 9, 1862, in Com- pany H, One Hundred and First Illinois Infan- try, and served until the close of the war. He entered the service as a Corporal and was First Lieutenant when mustered out at Washington in June, 1865. The regiment participated in many engagements, including Sherman's March to the Sea, and took part in the Grand Review in Washington after the close of the war. For a time his duties lay in gun-boat service on the Mississippi and in the siege of Vicksburg. Re- turning to Morgan County after the close of the

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

war, Mr. Luttrell resumed farming, and now has a well stocked and well improved farm of 240 acres. He has followed mixed farming and has grown a good grade of stock. He belongs to the Christian Church, while his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a Republican in politics, and has served his district several terms on the School Board.

MANLEY, W. C., M, D .- Doctor Manley, a practicing physician and surgeon of Franklin, Morgan County, III., was born in Knox County, III., July 18, 1849, the son of Archibald Manley, who was a native of Indiana and a pioneer farmer of Knox County. The subject of this sketch obtained his literary education in the common schools and Lincoln (III.) University; studied medicine with Dr. W. W. Hauser, of Lincoln, and later in the American Medical College, St. Louis, graduating from the latter in February, 1879, when he commenced the practice of his profession at Franklin in the spring of that year. Later he went to Chicago, where he spent one year in the Polyclinic Hos- pital of that city. He then practiced in Jackson- ville, from 1896 to 1900, when he resumed his professional work in Franklin, where he is now located. He is a member of the Illinois State Medical Society, both Eclectic and Regular. Fraternally, he is connected with the Masonic Order, the I. O. O. F., the Eastern Star and the Rebeccas, Modern Woodmen, Protective League and Royal Americans. He is a member of the Christian Church, and politically, a Re- publican. He was married October 28, 1881, to Margaret E. Wright, daughter of James Wright, a farmer and pioneer settler of the county. She died August 3, 1903, leaving two children-Carl W. and Mary Almeda.

MASTERS, James Madison, (deceased), late a widely known and highly respected pioneer farmer of Morgan County, was born in Overton County, Tenn., April 3, 1818, a descendant of an old and honored pioneer family of that State. He was reared upon his father's farm, receiving a limited education in the subscription schools of his neighborhood. In his childhood the family removed to another part of Tennessee, whence they later removed to Illinois. Accounts as to the year of this removal differ, but some of Mr. Masters' living descendants state that they re- call having heard him frequently assert that the

family entered the State in 1818, the year it was admitted into the Union. Other accounts are to the effect that they did not arrive in Illi- nois until 1830. Their first location was on a tract of unimproved land situated about three miles northwest of the site of the city of Jack- sonville. Shortly afterward the father brought his family to a log cabin which stood on the site of what is now the campus of Illinois College. In the fall of 1830 they again removed to a tract of land about a mile and a half west of Murray- ville, which had been entered as a Government claim; and this was the home of James Madison Masters during the remaining years of his active life.

Mr. Masters commenced life with practically nothing. The land upon which he began his independent farming operations was partly tim- bered and partly covered with wild blackber- ries, and the task of putting it in condition for cultivation was an arduous one. But he pos- sessed strong characteristics-determination, energy and perseverance-inherited from a long line of sturdy ancestors; and, applying himself to the task of developing a farm from the wil- derness, he succeeded within a comparatively brief space of time. His energy was undoubt- edly a powerful inspiration to many of his neighbors, and he was famed throughout the southern part of Morgan County for his vigor, his honesty and integrity, and his willingness to assist generously in the promotion of the public welfare at a period when such labor as this entailed often meant self-sacrifice in no small degree. As his years advanced he felt the lack of educational facilities which had hampered him in his earlier life, and succeeded, by much reading and intercourse with men, in securing a fairly liberal education for his day. His devotion to his family was very marked. Having been compelled in his youth to deny himself practically all of the luxuries of life, as well as many of its actual necessities, he de- termined to deny his family nothing which might add to their comfort and pleasure. To his neighbors he was also the same kindly, gen- erous and public-spirited citizen, extending ev- ery assistance possible to make life more pleas- ant. In all respects the record of his life was not only pure, but supremely helpful.

Mr. Masters was married, in 1841, to Ann Re- becca Dinwiddie, who died in 1873. They were the parents of five sons and two daughters, all

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

of whom are now deceased. It is worthy of note that the sole survivor of this family who bears the name of Masters is Arthur Madison Masters, of Jacksonville, grandson of James Madison. Of the children of James Madison Masters, William Thomas Masters was at one time Professor of Greek in Illinois College; James served in the Civil War, and Squire Davis Masters (whose sketch appears else- where) became one of the most successful farm- ers and stock-raisers in Morgan County. A brother of James Madison Masters named Davis Masters (an uncle of S. D. Masters, above men- tioned) died in Menard County, Ill., February 22, 1904, aged ninety-eight years. He served as a Representative in the Nineteenth General Assembly (1854-56).

Representatives of early generations of the family also served in the Black Hawk War. Throughout the entire career of the family in Morgan County, it has occupied a position of prominence in the community, and the name is indelibly associated with the history of the county.

James Madison Masters, the subject of this sketch, died at the home of his son, S. D. Mas- ters, in Jacksonville, at noon, April 3, 1898, at the exact age of eighty years, his birth having occurred at noon, April 3, 1818.

MASTERS, Squire Davis, (deceased), agricul- turist and stock-raiser, Jacksonville, Ill., was born on his father's farm near Murrayville, Morgan County, Ill., August 8, 1848, and died at Citronelle, Ala., in the year 1904. He was a son of James Madison and Ann Rebecca (Din- widdie) Masters, and a member of one of the oldest and most honored pioneer families of Morgan County. (See sketch of his father elsewhere in this volume.) Mr. Masters re- ceived his education in the common schools and at Illinois College, which he left in his sopho- more year to engage in business with his father. During the active years of his father's life, after S. D. Masters began his farming and stock operations until the retirement of the former, the two were closely and very suc- cessfully associated in business.

Securing from his father a tract of land, Mr. Masters at once began the raising of stock, in addition to general farming. But it was as a stockman that he became best known. The op- erations of both father and son became very

- extensive. Early in life S. D. Masters began the shipment of hogs and cattle to the markets, demanding high prices from the outset of his career. Inasmuch as it became evident that the stock he handled was invariably of a superior quality, he received the highest prices quoted in the market. For five years he bought cattle in Texas, drove them to Morgan County him- self, here fattened them for the market, and sold them at a high figure. He also dealt ex- tensively in hogs. It is worthy of note that Mr. Masters at one time, during the later years of his life, reared a herd of 165 cattle whose av- erage weight was 1,843 pounds-the highest average weight, considering the number, of any stock ever shipped from Morgan County.

In addition to the splendid business tact which guided him in all his operations, he ap- plied strict scientific principles to his agricul- tural and stock-raising operations. There was little of the element of luck in his transactions. He was not only an expert judge of land values, which enabled him to accumulate land of the most productive quality, but he was one of the best judges of live-stock in the Middle West. He would never send a single head of stock to the market when it was in a condition which others would describe as "good enough;" he demanded that its condition should be as nearly perfect as the best of care and attention could render it. He was constantly on the lookout for methods of improving his land and the con- dition of his stock, and scarcely a day passed but that he visited some portion of his prop- erty. He accumulated an estate which includes* over 3,200 acres of fine farming land, lying mostly in Morgan, but partly in Greene County, and much of this is said to be the equal of the finest land in Illinois for agricultural purposes. While a large portion of his estate was inher- ited from his father, Mr. Masters managed the property with far better judgment than most other men who commence life with paternal aid of this character; and it was solely due to his business ability that the property increased to the extent noted.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 173

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