Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 191

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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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

WOOD, Iven, a prominent farmer residing on his farm on Section 9, Township 14, Range 9 (Pisgah precinct), Morgan County, was born on the Wood family homestead, where he now lives, February 24, 1841, the son of Samuel and Martha (Moore) Wood, a biography of whom appears elsewhere in this volume in connection with the sketch of his son, David Wood, an elder brother of the subject of this sketch. Dur- ing his active business life Iven Wood has fol- lowed farming and the feeding and breeding of cattle. As a boy he attended the local school and completed his education in the High School at Jacksonville. In 1863 he bought 640 acres of land in Macoupin County, Ill., five miles west of Palmyra, which he later sold, dealing also in other lands in that county. At the present time he is the owner of 1,200 acres, 900 acres of which comprise the present home farm. Mr. Wood's residence and surroundings are equal to the best in this part of the county, being largely the result of his own enterprise and es- tablished under his supervision.

Mr. Wood was married December 24, 1862, to Mary Camm, daughter of Samuel Camm, a prominent farmer of Morgan County, and to himself and wife were born eight children. One child (Mettie) died in infancy; Samuel died at the age of twenty-seven years; and Emma, who was the wife of E. L. Gibson, died, leaving two children-Freeman and Grace. The chil- dren living are: Charles, who is farming on his father's estate; Minnie, wife of A. A. Curry, a farmer; Arthur, who is a bookkeeper in the Jacksonville National Bank, in which his fa- ther is a stockholder; Elizabeth, who resides at home; and Homer, who is attending the Busi- ness College, in Jacksonville. Mr. Wood has served his district as School Director; is a member of the Union Baptist Church, in which he has been a Deacon for thirty years; has also been engaged in Sunday-school work as teacher and Superintendent, and votes the Pro- hibition ticket.

WOODS, Abram C., ( deceased), a pioneer of Morgan County, was born in Franklin, Ky., March 21, 1822, and came to Morgan County in 1827, with his father, William Woods, and his grandfather, John Woods. His father fought in the War of 1812, participating in the battle of New Orleans, and received from the Gov-

ernment a grant of land in Nebraska, which Abram C. Woods afterward sold. John Woods, the grandfather, enlisted as a soldier in the Revolutionary War from Wilkes County, Ga., and served throughout the war, part of this time as a scout in the command of Francis Ma- rion, the noted South Carolina hero of that war. His body lies in the old cemetery at Franklin, Morgan County. Two of his brothers, Nathaniel and William, enlisted with him and served during the war.

When the three generations of the Woods family came to Morgan County in 1827, they lo- cated on land now included in the site of the village of Franklin; and the town which sprang up around their home they named Franklin in honor of their home town in Kentucky. Abram C. Woods worked on his father's farm until 1849, when he engaged in merchandising in Franklin, remaining thus occupied until 1865, when he removed to Jacksonville. For many years he was engaged in the dry-goods and gro- cery trade in the latter city, first as a member of the firm of Stevenson & Woods, subsequently acting as a Director and Teller of the First Na- tional Bank, and afterward became identified with the firm of Phelps & Osborne. He was prominent in the work of building the first Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, devot- ing much time to raising funds for that purpose, and for many years was a member of its offi- cial board. He also was a leader in the move- ment for the reconstruction of the church edi- fice. During his residence in Franklin he served as Postmaster for many years. Fraternally he was identified with the Masons, and in politics, was a Republican.

April 13, 1847, Mr. Woods married Susan Dug- ger, of Carlinville, Ill., who became the mother of the following named children: Ellen Ade- laidc, deceased; Mary Elizabeth, wife of James W. Crabtree; Edward Jarret, who died in in- fancy; Clara Lee, wife of J. V. Read; and Lil- lian May, widow of Samuel D. Osborne. Mrs. Woods died February 6, 1894, and Mr. Woods, July 10, 1903. Mrs. Woods was of French de- scent, the name originally being DeGuerre. Her mother's father. William McAdams, served with the Virginla troops throughout the Revolution- ary War with two of his brothers, all of whom are buried in this State. They first removed to Tennessee, but finally located in Illinois dur-

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

ing the pioneer days. The founders of the Dugger family in America came with La Fay- ette, under whom they fought.

WORTHINGTON, (Hon.) Thomas, one of the prominent citizens of Jacksonville, Morgan County, Ill., and for several years United States District Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, was born in Spencer, Tenn., June 8, 1850, the son of Dr. Thomas and Amelia J. (Long) Worthington, natives of Tennessee and Maryland, respectively. Dr. Thomas Worth- ington was descended from the Worthington and Calvert families, both eminent in the early annals of the State of Maryland. Although his birthplace was on Southern soil, and he was a slaveholder by inheritance, he was con- vinced of the fundamental injustice of the in- stitution of slavery, and was largely influenced by this conviction in his removal to Illinois. He was a man of broad capacity and high cul- ture, and as a physician and surgeon enjoyed an enviable reputation. He was an active par- tisan, and in public addresses was lucid, force- ful and impressive. Originally a stanch Whig, he was elected as such from Pike County to the State Senate, serving in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth General Assemblies, in which he strongly supported the "two-mill tax," which saved from tarnishment the financial reputa- tion of the State. He also rendered important aid in establishing the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb in Jacksonville. His political zeal lent added impetus to the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, and he was a delegate to the first Republican convention in the State, held in Bloomington, in 1856. He was a personal friend and ardent supporter of Abraham Lincoln. He passed 'the latter part of his life at Pittsfield, Pike County, Ill., and was a very prominent man in that county, dy- ing at Pittsfield in 1888. Mr. Worthington's mother was the youngest daughter of Col. Kennedy Long, of Baltimore, Md., who was in command of the Twenty-seventh Maryland Regiment, which played a prominent part in the defense of Baltimore during the War of 1812.

In boyhood the subject of this sketch attend- ed the public schools, and afterward fitted himself for college in the Pittsfield High School. In 1873 he graduated from Cornell University with the degree of Ph. B., and in

1877, from the Union College of Law, in Chi- cago. Together with four others he received the highest honors at Cornell, entitling them to membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Frater- nity. In the fall of that year he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Illinois. Mr. Worthington practiced law in Pittsfield, Ill., and Baltimore, Md., until 1892, when he located in Jacksonville, Ill., and formed a partnership with Hon. Isaac L. Morrison. La- ter, J. J. Reeve, the present Postmaster of Jacksonville, was admitted to the partnership and the firm became Morrison, Worthington & Reeve, so continuing until the death of Mr. Morrison in 1901.

One of the first suits conducted by Mr. Worthington was brought to recover an in- terest in his grandfather's estate in Baltimore, nearly fifty years after it had passed into the possession of others. In this he was success- ful, after the case had three times been taken to the Maryland Court of Appeals. His most important action at law was as attorney in be- half of a large number of land-owners in a case known as Palms et al. vs. Wheelock et al., to recover certain bonds and interest, amount- ing to about two millions of dollars, from all the owners of lands in the Sny Island Levee District, which would have rendered the en- tire property in question valueless. In this liti- gation, the defendants, represented in part by Mr. Worthington, were successful. His asso- ciates for the defense were Ex-President Har- rison, Ex-Attorney General Miller, Henry S. Green, Judge J. Otis Humphrey, Col. A. C. Mathews and Judge Higbee. The case was taken from the United States Circuit Court to the United States Court of Appeals, and finally decided for the defendants in the United States Supreme Court, Mr. Worthington and Ex-Attorney General Miller, of Indiana, mak- ing the oral arguments for the defense.

On November 16, 1892, Mr. Worthington was united in marriage with Miriam M. Morrison, a daughter of his law-partner, Hon. Isaac L. Morrison, a distinguished member of the Illi- nois Legislature from 1877 to 1883, and one of the Nestors of the Illinois bar, who died at his home in Jacksonville, February 27, 1901. One son, Isaac L. "Morrison Worthington, re- sulted from this union.

Politically, Mr. Worthington has been for about twenty-five years, an earnest worker in

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

the Republican party. In 1882 he was elected Minority Representative in the State Legisla- ture, from the district comprising Pike, Brown and Calhoun Countics. During this term began his friendship with United States Senator Cul- lom, which has continued ever since. Mr. Worthington was selected, together with Hon. W. J. Calhoun, to make a constitutional argu- ment demonstrating Mr. Cullom's eligibility for the United States Senate, and out of this grew the cordial and enduring good will be- tween the two gentlemen. Mr. Worthington

served as Presidential Elector from the Twelfth Illinois District in 1888. He was ap- pointed Supervisor of the Census in the same district in 1900, and in the fall of that year made the race for Congress in the Twelfth District against an ordinary Democratic ma- jority of from 5,000 to 6,000. On March 16, 1901, he was appointed, by President Mckinley, United States District Attorney for Southern Illinois, in which capacity he served for more than four years with signal ability.

Fraternally, Mr. Worthington has been affili- ated with the A. F. & A. M. for many years, and for periods of three years each, was Mas- ter of the Pittsfield Lodge, and Eminent Com- mander of the Commandery of Knights Tem- . the Christian Church.

plar in that town. In Pittsfield he was identi- fied with the Congregational Church. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Illinois College. During his residence in Jacksonville, Mr. Worthington has vigorously advocated all measures proposed for the best interests of the city. He is a man of high capacity and abso- lute reliability, and, as a lawyer, stands in the front rank of his profession.

WRIGHT, Alexander H., President and Mana- ger of a private bank at Franklin, Ill., was born near that village October 3, 1844, the son of James and Sarah (Head) Wright, and grandson of Captain James Wright of Revolutionary Army fame. James Wright migrated from Kentucky to Morgan County in the year 1829, and began farming in a modest manner, although at the time of his death he was pos- sessed of 420 acres of fine land. Alexander Wright passed his boyhood and youth in at- tendance at the schools near his home, and assisting his father upon the farm. Finally he took a course at the Jacksonville Commercial College, after which for a period of three years

he taught school in Morgan County. In 1874 he decided to try mercantile life for a period, and, in partnership with his brother, B. F. Wright, opened a general store in Franklin, which for twenty years was successfully conducted.

In 1892, Mr. Wright, in association with three others, organized the Farmers' and Mer- chants' Bank of Franklin, which is now con- ducted as a private concern, with A. H. Wright, as President and General Manager, and G. P. Wright, Cashier. On April 6, 1871, Mr. Wright was married to Mary, daughter of Wyckoff Poling, an early settler of Adams County, Ill., and of this union ten children have been born. In political affairs Mr. Wright is a Democrat, and frequently serves as a delegate of his party to County and State conventions; is also active in all matters pertaining to the advancement of the town wherein he resides. Recently he has rebuilt the Opera House which bears his name. He has been President of the Village, and for more than twenty years a member of the School Board. For a considerable period he was the efficient Treasurer of the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb at Jacksonville. Fraternally, Mr. Wright is connected with the Masonic and Eastern Star organizations, and is a member of

WRIGHT, (Captain) John Edward, retired farmer, Jacksonville, 111., was born on his fa- ther's farm near Murrayville, Morgan County, 111., July 11, 1842, the son of John Wiley and Eliza E. (Wyatt) Wright. His father, who was born in Tennessee March 5, 1816, was a son of John Wright, also a native of that State. The former came with his father to Illinois about 1830, locating three miles east of the present site of Murrayville, where both entered Govern- ment land. John Wright was an active partici- pant in the work of the Methodist denomination, and was probably one of the founders of Zion Church.

John W. Wright was a youth when the family located in Morgan County. He remained with his father until attaining maturity, when he purchased a farm southwest of Murrayville. In early life he was a Democrat, but abhorred slavery and, upon its organization, entered the ranks of the Republican party. He was an ac- tive worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church. A very successful business man, he acquired about 600 acres of land. He and his wife be-

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came the parents of the following named chil- dren: Deborah Ann, born September 24, 1838, who married William Hughes, and died July 8, 1888; Margaret J., born April 16, 1840, who married Granville L. Ash, and now resides in Murrayville; John E .; Mary E., who died in in- fancy; George W., born August 13, 1849, who died December 19, 1849; James L., born October 13, 1851, now of Cass County, Mo .; Martha A., born June 29, 1854, married John R. Hill and died August 14, 1898; Sarah E., born September 7, 1856, who married James Cunningham, and now lives near Murrayville; Wiley B., born October 29, 1858, who lives at Murrayville; Em- ily L., born June 4, 1861, who married Charles Rimbey, of Murrayville; and Cyrus N., born April 24, 1863, who is also a resident of that place. John W. Wright died in January, 1866.

Captain John E. Wright was educated in the common schools of Morgan County. On Au- gust 1, 1861, he enlisted in the Duncan Rangers, which was assigned to service with the Union Army in Company G, First Missouri Cavalry. With this command he served three years and two months, participating in all of its engage- ments, including the memorable pursuit of the army of General Sterling Price southward through Missouri into Arkansas. He was mus- . tered out September 26, 1864, and April 1, 1865, again entered the service as First Lieutenant of Company E, of the reorganized Fifty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. On account of the continued absence of the commanding officer of the company he was in command most of the time. At the close of the war he was located at Mobile, Ala., nearly all of his period of serv- ice being passed at Montgomery.

Being mustered out March 31, 1866, he re- turned home. For several years he continued at work upon the home place, but finally purchased a farm southeast of Murrayville, which he ulti- mately traded for the farm of 324 acres which he now owns. Since 1872 he has devoted much of his time to the work of an auctioneer. For the past five years he has resided in Jack- sonville.

Actively interested in Republican politics, about thirty years ago Captain Wright was the candidate of his party for the office of Sheriff. Though the county was then strongly Demo- cratic, he was defeated by only a small ma- jority. In 1886 and 1887 he served in the Lower House of the State Legislature, and in 1902

was again an unsuccessful candidate for Sher- iff. For many years he served on the County Republican Central Committee. He is a char- ter member of Watson Post, No. 420, G. A. R., of Murrayville, of which he has been Com- mander several terms.

On October 4, 1866, Captain Wright married Maria S. Wilson, a daughter of Willis T. Wil- son, his wife dying in 1868. On April 9, 1870, he married Mrs. Margaret J. Henry, daughter of Jesse Henry, and they have had four children, namely: Marie Olive, wife of Edward Strang, residing near Whitehall, Greene County; Mar- tha Eliza, wife of W. R. T. Masters, of Mur- rayville; C. Justus, of Moline, Ill .; and Jesse, who died at the age of nineteen months.

Captain Wright's mother, who was born in Kentucky February 13, 1823,- was a daughter of Squire Edward Wyatt, who came to Illinois when Mrs. Wright was a child, probably in 1830. The family settled upon a farm about a mile and a quarter west of the site of Murrayville, and became widely known throughout the county.

WYATT, (Col.) William J., retired, veteran of the Mexican and Civil Wars, Franklin, Ill., en- joys the distinction not only of being one of the oldest-if not the oldest-of the living na- tive-born residents of Morgan County, but of having been an active participant in two of the country's wars, besides having participated in the Mormon troubles in Hancock County, Ill., in 1845-46. Colonel Wyatt was born in Morgan County, five miles southeast of Jack- sonville, October 28, 1825, a son of John and Rebecca (Wyatt) Wyatt. His father was a na- tive of Virginia, descended from Irish ancestry, and his mother (though of the same name, not directly related by ties of consanguinity) was born in Pennsylvania of Dutch ancestry. John Wyatt emigrated from Virginia to Kentucky, thence to Missouri, and finally to Madison County, Ill. He was united in marriage with Rebecca Wyatt and settled in Illinois, the parents probably bringing their first-born daughter with them to this State. He was a farmer and stock-raiser. An old-line Democrat, he served in the Illinois State Legislature two terms, when Vandalia was the State capital. During the Black Hawk War he held a commis- sion as Lieutenant, and equipped three young men with horses for that campaign, being, in

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

all respects, a liberal, public spirited man. Late in life he identified himself with the first Christian Church organized at Franklin. He died January 6, 1849, at the age of fifty-three years, eleven months and three days, his wife surviving him until August 29, 1866, when she passed away at the age of sixty-six years, eight months and ten days.

The entire life of Colonel Wyatt has been spent within the confines of Morgan County. His educational advantages were such as were obtainable by a limited attendance upon the subscription schools of his neighborhood. His father was compelled to be away from home much of the time looking after his extensive stock interests, and young Wyatt remained at home managing the farm, in 1845-46 he served in the State Militia, under Governor Ford, de- tailed to keep the peace between the Mormons and the anti-Mormon element in that part of the State, remaining in quarters that winter at Carthage, Ill. During that period he served as First Lieutenant in a company of mounted in- fantry. On March 14, 1846, he left for his home, and on May 30 following, with his father's con- sent, he enlisted for service in the Mexican War, in Company G of the regiment commanded by Colonel John J. Hardin. This was the first reg- iment of any kind ever organized in illinois for any national war. Many of Colonel Wyatt's neighbors, who had served with him during the Mormon troubles the preceding winter, enlisted in this organization, and such was their confi- dence in his ability to command that they elected him to the Captaincy of the company. Early in June the regiment left for Mexico, after having been mustered in at Alton, ill., its supposed destination being Chihuahua. In- stead, they were ordered to Monclovia, whence, five weeks later, they proceeded to Parras, in the province of Durango. There General John B. Wool, who was in command of that division of the army, received from General Taylor or- ders to proceed by forced march to Buena Vista Pass, and engage the Mexican Army under Santa Ana at that point.

Colonel Wyatt participated in the historic battle of Buena Vista, when the American troops overcame overwhelming odds. His com- pany was in the right wing of the American troops, and consequently received the fiercest shock of the battle, supporting Captain Wash- ington's battery at the pass, the key to the

battle-ground. Though during this engagement the American loss was 267 killed, 456 wounded and 23 missing, not a man in Colonel Wyatt's command was lost. At this battle eleven com- missioned officers attached to the American army were killed in one and a half hours, four of whom, including John J. Hardin, the com- mander of the First Illinois Reginient, were Colonels. When the news came that Colonel Hardin had fallen, Colonel Wyatt and five of his men brought the body to the latter's tent, where it lay all night with the bodies of Colonel McKee and Lieutenant-Colonel Clay. All of the bodies were taken to Saltillo the following day and temporarily buried there, but at the close of the service were removed to their respective homes for final interment.

Colonel Wyatt was mustered out at Camargo, Mexico, June 17, 1847, and returned home by way of the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans. Investing what money he had in cattle, he entered into the business with his father, and was thus engaged with success until the out- break of the Civil War. On September 2, 1862, he was mustered into the service as Lieutenant -. Colonel of the One Hundred and First Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was or- ganized at Jacksonville, with Colonel Fox in command. Upon arriving at Cairo, Ill., Colonel Wyatt's health failed, but he remained with his command nevertheless. While ill at Holly Springs, Miss., December 20, 1862, he and a number of others were captured by the Confed- erate forces. With a number of paroled prison- ers he was taken to Benton Barracks, where he was placed in charge of those on parolc. In May, 1863, after examination by three army surgeons, he was discharged on account of physical disability.

After returning home, as soon as the state of his health permitted Colonel Wyatt resumed business as a farmer and stock-raiser, and de- voted the remainder of his active years to this work. For some time he has been living in practical retirement, though still supervising his interests. He has taken an active interest in public affairs in the county, but has never desired political office. He is a Democrat, and a devoted adherent to the principles which that party espouscs. On October 22, 1851, he was initiated in Hicks Lodge, No. 93, of Waverly, and on April 8, 1853, he became a charter member of Franklin Lodge, No. 121. 1. O. O. F., at Frank-

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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

lin, and is at this time the only living charter member of said lodge. On July 1, 1859, he en- tered Ridgely Encampment No. 9, of Jackson- ville; in November, 1901, he procured a charter for a Rebekah Lodge, which was instituted on the 20th of December, 1901, at Franklin, of which he and his wife were charter members; and with all of these bodies he has since been actively identified. Religiously, he is an old- line Methodist, of the Peter Akers and Peter Cartwright brand. In 1856 and on several suc- ceeding occasions, he served as representative to the Grand Lodge of the State. During his life he has been actively interested in the pro- motion of a number of enterprises of public utility, the most important of which was the Jacksonville, Louisville & St. Louis Railroad, which was built principally by the late M. P. Ayers of Jacksonville. Colonel Wyatt rendered Mr. Ayers a vast amount of assistance in the project, not the least important service being the securing of the vote for the issue of bonds along the route for the construction of the road. In various other ways he has shown himself to be a public spirited and generous man of affairs, alive to the advancement of the best interests of the community.

Colonel Wyatt was united in marriage Octo- ber 29, 1848, with Mrs. Eliza A. (Keller) Wil- liams, who died February 12, 1892, leaving one son and one daughter by her former marriage, namely: John C. Williams, of Jacksonville, and Ellen, widow of Samuel P. Mccullough, of Jack- sonville. Colonel and Mrs. Wyatt had one daughter and two sons, the daughter and oldest son being deceased. The other son is George H. Wyatt, now a resident of Morgan County. On May 16, 1894, Colonel Wyatt was married to Sallie Dodd, of Waverly, a daughter of Elijah Dodd, a native of Kentucky, who in early man- hood located near Pisgah, Morgan County, and in 1849 removed to the southeastern part of the county, where the remainder of his life was spent in agricultural pursuits. His wife was, in maidenhood, Lucinda Deatherage. Mrs. Wyatt is a native of Morgan County, and re- tains the ownership of the homestead on which she was born.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 191

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