History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 114

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948

USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 114
USA > Illinois > Pulaski County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 114
USA > Illinois > Alexander County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 114

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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operator and express agent for the Adams & Pacific Express Company. He was joined in matrimony, in November, 1872, in Lawrence County, to Eliza J. Smith, a native of Lawrence County, Ill., and a daughter of Robert Smith. She is the mother of two children now living, viz., Floyd Lee and Carrie May. Mr. Lewis is an A., F. & A. M., and in politics he is identified with the Democratic party.

ANTON LUTZ, butcher, Mound City. Among the many enterprising Germans who have made Mound City their permanent home, we class the subject of this sketch. He was born January 23, 1833, in Rulfingen, Hohen- zollern, Germany. His father, Anton Lutz, Sr., was also a native of Germany, where he died. He was a farmer by occupation, and also a soldier fighting against Napoleon Bonaparte. The mother of our subject was Maria Stark, a native of Germany, where she died. Her father, Joseph Stark, was a miller in the old country. She was the mother of seven chil- dren, viz .: Anna M. Goobs, Kresenzia Messer- schmit, Mathias, Albert, Johan, Anton, our subject, and Carl. Mr. Lutz went to school in Germany, where he also learned his trade. He came to the United States in 1854, and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, till 1860, when he came to Mound City, where he has followed his trade ever since. He was joined in matrimony in Cincinnati, in 1858, to Miss Kresenzia Moser, born March 19, 1834, in Baden, Germany. She is a daughter of Mathias Moser, and is the mother of three children now living, viz., Bri- ma M., born November 11, 1864 ; Louisa, born October 21, 1868, and Joseph, born September 27, 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Lutz are religiously connected with the Catholic Church. He has been a member of the City Council. He is also a member of the famous order of " Druids." In politics, he is a Republican.

W. A. LYERLY, farmer, P. O. America, was born November 17, 1823, in Jonesboro, Union Co., Ill. He is a son of Jonathan Lyerly, who

was born in North Carolina in 1795, and died in America, Pulaski Co., Ill., in about 1853. He was one of the pioneers of Illinois ; he made his original settlement near Jonesboro, where he worked at the tanner's trade. In about 1830 he removed to near Caledonia, Ill., where he remained several years, and during his stay served the people as Justice of the Peace ; he subsequently removed to America and there engaged in farming and reared a large family of children, consisting of nine boys and two girls, of whom five are now living, viz. : Will- iam A., James B., Robert J., Ellen N. Rooyak- kers and Jane A. Hutchens. Our subject re- ceived a limited education near Caledonia, and in early life followed farming, working seven years for Henry L. Webb. In 1846, he came to Pulaski County, where he farmed on the same ground where the old town of America had once flourished. Here he has lived ever since, and is now, through his industry and perseverance, in the possession of one of the best farms in the township. He is a Democrat in politics, casting his first vote for James K. Polk, and has served the people in the capacity of school officer. The mother of our subject was Nancy C. Lyerly, who died August 4, 1867. Our subject was joined in matrimony, January 23, 1845, at America, to Ann E. Cloud, daugh- ter of George and Jemima (Bowman) Cloud, born September 20, 1828. She is the mother of ten children, of whom six are now living viz., James F., Juliet A .. born July 29, 1849 wife of Alexander Lawrence ; Jemimah, born April 22, 1851; Eliza E., born January 3, 1866, George A., born January 2, 1869, and Cornelia, born August 27, 1873. Maria A., William A., Harvey C. and Barton A. are deceased.

J. F. LYERLY, farmer, P. O. Mound City, was born February 2, 1847, in Pulaski County. where he received his education, also attending the Commercial College at Springfield. Ill., for several months. He clerked some in early life, but followed farming principally, identifying

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himself with the interest of his neighborhood, especially Sunday school work, having been Superintendent for the last five years. He has been married twice ; his first wife was Miss Pet Thompson, who died August 4, 1867, leaving one daughter, Katie, born July 14, 1867. He was married a second time to Mrs. Nannie Minnich, born December 31, 1846, daughter of Daniel and Cynthia (Thompson) Littlejohn, natives of Northern Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Lyerly are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is also a member of the " Grange," and a member of the A., F. & A. M. fraternity. Hav- ing represented his lodge twice at Chicago as Master. In politics he is Democratic. Has been Township Treasurer for twelve years.

J. B. MATHIS, physician, P. O. America , was born January 5, 1840, in Trigg County, Ky., son of William Mathis, born 1814, in Trigg County, Ky., a farmer by occupa- tion, and died 1860, in Johnson County, Ill. His mother was Cynthia (Scott) Mathis, born 1818, in Trigg County, Ky. She is now living in Johnson County, Ill. Dr. Mathis was educated in Vienna, Johnson County, Ill. He received his medicial education in the Eelectric Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating in March, 1866. Having previous to this read medicine for abont three years with Dr. A. B. Moore, of New Columbia, Ill., as preceptor. After receiving his diploma, he settled in Mas- sac County, Ill., where he followed his profes- sion about one year, when he removed to John- son County, Ill. Here he practiced from 1867 to 1873, when he came to Pulaski County He has tilled the soil for the last three years, be- sides following his profession. He was joined in matrimony, July 23, 1865, in Johnson County, Ill., to Miss, Mary S. Mason, born September 22, 1846, in Trigg County, Ky. She is a daugh- ter of James and Anna (Hester) Mason, and is the mother of six children now living, viz. : James William, born September 2, 1868 ; John B., September 24, 1871 ; Morse P., April 20,

1873 ; Robert D., March 14; 1877 ; Archy, July 13, 1880 ; and Nellie, October 10, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Mathis are members of the United Brethren Church. He has a farm of 90 acres ; has held school office. In politics, he is identi- fied with the Democratic party, all his life ; is a member of the I. O. O. F.

W. T. McCOY, merchant, Mound City, is a son of Elisha and Mary E. (Bibb) McCoy. He was born in North Carolina, and came to Mound City from Marshall County, Ky., in March, 1872, and is now engaged at the car- penter trade. She is the mother of seven children, of whom two are now living-Lanzy J., a carpenter, and William T., our subject. He was born September 12, 1846, in North Carolina. He was raised on the farm and edu- cated in the common schools of Marshall County, Ky. When he became of age, he engaged in farming, for a time at Massac County, Ill., and there, on the 11th of July, 1869, he married Miss Mary E. Murphy, a native of near Paducah, Ky., born in January, 1848 ; she is a daughter of James H. and Rachel J. (Butler) Murphy. After Mr. McCoy came to Mound City he worked at the carpenter trade until August, 1882, where, in copartner- ship with Mr. C. N. Bell, he opened a grocery store, and also carries a full line of queens and tin ware. Mr. McCoy is a man of good busi- ness qualities, enjoying the highest esteem of the community in which he lives ; is a Demo- crat in politics, and an active member of the I. O. O. F., Mound City Lodge, No. 150.

JOHN McDOWELL, saw and planing mill, lumber, etc., Mound City, was born April 4, 1831, in Allegheny County, Penn., nine miles south of Pittsburgh, and is a son of John and Jane (Coulter) McDowell. He was born near Steubenville, Ohio, and was a farmer and manu- facturer, the latter including woolen goods, lin- seed oil, milling, etc. He was a man of con- siderable prominence, and represented Alle- gheny County, whither he had removed in 1840,

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in the Legislature of 1846 and 1848 ; was County Commissioner for three years, and died in Franklin, Ind., in 1850. His wife, Jane Coulter, was a native of Allegheny County, and a daughter of Moses Coulter, a farmer and mil- ler, and one of the pioneers of Allegheny County. He built the first flouring-mill in that county, and one of the first west of the Alleghany Mountains. Mrs. MeDowell was the mother of four children, of whom only Mrs. Anna M. Alexander, and our subject, are now living. The latter was educated in his native county, and entered the mills early, where he obtained a practical business education. He remained with his father until he was nineteen years of age, when he came West and engaged in the lumber business in Franklin, Ind., where he re- mained until 1860, when he engaged in the milling business in Marion County, Ind. After one or two other changes, he went to Brazil, Ind., and engaged in the lumber and coal busi- ness, having a saw and planing mill and a coal shaft. and still resides and does business there. In 1877, he removed his saw-mill to Mound City, bringing several families with him. The fol- lowing year, he removed his planing-mill here. He combined the two mills, and employs thirty- three men the year round. He gets his logs mainly from the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumber- land rivers. They comprise poplar, ash, oak, walnut, sycamore, cottonwood, cypress, maple, gum, etc. The poplar lumber is shipped to the principal towns on the Wabash River, and to his yards in Brazil ; the sycamore is shipped mostly to Louisville, Ky., and Detroit, Mich .; the ash and gum goes to Chicago, Toledo and other Eastern cities. Mr. McDowell has always been a live, wide-awake citizen. and in Brazil was a member of the City Council four years, in which body he was instrumental in getting water-works for the city, which cost, with other publie and needed improvements, $70,000. He was married in Franklin. Ind., July 7, 1857, to Miss Eliza J. MeCracken, born in New Madrid,

Mo., in September, 1832. Her father, James McCracken, was a pilot of the Mississippi River. She is the mother of three sons now living- Elmer C., born in 1862 ; John, born in 1864 ; Robert H., born in 1866. Mrs. McDowell's mother was Sarah Allen, whose brother, Gen. Robert Allen, was in the Mexican war, and in the late civil war. Col. James Allen, another brother, made the first improvement in the har- bor of Chicago ; both were graduates of West Point. Mound City is indebted to our subject for promoting the business interest of the place, and for bringing other energetic business men here.

GEORGE MERTZ, Mayor of Mound City, was born in New Berlin, Union County, Penn., March 20, 1815, his father, Hon. Isaac Mertz, was a native of Pennsylvania, where he died. His occupation was that of a farmer, and was well worthy of the confidence of his fellow-men who elected him to many of the offices, as Coroner, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, and Rep- resentative of his district in the Legislature. His wife, Susan (Stahlnecker) Mertz, was also. a native of Pennsylvania, and was of German descent, and the mother of eight children. George Mertz was educated in the subscription schools of Pennsylvania, common in his day and when a young man served an apprentice- ship at the carpenter and cabinet-maker's trades, and afterward worked at the same for a few years, and gave up his trade to engage as contractor for public works, at which he was engaged for several years. In about 1835, he was given the position of conductor on the Old Pennsylvania R. R., which at that time was under the superintendency of the State ; was also on the Pioneer line for about two years, and afterward engaged as contractor for the Cumberland Valley R. R., for a period of two years. He then entered the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Company as contrac- tor and superintendent of bridge building for three years. In 1842, he made a general tour

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through the West; returning East the same year he located at Cincinnati, Ohio, and engaged in the foundry business, continuing in the same until 1856, when he came to Illinois and lo- cated in Mound City, and in company with Mr. James Goodlove erected a foundry and ran it successfully until 1861, when the United States Government took possession of the building, using it for a depository of supplies. In 1861, he was appointed Postmaster, and still fills the same position, to the satisfaction of all Previous to the close of the war, he was express agent at Mound City, a position which at that time was of considerable impor- tance. He has been engaged in the mercantile business for about twenty years. first carrying on a drug store, and at the present time a grocery and general provision store. Mr. Mertz has been Police Magistrate for about fifteen years, and is now Mayor of Mound City, and also County Commissioner. He was mar- ried in Clear Spring. Md., to Miss Mary A. West, a native of the same State, born April 17, 1817 ; she is a daughter of the late Rev. John West, and is the mother of the fol- lowing children : Henry C., who was born July 1, 1843 ; he was educated in Cincinnati Ohio, and is engaged in mercantile pursuits at Carbondale, Ill .; he was County Clerk of Pu- laski County from 1865 to 1869 ; he married Maria E. Boren, a native of Pulaski County, Ill., born December 15. 1847 ; she is a daughter of Hiram and Maria L. (Chapman) Boren, and is the mother of Dora L., George W. and Ber_ tie B. George E. Mertz was born August 1, 1845, and was educated in Mound City, and married Susan E., daughter of Robert J. Haw- ley. This union has been blessed with the following children : Ida, Willie and Jesse. He is now in the employ of the United States Mail Service on the Illinois Central R. R. Charles W. Mertz was born January 8, 1852, and arriving at his majority engaged in the grocery business at Mound City in partnership

with Mr. Carrico, who was bought out by George E. Mertz, and he subsequently succeed- ed by George Mertz, our subject. Charles W. Mertz was united in matrimony to Miss Alice, daughter of George W. and Martha (Lusk) Streeter ; she was born March 17, 1853, and is the mother of three children, viz .: Albert C., born April 18, 1874; Josiah S., born April 26, 1876 ; Alice B., born March 18, 1881.

G. F. MEYER. The Fatherland has con- tributed to American society many of the most valuable of our people. The poor boy of Germany listens at his father's fireside to the fascinating stories of the new world in the United States, and his young soul is fired with an un- controllable desire to go and see that strange land of plenty and freedom. In the silent watches of the night, as he lies beneath the humble thatched roof of the home of his birth, his imagination calls up all the endearment of his home, of friends and the little green mounds that rest so peacefully upon the stilled bosoms of his loved ancestors, running back through almost unnumbered generations. Perhaps there comes to add to this love of home and the loved play ground of infancy, the blue-eyed flaxen haired little German girl now budding into those sweet "teens " that send the youth's blood throbbing through his veins, and then the golden visions of the New World are gone, only to return again with greater force when he goes over the story of poverty, toil and hopeless suffering that is the alloted place in life if he remains upon the sacred spot where he was born. He re-resolves, heavy though it may make his heart, and goes to sleep, and dreams of America, and in the morning his mind is made up, and he resolves to come to the wild strange land, and by hard work, economy and plodding and ceaseless energy to again lay the foundations of his family fortune. He lands in a strange land, and hears a strange language, and with a brave heart he commences the work of mastering a new language, and at the same

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time laying the foundation for a little fortune that will some day enable him to return to Fatherland and bring with him to his new home that same flaxen-haired girl from whom he parted at the ship-landing with such a sad and heavy heart. This imaginary sketch will tell the story of many of the best citizens of our country. They came here with a great purpose of life and win the crown of success, by energy, integrity and perseverance. Of the many of this valuable class of citizens, we know of none in Southern Illinois who deserves more at our hand than does Gottlieb F. Meyer, merchant and business man of Mound City, Ill. He was born in Bielefeld, Prussia, Germany, October 26, 1835, and is a son of G. F. Meyer, Sr., and Caroline (Homerson) Meyer, both of whom are dead, and who were the parents of four children. Our subject was educated in Germany, and graduated from an agricultural college at Bielefeld, at the age of eighteen years. After his father's death, he managed his estate for some two and a half years, and, in 1858, came to America. He made his way direct to Illinois, came to Mound City, where he arrived on the 16th of April, and four weeks later he, in company with A. F. Hallerberg, started a grocery store, although he could not speak a word of English. This business was continued until 1867, when Mr. Meyer bought out Hallerberg. He commenced with a capital of $300, and now carries on a mercantile business, with $40,000 in stock. This serves as an example of what persevering industry, un- swerving honor and integrity, coupled with native business talent, will accomplish in this free country. His large and magnificent store building, one of the handsomest in Southern Illinois, and which costs $40,000, is divided into five different departments, viz. : First, gro- ceries, queensware ; second, hardware and stoves ; third, boots, shoes, hats, caps etc. ; fourth, furniture, paints and wall paper ; fifth, saddlery and harness. In addition to mer-

chandising, Mr. Meyer carries on an extensive lumber business. In 1859, he commenced dealing in lumber and staves, and established and set to work several saw mills to supply the St. Louis and New Orleans markets, and in 1865 he shipped the first barge load of long steamboat lumber to New Orleans, at a time when the market was clean, realizing an immense profit on it. During the war, he was Goverment contractor for the Marine Corps, and to a large extent furnished the Mississippi Squadron with stores. He lost about $12,000 on the first three monitors, which where built at Cincinnati, and equipped through him. He never received a cent from the loss of the cargoes, as the Government was not responsible for that character of loss. In 1872, he made a specialty of furnishing brewers' cooper ma- terial in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco, and in 1877 put in machin- ery at a cost of $10,000, and began dressing staves for brewers and coopers, taking in as a partner Mr. F. Nordman, from Indianapolis. They do a business in lumber amounting to about $150,000 annually, employing in the ' factory and the woods together from forty to 200 men. Most of their hauling is done in the fall, when they often employ 100 teams. They get their timber up the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and down the Mississippi as far as Memphis, and as far up as Cape Girardeau, owning large tracts of timber-land in Missouri and Arkansas, on the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad, and also on the St. Louis & Cairo Narrow Gauge Railroad. Mr. Meyer is the owner of considerable real estate in Mound City. He was married in Bielefeld, Germany, in October, 1859, to Miss Lena Meyer, born in 1835, a native of the same place of himself, and a schoolmate. She is a daughter of Florence Meyer, and he returned to the old country, married her, and brought her to his new home. They have one child- Charles F., born December 23, 1862. Mr. and

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Mrs. Meyer are Lutherans, but attend the Presbyterian Church. He is a Democrat in politics, but not an office-seeker.

JAMES MULRONY, liveryman, Mound City, was born July 24, 1847, in County Kil- kenny, Ireland, son of Lawrence Mulrony, also a native of Ireland, where he died. The mother of our subject was Catharine (Noulan) Mulrony, also a native of Ireland. She was the mother of eight children; six are now living, of whom two brothers and one sister are living in Aus- tralia. Our subject received a common school education in the old country, which he left in 1865 to seek his fortune in the new world, which was pictured so brightly in the old coun- try. He landed in New York City. He roamed for some eight years, living most of the time in Kenosha County, Wis .; he then came to Cairo, Ill., where he stayed almost six years, and in May, 1879, he came to Mound City, where he started a livery stable, and now also keeps wine and liquors of all kinds. He is the only livery man in the town, and is accommo- dating at all times, and has reasonable rates. He was married here to Mary Curren, a na- tive of Wisconsin. She was born in 1861, and is the daughter of Charles Curren, a native of Dublin, Ireland. She is the mother of two children, viz., Maggie and Catharine. Mr. and Mrs. Mulrony are religiously connected with the Catholic Church. In politics, he is a Dem- ocrat.

FRED. NORDMAN, manufacturer, Mound City, is a native of Nienburg, Hanover, Ger- many, born February 16, 1834. His father, Freiderich Nordman, was born in Nienburg in 1800 ; was a farmer, a soldier in the German Army and participated in the the battle of Wa- terloo. He died in 1880 ; he married Sophia Smith (subject's mother), who died in Germany, her native State, leaving five children as the result of their union, but two of whom are now living, viz., Diedrich, a farmer, residing in Germany on the old home farm, and Fred,

our subject, who was educated in the schools of his native country. When he was eight- een years of age, he bade home and friends farewell, and set forth to gain his fortune in the new world; he landed at Baltimore on the 11th of November, 1852. In Baltimore, he learned the cooper's trade, and worked at the same until 1858, when the gold excitement at that time led him to California, where he fol- lowed mining for eighteen months, and at the expiration of that time returned to Baltimore, married and resumed working at his trade there until January, 1863, when he removed to Indianapolis and there divided his time in the cooper and stave factory business conducted on his own account. Having formed the acquaint- ance of some of the substantial business men of Mound City, Ill., he was induced by them to sell his business interests at Indianapolis. and to come to Mound City, which he did, and immediately started a white-oak stave factory in partnership with Mr. G. F. Meyer. Their business has steadily increased until it has as- sumed large proportions, doing at the present time business to the amount of $150,000 per annum. Mrs. Nordman is a native of Saxony, Germany, born in 1835 ; she came to America with her parents when quite young. She is the mother of the following children-Louisa, born July 14, 1860, the wife of George Wild ; Katie, born November 2, 1862; Fred, born September 12, 1865 ; Anna, born April 5, 1869 ; George, born November 2, 1871 ; Earnest, born April 27, 1877 ; Gotfried, born December 31. 1879. Mr. Nordman is an enterprising man. well worthy of the high esteem of the com- munity in which he lives. He and wife are religiously connected with the Lutheran Church ; politically, he is identified with prin- ciples of the Republican party.

WILLIAM PAINTER. Deputy Sheriff, Mound City, is one of our active, wide-awake young men. He was born December 26, 1852. in Clark County, Ohio, son of Albert Painter.

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a native of Baden, Germany, a farmer by occu- pation. He came to the United States in 1847, settling in Clark County, Ohio. He came to Pulaski County in 1856, was a farmer here and died in 1861. The mother of our subject was Clara E. (Steckle) Painter, a native of Baden, Germany. She is yet living ; was born in 1813. She is the mother of four children now living-Clara, Mary, Tracy, William (our subject) and of Henry Painter, deceased. Our subject received a common school educa- tion in Mound City. In early life, he assisted his father in gardening ; he then clerked for Meyer about two years ; then worked in the handle factory for three years ; then clerked for Browner over two years ; and then once more turned his attention to gardening, having bought a piece of land near Mound City. In 1880, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff and Collector by Sheriff L. F. Crain, and holds the position to the present time. Our subject was married, October 21, 1877, near Villa Ridge, to Miss Anna M. Kennedy, born December 8, 1852. in Pulaski County, daughter of Bazil B. and Ruth (Wright) Kennedy, old pioneers. She is the mother of three children -Ruth B., born June 21, 1879 ; Lewis A., born November 22, 1881 ; and Grace Pearl, born May 8, 1883. Mr. Painter is religiously connected with the Catholic Church. In politics, he has been identified with the Republican party. Is also an active member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, Mound City Lodge, No. 587.

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History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 114

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 948

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948