USA > Illinois > Cass County > History of Cass county, Illinois > Part 24
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ject was married Oct. 9, 1862, to Miss Phoebe L. Dunaway, daughter of James Dunaway, a farmer of Fayette County, Pa., where she was born March 5, 1845. They have six children, four sons and two daughters, viz .: Annie E., W. Earnest, Edward, Thomas, Bertha and George. Mr. Craft has been from time to time identi- fied with the public interests and growth of Virginia, aside from providing the city with an all important adjunct, " a first-class hotel; " has served as a member of the City Council about six years. He has been for several years a member of the School Board, Police Magistrate, and is at present the City Treasurer, which position he has filled about eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Craft are both members of the Christian church.
DR. S. M. COLLADAY, for several years a successful practicing physician of Virginia, is a native of the city of New York; was born Ang. 27, 1842. His father, Charles H. Colladay, was a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and was by occupation a last manufacturer, and carried on business in New York for about twenty-one years. He was from Ger- man and French Huguenot descent; married Miss Sarah Jane Lutes, a native of Orange County, N.Y., who was of German and of Pu- ritan stock. He died in 1856; whereupon, our subject came west to Fulton County, III. In 1861, he entered the army, enlisting in the 5th Michigan Vol. Infty., from Macomb County. His regiment was assigned to Gen. Kearney's division of the 3d corps, in which division he served until his discharge on ac- count of disability, in November, 1862. Dr. Colladay studied medicine in Fulton County, Ill., and afterward entered the medical de- partment of the Michigan State University, and graduated from that institution in the class of 1873. He spent two years practic- ing his profession, at Kansas City, Mo., and in 1875 came to Virginia and entered the drug business with Mr. J. W. Wilkinson, un-
der the firm name of Colladay & Wilkinson. In 1879, Mr. C. B. Gatton purchased Mr. Wilkinson's interest, and the firm of Colladay & Gatton continued the business until Jan- uary, 1881, when Dr. Colladay withdrew, to devote his time to the practice of his profes- sion. October, 1874, he married Miss Cor- nelia H. Wilkinson, of Vermont, Fulton County, Ill. Mrs. Colladay is a native of Pennsylvania, and from childhood has lived in Fulton county. They have two sons, Charles and Edward. Mrs. Charles Colladay, the doctor's mother, is still living at Lincoln, Neb. Of her six children, three are still liv- ing: our subject; Frank, a hardware mer- chant, of Waterloo, Iowa; and Louise, now Mrs. Dr. E. P. Hemer, of Lincoln.
DAVID M. CRUM; farmer, P. O. Virginia; was born in Arenzville Precinct, Dec. 25, 1853, and is a son of Christian Crum. Here- ceived a good education, having attended the Wesleyan University, at Bloomington, Ills., for some time, and engaged in farming, which oc- cupation he still pursues. In Virginia, this county, Nov. 24, 1875, he married Henrietta B. Payne, a native of Missouri, born Sept. 21, 1856, daughter of W. B. and Elizabeth Payne of Virginia, this county; by this union they have been blessed with three children: Bessie L., Vida V., and Mabel A. Mr. Crum is a member of the M. E. Church and is Secretary of Lodge No. 68, I. O. O. F. of Virginia, this county; he is a Democrat.
FINIS E. DOWNING, Circuit Clerk of Cass County; is a native of the city of Virginia, Cass Co., and was born Aug. 24, 1846. His father, Nathan H. Downing, was a Cumber- land Presbyterian Clergyman, a native of Ken- tucky, and a son of John Downing, who was a native of Bedford County, Va., and married Susannah Hall, a native of same place. John Downing had a family of twelve children, nine of whom lived to maturity. He removed from Virginia to Kentucky with his parents
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in early life, and from thence to Marion Coun- ty, Mo., in 1827, and pursued farming until his death, in June, 1832. His wife sur- vived him until March 3, 1861. Nathan H. Downing came to Cass County in 1842. He married Miss Eliza Head, a native of Howard County, Mo., and a daughter of John Head, a farmer and surveyor. He died in Virginia, Nov. 30, 1853. They had five children, two sons and three daughters, viz .: John C., Finis E., Lucy J., now Mrs. Green Middle- ton, of York County, Neb. John C., who died in a hospital at Memphis, Miss., April 10, 1863. He enlisted in the 114th Ill. Vol. Infty. August 13, 1862, a historical sketch of which appears elsewhere in this book. Finis mar- ried Jan. 15, 1868, to Miss Sue H. Payne, daughter of William B. Payne, of Virginia. They have one son, Harry. Mr. Downing was elected to the office of Circuit Clerk of Cass County in November, 1880. He first entered business as clerk for William B. Payne, and continued with him about five years, and after the first year was his partner. He re- Inoved to Missouri in 1869, and there remained until 1875, and then returned to Virginia and elerked for Mr. Payne until his election. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., A. O. U. W., and A. F. and A. M., of Virginia.
JOHN M. DIRREEN, Deputy Sheriff of Cass County, Virginia, is a native of Cass County, and was born in Virginia, July 29, 1840. His father, Edward, was a farmer, a native of Ireland, and came to Cass County in April, 1837. His mother was formerly Miss Jane Himphey, and also a native of the Emerald Isle; came to Cass County in 1835, and is still living. She has nine children, three of whom are deceased; the remaining six are still living, viz .: Catharine, Eliza, Alice, Michael, Edward, and our subject, who was brought up a farmer, and followed that busi- ness until February, 1878. In 1871, he mar- ried to Miss Nancy Cunningham, a native of
Cass County. She died February 23, 1878, leaving one daughter, Josephine. Mr. Dir- reen is a Democrat in politics, and since Aug. 23, 1878, has held his present respon- sible position, which he has thus far filled with satisfaction to the people of his county.
ELI M. DALE, one of the thrifty farmers of Cass County, was born at Bedford, Law- rence County, Ind., Jan. 1, 1844, and is a son of Eli and Elizabeth (Waugh) Dale. The former a native of Cumberland County, Pa., born Feb. 3, 1816, and the latter 1821, in North Carolina. Mrs. Dale died, leaving four sons and two daughters, namely: Samuel, a lawyer for five years in Beardstown, now in Colorado; Eli M., our subject, Emily M., Wil- liam W., Mary A., George A. Eli Dale's grandfather on his mother's side, McCracken, was an Irishman; he came to America in time to serve eight years in the Revolutionary war, and fought on the American side. His grand- father on his father's side (Dale) was a Ger- man. Eli M., our subject, received his schooling in his native county; came to Cass County in 1865, and engaged in the manufac- ture of brick, and in building, in company with his father, Ehi, and his brother, under the firm name of Eli Dale & Sons. The firm continued in this business successfully until 1876, and since that time he has been farming in Virginia Precinct. Our subject entered the army for the suppression of the Rebellion in 1862, from Indiana, in the Sixty-seventh Volunteer Infantry, in which regiment he served about nine months, as a private, and was discharged on account of disability. Up- on sufficiently recovering, he again entered the army in the One Hundred and Thirty- Sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served one hundred days, the full time for which he enlisted, and received his discharge, and a third time enlisted; this time in the One Hundred and Fortieth Indiana Infantry, and served until the war closed. This record
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speaks for itself, and shows that the patriotic zeal of our subject must have been inherited, or he would, on general principles, have got enough of the war on first trial, after having lost his health. During his term of service he was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant of his company, and participated in several se- vere engagements. He was discharged in 1865, and came to Illinois, as before men- tioned. Dec. 20, 1869, he married Miss Lida E. Tureman, daughter of George and Eliza- beth (Glover) Tureman, who was born Dec. 21, 1851. Mr. Tureman is a native of North Carolina, and Mrs. Tureman of Morgan Coun- ty. They have two children: Stella M. and Cora T.
WILLIAM DOWDALL, a thrifty farmer of Cass County, Virginia precinct, came to Cass County in 1851, via New Orleans, hav- ing landed there direct from Ireland, where he was born, Sept. 10, 1830 ; his native home was within sixteen miles of the renowned city of Belfast, the pride of the Emerald Isle. His father, Hugh Dowdall, was a farmer, brought up his sons as farmers, and our subject shows, in his methods of direct- ing his farm, the thoroughness that charac- terized his father's labors. Mr. Dowdall lo- cated on his present place of 126 acres, soon after his arrival in Cass County, and in Dec. 18, 1852, was married to Miss Jane Havern, also a native of Ireland, who came to Amer- ica on the same ship with Mr. Dowdall. They have four children: Hugh H., William J., Sumuel W. and Mary Jane. Mr. and Mrs. Dowdall are members of the Presbyterian Church, of Virginia, and he belongs to the Republican party.
THE EPLER FAMILY is of German ori- gin. ABRAM EPLER, was born in Lancaster (now Dauphin) County, Penn., Feb. 28, 1769. He was married in 1791, to Miss Anna Old- weiler. She was born Oct. 26, 176S. In 1798 he emigrated to Kentucky, and settled near
the falls of the Ohio, from whence he removed across the Ohio river, into what is now Clarke County, Ind. He was a man of commend- able enterprise and industry, a miller, dis- tiller and farmer, and disposed of the prod- ucts of his varied business in southern mar- kets, principally New Orleans, transportation being by flat boats, steamboats not yet hav- ing been introduced on Western waters. In 1832, Abram Epler removed to Illinois, settling on Indian Creek, in Morgan County, Ills., on section two, township six- teen north, range nine west, of the third principal meridian, where he died Jan. 22, 1837. Abram Epler was the father of a family of six sons and five daughters, who widely scattered, settling in various parts of the West. John, Jacob, David and Isaac pre- ceded him to Illinois, and settled on farms now embraced within the limits of Cass County. George, the youngest son, remaining with his parents, attending them in their removal to Illinois, resided at the old homestead un- til his removal to Sangamon County, near Farmingdale, where he died Sept. 5, 1867. John and David are deceased, Jacob resides at Pleasant Plains, Sangamon County, III., which prosperous village he settled and founded about the year 1848. Isaac resides in Otoe County, Neb., near Nebraska City. The above named, John, Jacob, David, Isaac and George, were enterprising and eminently successful farmers, and were among the lead- ers of that noble class of men, who by their industry, morality and exemplary citizenship, laid the foundations of our social and civil in- stitutions, with credit to themselves, and with honor to their country. Anna, the mother of this family, died May 3, 1847.
JOHN EPLER, the oldest son of Abram, was born in Lancaster County, Penn., April 15, 1:95, being about four years of age when his parents settled in Clark County, Ind., and being the oldest son, was always his father's
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right hand business man. Early in youth he assumed the more weighty responsibilities of his father's heavy river transportation, and often made long and profitable trips down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, with the cargoes of the product of his father's business. Closing out, perhaps, at New Orleans, he would purchase a saddle horse, and return home across the country. He married Miss Sarah Beggs, a daughter of Captain Charles Beggs, a pioneer of 1829, of Morgan County. She was born at the falls of the Ohio, April 28, 1800. John Epler came to Cass County, located at Little Indian, in 1831, and up to the time of his death, which occurred in Cass County, May 26, 1876, was one of the most active citizens, and enterprising farmers of that county. He was no scholar, yet his read- ing took a wide range, and but few in busy life possessed the historical information which he did. In Biblical, Ancient and Modern History he was considered an author- ity by all who interested themselves in such studies. He raised a family of twelve chil- dren: Charles B., who married to Miss Mary Lurton, daughter of Dr. Lurton, of Jackson- ville, Ill .; died 1855, leaving no offspring. Abram, the second, died Aug. 7, 1847, un- married. Cyrus is a resident of Jacksonville, and Judge of the judicial distriet, of which Morgan County is a part. Mary, and the fourth child, married Richard Barnett, of Sangamon County. She died in 1859. Sarah is now Mrs. D. W. Fairbank, a merchant of Jacksonville; Elizabeth the sixth child, married H. H. Hall, now of Jacksonville. She died at Faribault, Minn., in 1869, leaving five children.
JonN M., one of the prominent farmers of Cass County, was in early life one of the main stays of his father's family. He attend- ed the common schools of the county, and at twenty-one years of age, purchased a portion of the land now comprising his estate of 200 aeres. He has for years past devoted much
time to the breeding and raising of short-horn cattle, of which he has a fine herd. Has been twice chosen a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and has for twenty years been connected with Cass County Agricultural Society, and for five years a presiding officer of the organization. March 29, 1855, he mar- ried Miss Nancy A., daughter of Hon. David and ( Rachael R. Johnson ) Epler. She was born Oet. 27, 1833, and is mother of seven children, viz .: Edward E., Laura, Mary A., Jolın W., Frankie, Charles and Frank, who died in infancy. Mr. Epler is one of the charter members of the Knights of Honor of Virginia, and is identified with the Demo- eratic party.
WILLIAM, the eighth of the family, now a prominent citizen of Virginia, is a grain deal- er and shipper. At the age of twenty-eight was a member of the first Constitutional Convention of the State of Nevada, held at Carson City in 1863, in which State he was for eight years engaged as Civil Engineer and Deputy U. S. Land and Mineral Surveyor and during a part of that time connected with the engineering department of the Central Pacific Railroad Company, of California. In 1869, he returned to Cass County and settled on his farm near Little Indian. In 1874, was elected Sheriff of Cass County, where he has since resided. He married Miss Jennie Wood- man of Paw Paw, Van Buren Co., Mich. The ceremony took place April 12, 1859, at Du- luth, Minn., and was the first marriage of white persons pronounced in that city. Mrs. Epler died at Star City, Humboldt Co., Nev- ada, Oct. 2, 1863, leaving one daughter, Miss Nellie W. Mr. Epler again married, Miss Ellen Conover July 5, 1870. Ellen is daughter of Levi Conover ( of whom see sketch elsewhere in this volume ), and they have two children, Florence and Myron.
DAVID was the ninth child of the family, and died at the age of two years.
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MYRON, the tenth child, lived to acquire an excellent education, and a thorough knowl- edge of the law, and located in Chicago. Hard study had shattered his constitution, and in spite of much travel and most stren- uous efforts to regain his health, he died at Helena City, Montana, Sept. 5, 1866.
MARGARET E. received a Seminary education at Monticello, Ill .; married John W. Price, a prominent druggist of Princeton, Bureau Co., IIl.
ALBERT, the youngest of the family and the present Mayor of Virginia, was born Jan. 22, 1845 at the Epler homestead. After re- ceiving his rudimental schooling at home, he took a course of study at the Wesleyan Uni- versity, at Bloomington, finishing in 1864. He then engaged in farming until 1871, when he entered the livery business for two years. Since that time he has been engaged in the sale of agricultural implements and farm hardware, and dealing in grain. In 1880-81, he served as alderman of his ward, and in the fall of 1881 was elected to the city Mayorship. He married Miss Martha J. Vance, daughter of Samnel S. Vance ( deceased ), who was a prominent farmer and stock man of Cass County. Mrs. Epler was born in Morgan County, Aug. 9, 1845. They have seven children, viz .: Nellie, Edgar, Lizzie, Ada L., Frederick, Jessie, and Ralph, of whom Fred- erick is deceased.
JACOB A. EPLER, farmer; P. O. Virginia City; for many years one of the thrifty agri- culturists of his county; is a son of David Epler, who was the son of Abraham, of whom we find more particular mention in a sketch of the Epler family, elsewhere in this work. David Epler was the second son of his father, a successful teamster, and later, a farmer of the early-day type. He came to Cass County a short time previous to the deep snow of 1830, located in North Prairie, on Section 35, Tp. 17, Range 11, where he improved a farm
of about 640 acres. He married Misz Rachel R. Johnson, of Louisville, Ky., and a native of that State. They raised a family of eight children, viz .: Joseph A., John T. (deceased), Nancy A., now Mrs. John Milton Epler (see sketch), Mary A., James M., an able law- yer of Jacksonville, William F., Assistant Cashier in the First National Bank of Jack- sonville, Jacob A, and Rachel L., now Mrs. John McHenry, a farmer of Cass County and a resident of Virginia. Jacob A., our sub- ject, spent his latter school-days in the Illi- nois College at Jacksonville, and from that time has been a successful farmer. He lives in Virginia, and has for several years been connected with the banking interests of his town. Nov. 13, 1861, he married Miss Sarah, daughter of Oswell Thompson, a native of Ohio, and one of the earliest pioneers of Cass County. Mr. and Mrs. Epler have three children: Fannie M., Nancy J., and Albert E.
J. N. GRIDLEY, attorney, of Virginia City, and one of the most successful in the profession in Cass County, is a native of Manchester, N. H. His father, John J. Gridley, was for many years a Methodist preacher, and preached throughout the States of New York, Michigan, and Northern Illinois. He is of English descent, and married Miss Elizabeth Mitchell, a native of Portsmouth, N. H., and is of English and Scotch ancestry. He now resides at Greenville, Mercer County, Penn .; Mrs. G. died in August, 1865. James N., our subject, is the oldest of the family, and was born June 15, 1842. He has two sisters younger, Miss Kate, and Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. William Bennett, at Beardstown. The youngest of the family was Albert, a farmer and teacher of Cass County. He went to Minnesota to recover his lost health, and there died Aug. 18, 1874. Our sub- jeet, in the year 1861, entered the Michigan State Agricultural College at Lansing, as a Freshman. He remained there about seven
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months, and then went to Ypsilanti, same State, where he spent two years in a Seminary, under Prof. Estabrook. In 1863, Mr. Grid- ley came to Oregon Precinct, Cass Co., and began farming. He taught during the winter season in the public schools of Vir- ginia, and devoted a portion of his time to the study of law, and in August, 1868, was admitted to the bar of the State. Since then his time has been given mostly to the practice of his profession. He commenced the prac- tice of law alone, and in 1871 he formed a partnership with I. J. Ketcham, of Jackson- ville, which arrangement still exists. Since its organization, the firin has done a profitable business, their practice being principally in criminal, chancery and real estate. Further mention of the firm and of Mr. Gridley's ab- stract business, will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Gridley married Oct. 11, 1871, Miss Frances A. Hill, daughter of Ebe- nezer Hill (deceased), and Mary Birden Hill (also deceased). Mr. Hill was a native of New York, and Mrs. H. a native of Connecti- cut. Mr. and Mrs. Gridley have four chil- dren: Charles, Nellie, Burton, and Harry. In politics, Mr. Gridley is a Democrat; he is a member of the Knights of Honor, Virginia Lodge.
MORRISON GRAVES, one of the oldest natives of Cass County, and for many years a business man of Virginia, was born in Monroe Precinct, Aug. 29, 1835. His father, Richard, was a native of Kentucky, and came to Illi- nois in the year 1828; located in the above named precinct, on the farm now occupied by Mr. James M. Graves, one of his sons. He married Miss Nancy Martin, also a native of Kentucky, and they raised a family of three sons and two daughters. Our subject received his schooling entirely in Cass County, and made farming his occupation up to the year 1872, when he came to Virginia, and entered the livery business with A. G. Epler, under
the firm name of Graves & Epler. Mr. Graves, this same year, 1865, also engaged in buying and shipping stock and since that time has followed the business. The firm of Graves & Epler continued until about 1876, and in 1878, Mr. Reuben Lancaster bought one-half interest in the stock, and the present firm of Graves & Lancaster has continued up to the present time. Mr. Graves was married, Nov. 19, 1852, to Miss Julia C. Nall, daughter of Charles Nall, then a farmer of Cass County, now in Macon County, Mo. Mr. Nall is a native of Kentucky, and came to Illi- nois about 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Graves have three children: Willis S., Appeline and Nellie May. They are both members of the Chris- tian Church, and Mr. Graves is a Republican, a member of the Knights of Honor, A. O. U. W., and the I. O. O. F. of Virginia Lodge.
JOIIN GORE, for nine years a resident of Virginia, is a native of Taylorsville, Ky., and was born Jan. 14, 1834. His father, Rector Gore, was a farmer by occupation, a native of the same State, and was born in the year 1809. He married Miss Amanda, daughter of David and Susan (Willet) Graff, also natives of Kentucky. Mrs. Gore died in the year 1834, having borne three children, viz .: Joslı- ua, now a farmer of Menard County, this State, Evaline, who died when small, and our subject, the youngest. Mr. Gore sur- vived until 1859. John, being an infant when his mother died, was consigned to the care and protection of his grandparents, the Graffs, and they, in that same year (1834), came to Illinois, and settled on a farm in Morgan county. He remained with them until he had reached years of diseretion, and was able to care for himself. He attended the com- mon schools of their neighborhood, and later, the Illinois College at Jacksonville; graduated from that institution in 1854, and received the degree of B. S. He commenced teaching school at sixteen years of age, and followed
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it, as a profession, for about twenty-five years, in the counties of Morgan, Adams, and Cass. As an instructor he has been successful, to the extent of having acquired some means, which he has mostly invested in Cass County farm- ing land, and was called by the people to serve as the Superintendent of the Public Schools of Cass county in 1872, for four years, or one term. March 22d, 1859, he married Miss Mattie Easum, daughter of Charles and Mar- garet (Swope) Easum, he of Maryland, she of Kentucky. They came to Illinois in 1854, and located on a farm in Adams county; raised a family of ten children, of whom Mrs. Gore was the second born. Mr. Easum died Aug. 21, 1871, and Mrs. Easum Jan. 8, 1865. Mr. Gore has recently become proprietor of the City Hotel, which he conducts with the same degree of success that has thus far character- ized his life. He and Mrs. Gore are mein- bers of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Gore is a member of the I. O. O. F., Virginia Lodge.
Z. W. GATTON, banker; Virginia City. Among those of the early and sturdy pioncers of Cass County, was Thomas Gatton, a native of the State of Maryland, and father of the sub- ject of this brief sketch. He lived in Maryland until January, 1779, when he emigrated to Kentucky, settled in Allen County, and en- gaged in merchandising. There he remained until he came to Illinois in 1824, and located about one quarter of a mile east of where Little Indian Station is now located. At this point he opened the first store in what was then Morgan County, but now Cass. Thomas Gatton raised a family of six sons and four daughters. All but one, the young- est, were born in Kentucky. Zachariah W. was the fourth son, and was born Nov. 13, 1812, being about twelve years of age when they came to Morgan County. It is well- known what the school advantages of those days were, and the young Gattons shared the
common lot of other young pioneers, studied such books as were within their reach, and from stern experience learned the common every-day lessons not found in books, of how to earn a living, and get a start in the world. Our subject has, from the time of his advent iuto Illinois, been closely identified with the agricultural interests of his county. In 1847 he married Miss Sarah C., daughter of Arthur Saint Claire Miller, a speculator, of Covington, Ky., and they have had six children, all born in Virginia Precinet, of whom four are now living: Emma K., Kate A., Charles B., and William R. Charles B., the second of the family, is a resident merchant of Virginia; was born April 14, 1850. After attending the public schools of his native town, he entered the grocery business, being at that time nine- teen years of age. He continued in that business until 1879, and then entered the drug and hardware business, in which he is still successfully employed. He married Nov. 13, 1879, Miss Mary Kemper, daughter of Thomas J. Kemper, now of Springfield; and they have one daughter, Floy, and a son, Roscoe B.
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