History of Effingham county, Illinois, Part 44

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co.
Number of Pages: 650

USA > Illinois > Effingham County > History of Effingham county, Illinois > Part 44

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JOHN MERZ, tobacconist, was born in the town of Menzikon, Switzerland, March 4, 1846. At the age of fourteen. he came with his parents to the United States, and settled in Madison County, Ill., and subject lived with them on a farm about three years. He began at the age of ten, or earlier, to learn cigar-making, in a factory in the town of Menzikon, Switzerland, where he worked at this trade about four years. He came to Effingham County in 1867, and worked with his brother Henry until his death, in 1875, our subject carrying on the business for the widow of his brother about four years. In May, 1879, he bought her interest, and has sinee continued in the manufacture of cigars. His factory employs three assistant journey- men, and, with his own labor, turns out from 100,000 to 125,000 cigars per year. His fac- tory is No. 6 in the Thirteenth Collection Distriet, is located on Jefferson street, and

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he turns out at present seven brands. His manufactured goods find a ready sale in this and neighboring towns. He also runs a tobac- co store in connection with the factory.

BENJAMIN B. MINOR, grain - dealer, Effingham City, was born in Seneca County, N. Y., October 20, 1840, and was raised on a farm. At the age of twenty he came West, first in 1860, and taught one term of school, and then returned, and came again in 1862 and located at Champaign, Ill., remaining in that county about five years. In September, 1867, he came to Effingham, in the employ of E. & I. Jennings, of Mattoon, Ill., and took charge of the present warehouse on the Cen- tral Railroad tracks. He bought grain for them, and, at the end of twenty-two months, formed a partnership with his former employ- ers, under the style of Jennings & Minor, which has lasted ever since. This company buy and ship grain, and deal in coal. They have warehouses at six points in this county -Effingham, Montrose, Altamont, Moccasin, Shumway and Deitrich. They also have two warehouses in Shelby County, at Cowden and Strasburg. In the months of July and Au- gust of 1582, they handled 75,000 bushels of grain. They have nine men in their employ. The business is entirely under the personal supervision of Mr. Minor. Our subject taught school four years in New York State and three years in Illinois, commeneing to teach at the age of sixteen. He was married, in 1866. to Alice J. Page, daughter of Dr. S. K. Page, of Champaign, Ill. They have tive children living.

GEORCE C. MITCHELL, grocer, Effing- ham, was born in Turner, Me., February 14, 1848. He received a common-school educa- tion, and entered a store at the age of twelve years. At the age of seventeen, he came West and located in Ottawa, Ill., just after the war, where he became clerk in a retail

grocery store or two years, and came from there to Champaign, Ill., and made Cham- paign his headquarters until 1871, first en- tering the law office of J. S. Lothrop, where he studied law for six months, but did not like the confinement, and became a brakeman on the Illinois Central, and in six months became conductor of a train running from Champaign to Centralia during 1869 and 1870. He was next baggage-master on the I., B. & W. for about seven months. From the spring of 1871 to the fall of 1872, he ran a frain on the Missouri Pacific from St. Louis to Jefferson City, when he entered the employ of the Vandalia Railroad, and was conductor and yardmaster until 1876, with headquarters at Effingham, Ill. He ran a train on the Wabash Railroad for a year, and resided at Springfield, Ill. In 1877, he rented the Fleming House at Effingham, and ran it fifteen months. He was, while in the hotel business, elected Secretary of the Springfield, Effingham & South - Eastern Railroad, and. in connection with his other duties, took charge of a store at Palestine, Ill., and ran that four months, when the road passed into the hands of a Receiver, when he went to Champaign and again entered the law office of his brother-in-law for three months, when he returned to Effingham and became a salesman for Col. Funkhouser for a short time. June 11, 1880, he bought a gen- eral stock of goods of J. E. Tedrick, and has since conducted a good business in the dry goods and grocery trade at the old Grange stand. In March, 18S1, he established a branch store near Neoga, which he ran seven months, with large sales to rail men on the narrow gauge line. May, 1881, he started a store at Holliday, and another in June at Beck's Creek, near Cowden, and both of these are still in active operation. He employs from four to ten persons. He was married,

EFFINGHAM CITY AND DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP.

in 1874, to Nannie E., daughter of Col. J. J. Funkhouser, of Effingham.

ALEXANDER S. MOFFITT, grocer, Ef- · fingham, was born in Wayne County, Ill., Octo- ber 12. 1827. He received his education in the common schools. He lived on a farm in Wayne County until he came to this county, in 1856. He stopped at Ewington from De- cember. 1856, to April, 1857, when he settled in Effingham, which had at that time about ten families, and there is only one man living in the city now that was here at that time. He enrolled about twenty-five pupils, only a few of whom are now left in the county- Byron Whitfield and Mrs. Dr. Thompson- the only two in town. Subject next taught six months at Ewington, and returned here in 1860. He was elected County Surveyor in about 1860 or 1861, and served until he en- tered the army. He enlisted in August, 1862, in, Company K, Ninety-eighth Illinois Regiment, Col. Funkhouser. This portion of the town was laid out that spring by Lit- tle & Alexander, and was bristling with the stakes of the surveyor and along Jefferson street there Was willow waist high. There were only two stores. Subject taught school for eighteen months, six months each year, in a little. frame house of two rooms. He lived in one end and taught in the other. It stood at the northeast corner of the court house square. It was a public school, and he received $33 per month. Our subject went in as First Lieutenant, and was pro- moted to the Captaincy of Company K at the death of Capt. Kelley, who was killed in a railroad accident in Bridgeport, Ill. The Ninety eighth was a part of the Army of the Cumberland. Capt. Moffitt remained with the regiment until July, 1863, when he re- signed on account of continued ill health, and after his return was elected County Sur- veyor and served in that office altogether 1

about ten years, and made surveys in every township in the county, and has tramped over three-fourths of the sections of the county. He bought city property in 1863. In March, 1881, he engaged in the grocery business on Jefferson street, and has since continued, having a good trade. He was married, in Wayne County, Ill., in 1853, to Mary Gash, who died January 5, 1859, leaving no children. He remarried, December, 1861, Mary C. Funk, of this county. Two children are liv- ing of this marriage. Mr. Moffitt has always been a Democrat. In addition to holding the Surveyor's office for ten years, he was Deputy Sheriff two years under Huram Mansfield and Master in Chancery for six years of this county. He has also served as Alderman five terms.

A. S. MOORE, livery, Effingham, was born in Chester County, Penn., Jan. 27, 1824. He came West about 1830, and set- tled in Trumbull County, Ohio, and lived in Ohio about fifteen or sixteen years, when he moved to Butler County, Ky., where he lived seven years, and run a saw-mill on the Green River at Lock No. 4 for about five years. He came to Illinois in 1852, and settled in this county, entering 160 acres of land in prairie, on the north side of Blue Mound. Mound Township, and put up the first house that was erected on the prairie, and farmed there until 1863, when he moved to Effing- ham and engaged in the livery business, in which he has been engaged for nineteen years, with fair success. He has built two stables, and conducts a good livery business, his present stable being located on Banker street. He was married to Mrs. Mary E. Loomis March 17, 1857, in Stark County, Ohio, by Rev. Leiter. As before stated, he moved to Blue Mound, this county, on the Big Prairie, where the roads ran through the tall prairie grass and the wolves came to the door,

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and the wild deer grazed in the field, and a few log cabins dotted the prairie. Mrs. Moore taught school in Fayette County, at $16 per month, in a log cabin. Our subject broke prairie with three horses, in the spring, and run a threshing machine after harvest. In 1861, a son was born -- Clella G., and, January 1, 1862, Mr. Moore moved to Effing- ham, where he had a house and stable built. He kept a hotel, which was called the Union House, and also a livery stable. Mr. Moore would drive out from fifteen to twenty men each week to look at the Illinois Central Railroad lands, the agent, M. Hoffman, mak- ing the Union House his stopping place, would telegraph ahead to Mr. Moore to have meals and wagon ready to feed and convey the amount of men that would arrive, which at one time was thirty-one. Mr. Hoffman, An- drews or Vally would accompany them. Mr. Moore did a thriving business outside of his livery. He would be up in the early morn- ing, hauling sand and loading cars for ship- ment, and he filled several contracts in Mat- toon, Tuscola and other towns. Mrs. Moore kept boarders, and many can vouch the good meals served by her, as she was called a first-class cook and made her house a pleasant home for all who stopped with her. Our subject enlarged his stable as business increased, and has followed the livery business since. He also built a new stable called the City Livery Stable. His residence is on the cor- ner of Railroad and Franklin avenue.

W. H. MOORE, livery, Effingham, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1843. His parents moved to Butler County, Ky., when he was in his second year, where he lived until he was ten years old. His father, Samuel Moore, died while on a journey here, near Owensburg, Ky., and the mother of our subject came on with two wagons and ten children. The eldest son, A. S. Moore, came

first and entered land in what is now Mound Township, and the family settled on the prairie rear Blue Mound in March, 1853. The mother died six months after she came here, and the children lived together as a family until 1861, when our subject started for himself, going to Hancock County, Ill., and worked by the month there until 1865. In the fall of that year, he went to Kansas, and the following summer was employed as teamster for several months in a wagon train, driving from Fort Riley to Fort Dodge. He came to Olney, Ill., in the winter of 1866, and remained there until July, 1867, when he began the erection of a stable in Effingham, in partnership with his brother Samuel. It was opened for business on September 25, 1867, and the business has been conducted ever since, under the firm name of Samuel Moore & Bro. They made additions to their original stable until its present size is 150x50 feet, having thirty stalls, and they do a livery, feed and sale business, having a full line of livery outfit, including twelve horses.

JOHN MORHINNERS, miller, Effing- ham, was born in Clinton County, this State, March 14, 1846, son of Francis and Mary (Waschefort) Morhinners, natives of Olden- burg, Germany, he born in 1807 and she in 1812. They are both living in Teutopolis, this county, are farmers and the parents of four children-three sons and one daughter. The mother is a sister of J. F. Waschefort, who was one of the founders of the German Colony at Tentopolis, this county, mention of which has been made in the historical portion of this work. Our subject received his schooling in his native county, under the disadvantage of the schoolhouse being four or five miles distant. He began life as a clerk and for ten years was engaged in that capacity in the employ of Mr. J. F. Wasche-

EFFINGHAM CITY AND DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP.

fort, in a general store at Teutopolis, this county. Our subject was married, Septem- ber 21, 1875, to Miss Catharine Wegman, born in this county in 1851, daughter of J. W. and Catharine (Lobmeyer) Wegman, na- tives of Germany. The father is living in Teutopolis, this county; the mother died in this county in 1876. In 1877, our subject accepted a clerkship in the Excelsior Mills of Effingham, in whose employ he has since remained. He is an Alderman of Effingham, and as such is serving his second term. He has two children-Louis, born Septem- ber 23, 1879, and William, born April 26, 1SS2. Our subject is a member of the Catholic Church, and in politics is a Dein- ocrat.

JOHN N. MURPHY, Constable, Effing- ham, was born in Scioto County, Ohio, Oc- tober 24, 1828; he came West when six years old. His father emigrated to Vermillion County, Ill., in 1834, and subject lived on the farm until some six years since. His father came to Effingham County, Ill., and settled near the site of Elliottstown in what is now Bishop Township, about 1840. He bought his claim. consisting of a cabin and about forty acres, fenced, and afterward en- tered 120 acres on the same site, now owned by William Underbrook and Tedrick. Our subject went to school in the old log house on the east part of his father's farm, for two winters, to his brother, William H. Murphy, and three winters to another teacher at the same place. Our subject bought a Mexican land warrant, which he laid on 160 acres in what is now Watson Township, and improved it from a wild state and lived on it until about 186S, when he sold it and moved near Effingham. He has been actively associated with the interests of the Democratic party, and has served on the Board of Supervisors, while in Bishop Township, two terms. He

served four years as Constable in the old Teutopolis Precinct, and nine years as Con stable of Douglas Township, which he is still serving in a Constabulary capacity. His father, David Murphy, was born in Old Vir- ginia, and came to Scioto County, Ohio, when young and married Catharine Williams, a native of Virginia, and they were parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters; only three sons are living at this date (1882) -John N .. George W., of Cass County, Ill., and David P., also in Cass County, Ill. The father died in Bishop Township, this county, in 1844, in his seventy-seventh year, and his wife at the age of seventy-eight, in the same place.

J. P. NELSON, Effingham, is the son of Jacob and Nancy (Watkins) Nelson, and was born in Warren County, Tenn., December 3, 1827. He came to White County, Ill .. with his parents, when one year old, and they stopped at White County one year. and. in 1829, settled in what is now West or Mound Township, on Limestone Creek, in the fall of 1829. His father lived there a year, when he removed to the place where Calvin Mitchell now lives, in Jackson Township, and cut the first " stick " there. He improved the place, and some years afterward entered the land and cleared those bottoms of heavy timber, making a large farm. He (father) died in this county in 1856. Our subject, when he grew up to be a boy of about ten, went to a school taught by James White on the old Houston place. on Big Creek. The school taught by Mr. White was the first taught in that neighborhood. Subject went to these schools quite regularly from the year 1840, as he was crippled by a fall at the age of ten. He continued to attend school until eighteen, and then taught two terms in his home school. ]Je left this county at the age of twenty, and settled in Fayette County, Ill ..

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and engaged in selling, having a conntry store in the northeastern part of the county for about three years. He returned to his father's farm and worked two years, then learned the cabinet trade and worked at it about five years, and afterward engaged in selling goods in Greenland, Fayette Co., Ill., for twelve years, and, at the opening of the Springfield & Illinois Southeastern Rail- road, he removed to Beecher City and en- gaged in merchandising there two years. He met with reverses at Beecher City in 1874. including the loss of his house by fire. He has been engaged at various pursuits since, and has resided in the county, with the ex- ception of one year. He was married, in 1850, to Miss Luvesta Miller. They have sis children, all living-Nancy U., wife of Henry Musser; Franklin P .; Mary E., wife of William Lane; Thena E., wife of Henry Tresh; Benjamin M .; and Laura L., wife of William Garner.

LAWRENCE NEWTON, photographer, Effingham, was born in Chenango County, N. Y., June 22, 1840. He lived in his na- tive State until 1861, when he removed to Owatonna, Minn., and in 1861, he began to learn photography in that place, and ran a gallery there until 1864, when he returned to his old home in Bainbridge, N. Y., and con - ducted a gallery there, with the exception of three years, until 1877. He was also con- nected with the State Military service for nine years, as leader of a regimental band belong- ing to the Forty-third New York National Guards. In the spring of 1877, he came to Effingham and established a gallery on Jeffer- son street, and has conducted it with good success ever since. He has been leader of the Effingham Cornet Band for the past three years, and also musical director in the First Presbyterian Church and Sabbath school of Effingham.

CASPAR NOLTE, Justice of the Peace, Effingham, is the son of John and Brig- ita (Karthoff) Nolte, and was born in the city of Merchede, Province of Westphalia, Prussia, December 3, 1819. At the age of thirteen, he was apprenticed to learn the car- penter and cabinet-maker's trade, serving two years and nine months, and afterward worked four years as a journeyman in various German States. He came to the United States in 1839, and worked at carpentering in New Orleans and Vicksburg, Miss., and Little Rock, Ark., and went to St. Louis, in 1840,. but returned in the winter to New Orleans. In 1841, he permanently located in St. Louis. where he worked as a journeyman until 1847, when he became a contractor, architect and builder in the same city, and continued until 1852. In January of that year, he made a contract with the building committee of the St. Peter's congregation, at Teutopolis, to build their church. The Building Commit- tee was composed of Joseph Cogler, pastor, John F. Waschefort, John Fecthrup, John Osthoff and Joseph Bergman. His contract was to furnish the pine lumber and to do the wood work on the church and superintend the brick work, and he came in April, 1852, and completed the church in that and the following year, and remained to do other work in Teu- topolis until 1855, when he returned to St. Louis, where he worked for the Government, building the post office and the old custom house. He also built the Visitation Convent on Cass avenue, James Clements' residence, on Cass avenue, Widows' and Infants' Asylum, on Tenth and O'Fallon streets, St. Joseph's Half Orphan Asylum and other prominent buildings. He remained in St. Louis until July, 1863, when he returned to Effingham and kept a general store for about two years, during which time he erected some buildings. He continued as contractor and builder nntil 1

EFFINGHAM CITY AND DOUGLAS TOWNSHIP.

1873. He took a contract to build St. An- thony's Catholic Church, which he completed in 1874. He has served one year in the City Council of Effingham and one year as Super- visor, and, in 1873, was elected Justice of the Peace, and has served in that office ever since, being elected and re-elected three times. During the last nine years, he has drawn ar- ehitectural plans for buildings, several public and private buildings in this and other coun . ties, and has also conducted an insurance business. He was married, in St. Louis, Mo., in 1842, to Miss Frederieke Bollen, who died in 1849, leaving two sons and a daughter Henry C., Charles H., who died in Effingham July 10. 1881, and an infant daughter, who died ten days after her mother. Our subject remarried, in November, 1849, Miss Catharine Barnhardt. They had ten children, five of whom died in infancy, two sons and three daughters, living, as follows-Mary, wife of Frank Kreke, of this county; Josephine, Caroline. Lawrence and Frank. The parents of the subject came to St. Louis in 1841, and both died in that city.

HENRY C. NOLTE, grocer. Effingham, son of Caspar Nolte, was born in St. Louis, Mo., July 8, 1843; he was educated in St. Louis and St. Vincent's College, at Cape Gi- rardeau, Mo., where he spent four years. At the age of eighteen, he began as clerk in a commission house, Memphis, Tenn., for four years, and returned to St. Louis for a year. In 1869, he came to Effingham, and entered the employ of F. A. Von Gassy, in grocery, on the same site of H. C. Nolte & Co.'s groeery, over seven years. In March, 1578, subject, with his father-in-law. John Hoeny, bought the present grocery, which has been run by Mr. Nolte under the firm name of H. C. Nolte & Co., and is enjoying a pros- perous trade. Subjeet was married, in the fall of 1873, to Miss M. E., daughter of John

Hoeny, Effingham. from which union there have been born four children.

GERHARD OSTHOFF, fariner, P. O. Effingham, was born in Westphalia, Germany, January 24, 1817, son of J. H. and Maria C. (Zurtorf) Osthoff, natives, also, of Germany, he, born in 1770, and died in his native land in 1847; she born in 1780, and died in the land of her birth in 1866. They were the parents of eight children, three sons and five daughters. Our subject received his educa- tion in Germany, where he was also married, September 24, 1848, to Clara Grosze Streinen, born in Germany in 1822, daughter of Bern- hard Groszen Streinen, also a native of Ger- many. Mr. and Mrs. Osthoff had eleven chil- dren, six of whom are living-John, Frank, Bernhard. Wilhelmina, Elizabeth and Anna. Our subject served two years' active service in the German Army. He came to the United States in 1848, landed in New Orleans. He resided three years in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then came to this county, where he purchased ninety acres of slightly improved land for $170. He now has 260 acres of good land, about 100 acres being in timber. He carries on general farming with the assistance of his two sons. He is a member of the Cath- olic Church, and in politics a Democrat.

BARNEY OVERBECK, clerk, Effingham, was born in this county November 27, 1850, son of George and Elizabeth (Berghause) Overbeck, natives of Hanover, Germany; he was a farmer, born in 1806, and died in Teu- topolis Township, this county, in 1873; she, born in 1816, and is still living in Teu- topolis Township, this county; she is the mother of eight children, four of whom are living. Our subject received some schooling in Tentopolis, but experience has been his main teacher. He learned the shoe-maker's trade in Tentopolis, which he followed till he became nineteen years of age, when he went

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to Kansas City, Mo., and worked in a shop, afterward becoming a partner in the business. He sold out and walked to Baxter Springs, Cherokee Co., Kan., a distance of 165 miles, and worked there, afterward starting a store, which he sold to W. Crawford, for whom he worked about a year. He then traveled through the Indian Territories, trading with the Indians and buying hides and pelts, which occupation he followed for a year and a half. He returned home in the year of his father's death. and visited his friends and relatives. In August, 1873, he returned to the West, and was for six months engaged in the grocery business in Baxter Springs. Kan., after which he moved to Joplin, Mo., where he remained about a year, a fire de- stroying his store December 16, 1874, when he returned to Kansas, and. in company with " Buffalo Bill," and another man, went to Arkansas, returning to Baxter Springs, and from there to this county, and has since re- sided here. Anecdotes of his travels with " Buffalo Bill" were published in many Western papers at the time. He has been correspondent of the Effingham Democrat, and, in 1879, was Chief of the Fire Depart- ment. He has filled many offices, including that of Constable, Deputy Sheriff, Tax Col- lector and Assessor. Mr. Overbeck was mar- ried, in Effingham, September 23, 1879, to Maggie Bushue, born in Olio, daughter of Mike and Barbara Bushue, natives also of Ohio. Our subject is a member of the Cath- olic Church, and in politics is a Democrat.

HENRY C. PAINTER, editor. Effingham, was born in Spencer, Ind., March 8, 1845. His father, David Painter, died when our subject was a child of but three years. He lived with his mother, Elizabeth Painter, until he was thirteen years of age, when, in the spring of 1859, he apprenticed himself to learn the printing business with J. F. Har-

ner, editor of the Owen County Journal, published at Spencer, in which vocation he remained three years as an apprentice, receiv- ing the first year only his board and clothes. and for the third his board and $100. He was First Sergeant in Company H, One Hun- dred and Thirty-seventh Indiana Volunteers, for the period of 100 days, after the expira- tion of which time he re-enlisted, for one year, in Company B. One Hundred and Forty- ninth Indiana Volunteers, or during the war, and was mustered out of the service, at In- dianapolis, Ind., in the fall of 1865, the war having terminated. Returning to his old home at Spencer, he engaged in the "art preservative " until the spring of 1866. when he concluded to take the advice of Horace Greeley, and accordingly "went West." Ar- riving at Pana, Ill., he there found his old preceptor, Mr. Harner, publishing the Pana Orient, and succeeded in securing a situation with him for a time, and for almost two years divided his time by working for Ben Winters, who was editing the Taylorville Press. In June, 1868, he again returned to his old home in Indiana and purchased material and estab- lished the Independent, at Gosport, Ind., is- suing the first number on the 20th day of An- gust, and the same evening, with grip in hand, started for Pana, Ill., where, on the 23d day of June, 1868, he was married to Miss Amanda Eskridge, and returned to In- diana, where he continued the publication of the Independent for four years. He then sold his office and material, and, in March, 1873. went to Illinois and spent some time in selecting a congenial field for a location, finally locating in Effingham, where he pur- chased the Effingham Republican, in October, where he still successfully holds the fort. David Painter, father of our subject, was a miller by occupation. He was born June 12, 1799, and died at Staunton, Va. The mother

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History of Effingham county, Illinois, Part 44

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co. Number of Pages: 650

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co.
Number of Pages: 650