History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois, Part 110

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Illinois > Greene County > History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois > Part 110

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).

932

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

Clarksville, Penn., where until 1833, he carried on an extensive cabinet making business. He then came to this coun- ty, as heretofore stated. He took an active part in political matters, first being a whig and then a republican. He held the office of postmaster 20 years, in Pennsylvania. In his com- mission was inserted the condition that he should not be removed on account of political sins. He was commissioned a captain in the war of 1812, and served a short time. He was noted as a great lover of home, and always attended strictly to his own business. Mr. and Mrs. Secor were the parents of nine children-Mary A. C., the deceased wife of Wm. E. Ryan, of Greenfield; Chas. R., died Dec. 11, 1846; Elijah J., of this township; Wm. A., died March 22, 1861; Maria E., died Nov. 25, 1824; Maria J., deceased wife of Jacob March; George A., of this township; John J., died Dec. 18, 1832; and Silas L., now a citizen of Moberly, Mo. Joshua Secor departed this life on the 24th day of Oct., 1873, which event was deeply mourned by his family and many friends.

Elijah J. Secor, a son of the above, was born in Clarksville, Penn., Nov. 16, 1816. With his parents he came to this county in 1833, where he has since resided. He was united in marriage, Dec. 2, 1841, in Belmont county, O., with Elizabeth A. Lockwood, a native of that state, and a daughter of Judge David Lockwood, an early settler of Belmont county, O. Mr. and Mrs. Secor were blessed with S children- Rebecca T., wife of Geo. Robinson, of Kansas; Theodore F., died in infancy; Edmund C., born March 28, 1846, and killed by lightning, July 17, 1870; Le-

vina E., born April 18, 1843, died in infancy; Eliza J., born March 16, 1851, the wife of Prof. W. J. Davis, now principal of the Cherokee Male Sem- inary, in the Indian territory; Benja- min L., born Dec. 2, 1852, at home at- tending to his father's farm; James L., born Jan. 26, 1854, now of St. Louis, practicing law; Arthur T., born May 25, 1857, now living on a stock farm owned by his father, in Roekbridge township. Mr. and Mrs. Secor and their children are members of the Cumberland Presby- terian church, and he has been an elder in the church since 1842. Mr. S. now owns 700 acres of improved land in this county, the house in which he lives being valued at $5,000, and a house on another of his farms, occupied by his son Arthur, costing $2,500. Although a natural mechanic, he has always been engaged in farming and stock raising, and has been eminently successful. In politics he is a republican, has been postmaster at Walnut Grove, but has had no ambition for political prefer- ment. Mr. Secor is a kind, genial gen- tleman, and is much respected by all who are intimately acquainted with him.

OTHER PROMINENT PEOPLE.

John Rhodes, a leading representa- tive of one of the old settler families of this county, is a native of Yorkshire, England, where he was born Sept. 14, 1824. He was a son of Joseph and Maria (Exley) Rhodes, both natives of the same country. Joseph Rhodes, with his family, came to America in 1831,and settled near Lynnville, Morgan county, Ill., where they remained till the spring of 1838. They then came to this county and located on section 24,

933

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

Linder township, where Mr. Rhodes resided until his death, Sept. 1, 1858, his wife having preceded him to that far away home, in Sept., 1831. Her death occurred in St. Louis, while the family wereimmigrating to Morgan coun- ty. Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes were the par- ents of four children -- William, of Vernon county, Mo .; John, of this township; Joseph, who died in Marshall county, Ill., in 1854; and Anna, who died in in- faney. Joseph Rhodes started in life a poor boy, but by hard work and good management, he had amassed a com- petency before his death. Both he and his wife were members of the M. E. church. John Rhodes, the subject of our sketch, was united in marriage, in June, 1852, with Annis Wright, a native of this county. By their union they have been blessed with three children- Anna, the deceased wife of J. M. Val- entine, of Rockbridge; Ida M., wife of C. G. Edwards, who now resides with Mr. Rhodes on the home place. Mr. R. now owns 600 acres of improved land, the house and out-buildings on the same being valued at $6,000. HIe has always been engaged in farming and stock-raising, paying particular atten- tion to he breeding of short-horn cat- tle. He is now leading a retired life, having retired in the spring of 1885. In his younger days, Mr. Rhodes did not enjoy the good health, which he does in his more mature years. In 1876 he visited Philadelphia, New York and Niagara Falls, and enjoyed the trip very much. Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes are consistent members of the M. E. church, and he is class leader and trustec. While the whig party was in existence he was a member of it, and is now a re-

publiean. His education was received in district schools, and he is now noted as being a very liberal man in every way.

Coonrod Kahm was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, Jan. 2, 1827, his parents being Philip and Anna (Sabelle) Kahm, both natives of the same country. With his parents, Coonrod came to America, in 1845, and settled in St. Louis, Mo., where they remained eight months, then coming to this county and settling on section 13, Linder township, where Philip afterward died. Coonrod was married, in 1852, to Margaret Egel- hoff, a native of Germany. They have had three children born to them-John P., born June 27, 1853, married March 9, 1875, and resides in this, township; Maggie A., born Dec. 17, 1855, married Sept. 8, 1874, and died July 10, 1875; Minnie W., born Jan. 30, 1867, resides at home. Mr. and Mrs. Kahm and their children are members of the German Reformed church. He now owns 520 acres of land, on which he has im- provements costing over $4,000, and is engaged in farming, and feeding cattle, in which he has been eminently sur- cessful. He also owns an $1,800 store building in Greenfield, and once acre of town land. Coonrod began the battle of life a poor boy, but by industry, hard work and good management, has suc- ceeded in gaining a competency. IIc is now numbered among the leading and substantial Germans of the county, and has a reputation for honesty and fair dealing of which he and his family may well feel proud

Peter B. Hudson, a native of Georgia, came to Greene county, Ill., in 1837, and settled five miles northeast of Car- rollton, where he bought 160 acres of

934

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

land, but on account of it being a sickly place, he only made his home there four years. In the spring of 1841 he re- moved to Rockbridge township, where, for seven years, he rented land. He then bought 200 acres on section 29, where, until 1861, he resided. He then sold and bought 232 acres on section 27, where he now lives. He was married, in May, 1825, to Mary Settle, a native of Maryland.

William H. Hudson, a son of the above, was born in Jefferson county, Ind., Aug. 23, 1829. With his parents he came to this county in 1837. Feb. 23, 1860, he was married to Levina Kirby, a native of this county, and a daughter of Daniel Kirby, who came to the county in 1828, from Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. Hudson have had five children.

Philip Murphy was born in county Mayo, Ireland, May 17, 1819, being a son of Francis and Bridget (Mulharen) Murphy. Philip came to America, March 10, 1844, and settled in New York, where he remained until 1851, when he removed to St. Louis, Mo., where he made his home for 10 years, engaged as a laborer. He then came to Illinois, and settled in Jersey county, buying a farm of 60 acres near Delhi. There he remained three years, then sold his farm and came to Greene county, buying 80 acres of land on sec- tion 34, Linder township, where he yet resides. By hard work and good man- agement, he has succeeded in accumu- lating 360 acres of land, 160 of which is in this county, and 200 acres in Mis- souri. Philip Murphy and Ann Col- lins, a native of Ireland, were united in the holy bonds of matrimony, in 1851. They were the parents of eight chil-

dren-Francis, now in Nebraska; Mary A., wife of Thomas Case, in Kane town- ship; William, deceased; Thomas, now in Chicago, working at the plumber's trade; Maggie, James, John and Charles, at home. Mr. Murphy and family are members of the Catholic church, and, in politics, he is a liberal. He commenced life, a poor boy, but, by his own exer- tion, and good management, he has suc- ceeded in gaining a competency for him- self and family. Being very poor, and desirous of having an education, after his day's work was through, he would study by the light of the fire-place, and at last, succeeded in getting a liberal education. He left his native country on account of the form of government he had to live under, he being a lover of free schools, and free soil. He is a staunch supporter of the Irish land league, and is a liberal minded and pub- lic spirited man. Philip's father spent his declining years with his son, depart- ing this life on the 20th day of Aug., 1880. His mother died in 1850, in Zanesville, O. They were both mem- bers of the Catholic church.

George M. Witt was born in Linder township, Greene county, Ill., Oct. 6, 1856. Hle is a son of Daniel and Dicy (Linder) Witt, the former a native of Tennessee, and the latter of Greene county, Ill. Our subject has resided in this county all his life, having lived on the farm of his father all that time, with the exception of about one year. Mr. Witt has been twice married, the first time to Etna Waltrip, a daughter of Michael and Ailsey Waltrip, on the 4th of Oct., 1879. She lived only a few months after her marriage, passing away May 10, 1880, and was buried two days

935

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

later, at Hickory Grove church, of which she was a member. Mr. Witt was again married, Dec. 17, 1884, to Josie Detche- mendy, a native of St. Louis, Mo., and a daughter of Jule and Edna (Mallotte) Detchemendy, of French descent, who reside in St. Louis. Mr. Witt owns 250 acres of land, jointly with his father, all of which is well improved, showing them to be industrious, enterprising men. He devotes considerable attention to the raising of stock, and is quite successful at it. In politics Mr. Witt is a democrat.

Harry D. Burruss was born Nov. 20, 1850,in this township, and within three- quarters of a mile of where he now re- sides. He is a son of George L. and Maria J. (Wood) Burruss, natives of Kentucky. They now reside upon the old homestead in this township. Harry remained at home working upon his father's farm, and with him buying and shipping stock to market, and assisting him in other farm duties until 1880. On the 20th of Nov., 1879, he was mar- ried to Kittie A. Beaty, a daughter of John S. and Mary E. (Ross) Beaty, both natives of Ohio. They came to Jersey county in 1859, where they resided until 1880, when they removed to Missouri, where they now reside. Mr. and Mrs. Burruss have one child-Vesta Lois, born April 30,1885. Mr. Burruss has a fine farm of 148 acres, all well improved and in a high state of cultivation. He makes a specialty of raising stock of a high grade, having a short-horn herd headed by Richmond, 24601, recorded in vol- ume 15 of the American short-horn herd book, at Chicago, Ill. He also raises the cotswold and southdown grades of sheep, and Poland-China hogs, and has altogether a finely stocked farm. He

has also a fine residence, pleasantly loeated and surrounded with all conve- nient outbuildings. Mr. Burruss is a member of the Presbyterian church, having united with that organization in 1875. In politics he is republican, and is one of the most enterprising residents of this county.

Jonas Kirbach, a prominent German citizen of Linder township, was born in Luxemberg, Germany, on the 6th of Oct., 1833, being a son of Nicholas and Catherine (Hoffman) Kirbach, both of whom were also natives of Germany, and both of whom died there, the former in 1842, and the latter in 1857. Nicholas was a miller by trade, and both he and his wife were consistent members of the Catholic church. Jonas also learned the miller's trade in the old country, at which he worked there up to the time of his coming to America. In 1859, he bade adieu to his parents, friends and fatherland, and took passage on a ves- sel, for this, his adopted country, ar- riving in New York city, the voyage oc- cupying 32 days. From New York he came to Chicago, and after remaining there a week, he went to St. Louis in search of his brother, who came to this country a year previous, and whom he found in the American bottoms, above Venice, chopping wood, in company with four other men. llere Jonas di- vided his time between hunting and cooking for the wood choppers for three weeks, after which time he went to Aurora, Ill., where he worked for various parties on the farm. After a short time he went to LaSalle, where he took the boat and steamed down the river to Har- din, where he chopped wood a short time, and then came to Barrow's mill,

936

IHISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

on the Macoupin creek, in this county, where he was employed as a miller for three years. While engaged as a miller, he rented a farm, which he continued to run for six years. The next succeeding 10 years, he rented the J. C. Gardner farm, and then bought a farm of 80 acres on seetion 8, Linder township, where he still resides. He came to this country a poor man, but by industry and good management has succeeded in accumu- lating a finely improved farm of 160 acres, on which he carries on farming and stock-raising, his farm now being well stocked. In addition to what he owns, Mr. Kirbach also rents 200 acres of land. Jonas Kirbach and Elizabeth Leady, a native of Germany, were mar- ried July 30, 1860. By this union there were three children-Elizabeth, who died at the age of 11 days; John, born Nov. 14, 1863; Henry, born April 21, 1865. Mrs. Kirbach died Oet. 18, 1865. Mr. Kirbach was again married Feb. 25, 1866, to Barbara Brown, a native of Germany. Seven children have been born to them-Coonrod, born Jan. 10, 1867, deceased; Frank, born Feb. 2, 1868; Anna, born March S, 1869; Joseph, born March 9, 1871; William, born March 16, 1872; Thomas, born April 11, 1874, died April 22, 1874; Mary, born Sept. 2, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Kirbach and family are members of the Catholic church, which they attend at Carrollton.

Philip Bermes, one of the prominent agriculturists of Linder township, was born in Germany, in 1830, he being a son of Peter and Margaret (Helff) Bermes. With his parents, Philip came to this county, June 20, 1851, and set- tled in Linder township, where he still resides. His father died here, Aug. 25,

1864, aged 61 years and seven months, and his mother, March 4, 1881, aged 75 years, five months and five days. Both were buried in the Hardin cemetery. Philip Bermes was united in marriage, April 6, 1863, with Susan Lahr, a native of Germany. They have had eight children born to them-Charles, died Aug. 28, 1864, aged 15 months; Peter, born March 15, 1866; John Philip, born Aug. 2, 1867; Mary, born Oet. 28, 1869, and died July 15, 1871; George, born April 27, 1871, and died July 20, 1872; Frederick, born Oct. 14, 1872; Margaret, born June 25, 1874; Louis, born Sept. 24, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Bermes are members of the German Reform church, and he is also a member of the K. of H. He now owns 244 acres of improved land in this county, and is engaged in farming and stock-raising, in which he has been eminently successful, although he started in life a poor boy. By hard work, industry and economy he has suc- eeeded in gaining a fair share of this world's goods, and, in doing so, has earned a reputation for honesty, of which he may well feel proud.

William Winters, a native of Ger- many, was born in 1820, he being a son of Jacob and Adeline Winters, both of whom were natives of Germany. William bid adieu to his friends and Fatherland in 1858, and embarked on a vessel for America, and at the end of 61 days arrived in New Orleans. From the lat- ter point he took steamboat passage for St. Louis, arriving there 13 days later. From there he went to Alton, and later to Carlinville, coming to Greene county from the later point, and buying 80 acres of land. Most of it was raw land, which he has since improved and added to,

937

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

until he now has 160 acres of good land, all of which is located in Linder town- ship. William Winters was united in marriage, March 2, 1853, with Elizabeth Gilman, a native of Germany. By their marriage they have been blessed with eight children-Elizabeth, the wife of James Martin, of Dakota; John, who accidentally shot himself while out hunting, and died six weeks later, Feb. 27, 1885; George, living in Linder town- ship; Maggie, wife of Moses Freer, of Rockbridge township; Susan, wife of Joseph Bower, of Kane township; Mary, wife of A. Johnson, of Solomon City, Kan .; William and Katie, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Winters are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Winters' grandfather lived to the ripe old age of 105 years, his father to the age of 99 years, six months, and eight days, and his mother to the age of 88 years and two months. Thus it will be seen that the Winters family is a long-lived one.

Charles Fischer, a native of Hesse- Darmstadt, Germany, was born Feb. 16, 1848, being a son of Belthaser and Ann M. (Becker) Fischer, both of whom were natives of the same country. In 1867, Charles bade adieu to his friends and fatherland and took passage for America, landing in New York, March 12, 1867. After remaining there a couple of days. he started for Carrollton, Greene county, Ill., arriving in due time. From there he came to Linder township, where for seven years he worked on a farm by the month. He then rented land for three years, at the expiration of which time he bought 150 acres of land on sections 4 and 5, Linder township, and still re- sides on the place. Charles Fischer was united in marriage, March 26, 1874, with

Bena Damm, a native of this county, and a daughter of Dieter Damm, de- ceased. Their union was blessed with four children, two of whom are living -Carl, born Nov. 25, 1880, and Bena, born July 18,1883. In 1882 Charles vis- ited with his friends and relatives in the old country for six weeks. He has one brother in this country-John II., who resides with him. One brother-Theo- dore, died in this county, Nov. 24, 1881. Henry, also a brother of Charles, and one sister, Emma, still live in the old country. The father of our subject died in Germany, June 24, 1885, aged #8 years, while his mother is still living, at the age of 56 years. The family are members of the Lutheran church.

Dieter Damm, deceased, was born in 1814, in Monzernheim, Germany. his parents being Michael and Elizabeth (Weifenbach) Damm. He bade adieu to the fatherland and friends in 1839, and took passage for America. Upon coming to this country he settled on the Thomas Black farm, in Carrollton town- ship, where he worked until 1841. Three years later he bought 80 acres on section 11, Linder township, where he resided until his death, which occurred Dec. 4, 1879. He was united in mar- riage Sept. 13, 1839, with Bena Winters, a native of Germany. They were the parents of eight children-Paul C., died in infancy; John L., died in 1878; Chris- tian; Catherine, widow of Jacob Rath- geber, now living with her mother; Dieter; Bena, wife of Charles Fischer; and Albert, who died in infaney. His widow is a member of the Presbyterian church, as was he also, during his life. At his death he was the owner of 160 acres of land.

938

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

Dieter Damm, a son of Dieter, Sr., was born in Greene county, Ill., in 1851. He was reared on a farm, and received his education in the district schools. In 1870, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Meister, a native of this county. Their union has been blessed with six children-Elizabeth, Dieter, Bena, Catherine, Elias and Mary, who are all attending school. Dieter farms 160 acres of the homestead, and carries on general farming. He also runs a cider mill, making cider for customers. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. Dieter is a pleasant gentleman, and is bound to leave a favorable opin- ion with all whom he comes in contact with.

Christian Damm was born in Greene county, Ill., Jan. 21, 1844, his parents being Dieter and Bena J. (Winters) Damm. Christian was married April 12, 1865, to Margaret Rathgeber, a na- tive of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Damm have been the parents of six children- Catherine; George, deceased; Christian, Philip, Maggie and Ellen. Mr. Damm is a member of the I. O. O. F., and in polities, he is a republican.

Michael Shallue, was born in county Clare, Ireland, his parents being Pat- riek and Bridget Shallue, both of whom were also natives of the same country. Michael left his native land in 1854, arriving in Detroit, Mich., in the fall of that year. He resided there until the fall of 1858, when he came to Carroll- ton, Greene county, III., with his par- ents, making his home there until 1877. He then bought 315 acres of land south- east of Carrollton, and resided thereon until March, 1885, when he sold that farm and for $8,800 bought his present one of

160 acres, which is situated on section 11, Linder township. His farm is well im- proved, the residence on the same cost- ing some $3,000, and the barn $500. Mr. Shallue enlisted in the 85th Mo. Inf. during the late war, and served his adopted country for 18 months. He participated in the engagements of Mineral Point and DeSoto, besides other minor ones. He was married Aug. 14, 1870, to Mary A. Fleming, a native of Connecticut. They have been blessed with five children-Sarah E., Mary J., James P., Catherine M. and Michael F. His father died in Carrollton, in Aug., 1882, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery. Michael started the battle of life a poor boy, and has made all he now has by hard work and good man- agement. He is a man of fair educa- tion, which he received in the distriet schools. Both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Catholic church. His occu- pation at present is general farming.

George Graham was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, June 11, 1825, he be- ing a son of George and Sarah (Wilson) Graham, both of whom were also na- tives of the same country. George left his native country in 1846, came to America, and located in Monmouth county, N. J., where, for 10 years, he was engaged as a farm hand. In 1855, he came to Jerseyville, Jersey county, Ill., and learned the baker's trade, which he followed for 12 years. He then came to Greene county, and bought 60 acres of land, on section 20, Linder township, where he still lives. He is now the owner of 169 acres of improved land, and the house in which he now lives cost over $2,000. He left home, when 10 years of age, without a eent,

935

HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

and entirely destitute, and has earned his present competeney by hard labor . and good management. He is a well informed man, but received his eduea- tion by the light of the fire-place, after his day's work was done, he having re- ceived only three month's schooling. He is a liberal minded man, and is a firm believer in the free school system. George Graham and Loie B. Hill, a na- tive of New Jersey, were married Nov. 5, 1867. They have had two children born to them-William, died in infancy, and Austin, at home. Mr. Graham is a member of the Presbyterian church, while his wife affiliates with the Bap- tists. Mr. Graham's father departed this life, in Ireland, in 1865, and his mother, when George was only six years of age. In politics, Mr. Graham is a staunch supporter of the republi- can party.

Patrick W. McMahon, a resident of Linder township, was born in the south of Ireland, his parents being John P. W. and Ann A. (Considine) McMahon, both natives of Ireland, the former dying July 13, 1876, and the latter in 1849, aged 45 years. Patrick W. came to America, landing at New Orleans on Dec. 25, 1851, after a voyage on the ocean of 36 days. From there he came to Carrollton. this county, where he re- mained a short time, and then went to work for Jacob Bowman, on a farm. Altogether he worked as a farm hand for five years, then bought land one and a half miles east of Carrollton, which he continued to own for six years. Then for one year he rented land, at the expi- ration of which time he bought 160 aeres of land on sections 5 and 8, Linder township, and is still a resident of the

township. In 1855 he was united in marriage with Bridget Carmody, a na- tive of Ireland. They are the parents of 10 children- William A., John H., Mortimer A., Daniel J., Henry G., Ed- ward S., Agnes A., Thomas C., Mitchell E., and Julia A. Daniel J. is a pro- fessor in St. Ignatius College, Chicago, he having partly received his education in the district schools of his township, at Carrollton, and finally finished at Chicago. He is now 22 years of age. Mr. McMahon is liberal in his views, and his wife is a member of the Cath- olie church. HIe commenced his life's struggles a poor boy, but by energy, perseverance and good management, he has succeeded in accumulating a fair share of this world's goods, which will materially assist in making his declin- ing years pleasant. He is a firm be- liever in moral freedom and education.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois, Part 110

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Number of Pages: 1150

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical
Number of Pages: 1150