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 86

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 86

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Dr. Clinton Armstrong, one of the oldest practicing physicians in the county, is a native of Rogersville, East Tenn., born March 10, 1823, his parents being Clinton and Lucy (Rogers) Arm- strong. The Armstrong family origi- nated in the north of Ireland, from where William Armstrong, Sr., the

great-grandfather of our subject, emi- grated to Ameriea, and settled in Vir- ginia, where William, the grandfather of our subject, was born in the year 1758. During the early settlement of Tennessee, William Armstrong, Jr., re- moved to that state, and was there mar- ried to Elizabeth Galbreith, and by this union there were eight children, of whom Clinton, the father of our sub- ject, was the third son. He was born March 10, 1793, and on arriving at the age of manhood, he was united in mar- riage, in 1816, with Lucy Rogers, a na- tive of Rogersville, Tenn., born in 1798, and a daughter of Joseph Rogers, who laid out the town where Lucy was born. Joseph Rogers was a native of the north of Ireland. In 1786 he emigrated to the New World, arriving at Norfolk, Va., from where he came to Tennessee, and a year from that time, founded the town of Rogersville, where he became one of the most prominent merchants of the day. He died there, in 1833, at an advaneed age. Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Armstrong, Sr., were the parents of 13 children, of whom our subject is the fourth eldest. Clinton Sr., removed from Tennessee to St. Louis, in 1845, where he was a prominent merehant and farmer, until 1853, when he passed away to his other home. Dr. Arm- strong departed from his native state in 1844, going to St. Louis, where he stud- ied medicine three years, and graduated in 1847, from the medieal department of the University of Missouri, then known as the MeDowell School. He then returned to Tennessee, where he was united in marriage with Martha Lynn, a daughter of William Lynn, of Kingsport. This union was blessed

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

with four children-William, Clinton, Lucy and Mary. They resided in St. Louis until 1849, when they removed to Carrollton, where Dr. Armstrong has since resided, securing in his profession a large and lucrative practice. He is one of our most liberal citizens, was sec- retary of the Old Settler's Association, and takes a deep interest in educational matters. Mrs. Armstrong died in April, 1872, and was laid to rest at Oak Ridge cemetery, Missouri. Oct. 30, 1878, Dr. Armstrong was united in mar- riage with Lottie E. Hayden, daughter of David Hayden, late of California, and grand-daughter of Gen. Eaton, who entered the United States service dur- ing the Revolutionary struggle, gaining fame and wealth, and who was afterward consul at Tunis. When the late civil war was in progress, Dr. Armstrong served two years, doing noble work as an acting assistant surgeon, of the 61st Il. R.g., from Greene county, and was an eye witness of the siege and capture of Vicksburg.

George W. Ross, M. D., a native of Pittsfield, Mass., was born Oct. 7, 1856. His parents were Merrick and Mary B. (Cobb) Ross. He spent his early life at school in Boston, graduating from the Boston Latin School in 1874, and in 1877 graduated at Amherst as bachelor of arts. Hle afterward entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York city, graduating as doctor of med- icine, in 1879. He then spent one year in the hospital, and afterward the de- gree of master of arts was conferred upon him at Amherst. In 1880 he came to Illinois, loeating at Bluffdale, Greene county, where he practiced three years, when he came to Carrollton, and has

since been a practitioner of this place. Dr. Ross was united in marriage, in April, 1885, with Daisy J., daughter of B. Gillingham. He was one of the founders of the Western Medical and Surgical Society, and is, at present, sec- retary of the same.

Dr. James T. Crow was born in Pike county, Mo., April 14, 1827, his parents being John and Mary (Little) Crow, both natives of Boyle county, Ky. John Crow was a soldier of the war of 1812, and died in Pike county, Mo., in 1875. His widowed wife is still living in that county, upon the old homestead, where they settled in 1824, and is 94 years of age. James T., the subject, was the seventh of a family of 10 children. He resided in Pike county until his 17th year, when he went to Danville, Ky., and took a literary course at Center College, graduating therefrom, in 1850, as bachelor of arts. He then taught school for a few months, but soon turned his attention to the study of medicine, at Rockport, Mo,, with Dr. George B. Wilcox. He afterward en- tered the St. Louis University, now the St. Louis Medical College, graduating from that institution in 1854, after which he located at Memphis, Scotland county, Mo., where he engaged in practice until 1862. At that time he came to Greene county, Ill., but spent the year of 1863 at Quincy, and the following year re- turned to Carrollton. In 1865, he crossed the plains to California, return- ing to Carrollton in 1866, where he practiced until Dec, 1882, when he again went to California, by the south- ern route, returning by the central route in June, 1883. He was accompanied by his wife on each trip to the Golden

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

State, and the latter time by two sons, also. In 1855, at Memphis, Mo., he was married to Martha E., a daughter of H. M. Gorin, for many years circuit clerk of Macon county, Ill., and an early settler of Memphis, Mo. Dr. and Mrs. Crow have been the parents of seven sons, five of whom died in in- fancy. The remaining two are still liv- ing-Charles C. and Albert S. In poli- ties, the doctor affiliates with the demo- cratie party, and has frequently been chosen by his fellow citizens to fill local positions. He has been a member of the Masonie fraternity since 1850, and his religious views are with the Episeo- pal church.

Dr. James French Simpson, a native of Culpepper county, Va., was born Oct. 10, 1814, his parents being Hendley and Elizabeth (Farrow) Simpson, both natives of Virginia, the former of Loudon county, and the latter of Cul- pepper county. His father engaged in fanning, but was a wealthy gentleman with associations in only the highest so- ciety. In 1835 he removed his family to Illinois, and located at Medora, Ma- coupin county, where he and his wife spent the balance of their days. James F. had spent the early years of his life in Virginia, and was there educated. He afterward entered a general mer- chandise store as a clerk, and was thus engaged until he was 20 years of age, in the meantime beginning the study of medicine. Nov. 19, 1834, he came to Medora, 111., where he finished his medi- cal studies under Dr. Farrow. In 1837 he came to Carrollton, where he has since remained. He immediately engaged in the mercantile business, which he fol- lowed several years, and then bought a

drug store and continued in the drug business for eight years, at the expira- tion of which time he began the practice of medicine, in which he continued about 27 years. By that time he had accumulated some little means and hence decided to retire from practice. In Jan., 1838, Dr. Simpson was united in marriage with Harriet C. Miller, a native of Ohio; unfortunately, she was a lady of very poor health, and did not survive many years, dying in 1841. In 1844 the doctor was joined in marriage with Jane E. Hopkins, daughter of James and Mary (Chandler) Hopkins, natives of Roekbridge, Va. By this marriage there have been four children -Charles R., born March 31, 1845, now married; Lionel D., born Dec. 1, 1846; Julian II., born Feb. 11, 1849, died Feb. 28, 1865; Jennie Mae, born May 13, 1858. Dr. and Mrs. Simpson are men- bers of the Baptist church. Dr. Simp- son is a strong prohibitionist, and has received the highest honors which that party could confer, having received at various times the nomination for the re- spective offices of governor, auditor and elector, and penitentiary commissioner. During the late civil war the doctor was called into the army as a supply surgeon by Gov. Dick Yates, and remained in charge of the 14th III. Reg,, commanded by Col. Hall. Dr. Simpson has, during his residence here, been an active, en- ergetic citizen, and his pleasant manners have made for him many friends.

Dr. J. W. Redwine is among the pres- ent practitioners in the city of White Hall. Although among the later acces- sions to this profession here, he has succeeded in attaining a good and lucra- tive practice, and is growing in popu-

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larity and the estimation of the com- munity. Dr. Redwine was born in Morgan county, this state, Sept. 9, 1858, and is a son of Isaac and A. Pru- itt) Redwine. The former, who was left an orphan when a small boy, emi- grated from his native state, Kentucky, ! at an early day, to Missouri, and after- ward removed to Morgan county, this state, where he was married to A. Pru- itt, a native of Tennessee. They are now residents of Winchester, Scott county. The subject of this sketch re- ecived his early education in the schools of Morgan county, and during the years 1877 and 1878 he attended a private school at Chillicothe, Mo. In 1879 he entered the St. Louis Medical College, for the purpose of obtaining a profes- sional education, where he remained during two consecutive sessions of the school. In 1881 he became a student at the Missouri Medical College, from which institution he graduated in 1882. Mr. Redwine then located at White Hall, and began the practice of his pro- fession, where he has since resided. He was married, March 16, 1862, to Mary R. Tunison, born in this county in 1857, and a daughter of Jacob E. and Lucy (Griswold) Tunison. Mr. Redwine is a member of the Masonic order and Odd Fellows lodges, and in polities is a dem- ocrat.

Prominent among the members of the medical profession of Greene county, is Philip F. Lightfoot, of Roodhouse. He is a native of Alabama, having been born in that state on the 23d of Sept., 1823. Ile was a son of Reuben and Gillie (Meredith) Lightfoot, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky, and the latter of Tennessee. Reuben Light-

foot was a tanner and planter, and was one of the prominent men of his section of the country. Ilis death occurred in 1824, and that of his beloved wife nearly half a century later, in 1873. Philip F. Lightfoot received his preliminary edu- cation in his native state, and later at- tended the New York Medical College, from which popular institution he grad- uated with honors, in 1848. In 1850 he began the practice of his chosen profes- sion, at Fort Madison, la., and it was but a short time before his abilities were recognized. In 1852 he came to Illinois, and for six years practiced medicine in Macoupin county. Then, in 1858, he re- moved to Manchester, Scott county, where he remained until 1868, meeting with deserved success. In 1869, he re- moved to Murrysville, Morgan county, where he remained until 1878, when he went to Vernon county, Mo., returning in 1879. In the latter year he came to Greene county, locating in Roodhouse, his present home. Dr. Philip F. Light- foot and Sarah E. Edwards, a native of Morgan county, Ill .. were united in marriage, in 1852, and their union has been blessed with three children-Ann Ella, wife of S. D. Masters, of Jackson- ville, Ill .; Joseph T. and Beatrice. Mrs. Lightfoot is a member of the M. E. church, while the doctor is a mem- ber of the Murrayville lodge, Morgan county, of the A. F. & A. M. During the war of the Rebellion the doctor was an independent surgeon in the 91st Ill. Inft. Ile now takes a place in the front rank of the medical profession in Greene county, having a very extensive practice, which is well deserved.

Dr. E. K. Shirley, one of the well known physicians of Greene county,

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

was born in Morgan county, this state, on the 25th day of April, 1855. He is a son of George and Emily (Brown) Shirley, natives of Virginia and Penn- sylvania, respectively. They located in Morgan county in 1830. The father of our subject was a physician, by profession, and practiced in Mor- gan county until his death, which occurred on the 17th day of Feb., 1868. His widow now resides in St. Louis. Dr. E. K. Shirley was educated in St. Louis, and there studied for his pro- fession. He graduated from the Homo- opathic College, in that city, in 1881, and has since that time, been for the most part a resident of White Hall, in which city and vicinity he has built up an extensive practice. For two years, however, he practiced in St. Louis since his graduation. Since 1884 he has been located here permanently. In 1882 he was united in marriage with Annie L., daughter of Alfred and Eliza- beth (Hubbard) White, natives of Ohio, and this county, respectively. There are two children by this marriage- Alfred Harris and Henry White. Dr. and Mrs. Shirley are members of the M. E. church.

Dr. Benjamin J. Hall was born at Lebanon, Marion county, Ky., on the 19th of April, 1834, his parents being Joseph A. and Mary A. ( Mudd) Hall, natives of Kentucky. Benjamin J., the subject of this sketch, received his early education at St. Mary's College, in Lebanon, attending school there until he was about 16 years of age. In the year 1851, he went to Louisville, Ky., to attend the Medical University of that city, at which place he graduated in his chosen profession in 1854. During that

year he begun the practice of his profes- sion at Raywick, Ky., and continued there until 1862. In the year 1864, he came to Greene county, Ill., and located at Old Kane, where he remained only one year. In the year 1865, be removed to Hardin, Calhoun county, remaining there until 1881, when he again returned to Greene county, and located at Kane, where he has since continued as a prac- ticing physician. On the 5th day of August, 1865, he was married to Sarah (Woolsey) White, daughter of Amos and Eunice Woolsey. By this marriage there were seven children, four of whom are now living-Joseph A., Daniel W., Ida M. and Bennie L: Dr. Hall owns prop- erty in the village of Kane, and has a good practice which is constantly in- creasing, and in which he has proven to be a very successful physician.

Peter Fenity, M. D., a leading phy- sician of Greene county, located at the town of Kane, is a native of the Emer- ald Isle, born in the county of Roscom- mon, March 15, 1827. He is a son of John and Margaret (McDonnell ) Fenity, both natives of Ireland. In 1840, his parents left the shores of Erin, bound for Canada, and upon arrival there settled near the city of Kingston. The subject of this sketch received the rudiments of an English education before leaving his native country-his first and only reading book being the New Testament-of which he commit- ted the four Gospels and Paul's letter to the Hebrews, to memory. Soon after arriving in Kingston, where he had an uncle who was an old citizen, he, with the family, moved west and settled on Amherst Island, bay of Quinte, where he continued at work for different farm-

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

ers for three years. Intemperance drove the family to America, and the passions engendered by intemperance in the father, drove the son away from home at the age of 16. At that age he began a course of study and preparation, studying during the long winter nights by the light of pine knots, and working on the farm during the summer, and teaching after sufficient education had been acquired, until the spring of 1846, when, at the age of 19, hunger- ing for a higher life, he ventured again among strangers, crossing Lake On- tario to Niagara Falls; thence to Buffalo; thence to Cleveland and Oberlin, O., where he continued working and study- ing, until .Aug., 1847, when, in company with a classmate, Jos. H. McChesney, now of New York City, he crossed the lakes to Chicago, then a small city, and traveled in a lumber wagon with a farmer to Rock Island, and thence to the home of McChesney, in Mercer county, where they both remained until the beginning of the school year at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill. Here he remained five years, graduating A. B., in June, 1852, in a class of 12. Through poverty and hardship, toil- ing in summer's heat and winter's cokl, nothing ever daunted or caused him to swerve a hair's breadth from his life purpose of gaining knowledge. On graduating in June, 1852, he came with two schoolmates-S. V. White, now of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Charles Dougher- ty, to Jersey county. In Sept., 1852, he began teaching the first select male school ever taught in Jerseyville, and at the close of his school visited his mother then living at Troy, N. Y. On his return from Troy he engaged as

agent for the American Sunday School Union, in organizing Sabbath schools. In 1853 and 1854, he again taught in Jersey county, and continued in Jersey until Feb. 20, 1855, when he came to, and taught school in Old Kane four months, working hard all summer in haying and harvesting, with Jacob L., William and John Pope, and in Oct., 1855, after a course of study in medicine with Dr. Norman T. Winans, in 1853, and Dr. Charles A. Knapp, in 1854, he attended lectures and clinics at the St. Louis Medical College, and at the City Marine and Sister's hospitals through the win- ter of 1855-56; studied and taught in 1856, in Champaign county, and in May, 1857, began to practice at Okl Kane. Married Oct 23, 1857, Helen Elmira Cory, a daughter of Rev. David Cory and Eunice Elmira (Wolcott) Cory, both of whom died in castern Illi- nois years before. Dr. Fenity attended lectures and clinics again at St. Louis Medical College, and the St. Louis hos- pitals in 1858-9; graduating in March, 1859, he returned home, and resumed his practice in the spring, and contin- ved till the fall of 1863, when he again attended the City Hospital at St. Louis, and on his return home, has from that time pursued the even tenor of his life in all kinds of weather and to all class- es of men. He has four children living -Frank C., nurseryman at Jerseyville; Dr. Edward W., practicing physician at Rockbridge, this county; Fred. H., a student of Prof. Pike, Jerseyville, and Clara M., attending school at home. The doctor commenced practicing in New Kane, July 12, 1866, which he has continued ever since.

Dr. W. D. Turner was born in Lon-

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

don, Eng., June 21, 1843. He was left an orphan at the age of five years, and when but eight yeas old was placed in charge of a family coming to America. In due course of time he came to like county, Ill .. where he was reared and educated. When the war broke out he enlisted in Co. E., 50th Il. Inf., and

served gallantly until honorably dis- charged, when he returned to Pike county, where he entered upon the study of medicine, attending three terms at the Cincinnati Eclectic College, and two clinical courses at the Commercial HIos- pital. IIe commenced practice in Waynesville, De Witt county, III., but in 1871, came to Carrollton, where he has attained some considerable practice. He was married Oct. 1, 1868, to Miss S. J. Peebles, by whom he has two chil- dren-Walter and Frank.

Dr. O. K. Reynolds, a physician of Kane, was born in Belmont county, O., March 12, 1833, and was the son of Ste- phen K. and Miriam ( Kinsey ) Reynolds, the second settlers in that county. The doctor attended school in his native place, andat academies in the neighbor- hood, and at Allegheny College, Mead- ville, Pa. His medical education was received at the Missouri Medical Col- lege, St. Louis, Mo. Hle commenced practice near St. Joseph, Mo., where he remained two years. During the early days of the war, he found it difficult to reside there and entered the service as assistant surgeon. He afterward served as surgeon of the 17th U. S. Inf. In 1865, at the close of hostilities, he came to Old Kane and located, and resumed practice. Four years after, he removed to Johnson county, where he lived until 1875, when he came to the new town.

Dr. J. L. Rollins, of Greenfield, was born in Montgomery county, Mo., April 1, 1838. After due training in the dis- trict schools of his native county, the future doctor entered the State Univers- ity of Missouri, at Columbia, in the fall of 1875, and graduated from that insti- tution in 1878. He commenced the practice of medicine in Columbia, Mis- souri, where he remained until 1883, when he went to New York, and attended a special course at the Bellevue Hos- pital Medical College. In February, 1884 he came to Greenfield, and entered upon the practice of his profession.

Dr. E. Fenity, practicing at Rock- bridge, was born in Kane, this county, March 27, 1861, and is the son of Dr. Peter Fenity, of Kane. Ife was edu- cated at Shurtleff and Knox Colleges, and at the Chicago Medical College. Hc commenced practice at Rockbridge Aug. 1,1882.

Dr. W. L. Burnett, a practicing phy- sician of Kane, was born in Indiana in 1812, and was educated principally at Shurtleff College. When the war broke out he enlisted in company F., 27th Ill. Inf., and subsequently became orderly sergeant, and served until the close of hostilities." He then became a resident of Arkansas, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1866, when he removed to Jerseyville, Jersey county, and entering the office of Dr. J. O. Hamilton, commenced the study of medicine. He graduated from the St. Louis Medical College in 1869, and for several years practiced his profession at Fidelity, Jersey county, from which płace he came to Kane. He was mar- ried in 1869 to Emeline Smith.

Dr. Adam E. Miller, of Rockbridge,

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

was born in Gaylesville, Cherokee county, Ala., Dec. 11, 1843. He re- mained in the place of his nativity un- til 1858, when the family removed to Illinois. He received his education at Shurtleff College, and his medical knowledge at Rush Medical College, Chicago, from which he graduated. Ile commenced practice in Rockbridge in 1869. He was a partner in the drug store with the late Jacob Keeley. He married Genevieve Ludwig, and is the father of six children, five of whom are living.

Dr. Thomas Finch, the oldest resi- dent physician in Greenfield, was born in Staffordshire, England, Feb. 12, 1823. In the summer of 1843, he emigrated from that island, and came to Green- field in Feb., 1850. He received his early education in England, but finished it in America. He studied medicine partly with his step-father, and partly with a student of that gentleman. He was married in Jan., 1851, to Eliza J. Saxton; they have three children.

Dr. Abram Tompkins, one of the physicians of Greenfield, was born in Canada, Nov. 1, 1835, and is the son of John and N. (Clute) Tompkins. HI studied medicine in his native country, and in 1875 and 1876 attended the Rush Medical College, Chicago. Ile com- menced practice at Berlin, Sangamon county, in 1865. He came here from Scott county, where he had spent some eight years, in May, 1879. He was married Dec. 10, 1870, to Susan E. Fred- erick.

Dr. Frank A. Stubblefield, a practic- ing physician at Greenfield, is a son of Rev. D. II. Stubblefield, and was born at Salem, Ill., Nov. 12, 1852. He received his education in different public schools.

He engaged in the drug business, in 1873, at Hillsborough. Ill., which he ran until 1878, when he attended medi- cal lectures at Missouri Medical College, St. Louis, Mo., from which he gradu- ated in 1881, and then came to Green- field and engaged in practice. He was married in Feb., 1883, to May Mont- gomery.

Dr. Edward E. Peter, was born near White Hall, this county, June 28, 1861. In 1879 he entered the American Medi- cal College at St. Louis, remaining there one year, when he entered the office of Dr. A. W. Foreman, at White Hall. He read under him one year, and then returned to the college which he had previously attended, in St. Louis, from which he graduated in June, 1882. He then practiced at Mus- kegon, Mich., about a year, then tray- eled with Dr. Crane, through Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, for about 10 months, and then worked in a wholesale drug store in Cincinnati. In 1884, he lo- cated in Wrightsville, where he has since continued to practice.

Dr. Charles C. Clemmons, among the present practitioners of Carrollton, is a son of Dr. C. P. and Matilda Clem- mons. He was born in Pike county, Ill., Jan. 27, 1857, and was brought to Carrollton by his parents, in 1860, where he was reared and received his early education. He received a large portion of his literary training at Frankfort, Ky., graduating from the Military In- stitute at that place, in 1875. He then took a commercial course at Jones' Commercial College, St. Louis, gradu- ating in 1876. He then began the study of medicine, and in 1879, graduated as physician and surgeon, from the St.

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

Louis Medical College, when he en- gaged in practice at Carrollton. In 1882 he went to Kansas, and later to Texas and Louisiana, returning to Carrollton in the spring of 1885, and resumed practice at that place. Ile was mar- ried Oct. 26, 1882, to Jessie Robards, by whom one daughter has been born- Bessie. The doctor is a member of the K. of P. society.

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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 86

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