USA > Illinois > Lee County > History of Lee County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 15
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the frontier. Settling at Paw Paw, he there engaged in merchan- dising for thirty-five years and was accounted one of the leading business men of the town. He was also an influential factor in republican politics and his fitness for the office led to his election to the position of county clerk in 1886. He served as president of the village board at Paw Paw until his removal to Dixon in 1886. So capably did he discharge his duties as clerk that at the end of the first term he was reelected and again and again that honor came to him until he had filled the office for sixteen years, retir- ing as he had entered it, with the confidence and good-will of all concerned. In fact over his public career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He was prompt and reliable in the discharge of his duties and his fellow townsmen have ever found him a man in whom they could repose trust and confidence. His wife, Catherine J. Thompson, came from Pennsylvania in early life and they are now living in Jefferson City, Missouri. On No- vember 1st he received an appointment as superintendent of the national government cemetery in Jefferson City, Missouri. Their family numbered five children, two sons and three daughters.
William C. Thompson, the eldest, remained under the parental roof throughout the period of his boyhood and youth and sup- plemented his public-school education by a course in Dixon Col- lege, from which he was graduated with the class of 1888. The previous year he was appointed deputy county clerk by his father, who in 1886 had been elected to office. He remained as deputy throughout the sixteen years of his father's service in that posi- tion and was then elected his successor in December, 1902, so that his incumbency covers a period of eleven years. The name of Thompson has been inseparably connected with the office for more than a quarter of a century and stands as a synonym for capability and fidelity in connection with the discharge of public duties.
In 1890 William C. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Susan B. Dimon, of Dixon, and unto them have been born three children: Dorrance S., who is engaged in the grocery business ; Avis F., at home; and Eunice Elizabeth, also under the parental roof. Mr. Thompson belongs to the Masonic fraternity and has taken the Royal Arch degree. He is also identified with the Ben- evolent Protective Order of Elks and he attends the Presbyterian church. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is an active and helpful worker in its ranks, while his opinions carry weight in its councils. Twenty-seven years' con-
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nection with the office of county clerk has made him thoroughly familiar with every phase of the business and no detail is slighted in the least degree. Prompt and methodical, he can from memory cite many points in connection with the duties of the position, and he has everything so arranged that if necessary he can refer to documents at a moment's notice. No official of Lee county has been more loyal to duty or deserves in larger measure the good- will, confidence and respect of his fellow townsmen.
WILLIAM B. McMAHAN.
On the roster of county officials in Lee county appears the name of William B. McMahan, who in 1904 was elected circuit clerk and ex-officio recorder of deeds, in which capacity he has since served, covering a period of nine years. He has been a life- long resident of Lee county and is a representative of one of its pioneer families. His parents were William and Sarah A. (Clark) McMahan and his paternal grandparents were Benjamin and Esther J. (Brearley) McMahan, both natives of Pennsyl- vania. The father, also born in the east, came to Lee county in 1854 and for a year was engaged in teaching school. He after- ward went to Minnesota, where he spent five years in the employ of the government, but in 1860 returned to this county and en- gaged in farming in Wyoming township, his persistent and care- fully directed labors transforming his land into productive fields. He continued active in the work of the farm until he was ap- pointed county surveyor in 1864. He filled that office until 1882, or for a period of eighteen years and his service in other positions was extended, as for five terms he was township supervisor, for seven terms was township assessor and served for a number of years as chairman of the county board of supervisors. His public record was indeed commendable and won for him the approval and good-will of all. In Masonic circles he had a wide acquaint- ance, having attained high rank in the York Rite as a member of the lodge, chapter and commandery.
William B. McMahan was reared in this county, obtained a public-school education and in 1896 entered upon his official duties as deputy recorder. He also served as county surveyor for four years. In 1904 he was elected circuit clerk and ex-officio recorder of deeds, which position he has since acceptably filled. No trust
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reposed in him is ever betrayed in the slightest degree, his loyalty standing as one of his salient characteristics.
Mr. McMahan was united in marriage October 10, 1895, to Eunice E. Thompson, a daughter of James H. and Catherine J. (Swarthout) Thompson, prominent pioneers. Mr. McMahan is active in fraternal circles being a member of Friendship Lodge, No. 7, A. F. & A. M., and a charter member of the Elks lodge of which he was the first secretary, serving for four years. He is past exalted ruler of the Elks lodge and served for three years on the executive committee of the State Association of Elks. He represents one of the old families of the county and has himself been for a long period of years one of the interested witnesses of the growth and progress of this section of the state.
FRED N. VAUGHAN.
Fred N. Vaughan, whose name figures prominently in connec- tion with the business development of Amboy, has, since March 17, 1906, been president of the First National Bank. His record stands in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is never without honor save in his own country, for he has always lived in this city, where he has carefully directed his efforts and guided his business interests, until he now stands at the head of one of its foremost financial institutions. He was born February 1, 1865, and is a son of C. D. and Louise M. (Balch) Vaughan. The family is of Welsh lineage and was founded in America dur- ing the seventeenth century, Benjamin Vaughan, the great great- grandfather of our subject coming to this country from Wales. His son and namesake, Benjamin Vaughan, at the age of seventeen years joined the New Hampshire state troops and later served in the continental army during the Revolutionary war. C. D. Vaughan was a pioneer merchant of Amboy, dealing in furniture for many years and was also mayor of the city and treasurer of Amboy township for an extended period. His worth was widely acknowledged by all who knew ought of his history. He died in 1886 at the age of fifty-six years, while his widow still survives and yet makes her home in Amboy.
Fred N. Vaughan attended the public schools of Amboy to the age of seventeen years, when he secured a position as messenger for the Illinois Central Railroad. Subsequently he acted as clerk
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in the office of the division superintendent and resigned that posi- tion to become general factotum in the private bank of Josiah Little. He has since been continuously connected with the bank, advancing from one position to another as he has proved his capability and has mastered the duties devolving upon him. He served for a time as bookkeeper, later as assistant cashier, sub- sequently became vice president and eventually was chosen presi- dent. The First National Bank of Amboy succeeded the private bank of Josiah Little which was organized in 1868 and is the old- est bank in the city. It is also one of the strongest financial insti- tutions of the county and from the beginning has enjoyed a substantial growth resultant from its safe policy and progressive methods.
In Amboy on the 23d of November, 1887, Mr. Vaughan was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. Poland, a daughter of A. J. and Carrie (Potter) Poland. Her father was train master of the Illinois Central Railroad and one of the old settlers of Amboy. He passed away January 17, 1903, at the age of seventy- one years, having for a long period survived his wife, who died February 8, 1879, at the age of forty-one years. Both were laid to rest in Graceland cemetery of Chicago. One of the ancestors of Mrs. Vaughan on the maternal side belonged to the Culver fam- ily and came from England to America on the Mayflower. A descendant of the name of Sarah became the wife of Jonathan Woodworth, who figured in the Revolutionary war. Benjamin Poland was born in Maine in 1784 and was the grandfather of Mrs. Vaughan. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan: Glenn P., a student in the University of Illinois; Jean- ette L., who was formerly a student in the college of Rockford, Illinois; and Fred N., who is attending the Amboy high school.
The family occupy an attractive home which was erected by Mr. Vaughan and it has been since he became president of the bank that the fine bank building was erected. He has been hon- ored with a number of local offices by his fellow townsmen, who appreciate his worth and public spirit. For three terms he served as alderman and is now mayor of the city and a member of the board of education. In the former position he is discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity, giving to the city a business- like and progressive administration, while in the latter office he proves himself indeed a friend to the public schools. Mr. Vaughan is prominent in Masonic circles. He holds membership with the lodge and chapter at Amboy, the commandery at Dixon, the con-
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sistory at Freeport and the mystic shrine at Rockford, Illinois. He also affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Elks lodge at Dixon and he is a trustee of the Congregational church of Amboy.
CHARLES GIBBS.
Among the most highly honored residents of Paw Paw is Charles Gibbs, who after a successful career as agriculturist and teacher now lives retired in this city at the age of seventy-two years. Moreover, there is due Mr. Gibbs veneration as one of those who donned the blue uniform at the time when the union of this country was imperiled by southern secession. Mr. Gibbs still owns a valuable farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres, which he rents to his son Eugene. While a resident of La Salle county, this state, he prominently participated in public life but since coming to Lee county he has not again entered politics. He comes of an old American family, his great-grandfather, Pelatiah Gibbs, having been a loyal soldier of Washington's corps during the Revolutionary war. For eighteen years Mr. Gibbs has been a resi- dent of Lee county and during that time he has gained the great- est confidence and highest regard of all his fellow citizens who have had the honor of meeting him.
Charles Gibbs was born in Livermore, Androscoggin county, Maine, February 25, 1841, and is a son of Pelatiah and Anna (Norton) Gibbs. The father followed agricultural pursuits in Maine and removed subsequently to La Salle county, Illinois, where he arrived in 1867. He there continued successfully along the same line and passed away on November 4, 1879.
Charles Gibbs was reared under the parental roof and received his education in his native state. Later he assisted his father in the farm work and also taught school and hired out as a farm hand, being engaged along these various lines until the peril of the Union decided him to enlist and he joined Company E, Thirty- second Regiment, Maine Volunteers. The date of his enlistment was February 25, 1864, and he was honorably discharged Decem- ber 12, of the same year. He served as first sergeant and was also in command of his company, and in that connection was in charge during the famous mine explosion before Petersburg on July 30, 1864, and was wounded during that action in his left side. Upon
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his honorable discharge at the end of the year 1864 he returned to the family home. He remained there until March 6, 1865, when the opportunities of the west induced him to leave for Minnesota, where he spent some time in Winona county. He then made his way to Quincy, Illinois, teaching school there. In the month of August, 1866, he went to Ophir township, La Salle county, his father and the remainder of the family joining him in 1867. In the course of years Mr. Gibbs became the owner of a farm in Iro- quois county, Illinois, and also rented land in Ophir township, following agricultural pursuits with gratifying results. In 1894 he bought land in Wyoming township, this county, his property bordering on the corporation of Paw Paw. He has made Lee county his permanent residence since March 1, 1895. His farm comprises one hundred and seventy-five acres and there he en- gaged for a number of years in general farming and dairying, his successful methods being evident from the fact that he is now able to live in retirement and in the enjoyment of a comfortable com- petence. His son was the first man to bottle and deliver milk in Paw Paw. He always followed the most progressive and modern standards in the operation of his agricultural enterprise and, while he has attained to individual prosperity, has been a factor in promoting agricultural interests and standards in this sec- tion. He now rents his farm to his son, Eugene, who continues its operation with gratifying financial results.
On February 14, 1869, Mr. Gibbs was married, at Livermore, Maine, to Miss Mary W. Harlow, daughter of Alvin C. and Rosetta B. (Beard) Harlow, the former of whom was for many years a successful merchant at Livermore Center, Maine. He died December 12, 1899, his wife having preceded him September 19, 1879. Both are buried at Auburn, Androscoggin county, Maine. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs have two children: Carroll H., a merchant of Paw Paw; and Eugene N., who operates his father's farm. Mrs. Gibbs is also of Revolutionary stock, one of her ancestors, a Mr. Washburn, having participated in that memorable conflict. She is a member of the Eastern Star and the Women's Relief Corps, being deeply interested in the cause of temperance and the higher things of life.
Mr. Gibbs has always given his allegiance to the democratic party, in the principles of which he firmly believes and the ideals of which he considers most conducive to the best form of govern- ment. For five terms he served as supervisor of La Salle county and also held the offices of assessor and director of the board of
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education, his continued connection with public office giving evi- dence of the high regard which was entertained for him by the general public while a resident of that part of the state. Since coming to Lee county he has not again entered politics, although he is deeply interested in all measures that are undertaken for the general welfare, and is ever ready to give his active support to such objects as will make for progress and advancement along intellectual, moral and material lines. Fraternally he is a blue lodge Mason and a popular member of the Grand Army of the Re- public, serving at present as adjutant of William H. Thompson Post, No. 308. Mr. Gibbs is one of the venerable citizens of Lee county and the general high regard which is conceded him is well merited.
E. A. SICKELS, M. D.
Dr. E. A. Sickels, a medical practitioner of Dixon of the homeopathic school and well versed in all the intricacies and sci- entific phases of the profession, was born in Lee county in 1866, his parents being E. C. and Caroline (Dunham) Sickels. The father came to Lee county in 1862 from Indianapolis and the fol- lowing year he brought his family. Representatives of the Sickels family have lived in Indianapolis since the founding of that city. Rev. E. C. Sickels was a minister of the Presbyterian church and for thirty-seven years filled a pastorate at Dixon, his labors con- stituting a most forceful and important element in the moral progress of the city. He was an earnest and convincing speaker but taught perhaps no more through precept than by his upright godly life, which embodied the teachings that he so earnestly strove to impress upon the minds of his hearers. That he was so long retained in a single pastorate is proof of the fact that he was neither denied the full harvest nor the aftermath of his la- bors. He died in the year 1909 and his memory remains as a blessed benediction to all who knew him. His widow survives and makes her home in this city. They had a family of five chil- dren.
Dr. Sickels, after benefitting by the educational opportunities offered in the public schools, entered Dixon College and there completed his general education, graduating from the scientific department. He then served ten years as a railroad postal clerk.
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DR. E. A. SICKELS
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During the last four years he attended the Hahnemann Medical College at Chicago and graduated in 1897. For a year thereafter he practiced in that city as interne in the Hahnemann Hospital and then returned to Dixon, opening an office. He is conscien- tious and faithful in the discharge of his professional duties and, specializing in surgery and obstetrics, has done much important work in these difficult branches of the profession. He is a mem- ber of the Lee County Medical Society, the Rock River Institute of Homeopathy, the Illinois State Homeopathic Medical Society, the American Institute of Homeopathy and of the American Medi- cal Association.
In 1901 Dr. Sickels was united in marriage to Miss Jeanne Wood, of Des Moines, Iowa, and they are pleasantly located in an attractive home in Dixon, the hospitality of which is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. Dr. Sickels is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He finds his chief recrea- tion in hunting and when leisure gives him opportunity he makes trips to various sections, having shot big game all over America. He is never neglectful of his professional obligations, however, and is continually promoting his efficiency through broad read- ing and research.
CLARENCE E. DRUMMOND.
Clarence E. Drummond, a successful farmer of Lee county, owning and operating forty acres of excellent land in Ashton township, was born in Ogle county, Illinois, July 9, 1878. He is a son of Benton P. and Henrietta (Tilton) Drummond, also .na- tives of Ogle county.
Clarence E. Drummond was reared at home and remained up- on his father's farm until he was of age. He then engaged in agri- cultural pursuits upon rented land for ten years and at the end of that time moved to Lee county and bought the property upon which he now lives. He has forty acres in Ashton township and has made substantial improvements upon this farm, providing it with modern buildings and equipment. The place is in a high state of cultivation and its owner is ranked among the success- ful and progressive farmers of his locality.
In 1903 Mr. Drummond was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Trainor, who was born in Lee county, Illinois, a daughter of Vol. 11-11
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Charles and Emily (Plantz) Trainor, the former a native of Canada and the latter of Lee county. Both have passed away. To their union were born five children, of whom four are yet living. Mr. and Mrs. Drummond have two children: Helen A. and Verl Otto. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Drummond gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. He holds the office of school director and he is at all times progressive and public-spirited in matters of citizenship, taking an active interest in community affairs. He is accounted one of the extensive landowners and progressive farmers of Ashton township and has the unqualified confidence and esteem of the en- tire community.
E. J. FERGUSON.
Prominent among the energetic, farsighted and capable busi- iess men of Dixon is E. J. Ferguson, a hardware merchant, whose enterprise and laudable ambition have constituted the foundation upon which he has built his success. He was born in Peoria county, Illinois, in 1875 and after acquiring a public-school edu- cation devoted his time and attention to general agricultural pur- suits. He carried on farming near Pontiac, Illinois, until nearly twenty-five years of age and then removed to Greene county, Iowa, where he spent about five years in general farming. On the ex- piration of that period he returned to Pontiac, where he became connected with commercial interests, spending one year as clerk in a hardware store. He then embarked in the hardware busi- ness on his own account at Marseilles, Illinois, where he remained for three years, and in 1909 he came to Dixon, seeking here a broader field of labor. Here he soon placed on sale a large stock of hardware and the success of the enterprise is indicated in the fact that he found it necessary to secure larger quarters and did so by purchasing the business of The Gunn Company in 1911. He now carries a full and well selected line of shelf and heavy hard- ware and his trade is extensive and gratifying. His business methods are such as will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny and his even-paced energy has carried him into import- ant relations with the commercial interests of Dixon.
In 1897 Mr. Ferguson was united in marriage to Miss Fannie Wassom, a native of Pontiac, Illinois, and unto them have been
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born four daughters and a son. The family attend the Methodist church, of which Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson are members. In politics he is a progressive republican and fraternally is a Royal Arch Mason and a Modern Woodman. Starting out in life without any vaulting ambition to accomplish something especially great or famous, he has followed the lead of his opportunities, doing as best he could anything that came to hand and seizing legitimate advantages as they arose. He has never hesitated to take a for- ward step when the way has been open. Though content with what he attained as he went along, he was always ready to make an advance. Fortunate in possessing ability and character that inspired confidence in others, the simple weight of his character and ability have carried him into important relations with large interests and he is now at the head of one of the leading commer- cial enterprises of the city.
GEORGE ALEXANDER LYMAN. .
Among the men of force, experience and capacity who have for many years past influenced the trend of general development in Lee county is numbered George Alexander Lyman, who since 1889 has owned and edited the Amboy Journal, which by reason of his excellent journalistic work he has made powerful as a di- rector of public thought and opinion. His interests have extended to many other fields, touching closely the political and social life of the community, and his name has come to be regarded as synonymous with advancement and reform. He was born in Winchester, New Hampshire, June 26, 1838, and is a son of Tertius Alexander and Sarah Pierce (Codding) Lyman, the former a carpenter and joiner and house builder. He came to Illinois in 1856 and died at Amboy, February 5, 1900, at the age of eighty-eight. The Lyman family is very ancient and can be traced back in the official English records to Wodin, king of North Europe in the third century, about 225 A. D. The line in- cludes such illustrious representatives as Hengist, king of Saxons, A. D. 434; Cerdic, the first king of West Saxons, who died A. D. 534; Alfred the Great, king of England, A. D. 871; William, the Conqueror, A. D. 1066; Lady Isabel de Vermandois; Robert, seo- ond Earl of Leicester; Hugh Capet, king of France, A. D. 987; Charlemagne, emperor of the West; Saier de Quincey, Earl of
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Winchester, one of the twenty-five barons that stood surety for the observance of the Magna Charta by King John at Runnymede, A. D. 1215. The American progentor was Richard Lyman, who was born at High Ongar, England, in 1580 and who emigrated to America in August, 1631. He landed at Boston, November 11th and became a settler in Charlestown. On October 15, 1635, he went with a party of about one hundred persons and became one of the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut, and one of the origi- nal proprietors of the town. He died in August, 1641, and his name is inscribed on a stone column now standing in the rear of the Center church of Hartford, erected in memory of the first settlers of the city. His son, Richard Lyman II, was born in Eng- land in 1617 and came to America with his father. He moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1655 and died there in 1662. His grandson, Joshua Lyman, served upwards of fourteen years in the Colonial wars, holding the commission of lieutenant in the British army. He married Miss Sarah Narmon, and their son, Captain Seth Lyman, served six years in the Revolutionary war. Cap- tain Seth Lyman's son, Tertius Lyman, was also a member of the Continental army during the last two years of the war. He had one son, Tertius Alexander Lyman, father of the subject of this review and the founder of the family in Illinois.
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