USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial, Volume II > Part 36
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Mr. and Mrs. Peebles occupy a beautiful residence at No. 905 First North street. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias lodge at Carlin- ville. He gives his support politically to the democratic party and is now serving as secretary of the democratic county central committee. For eight years he has filled the office of assistant states attorney and from 1901 to 1903 was master in chancery. In 1909 he was elected mayor of Carlinville and discharged the duties of that position for two years, displaying a judgment and interest in the public welfare which reflected upon his administration the highest credit. He is
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in active demand as a campaign speaker and there are few men in this part of the state who can hold the attention of an audience as closely as he. His religious belief is indicated by membership in the Methodist church, to which his wife and family also belong. He has shown special aptitude in the calling to which he has devoted his best thought and energy. He brings to his work a careful and well- trained mind, with clear and comprehensive views, and has gained honored recog- nition on the part of his brother practitioners. As attorney and counsellor he has been unusually successful and ranks among the ablest in Macoupin county.
JOSEPH HOWELL.
Joseph Howell, a retired business man and banker of Brighton, now in his eighty-fourth year, is one of the most respected members of the community. By many years of application to business he acquired a competence and in the evening of life enjoys the comforts which are due to one who has ever attempted to perform his duty to his fellowmen and never sought to deprive another of what rightfully belonged to him. Born in Gloucestershire, England, January I, 1828, he is a son of John and Martha (Jones) Howell and a grandson of William Howell. The grandfather was a blacksmith by trade and spent his entire life in Gloucestershire, dying at an advanced age. John Howell, the father, was a broadcloth weaver and moved with his family to the city of Leeds. England, where he was employed at his occupation for many years. In 1879 he came to America and spent the remainder of his life at the home of his son Joseph. being called away in 1881. Mrs. Howell died in England in 1856, at the age of fifty-six years. She and her husband were both consistent members of the Baptist church. In their family were five children, four sons and one daughter, all of whom are now deceased except the subject of this review.
At the age of ten years Joseph Howell removed with his parents to Leeds and he remained in that city until after reaching manhood. He secured employ- ment as a clerk in a general store, a position which he held for seven years, and during this time he gained a knowledge of business which proved of great practical benefit later. He was married in his native land and in 1850, having decided to seek his fortune in the new world, started with his wife and an infant son for America. They made the trip in a sailing vessel known as The Express and after nine weeks and two days landed at New Orleans. On the 8th of May they reached Alton, Illinois, the entire trip from Leeds having required fourteen weeks. After a short stay at Alton the journey was resumed to Brighton, Macoupin county, where Mr. Howell has ever since made his home. In 1859 he embarked in the furniture and undertaking business, with which he was prominently connected for more than thirty-two years. He retired from active affairs nearly twenty years ago but he is still identified with the banking business and is vice president of the banking firm of Blodget Brothers & Company, having been associated with this institution ever since it was organized.
In 1849 Mr. Howell was married to Miss Jane Warburton, a native of Brad- ford, England, and a daughter of Abraham and Sarah (Senior) Warburton.
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The father was a stationary engineer in England but in 1850, believing that more favorable conditions existed in the United States, he came with his family to Brighton, Macoupin county, Illinois. Eight years later he moved to Mont- gomery county, where he died in 1871. The widow survived her husband only two years. They left four children, all of whom are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Howell were born five children, namely: Edwin S., a native of Eng- land, who is now a prominent lawyer of East St. Louis; Eliza, who is the widow of David A. Rice and is now living with her father; Julia, the wife of G. M. French, train master of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad with headquarters at Mattoon, Illinois; Alfred J., deceased, who was a success- ful business man and for several years was associated with his father in busi- ness ; and Jennie M., the wife of Dr. T. H. Hall, of Gillespie. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Howell were all given excellent advantages of education and Eliza, Julia and Edwin engaged for several years in teaching in this section. The mother of these children died in December, 1892. She was a woman of many admirable traits of heart and character, whose memory will ever be revered by all who knew her.
Mr. Howell has for more than fifty years been a member of the Baptist church, with which his wife was also identified. He has served as deacon and is now a member of the board of trustees of the church. He has been closely connected with Odd Fellowship for many years and was a member of the lodge at Alton, later becoming one of the charter members of the Brighton lodge, with which he has ever since been affiliated. He cast his first vote after arriving in America for President Pierce and has been an earnest supporter of the republican party ever since its organization. At the time of the Civil war he was a pronounced anti-slavery man and when President Lincoln was a candi- date for the second term Mr. Howell received notice that seven men had banded themselves together to drive him out of the community provided the democratic candidate for president was elected. He sent back word that he could shoot seventeen times without reloading and that he would take no chance in wasting bullets. In : 1886 he was elected police magistrate of Brighton and a short time afterward, while still serving in that office, was made justice of the peace, a position which he still continues to fill. He was for several years a member of the school board and during his incumbency was instrumental in greatly in- creasing the efficiency of the schools. An acknowledged leader in everything pertaining to the welfare of this section, there are few men more widely or favorably known in Macoupin county than Joseph Howell.
HERMAN GROSENHEIDER.
Beginning as a poor boy at six dollars a month, which he contribtued to the support of his mother and sisters, Herman Grosenheider developed a spirit of courage and self-reliance which has made him one of the substantial farmers of Macoupin county. He was born in Westphalia, Germany, February 2, 1846. His father died when the son was quite young, but the mother nobly assumed the
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responsibility of rearing a family of eight children. At different times during the '50s two sons and two daughters of Mrs. Grosenheider emigrated to America and their reports were so favorable that in 1860 she started for the new world with the remainder of her family. They came to Cahokia township, Macoupin county, and one of the sons, who was grown to manhood, took charge of the farm upon which they settled and assisted the mother in looking after the younger members of the household.
Herman Grosenheider was fifteen years of age when he arrived in the region which became his home. He received his preliminary education in his native land and soon after taking up his residence in Macoupin county hired out as a farm hand, contributing his wages to the support of the family. In his nine- teenth year he began saving money on his own account and a year later pur- chased eighty acres of raw prairie land in Cahokia township and with his mother as housekeeper began farming upon his own account. Upon starting in his life work independently, he lived in a humble dwelling on the prairie about one and one-half miles from his farm and here continued until he had paid for the place. He now owns a comfortable and well furnished home, supplied with the con- veniences and many of the luxuries of modern life. His farm comprises two hundred and ninety acres and is one of the most attractive properties of the size in this part of the county.
On April 20, 1867, Mr. Grosenheider was married to Miss Sophia Brush, who was born in Germany and came to Macoupin county, Illinois, about five months before her marriage. Six children have been born to this union, namely: Ida, who is the wife of August Marburger, a merchant of Mount Olive; Mary, who married Henry Melchert, a butcher of Mount Olive; Sophia, the wife of Herman Johnson, who is engaged in the mercantile business at Mount Olive; and Louis, Herman and Edward, all of whom are at home.
Mr. Grosenheider and his family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church, the faith in which he was reared and from which he has never departed. In politics he is in hearty sympathy with the republican party, whose principles of tariff and concentration of authority appear to him highly important in the progress of the nation. Although born in a foreign land, he has spent most of his life in the United States and is in thorough accord with the spirit of the institutions of his adopted country. Here he has prospered and while so doing has assisted materially in the upbuilding of the section with which he has for fifty years been closely identified.
HON. ROBERT B. SHIRLEY.
Hon. Robert B. Shirley, circuit judge and also judge of the appellate court of the fourth district of Illinois, has for many years been a leading citizen of Carlinville and stands without dispute among the foremost jurists of this state. He was born on a farm on Silver creek, in Madison county, Illinois, October 9, 1850, a son of William C. and Mary Jane (Hoxsey) Shirley, the former of whom was a native of east Tennessee and the latter of Madison county, Illinois. In
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their family were seven children, one of whom died in infancy, the others being : Harriet S., the deceased wife of H. S. Dorsey, of Alton, Illinois ; Robert B., of this review; Mary E., who is the wife of A. B. Dempsey, of Sedalia, Missouri ; William A., who is deceased ; Rufus, who lives at Staunton, Illinois ; and Virginia, the wife of Harry T. Smith, also of Staunton.
The father of our subject was a farmer and merchant. He was reared in White county, Tennessee, but moved to Illinois in 1839 and settled on a farm near Butler, Montgomery county. In 1852 he engaged in farming near Staun- ton and continued in that business until the outbreak of the Civil war. Polit- ically he was a Jackson democrat and in 1859 was elected to the Illinois general assembly. He cast his ballot for Douglas in the contest against Lincoln for the United States senate. He was again elected to the state legislature in 1866 and was quite prominent in politics of the state. He secured the charter for the con- struction of the line of the Wabash Railroad from Decatur to East St. Louis, be- ing president of the road at that time. He was a man of ability and energy and was a well known factor in the development of the state for a number of years. He died at Staunton in 1900, at the age of seventy-seven, and his wife survived him, but passed away in 1901, at the age of seventy-six years. They were both valued members of the Christian church. The maternal grandfather of our sub- ject was Dr. Archibald Hoxsey, who came to Madison county, Illinois, from the state of Kentucky in 1818 and located near Silver creek. He died at Staunton at the age of sixty-nine years. His first wife was Harriet Stephenson, of Chris- tian county, Kentucky.
Reared on his father's farm, Robert B. Shirley grew to manhood and received his education in the district and public schools. He continued to live on the home farm until twenty-two years of age and then began the study of law in August, 1873, in the office of William R. Welch, of Carlinville, afterward judge of the circuit court. On July 4, 1876, he was admitted to practice in the courts of Illinois and shortly afterward associated with S. T. Corn, of Carlinville. The partnership continued until 1885, from which time Judge Shirley practiced alone. In 1893 he was elected judge of the circuit court of the fifth judicial district, com- prising the counties of Sangamon, Christian, Macoupin, Montgomery, Fayette and Shelby, and is still holding the office of judge of the circuit court, having been reelected to the present seventh judicial district in 1897, 1903 and 1909. His term of office expires in June, 1915. In June, 1909, he was assigned by the su- preme court of the state as judge of the appellate court of the fourth appellate district of Illinois. Early in his professional career he served as city attorney of Carlinville for three terms and was also master in chancery from 1885 to 1887. His attention has been concentrated closely upon his judicial duties since 1893 and in the time named he has presided in many important cases.
On the 16th of October, 1879, Judge Shirley was married, at Carlinville, to Miss Henrietta W. Burton, a daughter of Henry W. and Cornelia (Rider) Bur- ton. Mrs. Shirley died October 8, 1908, and on the 30th of November, 1910, Judge Shirley was again married to Miss Harriet G. Steidley, who was born at Carlinville, a daughter of John Steidley. She is a member of the Episcopal church.
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Judge Shirley belongs to Mount Nebo Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M., and Litchfield Commandery, No. 30, K. T., being also a member of Orient Lodge, No. 95, K. P., of Carlinville, and the Elks. Politically he is a stanch democrat and prior to his election to the bench served as chairman of the democratic county central committee of Macoupin county for eight years. He was one of the original stockholders and directors of the Carlinville National Bank and in every capacity in which he has served, whether as business man, attorney or judge, has at all times displayed an intelligence, fidelity, patriotism and breadth of view which have reflected upon himself and the state the highest credit. He is deeply respected by practitioners at the bar and also by the people irrespective of re- ligious or political affiliation.
JAMES MADISON COX.
The owner of two hundred and twenty acres of productive land in Macoupin county. James Madison Cox has made ample provision for himself and family for the years to come and as a result of his energy and foresight enjoys the confi- dence of his neighbors and the respect of all with whom he comes in contact.
He was born in Mount Olive township, December 4, 1852, a son of Emanuel and Eliza G. (Biggs) Cox, the former of whom was born in Stewart county, Tennessee, and the latter in Nashville. The parents were married in Kentucky, to which state they had removed earlier in their lives, and in 1837, having decided to cast their lot in the promising region north of the Ohio river, they came to Macoupin county, Illinois. This was in pioneer days when roads were few and accommodations such as we have at present for travelers were unknown. Mr. Cox filed upon government land in Mount Olive township and set himself indus- triously to work, becoming as the years passed the owner of six hundred acres of good land in this county. For a number of years he lived near a mound on a farm which he rented as a pasture and this mound is known as Cox's Mound. He was a worthy representative of the early settlers of this section and performed his part in its upbuilding. He died at the old homestead, one and one-quarter miles south of Mount Olive, and his wife is also deceased.
James M. Cox was reared under favorable conditions in a country home and early gained a love for nature and for the agreeable pursuits of agriculture which he has never outlived. He acquired his education in the district schools and as- sisted his father on the home farm until twenty-one years of age. He and his brother Ezekiel were then given by the father eighty acres of land between them, which they cultivated to good advantage, also assisting on the home place. After arriving at the age of twenty-five Mr. Cox of this review was married and soon following that event located on one hundred and eighty acres in sections 7 and 8 of Mount Olive township, which he purchased from his father. He also owns forty acres in Staunton township. He is industrious and highly energetic in his work and his well-tilled fields have returned abundant harvests. He also raises stock for the market and spares no pains to secure the best results possible from his labors.
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On the 3d of February, 1878, Mr. Cox was married to Miss Luella Purdy, a native of Staunton and a daughter of W. C. Purdy. The father was born in Madison county, Illinois, and has now arrived at the age of eighty-five. He makes his home with his children and his stories of pioneer life are interesting reminders of experiences of which the present generation has little conception. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cox: Maud, who inarried Charles Irwin, an engineer on the Big Four Railway and resides at Mattoon, Illinois; Winfred, a farmer of Mount Olive township; and Hallie, the wife of Stephen Fisher, storekeeper of No. 3 Mine at Gillespie.
Mr. Cox cast his first ballot for the democratic party and has never wandered from the party to which he gave his early allegiance. He has not sought political honors, but has served very acceptably as a member of the school board of his district. He has proved enterprising in his calling and entirely trustworthy in all the relations of life, thus reflecting credit upon himself and those with whom he is associated. He is largely a self-made man and as he can always be relied upon to do as he promises, he fully merits the esteem of his fellowmen.
F. W. ZIMMERMAN.
Many years of unremitting industry enabled F. W. Zimmerman, a former agriculturist of Macoupin county, to retire to Bunker Hill, where he enjoyed the ease and comfort denied him in his youth. He was born in Hanover, Germany, on the 8th of November, 1822, a son of William and Minnie (Debuhr) Zim- merman, in whose family were seven children. The mother died soon after the birth of the youngest child and later the father married again, and by that union there was born a son and a daughter. He was a farmer and a member of the Lutheran church, in accordance with which faith his children were reared. Only four members of the family ever became residents of the United States: F. W .. our subject ; his two brothers, John and Richard, both farmers in this county : and his half-brother, Henry, who is a resident of Bethalto, Illinois.
F. W. Zimmerman lived in the fatherland until he was twenty-five years of age, when he resolved to become a citizen of the United States, feeling convinced that conditions here must be very much better for a man of limited means than in Germany. In the summer of 1848 he took passage at Bremen on the sailing vessel Post for New Orleans, where he landed ten weeks later. He remained there that winter, but when transportation opened in the spring he came up the river to Alton, Illinois, locating in Madison county. Being seized with the gold fever in 1850, he started for California, together with Henry Keizer and John Heind, driving five mules and a wagon. They started in April, crossed the Mis- souri at St. Joseph and followed the old Fremont trail. Seventy-four days later they arrived at Hangtown, California, where Mr. Zimmerman prospected for six months, meeting with very good success. Having the misfortune to crush his ankle and being unable to procure the proper medical attention, he decided to return home, so with his sack of gold dust he boarded a vessel for the isthmus. The boat stopped at Cuba and then proceeded to New Orleans, where he took a
F. W. ZIMMERMAN
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boat for Alton. For a time he farmed in Madison county and then bought a place on section 33, Bunker Hill township, which he cultivated for over twenty- five years. His agricultural pursuits proved so lucrative that he was finally able to live in comfort on the income from his property and retired to Bunker Hill, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred on the 21st of Sep- tember, 19II.
Madison county was the scene of the marriage of Mr. Zimmerman and Miss Margaret Post, also a native of Hanover, Germany, who came to this country on the same boat with Mr. Zimmerman. She is now deceased but their union covered a period of forty years. Unto them were born five children, all but one of whom are now deceased. In order of birth they were as follows: William, who died at the age of eight years ; Willie, who was nine months old at the time of his death; Anna, who died when she was twenty-four years of age; Frank, who was thirty-four when he passed away; and Herman F., who married Belle Duffey, now the owner of an excellent farm in Bunker Hill township, which he operates.
Mr. Zimmerman affiliated with the German Methodist church of which his wife was also a member. When first granted the right of franchise through nat- uralization he cast his vote for the democratic party, but after the Civil war he always supported the men and measures of the republican party. He was one of Germany's enterprising sons, who came to this country empty-handed, and through his own energy intelligently applied became one of the affluent citizens of the community.
W. C. MARTIN.
As the day with its dawn of hope and promise, its noontide of strength and activity, and its twilight of achievement and rest, so has been the life of W. C. Martin who, after many years of earnest endeavor in business circles is now living retired from active labor, enjoying those comforts and pleasures which a goodly competence can provide. He was born in Jonesboro, Washington county, Tennessee, on the 25th of August, 1838, a son of Richard B. and Axsha (Hunt) Martin, the former a native of St. Charles county, Maryland, and the latter of Washington county, Tennessee. The father was a carpenter by trade and served as justice of the peace for his county for many years. He passed away December 25, 1868, but his widow survived until October, 1880.
W. C. Martin is indebted to the common schools of Tennessee for the edu- cational privileges which he acquired during the period of his boyhood and youth, and after completing his studies he served an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade. When eighteen years of age he left his native state and came to Macoupin county, Illinois, arriving here in 1856. He was engaged at his trade in Girard for a time, after which he gave his attention to farming for a few years, and then, on the 10th of April, 1862, he started for San Francisco, California, driving across the plains with an ox team. It took exactly five months to complete the journey, and after arriving in the Golden state he
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accepted employment with the Overland Mail Company as a blacksmith. Later he spent three years in Nevada, repairing stage coaches and shoeing stage horses; returning to Illinois, he reached Macoupin county in the month of December, 1866. Locating at Palmyra, he became identified with the general merchandising business in connection with D. N. Solomon, their partnership relations maintaining for twenty-five years. In 1894 Mr. Martin purchased his partner's interest in the firm and continued alone in business until January, 19II, when he was able to withdraw from active life with a competency which made him financially independent, and he is now living in honorable retirement, spending much of his time in travel and in the enjoyment of those things which are to him a source of pleasure and delight.
On the 26th of February, 1867, Mr. Martin wedded Miss Sarah A. Solomon, a daughter of D. N. and Elizabeth (Newell) Solomon. The father, a merchant by occupation, following that line of activity in Palmyra for a number of years, is now deceased, having passed away in 1900, at the age of seventy-nine years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Martin has been born one child, R. D. Martin, engaged in the merchandising business in this city. He married Miss Katie Padget, and to them has been born a daughter, Lena B.
Mr. Martin belongs to the Baptist church of Palmyra, and in politics has given his allegiance to the democracy since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has served as clerk of North Palmyra township and also as city clerk of Palmyra, and in all matters of citizenship is public-spirited and progressive. In addition to admirable traits of character which have made him one of the highly respected and valued citizens of this community he also possesses a genial disposition and pleasing personality which win and retain warm friendships, and he is popular with a large circle of friends which is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance. 4
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