USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial, Volume II > Part 57
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In the immediate vicinity in which he is now residing Granville Giles Reno was reared to manhood, the district schools in the neighborhood having afforded him his educational advantages. When he was a youth of seventeen years he and his brother James W. purchased their father's farm, consisting of one hun- dred and ninety acres of land located on section 19, Shipman township. This
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they cultivated in partnership, extending their holdings, as they were able to until they had acquired four hundred and forty acres of tillable land. In 1892 they divided their property equally, each receiving with his share a portion of the old family homestead. Here Mr. Reno has ever since engaged in general farm- ing ; he also is an extensive feeder and raises and breeds a good grade of Short- horn cattle and Poland China hogs, while he keeps some draft horses. His farm is highly improved and well kept up, being equipped with a full line of modern farming implements.
On the 16th of December, 1877, Mr. Reno and Miss Ellen Rhoads were united in marriage. Mrs. Reno is a daughter of the Rev. John D. and Mary (Jolly) Rhoads. Her paternal grandfather was Jacob V. Rhoads, a Baptist minister, who came to Illinois from Kentucky in 1831. With his family he lo- cated at Medora, North Chesterfield township, formerly called Rhoads' Point. There in connection with his ministerial duties he engaged in farming until his death, as did also his son John D., who was reared to agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Reno is the second in order of birth in a family of six, the other members being : Margaret, the wife of Thomas Stover, of Medora; George W., who is living in Bird township, this county; Stroud K., a resident of Brighton township; Willis M., who lives in Shipman township; and Jacob V., who makes his home in the vicinity of Ainslee, Custer county, Nebraska.
To Mr. and Mrs. Reno the following children have been born, one of whom died in infancy : Effie May, the wife of Benjamin Burr, who owns and operates a coal mine at Carterville; Edward, a newspaper man of St. Paul, who married Esther Odell and has one child, Jerome; Rollin Ray, in the civil service commis- sion, Washington, D. C., who is married and has three children, Wendell, Carl and George; and Guy and Mary, both of whom are unmarried and living at home.
The religious views of the family coincide with those of the Baptist denom- ination with which they affiliate, while fraternally Mr. Reno is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he gives his support to the democratic party and at the present time is acting as supervisor of Shipman township and he has been collector, while for twenty-one years he has been a director of the school district. Charitable in his judgments, liberal in his views and cordial in his manner Mr. Reno is one of the popular men of his community, not only readily making friends, but possessing those fine, inherent qualities that enable him to retain their loyalty.
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CHARLES HERBERT WOODS.
One of the most promising representatives of the legal fraternity of Carlin- ville is Charles Herbert Woods, junior member of the firm of Walker & Woods. He was born in Hiawatha, Kansas, on the 4th of March, 1883, and is the only child born of Dr. William McKim and Lolah (Walker) Woods, natives of Illi- nois. The Woods family were originally of English extraction, having emigrated from the mother country to America during colonial days. The great-great- grandfather of our subject, Jolın Woods, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
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His son William Woods was the father of Dr. Levi J. Woods, a pioneer physi- cian of Carlinville, who died there in 1851 from cholera. He was out hunting prairie chickens in the afternoon of the day preceding his death, apparently in the best of health. Upon his return in the evening he visited his patients and at two o'clock the following morning he was taken ill, dying three hours later. He was only thirty-four years of age at the time of his demise. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, having been taken into the order at the first meeting of Mount Nebo Lodge after its organization. His wife, who prior to her mar- riage was Miss Martha McClure, survived him many years, having attained a ripe old age at the time of her death. By their union there were born two chil- dren : William M. and Frances. The latter, who is now deceased, was the wife of Judge Herbert G. Whitlock, for many years one of the leading attorneys of Jacksonville, Illinois, and Morgan county.
Dr. William McKim Woods was born and reared in Carlinville, in whose public schools he obtained his early education, after which he attended Black- burn University. Having decided to become a physician he subsequently ma- triculated at Rush Medical College, Chicago, at which institution he studied for a year. He then attended the Hospital College of Medicine, Louisville, Ken- tucky, from which he graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1882. After his marriage he went to Hiawatha, Kansas, where he established an office and en- gaged in a general practice. For his wife he chose Miss Lolah Walker, also a native of Carlinville and a daughter of the Hon. Charles Augustus Walker, the supervising editor of this history of Macoupin county, and his wife, Permelia (Dick) Walker. Mrs. Woods, after completing her elementary education in the public and high schools of Carlinville, attended Blackburn University. Later she became a student at the Academy of the Visitation at St. Louis, and after graduating there she pursued post-graduate work at the Georgetown Convent, Washington, D. C., both of the latter institutions being under the supervision of the Order of the Visitation. She affiliates with the Presbyterian church.
Although born in Kansas, Charles H. Woods, was reared from an early age in Carlinville, attending the public and high schools, after which he entered Blackburn University, receiving his degree of A. B. with the class of 1904. In the following autumn he went to New Haven, Connecticut, matriculating in the law department of Yale University, where he pursued his professional studies for three years, receiving honors during each year. This institution conferred upon him the degree of LL. B., cum laude, in 1907. In the following October he was admitted to the bar of Illinois and immediately began practicing, being ad- mitted as junior partner to the firm of Walker & Searcy, known as Walker, Searcy & Woods until the Ist of January, 1909, when it became Walker & Woods. The senior member of the firm is the Hon. Charles A. Walker, grandfather of Mr. Woods, who has been a prominent member of the bar of central Illinois for nearly half a century.
On the 26th of November, 1910, Mr. Woods married Miss Norma Abigail Hoblit, a daughter of A. Lincoln and Josie (Stanley) Hoblit, the father a well known banker of Carlinville. Mr. and Mrs. Hoblit have two daughters, Norma A., now Mrs. Woods, who is the elder; and Jean Frances. The paternal grand- parents of Mrs. Woods were John Alexander and Nancy (Willmurth) Hoblit.
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The Hoblits have been well known farmers and bankers of Logan county, Illi- nois, since they settled there in 1826. Her maternal grandparents were Norman Stanley and Martha Parks Austin Stanley, both originally from New England, but residents of Madison county, Illinois, since 1854. Mrs. Woods was born June 1, 1889, in Carlinville, her education first being pursued in the public schools and Blackburn University, after which she entered Smith College, at Northampton, Massachusetts, being graduated in June, 1910.
While a student at Yale, Mr. Woods belonged to the legal fraternity of Phi Delta Phi, and he is also affiliated with the honorary legal fraternity of Chi Tau Kappa. He was chosen a member of Corbey Court, an old Yale legal fraternity, and was one of the editors of the Yale Law Journal. In matters political he is an ardent supporter of the republican party and was a candidate for the nom- ination for state's attorney on that ticket in 1908. He is one of the progressive and enterprising young men of Carlinville, whose fine mental attainments, keen intellect and excellent educational qualifications, sustained by his inherent ability, make his future, as gauged by his past, appear most promising and brilliant.
ALFRED GREEN MILLER.
For the past sixteen years Alfred Green Miller has been identified with the business interests of Girard, of which village he is now mayor. He was born in Macoupin county on the IIth of September, 1871, being a son of John and Delia (King) Miller, the father being a native of Germany and the mother of North Carolina. His maternal grandfather, A. G. King, was also a native of North Carolina. John Miller came to Macoupin county in 1857, locating on a farm in the cultivation of which he engaged until 1878, when he came to Girard and went into the teaming and tiling business. In August, 1862, he responded to the call for troops and enlisted as a private in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He remained at the front for three years, being honorably discharged in July, 1865, following which he returned to this county where he continued to reside. He passed away at his home in Girard in March, 191I.
Alfred Green Miller has always resided in Macoupin county, attending the public schools of Nilwood and Girard during his boyhood and youth. When he was eighteen he began to learn the painter's trade from William Schelb in whose employ he remained until 1895, when they formed a partnership. As Schelb & Miller they continued to be associated in business until 1910, when Mr. Miller withdrew from the business to become identified with the firm of Gardner, Leonard & Co., who control all of the moving picture houses and airdomes in Girard, Virden, West Frankfort, Christopher and Johnson City.
Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Martha McLean, a daughter of Robert and Rose (Wood) McLean, the father a native of Scotland and the mother of England, the union being solemnized on the 12th of December, 1899. To them has been born one daughter, Garnett Lucille.
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The fraternal relations of Mr. Miller are confined to his membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, his local identification being with Girard Lodge, No. 192, I. O. O. F., in which he has filled all of the chairs. He also belongs to Painters Union, No. 441, of which he was at one time president. His political support Mr. Miller gives to the democratic party and was their successful candidate at the last municipal election for the office of mayor. He is one of the enterprising citizens of the town, whose trustworthiness and re- liability in business transactions has not only brought him a fair degree of prosperity but many friends, who hold him in high respect.
VICTOR HEMPHILL.
One of the promising young attorneys of Carlinville is Victor Hemphill, who for the past three years has been serving as assistant state's attorney. He was born in South Palmyra township, Macoupin county, on the homestead of his maternal grandfather, on the 21st of September, 1882. His parents are Robert S. and Mary J. (Ross) Hemphill, also natives of this county, where they continue to reside. The paternal grandfather, Hamilton Hemphill, was a native of Ireland, emigrating from there to the United States. He first located in Jessamine county, Kentucky, whence he came to Macoupin county, being one of the pioneer settlers. For many years he was engaged in farming southeast of Carlinville, where he passed away in middle life. His wife was Miss Martha Dickerson, prior to her marriage, a native of. Kentucky, whose parents were among the early settlers of this county. The maternal grandparents were Eras- tus H. and Elizabeth (Pocklington) Ross, natives respectively of Morgan and Macoupin counties, Illinois. He was engaged in farming until 1873, when he became manager of the Cooperative store in Carlinville, with which he was identified until he passed away at the age of sixty-nine years. Mrs. Ross still survives. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Hemphill there were born two children, a son and daughter, the latter being Ruth, who married Ernest Ibbetson, who is associated with her father in the lumber business. Both parents belong to the Methodist Episcopal church and politically the father is a democrat and has been supervisor of his township for the past twelve years.
The first nine years in the life of Victor Hemphill were spent on the farm where he was born, at the end of which time his parents removed to Carlinville. Here he grew to manhood and acquired his preliminary education being gradu- ated from the high school in 1898. He subsequently entered Blackburn Uni- versity, from which institution he was awarded a diploma with the class of 1902. The following year he devoted to teaching, but having decided to become an attorney the following autumn he matriculated in the law department of Washington University, St. Louis, being granted the degree of LL. B. in 1905. He was admitted to the bar the same year and returning to Carlinville established an office engaging in general practice. In 1907 he was elected city attorney, which office he held for one term, having in the meantime been appointed assistant state's attorney.
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Mr. Hemphill is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the faith of which denomination he was reared, and fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order, being a member of Mount Nebo Lodge, No. 76, A. F. & A. M .; and Macoupin Chapter, No. 187, R. A. M. He belongs also to the Knights of Pythias and politically he is a democrat.
CHARLES P. BROWN.
Charles P. Brown, who for more than twenty years has been identified with the commercial activities of Atwater, was born in Montgomery county, Illinois, in March, 1867. His parents were Caswell and Agnes (Fullerton) Brown, the father a native of Tennessee and the mother of Scotland. During his early manhood Mr. Brown worked on the steamboats but later withdrew from this occupation and coming to Montgomery county, Illinois, bought some land, en- gaging in farming from that time until his death on the 18th of January, 1881. The mother passed away when our subject was in his second year.
The boyhood and youth of Charles P. Brown were spent on the farm where he was born, attending the district schools of the vicinity where he mastered the elementary branches, completing his education in the public schools of Girard. Having been trained from his earliest boyhood in agricultural pur- suits, he naturally chose, when becoming self-supporting, the occupation for which he was best adapted and for three years worked as a farm hand. During this time he acquired sufficient capital to enable him to farm for himself, so he rented some land that he cultivated for two years. At the expiration of that period he decided that he preferred a commercial to an agricultural career and coming to Atwater he bought the interest of D. J. Magee in the mercantile business owned by him and Mr. Williamson. Mr. Brown was still very young, having just attained his majority, and at that time did not have very much money, the united capital of himself and partner amounting to only four hun- dred dollars. At the end of eighteen months he bought Mr. Williamson's inter- est, continuing the business alone until 1901, when he sold it to George P. Rogers. On the 23d of July, 1902, he became associated with R. J. Herrick and they bought out Mr. Rogers, and for a year and a half thereafter conducted the business together. At the expiration of that time Mr. Brown bought out his partner's interest and has ever since operated the store as exclusive owner. His efforts have been rewarded with a goodly measure of success and he not only has a large stock of goods but owns the building in which his store is located, a fine residence property in Atwater and one hundred and five acres of land in Shaws Point township adjacent to Atwater. He knew nothing of the business when he first became identified with it as a proprietor of the store, but has diligently and intelligently applied himself to acquiring a thorough, practical knowledge of every detail. His well chosen stock, accommodating manner and general method of conducting his business has won for him a large patronage, which he has been able to retain. Mr. Brown is interested in
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various enterprises of the town, being a stockholder and director of the Bank of Atwater and he is also a stockholder of the Atwater Coal Co.
Mr. Brown was first married November 30, 1894, to Miss Josephine E. Vignos, who died in October of the following year. On the 27th of April. 1898, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Laura Sharp, a daugh- ter of Benjamin and Malinda (Tite) Sharp, natives of Tennessee. The father came to Macoupin county in a very early day, and bought a farm that he im- proved and cultivated during the remainder of his life. Here he passed away in May, 1908, having survived his wife for twenty years, her death occurring in the month of December, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of two children : Irwin S., who is nine years of age; and Vivian M., who is seven.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown affiliate with the Christian church of Atwater, and he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he is a democrat. He is one of the progressive citizens of the community and always gives his support and cooperation to the development of the various public utilities.
JOHN F. JOHNSEN.
An attractive farm of one hundred and five acres in Staunton township pays tribute to the agricultural skill and capable supervision of John F. Johnsen. A native of this state his birth occurred in Alton on the 27th of February, 1858, his parents being Frederick and Edje Johnsen. The father was born in Prussia, Germany, in 1818, and there he spent the first thirty years of his life. Deciding that better opportunities must be afforded in a virgin country unhampered by class distinctions, he determined in 1848 to seek a new home in the United States. He took passage at Bremen, landing in New York and immediately thereafter made his way inland to Illinois. Upon his arrival in this state he first located at Alton where he remained for six years and then returned to Germany, where he was married. Upon his return to this country with his bride he settled in Madison county, where he remained until 1865. In the latter year he removed to Macoupin county, locating on some land on section 23, Staunton township, and there he lived until his death in 1886. The mother, whose birth occurred in 1827, is still living and now makes her home with her daughter in Edwardsville, Illinois. She is a member of the Lutheran church, with which the father was also affiliated, while his political support was given to the democratic party. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnsen were born six children : Harriet Elizabeth, the widow of Henry Sleeter, of Edwardsville; Frances, the wife of George Herring, of St. Louis, Missouri; John F., our subject; and Benjamin, John and Anna, all of whom are deceased.
John F. Johnsen was educated in the parochial and common schools of Macoupin county, remaining at home on the farm with his parents until the death of his father. He has always devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits and now owns some of the finest land in the county. Progressive and intelli- gent in his methods he gives his fields the capable supervision that assures abundant harvests. The improvements upon his land are substantial and care-
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fully kept up, everything about his place suggesting the thrift and diligent regard for details that characterize success. The attractive appearance of his homestead is much enhanced by the fact of his fields lying perfectly level, and his land is considered to be the best laying in the county.
On the 26th of February, 1882, Mr. Johnsen was united in marriage to Miss Katie Herring, who was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, on Christ- mas day, 1860. She is a daughter of Peter and Margaret (Engleter) Herring ; the father was a skilled mechanic and the manager of a cloth factory in Ger- many. They emigrated to the United States in 1881, locating in Staunton town- ship, where they both passed away. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Johnsen were twelve children: Louisa, the wife of Fred Harnkamp, residing near Staunton; George and John, both of whom are at home; William, who is de- ceased; Clara, the wife of George Lovejoy, of Staunton; Emma, who is at home; Andrew and Harmon, both deceased; and Ernest, Alvin, Henry and . Amanda, all of whom are living at home.
All the children were confirmed in the Lutheran church, in which the parents hold membership, and Mr. Johnsen votes for the democratic party. At the present time he is serving in the capacity of road commissioner and he has been school trustee. His life has been one of well applied and intelligently directed energy, his efforts having met with a goodly degree of success.
ADOLPH H. KEISER.
Adolph H. Keiser, assistant cashier of the Bank of Mount Olive, is a most promising young business man. His abilities would seem to give every assurance of his being a worthy successor to the extensive interests of his father, Cobus J. Keiser, one of Macoupin county's prominent citizens, whose biography appears elsewhere in this history.
Mr. Keiser is a native of Mount Olive, his birth having here occurred on the 30th of November, 1881. In qualifying himself educationally for the responsibili- ties of life he first attended the public and Lutheran parochial schools. Recog- nizing the need of a more comprehensive knowledge of commercial methods he later went to St. Louis, pursuing a course in the Bryant & Stratton Business Col- lege, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1902. Immedi- ately thereafter he returned to Mount Olive fully prepared theoretically for his business career, and entered his father's bank in the capacity in which he has ever since continuously served. He had previously been identified with this concern, having worked there prior to going to St. Louis. In addition to his duties in the bank, Mr. Keiser is treasurer of the Mount Olive Brick & Tile Company, and is also a member of the board of directors of both that enterprise and the Mount Olive Ice, Cold Storage & Fuel Company. For the past six years he has been empowered to act as notary public, having received his original com- mission from Governor Yates in 1905, later renewed by Governor Deneen.
In politics Mr. Keiser is a republican and takes a prominent part in municipal affairs of a govermental nature. He has twice been nominated by his party
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for the office of town clerk having been defeated on both occasions, the first time by five votes and the second by nine. He is a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran church and of the Mount Olive Chess Club, while he is both a member and treasurer of the Liederkranz, a German social organization. Of pleasing manner and genial personality, Mr. Keiser is very popular both socially and in a business way in Mount Olive, where he has many stanch friends.
EDWIN W. CRUM, M. D.
The well established family physician obtains an influence in any community which is more far-reaching than that of any man sustaining other relations to the public, and if his life is actuated by honorable principles and lofty ideals, he becomes a notable force for good in support of those measures and move- ments which are calculated to benefit the community at large. Such a physician is Dr. Edwin W. Crum, one of Illinois' native sons, his birth having occurred on a farm in North Palmyra township, March 21, 1876. He is a son of Andrew Jackson and Phoebe E. (Almond) Crum, and has back of him an ancestry long and honorable. He is of German descent on the paternal side, his great-great- grandfather, Mathias Crum, having come to this country in colonial days from the Rhine province. He made three trips to America before locating here and on taking up his residence chose Montgomery county, Virginia, as his home. By occupation he was a stone mason.
John Crum, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Germany and was six years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to the new world. his boyhood and youth being mainly passed in Frederick county, Virginia, and Louisville, Kentucky. In 1800 he removed to Clark county, In- diana, settling on the bluff overlooking the Ohio river near Bull Creek. One Christmas while crossing this creek his canoe was upset and he was drowned. He was a great surveyor and for a time was employed as government sur- veyor, surveying a tract of land in Indiana, known as the "grant." During the Revolutionary war he aided the colonists in their struggle for independence. serving under Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox." One of his descendants. Francis Marion Crum, a lawyer of Palmyra, is named for that intrepid leader. John Crum was twice married, his first wife bearing the maiden name of Allhands, while his second wife was Elizabeth King.
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