History of Macoupin County, Illinois, Part 35

Author: Brink, McDonough & Co.
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 440

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HENRY W. BURTON

MAY be regarded as one of the early settlers of Macoupin county. He is a native of Connecticut, and was born August 14th, 1819. The family is of English origin. Olney Burton, his father, was a native of Rhode Island. He emigrated to the former state in the year 1800. He was a farmer by occupation. He married Abigail Burlingame. Henry W., is the youngest of eight children, five of whom are still living. He spent his boyhood days at work upon the farm, and attended the excellent schools of his native state in the winter season, until he was sixteen years of age, when he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, and served an apprenticeship of four years in the business. In 1840, he, like thousands of others, was seized with Western fever and a desire to emigrate to Illinois, which was then the frontier of civilization. He accordingly came west, and stopped at Alton, Illinois, with an elder brother who had preceded him the year before. Soon after, he came up into Macoupin county, and settled in Woodburn, where he worked at his trade until 1849, when the gold excitement broke out in California. He laid down the ham- mer and plane, and, in company with others, started in ox-teams by the overland route for the land of gold and speedy fortunes. In due time he arrived in California, where he remained engaged in mining until the fall of 1850, when he returned to Woodburn, in this county. He then engaged in general merchandizing in Woodburn until after the completion of the railroad to Bunker Hill, when he removed his stock of goods to the latter place, and continued the business until the breaking out of the war, when he commenced buying and shipping grain, in addition to his general mer- chandizing. He continued for four years, when he sold out. In 1868, he received the nomination for the office of circuit clerk at the hands of the democratic party, and, at the ensuing election in November following, was elected by a handsome majority. At the expiration of his term of office, he was again nominated and elected, and remained in office until 1876. It will be readily known that Mr. Burton is a democrat. He cast his first vote for James K. Polk, for President, in 1844, and since that time has never faltered in duty to the party. He is not a member of any religious organization. He was married to Miss Cornelia Rider, who was a native of Illinois. Three children were born to them, two of whom are living.

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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

GEORGE R. HUGHES,

THE present circuit clerk of Macoupin county, is a native of Tennessee, and was born in Jackson county, June 14th, 1825. The Hughes family, on the paternal side, are of Welsh ancestry; and, on the maternal, English. Harrison I. Hughes, the father of the subject of the present sketch, was a native of Virginia, and emigrated to Tennessee in 1821, where he remained until his death, which occurred in 1846. He married Mary Quarles. She died in 1858. She also was a native of Virginia. Nine children were born to them, seven of whom have survived the parents. George R., is the seventh in the family. He attended the schools of his native state, and received a good English education, after which he entered a general store as clerk, and, in 1845, commenced doing business for himself in general mer- chandizing, and continued until 1850, when he sold out and removed to Illinois, stopping at Carlinville, where he opened up a store of family gro- ceries and supplies, and, at the end of three months, formed a partnership with Milam Graham, in general merchandizing. The partnership continued one year, when he sold out to Graham, and clerked for a short time, when he formed a partnership, in the dry goods business, with William Wright. He continued in business with Mr. Wright for two years and four months, when he purchased his interest, and since that time to the present he has done business alone. On the 27th day of September, 1853, he married Miss Sophia Clark, who is a native of England, but was a resident of Carlinville at the time of her marriage. Nine children have been born to them; six girls and three boys, all yet residing at home. In 1870, Mr. Hughes re- ceived the nomination for the office of circuit clerk, and in the ensuing election in November following, was elected by a handsome majority ; and at present he fills the office and discharges the duties of his position in a manner that gives entire satisfaction to his constituents. In 1875, he was elected mayor of the city of Carlinville. In politics, Mr. Hughes was originally an old-line Whig, and cast his first presidential vote for Zachary Taylor, in 1848. In 1856, he voted for James Buchanan, and since that time has been an active and consistent Democrat. In manners and deport- ment, Mr. Hughes is a sociable and agreeable gentleman ; as an officer, is methodical and correct; and, as a man, his reputation for honesty and probity of character is as wide as the circle of his acquaintance.

MILTON MCCLURE,

Is an old settler, and one of the prominent business men of Macoupin county. He was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, on the 22d of Octo- ber, 1832. His father, James A. McClure, was a native of Virginia, but re- moved to Kentucky at an early date. They came of Scotch parentage. He married Frances Dickerson, who was born in Kentucky. Fifteen chil- dren were born to them ; eight of whom still survive. The mother died in 1844. James A. McClure emigrated to Illinois in 1834, and settled in Greene county, where he remained until 1835, when he removed to Macou- pin county, and settled on section 36, T. 10, R. 7, where he engaged in farming until 1844, when he was appointed to a position in the Land De- partment at Washington, by president James K. Polk. He continued through Polk's administration, and was re-appointed by president Taylor, and died in office while in the discharge of his duties, in 1849. The sub- ject of our sketch is the youngest in the family. He remained upon the farm until 1844, when he came to Carlinville and attended school, until his fifteenth year, when he entered Shurtleff College, at Upper Alton, where he remained some time, and then returned to Carlinville and entered a drug store as clerk. One year later he engaged in the dry goods business and general merchandizing, in which he continued until the spring of 1856, when he was nominated by the Democratic party for the office of Sheriff, and in the ensuing election, was elected by a handsome majority. After his term of office expired he was elected justice of the peace. He also en- gaged in general trading until the fall of 1863, when he entered the drug business, in which he has continued up to the present time. In 1872 he, in connection with other capitalists of Macoupin county, organized and es- tablished the First National Bank of Carlinville. At its organization, he was elected vice-president, and in 1877 was elected president. On the 3d of October, 1853, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha K. Neale, who is a native of Springfield, Illinois. Her parents were natives of Franklin county, Kentucky. Two children, a boy and girl, are the fruits of this union. In politics Mr. McClure is a life-long democrat. In 1872 he was honored by being appointed a delegate from the 17th Congressional District, to the National Democratic Convention at Baltimore, which nominated the

late lamented Horace Greeley for president. He is not a member of any church organization, but rather inclines to a liberal view upon all questions of a religious character. In enterprises having for their object the advance- ment of the material interests of his town or county, we find in him a liberal supporter. In his manners and deportment, he is affable and agreeable, and in the community where he has lived nearly all his life, all accord to him honesty and strict probity of character.

W. W. FREEMAN

WAS born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, June 2d, 1823. His parents, Elias and Deborah Freeman, emigrated from New York in the year 1820, and settled in the little town of Monroe, in the county before mentioned, at the foot of Laurel Hill, where the national road crosses the Allegheny mountains. When of sufficient age and strength, he, with his older brother, worked together on a farm during the cropping season, and attended school in winter. His early education was such as could be obtained in the schools of the day, by attending about three months in the year.

In 1837 his father visited the Eelinoix, as it was then called by old settlers, and being so well pleased with the country on his return home, he sold out, and with his family came to Illinois in 1838, settling in Canton, Fulton county. On the arrival of the family in Canton, the subject of this sketch was apprenticed to learn the printing business. He continued to work at that trade in Canton, until 1840, when he went to Stephenson, now Rock Island, on the upper Mississippi. In order to reach there, the whole distance had to be made through prairie of almost illimitable expanse. What road there was led up through Knoxville, Knox county; thence to Hendersonville, Henderson county, where the Indian trail was struck, lead- ing to Black Hawk village on Rock river. Although the village had been burned by the whites eight years before, yet the stumps of the poles that supported the wigwams were still to be seen, as well as the corn-stalks of the Indian corn-fields. Mr. Freeman says that that was the most enchanting spot he ever saw. He remained in Rock Island until 1841, when he returned to Canton, and attended school until 1842, and then went to Upper Alton, and commenced a course of study at Shurtleff College. He remained in college two years, and one term in the third year.

In the latter part of 1844, he was invited to visit one of his old school- mates, Charles P. Hazard, then living at the head of Cahokia creek in this county. He spent his first night in Macoupin county under the hospitable roof of the late Uncle Billy Lancaster. This was the night of the 22d of December, 1844. On Christmas day he came to Carlinville, and on the way back to Cahokia engaged to take a school on Weatherford's Prairie. The school-house stood diagonally across the road from where Oakland now stands. He began teaching on the 7th of January, 1845, and continued to teach in various places in the county ; a portion of the time in Carlinville, up to 1851, when he commenced to work for the late Henry Fishback, in whose employ he continued until 1854. During the three years he was with Mr. Fishback, he made probably fifteen trips to New Orleans, forming the acquaintance of many of the business men of that city.

On May 19th, 1847, he was married to Miss Lucy S. Fishback, with whom he lived until her death in the year 1849. From that time to Aug. 25th, 1853, he remained a widower, when he married Miss Ellen M. Win- chester, who died in February, 1865. In 1854 he entered the clerk's office under Mr. A. McKim Dubois, and remained with him until he went out of office in 1860.

Mr. Freeman has always been an ardent republican, since the organiza- tion of that party. On the organization of the 122d regiment in 1862, he received of Gov. Richard Yates a commission as regimental quartermaster, with rank of first lieutenant. The commission dated August 28, 1862, and on Oct. 8th following he started with the regiment to the field. On the 12th of October, 1862, the regiment found itself halted at Trenton, Tenn.

Mr. Freeman, with a small squad of soldiers, was detailed at Trenton to guard a large lot of quartermaster's goods, and on Saturday, Dec. 20, 1862, Gen. Forrest, with about eight thousand confederate troops, marched in upon them. The little band fought until they were surrounded and com- pelled to surrender unconditionally by Col. Fry.

Mr. Freeman, together with about three hundred others, were immediately paroled, but allowed to remain in their own quarters that night. About 1 o'clock the next day the prisoners were drawn up in line, and placed in charge of Col. Collins, with a regiment of confederates to escort them through to the union lines at Columbus, Ky. The march continued until 10 o'clock

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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

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that evening, when all went into camp-Rebs and Federals together-at Rutherford, Tenn. Here an incident occurred that will be remembered by many of those who were on that weary march. When the surrender took place, Mr. Freeman had large quantities of camp, garrison, quartermaster's stores, clothing and blankets. He told the men that they had better supply themselves with blankets before the reb's came in. Some of the men availed themselves of the opportunity, while others did not. Many of those who did took two blankets, and had them when they reached Rutherford. On the morning of the 22d of December, Mr Freeman, having been placed in charge of his fellow-prisoners by Gen. Forrest, received orders, through an orderly, directing him to require the prisoners to turn over what blankets they had to his men. While Mr. Freeman was reading the order, the Gene- ral appeared upon the scene, and was asked by Mr. F., if he expected that order to be obeyed ? He answered that he did, and was as promptly told by Mr. F., that he would not himself obey it, nor would he advise or order the men in his charge to do so. That he would concede that they, the rebs, had sufficient force to compel obedience, and by sheer force could take the blankets ; but all that they would ever get from him or the men under him, with his or their consent, would be gotten by simple brute force; that an order of that kind was outrageous, barbarous, unmilitary and inhuman ; that these blankets were all that the prisoners had to shelter them during these cold December nights, and that no surrender of blankets would wil- lingly be made in obedience to the order. Gen. Forrest then remarked : " I will see about that;" wheeled his horse, and rode off. While the General was gone, and the prisoners awaited developments, an orderly returned with orders modified, stating that the General had observed that some of the prisoners had two blankets each, and required such as had two to surrender one of them to his men. Mr. Freeman had made another observation during the interval, and that was that some of the prisoners had no blankets at all, while others had two. He requested those with two to surrender one of them to a fellow-prisoner who had none. This was quickly done, and when Forrest's aid came to get blankets, he found no federal with more than one, so that no blankets were surrendered to the rebs there. This was reported to Gen. Forrest, and he very promptly sent to Mr. Freeman a horse, saddle and bridle to use on the march. They reached Union City, Tenn., on the 23d of December, where two companies of the 54th Illinois regiment were stationed. Gen. Forrest met them with his whole force, and demanded unconditional surrender. Nothing could be done, and the two companies were taken prisoners, paroled and added to the number of prisoners. The next day the prisoners marched to Moscow, Ky., twelve.miles from Colum- bus, and went into camp in the town. Col. Collins and Major James F. Chapman went to Columbus, with a flag of truce, to the commander of the post, asking him to send a special train out to receive the men, and carry them to Columbus ; Col. Collins guaranteeing the train a safe passage out and back. This, however, was not done, and the prisoners solicited Col. Collins to take them by the dirt road to Columbus, distance eighteen miles. The boys were anxious to get inside of their own lines, and made the march in a comparatively short time, coming in sight of the blue coats about three o'clock, P. M. The preliminaries were arranged, and the prisoners took leave of their captors, and passed inside the federal lines, and arrived in Columbus about sundown of Dec. 27, 1862.

Mr. Freeman retained his commission, and was with the regiment during the whole time of service, excepting while he was a prisoner with the enemy. The subject of this sketch desires that we should say that he was not exempt from the usual amount of " cuss words," or words to that effect that were heaped upon regimental quartermasters. He was popular with the boys.

Since the war Mr. Freeman has resided in Carlinville, except about nine months spent at Cairo. He has been justice of the peace several years, and now is police magistrate of Carlinville.

JOHN PITT MATTHEWS, M.D.,

WAS born at Hampton Court, Herefordshire, England, September 2d, 1835. His father, John Matthews, was a farmer. He married Caroline Myra Cooper. He emigrated to America in 1844, and settled in Mercer county, Pa., where he remained until his death in 1864. His wife died in 1863. The subject of our sketch is the third in a family of ten children, eight of whom have survived the parents. Dr. Matthews spent the first eighteen years of his life as a farmer boy, giving his winters to study at the country schools and his summers to the laborious tillage of the soil-a succession of employments that has given stamina to the very best of American citizens. At the age of eighteen he entered Duff's Mercantile College at Pittsburgh, Pa., and took a mathematical course. After that he taught school for one term, and then entered Allegheny College at Meadville, Crawford county, Pa., where he remained two years and finished his mathematical course. He then came to Greene county, Illinois, and taught school at Saulsbury one winter term, and one term at Kane, and also taught a year and a half at the Greenfield Academy in Greenfield. During the term at Kane he com- menced reading medicine under the instruction of Dr. P. Finnerty, of Kane. He afterward took one course in the Medical Department of the Iowa Uni- versity at Keokuk, and then commenced the practice of his profession in Scottville, Macoupin county, and continued in the practice until 1862, when he passed examination before the State Examining Board, and entered the service as assistant surgeon of the 122d regiment, Illinois volunteers. He remained in active service one year, when from reasons of ill-health he was forced to resign. He came home, and in the fall of 1863 resumed practice in Carlinville in connection with Dr. E. E. Webster. In 1865 he attended a course of lectures and graduated at Long Island College Hospital, New York. He returned to Carlinville, and since that time to the present has been industriously engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. Matthews belongs to the progressive school of physicians, as may be readily known by his connection with the different county, state, and national medical associa- tions, which are organized for the promotion and larger development of the science of medicine. He in this community deservedly takes front rank in his profession. Personally and socially Dr. Matthews possesses rare quali- ties, and by his upright and manly life has won an honorable name, and endeared himself to a large circle of friends. In 1865 he was united in marriage with Miss Bettie, daughter of Ex-Governor John M. Palmer, of Springfield, Illinois. Four children have been born to them, three of whom are living-John Palmer, Lucy Myra, and Frederick Webster Matthews.

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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

It M. Kimball

THE present editor and manager of the Carlinville Democrat, was born at Plainfield, Massachusetts, February 12th, 1833. His father was the late Rev. David Kimball, who edited and published the " Christian Panoplist," at Concord, New Hampshire. He removed with his family from Plainfield to Concord, when the subject of this sketch was two years of age. He re- mained in the latter place a number of years, then moved to Franklin, after- wards to Hanover, New Hampshire, where he resided until his removal to Rockford, Illinois, in 1863, where he remained until his death in 1875. He married Miss E. E. Carter, of Newburyport, Mass. She still resides at Rock- ford. Henry M. is the fifth in a family of seven children, three of whom are living. He at an early age entered a printing office and learned to " set " type. The first money he earned as a printer was on the " Herald of Free- dom," an Anti-Slavery paper, published by John French. He afterwards received an academic education in Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, and in 1851 he entered Dartmouth College, and graduated from that institution of learning in 1855.

In the fall of the same year he came to Illinois and taught school for six months in Byron, Ogle county. In May of 1856 he, in company with others, removed to Kansas for the purpose of aiding in making that a free state. He was employed on George Washington Brown's "Herald of Freedom," at Lawrence, until the office was pitched into the river, and the town sacked and burned by the border ruffians. He afterwards, in partnership with a friend, purchased a farm and left his partner in charge of it, while he came east and stopped for a short time at Alton. After Mr. Kimball's return to Illinois his partner became sick, and he too left the farm, after which other

parties jumped the claim and they lost it. His first venture in real estate in the west may be regarded as a flat failure.

In September of 1856 he came to Carlinville, and went to work on the " Free Democrat." He soon after became a partner of W. C. Phillips in the publication, and in 1859 purchased Phillips' interest, and remained sole pro- prietor and editor until 1867, when Major A. W. Edwards was taken in as a partner. He withdrew in 1872, and from that time to the present Mr. Kimball has been both editor and manager.

The " Democrat " under his management has become one of the most influential journals in Central and Southern Illinois. (For a more elaborate history of the rise and progress of the " Democrat," the reader is referred to the " History of the Press of Macoupin county " to be found elsewhere in this work.) In 1861 he was appointed postmaster of Carlinville by Abraham Lincoln, and in 1869 was re-appointed by U. S. Grant. He held the office for nearly ten years. In politics he has always been a republican. At an early age and while it was yet unpopular, he attached himself to the party of freedom and human rights. He aided with his pen to hasten the time when the foul blot and stain of slavery was wiped out of the land.

On the 1st day of March, 1860, he was united in marriage with Miss Fanny M., daughter of Rev. E. J. Palmer, an elder brother of Ex-Governor Palmer. This marriage has been blessed with six children, three sons and three daughters ; all but one, (which died in infancy,) are yet beneath the pa- rental roof. Mr. Kimball in his manners is a quiet, unobtrusive gentleman. With his friends and acquaintances he is kind and social ; as a citizen he is much respected, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of the entire community.

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WAS born in the village of Cuba, Fulton county, Illinois, February 17th, 1845. The Snivelys are of German ancestry, the descendants of whom settled in Pennsylvania many years ago. The grandfather of the present sketch was one of the pioneers of Ohio. He was a man of fine education, and was an accomplished German and English scholar. On the maternal side the family are of Irish descent, although three generations have been born in this country. The father of Ethan A., removed from Ohio to Illinois in 1838, and settled in Fulton county, where he remained until his death, which took place in 1860. The mother survived him, and died in 1879, in the house where the subject of this sketch was born. Ethan A. attended the dis- trict schools of his native village and received a fair English education. In the spring of 1860, when he was fifteen years of age, he entered a printing office in Havana, Mason county, and determined to learn the trade. His fa- ther wisely advised him to continue at school and prepare to take a classical course in some first-class college, and then enter upon the profession of law, but Ethan believed and argued that learning a trade, and thereby providing some certain way of making a living in the future, was the wiser course. The father admitted the force of his reasoning, and gave his consent. He finished his trade at Canton, Illinois. During the first week of January, 1866, he commenced the publication of the Rushville Times, at Rushville, Illinois, which paper he successfully conducted for two years and a half,

when he sold the paper and established the Galesbury Times, at Galesbury, Illinois. In this enterprise he was unfortunate and lost about 83,000. After this he edited the Pekin Times for three months, and in October, 1869, the position of city editor of the Peoria Daily Democrat was tendered him, and he accepted it. He remained with the Democrat for two years, during which time he acted as reporter for the paper at the session of the Constitutional Convention, and the first session of the 27th General Assembly. In Octo- ber, 1871, he took charge of the Macoupin Enquirer, which succeeded the Macoupin Times, and continued in control thereof until March, 1877. While a resident of Carlinville, he on the 23d day of February, 1876, became con- nected with one of the oldest families in Macoupin county, by being united in marriage to Miss Kate M. Dubois, eldest daughter of Mr. A. McKim Dubois, of Carlinville. In 1878 he was elected clerk of Supreme Court for the thirty-three counties, comprising the Central Grand Division. In March, 1879, Mr. L. C. Glessner established the Macoupin County Herald, and Mr. Snively took charge of the editorial management. In June, 1879, he was elected president of the Illinois Press Association. Mr. Snively comes from strictly Democratic stock. His father was a prominent Demo- crat in Fulton county, and held several official positions at the hands of the party. Mr. S. has been an active and uncompromising Democrat.

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History of Macoupin County, Illinois, Part 35

Author: Brink, McDonough & Co. Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Number of Pages: 440

Author: Brink, McDonough & Co.
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 440