USA > Illinois > McDonough County > History of McDonough county, Illinois, its cities, towns and villages with early reminiscences, personal incidents and anecdotes and a complete business directory of the county > Part 36
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Daniel M. Crabb is a little below medium height, but well and strongly built, black hair and beard, dark complexion, strong will and quick temper, which he has well under control. In the family circle, he is very pleasant and agreeable and neighborly with all. No man in his neighborhood is esteemed more highly, and is ex- pected to lead in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his neigh- borhood and township.
J. B. CUMMINGS.
Among the representative men of MeDonongh county, the sub- ject of our present sketch stands prominently. His parents were
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James and Rachel (Hall) Cummings, natives, we believe, of the State of Maryland, where in Cecil county, of that State, was born John B. Cummings, on the seventeenth day of January, 1824. ITis early life was spent upon a farm, and in the private or select schools of his native State and Ohio, to which latter place the family removed on the death of his father, which occured in the early part of the year 1837. The family settled in Harrison county, of this latter State, where they remained three years, go- ing from thence to Butler county, Pennsylvania,. After settling up affairs, on the death of his father, but little was left, and the support of the family fell upon John and an older sister, the latter engaging as a teacher, while John secured a place as clerk in a dry goods and grocery store, which occupation he followed for some years, or until enabled to go into business for himself.
Mr. Cummings has been twice married; first to Miss Evaline E. Pearson, in Butler county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1847; second to Mrs. Mary E. Parkinson, of Macomb, the latter event taking place in 1864. By his first wife he had six children and one by his last. The first Mrs. Cummings died in Macomb in 1862 beloved by all who knew her.
In 1851 Mr. Cummings came to the "Great West," as then called, and took up his residence at Macomb, in this county, where he resided until his removal to the city of Bushnell in 1865. Shortly after coming to Macomb, in company with Mr. John B. Pearson, he purchased the stock and good will of Messrs. Randolph & Parkinson in the dry goods and grocery trade, con- tinuing the same, with some changes, until 1857, when he retired from the firm that he might accept the position of clerk in the newly established banking house of Charles Chandler & Co., which position he retained until his election to the office of Clerk of the Circuit Court of MeDonough county in 1860. At this elec- tion he ran for the office against William T. Head, one of the most popular men in the county, receiving a small majority, not- withstanding the county had never previously given a majority in favor of the party to which Mr. C. belonged. Mr. Head not content with the result, contested the election, but the court, before whom the case was tried, decided in Mr. Cummings' favor. At the expiration of his term of office he removed to Bushnell, and in company with Charles Chandler, started a private banking house under the firm name of Chandler & Cummings. Mr. Chand- ler residing in Macomb and being engaged in a similar enterprise,
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the business of the Bushnell firm was conducted by Mr. Cum- mings alone. In 1871 a charter was obtained for a National Bank, the firm invested their means in the same, and, together with other parties, organized the Farmers' National Bank, with Mr. Cum- mings as cashier and general manager, which position he yet re- tains.
On his removal to Bushnell, with his accustomed zeal, Mr. Cum- mings at once entered upon the work of promoting the interests of that go-ahead young town-no public enterprise but what se- cured his hearty and active co-operation. On the organization of the town as a city, in 1869, he was elected its first Mayor, and three times has since been re-elected, serving his constituents in a manner to secure the approval of the great majority.
In 1873 he united with the Reformed Church in Bushnell, and shortly after was elected to the Superintendency of its Sunday School, which position he yet retains. In this field of Christian labor, he takes considerable interest, and has the reputation of being a very capable and efficient superintendent.
John B. Cummings is a man about five feet seven inches high, slender proportions, black hair, tinged with gray, rather thin beard of the same color, a good mathematical head, and is a good judge of human nature. As a financier he has no superior in the county-the affairs of the bank with which he is connected, and of which he has had the management for thirteen years, has been carefully and judiciously managed, both for the best interests of its stockholders and depositors. No complaint, to our knowledge, has ever been made against him by stockholder or patron. In business hours he is always found at his place of business, giving attention to its minutest details, and with a desire to render satis- faction to all who may favor the bank with its patronage. While Clerk of the Circuit Court of this county he gave the same gene- ral care to the details of that office. Having business to transact with hundreds throughout the county, he treated all in a way to secure their friendship and good will. Although beaten for the same office in 1864, it was not on account of the loss of any per- sonal popularity, but from causes resulting from the war. In the discharge of his duties as Mayor of the city of Bushnell he has en- deavored to be impartial in all things, working for the best inter- ests of the place. In the expenditure of money, while he would manage all things economically, he would not be niggardly in any
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matter. In the cause of education he has been a consistent advo- cate of our public school system, and believes in making the same general improvement in this department as in all others. In the erection of the school building, which is now the pride of Bush- nell, he took an especial interest, and to him more than any other man is due the building of the same. In private life Mr. Cum- mings is a kind friend and neighbor, enjoying the respect of all ; as a husband and father, he is kind and gentle, inspiring the love and confidence of his entire family.
B. A. DUNCAN, M. D.
Dr. B. A. Duncan, son of Jonathan and Leatha Duncan, is of Scotch, Irish and English descent, and was born April 6, 1825, in Frankfort, Washington county, Pennsylvania. But little is known of his family, or of his early history, except that his father gave him such an education as would fit him for the medical profession which he had chosen for his life work. His preparatory medical studies were conducted under the tutorship of Dr. Alexander McCandless, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, graduating from the Medical College, in the same city, in the year 1845. In 1849, he came to Illinois and settled in McDonough county, on the site of the present village of Industry. At that time this flourishing village was comparatively a wilderness, wild game of all kinds were abundant, and the dwellings few and far between. But here was a good and favorable opportunity for one with will and deter- mination to secure a competency for himself and make a name honored among men. As the country grew in population and in wealth, the practice of Dr. Duncan kept pace with it, and became very extensive, his success in all branches of his profession being good. Few physicians had a larger practice and none were more highly respected and trusted by the people. He was for many years a member of the MeDonough county Medical Association and in its meetings took great interest. For thirty-two years of his life, his whole time was spent in study and in the practice of his profession, with the exception of a few months in the service of his country as a member of the 138th regiment Illinois Volun- teer Infantry. In this regiment he enlisted as a private in Co. A, Captain McClenahan, of Monmouth, and was assigned to duty as Hospital Steward.
Dr. Duncan has been twice married. First, with Miss Julia Standard, on the tenth day of May, 1845, by whom he had three
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children, viz., Jonathan, Fleetwood and Thomas, the first named suffering a violent death, on the 29th of September, 1867, at the age of fourteen. Mrs. Duncan died of consumption on the first day of November, 1863. The doctor's second marriage was on the eighth day of November, 1864, with Miss Martha Merrick, who still survives him. By this last marriage there were six children born unto them, all of whom are yet living.
In 1856 the doctor made a profession of religion, and united with the Presbyterian Church, but for some reason did not long remain in connection with that body. Although his relations with the local congregation was severed, he never denied his Master, but continued to manifest an interest in the work of the Lord's vine- yard, and when professional duties would admit, was always pres- ent in the Lord's house, and was a co-laborer and worker in the cause of Christ. In his last illness he conversed freely with all on the subject of religion, his hope of receiving the crown of life brightening as he neared the end, and often did he express a de- sire to depart and be at rest. His disease was rather obscure and very complicated, while his sufferings were intense, but he endured it all with remarkable patience for eight months, closing this life on the thirty-first of March, 1877. The funeral services were con- ducted by the Rev. J. S. Budd, pastor of the M. E. Church, as- sisted by the Rev. J. L. Towner, of the Christian Church, and took place at his late residence. Although the weather was very inclement, a large congregation assembled to pay the last tribute of respect to a kind husband, a loving and indulgent parent, and esteemed citizen and friend.
By his request, Mrs. Duncan was appointed Administratrix, a position which by education and natural business tact, she is well qualified to fill. Under her care, the property left for her benefit, and of the fatherless children, will not be squandered.
Few men in any community ever had the opportunity of being better known than Dr. B. A. Duncan. Coming to the country when it was new, and growing with it, and for many years being the only physician in the neighborhood, there was probably not a family in Industry township but what at some time he visited as a professional man. It is therefore not wonderful that his death was mourned by many sympathizing friends, who knew and loved the man for his many good qualities of head and heart. But the loss of the family and friends in his gain. "Blessed are
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the dead who die in the Lord; yea and from henceforth they shall rest from their labors and their works do follow them."
CAPTAIN S. A. EPPERSON.
The parents of the subject of our present sketch were James H. and Martha (Osborne) Epperson. They were hard-working, industrious, and honest people, respected by all who were ac- quainted with them. S. A., their second son, of whom we now write, was born in Greencastle, Ind., on the tenth day of October, 1837. When but three years of age his parents removed to Mar- shall, Clark county, Ill., where they remained but one year, when they continued their journey farther West, stopping in Iowa City, in the then territory of Iowa. Here they remained until the death of the mother, which occurred in 1845. The elder Epper- son then took his eldest son, Jolm L., and went to the lead mines of Wisconsin, leaving S. A. in the care of a couple named Hill, where he remained about three years, experiencing many hard- ships, the memory of which will never be obliterated while life shall last.
Nearly all the educational advantages enjoyed by S. A. were in attendance upon the common schools of Iowa City, which at that time were not the best, the town containing about one dozen fam- ilies when they moved there. Among the number then living in the place were some that have since obtained some eminence in the councils, of State and Nation; Professor Harlan, afterward United States Senator and Secretary of the Interior, being one of the number.
In 1849 the elder Epperson moved to the State of Kentucky, taking with him his two children, remaining there some two years, when he returned to Illinois, settling on the southwest quarter of section nine, in the township of New Salem, which was his home until his removal to Bushnell, which occurred in 1868. S. A. accompanied his father both to Kentucky and on his return to Illinois, remaining with him and engaging in the la- bors of the farm until the year 1858, when the excitement ran high about the discovery of gold in Pike's Peak. To this new Eldorado he determined to go, and in the fall of that year went as far as Henry county, Missouri, where he remained during the winter following with an uncle living there. In the spring of 1859 he drove a herd of cattle to Independence, Missouri, and there he hired to take a drove on to Nebraska City, the starting point of
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the overland journey. Discouraging news from the Peak caused him to abandon the trip, and he joined a train sent out by Majors Russell and Waddle, freighting government supplies for the sol- diers at Camp Floyd, and drove across the plains, and was gone some six months. The firm with which he engaged stipulated in the contract with their men that they were not to drink any in- toxicating liquors, play cards, or use blasphemous language. This was the first temperance pledge Mr. Epperson ever took, and we are pleased to record the fact that he has observed it ever since. He has stated to us that in the train with which he was connected were men of all grades in society, but yet each lived faithfully to his pledge, knowing their wages depended upon its observance. Nortrouble of any kind was experienced on the journey, while neighboring trains which allowed the vices prohibited in this to be indulged in, rows were of frequent occurrence. This shows the good effect of wholesome moral law.
Success in the mines not equalling anticipation, Mr. Epperson, at the expiration of the time previously mentioned, returned to the States, and for the year following resided in southwest Mis- souri, passing the time in attending school and laboring on a farm. In the summer of 1830, he returned home and labored somewhatin the campaign resulting in the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency. In the fall and winter of 1860-61, he read law and taught school, and in the spring following again engaged in farm- ing, continuing in that pursuit until his enlistment in the war of the rebellion, which occured in August following. On the first day of that month he enlisted as a private in Company L. 7th II- linois Cavalry, and was mustered into the service as Second Lieu- tenant on the third day of September, and on the 12th of Decem- ber, with the regiment, Co. L left Camp Butler, near Springfield, for the front. The regiment went immediately into active ser- vice, and none performed duty more faithfully that it. While stationed at Jacinto, Miss., Lieutenant Epperson was promoted Captain of the company, over its First Lieutenant, which position he retained until mustered out at expiration of term of service, November 12, 1864. In Grierson's raid, from LaGrange, Tenn., to Baton Rouge, La., Co. L, under command of Captain Epperson, rode eight hundred miles in sixteen days. While stationed at Colliers- ville, Tenn., the place was surrounded by the enemy one Sunday morning, and Captain Epperson, with some thirty others, was taken . prisoner, the men being dismounted at the time, and completely sur- .
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rounded were captured and taken to Grenada ; here he was held as a hostage for a rebel officer under sentence of death by our force, which certainly did not add to the pleasure of his captivity. But he made up his mind, if possible, he would effeet his escape, and the opportunity offering, he bid good bye to his captors with- out reluctance, and broke for the Union lines. He was ten days in the swamps making his way to where the Union troops were stationed, suffering much in the journey. It was just thirty days from the date of his capture until he returned. For meritorious conduct he was breveted Major.
Receiving a furlough, Captain Epperson returned home, and on the third day of May, 1864, was united by marriage with Miss Lodemice Downey.
On receiving his discharge, Captain Epperson returned home and again engaged in farming, but on account of disability re- ceived while in the service of his country, was compelled to aban- don it.
Politically Captain Epperson is a staunch Republican, the prin- ciples of that party being dear to him, but he is independent in expressing his opinion in regard to the policy that should govern the party in its actions. Twice has he been elected member of the Board of Supervisors of the county, serving his constituents in a faithful and upright manner. In 1867 he received the nomi- nation for County Treasurer, against Sydnor H. Hogan, a very popular Democrat, and although defeated, he ran largely ahead of his ticket. In the last Congressional Convention he was sup- ported by the delegates from this county, as their candidate for nomination, but local and other influences caused his defeat.
In the spring of 1868, Captain Epperson moved to the city of Bushnell, where he yet resides. For two years he read law in the office of M. A. Luce, and was admitted to the bar in the spring of 1869, shortly afterwards becoming a partner of M. A. Luce, which arrangement was continued two years. In 1869 he received the ap- pointment of Postmaster, which office he yet holds. In 1873 he abandoned the law, purchasing an interest in the Bushnell Re- cord, and in about one year, had the entire control of the paper. This publication he yet continues. Captain Epperson is of medi- um height, light complexion, is sociable, and one whose enemies, if any, are all on account of political differences.
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HISTORY OF M'DONOUGH COUNTY.
JOHN L. EPPERSON.
John Lowry Epperson, son of James H. and Martha Jane (Os- borne) Epperson, was born in Lafayette, Indiana, November 6, 1834. His parents were both Kentuckians by birth, emigrating from that State to Indiana at an early day. When John was but a mere lad they again moved, going to the territory of Iowa, making their home in Iowa City. Here the mother died, leaving two children to the care of the bereaved husband and father. Mr. Epperson, taking his son John with him, proceeded to the famous lead mines, in Wisconsin, where he remained three years, from whence he removed to Table Grove, Fulton county, where he only remained a few months, returning to his native State of Kentucky, where he remained three years, and then coming to this State, settling in the present township of New Salem. Mr. Epperson has ever since been a citizen of this county, and Fulton county, one duly respected by those who are acquainted with him.
All the educational advantages enjoyed by the subject of our present sketch was in the common schools of the then territories of Iowa and Wisconsin. Farming has usually been his means of employment, though he has engaged to some extent in other busi- ness. For seven years he spent his time in teaching in the pub- lic schools, six years of the time in one school house, which cer- tainly speaks well for his talent in that direction. At present he is the railroad station agent at Adair, having occupied the posi- tion since the completion of the Rockford, Rock Island and St. Louis Railroad in 1870.
In politics Mr. Epperson has always been a Democrat of the old Jeffersonian school, but at present affiliates with the Inde- pendent party, the views of which upon the financial question coincide with his own. For four years he was Justice of the Peace and Supervisor in Farmers' township, Fulton county, and for the same length of time held the latter office in New Salen township, MeDonough county. In the latter township he ran and was elected on the Democratic ticket, notwithstanding it is one of the strongest Republican precincts in the county. In Ful- ton county, the first time he ran, he had opposition, but the three years following had none, all of which certainly speaks well for the personal popularity of the man. As a member of the Board of Supervisors he made one of its most efficient members. In 1876 he was nominated by the Independents for the Legislature
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without his knowledge or consent, and having no idea whatever of receiving the intended honor. He made no canvass, having no hope of being elected and caring little, but, much to the surprise of himself and friends, ran far ahead of his ticket, proving con- clusively that he could have been elected had the effort been made. Although he has repeatedly been honored by his political asso- ciates and friends, he has never sought office, and not often was present in a convention where he received the nomination. The office has invariably sought the man and not the man the office.
During the dark days of the rebellion he was arrayed upon the side of the Union, and, showing his faith by his works, we find him in the summer of 1852 marching to the front, as a member of Co. L, 7th Illinois Cavalry. Our readers well know the record made by this gallant regiment, and none bore themselves with more gallantry than this same Company L, and no man of the company endured more hardships or fought more bravely for his country than John Lowry Epperson.
On the eleventh day of December, 1856, he led to the marriage altar Miss Sarah C. Rine, with whom he yet lives a happy and contented life. Six children have they been blessed with, three only of whom remain to add joy and gladness to their parents' heart, three having been called "over the river" to dwell in the better land.
Mr. Epperson, among his friends and acquaintances, enjoys the reputation of being a kind, sociable and pleasant neighbor. Although at present not connected with any religious body, he leads a strictly moral life, lending his aid and encouragement to all good word and works. It is said of him that he never swore an oath, never drank intoxicating liquors, nor yet ever belonged to a temperance society. Ile is a man that thinks much of home, and enjoys the comforts and pleasures of a home life. Taking all in all, he is a man well qualified by nature and education to be a representative man in MeDonough county, and worthy of a place in its history.
THOMAS FULKERSON.
The county of MeDonough has given birth to many noble men and women, but none more highly honored than the subject of our present sketch, Thomas Fulkerson, who was born in Hillsgrove, about three miles from the present town of Tennessee, on the twenty-second day of February, 1834. His parents were James
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and Elizabeth H. (Waddell) Fulkerson, natives of the state of Tennessee, where they were married, and from whence they re- moved to MeDonough county in 1832, settling upon Sec. 29, 5 N., 4 W., now Tennessee township. At the birth of Thomas they were in moderate circumstances, having considerable land, though with but little money.
The early life of Thomas was spent on a farm, working in the summer and attending school in the winter. For a number of years he enjoyed the instructions of Isaac Holton, who taught a High School at the Grove, and whose memory is held in grateful remembrance by citizens in all the country roundabout. He then attended the MeDonough College, at Macomb, an institution whose history is given elsewhere in this work, and where he re- mained two years, acquiring therein a pretty thorough education in the sciences. He has always been a great reader and has there- fore kept abreast with the times in general knowledge. This fact has had much to do with his manner of life. The faculty of be- nevolence is well developed in him, and he can seldom say "no" to a friend (enemies he has none) when a favor is asked of him ; . therefore, when a neighbor has a work to perform requiring close calculation, he calls upon Thomas Fulkerson ; if a man dies, leav- ing an estate to be settled, Thomas Fulkerson can attend to that ; if a piece of work is required to be done in the neighborhood, necessitating a considerable outlay of time, with very little remu- neration, Thomas Fulkerson can do it; and thus it goes. Duties devolve upon him that no one else can or will attend to.
Like his father before him, he is a farmer, but probably more from circumstances than choice. As his father grew old, the labors and responsibilities of the farm began to devolve upon Thomas, and when the senior Fulkerson died, he left to him the old homestead, on which he still continues to reside, his aged mother and sister residing with him.
No other place during the forty-three years of his life was he ever called home, and doubtless upon the old place he will re- main until called to occupy a mansion in that other world, which is prepared for the true and faithful in this.
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