USA > Illinois > McLean County > History of McLean County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 24
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In politics Mr. Gillespie is a Republican and he is a member of the Methodist Church and belongs to the Masonic Lodge. He is well and fa- vorably known throughout McLean County and the Gillespie family ranks among the representative people of the county.
Edward and Walter H. Kahle, proprietors of 240 acres of well im- proved land in Yates Township, are enterprising and progressive young farmers of McLeean County, and Edward Kahle is a veteran of the World War. He was born at Cullom, in Iroquois County, Ill., May 11, 1896, and his brother was born in McLean County, June 23, 1901. They are the sons of Henry and Mary (Fischbach) Kahle.
Henry Kahle was born in Germany and came to the United States when he was 14 years of age, settling at Cullom, Ill. He later moved to Yates Township in McLean County, where he operated a farm of 160 acres. Mr. Kahle was a successful farmer and died May 12, 1908, and his widow now lives at Chenoa. They were the parents of the following children: Harry, a farmer, lives in Yates Township; Charlotte, lives with her mother at Chenoa; Henrietta, married Elvie Cooper, a farmer, lives in Yates Township; L. D., and Frank, further mention of whom is made below; Edward, subject of this sketch; Verna, married Roy Jones, a farmer, lives in Lexington Township; Walter H., subject of this sketch; and Gertrude, lives with her mother at Chenoa.
L. D. Kahle was inducted into service during the World War on June 24, 1918, and was sent to Camp Wheeler, Georgia. He was dis- charged from service Dec. 6, 1918, after contracting pleurisy, and he now farms in Chenoa Township.
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Frank Kahle was inducted into service in March, 1918, and served with Company A, 358th Infantry, 90th Division. He served overseas for more than a year, taking part in the Battle of Saint Mihiel and the Argonne Drive, and he was also with the army of occupation in Ger- many. Mr. Kahle now lives in South Dakota.
Edward and Walter H. Kahle received their educations in the public schools and have always lived on a farm. During the World War Edward Kahle was inducted into service and served with Company C, 337th Machine Gun Corps, and he was in service from Sept. 18, 1917, until May 20, 1919. Mr. Kahle served overseas and took part in many im- portant battles and drives of the war, including the Battle of Saint Mihiel, the Meuse-Argonne and the Toule and battle of Marbaugh. At one time he was in the lines for 21 days without relief. Since the close of the war the Kahle brothers have engaged in general farming. The Kahle farm is a section of the old Fischbach farm and has belonged to the family for a long time, their grandmother now owning it. A sketch of Charlotte Fischbach appears elsewhere in this work.
The Messrs. Kahle are Republicans, and belong to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. They are good farmers and excellent young citi- zens of McLean County.
Adolphus Dillon, deceased, was a well known and successful busi- ness man of Normal. He was born in Tazewell County, Ill., Oct. 28, 1849, the son of Ellis and Martha (Fisher) Dillon, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Tazewell County, Ill.
Adolphus Dillon received his education in the district schools of Tazewell County and came to McLean County with his parents when he was 15 years of age. They lived at Bloomington and Mr. Dillon also attended school there. In 1872 he became a member of the firm of Ellis Dillon, a partnership consisting of his father and two cousins, Isaiah and Levi Dillon. They were importers of French draft horses and this partnership continued about 10 years. Mr. Dillon made a trip to France with his cousin, Isaiah Dillon, in the spring of 1873, where they purchased draft horses for the company. Mr. Dillon owned 579 acres of well improved land mostly in Tazewell County, Ill. He died July 17, 1922.
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On Nov. 20, 1873, Mr. Dillon was married to Miss Paulina Britt, a native of Logan County, Ill., born Oct. 30, 1850, and the daughter of W. S. and Sally (Burt) Britt, natives of Kentucky and Illinois respectively, and the parents of the following children: Mrs. Dillon ; John C., a farmer, lives near McLean, Ill .; Emma, married J. E. Richmond, lives at Normal, Ill., a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Hattie, married Byron Gregory, lives at Normal, Ill. To Adolphus and Paulina (Britt) Dillon three children were born, as follows: Harlen Britt, married Jessie W. Brown, lives at Normal; Mertie May, married Frank I. Blair, lives at Normal; and Bessie D., married Guy L. Shaw, lives at Beardstown, Ill. Mrs. Dillon has 12 grandchildren, as follows: Harlie Deane, Elmo, Burt, Ruth, Irene, Esther, and Gordon James Dillon; Britt and Ellis Blair; and Jean and Lyman Shaw.
Adolphus Dillon was a firm believer in prohibition. He went quietly to the polls and cast his vote for the ones who in his judgment were the best fitted to make honest and conscientious office holders. He was a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Dillon was a substantial citizen, a believer in progressive methods in his work, and always ready to sup- port the best interests of his community.
DeWitt G. Gray, a well known and substantial citizen of Blooming- ton, was born in New York, Jan. 9, 1856, and is the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Whitten) Gray.
Robert Gray was a native of Ireland, as also was his wife. He was born in 1826 and came to this country with his family in 1848, locating in Bloomington, where he owned a harness shop for many years. He died in 1904, and his wife also died during the same year. They were the parents of the following children: John W., a sketch of whom ap- pears in this work; David, lives in Chicago; George T., engaged in the grocery business with his brother, John W .; DeWitt, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, died Dec. 31, 1915, at the age of 56 years, was the wife of W. E. Bush; Anna, married G. R. Holden, lives in San An- tonio, Texas; Eva, the widow of William Flynn, lives with her brother, George; and two children died in infancy.
DeWitt G. Gray was educated in the public schools of Bloomington and after finishing his schooling was engaged as a printer in a local
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
printing shop. Later he was employed in the telegraph office and then the owner of a fruit stand where the Ike Livingston building now stands. In 1873 Mr. Gray went to Farmer City, Ill., where he worked in a bakery, and two years later he went into business with Brown and Gray, grocers of Bloomington. After nine years he purchased Mr. Brown's interest in the business and he and his brother, John, conducted the grocery, at 113 West Front Street, until 1913, at which time DeWitt G. Gray retired from the business. He is now a clerk there.
In April, 1923, Mr. Gray was elected alderman of the first ward in Bloomington and he is chairman of the claim department. Since his term of office began there have been many improvements made in the repairing of streets and sidewalks in Bloomington.
On April 18, 1877, Mr. Gray was married to Miss Jennie Haney, a native of Piper City, Ill., and the daughter of John and Bridget Haney, natives of Ireland. To Mr. and Mrs. Gray one child was born, Florence Edna Klopp, and she now resides at home.
Mr. Gray is a Republican and belongs to the Masonic lodge and Con- sistory. He has many friends throughout McLean County and the Gray family has always stood high in the community.
George T. Gray, who is successfully engaged in the grocery business in Bloomington with his brother, John W., was born at Johnstown, N. Y., Dec. 12, 1853. He is the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Whitten) Gray.
The Gray family came to the United States from Ireland in 1848 and located in Bloomington, where Robert Gray owned and operated a harness shop. He was born in 1826 and died in 1904. His wife also died the same year, when she was struck by a street car in Bloomington. Mr. and Mrs. Gray were the parents of the following children: John W., a sketch of whom appears in this volume; David, lives in Chicago; George T., the subject of this sketch; DeWitt, a sketch of whom also appears in this volume; Elizabeth, died Dec. 31, 1915, at the age of 56 years, was the wife of W. E. Bush; Anna, married G. R. Holden, lives in San An- tonio, Texas; Eva, the widow of William Flynn, lives with her brother, George T .; and two children died in infancy.
George T. Gray has lived in Bloomington since he was 10 years old, and he was educated in the public schools there. After completing his
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
school work he was a fireman for three years, after which he was pro- moted to locomotive engineer on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. In 1886 Mr. Gray resigned from the railroad and went into business with his brother in Bloomington. They have a fine up-to-date store on Main Street and are pioneer business men of McLean County.
On Feb. 16, 1880, Mr. Gray was united in marriage with Miss Mary C. Wagstaff, a native of Hamilton, Canada, and the neice of Richard Butler, at one time editor of the Clinton Public, of Clinton, Ill. Mrs. Gray died Jan. 28, 1916, and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery of Bloomington. Mr. and Mrs. Gray had no children.
Mr. Gray is a Republican. He is a substantial and highly respected citizen of McLean County.
Walter Havens Trimmer, deceased, was for many years a prominent citizen of McLean County. He was born at Hudson, Ill., Jan. 16, 1862, the son of John Anderson and Maria (Clark) Trimmer.
John Anderson Trimmer was born at Havens Grove, Ill., May 11, 1834, and died at Uniontown, Kan., July 15, 1880. He was a farmer dur- ing his life and had lived in Kansas since 1870. His wife was born July 4, 1836, and died in 1864. They were the parents of one child, Walter Ha- vens, the subject of this sketch.
Walter Havens Trimmer was reared on his father's farm and at the age of 20 years began railroading on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. He was a fireman for several years and was promoted to engineer in 1893. Mr. Trimmer was killed in a railroad accident on Jan. 24, 1917, when his engine was struck by a Pennsylvania switch engine, running wild. He was backing his engine into the Chicago Union Station when the acci- dent occurred. Mr. Trimmer's only other accident was when his train left the tracks at Hopedale, Ill.
On Nov. 22, 1911, Mr. Trimmer was married in Bloomington to Miss Alice Scibird, a native of Bloomington, and the daughter of Joseph H. and Frances (Clark) Scibird, the former a native of Delaware County, Ind., and the latter of Kingston, Ind. Joseph H. Scibird was a major during the Civil War, having enlisted at Bloomington in the 70th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was the photographer that took the pictures of the indignation meeting at the time of President Lincoln's assassina-
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
tion. Mr. Scibird was a well-known photographer and his brother, John, was in business with him. He served as postmaster of Bloomington in 1870 and was the founder of the Leader, a newspaper later merged with the Bulletin. There were three children in the Scibird family, as follows: Mrs. Alice Trimmer; Albert Clark, deceased; and Florence, married Wal- ter H. Craber, lives in Chicago. Mr. Scibird died Jan. 1, 1889, at the age of 48 years and his widow now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Trimmer. Mr. and Mrs. Trimmer had no children.
Mr. Trimmer was a Republican, and a member of the Locomotive Firemen and Engineers. He belonged to the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic Lodge, No. 43, of Bloomington. He was active in the Consistory and Shrine and was elected a 32d degree Mason in September, 1916, but was killed before receiving the degree. Mr. Trimmer was a substantial citizen, who stood well in the esteem of his fellow citizens. His widow lives at 911 South Fell Street, Normal.
Frank O. Hanson, State senator and attorney, is among McLean County's most prominent and influential citizens. He was born in Grid- ley Township, McLean County, Nov. 16, 1875, and is the son of Pleasant Milton and Amanda (Coon) Hanson.
The Hanson family is of Scotch-Irish descent and were early settlers of Virginia. William Hanson, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, came to Illinois in 1830. He was an orphan and was brought here from Ohio by William Boner and William Taylor. His twin brother Uriah also came. They settled at Lacon, in Henry County, Ill., and later Uriah Han- son purchased land in Gridley Township, McLean County, for $1.25 per acre.
The Coon family originally came from Pennsylvania and located in McLean County. Before the time of the Civil War they went to Mis- souri and lived in Chillicothe. Later, however, they returned to Mc- Lean County.
Pleasant Milton Hanson was born in Gridley Township, McLean County, in 1855, and his wife was a native of Livingston County, Mo., born in 1857. They were the parents of the following children: Frank, the subject of this sketch; Dr. Charles P., a physician; Herbert H .; William Cassel; Archie; Rachael, married M. R. Hodgkinson; and Dorothy Lynch.
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Frank O. Hanson received his education in the public schools and after finishing high school at Lexington attended the University of Illi- nois. In May, 1903, he was graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University. Mr. Hanson then began the practice of law in Bloomington, soon afterward becoming associated with Judge Owen T. Reeves. After five years he practiced alone, and is now located in the Livingston Building. Mr. Han- son was elected State senator on Nov. 2, 1920.
In 1910 Mr. Hanson was married to Miss Ethel R. Hamilton, a daugh- ter of Frank Y. and Emma (Cove) Hamilton, and a niece of ex-Governor John Hamilton. Mrs. Hanson was born in Bloomington in 1882 and died Oct. 28, 1920. There are two children in the Hanson family: Franklin, born in November, 1911; and Betty, born in 1913.
Mr. Hanson is a member of the First Christian Church and belongs to the Bloomington Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica, the B. P. O. E., the Masonic lodge of Normal, Consistory and Blue Lodge of Bloomington, and the Shrine at Springfield. Mr. Hanson is well known in McLean County and has many friends.
Phillip Klein, deceased, was one of the well known and dependable citizens of this section. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, Feb. 4, 1836, the son of Jacob and Margaret (Weiser) Klein.
Jacob Klein and his wife came to the United States in 1855 and set- tled on a farm in Deer Creek Township, and later moved to Pike Town- ship, where Mr. Klein carried on general farming and stock raising. Mr. and Mrs. Klein, now deceased, were the parents of five children, as fol- lows: John, deceased, a sketch of whom appears in this history; Phillip, the subject of this sketch; Charles, deceased; Jacob, deceased; and Cath- erine, married Louis Moschell, deceased.
Phillip Klein came to this country from Germany at the age of 19 years and engaged in general farming in Livingston County, Ill. He be- came the owner of 90 acres of land, which he improved, and for many years he was widely known as a successful stockman. Mr. Klein died June 16, 1912, and is buried in Pike Cemetery, Livingston County, Ill. His widow, who lived on McClellan Street, Chenoa, Ill., died Jan. 3, 1924.
In 1864 Mr. Klein married Miss Margaret Dehner, a native of Ger- many who came to the United States when she was 16 months old with her
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
parents, Daniel and Catherine Dehner. The Dehner family came to this county and settled at Danvers, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Dehner, deceased. were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Klein; Daniel, retired, lives at Chenoa; Wilhelmina, deceased, was the wife of Martin Miller; John, lives in Virginia; Christian, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah; Fred, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah; Louis, lives in Illinois; Elizabeth, lives near Hud- son, Ill., married Louis Ernst ; Tobias, painter, lives in Bloomington; and Susan, married Anton Dirks, deceased, Danvers, Ill. To Phillip and Mar- garet (Dehner) Klein the following children were born: Jacob, farmer, lives in Nebraska; Catherine, married Fred E. Oech, farmer, lives in Iowa ; Charles, lives in Illinois; Daniel, carpenter, lives in Iowa; and George, farmer, lives in Iowa. Mrs. Klein has seven grandchildren and four great- grandchildren, Kenneth Klipple and Phillip Galley, Robert and Rose.
Phillip Klein was a Democrat and served as road commissioner and school director. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and was a highly respected citizen of the community.
Dr. Bernice Curry .- Alpha Bernice Curry, M. D., is medical director and superintendent of Fairview, the McLean County tuberculosis sana- torium, located on North Main street road one mile north of Normal, and she also carries on a general practice of medicine, her home being at 107 East Locust Street, in Bloomington. Dr. Curry was born in Eminence Township, in Logan County, two and one-half miles west of Atlanta. Her father was James Benjamin Curry, a native of Shelby County, Ohio, and her mother was Jennie E. (Judy) Curry, who was born near Arm- ington in Logan County. The father is deceased, and the mother lives with Dr. Curry at their home in Bloomington. The father died April . 12, 1906, and his burial place is in Evergreen cemetery near Atlanta. He was a school teacher for 35 years, and for many years was a news- paper correspondent and general writer, his productions appearing under the nom de plume of "Nancy Jane." He was a Civil War veteran, and held several county offices in Logan County, including deputy sheriff, census enumerator and tax assessor. He was a staunch republican, and acquired the honorary title of the "Sage of Eminence."
Dr. Curry grew up on the home farm and was educated in Walnut Row district school, then Atlanta High School, and her professional train- ing was at Keokuk Medical College and the College of Physicians and
a. Dermic low
ernie ury
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
Surgeons at Keokuk, Iowa. She was secretary of the class of 1903 and a member of George F. Jenkins Medical society at Keokuk. She spent the summer of 1901 in special training at the general hospital at Ft. Dodge, Iowa. Her first work was that of clerk in the Henry Hawes dry goods store at Atlanta. After graduating from the Keokuk medical school in 1903, Dr. Curry located at Delavan, but after a few months she came to Bloomington and began a general practice of medicine. She soon gained a name in the local medical society and was secretary of the county medical society for several years. For the special work in which she is now engaged she began special training by being appointed medical director of the County Tuberculosis dispensary in January, 1918. In the summer of 1919, she attended the Trudeau School of Tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, N. Y., receiving her diploma and being secretary of the class in which she graduated. Upon the completion of the McLean County tuberculosis sanatorium, Dr. Curry was named as its medical director in August, 1919, and in March, 1920, she was given the additional duties of the superintendent, a position which had at first been filled by Miss Catherine Smith. Since 1920, Dr. Curry has continued to fill both positions with eminent satisfaction of the patients and of the board of managers appointed by the county supervisors. To enhance her special knowledge along these lines, Dr. Curry attended the Colorado School of Tuberculosis at Colorado Springs in 1922 and received a diploma there. She also took a special course under Dr. George T. Palmer, tuberculosis specialist at Springfield.
Dr. Curry is and has been for some years one of the medical examin- ers for Royal Neighbors of America, No. 637, of the Woman's Benefit Association of Maccabees, Hive No. 101, the National Protective Life Association, Bloomington Assembly 1773, of which she is also secretary and treasurer. She is a member of the McLean County Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the National Tuberculosis Association.
The members of Dr. Curry's immediate family, aside from her mother, are two half brothers, Sylvester Bowen, of New Mexico, and Leslie J. Bowen, of Lakota, N. D .; one half sister, Mrs. John L. Houser, of Ft. Collins, Col .; and two sisters, Mrs. Fred W. Schultz, of Stanford, and Mrs. Deane Archer, of Bloomington.
Of strictly social organizations, Dr. Curry is a member of the Woman's Club, the Maplewood Country Club and the Y. W. C. A.
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
E. M. Pike, a well known retired lumber dealer of McLean County, and veteran of the Civil War, is a member of one of the county's oldest and most prominent pioneer families. He was born July 1, 1848, at Casco, Maine, the son of Harrison Wallace and Susan A. (Mobberly) Pike.
Harrison Wallace Pike, a native of Cornish, Maine, came to Bloom- ington with his family in 1854 and became a successful trader. He es- tablished the Pike House during the early days, which was the first hotel west of Chicago. He died in June, 1875, and his wife died the following year. They were the parents of the following children: E. M., the sub- jest of this sketch; Noah H., pioneer lumber man of Chenoa, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Susan, married James Sanders, insurance, Bloomington ; I. H., attorney Oak Park, Ill .; A. H., deceased; Anna M., de- ceased; Mary Alice, married Dr. Ely Gale, both deceased.
E. M. Pike came to McLean County with his parents in 1854 and re- ceived his education in the district schools. He left school during the Civil War to enlist in Company A, 33d Illinois Normal Regiment and was in service for three years and three months. Mr. Pike took part in a number of important battles and was made orderly sergeant during the battle of Cash River, on July 7, 1863. After the close of the war he re- ceived a medal for bravery during that battle.
Mr. Pike and his brother, Noah H., are the leading lumber men of McLean County and also operated the first brick and tile business in the vicinity of Chenoa. Mr. Pike invented the first brick kiln used in the county and he furnished all the tile that was used in draining farm lands and the cities of McLean County. The factory burned several years be- fore the time of Mr. Pike's retirement. He lives on Mason Street, in Chenoa.
On July 28, 1869, Mr. Pike married Miss Eunice Fugate, a native of Bloomington, and the daughter of William Fugate, a native of Kentucky and early settler of Illinois. Mrs. Pike had the following brothers and sisters: John, deceased; Mary, married William Hogue, both deceased ; and Thomas, deceased. To E. M. and Eunice (Fugate) Pike two children were born, as follows: Edward Scott, born June 2, 1870, a graduate of Jackson College, now associated with an advertising agency at Quincy, Ill .; and Eunice A., born May 30, 1874, married Joseph Powell Kerr on Aug. 24, 1901, who is an extensive farmer and stockman of Versailles, Ill., where he owns and operates 1,500 acres of well-improved land. There are 13 tenants on the Kerr land and during the early part of 1923, from
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
Jan. 1st, until April 1st, Mr. Kerr shipped eight cars of stock. Mrs. E. M. Pike died Dec. 13, 1919, and is buried in Chenoa Cemetery. Mr. Pike has two grandchildren, William Edward Pike, who attends the University of Wisconsin, and Robert Pike Kerr, attends high school.
E. M. Pike was one of the organizers of The State Bank of Chenoa and is now a director of the institution. He has served as sheriff of Mc- Lean County for two years and as supervisor of Chenoa for two terms. Mr. Pike has acted as president of the school board and for 34 successive years has given a gold medal to the student with the highest honors of the Chenoa schools. He has been presented with a gold-headed cane on two occasions, one by the board of school directors and the other by the Pike Hotel.
Mr. Pike has traveled extensively and his library is filled with many interesting and valuable souvenirs of his travels. He attended the reunion of his company of Illinois infantry at Joliet, Ill., on June 14, 1911, and on that occasion there were few of his comrades of Civil War days remain- ing. Mr. Pike has always been a temperate man and has been a mem- ber of all temperance organizations, and he has never used tobacco. He has been a member of the Presbyterian Church at Chenoa since Dec. 3, 1916. Mr. Pike is widely known and is one of the leading citizens of McLean County.
Wilbert Ferguson, professor of modern languages at Illinois Wes- leyan University in Bloomington, is among the widely known educators of McLean County. He was born in Union County, Ohio, Jan. 16, 1857, the son of William H. and Sarah (Main) Ferguson. William H. Fergu- son was a native of western Pennsylvania and his wife was born in Ohio, her parents having moved there from Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson spent their entire lives in Ohio.
Wilbert Ferguson was educated by his father, who was a teacher for many years. He entered Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, and was graduated from there in 1879 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Before completing his school work there Mr. Ferguson taught at LaRue, Ohio, and was also principal of the schools there. He then taught Greek at Adrian College in Michigan for eight years and at the end of that time went to Leipzig, Germany, as a student for two years.
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