USA > Illinois > McLean County > History of McLean County, Illinois, Volume II > Part 46
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Elmer Thieleman married Gertrude Marton, a sister of his brother's wife.
August Thieleman was a Prohibitionist and a member of the Methodist Church of Bloomington. The Thieleman family is well known and highly respected in McLean County.
E. B. Douglass, a prosperous farmer and stockman of Lexington Town- ship, is the owner of 100 acres of well improved land and is a widely known breeder of pure bred Chester White hogs. He was born in Lexington Township, Nov. 4, 1877, the son of James P. and Mary S. (Paul) Douglass.
James P. Douglass was a native of Morristown, N. J., born April 18, 1836, and his wife was also born in the same place, May 27, 1843. The Douglass family came to McLean County in 1868 and Mr. Douglass became a leading farmer of Lexington Township, where he owned a well improved farm. He died June 9, 1920, and his wife died April 10, 1923. They were the parents of 10 children, six of whom are now living, as follows: Anna, married Frank Hanks, lives in Lexington Township; Lucretia, the widow of Harmon Hoag, lives at Lexington; Everett P., a farmer, lives in Martin Township, McLean County ; E. B., twin brother of Everett P., and the ubject of this sketch; Bertha, married Curtis Mahan, lives in Money Creek Township; and Oran, farms the Hoag farm in Hudson Township, McLean County.
E. B. Douglass grew up on his father's farm and attended the public and high schools of Lexington, from which he was graduated in 1899. He then taught school for six years and at the end of that time rented land until 1911, which he farmed. Since 1911 Mr. Douglass has owned and
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operated his present farm of 100 acres in Lexington Township and he is among the successful stockmen of the county.
On Feb. 14, 1904, Mr. Douglass was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Rockel, a native of McLean County, and the daughter of William and Hester (Heller) Rockel, both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Douglass have no children.
Mr. Douglass is a Republican and a member of the Baptist Church. He is a leading and representative citizen of his community.
James J. Costello, a member of the firm of Costello & O'Malley, cloth- iers of Bloomington, is a well known business man of McLean County. He was born in Ireland, Oct. 2, 1848, the son of Edmund and Johanna (O'Keefe) Costello.
The Costello family came to the United States from Ireland in 1862, settling at Albany, N. Y. Two years later Edmund Costello came to McLean County and located at Bloomington, and several months later he sent for his family. They lived on a farm near Towanda, Ill., until 1870, when Mr. Costello moved to Pottawatomie County, Ill., where he died. Mr. and Mrs. Costello were the parents of five children, of whom James J., the subject of this sketch, is the only one now living.
James J. Costello received his education in the district schools of Ireland, and after coming to McLean County with his parents in 1864 was employed as a section hand on the Texas, Peoria and Western Railroad. After working a short time in St. Louis and Belleville, Ill., he went south and worked on a levee in Louisiana. In 1867 Mr. Costello returned to McLean County and engaged in the coal business at Bloomington, which he operated successfully for 17 years. He is now in partnership with his son-in-law, Charles O'Malley. This is one of the well established com- mercial enterprises of Bloomington, and the firm conducts a good business.
On Oct. 8, 1875, Mr. Costello was married to Miss Mary O'Neill, a native of Ireland, and to this union two children were born, as follows: Kate, married Charles O'Malley ; and James J., Jr., married Anna Schewe, and they live at Bloomington.
Mr. Costello has always taken an active interest in politics, and served as mayor of Bloomington for two terms, and during his term of office extensive public improvements were made. He has been a member
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of the Ancient Order of Hibernians for 50 years, and has belonged to the Knights of Columbus for 34 years. Mr. Costello is an interesting pioneer of MeLean County, and holds the high regard of all who know him.
John D. Shiner, county supervisor and successful farmer of Hudson Township, is a native of McLean County. He was born on a farm in Hudson Township, Sept. 22, 1862, the son of Jacob and Dorothy (All- baugh) Shiner.
Jacob Shiner was a native of Virginia and served during the Mexican War. He then went to Ohio and later came to Illinois, where he owned a farm in Hudson Township. Mrs. Shiner was a native of Licking County, Ohio, and how lives at Hudson, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Shiner had 10 children, eight of whom are now living. John D., the subject of this sketch, is the fifth in order of birth.
John D. Shiner spent his boyhood on his father's farm and attended the district schools. He worked as a farm hand for 13 years and later rented land. In 1917 Mr. Shiner purchased his present farm in Hudson Township, which is well improved, and he is well known as a successful farmer.
On April 9, 1895, Mr. Shiner was united in marriage with Miss Mary Arnold, a native of Towanda Township, McLean County, and the daughter of Gottlieb and Catherine (Blum) Arnold, natives of Germany and early settlers of McLean County. To John D. and Mary (Arnold) Shiner four children have been born, as follows: Carroll, Gottlieb, John E., and Lucile Shiner.
Mr. Shiner is a Democrat and was elected county supervisor in 1918, which office he still holds. He is one of the highly esteemed and widely known men of McLean County, where he is regarded as a man of integrity and a citizen of great worth.
H. W. Kelly, vice-president of the Campbell Holton Company, whole- sale grocers of Bloomington, was born at Heyworth, Ill., Sept. 6, 1870, and is the son of Abram and Julia A. (Wylie) Kelly.
Abram Kelly was a native of Washington County, Pa., and an early settler of Illinois. He served throughout the Civil War with Company B,
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94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He followed his trade as blacksmith in Heyworth for many years and died in 1896 at the age of 69 years. His wife, a native of Wheeling, W. Va., died in 1920, at the age of 85 years. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly were the parents of three children, as follows: Eva, the widow of James W. Brown, lives at Normal; Lola, deceased, was the wife of E. C. McFarland; and H. W., the subject of this sketch.
H. W. Kelly spent his boyhood at Heyworth and received his education in the schools there. After clerking in a grocery store at Heyworth for one year he came to Normal. In 1892 he became engaged in the wholesale grocery business. When the Campbell Holton Company was organized in Bloomington Mr. Kelly was traveling for Sprague, Warner & Company of Chicago, and he resigned this position and became connected with the Bloomington firm. He is one of the organizers of the concern and has been vice-president of the company since 1917. Mr. Kelly is one of the pioneer merchants of Illinois and the firm of which he is a member is among the leading business houses of McLean County.
In 1892 Mr. Kelly was married to Miss Josephine M. Kennedy, a native of Livingston County, Ill., and to this union one child was born, Howard W., who is married and lives in Livingston County, Ill.
Mr. Kelly is a Republican and a member of the Second Christian Church. He is a substantial citizen of McLean County and is widely and favorably known.
Richard M. O'Connell, city attorney of Bloomington, is a prominent attorney of McLean County, was born in Bloomington, Aug. 28, 1886, and is a son of Edmond and Mary M. O'Connell.
Edmond O'Connell, well known attorney of Bloomington, is a native of New York. His wife was born in Iowa. Mr. O'Connell's office is located in the Greisheim Building and he lives at 218 South Bale Street, Bloomington. Richard M. O'Connell, the subject of this sketch, is their only child.
Richard M. O'Connell has always lived in Bloomington. He attended the public and high schools there and was graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1910, where he studied law. While a student at college he worked as reporter on the Pantagraph. Mr. O'Connell has practiced law in this city since the time of his graduation and until 1919 was in partner-
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ship with Ned E. Dolan, who is now associated with his father in the Pantagraph Printing Company. Mr. O'Connell was elected city attorney in 1915.
On June 21, 1913, Mr. O'Connell was married to Miss Edna M. Mahaf- fey, a native of Danvers, Ill., and the daughter of William C. and Minnie O. Mahaffey. Mr. Mahaffey is deceased.
Mr. O'Connell is a Republican and belongs to the Bloomington Club. He is a member of the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. As a public official Mr. O'Connell has been efficient, just and considerate.
Frank Oberkoetter, who for years was one of the most highly es- teemed and prominent business men of Bloomington, died suddenly on March 18, 1924. He was born in Bloomington, on March 5, 1859, a son of Frank and Mary (Schroer) Oberkoetter, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.
Frank Oberkoetter received his education in the parochial and pub- lic schools of Bloomington and attended college in St. Louis. After re- ceiving a good business education he became associated in the wholesale grocery business with his father, in which he continued until 1913. He was one of the organizers of the American State Bank of Bloomington and served as vice-president since the time of its organization. He was also a member of the board of directors.
Since his retirement from the wholesale business, he has been en- gaged in other lines of endeavor altho not so actively. As vice-president of the American State Bank, vice-president of the Bloomington Loan and Homestead Association, and also identified with other financial and com- mercial interests, his time was fully occupied.
On June 5, 1905, Mr. Oberkoetter was married to Miss Mary A. Becker, a native of Baltimore, Md., and the daughter of Frederick and Mary Becker. Mr. and Mrs. Becker, now deceased, are buried in Balti- more. To Frank and Mary (Becker) Oberkoetter three children have been born, as follows: Frank, Jr., born in 1910; Mary E., born in 1913, and Antoinette, born in 1915.
Mr. Oberkoetter was especially prominent during the World war when he was one of the leaders in the Red Cross work, Liberty loan drives and other activities, his services being widely diversified and be-
FRANK OBERKOETTER.
FRANK OBERKOETTER, SR.
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ing deeply appreciated by the entire community. None were more faith- ful and none more active than he, in the various lines of patriotic en- deavor. He was also a very generous contributor.
Mr. Oberkoetter was a member of St. Mary's German Catholic church; of the St. Francis and St. Joseph Benevolent Societies of that parish ; of the Knights of Columbus; of the Bloomington Club, and of the McLean County Country Club.
Deeply interested in music and a hearty supporter of all musical en- terprises, he was quite talented himself, playing the violin cello with un- usual skill.
A successful business man, loyal to Bloomington, a leader in all en- terprises that would help to promote the welfare of the Evergreen City, Mr. Oberkoetter was a high type of citizenship, and his death is a distinct loss to the community with which he has been so long and so prominent- ly identified. His home life was ideal. A kind and indulgent husband and father, he was idolized by all members of his family and his un- timely summons is an overwhelming blow to the widow and children.
Frank Oberkoetter, deceased, was among the successful pioneer busi- ness men of Bloomington. He was born in Germany, Jan. 25, 1828, and was the son of Henry and Katie (Lemme) Oberkoetter.
Frank Oberkoetter was reared and educated in Germany and after serving a brief apprenticeship at the carpenter trade, he boarded a vessel for the United States in 1850, landing in New Orleans. After spending five years in St. Louis he came to Bloomington in 1857 and opened a small retail grocery store, which he operated until 1871.
In 1871 Mr. Oberkoetter formed a partnership with Jacob Jacoby, the firm being known as F. Oberkoetter & Company. Upon the death of Mr. Jacoby in 1893, the firm then became known as the F. Oberkoetter & Sons, and Mr. Oberkoetter being in poor health, the business was managed by his sons, Frank, Henry J., Herman and William M. Mr. Oberkoetter died July 25, 1895, and his wife died in 1903. The business was continued by the sons until 1913, when it was sold to the Hawks, Incorporated.
To Frank and Mary (Schroer) Oberkoetter the following children were born: Frank, deceased, a sketch of whom appears in this volume;
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Henry, retired; Herman; William, who died in 1914; Anna E., Rose M., and Mary E.
Mr. Oberkoetter was well known and highly respected in McLean County and the Oberkoetter family ranks among the representative fami- lies of the county.
Henry Oberkoetter, retired, is a well known and highly respected citi- zen of Bloomington. He was born in Bloomington, Aug. 27, 1860, and is the son of Frank and Mary (Schroer) Oberkoetter, a sketch of whom appears in this history.
Henry Oberkoetter was reared and educated in Bloomington and for many years was associated in the wholesale grocery business with his father, as salesman. The business was later known as F. Oberkoetter & Sons, and was conducted by Frank, Henry, Herman and William M., all brothers. Henry, the subject of this sketch, now lives retired at 503 S. Main Street, Bloomington.
Mr. Oberkoetter is unmarried. He is a Democrat and a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, at Bloomington. He is a member of the Bloomington Club, McLean Country Club and the Auto Club. He is one of the substantial and highly respected citizens of Bloomington.
Hiram A. Rodee, widely known lawyer, orator and lecturer of McLean County, was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., March 2, 1878, and is the son of Hiram and Cornelia (Cramton) Rodee.
Hiram Rodee was a native of New York and his wife was born in Vermont. He was a miller by trade and in 1881 moved to South Dakota where he engaged in farming until the time of his death. Mr. Rodee died in 1918 at the age of 82 years, and his wife died in 1915 at the age of 74 years. They were the parents of four children, of whom Hiram A., the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.
Hiram A. Rodee was five years of age when his parents moved to South Dakota. He received his education in the schools of Sanborn County and attended Dakota Wesleyan University for two years and South Dakota State College for two years. In 1897 he was graduated from Martin's
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College in Washington, D. C., where he received the degree of Bachelor of Expression. After completing his education, Mr. Rodee engaged in farming until 1909, and during that time was engaged as manager of Rus- kin Park Chautauqua, which was established as a summer resort known as Ruskin Park in Sanborn County, S. D. He is well known throughout South Dakota as a logical, eloquent and convincing speaker. In 1909 Mr. Rodee sold his ranch and after spending some time traveling, came to Blooming- ton in 1911. After his marriage here on March 25, 1913, he went to Mitch- ell, S. D., where he practiced law until May, 1920, and since that time he has been located in Bloomington with offices at 230 Durley building. Mr. Rodee was admitted to the bar at Pendleton, Ore., in 1912, and at Pierre, S. D., in 1913.
Mr. Rodee married Miss Flora Schneider, a native of Bloomington, born April 23, 1876. She died Jan. 24, 1923. Mr. and Mrs. Rodee had no children.
In August, 1917, Mr. Rodee enlisted for service in the World War and was sent to the Officers' training school at Fort Snell, Minn. The armistice was signed before his physical qualifications were accepted. Mr. Rodee belongs to the Masonic lodge and Consistory of Bloomington, the American Legion and the Modern Woodmen of America. Since January, 1921, he has been First Reader in the Christian Scientist Church at Bloomington and has been a member of the Mother Church since 1912. Mrs. Rodee was a practitioner in that church and an ardent Christian Scientist.
William Osborn Davis-Few men in the history of McLean County during the last half century have had a more influential part in promoting the best interests of its people, both from a material and moral and edu- cational standpoint than did William O. Davis, for forty years owner and manager of the Daily Pantagraph, the only morning newspaper published in the county. From the year 1868 until the time of his death, in May, 1911, Mr. Davis was the chief factor in the direction and publication of the Pantagraph. Since his death, the newspaper continues in charge of a cor- poration composed of members of his family.
That Mr. Davis should have become a prominent newspaper publisher might have seemed a remote possibility to those who knew him as the son of a Pennsylvania farmer; but that was just the atmosphere which pro-
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duced so many of our leaders here in the west. Born and reared as Mr. Davis was in the historic atmosphere of eastern Pennsylvania, where rare physical beauty in the landscape and old culture kept company with rigid thrift and industry, made necessary by the poor soil, character such as leaders were made of would naturally be produced in a man of his native ability. Inheritance, of course, played its part in Mr. Davis' later achieve- ments. He came of a line of that sturdy Quaker stock that emigrated to the United States with William Penn, from whose grant of land about Philadelphia Mr. Davis' direct progenitor established the home farm on which Mr. Davis was born. The land in the hands of these families was improved, and saw in Mr. Davis' day a fine stone residence well furnished in the best the times could afford.
Executive skill his father must needs have possessed to rear a family of nine on a farm of 160 acres of Pennsylvania soil and make for a them a beautiful home with the added advantage of boarding schools to complete their education. The parents of Mr. Davis were wise, too, in shielding the delicate son William from the heavier work on the farm which the other boys took some part in each summer, and allowing him to indulge his pas- sion for reading and to express his creative taste in the many sketches which made up his interesting portfolio of later years.
It was over the farms of Mr. Davis' father, Hibbard Osborn Davis, and his grandfather, William Osborn, that the battle of Brandywine was fought. Here, too, the Sons of the Revolution placed their monument. Adjoining Chester county, in which these farms lay, was Lancaster county, where was situated the home of Jesse W. Fell, later of Bloomington and Normal, and these families were destined later to become more closely associated in new homes in the west.
As the children grew up, especially the boys, felt the stirrings of the wanderlust, and they longed for the west. William O. made a journey to Illinois and visited the Jesse Fell family, then on farther west, taking part in the migration which had Pike's Peak and the gold country for its objec- tive. Having spent some time in Colorado, he returned to this state, and inasmuch as he was better educated than the ordinary young man of that time, the Fell family induced him to remain over and teach a winter term of the district school, in the then sparsely settled region of Normal. Mean- time in the old home in Pennsylvania, the mother's health having grown frail, the elder Mr. Davis decided to dispose of the farm and make his
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home in the town of Westchester, and the land was accordingly sold, pass- ing out of the family after 200 years. From the home in Westchester the father made one or more trips to the west, and here bought land, in which the son, William O., became a farmer, his tract being located about two miles north of Normal. At about this time, the Civil War had broken out, and young Mr. Davis went to Washington to act as army paymaster for the earlier years of the struggle. In 1863 he returned here, and then cul- minated his romance, when he was married to Eliza, daughter of Jesse W. Fell, his old family friend. Between farming and school teaching, Mr. Davis continued his activities in and about Normal until the year 1868, when he first became interested in a newspaper.
Jesse Fell had had something to do with the struggling newspapers of the young town of Bloomington almost from its beginning, being one of the proprietors of the Observer, the first paper published in the city in 1837. Mr. Fell, Mr. Davis and James P. Taylor acquired the daily and weekly Pantagraph in the year above mentioned, and for forty years thereafter Mr. Davis gave his time, thought and wise management to the develop- ment of the property. A job printing shop was formerly connected with the newspaper, but Mr. Davis disposed of that to a separate company and continued to conduct the newspaper alone. His breadth of view, his in- stinctive knowledge of what the reading public wanted, and his eminent fairness, gave his paper a standing and a prosperity seldom equaled in any concern of its kind in a city of similar size. In 1908 the business was in- corporated with W. O. Davis as president, his son, Hibbard O. Davis, vice- president, and C. C. Marquis as secretary. The corporation still continues, but owing to ill health H. O. Davis withdrew from active management in 1923 and his interests are now represented by Davis Merwin, a grandson of W. O. Davis, whose position is assistant manager.
Perhaps the keystone of the success which Mr. Davis achieved as a manager of his newspaper was his faculty for choosing competent people for the detailed work, and then in keeping them for long terms in his em- ploy after his training had made them valued assistants. This he did by exhibiting a true fraternal interest in their personal comfort and welfare, bearing toward them more of the relation of a father than of the ordinary employer. This spirit in Mr. Davis bred a corresponding spirit of loyalty among his employes, and the Pantagraph is noted for the number of men and women who served long terms in its employ. After Mr. Davis' death,
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his son, Hibbard O. Davis, succeeded him as managing editor, and the latter carried out to a remarkably successful degree the policies which had made his father's unusual success.
The death of Mrs. Davis preceded that of her husband by nine years. The surviving children are H. O. Davis, now residing in California, who for several years actively managed the Pantagraph; Mrs. Helen Stevenson, wife of Lewis G. Stevenson ; and Mrs. Jessie Merwin, wife of Louis B. Mer- win of Bloomington. Of the original eleven members of the family of W. O. Davis back in Pennsylvania, only one sister now survives, she being Mrs. Elizabeth Lawton of Delavan.
It is interesting to record the estimates of the life of W. O. Davis as made by prominent citizens of McLean county who knew him best. For instance, Hon. Joseph W. Fifer, former governor of Illinois, says of him:
"For more than forty years W. O. Davis and I were close personal friends and whatever I have achieved in life is in no small measure due to his wise counsel and advice. I regard him as one of the very best men I ever knew, and the friendship that existed between us admitted of no secrets and no suspicions.
"His nature was warm and sympathetic, and all kinds of injustice and cruelty found an uncompromising foe in him. He had a sublime faith in the ultimate triumph of the true and the good, and to this end he devoted the best years of a long and useful life. Devotedly attached to the com- munity in which he lived, he gave with a liberal hand to every worthy cause. I never knew anyone who had a warmer sympathy for the weak and needy, and there are many now living in this city and county whose necessities have been generously but quietly relieved by his kindness, who can testify to the truth of this statement.
"Mr. Davis was one who appreciated and loved the better things of life. He was highly cultured, admired the artistic, and read the best literature. Many times in our quiet, friendly talks he expressed his great love for his children, and in this connection he emphasized the importance of culture and refinement, and would add that these things were more to be valued than worldly goods.
"Mr. Davis possessed executive ability and business judgment of a high order. The newspaper which he developed stands as a monument to his profound judgment and business sense. Never physically strong, in his closing years he felt that his frail body was giving way under his many re-
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sponsibilities and with a long, useful and generous life behind him he turned his face in hope and confidence toward the better world to come, and often said to me that he was not afraid to go. His whole life was a benediction, and no one who ever lived in this community has left a sweeter memory."
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