USA > Illinois > Piatt County > History of Piatt County; together with a brief history of Illinois from the discovery of the upper Mississippi to the present time > Part 59
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MR. LEVI RICHNER, millwright, Mansfield, is of German and Irish descent, and a native of Pennsylvania. He moved to Belmont county,
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Ohio, in 1838, in 1847 to Monroe county, Ohio; thence to Champaign county, Illinois, in 1862. He lived in Champaign City seven years, then moved to the west half of section three in Blue Ridge in 1869. In 1873 he moved to Mansfield and built, in 1872, the only mill in the place, in which he has been most of the time since. He has plenty of mill work. His father, John Claudius Richner, was born in 1783, and was a soldier under Napoleon I in Germany. He was in the battles near Leipsic and Austerlitz. He came to America in 1806, and died when eighty-four years of age. His mother was of Irish descent. The subject of our sketch studied his trade in Ohio. IIe built a mill in Urbana, two in Champaign, several in Piatt county, besides others in the state. Mr. Richner considers this as good a county as there is in the state, and did what he could to locate the railroad in the county. He donated $50 to the Chicago & Paducah railroad. He owns a house and two lots in Mansfield, and built his present house in 1875. . Mr. Richner was married in 1851, and has five children living: John married Cynthia Marsh and is a butcher in Mansfield; George W., unmarried, is a miller in Mansfield, and has owned the mill since September 1, 1880; he attended the Illinois State University and studied mechanical engineering; William (see his sketch) ; Anderson and Ida are at home. Her recent eighteenth birthday was celebrated by a party.
MR. WILLIAM RICHNER, butcher, Mansfield, is a native of Ohio, from which place he moved to Champaign county, Illinois, in 1862, and to Piatt county in 1869. After moving into Mansfield, in 1874, he worked in a mill for a time, but in 1879 opened a butcher shop. He was married in 1879, to Alice Plummer, and lias one child, Essie. Mr. Richner seems to have a preference for a certain date. He moved to Champaign county, to Piatt county, and was married on April 8.
MR. WESTLEY W. SMITH (deceased) was a native of Virginia, from which state he went to Ohio, where he was reared. He moved to Indiana in 1838, and in 1843 settled in Sangamon township, Piatt county, and entered the land where Alexander Argo now lives. He was married in 1836, to Eliza M. Cissna, who died of cholera July 8, 1854. Mr. Smith died in 1846. They had three children. Of these, Joshua was married in 1860, to Martha E. Dickson, and has two chil- dren living; he moved into Blue Ridge township in 1860, at which time he thinks there were but seventy voters in that township and less than one-fifth of the prairie was broken up. He went to the late war from Champaign county in Co. D, 25th Ill. Vols. ; he was disabled near
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Booneville, Mississippi, just after the evacuation of Corinth ; he was in no regular battle, but in a good many skirmishies; in 1869. Joshua Smith moved just over the line into Champaign county ; Mary J. Smith became the wife of Mr. McLain and lives in Kansas City ; Westley W. Smith is in the west.
MR. C. W. SNELL, merchant, Mansfield, is a native of Indiana, and moved to Piatt county, Blue Ridge township, in 1866. He came to Mansfield in 1877, and has been in the merchandise business for two `years, but at first was a hotelkeeper. He and his wife own a business building and their residence and lot. He was married in Indiana in 1866, to America J. Rownd, a native of Kentucky. Seven of their eight children are living, Louis, Viola, Nellie, John, Curly, Charles and May. Mr. Snell went into the army from Indiana in 1862, in Co. E. 68th Ind. Inf. The principal battle he took part in was that of Chickamauga, where he was captured by the rebels and retained over fourteen months, in which time he was at Atlanta, Belle Island, Rich- mond, Danville, Charleston, Florena and Andersonville. While at these places lie lost his health in a measure. He escaped twice from prison, once getting five miles away, and again sixty miles, but both times he was chased down by bloodhounds, and was made to retrace the sixty miles on foot from + P.M. to 10 A.M. of the next day. It is his opinion that the book recently written about Andersonville is not overdrawn ; that the half was not told in it. Mr. Snell is a member of the I.O.O.F. lodge.
MR. F. SULLIVAN, harness maker, Mansfield, is a native of Ireland. He came to America in 1850, and settled in Vermont in 1851. He went to Massachusetts in 1861, and in 1862 went to New York, where he remained until 1870. when he came west to Bloomington. The same year he located at Mansfield, and erected the first house, a harness shop, in the corporation of Mansfield. When a schoolboy in Rutland, Vermont, in 1851, he was badly crippled, losing both of his feet. He was married in New Jersey in 1870, to Margaret McCarthy, who died in 1880, leaving one boy, James. He was married again in 1881, to Bridget Sullivan.
MR. C. M. STREETER, carpenter, Mansfield, was born in Ohio, and moved to Champaign. Illinois, in 1869. He came to Mansfield when there were but two or three houses built, and he has assisted in build- ing the most that have been erected since. He owns a house and two lots in the place. He was married in Ohio, to Pleasant Langham, and
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has two children, John B. and Magnolia. Mr. Streeter went to the army from Ohio in Co. M of the 1st Ohio Heavy Artillery.
DR. A. H. Scorr, physician, Mansfield, is a native of West Virginia, and moved from there direct to Piatt county in 1872. He graduated in 1851 from Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, and served four years as surgeon in the confederate army. . At present his practice extends into De Witt, Champaign and McLean counties. He has never been an office seeker, but has held the office of trustee of the town for four years. Mr. Scott was married in West Virginia to Martha Hogeland, and three of their six children are living. Ida, who is the wife of A. M. Scott, lives in Champaign, and has three children, James and Lillie. Mr. Scott owns house and two lots in Mansfield.
MR. J. C. SMITH, farmer, Farmer City, a native of Indiana, moved from that state to Illinois. He settled in Piatt county in 1868, and after working two years settled on the farm where he now lives. He owns 160 acres upon which he has put all improvements. The farm is in a good condition. A neat house and barn has been built, and about 1,000 rods of tiling has been put in. He married Lide Robinson and has had three children, Omer, Nora and Ray. Mr. Smith has not been left out of all the township offices. He has been school director and pathmaster.
MR. A. S. B. SMITH, farmer, Farmer City, was born in Indiana, from which state he moved to Piatt county in 1872. He bought his present home-place of eighty acres in 1874, and has made all the improve- ments on it except a hedge. Tile ditching has been made to the extent of 250 rods, and there are about eighty rods of open ditching. The crop which brought Mr. Smith the most money for the amount of land used was his potato crop of 1881. He had three and a half acres of peachblow potatoes, which averaged eighty bushels to the acre, and for which he received one dollar a bushel. He was married in 1877, to Bettie Cox, and has had two children, Effie and Arthur.
MR. D. W. SMITH, farmer. Farmer City, was born in Indiana in 1829. His parents were from the same state and of English and Ger- man descent. His father's people were early settlers of Pennsylvania, and his grandfather was in the war of 1812. Mr. Smith moved to Piatt county in 1857, and now owns 220 acres of land in his home- place, and has made a good many improvements since buying it. He was married in 1854, to Mary Smith, and has had seven children, six of whom are living : Fannie, a student of the Normal University, is
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living at home; Ralph C. married Linnie Cox; Sebra E. who has attended the State Normal ; Florence L., Emma F. and Elmer J. are at home.
MR. MICHAEL THOMAS, farmer, Farmer City, is a native of Ohio. His parents were from Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and died in Illi- nois. His father went to Chillicothe, Ohio, when there was but one house in the place. From there he moved to Indiana in 1827, and in 1841 to Missouri, and in 1847 he settled in Illinois. Michael moved to Piatt county in 1864, and bought the place he lives on, which is now owned by two of his sons. He used to hunt all over Blue Ridge township, and he says that if congress had offered to deed him land at that time he would have taken it as an insult. He assessed the town- ship about the year 1866. He went all over it on foot and received thirty dollars for the work. He was assessor at another time, and has been school director. At an early day he remembers of hauling corn to Champaign for ten cents a bushel. He was inarried in 1830, to Mary Marsh, and has had thirteen children, nine of whom are living : Abraham died in the army ; George married Susan Meliza, and lives in Iowa; Almira married William F. Hicks, and lives in Kansas ; James went to the army, lost his health, both of mind and body, and is now at home ; Columbus married Anna Henline, has four children, and lives in Kansas ; A. Thomas married Nancy Smith, has two chil- dren, Fred and Dick, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; William mar- ried Nancy Perry, has one boy, Abraham, and lives in Blue Ridge township ; Robert lives at home. Mr. Thomas was married again in 1867, to Mrs. John Hart née Catharine Kinser, who had four children by her first husband, one of whom, Hanna Alma Hart, is living. Since her last marriage she has one daughter, Nellie May, who is at home.
MR. ISAAC W. THOMAS, formerly a resident of Piatt county, came with his parents to Illinois in 1847. He was married in 1856, to Elizabeth Stucky. They have had five children, but none are living now. After marriage Mr. Thomas lived in Blue Ridge township, on the state road, until 1864, when he moved to Farmer City, where he now lives.
MR. P. M. TAYLOR is a native of Virginia, and is of Irish and English lineage. His parents lived and died in Virginia. He lived in Vir- ginia until 1871, when he moved onto a farm about four miles from Mansfield. After living during the summer on the farm, he moved into Mansfield. He and Mr. S. H. Alexander owned the second store
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building in Mansfield. He afterward built the house he now lives in. At the present time (1881) Mr. Taylor is police magistrate and notary public. He was married in 1837, to Ann V. Hider. He was married again in 1877, to Frances E. Jolinson. One daughter, Harriet A., married Minor Cunningham, December 23, 1868, and has six children. A niece, Fannie Taylor, has made her home at Mr. Taylor's ever since she was three years old, ever since her mother's death.
MR. GARRETT VAN METER (deceased) was a resident of Virginia. In 1852, through an agent, he entered six and a quarter sections of land in the vicinity of what is now Van Meter Station. The land re- mained idle until in 1864, when Jacob Van Meter began breaking it. The owner of the land never saw it but once, and that was in the fall of 1864. He died about the close of the war, and his widow moved to this county in 1867. A portion of the land has been sold, but she and her nine children are living on the remaining part. Her son, Solomon, married Miss A. Parsons, has two children, William Thomas and Lelia Vernon, and lives in Blue Ridge township. Jacob Van Meter was married in 1857, to Anna M. Harness, a native of Virginia. Seven of his children are living: Margaret is the wife of Robert Sher- rard, a grain merchant in McLean county, and has one child. His other children, Kate, John, Oliver, Susan, Nannie T. and Sally H. are at home. He moved onto the farm in 1864, and built his present residence about one year later. He now owns eighty acres of land. upon which he has put all the improvements. He donated the land for Fairview school-house. He has been commissioner of highways, was school director for eighteen years, and held the office of super- visor for four years. Mr. Charles Van Meter improved the farm of 160 acres which he lives on. He has planted about a thousand trees on the place, and has built a neat frame residence on the south side of the Ridge. According to Gen. Mansfield, the ground is sixty feet higher than it is at Mansfield, and the name of the home is "Fairview " or "Sunnyside." Mrs. Van Meter, her sons Garrett and Isaac, and her daughter Tabitha live. with Charles Van Meter in this house. Will- iam C. married Maggie Chambers, and has five children, Nora O., Kenny C., Lena H., Tabitha V. and Virginia. Ann Rebecca Van Meter is the wife of Rev. M. Crews, a Methodist minister, and lives near Van Meter switch ; Miss Tabitha's land is under cultivation, and there are three houses on it. Garrett Van Meter owns 160 acres of land, upon which he has planted some 200 trees. He has put in 200 rods of tiling, and every acre of land is under cultivation. Sally Van
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Meter was married in 1876, to Mr. Edwin $. Cunningham, who moved into the county in 1881. They own a farm of 320 acres, which is all under cultivation. There are two houses on the place, and prepara- tions are being made for other improvements. Mr. Garrett Van Meter Sr., used to own some land in Moultrie county. His agent there in selling the land made some mistake in the titles, and not long since one of the buyers found the title of his land questionable. He started out to find the signers of the deed, and accidentally found that there were some Van Meters in Piatt county. He came in search of them, and in a very few hours after his arrival had seen every one of the nine signers of the deed.
MR. H. M. VINING, farmer, Mansfield, is of English descent, and was born in Ohio. He moved from Franklin county to Piatt county, Illinois, in 1850, and in 1871 moved into Mansfield, where he owns three houses and six lots. He also owns 120 acres of land in Blue Ridge township, which is all under cultivation. His father was one of the Worthington Company, from Massachusetts and Connecticut, which located in Ohio in 1804, and he was in the war of 1812. Mr. Vining was married in 1849, to Mary J. Ruekman, who has lost one child. They have raised two children not their own. Nancy Ruck- man, now Mrs. George Davis, has six children ; Maud Slater is still at home, and the name of the other is Ida Shepherd. When Mr. · Vining came to the county he had but $4.50. Mr. Argo seemed to be his best friend. One winter his last $5 bought a barrel of fish, and the family had to live on that with what they had raised. He did not come to the connty too late to miss all of the trials common to new settlers.
MR. RICHARD WEBB, an early settler of Piatt county, now living in Farmer City, was born May 6, 1799, in Shelby county, Kentucky. His parents were from Virginia, and settled in Kentucky "when the Indians were scalping." His father, though over age, took his eldest son's place in the army, and was killed in the war of 1812. His mother came to Illinois and died here. Mr. Webb moved to Illinois November 16, 1833. He first settled in Illinois on Salt creek, and a portion of his land was within the present bounds of Piatt county. He rented his farm near Farmer City, and entered forty acres, which was a portion of what has long been known as the Gardner farm. He made the first improvements on this place. After living here about four years he sold out to James Watson. On July 28, 1828, Mr. Webb and Hettie E. Watson were united in marriage. Their daughter
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HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
Caroline became the wife of James Busey, has three children and lives in Missouri. Dulcina died when seventeen years old. Mary J. mar- ried John Williams, who died, leaving two children. She next married Charles Williams, has five children and lives in Farmer City. Armilda became the wife of William W. Watson, and has seven chil- dren living. Henry W. married Sophronia Campbell, has three children and lives in Farmer City. Lucy Ann married F. J. Hefling, and died in 1875. Charles Allen, who has been deaf and dumb ever since lie was two years old, was educated for eleven years at Jackson- ville. He is now at home. William G. married Emma Shaw, has two children, Fred F. and Louis Allen, and lives in Piatt county. The first Mrs. Richard Webb died in 1847, and Mr. Webb married Mrs. Anderson, née Elizabeth M. Hulsey. She is a native of Indiana, was reared in Kentucky and was married in Bloomington to Dr. John Anderson. He left one daughter, the wife of Mr. Jolin Cheney, of Bloomington. Only one of Mrs. Webb's last four children is living. Miss Laura, one of the most successful teachers in Farmer City, although not a graduate, attended school at Bloomington, and has quite a good practical education. The subject of our sketch carries his age well. He says he has good health, and has liad for forty years. His hearing is good. He thinks he owes a share of liis good feelings to the fact that he takes a glass of warin water each morning.
MR. JOSEPH WOODING, farmer, Galesville, was born in Northamp- . ton county, England. He came to America when fourteen years old, and landed in Pennsylvania, but his folks settled in New Jersey. He moved from there to Fulton county, Illinois, and in 1860 settled in the northern part of Goose Creek township. Mr. Wooding's mother and three of her sons came to Illinois, but Joseph is the only one now left. Mr. Wooding moved onto the place he now lives on in 1870. He owns 156 acres; upon which he has put all the improvements. About five hundred fruit trees and seven hundred walnut trees liave been planted. There is open ditching to the extent of 300 rods, and 160 rods of ditching has been made with a mold ditcher. In 1874 a good-sized ten room frame house was erected. Mr. Wooding has been successful as a farmer. In 1871 his corn averaged seventy busliels to the acre, and in 1880 the average was fifty bushels. In 1878 and 1879 his wheat averaged forty bushels to the acre. He was married January 1, 1866, to S. Elizabetlı Littleton, and has had five children, two of whom are living, Willard Earl and Stella Pearl. He has not escaped his share of office-holding since living in the county. He has been school director,
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and was trustee for nine years. Mr. Wooding says that when he first came to the county no consideration could have persuaded him to remain, had he not leased the land where he was. He experienced some of the hardships incident to the early settling of any country. Mr. Wooding kept house once while his folks went to Fulton county, and for two whole weeks he "never saw a living soul." He related to us his thoughts when he found the first wolf he had seen in the county. He started after it with a dog, and he was so certain of the capture of the animal that he even pictured to himself the manner in which he would snatch it by the heels and beat it to death. He soon saw that his plans and the wolf had gone "a-gley."
MR. WILLIAM WARREN, farmer, Mansfield, came from England to America about 1855, and remained in Auburn, New York, several years. He then came to Piatt county, and remained until 1862, when he left his family liere and went to California, returning in 1865. He was married in 1859, to Ann E. Gordon. They built their present nice residence in 1874. They have five children, John Franklin, Nancy Jane, Thomas Henry, Emily and Charlie, all at home. Mr. Warren returned to England on a visit in 1875.
MR. JOHN WARREN, farmer, Mansfield, is from Sussex county, England. He came to New York in the fall of 1853, and about 1859 came to Illinois. He was married in England, to Miss Isaacson. Of his children, John married Miss Wolf and lives in this county ; and the names of the others are Mary V., Josephine K., George T., Susan and Anna. Mr. and Mrs. Warren were the first married couple to leave Exning, Suffolk county, England, for America. Their fathers are still living inEngland, and the Warren brothers here have paid their father's rent in England for twelve years. When Mr. Warren first came to the county he worked for Cope & Willis. He began with $40 in money, and now owns 200 acres of land, which he has improved himself. He moved to the present liome place in 1866, and now, comparatively, their trials are over. The family belonged to the Episcopal church, and after coming to the county, did not hear their own church service for fifteen years. They were on the prairie without trees so long that Mrs. Warren actually forgot "when apple trees bloomed."
MR. S. R. WALKER, Mansfield, is of Scoteli and English descent, and his childhood home was in Saratoga county, New York, and in the vicinity of some of the revolutionary battle-fields. Stillwater and Bemis Heiglits were not far distant. In the battle which occurred : 39
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HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
October 7, 1777, Gen. Frazer received his mortal wound fifteen rods distant from, and was carried to, Mr. Walker's home. Mr. Walker has a piece of a plank of the floor of the house in which Gen. Frazer died. Mr. Walker has many relics from the battle-fields referred to, where skeletons of a number of men were plowed up. He has a copy of Burgoyne's orderly book and a register which contains the autograph of John Q. Adams and several other great men of the United States. We are very glad to have this opportunity of speaking of Mr. Walker's interesting relics. Mr. Walker was married twice in New Jersey. He came to Illinois in 1865, and his second wife died in Champaign county. He moved to Mansfield, April 3, 1870. At this time the station house was unfinished. He acted as agent for the railroad for a time for nothing, when he was employed as agent, and remained such until 1875. He was also a lumber merchant and dealt in farming implements. He thinks the first article shipped to Mansfield for sale was a corn-planter for C. W. Van Meter, and it is yet good. Mr. Walker was made postmaster August 5, 1870. He was married in Bloomington, in 1872, has six children, three of whom are at home, and lives in one of the first and largest houses in Mansfield.
MR. EDWARD WALKER, Mansfield, was the first station agent at Blue Ridge, and began work in December, 1877. He was first post- master too. Mr. Walker was married April 4, 1877, to Miss Alice M. Roseberry, and has two boys, John R. and Earl D.
MR. J. W. WALKER, merchant, Mansfield, was born in Ross county, Ohio. He moved from there to Macon county about 1865, thence to Champaign county, then to De Witt, and finally located in Piatt county in 1876. He began immediately as a merchant, and owned the building he now occupies, but has sold it, and is building a commodious business house, the largest in town, 22×70 feet ; the upper part will be used for a hall. He expects soon to use it for general merchandise. He owns the dwelling that is on the lot with "business house. Mr. Walker was married in Champaign county about 1872, to Eliza Cunningham, and two of their four children are living, Harlow A. and Roy. Mr. Walker has been township collector for two years. His grandfather was in the war of 1812.
DR. I. M. WELLS, Mansfield, was born in 1814, in Pennsylvania, but was raised in Ohio, to which state he was brought by his father when but two years old. Dr. Wells moved from Ohio to Wisconsin, where, in Calumet county, he remained nineteen years, and then moved to Piatt county in 1872. He studied medicine under a physi-
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cian, and after coming to this county did a small amount of practicing in connection with his drug business. He was married in 1841, to Elizabeth Pemrose, who died, leaving one daughter, Mary E., who married Hugh McDonald, and lives in Ohio. He was again united in marriage in 1853, to Susan Miller, and has three daughters, Edwina, Eudora and Berletta. Dr. Wells went to the army from Wisconsin in Co. E of the 21st reg., and served from 1862 to 1864, taking part in many skirmishes and the battles of Perryville .. Since coming to the county he was elected justice of the peace.
MR. GEORGE A. WHEELER, farmer, Farmer City, a native of Con- necticut, moved from that state to Peoria county, Illinois, when thir- teen years of age. and in 1867 settled on his present home-farm in Piatt county. He owns 159 acres of land, and donated one acre to the Betliel church. He has made all the improvements on the place, includ- ing the planting of some 800 fruit trees, and the making of ditches sufficient to put the entire place under cultivation. The best corn crop he has raised was eight years ago, when from sixty acres he got about 4,200 bushels of corn. He was married December 11, 1867, to Mar- tha Milam, and has had five children, Charlie E., Frank L., Ida M., Edgar A. and George L. He is road commissioner at the present, has been school director for three or four years, and is trustee of the Bethel church.
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