History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 122

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 122

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

now of Springfield, who enlisted in 1861, in the three months service; again enlisted in the Tenth Illinois Cavalry as a private, and was promoted step by step until he became Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment. He participated in all the engagements of the regiment; he married Miss Maria Reynolds, daughter of the Rev. William M. Reynolds, and they had one child, William R. The next son is John S., now engaged in the wholesale business at Chicago; was also in the same regiment with his brother, and was pro- moted as Captain. Annie, (now Mrs. Partridge, of Missouri); Margaret and LaRue, a graduate of Ruger's College, New Jersey, and one of the rising attorneys of Springfield. LaRue was married to Miss Minnie N. Tapping of New Jersey, October 20, 1881.

Hiram Walker, money loaner and real estate dealer, Springfield, Illinois, was born in Loudon county, Virginia, April 10, 1811, son of Daniel and Sally (Bail) Walker; mother a native of Pennsylvania, whose parents came over in the ship with William Penn. When a young girl, she went to Loudon county, Virginia, where she grew to womanhood and married. Mr. Walker was of Scotch descent. The subject of this notice was raised on a farm until he was seven- teen years old, when he learned the trade of iron worker. In the spring of 1835, he came to Illi- nois, and located on Horse creek, Sangamon county, where he commenced farming. His health failing, he went to Taylorville, Christian county, where he remained ten years; thence to Springfield, where he has been engaged in his present business ever since. Mr. Walker is one of the most extensive dealers in the county; has bought and sold thousands of acres of land, and is at present owner of two thousand acres of im- proved lands in this county.

Robert Webster, grocer, 913 East Monroe street, has operated in that line of merchandising since 1870, in Springfield, and for the past seven years at the above number. He keeps a general as- sortment of family groceries for the retail trade, and does a business of $10,000 a year. Mr. Webster is a native of Birmingham, England, and was born in 1828. In 1853, he came to America, and lived three years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; came to Illinois, and settled in Springfield in 1856; in 1860, went to Texas and spent two years; thence to California, and en- gaged in mining from Jannary, 1863, until July, 1868, when he returned to Springfield. Mr. Webster sent to England for his father, James Webster, who came over in 1857, and carried on the grocery business in Springfield until his

death, in 1875. Mr. Webster married Betsey Watson, an English lady, in Springfield, in the fall of 1874.

Howard K. Weber, cashier of the First National Bank, is one of a family of four chil- dren, and the younger of two living sons of William and Mary Weber nee Phillips; and was born in Maryland, June 27, 1843. His father was a Virginian by birth, and his mother is a native of his own State. Mr. Weber was edu- cated in Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsyl- vania. Owing to the excitement caused by the war of the Rebellion, he left school in the junior year, expecting to enter the Confederate army; but his father, being a War Democrat, opposed the measure, and by way of compromise induced him to come to Springfield, Illinois, in 1863, to visit some friends. He at once saw the struggle in a different light, became a Republican in poli- ties, cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, and has voted with that party since. Soon after locating in Springfield, Mr. Weber was appointed Assistant Commissary Sergeant of the post of Camp Butler, and held the office till the war closed; then left it to become messenger in the First National Bank. In 1879, he was elected to his present position. He is a Master in the Masonic fraternity, and a member in the Knights of Pythias. In Denver, Colorado, on September 20, 1879, Mr. Weber was united in marriage with Kate M. Gaw, of Baltimore, Mary- land. They have one son, James Horace. Mr. Weber is a member and trustee of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. His father and mother reside in Maryland, aged respectively seventy-four and sixty-six years. The brother, William E., is Cashier of the Third National Bank, Cumberland, Maryland.

William C. Wenzel, grocer, 306 North Fifth street, established the business at that point in 1878. He keeps a general stock of goods for the retail trade, and has a business of $11,000 per annum. Mr. Wenzel was born in Germany in 1853; came to the United States at the age of sixteen years, locating first in Clinton county, Iowa. In 1872, he changed to Crawford county, that State, and in August, 1874, came to Spring- field. He spent four years in the Lutheran Con- cordia College, from which he graduated in 1878; during the two last years he preached a portion of the time, and continued his ministerial labors a year after leaving the institution. In the latter part of 1878, he retired and engaged in the grocery business soon after. Mr. Wenzel mar- ried Katie Annie Maise , in May, 1879. She is

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

a native of Springfield, Illinois. They are both members of the German Lutheran Church.

Gerhard Westenberger, furniture dealer and manufacturer, 417 East Adams street, located in the business at that number in 1861; first as joint proprietor, but has been sole proprietor for fif- teen years. Ilis stock embraces a large assort- ment of parlor, bedroom and kitchen furniture, occupying four floors of his building, twenty by seventy-five feet in area. He is a practical cabi- net-maker, and carries on manufacturing in a moderate way, employing several hands, and conducts a thriving business. Mr. Westenberger is a native of Germany; emigrated to the United States when twelve years of age, settling in Springfield, Illinois, in July, 1848. He learned the trade early in life, and has steadily pursued it. In 1860, he married Mary Louise Bretz, in Springfield; she was a native of Kentucky. Her mother was a Kentucky lady, and married Mr. Bretz, a German by birth, in Frankfort of that State. Mr. and Mrs. Westenberger have nine living children, four sons and five daughters, and one son deceased. The eldest daughter is now married. He and family are members of the Catholic Church. His father carried on building and the manufacture extensively in Germany, and moderately after coming to Springfield. where he died about twelve years ago, aged nearly eighty-two years. His widow resides in the city, over seventy years old. Their family of four sons and a daughter are still living.

Floyd K. Whittemore, cashier of the State National Bank, of Springfield, is a native of Cayuga county, New York, and is thirty-five years of age. When a small boy he came with his parents to DeKalb county, Illinois, and was there educated in the district and high schools. Upon the election of Hon. James H. Beveridge to the office of State Treasurer, Mr. Whitte- more came to Springfield as his deputy, and after the completion of his term of office, ac- cepted the position of cashier in Jacob Bunn's banking house. After over four years service in that capacity, Mr. Whittemore, having been chosen cashier of the State National Bank, re- tired to enter upon the duties of his present of- fice. Hle has earned a place in the front rank among Springfield's business men. His father, some years a widower, resides in DeKalb county, Illinois. Mr. Whittemore has never married.

Colonel James White, Springfield, Illinois, was born in Adams county, near Gettysburg, Penns- ylvania, March 28, 1796; son of James and Polly White. He was reared on a farm and re- ceived an elementary school education. When

twenty-one years of age, he engaged in the stock business, buying and selling, his principal market being Philadelphia and Baltimore, till 1864. February 4, 1830, he came to Springfield, where he still kept up his stock business, dealing in land, owning one thousand eight hundred acres in this county. The Colonel is over eighty- five years of age; a man who has accumulated large fortunes; but by endorsing for others, has lost heavily. Ile is a man who has always been temperate, using neither intoxicating liquors or tobacco; is a strong Spiritualist, believing that he has communications from some of his old ac- quaintances that have passed away ; has always been just in his dealings, never taking a cent that did not belong to him, and always paying the last dollar for men that he has gone security for, paying over $50,000; is a member of the Good Samaritan, and Masonic orders.

Silas M. Whitecraft, farmer, Springfield, Illi- nois, was born in Bath county, Kentucky, on the sixth day of March, 1828; son of John and Rachael (Arnet) Whitecraft ; father of Irish and mother of English descent. In 1835, his parents emigrated to this county, and located in Woodside township, where he remained one winter, then removed to Christian county, then back to this county, when Mr. W. entered Gov- ernment lands and made a home, where he resided until his death, which occurred in July 25, 1847. In 1879, while his mother was return- ing from the fair, she was thrown from a wagon and killed. They were members of the Presby- terian Church, and died as they had lived, sincere Christians. Mr. Whitecraft planted the first orchards in this part of the country. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm. In 1864, he married Miss Lottie Price, daughter of Abram Price, of Madison county, New York. They have four children, viz : Mattie, Lottie, Mabel and Bessie. Mr. Whitecraft has been identified with the interests of the county for over forty years ; is one of the large and enter- prising farmers of the central part of Illinois ; he raises and feeds two hundred and fifty head of cattle and two hundred head of hogs.

George W. Whitecraft, retired farmer, resi- dence corner of Eighth and Douglas streets, was born in Bath county, Kentucky, in September, 1830. His parents, John Whitecraft and Rachel Arnett, were also natives of the same county, where they married and moved to Sangamon -now Christain county, in September, 1835. His father died on the old homestead sixteen miles southeast of Springfield, in 1847. His mother was killed by a runaway team while

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returning from a fair at Springfield in Septem- ber, 1875. They were the parents of six sons and a daughter, of whom the subject of this memoir is the youngest. His active life was all spent on the farm in the neighborhood of the old homestead in Christian county. In October, 1873, he purchased the property he now occupies and moved to the city. Mr. Whitecraft married Susan Williams, November 10, 1853. She is the daughter of Josiah Boynton Williams, of Cotton Hill township, Sangamon county, Illinois, where he settled forty-three years ago. Susan was born about three miles north of his present home in January, 1834, and is one of a family of five brothers and four sisters, eight of whom survive. Her parents are both alive, father aged seventy-two, mother sixty-seven years. Two brothers and a sister of Mr. W., reside in Chris- tian county, and one brother in Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Whitecraft are members of the Second Presbyterian Church. They own five hundred acres of fine farming land and a comfortable home in the city. In politics he is a Republi- can.

Dudley Wickersham, grocer, 609 Monroe street, has been engaged in that branch of mer- cantile life, in that location, twelve years. His store is large, being one hundred and fifty-seven feet deep, and amply stocked with the finest staple and fancy groceries in the market. He makes a specialty of the best grades of goods, and his store, which is a model of its class, abounds with the most tempting edibles, in which he conducts a very large retail trade. Col. Wickersham is a Kentuckian by nativity, born in Woodford county, where the first eighteen years of his life were passed on a farm. At that age he began mercantile life as a clerk in the town of Mortonsville. In 1844, he came to Springfield, and entered the employ of Col. John Williams, as salesman in his dry goods store. In June, 1846, Mr. Wickersham enlisted in the Fourth Illinois Regiment, Col. E. D. Baker commanding, and served a year in the war with Mexico. He started out as Corporal, and was promoted to Sergeant of Company A. Among the important battles in which he par- ticipated was that of Cerro Gordo, where he helped to carry General Shields from the field, in what was then supposed to be a dying condition. Returning home, Mr. Wickersham resumed work for Col. Williams, till he set him up in business in Athens, where he carried on a gen- eral store three years, then closed out and came back to Springfield. He became a partner in the dry goods firm of Smith, Edwards & Co.,

which relation continued until he entered the army in September, 1861, as a member of the Tenth Illinois Cavalry, of which he was ap- pointed by Governor Yates, Lieutenant Colonel, and two months later was elected Colonel. He commanded the regiment through the nearly four years of his military career. He was con- nected with the army of the frontier, west of the Mississippi, and saw much hard service. Owing to failing health, Colonel Wickersham resigned in May, 1865, and was unable to engage in busi- ness for nearly a year. After retiring from the service, he was appointed United States Assessor for the Eighth District, and filled that office several years, at the termination of which he embarked in the grocery trade. Colonel Wick- ersham is a Mason, and has taken all the degrees of the Order, to Knight Templar. In 1847, he married Miss Margaret Dickey, in Springfield. She was born in Kentucky, but brought up from childhood in Sangamon county, Illinois. They have two surviving children, William, salesman in the store, and Carrie, at home.

James Wickersham, attorney at law, firm of Wines & Wickersham, is a native of Illinois, born in Marion county, and is twenty-four years of age. After attending school there, he came to Springfield, in 1877, and in July of that year began the study of law in the office of ex-Gov- ernor John M. Palmer. In December, 1879, he was admitted to practice in the courts of Illi- nois, and in March, 1881, opened a law office. Previous to that, and up to the fall of 1881, he and his partner, Walter B. Wines, have been engaged in the United States census work, pre- paring a digest of the criminal laws of the different States as a part of the census report, on crimes and charities. In politics, Mr. Wicker- sham is a staunch Republican, and was a zealous supporter of Mr. Garfield's principles and ad- ministration. Mr. Wickersham married Debbie Bell, in October, 1880, who is a daughter of Isaac Bell, deceased, an early settler of Roches- ter township. He died the day after Mrs. Bell graduated from the city High School, in June, 1880. Her mother died some years before.

Noble B. Wiggins, of Leland & Wiggins, Leland Hotel, was born in Newburg, Ohio, October 21, 1841, where he lived on a farm and attended school during the winters; when eighteen years of age, he attended Hiram College, Ohio; re- mained there one year, when he enlisted in Gar- field's Regiment, Company G, Forty-second Ohio Infantry Volunteers, September 19 1861, and remained in the service until December 2,

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1864, when he was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio. He then returned to the farm at New- burg, Ohio, where he remained two years when he came to Springfield, arriving here April 6, 1867, and was employed as steward in the Leland Hotel, a position which he held until 1874, when he was admitted as a partner, in the firm of Le- land & Wiggins. His father, Benjamin L. Wig- gins, was born in Montpelier, Vermont, and when a young man drove a wagon from Vermont to Ohio, and peddled tinware and Seth Thomas clocks, finally settling on a farm in Cuyhoga county Ohio, where he remained until his death, July, 1864. IIis wife was Miss Lucy Bates Wiggins, born in Newburgh, Ohio. She died May 1868; she was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and the mother of four children, three living. The subject of this sketch, Noble B. Wiggins, married Miss Clarissa N. Leland, Oeto- ber 21, 1869; she was born in Cleveland, O., and was a daughter of Aaron P. Leland, and Miss Submit (Arnold) Leland. Mr. and Mrs. Wig- gins attend the First Presbyterian Church, and have a family of three children, viz .: Horace L., Louis N., and Lucy A. Wiggins.

Henry Williams, furniture merchant and un- dertaker, 420 East Washington street, has carried on this branch of merchandising in Springfield since 1848, and for six years previously worked in the city as a journeyman cabinet maker. The undertaking feature he has conducted over thirty years. His stock embraces a complete assort- ment of parlor, bed-room and kitchen furniture, and undertaker's supplies, and does a heavy retail trade, acting upon the " nimble shilling" motto, turning over his capital several times a year. Mr. Williams was born in Massachusetts in 1824; came to Illinois in 1839, and located in Brown county; in 1842 settled in Springfield and learned the cabinet trade; in 1850 he married Sarah Wall, who was born in Ireland. They have a family of two sons. The eldest, James II., is with his father in the store, and is serving his second year as alderman from the Second Ward. Both of Mr. Williams' parents were natives of Ireland. His mother is a resident of Sangamon county, aged eighty years; father died some years ago.

Colonel John Williams, one of the pioneer merchants, and one of Sangamon county's most enterprising, highly esteemed and successful business men, was born in Bath county, Ken- tucky, September 11, 1808. His paternal ances- tors emigrated from Wales and settled in Vir- ginia, where his father, James Williams, was born. His maternal ancestors were Scotch-Irish,

of the Presbyterian order, and settled in Penn- sylvania. His mother, Hannah Mappin, was born near Pittsburg, in 1776. After marrying, his parents settled in Kentucky, from whence they moved to Illinois in 1823, and settled on the farm still owned by the subject of this memoir, and where they both ended their earthly life a number of years ago.

Mr. Williams' school privileges were confined to the primitive log school house of Bath county, and chiefly to the winter terms, his summers be- ing occupied with labor on the farm; but being fond of books and study he made the most of what advantages offered. At fourteen years of age he began mercantile life, as store boy, in the store of J. T. Bryan, in Kentucky. He received no salary the first year, and the second year $50 and board was the compensation. In the fall of 1824, having completed his engagements, he, in company with several of his father's old neigh- bors, came on horseback to Illinois, and after visiting at his father's house two weeks, pro- ceeded to Springfield, arriving October 11, 1824, and at once entered the employ of Major Elijah Iles as store boy, at a salary of $10 per month and board. At the end of a year, Mr. Iles ered- ited him with $150, and offered him for the next year's services $200, which was accepted, and this was the annual amount received for five successive years of labor. In the fall of 1830, Mr. Iles wishing to retire from business, Mr. Williams bought his stock on four quarterly payments, started out as proprietor of thestore, with a capital of $300, saved from his small salary in the six years. By energetic application and management, the payments of the purchase money were promptly met, and having a good credit the young merchant bought goods to keep up his stock, and by discounting his bills before due, saved paying interest. Pursuing the plan of his predecessor in honorable dealing and strict justice to his customers, success crowned the years of Mr. Williams' life, which, with two brief intermissions, extended over a period of fifty years, as proprietor of the business, begin- ning in September, 1830, and closing with the sale of the business to C. A. Gehrmann in Sep- tember, 1880. A part of this time he had sev- eral different parties successively as partners. During the last twenty-five years George N. Black was in company with him.

In 1864, upon the organization of the First National Bank of Springfield, in which he was the prime mover, Mr. Williams became its President, and held the office about eleven years, when he sold out his stock. When the Spring

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field & Northwestern Railroad was being built, Mr. Williams loaned the contractors $50,000, and other amounts subsequently, amounting in the aggregate to $200,000. The company being unable to repay the money, lie had a receiver appointed, and after four years of his adminis- tration, the road was sold in 1878, by order of court, and Mr. Williams became the purchaser. Upon the re-organization of the company, Mr. Williams owning a controlling interest, was made President of the road, which office ex- pired by the sale of his stock in July, 1880, to parties in the interest of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company. In the summer of 1872, Mr. Williams, in partnership with George N. Black and S. II. Melvin, formed the Barclay Coal and Mining Company. They sunk the shaft the same year at Barclay, eight miles from Springfield, on the Illinois Central Railroad. The company-now composed of Mr. Williams, George N. Black and Samuel Yocum-owns eighty-seven acres in fee simple, on which they have erected over forty tenement houses, also the coal right of twelve hundred acres, and fifty coal cars. They employ from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five miners, and mine from four hundred to five hundred tons per day. Mr. Williams owns a number of pieces of city property and several farms, principal among them are the homestead of one hundred and forty acres, in and adjoining the corporate limits of Springfield, and a splendid farm of seventeen hundred acres in Menard county, near Athens, where his father first settled. At the breaking out of the late war, Colonel Williams was ap- pointed Commissary General of Illinois, by Governor Yates, which position he filled six months, till the United States Government was prepared to take charge of the troops. He was afterwards appointed at the head of the Sanitary Commission for Illinois, to receive and forward supplies donated to the soldiers. He served in this capacity, without compensation, about two

years. He was nominated and run for Congress in this district in 1856, on the Fremont and Fil- more ticket, and ran nearly two thousand ahead of his ticket, but the district being Democratic by about four thousand, be was beaten two thousand one hundred votes. He was one of the Board of Water Commissioners during the building of the City Water Works. Is Presi- dent of the Barclay Coal Company. Colonel Williams was one of the original Trustees of the Lincoln Monument Association, and still re- tains that position. He is also a large stock- holder and a Director of the Springfield Iron 85-

Company. In 1840, Colonel John Williams united in marriage with Lydia Porter, a native of Livingston county, New York, but a resident of Sangamon county, Ilinois, at that time; six children have been born to them, all living, viz: Louisa I., the wife of George N. Black; Albert P., John E., Julia J., the wife of A. Orendorff; George and Henry C. Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield.

Samuel J. Willett, merchant tailor, 227 South Sixth street, came to Springfield, Illinois, nine- teen years ago, and entered the employ of Woods & Henkle, as cutter in their clothing establish- ment, some fourteen years ago, continuing in that relation until both proprietors died, when he was made manager of the business for the estate for two years, at the end of which time he opened a merchant tailoring house on his own account. He moved to his present choice loca- tion February 1, 1880, and in August, 1881, pnt in a splendid stock of gentlemen's furnishings. His stock of piece goods is large and elegant, embracing an assortment of the finest American and imported fabrics for men's wear, which are made up to order in the most approved style. He is doing an extensive, growing business.

Mr. Willett was born in Cheshire, England, in 1829; emigrated to the United States in 1851; worked over eleven years at merchant tailoring in New York City, and then came to Springfield. He is a member of the Masonic Order, Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Commandery; is a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias; is Prelate of Capital Lodge, No. 14; is Past Grand Chancel- lor for Illinois, having served in that position two terms consecutively; is Supreme Represent- ative to the Supreme Lodge of Knights of the World. He is also an Odd Fellow, since 1853, and has passed through the degrees of the Grand Lodge. In 1860, Mr. Willett married Miss Emma S. Clark, a native of New York City. They have five surviving children. three daughters and two sons; one son deceased.

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History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 122

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084