USA > Illinois > St Clair County > History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 76
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residence. They had four sons-Benjamin F., George W., Wil- liam P., and John O. F. Bowler. They all united with the Bap- tist church, and were all farmers. Benjamin F. died at his resi- dence, three miles north of Alma, in 1872, leaving a widow and se- veral children, well provided for. George W. and family reside in O'Fallon, where he is a Justice of the Peace, which office he has faithfully filled for many years. The two brothers, John O. F., and Wm. P. reside in Madison county.
We give a few names of the parties now living, who became early residents, that are not mentioned above : S. S. Kirger, a blacksmith in O'Fallon, came here in 1821; John Eckert, residing on Sec. 32, is a native of Penna , and located here in 1839; W. S. Scott, was born in this county in 1836, and resides on Sec. 36; G. W. Darrow, born in the county in 1831; George W. Ogle, born here in 1818, and his wife in 1828, reside on Sec. 30; William Simmons, lives on Sec. 19, and was born in this county in 1834. J. M. Ogle, on tec. 18, was born in the county in 1834; B. F. Begole, was born here in 1828, and his brother who resides on Sec. 24, was born in 1825; Mary Smiley, widow of Matthew Smiley, is a native of Ohio, and came here in 1830; A. J. Cooper, was born in St. Clair in 1829, and resides on Sec. 23; Rebecca Forman, re- siding on Sec. 22, is the widow of the late Isaac Forman, who came here from Kentucky in 1820-she became a resident of St. Clair in 1818 ; Warren Beadle, residing on Sec. 22, is a native of Ohio, and came here in 1818 ; Levi Piggott, a St. Louisian, by birth, came - to this county in 1836; Amos Stites, whose father was a very early settler, was born here in 1830, and resides with his family on Sec. 33 ; Jackson Brake, of Greene county, Ohio, settled here in 1818, and resides on Sec. 33. His widow, Mary Oglesby, was born in St. Clair county in 1817, and died in 1879; William J. Ritten- house, also a native of the county, born in 1833, resides on Sec. 34 ; Thomas P. Owings, was born in 1830, and lives on Sec. 25.
Thus we have given a brief history of some of the earliest and most prominent settlers. A full history of the churches and schools may be found in their respective chapters. The pioneer chapter fully details the trials and hardships of the early settlers, and much other matter of general interest may be seen in it. The census of 1880 gives the precinct a population of 3042, including the villages.
THE VILLAGE OF O'FALLON
received its name in honor of John O'Fallon, a prominent and wealthy gentleman of St. Louis, and at that time an officer of the Obio & Mississippi Railroad company. It is located on the W. 2 of Sec. 29 and the E } of Sec. 30, T. 2 N., R. 7 W., em- bracing one mile square. The first improvements were made by the O. & M. company, in 1854, and consisted of a depot and water tank. The first sale of lots was made at public auction May .13th, 1854. There were but few disposed of in this way, and they were divided among Frederick A. Carpenter, Hugo O. Sheerbarth, and two or three others. Anderson Umbarger erected the first dwel- ling. in the place, in the fall of 1855. It was a small frame build- ing located on the corner of Main and Cherry streets, aud now forms the front part of the neat residence still occupied by Mr. Umbarger. The post-office was established the same year, and Mr. Umbarger was the first post-master. He was also the agent for the R. R. company. The second building was a residence and store room, erected by Henry S. Gordon, of Randolph county, in the fall of 1856. It was a frame structure, the main part about 18 x 30 feet, one story high, with an L, and kitchen in the rear. The front room was used as a store in which he placed the first stock of goods. Mr. Gordon soon sold out to his son-in law, S. Mace, who
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
ran the business. The next house, erected by Walter Westfield in 1856, is still standing, where it was built, nearly opposite the depot. William Peach built a residence, one block north of the depot, in the same year. In 1857 Peach & Simmons erected the next (fifth) building. It was constructed of brick, about 30 x 40 feet, two stories high, and stood on the lot where John Shinton's saloon now stands. On the night of June 3d, 1863, it was destroy- ed by fire, and Levi Simmons built another brick, which is still standing. Peach & Simmons placed a complete stock of general goods in it as soon as completed. John and Robert R. Salter erected the store and residence now occupied by R. Kampmeyer, in 1857, in which they resided and kept store.
The next store was kept in the room of what is now Fischer's saloon, hy Herman J. Blanck, in the spring of 1859. The building was erected the year before by Henry Stocker, for a hotel, and has always been kept as a public house. Henry Stocker, Phillip Schildknecht and John Distler, who located here in 1859, were the first German residents of the village.
In July of that year Dr. Columbus Hixson, became the first resident physician, and is still engaged in practice here. In 1859 the following families were the only residents of the place : Ander- son Umbarger, Win. Peach, Mrs. C. Kolowlton, John Daily, John Salter, Dr. C. Hixson, Henry Stocker, Phillip Schildknecht, Cor- nelius Neville, Henry Farr, John Disler, C. Powell, Benjamin Orcutt, Henry Mace, and G. W. Rawson. From this date the village has grown gradually, and the population, as taken in 1880, was 960. About two-thirds are Germans, and they control the place.
Schools .- At the laying out of the village there was a small frame, district school-house, within its limits, where the children first attended school. The first school-building, erected in the vil- lage, was in 1861, when the main part of the present house was built. Since then an addition has been made to it. It is a brick structure. There are also two German parochial schools, both well attended.
Incorporation .- It was incorporated under the general law as a village January 27, 1874, and the first election for officers held April 21, of the same year. The following were elected : Frank Poigneé, President ; Charles Tiedemann, Daniel Schafer, Thomas Mackin, John Feder, and John Powell, Trustees. The present board are Ernst Tiedemann, President; Evan Davis, Thomas Mackin, Joseph Landgraf, William Wittig, D. D. Gartside; Henry A. Schildknecht. Clerk ; Herman Obst, village Constable. The Justices of the Peace are Philip Schildknecht, James Owens, and G. W. Bowler.
Churches .- The village is supplied with four churches. The Bap- tist church was organized in 1865, and their house of worship was erected the same year. The Methodist church was built in 1866. The Catholic in 1867, and the German Lutheran in 1879. They are all neat and commodious edifices.
Lodges .- The Royal Templars of Temperance was organized in February 1880. The Independent Order of Good Templers in February, 1881. The O'Fallon Lodge, No. 576, A F. and A. M., was chartered Oct. 6, 1868. Treu Bund, W. O. T. B., was organ- ized May 6, 1871. The German Lodge No. 463, I. O. O. F., or- ganized in 1872. The O Fallon Lodge No. 431, I. O. O. F., was chartered in 1869. St. Clair Lodge, K. of P. No. 40, chartered in 1875. German Lodge, K. of H. No. 878, chartered February 4, 1878. They are all well attended, and have a good membership.
BUSINESS TRADE OF 1881.
The Richland Mills were erected in 1861, by Tiedemann & Raith, and now owned and operated by Charles A. Tiedemann. The
building was then only a small one, with but two run of burrs. It has since been enlarged to 65 x 75 feet, three stories high. The building is brick. It contains eleven run of burrs, with a capacity of 400 barrels per day. Mr. Tiedemann intends changing the mill to the Roller process this spring, which will enable him to compete with the best mills in the country. He also has in connection with the mill an elevator with a capacity of 60,000 bushels storage. The cooper-shop is 24 x 140 feet, frame. He employs in all about forty men. The mill is connected with two railroads, and with Belleville hy telephone.
Brick Yards .- There are two of these in the village, which man- ufacture a good article. They are operated by M. Wachter, and Jacob Brewer.
Physicians .- C. Hixson, H. Bechthold, O. C. Bates, D. C. Dunn, Ed. Oatman, B. Krause, James McGeehan.
Dentist .- R. H. Mace.
General Stores .- B. W. Muelhausen, Ernst Tiedemann, Charles Hoffmann.
Grocery .- D. D. Gartside.
Drug Stores .- L. Hibbard, B. Krause.
Stoves, Tin-ware and Agricultural Implements .- Rudolph Kamp- meyer.
Agricultural Implements and Hardware .- Richard Remelius.
Millinery .- Miss Annie Schneider.
Bakery and Confectionery .- Fred. Kunzmann, Jacob Hammer.
Furniture Store .- C. Ruedlin.
Lumber Yard .- C. Huelsman & Co.
Lime, Cement and Tile .- C. F. Fischer.
Blacksmith Shops .- Herman Gross, A. Bequeret, August Behrens,
S S. Kirger, Christ. Jacobs.
Shoe Shops .- Christ. Obst, P. Yungblut.
Harness Shops .- Henry Schildknecht, David McFarland.
Livery Stables .- John Gibson, Charles F. Fischer.
Wagon Shops .- Andrew Molles, John Bernum.
Butcher Shops .- John Hoffmann, Reinhard Strub, Arnold Simon. Hotels .- " O'Fallon House," Charles F. Fischer, proprietor. It is a neat frame building, near the depot, and is well conducted. "St. Clair House," Michael Bernhard, proprietor. "Farmer's Home," C. Link, proprietor.
Saloons .- Charles F. Fischer, Tom Mackin, George Daumling, George Poigneé, Charles Link, Henry Ruester, Michael Wachter, Jack Shinton, Levi Beaumont, Michael Bernhard, Joseph Land- graf.
ALMA
Is a coal mining village, situated in section 25, T. 2 N., R. 8 W., on the line of the O. & M. railroad,and contains about 100 houses belong- ing to the Gartside Coal Company. The first shaft was sunk here by the above company in 1851. They now have three shafts. The average depth of the mines is a little over two hundred feet, and the vein is full seven feet. The coal is of an excellent quality. They employ in the operation of the mines about two hundred men. The company have a machine shop, a blacksmith shop and a car- penter's shop, and there is one general store, kept by Joseph Taylor, which constitutes the business. Ridge Prairie post-office is also located here.
FORMAN'S
Is a flag station on the O. & M. railroad, only a short distance west of Alma.
There are also two more coal mines in this precinct, east of O'Fallon, the Van Court mine, and the Nicholas mine. The former was sunk in 1863 by Sharp and Thompson. It is now owned by B. J. Van Court, and operated by Savitz Brothers, of St. Louis. The mine is 207 feet deep, with a seven foot vein. The Nicholas mine was sunk about 1870, by Nicholas and McCoy. It is now owned and operated by Joseph Morris. The shaft is 212 feet deep, and the vein the same thickness of the above.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
JOSEPH B. LEMEN.
JOSEPH B. LEMEN, sixth son and tenth child of Rev. James Lemen and Mary nee Pulliam, was born at the residence of his parents in St. Clair county, Illinois, August 6th, 1836. His father's parents, Rev. James Lemen, Sen., and Catharine nee Ogle, in 1786 moved from Berkeley county Virginia, and settled in Illinois. They were among the first settlers at New Design, Monroe county. Catha- rine Lemen was a daughter of Captain Joseph Ogle, who, with his wife and some members of his family, had moved from Virginia to Illinois in 1785. Mr. Lemen and Mr. Ogle were both soldiers under Washington in the war for Independence. Joseph B. Le- men's mother was a daughter of John Pulliam and Margaret nee Stockton. They moved from near Richmond, Virginia, and settled in Illinois in 1795.
The subject of this sketch grew up to the occupation of farming ; and received a common school education, and studied some of the higher branches when a boy. He taught school at eighteen years of age; and afterward attended school at Shurtleff College, where he graduated in June, 1857. During the vacation following his first year at College he completed the studies included in the next year's course of study, and, after examination by the faculty, was promoted accordingly. While at Shurtleff College he assisted to organize one of the present literary societies of that school ; it was called the Philomathean Society at its organization. After com- pleting his course at College he studied medicine, but only with the view to his own instruction, and not with a design to practice that profession. He also completed a course in the law with the view to practice that profession; but circumstances eventually prevented him from pursuing the profession of his choice.
When the war for the Union began, he enlisted some two hun- dred soldiers, and purposed to enter the service himself, but his aged and afflicted parents, whose care fortune or Providcuce seemed to have devolved upon him in an especial manner, were objects of affection which made it difficult for a dutiful child to choose between duty to aged and infirm parents, and devotion to the demands of the country and flag. From this cause Mr. Lemen did not enlist in the service. He was, however, the soldiers' friend ; and on several occasions when young men, who wished to enlist in the army, but were owing small debts which they did not wish to leave unpaid, he settled these debts out of his own funds, and never demanded any remuneration from these defenders of the old flag. This outlay amounted to several hundred dollars; and in various ways, in contributions to our soldiers' needs, in the way of sending them special articles of food and comfort, he always gave freely.
The same causes which prevented Mr. Lemen from entering the army during the war-namely, the care of his aged and infirm parents-were also those which prevented him from practicing the profession of the law, after he had qualified himself for that calling. They were living on their farm in the country, and desired that he should remain with them-a request he cheerfully complied with until their death. During this period he conducted the farm, and at intervals devoted some time to writing for newspapers and periodicals, and in other literary pursuits.
On November 23d, 1864, Mr. Lemen was married to Miss Nancie C. Scott, a daughter of Isaac Scott, who then resided on his farm 5} miles north-east of Belleville. This union resulted in one child, Elmer S., an interesting bright boy, who died at a little past two years of age. For ten years Mr. Lemen has suffered at brief inter- vals from malarial fever and its effects ; and for some years has experienced considerable trouble from a disordered condition of the stomach ; the combined effects of which confine him at home the most of the time. He has had the best medical aid, and while the treatment has been beneficial, he is yet laboring under a condition which causes any exposure or any degree of physical exercise to give much suffering. He has experienced large losses, to the extent of several thousand dollars, by becoming security for friends, and in other ways endeavoring to accommodate them : but from the rents from his farm and proceeds of his pen, together with the income from his wife's lands, he and his wife live in com- fortable circumstances.
Mr. Lemen possesses studious habits ; and when able, he spends his time mostly at his library, or in writing for the papers and pe- riodicals. His contributions are generally editorial matter. He is a republican, and in the election campaigns always assists his party and candidates through the press. He sometimes contributes a few articles on general topics to the newspapers of his personal democratic friends ; and among the newspapers he takes are always two or three Democratic journals. In 1872 some of his wealthy republican friends who endorsed the Greeley movement, tendered him a large salary to conduct a newspaper devoted to that cause, but he preferred the service of the party he had always supported ; and he has since been offered liberal salaries by some of the larger newspapers, to take control of their editorial departments, but de- clined on account of ill health.
From testimonials from some of the leading republicans of the state, his services as a writer, pending political campaigns, have been acknowledged as largely advantageous to the cause, as it is not unusual for these contributions to be copied from the papers in which they first appear into many other papers throughout the
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RESIDENCE OF MRS. ELIZABETH SCOTT, O'FALLON, ST. CLAIR CO. ILLINOIS.
RESIDENCE & MINES OF B. J. VAN COURT ESQ. 1/2 MILE EAST OF O'FALLON, O. & M. RIV.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
state, and to thus reach a large number of readers. For these ser- vices the leaders of his party in St. Clair county, as well as many of his democratic friends, have several times tendered their support for local and legislative offices, but he prefers the disinterested po- sition of a private citizen, where he can employ his time in more congenial pursuits ; and his pen, if necessary, in measures of public concern, untrammeled by the responsibilities of office. He is now, with a few others, working through the press in the interest of leg- islative reform-to discourage the practice of too much law-making -with the view that if our laws could obtain permanency, the body of the people would soon come to understand them, and that causes for litigation would eventually become less frequent, which would give the courts more leisure for thought and accuracy in their de- cisions.
In the preliminary presidential contest of 1880, Mr. Lemen's editorial articles in the newspapers favored Gen. Grant for the re- publican candidate; and his friends rallied at Chicago with "the guard for the old commander," but when Gen. Garfield was nomi- nated, he supported him quite as loyally as he should have done had Gen. Grant been the nominee. He also supported every nomi- nee on the state, congressional, legislative and county tickets ; and earnestly urged the cause of each in the press, as worthy men to fill their several proposed offices : and this without personal dero- gation or a single ill-remark towards any of the opposition candi- dates. In the local offices he frequently supports worthy demo- cratic candidates, but on the occasion referred to, he supported the full tickets of his several party conventions from consistency, hav_ ing urged that, as it was the presidential year, his party, for good effect in organization and moral force, should make a full list of nominations. As to the general ticket of the opposition, Mr. Lem- en held that the democrats committed a mistake in nominating a purely military candidate-Gen. Hancock-and that Hon. W. R. Morrison would have been a better selection for that party's stan- dard-bearer. He had predicted in several of the journals of Illi- nois and elsewhere, that Mr. Morrison would be the democratic nominee; and, while that gentleman had a very respectable in- dorsement at Cincinnati, he is still of the opinion that if some of the opposition leaders of the west had not made some very palpa- ble mistakes in the preliminary canvass, that Mr. Morrison would have received the Cincinnati nomination.
On the question of labor and capital, Mr. Lemen holds there is no real conflict, and that there should be no friction. He always, in his own department of business, endeavors to pay his laboring men the best wages customary in such vocations, as he wishes to see the workingmen well rewarded for their toil. He also holds it as fal- lacious reasoning to assume that there is ultimately any conflict be- tween the intelligent labor of our hands; because such assumptions pre-suppose that the Creator made the brain the enemy of the hand, instead of its faithful ally-a theory evidently hostile to the unity and harmony of nature. On the question of temperance, he be- lieves this noble virtue must be enforced by self-government, and he does not favor sumptuary legislation as calculated to reach the evil it proposes to cure. He believes there is nothing lost by the practice of systematic benevolence; and, since he commenced busi- ness, his contributions for eleemosynary and religious uses, including what assistance he gave to some of the soldiers, who were poor and in debt, amount to something over two thousand dollars. He is a member of the Bethel Baptist church, to maintain the expenses of which, he contributes in proportion to his means. He has, on va- rious occasions, been elected as trustee in colleges and director in corporations; but has uniformly declined serving, as he was un- willing to assume the responsibilities which such trusts imply before
the public, when he had neither the time nor inclination to look af- ter the internal management of these enterprises.
Usually, in addition to his literary pursuits, he has looked after the management of his farm in Ridge Prairie, some four miles north. of Alma, where he and his wife now reside.
BENJAMIN J. VAN COURT
WAS born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, December 19, 1820. The ancestors of his father, Benjamin Van Court, came from Hol- land. His mother, Mary Lindsey, belonged to an Irish family. In the spring of 1839 the family removed from Pennsylvania to the West. A boat was constructed at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in which they journeyed by canal to the Ohio river, and thence down that stream to the Mississippi. At Cairo a contract was made with a steamer to tow their boat to St. Louis. Having made their boat fast the steamer started up stream. Unfortunately, it proved too frail a structure for the strong current of the Mississippi, which it had but fairly struck, when it began to sink, the family barely escaping with their lives. All on board was gone in less than. twenty minutes, the loss not being less than ten thousand dollars and no insurance. One trunk, containing three thousand dollars in gold and silver went down with the wreck, and also a stock of groceries and liquors purchased six weeks previously in Philadel- phia, at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars.
From St. Louis they proceeded to Rock Island and from that place to Prophetstown where their father had previously purchased a claim, and was there living. Finding no opportunity for busi- ness in that frontier town he returned to Rock Island, and in com- pany with his brother, in July, 1839, with scant capital, took; charge of the Rock Island House. By the succeeding first of January their business had netted them three thousand dollars. Quitting Rock Island, from 1841 to 1843, they carried on the America House at Portsmouth, Ohio; and in November, 1843, coming to St. Louis, Mr. Van Court opened the National Hotel at the corner of Third and Market Streets. Finding this house too. small he, with his brother, leased the Missouri Hotel. The hotel business becoming unprofitable on account of the prevalence of the cholera, in 1850 he sold out the hotel and for the next two years was engaged, with great profit to himself, in the real estate busi- ness.
In 1852 he undertook, with his brother, the business of trans-, porting passengers, bound for California, across the plains. They proposed, on reaching California, to put in about five hundred acres of wheat. A McCormick reaper, seed drills, plows, harrows,; a threshing machine, and machinery necessary to complete a. flouring mill of two run of stones, were shipped from New York, via Cape Horn. On the 17th of January, 1853, he married Miss Amelia Midtnacht of Baltimore, and immediately afterward sailed for California. He was one of nine hundred passengers on the steamer Winfield Scott, from Panama. Cholera and ship fever broke out, and one hundred and forty deaths occurred before arriv- ing at San Franciso. He purchased a saw mill and engaged in the lumber business, while his brother attended to their stock and ranch. They had only been able to get in two hundred acres of wheat and barley which was cut with their McCormick reaper (the first in that part of Calfornia). Nine Indians formed the force for binding the grain. They worked for one dollar per day, while white laborers commanded four or five dollars. Their crop, which yielded thirty-five bushels to the acre, was hauled to Nevada, 28 miles, and the wheat sold for three dollars and a half and the barley for two dollars and a half a bushel.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
He returned to St. Louis in 1855, and was elected a member of the City Council. He was one of the charter members of the Lumber- man's and Mechanics' Insurance Company, and of the Merchants and Manufacturers' Saving Institution. He wasan active member of the Masonic Order, and in 1850. when the various Masonic bodies of the city became incorporated in a Board of Trustees, he was elected the first president.
In 1856 or 57 he removed to hiis present home in Illinois. He assisted in the organization of O'Fallon Masonic Lodge, of which he was master for the first seven years of its existence.
He served as District Deputy Grand Master for five years, and at the present writing is one of the officers of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, and Master of O'Fallon Lodge.
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