USA > Illinois > Stark County > History of Stark County, Illinois, and its people : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 4
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A. D. Turnbull, spending his youthful days under the parental roof. is indebted to the district school system of Illinois for the edu- eational opportunities which he enjoyed. Ile early became familiar with all of the tasks which devolve upon the farm bred boy and as the years passed on he acquainted himself with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the erops. About thirty years ago he purchased his present home place on section 19, Elmira township-a tract of one hundred and sixty aeres-on which he has placed many modern improvements, making his one of the valuable and attractive
A. D. TURNBULL
LOWCY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS UNDANA
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
farms of that part of the county. For a considerable period he en- gaged extensively in feeding eattle but is now engaged only in feeding hogs, which branch of his business adds not a little to his ineome.
In 1885 Mr. Turnbull was united in marriage to Miss Margaret MClennan and they have three children: Abby S., the wife of Ray- mond Speneer, a son of I. M. Speneer of Osceola, Illinois; Martha E., the wife of J. R. Winslow, a resident farmer of Toulon township; and Harvey I .. , who died in 1913. The wife and mother passed away in 1905, and in 1913 Mr. Turnbull wedded Mrs. Cora Johnson.
They attend the Presbyterian chmureh, and Mr. Turnbull is a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen eamp at Elmira. His political indorse- ment is given through his ballot to the principles of the republican party. but he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. For six years he has been sehool trustee and is still the incumbent in that position. For more than a half century he has been a witness of the changes which have occurred in this section of the state as the work of development and improvement has been carried forward, and throughout his entire life he has been elosely and helpfully associated with its agricultural interests and progress.
ROBERT J. HUNTER.
Robert J. Hunter is a native son of Elmira township and lives on section 23. He was born May 29, 1871, his parents being Robert and Isabella (Lowrey) Hunter, who were natives of Ireland and came to Ameriea in 1850. In this country they became acquainted and were married in Philadelphia, December 18, 1864. In 1867 they came to Stark county, Illinois, settling upon the Davis farm in Elmira township. Later a removal was made to a farm near the Armstrong place, where they continued for seven years, and on the expiration of that period Mr. Hunter purchased the farm upon which his sons, Robert and George, now reside. He bent his ener- gies to the development and improvement of that place up to the time of his demise and was numbered among the representative agri- culturists of the district. He was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1836, and from 1867 until his demise was a resident of Elmira township, this county. He was an earnest Christian, guiding his life by high religious principles, and when he passed away his funeral services were conducted by the Rev. W. H. Foulks, of the Presby- terian church, assisted by W. J. Drew. His widow is now living on Vol. II-3
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a farm adjoining that of her son Robert. In the family were six children: Mrs. Mary J. Screeton, now deceased; Mrs. Letitis Dunlap, living in Toulon, Illinois; Robert J .; George L .. who resides with his mother; Elizabeth, and Isabella M., both deceased.
At the usual age Robert J. Hunter entered the district schools and when not busy with his textbooks, assisted in the work of the home farm. At the time of his marriage he began operating a part of the old home farm independently and he is now conducting the farm in connection with his brother George. The place consists of two hundred and forty-five acres, on which are two residences, in which the brothers live. Robert J. Hunter leads a busy life, and the result of his industry and perseverance is manifest in the success which is attending his efforts.
In 1896 he was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Osborn, who was born in Minnesota and came to Stark county with her parents when but four years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter are members of the Presbyterian church of Elmira. In politics he is a republican but not an office seeker. At one time he belonged to the Modern Woodmen of America, and is interested in the educational develop- ment of his community, as is shown by his service as school director. His entire life has been passed in the township in which he still makes his home, and that he possesses many sterling traits of character is recognized by those who have been his associates throughout the entire period.
THOMAS HOADLEY.
Among Stark county's well known business men is Thomas Hoadley, who is engaged in the grain and lumber trade at La Fay- ette. He has been connected with this line of business activity for a longer period than any other grain merchant of Stark county, for he began dealing in grain thirty-seven years ago and for twenty- seven years has been thus engaged in the county in which he now makes his home. He is honored and respected by all, not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the straight- forward business policy which he has ever followed, his course meas- uring up to the highest commercial standards.
Mr. Hoadley is a native of New York, his birth having occurred at Tuckahoe. Westchester county. December 27. 1854. His father. Richard Hoadley, was a native of the same county and was a son of
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
Thomas Hoadley, a native of England, who was there reared and learned the blacksmith's trade. After working at the forge for a few years in England he determined to try his fortune in the new world and crossed the Atlantic to the United States, settling at White Plains, New York. There he largely devoted his time and energies to the business of tool making. ITis son, Richard Hoadley, was reared in the Empire state, where he learned the trades of black- smithing and tool making, devoting a number of years to that kind of work. Before leaving New York he was married to Miss Hannah Mort. a native of New York and of English lineage. They after- ward removed westward to Ohio and for a year Mr. Hoadley worked at his trade in Cleveland, after which he came to Illinois, settling at Long Ridge, Stark county, about 1850. There he built a shop and carried on business. Ile was a natural mechanie, possessing marked ingenuity along mechanical lines, and for some years he successfully continued in business at Long Ridge, but later disposed of his inter- ests there and removed to Sparland, where he again engaged in busi- ness in the line of his trade. He was afterward employed in a shop in Toulon and then opened an establishment for the manufacture of carriages and buggies, in addition to which he maintained a black- smith shop. He did very fine work as a carriage and buggy builder and his exhibits at state fairs won various premiums. He never lowered the standard of workmanship, which was of superior quality and finish. He carried on business at Toulon for a number of years and became widely known, the products of his factory finding favor among those who cared for the best that is to be obtained. While living in Sparland he lost his first wife and later he married again. Ile is now living retired in Toulon, where he has a cirele of friends almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.
Thomas Hoadley was reared in Toulon and at the usual age be- came a public school pupil. When his textbooks were put aside he obtained a elerkship in a store at Dunean and later had charge of the business, which was owned by A. J. Scott, whom he represented as manager for some time. Subsequently, however, he turned his attention to the grain trade, taking charge of an elevator. IIe was next sent to Nebraska and was connected with Mr. Broekway at Burchard, Pawnee county, where for more than a year he bought and shipped grain. He afterward returned to Illinois and took charge of an elevator in Peoria county, where he continued for two years. Ile then again went to Nebraska and represented a Chicago company in the grain trade at Ord.
It was while he was residing in Castleton, Illinois, that Mr.
HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
Hoadley was married, on the 22d of June, 1898, to Miss Agnes B. Ruhl. a native of Illinois, who was born at Topeka. Her father, Dr. A. N. Ruhl, was a native of Ohio and was married in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Miss Elizabeth Dickey. IIe has engaged in the drug business at various places, but is now devoting his attention alone to the practice of medicine in Oklahoma. He served his coun- try as a soldier of the Civil war and has always been loyal in his citizenship.
Following his marriage, Mr. Hoadley engaged in the grain busi- ness at Castleton for ten years, and in 1903 came to La Fayette, where he purchased an elevator and grain business and also a resi- dence. Ile has likewise invested in good land in Kansas, where he owns an improved farm. His business affairs are capably managed and in their control he has displayed sound judgment and keen dis- crimination. He has ever based his advancement upon industry. and his life record indicates what may be accomplished through resolute and determined purpose.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hoadley have been born two daughters, Grace and Dorothy, who are now students in the La Fayette school. The family home is an attractive one and its warm-hearted hospitality is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. Mrs. Hoadley is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church and she and the elder daughter are active workers and teachers in the Sunday school. Mr. Hoadley supports the republican party but has never sought nor desired office. He is loyal in matters of citizenship, however, and works for those interests which he believes will be of value and benefit to the com- minity.
J. RANDALL BLACK.
J. Randall Black, one of the active, energetic and prominent business men of Toulon, has for years operated extensively in the field of real estate, during which period he has negotiated many important realty transfers and thereby has contributed much to the development and upbuilding of the district. Toulon numbers hin among her native sons, his birth having here occurred October 12, 1873. His father, John Black, was born in County Cavan, Ireland. May 14. 1827. and there spent the period of his boyhood and youth. In 1851 he came to the new world and made his way direct to Stark county, where he joined some friends. He was for a time engaged
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in carpenter work in Toulon, and in this city he married Miss Eliza- beth Mason, a native of Ohio, who was born in Ashland county. Her father, William Mason, removed from Ohio to Illinois and took up his abode on a farm near Toulon, on which Mrs. Black was reared. Following their marriage the young couple began their domestic life in Toulon, where Mr. Black worked at his trade, and for a number of years he also carried on general farming, but eventually he put aside business interests and activities and lived retired in Toulon until called to the home beyond, his death occurring Deeen- ber 31, 1898. He was a valued and consistent member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges of Toulon and was an earnest Christian gentleman. He had been reared in the Episcopal faith, but after- ward became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and its teachings guided him in all of his life's relations, making him a man whom to know was to respeet and honor. To him and his wife were born but two children, the daughter being Miss Mattie Black, who resides with her mother in Toulon. She is identified with the Eastern Star, the ladies' auxiliary of Masonry, and both she and her mother are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
At the usual age J. Randall Black became a pupil in the public schools and passed through eonseeutive grades to his graduation from the high school. Later he attended the Michigan University at An Arbor, where he pursued the literary course and also did work in the engineering department. At the close of his junior year, how- ever, he left the university and later learned the trade of a jeweler and engraver. Subsequently he turned his attention to the real estate business, opening an office in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, about 1902. lle is extensively engaged in the sale of Alberta lands and has main- tained an office there for thirteen years. He helped lay out an addi- tion to the city of a one hundred acre traet, known as the Englewood addition, and now one of the best populated and most attractive residenee sections of that city. Mr. Black covered the whole of Alberta provinee by horseback, by stage, on bievele and on foot. He has sold large tracts of Canadian lands, and in 1910 he also opened an office in Toulon, where he now spends about half of his time, devoting his attention to his real estate business here and also handling eity property in Edmonton. Recently he has further ex- tended the scope of his business to include the sale of Florida lands. He is a most enterprising and energetie real estate man, ready for any emergeney and ever alert to an opportunity.
Like his mother and sister, Mr. Black holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Toulon and is also identified with the
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
Odd Fellows lodge. He has attractive social qualities and many admirable characteristics which have won for him the good will, con- fidence and esteem of all with whom he has been associated.
ROBERT THOMPSON.
Robert Thompson has made an excellent record as cashier of the Exchange Bank of Bradford and is recognized as a man of business aeumen and sound judgment. His wife, Rosa L. Thomp- son. is president of the institution and owns all of the stock. Mr. Thompson was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, on the 18th of June, 1855, but when a child was brought by his parents to the United States, the family locating at Altoona, Pennsylvania. The father, who was an expert mechanic and engineer, died in 1875 when sixty-four years old. The mother passed away when sixty- eight years of age. in 1881.
Robert Thompson was educated in Altoona, and on beginning his independent career went to Newark, New Jersey, where he worked as a decorator, in which connection he did considerable fres- coing. In 1876 he decided to try his fortune in the middle west and came to Stark county, Illinois, where he followed his trade for some time. Not long after his marriage to Miss Rosa L. Leet. in 1881, he accepted the cashiership of the Exchange Bank of Bradford, which position he has since held. He has given careful thought and study to the problems of banking and to local conditions, and as he is also thoroughly familiar with the routine of banking practice he is well qualified to discharge his responsible duties. The bank was formerly owned by his father-in-law. William Leet, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. and Mrs. Thompson now owns all the stock of the institution and is serving as its president. Following the death of her father. the heirs at law formed a co- partnership and Mrs. Thompson was given the control and super- vision of the Bradford Exchange Bank, and in the management of its affairs has displayed the hard-headed business sense and the firmness of her father, and at the same time has sought to make the bank of the greatest possible service to the community. She takes a keen interest in the advancement of the publie welfare, is broad- minded in her views and, moreover, possesses a personality that gains her the warm friendship of those elosely associated with her. She owns other property and is one of the wealthiest women of the county.
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
Mr. Thompson and Rosa L. Leet were married on the 29th of December, 1881, and became the parents of two children: Claude R., who died on the 2d of November, 1915; and William Leet.
Mr. Thompson has taken an active part in public affairs and has been especially interested in the cause of education. Ile was serving on the school board at the time the new school building was erected; was made president of the building committee, and takes justifiable pride in the splendid building, which is conceded to be one of the best in the state, considering the size of Bradford. Both he and his wife are active and influential members of the Methodist church, whose work they further in every way possible. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is popular, and is a member of Bradford Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; the Royal Arch chapter of Wyoming; the commandery of Kewanee: and the consistory and Mystic Shrine of Peoria. He has made many friends in all relations of life and is held in high respeet by those who have come in contact with him.
B. F. GRAVES.
B. F. Graves, who is engaged in farming in Essex township, in partnership with his son, Simeon Arthur, was born in that township, within a mile of his present farm, on the 4th of October, 1847. His father, James Graves, was a native of North Carolina, but was taken by his parents as a boy to Ross county, Ohio, whence he removed in 1847 to Stark county, Illinois. He became the owner of one hun- dred and sixty acres of land in Essex township and was identified with agricultural pursuits throughout his active life. He passed away in 1883, when he had reached the age of seventy-eight years. He was married in Ohio to Miss Maria Francis, a native of that state, who died in 1901, when she was eighty years old. They were the parents of seven children: Mary Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Simeon Cox, of Essex township: B. F .; Matilda Jane, the wife of G. A. Thomas, of Chicago: Frances L., the wife of Myron Cox, of Essex township: Melinda Ann, who married Henry Crone, of Wyoming: and two who died in childhood.
B. F. Graves was reared upon the home farm and attended the sanie school that his grandehildren are now attending. He was early trained in agricultural work and for many years after attaining his majority farmed in partnership with his father. Ile inherited eighty
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IHISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
aeres of land and has sinee acquired title with his sons to all of the Graves homestead, which comprises two hundred and seventy acres. He is still active in the operation of his farm, although he soon ex- pects to retire and leave the cultivation of his land entirely to his son Simeon Arthur. He has always been enterprising in his work, doing everything at the time when it could be most efficiently done and adopting new methods when they have been proven better than the old, and he has also further facilitated his work by the use of up-to-date machinery. He has gained a gratifying measure of pros- perity and well deserves a period of leisure.
Mr. Graves was married about 1869 to Miss Mary E. Weber, who was born in Indiana on the Ist of December, 1847. Her father, Philip Weber, removed to Essex township, Stark county, about 1851 and passed away in Vermilion county, this state, but her mother. who was in her maidenhood Miss Mary Jane Williams, died in the Hoosier state. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Graves. Simeon Arthur, who is farming in partnership with his father. married Susan Cornell and has four children, Mary Geneva, William Benjamin. James Henry and Emma May. Quiney I. is in business in Wyon- ing and a sketch of his life appears elsewhere in this work. Lena Maria married William Cornell, a farmer of Essex township, and they have three children. Howard M., Mary Edna and Anna. Adda Matilda, who married Fred Dawson, a farmer of Essex township, is the mother of six children, John. Mary Lois, Benjamin G., Carl. Clyde and Donald Philip.
Mr. Graves is a loyal supporter of the democratie party but has never desired to hold office. He has seen much of the development of Stark county, as it was still largely a frontier distriet at the time of his early boyhood and he has had a part in the advancement of its agricultural interests for many years.
IRA CRANDALL REED.
One day in the spring of 1838 a youth of nineteen knocked at the door of "Unele" John White in the settlement of La Fayette and asked for board and lodging. This young man, with visions of a bright future in the fertile west, had left a comfortable home in the Nutmeg state and by stage, canal, lake and river had at last reached Peoria. But now he was weary and footsore, for he had walked the
MR. AND MRS. IRA C. REED
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
forty miles aeross the prairie to his journey's end. His sole material possessions, which later followed him by wagon, consisted of a shoe- maker's kit and a brass-nailed leather trunk containing an ample wardrobe. His father, too, had given him his time, which in those early days was thought a handsome thing to do. To these he added an active brain coupled with energy and industry. Ile eame of stern New England stock and among his ancestors were those who suffered the privations of the Continental soldier as well as those who endured the hardships of the patriot at home. He was born November 11, 1818, at Groton, Connecticut, and was christened Ira Crandall Reed. Ilis grandmother, Mary Allen, was related to Ethan Allen of Ticon- deroga fame. ITis father was a soldier in the War of 1812.
Established in his new home, the young tradesman soon had more work than he could do and was known for miles around. for shoemaking was a fine business and the Reeds were masters of their eraft. Today the "cobbler" makes us smile, but then everything was made by hand from the eowhide boot of the woodsman to the white satin pump of the bride. Many a needy woman earned her liv- ing by doing fine stitching and binding shoes for the shoemaker. In later days the subject of this sketch often spoke of Connecticut's famous men who had risen from the last to the judge's bench, the governor's ehair and the senate, among them being Roger Sherman. On Sundays the young folks of the community would gather at some settler's home, often at "The North Pole," as the Cummins cabin, some two miles north of town, was called. From there they some- times walked to the schoolhouse in Fraker's Grove about four miles away, to meeting, and here the young man met Maria Charles, a girl of English parentage, though she was born in Wales. She was his mateh in courage, brain and skill. On the 5th of September, 1840, they joined their lives and for just fifty years they toiled together. Material success could hardly fail to come to such a pair. In 1843 a son, Robert Charles, was born, and he grew into a bright, genial, fun-loving boy beloved by young and old.
As his business grew, Mr. Reed employed more and more work- men in the shop, who became his firm friends, for he was a just employer as well as a friendly social man. One of these was the late Dr. Warne of Independence, Iowa. Another lawyer, J. W. Olson, of Galva, Illinois, still recalls his home life in the family as an apprentice and his friendship with Charlie as among the pleasantest days of his youth. While active in the material development of the town, Mr. Reed was not unmindful of its spiritual welfare and was a worthy member of the Methodist Protestant branch of the
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old South church, built in common by the Methodist Protestants and Congregationalists. The words of his daily morning prayer still linger in his daughter's memory. Preachers of whatever creed found a most cordial welcome in his home. In 1850 lumber was hauled from Chicago for a substantial residence and the boundless hospitality for which the old house was noted was not diminished in the new. A friend once said of its mistress: "She makes each guest 'at home,' whether rich or poor, whether child, day laborer or senator."
About this time congress and the state legislature greatly encour- aged the building of railroads throughout the state. Among others the "Air Line" was surveyed directly north and south from Savanna to Alton. This went through La Fayette and hopes were high as eager citizens saw visions of a busy little city in the near future, for the prairie grass still waved where Galva and Kewanee stand. Rail- road stock was bought by thousands and soon hundreds of workmen grading the railroad made the village a veritable beehive. Town lots sold as high as one thousand dollars. The Hurd and Reed addi- tion was platted but it was never added, for a mile south of town the "railroad" suddenly stopped, and La Fayette as well as all of little Stark was doomed to wait for many years for the shriek of the iron horse. Prominent citizens, among them Mr. Reed, looked in each other's faces and at the ditch where lay their buried gold. Now the remains of the old "Air Line," a long, green, sloping ravine, form an ideal coasting place for the school children in winter, who little dream of its tragedy of disappointment.
In 1853 this country held its first "World's Fair"-the Crystal Palace in New York. Mr. Reed visited this with his wife and son. On the way they stopped with relatives in Canada and at Niagara and in the village of Skaneateles, on the banks of its beautiful lake. the home of "David Harum," who was an old horse trader in the place. This was Maria Charles' first home in the new country and here the widowed mother had many friends. Before returning they visited the old New England home, where relatives and friends lis- tened incredulous to the tales of vast prairies and wide fields of Indian corn.
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