USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois, Volume Two > Part 16
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1857 and settled on a farm in Tazewell County. In 1860 he was married to Mrs. Summers, nee Verkler, a native of New York.
Glenn Howard Whitham .- A prominent figure in the business life of Rankin is Glenn Howard Whitham, who is president of the Rankin-Whitham State Bank. He was born at Rankin, October 11, 1882, the son of Eugene Howard and Elizabeth (George) Whitham.
Eugene Howard Whitham's biography may be found elsewhere in this history.
The education of Glenn Howard Whitham was received in the public schools of Rankin. Following his graduation from Rankin High School in 1899 he entered Michigan Military Academy and later was a student at Purdue Uni- versity. He also attended Metropolitan Business College, Chicago. Mr. Whitham began his business career in his father's bank at Rankin. He was also the manager of the Rankin Grain Company from 1902 until 1907, and from 1907 until 1909 was located at Whitham, Missouri, as gen- eral superintendent of the land owned by the Rankin- Whitham Company. From 1909 until 1912 he was in charge of five hundred acres of land at Alva, Oklahoma, and in 1912 returned to Whitham, Missouri, where he became interested in a chain of grain elevators. Mr. Whitham remained there until 1919, at which time he removed to Mendon, Missouri. He sold his interests in 1921 and located at Cleveland, Ohio, where he became asso- ciated with Earl D. Stearns in the organization of the Stearns Conveyor Company. This business was located at East 200th Street and St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland. They were manufacturers of elevating and conveying machin- ery. Mr. Whitham served as secretary and treasurer of the business until October 1, 1926, when it was sold to the Chain Belt Company, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On March
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1, 1927, Mr. Whitham became vice president of the Rankin- Whitham State Bank, at Rankin, and at the death of his father in April, 1928, was elected president. He is also a director of the Rankin Mutual Building and Loan Asso- ciation, and chairman of the executive committee of the Rankin Chamber of Commerce.
On July 12, 1908, Mr. Whitham was united in marriage with Miss Minnie Silvers, the daughter of Edgar and Ade- laide (Dixon) Silvers, the former a native of Streator, Illinois, and the latter of England. He lives in Missouri. His wife died in 1907 and is buried at Streator, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Whitham have no children.
Politically, Mr. Whitham is a Republican. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and is numbered among the highly esteemed members of the community in which he lives.
Eugene Howard Whitham .- The career of Eugene Howard Whitham was long identified with the business life of Rankin, where he was president of the Rankin- Whitham State Bank. He was born at Canal Fulton, Ohio, November 8, 1847, the son of Rev. John D. and Caroline (Farwell) Whitham.
Rev. John D. Whitham was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, March 22, 1815. He studied in the common schools of Virginia and attended Washington College, now Washington and Jefferson College. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Princeton University, and began his career as a minister of the Presbyterian Church at Kean, Ohio. Later, he became a United Presbyterian minister. He had various charges in the East and in 1866 settled at Paxton, Illinois, where he also owned a large farm. Reverend Whitham died January 14, 1897, and his wife, born in New Hampshire, August 13, 1816, died March 18, 1899. Both are buried in Union Cemetery, Rankin.
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There were five children born to Reverend and Mrs. Whitham: Eugene Howard, the subject of this sketch; Rosetta, born May 7, 1849, deceased; Robert Farwell, born April 13, 1852, lives at Richmond Highlands, Washington; George Lewis, born October 23, 1853, deceased; and Charles Sumner, born May 18, 1856, died in 1927.
Reverend Whitham was the son of Joseph Rider and Sarah (Dement) Whitham. He was born January 15, 1779, and died in 1841. His wife, born November 30, 1778, died June 28, 1842. Both were natives of West Virginia.
Eugene Howard Whitham received his early education in the district schools. He came to Paxton, Illinois, with his parents in 1866 and later attended Illinois State Nor- mal College. After teaching school for several years he came to Rankin in 1873 and managed the D. & W. A. Rankin Grain Elevator. On May 15, 1875, in partnership with W. A. Rankin and David Rankin, he organized the Rankin-Whitham & Company Bank. Mr. Whitham be- came cashier of the institution. On March 1, 1919, the bank was incorporated and the name changed to the Rankin-Whitham State Bank. At that time Mr. Whitham was elected president and was holding that office at the time of his death, April 25, 1928. He is buried in Union Cemetery, Rankin. Mr. Whitham served for thirty-five years as secretary of the Rankin Building, Loan and Sav- ings Association and was active in the Rankin Business Men's Association. The town of Whitham, Missouri, is named in honor of Mr. Whitham, who owned large tracts of land in that section of Missouri.
On January 1, 1879, Mr. Whitham was united in mar- riage with Miss Elizabeth George, the daughter of Robert and Jane (Guthrie) George. He was born at Cannons- burg, Pennsylvania, in 1814 and died in 1897. His wife was born in 1812 and died in 1911. Both are buried in Union Cemetery, Rankin. Mrs. Whitham was born near New Concord, Ohio, November 26, 1847, and died June 14,
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1924. She is buried with her husband in Union Cemetery. To Eugene Howard and Elizabeth (George) Whitham were born two children: Glenn Howard, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this history; and Gladys, married Earl Downing Stearns, lives at Marion, Ohio.
Mr. Whitham was always a Republican. He served as a member of the local school board and city council. He held membership in the Presbyterian Church and through- out his life was active in church work.
Chester A. Aldrich, publisher of the Chronicle-Herald of Hoopeston, went to work in a newspaper and printing plant when a boy and his experience has made him one of the ablest newspaper publishers in Illinois. Mr. Aldrich was born at Wapella, Illinois, October 5, 1874. His grand- father, David Aldrich, was of English ancestry, the Ald- rich family having been established in Rhode Island in the latter part of the seventeenth century.
David Aldrich was a native of Pennsylvania and spent most of his life in northern Ohio and northern Indiana. He died at Mishawaka, Ind. His son, David Aldrich, father of Chester A., was born at Mishawaka, Indiana, in 1844, became a farmer at Wapella, Ill., where he married and served as a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. From Wapella he removed to DuQuoin, Illinois, where he became a prosperous farmer and where he lived for thirty-five years. He died in December, 1928, and is buried at Cobden, Illinois. He was a Republican, a mem- ber of the Baptist Church, and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. While in service during the Civil War he served as a member of the One Hundred and Fifty- seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry and was wounded in service. David Aldrich married Ann Eliza Burroughs, who was born at New Paris, Indiana, and died at Wapella,
CHESTER A. ALDRICH
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Illinois, in 1877. Her father, Chester S. Burroughs, was a native of Northampton, Massachusetts, went to Indiana at an early day, served as a soldier in the Mexican War, and followed the occupation of carpenter and builder. He married Permelia Mills, a native of Ohio, who died at Niles, Michigan. The Mills family came from England and were among the early colonists of Virginia, being re- lated to the Custis family, of which Martha Custis Wash- ington was a member. Chester S. Burroughs was a cousin of the Chicago merchant, Marshall Field.
Chester A. Aldrich was the youngest of three children, the oldest, Nathaniel, dying in infancy. His sister, Amy Permelia, is the wife of Fred Jansen, a cigar manufacturer at Denver, Colorado. Chester A. Aldrich was only three years old when his mother died, and he grew up in the home of his grandparents at Niles, Michigan, attending the public schools there until he was sixteen years of age. He then served a nine month apprenticeship in the office of the Niles (Michigan) Democrat, and for eleven months was a reporter for the Niles Daily Star. He had three months experience as a reporter for the Detroit Evening News, and then returned to Niles, where for one year he was city editor of the Niles Daily Star, following which he became associated with Major L. A. Duncan as editor of the Niles Daily Sun and Niles Republican. After four years he went to Poplar Bluffs, Missouri, and established the Poplar Bluffs Sentinel, which he published two years, selling that paper in 1900. Then for another year Mr. Aldrich was city editor of the Niles Daily Sun, and for a year was city editor of the Mattoon (Illinois) Morning Star. He then became managing editor and publisher of this Mattoon paper and remained in that city until 1911.
In 1911 Mr. Aldrich acquired the Hoopeston Evening Herald. On April 15, 1921, he bought the Republican Daily and Weekly Chronicle, the consolidation of the two papers resulting in the Chronicle-Herald, an evening daily.
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The Chronicle is the oldest newspaper of Hoopeston, having been established in 1872 by Mr. Dale Wallace, still a resi- dent of this city. The Chronicle-Herald is independent in politics. The paper is now owned and published by the Aldrich Printing & Publishing Company, Incorporated, which Mr. Aldrich incorporated in 1921 with a capital of $40,000. He is president and managing editor and general business manager of the corporation. The plant and offices are located at 201 East Main Street. This is a very suc- cessful newspaper and few cities of the size of Hoopeston can claim a newspaper so well edited and possessing more of the qualities of a really good newspaper.
Mr. Aldrich is a member of the Illinois Press Associa- tion, National Editorial Association, and is vice president of the Hoopeston Chamber of Commerce. He also belongs to the Commercial Club, Hubbard Trail Country Club, and Lions Club. He is independent in his political views.
Mr. Aldrich is a member of the First Methodist Epis- copal Church. He owns an attractive home at 626 East Washington Street and has other valuable real estate hold- ings in Hoopeston.
On July 16, 1897, Mr. Aldrich was united in marriage with Miss Hattie Hudson, who was born at Rockton, Illi- nois, in 1878. She died in a Chicago hospital in 1904. By this marriage there were four children: Rita Amy, wife of Clarence W. Murray, of the A. W. Murray Plumbing Com- pany, Hoopeston; Erma Anna, wife of J. Franklin Murphy, who is a pressman in the Chronicle-Herald plant ; David R., linotype operator for his father; and Lucretia E., wife of Marvin G. Probst, a resident of River Forest, Ill. He is a member of the firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, Chicago, architects, who have designed and built some of the finest business and public structures in Chi- cago and the middle west.
On October 1, 1906, Mr. Aldrich was married at Clay- ton, Missouri, to Miss Georgia Jane Gibler, a native of
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Mattoon, Illinois. By this marriage there are two chil- dren : Helen Czarine; and Richard Wayne.
The Rankin-Whitham State Bank .- Numbered among the dependable banking institutions of Vermilion County may be mentioned the Rankin-Whitham State Bank, of Rankin. It was organized as a private bank, May 5, 1875, by W. A. Rankin, David Rankin, and Eugene H. Whitham. The original capital stock was increased from $10,000 to $15,000.
On April 25, 1885, B. H. Durham purchased the interest of D. Rankin, and in 1878 W. H. Clark was taken in as a partner. The bank was reorganized on September 9, 1885, by W. A. Rankin, E. H. Whitham, and B. H. Durham, with a capital stock of $35,000, under the firm of Rankin- Whitham & Company. Mr. Whitham was directly respon- sible for the growth and success of the institution.
On April 1, 1919, the bank was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois. The officers elected were: E. H. Whitham, president; W. D. Rankin, vice president; and W. M. Cutler, cashier. Directors were: E. H. Whitham, W. D. Rankin, W. M. Cutler, John C. Speck, and P. Henneberry.
The statement as of April 1, 1919, was as follows: Loans and Discounts, $156,325.22; Overdrafts, $3,787.40; Bank House and Fixtures, $11,474.00; Stocks and Bonds, $65,181.53; Current Expenses, $418.53; Cash and Specie, $7,442.20; Due from Banks, $258,094.37. Total, $502,723.25. Liabilities: Capital Stock, $100,000.00; Certificates of De- posit, $79,742.60; Deposits, $322,980.65; Total, $502,723.25.
The statement as of April 5, 1929, was as follows: Re- sources: Due from Banks, $33,737.07; Banking House and Fixtures, $19,250.00; Overdrafts, $831.40; Loans and Dis- counts, $244,378.87; Stocks and Bonds, $32,462.50; Other
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Real Estate, $4,197.06. Total, $334,856.90. Liabilities: Capital Stock, $50,000; Surplus, $10,000; Undivided Profits, $3,480.00; Certificate of Deposit, $100,462.77; Deposits, $170,913.34. Total, $334,856.90.
On November 1, 1927, the stockholders and directors voted to reduce the capital stock from $100,000 to $50,000. The present officers of the Rankin-Whitham State Bank are: Glenn H. Whitham, president; Kuno Seidel, vice president; W. M. Cutler, cashier; and John C. Speck, assistant cashier. The directors are: G. H. Whitham, Kuno Seidel, W. M. Cutler, John C. Speck, M. S. Whitham.
Lauren Davis .- Perhaps one of the best known of the younger automobile men of Vermilion County is Lauren Davis, who has the agency for the Hudson and Essex auto- mobiles at Rankin. He was born south of Boswell, Warren County, Indiana, January 12, 1894, the son of Joseph H. and Frances (Myers) Davis.
Joseph H. Davis was born at Boswell, Indiana, in 1865. When a young man he became interested in the grocery business at Boswell, and was thus engaged until 1903, at which time he sold his interests and removed to Rankin, where he purchased the Four-C Telephone Company. This business included exchanges at East Lynn, Illinois, Cissna Park, Illinois, and Rankin. In 1910 he purchased the Potomac, Armstrong, and Collison exchanges and served as president of the Four-C Telephone Company. Mr. Davis retired from business in 1914 and died April 30, 1916. He is buried at Boswell, Indiana. His widow, born at Attica, Indiana, resides at Rankin. Mr. Davis was a Republican and held numerous public offices. He held membership in the Rankin Lodge No. 725, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Modern Woodmen of America, and Woodmen of the World. To Mr. and Mrs. Davis were born four chil-
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dren: Opal, died in 1928, married Joseph Ryden, who lives at Medaryville, Illinois; Ida, married E. M. Grunsted, lives in Chicago; Earl, merchant, Rankin, married Bess Sloan, and they have two children, Earlene and Bobby; and Lauren, the subject of this sketch.
Lauren Davis attended the public schools of Boswell, Indiana, and Rankin. Following his graduation from high school he became interested in the telephone business with his father. From 1914 until 1927 he served as a rural mail carrier and during that time was also interested in the automobile business. He became agent for the Ford auto- mobile at Rankin in 1918 and continued until 1924, at which time he took over the Hudson-Essex agency. The new garage and service station was built by Mr. Davis in 1929. It has storage space for fifty-five cars. In 1928 Mr. Davis also established an agency at Hoopeston and later in that year opened branch agencies at Rossville and Potomac.
In 1914 Mr. Davis married Miss Grace Sloan, the daugh- ter of George and Marietta (France) Sloan. Mr. Sloan lives retired at Rankin. His wife is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have two children: Lauren Dale, born in 1918; and Martha Maxine, born in 1920.
Mr. Davis is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a Republican in politics.
Charles R. Hill .- A substantial citizen and dependable business man of Rankin is found in Charles R. Hill, who is editor and owner of the "Rankin Independent." He was born at Montgomery, Alabama, February 23, 1877, the son of John William Sterling and Mary (Beyer) Hill.
John William Sterling Hill was born in New York, May 8, 1856. He came west with his parents early in life and
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settled in Stark County, Illinois, where he was reared and educated. Subsequently, Mr. Hill went with the Gould Bridge Company and worked for that firm during the building of bridges across the Ohio River, which connected Henderson, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana, for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Later, he was foreman on the building of the bridge across the Mississippi River at Keithsburg, Illinois. Mr. Hill finally located at Paxton, Illinois, where he established a business of his own as pro- prietor of a carriage and wagon works. He died in 1912 and his wife, also a native of New York, died in 1928. They are buried at Paxton and Rankin, respectively. Mr. Hill was a Democrat, a member of the Presbyterian Church, Modern Woodmen of America, and Court of Honor. Mr. and Mrs. Hill had only one child, Charles R., the subject of this sketch.
Charles R. Hill received his education in the schools of Paducah, Kentucky, and following his graduation from Paducah High School in 1897 he came to Rankin, where he was employed as a clerk in a local hardware store. In April, 1912, he purchased the "Rankin Independent," a weekly newspaper, which he has published continuously since that date. Mr. Hill learned the printer's trade after the purchase of his newspaper. He handles the entire procedure from editing the paper to its publication. Mr. Hill is also vice president and director of the Rankin Build- ing & Loan Association.
In 1904 Mr. Hill married Miss Lillian Irene Sloan; daughter of James and Matilda (Simson) Sloan, natives of Londonderry, Ireland, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have a son, Charles Dean, born in August, 1905. He is associated with his father's newspaper business.
Mr. Hill is an independent voter in politics and has served as town clerk for the past twenty years. He was also treasurer for a period of four years and village clerk for one term. He has been a member of the Rankin School
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Board for twelve years and served as secretary for eight years. Mr. Hill is an active member of the Methodist Church and is affiliated with Rankin Lodge No. 725, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Past Master, 1929; Danville Consistory, thirty-second degree; Mohammed Shrine, Peoria, Illinois; and Modern Woodmen of America.
Patrick Henneberry, general merchant, ranks high among the dependable business men of Rankin. He was born in LaSalle County, Illinois, June 1, 1866, the son of Dennis and Julia (Tierney) Henneberry.
Dennis Henneberry was a native of Ireland, as was also his wife. He came to this country when a young man and after a short residence in New York came to Illinois and settled in LaSalle County, where he became interested in the coal business. He was a young man at the time of his death in 1867. His wife died in 1897. They were mem- bers of the Catholic Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Henneberry were born the following children: Elizabeth, who died in 1926, was the wife of J. B. Johnson, of Joliet, Illinois; Julia, married William Burden, lives in Iroquois County, Illinois; Mary Ellen, the widow of William Haywood, lives at Joliet, Illinois; John, born in 1864, died in 1876; and Patrick, the subject of this sketch.
Patrick Henneberry was educated in the district schools of Iroquois County, Illinois, and also attended school at Rankin. His first employment was on the farm of William A. Rankin, founder of the city which bears his name. Later, Mr. Henneberry operated his mother's farm until her death, when he purchased the place. He continued farming until 1901, at which time he removed to Rankin, where he purchased an interest in the general store of Morrow & McCauley, buying out Mr. McCauley's interests in the business. The firm name became known
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as Henneberry & Morrow. In 1917 Mr. Henneberry pur- chased Mr. Morrow's interests and became sole owner of the store. He was one of the directors of the Rankin- Whitham State Bank at the time of its incorporation, but resigned from the office in 1927.
In 1891 Mr. Henneberry was united in marriage with Miss Marcella Kelly, the daughter of James and Catherine (Gaughen) Kelly, natives of Ireland, both now deceased. They had three children: Marcella, deceased; Catherine Julia, in religious life known as Sister M. Marcella, St. Thomas Academy, Chicago, Illinois; and James Leo, mechanical engineer for the Carbondale Machine Com- pany. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and during the World War served with the Aviation Section, United States Army. He married Nellie Ruddy, and they have three children, James Patrick, Mark Allen, and Geraldine.
Mr. Henneberry has always been a Democrat. He served as school director for several terms and as president of the Village Board for ten years. He is a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church, and belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, Chamber of Commerce, and Rankin Business Men's Association. He has a wide acquaintance in the community and is highly esteemed by all who know him.
Everett J. Smith, popular postmaster and business man of Armstrong, is a native of Vermilion County. He was born five miles south of Armstrong, September 6, 1883, the son of John E. and Mary Ellen (Firebaugh) Smith.
John E. Smith was born north of Danville, Illinois, in 1852, the son of George G. and Elizabeth (Fairchilds) Smith, natives of Pennsylvania and Illinois, respectively. He was a farmer and held numerous township offices. Both he and his wife are buried at Potomac, Illinois. Their
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son, John E., was educated in the district schools and attended Illinois Normal College. He was a teacher in the district schools of Vermilion County for thirteen years and also owned and operated a farm of two hundred and eighty acres. He was a Democrat, a member of the Chris- tian Church, and Masonic Lodge. Mr. Smith died Novem- ber 6, 1896, and is buried at Potomac, Illinois. His widow, born at Attica, Indiana, lives at Champaign, Illinois. Their children were: Irvin, professor of mathematics in the Department of Agriculture, University of North Dakota; Edwin R., professor of mathematics at Iowa State Col- lege, Ames, Iowa; Alfred G., farmer, lives at Columbia, South Carolina; Everett J., the subject of this sketch; and Leslie, city manager, Atlas Cement Company, New York City.
Everett J. Smith obtained his education in the district schools of Pilot Township, Vermilion County. He re- mained on his father's farm until he was twenty-eight years of age, and in January, 1911, removed to Armstrong, where he purchased the Armstrong Lumber Company. This was completely destroyed by fire in 1925 and Mr. Smith later purchased the A. G. Maury Hardware Store at Armstrong, which he now conducts. In 1914 he was appointed postmaster during the administration of Presi- dent Wilson. He has continued in office to the present time.
In 1905 Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Ethel Collison, the daughter of Jesse and Loretta (Har- rison) Collison. The former is deceased and the latter lives at Armstrong. Both were natives of England. Mrs. Smith died in November, 1918, and is buried at Armstrong. To this union were born three daughters: Mary, lives in Chicago; Helen and Margaret, both at home. In 1926 Mr. Smith married Miss Inez McArthur, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas McArthur.
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In politics Mr. Smith is independent. He is a member of the Christian Church and has the following lodge affilia- tions: Potomac Lodge, No. 782, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, Past Master, 1926; Danville Consistory, thirty-second degree; Ansar Temple, Springfield, Illinois; and Gao Grotto, Danville.
Harley O'Neal is well and favorably known at Rankin, where he is a plumbing and heating contractor. He was born near LeRoy, in McLean County, Illinois, September 6, 1885, the son of Eleasor C. and Rebecca (Reese) O'Neal.
Eleasor C. O'Neal was born in Warren County, Ohio, in 1850, the son of Eleasor O'Neal, a native of Ohio, who came west with his family about 1855 and settled near Bloomington, Illinois. Eleasor C. O'Neal became a farmer. He retired in 1922 and has since resided at Bloomington, Illinois. He is a Democrat and a member of the United Brethren Church. Rebecca (Reese) O'Neal was born in Illinois and died in 1903. She is buried at Saybrook, Illi- nois. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. O'Neal: Mamie, married Frank Hall, lives at Bloomington, Illinois; Harley, the subject of this sketch; and a daughter died at the age of three years.
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