USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois, Volume Two > Part 27
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at Homer, Illinois, in partnership with his brother, O. C. Harden.
In 1912 Mr. Harden was united in marriage with Miss Ruth M. Wuthrick, of Covington, Indiana, the daughter of Leo and Cora (Russell) Wuthrick. To Mr. and Mrs. Harden have been born ten children, as follows: Marjorie May, Nadine, Freida, Halma Marie, Edwin G., Jr., Gene, Mary Jane, Virginia, Martha Anne, and Vera Louise, all at home.
Mr. Harden is a Republican and is serving as a member of the Village Board. He is a member of the Methodist Church, and belongs to the Masonic Lodge.
Jesse Stone .- One of the outstanding citizens of Poto- mac, well known through all the surrounding country, is Jesse Stone, proprietor of the Jesse Stone Store. He was born at Dewitt, Illinois, September 17, 1871, the son of W. E. and Caroline (Day) Stone.
W. E. Stone was born at Harrodsburg, Kentucky. He was reared on a plantation in Kentucky and was seventeen years old when he came to Illinois and settled at Dewitt. He made the trip from Kentucky on horseback and after his arrival here he became interested in farming and cattle feeding. When twenty-one years of age, however, he en- gaged in the general mercantile business at Dewitt. He met with financial reverses and in 1879 went to Seymour, Illinois, but in 1882 purchased eighty acres of the John Hanson farm near Armstrong, Illinois, at thirty dollars per acre. He remained there for nine years and in 1891 settled at Potomac, where he conducted a livery business. He also became interested in the lumber and coal business and was thus engaged at the time of his retirement in Jan- uary, 1899. He then turned over his business to his sons, Charles M. and Jesse Stone. Mr. Stone died September 17,
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1924, and his wife, a native of Dewitt, Illinois, died Decem- ber 14, 1908. Both are buried at Potomac. Mr. Stone was a Democrat and served as a member of the village board for twenty-six years and as supervisor for one term. He was also a member of the school board. He held member- ship in the Methodist Church, and was a very popular, energetic, and well liked man. To W. E. and Caroline (Day) Stone were born five children: Jesse, the subject of this sketch; E. C., lives at Montgomery, Alabama, where he is interested in hog raising; Charles M., former partner of Jesse, now connected with the International Harvester Company, Danville; William G., lives at Sacramento, Cali- fornia; and Cecil, married Homer Wilson, lives at Saint Joseph, Illinois.
Jesse Stone lived at Dewitt, Illinois, until he was eight years old. He then went to Seymour, Illinois, with his par- ents and in 1892, after completing his early schooling, entered Illinois State Normal School. He taught for six years in the district schools at seventy-five dollars per month, and in June, 1898, entered into business with his father. After a year the business was taken over by the two sons and they also added a lumber and coal business at Armstrong, Illinois, which was managed by Charles Stone until January 1, 1909, at which time the partnership was dissolved and Charles Stone took over the Armstrong business. Jesse Stone remained in charge and as owner of the Potomac business house. In 1911 he erected a new brick and concrete store and warehouse, which is probably among the largest stores of its kind in Vermilion County, outside of the city of Danville. He handles a complete line of hardware, builders' supplies, lumber, coal, farm machin- ery, tile, sewer pipe, sand, and gravel, and also contracts for building.
On December 25, 1894, Mr. Stone was united in mar- riage with Miss Josie Smith, of Henning, Illinois, the daughter of George G. and Eliza (Fairchild) Smith. Mr.
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Smith was born south of Henning, Illinois, and died in 1911. His wife, born on the Fairchild homestead near Fairchild Chapel, died in 1913. Both are buried at Potomac. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have two children, George W. and Helen A., mention of whom is made below.
George W. Stone was born March 21, 1896. He is a graduate of Urbana High School and the University of Illinois. He enlisted for service in the World War, April 3, 1917, as a member of the United States Naval Aviation Corps, being the first boy from Potomac to enlist. He was sent to Pensacola, Florida, where he was among the first one hundred men to enlist in that school of aviation. He served throughout the entire war period and was dis- charged with the rank of lieutenant in August, 1919, with one thousand hours in the air to his credit. He married Miss Nellie Duval, of Urbana, Illinois, and they have three children. Mr. Stone is associated with the Milford Can- ning Company, at Milford, Illinois, as an expert produc- tion man. This is the largest sweet corn canning company in the world.
Helen A. Stone is a graduate of Potomac High School, Ward-Belmont College, Nashville, Tennessee, and the Uni- versity of Illinois. She was a teacher in Colorado for four years before her marriage. She is the wife of Norval Burke, and they have a son. They live at Potomac.
Mr. Stone is a member of the Methodist Church and his wife is president of the Ladies' Aid Society and secretary of the Foreign Missionary Society. He is affiliated with Potomac Lodge, No. 782, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Danville Consistory; and Modern Woodmen of America.
In 1916 Mr. Stone helped organize the Potomac Township High School and has served on the old Potomac School Board for a number of years. He was president of the old School Board and secretary of the High School.
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J. F. Friend, who is station agent for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad at Jamesburg, is one of the sub- stantial men of Vermilion County. He was born at Xenia, Illinois, February 16, 1882, the son of Albert and Sarah (Rheor) Friend.
Albert Friend, who died in 1913, was a native of West Virginia. His widow, born in West Virginia, lives at Xenia, Illinois. Mr. Friend was a farmer in early life but later conducted and owned a barber shop at Xenia. He died at the age of sixty-one years. He was a Democrat. To Mr. and Mrs. Friend were born five children: Bertha, married Christ Henderson, lives at Xenia, Illinois; Gus, lives at Flora, Illinois; J. F., the subject of this sketch; A. W., lives at Springfield, Missouri; and Ollie, married Earl Amerine, lives at Detroit, Michigan.
J. F. Friend was educated in the public schools of Xenia, Illinois, and when a very young man entered the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Xenia, Illi- nois, where he learned telegraphy. He became an operator at the age of twenty years and after two years was trans- ferred from Xenia to Missouri as an operator for the Rock Island Railroad. After several years he returned to Illi- nois and entered the service of the Chicago & Eastern Illi- nois Railroad at Salem, Illinois. In January, 1916, he came to Jamesburg, where he has since been in charge of the local station. Mr. Friend also operates a fine farm of four hundred and fifty acres just east of Jamesburg. He is recognized as a highly successful farmer and specializes in the raising of wheat, oats and corn. He employs two men on his farm. Mr. Friend maintains his home in Dan- ville, located on North Grant Street. He also owns busi- ness property in Danville and for a number of years owned two barber shops there, one of which was sold by him in 1928.
Mr. Friend was married first on November 4, 1903, to Miss Ethel Wooldridge, who died March 25, 1923. She is
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buried at Potomac. She was the daughter of W. M. and Alice (Edgington) Wooldridge, natives of Virginia. He died in 1911 and she died in 1929. Both are buried at Xenia, Illinois. To J. F. and Ethel (Wooldridge) Friend were born four children: William L., a graduate of Hen- ning High School, lives at Detroit, Michigan; Kenneth A., a graduate of Potomac High School, lives at Detroit, Mich- igan; Roselle, a graduate of Xenia High School, lives at Xenia; and LaVonne, attends school at Xenia. The two daughters make their home with their grandmother, Mrs. Albert Friend, of Xenia. Mr. Friend was married the sec- ond time to Leora Watson, of Danville, Illinois, in April, 1927. She is the daughter of Gus and Jennie (Daniels) Watson, natives of Illinois. He died in 1919 and his widow lives at Danville.
Mr. Friend has served as justice of the peace at James- burg for the past twelve years. He is a Republican in politics, a member of the Methodist Church, and Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows. He is serving his third term as a member of the local school board and is recognized as one of the popular members of the community.
William Walter, retired, is known in Henning as one of the substantial pioneer citizens of Vermilion County. He was born at Ripley, West Virginia, March 3, 1851, the son of Simon and Lydia A. (Hornbeck) Walter.
Simon Walter was born near Evansville, West Virginia. He was reared on a farm and attended the district school. In 1852 he came to Illinois with his family and settled on a farm near Armstrong, where he remained until he retired and moved to Potomac a few years before his death. He died in April, 1902, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife is also deceased. They were the parents of the following children: Perry, deceased; Henry, lives
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retired at Murray, Iowa; William, the subject of this sketch; Mary E., married Joseph Cook, who died in 1928, and she lives at Armstrong, Illinois; Nancy J., married Joseph Hobbs, lives at Clarks Hill, Indiana; and Joseph, who died in infancy.
The boyhood of William Walter was spent on a farm near Armstrong, Illinois. He attended the district schools and for eight years was a teacher in the schools of Ver- milion County. In 1884 he purchased a farm of eighty acres near Henning, where he lived for seventeen years. He then traded this farm for one hundred and sixty acres near Rankin, Illinois, which he operated for a period of twenty years. He has since lived retired at Henning, hav- ing moved here in 1921. He is the owner of two hundred and forty-one acres of land in Butler Township.
On March 2, 1880, Mr. Walter married Miss Emma Layton, of Potomac, Illinois, the daughter of Aaron and Charlotte (Balcom) Layton, the former a native of Broome County, New York, and the latter of Pennsylvania. He died September 7, 1873, and his wife died January 9, 1915. Both are buried at Potomac. Mr. and Mrs. Layton were the parents of the following children: Warren A., born June 10, 1846, died April 28, 1851; Caroline B., who died Sep- tember 5, 1875, was the wife of Charles LaGrange, a Civil War veteran; Silas B., born May 20, 1853, died January 27, 1873; Emma Layton Walter, born August 5, 1857; John, born November 27, 1859, died July 10, 1926; and Laura Judy, born May 27, 1863, the widow of Charles Judy, who died in 1915. She lives at Goodwine, Illinois. To William and Emma (Layton) Walter were born five children, as follows: Cecil Earl, born October 22, 1881, married Feb- ruary 4, 1920, to Fay Blanche Matthew, is a veteran of the World War, lives at Danville, Illinois; Carrie Belle, born October 13, 1883, married Dr. A. O. Sistler, lives at Wel- lington, Illinois; Dean Harold, born September 8, 1891, married September 4, 1927, to Edna Wallen, of Henning,
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lives at Danville, and he is a veteran of the World War; Aaron Layton, born September 5, 1893, married Emma Edith Thompson, of Collision, Illinois, lives at Royal, Illi- nois; and Aubrey S., born March 13, 1895, married in 1921, to Gertrude Little of Rankin, Illinois. He is a farmer and lives near Bosville, Indiana.
Mr. Walter has always been a Republican and cast his first vote for President Ulysses S. Grant. He is a member of the Methodist Church. Both he and his wife are high- ly esteemed members of the community in which they have spent so many years. They will have the honor of cele- brating their golden wedding anniversary in 1930.
Frank Golliday is among the esteemed citizens of Poto- mac, where he has spent practically his entire life. He was born at Columbus, Ohio, July 11, 1864, the son of Jackson and Jane (O'Hale) Golliday.
Jackson Golliday was one of the earliest settlers of Potomac. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, as was also his wife. When he was ten years of age his parents brought him to Potomac, at that time known as Marysville. He became a farmer, but after several years returned to Columbus, Ohio. Five years later, however, he removed again to Potomac, and from 1865 until his death two years later was a resident of this place. His wife died in 1894. Both are buried at Potomac. To Mr. and Mrs. Golliday were born four children: Thomas, who died at the age of sixteen years; Nellie, married Douglas Alexander, retired, lives at Potomac; Martin, died in infancy; and Frank, the subject of this sketch.
Frank Golliday has lived at Potomac for many years. He received his education in the schools here and has lived in the same house for almost sixty years. Since 1899 he has served as sexton of the Potomac Cemetery. He is well
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known and well liked in the community. Mr. Golliday has a fine library in his home and has always spent much of his spare time in reading. He is also interested in the gathering of Indian relics and has quite an unusual collec- tion.
In 1887 Mr. Golliday was united in marriage with Miss Mary Weiser, of Potomac, the daughter of George and Nancy (Offord) Weiser, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Virginia. Mr. Weiser died in 1924 and his wife died in 1905. They are buried at Potomac. Mrs. Frank Golliday died in 1917 and is buried in Potomac Cemetery. She had the following children: Blanche, who died in April, 1928, was the wife of Alfred Talbott; Lloyd F., lives at Bloomington, Illinois; and Ida, unmarried, lives at home.
Mr. Golliday is a Republican, and has held membership in the Methodist Church of Potomac since 1884. He has been affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America for the past thirty years.
J. Smith Mason .- Among the prominent business men of Oakwood is J. Smith Mason, who is identified with the Mason & Trent Brothers Lumber and Hardware Com- pany. He was born in Licking County, Ohio, October 19, 1863, the son of Jacob W. and Elizabeth A. (Smith) Mason.
Jacob W. Mason's sketch appears elsewhere in this history in the biography of his son, Dr. Frank M. Mason.
J. Smith Mason was educated in the district schools of Licking County, Ohio. He came to Oakwood in 1881 and spent several years in the teaching profession, being located at Hope, Pleasant Grove, and Welcome. He also engaged in general farming and during the summer months attended the Teachers' Institute. He later became interested in business at Glenburn, Illinois, as manager of
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the Glenburn Coal Company. In 1898 he returned to the old homestead and continued farming until 1913, at which time he removed to Oakwood and purchased an interest in the Trent Brothers & Elliott Lumber and Hardware Company. The business was thereafter known as the Mason & Trent Brothers Lumber Company. They are general hardware merchants and are also extensive dealers in lumber, their yards and warehouses being located on the Big Four Railroad. The company also deals in builders' supplies, plumbing fixtures, roofing, brick, and gravel.
Mr. Mason was married in 1886 to Miss Emma A. Mak- emson, the daughter of Darius and Nancy (Watson) Makemson, natives of Oakwood, both now deceased. He died in 1884 and his wife died in 1915. They are buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mason: Laura, a graduate of Oakwood Township High School, married A. I. Duke, lives at Oak- wood, and they have three children, Clyde Duke, Martha Duke, and Glenn Duke; Vivian E., a graduate of Oakwood Township High School, married Ross Hill, who died in 1914, and they had three children, Dorothy, attends Charleston College, Esther, attends Oakwood Township High School, and Marion, who died in 1928; Gracia, at- tended Danville High School, married Walter Smoot, who died in 1914, and they had a daughter, LaVerne, who was graduated from Danville High School in 1929. Gracia Smoot later married Verne Jennings, of Danville; and Harold S., a graduate of Oakwood Township High School in 1928, attends the University of Illinois.
Mr. Mason has always been a Democrat. He has served as highway commissioner and postmaster, as well as mayor of Oakwood. He is a charter member of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Free Will Lodge No. 872, and belongs to the Council and Commandery. He is president of the Oakwood Building & Loan Association and takes an active part in the business and civic life of the community.
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Russell B. Rodgers .- Among the progressive and wide- ly known young business men of Vermilion County may be mentioned Russell B. Rodgers, who is proprietor of the Rodgers Grain Company at Oakwood. He was born near Veedersburg, Indiana, December 11, 1901, the son of Wil- liam and Marian (Durham) Rodgers.
William Rodgers was born at Wallace, Indiana. Throughout his life he has been interested in general farm- ing and stock raising and is the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and seventy-eight acres near Veedersburg, Indiana. He is a Democrat and a member of the Christian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers are the parents of the following children: Minnie, the widow of Emerson Grenard, who was killed in an automobile accident, Jan- uary 22, 1929, and she lives at Wingate, Indiana; Gertrude, married Alfred Humphrey, lives at Waynetown, Indiana; Lulu, married Raymond Mitchell, lives at Wingate, Indi- ana; Verna, married Charles Daisy, lives at Waynetown, Indiana; Fred, lives at Frankfort, Indiana; Frank, lives at Hoopeston, Illinois; Harry, lives at Newton, Indiana; Rus- sell B., the subject of this sketch; and Bernice, married Earl Alward, lives at Wallace, Indiana.
Russell B. Rodgers obtained his education in the public schools of Veedersburg, Indiana, and remained on his father's farm until 1923, at which time he became identi- fied with the grain business of Freeman Knowles. Three years later he came to Oakwood, where he purchased the grain elevator from J. W. Johnston. His business has ex- panded greatly in the last few years and Mr. Rodgers now owns and operates elevators at Muncie, Brothers, and Bronson, Illinois. These four elevators handle the large volume of business which is operated under the name of the Rodgers Grain Company. While one of the youngest business men in the community, Mr. Rodgers ranks among the most independent and influential citizens of Oakwood. He lives at Oakwood.
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On June 28, 1923, Mr. Rodgers married Miss Dora Rhodes, of Covington, Indiana, the daughter of Sylvester and Della May (Jones) Rhodes. He was born in Ohio and died in 1909. His wife, a native of Indiana, died in 1918. Both are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Covington, In- diana. To Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes five children were born: Alma, married Merle Haynes, lives at Dayton, Ohio; Dora, Rodgers; Clarence, lives at Wingate, Indiana; Henry, lives at Detroit, Michigan; and Estelle, who lives at Oakwood. Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers have no children.
Politically, Mr. Rodgers is a Democrat. He is a mem- ber of the Christian Church and his wife is identified with the United Brethren Church. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America.
J. W. Johnston .- One of the most progressive business men of Oakwood is found in J. W. Johnston, who is presi- dent of the State Bank of Oakwood, and a member of one of the most prominent pioneer families of Vermilion Coun- ty. He was born on a farm just north of Oakwood, Jan- uary 23, 1856, the son of David and Mary A. E. (Britting- ham) Johnston.
David Johnston was born in Kentucky. When a boy his parents removed to Ohio, where he was educated. In 1844 he came to Illinois and broke prairie with ox teams in the western part of Oakwood Township, Vermilion County. From 1857 until the time of his death in 1905 he was a farmer in Oakwood Township. He was one of the pioneers and became a prominent farmer of this com- munity. He is buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery. His wife died April 11, 1910. Mr. Johnston was a Republican and served as a member of the school board for many years. He held membership in the Methodist Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnston two children were born: Matilda
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Jane, died August 6, 1880, was the wife of David M. Young, who died in 1925; and J. W., the subject of this sketch.
J. W. Johnston obtained his education in the district schools of Vermilion County and spent his boyhood on his father's farm. He became a partner in his father's farm and its management in 1878 and developed into one of the leading stockmen of this section of the county. This partnership between father and son continued for sixteen years, after which the elder Mr. Johnston retired. J. W. Johnston continued as active manager of the farm until 1917, at which time he leased the land for several years. It is now operated by his own children. Mr. Johnston is the owner of five hundred and twenty acres of well im- proved land, but has been a resident of Oakwood since 1926, at that time having built a new home there. He has served as president of the State Bank of Oakwood since 1924.
On December 19, 1900, Mr. Johnston was united in mar- riage with Miss Estelle Oakwood, the daughter of Henry J. and Priscilla (Sailor) Oakwood, both deceased. They have three children: Mary Oletha, born December 11, 1901, a graduate of Oakwood Township High School, mar- ried Albert Seyfert, lives near Oakwood; Martha Frances, born July 15, 1904, a graduate of Oakwood Township High School, married Orville Albert, lives near Oakwood; and Henry David, born April 19, 1908, a graduate of Oakwood Township High School in 1926, lives at home.
Mr. Johnston has always been a Republican. He has held the office of supervisor of Oakwood Township for two terms and since 1901 has been a member of the local school board and treasurer. He has been identified with the Masonic Lodge since 1878, being a member of Oak- wood Lodge No. 872, Danville Consistory, Vermilion Chap- ter No. 82, Athelstan Commandery No. 45, Knights Tem- plar. While Mr. Johnston is actively identified with the
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business life of Oakwood, he derives his greatest pleasure and happiness from his farm, which is among the finest to be found in Vermilion County.
Gordon Bridgman, popular garage owner of Oakwood, was born here, October 17, 1897, the son of W. H. and Elizabeth (Pate) Bridgman.
W. H. Bridgeman, a farmer of Vermilion County, was born at Summerfield, Ohio. He came to Illinois early in life and for a number of years was employed by the Butler Coal Company, Oakwood. He later went to Arkansas and spent seven years on a farm there before his return to Oakwood, where he was employed in the coal mines. Mr. Bridgman is now interested in farming near Oakwood. He is a member of the Christian Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Bridgman the following children were born: Glenn, a World War veteran, lives at Oakwood; Gordon, the sub- ject of this sketch; Ula V., married Virgil Rossnell, lives at Fairmount, Illinois; Anna, married Elmer Balback, lives at Oakwood; Josephine, lives at home; W. H., Jr., lives at home; Hardy and Paul, both at home; Robert, who died in 1919; and Ballard, at home.
Gordon Bridgman spent the early years of his life on a farm in Arkansas. He attended the public schools and later enrolled in an automotive school at Kansas City, Missouri, where he learned the automobile mechanic's trade. He has been the proprietor of a garage at Oakwood since 1925. It is located on Route No. 10, just east of the city. Mr. Bridgman does expert repair work and handles a complete line of automobile accessories. He also is a battery specialist.
On April 12, 1921, Mr. Bridgman was united in mar- riage with Miss Crystal Van Allen, of Oakwood, the daughter of O. M. and Rebecca (Hill) Van Allen, the for-
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mer a native of Ohio and the latter of Vermilion County. Mr. and Mrs. Van Allen are residents of Oakwood. There are two children in the Bridgman family: Thelma May, born December 5, 1921; and Wilma Regene, born April 5, 1924.
Mr. and Mrs. Bridgman are members of the United Brethren Church.
O. P. Clark .- Among the important business men of Vermilion County, and of Georgetown in particular, few represent more substantial interests than O. P. Clark, who is president of the First National Bank. He was born near Crawfordsville, Indiana, February 17, 1867, the son of John G. and Mary (Holladay) Clark.
John G. Clark was for many years one of the leading business men of Georgetown. He was born at Guilford, North Carolina, and spent his early life there. He later lived in Indiana, and in 1872 came to Illinois and pur- chased a farm near Ridge Farm, where he remained until 1886. He was a dentist by profession and engaged in prac- tice at Covington and Crawfordsville, Indiana. Mr. Clark came to Vermilion County about 1870 and purchased a farm in Elwood Township. He became president of the First National Bank of Georgetown with which he was identified until the time of his death in 1917. He is buried at Georgetown. Mr. Clark was a prominent member of the Friends Church of Vermilion Grove and was one of the founders of Friends Academy at that place. Mary (Hol- laday) Clark, a native of Vermilion County, died in 1919. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Clark: O. P., the subject of this sketch; S. M., judge, lives at Danville; and Emma, married Elbert C. Cosand, who is head of the Eng- lish department at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana.
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