USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois, Volume Two > Part 4
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Mr. Mann was a life long Democrat. He served for one term as alderman of Danville and in 1881 was elected a member of the Illinois General Assembly. In 1909 he be- came corporation counsel. He was identified with the Ver- milion County Bar Society, Illinois State Bar Society, and
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American Bar Association. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
As an after dinner speaker Mr. Mann was widely known throughout the State and was called upon to ad- dress numerous gatherings in Chicago, where he had an extensive acquaintance and a host of friends and ad- mirers.
Mr. Mann married in January, 1874, Miss Lucy A. Davis, the daughter of Judge Oliver L. and Sarah M. (Cun- ningham) Davis. Judge Davis was a native of New York City and came to Danville in the early 40's. He was one of the first appellate judges in this section and served as circuit judge for thirty years. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, riding the circuit with him. It is be- lieved that Judge Davis was the last man in Illinois to see President Lincoln alive, having met him at the station. Judge Davis ranked among the leading jurists of this sec- tion. He was offered a post in the cabinet of Lincoln, but declined the honor. Judge Davis died in January, 1892, and his wife died in August of the same year. To Joseph B. and Lucy A. (Davis) Mann were born three children : Fred B., lives at East Orange, N. J .; Oliver D., well known attorney of Danville; and Nell M., the widow of Howard Shedd, lives at Danville.
Mr. Mann is buried in Springhill Cemetery, Danville.
Douglas F. Stevens is an active, enterprising business man of Danville, where he is vice president and general manager of the Acme Brick Company. He was born at Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 27, 1883, the son of Charles P. and Mary Elizabeth (Neilson) Stevens.
Charles P. Stevens was a native of Ashburnham, Massa- chusetts, born in 1840. At the age of fourteen years he went with his father's business and was interested in the
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manufacture of furniture in Baltimore, Maryland, until 1880. He then removed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and engaged in the retail furniture business in that city for ten years. In 1890 he settled at Evanston, Illinois, where he became active in politics, serving as city treasurer. In 1906 he organized the Acme Brick Company, of Danville, Illinois, although he maintained his residence at Evanston. He became president of the new enterprise and continued as its active head until the time of his death in 1914. His wife, born at Baltimore, Maryland, died in 1917. Both are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois. Their children were: Charles Neilson, president of the City National Bank and Trust Company, and president of the Acme Brick Company, lives in Evanston, Illinois; Annie, married Edward F. Webster, lives at Los Angeles, Cali- fornia; Mary Florence, the widow of Samuel A. Dickie, lives at Evanston, Illinois; Edna, deceased; and Douglas Franklin, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Stevens was a Republican, a member of the Methodist Church, the Masonic lodge, and was a Knights Templar.
Douglas F. Stevens attended the public schools of Evanston, Illinois, and spent three years at Northwestern University. He was graduated from Cornell University in 1907 with the degree of Mechanical Engineer. He im- mediately became identified with his father's brick manu- facturing business as assistant superintendent. In 1908 he was made superintendent and at the time of his father's death in 1914 was elected secretary and general manager. Mr. Stevens removed to Danville in 1910. He became vice president and general manager of the company in 1919, and established offices at Danville.
In 1908 Mr. Stevens married Miss Ida Harriet King, the daughter of John F. and Emma L. (Brown) King, the former a native of Germany and the latter of New York City. Mr. King died in 1928 and his widow lives at Dan- ville. He was well known in this city as an insurance man.
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To Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have been born two sons: Robert Putnam, born November 6, 1912; and Donald King, born October 26, 1920.
Mr. Stevens is a Republican; a member of the First Presbyterian Church; Rotary Club; Masonic Lodge, thirty- second degree, and Knights Templar; and Walnut Hill Boat Club. He is secretary and former president of the National Brick Manufacturers Association. He was for- merly president of the Illinois Clay Manufacturers Asso- ciation and the Danville Choral Society, and has been an officer of the American Face Brick Association, and Amer- ican Ceramic Society.
Douglas F. Stevens is a direct descendant of John Stevens, who settled at Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in 1654, coming from County Sussex, England. He was a prominent figure in Massachusetts and became an officer in the Army. Samuel Stevens, great-great-great-grand- father of Douglas F. Stevens, was a lieutenant in the Con- tinental Army and served at the battle of Concord. He is buried at Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
The Acme Brick Company, of Danville, Illinois, was organized in 1906 by Charles P. Stevens and Charles N. Stevens, with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. The original officers were: Charles P. Stevens, president; A. F. Carlson, vice president; and Charles N. Stevens, secre- tary and treasurer. In the beginning the company manu- factured face brick exclusively and employed approxi- mately thirty men.
In 1922 the capital stock of the Acme Brick Company was increased to one hundred fifty thousand dollars. The company had begun the manufacture of floor tile in 1913 and began the manufacture of roof tile in 1927. Face brick, however, is the chief output. The company also has pat-
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ents on a special texture called "Persiantex," invented in 1926.
The officers of the Acme Brick Company in 1929 are: Charles N. Stevens, president and treasurer; Douglas F. Stevens, vice president and general manager; Ethel M. King, secretary; and George R. Johnson, superintendent. The company's offices are located at Danville, and the plant at Cayuga, Indiana.
Leo W. Burk .- Among the younger men prominent in the professional and social life of Danville, one of the most outstanding is Leo W. Burk, attorney, with offices in the Daniel Building. He was born in Vermilion County, De- cember 4, 1898, the son of George and Mary E. (Rickard) Burk.
George Burk was born at Higginsville, Vermilion County, in 1867. He was interested in general farming until 1903, when he removed to Danville, where he has since been well known as a cement contractor. He is a Republican, a member of the First Christian Church, Masonic Lodge, and Modern Woodmen of the World. Mr. Burk is the son of William and Mary Burk, natives of Indiana, and early settlers of Vermilion County. His wife, Mary E. (Rickard) Burk, was born in Vermilion County, the daughter of Jacob and Martha Rickard. Mr. Rickard died at Danville in 1914. His widow still lives in this city. To Mr. and Mrs. George Burk eight children were born, as follows: Leo W., the subject of this sketch; Raleigh O., lives at Indianapolis, Indiana; Jewell V., attends the Kent College of Law; George, lives at Indianapolis; Paul B., Marvin D., Gene, and Virginia E., all students.
Leo W. Burk, as a youth, attended the public schools of Danville and after his graduation from high school in 1917 spent a year at the University of Illinois before his
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enlistment for service in the World War. He served as a member of the Three Hundred and Eighth Tank Corps and was stationed at Camp Polk, North Carolina, and later at Camp Green, South Carolina. He was discharged De- cember 31, 1918, and resumed his work at the University of Illinois, from which he was graduated in law in 1922. He was subsequently admitted to practice in the Federal courts and served as inheritance tax attorney under the Attorney General of the State of Illinois.
In 1924 Mr. Burk married Miss Opal I. Ayres, the daughter of William E. and Oma (Butts) Ayres, of Mat- toon, Illinois. They have a daughter, Sheila Ann.
Mr. Burk is a Republican, a member of the First Chris- tian Church, Furtherlight Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, No. 1130, Master; Gamma Eta Gamma fraternity; American Legion; Adelphic Literary Society; and University of Illinois Law Club.
Harold Ferguson Lindley, who is associated in prac- tice with the law firm of Gunn, Penwell & Lindley, ranks among the successful attorneys of Danville. He was born at Mattoon, Illinois, April 3, 1888, the son of Charles and Zyphora (Ferguson) Lindley.
Charles Lindley was born at Dublin, Wayne County, Indiana, and his wife was born on a farm south of Mat- toon, Illinois. He was employed by Alschuler & Company, wholesale and retail dry goods merchants, Mattoon. He died October 23, 1889, at the age of twenty-six years and is buried in Muddy Point Cemetery, Mattoon. Mr. Lind- ley was a Republican, a member of the Congregational Church, and Knights of Pythias. One child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Lindley: Harold Ferguson, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Zyphora Lindley married the second time to C. W. Sellen, and they had a daughter Martha,
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the wife of Mark W. Eichelberger; they live in Chicago. Mrs. Sellen died August 13, 1920, and is buried at Mattoon, Illinois.
Harold Ferguson Lindley attended the public schools of Mattoon and was graduated from high school in 1906. He also completed a course at the Mattoon Business Col- lege, and attended the University of Illinois during 1906- 1908; graduated from the University of Chicago in 1910 with the degree of Ph. B .; and in 1912 was graduated from the Law School, University of Chicago, with the degree of J. D. After graduating in law Mr. Lindley practiced in Chicago for about three years. He then became asso- ciated with the law firm of Martin & Glenn at Murphys- boro, Illinois. He left that firm to return to Chicago, where he became general counsel, secretary, and a mem- ber of the board of directors of the Jewel Tea Company, Inc. He came to Danville in 1922 as a partner in the law firm of Gunn, Penwell & Lindley. They maintain offices in the Daniel Building.
Mr. Lindley was married (first) November 22, 1916, to Miss Muriel Aken, a native of Elkville, Illinois, the daugh- ter of W. H. and Margaret (Cox) Aken, natives of Illinois. Mr. Aken lives at Elkville. His wife died November 13, 1927. Muriel (Aken) Lindley died November 28, 1923, and is buried in Springhill Cemetery, Danville. She left two daughters: Muriel Zyphora and Dorothy Aken, both students. On June 10, 1925, Mr. Lindley married Miss Gladys Brewer, daughter of G. L. and Hester (Woolsey) Brewer. He is deceased and his widow lives at Indian- apolis, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Lindley have a son, Charles Brewer Lindley, born in 1926.
Politically, Mr. Lindley is a Republican. He attends the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge, Elks Club, Knights of Pythias, Sigma Chi fra- ternity, and Danville Country Club. He is a member of the Board of Education and a member of the Board of
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Trustees, Lakeview Hospital, Danville. He is also secre- tary of the Vermilion County Central Republican Com- mittee.
Larkin A. Tuggle is widely known throughout Ver- milion County as the capable superintendent of schools. He was identified with the city school system of Danville for a number of years before accepting his present position in 1923. Mr. Tuggle was born at Indianola, Illinois, July 29, 1875, the son of James M. and Laura F. (Hansbrough) Tuggle.
James M. Tuggle was born in Union County, W. Va., and his wife was a native of Indianola, Illinois. He was a minister of the United Brethren Church for thirty-five years and was identified with the upper Wabash Confer- ence. His father settled at Fairmount, Illinois, in 1854 and enlisted in the Seventy-third Illinois Volunteer Infan- try in 1861. He died in service December 24, 1861, at Nashville, Tenn. James M. Tuggle died Nov. 11, 1921, and his wife died December 13, 1928. Both are buried at Veedersburg, Ind. Their children were: Carrie Ward, lives at Owasa, Iowa; Orrie M., lives at Morocco, Indiana; Halsie, lives at Los Angeles, California; William, lives at Danville; Benjamin F. and Calvin, both deceased; Thersia Storm, lives at Veedersburg, Indiana; James, Mary Hulli- han, and June, all deceased; Clifford, lives at Lexington, Missouri; and Larkin A., the subject of this sketch.
Larkin A. Tuggle spent his boyhood on a farm and at- tended the district schools of Illinois and Indiana. He was graduated from Battleground High School and attended Westfield (Illinois) College. Mr. Tuggle began his teach- ing career as a country school teacher and after six years was appointed principal of Lincoln School, Danville, in which capacity he served for seven years. He then was su- pervisor of manual training in the Danville schools for a
L. a. Juggle
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period of eleven years and in 1923 became county superin- tendent of schools.
On July 28, 1901, Mr. Tuggle was united in marriage with Miss Sadie E. Martin, of Georgetown, Illinois, the daughter of Dr. Franklin and Amanda (Hewitt) Martin. Dr. Franklin Martin, deceased, was descended from one of the first families of Vermilion County. His grandfather Henry Martin was one of the two sons-in-law of Achilles Morgan, who settled on the Vermilion River, east of West- ville, in 1825. Achilles Morgan, with his two sons-in-law, Henry Martin and George Brock, came to the salt works west of Danville in 1821. Mrs. Amanda (Hewitt) Martin Bennett is now a widow and lives at Georgetown, Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Tuggle the following children have been born : Thelma, married Dan Stratman, lives at Danville; Gordon, deceased; Edith, Pauline, Floyd, Berlin, Eleanor, Lucile, Christine, and Peggy Jean, all at home.
Mr. Tuggle has always been a Republican. He is a member of the First United Brethren Church, Danville, and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, Loyal Order of Moose, Improved Order of Red Men, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans of the World War, and other lodge auxiliaries.
Mr. Tuggle has had a long and adventurous military career. He joined the Fifth Illinois National Guard as a private in Company I, May 16, 1905, at Danville. He was promoted to corporal on June 17, 1906; became quarter- master sergeant on September 14, 1906; second lieutenant on November 17, 1908; and was promoted to captain on August 5, 1910, which rank he held until the close of the World war. For seven years he was inspector of rifle practice of the Fifth Illinois Infantry, and during that time was state team coach for two years of the Illinois National Guard State Rifle Team, which took part in the National Rifle and Pistol Competitions, conducted by the
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War Department at Camp Perry, Ohio, and Jacksonville, Florida. He was also range officer for the rifle ranges at Georgetown, Peoria, and Springfield and trained thou- sands of national guardsmen in the use and art of rifle and pistol firing. He won many state and national matches, winning the highest rank in both rifle and pistol, that of Expert Rifleman and Expert Pistolman. He represented General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces at LeMans, France, in May, 1919, at the National A. E. F. Rifle and Pistol matches.
Mr. Tuggle was assigned as Company Commander of Company E, Fifth Infantry, at Hillsboro, Illinois, on Feb- ruary 1, 1917, and was called into active service March 26, 1917, and sent to Cairo and Thebes, Illinois, where he guarded bridges across the Ohio and Mississippi rivers un- til August 15, 1917. He was then sent to Houston, Texas, where the "Prairie Division" or Thirty-third Division was mobilized and organized for war training. Company E arrived in Houston about August 20, 1917, and Mr. Tuggle being senior line officer was placed in command of the camp until the arrival of General Bell. In the interim the 24th United States Infantry (colored) broke out in riot and killed twenty-three people and wounded fifty- seven men, women and children. Mr. Tuggle got his Illi- nois troops in action and quelled the riot before midnight, capturing one hundred and seventy-five of the rioting sol- diers. Houstonians gave Mr. Tuggle credit for "saving the city of Houston." Throughout the investigations and trials in this case not one word of criticism was ever offered by the War Department concerning the handling of the situa- tion by Mr. Tuggle. Nineteen of the rioters were hanged, and forty-three were given life sentences in the peniten- tiary.
Mr. Tuggle served for two years and four months in the World War, fourteen months of which were spent in France. He attended the Officers Training School at Fort
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Sill, Oklahoma, in the fall of 1917, and was made an in- structor. He saw front line trench service in France while in command of the One Hundred and Twenty-second Ma- chine Gun Battalion, Thirty-third Division, for two months of continuous fighting in the Somme River Sector, east of Amiens. He was then assigned to the First Army Head- quarters in G I and joined them at Chateau Thierry in August, 1918. After the armistice he was town major for six months near Chaumont, Headquarters American Ex- peditionary Forces. Later he was District Commander at Chalons-sur-Marne, and his last service was at Dijon, France, in May and June, 1919.
Mr. Tuggle is State Department Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, with head- quarters at Danville, and he is also second junior vice com- mander of Illinois of the Disabled American Veterans of the World War. He is also in command of the Military De- partment of the Supreme Lodge of Knights of Pythias, with headquarters in Danville. In 1929 he was appointed by Governor Lewis L. Emerson, one of the five members of the Advisory Board of the Department of Public Wel- fare, State of Illinois, as representative of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Walter T. Gunn, of Gunn, Penwell & Lindley, attor- neys, Danville, is widely known throughout Vermilion County, where he has successfully engaged in practice for a period of almost thirty years. He was born at La Salle, Illinois, June 4, 1879, the son of Luther V. and Alice E. (Rogers) Gunn.
Luther V. Gunn was born in New York, November 20, 1856. He attended the common schools until he was four- teen years of age and then worked on a farm in La Salle County, Illinois, for seven years. He came to Vermilion
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County in 1880 and purchased a tract of land here, which he farmed for a number of years. Mr. Gunn now lives retired at Hoopeston, Illinois. His wife died in 1915. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gunn: Wal- ter T., lives at Danville; Roger F., lives at Rensselaer, Indiana; Robert L., Jennie, Letha A., Myra, all live at Hoopeston; Jessie, deceased; and Walter T., the subject of this sketch.
Walter T. Gunn received his education in the public schools of Hoopeston, Illinois, and attended Green College. He was graduated from the Law School, Illinois Wesleyan University, in 1901 and during that year was admitted to practice at the Illinois bar. He engaged in practice alone for one year at Danville and then was associated with J. W. Keeslar. Mr. Gunn went to California in 1911 and spent three years in practice at Los Angeles, after which he returned to Danville and formed the partnership of Gunn & Platt. The present firm of Gunn, Penwell & Lind- ley has been in existence since 1922. They have offices in the Daniel Building.
Mr. Gunn was married in 1904 to Miss Vina Dayton, of Santa Barbara, California, the daughter of W. H. and Sarah (Gundy) Dayton, natives of Vermilion County. Mr. Dayton died in 1919. His widow lives at Danville. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gunn: Horace, at- torney, 231 South La Salle Street, Chicago, is a graduate of the University of Illinois; and Marjorie, who attends the University of Illinois.
Mr. Gunn is a Republican in politics. He served as assistant state's attorney in Vermilion County from 1902 until 1908; in 1909 was elected alderman of the Seventh Ward, Danville; in 1906 was Master in Chancery, United States Circuit Court, and served until 1912; and from 1915 until 1919 was corporation counsel for the city of Danville.
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Mr. Gunn is affiliated with the Elks Club, and Masonic lodge, thirty-second degree. He is identified with the Ver- milion County Bar Association, Illinois Bar Association, and American Bar Association. He also belongs to the Danville Country Club.
Luther V. Gunn was the son of Luther and Lydia (Gage) Gunn, natives of New York.
William G. Hartshorn .- Outstanding among the citi- zens of Danville, both for his business ability and for his public-spirited concern in the affairs of the community, was William G. Hartshorn, who died November 18, 1926. He was born at Corydon, Iowa, January 17, 1860, the son of William G. and Mary Ann (Thompson) Hartshorn.
William G. Hartshorn was a native of Dublin, Ireland. Early in life he went to Liverpool, England, where he was identified with one of the largest iron merchants as book- keeper and traveling salesman. After coming to this country he accepted a position as bookkeeper in St. Louis and later went to Keokuk, Iowa, and worked at the same occupation. After his health failed he went to Corydon, Iowa, where he published the first Republican newspaper, which was known as the Corydon "Monitor." He was elected United States Senator on the Republican ticket but died the same year, 1867. His wife, who was born in London, England, died March 10, 1903. Both are buried at Corydon, Iowa. They had five children: Mrs. Kate H. Hayes, born May 6, 1859, lives at Danville; William G., the subject of this sketch; John G., born May 17, 1862, lives at Danville; Mrs. C. W. Martindale, born January 25, 1864, lives at Fargo, North Dakota; and Mrs. M. J. Elrod, born March 5, 1866, lives at Missoula, Montana.
William G. Hartshorn received his education in the schools of Corydon, Iowa. After leaving school he found
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his first employment as a clerk in a hardware store. He became actively identified with the coal business with R. R. and J. G. Hammond about 1894 in Iowa. In 1895 he came to Danville as president and general manager of the Economy Coal Company. He later organized and opened a mine to be known as the Electric Coal Company in 1903. In 1911 Mr. Hartshorn had designed and built the first successful stripping shovel in the world. He then organized several other stripping companies, all of which were highly successful.
In April, 1891, Mr. Hartshorn married Miss Myrtle Prentice, of Pleasantville, Iowa, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sophronia (Jordon) Prentice, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Iowa. Mr. Prentice died in 1893. His widow lives at Long Beach, California. To Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn was born a son, William G., Jr. He is a well known coal operator of Danville.
Mr. Hartshorn was a Republican, and a member of the Elks Club and Kiwanis Club.
Mr. Hartshorn was chairman of the County Red Cross during the World War in 1917 and 1918 and took a very active interest in that work.
The Equitable Building & Loan Association is one of the oldest and most substantial institutions of its kind in Vermilion County. It was organized in Danville in 1880 by Asa Partlow, and was capitalized at that time for $50,000.
The first officers of the company were: W. P. Cannon, president; and Asa Partlow, secretary. In 1885 Edwin R. Partlow became secretary, and continued in that capacity until his death, February 27, 1928. He was succeeded in that office by F. E. Partlow.
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The officers for 1929 are, as follows: George M. Wright, president; F. E. Partlow, secretary; and C. V. McClena- than, treasurer. The directors are: Frank L. Hill, C. V. McClenathan, A. A. Partlow, F. E. Partlow, A. R. Samuel, W. L. Syrcle, and George M. Wright.
The statement as of February 28, 1929, follows: As- sets: Loans on Real Estate, $3,195,875.53; Stock Loans, $65,753.62; Real Estate and Costs, $73,909.00; Taxes Ad- vanced, $1,578.02; Furniture and Fixtures, $2,500.00; In- terest in Arrears, $13,802.04; Cash in Bank, $171,860.37; Total, $3,525,278.58. Liabilities : Installments paid on Stock, $3,012,191.34; Dividends Credited on Stock, $486,- 587.24; Contingent Fund, $21,500.00; Undivided Profits, $5,000.00. Total, $3,525,278.58.
Edwin Reuben Partlow .- One of the most progressive and best known business men of Danville was Edwin Reuben Partlow, who died February 27, 1928. He was identified with the Equitable Building & Loan Association throughout his entire business career and served as sec- retary from 1885 until the time of this death in 1928.
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