USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois : a tale of its evolution, settlement, and progress for nearly a century, Volume II > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93
JAMES FRANKLYN SNAPP.
James Franklyn Snapp, whose demise occurred on the Ist of November, 1897, was for a number of years actively and successfully identified with the agricultural and mercantile interests of Vermilion county, conducting a store at Georgetown until the time of his death. His natal day was September 6, 1844 His first business venture was as a wagonmaker of Georgetown, but subsequently he turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits and for seven years devoted his time and energies to the operation of a farm situated nine miles west of Georgetown. He next became identified with mercantile interests as the proprietor of a grocery store at Georgetown and successfully conducted the enterprise until called to his final rest at the age of fifty-three
MR. AND MRS. JAMES F. SNAPP
315
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
years. He remained a resident of Vermilion county throughout his entire life and was well known and highly esteemed within its borders.
Mr. Snapp was twice married. On the 22d of January, 1867, he wedded Miss Estella A. Lumbard, of Georgetown, who passed away on the 26th of October, 1879. On the 26th of January, 1882, he was again married, his second union being with Callie M. Sandusky, whose birth occurred on the 18th of October, 1851. To them were born three children, namely: Leah B., who mar- ried Clarence Wortham and has two children, Maxwell and Clarence; Ivan, who is now in the United States navy; and William, at home. Mrs. Snapp was formerly the wife of Benjamin F. Eveninger, by whom she had two children : Mary, who is now the wife of David Ramey and has two children, Mildred and John; and Josie, who is the wife of Elliott Hoopeston and has four chil- dren, Fern, Ralph, Elma and Donald.
William and Mary E. (Baum) Sandusky, the parents of Mrs. Snapp, cele- brated their marriage at Indianola, Illinois, then known as Chillicothe. The father, who was born near Riola, Illinois, followed farming throughout prac- tically his entire life and owned fifteen hundred acres of valuable land at the time of his death in January, 1910. The grandfather of Mrs. Snapp was one of the first settlers in this part of the state, taking up his abode here when the Indians still maintained a hostile attitude toward the pioneers. Her greatgrand- father was captured by Indians at Indianola and tortured until he revealed the hiding place of his valuables, which they stole. He lived to attain the remark- able age of one hundred and four years and on the one hundredth anniversary of his birth held a party which was attended by more than one hundred grand- children and relatives. Mrs. Snapp still makes her home in Georgetown and has a host of warm friends throughout the community.
THOMAS WILLIAMS.
One cannot carry his investigations far into the history of Vermilion county without learning of the important part which Thomas Williams took in shap- ing its annals. He came here in pioneer times, when Danville was a tiny vil- lage and long before Hoopeston had been dreamed of, and upon the present site of the latter city engaged in herding sheep. It was possible in those days to follow his flocks at will over the prairies, for few settlements had been made and scarcely any fences had been built, so that the open prairies offered unlimited feeding ground for stock. As the years passed on Mr. Williams en- gaged extensively in farming and stock-raising and came to be one of the most prosperous and one of the most honorable business men of the county.
He was born November 29, 1828, in Harrison county, Ohio. His parents were Nathan and Sarah (Hoopes) Williams, whose family numbered ten chil- dren, Thomas being the fifth in order of birth. The father was a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and, removing to Ohio, lived in Harrison county to the time of his death, which occurred in 1841. His widow survived him for many years, living in Ohio until after her children had reached adult age,
316
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
when she came to make her home with her son Thomas in Vermilion county, She had passed the seventy-ninth milestone on life's journey when called to her final rest in 1881. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Williams were faithful members of the Society of Friends.
Thomas Williams was a youth of twelve years when his father died, after which he remained with his mother in Ohio until nineteen years of age and then sought employment in Marion county, Ohio, entering the service of his uncle, Thomas Hoopes. For seven years he worked by the month at farm labor, after which he came to Illinois, bringing with him four hundred sheep. He drove the flock through Marion county, Ohio, a distance of four hundred miles, to the present site of Hoopeston, reaching his destination October 20, 1853, after traveling thirty days. He lived through the ensuing winter with Samuel Gil- bert and devoted his energies to the care of the sheep, which he fed in the timber south of Rossville. The following spring he took up his abode on a farm owned by Mr. Hoopes on section II, Grant township, northwest of the present site of Hoopeston. The country was then laregly unsettled, his nearest neighbor being two and one-half miles to the south, while he had to travel eight miles northward before he came to a habitation. Wolves were numerous and Mr. Williams and his hired man must needs be constantly on the alert to keep them away from the sheep. The dogs would chase the wolves for a short distance and then the latter would turn on the dogs, driving them back to the house. He provided a wolf-proof pound in which the sheep were driven when evening fell, yet he had to be constantly on the alert to protect his flocks from the depredations of the wild beasts. At the end of two years he was the owner of a flock of eight hundred sheep, but the long, hard winter and the rattle- snakes made sad havoc among live stock and he lost so many of his animals that he was obliged to depend upon other resources for a living. Purchasing five yoke of oxen and a breaking plow, he devoted his time for three years to the arduous task of breaking prairie. The work, however, brought him good re- turn, for he made one hundred dollars per month in that way in the summer seasons. He also took advantage of the opportunity to secure government land, preempting one hundred and sixty acres in Iroquois county, upon which he made substantial improvements prior to his marriage.
Mr. Williams completed his arrangements for having a home of his own when on the 9th of June, 1859, he wedded Miss Lavina McFarland, of Iroquois county, who was born in Marion county, Ohio. Her parents, Andrew and Sarah (Craig) McFarland, had settled in Illinois in 1854 and at their home in Iroquois county Mrs. Williams remained until her marriage. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Williams were born six children, but only two are now living, Charles C. and Frank H. Another son, Walter W., reached adult age but is now deceased.
The original home of Mr. Williams to which he brought his bride was com- posed of a small frame house which he erected and to which he added a house standing near by, thus forming quite a comfortable abode for those times. They occupied that residence until Christmas of 1859, when they removed to a farm in the vicinity of Hoopeston-the same on which Mr. Williams had herded sheep. He rented and cultivated that land until 1863, in which year he re- moved to a farm southwest of Hoopeston that he occupied for six years. He
317
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
there engaged in raising cattle, having purchased seventy-five head. Prospering in his undertakings, he made judicious investments in land, becoming the owner of five hundred acres partially improved, known as the Churchill Boardman farm. At that time he concentrated his energies largely upon stock-raising, which business he conducted successfully until after the building of the rail- road through this section, when he devoted his time more generally to farming. He shipped the first carload of cattle ever sent from Grant township. His farming and stock-raising interests were both carefully and intelligently conducted and in the management of his agricultural interests he met with success until 1870, when he met with an accident which resulted in the breaking of his leg.
Thereafter he left the farm and began buying grain in Hoopeston, where he also operated an elevator in partnership with A. T. Catherwood. Gradually they extended the field of their operations during the seven years in which the partnership continued and during the last two years of that time had twelve different elevators. They were among the most extensive grain buyers of eastern Illinois and their business brought them such prosperity that Mr. Williams re- tired from active life, his handsome competence enabling him to rest from further labor. During these years he had become a half owner of eighteen hundred and twenty-five acres of land near Ambia, Benton county, Indiana. The spirit of progress always characterized him and he was one of a company that was the first to experiment with sugar cane in this locality, while subsequently he became one of the promoters of a canning factory which canned the corn product from nine hundred acres of land during the first year of its existence. At the end of two seasons, however, Mr. Williams severed his connection with that enterprise. In the later years of his life he left the management of his busi- ness affairs to his son Charles, while he enjoyed well earned rest. His landed possessions embraced thirteen hundred and twenty acres in Indiana and three hundred and twenty acres near Gibson City, Illinois. In association with J. A. Cunningham he served as an executor of the Thomas Hoopes estate, which was the largest estate ever administered in Vermilion county.
The death of Mr. Williams occurred on the 18th of February, 1905, at which time he was one of the oldest settlers in Grant township, having estab- lished his home in this section of the state in 1853. He was then seventy-six years of age. Prominent in Masonry, he became a Knight Templar and his religious faith was evidenced in his membership in the Universalist church and his liberal support of the cause. His political views accorded with the principles of the republican party and in all matters of citizenship he occupied a pro- gressive position, standing for all that he believed to be of greatest benefit to the community.
At the time of his death one of the local papers said: "In his prime he was one of the foremost citizens of the county, always ready and willing to do all in his power to advance the moral and material interests of the community. The regard in which he was uniformly held is evidence of his high character and he was known as a representative of the best element of citizenship in this county. He was a man of the strictest integrity and by his life of industry and the exercise of economy and wise judgment obtained for himself a competency."
318
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
For many months before the end came Mr. Williams was confined to his bed and death released him from a long period of suffering. He ever held friendship inviolable and manifested the most unfaltering devotion to his family, the happiness of his wife and children being ever with him a paramount interest. He had many good qualities, a kindly spirit, a generous disposition and a con- sideration at all times for the rights and privileges of others, and added to these was marked business ability and unfaltering integrity, manifested in every business transaction. His name is inseparably interwoven with the develop- ment of Vermilion county from the period of early progress to the present time. He stood for that which is noblest and best in citizenship and in private life and as long as memory remains to those who knew him his name will be revered and honored.
J. F. RUTTER.
One of the important productive industries of Vermilion county is the Ross- ville Canning Company, of which J. F. Rutter was one of the promoters and is now the general manager. In this he has displayed an initiative spirit that has led to good results. Judging accurately of his own capacities and powers and of the conditions which make up life's contacts and experiences, he has been recognized as a strong business man and an influential citizen whose labors con- tribute not alone to his individual success but are an element in public progress and prosperity. He was born in Dowagiac, Michigan, on the 24th of July, 1853, and is a son of Benjamin Franklin and Sarah (Oyler) Rutter, both of whom were natives of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The father was educated in the east and on leaving his native state removed to Canton, Ohio, where he re- mained for some time. He also resided for a time in Akron, Ohio, and in 1840 went to Michigan, where he carried on general merchandising. He was identi- fied with mercantile pursuits throughout his entire life and close application and well directed effort constituted the basis of his business success. He repre- sented one of the old families of Pennsylvania, being connected with the early Dutch stock of that state.
J. F. Rutter acquired his early education in the schools of Michigan while spending his youthful days under the parental roof in his native city. He was reared in a district noted for the production of fine fruit, in which connection the manufacture of baskets and fruit packages has become an important and extensive industry. On crossing the threshold of business life Mr. Rutter be- came connected with an enterprise of that character and continued in that line of trade until he took up his present business when the factories at this point were developed. He organized the present company operating under the name of the Rossville Canning Company and from its inception has acted as general manager. The factory was established in 1904, the business being an incor- porated concern. It is now one of the largest productive industries of the kind, having a capacity of one hundred thousand cans of corn, fifty thousand cans of peas and twenty-five thousand cans of peaches, together with large quantities
319
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
of apples and numerous other fruits. All supplies are arranged for in Chicago and the business is in close connection with the leading market centers of the country. The factory is situated on Gilbert street in Rossville, east of the Chi- cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad tracks, and has an extensive floor space. It is thoroughly equipped with the latest improved machinery and with every facility to promote sanitary conditions, and the excellence of the product sent out insures a ready sale on the market. Mr. Rutter as the manager and pro- moter of the enterprise displays excellent business ability, knows the conditions of the trade and in the control of the undertaking has secured a measure of success that makes the enterprise a source of gratifying profit to the stock- holders.
In April, 1882, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Rutter to Miss Della M. Lewis, a daughter of Stephen and Lavinia (Runyon) Lewis. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons, having taken the degrees of the lodge and chapter, He also holds membership relations with the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World, the Mystics and the Commercial Club of Rossville and is master of arms in the Knights of Pythias Lodge. In the spring of 1910 he was elected. on the independent ticket to the office of alderman in Rossville and in the six years of his residence here has been closely identified with the welfare of the city, manifesting in this connection the same spirit of enterprise which marks him in his private relations. As a business man he has been conspicuous among his associates not only for his success but for his probity, fairness and honor- able methods. By perseverance, determination and honorable effort he has over- thrown the obstacles which have barred his path to success and reached the goal of prosperity, while his genuine worth and broad-minded public spirit have made him a director of public thought and action in the community where he now makes his home.
D. L. OGDON.
Carefully formulated and well executed plans have brought D. L. Ogdon to a creditable and enviable position in business circles and his efforts have been an element in. the substantial upbuilding of Bismarck, where for many years he has now made his home. Formerly identified with merchandising, he is now connected with the financial interests of the town as cashier of the Farmers & Merchants Bank.
He was born in Newell township, this county, on the 2d of March, 1864, a son of William S. and Naomi R. (Claypool) Ogdon, both of whom were na- tives of Nicholas county, Kentucky, the father's birth having there occurred February 9, 1831, while the mother's natal day was July 5, 1835. The were married in that state, September 30, 1852, and the same year came to Vermilion county, settling on a farm in Newell township, which they occupied until 1867. In that year they removed to southwestern Missouri, where they secured a farm which they occupied and improved until 1874. They also lived in Pike county, Missouri, for seven years, and then returned to Vermilion county,
320
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
again taking up their abode on a farm which was their home until 1895, at which time they went to Cayuga, Indiana, where Mr. Ogdon turned his atten- tion to merchandising, being thus connected with the commercial interests of the town until 1900, when he came to Bismarck, where he is now living re- tired. His life has been a busy and useful one and his energy has brought him a measure of success that now enables him to rest from further labors. Unto him and his wife have been born ten children: J. T., a resident of Hoopes- ton, Illinois; Sarah R., the wife of James McCormick; Lilly J., who died in Missouri in 1878; F. M., a merchant of Alvin, Illinois; D. L., of this review; W. H., who is in the railroad service at Danville; Nancy E., the wife of Francis M. Roderick of this county; James W., who is in the railroad mail service in Ohio; Arthur, a telegraph operator at Salem, Illinois, and Mary A., the wife of James Ashley of Jasonville, Indiana.
D. L. Ogdon remained at home throughout the period of his boyhood and youth and afterward worked as a farm hand for three months. He was then employed in connection with the grain business at Alvin for a year, after which he began buying grain at Bismarck and so continued until 1886. Following his marriage he took up his abode upon a farm which he occupied and cultivated for two years, returning then to Bismarck. He spent a year in the employ of Gundy & Bushnell and later took up his abode on a farm in Newell township, where he lived for a year. His next home was about five miles northwest of Potomac, Illinois, where he remained until 1892, at the end of which time he formed a partnership with S. W. Claypool and purchased the general store of Gundy & Bushnell in Bismarck. He was then closely associated with mercantile interests until 1904, when he sold out and on the Ist of August, 1905, organized the Farmers & Merchants Bank, of which he has since been cashier. The suc- cess of this institution is attributable in large measure to his efforts and his enterprise. A general banking business is conducted and the business is carried on under safe, conservative lines, awakening public interest and securing a liberal patronage.
Mr. Ogdon was married at Bismarck September 30, 1886, to Miss Martha A. Stevens, who was born in Newell township, April 3, 1867, and is a daughter of Franklin and Lucinda (Young) Stevens. Her father was a native of Ken- tucky, born April 21, 1819, and the mother's birth occurred in this county, November 17, 1831. Mr. Stevens died February 5, 1886, and his wife departed this life September 2, 1896. They had but two children, the younger being Joseph F. Stevens, now a resident of Frankfort, Indiana. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ogdon were born two daughters, Cecil H., who was born March 25, 1890, and is now the wife of E. H. Henderson, their home being on the farm which was the birthplace of her mother; Leila B., who was born June 17, 1895, and is still at home. The death of Mrs. Ogdon occurred September 26, 1905, and she was laid to rest in Gundy cemetery. On the 29th of October, 1908, Mr. Ogdon was again married, his second union being with Miss Anna Standish, who was born near Salem, Indiana, and is a daughter of L. and Emily (Martin) Standish, the former a descendant of Miles Standish, the colonial governor of Massachusetts. Her father died in 1910, but the mother still survives, mak- ing her home in Indiana. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Standish were four
321
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
children. One daughter has been born of the second marriage of Mr. Ogdon, Salome Standish, whose birth occurred August 20, 1909.
Politically Mr. Ogdon is a republican and has served as township school treasurer. He and his wife are members of the Church of Christ, in which he has served as elder. As the years have passed he has won gratifying and credit- able prosperity. He deserves all the praise implied by the term self-made man, for his success is attributable entirely to his own efforts. That he has prospered in his undertakings is indicated in the fact that he is now one of the large stock- holders as well as officials of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Bismarck and that he also owns one hundred and eighty-five acres of land on sections 22, 23 and 27, Newell township, together with the bank building and a good residence in the city. Throughout his entire life he has quickly recognized and utilized opportunities which others have passed heedlessly by and in the improvement of the advantages which have come to him he has steadily progressed toward the goal of success and is now numbered among Vermilion county's men of affluence.
WILLIAM R. WILSON.
Fifty-two years seems a long period in which to reside in one locality. The residence of William R. Wilson in Vermilion county, however, dates from July 2, 1858, to the present time. It was on that date that he was born on the farm which is now his home and throughout the intervening years he has been con- nected with agricultural pursuits in this part of the state. He represents one of the oldest pioneer families, his parents being Alonzo and Margaret (Clapp) Wilson, who came to Vermilion county in 1834. The father was a native of Ohio and the mother of North Carolina. The year following their arrival here Mr. Wilson entered land from the government. The Black Hawk war had occurred only three years before and all of the settlers were familiar with the Indian history of the region and there were still many evidences of Indian occupancy. The greater part of the land was covered with forest trees or wild prairie grasses and it required much arduous labor to transform the land into productive fields. Year after year, however, Alonzo Wilson carried on the work, remaining upon the old homestead until 1876, when he removed with his wife to Sullivan county, Indiana. There he resided until called to his final rest in November, 1896. His widow still survives at the age of eighty-four years. In their family were nine children, of whom five are yet living, namely : John A., a resident of this county; George D., whose home is in Los Angeles, California ; William R .; Adelia A., who is now teaching school; and Gertrude A., who is living with her mother.
William R. Wilson remained at home to the age of twenty-three years. In the meantime, however, he had acquired a good education in the public schools and in Union Christian College at Merom, Indiana. On starting out in life for himself he rented the old homestead, which he continued to cultivate for four years. He then went to Wilson county, Kansas, where he remained for
322
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
six years, after which he returned to State Line, Vermilion county, where he made his home for two years. He then again located on the old homestead on section 34, Newell township, and has since made it his place of residence. In the operation and improvement of his farm he is meeting with success, for his methods are practical and resultant, his energy bringing to him the most desirable returns. For twenty-two years he engaged in teaching school during the winter months, being thus employed for five years while in Kansas and the remainder of the time in Vermilion county, so that he has been closely associated with educational interests.
In 1881 Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Stella W. Barker, who was born in Star City, Indiana, a daughter of Clement H. and Martha A. (Washington) Barker, natives of Ohio and Indiana respectively. Her father died June 5, 1897, and the mother now makes her home with Mrs. Wilson. In the Barker family were six children. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have been born three children: Daphne J., who was born May 14, 1888, and is now the wife of Ed. Gilbert of Defiance, Ohio; Max A., at home; and one who died in infancy.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.