USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois : a tale of its evolution, settlement, and progress for nearly a century, Volume II > Part 34
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PETER J. DOWIATT.
Peter J. Dowiatt, proprietor of the Westville Star Bottling Works, is not only well known in the town as an enterprising business man but has also been active along many lines which touch the general interests of society and work for public progress. He was born in Lithuania, on the 20th of June, 1870, and is a son of John and Barbara (Tyszkawicz) Dowiatt, who were also natives of that country, in which they spent their entire lives." Their family numbered eight children, six of whom are yet living. All came to America save one sis- ter who still makes her home in Lithuania.
Peter J. Dowiatt left the dominion of the Czar when a youth of fifteen years, making his way to the new world. First settling in Machanam City, Pennsyl-
k
MR. AND MRS. P. J. DOWIATT
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vania, he was employed there as a coal miner and remained in the city for three years. On the expiration of that period he went to Wyoming, where he was employed on the construction of a railroad for two years and from that point he proceeded westward to Seattle, Washington, where he remained for eighteen months. He was afterward at Butte, Montana, where he continued until 1891, when he made his way to Chicago, remaining in the metropolis by the lake until 1893.
Mr. Dowiatt has since been a residence of Westville, where for nine years he was engaged in mining. In the meantime he carefully saved his earnings until his capital was sufficient to permit him to purchase a stock of groceries. For a year thereafter he was engaged in the grocery trade, at the end of which time he sold out but later established and conducted a grocery store and saloon, of which he was proprietor for four years. He then again sold out has since given his attention to the conduct of the Westville Star Bottling Works. He owns a brick building in which he carries on the bottling business and also a cigar factory. The business block is sixty by seventy feet and in addition to this he owns a fine residence and lot in Westvillle, also another lot in town and eighty acres of good farm land in Georgetown township, his property being the visible evidence of a life of well directed energy and thrift.
While business interests have largely claimed the time and attention of Mr. Dowiatt, he has also been connected with public affairs of moment and is recog- nized as one of the local leaders of the republican patry. He filled the office of mayor of Westville for two terms and proved an excellent executive officer, discharging his duties with marked fidelity and with an eye to the development and the substantial progress of the town. He has also served as alderman.
In 1894 Mr. Dowiatt was married to Miss Anna Stankewicz, a native of Lithuania. They have become parents of five children, Peter, Walter, Adolph, Anna and Mary, and they also have an adopted son, Frank. Mr. and Mrs. Do- wiatt are members of the Catholic church and he belongs to Westville Lodge, No. 573, K. P. During the period of his residence here he has taken an active part in public affairs and his labors have been an element in the substantial growth and progress of the community, while his efforts in business circles have brought to him substantial returns.
WILLIAM T. CUNNINGHAM.
The steps in the orderly progression of William T. Cunningham as he has advanced from a humble position to a prominent place in the banking circles of Vermilion county are easily discernible, and analysis of his life record in- dicates clearly the fact that industry, intelligently directed, and utilization of legitimate opportunities, have constituted the forceful elements in his enviable, admirable and gratifying success. Vermilion county numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Rossville, where he still makes his home, on the Ist of December, 1856.
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His parents were Humes and Elizabeth (Winning) Cunningham. His educa- tion was acquired in the schools of Rossville and Danville, and no event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of life for him in his youthful days. As a young man he faced the conditions of the business world and made his initial step with the hope of one day winning substantial success in a field of labor to which he might ultimately direct his efforts. He started, however, as a clerk in a grocery store, was faithful and diligent, and not only won favor with his employer but with the patrons of the establishment, and when later he embarked in merchandising on his own account, it was not difficult for him to secure a good trade. Moreover, he carried a well selected stock of goods, his prices were reasonable and his business methods thoroughly reliable. His activities have constantly broadened in scope and from merchandising he turned his attention to the field of banking, in which he has operated successfully for nineteen years. In connection with T. J. Campbell he organized and established the Citizens Bank of Rossville in 1891, and after conducting it under that name for sometime, he with others reorganized it under the name of the First Na- tional Bank of Rossville. He also became one of the organizers of the Com- mercial Trust & Savings Bank of Danville, acting as its president for some years, and in these connections conducted a general banking business, his progressive spirit being at all times tempered by a conservatism that safeguards the interests of depositors and establishes an unassailable reputation for the institutions and their reliable methods. While he is not an active factor in business at the present time, he is still one of the directors of the First National Bank of Rossville.
On the 5th of September, 1888, in Rossville, Mr. Cunningham was married to Miss Orrie L. Albright, a daughter of Samuel and Mary Albright, natives of Ohio, who came to Vermilion county more than a half century ago. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham are: Thomas A., nineteen years of age; Irene M., thirteen years of age; and Willard T., aged eleven.
The parents are members of the Methodist church and Mr. Cunningham gives his political support to the democracy. He has never sought to figure prominently in political circles, however, concentrating his energies upon his business affairs until, with a handsome competence acquired from his labors, he retired to private life, devoting his time to those activities which are a source of interest and pleasure.
C. V. McCLENATHAN.
His ability to correctly solve business problems, his undaunted enterprise and his determination have brought C. V. McClenathan into important relations with business concerns and he has been cashier of the Danville National Bank since its organization. A native of Vermilion county, he was born on a farm near Catlin, October 3, 1864, his parents being George S. and Sarah (Remley) McClenathan, both natives of Pennsylvania. On coming to this county they located in Catlin township, where the father subsequently purchased a farm and
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continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until his removal to the village of Fairmount, where both he and his wife died. He passed away in 1896 and she departed this life in 1900. In their family were twelve children, six sons and six daughters, of whom three sons and three daughters are yet living.
Reared on the home farm, C. V. McClenathan obtained his early education in the country schools and remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority. He then spent several years in the west, engaged in the banking business, and in 1893 came to Danville, where he accepted the position of cashier of the State Bank, which was later incorporated as the Danville National Bank and of which he has since been cashier. As a financier he stands high in public esteem and his business probity is above question.
On the 31st of July, 1895, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. McClenathan and Miss Alice Weston McIntosh, a native of Will county, Illinois, and they have one daughter, Margaret Penn, who is named for his grandmother, Mar- garet Penn, who was a daughter of William Penn and a relative of William Penn the Quaker.
In politics Mr. McClenathan is a democrat, with firm belief in the principles of his party, and has become a recognized leader in local affairs. In 1900 he was elected to the state legislature on his party ticket and two years latter was reelected. During his incumbency he was made chairman of a new committee that had just been created, being the only democratic chairman in the legislature. This was a joint committee on penal and reformatory institutions and labor and industrial affairs. As chairman of the same he introduced and passed the anti-convict labor bill and also drew a bill to strike off all employes who were not in actual service, but it never came to vote. He took a very active part in legislative affairs while a member of the assembly and his course was such as to win the entire commendation of his constituents. He always keeps well in- formed on the questions and issues of the day and in matters relating to public affairs he occupies a progressive stand, manifest in his cooperation with many movements for the public good.
ARTHUR R. HALL.
Arthur R. Hall, practicing law at the bar of Danville as a member of the firm of Hall & Holaday, is a native of La Salle county, Illinois, and a son of Francis M. and Addie (Kelly) Hall. After the family came to this county, Arthur attended the public schools at East Lynn, and for further educational and professional training he entered the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1897. He graduated from the law department of the university in the class of 1901 and from the literary department in 1902. In the latter year the degrees of A. B. and A. M. were both conferred upon him by the university. Mr. Hall earned his own way through the university and yet he found time to take an active part in general university affairs. He played on the varsity baseball and football teams and was captain of the latter team in 1900. He was a member of one of the literary societies at the university and is a member of Phi Beta
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Kappa. He is still actively connected with one of the larger departments of the university.
Mr. Hall was admitted to the bar in 1902 and entered upon active practice, opening an office in Danville about the first of September of that year. He has made reasonable progress in his profession and handles well the cases entrusted to his care. He was alone in practice until the Ist of November, 1906, when he entered into partnership with William P. Holaday under the firm name of Hall & Holaday. a relation which has since been maintained. He has continuously occupied offices in the Daniel building and gives practically his entire time to his professional duties. His political support is given to the republican party.
It will be interesting in this connection to note something of the history of his father, Francis M. Hall, who is widely known in the northern part of Ver- milion county, having settled at East Lynn when his son Arthur was a small child. For a number of years the father was engaged in farming but later he turned his attention to the grain business, which he followed successfully in East Lynn. He retired from active business a few years ago and now makes his home in Hoopeston. He was a soldier of the Civil war, serving with the One Hundred and Fourth Illinois Infantry, and has for many years been a valued resident of the county.
WILLIAM McFERREN.
William McFerren, who during the later years of his life lived retired in Hoopeston, enjoying through that period the fruits of his former toil, was a native of North Carolina, born on the 17th of June, 1813. He represented old southern families, his parents being James and Margaret McFerren, who re- moved from North Carolina to Hopkinsville, Ohio, during the pioneer epoch in the latter state, making the journey on horseback. The father became a promi- nent farmer of that locality, also followed merchandising and coopering in Hopkinsville and filled the position of postmaster in that town. His business activity was a prominent source of the development and progress of the section in which he lived.
His son, William McFerren, pursued his education in the schools of Hopkins- ville and after putting aside his text-books entered business life. His initial training was received under the direction of his father and later he went to Level, Ohio, where he followed various business pursuits. He was a man of marked enterprise and determination and carried forward to successful com- pletion whatever he undertook. He continued his residence at Level until 1865, when he removed to Highland county, Ohio, where he lived until 1873. In that year he came to Hoopeston and his later years were passed in retirement from business. He was one of Hoopeston's most prominent, best known and most highly esteemed citizens.
On the 23d of April, 1841, Mr. McFerren was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Snyder, a native of Ohio and a daughter of John and Amanda Snyder, who lived in the vicinity of Cincinnati, where her father engaged in the packet
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business. Unto Mr. and Mrs. McFerren were born seven children but three of the number are now deceased. Those who still survive are: Pingree, a resident of Asheville, North Carolina; J. S. McFerren, a prominent banker and merchant of Hoopeston, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume; Mrs. Mary J. Huey, of Hoopeston, to whom we are indebted for the material con- cerning her father; and Elvira, the wife of E. C. Griffith, of Hoopeston.
At the time of the Civil war Mr. McFerren joined the Squirrel Hunters of Ohio and was on active duty for thirty days in the vicinity of Cincinnati during Morgan's invasion with his Confederate raiders into the state. He was a democrat, loyal in support of the party, and his religious faith was that of the Universalist church. He also belonged to the Masonic fraternity and in his life exemplified the beneficient spirit of the craft. He was a lover of horses and always kept several good specimens of the noble steed. His social nature made him appreciative of friendship and the hospitality of his home was al- ways cordially extended to those whose similarity of tastes and interests brought him into close touch. He was devoted to his home and found his greatest happi- ness in promoting the welfare of his family. He died in 1894. His were "the blessed accompaniments of age-honor, riches, troops of friends." During the period of his residence in Hoopeston his leisure enabled him to form a wide acquaintance and all with whom he came in contact recognized his splendid qualities and gave to him their respect and good will.
J. K. BUTZ.
If success means a long and useful life, a peaceful and contented fireside and ownership of a large and productive farm in one of the richest agricultural districts of Illinois, then may J. K. Butz be pronounced a successful man. Sev- eral years ago he passed the milestone of life indicated by the Psalmist's three score and ten and is now in the enjoyment of a needed rest after many years of well directed industry.
He first saw the light of day in New Jersey, September 17, 1835, and is a son of Robert M. and Elsie C. (Cool) Butz, also natives of New Jersey. The father came to Macon county, Illinois, in 1849, and rented a farm, where he lived for two years. In 1851 he came to Vermilion county, a large part of which was still unoccupied, and entered about seven hundred acres of land, which he improved by erecting log buildings and making other improvements, and here he continued until his death. In his family were eleven children, four of whom are now living: J. K., of this review; Mrs. Anna B. Mosher, of Danville ; Robert, of Spokane, Washington; and Charles, of Vermilion, Alberta, Canada.
The subject of this review was reared on his father's farm and possessed the advantages of a limited school education, which, however, he has greatly ex- tended, being a man of close and accurate observation and one who has al- ways been interested in the affairs of the world and a reader of the best class of newspaper and of good books. He remained with his parents, assisting in farming operations, until he was twenty-three years of age and then, being
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married, he bought a farm in Middlefork township, where he lived for thirty years, when he removed to Potomac. At the same time that he carried on general farming operations he made a specialty of raising and feeding cattle and was recognized as one of the most successful men in this line of business in the township. He became the owner of five hundred acres of land, but has sold off portions of it until at the present time he owns three hundred and eight acres in this county and also an interest in several hundred acres in Arkansas. It will be seen that he was actively and energetic in his operations and that he attained a commendable degree of success.
In 1859 Mr. Butz was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Tillotson, who was born in Warren county, Indiana, in 1836, and is a daughter of E. B. and Mary A. (Cronkhite) Tillotson, who located in Indiana at an early day, and in 1856 came to Vermilion county, Illinois, where they lived until their deaths. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tillotson, six of whom are now living. To Mr. and Mrs. Butz six children were born: Laura A., now the widow of John Collison, living in Oklahoma; De Witt C., of Bliss, Idaho; Dora A., the wife of Dr. Vandoran, of Urbana, Illinois; M. A., of Oklahoma ; and Warren R. and Wallace B., twins, both living in Oklahoma.
Mr. and Mrs. Butz are now living retired and enjoying the results of many years of toil. In the true meaning of the word they may be said to have worked out their own destiny, having attained financial independence without assistance from others and on this account perhaps do they doubly appreciate the com- forts and blessings with which they are surrounded. Both Mr. and Mrs. Butz are earnest members of the Christian church and have undimed faith in the fulfillment of the promise of the book which says: "Blessed are they that died in the Lord."
R. A. SHORT.
Among the men who for the last half century have utilized the opportunities: offered in Danville for business progress and have attained thereby notable. success is R. A. Short. For many years he has now been one of the most extensive and successful operators in real estate in this city and his activity has contributed to general progress and improvement as well as to individual prosperity.
He is a native of Vermilion county, born September 14, 1836, his parents being Thomas and Nancy Ann (Lanham) Short, both of whom were natives. of Virginia. The father was born in Loudoun county and in 1830 came to Illi- nois, settling in Vermilion county. During his boyhood he worked on a farm for eight dollars per month and walked three miles to school. He became a well educated man and for a time engaged in teaching school near Maneeley's . mill and took quite a prominent part in public affairs. In early life he supported® the whig party but on its dissolution he became a republican and on that ticket was elected the second county clerk of Vermilion county. For twelve years he continued to fill that position in a most creditable and acceptable manner
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and on his retirement turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. While liv- ing upon his farm he was struck by lightning and being paralyzed he was com- pelled to retire from active labor and spent the last ten years of his life in Fairmount, where he passed away in 1877. The same bolt that disabled him killed one of his sons and a hired man, one of whom was on his right side, while the other was on his left. The mother of our subject came to this county about the same time as her husband, traveling with a colony that established homes in the west, and she died in 1849. Subsequently the father married Virginia Lanham, a relative of his first wife. She died in 1870. In religious faith he was a Methodist and was a man of prominence in the community where he resided.
R. A. Short is one of a family of nine children, two of whom have passed away, namely: James, who was killed in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain while serving with the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Illinois Infantry; and Colmore, who was killed by the same lightning bolt that injured his father. The other members of the family are: John C., a resident of New York; R. A., of this review; Alexander C., who makes his home in Los Gatos, Cali- fornia; Thomas, of Danville; and Clara, the wife of Elias Holiday, of Los Gatos.
During his boyhood and youth R. A. Short attended the common schools of this county and completed his education by graduation from the Danville Seminary with the class of 1858. Thus well fitted for life by a good prac- tical education, he began his business career as a druggist, to which line of trade he devoted his attention for twelve years. He then turned his atten- tion to the dry-goods business, becoming senior member of the firm of R. A. Short & Company, conducting a store in Danville until 1893, when he retired. Not content to spend his time in idleness, he then turned his attention to real estate and has since carried on business as a real estate, insurance, investment and loan agent and has since handled much valuable property, doing a very extensive and profitable business.
Mr. Short was married September 30, 1859, in Danville, to Miss Emily W. Murdock, who was born in Lafayette, Indiana, on the 25th of January, 1838, and is a daughter of John and Jane (Sterling) Murdock. Her parents were born, reared and married in Pennsylvania and from that state removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where the father followed the occupation of farming until his death. Politically he was a democrat and religiously was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his family were two sons and eight daughters. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Short, of whom four now survive: Lewis, who married Laura Grant, of Danville, and is now a professor of mathematics in the technical high school of Cleveland, Ohio; Lillian, a teacher in the schools of Rogers Park, a suburb of Chicago; William M., a lawyer of Fort Worth, Texas; and Walter, who is teller in the Citizens National Bank at Evanston, Illinois. The mother of these children passed away in February, 1907.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Short has always affiliated with the re- publican party and for many years he has been an active worker in the First Methodist Episcopal church of Danville, being officially connected with the
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same for some time. Throughout his business career he has always faith- fully discharged any obligation devolving upon him and thus established a reputation for undaunted integrity, his name being an honored one wherever known. Avoiding sham and pretence, his genuine worth has won him the merited regard and good-will of his fellowmen, and his record awakens ad- miration and respect. He has won an enviable success and no man's history indicates more clearly the value and power of close application, of concentra- tion, of earnest and honorable purpose and the wise utilization of opportunity.
SILAS DICKSON.
Silas Dickson is a retired farmer residing at No. 417 Franklin street in Dan- ville. He has reached the age of eighty years, his birth having occurred on the 25th of May, 1830, on the old Dickson homestead about twenty miles south of Danville, on section 17, range 12. His parents were David and Margaret (Waters) Dickson and the former was appointed the first public administra- tor of this county. He was born in Lewis county, Kentucky, and arrived in Vermilion county in 1824, at which time he entered land from the government and developed the farm upon which the family now reside. The work of im- provement had scarcely been begun in this district. The Indians still roamed at will over the state and the forests were the haunts of wild animals, and wild deer and lesser game could be obtained in abundance. The Black Hawk war had not yet occurred when Silas Dickson was born.
He was educated in one of the old-time schools of the county, the building being constructed of logs while greased paper was used for windows. Through his youthful days he worked upon the home farm from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn and in the winter seasons he had the opportunity of pursuing his education. He continued to give his father the benefit of his services until twenty-five years of age and in early man- hood he drove cattle from Illinois to New York city, making several trips. He was a pioneer in that business, being one of the first of this locality to take or send stock to the eastern markets. About the time he attained his majority he began farming on his own account, securing land adjoining his father's home- stead. In time he became the owner of a tract of five hundred acres, includ- ing some of the best land to be found in the county. He resided thereon for six or seven years, his time and attention being assiduously given to its culti- vation, after which he removed to Indianola and purchased a smaller farm of one hundred acres, which he sold before coming to Danville. He arrived here about twenty years ago and has been living retired since. His well directed labors and careful investment in former years brought to him a handsome re- turn and provided him with the capital that has enabled him through the past two decades to rest from further business activity.
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