USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois : a tale of its evolution, settlement, and progress for nearly a century, Volume II > Part 45
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
Isaac O. Clark spent his youthful years under the parental roof, attending the public schools in pursuit of an education. On attaining his majority he started out as an agriculturist on his own account, operating the home farm in partnership with his father for about three years. On the expiration of that period he purchased a portion of the old homestead place and for a number of years cultivated the tract in addition to the remainder of the farm. In 1897 he improved his own farm with a modern residence, substantial barns and out- buildings and has made his home thereon continuously since. The place com-
454
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
prises one hundred and ninety-three acres of valuable land in Jamaica town- ship and yields a gratifying annual income to its owner.
In 1883 Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Chloe E. Miller, of Jamaica township, this county, her father being Henry L. Miller, a prominent agriculturist of that township. Unto them were born two children, as follows: Roy E., who operates the home farm for his father; and Ernest O., who passed away when thirteen years of age. The wife and mother was called to her final rest on the 23d of April, 1910, and her loss was deeply mourned by all who knew her.
In politics Mr. Clark is independent, voting for men and measures rather than party. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Presby- terian church. He has resided in Vermilion county from his birth to the present time and is well known as a reliable and straightforward business man, fully meriting the confidence and good will which are extended to him by his fellow citizens.
J. A. ANDREWS.
For sixty years J. A. Andrews has been a resident of Newell township, Ver- milion county. Here he has witnessed great changes and here he has grown from a country lad to a man of intelligence and energy, who has assisted in an important degree in the transformation of the region so that it is now one of the richest farming districts of Illinois-the abode of comfort and happiness. Mr. Andrews first saw the light of day June 3, 1850. He is a son of D. P. and Rhoda (Zumwalt) Andrews, the former a native of New York state and the latter of Kentucky. The father came to Illinois as a member of the pioneer family of Andrews in 1829 and the mother came with her parents when she was in her girlhood. After their marriage they settled on a farm of one hun- dred and sixty acres that he had bought and continued increasing the area of the farm until it included three hundred and seventy-one acres, all of which was improved except forty acres, which was in timber. The farm is still owned by members of the family. Mr. Andrews departed this life February 17, 1879, and his wife was called away November 9, 1897, Their bodies lie side by side in Walnut Corner cemetery.
J. A. Andrews received his education in a country schoolhouse and grew to manhood upon the farm, where he proved a willing assistant in all farm oper- ations and became thoroughly acquainted with the details of agriculture and stock-raising, showing a judgment that was indicative of his further success. At twenty-one years of age he took charge of part of the homestead and after his father's death he became owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land as his share of the estate. This land he has improved to a high degree and he also increased the size of his place about eighty acres, so that at the present time he is the owner of a farm of two hundred and forty acres with a hand- some modern residence and all the accessories of a well regulated establishment.
On April 2, 1878, Mr. Andrews was united in marriage to Miss Annie John- son, who came to Illinois from Indiana with her parents about 1850, the family
-
--
----
JAMES A. ANDREWS AND FAMILY
457
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
locating in Vermilion county, where Mr. Johnson engaged in farming until about 1900. He. then leased his farm and retired to Bismarck, where he died in August, 1904, his wife having been called away February 12, 1891. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Andrews: Clara G., who was born Feb- ruary 3, 1880, and died July 29, 1889; Ross A., who was born September 25, 1882, and died January 17, 1902; Leon H., born July 19, 1885, who was married to Miss Onie White and now lives in Ross township; Richard C., born July 25, 1888, and living at home; Ora H., born April 26, 1891, and also living at home; Everett R., born July 26, 1894; and Eugene M., born June 6, 1908.
Mr. Andrews is in sympathy with the principles of the republican party and has been honored by selection to public office by the people of his township, discharging his duties with fidelity and promptness. He served as commis- sioner of highways for three years and as member of the school board for twenty-five years. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 893, of Bismarck, and also of the Modern Woodmen of America, Lodge No. 2405, also of Bismarck. The success of Mr. Andrews has been due, as it generally is, to an inherent ambition to accomplish something worthy in life. He keeps well informed on the general events of the day and has al- ways been alive to the progress of the county where he was born and in which his deepest interest is centered. He is easily among the leaders in anything he desires to undertake. It is men of this class that are most important in the progress and permanency of any community.
-
HARVEY C. ADAMS.
Harvey C. Adams was born in Cass county, Indiana, February 2, 1870. His father, Lewis Adams, was a native of Preble county, Ohio, and devoted much of his life to merchandising at Galveston, Indiana. In 1876 he removed to Crawford county, Illinois, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1903 when he was seventy-four years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Hannah Schuman, is a native of Preble county, Ohio, and is now living in Danville.
Harvey C. Adams, the youngest in a family of eight children, received a common-school education at Hutsonville, and there learned the painter's trade, which he followed for three years. He then entered the Indiana Normal Col- lege at Valparaiso. His education has largely been won through his own efforts. Having studied shorthand, he engaged in stenographic work in Robinson, the county seat of Crawford county, and became court reporter. He afterward took the civil service examination at Indianapolis and went to Washington, where he received a government appointment as a stenographer in the treasury depart- ment. He was afterward transferred to the civil service commission and still later to the postoffice department. While in the civil service commission Theodore Roosevelt was one of the three commissioners and Mr. Adams took dictation from him and knew him well. While in Washington Mr. Adams studied law at night until graduating in 1892. The following year he was admitted to the
458
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
bar of Illinois upon examination before the supreme court and located for prac- tice in Danville. After a short time he became secretary to Judge Jacob W. Wilkin of the supreme court, with whom he remained for eleven years. He then became interested in real estate in Danville and was appointed secretary of the Vermilion County Building & Loan Association, which position he still fills. He has built the business of the association from three hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars to one million dollars. The Danville Brick Company was reorgan- ized through his personal effort and the output increased from five thousand to sixty thousand paving blocks daily. He is now president of the company, the business of which has been been built up largely through his individual efforts and indicates his sound judgment and unfaltering energy. In addition to his other interests he was one of the organizers of the Danville Lumber Company, of which he is now treasurer.
Aside from his business connections Mr. Adams has rendered signal service to the county. He served for two years as a member of the city council in 1897 and 1898, and among other acts to his credit he was the author of the first ordinance providing for concrete sidewalks in the city. He has been county supervisor for four years, being elected to the office at a time when the county was one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in debt. Because of the con- ditions that existed, the citizens determined to elect business men that some- thing might be done to discharge the indebtedness brought about by misman- agement of county finances. Mr. Adams and a number of business men like him were elected to the office. Within two years the indebtedness was dis- charged. They issued bonds for ten years but bought them in in less than three years.
In 1892 Mr. Adams was united in marriage to Miss Blanche Meserve, a native of Crawford county, and they have one son, Stephen, who was born July 21, 1901. Both Mr. and Mrs. Adams are well known in social connections and the hospitality of their own home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. In politics he has ever been an earnest republican, but although he held the office of alderman and supervisor, the honors and emoluments of political office have never been an attraction for him. He never held a public office which had a salary attached to it. He is recognized as a public-spirited and progressive citizen and his record has at all times been a creditable one. Gradually he has progressed along the lines of useful development, and in Danville and Vermilion county no man is more respected for what he has accomplished than H. C. Adams.
GEORGE TANNER.
George Tanner, justice of the peace and notary public of Hoopeston, where he has made his home since 1887, has been a resident of Vermilion county since 1868. He was born in Carroll county, Indiana, January 30, 1839, and in both the paternal and maternal lines comes from Germany. One of his great-grand- fathers was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. His father, Jacob Tanner, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, and married Elizabeth Pilcher, also a na-
459
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
tive of that state. In 1855 Jacob Tanner removed with his family from Indiana to Illinois, making the trip in a covered wagon and settling two miles west of Paxton, where he engaged in farming. Throughout his entire life he followed that occupation and after remaining for a short time in that locality he removed to a point six miles south of Paxton, where he purchased a farm of one hun- dred and sixty acres that he cultivated through the ensuing fifteen years, winning substantial success by the intelligent manner in which he operated the fields and cared for the crops. At length he sold that property and removed to Foun- tain Creek township, Iroquois county, Illinois, where he remained for ten years, when he disposed of his farm there and became a resident of Oakwood town- ship, Vermilion county. While there residing he lost his first wife by death and in the following year he married Mrs. Boggs. His death occurred soon afterward and in his passing the community lost a representative and valued citizen. In his family were nine children, Peter, John, Sarah, David, William, Davis, Samuel, George and Mary, all of whom were residents of Vermilion county. George Tanner is the only survivor of the family at the present time, his brothers and sisters, however, remaining in Vermilion county until called to their final rest.
George Tanner is indebted to the district-school system of Illinois for the educational privileges he enjoyed. He attended school until twenty years of age but pursued his studies only through the three months' winter term, walk- ing two and a half miles to the old log schoolhouse, which was one of the typical buildings of the times, heated by a great fire place so large that half the trunk of a good sized tree could be put upon the andirons. The methods of instruction were somewhat primitive but he mastered the lessons therein taught and in the school of experience also gained much valuable knowledge.
After leaving school Mr. Tanner was married and engaged in farming for two years in Vermilion county. His wife was Miss Eliza P. Spears, a native of Vermilion county, and a representative of one of the early families here, her parents removing from Virginia to Illinois in pioneer times. On the 17th of November, 1858, exactly two years after their wedding day, Mrs. Tanner died, leaving one son. Mr. Tanner then removed to Indiana, where he secured employment in a sawmill, remaining there for about six months. Then the Civil war came on and his patriotic spirit was aroused by the attempt of the south to overthrow the Union. Accordingly he joined Company H, Seventy- second Indiana Volunteer Mounted Infantry, known as Wilder's Brigade. He took part in fifty-two notable engagements and was mustered out July 22, 1865. He certainly did his full share in defense of the Union during the darkest hour in our country's history, never faltering in the performance of duty whether stationed upon the lonely picket line or called to the firing line.
When the war was over Mr. Tanner removed to Paxton, Ford county, Illi- nois, where he remained but a short time and then went to Pickaway county, Ohio, settling in Darby township. There he was married again, his second wife being Julia A. Tanner, a daughter of David Tanner and a native of Pick- away county. Following his second marriage he returned to Vermilion county in 1868 and has since made his home within its borders, covering a period of forty-two years. During much of the time he has been connected with farming.
460
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
interests although since 1887 he has made his home in Hoopeston, where he is now serving for the fifth term as justice of the peace and notary public. His decisions are strictly fair and impartial, winning him golden opinions from all sorts of people and no higher testimonial of his faithfulness could be given than the fact that he has been again and again reelected to the office.
Mr. Tanner had one son, David, who was born in Iroquois county, Illinois, and died at the age of five years. His daughter, Catherine Elizabeth, became the wife of L. D. Knight, a resident of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Another daughter, Ora May, born in Iroquois county, has passed away.
Mr. Tanner is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and has the warm regard of his brethren with whom he fought on the battlefields of the south, defending the interests of the Union with a loyalty that no one questioned. He has been an equally faithful soldier of the church. At the age of seventeen he joined the Methodist church, and following the war he became a member of the Baptist church. He has taught the Bible class in Sunday school for the past fifty-four years and has ever been an earnest student of the Scriptures, delving deep into that knowledge which for twenty centuries has furnished the highest plans of life and which seems to possess a broader, deeper interest with each reading. His own life has been actuated at all times by high ideals and noble purposes and he has even endeavored in all of his relations with his fellow- men to closely follow the Golden Rule.
E. E. CLARK, M. D.
Dr. E. E. Clark, who has been numbered among the leading and able medical practitioners of Danville for the past sixteen years, makes a specialty of dis- eases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. His birth occurred in Cincinnati, Hamil- ton county, Ohio, on the 28th of September, 1866, his parents being A. D. and Sarah J. (Hawkins) Clark, who were likewise natives of the Buckeye state. The father passed away in the year 1872.
Dr. E. E. Clark supplemented his preliminary education, acquired in the public schools of Ohio, by a course of study in the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute. Believing that the medical profession would prove to him a congenial field of labor, he entered the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati and was graduated from that institution in 1892. After spending a year as house surgeon in a Cincinnati hospital he began the general practice of medicine in that city but remained there for only about twelve months. During the fol- lowing year he pursued a post-praduate course in New York and in 1894 came to Danville, where he has practiced continuously since. He makes a specialty of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, having studied along those lines while in Berlin, London and Paris in 1904. His practice has continually grown in volume and importance as he has demonstrated his ability to cope with the intricate problems which frequently confront the physician. That he keeps in touch with the profession in its advancement, experimentation and experience is indicated through his membership with the County, State and National Med-
461
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
ical Societies and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Oto-Laryn- gology. He is on the staff of Lakeview Hospital and also acts as lecturer to the Danville Training School for Nurses. In August, 1910, he went abroad again and visited the clinics and hospitals of London and Berlin and was ab- sent several months.
In 1895 Dr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Lucas, a native of Gallipolis, Ohio. The Physicians Club numbers him among its valued mem- bers. He has gained recognition as one of the able and successful physicians of Danville and by his labors, his high professional attainments and his sterling characteristics has justified the respect and confidence in which he is held by the medical fraternity and the local public.
WILLIAM SILAS BAIRD.
William Silas Baird, the owner of four hundred and twenty acres of valu- able farming land in Carroll township, is a worthy native son of Vermilion county and has long been numbered among its most substantial agriculturists and esteemed citizens. He was born on the farm where his brother, John G. Baird, now lives in Carroll township, this county, the date of his birth being August 26, 1853.
His parents, Joseph and Lydia (Mendenhall) Baird, were natives of Mays- ville, Kentucky, and Spring Valley, Ohio, respectively, the former born on the 19th of March, 1801, and the latter on the 6th of March, 1813. The father came to Vermilion county in 1829, when twenty-eight years of age, while the mother was brought here by her parents in 1824, when a maiden of eleven years. They were married in this county and here continued to reside throughont the remainder of their lives. Joseph Baird entered two hundred and forty acres of government land, while his wife entered a tract of forty acres. Subsequently he purchased a quarter section of land (now included within the home farm of his son, John G.), erected the brick dwelling which still stands thereon and made the farm his place of abode until the time of his death. He prospered in his undertakings as an agriculturist, accumulating six hundred acres of valuable and productive land. His political allegiance was given to the democracy, but when Lincoln was chosen as the presidential candidate of the republican party for the second time he voted for the great emancipator. His religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Baptist church, to which his wife also belonged. He passed away in August, 1868, in his sixty- eighth year, while his wife was called to her final rest in 1891, when in the seventy-seventh year of her age.
William Silas Baird was reared at home and supplemented his preliminary education, obtained in the public schools, by a course of study at Vermilion Academy. On reaching his majority he continued farming in association with his brothers, John and David, maintaining this relation until the time of his marriage, when the division of the estate was made. Just prior to his marriage our subject had purchased the farm on which he now resides and which has
462
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
remained his place of abode through all the intervening years. It comprises four hundred and twenty acres of rich and productive land in Carroll town- ship and is highly improved in every particular, the buildings thereon includ- ing a handsome residence. The soil, which is naturally arable, yields abundant annual harvests, which prove a source of gratifying revenue to him, while his good business ability and close application have gained for him rank among the progressive and prosperous agriculturists of the county. In addition to his home farm he owns nine hundred and twenty-three acres of land in the state of Mississippi.
On the 19th of March, 1885, Mr. Baird was united in marriage to Miss Laura Gray, of Sidell township, her parents being Harvey and Susan (Har- mon) Gray, who were among the earliest residents of Vermilion county. Her father was the first settler in the immediate vicinity in which he located in Sidell township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Baird were born five children, only one of whom survives-Florence. She is a graduate of the Indianola high school and the Frances Shimer Academy of Mount Carroll, Illinois, and is now a senior in the University of Illinois.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Baird has sup- ported the men and measures of the republican party, being a firm believer in its principles. Though not an office seeker, the cause of education has ever found in him a stanch friend and he has served on the school board for many years. His wife belongs to the Baptist church and he attends its services and teaches a Sunday school class but has no membership therein. That many of his stanchest friends are numbered among those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time is an indication that his has been an honorable, upright life and one worthy of the esteem in which he is uniformly held.
JOHN S. JOHNSON.
For about a half century John S. Johnson was a resident of Vermilion county, during which period he was identified with farming interests and, although he never sought to figure prominently in public life, he was classed with those citizens whose sterling worth, earnest purpose and fidelity to the duties which come day by day make them valued residents of the community. In fact he possessed many sterling traits of character that gained him high regard and warm friendship.
Mr. Johnson was a native of Union county, Pennsylvania, born on the 23d of November, 1826. His education was acquired in the schools of his native state and he there learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed during his residence in the east. About 1860 he came to Illinois, settling in Vermilion county, where he turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits, securing a tract of land of ninety-six acres which he at once began to cultivate and develop. As the years passed his farm took on a most attractive appearance, for he added substantial improvements and brought his fields under a high state of cultivation as he devoted his time to the raising of the cereals best
463
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
adapted to soil and climate. He was quick to adopt any new method which he believed would prove of practical value in his farm work and as the years went by his property largely increased in value, owing to the improvements which he put upon it and to the fact that the country became more thickly settled and the land was in greater demand. At one time he owned eight hun- dred acres of land, most of which was purchased at an early day at twenty- five dollars per acre. He subsequently divided his property among his sons, reserving only ninety acres for his own use. After his death this was also divided and the greater part of it sold for one hundred and ninety-five dollars per acre. His widow, however, still owns twenty-seven and a third acres, which is now worth two hundred and fifty dollars per acre. Here she has a beautiful home three-quarters of a mile from Henning.
Mr. Johnson was twice married. He first wedded Miss Katherine Haas and unto them were born seven children: Clara and William, now deceased; Alonzo, Frank, Mrs. Emma Gardner, Mrs. Mary Williamson, and John Wes- ley. After losing his first wife Mr. Johnson wedded Miss Alice E. Tilton, who was born in Blount township, this county, in 1861. In 1899 she became the wife of Mr. Johnson and took up her abode at the place where she now resides.
The death of Mr. Johnson occurred in Henning on the 28th of April, 1909, at the age of eighty-two years. He belonged to the True American lodge, was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and contributed liberally to its support, while in the various departments of the church work he took an active and helpful interest. He was devoted to his family, his interest cen- tering in his home and his church. His life was ever upright and honorable and commanded the confidence and good will of all who knew him. He lived to witness remarkable changes in Vermilion county during the fifty years of his residence here and throughout the entire period his influence was always on the side of progress, truth, justice and right.
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.