USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois : a tale of its evolution, settlement, and progress for nearly a century, Volume II > Part 57
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
Upon his arrival in this country Mr. Puzey made his way direct to Ver- milion county, where he joined two uncles, who had arrived here two years pre -- viously, locating in Catlin township, south of Catlin. He at first was employed as a farm hand, while later he operated a rented farm for six years, at the end of which time he returned to England, where he remained for a year and a half. One of the principal objects of his visit was to secure a helpmate and companion, and consequently, on the 18th of March, 1858, he was united in marriage to' Miss Hannah Rymer, of Gloucestershire. Immediately afterward he returned to Vermilion county with his bride, locating in what was then Carroll town- ship but is now Jamaica township, where he purchased eighty acres of unim- proved land. He erected a frame house on the place, in which he and his wife began their domestic life, broke the sod and converted the land into productive. fields, and here made his home for forty-two years. After the death of his wife, in 1900, however, he went to the home of his son Thomas, with whom he has since resided. During the long years of his active connection with agricultural interests of Vermilion county he has directed his efforts into various lines of activity, in all of which he has been signally successful. Late in the '6os he became interested in stock-raising, making a specialty of breeding registered Berkshire hogs, Cottswold and Shropshire sheep and light harness horses. He was the raiser of Waymark the first horse bred in Vermilion county to make a record of 2:10, and his fame eventually extended throughout the entire country as a breeder of fine stock. He has exhibited at the county fairs in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, at Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana, and his stock has been shipped to almost every state in the Union. He has also become a recognized authority on fancy poultry, which he has shipped to all parts of the country, and his name is well known in stock-raising circles throughout the entire country. He has also gained distinction as a horticulturist of considerable note and is the owner of one of the finest orchards in Vermilion county, his fruit having taken first prizes at many of the county fairs. As a tiller of the soil, also, he has gained no little prominence, for he has made a science of farm- ing, carrying on his work along strictly modern and up-to-date methods, and his labors have resulted in most gratifying success. He has seemed to know where and how to put forth the most effective effort, has been a careful student of ex- isting conditions and whatever he has undertaken he has done thoroughly and well, so that it is no matter of wonder that he has gained a fortune as the result
566
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
of his activity in the various enterprises he has undertaken, and today he ranks among the best known and most successful men in his section of the state. At one time he owned five hundred and forty acres of Vermilion county's richest land, while he and his four sons own over one thousand acres, and his son-in-law, Charles E. Nesbitt, is the owner of five hundred and twenty acres. His progres- sive methods are manifest in the fact that he was one of the first men in his section of Vermilion county to tile his land to any great extent, and at the time his neighbors told him that he was burying his money. Time, however, has demonstrated the wisdom of his course in the excellent condition of his farm- ing property.
With the passing years the home of Mr. and Mrs. Puzey was blessed with five children, all of whom survive the mother, whose death occurred on the 3Ist of March, 1900. They are as follows: Joseph, James R. and Thomas, all en- gaged in farming in Jamaica township; Frances E., the wife of Charles E. Nesbitt, of Catlin township; and Henry, of Vance township. Mr. Puzey has carefully reared his sons to agricultural pursuits, has made expert farmers and good managers of them, and the methods which proved so resultant in the con- duct of the father's business are being followed by the sons with equal success.
'Although Mr. Puzey has never had time nor inclination to participate actively in political affairs, as the conduct of his extensive business interests has de- manded his entire attention. He has never regretted his decision to seek his fortune in the new world, for here, although competition is stronger, opportuni- ties for advancement are greater and as a result of his industry, diligence and intelligently applied efforts, he has gained success far beyond his early hopes.
JOHN NOONE.
Among those men who bring things to pass is numbered John Noone, a man of notable business ability whose marked spirit of enterprise and progress has enabled him to bring to successful completion what he has undertaken. Coming to America when a young man of eighteen years, with but a few cents in his pocket upon his arrival in Chicago, his life has, during the intervening years, been one of continuous and varied activity, his labors covering many branches of industry. Starting out in his present business with but one cab, he now owns the finest and largest livery barn in the city of Danville, and he has other connections which combine to make him one of the most substantial business men of the community.
A native of Ireland, Mr. Noone was born in 1872, and there spent the period of his boyhood and youth, acquiring his education in the schools of that coun- try. The old world offers few advantages to her young men who are not blessed with any especially favoring circumstances, and, possessing a nature in which ambition and energy were salient qualities, Mr. Noone decided to try his for- tune in America, which had come to mean to him, as it had to many others, the land of opportunity. 'Accordingly, when eighteen years of age he crossed the Atlantic, making his way direct to Chicago, Illinois, where he arrived on the Ist
JOHN NOONE
7
CARS ESTOP WERE ON SIGNAL
LIVERY
ARN
ISALOON
LAGOAGLIVERY AND CAB LINE
LIVERY STABLES OF JOHN NOONE
571
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
of January, 1890, with but a few cents in his pockets. His spirit was undaunted, however, and he at once sought employment, which he found, and for about five months he worked in the Swift Wool house. He then left Chicago and went to San Francisco, California, where he was engaged on the wharves, hand- ling freight and shoveling coal for a few months. He next secured work on a farm in Sutter county, that state, where he worked in the harvest fields for a short time, after which returned to San Francisco and after working a few weeks there again made his way to Chicago. In that city he assisted in the erection of the Masonic Temple and the Alhambra Theater, after which he helped in putting in the abutments of the elevated railroad on Congress street. At the time of the World's Fair in Chicago he assisted in the erection of the buildings, working on nearly all of the structures.
The fall of 1892 witnessed Mr. Noone's arrival in Danville, and after pur- chasing a team he was here engaged in hauling gravel and coal, becoming so rapid in this line that he could shovel sixty bushels of coal in seven minutes and a yard of gravel in three minutes. He continued buying and selling coal for about five years, hauling his material from Grape Creek, and then when the city began paving the streets he assisted the contractors by hauling brick. In 1897 he purchased his first cab, maintaining his stand on Illinois street, and this proved the initial step in a business which has since grown to extensive propor- tions. After operating this both night and day for about a year he was able in 1898 to purchase Lester's cab line, which made him the owner of three cabs, and for about a year he occupied a stable in the rear of Ike Stearns. Step by step he worked his way up from this small beginning, carefully arranging his plans and managing his interests, and day by day his trade increased, making it necessary for him to seek larger quarters. In 1900 he purchased a fifty-foot lot on East Main street, where his barn at 728-730 now stands, and as he pros- pered was able to add fifty feet more the next year and still another hundred feet in the following year. In 1903 he bought the lot adjoining his former pur- chase, upon which stands a building consisting of two store rooms and two flats above, all modern. In 1909 he purchased a lot east of his original hold- ings and upon this property erected one of the finest livery stables in the state. It is built in a most modern style, with trestles fifty-seven feet wide by one hundred and five feet long, and everything about it is up-to-date and complete. The barn contains some very fine horses and vehicles of various styles, the equip- ment being planned to meet every demand in the livery line. In addition he operates the only cab and hack line in the city, meets all the trains, makes hotel calls, handles all kinds of transfer with promptness and in fact is in the lead in all that transfer service includes. He has made a reputation for courtesy and correct business and holds the favor of the city through honest and legiti- mate methods.
In addition to his business property Mr. Noone also owns much residence property, possessing a neat cottage at 1024 Grove street, a row of houses at 424, 426, 428 and 430 Bryan avenue, a residence at 302 Park avenue and another at 304 Park avenue. He is also the owner of a house and lot in Central Park, and another house with about two acres in Newman, the land being devoted to the raising of fruit. It is at once evident to the reader that in his business ven-
572
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
tures Mr. Noone has been eminently successful, and his prosperity is all the more creditable from the fact that it is due entirely to his own efforts. He well deserves the proud American title of a self-made man, for, starting out in life for himself empty-handed, with no capital except ambition, determination and energy, he has steadily worked his way upwards in the business world until today he ranks among the most substantial, progressive and representative busi- ness men of the city.
It was in 1890 Mr. Noone was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Sconce, and they became the parents of four children, as follows: Eleanor, Mary, Frank and Maggie, of whom Mary and Frank are yet living. In 1904 Mr. Noone was again married, his second union being with Miss Minnie Olahy, who became the mother of one son, John. In 1902 Mr. Noone sent to Ireland for his mother but took her home after a visit of nine months, as she had become very dissatisfied here. He has, however, visited her twice since that time.
Since becoming an American citizen Mr. Noone has thoroughly identified himself with American customs and institutions, making the interests of this country his own, and in his citizenship has proven most loyal and public-spirited. In politics he is a republican, giving stalwart support to that party, although the honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. A man of fine personal appearance, he possesses a kindly spirit and a genial disposition, and the smile with which he invariably greets every one indicates a rare good nature which has won him a most extensive circle of friends.
HERMAN COOK.
Herman Cook, engaged in the livery business in Danville, was born in Westville, this county, in 1885. He is a representative of one of the oldest families of the county, his grandfather, Samuel Cook, being one of the first settlers. He came here from Ohio in pioneer times and settled three miles southeast of Catlin. His son, James P. Cook, the father of Herman Cook, was born in Catlin township in 1855 and throughout his entire life has followed the occupation of farming. He married Miss Evaline O'Neil, whose birth oc- curred in Georgetown township, Vermilion county, in 1857. Their daughters are: Gertrude, now the wife of Frank L. Downing, a resident of Catlin town- ship; and Stella and Lena, twins, who are living at home.
Herman Cook, whose name introduces this record, began his education in the district schools and afterward continued his studies in Danville. Early in his business life he became manager of a grocery store, of which he had charge for about four years. He afterward turned his attention to the com- mission business, with which he was connected for nearly seven years, and on the expiration of that period secured a position in a lumber office, where he remained for three years. At the end of that time he opened a livery stable at Nos. 728 and 730 East Main street and has since carried on the business, which has assumed large proportions. He has a well kept livery barn, a large number of good horses and fine vehicles and has a large amount of the funeral
573
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
business of the city. He is energetic and determined in all of his business re- lations and his well directed industry is bringing him substantial success.
Mr. Cook gives his political allegiance to the democratic party but never seeks office as a reward for party fealty. His religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Christian church. He is yet a young man but already has become well established as a factor in business circles in Danville and his salient characteristics are such as promise further success for the future.
D. G. MOORE.
D. G. Moore, a prominent and prosperous resident of Danville, is now ex- tensively engaged in the real-estate business. His birth occurred in Keeseville, Essex county, New York, on the 15th of December, 1834, his parents being A. D. and Mindia (Campbell) Moore, both of whom were natives of Acworth, Sullivan county, New Hampshire. The father an agriculturist by occupation, removed to Essex county, New York, in 1826, making the journey from New Hampshire by team. In the Empire state he purchased a farm and there con- tinued to reside throughout the remainder of his life, becoming quite promi- nent in local affairs. His demise occurred in Essex county in 1872, while his wife passed away in Denver, Colorado. They had a family of ten children, six sons and four daughters, seven of whom grew to maturity, while five are still living, namely: Arthur E., a resident of Saginaw, Michigan, who is now eighty-one years of age; Davis G., of this review; Juliette, the wife of Dr. Sanford Hoag, of Denver, Colorado; and E. P. and Albert D., both living in Ontario, California. E. P. Moore was connected with the supply department during the Civil war.
D. G. Moore obtained his early education in the public schools and after- ward attended the University of Vermont at Burlington, from which he was graduated in 1858. He then took up the profession of teaching and for seven years acted as principal of the high school at Rutland, Vermont, at that time the largest public school in the state. On the Ist of January, 1866, he journeyed westward to Illinois and located in Chicago, where he entered the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway in the capacity of freight clerk, being employed in the freight office for nine months. On the expiration of that period he secured a position with what is now the Wabash Railway, re- maining in the service of that corporation for eighteen and a half years or until impaired health necessitated his resignation. He acted as division super- intendent of the Danville and Cairo division for three and a half years and became well known in railroad circles. From a humble clerkship he had worked his way steadily upward to the responsible position of division superintendent, winning promotion as he demonstrated his ability, fidelity and trustworthiness. After severing his connection with railroad interests he turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, conducting a business of that character in Danville for three and a half years. At the end of that time he went to Chicago and there became associated with the Harvey Land Association, which owned the town
574
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
of Harvey. Later he accepted the position of general manager with the Eastern Illinois Coal Company of Grape Creek, Illinois, and capably served in that capacity for about ten years or until the concern sold out. Since that time he has devoted his attention to the management of farm property, controlling about three thousand acres of land in the interests of non-resident owners.
On the Ist of May, 1863, Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Mar- tha J. Hudson, a native of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, by whom he has two sons and two daughters. Allen H., the eldest, is an official of the General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York. He opened their works in Germany and also spent two years in England in the interests of the company, wiring the first underground railroad in London. George D., who graduated from West Point in 1880, has since been a member of the United States army. He spent six years in the Philippines and is now in Honolulu. He participated in the first skirmish at the battle of Manila and was one of the soldiers who captured the notorius Aguinaldo. Ollie M. Moore is the principal of the Mc- Kinley school in Danville. Emily L., a graduate of the New England Conser- vatory of Boston, Massachusetts, is now a teacher of music.
Mr. Moore is a republican in his political views and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has never sought public preferment. He served as a school director for about ten years and has been a member of the public library board for nearly twenty-five years. He belongs to the Sigma Phi, a college fraternity, and his wife and daughters are members of the Christian Science church. During the many years of his residence in Vermilion county Mr. Moore has gained a host of warm friends, and his family is promi- nent in social circles of Danville. He has now passed the seventy-fifth mile- stone on life's journey and can look back upon an active, useful and honorable career.
DENNIS ALBERT CLINGAN.
'Among the young attorneys of Danville whose success is already assured is numbered Dennis Albert Clingan, who was born near Georgetown, Vermil- ion county, on the 27th of May, 1883, and his parents, John W. and Mary E. (Nesbitt) Clingan, also natives of this county, are still living. The Clingan family came . originally from Ireland and settled in Ohio and our subject's grandfather Clingan came to this county about 1830. His wife was born in Ver- milion county and was of German descent. On the maternal side our subject is also of Irish origin and the family was founded in Ohio at an early day. In 1860 his grandparents came to Illinois and settled near Georgetown this county. John W. and Mary E. (Nesbitt) Clingan have but two children, Edna E. now the wife of Benjamin A. Learnard, living near Georgetown ; and Dennis Albert.
In the district school near Georgetown Mr. Clingan acquired his elementary education and was later graduated from the high school in Danville. He sub- sequently entered the University of Illinois at Champaign, where he pursued a classical course and was granted the degree of A. B. in 1907. He next took
575
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
up the study of law in the Leland Stanford University of California and was admitted to practice in that state, where he conducted an office for eight months.
Since his return to Danville in August, 1909, Mr. Clingan has practiced in this city and has already met with most excellent success in his chosen pro- fession. He is a well read lawyer who has made the most of his advantages and undoubtedly a brilliant future lies before him. The republican party finds in him a stanch supporter of its principles and he is an active member of the Methodist church. Fraternally he is connected with the Masonic order.
DANIEL RICE.
Among the honored residents of Vermilion county, now deceased, Daniel Rice long occupied a prominent place. For forty-five years he lived in this county, coming from Kentucky at the time of the Civil war in order to secure protection for his family and being himself a valiant soldier in defense of the flag of the Union, although a native of a southern state and many of his friends in the southern army. He is remembered as a brave and sincere man, who knew no higher motive than duty and who did not hesitate in the hour of danger to cast his lot with the cause he believed to be true.
He was born in Lawrence county, Kentucky, October 24, 1820, and was a son of Elijah and Sarah (Rife) Rice, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia and of English and Swiss descent. The paternal grand- father, William Rice, was born near Centerville, Ohio, and was a son of James Rice who came from England and was the founder of the family in this coun- try. He was one of the early settlers of Centerville and it is remembered that upon his one hundredth birthday a family reunion was held at the old home and in the course of the celebration the venerable man ran a foot race with Daniel, the subject of this review, then a boy of twelve or thirteen years, and came out ahead in the race. He lived to an extraordinary age and, according to the records of the family, he did not depart this life until after he had passed the one hundred and thirtieth milestone, being entirely blind during the last fourteen years of his life. William Rice was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and also a well known frontiersman, who fought many battles with the Indians in Ohio. He nobly performed his part before he was called to his re- ward and was known as one of the bravest among all the frontiersmen in his region.
The parents of our subject were married in Kentucky, Mrs. Rice having removed to that state with her parents when a young lady, the family first settling in Lawrence county and later locating in Carter county. Mr. Rice died in 1850, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife subsequently came to Ver- milion county, Illinois, and lived upon a farm near Fairmount until her death, which occurred in 1866, when she was sixty-nine years of age. She was the mother of thirteen children, twelve of whom-nine sons and three daughters- grew to maturity.
576
HISTORY OF VERMILION COUNTY
Daniel Rice was reared amid the environment of pioneer life. His early home was in the Cumberland mountains, then a wilderness, with few settle- ments and abounding in wild game. As he grew up he became an expert with the rifle, killing as many as six deer in a day, and, as he related in giving the reminiscences of his earlier life, he one day killed a bear and four of her cubs without assistance from any other person. The opportunities for education were extremely limited and in his case consisted principally of attendance for three months at a log schoolhouse under a teacher whose accomplishments were limited to the ability of being able to read and write. In the frontier environ- ment he gained a love for animals, which was one of his lifelong characteristics, especially for the horse, which he regarded as one of the most useful friends of man.
Mr. Rice remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-five years of age, when he was married and began independently as a farmer, in which ยท he continued until after the outbreak of the Civil war. His sympathies being with the Union, he proffered his services to the federal government and be- came a member of Company D, Twenty-second Kentucky Infantry, October 21, 1861. He was mustered into service at Camp Swygert on the Ohio river and participated in various engagements in the eastern part of Kentucky. At Ashland, that state, he had a severe attack of measles and lay for a time at the point of death, but was finally sent home on a furlough, returning to his regiment at Baton Rouge in February, 1864. His health continued poor, how- ever, and he received his honorable discharge from the army May 10, 1864, his war experience bringing on nervous prostration, from which he never en- tirely recovered.
At the time of his furlough Mr. Rice brought his family to Vermilion county, but after his final discharge he visited Arkansas with a view of making a permanent location in that state. Conditions not appearing favorable, he returned to this county and located in Vance township. In 1884 he removed to Sidell township, where he lived until his death, which occurred January 31, 1908. He was for many years afflicted with partial blindness and for some time before his death was totally blind, but, notwithstanding the condition of his health and many difficulties which he was obliged to face at different times in his career, he was always a man of cheerful disposition, looking upon the bright side even when the clouds were darkest, and he became one of the suc- cessful farmers of this county.
In August, 1845, Mr. Rice was united in marriage to Miss Flora Ann Jor- dan, a native of Greenup county, Kentucky, who was eighteen years of age at the time of her marriage. She was the mother of six children: William J .; Mary E., deceased; Albert R. U .; James G., a sketch of whom appears else- where in this work; Edward A .; and Lemuel, deceased. After her death Mr. Rice was married to Mrs. Eliza Jane Moore, a daughter of William J. and Susan (Rawlings) Robertson. To this union five children were born: Martha A., Eliza J., John W., Elijah R. and Catherine. Mrs. Rice was born in Parke county, Indiana, and at seventeen was married to William H. Moore. Five children were the result of that union: Mary E., Charles A., Millie S., Reuben H. and William W.
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.