USA > Illinois > Vermilion County > History of Vermilion County, Illinois : a tale of its evolution, settlement, and progress for nearly a century, Volume II > Part 82
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The death of Levin T. Palmer occurred in 1900, and thus passed from the scene of earthly activity one whose efforts had been a potent force in the improvement and upbuilding of Danville. He certainly deserved much credit for what he accomplished, inasmuch as he started out in life empty-handed and
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throughout his entire career maintained an unassailable reputation for business integrity and honor. His entire career was actuated by progressive methods and by just and generous dealing. He was far-sighted and this, combined with his unfaltering determination, made him a power in the community. Preemi- nently a self-made man, his work and example remain as an inspiration to others.
S. H. BLACK.
S. H. Black is one of the venerable citizens of Vermilion county, having passed the eighty-third milestone on life's journey. He was born near Mil- lersburg, Bourbon county, Kentucky, on the 17th of December, 1827. His parents, Samuel and Nancy (Collins) Black, both of whom were natives of Virginia, removed from Kentucky to Illinois in 1834, the journey being made by wagon to Vermilion county. The father purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land for which he paid four dollars and sixteen cents per acre. This was situated near Indianola. The Black Hawk war had occurred only two years before and Vermilion county was still a pioneer district in which many evidences of frontier life were still to be seen. There were great stretches of prairie that were unclaimed and uncultivated, the forests were uncut and the streams unbridged. Deer were yet quite plentiful in the state and wild game was to be had in abundance. The family bore many hardships and trials incident to the establishment of a home in a frontier community. They did most of their trading at Georgetown and took their grist to mill on the Big Vermilion river. In the early days the families of John Myers and Joe Frazer were killed by Indians and Frazer afterward compelled a band of Indians that were camping in the woods near the present site of the reservoir to break up winter quarters and move to the woods north of what is now the Hildreth place. This was about 1825, and these were the last Indians in the neighbor- hood. There was much arduous labor necessary to develop a farm and make it productive, and in the work the father was assisted by his sons. In the family of Samuel and Nancy (Collins) Black there were four sons and three daughters : William, Frank, John, S. H., Mrs. Marinda Jane Huth, Sarah, who became the wife of A. J. Swuek, and Margaret.
S. H. Black was not yet seven years old when the family left Kentucky and came to Vermilion county, Illinois. Here he was reared, sharing with the family in all the hardships and privations which came to them in the early days. After attaining his majority he married Miss Sarah P. Hutt, who was born in Kentucky on the 3d of March, 1835. They were married in 1850 on the old Hutt place about a half mile north of the John Fleshen farm. The children of this marriage were: John M .; Benjamin F .; William; Alice J., who became the wife of James Milton and is now deceased; and Rosanna, the wife of Harry Frazer. There are also twenty grandchildren and eight great-grand- children.
In 1864 Mr. Black was drafted for service in the Civil war, but when ex- amined, was rejected. He has been a lifelong farmer of Vermilion county,
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who is today one of the most venerable citizens. He has lived in this locality for seventy-six years and few are as familiar with the history of this part of the state or have been closer witnesses of the growth and progress that has wrought a wonderful transformation, making Vermilion county one of the most populous and prosperous districts of Illinois.
WILLIAM HENRY WEBSTER, D. D.
Rev. William Henry Webster, who has devoted his life to the ministry, was born in Schoharie county, New York, in 1835, and is a descendant of John Webster, a native of England, who arrived in Connecticut in 1630. His prom- inence as a citizen of the newly established colony is indicated by the fact that he was appointed governor of the province of Connecticut in 1640. Most of the representatives of this family have remained residents of New England, and a number of them have entered the ministry, their efforts proving effective forces in the moral development of the communities in which they have lived and labored. The parents of Rev. William H. Webster were Shadrach and Betsy (Beach) Webster. The father was a school teacher by profession. Following the outbreak of the second war with England he volunteered for active service at the front and was at Plattsburg, New York, and was with the American troops at the time of McDonough's victory on Lake Champlain.
Rev. Henry Webster was a youth of thirteen years when in 1848 he became a resident of Danville, Illinois. He continued his education in the public schools but later entered the Danville Methodist Seminary. He afterward attended the Asbury University of Indiana and the Ohio Wesleyan University, completing the classical course in the latter institution in 1859, when the degree of Bach- elor of Arts was conferred upon him. He has since received the honorary degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Divinity. In early manhood he was employed as a house painter and as a school teacher, and by his efforts therein continued his education until, qualified for the ministry, he engaged in preach- ing and in the fifty years of his connection with the Illinois conference of the Methodist Episcopal church he has labored untiringly, loyally and zealously for the cause to which he dedicated his life in early manhood. He was converted at a camp meeting held near Danville when he was fourteen years of age. At dif- ferent times he has occupied pastorates in Bloomington, Quincy, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign and Urbana, and has long since been recognized as one of the prominent representatives of the Methodist ministry in this state. For eleven years he was presiding elder of the Jacksonville, Springfield and Danville districts. He has been sent as a delegate to the general conferences of Cincinnati, Philadel- phia, New York and Omaha, and has been a trustee of the Women's College at Jacksonville, Illinois, and of the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington. He has worked untiringly for the promotion of all those interests which have for their object the intellectual and moral progress of the race. He has visited many churches, strengthening the weak places in the cause, and for his labors in this
REV. WILLIAM II. WEBSTER
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connection has refused to receive any remuneration. His zeal and efforts have been resultant wherever he has gone. He has received many converts into the church, has succeeded in erecting new houses of worship and in paying off large indebtedness. He was treasurer and financial secretary of the fund for superannuated ministers for nearly thirty years, and for many years was super- intendent of the domestic missionary society of the conference. He now makes his home in Danville and has farming interests in this locality.
On the 3d of October, 1867, the Rev. William H. Webster was united in the holy bonds of matrimony to Miss Augusta Robinson, a daughter of William and Margaret (Davis) Robinson. She had one brother, Edward, who was a soldier of the Civil war, while her three sisters are: Elizabeth, the wife of John Short; Anna, the widow of M. M. Wright; and Mrs. Emma Robinson, also a widow.
Mr. and Mrs. Webster have one son living, John Wesley Webster, who was born in Springfield, Illinois, pursuing his early education in the Danville schools, and was afterward graduated at De Pauw University. He then became a student of the law department of the University of Illinois and completed his legal training at Harvard. He was admitted to the bar about 1903 and is now engaged in practice in Danville. He is secretary of the Fidelity Building Asso- ciation. He married Esther Baum and they have one child, Elizabeth.
Rev. Webster was one of the earliest supporters of the republican party, giv- ing his ballot for Fremont in 1856. He is now an independent anti-saloon re- publican, and during the period of the Civil war he espoused the cause of the Union and the supremacy of the federal government. His broad reading has kept him in touch with the vital issues and significant problems of the day. He has always been a stalwart champion of the cause of education and for a num- ber of years served as president of the school board of Danville. Happiness has been defined in the following stanza, which seems an exposition of the life and work of Rev. Webster :
"Serene with wrong undone, and good desired, A labor loved and followed to a goal, Wealth sufficient for the needs acquired To keep the body, not to hurt the soul, "A little over, that it may be spent In the high joy of generous giving;
A faith so sure of the divine intent,
It dignifies the deeds of daily living."
MRS. MARTHA E. ENGLISH. -
Mrs. Martha E. English, who resides at No. 612 Hazel street, Danville, is a daughter of John A. and Melissa (Hamilton) Bradley. The father was born in Johnson county, Kentucky, in 1823, a son of James and Margaret Bradley, and the birth of the mother occurred in Indiana in 1822, her parents being Asa and Mary Hamilton. Mrs. English is a native of Illinois, born in the northern part of Vermilion county in 1857. Educated in the public schools,
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she grew to womanhood under the parental roof. On the 18th of February, 1904, she was united in marriage to Joseph English, a native of Newport, In- diana, who was born in 1857. His father, George W. English, was born in Perrysville, Vermilion county, Indiana, in 1831, and his mother, who bore the maiden name of Sarah J. Ludlow, was born in Alexandria, Ohio, in 1835. At seven years of age Joseph English came with his parents to Danville and was educated in the public schools of this city, later taking a business course in one of the commercial colleges of Chicago. He early showed a fine business capacity and for nearly twenty years was general agent of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, being placed in this position when the road was first built. After leaving the railway service he became auditor and secretary of the Kelly Coal Company and acted as general sales agent of the company in Chicago. Mr. English was twice married, his first wife being Minnie Leonard, who was a native of Ohio and a daughter, of Ezra Leonard. One daughter, Corinne, was born of that union. She married Birch C. Pollock, now living in Alabama.
Mr. English departed this life June 1, 1906, at his home in Danville, death being caused by an attack of dropsy for which the best medical service failed to find relief. The esteem in which he was held by the community was in- dicated by the general expressions of regret which followed the announcement of his decease. Socially he was identified with the Tribe of Ben Hur, being a charter member of that organization. Politically he accepted the principles of the republican party and in church affiliation he held membership in the Methodist denomination, accepting its teachings as those most expressive of the principles of life enunciated in the New Testament. He was a man of fine executive talent and was highly successful in business. In Vermilion county he had many warm friends and was recognized as one of its most progressive citizens who belong to the class which seeks to promote the permanent interest of their fellows. Mrs. English, after the death of her husband four years ago, at No. 822 Walnut street, removed to her old home, where she now resides. She is a lady of intelligence and culture and is greatly esteemed for her many worthy qualities.
WALTER R. WILSON, M. D.
No history of the medical profession or indeed of the business department of Hoopeston would be complete without mention of Dr. Walter R. Wilson, for thirty-four years an active practitioner here. Ill health then compelled him to retire and he has since engaged in the real-estate and insurance business. Aside from all personal considerations, moreover he has been a valued rep- resentative of the community, taking active part in the public life of Hoopeston as a supporter of all those things which work for municipal honor and prog- ress. He was born in Oneida county, New York, February 20, 1852, and is a son of Otis E. and Mary Jane (Matthews) Wilson. The father came to Vermilion county in 1876, settling at East Lynn, where he engaged in the re-
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tail grocery business, in which he continued up to the time of his death. He was a native of Massachusetts, where his ancestors, who were of Scotch birth, settled at a very early day. His wife's people were of German lineage. Otis E. Wilson first came to the west about 1854, at which time he took up his abode in Little Rock, Illinois. His wife was a native of Oneida county, New York, and it was there that the marriage was celebrated. Mrs. Wilson is still living at the advanced age of eighty-four years, making her home with a daughter in Hoopeston. . There were two sons and three daughters in the family : Charles E., who was born in Oneida county, New York, in October, 1850, and died near Watseka, Illinois; Walter R., the second of the family ; Ellen, who was born in Kankakee county, Illinois, and is the wife of F. M. Hall, a retired farmer of Hoopeston; Cornelia, who was born in Norton town- ship, Kankakee county, Illinois, and is the wife of Dr. Fallis, of Danville; and Hattie, the wife of William H. Elliot, a druggist of Hoopeston.
In the district schools of Kankakee county and in the city of Kankakee Dr. Walter R. Wilson pursued his education to the age of eighteen years. On attaining his majority he took up the study of medicine, matriculating in Hahne- mann Medical College at Chicago, from which he was graduated with the class of 1876. Two years later he received an honorary degree from the Chicago Homeopathic College. He engaged in general practice in Hoopeston for thirty- four years and throughout that period was the loved family physician in many households. He never allowed his ability to grow less as time went on but ever kept in touch with the advancement of the profession through broad read- ing and research. He was quick to adopt any new methods which his judg- ment sanctioned as of value in the practice of medicine, though he was never hasty in discarding the old and time tried methods, the value of which years have proven. His ready sympathy, and cheery disposition, as well as. his professional knowledge, constituted elements for good in the sick room, but at length on account of his own health, he was obliged to retire in February, 1910, after which he spent some months in Florida. He returned much im- proved in health and is now engaged with his son Robert in the real-estate and insurance business and is also a member of the firm of Williams, Wilson & Son, shoe merchants of Hoopeston. He worked his way through college, his laudable ambition prompting him to enter a field of labor demanding keen intellectuality, good business ability and quick discernment. That his choice of a profession was a wise one is indicated in the success which attended his efforts in that connection. Aside from his mercantile and real-estate business in Hoopeston, he is now the owner of a four hundred and six acre farm at Kewanna, Indiana, which he is operating and which is a valuable and pro- ductive property.
Aside from all commercial and professional relations, Dr. Wilson has long been recognized as a leading factor in the public life of Hoopeston, giving of his time and talents unstintedly for the advancement and upbuilding of the city. He acted as mayor of Hoopeston for two years. During the first year his salary was twenty-five cents per annum and during the next year was. fifty cents. Also for two terms of two years each Dr. Wilson served as city alder- man and in office exercised his official prerogatives in support of law and order,
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justice and progress. In his political views he has always been a republican, while fraternally he is a Mason. That he enjoys the high regard of his breth- ren of the craft is indicated in the fact that he has for several terms been high priest in the chapter. He and his family are devoted members of the First Methodist Episcopal church.
It was in Hoopeston, November 21, 1876, that Dr. Wilson married Miss Anna C. Muirhead, a native of Canada, born in Peterboro, January 1, 1853, and a daughter of James and Mary Muirhead. Her father was a minister of the Methodist church, and for many years preached in different parts of Ver- milion county. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Wilson were born a daughter and two sons : Alice May, who was born in Hoopeston and is the wife of Charles Wil- liams, a shoe merchant of Hoopeston; Robert E., who is associated with his father in the real-estate and insurance business and married Jessie Hooker, a native of Hoopeston; and Clarence J., who is engaged in the shoe business and lives at home with his parents. There are three grandchildren: Kathryn, daughter of Robert and Jessie Wilson; Marian, a daughter of Charles and Alice Williams ; and Walter J., a son of Clarence Wilson. The last named was born in Hoopeston, November 21, 1903.
No life history in this volume indicates more clearly what may be accom- plished through personal effort and honorable ambition than does that of Dr. Wilson. He is truly a self-made man, his success being the direct result of his own labors. As the years have passed on he has achieved success and at the same time has won the confidence, high regard and good will of his fellow townsmen, among whom he is most popular because of his unfailing courtesy, his kindly spirit and his deference for the opinions of others.
CHARLES F. BUROW.
Charles F. Burow, the junior member of the firm of Uhlein & Burow, con- ducting one of the leading plumbing establishments of Danville, has spent his entire life in this city. He was born on the 19th of February, 1881, his parents being Charles and Minnie (Remeana) Burow, who were born, reared and mar- ried in Germany and came to America about 1860. On landing in this country they came direct to Danville, where the father continued to make his home until called to his final rest on the 3d of May, 1909. By occupation he was a miner. The children born to him and his wife are as follows: Rickie, now the wife of Charles Leverenz, a miner of Danville; Mary, the wife of James T. Myers, of Danville; Minnie; Anna, the widow of Henry Krimmel and a resi- dent of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Lena, the wife of Harry Davis, of Danville; Emma, the wife of Clyde Swift, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Bertha, the wife of Henry Wyman, living at 702 Illinois street, Danville; Tilla, the wife of Joseph Strattman, whose home is at 619 Bryan avenue, Danville; and Charles F., of this review.
Charles F. Burow was given good educational advantages, attending the Lutheran schools of Danville and later the Walker Business College, where he
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pursued courses in bookkeeping, arithmetic and penmanship. On leaving school at the age of fifteen years he was apprenticed to Henry Krimmel to learn the plumber's trade, with whom he remained for a period of four years. Five years were spent in the employ of W. S. Hannum, a plumber, and in 1904 he embarked in business on his own account in connection with Charles F. Uhlein under the firm name of Uhlein & Burow. They now have one of the best appointed plumbing establishments of the city and have built up an excellent trade, which is constantly increasing.
On the 12th of August, 1902, Mr. Burow was married in Danville to Miss Margaret M. Baumgart, a daughter of Christ and Lena Baumgart, of Danville. He affiliates with the republican party, but aside from voting, has never taken an active part in politics, preferring to devote his entire time to his family and business interests. He holds membership in the Lutheran church and finds his chief source of recreation in outdoor sports, of which he is very fond, es- pecially baseball. He takes an annual fishing trip to the lakes and different resorts throughout the country. His business has ever been so managed as to gain the confidence of those with whom he has had dealings, and he stands high in the esteem of all who know him.
ANDREW BAKER.
Andrew Baker, filling the position of county constable of Vermilion county and discharging his duties without fear or favor, was born in New York city October 31, 1860, his parents being David S. and Mary (McMahan) Baker. The father, who for a considerable period served as warden of the city prison on Blackwell's Island, died while discharging the duties of that position. He was a well educated man, was prominent in city politics and was recognized as one of the republican leaders of New York. The family is an old one in the Empire state, having been represented there through several generations. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Charles H. Baker, who served as captain of an artillery that was on active duty at New Orleans in the war of 1812. He was presented by the officers of the regiment with a gold watch- a token of their appreciation of his services.
Left fatherless at a very tender age, Andrew Baker, when a lad of ten years, was sent west by the New York Juvenile Asylum to Danville, Illinois, and found a good home with S. P. LeNeve, a very prominent farmer of this locality. His education was largely acquired in the schools of this district and through practical experience. He remained with Mr. LeNeve for three years and then at the age of thirteen started out to make his own way in the world unaided. Continuing in this locality, he gave his attention to farm work, and at length he turned his attention to merchandizing, in which he continued for twenty-one years, conducting a store at Pilot. His long identifi- cation therewith indicates his success, for during much of that period he en- joyed a large and growing trade, the public according him a liberal patronage. As the years passed he made progress and eventually became the owner of
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good property. He now owns a farm in Lake county of one hundred and eighty-two acres, on which he has a tenant. In 1885 he purchased his present residence and he also owns the building in which his office is located, at No. 608 Seminary street. His realty possessions are the visible evidence of his life of well directed effort and industry and prove that success is not a matter of genius but results from clear judgment, experience and indefatigable energy.
On the Ist of January, 1882, Mr. Baker was married to Miss Ida B. Piper, a daughter of Joseph H. and Rebecca (Trimmell) Piper. They have two chil- dren. The son, Walter E., who is a graduate of Illinois College and is now cashier of the Wells Fargo Company at Ottumwa, Iowa, married Miss Minnie A. Busch, who is a graduate of the Illinois University. Flossie J., who was educated in Vermilion county, is the wife of Ben Cox, of Oakwood township, and they have one child, Ross Baker.
Mr. Baker and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take an active and helpful part in its work and upbuilding. His political support is given to the republican party and at three different times he has been elected constable and is now serving his tenth year in that position. He also served as postmaster at Pilot and was assistant postmaster there for four- teen years. The cause of education has found in him a warm friend whose labors as school director have been effective in promoting the advancement of the schools. No public trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed in the slightest degree. He is loyal to every public confidence, and in the discharge of his duties has proven his capability as well.
WILLIAM J. SANDUSKY.
The marvelous advancement of modern civilization is strikingly presented when we consider the contrast between the conditions that prevailed in the agricultural communities of Illinois in the pioneer times before the Civil war and those that prevail in the first decade of the twentieth century. In the earlier days the entire family generally lived in a log cabin of one or two rooms ; people traveled on foot or on horseback; there were no macadamized roads ; bridges were very few and far between; markets were many miles away ; all farm produce and merchandise was conveyed by wagon or by boat; and means of communication with the great world were indeed uncertain. The family, which often included ten or twelve children, was supplied only with the simplest necessities, raising its own food-except what was secured by the use of the rifle in the forest-and the women of the household manufacturing the clothing of all its members. An economy prevailed of which we hardly have conception. Money was scance and a silver dollar was regarded with a greater respect than a twenty dollar gold piece under present conditions. When we consider the transformation to the beautiful homes of today, the elegantly equipped railway train or the easy riding automobile, the newspaper, telegraph, telephone, the department store, well-conducted schools and colleges and numberless other accessories of modern life, then may we perceive that
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