History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois, Part 83

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 704

USA > Illinois > Clay County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 83
USA > Illinois > Wayne County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 83

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City, on the farm now occupied by John Holman. Here the father resided until his death, in 1850. That of the mother occurred in 1853. The free schools of this township furnished Sammel his means of education. He remained at home until about fifteen. and then came to the old town of Maysville. Here he began life for himself by clerking for George Earhenbright, who was then in business at that point. He remained in the latter's employ for about five years. In 1865, he began merchandising for himself, in the town of Clay City, and has ever since been engaged in business at this point. Starting first in the saloon business with Thomas Viskniski, he has, by his indomita- ble push and energy, kept on, until now, in connection with Jabez Cogan, owns the largest general store in the city. The firm now carries a stock of about $8, 000, and has a fair share of the trade in this section of Clay County. In 1882, he, in connection with William Markle, emubarked in the milling business, having leased the Clay City Mills of Daniel McCawley. In Clay City, Febru- ary 21. 1867, Mr. Holman was married to Miss Clemence West, a daughter of Joseph and Mary C. (Cannon) West, natives of Al- bion, Edwards County. Mrs. Holman was born October 10, 1850, in the same county, and is the mother of eight children, seven of whom are now living, viz .: John L., born July 10, 1869; Maggie, born June 3, 1871; Hattie, born February 18, 1873; Charles L., born October 14, 1877; Willie L., born May 17, 1879; George, born May 27, 1881; May E., born May 29, 1883. January 1. 1862, Mr. Holman enlisted in Company I, of the Sixty-third Regiment Illinois Volunteer In- fantry, and served until the close of the war, having re-enlisted in the veteran service in 1863. Among the battles in which he served : were Vicksburg. Sherman's Atlanta cam.

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paign, and the famous march to the sea. In his political views, he has always been a strong Republican. He is a member of Clay City Lodge, No. 384, I. O. O. F.

DR T. N. LOWNSDALE, physician, Clay City, was born in Pike County, Ind., August 12, 1841: son of John and Nancy (Thomas) Lownsdale James Lownsdale, the grand- father of our subject, came from England and settled in Louisiana. In 1816, he started for Indiana, but stopping over in Kentucky for a short time, the father was born. After a short stay in that State, the grandfather came directly to Pike County, Ind. In that county the father grew to manhood and fol- lowed the trade of a blacksmith there until his death, February 22, 1852. The mother was a native of Pike County, and was a daughter of Lewis and Sallie (Alexander) Thomas. The father was a native of Vir- ginia, the mother of Georgia. Subject was the eldest of four children, three of whoin are now living-Thomas N. (our subject), Mary (wife of Ed Williams, of Arthur, Ind.), and William, in Franklin County, Ill. Thomas' education was received principally in the subscription schools of his native county, but he, however, attended some free schools. At the age of nineteen, he com- menced reading medicine at the office of Dr. Z. G. Martin, of Otwell, Ind. He had only read with him one year, when, the war breaking out, he enlisted in the Fourteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He remained out until honorably discharged on June 16, 1864. Returning to Pike County, Ind., he began clerking in a store at Otwell. He only remained at that place a short time, and then began reading medicine with Dr. Zemus Kelso, of Ireland, Ind. He studied with this preceptor for about two years, and then went to Cincinnati, where he attended lect- ures. Graduating from the Cincinnati Col

lege of Medicine in 1875, he immediately returned, and began the practice of his pro- fession at Washington, Ind. He, however, only remained in that place about six months, and then came to Clay City, Ill., where he has since remained. At present he has quite an extensive practice over a territory of about twenty-five square miles. He is a member of the Centennial Medical Society of Southeastern Illinois. Dr. Lownsdale was married, January 3, 1877, in Stanford Town- ship, Clay County, to Miss Alice Bothwell, a daughter of Thompson and Indiana (Mabry) Bothwell. The father was a native of Ohio, the mother of Tennessee. Mrs. Lownsdale was born in Stanford Township, this county, March 8, 1852, and is the mother of four children, of whom three are now living- Agnes, born June 1, 1878; Mary, February 18, 1883, and St. Claire. Dr. Lownsdale is identified with the Democratic party in poli- tics. He is a member of the G. A. R., Clay City, Post No. 269.

J. W. MANKER, station agent, Clay City, was born in Hillsboro, Highland County, Ohio, February 20, 1841, and is a son of Jenkins and Sarah (Rogers) Manker, natives of the same county. Our subject was the second of seven children of whom but three are now living-J. W. (our subject), Mary E. (wife of R. F. Duff) and E. P. (now with Allender & Duff). Our subject's educa- tion was received mainly in the common schools of his native town. When sixteen his father moved to Clay County and settled on a farm south of Maysville. The father resided there a short time and then came to Clay City and purchased the Mound House, which he ran for about six years. He next embarked in the grain business and con- tinned in that until his health failed him. since then he has been living a retired life. In 1862, our subject commenced learning

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telegraphy under W. C. Roach, who was then station agent at Clay City. In the fall of 1863, he was appointed to succeed Mr. Roach as agent, and has since held that position acceptably to both himself and the company. Mr. Manker was married in Flora, Ill., Feb- ruary 7, 1866, to Miss Callie Peak, a daughter of William L. and Cyntha Peak, of Flora. One child has blessed this union -- Willie, who is now in the office with his father and acts as operator. Mr. and Mrs. Manker are both members of the Clay City Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Manker is also a member of Clay City Lodge, No. 488, A. F. & A. M. In politics, he is iden- tified with the Republican party.

DANIEL McCAWLEY, merchant, Clay City, is probably the oldest native born resi- dent in this township. He was born about two miles southeast of Clay City, on January 28, 1826, and is a son of John and Martha (Lacy) McCawley. The parents are noticed in the sketch of J. I. McCawley (a brother of subject), which appears elsewhere in this work. His education was received mostly in the schools of this county, but in 1837 he went to Jefferson County, Ky., and there re- mained with his uncle until 1841, and while there he attended school some. From Ken- tucky he came back to this county, and as- sisted his father on the farm until about twenty-five. Commencing life for himself he first opened a saloon in the old town of Maysville. In 1850, he began selling gro- ceries and dry goods at the same point, and carried on business there until 1857. The town of Clay City having been started the year before he came to that place, and has since been engaged in business there almost ever since. His first venture here was a gen- eral store, in which he did business until 1861. He then made a contract with the Commissioners of Wayne County to erect

some bridges in that county. After working a few years in that capacity, he began deal- ing in stock and farming at Clay City. This he has carried on quite extensively ever since, and now owns 1,200 acres is this township. of which there are about 500 acres under cul- tivation. In 1863, he began running a saw- mill at Clay City, and afterward added a grist mill, and has since had an interest in the Clay City Mills. Part of the time the premises have been leased by other parties, Holman & Markle now having it in charge. In 1878, he began merchandising in Clay City, opening a large hardware and imple- ment store. In this business he is still en- gaged, and now carries a stock of about $3,000. Mr. McCawley was married in this county, February 14. 1856, to Mary F. Slo- cumb, a daughter of R. B. and Elizabeth (Leech) Slocumb. The father was a native of South Carolina, and settled in Wayne Coun- ty in an early day. He was one of the fore. most men in the early history of that county. Among the offices to which he was elected were those of Circuit Judge, County Clerk, Member of Legislature, and was at one time Lieutenant Governor. His death occurred in 1875. and his loss was severely felt by the people in this section of the State. The mother was a daughter of Mr. Leech, who was one of the early pioneers of Wayne County, and from whom Leech Township in that county received its name. Mrs. Mc- Cawley was born in Wayne County. Novem- ber 15, 1836. To her were born six children, four of whom are now living, viz. : Mary E., born October 13, 1858, and now the wife of J. D. Kadler, of St. Louis; John R., born December 5, 1860; Helen L., May 6, 1865; Daniel L., April 1, 1868. This lady died on December 24, 1879. Mr. McCawley has been a strong Democrat all of his life, and has taken quite an active part in politics. He

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has served in quite a number of offices. Was Postmaster from 1852 to 1856, and after- ward served as Deputy for a number of years. Has also been Justice of the Peace, Township Supervisor and Assessor, member of County Board of Supervisors, and has also been on the State Board of Equalization. He is a member of Olney Lodge, No. 140, A., F. & A. M.

J. I. McCAWLEY, claim agent for O. & M. Railroad. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is to-day one of the most prominent men of this part of Illinois. He is a native of this county, being born about two miles southeast of the present village of Clay City August 20, 1829. He is a son of John L. and Martha (Lacy) McCawley. The grandfather of our subject, James McCawley, was born in Scotland. When a young man, he moved to the North of Ireland, and there married Sarah Gilmore. Soon after his mar- riage, he emigrated to the United States with two of his brothers. William, one of the brothers, settled in Charleston, S. C., the other in Virginia. The grandfather came West and settled in Jefferson County, Ky. There the father was born December 24, 1782. He was one of seven children, all of whom are now dead. The father remained in Kentucky until 1810, and then deciding to begin life for himself, he started for St. Louis, and had made his way as far north as Clay County, when one of his horses took sick. The place where he stopped was on the Little Wabash, near the eastern edge of the county. He sent back to Kentucky for a horse, and having to wait for about ten days, he fell in love with the country. He accordingly decided to locate where he was, and built a cabin. He thus made the first settlement in this part of the State, there be- ing no other white man within about sixty miles. Here he remained for some little

time, his only companions being the wild men of the forest. In the early part of 1811, he returned again to civilization, and Febru- ary 14, of that year, he was united in mar- riage to Miss Martha Lacy. This lady was born in Jefferson County, Ky., February 14, 1791. Her father was a native of Denmark, her mother of Pennsylvania. Not wishing as yet to bring his wife West until affairs were a little more civilized, he bade her good- bye, and again returned to his lonely cabin on the banks of the Wabash. Here he made good friends with the Indians, and their friendship for him stood him to good pur- pose afterward; for at the breaking out of the war of 1812, the famous War Chief Tecumseh marched down through this part of the country on his way to the campaign in Indiana; he accordingly sent forth a com- mand that every white man this side of Vin- cennes should be murdered. The night be- fore the time appointed for the massacre, the Indians came to McCawley and told him of it. They advised him to start for Vincennes, where there was a fort, and offered to follow him, to see that no other Indians bothered him. He decided to act upon their advice, and the next morning as soon as it was day he started on his homeward journey. He saw no one, neither friend nor foe, until he was just entering the fort at Vincennes, when he heard a war whoop. Turning around he saw the same Indians who had given him the warning the night before ride out from the brush, wave their hands, and then turning their horses toward the setting sun they dis- appeared. Having been protected thus far, he made his way as fast as possible to his home in Kentucky. In that State he re- mained until 1816, when, accompanied by his family, he again came to Clay County, and settled in his former cabin. He immediately pre-empted 160 acres of land, afterward pay-

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ing $2.50 per acre for it. This he finally increased to about 1,500 acres. Besides farming, he carried on a little store for a number of years, and made a good deal of money trading with the Indians. In early days, he was a Henry Clay Whig, but after ward became a stanch Democrat. He was never much of a politician, and the only office he ever held was that of County Com- missioner in the early days. His death oc- curred May 25, 1854, that of his wife October 14, 1844, and thus passed away the earliest pioneers of this county. Subject was the next to the youngest of a family of ten chil- dren, of whom but three are now living --- Arthur (now in Texas), Daniel L. (in this county, and whose sketch appears elsewhere in this book) and J. I. (our subject). The latter's education was received in the sub- scription schools of this county. He re- mained at home with his father until 1853, when he came to the old town of Maysville and commenced business for himself. His first venture was that of a grocery store, which he ran until 1856. In that year the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad having been surveyed through this county, about a mile north of the old town of Maysville, he came to the new town of Clay City, which was then in its infancy, and opened a general store. He also accepted the position of the first station agent at this point, for the O. & M. Railroad, and in this connection we might say that ever since Mr. McCawley has been in the employ of the road in some capacity or another. He, however, followed merchan- dising in Clay City until 1876, and then accepted the position of general claim agent for the railroad; this position he has held ever since, and the administration of the of- fice has been both acceptable to the com- pany and to the general public. He also owns about 200 acres of land and has farm-

ing carried on quite extensively. In the old town of Maysville, May 17, 1856, Mr. Mc- Cawley was married to Miss Maria L. Moore. This lady was the daughter of Green and Sarah (Shannon) Moore; the parents were born in North Carolina, and are still living in that State. For a number of years, however, they were residents of East Tennessee, and there Mrs. McCawley was born February 9, 1840. To her have been born seven children, all of whom are now living -- Arthur H., born May 19, 1857; Sarah L., born December 7, 1858, now the wife of John T. Baird, of Olney, Ill .; Martha M., born July 31, 1863, now the wife of Dr. T. J. Eads, of Washington, Ind. ; Mina J., born June 25, 1865; John G., born March 15, 1871; Mary E., born September 9, 1873: Lewis W .. February 24, 1876. Mr. McCawley is a strong Democrat, but owing to his official position he does not take an active part in politics. He is a member of Clay City Lodge, No. 488, A. F. & A. M. Mrs. McCawley and her three older children are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

E. McGILTON. lawyer, Clay City, was born in Belmont County, Ohio. January 6, 1838, and is a son of Philip and Hannah (Perkins) McGilton. The father was born in Ohio, and died when subject was but four years of age. The mother was a native of Belmont County, that State, her father having come from Scotland in an early day. To her were born three children, of whom subject was the second, and the only one now living. Jehu, one of the children, died in Andersonville Prison in 1864. Mr. McGilton's education was obtained in both the free and subscrip- tion schools of his native county. At the age of fifteen, he commenced to learn the shoe-maker's trade, and followed it until 1859. In that year he commenced to read law with Mr. Eli Headlay, of Cameron, Mon-

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roe Co., Ohio. He studied with that gentle- man until October, 1861, when he was ad. mitted to practice in the courts of Ohio. He soon after came to Clay City, Ill., where he has since resided. He is the only resident attorney at this point, and practices in Jus- tices', County and State Courts. Mr. McGil- tou has been married three times. The first marriage took place in Monroe County, Ohio, in January, 1860. The bride was Miss Mary Jane Cathell, a daughter of Putnam Cathell, a native of New Jersey. To this lady were born three children, two of whom are now living-Charles A. and Laura B. She died in November, 1870. On December 15, 1872, he was married the second time to Miss Rachel Brummet, a daughter of Lewis Brum- met, of Indiana. This union resulted in two children, both of whom are now dead, and the mother also died in the fall of 1876. Mr. McGilton was married the third time, in Clay City Township, on August 10, 1878, to Miss Phoebe Chaney, a daughter of Abel and Christina Chaney. Both parents were natives of Pennsylvania. Two children blessed this marriage, one of whom, Leonidas L., is now living. This child was born on August 20,

1882. Subject has been identified with the Democratic party through life. He has not been a seeker for office, but has given his at- tention principally to his own affairs. He has however served a number of terms as Town Clerk and is also Notary Public. He is con- nected with the Southern Methodist Church, and is also a member of Clay City Lodge, No. 384. I. O. O. F .; is at present serving as Noble Grand of the lodge.

ISRAEL MILLS, stock dealer, Clay City, was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, April 18. 1843, a son of Jonathan and Sarah (Downing) Mills. The parents were both natives of Ohio. On the father's side the ancestors were natives of Pennsylvania; those

of the mother were natives of Virginia. Both families emigrated to Ohio in an early day. Subject was the sixth of twelve children. and of this number six are now living. The father is dead; the mother is still living on the old homestead in Ohio. The free schools of Ohio furnished subject his means of education, and he rendered what assistance he could on his father's farm until his majority. In October, 1865, he came to Clay City, Ill., where he has since resided. In this town his first business was that of a stock trader and dealer. At present he handles about 2,500 head of hogs, 1,500 head of cattle, and about 2,000 head of sheep per year. In 1872, he commenced merchandising with the firm of Bagwell, Evans & Co., and remained in that establish- ment until 1879. Mr. Mills also farms quite extensively, owning about 740 acres of land, of which 580 acres are in Clay City Town- ship, the rest in Stanford Township. Of the whole, there are about 700 acres in cultiva- tion. Mr. Mills was married in this county, September 10, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth Bag- well, a daughter of Thomas and Cina (White- man) Bagwell, who were very early settlers of this county. Mrs. Mills was born August 24, 1848, in Clay City Township, and is the mother of two children-Edna, born July 2, 1870; James B., born October 22, 1881. Subject enlisted June 3, 1862, in Company K of the Eighty-seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until taken prisoner at the battle of Harper's Ferry. Was afterward paroled, and discharged Octo- ber 3, 1862. June 29, 1863, he re-enlisted in Company B of the One Hundred and Twenty- ninth Regiment Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and served in that company until the expiration of time, March 5, 1864. He re enlisted the third time, September 2, 1864, in Company H of the One Hundred and Sev-

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enty-eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and served until the close of the war, being honorably discharged June 29, 1865. Mrs. Mills is a member of Clay City Chris- tian Church. Mr. Mills is a member of Clay City Lodge, No. 488, A., F. & A. M. He has been a life-long Republican, and has held numerous offices of trust and profit, hav- ing served as member of Board of Supervis- ors, School Trustee and Collector.

ROBERT MOSELEY, farmer, P. O. Clay City. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was born in Buckingham County, Va., about thirty miles from where Gen. Lee surrendered, on March 23, 1813. He is a son of Arthur and Nancy (Watkins) Moseley. The grandfather of our subject was of En- glish descent, and came to the country in an early day. Our subject was the fifth of eight children, of whom but three are now living, viz .: Arthur, in Virginia; Edward, in Missouri, and Robert (our subject). The subscription schools of his native county fur- nished his education. His father died when he was quite young, but he remained at home with his mother until about twenty-two. In 1836, he came West, and first went to St. Louis, where his brother was then living. In 1837, he came to this county, and worked as a carpenter on the bridges that were then being built across the Little Wabash and Big Muddy. From this he worked at his trade in and around Maysville for a number of years. In 1841, he settled on a farm, about two miles south of Maysville. There be resided until 1847, and then again came to Maysville, and turned his attention to farming. The next, however, he settled on a farm in what is now Stanford Township; he resided on different farms in that town- ship until 1857, when he came to his pres- ent farm. He now owns 200 acres. situated in Sections 11, 13 and 15, of Township 2

north, Range 8 east. Has about 120 acres in cultivation. Mr. Moseley was married, July 10, 1841, in this township, to Miss Elizabeth Test, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Schooley) Test, natives of Ohio. She was the mother of three children (none of whom are now living), and her death occurred on March 17, 1847. In this township, on April 18, 1848, subject was married the second time to Miss Susan Davis. This lady was the daughter of John Davis, a native of Pennsylvania, and to her was born five chil- dren, one of whom only is now living, John A., in Kansas. Her death took place on January 24, 1857. Mr. Moseley was married the third time on November 12, 1857, to Mrs. Judith E. Dark, a daughter of Jeremiah and Judith (Biby) Webb. Mrs. Moseley was born in Shelby County, Ky., on August 31, 1824, and is the mother of four children (by her present husband), but two of whom are now living-Cloyd B. (at home), and Lloyd P. in Kansas. Mr. Moseley was a soldier in the late war, enlisting from this county in De- cember, 1863, in Company D, of the Fifth Illinois Cavalry. After but nine months' campaign, he was wounded at the battle of Canton, Miss., being shot in the leg, and was honorably discharged. Our subject has held many offices of trust and profit since he has been a resident of this county. He is now serving on his fourth term as Justice of the Peace, and has also served as Supervisor, Dep- uty Sheriff, Constable, etc. Mr. and Mrs. Moseley are both members of the Clay City Christian Church. In politics, Mr. Moseley is a strong Republican.

JOHN SUNDAY, farmer, P. O. Clay City, was born in Dover County, Penn., March 5, 1824, and is a son of Peter and Catherine (Stover) Sunday. The great-grandfather of our subject came from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania, where the grandfather and

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father were both born. Subject was the fifth of nine children. of whom seven are now liv- ing. When subject was about twelve years old, his father moved to York County, where the former received his education. He re- mained at home with his father until about eighteen, and then worked out for different farmers until 1852. when he moved to Cham- paign County, Ohio. There he followed car- pentering for some years, and then turned his attention to farming. In 1872, he came to Clay County, Ill., and settled on his present farm. He now owns about 285 acres in Sec- tion 5, of Township 2 north, Range 7 east.

Has about 240 acres in cultivation. Mr. Sunday was married in York County, Penn., December 15, 1847, to Miss Ann Harmou. This lady is the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Prowl) Harmon, and was born in 1831. This union has resulted in ten children, eight of whom are now living, viz .: Will- iam (in Champaign County, Ohio), Clayton, Joseph, Molly (wife of John Hussleton, of Stanford Township), Franklin, Sarah, Mis- souri and George. Mr. Sunday has been a life-long Democrat. He has been no office seeker, but has served in one or two positions, among which we mention Road Overseer.

HOOSIER TOWNSHIP.

GEORGE C. BARLOW. farmer and stock- raiser, P. O. Sailor Springs. This enterprising young man is a native of Crawford County, Ill., and was born November 8, 1850. His father, William Barlow (deceased), was also born in Crawford County, November 28, 1821, and died there October 12, 1867. Mr. Barlow was brought up on his father's farm, and received a common school education in his native county. He came to Clay County in December, 1880, and settled on his present beautiful farm of 160 acres on Section 12. He was married, March, 24, 1874, to Miss Ursula Eaton, daughter of James H. Eaton, of Crawford County, Ill. She was also born in Crawford County, and was a schoolmate of her husband in childhood.

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History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois, Part 83

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 704

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 704