Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical, Part 149

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1058

USA > Illinois > Crawford County > Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical > Part 149

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Nathaniel Johnson Highsmith spent his school days at the Brown School, near Duncanville. From early manhood he has been successful in every line he has taken np, and he is now re- garded as one of the most substantial men of his section. He is the owner of three farms in Robinson Township, in addition to houses and buildings in the city of Robinson, and he is a member of the firm of Highsmith Brothers, im- porters of French, German and Belgian stallions, which he ships throughout the United States.

A Democrat in politics, Mr. Highsmith has been one of the leaders of his party in Crawford County, having held numerous offices. He was Sheriff of the county in 1906, and is now Sec- retary of the County Central Committee. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Modern Wood- men, the order of Odd Fellows, the Tribe of

Ben Hur and the Rebeccas. His religious affilia- tions are with the Christian Church, of which he is tinstee. Mr. Highsmith's long service to the Democratic party is sufficient evidence of his ability and fidelity to duty, but it is due him to say that he has in his public capacity dis- played only the same traits which have charac- terized his private life-strict attention to the details of his work and thoughtful, intelligent management, qualities which cannot fail to bring abont satisfactory results.

Mr. Highsmith was married at New Hebron, Ill., November 10, 1SS5. to Syrilda Houston, born June 21, 1867, near St. Clair, Mo., a daughter of Charles and Elizabeth ( Wall) Honston, farmers of Honey Creek Township. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Highsmith, namely : Carrie, born November 29. 1887: Cleo, born De- cember 11, 1890, and Cliffie, born December 5. 1892.

HIGHSMITH, William Franklin. - Crawford Connty numbers among its residents many very successful farmers who have attained their pres- ent prosperity through hard. unremitting labo", for fortunes are not made in a day from agricul- tural pursuits. Each day brings its quota of work and yet if good management is exercised, econ- omy practiced, and hard work not shirked, in time a rich reward is harvested. William Frank- lin Highsmith is one of the farmers of Honey Creek Township who has proven the truth of the foregoing. He was born on the homestead, Section 32, Honey Creek Township. August 4, 1852, a son of A. W. Highsmith. a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.

William F. Highsmith was educated in the district schools of Honey Creek Township, and assisted his father. On April 17, 1873, he was married to Mahala D. Parker, the daughter of Newman Parker, a pioneer of that locality, where she was born October 17, 1854, and was there reared. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Highsmith moved to a farm in Montgomery Township, where Mr. Highsmith rented land for two years. For two years following he lived on his father-in-law's farm, and then purchased hls present farm, commencing with 40 acres, which he cleared and put under cultivation. Now he owns SO acres, all of which has been cleared by him. He has put up his home and barn and other outbuildings, making all of the improve- ments himself. He devotes his attention to gen- eral farming and stock-raising.

Mr. and Mrs. Highsmith have had children as follows : Laura. wife of Edward Hamilton, of Montgomery Township; Owen E. ; Elsle N. : Ida J. ; Leander, and five deceased. all except the first having been born in Honey Creek Township. Mr. Highsmith has always been a Democrat, and has taken a very active part in local affairs, serving twice as Township Assessor and Tax Collector, as well as in other township offices. and always faithfully discharging his duties. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent

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Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of America.

HILL, Doctor (deceased), settled in what is now Hutsonville Township, Crawford County, in 1818, and was one of the pioneers of this lo- cality. He was born in Randolph County, N. C., June 28, 1796, a son of John and Rachel (Sar- gent) Hill, the former having been born 01l the same place as his son, and died in 1849, about eighty-two years old. The mother was also born in North Carolina, and died in Craw- ford County aged ninety-three. Nine children were born to these parents. Doctor Hill was a farmer, blacksmith and shoemaker, and a skilled mechanic, and when eighty-six years old he made two plows with his own hands. While not an educated man from a book standpoint, he was a close observer and understood his work thor- oughly. His first marriage occurred in 1815 to Nancy Boyd, born March 9, 1797, in Guiltord County, N. C. She died in 1825, leaving a family ot five children: Sargent, Elizabeth, Rachel, Mary and Nancy. The second marriage of Doc- tor Hill occurred November 13, 1828, in Craw- ford County, when he was united with Cynthia Smith, born on the South Branch of the Potomac, in Virginia, July 2, 1795, daughter of Jacob B. and Hannah (Hand) Smith, he a native of Ger- many and she of Virginia. Mrs. Hill died in January, 1872. Mr. Hill became the owner of 402 acres of land in Hutsonville Township, and was a prominent Democrat, holding the office of Commissioner. He remembered distinctly many features of Thomas Jefferson's administration, and was a warm admirer of that great states- man.

HILL, John (deceased), for many years one of the leading merchants of Robinson, was born in Sullivan County, Ohio, November 10, 1816, but from 1818 was a resident of Crawford County, Ill., to which his father removed in that year. For more than half a century Mr. Hill was a farmer and became the owner of some 2,500 acres of land, including his father's original entry of 160 acres. He divided his property among his children and, retiring to Robinson, entered the mercantile field in which he met with marked success. His grocery establish- ment for many years served as a base of sup- plies, not only for the people of Robinson but a large contiguous territory. Mr. Hill erected his large brick store, and his annual sales have ag- gregated as much as $30,000, and in all of his dealings he has held the confidence of his as- sociates and patrons.

On February 28, 1838, Mr. Hill married in Crawford County, Miss Morris, and they be- came the parents of children as follows: Char- les M., Henry M., Diana Boofter and Mary Mc- Lean. Mrs. Hill dying, in 1875, Mr. Hill married Mrs. Sterrett. Politically Mr. Hill was a Dem- ocrat.

HILL, John M. L. (deceased), for many years a farmer and stockman of La Motte Township,

Crawford County, was born March 19, 1820, in Knox County, Ind., a son of John and Mary (Clark) Hill, born in North Carolina, in 1793 and 1795, respectively. John Hill, who was a farmer and a soldier in the War of 1812, died in Knox County, Ind., in 1825. He and his wife had nine children. John M. L. Hill went to school in Indiana and learned the saddler and harness making trades. After many vicis- situdes, Mr. Hill finally opened a harness shop in Palestine in 1845, and in 1854 embarked in a stock business, and from time to time entered land in different counties, so that eventually he became the owner of 717 acres of land in addi- tion to town property. On October 8, 1846, he married in La Motte Township, Jane Purcell, born March 24, 1824, in La Motte Township, the daughter of Jonathan Purcell, a native of Vir- ginia and a pioneer of the county. Mr. Hill was first a Whig but later a Republican, and was one of the successful men of his locality.

HOLLOWELL, Silas .- No biographical record of Crawford County, Ill., would be complete without the names of its leading agriculturists, men of sturdy character and upright lives who have done so much towards reclaiming this part of the State from the wild prairie. Prominent among this class of representative men may be mentioned Silas Hollowell, whose 200 acres of farming land testify to his thrift and intelligence as a farmer. Mr. Hollowell was born in Orange County, Md., October 13, 1833, a son of James and Agnes Hollowell, farming people, who came to Crawford County, Ill., in 1837 and here spent the remainder of their lives. James and Agnes Hollowell had these children: Silas; Elizabeth Ann, born March 25, 1835; John, born Novem- ber 29, 1836, died September 4, 1841; Woodward, born December 23, 1841, died in Memphis (Tenn.) Hospital, February 2, 1863, from diseases con- tracted during the Civil War; Emily, born May 25, 1840, died May 3, 1863, having married Henry Wood, a farmer of Licking Township, by whom she had one daughter, now deceased; and Sarah, born September 7, 1845, and married William Foster, a farmer of Clark County, Ill., by whom she had eight children, but is now deceased.

Silas Hollowell received but a limited educa- tion in the schools of Licking Township, after which he began farming and has continued in that occupation all of his life. On October 26, 1864, he enlisted in Company D, Thirtieth Regi- ment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Captain Wood- ford Hand, and continued with that regiment until the close of the war, being mustered out at Springfield, July 17, 1865. On December 2, 1869, he was married by Rev. John Anderson, a minister of the Protestant Methodist faith, to Sarah E. Barton, who was born July 30, 1842, a daughter of Samuel B. and Rebecca (Smith) Barton, natives of Coshocton County, Ohio, who had these children : Sarah E .; Nancy Jane, who died in infancy ; Samuel Palmer, born September 1, 1846; John Smith, born March 17, 1850; Gab-

1 1 .

WILLIAM PARKER (DECEASED) AND FAMILY

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riel Victor and William Henry, who died in in- fancy ; and Ellsworth, born in June, 1861.

To Mr. and Mrs. Silas Hollowell have been born these children: Minnie Gertrude, born May 27, 1871, married October 11, 1896, Ernest Wilbert Barrett, son of Philip and Mary Ann Barrett, and they live on a farm one mile south of Annapolis; Palmer Barton, born April 18. 1873, died August 29, 1875; Woodard, born Oc- tober 31. 1874, died December 2Sth of the same year ; John Edson, born December 18, 1875, died December 10, 1878; Ethel Belle, born May 9, 1878, was married at the old homestead Septem- ber 4. 1901, to Joseph Zellers, by Rev. Munsey, of the United Brethren faith, and they have one daughter; Mildred Lucille, born November 14. 1906, and are living on a farm one mile north of Annapolis; Sherman Garfield, born May 2, 1SS0; and George Freeman, born November 23, 1882, who was married January 20, 1907, by Rev. Herchey, to Myrtle Cramer, daughter of Jesse Cramer.

Silas Hollowell is a Republican in politics, is connected with Joseph Shaw Post, No. 235, G. A. R., Annapolis, Ill., and for over fifty years has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, of which he is Deacon and Trustee, and of which his wife has been a member for forty years.

HOOKER, William R .- The agricultural pre- eminence of Illinois is widely recognized, and it is generally more than admitted that this high position is due to the faithful efforts of the farm- ers, and Crawford County possesses as many of them as any of the other communities. William R. Hooker, farmer on Section 23, Martin Town- ship. is one of the old and highly respected men of his township. Mr. Hooker was born in War- ren County, Ind., May 25, 1838, a son of Silas Hooker, an Indiana farmer, who was a native of North Carolina and went to Ohio with his parents at an early date. There he was reared and educated, and eventually married Mary Ann Wakeman, a native of New York, but married in Ohio. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hooker came of Dutch descent. William R. Hooker was the fifth child and third son of a family of twelve children, three of whom died in infancy, and he was born after the family moved. to Warren County, Ind., where the parents resided until they died. Silas Hooker was a Whig, later a Republican, and was a very prominent man, serv- ing for many years as Probate Judge of War- ren County. He was also largely interested in stock-raising.

William R. Hooker was reared and educated in Warren County, and there grew to manhood. On October 26. 1865. he married. in Warren County, Mary M. Sale, born May 15, 1840, in Ohio, where she lived until she was thirteen. when her parents moved to Indiana. She was a daughter of John F. Sale. an Indiana farmer and local Methodist preacher. who was born and brought up in Ohio. where he married Lydla Wilkison, also a native of that State.

Mr. and Mrs. Sale were the parents of six chil- dren, of whom Mrs. Hooker was the oldest daughter and second child.

Mr. Hooker farmed in Indiana until 1802. when he brought his family to Illinois, and buy- ing 120 acres, settled on his present place, where he has made all the improvements and where he now carries on general farming and stock- raising. In 1906 oil was discovered on his prop- erty and he now has eight wells in active opera- tion. Mr. and Mrs. Hooker have the following children : Cora E., Addie J., Hattie P. and Sylvia R.

In addition to farming, Mr. Hooker has fol- lowed the trade of blacksmithing and carpenter- ing which he learned in Indiana, and has been very successful in every line of work. He is a Republican in politics, and he and his family are members of the Methodist Church. They are all highly esteemed in the neighborhood, where they have many friends.

HOPE, William A .- Some families gave more to the Union than others during the Civil War. It was no uncommon thing for a man and his sons to enlist, sometimes in the same regiment, but they did not all attain distinction. Consider- ing the number of battles, it is wonderful that more of the men were not rewarded, but those who did rise through special acts of heroism are all the more revered. William A. Hope, of Pales- tine, Ill., belongs to a distinguished family whose name was associated with both the civic and the military history of the county. Mr. Hope was born in Blount County, Tenn., February 14, 1831, a son of Adam and Mary Jane Hope, natives of Greene County, Tenn., where the father was a farmer.

A brother, James Hope, was in the Mexicau War, and also enlisted as a private in the Seventh Tennessee Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, but afterwards raised a company of which he was made Captain on account of his bravery. He was in many battles and at Shiloh, after being wounded sixteen times, urged his men to leave him to die, believing that they would only sacrifice themselves in trying to save him. However, he was rescued and, after at painful experience in hospital, rejoined his regi- ment with the rank of Major.

The war record of William A. Hope is also an interesting one for he enlisted on August 12. 1862, in Company E, Ninety-eighth Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, Captain Cox commanding, but meeting with a railroad accident, was sent home on September 12, 1862. As soon as he recovered he rejoined his regiment and participated in his first engagement March 1, 1863, at Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga. Mr. Hope had the misfortune to be taken prisoner. and was at Andersonville for nine months, but being exchanged, once more rejoined his regiment. He was honorably dis- charged, in 1865, at Springfield, Ill. With no premonition of his coming soldier life. Mr. Hope attended school in the log school house, and later

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devoted his attention to farming, which he re- sumed after returning from the war.

On December 22, 1851, Mr. Hope married Han- nah J. Tadford, a daughter of Robert A. and Rebecca (McClurg) Tadford, and they had nine children. Mrs. Hope died May 17, 1873, and on June 15, 1874, Mr. Hope married near Morea, Crawford County, Elizabeth Tadford, a sister of his first wife. Mr. and Mrs. Hope have had the following children: Frederick H., born March 9, 1875, married Lou Johnson of Montgomery County, Ohio. and sailed July 13, 1907, as a missionary to an African station, where his wife died, May 2, 1908; Marcus S., born May 29. 1876; Arta P., born May 17, 1878; Nelson A., born January 8, 1880; Chester A., born April 14. 1882; Oliver R., born June 14, 1884; Esther S., born August 26, 1886, and Erskine T., born in 1888.

Mr. Hope is a Republican, and is a member of Palestine Post, G. A. R., in which he takes a lively interest. For fifty-six years he has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he is an elder, and to which his wife has be- longed for forty years.

HORNING, Isaac Newton .- A successful farmer in Illinois is a man who is to be envied, for his fertile acres are a source of income to him that increases as the land grows more valuable. In Crawford County, Ill., property has increased in value very materially within the past few years, and among those who have profited by this is Isaac Newton Horning, who was born in Montgomery County, Pa., twenty-eight miles west of Philadelphia, September 11, 1841. a son of Isaac and Sarah (Warner) Horning. The father was born on a farm in Montgomery County, Pa., May 4, 1804, moved to a farm in Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1843, and in 1865 came to Hutsonville Township, Crawford County, Ill., where he died in 1885. His wife was born in Montgomery County, Pa., in 1807, and died at the home of her daughter in Hutsonville Town- ship. in 1888.

Isaac Newton Horning went to the subscrip- tion schools in Montgomery County, Ohio, and there was reared to farm life. He was twenty- four when with his parents he came to Craw- ford County in 1865. The father bought 400 acres of wild land of which the subject of this sketch later bought 80 acres from his father. In 1876 he bought the 80 acres on which he now resides, this being then mostly improved. In 1877 he built on this tract a frame house which was burned in 1893, and which was replaced by his present residence, the same year also build- ing his barn. He has two sisters, surviving : Sarah, who married and lives in Hutsonville Township; Lydia Fanny, married Manuel Furry, who died and she now lives in Hutsonville.

On August 6, 1862, Mr. Horning enlisted in Company I, Ninety-third Ohio Volunteer Infan- try, under Captain T. C. Mitchell, at Dayton, Ohio, and after serving one year was discharged on account of disability. but re-enlisted in May,

1864. in the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war, being mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, in December, 1865. He is now a member of the G. A. R., Thos. Markley Post, and takes a deep interest in its work. For twenty-five years he has been a member of the Christian Church. In politics he is a Republican, but has never sought public honors.

On October 18, 1866, Mr. Horning was married at Dayton, Ohio, to Mary C. Harry, born in Preble County. Ohio, near West Alexandria, May 22, 1844, and died June 22, 1907, her remains lying in the cemetery at LaMotte, Ill. The chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Horning were: Olive, born April 16, 1871, married Daniel Spear, who died in 1898-later she married A. E. Detwiler and they live in Chicago; Daisy, born March 20, 1873, is unmarried; Harry T., born April 20, 1876, married Elma Moore of Hutsonville Town- ship and they live in Saxton, Scott County, Mo .; William J., born December 3, 1878. married Emma Wilson of Robinson, and they reside on a farm near town; Osey G., born September 20, 1880, is unmarried and lives at home. Mr. Horning has been a successful farmer and has gained and retained the confidence and respect of his associates and friends.

HOUSTON, Alpheus B .- Possessed of those at- tributes which distinguish the really great,- self-possession, alertness, resolution, patience. strength. or, to put it in fewer words, character -Alpheus B. Houston, of Robinson, Crawford County, Ill., is a man whose public career has scarcely begun, although he has already held many of the important offices of the city and county. Born in Manila, Rush County, Ind., November 16, 1844, he is a son of Joseph Wash- ington and Sarah Jane (Brown) Houston. Jos- eph W. Houston was born January 1, 1813, in Maryland, and became a physician of prominence, practicing for forty years in Rush County, Ind. His wife was born in Ross County. Ohio, Novem- ber 2, 1819. Dr. Houston served as surgeon dur- ing a portion of the Civil War, and was later appointed by Governor Morton, the War Gov- ernor of Indiana, to the position of Counsellor to preserve the peace of the turbulent section in which he lived.

Alpheus B. Houston received his education in the common schools of Rush County, Ind., and at the same time learned all the details of farming. His father being so prominent a man, the lad was naturally imbued with patriotism, and en- listed in Company H, Ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, December 17, 1863, when only seventeen years old. Among the engagements in which he participated were the following : Sulphur Trussels, Ala., September 25, 1864, where his brother, Cassander T., belonging to the same company, was killed ; Lawrenceburg, Tenn., June 26, 1864; Elk River, Tenn., September 2, 1864; Nashville, December 15, 1864; Granny White Pike, December 16, 1864; Hollow Tree Gap. Tenn., December 17, 1864; Franklin, Tenn., De-

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cember 17, 1864. At the last-named place he, single-handed, captured 125 men and a full stand of colors as the war records show. He was called to Washington for promotion for a special act of bravery at this battle, but was unable to go on account of sickness; he also fought at Little Harpeth, Tenn., and Reynolds Hill, De- cember 25, 1864. and at Sugar Creek, December 26, 1864. After his distinguished service, he was honorably discharged at the close of the war at Vicksburg, Miss., August 8, 1865, being at that time Quartermaster Sergeant of his Company.

Mr. Houston returned to Robinson and imme- diately began to take an active part in public affairs, working with the Republican party. The esteem in which the people of Robinson, as well as Crawford County, held him, was shown in the fact that he was called upon to fill so many public offices. He was first elected to the office of Constable and then Sheriff of Crawford County, and after his two years occupancy of the latter office, for eight years was Deputy Sheriff and then once more served four years as Sheriff. He has also served as City Marshal of Robin- son, and for three years was a member of the City Council.

On August 29, 1869. Mr. Houston married Mary Jane Hamilton, a daughter of William F. Hamil- ton, a farmer of Sumner, Lawrence County, Ill. Before Mr. Houston's marriage, bis father-in- law had been a resident of Oblong Township, and later he returned to Crawford County, dying at Robinson. Mrs. Houston died February 20, 1873. The first of her two children lived to maturity : Ella, who married Thomas S. Apgar, had one child, and then died; the second child died in infancy. Mr. Houston was married on January 6, 1874, to Miss Lavona Myers, as his second wife, who was born in Licking County. Ohio, but was reared and educated at Robinson, Ill., and was living there at the time of her marriage. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Houston : Maud, November 12, 1874, is a graduate of Robinson High School ; Alpbeus Caswell, December 30, 1881; Beatrice Gerelda, November 29, 1885-all of whom are married, Maud having four boys. Alpheus two boys, and Beatrice one girl. Mr. Houston is very promi- nent in Henry Longenecker Post, G. A. R., and is also a member in the Knights of Pythias. Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen. The home of the Houstons, on North Franklin Street, is sur- rounded by the homes of their children and the family ties are very strong. Mr. Houston is not only popular as a man whose official record is without a stain, but the gallant service he ren- dered his country makes him a prominent figure upon all occasions when special honors are paid to the veterans of the Civil War. With his wife and children he is a consistent attendant of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

HOWE, Sylvanus .- Mr. Howe was born in Switzerland County, Ind., October 19, 1855, a . son of George Oscar and America (Lillard) Howe. Until fifteen years of age, Mr. Howe at-

tended the subscription schools of his neighbor- hood, but after coming to Crawford County, as soon as old enough he rented the W. T. Gordon farm of 240 acres, which he finally purchased and it is his present property.

On April 5, 1876, Mr. Howe married Mary A. Gordon, daughter of W. T. Gordon and Emeline Gordon. Mr. Gordon was born July 29, 1S20, in the State of New Jersey, whence he moved to Perry County, Ohio, in boyhood. By trade he was a carpenter, and also taught school in winter. Mrs. Gordon was born in Perry County, Ohio. In 1868 the Gordon family came to Craw- ford County, Ill., where Mr. Gordon died Decem- ber 1S, 1904, aged eighty-four years, his wife having died April 9, 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Howe have had children as follows: Clifford A., boru December 26, 1876, married Louise Camden, formerly of Canada (no issue), and they live in Chicago where he works at the trade of boiler- maker; Abby Lillard, born September 3, 1879, married Henry K. Perrin, of Palestine, Ill., have three children, and live at Chicago Heights, near Chicago; Irving G., born March 3, 1882; Emma C., born January 23, 1886; Vernie Eme- line, born October 27, 18SS; John Palmer, born October 12, 1891, and William Gordon, born Oc- tober 17, 1894. In politics Mr. Howe is a Pro- hibitionist and took a deep interest in the cru- sade of 1908. Fraternally he is a Modern Wood- man. Mrs. Howe is a member of the Methodist Church, having joined it about forty years ago.

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Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical, Part 149

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1058

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1058