Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical, Part 159

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 159

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NEWBOLD, D. F. (deceased), for many years associated with the agricultural interests of Ob- long Township, Crawford County, was born in Scott County. Ky .. October 25. 1825, and when five years old was taken by his parents to Rush County, Ind., where he was brought up on a farm, and given but a limited education. At the age of twenty-two he engaged hu farming for himself in Rush County, but in 1857 moved to Oblong Township, and bought a farm, which

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he operated until 1860, when he returned to Rush County. Once more he came to. Oblong Township in 1863, and bought S0 acres in Section 25, to which he added 145, and this became his home place, which he devoted to grain and stock- growing. On January 1, 1847, he married in Rush County, Ind., Sarah Thomas, a native of Pennsylvania, by whom he had a son, James Thomas. Mrs. Newbold died in Rush County, Ind., July 1, 1850. On August 30, 1854, Mr. New- bold married in Rush County, Ind., Eliza Jane Kirkpatrick, and they had three children who grew to maturity: Sarah Florence, Theodore and Jesse R. The second Mrs. Newbold died in January, 1873, in Oblong Township. Mr. New- bold married, the same year, Mary Ann Smith, who bore him one daughter, Nellie, and she had a daughter by her first marriage, Albina E. Smith. Mr. Newbold was a Democrat and held numerous township offices, including those of Collector, Assessor and Supervisor.

NEWBOLD, William Andrew .- The commer- cial activity of Crawford County is nicely gauged by the prosperity of the leading business men of the various communities within its confines, and one which occupies a prominent position is the house conducted by William Andrew Newbold, whose mercantile establishment is one of the leading concerns of its kind for a wide area. Mr. Newbold was born on a farm in Crawford County, January 7, 1867, a son of Andrew and Amanda (Gaines) Newbold. Andrew Newbold came from Rush County, Ind .. to Crawford County in the '50s, and he and his wife were among the pio- neers of this locality. Attending school in his district, William A. Newbold secured a fair com- mon school education, and worked upon a farm until 1903, when he purchased the stock of I. A. Shire & Son, from the trustee in bankruptcy, where he has since conducted a large and flourish- ing business and now commands a flourishing trade. His executive ability and good manage- ment have made him a leader in his line.

On September 25, 1899, Mr. Newbold was mar- ried in Oblong Township to Miss Alice M. Kirts, a daughter of Isaac and Mary Kirts, both from Marion County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Newbold have had two children: Charlie, born July 16, 1890 ; Belvia, born April 10, 1902. They have a de- lightful home in one of the most desirable resi- dence districts of Oblong. In politics Mr. New- bold is a Democrat and has served acceptably as Collector for two terms and Assessor for one term. Fraternally he is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 850, which he joined in December, 1893. He is a Methodist. having joined that church seven years ago, of which his wife has been a member since childhood.

NEWLIN, Andrew (deceased), who for many years was a farmer and stockman of Hutsonville Township, was born in Crawford County, Ill .. June 25, 1829, a son of William and Rachel (Hill) Newlin, and grandson of Thomas Newlin who came of Irish descent. Both parents were

born in North Carolina, and the mother died in August, 1833, and the father about 1838. After a boyhood spent on the farm, with intermittent attendance at the subscription schools, Andrew Newlin, who was the youngest of his parents' six children, married April 8, 1830, daughter of Reuben A. and Barbara (Hockman) Holmes, the former of whom died in Crawford County, De- cember, 1853, aged fifty-six years, while his wife died in Ohio in April, 1852. Mr. Holmes mar- ried a second time. Mr. and Mrs. Newlin had ten children: Albert, Amanda, Laura, Allen, Adaline, Stephen D., Lawrence, Ira, an unnamed infant and Clinton. Mr. Newlin eventually be- came the owner of 2,396 acres of land all in Hutsonville Township, except 60 acres in Clark County. This was very remarkable for he started his business career with but $150, which he in- herited from his father, so that all he accumu- lated was earned through his energy, foresight and economy. Mr. Newlin was a stanch Demo- crat, and served very acceptably as Supervisor for three years, and also filled other offices, al- ways striving to do his full duty as he under- stood it.

NEWLIN, Cyrus (deceased), who for many years was associated with the agricultural in- terests of Hutsonville Township, Crawford County, was born in that Township, June 3, 1825, a son of James and Elizabeth ( Simons) Newlin, both born in Orange County, N. C., the former on December 4, 1781. James Newlin was a son of John Newlin, also a native of North Carolina. James Newlin came to Crawford County, Ill., in 1818, and entered 480 acres of land in Hut- sonville Township, where his son Cyrus later lived, and there he died in 1852, his wife having died there in 1850. They became the parents of ten children, of whom eight lived to maturity and Cyrus Newlin was the youngest. His boy- hood was spent on the farm, and he attended the subscription school. When he was twenty-one years old he married, but remained with his parents until 1850, when he made the trip to California. In a year he returned and bought 160 acres in Crawford County. In 1862 he vis- ited Chicago and Northern Illinois, and in 1872 went to Colorado, as well as other states for his health. In time Mr. Newlin became an exten- sive stockman, buying, raising and trading in local markets. Eventually he owned 400 acres of land, and was a very substantial man. In March, 1846, he married in Crawford County, Eliza Ann Hill, a native of that county, born September 12, 1825, daughter of John A. and Sarah (Barbee) Hill, the father born in 1801 and the mother in 1801. The former died in 1834, his wife surviv- ing until 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Newlin had three children.

NEWLIN, Judge Enoch Ellery, lawyer and jurist of Robinson, Ill. The highest type of char- acter is displayed by the judicial mind, and he who can carefully weigh evidence and dispense justice evenly, especially among his neighbors and friends, must possess that clear insight into

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the groundwork of humau right which sooner or later appeals strongly to the people, and to main- tain a judicial office for many years is the best evidence of worth and integrity a man can give his fellow men. Judge Newlin was born in Craw- ford County, Ill., February 22, 1858, a son of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth (Ruckel) Newlin, most highly esteemed residents of this section . of the State.

Eli Newlin, the grandfather of Judge Newlin, came from North Carolina to Crawford County, Ill., about 1814 or 1815 and settled on govern- ment land in Hutsonville Township and continued to reside in that vicinity until his death. He was the father of eight children, namely : Ma- hala, the wife of Alfred Correll; Jonathan ; Sarah, who married William Patten; Enoch ; Mary, who married William Sutherland ; Thomas, Frederick, and Kelley, all deceased, and all of whom reared families. Thomas Newlin was born in Crawford County in 1821, and iu April, 1861, enlisted in Company I, Seventy-Ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was sent to the hospital at Murfeesboro, Tenn., where he died of disease in April, 1862. His brother Kelley, aud his nephews, Cyrus Patten and Luther Newlin, en- listed in the same regiment, and all died in the army. Previous to his enlistment he had been engaged in farming in Licking Township, Craw- ford County, where his widow, left with six chil- dren, the oldest of whom was twelve years of age, struggled along on a small pension, and although the family was in very straitened cir- cumstances, managed to keep her family together and give her children a good education.

After completing a common school education, Judge Newlin began teaching a winter school when only sixteen years of age, and thus con- tinued for eight consecutive terms, when in 1879 he took a course in the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute. A year later he began taking a course in the law office of Callahan & Jones at Robinson, and in 1882 was admitted to the bar in Springfield, Ill. Without mouey, prop- erty or clients, and with little to depend upon ex- cept his ambition to win success in his profes- sion, he opened an office in Robinson, and two years later (in 1884) was elected State's Attor- ney for Crawford County aud reelected in 1888. but declined the nomination for 1892. In 1888 he entered into partnership with Judge J. C. Olwin, under the firm name of Olwin & Newlin, which lasted until the death of Judge Olwin in 1890. The following year another partnership was formed with Judge W. C. Jones, under style of Jones & Newlin, and this was continued until the election of Judge Newlin to the Circuit Court for the Second Judicial District, iu June, 1897. This district comprised twelve counties in the southeastern part of the State, of which Craw- ford is the most northerly. In 1903 he was elected to this office for the second term, which was a vindication of his record on the bench. Politically a Democrat, Judge Newlin has been prominent in the councils of his party, serving for eight years as Chairman of the County Cen- tral Committee, but upon his election to the Cir-

cuit Court, he retired from that oflice, believing that his duties in his new office would require all his attention.

Judge Newlin was married January 1, 1885, to Miss Clara A. Coulter, a niece of the late Judge Jacob Wilkin, of the Supreme Court of Illinois, and of this marriage three children have been born : Mary Fay, born November 17, 1885; Frank Euoch, born July 13, 1887, and Marian Ora, born May 5, 1897, all at home. In 1887 Judge Newlin joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for the past twenty years has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of his local church organization. He has been a mem- ber for many years of the Masonic fraternity. In his knowledge of the law Judge Newlin covers a wide range, and his ability both as a judge and attorney is undisputed. His ideals of the legal profession have always been high and he has lived up to them; and for many years he has been a leader in all movements for the im- provement and advancement of legal procedure in the State and county.

NEWLIN, Leroy, M. D .- The thoroughly trained physiciau and surgeon of to-day is a man widely versed in many lines, able to take charge of a difficult case at a moment's notice, and with steady hand and clear head deal with the issues of life and death. Years of study and hard training go before the man of medicine is ready to begin his practice, and even then he cannot afford to relax his efforts but must keep on studying in order that he may keep abreast of the later discoveries and profit by his own ob- servations. Dr. Leroy Newlin, who is one of the leading representatives of his profession in Robinson, Crawford County, Ill., was born in Crawford County, March S. 1860. a son of Thomas and Mary Newlin, natives of Crawford County and Columbus, Ohio, respectively, the mother having been brought from Ohio to Crawford County when she was twelve years of age. Dr. Newlin worked hard to secure hls education, first attending the district school and working on the farm; then saving a little money, went to the State Normal School at Terre Hante, Ind., and thus, studying and teaching at the same time, spent about ten years of his life before he was able to take up the study of medicine. About that time he began to read medicine with Dr. C. Barlow of Robinson, and in 1887 entered the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, from which he was graduated in the class of 1891. He first began the practice of medlelne in the vil- lage of Hardinville, where he continued for six- teen years, gaining a valnable experience. He was well known throughout all that territory not only as a skillful and conscientious physlelan and surgeon, but feeling that he needed a wider field of operation, in 1907 located in Robinson, where his brothers, Judge E. E. Newllu and Thomas J. Newlin, attorneys-at-law, were pleas- antly situated. Since coming to Robinson he has made himself felt, not only in professional circles but also in political circles, although not as an office seeker and never having accepted

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any public position except that of Pension Com- missioner. He belongs to the Crawford County Medical Society, the Illinois State Medical Asso- ciation and the American Medical Association, as well as the Æsculapian and Medical Society of the Wabash Valley. Fraternally he is a Mason and Modern Woodman.

Dr. Newlin was married on March 26, 1893, to Miss Louie O. Vance, born in Crawford County, a daughter of Mahlon and Margaret Vance. Mrs. Newlin attended the public school, graduating at the Central Normal School at Danville, Ind. She taught school for a number of years and is a highly cultured lady. In religious affiliations both are members of the Christian Church, Dr. Newlin having been a member for twenty years, and his wife for five years. They have children as follows: Mary, born September 8, 1895; Harold, born October 15, 1896, and John E., born March 10, 1898. Dr. Newlin occupies a beautiful home, and also owns a fine farm of 70 acres, one-half mile north of the village of Hard- inville, upon which are twelve producing oil wells.

NEWLIN, Martin. - Residing in a beautiful home in West York, Crawford County, III., sur- rounded with the comforts earned by years of hard work, Martin Newlin is justly recognized as one of the prosperous citizens of this lo- cality. He was born in Crawford County, near West York, February 16, 1835, a son of Andrew Newlin, who was a native of Randolph County, N. C., born in 1810. Andrew Newlin came to Crawford County in 1818, and when he reached manhood bought Mexican War military warrants, thus acquiring 320 acres of land for less than a dollar an acre. He cultivated his land and gained a large and very valuable property upon which he resided until his death in 1877. His wife's maiden name was Rachel Halliday, her parents being Robert E. and Margaret (Willard) Halliday, also natives of North Carolina.

Until he was twenty-eight years of age, Martin Newlin lived on his father's farm. meantime se- curing what education could be obtained in the subscription schools. For thirty-eight years he lived and worked upon his own farm, near An- napolis, Crawford County, Ill., and during his residence in Prairie Township served as school di- rector for a number of years, in politics always being a firm Democrat. His habits and inclina- tions were domestic and he never has allied him- self with any church or society.

In March, 1863, Mr. Newlin married Miss Emma J. Hill, daughter of John and Lizare Hill, at the home farm, four iniles west of Hutson- ville, and the following children were born to them : Alice Victoria. born December 6, 1863, married M. C. Stanfield, a saddler and harness dealer at Annapolis. and they have two children, a girl and a boy; William Henry Robert, born August 24, 1865, deceased; John Andrew, born August 19. 1869, unmarried, lives in Winfield, Kas .; Nellie Jane, born June 4, 1878, married Ray Hill, son of Alva Hill, and they live at Annapolis where Mr. Hill is a farmer and stock- raiser. On March 26, 1895, Mr. Newlin married

as his second wife Miss Angeline Piety, daughter of J. D. E. and Eliza Piety, near Darwin, Clark County, Ill. Mrs. Newlin was born in Vigo County, Ind., August 1, 1853, and she spent her childhood on the home farm, later being engaged in teaching for ten years in Clark County. She has been a member of the Church of Christ for many years, in which she is an active worker. The family have a beautiful home in West York, and their lawn is delightful with its great forest trees and graceful flowers, the special care of Mrs. Newlin.

It is impossible to do justice to a family like the Newlins in so small a space, for their own history would fill a volume. Even in a restricted territory there are many, among whom may be mentioned the families of Judge E. E., Thomas J. and Dr. Leroy Newlin, living in Robinson ; sev- eral others living in West York; the two broth- ers of the name who are bankers in Hutsonville, as well as many others who are bearers of the family name of Newlin in Crawford and neigh- boring counties.

NEWLIN, Sargent (deceased), was born in Crawford County, Ill., February 5, 1823, a son of John Newlin who was a North Carolinian, and in 1815, with his family and the Hill family emigrated to Indiana, and in 1818 came to Craw- ford County, Ill., entering 200 acres of land on Section 28, Hutsonville Township. To this he later added 120 acres, and becoming one of the earliest settlers of the county. His wife bore the maiden name of Jane Hill, and she was born in North Carolina and died in Crawford County, having borne her husband eight children. Sar- gent Newlin lived on the farm and attended sub- scription schools, and when he was twenty-one he married and began farming on 20 acres given him by his father. To this he added until at one time he owned 317 acres. December 22, 1842, he married Jane Lackey, born in Bourbon County. Ky., in 1826. Mr. and Mrs. Newlin be- came the parents of three children: Anna M .. John T. and Rose E. Politically he was a Demo- crat, and served in the capacity of Supervisor.

NEWLIN, Thomas J .- The legal profession offers many opportunities to those who have em- braced it, and pitfalls as well; for, unless the attorney keeps his ideals high and his conception of the duties of a lawyer untarnished, there is danger for him. Thomas J. Newlin, one of the practicing attorneys of Crawford County, Ill., residing at Robinson, was born near Bellair, Crawford County, Ill., April 2, 1853, a son of Thomas and Mary E. (Ruckle) Newlin. By a previous marriage, Thomas Newlin, Sr., had two children : Martha, now Mrs. John Watt, of Hunt City, III., and J. M. Newlin, of Willow Hill, Ill. The children of the second marriage were George A., now deceased ; Judge E. E. New- lin ; Dr. Leroy Newlin, of Robinson ; and Thomas J. Newlin, the subject of this sketch. The father died when the son. Thomas J., was five days old, leaving the latter to the care of his widowed mother, and he received his primary educational

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training in the district schools, while assisting in the support of the family by working on the farm, later taking courses in the Merom (Ind.) College and the Normal College at Danville, and subsequently teaching for seven years in the Crawford County public schools. The mother married as her second husband Thomas Lewis, and by this marriage there were three children : Nettie and Mandaline, both of whom died in in- fancy, and Delia Smith, who is a teacher, being at the present time at the head of the Primary Department of the graded schools of Oblong, Ill.

In 1889 Thomas J. Newlin began the study of law in the office of his brother, Judge E. E. New- lin, and was admitted to the bar in August of 1891, and in November of the following year was elected Circuit Clerk of Crawford County, serving four years, but declined a second nomina- tion because he wanted to begin practice of the law. In 1897 he became a member of the firm of Jones, Eagleton & Newlin, and remained in this partnership until April 1, 1900, when he retired from that firm and formed an association with Valmore Parker, being still a member of the firm of Parker & Newlin. They are conveniently located in a suite in the Woodworth Block on the west side of the Public Square in Robinson, Ill. When the oil business began to attract attention in Crawford County, Mr. Newlin having great faith in the future oil industry. took an active interest in it, and invested in lands that have become the best oil-bearing property in the county, from which he derives handsome divi- dends. Mr. Newlin owns the home which he oc- cupies in Robinson, and some farming land in the county.

In 1892 Mr. Newlin married Miss Sarah F. Kirts, of Oblong, Ill., and they have two chil- dren, Floy, aged fifteen, and Ralph, aged thirteen. Fraternally, Mr. Newlin is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen and Ma- sonic orders. Politically he is a Democrat. His religious belief makes him a Methodist, and he is a liberal contributor to the church of his faith. Mr. Newlin is one of the most progressive young men of his locality, and is always foremost in supporting all movements tending towards the betterment of the community. generally.

NICKLE, Albert W .- The career of Albert W. Nickle of Robinson, suggests many interesting considerations for the student of character. His intelligent energy attracted, his superior ability won distinction, and his marvelous success has been won by his own efforts. Mr. Nickle was born In Venango County, Pa., at what is called Old Bullion Furnace, April 30, 1851. His father, James Nickle, was of English stock, and during the gold excitement in California, he left home to try his luck in mining after which no trace was found of him. He had formerly been mana- ger for several large blast furnaces. The mother was of New England stock, but born in the Gen- esee Valley, N. Y.

Born in moderate circumstances, Mr. Nickle furnishes a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through true grit. At eight years

of age he was earning his own living; at nine. was receiving four and a half dollars per month and board as laborer on farm in Mercer County, Pa. ; at ten his work was driving the horses which moved the drill then used in boring oil wells, at Mecca, ten miles north of Warren, Ohio. A year later, he was driving three horses on the Erie Canal from Erie to Beaver, and he was then barely eleven. Continuing this work for a season, which lasted from April to November, he earned $36 each month which was really a re- markable amount for a lad of his years to earn. Out of what he then earned he spent only $7.50, and this was for clothes, for his food and lodg- ing, such as it was, was included in his wages.

In 1865 Mr. Nickle had reached Oil Creek, and tells many interesting facts relative to the early discoveries of oil in this locality. Oil was first found by the Indians, who gathered it as it came to the surface, and called it Seneca Oil, Indian Oil and Rock Oil, and claimed varlous medicinal properties for it. He well remembers the excitement attending the drilling of the first oil well in the Oil Creek District. The discoverer of the well, Colonel E. L. Drake, had become dis- couraged and went to Franklin, Pa., hoping to obtain financial assistance, for he had no ap- pliance other than the old fashioned pole drill. The driller, William Smith, continued his opera- tion and at a deptli of 691% feet struck oil, and sent word to his employer that he had a twenty- barrel well, which was considered a large one for those days. and the date of the discovery, August 27, 1859, was marked with a red letter. Of course, many other wells were drilled, and Oil Creek became densely populated by eager oil seekers. Tlie great difficulty to be overcome was the cost of transportation, it costing from 50 cents to five dollars per barrel to get It to tlie river, and varying sums from there to Pittsburg, where the only refinery In that region was lo- cated. Mr. Nickle became interested in Oil Creek, and through hard work, industry and thrift, gained a foothold in life. In February, 1906. he came to Robinson, where he has flour- ished until, to-day, his name Is associated with many of the largest concerns of the city, among which may be mentioned, The Riddle Oil Com- pany, of which he is general manager, director and treasurer, and the Baty-Nickle Oil Company of Marion, Ind., in which he is largely Interested, and of which he is a director.

On December 25, 1874, at West Monterey, Arm- strong County, Pa., Mr. Nickle marrled MIss Lo- retta Munn, daughter of Leaverton Munu, a prominent business man and lumber merchant In West Monterey. He and Mr. Nickle were In partnership in several undertakings for a num- ber of years. Although eighty-five, he Is In ex- cellent health and has recently made a trip to visit his daughter, Mrs. Nickle, utterly disre- garding the fatigue of so long a journey. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Nickle : Clyde L., Edward Earl, and Alta L. Clyde was born January 18, 1875, Is married and has three children. He is Vice-President of the Baty- Nickle Oil Company of Marion. Ind. Edward

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Earl was born February 2, 1877, and is also in the oil business, being a well driller and meeting with excellent success. Unmarried, his home is in Robinson with his parents, Alta L. was born March 18, 1879, and was carefully educated at Warren, Pa .; Walnut Lane, Philadelphia, a fin- ishing school for young ladies, and Bucknell Col- lege for music and painting near Philadelphia. She is married to V. W. Davis, an attorney, and has two children, her home being in Robinson.

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Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical, Part 159

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