USA > Illinois > Christian County > Past and present of Christian County, Illinois > Part 23
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a member of the Baptist church and served as one of its deacons. He took a most active part in its work, contributed generously to its support and gave of his time for the advancement of the cause. The church was very dear to his heart and his Christian principles permeated all that he did. shaping his every relation with his fellow men. He did not regard religion as merely attendance . upon church services but as a guide for every-day life and he closely followed the golden rule. He won success in business, but he gained it so honorably that the most envious could not grudge it to him. He also used it worthily and many a needy one has profited by his benevolent spirit and kindly sympathy. In speaking of his de- mise one of the papers of Taylorville said : "The passing of Mr. Chamberlain removes a prominent figure from the business, church and social life of Taylorville. He had been identified with Taylorville and its best in- terests so long that his departure will be keenly regretted and his place difficult to fill. Since coming here more than thirty years ago he had been a leading factor in nearly every movement that tended toward the im- provement of the town, both commercially and morally. Of excellent judgment, en- terprising, conscientious and charitable-he proved himself a valuable citizen and earned the right to be esteemed and respected by every one."
ROBERT JOHNS.
Few men are more prominent or more widely known in the enterprising city of Pana than Robert Johns. He has been an important factor in business circles and his success in all his undertakings has been so marked that his methods are of interest to the commercial world. He is energetic. prompt and notably reliable, and tireless
energy, keen perception, honesty of purpose, a genius for devising and executing the right thing at the right time joined to every-day common sense are the chief characteristics of the man. His success in business from the beginning of his residence in Pana has been uniform and rapid and he has perse- vered in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and gained a most satisfactory reward, being now numbered among the capitalists of Christian county.
Mr. Johns was born January 4, 1850, near Greencastle, Indiana, a son of Stephen M. and Sarah (Parks) Johns. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, while his mother's birth occurred in Ohio. They were married near Oxford, Ohio, and the father engaged in the operation of a flour and saw mill in that state for a time. He afterward turned his attention to farming and stock-raising and in the year 1869 he came to Illinois, settling in Pana township, Christian county. He was, however, not long permitted to enjoy his new home for his death occurred in 1870. In the family were eight sons and two daughters and all are yet living with the exception of one son, whose health was un- dermined by the arduous experiences of a soldier of the Civil war.
Robert Johns obtained his early education in Indiana and in the year 1866 came to Litchfield, Illinois, being at that time a youth of sixteen years. He was a resident of In- diana at the time of Morgan's raid through that state. In the fall of 1866 he resumed his education, begun in the public schools of his native county, in the old Lawrence build- ing in Pana, and in 1870-71 he was a stu- dent in the State University at Champaign. He afterward attended night school in No- komis, and thus gained a broad and practical education well fitting him to cope with the responsible and intricate duties of a business
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career. During a part of his school life he was connected with the lumber business and in 1870 he and his brother became pro- prietors of a lumber yard in Nokomis, which they conducted successfully until 1879, when they sold out to the Paddock Lumber Com- pany. In 1876 their yard was destroyed by fire, causing a loss of about twenty thousand dollars. This disaster left them with an in- debtedness of seventeen thousand dollars, but with renewed energy and strong purpose they set to work to retrieve their lost posses- sions and in course of time had their busi- nes again upon a good financial basis. After selling the lumber yard in Nokomis Mr. Johns and his brother, S. P. Johns, became proprietors of a similar enterprise in Pana and were engaged in its management until 1881, when our subject purchased the inter- est of his brother, who then removed to Sedalia, Missouri, where he is now engaged in the conduct of lumber business in connec- tion with his sons.
Robert Johns continued in the trade at Pana and was also in the management of his yard until 1896, when he sold out to the Phelps Lumber Company. In connection with the trade he had the largest stock of lumber and building materials in central Illi- nois and his annual sales reached an ex- tensive figure. Previous to this time he had become extensively interested in the electric light plant of Pana and eventually purchased the controlling interest. On his retirement from the lumber business he took charge of the electric light plant, of which he is now the owner. This is one of the best equipped plants in central Illinois and has a capacity of eight thousand lights. As the years have advanced and his financial resources have increased Mr. Johns has also made large in- vestments in real estate and his holdings to-day are greater than those of any other
individual in Pana. He owns a number of business houses and dwellings in the city and has contributed in marked degree to the ma- terial improvement of the city. When he came to Pana there were only two brick buildings in the town and he hauled a part of the lumber used in the construction of the East schoolhouse. He has been the di- rect cause of building more residences than any other one man in Pana and he certainly deserves great credit for what he has done for the city in this direction. He built the first telephone line in this part of the country extending between Pana and his sawmill. He is a man of resolute purpose and unfal- tering determination and carries forward to successful completion whatever he under- takes. The word fail has no place in his vocabulary and through his unfaltering per- severance and industry he never fails to win the success which is always the goal of his efforts.
In 1880 Mr. Johns was united in mar- riage to Miss Nora Ekridge, a daughter of Mrs. Mary S. Ekridge, of Pana. Fifteen months later a son was born unto them and both mother and child died. In 1890 Mr. Johns was again married, his second union being with Miss Augusta Flemming, a daughter of J. B. and Mary Flemming, of Pana. They have two daughters: Ruth and Helen, aged twelve and four years re- spectively.
Mr. Johns is a Mason in his social affilia- tions and belongs to the Knight Templar commandery at Mattoon, Illinois. He also holds membership with the Knights of Pythias at Pana and his wife is connected with the auxiliary organization. In politics he is a stalwart Republican and has served both as city treasurer and as mayor of Pana.
In matters pertaining to the general welfare he is always progressive and his efforts have
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been of marked value in promoting the wel- fare of his city along political as well as material lines. He find his chief source of recreation in fishing and hunting, taking great interest in both. Mr. Johns started out in life for himself when about thirteen years of age, working for twelve dollars per month. By the time he had attained his ma- jority he had saved his money, but this he gave to his father and again started out in life empty handed. As has been truly re- marked after all that may be done for a man in the way of giving him early opportunities for obtaining the requirements which are sought in the schools and in books or the advantages of wealth, he must essentially formulate, determine and give shape to his own character, and this is what Mr. Johns has done. He possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution and his close application to business and his excel- lent management have brought to him the high degree of prosperity which is to-day his.
WILLIAM W. ANDERSON.
William W. Anderson figured so con- spicuously and honorably in connection with the public interests, business activity and substantial development of Christian county for many years that no history of this locality would be complete without the record of his career. To say of him that he arose from comparative obscurity to rank among the most successful men of this por- tion of the state is a statement that seems trite to those familiar with his life, yet it is but just to say in a history that will de- scend to future generations that his busi- ness record was one that any man might be proud to possess. Beginning at the bot-
tom round of the ladder he steadily ad- vanced step by step until he occupied a posi- tion of trust and prominence reached by few. Throughout his entire business career he was looked upon as a model of integrity and honor, never making an engagement that he did not fulfill, and standing as an example of what determination, combined with the highest degree of business integ- rity, can accomplish for a man of natural ability and strength of character. He was respected by the community at large and honored by his business associates.
A native of Henderson county, Kentucky, William W. Anderson was born October 27, 1825, and died in Taylorville, on the IIth of December, 1893. The Anderson family is of Scotch-Irish extraction and al- though the early history of the family in America is not definitely known, it is thought that the first representatives in Am- erica settled in Virginia. Both the paternal, and the maternal grandfathers of our sub- ject were patriots of the Revolutionary war and valiantly fought for the independence of the colonies, while George H. Anderson, the father of our subject, served under General Jackson in the war of 1812 and was present at the engagement at New Orleans. Not long after his return from the army he was married in Tennessee to Miss Nancy Mann, and soon they removed to Henderson coun- ty. Kentucky, where they made their home for ten years. In 1830 they became resi- dents of Illinois, settling on a farm in Mont- gomery county. The father developed his land, made a comfortable home for his fan- ily and took an active part in shaping the pioneer development of that section of the state. He was honored with a number of local offices, for which his ability well fitted him and throughout the community was known as a valued citizen. He died at the
LIKKARY OF THE " it MAIS.
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age of sixty-one years, and his wife sur- vived him about twelve years.
William W. Anderson, the sixth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, spent his boyhood days on the home farm and early became familiar with all the duties and labors incident to the development and cultivation of a new farm in a pioneer dis- trict. His educational privileges were lim- ited but he spent some time as a student in one of the log schoolhouses of Montgomery county. At the age of seventeen years he started out upon an independent business career, entering the employ of Judge Hiram Rountree, of Hillsboro, with whom he re- mained for eight years, first working on the farm, then in the store and afterward assisting in the office of the circuit clerk of Montgomery county.
While working for the Judge, Mr. An- derson also wooed and won the daughter of the household-Miss Nan B. Rountree, the marriage being celebrated in August, 1850. Removing to Christian county the following year, Mr. Anderson began farming about four miles east of Taylorville but did not find this occupation as congenial as mer- cantile life had been, and after three years devoted to agricultural pursuits he aban- coned the plow and went to Taylorville, where he soon secured a position as a sales- man in the dry-goods store of Shumway & Cheney. On the death of the junior part- ner, in January, 1854, he was succeeded by Albert Satley, who later sold his interest in the store to Mr. Anderson and thus was formed the firm of Shumway & Anderson, a connection that was maintained for two years, when Mr. Anderson became sole pro- prietor. His adaptability to the needs of the business was soon manifest and a constantly growing trade demanded his care and at- tention. His was a general store in which
he carried all lines of goods demanded by a city and country trade, from farm imple- ments to the finest household furnishings. Not only in times of general prosperity but also in the eras of wide-spread financial panic, did Mr. Anderson conduct a profitable business, a fact which demonstrated his keen foresight, capable management, marked enterprise and indefatigable industry. He made for himself a most enviable reputation among the wholesale houses to which he gave his patronage and in Taylorville and throughout the surrounding country was known for his strictly fair and honorable methods in dealing with his patrons. After fifteen years he sold an interest in his busi- ness in order to devote a part of his time and attention to other lines. He was a man of resourceful ability, quick to recog- nize and improve an opportunity, and his judgment was rarely, if ever, at fault in an estimate of business opening or trade trans- action.
It was in 1871 that he established the banking house of W. W. Anderson & Com- pany, his partner in the enterprise being D. D. Shumway: For twelve years this asso- ciation was pleasantly continued and then Mr. Shumway retired and was succeeded by Hiram R. Anderson. He was a young man of brilliant mind, a close student and a general favorite with the patrons of the bank, but death claimed him after a short time. Mr. Anderson continued at the head of the institution and associated with him his son, Fred W. Anderson. The safe con- servative policy which he inaugurated has always been followed. He soon placed the bank upon a substantial foundation and it has long ranked as one of the most reliable financial institutions of this part of the state. In banking circles, as in all other relations of life, Mr. Anderson sustained
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an unassailable reputation because of his business capacity and unswerving probity. Intricate business propositions he seemed to comprehend at a glance and he mastered everything he undertook, carrying forward to successful completion every business in- terest which engaged his attention. He made judicious investments in property from time to time until he became the possessor of valuable interests.
Only four years after his marriage Mr. Anderson was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife. He did not marry again until 1860, when he wedded Mrs. Martha L. Wright, the widow of Dr. Wright of Carlinville. They travelled life's journey happily together for about a quarter of a century, and then Mrs. Anderson was called to her final rest, August 2, 1884, at the age of fifty-four years. She was a woman of estimable character and proved a valuable companion and helpmate on life's journey. About nine years passed and then, on the IIth of December, 1893, he, too, was called from this life.
For many years he was very prominent in public affairs, aside from his business in- terests. He served for two years as the president of the board of supervisors. He had firm belief in the future of Taylorville, not only as the county seat and because of its extensive country trade, but as a coal producing point, and one seemingly des- tined to become an important manufacturing center. He invested largely in business property and was the owner of one half of the frontage on the south side of the square. He always advocated the advantages of rail- road facilities and was one of the promoters and at one time one of the directors of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, now the Balti- more & Ohio, which passes through this county, forming direct connection with the
cast. Every measure for the advancement of Taylorville along material, social and in- tellectual lines received his endorsement and encouragement, and to him in no little degree is due the present advantages which the city enjoys in its excellent system of electric lights, its waterworks and its ample hotel accommodation. His means, advice and en- ergy were often called upon and freely given when the extensive coal fields were being developed and thus a permanent basis of growth and prosperity was assured the city. Prospering to an unusual degree he be- came blessed with ample means, which he liberally devoted to progressive uses. A member and trustee of the Methodist Epis- copal church, he was a ready supporter of church interests. A Royal Arch Mason, he was held in high esteem by his brethren of the craft. Politically he was a life-long supporter of the Democratic party, but pre- ferred the activities of business life to those of the political stage. The strong traits of his character were such as endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. He was the soul of honor and integrity in busi- ness life, was a man of broad humanitarian principles, and the deserving poor always found in him a friend. He gave generously for the public good, was faithful in friend- ship, devoted to his family and stood as a high type of our chivalrous American man- hood.
FRED F. WEISER.
Fred F. Weiser, who for eighteen years has been connected with the grain trade in Stonington, is a well known, enterprising and progressive business man, and. starting out in life for himself at the age of thirteen years, he has since been dependent upon his own resources, gaining all that he now pos-
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sesses through his own energy and business ability.
Mr. Weiser was born in Cass county, Illi- nois, in 1855, a son of Philip and Margaret Weiser, both of whom were natives of Ger- many. After their emigration to the United States the father engaged in farming in Cass county, Illinois, and in 1870 he removed to Christian county, where he engaged in the manufacture of tile and also conducted a general mercantile establishment in Stoning- ton. For ten years he followed those pur- suits and on the expiration of that period lie devoted his attention to the grain trade, buy- ing and selling grain for twelve years. His death occurred in 1902, and his wife passed away in 1901.
Fred F. Weiser obtained his early educa- tion in the public schools of Taylorville and later continued his studies in the business college at Springfield, Illinois, where he was trained for the responsible and practical du- ties that come as one enters business life. He began to earn his own living when but thirteen years of age as a clerk in a clothing store in Taylorville, where he remained for ten years, when he came to Stonington and joined his father in business as a merchant and tile manufacturer. During the last ten years he has been engaged in the grain busi- ness and has handled a large share of the grain raised in this locality. In 1902, upon his father's death, he sold the business but remained as its manager, in the service of the McNelly Grain Company.
In 1881 Mr. Weiser was united in mar- riage to Miss Louise Kreeger, a native of Sangamon county, Illinois, and unto them have been born three children : Pearl, Lu- cile and Fred F., all of whom are under the parental roof. Mr. Weiser owns his own home in Stonington and it is celebrated for its charming and cordial hospitality. He
and his wife are members of the German Reformed church. Called to public office he has been found most trustworthy in all positions of a public character. He was town collector for four years, was supervisor for fourteen years and in 1900 was the can- didate of the Democratic party for the posi- tion of circuit clerk. Having spent almost his entire life in Christian county, he has a wide acquaintance within its borders and the strength of his character, his honorable conduct and his fidelity to manly principles have made him one of the representative and valued citizens.
A. M. SMITH.
A. M. Smith, who is engaged in general farming on section 14, South Fork town- ship, was born in the city of Washington in 1836, his parents being Messer and Cather- ine Smith. Both were natives of Germany, whence they emigrated to America at an early day. The father was the second Ger- man to settle in South Fork township. He bought school land there and began its culti- vation and continued to engage in farming until eight years prior to his death. He then retired from active business life and his re- maining days were spent in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest.
A. M. Smithi was reared on his father's farm and early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He also assisted in the ardu- ous task of developing a new farm and throughout his life he has followed the pur- suit to which he was reared. He started out in life on his own account when twenty-five years of age, receiving forty acres of land from his father and the cultivation and care which he bestowed upon this soon made it a valuable tract. As his financial resources
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increased he added to it from time to time until he is now one of the extensive land- owners of the county, his realty possessions aggregating five hundred and eighty-two and a half acres. He also has seven lots in Taylorville. All of the improvements on his home farm were made by him, these includ- ing substantial buildings and well-kept fences. He uses modern machinery in cul- tivating his land and harvesting his crops and everything about his place is indicative of his careful supervision and energy. He has given the greater part of his attention to the feeding of stock.
Mr. Smith married a Miss Adams, a na- tive of South Fork township, and unto them have been born two children, but only one is now living: Lizzie, the wife of William Taylor. After losing his first wife Mr. Smith was again married, his second union being with Miss Julia Rogers. This wedding occurred in 1901. Mrs. Smith is a member of the Methodist church and a most estimable lady, esteemed by many friends because of her sterling traits of character. Mr. Smith gives his political support to the Democracy. He served his township as supervisor for one term and was also road commissioner. As one of the early settlers of the county he is familiar with its history from the pioneer epoch down to the present day of advancement and progress. Ile has always been very fond of hunting and in pioneer times he had ample oppor- tunity to indulge his love of the sport be- cause there were great quantities of wild game in Illinois. He has seen as many as twenty-five deer in a single herd. His life has been characterized by unflagging energy and diligence and has therefore been crowned with a gratifying measure of suc- cess. In early manhood he ran a breaking team for three years and for four years he
operated a threshing machine. He has, however, made the greater part of his money from the sale of stock and in this way has gained a very desirable competence.
HOWARD M. POWEL.
While "the race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong," the invariable law of destiny accords to tireless energy, in- (lustry and ability a successful career. The truth of this assertion is abundantly verified in the life of Howard M. Powel, of Taylor- ville, who has been identified with a number of business enterprises here and elsewhere.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, on the 22d of July, 1839, and comes of good old Quaker stock, his parents, Rich- ard and Sarah Powel, being members of the Society of Friends. They were reared in Philadelphia and continued to make their home in that city for many years. The father was born in ISor and in early life learned the cabinet-maker's trade, his ap- prentice papers, issued in 1816, being now in possession of our subject. From Philadel- phia he removed to Parkersburg, West Vir- ginia, in 1840, and in 1851 came to Illinois. After living for a time in Springfield, he re- moved to Taylorville in 1853, where he fol- lowed his trade of cabinet-making and also conducted a furniture store for several years. After a useful and well-spent life he passed away in September, 1875. honored and respected by all who knew him.
Howard M. Powel was principally edu- cated at Springfield, Illinois, and at the age of sixteen years started out in life for him- self. The following year he commenced teaching school and successfully followed that pursuit for six or seven years. Form- ing a partnership with W. W. Watkins, he next engaged in merchandising in Taylor-
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ville until 1865 when he sold his interest in the store and removed to Lincoln, Illinois, where the following five years were passed. On his return to Taylorville in 1870, he en- gaged in contracting and building for a few years and in 1874 opened a lumber yard, which he carried on until 1881, when he dis- posed of the same. He was next engaged in the hardware business from 1885 until 1889, but at present gives his attention prin- cipally to the oil industry, being interested in the Inter-State Oil & Gas Company, which has over ten thousand acres of valuable leases in Chautauqua county, Kansas. They own two hundred and sixteen acres in fee simple and have over seventy wells, the pro- duction from which is eight hundred and eighty barrels of oil per day. Mr. Powel is president and treasurer of this company and gives much of his time to the enterprise, the success of which is due almost entirely to his well directed efforts and sound business judgment. He owns considerable property, including a plumbing shop and some houses in Taylorville, and also has a valuable farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Tay- lorville township.
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