USA > Illinois > Christian County > Past and present of Christian County, Illinois > Part 29
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His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and he has taken a very active interest in campaign work, do- ing everything in his power to promote the interests of the Democracy. Frequently
he has been selected to fill positions of pub- lic trust. He spent three years in Washing- ton as supervising examiner of the pension bureau from the Hudson district, and in that office had about one hundred special exam- iners under his charge. In June, 1892, he served as a delegate to the national Demo- cratic convention in Chicago and strongly advocated the nomination of Grover Cleve- land. In 1889 he was elected mayor of Taylorville, serving for a term of two years. His administration proved to be a prosper- ous era in the history of the city. During his term the electric light system was established and many other works of public improve- ment were put in operation. Mr. Ricks started the petition for the establishment of waterworks. While reading law in the of- fice of Mr. Jones he drew plans, which changed the old town to a village and after one year drew up a petition to make Tay- lorville a city, which was done. When a candidate for mayor he plainly stated that he would not accept the office unless the waterworks system was strengthened during his term, and this commendable work was accomplished. The water supply was doubled. The original plant worth twenty thousand dollars was supplemented by one worth fifty thousand dollars, and a number of miles of mains were laid. Along other lines of progress and improvement his in- fluence and co-operation were felt and he fully exercised his official prerogatives in support of the material upbuilding and sub- stantial development of his city. On the 12th of April, 1901, he was nominated at the Litchfield convention for the office of justice of the supreme court of the second judicial district of Illinois to fill the unex- pired term of Jesse J. Philipps, deceased, and was elected on the 21st of May. 1901, receiving a majority of eighty-three hundred
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and forty-six. Already he has proven him- self to be the peer of the ablest members of the court of last resort. His decisions indi- cate strong mentality, careful analysis, a thorough knowledge of law and an unbiased judgment. The judge on the bench fails more frequently, perhaps, from a deficiency in that broad-mindedness which not only comprehends the details of a situation quick- ly 'and that insures a complete self-control under even the most exasperating conditions than from any other cause; and the judge, who makes a success in the discharge of his multitudinous delicate duties is a man of well-rounded character, finely-balanced mind and of splendid intellectual attainments. That Judge Ricks is regarded as such a jurist is a uniformly accepted fact.
EDWARD C. WATSON.
Edward C. Watson, who was formerly identified with educational interests in Illi- nois and is now efficiently serving as post- master of Assumption, was born in Academy, Ontario county, New York, June 8, 1862, and is descended from English ancestry, his paternal grandparents, Francis and Joseph- ine ( Price) Watson, being natives of York- shire, England. The former was born in 1795 and was provided with most liberal educational advantages, being a graduate of Oxford University. In 1822 he crossed the Atlantic, locating in Luzerne county, Penn- sylvania. He was an excellent Greek, He- brew and Latin scholar and at one time was identified with some work in connec- tion with the translation of the Bible in New York city. By profession, however, he was a civil engineer and surveyor. His death occurred in New York in 1867.
Theodore T. Watson, the father of our
subject, was born in Pittston, Luzerne coun- ty, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1835, and died August 14, 1885. He was a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit in New York and Illinois. In the former state he married Ann Eliza Cahoon, whose birth oc- curred in New York, April 13, 1837, a daughter of Hiram and Adeline ( Henry) Cahoon, both of whom were natives of west- ern New York. With his family Theodore T. Watson removed to Illinois in January, 1867, settling in Fidelity. Jersey county, and there he engaged in farming. In Septem- ber, 1868, he removed to Christian county and after living for a short time in Assump- tion removed to a farm near Radford, where he carried on agricultural pursuits until 1883. He then retired to Assumption where he made his home until his death, two years later. His widow is still living in Assump- tion in her sixty-sixth year. Their children were six in number. The eldest, Mrs. Ada Prall, died in Parsons, Kansas, in 1892, leav- ing two sons, Roy and Newton. Josephine, named for her paternal grandmother, is the wife of Frank Snell, of Moweaqua, Illinois. Edward C. is the third. Lyda died at the age of ten years and two died in infancy.
Edward C., Watson began his education in the district schools and spent one year as a student in Assumption and two years in the State Normal School at Valparaiso. His own education being completed, he then en- gaged in teaching with success for several years, first having charge of a district school in Cherokee county, Iowa, and the second year of the school in his old home district in Christian county, where he had previously been a pupil. The next three years were spent in the Assumption school, being prin- cipal of the same the last year. He then became principal of the school of Towerhill, Shelby county, Illinois, after which he re-
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turned to Assumption and accepted the posi- tion of chief clerk with the Assumption Coal & Mining Company, serving in that capacity in a most commendable manner for ten con- secutive years. On the 8th of March, 1902. he was appointed postmaster of Assumption and has since had charge of the office, con- ducting its affairs in a systematic and busi- nesslike manner which gives general satis- faction to its patrons. He also served as village clerk of Assumption in 1886 and at all times has been found loyal to the trust reposed in him. For sixteen years he has been a director of the Assumption Building & Loan Association and for a time was also its treasurer.
Mr. Watson was married in Assumption, May 15, 1890, to Miss Laura Travis, a daughter of Thomas M. and Jane G. (Bar- rett) Travis, the latter a daughter of M. L. Barrett, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Christian county, settling here in 1858. Mr. Travis was a native of Pennsylvania and in 1855 removed westward, settling in Shelby county, Illinois. M. B. Travis, of Chicago, Byron Travis, of Assumption, and H. C. Travis are brothers of Mrs. Watson. Unto Mr. Watson and his wife have been born two sons : Leland and Myron.
A valued member of several fraternal or- ganizations, Mr. Watson is now actively identified with Brownwell Lodge, No. 451, A. F. & A. M., and has filled all of its of- fices, serving as its master for four terms. He also belongs to Tecumseh Lodge. No. 683, 1. O. O. F. : to the Modern Woodmen of America: the Fraternal Army of Loyal Americans; and the Mutual Protective League. In the Presbyterian church, of which he has long been an active and leading member, he is now serving as elder and is the superintendent of the Sunday-school.
D. A. GRISWOLD.
D. A. Griswold, who is now living in Blue Mound, has for many years been one of the most successful and prosperous agricul- turists of Mosquito township, owning a well improved and valuable farm under a high state of cultivation. He is a native of Illi- nois, his birth having occurred in Greene county, this state, on the 31st of October, 1855, and is a son of Edgar and Lucy ( North) Griswold, who were natives of Ver- mont and Illinois respectively. The father came to this state in 1831, and here he pros- pered in his farming operations, becoming the owner of fifteen hundred and sixty acres of land, which he drained and improved. Five hundred and sixty acres of this was in Christian county.
D. A. Griswold is the sixth in order of birth in a family of eleven children. During his boyhood he attended the common schools of Greene county and completed his educa- tion in the high school of Greenfield. He aided his father in the operation of the home farm until twenty years of age and then came to Christian county, where he culti- vated his father's land for some time. He is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of fine farming land in Mosquito town- ship, where the family resided for twenty- eight years, but they are now living in Blue Mound, where he has residence property. He also owns six hundred and forty acres of land in southeastern Missouri. Recently he has become interested in the Axle Skein Nut Lock Company, a new manufacturing con- cern of Pana. A man of keen discrimina- tion and sound judgment, he has met with excellent success in business affairs and is accounted one of the most substantial citi- zens of his community.
Mr. Griswold was married on the 11th of July, 1875, to Miss Etna Baldwin, who was
D. A. GRISWOLD AND FAMILY
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
born in 1856, a daughter of Francis and Agnes ( Bowman) Baldwin. Her father was a native of Ohio and was one of the carly settlers of Greene county, Illinois, but her mother was born in Tazewell county, this state. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Griswold have been born five children, as follows : Lewis E., born in Greene county, has been employed as a government surveyor in Louisiana and South Carolina, where he is now located. Lucy Agnes, born in Chris- tian county, is the wife of Scott Davidson, a farmer of this county. Marcus A., also born in Christian county, died at the age of twelve years. Harry E., born in Christian county, is at home. Charles L., also born here, died at the age of two years. The family are members of the Christian church and are people of prominence in the com- munity where they reside. By his ballot Mr. Griswold supports the men and meas- ures of the Republican party, and for several terms he has efficiently served as school di- rector.
JULIUS SCKOWSKA.
Julius Sckowska, who is a representative agriculturist of Christian county, was born in Prussia in 1852, a son of John and Eve Sckowska, both of whom were natives of the same country. The son obtained his educa- tion in the schools of his native land and also in the common schools of America, having come to the United States in 1867 when a youth of fifteen years. He first lo- cated in Springfield, Illinois, and there be- gan earning his living by working in a brick yard. Subsequently he was employed as a stone-mason for two years, but desirous of entering upon an independent venture he rented a farm in Sangamon county, which he operated for three years, when he removed
to Christian county. He lived upon one rented farm here for three years and then rented three hundred and twenty acres near Blue Mound in Macon county, where he carried on agricultural pursuits for twenty years. . On the expiration of that period he bought two hundred and sixty acres of land in Stonington township. The splendid ap- pearance of his place is due entirely to his enterprising efforts for he has made all of the improvements upon it. He now has a very valuable farm, the soil being rich and productive so that he annually harvests good crops. The buildings are substantial and commodious and everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appearance, being in keeping with the modern progressive spirit. Mr. Sckowska also has an interest in manu- facturing business in Pana, Illinois. His career has been characterized by success ow- ing to earnest and persistent labor and now he is numbered among the substantial resi- dents of his adopted county.
In March, 1873, Mr. Sckowska was united in marriage to Miss Ellveria Kreegar, also a native of Prussia, and their union has been blessed with four children: John, who mar- ried Clara Clemons and is living in Decatur ; . Bertha, Fred and Henry, all at home. The family are all identified with the Lutheran church and in the community where they reside they are respected because of their sterling worth. At one time Mr. Sckowska was a member of the drainage board. In starting out in life he had to borrow money with which to come to the United States and to-day he is one of the leading and substantial men of the county, his life history showing what can be accomplished by perseverance in the land of the free, where opportunity is not hampered by caste or class. There is no more loyal citizen of Christian county than this adopted son, who is deeply inter-
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ested in everything pertaining to general im- provement and is most faithful in all public duties.
ALLEN B. SMITH.
Among the leading young business men of Christian county should be numbered Al- len B. Smith, who has been identified with the grain trade for several years and to-day owns and operates an elevator at Rosemond. In his special line of business he has met with good success and by the energy and zeal which he has manifested he has won the confidence and esteem of the public.
Mr. Smith was born in Norwood Park, Chicago, on the 16th of December. 1871. shortly after the great fire in that city, and is a son of Alexander and Harriet L. ( Hem- ingway) Smith, natives of Pennsylvania and Connecticut, respectively. By occupation the father was a contractor. In his family were four children, three of whom are still living, namely: Allen B., of this sketch : Florence, wife of James Meikle, of Chicago; and Frances, wife of Harry DeVelde, of the same city.
During his boyhood Allen B. Smith at- tended the public schools of Chicago and was graduated in the class of 1884. After leaving school he entered the employ of Mor- ris Plummer, a wholesale druggist of that city, as errand boy and city buyer and re- mained with the firm one year. During the following three years he was connected with the freight claim department of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company and for a year and a half was with the James H. Walker wholesale dry goods house. On account of failing health he left the city and traveled through the west, finally coming to Rosemond. Illinois, in 1893.
On the 6th of September, 1893, Mr. Smith
was married in Rosemond to Miss Mabel R. Dodge, a daughter of P. L. and Marie A. (Chase ) Dodge. now of Pana. Her father was born in Montgomery county, New York, June 10. 1843, and was married in 1869 to Miss Marie A. Chase. Her birth occurred in Schuyler county, Illinois, and her parents were William A. and Mary M. (Cook) Chase, the former a native of Mas- sachusetts, the latter of Baltimore, Mary- land. Mr. Dodge was treasurer of the Con- gregational church at Rosemond for many years, was also school treasurer about twen- ty-five years and was prominent in the affairs of both village and township. As a grain merchant he carried on business at Rose- mond for several years and at the time of his retirement and removal to Pana was the oldest representative of that line of in- dustry in the town. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born three children but Chase died in infancy. He was given Mrs. Dodge's maiden name. Those living are Frances E., named for her aunt in Chicago; and Marie Antoinette. named for her ma- ternal grandmother.
After his marriage Mr. Smith removed to Chicago but in May, 1894. returned to Rosemond, where he was in the employ of his father-in-law in the grain and hay busi- ness until about 1897, when he assumed con- trol of the enterprise. He owns an elevator. which has a capacity of fifteen thousand bushels and which has been greatly remod- eled by him by the putting in of new ma- chinery, including a car-loader and auto- matic scale. He has also built a new barn for the storage of baled hay. Mr. Smith is now a stockholder and one of the board of directors of the Metzger Hill Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and on the ist of Octo- ber. 1903. began acting as receiver and ship- per of grain and hay for that corporation,
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shipping the first month two hundred car- loads. He is a very energetic and enter- prising, business man and these qualities combined with industrious habits have brought to him a well merited success.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Smith has affiliated with the Republican party and has served as school treasurer of his town- ship since he began business for himself. He is also filling the office of justice of the peace at the present time. Both he and his wife are earnest and consistent members of the First Congregational church of Rose- mond and she takes a very active part in all church work. Socially Mr. Smith belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and Court of Honor at Rosemond and the Ma- sonic order at Pana. He is popular in both business and social circles, being a pleasant, genial gentleman, and he has the respect and confidence of all who know him.
FRED W. ANDERSON.
Honored and respected by all there is no man who occupies a more enviable posi- tion in the financial and commercial circles of Taylorville than does Fred W. Anderson, the president of the First National Bank. This is not alone on account of the brilliant success he has achieved but also because of the straightforward, honorable business pol- icy he has ever followed. It is true that he entered upon a business already estab- lished but in enlarging and expanding the enterprise many a man of less resolute spirit would have failed but at all times his am- bitious and progressiveness have been evenly balanced by sound judgment and to-day he is conducting an institution which may well be termed one of the most reliable financial concerns of this part of the state.
Mr. Anderson is a son of the late W. W. and Martha L. ( Wright) Anderson, who are represented on another page of this volume. His father was for many years one of the distinguished citizens of this part of the state. His mother, at the time of her mar- riage to Mr. Anderson, was the widow of Dr. Wright of Carlinville, Illinois, and her father was Richard Randle, a physician and a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, riding the circuit in southern Illi- nois at an early period in the development of this state. He was born in Georgia in 1800 and died in Taylorville in 1896, at the extreme old age of ninety-six years. Mr. Anderson of this review was one of five children, and two of his sisters are now living : Grace E., the wife of Fred C. Haw- ley, of the Paddock-Hawley Iron Company, of St. Louis, Missouri; and Julia W., of Taylorville. Both are stockholders in the First National Bank. Hiram R. Anderson, the brother, died September 4. 1891, and Nannie W. died in childhood.
A native son of Taylorville, Fred W. Anderson was born September 19, 1865, and pursued his early education in the public schools while later he attended the Wyman Institute in Alton, Illinois, and the Wes- leyan University, in Bloomington. He then became a student in the Peekskill Military Academy, in Peekskill, New York, and in 1885 he entered upon his business career as a bookkeeper in his father's bank. Through this institution he has gradually advanced as he has mastered all the details of the business until he has attained the presi- dency. On the Ist of January, 1889, he was elected assistant cashier. His brother Hi- ram was the first cashier of the institution but was obliged to resign on account of ill health and was succeeded by our subject on the 2d of January, 1890. He filled that po-
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sition until after the death of his father in 1893, when he assumed the duties of the presidency, and on the toth of January. 1894, he was formally elected. As the head of the bank he has instituted a policy that has met with public approval as indicated by the liberal patronage accorded the insti- tution, and during his presidency the sur- plus and undivided profits have increased from fifteen thousand to eighty thousand dol- lars and the deposits from two hundred thousand to five hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The bank has always paid good dividends and the First National is an en- terprise of marked value to Taylorville and the surrounding country. The interior was entirely remodeled in 1903 and it is now one of the most modern institutions of the kind in the state. There is a safety deposit vault for the private use of customers. The office fixtures are of marble and enameled steel. Mr. Anderson is also a director in the Pana National Bank and has been the president of the Taylorville Electric Company . since 1894, succeeding his father in that position.
On the 26th of June, 1901, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Adelia B. Sanders, of San Antonio, Texas, and the hospitality of their beautiful home makes it the center of a cultured society circle. Mr. Anderson belongs to Mound Lodge. No. 122, A. F. & A. M. ; Mystic Lodge, No. 64. K. P. For several years he has been the president of the Commercial Club of Taylorville and is always associated with the most enterpris- ing citizens in the promotion of any move- ment for the welfare, progress and expansion of the city. He is a man of unusual social qualities, being royally endowed with those traits of character which win and extend friendship. He is a gentleman in the truest and highest sense of the term and Taylorville numbers him among her honored sons.
LEWIS BARTLETT.
The deserved reward of a well spent life is an honored retirement from business, in which to enjoy the fruits of former toil. To-day, after a useful and beneficial career, Mr. Bartlett is quietly living at his pleasant home in Mount Auburn, surrounded by the comfort that earnest labor has brought him. For many years he was actively engaged in agricultural pursuits and he and his wife still own a large and valuable farm in this county.
Mr. Bartlett was born in Mississippi, on the 22d of December, 1849, and is a son of Elijah and Marcella (Jones) Bartlett, who were natives of Kentucky and Alabama, re- spectively. The father died in Mississippi and the mother and her children subsequent- ly removed to Kentucky and in 1856 came to Illinois, locating near Mechanicsburg. She married again, her second husband be- ing Peter Hooper. They located on Mos- quito creek in Christian county, where they made their home until 1863. By her first marriage Mrs. Hooper had five children, four of whom are still living, namely : Mar- tha, the wife of William Hunter, now living in Iowa : Mary, who is the widow of John Patrick, and makes her home near Ham- mond, Illinois; William, who lives on the Sangamon river in Christian county, Illi- nois ; and Lewis, of this review.
Lewis Bartlett acquired but a limited edu- cation in the district schools near his boy- hood home, but his training at farm work was not so meager and he aided in the opera- tion of the home farm until twenty-two years of age. On the 9th of March. 1881, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Cannon, a daughter of John and Martha Jane ( Hunter) Cannon. Her father was a native of Ohio, but her mother was born in Illinois. On first coming to this state Mr.
LEWIS BARTLETT.
JOHN CANNON
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Cannon located in Macon county, but after- ward removed to Christian county, settling on a farm four miles north of Mount Au- burn in Mosquito township. He purchased one hundred and forty-four acres of wild prairie land which he converted into a good farm, erecting all of the buildings thereon, and he made his home there until his death, which occurred in March, 1874. His wife died in 1868. They were the parents of three children. all daughters, of whom Mrs. Bartlett is now the only survivor. A daugh- ter was born to our subject and his wife, but died in infancy.
The first farm that Mr. Bartlett owned was in Kansas, where in 1871 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of government land. On his return to Christian county, he traded that property for forty-five acres of land in Mosquito township and then pur- chased forty acres more. He has since ad- ded to his landed possessions from time to time until he and his wife now own four hundred and fifty-one acres of fine farming land, she having inherited her father's farm. To the cultivation and improvement of his place Mr. Bartlett devoted his time and en- ergies until October, 1903, when he removed to Mount Auburn, having purchased four lots in that town and built thereon a nice nine room residence with modern conveni- ences and also a large barn. Here he is now living retired, enjoying a well carned rest.
Fraternally Mr. Bartlett is a member of the Masonic Order, and politically he is identified with the Democratic party, though at local elections he generally votes for the man whom he believes best qualified for office, regardless of party lines. He and his wife are widely and favorably known in the county which has so long been their home, and those who know them best are numbered among their warmest friends.
WILLIAM E. SANDS.
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