USA > Illinois > Piatt County > Past and present of Piatt County, Illinois : together with biographical sketches of many prominent and influential citizens > Part 13
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It would be difficult to analyze the life record of General Mansfield and so determine what was his greatest work. Viewed from many standpoints his career could be said to be a successful one. In the acquirement of a fortune he showed marked business and executive ability, and at his death he left to his widow an estate of over twelve hundred acres, most of which was improved, and therefore of great value. If his ambition was in the line of scholarship he certainly had rea- son to feel satisfied with the recognition
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which came to his broad learning. If he de- in 1895, and his wife about twenty years previously. This worthy couple were the parents of nine children, five of whom, two sons and three daughters, are still living, but our subject is the only one of the num- ber residing in Piatt county. The others are sired more than all else to influence his fel- low men for the betterment of the race again he may be said to have gained that which he sought. Along all those lines he ivon dis- tinction. His friends entertained for him the highest personal regard as well as admira- . all married and still make their home in tion, and many in thought at least have Coles county.
breathed the spirit of the words :
He was a man, take him for all in all I shall not look upon his like again.
:
JOSEPH W. MERRITT, SR.
Joseph W. Merritt, who is now serving as police magistrate of Atwood, has filled the position of justice of the peace for al- most a third of a century with credit to hinself and satisfaction to his constituents. He is thoroughly impartial in meting out justice, his opinions being unbiased by either fear or favor, and his fidelity to the trust reposed in him is above question. He is regarded as one of the leading and most highly respected citizens of his community, and it is, therefore, consistent that he be represented in a work whose province is the portrayal of the lives of the prominent men of this section of the state.
Mr. Merritt was born in Augusta coun- ty, Virginia, October 28, 1838, and is a son of William and Rachel .A. (Fitzpatrick) Merritt, who were also born in the Old Do- minion, of American parentage, and came to Illinois in 1854. The family located in Coles county, this state, where the father, who was a mechanic, followed the black- smith's trade for some years, but later en- gaged in farming. He died in Coles county
Joseph W. Merritt began his education in the state of his nativity, and after com- ing to Illinois attended school in Coles coun- ty for a time. Under the guidance of his fa- ther he learned the blacksmith's trade in early life, and continued to follow that pursuit un- til after his marriage. On the 16th of Jan- uary, 1857, he wedded Miss Irene Conly, a daughter of John and Jane Conly, who were natives of Indiana. Eight children blessed this union, namely: Joseph W., Jr., a resident of Atwood, who married Lula Samson; Anna, wife of Robert C. Sipe, a member of the firm of Sipe & Sipe, manu- facturers of tile at Atwood; Dazella, wife of Vinton Garrett, of Atwood; Elmer O., who married Alice McDonald and also lives in Atwood; May, wife of David Mumper, of Quincy, Illinois : Bert. who married Retta Gosnald and makes his home in Decatur; Claud, at home with his father; and Zeph, who married Bertha Marshall and is a mail- carrier in the rural free delivery service, re- siding in Atwood. The mother of these children died on the Ist of April, 1901, and Mr. Merritt was again married October 6, 1902, his second union being with Mrs. S. A. Monden, of Decatur, whose first husband was also a soldier of the Civil war.
When the south made the attempt to secede Mr. Merritt resolved to strike a blow for the Union cause, and at Charleston, Coles county, he enlisted June 4, 1861, in Company E, Twenty-fifth Illinois Volunteer
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Infantry, under Captain Westford Taggart. He participated in the battles of Pea Ridge, Stone River, Chickamauga, Perryville and Corinth, and in the battle of Chickamauga was taken prisoner. September 20, 1863. He was incarcerated in four different pris- ons-Libby, Danville (Virginia), Anderson- ville and Florence, and from the last named he finally made his escape, as the stockade was uncompleted at the time. While in hid- ing he was joined by a comrade, William Dozier, of the Second Ohio Cavalry, who made his escape shortly afterward and they traveled northward together, being seventeen days and nights upon the trip from Florence to Newbern. They were compelled to swim the streams, including the Pedee river in North Carolina, and had to travel mainly at night to avoid capture. They encountered many hardships, and it would have been im- possible for them to proceed had it not been for the friendly negroes who gave them as- sistance. Finding the yellow fever raging at Newbern and that they would not be al- lowed to remain there, they boarded a ship that was sailing and went to New York city, where Mr. Merritt was in the Soldiers' Home for a time. . General John M. Dix then gave him transportation to St. Louis, whence he proceeded to Springfield, Illinois, where he was honorably discharged from the service on the 2d of November. 1864. In the meantlime his family had given him up for dead, having heard nothing from him while in the southern prisons.
On the 3d of September. 1868, Mr. Mer- ritt came to Piatt county and settled in Mackville with his wife and three children, the other children being born here. Pur- chasing a blacksmith shop, he continued to work at his trade until 1890. and later en- gaged in the agricultural implement business
at Atwood, until the tall of 1902. Since 1894 he has also been engaged in the manu- facture of tile and brick, having purchased a tile factory at that time, and in connection with these varied business interests he has carried on farming to some extent. He bought seventy acres of timber land, which he has cleared, tiled and placed under culti- vation, and built thereon three houses. He also owns about thirty-three town lots, and has aided materially in the upbuilding and development of Atwood.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Merritt are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is prominently identified with a number of civic societies, including the Grand Army of the Republic, the Masonic fraternity, the Modern Woodmen of America and the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, being the present treasurer of the Odd Fellows' lodge at Atwood. Since casting his first presiden- tial vote for Abraham Lincoln, he has never wavered in his allegiance to the Republican party and has taken an active part in political affairs, serving as a delegate to numerous county conventions ; to the state convention when Governor Yates was nominated and to the national convention at St. Louis when President Mckinley was made the candidate of his party for chief executive of the nation. Since 1871 Mr. Merritt has served as justice of the peace and was elected police magis- crate on the incorporation of Atwood. He is also serving as notary public and for many years filled the office of trustee of Unity township. He has always been identified with the best interests of his town and town- ship, and is regarded as one of the most public-spirited and useful citizens of his com- munity. Mr. Merritt is a well-read man. always keeping abreast with the times. and over his life record there falls no shadow
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of wrong. His public service has been most exemplary and his private life has been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty.
GEORGE O. HIGGINS.
One of the best improved farms in Piatt county is the property of George O. Hig- gins. It is situated-on section 12, Monti- cello township, and is supplied with all mod- ern equipments and accessories found upon a model farm of the twentieth century. In his business affairs he is careful and con- servative and he has placed his money in the safest of all investments-real estate. His life history proves conclusively that success is not a matter of genius, but is the outcome of clear judgment, experience and indefa- tigable industry.
Mr. Higgins was born on the 8th of September, 1846, on a farm near South Bloomfield, in Pickaway county, Ohio, his parents being John L. and Mary (Dean) Higgins. His father was born on a farm near Lexington, Kentucky, December II, 1817, and died December 27, 1885. He be- gan his education in the common schools of Newport. Kentucky, after which he continued his studies in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated, his father, John Higgins, Sr., having in the meantime removed to that city and established the third hotel there. When he was sixteen he and his parents went to Lawrence county, Illinois, where they spent one year. During that time he rode to mill on an ox and that animal was then used in grinding the grist. Mr. Higgins after- ward returned to Ohio and at the age of seventeen years took a drove of one hundred and five cattle over the mountains to New
York city, being in the employ of Vin and Ned Williams, who in later years were well known throughout Piatt county as stock- buyers. Mr. Higgins continued in that line of business for many years, following it at a time when the nearest railroad point to his home was at Springfield, Ohio. In 1850, however, he discontinued his work as a drover and began farming in Pickaway county, Ohio, where he carried on agricul- tural pursuits until 1869. Attracted by the opportunities of the growing west and the rich land, he came to Piatt county in that year, locating on a farm six miles from Monticello, on the Sangamon river. This farm is situated on section 22, Monticello township, and to its development and im- provement John Higgins devoted his ener- gies until his death. When he came to this part of the country wolves howled around his cabin door. All was wild and unim- proved and the work of progress seemed scarcely begun, but during the years of his residence here civilization has wrought many great changes in Piatt county, and Mr. Hig- gins bore an active and helpful part in its work. He was a prominent and influential citizen, one who enjoyed the high regard of his fellow men because his life was up- right and honorable.
He was married on the 3d of August, 1838, to Miss Mary Dean, who was born in, Wheeling, West Virginia, February 7, 1822. They became the parents of ten children, namely :. Nancy Jane and Sarah Ann? who are now deceased ; George O .; Harriet, who died when two weeks old: Hannah, who is now the wife of Thomas Bendon, of Monti- cello, Illinois ; Katie, the wife of Joseph Lu- cas, who is living on a farm southwest of Cisco, in Macon county; Lucy A., the wife of John Duvall, a farmer residing near
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Rochester, Indiana; William S., who died at the age of three years; Addie, who died when five years of age; and Joseph Dean, who married Sarah Coon and makes his home upon a farm west of Argenta, Macon county. All of the children were born in Pickaway county, Ohio. Mrs. Higgins, Sr., died February 20, 1880.
George O. Higgins pursued his early education in the Oak Grove school of Picka- way county, attending during the winter months, while in the summer seasons he as- sisted his father in the work on the home farm. He remained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage, when he came to Piatt county, Illinois. On the 7th of No- vember, 1869, in Hocking county, Ohio, he wedded Miss Henrietta Brown, and with his bride he removed westward, settling on a farm in Springtown Lane where he rented a tract of land. There he lived for two years, at which time he removed to the Mc- , Comas farm, south of the river, and for two years he rented and operated that property. He next lived on what was known as the Jerry Baker farm for three years, and subse- quently rented the John Kirby farm in Goose Creek township for two years. On the expiration of that period Mr. Higgins took up his abode in Effingham county, Il- linois, purchasing a farm of one hundred acres on which he lived for three years. He afterward returned to his father's farm in Piatt county, and continued its cultivation for six years, during which time he rented his own land in Effingham county. On leav- ing his father's farm he removed to the Hen- ry Coonse farm, which he rented for two years. He next lived upon the Shep- hard farm, near Milmine, renting that prop- erty for two years, and on the IIth of May, 1889, he purchased the north half of sec-
tion 12, Monticello township, and is to-day the owner of this tract of three hundred and twenty acres of rich and arable land. He purchased the place of Preston Houston for forty-five dollars per acre and he traded his Effingham county property for a nice home in the city of Monticello. About three years ago he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Macon county, Illinois. This is a splendidly improved property on which he pays an insurance of thirty-five hundred dollars on the buildings for three years. His home farm in Piatt county is a monument to his enterprise and labor. Since the place came into his possession he has erected all of the buildings which now adorn it, and there is no better improved property in all Piatt county. He paid for the tract ninety-five dollars per acre, and it is to-day worth one hundred and fifty dollars per acre. When it came into his possession it was in poor condition, having been rented for a number of years to tenants, who did not take good care of the property, but since coming under the management of Mr. Higgins it has been transformed by the erection of good buildings and by the care and labor bestowed upon the place, until now it is one of the best farm properties in all Piatt county. In 1892 Mr. Higgins erected a residence which was destroyed by fire two years later, the conflagration occurring on the last day of August, 1894. In 1896 he erected a nice house of eight rooms, supplied with all mod- ern conveniences, and this home he now oc- cupies. It is tastefully furnished and stands in the midst of a well-kept lawn. Mr. Hig- gins has also built two new barns and has put up two windmills attached to tanks, and the water is piped into the barns. There are two elevated driveway corn-cribs, and, in fact, no equipment of a model farm of the
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twentieth century is here lacking. He has fenced nearly the entire place with wire fencing, which divides the farm into fields of eighty acres. Altogether he has put up more than seven miles of wire fencing in the last two years, and he has laid over seventeen miles of tiling. He has planted several new orchards at a cost of two hundred and thirty- eight dollars, securing the stock from the Troy nursery: Great changes have been wrought in methods of farming since he first came to Piatt county, and with the progress made along agricultural lines Mr. Higgins has kept fully abreast. He feeds large quan- tities of all kinds of stock for the market, making a specialty of hogs, and he keeps fourteen head of horses and several mules for use upon his farm. He raises annually from eleven to twelve thousand bushels of corn and oats, and his farm products find a ready sale upon the market because of their excel- lence.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Higgins has been blessed with two children: Mary Etta, who is the wife of Charles Parks, who re- sides upon a farm in Piatt county ; William S., who is married and lives upon a farm in Monticello township; Catherine, who is the wife of a Mr. White and resides upon her father's farm in Macon county ; Atchafalaya, who died when three years of age; Cora, is the wife of Marshall Crites, and they make their home upon her father's farm north of Monticello; Isaac, who married Jane McKinzie and lives upon his father's farm; Lila May, the wife of Charles Tabor, whose home is upon a farm south of Milmine; Sa- die, who is attending school; Lewis, who died in infancy ; and Annie, who is also in school.
Mr. Higgins gives his political support to the Democracy and has firm faith in its
principles. He has held the office of ditch commissioner for three terms, covering nine years, and is still the incumbent in that po- sition. He has been school commissioner for nine terms, or for twenty-seven years. He and his wife are regular attendants at church services, although they do not be- long to any religious denomination, and.they contribute liberally to the support of church work. Mr. Higgins is a genial, courteous gentleman, a pleasant, entertaining compan- ion ard has many stanch and admiring friends among all classes of men. His busi- ness career is notable on account of the splen- did success he has achieved and because of the honorable, straightforward methods he has ever followed. His sagacity and fore- sight have enabled him to make judicious in- vestments, while his diligence, indomitable energy and undaunted perseverance have won him a prosperity that numbers him among Piatt county's most substantial citi- zens, yet he has not only advanced his in- dividual interest, but has done much toward promoting the general welfare and the coun- ty numbers him among its most valued rep- resentatives.
ALLEN F. MOORE.
Although Allen F. Moore is not a na- tive son of Monticello, he has spent almost his entire life here, having been less than two years old at the time of his parents' re- moval to this city. As taken in contradis- tinction to the old adage, that a prophet is never without honor save in his own country, there is particular interest attached to the subject of this review, since in this place he has passed his active life and so directed his
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ability and efforts as to gain recognition as one of the representative citizens of Piatt county. He is well known, enterprising and successful in business circles, and has been honored with the office of mayor of Monti- cello, filling the position with credit, his ad- ministration being progressive, practical and beneficial. Many lines of advancement and improvement have profited by his co-oper- ation.
Allen F. Moore is the eldest son of Hen- ry V. and Alzina W. (Freeman) Moore, the former a capitalist of Monticello, who is engaged in the banking business and also has extensive realty holdings in Piatt coun- ty, where he has made his home for a third of a century. On another page of this vol- ume extended mention is made of him. Al- len F. Moore was born in St. Charles, Kane county, Illinois, September 30, 1869, en- tered the public schools of Monticello at the usual age, and was graduated in the high school with the class of 1886. He then fur- ther continued his studies by matriculating in Lombard University, at Galesburg, Illi- nois, where he was graduated on the comple- tion of a three-years' course. in 1889. Going then to Chicago, he secured a position as a bookkeeper in a wholesale dry-goods store, where he remained for three years. On the expiration of that period he became confiden- tial secretary to W. D. Hitchcock, a dealer in lumber, for whom he acted as bookkeeper, also having charge of the office. He occu- pied that position for two years, and then returned to Monticello in 1894. Joining the ranks of business men in this city, he took charge of a harness store in which his father was interested. conducting the busi- ness for four and a half years, when he closed it out. Soon afterward he purchased a controlling interest in the Pepsin Syrup
Company. He has since developed an excel- lent business, having a well-equipped plant, from which is sent out a large product to meet the growing demands of the trade.
On the 20th of March, 1893, Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Madora Bradford, of Quincy, Illinois, a daughter of E. F. and Emily (Prince) Bradford, of Quincy, the former being general agent for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Mrs. Moore was educated in Lombard Col- lege, and it was while students in that insti- tution that she and her husband met. Unto them have been born a son and daughter, Bradford V. and Mary H., but the latter died in 1899.
Politically Mr. Moore is an ardent Re- publican, unfaltering in his advocacy of the principles of the party, and for two years he served as alderman of Monticello. In 1901 he was elected mayor of the city. Dur- ing his administration he instituted many needed reforms and improvements, and though he at first met opposition to his pro- gressive measures, the people of the city now point with pride to many of the improve- ments he instituted. He is extremely pub- lic-spirited and anything pertaining to the welfare of the city is sure to elicit his at- tention and to find in him a co-operant fac- tor.
CHARLES F. MANSFIELD.
The family name of our subject is one of close and honorable connection with the his- tory of Piatt county, and the subject of this review is now prominent in the affairs of the county, being one of its distinguished law- yers, who at the present time is serving as state's attorney, making his home in Monti-
C. F. MANSFIELD
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
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cello. He is a native, however, of Jefferson county, Indiana, his birth having occurred in the city of Madison on the 7th of January, 1863. He is a son of General John L. Mansfield, one of the most distinguished and prominent residents of Piatt county for a number of years and the founder of the town of Mansfield. Reared in the home of culture and refinement its atmosphere left its impress upon his character. Charles F. Mansfield was also given good educational privileges. During his early youth he at- tended a German-English school in Indian- apolis, Indiana, and after accompanying his parents on their removal to Illinois he con- tinued his studies in the public schools and under the direction and preceptorage of his father.
In the fall of 1878 he matriculated in Racine College, at Racine, Wisconsin, but not being pleased with that institution he spent only one year there. In 1880 he en- tered the University of the South at Se- wanee, Tennessee, where he continued his studies for about three years, when he was obliged to leave college on account of ill health. His close application to his books had undermined his strength, and he sought rest and recuperation in healthful out-of- doors exercise. Turning his attention to farming he found it the tonic he needed and was soon restored to his accustomed vigor. Not wishing, however, to devote his entire life to agricultural pursuits, he resolved to become a member of the bar, and took up the study of law in the winter of 1884-5. In September of the latter year he entered the Bloomington law school, and on the comple- tion of the course was graduated in 1887. In September of the latter year he entered the Bloomington law school, and on the completion of the course was graduated in 6
1887. In June, however, before the close of his college term, he was admitted to practice, having successfully passed the examination before the appellate court. At Springfield, where he acquitted himself with high honor, while attending law school he had the ad- vantage of reading in the office of the firm of Fifer & Phillips, the senior partner being later governor of Illinois.
Admitted to the bar Mr. Mansfield opened an office and entered upon practice in the town of Mansfield, in July, 1887. In no calling to which man gives his attention does success depend more largely upon individual effort than the law, and that Mr. Mansfield has achieved distinction in the fields of juris- prudence at once attests his superior ability and close application. He has been retained as counsel in many important cases tried in the courts of Piatt and adjoining counties. A man of sound judgment, he manages his cases with masterly skill and also is a logical reasoner and has a ready command of Eng- lish. His powers as an advocate have been demonstrated by his success on many occa- sions, and he is now an able lawyer of large and varied experience in all the courts. Thoroughness characterizes all his efforts, and he conducts all his business with- a strict regard to a high standard of professional ethics.
On the 13th of April, 1839, Mr. Mans- field was united in marriage to Miss Minnie B. Van Meter, and they took up their abode with his mother at the old family homestead in the town of Mansfield, where our subject lived for thirty-two. years. Their union was blessed with the presence of a daughter, Minnie T. Mrs. Mansfield comes of a dis- tinguished. Virginia family and was born in the south, while her parents, Joseph and Teresa (Hugh) Van Meter, were also na-
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tives of Hardy county,. Virginia. In 1888 they removed to Salt Lake City, where they have since resided. Mr. Mansfield, his wife and daughter are members of the Episcopal church.
Fraternally, Mr. Mansfield is connected with the Masonic order, is also an Odd Fel- low and holds membership relations with the Knights of Pythias and the Sons of Veter- ans. In the latter order he was elected major of the state division, and is prominent in its circles. He is also a distinguished Odd Fel- low, has served as a member of the judiciary committee of the grand lodge of Illinois for three years, and during part of that time was its chairman. In 1896 he was elected grand master of the grand lodge of Illinois, and there is no representative of the order more widely and favorably known in the state than Charles F. Mansfield. He was active in es- tablishing the Odd Fellows' home for old people at Mattoon, Illinois, and for several years he was editor and proprietor of the Odd Fellows' Herald, published at Mans- field, succeeding in this position Owen Scott, a former member of congress.
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