USA > Illinois > Piatt County > Past and present of Piatt County, Illinois : together with biographical sketches of many prominent and influential citizens > Part 43
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Mr. Wyman has just completed a beauti- ful home in Mansfield, one of the most at- tractive residences of the town. He holds membership in the Royal Circle and the American Home Circle, two fraternal insur- ance organizations, and his political support is given to the Republican party, for he has firm belief in its principles and its platform. He is now serving as one of the township trustees, and in public office is always loyal and true to the trust reposed in him. He be- longs to the Methodist church, with which he has long been associated, and his religious faith is manifested in his upright life, his loyalty in citizenship, his trustworthiness in business and his fidelity in friendship.
PRESLEY B. WEBSTER.
Presley B. Webster, whose operations in farming have made him one of the success- ful men of Piatt county and the owner of a . valuable tract of land of one hundred and fourteen acres near the postoffice of Lodge, was born on the 17th of May, 1855, at Cen- terville, Piatt county. He is a son of James and Mary (Enbanks) Webster. At an early day in the history of this section of the state the father came from Ohio to Piatt county and settled near Centerville on the Sanga-
mon river, where he purchased a tract of land which was all raw prairie, not a furrow having been turned or an improvement made upon the place. He soon began to clear the land, however, and continued the work of cultivation and development until he had be- come the owner of a very fine farm. Later he purchased other tracts of timber land, cleared it of the trees and built thereon a good residence. For many years he carried on agricultural pursuits, but is now living re- tired in the village of Seymour, having reached the age of about seventy-seven years. His wife, however, has passed away. They were the parents of ten children, and with the exception of one son, all are yet living.
Reared under the parental roof, Presley B. Webster acquired his early education in the country schools of Piatt county, attend- ing what was known as the Sangamon school. The little "temple of learning" was a log structure, supplied with slab benches and other primitive furniture. It was in this school that Mr. Webster mas- tered the primary branches of learning and later he continued his studies in the schools of Monticello. He spent much of his youth, however, upon the home farm, his training at the labor of the fields not being meager. He early became familiar with farm work in its various departments, and from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn he assisted in the work of cultivation. With the excepion of one year spent in the postof- fice at Monticello and two years at White Heath, he has devoted his entire life to agri- cultural pursuits. In the year 1884, with the money earned through his own labor, he purchased forty-two acres of land, for which he paid eleven hundred dollars. As time has passed and his financial resources have in-
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creased, he has added to this property until he now owns one hundred and fourteen acres, valued at one hundred and thirty dollars per acre. His fine farm is the visible evidence of his life of industry and thrift, and he has to- day one of the valuable properties of Piatt county. Mr. Webster carries on general farming and stock-raising, and both branches of his business return to him a good income, because of his thorough understanding of his work and his keen sagacity. He makes a specialty of the breeding of Poland China hogs, and also of fancy poultry, raising Plymouth Rock chickens and turkeys. His energies, however, have not been confined entirely to the work of the farm in its various departments, for he is the owner of a store at Lodge and also of an elevator there. He is a man of excellent business capacity and executive force, readily comprehending in- tricate business situations and carrying for- ward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.
Mr. Webster has been twice married. When about twenty-four years of age he was joined in wedlock to Miss Ida F. Conklin, a native of Piatt county. Five children graced this marriage, namely: Amy, who died in infancy; Elmer; Maude; Laura, now de- ceased ; and Carrie. In November, 1891, Mr. Webster was again married, his second union being with Miss Mamie Wolf, a na- tive of Champaign county, but who has re- sided during the greater part of her life in Piatt county. Mr. and Mrs. Webster are well known, and the hospitality of many of the best homes in this portion of the state is freely accorded them.
Mr. Webster gives his political support to the Republican party, and always keeps well informed on the issues and questions of the day, thus being able to support his po-
sition by intelligent argument. For five years he held the office of assessor, but has preferred to give his time and attention to his business interests, in which he has met with very creditable and honorable success. He is ever true to the relations of the home, citizenship and of business life, and his many sterling traits of character have gained for him the warm regard of all with whom he has been associated. t. He is well known as one of the leading representatives of agricul- tural interests, and as such deserves repre- sentation in this volume.
FRED KERSTEN.
The farming interests of Piatt county are well represented by this gentleman who is now living on section 5, Blue Ridge town- ship, where he owns and cultivates a good tract of land. The German element in our American citizenship has been an important one. It is of this class that Mr. Kersten is a representative and his life record has been so honorable and successful that it is creditable alike to the land of his birth and the land of his adoption.
Mr. Kersten was born in Germany on the 3d of November, 1840, and in that country his father carried on agricultural pursuits, spending his entire life there. Mr. Kersten of this review was reared and educated in the fatherland and remained there. until twenty-eight years of age, when he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, landing at New York. He took passage on a west- ward bound sailing vessel, Shakespeare, and was twenty-eight days upon the water, en- countering some severe storms, but event- ually reached harbor in safety. He then went
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the last named city for three years, follow- ing various pursuits during that period, in- cluding carpenter work and mason work. He is a man of marked industry, and idleness is utterly foreign to his nature. On his re- moval to Piatt county in 1872 he rented a tract of land belonging to General Mansfield and resided upon that farm for five years. He then rented the farm upon which he now lives for one year, and at the end of that time purchased the property. It contains ninety-eight acres of rich and productive land, for which he paid sixteen hundred and seventy-five dollars. It was not improved, however, when it came into his possession. He has set out all of the trees upon the place, and has made many excellent improvements of a substantial and beneficial character. He uses modern machinery to facilitate his farm work, and everything about his place is neat and thrifty in appearance.
On the 23d of February, 1874, Mr. Kersten was united in marriage to Miss Fredericka Spiehs, a native of Germany, who came to the United States in 1873 as a pas- senger on the Maine, which made the voy- age in eleven days. Mr. and Mrs. Kersten are most worthy people and belong to the Evangelical Lutheran church. They take an active interest in the work, contribute gen- erously to its support and do all in their pow- er for its welfare.
In his political views Mr. Kersten is in- dependent, voting for the man whom he thinks best qualified for office regardless of party affiliations. He is now practically liv- ing a retired life, having rented his farm to Carl Porter. While actively engaged in farming himself he raised grain, giving lit- tle attention to stock. When he came to
Piatt county he then found a tract of wild
to Cleveland; afterward to Chicago, and later to Bloomington, Illinois. He remained in prairie, for little of the land had been im- proved at that time, but as the ycars have passed time and man have wrought many changes, and to-day the rich soil of Piatt county is utilized for farming purposes and this district of the state has become one of the garden spots of the entire country. Mr. and Mrs. Kersten were schoolmates in child- hood, and have now traveled life's journey together as man and wife for almost thirty years. They are well known in the com- munity where they make their home, and it is with pleasure we present to our readers the record of their lives.
LEWIS J. COPE.
It is not often one sees the professions abandoned for an agricultural life, and yet an investigation of the conditions obtaining at this time in the industrial world warrants the belief that sound business judgment is evidenced by such a change. The gentleman whom the biographer introduces to the read- er here qualified in pharmacy, but was led to abandon it after three years for the pursuit of agriculture in the belief that in it was a larger future outcome-a fact which his course has already sufficiently attested.
Lewis J. Cope comes from Buckeye stock, having been born in Smithfield, Ohio, in 1873, the son of William and Mary Cope, who now reside there. These parents, with their family, passed a considerable portion of the earlier part of their lives in Piatt county, and are remembered among the older settlers as pioneers in Blue Ridge township, where they opened the farm on which our subject now resides. Circumstances led them to re-
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
turn to the state of their birth, while the son continues the work of improvement which they initiated. The family which they reared consisted of three children, a brother of our subject, Charles, by name, living near by, while a sister, Ida M., married John Hender- son and lives near the parents in Ohio.
Lewis J. Cope is the product of a cultured home and the best schools in the Buckeye state. After laying the ground work of his education in the graded schools, he gradu- ated in the Smithfield high school. His further scholastic training was acquired in the Ohio Normal University, after which he matriculated at Scio College, and from which excellent institution he was graduated in pharmacy in the class of 1893. The fol- lowing three years Mr. Cope passed in Wheeling, West Virginia, in the employ of a drug house. A trip of three months throughout the great west taken at this time changed his mind concerning the future, and he settled on his father's farm of two hun- dred and forty acres in Blue Ridge town- ship. Here he found much to engage his at- tention, the farm being in a run-down condi- tion. He proceeded at once to improve it, building a fine modern farm house at a cost of three thousand dollars, together with a commodious barn. Other improvements are in course of construction, and still others are contemplated. Mr. Cope and his brother together own four hundred and eighty acres in this county, and as an investment have lately purchased a section of Minnesota farming land.
The marriage of Mr. Cope was an event of June 19, 1895, on which day he led to the altar Miss Martha Isabelle, the accomplished daughter of William B. Adams, of Cadiz, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Cope enter into the so- cial life of their community with intelligent
zest and enthusiasm, and are leaders in ev- ery good cause. They are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Cope is a member of the Knights of Pythias, No. 634, of Mansfield, Illinois. The wide- awake and intelligent interest which these young people manifest in the welfare of their community has resulted in endearing them to a circle of friends and neighbors whose name is legion.
CHARLES C. COPE.
Charles Cope, brother of the above, is an- other of Piatt county's energetic young farmers. He cultivates a portion of the old homestead and is regarded as one of the county's best citizens. Charles was born in Smithfield, Ohio, in the year 1870. He also was given the advantage of scholastic train- ing, after graduating from the high school taking a thorough course in the commercial ,department of Scio College. He then ac- cepted a position with a firm of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and for five years was the trusted bookkeeper of that concern. In 1897 he concluded to begin an agricultural life and came to Piatt county, where he has since cul- tivated his father's farm. He has built a snug little cottage at a cost of a thousand dol- lars, and is demonstating the wisdom of his change of occupation. Mr. Cope takes an intelligent and active interest in affairs, votes the Republican ticket, and he and his wife are active members of the Presbyterian church. Prior to 1899 Mrs. Cope was Hul- dal Coomer. She is a Buckeye by birth, the daughter of William Coomer, of Mansfield, Ohio.
The current of life for the last half cen- tury has been largely toward the great cities
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PAST AND PRESENT
of the land. Young men have been tempted by the tinsel of city life to give up comforta- ble homes and a solid future, only to wake up late in life to the fact that "all is not gold that glitters." Were there more young men with the wisdom of Charles and Lewis Cope the cities would be unable to drain the coun- try of its best blood .. Their example is well worthy of emulation.
JOSEPH G. KILE.
In the history of Piatt county it is neces- sary that mention shall be made of Joseph G. Kile, else the record would not be com- plete, for he is numbered among its earliest settlers, having located here in 1844, when but a boy of eight years. Around the beauti- ful home which the father established stretched the broad prairie, over which one could ride for miles without coming to a fence or other evidence of settlement to im- pede his progress. The land was covered with its native prairie grasses and along the streams stood the timber as planted by the hand of nature. There were deer, turkeys and other wild game to be had in abundance, and farms could be purchased for a very low price, as there was not as great demand for the property as there is to-day. As the years have progressed Joseph G. Kile has become an active factor in agricultural circles, and has done his full share in reclaiming the wild land for the purposes of civilization.
Mr. Kile is a native of Pickaway county, Ohio, his birth having there occurred on the 20th of August, 1836. His father, Josiah Kile, was a native of the same state, and was a farmer by occupation. After arriving at years of maturity he wedded Miss Mary
Clarke, who was born in New Jersey. In the year 1838, he brought his family to Illinois. establishing his home in Shelby county, where he rented a tract of land and in con- nection with its cultivation, hẹ engaged in teaming to St. Louis in an early day. In 1844 he made his way to Piatt county, set- tling two miles west of Monticello, where he again leased a tract of land. In 1846, however, he made purchase of a farm of eighty acres in Macon county. This was all raw prairie on which not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made, and he at once began its cultivation. He broke the fields, planted the seed, and in due course of time harvested good crops. He also built a log house upon the place and resided there for four years, after which he sold that prop- erty and again came to Piatt county. Here he rented land east of Monticello for two years, at the end of which time he again bought a farm in Macon county, there living from 1849 until 1883, when he was called to his final rest, passing away at the age of sixty-nine years. He lived a life in consistent harmony with his profession as a member of the Methodist church and took a very active interest in founding the Wesley Chapel at the edge of his farm. His wife, who' sur- vived him for some time, passed away at the age of seventy-three years, dying upon the farm of her son, Joseph G., about one mile from the old home place. She was a woman of deep religious nature, of earnest convic- tions and of unfaltering loyalty to the princi- ples in which she believed. She, too, held membership in the Methodist church, and the influence of her life was a potent factor for good among those who knew her. By her marriage she became the mother of ten chil- dren, namely: Elizabeth, who is the wife of O. L. Stewart, a farmer residing in Ma-
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
con county ; James, who died in 1855; Jo- seph G., of this review ; John W., who is liv- ing in Humboldt, Kansas; Isaac W., who makes his home in Argenta, Macon county; Edward M. and Ezra M., who are located in Decatur; Mary, who is the wife of Irvin Dunbar, a farmer of Nebraska ; Martha, who died when a child of three years; and Reu- ben A., who is also a farmer and makes his home in Missouri.
Mr. Kile's educational advantages were limited to two terms' attendance at a sub- scription, school, but through experience, ob- servation and reading in later life he has gained a good practical education that has enabled him to carefully conduct his business interests and to keep in touch with the thought and progress of the day. When only thirteen years of age he started out in life on his own account. He was a young boy to battle with the world, but it seemed neces- sary that he provide for his own support, and in his work he showed adaptability and per- severance. He began earning his own liv- ing by working as a farm hand at seven dol- lars per month, being employed in this way for three months. He then became connected with cattlemen, with whom he worked for four years, making many trips over the mountains to eastern markets. He made one trip to New York which required ninety- seven days. At the end of four years, how- ever, he resumed farm work and was in the employ of friends up to the time of his mar- riage.
It was on the 10th of February, 1859, in Macon county, that Mr. Kile gained a com- panion and helpmate for life's journey, wedding Miss Elizabeth Carver, daughter of George Carver, who was one of the early settlers of Macon county. Three children were born of this marriage, but one died in 20
infancy. Mary Samantha, the eldest, is now the wife of Charles Stucky, a resident of Cisco. Eliza Ann, the youngest member of the family, is the wife of Oliver Jones, who is now living in Macon county, where he fol- lows farming.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Kile rented a tract of land in Macon county, upon which he lived for two years. He then pur- chased forty acres of land in that county, aft- erward added another tract of forty acres and four years later bought forty-five acres in the same locality. When seven years 'more had gone by he bought seventy acres in Piatt county, this being the first tract which he owned in the latter county. This was improved land, for which he paid fifty dollars per acre and after retaining it in possession for thirteen years, he sold it at a good profit, the sale price being one hundred and seven and one-half dollars per acre. Mr. Kile next purchased eighty acres in Macon county on section 18, Friends Creek township, and then bought one hundred and twenty acres adjoining, for which he paid seventy-two and a half dollars per acre. The next purchase made him the owner of one hun- dred acres on section 22, for which he paid ninety dollars per acre, and this property he still has. He owns altogether four hundred acres, which is very valuable, being a part of the rich farm land of central Illinois, which has made this state famous as an agri- cultural district. He also owns five lots in the town of Cisco and two residence proper- ties. Fifteen years ago he came to the vil- lage and has since lived retired, save that he gives his supervision to his investments. On August 5, 1903, he was offered one hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre for all the land he owns, but refused the offer.
Mr. Kile votes with the Republican party
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when questions of national interest are in- volved, but at local elections often votes inde- pendently, regarding only the capability of the candidates. He has served as commis- sioner of highways, has been school treasurer for six and a half years, justice of the peace for nine years and police magistrate for two years, and in these offices has been prompt and faithful in the discharge of his duties, do- ing everything in his power to promote the welfare of the community. He attends the Presbyterian church and has lived a life that has won for him the respect and confidence of his fellow men. Starting out for himself with very meager advantages, he has stead- ily progressed in the world, and his success has been won along lines which all may fol- low. He met difficulties in his career but he has steadily advanced by determined . and honorable purpose, and many of the ob- stacles in his path have served as an impetus for renewed effort. The history of pioneer life in this section of the state is familiar to him and from pioneer times down to the pres- ent he has watched the progress and devel- opment of Piatt county, feeling a just pride in what has been accomplished here.
HON. WILBUR F. STEVENSON.
Hon. Wilbur F. Stevenson is now serv- ing as mayor of Monticello and is accounted one of the leading and distinguished citizens of Piatt county, for his has been an honora- ble and prosperous career. Success is de- termined by one's ability to recognize oppor- tunity and to pursue this with resolute and unflagging energy. It results from con- tinued labor, and the man who thus accom- plishes his purpose usually becomes an im-
portant factor in the business circles of the community in which he is connected. Mr. Stevenson through such means attained a leading place among the representative ag- riculturists of Piatt county, and his well spent and honorable life commands the re- spect of all who knew him.
A native of Kentucky, Wilbur F. Stev- enson was born in Scott county, that state, on the 12th of November, 1842, and is a representative of one of the old families of Kentucky. His paternal grandfather, Job Stevenson, was an active business man, and at one time a member of the Kentucky legis- lature. Evans Stevenson, the father of our subject, devoted his life to the work of the ministry and became a noted divine of the Methodist church. His services in this con- nection were probably required to a greater extent than any other man of local note. He solemnized many marriages, pronounced many funeral sermons and frequently was called upon to deliver lectures, public ad- dresses and political speeches. He left the impress of his individuality upon the locality with which he was connected, his influence being widely felt in public thought and feel- ing, and from the time when he was seven- teen years of age until his death in 1879. he figured prominently before the public, and by reason of his marked individuality, strong intellectuality and sterling worth he did much to promote progress, reform and improve- ment. He married a daughter of Major Jolın Boggs, who won his title by service in the war of 1812, and who was well known as one of the early settlers of Pickaway county, Ohio.
In the state of his nativity amid the re- fining and ennobling influence of a good home Wilbur F. Stevenson was reared, and the lessons of integrity and nobility which
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS. ·
were impressed upon his mind in early at all times, the good of the community at youth have never been forgotten, but have heart, while his ability has been exerted to make his adopted county rank with the brightest and best of all composing this great commonwealth. He is now numbered among the capitalists of Piatt county, and his life record should serve as a source of encour- agement to others, for he started out for him- self without capital and the position which he now occupies in the financial circles is due to his own labors. largely aided in molding his character in later life. His arrival in Piatt county dates from 1868. He was at that time a young man of twenty-four years, desirous of win- ning success by his efforts in the business world. Reaching Illinois he entered into partnership with his uncle, John Boggs, Jr., who was prominent as a stockman through- out Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Throughout the greater part of his residence in Piatt county Mr. Stevenson has been actively and extensively associated with stock-raising, and stock-dealing interests. He has secured ELIAS P. JAMES. a valuable tract of land in Willow Branch township, and there conducted a stock farm, which gained a wide reputation throughout this portion of the country. His business affairs were always conducted along legiti- mate lines and in accordance with enterprise. Quick to note and improve opportunity he has steadily worked his way upward, and his efforts have been crowned with a high de- gree of success.
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