USA > Illinois > Piatt County > Past and present of Piatt County, Illinois : together with biographical sketches of many prominent and influential citizens > Part 53
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
JESSE BUSHEE.
Jesse Bushee, an honored veteran of the Civil War, who is now living a retired life in White Heath, Illinois, was born in Fair- field county, Ohio, on the IIth of September, 1840, and is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Gettings) Bushee. The father was a na- tive of Pennsylvania, born in 1787, and on leaving that state removed to Ohio, where he engaged in farming until his death. The mother died in 1852. In their family were seven children, but our subject is the only one of the number now living.
In the county of his nativity Jesse Bushee spent the first sixteen years of his life, re- maining at home until his mother's death. His education was acquired in the local
schools, the temple of learning being a log structure with puncheon floor, slab benches and greased paper windows. On starting out in life for himself he worked as a farm hand by the month until 1856, when he de- cided to come to Illinois, and by team jour- neyed with his brother-in-law, Ezra Fos- naugh, across the country to Macoupin county, it requiring about six weeks to make the trip. There Mr. Bushee engaged in splitting rails for about six months, and then came to Piatt county, where he worked on a farm by the month until the Civil war broke out.
Prompted by a spirit of patriotism he entered the service of his country, enlisting for three months in the Twenty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry-General Grant's old regiment, and was mustered in by General Grant himself. After five months spent in the army he returned home and rented a part of the George Boyers farm, which he oper- ated until the 13th of August, 1862, when he again entered the army, this time as a member of the One Hunded and Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was in the march from Glasgow, Kentucky, through Ohio and Indiana to Ironton, where they captured General Morgan and his army. Mr. Bushee, with others of his command, took the prisoners to Cincinnati, and from there went to Lebanon, Kentucky, and on the noted march over the Cumberland moun- tains, where they were forced to live on two or three small pieces of hardtack per day. He was in the siege of Knoxville and all through the Georgia campaign as far as At- lanta, and was also in the battle at Loudon, Tennessee. Mr. Bushee was taken ill at At- lanta and sent to the hospital at Marietta, Georgia. On his recovering he was granted a furlough and returned home to vote. Later
-
513
PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
he rejoined his regiment and was in all of the engagements from Atlanta to Resaca, and was in the battles of Buzzard Roost, Kenesaw Mountain and many others, in- cluding that of Nashville. After the last named engagement he returned to Cincinnati by boat, and from there went to Washington, D. C., whence he proceeded by boat to Smithland, North Carolina. He was in the figlit at Fort Anderson and Raleigh where his command met that of General Sherman, and then proceeded to Salisbury, North Carolina, where he remained until mustered out at the close of the war in the spring of 1865.
After his return home, Mr. Bushee re- sumed farming on Benjamin F. Cressip's place, but shortly after marriage in 1866 he removed to the farm belonging to Jehu Trotter, where he spent two years, and the following year was passed on the John Jones farm. For one year he made his home in Champaign county, but at the end of that time he returned to Piatt county, operating the Charles Smith farm for two years. He next farmed on property adjoining the vil- lage of White Heath, owned by the firm of White & Heath, remaining there until 1890, when he retired from active labor, buying a nice little home in the village and three and a half acres of land at the edge of town.
On the 2d of September, 1866, Mr. Bushee was united in marriage to. Miss Ma- tilda Jane Teats, who was born in Adelphi, · Ross county, Ohio, March 27, 1849, and in 1856 came to Piatt county, Illinois, with her parents, Mathias and Mary (Puffinberg) Teats. All of their seven children are now deceased with the exception of Mrs. Bushee and her brother, George W. Teats, of White Heath, who is represented elsewhere in this volume. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bushee were
born five children: Mary Elizabeth, who died at the age of three months; Carrie J., wife of John Cox, a resident of DeLand; Jessie Estella, who is at home with her pai- ents, and is a member of Mount Royal Court of Honor, No. 320, White Heath ; Ralph W., who is now working on a farm by the day, but spends his evenings at home; and one who died in infancy. The family is widely and favorably known and their circle of friends is extensive.
CHRISTIAN ROTH.
Christian Roth, one of the leading and influential citizens of Blue Ridge township, residing on section 28, was born in Witten- berg, Germany, on the 18th of July, 1834, his parents being William and Elizabeth (Craft) Roth, both of whom were natives of the same province. They were farming people who spent their entire lives in Ger- many. In their family were eight children, of whom Christian Roth is the fifth in order of birth. He attended the home school un- til fourteen years of age, and then worked upon a farm up to the time of his emigration to America in the year 1857. A forward look into the future, a mental review of the advantages afforded in his native land and in the new world and a comparison of the op- portunities which both offered, led him to cross the Atlantic, and in the year 1857 he sailed from Havre, France, being six weeks upon the voyage. They encountered rough weather and lost three of the sailors, but ul- timately the vessel reached the harbor of New York in safety. Mr. Roth landed in that city, but did not tarry long there, im- mediately coming to the west. He went first
:
514
PAST AND PRESENT
to Springfield, Illinois, where he had friends living, and soon afterward he commenced work on a farm in Sangamon county, re- ceiving eighteen dollars per month for his services. This seemed to him a large sum of money when he compared it with the wages paid in Germany. He continued to reside in Sangamon county until 1862, when his patriotic spirit being aroused in defense of his adopted land, he enlisted in the Union army, becoming a member of Company A, One Hundred and Sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry under the command of Captain Yates, an uncle of the present governor of the state. The commander of the regiment was Colonel Latham. Mr. Roth participated in the siege of Vicksburg and took part in a number of the important battles with the Army of the Tennessee. He was very for- tunate in that he was never wounded, and after the close of the war he was mustered out in Springfield, Illinois, in 1865.
Following his military experience, Mr. Roth was engaged in conducting a butcher shop in Old Berlin for two years, and then came to Piatt county and purchased land. As a companion and helpmate for the jour- ney of life he chose Miss Julia Ann Auer, a daughter of Mathew Auer, who lived and died in Germany. Mrs. Roth was born in that country and their marriage occurred Mr. Roth belongs to the Presbyterian church, and his wife is a member of the Catholic church. He also belongs to Mans- field Lodge, No. 589, I. O. O. F., and in poli- tics he is a Republican. He has served as school director, but at other times has al- ways preferred to give his time and energies to his business interests. If those who claim that fortune favors certain individuals above others, will but examine into the life records of the majority of successful men, it will be September 22, 1866. Unto our subject and his wife have been born ten children: Eliza- beth, who is the wife of Simeon Keiser, a resident of Champaign county, Illinois, by whom she has four children. John, Teresa, Juliana and Alma; Agnes, who is the wife of German Wesler, a resident of Mansfield, by whom she has two children, William and Lawrence; Mary, the wife of Mark Schudel, by whom she has one daughter, Juliana ; Katharine, the wife of Michael Schudel, by. found that the great number of them have
whom she had three children, John, Mollie and Irene, but the first named is now de- ceased; William, a resident farmer of Blue Ridge township, who married Minnie Kruz- weg, by whom he has three children, Clar- ence, Mabel and Emma; Lena, the wife of John Beckenholdt, a resident of Blue Ridge towship; Emma, the wife of Frank Wolf, who is living in Oklahoma ; and Nellie, John and Christian, all at home.
After coming to Piatt county Mr. Roth purchased eighty acres of land which was wild prairie, paying for it ten dollars per acre. Since that time he has carried on agri- cultural pursuits with excellent success, grad- ually adding to his landed possessions until they now aggregate four hundred acres, all of which is located' in Blue Ridge township. with the exception of a tract of eighty acres that lies in Hensley township, Champaign county. He carries on general farming, rais- ing both grain and stock. He makes a spe- cialty of beef cattle and of hogs, and the products of the farm annually find a good sale on the market and bring to him a de- sirable financial reward for his labor. Year by year he has carried on his farm work, making his labors of such force in the busi- ness affairs of life that he is to-day one of the substantial citizens of his community.
515
PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS. ...
gained their possessions as Mr. Roth has done, though close application, earnest labor and unfaltering perseverance. Coming to America empty-handed he has adapted him- self to the changed conditions of this coun- try, has improved the opportunities which have come to him and to-day is one of the men of affluence in Blue Ridge township, where he is also known as a loyal citizen. No native born son of America could have been more true to her interests during the dark days of the Civil war and his entire life has been characterized by unswerving fidelity to this land.
CHARLES MINER.
This well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Goose Creek township, who carries on general farming on section 21, has spent his entire life in that location, being born on a farm on the same section, March 12, 1857. His father, James G. Miner, was a native of New York, his birth having occurred on the 27th of October, 1814, but he was principally reared and educated in Chillicothe, Ohio, his family having removed to that state during his boyhood. His parents were Jonathan and Mary (Mallet) Miner. The former was born in Connecticut in 1783, and in early life removed to New York, where in 1816 he married Mary Mallet, a native of that state. His second removal made him a resident of Ross county, Ohio. By trade he was a cab- inet-maker and followed that occupation throughout life, dying in 1867, at the ripe old age of eighty-four years. His wife had passed away in 1854.
James G. Miner, our subject's father, learned the tailor's trade in Columbus, Ohio, and worked at the same time in various cities
for a number of years, spending twenty-one years at Clarksburg, Ohio. In 1856 he came to Monticello, Illinois, where he was similar- ly employed for five years, and then turned his attention to farming, renting land in that vicinity. Ere long he was able to purchase a farm in Willow Branch township, but in 1867 he sold that place and bought two hundred and fifty-seven acres of land on section 21, Goose Creek township, where he lived until life's labors were ended in death on the 24th of March, 1900. He was married April 26, 1836, to Miss Emaline Fleming, who was born in Kent county, Delaware, in 1818, and was a daughter of Richard and Piercy (Harrington) Fleming, natives of Maryland and Delaware, respectively. During her in- fancy her parents removed to Ross county, Ohio, and in her new home she grew to wo- manhood. Her father, who was a tailor by trade, died May 2, 1847, at the age of sixty- five years, and her mother departed this life November 8, 1852, at the age of sixty-seven. She was a life long member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a most estimable lady.
Charles Miner is the fifth in order of birth in a family of six children. Annie, the eldest, is now the widow of James Harring- ton, a carpenter of Monticello, who made the first wagon ever manufactured in Piatt county and dropped dead at his work, about six years ago. Ira married May Broffet and is engaged in farming in Goose Creek town- ship. Elbert is living retired in Monticello. Richard married Hannah Stewart and is now living a retired life in Mansfield. Eliza is the wife of Jacob Warner, a farmer near Ma- homet, Illinois.
During his boyhood Charles Miner at- tended the public schools of Goose Creek township and aided in carrying on the home farm. At the age of seventeen he commenced
%
516
PAST AND PRESENT
operating a part of his father's land on the shares, and on the death of the latter the property was divided among the heirs and he came into possession of sixty-two acres of the old homestead, which he now farms quite successfully. He raises principally corn and oats and keeps a good grade of stock for his own use. There is a good brick house upon his place, surrounded by beautiful shade trees, and he has set out a new orchard and equipped his farm with the latest improved machinery for carrying on his work in the best and easiest manner.
On the 12th of April, 1876, Mr. Miner was united in marriage to Miss Mary Shafer, a daughter of Samuel and Mahala (Coffel) Shafer, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of Indiana. Mrs. Miner is the oldest of their children, the others being Elizabeth, wife of Lorenzo Tinsmon, who is living re- tired in Monticello. John, who married Dora Frey and follows farming in Monticello township; Susie, wife of Elijah Parsons, foreman of the' tile-yard at Monticello; Charles, a horse-buyer and trainer of Monti- cello; Addie, wife of Albert Plunk, a farmer of Sangamon township; and three who died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Miner have seven children : Olga, wife of Oliver Hostler, a farmer liv- ing near Monticello; Fenton, who married Gertrude Widdershine and is a clerk in his brother-in-law's grocery store at Monticel- lo; Samuel, a fireman on the Illinois Central ' Railroad and a resident of Champaign; Grace, wife of Thomas Parsons, a farmer of Monticello township; Richard, who assists in the operation of the home farm; and Josie and Charlie, also at home. In his political affiliations Mr. Miner is a strong Republican and he takes a deep and commendable inter- est in public affairs. .
FREDERICK, HAMMAN.
Frederick Hamman, who is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits on section 28, Cerro Gordo township, was born in Pike county, Ohio, on the 2d of February, 1855, and is a son of Franz and Kate (Rocky) Hamman, also natives of that state, the for- mer born in Pike county, the latter in Fair- field county. Coming to Illinois in 1868, the father was engaged in farming in Morgan, Sangamon and Macon counties for some years, and afterward lived retired in Piatt county, where he died at the home of his son, William, in 1890, at the age of seventy-one years. His wife survived him and passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Hamman, in Bement, in January, 1903, when in her eighty-fourth year.
The ten children of the family were as follows: Daniel and William, both residents of Bement township, Piatt county ; Philip, a resident of St. Louis; Nancy, wife of James H. Boyer, of Bement ; David, who died in in- fancy ; Henry, a resident of Kansas; Fred- erick, of this sketch; Elizabeth, wife of Philip Hamman, of Bement; John, of Kansas; and George, of Moultrie county, Illinois.
Frederick Hamman's boyhood days were passed amid rural surroundings, and his lit- erary education was received in the common schools of his native county. In 1876, on at- taining his majority, he started out in life for himself, and for a number of years oper- ated rented land in Macon county, Illinois. About 1887 he purchased eighty acres of un- improved land on section 27, Cerro Gordo township, and also bought an improved place of one hundred and sixty acres on section 28. Both farms are now under a high state of cul- tivation and yield to the owner a good return for the care and labor expended upon them.
517
PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
On the 6th of March, 1884, Mr. Hamman married Miss Nettie M. Wade, a native of Macon county and a daughter of Thomas and Martha (Myers) Wade. Her father is now deceased, but her mother is still living and now makes her home in Warrensburg, Macon county .. To Mr. and Mrs. Hamman were born seven children, namely: Lovina; Mabel, Thurman; Everett; Clifford, who died in infancy ; Flossie and Annetta. The family hold membership in the Church of
God, of which Mr. Hamman is one of the elders and also a trustee, and he has served as superintendent of the Sunday-school at Gulliford schoolhouse and as assistant super- intendent at Milmine. He has held the office of school director in Cerro Gordo township and has ever taken an active interest in pro- moting the social, educational and moral wel- fare of the community in which he has re- sided. He is an upright, honorable man, and has the confidence and respect of all.
1
€
.
-
.
.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.367M18P C001 PAST AND PRESENT OF PIATT COUNTY, ILLINO
3 0112 025396240
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.