Past and present of Pike County, Illinois, Part 26

Author: Massie, Melville D; Clarke, (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 760

USA > Illinois > Pike County > Past and present of Pike County, Illinois > Part 26

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This is from the pen of Hon. J. M. Bush, the able editor and proprietor of the Pike County Democrat and the publisher of Mr. Grimshaw's centennial history :

"TO THE PUBLIC.

"In presenting the foregoing able and exhaus- tive centennial address it is due to the author and ourself to say that circumstances beyond our control have prevented its publication until the present time, but as it is a work of that character which will become the more valuable as time shall elapse, little harm can arise from the delay. And in this connection we deem it but just to the dis- tinguished author to append a notice of one who has been so prominently identified with the his- tory of Illinois and especially of Pike county since its earliest days-the Hon. William A. Grimshaw. He is a son of William Grimshaw, who was an

early and distinguished historian of the United States and whose mother was Harriet Milligan Grimshaw, a native of Charleston, South Caro- lina, and a daughter of James Milligan, a captain in the Pennsylvania line in the American Revolu- tion, and an original member of the Society of Cincinnati, of which society General George Washington was the president. The subject of this sketch was admitted to the bar at nineteen years of age in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In May, 1833, he arrived in Pike county, Illinois; and in November of the same year received a li- cense from the supreme court of the state to practice law .. In the same year he was appointed adjutant of the Seventeenth Illinois Militia, then as other regiments, mustering regularly, and as adjutant, equipped and uniformed, was ready for service with his regiment and often held with his colonel, Benjamin Barney, regimental and bat- talion trainings in Pike. Governor John Rey- nolds, unsolicited, commissioned Mr. Grimshaw as public administrator of Pike county. In 1840 he ran as a whig candidate for the legislature ahead of his ticket at the August election. The vigorous campaign that he made secured to Har- rison for president at the November election a county majority of one hundred and twelve votes. At his next candidacy he was elected as a dele- gate to the constitutional convention of 1847 and sat in that body, in whose deliberations and ac- tions he took a prominent part. He was the au- thor of the anti-dueling clause incorporated into the constitution then adopted. The next year, 1848, his own county gave him a majority as a candidate for the legislature, but he was defeated by the vote of Calhoun county, which then voted with Pike county. On several subsequent occa- sions, as a candidate for the senate and constitu- tional convention, he has run largely ahead of his- ticket, but opposition having substantial majori- ties, he was defeated. In politics a whig and then a republican, he has at the solicitation of others been put forward as a representative of the views of his party, but has always manifested a personal independence, rarely, if ever, to be found in the party politician. As a Union man he was very pronounced in his views and devoted his time and energies freely in support of the federal govern-

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ment. In 1860, as a delegate to the Decatur con- The chairman of the committee, appointed at a vention, he was for Lincoln for president and in . former meeting to prepare proper resolutions, sub- mitted the following :

1864 took part in the Illinois state convention and was also sent as a delegate of the old ninth con- gressional district to the Baltimore republican convention which re-nominated Lincoln. As a personal friend of Douglas, in war speeches he lauded him for his bold and emphatic support of the Union cause. At the bar of Pike and other counties and also in the supreme court of Illinois and in the United States court at Springfield and Chicago he has tried many causes and is yet in very active practice ; and as attorney for the Sny levee commissioners has from the first steps as to legal proceedings in the state courts upheld the acts ,of the commissioners, but the supreme court of Illinois has decided adversely on the constitu- tionality of the state laws as to levees, etc. He is attorney for the Toledo, Wabash & Western and Chicago & Alton Railroad Companies and Mississippi River Bridge Company at Louisiana, Missouri. During fourteen years the late Jackson Grimshaw was in partnership with his brother, William A., that partnership ceasing in 1857. He is the owner of fine farms and takes pride in agriculture and has raised fine horses, cattle and sheep. He is a life member of the Pike County Agricultural Society and has several times been president thereof and has taken many premiums on fine stock. In the promotion of railroads and other interests in Pike he has always actively par- ticipated. As a trustee of the State Institution for the Blind at Jacksonville he served twelve years and in the last year of his service the institu- tion was rebuilt, the first edifice having been de- stroyed by fire. This service was without emolu- ment. He takes pride in having served many years as a trustee of Pittsfield and also as a school director of Pittsfield when the large and hand- some East school building was erected in 1863-4. and for many years thereafter.

"J. M. BUSH, Publisher.

"February 17, 1877."

On Monday at four o'clock in the afternoon the bar of Pike county assembled to pay tribute to the memory of the gentleman whose name heads this article and there was a full attendance.

"The committee, to whom at a farmer term of this court was assigned the duty of preparing and presenting to it suitable resolutions touching the death of Hon. William A. Grimshaw, one of the earliest and most honored members of the Pike county bar, respectfully report the following pre- amble and resolutions :

"Whereas, On the morning of January 7, A. D. 1895, Hon. William A. Grimshaw, who became a member of this bar in 1833 and for more than half a century was prominent in the practice of his profession not only at it, but in the courts of what is known as the military tract as well as in the supreme court of the state and the federal courts, passed at a ripe old age and full of honors to that bourne from whence no traveler returns and is no longer one of our number, therefore be it

"Resolved, That by his death the Pike county bar has · lost one who in his mature manhood through a long and useful life was an ornament to his profession and in its practice commanded the esteem and confidence of the entire community, one who by his energy and zeal in behalf of his clients, his study honesty, integrity and fidelity to all trusts assumed by or imposed upon him added lustre to a profession which from the earli- est ages has been foremost in the conduct of all matters tending to the well-being of a common humanity, one who imbued with a high sense of honor and regard for the majesty of the law, waged his legal battles in an open field and so conducted them as to be a foeman worthy of the steel of the highest in the profession. In fine, one the record of whose life as a lawyer stands out fair and untarnished and presents in him a bright exemplar for the emulation of the younger mem- bers of a profession he so well adorned.

"Resolved, That not alone in his chosen walk of life, the law, was he distinguished and promi- nent, but in all the relations of life he was ever foremost in good works. As a member of the constitutional convention of 1847 he took high rank among the ablest in that distinguished body and rendered invaluable service in the framing of an instrument which in the wisdom of its pro-

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PAST AND PRESENT OF PIKE COUNTY.

visions was far ahead of the general spirit of the age and became a model for years for many of the new states admitted into the Union. He was the author of the anti-dueling provision which met with much opposition in a day when the code duello was largely in vogue for the settlement of personal difficulties and was urgent in the sup- port of the levy of the two mill tax, by which the credit of the state was restored and its debt of some twelve or fourteen million dollars eventu- ally paid. When the dark and troublous times that preceded the breaking out of the internecine strife for the perpetuity of the Union first ap- peared his patriotic spirit was deeply stirred and with that zeal and ardor which were among his marked characteristics he engaged earnestly and vigorously in the upholding of the flag of his country and rendered services in private life that would have won him distinction if performed upon the tented field, and ever during the pen- dency of that terrible struggle was the trusted friend and confidant of the federal authorities. As a member of the State Board of Charities for many years his work as such became a labor of love and he was pre-eminently conspicuous in making the various charitable institutions of the state carry out most fully and economically the noble purposes for which they were established. Into this work he entered with all his soul and that energy of purpose so characteristic of him in all that he undertook and after his retirement as a member he manifested by word and deed up to the very last the warmest interest in a matter in which all the better feelings of his nature had be- come involved. In local matters he was in full sympathy with whatever tended to the upbuilding and prosperity of this county and community, as is evidenced by his having been one of the incor- porators of the Louisiana & Pike County Rail- road, a member of the school board that erected our costly East school building in 1863-4, presi- dent and director of the Pike County Agricul- tural Society, one of the originators of the Old Settlers' Society and in the promotion of these and other projects of like character he was ever active, efficient and zealous. Your committee re- spectfully ask that this preamble and resolutions be spread upon the records of this court and a

copy presented to the family of the deceased and furnished to the county papers for publication.

"J. M. BUSH, Chairman, "A. C. MATTHEWS, "J. D. HESS, "Committee "

Mr. Grimshaw was a member of the Episcopal church, a sincere, conscientious, consistent. and active Christian. His prayer was always : "Heav- enly Father give me wisdom and strength faith- fully to perform my whole duty in every relation of life." His motto was "Candide et Constanter," and he exemplified it in his life. He was very lit- erary in his tastes, a great reader, took an interest in a wide range of subjects and was well in- formed upon them. He collected a large and valuable library of miscellaneous books and was very liberal minded and generous, no worthy per- son or cause ever appealing to him for aid in vain. Although firm and unyielding where a principle was involved, giving forth no uncertain sound, in matters of mere will or pleasure he conceded much. But it was in his home that his superior qualities of heart and mind shone brightest. He was a most affectionate and tender husband and father and a true friend.

W. R. WILLS.

W. R. Wills, prominently known as a breeder of pedigreed shorthorn cattle, owning a fine stock farm four and a half miles west of Pittsfield, on sections 20 and 21, Pittsfield township, and also engaged in the real-estate business in the city as a member of the firm of W. R. Wills & Brother, is one of Pike county's native sons, his birth hav- ing occurred at Summer Hill, Pike county, Illi- nois, October 27, 1844. His parents were Wil- liam R. and Lucy D. (Scott) Wills. The father, a native of Herkimer county, New York, came to Illinois in 1827, while the mother, also a na- tive of Herkimer county, New York, born in Litchfield, came west in 1818, landing at East St. Louis on the 4th of July. Some years after coming to Illinois the father purchased a farm on which he spent his remaining days. As the years passed by he prospered in his undertakings and

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accumulated considerable property, at one time owning sixteen hundred and forty acres of fine farm land. He made a specialty of stock-raising and was extensively engaged in the stock business for a number of years. In all that he undertook he prospered, owing to his close application and unremitting diligence. His political allegiance was given to the republican party, but he was without aspiration for office. He held member- ship with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Pittsfield, and in public affairs manifested a helpful interest. In the family were eight chil- dren, of whom three are living: W. R., of this review; Lucy, the wife of Jerome Chamberlain, who resides at Laurel, Mississippi; and A. V. The father died August 6, 1872, while the mother survived until October 30, 1890.

W. R. Wills, of this review, after attending the common schools of Pike county, prepared for his business career by a course of study in Bry- ant, Stratton and Carpenter's Commercial Col- lege at St. Louis, Missouri, from which he was graduated in 1867. Through the period of his youth he worked upon his father's farm and con- tinued as his assistant until the father's death, since which time he has owned a part of the old homestead and has always lived there. He is to- day one of the best known breeders of shorthorn cattle in this part of the state, having gained a wide reputation for the high grade and good points of his stock. He owns four hundred and eighty acres of excellent farming land on sections 20 and 21, Pittsfield township, and the place is improved with modern buildings and equipment, while everything about the farm is kept in first- class condition. In connection with his brother, A. V. Wills, he also owns eight hundred and forty acres of land on the Mississippi river bottoms. These brothers are engaged in real-estate opera- tions in Pittsfield under the firm style of W. R. Wills & Brother. They give special attention to large tracts of swamp lands, sell lands on com- mission and have a large clientage in this busi- ness.

who came to. Pike county at an early day. Her father owned a small farm here, upon which he spent his remaining days. Mr. and Mrs. Wills have become the parents of ten children, of whom eight are living : Lucy Ellen, who was born De- cember 14, 1870, was married October 24, 1888, to James O. Wilsey, a resident of Kahlotus, Wash- ington, and they have four children : Lela May, born August 11, 1890 ; Alta P., born May 3, 1892; Ross O., born August 27, 1901, and James O., born October 20, 1903. Charles H., born May 9, 1873, was married June 4, 1902, to Anna D. Dutton, a resident of Pittsfield township. Isadora I., born September 9, 1877, was married in May, 1898, to Carson Tippets, a resident of Pittsfield township, and they have three children, Alva, Leland and Kieth. Edgar Eugene, born April 9, 1880, now living in Scott county, Illinois, was married. May 21, 1905, to Grace Fern Frederick .. Clarence David, born August 9, 1882, Armine, born November 29, 1885, Mabel Ethel, born Au- gust 13, 1889, and Neva Rose, born July 23, 1892, are all at home with their parents. They lost their first born, Ida M., whose birth occurred December 14, 1869, and who died on the 2d of August, 1870. Their fourth child, Orion Ross, born January 30, 1876, was killed by lightning April 18, 1902.

In his political affiliation Mr. Wills is a stal- wart republican and has served as school trustee for several years. He has always been interested in the cause of education, but has never cared for other office. He belongs to Pittsfield lodge, No. 95, I. O. O. F., of Pittsfield, and Pittsfield lodge, No. 790, A. F. & A. M., Union chapter, No. 10, R. A. M., and Ascalon commandery, No. 49, K. T. Both he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah lodge and Mrs. Wills is an active member of the Christian church. A gentleman of broad, general culture, Mr. Wills has read widely and deeply and is a most inter- esting conversationalist. He is especially inter- ested in historical matters and genealogical re- search. His business career has been character- ized by steady progress that ultimately reaches its objective point and in the conduct of his farm, in the management of his stock breeding and in

On the 23d of July, 1868, Mr. Wills was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. Wells, a native of Pike county, born August 27, 1850, and a daughter of Robert and Mary (Jester) Wells, the control of his real-estate operations he has

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met with gratifying success, becoming one of the substantial and representative citizens of Pike county.

ARDEN NORTHUP ..

Arden Northup was born in Griggsville, Ili- nois, February 20, 1875. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Northup. His life thus far has always been spent in Griggsville. At the age of fifteen years he entered the printing office as an' apprentice and has since followed that profession. In 1903 he established the Griggsville Herald, a newspaper which ranks well in the foremost list of county papers. He is a member of Griggsville lodge, No. 45, A. F. & A. M. and also of Pike lodge, No. 73, I. O. O. F.

J. I. DOSS, M. D.

Dr. J. I. Doss, who since 1883 has engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Milton, where his ability and devotion to his profession have been recognized in a large and constantly growing patronage, was born in Waverly, Illi- nois, August 29, 1858, his parents being Dr. C. H. and Margaret Doss. Whether inherited ten- dency or environment or a natural predilection did most to influence the choice of J. I. Doss to a profession is not definitely known, but that he chose a life work for which nature seemed to have intended him is indicated by the fact of his success as a practitioner. His literary education was completed by three years' study in the Chris- tian University at Canton, Missouri, after which he read medicine for one year under the direction of his father. He next attended a term of lec- tures at the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincin- nati, Ohio, and subsequently entered the Bennett Medical College at Chicago, from which he was graduated in the class of 1880, having pursued a thorough course in that institution. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession in Pittsfield, where he remained for three years, and in 1883 he came to Milton, Pike county, " where

he has since remained, a liberal patronage being accorded him in recognition of his thorough un- derstanding of the principles of medicine and sur- gery and his correct application of his knowledge to the needs of suffering humanity. In 1892 he pursued a post-graduate course in New York Post-Graduate College and he has continuously been a student of his profession, keeping in touch with modern scientific researches through the reading of medical journals and the books that have been contributed to medical literature and are of recognized value to the profession.

Dr. Doss was married September 12, 1883, to Miss Virginia E. Luthy, a daughter of Samuel and Mary Luthy, of Pittsfield, Illinois, and they are highly esteemed in social circles of Milton, the hospitality of the best homes being cordially extended to them. Dr. Doss is a member of Mil- ton lodge, No. 275, A. F. & A. M., and of Robin Hood lodge, No. 415, K. P., both of Milton. He is an elder in the Christian church, of which he has been a member since 1876. In his profession he is connected with the Illinois State Eclectic Association and the National Eclectic Associa- tion. He is a self-made man in every respect, and has devoted his life to a profession wherein advancement depends entirely upon individual ef- fort and merit, constantly broadening his knowl- edge by reading and research, which has pro- moted his efficiency year by year and in the twenty- two years of his connection with Milton has sus- tained a high reputation and enjoyed the unquali- fied confidence and good will of his fellow citizens.

LOREN L. CUNNINGHAM.

Loren L. Cunningham is one of the public- spirited men of Hardin township, serving as assessor at this writing, in 1906, while his activ- ity and devotion to the general good have made him a man of worth to the community. He is. also an active and thrifty farmer, operating one hundred and sixty acres of land. His birth oc- curred in Hardin township, on the 2d of Feb- ruary, 1881. His father, John A. Cunningham,

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was also a native son of Pike county, first open- ing his eyes to the light of day in Hardin town- ship, where he was reared to manhood and ac- quired his education. In 1878 he was married to Miss Mary E. Mitchell, whose birth occurred in the same township. Her father, John W. Mitchell, was a native of Ohio and when a young man came to Illinois, where he was married to Miss Nancy E. Sitton, who was born in Missouri but was reared in Pike county, her people having located here at an early day in the development of this part of the state. John A. Cunningham became a substantial. farmer who owned and operated a tract of land of nearly one hundred acres. He improved this tract and spent his last days upon the farm, his death occurring here in December, 1881. He left a wife and two children : Lola, the wife of Charles Willard, now one of the substantial farmers of Hardin town- ship who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume; and Loren L., of this review.

The latter spent his youth in the usual manner of farm lads, living upon the old homestead and dividing his attention between the duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. Following his father's death he remained with his mother upon the farm and later took charge of the property. He was married in Hardin township, February 22, 1903, to Miss Clyde A. Cox, a daughter of Robert Cox, a farmer of Hardin township. Mrs. Cunningham spent her girlhood days in her parents' home and is indebted to the public schools for the edu- cational privileges she enjoyed. By her marriage she has become the mother of two children, Thelma L. and Jaunita, the latter now deceased.

Following his marriage Mr. Cunningham lo- cated upon the old home farm, where he yet resides, and in connection with the cultivation of this place he also operates other lands. He is a good business man and largely devotes his attention to raising good grades of stock. His labors are attended with a gratifying measure of prosperity for he is thoroughly familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and preparing his stock for the market. He has always been an earnest republican and he was appointed com- missioner to fill out an unexpired term. He was

elected and is now serving his first term as asses- sor of Hardin township and the trust reposed in him is well merited as is indicated by his faithful performance of the duties that thus devolve upon him. He is a Master Mason, belonging to the lodge at Time. One of the young men of the county, he has already made for himself a credit- able name and a good position in business circles.

HON. HARRY HIGBEE.

Hon. Harry Higbee, judge of the eighth judi- cial district, is a native of Pittsfield, his present home. He was born December 13, 1854, a son of Judge and Mrs. Chauncey L. Higbee. His father was a most eminent and distinguished jur- ist and a man universally admired and kindly re- membered. His death occurred in 1884.

Judge Higbee of this review was a student in the public schools of Pittsfield until 1871, when he entered Yale College, from which he was grad- uated in the class of 1875. Following the comple- tion of his collegiate course he read law for a year in Pittsfield, atter which he spent a year in Columbia Law School in New York city. The following year was devoted to the further study of the principles of jurisprudence in the Union Col- lege of Law in Chicago, from which he was graduated in the class of 1878. Just prior to this time he had successfully passed the examina- tion for admission to the bar of Illinois, and fol- lowing the completion of his law course he spent nine months in travel in Europe in company with the Hon. Scott Wike, thus gaining the knowl- edge and culture which only travel can bring.

Following his return home Mr. Higbee entered at once upon the practice of his profession and was associated with Mr. Wike and Colonel Mat- thews under the firm style of Matthews, Wike & Higbee until 1884. Severing his connection with the firm he then went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he remained nine months, and on his return to Pittsfield at the end of that time he formed a partnership with Mr. Wike under the name of Wike & Higbee. When Mr. Wike was made as-

Harry Higher

LIBRARY Of THE UNIVERSITY OF ILL NAIS

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PAST AND PRESENT OF PIKE COUNTY.

sistant secretary of the treasury Mr. Higbee be- came a member of the firm of Matthews, Higbee & Grigsby, with which he was connected until his election to the circuit court bench in 1897, to which office he has been re-elected, so that he is the present judge of the eighth judicial district. In 1888 he was elected to the state senate and was re-elected in 1892. He was appointed a member of the appellate court of the second district of Illi- nois in 1898, and was re-appointed in 1900 and in 1903 was appointed in the fourth district. He is also president of the First National Bank of Pittsfield, but otherwise has concentrated his ener- gies upon the legal profession.

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Past and present of Pike County, Illinois, Part 26

Author: Massie, Melville D; Clarke, (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 760

Author: Massie, Melville D; Clarke, (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 760