USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois > Part 26
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At the time of his marriage Mr. Betzer took his bride to his farm and there they resided continuously until 1865, when, be- lieving that he might have still better busi- ness opportunities in a district farther west, he came to Macon county, arriving here in 1865. lle took up his abode on a farm in Whitmore township, six miles northeast of Decatur and first purchased two hundred and fifteen acres of land. There he began making improvements and afterward pur- chased more land, adding to his place from time to time until he had a tract of three hundred and twenty-five acres. Ile was progressive in his farming methods, active, industrious and honorable in his business career, but after residing upon his farm for a few years he decided to rent the land and remove to Decatur, where he enjoyed rest from further labor. Ile was a man to whom indolence and idleness were utterly foreign and although he retired from farm life busi- ness interests of a different character claimed his attention to a considerable de- gree. He was a lover of stock and engaged to some extent in stock-raising. He also worked at the carpenter's trade and aided
in building many of the bridges near Deca- tur. In 1807 he erected a residence now occupied by his widow. On account of his health he traveled to a considerable extent, frequently spending the winter months in the south. In the summer of 1892 he vis- ited California and at different times went to other places of interest in the country, visiting its scenes of beauty and many of its historic places, gaining thereby the cul- ture and knowledge which only travel can bring.
Mr. and Mrs. Betzer had no children of their own but gave homes to two of their nieces: Effie A. came to them at the age of thirteen years and remained with them until her marriage to Amos F. Imboden, a policeman of Decatur. They now reside at No. 1243 North Edwards street. Another niece, Maria 1. Evans, lived with Mr. and Mrs. Betzer from her seventh to her twenty- first year and then became the wife of Frank Spillman, a hardware merchant of Alacon, but both are now deceased.
During the winter of 1895-6, while going from his house to his barn, Mr. Betzer slipped on the ice, sustaining a severe in- jury. lle was carried to his bed and there he suffered for several weeks, his injury combined with other causes, leading to his death on the 18th of March, 1896. His re- mains were interred in the beautiful Green- wood cemetery of Decatur. He was never an active politician in the sense of office seeking and yet after removing to the city of Decatur he served as supervisor for one year, being elected on the Democratic tick- et, whose principles he always endorsed. Both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church of this city and he took an active and helpful part in church work, while Mrs. Betzer supplemented his labors in this regard by her own zeal in the work. He left his widow in very comfortable cir- cumstances. She now owns a nice home at No. 358 East Williams street and in addi-
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tion owns the old homestead of three hun- dred and twenty-five acres of valuable farm- ing land in Whitmore township.
Mr. Betzer was a self-made man and his possessions were obtained through earnest, indefatigable effort. He watched closely his opportunities for business advancement and by the utilization of these and by his per- severance and diligence he gained a hand- some competence. He won, too, an honor- able name in business circles for he was al- ways straightforward in every trade trans- action. He had many friends in Decatur and Macon county who still cherish his memory and no history of this locality would be complete without the record of his life, for during thirty-one years he lived in the county and in many ways assisted in its progress and promotion. He was al- ways deeply interested in whatever per- tained to its welfare and was known as a publie spirited citizen.
WILLIAM R. BOGGS, M. D.
Dr. William R. Boggs, who is success- fully engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Macon, Illinois, was born on the 23d of March, 1854. in Noble county, Ohio, his parents being Alexander and Mary A. (Thompson) Boggs. His father was also a native of Ohio, born near Mount Vernon, Richland county, March 22, 1827. and was a son of Reuben Boggs, whose birth occurred in Virginia in 1800. In early life the latter married Miss Ellenor Mar- quiss, and from the Old Dominion they re- moved to Ohio, being among the first set- tlers at St. Clairsville. The grandfather of our subject died at Sharon, Ohio, in 1884. at the age of eighty-four years.
Alexander Boggs was reared and educated in the county of his nativity and when a young man removed from there to Noble county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming and stock-dealing throughout the remainder
of his life. About 1849 he wedded Miss Mary A. Thompson, who was born at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, March 15. 1832. Her parents, Robert and Isabel (McDon- ald) Thompson, were natives of Ireland, where the former was born in 1800. On coming to the United States he stopped first at Baltimore, Maryland, and in 1835 re- moved to Noble county, Ohio. By occu- pation he was also a farmer. He died in iam R., of this review: John, a farmer of 1875 and his wife passed away in 1874. Unto Alexander and Mary .A. (Thomp- son) Boggs were born eight children, name- ly: Robert T., who was a physician at Bloomington, Indiana, and died in 1881, when about thirty years of age : Reuben, who died of scarlet fever in infancy ; Will- Caldwell, Ohio: James Mac, who died in infancy : Clement, who follows farming near Caldwell, Ohio; Lena, wife of W. O. Keith, who resides at Warsaw, and is engaged in merchandising at that place ; and Elmer F., a clothier of Salem, Indiana. The father of this family departed this life in May, 1894, and the mother died in March, 1889.
Dr. Boggs received his early education in the common schools of Caldwell, Ohio. and later attended the Northern Indiana Normal School, preparing for a medical course which he intended to take. After leaving that institution in 1875. he engaged in teaching school for about five years and then entered the Kentucky School of Med- icine at Louisville, Kentucky, where he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1883. He was engaged in the practice of his profession at Keith, Ohio, until 1890, and the following year came to Macon, Illinois, where he purchased the home. of- fice and practice of Dr. R. Tobey, who be- gan practice here in 1869. Dr. Boggs has since improved the property and has gradu- ally extended his practice until it is now quite large and profitable. He has the largest general library, as well as the larg-
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est collection of medical works, in central Illinois, and derives much pleasure as well as profit from his books. In 1892 he took a post graduate course at the Chicago Poli- clinic and is a progressive member of his profession, keeping abreast with the latest discoveries and theories by his perusal of medical journals.
At Caldwell, Ohio, in 1875, the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Barclay, a daughter of Adam and Mattic (Miller) Barclay. Her father was born in Ireland in 1826 but when a child was brought to this country and settled in Cald- well, Ohio, where he spent the remainder of his life. He made farming his life work. Dr. and Mrs. Boggs have one child, Ola, who was graduated at Knox College, Gales- burg, Illinois, and has since taken special work at the University of Chicago. She is now at home with her parents. The fam- ily attend the Presbyterian church, of which the wife and daughter are members, and the Doctor is connected with South Macon Lodge, No. 467, A. F. & A. M., and Beacon Lodge, K. P., both of Macon, He is also an Odd Fellow, belonging to the subordinate lodge, No. 466 and the encamp- ment, No. 245, of Keith, Ohio. In the line of his profession he holds membership in the American Medical Association, the 11li- nois Medical Society, the District Medical Society and the Decatur Medical Society. Ile is local surgeon for the Illinois Central Railroad Company and examining physician for many of the old line insurance com- panies. Pleasant and genial in manner he makes many friends and has the happy fac- ulty of being able to retain them.
JUDGE WILLIAM E. NELSON.
Judge William E. Nelson has been one of the most conspicuous figures in the history of jurisprudence in the fourteenth circuit of Illinois. In the long line of the ilhuis-
trious men of whom the state is justly proud the public life of few others has ex- tended over as long a period as his and certainly the life of none has been more varied in service, more constant in honor, more fearless in conduct and more stain- less in reputation. He is the Nestor of the Decatur bar, having engaged in practice since August, 1844, while since June, 1857, he has been a representative of the legal fra- ternity of this city. Upon the bench, too, he has won high honors and no resident of Decatur is more worthy of mention in this volume than Judge William E. Nelson.
The Judge is a native of Tennessee, born in White county on the 4th of June, 1824. In the paternal line he comes of Irish line- age, but the family was established in Vir- ginia at an early day in the history of this country. John Nelson, the grandfather of the Judge, was born in the Old Dominion and at the time of the Revolutionary war joined the colonists and aided in the strug- gle for independence, serving until victory crowned the American army and the Re- public was established. Ile was a mill- wright and also the owner of a mill, and throughout his business career followed these pursuits. Removing to Tennessee, he spent his last days in Overton county, where he passed away at the advanced age of eighty-five years. Ilis son, Richard Nel- son, was born in Tennessee and after ar- riving at years of maturity wedded Eliza McCampbell, who was of Scotch-Irish de- scent, and a daughter of Andrew McCamp- bell. IIer father was born in the land of hills and heather and after his mar- riage in that country he removed to Ireland, where he made his home until he sailed for the new world. Taking up his resi- dence in Virginia he remained there until his removal to Tennessee and he, too, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war, valiantly aiding the colonists in their at- tempt to win freedom from British oppres-
12
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sion. Becoming a resident of Tennessee he carried on farming in Knox county and there died at the age of seventy-five years.
Richard Nelson, the father of the Judge, was an attorney and engaged in practice in Sparta, Tennessee, from the time of his marriage until 1846, when he removed to Carrollton, Mississippi, where he spent his remaining days. Prominent in public af- fairs he left the impress of his individuality upon public thought and action and aided in large measure in shaping the policy of the states, in which he made his home. He was a member of the constitutional conven- tion which formed the organic law of Ten- nessee and for many years he filled the posi- tion of judge of the probate court in Missis- sippi, and his knowledge of the law was broad and comprehensive and his clientage was ever of an important and distinctively representative character. His death oc- curred in 1865 when he was in his sixty-fifth year, and his wife passed away in Carroll- ton, Mississippi, when more than ninety years of age. They were both members of the Presbyterian church and to them were born five sons and three daughters, the sur- viving members of the family being Will- iam E. ; Mary F., who is the wife of Charles N. Scott, of Carrollton, Mississippi; and Emily, the wife of James M. Moore, of College City, California.
Reared to manhood in the county of his nativity, William E. Nelson pursued his lit- erary education there, being a student in the subscription schools, for at that time the public school system had not been estab- lished. When sixteen years of age he took up the study of law with his father as his preceptor and in August, 1844. when twenty years of age he was admitted to the bar. Joining his father in practice he was for some years connected with the legal inter- ests of White county and the adjoining cir- cuit and his prowess as a lawyer was tested in the conduct of trials where he was op-
posed to many older and more experienced lawyers. However, he proved his skill and capability and successfully handled many intricate problems of jurisprudence. Con- tinuing in practice in White county, Ten- nessee, until June, 1857, he then removed to Decatur, which was a small town but seemed to have a good future before it. llere Judge Nelson opened his law office and has since been a representative of the bar, covering a period of forty-six years. In the preparation of his cases he was al- ways thorough and exhaustive. He seemed almost to intuitively grasp the strong points of law and fact and his reasoning thereon was presented so cogently and un- answerably as to leave no doubt as to the correctness of his views or of his conclu- sions. No detail seemed to escape him and every point was given its due prominence while the case was argued with such skill, ability and power that he seldom failed to gain the verdict desired.
It is a noticeable fact that the lawyer figures more prominently in public affairs than does the representative of any other class of business activity. The reason for this is evident and needs no explanation. The ability and training which qualify one to practice law also qualify him in many re- spects for duties which lie outside the sphere of his profession and which touch the general interests of state. Judge Nel- son is a man who has brought keen dis- cernment and thorough wisdom to bear not alone in professional paths, but also for the benefit of the city and state which have so long been his home and with whose inter- ests he has been so thoroughly identified. He was appointed by the governor as one of a committee for the revisal of the statutes and in 1870 he was elected a member of the twenty-seventh general assembly of Illinois, which convened immediately after the adop- tion of the constitution. He served through- ont all the repeated sessions of that long
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assembly and left the impress of his indi- viduality upon the measures adopted by that body. To each question which came up for settlement he gave carnest and care- ful consideration and never failed in his al- legiance to a course which he believed would contribute to the welfare of the en- tire state. After his retirement from that office he was chosen by popular suffrage to the position of circuit judge of the four- teenth circuit of Illinois and was upon that bench for one term. Later he was elected county judge of Macon county and by re election was continued in the office for four years. On the bench he was the very em- bodiment of judicial dignity. He was ever courteous and considerate and never tried to win cheap applause at the expense of an inexperienced attorney or overwrought wit- ness. A man of unimpeachable character, of unusual intellectual endowments, with a thorough understanding of the law, pa- tience, urbanity and industry, Judge Nel- son took to the bench the very highest qualifications for this most responsible of- fice in the system of the state government ; and his record as a judge has been in har- mony with his record as a man and lawyer, distinguished by unswerving integrity and a masterful grasp of every problem that has presented itself for solution.
Ere leaving his native state Judge Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Snodgrass, a daughter of Colonel James and Margaret (Mckinney) Snodgrass, who were residents of White county, Tennessee. This wedding was solemnized on the 26th of February, 1846, and the Judge and his wife became parents of five children, name- ly: Margaret Eliza, James Ridley, Theo- dore. Flora and Richard, but with the ex- ception of Theodore, all died in infancy. Theodore Nelson has become a prominent figure in political circles in Chicago, Illi- nois, and has been honored with political preferment there. He married Augusta .1.
Blaine, a daughter of John R. Blaine, of Decatur, and they have one child, Mary Lena. Mrs. Nelson was a most estimable lady whose life was in consistent harmony with her membership in the church of Christ. She died in November, 1876, at the age of forty-seven years, respected by all who knew her. In June, 1889, the Judge was again married, at which date Mrs. Lucy II. Montgomery became his wife. She was the widow of John T. Montgomery and a daughter of Judge Jeptha G. Hollingsworth, of Elkton, Todd county, Kentucky.
The Judge is quite prominent in Masonic circles, holding membership with Macon Lodge No. 8. F. & A. M .; Macon Chapter, No. 21, R. A. M .; and Beaumanoir Com- mandery, No. 9, K. T. Ile also belongs to the Christian church and has been deeply interested in the moral advancement of the community. His political support has ever been given to the Democratic party and it has been upon this ticket that he has been elected to public office. In local positions, political and otherwise, he has served his fellow townsmen most capably and accept- ably and Decatur owes much to his co- operation in its behalf. In his private life he is distinguished by all that marks the true gentleman. His is a noble character, one that subordinates personal ambition to public good and seeks rather the benefit of others than the aggrandizement of self. En- dowed by nature with high intellectual qualities, to which we add the discipline and embellishments of culture, his is a most attractive personality and in Decatur, where he has so long made his home. he is numbered among the most honored citi- zens, receiving the respect and regard of people of all classes.
HENRY C. MOWRY.
Henry C. Mowry, a prominent citizen of Forsyth, now living a retired life, was born on the Ist of March, 1835, in Smithfield,
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Providence county, Rhode Island, in a house that had been the home of his ancestors for three generations back. He is of French, English and Welsh descent and is a repre- sentative of old and honored colonial fam- ilies. His father, Asa Mowry, was also born at the old homestead in Smith- field, Rhode Island, and in early life followed the cooper's trade but later turned his attention to the practice of law and met with excellent success in his undertakings. When a young man he mar- ried Miss Louisa Johnson, also a native of Rhode Island and a daughter of George W. Johnson, who was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war and lived to the ad- vanced age of ninety-four years. Asa Mow- ry died in May, 1841, and his wife who long survived him, passed away on the 24th of July, 1883. They were members of the Society of Friends and were most estimable people. In their family were five children, of whom one died in infancy, the others being Abbie, who is still living in the east ; Henry C., of this sketch ; Enos, who died in October, 1863; and Edward M., a stone cut- ter by trade, who died in 1894 in Rhode Island.
During his boyhood Henry C. Mowry re- ceived a good practical education at the East Greenwich Academy. He was only seven years of age when his father died and when still quite young began work in the cotton mills of his native state, receiving seventy- five cents per week in compensation for his service. By the time he was sixteen he had thoroughly mastered the business and was appointed overseer of the Smithfield Mills, with from thirty to sixty operatives under his charge. Resigning his position in 1855, he engaged in elerking in a clothing store for a time and was afterward. employed in a lumberyard until the Civil war broke out.
Hardly had the echoes from Fort Sum- ter's guns died away when Mr. Mowry of- fered his services to the government, en-
listing on the 17th of April, 1861, in Com- pany K, First Rhode Island Volunteer In- fantry, as sergeant. This was the first regi- ment of which General Burnsides had charge and was the third to enter Wash- ington. Our subject participated in the famous battle of Bull Run and the engage- ments at Roanoke, Newbury and Freder- icksburg, and was once slightly wounded in the left leg by a spent ball. He received an honorable discharge in 1863, at which time he was acting as lieutenant of his company though never commissioned.
After his return home Mr. Mowry ac- cepted a position as mail agent on the Provi- dence & Worcester Railroad, to which he had been appointed previous to his enlist- ment, and he continued to serve in that ca- pacity until coming west in 1867. He lo- cated at Forsyth, Macon county, Illinois, where he erected an elevator, cribs and of- fice, and was engaged in the grain business at this place until 1869, when he removed to Mattoon, Illinois. There he carried on the same business for the firm of Day, Sprague & Company, of Providence, Rhode Island, having entire charge of their west- ern department, and in 1874 he changed his headquarters from Mattoon to Decatur. Four years later he returned to Forsyth, where he continued in the grain trade until 1896 when he sold out his business and has since lived retired, having already acquired a comfortable competence which will en- able him to spend the remainder of his life in ease and quiet.
On the 2d of August, 1872, at St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Mowry was united in mar- riage to Miss Henrietta Flood, a daughter of Dennis and Elizabeth (Fletcher) Flood, both now deceased. She has one brother living, Henry Flood, who makes his home in the state of Washington. Mrs. Mowry was educated at Mt. Zion Academy, and by her marriage has become the mother of two children : Albert E. and Alfred H., but
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the latter died at the age of six years. Al- bert E. Mowry attended the public schools of this county and later entered the medical department of the Northwestern Univer- sity at Chicago, where he was graduated in 1898 with the degree of M. D. In April of that year he enlisted as assistant surgeon in a regiment of Illinois cavalry for service in the Spanish-American war and remained with his command until hostilities ceased. Hle then returned to Chicago, where he opened an office and has since engaged in the practice of his profession with marked success. lle makes a specialty of surgery and already ranks high in medical circles. On the 29th of July, 1901, he married Miss Ruth Lehman, one of the popular young ladies of Macon county, who was reared in Decatur and educated in the high school of that city. Her father was Jacob Leh- man, who died of heart disease July 21, 1902. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served three years. His wife, who survives him, bore the maiden name of Catharine Weaver, and now lives on the home farm in this county. Dr. Mowry and his wife have a little daughter, Marian.
Since attaining his majority our subject has taken quite an active and prominent part in public affairs and in 1858 was elected on the Democratic ticket to the state legis- lature of Rhode Island. For several terms he filled the office of supervisor of Hickory Point township this county and has been actively identified with school interests. He is now independent in politics but still re- tains his interest in public matters. He is a member of the Unitarian church and for many years has been prominent in Sunday- school work, serving as superintendent at Forsyth. He joined the Masonic order at Woonsocket, Rhode Island. in 1865, and at present is also connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Re- public, belonging to Donald Post, No. 141,
of Forsyth. For three years he served as secretary of the State Grain Dealers' Asso- ciation and in June, 1903, was elected its president, which position he is now filling in a most creditable manner. He does con- siderable writing for eastern papers. His public and private life are alike above re- proach, for his career has been one char- acterized by the utmost fidelity to duty, and his genial, pleasant manner, has made him (quite popular in business, social and po- litical circles.
SAMUEL POWER'S.
When Decatur was a village upon a wild western prairie Samuel Powers established his home here and for many years remained a resident of this city. Its advancement and growth were the source of deep interest to him and he belonged to that class of progressive and typical American men who are never so engrossed with their own af- fairs-however extensive-that they cannot aid in measures for the general good. De- catur classed him with its leading men and benefited by his efforts in her behalf. At the same time he found in the business opportunities of the growing west the ad- vantages he sought and by the improve- ment of these he worked his way steadily upward to a commanding position in finan- cial circles.
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