USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois > Part 77
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FELIX B. TAIT
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
On the Ist of September, 1856. Mr. Miller was married in Paris, Kentucky, to Miss Mary E. Galloway, who was to him a faithful com- panion and helpmate on life's journey. She, too, was a native of Kentucky, as were her parents. After a long and happy married life she passed away on the 21st of March, 1901. Their only child, a son, died in infancy. For a number of years Mr. Miller owned a cottage at Mackinaw Falls, near Peoria, Illinois, where every year he and his wife used to spend considerable time during the fishing sea- son, and in that sport he took his chief delight and recreation. He is widely known through- out this section of the state and is held in the highest esteem by his fellow citizens. Since 1886 he has been president of the board of trustees of Greenwood cemetery.
F. B. TAIT.
F. B. Tait is one of the most prominent business men of Decatur, being president and treasurer of the F. B. Tait Manufac- turing Company (incorporated), manufac- turers of agricultural implements, gasoline engines, buggies and wagons. The other officers of the company are D. W. Tait, vice-president, and E. C. Bassey, secretary. This is one of the largest and most im- portant industrial enterprises of the city and its fame is as widespread as the use of agricultural implements in the western country, nor is it even confined to this im- mense territory. Their immense plant, which is located on East Cerro Gordo street, is four stories in height and covers a city block. It is equipped with every labor-saving device possible to be utilized and gives employment to a force of one hundred and twenty-five skilled workmen. Six men are on the road in the states of lowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana. The brand of this company is a mark of superior
excellence and their products once used are never replaced by others.
Mr. Tait is a native of Macon county, born on a farm within two miles of Deca- tur, November 29, 1850, his parents being James D. and Susanah Tait. At the usual age he entered the public schools of this county, where he continued his studies un- til he was nineteen, and then became a stu- dent in the State Normal University at Normal, Illinois, graduating in the class of 1873. Hle then taught for one year in the Woodstock Seminary at Woodstock, Il- linois, and following this read law and was admitted to the bar in 1876, after which he was engaged in the practice of his chosen profession in Decatur until 1880, when his health failed and he embarked in the manu- facturing business under the firm name of Tait Brothers & Company, check rollers. Since that time he has devoted his attention entirely to this line of work and has met with most excellent success in his under- takings.
On the 13th of October, 1893, Mr. Tait was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Boyer. lle stands high in both business and social circles, and is now serving as president of the Chamber of Commerce, the Citizens' Alliance of Decatur, and the Man- ufacturers' and Jobbers' Association of Decatur.
DANIEL STOOKEY.
No history of Macon county would be complete without the life record of Daniel Stookey. He has now passed the eighty- third mile-stone of life's journey and has witnessed much of the remarkable advance- ment which the country made through the nineteenth century. He has lived to see the dawning of a new century of prosperity and progress, and yet takes a deep interest in all that pertains to the national welfare and to local improvement.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
Mr. Stookey was born in St. Clair county, Illinois, on the 6th of March, 1820, and is a worthy representative of a prominent old family of this state, his paternal grand- father, Daniel Stookey, having come to Illinois as early as 1802. He was a native of Maryland and was one of the hardy pioneers who aided in opening up this region for settlement and assisted in lay- ing broad and deep the foundation for its future prosperity. Our subject has often heard him say he went as far west as he could and stay in the United States. By occupation he was a farmer and stock- raiser. The Stookey family originated on the Rhine in Germany. In 1902 they held a large re-union in St. Clair county, this state, to celebrate the coming of the grand- father to Illinois in 1802, and our subject had the pleasure of attending the same.
His father, Simon Stookey, was born in Pennsylvania and accompanied his parents on their removal to this state. He married Miss Hannah Gooding, a native of Ken- tucky, whose father removed from Vir- ginia to that state and in 1816 came to Illinois, taking up his residence in St. Clair county, where he followed his chosen oc- cupation-that of farming.
Our subject is one of a family of ten children, and he and his sister Angie are the only ones now living, the latter being the wife of M. W. Weir, a prominent at- torney of Belleville, Illinois. Three of the number died in infancy. Two sons were soldiers of the Civil war, both being men- bers of the Fifty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. They enlisted at Belleville and James M. held the rank of major, while Simon J. was quartermaster of his regi- ment. Both died in Dade county, Missouri, where they were engaged in farming for some years. James M. left a daughter who is living in Carthage, Missouri, while his wife and another daughter. Huddie, who was married to Will Sherman Heller, Octo-
ber 14, 1903, make their home in Alton, Illinois. The wife of Simon J. died leav- ing two daughters in infancy. She was a native of London, England. Simon J. be- came acquainted with her while in the army and they were married in New Or- leans. Their children were Tina, now Mrs. Dorsey, of Gillespie, Illinois ; and Jane, who died in young womanhood.
Daniel Stookey was educated in a country school near his home, it being conducted on the subscription plan and held in a build- ing erected for both church and school pur- poses. His education was somewhat lim- ited, as there were very few school books at that time, and he learned to read from a speller. One of his teachers, an Irish- man, taught him to read by reading a sen- tence which the pupil would then re- peat, this being the method employed in those days. During his boyhood and youth he assisted his father on the home farm, giving him the benefit of his labors until twenty-one years of age, when he com- menced farming on his own account upon land which his father assisted him in buy- ing. Later our subject worked in a saw- mill for about ten years, during which time he was able to save some money, and he then embarked in the manufacture of a grain drill at Bloomington, Illinois, in 1856, carrying on business at that place for seven years, but during the panic which fol- lowed he lost everything.
In 1864 Mr. Stookey came to Macon county and purchased forty acres of land in Harristown township. Here he steadily prospered, adding to his property by de- grees until he is now the owner of one of the finest stock farms in Illinois, and his ac- cumulations have been the result of his own well directed and energetic efforts. During his early residence in this county he was quite extensively engaged in the stock busi- ness, which he found very profitable. While his eyesight is at present much impaired he
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
still attends to his financial affairs, but his son Lewis, who lives with him, manages the farm. His home is an elegant mansion just east of the village of Harristown, and here, surrounded by all the comforts of life, he is spending his declining years in ease and quiet.
Mr. Stookey was married in St. Clair county in 1845 to Miss Caroline Goodner. a native of that county and a daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Jackson) Goodner, who were born in Tennessee and became residents of St. Clair county at an early day. Six children blessed this union and four of the number are still living.
Lewis Stookey, the oldest of the children, attended the public schools of St. Clair county for some years, and later was a student at the public and normal schools of Bloomington, and Shurtleff College in Up- per Alton, Illinois. After completing his education he returned home and began farm- ing for himself and later took an interest in the home place. now having entire charge of the farm. In connection with general farming he is engaged in the raising of shorthorn cattle for market and is doing an extensive business in that line. He mar- ried Miss Leona Childs, a daughter of John S. Childs, now living in Decatur, and to them were born three children, but one is now deceased. The others are Marshall and Helen, who are graduates of the De- catur high school, as was also their mother. and are now attending the University of Illinois, at Champaign. Lewis Stookey is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife also belongs. The family is one of prominence in the community where they reside.
Daniel Wesley Stookey, the second son of our subject, began his education in the schools of Bloomington. later attended school in this county and was afterward a student at the University of Illinois, where
he was graduated in 1876. For a short time he was engaged in the manufacture of tile, at Buffalo, Illinois, and from there re- moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he is engaged in the same business. He and his family are active and prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he is now serving as superintendent of the Sunday school. At one time he was also president of the Young Men's Christian As- sociation of Cedar Rapids. His political support is given the Republican party. He married Miss Angie Dunnock, of Mechan- icsburg, Illinois, and they have five chil- dren, four sons and one daughter, namely : Margaret, Daniel D., Carl, Lewis and Keith.
Mary, a daughter of our subject, is the wife of E. B. Randle, now living in Muncie, Indiana. He is a Methodist minister and is pastor of the largest church at that place. At one time he was presiding elder in De- catur, Ilinois. Fraternally he is a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and politi- cally is a Republican. He and his wife have three children: Lalah, Foster and Hubert.
Florence, the youngest of the Stookey family, is the wife of S. M. Lutz, of Decatur, who is proprietor of the largest music house in central Illinois, and they are the parents of three children: Caroline. Robert and Eloise. Mr. Lutz is also a Republican in politics and he and his family hold mem- bership in the Methodist Episcopal church.
On attaining his majority Mr. Stookey became a Democrat and continued to sup- port that party until the second election of Abraham Lincoln, when he voted for the martyr president and has since affiliated with the Republican party. He is a man of broad general information and has always kept well informed on political questions. Although he has met with reverses in life he has usually prospered, being a man of sound
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
judgment and good business and executive ability, so that he is to-day one of the sub- stantial men as well as one of the most honored and highly esteemed citizens of the county in which he lives.
ADAM KREHER.
Adam Krcher, one of the most prominent German citizens of Decatur, has here re- sided through twenty-nine years and throughout this period his record has been so creditable that he enjoys in an unlimited degree the confidence and good will of those with whom he has been associated. His birth place was Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and his parents were Emerich and Cathe- rine Kreher, in whose family were five.chil- dren, three sons and two daughters. Of this number two have passed away. It was in the year 1856 that the parents crossed the Atlantic to America, making their way to Chicago. The father was a veterinary surgeon and practiced his pro- fession for about six months in that city, after which he removed to St. Clair county, Illinois, where he continued in practice up to the time of his death. His wife has also passed away.
Adam Kreher began his education in the schools of the fatherland and after arriving in the new world .he went to St. Louis in order to learn the butcher's trade, being at that time but fourteen years of age. For thirteen years he remained in St. Louis, and then removed to DuQuoin, Illinois, where he embarked in business on his own ac- count, conducting a market for over two years. He then returned to St. Clair coun- ty, Illinois, and after two years there he went to Grand Tower, Illinois, where he was engaged in business for seven years. In 1875 he arrived in Decatur and entered the employ of Blenz & Danzeisen, with which firm he remained for two years. He was afterward in the service of Blenz
Brothers, for a short time and later was connected with the firm of Imboden Broth- ers for two years. Resolving to once more engage in business on his own account he then opened a market near the depot, where he remained for several years, after which he sold out and again worked for Adam Blenz for a short time. Subsequently he entered the employ of G. J. Danzeisen. with whom he remained for seven years, after which he engaged in business for himself at his present location-No. 879 North Mon- roe street. Here he has remained for ten years and has been very successful in the conduct of his market, accumulating a com- fortable competence. He is recognized as one of the most experienced and capable men in his line of business in Decatur, and in his business career has instituted methods that have won for him the pub- lic confidence and therefore a generous share of the public support.
In 1863 occurred the marriage of Mr. Kreher and Miss Catherine Berg. Of the ten children born of their union nine are yet living, as follows: Lena, the wife of John Van Ende, of Decatur; Kate, the wife of Charles Lewis, Jr., who is living upon a farm in this state: John, of Quincy, Illi- nois: Anna, the wife of Gus Meyers, of Odanah, Wisconsin: Antone, who is now living in Moweaqua: Clara, the wife of Thomas Olson, of Odanah, Wisconsin ; Mary, of this city : and Frank and Leo, who are living in Decatur. Mr. Kreher votes in- dependently, but takes an active interest in politics and in matters of citizenship he is also deeply interested, advocating the improvement and material advancement of Decatur and aiding in many ways for the promotion of its interests.
T. N. LEAVITT.
T. N. Leavitt, of Maroa, needs no special introduction to the readers of this volume but the work would be incomplete without
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
the record of his life. There is hardly a man in Macon county who has been more prominently identified with the commercial or political history of the community or has taken a more active part in its upbuilding and progress. He has ever cheerfully given his support to those enterprises that tend to public development and has been con- nected with many interests which have promoted the general welfare.
Mr. Leavitt was born in Rockingham county, New Hampshire, in 1838, and is a son of A. B. and Fannie (Fogg) Leavitt. The father, who was a carpenter by trade. brought his family to Illinois in 1844 and for five years they made their home in Peoria county. On the 15th of April, 1849. he crossed the plains to California and landed in Sacramento on the 15th of Sep- tember. Although he reached his destina- tion in safety he died in the Golden state the following year. His wife long survived him and died in Marshall county, Illinois, in 1800.
For two years after the father went west the family lived on a farm in Marshall county, and then removed to Henry, Illi- nois, where our subject was principally edu- cated, though for two years he was also a student in the Northern Illinois Institute, now discontinued. After entering upon his business career he drove cattle to Minne- sota for two years, and for the same length of time was engaged in farming in Marshall county, Illinois.
It was on the 13th of April, 1861, that Mr. Leavitt removed to Maroa and his first employment there was in breaking prairie for W. H. Ennis. In the spring of 1862 he put in a crop but did not remain to see it develop, for feeling that his country need- ed his services in putting down the rebellion in the south, he enlisted the same year in Company C, Sixty-sixth Volunteer Infantry under Colonel Patrick Burke. He partici- pated in the battle of Corinth, was all
through the Atlanta campaign, and accom- panied General Sherman on his celebrated march to the sea. Mr. Leavitt was with the Army of the Tennessee and saw much hard fighting. At one time he was wounded in the head by a ten-pound shell, which has made him slightly deaf, and he also had the sole of his shoe shot off at another time. At the close of the war he was mustered out at Rome, Georgia.
On his return home he engaged in hand- ling grain, shelling corn, etc., for a time, and later was engaged in the grocery bus- iness until 1879. He next turned his atten- tion to the lumber, implement and coal bus- iness, which he carried on quite success- fully until January. 1902, when he sold out and has since been connected with Reeves & Company, of Springfield, in the threshing machine business. As the years have passed he has steadily prospered and is to-day one of the wealthy citizens of the county. He is a director in the State Bank of Clinton, Illinois: is interested in a five thousand acre rice plantation near Bay City. Texas ; and owns five or six store buildings in Maroa, which he rents, besides several dwellings.
In 1858 Mr. Leavitt was united in mar- riage to Miss Catharine Ann Crowell, a daughter of Moses and Salina Crowell, and to them was born one child. Clara F., now the wife of James F. Harris, of Maroa. The family have a beautiful home which Mr. Leavitt built originally for Dr. Morgan, and when the Doctor left Maroa he purchased the place. The house was erected at a cost of five thousand dollars, is well and taste- fully furnished, and is supplied with a De- troit gas machine, which furnishes the gas for lighting and cooking. The grounds around the residence are very beautiful, in fact it is one of the nicest homes of the place.
Mr. and Mrs. Leavitt are both members of the Christian church and he also belongs
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
to the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Re- pubhe. Since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln he has affiliated with the Republican party and has taken a very active and influential part in local politics. For seventeen years he filled the office of postmaster of Maroa, was chairman of the board of supervisors one year and was a member of the lower house in the thirty-eighth general assembly. He was also a member of the state board of equali- zation for four years and was nominated for another term but was defeated by a small majority in a district which was strongly Democratic. His public life has been most exemplary and he has left office as he entered it, with the confidence and high regard of his fellow citizens.
As a self-made man, Mr. Leavitt enjoys the reward of his painstaking and consci- entious work. By his energy, perseverance and fine business ability he has been en- abled to secure an ample fortune. Social, educational and moral interests have been promoted by him and anything that tends to uplift and benefit humanity secures his hearty co-operation.
WILLIAM HENRY CARMEAN.
William Henry Carmean, a retired farmer and a representative of one of the early families of Macon county connected with this section of the state since 1849. was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, August 24, 1820. He was therefore a young man of twenty years when he came to the west and here he has grown to advanced age, living a life of usefulness, activity and honor. His parents were James and Mary ( Miller) Car- mean, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Virginia. After their marriage they took up their abode on a farm in Pick- away county, Ohio, where they lived for
several years and then they removed to. Marion county in the same. state, where the father was engaged in agricultural pur- suits until 1849, when he brought his fam- ily to the Mississippi valley. settling in Ma- con county, Illinois. He purchased an ex- tensive' farm in Long Creek township, known as the old Smaly farm, and thereon the family resided, his attention being given to the cultivation of the fields and the im- provement of his property until his death. His wife has also passed away and only three of the children are now living. the sisters of our subject being married and residing upon farms in Long Creek town- ship.
The educational privileges which William Henry Carmean received were limited to those afforded by the public school system of Ohio at an early period. Schools were not very good at that time as compared with those of the present day. but from experience and observation Mr. Carmean gained many valuable lessons. After put- ting aside his text books he assisted his father on the home farm, being thus en- gaged until he had attained his majority.
In early manhood, desiring a companion and helpmate for the journey of life, he wedded Miss Mary Scott, a daughter of John Scott, who came to the west at an early day, settling in Christian county, Illinois, where both he and his wife died during the early girlhood of their dangh- ter. Mrs. Carmean. She was thus left an orphan and was reared by a family in the neighborhood. Her death occurred in April, 1864. She had become the mother of three children: Martha, who died in childhood ; George and James, who have also passed away. The elder son married Eliza Gott and they resided upon a farm in Long Creek township. They had five children : Maude, Melvin, Gustin, George Leslie and John Henry. For his second wife Mr. Carmean chose Mrs. Mary (Davis) Spalding. who
Ir J Hoffett
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
was born in Macon county, June 14, 1842, a daughter of James and Eliza (Campbell) Davis. She also came of an early family of Macon county, the Davises having lo- cated here in 1832, at which time the family homestead was established in Long Creek township. There the father devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits until his death. Ilis wife also died there at the very advanced age of ninety-one years. By the second marriage of Mr. Carmean there has been one child born: Grace, now the wife of H. B. Clark, who resides on a farm in Long Creek township. They have three children : Annie Grace, Mary L. and Earl Lee.
After his first marriage Mr. Carmean purchased a tract of land on section 30, Long Creek township, and with character- istic energy began its development and im- provement, transforming it into a valuable property. He placed the fields under a high state of cultivation and in connection with the production of the crops best adapted to the soil and climate he also engaged in stock-raising; in fact, he made the latter pursuit the principal department of his business and carried it on until 1891, when he removed to Decatur, built his present residence and has since lived a retired life. His home is at No. 850 South Webster street and is one of the best in that section of the city.
Mr. Carmean held several minor offices in his township, such as school director and township trustee. In politics he was a Re- publican until 1888, since which time he has endorsed the Prohibition principles, but usually votes for the best men regardless of party affiliations. Both he and his wife are members of the Grace Methodist. Epis- copal church of Decatur. He now owns two hundred and forty acres of the best farm- ing land in Long Creek township and the rental brings to him a good income. llis life of activity has been crowned with splen-
did financial results and shows the force of industry and enterprise in the affairs of life. During his long residence in the county he has witnessed its many changes and has also borne a part in the work which has transformed it from a frontier region to a highly developed section of this great state. Whatever has been for its benefit has re- ceived his endorsement and many times he has given his co-operation to improve- ments for the general good.
WILLIAM T. MOFFETT.
The ancestral history of our subject, so far as known, dates from the birth of Wil- liam Moffat (such was his spelling of the surname) in Scotland, in the year 1685. Early in the eighteenth century he moved with his Scotch wife to the north of Ire- land and there raised a number of children, among them James, born in 1720. James married in Ireland and from his marriage, William, the grandfather of our subject, was born, at Legagowan, Ireland, in 1763. Religious and political oppression drove William out of Ireland to America, he land- ing at Philadelphia in the spring of 1784. About two years later he moved to Ken- tucky and there founded the "Old Ken- tucky stock of Moffetts." Ilis son John B. Moffett was the father of William Thomas Moffett of whom we now speak.
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