USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois > Part 85
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 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98
On attaining his majority Mr. Troutman started out in life for himself, his property at that time consisting of one horse. He purchased the farm where he is now living, it being a tract of seventy acres of unim-
795
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
proved land, and upon the place he erected a good residence, together with substantial barns and all modern equipments and con- veniences. He is not only engaged in agri- cultural pursuits but also carries on a gen- eral store and deals in both grain and stock.
Mr. Troutman was married. September 20, 1876, to Miss Sarah Morrison, a native of Pennsylvania. Her father, Joel Morri- son, was born in Mifflin county, that state. and came to Illinois in 1850, when Mrs. Troutman was about fifteen years of age. Ile lived in Decatur for some time and was in the employ of John Ullrich and George Danzeisen & Blenz, butchers, for several years. Ile was an earnest and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and died in that faith at the age of sixty- four years. Some of his carly ancestors were sokliers of the Revolutionary war and were killed in battle. In his family were seven children, Mrs. Troutman being the fourth in order of birth, and six of the num- ber are still living, namely : Wilson, Anna. Sarah, Jocl. Charles and Lydia. David is deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Troutman are the parents of five children: Fred B., a resident of Shelby county, Illinois: Carrie, who died in infancy; Nora, the wife of Otto Church- man, who has charge of the elevator at Troutman and by whom she has one child. Ellen : and Samuel J. and Minnie Jean, both at home. The parents are widely known in this community and are people of sterling worth, well deserving the high regard in which they are beld. Since casting his first presidential vote for General Grant, Mr. Troutman has affiliated with the Republican party, and socially he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Circle, the Court of Honor and the Fraternal Army. During his long residence in the county he has witnessed that marvel-
ous transformation that has been wrought and as a generous, liberal minded and pro- gressive citizen has aided in its development.
HIUSTON SINGLETON.
Huston Singleton, one of the oldest repre- sentatives of the restaurant business in De- catur, has resided in this city for the past thir- ty-eight years. Ile was born in the town of Shelbyville in Bedford county, Tennessee, May 28, 1848, a son of Richard H. and Min- erva ( Porter) Singleton, who were likewise natives of that state. During his youth his parents removed to Keokuk, Iowa, and he there acquired his education, but his school privileges were somewhat limited. In 1865 he came to Decatur and began work as a bell boy and later as porter in the old Revere llouse, where he remained for about three years. He then began learning the barber's trade and after mastering it opened a shop of his own, continuing in the business until 1884, when he sold out. He then established a res- taurant in Lincoln Square, where he has since remained in business, being recognized as one of the most capable proprietors and extensive caterers of the city. He has served some of the finest banquets that have been held, not only in Decatur, but also in central Illinois, and in his restaurant he receives a liberal pat- ronage, daily furnishing meals to a large number of people.
On the 20th of December. 1886, Mr. Sin- gleton was united in marriage to Miss Laura Coussins, who was born in Sandusky, Ohio, September 2, 1866, and from there removed with her parents to Hanover, Indiana, and later to Gibson City, Illinois. Fraternally Mr. Singleton is connected with the Decatur Lodge, No. 17. F. & A. M., and with Spring- field Commandery, No. 3. K. T., and is a worthy representative of the craft. He has always taken an active part in politics, being an earnest Republican and has been prominent
37
796
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
in political circles throughout the state. In 1890 he was sent as a delegate from this dis- trict to the Republican national convention, which convened at Nashville, Tennessee. He was also a member of the state senate com- mittee for several years, while in 1892 he served as a member of the state executive con- mittee and was chairman of the Macon county delegation to the state convention of the boards of supervisors in Peoria, Illinois. He has labored effectively for the welfare and up- building of his party, is known to its most prominent members and is recognized as one of its leaders in the state. For several terms he has served as a member of the Macon county board of supervisors and his interest in local affairs has been especially helpful along lines tending to promote the upbuilding and substantial improvements of Decatur. Ile has a very wide acquaintance in this city and enjoys the warm friendship of the great ma- jority of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
MRS. LAMIRA WILKINSON.
Lamira Powers was the daughter of Will- iam and Abigail (Hendrix) Powers, the granddaughter of Andrew and Sally (Car- ter) Powers and of David and .Anne ( West- cott) Hendrix. She was born April 29, 1807. in Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, and was married Feruary 14, 1829, to Chauncey Wilkinson, of the same village. After living a few years at Ballston Springs, they re- moved to Alabama, where some of her broth- ers were then in business. They lived suc- cessively in Prairie Bluff, Tuskaloosa and Mo bile.
Mr. Wilkinson died in 1844 and his widow with her three children came to Decatur, Illi- nois, to be with her mother, who was then liv- ing on the Powers farm northeast of town. A few years later her mother went to Bloom- ington to live with her daughter. Mrs. Ew-
ing, whose husband was a minister there d Mrs. Wilkinson and her older brother, ill- iam L. Powers, a retired banker, alsı re- moved there and made it their home until Ir. Powers died. In 1859 she went with herne remaining child to Chicago, where this dagh- ter soon died. In 1864 she came with Ir. and Mrs. Ewing to Decatur, where she pt house during the remainder of her life. the last few years she and her sister, al a widow, made their home together. She ted March 6, 1894. in her eighty-seventh yr, having been a widow for fifty years and *v- ing survived the last of her six children more than thirty years.
.A woman of unusually bright intellec f extensive reading and having led a varied fe in the cast, south and west, Mrs. Wilkiron was an interesting conversationalist and to ie last of her long life a welcome addition to ny circle of old, middle-aged or young. 'er lonch honte was made attractive to her nov friends and relatives by her cordial weleer, her gracious hospitality and her beautiful cut- tesy which made her seem to all who knew r a perfect type of the true Christian gent - woman.
Her quiet tastes made her shrink from av public deeds, but her ample means were sp t in many acts of kindness. To the Youg Men's Christian Association she was a t'- quent and generous giver : to the library in s carlier struggling days she was most kind a.l to the Presbyterian church, of which she ws a life long and consistent member. she g. a parsonage called by the trustees the Wilki- son Manse. Of Mrs. Wilkinson it might tri have been said :
"Life hath its regal natures yet. True, tender, brave and sweet."
JEFFERSON G. WILLARD.
Among the prominent and influential cit zens of Harristown township is numbere Jefferson G. Willard, who was for a numbr
797
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
of year connected with the agricultural inter- ests of Iacon county but is now practically living etired life in his beautiful home near the villae of Harristown. For five years he was a ?sident of Decatur, owning the house at No. 52 West Macon street, now occupied by his on, but in 1897 he returned to the farın.
Mr. illard was born in Overton county, Tennesee, February 21, 1827, and is a son of Willian and Martha (Goodpasture) Willard, natives f Tennessee and Virginia, respective- ly. Oghe paternal side he is of English and Scotch escent, and his grandfather, William Willar a native of Virginia, served as a sol- dier in he Revolutionary war and was after- ward ranted a pension by the government. He rocned the advanced age of one hundred and f: years and retained his mental and physiu. vigor to the last, riding fifty miles on herback in the spring of 1830 when a center cian.
Wilam Willard, Jr., the father of our sub- ject, ?moved from Tennessee to Morgan count Illinois, in 1829 and entered from the gvernment three hundred and twenty acres : land nine miles west of Jacksonville, where e made his home until called to his final ist in 1847, at the age of forty-seven years. His death resulted from an attack of congove fever. His wife, who long sur- vived im, died in Macon county, on the 8th of Nrember, 1861. They were consistent and fahful members of the Methodist Epis- copal murch and Mr. Willard served as one of theofficers of the local congregation. In the fanly of this worthy couple were six sons and iur daughters but only two are now liv- ing naiely: Jefferson G., of this sketch ; and Abrai Jasper, who is living near Shelbyville in Sliby county, Illinois.
The carly life of Jefferson G. Willard was main passed in Morgan county, Illinois, and when ve had attained a sufficient age he be- gan Is education in an old log schoolhouse sittin mn a rude slab bench. At the end of
the building was a huge fireplace and the light was admitted through greased paper win- dows. There he laid the foundation of a good practical education which has been ac- quired through experience and observation.
On the 28th of March, 1849, Mr. Willard was united in marriage to Miss Aliff C. Aver- itt, a daughter of Nathan G. and Mary (Cooper ) Averitt, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Tennessee. They became pioneer settlers of Morgan county, Illinois, where they located in 1830. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Willard but one died in infancy, the other being James Monroe, who is now living in Decatur. He married Miss Florence Dyke, a native of Tennessee, who died on the 24th of April, 1892, leaving a daughter, Clara, who now makes her home with her father, and is at- tending the James Millikin University at De- catur. For his second wife, James M. Wil- lard married Miss Mary Kellington, of Mor- gan county, and to them have been born two children, Ruth and Aliff. For some time he was connected with the Municipal Electric Light Company as general manager, but is now living retired. .
Mr. Willard, of this review, continued to reside in Morgan county after his marriage until 1855, when he sold his property there and came to Macon county, where he has since made his home. He purchased a farm of three hundred acres on section 9, Harristown town- ship, and as his financial resources were in- creased he kept adding to his land from time to time until he now has seven hundred and forty acres of as fine farming land as is to be found anywhere in the country. His place adjoins the village of Harristown and being well improved and highly cultivated is one of the most desirable farms in this section of the state. Its beauty is enhanced by a little lake one-half mile in circumference, which is stocked with all kinds of fish. In connection with general farming Mr. Willard has en- gaged in stock raising quite extensively and
796
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
in political circles throughout the state. In 1890 he was sent as a delegate from this dis- trict to the Republican national convention, which convened at Nashville, Tennessee. He was also a member of the state senate com- mittee for several years, while in 1892 he served as a member of the state executive com- mittee and was chairman of the Macon county delegation to the state convention of the boards of supervisors in Peoria, Illinois. He has labored effectively for the welfare and up- building of his party, is known to its most prominent members and is recognized as one of its leaders in the state. For several terms he has served as a member of the Macon county board of supervisors and his interest in local affairs has been especially helpful along lines tending to promote the upbuilding and substantial improvements of Decatur. He has a very wide acquaintance in this city and enjoys the warm friendship of the great ma- jority of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
MRS. LAMIRA WILKINSON.
Lamira Powers was the daughter of Will- iam and Abigail (Hendrix) Powers, the granddaughter of Andrew and Sally (Car- ter) Powers and of David and Anne ( West- cott ) Hendrix. She was born April 29, 1807. in Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, and was married Feruary 14, 1829, to Chauncey Wilkinson, of the same village. After living a few years at Ballston Springs, they re- moved to Alabama, where some of her broth- ers were then in business. They lived suc- cessively in Prairie Bluff, Tuskaloosa and Mo- bile.
Mr. Wilkinson died in 1844 and his widow with her three children came to Decatur, Illi- nois, to be with her mother, who was then liv- ing on the Powers farm northeast of town. A few years later her mother went to Bloom- ington to live with her daughter, Mrs. Ew-
ing, whose husband was a minister there, and Mrs. Wilkinson and her older brother, Will- iam L. Powers, a retired banker, also re- moved there and made it their home until Mr. Powers died. In 1859 she went with her one remaining child to Chicago, where this daugh- ter soon died. In 1864 she came with Mr. and Mrs. Ewing to Decatur, where she kept house during the remainder of her life. For the last few years she and her sister, also a widow, made their home together. She died March 6, 1894, in her eighty-seventh year, having been a widow for fifty years and hav- ing survived the last of her six children more than thirty years.
A woman of unusually bright intellect, of extensive reading and having led a varied life in the east, south and west, Mrs. Wilkinson was an interesting conversationalist and to the last of her long life a welcome addition to any circle of old, middle-aged or young. Her lonely home was made attractive to her many friends and relatives by her cordial welcome, her gracious hospitality and her beautiful cour- tesy which made her seem to all who knew her a perfect type of the true Christian gentle- woman.
Her quiet tastes made her shrink from any public deeds, but her ample means were spent in many acts of kindness. To the Young Men's Christian Association she was a fre- quent and generous giver ; to the library in its carlier struggling days she was most kind and to the Presbyterian church, of which she was a life-long and consistent member, she gave a parsonage called by the trustees the Wilkin- son Manse. Of Mrs. Wilkinson it might truly have been said :
"Life hath its regal natures yet. True, tender. brave and sweet."
JEFFERSON G. WILLARD.
Among the prominent and influential citi- zens of Harristown township is numbered Jefferson G. Willard, who was for a number
797
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
of years connected with the agricultural inter- ests of Macon county but is now practically living a retired life in his beautiful home near the village of Harristown. For five years he was a resident of Decatur, owning the house at No. 752 West Macon street, now occupied by his son, but in 1897 he returned to the farm.
Mr. Willard was born in Overton county, Tennessee, February 21, 1827, and is a son of William and Martha ( Goodpasture) Willard, natives of Tennessee and Virginia, respective- ly. On the paternal side he is of English and Scotch descent, and his grandfather. William Willard, a native of Virginia, served as a sol- dier in the Revolutionary war and was after- ward granted a pension by the government. He reached the advanced age of one hundred and five years and retained his mental and physical vigor to the last, riding fifty miles on horseback in the spring of 1830 when a centenarian.
William Willard, Jr., the father of our sub- jeet, removed from Tennessee to Morgan county, Illinois, in 1829 and entered from the government three hundred and twenty acres of land nine miles west of Jacksonville, where he made his home until called to his final rest in 1847, at the age of forty-seven years. His death resulted from an attack of congestive fever. His wife, who long sur- vived him, died in Macon county, on the 8th of November, 1861. They were consistent and faithful members of the Methodist Epis- copal church and Mr. Willard served as one of the officers of the local congregation. In the family of this worthy couple were six sons and four daughters but only two are now liv- ing namely: Jefferson G., of this sketch ; and Abram Jasper, who is living near Shelbyville in Shelby county, Illinois.
The carly life of Jefferson G. Willard was mainly passed in Morgan county, Illinois, and when he had attained a sufficient age he be- gan his education in an old log schoolhouse sitting on a rude slab bench. At the end of
the building was a huge fireplace and the light was admitted through greased paper win- dows. There he laid the foundation of a good practical education which has been ac- quired through experience and observation.
On the 28th of March, 1849, Mr. Willard was united in marriage to Miss Aliff C. Aver- itt, a daughter of Nathan G. and Mary (Cooper) .Averitt, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Tennessee. They became pioneer settlers of Morgan county, Illinois, where they located in 1830. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Willard but one died in infancy, the other being James Monroe, who is now living in Decatur. He married Miss Florence Dyke, a native of Tennessee, who died on the 24th of April, 1892, leaving a daughter, Clara, who now makes her home with her father, and is at- tending the James Millikin University at De- catur. For his second wife, James M. Wil- lard married Miss Mary Kellington, of Mor- gan county, and to them have been born two children, Ruth and Aliff. For some time he was connected with the Municipal Electric Light Company as general manager, but is now living retired ..
Mr. Willard, of this review, continued to reside in Morgan county after his marriage until 1855, when he sold his property there and came to Macon county, where he has since made his home. He purchased a farm of three hundred acres on section 9. Harristown town- ship, and as his financial resources were in- creased he kept adding to his land from time to time until he now has seven hundred and forty acres of as fine farming land as is to be found anywhere in the country. His place adjoins the village of Harristown and being well improved and highly cultivated is one of the most desirable farms in this section of the state. Its beauty is enhanced by a little lake one-half mile in circumference, which is stocked with all kinds of fish. In connection with general farming Mr. Willard has en- gaged in stock raising quite extensively and
79%
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
has found this branch of his business quite profitable. Although nearly seventy-seven years of age he still enjoys robust health and is able to do a good day's work on the farm.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Willard are active mem- bers of the Christian church at Harristown and for a quarter of a century he served as one of its clders. In early life he supported the Democratic party but in 1888 voted for Fiske and Brooks and has since been an ar- dent Prohibitionist. He served as road com- missioner for twelve years, but has never cared for political honors. He was one of the incorporators of the Macon County Agricul- tural Society and was president of the same for three years. A friend of temperance and morality, he does all in his power to advance the best interests of his township and county and as a citizen ever stands ready to dis- charge any duty that devolves upon him. He is a man of recognized ability and stands high in the community where he has so long made his home. Those who know him best are numbered among his warmest friends and no citizen in Macon county is more highly re- spected than Jefferson G. Willard.
JOSIAH A. MOORE.
Josiah \. Moore, deceased, was for over thirty years a resident of Decatur and at the time of his death was engaged in contracting and building. He was born on the 9th of February, 1855, in Orange county, North Carolina, of which state his parents, Samuel and Susan Moore, were also natives. Prior to the Civil war the father was a slaveholder and was a man of prominence in his commun- ity, serving as sheriff and deputy of Orange county for over thirty years before coming to Illinois in 1870. Deciding to locate in Ma- con county, he took up his residence near the village of Macon, where he lived a retired life until his death, which occurred January 6, 1893. His wife died at the same place on
the 6th of April, 1902. He was a prominent Mason and was very active in the order in his native state.
Josiah A. Moore was indebted to the com- mon schools of his native county for the edu- cational privileges he enjoyed during his boy- hood. He was about twelve years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to this state and he made Macon county his home throughout the remainder of his life. On starting out for himself, he obtained a po- sition as brakeman on the Wabash Railroad and was afterward fireman for the same com- pany, running out of Decatur on all the divi- sions of their road for several years.
In the meantime Mr. Moore was married November 18, 1892, to Miss Mary Downey, who was born in Clark county, Illinois, on the 29th of March, 1871, a daughter of Cyrus and Catherine Downey. In 1857 her parents removed from Ohio to Westfield, Clark coun- ty, this state, and afterward located in Tus- cola, Illinois, where they made their home un- til 1883, which year witnessed their arrival in Decatur. Here Mr. Downey, who was a car- penter, worked at his trade for several years but was living a retired life at the time of his death, which occurred February 14, 1893. His widow now makes her home with Mrs. Moore in Decatur. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Moore were born four children, namely: Clarinda Ruth, Myrtle Grace, Cyrus P. and Samuel A.
Resigning his position on the road in 1890 Mr. Moore began learning the carpenter's trade and after he had thoroughly mastered that occupation he worked at general carpen- tering around Decatur until 1899, when he commenced contracting and building on his own account and was thus engaged at the time of his death, which occurred on the Ist of Oc- tober. 1901. He was a stanch Democrat and always took an active interest in his ( the fifth) ward. Fraternally he was a member'of Roe Camp. No. 7201, Modern Woodmen, of De- catur, while his wife belongs to the Mutual Protective League and Bay Leaf Lodge. No.
799
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
29. Royal Neighbors. Both held membership in the North Main street Methodist Episcopal churchi. Industrious, trustworthy and re- liable. he won the confidence of those with whom he was brought in contact either in business or social life, and he was held in high regard by all who knew him. Mrs. Moore now owns a nice residence at No. 1545 North Calhoun street, where she and her chil- dren now reside. She has many friends throughout the city.
HIERONYMUS MUELLER.
It would be difficult to imagine what De- catur would have been without Mr. Mueller, so largely is its commercial growth and de- velopment due to his labor and yet it is not be- cause he controlled industrial interests sur- passing those of any other resident of Decatur that his memory is revered in this city; it is because of his character-his fearless opposi- tion to the wrong, his exemplification of all that is fair and just in the treatment of em- ployes, his deep sympathy and his kindly spirit. Such were the qualities that made him loved and respected in a community that is deeply indebted to him for its progress and upbuild- ing and in which he made his home for so many years.
In the village of Monheim, Germany, on the 16th of July, 1833, Mr. Mueller was born and reared, obtaining a good education in his na- tive tongue. He seemed to have excellent business foresight and sagacity and it was his recognition of the business possibilities of the new world that led him to seek a home in America in 1850. He had previously learned the machinist's trade and, going to Chicago, he was there employed in that capacity. Later he removed to Freeport, Illinois, where he opened a gunshop, but the discovery of gold at Pike's Peak drew him to Colorado. He did not remain long, however, among the moun- tains of the west and when he again came to Illinois he took up his abode in Decatur, which
remained his place of residence up to the time of his death. Ile began business here in a humble way and those who visited the little gun repair shop of which he was proprietor little dreamed that he woukl one day be the proprietor of the leading industrial enterprise of the city, employing five hundred workmen. Indeed no such idea was in his own mind, but he had resolved to win success if honorable effort could accomplish it and to make the most of the opportunities which surrounded him. His little establishment was on the south side of Main street, about half way between Lincoln Square and Church streets, and later he removed to a little frame building, which then stood at the southeast corner of State and East Main streets. Ilis work was mostly that of repairing guns, but he also had a few guns for sale. His thoughts, however, were directed into other channels, and a latent in- ventive power was supplemented by study, ex- periment and investigation until 1870, when he gave to the world his perfected machine for tapping a water main under pressure. It was among the first practical machines put upon the market and in fact its utility and value were so readily recognized that it came almost at once into wide use and though later he placed upon the market many other inventions, none ever excelled in popularity and sale this first work of his creative mechanical genins. His growing business enabled him, in 1872, to erect a building on the site now occupied by the Herald office, and he there continued the manufacture of his tapping machine on an enlarged scale and at the same time conducted a plumb- ing business in addition to carrying a stock of guns and continuing his gun-repair work. The growth of the business was extensive and cer- tainly gratifying and justified the enlargement and remodeling of his buikling from a two- story to a three-story structure, all of which, however, was soon utilized for factory pur- poses, and in 1885, because of the growth of his trade and the need of the factory for all of
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.