USA > Illinois > Macon County > Decatur > Past and present of the City of Decatur and Macon County, Illinois > Part 95
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HENRY, HAGAN.
No foreign clement has become a more im- portant part of our American citizenship than that furnished by Germany. The emigrants from that land have brought with them to the new world the stability, enterprise and perseverance characteristic of their people and have fused these qualities with the progress- iveness and indomitable spirit of the west. Mr. Ilagan is a worthy representative of this class. He came to America empty handed, hoping to benefit his financial condition, and his dreams of the future have been more than realized.
A native of Germany, Mr. Hagan was born in Ilanover, on the 4th of April, 1830, and is a son of Louis and Fredericka (Milhousen) Hagan, natives of the same province. The father, who was a farmer by occupation, died in Germany of black smallpox when our sub- ject was only ten years oldl. At the age of fourteen Henry began working at odd jobs in order to help his mother in the support of the family. She, too, died in Germany. There were only two children, our subject and a sister, who came to this country and died in Missouri.
Ilenry llagan continued to work in his nt- tive land until 1852, when he came to the United States and on landing made his way direct to Decatur, Illinois, where he arrived on the 26th of March, that year. At that time much of the city was under water and
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land could be purchased for two dollars and a hali per acre. During the half century that has since passed all this has been changed and Decatur now ranks among the leading cities of the state, while the country round about is valued at over one hundred dollars per acre.
Mr. Hagan first secured a position in the brickyard and afterwards as night watchman in the furniture factory and held the same for seven years. Later he was employed in the slaughter house for some time and next worked for the city as a laborer on the street for several years but on account of his wife's health he finally gave up work and is now practically living retired, though he does some gardening upon vacant lots which he owns. He has a nice home at No. 606 East Decatur street, where he and his wife now reside and owns two other good residences on South Broadway besides much vacant property, all of which has been acquired through his own industry and good management.
In 1860 Mr. Hagan was married in Decatur to Mrs. Helena (Gillis) Kongs, who was born in Prussia, Germany, July 27, 1832, and is a daughter of Michael Gillis, a farmer who died in that country. For her first husband she married John Kongs, whose death oc- curred in Salem, Illinois. Unto our subject and his wife were born seven children, two of whom died in infancy unnamed. Augusta also died in infancy and Josephine died at the age of seven years. Those still living are Ilelena, who is now in the employ of A. W. Conklin, of Decatur: Henry C., who mar- ried Katie Higgins and is a machinist of De- catur ; and Johnnie Louis, who is employed in a planing mill in Denver, Colorado.
Politically Mr. Hagan is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles. He is a member of the German Aid Society of Decatur and the German Lutheran church. while his wife belongs to the German Catholic church of this city. Since the age of four- teen years he has made his own way in the
world unaided and he deserves great credit for the success that he has achieved. He has many friends among the early settlers of De- catur and is held in high regard by all who know him.
HENRY KREIDLER.
Henry Kreidler, now deceased, became a resident of Macon county when but nine years of age. He was a native of Kreidlersville, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, born on the 19th of December. 1855. His parents, Conrad and Elemina ( Hower ) Kreidler, were also natives of the Keystone state and in 1864 they left Pennsylvania and removed with their family to Macon county, Illinois, set- tling in Blue Mound township, where Mr. Kreidler purchased a farm. He then gave his attention to general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising and as the years passed placed many excellent improvements upon his property, which became a valuable and desir- able farm. He and his wife spent their re- maining days on the old homestead and were highly respected people of the community. Three of their children are now living, name- ly : Mary, who resides in the village of Blue Mound: Percy, who is a resident of Chi- cago: and Thomas, who is living in Evans- ville, Indiana.
Henry Kreidler obtained his early educa- tion in the common schools of Macon county and when he had mastered the elementary branches of learning he attended college in Wadsworth, Ohio, and received an excellent business training, well qualifying him for the responsible duties of life. He then returned to Blue Mound, Macon county, and was mar- ried on the 21st of October, 1880, to Miss Mary J. Stare, who was born in Decatur and is a daughter of George and Barbara ( Bar- nett) Stare, pioneer settlers of this city, a sketch of whom is given elsewhere in this volume.
After his marriage Mr. Kreidler engaged
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in the hardware business in the village of Blue Mound for six years and then removed to Decatur, where he was first employed in the Wabash Railroad shops. Later he held a position in Bachman Brothers' furniture store for seven years and then en- gaged in the undertaking business with Frank L. Ilill for about a year, but at the end of that time he sold his interest to his partner and accepted a position in the furniture store of Sanford & Wilson. At the time of his death he was connected with the Bachman Brothers & Martin Com- pany, but was making arrangements to re- move to California.
Mr. Kreidler was a prominent member of Chevalier Bayard Lodge, No. 189. K. P., and as prelate he opened and closed the meeting with prayer the night of his death, Septem- ber 7, 1897. He seemed in his usual health when he started for lodge, although for some time he had suffered from heart disease. At the close of the meeting about ten o'clock, he left the hall and it is supposed that on his ar- rival home he started for the stable to water his horse, which was his custom, His wife, who sat up waiting for him, became alarmed and at half past two telephoned to police headquarters. Several officers started out in search for him and two hours later his body was found in the yard back of the house. llis sudden death was a sad blow to his fam- ily and many friends for he was widely known and held in high regard. At a regu- lar convention of Chevalier Bayard Lodge held Tuesday evening, September 14. 1897. the following resolutions were adopted :
"Whereas, It has pleased the Supreme Ruler of the Universe to remove from our presence our Prelate and Brother Knight, Henry Kreidler, and
" Whereas, we feel that by his death the lodge has lost a worthy officer and true Knight and that the loss to the lodge is an individual loss to every member, for we knew him as a true friend, who was always honor-
able and courteons, ever striving by his daily life to practice the highest principles of our order and it is gratifying to remember that one of his last acts in life upon the evening of his death, was to close the lodge with a fervent prayer that on the last great day we may all meet, a happy and united brother- hood, to share the blessings of life eternal!
" Resolved, That in the death of our brother we will ever be reminded of the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death ; and while the sun of life will set and cover the faults of man, the morning sun will rise in grander splendor to light the path of righteousness.
" Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon our records and a copy presented to the family of our deceased brother."
EDWARD WILSON, A. 11. CorE. JOHN E. KING, Committee
Besides his connection with the Knights of Pythias, Mr. Kreidler was also a member of Decatur Camp. No. 144, M. W. A. In carly life he gave his allegiance to the Democracy and later because of his strong temperance principles he voted with the Prohibition party and in other ways did everything in his power to advance the cause of temperance and sup- press the evils incident to the continuance of the liquor traffic. He was never an office seeker nor did he hold positions of political preferment. His business career was always commendable because of. his fidelity to the trust reposed in him, his indefatigable energy and his earnest desire to please his patrons and those whom he represented. Mr. Kreid- ler took a deep and helpful interest in church work, both he and his wife holding member- ship in Grace Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was serving as treasurer at the time of his death. Ile was also a teacher in the Sunday-school and he gave freely and generously of his time and means for the ad- vancement of the cause of the church and the extension of its influence. Mrs. Kreidler takes
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on active interest in charitable and philan- thropie work and is now serving as secretary of the Anna B. Millikin Home for old ladies and children, and as state superintendent of the railroad department of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She is now living with her mother, Mrs. Stare, in De- catur, and both are well known ladies, having many warm friends because of their many excellent traits of heart and mind.
BYRD L. DAVIS.
Byrd L. Davis, who is engaged in the livery business in Decatur, was born in Macon county, on the 28th of June, 1869. His pa- ternal grandfather, Joseph Davis, was a native of Kentucky and his family were originally from Virginia. He was one of the pioneers of this state and one of the founders of Ma- con county, becoming identified with business here at a very early day and aiding in the work of reclaiming the district for the pur- pose of civilization. He became well known as a leading trader and he drove mules from Macon county to Chicago, trading them for wagons which he brought back and sold. His son. H. W. Davis, the father of our subject, was born in Macon county, here spent his youth and afterward became a farmer, stock- raiser and nurseryman, carrying on these pur- suits until his removal to Decatur in 1879. In this city he established a livery business, which he conducted with success until his death, which occurred in 1896. when sixty- two years of age. His widow yet makes her home in Decatur. II. W. Davis belonged to a family of nine children, but only one of the number is now living, Mrs. Lydia Kizer. the wife of John Kizer, of Decatur. One of the brothers, John Davis, removed to Kansas in 1875 and was elected to congress there, becoming one of the leading and eminent citi- zens of that state. He died there in the year 1900. II. W. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Samantha Stickle, a daughter of John
Stickle, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and became one of the early settlers of Illi- nois. In political affiliation II. W. Davis was a Republican and took an active part in sup- port of the organization and served as super- visor of his township.
Byrd L. Davis pursued his education in the public schools of Macon county during his early boyhood and when a young boy of ten years came with his parents to Decatur. He was a student in the high school here and he entered upon his life work as a farmer in Champaign county. He afterward returned to Decatur where he has since been engaged in the livery business, being first located at No. 564 North Water street. He afterward sold his stable there and opened another at No. 140 East Cerro Gordo street and in 1896 he took charge of his father's livery barn at 564 North Water street. In April, 1899. he removed to his present location at No. 140 South Main street and here he is conducting the leading livery of Decatur. Besides this barn Mr. Davis has two other barns in De- catur and has in his employ an average of thirty-five men. In July, 1903. he purchased the undertaking establishment of Peter Perl & Son, which is now being conducted under style of Hawkins, Davis & Company. Mr. Davis has rice lands in Texas and mining properties in Gilpin county, Colorado. He has a splendidly equipped establishment, all of his carriages being rubber tire and he also has a number of automobiles. He not only rents these and the carriages in the establish- ment, but also does a transfer business.
In 1895 Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Smart, a daughter of James Smart. of Shelbyville, Illinois. The children of this marriage are Ethel Ann, Fleta May, Josephine and llene. Mrs. Davis is a member of the Baptist church. Fraternally our sub- ject is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America. In politics he is independent, voting for the man whom he believes best qualified for office regardless of party lines.
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DAVID S. SHELLABARGER.
The viewpoint of the world concerning busi- ness has materially changed in the past century. At one time the man of promi- nence would have nothing to do with trade relations and derived his income from his landed estates. Today the most distinguished men of all nations are they who have con- trolled the veins and arteries of traffic and each community points with pride to its in- dustrial and commercial leaders, realizing that to them is largely due the prosperity and de- velopment of every locality. For forty-five years Decatur has numbered David S. Shella- barger among its prominent and progressive citizens. He may well be termed one of the founders of the city, for he has been the pro- moter of one of its leading enterprises. His connection with any undertaking insures a prosperous outcome of the same, for it is in his nature to carry forward to successful com- pletion whatever he is associated with. lle has earned for himself a reputation as a care- ful man of business and in his dealings is known for his prompt and honorable methods.
A native of Cumberland county, Pennsyl- vania. Mr. Shellabarger was born July II. 1837. in a locality which had been the home of his ancestors through several generations. and in his own life record he has followed the industrial trend of the family. His parents, David and Catherine ( Byerly) Shellabarger, were also natives of Cumberland county and in their family of ten children. David S. was the fifth in order of birth. The family home was on the bank of the Canadaquinette creek. about eight miles above Carlisle, the principal town of the Cumberland valley, a region noted for its beauty and fertility. There on the home farm David S. Shellabarger spent the days of his boyhood and youth, assisting in the labor of field and meadow, while in the district schools he mastered the branches of English learning usually taught in such in- stitution. Reading. experience and observa- tion, however, have largely broadened his
knowledge since he left the schoolroom and he is today a man of broad and practical gen- eral information. He worked upon the home farm until his nineteenth year, when he re- solved to seek business opportunities in the west, and in the spring of 1856 he located in Decatur. where he soon became connected with the lumber trade. After two years, how- ever, he abandoned the lumber business in order to devote his energies to milling, pur- chasing a third interest in a small mill, which stood on the present site of the Decatur Mill- ing Company's mill and which was afterward destroyed by fire. Although he had no prac- tical experience in his new work he came of a family of millers and he possessed consider- able mechanical ingenuity. His grandfather owned a mill adjoining the farm upon which David Shellabarger was reared and other members of the family had followed the same pursuit. For five years after becoming con- nected with milling, business was carried on under the name of llenkle, Shellabarger & Company and in 1863 our subject disposed of his interest in that enterprise and became half owner of a mill, of which he afterward became sole proprietor, his partners being I. Shellabarger and B. Dillchunt, the firm style of I. Shellabarger & Company being assumed. In 1860 the firm of D. S. Shellabarger & Company was formed and under the enter- prising and liberal management instituted by our subject and his business associates, their enterprise grew to large proportions. Sev- eral times the original plant was enlarged, and in 1879 a new mill was built, while the old mill was also retained as a feature of the business. The milling interests of our sub- ject became one of the leading enterprises of Decatur and the business was the largest of the kind in central Illinois. Mr. Shella- barger also owned an interest in a mill in Topeka, Kansas, and another in Wichita, which were among the best mills in the Sun- flower state. With all the practical details of the business he made himself thoroughly
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familiar and was thus qualified to supervise the operative department of the enterprise as well as the business features of the office. In May, 1903, he disposed of his milling in- terests to the American Hominy Company, of which he was formerly a director.
In 1885 a company was incorporated as the Shellabarger Mill & Elevator Company, with a capital stock of one hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars, with D. S. Shellabarger as presi- dent: W. L. Shellabarger, secretary; F. D. Shellabarger, treasurer; and L. C. Shella- barger, superintendent. Our subject, how- ever, has not confined his attention or limited his energies alone to one line. He was a co- operant factor in the establishment of the street car system of Decatur, which super- seded the old horse-car system, but sold his interest in the same in July, 1903. He is the vice president of the National Bank of De- catur : in the spring of 1903 organized the Decatur Elevator Company, capitalized at fifty thousand dollars, of which he is presi- dent and which owns elevators along the lines of the Wabash and Illinois Central Rail- roads. He is also president of the Manu- facturers' & Consumers' Coal Company, with mines in Decatur, capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars. He has aided materially in advancing many interests of the city which have resulted to its benefit and upbuilding, outside of his individual business affairs.
In January, 1862, occurred the marriage of Mr. Shellabarger and Miss Anna E. Krone, a native of this city, and they have eight chil- dren, four sons and four daughters: a son who died in infancy; Adele, the wife of E. B. Hillman, a resident of Peoria, Illinois : William L., secretary of the Shellabarger Mill & Elevator Company : David S. : Charles Thatcher: Lucian C., who is superintendent of the mills ; Fred D., who is the treasurer of the company; Maria, the wife of Andrew S. Crawder, a real-estate dealer in Spokane, Washington : Grace, the wife of J. F. Allen, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Corinne,
at home, the latter a graduate of the Mount Vernon Seminary.
From the organization of the Republican party down to the present Mr. Shellabarger has been an advocate of its principles and when age gave to him the right of franchise he cast his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. He believes it the duty of a true citizen to keep well informed on the issues of the day and to fill capably such positions to which his fellow townsmen shall call him, and in 1869, 1870 and 1871 and again in 1880 he served as a member of the city council of Decatur. In 1872 he was elected mayor and his administration was practical, progressive and resultant. For two terms he represented Decatur township on the board of super- visors, and for twelve years was a member and president of the school board. For many years he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and for more than a decade was superintendent of the Sunday-school con- nected with Stapps chapel, now Grace church, of which he was one of the founders in 1867. His life has been one of continuous activity in which has been accorded due recognition of labor; and today he is numbered among the substantial citizens of his county. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of Decatur, and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and co-operation to any move- ment calculated to benefit this section of the country or advance its development.
JASPER J. PEDICORD.
Jasper J. Pedicord was not only a witness of the entire business development of Deca- tur but was also an active participant in its commercial growth and expansion. He came to Decatur in 1838 when the city was but a village, having no railroad communication with other parts of the country. Indeed, it was a frontier settlement, but Mr. Pedicord recognized its possibilities and, improving the
PAST AND PRESENT OF MACON COUNTY.
advantages here offered, made his way stead- ily upward until he occupied a prominent posi- tion on the plane of affluence. His labors, too, were of the greatest benefit in the develop- ment and progress of the town for he was identified with many measures for the gen- eral good and his efforts were always result- ant factors in improvement.
Mr. Pedicord was born in Rockville, Mont- gomery county, Maryland. on the 8th of No- vember, 1815. and was in his eighty-fourth year when called from this life. He repre- sented one of the old families of his native state. His parents. Allen B. and Catherine ( Willett ) Pedicord. were both natives of Maryland and were of Scotch lineage. The father was a farmer by occupation, thus pro- viding for the support of his family. Hle sur- vived his wife for many years, passing away in 1868 at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. Three children survived him at that time: Rebecca. Marian and jasper, but all have now passed away.
Jasper Pedicord spent the first fifteen years of his life in the county of his nativity and his early education was obtained in a country school such as was common at that time, while later he continued his studies in the Rockville Academy. When a youth of fifteen he entered upon his business career and from that time forward made his own way in the world, carning all that he afterward possessed and enjoyed. llis first employment was as a clerk in a store in Washington, D. C., and he remained in that city for five years, going thence to Vicksburg. Mississippi, where he again found employment in mercantile lines. He had occupied the latter position for two years when in 1838 he sought a home in Illi- nois, locating in the city of Decatur, where he remained continuously up to the time of his death. more than sixty-one years later. Not afraid to cope with the difficulties of the task incident to the establishment of business enterprises upon the frontier he put forth his best efforts to win success for himself and
also to promote public progress and pros- perity. His first step after reaching Decatur was to become a landholder for he entered one hundred and sixty acres northwest of the city. Not long after this he became a factor in commercial life by the establish- ment of a general mercantile store in part- nership with Henry Prather. The business conditions of this part of the country at that time may be imagined by the fact that New Orleans was the market for the produce raised in this locality and Mr. Pedicord made fre- (quent trips down the river in flat boats, carry- ing pork, flour and corn to the Crescent City to exchange for cash or other commodities. It required nearly three months to make the round trip. A little mercantile store of the firm of Pedicord & Prather was opened in a log cabin which steod on the northwest corner of the old square, but Mr. Pedicord kept apace with the growth of the city and development of its interests and its progress, his place of business ever being in accord with its sur- roundings. In 1849 when his partner wished to go to California Mr. Pedicord purchased his interest in the business and afterward en- tered into partnership relations with Hosca J. Armstrong. He, too, after two years went to California and Mr. Pedicord was once more alone in business. In 1853 he joined Lowber Burrows in business and this relation was maintained up to the death of our subject. They established a bank under the firm style of Pedicord, Burrows & Company and the in- stitution at once took rank with the leading financial concerns of this part of the county. They carried on a general banking and ex- change business and their patronage grew continuously because of the excellent business policy which they inaugurated and the straightforward methods they had ever fol- lowed in dealing with the general public. The co-operation of Mr. Pedicord was also given to many other business enterprises. He he- came largely interested in the Decatur Furni- ture Company and was elected its president.
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Ile was also a director in the Decatur Gas Light & Coke Company and in the Decatur Agricultural Works. His business judgment was sound and reliable and his energy and keen foresight proved important factors in the successful control of many interests here.
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