USA > Illinois > Livingston County > Portrait and bigraphical album of Livingston County, Ill. : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies > Part 33
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about 300 members. This church was first built two and one-half miles in the country, but he has had it moved into the village of Flanagan. In ad- dition to all these labors he also preaches to the Cornell Church every four or six weeks. This church has a membership of from fifty to seventy- five. Occasionally he delivers a sermon at the Re- form School.
Father Finch is a man of great enterprise and fine executive ability, and is building up a large mem- bership in Pontiac and vicinity. He is thoroughly devoted to his work, and greatly beloved by his parishioners. His influence is felt very largely throughout the community. He stands high in the esteem of his superiors, and will no doubt reach great eminence in the church.
Z ENAS R. JONES, Postmaster, Station Agent, Justice of the Peace, and a large grain dealer at Smithdale, is one of the self-made inen of Livingston County, who from a humble beginning in life have fought their way up to an enviable position, socially and financially. Besides his trade transactions which yield him a handsome income, he is the owner of 108 acres of good land, twenty- eight of which form a part of his homestead, while the remainder is farmed by his son.
The town in which our subject resides received its name from John Smith, a farmer of large means who came here in the pioneer days. Mr. Jones located here in April, 1870, in which year he was appointed Postmaster and Station Agent. IIe was born in Champaign County, Ohio, in 1831, and was brought by his parents that same year to Marshall County, this State. They made the journey over- land with teams, camping and cooking by the way- side, and after their settlement in Illinois experi- enced the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. Zenas R. received a limited educa- tion, and at an early age was made acquainted with the various employments connected with farm life, and continued with his parents until they passed away. In the meantime he had been married in Marshall County, and carried on farming on the homestead until after the division of the estate.
The father of our subject, Justice Jones, was a very prominent man in his day, and the son of Daniel Jones, who owned a fine property in the Buckeye State, but died when his son was a small child. The latter upon coming to the West served as the first magistrate of Evans Township, in Mar- shall County, which position he occupied twelve years, and was very popular, both in business and social circles. He had come to Marshall County before township organization was effected, and aided greatly in its settlement by an enterprising and intelligent class of people. He assisted in the establishment of schools and churches and was the first Methodist Class-Leader in Evans Township, which office he held until his death. He departed this life at his home in Marshall County, at the age of fifty-one years.
The mother of our subject was in her girlhood Miss Sarah Warner, a native of Virginia, whence her parents removed in her childhood to Madison County, Ohio, locating near Mt. Vernon. Her father, Joseph Warner, was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and lived to the age of one hundred and four years. He spent his last days with his daughter Sarah, in Marshall County, retaining in a remarka- ble degree his health and activity. A short time before his death he walked twelve miles across the prairie to Long Point, and when the final summons came, passed away in a short time, apparently with- out pain. To Justice and Sarah (Warner) Jones there were born eight children, namely : Daniel W., Epinetus; Zenas R., our subject; Louisa, Mrs. Wal- ter Cornell, of Amity Township; Matilda, Mrs. J. A. Blondin, of Sedalia, Mo., and Drusilla M. The mother was a true Christian woman of many excel- lent qualities, and spent her last days at the old homestead.
Our subject continued under the parental roof until his marriage, which took place in July, 1854, his chosen bride being Miss Julia E., daughter of Andrew and Rhoda A. Stitt, natives of New York, who afterward removed to Michigan, where their daughter, Mrs. J., was born in 1828. Upon reach- ing womanhood she came to this county to visit a friend, and formed the acquaintance of her future husband. Their union has resulted in the birth of six children: John, after reaching manhood, was
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married, and continued on the farm with his father until his death, which occurred Sept. 8, 1886; he left a wife and one child. Ira and Dove died in infancy; Frances M. obtained a good education and for some years has been employed as a teacher, in which profession she is highly successful and popular; Edwin B. is at home, as is also Lewis L.
Mr. Jones has been an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church for a period of twenty- five years, and was connected with the Illinois Con- ference six years, four years of this time being en- tirely devoted to ministerial labors. After the outbreak of the late war he enlisted in the 104th Illinois Infantry, in August, 1862, and met the enemy in many of the important battles which en- sued. At Hartsville, Tenn., he was captured by the rebels and taken to Murfreesboro, but was soon afterward paroled and rejoined his regiment. The hardships to which he was subjected, and the wretched fare a large part of the time, brought upon him a disease from which he suffered seven years thereafter and was unable to do any manual labor. lIe has not yet recovered from the effects, and hardly expects to.
Mr. Jones, after his return from the army, en- gaged in general merchandising at Wenona two years, then selling out purchased his present home. In his grain transactions he handles from 25,000 to 40.000 bushels per year. He is a man greatly re- spected by his neighbors, and with his family still remains connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is now Deacon and Class- Leader at Manville.
OHN C. ANTRIM, a prominent and influen- tial farmer and stock-raiser, who is well and favorably known as a worthy resident on section 30, Owego Township, is a native of Clinton County, Ohio, where he was born on the 14th of October, 1836. Ile is the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Antrim, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania. The mother at present resides in Nebraska; the father is deceased. The parents were among the early set- tlers of Clinton County, Ohio, where they under-
went all the trials and hardships of pioneer life. There were born to them ten children, five of whom are living: John C., William, Philip II., George; Catherine, who is the wife of Edward Cook, of Nebraska.
Mr. Antrim was reared to manhood in his native State, where he engaged in work upon the farm, cutting and clearing timber and preparing the soil for the growing of crops until he reached his ma- jority. On the 22d of February, 1857, while yet residing in Ohio, he was married to Annie Hallam, daughter of John and Jane Hallam, of Clinton County, Ohio. They have had born to them nine children, whose names are as follows: Mary E., Mrs. T. H. Wheeler, of Chicago; Rachel A., Mrs. M. T. Ilyer, of Fayette County, Ohio: William J. married Miss Sue Carroll, of Oskaloosa, Iowa; Rox- ana K., John L., Harriet E., Edward M., Carrie A. and Imo. In 1863 Mr. Antrim, with his family, removed from Ohio to Livingston County, and re- sided in Amity Township until 1886, in which year he settled on his present farm on section 30, Owego Township, where he owns 123 acres of well-im- proved land, in the cultivation of which he is meet- ing with excellent success.
In the fall of 1864 Mr. Antrim enlisted in the Union army from Livingston County and attached himself to Company II, 44th Illinois Infantry, which regiment was a part of the Army of the Cumber- land. During the time of his service in the army Mr. Antrim participated in the battles of Spring Ilill, Franklin, Nashville, and numerous lesser en- gagements. After about a year of faithful and conscientious service he was honorably discharged from the army on the 16th of June, 1865. Upon his discharge he returned to Livingston County, where he resumed his agricultural pursuits, which he has since industrionsly followed, and by work- ing early and late and husbanding his resources he has succeeded to such an extent that he owns 240 acres of excellent land in Amity Township, besides his farm in Owego Township. Both of these farms are very valuable, and under the intelligent man- agement of Mr. Antrim are very productive. He takes considerable interest in all matters relating to live-stock, and in this line of his business has accomplished much.
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Our subject devotes but little attention to po- litieal matters, so far as the stereotyped doetrines of the old parties are concerned, and is independ- ent enough to east his ballot for the men who will faithfully discharge the duties of the office eon- ferred upon them regardless of the name of the party to which they belong. He is upright in his business transactions, meriting and receiving the esteem of his neighbors.
HOMAS McCASHLAND, a worthy agricult- urist of Livingston County, which ealling he has followed the most of his life, may be found on section 7, Avoea Township, where he is pleasantly situated. He belongs to that elass of men who have devoted their lives to beautifying and turning to the use of man what Nature has so bountifully provided. In all respects he is a rep- resentative eitizen, and a model of that class of enterprising farmers who have accomplished so mueh for Livingston County. Mr. McCashland is a native of Montgomery County, Va., where he was born Nov. 30, 1827. He is the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth MeCashland, the father a native of Ireland, while the mother was born in Virginia. At about three years of age he accompanied his parents when they left his native State and emi- grated to the West, settling in Wayne County, Ind., where they were early pioneers in the White- water Valley. The father has been married twice, and of the children born, twelve in number, five are still living, whose names are as follows: Benja- min, Henry ; Mary A., Mrs. Robert Pilehier ; Namon and Thomas.
Thomas McCashland, the subject of our sketeh. was reared to manhood in Wayne County, Ind., where he received a limited education, and was united in marriage, on the 30th of January, 1850, with Miss Rachel Thomas, who was born in Union County, Ind., on the 29th of August, 1827. She is the daughter of John and Margaret Thomas, natives of Kentucky and Indiana respectively. They were early settlers in Union County, where they lived many years. Mr. and Mrs. McCashland are the parents of five living children, as follows:
Henry M .; Mary A., Mrs. John Morrison, of Pon- tiac: Cora A., Mrs. George Tate, of Avoca Town- ship, and Lillie, who is now attending the High School at Pontiac, where she will graduate next June, and is an accomplished teacher of music. The names of the deceased children were: Roxy R., Florence R., Della O. and Etta I.
In 1860 Mr. McCashland, with his family, moved from Indiana to Livingston County, and for a short time resided about four miles northwest of Pon- tiae. Thenee he removed to Avoca Township in 1875, and settled on the farm which he at present occupies. This farm consists of forty acres of well-improved land, on which he has ereeted suita- ble and substantial buildings. Mr. McCashland is in the fullest sense of the term a self-made man, what he has being earned by hard and persistent work, and retained unineumbered through economy and good management. In his political affiliations he votes with the Democratic party, although he is not an active politician. In consequence of the interest he takes in matters pertaining to eduea- tion he has been chosen to fill the responsible posi- tion of School Director during the last fifteen years. Mrs. McCashland is an ardent member of the Lode- mia Methodist Episcopal Church, and in the affairs of the congregation performs her part well. The family oceupy an enviable position in the society of Avoea Township, and are active participants in its affairs.
C C. STUDLEY, who is engaged as a merehant and real-estate and collecting agent at the village of Flanagan, in Nebraska Township, is the son of William and Eunice (Timberman) Studley, and was born in Neponset Township, Bu- reau Co., Ill., on the 19th of December, 1855. His father died when he was but eight years of age, leaving a family of several children, who early had to assist their mother in making a living.
Our subjeet was reared on a farm until the age of thirteen, when he engaged with Austin Barnum, a cousin of P. T. Barnum, the great showman, in a livery stable, on the condition that his work should pay for his board while he attended school. This arrangement continued through three winters, and
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during that time he worked one summer in a brick- yard, and two on his uncle's farm. At the age of seventeen he began attending the graded school, where he remained for about two years. in the mean- time taking private instructions in order to fit him- self for entering college. When he was eighteen years of age upon a first examination he obtained a first grade certificate, and taught school one year. He then entered the University of Illinois at Cham- paign, where he remained one year, and then en- gaged in school teaching another year in order to provide himself with means for the purchase of the necessary books and clothing to continue his col- lege studies. After one more year in college, he again taught school one year in Livingston County, and the following summer began the study of law. In the fall of that year he went to Ann Arbor, Mich., and entered the law department, where he remained about one year, when, on account of ill- health. he was compelled to retire from school. He then began studying law in the office of S. S. Lawrence, but his health continuing poor he was obliged to abandon the study.
On the 7th of October, 1879, our subject was mar- ried at Bloomington, Ill., to Cora A. Herold, daugh- ter of Amos (Jobs) Herold. During the following winter he taught school, and in the spring went to Iowa, where he and his brother, C. M. Studley, pur- chased 160 acres of wild land and made some im- provements on it. In the following fall he sold out to his brother, and went to Wright County. Iowa, where he purchased eighty acres of land, and taught school that winter. In the meantime his wife had returned to Illinois on account of ill-health to re- main during the winter. In the spring of 1881 Mr. Studley returned to Illinois, where he taught school three months. In Angn-t, 1881, he moved into Flanagan. where he taught the village school five days in the week, worked in the lumber-yard on Saturdays, and kept books during the evenings. In the following spring he worked at carpentering, but soon discontinued business and began clerk- ing for Murphy Brothers, driving their wagon a portion of the time. At the end of the year the Murphy Brothers closed out their business, and Mr. Studley was temporarily thrown out of employ- ment. At the suggestion of a friend he invested in
a stock of flour and feed. and from this start he has gradually worked up a good trade. In politics Mr. Studley is a Democrat. He has held the offices of Village Trustec and School Director. When he was elected to the latter office, the school-house stood about one mile from the village, and two Directors were opposed to removing it, but within six months the location was changed, and before his term expired, the new house, costing about $3,000, was paid for. In 1885 he was elected Justice of the Peace with only seven opposing votes out of 167 cast. He has been Treasurer of the village for two years, and holds that place at the time this sketch is written.
Mr. Studley is the fourth in a family of six chil- dren : Clarence M. is married, is a farmer at Web- ster City, Iowa, and has four children; George M., married, is a farmer at Webster City, Iowa, and has one child; Charles M. is an Iowa farmer, and has no children ; Maria, Mrs. Iliram Thompson, has five children, and lives in Iowa; William T. is unmar- ried and lives with his mother in Iowa.
William Studley, Sr., the father of our subject, was born in Yorkshire. England, in the month of October, 1824, and came to America with his parents, William, Sr., and Ann (Chapman) Stud- ley, when he was about seven years of age. The father located near Jacksonville, Ill., where he followed farming, and at which place he enjoyed an intimate acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln. Leaving Jacksonville they moved to Stark County, which was then a wilderness, and "squatted" in Osceola Grove at about the close of the Black Hawk War. In about one year they sold their property, and moved into Bureau County, and were the first settlers in the township, their nearest neighbors be- ing eight or ten miles distant. The farm on which they settled in Bureau County is still owned in the Studley family. The father of our subject was married in 1848. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company 11, 93d Illinois Infantry, and was under Grant at Vicksburg, where he contracted a disease, and after returning home, was discharged and died on the 2d of May, 1864. Our subject's paternal grandfather, William Studley, Sr., was born in York- shire, England, Dec. 1, 1788. He was in the Brit- ish service fourteen years, and was a member of the
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Home Guards at the time of the war with Napo- leon. He was married about 1820, came to this country in 1831, and died in October, 1878. Our subject's great-grandfather, George Studley, mar- ried a Miss Coultis, during the war of the Revo- lution.
To Mr. and Mrs. Studley have been born two children : Leora Ethel, at Webster City, Iowa, Aug. 17, 1880; and Claude Melville, in Flanagan, Aug. 2, 1883. So far as home surroundings are con- cerned, Mr. and Mrs. Studley are very pleasantly situated. His business affairs are in such a pros- perous condition that they are enabled to live com- fortably, and provide liberally for those dependent upon them. Besides merchandising, Mr. Studley is largely engaged in buying and selling real estate, and acting as collecting agent, in all which lines of business he has been successful.
W H. JENKINS, Supervisor of Pontiac Town- ship, Deputy County Clerk, Notary Pub- lic, and Insurance Agent, it will readily be surmised is one of the wide-awake and enterprising citizens to whom Livingston County is indebted for its present status in one of the most prosperous commonwealths of the West. He is a native of Ohio, and came to Illinois in 1859. He was born in Miami County, Ohio, Jan. 11, 1846, and is the son of Samuel R. and Mary (Frederick) Jenkins, also natives of the Buckeye State, where they ranked among the most desirable members of the farming community. The father of our subject, in September, 1859, left his native State and migrat- ing westward settled in Esmen Township, this county, where he purchased eighty acres of land, and remained upon it until 1869. Ile then re- moved to Iroquois County, where he still resides.
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The Jenkins family is of Welsh ancestry, and came with William Penn to America, settling in Pennsylvania. On the mother's side the Fredericks were of German descent. The paternal grandfather of our subject, David Jenkins, was born in South Carolina, whence he removed to Ohio at an early day, where he became a prominent citizen, and be- sides the duties of looking after an extensive farm,
also officiated as Justice of the Peace for many years. lle died in Miami County about 1856. His son Samuel, already mentioned as the father of our subject, in middle life identified himself with the Republican party, and belonged, with his estimable wife, to the Methodist Episcopal Church. The household circle embraced eleven children, seven now living, namely, Rebecca A., Isaac R., William H., Nancy E., Olive A., Samuel K. and Daniel W. They are considerably scattered, two living in St. Paul, Minn., one in Dakota and the others in this State.
Our subject was reared on his father's homestead among the Ohio hills, and after the manner of most farmers' boys attended school in winter, and assisted on the farm in summer. He thus ap- proached manhood, and in the meantime occurred the outbreak of the late Rebellion. He came with his father to Illinois, and on the 30th of December, 1863, enlisted in Company C, 39th Illinois In- fantry, and for eighteen months experienced the vicissitudes of a soldier's life. Ile met the enemy in many important engagements, namely, Drewry's Bluff, Strawberry Plains, Darby Town Cross Roads, and in various minor engagements and skir- mishes. At the first mentioned place he was shot through the neck and shoulder, and after two months' confinement in the hospital received a thirty days' furlough. Oct. 13, 1864, at Darby Town Cross Roads he was shot through the leg above the knee. He received his honorable discharge May 18, 1865, and after spending a season on the farm, repaired to Chicago and took a six months' course in Bryant & Stratton's Business College. His leg by reason of the wound had continued troublesome, although he hoped to save it. He suffered with it until the 18th of May, 1868, when he gave up all liope of recovering from the wound, and ampu- tation was accordingly performed by Dr. Charles M. Clark, of the Soldier's Home, in Chicago.
In December following, Mr. Jenkins was ap- pointed Deputy County Clerk, and remained in the discharge of his duties at Pontiac until 1874. For two years afterward he was engaged in keeping hotel, and then in 1876 was elected Circuit Clerk, which position he held four years, and was then appointed Deputy Circuit Clerk, serving until Jan.
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1, 1885, when he was appointed Deputy County Clerk, and the following year elected Supervisor of Pontiac Township. He received his commission as Notary Public from Gov. Oglesby in 1883.
The wife of our subject was formerly Miss Bessie Van Scoy, and their wedding took place at the home of the bride's parents, Dec. 21, 1880. Mrs. Jen- kins is a native of Ohio, and the daughter of James W. and Margaret (Wiles) Van Scoy, natives re- spectively of Ohio and Virginia. They came to Illinois in 1868, and are now residents of Pontiac. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins have one child only, a son, Charles L. They occupy a comfortable and taste- ful residence at the intersection of Mill and Liv- ingston streets, and number their friends among the most cultivated people of the city.
E ,DDEN M. JOHNSON is a member of the firm of Johnson & Renoe, publishers and proprietors of the Free Trader and Observer, at Pontiac. Our subject was born in Monroe County, W. Va., May 11, 1845, and is the son of Morris and Minerva (Ellis) Johnson, natives of the same county. where the father, during his early manhood, was engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1856 he disposed of his property in the Old Dominion, and coming to Pontiac followed mer- chandising, and also engaged as a farmer and stock dealer. lle was successful in business, and retired upon a competency. His death occurred May 7, 1886.
The father of our subject was largely connected with the business interests of Northern and Central Illinoi-, and a prominent stockholder in the bank at Bloomington, Ill. He put up two store build- ings in Pontiac and a fine residence on the south side of the Vermilion River. He watched with unalloyed interest the growth and prosperity of his adopted State, and did much toward encouraging the various worthy enterprises which at that time were being instituted in connection with the build- ing up of Pontiac. He was Democratic politically, and socially was a member of the Masonic frater- nity. The parental family included two children only, our subject and his sister, Eunice J. The
latter married E. A. MeGregor, of Pontiac, and died in 1886, leaving three children-Bernice, Ellis and Lewis.
The paternal grandfather of our subject, Jacob Johnson by name, was. like his son and grandson, a native of Monroe County, W. Va., whence he re- moved to MeLean County, Ill., with his family in 1856. He continued farming, and died in McLean County in 1873. The maternal grandfather, Will- iam Ellis, was also a native of Monroe County, W. Va., and a farmer by occupation. He spent his entire life in his native State, his death taking place about 1875.
Our subject pursued his early studies in the schools of Pontiac after the removal of his parents to this State, and when eighteen years old entered Wesleyan University at Bloomington, from which he was graduated in 1867. Afterward he repaired to Ann Arbor, and entered the law department of Michigan University, where he took a full course and was admitted to the bar in 1869. He, how- ever, had had his attention called to newspaper work, and as it seemed to coincide with his tastes and inclinations, he purchased the Free Trader, and has since conducted it in a manner creditable to him- self and satisfactory to all concerned. lle is of a practical turn of mind, and usually succeeds in whatever undertaking his judgment approves.
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