USA > Illinois > Portrait and biographies of the governors of Illinois and of the residents of the United States > Part 45
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came. in 1864. organizations were formed in the county with the avowed purpose of resisting it, but Mr. Kitchell counseled obedience to the law in every respect. When the drawing was published, his name was found to be among the rest. In pursuance of a vow he had previously made not to furnish a substitute in case be should be drafted, he at once sold out his paper, turned over his law office and practice to Gen. Jesse J. Phil- lips, who had then just returned from the army, and entered the service as a drafted soldier. Ile was assigned to one of the regiments then raising, served as a private for some months, and when the war was over was mustered out with the rank of Lieutenant.
Previous to this time, our subject was married. on the 27th of February, 1862, to Miss Mary Frances Little, only daughter of Robert Little, of Audubon, Montgomery County, Ill. They made their home in llillsboro until October, 1866, when they came to Pana, which was then a small village. Mr. Kitchell at once opened an office and began the practice of law. He is now the oldest practitioner of Pana, as well as the most promi- nent. For a few years he was associated with A. C. McMillen, but during the greater part of the time he has been alone in practice. llis abil- ities, natural and acquired, have won him a high reputation as a lawyer, and have made him extremely successful in practice. A clear thinker, a logical reasoner, and quick at reaching conclu- sions, he has become widely known as a legal advocate. In other lines, Mr. Kitchell is also known, for he has been identified with many public interests. Prominent among these has been the effort to develop the coal-fields in the vicinity of Pana. Strongly impressed, in common with many others of his fellow-townsmen, with a belief in the existence of mineral wealth beneath the soil. he took active part as early as 1872, when the first unsuccessful attempt was made to find coal by the help of an old-fashioned drill, at a loss to the citizens of several thousands of dollars. Ten years later. he contributed his time and means towards the more successful search by the use of a diamond drill, which took out a solid core, result- ing in the discovery of the long-hoped-for vein
of fine bituminous coal, seven feet and three inches thick, at a depth of seven hundred and twenty- three feet. The borings were carefully kept by Mr. Kitchell, as one of the committee, and selec- tions from these were mounted in a glass case, and are to be found in his office, making an interesting object lesson in geology. The result of this finding was the sinking of a shaft the following year by capitalists from a neighboring county. Subse- quently, a business men's organization was formed, called the Pana Improvement Association, with Mr. Kitchell as President. As a sequel to this was the formation, in 1887, of a company to sink another shaft, called the Penwell-Kitchell Coal Mining Co., with J. W. Kitchell as President, and G. V. Penwell. Treasurer. Mr. Kitchell sold out his interest before coal was reached to Mr. Pen- well, and in a few months afterwards, in the early part of 1889, in company with D. J. Overholt and others, he organized the Springside Coal Min- ing Company, and sunk another shaft, he be- ing President and Treasurer, and Mr. Overholt Secretary. Ile continued in control until after the successful operation of the shaft, and retired from the management in May, 1891. His faith in the future of Pana was shown in the erection of his residence on East Mound, in the Centennial year, and a block of business houses on Second Street in 1887, and he holds himself ready to assist in all matters looking to the building np and the improvement of the city. Much of his attention has been given to the reclaiming of a body of swamp and overflowed land a short dis- tance from Pana, which has been thereby rendered highly productive, at the same time adding value to the neighboring lands and removing a source of disease. In these and kindred pursuits, Mr. Kitchell seems to find his time more agreeably, if not profitably, occupied than in conducting liti- gated snits, and has therefore in a great measure ceased active practice in the courts, confining his labors in law mostly to an office practice. Ile is a member of no secret order or society, except the Grand Army of the Republic. He rigidly ab- stains from all use of intoxicating liquors, and ab- jures the use of tobacco in all its forms.
In politics, Mr. Kitchell has ever been a stalwart
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Republican, having cast his first vote for Fremont in 1856. Ile was candidate for Congress in 1874, his competitor being his former law partner. Judge E. Y. Rice, but on account of the distriets being strongly Democratie he suffered defeat. He is frequently on the stumps during the campaigns, and was a delegate from the Thirteenth District to the Minneapolis Convention in 1892, where he was a firm supporter of Harrison. Mr. Kitchell belongs to a family well known throughout the State, and he has been prominently identified with matters of public welfare as editor, lawyer and politician. His career has been one that has gained him the respect of all with whom he has been brought in contact. True to the Old Flag, faithful in public office, honorable in business, and trust- worthy in private life, he ranks among Christian County's best citizens.
P ROF. LLEWELLYN SPRAGUE HAM, who is Principal of the West School of Pana, and is an educator of fine ability, was born in Wales. Me., on the 15th of January, 1843, and is a son of Joel and Maria (Maxwell) Ham, who were also natives of the Pine Tree State. Ile was reared on a farm until eighteen years of age, and during that time attended the common schools and an academy. From early boyhood he manifested special aptitude in his studies and a great fondness for books.
At the age of eighteen, Prof. Ham attended a seminary for a short time, then followed teaching, and afterward entered the Maine State Seminary, at Lewiston, Me., now known as Bates College. There he pursued a preparatory course, after which he entered Bowdoin College. in Brunswick, Me., which institution has graduated many of the most prominent men of the country, including poets, professors, men of letters, etc. Ile began his studies there in 1864, and after completing the classical course was graduated in 1868 with the
degree of A. B. in a elass of twenty-three, among whom was Prof. Robert L. Packard. IIe was also a member of the Pei Upsilon, a Greek society. Prof. Ilam met the greater part of his expenses in college with the capital which he had formerly acquired in teaching, and with teaching special classes in Bowdoin. It will thus be seen that he is a self-educated and self-made man, and through his own efforts may be attributed his success in life.
When his collegiate course was completed, onr subject resumed teaching, becoming principal of the High school in Alfred, Me. In the spring of 1869, he removed to Wisconsin and took charge of the La Crosse Valley Seminary, at West Salem, where he remained two years. On the expiration of that period we find him in Springfield, Ill., where he engaged in civil engineering on what is now the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. He served as assistant engineer on the survey from Edge- wood to Pana. and was division engineer on con- struction from Edgewood to Tower Hill. He also assisted in building the shops in Pana, after which he entered the works here as book-keeper. Sub- sequently for one year he filled the position of chief clerk in the freight office. Altogether he was connected with the Ohio & Mississippi Road for three years.
In 1873, Mr. Ham became Superintendent of the public schools and acceptably filled the position for four years, when the schools were divided and two principals selected. Three years later he re- signed his position. For one year he engaged in teaching in Rosemond, and for two years served as Principal of the East School in Taylorville. He then returned to take charge of the West School of Pana, in 1881, and under his able management it has been so successfully conducted that Pana is justly proud of her schools, which rank among the best in this part of the State. Ile has eight teachers under his supervision and has an enroll- ment of three hundred and fifty pupils.
On the 7th of December, 1875, in Pana, Mr. Ham was united in marriage with Frankie Tomlinson, daughter of John Tomlinson. a native of Massa- chusetts. She was born in Adrian, Mich. Seven children have been born of their union: Bertha A.,
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Elmer L., Eva I., Arthur C .. Harold, Ahce E., and Walter L., who died when three years of age.
Prof. Ham and his wife occupy an enviable position in social circles, and are prominent mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church. He has been closely connected with church and Sunday-school work and is now serving as Elder. Prof. Ham may always be called upon to advance the best interests of the community, and his influence is widely felt for good throughout Pana. In poli- tics. he is a Republican. He is now serving as Secretary of the Pana Building and Loan Asso- ciation, and has aided in laying out additions to the city. Ile is a member of the State Teachers' Association, and each summer devotes much of his time to institute work. Prof. Ilam has the faculty of readily and clearly imparting to others his knowledge of any study, and this, combined with his excellent management and executive ability, has made him a very successful instructor. His long-continued service in Pana indicates his popularity with her citizens and the confidence they repose in his ability.
ELSON WARREN, a prominent farmer and early settler of Christian County, residing on seetion 23, Pana Township, has long been identified with the history of this community, and has been an eye-witness of its growth and development. llis part he has always borne in the work of public improvement and advancement, and therefore well deserves mention among its honored pioneers.
Mr. Warren was born in Walnut Township, Pickaway Township, Ohio, April 23, 1826. Ilis father, Silas Warren, was a native of Delaware, and in his youth removed to Pickaway County, where he married Sarah Riley, who was also born in Delaware. They began their domestic life upon a farm, and their last days were spent in Shelby County, Ill., where the father passed away at the age of seventy-three, while the mother reached
the allotted age of three score-years and ten. Mr. Warren was a Whig, and took quite an active inter- est in politics. Ile was a well-read man and was always well versed on questions of the day. Both he and his wife were members of the United Breth- ren Church. Of their family of seven children, six grew to manhood and womanhood, but only four are now living.
Our subject is the fifth in order of birth. The days of his boyhood and youth were quietly passed upon his father's farm midst play and work. In the summer months he aided in the labors of the field, and in the winter months attended the district schools, where he become familiar with the common branches of English learning. On attain- ing his majority, he left home to make his own way in the world, and began working by the month as a farm hand. The highest wages he received while engaged in that labor was $12 per month.
In his native county, Mr. Warren was married, August 17, 1849, to Lavina Brinker, also a native of Pickaway County. She was born February 9, 1830, and is a daughter of George and Mary (Shope) Brinker. Her parents were both born in Pennsylvania, and were of German descent. At the age of nineteen her father left the Keystone State and went to Ohio, where he married Miss Shope. Mrs. Warren is the youngest child and seventh daughter in a family of thirteen children. Her mother died when she was only four days old, after which her father married again. Eight chil- dren have been born to our subject and his wife: Bennett and George, who were born in Pickaway County; Silas, who was born in Christian County; John R., who died at the age of four months; Sarah E., Lawrence, Mary A. and Nettie B.
After his marriage, Mr. Warren settled on a rented farm in Pickaway County, which he oper- ated three years. IIe first came to Christian County on horseback in 1851, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of raw land, a part of his present farm, paying $3 per acre. The follow- ing year he brought his family, and they took up their residence in a log cabin, 16x16 feet, with a puncheon floor and clapboard door. Mr. Warren went to Springfield and purchased the first cook
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stove brought to this neighborhood. The furni- ture consisted of a set of common wooden chairs and a table, and they lived in true pioneer style. There were only nine voters in what is now Pana and Rosemond Townships. With characteristic energy, Mr. Warren began the development of his farm, and in his business undertakings has met with excellent success. In the home place he now owns six hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, mostly under cultivation, four hundred acres being devoted to growing hay. lle also owns three other farms, including eighty acres in this county, two hundred and thirty acres in Shelby County, another tract of two hundred acres, and seventy acres of timber-land, making alto- gether about twelve hundred acres. He com- menced life a poor boy, but by his industrious efforts has steadily worked his way upwards. Sue- cess was before him, and he possessed the necessary energy and perseverance to reach the goal. With untiring zeal he has labored, and is now numbered among the wealthy citizens of Christian County, a position which he has justly reached. llis pros- perity is certainly well merited. In politics, Mr. Warren is a most ardent Republican, but has never been an office-seeker. For over thirty years he has been connected with the Masonic fraternity.
OHN HOWELL DAWDY, who is police magistrate of Pana, is one of Illinois' na- tive sons. his birth having occurred in Ham- ilton County, March 6, 1820, Ilis father, Daniel Dawdy, was a native of Tennessee, and in that State married Nancy Tindall, a native of Georgia. He brought his family to Illinois in 1818, the year in which the State was admitted to the Union, and in 1828 removed to Shelby County, locating four miles north of Shelbyville, where his death occurred in 1855, at the age of sixty-six. Ilis wife died a few months later. The family numbered ten children, five sons and five daugh-
ters, of whom three are now living: Daniel J., of Shelby County; Perlina, widow of Joseph Walker, of Shelby County; and John Howell. Henry, the eldest son, served as Collector of Shelby County for several years in a very early day. He died when a young man. The father was County Com- missioner for a year, and served under Gen. Coffee at New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Mr. Dawdy whose name heads this sketch was reared to manhood under the parental roof, re- maining upon the home farm until his marriage, at the age of twenty-four. On the 25th of January, 1844, he wedded Miss Jane Frazer, of Shelby County, who was born in Kentucky, and when a maiden of ten summers came to Illinois with her father, Jolin Frazer, one of the early settlers of Shelby County. The young people began their domestic life upon a farm in that vicinity, and there remained until 1849, when they removed to Shelbyville. Mr. Dawdy was appointed Deputy Sheriff of the county; he also served as Constable, and engaged in merchandising in that city for some time.
The year 1856 witnessed the arrival of our sub- jeet in Pana, which was then a small town of about three hundred inhabitants. Ile opened a general store, which he carried on for two years. Ilis fellow-townsmen, appreciating his worth and ability, clected him County Commissioner in 1856, and for four years he acceptably filled that office. Previously large tracts of swamp-land had been given to the county, but some of it had been taken by the railroads, and measures were now started to recover payment for this. Mr. Dawdy was instru- mental in bringing about the result, which secured 815,000 cash for the county. Abont this time he began practicing law, and for a number of years he followed that profession in connection with his du- ties as Justice of the Peace. Ile is now serving his twelfth year as Police Magistrate.
Of the children born to our subject and his wife. William II .. of Greenville, Ill., is an at- torney-at-law, who served as a member of the State Legislature and was one of the famous one hundred and one who elected Palmer; Charles, who was engaged in the grocery trade, died in Pana of consumption. They have also reared
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two girls, daughters of Mrs. Dawdy's youngest sis- ter, Serilda, wife of Daniel Albro. The elder, Amanda Albro, became the wife of Samuel II. Wright, of Shelby County, and died in Pana in 1873. Jennie died in 1874, at the age of twenty- two. Their parents died within one year of each other, and from early childhood the daughters were members of the Dawdy family.
For a number of years our subject was a sup- porter of the Democracy, but is now a stanch Prohibitionist, and although Pana has been a licensed town he has been repeatedly elected Mag- istrate, a fact which indicates his faithful per- formance of duty and his popularity. In his so- cial relations he is an Odd Fellow and has been a prominent Mason. He has attended the Grand Lodge and is a Past Master. For forty-six years he has been a member of the Christian Church, and an earnest laborer in the cause of Christianity, doing all in his power for the spread of the Gospel and the promotion of its truths. In connection with his other business interests he was engaged in real-estate dealing for a number of years, and has been prominent in the development of the coal interests of this locality, which have been the making of Pana. Ile was one of the first to de- posit money in the bank for the first boring with a diamond drill. No enterprise worthy of the support of the best people need be afraid to seek the aid of our subject, for he has the interests of the city at heart and does all in his power to pro- mote its welfare.
NDREW BRISBEN has devoted the greater part of his life to agricultural pursuits, but is now living retired in Pana, in the en- joyment of a rest which he has truly earned and well deserves. Ile was born in Ches- ter County, Pa., August 18, 1815, and is a son of John and Jane (McNeal) Brisben. On the pater- nal side he is of Irish, and on the maternal side of Scotch, descent. Ilis paternal grandfather never
left the Emerald Isle. John Brisben. who was there born, came to America, an orphan boy of seven years, and settled in Chester County, Pa., where he learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed during the greater part of his life. In 1818 he removed to Ohio, and after a few years spent in Harrison County went to Tusearawas County, where he made his home until 1865. That year witnessed his arrival in Illinois, and on the 1st of November he settled in Christian County, on a farm two miles east of Pana, where he died in 1873, at the age of eighty-seven years. His wife passed away in 1872, at the age of eighty-six. They were members of the Presbyterian Church. The Brisben family numbered seven children, two sons and five daughters, but only two are now liv- ing: Margaret Ann, widow of Jacob Huston, of Urichville, Ohio; and Andrew, of this sketch, who was only three years of age when his parents re- moved to the Buckeye State, where he was reared and edneated. Ile learned the blacksmith's trade with his father, and followed that pursuit for sev- eral years. Under the parental roof he remained until he had attained his majority, and even after his marriage he continued on the home farm for some time. At length he opened a blacksmith shop in Urichville, where he carried on business for some fifteen years.
On the 23d of April, 1837, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Brisben and Miss Rebecca, daugh- ter of Thomas and Sarah (Rippeth) Price, who then resided in Ohio, but were natives of Virginia. Fourteen children were born of this union, but several died in infancy. Sarah Jane and William G. died in childhood. Jolm P., who resides in Lyons, Kan., married Belle Messer, and they have one son, John. Mary B. is the wife of Emanuel Johns, of Washington, by whom she has five chil- dren now living, namely: Charles, Belle, Carrie, Helen and Victor E. Alice, deceased, was the wife of Gus Brown, of Taylorville, by whom she had four sons, two yet living, Bert W. and Milton O. Carrie completes the family. Mrs. Brisben, the mother, died on the 19th of July, 1891, at the age of seventy-one years. She was a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church and a lady whose many excellencies of character gained her a wide circle
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of friends and acquaintances. Her son John was a soldier of the late war. Ile belonged to the Ninety-eighth Ohio Infantry and participated in many hard-fought battles. Ile enlisted as Cor- poral and was mustered out with the rank of Cap- tain. After the war he served for twelve years as a civil engineer in Shelby County.
Mr. Brisben of this sketch has been a resident of Christian County since 1865. He located upon a farm near Pana, and there successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, making his home at that place until after the death of his wife. At length he retired from active business life, rented his land and removed to the city. In politics, he is a supporter of the Democracy. He was elected and served as ITighway Commissioner one term, and was Township Collector in 1868. In 1889 he was elected Justice of the Peace, which position he still holds. Socially, he is a member of Pana Lodge No. 226, A. F. & A. M., and for many years has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, in the work of which he is actively interested. Mr. Bris- ben has been the architect of his own fortune, and has builded wisely and well.
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OIIN VIDLER, who is now living retired in Pana, is a native of England. He was born in Tichourst, Sussex County, on the 29th of July, 1826, and there his boyhood days were quietly passed. At the age of twenty he be- gan learning the trade of brick-making, and in 1853, when twenty-seven years of age, emigrated to the United States. After crossing the Atlantic, he spent one summer in New York, and in the sue- ceeding fall went to Pike County, Ill., locating in Griggsville. He made the journey from Chicago to La Salle by way of the Rock Island Railroad, and by boat to his destination.
Ere leaving England, Mr. Vidler was married, November 1, 1851, to Mary Ann Powell, of Sus- sex County, born September 29, 1816. For a year after arriving in Illinois, Mr. Vidler worked by
the day, tending a brick mason, and then engaged in briek-making for himself, with a capital of only 8300, his hard earned savings of the previous year. He remained in Griggsville until 1866, and during his residence there he made $4,000. In that year he came to Pana and opened a brick- yard. The summer of 1865 he had spent in Eng- land on a visit to friends and native land. He carried on brick-making in Pana until 1881. Af- ter a few years his was the only manufactory of the kind in Pana, and he built up a large trade. IIe also engaged in contracting for some time, and as the result of his perseverance, enterprise and in- dustry, he accumulated a handsome competency, and is now enabled to live retired, enjoying the rest which he has so truly earned and richly de- serves.
In 1856, Mr. Vidler purchased forty acres of land at 875 per acre, and has also erected some residences. However, the greater part of his time and attention was given to the manufacture of brick. He exercises his right of franchise in sup- port of the Democratic party, and has taken quite an active part in political affairs. Ilis wife is a member of the Baptist Church, and a most estima- ble lady. Mr. Vidler may truly be called a self- made man, for he started out empty-handed, and therefore the success which has come to him is the just reward of his own labors.
Thomas John Vidler, the only son of the gen- tleman mentioned above, is Cashier of the First National Bank of Pana. Ile was born in Griggs- ville, Ill., August 16, 1858, was educated in the public schools, and under the parental roof was reared to manhood. On the 19th of January, 1882, he was united in marriage with Miss Belle, daughter of Jerry and Kate (Walsh) Hogan, of Pana. Iler father came to Pana at the time of the building of the Illinois Central Railroad, was sec- tion boss for some time, and is now employed in the machine shops of the company. Mr. and Mrs. Vidler now have three children, Fannie, May and Paul John, and they also lost one child, Ida, who died in infancy.
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