USA > Illinois > Portrait and biographies of the governors of Illinois and of the residents of the United States > Part 48
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Isaac A. Yarnell was born December 13, 1810, near Knoxville. Tenn., and has been engaged in farming all his life. He came to Illinois and en- tered land in Macoupin County in 1833. IIe there remained until 1845, when he sold his farm and purchased a tract of land in Greene County, Ill. In the fall of 1867, he came to Christian County, becoming the owner of a farm, which is now the property of our subject. He was called from this life August 7. 1887. Politically, he was first a Whig and later a Republican, and relig- iously was a member of the Cumberland Presby- terian Church. Ile was of Irish ancestry, his fore- fathers having located in this country at a very early day. His father, Mordecai Yarnell, was born April 17, 1767, was a farmer, and died July 30, 1846. The father of the latter was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The mother of our sub- ject was a daughter of Benjamin and Olive Bon- ham, and was born November 10, 1811, in Blount
County, Tenn. She died in the faith of the Meth- odist Church, August 16, 1852, in Greene County, Ill. Like her husband, she was of Irish descent.
Henry J. Yarnell was reared on his father's farm in Illinois, and during the winter terms attended the country schools until nearly eighteen years of age. On the 8th of September, 1862, he became a private of Company K, Ninety-first Illinois Infan- try, having enlisted for a term of three years. IIe served for two years and ten months, when he re- ceived his discharge, as Lee had surrendered. He had been a soldier for about four months when he was taken prisoner at Elizabethtown, Ky. With his company, he was obliged to surrender to John Morgan on December 27, 1862. He was sent to the parole eamp at Benton Barracks, near St. Louis, and was exchanged June 5, 1863, with his regiment, and newly equipped. On the 7th of the following July he went to Vicksburg, and with his regiment was attached to the Thirteenth Army Corps, remaining as a part of that body until Sep- tember. He was sent to Morganza, on the Missis- sippi River, and later to Point Isabel, Tex., where he arrived November 3, 1863. For several months he did provost duty in New Orleans. On the 17th of March, 1865, with his company placed in ad- vance, he started for Mobile and had to march forty miles. On the 27th of the same month they met the enemy, and our subject was under fire for fourteen days. His regiment was in the last en- gagement East of the Mississippi River, at a point called Eight-Mile Creek. Being mustered out July 12, 1865, he returned home, having escaped with slight injuries.
Feeling the need of a better education than he yet possessed, Mr. Yarnell went for one term to a private graded school at Seottville, Macoupin County. Afterward he assisted his father on the farm, and during the winter six-months term he taught for sixteen years.
On the 4th of April, 1872, Mr. Yarnell and Miss Jane A. Wilkinson were married. The lady was born in April, 1844, in Macoupin County, her parents being Thompson and Mary A. Wilkinson, early settlers of that county. The father was born in England, and settled in Virginia with his par- ents. When a young man, he came to Illinois,
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and is now a resident of Nebraska. Ilis wife, who was a native of Vermont, is also living. Our sub- ject and his wife have two children: Oscar, a young man of good education, who has taught school and is now reading medicine; and Maud, who is a bright little girl of four years.
In politics, Mr. Yarnell supports the Republican party. Ile resides in a Democratie township, but has so far won the friendship and confidence of his neighbors and friends that he has been honored by them with various positions of trust and honor. For two terms he was the efficient Supervisor of the township, and in 1889 was a candidate for nomination as Representative of Christian County. and had the support of nine of the seventeen townships in the county. Ile is a member of the Masonic order, belonging to Lodge No. 682, of Blue Mound, of which he is a charter member. Ile and his worthy wife are members of the Bap- tist Church, in which he is one of the Deacons. The property of Mr. Yarnell comprises one hun- dred and forty acres, which are cultivated and improved. Ilere the owner carries on general farming and stock-raising with ability and success.
G ABRIEL C. BUTTS, the popular and efli- cient Postmaster of Pana, is an honored veteran of the late war, who entered the service as a valiant defender of the Union, and throughout the struggle was always found at his post of duty, guarding the Stars and Stripes. HIe was born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, July 17, 1837, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Cryder) Butts, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Ohio. When a lad of eight years the father removed to the Buckeye State with his father, William Butts, formerly of Somerset County, Pa. The mother of our subject died when he was eleven years old, and for about seven years he lived with an uncle near New Philadelphia. Prompted by patriotic impulses, he enlisted July 26, 1861, as a member of Company G, Forty-first Illinois Infantry.
In 1850, he had accompanied his uncle to Bureau County, Ill., and after a year went to Ogle Coun- ty, Ill. Three years later he went to Iowa, and in 1857 to Kansas, residing in Lawrence, Douglas County, for a time, and later in Coffey County. In 1860, he removed to Missouri. During these various removals he lived with his father. In 1861, he returned to lilinois and settled on Buck- eye Prairie, Christian County, where he remained until he entered the service. Three sons of the Butts family served in the war. While at Padu- cali, our subject was visited by his father, who then returned home and resided in Locust Township until his death, which occurred May 24, 1865, at the age of sixty-three. His second wife, whom he married in Virginia, is still living in Somerset County, Pa., and their daughter makes her home in the Old Dominion.
Dies Butts, the brother of our subjeet, served in the same company and regiment as Gabriel, and is now a teacher in Pana. Elisha, who had been a sailor in early life, enlisted in Philadelphia in the Ninety-first Pennsylvania Infantry, and served through the war. He had previously been in the regular army for three years on a man-of-war. He made his home in Christian County from 1865 until 1871, then removed to Nebraska, and is now living in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mr. Butts whose name heads this record en- listed at Taylorville, and joined the regiment which was organized at Decatur, with F. M. Long as Captain and Col. I. C. Pugh at the head of the troops. They were ordered to St. Louis, then to Bird's Point, and on to Paducah, which was then under the immediate command of Gen. Grant. In February, 1862, they went on the steamer "Minnehaha" to Ft. Henry, and the Forty-first Ill- nois was the first to open the battle at Ft. Donel- son, where they lost about two hundred men. Proceeding to Pittsburg Landing, they were the first to set foot on that historic field. They be- came a part of the famous Fourth Division under Stephen A. Hulburt, and as such took part in the battle of Slioh. They held the key to that bat- tle, having been stationed at Peach Orchard, where charge after charge was repulsed. The For -. ty-first did good service in that terrible encounter,
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and was in the last line of defense when the final charge was made by the enemy. Mr. Butts was wounded on the first day by a minie-ball, and by the aid of a comrade made his way to the rear. Ile was forced to remain in Savannah, Tenn., for four weeks, was then sent to the hospital in Quincy, Ill .. for five weeks, and subsequently to Paducah. After an absence of four months, he rejoined his regiment at Memphis.
With his command, Mr. Butts then took part in the siege of Vicksburg, and while making a charge at Jackson, Miss., was captured by the enemy. Ile was incarcerated at Atlanta and Columbus, S. C., spent one day and night in Libby Prison, and was later sent to Belle Isle, remaining for one hundred days. Ile was then paroled and sent to City Point and Annapolis. and thence to Benton Barracks, Mo .. where he was exchanged six months later. In the spring of 1864, he rejoined his reg- iment in Nashville. and took part in the Sherman campaign up to the time of the killing of Gen. McPherson, when his regiment was detailed to es- cort the remains back to Louisville, Ky. Our sub- ject then went to Springfield, Ill., where he re- mained until mustered out, September 26, 1864, af- ter three years and three months of service. Ile was detailed for special service at Vicksburg with the Fifth Ohio Battery, having charge of a twen- ty-six pound gun and two field pieces. He carried a one hundred and sixty-four pound shell to the gun, which was stationed upon a high elevation, about half a mile from the court house.
After his return home, Mr. Butts engaged in op- erating a threshing-machine, and in November, 1864, went to St. Louis, where he spent two years learning photography. He then spent some six months in Bureau County, Ill., after which he re- turned to Christian County. and in the succeeding fall located in Pana, where he entered a drug store as clerk. He was afterwards with Mr. Coyner, a druggist, and subsequently with Sumner, Brown & Co., of Nokomis, for a month. and then returned to Mr. Coyner, remaining with him until .January 1, 1882, when he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, under the firm name of Butts & Shaffer. Enos W. Shaffer died May 22, 1893, at the age of forty-two, but business is still carried
on under the old name. Mr. Shaffer was born in Carlisle, Pa., and entered the drug store with Mr. Butts in 1882. Ile was a modest, unassuming man, highly respected, and was buried under the auspices of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, of which he was an honored member. He was quite popu- lar and had a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances.
On the 30th of November, 1871, in Pana, our subjeet married Miss Leah, daughter of John Shaffer. a farmer and carpenter. She was born in Cumberland County, Pa., and by her marriage has become the mother of three sons: Claude, a drug- gist, who aids his father in the store; Freeman, who is clerking in the postoffice; and Benton, who is yet attending school. The family is one of prom- inenee in the commumty and its members rank high in social circles.
On the 1st of March, 1890, Mr. Butts was ap- pointed Postmaster of Pana, and has since served in that office with credit to himself and satisfac- tion to the community. Ile is a stanch Republi- can and an inflexible adherent of the principles of his party, doing all in his power to promote its growth and insure its success. He served eight years as Alderman and also as Town Clerk. Hle holds membership with the Grand Army Post of Pana. Prominent in business circles, he is honored by all as a man of sterling worth and strict integrity. Ilis faithful service during the late war has been followed by faithful performance of duty during his official career, and it is said of Mr. Butts that he is true to every public and pri- vate trust.
ILLIAM MORGAN is a native-born citi- zen of Christian County, his birth oceur- ring on the 4th of September, 1838. Ile carries on his farm of three hundred and twenty acres on section 13, Mosquito Township, in addi- tion to which he has for the past six years been
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engaged in the mercantile business in the village, now known as Morganville. He is an able and enterprising agriculturist and business man and has made a suceess of his various undertakings.
John Morgan, our subject's father, was born in Kentucky, being a son of Lambert Morgan, of Virginia, who emigrated to Kentucky in an early day. The father participated in the War of 1812. and was in the battle of New Orleans. In 1820 he settled in Indiana, where he resided for twelve years. Ile later went to Vandalia, Ill., his parents proceeding further West. After living for a time at that place, Mr. Morgan went to St. Louis, Mo., where he was employed on a ferry boat. After some wandering he finally settled in this county, where he married Miss Nancy Watkins, a native of Tennessee, whose father was an early settler of central Illinois. Our subject was the only child of this marriage. The father located on a farm in Mosquito Township, where he passed his remain- ing days. ITis second wife was a Mrs. Allen, who bore the maiden name of Lucinda Loyd. She was a native of Kentucky, and became the mother of six children, one of whom is now deceased.
William Morgan was reared on the pioneer farm of his father in this county and received but limited advantages in an educational direction. He embarked in business at Mt. Auburn on attain- ing manhood, but soon turned his attention to farming. Though he has continued as an agricul- turist up to the present time, he has always been interested in commercial lines, and in 1887 opened Ins mercantile store in Morganville. He does general mercandising and commands a good trade. llis farm, which is well developed, covers three hundred and twenty acres and is one of the best in the township.
In August, 1866, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Morgan and Miss Margaret A. Nicholas, daugh- ter of A. E. and Julia Nicholas, of Sangamon County, Ill. Five children have been born to them, namely: Emma, wife of Albert Allen, of Decatur; Luey E., wife of Harvey Clements, who is living on the old farm; John R., W. E. and George A., who are all at home.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Morgan located on a farm of one hundred and forty aeres, which has
since been extended to its present limits. ITis fa- ther, in order to give him a start, deeded ninety aeres to him, and by hard labor and economy he has acquired the remainder. In 1862 he was elec- ted Constable of Mosquito Township, a position lie ably filled for twenty years. For three years he has served as Road Commissioner, and for two decades has been School Commissioner. In poli- ties, he is a stanch Democrat, having voted for its nominees since casting his first vote for James Buchanan. He is a member of the Fraternal Mystic Cirele, and, religiously, both himself and wife are devoted members of the Christian Church and are highly thought of and honored by their neighbors.
ILLIAM KNOTT, who carries on farming on section 30, Pana Township, was born in the county of Hereford, England, De- cember 5, 1820. Ilis father, Richard Knott, was a native of the same locality, and there spent his entire life, his death occurring at the age of sixty- three years .. The mother bore the maiden name of Ann Lem. She, too, was born in the same community, and her death occurred at the age of forty. They were the parents of five children, four sons and a daughter, all of whom grew to mature years, while four of the number are yet living.
The subject of this sketch, who was third in order of birth, was reared in the county of his na- tivity as a shepherd boy and received such educa- tional privileges as the common schools of that day afforded. Having arrived at man's estate, le was married in England to Ann Gwilham, of Ilereford. The wedding tour of the young couple was a long one, consisting of a trip to America. On the day of their marriage they boarded a Westward-bound vessel, which sailed for the New World, and on the 6th of August, 1851, they landed in New York. On they came to Peru, Ill., and soon after his arrival Mr. Knott was robbed
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of all he possessed, about $100. Ile awoke in the morning to find that he had only an English six- pence with which to start in life. Ile and his wife both began working in order to make a beginning, Mr. Knott following any pursuit whereby he might earn an honest dollar. Ile sawed wood for seventy-five cents per cord. and did various labor for two years, when, with the assistance of Mr. Coffin, a banker of Peru, who bought a team for him, he was enabled to begin farming for himself. Hle rented eighty aeres near Peru, and for four years engaged in its cultivation. At the end of that time he had enough capital to buy a team and wagon, and rented a farm on the Illinois River bottoms, but the foods came and over-ran the place and he lost all of his hard-earned savings. He then did what he could for a living until the following spring, when he again rented a farm. In 1861 he entered one hundred and sixty acres in Bureau County, where he remained until 1866. when he came to Christian County and pur- chased eighty acres where he now resides. It was all prairie and unimproved, and he at once began its development. The boundaries of the farm have since been extended, until it now comprises two hundred and eighty acres, the greater part of which is under a high state of cultivation. Many improvements he has placed upon it, and it has become one of the valuable farms of the neigh- borhood.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Knott have been born five children and they have an adopted daughter. | Thomas W. is now living in Pana Township; John aids in carrying on the home farm; Henry is liv- ing in Kansas; Sarah is the wife of Samuel Ilawk- enbury, of Iowa; Eliza is the wife of Isaac Brand, of Polo, Ill .; and the adopted daughter is Lottie, who has been with them since her fifth year.
Mr. Knott was formerly a Republican in politics but is now a supporter of the Greenback party. Ile aided in the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Millerville, and has been one of its prominent members and influential workers. Ile served as Steward of the church and Superin- tendent of the Sunday-school, and is found in the foremost rank of every good work connected with the organization. Many reverses and diffiulties has
Mr. Knott encountered, but with wonderful per- severance and enterprise he has overcome these obstacles and has achieved a high degree of sue- cess, which is certainly well deserved. He may truly be called a self-made man.
OSIAU H. DODGE, M. D., who enjoys a large and lucrative practice in Pana, being recognized as one of the leading physicians of this part of the county, was born in Montpelier, Vt., April 26, 1821, and is a son of Winthrop and Luceba (Dodge) Dodge. Ilis par- ents, though of the same name, were not of the same family. They were natives of the Green Mountain State, and when our subject was a lad of ten years they emigrated to Ohio, lecating in the Western Reserve, where they spent their re- maining days.
The Doctor remained upon the home farm until nineteen years of age. but his tastes led him to seek some other pursuit than that of agriculture, and he began reading medicine in Ohio with Dr. W. Streeter, now of Cleveland. He afterwards pursued a course of study in the Medical College of Willoughby, Ohio, and then engaged in prac- tice with his old preceptor for a year. Thinking that the West was a better field for the labors of a young and ambitious physician, he removed to Indiana in 1840, and engaged in teaching and in practicing for two years. In 1844, during the high water, he took two flatboats, loaded with pork, down the river to New Orleans, and then went to the lead mines of Galena. Ile was engaged in mining at Shell-burg, Mineral Point and Dodge- ville for four years with most excellent success, and then returned to Ohio on a visit. After a short time, however, he started to Galena by way of St. Louis.
While in the latter city, the Doctor went up to the leeture rooms of the MeDowell College, and meeting an old friend he there remained and at-
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tended a course of lectures, in the winter of 1848- '49, graduating the following spring. The cholera was then in progress, and the Doctor went to Vanda- lia, Ill., where he arrived with only two five-franc pieces in his pocket. These he paid out to a man who drove him to Bowling Green, Ky. Ile had been there only a few days when he had twelve cases of pneumonia, and doctored one hundred for that disease before he lost a single patient. Dr. Dodge there remained for five years, enjoying an extensive practice, and then located at Oconee, where he practiced his profession for two years, and also engaged in merchandising as a member of the firm of Roberts & Dodge. Ile then sold to his partner and established a separate store. which he continued for three years.
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In the fall of 1857. the Doctor came to Pana. where he opened a store and office, but the finan- cial pame followed, and he was forced to sell his store; however, he had gained a good practice in the mean time. In 1862, he was appointed A-sis- tant Surgeon for the Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry, with Maj. York as superior, and went with the regiment to Washington and Tennessee, under Gens. Davis and Dodge, of Iowa. He was with the troops at the battle of Merriweather's Ferry, but in the fall of 1862 he was compelled to resign on account of ill health. Ile assisted in recruiting two companies of the regiment at Pana.
In 1852, in Bowling Green, Ky., the Doctor was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Mcclanahan, who died September 9, 1892, having been his faith- ful companion and helpmate for forty years. Five children were born unto them: Eugenia, wife of Jesse Reese. of Pana: Louisa, wife of David Owens, an operator of Mattoon; Laura, wife of J. O. Gurney. superintendent of the roundhouse of Pana; Josephine, wife of A. II. Miller, a machinist of Se- dalia, Mo .; and Josiah, who died in his twenty-sec- ond year. The Doctor was married May 4, 1893, to Miss Octava Bateman, of Pana, a friend of his earlier years.
On his return from the war, Dr. Dodge resumed practice in Pana, and for five years was engaged in partnership with Dr. Armstrong. Later Dr. Dem- ing, now of Chicago, became his partner, and the connection was continued until about five years
since. For the past three years, Dr. Dodge has been engaged in office practice, treating chronic diseases. Ilis professional career has been one of excellent success. He possesses both skill and ability, and has done all in his power to perfect himself in his chosen vocation. Ile has ever been a close student of the science, and his deep re- searches have placed him in the front rank among his professional brethren, a position which is justly merited.
C. Mc BRIDE, one of Christian Coun- ty's most prominent attorneys, was born on the 16th of July, 1845, near Palmyra. Macoupin County, Ill. The ancestors of the McBrides were Scotch. and the family was founded in America at a period long prior to the Revo- lutionary struggle. They were a patriotic and country-loving people, and the family has fur- nished gallant soldiers for nearly every. war that has taken place in this country. Two brothers fell at the bloody battle when Braddock was de- feated, during the French and Indian War. It fur- nished heroes for the struggle for independence; and its sons were in the War of 1812, and in the Mexican and other wars. The family of MeBrides were to some extent pioneers of three States: Vir- ginia. Tennessee and Illinois.
Thomas W. McBride, father of our subject, was born in Tennessee, and thence came to this State as a pioneer. Ile was then only a boy, and the greater part of his life was spent in Macoupin County. His wife. the mother of our subject, Margery A. McBride, was the daughter of Sandy and Melvina Wiggins, and came to Ilinois from Kentucky when but a child. She lived here prior to the memorable winter of the deep snow, and often around the fireside told her children tales of the many hardships and experiences of pioneer life. In the family were three sons and five daugh- ters, all of whom are still living.
The subject of our sketch spent his boyhood
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days on the farm near Girard, Ill., working in the fields during the summer and attending school during the winter. Anxious to secure a good edu- cation, in the winter of 1865-66 he attended Earl- ham College. of Richmond, Ind., and in the fall of 1866 began a course of study at Lincoln Univer- sity, of Lincoln, Ill., where he remained for three years, being graduated June 17, 1869, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. Ile was a thorough and diligent student, in fact was always at the head of his classes. Ile took a great delight in the Literary Society, and did much to make the Athenian Society, of which he was a member, a great success. Mr. MeBride was always a fine de- bater, for he presented his views in a clear, able and earnest manner. In the winter of 1869-70 he taught school, and read "Blackstone's Commen- taries." and other noted works of law during his leisure hours. The following spring he entered the law office of Judge W. R. Welch, of Carlin- ville, Ill., with whom he read until his admission to the Bar the following fall. About the Ist of January, 1871, he moved to Taylorville and opened an office.
On the 17th of May, 1871, Mr. McBride was married to Mattie Wheeler, a former schoolmate, then living in Lincoln, Ill. She has aided him in bearing the misfortunes and disappointments experienced by so many young lawyers in begin- ning practice, and has, indeed, proved herself to be a true helpmate. She is a daughter of Aaron and Elmira (Stockwell) Wheeler. Iler father died many years ago, but her mother is still living in Lincoln on the old homestead, and is remarkably well preserved for one of her years. During the present summer (1893) she spent ten days at the World's Fair. Mr. and Mrs. McBride have four children: Willis Brammer, born September 9, 1872; Horace C., December 26, 1874; Elma, March 8, 1879; and Marcella, July 12, 1890. The eldest son is now engaged in teaching school in this county, and the next two children are attending school.
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