Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. II, Part 52

Author: Wilcox, David F., 1851- ed
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 952

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Charles J. Hyer was born in Burton Township of this county Jannary 9, 1870, son of William and Sophia (IIarms) Hyer. His father was born in Han- over, Germany, son of Henry Hyer, who came to the United States and settled in Burton Township when William was a child. Henry Hyer died in Gilmer Township, near Fowler, at the advanced age of eighty-two. His four sons were : Henry, who left Adams County twenty-five years ago and died in Kansas ; Charles and Theodore, both of whom live at Paloma, this county.

William Hyer married Sophia Harms, who was born at Quincy, daughter of Julius Harms. Julius was a native of Brunswiek, Germany, was a carpenter, and died in Quincy at the age of ninety years. William Hyer moved to River- side Township, near Holms Springs, now known as Spring Lake, and he died in that vicinity at the age of fifty years, leaving his widow and four children. The four children were: Charles J .; Emma, widow of August Erke, of Mel- rose Township; Edward and John, both residents of Quincy. Two children, George and Anna, are deceased. They married and left families.

Charles J. Hyer lived at home to the age of twenty-five. In the meantime he had attended the local schools, and when he took up farming it was with the determination to make a success and a career of the business. On Febril- ary 21, 1899, he married Mary Ann Eisenberg, daughter of Fred and Louisa (Mueller) Eisenberg, of Ellington Township. Her parents now live on North Fifth Street in Riverside Township. Mrs. Hyer was born in Ellington Town- ship and was twenty-two years of age at the time of her marriage.

Mr. and Mrs. Hver started out as renters. For four years they lived in Marion County, Missouri. Then they bought a farm near Taylor, Missouri. Four years later, having sold there, they returned to Illinois, and in 1908 established their home in Payson Township, buying the old Wingfield farm, of 156 acres on Pigeon Creek. It was only recently, in 1918, that Mr. and Mrs. Hyer removed to their present place and their high class community. They bought the Horace Bernard farm of 147 acres. The land had scarcely any buildings worthy of the name. He at once planned and built a model country home, comprising eight rooms, heated with furnace, and with modern eon- veniences at every turn. He has a complete system of waterworks, including a cistern with a pressure tank operated by a gas engine. The house is also completely wired for electricity.

Mr. Hyer has served as a road commissioner of Payson Township, having been elected to that office on the republican ticket in a democratic township. He is identified with the Adams County Mutual Insurance Company. He and his family attend worship in the Congregational Church at Payson. Mr. and Mrs. Hyer have four children, all at home, Edith, Marguerite, Frederick and Charles, Jr. The danghter Edith graduated from the Payson High School in 1918 and is now teaching in Payson Township. Marguerite is a student in the Payson High School.

GEORGE ALBERT LEASE. Every fact and feature connected with the name and career of George Albert Lease of Payson Township signifies his progressive- ness and unusual ability. The Lease home is a mile east and half a mile south

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of Plainville, and is one of the fine estates in that seetion, pleasing to the eye and representing a great amount of value and productiveness as well.

Mr. Lease was born on the old home near his present place September 3, 1863, son of John W. and Eleanor (Lewton) Lease. His father was born in Hampshire County, Virginia, June 1, 1828, and at the age of twenty years came with his parents, Jacob and Phoebe Lease, in 1848 to Adams County. The family settled in Payson Township, spending one winter on a farm. The grand- parents spent the rest of their lives in this county, where the grandfather died at the age of eighty-four. John W. Lease had two brothers. Jacob moved to Pike County, Illinois, and died in advanced years. Henry remained in Payson Township and spent his last days at Hull in Pike County. There were also two sisters: Phoebe married William H. Thompson, of Payson Township, and they finally moved to Oregon and spent their last days at Sweet Home, that state. Susan married Emery Harris, a farmer of Pike County, Illinois, where he died. She then became the wife of A. M. Simpson, and she spent her last years at Plainville, where she died at the age of sixty-five. All three of the brothers died suddenly.

John W. Lease married at the age of twenty-five Eleanor Lewton, then sixteen years of age. Her home was near Barry in Pike County. For several years after his marriage John W. Lease rented land near Plainville and then bought the home where his son George A. was born. He bought that place about 1856. It contained sixty-five acres, most of it in cultivation. He cleared out much of the woods and underbrush and kept on adding to his property until he had 500 acres. The old homestead now consists of 240 acres. The land was used for general farming, the raising of many cattle and hogs. In 1892 John W. Lease moved to the old Jacob Baker farm of 160 acres, the house having been built by the widow of Mr. Baker. Here he lived retired and finally went to Plainville, where both died. He never held any public office, was a democratie voter, and a supporter of all churches. His wife died Feb- ruary 28, 1908, and he passed away October 15, 1911. They were the parents of twelve children, including: William H., who married Mary Nowell, of Pike County, died at Payson October 3, 1895. Mary Etta is the wife of Asbury Wagy, of Dawn, Missouri. Susan M., is the widow of John S. Thompson, and is living at Plainville. Charles E. married Ella Fitzgerald, married for his second wife Susan Deere, and for his third wife Anna Sweeney. The next in age is George A. Margaret E. married Charles Wingfield and died at Quincy at the age of twenty-five, leaving three children. Elmer Lewis married Lnella Higgins, of Pike County, and he is now a widower living at Billings, Montana. John A. married Fanny Bemont, and went to Colorado and is now living at Billings, Montana. Frances is the wife of Dr. M. Riee, a dentist at Blandens- ville, Illinois. Alta married Leroy Lease at Plainville, and later married his brother, Ellis Lease, now of Quincy.

George A. Lease has spent all his life at the old home. At the age of twenty- five he married Sarah E. Raymer, of Plainville, daughter of Henry Raymer, a farmer of that section. She was born in Payson Township and was twenty-one at the time of her marriage. In 1898 Mr. Lease took charge of his parents' farm, and later bought the original eighty and still later the 160 acres, and upon the settlement of the estate he acquired another forty acres formerly owned by his father. To this he has since added 183 acres, giving him 463 acres divided into three tracts or three farms. The 183-aere farm was for some years the property of his brother C. E. Lease. Mr. Lease now handles all this large place, and his operations as a stock farmer are in proportion to the extent of his land. He fed abont 150 head of hogs every year and of late years has fed 200 head. In 1918 he sold a bunch of hogs numbering 134 for a total price of $6,095, about $45 apiece on the average. He keeps good horses, including mules, and has eight or ten fine dairy cattle, selling the cream and feeding the skim milk on the place. He is a stockholder in the Bankers and Farmers Livestock Insurance Company, and a member of the County Farm Improvement Asso-

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ciation. Mr. Lease is a demoerat, and his wife is a member of the Baptist Church of Plainville.

They have one son, Stanley H., born December 6, 1898. He graduated from the Quincy High School in 1918 and in the fall of the same year entered the Student Army Training Corps at the State University. This son is an inter- ested and enthusiastic stock farmer. Two years ago he bought a thoroughbred Aberdeen Angus cow, and has kept all her increase registered and now has the nucleus of a fine herd of Aberdeen Angus, ineluding four cows and heifers and one bull. The son is a member of the Aberdeen Angus Breeders' Association.

EMMOR E. THOMPSON. The community around Payson has long come to look upon Emmor E. Thompson as a leader in affairs, not only as a successful merchant, but as a man whose talents and capabilities enable him to perform greatly appreciated service in many ways for his fellow men.

Mr. Thompson was born in the Village of Payson April 28, 1860, son of Andrew U. and Elizabeth (Yingling) Thompson. His father was born in the American Bottoms near Alton, Illinois, Deeember 4, 1825. About 1840 he came to Adams County, his parents both having died. His older brother, Winston, accompanied him to Quiney. His uncle. Elijah Thompson, lived at Payson. A sister of Elijah was Mrs. Obediah Waddell, whose old farm was in Melrose Township, four miles from Payson on the country road.

Andrew U. Thompson was apprentieed to learn the blacksmith trade at Payson. He worked at the trade for twenty-five years, operating a shop in Payson. He moved to a farm 21% miles southeast of the village on the Payson and Plainville road, along Pigeon Creek. He cleared a part of that land, the entire farm comprising eighty acres. He died there April 1, 1875, in his fif- tieth year. He was a very hard worker and had made considerable progress in clearing up his new farm. He was an active Methodist and a local preacher, and did much to keep up the musical activities of the church. For many years he taught singing classes and was a leader of the choir for thirty years.

In January, 1850, Andrew U. Thompson married Elizabeth A. Yingling. She was born December 24, 1827, in Payson Township, a daughter of Joseph and Naney Yingling. Many references to the Yingling family are made on other pages of this publication. Her father was of Pennsylvania Dutch and her mother of Kentucky ancestry. Mrs. Andrew Thompson died June 2, 1902, at the age of seventy-five. She had lived on the farm continuously except for about four years after her husband's death. There were nine children, two of whom died in infaney. Charles W. was a well known teacher in Adams and Haneoek counties, also in Kansas, and is now a resident of Chicago. Emily T. has been a teacher since the age of sixteen, teaching in Payson Township, in Kansas and for twenty years has been connected with the schools of Chicago. She married Robert Norris, now deceased, who was principal of the Payson schools while she was a teacher there. Anna E. is the wife of William Howard, who was reared in Adams County, and now lives at Los Angeles, California. Joseph S. learned the blacksmith and carpenter's trade, and at the age of twenty went to California and Oregon, and for the last twenty-five years no word has come to his people concerning his whereabouts. The next in age is Emmor E. Edwin P. is a blacksmith at Plymouth, Illinois, learning the trade at Camp Point. Wilbur F. is business manager of the Illinois State Band and has long been well known in musical circles. He has taught band music and has organized a number of musical organizations.

Emmor E. Thompson began doing some work on the home farm as early as seven years. He was fifteen when his father died, and the next four years he attended high school at Payson. At the age of nineteen he taught a term of sehool in Hancock County, and was connected with public schools, chiefly in Adams County, for ten years. Part of the time he was also operating the old home farm.

November 25, 1886, Mr. Thompson married Minnie M. Morris, daughter of

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William H. and Jennie (Fowler) Morris. She was reared in the same commu- nity as her husband, and was twenty-three years of age at the time of her mar- riage. Her father, William Morris, came from Ohio when a youth and settled on Pigeon Creek in Adams County, his parents later spending their last years at Payson. William Morris died in December, 1912, at the age of seventy- five. His wife was born either in Tennessee or Kentucky and came when a child with her parents to Adams County. She died in 1906. The old Morris farm is now owned by their son Frank.

Emmor E. Thompson continued his farming until 1903, when he bought a general store in Payson. Since then he has been a merchant. His headquarters for eight years were in the Masonic Building. He also bought the George Sin- nock Building and for one year conducted a grocery and men's furnishing busi- ness, then selling the grocery stock and continuing the men's furnishing goods, rubber goods, shoes and notions. He has a large trade. He also still owns the old farm on Pigeon Creek and has improved it with a new house and barn.

Mr. Thompson has been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since he was fifteen years of age and has served as trustee and steward and for eleven consecutive years as Sunday school superintendent. He has always sung in the choir and has frequently been a leader in musical affairs. He learned when a lad to play the bass horn, and since then has acquired some proficiency with every band instrument. He played with the Cleveland band and at one time was leader of the Plainville Band. For nine years Mr. Thomp- son was a member of the School Board and during that time the High School building was erected. He served as president of the Town Board two years, and as police magistrate three years, resigning that office to become justice of the peace, in which capacity he is still serving. Mr. Thompson has been called upon to draw up most of the legal papers for his neighbors and friends. He was executor of the estate of Jolm P. Lewis, and has had many other offices of trust and responsibility. In early days he was rather noted as a baseball player, and was very enthusiastic about that sport. It is possible that baseball lost a big leaguer in Mr. Thompson largely because of the practice of Sunday playing.

Mr. Thompson has two children: Loyal Morris Thompson, born February 23, 1888, is an able young minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now located at Lacon in Marshall County, Illinois. He graduated from the home district school, from the Payson High School in 1906, then spent four years in Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, graduating in 1910. In 1913 he completed his theological course in the Garrett Biblical Institute at Evans- ton, Illinois. For five years he was local minister at Silvis, Illinois, and has also preached in the Payson Church. He married Hazel Heath, a graduate of the Musical Conservatory of Northwestern University. She is a very talented 'and highly trained musician and has had complete charge of the church music since her marriage.

Hazel Thompson, born February 1, 1892, graduated from the Payson High School in 1912, and in September, 1914, became the wife of Arthur L. Cos- grove. Mr. Cosgrove operates the Thompson farm. They have one child, Coral Ione.

GEORGE D. LEVI. A straightforward, npright man, bounteously endowed with common sense, alive to all that is going on in the world around him, and especially interested in the welfare of his home city, George D. Levi, of Quincy, has been actively identified with many important enterprises and a constant worker for the advancement and betterment of the community. He was born in Quincy, March 26, 1866, of German ancestry.

His father, Edward Levi, was born and educated in Germany. Coming to Illinois in early manhood, he located in Quincy, where he subsequently lived a successful life. He was city comptroller a few terms, and afterwards in the mail service for a time. Then, in company with George Ertel, he was prosper-

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ously engaged in the manufacture of hay presses in Quincy. He subsequently lived retired until his death in 1907. He married Minnie Aumann, who was also a native of Germany, and to them six children were born, as follows: Amelia, at home; Edith, at home; George D., with whom this sketch is chiefly concerned ; Harry and Charles, deceased; and Walter, of Quiney.

Leaving the Quiney High School at the age of sixteen years, George D. Levi completed a course of study at the Gem City Business College, after which he spent a year with the Stahl Commission House. Since that time he has been connected with the office of R. G. Dun & Company, of which he is now the able and efficient manager. His efforts, however, are not confined to one line of endeavor, he being at the present time a member of the National Credit Association and one of the state committee superintending the work of the National Defense Association. For these positions Mr. Levi is well adapted, being a man of broad capabilities, resourceful, and quick to grasp a situation and utilize given opportunities. In local affairs he is quite active, his influenee being felt in business eireles. He served as president of the Quincy Chamber of Commerce in 1915-16-17 and part of 1918, and it was largely through his influence and ability that the substantial building the organization now occupies was ereeted. The address of President Levi at the dedieation of the building was characteristic of the man, showing that he had a keen sense of the duties and responsibilities, not only of the officers of the association but of cach and every member of the Chamber of Commerce as men and as loyal and trust- worthy citizens.

Mr. Levi married, July 9, 1892, Nellie Kintze, a native of St. Louis, Mis- souri, and to them two children have been born, Edward and Helen. Politie- ally Mr. Levi is a demoerat. Fraternally he is active and prominent in Masonie circles, belonging to and past master of Bodley Lodge No. 1, Eastern Star and Consistory, and has served as secretary of the Masonic Temple Association for eight years and he was largely responsible for the building of the Masonie Temple. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Royal Areannm.

HENRY E. WHARTON. Adams County and particularly the southern half has for many years been one of the chief produeing centers of fruit in Illinois. and the fame of Adams County apples has spread all over the Mississippi Val- ley. Local horticulture is not entirely due to elimate and other physical advan- tages, but even more to the enterprise, knowledge and expert skill of some hortieulturists who have lived here and concentrated their energies for years upon this profession. Among them perhaps the most widely known as an authority on scientifie propagation is Henry E. Wharton, who is now practically retired, but is still interested in fruit growing on his home place in Payson Township.

Mr. Wharton was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia, September 17, 1845, son of Benjamin and Amy (Smedley) Whar- ton. The Whartons are of English ancestry and established their home in Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary war. Benjamin Wharton was an only son. His unele, General Wharton, distinguished himself as a soldier in the early half of the last century.

In 1853 Benjamin Wharton took his family of children to Wayne County, Indiana, and located eight miles from Rielmond, at the Village of Hillsboro. Five years later, in 1858, the Wharton family came to Western Illinois and located in Pike County, not far from the Adams County line. In the same fall they moved to the Village of Payson, and Benjamin Wharton bought the Payson Hotel. He died in February, 1859, of pneumonia, at the age of forty-two. His widow continned the hotel there for twenty years, nntil her death. Benja- min Wharton's children were as follows: Kate married Frank Krauss and died at St. Louis in 1895: Emma married Jess Bernard, and they moved to Clay County, Missouri, where she died in 1910: Amy is the wife of Jacob Vol. II-21

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Urech, well known in Adams County as editor of the Mendon Dispatch; the next in age is Henry E .; Eleanor as a girl attended sehool at Payson, her teacher being T. C. Poling, and she is now the wife of that well known Quincy banker; Sarah married for her first husband V. W. Bernard and is now the widow of Harry Baughman and is living at San Diego, California; Margaret is the deceased wife of William Holman, of Payson; Lydia married Charles Sinnoek and lives in Montana.

Henry E. Wharton was thirteen years of age when he came to Adams County. Up to the age of twenty-seven he lived in the hotel with his mother and had a part in its management. His education was the result of attend- ance at the common schools. In 1864 Mr. Wharton went to the Pikes Peak mining region in Colorado, spending a few months, and after his return to Adams County he became associated with Albigenee Scarborough, Jr., son of Deacon Scarborough, whose career features so prominently in the early history of Payson Township. The younger Scarborough owned the land now included in the farm of Henry E. Wharton. They formed a partnership to enter the nursery business. At that time the Concord grape was exciting a great deal of attention all over the state and the West and there was a great demand for the sets. The partners built a greenhouse to propagate these sets, and from that they entered the general nursery business. Henry E. Wharton as a boy had worked in the orehards of Deacon Scarborough and also for his son. This son finally lost all his property through mortgage. After giving np grape prop- agation they started growing apple and peach stoek and in a short time Mr. Searborough withdrew from the firm, leaving the business to Mr. Wharton.

Mr. Wharton soon had a reputation as a very practical, expert and reliable nurseryman. He took many contraets to set out orchards and he also agreed to take care of the young trees for two or three years. This professional serv- iee as well as the stoek from his nurseries had a demand which extended all over Adams and Pike counties and over the river into Missouri. Eventually he had fifty acres in his nursery, practically all of it devoted to growing fruit stock. He continued this business actively until about 1905. Mr. Wharton personally supervised the planting and furnished the trees for many of the important orchards in Adams County, including practically all the commercial orehards. He had many hands working under him, but he always did his own grafting. The adviee which he gave to both amateur and professional orehard- ists was always to limit planting to a few standard varieties, including the summer, fall and winter fruits. Mr. Wharton was employed to set out the ex- tensive Seymour orchards. also the orehard of Joel Searborough. Joel Sear- borough in later years absolutely refused to purchase tree stoek from any other grower. During the past thirteen years Mr. Wharton has given up his business and professional service, and now spends his time looking after his own orchard of about fourteen aeres. He is one of the prominent members of the Mississippi Valley Apple Growers' Association.

February 7, 1873, Mr. Wharton married Mrs. Mary A. (Gilbert) Nicholson. She was born at Payson February 7, 1840, and in 1858 became the wife of John Nicholson. By that marriage she was the mother of three children, the only one now living being Luey, Mrs. H. M. Seymour. Mr. and Mrs. Wharton had three children, Reba G., Harry E. and Arthur H. The only daughter is Reba G., born Deeember 30, 1873. She has long been prominent in educational affairs. She is a graduate of the Illinois State University, also the University of California at Berkeley. She taught at Payson, Clayton and in the Quiney High School, and spent two years in the Pittsburg Academy at Owatonna, Minnesota, and for the past five years has been Dean of the Junior College at Riverside, California, and also teacher of history in that school. The son Arthur Harlan, born in 1878, is associated with his father and lives on the home farm. He married Edna Thompson, a sister of William A. Thompson. They have three children, Roger and twin danghters, Lonise and Lueile.

Mr. Wharton is a democrat in polities, but about his only office of importance

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has been as town elerk. Mrs. Wharton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

William Gilbert, father of Mrs. Wharton, was born in Norfolk County, England, December 24, 1802. He learned the trade of millwright. In early manhood he located in New York State. He was an employee of a company in New York who made a specialty of building power windmills for grinding and other purposes. A company of Adams County pioneers, including Deacon Scarborough, Deacon David Prinee, John Burns and others at Payson, secured his services to come to Payson and build a windmill, which he constructed in 1836 or 1837. In the meantime he left his wife, whose maiden name was Re- beeca Gaskin, and their one child in New York. He boarded with Deacon Prinee until his family joined him here in 1839. On February 7, 1840, their daughter Mary A. was born.

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Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. II, Part 52

Author: Wilcox, David F., 1851- ed Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 952

Author: Wilcox, David F., 1851- ed
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 952