The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Illinois, Part 67

Author: Clarke S. J. Publishing Company
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 788

USA > Illinois > Bureau County > The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Illinois > Part 67
USA > Illinois > Marshall County > The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Illinois > Part 67
USA > Illinois > Putnam County > The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Illinois > Part 67
USA > Illinois > Stark County > The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Illinois > Part 67

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

William Leet was a man of remarkable brain power and great business sagacity. His memory of business transactions, and even the smallest detail of each transaction, was wonder- ful. It mattered not how many loads of grain he may have weighed any day, he would remem- ber every circumstance attending the purchase of each. He could not be deceived. While his accommodations at the bank were all that could be expected, he felt it to his interest to have control of one, and in 1875 purchased the Bradford Exchange Bank, then operated

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by A. B. Miner & Co. This bank he continued to operate until his death, and with the suc- cess attending every enterprise in which he engaged. Although he had no experience in that line of business, and knew nothing of the system of bookkeeping in such institutions, he intuitively grasped every detail. Quick of action, with clear foresight, he made few mis- takes. Business was rapidly carried on ; no time was lost. With him a minute lost was so much money. Persons having business with him were expected to make it known with as few words as possible, and with just as few words he rendered a decision, it mattered not if thousands of dollars were involved.

While giving much of his time to the grain trade, and later to his banking interests, Mr. Leet was always more or less engaged in the real estate business, buying and selling lands, and loaning money upon real estate security. At one time he was the owner of nearly five thousand acres of land in Stark county alone, and his purchases elsewhere were enormous. Loans were made and mortgages taken upon farms not only in Stark but in adjoining coun- ties as well. He was never known to foreclose a mortgage that could be avoided. He would renew loans already made time and time again, giving the mortgagors all the time necessary in which to meet their payments. Many farm- ers throughout the section in which he operated have reason to bless his memory for the for- bearance shown them in distress. As long as he believed one would do what was right he never showed a disposition to crowd. Many illustrations of this fact could be given, and but few farmers within a radius of twenty miles but will bear testimony to the statement. A wealthy farmer residing in Osceola township but lately remarked that all he had was due to William Leet. He said he came to this coun- try a poor man and Mr. Leet loaned him four

hundred dollars with which to make his first purchase of land, and from time to time loaned him thousands of dollars, "and," said the farmer proudly, "he never required from me a mortgage."

In the course of time his business interests extended into other states, especially into Iowa, and he established a bank at Audubon, in that state, which is now under the control of his son, Frank M. Leet, who has shown much of the characteristic energy that dis- tinguished the father. The bank building was personally superintended by him in its erec- tion, and the business was put upon a safe footing. To-day the estate has many large tracts of land in Iowa, and very large sums loaned upon farm lands. -

At quite an early day Mr. Leet began to op- erate upon the board of trade in Chicago, and in 1888 removed to that city where he remain- ed two years, and then removed to Aurora, Illinois, going to Chicago and returning each day. The same success attending him in his enterprises elsewhere followed him upon the board of trade, and his profits were very large. Whether upon the bull or bear side of the market, he seemed to know what was best and where his money should be placed. He con- tinued to reside in Aurora until his death, which occurred September 5, 1896, and his remains were laid to rest in the beautiful Spring Lake cemetery at that place.

William Leet was a man strong in his likes and dislikes. For a friend he would do much; for an enemy, nothing. With mind fully absorbed by business, he gave but little attention to his social nature. A good pro- vider, his family never lacked for the comforts of life. Fraternally he was for some years a Master Mason, but later in life was dimitted. Religiously, he was in sympathy with the Methodist Episcopal church, although he never

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united with any organization. He believed in the Bible literally, and enjoyed a sound, or- thodox and practical sermon above everything else. With much of the modern style of preaching he had no sympathy. He believed in calling things by their right names, and not mincing matters by trying to smooth them over. Politically he was a republican, though he gave but little attention to politics in the common acceptation of the term. He would not accept local office under any consideration. For the same reason that he did not exercise his social nature more-his great business in- terests-he gave but little attention to local affairs, though at the construction of the rail- road, he invested in its bonds and advocated the local aid of his township and county.

Few men with such limited opportunities have accomplished so much. At his death he left a large estate, which, by his request, has remained intact, a co-partnership having been formed by his widow and heirs under the firm style of Leet & Company, and under that name they now carry on the business which he established and so successfully conducted for many years. The family seem to have in- herited much of the business sagacity of the father, and are all honored members of society and highly respected. The widow yet makes her home in Aurora, and enjoys the love and respect of a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances.

J JAMES P. ADDIS, a wide-awake and enter- prising farmer and stock-raiser, residing on section 9, West Jersey township, Stark county, was born on the 13th of December, 1846, in Warren county, New Jersey, in which state the family was founded at a very early day. The great-great-grandfather of our subject, Richard Addis, a native of England, located near New Brunswick, New Jersey, on crossing

the Atlantic to the new world. There he mar- ried Miss Wykoff, and soon afterward removed to Philadelphia, where he purchased the land on which the Centennial buildings stood in 1876. He also bought five hundred acres, fif- teen miles outside of the city, at what is now the town of Addisville. He had three sons, Daniel, Simon and Richard, who became wide- ly and favorably known throughout New Jer- sey and Pennsylvania. Daniel served in the war of 1812, and died at the age of fifty-five years, the victim of malpractice. Simon, the great-grandfather of our subject, served in the Revolutionary war.

Simon V. Addis, the father of our subject, was born in Somerset county, New Jersey, November 26, 1804, and was a son of Daniel and Margaret ( Van Dyke ) Addis. He was reared on a farm and received his education in the common schools of his time. In 1830 he led to the marriage altar Elizabeth Ann Little, a daughter of John R. and Mary (Beavas) Lit- tle, who were natives of Hunterdon county, New Jersey. S. V. Addis had inherited some property from his father, who died quite young, but at an early day he sold his real estate in the east and emigrated to Illinois. He held fifty land patents and might have become a wealthy man, but neglected them, and some one else was benefited thereby. Arriving in Stark county, he bought one hundred and thirty acres of land in West Jersey township, at twenty dollars per acre, and to this he added until he had three hundred and thirty acres of valuable land, which is still in the possession of the family. In 1832 he voted for Jackson, and continued to support the democratic party until 1860, when he became a stalwart repub- lican, but was never an office-seeker. Although both were reared in the Presbyterian faith, he and his wife became identified with the Meth-" odist Episcopal church, and led upright, hon-

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orable Christian lives, having the respect and esteem of all who knew them.

Of the nine children born to this worthy couple, five are still living and six reached years of maturity. Mary E. became the wife of Benjamin Anderson, and lived at Chariton, Lucas county, Iowa. Her death occurred in California, but her remains were brought back and interred at Chariton. She left two chil- dren-Irvin and Grace. John, a resident of Nekoma, Kansas, is married and has three children. Daniel O., whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work, lives in West Jersey township, Stark county. Sarah is the widow of Ephraim W. Smith, and of her three chil- dren two reside with her in Chicago, while the other makes her home in Paulding, Ohio. James P. is the next in order of birth. Irvin, a resident of Knox county, Illinois, is married and has three children-Archibald, Grace and Charles.

Although only five years of age on coming to Illinois, James P. Addis well remembers the trip, which was made by way of the lakes and Illinois river. The boat on which they sailed ran a race with the cars at the time. He was early inured to the arduous task of developing a farm from wild land, and his educational advantages were such as the dis- trict schools afforded. On attaining his ma- jority he began to farm his father's land on the shares, and remained under the parental roof until his marriage.

That important event in the life of Mr. Ad- dis was celebrated April 20, 1871, Miss Mary E. Goodheart becoming his wife. She was born in Poland, Mahoning county, Ohio, and went with her parents to Trumbull county, where she continued to live until fifteen years of age, when in 1865 she came with her par- 'ents, Benjamin and Louisa F. (Stoddard) Goodheart, to Toulon township, Stark county,

Illinois, where her father died a year later of consumption. For a time he carried the mail from Toulon to Cambridge. Mrs. Addis re- ceived a good common school education, and was making her home in Toulon at the time of her marriage. Seven children bless this union, as follows: Delbert E., born February 9, 1872, was married November 14, 1895, to Isabel Coleman, and lives in Knox county, Illinois; Arthur C. was born September 3, 1877; Eph- raim Russell was born December 25, 1881; Edith F. and Ethel F., twins, were born Feb- ruary 21, 1885, but the latter is now deceased; Theressa A. was born November 1, 1886; and Eva P. was born February 5, 1890.

Upon his marriage Mr. Addis bought eighty acres of land from his father, and upon that place he has spent his entire married life. As his financial resources have increased he has extended the boundaries of his place until it now comprises three hundred and forty-four acres of rich and arable land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation. He has been an ardent republican in politics since casting his first vote for General Grant in 1868, and has served three years as school director, but cares nothing for the honors or emoluments of public office. Reared in the Christian church, Mrs. Addis still adheres to that faith, belonging to the congregation in Toulon. They hold a prominent position in the social circles of the community, and are held in the highest esteem by all who know them.

M ARTIN RIST, a representative and lead- ing farmer and stock-raiser of Toulon township, is a fair specimen of the sturdy agri- culturists who have so largely assisted in the development of Stark county, and who have drawn from the soil the important elements of their fortune. His homestead, which em-

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braces three hundred and sixty acres of valua- ble land, lies on sections 8 and 9.

A native of the Keystone state, Mr. Rist was born in Fayette county, March 6, 1829, a son of John and Sarah (Shirrick) Rist, whose births also occurred in Pennsylvania. The fa- ther, who was a farmer by occupation, died in that state in 1833, but the mother is still liv- ing and now finds a pleasant home with our subject. She was born on the 30th of Jan- uary, 1812, and is one of the thirteen children of John and Ann (Stoker) Shirrick, of Lancas- ter county, Pennsylvania, who lived to see them all married and with children of their own. The mother of our subject has been twice married, and had eleven children, of whom only three are now living-Martin; Joseph Rist, a farmer of Nebraska; and Aman- da Frances Stuart, now the wife of John H. Porter, a farmer of Boone county, Iowa. Alexander and Miriam were both married and died of typhoid fever in 1866. The other died in early childhood.

In his native state, Martin Rist was reared and educated, and was there married, February 19, 1852, to Miss Elizabeth Myers, a daughter of John Myers, of Pennsylvania. Four chil- dren graced their union-John W., a farmer of Toulon township, Stark county, married Alice Goodale, and has eight children, Charles, Winfield, Martin, Avery, Elsie M., Carrie, Frank and Delila; Irwin, who was born July 21, 1855, died December 9, 1859; Sarah A., wife of Joseph Chase, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work; and Rev. Franklin, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, who married Alda Christie and resides in Illi- nois. The mother of these children, who was born May 8, 1835, died October 17, 1867. She was a most estimable lady and a lifelong member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

On the 8th of November, 1856, Mr. Rist

arrived in Stark county, Illinois, and took up his residence on the quarter section of land in Toulon township where he still resides, paying $4,000 for the same. He now has a half sec- tion and also another forty-acre tract, all of which is well improved and under a high state of cultivation. He raises principally corn and oats, gives some attention to the raising of small fruits, and does considerable gardening. He is an energetic and progressive agricultu- rist, and the success that has come to him is but the just reward of honest toil, guided by sound judgment,

Mr. Rist was again married June 28, 1868, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth Shaw, who was born in Hancock county, Ohio, June 4, 1833, and is a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Williams) Shaw, also natives of that state, the mother being the first white child born in Mansfield. From Ohio her parents re- moved to Indiana, where both died, the mother in May, 1869, at the age of seventy years, and the father in 1871, at the age of seventy-two. They were faithful members of the Baptist church. Mrs. Rist was the ninth in order of birth in their family, of whom three made their home in Stark county, Mrs. Rist, and Joseph and Henry Shaw, both farmers by occupation. Stephen, the oldest of the family, resides in the west. With the exception of one, the others grew to years of maturity, and are as follows: Mary, William, John, Sarah, Joseph, Nancy and Peter. Mrs. Rist died January 12, 1897, and was laid to rest in the Toulon cem- etery. She was for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and died in the faith.

By his second marriage Mr. Rist has three children, namely: Anetta, wife of Merdo Leich, a farmer of Stark county, by whom she has three children, Benjamin R., Jessie and Martin; Rev. Benjamin, a minister of the

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Methodist Episcopal church, who is a graduate of the Garrett Biblical institute, of Evanston, and married Grace Owens, and they have one child; and Mary Elizabeth, who will graduate at the Toulon academy with the class of 1897. Mr. Rist, all of his children and most of his grandchildren belong to the Methodist Episco- pal church, and the family is one of the most prominent and highly respected in the com- munity. His wife was also a member of that church. In accordance with his views on the temperance question, he votes with the prohi- bition party, and has served his fellow citizens in the capacity of school director for many years. He is one of the honored and valued citizens of the county, with whose interests he has been prominently identified for forty years, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.

JACOB M. JONES has been a resident of La Fayette, Illinois, for a period of forty ) years. He is a native of Guernsey county, Ohio, born August 28, 1836, and is a son of Asbury and Hannah (Garner) Jones, the for- mer a native of New Jersey, and the latter of Pennsylvania. The father was a cabinetmak- er by trade, having learned the business in his youth, and followed the same for many years in Guernsey and Tuscarawas counties, Ohio. He served as a soldier for about one year in the late war, enlisting in 1861. While on a forced march from Paducah, Kentucky, to Pitts- burg Landing, Tennessee, he gave out and was taken to the hospital at Cincinnati, where he took the camp diarrhoea, and soon afterward died at the age of sixty-three years. He was almost a lifelong member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a class leader and officer in the church for many years. In con- nection with a Mr. Peoples he built the first

Methodist Episcopal church in Weeeling town- ship, Guernsey county, Ohio. Few men were more active and none were more highly es- teemed for their many excellent traits of char- acter than was Asbury Jones. His wife died in 1842, at the age of about forty years. Of their family of nine children, four are yet liv- ing, the subject of this sketch being the only one residing in Illinois.

The grandfather of our subject, Jacob Jones, a Welshman by birth, settled in New Jersey at an early day, and worked at his trade of a tanner in that state and later in Ohio. He died in 1855, at the age of ninety-five years, and his remains are interred in the cemetery at La Fayette, Illinois, to which place he came that he might spend the last years of his life at the residence of his son, Sheridan. His wife was a native of New Jersey and her maiden name was Williams. She died at an early day.

Jacob M. Jones was the seventh in order of birth of the family, and grew to manhood on his father's farm. His education was limited to the common schools of Guernsey county, Ohio, which he attended for a few months. In his youth he learned the trade of a harness maker in New Philadelphia, Ohio, at which he worked in Ohio and Pennsylvania, until 1857, when he came to La Fayette, Illinois. At that time the village contained but about one hundred and fifty inhabitants and there were only two painted houses in the place. He worked at his trade as a journeyman until 1859, then commenced business for himself, in which he continued until 1894, since which time he has been on the retired list, spending a considerable portion of his time visiting in California and elsewhere. For many years he has served on the school board of La Fayette, and is at the present time president of the vil- lage board. No man has done more in shap

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ing the educational matters of the town than has our subject. £ In addition to his labors on the school board, he has held other minor of- fices in his town and township, serving with credit to himself and constituents.

On the 14th of February, 1861, Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Miss Catherine Atherton, a daughter of Milton and Sarah Atherton, who for many years were residents of Stark county, but are now deceased. By this union two children were born-Nellie M. and Francis A. The former is now the wife of F. F. Quinn, a farmer of Goshen township, Stark county, and they have two children- Bernice M. and Florence K. The son now resides in Los Angeles, California, and is a traveling freight agent for the Santa Fe rail- road. He married Florence Croff, by whom he has one child, Lloyd F.

Mr. Jones is a dimitted Mason and a work- ing member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has always taken an active in- terest in political affairs, and for many years was a republican, casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, and his last as a member of that party for General Garfield. Since that time he has voted and acted with the prohibition party, and is very proud of his prohibition record. In 1892 he was nomi- nated by that party for the legislature, but failed of election. He began life for himself on a capital of thirty-five dollars, and has the satisfaction of knowing that his present pos- sessions have been the accumulation of years, and he knows where every dollar came from. He has attended strictly to business, and al- though his wealth is not great, in addition to his town property he owns a quarter section of land near the village of La Fayette. His rep- utation for honesty and integrity is unques- tioned, and he is regarded as one of the sub- stantial men of Stark county.

W ILLIAM A. WARNER, M. D., physi- cian and surgeon, of La Fayette, Illi- nois, was born in Peoria county, Illinois, August 8, 1864. His parents, Rev. Peter and Adelaide V. (Scriven) Warner, were natives of New York and Illinois, respectively. The father came to this state in 1838, at the age of four years, and has since been a resident of the state. His early life was spent on a farm, and his parents were among the pioneers of this section. For thirty-five years he has been an itinerant minister in the Illinois central conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has filled many stations throughout cen- tral Illinois, including Canton, Monmouth, Macomb, Bushnell and Carthage. Some years since he removed to Rogers Park, and was the second family to locate in that village. He was foreman of the men who laid out the park, superintending the surveying and setting out of the shade trees. Rev. Warner was a graduate of the Illinois Wesleyan university of the class of 1861, and commenced preaching at Bloomington, uniting with the central Illi- nois conference, with which he has since been connected, with the exception of four years spent at Rogers Park. During the late war he made two attempts to enter the service and was rejected each time. Finally he went to the front as a nurse, being connected with the Christian commission, and served in that ca- pacity for some time. He had five brothers in the service, two of whom died in the service. No man was more patriotic or had the good of the cause more at heart. At present he makes his home in La Fayette, and is living retired. The mother of our subject is still living, at the age of fifty-five years, and is a very active worker in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, as well as in the church. Of their family of six children, four are yet living.

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The Doctor spent his boyhood and youth in the various places where his father was en- gaged in the ministry. He is a graduate of the Illinois Wesleyan university at Blooming- ton, a member of the class of 1891. His medical course was taken at the Northwestern Medical college, Chicago, where he attended from 1891 until 1894, graduating in the latter year. On receiving his diploma he cominenced practice in La Fayette, and has met with very fair success in his chosen profession. He is examiner for the Iowa Mutual Insurance Com- pany, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Maccabees and Home Forum, and is a mem- ber of each of the three last named. He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a trustee of the church in La Fayette. As a citizen he is held in the high- est respect. While engaged in practice com- paratively a short time, as already stated, his success has been fair, and he endeavors at all times to be in the front, keeping up his read- ing and profiting by the experience of others as well as himself.

A NDREW J. FINLEY, whose home is on section 35, West Jersey township, deserves a leading place among Stark county's honored pioneers, as he has here resided since 1839. No state in the Union can boast of a more heroic band of pioneers than Illinois. In their intelligence, capability and genius they are far above the pioneers of the eastern states, and in their daring and heroism they are equal to the Missouri and California argonauts. Their privations, hardships and earnest labors have resulted in establishing one of the foremost commonwealths in America, the possibilities of which are far greater than those possessed by any of her sister states.

A native of the Buckeye state, Mr. Finley was born in what is now Ashland county, No-

vember 14, 1828, and is a son of John Finley, whose birth occurred in Fayette county, Penn- sylvania, in 1802. The grandfather, Robert Finley, was the second white inan to locate in Vermillion township, Richland county, Ohio, settling there previous to 1812. In the midst of the unbroken forests he developed and im- proved a good farm, on which he reared his family.

On attaining to man's estate John Finley married Rebecca Gafney, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and for a few years after their marriage they made their home in Ashland county, Ohio, but in 1834 emigrated to Illinois, first locating in Fulton county. Subsequently they spent four years in Decatur, Macon county, where the father was engaged in merchandising, and dur- ing that time he made two trips on horseback to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, to buy goods. In the spring of 1839 he came to Stark county, purchasing one hundred acres of raw land in Essex township, on which he erected a log cabin. He soon converted the tract into a productive farm, and, being quite successful in his farming operations, purchased other land until he owned two hundred acres. He took an active part in public affairs, assisted in or- ganizing the county, was clerk at the first elec- tion held within its borders, was one of the first sheriffs, and also served as county judge. Widely known throughout this region, he was honored and esteemed by all. After a long and useful career he passed away in February, 1883, at the advanced age of eighty-one years, but the mother of our subject had died many years previous, being called to her final rest in 1856. They now sleep side by side in the Witter Hill cemetery, where a suitable monu- ment has been erected to their memory.

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The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Illinois, Part 67

Author: Clarke S. J. Publishing Company Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 788

Author: Clarke S. J. Publishing Company
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 788