Biographies

    JamesM. Black     JAMES M. BLACK, dealer in hard coal and wood,was born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1835. He was theson of John W. Black of the same county, who was one of thirteen children.All grew to maturity, and the sons were mechanics by trade.  JohnW. Black was a blacksmith by trade. After he came West he was foreman ofthe Boyles Scales Company of St. Louis, Missouri, for some years, and,later came to Beardstown and established himself with Mr. T. A. Fisher,another old blacksmith. He was later With Messrs. Milner and Hill. He didbusiness as … Read more

   JosephM. Spencer  JOSEPH M. SPENCER, an intelligent and progressivecitizen of Ashland, Illinois, and an honored veteran of the late war, washorn in Gibson county, Indiana, October 24, 1842. His parents were Joseph and Elizabeth (Hayhurst)Spencer, both of whom were natives of Morgantown, Virginia, the fatherof Welsh and the mother of German ancestry. They were married in Miamicounty, Ohio, removing thence to Indiana, from where they came to Morgancounty, Illinois, in 1849. The parents and younger children later removedto Kansas, where the father died in 1870, leaving his family and many friendsto mourn his loss. He was a man of … Read more

  SquireJames M. Watkins  SQUIRE JAMES M. WATKINS, a popular Justiceof the Peace and one of the most prosperous farmers of Cass county, Illinois,residing in township 18, range 9, was born in Richmond precinct, same county,February 5, 1839. His parents were Elijah and Lydia A. (Montgomery)Watkins, both natives of Kentucky, the former born in Green county, in1797, and the latter a native of Hart county. His father’s parents wereSamuel and Mary (McClure) Watkins, the former a native of Wales and thelatter of Maryland. Samuel Watkins came to America when a very young manand settled in Maryland, where he was married, … Read more

    JohnMcCabe     JOHN McCABE, well-known in business circlesin Schuyler county, Illinois, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, September11, 1828. His father, John McCabe, Sr., was a native of Pennsylvania, butwas taken to Ohio when quite young by his parents; there he learned theblacksmith’s trade, which he followed until 1844. In that year he emigratedto Indiana and settled in Marion county; here he resumed his occupation,remaining for three years. In 1847 he came to Illinois, and settled inthe town of Woodland; he afterward entered a tract of land on which heerected a log house; he followed his trade … Read more

    JosephMeservey    JOSEPH MESERVEY, of Elkhorntownship, was born here, June 22, 1841. He is the son of Joseph and ElizaMeservey. Joseph was the son of Nathaniel, both of Vermont. He spent hislife there and died when nearly ninety years of age. Joseph followed thebusiness of shipping horses for nine years, and then went into a distillery,and then sold out and came to this State at an early date. He continued at home untilhis marriage, worked with his father, and attended the subscription schoolwhen able. When he married he had a little farm, and afterward he boughtmore land. He … Read more

    JamesN. Robison     JAMES N. ROBISON of Lee township, was born inHuntingdon county, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1823. His father, Henry Robison,was born in the same county, April 22, 1798, and his father was born inScotland, but spent his last years in Huntingdon county, dying when hisson Henry was six years old. Henry after his father’s death was obligedto earn his own living and remained on a farm in the same county until1824, and then with his wife and infant son emigrated to Ohio and livednear Cadiz for two years, then returned to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,there engaged in … Read more

    JonathanPatteson     JONATHAN PATTESON was born in State of Virginia,June 1, 1797. His father was Charles Patteson, also a native of Virginia,who removed from that State to Green county, Kentucky about the year 1800,and was thus one of the pioneers of that locality. He bought a tract oftimber land, and erected thereon a log cabin, in which were domiciled thefamily. They were in a wilderness and were compelled to live off the productsof their little place and the game that was found in abundance in the woods.Mr. Patteson was an owner of slaves, and they cultivated flax … Read more

    JohnS. Dodge    JOHN S. DODGE, one of themost prominent farmers of Littleton township, Schuyler county, Illinois,was born in Bloomington, McLean county, this State, March 14, 1837. Hisparents, Solomon and Betsey (Springer) Dodge, were both natives of Ohio,his father being a carder and filler by trade. His mother’s ancestors wereoriginally from Cork, Ireland. In 1833, his parents came by way of theOhio and Mississippi rivers to Bloomington, Illinois, where our subjectwas born in his father’s hotel, which was the first in that town, calledthe Caravansary. His father retired about twenty-five years before hisdeath, he being ninety-one years of … Read more

    JohnSandidge    JOHN SANDIDGE, one of themost intelligent and prosperous farmers of Oakland township, Schuyler county,was born in the State of Kentucky in 1829. His father, Daniel Sandidge,was a native of Virginia, born in 1804; there he married Pamelia Tate,born in the same place in 1803. The paternal grandfather of our subject,John Sandidge was a Virginian by  birth; he married a native of Virginia,and in an early day removed to Kentucky, settling in Lincoln county; hebecame a wealthy planter, owning a large number of slaves. They had a familyof nine sons and four daughters: Daniel, Clayton, Joshua, James, … Read more

    JohnShank    JOHN SHANK, a successful farmer, horticulturistand florist, and a prominent citizen of Mount Sterling, Illinois, was bornin Franklin, Johnson county, Indiana, July 11, 1843. His paternal grandparentswere John and Catherine (Dosing) Shank, the former a native of Pennsylvaniaand of German descent, while the latter was of French ancestry. The formerwas an early settler of Ohio, when that State was the frontier of civilization,his last days having been passed at his home in Preble county, near Eaton,that State. His son, William Shank, the father of the subject of this sketch,was born in Montgomery county, Virginia, in May, … Read more