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1912 HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY, Illinois
FRANK
C. HOPKINS.
Frank C. Hopkins is well known as a representative of the grain
trade in Knox county, being manager of the Altona Grain Company. He
was born January 12, 1885, in the town which is still his home, and
is a representative of one of the old families of the county, his
grandmother, Mrs. Samuel Hopkins, having been one of the first hotel
proprietors of Altona. His father, Samuel Hopkins, resided in Altona
for many years and in early life engaged in teaming but afterward
became connected with grain buying. At one time he was employed in
connection with the elevator at this place and for fifteen years was
very prominent as a grain merchant, conducting a large and
profitable business. He figured as one of the leading citizens of
the town by reason of the extent and importance of his business
activities and connections. He married Harriet Pierce, a daughter of
D. A. and Sylva Pierce. She had been previously married, however,
and by her first union had one child, Lulu, now the wife of Harry
Gehring, a resident farmer of Walnut Grove township, and the mother
of one child, Mary Frances Gehring. By her second marriage Mrs.
Hopkins
482 HISTORY OF KNOX-COUNTY
became the mother of six children, all of whom are yet living,
namely: Frank, Mabel, Ermma and Blanch, at home; Arthur, who is
following the painter's trade in Altona; and Earl, who is engaged in
clerking in Altona. The father died in 1905 at the age of forty-six
years and the community lost a valued and representative citizen and
business man and the family a devoted husband and father. Mrs.
Hopkins now makes her home with her son Frank C. and is forty-six
years of age.
Frank C. Hopkins was a pupil in the public schools of Altona through
much of the period of his youth, and started out in the business
world as a clerk in his native town, being employed in connection
with hardware and grocery stores for ten years. He then turned his
attention to the grain trade, becoming a buyer for G. S. Dole, whom
he thus represented for three years. He afterward spent a similar
period as buyer for the Jackson Grain Company and, in 1910, became
associated with the Altona Grain Company at Altona as manager. The
officers of this company are D. N. McMaster, president; C. C.
Sawyer, secretary; and C. S. Nelson, treasurer. «Mr. Hopkins, with
varied previous experience, is well qualified to handle the business
at this place as general manager and keeps in close touch with the
grain market. The company finds him an efficient and trustworthy
representative and in this connection he has become well known in
business circles although one of the younger business men of the
county. Flis fraternal relations are with the Modern Woodmen of
America. He is also well known socially in his native town and the
surrounding country and many admirable traits of character have made
him popular.
HENRY FRANK WILLIS.
Henry Frank Willis, president of the Willis Manufacturing Company,
manufacturers of architectural sheet-metal goods, was born in
Freeport, Ohio, August 24, 1854. Fie is descended in the paternal
line from English ancestry although the family was founded in
America at an early day. His grandfather was Isaac Willis, a native
of New Jersey, who married Martha ITumpers and removed to Ohio,
settling in Flarrison county where he died when well advanced in
years. Among his children were George, John, Elizabeth, Alexander,
Amos F., Isaac, Charlotte E., William and Joseph. His wife was a
daughter of Alexander Humpers, a native of New Jersey, who served as
lieutenant in the Revolutionary war, enlisting in the Fifth New
Jersey Regiment and afterward reenlisting in the Fifth New York
Regiment.
Isaac Willis, father of our subject, was born May 16, 1822, ere the
removal of the family to Ohio, but much of his youth was spent in
the latter state where he learned and followed the shoemaker's
trade. He came to Illinois in 1856, settling first at Ipava, Fulton
county, where he conducted a shoe business. Subsequently he removed
to Havana, Illinois, where he resided for eight years, and then
returned to Ipava where he died in 1875, at tne aSe of fifty-three
years, While a resident of Ohio he had wedded Mary Jane Murphy, a
native of that state who died May 17, 1857. He was a member of the
Society of Friends or Quakers while his wife held membership in the
Methodist church. They
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY 483
had a family of three sons and two* daughters, of whom two died in
early childhood. The others were: John Montgomery, who died in 1869;
Anna Ruhamy, the deceased wife of William E. Ladd; and Henry Frank,
of this review.
Flenry Frank Willis spent his boyhood days in Ipava and Havana,
Illinois, having been but two years old when his parents removed to
Ipava. He is indebted to the public-school system for the
educational privileges he enjoyed and after putting aside his
text-books, in 1872, learned the harness-maker's trade at Canton,
Illinois, following that pursuit until 1891, when he came to
Galesburg and joined his cousin, I. H. Willis, in establishing his
present business under the name of the Willis Manufacturing Company.
In 1900 he took over his cousin's interest and is now president and
chief stockholder in the concern. He has since established with him
in the business his sons, 1. R., J. D., and R. B. Willis. The
company manufactures all kinds of architectural sheet-iron goods and
they employ about twenty-five or thirty people, shipping their
output to all parts of the United States and also to Mexico and
Canada. The business is constantly developing in its ramifying trade
interests for the modern methods of manufacture employed and the
reliable dealings of the house constitute features in business
growth and success.
Mr. Willis has been married twice. On the 13th of August, 1879, ne
wedded Miss Mary Emma Gamble, who was born in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of John Gamble. Her father was of
Scotch-Irish descent and was born in the north of Ireland, whence he
came to America in his boyhood days. Both he and his wife spent the
remainder of their lives in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and
reared a family of twelve children all of whom reached years of
maturity. This number included Mary Emma, who became the wife of Mr.
Willis, by whom she had five children. The eldest, Isaac Ralph, now
vice president of the Willis Manufacturing Company, married Beatrice
Irene Plagarty and they have two children, Henry Frank and Beatrice
Jean. John D., treasurer of the Willis Manufacturing Company married
Irene Park Campbell. Robert Bruce, secretary of the company, married
Genevieve Davidson. Jessie Ann died at the age of two years and Emma
Frank, the youngest, is the wife of Park N. Williams, a resident of
Wilcox, Canada. The mother of these children died January 30, 1902,
at the age of fifty-one years, in the faith of the Presbyterian
church of which she had been a devoted member. On the 7th of March,
1907, Mr. Willis married Miss Mary Eva Wood, who was born at Ipava,
Illinois, August 19, 1872, and was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Oliver Wood, who were natives of Ohio and became early settlers of
Ipava. Her father was a soldier in the Civil war, going to the front
as musician but returning as hospital steward. He is still living at
Ipava but Mrs. Wood, who in her maidenhood was Miss Sarah Elizabeth
Farquhar, died there in 1881. Their children were Joseph Russell,
Ann Elizabeth, Mary Eva, Katharine and Susanna. The death of Mrs.
Mary Eva Willis occurred December 16th. 1910, when she was but
thirty-eight years of age. She left one child, a daughter, Sarah
Louise, born October 21, 1908.
Mr. Willis is a member of the Presbyterian church, as were both of
his his wives, and in the work of the church he is much interested,
contributing generously to its support. He belongs to X'entas Lodge,
I. O. O. F., also to the Modern XXroodmen Camp. Plis position
concerning political questions has
484 HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
never been an equivocal one. He is a republican and while residing
in Fulton county he served as village clerk of Ipava and was city
treasurer of Astoria and also supervisor from Astoria township.
There have been no spectacular phases in his life. He has pursued
the even tenor of his way, quietly and capably conducting his
business interests, his energy, careful management and determination
constituting salient forces which have brought him substantial
success. At the same time he belongs to that class of citizens who
promote the public prosperity in advancing individual interests.
G. W. DUNBAR.
G. W. Dunbar is one of the successful and progressive farmers of
Henderson township. He was born in La Fayette, Stark county,
Illinois, March 8, 1846, his parents being George and Millie
(Collins) Dunbar, both natives of Kentucky, who came to Illinois in
1826 and settled in Stark county on a farm which they had previously
purchased. Twenty-two years later they removed to Knox county and
again engaged in agricultural pursuits, continuing here up to the
time Mr. Dunbar retired from active life. His death occurred in
Gales-burg in 1903.. In politics he was a republican and looked upon
the policies of that party as being most conducive to efficient
government. In religious faith he was a member of the Free Methodist
church.
G. W. Dunbar received his education in the common schools, and in
March, 1864, enlisted in Company K, Eighty-third Regular Illinois
Volunteers, serving until the close of the war. He was discharged at
Springfield, Illinois, in July,
1865, and immediately engaged in farming. At the age of twenty-one
years he started upon his independent career by purchasing the farm
upon which he still resides and which comprises one hundred and
thirty acres. He carries on general farming and also raises cattle
and hogs. In addition to his agricultural pursuits, for thirty years
he has engaged in the machine and threshing business. The well
developed condition of his farm and the profitable crops which he
harvests annually attest to his ability as an agriculturist.
Mr. Dunbar has been twice married. In September, 1867, occurred his
marriage to Nancy Hogan, the daughter of William and Martha Hogan,
natives of Knox county, where Mr. Hogan owned a sawmill. They are
both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar were the parents of three
children, only one of whom survives, Mrs. Eva Henderson, who is
engaged in the dressmaking business. Mrs. Dunbar died in 1871. In
1873 occurred Mr. Dunbar's marriage to Eva McElhaney, the daughter
of James and Rose (Dubbs) McElhaney, both deceased. Mr. McElhaney
was a harness maker by trade and resided in Knox county. To Mr. and
Mrs. Dunbar three children were born, namely: Verna, who is the wife
of Henry Barr, a coal miner, and resides in Mathersville, Illinois;
Lola, who is the wife of R. E. Davidson, a merchant of Henderson, by
whom she has one child, Doris; and Archie, an agriculturist, who is
married and resides in Henderson.
Mr. Dunbar is a republican, and is a member of the Methodist church.
His activities have always been along the lines of progress, and the
well developed
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY 485
condition of his farm is indicative of his successful agricultural
methods. Having been a resident of Knox county during practically
his whole life, he has been identified with many of the plans for
improvement in the county and in every undertaking has proven his
worth and ability.
WILLIAM E. DUNN.
William E. Dunn, who is living retired on his farm located on
section 24, Rio township, was born in Lewis county, New York, on the
24th of May, 1852. He is a son of Frederick J. and Susan P.
(Wetmore) Dunn, who were born and reared in Oneida county, New York,
the father's natal day being May 22, 1819. They were married 1847 or
1848, continuing to make their home in the Empire state until 1853,
when they came to Knox county, locating on a farm in Ontario
township. When they first settled here the father worked in a
sawmill in Rio township, but he subsequently purchased a farm to the
further development of which he devoted his energies for many years.
He was given the advantages of a good education and taught school
during his younger days both in his native state and Knox county.
During the war he was collector in the country and after the close
of hostilities he entered the ministry of the United Brethren
church, but continued to operate his farm. In the early '60s he was
ordained and thereafter gave his entire attention to his ministerial
duties. Mr. Dunn, who has attained the venerable age of ninety-three
years, now makes his home in Knoxville, where he has been residing
since 1907. The mother, however, died on March 24, 1864 and in 1865,
the father married Maria Rine, of Flenderson township, this county.
She was a native of Pennsylvania and of German parentage. She passed
away in February, 1894, and in 1896, Mr. Dunn was united in marriage
to his present wife, formerly Miss Maggie Wolloch. Four children
were born to Mr. Dunn and his first wife, our subject being the
second in order of birth, and two of his second marriage. The
paternal grandfather was David Dunn, who was born in the Empire
state on November 14, 1791. He came to Knox county in 1853 and
passed the rest of his life in this county, where he engaged in
farming.
As he was only a child one year of age when his parents brought him
to Knox county, the memories of William E. Dunn's entire life are
associated with the scenes familiar to his manhood. He was educated
in the district schools, and immediately after laying aside his
text-books gave his entire attention to farming. Agricultural
pursuits have ever engaged his attention with the exception of three
years, when he worked on the railroad and also followed the
carpenter's trade. He is now living on the old home farm, containing
eighty acres, which is being operated by his son. Here for many
years, Mr. Dunn engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and
was extensively engaged in the feeding and marketing of hogs.
On the 5th of March, 1885, he was united in marriage to Miss Addie
C. Haskins, a daughter of Cyrus and Harriet (Case) Haskins. The
maternal grandparents were Erastus and Parmelia (Grafton) Case, who
came west and passed their latter days with Mr. and Mrs. Haskins.
The families originally
486 HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
came from Vermont, whence they removed to Illinois, Mr. and Mrs.
Haskins locating on a farm in Ontario township, Knox county, in
1853. Two sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dunn. Roswell E., who
received a high-school education, married Hattie Carr of Ontario
township, a daughter of the Rev. James S. Carr, minister of the
Ontario Congregational church, and they have two children: Maurice
and Ralph. Clark A., who is the younger, is living at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunn hold membership in the Congregational church of
Ontario township, and fraternally he is a member of Oneida Lodge,
No. 337, F. & A. M. and also the Knights of Pythias. His political
support he gives to the republican party and has always taken an
active interest in affairs of the township. He was school director
for fifteen years and trustee for three, while for five he
discharged the duties of assessor. Mr. Dunn continues to live on the
farm but has retired from the active work of the fields, which are
now being cultivated by his eldest son. The greater part of his life
has been passed in the immediate vicinity of his present home, where
he enjoys a large and favorable acquaintance.
ISRAEL JOHN HARRIS.
A prominent citizen of Abingdon and one whose family name has been
connected with the history of this locality for four decades past,
is Israel John Harris, a member of the firm of Craig & Harris; stone
cutters and dealers in monuments. Fie traces his lineage back five
generations to colonial days in the early part of the eighteenth
century and to the days of the American Revolution, when one of his
ancestors brought luster to the family name by his unfaltering
devotion to the American cause and his prowess throughout the
struggle. Israel John Flar-ris was the son of Joseph and Matilda C.
(Hart) Iiarris. His father, Joseph Harris, was a son of James and
Rebecca C. (Jennings) Harris, a grandson of Israel and Betsy (Mead)
Flarris, a great-grandson of Israel and Sarah (Morse) Flarris, and a
great-great-grandson of John and Rachel (Moss) ITarris. Of these
antecedents Israel Flarris, the great-great-grandfather of the
present member of the family bearing this name, was born at
Cornwall, Connecticut, on February 16, 1746. Concerning his
participation in the war of the Rebellion the Old Northwest, a
genealogical quarterly, of April, 1898, has the following to say:
"In May, 1775, he joined the famous body of young patriots
afterwards known as the Green Mountain Boys and, as orderly
sergeant, assisted in the daring rush to and the capture of Fort
Ticonderoga, serving with Seth Warner and probably sharing later in
the outlawry of the leaders of the regiment which by its success
opened the way for the ill-fated expedition of Montgomery and
furnished supplies for the siege of Boston. He was still with
Warner's forces when that commander joined General Stark near
Bennington, Vermont, in the late summer of 1777 and defeated the
efforts of Colonel Baum to seize the supplies laid up at that place
for the patriot forces, a defeat which caused the surrender of
Burgoyne at Saratoga two months later. Early in 1778 he was made
lieutenant and for bravery on the battlefield given his commission
as captain in the Old
MRS. I. J. HARRIS
1. .1. HARRIS
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY 491
Continentals in 1779. In October, 1780, owing to complete
disability, the result of wounds and exposure, he was honorably
discharged and returned to his former home where he remained until
1782, when he removed to Rutland, Vermont. His record as a brave
soldier and, above all, his connection with the most famous band of
partisan troops the north could boast of, made him an instant leader
in that village and one of its most influential citizens."
Israel J. Harris, the subject of this biography, who is justly proud
of the honorable record of his illustrious forefathers, was born in
Elba township, Knox county, Illinois, October 24, 1857. His father
was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, April 17, 1827, and his mother
was born in Preble county, Ohio, August 6, 1829. They were married
in Rochester, Peoria county, Illinois, where his mother was living
at the time, having accompanied her parents thither when she was a
child. His father came to Illinois in 1853, when a young man, and
located on the west half of section 21, in Elba township, Knox
county, where he bought three hundred and twenty acres of land which
he cultivated. From time to time he increased his holdings by
additional purchases until he owned at one time five quarter
sections. Here he resided until the fall of 1868 when he removed to
a farm west of Abingdon, living there one year. Then he came to
Abingdon to reside, remaining there until his death April 20, 1883.
His wife died October 13, 1901. His father was a republican in
politics and served one term as justice of the peace in 1856. He
voted for Lincoln when elected for the first term. He was a member
of the Christian church and, while the war was in progress, on
account of his rigid religious scruples, came to the stern
conviction that war was wrong. Flaving taken this stand, he went one
step further and, feeling his opposition to the national policy of
union even at the cost of war, he voluntarily denied himself the
right of the ballot. For this reason he did not vote again for a
federal officer until Garfield's campaign when, influenced by the
noble Christian life of Garfield, he felt justified in voting for
him.
Israel J. Flarris was reared at home and began his schooling in the
Elba Center district school. For certain reasons it seemed best to
his parents, however, to keep him at home. Consequently he was
withdrawn after three days at school and his mother undertook his
training and education at home. At the end of the school term it was
found that he had advanced in his studies far beyond his sister who
had been attending the district school. His mother therefore taught
both children after that until their removal to Abingdon, when
Israel, then in his twelfth year, was fitted to enter old Abingdon
College. During his career in this institution his studies were
frequently interrupted on account of ill health, so that he was not
quite able to complete the course. As a variation from studying he
began to teach in 1876, at the age of nineteen, and continued
teaching at intervals and attending school until his father's death
in 1883. He then took charge of the operation of the farm and
pursued agricultural occupations till 1889 when he returned to the
schoolroom, teaching until the spring of 1896 when he was stricken
with a complete nervous breakdown making him an invalid for four
years. At the end of this time, his health being once more restored,
he engaged in his present business of monument dealing and became
identified with the firm of Craig & Harris.
The marriage of Mr. Harris and Miss Emma Nelson was solemnized
September 1, 1887. She was a daughter of Swan Nelson, a resident of
Knoxville but
Vol. 11—22
492 HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
later a farmer of Cedar township near Abingdon, and now deceased.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harris and they are in order
of their births: Joseph Victor, graduated from the Abingdon high
school with the class of 1906, who is a reporter on the Galesburg
Mail; Verna Pernella, graduated from the Abingdon high school with
the class of 1911, who will enter the teaching profession this fall;
Olive Caroline, a member of her sister's class, graduated in 1911,
who will either teach or enter college this fall; Yerda Thresa, who
is a student in high school; and Israel J., Jr., the youngest in the
family.
Mr. Harris gives his political allegiance to the republicans but has
strong prohibition and anti-saloon proclivities. He served for two
terms as alderman from the second ward. In his earlier years he was
a member of the Christian church, the faith in which he was brought
up, but a schism in the church in 1883 caused him to leave it. Later
he and his family became members of the Congregational church, in
which he is a deacon at the present time. For a number of years he
was the superintendent of the Sunday school and on his retirement in
1909 was presented by the school with a handsome silver loving cup
which he prizes very highly. He was president of the Knox County
Sunday School Association for two years and is now the
vice-president of this association.
The house in which Mr. Harris and his family are now residing and
which he remodeled in 1902 is the original Harris homestead bought
by his father, Joseph Harris, in 1869. The old Harris farm west of
Abingdon has for the most part been laid out in town lots and is now
known as the Harris addition of Abingdon. Throughout his career Mr.
Harris has been an exponent of a high code of business as well as
social ethics, living an exemplary life that makes him.
conspicuously deserving of the public trust placed in him as one of
Abing-don's leading citizens.
CHARLES C. REYNOLDS.
Charles C. Reynolds was born in Ontario township, on the 14th of
June, 1870, his parents being Alvah and Susan (Hayden) Reynolds. The
father, who was a carpenter by trade, was born on the 226. of May,
1830, at Bedford, West-chester county, New York, and the mother's
birth occurred in Indiana in 1839. Alvah Reynolds, who has been
engaged in agricultural pursuits, followed the carpenter's trade for
thirteen years after starting to earn his own livelihood at the age
of sixteen. His marriage occurred in Illinois, on the 10th of May,
1859, to Susan Hayden, a daughter of Jonathan and Hulda (Reeves)
Hayden, of Henry county, where they settled in 1853. He began his
independent agricultural career by purchasing one hundred and sixty
acres of land in Ontario township and was the owner of seven hundred
and twenty acres upon his retirement. In 1893 he gave eighty acres
of land to each of his children and discontinued active farming. He
had been most successful in stock-raising and had brought his farm
under a high state of cultivation. In politics he is a republican
and has served as school director of his district for thirty-six
years.
Charles C. Reynolds received his education in the common and high
schools of Oneida, the Abingdon Normal school and Hedding College.
After discontinuing his studies he engaged in agricultural pursuits
and has followed, this occupation ever since, at first being
employed by his father and later working independently.
Mr. Reynolds was married on the 25th of December, 1901, to Miss
Edith Ward, a daughter of Frank and Nellie (Abernathy) Ward. Mrs.
Ward, who was of Scotch descent, belonged to one of the pioneer
families of the county, the father having come while the Indians
were still here. Mrs. Reynolds' brother Frank is a resident of the
township and Amos Ward, who came to the county in 1838, served as
county commissioner and as justice of the peace. To Mr. and Mrs.
Reynolds four children were born, Nellie B., M. Ward, Birdice L. and
Helen E. Mrs. Reynolds' death occurred in May, 1896, on the home
place.
In politics Mr. Reynolds is a stanch republican, believing that the
policies of that party are most conducive to good government. He
also holds membership in the Christian church of Ontario township
and has served as school director in his district. He is one of
Ontario township's enterprising men and has contributed much toward
the general welfare of the community, where he is held in high
esteem and is numbered among its substantial agriculturists and
representative citizens.
JAMES
CHAMPION McMURTRY, M. D.
Dr. James Champion McMurtry, a former citizen of Knox county and,
until his death, devoting himself unselfishly to the service of
others in the practice of his profession, was born in Crawford
county, Indiana, February 3, 1829. His parents were William and Ruth
(Champion) McMurtry, both natives of Kentucky. He was a descendant
of ancestors distinguished in the service of their country for
generations. The great grandfather of Dr. McMurtry, whose name was
John McMurtry, was a Revolutionary war hero, killed in the battle of
Cowpens. The father, William McMurtry, was a ranger in the Black
Hawk war.
On November 1, 1829, the year in which Dr. McMurtry was born, his
father removed his family to Knox county, Illinois. Before this they
had resided in Indiana, where William McMurtry was active in
politics besides carrying on agricultural pursuits. He served as
lieutenant governor under Governor French, of Illinois. He was state
senator of Illinois for many years. Mr. McMurtry, descended of
French Huguenot origin, was a man of superior mental qualities
possessing an excellent education, and made many friends through his
genial manner and magnetic personality. He was an intimate friend of
Stephen A. Douglas and occupied a prominent position in the
democratic party in Illinois when the political battle was growing
in intensity before the final triumph of President Lincoln and the
newborn republican party. Dr. McMurtry's father was a captain in the
Sixty-seventh Regular Militia of Illinois and a colonel of the One
Hundred and Second Volunteer Infantry of Illinois. In 1846, he was
made a member of the Henderson Lodge, F. & A. M.
Unlike most youths of his time Dr. McMurtry had every educational
advantage that could prepare him adequately for the profession of
his choice. He began with a common-school education, supplementing
this by a course at Knox College and at Union College in
Schenectady, New York. After this liberal education he narrowed down
the field of his studies and devoted himself to medicine as his
specialty. For this purpose he entered Rush Medical College of
Chicago, from which he received his degree. Fie then returned to his
home county, where he established a practice for himself in which he
continued till death terminated his activities. He was one of the
leading practitioners in this section of the country, noted for his
kindness in the treatment of his patients and for his generous acts
of charity towards those who were less able to meet the heavy
financial tax which illness entails. He was a splendid athlete
devoted to indoor exercises and outdoor sports, and was modern in
his mode of living and his views of life.
The marriage of Dr. James McMurtry and Miss Caroline Nelson, of
Warren county, Illinois, occurred June 9, 1855. Her parents were
Andrew and Susan (Flawley) Nelson. Mr. Nelson was a merchant, coming
originally from Am-herst, Massachusetts. On July 3, 1843, he settled
in Henderson, Knox county, where he engaged in business.
Five children were born to Dr. and Mrs. McMurtry. James W. is an
attorney at law in Elk City, Oklahoma. He is the father of seven
children. Franklin H. died in infancy. Susan FI. lives on the home
farm in Flenderson township. She is a graduate of Knox College, of
the class of 1886. Caroline is the wife of H. B. Conyers, a jeweler
in Urbana, Ohio, and is the mother of one child. She is also a
graduate of Knox College, of the class of 1886. Mary is at home
supervising the place and managing the estate. She, too, was
graduated from Knox College, in 1886.
Dr. McMurtry died March 29, 1903. Fie was well-to-do, owning at the
time of his death a very fine farm of three hundred and thirty acres
of land, devoted to general farming. Fraternally he was connected
with a number of organizations in which he took an active part. He
was a member of Hiram Lodge, No. 26, F. & A. M., of Henderson, and
was worshipful master for twenty-two years. In 1855, he became a
member of Horeb Chapter, No. 4, R. A. M., at Knoxville, Illinois. He
held the office of grand pursuivant in the grand lodge of Illinois,
in 1855, and grand marshal of the grand lodge of Illinois, from 1880
till 1884. He was elected to all the offices in the Grand Chapter,
R. A. M., of Illinois. He was chosen high priest in 1877 and for a
number of years was grand representative of Georgia in the Grand
Chapter of Illinois. Since 1862 he was a member In politics Dr.
McMurtry was a republican. He voted for Lincoln for his second term,
although he was up to that time a loyal democrat. He was a man of
political influence and a strong party leader. He was the founder of
the Union League of Henderson township and served as the first
president of that organization. Large-minded in his convictions and
of a powerful personality, he possessed in a marked degree many of
the characteristics which distinguished his father before him,
clear-sighted vision, the faculty of foreseeing the consequences of
a situation or of an action long before those consequences occurred.
Among the many residents of Knox county who knew Dr. McMurtry
intimately he possessed the friendship of a large number of people
and the warm regard of all.
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