WILLIAM L. FAY, editor of the Daily and Weekly Jacksonville Journal, is a native of this State, having been born in Springfield March 15, 1851. He was educated in the grandest of all schools, experience, commencing at the bottom of the ladder, and climbing slowly but steadily and surely, until he reached the top rounds. He was ten years of age when he commenced to work in the printing office of the old Jacksonville Sentinel, and from that time until the present he has been continuously in the newspaper work. He began by setting type, and was gradually promoted until in 1874 he came into the Journal office as night editor and foreman. In November, 1886, the Journal company then organized with Mr. Fay as one of the principal stock-holders, and from that date he has been associated with Mr. Nichols, whose sketch will be found in the Album. These two gentlemen have jointly edited and managed the two editions with signal success. Their newspaper enjoys a large circulation and a finely paying advertising list, and has more influence than most of its competitors in this region. Mr. Fay has been very successful as a newspaper man, and with Mr. Nichols has brought this paper up to a high standard of excellence by sheer force of industry, and by technical and general intelligence. In politics the Journal commands an influence which is felt in the counsel of its party and it is read with respect by the leaders.

In the social world Mr. Fay is no less influential than in his chosen profession of journalism. The Masonic fraternity has a no more enthusiastic worker, while the I. O. O. F., K. of P., and Red Men have in him a worthy and intelligent member. He was married in this city in 1880 to Miss Leah Plattner.

JOHN W. FINNEY. This gentleman has the management of a fine farm of 357 acres, pleasantly located on sections 8 and 9. He was born near Oxville, Scott county, Sept. 26, 1845, and was the only child of James Finney, a native of Ohio. His paternal grandfather was Samuel Finney, a native of Germany, who, upon emigration to America settled in Ohio, where he probably spent the remainder of his life.

James Finney left the Buckeye State in early manhood, and coming to Illinois located on a tract of land in Oxville Precinct, where he lived until 1851, then went to California overland with an ox team and engaged in mining. The mother, Mrs. Hannah Finney, was born in Illinois and died when our subject was quite young. He was reared by his grandparents, with whom he lived until February, 1864. He then enlisted as a Union soldier in Company I, 129th Illinois Infantry, and going South joined the army of Gen. Sherman, and at the battle of Resaca was wounded by a gunshot in the hip. He was sent to the field_hospital first, then to Nashville and Louisville, and as soon as able started to rejoin his regiment at Atlanta. He was taken ill and sent to Quincy, but finally rejoined his regiment at Alexandria and was transferred to the 16th Illinois Veteran Regiment. He did not take an active part in any more fighting but went with his comrades to Washington and participated in the Grand Review, after which he was mustered out at Louisville, July 8, 1865, and received his honorable discharge at Camp Butler, near Springfield. He had enlisted when a youth of seventeen and upon his return home engaged in farming in Bluffs Precinct . While in service he had received no further injury than having his arm considerably crushed by falling from a train of cars.

The marriage of John W. Finney and Mrs. Elizabeth Green took place on the 21st of April, 1886. This lady was born in Delaware, March 26, 1826, and was a mere child when she was brought by her parents, in 1830, to Illinois. It thus appears that Mrs. Finney was among the younger children of her parents' family; she was reared upon a farm and acquired her education in the district school which was taught in a log cabin at a long distance from her home. The settlers were few and far between, and all kinds of wild animals were plentiful. Her mother died soon after the family settled here, and she was then taken to the home of James Morrison, with whom she had lived five years. She was married, in his house near Oxville, in October, 1843, to Joseph Marsh, a native of New York State. He was the son of Samuel and Mary Marsh, also natives of the Empire State, and with them came to Illinois in 1829. The father then engaged in farming until failing health compelled him to abandon active labor, when he removed to Naples and ran a boat on the Illinois River. He died of cholera in 1853.

Of this marriage there were born three children _ Edward, Etta and Sarah. Edward is now occupied as a druggist in Naples; during the Civil War he was in the employ of the Government as clerk of a boat, which was connected with the Red River Expedition. Etta remains at home with her mother; Sarah is the wife of Dr. W.D. Coner, a practicing physician of Bluffs, and has one child _ Jennie.

Mrs. Marsh contracted a second marriage in 1859 with Mr. John Green, who was a native of Yorkshire, and a son of Thomas and Mary Green. The Green family emigrated to America at an early day, and coming directly to Scott County entered land in township 15, range 13, where they carried on farming until the death of the father. John succeeded to the homestead, embracing 240 acres of land, and his wife's land adjoining until he had 357 acres. He became a prominent man in the community, taking an active part in politics and doing good service as a member of the Democratic party. He served as County Commissioner, Justice of the Peace, School Director, and was Judge of the County Court for a period of eight years. After the death of her husband Mrs. (Marsh) Green assumed the management of the farm, which she operated successfully, and also engaged in general merchandising in Bluffs for six or seven years. She owns two residences there and 160 acres of land in Osborne County, Kan. Her marriage with Mr. Finney has been before noted.

Mrs. Finney is the daughter of Thomas Chance, a native of Delaware. He occupied himself in farming pursuits and removed from Delaware to Ohio at an early day. From there he came to Illinois, as already stated, and later engaged in the Black Hawk War. He purchased eighty acres of land, and made his home in Naples Precinct until his death. Politically, he was a Democrat. The mother, Mrs. Frances (Anderson) Chance, was a native of Delaware, and died in Oxville Precinct, Scott County. She was the daughter of Andrew Anderson, a native of Germany, who upon emigrating to America settled in Delaware, where he owned slaves and carried on a large plantation. To the parents of Mrs. Finney there were born seven children, viz: William, now a resident of Bluffs Precinct; Albert, of Oxville Precinct; Garrison, who is living in Boone, Mo.; Eli, a resident of Webster County, Neb.; Margaret, who died after marriage; Elizabeth, Mrs. Finney, and Emeline, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Finney differ somewhat in their political views, he being a Republican and she a Democrat. The farm embraces one of the most valuable and fertile tracts of land in the county, and is well improved with handsome, modern buildings, the dwelling amply adapted to all the comforts of rural life, and the outbuildings furnish the necessary storage for grain and shelter for stock. There is a fine orchard in bearing condition, and a goodly assortment of peach trees and trees of the smaller fruits.

There is probably no lady in the county better known or more highly respected than Mrs. Finney. She is at once recognized as possessing much cultivation and refinement, and has surrounded herself and her family with all the belongings of modern life. The dwelling is handsomely furnished and stands amid well_kept grounds, surrounded by shade trees and flower beds. A view of it appears on another page. Miss Etta, a mute, was graduated from the Institution at Jacksonville, and is an accomplished young lady, excelling in painting, embroidery and all the gentler arts. Both Mr. and Mrs. Finney are highly popular among their neighbors, and in their pleasant, congenial union are apparently enjoying life to its fullest extent, as they deserve to do. Their home is the frequent resort of the refined and cultivated people of their township, and they are general favorites in the social circles.

COL. THOMAS H. FLYNN, formerly Mayor of the city of Winchester, is a native of Carlyle, Nicholson Co., Ky., and was born Aug. 9, 1821. His parents, Ezekiel and Frances (Hardesty) Flynn, natives, respectively, of the State of Virginia and Kentucky, reared two sons and one daughter, Thomas H. Being the second in order of birth, and the only one now living. The senior Mr. Flynn, a blacksmith by occupation, came to Winchester in 1830, and here with his family spent the rest of his life. He was a soldier in the Mexican War, and died about two years after its close. As a corporal in Company H, 1st Ills. Regiment, he took an active part in the battle of Buena Vista. Our subject was a member of the same company as his father, having gone out therewith as Orderly Sergeant. Just before the battle of Buena Vista he was promoted to Third Lieutenant, and during the heat of the conflict he was, by reason of the death of his superior officer, raised to the rank of Second Lieutenant. With this rank, earned in battle, Thomas H. Flynn returned to the United States, and to avocations of peace.

Under his father, prior to the Mexican War, he learned the trade of a blacksmith and wagonmaker, and at the common schools acquired a fair English education. Soon after returning from Mexico he was appointed Deputy Sheriff; in 1848 he was promoted by election to the office of Sheriff, and re_elected in 1852. From the close of his official term up to the outbreak of the late war he was in the mercantile business in Winchester, and between the years 1866 and 1870 he was Judge of the County Court. He was one of the organizers, and for sometime a Director in the People's, or First National Bank of Winchester, mentioned elsewhere in this volume, but had withdrawn from it before its collapse. In 1870 he established the Winchester 'Independent', a weekly sheet of considerable local prominence, and edited it until 1883, at which time he sold it to the 'Standard' people, who retired it at once from circulation.

Ample and exact justice will scarcely ever be done Col. Thomas H. Flynn as a soldier. Upon the bloody field of Buena Vista he distinguished himself for bravery and was promptly promoted therefor in the very midst of that battle. And when the dark clouds of war hovered over our country, and finally enveloped it in gloom, Col. Flynn became satisfied that to conquer the South was no mere "breakfast spell," and so he responded to his country's call with alacrity, by enlisting in the army, which event occurred at Winchester Aug. 13, 1862. After his enlistment he was almost at once elected Captain of Company D. 129th Illinois Infantry, and on May 25, 1863, at Gallatin, Tenn., he was promoted to Major. In this connection it may be interesting to many who remember the event, to record the fact that in the election for the office of Major, Captain Flynn tied with Captain Beard of Company E. and the matter was referred to Gov. Dick Yates, who, without hesitation, made out a commission for Flynn as Major. On June 14, 1864, in the field, near Kenesaw Mountain, Major Flynn became Lieutenant Colonel.

In all the battles fought by that gallant old regiment, the 129th Illinois Infantry _ and they were legion _ Col. Flynn took an active part; and at Peach Tree Creek, the battle that made Benjamin Harrison President of the United States, his regiment, then under the command of the Colonel, and led by him personally, undoubtedly constituted the pivotal point and made decisive victory possible. To the men who actually fought that battle it is well known that Flynn earned distinction as a regimental commander, and added fresh laurels to his already exalted reputation for personal courage in the face of multiplied deaths. At Resaca he was a conspicuous figure and leader, and, at the head of his regiment, was the real captor of the fort. So at Averysboro, where a battery captured by him and turned over to Gen. Dustin, was reported by that officer and credited to his own command, while as a matter of truth and impartial history, not even a part of his brigade had participated in its capture. Col. Flynn was with his command at Savannah, Ga., and through to Raleigh and Richmond, and on to Washington, finally winding up in that grand blaze of glory where the victorious army was reviewed for the last time prior to its disbandment.

Of the many brave men remembered in the pages of history for their gallant and heroic deeds during the war so pregnant with peril and death, there is none more deserving nor reaching higher on the list of those who dared to do than he whose name heads this sketch. At Winchester, Aug. 9, 1869, Col. Flynn was married to Mrs. Agnes Burgess, nee Mallory, and the two children born to them at Belle (Mrs. Stephen Lemon) and Thomas H. Flynn, Jr.

SARAH E. FOREMAN (SMITH), widow of the late William Walker Foreman, is in possession of a fine home located at No. 463 East State street, Jacksonville, where she lives surrounded by all the comforts of a life and many of its luxuries. She is a lady held in high esteem by a large circle of acquaintances, and is the subject of an interesting history, the main points of which are as follows:

A native of Bourbon County, Ky., Mrs. Foreman was born July 20, 1826, to Garland Kerr and Penelope S. (Edwards) Smith, being the eldest of their four children. Her oldest sister, Sophia, married Dr. James S. Offutt, of Scott County, Ky., and still resides there. Martha J. was the wife of John M. Burch, of the same place, but is now a widow, Mr. Burch having died about 1873. Georgia A., Mrs. LaFayette Dewees, of Jacksonville, was married at the home of our subject, then went to Texas with her husband, but remained there only a few months, returning to Jacksonville, where she now lives. She is a widow, Mr. Dewees having died about 1861.

The parents of Mrs. Foreman were natives of Kentucky, and the father a farmer by occupation. He was one of a family of ten children who were named respectively, Sidney, Mary Ann, David, Elizabeth, William Addison, James, Clifton, Howard, Emeline and Garland. Of these only two are living, namely: Sidney and Howard. Mary Ann married Dr. William S. Hood, of Clark County, Ky. Emeline married Alexander Offutt.

Upon reaching womanhood, Sarah E. Kerr was united in marriage, February, 1843, to William Walker Foreman. This gentleman was also a native of Bourbon County, Ky., and born Nov. 17, 1819, being the son of Aaron and Mary Hayes (Walker) Foreman, and the eldest of a family of eight children. Of these James H. alone survives. Mary, the youngest daughter, became the wife of Proctor Knott, who was elected Governor of Kentucky.

The parents of Mr. Foreman died when he was very young, and he subsequently made his home with an uncle. He was a bright and studious boy and secured a college education. He followed teaching for a time, and later engaged in farming in Bourbon County, Ky. In 1856 he sold his land in the Blue Grass State, and coming to Morgan County, engaged for a short time in the lumber trade in Jacksonville. He conducted this, however, a comparatively short time, subsequently withdrawing from active business, and on account of ill health lived quietly at his home until passing away on the 12th of August, 1886. Politically he was a stanch Democrat, and in religious matters a member of the Christian Church. He was a first_class business man and a Director in the First National bank at Jacksonville.

To Mr. and Mrs. Foreman there were born the children whose record is as follows: Clifton Rice, born in Scott County, Ky., Oct. 12, 1844, and Kerr Smith, born Oct. 30, 1851, in Bourbon County, Ky., are carrying on agriculture in Clinton County, Mo.; Lizzie Walker, who was born Oct. 1, 1858, became the wife of Dan McMillen, of LaGrange, Ga., and is the mother of one child, Walker Foreman, who was born Dec. 22, 1881. Mrs. Foreman has been a member of the Christian Church in Jacksonville for many years. She has been a careful and judicious mother, a kind neighbor, and is universally esteemed.

WILLIAM FORSYTHE. It is conceded the world over, that among all the nations of the globe there is none better than that which traces its origin to the Land of the Thistle. The Scotch nationality is the synonym of all that is honorable, high-minded and praiseworthy, and every man who can lay claim to that country as his own, has something of which to be proud. Among these fortunate individuals is the subject of this biography, who was born in Scotland, as likewise was his honored father: William Forsythe, Sr. The latter, a native of Dumfrieshire, was there reared to man's estate, and married one of its most estimable maidens, Miss Mary Hyslop. They never left their native shire, living and dying in the land which gave them birth. They were the parents of two children only - Nicholas and William, our subject; the former of whom is now deceased.

Our subject, like his father, a native of Dumfrieshire, first opened his eyes to the light Feb. 4, 1825, and spent his early life upon his father's farm, coming to America in 1850, when a man of twenty-five years. He landed in New York City, and for two years thereafter was occupied at farming in that State. He then emigrated to the Pacific Slope, and spent six years in California, engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits. At the expiration of this time he re-visited his native Isle, and after spending a few months among the friends of his childhood, returned to the United States and settled in this county, in June, 1858. For several months thereafter Mr. Forsythe was employed on the farm belonging to the Insane Asylum, then embarked in agriculture on his own account, renting a farm near Murrayville, upon which he operated five years with such good results that he finally bought a farm near Woodson, and has since devoted his time and attention to its improvement. He has erected a good set of buildings, which with their surroundings, form one of the most attractive homesteads in this part of the county. All its belongings suggest peace and plenty, and indicate in a forcible manner the thrift and industry of the proprietor.

The marriage of William Forsythe and Miss Jessie Wilson took place at the bride's home in Jacksonville, March 20, 1860. Mrs. F. is the daughter of John and Margaret (Tulloch) Wilson, who were also natives of Scotland, where they spent their entire lives. She was the second in a family of three children, and was born in Nairnshire, March 28, 1834. She came to America alone in 1856. Of her union with out subject there have been born seven children, viz.: John H., Mary N., William D. (deceased), Edwin J., Margaret T., Allen E., and Luella B., deceased. John married Miss Rosa Ungluab, and resides near Woodson, occupied at farming; Mary N. is with the Simmons hardware firm of St. Louis, as stenographer; the three surviving remain at home with their parents; William D. died at the age of fourteen months, and Luella when less than two years old.

Mr. Forsythe, politically, is a sound Republican, but aside from serving as School Director in his district has little to do with public affairs, preferring to give his time and attention to his farm and his family. Both he and his excellent wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. F. has officiated as an Elder for many years, and has taken an active part in religious work. He is the friend of education, and is uniformly to be found the encourager of those enterprises calculated to elevate society and build up the county.

JAMES Z. FOX is a native of Morgan County Ill., and was born March 3, 1855. The younger generation of farmers that have succeeded the pioneers, are of the energetic temperament, that makes a prosperous community. They have seen and know of the hardships through which their fathers went and have profited thereby.

James Z. Fox is the son of John H. and Maria Fox, pioneers of this county, of whom further mention is made in the sketch of George R. Fox. The subject of this sketch received his education at the district school, and that he improved his opportunities, can be verified by conversing with him. At the age of fifteen years he went to live with his uncle, Samuel French, at Chapin, and while with him attended school for several winters, and when about twenty years of age he attended the preparatory course for one year at the University of Illinois. Thus it will be seen that he was anxiously in pursuit of knowledge, and as a further means of gaining an education, he taught five terms of school, three terms of which were in the Chapin schools. Mr. Fox has decided musical talents which it is a pleasure for him to develop. He has for a number of years, been actively engaged in musical matters, in fact he has devoted pretty much all of his later years to that art. He is an accomplished musician, and is one of the most successful teachers of music in his section of the country. Mr. Fox is what may be called an all_around musician, and is especially a skilled violinist. He has trained and formed three orchestras out of country boys in his neighborhood _ one of which is comprised in the Fox family.

Our subject was married, Sept, 28, 1887, to Bessie Burnham, of Chapin. He owns sixty_five acres of good land and is meeting with fair success in the cultivation thereof. Politically, Mr. Fox is a Republican leaning toward the Prohibitionists. He is not an office seeker, and is in favor of the best men for places of trust. He is public spirited, and approved of any measures that will forward the interests of his town. As a man, he is affable and entertaining, and possesses generous impulses that have won for him the respect of the whole community, and being a worthy scion of one of the prominent pioneers of this county, it is easy to predict for him a promising future. His amiable wife is also an accomplished musician, and both take an active part in the society of their locality. He and his wife are both members of the Protestant Methodist Church. He has recently been very successfully and extensively engaged in de_horning cattle. During this year he has been engaged in reading medicine, and has been engaged in reading medicine, and has made his arrangements to enter as a student in September, 1889, Rush Medical College at Chicago, with the view of preparing himself for the practice of medicine.

GEORGE R. FOX, who is a native of Morgan County, Ill., is a representative farmer and stock_raiser of Bethel Precinct, and is also a practical engineer. He owns and operates a first_class traction engine and threshing machine. He operated one among the first steam threshers in this section. In the winter season he makes the engine stationary, and grinds feed for his stock and that of his neighbors. He was born July 12, 1845, and was a son of John H. and Maria (Ream) Fox, the father being a native of England, and the mother of Germany.

John H. Fox came to America while yet a young man, and for a time lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. He believed that the cities were over crowded and that the Government had an abundance of land so that it could give everybody a farm for a nominal price, and so thinking, he came to Morgan County, accompanied by his father and mother, where plenty of land was found and very cheap. These people were what may truly be called pioneers of Morgan County. The grandfather of George R. Fox was the original settler on the farm now occupied by his grandson. John H. Fox and wife were the parents of eleven children, ten of whom are living: George R.; John H., who is now residing in Kansas; The Rev. Richard E., of the Methodist Protestant Church; Martha was the wife of Thomas Whorten, and is now deceased; Adda is now the widow of Edgar Culver, and resides in Kingman, Kan.; Mary is the wife of Frank Stevenson, and lives in Bozeman, Mont.; Stella is the wife of the Rev. John Green, a minister of the Methodist Protestant Church; Amanda is now Mrs. Herbert Green, of Gibson, Ford Co., Ill.; Thomas, James Z. and Jabez M. are residents of Morgan County. The Fox family is an old and respectable one, and highly thought of.

John H. Fox, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a Republican in politics, and very prominent in his party. He died in February, 1863, and his wife followed in July of the same year. During the war, in 1863, he visited Holly Springs, Miss., prior to its capture, and was there visiting his son, John H., aged sixteen, who was Drum_Major of the 101st Illinois Regiment. He was lying sick in the hospital. Mr. Fox camped with the regiment and was captured with them, but was soon after paroled, and then started on his road home, dying at his sister's, Mrs. Martha French, within a mile of his own home. He was an earnest member of the Methodist Protestant Church, and had served in many important offices in the organization, and in Sunday_school work he was especially zealous. He was one of those solid, substantial men, whose imprint in plainly seen in his posterity. The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was one of the founders of the church in Bethel, and was a man widely known through this part of the country. There is probably not a pioneer in Western Illinois who has not heard of him, and favorably too.

At the time of the death of the parents the eldest child was George R., and he was about eighteen years of age. There were eleven children, and what is quite remarkable, they lived together in perfect harmony at the old homestead until they all married off except two brothers _ Thomas E. and Jabez M. _ who are still single. The brothers and sisters lived in love and harmony together all these years, and assisted in educating one another, and it is no flattery to say that they are a family of much more than ordinary attainments.

The brothers and sisters cheerfully accord the highest praise to the wife of George R., who came at the early age of seventeen, to take charge of the old home, which by her charms and graces she has assisted in making pleasant and in a measure filled the part of a mother to the younger children. The family are all natural musicians, even to the grandfather and father, who were the first teachers of music in this county. Their extraordinary love for music in probably one of the causes which contributed in a large measure toward holding the children together after the death of their parents. George R's second son is regarded as somewhat of a musical prodigy.

George R. Fox was reared to manhood surrounded by the scenes of pioneer life, and received his education in the early district schools that years ago existed in Illinois. He had the advantage of being trained by conscientious parents, who did nothing except for the good of their children. They were of that self_denying class of people of whom but few are seen in these latter days. But the school advantages of the pioneer days are plenty and cheap; then the houses in which children were taught were of the most primitive kind and devoid of comfort, now the school buildings are models of elegance and comfort; then ignorance and the rod ruled, now intelligence and love. So it can be easily seen that the child of to_day is fortunate in the manner of his securing an education. Mr. Fox is an omnivorous reader, and consequently keeps well posted upon current events. His parents having died while he was yet young, and being the oldest of the family left, the most of the care of the younger children devolved upon him.

Mr. Fox married Miss Maggie Biggers, a native of Washington County, Ky. She is the daughter of Richard and Nannie (Adams) Biggers. They removed to Scott County when Mrs. Fox was only twelve years old, and settled in Winchester, Ill., subsequently moving to Chapin. The mother died in May, 1873. Her father is now living in Chapin. She is the mother of four children, three of whom are living: Freddie B., Richard E., and Walter R. Edgar is deceased. Mr. Fox owns 104 acres of well_improved land, and the buildings thereon are all new, having been built in 1886, and are said to be the finest in Bethel Precinct. Politically, Mr. Fox is a Republican, and has served as School Director for a number of years. Himself and wife are members of the Congregational Church at Joy Prairie. He is Superintendent of the Sunday_school at Chapin, connected with the Methodist Protestant Church, and takes a great interest in its success. He has been Superintendent of that Sunday_school for a period of fourteen years, and his efficient work has done much to hold it together and make it one of the best Sabbath_schools in the county.

THOMAS B. FOZZARD. General farming and stock_raising has been the occupation of this gentleman for some years past. He is one of the younger men of his township, but has already gained the reputation of being one of its most successful agriculturists. He is pleasantly located on section 36, township 16, range 11, where he has a well_tilled farm of 136 acres, of which he has been in possession since the spring of 1884. He removed thither from Cass County, this State, where he was born Jan. 21, 1851, and where he spent the younger years of his life. He is the son of English parents, his father, Thomas Fozzard, having been by birth a Yorkshire man, and of pure English stock. The latter was a weaver by trade, which he followed a few years after coming to the United States, and after settling in Illinois, rode on horseback eight miles to and from his place of business at Virginia. In these journeyings he frequently had the company of others who were similarly situated.

The father of our subject was married in his native shire to Miss Mary Baresley, who was born there of English parents, and remained under the parental roof until her marriage. After the birth of two children Thomas Fozzard and his wife set sail for the United States, and coming to Cass County, this State, purchased a tract of land, eight miles from Virginia, where they built up a good home, and where the mother died when about fifty_two years old. The father survived his wife many years, dying July 5, 1880, at the age of seventy_six. They were honest, hard_working people, who paid their just debts and lived at peace with their neighbors.

The subject of this sketch was the youngest but two of eight sons and one daughter born to his parents. He was one of a pair of twins, and he spent his boyhood and youth like most of the sons of farmers of that day _ amid the wild scenes of pioneer life _ their pleasures being simple and few, and their time usually employed at some useful occupation. Upon reaching man's estate he was married to Miss Sarah M. Beard. This lady was born in Virginia March 19, 1846, and is the daughter of John and Mary (Batis) Beard, the former of whom died in Cass County, about March 9, 1881. The wife and mother is living, and is now sixty_five years old. She is a member of the Methodist Church.

Mrs. Fozzard was among the elder members of a large family of children, and was a mere child when they left the Old Dominion and came to Illinois. Her life was spent quietly under the home roof, where she was trained to all useful household duties, nothing of any great importance transpiring until the preparations for her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Fozzard have no children, but a cousin of Mrs. Fozzard, Miss Molly Beard, is making her home with them. They belong to the Methodist Church at Ebenezer, in which our subject officiates as Class_Leader. In politics, he uniformly supports the principles of the Democratic party.

CHARLES S. FRENCH, is one of the representative farmers and stock_raisers of Morgan County. His property is situated on section 2, township 15, range 12. He was born on the 25th of March, 1851, to Samuel (deceased) and Martha (Fox) French, at Chapin, in this county. His father was a native of New Hampshire, and was born on the 19th of November, 1813. His mother was a native of Morgan County, Ill. The paternal ancestors of our subject were German, while on the maternal side the family is of English descent.

Samuel French, the father of our subject, emigrated to Illinois in 1837, came to this county in 1839, and for a number of years lived upon a rented farm near Jacksonville; after which he purchased a farm near the present village of Chapin, and settled thereon. Here his widow and younger son still continue to reside. He was twice married, the first alliance being with Nancy Thompson, who bore him four children, only one of whom survived, Laura, who is now the wife of John A. Smith, also of this county. The maiden name of his second wife was Martha Fox, who presented him with two children _ Charles S., our subject, and Arthur L., who is residing on the homestead near Chapin. At the time of his settlement on the above farm Mr. Samuel French had only about $300 or $400, but by industry, perseverance and practical economy he accumulated 1,200 acres of land, well_improved and stocked.

The decease of Samuel French occurred on the 25th of January, 1878. He was a man of firm principle, unimpeachable honor, and strict conscientiousness; all his business dealings were marked by such qualities as demanded and obtained the heartiest respect. He was a public spirited man even to the extent of sacrificing his private interests where they seemed to conflict with the public weal. He was one of the representative citizens of the county. For many years he was a thorough Republican, but latterly became a strong Prohibitionist. He was a consistent member and liberal supporter of the Congregational Church, and a friend of every enterprise of a benevolent of charitable nature.

Charles S. French, the subject of this biography, was reared to manhood in his native county. He is the possessor of a good English education, received in that most excellent and unique institution of the American people, the common school. From his boyhood he was engaged in farming, and made it his chosen occupation in life, supplementing it by stock_raising. He was married on the 31st of December, 1874, to the lady of his choice, Adelia Anderson, who was born upon the 15th of November, 1852, in this county, and is the daughter of Alexander and Mary (deceased) Anderson, natives respectively of Kentucky and Ohio. In the fall of 1830 they emigrated from Ohio, and since that time have been residents of this county. Mr. Anderson was classed among the oldest pioneer farmers in the county, and has always been a stanch friend of the Republican party. Mr. and Mrs. French are the parents of three children, whose names are as follows: Rena M., born Jan. 1, 1876; Clarence A., July 1, 1878, and Laura, born March 25, 1886.

In all political matters our subject shows himself a capable and worthy citizen. He is a true and stanch friend of the Republican party and always votes its ticket. In the spring of 1887 he was elected one of the village Trustees of Chapin, of which board he is now President. He enjoys the entire confidence of the community no less as an official than as a private citizen. He is the owner of 400 acres of land and his farm is one of the best cultivated in the county. His home also is in keeping therewith, being most admirable situated amid pleasant surroundings, and designed to meet the requirements of the domestic circle. Both Mr. and Mrs. French are active members of local society and are everywhere well received, being held in high regard by the community at large.

The first man to cast a vote for the Free_Soil ticket in Bethel precinct was Samuel French, the father of our subject. He was always a very strong advocate of the temperance cause and active in its interests. His wife is a native of Morgan County, Ill., and was born upon the 18th of January, 1932. Her parents, John and Martha Fox, were natives of England. They came to Morgan County in 1834, and were among the first settlers in the district. She was one of three children born to her parents, of whom she and her sister, Mrs. Mary Markillie, of Winchester, Ill., are the only survivors. Mr. Fox was a man of large influence, and for many years was a member of the Methodist Church, and a local preacher, prominent in political circles, but always along the line reform, good, right and true.

CHARLES FROST, a retired citizen of Winchester, is a native of Derbyshire, England, and was born March 14, 1825. His father was Charles Frost, and his mother's maiden name was Mary Bagby. The latter died in England at the advanced age of eighty_one years; the former, miner, and manufacturer's agent, died at Winchester, while here on a visit to his son, in 1868.

Charles, Jr., the one of whom this is written, is the youngest of three sons, and the only one now living. In 1842 the desire to see the New World seized him, and accordingly he took passage for America, and landing at New York he made his way to Winchester, at which place he has since made his home. He was married in England when but little past sixteen years of age, to Charlotte Dale, and their first child was born before they left the mother country. He now has four children living, and has buried three. The living are: Elizabeth, Mrs. James Edwards, St. Louis, Mo.; Mary B., Mrs. Charles Ruark, of Winchester; Ella S., Mrs. E.E. Watt, of Winchester; Charles Frost, Jr., an educated gentleman and business man, now engaged as bookkeeper in St. Louis. The balance of the children died while in infancy.

Arriving at Winchester Mr. Frost engaged first in farming and dairying, and from this he enlarged his business by becoming subsequently interested in coal mining, and carried on these several enterprises for many years. In 1856 he removed from his country place into Winchester, and in 1859 laid off the town of North Winchester. Associated with various persons, and at various times, he was for several years a prominent and successful merchant and pork packer, and for some time after, 1864 or 1865, traded extensively in live stock. In 1871 he furnished the capital to open and put into successful operation the Winchester Coal Mines, from the management and direction of which, in 1884, he retired. His last active operations were as a grain dealer, from which he finally retired to private life in 1887.

A perusal of this brief history of Mr. Frost will amply demonstrate that as a business man his capacity was almost without limit. He engaged in no business that did not prove successful, and he retires to private life with a record that may well be emulated by the younger generation. His large fund of common sense has led him on to success, and his integrity and business character are virtues to which his friends point with pride. His career has been a practical illustration that a diversity of enterprises may be carried on successfully by any man to whom are ascribed the virtues of industry, integrity and intelligence.

MRS. MILLIA FUNK (HASSLER), one of the very oldest settlers of Scott County, and one of that class of people, the pioneer mother, that deserves the highest praise, was born in Roane County, Tenn., on the 11th of March 1811.

Her father, Michael Hassler was a native of Pennsylvania as was also her grandfather, whose name was likewise Michael. The Hasslers were of German descent and a prominent family. Mrs. Funk's father was a weaver by trade, when at the age of twenty-five years he emigrated to Tennessee where he was one of the early settlers. He learned the business of a millwright, and in consequence erected mills and operated them. He was also largely interested in cotton-gins and presses, and owned 300 acres of land. He died in Tennessee at the age of seventy-three years, leaving a widow whose maiden name was Agnes Scarborough, who was a native of Tennessee and of Scot descent. She was eighty years old at the time of her death, and was the mother of twelve children: Polly, William, Jane, Millia, Mahala, Dicey, Nancy, Simeon, Lydia, Michael, Amanda and Caroline.

Mrs. Funk was reared on a farm and received a common school education. Early in life she learned to weave and spin, which in those days were considered accomplishments. She was married in Tennessee on Nov. 30, 1830, to Jacob Funk, a native of Virginia, having been born in beautiful Shenandoah Valley, in Sept. 1808. His father, Samuel Funk was born in Germany, but when a young man came to America and located in Virginia, where he engaged in farming, afterwards locating in Tennessee, where he remained until 1831 when he removed to Scott County and engaged in rope-making. He died in 1836, aged seventy years. His wife=s maiden name was Elizabeth Cordelle, a native of Virginia. She died in Scott County.

Mr. Funk, the husband of the one whose name appears at the head of this sketch, came to Scott County in the fall of 1830, and rented land for three years on Plum Creek, after which he removed to Lynnville remaining there four years. In about 1839 he purchased 200 acres of improved land, which he sold in 1864, and bought the place upon which his widow now lives, where he engaged in general farming and stock-raising. His farm was a model of perfect cultivation and well improved. Mr. and Mrs. Funk were the parents of twelve children: Butler, William, Marion, Amanda, Puris, Sarah A., Letitia, Nimrod, Luke, Simeon, John and Ellen. William was in the 21st Illinois Infantry under Grant, and participated in the battle of Stone River. He was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison where he died. Nimrod was in Company F, 145th Illinois Infantry, and served three months. Marion is farming in Sangamon County, Ill.,; Amanda married William Smith; Luke married Amanda Todd, and is farming on the old homestead. Simeon is a farmer of Scott County; John is attending college at Upper Alton; Ellen married D. Mills, a farmer in Exeter.

Mrs. Funk has been a member of the Baptist Church for fifty years, and was a charter member of the same church organization of which her husband was a deacon for thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Funk had together grown up with this county and witnessed its wonderful development. Mr. Funk was considered a model man and farmer, and when he died his neighborhood lost a good man. His death took place March 27, 1886.

ESAU FUNK, late of Scott County, who departed this life March 26, 1876, at the age of seventy years, was one of those men who assisted largely in the development of its resources. His widow, now owns a pleasant homestead of 102 acres, adjoining the limits of Exeter. She makes her home in the village, and is surrounded by all the comforts of life. She is held in high esteem by her neighbors.

Mrs. Funk was born near Kingston, in Roane County, Tennessee. She was brought up on a farm and remained a resident of her native county, living with her parents until her marriage to Mr. Funk in 1831. He was born near Strasburg, Va., and was the son of Samuel Funk, a native of Germany, who came to America at an early day and located in the old Dominion where he engaged at farming for a time, but later moved to Tennessee. In 1831 he again changed his residence, this time coming to Illinois, and in Scott County occupied himself as a rope-maker. He died in 1836 after having reached his three-score years and ten. His wife, Elizabeth Cordelle, was also a native of Virginia; she accompanied her husband to the West and died in Scott County.

Mr. and Mrs. Funk after their marriage lived on a farm in township 15, range 13, until 1831, and then took up their residence in township 15, range 13. Here Mr. Funk purchased land to the extent of eighty acres, upon which he effected considerable improvement, but in 1855 sold out and purchased the homestead where he lived until his death and which finally comprised 200 acres of land. After this event Mrs. Funk assumed the management of the farm which she conducted for a time then sold all but 102 acres which is now operated by her son.

To Mr. and Mrs. Funk there were born nine children, five dead and four living. The two eldest - Madison and Louis, died at the ages of seventeen and fifty years respectively. Henry is farming in Macon County, Ill., and Turner in Missouri; N. Clark operates his mother's farm; Louis during the civil war served in the 129th Illinois Infantry from 1862 until the fall of the close, and is now dead. Mary, now Mrs. Black, lives in Scott County, Ill. Norris Clark Funk was born and reared upon his father's homestead, a part of which he now occupies, and completed his education in the High School at Winchester. Subsequently for several winters he engaged in teaching. He was first married, February 27, 1879, to Miss Elma Berry, who died May 12, 1881. His present wife, to whom he was married October 8, 1884, was Miss Ada F. Holliday, a native of this county; they have two children - DeMonte and Otto. Mr. N. C. Funk is Secretary of the Anti-Horse Thief Association, of Exeter and leader of the Exeter Band, which was organized in 1872. Mrs. Funk has clear and decided views in regard to political matters and defends the principles of the Democratic party. Religiously she is a member of good standing of the Baptist Church. Mention is made of her parents in the sketch of her sister, Mrs. Milly Funk, which will be found elsewhere in this work.

County main page