Stewart, J. R. A Standard History of Champaign County Illinois. The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago and New York. 1918.
James R. Wills. Special interest attaches to the career of James R. Wills of St. Joseph not only because of his long residence in that community but also for the fact that he is one of the honored survivors of the great struggle between the North and the South in the ’60s. Mr. Wills was […]
James Quincy Thomas of Mahomet is now in his eighty-ninth year. It is a remarkable span of life which his years cover. He was born when Andrew Jackson was President of the United States. Not a permanent settlement had been fixed in Champaign County at the time of his birth. There were no railroads in
James P. Yeazel. In the fertile agricultural country of Champaign County there are found many men who have passed their entire lives within its borders and have won success and standing. In this class is undeniably James P. Yeazel, who is now carrying on agricultural operations in section 8, Homer Township, which has been his
James Oscar Sayers of Fisher, one of the advisory board of editors of the Champaign County History, has had an active experience in this section of the county covering a period of forty-two years. He came here as a young man possessed of no financial resources, and by hard work and constant attention to his
James M. Reese has been a factor in the business life of the village of St. Joseph for nearly thirty years, and has made a success because he has given a service a little better than others in the same line and has constantly striven to please. Mr. Reese was born in that historic section
James M. Current. One of the oldest business men in Champaign County is James M. Current, of Homer. He and his family have conducted a grain business for a great many years in this and in Vermilion County. His life has ‘been one of constant activity and from small beginnings he has acquired a competence
James J. Freeman, of Homer, represents the second generation of a family that has played a worthy part in the affairs of Champaign County for over sixty years, and he is managing with thrift and a high degree of prosperity a fine farm in the locality where he was born. Mr. Freeman was born in
James H. Umbanhowar. It may be cited as proof of the stable character of the people of Champaign County that many of the finest farms here are owned by direct descendants of the original settlers, and the land has never been out of the family since it was secured from the government a half century
James F. Rankin has proved his ability both in general business affairs and as a banker, and is the organizer and active official of the State Bank of Sidney. Mr. Rankin was born near Deland, Illinois, October 31, 1879, a son of Joseph H. and Emma (Brown) Rankin. His parents were natives of Ohio, and
James Clark McCullough. One of the prominent agricultural families of Champaign County bears the name of McCullough, and from the time it was established here in 1854 until the present its members have been representative of the county’s best citizenship. They have been identified with the upbuilding of this section in every way, not only
James Barber. Of the fine homesteads scattered about Champaign County one that betrays to the casual observer every evidence of thrifty and careful management and successful operation is that of James Barber, located in Champaign Township, on Rural Route No. 1 out of the city of Champaign. Mr. Barber has been a practical farmer in
James B. Russell. During his long and active career in Champaign James B. Russell made his impress on the financial life of the city and was a business man implicitly trusted, and the success he won in material affairs was only a part of the splendid record of his entire life as a man and
James A. Creamer, one of the business leaders of Tolono, has lived in this locality all his life, began his career as a farmer and still owns a large amount of Illinois soil, though most of his time and energies are taken up with local business affairs at Tolono. Mr. Creamer was born in Tolono
James A. Wilson. Some of the finest and best cultivated farms of Champaign County are located in the southern townships and among these it is no disparagement of the efforts of others to mention the fine place of James A. Wilson in Raymond Township. Mr. Wilson is a practical and progressive farmer and owns and
James A. Talbott has not only achieved that success represented by large land holdings and rich and prosperous farms, but also the riches of friendship and community esteem. All this is well indicated by the title affectionately bestowed upon him and most people know him as “Uncle Jimmie” Talbott. Mr. Talbott and his family reside
James A. Somers is a native of Champaign County and for many years, with his good wife by his side, has labored industriously and with good results as a farmer in St. Joseph Township. He has built up a splendid home and at the same time has acquired the esteem and confidence of a large
Jacob W. Smith, whose extensive farming interests are in Crittenden Township, has known Champaign County as a home for nearly thirty years. His work and management have brought him success to a high degree, and he has long enjoyed a position among the most influential residents of southern Champaign County. Mr. Smith was born in
Jacob Swick. A resident of Champaign County during a period of sixty-five years and still interested in the pursuit of agriculture here, Jacob Swick is one of the best known among the citizens of Broadlands and the vicinity. During his long career it has been his fortune to have gained many of the rewards of
Jacob S. Coons. For nearly sixty years Jacob S. Coons has been a resident of Champaign County. He knew the county when it was wild prairie and swamp, and knows it as one of the garden spots of the world. He came here in the flush of young manhood, with little more than his native
Jacob Redmon. In these days when the American nation is, once more girded for battle, the people pay increasing honor and respect to the comparatively few survivors of that great struggle of fifty years ago when the object was the destruction of the institution of slavery as it is now the abolition of autocratic governments
