History of Massac County

The Hon. James A. Rose was born in Golconda, the county seat of Pope county, Illinois, Oct. 12, 1850. He attended the public schools of his native city and later the Normal Illinois normal at Normal, Ill. When only 18 years of age he was teaching a rural school and met with such success that he was elected principal of the Golconda public schools.

While serving in this capacity he was elected superintendent of schools for Pope county, re-elected and during his second term was admitted to the bar. He resigned the office of superintendent to be elected state's attorney of the county without opposition, and was re-elected.

Governor Fifer in 1889 appointed him trustee of the reformatory at Pontiac and the following year made him commissioner of the southern Illinois penitentiary at Chester, which office he ably held for three years, or until the beginning of the Altgeld administration. When the state ticket for 1896 was nominated Mr. Rose was selected as the standard bearer of the office of secretary of state. His eloquence, logic, broad information and zeal told on the platform for the success of the party. Since taking charge of the office he has made system out of chaos, indexed and arranged valuable papers previously lost, and it has been more economically conducted. He prepared and secured the passage of a bill which compels foreign corporations to pay a fee before doing business in the state, and has thus brought thousand of dollars into our treasury. At the last session he secured the passage of a bill which provides for the letting of the state contract for printing all state reports, fixes their number and provides for their distribution. This measure saves and immense sum annually to the taxpayers of the state. He was re-nominated May 8, 1900 and elected. And of his record, this, the Fifty-first senatorial district, his home, feels justly proud.

He was married to Miss Elizabeth Michie Young of Golconda, 1874, and two daughters, the Misses Jessie Josephine and Helen Elizabeth, and one son, Charles Roscoe, have blessed their union. They have a pleasant home in Golconda.

Mr. Gilbert was born in Golconds, Pope county, Illinois, October 13, 1833, the son of John Gilbert, Sr., an emigrant from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Gilbert, the mother, was Miss Cornelia Bucklin, formerly of Rhode Island.

John Gilbert, Jr., attended the early common schools. In 1874 he entered the bank as a bookkeeper with W.P. Sloan & Co., bankers. In 1877 the firm Sloan & Gilbert and in 1889 Mr. Gilbert purchased the interest of Mr. Sloan, the firm again changing to John Gilbert, Jr. & Co. In 1897 the firm of John Gilbert, Jr., & Co. and the Pope County State Bank were consolidated. Mr. Gilbert is today the president and manager.

Miss Edmonie Kidd became Mr. Gilbert's first wife and died in 1891. He later married MIss Lucy Morse, his present wife. The children are Raymond, Ethel and John.

Fraternally Mr. Gilbert is an Odd Fellow, Knight of Honor, Knight of Pythias and Modern Woodman. Politically he is intensely republican and is the present chairman of the county central committee, rolling up the largest majority for the whole ticket Nov. 6, 1900, ever given his party in the county. He served one term on the county board and has been mayor of Golconda for ten consecutive terms, an honor almost unprecedented. Socially Mr. Gilbert is highly esteemed, and in business he is a success.

Andrew J. Moore, the father, was a former Kentuckian; his wife, the mother, was a Miss Nancy A. Castleman, of Nashville, Tenn. They early came to Pope county.

William Hiram, their son, was born in Pope county, April 14, 1862, and left home to make his own way in the world at the early age of 14 years. He attended the ungraded and graded schools and taught seven years. He read law in the office of Judge Crow and in 1886 he was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court and located at Golconda, Ill., where he has built a profitable practice. In 1888 he was appointed master in chancery for his county and held the office for eight years. In 1896 he was elected by the Republicans to the office of state's attorney, in which he has made a splendid record. He is also a fluent and forceful campaigner.

Fraternally he is a Royal Arch Mason. In 1888 he and Miss Eddie M. White were married. Mr. Moore is influencial within the councils of his party.

John Thompson and wife (nee Anderson) were native Virginians and grandparents of our subject. Gordon Thompson, their son, and father of David Gordon, was born in Giles county, Va., Dec. 18, 1813, and was brought to Pope county on a visit to his widow, coming on horseback. Here he located a tract of government land and permanently resided there until his death in January, 1892. His wife was Miss Jane Clemens, daughter of David Clemens, of Livingstone county, Ky. The Clemens ancestry were also from Virginia. Mrs. Thompson died in 1862 and Mr. Thompson married Miss Louisa J. Williams.

David Gordon Thompson, youngest child of the first marriage, was born near Golconda, Pope county, Illinois, on his father's farm Oct. 21, 1853, and reared thereon until he was 20 years of age. He attended the rural schools and finished his education at the Southern Illinois Normal university, Carbondale, through which he worked his way, graduating with honor in the class of 1878. He taught four terms, beginning at the age of 19. In 1880 he owned and published the Herald, a weekly republican newspaper, for two years. He filled an unexpired term of county superintendent of schools.

While teaching he pursued the study of law under the direction of, now Secretary of State, James A. Rose, and continued his course until admitted to practice in 1884. In 1888 he was elected state's attorney and re-elected in 1892. Later he became county judge to fill a vacancy of two years occasioned by the resignation of Judge Crow.

He has always been an ardent republican, serving on the county central executive committee, secretary of the committee, delegate to various congressional, judicial and state conventions, and a ready campaigner since his majority.

For ten years he has been a member of the Golconda board of education, is an elder in the Presbyterian church, and a Mason and Old Fellow. April, 1882, he and Miss Mary E., daughter of Jared Huffman, were married. They have a pleasant home and enjoy merited social recognition.