THOMAS L. WIBRAY

Source: History of Tazewell County 1905, page 1099
Transcribed by: Betty Doremus

Thomas L. Wibray, farmer and stockraiser, Tremont Township, was born in Tazewell County, Ill., April 16, 1845, a son of Lawrence and Sophia (Lovejoy) Wibray. His father was born in the city of New York, in 1816, and died July 31, 1902; his mother, a native of New York, died in 1890. Her parents were Andrew and Mary Lovejoy, the mother being also a native of New York. Mr. Lovejoy was a Canadian merchant, but passed the late years of life in Roscoe, Winnebago County, Ill., where he had purchased Government land and engaged in farming. The old homestead is now in the hands of his grandson, Andrew Lovejoy.The paternal grandfather of Mr. Wibray was Capt. James Wibray, who was a native of England; his wife, Elizabeth, emigrated from Germany. Capt. Wibray was a sailor and, in the pursuit of his calling, had traveled into many distant lands, although his usual route was between New York and Liverpool , and New York and New Orleans.On one occasion he took a shipload of provisions to the sufferers from the great earthquake at Caracas, Venezuela. Finally, he abandoned the sea and, in 1836, located on Section 16, in Tremont Township, Tazewell County. During the following year he instlaled his family in what was then a remarkably fine frame house. He greatly improved his farm, which remained his homestead, until his death in 1858--the year of the great comet. For many years he was employed in the United States Mint at New Orleans, and at various times held county offices at home. Lawrence Wibray was an industrious and successful farmer, and at the time of his death owned some four hundred acres of land. His death, in August, 1902, occurred on the old homestead, where his wife had gone to her rest about twelve years previously.

Thomas L. Wibray secured his education in the public schools, and was reared in the Unitarian faith. He lived at home, and during the last years of his father's life, took active charge of the farm. There were two sisters to share the home with him, but both are now deceased; he is, in fact the only surviving member of the family. His marriage to Miss Morganthattar occurred in January, 1903. Mr. Wibray now devotes much of his attention to the raising of draft horses, especially of the high-grade Clydesdale variety. His herd consists of about sixty-five head, and during the past ten years he has become widely known for his special line of stock. At the different State Fairs he has taken a large number of prizes, while at the St. Louis Exposition he was a winner of the first magnitude. In political matters Mr. Wibray is a Democrat, and is highly regarded in the community in which his useful life is passing

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Stephen Wood

Submitted by, Shawna Wood Foiles

Ebenezer WOOD traveled from his birth country of Ireland to England where he then boarded a ship to America. He first settled in Long Island, New York. His wife, Racksey was of German descent. Their son Stephen WOOD was born on Long Island, emigrated to Ohio and in 1833 became a resident of Mackinaw Township, Tazewell County Illinois. Later, he moved to Tremont Township and in 1856 moved to Linn County Kansas, where he lived during the troublesome times preceeding the Civil War.

When the South attacked Fort Sumter he immediately offered up his services to the government and faithfully defended the stars and stripes through the struggle that ensued. Stephen married Elizabeth Trout, a native of Virginia. Her parents were natives of Germany. During her childhood they moved to Tennesee, whence she came to Illinois where she met and married Stephen. Elizabeth died when her son Mathias was but 5 years old. Stephen then married a second time. Stephen died in 1859. Mathias went with his father to Kansas in 1856, but returned to Illinois in 1859.

Mathias worked on a Ferry Boat in Havana, Illinois for a time then came to Hopedale where he attended school through the following winter. In the spring he began working on the farm of Henry Smith and was employed at the time of the breaking out of the Civil War. On the 25th of July, 1861 he joined the boys in blue of Company D, Seventh Illinois Infantry doing service in Missouri and Arkansas following Forrest. The troops went into winter quarters at Port Holt, Kentucky. In the spring of 1862, Mathias took part in the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donnelson. He was in the thickest of the fight in Shiloh, took part in the seige of Corinth and then did garrison duty until the battle of Iuka. He served as a dispatch courrier at the second battle of Corinth, while carrying a message to General Oglesby saw the General shot. Mathia's time about being half done he could not take a leave of absence so his Colonel permitted him to take some condemmed horses back to Illinois and bring him back a saddle horse. He rejoined his regiment at Corinth and was engaged in scouting until he started with Sherman on the march from Alanta to the sea.

When that march was completed Mathias became ill and was honorably discharged. His time had expired about a month earlier. For three years he was unable to engage in any work. During Mathias' furlough he had married Miss Anna Mary Roelofson, a school teacher. He engaged in different lines of business until 1870 when he began the study of Law. In 1877 he began as Justice of the Peace in Hopedale for two terms. Mathias was a member of the Republican Central Committee. He cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He served as County Sheriff for Tazewell.

Mathias and Mary had four children: -Anna L. Wood married Frank Zipf of Hopedale. -William Wood graduated graduated from Hopedale High and became a lawyer, settling in Springfield, Missouri. -Frank Ross married Otta Mae Lynch. -The youngest child was Litta Wood.They also had lost one child, Maggie Wood at the tender age of seventeen.

Mathias and Mary were both members of the Methodist Church in Hopedale. Mathias took a very active part in benevolent work and in the church, for seventeen years he was a sunday school teacher. He was a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic and served as Chaplin of his post. Mathias was also Chaplin of the Odd Fellows Society to which he belonged. With out special education or other advantages he stedily worked his way upward to a position of prominence and aquired considerable wealth and property.

Excerpts from "The Biographical and Portrait Album of Tazewell County, Illinois

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