Few residents of Macoupin county are more deserving of mention in
this work than John Clause whose farm near Virden represents many years
of conscientious effort and yields to him a handsome annual revenue. A
native son of Illinois, he was born near Chatham, Sangamon county, April
29, 1866, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (McCray) Clause. The father was
born in Prussia, Germany, and the mother in Ireland. He came to America
in 1844 and settled near Chatham, Illinois, where he acquired one
hundred acres of land and engaged successfully in general farming and
stock-raising. In his family were four children: Elizabeth, deceased;
John; Joseph, who makes his home in Oklahoma; and James, a resident of
Rawlins, Wyoming. The mother of our subject was twice married, her first
union being with a Mr. McCarthy. By her first marriage she had two
children: William, who now lives at Rawlins, Wyoming; and a daughter who
remained in the old country.
John Clause was reared on the home
place and in the common schools secured the rudiments of an education.
At twenty-one years of age, desirous of becoming independent, he rented
one hundred acres of good land and for fifteen years hired a family to
keep house for him, during this period making steady advancement in his
calling. At the end of the time named he purchased the old home place
which he cultivated for four years and then disposed of, buying one
hundred and sixty acres in Macoupin county where he established his
permanent homestead. He carries on general farming and stock-raising and
being a man of clear judgment and great perseverance he has gained an
enviable place as one of the prosperous farmers of this section.
On January 13, 1892, Mr. Clause was married to Miss Ella Case, a
daughter of Lauren and Mary (Sterling) Case. In the family of Mr. and
Mrs. Case were eight children, namely: Maria, who married Benjamin
Pearman, of Litchfield, Illinois; Ella, now Mrs. John Clause; Myron,
deceased; Ann, who is the wife of Joseph Crawford, of Oklahoma; Elbert
and Otis, both of whom reside in Montgomery county, Illinois; Clara, now
Mrs. Thomas Seaburn, of North Dakota; and Cora, the wife of John
Weidman, of Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Clause are the parents of eight
children, namely: Edgar Le Roy, who was born March 5, 1895; Mary
Elizabeth, born July 1, 1896; Lauren Russell, April 15, 1897; Lola
Pearl, January 25, 1900; Inez Edna, April 18, 1902; John Arthur, June
19, 1904; Nellie Louise, August 10, 1906; and an infant born October 9,
1911.
Mr. Clause has from his youth upward been industrious and
enterprising and has so directed his energies as to produce gratifying
results. He is known throughout this region as a good business man and
citizen and the general respect in which he is held is a just tribute to
his integrity and personal worth. In politics he adheres to the
democratic party and in religious belief to the Baptist church. Socially
he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Anti-Horse
Thief Association.
Extracted 18 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 641-642.
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