Biography - SAMUEL E. FRENCH

As a young man of eighteen Samuel E. French came west from one of the long established states of the Atlantic coast and, having now arrived at the prime of life, finds himself in possession of a competency. He is the owner of one of the valuable farms of Macoupin county and he has no reason to regret locating permanently in Illinois. He was born near Woodstown, in Salem county, New Jersey, June 1, 1861, a son of Hewlings and Mary Amanda (Summerill) French, both of whom were born in Salem county, New Jersey, the former in March, 1832. The name of the grandfather of our subject was Samuel E. French. He was born in 1799 near Gloucester in Gloucester county, New Jersey. He married Sarah Graff, of the same county, who was born about 1800. Mr. French died in 1874, his wife having been called away four years previous. The family came originally from Scotland, six brothers settling in Gloucester county, New Jersey, and from that center members of the family have gone forth to many parts of the Union. Samuel E. French was a farmer, as was also his father, and moved to Salem county, New Jersey, shortly after his marriage, and here he spent the remainder of his life. He had three children: Hewlings; Elizabeth, who married Frank Izard, of Gloucester county and is now deceased; and Joseph G., a resident of Penn Grove, New Jersey. Hewlings French, the father of our subject, was reared on the paternal farm and after arriving at manhood purchased land and engaged in farming on his own account. In 1886 he came to Illinois with his family and took up his residence near Litchfield, in Macoupin county. Two years later he moved to Shipman township and purchased eighty acres in section 12, where he made his home until 1894. He then moved to Shipman and later disposed of his land in this state, returning to Salem county, New Jersey, where his death occurred October 28, 1906, at the age of seventy-four years. He was successful as a farmer and owned a valuable place in New Jersey. The mother of our subject, Mary Amanda Summerill, was a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Allen) Summerill. Her father was a prominent farmer of Salem county, New Jersey, and the family was well known in New Jersey for many years. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Summerill, the eldest of whom, Mary Amanda, married Hewlings French. The others were: Joseph, who made his home in Salem county and is now deceased; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Benjamin Robinson, of Salem county, and is also deceased; Anna, deceased, who married Charles Sharp, of Salem county; James, who resides near Woodstown, in Salem county; Robert, who lived in Salem county and is now deceased ; Rebecca, who married Edward Dickinson, of Salem county, and is deceased; and Caroline, the wife of Jacob French, also of Salem county. To the union of Hewlings and Mary Amanda French four children were born: Joseph, who is now engaged in railroad work at Winchester, Illinois; Samuel E., of this review; William S., who is identified with the mercantile business at Butte, Montana; and Frank, who is a railroad conductor with headquarters at Seattle, Washington. The mother of these children died April 4, 1879, and Mr. French was married about 1881 to Miss Emma Jones, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had one child, Emma, who married Edward Herron, of Salem county, New Jersey. Mr. French died October 28, 1906.

Samuel E. French was reared on his father’s farm in Salem county, New Jersey, and in the public schools acquired the foundation of an education. At the age of eighteen, in 1879, he came west with his brother, William S., and stopped at Shipman, Illinois, where he engaged in farm work for about two years. He then returned to New Jersey and entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as telegraph operator at South Amboy. He continued there for two years, at the end of which time he was married and came to Illinois, securing employment as telegraph operator on the Chicago & Alton Railway at Plainview, being the first operator at that station. In 1885 he began farming near Litchfield, in Macoupin county, and two' years later moved to Shipman township where he purchased eighty acres of land on section 12 which he cultivated for two years. In 1889 he went west and was appointed agent and operator on the Santa Fe Railway at Lamar, Colorado, a position which he held for nine months. He then entered the service of the Wells-Fargo Express Company as depot agent at Colorado Springs. The company sold out its business at that point to the Denver & Rio Grande .Railroad Company in 1890 and Mr. French was transferred to Denver as express messenger for the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. He continued with this road for five years and then, in 1895, resigned and returned to Shipman township and settled upon his farm. In 1896 he purchased eighty acres adjoining his first tract and four years later acquired eighty acres more in section 7, Hilyard township, thus becoming the owner of a beautiful farm of two hundred and forty acres, which he greatly improved by the erection and remodeling of buildings. He carried on general farming and dairying, and also engaged in feeding cattle. In 1909 he moved to Shipman and has since had charge of the Shipman Telephone Company, of which he is manager.

On June 4, 1883, Mr. French was married to Miss Ella Wildman, a daughter of John and Narcissus (Barnett) Wildman, of Shipman. They have three children: Walter, now living on his father’s farm, who married Lottie Shultz, a daughter of A. M. Shultz, record of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Howard, who assists his brother upon the home farm; and Cecil, who died in infancy.

John Wildman, the father of Mrs. French, was born in England in 1827 and came to America when he was about twenty years of age, settling on a farm near Shipman. He was a carpenter and engaged in contracting and building. He joined the Union army at the outbreak of the Civil war, as a member of Company H, Eighty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served most efficiently for three years, his first important engagement being at Shiloh, under General Grant. After receiving his honorable discharge he returned to Shipman and later entered the general mercantile business at that place. He retired about 1896 and died in 1909, while on a visit to his son Colfax, in Van Buren, Arkansas. He was buried in the cemetery at Shipman. In his family were five children: Mary, who married Milton Dodson, of Shipman, and is now deceased; Ella, now Mrs. Samuel E. French ; Robert, who is a railroad man and lives at Van Buren, Arkansas; Minnie, who is the wife of William Baker, of Shipman township; and Colfax, a resident of Van Buren, Arkansas.

Politically Mr. French is an advocate of the platforms and candidates of the republican party. He served as supervisor of Shipman township and is now president of the village board of Shipman. He is a valued member of Shipman Lodge, No. 212, A. F. & A. M., and also of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Order of the Eastern Star. Having displayed good judgment in his business affairs, he has been very successful financially and justly ranks as one of the leading men of Macoupin county.

Extracted 18 May 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 76-78.