William A. Shriver, M. D., one of the most prominent
physicians and surgeons of Macoupin County, Illinois, who has been a
resident of Virden since 1866 and is president of the Farmers' & Merchants'
Bank, was born April 30, 1844, at Sugar Tree Ridge, Highland County, Ohio.
He is a son of George A. and Mary A. (Hensley) Shriver, and a grandson of
Peter Shriver, who was born in Pennsylvania and established the family in
Ohio.
The father of Dr. Shriver was reared in Highland County, Ohio,
where he resided until 1851, when he came to Illinois and settled near
Rockford. In 1854 he removed to Pike County, where he purchased a farm on
which his last years were spent. He married Mary Hensley, daughter of Joseph
Hensley, a farmer of Highland County, Ohio, and nine children were born
them.
Dr. Shriver has been a resident of Illinois since the age of
seven years, and here he obtained his education and then at the age of 15
years made his initial attempt at district school teaching. During the
following three years, while his days were passed in the school room, his
evenings and vacations were spent in medical study under that eminent
physician, Dr. Pitzer, now a leading professional man of St. Louis. Later he
entered the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, and was graduated
there in 1871, since which time he has been engaged in active practice. In
the spring of 1866, Dr. Shriver located at Virden, of which city he has ever
since been a most useful and honored citizen.
In addition to caring
for a large practice and the fulfilling of the duties incumbent upon him as
a member of various medical organizations, Dr. Shriver is interested in
various successful business enterprises which require a large measure of his
time and talent. Among these is the Farmer's & Merchants' Bank of Virden, a
leading financial institution of the county, of which he has been president
since October, 1893. The bank is operated by Dr. Shriver and his son-in-law,
Olin R. Rohrer, the latter being cashier.
In 1865 Dr. Shriver was
married at Barry, Pike County, Illinois, to Carrie E. Rowland, and five
children were born to them. The two eldest of the family, Carrie and Frank,
are deceased. The survivors are: Edith, who is the wife of Olin R. Rohrer, a
banker of Virden; Estelle and Earl. The family is connected with the
Methodist Church.
Although public spirited in everything pertaining
to the advancement of Virden in its commercial, professional and social
life. Dr. Shriver has avoided the annoyances attendant upon active political
life, accepting only the presidency of the Board of Education for a period.
He is held in the highest esteem in Virden and in the uprightness of his
life and character reflects honor upon his profession and upon the city with
which he has been so long and so prominently identified.
Extracted 2018 May 08 by Norma Hass from Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois, published in 1904, pages 365-366.
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