James Hurt Yowell, now deceased, will be remembered as one of the
successful farmers of Macoupin county — a man of unusual energy and
decision of character who inherited from pioneer ancestry the courage
and perseverance that enabled him to overcome many obstacles and
establish himself as one of the honored citizens of the county. He was
born in Morgan county, Illinois, November 7, 1829, being a son of John
and Sophia (Butler) Yowell, both of whom were natives of Kentucky. His
grandfather on the paternal side was James H. Yowell, of Virginia. The
parents of our subject came to' Illinois in 1830 and the father was one
of the prominent men in the state in the early days. He served as
lieutenant in the Black Hawk war and was afterward made captain of his
company. The people had great confidence in his integrity and judgment
and in 1864 he was elected associate justice of Macoupin county.
Mr. Yowell of this sketch attended the pioneer schools and as he
grew to manhood assisted his father in various operations upon the home
farm. Later he became a general farmer and spared no pains or labor in
securing the best results from his work. He was remarkably thorough in
everything he undertook and brought his farm to a high state of
cultivation, transferring the raw prairie into rich and fertile fields.
He displayed good judgment in the erection of buildings and the purchase
of machinery and other accessories so necessary in facilitating farm
work. The keynote of his prosperity was economy, industry and
perseverance. He continued, actively on his farm until 1900, when he
retired and took up his residence at McVey.
In 1853 Mr. Yowell
was married to Miss Edith Ann Husband, of Macoupin county, and they had
four sons, John E., George S., James A. and Lincoln. The mother of these
children died in 1866 and Mr. Yowell was married on May 16, 1867, in
Shaws Point township, to Miss Mary C. Brown, who was born in Jersey
county, Illinois. She is a daughter of Captain Joseph W. and Harriet
(Downey) Brown, both of whom were born in Illinois, and a granddaughter
of Charles Brown, of Kentucky, and James Downey, who was a native of
Vermont. By his second marriage Mr. Yowell became the father of six
children. Charles E., the eldest, is now living in Arkansas. He married
Anna Smith, and they have two sons, Edgar and Coy. Edith May married
Lorin Torrly and they live at Jacksonville, Illinois. In their family
are three children, two sons and one daughter. Ada Maud is the wife of
N. A. Johnson, of Macoupin county, and they have six children, four sons
and two daughters. Joseph Hurt, the fourth member of the children of Mr.
and Mrs. Yowell, married Kathryn Behme and their home is at Litchfield.
They have three sons, Carl Brown, Calvin Ray and Joseph Harold. Mary C.
is now living at home with her mother and Logan, the youngest of the
children, lives at Girard.
Mr. Yowell died at McVey in 1903,
having passed the Psalmist’s span of three score and ten years of age.
He gave his support politically to the republican party, of which he was
an earnest advocate, and served several terms as highway commissioner
and also as member of the school board. He was a man of progressive
ideas and possessed the faculty in an eminent degree of making and
retaining friends. Entirely straightforward and upright in his life,
public and private, he merited the deep respect in which he was held and
his name will ever be identified with the development of Macoupin county
during the period covering the last half of the nineteenth century. His
success in his chosen calling was in an important degree due to his
persistent efforts and well directed energy and he was rightly regarded
as one of the foremost representatives of agricultural interests in this
section.
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 716-717.
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