ELSON R. GREEN, a prominent and wealthy
farmer of Coles County, is now practically
retired from active labor and is enjoying
the comforts of one of the most elegant homes in
Charleston Township. This is located outside the
city limits and comprises eighty acres of highly
cultivated land, with one of the most handsome
and substantial residences in the county. Besides
this property Mr. Green owns a farm of 303 acres
in Ashmore Township, on which is a commodious
farm house and other modern improvements. It is
well stocked with the best grades of domestic
animals, and Mr. Green, while occupying the farm,
makes a specialty of raising Poland-China hogs, importing probably the first animals of the kind in
Coles County. He commenced life without means,
working much of the time as a farm laborer, and
the position which he now occupies in his community, amply indicates the perseverance and industry with which his years have been employed.
Mr. Green has been a resident of this county
since the spring of 1849. His boyhood years were
spent in Miami County, Ohio, where his birth took
place on Christmas Day, 1830. His father, James
Green, was a native of West Virginia, in which
State various representatives of the family have
resided for several generations. The father of our
subject remained in the Old Dominion until reaching manhood and was there married to Miss Elizabeth Hemingway, who was born in the western
part of the State, in that portion which remained
loyal to the Union during the late Civil War.
After marriage, James Green and his bride
migrated to Ohio and located in Hamilton County,
amidst the timber, where the father of our
subject opened up a farm upon a. portion of the
present site of the city of Cincinnati. After a few
years spent in that region they pushed on further
westward into Miami County, where the elder
Green proceeded as before, clearing away the timber, erecting a log cabin, and the second time
assuming the role of a pioneer settler. After a few
years spent there he became uneasy and desirous
of setting forth on another pilgrimage. He accordingly loaded his worldly effects into wagons and
with his family started to cross the Mississippi and
located in Missouri. While journeying through
Coles County, this State, they met some of their
old neighbors who were returning from Missouri
to their former homes. The distressing account
which these people gave of matters in that State,
persuaded Mr. Green from continuing his journey
and he concluded to locate where he was, namely
in Coles County. He accordingly settled upon a
tract of land in Hutton Township, which he occupied four years and then decided to return to Ohio.
Locating in Darke County he again cleared away
the forest, broke the virgin soil and put up the
cabin of the pioneer. His residence there, however, was of short duration, and we next find him
in Randolph County, Ind., where he entered a large
tract of land, platted a town, built several houses,
and effected many other improvements which induced people to repair there for settlement. He
also fitted up a building for a hotel and was pressing rapidly along the road to wealth when he made
the mistake of so many generous-hearted men, that
of going security for a large sum of money in order
to accommodate friends. As is too often the case,
when the obligations became due Mr. Green was
obliged to meet them, and by this means lost the
larger part of his fortune. He finally removed
from Randolph to Grant County, and located upon
100 acres of land which he cultivated to the best of
his ability until in 1848, when, greatly broken in
health and spirits, he was obliged to abandon active
labor and died in the fall of the year. Mrs. Green
after the death of her husband resided one year in
Randolph County and then returned again to Grant
County. Finally, at the request of her children, she
came to this county and passed her remaining
years, her death taking place at the home of her
son in Morgan Township.
The household of James and Elizabeth Green included fourteen children, all of whom lived to become men and women, and the parents lived to
witness the marriage of each. Nancy, the wife of
Nelson Reddick, and Arthusia who married Nelson
McCoy, are now deceased; Katie is the wife of
Andrew Frazier, of Union City, Ind.; Andrew is
deceased; Zachariah is a resident of Logansport,
Ind.; Hester is the wife of Branson Anderson, of
Randolph County, Ind. The younger members
were: James, John H., William P.; Mary, the wife
of A. Wiggs; Nelson R. of our sketch; Henry H.,
and Hannah J., the wife of G. W. White. The last
two are numbered among the dead.
James Green was a man of great force of character and when becoming entitled to the right
of suffrage identified himself with the Whig
party. When this party was abandoned by
the organization of the Republicans, he rallied
to the support of the latter and continued their firm
adherent to the end of his life. He was strongly
opposed to slavery and was one of the most active
members of the Abolition party whenever the
question of human freedom was agitated. His son,
our subject, is imbued with the same principles and
affiliates with the same party to which his father
belonged at the time of his death.
Nelson R. Green was a youth of eighteen years
at the death of the father, and a year later came to
Central Illinois and commenced work as a farm
laborer at $10 per month. In 1853 he was employed in a sawmill at $16 per month. He had
been trained to habits of industry and economy,
however, and saved his earnings, so that by June,
1854, he had a cash capital of $300, and a good
team of horses. This was considered a fair start in
those days and he felt fully justified in beginning
to think about a home of his own and some one to
share his fortune. The maiden of his choice was
Miss Mary E., daughter of Job W. and Martha
(Archer) Brown, and they were married at the
home of the bride’s parents in Ashmore Township,
Jan. 19, 1854. Mr. Brown was one of the earliest
pioneers of Illinois and located first in Edgar
County, where the wife of our subject was born on
the 7th of September, 1835. After the marriage
of Mr. Green his employer offered him $20 per
month and a house to live in if he would continue
in the mill, but he was obliged to decline on account of his health which would not permit continuous indoor employment. He accordingly
rented a tract of land and the first season sowed
fifteen acres of wheat, forty acres of oats, and
planted sixty acres of corn. He labored early and
late, but the season proved unfavorable and at the
end he harvested but 225 bushels of wheat, eleven
bushels of oats and 200 bushels of corn. This was
rather discouraging to begin with, and during the
following winter he was glad to work for his father-in-law at fifty cents per day. In the spring, however, he determined to try farming again on his
own account, and leased another tract of land. He
was fairly successful this year but begrudged the
paying of rent, and in 1860 managed to secure
possession of seventy-three and one-half acres of
land, for which he contracted to pay $1,400, $1,000
in cash down. Eighteen months later he cancelled
his indebtedness and had a home which he could
call his own. His property lay on section 11, in
Ashmore Township, and he occupied the home-
stead thus established for more than twenty-five
years and until Jan. 25, 1886, when he took
possession of the place he now occupies. He still
retains possession of his farm, which is operated by
a tenant, and from which he realizes annually a
handsome income.
The first agricultural fair ever held in Coles
County occupied a strip of pasture then owned by
Nathan Ellington, but which is now a portion of
the site of Charleston. Mr. Green and his father-in-law attended, the latter exhibiting stock and receiving a goodly share of the premiums. Each
year since then Mr. Green has been actively identified with the agricultural society, and is uniformly
found in attendance. One year he exhibited a
three-year-old that “tipped the beam” at 1,000
pounds.
Mr. Green during his youth received very limited advantages and has been painfully aware of the
difficulties encountered by those but imperfectly
versed in the common branches of education. In
order that his children should not labor under this
difficulty, he determined to leave the farm and remove to a point where they could avail themselves
of competent instructors. The household circle
was completed by the birth of eleven children, of
whom two died when young and nine are still
living. Jonathan W. and George A. are prosperous farmers of Edwards County, Kan.; Lulu is the
wife of Maiden Conelly, and a resident of Hodgeman County, Kan. Those unmarried and at home
are William A., Leonard, Carrie, Claude O., Charles
N. and Eugene D. They have all inherited the
worthy qualities of both parents, and form a family
group of which Mr. and Mrs. Green have reason to
be proud.
|