WILLIAM M. ESTILL. - About four and one-half miles from the courthouse in Springfield is situated the fine farm which belonged to the late William M. Estill, who was a leading and influential citizen of Sangamon county - progressive, enterprising and the friend of all measures calculated to prove of public benefit. His home was on section 9, Springfield township, and there he devoted himself to farming and stock-raising upon his eighty acres of land. He was born in Menard county, Illinois, August 23, 1848, and was a son of James W. Estill, whose birth occurred in Fleming county, Kentucky, on the 6th of March, 1823. William Estill, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Mason county, Kentucky, and his father, who also bore the name of William Estill was a native of England. Two brothers, James and William Estill, became the founders of the family in the new world, crossing the Atlantic long prior to the Revolutionary war, and took up their abode in New Jersey. William Estill served in the Colonial army when a young man of seventeen years. He was married in New Jersey and in 1792 removed to Kentucky, becoming one of the first settlers to penetrate into the wild and undeveloped region. The grandfather of our subject was reared in Kentucky and was there united in marriage to Mary Williams, the oldest sister of Colonel John Williams, of Springfield. In the year 1823 he came to Illinois, taking up his abode in what is now Menard county, but was then a part of Sangamon county. He entered a tract of land from the government, becoming the owner of a half section, and there he developed an excellent farm, upon which he spent his remaining days, passing away at the advanced age of ninety-three years.

James W. Estill, the father of our subject, was very young when brought by his parents to Illinois, and upon the home farm in Menard county he was reared, early becoming familiar with all the labor incident to its development and cultivation. When he had man's estate he married Jane E. Wood, who was born in Bond county, Illinois, and when a child accompanied her parents to Morgan county, whence the family removed to Menard county, and there she attained womanhood and gave her hand in marriage to James W. Estill. She was a daughter of Milo Wood, a native of North Carolina, who on leaving that state removed to Knoxville, Tennessee, and afterward to Bond county, Illinois. The father of our subject owned and operated a farm in Menard county, carrying on agricultural pursuits there for many years, and there reared his family. In 1883 he removed to Logan county, Illinois, which was his place of residence until the death of his wife, which occurred in 1888. He then made his home with his son, William M., of this review, and is now a hale and hearty man of eighty-one years.

William M. Estill was reared upon the old home farm in Menard county until he had attained his majority, and in the district schools of the neighborhood he acquired his early education, which was supplemented by study in Lincoln University. For one year he engaged in teaching and later took up the study of law under the direction of the Hon. N. W. Branson, of Petersburg, being admitted to the bar in January, 1874. He began the practice of his chosen profession in Petersburg, and afterward spent about two years in Athens. At the end of that time he abandoned the law and turned his attention to the drug business in Athens, where he continued his mercantile pursuits for five years. On the expiration of that period he sold his drug store and purchased a half interest in a dry-goods business at Atlanta, Illinois, where he was engaged in trade for ten years, continuing the business alone for a time. At length, however, he disposed of his store and again took up his abode in Athens, where he built and operated an electric light plant in connection with the conduct of the brick and tile works. When he had been in that business for two years he once more sold out and purchased a farm on section 9, Springfield township, where he resided throughout the remainder of his life. He rebuilt and remodeled the house, converting it into a commodious and attractive residence. There are also good barns and out-buildings and these are surrounded by well-tilled fields, returning a golden harvest for the care and labor of the owner. There is not a foot of wasteland upon the place, in fact the farm is very valuable and highly productive, and in connection with the raising of cereals Mr. Estill gave considerable time to the raising of high-grade horses and Berkshire hogs, whereby his income was materially increased.

On Christmas day of 1876 was celebrated the marriage of William M. Estill and Miss Lillie M. Primm, a native of Menard county, who was born April 19, 1856, and was reared there. Her father, Abraham S. Primm, was born in St. Clair county, Illinois, December 25, 1812, and it was on his fifty-eighth birthday that the marriage of our subject and his wife was celebrated. Two children were born unto them: Primm, who is now a young man, assisting in the operation of the home farm, is a member of Troop D, of the First Cavalry of the Illinois National Guard, and in 1902 he won a medal at Chicago as a sharpshooter. The younger son, Harry, is also under the parental roof and is member of the same troop.

The family attends the services of the Presbyterian church. In politics Mr. Estill was a stanch Republican and cast his first presidential ballot for General Grant in 1872, after which he never wavered in his allegiance to the party. While residing in Athens he served as a member of the town board for two terms, was a member of the board of supervisors of Logan county for two terms and also served as justice of the peace for Springfield township, being the incumbent in this office for two years. The cause of education found in him a warm friend and he believed in employing competent teachers and in continually advancing the standard of the schools. He did effective work in this regard as a member of the school board, of which he was serving as the president at the time of his death. No public trust reposed in him was ever betrayed in the slightest degree, for he was always loyal to every official duty and co-operate in many measures for the general progress. He frequently attended the county and state conventions of his party as a delegate and was a recognized leader in Republican ranks in this portion of the state. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in Atlanta Lodge, Atlanta Chapter and Lincoln Commandery, and he served in various official capacities in the blue lodge, while in his life he exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft. The moving power of his successful career was undoubtedly his unflagging industry, and added to this was an unconquerable integrity, which has made him respected and honored by all classes. He died on the 29th of October, 1903, and was laid to rest in Oak Ridge cemetery. His widow and two sons still reside on the old home farm.