Following is one of the Biographies and Stories which where gathered by Charles Sumner McKamy in the 1950s for publication in a Crawford County History Book. Unfortunately he passed away before the book was published.

Tillman Rosenbarger Funk and Lucella Hoot lived in Wood County, Ohio and moved from Hancock Co., Ohio to Pearcity, Mo. When I was about 5 years old.

Wood Co., Ohio dates of birth

David A. Funk
May 10, 1860
Wm. Vernon Funk
Jan. 20, 1866

Hancock Co., Ohio dates of birth

Mary Elizabeth
Oct. 18, 1867
Cyrus E. Funk
Jan. 16, 1871

Deaths

David A.
Mar. 14, 1942
Annie E. Funk
Nov. 1, 1909
Lucetta Funk
Sept. 22, 1905
Tillman R. Funk
Dec. 26, 1901
Mary Elizabeth
May 6, 1886
Henry Benton
Mar. 19, 1884
Abraham Funk
?

Funk, William V., born January 20, 1866, in Wood County, Ohio, and the family moved to Duncanville when I was only seven years of age and has lived there continuously since to this date, January 20, 1956, which is my 90th Birthday, which finds me in my grocery store, completing my 44th year in this business in Duncanville and with no intentions of retiring from business as long as I can take care of myself, and at this time I am very active physically and mentally, taking care of my one room grocery in the front room of my home, my own cooking, my own housework and my home is clean and net as a pin, having done all my own work since my wife, Ida passed away some six years ago, we previously celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary in the same home that I now occupy, that I built before our marriage and we moved into on the day we were married, December 25th (Christmas Day) 19__, I am probably the oldest active merchant in Crawford County and perhaps in the State of Illinois. My store was purchased from Bert Duncan, son of Lucy A. Duncan in 1911 and operates the business with many of the original fixtures.

Previous to my going into the Grocery business I was a carpenter working many a day for $1.00 and my dinner and I built a room adjoining my father-in-law, Archibald McTaggert, who operated a blacksmith shop, where I did carpenter work, and all kinds of wood work for the farmers in that vicinity.

After I purchased the store I became Postmaster, the office was located only one half block from the Big Four depot, and was one of the busiest places in town and I was buying and shipping dressed chickens and rabbits to New York City twice a week in season, packing them in barrels with crushed ice by railroad.

"Uncle Will" as he is familiarly known to residents of that vicinity keeps an open bible on the table at all times and when he gets tired or lonesome he enjoys picking up his bible and reading his bible, his eyesight being very good, while he does use glasses when reading and he is very proud of the fact that he still has all his natural teeth.

My wife and I were always busy, she took in sewing for other people, and when I came home from the store she would be busy sewing and I would go to the kitchen and prepare dinner and after dinner she would go back to sewing and I would clean up the kitchen.

We built this home during the summer before Ida and I were married on Christmas Eve and we moved into the house after the wedding, the cost of the same for the four rooms only being five hundred dollars and we planted these trees around the house and it was a long time before they became nice shade trees and Ida used to call them "Our Sweetheart Trees".

In time the Big Four decided to move the railroad and the station was abandoned and the tracks moved when the Government discontinued the post office and the moving of the railroad killed Duncanville. Duncanville was at one time a good shipping point where hogsheads of tobacco, apples, wheat, corn and cattle were shipped in car load lots, passenger trains passed one another at Duncanville, where they stopped for dinner at "Sheddans Hotel", which was recognized as the best eating place on that division of the Big Four railroad.

I credit my long life mostly to the fact that I have never used tobacco, or whiskey to excess, living a clean life and being a neighbor and friend to every one.

We have two foster-children, ___________ and ____________ who have wanted me to close the store and go live with them but I knew I just had to go ahead. Mac Reese, one of our foster children, of Denver, Colo. works as a pilot for a Denver business man and he took me an airplane ride when he came to see me recently. I raised Mac, his sister and brother. His brother was killed in War II. We never had any children of our own but there were always some in our home.

(While visiting in his home today, on his 90th Birthday he stated that he enjoyed looking after his business, visiting with his many friends, his television and reading and wanted to live as long as the Good Lord was willing and he was able to do for himself, but after that he wanted to go.)

He was the son of Tilman R. and Lucetta Hoot Funk and he and his wife were both members of the First Christian Church of Robinson, his wife during her lifetime and he during his life to this date.