The basic objective of Swain Country is to inform and educate those possessing and interested in the name "SWAIN" or derivations of the name (this Page), and related matters of general educational interest (More Swain Country pages).
THIS PAGE - SWAIN COUNTRY [46 pages as of 16 Aug 06ts]
1. Ancestors
(a) Swain
(b) "Swains of Nantucket" Author: Robert H. Swain
(c) Harrison-Swain
(d) Altorfer
200 West McClure
2. Genealogy
3. Professions
(a) Medical
(b) Law
4. Education
5. Business
PAGE TWO - MORE SWAIN COUNTRY [165 pages as of 16 Aug 06ts]
6. Military
(a) Howard Martin Jones of Benton, Illinois - American Hero WW II
(b) Vietnam Video & Reminiscences
(c) United States Army Rangers
1/Lt James A. Gardner,Medal of Honor - Ranger Hall of Fame
Commmanding, Tiger Force - 1st Battalion,327 Infantry
(Airborne),1st Brigade,101st Airborne Division
Republic of Vietnam 1965-1966
(d) 101st Airborne Division - America's Guard of Honor
(e) 101st Airborne Division - Medal of Honor Recipients
(f) National Airborne Day - August 16th
(g) The Infantry - Queen of Battle - Follow Me
(h) Radical Islamist War on Americans - VFW - Sept. 2002
7. The 2nd Amendment Guarantees Our Freedom
8. Conservative Politics
9. Inspiration
(a) Motivational Saying Used by Swains
(b) Growing Up In The Knolls
[i] Lessons and Memories
[ii] The Knolls Roster - 1930's, 1940's, 1950's
(c) LIFE IS A GLORIOUS ADVENTURE!
10.Other
DOWNLOAD PDF of SWAIN COUNTRY Vol2 - Updated June 2023
THIS PAGE - SWAIN COUNTRY
1. Ancestors
1(a) SWAIN
The name "Swain" is of Danish origin. It was spelled differently in different countries. In Denmark and Norway it was spelled Svein or Svegn; in Sweden Sven; in Germany Svend; in England Swain.
700's
The Danish raids on England began late in the 700's, and continued for more than 300 years.
800's
In the late 800's, a powerful Danish force established a base on English soil at York. The Danes marched from this base to conquer wherever they could. They were particularly successful in Northumbria, East Anglia, and the northern half of Mercia. In fact, the Danish raiders easily conquered all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, except Wessex. The territory they controlled (basically the north-eastern third of England) was called the Danelaw, and they forced the English to pay a tax, the Danegeld. The invaders met strong opposition from the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred of Wessex. Alfred checked the forward progress of the invaders in 878. His success against the Danes is one reason for his title Alfred the Great.
The Danish Vikings raided England, France, Spain, and areas along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Their travels covered most of Western Europe. They sailed up such great rivers as the Elbe,Garonne, Loire, Rhine, Rhone, Schelde, Seine, and Somme. Few of the larger towns in this area escaped their destructive raids. The Danes destroyed Paris in 845 and 856. These tireless raiders sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. They defeated the Moors in Morocco.
From the earliest to comparatively recent times, scores of bands of piratical marauders infested the Orkney and Hebrides Islands. As early as 800 A.D., the Vikings of Norway and Denmark became supreme among these bands and held sway for five or six hundred years; and the name of Swain is often found among these Norse fur-booters.
The members of these bands were bound to their chief by a very strong oath, and when a man was put to death for violating his oath, he was said to have received "Swain's Justice."
900's
The first man to bear the name "Swain" of whom we have any record was Otto Swain, son of King Harald Bluetooth, king of Denmark. Around 950 King Harald united Denmark from the small communities heretofore governed by local chieftains. It was King Harald who introduced Christianity to Denmark. His son Otto went to sea at an early age with the title of Prince Royal of Denmark, and became a Viking of transcendent daring and courage. He had many ships, acquired great wealth, and drew to his banner a large number of the boldest marauders of his time. Vikingism was then in its flower and the Royal Prince of Denmark levied tribute on many nations, especially England.
For a time, Alfred's successors continued to hold back the Danes. They even recaptured some territory. But new raiding parties attacked England in 980. Both Danes and Norwegians took part in these raids. Olaf Trygvasson, also called King Olaf I of Norway, joined King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark in the early 990's. These two viking leaders had one success after another. They returned home in 995, but Sweyn resumed the attacks in 1003. His raiders swept through England.
1000's
In 1013, Ethelred, king of Wessex, fled the country and Sweyn became King of England [1013-1014]. The Anglo-Saxon King Ethelred II "The Unready" briefly resumed the throne following Sweyn's death [1014-1016] but soon lost the Kingdom to Sweyn's son, Canute or Knut or Cnut, who became a strong and powerful King of England [1016-1035]. Canute later became King of Denmark and Norway. Under Canute, considered a wise and just king, the vikings held a huge empire and completely controlled the North Sea. After he died, they lost control of England.
Following in the footsteps of his father, King Harald Bluetooth, Otto Swain "Sven (Svegn) Fork-Beard" was crowned King of Denmark about the year 995 A.D. At the "funerale", a drunken funereal-feast, he resolved to conquer England. This he succeeded in doing after many years of hard fighting. He was crowned "King of England" in the year 1013; and although he was slain before 1014, he set in operation a plan of government, which as carried out by his son, Knut or Canute or Cnut, placed England in the front rank of nations.
Other Swains are found among the Jarlo of Norway, who had long sway over the Orkney Islands, and the northern and western coast of Scotland. They also ruled in the Hebrides and coasts of Ireland.
1600's
The Swains have always been a seafaring people, and as trade grew among nations, they became great shipbuilders and navigators. Among the early settlers of Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia we find many Swains of whom not a few were shipbuilders and sea captains. And our own Mississippi River has floated many boats built and owned by them.
The Swains came very early to the United States. We have authentic records of the arrival and settlement of three Swains in the colony of Massachusetts.
William Swain was the first. He was born in the year 1585 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts in the year 1635.
Richard Swain came next. He was born in the year 1600, and settled at Nantucket, Massachusetts in the year 1635.
The next Swain to arrive in New England was born in England (year is unknown) and settled at Charlestown in the year 1638. His name was Jeremiah. We have no positive proof that there was any kinship between these three men. They each have numerous descendants. Our family is in all probability descended from one of these pioneers, as tradition carries us back to a possible Massachusetts connection. Then the family names are many of them the same: John, Richard, Mary, Elizabeth, William.
But recurrence of the same names merely proves that the Swains are English to the core and were loyal to the English government. The early Swains were Catholic in religion, but among the first to break away from the established church in England, they became ardent puritans in New England.
1800's
Our family of Swains are the descendants of Cornelius Swain (1801-1864) of Virginia who settled in Tennessee about the time it was admitted into the Union (1796). He had two sons; Cornelius and John. Cornelius moved to Kentucky and lived there, but John came to Illinois, where he married and reared a large family.
John's son Evan married Harriet Jane Harrison, seven children being born; including, Richard Damascus and Sylvanus Whedzel.
Source: 1924, Richard Damascus Swain [1Oct 1852- 9Oct 1935] "The Swain Record", as transcribed by his grandnephew, George Michael Farley, N8437 597th Street, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, September 16, 1994. Historical information on the Danish Vikings was obtained from The World Book Encyclopedia, 1975.
1 (b) "SWAINS OF NANTUCKET" Author: Robert H. Swain
"SWAINS OF NANTUCKET"
Robert H. Swain, Author
http://friends.peoria.lib.il.us/community/mailto
6510 Paleface Place
Charlotte, NC 29214-1536
Excerpts from:
Richard Swain
1st Generation in America
1. Richard Swain was born September 21, 1595 in Berkshire, England. He was christened Rychard Swayn and used Richard Swayne until he moved to Nantucket from the mainland. Other spellings of the name in England during the period 1500-1600's show Swaine, Swayn, Swain, in addition to Swayne. His children, Francis, Nicholas, Grace, Richard and John, are listed in christening records as either Swaine or Swayne. In most instances the name Swayne or Swain(e) is derived from the Old Norse word sveinn which meant "boy, servant peasant" depending on its use in the sentence. It came to England with Danes and Norwegians and was altered there to suein, suen, swan, etc. Sveinn was first used as a descriptive term before becoming a surname. Burke's Armory describes the Coat-Of-Arms for one Swain, one Swain or Swaine, one Swaine and four Swaynes?each of them different.According to some authorities Richard Swayne of St. Albans, England who came to America in 1635, living first at Rowley, Massachusetts Bay in 1635, and then at Hampton in New Hampshire, was in line with William Swayne of Salisbury, England, granted the Coat-Of-Arms on June 20, 1444, later confirmed by a descendant of the same name, of London, in 1612. This is the same Coat-Of-Arms found in Scotland in 1100, but without the Motto. A record of the births of the children of Richard Swayne are found in Easthampstead County, England: Nicholas, Grace, Richard, and John Swayne. After Richard Swayne took his family to America in 1635, there seems to be no further family of that name living in Easthampstead for nearly 60 years. St. Albans, England is northeast of London. By 1660, Richard Swain had moved to the Island of Nantucket. In 1659 he and his son, John Swain, were two of the ten original purchasers of Nantucket Island from Thomas Mayhew for thirty pounds silver and two "Beaver Hatts".
Children of Richard Swain and 1st wife Elizabeth are:
i. William Swain, born in 1618 in England and died October 20, 1657 when he was lost at sea on a voyage from Hampton, New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts. He did not go to Nantucket with his father and many of his descendants settled in and around Newburyport, Massachusetts.
ii. Francis Swain born in 1621 in England and died in 1667 in Middleborough, Long Island, New York. He had property in Exter and Hampton, New Hampshire. He engaged in the manufacture of hogshead staves.
iii. Nicholas Swain, born March 5, 1623 in England and died August 18, 1650 in Hampton, New Hampshire.
iv. Grace Swain born February 23, 1627 in England. She married Nathaniel Boulter in 1647 in Hampton, New Hampshire. In the History of Hampton it is noted that Grace, along with some other women, was accused of witchcraft (common during that period).
v. Richard Swain, born May 6, 1630 in England and died before 1635.
+2 vi. John Swain, born October 5, 1633 in England and died in 1717 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He married Mary Weare November 15, 1660 in Hampton, New Hampshire. She was born about 1633 and died in 1714 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah Weare.
vii. Elizabeth Swain born 1636 in Hampton, New Hampshire and died February 10, 1712 in Seabrook, New Hampshire. She married Nathaniel Weare, Jr. on December 3, 1656. He was the brother of Mary Weare above. Nathaniel Weare was a man of prominence and high regard, both as a person and in the political affairs of New England. He was sent to England twice by the people to lay petitions before the King for irregularities by the Colonial Governor. He was a member of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Superior Court, and Counselor from 1685 to 1715. The sons of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Swain) Weare were also equally prominent. A grandson, Mesheck Weare, was Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature, Representative and Speaker of the House of Representatives for 28 years, and Chief Justice for 6 years when he had to retire because of ill health. The State of New Hampshire erected a monument to his memory at Hampton. there were eight children in this family.
Child of Richard Swain and 2nd wife Jane (Godfrey) Bunker is:
viii. Richard Swain, Jr. born January 13, 1660 in Hampton, New Hampshire and died in 1706 in Cape May, New Jersey.
John Swain
2nd Generation in America
2. John Swain (Richard) was born October 5, 1633. He married Mary Weare born 1633, daughter of Nathaniel Weare and Sarah. John Swain is the progenitor of all of the Nantucket Swain of this line. He was one of the ten original purchasers of the Island.
Children of John Swain and Mary Weare are:
i. Mary Swain, born September 11, 1661 in Hampton, NH and died July 27, 1714. She married Joseph Nason in about 1681.
ii. John Swain, born September 1, 1644 in Nantucket, being the first white male born on the Island. He died November 29, 1738. He married Experience Folger, daughter of Peter and Mary (Morrill) Folger. Her sister Abiah was married to Josiah Franklin, father of Benjamin Franklin.
+3 iii. Stephen Swain, born November 21, 1666 in Nantucket, Massachusetts and died January 24, 1712 or 1713 in Chowan County, North Carolina. He married Patience Paris, daughter of Thomas and Jane Paris of Edenton, Chowan Precinct, North Carolina.
iv. Sarah Swain born July 13, 1670 in Nantucket. She married Joseph Norton.
v. Joseph Swain born July 17, 1673 in Nantucket and died June 1, 1766. He married Mary Sibley in Salem, Massachusetts. They lived on Nantucket.
vi. Elizabeth Swain, born May 16, 1676 on Nantucket and died July 24, 1760. She married Joshua Sevoile.
vii. Benjamin Swain, born July 5, 1679 on Nantucket and died August 18, 1757. He married Mary Taylor May10, 1705. He operated a fulling mill.
viii. Hannah Swain, born May 7, 1681 and died 1765. She married James Tallman September 14, 1701. She was his second wife.
ix. Patience Swain born around 1685 and died October 23, 1747. She married Samuel Gardner on December 27, 1710, the son of James and Mary (Starbuck) Gardner. His first marriage (no issue) was to Hepzibah Coffin.
Stephen Swain
3rd Generation in America
3. Stephen Swain (John, Richard) was born November 21, 1666. He married Patience Paris, daughter of Thomas and Jane Paris. He went to Colonial North Carolina (Chowan County) before 1700. He was among a group of settlers from New England that migrated south as land was made available by the King of England. It appears that he came on a ship that was under the command of his nephew, William Swain. He was in the House of Burgesses from 1708-10. Stephan Swain added an "e" to his name, but only a few of his children used the Swaine version, and only for a short period of time. Stephan probably added the "e" to distinguish the Swain family from the Swann family, rather prominent in the area at that time.
Children of Stephen Swain and Patience Paris Swain are:
+4 i. John Swain, born in 1690 in Chowan County, North Carolina and died in 1749 in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. He was married to Mary (maiden name unknown) and she died in 1771.
ii. Elizabeth Swain born in 1692 in Chowan County, NC and married Samuel Spruill, Sr.
iii. James Swain born in 1695 in Chowan County, NC and died in 1763 in Tyrrell County, NC. He married Elizabeth Smithwick, born in 1700 and died in 1777 in Martin County, NC. This family lived in Tyrrell County until a part of the county was taken to form Martin County in 1774.
iv. Patience Swain born in 1700 in Chowan County, NC. She married Alexander Ray and later they lived in Bertie County.
v. Richard Swain, born in 1706 in Chowan County, NC and died February 27m 1761 in Bertie County, NC. He married Ann Charlton in 1726, daughter of William and Susanna Charlton.
vi. Mary Swain born in 1708 in Chowan County, NC and married John or Lemuel Smithwick.
John Swain
4th Generation in America
4. John Swain (Stephen, John, Richard) was born in 1690. He married Mary (maiden name unknown). Many of the names of the children of John and Mary were recorded in one of the oldest Bibles in North Carolina. This Bible was given to John Swain in 1730 by his cousin, William Swain, of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It is filed and protected by the N.C. Department of Archives and History, Raleigh, NC.
Children of John Swain and Mary are:
i. Joanna Swain born November 24, 1715 and died prior to 1765. She was married to William Mackey.
ii. Martha Swain born January 14, 1718 in Chowan County, NC and died in 1758 in Tyrrell County, NC.
iii. Jeremiah Swain born in August, 1720 in Chowan County, NC and died in August, 1747 in Tyrrell County, NC. His wife was probably Mary West, and they had two children: John and Mary Swain.
+5 iv. John Swain, born October 1, 1722, in Chowan, NC. and died in 1765 in Tyrrell County, NC. His wife is unknown.
v. Elizabeth Mary Swain born about 1724 and died before August, 1765 and in Tyrrell County, NC. She married John Hooker on January 4, 1746, son of William and Sarah Hooker.
vi. Susanna Swain born about 1726. She married John Rhodes. One of their children was Charles Rhodes.
vii. James Swain born September 12, 1728 and died January 12, 1808 in Tyrrell County, NC. He married Ann Jennett, daughter of Abraham and Mary Jennett on June 26, 1750.
viii. William Swain born November 8, 1730 in Tyrrell County, NC and died in 1753.
ix. Rosanna Swain born February 5, 1735. 1st marriage, to Stephen Hooker, brother of John Hooker above. Stephen died in early 1767 and Rosanna married Benjamin Spruill on September 26, 1767.
x. Stephen Swain born August 8, 1738 in Tyrrell County, NC and died in 1796 in Montgomery County, Georgia. He married Ann Spruill, daughter of Joseph Spruill on May 26, 1760. Stephen Swain served in the Revolutionary War and was given a land grant in Georgia..
John Swain, Sr.
5th Generation in America
5. John Swain, Sr. (John, Stephen, John, Richard) was born October 1, 1722. His wife is unknown.
Children of John Swain, Sr. and unknown wife are:
+6 i. John Swain (also shown as John Swain, Sr.) born about 1740 in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. and died in 1789 in Tyrrell County, NC. Wife unknown.
ii. Samuel Swain born December 8, 1746.
iii. Jemima Swain married Joshua Long. They had two daughters: Priscilla and Kiziah.
iv. Kezia Swain's husband was probably Thomas Leary.
v. Esther Swain's husband was probably James Long.
vi. Priscilla Swain.
vii. Hannah Swain.
viii. Joshua Swain married Elizabeth Litchfield.
John Swain, Sr.
6th Generation in America
6. John Swain,Sr. (John, Sr.,John, Stephen, John, Richard) was born about 1740 in Tyrrell County, North Carolina and the name of his wife is unknown.
Children of John Swain, Sr. and unknown wife are:
i. Eleazer Swain lived in Washington County, North Carolina and died before 1820.
ii. Priscilla Swain born about 1760. She married Samuel Chesson in 1778.
iii. John Swain born about 1759. He married Lydia Blount February 9, 1780 in Tyrrell County, NC.
iv. Sarah Swain born 1761. She married Evan Skinner April 5, 1779.
+7 v. Cornelius Swain born in 1762 in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. and died August 2, 1850 in Brown County, Illinois. 1st wife: Ann (Fraiser) Swain died September 19, 1809; 2nd wife: Zilphia Brake was born in 1782. Cornelius is shown in the first census of Tyrrell County, North Carolina and later shows up in the 1820 census of Kentucky. He sold his land in NC to his brothers in 1795.
vi. Mary Swain born in 1768 in Tyrrell County, NC. She married Richard Frasier on September 15, 1786. He was the brother of Ann Fraiser named above. Cornelius Swain was the bondsman on his sister/s marriage bond.
vii. Keziah Swain born in 1770. She married William Long February 18, 1788.
viii. Penelope Swain born in 1773. She married William Simmons on January 23, 1791.
Cornelius Swain
7th Generation in America
7. Cornelius Swain (John, Sr., John, Sr.,John, Stephen, John, Richard) was born in 1762 in Tyrrell County, North Carolina and married Ann Frasier, daughter of Jeremiah and Penelope (Gregory) Frasier, Chowan County, North Carolina. Cornelius is shown in the first census of Tyrrell County and later shows up in the 1820 census of Kentucky. He sold his land in North Carolina to his brothers Eleazer and John in 1798. Cornelius saw service during the Revolutionary War. The accumulation of information about Cornelius Swain, although not conclusive, strongly indicates that we have documented his family, born in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, migrated to Tennessee, then to Kentucky and finally to Illinois. His second wife, Zilphia Brake, was much younger than Cornelius. Both of them are buried in the Kendrick Cemetary, Brown County, Illinois. A ceremony honoring William Kendrick and Cornelius Swain, Revolutionary War veterans, was held on May 23, 1978 on the George Clark Farm, Mount Sterling, Illinois.
Children of Cornelius Swain and Ann Frasier Swain are:
i. Sarah "Sally" Swain born about 1794.
+8 ii. John Swain born in 1796 in North Carolina and died February 27, 1864 in Franklin County, Illinois. He married Nancy Ormes, Davidson County, Tennessee. Her parents, of Dutch extraction, migrated to Tennessee from Pennsylvania.
iii. Cornelius Swain, Jr. born March 1, 1801 in North Carolina and died February 22, 1864 in Franklin County, Illinois. 1st marriage: Martha L. Tibbs, born December 14, 1805 and died August 12, 1835 in Logan County, Kentucky; 2nd marriage: Lydia Harrell, born in 1795, and married March 19, 1836 and she died July 7, 1858.
iv. Frances Swain, born in 1805 in North Carolina. Married Josiah Anderson, born 1803 in Tennessee and died in 1851 in Brown County, Illinois. Children: (a) James; (b) Nancy; (c) Cornelius; (d) William; (e) Sarah Ann; (f) Josiah; (g) Samuel; (h) Francis M.
Children of Cornelius Swain and Zilphia Brake Swain are:
i. Zilphia Swain, born in 1819 in Cumberland County, Kentucky, and died in February, 1871 in Cass County, Missouri. She married Keener Harville, November 18, 1835 who was born in Tennessee about 1815 and died February 24, 1871 in Cass County, Missouri.
ii. Julia Ann Swain born in 1821. She married Hugh Sheron.
iii. Martin Swain, born September 6, 1825 in Cumberland County, Kentucky and died March 21, 1864 in Huntsville, Alabama in the Civil War. He is buried in the National Cemetary at Chattanooga, Tennessee. He married Elizabeth America Kendrick on April 15, 1847, who was born December 16, 1825 and died March 27, 1910, the daughter of Daniel and Olivia (Curry) Kendrick.
John Swain
8th Generation in America
8. John Swain (Cornelius, John, Sr., John, Sr.,John, Stephen, John, Richard) was born in 1796 in North Carolina. He married Nancy Ormes of Davidson County, Tennessee. Her parents, of Dutch extraction, migrated to Tennessee from Pennsylvania. John Swain settled in Osaga Township, in Franklin County, Illinois.
Children of John Swain and Nancy Ormes Swain are:
i. Mary M. Swain born 1824. Her first marriage was to Christopher Harrison, who died during a trip west during the Gold Rush. She then married Henry Nephus Harrison, a cousin of her first husband.
ii. Cornelius Swain born February 17, 1826 in Davidson County, Tennessee and died March 26, 1904 in Stockton, California (San Jacquin County). Married Julia Catherine Davis, 1851. Julia was born January 1, 1829 and died in 1908 in Stockton, California. She was the daughter of Anderson and Hannah (Head) Davis, of Rowan County, North Carolina. Their children were: (a) John A. Swain, born 1852, Jackson County, Missouri; (b) Joseph H. Swain; (c) Charles Swain; (d) Mary Swain; (e) George Swain; (f) Jesse Swain.
iii. Nancy Swain, born 1828. Married Alexander Wiley.
+9 iv. Evan Swain born in 1831 in Franklin County, Illinois and died in 1909 in Alton, Illinois. He married Harriet Jane Harrison, born in 1832, daughter of Lemuel R. Harrison.
v. Richard Swain born in 1832. He married 1st: A. Adkins; 2nd: S. Adkins.
vi. Sarah Swain, born in 1833. She married William Cornelius Swain, son of Cornelius and Martha (Tibbs) Swain, a cousin.
vii. Nathaniel G. Swain, born in 1835 in Franklin County, Illinois. He marreid Venecia G. Harrison, February 25, 1855. Children: Isabelle E. Swain, born in 1857 and James E. Swain, born in 1859.
viii. Patrick Henry Swain, born in 1836. He married Priscilla McGlasson.
ix. Isabella Swain, born in 1840. She married Simeon Mulkey.
x. Elizabeth Swain, born in 1842. She married Scot McGlasson.
xi. Charlotte Swain, born in 1844. She married James Adkins.
Evan Swain
9th Generation in America
9. Evan Swain (John, Cornelius, John, Sr., John, Sr., John, Stephen, John, Richard) was born in 1831 in Franklin County, Illinois. He married Harriet Jane Harrison, born in 1832, who was the daughter of Lemuel R. Harrison, one of the early pioneers of Franklin County, Illinois. Evan Swain enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, serving throughout the war, In 1864 his wife moved with her children to a farm near her sister Charlotte (Mrs. William Knox), to remain during the war.
Children of Evan Swain and Harriet Jane Harrison Swain are:
i. Richard Damascus Swain, born 1852, in Christopher, Illinois. He married Nancy Bramlet, born 1855, daughter of Alfred Y. Emaline (Herrin) Bramlet. Children: Arthur, Cecil, Ray, Mabel, and Hattie Swain
+10 ii. Sylvanus Wetzel Swain born December 17, 1854 in Franklin County, Illinois and died in Benton, Illinois on December 31, 1924. He married Florence Kirkpatrick on December 24, 1878.
iii. Herschel V.J. Swain born 1861 in Franklin County, Illinois. He married Clara Rosina Harrison, born 1864. They moved to California. Children: (a) Edward Everett Swain, born Feruary 2, 1883, Ewing, Illinois, married Harriet Ryrie on December 4, 1907, daughter of John A. and Elizabeth (Staunton) Ryrie, and Rachel Elizabeth Swain; (b) Samuel Curtis Swain, born February 2, 1885. He was sales manager for a wholesale hardware company in Dallas, Texas.
iv. Charles Swain
v. Ophelia (Swain) Rea
vi. Kitty (Swain) Stradland
vii. Sybil (Swain) Johnson.
Herschel Swain also attended Ewing College and later studied law, practicing in Franklin County until 1890 when he moved to Stockton, California. In 1915 he moved to Los Angeles.
Edward Everett Swain, Sr., spent his entire career in thenewspaper business, as a reporter and then as owner and publisher of the Kirksville Daily Express, the only daily newspaper in Adain County, Missouri. He was educated in the public schools of Benton, Illinois, Shurtleff College Academy at Alton, and Shurtleff where he graduated in the class of 1905. He was an excellent athlete, captain of the football team for two years. After college he secured a postion with the Rochester (New York) Herald for two years, then joined the St. Louis Globe Democrat, working six months as a reporter. In 1907 he because night editor of the Associated Press of St. Louis for over a year, moving to managing editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. With all this experience he located at Kirksville, Missouri, and in November, 1909, bought the Kirksville Daily Express with a partner, Walter Ridgeway. Two years later he bought Mr. Ridgeway's interest, becoming the sole owner. He later bought the Kirksville News and Daily Journal, and with the consolidation of the three papers, became the leading newspaper between Ottumwa, Iowa and Moberly, Missouri and between Quincy, Illinois and Trenton, Missouri.
The Edward E. Swain family lived at 704 East Normal Avneue, and owned real estate on U.S. Highway 63. The newspaper offices and plant was located at 119-121 South Elson Street, Kirksville. Harriet (Ryrie) Swain was from Alton, Illinois where her father was a wholesale grocer.
Sylvanus Wetzel Swain
10th Generation in America
10. Sylvanus Wetzel Swain (Evan, John, Cornelius, John, Sr., John, Sr., John, Stephen, John, Richard)was born December 17, 1854 in Franklin County, Illinois. He married Florence Kirkpatrick on December 24, 1878. In 1867 he came under the tutelage of Dr. John Wasburn, the pioneer educator of Southern Illinois, who founded Ewing High School, the forerunner of Ewing College. During this time as a student at Ewing College the classmates of Sylvanus Swain were A.C. Aikens, Sr., of Benton, Illinois, Prof. John Richardson and Justice W.W. Duncan of the Illinois Supreme Court. Sylvanus Swain was a teacher for four years, but in 1882 he was elected treasurer of Franklin County, serving until 1885. He then bought a farm near Benton, and again taught school for about three years. In 1899 he moved to Benton and engaged in the milling business. A review of his life was given at his funeral by Judge Thomas J. Layman.
Children of Sylvanus Wetzel Swain and Florence Kirkpatrick Swain are:
i. Gertrude Swain, married W.J. Fitzgerrell, Benton, Illinois
+11. ii. Theodore Paul Swain born September 14, 1879 in Benton, Illinois and died in Benton, Illinois April 14,1951.
iii. Frank Swain, lived in Johnson City, Illinois
Theodore Paul Swain married to Malinda Gertrude Jones Swain
11th Generation in America
Timothy Whitzel Swain married to Katherine Cynthia Altorfer Swain
12th Generation in America
Timothy Whitzel Swain II, Nancy, Cynthia Malinda Swain Davis
13th Generation in America
Timothy Whitzel Swain III,M.D., Devan Elizabeth Swain Smith, Kathryn Alicia Swain Abraham, Kristan Melissa Swain
14th Generation in America
Samuel Mc Gavock Swain,William Godfrey Swain, Henry Harrison Smith, William Oakley Smith, Carsen Elizabeth Smith, Austin Swain Abraham
15th Generation in America
1 (c) HARRISON-SWAIN LINE
John Harrison was born in 1712 at "James River" in surrey County, Virginia. In 1749 he married Sarah Daniels. They had nine children (5 boys and 4 girls). John was related to the signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Harrison, either as a cousin or a nephew. John Harrison is buried in the old Nutbush Churchyard in Granville County, North Carolina. His Will, "proved" or probated on July 16, 1761, is on record in the Halifax County Courthouse, Virginia. John died at age 49 in 1761. His youngest child, Isham, was our ancestor.
Isham Harrison was born in 1760. His father, John, died when he was 1 year old. Isham served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a Lieutenant in the Army of North Carolina. His brother James, oldest son of John and Sarah, also served in the Revolutionary War. They fought in the victorious battle at Cowpens, South Carolina on January 17, 1781, as well as in the battle of Eutow Springs. This information is based on a statement of Governor B. F. Perry in Magnolia Magazine, June 1843. Isham, age 21 in 1781, served in the commands of Captain Gillian, Colonel William Moore and Captain Elijah Mitchell. The peace treaty was ratified in 1783.
On June 6,1783 Isham Harrison married Amy Gillian in Granville County, North Carolina. It is located north of Raleigh-Durham and near the Virginia border. Amy was possibly the daughter of Captain Gillian. For his service during the Revolutionary War, Isham was granted a pension and land grant. They remained in Virginia until 1796, thereafter moving to South Carolina and remaining there until 1814. At age 54, Isham and his wife Amy, in 1814, relocated to Franklin County, Illinois, taking with them 100 slaves (who were eventually all freed), considerable household goods, horses and oxen. The pride of the family was the fine carriage in which they made their journey. It was reported that, prior to moving to Illinois, that their son and daughter had never tied their own shoes or dressed themselves.
Isham and Amy were the parents of 3 boys and 3 girls. Our ancestor, Richard Lemuel Harrison, was their second son, born in 1792 in Virginia. Following their move to Illinois in 1814, Isham, a public officer holder, in 1818 (the year in which Illinois was admitted as the 21st state to the Union), was elected as one of the two delegates from Franklin County to the first Illinois Constitutional Convention. In 1820, they moved to near Irontown, Madison County, Missouri. At 75, on September 14, 1835, Isham died. Amy died around 1844. A daughter described her father as "a wonderful gentleman, who was very well educated for his time."
Richard Lemuel Harrison, born in Virginia in 1792, moved at age 4 with his family to South Carolina. At age 22, he moved with his family to Illinois. He married Judith Wood. They were the parents to 4 boys and 4 girls. Judith died on February 13, 1836 at age 41. Richard died in 1858 at age 66. Our ancestor was their daughter Harriet Jane Harrison. She gave the middle name "Whetzel" to her son, Sylvanius Whetzel Harrison (our ancestor).Our father, Timothy Whitzel Swain, told how his maternal grandfather, Sylvanius Whetzel Harrison, told him that Whetzel was the name of a fearless explorer, friend and contemporary of Daniel Boone, and great Indian fighter who took part in the 1811 Battle of Tippicanoe along with William Henry Harrison (grandson of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence) later to be 9th President of the United States of America and Benjamin Harrison, a grandson of William Henry Harrison, (23rd President of the United States). Unknown is whether or not Richard Lemuel, along with 3 full companies of Franklin County volunteers, served in 1832 in the Black Hawk War with Abraham Lincoln. The State of Indiana at Vincennes erected a statute to Whetzel and named one of its earliest western trails, Whetzel Trace.
Harriet Jane Harrison, daughter of Richard Lemuel, was born May 23, 1834. At age 16 or 17 she married Evan Swain. The father of Evan, John Swain, wore silver buckles on his shoes. He had such a vile temper that Evan and his bride were unable to live under the same roof. Evan's grandfather, Cornelius Swain, migrated in 1812 from Tennessee to Six Mile Prairie in Illinois. Evan and Harriet parented 4 boys and 3 girls. Their first child born when she was 18, was Richard Damascus ("Uncle Mac") who later fathered a son (Richard) who became a brain surgeon in New Jersey. At age 20, Harriet and Evan's second son, Sylvanius Whetzel (grandfather of Timothy Whitzel Swain) was born.
Evan and Harriet Swain lived on a farm in Franklin County, Illinois. Evan fought with the Union Army in the Civil War. During that time, Harriet and the children lived with Evan's sister (Jane) and her husband (William King) in Ewing, Illinois. The reason for this is that Evan and Harriet both wanted their children to have the advantage of the better educational facilities in Ewing. On April 1, 1925, at age 91, Harriet died.
Sylvanius Whetzel Swain was born on December 17, 1854 and died July 1, 1926, at age 74. His wife, Florence Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, was born in 1851 and died in June, 1944, at age 93. They parented 3 children: Gertrude Ophelia Swain (January 2, 1881 - November 14, 1971); Frank Hurd Swain (October 2, 1884 - September 29, 1961), and Theodore Paul Swain (September 14, 1879 - April 16, 1950), who was the father of Timothy Whitzel Swain.
[This information was collected by the eldest daughter of Timothy Whitzel Swain, Nancy, 1993].
Geographical locations with the name SWAIN, per Mapquest:
EAST (9)
SWAIN JOHNSON BROOK, CONNECTICUTT
SWAINS ACRES, DELAWARE
SWAINS COVE, MAINE
SWAINS POND, MAINE
SWAIN, MASSACHUSETTS
SWAINS POND, MASSACHUSETTS
SWAIN, NEW JERSEY
SWAIN, NEW YORK
SWAIN MOUTAIN, NEW YORK
SOUTH (6)
SWAIN, ARKANSAS
SWAIN POND, FLORIDA
SWAINSBORO, GEORGIA
SWAIN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
SWAINSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
SWAINS MOUNTAIN, VIRGINIA
NORTH (4)
SWAIN SLOUGH, ILLINOIS
SWAIN BRANCH, INDIANA
SWAINS LAKE, MICHIGAN
SWAINSTON CREEK, MICHIGAN
WEST (6)
SWAIN HILL, CALIFORNIA
SWAIN MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA
SWAIN MOUNTAIN EXPERIMENTAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA
SWAIN SLOUGH, CALIFORNIA
SWAIN, OREGON
SWAINS CREEK, UTAH
Please be sure to check out an excellent website entitled: The Swayne-Swain Coat of Arms http://www.swayne-swain-coa.com/ This is the original creation of Matthew Swayne who can be reached at: http://friends.peoria.lib.il.us/community/swayne_train@yahoo.com. 29 April 2006.
1(d) ALTORFER
SILAS HENRY ALTORFER
February 27, 1884 - May 14, 1934
S.H. Altorfer was born in Roanoke, Illinois to God-fearing parents. His physique was that of a compact and solidly built individual. He learned to work hard early. His father, Henry Altorfer, owned Roanoke's only hardware store. His mother, Sintiche or Cynthia Weyeneth Altorfer, instilled in him the work ethic. He worked in the tinshop, which was attached to the store. Often he would be sent out to install a furnace, a roof, an eavetrough or even a pig-pen. Silas, without fear of heights, would later tell his son how it was he who had installed many of the windmills on the farms throughout Woodford County, Illinois. He was known for his industrious, unbounding energy.
Silas was the first person in town to obtain a "practical education". He went to plumbing school in New Jersey. Upon his return to Roanoke from plumbing school, S.H. came up with the revolutionary idea of installing a toilet "inside" a house. While the project, for several reasons, did not materialize, it demonstrated his intellectual confidence in pursuing ideas in which he believed could be converted into reality. Soon after, from the vantage point of a high rooftop on which he was installing a slate roof, S.H. observed the demonstration of a washing machine constructed by a blacksmith. He was confident that he could construct a better washing machine.
In 1909, Silas, together with his brother A.W., developed a "home laundry". It consisted of two wooden tubs with an agitator. An internal combustion engine would shake the tubs, one filled with warm water and the other with cold. While the first washing machine was painted red, they soon learned when the clothes started to turn red, that a more neutral color would be more practical. They mounted the washing machine on a flat rig and toured the countryside touting its value to farm households. The metal parts were all selected from the hardware stock and from miscellaneous repair parts of the harvesting machinery sold by their father. By dint of much hack-sawing, cold-chiseling and filing, the machine was at last an accomplished fact. The boys took their adapted and reshaped parts to a pattern shop in Peoria. They arranged for patterns to be constructed. From these patterns, parts could be mass-produced for their new washing machines.
As the oldest, in a family with two younger brothers (Alpheus and Henry) and seven younger sisters (Elizabeth, Anna, Mary Magdalena, Lois, Eunice, Rosa, and Emma), S.H. was looked to for leadership and direction. This intense steady-eyed young man was serious, work-directed and possessed an intense ambition to amount to something special. Of course, he succeeded.
Altorfer Bros. Company, sometimes known as the ABC Washer Company, started out building the Roanoke Power Machine and later the ABC Power Washers. Within nineteen years, distribution of ABC Electric Washers was world-wide. With warehouse stocks maintained in Butte, Denver, St.Paul, Bridgeport and Philadelphia, its American dealers blanketed the entire country. Over 4,200 merchants in the United States and Canada stocked and sold the products of Altorfer Bros. Company. Distributors and Dealers included Isaac Walker Hardware and ABC Electric Shop, Peoria, Illinois; Montana Power Co., Butte, Montana; The Gilchrist Co., Boston, Massachusetts; The D.M. Read Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut; Terry-Durin Co., Cedar Rapids, Iowa; New State Electric Co., Phoenix, Arizona; ABC Washer Shop, Knoxville, Tennessee; Star Electric, Houston, Texas; Wurzburg Dry Goods Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan; O.S. Peterson Co., Long Beach, California and many many more. Exports were made to England, Holland, France, Italy, South Africa, Central and South America and Australia.
S.H.'s drive, intellect and grand vision saw ABC become one of the great manufacturers of washing machines in America. From the humble beginnings in the basement of his father's small hardware store in Roanoke to the 35 acre site in East Peoria with three plants totaling over 365,000 square feet in 1928, S.H. sold the quality ABC product non-stop and everywhere. An example of the sales ability of S.H. and his organization is best demonstrated with figures: in 1911, 2,000 washing machines were sold; in 1912, 4,000 and in 1913, 7,000. He sold the first carload order of power washing machines to a jobber in the East; and in December, 1919, S.H. sold the first solid trainload of washing machines ever shipped to one distributor. In 1933 it was stated that: "If all the ABC washers made since 1909 were placed in a line five feet apart, the Twentieth Century Limited would require four days and four nights to speed past it!"
Nevertheless, his daughter tells the story of how he related to her the fact that on more than one occasion he walked around the block several times in Chicago, gaining the courage to confront extremely difficult sales challenges. During labor unrest at ABC, S.H. sent his family out West for their safety while he briefly carried a .32 Colt automatic for his personal protection.
The angle steel used in 12 months, if laid end to end, to manufacturer washers would extend from Peoria to Minneapolis. Enough paint was used on ABC washers annually to paint every house in a city of 15,000. Like his friend and contemporary, Henry Ford, Silas Altorfer possessed a dream of helping the common person. Specifically, Silas directed his talents to making life easier for the women of the world. For the urban areas he oversaw the development of electric labor-saving machines to help her. For those in rural areas without electricity, he converted the same machines to be powered by small gasoline-engines. Visit Greenfield Village today and you will find on prominent display this visionary but very practical and helpful appliance, the ABC Washing Machine.
Silas H. Altorfer, first and only President of Altorfer Bros. Company during his lifetime, expressed his business philosophy as follows:
"Most people are honest, and most people will recognize and appreciate a sincere effort to be square on the part of the other fellow. In turn it influences them to keep up their end of the Golden Rule. If there was more confidence and less distrust in the beginnings of business relations, there would be fewer complaints afterwards that the other fellow hadn't played fair."
S.H. placed on the back of the door to his office a sign. Whenever a salesman or other employee would complain, protest or make an excuse as to why something could not be done, S.H. would listen and then, with steely eyes trained on his visitor, ask them to turn around and read the sign. The sign simply said: "It Can be Done!" Red-lettering was used to emphasize the word "Can". With that, the conversation and visit ended. Good results were expected, and achieved.
S.H. had a well-deserved reputation for generosity to the down-trodden and those in need. However, he still liked to give on his terms, which saw the needy actually being the recipients of his contributions. His daughter tells the story of a charitable organization requesting from S.H. a large monetary donation to feed the hungry. Instead, S.H. purchased a boxcar of corn meal and parked it on a siding and passed the word that it was available free to whomever wanted to stop by for some corn meal. While only a partial success, it did demonstrate his vision, veer and self-reliant can-do spirit and character that contributed to his great success in life.
While S.H. believed in driving his employees and those around him hard, he always led by example. He loved his family, his wife Elizabeth Sauder Altorfer, his son Richard, his daughter Katherine (Swain), his son Edward and his son John. The inspirational legacy S.H. left to his descendants is immeasurable. He would only ask that each strive to be the best that they can be and to contribute something of value during this short time that they are on this Wonderful Earth.
ALTORFER BROS. COMPANY,PEORIA, ILLINOIS
A.B.C. to make machines for Insull
(Article is a reprint from the Roanoke Post, Feb. 28, 1928)
Added production means much to industrial development
A transaction of momentous importance to Peoria's industrial development has just been completed whereby the Altorfer Brothers company, formerly of Roanoke, has taken over the manufacturing plant of the Federal Washing Machine company of Chicago, and henceforth will supply the market of the latter company with washing machines made in Peoria.
The Federal washing machine has been prominent in the eastern and middle western markets. The company which made it was directly affiliated with the Insull utility interests.
Under the new arrangement the Altorfer Brothers company is to supply the entire Insull organization for marketing through its electrical appliance stores, a specially built washing machine, made exclusively for them under the trade name of "Fedelco."
The Chicago plant of the Federal Washing Machine company will be abandoned and all the machines will be made in the East Peoria factory of the Altorfer Brothers company. Production under the new contract has already started.
The "Fedelco" machine is to be made here in addition to the regular A.B.C. line of washers, which is said to be the most complete in the world. No plant expansions will be necessary at this time, because of recent gigantic additions, but the factory will be operated at maximum capacity, and more men will be added to the payroll to take care of the increased business.
Something of the volume which this deal involves may be judged by the fact that there are more than 2,400 communities in which the Insull interests operate, the largest of their units being the Commonwealth Edison company of Chicago. the distributing agency through which the "Fedelco" machine will be handled is known as the Federal Electric company of Chicago.
Year's report on Altorfer Bros. business
(Article is a reprint from the Roanoke Post, 1931)
Manufacturing and selling records set by Altorfer Brothers Company in 1930 have just been given nationwide prominence by a special article in the Wall Street Journal, of New York, the country's leading financial newspaper. The article follows:
The volume of ABC units produced increased approximately 30 percent in 1930, although there was some recession in the production of private brand units. During the year, the company opened a factory in Canada and a branch factory and distribution center in California. At the close of the year, it introduced a new product in the form of an electro-table for mechanizing kitchen operations.
Officials say that the two factory additions alone should effect a 20 percent increase in net profit in 1931. They point out that the ability of the company to show an increase in net profit last year despite depressed conditions coupled with the fact that it now has contracts for more business that at any other time in its history. This indicates that with any improvement in business generally profit can show a further substantial increase in 1931.
Altorfer Brothers Company manufactures ABS electric washing machines, ironers and electro-tables. Its preferred stock is listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange and is currently quoted at about $33 a share, yielding about 9 percent on the dividend rate of $3 a year.
S.H. and Elizabeth Altorfer were married on Sunday, July 4, 1909. They were blessed with four children, Katherine, Richard, Edward and John. Initially the family lived in Roanoke, Illinois. It was there that Altorfer Bros. Company was conceived and established. After the Roanoke plant burned in 1916 it was rebuilt in East Peoria and the family moved to Peoria. They built or purchased a home on Perry Street. The children attended Greeley Grade School, and later Peoria Central High School after moving to Mc Clure.
The family's new home at 200 West McClure was constructed in 1923. It was on the southwest corner of Mc Clure and Linn Streets, fronting on Mc Clure. The Hazard family's home, on Linn Street, was their neighbor to the south. An alley ran behind the Hazard home, along the south side of the Altorfer garage and then made a 90 degree turn to the north along the west side of the Altorfer property with the alley opening onto Mc Clure. The lot size was 165 feet' along Mc Clure and 134 feet along Linn.
S.H. purchased the lot (approximately 189 feet on McClure by 102 feet on Linn) across Linn Street from their home where S.H. had playground equipment installed for use by both the Altorfer and neighborhood children as a park. John remembers when his Dad purchased the lot (120 West McClure) across Linn Street from 200 West McClure for a playground for his children and the neighborhood children so that they would not have to play in the street. The entire lot was fenced. Playground equipment of all kinds was installed. A cinder track was installed around the lot's outer perimeter. In the summer, S.H. would secure a pony from the Roanoke coal mine (Jumbo) where it was used to haul coal for John and the kids to ride. John would ride it and keep it in the lot. In fact, John attributes this experience as the origin of his lifelong love of horseback riding. Some years later at his Cessna Park (IL) farm, he would own and ride his horse, Rex and for many years thereafter he annually rode on the Ranchero Horseback Rides throughout the Western United States of America.
The Altorfer home was constructed of red brick, with a red tile roof. It consisted of two stories, with a finished basement and a finished attic. The attic was accessible through a normal staircase located behind a door in the 2nd floor front bedroom in the northeast corner. Its two-car free-standing and separate brick garage with red tile roof faced Linn Street, being located in the southwest corner of the lot. The concrete full driveway was approximately 145 feet long. The four corners of the lot were marked by 2 feet by 2 feet square brick columns, with stone tops, 5 feet high. A home of similar construction (still standing today)was adjacent to the Altorfer home on Linn Street, owned by the Hazard family.
Children enjoyed the long driveway to ride various pedal toys, play hopscotch, jump rope and play various ball games. When only one car was used, the second garage space held toys from older children of by-gone years, as well as an assortment of extra large flower arrangement containers apparently from S.H.'s funeral in May, 1934.
Across the entire front of the home was a porch with the area over the front entrance being a tile roofed portico, and each wing of the porch covered with a removable green canvas awning. The porch was used for family relaxation and enjoyment, especially in the evenings.
The home's interior construction consisted of plaster walls, steam heat, and an abundance of wood trim and molding. The wood was primarily oak. The floors were wood, with some covered in carpet. John remembers the oak interior of 200 West McClure; and will hopefully elaborate on it's description; Joanne has a coffee table made from some of the oak spindles used for the stairway banister.
One entering the home's front entrance on Mc Clure entered a spacious hallway, with a wood-spindled staircase to the left (east) leading to the second floor. On the right was the dining room, with the kitchen, pantry and hallway to the dining room's immediate rear (south). To the left (east) of the entrance hall was the large living room, and beyond that was a long parlor running the full dept of the home, along the Linn Street side of the home. There was one bathroom on the first floor.
Grandchildren remember the living room being the location of a large radio where the family first learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and later the flag with the single blue star hanging in the front window in honor and recognition of John's being overseas on a destroyer and his service in the United States Navy in World War II. Those same grandchildren have fond memories of the parlor being where they took their afternoon naps. During those naps, they would gaze at the painting on the wall of far off scenes in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, until they drifted off to sleep.
The second floor had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The master bedroom was located across the east side of the second floor.
The full basement, with its ABC spinner washing machine, porcelain wash tubs and mangler-press for sheets and large ironing jobs, and scrub board with home-made lye soap, plus assorted toys from the 1920's and 30's always caught the attention of the snooping-roving grandchildren.
The yard with its goldfish fish pond, arched white rose trellis and giant blooming white and pink peonies was a sight to behold. The majestic trees in the front yard were probably oak. The grandchildren do not remember climbing in the trees, but do remember the abundance of squirrels in both the trees and the yard.
A grandchild remembers being given a salt shaker to see if the grandchild could get close enough to a bird to pour salt on its tail and thus prevent it from flying, so he could have a new pet. Despite valiant efforts, the bird would always wisely fly away. The McClure corner posts, soon surrounded with foliage and bushes, served as a cool retreat and fort for the youngsters. A grandchild still remembers the elaborate funeral rites accorded the burial of a dead bird in a shoe box in the front yard, adjacent to their "fort."
John remembers when there was a plot to kidnap S.H's youngest brother, Henry Altorfer. A letter was received demanding a $10,000 ransom and if it was not paid, Henry would be killed. The instructions were for the money to be dropped off at the Madison Theater (corner of Main and Madison streets in Peoria). John remembers sitting with his Dad on the front porch of the family home at 200 West McClure with what seemed like all the detectives in Peoria and his Dad instructing them on what they should be doing to apprehend the culprit. The "drop" was made of a suitcase of old newspapers and the "would-be-kidnapper" was captured when he tried to retrieve the "ransom." It later turned out that the letter-writer was a disgruntled factory worker at Altorfer Bros. Inc.
Directly across the street at 201 West McClure Clyde Garrison, the local mob leader, and his wife (Cora) lived. On Friday, October 17, 1930 the Altorfers heard a noise like a stream of rocks hitting a window. It turned out that two gangsters from the Chicago mob snuck up the Garrisons while they were in their backyard garden and machine-gunned the Garrisons. They missed Clyde, but killed his wife, afterwhich they were picked up by an accomplish driving an automobile headed south on Linn Street, and escaped. After that incident, Garrison retired.
John remembers the day when Cora Garrison was gunned down in her garden across the street where she lived with her husband, mobster, Clyde Garrison. John recalls that the family was seated around the table for dinner. There being no air-conditioning, the windows were open for ventilation. The previous day, Edward had seen "All Quiet On The Western Front" at the movies. Those seated at the table heard this clattering noise that no one could readily identify. Edward said that it sounded like a machine gun to him. They ran to the front (Mc Clure) window and saw a car speeding off. A suspicious car had been observed by the Altorfers on the side street (Linn) outside their parlor window for several weeks periodically. John said that he remembers bullets or bullet-holes in the Garrison house.
John remembers at the other end of Linn Street was the home of a fellow named Urban who owned all of the slot machines in Peoria. Urban was later kidnapped, but released after a ransom was paid.
John regrets that he could have not known and learned more from his Dad than the short 13 years that he had with his Dad. Everyone agreed that S.H. was one smart man. John tells the story that his sister Katherine once told to him. She, as either the only female, or at least one of the few females then enrolled in the University of Illinois College of Commerce (S.H. thought that women should be learned in commerce), invited her Dad to a Father's Day at Illinois, and took him to one of her finance or econmomics classes at the Commerce school. Following class, S.H. and the professor visited at length. The next time that she attended the class, the professor asked to speak with her after class. Then he told her: " I must tell you that your Father is one of the smartest men that I have ever met."
Christmas Eve was always celebrated by the whole family at Grandma Altorfers on McClure. The cousins enjoyed playing together and again exploring the house and enjoying their Christmas presents. And, it always snowed at Grandma Altorfer's home on Christmas Eve.
2. Geneology
[under construction]
3. Professions
(a) Medical
[under construction]
(b) Law
[under construction
4. Education
ABC INVESTMENT CLUB
“A Highest Standards Enterprise”
Education, Wisdom, Work and Ambition are Our Keys to Success.
Baccalaureate Degrees from Colleges and Universities
University of Illinois, B.A. (History); University of Illinois, B.S. (Commerce); University of Illinois, B.S. (Home Economics, summa cum laude); University of Illinois, B.A. (Architecture); University of Illinois, B.A. (Political Science); Vanderbilt University, B.A. (English); University of Illinois, B.A. (English, cum laude); Iowa State University, B.S. (Construction Engineering); Duke University, B.A. (Chinese History, magna cum laude); Northwestern University, B.S. (Communications Studies); University of Illinois, B.S. (Accounting), B.A (Economics); Southern Methodist University, B.A. (Theater); University of Illinois, B.A. (Agriculture); Northwestern University ( B.A); Iowa State University, B.S. (Journalism/Mass Communications); University of Montana, B.S., (Business Administration, Accounting); Eastern Illinois University, B.A. (Speech Communications); University of Illinois, B. S. (Biology); University of Wisconsin, B.A. (Communications); Princeton University, B.S. (Economics, summa cum laude); Vanderbilt University, B.A. (Human & Organizational Development, cum laude); University of Illinois, B.S. (Finance, cum laude; London School of Economics); University of Illinois, B.S. (Accounting & Finance; London School of Economics);
Professional and Advanced Degrees from Colleges and Universities
University of Illinois College of Law (J.D.)(Illinois Bar); Architect; University of Illinois College of Law (J.D.) (Illinois, Tennessee Bars); Peabody College (Teaching Certificate); Stanford University (Masters of Arts); Northwestern University (Masters, Manufacturing Engineering); University of Illinois College of Medicine (M.D., Doctor of Medicine); University of Minnesota (Internship & Residency in Internal Medicine); University of Washington (Fellowship, Endocrinology and Metabolism); Board Certified, Internal Medicine and Board Certified, Endocrinology; Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital; Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Business (Masters, Business Administration); University of Illinois, Certified Public Accountant; University of Chicago (Masters, Business Administration); Northwestern University (Masters, Speech Language Pathology);Drake University School of Law (J.D.) (Illinois Bar) ; University of Montana School of Law (J.D., cum laude)(Montana Bar); University of Illinois College of Medicine, (M.D., Doctor of Medicine); The Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood, PA (Internship & Residency in General Surgery & Fellowship in Cardiac Surgery / Dr. Scott Goldman); University of Rochester Medical Center, Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2005 - 2007; University of Denver College of Law (J.D.) (Colorado Bar; Illinois Bar); Harvard University, Harvard Business School (Masters, Business Administration);Harvard University, Harvard Graduate School of Education (Masters, Education).
FAMILY "LARKING" ADVENTURES
"FINISHERS" and "SUMMITTERS"
2006 - GREGG SMITH - FINISHER, BILLINGS MONTANA MARATHON
"3 hrs. 39 min - His Personal Best Record!!!
2006 - GREGG SMITH - FINISHER, HIS 18 MILE PORTIONS OF 197 MILE MT. HOOD TO PACIFIC OCEAN RELAY
23:55 MINUTES - "Good bye workout gear in the dirty clothes bag!"
2006 - SCOTT CRAWFORD - FINISHER, HUSTLE UP THE HANCOCK (94 FLOORS) - CHICAGO
2005 - TIM SWAIN, FINISHER, "GO VERTICAL CHICAGO" SEARS TOWER CLIMB, 103 STORIES
"The longest indoor stair climb in the world"
2005 - KRISTAN SWAIN, FINISHER, THE BIG SUR HALF MARATHON, MONTERAY BAY, CALIFORNIA
2005 - GREGG SMITH, FINISHER, HIS 18 MILE PORTIONS OF 197 MILE MT. HOOD TO PACIFIC OCEAN RELAY
"Johnny Cash Runners - 73rd of 1,063 Teams Entered, 22nd in Age Group, 23 hrs. 43 min"
2005 - HANK SMITH & GREGG SMITH, SUMMITTED, MT. WRIGHT (8,875') - MONTANA
2005 - TIM SWAIN, FINISHER, STEAMBOAT CLASSIC (4 MILES) - PEORIA, IL
2005 - TIM SWAIN, FINISHER, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL HALF MARATHON (13 MILES) - DUNLAP, IL
2005 - WILL SMITH (SWIM - 500 YDS), DEVAN SMITH (BIKE - 11 MILES), HANK SMITH (RUN - 3 MILES), FINISHERS - PEAK TRIATHLON - 1 HR. 34 MIN - OVERALL 3RD PLACE, GREAT FALLS, MONTANA
2005 - SCOTT CRAWFORD - FINISHER, HUSTLE UP THE HANCOCK (94 FLOORS) - CHICAGO
2004 - KRISTAN SWAIN - FINISHER, WHISTLE-STOP MARATHON, ASHLAND, WI
2004 - DEVAN SMITH - FINISHER, TWIN CITIES MARATHON
"The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America"
2004 - KRISTAN SWAIN - FINISHER, 20 MILES (DENVER) PREP FOR WISCONSIN MARATHON
2004 - TIM SWAIN, 4.2 MILES, FROM WACKER TO SHEDD AQUARIUM AND CLIMBED 46 FLOORS, SWISSHOTEL
2004 - HUNTER DAVIS, DESCENDED HAWAIIAN VOLCANO (20 MILES ROUND TRIP) & CAMPED OVERNIGHT
2004 - HANK, WILL, CARSEN & FRIENDS SUMMITTED WINDY PEAK - 6,850'
2004 - DEVAN SMITH - FINISHER, HER 18 MILE PORTIONS OF 197 MILE MT. HOOD TO PACIFIC OCEAN RELAY
2004 - HANK, WILL, CARSEN & FRIENDS HIKED TO HIDDEN (HOUR) LAKE/SWAM IN 50º WATER
2004 - KRISTAN SWAIN - SUMMITTED (3RD TIME) PIKE'S PEAK 14, 109' VIA BARR TRIAL
2004 - SUMMITTED STARVED ROCK (125') - AUSTIN; WILL; SAM; CARSEN; WILL; HANK;
2004 - DR. TRACE SWAIN - SUMMITTED HUAYNA POTOSI (BOLIVIA) - 19,975'
2004 - DEVAN SMITH - FINISHER, PEAK TRIATHLON (SWIM/BIKE/RUN)
2003 - DR. TRACE SWAIN - SUMMITTED MT. RAINIER - 14,410'
2003 - GREGG SMITH - SUMMITTED MT. RAINIER - 14,410'
2003 - TIM SWAIN - FINISHER, HUSTLE UP THE HANCOCK (94 FLOORS) - CHICAGO
2003 - DEVAN SMITH - FINISHER, LAS VEGAS MARATHON
2002 - DR. TRACE SWAIN - FINISHER, PHILADELPHIA MARATHON
2002 - GREGG SMITH - FINISHER, PORTLAND MARATHON
2001 - GREGG SMITH - FINISHER, LEWIS & CLARK (BOZEMAN) MARATHON
2001 - HANK SMITH - SUMMITTED HIGHWOOD BALDY - 7,670'
2001 - WILL SMITH - SUMMITTED HIGHWOOD BALDY - 7,670"
2001 - CARSEN SMITH - SUMMITTED HIGHWOOD BALDY - 7,670"
2001 - GREGG SMITH - SUMMITTED MT. RAINIER - 14,200'
2001 - TIM SWAIN - SUMMITTED, PIKES PIKE VIA BARR TRAIL- 14,109'
2001 - KRISTAN SWAIN - FINISHER, CASTLE ROCK/COLORADO SPRINGS 100 MILE BIKE RACE
2001 - KRISTAN SWAIN - FINISHER, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE HALF MARATHON
2001 - KRISTAN SWAIN - FINISHER, NASHVILLE HALF MARATHON
2000 - GREGG SMITH - FINISHER, LEWIS & CLARK (BOZEMAN) MARATHON
2000 - TIM SWAIN - FINISHER, BIG SHOULDERS OPEN WATER SWIM - CHICAGO
2000 - KRISTAN SWAIN - FINISHER, BIG SHOULDERS OPEN WATER SWIM - CHICAGO
2000 - TIM SWAIN - SUMMITTED, PIKES PIKE VIA CRAGGS TRAIL- 14,109'
2000 - KRISTAN SWAIN - SUMMITTED, PIKES PIKE VIA BARR/CRAGGS TRAILS - 14,109' (TWICE)
1999- ALLISON CRAWFORD - FINISHER, CHICAGO MARATHON
1999 - TIM SWAIN -SUMMITTED, HALF DOME, YOSEMITE
1998 - ALLISON CRAWFORD - FINISHER, CHICAGO MARATHON
1998 - ALLISON CRAWFORD - FINISHER, ROCK N ROLL MARATHON - SAN DIEGO
1997- ALLISON CRAWFORD - FINISHER, CHICAGO MARATHON
1991 - TRACE SWAIN - FINISHER, GRADUATES FLORIDA BAREFOOT WATER SKIING COURSE
1986 - TIM SWAIN - FINISHER, LIBERTY TO LIBERTY TRIATHLON
1984 - TIM SWAIN - FINISHER, CHICAGO MARATHON
1983 - TIM SWAIN - FINISHER, CHICAGO BUD LITE TRIATHLON
1983 - TIM SWAIN - FINISHER, ALCATRAZ CHALLENGE TRIATHLON
5. Business
[under construction]
From the lineage and inspiration of Timothy Whitzel Swain, born in Benton, Illinois and Katherine Cynthia Altorfer Swain, born in Roanoke, Illinois and
the Blessings of Our Lord Above
as of March 20, 2005
In Honor and Memory of
Timothy Whitzel Swain
(August 20, 1909 - November 1, 1999)
Married 10.3.1936 - almost 60 years
Katherine Cynthia Altorfer Swain
(April 24, 1910 - January 20, 1996)
Together, Mom and Dad founded a radio station (WIRL- AM), won a contested FCC license for TV Channel 8 (VHF), founded a life insurance company (State Life of Illinois), founded a bank (Pioneer Bank), founded a charitable foundation (Timothy W. and Katherine Altorfer Swain Charitable Foundation) and built a real estate conglomerate of farmland, commercial properties, and apartments.
17 Grandchildren/spouses
13 Great Grandchildren
6 - little boys
2 - little girls
3 - baby girls
2- baby boys
INSPIRATIONAL TRAITS OF
SWAINS/ALTORFERS ANCESTORS
3.20.2005
Timothy "Tim" Whitzel Swain
8.20.1909 - 11.1.1999
Honest; visionary; honorable; initiator; creative; leader; moral; ethical; integrity; religious; patriotic; trustworthy; forthright; team player; disciplined; thinker; conservative; focused; determined; analytical; persevered; insight; liked people; good read of people; independent; fearless; ambitious; energized; excellent health; strong body; no vices; kind; frugal; loyal; team player; worked for worthy purposes and causes; never arrogant; honest; very "big thinker" on state and national level; good Protestant; talented lawyer; spirited; generous; skillful in things undertaken; likeable; cheerful; great guy; happy and smiling; resourceful; indomitable ; intrepid; unstoppable; resilient; all heart; independent; forger ahead; strong willpower; commanding presence; good voice; optimistic; sense of humor; serious; very fair; feared no person or thing; liked and created action; dynamo; intense; worked well in tandem with wife; highly energized; noble; happy warrior; talented drummer with natural rhythm; good appetite and enjoyed sugar and starch more than veggies!; always advised when going rough - "Get a good night's sleep and it will look better in the morning"; taught his son about flying the flag and patriotism and always said he would have been a Marine, but he always proudly described his son to others as a "Ranger paratrooper"; he taught his son early the very effective "neck hold" in wrestling, that helped his son to win most of his boyhood fights and receive an "A" in his U. of I. wrestling PE class;
Katherine "Kay" Cynthia Altorfer Swain
4.24.1910 - 1.20.1996
Resourceful; determined; focused; kind; generous; moral and without vices of any kind; conservative; creative; honest; fearless; organizer; independent; ambitious; good business sense; leader; liked people; humble; kind; visionary; good insight and analytical powers; saw and understood the "big picture"; disciplined; no vices; frugal; loyal; team player; ethical; without airs; worked for worthy purposes and causes; never arrogant; honest; good Protestant; could be practical joker; happy and light hearted; serious; family orientated; very fair; a happy forceful and talented lady; unafraid to tackle anything; action person and creator of action; very wise in recognizing situations and circumstances; dynamo; intense; worked well in tandem with husband; loved life and kept the pedal to the metal to the end; highly energized; like her Dad; lived 2210/3812 N. Bigelow 1942-1962 then rest of her life at 7412 N. Edgewild Drive; many "projects" going at same time; even during her last illness, she continued to "go, go, go" and refused to let her illness become any type of excuse for not attending, participating or experiencing; enjoyed a "good challenge"; always game to try something new and different, like her father; Alicia - "Muttie would teach us how to do things, like knit or crochet, and if Scott and I would express an interest in a computer, she would immediately offer to purchase one that we could learn on. When Muttie and Grandpa took the grandkids to the movies, Muttie would bring individual sacks of peanuts to pass out to us in our seats, so it was not necessary to purchase the expensive "movie popcorn", but did we make a mess with our peanut shells on the floor"; Mom created the mechanism by which to permit their long-time helper in our home, Dorothy Hayden, to purchase her own home at 111 W. Hurlburt, and experience the life-long security of being the sole owner of one's own home and refuge; Mom came up with the idea of a "Grandparents car" starting with a 1979 orange Ford Fiesta, followed by a red Chevrolet Cavalier and other vehicles, all of which the grandchildren shared driving and enjoying; self reliant, non-subscriber to "Let Jasper do it" attitude; When her son came home from grade school to brag that when asked to fill out his ethnic origins for a school form, he decided that rather than putting down his traditional answer of German and English, he wrote "American"; but, his mother did not give to him the expected approval, telling him "Well, now they will think you are an Indian"; crestfallen, he could only reply, "I don't care."
Silas Henry "S.H." Altorfer
2.27.1884 - 5.14.1934
Forceful; visionary; very "big thinker"; strong presence; relentless; determined; established by determination and perseverance total self confidence; thought on a national and international scale; team player; honest; good Protestant; liked and created action; a rebel; encouraged his children to read and improve themselves through education; emphatic about education; dynamo; intense; high energy; very creative; cognizant of and aware of looking out for women and "women's rights."; knew importance of and value of education, which he stressed for his children; many "projects" going at one time; his maternal ancestors (Benedict Weyenth, et al) were Swiss; liked food, especially all types of cheeses, which he liked cut "real thin" together with his favorite French dressing on his salad; devastated by the drowning of their 11 year old son Richard in Michigan in 1933 while on a fishing trip; as the oldest child and with heavy business responsibilities, he often felt alone and isolated; S.H. would often arrange to be "out of town" on business when the Washington Day Banquet was scheduled, so as not to appear "prideful" to his friends at the AC Church; their German Shepherd dog only responded to commands in German; Uncle John told about Mom telling him the story that when their Dad (S.H.) visited her at the University of Illinois she introduced him to one of her professors in the College of Commerce; S.H. and the professor chatted at length; and the following day, or so, the professor told Mom that he enjoyed his visit with her Father (S.H.), and that S.H. was one of the smartest persons he had ever met (S.H. was the Founder and only President, during his life, of Altorfer Brothers Company, manufacturers of ABC Washing Machines and Ironers, and responsible for transforming it into a national and international company, competitors being Maytag, Easy and other similar companies);
Elizabeth "Elizabeth" Sauder Altorfer
5.5.1886 - 1.8.1968
Disciplined; ambitious; religious; determined; honest; possessed all the good German habits; demanded results; humble; honorable; very fair and unafraid to stand up for the underdog; self-confident; without arrogance; good Apostolic Christian (AC); presence; generous; lived at 200 W. McClure - 1923 to 1948; would finish one "project" and then begin next one, very organized and methodical; very social; President of her AC Quilting Club; enjoyed talking on telephone, and would "doodle" on scratch pad; not material oriented, e.g. when she would purchase a new dress, she would give away a dress; always working to improve her delicious and famous "sugar cookies"; always advised respect for the religious beliefs of others;
Theodore "Paul" Paul Swain
9.14.1879 - 4.18.1950
Kind; ambitious; work ethic; studious; enjoyed politics and people; thinker; disciplined; honest; good Protestant; trustworthy; handsome and refined features; loved buttermilk; considered a great fellow by his friends; smoked a pipe; kept a "slab" of comb honey from a beehive in the kitchen pantry that the grandchildren enjoyed visiting to use on their toast; emotional, tears came easily; a good conversationalist; always gave to his young grandson a pocket knife from his collection when he visited him in Benton and gave him a treasured hand-made from WWII material a double-edged dagger sheath knife with "Tim" engraved on its handguard; memories of Grandpa pulling Nancy & Tim in the wagon to Kenny's Market on Sheridan and buying them a carton of Hershey bars;
Gertrude "Gertrude" Malinda Jones Shirley Rea Swain
10.3.1878 - 3.14.1978
Ambitious; determined; survivor; style; kind; religious; thinker; loyal; delegater; honest; good Baptist; very political; "even" with everybody; would communicate with her loved ones via letters, notes or cards; she would handwrite four letters at once; would set up four clip boards around her dining room table and then begin the original correspondence on each letter..Dearxxx...para 1...then para 2, etc to the ending; her niece (Karen Kay Jones) always felt comfortable and welcomed by Aunt Gertrude; good appetite; her "Southern fried chicken" was the best; artistic bent, with a refined sense of color, maybe reflecting her French ancestry (Chennaults); enjoyed wearing hats and always made sure "color-coordinated"; could not drive a car and never flew in an airplane;
2. Genealogy
(a) Tim's Family
1. Timothy W. Swain [August 20, 1909 - November 1, 1999]
2. Katherine Alorfer Swain [April 24, 1910 - January 20,1996]
3. Silas Henry Alforfer
4. Elizabeth Sauder Altorfer
5. Theodore Paul Swain
6. Malinda Gertrude Jones Swain
(b) Avalyn's Family
1. Tyler Berry, Jr.
2. Sara McGavock Roberts Berry
3. Walter Aiken Roberts
4. Susie Lee Roberts
5. Tyler Berry
6. Elizabeth Avalyn Fleming Berry
7. Sam M. Fleming
3. Professions
(a) Medical
(b) Law
4. Education
5. Business
Tim's Family Geneology
1 (a) Timothy W. Swain
Peoria - Timothy Whitzel Swain, 90, formerly of 7412 North Edgewild Drive, Peoria, Illinois died at 12:09 a.m. Monday, November 1, 1999, at the Apostolic Christian Skylines in Peoria.
Born August 20, 1909, in Benton, Illinois to Theodore Paul Swain and Malinda Gertrude Jones Swain. He traced his ancestors back to the Swains of Nantucket Island who arrived from Berkshire England in 1595. He married Katherine Cynthia Altorfer Swain on October 3, 1936 in Chicago. She died January 20, 1996.
One sister and one brother also preceded him in death.
Surviving are two daughters, Nancy and Cynthia Malinda Swain Davis of Peoria; one son, Timothy W. Swain II of Peoria, eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
He was active in the private practice of law for more than 50 years. His practice consisted of general corporate law, estate planning and contested matters.
In 1934, he started the practice law in Peoria, Illinois as a sole practitioner, later joining the firm of Bartley and Bartley. After a number of years there, he joined Frederick Arber and Arber Johnson in the firm of Arber, Swain & Johnson. That firm, with the addition of Mishael O. Gard and Frederick D. Johnson, became Swain, Johnson & Gard where he continued to practice law until late in his career when he became Of Counsel to the law firm of Swain, Hartshorn & Scott.
In 1945, he was Corporation Counsel for the City of Peoria. He served as general counsel for R.G. LeTourneau, Inc., and its successor companies, for 38 years.
From 1947 until 1957, he served as Co-Founder and general counsel for WIRL-AM, until it was sold to Frudeger Broadcasting Co. He was Co-Founder, President, and Director of WIRL Television Co. (Channel 8 VHF). He was Chairman of the Bridge Name Committee for the Murray M. Baker Bridge, Peoria, Illinois in 1958. He served as a Founder, Vice President, Director and General Counsel for State Life of Illinois Insurance Company from its founding in 1959 until it was merged with Franklin Life Insurance Company, Springfield, Illinois, in 1967. As one of the founders of Pioneer State Bank of Peoria, he served on its Board, as its President, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors from its founding in 1968 until he retired from the Board in 1983 and it was merged into the Commercial National Bank, now National City Bank.
He was a member of the Law Forum Council, University of Illinois College of Law, 1953-1955, supervising the writing of Law Review articles. He was appointed in 1955 to succeed Harold ?Red? Grange as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, and served as a Trustee for the next 20 years. He was President of that Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1969. From 1955 until 1968, he was Chairman, Merit Board, University Civil Service System of Illinois. In 1975, he was elected Trustee Emeritus. He was a long-standing and loyal member of the President?s Club of the University of Illinois. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
During his tenure as a Trustee of the University of Illinois, more that 50 new buildings were constructed, including the world famous University of Illinois Assembly Hall; a major addition to the Union Building; a major addition to the Library (the third largest in the world); construction of the new College of Law ; and the construction of a number of buildings on the Engineering campus. It was during his tenure on the Board that the concept and development of a commuter university in Chicago resulted in the construction of the University of Illinois Chicago Circle Campus. He was instrumental in locating the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
He served as President of the Peoria County Bar Association, 1954-1955, and as President of the Illinois State Bar Association, 1958-1959. He was the second Peoria lawyer in history to have been elected President of both Associations. He was a founding Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation, serving as a Director from 1957 to 1983. He was Chair of the Illinois Bar Center Construction Committee from 1963 to 1965, during which time the new headquarters for the Illinois State Bar Association was constructed adjacent to the Illinois Supreme Court Building. American Bar Association activities included serving as a member of its House of Delegates, 1959-1964; Chairman of the Bar Activities Section, 1962; Chairman of the Law List Committee, 1963-1969; Delegate to the Judicial Administration Division Lawyers Conference, 1980-1981 and Secretary of the Lawyers Division, 1981-1982. He was a member of Scribes of the ABA. He was a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
He was a founding member of the Planning Committee of the World Peace Through Law Center, 1977. From 1977 through 1987, he served on the Board of Governors of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association. He was a member of the Society of Trial Lawyers of Illinois.
A lifelong Republican, he served as President and National Committeeman of the Young Republican Organization of Illinois, 1940-1942. Thereafter, he remained active in Republican politics. He served as a member of the Legal Advisors of The Republican National Committee during the administration of President Ronald Reagan.
He has biographical listings in Who?s Who in America; World?s Who?s Who in Commerce and Industry; and Who?s Who in the World.
He served for 25 years on the Board of Directors of Neighborhood House, a social service agency. During the time he served as President of that Board, a new camp, Neighborhood House Camp, was constructed on Yankee Lane near Chillicothe, Illinois. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts from 1950 until 1957. As a member of its Search and Purchase committee, he was instrumental in the site selection and construction of Camp Tapawingo, near Metamora, Illinois.
He was a 32nd Degree Mason-Consistory-Shriner; a longtime member of the Peoria Farm Bureau and the Illinois Agricultural Association [his landmark case of Swain v. Brinegar, CAIll, 542 F2d 364; 517 F2d 766, reversing the District Court, DCIll, 378 FSupp 753, recognized for the first time the importance of preserving Illinois farmland from destruction by unnecessary highway construction] and a past member in good standing of the American Federation of Musicians of the AFL-CIO.
He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1931 and from its College of Law in 1933. At the University of Illinois, he served as Business Manager for the Illio Yearbook in the depths of the Depression. He earned his way through college by playing the drums in dance bands, including his own, and by playing in the Bill Donahue Orchestra on an around-the-world cruise.
He was formerly a member of the Country Club of Peoria, the Creve Coeur Club and The Chicago Club.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church, 411 Lake Street, Peoria. The Rev. James H. Middleton will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Wilton Mortuary in Peoria and one hour before services at the church. Burial will be in Parkview Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Apostolic Christian Skylines, Peoria or the First Baptist Church of Peoria
IN THE TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
PEORIA COUNTY, ILLINOIS
MEMORIAL RESOLUTION
for
TIMOTHY W. SWAIN
(1909 - 1999)
Presented before the HONORABLE BRUCE W. BLACK, Chief Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, State of Illinois presiding, on the 1st day of June, 2000.
REPORTED BY:
Dee Dee Sullivan, CSR-RPR
Official Court Reporter
Tenth Judicial Circuit
License No. 084-002624
Dee Dee Sullivan, CSR-RPR
Official Court Reporter
* * * * * * *
MR. KANE: Thank you, your Honor, our next resolution is to Mr. Timothy W. Swain. It was written by his friend Mr. Fred Johnson, unfortunately he couldn't be here and Rick Johnson is going to read it for him.
THE COURT: Mr. Johnson.
MR. JOHNSON: May it please the Court, guests. Like Jim said my uncle wrote this so I had to read it three or four times to make sure I get the pronunciation correctly of the words here. And he was quick to point out to me when he gave this to me to read that he is the real Fred Johnson and I'm just the impostor Fred Johnson.
Memorial Resolution for Timothy W. Swain. Timothy W. Swain, a Peoria lawyer for more than 50 years, died November 1, 1999, at Apostolic Christian Skylines in Peoria.
Tim -- that is my uncle speaking there, always called Mr. Swain Mr. Swain with respect to him. He was a great individual. Tim was born August 20, 1909 in Benton, Illinois to Theodore Paul Swain and Malinda Gertrude Jones Swain. On October 30, 1936 he married Kathleen Altorfer in Chicago. On January 20, 1996 she preceded him in death. Tim, whose devotion to his family was paramount to all else, was survived by two daughters, Nancy and Cynthia Swain Davis, both of Peoria; and one son, Timothy W. Swain, II, also of Peoria. Tim was also survived by eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Tim earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois, the former in 1931 and the latter in 1933. His relationship with the University is a good illustration of the old adage that "it is better to give than to receive." He did receive the two degrees from the University as we just noted, but what he gave the University subsequently was far more significant. He served as a member of its Board of Trustees for 20 years and served as President of the Board from 1967 to 1969 -- when I was there. During his tenure as a Trustee of the University he had a significant hand in the construction of the new College of Law, and he was instrumental in locating the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria in our city.
He was a man of great energy and accomplishment. To chronicle his many achievements would likely consume the balance of a day and would go over ground familiar to all of us who knew, admired, and respected him. He was an able and outstanding lawyer practicing in our midst for many years. epitomizing leadership. Above all, his legal career was one epitomizing leadership. He led his law firm, Swain, Johnson & Gard, as one of its founders and its senior partner from its formation until late in his legal career. He was a leader of the organized Bar, serving as President of the Peoria County Bar Association during 1954 and 1955, and he served as President of the Illinois State Bar Association during 1958 and 1959. He was a founding Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation and served as a Director from 1957 to 1983. He was also a leader of the Bar on the national level. He was a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates from 1959 to 1964 -- you might wonder when he found time to work at the office -- and was a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. His outstanding leadership also extended to his community as evidenced by his services as Corporation Counsel for the City of Peoria in 1945 and as a member of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood House, a local social service agency for 25 years. Tim's leadership in all these areas has been and will be sorely missed.
As alluded to previously, family values played an all-important part in Tim's life. Perhaps this fact can best be described in an anecdotal way. In the fall of 1968 one of the partners of Tim's firm suffered a stroke at the age of 41. That would be my uncle. At the time of this calamity the partner had a wife and two small children. While suffering through the vicissitude that these circumstances placed upon the partner, he had a great concern as to whethering 1954 and 1955, and he served as President of the Illinois State Bar Association during 1958 and 1959. He was a founding Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation and served as a Director from 1957 to 1983. He was also a leader of the Bar on the national level. He was a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates from 1959 to 1964 -- you might wonder when he found time to work at the office -- and was a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. His outstanding leadership also extended to his community as evidenced by his services as Corporation Counsel for the City of Peoria in 1945 and as a member of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood House, a local social service agency for 25 years. Tim's leadership in all these areas has been and will be sorely missed.
As alluded to previously, family values played an all-important part in Tim's life. Perhaps this fact can best be described in an anecdotal way. In the fall of 1968 one of the partners of Tim's firm suffered a stroke at the age of 41. That would be my uncle. At the time of this calamity the partner had a wife and two small children. While suffering through the vicissitude that these circumstances placed upon the partner, he had a great concern as to whether or not he would be able to continue to practice, whether he would be productive enough to continue his position with the firm, and in general what would be his fate in the midst of all this uncertainty. In the early stages of his recovery at home the stricken partner received a letter from Tim which enclosed a substantial draw check along with a message to the effect he should take care of himself and his family while "we" take care of the law practice. This unsolicited letter with enclosure illustrates the genuine concern Tim had for those with whom he worked and his emphasis upon family.
A few years later the same partner -- being my uncle -- was in Memphis at the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital where his son was being treated for leukemia. Because he knew that this situation undoubtedly would cause him to be absent from the office for considerable periods of time, uncertainty and concern were again weighing heavily upon him. He hadn't been in Memphis the entire day when he received a reassuring telephone call from Tim during which he was told, "You take good care of your son as long as it takes and the rest of us will handle the law practice." This is another illustration of the emphasis Tim always placed on family, and it also illustrates another of Tim's outstanding characteristics, viz. whether he was dealing with his partners, his employees, his lawyer colleagues, his clients, or his legal adversaries, and whether what he was concerned with was his profession, the community, a wake or a wedding, he invariably did the right thing.
The members of the Peoria County Bar Association recognize that our world was a better place by reason of the fact that Tim Swain was a part of it, and we will long remember him for the years he served as an understanding counselor, a tenacious negotiator, and a wise and competent attorney in our midst. On behalf of this Association we extend our most sincere condolences to the members of his family.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the members of the Peoria County Bar Association express not only our sympathy and sorrow for the passing of our fellow lawyer, friend, and erstwhile Association President, but also their gratitude for the benefits conferred upon them by his presence in our midst for so many years. He is and will be sorely missed by his family, his friends, his former associates, and those with whom he practiced and socialized; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the Presiding Judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, Peoria County, Illinois, with a recommendation and request that the same be spread upon the records of the Circuit Court; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of the within resolution be forwarded to each of Tim's children.
Respectfully submitted this 1st day of June, 2000.
THE COURT: Mr. Johnson. I'm happy to accept the document, and the Clerk will spread it on the records.
MR. JOHNSON: And before I quit, your Honor, may I make a few personal comments now that my uncle has rendered his.
THE COURT: You may indeed.
MR. JOHNSON: There are just a few things that I remember about Mr. Swain that really come to mind when his name is mentioned. To me the first is he was a gentleman, and I always remember I'll never forget whenever he got on the elevator he wore this hat, any time a lady got on the elevator, bam!, the hat came right off. I never will forget that. Always a gentleman. He was always considerate.
The other thing I remember, I can't forget, is that it's how I never have understood how Mr. Swain, a great Republican in Peoria County, got involved with my great uncle Fred Arber, a great Democrat in Peoria County; my dad, a Democrat for all those years, and I wish that somehow that could be spread currently around so that politicians could get along.
Lastly, the thing I remember most I mention that when Mr. Swain was president or was involved as a Trustee of the University of Illinois. When I was there I was in a six-year program in the College of commerce, three years undergrad, three years law school. I got a degree in Commerce and Law, Bachelor of Science ? how they figured law would be science and from the College of commerce ? counting my first 30 of law as my major. Three years of undergrad, three years of law school. I graduated my junior year of college by taking all these.
I was in ag law over at College of Agriculture taking a course from some professor that must have been 90 years old. It was Saturday morning also ? I had to put up with a lot there ? but I got this letter from the Dean of the College of Commerce: "Thanks for being in the College. By the way, come and see your counselor, your major has been eliminated." So immediately I think, wow, I have no major. I've been working on this. This is going to cost my dad another whole year to get it. So when new in college and get this information, of course you have the greatest time of your life, you have no obligations or anything, so I called home, "Dad, help."
Well, about a week later I got a letter from the same Dean indicating that they had made a mistake and people in the program would be allowed to complete it, I think one other gentleman and myself. I attribute that to Mr. Swain, his pull down there, or his tenaciousness down there. So I've never forgotten that, and genuinely great.
Thank you, your Honor.
THE COURT: Thank you. Any other comments?
MR. SWAIN, JR.: May it please the Court, your Honor, members of the judiciary and friends. I'm his son, and I had the pleasure and thoroughly enjoyed practicing with my dad, and I liked all of it except at least maybe the 10%, might be a couple times, we didn't agree. But I remember as a young lawyer he told me two things, one is to let your conscience be your guide, and the second is to always keep the ball in the other fellow's court.
And I would just say that my dad had the highest respect for his law partners Rick has mentioned here, especially the Johnson family; and Mike Gard, another good Democrat. You know Mike would not want to be left out. But he started out with Fred Arber who was the uncle of Arber Johnson, and then of course Arbor's brother Frederick D. And then you had Arbor's three sons who all practiced law, Rick and Jay and Jim, and then Fred had his daughter Beth. And they always were fine lawyers, my dad always held them in the highest admiration for their personal integrity and also their consummate legal abilities, all of them.
Thank you very much.
THE COURT: Thank you, Tim.
Tim, your dad is one of the people that made it possible for me to be here today. I worked ? I first met your dad in 1968 when I worked for his brother-in-law who was running for Governor. And that campaign ended in defeat, and so in June of 1968 I thought what will I do with the rest of my life? And the law school was a natural since my dad and his dad were lawyers, but it was pretty late to get in school, so I call Tim Swain. And all of a sudden I was enrolled at the U of I, and I have always been grateful to him and to the family for that.
And those days at that age you don't think about how those things happen, but I appreciate what must have happened. And he indeed was a gentleman and a gentleman lawyer, and will be missed.
* * * * * * *
WHICH CONCLUDES THE REPORTED OF PROCEEDINGS
HAD ON SAID DAY IN SAID CAUSE.
1 (b) Katherine Cynthia Altorfer Swain
Katherine Cynthia Altorfer Swain, 85, of 7412 North Edgewild Drive died at 12:45p.m. Saturday, January 20, 1996, at her residence.
Born April 24, 1910, in Roanoke, Illinois to Silas Henry Altorfer and Elizabeth Sauder Altorfer, she married Timothy Whitzel Swain on October 3, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois. He survives.
Also surviving are her daughters and son, Nancy and Cynthia Malinda Swain Davis and Timothy Whitzel Swain II, all of Peoria, Illinois. Her brother Edward James Altorfer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and her brother John Henry Altorfer of Tucson, Arizona also survive. One brother, Richard Altorfer, preceded her death, when he drowned in Michigan at age 11 in 1922. Eleven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren survive her.
Mrs. Swain was a graduate of Darlington Seminary in Westchester, Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois College of Commerce (1933) where she was a member and president of Alpha Omicron Pi social sorority and a co-founder of the academic honor society, Shorter Board.
Mrs. Swain worked at the ABC Washing Machine exhibit at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago and at Altorfer Bros. Washing Machine Co. in East Peoria, Illinois.
She was community director at WIRL-AM radio station from 1952 until 1957, where she produced and hosted the ground-breaking and trend-setting Kay Jordan weekly radio community information show.
As president of the Peoria Council of Girl Scouts, which later became the Kickapoo Council of Girl Scouts, and through her leadership, she was instrumental in fulfilling the vision to acquire and develop the Council's new state-of-the-art Girl Scout camp, Camp Tapawingo west of Metamora, Illinois in Woodford County.
Mrs. Swain served as president of the Peoria Garden Club and was a district director and member of the Illinois board of the Garden Clubs of Illinois. She was a nationally accredited master judge of flower shows and organized and chaired the first Garden Clubs of Illinois Flower Show of Peoria.
Being a member of the Class of 1928 of Peoria High School, she was a charter life member of the Peoria High School Alumni Association.
She was a member of PEO and the Methodist Service League. She was a founding member of the Peoria Museum Society and the Central Illinois Hosta Society.
She also was a member of the First Baptist Church of Peoria, where services will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The Revs. Gary L. Reif and Alfred J. Jeffries will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Wilton Mortuary and one hour before services at the church. Burial will be in Parkview Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Girl Scouts Lead Troop Program, The Salvation Army, the Peoria Symphony or to her church.
KATHERINE CYNTHIA ALTORFER SWAIN
1933 U. OF I. COMMERCE GRADUATE
Katherine was born in Roanoke, Illinois in 1910 to Silas and Elizabeth Sauder Altorfer, who were pioneer families in the area. Kay moved to Peoria at the age of 6, where her father built a new factory for the ABC Washing Machine Co., the first having been destroyed by fire in Roanoke. Kay graduated from Peoria High School, attended Darlington Seminary in Pennsylvania, and then graduated from the College of Commerce at the University of Illinois in 1933, a time when only a few women majored in business. She tells the story of a professor in Transportation telling her and the two other women in the class that they didn't belong in the College of Commerce, as women weren't suited for business. One of her favorite professors was Albert Sacher, who left Illinois and went on to found Brandeis University.
Kay worked at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, as a home economist demonstrating ABC washing machines and ironers. She continued in this capacity at the ABC plant in East Peoria, Illinois until 1936 when she married an attorney, Timothy W. Swain, also a U of I graduate.
For five years, from 1952 until 1957, Kay was Community Director of WIRL radio station in Peoria. Under the name of Kay Jordan, she had a half hour show each week interviewing a representative from the community.
For six years, from 1951 to 1957, Kay was president of the Kickapoo Council of Girl Scouts. During this time, the Peoria Council of Girl Scouts enlarged from a membership of 2,000 Girl Scouts, to a membership of 10,000 as other Central Illinois counties were included and merged into and became the Kickapoo Council. It was during these years under Kay's leadership, a new camp, Camp Tapiwingo, was planned, land purchased, and developed near Metamora, Illinois.
Kay has long been involved in gardening activities. She served as President of the Peoria Garden Club, a district director, and a member of the state board of Garden Clubs of Illinois. She is a nationally accredited Master Judge of Flower Shows, and organized and chaired the first Garden Clubs of Illinois Flower Show School held in Peoria, Illinois.
Her husband, Timothy, was a member of the Board of Trustees for 20 years, 1955-1975. Her three children are all graduates of the University of Illinois. Several of her 11 grandchildren are also U. of I. graduates. Richard Crawford, is a graduate of the U. of I. Medical School in Chicago; Scott Crawford has an economics degree in LAS and a B.S. in Accounting in the College of Commerce; Timothy Swain III, is an LAS graduate and will enter the U. of I. Medical School in Champaign in the fall; Tim Davis is a freshman in the College of Commerce.
[Note: Nancy obtained much of this information from Mother while they were driving up to Chicago in 1995, during Mother's last illness, to her University of Illinois School of Commerce reunion which she insisted on attending despite her pain and illness.]
2(B) Avalyn's Family
http://www.mainstreetfranklin.com/
1. Tyler Berry, Jr.
[NOTE: This is from an undated 4 column newspaper article in The Review Appeal - 126 Years Service (1813 to 1939) To Williamson County (Franklin, Tennessee) - and handwritten at the top of the article is "My First Cousin & The best looking man in Tennessee. He was so good looking. His high school sweetheart caught him before he finished school."]
Who's Who -- In Williamson
In the city election held in October for mayor and aldermen, Tyler Berry, Jr., was chosen to represent the second ward. He was sworn into office on November 6th by Esq. W.T. Alexander at the regular monthly meeting. He and John E. Moran, the new mayor, were the only new members to take the oath of office as the other seven aldermen were either reelected or held over. He has the distinction of being the newest and youngest member, having been born in Franklin on December 4, 1911 in the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Berry, on Lewisburg Avenue, where his aunt, Mrs. Emma Berry Canada, lives. He is a son of Tyler Berry, chief examiner for the Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C., and the late Avalyn Fleming Berry.
The first question to come before the men who are directing the town's affairs after Tyler took office was that of again electing Mrs. J.S. Denton as City Marshal, a position she has successfully held continuously since October, 1925. Tho many grave matters will face him as time goes on yet he is level-headed, a clear thinker and capable of deciding weighty questions aright. When he does take a stand his fellow townfathers will know it is his own decision and is what he honestly deems best. They will respect him for it whether he votes their convictions or not, for he is known for his honesty, uprightness and thorough knowledge of the law.
For generations his ancestors have been professional men. The Flemings were mostly doctors while the Berrys leaned toward the law. His great-great-grandfather, Dr. Samuel Fleming, received his medical training in Virginia where the family settled when they came to this country. A grandfather two or three generations back, named Halfacre, was reared on the River Rhine in Germany. He came to the United States at the age of 14. An old brink house known to older settlers as the "Halfacre place" still stands on the Murfreesboro Road near Priest, built by this German who never learned to speak English.
Much of Tyler's boyhood was spent on the old Reams farm on the Lewisburg Road which has been in the family for four generations and is now in his possession. the large two-story brick house was built prior to Civil War days and is in a splendid state of preservation. Not far from his farm is that of an uncle, Reams Fleming, who really knows how to "dig from the earth all the wealth that it yields."
Tyler's grandfather, the late C.R. Berry, and a brother came to Tennessee from Amherst County, Va. The brother settled in Davidson County and C.R. came to Franklin where he taught school for a number of years, studied law and practiced here until his death. He served as the town's mayor for a long period and represented Williamson County in the State Senate, of which he was speaker.
His father received his academic education at the old Mooney School and graduated from the law department at Vanderbilt University. He also was Williamson's representative in the Senate, the first time in 1907 and again in 1931.
Tyler, Jr., the only child, ran true to form and took to law as naturally as a duck to water. He graduated from Battle Ground Academy; from Culver Military Academy, Culver, Ind., in 1930; was desk sergeant to Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1930 under McAlister's administration with an office in the capitol. In June of that year he entered Cumberland University, Lebanon, to study law. After graduating he wanted more knowledge and stayed on for a post graduate course, took the bar examination in Nashville in January, 1936, and was admitted to the bar March 28, of that year. The following month he formed a partnership with E. W. Eggleston and began a very successful practice in the town where his grandfather and father started on their legal career.
Tyler's first case was in a murder trial, having been appointed by the court with Earl Beasley and J.H. Campbell to defend the accused man. the case was tried before Judge W. W. Courntney with Attorney-General John Henderson representing the state. The defendant got 99 years in prison. In 1938 he was appointed by the County Court as county attorney and is now serving his second term.
Along other lines he has been a great success, also. In January 1931, he married Miss Sarah Roberts and they have two children, Tyler, III, 7 years old and an honor roll student in the third grade at Franklin Elementary School. With his power to argue with his parents and schoolmates he bids fair to be the fourth lawyer in line in the Berry family. The other child, dainty little Sarah Avalyn, in her two years of life has learned to rule the household with dignity of an experience judge.
In the religious world Tyler also takes a part. He is a member of the Methodist Church and Sunday School, serves his congregation as a steward, is the youngest on the board and is its recording secretary. He holds his own here also when deciding matters of importance with older men.
He has not neglected physical upbuilding as he is a good golfer, playing mostly with Stewart Campbell, Sam Ewin and Andrew Mizell. He is president of the Franklin Sportsmen Club, succeeding C.H. Kinnard. Fishing is another hobby, his largest catch being a 21-pound muskylunge caught while fishing with his uncle, Dr. Clifton Fleming, of Chicago, in Flambou Flowauge, a stream in Northern Wisconsin. Hunting with this same uncle he killed the lawful number of deer and one day they were fortunate enough to kill a small black bear. They feasted for days on deer and bear meat. On each of the three trips he enjoyed hunting and fishing to the fullest.
Having learned early to care for his own firearms he has added to his accomplishment reloading his shells. Even as a boy on the farm he liked to hunt and at one time owned nine coon dogs. With these he and the neighbor boys often carried home more than the "limit" of the ring-tailed animals and often a breathtaking odor of other less desirable catches.
Tyler spent the greater part of 1917 and 1918 in the Central West and Southwest with his father, who was in the government employ. He enjoyed the climate in that section as well as the other natural advantages. He is also air-minded, having flown a great deal with his cousin, John Walter Canada of Memphis. they have made several trips from that city to Franklin and on one occasion he went with this expert flier to Cuba.
Physically Tyler is a splendid specimen, is six feet, two inches tall, broad shouldered, well built and has any eye that is clear and convincing.
When asked if he had a motto his reply was, "Well, not one that I live up to but I have thought much about Grandmother Reams made a sampler as a little girl and my mother always kept it framed and hanging in her room where I read it often and still do for I prize it as a precious heritage. The words are these:
'Count that day lost
Whose low descending sun
Views from thy hand
No worthy action done.'
IN MEMORIAM
TYLER BERRY, JR.
Members of the Nashville Bar Association are gathered this Thursday, 21 November, 1996, to pay our respect and tribute to the memory of the late TYLER BERRY, JR., who passed to his eternal rest on 27 February 1996.
RECITALS
TYLER BERRY, JR. was a native of Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee. He grew up in Franklin, attended Battle Ground Academy, Vanderbilt University and then Cumberland Law School.
Mr. Berry was a true Tennessee Volunteer. He first enlisted in the U. S. Army Reserve and was initially assigned to the Field Artillery. Later he completed Officers' Candidate School for the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
At age 32, he requested and received an assignment to the Pacific Theater of operations where he participated in the Southern Philippines Luzon battles and campaigns, earning two Bronze Stars. During the time that he was in command of a Corps-level 155 mm "long tom" artillery battery, three Japanese tanks would periodically appear in the distance and fire upon American troops. No one had been able to stop the tanks until Captain Berry recruited a fellow Tennessean who happened to be one of the unit's crack shots with the 155. As each tank popped up on the distant horizon to fire on our troops, this Tennessee duo firing the large artillery piece line of sight like a rifle, struck each tank s turret, destroying all three tanks; and thus safeguarding the American infantrymen from further danger.
Following the cessation of hostilities, Captain Berry was assigned to serve as an attorney on the defense team of lawyers defending one of the Japanese generals accused of war crimes. Mr. Berry always referred to the Japanese general with respect and admiration. The general was eventually hanged and Mr. Berry always felt badly that they had been unable to save the defendant.
After the war trials, Captain Berry returned to Middle Tennessee and continued his professional life, practicing in Williamson County and Franklin in particular. At this time, Franklin was a small town; and Mr. Berry's children remember him coming home every day at noon to eat dinner. His daughter, Avalyn, recalls this time similar to Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. She would run to meet him on the sidewalk and enjoy hearing his stories as they walked home together.
Mr. Berry's practice included appearances in the Tennessee trial and appellate courts and the United States District Court. He served as interim County Judge. Governor Buford Ellington recommended Mr. Berry for appointment to the Supreme Court of Tennessee, but Mr. Berry declined choosing instead to remain in the private practice of law. That same court, in the last legal brief that he filed with it, adopted Mr. Berry s brief as the Court s decision. One particular case demonstrates his legal skills.
Mr. Berry hunted big game in Africa, Alaska, the Yukon and throughout the Western United States. He enjoyed loading and shooting his own ammunition. During one trial when Mr. Berry represented a man charged with murder, the prosecution produced a ballistics expert of great fame. With his extensive knowledge of ballistics, and before a packed courtroom, Mr. Berry was able to totally repudiate the expert s testimony on cross-examination, winning an acquittal for his client.
Mr. Berry was a man of great character and a man of his word. One always knew where he stood with Mr. Berry who minced few words. One time his colleagues encouraged him to run for Congress, but following an interview where he demonstrated his candor and unswerving conservative views, his colleagues decided that maybe someone else would be a better candidate.
Mr. Berry possessed wisdom and logic. He enjoyed discussing and debating legal matters with more emphasis on practical applications than arcane theories of law.
He came from a long line of lawyers, his grandfather, Cabell Rives Berry, was a lawyer and Speaker of the Tennessee Senate, 1885 to 1887. His father, Tyler Rieves Berry, practiced law in Franklin and later served as Chief Examiner of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C. Mr. Berry was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1936 and practiced law in Franklin for almost 50 years. He was elected Williamson County Attorney in 1938 and served in that position until 1967, except when he served in World War II, and for the period from 1951 to 1956. Throughout his life, Mr. Berry actively farmed and always maintained a true love of the land.
Mr. Berry's law practice, with Berry & Berry, gave him the opportunity to help and assist many people with their legal problems. He especially enjoyed practicing law with his son, Tyler Berry III.
Mr. Berry was married to Sara McGavock Roberts Berry for 49 years and until her death, and thereafter was married for 15 years to Nancy Ragsdale Berry until his death. Mr. Berry is survived by his wife Nancy, his son Tyler III, his daughter, Mrs. Sara Avalyn Berry Swain, and five grandchildren: Devan Elizabeth Swain Smith,
Great Falls, Montana; Tyler Berry IV, Franklin, Tennessee; Kathryn Alicia Swain Krall, Lawton, Oklahoma, Timothy Whitzel Swain III, Peoria, Illinois; Kristan Melissa Swain, Madison, Wisconsin, and four great-grandchildren.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Nashville Bar Association evidence its respect of the life of the late TYLER BERRY, JR. to his family and friends by and through this Memorial Resolution;
And it is respectfully moved by this Memorial Resolution dedicated to the memory of the late TYLER BERRY, JR. be adopted by this Nashville Bar Association and be spread on the Minutes of the Memorial Book of the Nashville Bar Association maintained in the offices of the Clerk and Master, Davidson County, Tennessee, and that a copy of this Memorial Resolution be presented to the family in memory of the late TYLER BERRY, JR.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Joseph W. Gibbs
/s/ Thomas A. Higgins
United States District Judge
/s/ Timothy W. Swain II, Illinois Bar Association
/s/ William Don Young, Williamson County Bar Association
/s/ John R. Reynolds
MEMORIAL COMMITTEE
2. Sara McGavock Roberts Berry
PRESENTATION at the dedication of the Sara McGavock Roberts Berry Library at the First United Methodist Church, Franklin, Tennessee on September 10, 1999.
Sara Mc Gavock Roberts Berry both loved and contributed to the First United Methodist Church of Franklin, Tennessee. Through her devoted work and teaching, she served as a valued leader and participant in the spiritual growth of and the mission of her church. Sara especially loved teaching children. And, she possessed a special gift of God in relating to children. Her favorite way to teach was to sit in one of the small children's chair right next to her student so that she could be sure that real teaching and learning was occurring.
Blessed with a fun-loving happy, creative and independent spirit, Sara generally found the key to educate and inspire her young students. During the period of the late 1930's until the early 1970's, Sara taught in the primary grades, later becoming head of the Primary Department. She utilized weekly lesson planning sessions with her teachers and assistants. In this way the student was always assured that their teacher was fully prepared to teach the word of the Lord and tell the stories of the Bible. One of Mother's most prized and beloved teaching assistants was Katherine Brent, to whom I would like to thank for assisting me in this dedication.
During the summer months, Sara could be found in Nashville at Scarritt or Peabody taking classes that not only enriched her knowledge of religious subjects, but better prepared her to effectively teach her beloved Sunday School students during the approaching school year. Eventually, she obtained her Master's degree in Social Work from Peabody.
Mother was raised in a devoted and loving family. Strong and unwavering Methodist religious convictions and habits served as the solid bedrock for the Roberts' home and family. Sara's father, Walter A. Roberts, transferred his church affiliation from the Pulaski Methodist Church to the Methodist Episcopal Church South, Franklin Station on June 27, 1889. Grandfather served as a member of the Board of Stewards of the Franklin Methodist Church from October 16, 1891 until November 12, 1945. During the period the period of May 12, 1905 until July 7, 1918 he served as its Chairman.
Sara's mother, Sallie Ewing Roberts, and her entire family were long-standing, loyal and devoted members of our wonderful Franklin Methodist Church. In 1999, a Ewing continues the Methodist family tradition at the First United Methodist Church, namely Fannie Park Ewing Gebhart. Fannie's father, Alexander C. Ewing, was a brother to Sallie Ewing Roberts and their sister was Susie Lee Ewing McGavock. Third Avenue South found all these siblings living either next to or across the street from one another.
The great sadness of Mother's life came while she in college at Randolph Macon in Lynchburg, Virginia. Her dear Mother, my grandmother, suddenly became seriously ill and died before Sara could arrive home to comfort and be with her. This experience served to only deepen Mother's commitment to God and to daily give thanks for all of the blessing bestowed upon her and her family.
As a devoted student of the Bible, Mother appreciated the unending support and comfort derived from her church. She lived for her church. If she was needed in any way by her church, she was always there. She felt that the Wednesday evening services helped to served as the mid-week inspiration and pick-up that permitted her to help other at "full throttle." At home, her Bible was always beside her bed. Each night time was found for prayer and reading from the Bible. She was loved and she loved others. Throughout her life, she felt that her special calling was to ministering to others. She was an indefatigable letter-writer, calling on and helping friends and acquaintances in times of need and sorrow. When not teaching Sunday School, Sara could be found in her favorite pew (left front, several rows back).Mother served her church as a teacher, leader, supporter and worker.
We want to acknowledge our deepest appreciation to the First United Methodist Church, its Board of Trustees, its Ministers and its dedicated Library Committee for permitting us to honor our Mother through contribution of the Sara Roberts Berry Memorial Library. Mother would be overjoyed, pleased and proud to be associated with this educational opportunity that the library will offer to all of its members.
Thank you very much.
Sara Avalyn Berry Swain
Sunday, September 26, 1999
First United Methodist Church
Franklin, Tennessee
Monday, 05/21/01
Cedar-lined carriage drive to be restored at Carnton
By PEGGY SHAW
Staff Writer for The Tennessean
FRANKLIN A broad avenue used by 19th-century carriage drivers to deliver guests to the front of Carnton Plantation will be recreated in the next two years, Historic Carnton Plantation officials have announced.
The cedar-lined drive will include a gate with double pillars at the entrance to the front sidewalk, and a rail and picket fence adorning the front of the house, built about 1815 by Randall McGavock.
The project has been planned as a tribute to Franklin preservationist Jane Trabue, who died earlier this year.
''We are honoring Jane Trabue and Carnton by doing this,'' said Robert Hicks, a board member of Historic Carnton Plantation Association and chair of the garden and grounds committee. ''Years ago, when research showed there had been a board fence at Carnton, we knew it had been there but we knew there would be complications. We knew people wouldn't like it. But the board voted to rebuild the fence because she (Trabue) said, 'Is it the right thing to do?'
''And that's why we're doing this.''
Landscape work will be based on old photographs and research done by Jerry Doell of Doell and Doell in Syracuse, N.Y., a restoration architect and planner who created the original plan. Substantial services will be provided by Tim Kearns, account development manager for John Deere Landscapes. Kearns will chair the project, and oversee the new fencing, landscaping and recreation of the roadbed.
The project was the idea of Ernie Bacon, a Carnton board member and former neighbor of Trabue's, said Angela Calhoun, Carnton executive director. ''Ernie wanted to make a gift to Carnton in her memory and he and I decided that this would be something she would be really interested in,'' said Calhoun.
Work on the avenue, underwritten by donations in Trabue's memory, is expected to begin in a few months and take about two years to complete, officials said.
Some $2,000 in memorials to Trabue already have been earmarked for the project, said Hicks. ''The largest amount of gifts to come in to Carnton have come in memory of Jane.''
Donations to the Jane Trabue Memorial 19th Century Landscape Project can be sent to Historic Carnton Plantation at 1345 Carnton Lane, Franklin 37064 or, call Executive Director Angela Calhoun at 794-0903.
Named after the McGavock home in Northern Ireland, Carnton Plantation served as an observation post for Gen. Nathan B. Forrest during the Battle of Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864.
7. Sam M. Fleming
Sam M. Fleming and Tyler Berry, Jr. were cousins.
It was Tyler's mother, Elizabeth Avalyn Fleming Berry, whose father William Clifton "Buck" Fleming, was a brother to Sam's father, Sam Fleming. This would make Elizabeth Avalyn a first cousin to Sam M.
The mother of Buck and Sam, Sr. was Avalyn Brooks Fleming.
Their family home was Highland Hill, named by Pricilla Mc Bride, who was _______________.
Fannie Ewing Park Gebhart remembers how Sam, Sr., a tall man like his son, would walk by her 243 Third Avenue South home on his way to his business, which was the grain warehouse. In the summer, he would carry his coat over his shoulder, being held by his opposite hand.
Banking leader dies
SAMUEL M. FLEMING: 1908-2000
Published by
The Tennessean Saturday, 1/22/00
By Candy McCampbell / Staff Writer
Samuel M. Fleming, who spent 57 of his 91 years in banking, most of them at the former Third National Bank of Nashville, was remembered yesterday as an aggressive businessman who also was a gentleman.
The Franklin native and longtime member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust died yesterday in Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Services will be at 11:30 a.m. today in First Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. today in the church.
"He was the definition of the word 'icon.' Everything he did, he did with incredible class," said Nashville attorney and golfing friend Lew Conner.
"His connections with people spanned generations. He was able to relate to the very young, as well as the very old."
Mr. Fleming, who was at Third National Bank, now SunTrust Bank, for 42 years, headed it for 23 years, until his retirement in 1973. He had started when he was 8 years old, working as a "runner" at Harpeth National Bank in Franklin after school and on weekends. He took a job at New York Trust Co. after graduating from Vanderbilt, and he came back to Nashville and Third National in 1931.
Mr. Fleming was a competitor who was "always fair and always positive," said Edward G. Nelson, former head of competitor Commerce Union Bank, now a part of Bank of America.
"Sam Fleming was more than one of the great bankers of our century. He was a very strong personality," Nelson said.
Mr. Fleming could talk to people in such a way that they not only enjoyed the conversation, but felt better about themselves at its end, he said.
Third National became known as the "friendly Third" under Mr. Fleming's leadership, and the competition took notice.
"He caused banking in this area to be more friendly," Nelson said.
Mr. Fleming "was a man who, by force of high intelligence and compelling personality, became one of the great financial leaders of Nashville and the nation," said John Seigenthaler, chairman emeritus and former publisher and editor of The Tennessean.
"There are some institutions in society that become great because of the imprimatur of one CEO. That's true of Sam Fleming," he said.
John W. Clay Jr., who later would serve as head of Third National, called Mr. Fleming "one of those rare people -- a mentor, a counselor and a best friend.
"He taught me that banking was all about relationships, about people. At the heart of every decision was people," said Clay, now an executive vice president at SunTrust in Atlanta.
"He was a great leader, not only in banking but in the community," said Waymon L. Hickman, chairman and chief executive officer of First Farmers and Merchants National Bank in Columbia, Tenn.
He was a leader not only on the state level but on the national level," Hickman said. "He was certainly a giant in our industry."
The industry elected Mr. Fleming president of the American Bankers Association in 1961, and in 1967 the Federal Reserve System named him to an advisory board.
Mr. Fleming was a golfer who enjoyed the game, taking memberships in several golf clubs, including the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.
"He a very competitive person, but also a delight to be with on the golf course," said Hootie Johnson, chairman of the Augusta National.
Mr. Fleming enjoyed golf because it allowed him time with people during the periods between shots, Conner said.
A favorite memory of grandson T.J. Wilt is Mr. Fleming's 90th birthday, when family members joined him on the links.
"He shot 90 the day he turned 90," Wilt said.
Mr. Fleming kept an "open door" during his banking years and in retirement.
"He could always give you such good advice and counsel," said U.S. Rep. Bob Clement, whose father, the late Gov. Frank Clement, was also a close friend.
It was encouragement from Mr. Fleming that helped the younger Clement decide to take a position on the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Nashville owes some of its growth to Mr. Fleming and the way he did business.
"He was responsible for an unbelievably large number of people becoming successful in this city," Conner said. "They used loans to become successful in their own right."
As president of the American Bankers Association, Mr. Fleming traveled around most of the country and invited people back, Clay said.
"He brought recognition to Middle Tennessee ahead of our time."
Third National was not the only institution Mr. Fleming helped mold.
He served 29 years on the Board of Trust at Vanderbilt, six of them as president.
That service included three major fund-raising efforts, construction of a new hospital, and the mergers of George Peabody College for Teachers and the Blair School of Music.
"Sam Fleming was one of the three people, along with Pat Wilson and Bronson Ingram, who convinced me to come to Vanderbilt 18 years ago," Chancellor Joe B. Wyatt said.
"Since then, he has been a most generous counselor, benefactor and friend," Wyatt said.
Alexander Heard, who was Vanderbilt's chancellor when Mr. Fleming was president of the Board of Trust, said Mr. Fleming "understood, instinctively, the effective roles for a trustee to play.
"In addition, he was the most authentically generous person I have ever known," Heard said. "He gave, not for the credit or recognition that the gift would bring, but because of his belief in the cause to which he was giving."
Fleming Yard on the Vanderbilt campus is named in his honor, as is the administration building at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, where he was president of the Class of 1924.
"In losing Sam Fleming, Vanderbilt has lost one of its most enthusiastic and effective leaders, and I have personally lost one of my very dearest friends," said Martha Ingram, now serving as chairman of the VU board.
"It is difficult to imagine life without Sam, but the example that he set in caring for others during his long and fruitful lifetime will serve as a model for all of us in the years ahead."
Mr. Fleming also has served on the boards of Meharry Medical College, the National Fund for American Medical Education and Harpeth Hall and Ensworth schools.
He was active in civic and community organizations ranging from the Boy Scouts to the United Givers Fund, now the United Way.
Mr. Fleming was preceded in death by his first wife, Josephine Cliffe Fleming, and sons Daniel Fleming and Samuel Fleming.
Survivors include his wife, Valerie Ellis Fleming, daughter, Joanne Fleming Hayes, and three grandchildren.
Franklin Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
http://tennessean.com/sii/00/01/22/fleming22.shtini
1/22/00
Published by The Tennessean
Sunday, 6/13/99
Sun sets on Wall Street of South
By Bill Carey / Special to The Tennessean
Nashville will begin the 21st century as a center of for-profit health care, country music and religious book publishing. But it can no longer claim to be a center of banking and finance.
AmSouth's multibillion-dollar planned takeover of First American, announced June 1, is only the latest of several mergers that have taken away Nashville's status as the "Wall Street of the South."
In fact, now that Nashville will be dominated by a bank in Birmingham, Ala. (AmSouth), another in Atlanta (SunTrust) and two more in Charlotte, N.C. (NationsBank and First Union), it is hard to believe Nashville had that nickname in the first place.
Only a few decades ago, Nashville had three large locally owned banks, two large locally owned insurance companies and two large locally owned investment banking houses.
It is almost impossible to overstate the significance of those seven companies. National Life & Accident owned the Grand Ole Opry and built Opryland. Life & Casualty built the city's first skyscraper. Equitable Securities dominated the South's municipal bond business and took some of the region's most important companies, such as Holiday Inn and Georgia Pacific, to the stock market.
Of Nashville's seven large banking and finance companies, none was as ubiquitous as First American, which was known as American National before 1950.
"At one point, we had almost all the national accounts," says Andrew Benedict, who went to work for the bank in 1931 and became its president in 1960.
Today, it is hard to know exactly what impact First American's takeover will have. But from now on, the decisions about which employees lose their jobs, which law firm gets the bank's business, and which organizations get the bank's sponsorships ultimately will be made in another city.
"It is a sad, sad day," J.C. Bradford & Co. senior partner J.C. Bradford Jr. said after he heard the news.
Mr. Davis'bank
The central person in First American's rise to prominence was Paul Davis.
Davis and colleague Pervis Houston took over effective control of American National in 1918, financed through both men's family connections to Tullahoma's Dickel Distillery.
During the next several years, Davis recruited several key corporate accounts to American National, such as Phillips & Buttorff, Washington Manufacturing, Gray & Dudley, H.G. Hill and Nashville Bridge.
Davis' aggressive efforts in recruiting the Du Pont rayon plant back to Old Hickory in 1923 also gave American National a virtual monopoly on Du Pont's business in Tennessee and that of its employees here. American National was such a force in Nashville in those years that its legal work sprung a firm called Bass Berry & Sims.
Nevertheless, American National was still the city's second-largest bank in the 1920s. But in 1930, after a series of events centered on the collapse of municipal bond house Caldwell & Co., Davis' American National Bank took over Nashville's Fourth and First National Bank in one of the most controversial mergers in Nashville history.
To this day, there are people in Nashville who maintain that Davis saved Nashville's economy by taking over the Fourth and First. There are also those who claim that Davis took advantage of the Depression to increase his power and help his bank.
Regardless, Davis and American National were almost certainly more powerful than any force in Nashville during the 1930s. It was Davis who organized the sale of the Nashville Trust Co. to H.G. Hill in 1931; who kept investment banking house J.C. Bradford afloat during the throes of the Depression; who engineered the sale of The Tennessean to a Texas New Dealer named Silliman Evans in 1937; and who played a major part in the organization of the Nashville Gas Co.
"Davis had a lot of power," Bradford said. " Banks have power because they not only have money but they also have knowledge. In those days, bank presidents were more powerful than they are now because they were not encumbered with a lot of rules and regulations."
By the mid-1930s, American National had 48% of all total bank deposits in Nashville and more than three times as many deposits as its nearest rival in town.
Increased competition
After World War 11, Nashville's second-largest bank (Third National) and third-largest bank (Commerce Union) gained ground on First American and turned Nashville into one of the most competitive banking cities in the country. Sam Fleming, who became president of Third National in 1951 and was a master at getting corporate clients, was key in that process.
To this day, Fleming maintains that he and his bank merely "outworked the competition" in the 1950s and 1960s. But there was more to it than that.
"Fleming has a lot of sense and a lot of personality and a lot of salesmanship," said Edward Nelson, who eventually became president of Commerce Union. "I think he infuriated First American."
Fleming was also aided by his bank's longstanding affiliation with National Life & Accident.
The rivalry between First American, Third National and Commerce Union was played out on several levels, from corporate clients to new branch construction to advertising. One of many salvos took place in 1948, when Ed Potter's Commerce Union Bank broke with 18 years of established practice and raised interest rates on savings accounts from 1% to 2%.
The move angered First American and Third National, which tried to pressure Potter to back down. But in the end, both larger banks followed suit.
Granted, it was a friendly game, often involving distant relatives or former classmates. But it got personal at times.
"One time, Andrew Benedict got so mad at me that he called me up and said to me, 'Ed, you are not your father's son,' "said Nelson, a son of former Nashville Trust Co. President Charles Nelson.
Back in the 1920s, the rise of Caldwell & Co. gave Nashville -- and Union Street in particular -- the nickname "Wall Street of the South." By the 1960s, that label seemed appropriate once again. That decade saw an unprecedented explosion of important companies in Nashville, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Hospital Affiliates International, Service Merchandise, Shoney's, Ingram Book and -- most important of all -- Hospital Corporation of America.
The presence of locally owned banks, insurance companies and investment banking houses had everything to do with the rise of these companies. Just to use HCA as an example: In 1961, National Life & Accident loaned money to a group of physicians to build Parkview Nursing Home. Seven years later, Parkview became HCA's first hospital. And during HCA's early years, Fleming's Third National Bank was vital to HCA's ability to raise money.
"Sam Fleming was HCA's great, great friend and at one point virtually saved us," said John Neff, chief executive officer at HCA 1972-1976.
Mergers and takeovers
The first major blow to Nashville's status as a financial center came in 1967, when American Express bought Equitable Securities.
By that time, Equitable had become the second-largest securities house in the United States, trailing only Merrill Lynch. And although J.C. Bradford's business dramatically increased as a result of that transaction, so did the business of investment houses elsewhere in the South.
The second major blow came in 1982, when American General Life Insurance Co. of Houston took over NLT (the holding company that owned National Life.) The merger followed a long, hostile battle that left many members of NLT's ruling families bitter.
C.A. Craig II, grandson of NLT's founder and president of NLT's insurance division at the time of the merger, still maintains that American General's main intention during the months immediately after the takeover was to "break the National Life spirit." The merger also sent several significant Nashville properties -- such as Opryland, the Opryland Hotel, the Grand Ole Opry and The Nashville Network -- out of local ownership for the first time.
In the 1980s, bank mergers and takeovers became prevalent across the country after Congress eliminated bans on interstate banking. The first of those came in 1986, when SunTrust Bank bought Third National. The second came the next year, when Sovran Bank (now a part of NationsBank) bought Commerce Union.
Amid the flurry, First American, despite constant rumors of a takeover, remained locally owned.
The Bank of Nashville, with assets of $250 million, and Capital Bank & Trust, with assets of $120 million, become the city's top locally owned banks when the AmSouth-First American deal becomes complete.
This article includes excerpts from the author's book, Kings, Upstarts and Fiddle Players: A History of Nashville Business, due out April 2000.
Under Construction - Please Be Patient
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Most recent revison: 11 September 2001ts; 10.30.2002ts;12.20.03ts;2.22.2005ts
NOTE: If you would like to create your own Family Web Page, contact David Weiss (cdweiss@ameritech.net at the Peoria Public Library. My thanks to David in both helping me to set up this Web site, and in extracating me from periodic snafus while I maintain the Web site.ts
This page maintained by: Tim Swain - mailto:timswain@peorialaw.com