Matthews, Dr. James Newton b. 1852 d. 1910 At sixteen, James Newton Matthews was the very first student to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when it opened in 1868. Matthews studied literature and medicine before graduating with honors in 1872. Matthews worked as a country doctor and published multiple volumes of poetry for which he became known as the "Poet of the Prairie." In 1910, Matthews died of a heart attack after walking more than five miles through a snowstorm to treat a patient. Today there is a scholarship...[Read More] (Bio by: Richard H.) Mason Union Cemetery, Mason (Effingham County), Effingham County, Illinois, USA
Wood, Benson b. March 31, 1839 d. August 27, 1915 US Congressman. After completing his education he moved to Lee County, Illinois in 1859 and became a school Principal. In 1861 he joined the Army for the Civil War as a First Lieutenant in Company C, Thirty-fourth Illinois Infantry. He was discharged as a Captain in 1863 and then attended law school at the University of Chicago, graduating in 1864. Wood practiced law in Effingham, was active in politics, and also served as a Judge Advocate in the Illinois National Guard with the rank of...[Read More] (Bio by: Bill McKern) Oakridge Cemetery, Effingham, Effingham County, Illinois, USA
b. 1852 d. 1910
b. March 31, 1839 d. August 27, 1915