O. E. WHITAKER

WHITAKER

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/22/2020 at 14:09:58

O. E. WHITAKER, of section 10, Red Oak township, is one of the wellknown and enterprising citizens of Montgomery county. He came to this county in 1869, before the railroad came to Red Oak. He was born in Henry county, Illinois, April 19, 1851, a son of William H. Whitaker, a native of Pennsylvania, who died when our subject was but three and a half years of age. The mother was Margaret (Loyheed) Whitaker, who was also a native of Pennsylvania, and died when our subject was young. The father was an early settler and pioneer of Henry county, Illinois, having
settled at Geneseo. He was a land speculator. O. E. Whitaker was reared in Illinois, and
received a good education at Cambridge, that State. When eighteen years of age he came to Montgomery county, and for a time was engaged at farm work, but afterward in the livery business at Red Oak, with W. C. Lockart. Later he worked at farm work for two years. He then bought an interest of John Shattock, and went into business with Mr. Lockart. He afterward sold his interest and bought out Mr. Roach, who was in the livery business with H. H. Palmer, and Mr. Whitaker was in business with the latter some three or four years, when he sold out to J. L. Bake. He then bought the Red Oak House, which he operated with W. C. Lockart, and at the same time was also engaged in the livery business. He subsequently 6old the the hotel to John Shattock, but continued the livery business for some time. He afterward sold acrain and bought out Mr. Bake, who was in business with Mr. Palmer, and Mr. Whitaker remained with Mr. Palmer some live or six years, when he sold out to him and later bought his present farm of Thomas Lytle, which was then partly improved. Mr. Whitaker has since further improved it, having spent $2,500 for that purpose. The farm is well watered by living springs and running streams, and is well adapted for stock purposes. He is engaged in general farming, stock-raising and feeding. He has some high grades of short-horn cattle and also a herd of Hereford cattle. He has a
good two story house, also barns, yards, cribs and other improvements. Lowland, as the farm is called, is situated three and a half miles from Red Oak.

Mr. Whitaker was married in Red Oak, in 1877, to Miss Adelia Boyd, a woman of intelligence, who was born in Henry county, Illinois, where she was reared and educated. She was a daughter of S. G. Boyd, of Cambridge, Illinois.

Politically Mr. Whitaker is a Republican. He is a man yet in the prime of life and is a popular and successful citizen of Montgomery county.