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William James Huff (1859 - 1925)

William James Huff
Born in Virginia Township, Coshocton, Ohio, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 5 Aug 1885 (to 1889) [location unknown]
Husband of — married 26 Sep 1893 (to 1903) in Decatur, Macon County, Illinoismap
Husband of — married 14 Jun 1907 (to 1920) in Illinoismap
Father of
Died at age 65 in Biloxi, Harrison, Mississippi, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 5 Jan 2016
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Contents

Biography

Note that there is a 2 year discrepancy between William's year of death on his Find a Grave memorial (1859) and the published Biographical Sketch (1861).

Biographical Sketch

William J. HUFF[1]

William J. Huff, of the Huff Brothers' Lumber and Planing Mill Company, is one of the enterprising, wide-awake and representative business men of Decatur, and is prominent not only in business circles, but is also a leader in church work and a popular gentleman, highly esteemed for his many escellencies of character. As he is widely and favorably known, we feel assured that this record of his life will prove of interest to many of our readers.
On the 27th of December, 1861, Mr. Huff was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, and at the age of eight years came to Illinois with his father, A. Huff, a native of Harper's Ferry, Va. The family located in Douglas County. At the age of twenty William entered the commercial school at Valparaiso, Ind., and also attended a normal school, acquiring a good business education. he then took up his residence in Cerro Gordo, Ill., where he opened a lumber-yard in company with his brother, S.E. Huff. He borrowed $3,000 of his father to embark in business, and the first year he cleared about $300 on the lumber, but lost $200 on the sawmill. Later he established a lumber-yard in Sidney, which he carried on for three years, when he sold out, realizing a good profit. With the exception of $600 each, which the brothers inherited from their father's estate, they have made all that they now possess as the result of their own efforts.
For three years after being joined by his brother the partnership continued, and then William sold out and went to Wichita, Kan., where he spent the year 1885. There he secured a position with the Citizens' Bank, after which he secured employment as a real-estate agent with the Lee Loan and Insurance Co., which was then doing a big business. When the land office was opened at Garden City, he went to that place, where he engaged in locating claims for four months. Altogether his business venture in the West proved a very profitable one.
While in Wichita, Mr. Huff was united in marriage, on the 6th of August, 1885, with Miss Cora A. Pitts, who was then living in that city, but had formerly been a resident of Cerro Gordo. By their union was born a son, William Lindley. The mother died on the 1st of April, 1889, when their baby was only eight months old, since which time, Mrs. Julia M. Pitts, mother of Mrs. Huff, has been superintending the household of our subject.
On his return to Illinois, Mr. Huff located in Decatur and purchased the interest of C.P. Thatcher in the Thatcher Lumber Company. The firm then became Gaddis & Huff, William J. and S.E. Huff both being members of the firm. Business was carried on under that style for three years, after which the company was incorporated under the name of the Decatur Lumbering and Manufacturing Company. For two years our subject was its Treasurer, after which he retired from the firm. The year 1890 was spent as a lumber- dealer in Englewood, Ill. The present business was established and incorporated December 23, 1891, with a paid-up capital of $50,000. The incorporators of the company are William J. Huff, who is now President; C.T. Warfield, Vice-President; S.E. Huff, Secretary; and B.F. Huff, of Cerro Gordo, Treasurer. They have a branch business at Cerro Gordo, of which B.F. Huff is local manager. This company deals in lumber, lath and shingles, and manufactures doors, sash, blinds, moldings, wire and picket fence, and makes a specialty of all kinds of stair and porch work. They employ forty men, nearly all of whom are skilled workmen, and to them they pay an aggregate of $525 per week. Only the finest work is done by the Huff Brothers' Lumber and Planing Mill Company, and their enterprise is justly ranked among the leading industries of the city. Their business amounts to upwards of $140,000 annually and is steadily increasing. In his social relations, William Huff is connected with the Odd Fellows' society, and in politics is a stalwart supporter of the Republican party. He holds membership with Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is Trustee, and he is a prominent member of the Young Men's Christian Association, of which he is now serving as President. He takes an active interest in everything pertaining to the educational and moral upbuilding of the community, is a public-spirited and progressive man, and a valued citizen of the thriving county seat of Macon County. His business career has been an eminently successful one, and the industry and enterprise which have characterized his life have gained him a comfortable competence.

Obituary

Decatur Herald 3/5/1925[2] William J. Huff of the firm W.J.Huff & Son, lumber dealer died unexpectedly "Wednesday afternoon while playing golf at Biloxi, Miss. where with his brother Spencer E. Huff of Champaign, he had gone for a vacation. He and some Decatur friends were engaged in play when the end came. W. Lindley Huff, associated in business with his father said the he did not know the cause of death. While he knew that his father was not in robust health when he went to Biloxi, there had been nothing to indicate to the son that the health of his father was to be regarded as alarming. Nor had he ever heard that his father suffered heart trouble. For almost 40 years W.J. Huff was engaged in the lumber business in Decatur. He had been in that business before he came to Decatur where he and his brother S.E. Huff with F.M. Gaddis brought what then was know as Thatcher Lumber Co., the business name being changed to Gaddis & Huff and later incorporated as Decatur Lumber & Manufacturing Co. When he retired from that company W. J. Huff was associated with his brother and later with his son in the conduct of a number of lumber yards in territory near Decatur. He maintained an office in Millikin bank building. Since coming to Decatur W. J. Huff was a member of Grace Methodist church and had served as a member of the official boards of that congregation. He was for a number of years one of the men foremost in pushing the work of the Y. M. C.A.and had served as president of that organization. W.J. Huff was born Dec. 27, 1861 in Coshocton county, Ohio and with his parents came to Douglas country Ill. in 1870. When he had completed his college course at Valpariso, Ind. he went to Cerro Gordo and with his brother S. E. Huff engaged in the lumber business for several years before coming to decatur. W. J. Huff was married to Miss Cora A. Pitts, Aug 6, 1885. Her death occurred in 1889, leaving her son W. Lindley. the second marriage of W. J. Huff was to Miss Blanche O'Neal whose death occurred a few years later. His third marriage was to Miss Catherine Sherrick in 1907. Her death occurred in 1920. In addition to his son, Lindley Huff of Decatur he leaves two brothers, Spencer E. Huff of Champaign and R. F. Huff of Cerro Gordo, also his sisters, Mrs. Ludinda Marquend Ogila Ks, Mrs. Catherine Potts, Decatur Mrs. Celia Peck Hidalgo.

Sources

  1. Portrait and Biographical Record of Macon Co, IL, 1893 - p. 223-224, as reprinted at https://macon.illinoisgenweb.org/bio_h.html#huff
  2. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41560060/william-james-huff : accessed 15 April 2022), memorial page for William James Huff (27 Dec 1859–24 Mar 1925), Find a Grave Memorial ID 41560060, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by janet donner (contributor 46623112) .




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with William by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with William:

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Rejected matches › William Franklin Huff (1861-1924)

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