History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

256 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
passed away in 1896 and lies buried in tlie Temperance Hill cemetery
of Clnua township. The mother, who was born in Marion
township, this county, in iy57, aud who now makes her home with
our subject, is well known and highly esteemed throughout the
community in which she has spent her entire life.
H. O. Shoemaker attended school in his native township imtil
fifteen years of age and subsequently assisted his widowed
mother in the operation of the home farm in Amboy township,
which he at present operates. General agricultural pursuits have
claimed his attention throughout his entire business career, and
in addition to the raising of cereals he also keeps about eight
horses, eighteen head of cattle and forty-five hogs. The residence
on the place was erected by his father and is still in excellent
condition. In the conduct of his farming interests Mr. Shoemaker
has won a measure of success that entitles hiin to recognition
among the representatiA^e and enterprising citizens of his native
county.
In his political views Mr. Shoemaker is a progressive and a
stanch sujoporter of Theodore Roosevelt. He attends the Evangelical
church, while fraternally he is identified with the Modern
Woodmen of America, belonging to Dixon Camp, No. 56. In the
community which has always been his home he is popular with
a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
W. J. McALPINE.
No history of Dixon would be complete if it failed to make
prominent mention of W. J. McAlpine, who as a contractor and
builder has taken prominent part in the progress and improvement
of his adopted city. He has resided in Lee coimty since 1888 and
many of its finest structures stand as monuments to his skill and
enterprise. Born in Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1852, Mr. McAlpine is a
son of Ijemuel and Mary (Price) McAlpine, who came to Illinois
in 1853, settling in DeKalb county. The father was a farmer, depending
upon the tilling of the soil for support for his family.
Both ho and his wife are now deceased.
W. J. McAlpine was only about a year old when the family arrived
in this state and his early education was acquired in De-
Kalb county where he afterword learned the carpenter's trade,
gradually becoming an expert workman along that line. After