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ble retirement from further labor save the supervision of his invested interests. He died January 28, 1897. His wife passed away February 16, 1885, and both were laid to rest in the West cemetery in Pittsfield. William H. Haskins is the eldest in a family of four children, two sons and two daughters, all of whom are yet living. He was reared upon the old home farm in Hardin township and although he received ample training in farm labor his educational privileges were somewhat meager, so that he is largely a self-educated man and although now well informed his knowledge has been acquired greatly through reading, observation and experience since attaining man's estate. He remained upon the old homestead with his father until twenty-eight years of age and assisted him in the work of tilling the soil and caring for the stock and crops. Starting out in life on his own account Mr. Haskins was united in marriage in Atlas township, on the 1st of September, 1873, to Miss Emily Yokem, a native of Pike county, reared and educated here, a daughter of William Yokem, one of the early settlers who came to Illinois from Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Haskins located upon a farm in Hardin township where they lived for two years and then removed to what is now the home farm on section 3 of the same township. Mr. Haskins began to further improve and cultivate this property and success resulted from his earnest, well directed and practical efforts. As his financial resources increased he bought other lands from time to time and he now owns six good farms comprising more than one thousand acres. He also owns the Haskins home in Pittsfield, the former residence of his father. In connection with the cultivation of the cereals best adapted to the soil and climate he has for a number of years made a business of raising, feeding and dealing in cattle and hogs, selling each year quite a large herd of well fattened cattle and also a goodly number of hogs. He is accounted one of the far-sighted, enterprising and successful agriculturists and stockmen of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Haskins have eight children; Mary; William O.; Kate, the wife of Selden Formen, of Jacksonville, Illinois; Nellie; Nancy; Nettie; Verd I.; and Wallace. They also lost a son, Herbert, who died at the age of about three years. The children have been students in the Pittsfield high school and Mr. Haskins has provided his sons and daughters with good educational privileges, thus equipping them for life's practical and responsible duties. In 1868 he proudly cast his first presidential vote for General U. S. Grant and he has supported every presidential nominee on the republican ticket since that time but is without aspiration for office. Rather than to enter into public life as an office holder he has preferred to do his public service as a private citizen and give the greater part of his attention to his business interests. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the Master's degree in the lodge at Time. He and his estimable wife have been life-long residents of Pike county and are familiar with much of its history as the work of development and growth has been carried forward. They have also been identified with the improvement and progress of their community and genuine worth insures for them warm friendship and kindly regard. HON. JEFFERSON ORR
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