Biography - James Thalls
James THALLS, undertaker, Litchfield, was born in Preble County, Ohio, near Eaton, on June 27, 1825, and lived there until 1852. At the age of Twenty years, he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed, in connection with farming, in Ohio, and moved to this (Montgomery) county in the fall of 1852, settling on a farm of eighty acres, which now is included in the southwestern part of the city of Litchfield. In 1853, he sold his farm, and until 1860 devoted his attention to his trade, putting up many of the early buildings of this city, among others the Presbyterian Church, and also took several contracts in the county. In 1860, he bought another farm, west of the city, and conducted it, at the same time plying his trade; his farm he owned twenty years. Mr. THALLS has been a contractor here for almost thirty years. In 1882, he engaged in the undertaking business on Barnes street, with Edward GREENE. In 1848, he married Miss Hester D. WHITLOCK, in Eaton, Ohio; she died in 1868, leaving six children, all of whom are now living. In 1870, he married Mrs. Maria SHORE, daughter of Ezra TYLER; he has one son by the last marriage. Mr. THALLS is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Extracted 19 Nov 2016 by Norma Hass from 1882 History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 2 Biographical Department, page 178-179.
