John Mills Pearson (1832-1910)
Son-in-Law of Captain Benjamin Godfrey; Civil Engineer; Farmer; Illinois Legislator; Prominent Mason; President of Illinois Horticultural Society
John Mills Pearson was born at Newburyport, Essex County,
Massachusetts, on October 7, 1832. He was the son of John P. and
Hannah M. Pearson, and came from colonial stock. His ancestors
constructed the first flour mill in that area in 1637. His father,
grandfather, and great-grandfather were ship builders.
Mr. Pearson had few advantages in an educational line, except a high
school education he completed at the age of 17. He was a tireless
student, however, and determined to educate himself. He aspired to
enter Harvard, but never did. A cousin was going through West Point,
and young Pearson procured his cousin's books, when he was through
with them, mastered them, and afterward examined himself by taking
the examinations his cousin had taken in West Point. He learned to
be a civil engineer, and did all his own engineering.
Pearson came to Illinois in 1849. He was hired as an engineer on the
Alton & Sangamon Railroad. He disliked the position, and took up a
job as a clerk with the Alton Agricultural Works, and worked his way
up to partnership with the firm. Mr. Pearson continued with the firm
until the death of his partner in 1864.
In 1855, he married Catherine Godfrey (1835-1892), daughter of
Captain Benjamin Godfrey, the founder of Godfrey and the Monticello
Ladies Seminary [now Lewis & Clark Community College]. In 1865, John
took up farming. In 1873, he was appointed a member of the State
Railroad and Warehouse Commission, and served several terms as a
Republican in the Illinois Legislature from 1878 to 1884 with credit
and honor to his district and to himself. He was known as an
experienced parliamentarian, and was skillful in debate.
For many years Mr. Pearson was a political power in Madison County,
and frequently presided at Republican conventions. He was interested
in public affairs up to the time he became too weak to discuss them.
Mr. Pearson was also a member of the board of trustees of the
University of Illinois for several years. He was also a member of
the Madison County Board of Supervisors for a number of years; was a
member of the State Livestock Commission from 1886 to 1892; was
active in the Alton Horticultural Society for 40 years; and
president of that State Horticultural Society 1885-86. He was a
School Director for nearly 35 years.
Pearson’s appearance was rugged - he thought little of external
show. He read almost constantly and was one of the best-informed men
in the country. He had an excellent memory, and had a wide
acquaintance. During his illness, his home was the mecca of numbers
of his friends throughout the State, and many who could not make
personal visits wrote letters, which Mr. Pearson read with interest.
One of the most pleasing features of the close of his life, to him,
was the manifest esteem in which he was held by those who knew him.
In the Congregational Church at Godfrey he was an active worker. He
had a conspicuous part in everything that pertained to the welfare
of the church, taught a Bible class for many years, and his talks on
religious subjects were equivalent to a sermon by the best of
preachers. Nowhere will he be missed more than in the Godfrey
church.
Mr. Pearson may be said to have been one of Madison County's most
distinguished sons. He stood high in the Masonic fraternity, and was
honored by all the bodies of that order in Illinois. He became a
Mason in 1854, and the following year affiliated with the chapter
and the council. In 1857, he joined the Commandery, and during the
early years of his life he applied himself assiduously to the study
of Masonic work. He became an expert on it, and rose in esteem among
the men high in the councils of the order. He filled the offices of
Grandmaster of the grand lodge, Grand High Priest of the Grand
Chapter, Grand Master of the Grand Council, and Grand Commander of
the Grand Commandery, and by each of those bodies he was presented
with a handsome gold jewel, duplicates of the jewels he had worn as
emblems of office while filling official positions. Those jewels
were recently exhibited in Alton and constituted a rare collection.
It is said but one other man, or possibly two, in the State of
Illinois, ever could show a similar collection. He affiliated with
the Scottish Rite Masons in 1882, and in 1884 he was elected an
honorary 33rd(?) degree mason. During many years he filled the post
of chairman of the jurisprudence committees of every one of the
Illinois Masonic grand bodies. This is one of the most important
offices in these bodies, and Mr. Pearson was kept there because of
his eminent ability. His mind was a well-trained one, he had depth
of reasoning, a wealth of vocabulary, and his logic was sound. At
all meetings of the grand bodies he was deferred to, and his opinion
was always awaited before action was taken on any important point.
In 1909, Mr. Pearson became ill with heart trouble. He suffered for
many months, seldom able to lie down in bed. Hardening of the
arteries was the cause of the illness. He slept sitting up most of
the time, his head on a pillow on a desk in front of him. Toward May
1910, he became weaker. On Saturday, June 04, 1910, he sat on the
edge of his bed and started to fall. An attendant tried to hold him
up, but Mr. Pearson fell to the floor. The last words he spoke was a
request to lay him down. He ceased breathing almost at once. At the
time of his death, his children (Mrs. Eleanor G. Pearson Mason
(1860-1936) of Minneapolis; John Longfellow Pearson (1858-1922) of
Oak Park, Illinois; and Arthur G. Pearson (1856-1933) of Chicago)
were with him. Also surviving were six grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren. The funeral was held June 7, 1910 from his
residence in Godfrey. There was an immense crowd of neighbors and
old friends that came to give their last farewell. The interment was
in the Godfrey Cemetery, alongside his wife, Catharine.
After the death of Mr. Pearson, his property in Godfrey
[approximately 190 acres] was sold. This land was originally part of
the Captain Benajmin Godfrey estate. One of the items sold at the
estate sale was a large mahogany bureau, which according to markings
on the back of it, was brought from New Orleans by Captain Benjamin
Godfrey, 102 years previous.
Sources: Alton Evening Telegraph, June 4, 1910; John Mills Pearson
by W. T. Norton; Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society,
Vol. 3, No. 2; 1910.