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PAST AND PRESENT OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD AND SANGAMON COUNTY ILLINOIS
By Joseph Wallace, M. A.
of the Springfield Bar
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, IL
1904



Transcribed by Mary Ann Kaylor

Page 1448

JOHN W. BRONAUGH - The broad prairies of Illinois have made this state one of the greatest grain producing regions of the entire country and have furnished ample scope for the labors of the farmer and the men who control kindred business interests. John W. Bronaugh is one who had taken advantage of existing business opportunities and is now engaged in the grain trade in Auburn, where his careful control of his business affairs and his keen discernment in matters of trade have won for him a creditable and honorable position in the business circles of Auburn, where he has carried on business since 1880. A native of Kentucky, he was born in Jessamine county, October 19, 1846, a son of James and Susan (Mitchell) Bronaugh, who were also natives of that state. His paternal grandfather, George Bronaugh, removed from Virginia to Kentucky in 1814, and there resided until his death, following the occupation of farming. The father of our subject was also a farmer throughout his life and always made his home in Jessamine county, Kentucky, where he died in 1896. His wife passed away in 1890.

John W. Bronaugh obtained only a common-school education and upon the home farm he was reared. After arriving at years of maturity he chose as a companion and helpmate for life's journey Miss Millie Mitchell, a native of Kentucky, who died in Iowa in 1879. For his second wife he wedded Miss Mollie Buckley, of Girard, Illinois, a daughter of Jacob Buckley, who was a farmer of Kentucky and removed to Macoupin county, Illinois, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death.

Entering upon his business career, John W. Bronaugh turned his attention to the occupation to which he had been reared - that of general farming. He was thus engaged in Kentucky until the fall of 1878, when he removed to Page county, Iowa, where he was engaged in the grain business in the town of Essex for two years. Thinking that there was a good business opening in Auburn, he came to this town in 1880 and purchased his present grain elevator near the depot of the Chicago & Alton Railroad. He has since been engaged in buying and shipping grain, sending the product to the city markets, and he now employs seven men at his elevator and does an extensive business. He pays the highest market price for grain and also commands a good profit when he sells, so that the trade results advantageously. His business methods are such as will bear close investigation and scrutiny, and Mr. Bronaugh is justly regarded as one of the reliable citizens of Auburn, where he has now live for almost a quarter of a century.

Called to public office by his fellow townsmen who recognized his worth and ability, Mr. Bronaugh served for several years as president of the town board, and he is now a member of the school board of Auburn. In politics he is a Democrat in principle, but believes in voting for the best man and does not consider himself bound by party ties. He is always fearless in defense of his honest convictions and neither fear nor favor can swerve him from a course which he believes to be right. He is identified with various social organizations of Auburn, including Ark and Anchor Lodge No. 354, A.F. and A.M.; Auburn Chapter No. 92, R.A.M.; Auburn Council R. and S.M.; the Knight of Pythias lodge; Auburn Camp No. 119, M.W.A, and the Knights of the Maccabees. Both he and his wife are active members of the Christian church of Auburn, in which he is now serving as an elder. Entering upon his business career without special advantages to aid him, but with laudable ambition to succeed, he has steadily progressed, taking note of the difficulties as well as the possibilities in his path, so that he has avoided the former and utilized the latter in his efforts to win prosperity. He is now one of the substantial residents of Auburn and his success is justly merited.



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