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WILLIAM EBERS. The United States ranks today as the foremost nation of the modern civilized world. It has served as the melting pot of the best characteristics of all other nations, and the outcome is a fine, sterling American citizenship consisting of strong and able-bodied men, loyal and public spirited in civic life, honorable in business and alert and enthusiastically in sympathy with every measure tending to further the material welfare of the entire country. The great empire of Germany has coniributed its fair quota to the up-building of this great nation, and among its representatives in this country are to be found successful men in every walk of life, from the professions to the prosperous farmer. William Ebers is one of the former sheriffs of Randolph county and a retired business man of Chester. He is descended from one of the early German families of the county, his father and grandfather having come to Illinois about the year 1846. William Ebers, father of the subject of this review, and Frederick Ebers, his grandfather, joined the settlers at Bremen when they arrived in Randolph county, Illinois. A native of Zella, in Hanover, Germany, William Ebers was born in the year 1827 and he was a lad of nineteen years of age at the time of his immigration to the United States. His father married Dorothy Stockenberg and reared a family of three children. Mr. Frederick Ebers was summoned to the life eternal in the year 1855, at the age of fifty-five years, and his cherished and devoted wife, who attained to the patriachal age of ninety-one years, passed away in 1887. William Ebers was united in marriage to Miss Dorothy Rickenberg, a daughter of Frederick Rickenberg, also of Hanover, Germany.

After his arrival in America William Ebers engaged in farming operations at near Bremen, Illinois, and there accumulated a valuable

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landed estate prior to his death, in 1889. His character was such as to commend itself to a sincere citizenship and during his life time he was one of the best and most favorably known of the German-Americans in Randolph county. The social and sympathetic side of his nature was prominently developed and his services in behalf of the afflicted and unfortunate were freely offered wherever needed. His noble wife died in 1899, at the age of seventy-four years. Mr. and Mrs. William Ebers became the parents of two children, namely, _Doris, who is the wife of Fritz Dreyer, of Percy, Illinois; and William, the immediate subject of this sketch.

William Ebers was reared to the rugged and invigorating discipline of farm life and he acquired a good, liberal education in his youth. He passed his life as a farmer until he assumed the duties of the office of sheriff, in December, 1902. He was the Democratic nominee for that office at the time of his election and was one of the two successful candidates chosen at the time. He succeeded Mr. Frank Moore in office and retired after the expiration of his term of four years. For a time following his return to private life, Mr. Ebers was engaged in active business matters at Chester, but his present retirement from the strenuousness of former years is practically complete. He is a man of broad views and kindly sympathy and it has been said concerning him that the list of his personal friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances.

On October 16, 1882, in Randolph county, Illinois, was solemnized the marriage of William Ebers to Miss May Buckmann, who was born and reared in Bremen, Illinois. The Buckmann family came to this country from Bremen, Germany, and Mrs. Ebers grew up on her father's farm and was one in a family of five children. Concerning the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ebers, Dora is the wife of Dr. Hoffmann and Alma is the wife of F. B. Wolff, both representatives of well known families in Chester, where they maintain their homes. In his religious faith Mr. Ebers accords a zealous support to the cause of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and he is affiliated with a number of local fraternal organizations of representative character.