Prominent among the wealthy men of Union county who have added very
materially to their store of this world's goods through the fruit growing
industry is William E. Harreld, a resident of Alto Pass for the past quarter
of a century, and engaged there, first in a mercantile way, carrying on the
business his father established in former years, and later in the brokerage
and fruit growing business, with which he is now identified.
William E. Harreld was born February 16, 1863, on a farm in Jackson county.
His father, Cyrus Harreld, also born and reared in Jackson county, was the
son of James Harreld, who migrated to Jackson county in 1817. The state of
Illinois was then in a most primitive state, and offered many opportunities
to the far sighted pioneer. James Harreld entered upon government land under
the homestead laws, and further engaged in buying and selling farming and
other lands then to be had for a mere pittance. He also engaged in the
merchandising business and carried on a lucrative trading business. He died
in 1844, while building a steamboat convoy on Big Muddy river, leaving a
family. The Harreld family was of a somewhat warlike tendency in its earlier
history, the ancestors of James Harreld having fought in the Revolutionary
war, five of his great uncles having fallen at Kings Mountain. He, himself,
was a first lieutenant in Captain Jenkins company in the Black Hawk war in
1832. After his father's death, Cyrus Harreld continued to reside on the old
homestead until 1851, at which time he opened a store in the vicinity. In
1860 he went to Carbondale and engaged in the mercantile business there for
a period of eighteen months. In 1872 he again ventured out in that line of
business and^ continued so for six years. In May, 1883, he bought a store
and business in Alto Pass, and there he remained until the end of his life.
The business prospered, and he became a comparatively wealthy man. He owned
two thousand acres of farm lands in Jackson and Union counties, in- addition
to the business in Alto Pass and other holdings in that city. In 1857 Cyrus
Harreld married Miss Amelia Tuttle, a daughter of Matthew Tuttle, a native
Pennsylvanian. Three children were born to them: James, William and Cora.
When Cyrus Harreld died in October, 1902, his son William E. succeeded to
the mercantile business in Palo Alto, and for fifteen years he conducted it
successfully, after which time he sold out the place and engaged in the
brokerage business. For the past two years he has bought and shipped fruit
in Utah and other western points. His brokerage business will exceed
$15,000, in addition to which he owns a fine residence, eight public
buildings and twenty lots, the latter of which will aggregate in value fully
$10,000. In addition to the above, Mr. Harreld is the owner of five hundred
acres of land, and is part owner of a company owning two hundred acres. A
portion of Mr. Harreld's holdings lie in Jackson county, on which is grown
annually a considerable quantity of fruit and grain. In 1911 he raised one
thousand bushels of wheat, three thousand boxes, or six hundred barrels, of
apples, and quantities of other products.
Mr. Harreld has been three times married. His first wife was Emily Cheney,
and they were separated by divorce, some time subsequent to their marriage,
in 1890. On February 24, 1894, he married Miss Molly Parsons. She died in
December, 1906, leaving one son, William E. His third marriage took place in
October, 1907, when Ora B. Hartlins became his wife. They are the parents of
two children, Cora Amelia and Mary Louise.
Extracted 13 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from 1912 A History of Southern Illinois, volume 3, pages 1344-1345.
| Jackson | Williamson | |
| MO |
 |
Johnson |
| Alexander | Pulaski |
