Montgomery County IL Archives Obituaries.....Cress, William Springer October 15, 1909
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Sarah ERNST mont413@yahoo.com June 9, 2009, 10:25 am

The Montgomery News, October 22, 1909
obituary CRESS, William Springer, October 22, 1909, The Montgomery NEWS, Pub. 
Hillsboro, Illinois

The people of Hillsboro were terribly shocked and surprised when they awoke 
last Saturday morning to learn that William S. Cress, one of the best known 
men of this section and brother of Alexander Absalom Cress, of this city, had 
died suddenly on Friday evening, October 15th, at the Ottawa Tuberculosis 
Sanitarium.  Mr. Cress had been in poor health for two years and left here 
last spring for Ottawa, where he entered the tuberculosis sanitarium at that 
place, where he hoped to effect a cure.  His general health improved almost 
immediately and he regained his lost strength very rapidly and his family and 
friends began to feel confident of his recovery but their hopes were shattered 
when a telegram was received here on Friday evening announcing his sudden 
death.  The shock to the family of the deceased was very severe as they were 
entirely unprepared for the sad news and they were the most hopeful for Mr. 
Cress' ultimate recovery.

Will Cress was a man whom everybody loved and respected.  He was born on the 
old Cress farm 2 1/2 miles north of this city, in Hillsboro township, in 
Montgomery County, Illinois, the date of his birth being February 11, 1848.  
He was therefore 61 years, 8 months and 4 days of age at the time of his 
death.  He was raised on the farm where he was born and attended the old 
Hillsboro Academy for a number of years, later entering the Illinois State 
University (in Normal), where he received a splendid education.  He adopted 
teaching as a profession and was employed for several years as principal of 
the Butler schools.  Later, he taught at Springfield, Illinois, in the college 
which was later moved to Carthage, Illinois, and which is now known as 
Carthage college.

In 1876, Mr. Cress returned to Hillsboro and for four years thereafter he and 
his brothers conducted an implement establishment in this city. After selling 
his business here Mr. Cress went west and located at Wichita, Kansas, where he 
embarked in the implement business, which he conducted four years and then 
went to Portland, Oregon, and opened a real estate office which he conducted 
for five years. He then returned to Wichita and again embarked in the 
implement business which he was forced to give up and return to Hillsboro to 
take charge of his father's farm, where his brother Thomas Jefferson Cress 
died, ten years ago.

On January 4, 1900, Mr. Cress was united in marriage with Miss Mattie Schopf 
in Wichita, Kansas, who survives him together with two little children, a son, 
John baird, and a daughter, Marie L. He is also survived by one sister, Mrs. 
Orville B. (Sophia Lucretia Cress) Blackman of Dixon, Illinois; and the 
following brothers; Alexander Absalom Cress of Hillsboro; Samuel Edward Cress 
of Sorento; Benjamin Lewis Cress of Red Cliff, Colorado; Joseph Elijah Cress 
of Ramona, South Dakota; and Jacob Daniel Cress of Reedley, Fresno County, 
California. The  deceased is the third brother to be called to his eternal 
reward, the other two being John Melanchton Cress and Thomas Jefferson Cress.

The remains of Mr. Cress were brought here from Ottawa on Saturday night and 
taken to the home of his brother, Alexander Absalom Cress, in this city, where 
the funeral was held with the Rev. Ezra Keller officiating.  The body was laid 
to rest at Cress Hill cemetery west of Hillsboro.

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