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Note: It is assumed that Huntley was born en route as the family was moving t o Missouri. No residency is known for his parents in Pontoosuc, Hanco ck Co., IL, though this is where he was born. A recollection of the c haracter of Huntley Ryan from Don Morris, stepson of Doris Ryan. Corre spondence with V.M. Freeman in 1986. " even though he was my step -gr andfather he was the only grandfather I ever knew, and I was very fond o f him. As you know he ran this general store in St. Augustine and the f amily lived in back of the store and on the second floor. I used to v isit frequently in the summertime and had such a good time . I helped h im in the store. He was one of the finest men I have ever known. He wa s compassionate, friendly to everyone, warm, caring, gentle, even temp ered, always a calming influence- everyone loved him for good reason a nd he was a pillar of his community"
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S. Huntley Ryan
Death News Clips
Galesburg Daily Register
1935
S.H. RYAN, 78, ST. AUGUSTINE STORE MAN, DROPS DEAD
S. H. Ryan, 78, general merchant in St. Augustine dropped dead in his s tore at 8 o’clock this morning while talking to a customer. His store w as located on the street corner at Route 41, where he also assisted his d aughter, Genevieve, the postmaster. Mrs. Ryan died in 1933. Mr. Ryan b elonged to the St. Augustine Catholic church.
Funeral services will be held at 10 o’clock Thursday morning from the S t. Augustine church, with burial in St. Joseph’s cemetery. Friends ma y call Wednesday afternoon and evening at the T.D. Brown home, 838 Wil lard Street. The body was taken to Kimber and West mortuary in Galesb urg.
Mr. Ryan had helped his daughter distribute the mail brought in by trai n at 7:10. Dr. C.E. Weir of Abingdon pronounced him dead. Besides hi s daughter in St. Augustine, he leaves two daughters, Mrs. Edna Ryan R ush of Galesburg and Mrs. R.C. Morris, of Peoria, and a son Elmer, of P eoria. 4-16-1935
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The funeral rites of S.H. Ryan, St. Augustine merchant who dropped dead i n his store Tuesday morning, will be held at 10 o’clock Thursday mornin g from the St. Augustine Catholic church, with burial in St. Joseph’s c emetery in Galesburg. Friends may call this evening at the home of Mr. A nd Mrs. T.D. Brown 838 Willard Street. 4-17-1935
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Biography from Albert J. Perry's 1912 History of Knox Co., IL
S.H. Ryan
Although one of the more recent additions to the business circles of St . Augustine, Salvador Huntley Ryan has, however, for many years been a ctively identified with mercantile interests in Knox county and in the m eantime has gained for himself recognition as an enterprising, progres sive and successful business man. He is one of Illinois's native sons, h is birth having occurred in Pontoosuc on the 29th of April, 1857, his p arents being Adam H. and Nancy (Aldredge) Ryan. The mother was born in M ount Vernon, Indiana, and the father in Kentucky, and in the latter st ate they began their domestic life, Mr. Ryan there giving his attention t o general farming. In 1848, however, he brought his little family, then c onsisting of wife and two children, to Illinois, and here he continued h is operations in the field of agriculture, engaging in that line of ac tivity until the outbreak of the Mexican war, when he enlisted and ser ved throughout the period of hostilities. He participated in many enga gements and in the battle of Cerro Gordo suffered the loss of one arm. h is son, L. T. Ryan, served throughout the Civil war. Following its clo se, in 1867, Adam H. Ryan went to Missouri to live, and there his rema ining days were passed, his death occurring on the 1st of March, 1892. H is wife survived until the 2d of March, 1904, passing away at the home o f her son Huntley. After the arrival of the family in Illinois five ch ildren were added to the household, but of the family of seven children o nly two are now living, a brother of our subject, Andrew W. Ryan, now m aking his home in Oklahoma.
In the schools of Victoria township, Knox county, Salvador Huntley Ryan a cquired a good education and after its completion he turned his attent ion to farming as an occupation, being therein engaged in Victoria tow nship until thirty years of age. Thinking, however, to find in mercant ile pursuits a more congenial field of labor he removed to the town of V ictoria and for one year was there engaged in general merchandising. F ie then took up his abode in Williamsfield, Knox county, and continued i n that line of business, there remaining for thirteen years. In 1909 h e arrived in St. Augustine and since then has occupied a prominent pla ce in the business circles of the town as the proprietor of a general s tore. Long experience in that avenue of activity has proven to him tha t satisfied customers are the best advertisement and accordingly he ca rries a stock of goods which is well adapted to meet the demands of hi s patrons. The nature of his business policy, too, has begotten the co nfidence of the general public, and the business transacted over the c ounters of his house is constantly increasing in importance and volume.
Mr. Ryan was married, in Galesburg, Illinois, on the 3d of February, 1 876, to Miss Margaret Ericson, who was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in A pril, 1854. Her parents, who were both natives of Sweden, came to the U nited States at an early day, locating in Wisconsin. There the mother d ied and later the father came to Knox county, Illinois, where he engage d in general farming until his death. By her marriage to Mr. Ryan thei r daughter became the mother of three children, as follows: Elmer M., a r esident of Galesburg, who married Miss Myrtle Breece, of Dahinda, Illi nois; B. Doris; and Edna S., the wife of John Rush, of Galesburg, and t he mother of one son, John. Mrs. Ryan passed away on the 27th of Decem ber, 1898, and on the 18th of February, 1901, in Galesburg, Mr. Ryan w as again married, his second union being with Miss Margaret Brennan, wh o was born in Abingdon on the 25th of November, 1862. Her parents, Tho mas and Alice Brennan, were natives of Ireland, where the father engag ed in railroading. He came to Knox county, Illinois, at an early day, l ocating at Abingdon, where he made his home for several years, after w hich he removed to Galesburg and there resided until his death. The mo ther survives him. Unto the second marriage of Mr. Ryan there has been b orn one child, Grace G.
Mr. Ryan's religious belief is that of the Methodist church while frat ernally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias at Williamsfield, a nd also with Williamsfield Lodge, No. 779, I. O. O. F., having passed t hrough all of the chairs in both bodies. He has taken an active part in r epublican circles in Knox county, serving as town clerk and treasurer o f Williamsfield, and is now serving on the village board of St. August ine, while at the same time he is acting as a member of the school boa rd of St. Augustine. He takes a keen interest in the various phases of p ublic life, doing all in his power to further the welfare of the commu nity along material, intellectual and moral lines, and is ranked among t he influential and representative citizens of the locality.
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