John Wesley Alexander, b. 1836 in Tenn., migrated to southern Ill. following the Civil War, settling in the Carterville area. He first married Casendenia Perry in 1865 and had one son Theodore F. She died in 1875, and John W. married Jane Chamness Crain at Carterville, in 1878. They lived at Crain­ville, and had four children born there: Myrtle 1878-1960; Arthur Albert 1880-1938; Stephen George 1882-1948; Grover Cleveland 1884-1958. Following John W's death and burial at Hurricane Cemetery, his widow married George W. Poteete at Crainville in 1902. Arthur Albert, married in 1902, Estella King of Corinth, IlI., the dau. of James Alfred and Margaret Mitchell King. Arthur A. was a Free Baptist minister, and Estella, a 1896 graduate of Crab Orchard Academy, was a teacher. Their children were:

Ryburn Arthur b. 1903; Gladys Estella b. 1905; Agnes Gertrude b. 1911; Ralph Wesley b. 1914: and Ruth Genevieve b. 1917.

In 1922, Ryburn Arthur of this family married Mae Harper, b. 1902 at Tunnell Hill, Johnson Co. III.. dau. of Charles and Nettie Lawrence Harper. Ryburn and Mae had seven children, and raised them all in Crainville; Raymond Arthur b. 1923; David Loree, died in infancy: Lois May, EveIyn Lucille (Dean) Hartmann, Michael Don died in infancy; Charles Douglas 1940-1942; and Richard Dale. Ryburn A. worked for the Burlington R.R., 34 years in the accounting departments of various mines in southern III., was corporation controller for Container Stapling Corp. at Herrin, Ill., moved to Mt. Vernon in 1967, and was licensed in 1970 as a nursing home administrator. For the past 9 years has worked at Hickory Grove and Hickory View Manors in Mt. Vernon. He has been an active member of the Crainville Baptist Church, served as mayor of Crainville for 8 years, and served of the Carterville Community High School board in 1946.

Their son Raymond Arthur, went to Crainville Grade School, Carterville High School, pre-medical work at S.I.U. Carbondale, took his Master's degree at the University of Ill. in 1946, spent a short time in the Navy as a surgeon aboard the USS general Butner, completed his surgical residency, and moved to Mt. Vernon in 1951. In 1945, Raymond married Leona Emily Timm in Chicago.

She is the dau. of Arthur Henry and Anna Barbara Kunkel Timm. Raymond and Leona have five ch: Kathy Lee Heisler, has two children, Christopher Wade, and Tiffany Ann, Carol Ann Baril, has a daughter Jennifer Leigh, Michael Arthur, married Ruth Anita Reid in Mt. Vernon he is in the banking profession; David Ray, is unmarried and attending medical school at S.I.U. All three daughters are teachers.

Dr. Alexander practiced general medicine and surgery alone from 1951 to 1961, at which time he and two colleagues, Dr. Cyril Anslinger and Dr. Bryan Epperson established what is now the Southern Ill. Clinic, Ltd. at # 1 Doctors Park Road, Mt. Vernon, III. In 1965 they built Hickory Grove Manor, a nursing home to supply a modern facility for the aged. At that time there were no nursing homes in the area other than old homes that had been renovated and converted to nursing homes. In 1968, they provided the Hickory View Shelter Care Home. Having built the Clinic Building to house physicians in 1960, this facility has not only doctor's offices, but x-ray, labo­ratory, and physical-therapy available for the practice of medicine. This was the first clinic established in Jefferson Co. Dur­ing the years a variety of specialists have been brought into the area as a joint effort of this clinic operation. Dr. Alexander and some of his colleagues have spent considerable time and money in an effort to build a 500 bed regional hospital in Mt. Vernon, located on 72 acres on 42nd street, but to date have had problems building because of lack of approval on the Public Health Dept.

Dr. Alexander is a member of the First Baptist Church, is a member, fellow, or diplomat of 35 professional and scientific organizations, his biography appears in Who's Who in the Midwest, Leaders in American Science, The International Bio-logical Associations Directory, The Dictionary of Interna­tional Biography, the 2000 men of Achievement, Community Leaders and Worthy Americans, International Who's Who in Community Services, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the US, Illinois Lives, belongs to the Elks Lodge, a 32nd Degree Mason, and a member of the Masonic Shrine.

*NOTE* Some ommisions may have occured to protect living individuals.

Source: Facts and Folks of Jefferson County, Illinois Page 76
Submitted by Sandy Whalen Bauer