JOSEPH B. BUNDY. Presenting as it does a worthy example to the rising
generation, the life of Joseph B. Bundy, of Carbondale, Illinois, which from
early boyhood has been one of assiduous industry, untiring energy and
unquestioned integrity, is well deserving of being sketched, however
briefly, in the pages of this volume. Possessing untiring perseverance, Mr.
Bundy in his youth educated himself and rose to positions of honor and trust
in the educational field, and since giving up that profession has been
prominently identified with various large business enterprises, being at
present auditor of the Ohio and .Mississippi Valley, and the Murphysboro
Telephone Companies. Mr. Bundy was born in Saline county, Illinois, April 9,
1868, and is a son of Thomas and Octave (Phillips) Bundy.
Thomas
Bundy was born in 1829, in Wilson county, Tennessee, and was reared on a
farm, coming to Illinois in 1861, and settling on a farm in the western part
of Saline county, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death
occurring April 25, 1892. He was a prominent agriculturist of his day, was a
stanch Democrat in his political views, and his religious faith was that of
the Baptist church. The Bundy family is of French descent, the family name
being originally spelled Bundeie, and first located in this country in North
Carolina during Colonial days, from which members migrated to Ohio,
Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri. In 1857 Thomas Bundy was married to Octave
Phillips, also of Tennessee, and she survives her husband and lives on the
old homestead in Saline county, a firm believer in the teachings of the
Christian church. They had a family of five daughters and five sons, and of
these children Joseph B. Bundy was the fourth in order of birth.
Joseph B. Bundy 's early life was spent on the old home farm in Saline
county, and his early education was secured in the rural schools, made of
logs, in which they were taught the "Three R's" and spelling from the old
blue-backed spelling book. He grew to manhood on the farm, and on reaching
his maturity moved to Harrisburg, the county seat, to make his home with his
uncle, who was serving as county judge. During the summer he worked on his
uncle's farm, with the understanding that he should be allowed to attend
school, but in 1884 was prevailed upon to come to Carbondale and enter the
Southern Illinois Normal University. His limited means necessitated the
strictest economy, and before the close of the first year he had gone into
debt one hundred dollars to complete his schooling, but during March, 1885,
he passed the examination of the county superintendent of schools and
received a teacher's certificate. He then returned to the old homestead, but
secured a school known as the Hiller Schoolhouse, five miles west of
Carbondale, where he taught a five months' term at a salary of thirty-five
dollars per month. He then re-entered the normal school for the spring term
of 1886, and in the meantime secured a school known as the Keown
Schoolhouse, just south of the city, for a six months' term at forty dollars
per month, in the spring following again entering the normal. He next taught
the same school at forty-five dollars per month, and during the following
winter secured a school north of town at fifty dollars per month for six
months, each spring term being spent as a student in the normal school. At
this time he was elected principal of the Grand Tower schools, at sixty-five
dollars per month, but resigned this position to enter the normal school for
the year of 1889-1890. In the spring of the latter year he was elected
principal of the East Side school of Murphysboro, at seventy-five dollars
per month, a position which he held for two years, during the latter year
receiving an advance of ten dollars per month. At this* time, lacking but a
few subjects to complete his course, Mr. Bundy completed his work in the
normal school, going back and forth between the two cities, and in the
spring of 1892 was again elected to the same position, at a ten-dollar
increase, but resigned this office to become superintendent of the public
schools at Nashville, Illinois, the county seat of Washington county, and
continued there for six years, during which time he built up the high school
attendance from eighteen to one hundred and forty-seven pupils and placed it
upon the list of accredited high schools of Illinois. In 1898 Mr. Bundy gave
up his school work to enter the telephone and electric light business in
Carbondale, and has associated himself with various other enterprises,
including the hardware and implement business. The possession in which he
takes the greatest pride, however, is the old homestead, which he has
purchased, and on which he has made numerous improvements. Mr. Bundy 's
business qualifications have been universally recognized, and his
associations in the business world of Southern Illinois have been such as to
make him one of this section's most influential men. His political
principles are those of the Republican party, but he has not engaged in
public life, and is not a member of any fraternal associations. His
religious affiliations are with the Methodist Episcopal church.
Extracted 15 Jan 2018 by Norma Hass from 1912 A History of Southern Illinois, volume 2, pages 744-745.