The name of Raddle is a well-known one throughout Jackson county. It is
the name of one of the county 'a most prosperous villages, named in honor of
Frank John Raddle, a man who in his long and useful career here has seen it
grow into a busy commercial center and whose activities have been the medium
through which it has attained its present prosperity. One of the leading
business citizens of this section, he served for many years as postmaster at
this point, and now, as a member of the grain and contracting firm of Raddle
& McCann, he is carrying on an industry that is doing much to promote the
best interests of his native community. Mr. Raddle was born at Raddle,
November 29, 1862, and is a son of Thomas and Annie (Korando) Raddle,
natives of Austria.
Thomas Raddle was born in Austria, December 29,
1819, and in 1854 brought his family to the United States, settling in Cape
Girardeau county, Missouri, where for some years he was occupied at his
trade of shoemaking. Subsequently he purchased a large tract of land in
Jackson county, on the present site of the village of Raddle, and here the
remainder of his life was spent in agricultural pursuits. He and his wife
were the parents of six children, of whom three are now living: William, who
makes his home in the state of Arkansas; and Mrs. Mary Lester and Frank John
Raddle, who are twins. The mother of these children died in 1870, at the age
of forty-four years, and her husband survived her until December 2, 1908.
Frank John Raddle was reared to agricultural pursuits, and followed
farming as a vocation until he was twenty-two years of age, at which time he
decided to enter the mercantile field. Establishing himself in business with
a little stock of groceries and ammunition valued at $150, he so conducted
his affairs that it rapidly grew to be a business worth $5,000, and supplied
a large trade all over this section of the county. In 1885 he was appointed
postmaster at Raddle, which had been named in his honor, and he continued to
hold that office for twenty consecutive years, or until he sold the store,
since which time he has been engaged in the grain and tie contracting
business with his brother-in-law, Charles McCann, and is at present handling
large contracts for the Illinois division of the Iron Mountain Railroad. He
is the owner of most of the land, comprising several thousand acres,
surrounding Raddle, and in addition owns considerable property at Herrin,
including a number of store buildings. He has been road commissioner and is
at present levee commissioner, offices to which he was elected on the
Republican ticket, the party of his choice and that of his father, and to
which he has always given his allegiance. He has proven as competent an
official as he has been an able business man.
On January 4, 1897,
Mr. Raddle was married to Miss Mollie McCann, the daughter of James McCann,
of Grand Tower, Illinois, and three children were born to this union, all of
whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Raddle are members of the Catholic church,
and he holds membership in the Knights of Columbus, and is also identified
with the local lodge of Elks. As a citizen Mr. Raddle has ever taken a
lively interest in every enterprise calculated to build up his native city
and county, and few men have a wider circle of friends and acquaintances
throughout this part of the state.
Extracted 11 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from 1912 A History of Southern Illinois, by George W. Smith, volume 3, pages 1621-1622.