Biography - LLOYD F. VOYLES
One of the representative men of this section is Lloyd F. Voyles, who is
engaged in the real estate, insurance and loan business, his operations in
this field being extensive and successful. He has made his own way unaided
and is one of those valiant people who have triumphed over adverse
conditions and pressed forward to the goal of a large and worthy success. He
is in a most significant sense a selfmade man and integrity and honor have
characterized him in all the relations of life. He is now a considerable
property owner and is preparing to practice law.
Mr. Voyles was born on a farm in Edwards county, March 28, 1871, the son of
John Voyles. The father, a farmer by occupation, was born in Kentucky, in
1845, but located in Edwards county in 1865, and now is living practically
retired in Bone Gap. He married Mary Elizabeth McDowell, a native of
Virginia, and a daughter of Samuel McDowell. These worthy people became the
parents of five children. The eldest, Edwin, died in infancy previous to the
coming of the family to Indiana; Ellen is deceased; William is located at
Shawneetown; Lloyd F., is next in order of birth; and the youngest member of
the family, Cordelia, is the wife of J. W. Elliot and resides in Danville.
Mr. Voyles passed the roseate days of youth upon his father's farm and
assisted the older man in the farm work of which there is ever a super
abundance. He remained beneath the paternal roof-tree until he attained the
age of twenty years, but his ambitions did not lie in the line of
agriculture and at the age mentioned he secured a position in a local store
and earned money to support him while he attended the Bone Gap school.
Subsequently he passed the teachers' examination and was granted a teacher's
certificate. His early advantages had been meagre indeed and the
circumstances of the family had made it impossible for him to obtain even
the ordinary common schooling. So greatly did he desire an education,
however, that he attended school at the age of twentythree years. He is a
constant student and has acquired outside the school room a splendid fund of
knowledge and is to ail intents and purposes a well-educated man. For the
past eight years he has been devoting his spare time to reading law and
practicing in the justice's court. Previous to opening his real estate
business in January, 1900, he clerked in local stores. He has been
wonderfully successful in the real estate business and represents five of
the most important insurance companies, doing a large and constantly
widening business, and handling loans in addition to the rest. He has a fine
farm of eighty acres very near Bone Gap and also has some valuable town
property, consisting of an advantageously situated business building and a
most desirable residence property.
Mr. Voyles has for a number of years been prominent in public affairs. In
politics he subscribes to the articles of faith of the Democratic party and
his word is of weight in party councils. He is both precinct and senatorial
committeeman. He has served three terms as justice of the peace of Bone Gap
township, having been first elected in 1900, and twice reelected. He has
ever proved remarkably faithful to public responsibility and is
public-spirited and helpful in all measures directed towards the public
welfare. He is a member of the Christian church.
Mr. Voyles was married January 3, 1899, the lady to become his wife being
Lura B. Melrose, of Bone Gap, daughter of Gibson Melrose. They share their
pleasant home with one son, Jennings.
Extracted 11 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from 1912 History of Southern Illinois, by George W. Smith, volume 3, pages 1585-1586.
