David Cummings
May 20, 1903: Samuel and Helen Henebery Cummings welcomed a baby boy they named David Henebery Cummings. Some thirty years later, he met petite, dark haired Ella Wren Off while horseback riding and and married her on September 12, 1936. Six children were born to the couple: Patricia C. Powers, Susan C. Wiegand, Joan C. Knott, David Anthony Cummings (deceased), Charles H. Cummings, and John M. Cummings.
In 1937, they established housekeeping at the end of what is now known as South Cummings Lane on the elegant Hartley farm. Hartleys produced their own bricks to build the 1840’s era colonial home. The Hartleys entertained frequently making good use of the guesthouse and icehouse. When Dave and Ella moved onto the property, there was ample barn and pasture space for their beloved horses. Ella’s love for all things equine segued into riding lessons for generations to come.
The Cummings family had one of the first in ground pools. Ella and Bud Newell combined building skills to find the finished product featured in Parade magazine. Wagon rides, barn sleepovers, barn-dinner dances (sometimes with a slithery unwelcome guest), hikes and trail rides in the nearby fields and woods provided hours of fun for friends and family. The couple hosted two Steeplechases. Spectators like the Heinz and Budweiser families situated themselves on the hillside for a bird’s eye view. A family could not have asked for a perfect setting to make memories. All things in nature was Dave’s great passion.
Dave earned his bachelor’s degree in 1925 from prestigious Georgetown University. From 1929 to 1957, he was president of Cummings and Emerson, an engine parts company in Peoria. From 1938 to 1958, he was vice president and director of Working Men’s Savings and Loan. In a bid for Senator, Cummings’ qualifications were listed as businessman, farmer, college graduate, veteran and experience with state business.
As with many patriots, David left his family safely in Washington while he served as Lieutenant
Commander in the Navy. His job in the supply section conveyed him from the Atlantic to the Pacific from 1942 to 1946. At the end of his duty, he did not hesitate to bring a young family in need back with him. Dave opened his home and provided a truck and a job. That is the kind of guy he was. In August of 1949, Governor Adlai Stevenson appointed Mr. Cummings to a sixyear term on the new Illinois Police Merit Board and in 1951, he was named state purchasing agent. He resigned the state post in September 1951. From 1961 to 1965, he was a Justice of the Peace in Tazewell County.
Included in his service to country and community, Dave was a loyal member of St. Patrick’s Church and the American Legion, Post 100. David was committed to honesty in government and believed that no political party or its supporters should tolerate corruption in government. His concern for the welfare of the working person, farmer and small businessman benefitted all who encountered David H. Cummings.