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 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
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Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://archive.org/details/cu31924028804932 
 
T^"I-iK; 
 
 Biographical Record 
 
 '■y 
 
 OF 
 
 BUREAU, MARSHALL AND PUTNAM COUNTIES, 
 
 ILLINOIS. 
 
 ' ^A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of 7-emote ancestors will never .achieve 
 anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote generations ." — Macaulev. 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 
 The S. J. Clarke Puhlishing Company. 
 1896. 
 
PREFACB. 
 
 I HE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most brilliant writers of the 
 present century, has said: " The history of a country is best told in a record of the lives of 
 its people." In conformity with this idea, the Biographical Record has been prepared. 
 Instead of going to musty records, and taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appre- 
 ciated by but few, our corps of writers have gone to the people,- the men and women who have, 
 by their enterprise and industry, brought these counties to a rank second to none among those 
 comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life struggles. 
 No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent public. In this 
 volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of coming gen- 
 erations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have 
 accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have 
 become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth 
 of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, 
 and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven 
 to succeed, and records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, 
 very many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued " the even tenor of their 
 way," content to have it said of them-as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — 
 '■' They have done what they could. "\Jt tells how that many in the pride and strength of young 
 manhood left the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting room, left every trade 
 and profession, and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through 
 their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the land. In the life of 
 every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after. ^ 
 
 Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from 
 the' fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which 
 would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work, and 
 every opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been 
 written; and the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few 
 errors of consequence. In addition to the biographical sketches, portraits of a number of repre- 
 sentative citizens are given. 
 
 The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For 
 this the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused 
 to give the information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally 
 some member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the 
 support of the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances men never could be found, 
 though repeated calls were made at their residence or place of business. 
 
 December, 1896. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 
 
Hon. R. M. Skinner. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL. 
 
 RICHARD M. SKINNER. Among the most 
 active and enterprising citizens of Prince- 
 tbn, one closely identified with almost every inter- 
 est, business, social or financial, is the subject of 
 this sketch. He is a native of New Jersey, born 
 in Morris county, April 13, 1847, ^nd is the son 
 of John C. and Mary (Stevens) Skinner, both 
 of whom are natives of New Jersey. 
 
 When Richard was but six years of age his 
 father determined to emigrate west, and ac- 
 cordingly, with his family, moved to Ohio, and 
 one year later, in 1854, to Bureau county, Illi- 
 nois, locating upon a farm near Princeton, where 
 he spent the remainder of his life, dying there in 
 1877, at the age of sixty-three years — the result 
 of an accident. His wife survived him some 
 years, dying in 1893, at the age of seventy-eight 
 years. They reared a family of five children, 
 two sons and three daughters, namely: Sarah 
 S., wife of Henry U. Bacon, of Ottawa, Kansas; 
 Richard M., of this sketch; George S., an attor- 
 ney of Princeton; Mary E., wife of Elijah P. 
 Lovejoy, and Eliza J., librarian of the public 
 library. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject from 
 the time he was seven years old were spent upon 
 a farm, and his primary education was received 
 in the country school. Entering the high school 
 at Princeton, he took the regular course, grad- 
 uating there with the class of 1870 — the first 
 class sent out from that institution. He then be- 
 came a student in Cornell university, of Ithaca, 
 New York, where he took a partial course. Hav- 
 ing resolved upon the law as his life profession, 
 he entered the Albany Law school, of Union 
 college, from which he graduated in 1872, and 
 
 was later admitted to practice in all the courts of 
 New York State. 
 
 For certain reasons, Mr. Skinner did not en- 
 ter at once upon the active practice of his pro- 
 fession, but for two terms was engaged as teach- 
 er of the high school at Princeton, a position 
 which he filled with eminent satisfaction to its 
 patrons. In the fall of 1873, however, he hung 
 out his shingle, and from that time to the present 
 he has been a member of the Bureau county 
 bar, and has won distinction in his chosen pro- 
 fession. He has practiced in all the courts of 
 the state, and is recognized by his associates as 
 an able counsellor and strong advocate. From 
 1876, until 1880, he served his county as state's 
 attorney, and again from 1888 until 1892. Dur- 
 ing his incumbency several very important cases 
 were tried by him and prosecuted to a successful 
 issue. 
 
 AMiile never neglecting his duties as an attor- 
 ney, Mr. Skinner has ever felt it incumbent on 
 him to discharge any public duty that he might 
 be called upon to perform. In politics he is a 
 strong republican and has from very boyhood 
 advocated the principles of that party, principles 
 that might be said to be "bred in the bone." In 
 various campaigns since attaining his majority, 
 he has taken the stump and dealt some stalwart 
 blows against the errors and heresies of the op- 
 position. A thorough temperance man from 
 principle, he has always opposed the licensing 
 of the liquor traffic, and in 1895, was elected 
 mavor of Princeton on a no-license ticket — the 
 majorit\' of the council, however, favoring li- 
 cense — and is now serving in that capacity. 
 
 On the I2th of June, 1878, Mr. Skinner was 
 
lO 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary Ella Sharp, 
 a daughter of John N. and Nancy (McCracken) 
 Sharp, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, now of 
 Brooklyn, New York. By this union five chil- 
 dren have been born. The eldest, De Witt, died 
 in 1892, at the age of twelve years. The living 
 are Walter R., a student in the high school; 
 Annie B.; John S., and Richard M., Jr., all of 
 whom yet reside at home. The family are at- 
 tendants of the Congregational church, with 
 which body Mrs. Skinner is an active worker, 
 being interested in every department of church 
 work, especially in the women's societies. 
 
 Mr. Skinner is a lover of good and harmless 
 sport, and is at present president of the Princeton 
 Rifle club, an association of gentlemen for so- 
 cial purposes and for target practice. In the 
 public school system of the state he has always 
 taken a lively interest and for twelve years has 
 been a member of the board of education of the 
 Princeton high school district, being one of the 
 first graduates of the high school, and one of the 
 first of its alumni to occupy the position of a 
 teacher in it. The interest manifested as stu- 
 dent and teacher has ever been maintained. The 
 Princeton high school occupies a pecuHar posi- 
 tion, being the first high school in the state to be 
 organized under a special charter from the state. 
 Its standing as an advanced school has always 
 been the highest and to Mr. Skinner much of 
 the credit of its efficiency is due. For several 
 years he was president of the board and is now 
 its clerk, and he is familiar with every detail of 
 its work. In his ofificial capacity as mayor of 
 the city he brings to bear good judgment and a 
 pride in the place of his adoption, and a stead- 
 fast determination to make it take a front rank 
 among its sister municipalities of the state. 
 After the death of Mrs. Matson, Mr. Skinner 
 was made a member of the Matson Public Lib- 
 rary board, a position which he filled with signal 
 ability until his election as mayor, when he re- 
 signed the position. His judgment of books 
 is always considered good. As a business man 
 lie has served as director of the Farmers' Nation- 
 al bank, and is now a director of and general 
 
 attorney for the Citizens' National bank, of 
 Princeton. Conservative in all business mat- 
 ters his judgment is reHed upon by his associates, 
 and the public has confidence in the stability of 
 an institution conducted by such men as the 
 subject of this biography. 
 
 GENERAL THOMAS J. HENDERSON. 
 The roster of officers and men serving in 
 the late war from the grand old prairie state 
 furnishes a long list of those who distinguished 
 themselves in camp and upon the battlefield, and 
 among that number there is not one with a 
 better record for faithful service, greater bravery 
 and exalted patriotism than the man whose name 
 heads this sketch. He is a native of Tennessee, 
 born in Brownsville, Haywood county, No- 
 vember 29, 1824, and is the son of Colonel Wil- 
 liam H. Henderson and Sarah M. (Howard) 
 Henderson. 
 
 William H. Henderson was born in Garrard 
 county, Kentucky, November 16, 1793, and 
 there spent his boyhood and youth. At the age 
 of nineteen years he enlisted in Colonel Richard 
 M. Johnson's regiment of mounted riflemen, and 
 served during the war of 1812. Having studied 
 surveying, for some years he fohowed that pro- 
 fession in his native state, and in 1823 removed 
 to Tennessee, locating in Stewart county. In 
 that State he also engaged in surveying, and 
 also filled a number of offices of honor and trust. 
 He served as sheriff of his county, and later, 
 when he removed to Haywood county, was 
 elected to the state senate, which position he 
 resigned in 1836, to remove to Illinois. He 
 was the first register of deeds of Haywood coun- 
 ty, in which Brownsville is located, and there 
 recorded the first deed the same year our sub- 
 ject was born. 
 
 On coming to this state William H. Hender- 
 son located in Putnam, now Stark, county, on 
 a farm, but his business tact and abilities were 
 soon recognized by the people, and two years 
 after Iiis arrival he was elected a member of the 
 legislature, in 1838, and in the winter of 1838-39 
 met with that body in its last session at Vandaha, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 II 
 
 and where he was associated with Lincohi, Ed- 
 wards, and other notable men. He also served 
 in the first session of the legislature meeting 
 at Springfield, in the winter of 1840-41. While 
 a member of that body he was instrumental in 
 the creation and organization of Stark county. 
 In 1842 he was a candidate on the whig ticket 
 for lieutenant-governor, but was defeated. In 
 1845 he removed to Johnson county, Iowa, 
 where he purchased and operated a large farm. 
 In politics he was a whig. His death occurred 
 January 27, 1864, at the age of seventy-one 
 years. 
 
 William H. Henderson was twice married, his 
 first marriage being with Miss Lucinda Wim- 
 berly, in Stewart county, Tennessee, January 
 II, 1816. By this union there were three chil- 
 dren: Mary, who married John T. Sevier, both 
 now being deceased; John W., who twice served 
 as a member of the senate from Linn county, 
 Iowa, and who now resides at Cedar Rapids, 
 that state; and William P., who resides at Jeffer- 
 son City, Iowa. Mrs. Lucinda Henderson died 
 in Haywood county, Tennessee, and later Mr. 
 Henderson married Sarah M. Howard, who was 
 born in Sampson county. North Carolina, Sep- 
 tember 15, 1804, and died in Marshalltown, Iowa, 
 in January, 1879. By this union were five chil- 
 dren: (i) General Thomas J., our subject. (2) 
 Henry C, who is now engaged in the practice 
 of law at Boulder, Colorado; during the war he 
 was a member of the state senate of Iowa, and 
 for some years was district judge in that state. 
 (3) Elizabeth H., the only daughter by the sec- 
 ond marriage, died in infancy. (4) Reverend 
 Stephen H., who was a member of the Iowa 
 Methodist Episcopal conference for some years, 
 and while there filled some of the best pulpits 
 of the state, and who also served as presiding 
 elder. He was later transferred to the Nebraska 
 conference and filled the Methodist Episcopal 
 pulpits in Lincoln and other cities. Pie mar- 
 ried Miss Elizabeth Winterstein of Iowa, a 
 lady of pleasing presence, of much culture, and 
 most admirably adapted for the wife of a min- 
 ister. They reside at Lincoln, Nebraska. (5) 
 
 Daniel W., who resides at Jefferson, Io^\'a. He 
 was a member of the Thirty-second Iowa Infan- 
 try, and served three years in the late war. (6) 
 James A., who became an attorney of note in 
 Iowa, but who was compelled to abandon the 
 practice of law on account of ill health. Re- 
 moving to Toulon, Illinois, he there published 
 the Stark County News until his death. He 
 was a member of the Forty-seventh Illinois In- 
 fantry. 1 ] 
 
 The boyhood of our subject was spent in his 
 native state, and until eleven years of age he 
 attended the common schools and the male 
 academy at Brownsville, Tennessee, and during 
 the last year commenced the study of Latin. 
 With his father's family he came to Stark coun- 
 ty, Illinois, where he attended the pioneer schools 
 of that locality. Nine years later he again went 
 with the family to Johnson county, Iowa, where 
 he entered the State University at Iowa City and 
 spent one term. Prior to this, however, he had 
 taught country schools more than a year. On 
 leaving the university he returned to Stark 
 county, and taught the first term of school in a 
 building just erected for that purpose at Toulon. 
 He then clerked in a store for nearly a year, 
 and in the fall of 1847 was elected clerk of the 
 county commissioners' court of Stark county, 
 and served as such until the office was changed to 
 that of clerk of the county court, to which office 
 he was elected and served until 1853. While dis- 
 charging the duties of these offices, which were 
 not very arduous at that time, he continued his 
 law studies, and in 1852 passed an examination 
 and was admitted to practice. On the expiration 
 of his term as clerk, in 1853, he opened an office 
 in Toulon and commenced the practice of his 
 chosen profession. 
 
 Law and politics seemed to go hand in hand 
 that day, and in 1854 Mr. Plenderson was elected 
 a member of the Illinois legislature and served 
 in that capacity a term of two years. In 1856 
 he was elected to the state senate, and served 
 with such men as N. B. Judd, Silas L. Bryan, 
 B. C. Cook, and W. C. Goudy, and was at that 
 time the youngest member of that body. Those 
 
12 
 
 THE iBIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 were exciting times. Tlie whig party liad 
 ceased to exist, and the newly organized repub- 
 lican party had sprung into existence. As an 
 anti-Nebraska man he was elected to the house, 
 but as a republican he was elected to the senate. 
 The celebrated Kansas-Nebraska act had been 
 passed. The southern states were attempting 
 to force slavery upon the newly organized ter- 
 ritories, and the north, much against its will, 
 was forced to recognize the great power wielded 
 by the south, and that that section was deter- 
 mined to have its way regardless of conse- 
 quences. In this political fight our subject en- 
 tered heart and soul. 
 
 The election of Abraham Lincoln m i860 fur- 
 nished the pretext for the southern states to 
 carry out their threats. Secession acts were 
 passed, and the war for the preservation of the 
 union was begun. It may well be surmised on 
 which side our subject was to be found. In 
 almost every school district in Stark county he 
 addressed his fellow-citizens, urging enlistments, 
 and pleading with all to stand by the adminis- 
 tration and the union. 
 
 In the summer of 1862, when the call came 
 for 300,000 more, Mr. Henderson determined to 
 enlist, and at once took the field and soon suc- 
 ceeded in raising a company, which became a 
 part of the One Hundred and Twelfth regiment, 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Assembling in 
 camp, by permission of Governor Yates the regi- 
 ment was permitted to elect its colonel, and 
 Mr.' Henderson received the unanimous vote, 
 both of officers and privates. On the 22d of 
 September, 1862, the regiment was mustered 
 into service and immediately ordered to the 
 front. Its record for nearly three years follow- 
 ing is a part of the history of that great struggle. 
 In the campaigns through Georgia and Ten- 
 nessee, the One Hundred- and Twelfth was ever 
 at the front, its colonel winning the good will 
 of his superior officers for his conscientious dis- 
 charge of every duty devolving upon him. "Al- 
 ways hopeful, always prompt, always courage- 
 ous, a most loyal subordinate, and a most able 
 and devoted leader," was the record given him 
 
 by Major-General J. D. Cox, under whom he 
 long served. At the battle of Resaca, Georgia, 
 May 14, 1864, he was severely wounded and lay 
 in a hospital for some time, after which he was 
 granted a furlough and came home to recuperate. 
 Returning to his regiment, the Third Brigade, 
 Third Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, was 
 organized for him, and he was assigned to its 
 command. As commander of this brigade, he 
 served until the close of the war, being brevetted 
 a brigadier-general for gallant conduct during the 
 campaign in Georgia and Tennessee, and espe- 
 cially at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, the 
 commission dating Nove-mber 30, 1864. 
 
 The war over, the regiment being mustered 
 out of service. General Henderson returned to 
 his home in Toulon, Stark county, and quietly 
 resumed the practice of law. There he remained 
 until March, 1867, when he moved to Princeton 
 and formed a partnership with the late Joseph 
 I. Taylor in the practice of his profession, which 
 was continued until 1871. At this time the gen- 
 eral was appointed by President Grant as United 
 States collector of internal revenue for the fifth 
 Illinois district, with headquarters at Peoria. 
 During the two years he was connected with 
 that office he collected and turned over to the 
 general government more than nine million dol- 
 lars. Returning home in 1873 he formed a part- 
 nership with Judge H. M. Trimble, which still 
 continues, the firm being an exceptionally strong 
 one. 
 
 In 1868 General Henderson was one of the 
 presidential electors for the state at large, and 
 cast his vote for General Grant. In 1870, he 
 unsuccessfully sought the nomination for con- 
 gress, and in 1874 was nominated and elected a 
 member of the Forty-fourth congress from the 
 sixth district. During that term he served on 
 the railways, canals and pension committees; in 
 the Forty-fifth congress he served on claims; in 
 the Forty-sixth on commerce; in the Forty-sev- 
 enth he was chairman of the committee on mil- 
 itary affairs; in the Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth 
 and Fiftieth congresses he served on the com- 
 mittee on rivers and harbors; in the Fifty-first 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 13 
 
 he was chairman of committee on rivers and 
 harbors; and in the Fifty-second and Fifty-third 
 he served on rivers and harbors, and also on 
 banking and currency. For eight years he served 
 as a member of the sixth district, and for twelve 
 years from the seventh. After his first term he 
 was always re-nominated by acclamation. In 
 all. General Henderson served the people faith- 
 fully and well for twenty years. His greatest 
 service as a member of congress, as he regards 
 it, was rendered as a member of the committees 
 on commerce and on rivers and harbors, in the 
 improvement of the waterways of the country, 
 and his principal achievement was the securing 
 of the construction of the Hennepin canal, and 
 this is a movement of which he may well be 
 proud. A man more honest and devoted to 
 the best interests of his constituents never en- 
 tered the halls of congress, and those that know 
 him best do not hesitate to say that he is in every 
 respect a noble type of American manhood. For 
 twenty years he has been one of the most popular 
 of the soldier statesmen in congress, and his 
 name stands for honesty, integrity, and every- 
 thing that is good in politics and public life. No 
 man in Bureau county in the past twenty years 
 has stood nearer the hearts of the people. 
 
 General Henderson was married May 29, 1849, 
 to Miss Henrietta Butler, of Wyoming, Stark 
 county. She was born in New York City, 
 August II, 1830, and is the daughter of Captain 
 Henry and Rebecca (Green) Butler, of Wyo- 
 ming, Illinois. By this union four children have 
 been born, (i) Gertrude R., wife of Charles J. 
 Dunbar, of Princeton, and they have two living 
 children, Harry B. and Fred T. (2) Sarah E., 
 wife of Chester M. Durley, of Princeton, who 
 also have two children, Leigh and Helen, (t.) 
 Mary L., wife of John Farnsworth of Washing- 
 ton, D. C, who have four living children, Ger- 
 trude, John, Eunice, and Thomas H. (4) Thom- 
 as B., a boot and shoe dealer of Princeton, and 
 insurance agent. 
 
 Fraternally, General Henderson is a Mason, 
 holding membership, with blue lodge, chapter, 
 commandery and consistory. As a citizen he 
 
 is ever ready to do all in his power to advance 
 the interests of his adopted city, giving of his 
 time and means for its material advancement. 
 Fie and his estimable wife live in a beautiful 
 home on Peru street. 
 
 The republicanism of General Henderson has 
 never been doubted. He was a delegate at the 
 last whig state convention in Springfield, and 
 was a delegate to the republican national con- 
 vention at St. Louis in 1896, and cast his vote 
 for Major McKinley, protection and sound cur- 
 rency. 
 
 JAMES TANQUARY, "Uncle Jimmy," as he 
 was familiarly called by almost every man, 
 woman and child living in Steuben and adjoining 
 townships, in Marshall county, was a man 
 greatly loved and universally respected by all 
 who knew him. For nearly half a century his 
 was a familiar face in Marshall county, and now 
 that he has gone it seems Hke the light had gone 
 out of the home of not only his immediate fam- 
 ily, but the entire neighborhood as well. 
 
 James Tanquary was born in Pickaway coun- 
 ty, Ohio, June 17, 1831, and was the son of Wil- 
 liam and Elizabeth (Shackford) Tanquary, both 
 of whom were reared in that state. His boy- 
 hood days were spent in his Ohio home, where 
 he remained until sixteen years of age, when 
 he accompanied his parents to Indiana, and there 
 remained with them until reaching his majority, 
 when he came to Marshall county, Illinois, 
 where he had relatives living. Soon after his 
 arrival he engaged in farming, and pursued that 
 occupation during his entire life. 
 
 The Hfe of a farmer is lonely enough, even 
 when surrounded by family and friends, but 
 without either it is doubly so. Mr. Tanquary 
 was a man of domestic tastes, and we therefore 
 find that on the 15th of September, 1853, he was 
 united in marriage with Mrs. Lucinda C. Black- 
 well, whose maiden name was Watkins. She is 
 a daughter of Isaiah and Mary (Douglas) Wat- 
 kins, and a sister of David Watkins of Steuben 
 township. When but fifteen years of age she 
 married Rev. David Blackwell, who died eight 
 
14 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 years afterward. He was a minister of tlie Metli- 
 odist Episcopal cliurch, a member of the Illinois 
 conference. When he formed the acquaintance 
 of Miss Watkins he was pastor of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church at Lacon, and she was a pupil 
 in the public schools. After their marriage they 
 resided at Whitehall, Carlinville, and Mt. Ver- 
 non, Illinois, in each of which places he was 
 pastor, and while residing at the last named point 
 he was called to his final reward. Two children 
 were born to them: Rev. William Robert Black- 
 well, of the Methodist Episcopal church, now 
 residing at Mt. Vernon, Iowa; and David Rich- 
 ford Blackwell, who is a farmer of Steuben 
 township. The widowed mother returned to 
 the old neighborhood, met and married Mr, 
 Tanquary. Whether it was "love at first sight" 
 or not, it can truly be said that they were lovers 
 during their entire married life, and Mr. Tan- 
 quary became a real father to her fatherless chil- 
 dren, and thfey loved him with a tender love even 
 unto the end. One son came to bless their 
 union, Nathan Quinn Tanquary, a leading attor- 
 ney of Denver, Colorado, who was educated at 
 Iowa City, Iowa. They also had a foster son, 
 J. Keys, who was killed in a railroad accident. 
 
 On their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Tanquary 
 began their domestic life on a farm in Camping 
 Grove, where they remained some two or three 
 years, when they removed to the farm where 
 Mrs. Tanquary now lives, and for nearly forty- 
 two years their home was one of joy and happi- 
 ness, with but little to detract from it. As already 
 stated, Mr. Tanquary was a man of domestic 
 tastes, and there was to him "no place like 
 home." He cared nothing for the strife of this 
 world, and in reality shrank from it. His farm, 
 his home, and his church were his all in all. 
 True, he was interested in educational matters 
 and gave a part of his time to educational work, 
 and, politically, he was a thorough-going repub- 
 lican, attending party conventions and filling dif- 
 ferent local ofifices. For some years he was 
 justice of the peace, and was serving in the 
 latter office when his death occurred, November 
 
 25, 1895- 
 
 But it \\as as a member of the church of God, 
 a humble disciple and follower of the blessed 
 Master, where his life shone at its best. Convert- 
 ed and called of God at the age of eleven years 
 he was ever afterward a consistent and devoted 
 Christian man. On coming to Marshall county 
 he united with the Bethel Methodist Episcopal 
 church, in Steuben township, and for about 
 forty years served it as class leader, steward and 
 trustee, and in its Sunday-school was an indefat- 
 igable worker. He was a great Bible reader 
 and loved to dwell upon its precious promises. 
 Two passages which he had marked in the 
 blessed book and which he often quoted, give 
 a perfect outline of his faith in the Word, and 
 the spirit which characterized his life: "Even- 
 ing and morning and at rioon will I pray and 
 cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice." Psalms 
 Iv, 17. "Exalt the Lord our God and worship 
 at his holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy." 
 Psalms xcix, 9. Of an emotional nature, he 
 showed his joy in church and at home, and in 
 thanksgiving to his God. His home was ever 
 the home of the ministers of the gospel, and 
 he greatly enjoyed their presence at his fireside. 
 
 The Lacon Journal, whose editor was well 
 acquainted with Mr. Tanquary, in its notice of 
 his death, after speaking of the warm place in 
 his heart that he gave to his stepsons and to his 
 foster-son, said: 
 
 "But the supreme crowning to his beautiful 
 life was his devotion to his wife. In all the forty- 
 two years of their singularly happy wedded life 
 they walked hand-in-hand, a pair of grand old 
 lovers to the last; she returning his affection 
 measure for measure. How fondly we cherish 
 last words and last looks when friends are gone. 
 Only last Friday he came into the office for his 
 mail. He and his old friend, George Holler, 
 stood talking together about their ages. We 
 joined in, saying: 'Why, Uncle Jimmy, you are 
 not old; you are not out of your honeymoon 
 yet.' 'He is not likely to get out of it,' rejoined 
 his friend. This little talk pleased him greatly. 
 He went home anH told his wife of it with much 
 delight. This was the last time we saw him. So 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 15 
 
 fresh and ruddy, so happy-looking he was that 
 day. The next Tuesday Uncle Jimmy was gone 
 and a hush of deep sorrow fell on the whole 
 county and town. 
 
 "Forty-three years he has lived in IlHnois, 
 most of the time on the same farm, a few miles 
 northwest of Sparland — a beautiful spot, by his 
 hand made to blossom as a rose. 'Twas in his 
 own home, in the midst of his neighbors and 
 friends of a lifetime and in the quiet sacredness 
 of the domestic circle where he was best known 
 and most loved. His hospitality was without 
 stint, without measure. Everyone loved to go 
 to Uncle Jimmy Tanquary's, loved to linger, de- 
 parted regretfully. His home was the Mecca, 
 the happy playground of all his little grandchil- 
 dren, especially the city-bred children — three of 
 them of his son, N. Q., who came on annual 
 trips to grandpa's to grow strong on the farm. 
 With them he was a child again — no end of fun, 
 frolic and chatter. They went with him every- 
 where. 
 
 "James Tanquary was a man of positive char- 
 acter, fixed principles, strong convictions. He 
 shrank from humbuggery, imposture and false 
 pretenses; loved his God and his church. Cold 
 the day and hard the storm that did not see 
 Uncle Jimmy sitting in his accustomed seat in 
 beloved old Bethel church. With his going it 
 seemed that the very keystone had fallen from 
 its arch. Of his money he gave to it liberally; 
 of his influence, his all. In this sacred edifice 
 his funeral took place on Thanksgiving Day at 
 II a. m. His pastor, Rev. De Clark, assisted by 
 Rev. E. K. Reynolds of the Baptist church, 
 spoke comforting words to the bereaved ones. 
 The singing was beautiful, falling like balm on 
 the hearts of the mourners. His funeral attend- 
 ance was large, friends coming from many miles 
 distant. Tenderly, lovingly, he was borne from 
 the church and laid in the Sparland cemetery." 
 
 DR. OSCAR H. HUNTLEY. Go into any 
 village, town or city in this great Northwest 
 of ours; seek out the men who are the leaders in 
 spirit, thought and action; learn the history of 
 
 their lives, and you will find that there is usually 
 a striking similarity which leads to the inevitable 
 conclusion that like conditions produce like re- 
 sults. The story usually begins, "Born in New- 
 England, parents poor, self-made, etc." Now 
 this fact, for fact it is, illustrates most aptly one of 
 the salient features of our American civihzation. 
 There is an opportunity offered here under our 
 emblem of liberty for every human being to work 
 out and develop the best there is in him. The 
 record of a self-made man, however, is always of 
 interest and profit and the lessons learned there- 
 from are valuable ones. 
 
 To this honored class belongs Dr. Huntley, a 
 prominent physician and surgeon of Buda, Il- 
 linois, who was born at Alstead, New Hamp- 
 shire, July 4, 1830, and is a son of Amos and 
 Betsy (Baker) Huntley. He traces his ancestry 
 back to the Huntleys in the North of England, 
 and his grandfather, William Huntley, on com- 
 ing to the new world in the eighteenth century, 
 located in New York on the Hudson, near New 
 Amsterdam, where the father of our subject was 
 born in 1800. Almost the entire life of the lat- 
 ter, however, was passed in the old gi'anite 
 state, where he and his wife both died at ad- 
 vanced ages. When our subject was about ten 
 years of age they removed to the village of Al- 
 stead in order to provide their children with bet- 
 ter educational advantages; later, they went to 
 Marlow for the same purpose, the doctor attend- 
 ing the Marlow academy until fifteen years of 
 age, when they removed to Keene, New Hamp- 
 shire, where there were still higher grades of 
 school. Here he prepared himself to enter the 
 sophomore year of Middletown college, Con- 
 necticut. At the early age of fifteen he began 
 teaching, and in that way earned the money with 
 which to pay his tuition at college, following 
 the profession in New Hampshire, Massachu- 
 setts and Virginia. He was obliged to give up 
 his studies on account of ill-health and spent one 
 year in the Old Dominion, and about the same 
 length of time in Illinois in 1852-3. 
 
 Returning to Keene, New Hampshire, our 
 subject began the study of medicine with Dr. 
 
i6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 George B. Twitchell, later took a course of lec- 
 tures at Woodstock, Vermont; subsequently en- 
 tered the Tremont Medical school at Boston, 
 and later was graduated at Jefferson Medical col- 
 lege, of Philadelphia, in 1856, receiving the de- 
 gree of M. D. The same year he began practice 
 at Pecatonica, Winnebago county, lUinois, where 
 he remained until the outbreak of the civil war, 
 when he raised an independent company of caval- 
 ry, of which he was chosen captain. It was must- 
 ered into the United States service in September, 
 1862, and afterwards assigned to the First Illi- 
 nois Cavalry, with which regiment it did duty 
 for a year and a half in Missouri and Arkansas. 
 During the last year the company acted as es- 
 cort to General Steele and the doctor was made 
 surgeon for this command. 
 
 After leaving the service. Dr. Huntley became 
 afflicted with bronchial trouble and went to Ne- 
 vada with the hope of benefiting his health, and 
 a year later went to California, where he re- 
 mained four years. In the latter state he again 
 engaged in teaching, receiving at one time one 
 hundred and fifty dollars per month, which was 
 quite different from the salary he had first re- 
 ceived, which was only eleven dollars and he was 
 obliged to board round among the scholars. In 
 1869 he returned east to take a course of medi- 
 cal lectures in New York City, after which he re- 
 turned to California, but on the 26th of Septem- 
 ber, 1870, he located at Buda, Illinois, where he 
 has since successfully engaged in practice. On his 
 arrival here he had but one hundred dollars^ but 
 his skill and ability soon won recognition, and 
 to-day he is at the head of a large and lucrative 
 practice. He has since taken post graduate 
 courses at Chicago, Philadelphia and New York, 
 and is one of the best read and most efflcient phy- 
 sicians and surgeons of this section of the state. 
 
 On the 6th of February, 1878, Dr. Huntley 
 was united in marriage with Miss Laura F. 
 Swope, of Buda, daughter of John W. and Mar- 
 garet (Templeton) Swope, of Macon township. 
 Bureau county. They now have one son, Oscar 
 Hubbard, born at Buda, December 28, 1887. 
 
 The doctor's father was an old line whig:, and 
 
 later became a republican, but the doctor cast 
 his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas, though he 
 has since been an ardent republican. He has 
 served as president of the village, a member of 
 the village board, school board and board of 
 health, and has been quite instrumental in secur- 
 ing the good schools which Buda now possesses. 
 He attends the Unitarian church, while his wife 
 holds to the belief of the Congregational church. 
 Socially, he became a member of the Masonic 
 order before joining the army, belonging to the 
 blue lodge at Pecatonica, and he and his wife 
 are also members of the Eastern Star, of which 
 she has served as matron and associate matron. 
 He also holds membership in the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows and was instrumental in 
 establishing Emery post. No. 198, G. A. R., of 
 Buda, of which he was its first commander. As 
 a physician he enjoys the honor of being a peer 
 of any m Bureau county. His life has been 
 characterized by energy, perseverance and un- 
 tiring labor, and to these principles his success 
 is due. 
 
 JOHN STRAWN THOMPSON, president of 
 J the First National bank of Lacon, Illinois, 
 and senior member of the firm of J. S. Thomp- 
 son & Sons, investment bankers, also of Lacon, 
 is one of the most widely known of Marshall 
 county's citizens. His record is a most unusual 
 one and shows what a young man, without cap- 
 ital, and without any natural advantages, can do 
 to achieve success in life and at the same time 
 maintain the good will and universal respect of 
 his fellow citizens and all with whom business 
 or social relations have brought him in contact. 
 A native of Marshall county, his entire life has 
 been spent there, and his life's work is known 
 and read of all men. 
 
 John S. Thompson was born in Hopewell 
 township, about three miles east of Lacon, in 
 a log cabin, December 26, 1840. He is the son 
 of James and Mary A. (Strawn) Thompson, a 
 sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this vol- 
 ume. His boyhood was spent upon the home 
 farm, and his education was commenced in the 
 
John Strawn TiioMrsoN. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 19 
 
 country school. When about ten years of age, 
 the family moved into the city of Lacon, and 
 here he attended the public school for a time, 
 that being all the educational advantages that he 
 enjoyed. Notwithstanding- this lack of knowl- 
 edge to be obtained in the school room, there 
 are few better informed men, especially in all 
 the practical affairs of life. By reading and ob- 
 servation he has ever kept abreast of the times. 
 
 As a day laborer he toiled in youth and early 
 manhood, with probably little thought of the 
 active, busy life he should later follow, or with 
 but a dim idea of what the future had in store 
 for him. He was always industrious, however, 
 and had a laudable desire to be something more 
 than a common day laborer, however honorable 
 labor may be. On the 12th of February, 1864, 
 he embarked in his first business enterprise, pur- 
 chasing the grocery stock of William Wright 
 entirely on credit, not having a dollar in the 
 world that he could invest. This purchase 
 showed wonderful pluck and courage on his 
 part, and the utmost trustfulness on the part 
 of yir. Wright. But with little more than a 
 boy's mercantile experience, he commenced busi- 
 ness, and in one year's time had paid oft' every 
 dollar of indebtedness and had his shelves well 
 filled. 
 
 From the very beginning he was prosperous. 
 Accommodating and enterprising, trade natur- 
 ally came his way. People liked to deal with 
 him. They knew him to be honest and conscien- 
 tious, and withal they admired his grit. With 
 the increase of trade he was enabled to make 
 other investments, to make loans in a small way. 
 The profits from his grocery trade and the in- 
 come derived from his loans was promptly in- 
 vested in other loans, and this branch of his 
 business rapidly increased, so that on the 12th 
 of February, 1869, just five years from the date 
 of his purchase, he sold his grocery stock and 
 gave his entire attention to his loans and invest- 
 ments. 
 
 At first the business was carried on under his 
 individual name, and as his sons developed busi- 
 ness abilities, they were taken into partnership, 
 2 
 
 and under the name of J. S. Thompson & Sons 
 it has been carried on for some years. Year by 
 year the business has grown, until at present 
 an annual business of over five hundred thousand 
 dollars is transacted, loans being made princi- 
 pally on farm lands in Illinois. The plan of the 
 firm is to make loans on farm property and sell 
 the notes to persons desiring a safe investment, 
 doing something unusual in cases of this kind, 
 guaranteeing to the purchaser both principal and 
 interest. Those dealing with this firm have only 
 to send their interest coupons and principal notes 
 when due to the bank, and they are instantly 
 paid the amount, thus having no trouble or any- 
 thing whatever to do with the mortgagor. After 
 thirty years' successful business career the com- 
 pany can point with pride to the fact that they 
 have never suffered loss or been compelled to 
 foreclose a mortgage in Illinois. This career 
 is probably without a parallel. Farmers like to 
 deal with the firm because they know they will 
 be treated fairly, and investors know they are 
 sure of safe returns. The firm have customers 
 from Maine to California, and its reputation is 
 A No. I. Its individual responsibility is $400,- 
 000. 
 
 In addition to his loan and investment business 
 Mr. Thompson for a number of years has been 
 interested in the First National bank of Lacon, 
 and in 1884 was elected president of the con- 
 cern. Since that time he has given considerable 
 attention to its business, and his excellent busi- 
 ness judgment and wise foresight has been of 
 great service to the bank, which is regarded as 
 one of the strongest and most conservative in this 
 section of the state. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Eliza H. 
 Norris, the wedding ceremony taking place at 
 the home of the bride's parents in Lacon, May 
 12, 1863. She was a native of Ohio and a 
 daughter of Ira and Elizabeth Norris, both of 
 whom were natives of the same state. They 
 came to Lacon at an early day, where their 
 daughter grew to womanhood and was educated 
 in its public schools. By this union were three 
 children, all of whom grew to maturity. Charles 
 
20 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Norris, the eldest, grew to manhood in his native 
 town, and received a good literary and practical 
 business education. He married Miss Ada 
 Bums, a daughter of Judge John Burns. In 
 his youth he entered the office of his father 
 and in due time was taken into partnership, hav- 
 ing shown rare business qualities. For several 
 years he was a sufferer from tuberculosis, during 
 which time he traveled extensively in search of 
 a health-giving climate, spending two seasons 
 at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Early in the 
 winter of 1896 he went to Phoenix, Arizona, 
 accompanied by his wife and parents, with the 
 hope that its favored climate would be beneficial 
 to him. But the end was near, and notwith- 
 standing the faithful ministration of his loved 
 wife and fond parents, death came to his relief 
 the morning of February 22, 1896. He was 
 amiable, forbearing, and a thorough Christian 
 gentleman, his life and character afifording no 
 reproach to his professions of allegiance to the 
 teachings of the Master, and his death was calm 
 and peaceful — a fitting close to an exemplary 
 life. He was conscious to the last, and as 
 he fell quietly to sleep he seemed ready and 
 willing to go and confident of the future. He 
 was a Knight Templar Mason, and a member 
 of the Knights of Pythias. His remains were 
 brought to Lacon and laid to rest in the beautiful 
 cemetery, there to wait the judgment day. Jen- 
 nie Eliza, the second child, grew to womanhood 
 and married Dr. C. E. Vernay, of Lacon, where 
 they still reside. They have two children, a son 
 and a daughter, John Strawn Vernay and Clara 
 Eliza Vernay. John Ira, the youngest of the 
 family, is now the junior member of the firm 
 of J. S. Thompson & Sons, and is also a young 
 man of good business ability. He married Aliss 
 Maud A. Goodrich, and they have one son, 
 John Strawn Thompson, Jr. They, too, reside 
 in Lacon. The mother of these children died 
 January i, 1876, of tuberculosis. She was a 
 devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, and died in the full assurance of faith, 
 loved and mourned by all wbo knew her in this 
 life a woman of rare character. 
 
 On the I2th of October, 1877, Mr. Thompson 
 was united in marriage with Miss Emma J. 
 Norris, a sister of his first wife. Two children 
 came into their home, the eldest, Ora James, 
 dying at the age of ten months. The other, 
 Emma Mai, yet resides at home, a bright little 
 miss of thirteen years, a joy and comfort to all 
 who know her; giving promise of useful and 
 accomplished womanhood. 
 
 Mrs. Thompson was a woman of rare Chris- 
 tian virtue, and in early life united with the 
 Methodist Episcopal church, and was earnest, 
 active and thoroughly loyal to the Master, giving 
 of her time and talent to the advancement of the 
 cause of Christ. Her death, which occurred 
 July 30, 1884, of a tumor, was a peaceful one. 
 She was ready to go and be at rest in the home 
 prepared for the children of God. 
 
 In early life Mr. Thompson was converted 
 and united with the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 and has ever been a thorough and consistent fol- 
 lower of the lowly Nazarene. Since commenc- 
 ing life for himself, he has been a busy man, 
 a very busy man, but business cares and respon- 
 sibilities have never been so great as to take 
 him from his accustomed place in the house of 
 God. The work of the Master must be attended 
 to as well, and time, talent and all must be 
 given to his service. In the church he has 
 filled nearly every official position, and in the 
 Sunday-school he has been an indefatigable 
 worker. This work may be said to be his special 
 delight, and for twenty-five years he has been 
 superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Sun- 
 day-school of Lacon, Illinois. That his labors 
 have been appreciated is attested by his long 
 service in that capacity. His zeal and abilit\- 
 in this direction have been recognized outside 
 of his own church, and for several years he 
 has been president of the Marshall County Sun- 
 day School Union, and for five years president 
 of the District Sunday School Union, comprising 
 the counties of Alarshall, Putnam, La Salle and 
 Bureau. He is a good presiding officer, with 
 unquestioned executive ability, and above all 
 he has at heart a love for the cause and an 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 21 
 
 earnest desire to save the children of this land. 
 To the church and its work he has always been a 
 liberal contributor. Taking into consideration 
 the time required for his business and the work 
 of the church and Sunday-school, it would seem 
 that he could find time for nothing else. But 
 it is the busy man who finds time to engage in 
 anv enterprise, or do anything that will benefit 
 his fellow-men. In fraternal work Mr. Thomp- 
 son has given more or less of his time. He is 
 a ]\Iason of high standing, holding membership 
 with the blue lodge and chapter of Lacon, 
 a thirty-second degree Mason. He is a member 
 of the Peoria Consistory, and the Knights Tem- 
 plar Commandery, and the Mohammed Shrine, 
 also of Peoria. He is also a member of the 
 Knights of Pythias and Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows of Lacon, and has been connected 
 with nearly every temperance society organized 
 in Lacon. In temperance work he has always 
 manifested a great interest, and has actively en- 
 gaged in doing all in his power to suppress the 
 g^eat evil of intemperance. 
 
 On the 22d of February, 1887, Mr. Thompson 
 married Miss Clara L. Vernay, a native of Lacon 
 and daughter of James and Cynthia (Wilcox) 
 Vernay, and granddaughter of Dr. and Mrs. Levi 
 Wilcox, who were numbered among the hon- 
 ored pioneers of Marshall county. In Lacon 
 she grew to womanhood, and received a good 
 education. For ten years previous to her mar- 
 riage she was a teacher part of the time in the 
 schools of her native city, and was regarded as 
 among the best teachers employed. A lady of 
 taste and refinement, a Christian woman with 
 the love of humanity at heart, she is a worthy 
 helpmeet of one who himself delights in doing 
 good. 
 
 Mr. Thompson has always used his wealth for 
 the enjoyment of his family, town and church. 
 He for thirty years has visited most of the in- 
 teresting places of his native land and Mexico. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Thompson made a European tour 
 in 1889, visiting Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Greece, 
 Turkey, Russia, Norway and Sweden, together 
 with the principal countries and cities of Europe. 
 
 Politicall}' Mr. Thompson is a democrat, and 
 while firmly believing in the principles of the 
 party, has never been a partisan. The right of 
 opinion asked for himself he has always been 
 willing to concede to others. Of political favors 
 he has asked none, and cares nothing for the 
 honors of oiifice. In 1891 he consented to make 
 the race for mayor of Lacon, that he might be 
 instrumental in securing a system of water 
 works for the city. He was elected almost unan- 
 imously and re-elected in the same manner in 
 1893, serving in all four years. Under h'^ rd 
 ministration was consummated the present effi- 
 cient water works of the city, which are a credit 
 to the municipality and to the honored mayor 
 and council who superintended their construc- 
 tion. 
 
 As a citizen, no man enjoys the confidence and 
 respect of others more than the subject of this 
 sketch. His election as mayor tested his pop- 
 ularity' with the voters of the city. Enterprising 
 and progressive, everything calculated to build 
 up and strengthen the business interests of Lacon 
 and of Marshall county is encouraged by him. 
 A friend of the poor and needy, his good work 
 among such has brought upon him the bless- 
 ings of many unfortunate ones, of which numer- 
 ous incidents might be related. A Christian 
 man, his entire family has followed his good 
 example, and all are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church and workers with him in the 
 Master's vinevard. 
 
 HENRY J. MILLER, a successful farmer and 
 lumber dealer of Spring Valley, is one of 
 the oldest, best known and most highly respected 
 pioneers of the southeastern part of Bureau 
 county. He was born in Dubois county, Indi- 
 ana, November 3a, 1823, and is a son of Henrv 
 and Sally (Hall) Miller, in whose family were 
 seven children, who grew to maturity and were 
 married, five sons and two daughters, namely: 
 William, born in Kentucky, died in 1852, at the 
 age of forty-two years; George W., born in Ken- 
 tucky, died in 1838, at the age of twenty-four 
 years; Eliza, born in Indiana, is the deccusci] 
 
22 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 wife of Edward H. Hall ; Henry J., of this sketch ; 
 Edward H., who was born in Indiana in 1825, 
 died in 1887; Smith, born in Indiana, is a farmer 
 of Hall township, Bureau county, where he has 
 spent every winter since 1832; and Elizabeth, 
 who was born in what is now Hall township, 
 Bureau county, Illinois, in 1833, is now a resi- 
 dent of Fullerton, Nebraska, the widow of Wiley 
 H. Horn. 
 
 The father of our subject was a native of 
 North Carolina and was one of the first perma- 
 nent settlers of Hall township. Bureau county, 
 where he arrived on the 24th of August, 1832. 
 On the 2 1st of May of that year with his family 
 he started for his new home in the western 
 wilds of Bureau county, it being the same day 
 on which the Indian creek massacre occurred, 
 in which a number of their relatives were cruelly 
 murdered by the Indians. This little colony, of 
 which the Millers formed a part, consisted of 
 three families. They were: Edward Hall and 
 wife, Henry Miller, wife and six children, and 
 Gilbert Killim, wife and two children, number- 
 ing fourteen souls. They were compelled to rest 
 several weeks on Ox Bow prairie, Putnam coun- 
 ty, on account of the Black Hawk war, their 
 teams being pressed into the government ser- 
 vice to haul provisions for the troops, and the 
 brothers of our subject, William and George, 
 served as drivers. In that war two persons took 
 part who in later years became noted characters 
 in American history — Abraham Lincoln, the 
 commander-in-chief of the Federal forces of the 
 United States; and Jeff Davis, who held a simi- 
 lar position with reference to the confederate 
 forces of the seceding states. An uncle of our 
 subject, Rezin B. Hall, and a cousin, John W. 
 Hall, also took up arms against the hostile In- 
 dians, who at the Indian creek massacre had 
 murdered the father, mother, and youngest sister 
 of the latter, together with about twelve others 
 in La Salle county, Illinois. After much delay 
 and annoyance, the three families, composing the 
 colony of which our subject was a member, ar- 
 rived in what is now Bureau county, August 24. 
 1832. Plis father subsequently purchased a tract 
 
 of government land on section 33, Hall town- 
 ship, in 1833-34, at the first land sale in this 
 district, held at Galena. Upon that farm he spent 
 the remnant of his days, dying December 6, 
 1852, at the age of sixty-six years. He was one 
 of the first men in that township to make claim 
 who entered his land and remained on the or- 
 iginal claim until his death. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born in 
 Georgia, and died July 26, 1847, at the age of 
 fifty-three years. She was an excellent woman, 
 a true helpmeet to her husband, and possessed 
 those ennobling qualities found in the true wife, 
 mother, and friend. Her parents, Edward and 
 Rachel (Barnes) Hall, were natives of Georgia, 
 and of English and Welsh parentage respectively. 
 She was carried, like the other members of the 
 family, from her native state to Kentucky on 
 a pack-horse in the early days when Daniel 
 Boone located there, and before wagons were 
 used in that frontier settlement. Her father died 
 June 28, 1838, at the age of eighty years, and is 
 probably the only Revolutionary soldier buried 
 in Bureau county. He served under the com- 
 mand of General George Washington, partici- 
 pating in many of the hard-fought battles of that 
 long and terrible struggle, and at the close of 
 the war had not yet reached his twenty-fourth 
 year. He was a Methodist Episcopal minister, 
 possessing much of that zeal, earnestness and 
 fire which characterized the preachers of that de- 
 nomination in those early days. His words of 
 kindness and admonition were long remembered 
 by those who came from far and near to hear 
 him and were pleased to listen. His wife died 
 September 10, 1838, at the age of seventy-nine 
 years. She, too, was a Methodist in religious 
 belief, and active in the service of her Master. 
 In their family of eight children, Mrs. Sally Mil- 
 ler, the mother of our subject, was the sixth in 
 order of birth. 
 
 The parents of our subject were also con- 
 scientious and earnest Christian people, strict 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 and the early preachers made their home a stop- 
 ping place and there preached until the school 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 23 
 
 house was erected. Many were the times that 
 our subject was sent to notify the neighbors that 
 Brother Royal or Brother Beggs was at his 
 father's home and was going to preach. 
 
 Mr. Miller, whose name introduces this sketch, 
 had but little advantage for securing an educa- 
 tion, only being able to attend a country school 
 a part of the winter months for about three years, 
 at which time his father paid his tuition, but he 
 would study on winter evenings by the hickory 
 bark fire and has become a well-informed man. 
 Almost his entire life has been devoted to farm- 
 ing and stock-raising, in which he has been quite 
 successful, now owning a quarter of a section of 
 land in Dakota, three-quarters of a section in 
 Nebraska, and about one thousand acres in Bu- 
 reau county. He also became connected with 
 the mining interests of Spring Valley, and to him 
 is due in part the organization, development and 
 progress of the Spring Valley Coal Company. 
 As its agent he contracted the coal rights for 
 five thousand acres, and when the time came for 
 making the final settlement, he, in company with 
 Alexander Campbell, took the coal rights and 
 met the payments. The coal mines, which are 
 among the best in the state, are now in suc- 
 cessful operation. 
 
 In Bureau county, on the 5th of April, 1849, 
 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Miller and 
 Miss ]\Iary A. J. R. Williams, who was named 
 for her aunt who was massacred by the Indians. 
 Mrs. Miller was born in Sangamon county, Illi- 
 nois, February 19, 1831, and by her marriage 
 with our subject has become the mother of sipc 
 children: George W., who died at the age of 
 ten months and five days; Isadora M., now the 
 wife of James E. Porterfield, a lumber dealer of 
 Toluca, lUinois, by whom she has two children, 
 Edna and Lois; William C, who died at the age 
 of nine years; John H., whose sketch is given 
 on another page of this work ; Carmi A., a farmer 
 of Bureau county, who> married Sarah I. Wind- 
 sor, by whom he has two children, Claude and 
 Fenton; and Mary A. J., wife of C. J. Devhn, 
 of Topeka, Kansas, by whom she has four chil- 
 dren, James H., Mary, Ethel, and Charles J. 
 
 Although caring nothing for public" office, Mr. 
 Miller has been called upon to serve in several 
 ofiicial positions in his township, and in politics 
 is an ardent democrat. Both himself and wife 
 are earnest and devoted members of the Meth- 
 odist Protestant church. For over sixty years 
 he has been identified with the interests of Bu- 
 reau county and has taken a prominent part in 
 promoting its welfare and advancement. He is 
 enterprising, progressive and public-spirited and 
 justly deserves to be numbered among the hon- 
 ored pioneers and leading and influential citizens 
 of his adopted county, where almost his entire 
 life has been passed. In promoting his own in- 
 dividual interests, he has materially aided in the 
 progress and development of this section. His 
 courteous, genial manners have gained him the 
 friendship of all with whom he has come in con- 
 tact, either in a business or social way, and we 
 are pleased to present to our readers this sketch 
 of his life, knowing that it will be received with 
 interest. 
 
 T SAAC HARRISON REEDER, M. D., of La- 
 1 con, with one exception, is the oldest practi- 
 tioner in Marshall county, and is probably per- 
 sonally known by more people than any other of 
 its honored citizens. He is a native of Montgom- 
 ery county, Ohio, born near Dayton, July 27, 
 1824. His parents, Jacob and Frances (Crane) 
 Reeder, were both natives of Pennsylvania, from 
 which state his grandfather, Daniel Reeder, emi- 
 grated in the early childhood of Jacob, locating 
 at North Bend, on the Ohio river. At that place 
 Jacob grew to manhood and wooed and wed 
 Frances Crane, whose parents were also num- 
 bered among the pioneers of that part of Ohio. 
 Their wedding was celebrated in the city of Cin- 
 cinnati, and they continued to reside in Ohio until 
 1834, when they removed to Illinois, locating just 
 east of the present city of Lacon, on a beautiful 
 tract of land overlooking the Illinois river. A 
 settlement had been made at this point a short 
 time previously and a village had been platted 
 to which was given the name Columbia. This 
 
24 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 entire section of country was then a part of Put- 
 nam county. 
 
 The tract secured by Jacob Reeder comprised 
 about three hundred acres of government land, 
 which he proceeded to improve and where he 
 remained with his family until 1837, w'hen he 
 sold to the Fenn Colony, which came to this lo- 
 cality from Cincinnati. That colony established 
 the present city of Lacon, and secured the divi- 
 sion of the county. On selling his farm he re- 
 moved to the vicinity of the present village of 
 Washburn, which was farther from the river, and 
 where he thought his family would be- less ex- 
 posed to ague, which was prevalent in the coun- 
 ty at that time. Purchasing an improved farm, 
 he continued to reside thereon until old age 
 made it incumbent on him to retire from active 
 work, when he removed to Metamora, and made 
 his home with a daughter, with whom he lived 
 until his death in 1875, in his eighty-eighth 
 year. 
 
 Jacob Reeder was a man of home tastes and 
 habits, caring little or nothing for the applause 
 of the world. For almost his entire life he en- 
 gaged in tilling the soil, planting and sowing 
 with an abiding faith that God would give the 
 increase. He never sought, nor would he ac- 
 cept public office, although a man of strong 
 political views. In early life he was an advocate 
 of the principles of the whig party, but when 
 that party, which numbered among its leaders 
 such men as Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, 
 passed out of existence, he affiliated with the 
 republican party, being by nature and education 
 a strong anti-slavery man. In his religious con- 
 victions he was a Presbyterian, strongly rooted 
 in the peculiar views held by that old and highly 
 conservative body of people. In his family re- 
 lations, while tender and considerate, he was yet 
 firm in his discipline and required perfect obe- 
 dience from his children. He was what might 
 be termed an ideal man. For many years he 
 was an elder in the church, and was one of the 
 first members of the Presbyterian church of La- 
 con. His good wife was also a member of that 
 denomination, and was a worthy helpmate of 
 
 such a man. She preceded him to the better 
 world some ten years, dying in J.865. 
 
 Jacob and Frances Reeder were the parents 
 of eight children, all of whom grew to maturity. 
 Of this number Addison was a machinist by 
 trade, and died at Bloomington, Illinois, in 1887. 
 Thomas was for many years a large farmer re- 
 siding near Minonk, Woodford county, Illinois, 
 but died in Idaho about 1891. Susan, now the 
 widow of William Rockwell, resides in Henry, 
 Marshall county. Isaac H. is next in order of 
 birth. David, who was a resident of Decatur 
 county, Kansas, died March 6, 1896, in his sev- 
 entieth year. Jacob is a mechanic, residing at 
 Metamora, Illinois. Frances, who was the wife 
 of Price F. Kellogg, died in 1895. Rebecca, who 
 was the wife of Lucien Cannej^, of Pontiac, Il- 
 linois, died about 1876. 
 
 The subject of this sketch remained with his 
 parents until seventeen years of age, attending 
 subscription schools of the neighborhood in win- 
 ter months, and assisting in the cultivation and 
 improvement of the farm the remaining seasons 
 of the year. He was then apprenticed to INIr. 
 lUirlingham, of Lacon, to learn the blacksmith's 
 trade, with wdiom he remained until twenty-one 
 years of age, receiving for his sei'vices during the 
 entire period only his board and clothes. Be- 
 ing of a naturally studious nature, while engaged 
 in learning his trade, he borrowed and eagerly 
 read a number of valuable books, thus storing 
 his mind with' useful knowledge. From Dr. 
 Pioals he borrowed a chemistry, which he care- 
 fully studied, and from another he secured a 
 grammar. For months he almost continually 
 had his books on the forge before him, which he 
 read and studied as he blew the bellows. 
 
 When his four years' term of service was up, 
 our subject commenced life without a dollar, re- 
 ceiving no assistance whatever from his employ- 
 er. His trousers were out at the knees, his shirt 
 ragged, his coat hardly fit to be worn, but he 
 had grit and determination, and at once com- 
 menced work at his trade as a journeyman, con- 
 tinuing as such until he had laid by enough mon- 
 ey with which to purchase a set of tools, when 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 25 
 
 he opened a shop at Metamora, Woodford 
 county, where he operated some three or four 
 years. He was then taken sick and his physi- 
 cian, Dr. Whitmire, now, as well as then, resid- 
 ing at ]\Ietamora, decided that he must abandon 
 his trade. While convalescing he read some of 
 his physician's medical works and became great- 
 ly interested in a skeleton which the doctor had 
 in his office. For some two or three months he 
 continued to read such medical works as were 
 at his disposal, with only the thought of passing 
 away the time. 
 
 Consulting with his physician as to what call- 
 ing or profession he should adopt for the future. 
 Dr. AMiitmire, much to his surprise, advised him 
 to continue the study of medicine and qualify 
 himself for a physician. The idea struck him as 
 amusing, as he had never given the subject any 
 serious consideration, but later he decided to fol- 
 low the doctor's advice. Selling his shop and 
 tools, he entered the office of Dr. Whitmire, and 
 under his instruction pursued his studies. Be- 
 ing a g^ood vocalist, he taught singing school, 
 thereby securing the means \vith which to pay 
 his board. He also saved enough to pay his ex- 
 penses through one term of Rush Medical col- 
 lege, which he attended in the winter of 1848-9. 
 
 At the close of his first course of lectures, he 
 returned to ^Metamora without a cent in his 
 pocket. His old preceptor then advised him 
 to locate at some good point and enter upon the 
 practice of his profession, thus gaining some 
 practical knowledge before completing his 
 course. This he decided to do, and therefore 
 located at Lexington, Illinois, as assistant to Dr. 
 Barnd of that place. He remained with the doc- 
 tor about three years, saving every cent possi- 
 ble, that he might again enter college, complet- 
 ing the full course. While with Dr. Barnd he 
 had large and varied experience, doing much of 
 the country practice, taking long drives day and 
 night, in rough and stormy as well as pleasant 
 weather. 
 
 Returning to college in the fall of 1851, our 
 subject pursued his studies and graduated with 
 honors in February, 1852, receiving his diploma 
 
 from Rush Medical college. About the middle 
 of the term, however, he came very nearly leav- 
 ing the college, and possibly abandoning all 
 thought of ever continuing in the profession. 
 His funds were about exhausted and he had no 
 other source of supply. A rooiumate, Abner 
 Hard, late of Aurora, was in about the same fix, 
 and what to do was the question. His friend 
 proposed the securing of a room and together 
 keep bachelor's hall. The back room of a doc- 
 tor's office was placed at their service, and there 
 they lived during the remainder of the term, at 
 a cost not exceeding ten cents each per day, 
 their diet being principally bread and water. But 
 this served to brace them up, and as stated, Dr. 
 Reeder received his diploma in February, 1852. 
 Another difficulty now arose. He had not mon- 
 ey enough to pay his expenses from Chicago to 
 Lacon. The railroad had not yet traversed this 
 region, and the fare by stage was seven dollars. 
 Borrowing five dollars of a friend in Chicago, he 
 took the stage for his old home, arriving safely 
 with one dollar in his pocket. He then walked 
 to Metamora, and there borrowed five dollars of 
 his sister with which to pay the Chicago loan, 
 and again returned to his old field of labor, Lex- 
 ington, Illinois. However, he remained there 
 but a short time, when he received an ofifer from 
 his cousin. Dr. Robert Boal, of Lacon, of a part- 
 nership with him in practice at that place. Back 
 to Lacon he came, and the partnership thus 
 formed continued until near the beginning of the 
 war. 
 
 The firm of Boal & Reeder succeeded in build- 
 ing up a fine practice, but in October, 1862, Dr. 
 Reeder was commissioned surgeon of the Tenth 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry by Governor Yates, 
 and joined the regiment at Nashville, Tennessee. 
 He was then in active service until the surrender 
 of Atlanta in the fall of 1864. At the battle of 
 Stone river, he, as field surgeon, did efficient 
 service. The Tenth Illinois Infantry distin- 
 guished itself in the battles of Stone river, 
 Chickamauga and other engagements in that 
 campaign, and Dr. Reeder was ever at his post 
 of duty. While his inclinations were to remain 
 
26 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 with the boys in the field, he resigned his com- 
 mission in the fall of 1864, and returned to La- 
 con. He has never, however, lost his interest 
 in the stirring events of that day, and has con- 
 tinued his membership with the Army and Navy 
 ?iledical association. 
 
 On returning home the doctor at once re- 
 sumed practice, and has since continued to reside 
 at this place, and for a period of almost half a 
 century has ministered to the physical wants of 
 the people of this vicinity. His experience in 
 the army and his recognized skill as a surgeon 
 has given him a reputation not only throughout 
 Marshall, but in adjoining counties, and his ser- 
 vices have frequently been called into requisition 
 in difficult surgical operations for many miles 
 around. By his skill as a physician and surgeon, 
 he has built up a large and lucrative practice, 
 placing him and his family in comfortable cir- 
 cumstances. For many years he has been a 
 member of the North Central Medical associa- 
 tion and the State Medical society, and has 
 served as president of the former body. The 
 medical journals of the country have been en- 
 riched by his contributions, and in all matters 
 pertaining to his profession, he has endeavored 
 to keep abreast with the times. 
 
 Dr. Reeder was united in marriage with Miss 
 Dorcas Lucas, at Bloomington, Illinois, Feb- 
 ruary 21, 1850, and together they have traveled 
 life's pathway for a period of forty-six years. 
 She has been a worthy wife of a worthy husband, 
 and her wise counsels and loving ministrations 
 have been an encouragement to him as he has 
 gone in and out among the people in the dis- 
 charge of his professional duties. Two loving 
 daughters came to bless their union. Flora is 
 now the wife of Charles E. Hoyt, of Lacon. She 
 is a musician of more than ordinary ability, and 
 her voice is often heard in public to the delight 
 of all, while as a pianist her ability is acknowl- 
 edged by all. May, the second daughter, died 
 in September, 1876, in her eighteenth year. She 
 had but a few months previously graduated from 
 the Lacon high school, and the future was 'oright 
 before her. Being very ambitious, she worked 
 
 too hard that she might graduate with honor, 
 and her death followed from heart paralysis. She 
 was a loving young woman, the joy of parents 
 and the friend of everybody. 
 
 While a strong republican and very pro- 
 nounced in his views. Dr. Reeder has never 
 sought office, and has devoted his entire time to 
 his professional, social, educational and religious 
 duties. For years he was a member of the school 
 board, and for some time was its chairman. Re- 
 alizing the difficulty in his own case of securing 
 an education, he strived to give a more favorable 
 opportunity to others, and by his active interest 
 and wise counsel much of the success attained by 
 the Lacon public schools is due. A lifelong 
 member of the Presbyterian church, he has given 
 much thought to the Master's work. He is also 
 a member of the Masonic fraternity, blue lodge 
 and chapter. All in all it may be well said that 
 the life of our subject has been such as to reflect 
 credit upon himself and honor to his fellow-citi- 
 zens. 
 
 HON. ROBERT RALPH GIBONS is one 
 of the leading attorneys of Bureau county, 
 and a man well and favorably known, not alone 
 in this section, but throughout the state. His 
 life has been an active and an honorable one, well 
 worthy of emulation by the young. He was 
 born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, December 7, 
 1840, and there remained until seventeen years 
 of age, receiving a good academic education. 
 His father, John S. Gibons, was born in Ver- 
 mont, and early in life removed to Pennsylvania, 
 where he lived and died. 
 
 John S. Gibons was one of the leading attor- 
 neys of the Allentown bar, and was quite promi- 
 ment as a democratic politician, known through- 
 out the length and breadth of the state. As a 
 member of the Pennsylvania state senate he in- 
 troduced the act, and secured its passage, creat- 
 ing the free school system of the state. He was 
 elected a member of congress in 1848, but died 
 before taking his seat. Of his family of seven- 
 teen children, one son, G. G. Gibons, an attor- 
 ney, died in Chicago some years ago; Rupp F. 
 
R. R. GiBONS. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 29 
 
 Gibons came to Bureau county, from which 
 place he removed to Nebraska, later to Oregon, 
 where he now lives; Clarence H. Gibons also 
 came to Bureau county, and is now residing in 
 Princeton; H. A. Gibons is a jeweler at Aurora, 
 Illinois; one daughter is now Mrs. Blanch C. N. 
 Stevens, of Gainesville, Texas; another daugh- 
 ter, Eliza J., was married to WiUiam J. Dobbins, 
 of Peoria, and is now deceased ; the eldest daugh- 
 ter, Hannah S., who was the wife of Alfred Mc- 
 Kee, came to Princeton, and here died; M. 
 Amanda was married to John G. Stiles, an 
 attorney of AUentown, Pennsylvania, and ex- 
 member of congress, now deceased. The mother 
 also came to Princeton in i860, where she died 
 some years ago. 
 
 Prior to his coming to Princeton our subject 
 had learned the printer's trade in his native city. 
 Soon after arriving here he formed a partner- 
 ship with James S. Eckles, and the two pub- 
 lished the Bureau County Democrat for one 
 year, when he retired, and thus ended his career 
 as a newspaper man. He then went to Ne- 
 braska with his brother Rupp, and there worked 
 on a farm for a year or two. 
 
 The great struggle between the north and 
 south had now begun, and returning to Prince- 
 ton, yir. Gibons made up his mind to take part 
 in the contest. Assisted by Judge Stipp, he 
 raised a company, of which he was commissioned 
 second lieutenant, and which became a part of 
 the famous Yates Sharpshooters, the Sixty- 
 fourth lUinois Volunteer Infantry. Tliis regi- 
 ment saw active service in Mississippi, Alabama 
 and Georgia, and among the battles in which it 
 participated may be mentioned Kenesaw Moun- 
 tain, first and second battles of Corinth, luka, 
 and Farmington. On the field Lieutenant Gib- 
 ons was promoted captain, and served as such 
 until his discharge. He was mainly with the 
 company, but at one time was on detached 
 service for a short period as provost marshal 
 at Glendale, Mississippi. At Kenesaw Mountain 
 he received a gunshot wound in the head, and 
 also a buckshot wound in the side. He was 
 carried to the rear and placed in a hospital. 
 
 where he remained for awhile, and was then 
 transferred to the commissary department. He 
 was honorably discharged in January, 1865. The 
 Yates Sharpshooters had an enviable record in 
 the war, and it goes without saying that no com- 
 pany did its duty more faithfully than that com- 
 manded by Captain Gibons. 
 
 On receiving his discharge. Captain Gibons 
 returned to Princeton, and read law in the office 
 of Stipp & Gibons, the junior member being 
 his brother G. G., who later moved to Chicago 
 and there died. Under their instruction, he pur- 
 sued his studies, and was duly admitted to the 
 bar after a thorough examination before the 
 Supreme Court at Ottawa, Illinois. On the re- 
 moval of his brother to Chicago, he was ad- 
 mitted to partnership by Major Stipp, under 
 the firm name of Stipp & Gibons, the partner- 
 ship continuing until the election of Mr. Stipp 
 to the bench. Tlie son of Judge Stipp was then 
 his partner for a time, and later M. U. Trimble, 
 who is now deputy county clerk. In 1886 the 
 present firm was constituted, under the firm 
 name of Gibons & Gibons, the junior member 
 being Ira C. Gibons, a graduate of the Chicago 
 Law School, and a son of our subject. The 
 firm have a large practice in the various state 
 courts, and rank among the ablest practitioners 
 at the bar. 
 
 Captain Gibons has been a lifelong democrat, 
 and has taken a more or less active part in 
 every campaign since i860, except those years 
 spent in the United States service "down in 
 Dixie." Living in a part of the state where 
 democracy has usually been in the minority, 
 his opportunity for distinction in a political way 
 has not been so great as in other localities. Still 
 he has served two terms as mayor of Princeton, 
 four years as county judge, and in 1894 was 
 nominated and made the race as the democratic 
 candidate for congress in the ninth congres- 
 sional district. He made a thorough canvass 
 of the district, but went down in the landslide 
 of that year, which proved so disastrous to dem- 
 ocratic hopes. In every convention of his party 
 in this section his face has been familiar for 
 
30 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 years, and he has endeavored to hold aloft the 
 standard of his party. On the financial question 
 he is now to be found with those advocating- the 
 restoration of silver to its rightful place, and in 
 this connection he follows the lead of Senator 
 Vest of Missouri. 
 
 In August, 1862, Captain Gibons was granted 
 a leave of absence, and returned home on a re- 
 cruiting expedition. While on this service he 
 was united in marriage with Miss Margaret M. 
 Thompson, a daughter of Robert E. Thompson, 
 an old merchant of Princeton, and one of the 
 pioneers who located here in 1839. One son 
 was born of this union, Ira C, who, as already 
 stated, is engaged in the practice of law, as a 
 partner of his father. He is a young man of 
 ability, and gives promise of future usefulness 
 in life. 
 
 For twenty-five years Judge Gibons has been 
 a member of the Christian church, of which 
 body his wife is also a member. Both are active 
 workers. Mrs. Gibons is a member of the vari- 
 ous missionary and benevolent organizations of 
 the church. Fraternally, the judge is a Mason, 
 holding- membership with the blue lodge, chap- 
 ter and commandery. He is well read from all 
 standard works and in the current literature of 
 the day, having a good library, which is for use 
 and not for ornamental purposes. In educational 
 matters he has also taken a lively interest, and 
 for three years has been a member of the board 
 of education. As a citizen he is highly respected 
 and honored by all, without regard to rehgious 
 or political bias. 
 
 H 
 
 A.RRY H. FERRIS, president of the Citi- 
 zens' National bank, of Princeton, has for 
 many years been one of the enterprising citizens 
 of the place. Ever ready to lend a helping hand 
 to every deserving institution, especially one 
 calculated to develop the manufacturing and 
 otlier interests of his adopted city. He was born 
 in Ferrisburg, Addison county, Vermont, De- 
 cember 24, 1832, and is the son of Benjamin and 
 Mary (Sherman) Ferris. 
 
 The Ferris family were originally from Con- 
 
 necticut, and settled at Ferrisburg, Vermont, at 
 a very early day. Benjamin Ferris, the grand- 
 father of our subject, served his country in the 
 Revolutionary war, and was in the battle of 
 Plattsburg. He died at Ferrisburg soon after the 
 family located at that place. The boyhood and 
 youth of Harry were spent on the farm at Ferris- 
 burg, and there he remained until twenty years 
 of age, receiving a fair education in a select 
 school. 
 
 On leaving his native state our subject went 
 to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where he remained 
 one year, and in the spring of 1854, came to 
 Princeton, which has since been his home, save 
 for about two years spent in Russell county, 
 Kansas. It was on the advice of an uncle, P. 
 W. Ferris, that he made Princeton his home, 
 and he has never regretted the step taken. His 
 uncle was an old school teacher and dentist, and 
 was well-known by the old citizens of Bureau 
 county. He died many years ago. 
 
 At the close of the first summer spent in 
 Princeton by our subject, his father came on 
 from Vermont with the intention of purchasing 
 a farm, but did not remain. However, after the 
 war he again came with his family and here the 
 parents spent the remainder of their lives, both 
 dying at about the age of eighty years, one pre- 
 cechng the other but a very short time. 
 
 The first business in which young Harry en- 
 gaged in Princeton was that of buying and sell- 
 ing real estate. The country was comparatively 
 new, and was being rapidly settled by a thrifty 
 class of people, and in the real estate business 
 he was quite successful, as prices were rapidly 
 advanced save for a period following the panic of 
 1857, and even then in this locality prices were 
 well maintained, being held up to a great ex- 
 tent by their proximity to a market made easily 
 accessible by the completion of a railroad to Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 Mr. Ferris was still engaged in the real estate 
 business when the war broke out and he was one 
 of the first to respond to his country's call, be- 
 coming a member of Company I, Twelfth Illinois 
 A^olunteer Infantry, commanded by Captain 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 31 
 
 Frank Ferris, a cousin. His term of enlistment 
 under the first call was for but ninety days. When 
 his term expired and re-enlistments were in or- 
 der for three years, he was rejected on account 
 of his partially crippled hand, making it difificult 
 for him to properly handle his musket. At the 
 battle of Shiloh Captain Frank Ferris was badly 
 wounded and died soon after. His body was 
 brought back and interred in the cemetery at 
 Princeton. Ferris post at Princeton was named 
 in his honor. 
 
 Returning home after receiving his discharge, 
 our subject resumed his real estate, business, in 
 which he continued until 1864. In 1862, in part- 
 nership with his brother, Benjamin S., he pur- 
 chased the private bank of Carey, Olds & Com- 
 pany, and under the firm name of B. S. Ferris 
 & Company continued the business. After a 
 period of three years' successful business, Hon. 
 Justin S.Morrell,of Vermont, an old acquaintance 
 and well-known politician of that state, invested 
 with them some ten thousand dollars, and the 
 First National bank of Princeton was organized 
 and duly incorporated. 
 
 In the meantime a bank was started near the 
 depot which did business under the firm name 
 of Ferris Brothers, with Plarry H. as manager. 
 This was rendered necessary from the fact that 
 the depot was located so far from the business 
 center of the city that grain men and others 
 were put to so much inconvenience in getting 
 their checks cashed. Some years later, in 1872, 
 the business of Ferris Brothers was merged into 
 the Farmers' National bank, a cousin of Mr. 
 Ferris, named Sherman, investing fifteen thous- 
 and dollars in the institution. Mr. Ferris was 
 elected president of the new concern, and as- 
 sumed its active business management. The 
 bank was organized with a capital stock of fifty 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 ■Benjamin S. Ferris, the brother, who was 
 president of the First National bank, having lost 
 his health, felt it necessary to dispose of his in- 
 terest in 1873, which he accordingly did and re- 
 moved to Denver, Colorado, where he died some 
 years since. Our subject also disposed of his 
 
 stock in Ihe First National bank at the same 
 time, but retained his interest in the Farmers' 
 National. Two years later, on account of' im- 
 paired health, he disposed of his interest in the 
 Farmers' bank also, and went to Russell county, 
 Kansas, where he invested in a flock of ten 
 thousand sheep. For two years he spent the 
 greater part of his time in outdoor life, when his 
 health being fully restored, he determined to 
 return to his old home and embark in the bank- 
 ing business. 
 
 Returning to Princeton, Mr. Ferris assisted 
 in organizing the Citizens' National bank, with a 
 capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, of which 
 he was elected vice-president, Tracy Reeve being 
 the president. The capital stock was soon in- 
 creased to one hundred thousand dollars, made 
 necessary by the rapidly increasing business. 
 Mr. Ferris continued to serve as vice-president 
 of the bank until the death of Mr. Reeve in 
 1894, when he was elected president, and has 
 since been annually re-elected. The bank has 
 hada successful career, paying semi-annual divi- 
 dends of five per cent, and stock is quoted at one 
 hundred and fifty dollars. Mr, Ferris has given 
 personal attention to the business of the bank 
 since its organization in 1878. The bank owns 
 the building in which it is located. 
 
 Mr. Ferris was married February 4, 1864, at 
 Watervillc, iMaine, with Miss Mary S. Dunbar, 
 a native of that state and a daughter of Otis H. 
 Dunbar, a native of Massachusetts. She is a 
 sister of the well-known Dunbar Brothers of 
 Princeton. By this union five children were 
 born — Edward S., is now cashier of the Shenan- 
 doah (Iowa) National bank; Camilla, is a teach- 
 er of German in the high school of Ottumwa, 
 Iowa. She was educated at the Northwestern 
 University, of Evanston, and later studied at 
 Heidelburg, Germany, and at Paris, France, and 
 is proficient in both French and German. Al- 
 bert W., is assistant cashier of the Citizens' Na- 
 tional bank, of Princeton; Mary is a student of 
 the Princeton high school; Charlie, in 1895, was 
 lost on Lake Michigan. He was in business in 
 Chicago, and took passage on a boat at Benton 
 
32 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Harbor, Michigan, for Chicago, and was never 
 afterward heard from. 
 
 Mr. Ferris has improved several pieces of 
 property in Princeton, including his own fine 
 residence on Elm street. He has taken stock in 
 all manufacturing enterprises, some of which 
 have proven anything but profitable, but it has 
 been his aim to assist struggling enterprises and 
 aid his adopted city. In educational matters he 
 has taken a deep interest, and for years has 
 served as a director of the graded schools of 
 Princeton, a most thankless office. Religiously 
 he is liberal and attends the People's church, of 
 Princeton. Mrs. Ferris is a member of the Con- 
 gregational church. In politics he is a repub- 
 lican, but takes no active part in party work. 
 
 GEO. B. HARRINGTON, A. M., the effi- 
 cient superintendent of public schools of 
 Bureau county, Illinois, is widely known 
 throughout the entire state, and has an envi- 
 able reputation in educational circles. He is 
 a native of Vermont, born in Williams- 
 town, January 31, 1844, and is a son of 
 Daniel J\L and Esther (Allen) Harrington, both 
 of whom were natives of the same state, the 
 former, born December 12, 1799, in Williams- 
 town, and the latter in 1800, at Brookfield. They 
 were married in Williamstown, where they spent 
 the remainder of their lives, the husband pursu- 
 ing the calling of a farmer. Of their family of 
 twelve children, five are now living — Mrs. 
 Bethiah Goodrich, of Williamstown, Vt. ; Mrs. 
 Atlanta Winchester, of Williamstown, Vt.; Na- 
 than, of Grinnell, Iowa; Asa, of Barre, Vt., and 
 George B., the subject of this sketch. The 
 father died in 1878, the mother in 1875, and 
 their memory is cherished by family and many 
 friends, who esteemed them for their many excel- 
 lent qualities of head and heart. 
 
 The Harringtons are of Scotch ancestry, the 
 first of the name settling in Massachusetts prior 
 to the Revolutionary war. Daniel Harrington, 
 the grandfather of our subject, removed from 
 Williamstown, Mass., to Williamstown, Vt., prior 
 to 1794, in which year he purchased the farm 
 
 which has since been in possession of some of 
 the family. On that homestead was born Daniel 
 M. and his entire family, including our subject. 
 There his boyhood and youth were spent and 
 the foundation laid for the successful career 
 which has followed him as an instructor of youth 
 and director of public school teachers. After 
 leaving the primary schools of his native count} 
 he received an academic education in Randolph, 
 Vt., and in the same institution pursued a normal 
 course, after which he engaged in teaching in 
 the public schools. His salary for the first term 
 taught was eleven dollars per month. This was 
 in his native state, and save in experience, was 
 not satisfactory; however, he still continued to 
 teach there until September, 1867, when he came 
 to Bureau county, where he continued to follow 
 his chosen profession. Here he acquired a rep- 
 utation as a successful teacher, and in 1869, was 
 elected principal of the Anawan, Henry county, 
 schools, which position he held for five years. 
 He was then called to take charge of the schools 
 in Tiskilwa, Bureau county, and served two 
 years, resigning on account of ill-health. 
 
 The reputation acquired as a teacher by Prof. 
 Harrington brought him prominently be- 
 fore the people of Bureau county, who were al- 
 ways quick to acknowledge worth, and in 1877, 
 he was elected county superintendent of schools, 
 and served five years, filling the position in a 
 most acceptable manner and doing much to ad- 
 vance the interests of the schools. While filling 
 this position he published a system for teaching 
 civil government in the common schools, which 
 was republished by the New York Tribune and 
 New York Independent, and also by various 
 educational journals throughout the country, 
 and which was favorably received wherever intro- 
 duced. He also published during this time in 
 book form a "Helper for the Teachers of Bureau 
 County," which proved highly beneficial to t^e 
 public schools, its suggestions being very gener- 
 ally adopted by the teachers. 
 
 After an intermission of four years. Prof. Har- 
 rington, in 1886, was again elected county su- 
 perintendent of schools, was re-elected in 1890, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 33 
 
 and again in 1894. His reputation as a super- 
 intendent is second to none in the state. His 
 whole mind and heart is in the work, and he is 
 often called to lecture before institutes in the 
 different counties of the state, in which field of 
 labor he is especially well qualified. In 1873 he 
 passed an examination and was granted a certifi- 
 cate as a teacher from the state superintendent of 
 public instruction. While never attending 
 Lombard university as a student, his merits as 
 an educator were recognized by that institution, 
 which in 1890 conferred on him the degree of 
 master of arts, an honor worthily bestowed. 
 
 On the 27th of July, 1869, Prof. Harrington 
 was united in marriage, in Bureau County, with 
 Miss Emma V. Carpenter, a native of Orange 
 county, \'t., and a daughter of Marshall D. and 
 Dorcas (Conner) Carpenter, also natives of that 
 state, who settled in Bureau county in 1852, and 
 later removed to Humboldt county, Iowa. They 
 were the parents of six children, (i) Lucy B., 
 now the wife of James Briggs, a farmer, residing 
 near Des Moines, Iowa. (2) Hon. Frank E., 
 now residing at Livermore, Iowa, where he is 
 engaged in farming. For two years he served 
 his district in the legislature and is well-known 
 in his locality. He was formerly a resident of 
 Bureau county, and here married Miss Gertrude 
 Woodruff. (3) Emma V., now the wife of our 
 subject. (4) Bessie, wife of John W. Boyd, died 
 some years ago. (5) May, wife of Eugene Heath, 
 a farmer of Henry County, Illinois. (6) Ida L., 
 wife of J. W. Boyd, of St. Louis, Mo. To Prof. 
 and Mrs. Harrington, three children have been 
 born: L. Ward, who died at the age of four 
 years; Grace V., and a daughter who died in in- 
 fancy. Grace has been carefully educated and 
 has made music and painting a special study. 
 She is gifted in both, but especially so in paint- 
 ing, in which she excels and has at her home 
 many evidences of her rare skill and taste. 
 
 Mrs. Harrington is a ripe scholar, a successful 
 teacher who had great aptness for the work, and 
 who is a most efficient helper for her husband in 
 the official duties in the office of county superin- 
 tendent of schools. Few women in Bureau 
 
 county are so widely known and none are more 
 universally esteemed. She is a worthy member 
 of the Congregational church at Princeton, and 
 is actively engaged in promoting the Lord's 
 cause in that city. The professor is also an effi- 
 cient member of the same church. Fraternally 
 he is a member of the Free and Accepted Ma- 
 sons, and has attained the rank of Knight Tem- 
 plar. 
 
 Since first elected county superintendent of 
 schools the number of teachers passing under 
 his examination, together with the renewal of 
 licenses, would number more than six thousand. 
 He has seen the number of graded schools in 
 the county increase from four to fifteen. He 
 served for six years as a member of the State 
 Board of Education, being first appointed by 
 Gov. Oglesby. He was elected president of the 
 Northern Illinois Teachers' association, at the 
 largest session held by that body. In every posi- 
 tion which he has been called on to fill he has dis- 
 charged its duties conscientiously and to the en- 
 tire satisfaction of those interested. As a citizen 
 he is highly esteemed, and while an ardent Re- 
 publican in politics, he numbers among his 
 stanch friends many of the opposite party. 
 
 DR. JAMES P. LYTLE,an eminent physician 
 and surgeon of Princeton, Illinois, was bom 
 in the southern part of the state, near East St. 
 Louis, November 12, 1848, and is a son of Dr. 
 Francis W. and Florida Martin (Routt) Lytle, 
 natives of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, respect- 
 ively. The father successfully engaged in prac- 
 tice in Troy, Madison county, and in Lebanon, 
 St. Clair county, Illinois, and when the civil 
 war broke out, became assistant surgeon of the 
 Fifty-first regiment of Illinois volunteers, but 
 was afterwards promoted to surgeon of the Thir- 
 ty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. After the 
 battle of Nashville, he took charge of the hos- 
 pital there, but was obliged to resign on account 
 of ill-health. On his return home he took up 
 general practice, which he conducted up to the 
 time of his death in 1884, at the age of si.xty-five 
 years. He was a life-long elder of the Presby- 
 
34 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 terian church, in which his wife was also an 
 active and enthusiastic worker. She was born 
 July lo, 1825, and died July 11, 1875. In the 
 family were eight children, four still living — 
 Anna E., wife of Dr. F. A. Salem, of Anna, Il- 
 linois; James P., of this review; Kate P., wife of 
 John R. Appleman, of Fredericktown, Madison 
 county, Missouri, and Mary A., wife of E. S. 
 Dewey, circuit clerk of Alexander county, Il- 
 linois. Four of the children died in infancy, 
 and Jennie and Dora, when about seven years 
 of age. 
 
 Dr. J. P. Lytle took the classical course at 
 McKendree college, of Illinois, graduating with 
 the class of 1871, receiving the degree of A. A I., 
 and took up the study of medicine in the medi- 
 cal college which is now a part of the Washing 
 ton university, St. Louis, where he was grad- 
 uated in 1874. He at once began the practice of 
 his chosen profession, and by virtue of his ex- 
 cellent scholarship on competitive examinations 
 was appointed to a position in the St. Louis- 
 city hospital, where he remained for a year and 
 a half. He then located at Tiskilwa, Illinois, 
 where he engaged in practice for about eight 
 years, and spent the two following years in Galva, 
 but for the past eleven years has successfully en- 
 gaged in practice at Princeton, where he has won 
 a liberal patronage. He is also examiner for 
 several life insurance companies, and unsoHcited, 
 was made a member of the board of health. 
 
 On the 20th of September, 1877, Dr. Lytle led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Ida M. Sawyer, 
 daughter of Edward and Louisa (Stevens) Saw- 
 yer, of Tiskilwa, and they now have three chil- 
 dren, namely : Blanche, recently graduated with 
 high honors from the Princeton high school, be- 
 ing valedictorian of a class of eighteen, of which 
 she was the youngest. Owing to her excellent 
 work in that institution she has been ofifered a 
 scholarship at Lombard college, of Galesburg, 
 free of charge; Ralph S. is a member of the sen- 
 ior class in the high school, and James Albert 
 completes the family. With their daughter, the 
 parents hold membership in the Presbyterian 
 church. Fraternally the doctor is a member of 
 
 the Masonic order, belonging to the command- 
 ery, No. 20, K. T., of Princeton. Politically, he 
 is independent, voting for the man whom he 
 thinks will best fill the office, regardless of party 
 ties. He has won an enviable position in the 
 ranks of the medical fraternity, his skill being 
 acknowledged by all, and as a citizen he has 
 identified himself with the best interests of his 
 adopted city. 
 
 WATTS A. JOHNSON. Rising above the 
 head of the mass are many men of ster- 
 ling worth and value, who b}- sheer perseverance 
 and pluck have conquered fortune, and by their 
 own unaided efforts have risen from the ranks 
 of the commonplace to eminence and positions 
 of respect and trust ; but the brilliant qualities of 
 mind and brain which mark the great lawyer are 
 to a certain extent God-given. Nature richly 
 endowed the subject of this sketch with these 
 brilliant attributes, but sterling worth and honest 
 manliness, and a strong, resolute character, are 
 the qualities which have enabled him to put the 
 talents with which nature, or providence, gifted 
 him to the best possible use. He is at present 
 the popular state's attorney of Bureau county. 
 
 A native of Indiana, Mr. Johnson was born 
 at Hillsboro, Dearborn county, December 16, 
 1857, and is a son of James J. and jMinerva 
 (Young) Johnson, natives of New York and 
 Pennsylvania, respectively. The mother, who 
 was a devout and active member of the Baptist 
 church, died in 1885, at the age of fifty-three 
 years, but the father is still living, a resident of 
 Bureau county, and has reached the age of six- 
 ty-seven rears. By occupation he is a farmer 
 and has led a very quiet, unobtrusive life. Like 
 his wife he has also been a lifelong, consistent 
 member of the Baptist church. 
 
 Our subject is the fourth in order of bi-rth in 
 the family of thirteen children, the others being 
 as follows: John C, a minister of the Baptist 
 church, married Anna Coon, by whom he had a 
 son, Cary. He died at the age of forty-one years, 
 and his wife has also passed away; James H., a 
 real estate dealer of Omaha, Nebraska, married 
 
THE BlOGRArHICAL RECORD. 
 
 35 
 
 Leonora Cook, who died, leaving two children, 
 Cook and Lyman; William H., a farmer of Bu- 
 reau county, married IMary Bowan, and has 
 seven children — Harry, Frank, Clay, Gray, Cal- 
 vin, Homer, and Minerva E. ; JMary is the wife 
 of John J. Mundy, of Orleans, Nebraska, and 
 they have three children — Frank, Claude and 
 Darline; Nora is the wife of Samuel S. Harris, of 
 Bureau county, and they have two children — 
 Watts and Bernadine; ]Maggie is a music teacher 
 of Princeton ; Florence died at the age of twenty- 
 four years; Alice B. is the wife of Rev. Lomanza 
 S. Walker, a Baptist minister of Belvidere, Illi- 
 nois, and they have two children, Owen and 
 Leona ; Leonetta died at the age of twenty years ; 
 Herbert H. is an agriculturist of Bureau coun- 
 ty; Arstella and ]\linnie are still at home. 
 
 The education of Watts A. Johnson was self- 
 acquired and obtained under many hardships, 
 but with credit to himself. When but two years 
 of age he was brought by his parents to Bureau 
 county, locating upon a farm in Dover town- 
 ship, where he attended the common schools for 
 a time, and for a year and a half entered in teach- 
 ing in the Madison school of that township. De- 
 ciding to make the legal profession his life work, 
 he began studying in the office of R. M. Skinner, 
 after which he spent one year in the University 
 of Chicago, and then entered the Union College 
 of Law. During his three years' course there, 
 he earned his way by carrying papers in the 
 morning, and by lighting street lamps in the 
 evening. On the completion of his course he 
 graduated with honors in the class of 1883. Re- 
 turning to Princeton, he at once began practice, 
 which has now grown to flattering proportions, 
 and he is numbered among the most prominent 
 lawyers in this section of the state. 
 
 In 1884, Mr. Johnson was elected city attorney 
 of Princeton, which position he acceptably filled 
 for two terms of two years each, and at both 
 elections was the only one on the general "no 
 license" ticket to be elected. In the fall of 1892 
 he was nominated as state's attorney for Bureau 
 county, and was elected. So ably did he dis- 
 charge the duties of the office, that in April, 1896, 
 
 he was renominated by acclamation — the only 
 instance of the kind in that county where the can- 
 didate for that office received a nomination in 
 that way in a republican convention. This 
 speaks well for an office well filled and a public 
 service well rendered. His present term expires 
 in November, 1896. Mr. Johnson was the pros- 
 ecuting attorney in the Spring Valley riot case 
 in 1895, which was about the most important 
 case ever tried in Bureau county, and the duties 
 of his office at that time required more arduous 
 service than any of his predecessors had been 
 called upon to render. It was said that the ver- 
 dict of the jury was certainly a very high com- 
 pliment to him, both for the careful and efficient 
 manner in which the papers leading up to it were 
 drawn, and also for the ability shown in present- 
 ing it to the court. Though Mr. Johnson did 
 not enjoy sending so many men to the penitenti- 
 ary, he certainly did his whole duty, and did it 
 in a manner that won for him much admiration. 
 On the 2d of January, 1884, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Jennie C. 
 Buckingham, daughter of Almus and Zerlina 
 Buckingham, of De Kalb county, Illinois. They 
 hold an enviable position in social circles and 
 are members of the Baptist church, of Princeton. 
 In politics our subject is an ardent republican, 
 supporting McKinley, sound money and the plat- 
 form adopted at the St. Louis convention. It is 
 but just and merited praise to say that as a law- 
 yer, Mr. Johnson ranks among the ablest in Bu- 
 reau county, as a citizen is honorable, prompt 
 and true to every engagement, and as a friend, a 
 model worthy of all imitation. 
 
 LOUIS A. LENZ is the present efficient 
 treasurer of Marshall county, and although 
 a young man, he has been tried in various offi- 
 cial capacities, and has ever proven himself 
 worthy of public trust. He is a native of the 
 county, born in Belle Plain township, October 
 2, 1865, and is the son of Jacob and Augusta 
 (Kemnitz) Lenz, now residing in Roberts town- 
 ship, to which place they removed in the early 
 childhood of our subject. On the home farm 
 
36 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Roberts township, Louis grew to manhood, 
 receiving his primary education m the common 
 country schools, and finishing his course in a 
 private German school. From the time he was 
 old enough to engage in manual labor, he as- 
 sisted in the cultivation of the home farm, attend- 
 ing school principally during the winter months. 
 
 At the age of twenty years our subject left the 
 parental roof and embarked in the grocery and 
 farm implement trade in the village of Varna. 
 In that business he was fairly successful, and 
 while much of his time was given to public du- 
 ties, he continued in the trade until December, 
 1894, when his entire stock was consumed by 
 fire, entailing upon him a loss of three thousand 
 five hundred dollars. For something over a 
 year he continued out of the mercantile trade, 
 but in January, 1896, in company with his cousin, 
 he embarked in the general furniture and under- 
 taking business at Lacon, under the firm name of 
 Lenz & Lenz. They carry a full line of staple 
 furniture, and will always keep abreast with the 
 times with respect to their trade, introducing 
 such novelties as may seemingly be in demand. 
 While in trade but a short time, they have been 
 encouraged by the reception given them by the 
 public in general. 
 
 Mr. Lenz was but twenty-two years of age 
 when first elected clerk of Roberts township. 
 That position he continued to fill until the fall of 
 1890, when he resigned to accept the nomination 
 on the democratic ticket to the office of sheriff, 
 to which he was duly elected and served four 
 years, or until January, 1895, when he took pos- 
 session of the office of county treasurer, having 
 been elected as such in the previous November. 
 To this office he was likewise elected on the 
 democratic ticket, being the regular nominee 
 of the party. From the time he was first qualified 
 to vote, he has acted with the democratic party, 
 and has warmly advocated its principles. He 
 has ever taken an active interest in political af- 
 fairs and his influence is always felt in the prim- 
 aries of his party and at the polls. 
 
 While serving as sheriff of the county the 
 most delicate and difficult duty Mr. Lenz was 
 
 called upon to perform was in connection with 
 the strike of the coal miners in 1894. To protect 
 the property, and incidentally the lives of many 
 persons, in his official capacity, he had to assume 
 control of the coal mines of the county, and for 
 that purpose he had constantly employed for over 
 one month from twenty-five to one hundred 
 men as deputies, sworn to assist in keeping the 
 peace. During the strike the deputies came into 
 collision with the miners but once, and that was 
 at Wenona. No special damage was done. The 
 militia was called for at Toluca, but fortunately 
 their services were not needed and the order was 
 countermanded. 
 
 On May 6, 1893, Mr. Lenz was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Minnie Lenz. One child has 
 come to bless their home, to whom has been 
 given the name of Charles. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lenz are members of the German 
 Lutheran church, Lacon, and are held in the 
 highest esteem in the social circles of the city. 
 Few men are better known, or who have more 
 warm personal friends than the subject of this 
 sketch, whose lifework bids fair to bring him 
 other and higher honors in the future. 
 
 JOHN WARFIELD, deceased, who resided 
 in Princeton township, was for many years 
 a conspicuous figure in Bureau county. He was 
 the object of respect by young and old, and he 
 was greeted with affection and esteem by one 
 and all, and in his declining days he enjoyed 
 the reward of a well ordered life and one in 
 which he had exerted himself to do good to those 
 around him. He was a native of ^Maryland, 
 born January 26, 1810, and was a son of Wil- 
 liam and Martha (Bye) Warfield, also natives of 
 the same state. His paternal grandfather, Philip 
 Warfield, was of English descent, whose ances- 
 tors were numbered among the early settlers of 
 Maryland. The maternal grandfather of our 
 subject was Jonathan Bye, who died at the age 
 of eighty-five )'ears, and whose family were 
 members of the Society of Friends. William 
 Warfield spent his entire life in his native State, 
 where his death occurred when our subject was 
 
John Warfiei.d. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 39 
 
 but six months old. After his death his widow 
 became the wife of Jacob Halloway, who re- 
 moved to what is now known as Behnont coun- 
 ty, Ohio, where her death occurred in 1866. By 
 her first marriage she had three children: Mary, 
 deceased ; Maria, now the wife of Joseph Walker, 
 by whom she has five children, and is now a resi- 
 dent of Belmont county, Ohio, and is in her 
 eighty-ninth year; and John, of this sketch. 
 All of the children by the second union are now 
 deceased. 
 
 Mr. Warfield, of this review, was reared on 
 the farm of his stepfather, and at the age of 
 twenty-two years began merchandising, going 
 for his first stock of goods to Baltimore, Mary- 
 land. He first crossed the Alleghany mountains 
 on horseback and his later trips were made by 
 stage coach. While he purchased his first stock 
 of goods in Baltimore, he usually obtained his 
 supplies from Philadelphia. While on one of 
 his early trips he saw the engine which was after- 
 ward on exhibition at the World's Fair in Chi- 
 cago in 1893, which he visited. Opening his 
 store at Uniontown, Ohio, he conducted the 
 same for fourteen years, during which time he 
 was very successful and succeeded in accumu- 
 lating his first few thousand dollars. He re- 
 moved from Uniontown to Bridgeport, Ohio, 
 where he engaged in the wholesale grocery busi- 
 ness for the following ten years. While residing 
 in that city he was president of the Belmont 
 branch of the State' Bank of Ohio, a position 
 which he filled for nine years, the bank success- 
 fully, by his good management, passing through 
 the panic of 1837. 
 
 In 1835, while still residing in Belmont coun- 
 ty, Ohio, Mr. Warfield was united in marriage 
 with Miss Lydia E. Smith, a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, and a daughter of Elias Smith, and 
 they became the parents of five children, as fol- 
 lows: William, now residing in Quincy, Illinois; 
 Andrew, of Clinton, Iowa; Jacob H., who died 
 in 1890; Eliza Jane, at home; and Wilson R., 
 of Des Moines, Iowa. Mrs. Warfield died May 
 I, 1851, and in 1852 Mr. Warfield wedded Re- 
 becca Wilson, a native of St. Clairsville, Ohio, 
 
 who died in 1887. To them was born one daugh- 
 ter, Lydia Emma, now the wife of Volney S. 
 Cooper, of Princeton. Rebecca Wilson was the 
 daughter of Stephen and Amy (Smith) Wilson. 
 Mr. Wilson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was a member of the Society of 
 Friends. Amy, his wife, was a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, in which state- she was reared. 
 
 The Wilsons were early pioneers of Illinois, 
 and were prominently identified with the history 
 of Bureau county. Stephen Wilson was post- 
 master for a long time and also held the office 
 of justice of the peace. In politics he was first 
 a whig and later a republican. He departed 
 this life in March, 1872, and was followed by 
 his widow in 1890. Mrs. Rebecca Warfield was 
 a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, and was prominently known for her 
 kind, genial nature, her charities and her earnest, 
 efficient church work. For his third wife Mr. 
 Warfield chose Mrs. Jane (Pennington) Bellan- 
 gee, whom he married in 1889, and who lived 
 but two years after her marriage to him. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Warfield came to Bureau county, 
 and located on section 9, Princeton town- 
 ship, where he engaged in farming and also 
 invested a considerable amount in lands, which 
 he later sold, using his capital in other ways. 
 He subsequently removed to Quincy, Illinois, 
 where he spent five and a half years, after which 
 he returned to his home in Princeton township. 
 
 In early life Mr. Warfield was politically a 
 whig, casting his first presidential vote in 1832, 
 for Henry Clay. He continued to support that 
 party until its dissolution, after which he became 
 a republican, with which party he affiliated dur- 
 ing the remainder of his life. While a resident of 
 Uniontown, Ohio, he filled the position of post- 
 master, the only office of honor or profit that he 
 ever held, caring nothing for political prefer- 
 ment. Starting in life unaided and working at 
 farming during his youth, he lived honestly and 
 economically; was industriously inclined, ambi- 
 tious and healthy, and became by judicious man- 
 agement the possessor of a handsome compe- 
 tence which enabled him to spend his declining 
 
40 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 years in ease and retirement. For over forty 
 years he was a consistent member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal church, and in all the relations 
 of life was upright and honorable. His death 
 occurred August 4, 1896, and was a sad blow 
 not only to the family but to friends. Mr. War- 
 field was a man of fine intellect, broad-minded, 
 yet modest and reserved withal. He was of 
 genial nature, gentle and pure in character, and 
 a devoted husband and father. He had a kind 
 word for all and was a most interesting com- 
 panion, not only to the old, but to the young, 
 holding in an eminent degree the respect, con- 
 fidence and love of kindred and a large circle of 
 friends left to mourn his loss. 
 
 DANIEL NEEDHAM BLOOD, now de- 
 ceased, was for more than forty years one 
 of the leading and most highly respected citizens 
 of Henry, Marshall county, Illinois. He was a 
 native of New Hampshire, born at Hollis, July 
 7, 1813, and was a son of Joseph P. and Rachel 
 (Needham) Blood. His father was a contractor 
 and stone-mason by trade, and when Daniel was 
 but five or six years of age, removed with his 
 family to Boston, Massachusetts, and later to 
 Rochester, New York, where he was a contractor 
 in the construction of the locks on the Erie Canal. 
 There otu- subject spent his youth and secured 
 a fair education in the public schools of the city. 
 In early manhood, Mr. Blood removed to Vic- 
 tor, New York, where he engaged in farm work, 
 and was there married January i, 1838, with Miss 
 Salome Root, a native of that village. For 
 eight years the young couple lived at Victor, and 
 there three children were born to them. In 1845 
 he made a trip to Illinois, with the view of lo- 
 cating should lie be pleased with the country. 
 This visit satisfied him that in this grand state 
 the poor man, who was industriously inclined, 
 had a rare opportunity for bettering his condi- 
 tion in life. He therefore determined to re 
 move here, and so, in 1846, with his wife and 
 three children, he moved to Farmington, Illinois, 
 where he joined his brother, James Blood, in 
 the manufacture of plows. This brother, when 
 
 the news came of the discovery of gold in our 
 newly acquired possession, California, was at- 
 tacked with the gold fever, and was among the 
 first in 1849 to go to the new Eldorado. He 
 returned in 185 1, and organized a company, 
 which included several members of the family, 
 again took up his westward march, and is yet liv- 
 ing in Santa Barbara, California. 
 
 Our subject continued in the manufacture of 
 plows but a short time, and then purchased a 
 flouring mill in Fulton county, which he oper- 
 ated until 185 1, when he removed to Henry, Illi- 
 nois, and here engaged in the hardware business 
 for three years. He then purchased a small 
 farm about two miles northwest of the village, 
 to which he added by subsequent purchase, mak- 
 ing a farm of over two hundred acres, on which 
 he made extensive improvements. This farm 
 for the succeeding thirty-four years was his 
 home, and here his children grew to manhood 
 and womanhood, and from which they went out 
 to pursue their various callings in life. 
 
 Mr. Blood was a thorough and practical farm- 
 er, confining himself to no special feature of farm 
 work, but carrying on a diversified farming. He 
 was quite successful in stock raising, and made 
 some money in that line. In addition to his 
 home farm he invested somewhat in other lands, 
 and also engaged to a limited extent in trading 
 and speculating. At the time of his death he 
 was the owner of considerable land and personal 
 property, and was considered among the well-to- 
 do and prosperous men of Marshall county. 
 
 In 1888, he determined to leave the farm, and 
 purchasing a residence in Henry, he removed to 
 the village and practically lived a retired life. 
 For two years he was a great sufferer from heart 
 trouble, and death came to his relief July 11, 
 i8go, at the age of seventy-seven years and four 
 days. Flis wife preceded him to the "land be- 
 yond" some SIX weeks, so their separation was of 
 but short duration. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Blood six children were born, 
 two of whom died in infancy. The living are 
 William M., a farmer, now residing at White- 
 wood, South Dakota; James. A., a merchant of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 41 
 
 Santa Barbara, California; Mary L., of whom 
 mention is made further on in tliis sketcli, and 
 Daniel N., a farmer, living near York, Nebraska. 
 
 In his political views from the organization of 
 the party until his death, Daniel N. Blood was a 
 thorough and consistent republican, and while 
 really averse to holding official position, yet 
 held several offices of a local character, the du- 
 ties of which he discharged with conscientious 
 fidelity. In later life neither himself nor wife 
 were connected with any church, though favor- 
 ing the work of the church and contributing of 
 their means to both church and Sunday school. 
 He was a great friend to education and gave 
 freely toward the erection of the Henry Female 
 seminary which stood on a part of his farm, and 
 which was erected under the auspices of Rev. H. 
 G. Pendleton, the first Congregational minister 
 of Henry, and opened November 12, 1849. Fo'' 
 some years the school was conducted by Rev. 
 Pendleton as a boarding school for young ladies, 
 having an attendance of about one hundred pu- 
 pils. The first building was burned February 
 15, 1855, after which a more pretentious four- 
 story brick was built, together with a handsome 
 brick residence, the latter still standing. The 
 first corps of teachers employed were from Mount 
 Holyoke seminary. Until after the beginning 
 of the war the school flourished, but it then began 
 to decline, and that struggle proved its death 
 blow. For some years school was conducted in 
 the building by various parties, but without suc- 
 cess, and it was finally passed into the hands of 
 Mr. Blood, who, on being convinced no good 
 would come of it, had the main building torn 
 down. 
 
 Mr. Blood was a man of strong, positive 
 character, and a most careful business man. He 
 was loved in his home, and had many warm 
 friends in the community where he so long re- 
 sided. 
 
 Mary L. Blood, the only daughter of Daniel 
 N. and Salome (Root) Blood who grew to wo- 
 manhood, was born in Fulton county, Illinois, 
 but removed with her parents to Marshall county 
 in early childhood. Here she grew to lovely 
 
 womanhood, and in the Henry seminary re- 
 ceived her literary education, which was, how- 
 ever, finished in the Hyde Park seminary of 
 Chicago. She remained with her parents until 
 her marriage, June 11, 1873, with Captain Thomas 
 Q. Hildebrant, a native of Ohio, who for ten 
 years was a prominent attorney of Joliet, Illi- 
 nois. Captain Hildebrant was a great admirer 
 of the "Little Giant," Stephen A. Douglas, and 
 in the presidential campaign of i860, stumped 
 the state for that eminent statesman, who was a 
 candidate for the presidency. The "Little 
 Giant" was, however, defeated, and Abraham 
 Lincoln elected. The southern states which, 
 in the event of such an occurrence, had 
 threatened to secede, made good their 
 threats as far as was in their power 
 by passing acts of secession and the ap- 
 peal to arms. Like his great leader, the pa- 
 triotic blood of Mr. Hildebrant was fired and 
 he determined to do all in his power to put down 
 the rebellion and wipe out the insult to the old 
 flag. At the first call to arms, he offered his 
 services and raised a company, which became 
 Company F, Twentieth Illinois Volunteer In- 
 fantry, and at the head of his company he 
 marched to the front. On account of ill-health 
 he was compelled to resign after one year's ser- 
 vice. 
 
 On leaving the service. Captain Hildebrant re- 
 moved to Ohio, and as his old-time health was 
 renewed, he determined again to enter the army, 
 and became a member of the One Hundred and 
 Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served 
 until the close of the war, mainly on staff serv- 
 ice. On one of -the fields of battle. Captain 
 Hildebrant lost his sword, which was a present 
 to him by his old company. It was picked Uf) 
 by a rebel who sold it, and after having been used 
 by a rebel officer, at the close of the war was 
 taken to his home in Florida. A friend of Cap- 
 tain Hildebrant, while traveling in that state, 
 some twenty-three years after, saw the sword on 
 which the name of the captain was engraved, 
 recognized it, arranged with the soldier for its 
 purchase and returned it to its owner, then resid- 
 
42 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ing in Washington, D. C. It is now among the 
 archives of the Grand Army post at Joliet, to 
 which several of the original company belong. 
 
 Soon after their marriage, Captain and Mrs. 
 Hildebrant removed to Cincinnati, where he en- 
 gaged in the practice of law until 1884, when they 
 removed to Washington, D. C, where he re- 
 sumed practice, making a specialty of practice 
 before the court of claims, and where he attained 
 great distinction as a successful advocate. He 
 resided in Washington until his death, April 
 9, 1890. His death, however, occurred at 
 Henry, at which place he was then visiting. His 
 remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at 
 Henry, which was laid out on land formerly 
 owned by her father. 
 
 Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Hilde- 
 brant has made her home in Henry. Until the 
 death of her parents she lived with them, and 
 since that time has resided in the house where 
 they peacefully passed away. Mrs. Hildebrant 
 is a woman of no ordinary ability, which has 
 been recognized by those with whom she has 
 been associated. She was one of the first wo- 
 men elected a member of the school board, and 
 was secretary of the Henry school board for one 
 year. A member of the Congregational church, 
 she takes an active interest in all its work. She 
 also belongs to various clubs, among them be- 
 ing the Woman's club and the Chautauqua 
 club, and her influence for good is felt in each. 
 
 CRAWFORD N. ONG, clerk of the circuit 
 court of Marshall county, Illinois, is a na- 
 tive of Putnam county, Illinois, born in Mag- 
 nolia township, March 2, 1863. His father, 
 Nathan Ong, was a merchant tailor and a busi- 
 ness man in Magnolia. His life was mainly spent 
 in Marshall and Putnam counties, coming here in 
 1842 when eighteen years old. His mar- 
 riage with Miss Meriel Dorinda Myers occurred 
 September 7, 1848. She is the daughter of David 
 Myers, who came to this county in 1832, locat- 
 ing in Roberts township, two and a half miles 
 north of the present village of Varna, where he 
 spent the remainder of his life. For many years 
 
 in connection with farming, he engaged in the 
 nursery business, and mariy of the old orchards 
 in Marshall and Putnam county came from his 
 nursery. In the family were thirteen children, of 
 whom Mrs. Ong is the only representative now 
 living in the county. The old homestead is 
 owned by the only living son, Hiram Myers, who 
 m.akes his home in Galesburg, Illinois. Besides 
 Mrs. Ong three daughters yet survive. 
 
 Nathan Ong, the father of our subject, was 
 for some years engaged in the hotel business in 
 Henry, Marshall county, being the landlord of 
 the Paskeil house. In 1850 he started overland 
 for California, and arrived at his destination after 
 six months of perils and hardships. The com- 
 pany from his immediate neighborhood was com- 
 prised of four men, his father, his two brothers- 
 in-law, Joshua and David Myers, and himself. 
 The return trip was made by sea, crossing the 
 Isthmus of Panama, and landing at New York 
 city, thence home by railroad. 
 
 In his family were six children, of whom three 
 sons are now living. Ira M., now residing in 
 Normal, Illinois, was four years county superin- 
 tendent of schools in Marshall county, a position 
 which he was eminently qualified to fill, and in 
 which he gave good satisfaction to the people of 
 the county. From his youth up he engaged in 
 teaching in the public schools of his native coun- 
 ty, but since 1894 has been engaged as principal 
 in one of the ward schools of Bloomingtdn, Illi- 
 nois. Judson W., the second son, is at present 
 engaged as a storekeeper in the internal revenue 
 office at Peoria. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his childhood 
 and youth in Roberts township, and at various 
 times attended the country schools of the imme- 
 diate vicinity in which the family lived, and later 
 the village schools of \''arna. When nineteen 
 years of age for one term he engaged as a teacher 
 in the country school, known as Shaw's Point 
 school. Possessed of some musical skill, about 
 this time he engaged as a musician with a comedy 
 company then playing "one night stands" in the 
 vicinity, but it did not take long to wean him of 
 the desire to distinguish himself as a "barn storm- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 43 
 
 er," and he retired from the company, receiving 
 nothing for his services but vakiable experience, 
 and for the next four years engaged in the paint- 
 ing trade as a journeyman painter. This was a 
 more profitable employment, even if not so dis- 
 tinguished. Quitting this business, however, he 
 engaged as a clerk in the clothing store of 
 Messrs. Stire & Gell, at Lacon, where he re- 
 mained until March, 1889 when he was appoint- 
 ed deputy circuit clerk, under John B. Wright, 
 with whom he remained until the expiration of 
 Mr. Wright's term. The ability displayed as 
 deputy secured him the nomination for the of- 
 fice of circuit clerk on the democratic ticket, and 
 he was triumphantly elected, being duly installed 
 the first Monday in December, 1892. He has 
 now served something over three years with en- 
 tire satisfaction to the court and his constituents 
 in general. 
 
 On the loth of May, 1894, Mr. Ong was unit- 
 ed in marriage with Miss Marsa Thompson, a 
 native of Lacon, a graduate of its high school, 
 and a daughter of Samuel H. Thompson. One 
 daughter has come to bless their union, Flor- 
 ence, born September 4, 1895. 
 
 Socially Mr. Ong is a member of Lacon lodge. 
 No. 291, K. P., has been chancellor commander 
 for two terms, and has held other offices in that 
 body, including its representative to the grand 
 lodge two years. He is also a member of the 
 Knights of Maccabees, a fraternal insurance so- 
 ciety, in which he is very much interested. Mr. 
 Ong is quite fond of outdoor sports, and has quite 
 a reputation as a hunter and fisherman with the 
 fine and rod. As a citizen he is held in the high- 
 est esteem by those with whom he is acquainted, 
 and has ever shown himself enterprising and 
 ready to do his share in every good work. To 
 such men much of the prosperity of a community 
 is due. 
 
 HENRY FULLER, circuit clerk and ex-offi- 
 cio recorder of Bureau county, is num- 
 bered among those sterling citizens of Prince- 
 ton who are true to the best interests of town, 
 county, state and nation, and in a volume of 
 
 this character no one is more deserving of men- 
 tion. He was born in New York city, December 
 6, 1852, and is a son of Ira E. and Kate (Withall) 
 Fuller, the former a native of New Hampshire, 
 and the latter of England. The father was a 
 farmer of Illinois, to which state he removed in 
 1858, locating first at Princeton, but later re- 
 turned east, and on again coming to this state 
 settled in De Kalb county, where for about twen- 
 ty years he engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 He died in 1885, at the age of seventy-three years. 
 He was a Baptist in religious belief and quite 
 prominent in church councils. His wife, who is 
 still living, makes her home upon a farm at 
 Rollo, De Kalb county, at the age of sixty-four 
 years. Our subject is the oldest in their family 
 of four children, the others being Belle, wife of 
 Charles Whitman, of Baraboo, Wisconsin; 
 Josie, who is with her mother, and Edgar, who 
 operates the home farm. 
 
 Mr. Fuller, of this review, was educated at 
 Princeton, being one of the pupils to be admit- 
 ted to the high school when it was first opened. 
 In 1877 he led to the marriage altar Miss Ella 
 G. Whitver, a daughter of John and Mary Whit- 
 ver, old residents of Bureau county, having come 
 from Tuscarawas county, Ohio, in 1852. The 
 parents are widely and favorably known and are 
 numbered among the prominent residents of 
 Walnut township. To our subject and his wife 
 have been born four children, the joy and pride 
 of the home, namely: Clarence, now deceased; 
 Ira Edgar, Kate Darline-and Gertrude Belle. 
 
 For a time Mr. Fuller engaged in farming on 
 his own account, but his attention has mostly 
 been given to official duties and merchandising. 
 From 1879 to 1892 he was engaged in the mer- 
 cantile business at Walnut Hill, Illinois. He 
 has always taken a lively interest in political af- 
 fairs, and held the office of clerk of his township 
 for about ten years, also school treasurer for the 
 same time. In fact, he has held public trusts for 
 the past twenty years. In 1892 he was nominated 
 and elected circuit clerk, was renominated by 
 acclamation, there being no opposition, and is 
 now acceptably filling that office, his present term 
 
44 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 expiring in December, 1896. He has given ex- 
 cellent satisfaction to his constituency and all 
 concerned as is evinced by his again being re- 
 nominated to the same office and his election in 
 1896. He is in the prime of a vigorous manhood 
 and has many years of usefulness before him ac- 
 cording to life's expectancy. In politics he has 
 always been an uncompromising republican, in 
 favor of a high protective tariff, and is in every 
 way a worthy and esteemed citizen. Socially he 
 is connected with the Modern Woodmen of 
 America, while religiously his estimable wife is 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 PROFESSOR JACOB MILLER, at present 
 engaged in the real estate, insurance and 
 loan business in Princeton, Illinois, was for a 
 number of years prominently connected with the 
 educational interests of Bureau county. He was 
 born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, June 
 15, 1835, and is the youngest of the family of 
 seven children born to Isaac and Mollie (Ferns- 
 ler) Miller, also natives of the keystone state._ 
 By occupation the father was a farmer and drov- 
 er, going to Ohio for stock, which he would re- 
 tail to the farmers of Pennsylvania, who would 
 feed them and then sell in the eastern markets. 
 He was an upright, honorable man, widety and 
 favorably known, and both himself and wife were 
 members of the United Brethren church. He 
 died instantly from an apoplectic stroke, August 
 12, 1868, and his wife some time later. They 
 were of German extraction. Of the children, 
 Henry, now deceased, married Eliza Landis, and 
 followed farming in Pennsylvania; Mattie, de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Philip Wolfersberger of 
 Bureau county, Illinois; Christina, a resident of 
 Annville, Pennsylvania, first married John Gas- 
 ser, and after his death Jacob Bachman; Sarah 
 is the widow of John Fernsler and lives in Ann- 
 ville; Elizabeth is the second wife of Philip 
 Wolfersberger, postmaster of North Princeton, 
 and J. Frank, who married Emma Beshler, and 
 now lives at Perrysburg, Pennsylvania, was 
 major of the dashing Ninth Pennsylvania Volun- 
 teer Cavalry in General Kilpatrick's command. 
 
 and gallantly served throughout the whole civil 
 war without being wounded or imprisoned. 
 
 Professor Miller acquired his education in the 
 Annville academy and the Mt. Pleasant college, 
 Pennsylvania, after which he engaged in teach- 
 ing both in town and country schools for many 
 years. In 1855 he was a teacher in the Berrys- 
 burg seminary of Pennsylvania, but in the sum- 
 mer of that year came to Princeton, and for the 
 following two years taught at Buda, Bureau 
 county. Going to Dayton, Ohio, he there en- 
 gaged in bookkeeping in the United Brethren 
 printing establishment. 
 
 At Dayton Professor Miller was married in 
 1857 to Miss Mary A. Dow of Buda, Illinois, a 
 daughter of Tristram C. and Susan (Lyford) 
 Dow, natives of Canterbury, New Hampshire, 
 the former of English and the latter of Scotch 
 extraction. On the 21st of June, 1846, her par- 
 ents came to Bureau county, settling in Concord 
 township, and died at Annawan, Illinois. In 
 their family were the following children: Al- 
 mira, Joseph L., Tristram T., Josiah, John L., 
 ^lary A. and Lyman. Of the above Tristram 
 was major in the Ninety-third Regiment Illinois 
 Volunteer Infantry during the civil war and 
 later became a prominent citizen of Davenport, 
 Iowa. John L. was captain in the same regi- 
 ment. 
 
 To the professor and his wife were born seven 
 children, three of whom are still living: Byron 
 G., A''ictor and Myrta, while those deceased arc 
 Cora Belle, Lotta, Lymie O. and Viola. Viola, 
 who was the wife of William W. Reed, died June 
 II, 1894, at the age of twenty-five years. Byron 
 married Ida Medley, by whom he has three chil- 
 dren — Maude, Harry and Victor. He is train 
 dispatcher between Sedalia, Missouri and Kan- 
 sas City, and resides at the former place ; Victor, 
 a resident of Spokane, Washington, is chief of 
 the operators of a division of the Northern Paci- 
 fic railroad; Myrta is keeping house for her 
 father. The wife and mother, who was bor.i 
 May 26, 1832, died of consumption September 
 10, 1894. She was a faithful member of the 
 United Brethren church, to which our subject 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 45 
 
 also belongs, was a woman of domestic tastes, 
 an excellent wife, mother and friend, while in 
 sickness and charity she had but few equals. 
 
 After his marriage Professor Miller returned 
 to Bureau county and opened a hotel at North 
 Princeton, known as the Empire house, which 
 he conducted until the war broke out. He had 
 already opened the Bureau academy at that 
 place, being associated with Professor George 
 N. Wagner, of the Franklin and Marshall col- 
 lege, a German Reformed institution, formerly 
 located at Mercersburg, but now at Lancaster, 
 Pennsylvania. Here they carried on their school 
 very successfully until the erection of the Prince- 
 ton high school. In connection with D. N. 
 Strock and P. Wolfersberger, he purchased the 
 Princeton planing mill, which they carried on for 
 several years, when our subject sold his interest 
 to Strock Brothers. 
 
 For some years Professor Miller served as 
 justice of the peace, and in 1873 again took up 
 school work, being elected county superintend- 
 ent, which position he filled satisfactorily and 
 successfully for four years. Of him the superin- 
 tendent of public instruction for the state said: 
 "He had the ability to awaken the enthusiasm 
 of the teachers, and his institutes held for their 
 instruction were well planned and effective. Mr. 
 Aliller is very familiar with the organization, ad- 
 justment and grading of schools." The superin- 
 tendent of schools for Pennsylvania says of him : 
 "I have no hesitation in saying that Professor 
 Jacob Miller of Princeton, Illinois, is a very fine 
 scholar and a wide-awake, efficient teacher. He 
 has executive ability of a high order and is 
 worthy of confidence is every respect. At two 
 different periods, from 1873 to 1877, ^^^ from 
 1885 to 1889 he was the superintendent of the 
 schools of Bureau county, Illinois, and I know 
 from personal knowledge that he was ranked 
 with the best superintendents in the state." 
 Signed, Henry Houck. From Wheaton college, 
 of Wheaton, Illinois, he received the decree of 
 M. A. 
 
 Professor Miller has over two thousand speci- 
 mens of geology and zoology in his ofSce, which 
 
 is one of the largest and finest individual collec- 
 tions in the state. Among the most valuable 
 is a piece of marble flooring taken from the ruins 
 of Caesar's palace at Rome. He also has a wood 
 carving made in the fifteenth century, represent- 
 ing Christ brought into the temple, which is in 
 a very fair state of preservation. The figures are 
 Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Anna, Simeon and the 
 priests. His hst of fossils is suprisingly extensive, 
 which has required many years to collect, and 
 much pains has been taken in classifying and ar- 
 ranging the same. One of his most attractive 
 cases is the one filled with shells, mosses, corals, 
 etc. 
 
 The professor has a valuable miscellaneous col- 
 lection, including relics from twelve different 
 tribes of Indians, composed of bows, arrows, 
 scabbards, etc., and a great many rare specimens, 
 such as Indian drums, drapes, axes, moccasins, 
 etc. He also has many mound builders' relics, 
 which are quite rare, and pottery and porcelain 
 ware many hundred years old. He has a large 
 collection of fossil ferns, found in the coral beds 
 of Illinois and Pennsylvania. 
 
 Books, old and rare. Professor Miller has in 
 abundance, some dating back as far as 1494, and 
 has a volume of the Psalms of David, whose date 
 is 1472, and a Vulgate Bible, printed in 1592. 
 He has an immense volume of the German Bible, 
 published in 1765, a present from his father, and 
 a German book of Martyrs, published at Ephrata, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1748, being one of the thirteen 
 hundred printed at that time. Mr. Miller also 
 has a scrap book encyclopaedia of his own making 
 containing one hundred volumes, which he be- 
 gan in 1888, and which he has completed. Every 
 volume is numbered, paged and indexed, and 
 the work contains over forty thousand subjects 
 of universal information, including history, bi- 
 ography, poetry, science, stories, fun, fancy, por- 
 traits of many eminent men and wo^men, lectures, 
 literature, statistics and miscellany. He has be- 
 gun another series and has now some forty vol- 
 umes. His library numbers over one thousand 
 volumes and is probably one of the best selected 
 and most expensive private libraries in Bureau 
 
46 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 county. In Professor Miller's house was organ- 
 ized the Princeton Academy of Sciences, which 
 was incorporated January 23, 1882. This society 
 has been successfully continued since its founda- 
 tion. Socially, Professor Miller is a member of 
 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while 
 politically he is independent. He stands high in 
 the state as an educator, and to him many hun- 
 dreds of men and women are indebted for their 
 start and for encouraging words in endeavoring 
 to climb the hill of knowledge. As a citizen he 
 also takes front rank, faithfully discharging every 
 trust reposed in him. 
 
 FREDERICK STORY POTTER, of Henry, 
 Illinois, is one of the best known and most 
 highly honored of the attorneys of Marshall 
 county. He was born in New Haven, Con- 
 necticut, November 3, 1837, and is the son of 
 Frederick and Caroline A. (Story) Potter, who 
 were also natives of the nutmeg state. His 
 father was a contractor and builder and followed 
 that occupation the greater part of his life. 
 In 1840 the family came to Illinois, locating in 
 Christian county, between Decatur and Spring- 
 field, where they remained until 1846, and then 
 removed to Beardstown, where the mother died 
 in 1865. Some years after the father removed 
 to Henry, where he, too, passed away April 2, 
 1892, at the age of seventy-eight years. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 spent with his parents until sixteen years of age. 
 His health failing him at Beardstown, he came 
 to Henry, where for three years he \y3.s in the 
 employ of Robert Dawson as bookkeeper. He 
 then engaged in general merchandising on his 
 own account and continued in the business until 
 1862 with fair success. Closing out his stock 
 of merchandise he entered the office of P. S. 
 Perley, under whose instruction he read law, 
 and was admitted to the bar in September, 1864. 
 Forming a partnership with his preceptor, they 
 were associated together until August, 1873, 
 since which time he has practiced alone. Mr. 
 Perley, who is now a resident of Phoenix, Ari- 
 zona, is a man of great ability, a graduate of 
 
 Bowdoin college, being a classmate of Gen. 
 O. O. Howard, John N. Jewett, and other men 
 who have since become noted in the history 
 of our country. In 1870 he was a member of 
 the Illinois constitutional convention which 
 framed our present state constitution. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Potter was elected state's attor- 
 ney for Marshall county, and served four years 
 with credit to himself and to the county which 
 he represented. Faithful in the discharge of 
 every duty, he prosecuted the evil-doer without 
 fear or favor, while tempering mercy with justice. 
 Since his retirement from that office, he has 
 given attention wholly to his private practice, 
 of which he has always had his full share. He 
 is regarded by all who know him as a safe 
 counselor, one whose advice it is wise for the 
 client to follow. It has never been a practice 
 with him to advise litigation when other coun- 
 sels would subserve the same ends. He has 
 followed in this respect in the footsteps of such 
 wise counselors and advocates as Abraham Lin- 
 coln, John T. Stuart and others who became 
 noted at the Illinois bar. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Potter was originally a Doug- 
 las democrat, following the lead of that eminent 
 statesman during that great contest with Lin- 
 coln in 1858, when the latter represented the 
 newly organized republican party as its candi- 
 date for the United States senate in opposition 
 to Douglas, who was then serving as United 
 States senator, and was the democratic' can- 
 didate for re-election. AMth all the ardor of a 
 young man, ]\Ir. Potter entered into that can- 
 vass at a time when he should exercise the rights 
 of franchise for the first time. Again, in i860, 
 he followed the lead of Douglas, who had been 
 nominated by one wing of the democratic 
 party for the presidency. But Douglas was de- 
 feated, some of the southern states passed acts 
 of secession, the war followed, and young Pot- 
 ter became a war democrat. The transition 
 from that position to repubhcanism was easv, 
 and from early in the '60s to the present time, 
 he has been an uncompromising republican. 
 In every campaign his voice is heard upon the 
 
F. S. POTTK 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 49 
 
 stump, and he has dealt some stahvart blows 
 for the principles espoused. In 1880 he was 
 quite active, supporting the side of Grant against 
 Blaine, but his purpose was accomphshed with 
 the defeat of both by the nomination and elec- 
 tion of Garfield. 
 
 Mr. Potter has been twice married, his first 
 union being in 1858, with Miss Louisa V. Daw- 
 son, of Henr\-, by whom three children were 
 born: Ellsworth Story, now a traveling sales- 
 man, residing in Peoria; Carrie Louisa, who 
 married Daniel S. Schneider, but who died in 
 September, 1892; and Ida, now the wife of 
 Eugene D. Lane, of Steriing, Illinois. The wife 
 and mother died July 21, 1871, her death being 
 mourned by husband and children and a large 
 circle of friends who esteemed her for her worth 
 as a genuine womanly woman, a loving wife and 
 mother, and faithful friend. 
 
 Some three years after the death of his first 
 wife, on the 29th of April, 1874, Mr. Potter was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sarah Isabella 
 House, daughter of Willard House, an early 
 merchant and miller of Grand Detour, IlHnois. 
 By this union three children were also born: 
 Gertrude and Fred W., graduates of the high 
 school class of 1895; the latter is now a student 
 in his father's law office ; and Sarah Elsie, a high 
 school student. 
 
 In addition to his legal duties Mr. Potter is 
 interested in everything calculated to build up. 
 and strengthen the business of his adopted town 
 and county. For twenty-four years he has been 
 a director of the Henry Bridge Company, and for 
 fifteen years its president. A friend of educa- 
 tion, he does all in bis power to promote the 
 interests of the public schools. For many years 
 he has been an active worker in the Masonic 
 order, and is a member of Henry lodge, Xo. 
 119, F. & A. M., and of Chillicothe chapter, 
 R. A. M., of Lacon. He is not a member of 
 any church, but contributes to the support of 
 the Protestant Episcopal church of Henry, of 
 which his wife is a devoted member. As a citizen 
 he is held in the highest esteem by his fellow 
 townsmen. 
 
 JOHN GRIEVES, senior member of the firm 
 of John Grieves & Sons, woolen manufactur- 
 ers of Lacon, has been identified with the business 
 interests of the city for thirty years. He is the 
 pioneer in the manufacture of woolen goods in 
 this section of the country. 
 
 The woolen industry in Lacon was the out- 
 growth of an article in the Chicago Triibune 
 about the close of the war from the pen of Spen- 
 cer Ellsworth, which attracted the attention of 
 Samuel Saque and John Grieves. Correspond- 
 ence between these gentlemen and Mr. Ellsworth 
 led to a meeting of a few of the representative 
 citizens of Lacon and the appointment of William 
 F Fisher and Mr. Ellsworth a committee to con- 
 fer with Saque and Grieves with reference to the 
 establishment of a manufactory at this point for 
 the production of woolen goods. A favorable 
 report being made, a company was organized 
 \\ ith a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, 
 which was later increased to one hundred and 
 twenty-three thousand. The first board of direc- 
 tors were Archibald Riddell, John Grieves, Wil- 
 liam F. Fisher, Spencer Ellsworth, Dr. Thomas, 
 Alonzo Roberts and P. Stevens. 
 
 The compan)', known as the Lacon Woolen 
 Manufacturing company, after being duly in- 
 corporated, commenced operations, having elect- 
 ed John Grieves as superintendent. It was in 
 January, 1866, when Mr. Grieves first came to 
 Lacon to engage in the work. The mill, erected 
 at a cost of eighty-four thousand dollars, was 
 built under the supervision of Mr. Grieves, and 
 all the machinery bought by him. 
 
 There were many difficulties to be overcome in 
 the establishment of such an enterprise in the 
 west, and it required boldness in any one to come 
 in competition with the old and well established 
 houses of the east. The company was fortunate 
 in the selection of Air. Grieves as superintendent 
 and general manager. A thorough master of 
 his trade, and with good business instinct and 
 tact, he took hold of the enterprise with a deter- 
 mination to make it win. 
 
 The erection and equipment of the mill with 
 necessary machinery exhausted the capital of the 
 
so 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 company, leaving it without a dollar with which 
 to purchase necessary supplies. Nothing daunt- 
 ed, Mr. Grieves went to Chicago, and stating 
 his case to dealers, secured the dyes and other 
 material needed, and work was commenced. The 
 first output of the mill was faficy cassimeres. A 
 fine fabric was made, comparing favorably with 
 those of any eastern mill. The product was put 
 with the commission houses of Chicago, but with 
 ill success. Mr. Grieves then went to that city, 
 and with samples of cloth visited the trade, and 
 after many disappointments succeeded in selling 
 the goods. 
 
 After a trial Mr. Grieves and the directors of 
 the company were convinced that a change 
 would have to be made in the manufacture of 
 goods, as such prices for cassimeres and flan- 
 nels could not be obtained as could justify the 
 making. It was then agreed to engage in the 
 manufacture of shawls, being the first mill in the 
 west to engage in that line. For five years Mr. 
 Grieves continued in charge of the mill, when 
 he resigned his position and removed to Peoria, 
 where he also. engaged in woolen manufacture. 
 
 During the succeeding five years the Lacon 
 woolen mill made no progress, and Mr. Grieves 
 was pursuaded to return and occupy his old po- 
 sition as superintendent and manager. From 
 1876 until 1894 he filled those positions, and dur- 
 ing that time dividends on the stock were made 
 and paid, save for the years 1892 and 1893. In 
 the spring of 1894 the directors of the mill took 
 charge, and until November of that year were 
 engaged in cleaning out all stock on hand. In 
 the spring of 1895 the mill was rented to John 
 Grieves & Sons, who are still operating it with 
 success, turning out about seventy-five thousand 
 dollars worth of products annually. Employment 
 is given about seventy-five hands. 
 
 In 1883 Grieves, Halsey & Company erected 
 the Ettrick mill at Lacon at a cost of thirty-four 
 thousand dollars. It first engaged in the manu- 
 facture of hosiery yarn and continued in that line 
 until it became unprofitable in consequence of 
 the low prices prevailing. The looms were then 
 changed and the manufacture of shawls was com- 
 
 menced, and later another change was made to 
 dress goods. John W. Grieves, the son 
 of our subject, succeeded Mr. Halsey, and 
 the present firm was started, that of John Grieves 
 & Son. This mill, which is run night and day, 
 also gives employment to about seventy persons, 
 and the combined pay roll is about four thousand 
 five hundred dollars per month. The products 
 of these mills are mainly disposed of in Chicago, 
 though selling in all of the principal cities. 
 
 Our subject was born in Selkirk, Scotland, 
 November 9, 1826, and there grew to manhood. 
 At the age of ten years he entered a woolen mill 
 in his native city, learning the trade in all its 
 departments, and remaining there until after at- 
 taining his majority. In 1848 he came to Ameri- 
 ca and secured a position as a weaver of shawls 
 at Lawrence, Massachusetts, being thoroughly 
 conversant with that line of business. After two 
 )'ears he took charge of a weaver's room in a 
 mill near Boston, remained two and a half years, 
 then went to New Edinburg, Canada, and be- 
 came superintendent of a cassimere mill. 
 
 Returning to Massachusetts, he was in charge 
 of a weaver's room at Andover for three rears, 
 and again went to Canada for one year. He 
 next went to North Andover, Massachusetts, 
 then to Utica, New York, as boss weaver. From 
 Utica he went to the mill of James Roy & Co., 
 West Troy, New York, having- charge of the shawl 
 mill of that firm. From Troy he came to Lacon 
 in 1866. John Grieves and Isabel Heart were 
 united in marriage, April 17, 1848. Their two 
 sons, John W. and George H., are associated 
 with their father in the business. John is a de- 
 signer and makes all the patterns used by the 
 firm. George H. is superintendent of the Ettrick 
 mill. Each of the firm understands the business 
 thoroughly, and the product of their mills always 
 gives the best satisfaction. 
 
 ROBERT BOAL, M. D., who came to Mar- 
 shall county, and located at Lacon in 1836 
 for the practice of his profession, is now living 
 a retired life, making his home with his daugh- 
 ter, the widow of the late Congressman G. L. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 SI 
 
 Fort. He was born near Harrisburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1806, and when five years of age went 
 with his parents to Ohio, and in what was then 
 a new and undeveloped country, grew to man- 
 hood amid the scenes of pioneer life. After at- 
 tending the subscription schools of that early 
 da}', long before free schools became known in 
 that locality, he entered the Cincinnati College 
 to complete his course. However, the desire to 
 obtain a thorough classical education was never 
 realized, as he left the school when just about 
 to be promoted to the junior class. 
 
 Soon after leaving college Robert began the 
 study of medicine under a good preceptor, and 
 later entered the Medical College of Ohio, from 
 which he graduated with honor in 1828. From 
 early boyhood he had desired to be a physician, 
 having a natural inclination in that direction. 
 Soon after graduating he commenced the prac- 
 tice of medicine at Reading, Ohio, and four 
 years later in 1832, was united in marriage with 
 Miss Christiana W. Sinclair, a native of Philadel- 
 phia, Pennsylvania, and of Scotch extraction. 
 By this union three children were born — Charles 
 T., now residing in Chicago; Clara B., now the 
 widow of G. L. Fort, who for years represented 
 his district in congress and was well and favor- 
 ably known throughout the state, and James Sin- 
 clair, who for ten years was assistant district at- 
 torney for the northern district of Illinois, with 
 headquarters at Chicago, serving under Judge 
 Bangs, General Leake, Judge Tuthill and Judge 
 Ewing and died in office. Mrs. Boal, who was a 
 woman of strong character and lovely disposi- 
 tion, was a worthy helpmeet to the young doctor 
 in pioneer days, being ever ready and willing to 
 cheer his pathway, and make his burden light. 
 She died in Peoria, in 1883. 
 
 Four years after his marriage Dr. Boal came 
 with his young wife to Marshall county, and lo- 
 cating at Lacon, at once commenced an active 
 practice, which continued uninterruptedly for 
 twenty-six years. In those early days the rides 
 were long, roads poor, bridges almost unknown 
 and the practicing physician was required to hold 
 himself in readiness to go at a moment's warn- 
 
 ing at a call from any source and at whatever 
 inconvenience. Many were the calls to which he 
 responded, lonely the long night rides and but 
 little was the pay expected or received. 
 
 In common with all professional men, Dr. Boal 
 was somewhat of a politician in the early days 
 of the histoiy of Marshall county. He was an 
 eloquent speaker and his services were often 
 called into requisition in the exciting campaigns 
 which rapidly followed one another. The news- 
 papers did not circulate then as now, and the pub- 
 lic and professional speaker was expected to en- 
 lighten the people upon the issues of the day. 
 
 Politically, Dr. Boal was a whig after attaining 
 his majority, and the principles of that party 
 especially with reference to the great question 
 of the tariff, were in consonance with his ideas of 
 right and for the best interest of the entire coun- 
 try. He took the stump in advocacy of these 
 principles in each succeeding campaign, and was 
 a most effective speaker. In 1844 he was placed 
 in nomination by his party for the state senate in 
 the district comprising the counties of Marshall, 
 Tazewell, Woodford and Putnam, and was tri- 
 umphantly elected, succeeding Major Cullom, 
 the father of the present United States Senator 
 Cullom. 
 
 While in the senate the doctor strongly advo- 
 cated the building by the state of a hospital for 
 the insane, and was instrumental in securing its 
 passage. For some years previous the state had 
 been engaged in the construction of a canal and 
 which virtually swamped the state in the panic 
 of 1837. The doctor advocated turning the un- 
 completed canal over to the bond holders for its 
 early completion, which was accordingly done. 
 He also advocated the calling of a constitutional 
 convention to revise the constitution, and an act 
 was passed for that purpose, resulting in the con- 
 stitution of 1848, which for twenty-two years was 
 the basis of our state laws, or until repealed by 
 the constitution of 1870. 
 
 Dr. Boal was a politician of state repu- 
 tation, and was on intimate terms with all the 
 great leaders of the whig party. He first met 
 the immortal Lincoln in 1842, and was at once 
 
52 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 drawn to him, and the personal acquaintance 
 formed with him at the congressional convention 
 of that year was kept up and lasted through the 
 life of Lincoln. 
 
 In 1854 Dr. Boal was elected a member of the 
 general assembly of the state, the last whig elect- 
 ed from the district; at the session of the legisla- 
 ture following his election a United States sena- 
 tor was to be elected. Lincoln was the whig can- 
 didate and was enthusiastically supported by the 
 doctor. Every student of history knows the re- 
 sult of that election. A small number of what 
 was known as anti-Nebraska democrats, of whom 
 John M. Palmer was one, held the balance of 
 power, and when convinced their favorite could 
 not be elected the entire whig vote was cast, with 
 that of the anti-Nebraska democrats, for Lyman 
 Trumbull, who was duly chosen. 
 
 The whig party was now virtually dead, and 
 in 1856 a convention of anti-slavery men met 
 at Bloomington, Illinois, in which was brought 
 into existence the republican party of the 
 state. In this convention Dr. Boal sat as 
 one of the delegates, and was thus instru- 
 mental in the birth of that party, which 
 four years later succeeded in electing Abraham 
 Lincoln as president, an event followed by the 
 greatest war of modern times, resulting in the 
 entire abolition of slavery and the cementing of 
 the ties binding the states of the union together, 
 stronger than ever before. Dr. Boal was renom- 
 inated for the house of representatives in 1856, 
 and again elected, and served with credit to him- 
 self and his constituents. 
 
 William H. Bissell was elected governor in 
 1856, and soon after his inauguration he appoint- 
 ed Dr. Boal as one of the trustees of the deaf 
 and dumb asylum at Jacksonville, a position which 
 he held by reappointment by succeeding gover- 
 nors, for seventeen years, the last five years of 
 which time serving as president of the board. 
 Soon after the commencement of hostihties be- 
 tween the states Dr. Boal was appointed surgeon 
 of the board of enrollment, with headquarters 
 at Peoria, which position he held until the close 
 of the war. 
 
 The active political life of Dr. Boal closed with 
 the war. He then moved his family to Peoria and 
 engaged in general practice, which he continued 
 successfully for twenty-eight years. As a physi- 
 cian he was recognized by his co-laborers and 
 the public as well, as one of the best in the state. 
 His practice was very large, patients coming for 
 treatment by him for many miles around. In 
 1882 he served as president of the State Medical 
 association, an honor worthily bestowed. 
 
 Dr. Boal continued in the active practice of 
 his profession until he was eighty-seven years 
 of age, when he retired and returned to Lacon, 
 where he now makes his home. He is a well 
 preserved man, mentally and physically, and an 
 inveterate smoker. A great reader, he has kept 
 posted in the current and general literature of 
 the day and has also been a lover of the drama. 
 In the social circle he is always surrounded by 
 those who love to listen to an attractive conver- 
 sationalist, one who can instruct as well as amuse. 
 
 T OHN ALLEN KEEDY, residing on section 
 ij ID, Richland township, Marshall county, is 
 one of the very few pioneers of the township now 
 living. A residence here of over sixty-two years 
 has made him familiar with the history of the 
 county, and given him a wide knowledge of the 
 grand men and women who, like himself, came 
 here in poverty and endured the trials and hard- 
 ships that tested the character of each and 
 brought out the gold in them as by a refiner's 
 fire. One by one he has seen them drop by the 
 wayside "when life's fitful dream was over," 
 until he begins to feel as did Elijah of old that 
 he alone is left. 
 
 John A. Keedy is of German descent. His 
 grandfather, John Keedy, being a native of Ger- 
 many, who, with a widowed mother and two 
 brothers, came to this country when he was but 
 sixteen years of age. The family located in 
 Tennessee, and the brothers of John enlisted in 
 the service of their adopted country in the revo- 
 lutionary war, and were never afterward heard 
 from. John grew to manhood, married and 
 reared a family, of whom one son, Abraham, born 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 53 
 
 in Tennessee, in 1798, married Patsy Gray, born 
 in 1799, and a daughter of John Gray, a native 
 of Scotland, who came to this country in 181 2, 
 and located within seven miles of the great mam- 
 moth cave of Kentucky, and later moved to 
 Orange county, Indiana, where the marriage of 
 Abraham Keedy and Patsy Gray was consum- 
 mated. Her father, after having moved to Mar- 
 tinsville, Indiana, and there assisting in laying 
 out the town, came to Marshall county, Illinois, 
 about 1836. He purchased the farm now owned 
 by William J. Ramsay, in Richland township, 
 resided there a short time and then returned to 
 Indiana, where his wife died. After the death 
 of his wife he again came back to Marshall 
 county, where he died some years later. 
 
 Abraham Keedy and his wife lived in Orange 
 county, Indiana, until 1821, when they moved to 
 Martinsville, in the same state, at a time when 
 the Indians were still numerous in that locality. 
 Here they remained until 1834, when they came 
 to JMarshall county, locating on the southeast 
 quarter of section 16, Richland township. At 
 that time there were but few settlers in this lo- 
 cality and the country was in almost its primi- 
 tive state. A rail pen was first erected, in which 
 the family lived until a more substantial structure 
 of logs could be erected. Abraham Keedy was 
 by trade a blacksmith, at which he worked in 
 connection with farming during his entire life. 
 He built a shop on his farm and had the patron- 
 age of the settlers for many miles around. The 
 first season here he worked in the harvest field 
 for Colonel John Strawn for which he received 
 two bushels of wheat for each day's work. He 
 resided on the farm until 1858. His wife dying 
 the previous year, he concluded to move to 
 Minonk, Illinois, where he subsequently died. 
 
 Abraham and Patsy Keedy were the parents 
 of ten children, two of them dying in infancy be- 
 fore leaving Indiana. Nine grew to maturity, as 
 follows: John Allen, our subject; Polly, who 
 married George Bell, both being now deceased; 
 Sarah, deceased wife of Zachariah Perry, iilso de- 
 ceased; Helen, who married George Harper, 
 and both are now deceased; Virginia, who be- 
 
 came the wife of Samuel Jones, but both are now 
 deceased; Louis who entered the service of his 
 country with the rank of captain, and died in the 
 discharge of his duty; Abraham and Martha, 
 twins, both deceased, and Wesley, the youngest. 
 The parents were both consistent members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church in which he served 
 as class leader and trustee for many years. In 
 politics he was originally a whig, but became a 
 republican on the organization of the party. 
 
 John Allen Keedy, our subject, was born in 
 Orange county, Indiana, April 25, 1820, and was 
 but one year old when his parents removed to 
 Martinsville, Indiana. In his childhood he was 
 frequently held in the arms of Indian men and 
 women and played with the Httle pappooses. He 
 was fourteen years old when the family moved 
 to Marshall county, and well remembers the jour- 
 ney by ox team. Here he attended the first 
 school in the township in what was known as the 
 Bird schoolhouse. It was a very rude affair, and 
 the instructions imparted therein were almost as 
 rude as the structure. He remained at home, as- 
 sisting his father in the shop and upon the farm 
 until June 30, 1841, when he married Caroline 
 Matilda Thair Foster, a native of Kentucky, 
 born October 10, 1820, and daughter of Rev. 
 John C. Foster, a Methodist preacher, who came 
 to this county in 1838, and died here. 
 
 After marriage our subject settled upon a farm 
 of thirty acres given him by his father, his entire 
 cash capital being fourteen dollars. But what 
 of that ; he had good health, a loving wife, great 
 hope for the future, and why should he not be 
 happy? On that farm he remained eight years, 
 then moved to Lacon, where he lived one year; 
 then went to Indiana by team, railroads then 
 being yet in the future so far as this section was 
 concerned. He, however, soon returned, locat- 
 ed on section 10, Richland township, where he 
 still lives. The home farni comprises eighty acres 
 of fine, well improved land, in addition to which 
 he owns one hundred and sixty-five acres of tim- 
 ber land. 
 
 Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Keedy, a son, Ambrose Dudley, who married 
 
54 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Jemima Ramsey, a woman of good Christian 
 character, a member of the Presbyterian church, 
 who died in 1877, leaving two children, Luella 
 M. and Margaret C, both of whom grew to 
 womanhood. They are members of our subject's 
 household. The daughter, Luella V., was un- 
 married and died at the age of nineteen, having 
 been born on the 25th of September, 1850. 
 
 John Allen Keedy is a member of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church, of which body his wife 
 was also a devout and loyal member. In the 
 teachings of that church she spent her entire life, 
 dying April 23, 1894, having an abiding faith in 
 the promises of the Master and the desire to be 
 at rest over there. Mr. Keedy has always taken 
 a somewhat active part in the work of the church, 
 and has served as trustee ever since the chapel 
 was erected in his neighborhood. He is the only 
 survivor of those originally forming the church 
 on section 14. The work of the Sunday school 
 has always enlisted his most earnest efforts and 
 he has given much of his time as teacher and 
 superintendent, in each capacity serving faithfully 
 and well. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Keedy was originally a whig, 
 but unlike his father, on the dissolution of the 
 whig party, he drifted into the democratic party, 
 with which he has since been identified. Official- 
 ly he has served his township as assessor, col- 
 lector and treasurer. His son Ambrose Dudley 
 was assessor of the township seven years, ancl 
 has also served as school trustee. The father 
 and son make their home together and both are 
 highly respected citizens of the count}^ The 
 father has passed his three score and ten }'ears, 
 and is a well preserved man with many friends 
 throughout Marshall and adjoining counties. 
 
 GEOR<JE SANWALD, now Jiving re- 
 tired at Lacon, was for several years 
 numbered among the prominent and en- 
 terprising farmers of Roberts township, who 
 are of alien birth. Like others of his 
 countrymen, he brought to America the 
 habits of economy and frugality which are an 
 inherent characteristic of his native land, and the 
 
 exercise of which, accompanied by industry and 
 good management, raised him to a position of 
 comparative afifliuence. 
 
 Mr. Sanwald was born in Wurtemburg, Ger- 
 many, in 1824, where he grew to manhood, but 
 with the view of benefiting his financial condi- 
 tion he sailed for the new world, landing on the 
 shores of this country July 25, 1854. He at once 
 obtained work in Pennsylvania, where he re- 
 mained for two years, at the end of which time 
 he came to Illinois and here was employed as a 
 farm hand for the following eight years. Having 
 succeeded in accumulating one thousand dollars, 
 in 1865 he invested this in land, purchasing one 
 hundred and sixty acres in Roberts township, 
 Marshall county, to which he later added. He 
 has given his son Otto two hundred and thirty- 
 three acres on sections 3 and 4, Roberts town- 
 ship, which tract is supplied with good farming 
 buildings, and still owns three hundred and 
 eighty acres on section 9, which, since coming 
 to Lacon, he has rented. He is entirely a self- 
 made man, as on coming to this state he was 
 without means and all that he now possesses has 
 been acquired through his own industrious ef- 
 forts. He was for some time extensively en- 
 gaged in raising and feeding stock, often ship- 
 ping four car loads of cattle to the city markets 
 and from one to four car loads of hogs. In this 
 business he was in partnership with his brother 
 Jacob until about three years ago. The brother 
 died upon the farm in the sunnner of 1895, and 
 the following fall our subject removed with his 
 family to Lacon, where he is now resting in the 
 enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. His 
 farm is highly cultivated and well improved with 
 a comfortable dwelling, good barns and other 
 outbuildings. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Sanwald led to the marriage altar 
 Miss Anna Crist, a native of Hesse, Germany, who 
 died in 1891. On the 6th of May, 1893, he was 
 again married, his second union being with Mrs. 
 Mary Keinath, widow of Matt Keinath, who 
 lived for ten years in Lacon and then returned 
 to Germany, where he died November 25, 1888, 
 leaving one son, John, who now makes his home 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 55 
 
 with his mother in Lacon. By his former mar- 
 riage Mr. Sanwald had one son, Otto, who mar- 
 ried EHzabcth Ranch, by whom he has three chil- 
 dren, AmeHa, Bernardt and an infant vinnamed, 
 and is Hving upon a farm near the old home- 
 stead. 
 
 Although usually voting the democratic ticket, 
 Mr. Sanwald is now strictly non-partisan, endea- 
 voring to support the man best qualified for the 
 office. He holds membership with the Lutheran 
 church at Varna, in which he takes an active part, 
 and enjoys the esteem and respect of all who 
 know him. 
 
 M 
 
 half a century this gentleman has been 
 identified Avith the history of Bureau county and 
 his name is inseparably connected with the agri- 
 cultural interests of this section of the state. His 
 thoroughly American spirit and his great energy 
 have enabled him to mount from a lowly posi- 
 tion to one of affluance. One of his leading char- 
 acteristics in business afifairs is his fine sense of 
 order and the habit of giving careful attention to 
 details, without which success in any undertak- 
 ing is never an assured fact. He is a man of 
 intrinsic worth, esteemed in all the relations of 
 life, and his career is one that well entitles him 
 to representation on the pages of the history of 
 his adopted county. 
 
 Mr. Zearing was born in Cumberland county, 
 Pennsylvania, December 15, 1825, a son of 
 Squire Martin Zearing, who was born and reared 
 in Pennsylvania, and there learned the carpen- 
 ter's trade, which he followed for a number of 
 years in his native state and later in Illinois. In 
 Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, he married 
 Sarah Shaffer, who was burn in that county and 
 was a daughter of J(jhn Shaffer, one of the sub- 
 stantial farmers of Cumberland county. In 1836 
 Mr. Zearing removed with his family to Illinois, 
 and after a short time spent in Princeton, located 
 near the present town of Dover, where he pur- 
 chased a tract of wild prairie land of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. In connection with his 
 farming he followed carpentering for a few years, 
 
 but subsequently gave his entire time to the de- 
 velopment of his property. He was elected to 
 the office of justice of the peace, and his faithful 
 service in that capacity was the means of his con- 
 tinuing long in office. While in Pennsylvania he 
 was justice of the peace for a long time. He held 
 membership with the German Refotmed church, 
 but in Illinois became a member of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church, and afterward of the Bap- 
 tist church. He was active in religious work 
 and deeply interested in all that pertained to the 
 moral welfare of the community. His own life 
 \\as in harmony with his professions and won 
 him the confidence and good will of all. He died 
 in July, 1855, and a few years later his wife was 
 laid by his side in Dover cemetery, where a 
 monument has been erected to their memory. 
 
 Martin R. Zearing is the oldest surviving son 
 in a family of twelve children. All grew to ma- 
 ture years, and four sons and three daughters 
 are yet living. He was a lad of ten years when 
 he came with his parents to Bureau county, and 
 here amid the wild scenes of the frontier he was 
 reared, early becoming familiar with the arduous 
 task of developing a new farm. Much of the 
 labor devolved upon him, as he was the eldest, 
 and owing to this fact and to the poor condition 
 of the schools in the neighborhood, he received 
 but meagre educational privileges. 
 
 March 12, 1855, in Bureau county, Mr. Zear- 
 ing married Miss Louisa Rackley, and soon after 
 located on a farm in Berlin township. He pur- 
 chased eighty acres of prairie land, fenced it, 
 erected substantial buildings thereon and trans- 
 formed the land into productive fields. He also 
 purchased another eighty acres, and was soon 
 the owner of a valuable property. At another 
 time he purchased one hundred and twenty acres 
 of improved land, which he operated for a few 
 vears and then sold to his son-in-law. In 1883 
 he purchased his comfortable home in Prince- 
 ton, and removed to the city, but continued the 
 supervision of his farm until 1885, since which 
 time he has rented it. The fitting reward of a 
 well spent life is an honored retirement from la- 
 bor, and this he is now enjoying. 
 
56 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Zearing lost his first wife, who 
 died, leaving a daughter, Susan L., now the wife 
 of Charles Moore, a farmer of Berlin township, 
 by whom she has two sons and two daughters. 
 On the 3d of April, 1879, Mr. Zearing wedded 
 Fannie E. Garten, daughter of Richard Bran- 
 ing, and widow of Azariah Garten. She was 
 born, reared and educated in Springville, Indiana, 
 and in Bureau county was first married. By that 
 union she has five children, namely: Mary El- 
 len, wife of William King, of Arlington; WilHam, 
 of Canton, Ohio; Melcord, a farmer of Ohio 
 township, Bureau county; Emma A., wife of Wil- 
 liam Fishel, who resides on a farm two miles 
 from Newton, in Jasper county, Illinois, and 
 Laura Isabel, at home. 
 
 Mr. Zearing, his wife and daughter are active 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal church of 
 Princeton, and since the organization of the 
 party in 1856, he has been a stalwart republican. 
 Prior to that time he was a whig, but political 
 preferment has had no attraction for him, as he 
 has always given his attention to his business, in 
 which he has met with a well merited success. 
 Honorable and persistent effort and well directed 
 industry have been the stepping stones on which 
 he has risen, and today he stands among the sub- 
 stantial citizens of Princeton. 
 
 JOEL WILLIS HOPKINS, a valued and 
 esteemed agriculturist of Putnam county, 
 located upon his present farm in Granville town- 
 ship as early as 1835, and has therefore wit- 
 nessed the full and complete development of this 
 region. He was born on the 29th of July, 1814, 
 at Ripley, Brown count)', Ohio, and is a son 
 of William and Jane (Willis) Hopkins, the for- 
 mer a native of Virginia, and the latter of .Stjuth 
 Carolina. When young people, however, the 
 parents went to Ohio, where they were married, 
 and in 1835 brought their family to Putnam 
 county, Illinois, settling upon the farm which 
 is now the home of our subject, and where his 
 present residence stands was erected the first 
 home of the family here. There the father se- 
 cured three hundred and twenty acres of govern- 
 
 ment land, to the cultivation and improvement of 
 which he devoted his time until his death in 1842. 
 His wife survived him about seven years. 
 
 One son of the family, Archibald, had pre- 
 viously come to Putnam county, locating here 
 in 1832, and while here participated in the Indian 
 war. His death occurred in 1836. John is a 
 resident of ]\Iarshall county, Iowa. Stephen, 
 who was an invalid, died at the age of thirty 
 years. Georg-e lives in Granville. Elizabeth, 
 who was the wife of Willis Margrave, died 
 about two years ago at Hiawatha, Kansas. 
 Martha married James B. McCord and died 
 about six years ago. Margaret engaged in teach- 
 ing for several years in Putnam and Grundy 
 counties, Illinois, and died when past the age 
 of thirty years. Melinda wedded Abbott Bar- 
 ker, of Grundy county, and died about fifteen 
 years ago. Our subject is the oldest of the fam- 
 ily. The parents were faithful members of the 
 Union Grove Presbyterian church, but in later 
 life assisted in the organization of the Congre- 
 gational church at Granville. 
 
 In 1840 was celebrated the marriage of Joel 
 W. Hopkins and Miss Eleanor Harrison, a sis- 
 ter of Stephen Harrison, whose sketch appears 
 elsewhere in this work. She and her brother, 
 Richard D. Harrison, died in the same week in 
 1849, and in 1862 Mr. Hopkins married the 
 widow of the latter, Mrs. Sarah Harrison, a 
 daughter of Alba Smith, a pioneer of Bureau 
 county, Illinois, who settled near Princeton in 
 1835. Mrs. Hopkins is a native of New York, 
 and was eleven years of age when she accom- 
 panied her father to this state. Five children 
 were born of the first union of our subject, two 
 of whom died in childhood, Eveline and Jennie. 
 Those living are: Archibald W., who is living 
 upon tile home farm with his father; Helen 
 De Armand, wife of Rev. Robert McCord, of 
 Lake City, Iowa; and Mary Harrison, wife of 
 Judge William W. Wright, of Toulon, Illinois. 
 One child graces the second marriage, Martha B., 
 at home. By her first husband Mrs. Hopkins 
 had one son, Richard D. Harrison, who is living- 
 near Princeton in Bureau county. 
 
JitKI, \\\ Hnl'KIXS. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 59 
 
 Mr. Hopkins is now the owner of over fifteen 
 hundred acres of valuable land in Putnam and 
 La Salle counties, which are divided into seven or 
 eight flamis, his home farm containing over eight 
 hundred acres, much of which is used for pas- 
 turage. At one time he also had one thousand 
 acres of land in Iowa, which he has since given 
 to his children, but still has -an extensive tract 
 there and also in Dakota. 
 
 Cattle dealing has been the principal business 
 of Mr. Hopkins for many years, and he usually 
 pastures annually from four hundred to six hun- 
 dred head, which he ships to the markets;- 
 also kept from one hundred to five hundred head 
 of sheep upon his place; and has been a breeder 
 of good horses. He buys all the cattle which 
 he feeds, raising no calves for over twenty years, 
 but buys, grazes and feeds. His son has also 
 taken an interest in buying jacks in Kentucky, 
 which he raises and sells to an advantage, and 
 has exhibited some very fine specimens of that 
 animal. Since its organization, twelve years ago, 
 Mr. Hopkins has been president of the Peru 
 National bank, which is capitalized at fifty thou- 
 sand dollars, and to- that line of his business he 
 has also given considerable attention. His land 
 is underlaid with a fine grade of coal, from the 
 sale of which he also derives a good income. 
 
 A leading and popular citizen, Mr. Hopkins 
 has been called upon to fill several important 
 positions of honor and trust, being supervisor, 
 and for ten years county judge. He resigned the 
 latter office in order to become a member of the 
 twenty-sixth general assembly, being elected on 
 the republican ticket, and acceptably served 
 for one term. He has taken an active part in 
 campaign work; was a delegate to the conven- 
 tion at Cincinnati, which nominated R. B. Hayes 
 for the presidency, and has often attended the 
 state conventions of his party. On the repub- 
 lican ticket bis son Archibald was also elected 
 to the legislature, being a member of the thirty- 
 seventh and thirty-eighth general assemblies. 
 During the dark days of the civil war, Mr. 
 Hopkins assisted in raising money for substi- 
 tutes and for the care of the soldiers' widows 
 4 
 
 and orphans, and took an active part in public 
 affairs during that trying period. Both himself 
 and wife are consistent members of the Con- 
 gregational church at Granville, with which he 
 is officially connected, and no couple throughout 
 this section of the state is held in higher regard 
 or is more worthy of the esteem in which they 
 are held by all. 
 
 SAMUEL BUCK, who resides upon section 
 19, Richland township, while not classed 
 specially among the pioneers, has yet spent in 
 Marshall county nearly forty years of active busi- 
 ness life, and is well and favorably known, not 
 alone in his own county, but in the adjoining 
 counties as well. He is a native of Montgomery 
 county, Indiana, born September 25, 1831, and is 
 a son of Andrew and Hannah (Butt) Buck, the 
 former a native of Pennsylvania, born May 14, 
 1797, and the latter of Maryland. They settled 
 in Montgomery county, Indiana, near Crawfords- 
 ville at a very early day, and there spent the re- 
 mainder of their lives, the mother dying April 
 3, 1843, when Samuel was in his youth, the father 
 August 10, 1869. They were the parents of ten 
 children, six sons and four daughters, all of 
 whom grew to maturity, but three daughters and 
 our subject are the only ones now living. One 
 son, Daniel, was a soldier in the Mexican war, 
 and another, Jacob, who was a soldier in the 
 civil war, died in the service. 
 
 The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
 his father's farm in Indiana, and was educated 
 in the district schools. He there learned the 
 making of brick, and became an expert in that 
 industry. It was for the purpose of engaging in 
 this industry that he came to Marshall county, 
 Illinois, in the spring of 1857. Purchasing a 
 small tract of land on section ig, Richland town- 
 ship, which was then covered with timber and 
 brush, he at once set about the improvement of 
 the place, clearing and developing a farm. He 
 also commenced the manufacture of brick, in 
 which business he continued in connection with 
 farming until 1882, a period of twenty-five years. 
 At that time he made many thousands of superior 
 
6o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 brick and sold his products for miles around. 
 For some years he also operated a steam saw 
 mill, and in carrying on the three lines of busi- 
 ness it may well be conceived that he was a busy 
 man. 
 
 Two years after coming to this locality Mr. 
 Buck was united in marriage with Miss Sarah J. 
 Malone, a daughter of Joseph Malone, now de- 
 ceased, who located here in 1843, coming from 
 Fountain county, Indiana, where Mrs. Buck was 
 born. On coming to this county she was but a 
 very small child, and here she grew to lovely 
 womanhood, and in 1859 married our subject. 
 Three children were born of this union — Andrew, 
 Ella and William. The daughter is now the wife 
 of Lincoln Kunkle and resides in Richland town- 
 ship. The mother died April 30, 1888, after a 
 happy married life of twenty-nine years. She 
 was an earnest Christian woman, a member of 
 the Christian church for many years and died in 
 the hope of the resurrection and the blessed re- 
 union beyond the grave. 
 
 On coming to this county Mr. Buck was in 
 limited circumstances, but he came with an ob- 
 ject in view, and with a steadfast determination to 
 succeed in life. From a small beginning and to 
 his original purchase of one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land, he added from time to time until 
 to-day he is the owner of seven hundred and 
 seventy-five acres of fine land, all of which is 
 highly improved. Almost all the improvements 
 made have been by his own hands or under his 
 supervision. Success has crowned his efforts 
 and he is able to enjoy the fruits of a life well 
 spent in honest toil and the honest accumulation 
 of years. 
 
 Samuel Buck has, from the beginning of his 
 life in Marshall county, enjoyed the confidence 
 and esteem of his fellow-citizens. A man of fine 
 qualities and of excellent judgment, he has fre- 
 quently been called upon to administer upon 
 estates and it can be safely assumed that he 
 never betrayed a trust, and every duty was faith- 
 fully discharged. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Buck was for some years a 
 member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 
 lows, but at present does not affiliate with the 
 order, although its principles he holds in the 
 highest respect. Politically, he is a democrat, 
 with which party he has always been associated, 
 believing strongly in the principles of the party, 
 as advocated by its great leaders, Jefferson, Jack- 
 son, Douglas and others. Of late years, how- 
 ever, he has taken but little interest in political 
 affairs, leaving such matters to younger men. 
 During his residence here he has often been 
 called upon to fill local office, having served as 
 supervisor of the township, and for many years 
 as school director, having taken great interest 
 in educational matters. Purely a self-made man, 
 his life is worthy of emulation by the youth of the 
 land. 
 
 BKILBOURN JACKSON, of section 20, 
 . Richland township, has spent his entire 
 life in Marshall county, and, as boy and man, 
 has witnessed the many changes in transforming 
 the wild prairie and heavy timber land into fine 
 and productive farms and flourishing villages. 
 
 Andrew Jackson, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Barbersville, Kentucky, December 
 8, 1804, and was a son of John Jackson, one of 
 the very early settlers of the blue grass state. 
 He there grew to manhood, and moving to Indi- 
 ana, there married Mary Gray, a native of Ken- 
 tucky, born in 1803, and a daughter of John 
 Gray, who moved to Marshall county early in the 
 '30s, but returned soon after to Indiana, where he 
 spent the remainder of his life. 
 
 In the spring of 1835, Andrew Jackson with his 
 family moved to Marshall county, coming bv 
 teams from their Indiana home, and bringing 
 with them a number of head of cattle, sheep and 
 other stock. On his arrival he purchased the 
 farm on section 20, Richland township, which 
 is now owned by James Irwin, but which he sub- 
 sequently sold to Mr. Floover. On selling his 
 first land he purchased the farm now owned bv 
 our subject, which he made his permanent home. 
 
 On coming to this county Mr. Jackson found 
 a wild and unimproved country with settlers iew 
 and far between. With characteristic energy he 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 6i 
 
 went to work to clear the land and make for him- 
 self and family a home. Those now living in this 
 favored locality cannot for a moment realize the 
 hardships endured by the pioneers. When it is 
 remembered that railroads were then unknown, 
 that there -were neither markets for what was 
 raised, nor money to be had if a market was 
 found, some idea may be formed of the suffer- 
 ings of those who were the harbingers in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 Two years after his settlement here the panic 
 of 1837 set in and until after the campaign of 
 1840 times were indeed hard. Postage on letters 
 was twenty-five cents each, and one was lucky 
 to obtain the coveted "ciuarter" with which to 
 pay it, and often letters remained in possession of 
 the postmaster for months until even that small 
 amount of money could be obtained. Frequent- 
 ly ]Mr. Jackson went into the timber and split 
 rails for his more fortunate neighbors for fifty 
 cents per hundred, taking his pay in whatever 
 article that could be agreed upon. 
 
 In the early days Andrew Jackson was quite 
 active in local aiifairs, and assisted in the organ- 
 ization of the township, and served for a time 
 as township supervisor. He was once elected 
 justice of the peace, but declined to serve. In 
 politics he was a whig until the dissolution of 
 that party, after which he was a thorough and 
 consistent republican, being conscientiously op- 
 posed to slavery. 
 
 To Andrew Jackson and wife were born five 
 children: Mary Ann, who died at the age of 
 two years; Ehzabeth M., now deceased; Mar- 
 garet, now the wife of James Monaghan ; Cather- 
 ine, deceased, and B. Kilbourn, of this sketch. 
 The parents were members of the Christian 
 church, in which body the father took an active 
 part. He was a man well versed in the scriptures 
 and the various religious problems of the day. 
 Both died on the old homestead, the father July 
 28, 1888, and the mother March 17, 1881. 
 
 B. Kilbourn Jackson, of whom we now write, 
 grew to manhood on the farm where he now 
 lives, and received his education in the subscrip- 
 tion schools of pioneer times, before the organiz- 
 
 ation of the present school system. He remained 
 at home assisting his father in the farm work un- 
 til long after having attained his majority. The 
 war for the union having commenced his patri- 
 otic blood was stirred, and in August, 1862, he 
 enlisted in Company D, Seventy-seventh Illinois 
 Volunteer Infantry under Captain Robert 
 Brock, which was raised in Lacon and 
 vicinity. The regiment was organized at Peoria 
 under Colonel Ballance, who was later succeeded 
 by Colonel Grier. 
 
 After organization the regiment was sent to 
 Cincinnati, and crossing the river to Covington, 
 Kentucky, it operated in that state in the vicinity 
 of Cynthiana, Paris, Richmond and Falmouth. 
 It was then sent by boat to Vicksburg and was all 
 through the siege against that city, resulting in 
 its capitulation July 3, 1863, and in the opening 
 of the Mississippi river below that point. 
 
 From Vicksburg the regiment was sent on 
 the Red river expedition under General Banks, 
 and at Alexandria, Louisiana, our subject was 
 taken prisoner by the enemy, and from April 
 8, 1864, until May 27, 1865, passed through such 
 an experience in rebel prisons as will ever be to 
 him while life shall last a terrible nightmare. 
 When finally released he was a veritable skeleton, 
 and with health almost completely destroyed. On 
 being released he was sent to New Orleans, then 
 to St. Louis, and on to Springfield, Illinois, where 
 he was mustered out and honorably discharged 
 in July, 1865, having seen nearly three years of 
 extremely hard service. In battle he had his 
 clothes pierced by rebel bullets, but suffered no 
 wound. 
 
 Returning home a badly wrecked man physi- 
 cally, he spent some little time recuperating, after 
 which he again engaged in his old occupation of 
 farming, which has been his life work. For some 
 years after his return from the army he remained 
 a bachelor, but on January 3, 1878, he was unit- 
 ed in marriage with Miss Clara May Benson, who 
 was born in Richland township, April 29, 1859, 
 and a daughter of Luke Benson, now a resident 
 of Oklahoma. By this union were born five chil- 
 dren : Mary Elizabeth, Edith Jane, Benjamin An- 
 
62 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 drew, Annie Pearl and Luke Logan. The moth- 
 er of these children died September i6, 1886. 
 She was a woman of kind disposition, a loving 
 wife and mother, and her death was sincerely 
 mourned, not alone by the family, but friends of 
 whom she had many. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Jackson located upon 
 a farm, where he remained until the death of his 
 wife, when he moved to his present place then 
 the home of his father and a sister. The farm 
 comprises one hundred and ninety acres of high- 
 ly productive land, and is under average improve- 
 ment. While giving almost his entire time to his 
 farm duties, Mr. Jackson has served his district 
 as school director for some years, taking a very 
 active interest in educational matters. Political- 
 ly, he is a republican, and fraternally a member 
 of Lacon post. No. 134, G. A. R. His record as 
 a soldier is a commendable one, and as a citizen 
 no man enjoys the respect of friends and ac- 
 quaintances to a greater degree. 
 
 CHARLES H. WIXOM. The subject of 
 this personal narration, is one of the suc- 
 cessful and progressive agriculturists of Bureau 
 county, owning a valuable farm of three hundred 
 acres on section 28, Hall township, and is also 
 an extensive breeder of Norman horses. He has 
 made his special field of industry a success, and 
 is highly esteemed and respected by those who 
 know him best. 
 
 A native son of Bureau county, Mr. Wixom 
 was born August 7, 1853, on the farm which is 
 still his home. His father, Abraham Wixom, was 
 born in Ohio, February 16, 1816, and was a 
 son of Dr. Wixom, a pioneer physician of that 
 state, and a native of New York. The father was 
 reared in Ohio, coming to Illinois in early man- 
 hood, and in Bureau county married Rachel Ann 
 Scott, a daughter of Robert Scott, one of the 
 pioneers of the county, who entered the land and 
 built the first house on the farm where our sub- 
 ject now resides. Mr. Scott later removed to 
 Peru, Illinois, but spent his last days upon a farm 
 near Sandwich, this state, while his wife died 
 on the old Bureau county farm. When the place 
 
 came into the possession of Abraham Wixom 
 he greatly improved it, setting out an orchard, 
 and converted it into one of the most highly cul- 
 tivated tracts in the locality. Later he rented 
 the farm with the intention of moving to Nebras- 
 ka, but was taken ill and died on the 19th of 
 August, 1870. Subsequently Mrs. Wixom be- 
 came the wife of Absalom Sweet of Princeton, 
 who died November i, 1889, and she now resides 
 with our subject upon the old homestead. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads, Charles H. 
 Wixom spent his boyhood and youth receiving 
 a good common school education, which was sup- 
 plemented by a course in the institute at Newark, 
 Illinois, where he completed his literary course. 
 He then returned home, and after the death of 
 l^is father succeeded to the farm, which he has 
 since successfully operated. To the original tract 
 he has since added eighty-seven acres, and now 
 has a fine farm of about three hundred acres, 
 which is well improved with good buildings. 
 About 1885 he began the breeding of Norman 
 horses, which has proved a profitable source of 
 income, and now has thirty head of fine horses 
 upon his place. 
 
 Mr. Wixom was married in Bureau county, 
 February 17, 1886, the lady of his choice being 
 Miss Minnie A. Pierson, a daughter of Andrew 
 Pierson, who was bom in Sweden, came to Illi- 
 nois when a young man, where he was married, 
 and for a time engaged in farming in Bureau 
 county. Mrs. Wixom was born, reared and edu- 
 cated in this county, her birth occurring in 
 Princeton, and is one in a family of five daugh- 
 ters, all living at the present time. By her mar- 
 riage to our subject she has become the mother 
 of five children, namely: Clinton B., Clara A., 
 Jennie May, Frank Plenry and Nellie. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Wixom affiliates with the re- 
 publican party, beHeves in protecting American 
 industries, and is a friend to our educational sys- 
 tem, having faithfully served as a member of the 
 school board for a time. Although he and his 
 wife are not members of any religious denomina- 
 tion, they attend the services of the Methodist 
 Episcopal and Congregational churches of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 63 
 
 Spring Valley, near which city they reside. Mr. 
 Wixom is a man of more than ordinary business 
 capacity, honorable and upright in all transac- 
 tions, and a valued citizen of the community. 
 
 JOHN L. SCOTT, senior member of the well 
 known livery firm of Scott & Anderson, of 
 Ohio, Illinois, is a native of this state, born in 
 Stark county in i860. His parents, Rev. J. L. 
 and Mary (Carter) Scott, were born and reared 
 in JefTerson county, Ohio, but later took up their 
 residence in Stark county, Illinois. The father 
 was a minister of the Methodist Protestant 
 church, but is now living retired. His estimable 
 wife also still survives. 
 
 At the age of twelve years our subject went 
 to Marshall county, Iowa, where he remained un- 
 til twenty, and there completed his literary edu- 
 cation. At the early age of fourteen he started 
 out in life for himself, and has since been de- 
 pendent upon his own resources for a livelihood. 
 He first came to the village of Ohio in 1881, but 
 three years later returned to Iowa, where he re- 
 mained the same length of time. On again com- 
 ing to Ohio he engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 for three years, at the end of which time he em- 
 barked in the livery business, and in dealing in 
 horses. This he has since continued with ex- 
 cellent success, and by his courteous treatment 
 of customers has secured a liberal share of the 
 public patronage. 
 
 In 1884 I\Ir. Scott was united in marriage with 
 Aliss Nellie Wilson, daughter of the late Joseph 
 G. Wilson, a prominent farmer of Ohio town- 
 ship, Bureau county. Three children have 
 blessed their union, namely: Amy, Foster and 
 Pauline. 
 
 In politics Mr. Scott is a straight and stanch 
 adherent to the principles formulated in the plat- 
 form of the republican party, and while not an 
 aspirant to official honors he has served his fel- 
 low-citizens in the capacity of assessor, and is 
 the present efficient constable of Ohio. Social- 
 ly he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America. He has achieved success by unremit- 
 ting toil, directed by sound business principles. 
 
 and truly deserves the honorable American title 
 of a self-made man. 
 
 Fenwick R. Anderson, the other member of 
 the firm of Scott & Anderson, was born in Lee 
 county, Illinois, September 16, 1854, and is a son 
 of Fenwick and Jeannette (Peek) Anderson, a 
 sketch of whose lives will be found elsewhere in 
 this volume. The educational privileges of our 
 subject were such as the district schools afforded, 
 and upon the home farm he early became familiar 
 with agricultural pursuits. At the age of twenty- 
 four years he began farming on his own account, 
 and continued to engage in that honored calling 
 until 1896. In July, 1895, he had purchased an 
 interest in the livery business now conducted by 
 Scott & Anderson. They have succeeded in 
 building up a good trade, are men of known re- 
 liability, and the success which has attended their 
 efforts is well deserved. 
 
 In 1879 ^^'"- Anderson led to the marriage altar 
 Miss Emma Wilson, adopted daughter of Wil- 
 liam S. Wilson, one of the representative citi- 
 zens of Ohio, whose sketch also appears in this 
 work. They have become the parents of three 
 children — Nancy Maria, William F. and Verdin. 
 The wife and mother is a consistent member of 
 the Methodist Protestant church. Fraternally, 
 Mr. Anderson is a member of the Masonic fra- 
 ternity, and, politically, gives his earnest sup- 
 port to the republican party. He keeps well 
 posted on current events, is wide-awake and in- 
 dustrious, and occupies a good social position 
 among the successful business men of Ohio and 
 vicinity. 
 
 MRS. S. R. INKS, widow of the late Justin 
 Inks, of Ohio, Illinois, was born on the 
 2d of March, 1837, at Fremont, Ohio, a daughter 
 of Alexander and Mary (Ramsburg) Paden, who 
 for many years were residents of Ohio township, 
 Bureau county, where the father engaged in 
 farming. He died in 1887, at the age of eighty- 
 two years, and his wife, who was a daughter of 
 Christian Ramsburg, died in Ohio township, and 
 their remains were interred in the Union ceme- 
 tery. Mrs. Inks was the fifth in order of birth in 
 
64 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 their family of eleven children, the others being 
 jMary C, widow of G. W. Black, and residing on 
 a farm with her son William; Josiah, a resident 
 of Lincoln, Nebraska; Ann M., who married 
 James W. Havens, and lives at Fremont, Ohio; 
 Sophia, deceased; Alexander, deceased; James 
 L., a resident of Nebraska; Sarah J., deceased, 
 wife of Robert Gardner; Adaline V., wife of 
 Enos Hansel of Walnut, Bureau county ; Asa A., 
 and John, a resident of Ohio. 
 
 On the second of March, 1853, j\Iiss S. R. 
 Paden became the wife of Justin Inks, who was 
 born in Fremont, Ohio, September 4, 1836, and 
 was a son of John and Priscilla Inks. Seven 
 children were born to them, but two died in in- 
 fancy. Dr. John A., a physician and surgeon of 
 Shelby, Nebraska, married Maggie J. Smith, of 
 that state, and they have three children, Edith 
 S., Hortense and an infant. William Frank 
 wedded Mary ShifHett, and died at the age of 
 twenty-five years, leaving one child, Emerson. 
 Minnie Belle died at the age of eleven years. 
 Maggie May is the wife of Mark Dewey of Ohio 
 township. Bureau county, and Waneta Gertrude 
 is their only child. Ralph Waldo is at home with 
 his mother. A conscientious, earnest Christian, 
 she is a most faithful member of the Alethodist 
 Protestant church of the village of Ohio. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Inks brought his family to Bureau 
 county, becoming the owner of three hundred 
 acres of valuable land in Ohio township, which 
 he placed under a high state of cultivation, and 
 there made his home until called from this life, 
 August 5, 1888. He was progressive and public- 
 spirited and was called upon to fill a number of 
 important local offices, being supervisor for two 
 years, school director for nearly thirty years, and 
 assessor of his township for twelve years. 
 
 Industry, enterprise and perseverance were 
 numbered among the chief characteristics of Mr. 
 Inks, and were important factors in his success. 
 He was a man of the strictest integrity, upright 
 and honorable in all his dealings, possessed un- 
 usual business ability, sound judgment and keen 
 foresight, but was quiet and unassuming in man- 
 ner, of rather a conservative disposition. How- 
 
 ever, he made many warm friends, and his fellow- 
 citizens reposed in him the utmost confidence. 
 His quick perception enabled him to take ad- 
 vantage of many opportunities which would pro- 
 mote his business interests, but all his afifairs were 
 conducted on the strictest principles of integrity 
 and honor. He proved a most trustworthy of- 
 ficial, and in his death the community felt that 
 it had lost a most valued citizen He was not 
 a member of any religious denomination, but was 
 a firm believer in Christianity and the justice of 
 God. His death was from consumption, and dur- 
 ing his lingering illness he was tenderly cared 
 for by his faithful wife and loving friends, and 
 was laid to rest in the village cemetery. 
 
 L 
 
 OUIS S. BLACHLY, proprietor of the 
 Blachly general merchandise store, of 
 Spring Valley, has the reputation of a strictly 
 first-class business man, reliable and energetic, 
 and is a highly respected citizen. He was born 
 in Sauk county, Wisconsin, and is a representa- 
 tive of a family that came originally from Mav- 
 erick, Scotland. From England, the ancestors 
 of our subject sailed for New Jersey in 1680, and 
 removed to Pennsylvania in 1790. The great- 
 great-grandfather of our subject, Miller Blachly, 
 married Eleanor Boyd, a resident of New Jer- 
 sey, and to them were born four children: Dr. 
 William, Miller, Jr., Eben and Polly. 
 
 ^Miller Blachly, Jr., married Phoebe Bell, and 
 they resided east of the AUeghanv mountains 
 in Pennsylvania. In their family were eight chil- 
 dren, namely: Dr. Eben, deceased, who was the 
 grandfather of our subject; Anna, deceased; Dr. 
 Miller, who died in 1895 at the age of ninety- 
 four years ; Phoebe, who died at the age of eighty- 
 nine years ; Anna, who died unmarried at the age 
 of twenty-five years; Belle, who now resides in 
 Texas; Eleanor, now a resident of Minnesota, 
 and Sarah, the widow of Dr. Bradley, who was 
 a missionary to Bankok, Siam. Dwight Brad- 
 ley, the second son of the last named, was edu- 
 cated at Oberlin, Ohio, and was interpreter to 
 the King of Siam while he lived. Another son. 
 Rev. Dan Bradley, is one of the leading Congre- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 65 
 
 gational ministers of Michigan, now located at 
 Grand Rapids. 
 
 Dr. Eben Blachly married Minerva Seely and 
 lived near Niles, Ohio. To them were born five 
 children, Louis Seely, Oscar Eben, Marian Min- 
 erva, John Williamson and Dr. Charles Per- 
 kins. After the death of his first wife, Dr. Blach- 
 ly married Jane Trew, by whom he had two chil- 
 dren, Andrew Trew and Dr. Frank Chalmers 
 Trew. The former was shot by one of the Dal- 
 ton gang of desperadoes while defending the 
 bank in Gunnison county, Colorado, of which 
 he was cashier. The coat of arms of the Blachly 
 family was a copper plate pine tree, on which 
 was engraved on one of the branches a bunch 
 of quills, and at the foot of which was a beaver, a 
 Latin motto, the English of which was: "Use 
 the World." 
 
 The parents of our subject, Louis Seely and 
 Rebecca (McCombs) Blachly were both natives 
 of Trumbull county, Ohio. The father was an 
 able physician and surgeon, a graduate of the 
 Washington and Jefferson College of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and the Cleveland Medical College. He 
 began practice at Dane, Wisconsin, was later a 
 physician of Wyandott, Kansas, but after four 
 years returned to Wisconsin and engaged in 
 practice for a year at Lodi. Diu'ing the Civil 
 war he entered the army as a volunteer surgeon, 
 and was assigned to the One Hundred and Eighth 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry. While in the ser- 
 vice he was taken ill and died in May, 1863, at 
 the age of thirty-seven years. Still a young man, 
 his outlook for the future was very bright until 
 disease marked him as its victim. He was an 
 earnest Christian and an elder in the Presby- 
 terian church. His wife, who died in 1873, at the 
 age of forty-six years, was a member of the same 
 denomination in Lodi, was a woman of eminent 
 piety, doing all in her power for the betterment 
 of mankind, and was very active in church work. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest in the family of three 
 children. His brother, Eben McCombs, is a 
 practicing dentist at Herington, Kansas. He 
 married Anna McConnell, of Manhattan, Kan- 
 sas, and they have three children, Louis, Ella and 
 
 Fred. The sister of our subject, Ella M., is the 
 wife of Flenry Andrews, a leading attorney of 
 Columbia county, Wisconsin, located at Lodi, 
 and they have one child, Ella Grace. 
 
 After completing the high school course at 
 Lodi, Mr. Blachly, of this review, began the 
 study of medicine, but was compelled to give it 
 up on account of failing health. For one year 
 he then conducted a drug store at Baraboo, Wis- 
 consin, after which he engaged in the same busi- 
 ness at Niles, Ohio. Selling out there, he went 
 south, locating at Federal Point, Florida, where 
 he was in the orange business for twelve years, 
 and met with good success. Returning north in 
 April, 1889, for six months he engaged as a 
 commercial traveler, and in November of the 
 same year connected himself with the Spring 
 Valley Coal Company as manager of their store, 
 which position he acceptably filled until Novem- 
 ber, 1894. He then established his present store, 
 carrying a full assortment of general merchan- 
 dise, and during the past year did a large and 
 successful business. 
 
 On the 29th of May, 1878, Mr. Blachly was 
 united in marriage with Miss Margaret Dalzell, 
 a daughter of Rev. William and Elizabeth Dal- 
 zell, of Ohio, and their union has been blessed 
 by the birth of three children, Madeleine St. 
 Claire, Marguerite Dalzell and Louis Seely, who 
 are the pride and joy of the household. 
 
 Mrs. Blachly is a lady of refined tastes and 
 scholarly attainments, a worthy helpmeet for her 
 husband. They are both active members of the 
 Congregational church, of which our subject is 
 deacon and was for three years superintendent 
 of the Sunday school. He is honorable to the 
 highest degree, and in enterprise, business capa- 
 city and fair dealing ranks second to none. He 
 is one of the leading men of Spring Valley and 
 is numbered among that substantial class of citi- 
 zens who always give character to a community. 
 Socially, he is a Mason, belonging to the Blue 
 lodge of that place. While a resident of Federal 
 Point, Florida, he was elected alderman and was 
 serving as mayor of that city when he returned 
 north. 
 
66 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mr. Blachly was managei" of the company's 
 store at the time of the great labor riots in 1894, 
 and endeavored to save it from being" looted by 
 the employes of the coal company. While the 
 miners were all friendly disposed toward him, 
 their hatred of the company was intense and, be- 
 lieving they had been wronged, concluded to 
 wreck the store. Mr. Blachly was the last one 
 to leave when the mob broke in. When the mob 
 was disposed to destroy the dwelling of Mr. 
 Dalzell, the superintendent of the mines, Mr. 
 Blachly was one of twelve men that stood 
 guard over the premises. 
 
 MAJOR ATHERTON CLARK. Few men 
 are more prominent or are more widely 
 known in Bureau county than the gentleman 
 whose name introduces this sketch. He has 
 been an important factor in public afifairs, now 
 serving as sheriff, and his popularity is well de- 
 served, as he has always labored for the inter- 
 ests of the community, and was one of the de- 
 fenders of the Union in the dark hour of his 
 country's peril. 
 
 A native of Bureau county, the Major was 
 born September 22, 1839, and is a son of Alfred 
 F. and Hamet (Doolittle) Clark, natives of Mas- 
 sachusetts and New York respectively. By 
 occupation the father was a farmer, and he 
 was numbered among the pioneer settlers of the 
 county, locating here in 1836. He was a well 
 known and highly respected citizen, and was 
 called upon to fill various township offices. He 
 first purchased land in Dover township, which 
 he later sold and bought a tract sovitheast of 
 Princeton, where he died in 1871, at the age of 
 fifty-five years, and his wife passed away in 1848, 
 at the age of thirty-two years. Our subject is 
 the oldest in their family of five children, three 
 of whom are still living, his sisters being Clar- 
 inda, wife of Frank Paine, of Iowa, and Harriet, 
 wife of Lemuel Paine, of Streator, IlHnois. The 
 parents both held membership in the Presbyter- 
 ian church. 
 
 In the common schools of his native county 
 Major Clark acquired his education, and was 
 
 reared to habits of industry on the home farm. 
 On the nth of September, 1861, he joined Com- 
 pany K, Ninth Illinois Cavalry, as a private, and 
 the regiment became a member of the army of 
 the southwest. At Helena, Arkansas, on the 
 expiration of eight months, he was commissioned 
 second lieutenant. Shortly after the battle of 
 Pea Ridge the regiment joined Curtis' army, 
 and participated in the engagements at Cotton- 
 plant, Waddell farm, and Village Creek, Arkan- 
 sas. In the fall of 1862 they were stationed at 
 ?vfemphis, guarding the railroads and making 
 raids into Mississippi, Arkansas and other states. 
 When Hood started northward they were placed 
 in front of him to obstruct his passage, and for 
 sixty-three days were fighting nearly all the 
 time. They fell back to Franklin, where they 
 engaged in the memorable battle at that place 
 and were later in the battle of Nashville. 
 
 The regiment was armed as well as any and 
 did duty both as cavalry and infantry. When 
 on the skirmish line at Tupelo, Mississippi, our 
 subject had a horse instantly killed under him, 
 and he was wounded in the right ankle by the 
 same ball. The shot did not injure him par- 
 ticularly, as the horse falling, fell upon the 
 wounded ankle. For a time he was unable for 
 active service, but remained with the command, 
 going around on ci'utches. He has never fully 
 recovered from the injury, which bothers him to 
 this day. At the battle of Tupelo only himself 
 and bugler were mounted, while the others de- 
 ployed as skirmishers. In 1864 he was promoted 
 to the rank of first lieutenant and a few days 
 later to captain, owing to the officers being taken 
 to supply the demand of the field. In ^larch, 
 1865, he was made major, which position he 
 held until mustered out on the 19th of November, 
 1864, after having faithfully seiwed for over four 
 years. After the surrender of Lee he was sta- 
 tioned at Tuscumbia, Alabama, where at one 
 time he issued thirty thousand rations to the 
 rebels, who were on the point of starvation. 
 
 Returning home with an honorable war rec- 
 ord. Major Clark once more resumed his farm- 
 ing operations in Arispie township, where he 
 
Athektox Clark. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 69 
 
 remained until the fall of 1868, when he was 
 elected sheriff of Bureau county, which position 
 he filled for two years, and then again took up 
 agricultural pursuits. Subsequently, however, 
 he capably served as city marshal of Princeton 
 for twelve years, and at the same time ■was deputy 
 sherifif. He was also a member of the school 
 board for nine years, and had much to do with 
 shaping the educational matters of the city. In 
 1894 the major was again elected sherifif, and 
 in that capacity had much to do toward quel- 
 ling the riots at Spring Valley in 1895, taking- 
 many of the culprits to the penitentiary after 
 their conviction in August of that year. His 
 office, which is one of responsibility and trust, 
 he has most efficiently filled, discharging his 
 duties with a promptness and fidelity that have 
 won him high commendation. 
 
 On the 13th of December, 1865, Major Clark 
 was united in marriage with Miss Jerusha B. 
 Whitmarsh, who was born at Cold Springs, New 
 York, July 3, 1840, and is a daughter of Alva 
 and N. Matilda (Clark) Whitmarsh, the former 
 a native of Massachusetts, and the latter of New 
 York. With her parents she came to Illinois 
 in 1841. 
 
 Five children have been born to our subject 
 and his wife, as follows: Hubeil A., assistant 
 cashier of the First National bank, of Princeton, 
 married Fannie Clark, of Bureau county, and 
 they have one child, Eunice; Lora H., gradu- 
 ated at the Princeton high school in the class 
 of 1889, and for six years has been one of the 
 able instructors in the public schools of that 
 city. She has much musical talent, and has given 
 much attention to the study of music, at present 
 being a student in the conservatory of music at 
 Oberlin, Ohio, taking a special course; Herma 
 N. is also attending college at Oberlin, ajid she, 
 too, has been one of the successful teachers of 
 Princeton for five years, giving the utmost sat- 
 isfaction; Alice Emily, a junior in the Princeton 
 high school; Ellen, who died at the age of nine- 
 teen months. The mother and children are all 
 earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church. 
 
 Socially, the Major affiliates with the Masonic 
 fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter 
 and commandery, of Princeton, and also with the 
 Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the 
 Republic. He has been an ardent republican 
 since casting his first presidential vote for Abra- 
 ham Lincoln. In all the relations of life, whether 
 public or private, he has been faithful to every 
 trust reposed in him, and is as true to his duties 
 of citizenship in days of peace as when following 
 the old flag to victory on southern battle fields. 
 
 MM. BOON, residing on section 22, Rich- 
 . land township, is a type of that class of 
 men born to a life of toil, and whatever their sur- 
 roundings, have a fixed determination to make 
 the best of them. He is a native of Sullivan coun- 
 ty, Indiana, born December 16, 1819. His father, 
 George Boon, was a native of Kentucky, born 
 in 1783. He married Elizabeth McCammon, also 
 a native of Kentucky, born in 1790. Their wed- 
 ding was celebrated in their native state, and 
 shortly afterward, in 181 5, they located in Sulli- 
 van county, Indiana, where the remainder of their 
 lives were spent and where they reared a family 
 of eleven children, only two of whom are now liv- 
 ing — our subject and Mrs. Martha Clark. George 
 Boon figured largely in politics in his native state. 
 He was a stanch democrat, and served as a rep- 
 resentative and senator thirteen years. 
 
 Mr. Boon, of this review, grew to manhood on 
 his father's farm in Sullivan county, Indiana, and 
 was reared to the life of a farmer, which occupa- 
 tion he has always followed. In that early day 
 the free school system had not been established, 
 and as the country was new and thinly settled 
 with a class of people with very limited means, 
 the only recourse for an education was in the 
 subscription schools, taught by some wandering 
 pedagogue, who knew but little of books and less 
 of human nature. In such schools, in the old- 
 fashioned log school house, with its puncheon 
 floor and slab seats, the rudiments of an educa- 
 tion were received by our subject. What little 
 opportunity he had he improved as best he could, 
 early showing an earnest purpose. 
 
70 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 But it was work, hard work, that developed in 
 him the man. 
 
 Until reaching maturity, Mr. Boon remained 
 with his parents, assisting in the work of the 
 farm. He then started in Hfe for himself, going 
 out from home empty-handed, but with a brave 
 heart and an earnest desire to succeed in life, 
 making for himself a home somehow and some- 
 where, which he might invite another to enjoy 
 with him. The time soon came when he deter- 
 mined to share his lot with another, and so, on 
 the 22d of October, 1846, he married Miss Eliza- 
 beth Carithers, whose birth occurred in Sullivan 
 county, Indiana, April 25, 1825. By this union 
 five children were born, all sons, of whom three 
 are now living: Alexander, who resides in Ne- 
 braska; William P., living in Eureka Illinois, and 
 Benjamin F., of Woodford county, this state. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Boon rented a farm 
 in his native county, which he operated one sea- 
 son, and then came by wagon to Marshall coun- 
 ty, which has since been his home. For thirteen 
 years he rented land and had no permanent 
 home. In the fall of i860, however, he purchased 
 his present farm, which at that time was all 
 covered with a heavy growth of timber. Com- 
 mencing at once its improvement, he has cleared 
 more than half of the land, and has one of the 
 most productive farms in this section. 
 
 After a happy married life of sixteen years, 
 Mrs. Boon was called to her long home, dying 
 in 1862. Mr. Boon again married, taking as a 
 wife Mrs. Sarah E. Beckwith, nee Burgess, a na- 
 tive of Massachusetts, and daughter of Cornelius 
 and Dorothy (Lord) Burgess, both of whom were 
 also natives of Massachusetts. Her parents 
 moved to Marshall county in 1859, locating in 
 Evans township, where they both died. In their 
 family were eight children, of whom four are 
 now living: Mrs. Boon, Otis, Nancy Packen- 
 ham and Louisa Burbey. Mrs. Boon was bom 
 February 22, 1835. She first married John W. 
 Beckwith, and moved to Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois, in 1858. When the war for the Union broke 
 out he enlisted and died in the service in 1862. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Boon and Mrs. Beckwith 
 
 was celebrated February 25, 1864, and to them 
 four children have been born: Abby C, now 
 Mrs. Adams, of Peoria, Illinois; Darling B., who 
 married Addie Whittle and resides in Belle Plain 
 township; Myra A., now Mrs. Gerhart, of Gross- 
 dale, Illinois, and Telva, at home. 
 
 To each of his children Mr. Boon has given a 
 good education, as he has often felt the need of 
 such in his own life. In politics he is classed as 
 a democrat, but is not a partisan. He cares noth- 
 ing for official position but has served his town- 
 ship as road commissioner and school director 
 in a satisfactory manner. He built the Harper 
 bridge across Crow creek, but his life has been 
 mainly devoted to agricultural pursuits. Mrs. 
 Boon is a member of the Christian church at 
 Washburn, and is a woman worthy to be the 
 wife of the genial, generous and manly man — M. 
 M. Boon. 
 
 JOHN F. TAYLOR, M. D., physician and 
 surgeon of Buda, Illinois, is a gentleman ■ 
 of ability, professional knowledge and skill, 
 standing very high in his profession. He was 
 born on the 14th of April, 1874, on a farm near 
 Bloomington, Grant county, Wisconsin, and is 
 the fourth in order of birth in the family of five 
 children of David and Rebecca Taylor. Until 
 twelve years of age he remained upon. the farm, 
 but at that time accompanied his parents on 
 their removal to the city of Bloomington, Wis- 
 consin, where he attended the high school, grad- 
 uating with the class of 1890. In 1891 he en- 
 tered Rush Medical College of Chicago, where 
 he was graduated in 1895. He obtained an ex- 
 cellent practical knowledge by three months of 
 surgery work and study at Fort Sheridan, three 
 months in the Cook County Hospital and two 
 months in the Presb^'terian Hospital of Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 On the 9th of July, 1895, Dr. Taylor located 
 at Buda, and at once began his practice, which 
 has steadily increased from the beginning. He 
 is talented and skillful to a marked degree, and 
 as he is a young man of correct habits, an hon- 
 orable career Hes before him in his chosen call- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 7i 
 
 ing. However, he has ah^eady attained an en- 
 viable position in the ranks of his professional 
 brethren. The doctor was reared a democrat, 
 but has become a stanch supporter of the prin- 
 ciples of the republican party, and socially holds 
 membership in Buda lodge, No. 339, F. & A. M. 
 
 HIRAINI C. WRIGHT, a pioneer of Marshall 
 and Putnam counties, Illinois, is now liv- 
 ing a retired life in Henry, where his familiar 
 figure, white hair and beard are known by every 
 man, woman and child for miles around. He is 
 a native of Canada, born at Morris Hollow, 
 about fourteen miles north of Toronto, May 4, 
 1819, and is a son of William and Sophia (Cleve- 
 land) Wright, both of whom were natives of 
 New York, from which state they emigrated to 
 Canada and were there married. When Hiram 
 was but eight years of age they determined to 
 emigrate to Illinois, and, with their familv of 
 three children, located in Tazewell county. Wil- 
 liam Wright was a tanner and currier by trade, 
 and followed that occupation in his native state 
 and in Canada, but on coming to Illinois en- 
 gaged in farming. He remained in Tazewell 
 county but one year and then removed to Peoria 
 county, three miles west of the present village 
 of Chillicothe, locating on La Salle prairie, which 
 was his permanent home during the remainder 
 of his life. He died at the age of fifty-six years. 
 He was a man of limited means and made the 
 journey by team from Canada, accompanied by 
 the family of his wife's father, who also located 
 near him in Peoria county. His wife survived 
 him some years, dying when about seventy years 
 old. Of their four children, two are now living, 
 our subject and his sister, Harriet, who also re- 
 sides in Henry. One daughter died in Indiana, 
 while en route to Illinois. One son, William, 
 grew to manhood in Peoria county, where he en- 
 gaged in farming, but has since died. 
 
 The subject of this sketch remained under the 
 parental roof until nineteen years of age, and, in 
 common with all farmer boys, attended school 
 during the winter months and assisted in farm 
 work other seasons of the year. The lead mines 
 
 in the vicinity of Galena, and which extended 
 across the line into Wisconsin, in early days af- 
 forded about the only place where employment 
 could be secured and wages paid in cash. Thou- 
 sands of men in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri from 
 1832 until well in the 40's annually made pil- 
 grimages to the mines that they might secure 
 money for taxes and for such things as could 
 not be had by barter. Young Hiram, at the age 
 mentioned, thought it was time for him to handle 
 a little of the "filthy lucre" there to be had by 
 those industriously inclined, and so went to Min- 
 eral Point, Wisconsin, and for several years en- 
 gaged in mining and in farm work. Returning 
 to Illinois, he made a claim on Senachwine lake, 
 in Putnam county, about six miles west of Hen- 
 nepin. This claim consisted of three hundred 
 acres of good land, on which he removed in 1844, 
 and at once commenced its improvement. His 
 capital being limited he could not at once im- 
 prove the entire claim, but did so as rapidly as 
 his means would permit. 
 
 The management of a farm, without the aid 
 of a "gude wife" has ever been found to be diffi- 
 cult work, and our subject realized this in due 
 time; accordingly we find that on the 27th of 
 October, 1847, ^^c was united in marriage with 
 Miss Sophia Hunter, a native of Cortland coun- 
 ty. New York, born October 25, 1828, and a 
 daughter of Andrew and Huldah Hunter. Soon 
 after this event occurred he removed to Boyd's 
 Grove, Bureau county, near the home of his 
 wife's father, where he purchased an improved 
 farm of one hundred and sixty acres and there 
 remained six years. He then returned to his 
 original farm on the Senachwine, and actively 
 engaged in general farming until his removal 
 to Heni-y, shortly before the commencement of 
 the civil war. For some years after his removal 
 to the village he retained possession of the farm, 
 but finally sold. He yet, however, still owns the 
 Boyd Grove farm, which he leases. In addition 
 to his farming interests he has made some in- 
 vestments in the west, but at present has only 
 such interests as will prevent his rusting out. 
 
 After a happy married life of forty-six years. 
 
72 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mrs. Wright departed this life February 23, 1893. 
 She was a quiet, unassuming woman, caring but 
 Httle for the vanities of this world. For some 
 years she was a member of the Christian church, 
 but on removal to Henry she united with the 
 Presbyterian body, there being no church of 
 her choice in the village. Two daughters came 
 to bless their union, one dying in childhood. The 
 other, Clarissa, is now the wife of Dr. F. A. 
 Powell, a druggist of Henry. They also adopted 
 a boy, Walter Smith, who died after being an 
 inmate of their home for three years and a half. 
 On the 25th of June, 1894, Mr. Wright mar- 
 ried Miss Ruth McKinney, of Henry, a native 
 of Putnam county, lUinois. Her father, Joel Mc- 
 Kinney, was a native of Indiana, and there mar- 
 ried Miss Emeline Jackson, a native, of Oxford 
 county, Maine, who removed with her parents 
 to Indiana when but fifteen years of age. From 
 Warsaw, Dearborn county, Indiana, Joel, Mc- 
 Kinney moved to Putnam county, Illinois, in 
 1842. He died in Tennessee in 1880, and his 
 widow now makes her home with Mrs. Wright, 
 who is her only child, now living in Marshall 
 county. Of her five children, three sons and two 
 daughters, all are scattered, living in various 
 places, from Illinois to Oregon. For some years 
 prior to her marriage, Mrs. Wright was an active 
 business woman in Henry, and is well known 
 and universally esteemed. She is a devoted mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. 
 Wright is not a member of any church, but usual- 
 ly attends and contributes to the Presbyterian 
 church. In politics he is a thorough, out and out 
 republican. 
 
 ARTHUR BRYANT, an energetic and wide- 
 awake business man of Princeton township, 
 is the senior member of the firm of Arthur Bry- 
 ant & Son, proprietors of the best nursery in this 
 portion of the state, which was established in 
 1845, ^nd is now the only business of the kind 
 to be found in Bureau county. It is pleasantly 
 situated only a quarter of a mile south of the 
 city limits of Princeton and comprises one hun- 
 dred acres, which are devoted to general nur- 
 
 sery stock, including fruits, shrubs, ornamental 
 trees, etc., while about thirty men are employed 
 on the road as traveling salesmen. They are 
 the introducers of the Salome apple, which they 
 make a specialty. Upon the place are fine build- 
 ings and offices, and its entire appearance indi- 
 cates the owners to be men of progressive meth- 
 ods and industrious habits. 
 
 The father of our subject, who also bore the 
 name of Arthur Bryant, was born at Cumming- 
 ton, Massachusetts, November 8, 1803, a son of 
 Dr. Peter Bryant, also of the same state, and a 
 brother of the celebrated poet, William Cullen 
 Bryant. In Hampshire county, Massachusetts, 
 the father was reared, receiving his early educa- 
 tion in the common schools of the locality, but 
 was later a student in Williams College. He was 
 admitted as a cadet to the West Point Military 
 Academy, but at the end of a year was obliged 
 to discontinue his studies there on account of in- 
 flammatory rheumatism, from which he suffered. 
 For a time he engaged in teaching at Round 
 Hill, near Boston, and was later with William 
 Cullen Bryant in New York. 
 
 In 1830 Arthur Bryant, Sr., came to Jackson- 
 ville, Illinois, but the following year returned to 
 New England, where he married Miss Henrietta 
 R. Plummer, a native of Berkshire county, Mas- 
 sachusetts, and a daughter of Edward Plummer. 
 Going again to Jacksonville, Illinois, he there 
 engaged in farming until 1833, when he came to 
 Bureau county, and took up a claim on section 
 29, Princeton township, being the first to lo- 
 cate there. Here he made a permanent home, 
 his first house being a log cabin, and at once 
 began clearing his land, which was partially cov- 
 ered with timber. He soon had it transformed 
 into a highly cultivated tract, and was one of 
 the first in this section to engage in the nursery 
 business. In early life he supported the democ- 
 racy, but on its organization joined the republic- 
 an party, supporting its principles with all the 
 force of his convictions. His wife was a faithful 
 member of the Presbyterian church. His death 
 occurred in 1882, and she was called to her final 
 rest in 1894. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 73 
 
 In their family are seven children, our sub- 
 ject is the oldest. Julian E., the second in 
 order of birth, was commissioned lieutenant of 
 Company E, Thirty-third Illinois Volunteer In- 
 fantry, and after serving his full three years' 
 term re-enlisted and was appointed colonel of a 
 colored regiment. While bathing on a hot day 
 in the Gulf of Mexico he was drowned. Ellen 
 
 B. is now the wife of Clement Freeman, of 
 Princeton. Henrietta P. is deceased. Joseph P. 
 is also a resident of Princeton. Lester R. lives 
 on the old home farm. Addie R., deceased, was 
 the wife of Marshall Nye. 
 
 The birth of Arthur Bryant, Jr., occurred Oc- 
 tober 15, 1834, on the old homestead in Prince- 
 ton township, where he was reared, and near 
 which he obtained his education in the public 
 schools. Later he was a student under the in- 
 struction of Rev. A. B. Church and James Smith 
 at Princeton. He remained at home until his 
 marriage, which was celebrated in 1864, Miss 
 Elizabeth Hughes becoming his wife. She is a 
 native of Virginia, but was reared in Ohio and 
 in 1855 was brovtght from that state to Bureau 
 county, Illinois, by her father, George Hughes. 
 Eight children bless the union of our subject 
 and his wife, namely: Lucy B., Harry G., Guy 
 A., Henrietta, Cassandra H., Lester P., Ralph 
 
 C. and Edith W. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Bryant located upon his present 
 place, where he has made all the improvements 
 and where he has a tract of one hundred and sixty 
 acres, most of which is devoted to the nursery. 
 He also has seventy acres, which he now rents. 
 Pie takes an active interest in everything per- 
 taining to his work, keeping well informed on 
 all advancements made along that line, and holds 
 a prominent and leading place among the nur- 
 serymen of the state. For years he has served 
 as treasurer of the State Horticultural society, 
 and has also been president and vice-president 
 of the same, as well as a member of its executive 
 board. He has been president and vice-presi- 
 dent of the Northern Horticultural society and 
 one of the three members of the horticultural 
 society exhibit at the World's Fair in Chicago 
 
 in 1893. He has contributed many articles to 
 newspapers and journals on horticultural sub- 
 jects, and his father was the author of a work 
 of two hundred and fifty pages on forestry, which 
 was published in 1871, and was entitled "Forest 
 Trees for Shelter, Ornament and Profit." Politi- 
 cally, our subject votes the republican ticket, and 
 has filled the offices of supervisor of his town- 
 ship and member of the school board, taking a 
 deep and commendable interest in all education- 
 al affairs. His wife is an earnest member of the 
 Presbyterian church, and both are well known 
 and highly respected citizens of the community. 
 
 ANSON SMITH, a representative farmer of 
 Bureau county, is finely located on section 
 12, Ohio township, where he is maintaining his 
 place among the progressive and intelligent men 
 around him, engaging in farming. Fie was born 
 in Germany in 1852, of which country his par- 
 ents, John L. and Barbara (Heiman) Smith, were 
 also natives. In the year of his birth he was 
 brought by them to America, and on landing 
 came to Bureau county and took up their resi- 
 dence in Lamoille township, where the father en- 
 gaged in farming throughout the remainder of 
 his life. He was a quiet, unassuming citizen, who 
 devoted his life to his own affairs. His death 
 occurred in 1886. The mother of our subject is 
 still living at the ripe old age of seventy-one 
 years and enjoys fair health. 
 
 Anson Smith had very limited advantages for 
 securing an education on account of the inferior 
 grade of schools and his parents being poor. 
 Until thirty-two years of age he remained at 
 home assisting in the labors of the fann, and 
 was then married and embarked in farming on 
 his own account. In 1885 he removed to his 
 present home in Ohio township, where he owns 
 eighty acres of fine land under a high state of 
 cultivation. By perseverance, economy and in- 
 dustry he has forged his way to the front, and 
 has secured a comfortable home and valuable 
 farm. He is engaged in general farming, but 
 makes a specialty of corn and oats. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Smith was united in marriage 
 
74 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 with Miss Emma Brasch, a daughter of Fred 
 Brasch, who was born in Germany, and is now 
 hving in Nebraska. Seven children have been 
 born of this vtnion, one of whom is now de- 
 ceased. Those hving- are John L., Daisy M., 
 Rosa, Benjamin, Grover and Golda. The par- 
 ents are both communicants of the Lutheran 
 church and are highly respected and honored 
 members of society. 
 
 Mr. Smith is a warm advocate of democratic 
 principles, but has never aspired to official dis- 
 tinction, although he is now serving as school 
 director. He is a kind husband, a fond and in- 
 dulging parent, an obliging neighbor and excel- 
 lent citizen. He, therefore, has the high regard 
 of all who know him. 
 
 JOHN H. OLDS, a leading business man and 
 prominent hardware merchant of Wyanet, is 
 a native of Bureau county, born at Princeton, 
 May 21, 1847. His father, Justin H. Olds, was 
 born in Massachusetts September 6, 1806, and 
 was there reared, becoming a resident of Bureau 
 county, Illinois, in 1834. He was here married 
 on the 15th of June, 1837, the lady of his choice 
 being Miss Louisa C. Bryant, daughter of Peter 
 Bryant, and their marriage was the first per- 
 formed after the organization of the county, 
 her brother, John H. Bryant, officiating. They 
 located at Lamoille, where they remained for 
 two years and then removed to Princeton, where 
 the father engaged in the mercantile business 
 .and was also editor of the Evening Post, a coun- 
 ty paper. He was one of the prominent early 
 settlers and served in several official positions, 
 among which was that of circuit clerk. A strong 
 abolitionist, he took an active part in conduct- 
 ing the underground railroad, while religiously 
 he was a sincere and faithful member of the 
 Congregational church. Pie died at the ripe old 
 age of seventy-two years, and his wife was sixty- 
 two years when called from this life. In their 
 family were five children, two sons and three 
 daughters, all born at Princeton: Sarah S., now 
 Mrs. Newell Mathews, of Los Angeles, Califor- 
 nia; Julia L., who married James Bartman, of 
 
 Baltimore, Maryland, now deceased; Bryant O., 
 deceased, our subject; Lucy W., also deceased. 
 
 Our subject was the fourth in order of birth, 
 and remained a resident of Princeton until fif- 
 teen years of age, when he accompanied the fam- 
 ily to Peoria, the father having been appointed 
 United States inspector of distilleries there, 
 which position he held for seventeen years. At 
 the age of eighteen John H. graduated at the 
 public schools of Peoria, after which he took a 
 business course at Bryant & Stratton Commer- 
 cial College, of that city. It was in 1867 that he 
 came to Wyanet, and for ten years engaged in 
 farming on section 33. He then removed to the 
 village, where he has since carried on the hard- 
 ware business with good success, and it is one 
 of the oldest established concerns of the place. 
 
 On the isth of April, 1870, Mr. Olds led to 
 the marriage altar Miss Annabel Cremmel, a 
 native of Pennsylvania, who came to Bureau 
 county with her father, Samuel Cremmel, when 
 a child, in 1856. Eight children grace this union, 
 Bryant, who married Anna Smith, daughter of 
 William Smith; Howard, Edna, wife of Elmer 
 Sapp, of the bank of Wyanet; Blanche, Guy M., 
 Lucy W., John C, and Myra D. 
 
 Mr. Olds has been called upon to fill several 
 positions of honor and trust in the county, the 
 duties of which he has always discharged in a 
 prompt and able manner, serving as collector 
 and treasurer of his township. In 1896 he was 
 elected to the office of supervisor, which position 
 he is now filling. In politics IMr. Olds is a demo- 
 crat. Socially he affiliates with the Masonic fra- 
 ternity, Wyanet lodge. No. 231, F. & A. M.; 
 Belmont camp. No. 25, M. W. A., and the 
 Knights of Pythias lodge, No. 429, all of Wy- 
 anet. He is a valued and influential citizen of 
 the community and one who is held in the high- 
 est regard by all. 
 
 JOHN H. MILLER. To the enterprising 
 business man of known reliability every com- 
 munity is indebted for its progress and upbuild- 
 ing, and to this class belongs the subject of this 
 review, a member of the well-known lumber firm 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 75 
 
 of H. J. Miller & Son, of Spring Valley. Their 
 yards are the largest to be found in Bureau coun- 
 ty, and they have ever done an extensive business, 
 especially during the years 1886 and 1887. Busi- 
 ness was begim under the firm name of H. J. 
 Miller, Son & Duggan, which connection was 
 continued until 1893, and the firm has since been 
 H. J. Aliller & Son. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Bureau county, born 
 in Hall township, November 27, 1856, and is a 
 son of H. J. and .Mary A. J. R. (WilHams) Mil- 
 ler, whose sketch is found elsewhere in this work. 
 His grandfather, Henry Miller, was born in 
 N^orth Carolina, where his father died, and he 
 was taken by his mother, who bore the maiden 
 name of Elizabeth Detheridge, to Warren coun- 
 ty, Kentucky, where her death occurred. There 
 Henry Miller wedded Sally Hall, a daughter of 
 Edward Hall, on whose tomb is written "He was 
 a Revolutionary soldier." This sentence was sug- 
 gested by the father of our subject, and is an 
 inscription of which his descendants may justly 
 be proud, knowing that they belong to the Sons 
 and Daughters of the Revolution. The maternal 
 grandparents of our subject, Curtis and Mary 
 (Peter) Williams, were natives of Kentucky, 
 whence they removed to Indiana at an early day, 
 from there proceeding to Sangamon county, Illi- 
 nois, and then came to Bureau county, settling 
 in Arispie township. The grandfather was born 
 in Warren county, Kentucky, March 16, 1797, 
 and died September 3, 1858, while his wife was 
 born in Washington, Kentucky, March 15, 1804. 
 
 Mr. Miller, of this review, was educated in the 
 common schools, and later took a business course 
 at Adrian, Michigan, under Evans & Grosscup, 
 graduating from the college there in 1875. F^"' 
 a time he then engaged in farming and then 
 started in his present business at Spring- Valley. 
 However, he still gives some attention to agri- 
 cultural pursuits, annually raising about one hun- 
 dred and fifty acres of corn and from fifty to 
 seventy-five acres of smaller grain. 
 
 On the 25th of January, 1877, in Kansas, was 
 celebrated the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss 
 Mary E. Wilhite, a daughter of Hampton Wil- 
 
 hite, and a granddaughter of Isham Wilhite. Her 
 family were old residents of Bureau county, and 
 her mother, who in her maidenhood was Miss 
 Samantha Munson, was a native of the county. 
 The home of our subject and wife has been 
 blessed by the birth of the following children: 
 Henry J., Ethel, Royal, Melvin M., C. Firth and 
 Maggie. 
 
 In politics Mr. Miller is not bound by party 
 ties, but holds himself free to support the men 
 and measures he deems best. He cares nothing 
 for office, having only served as collector one 
 term. Socially he is connected with S. M. Dal- 
 zell Lodge, No. 805, F. & A. M., and religiously 
 is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 while his wife holds membership with the Con- 
 gregational church. He is a wide-awake, pro- 
 gressive citizen, highly respected and esteemed 
 by the entire community and looked up to as a 
 man truly upright and honorable in all things 
 and one whom they can depend upon as a friend. 
 
 LUTHER A. JONES, deceased, was a native 
 of New Hampshire, born at Hillsboro, No- 
 vember 15, 181 1. He grew to manhood in his 
 native state and received a Hmited education in 
 its select schools. In 1836 he was united in 
 marriage with Druzilla Calef, and, with his young 
 bride, came at once to Illinois, locating eventu- 
 ally on a farm in Cass county. He remained 
 there, however, but a short time, and then re- 
 moved to Iowa, where he followed farming a few 
 years, and then again returned to Cass county, 
 where he resumed his farming operations. Later 
 he removed to Beardstown, on the Illinois river, 
 where he ran a steam ferry for a number of years 
 and where his wife died in 1869, leaving four 
 children, Sarah E., now wife of Frank W. Tracy, 
 president of the First National Bank of Spring- 
 field, Illinois; Ann Eliza, wife of Louis Weaver, 
 now of Virginia; Emma F., a teacher in the 
 Springfield high school, and Louis Arthur, a 
 farmer of Bluff Spring, Illinois. 
 
 After the death of his first wife, Mr. Jones 
 left Beardstown and removed to Henry, where 
 he spent the remainder of his life. In November 
 
76 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1872, he naarried Mrs. Eleanor W. White, widow 
 of John Bradshaw White, of Henry. Mr. White 
 was born in Washington, Vermont, February 14, 
 1 814, and December 30, 1841, there married Miss 
 Eleanor W. Calef, who was a cousin of Mrs. 
 Druzilla Jones, their fathers being brothers. They 
 came to Illinois shortly after their marriage and 
 located on a farm in Whitefield township, seven 
 miles from Henry. They started from their Ver- 
 mont home in sleighs, but on arriving at Roches- 
 ter, New York, exchanged their runners for 
 wheels and continued on their journey. Mr. 
 White had made a visit tO' this locality some five 
 years previously and had selected the land which 
 he afterward purchased. He secured what he 
 thought was government land, but it was found 
 that there was a flaw in the title, and others made 
 claim to the same tract. The case was placed 
 in the hands of attorneys and stubbornly fought 
 by claimants and contestants, but not settled un- 
 til after the death of Mr. White, when it was de- 
 cided in favor of a claimant, the widow and her 
 children thus losing all that had been invested 
 and the result of years of toil. Realizing the un- 
 certainty of his title, however, Mr. White pur- 
 chased another farm, on which the family moved. 
 This farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty 
 acres, he commenced to improve, but in 1852 he 
 rented the place and moved to Henry, where he 
 engaged in the lumber trade, which business he 
 continued until his death, October 30, 1852. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. White were born three children: 
 Ellen Maria, now the wife of Ransom E. Greg- 
 ory, residing at Pierce, South Dakota; John Bur- 
 ritt, who graduated at Knox College in 1867, 
 and died February 11, 1868, at the age of twen- 
 t\'-one years, and Asa Orville, a farmer residing 
 near Milford, Iroquois county, Illinois. 
 
 After the death of her husband, Mrs. White 
 returned to the farm, and witli the assistance of 
 her children continued to operate it until her 
 marriage with Mr. Jones, when they located in 
 Henry. She has since disposed of it and is now 
 living in a pleasant home in the village, where 
 she enjoys the respect and loving good will of 
 the entire community. She is a consistent and de- 
 
 voted member of the New Jerusalem or Sweden- 
 borgian church at Henry, and well-grounded in 
 the faith. Mr. Jones died January 25, 1893, in 
 his eighty-second year. He was a man well 
 liked in the community in which he resided and 
 his death was mourned by a large circle of friends 
 throughout Marshall and adjoining counties and 
 also in his old home in Cass county. 
 
 HON. SAMUEL L. RICHMOND, deceased, 
 was for many years one of the best known 
 and most highly respected citizens of Marshall 
 county, a man whose standing at the bar was 
 second to none in the state. He was a native of 
 A^ermont, born in 1824, and removed in youth 
 to Ohio, where he grew to manhood, received his 
 literary education, and married Miss Susan Hunt, 
 by whom he reared a family of five children, all 
 of whom yet survive. Warner L., the eldest son, 
 is now engaged in farming near Topeka, Kan- 
 sas. Lizzie R. now resides in Peoria, and is a 
 woman of remarkable business tact and ability, 
 being the second lady in the state to receive the 
 appointment of notary public, for. fifteen years 
 engaged in the fire insurance business in Peoria, 
 and at present is employed in the internal rev- 
 enue office in that city. Belle V. is now the 
 wife of Henry A. Goodwin, a mechanic of Peoria. 
 Samuel L., also residing in Peoria, as special 
 agent for the German Fire Insurance Company. 
 Elijah D., the present county judge of Marshall, 
 a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. 
 Our subject early in life determined to make 
 the legal profession his life work, and for that 
 purpose went to Louisville, Kentucky, studied 
 law, and was there admitted to the bar. After 
 his admission to the bar he returned to B'urton, 
 Ohio. He was married in 1848 and in 1849 came 
 to Illinois, locating at Princeton, Bureau county, 
 where he remained one year, and then came to 
 Lacon, where he continued to reside until his 
 death in 1873, with the exception of one year 
 spent in St. Paul, Minnesota, and one year in 
 Galena, Illinois. In 1858 he became associated 
 with Hon. John Burns, who later succeeded him 
 as circuit judge. The partnership thus formed 
 
S. L. Richmond. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 79 
 
 continued until jMr. Richmond was elected judge 
 of the twenty-third circuit in 1861. At that time 
 he was comparatively a young man, being but 
 thirty-seven years of age. He was, however, a 
 man well read in the law and of a judicial turn 
 of mind. For twelve years and until the date 
 of his death, he occupied the bench, and no man 
 occupying like position stood higher in the esti- 
 mation of his associates and the bar in general. 
 His views and judgments were usually held 
 as good law, and few cases were appealed from 
 his decision and a less number were reversed. 
 
 In his political views. Judge Richmond was a 
 thorough and consistent democrat, a firm be- 
 Hever in the principles of that party. A friend 
 of education, he served some years upon the 
 school board of Lacon, and did all in his power to 
 advance the interests of the public schools, often 
 delivering lectures on the public school qtiestion 
 in various parts of the state in response to invi- 
 tation. He was a close student of history and 
 a man of quick perception. His popularity was 
 not confined to the bar, but his friends were 
 numbered by the thousands in all the avocations 
 of life. He was suave in manner, open-hearted, 
 and at all times a friend of the poor. What he did 
 was always cheerfully done and no regrets would 
 ever afterward be expressed, if mistaken in judg- 
 ment, which was seldom the case. A man of the 
 people, he enjoyed the respect of the people, and 
 his death, which occurred in his forty-ninth year, 
 while yet in the prime of life, was a sad blow, 
 not only to his family and personal friends, but 
 to the general public as well. If death had not 
 so early claimed him, he doubtless would have 
 occupied a position on the supreme bench, his 
 name being frequently suggested for that posi- 
 tion. His widow now resides in Peoria. 
 
 J P. BURNHAM a keen, practical business 
 . man of Ohio, IHinois, is engaged in the 
 manufacture and sale of furniture, and also does 
 undertaking. He is a native of Bureau county, 
 born July 17, 1838, and is a son of Stephen Burn- 
 ham, whose birth occurred in New York, Sep- 
 tember 22, 1796. The father was one of the 
 5 
 
 honored and highly respected pioneers of Bu- 
 reau county, to which he came before the Black 
 Hawk war in 1832, locating first on the old John 
 Shugart place, where he made his home for sev- 
 eral years. Later he removed to Dover town- 
 ship. Bureau county, and spent his last days at 
 the home of our subject in Ohio township, where 
 his death occurred March 15, 1873. He was a 
 quiet, unassuming farmer, caring nothing for 
 political office, but was an excellent, honest and 
 valued citizen, such as give character to a com- 
 munity. He was reared in the faith of the Bap- 
 tist church, but later became a faithful member 
 of the Methodist Protestant church. 
 
 On the 5th of September, 1837, Stephen Burn- 
 ham was united in marriage with Hester Ann 
 Coulter, who was born March 13, ,1809, and 
 died March 3, 1876. She, too, was reared in 
 the Presbyterian church and later joined the 
 Methodist Protestant church. She was an ear- 
 nest, conscientious Christian, and an active 
 church worker. Our subject is the oldest of her 
 five children, the others being as follows: Wil- 
 liam H., a farmer of northern Iowa, married 
 Elizabeth James, who is a daughter of Hirani 
 James, but is now deceased. Sarah is the wife 
 of Joseph Havens, a farmer of Ohio township, 
 Bureau county. Mary E. is a professional nurse, 
 residing at Princeton. Jerusha M. is the wife 
 of J. M. Slutz, a farmer living near Princeton. 
 
 Until twenty-four years of age Mr. Burnham, 
 of this sketch, followed agricultural pursuits, but 
 on the I2th of August, 1862, laid aside personal 
 interest and enlisted in Company B, Ninety-third 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned 
 to the army of the southwest. Under General 
 Grant he participated in the siege of Vicksburg, 
 the battles of Champion Hill and Jackson, and 
 all through the campaign of 1863. He was pres- 
 ent at the evacuation of Vicksburg after a siege 
 of forty-five days, and on the 4th of July, 1863, 
 was one of the number that marched into that 
 city, which was a most joyous day for the boys 
 in blue. Subsequently, Mr. Burnham was placed 
 on detached duty and sent to Rock Island, Illi- 
 nois, to guard rebel prisoners, where he remained 
 
8o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 six months, after which he was on provost duty 
 at Quincy. Later he was ordered to Milwaukee, 
 at which place he was serving when the war end- 
 ed, and on the 12th of July, 1865, he was honor- 
 ably discharged, after almost three years of faith- 
 ful and arduous service. He was never wounded 
 nor taken prisoner, but was always found at his 
 post of duty, gallantly defending the old flag 
 and the cause it represented. 
 
 Since the war Mr. Burnham has follewed car- 
 pentering and joining and also been engaged as 
 a manufacturer and dealer in furniture and as an 
 undertaker. He located in the village of Ohio 
 in 1873, the year the railroad was completed to 
 that place, and has since been prominently iden- 
 tified with its business interests. He is also one 
 of its leading and influential citizens. 
 
 On the 20th of February, 1867, Mr. Burnham 
 was married to Miss Mary M. Martin, a daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Lucinda (Burnside) Martin, and 
 a granddaughter of Henry and Sarah Martin. 
 Five children were born of this union, the oldest 
 of whom died in infancy; Hattie B., a dressmaker 
 of Ohio, Illinois; Bessie B., a graduate of the 
 Ohio schools, who is now assisting her father in 
 the store; Ora M., who is attending school, and 
 Oscar W., who died April 29, 1880, at the age of 
 five mionths. 
 
 Henry Martin, the father of Mrs. Burnham, 
 was born February 10, 181 1, in Kentucky, and 
 on coming to Illinois located on a farm in Cham- 
 paign county, where the wife of our subject was 
 born August 19, 1844. Throughout his active 
 business life he followed the occupation of farm- 
 ing, but is now living retired at the home of his 
 daughter, Mrs. Sarah Belknapp, at Creston, Ne- 
 braska. His wife, who was a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church, died in 1855. In 
 their family were the following children: Eras- 
 mus W., who died many years ago; Bersalles, 
 who married Ann Carl and is living at Keokuk, 
 Iowa; Elizabeth, wife of John Elliott, a farmer 
 of Union county, Illinois; Sarah, wife of Wes. 
 Belknapp; Rachel, wife of Hamilton Corey, who 
 owns and operates eight hundred acres of land 
 in Ohio township; Maiy M., wife of our subject; 
 
 Joel, who died at the age of thirty-eight, leaving 
 a widow, now a resident of Iowa, and Harriet, 
 wife of Amos Kegwin, of Creston, Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Burnham, with their children, are 
 worthy members of the Methodist Protestant 
 church, of which he has been one of the trustees 
 for a number of years. Politically he affiliates 
 with the republican party, and although he does 
 not take an active part in public life, he con- 
 scientiously performs his duties as a good citizen. 
 He and his family are people of high considera- 
 tion in the social circles of the community and 
 have hosts of warm friends. 
 
 HON. SIMON ELLIOTT, who, for almost 
 half a century, has been prominently iden- 
 tified with the interests of Bureau county, was 
 bom on the loth of February, 1827, in Clermont 
 county, Ohio, and is a son of Simon and Maria 
 (Robinson) Elliott, natives -of Pennsylvania and 
 Ohio, respectively. Simon was the son of John 
 Elliott, who was bom in Ireland and came to 
 America in the early colonial days to look at the 
 country. He was pleased with it, and returned 
 to Ireland and brought over his family. He 
 was a man of means and brought with him valu- 
 able goods and considerable gold. The ship 
 (Stewart) was wrecked of? the Atlantic coast and 
 all were drowned but two sons. They were 
 robbed by the wreckers when the goods were 
 washed ashore. The father asked the sons if 
 they could get ashore with the gold, and they 
 replied that it would be all they could do to save 
 their lives. These sons were William and Simon. 
 William located near Steubenville, Ohio, and 
 Simon settled on Copperish Creek, Fulton coun- 
 ty, Illinois, where he died. The father, 
 who was born in 1788, was a miller and farmer 
 by occupation, owning a sawmill and distillery 
 in connection with relatives, and sending their 
 products down the rivers to New Orleans at 
 an early day. He was quite a popular gentle- 
 man, widely and favorably known, and a Mason 
 of high standing. He faithfully served his coun- 
 try through the entire war of 1812, for which 
 he received a land waiTant, that our sub- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ject located in Bureau county in 1852, securing 
 eighty acres, and was later captain of a militia 
 company. He died of a cancer in Ohio in 1854, 
 but his wife long survived him, dying in 1881. 
 Her birth occurred in 1799. They were both ear- 
 nest members of the New Light church. Our 
 subject is the fourth in order of birth in their 
 family of six children, four of whom are still 
 living. John and Samuel still reside upon the 
 old homestead in Ohio. Arthur died at Yellow 
 Springs, Ohio. James lives at Manson, Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Elliott of this review was educated at 
 Parker's Academy, Ohio, which institution fur- 
 nished the best opportunities to be had in those 
 early days for scholastic training. He is one 
 of the pioneers of Bureau county, Illinois, where 
 he entered land and removed in 1848, securing 
 one hundred and sixty acres, then in its primitive 
 condition. He now has a tract of two hundred 
 acres pleasantly situated on section 7, Dover' 
 township, and devotes his attention principally 
 to farming and shipping stock. He has raised 
 considerable stock, particularly cattle and hogs 
 in former years, but now has upon his place both 
 horses and mules, having about sixty head on 
 hand at the present writing. 
 
 On the 23d of April, 1856, Mr. Elliott led to 
 the altar Miss Sarah A. McCoy, of Woodford 
 county, a daughter of William McCoy, who was 
 a strong abolitionist, and took an active part in 
 conducting the underground railroad. Her par- 
 ents, who are now deceased, came from Ripley, 
 Ohio, to Illinois in the spring of 1848. Six chil- 
 dren were born to our subject and his wife, name- 
 ly: Edwin F., a railroad conductor on the Santa 
 Fe railroad, now residing at Nickerson, Kansas; 
 Alfred S., who was drowned at the age of eight 
 years while swimming in the pond on the home 
 farm ; Kate, wife of Harry A. Gibbs, a hardware 
 merchant of Princeton, by whom she has two 
 children, Fred and Cathryn; Lillie, wife of B. Y. 
 Benson, a hotel keeper of Tampa, Florida, by 
 whom she has a son, Edwin; Minnie, at home, 
 and Nora, who died of a cancer in the eyes at the 
 age of two and a half years. 
 
 Mr. Elliott has ever taken a prominent part in 
 
 public affairs, and has been called upon to fill 
 many offices in the township, county and state. 
 For several terms he acceptably served as super- 
 visor of his township, and on the democratic 
 ticket at one time he ran for the office of sherifif. 
 In 1878 he was elected on the greenback ticket 
 to the legislature, receiving the large majority 
 of three thousand one hundred and fifty-eight 
 votes, and was one of the ten greenbackers in 
 the legislature of 1879. He had the greatest 
 battle of his life over the stock yards bill, which 
 he piloted through the house, he being the au- 
 thor of the same. It was lost, but the papers 
 stated that it cost one hundred and fifty thou- 
 sand dollars to beat the bill. Their chief op- 
 ponent was Sol. Hopkins, of Chicago. The bill 
 was to regulate the price charged at the yards 
 for grains, corn being one dollar per bushel and 
 other things accordingly. Mr. Elliott was on 
 other important committees, but none so im- 
 portant as this, and he faithfully served the in- 
 terests of his constituents. For four years he has 
 been a member of the state board of agricul- 
 ture, and served as vice-president for the same 
 length of time from the seventh, now the eleventh 
 congressional district. In politics he is a free 
 silver democrat, not agreeing with the present 
 administration. As a representative man of the 
 county and old pioneer he stands well, occupy- 
 ing a high place in the estimation of all who 
 know him. Although he has almost reached 
 his three score years and ten, he is still active 
 and well preserved and takes a commendable 
 interest in public affairs. 
 
 PROFESSOR ANDREW J. MAGEE, prin- 
 cipal of the Buda public schools, is one of 
 the most competent and thorough instructors in 
 Bureau county. A native of Pennsylvania, he 
 was born October 24, 1856, near New German- 
 town, in Perry county, and is a son of James and 
 Matilda (Mumper) Magee. By trade the father 
 was a tanner. He died at Blaine, Pennsylvania, 
 in February, 1882. His widow is now living at 
 Topeka, Kansas. Our subject is the fifth in or- 
 der of birth in the family of eleven children, and 
 
82 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 at the early age of seven years he was hired out 
 to work on a farm, thus becoming self-support- 
 ing. During his boyhood and youth he also con- 
 tributed to the support of the family, and for the 
 success which he has achieved in life he deserves 
 much credit. 
 
 Mr. Magee had been able to attend the public 
 schools of his native county to some extent, and 
 at the age of seventeen years entered a select 
 school at Blaine, Perry county, attending the 
 same for one year. He then began teaching, 
 though he was not yet eighteen years of age, and 
 received twenty-three dollars per month, but 
 had to board himself. For four years he taught 
 through the winter, while in the summer he was 
 a student in the schools of Blaine. 
 
 On the expiration of that time. Professor Ma- 
 gee came west, locating first at Woodhull, Henry 
 county, Illinois, where he worked on a farm' for 
 one summer and then secured a country school 
 at forty dollars per month. For three years he 
 then had charge of district schools, but in the 
 meantime studied for one term at Hedding col- 
 lege, Abingdon, Knox county, Illinois. His first 
 town school was at Alpha, where he taught for 
 one year, and was then employed at New Wind- 
 sor, after which he returned to Alpha, remaining 
 there three years longer. For the following two 
 years he followed his profession at Port Byron, 
 Rock Island county, Illinois. On leaving that 
 place it was his intention to give up teaching,and 
 formed a partnership in the hardware business 
 at Woodhull, but at the end of a year he again 
 longed for the school room, and became con- 
 nected with the schools of Bureau county, hav- 
 ing charge of the schools of Wyanet for three 
 years. In the fall of 1891 he came to Buda, 
 where he has since sei^ved as principal of the 
 public schools to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 Flis vacations are spent in study, attending va- 
 rious normal schools and thus he keeps well in- 
 formed on the latest and most improved methods 
 of teaching. The Buda schools, under his ex- 
 cellent management, hold high rank among the 
 educational institutions of Bureau county, which 
 are second to none in the state. 
 
 While at Alpha, Illinois, Professor Magee was 
 married August 19, 1884, to Miss Annie L. Gar- 
 ber, of Blaine, Pennsylvania, and they now have 
 five children, Lyle, born at Alpha May 30, 1885; 
 Grace, born at Woodhull June 28, 1887; Glenn, 
 born at Wyanet January 4, 1889; Loyd, born at 
 Wyanet April 28, 1890, and Gretchen, bom at 
 Buda March 11, 1895. Mr. Garber is living at 
 Blaine, Pennsylvania; his wife died in November, 
 1893. 
 
 In politics Professor Magee has been independ- 
 ent, though lately acting with the prohibition 
 party, on which ticket he twice ran for county 
 superintendent of schools. He was made a Ma- 
 son in Woodhull lodge, No. 502, F. & A. ]M.; 
 the chapter No. 28, R. A. M., of Princeton, and 
 the commandery No. 20, also of Princeton. Both 
 himself and his wife are devoted members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has 
 filled several offices and has also served as super- 
 intendent of the Sunday school. They hold an 
 honorable position in literary and social circles, 
 and have the respect and esteem of all who know 
 them. 
 
 JOHN MONIER, deceased, was for many 
 years the leading farmer in Marshall coun- 
 ty, and had a very wide and extensive acquaint- 
 ance. He was born on the Isle of jMan Septem- 
 ber 7, 1826, and was the son of William and Jane 
 (Quaile) Monier, also natives of the Isle of Man, 
 but of French descent, the great-great-grandfath- 
 er of John being a native of France. He grew 
 to manhood in his native country, and in 1849 
 came to the United States with the family and 
 located in Peoria county, Illinois. At that time 
 he was twenty-three years of age, and was en- 
 titled to all the legal rights of man, but did not 
 choose to exercise his rights. His parents were 
 getting along in )ears and were not well pro- 
 vided for as respects this world's goods. Until 
 such was the case he could not think of self. 
 With his younger brother, William, he hired out 
 by the month, and saving their wages they pur- 
 chased eighty acres of partially improved land, 
 on which was a small house, and into which the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 family moved and continued to live six years. 
 In 1857 they sold out and went to Saratoga town- 
 ship, Marshall county, where they bought a tract 
 of land, and all continued to work together for 
 a few years, when the children began to leave 
 the family home and go out one by one to carve 
 their own destinies. John, however, remained 
 upon the homestead, and there continued to 
 make his home until his death. Both parents 
 died upon the place when past eighty years of 
 age. 
 
 After living a bachelor's hfe for nearly thirty- 
 five years, John Alonier, in June, 1861, married 
 ]\Iiss Ellen Farrell, a native of Ireland, by whom 
 he had four children, Jennie, now the wife of 
 David Hosfield, of Whitefield township; Anna, 
 who died at the age of twenty-two years; John, 
 who married ^lollie Harney and now resides 
 near Geneseo, Henrj- county, Illinois, and Cath- 
 erine, who makes her home with her sister Jen- 
 nie. The mother of these children died in 1870. 
 
 Three years after the death of his first wife. Air. 
 Monier was united in marriage with Miss Janet 
 Bell, the wedding ceremony taking place at the 
 home of the bride's parents, Richard and Mar- 
 garet Bell, of La Prairie township, March 12, 
 1873. Mrs. Alonier was born in Roxburghshire, 
 Scotland, of which country her parents were also 
 natives. They are now living in Cass county, 
 Iowa, and Mrs. Alonier is the only one of her 
 family remaining in Illinois. She is a relative 
 of the Davidsons, who were among the first of 
 her nationality to settle in Alarshall county. Six 
 children came to bless this union, Alargaret, now 
 the wife of Charles Roberts, of Champaign, Illi- 
 nois; William, at home; Vivian, a student in the 
 State university at Champaign; Sarah, attending 
 the high school at Henry, and James and Harry 
 Hammond, at home. 
 
 As already stated, Mr. Monier made his home 
 upon the farm purchased on coming to. Marshall 
 county. A man of great energy and of thrifty 
 habits, from time to time, as his means increased, 
 he added to his possessions until he became one 
 of the largest real estate owners in Marshall 
 county, owning the home farm, which had been 
 
 increased from eighty to eight hundred and 
 eighty acres in extent, with four sets of improve- 
 ments, two farms of one hundred and sixty acres 
 each, in Steuben and Whitefield townships, to- 
 gether with one thousand six hundred acres in 
 Texas, near the Santa Fe railroad. As a far- 
 mer he was a success in every particular, giving 
 his personal attention to every detail of farm 
 work. Not a thing about the place escaped his 
 watchful eye, and he knew the whereabouts of 
 every farm implement which he owned, and of all 
 the numerous stock which he owned and fed. 
 For years he was an extensive cattle feeder, 
 and was very successful in this branch of busi- 
 ness, and it is said that he raised the best hogs 
 in Marshall county. His various farms were all 
 well improved and adapted to the purposes 
 to which they were applied. 
 
 While by nature conservative, he did not hesi- 
 tate to adopt and make use of every labor-saving 
 appliance that seemed to insure success. A 
 farmer, he was content to work his farm and al- 
 low others to look after such interests as lay 
 outside of his chosen calling. A democrat in 
 his political belief, he respected the views and 
 opinions of others, and never sought nor would 
 lie accept official position. While not a mem- 
 ber of any church, he had great respect for the 
 Christian religion, and usually attended services 
 at the Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 Until within a few years of his death, Mr. 
 Monier gave personal attention to his farm in- 
 terests, but as age advanced he mainly rented 
 his land, only giving such time and attention 
 to his various farms as to see they were properly 
 kept up and conducted. His death occurred 
 June 16, 1890, and his body was laid to rest in 
 the Methodist Episcopal cemetery in Saratoga 
 township. He was naturally a strong, vigorous 
 man, fine looking, with full brown beard and 
 gray eyes. Few men were better known and 
 none more highly respected in his section of the 
 country. A kind, loving husband and indulgent 
 father, his memory is cherished by family and 
 friends and none will ever forget the one now 
 gone before, whose life of ceaseless toil was 
 
84 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 spent for the good of humanity and to give hap- 
 piness to others. 
 
 In October, 1891, Mrs. Monier left the farm 
 and removed to Henry, where she has a very 
 neat and comfortable home, and where she can 
 enjoy life with ease, surrounded by her family 
 and friends. She is a woman of great natural 
 ability, one who thoroughly understands her 
 business, and well posted on the affairs of the 
 day. With a warm heart, ever open to hear the 
 cries of the unfortunate ones of earth she makes 
 her life a blessing to many, and while unosten- 
 tatious in all things, it may be said of her as of 
 one of old, "She hath done what she could." 
 
 M 
 
 ARTIN SACK, one of the successful and 
 representative farmers and dairymen of 
 Hall township, lives upon section 26, where he 
 owns one hundred acres of rich and fertile land. 
 Active and enterprising, he has prospered in 
 his chosen calling, and may be classed among 
 the prominent citizens of the community. He 
 was born in Peru, Illinois, September 17, i860, 
 and is a son of Simon Sack, whose birth oc- 
 curred in Bavaria, Germany, in 1820. In that 
 country the father was received, was afTorded 
 a good education and learned the carpenter's 
 trade, which he there followed until his emigra- 
 tion to the new world in 1850. In New York 
 state he worked at his trade until coming to 
 Peru, Illinois, in 1853, and there engaged in 
 contracting and building for several years. He 
 was married in that city to Mary Bower, a na- 
 tive of Bavaria, who died in Peru, when the sub- 
 ject of this sketch was a lad of twelve years, in 
 May, 1872. Later Mr. Sack was again married, 
 and in 1878 purchased eighty acres of land in 
 Hall township, Bureau county, which was but 
 slightly improved. He erected a good residence, 
 built substantial barns and outbuildings and 
 placed the land under a high state of cultivation. 
 With the assistance of his son he engaged in its 
 operation until called from this life on the 2d 
 of April, 1896, at the age of seventy-six years. 
 In the family were two sons and three daugh- 
 ters, of which our subject and his sister, Nettie, 
 
 now the wife of Frank Miller, of the state of 
 Washington, are living. Mary died at the age 
 of ten years; Barbara died at eight years, and 
 Johnnie at one year. 
 
 The early life of Martin Sack was passed at 
 Peru, where he secured a good education in its 
 public schools, and with his father came to his 
 present farm in 1878. He practically took charge 
 of its operation and success has rewarded his 
 labors. He has added twenty acres to the origi- 
 nal tract, so that he nov/ has a valuable place of 
 one hundred acres. Besides general farming he 
 began the dairy business in August, 1892, giving 
 his place the name of the Clover Farm Dair\', 
 and now supplies about one hundred families with 
 milk and cream. 
 
 In Bureau county, on the 5th of March, 1885, 
 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Sack and 
 Miss Kate Guenther, a daughter of Michael 
 Guenther, one of the substantial farmers of the 
 county, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this 
 volume. Here Mrs. Sack was reared and re- 
 ceived her education in the schools of this coun- 
 ty and Peru. Three sons have been born to our 
 subject and his wife — Freddie, Bernell and Si- 
 mon, the two oldest of whom are now attending 
 school. The parents attend the services of the 
 Congregational and Lutheran churches and en- 
 joy the esteem and confidence of the whole com- 
 munity. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Sack adheres to the princi- 
 ples of the republican party, but has never 
 been an aspirant for office. He takes a 
 lively interest in matters pertaining to the prog- 
 ress and development of his adopted county, and 
 is one of its most reliable and public-spirited 
 citizens. 
 
 MARTIN AMMON, a retired farmer of Bu- 
 reau county, is one of the worthy citizens 
 of German birth, who in the new world have 
 taken advantage of the opportunities offered for 
 advancement and worked his way upward to a 
 position of prominence and affluence. Energy, 
 enterprise and careful management have formed 
 the rounds of the ladder on which he has risen, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 85 
 
 and now in the enjoyment of the fruits of his 
 former toil, he is Hving upon his farm on section 
 14, Hall township, a mile and a quarter east of 
 the village of Ladd. 
 
 J\lr. Ammon was born in Saxony, October 6, 
 1824, and is a son of Ludwig Ammon, a native 
 of the same country and a carpenter by occupa- 
 tion. The father passed most of his life in Sax- 
 ony, but on his son's removal to Ilhnois, he 
 joined him and here died in 1865. In the land 
 of his birth Martin was given good educational 
 advantages, and there remained until 1852, when 
 he crossed the Atlantic and took up his residence 
 in Ohio, near the city of Cincinnati, where he 
 worked as a farm hand for nine years. There 
 he was married in 1854 to Miss Catherine Dentz, 
 also a native of Saxony. 
 
 The year 1861 witnessed the arrival of Mr. 
 Ammon in Bureau county, Illinois, where he 
 rented land and engaged in farming for three 
 years, and on the expiration of that period he 
 purchased two hundred and thirteen acres on 
 section 14, Hall township, the farm which has 
 since been his home. He has made extensive 
 improvements upon the place, erecting a com- 
 fortable dwelling, neat and substantial outbuild- 
 ings, and now has one of the most valuable 
 farms of the locality. 
 
 On the 6th of August, 1889, Mrs. Ammon 
 died, leaving five children, who in order of birth 
 are as follows: Emil married Anna Bunsack, 
 by whom he has four children, and since the 
 death of his mother has had charge of the home 
 farm; Emma is the wife of Charles Madaer, a 
 farmer of Iowa; Anna is the wife of William 
 Beerider, a farmer of La Salle county, Illinois; 
 Hettie is at home; and August is married and is 
 sng'^ged in farming in Hall township. 
 
 Mr. Ammon always casts his ballot in support 
 of the men and measures of the republican par- 
 ty, but has never cared for political preferment. 
 He is an earnest friend of education, a believer 
 in good schools, and has efficiently served as a 
 member of the school board. He is connected 
 with the Lutheran church of Peru, Illinois, and 
 is one of the most highly respected citizens of 
 
 Hall township, where for thirty-five years he has 
 now made his home, aiding in its growth and 
 development. His upright character and ster- 
 ling integrity have won the confidence of all 
 and he is justly entitled to a place among the 
 leading men of Bureau county. 
 
 EMANUEL BROWN EMERICK, deceased, 
 was one of the leading and enterprising ag- 
 riculturists of Marshall county, where he died of 
 consumption on the 8th of September, 1880, 
 after one year's illness. He was widely known 
 and honored, and in his death the community, 
 with whose interests he was closely identified, has 
 lost a valuable citizen. His integrity of charac- 
 ter, unbounded benevolence, and never-failing 
 courtesy, made him beloved by all who had the 
 honor of his acquaintance. 
 
 Mr. Emerick was born near Wheeling, West 
 Virginia, July 26, 1850, and was the son of George 
 W. and Cassie (Brown) Emerick. His boyhood 
 days were passed upon his father's farm in Mar- 
 shall county, and in the district schools of the 
 neighborhood he acquired a fair education, being 
 particularly good in mathematics. He remained 
 under the parental roof until his marriage, which 
 important event in his life occurred October 20, 
 1877, Miss Anna J. Moodey becoming his wife. 
 She was born in Covington, Miami county, Ohio, 
 and is the daughter of J. C. and Rachel S. (Orr) 
 Moodey. They began their domestic life upon 
 a part of the old homestead of his father, which 
 he continued to operate until his last illness. He 
 was an earnest and consistent member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church, and supported j:he 
 democratic party, but took no active part in po- 
 htical affairs. When called from this life his re- 
 mains were interred in the family cemetery at 
 ^Plenry, where they now rest. 
 
 One daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Em- 
 erick — Anna May, who goes by the name of 
 Bonnie. She is one of the three heirs, besides 
 the widow, of her grandfather, George W. Em- 
 erick, who left her a handsome property. A 
 young lady of seventeen years, attractive and 
 agreeable in manner, she is now attending high 
 
86 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 school, and is a great favorite of all who know 
 her. Since her husband's death, Mrs. Emerick 
 has made her home with her father, J. C. Moodey, 
 in Henry, and as the guardian of her daughter, 
 devotes most of her time and attention to the 
 education and improvement of that young lady. 
 She is a lady of taste and refinement and through- 
 out the county has a host of warm friends. 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON EMERICK, 
 deceased, was probably better known for 
 a time than any other person in the northern 
 part of Marshall county. He was a native of 
 Pennsylvania, born in Washington county, July 
 12, 1820. His parents both lived to an advanced 
 age, and both died on the old homestead where 
 George was born many years ago. An only 
 daughter, Ellen, yet resides on the place, which 
 is near the village of i\Ioundsville, Pennsylvania. 
 On that farm the boyhood and youth of George 
 were passed and he was given excellent edu- 
 cational advantages, which were improved, so 
 much so, that while yet in his teens he was en- 
 abled to teach the district schools, and it is 
 said that his first work, aside from that on his 
 father's farm, was as a teacher in the public 
 schools. 
 
 Before leaving his native state, Mr. Emerick 
 was united in marriage with Miss Cassie Brown, 
 in August, 1847. By this union six children 
 were born: Minerva A., Emanuel B., Mary E., 
 Margaret M., Frances Luella, George W., all 
 of whom are now deceased. Minerva A. married 
 Holmes Morrison, and dying left one daughter, 
 Mary Morrison, who is a most estimable young- 
 lady, yet residing in Henry. Emanuel B. mar- 
 ried Miss Anna Jennie Moodey, a daughter of 
 J. C. Moodey. He died, leaving one daughter, 
 Anna May, better known as Bonnie Emerick, 
 who also resides jn Henry, and is a graduate of 
 the Henry high school class of 1896. None of 
 the other children ever married. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Emerick determined on leaving 
 his old home, believing the west a better field 
 for the industrious and energetic man to succeed. 
 Coming to Marshall county, he purchased forty 
 
 acres of land on section 18, Henry township, 
 which was the basis of his vast accumulations 
 in after years. To the original forty he added 
 other tracts, and selling none, had at the time 
 of his death over one thousand acres, divided 
 into six farms, all of which he leased to other 
 parties. Much of the success attending him was 
 due to his wife, who was a careful, painstaking 
 and economical woman. She died in 1877. 
 
 Some two years after the death of his first 
 wife, Mr. Emerick married Miss Emma Mor- 
 rison, and leasing his farm, removed to Henry, 
 where he embarked in the grocery trade, in which 
 line of business he was likewise quite successful. 
 By this union there was one child, Norman 
 Clyde, now at home. Their married life was of 
 comparatively short duration, Mrs. Emerick 
 dying in 1884. Two years later, in 1886, he 
 married ^liss Laura Y Wood, who survives 
 him. 
 
 In early life Mr. Emerick was converted and 
 united with the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 with which he was identified until his death, and 
 in which he took a great interest. For many 
 years he was class leader of the class at Snyder's 
 school house, which was located near his farm, 
 and for a time was superintendent of the Sunday 
 school meeting at the same place. On his re- 
 moval to Henry he became an active worker in 
 the Methodist church of that place, and was in- 
 terested in the building of the house of worship, 
 w hich was erected under the pastorate of Rev. 
 J. H. Scott. He greatly rejoiced in the com- 
 pletion of the building, having contributed large- 
 ly in time and money to that end. He was a 
 member of the building committee and watched 
 the erection of the building with an interest that 
 never flagged, and when finally turned over to 
 the congregation and duly dedicated to the ser- 
 vice of Almighty God, he was indeed happy. 
 For twenty years he served on the board of 
 trustees, and for a still longer period was a class 
 leader in the church. Over forty years he had 
 a name in the house of God and a fellowship 
 among his brethren, and his interest in the cause 
 was strengthened as the years went by. He was 
 
Geo. W. Emerick. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 89 
 
 loyal to the faith as he saw it, and his trust in 
 the Heavenly Father was as a little child. The 
 Sunday school was ever dear to him, and he 
 was faithful in attendance as long as he was able 
 regxilarly to attend church. 
 
 The cause of temperance also found in him a 
 strong friend and a most earnest advocate. In 
 fact, he was keenly alive to all the moral and 
 reform movements of the day. His intellectual 
 force was considerably above the average and 
 he thought and read much upon religion and 
 temperance, and was always ready to give a 
 reason for the faith that was in him. A man of 
 strong will and determination, when once he 
 decided upon a course of action he held tena- 
 ciously to his opinions and defended them against 
 all who took issue with him. He was, however, 
 not a blind sectarian, but was broad in his esti- 
 mate of the good in others wherever they 
 brought forth fruit. He intensely desired to see 
 the triumph of the cause of temperance and 
 believed that constitutional prohibition, both 
 state and national, was the most direct way of 
 securing that end. For this reason he identified 
 himself with the prohibition party, and always 
 voted as he prayed. 
 
 George W. Emerick was an unpretentious 
 man, of a quiet and retiring disposition, but when 
 aroused was full of force and energy, and none 
 were at a loss where to find him. Possessed of 
 foresight and good calculation, and withal a 
 close manager, he succeeded in all his business 
 undertakings and at his death left a good prop- 
 erty to his heirs. In 1890 he became a sufferer 
 from the grip, from which he never fully re- 
 covered. Death came to his relief on the i6th 
 of July, 1893, and the funeral services were held 
 in the Methodist Episcopal church in Henry, 
 and were very largely attended by sympathizing 
 friends, many comihg from a considerable dis- 
 tance. The services were conducted by Rev. 
 William Woolley, the pastor of the church, as- 
 sisted by Rev. J. H. Scott and Rev. E. E. Was- 
 muth. Rev. Scott offered the prayer, Rev. Was- 
 muth read the ninetieth Psalm as a Scripture 
 lesson, and Rev. Woolley preached a brief ser- 
 
 mon from the text, 'T-^'or me to live is Christ, 
 to die is gain." Following the discourse Mr. 
 Scott paid a just tribute to the memory of the 
 deceased, whose connection with the church as 
 a Christian for forty years he emphasized, as 
 also in his official character while he was pastor. 
 His remains were then laid to rest in the Henry 
 cemetery, there to wait the great judgment day, 
 when the dead in Christ shall be raised to meet 
 their Lord in the air and reign with Him through- 
 out all eternity. His monument stands at the 
 head of the north aventie in the cemetery. It 
 is seventeen feet high and weighs twenty tons. 
 The design was selected by Mrs. Emerick from 
 designs exhibited at the world's fair, but was 
 erected by a Henry firm, at a cost of two thou- 
 sand one hundred dollars. 
 
 In early life Mr. Emerick was a democrat and 
 voted with that party until he saw that, if in 
 the providence of God any reform was to be 
 obtained it must come through some other 
 source. For years he was an auxiliary member 
 of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union 
 and the Young Woman's Christian Temperance 
 Union. He was a lover of music, and in early 
 life was a good vocalist and played the violin, 
 but in later years lost his interest in such mat- 
 ters. His home was always open to the preach- 
 ers. 
 
 Mrs. Laura V. Emerick, who survives her hus- 
 band, is a woman of taste and refinement, a 
 Christian who delights in doing good, and by 
 thus doins; serves her Master. 
 
 ROBERT M. POLLOCK, M. D., a leading 
 physician and surgeon of Princeton, was 
 born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, April 
 I, 1858, and is a son of Jaanes H. and Lydia M. 
 (Phillips) Pollock, the former a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, and the latter of Vermont. In 1863 
 the father brought his family west to Illinois, lo- 
 cating first near Bloomington, in McLean coun- 
 ty, upon a farm, and in 1872, removed to Cham- 
 paign county, where he still resides. He has 
 now laid aside active business, living retired at 
 the age of seventy-four years, while his wife has 
 
90 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 reached the age of sixty-six. They are both con- 
 sistent members and active workers in the Meth- 
 odist Protestant church. All of the eight chil- 
 dren born to them are still living, namely: Da- 
 vid VV., a merchant at Foosland, Champaign 
 county, who married Barbara Lewis; Joseph P., 
 a merchant of the same place, who married Ida 
 Ball; Samuel H., a resident dentist of Rocky 
 Ford, Colorado, who married Jennie Carlyle; 
 Robert M.; Charles K., a farmer of Champaign 
 county; Milton D., a physician of Decatur, Illi- 
 nois, who married Emma Miles; Ulysses S. G., 
 a farmer of Champaign county, who married Iva 
 Miles, and Emma M., wife of Winfield Hinton, a 
 farmer of Champaign county. 
 
 In the common schools Dr. Pollock acquired 
 a good literary education, preparing himself for 
 a teacher, and on examination received a first- 
 grade certificate. Subsequently he became a 
 registered pharmacist at Foosland, Illinois, and 
 remained in the drug business for ten years, and 
 then took up the study of medicine under Dr. 
 Harvey L. Harris, of Champaign county. He 
 later entered Rush Medical college, and was 
 graduated with the class of 1895. In the spring 
 of that year he began practice at Princeton, and 
 although a recent arrival here, has gained the 
 confidence of the people, and is now at the head 
 of a large and constantly increasing patronage. 
 
 On the 1st of July, 1878, Dr. Pollock led to the 
 marriage altar Miss Jennie N. Maltby, and to them 
 have been born four children — Estella O., who 
 died at the age of seven months; Lloyd R., 
 Floss E., and Cary R. The parents of Mrs. Pol- 
 lock, Rollin C. and Nancy J. (Carr) Maltby, are 
 now living at Rocky Ford, Colorado, where they 
 went for their health, and finally settled. The 
 father, having secured a competence as a farmer, 
 has retired from active business. He has taken 
 a prominent part in local political afifairs, holding 
 several minor offices and served as mayor of the 
 city of Rocky Ford, from 1893 to 1895. Mrs. 
 Pollock is the third in order of birth in the fam- 
 ily of eight children, the others being as follows: 
 Frank, now deceased; Fanny E., wife of Charles 
 C. Cornehus, of Colorado; Warren R., a farmer 
 
 of Champaign county, Illinois, who married 
 Louisa James, who died in 1890; Ella F., wife 
 of Herman Hafferkamp, foreman of the Beggs 
 Manufacturing Company of Chicago; William 
 W., bookkeeper for Sethness Chemical Com- 
 pany of Chicago; Zelda G., wife of Chauncey 
 Shelton, a butcher of Rocky Ford, Colorado, and 
 Harvey, who is still with his parents. 
 
 Both the doctor and his wife have been life- 
 long members of the Methodist Protestant 
 church. In politics he is a republican, but has 
 often supported the prohibition ticket. Socially 
 is connected with the Knights of Pythias frater- 
 nity. He is a close student of his profession, 
 therefore an excellent physician and a thorough 
 practical chemist. In social as well as profes- 
 sional circles he stands high, winning the friend- 
 ship and confidence of those with whom he 
 comes in contact. 
 
 JOHN A. VIXTRUM, M. D., one of the emi- 
 nent and skillful physicians and surgeons of 
 Princeton, Illinois, is a native of Sweden, born 
 February 9, 1857, and in 1869 came to America 
 with his parents, A. J. and Christina (Tilling) 
 Vixtrum,who located upon a farm in Knox coun- 
 ty, Illinois, where the father still resides, now 
 living retired at the age of eighty years. In the 
 old country he engaged in the manufacture of 
 nails. The mother died on the 3d of August, 
 1895, at the age of seventy-six years. They both 
 held membership in the Lutheran church. Our 
 subject is the seventh in order of birth in the 
 family of ten children, and the youngest of those 
 still living, four in number, the others being 
 Charles G., a farmer of Knox county; Fred, a 
 resident of California; and Hannah, wife of R. 
 F"urbon, still of Sweden. 
 
 In the schools of his native country. Dr. Vix- 
 trum began his education, and was later a stu- 
 dent in the Yates City high school of Illinois. 
 He began the study of medicine under Dr. A. T- 
 Graham, of Peoria, and -subsequently graduated 
 from the medical department of the State and 
 Vanderbilt university of Tennessee, at Nash- 
 ville, his diploma dating March i, 1883. It was 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 91 
 
 in 1879 that he went to Tennessee, and shortly 
 afterward began the practice of medicine at Nash- 
 ville, being for one year connected with a hospi- 
 tal of that city. After his graduation, however, 
 he came north, locating at Victoria, Knox coun- 
 ty, Illinois, where he engaged in practice until 
 1885, when he came to Princeton, and has since 
 been a continuous practitioner here. He has 
 been eminently successful in his chosen calling, 
 is engaged in general practice, treating all dis- 
 eases, and examiner for half a dozen insurance 
 companies. 
 
 Dr. Vixtrum was married on the 5th of Octo- 
 ber, 1887, the lady of his choice being Miss Jen- 
 nie E. Orien, the daughter of Swan Orien, of 
 Princeton, and they now have one son, Rollin 
 Orien. Mrs. A^ixtrum is a member of the Bap- 
 tist church. In his social relations the doctor 
 is connected with the Masonic order, the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights 
 of Pythias, while politically he is a stalwart dem- 
 ocrat. Under President Cleveland's first admin- 
 istration he was appointed a member of the pen- 
 sion board of the state of Illinois. At the ex- 
 piration of this administration he was succeeded 
 by an appointee of President Harrison in 1889. 
 He was re-appointed by President Cleveland in 
 1893, and is now serving in that capacity. Along 
 the lines of his profession, the doctor is well 
 read, a thorough student and successful prac- 
 titioner, keeping fully abreast with the times, and 
 socially and professionally stands high. 
 
 GEORGE REMLEY, a representative of 
 _ [ that great class on whom the welfare of 
 this nation depends, the honest farmer, resides 
 on a beautiful homestead on section 11, Rich- 
 land township, and is one of the pioneers of 
 1835. In his sixty years of life in this locality 
 he has witnessed such changes as were never 
 dreamed of by the early settlers. His grand- 
 father, Hyeronimous Remley, was a native of 
 Germany, who settled in Pennsylvania prior to 
 the Revolutionary war, where he reared a fam- 
 ily of six children, of whom George, the father 
 of our subject, born in 1775, was one. 
 
 George Remley, the father of our subject, mar- 
 ried Miss Ella Lytic, a native of New Jersey, 
 and a daugther of Henry Lytic, who removed 
 from New Jersey to Pennsylvania in an early day. 
 Soon after their marriage they removed from 
 Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to Waynesburg, 
 that state, where they remained eight years, and 
 then went to Ohio, locating near Wheeling,. 
 West Virginia, but on the Ohio side of the line. 
 From that point they moved to Belmont county, 
 Ohio, where Mr. Remley purchased a large 
 farm, on which he resided for sixteen years. He 
 then sold out and moved down on the Big Sun 
 Fish river, in Monroe county, where he remained 
 eight years, then selling out, came to Marshall 
 county, Illinois, in the fall of 1835. They emi- 
 grated to this county by wagon, but spent the 
 first winter at Walnut Grove, in Woodford coun- 
 ty, then purchased a tract of land on section 28, 
 Richland township. At this time there were but 
 few settlers in the township or in the entire 
 county. On his place he erected a hewed log 
 house in which he resided until his death in 
 1840. His wife survived him about six years, 
 dying in 1846. They were the parents of nine 
 children, six daughters and three sons — John, 
 deceased; Mrs. Sarah Sims, also deceased; Lucy 
 Taylor; Mrs. Fannie Johns, deceased; Mrs. Ella 
 Taylor; Mrs. Harriet Martin; George; Joseph, 
 and Mrs. Eliza Toole, deceased. Of the sons, 
 John was a lieutenant in the war against the In- 
 dians in Oregon. 
 
 George Remley, the subject of this sketch, 
 was born April 7, 1817, in Belmont county, Ohio, 
 and there received his education in the pioneer 
 subscription schools. He came to this county 
 with his parents and on his arrival found a large 
 open prairie country, and the various settlements 
 made in the timber. The people in those days 
 did not dare settle upon the prairie for fear of 
 freezing and from the fact they thought it neces- 
 sary to locate where they could obtain fuel and 
 also water for their stock. At the time of his 
 settlement here Marshall was then a part of Taze- 
 well county. He remained at home, assisting his 
 father on the farm until the latter's death, when 
 
9^ 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 he married Miss Ruth Buckingham, a native oi 
 Pennsylvania, and daughter of Isaac Bucking- 
 ham, a very prominent farmer in the early day, 
 who located in Woodford county, Illinois, prior 
 to the Black Hawk war. Mrs. Remley was born 
 in 1807, and died in 1844, leaving no children. 
 
 Soon after marriage, Mr. Remley settled in 
 Woodford county, and there remained sixteen 
 years. After the death of his first wife, on the 
 4th of June, 1846, he married Miss Helen Rice, 
 a native of Onondaga county, New York, born 
 September 24, 1827, and a daughter of Elijah 
 and Rebecca (Marshall) Rice, both of whom 
 were natives of New York, but who removed 
 to Woodford county, lUinois, in 1844, where 
 they spent the remainder of their lives. They 
 were the parents of four children — Mrs. Remley, 
 Rosanna, Delency, became the wife of Alexander 
 Piper, and William, who lives on the old home- 
 stead. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Remley are the parents of eight 
 children, seven of whom are living — Henry, who 
 married Ella White, now resides in Hopewell 
 township, Marshall county; Minerva Ellen, now 
 the wife of Henry Duchesne, lives in Bennington 
 township; Jane, now the wife of Baron Harper, 
 resides at La Rose, Marshall county; Lucy Ann, 
 now the wife of Matthew Van Patton, resides in 
 Belle Plain township: Elizabeth, now the wife 
 of JMartin Hoover, lives in Woodford county, 
 Illinois; George, who married Nannie Henry, 
 resides in Richland township, and Emma R. is 
 at home. 
 
 In the spring of 1857, Mr. Remley moved with 
 his family to his present farm, where they have 
 since resided. The farm which he purchased 
 from Robert Gray, comprises four hundred and 
 thirty-one acres, all of which is under improve- 
 ment. He also has eighty acres adjoining the 
 village of Washburn, Illinois. At one time he 
 was the owner of nearly thirteen hundred acres 
 of land, but has since given the greater part of 
 it to his children. 
 
 Mr. Remley has during his entire life been a 
 hard working man. For about fifteen years he 
 engaged in carpenter work in connection with 
 
 his farming operations. All that he has of this 
 world's goods he has secured by the labors of 
 his hands, assisted of course by that of his wife, 
 and success has crowned their efforts in a re- 
 markable degree. Commencing life for himself 
 under very unfavorable circumstances he has 
 endeavored to prevent the same state of afifairs 
 from falling to his children, and so has well pro- 
 vided for each and has given to each good edu- 
 cational advantages. Politically, he is a demo- 
 crat, but has steadily refused official positions. 
 Mrs. Remley is what might be termed a model 
 housekeeper, and she endeavors to make her 
 home an inviting one to any and all who partake 
 of her hospitality. In fact, the Remley house- 
 hold is noted for its hospitality far and near. 
 
 ROBERT W. ILIFF, whose fine farm lies 
 on section 14, Richland township, Marshall 
 county, is a native of the county, the family of 
 which he is a member being numbered among 
 the earliest settlers of this locality. The Iliffs 
 are of English descent, and the first of the fam- 
 ily in America was James Iliff, who was a son of 
 Richard Iliff. He was a member of the William 
 Penn colony in Pennsylvania. The great-grand- 
 father of our subject was John Iliff, a native of 
 the keystone state. His son, Robert Iliff, mar- 
 ried Jane Williams, and their son, John AI. Iliff, 
 who was born in 1827, in Perry county, Ohio, 
 is the father of our subject. This family con- 
 tributed fifty-two of its number to the imion 
 army from 1 86 1 to 1865. 
 
 The first of the family to effect a settlement in 
 Marshall county was Robert Iliff, the grand- 
 father of our subject. He was a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, born in 1801, and came with his fam- 
 ily to Illinois in 1831, first locating near Wash- 
 burn, and in the spring of 1832 moving to the 
 farm which is now the home of Robert W. Iliff. 
 The land was divided between timber and prairie 
 and in its native state. At that time there were 
 not over half a dozen families in the township 
 and few improvements had been made. He at 
 once commenced the development of the place 
 and in due time had a most productive farm. On 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 93 
 
 this farm his wife died in 1862, and nine years la- 
 ter he retired from active Hfe and made his home 
 with his son, John M. Ihflf, until called away by 
 death. 
 
 Robert and Jane Iliflf were the parents of five 
 children, only one of whom, however, grew to 
 niaturit}'. They were both members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal church, and took an active in- 
 terest in the work of the church, both dying as 
 they had lived, earnest, devoted Christians. He 
 was a man of quiet disposition, taking little part 
 in public afTairs, and caring little for the honors 
 of this world. During almost his entire life he 
 was noted as being a very early riser, literally 
 following the maxim of Benjamin FrankUn, 
 "Early to bed and early to rise." He was a sol- 
 dier in the Black Hawk war. 
 
 John ;\I. Iliff, the father of our subject, was 
 but four years of age when he came with the 
 family to Illinois. Here he grew to manhood 
 and received a good common school education. 
 The life of a farmer he adopted as his calling, 
 and as soon as able commenced assisting in the 
 cultivation of the home farm. 
 
 He was united in marriage with Caroline E. 
 Henthorn, a native of Ohio, born June 30, 1828, 
 and a daughter of Samuel and Penelope (Brown) 
 Henthorn. Her parents were among the pio- 
 neers of the county, first locating in Lacon town- 
 ship, but soon after removing to Richland town- 
 ship, taking up the southwest quarter of section 
 I, which was their home until late in life, when 
 they moved to Lacon and there died. They were 
 the parents of nine children, four of whom are 
 now living: Reason A., who resides in Nebras- 
 ka; James P., Eliza A., and Frances Street, liv- 
 ing in Lacon. 
 
 After their marriage, John M. Iliff and wife 
 located on the northeast quarter of section i, 
 Richland township, where he improved a fine 
 farm. To them were born seven children, six of 
 whom grew to maturity: Robert W., our sub- 
 ject; Samuel H., who lives in Mankato, Kansas; 
 Clarissa J., living in Bloomington, Illinois; Wil- 
 liam T., of Peoria; Ella C, now the wife of Hor- 
 ace Ramp, of Richland township, and Mary, 
 
 widow of Professor J. R. Gray, now residing in 
 Bloomington, and a fine musician, having charge 
 of the musical department of the Wesleyan uni- 
 versity. The mother of these children died in 
 1864. She was a member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal church, a woman of lovely disposition, one 
 who followed closely in the footsteps of the 
 blessed Master. 
 
 John M. Iliff was thrice married, his third wife 
 being Miss Amelia Springer, who now resides 
 in Galesburg, Illinois. After living a life of great 
 usefulness for fifty-four years, he was called to 
 rest, his death occurring in 1881. He was a mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and an 
 active worker in the same, serving the church 
 in an official capacity for many years. 
 
 Robert W. Iliff, our subject, was born upon 
 the old home farm on section i, Richland town- 
 ship, March 22, 1851. After receiving his pri- 
 mary education in the public schools of his town- 
 ship, he entered Wesleyan university, taking a 
 two years' course, but not graduating. He grew 
 to manhood on the farm and remained at home, 
 assisting in the work until his marriage in April, 
 30, 1873, with Miss Alice A. Bequeaith, a native 
 of Tazewell county, Illinois, and a daughter of 
 John and Elizabeth Bequeaith, the former, now 
 deceased, and the latter living in Pekin, Illinois. 
 By this union seven children have been born: 
 John E., who married Mary A. Williams, and 
 now resides in Belle Plain township, and Flora 
 C, Frank B., Herbert A., George W., Anna B., 
 and Harry L., all at home. 
 
 Soon after their marriage the young couple 
 removed to the farm, which is yet their home, 
 and which has been in the family for over sixt)i 
 years. It comprises eighty acres of finely im- 
 proved land, everything about it evincing the 
 thrift of its owner. In all his work he is thor- 
 ough and systematic, believing in the doctrine 
 "what is worth doing is worth doing well." For 
 several years he has made a specialty of raising 
 thoroughbred Poland China hogs and has been 
 fairly successful, though losing heavily in 1895 
 from hog cholera. 
 
 In 1877, Mr. Iliff was sun-struck, the effects 
 
94 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of which have continued with him to this day, 
 at times causing him great sufifering, but he 
 bears his affliction patiently. Like his father, he 
 is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 of which body his wife and eldest daughter 
 are also members. For years he has served the 
 church as trustee and steward, and has also been 
 superintendent of the Sunday school. He be- 
 lieves thoroughly in the Christian religion and in 
 the work the Lord has left to his disciples in 
 the conversion of the world. Politically, he is a 
 republican, by birth and inclination. Born at 
 a time when the slavery question was the all- 
 important topic of discussion, and when the slave 
 power, grown arrogant by success, was deter- 
 mined to still farther encroach upon the free ter- 
 ritory of the country, almost his first recohec- 
 tion was of hearing the discussion of the rights 
 of the black man and the influence of slavery 
 upon the country. As soon as old enough to 
 express his views, he took sides with the repub- 
 lican party, with which organization he has con- 
 tinued to act. In the discharge of his duties as 
 a citizen he has served in several local offices, 
 and has discharged the duty of township assessor 
 for many years. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Iliff reside in a very pleasant 
 home and no family in Marshall county is more 
 highly esteemed. Mrs. Ilifif is a woman of ex- 
 cellent judgment and good business ability, and 
 has ever been truly a helpmeet to her husband, 
 who at all times consults with and seeks her ad- 
 vice on business matters. 
 
 WN. BECKWITH, a well-known and 
 . highly respected citizen of Buda, Illi- 
 nois, is one - of the retired farmers of Bureau 
 county. He was born in Chenango county, New 
 York, February 17, 1825, and is the only child 
 of C. H. and Sophia (Whitford) Beckwith, na- 
 tives of Connecticut and New York, respective- 
 ly. When quite young our subject was taken 
 by his father to Otsego county, New York, later 
 to Steuben county, and when fifteen years of age 
 they removed to Kalamazoo county, Michigan, 
 where the father purchased land and the son 
 
 grew to manhood. He received fair common 
 school advantages for those days and is a well 
 informed man. 
 
 In the fall that he was twenty years of age, 
 Mr. Beckwith went to Texas to enter the United 
 States army as teamster in the Mexican war, and 
 remained in the service for about a year and a 
 half. He then returned to Michigan, where his 
 parents were still living, and began work on the 
 Michigan Central railroad, at first laying track 
 and afterward running trains. For six years 
 he remained in that employ. During the Mexi- 
 can war he had saved one hundred dollars, and 
 during his railroad service speculated some in 
 land and horses, so that at the end of the six 
 years he had succeeded in accumulating two 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 About this time — May 4, 1853 — Mr. Beckwith 
 was united in marriage with Miss Anna Burnet, 
 of Kalamazoo county, Michigan, who was bom 
 in Niagara county. New York, of English an- 
 cestry. They then emigrated to Lewiston, Ful- 
 ton county, Illinois, where he invested his capi- 
 tal in a steam gristmill, but lost everything, 
 though he paid one hundred cents on the dol- 
 lar. He was therefore compelled to begin life 
 anew and soon afterward contracted for eighty 
 acres of wild land in Macon township. Bureau 
 county, going in debt for the entire amount — 
 three hundred dollars. To this he removed and 
 at once began'its improvement and development. 
 During the war he sold the place for thirty-two 
 hundred dollars. He next purchased a farm in 
 Concord township, for which he paid forty dol- 
 lars per acre and on selling out received one 
 hundred dollars. He continued to successfully 
 engage in agricultural pursuits until 1882, when 
 he removed to Buda, and for four years dealt in 
 stock and was connected with the banking inter- 
 ests of the place, but has now laid aside business 
 cares and is enjoying a well-earned rest. 
 
 Three daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Beckwith, namely: Ella, married Charles H. 
 Pettis, of Buda, but has no children; Mary F., 
 is the wife of Charles Makutchan, of Macon 
 township, Bureau county, and they have one 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 95 
 
 child; Gertrude, graduated at the Geneseo nor- 
 mal school in 1886, and has successfully taught 
 in the Buda high school for several years. 
 
 Mr. Beckwith was reared a democrat, and cast 
 his first ballot for Cass in 1848, later supported 
 Pierce, but in i860 voted for Abraham Lincoln, 
 and has since been an ardent republican. He 
 has never sought or desired pubhc office, but 
 has been called upon to fill a number of local 
 positions of honor and trust. Since the age of 
 twenty-two years he has been a consistent mem- 
 ber of the Congregational church, in which he 
 has often held office. A man of the strictest 
 integrity, upright and honorable in all things, he 
 has won the confidence and esteem of those with 
 whom he has been brought in contact and has 
 gained the friendship of many. 
 
 FS. JOHNSON, superintendent of the 
 . schools of Spring Valley, was born in 
 Addison county, Vermont, September 30, 1851, 
 and is a son of A. W. and Livonia A. (Britell) 
 Johnson, both natives of Connecticut. While a 
 resident of the Green Mountain state the father 
 dealt in blooded horses, but after coming to 
 Morrison, Whiteside county, Illinois, in 1857, he 
 engaged in painting. In May, 1890, the parents 
 removed to Spring Valley, where the father died 
 on the 20th of the following October, at the age 
 of seventy-two years, and the mother passed 
 away January 13, 1892, at the age of seventy- 
 one. Both held membership in the Methodist 
 Episcopal church, and in politics he was a re- 
 publican. 
 
 Our subject is the second in order of birth 
 in the family of five children. Arvilla, the old- 
 est, is the wife of Lewis Armstrong, a farmer of 
 Dickinson county, Kansas, and they have three 
 children — May, Guilford and Lewis. Edwin A., 
 a painter and decorator of Chicago, married Vic- 
 toria Carson. George E. is in the same business 
 in Chicago. He married Oletha Hughes, of 
 Morrison, Illinois, who died in 1882, and to them 
 were born two children — Roy and Earl. His 
 present wife was in her maidenhood Miss Harriet 
 McNaughton, of Tampico, Illinois. Isabel, the 
 
 youngest of the family, is the wife of James Col- 
 baugh, of Savanna, Illinois, and they have two 
 children — Carl and Junietta. 
 
 After completing the high school course at 
 Morrison, Illinois, Professor Johnson attended 
 the State normal at Normal, and in 1870 began 
 teaching in a district school in Whiteside county, 
 Illinois. He taught in ungraded schools until 
 the fall of 1873, when he went to Rock Falls, 
 and was there employed for two years, having 
 charge of five grades. He served as principal 
 and also taught in the high school. In 1874 he 
 became a clerk in the train service of the North- 
 western Railroad Company, with which he re- 
 mained for three years, but in the fall of 1878 re- 
 sumed teaching, again taking charge of the first 
 district school he ever taught, and successfully 
 conducted the same until July, 1881. He then 
 resigned and accepted the position of principal 
 of the New Boston schools, comprising five 
 grades, and he there remained for two years. 
 For one year he was then at Garden Plain, Illi- 
 nois, and for the following four years was prin- 
 cipal of the schools of Tampico, Whiteside coun- 
 ty, consisting of four departments. 
 
 Resigning that position in the summer of 1888, 
 Mr. Johnson came to Spring Valley, and estab- 
 lished The Sentinel, a weekly newspaper, which 
 he continued to edit for five years. For the past 
 six years he has had charge of the Spring Val- 
 ley schools, which employ fourteen teachers and 
 occupy four buildings. The high school course 
 occupies two years, and in 1894 the graduates 
 were seven, in 1895 nine, and in 1896 twelve. 
 Professor Johnson has ever proved a popular 
 teacher, and in 1894 was the democratic nomi- 
 nee for county superintendent, but was defeated 
 as his party was in the minority. 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1874, Mr. Johnson was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary C. Phillips, 
 a daughter of James Phillips, and their wedding 
 was celebrated in Fulton, Whiteside county. Five 
 children have been born to them — Roy, who was 
 born June 14, 1875, ^nd died August 23, 1876; 
 Nettie M., who graduated from the Spring Val- 
 ley high school in 1896; Mabel J., a member of 
 
96 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the class of 1897; Lillian E., and Ralph F. The 
 mother and oldest daughter are members of the 
 Congi-egational church, and fraternally our sub- 
 ject is connected with the Masonic order and tire 
 Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 Professor Johnson has displayed great aptness 
 and fitness as a teacher, organizer and disciplinar- 
 ian, and his ability is uncjuestioned. During his 
 race for superintendent of schools, he was com- 
 mended by all the leading journals of the county, 
 and had the office been out of politics would 
 doubtless have been elected. His management 
 of the schools in Spring Valley and elsewhere has 
 always been an agreeable surprise to those capa- 
 ble of judging the efficiency of school system, 
 and his labors have given the highest degree of 
 satisfaction to employers, parents, patrons and 
 pupils. In editing his paper, The Sentinel, dur- 
 ing the strikes in Spring Valley, his voice was 
 always conciliatory and his paper did much in re- 
 flecting sentiments of reconciliation and avoid- 
 ing extremes in such exciting times. The trou- 
 ble was settled largely on the lines of arbitration 
 advocated by his paper. As a citizen, Mr. John- 
 son manifests the greatest interest in all that 
 concerns the best welfare of his city, and in his 
 various positions he has acquitted himself so as 
 to honor his vocation and show himself in every 
 way a worthy citizen. 
 
 HON. ELIJAH DEWEY RICHMOND, 
 the present judge of the county court of 
 Marshall county, like his honored father before 
 him, is a man of the people, and has ever en- 
 joyed the confidence and respect of those with 
 whom almost his entire life has been spent. He 
 was born in the city of Lacon, .March 18, 1859, 
 and is the son of Judge Samuel L. and Susan 
 (Hunt) Richmond, the former a native of Ver- 
 mont, and the latter of Ohio. His father for 
 many years was judge of the circuit of which 
 Marshall county formed a part, and was one of 
 the most accomplished men and best read law- 
 yers in the state. 
 
 Until his fifteenth year our subject remained 
 with his parents at Lacon, where his primary 
 
 education was obtained in the pubhc schools. 
 At this time the death of his father occurred, and 
 his mother removed with the family to a farm 
 in Douglas county, Illinois. Here the succeed- 
 ing six vears of his life were spent, much as that 
 of other farmer boys. He was ambitious to 
 learn and greatly desired a college education, 
 but this seemed impossible. His services were 
 in demand at home, and while other boys were 
 in college he was engaged in tilling the soil and 
 pursuing such studies as he could with the assist- 
 ance rendered him by his older brothers and 
 sisters. After leaving Lacon he attended -school 
 but comparatively a short time, but did succeed 
 in taking a six months' course in a business 
 college at Peoria with the view of entering upon 
 a business career. At one time he was greatly 
 desirous of entering West Point, there fitting 
 himself for a military career. However, he never 
 applied for examination, and that youthful am- 
 bition was forever laid aside. 
 
 In 1880, at the age of twenty-one, he left the 
 farm and returned to Lacon, entering the office 
 of Shaw & Edwards, and placing himself under 
 their instruction, commenced the reading of law. 
 He continued with this firm until his admission 
 to the bar in 1882 after an examination before 
 the supreme court at Ottawa. In the fall of 
 that year he began the practice of law in the 
 city of his birth and has continued in active 
 practice since. He has never had a partner in 
 business, but has always continued alone. His 
 standing at the bar is second to none. 
 
 Soon after returning to Lacon, Mr. Richmond 
 was elected township clerk, and served four 
 years. While a strong democrat, he was twice 
 elected on the union ticket, and served with 
 great acceptance at a time when the office was 
 of some importance. In 1883, less than one 
 year after his admission to the bar, he was elected 
 attorney for the city of Lacon and served two 
 years. 
 
 The year 1884 was a memorable one, being 
 the year in which Cleveland was first elected to 
 the presidency, his opponent being James G. 
 Blaine. Mr. Richmond was in that year nomi- 
 
E. D. RiciiM 
 
 OND. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 99 
 
 nated by the democrats to the office of state's 
 attorney, his opponent on the repubHcan ticket 
 being Winslow Evans, then residing in Wenona, 
 where he was in the enjoyment of a comfortable 
 practice, and who later served as a county judge. 
 The canvass was a warm one, but Mr. Rich- 
 mond was elected by one majority. Serving the 
 four years' terms of office, he was re-nominated 
 in 1888, and again elected, but served only two 
 years. In 1890 he resigned the office to accept 
 the nomination for the office of county judge, 
 his opponent again being Hon. Winslow Evans, 
 who was then serving in the office, and who had 
 been re-nominated by the republican party. 
 His election followed, receiving a majority of 
 two hundred and fifty votes, which he consid- 
 ered a very handsome compliment. On the 
 expiration of his term in 1894 he was re-nom- 
 inated and re-elected, and is now serving his 
 second term. During his entire service as county 
 judge he has had but one decision appealed 
 from; that being a case involving the question 
 of the validity of a special tax for the construc- 
 tion of water works in Wenona. His decision 
 was adverse to the objectors. The case is now 
 pending before the supreme court. 
 
 On the 28th of July, 1892, Judge Richmond 
 was united in marriage with Miss Jennie M. 
 Hoyt, a daughter of James Hoyt, one of the 
 pioneers of Marshall county, now in his ninetieth 
 year, and well preserved physically and mentally. 
 With one exception, Mr. Hoyt is the oldest man 
 living in Marshall county. Besides Mrs. Rich- 
 mond he has five living children: Sarah E., the 
 widow of Samuel Clifford, residing near We- 
 nona; Julia, now the wife of John Bobbitt; 
 Henry H. Hoyt, Greenfield, Missouri; Seymour 
 Hoyt, a lawyer, and until recently county judge 
 of Dade county, Missouri; and Charles E. Hoyt, 
 of Lacon, Illinois. Mrs. Richmond was born 
 July 28, 1862, in Marshall county. She is a grad- 
 uate of the Lacon high school and also of the 
 Boston Conservatory of Music, taking her de- 
 gree in 1886. At the time of her marriage she 
 was a teacher of music in Cornell college, Mt. 
 Vernon, Iowa, and as such had rendered great 
 6 
 
 satisfaction to her pupils and the college faculty. 
 While not neglecting family duties she still keeps 
 up her interest in musical studies and the musical 
 world. To Judge and Mrs. Richmond three 
 children have been born: Geraldine, Lyle Lee, 
 and Paul James. 
 
 Fraternally, Judge Richmond is a member of 
 Lacon lodge, No. 61, A. F. & A. M., and has 
 taken "an active part in the work of his lodge. 
 He is now serving as worshipful master of the 
 lodge. Tile judge is also a member of Lacon 
 chapter, No. 123, R. A. M., and has served two 
 years as high priest. While politically a strong 
 democrat, he has kept out of partisan politics 
 and has ever enjoyed the confidence and respect 
 of his poHtical opponents. He stands squarely 
 on the Cleveland platform on the monetary ques- 
 tion and also in regard to the Monroe doctrine. 
 
 FRANK A. JOHNSON, superintendent of 
 the gas works of Princeton, Illinois, was born 
 in central Sweden, March 2, 1850, and is a son 
 of John and Lena (Olofson) Samuelson, both na- 
 tives of the same country. In that country the 
 father engaged in agricultural pursuits, and in 
 1870 came to America, being still a resident of 
 Princeton at the ripe old age of seventy-eight 
 years. Here he has engaged in general labor. 
 The mother did not come to the United States 
 until three years after her husband's arrival, and 
 here died at the age of fifty-six years. In relig- 
 ious belief they were Lutherans. 
 
 In the family of nine children our subject is the 
 fourth in order of birth, the others being as fol- 
 lows: John A. married Lottie Freeburg, and 
 resides on a farm in Des Moines county, Iowa; 
 Charles A. Johnson married Louisa Spake, the 
 sister of the druggist in Princeton, and they live 
 on a farm in Princeton township, Bureau county; 
 Emil married Sophia Anderson and operates a 
 farm in Dover township, the same county; Emily 
 Samuelson is the deceased wife of Charles A. 
 Anderson, of Bureau county; Warner A. Sam- 
 uelson lives in Princeton; Otto died at the age 
 of nineteen years; WiUiam Samuelson is a dry 
 goods merchant of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and 
 
lOO 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Alma Samuelson makes her home in Princeton. 
 
 Frank A. Johnson had his Hterary training in 
 tlie scliools of Sweden, and completed his edu- 
 cation in this country. Learning telegraphy, he 
 became a good operator, and for four years was 
 employed at that occupation in Princeton. Pie 
 was next with the American Express Company 
 for several years, after which he clerked in the 
 grocery store of Delano & Son for twelve'years, 
 at the same time working at telegraphy. It was 
 in 1892 that he became connected with the gas 
 business, and is now the efficient superintendent 
 of the gas works of Princeton. 
 
 On the 13th of September, 1880, Mr. John- 
 son was united in marriage with Miss Christiana 
 C. Dyke, daughter of John L. Dyke, who is still 
 a resident of Sweden, where the mother died in 
 1895, at the age of seventy-five years. Mr. John- 
 son affiliates with the Masonic order, in which 
 he has taken the ninth degree, and belongs to 
 the blue lodge, chapter and commandery. He 
 is also a member of the uniformed rank of 
 Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of 
 America, and the Knights and Ladies of Honor. 
 In politics he is a republican and served for four 
 years as treasurer of Princeton, while religiously 
 both himself and wife hold membership in the 
 Swedish Lutheran church. They have a wide 
 circle of friends and acquaintances in Bureau 
 county and are valued and representative citi- 
 zens of Princeton. 
 
 ISAAC M. FORBES, general farmer and stock 
 dealer, is one of the best known men in Mar- 
 shall county, being a man of rare business tact 
 and ability and one of the best judges of stock 
 in the state. Often he is called upon to act as 
 judge of Shorthorn cattle at state fairs and fat 
 stock exhibits, and his judgment in such mat- 
 ters is seldom called in question. He is a na- 
 tive of Hopewell township, Marshall county, born 
 on the farm where he now resides, September 
 19, 1847, 3-^^ is ^ s°'^ °^ Peter and Sarah (Buck- 
 ino-ham) Forbes, the former a native of North 
 Carolina, and the latter of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Caleb Forbes, the grandfather of our subject, 
 
 was of Scotch descent, but reared in North Caro- 
 lina, where he married Elizabeth Lindsey, and 
 there reared a family of four children. The fam- 
 ily came to Marshall county in 1831, by wagon 
 from North Carolina, and settled upon section 
 15, Hopewell township. Tlie tract was all tim- 
 ber land, none of which was of recent growth. 
 The Indians and wild animals were numerous 
 at this time. Caleb Forbes was the first settler 
 in Hopewell township, and there lived peace- 
 fully with the Indians, never having any trouble 
 from their presence. He improved his farm, and 
 there resided for many years, finally, however, 
 retiring from active work and moving to Henry, 
 where he died at the residence of his daughter, 
 at the age of about eighty-three years. His wife 
 also died at about the same age and their bodies 
 were interred in the cemetery on his farm, known 
 as the Forbes cemetery. 
 
 For some years after coming to Marshall 
 county, Caleb Forbes operated a horse mill, the 
 first in this locality. It was well patronized by 
 the old settlers for many miles around. In early 
 life he was a member of the Baptist church, but 
 later became a Universalist and died in that 
 faith. He was one of the best read men in scrip- 
 tures and was well read in the general literature 
 of the day. Of the four children born to Caleb 
 Forbes and wife, William, Courtney Martin, Mrs. 
 Fannie Sawyer and Peter, are all deceased. 
 
 Peter Forbes, the father of our subject, was 
 the youngest child of the family, and was twelve 
 years of age when he came with his parents to 
 Marshall county. His education in the schools 
 was very limited, but he was a natural mathe- 
 matician, and delighted in solving intricate prob- 
 lems. He married Sarah Buckingham, a native 
 of Greene county, Pennsylvania, born in 1820, 
 and a daughter of Isaac Buckingham, who was 
 of English descent. Her father removed to 
 Woodford county, Illinois, in 1831, locating near 
 Washburn, where Mrs. Forbes grew to lovely 
 womanhood. After their marriage they settled 
 upon the farm now owned by our subject and 
 lived for some years in a sawed oak timber 
 house. His father gave him eighty acres of 
 
THE r.IOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 lOI 
 
 land, which was then unimproved, and was by 
 him cleared of timber and brought under culti- 
 vation. In addition to his farming- operations, 
 he traded in stock and was for years one of the 
 foremost business men in this locality. In the 
 early day he used to haul wheat to Chicago and 
 sell it there for thirty-seven and a half cents per 
 bushel. He also drove many a herd of cattle to 
 that city, and was a heavy shipper of stock. Suc- 
 cess crowned his efforts and at his death he was 
 the possessor of two thousand two hundred and 
 eighty acres of land, the greater part of which 
 was accumulated during the last ten years of his 
 life. He died November 7, i860, and his estate 
 was valued at about eighty-seven thousand dol- 
 lars. His wife survived him several years, dying 
 jNIarch 9, 1871. They were the parents of ten chil- 
 dren, six of whom grew to maturity. Mary Eliza- 
 beth, who married John Kennedy, died, leav- 
 ing seven children. William, who married Laura 
 Mayes, now lives in Harper county, Kansas, and 
 they have two children. Ruth, now the wife of 
 Irving Broadus, lives in Lacon, Illinois, and they 
 have five children. Isaac M. is the subject of 
 this sketch. Caleb married Ellen E. Green, who 
 died, leaving three children. Sarah Eleanor, now 
 the wife of Samuel M. Croft, lives in Harper 
 county, Kansas, and is the mother of six chil- 
 dren. In politics, Peter Forbes was a democrat, 
 and held many of the township offices, including 
 supervisor. He was a well posted man, and his 
 death was mourned, not alone by his family, but 
 by many friends as well. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born September 
 19, 1847, on the farm where he now resides. 
 After receiving his primai'y education in the pub- 
 lic schools of Marshall county, he entered Lom- 
 bard university of Galesburg, Illinois, where he 
 finished his course. From the time he was four- 
 teen years old he handled and traded in stock, 
 and was always successful in that line. After 
 leaving college, he traveled for a year, and subse- 
 quently, in 1870, married Miss Fannie M. Thorp, 
 a native of Ohio, and daughter of James and 
 Margaret Jane (Vance) Thorp, the former a na- 
 tive of New York, and the latter of Virginia. 
 
 They were married, however, in Erie county, 
 Ohio, and in 1857 came to Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois, making their permanent home at Henry, 
 where both subsequently died. They were the 
 parents of seven children, of whom four grew to 
 maturity — James, who married Jane Irwin, now 
 lives in Jewell county, Kansas; John, who mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Klegg, now resides on a large 
 farm in Livingston county, Illinois; William, 
 who married Margaret Ford, now resides in 
 Peoria, Illinois, and Fannie M. is now Mrs. 
 Forbes. 
 
 Mrs. Forbes, who was born March 31, 1851, 
 in Erie county, Ohio, received her education in 
 the public schools of Henry, Illinois. After her 
 marriage with Mr. Forbes, they settled upon the 
 home place of her husband. But one child came 
 to bless their union — Rankin Caleb, who was 
 born Januarv 4, 1882. For the past fourteen years 
 Mr. Forbes has been engaged in raising thor- 
 oughbred stock, especially Shorthorn cattle. At 
 the present time he has a large herd upon his 
 place, comprising upwards of a hundred head 
 and he has made many sales in Chicago and 
 elsewhere. Of his farm of seven hundred acres 
 the greater part of it is used for grazing pur- 
 poses. In addition to his home farm he and his 
 brother Caleb have a farm of three hundred and 
 fifty acres in Jefferson county, Iowa, the greater 
 part of which is also used for grazing purposes. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Forbes is a democrat, and for 
 years has taken an active part in political affairs 
 in his township and county. He has been road 
 commissioner, assessor and supervisor, serving 
 in the latter office for three years. He has been 
 urged by his friends time and again to make the 
 run as a member of the general assembly, and 
 also for the state senate, but has invariably de- 
 clined the honor. For some years he has been in 
 partnership with his brother Caleb in the stock 
 business, in which line they have met with the 
 best success. They are both business men of ac- 
 knowledged ability and thoroughly understand 
 the business in which they are engaged. Few 
 men have the confidence of their fellow-citizens 
 in a greater degree than the Forbes brothers. A 
 
I02 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 daughter of Caleb Forbes, Miss Mabel, is a 
 young lady of great natural ability as an elocu- 
 tionist, and her rendering of "The Two Por- 
 traits" is rarely excelled. 
 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. Forbes is an ideal 
 one, both being highly educated and yet keep 
 up their reading in the standard and current 
 literature of the day. 
 
 ANDREW RAMSEY HANCOCK, of La- 
 con, president of the Sparland Coal Com- 
 pany, is one of the best known men in Marshall 
 county, having been prominently before the peo- 
 ple for a quarter of a century, and very active 
 in the councils of his political party, the demo- 
 cratic, having served as chairman of the county 
 central committee, and is at present secretary 
 of the same. He is not only well known locally, 
 but throughout the state, having for many years 
 attended every state and national convention of 
 his party. A native of Marshall county, born 
 in Hopewell township, November 23, 1848, he 
 has here resided his entire life. His father, Wil- 
 liam W. Hancock, was a native of Dublin, Ire- 
 land, and came to the United States when a 
 young man of twenty years. For a time he re- 
 sided in Pennsylvania, and later removed to Day- 
 ton, Ohio, where he remained until the latter 
 part of the '30s, when he came to Marshall coun- 
 ty, and here resided until his death. Soon after 
 coming here he formed the acquaintance of Eliz- 
 abeth Orr, with whom he was united in marriage, 
 and with whom he happily lived until separated 
 by death. She was a daughter of James and 
 Sarah Orr, natives of Maryland, and pioneers of 
 Marshall county, the family locating in Lacon 
 township, just north of Lacon. Her father died 
 in 1867, at the age of seventy-eight, being born 
 in 1787. Of the family only one now survives. 
 
 On coming to Marshall county, William W. 
 Hancock worked for a time by the day and 
 month until he had saved enough to purchase 
 a small piece of land in Hopewell township, to 
 which he removed and where he resided until 
 his death. To his original purchase he subse- 
 quently added other tracts until he had a fine 
 
 farm of six hundred and eighty acres, which he 
 placed under a high state of cultivation. He was 
 an excellent farmer, a good judge of stock and 
 made a specialty of fine cattle. In addition to 
 his home farm, he was the owner of three hun- 
 dren and sixty acres in two farms located else- 
 where. When he made his first purchase his 
 capital consisted of six hundred dollars, the sav- 
 ings of years. By strict economy and careful 
 attention to his business, he was enabled to 
 place himself in comfortable circumstances and 
 died the possessor of a fair share of this world's 
 goods. His death occurred in 1890, at the age 
 of seventy-seven years. His wife survived him 
 one year, dying in 1891. They were the pa- 
 rents of six children : Ann Louisa married Mor- 
 gan Boys, and died in 1865, at the age of twenty- 
 seven years; James Washington, while making 
 his home at Lacon, is a storekeeper in the United 
 States internal revenue service at Peoria; Wil- 
 liam Emmett resides in Lacon ; Andrew R. is the 
 subject of this sketch; Alpheus died at the age 
 of nineteen years, and Ira F. resides in Lacon. 
 
 In politics, William W. Hancock was a demo- 
 crat of the old school, and was well posted in 
 the political and general history of the country, 
 and knew how to express himself clearly and 
 forcibly upon all questions of public interest. He 
 cared nothing for the honors or emoluments of 
 public office, but did care for the principles of 
 his party, in which he had the greatest faith and 
 confidence. For years he served as supervisor 
 of his township and also school treasurer, and 
 was such at the time of his death. At the Balti- 
 more convention in 1S60, at which Stepben A. 
 Douglas was nominated for the presidency, he 
 served as an alternate delegate. He was strictly 
 a temperate man, using no liquor or tobacco in 
 any form. Reared in the Episcopal faith, in later 
 years he attended the Presbyterian church, and 
 died in the faith of a blessed resurrection. He 
 was always an active, pushing and hard working 
 man, and kept his business intact until the last, 
 giving personal attention to every detail. 
 
 Andrew R. Hancock, our subject, remained at 
 home until he attained his majority, assisting in 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 103 
 
 the farm work from the time he was old enough 
 to "drop corn" or follow the plow. His education 
 was received in the public schools, but he has al- 
 ways been a great reader and observer of pass- 
 ing events, and is therefore one of the best posted 
 men in the country. It may be said that he in- 
 herited a taste for political warfare, and from the 
 time he cast his first vote in the spring of 1870 
 he has been prominently indentified with the po- 
 litical history of his county and state. For two 
 terms he served acceptably in the office of super- 
 visor from his township, and in 1880 was nomi- 
 nated for the office of sheriff. Notwithstanding 
 at this time the county had a republican majority 
 of six hundred, he entered the canvass with a de- 
 termination to win. The large republican ma- 
 jority was not only overcome, but he received a 
 majority of one hundred and forty-eight votes. 
 Re-nominated, he was elected by over five hun- 
 dred majority. During his term several import- 
 ant murder trials occurred, and in the discharge 
 of the duties of the office he displayed great 
 ability. His abilities were recognized by the 
 State Sherifif's association by his election as pres- 
 ident of that body, an office which he filled in a 
 most acceptable manner. About this time he 
 served one year as deputy United States marshal. 
 After serving his second term as sheriff, he was 
 nominated for the office of county treasurer, but 
 was defeated by a small majority. 
 
 It must not be considered from what has al- 
 ready been said that Mr. Hancock is a politician 
 pure and simple, for the fact of the case is he is 
 recognized as one of the leading business men 
 of the county, having for the past seven years 
 been president of the Sparland Coal Company, 
 and giving the business his personal attention. 
 The company employs about one hundred miners 
 and has a daily output of one hundred and twen- 
 ty-five tons. Its main shaft is located near the 
 Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad at Spar- 
 land, and the company is now working its third 
 vein, which is thirty inches thick. In addition 
 to his duties in connection with the coal busi- 
 ness, Mr. Hancock is engaged in buying and 
 shipping stock, and supplying stock feeders with 
 
 young animals. He has a fine farm of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres, five miles from Lacon, and 
 also owns one hundred and forty acres of the 
 old homestead. In looking after his various in- 
 terests it can be conceived that his time is fully 
 occupied. 
 
 Mr. Hancock was married December 16, 1880, 
 to Miss Phoebe A. Myers, a daughter of John 
 and Mary (Wright) Myers, of Roberts town- 
 ship. Her father, who now resides in Peoria, 
 came to this county with his parents before the 
 Black Hawk war, which occurred in 1832. His 
 father, also named John, died here when past 
 seventy-eight years of age, and the old home- 
 stead is yet owned by him. Two children have 
 been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hancock — Tracy and 
 Lura — both yet residing at home. Mrs. Han- 
 cock is a woman of domestic tastes and habits, 
 a member of the Congregational church, and is 
 well known and universally esteemed. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Hancock is a Mason, a mem- 
 ber of Lacon lodge, No. 61, F. & A. M.; of 
 Lacon council, R. A. M.; of Peoria command- 
 ery, No. 3, K. T., and also the Shrine at Peoria. 
 In Masonic work he has taken an active part, 
 and is well posted in the history and work of the 
 order. He is a lover of fast horses, and is at 
 present president of the Lacon Driving asso- 
 ciation. As a citizen he has the best interests of 
 his town and country at heart, and at all times is 
 ready to give his influence in behalf of any good 
 work. 
 
 FREDERICK HILDEBRAND, who for 
 many years was one of the most active and 
 energetic farmers of Hall township. Bureau 
 county, is now living retired at Ladd, and there 
 expects to spend his declining years in the en- 
 joyment of the fruits of his former toil. He was 
 born in the province of Hanover, Germany, 
 April, 1829, there grew to manhood and received 
 a good education in his native tongue. On com- 
 pleting his literary studies he learned the lock- 
 smith's trade, which he there followed until 
 1852, when he bade good-by to the friends of his 
 youth and started for America. From Ham- 
 
104 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 burg he went to Liverpool, England, where he 
 embarked on a sailing vessel, which carried sev- 
 en hundred and thirty-four passengers and was 
 thirty-four days in crossing the Atlantic. During 
 the long and tedious voyage they encountered 
 several severe storms, the vessel sprang a leak, 
 many were ill, and seven who died were buried 
 in the sea. 
 
 It was in December, 1852, that Mr. Hildebrand 
 arrived in New York, from whence he went to 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he worked for 
 two weeks, and then proceeded to St. Louis. 
 After eleven days spent in the latter city he went 
 to Peru, Illinois, where he secured work in the 
 plow factory, and there remained for about eight 
 years. During that time he was married in 
 June, 1853, to JMiss Dora Fenhold, who was 
 born, reared and educated in Saxony, Germany, 
 and came with her parents to the new world. 
 They landed at New Orleans and came up the 
 Mississippi to St. Louis, and on to Peru. Near 
 that place, in La Salle county, her father, John 
 Fenhold, engaged in farming. 
 
 Mr. Hildebrand purchased a residence in Peru, 
 but about i860 sold out and bought one hundred 
 and sixty acres of prairie land in Hall township, 
 near the present village of Ladd. He erected a 
 good house thereon and at once began breaking 
 and fencing his land, which he soon had under 
 a high state of cultivation. He later purchased 
 an adjoining farm, comprising one hundred and 
 five acres, which is also well improved. Coming 
 to this country in limited circumstances he has 
 been the architect of his own fortunes and is 
 deserving of the highest commendation for the 
 wonderful success he has achieved. By the ex- 
 ercise of industry, energy and excellent manage- 
 ment he has secured an ample competence, and 
 is now the owner of two highly productive and 
 valuable farms, but is now living a retired life 
 at his pleasant residence in Ladd. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrand have been born 
 eight children, who grew to maturity, namely: 
 William, who grew to manhood and married, but 
 is now deceased; Charles, who is married and 
 is a leading business man of Spring Valley; John, 
 
 a farmer residing near Princeton; August, who is 
 married, and is now operating one of the farms 
 belonging to his father; George, who is mar- 
 ried and is a lawyer of Chicago; Mary, the wife 
 of Jack Warner, a farmer of Bureau county; 
 Ettie, wife of Charles Cacher, of Racine, Wis- 
 consin, and Bertha, wife of Henry Brantz, a 
 farmer of Livingston county, Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Hildebrand advocates and supports the 
 principles of the republican party, and being a 
 warm friend of the cause of education, for two 
 years faithfully served as a member of the school 
 board. On the 26th of February, 1889, he re- 
 moved to the village of Ladd and erected the 
 first residence in that place. He is a prominent 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to 
 the blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and 
 both himself and wife are connected with the 
 Lutheran church at Peru. For almost half a 
 century they have made their home in Illinois, 
 and for thirty-five years have been residents of 
 Bureau county, during which time they have 
 been identified with its growth and upbuilding 
 and witnessed its transformation from a wilder- 
 ness and swamp to one of the best counties in 
 this CTeat commonwealth. 
 
 WILLIAM PL GERMAN, residing on a 
 fine farm of t\\o hundred acres on sec- 
 tion 15, Hopewell township, and who is also the 
 owner of another farm of one hundred and twen- 
 ty acres on section 14, of the same township, 
 while making no pretension of great ability in 
 any particular manner, is yet a man who has 
 drawn around him many friends who admire his 
 honesty of heart and such qualities that go to 
 make up the trustful man. His father, John 
 German, was a native of Zanesville, Ohio, born 
 in 1797, and was a son of Moses and Caroline 
 German, natives of Pennsylvania, but of Ger- 
 man descent. 
 
 John German grew to manhood on his fath- 
 er's farm near Zanesville, Ohio, and there mar- 
 ried Cassandra Smith, a native of Ohio. In 
 1 83 1 they moved to Putnam county, Illinois, and 
 settled near ^lagnolia. After a vear he went 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 105 
 
 back to Ohio, but returning to Putnam county 
 for a time, rented farms in Magnolia township. 
 They were the parents of eight children: Sam- 
 uel, who left home many years ago, and was 
 never afterward heard from; Moses, who lives in 
 Iowa; Rachel, wife of Calvin Shields, of Put- 
 nam count}', Illinois; Susan, who first married 
 Henry Hannum, and on his death married 
 Thomas Johnson, now lives in Henry, Illinois; 
 Elizabeth, now the wife of Y. A. Glenn, of Put- 
 nam county; Gilla, who married Daniel Har- 
 ney, both of whom are now deceased; William 
 H., our subject, and Maria, who died at the age 
 of sixteen years. The mother of these children 
 dying, the father married Elizabeth Morris, who 
 is now deceased, and by this marriage were 
 three children — Joseph, now living in Iowa; 
 Eleanor, now the wife of T. W. Stoner, of Hope- 
 well township, and Melissa, now the wife of Wil- 
 liam Fetter, residing in Iowa. John German was 
 for many years a class leader in the Methodist 
 Episcopal church, and died in the faith. He 
 was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born March 12, 
 1840, on Ox Bow Prairie, near Magnolia, Put- 
 nam county, Illinois, and there grew to man- 
 hood. His father being in limited circumstances, 
 was unable to give him the education he de- 
 sired and therefore his school days were but few 
 in number and he may be said to be a self-edu- 
 cated man. In August, 1862, he enlisted in 
 Company B, seventy-seventh Illinois volunteer 
 infantry, and went with his regiment to the front. 
 After a short term of service he was taken sick 
 with the measles at Covington, Kentucky, and 
 lost his voice for a period of three months, for 
 which cause he was honorably discharged. 
 
 Returning home, Mr. German resumed his 
 occupation of farming, and November 12, 1863, 
 married Miss Ada E. Stewart, a native of Hen- 
 nepin, Illinois, and a daughter of John E. and 
 .Sophia H. (Chaplin) Stewart, the former a na- 
 tive of Ohio, born in 1814, and the latter of 
 North Carolina, born in 181 7. John E. Stewart 
 was a son of John I. Stewart, who came from 
 Scotland. His father was a well educated man, 
 
 a surveyor Ijy profession, and served as a sol- 
 dier in the war of 1812. The father of Mrs. Ger- 
 man came to Hennepin in 1832, and there en- 
 gaged in his trade of tailoring, in which line he 
 continued until 1845, then removed to a farm. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stewart were the parents of eight 
 children, seven of whom grew to maturity — Mary 
 Jane, now the wife of I. A. Glenn, of Putnam 
 county ; Nancy W., now the wife of E. S. Foster, 
 living in La Salle county, Illinois ; Mrs. German ; 
 Lucinda W., now the wife of John McCloskey, 
 living in Roberts township, Marshall county; 
 Kelp S., who married Rosa Belle Graves, now 
 deceased, lives in Washington county, Kansas; 
 Elizabeth Frances, who is now deceased and El- 
 len, now the wife of W. A. Stoner, of Englewood, 
 Illinois. Mrs. Stewart, who was a mem- 
 ber of the Baptist church, died April 8, 1892. 
 Mr. Stewart resided in La Salle county, Illinois, 
 up to the date of his death, which occurred Jan- 
 uary 30, 1896. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. German eight children have 
 been born, three of whom are now living — 
 Charles Stewart, Moses Samuel and Edwin 
 Schon. Immediately after marriage, Mr. and 
 Mrs. German commenced their domestic life 
 upon a farm in Putnam county, and there rented 
 land until 1866. He then purchased a small 
 farm on Clear creek, in Hennepin township, Put- 
 nam county, which was then unimproved timber 
 land. He at once commenced its improvement 
 and after remaining there until 1881 sold out and 
 removed to his present location in Hopewell 
 township, Marshall county, where he has a fine 
 farm of three hundred and twenty acres, all of 
 which is well improved. Mr. German is engaged 
 in general farming, confining himself to no par- 
 ticular branch, and has been quite successful dur- 
 ing the fifteen years of his residence in Marshall 
 county. He has lately remodeled his large barn 
 and built a fine dwelling, in which the family now 
 reside. 
 
 While engaged in hunting on the 23d of Au- 
 gust, 1873, Mr. German accidentally shot himself 
 in the left arm, necessitating its amputation above 
 the elbow. Notwithstanding this unfortunate oc- 
 
io6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 currence, he seems to get along as well as most 
 men who have the use of both hands and arms. 
 Fraternally he is a member of Lookout Mountain 
 post, No. 94, G. A. R., and politically he is in- 
 dependent, voting for such men and measures 
 as he thinks will best advance the interests of his 
 town and country. He has been assessor of 
 Hopewell township six years ; road commissioner 
 three years, and has also served as school direc- 
 tor for a number of years. 
 
 Mrs. German, who was born January 15, 1844, 
 was reared on the farm and received a good edu- 
 cation in the district schools, preparing herself 
 as a teacher, and for several terms taught in the 
 public schools of Putnam county, Illinois. She 
 is a kind-hearted, intelligent woman, and has 
 a host of friends throughout Marshall and Put- 
 nam counties. The same can also be said of 
 Mr. German. 
 
 LEWIS HOLMES, residing on section 18, 
 Macon township. Bureau county, Illinois, 
 is a pioneer that deserves especial mention in 
 a work of this kind. He is a native of Wind- 
 ham county, Connecticut, born August 10, 1814, 
 and the only child born unto Thomas and Jeru- 
 sha (Whittemore) Holmes, both of whom were 
 also natives of the same state. His father was 
 an agriculturist and spent his entire life upon 
 a farm, dying in 1815. His mother died in 1852, 
 when about seventy years of age. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared upon a 
 farm and received but a common school educa- 
 tion. He remained at home until attaining his 
 majority, assisting in the cultivation of the farm, 
 after which he worked in the woolen and cotton 
 manufactories in Rhode Island and Massachu- 
 setts until 1838, when he emigrated to Oneida 
 county. New York. His first year of his resi- 
 dence in that state he worked on the Erie canal, 
 and then returned to the woolen manufacturing 
 business in Madison county, where he remained 
 imtil 1848. He now determined to emigrate 
 west and made the trip from his New York 
 home by way of the Erie canal and the great 
 lakes to Chicago, thence by the Chicago, Peru 
 
 & La Salle canal. He came direct to where 
 the present village of Providence stands and 
 where he had purchased a quarter section of land 
 before leaving the east. He did not like the loca- 
 tion, however, and accompanied by the man who 
 had been paying the taxes on his land for some 
 years, started out on a prospecting tour, desiring 
 to locate where there was some timber. The 
 present site of his farm attracted his eye and 
 learning that it could be purchased at the gov- 
 ernment price of a dollar and a quarter per acre, 
 he at once laid claim to it and subsequently pur- 
 chased it. This was the southeast quarter of 
 section 18. There was no improvement upon the 
 place, nor any settlers for some distance around. 
 It was a beautiful site, with an elevation of per- 
 haps two hundred feet, on which he afterward 
 erected his residence. The water on the north 
 side of this elevation finds its way into the Rock 
 river and that of the south side into the Illinois 
 river. His first dwelling was a little log cabin, 
 which was about sixteen feet square, its roof cov- 
 ered with slough grass. There was only one 
 window in the cabin and only one door, the latter 
 being hung on wooden hinges. The floor was 
 Mother Earth. 
 
 At the time of Mr. Holmes' settlement in 
 Macon township there were nine families resid- 
 ing in the vicinity, those of Thomas Motherell, 
 James Aiken, John Zink, Samuel Zink, George 
 Zink, Allen Horton, Charles Wood, William 
 Baker, Cyrus Sweet. Hennepin and Henry were 
 the market places in those days. An incident 
 worthy of mention is related by Mr. Holmes in 
 this connection. William Baker and himself 
 were shocking sod com when an Indian was 
 seen coming toward them. On reaching them 
 he said: "Indian go up cabin and lie down, as 
 there is a big storm coming." Mr. Holmes told 
 him to go and lie down in the shade, and that 
 night, he says, there was one of the worst thun- 
 der storms he ever experienced in the country 
 within the recollection of any of its people, light- 
 ning striking five trees in succession. 
 
 The first school in the township was held just 
 north of the present schoolhouse in the grove. 
 
Lewis Holmes. 
 
Mrs. Lewis Holmes. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 109 
 
 It was an improvised log house, furnished with 
 slab seats and other pioneer school furniture. 
 Mr. Holmes engaged a teadier from Osceola, 
 Stark county, jNIiss EHzabeth Hamilton. Since 
 that day other and better school houses have 
 been erected, and those in Macon township will 
 compare favorably with any in Bureau county. 
 
 Mr. Holmes has been twice married, his first 
 union being with Miss Hannah Lee, a native of 
 Massachusetts. They were married in 1837, in 
 Thompsontown, Windham county, Connecticut, 
 and by this union seven children were born, five 
 of whom are now living : Mary E. is the wife of 
 I. W. Eaton, a farmer of Macon township, by 
 whom she has three sons, Lewis H., William G., 
 and George S.; W'illiam H., who resides in 
 Brown county, South Dakota, is married and 
 has two sons, Lewis S. and William G. He is 
 by occupation a farmer, and politically is a re- 
 publican; Galusha L. superintends the old home 
 farm, and politically is a stanch republican ; Han- 
 nah is the wife of I. S. Anderson, a resident of 
 Buda, who represents an agricultural house in 
 Chicago; Lewis H. is their only child; Emma L. 
 is now the wife of Henry White. She was first 
 married to Silas Horton, by whom she had one 
 daughter, Elsie; Lewis Benjamin, the youngest 
 of the family, died at the age of eleven months. 
 The mother of these children died in January, 
 1859, and her remains were interred in the Wal- 
 nut Grove cemetery. 
 
 The second marriage of Mr. Holmes was with 
 Miss Sarah Coate, a native of Essex county, 
 England. They were married September 25, 
 i860, and by this union three children were born, 
 two now living: Lewis James, who is a pros- 
 perous farmer residing in Macon township, mar- 
 ried Miss Etta Sanfleben, and they have five 
 children, Lewis H., Eva B., Sadie C, Lizzie, and 
 Grace M. In politics he is a republican; Mar- 
 shall D., the second son, was twenty years of 
 age when he died, his death being caused by 
 having been run over by the cars. He was an 
 honest, upright young man, the pride of his par- 
 ents; George W., the third son, is a resident of 
 Buda, and married to Miss Lizzie Mangen. Mrs. 
 
 Holmes was born August 25, 1827, and is a 
 daughter of James and Mary (Eaton) Coate. She 
 was educated in the common schools of her 
 native land and was twenty-seven years of age 
 when she took passage for the new world in 
 the good ship Northumberland, which was six 
 weeks and three days in making the trip. The 
 vessel was several times becalmed and encoun- 
 tered several severe storms. Landing at Castle 
 Garden she came direct to Sheffield, Bureau 
 county, with her brother. She was formerly a 
 member of the church of England. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Holmes is a stanch republican, 
 but in early life was a Henry Clay whig. A 
 strong anti-slavery man, he naturally drifted into 
 the republican party on its organization, and has 
 since advocated its principles. His first presi- 
 dential vote was cast for Henry Clay, and his 
 last for W'illiam McKinley. In local affairs, 
 however, he always votes for the man rather 
 than the party. For forty years he has served 
 as township assessor, a record which is probably 
 not paralleled in the entire state. He has also 
 served as supervisor of his townsliip several terms 
 and has served his fellow-citizens in other local 
 offices. He was present at the first election after 
 the organization of the township. 
 
 The public schools of Macon township have 
 found in Jilr. Holmes a strong and firm friend. 
 He was elected as trustee and school director 
 when the district was organized and served con- 
 tinuously in the two offices until the state law 
 prohibited a man from holding two offices. He 
 was then asked which of the two he would take 
 and responded : "I will take the directorship and 
 act as clerk of the board," which he has done up 
 to the present time. He has been a servant of 
 the people for forty-six years, and now at the 
 age of eighty-two is as bright intellectually and 
 as quick physically as many men thirty years 
 younger. In all this time he has had charge 
 of school affairs, settling with all the teachers 
 employed and the assessing and valuation of the 
 real estate and personal property of the citizens 
 of Macon township. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Holmes is not a member of 
 
no 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 any church, but has endeavored to live an up- 
 right hfe, doing as he would be done by. He 
 has often been called upon to aid in church erec- 
 tions and has never withheld his mite. The two 
 first sermons preached in the township were in 
 his log cabin. No man in Bureau county is held 
 in greater esteem than the subject of this sketch. 
 On leaving home he was the possessor of about 
 five dollars and the clothes which he wore upon 
 his back. He has always been a hard working 
 man and little by little added to his possessions, 
 until now, in his declining years, he is possessed 
 of a large tract of land in one of the finest coun- 
 ties in the great state of Illinois, with a good 
 comfortable residence and all modern im- 
 provements. Since coming to this coun- 
 ty in 1848 he has resided continuously in 
 Macon township, has never returned to 
 his eastern home and was never' away 
 from his home at any one period more than five 
 days, and then when he was shipping stock to 
 Chicago. On coming to this county neither one 
 of the great lines of railroads had been project- 
 ed and the greater part of the entire county was 
 in its primitive state. All the great changes have 
 been witnessed by him, and in its transformation 
 he has borne no inconsiderable part. 
 
 REV. J. A. CARLSTROM, the regularly in- 
 stalled pastor of the Swedish Lutheran 
 church of Princeton, was born in the south of 
 Sweden, October 3, 1857, and is the son of Carl 
 and Catherine Swanson, who spent their entire 
 lives in that country, the father dying at the age 
 of fifty years and the mother when forty-three. 
 The former led the quiet, unassuming life of a 
 farmer, and was twice married, by his first union 
 having three children — Matilda and Huldah, who 
 died in childhood, and our subject. After the 
 death of the mother of these children he mar- 
 ried Caroline, a sister of his first wife, who is 
 still living in Sweden. Two children were born 
 to them — Matilda, who also makes her home 
 in that country, and Huldah, a resident of Bos- 
 ton, Massachusetts. 
 
 Mr. Carlstrom attended the public schools of 
 
 his native country, and was later a student in a 
 Swedish college. For some time he there en- 
 gaged in preaching before coming to America, 
 but since 1886 has been connected with pas- 
 toral work in the United States. Having com- 
 pleted a course at the theological seminary of 
 Rock Island, Illinois, in 1889, he was graduated 
 and then ordained. He was connected with the 
 work of the ministry of the Lutheran church at 
 St. Cloud, Minnesota, from that year until 1895, 
 when he came to Princeton, arriving here on the 
 5th of April, and has since had charge of the 
 Swedish Lutheran church. He is a sincere and 
 conscientious Christian, a faithful worker in the 
 Master's vineyard, and has done much toward 
 uplifting and benefiting mankind. 
 
 On the 9th of April, 1896, Mr. Carlstrom was 
 united in marriage wnth Miss Maude Maria Au- 
 gusta Dyke, who was born in Sweden, February 
 I, 1868, and is a daughter of Nels August and 
 Maria Katrina Dyke, who emigrated to America 
 in 1869. The father became a prominent citizen 
 of Princeton, where they at once located and 
 where the mother still resides, and was officially 
 connected with its interests for sixteen years, 
 serving as superintendent of streets, and later as 
 superintendent of the water works. He was born 
 in the south of Sweden, February 12, 1842, and 
 died December 30, 1891. The mother's birth 
 occurred in the northern part of that country. 
 Mrs. Carlstrom is the oldest in their family of 
 three children. Conrad A., who graduated at 
 the Princeton high school in 1888, attended the 
 Gem City business college of Quincy for one 
 year, and is a young man of fine ability, quick 
 perception and much prominence. He has been 
 in the employ of the Erie Dispatch, but is now 
 resting in the hopes of regaining his usual health. 
 Huldah H., the youngest, graduated at the 
 Princeton high school with the class of 1894, 
 and is now assistant deputy of the county clerk 
 of Bureau county. 
 
 Mrs. Carlstrom was engaged in the schools of 
 Princeton, graduating at the Princeton high 
 school in 1885, and for over ten years taught in 
 the union schools of Princeton, and proved an 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Ill 
 
 efficient and capable teacher. She is a lady of 
 excellent and scholarly attainments, a deep stu- 
 dent, and can converse easily in the Swedish, 
 German and English languages. She is of pleas- 
 ing presence and easy manner, and wins many 
 friends. 
 
 In 1892, it being the four hundredth anniver- 
 sary of the discovery of America, and great prep- 
 arations being made for the great Columbian ex- 
 position, the schools of Princeton requested that 
 two of the teachers write to Italy, the birth- 
 place of Columbus, and Spain, the country that 
 furnished the means for his explorations, for 
 flags — a most novel, unique and capital idea. 
 The ladies wrote to the rulers of those coun- 
 tries, but received no answers to their letters. 
 The king of Sweden, Oscar II., was at the same 
 time written to by Miss Maude Dyke (now Mrs. 
 Carlstrom), who was authorized to do the same, 
 and she received the following answer; 
 
 "His Majesty's the King's Bureau. 
 
 Stockholm, December 7, 1892. 
 Miss M. Dyke: 
 
 Upon his majesty's gracious cornmand, I am 
 pleased to inform you that your letter of the 5th 
 of Xovember has been received by his majesty 
 and that it is with pleasure that he grants your 
 request, viz. : To send to you a Swedish flag. In 
 compliance with his majesty's command, I have 
 sent to your address a Swedish flag, by the 
 steamer "Thyra." I presume it will be most 
 convenient for you to get the flag from New 
 York, either through the general consul or the 
 steamer's commissioner. 
 
 Receipt is enclosed, and upon its presentation 
 the flag may be received from the authorities at 
 New York. 
 
 The steamer "Thyra" left here a day or two 
 ago. With greatest respect, 
 
 GUSTAF CELSING. 
 
 Chief of His Majesty's Bureau." 
 
 The flag is a most beautiful one, made of the 
 best navy bunting, is ten by six feet, and hav- 
 ing served its purpose in the schools is now in 
 the parlor of Mrs. Carlstrom, who has just rea- 
 
 son to be proud of the way she was treated by 
 the king of her native land. 
 
 Rev. and Mrs. Carlstrom reside in the parson- 
 age of the church, where they began their do- 
 mestic life immediately after marriage. He is 
 greatly devoted to his profession, and while he 
 has been a resident of Princeton but a short 
 time, he has made many warm friends and is 
 doing good work in strengthening the spiritual 
 interests of his people. Mrs. Carlstrom, whO' has 
 been a resident of Princeton a much longer per- 
 iod, is well and favorably known and is a worthy 
 helpmeet to her husband and of great assistance 
 in his pastoral work. 
 
 WASHIXGTON E. COOK, deceased, was 
 for si.xteen years county clerk of Mar- 
 shall county, and, in due deference to all others, 
 he may be said to have been the democratic lead- 
 er in the county. Personally known by nearly 
 every person having business at the county seat, 
 he exercised an influence that was felt and ac- 
 knowledged by all. He traced his ancestry back 
 to one Elijah Cook, who came with the Pilgrim 
 fathers and afterward located in Connecticut. 
 One of the descendants of Elijah Cook, Eben- 
 ezer, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
 and in a very early day settled in Oneida county, 
 New York, and there reared a famil)- of eleven 
 sons and two daughters. The neighborhood 
 was known as "Cook's corners." One of his 
 sons, also named Ebenezer, married Leonora 
 Combs, and to them, on the 29th of December, 
 1809, was born the subject of this sketch. Eben- 
 ezer Cook, Sr., was a soldier in the war of 1812, 
 and until her death his widow received a pension 
 from the general government. 
 
 When our subject was but eleven years of 
 age his father died, and soon after he commenced 
 to learn the hatter's trade, but abandoned this 
 and secured a position as clerk in a general store, 
 where he remained some years, going from 
 thence to New York city, where he served one 
 year as clerk in a hotel. He then went to Hones- 
 dale, Pennsylvania, where, on the i6th of May, 
 1832, he was united in marriage with Miss Eu- 
 
112 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 nice Kellogg. Here purchasing a hotel, he con- 
 tinued in its management for four years, when 
 he removed to Dunkirk, New York, and as- 
 sisted in surveying the Buffalo & Erie railroad. 
 In June, 1838, he removed to Birmingham, Ohio, 
 where for nine years he was engaged in merchan- 
 dising. He now determined to go still farther 
 west, and came to Marshall county, locating 
 three miles west of Henry, where he purchased 
 three hundred and twenty acres of land for four 
 dollars per acre, and commenced a farmer's life. 
 This farm has since been known as the Harney 
 farm, Mr. Cook disposing of it after three years' 
 ownership. 
 
 Mr. Cook was not long a resident of the coun- 
 ty before his abilities were known and recog- 
 nized by his fellow citizens. In the fall of 1849 
 he was nominated and elected to the office of 
 county clerk, and removed with his family to 
 Lacon, December i, of that year. In that city 
 he continued to reside until his death. He was 
 re-elected county clerk three times, serving in 
 all sixteen years. He also served ten years as 
 township supervisor, and in whatever position 
 he was called upon to fill he discharged its duties 
 with fidelity and to the satisfaction of his con- 
 stituents. 
 
 In i860 Mr. Cook was sent as a delegate to 
 the Charleston convention and voted continu- 
 ously for Stephen A. Douglas. With the re- 
 mainder of the Illinois delegation he withdrew 
 from the convention when it was clearly shown 
 that their rights were not to be respected. In 
 1868 he was a delegate to the national demo- 
 cratic convention, which met that year at Phila- 
 delphia. His faith in the principles of the demo- 
 cratic party as enunciated by Jefferson and Jack- 
 son never wavered, and he died as he lived, a 
 democrat. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Cook was a Mason and had 
 attained the thirty-second degree of that order. 
 For some years he was a imember of Apollo coni- 
 mandery, Chicago, and was a charter member 
 of Peoria commandery. On his death, which 
 occurred January 7, 1879, the Masons took 
 charge of his funeral, attending in large numbers 
 
 from Peoria and elsewhere. Tlie circuit court, 
 which was then in session, adjourned out of re- 
 spect to his memory. 
 
 Mr. Cook was a self-educated man, having 
 little opportunity to attend either public or pri- 
 vate schools. His father dying when he was so 
 young necessitated his shifting for himself in a 
 great degree, but he was a great reader and 
 kept himself thoroughly informed on all the ques- 
 tions of the day, as well as in general literature. 
 Few men had a greater knowledge of American 
 history, especially its political aspect. Physical- 
 ly he was large and strong, able to endure al- 
 most any hardship. In Chicago, the great me- 
 tropolis of the west, he had unlimited faith, and 
 there invested nearly all his spare means. Some 
 of the real estate which he there purchased yet 
 remains in the hands of his son, George. 
 
 Notwithstanding she was almost a life-long 
 invalid, Mrs. Cook survived her husband some 
 sixteen years, dying March 25, 1895. Although 
 her sufferings at times were very great, she re- 
 mained cheerful and bore it all with Christian 
 fortitude. For very many years she was a mem- 
 ber of the Congregational church, and used her 
 every talent for the advancement of the Master's 
 cause, dying in the full assurance of faith. 
 
 Of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Cook, Helen 
 J. married D. W. Warner, and now resides in 
 Boulder, Montana; Belle V. is now the widow of 
 S. M. Garrett, of Lacon, while George W. E. still 
 resides in Lacon, enjoying the respect and es- 
 teem of all its citizens. He resides on the old 
 homestead in the north part of Lacon, which 
 has been in possession of the family since 1855, 
 the brick part of the house having been erected 
 in 1837. To such men as Washington E. Cook 
 much is due, and the lesson of their lives must 
 be an inspiration to all. 
 
 George W. E. Cook is a native of Bethany, 
 Pennsylvania, born June 23, 1834. Like his 
 father before him, he has been quite active as a 
 democratic politician and has served in various 
 official positions to the satisfaction of every one. 
 He has been an alderman and mayor of Lacon, 
 a member of the school board for twelve years, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 "3 
 
 seven of which he acted as president of the board. 
 In county and state conventions he has repre- 
 sented his party as a delegate, and for' some 
 years was president of the democratic club of 
 Lacon. He has been a delegate from his club to 
 the national democratic club conventions, and in 
 every wa}- has shown a knowledge of men and 
 measures, entitling him to deserved recogiiition. 
 Not only as a politician has Mr. Cook been 
 active and influential, but as a horticulturist he 
 has taken high rank, having given much atten- 
 tion and study to that subject. About three acres 
 of the home place he has set aside for use in 
 experimenting in horticultural products, espe- 
 cially the strawberry. He is a member of the 
 National Pomological society, and is its vice- 
 president for Illinois. He has also been a mem- 
 ber of several farmer clubs, in which he has taken 
 an active part. In educational matters, also, he 
 has given much time and attention, and has ever 
 been a true friend of the public school, contrib- 
 uting to educational journals and being con- 
 sulted by legislators on legislation pertaining to 
 the public schools. For some years he was a 
 regular contributor to the Prairie Farmer, and 
 has contributed more or less to various horti- 
 cultural journals in the country. As has been 
 stated, his mother was almost a life long invalid, 
 and to her he gave the love and affection of a 
 dutiful son, ministering unto her wants and do- 
 ing all in his power to alleviate her misery. To 
 do this work he remained under the parental 
 roof until the mother was called to the upper and 
 better world. 
 
 SAMUEL M. DALZELL, director and man- 
 ager of the Spring Valley Coal company, 
 is one of the representative business men of Bu- 
 reau county. He was born in Crawford county, 
 Pennsylvania, December 3, 1850, and is a son 
 of Rev. William and Elizabeth C. (Martzall) Dal- 
 zell. The father is a native of Ireland, born in 
 Dromore, County Down, of Scotch parentage, 
 his father being Samuel Dalzell, who came to 
 this country in 1827 and settled in Lawrence 
 county, Pennsylvania, where he spent the re- 
 
 mainder of his life, dying upon a farm there in 
 1848, at the age of seventy-one years. He was 
 the son of William Dalzell, who was born in 
 Scotland and emigrated to Ireland with the chief 
 of their clan — the Earl of Carnwath. There they 
 took up a large tract of land in what was known 
 as the Ulster plantation. The original family 
 were from Clydesdale, but removed to Dumfries- 
 shire, Scotland. One of its members served un- 
 der Kenneth IL, previous to the year 900, and 
 for his prowess and bravery had conferred upon 
 him by that monarch the title of Baron Dalzell, 
 and with it the barony of Dalzell in the county of 
 Lanark. The motto of the family then and to 
 this day is "I dare." Their old manor house or 
 castle is still standing, its outer walls being fully 
 eight feet thick, and in the old parish church- 
 yard for centuries were interred the ancestors 
 of our subject. Chivalrous, they certainly were, 
 as we find them marching under the banner of 
 Robert Bruce in the reign of King Edward I., 
 in 1296. They took part in the battle of Otter- 
 burn, Dumfriesshire, in 1508, and in the battle 
 of Langside, in 1560, under the standard of her 
 majesty, Mary, Queen of Scots. An earldom 
 was conferred on the family in 1639, as Earl of 
 Carnwath. This noble. Sir Robert Dalzell, had 
 two sons, Robert and John. The latter's grand- 
 son succeeded to the title and estate in 1703 as 
 the sixth Earl of Carnwath. 
 
 The Scottish family of Dalzell bear for arms 
 a denuded human figure. In old seals and paint- 
 ings the man is represented as hanging from a 
 gibbet, but this ensign of honor has been laid 
 aside, and the figure alone is retained. These 
 arms of Dalzell are said to perpetuate the mem- 
 ory of a brave and dangerous exploit performed 
 by one of their progenitors in taking down from 
 a gibbet the body of a favorite and near kins- 
 man of King Kenneth II. Whether true or false 
 it is all one, since it gave occasion to such bear- 
 ing. For, as the story goes, the king, being 
 exceedingly grieved that the body of his friend 
 should be so disgracefully treated by his enemies, 
 proffered a great reward to any of his subjects 
 who would venture to rescue it; but when 
 
114 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 none would undertake that hazardous enterprise, 
 a valorous gentleman came and said to the 
 king-, "Dalziel," which, being interpreted in the 
 old Scottish language, means "I dare," which at- 
 tempt he effectually performed to the king's sat- 
 isfaction. His posterity took this remarkable 
 bearing and the word Dalziel for their surname, 
 when surnames came to be used, with the signifi- 
 cation thereof, "I dare." 
 
 The heraldic device of the Dalzell motto, "I 
 dare," crest, "a dagger erect as pommel and belt. 
 Supporters, two chevaliers in complete armour, 
 bearing a target on his exterior arm. Arms 
 La, a naked man, ppr.'' 
 
 The paternal grandmother of our subject, who 
 bore the maiden name of Mary Chambers, was 
 a daughter of Robert Chambers and a niece of 
 Benjamin and James Chambers, who founded 
 what is now known as Chambersburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania. The former was scalped by the Indians. 
 The grandmother was also of Scotch descent and 
 lived to the advanced age of ninety-five years. 
 Slie was the mother of eleven children, namely: 
 John, Robert, Elizabeth, wife of William Yoder; 
 Sarah, wife of Cowden Taylor; James, Isabel, 
 wife of William Welker; Nancy, who died un- 
 married; Martha, wife of James Gill; Margaret, 
 wife of William Hill; William, the father of our 
 subject, and Mary Jane, wife of Robert Hill. 
 
 In 1 85 1 Rev. William Dalzell removed with 
 his family to Le Clair, Iowa, where he made his 
 home for two and a half years, during which time 
 he traveled over the state as a ho»me missionary. 
 Later he went to Ohio, where he resumed pas- 
 toral work at Mansfield, Kenton, Hanover, Car- 
 rolton, Mechanicstown, West Point and Mineral 
 Ridge. His death occurred at Niles, that state, 
 in 1877, at the age of fifty-seven years. His 
 widow is still living at the age of sixty-nine, and 
 now makes her home at Pittsburg-, Pennsylvania. 
 She is the daughter of ^lartin and Margaret 
 (Lenhart) Martzall. Her father was of Holland 
 extraction, his ancestors settling at New Am- 
 sterdam, or New York, at an early day, and his 
 wife belonged to a Pennsylvania Dutch family. 
 
 Mr. Dalzell, whose name introduces this 
 
 sketch, is the oldest of seven children, the others 
 being Margaret Ellen, now the wife of Louis S. 
 B'lachly; Mary Leila Ada, who died at the age 
 of four and a half years ; William Francis, a resi- 
 dent of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Charles Edgar, 
 a resident of Spring Valley; Lizzie Madeleine, 
 wife of Rev. A. A. Mealy, of Bridgeville, Penn- 
 sylvania, and Lyda St. Clair, wife of James Kil- 
 dufif, of New York city. 
 
 The early education of our subject was ob- 
 tained in the common schools, and for a time 
 he attended a seminary in Ohio. He began his 
 business career as a merchant at the age of 
 eighteen years, and four years later entered the 
 coal business, with which he has since been iden- 
 tified, either in Ohio, Pennsylvania or Illinois. 
 In the latter part of August, 1889, he came to 
 Spring Valley, and since the ist of September 
 of that year he has been the efficient manager 
 of the Spring Valley Coal company. 
 
 At Sharon, Pennsylvania, on the 29th of De- 
 cember, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Dalzell and Miss Elnora King, and to them 
 have been born three children: Lizzie Elnora, 
 who died in infancy; Ada May and Bessie King, 
 who are now attending college at Rockford, Illi- 
 nois. The parents and their daughters are faith- 
 ful members of the Congregational church, and 
 Mr. Dalzell is serving as president of its board of 
 trustees. He is a prominent member of the ^la- 
 sonic order, has taken the thirty-second degree 
 and is connected with S. i\I. Dalzell lodge, No, 
 805, F. & A. M., of Spring Valley^ of which he 
 is past master; Peoria consistory, Medina 
 temple. Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of 
 the Mystic Shrine, of Chicago. He casts his 
 ballot in support of the principles of the repub- 
 lican party, but takes no active part in politics. 
 
 During the strike troubles in Spring Valley' 
 his sentiment, character and inherited combative- 
 ness enabled him to stand firm for what he be- 
 lieved to be right on all disputed questions. His 
 insight has always been true, and in every in- 
 stance his judgment has proved correct, so that 
 he has been victor in the fray. His fore- 
 sight has, indeed, seemed to many people almost 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 "5 
 
 marvelous. Mr. Dalzell stands high in the esti- 
 mation of his fellow citizens, and well deserves 
 the reputation which he bears of being a capable, 
 honorable and in every way a worthy citizen. 
 
 Mrs. Dalzell is a daughter of Joseph and Bar- 
 bara (Strough) King, both natives of the key- 
 stone state. Her father was for many years the 
 owner of several manufactories of stoves and 
 hardware, and also a stove store at Sharon, Penn- 
 sylvania. For the last fifteen years, however, 
 he has dealt in real estate and served as justice 
 of the peace. Both himself and wife are promi- 
 nent members of the Presbyterian church, with 
 which he has been ofificially connected for over 
 thirty years, now serving as elder. He is a man 
 of great inventive genius, and has patented many 
 articles, including a damper for a grate, which 
 has proved very serviceable. Mrs. Dalzell is the 
 second in order of birth in a family of three chil- 
 dren. Albert, the youngest, died at the age of 
 three months. Addison, a young man of great 
 promise, died at the age of twenty-nine years. 
 He made good use of the excellent educational 
 advantages afforded him, and was a great reader 
 and logical thinker. His death occurred on the 
 2d of November, 1875. 
 
 The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Dalzell, 
 John and Hannah Strough, had a family of six 
 children, namely: Margaret, the widow of Ja- 
 cob Clevenstine and a resident of Phoenixville, 
 Pennsylvania; Catherine, who married John Nei- 
 ler, and died in 1894, at the age of seventy-six 
 years; George, a resident of Kimberton, Penn- 
 sylvania; Barbara, the mother of Mrs. Dalzell; 
 ^lary, widow of Edward Miller and a resident of 
 Philadelphia, and John, who died at the age of 
 twenty-one years. The paternal grandfather, 
 Phillip King, was an extensive farmer, living 
 near Downingtown, Pennsylvania. He married 
 Susanna Slonnaker, of Westchester, that state, 
 and they became the parents of five children who 
 grew to maturity. William was a resident of 
 Reading, Pennsylvania, but died in Philadel- 
 phia. He married Julia Vanderslive, who now 
 resides at Phoenixville. John, deceased, was a 
 prominent coal merchant, owning a large inter- 
 
 est in a mine near Sharon, Pennsylvania. He 
 first wedded Catherine Young, and after her 
 death Mary McFarland, who is also now de- 
 ceased. Joseph is the father of Mrs. Dalzell. 
 Susan married John Buckwalter, who died at 
 Lionsville, Pennslyvania. She then liven with 
 her son Samuel at Yankton, South Dakota, 
 where her death occurred in October, 1895. Eliza 
 married David Buckwalter, of Euchland, Penn- 
 sylvania, but both are now deceased. 
 
 HIRAM J. WEYER. It is quite interesting 
 to observe, in noting the various members 
 of a community, how they are gathered together 
 from different states and localities and how well 
 usually they combine to form an intelligent and 
 prosperous community. The subject of this his- 
 tory, now a resident of Maiden, is a native of 
 the Buckeye state, born at St. Clairsville, Bel- 
 mont county, July 24, 1817, and is a grandson 
 of Rev. Anthony Weyer, who was chaplain in 
 the United States army during the war of 1812. 
 
 Anthony Weyer, Jr., the father of our subject, 
 was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where he 
 spent his early life, and there wedded Mary 
 Pogue, who was of Irish birth and who came 
 to the new world with her brother, a sailor on 
 the high seas. After bringing his sister here 
 the brother returned to the ocean and was never 
 heard of again. By trade the father of our sub- 
 ject was a hatter, which occupation he followed 
 for a number of years in St. Clairsville, Ohio, 
 and became a prominent and influential man of 
 Belmont county, of which he was elected sherifif, 
 and also filled other positions of honor and trust. 
 During the war of 1812 he served as captain of 
 a company of militia. When our subject was 
 about eight years of age his mother died, and 
 the father was again married. He continued to 
 make his home at St. Clairsville until called from 
 this life. 
 
 Hiram J. Weyer is one of a family of six sons 
 and four daughters that grew to mature years, 
 but his brother. Captain Anthony Weyer, and 
 himself are the only ones now living. The for- 
 mer sailed for years upon the ocean, but now 
 
ii6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 makes his home in Allegheny city, Pennsylvania, 
 and runs on the Ohio river. 
 
 In the rather uneventful manner of most boys, 
 Mr. Weyer, of this review, spent his early life 
 in Belmont county, where he attended school in 
 a primitive log school house with its hard punch- 
 eon benches for seats and its huge fireplace at 
 one end. There he conned his lessons through 
 the winter season, but his educational privileges 
 were rather meager, and the excellent knowl- 
 edge he has acquired has been obtained mostly 
 outside of the school room by reading and ob- 
 servation. On starting out in life for himself 
 he chose the occupation of farming, which he 
 carried on for several years in Belmont county. 
 In 1841 he came west to see the country, visit- 
 ing Bureau county, with which he was much 
 pleased and chose a location here. He returned 
 to Ohio with the intention of settling here, but 
 again resumed farming in that state, where he 
 remained until 1854. 
 
 In that year Mr. Weyer again came to Bureau 
 county and took up his residence upon one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of raw land in Berlin 
 township belonging to his brother. This he 
 later purchased, fenced, broke and improved, 
 converting it into a most desirable farm, which 
 he still owns. For thirty-four years he continued 
 its cultivation and made thereon many good and 
 substantial improvements. Since 1888 he has 
 rented his land and makes his home in Maiden, 
 where he owns a good residence and is sur- 
 rounded by all the comforts of life. 
 
 In March, 1858, in Bureau county, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Weyer and Miss 
 Mary E. Sabin, who was born in Clinton county, 
 Ohio, but when twelve years of age was brought 
 by her father, Marcus Sabin, to Berlin township, 
 Bureau county, where for many . years he was 
 numbered among the prominent farmers, but is 
 now living in Maiden, at the age of eighty-four 
 years. Mr. and Mrs. Weyer have two daugh- 
 ters, Ida Ann, now the wife of John Sutton, an 
 agriculturist of Berlin township, and Lena A., 
 wife of Enos Steele, a farmer of the same town- 
 ship. They also lost one son in infancy. 
 
 In politics Mr. Weyer is a stanch democrat, 
 always supporting the men and measures of that 
 party, and fraternally is a Mason and Odd Fel- 
 low. He is a charter member of Dover lodge, 
 I. O. O. F., of which he is past grand, and for 
 eleven years served as a delegate to the state 
 grand lodge and for the same length of time 
 was district grand deputy. He is probably the 
 oldest Odd Fellow now living in Bureau coun- 
 ty. With the interests of the county he and his 
 worthy wife have been identified for over forty 
 years, and she can well remember when, as a 
 child, she and her brother and sisters chased 
 the deer over the prairie in their endeavor to 
 catch a fawn, but as the county became more 
 thickly settled the wild game was either driven 
 away or fell by the huntsman's gun. After a 
 long life of toil Mr. Weyer is now calmly resting 
 from labor and is spending the evening of life 
 pleasantly at his home in Maiden, surrounded 
 by the love, respect and esteem of a large circle 
 of friends and acquaintances. Truly a good life 
 has a happy ending. 
 
 CHARLES NORRIS THOMPSON, de- 
 ceased, was one of the best known and 
 most highly esteemed of the young men of 
 Marshall county. He was a native of the county, 
 born in the city of Lacon, April i, 1865, and was 
 the son of John S. and Eliza H. (Norris) Thomp- 
 son, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this 
 volume. In his native city he grew to manhood 
 and received his literary education in its public 
 schools. Later he entered Bryant & Stratton's 
 Business College, Chicago, from which he grad- 
 uated with honors, and at once entered upon a 
 business career. 
 
 Few men had a brighter future before them 
 than did the subject of this sketch. From his 
 youth he took an interest in the business car- 
 ried on by his father and in the office made him- 
 self generally useful. Before attaining his ma- 
 jority he was made a member of the firm, and 
 the business was carried on under the name of 
 J. S. Thompson & Son, and later, when his broth- 
 er, John I. Thompson, was admitted to the firm, 
 
Charles N. Thompson. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 119 
 
 it went under the name of J. S. Thompson & 
 Sons, Investments Bankers. (For an account of 
 the remarkable success of this firm and its sys- 
 tem of doing business see sketch of J. S. Thomp- 
 son.) In this business he showed great apti- 
 tude and became tlioroughly proficient in every 
 department. His judgment of men was good, 
 and he was ever considerate of others. In 1885, 
 while but twenty years of age, he was elected as- 
 sistant cashier of the Eirst National Bank of 
 Lacon, a position he held until the time of his 
 death, the duties of which he discharged faith- 
 fully and well, to the entire satisfaction of the 
 directors of the bank and its patrons. 
 
 On the 8th of October, 1885, Mr. Thompson 
 was united in marriage with Miss Ada Burns, 
 daughter of Judge John Burns of Lacon, Illinois. 
 Their wedded life of a little over ten years was 
 a happy one, and it can be truly said that they 
 lived in each others love. Mrs. Thompson was 
 reared in Lacon, and was there educated in the 
 public schools and later attended Eureka Col- 
 lege. She is a lady of fine tastes and accom- 
 plished in art and music. She now makes her 
 home at Colorado Springs, Colorado, in an ele- 
 gant home left her by her husband. 
 
 For four long weary years Mr. Thompson was 
 an invalid. Three years of this time he was al- 
 most daily consumed with a burning fever, vet 
 it is said that he never complained. 
 
 He had promise of a bright future in life and 
 was anxious to live, to care for and to be a com- 
 fort to his loved ones. Yet, when it was evident 
 that he must give up this world he nobly and 
 quietly yielded to the Divine will. The last few 
 months he dwelt much on the world to come. 
 His Christian experience was bright and clear 
 and full of hope and joy. A short time before 
 his death when his friends were bending anxi- 
 ously over him to catch ever}' gesture, word and 
 look, before he passed to the Great Be\ond, his 
 face lighted up with a radiant, heavenly smile, 
 and pointing upward he exclaimed in a clear 
 voice: "O! see the brightness." His father chd 
 not look, and with his own hand he turned his 
 father's face upward and said: "Look quick." 
 7 
 
 Who can say that the heavenly spirits were not 
 awaiting his coming? 
 
 No greater tribute could be paid him than this 
 — aside from the sorrow his illness caused, he 
 never gave his parents one hour of sorrow. 
 Though dying far from home, his sweet, gentle 
 ways drew to him many loving friends, who, with 
 flowers, loving words and deeds comforted him 
 and his beloved ones in the last days as if they 
 were old-time friends. Among these pleasures 
 were the letters of a number of little Indians from 
 the Indian school of Phoenix, which he treas- 
 ured. 
 
 A few days before his death he said to his 
 father: "I am sorry for you and all our loved 
 ones. You will have to toil and be anxious abotit 
 many things, while I will be happy all the time, 
 and be with mother. She has been waiting for 
 me twenty years." Another time he said in 
 broken words: "It is harder for you than for 
 me." At another time: "Father, have the preach- 
 er tell all the boys to be sure and meet me in 
 heaven. I love them all; yes, I love every one." 
 Truly, it may be said Charlie Thompson loved 
 every one and had not an enemy in the world. 
 His last message to his brother John I., and sis- 
 ters Jennie and Emma Mai, were: "To be good 
 and do good," and later, to emphasize it, he 
 said: "Set it down, lest a mistake be made.'' 
 Truly, he struck the keynote when he said in 
 substance: "Become .good that you may do 
 good." 
 
 Far from his loved home, in the city of Phoe- 
 nix, Arizona, he was called to rest, his death oc- 
 curring February 22, 1896. To that place he had 
 gone, accompanied by his loved wife and parents, 
 with the hope that the bracing climate of that 
 state might do him good. But it was not to be. 
 While in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he gave 
 his heart to the Lord and united with the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church at that place, and when 
 the end came he was prepared to go. He was 
 also a Mason, Knight Templar and a member of 
 the Knights of Pythias societies. 
 
 The circle of friends of Mr. Thompson was 
 not confined to his Illinois home, for warm per- 
 
I20 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sonal friends came to him at Colorado Springs 
 and at Phoenix, Arizona, where he passed his 
 last days on earth, so sad yet precious to his 
 loved ones. The bereaved wife and parents re- 
 ceived their many tokens of tender love and 
 sympathy. The friends of the family and of 
 Charles sent messages of condolence from many 
 parts of the United States. His remains were 
 brought to Lacon for interment. The public 
 schools and business houses of Lacon closed 
 during the funeral services, which were held in 
 the Methodist Episcopal church, which, large 
 as it is, could not contain the people, many of 
 whom were turned away. The Rev. T. C. Moots 
 conducted the services and was assisted by Rev. 
 L. B. Kent, who twenty years previous had had 
 charge of the Lacon Methodist Episcopal pulpit, 
 and preached his mother's funeral sermon; Rev. 
 Long of the Congregational church, and Rev. 
 Hammond, Episcopal church, all representing 
 the united pulpits filled in Lacon. The floral 
 tributes were worthy of more than a passing 
 notice and covered the platform in set pieces, 
 palms, ferns, roses and callas. The M. E. Quar- 
 tet rendered the songs selected by himself, ''Jesus, 
 Lover of My Soul" and "In the Sweet Bye and 
 Bye," singing at the final resting place "Silently 
 Lay Him to Rest, God Thought it Was Best." 
 The Knights of Pythias and Masonic orders 
 were largely represented and the beautiful Ma- 
 sonic burial service took place in its most impres- 
 sive and perfect manner. Such a life is a bene- 
 diction to all who come in contact with it, and 
 will bear precious seed for many years. 
 
 SAMUEL HOLMES, known throughout the 
 entire section of the country in which he 
 lives as Squire Holmes, is one of the most prom- 
 inent citizens and farmers in Hopewell town- 
 ship, Marshall county. His father, also named 
 Samuel, was a native of Lancashire, England, 
 born in 1786, while his grandfather, James 
 Holmes, was also a native of the same shire. 
 His mother was Hannah Jackson, a native of 
 Chestershire, England, and a daughter of James 
 
 Jackson, who came to America in 181 2, locating 
 in New Jersey, near Trenton, where he made a 
 permanent home. Samuel Holmes, the father, 
 came to America in 1818, landing in New York 
 city, and going from thence to Clinton, New 
 Jersey, where he married Hannah Jackson. 
 Shortly after their marriage they removed to 
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he worked as 
 a common laborer for a time, and subsecjuently 
 operated a lumber }'ard. 
 
 In 1835 the family came west and settled in 
 Putnam county, Illinois, in the heavy timber 
 land. The country was then very sparsely set- 
 tled, and the father at once commenced the clear- 
 ing up of the small farm. In his native country 
 he had been educated as a veterinary surgeon, 
 and it is said that he had not a superior in this 
 line in America. Before coming to this country 
 he was veterinary for the Earl of Balcares, and 
 had considerable experience in the line of his 
 profession. He never followed that business in 
 this country for money simply, but responded 
 to calls from Ottawa to Bloomington, and 
 throughout this entire section of country. 
 
 Samuel Holmes, Sr., was a pioneer in Put- 
 nam county, and came to this country with his 
 wife, two sons and a step-son. One child died 
 in infancy. Of the sons, Joseph, born November 
 20, 1819, married Miss Avis Taber, and now 
 lives in southern California. They are the par- 
 ents of four children, Mary, J. H., Avis and Sam- 
 uel J. The latter is a graduate of the state uni- 
 versity of California, and is a professor of biol- 
 ogy in the Chicago university. The other son 
 is the subject of this sketch. In 1850 the father 
 went to California, making the journey overland, 
 and there died shortly after his arrival, October 
 29, 1850. The mother survived him many vears, 
 (lying on the old homestead in 1876. Under the 
 old constitution of Illinois, Mr. Holmes became 
 a voter, but never became a partisan politician 
 and never held office. 
 
 Samuel Holmes, our subject, was born Janu- 
 ary 4, 1822, at Trenton, New Jersey, and com- 
 menced attending the public schools at Phila- 
 delphia after the removal of the family to that 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 121 
 
 place. He also attended one or two terms in the 
 pioneer schools of Illinois. His education, it 
 may be said, was principally obtained by reading 
 and observation. In his desire to acquire knowl- 
 edge he has many times jumped upon a horse, 
 ridden ten miles to borrow a book, then by means 
 of a dip made of lard, in a saucer, with a rag for 
 a wick, he and his brother would study after 
 their day's work was completed. The two broth- 
 ers helped clear the farm in Putnam county, and 
 both remained at home until after attaining their 
 majority. For some seasons they made brick, 
 which they sold throughout the country. On 
 one occasion after manufacturing a large num- 
 ber of brick they constructed a flatboat to carry 
 their product south, but were prevented from do- 
 ing so by low water. In the fall of 1843, 'i^ com- 
 pany with another man, our subject engaged in 
 cutting wood for the steamers on the Illinois 
 river. After piling up some eight hundred cords 
 and looking hopefully forward to the time when 
 they could dispose of the results of their hard 
 winter's work, the flood of 1844 came upon 
 them, carrying every stick of their wood down 
 the river. He then went to work with his 
 brother on the farm, and worked thus for nearly 
 two years. 
 
 On the 6th of November, 1846, Mr. Holmes 
 was united in marriage with Miss Sarah White, 
 a native of North Carolina, and daughter of Wil- 
 liam White, also a native of the same state, but 
 who came to this county about 1836. By this 
 union there are four children, Anna, who mar- 
 ried George Hume, is now deceased; Jane, who 
 married Amos De Bault, now resides in Okla- 
 homa; Samuel, who married Hulda Newphine, 
 now lives in the state of Washington, and Enmia 
 B., who married Joseph Taber, is now deceased. 
 
 Soon after marriage Mr. Holmes purchased 
 a tract of wild prairie land in Henry township, 
 of which he improved one hundred and sixty 
 acres, building thereon a small cabin, in which 
 the family lived from the spring of 1847 until 
 1849, and then sold out. In the summer of 1850 
 he went to the gold fields of California, across 
 the plains. He started from Council Blufifs, 
 
 Iowa, with four men under contract to work for 
 him a year. They crossed the Missouri river 
 May 28, and arrived at Placerville, California, 
 August 21. After working in the mines until 
 the spring of 1852 he returned to his home by 
 the Nicaragua route, arriving home August i, 
 1852. While he was away his wife purchased 
 one hundred and sixty acres of land lying east 
 and south of his present farm, but was IfVing in 
 the house where they now reside. From that 
 time until the present he has followed farming, 
 with the exception of two years spent in visiting 
 his brother in southern California. For the past 
 six years he has rented the farm, which com- 
 prises two hundred and forty acres of well im- 
 proved land. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Holmes, his first wife, was born 
 in 1825, and died in 1868. One year later he 
 married Miss Sarah C. Taber, a native of New 
 Bedford, Afassachusetts, and a daughter of Ben- 
 jamin Nerab (Coffin) Taber, the former a native 
 of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the latter 
 of Nantucket, Massachusetts. They came west 
 in 1837, and settled in Knox county, Illinois, 
 where he died many years ago. The mother 
 died and was buried in the cemetery at Henry. 
 They were the parents of eight children, three of 
 whom are now living: Dr. Benjamin, now re- 
 siding in Dallas, Texas; Sarah C, the wife of 
 our subject, and Avis, who married Joseph 
 Holmes, and now resides in southern California. 
 Mrs. Holmes was born January 30, 1816, and 
 was educated in the public schools of New Bed- 
 ford, finishing her course in the seminary at 
 Providence, Rhode Island. The Taber family 
 were descended from the Coffin family, which 
 was founded by Tristam Coffin, who settled at 
 Salisbury, Massachusetts, in 1642. 
 
 In politics Mr. Holmes is an uncompromising 
 democrat, and has taken a somewhat active part 
 in local affairs. For four years he served as 
 justice of the peace in Hopewell township, three 
 years as commissioner of highways and school 
 director and trustee for many years. His grand- 
 daughter, Maud E. Holmes, is a graduate of the 
 Henry high school, and has been a successful 
 
122 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 teacher. She is a very cultured and highly re- 
 fined lady, and takes great interest in ancient 
 lore, especially all matters pertaining to the his- 
 tory of the family. 
 
 WILLIAM HAWS, a leading and repre- 
 sentative citizen of Magnolia, belongs to 
 a family that has been identified with the inter- 
 ests of Putnam county since the earliest days of 
 its settlement. The first to locate here was his 
 uncle. Captain William Haws, who was born in 
 Orange county, Virginia, September 23, 1800, 
 and in 1805 was taken by his parents to Ohio, 
 and there remained until reaching his majority. 
 On the 27th of August, 1821, he became a pio- 
 neer of Sangamon county, Illinois, where he con- 
 ducted a tannery for a time, and in 1826 came to 
 Putnam county, settling on section 26, Magnolia 
 township, which was, at that time, however, a 
 part Oif Tazewell county. He built a log cabin 
 and there made his permanent home. He mar- 
 ried Lucinda Southwick, a native of New York, 
 who was a typical frontier woman, brave and 
 fearless, and shared with her husband all the trials 
 and privations of pioneer life. Indians at that 
 time were rnore numerous than the white set- 
 tlers and wild animals lurked round their little 
 cabin. Mrs. Haws died on the 4th of July, 1867, 
 leaving no children. 
 
 The captain secured his title as commander 
 of a volunteer company in the Black Hawk war. 
 At his house in 1831 Putnam county was or- 
 ganized, and he served on the first grand jury 
 that here convened, the first term of court being 
 held at the old traveling house near Hennepin. 
 Governor Ford was then prosecuting attorney 
 of the district. The captain died in March, 1885, 
 and was buried in the Magnolia cemetery. After 
 the death of his first wife he was again married, 
 his second union being with Mrs. Louisa Mof- 
 fitt, nee Defenbaugh, now deceased, and to them 
 were born five children, twn still living; ClifTord, 
 wlio married in Buslon, Massachusetts, and 
 Joel. 
 
 In 1845, a sister of Captain Iia\vs — Mrs. Kcl- 
 ley — and her family came to Putnam county. 
 
 locating in Magnolia township, but three years 
 later removed to La "Salle county, Illinois, and 
 about i860 removed to Missouri. An unmar- 
 ried sister came in 1838, and made her home here 
 until her death, dying at the advanced age of 
 ninety-two years, and was interred in ]\Iagnolia 
 cemetery. 
 
 Joel Haws, the father of our subject, was born 
 in Madison county, Virginia, August 15, 1796, 
 and was a son of Conrad and Susan Haws, who 
 emigrated in 1805 to Clinton county, Ohio, 
 where both died. The grandfather and two 
 brothers took up arms against the mother coun- 
 try in the Revolutionary war, aiding the colonies 
 in their struggle for independence. The father 
 was one of a family of eight children, the others 
 being Elizabeth, William, Mrs. Fannie Johnson, 
 John, Mrs. Nancy Kelley, Susan and Tandy, all 
 now deceased. 
 
 Until ten years of age Joel Haws lived in Vir- 
 ginia, and then accompanied his parents to Ohio, 
 where he remained until coming to Putnam coun- 
 ty, Illinois, in 1838. In Clinton county, Ohio, 
 April 27, 1824, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Elizabeth Gibson, who was born in 1805, 
 and was the daughter of John Gibson. On 
 coming to this state they lived upon Captain 
 Haws' place until 1845, when the father pur- 
 chased the farm now owned by Gustave Otto, 
 becoming its original owner. This he continued 
 to cultivate and improve until his death, which 
 occurred June 24, 1883. His wife, who was a 
 faithful member of the Presbyterian church, died 
 in January, 1876. They were the parents of ten 
 children, namely: Mrs. iMary Ann Hubbard and 
 Thomas G., both of Magnolia; ^Irs. Elizabeth 
 McCullum, deceased; William, of this sketch; 
 John, of Ottawa, Illinois; one, who died in in- 
 fancy; Mrs. Sarah J. McCombs, of Ottawa; Mrs. 
 Eunice L. Otto (see sketch of Gustave Otto on 
 another page of this work); George W., of La 
 Salle county, Illinois, and James ,\., of York 
 county, Nebraska. The father was a soldier in 
 the war of 1812, serving with the Second Oliio 
 \'olunteers under Captain William Fordvce, in 
 Colonel Sumalt's regiment and General Denoe's 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 123 
 
 division, and was honorably discharged in 1814. 
 He was an upright, honorable man, a faithful 
 friend, liberal to a fault, and in politics a Jac'k- 
 sonian democrat. 
 
 Mr. Haws, whose name heads this sketch, was 
 born in Clinton county, Ohio, September 10, 
 1833, and when quite small was brought by his 
 parents to Putnam county, where he became fa- 
 miliar with the arduous duties that fall to the 
 lot of the pioneers. His education was such as 
 the district schools of the locaKty afforded, and 
 he remained at home until reaching maturity. 
 For seventeen years he was then employed by his 
 uncle. Captain Haws. 
 
 In 1858 j\Ir. Haws led to the marriage altar 
 ;\Iiss Helen Clisbee, a native of Marshall county, 
 Illinois, born April 11, 1842. She was reared 
 from childhood by Captain Haws, and after a 
 short married Hfe died February 3, 1864. Two 
 children were born to them, Minnie L., wife of 
 Riley B. Roberts, of Magnolia township, by 
 whom she has four children. Burl William, Hel- 
 en Haws, Alargaret Livingston and Ollie Marie, 
 and Helen, deceased. 
 
 Mr. Haws was again married A'larch 2, 1865, 
 j\Iiss Alary Jane Trone becoming his wife. She 
 was born in York county, Pennsylvania, Janu- 
 ary 7, 1845, '^'^^ is a daughter of David and 
 Christiana (Philby) Trone, also natives of York 
 county, the former born January 9, 1816, and the 
 latter in 1820. In the spring of 1847 her parents 
 located in Caledonia, Magnolia township, Put- 
 nam county, Illinois, where the father died in 
 June, 1863, and the mother in January, 1879. 
 They had four children: jMrs. Margaret Smith, 
 deceased; Mary J., wife of our subject; Mrs. Eliz- 
 abeth Kidd, deceased, and Jerry. The parents 
 we»e earnest members of the Methodist church, 
 and tli€ father served as postmaster of Caledonia 
 for some time. 
 
 Mr. Haws is prominently identified with the 
 Alasonic fraternity, belonging to the Blue lodge 
 at MagnoHa, in which he has served as treasurer 
 for many years, the chapter at Lacon and the 
 commandery at Peru. Politically he has been 
 a lifelong democrat, taking a deep interest in 
 
 the success of his party, and has been called 
 upon to serve in several official positions, being 
 road commissioner one term, supervisor two 
 terms, a member of the school board and also 
 a member of the village board of Magnolia, of 
 which for several terms he was president. Since 
 the war he has devoted his time and attention 
 exclusively to agricultural pursuits, and now 
 owns a valuable farm of three hundred and sixty 
 acres, well improved and highly cultivated. 
 
 Riley B. Roberts, Mr. Daws' son-in-law, was 
 born October 26, 1854, on the old Roberts home- 
 stead in Roberts township, Marshall county, and 
 is a son of Livingston Roberts, now deceased. 
 In the district schools he acquired his education, 
 and" on reaching manhood he was married June 
 26, 1876, to Miss Minnie L. Haws, who was 
 born in Magnolia township February 17, 1859, 
 and, as previously stated, they have four chil- 
 dren. They began their domestic life upon the 
 farm where they now reside, a tract of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres, highly cultivated and well 
 improved. Mr. Roberts raises a high grade of 
 Jersey cattle and fine horses, and has sold some 
 excellent teams. In Magnolia lodge. No. 103, 
 F. & A. M., he holds membership and is past 
 master, while he also belongs to the Modern 
 Woodmen, in which he has served as the presid- 
 ing officer. His political support is given the 
 republican party, and for twelve years he has 
 been road commissioner, and has also served 
 as school director in his district. 
 
 ALFRED A. BAKER, a most genial and 
 companionable gentleman, is engaged in 
 farming, dairying and gardening on section 9, 
 Ohio township. Bureau county, his place being 
 pleasantly located just outside the corporation 
 limits of the village of Ohio. Here he has made 
 his home since 1876, and at once made his wa)' 
 into the esteem and confidence of the people of 
 the locality where he is numbered among the 
 most valued citizens. 
 
 Mr. Baker was born in 1839, in Bingham, 
 Maine, a son of Sewall and Sarah (Wood) Bak- 
 er, who spent their entire lives in the Pine Tree 
 
124 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 state, the former dying in 1881 and the latter in 
 1847. The father followed the occupations of 
 a farmer and gardener and also engaged in the 
 manufacture of lumber. He cared nothing for 
 public life, preferring to give his entire time and 
 attention to his business interests, but by all who 
 knew him he was held in the highest respect. 
 
 The opportunities afforded our subject for 
 securing an education were rather meager, for 
 as soon as old enough to begin work he was only 
 able to attend school during the fall term. His 
 entire life has been devoted to agricultural pur- 
 suits, and he followed his chosen calling in his 
 native state until 1869, when he emigrated to 
 Bureau county, Illinois. Until 1876 he resided 
 in Neponset township, but in that year removed 
 to his present farm, which comprises eighty acres 
 of valuable land, which he has placed under a 
 high state of cultivation. He raises corn and 
 hay and is also largely interested in dairying and 
 gardening. He has met with a success which 
 his tireless energy, industry and good manage- 
 ment justly merit. 
 
 In 1869 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Baker and Miss JuHa Smith, a daughter of Gil- 
 lett Smith, of Bingham, Maine. She died in 
 1874, leaving one daughter, Sarah M. Mr. Bak- 
 er was again married in 1875, his second union 
 being with Miss Augusta Cleveland, a native 
 of Moscow, Maine. 
 
 A stanch adherent of the republican party, Mr. 
 Baker takes an active interest in political affairs, 
 but has never sought nor desired public office. 
 He is a general favorite among the people of his 
 community. 
 
 FRANK E. DAYTON, is one of the promi- 
 nent young business men of Lamoille, a 
 dealer in lumber, coal, lime and cement. He 
 is a native of Bureau county, his birth occurring 
 in Lamoille township September 21, 1865, and 
 is a son of Chancy L. and Lydia (Brainard) Day- 
 ton, both of whom were born in New York. 
 After attending the common schools for some 
 time, he entered the normal at Dixon, Illinois, 
 where he completed his literary course, and then 
 
 for one term engaged in teaching in Bureau 
 county and for one term in Pottawattamie coun- 
 ty, Iowa. Not caring to follow that profession, 
 he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits 
 for tv/o years and then embarked in his present 
 business, which he has since carried on with ex- 
 cellent results. 
 
 Mr. Dayton does not take a very prominent 
 interest in political matters, but votes with the 
 republican party at all times. He is first lieu- 
 tenant of Company K, Sixth Illinois National 
 Guards, and during the Deb's strike was 
 on duty for twenty-one days. Although no 
 one was killed, they were there to protect prop- 
 erty and life, and were charged to shoot if neces- 
 sary. Mr. Dayton also took part in quelling the 
 riot at Braidwood, Illinois, in May, 1887, as a 
 member of Company F, Fourth Illinois regi- 
 ment. He is an enterprising, public-spirited 
 young man of more than ordinary business ca- 
 pacity and believes in keeping abreast with the 
 nineteenth century progress. 
 
 Chancy L. Dayton, his father, now a retired 
 farmer of Bureau county, was born on the i8th 
 of January, 1810, in Delaware county. New 
 York, a son of Charles and Polly (Smith) Day- 
 ton, natives of Connecticut. His parents became 
 residents of Harpersfield, Delaware county. New 
 York, where their marriage was celebrated, and 
 there they spent the remainder of their lives, the 
 father dying at the age of forty-six and the moth- 
 er in 1850, at the age of sixty 3rears. The for- 
 mer was the son of Charles Dayton, Sr., and the 
 latter was the daughter of James and Elizabeth 
 (Shailor) Smith, while the father of James Smith 
 was James Smith, Sr., thus our subject can trace 
 his ancestry back for several generations. 
 
 In 1837 Chancy L. Dayton resolved to try his 
 fortunes in the west, where he believed that 
 better opportunities were afforded young men 
 than in the older and more thickly populated 
 states of the east. After walking the entire dis- 
 tance of eleven hundred miles, he arrived in Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, on the 2d of January, 1838, 
 where he at once entered land and has since been 
 identified with the interests of the county. Until 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 125 
 
 1885 he successfully engaged in farming, here 
 owning eight hundred acres of valuable land, be- 
 sides other property in Iowa and Nebraska, all 
 of which is but the just reward of his untiring- 
 labors, as he began life here empty-handed. 
 Sound judgment, strict economy and industry 
 have been important factors in his success, and 
 to-day he is ranked among the substantial, as 
 well as one of the most reliable and highly re- 
 spected citizens of the community. 
 
 On the 1 8th of November, 1839, Chancy L. 
 Dayton was united in marriage with Lydia Brain- 
 ard, who was born February 7, 1818, a daughter 
 of Obadiah and Lydia (Fuller) Brainard. Her 
 death occurred on the 13th of June, 1889, and 
 was deeply mourned by all who knew her. Seven 
 children were born of this union, namely: James 
 L., a farmer of Marshall county, Iowa, married 
 Jane Crane and has three children, Nora, George 
 and Ezra. He donned the blue during the rebel- 
 lion, becoming a member of the Fifty-seventh 
 Illinois A'olunteer Infantry, with which he par- 
 ticipated in many important engagements, but 
 was never wounded. At Big River bridge, Mis- 
 souri, he was taken prisoner, and on being pa- 
 roled and exchanged returned home. He re- 
 enlisted and served until the close of the war. 
 He was the only son old enough to enter the 
 service, was brave and fearless on the field of 
 battle, and to such as he the nation is indebted 
 for its preservation. Emily, the second child, 
 is the wife of Howard Richardson, of Clay coun- 
 ty, Nebraska, and they have one daughter, Min- 
 nie. Lucy is the wife of Jacob Ansteth, of Men- 
 dota, Illinois, and they have ten children, Stella, 
 Edward, Mary, Frederick, Chancy, Elmer, Ida, 
 Emma, George and Lewis. Orin L., of Prince- 
 ton, married Emma McCanlis, who died at the 
 age of twenty-five, leaving one child, Alta. His 
 present wife bore the maiden name of Helen 
 Gordon. Sarah wedded John Fleming, by whom 
 she has six children, Ella, Emma, John, George, 
 Sarah and Mabel. They reside in Iowa. Porter 
 C, of Nebraska, married Mattie Scott, and they 
 have four children, Lydia and Louisa, twins; 
 Norman and Dess. Frank, who makes his home 
 
 in Lamoille, married Emma Scott, and to them 
 were born two children, Marshall and Bertha. 
 Ira A., Ida E. and Clarissa E. are now deceased. 
 The mother of these children is a daughter of 
 Dorsey and Louisa (Welch) Scott, who live in 
 Lee county, Illinois, four miles from Lamoille. 
 In their family are eight children, as follows: 
 Elizabeth, wife of Louis Swingle, of Iowa, by 
 whom she has eight children, Fred, Kittle, 
 Charlie, Elizabeth, Frankie, Louisa, Emma, and 
 Lewis ; Frankie, the wife of Albert Clapp, a farm- 
 er of Bureau county, by whom she has two chil- 
 dren, John and Lucy; Charles, a farmer of Iowa, 
 who married Josephine Marshall, and has three 
 children, Roy, Ray and an infant ; Emma, the wife 
 of Frank Dayton; Lewis, who resides upon a 
 sheep ranch in Casper county, Wyoming, and 
 John, who is attending school at Dixon, Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 PATRICK DORE, general merchant and far- 
 mer of Hennepin, Illinois, and having a 
 branch store at Spring Valley, Bureau county, 
 is a well known citizen, who, from extreme pov- 
 erty, has acquired wealth by industry, economy 
 and close attention to business. He is a native 
 of County Kerry, Ireland, born March 17, 1831. 
 In the fall of 1850, when but nineteen years of 
 age, he came to the United States and after 
 working a short time near Chicago came to Hen- 
 nepin, arriving here December 9, 1850. He was 
 en route south, but stopping over night at the 
 hotel in Hennepin secured work from the land- 
 lord, first receiving eight dollars per month, 
 which was later increased to ten dollars, then 
 thirteen dollars, and finally fifteen dollars, and 
 has here since continued to reside. After work- 
 ing two years and three months for John Waugh, 
 the landlord, he engaged with Minehan, Simp- 
 son & Company, a firm of lumber and grain 
 dealers. He worked in the yards, warehouse 
 and ofHce. The firm did a very large business in 
 grain, shipping the same to St. Louis and Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 Mr. Dore had a friend in St. Louis, a grain 
 dealer, who often came to Hennepin, and finally 
 
126 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 an arrangement was made by which he bought 
 and shipped grain for this friend. After work- 
 ing for some years in this way his friend, Thomas 
 Ryan, who was also a wholesale grocer, proposed 
 that he should go into the grocery business. Fur- 
 nishing him a stock on long time he commenced 
 business, which gradually increased; and in time 
 became very profitable. He also bought grain 
 and hogs, which he shipped to this friend, par- 
 tially in payment for goods. His business in- 
 creasing, in a few years he was enabled to pay 
 cash for such goods as he purchased. Had it 
 not been for the accommodations furnished him 
 to commence business he would not in all prob- 
 abihty be the prosperous man that he is to-day. 
 It must not be considered, however, that the 
 profits were always on the right side of the led- 
 ger. At one time he lost heavily in the sinking 
 of a steamer on which he had seven thousand 
 bushels of potatoes, which were then worth sev- 
 enty-five cents per bushel. This was a total 
 loss, as he had no insurance on the same. About 
 five years ago, in company with a nephew, he 
 started a store at Spring Valley, in which he lost 
 three thousand dollars. He then put his son, 
 Michael Dore, in charge of the business, and it 
 has since been a success. 
 
 As soon as he was enabled to do so, ^Ir. Dore 
 invested means in Iowa land, buying at three 
 dollars and a half per acre, and later, in 1867, 
 paying as high as ten dollars per acre. As his 
 means increased he began purchasing land in 
 Putnam county, and in other places. He now 
 owns a farm of four hundred acres south of Hen- 
 nepin, one hundred and sixty acres a mile and 
 a half north, and five miles north an entire sec- 
 tion. He has one farm of four hundred and 
 eighteen acres in Granville township, one of two 
 hundred and eight acres and one of eighty acres 
 in Florida, making a total of nineteen hundred 
 and six acres. In Colorado he has two sections 
 of land, one-half section in Nebraska, one-half 
 section in South Dakota and three hundred and 
 fifty acres in Hancock county, Iowa. His farms 
 in Putnam county he gives his personal atten- 
 tion to, and usually feeds about one hundred head 
 
 of cattle and a good many horses. For some 
 years he has bred a good many Norman horses, 
 and has at the present time a fine stallion, which 
 cost him three thousand dollars. He is also in- 
 terested in race horses and has fed some good 
 ones that have made the circuits. In cattle he 
 has bred the Hereford, which have given the 
 best satisfaction. 
 
 In 1856 J\Ir. Dore married Miss Margaret 
 Rooney, of Hennepin, and to them have been 
 born six children, John, who now conducts the 
 store at Hennepin; James, who, after graduating 
 at Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, came home 
 and died at the age of nineteen; William, who 
 died in infancy; Thomas, who lives at home and 
 assists his brother John in the store; ]\Iichael, 
 who manages the store at Spring Valley, and 
 Cora Ellen, now the wife of James G. Fay, man- 
 ager of the Toluca iNIercantile Co., of Toluca, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Politically Mr. Dore is a democrat on national 
 questions, but in all local elections votes for 
 those he considers the best men, regardless of 
 politics. For himself, he has never aspired to 
 any office. 
 
 T AMES B. STEWART, deceased, a leading 
 kj and representative citizen of Buda, who, after 
 many years connection with its business inter- 
 ests, retired from active business life, was born in 
 A'enango county, Pennsylvania, February 5, 
 1 818, and was a son of Elijah and Lydia (Rey- 
 nolds) Stewart, the former of whom was born 
 in Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent, and 
 the latter in England. The father followed the 
 occupations of farming and tanning, owning the 
 first tannery in Venango county. Both parents 
 passed away in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Our subject was the seventh in order of birth 
 in the family of twelve children, nine of whom 
 grew to years of maturity, but only one is now 
 living, Fannie, a resident of Buda. During his 
 boyhood and youth INIr. Stewart attended the 
 subscription schools, where he learned to read, 
 write and cipher. He also learned the business 
 of tanning, as did his brothers, and assisted in 
 
ik 
 
 '-^^ ff::r- -"/ 
 
 James W. Stewari'. 
 
THE r.IOGRAl'HICAL RI'X'ORD. 
 
 129 
 
 the operation of the home farm until eighteen 
 years of age, when his father died. He and a 
 younger brother then took charge of the two 
 farms which their father owned, and gave their 
 attention to clearing, cultivating and improving 
 the same. 
 
 Mr. Stewart remained in Pennsylvania until 
 the time of the oil excitement, when he sold out 
 and went to Richland county, Ohio, where he 
 became acquainted with Miss Hannah J. Sweet, 
 whom he married on the 30th of October, 1866. 
 She is the daughter of Onesimus Curtis and 
 Nancy B. (Hamill) Sweet. She had received an 
 excellent education and engaged in teaching for 
 one year before her marriage. There were six 
 children of this union: Archibald, Hannah J., 
 Elizabeth S., who died at the age of three years ; 
 Hezekiah, living on the old homestead; Sarah 
 A., who died at two years of age; Lydia C, the 
 wife of Samuel Ellar, living at Bellville, Ohio. 
 The father died at Bellville, Ohio, March 30, 
 1856, and the mother at Buda, June 11, 1885. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. and Mrs. Stewart came to Bureau 
 county, Illinois, taking up their residence in 
 Buda, which is still jMrs. Stewart's home. For 
 a number of years he was engaged in the milling 
 business at this place, and although it furnished 
 employment to many, it was no financial benefit 
 to him. He also bought and shipped grain to 
 the city markets. As a man of business he was 
 successful, securing a competence which enabled 
 him to lay aside business cares and to spend the 
 evening of his life in ease and retirement. 
 
 yh. Stewart was reared a whig and cast his 
 first presidential vote for General Harrison in 
 1840. In 1856 he supported John C. Fremont, 
 and from that time on affiliated with the repub- 
 lican party, whose principles he always stanchly 
 advocated. He was never an office seeker, but 
 served on the town board of trustees and proved 
 a most capable official. He was a devout and an 
 active member of the Congregational church, 
 of which he was deacon for a number of years, 
 and in which his estimable wife was and yet is 
 an earnest worker and a valued member. They 
 both did all in their power for the betterment of 
 
 mankind and for the good of the community 
 in which they dwelt. Mr. Stewart was a worthy 
 citizen and had the confidence and esteem of a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances. He 
 departed this life Au-gust 25, 1896, deeply 
 mourned by all who knew him. His loss to the 
 church he loved so well can hardly be estimated. 
 The Bible to him was the book of books, and 
 it gave him great pain to hear it spoken of ir- 
 reverently. His last hours were but the natural 
 sequence to a life of piety. His last words com- 
 mended his loved ones to the Savior's care. 
 "God's finger touched him and he slept." 
 
 "Though dead, he speaks in season's ear, 
 And in example lives; 
 His faith and hope and loving deeds 
 Still fresh instruction give." 
 
 RICHARD BAGULEY, a leading tailor and 
 the popular postmaster of Van Orin, Illi- 
 nois, was born in Washington county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, January 8, 1828, a son of Charles and 
 Anna Baguley, v^'ho for many years made their 
 home in that state. By trade the father was also 
 a merchant tailor, which business he followed, 
 both in Wheeling, West Mrginia, and in Browns- 
 ville, Pennsylvania. He had learned his trade 
 in the old world, but in his early days served as 
 a sailor, and traveled around, the world, visiting 
 Africa and all the eastern countries. His death 
 occurred in 1864, at the age of seventy-four 
 years, and his wife died in 1844, at the age of 
 fifty-three years. In religious belief they were 
 Presbyterians. 
 
 During his youth our subject learned the trade 
 of a tailor, but for six years was engaged in the 
 drug business at Wheeling, West Virginia, with 
 his brother-in-law, James Reed. He is one of a 
 family of twelve children, three still living, his 
 sisters being Fanny, who has now reached the 
 age of eighty-two years, and is the widow of Wil- 
 liam J. Jourdan of Muscatine, Iowa, and ^larv, 
 aged seventy-six years, who is the wife of James 
 Reed of Wheeling. 
 
 On coming to Illinois Mr. Baguley engaged 
 in the grain business in Henry, and subsequently 
 
130 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 carried on the same business in Van Orin for ten 
 years. In 1885 he was appointed postmaster, 
 which position he has since efficiently filled, his 
 duties being discharged in a most creditable man- 
 ner, and to the satisfaction of the many patrons 
 of the office. He is an ardent democrat in poli- 
 tics, is a man of undoubted integrity and honor, 
 and enjoys the esteem and confidence of a wide 
 circle of friends and acquaintances. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Baguley was united in marriage 
 with Miss Malvina Hulben, a daughter of George 
 and Mary Hulben, of Pennsylvania, and they 
 have two children — Clara and Edith. Mrs. Bagu- 
 ley, a most estimable lady, is a consistent mem- 
 ber of the United Brethren church. 
 
 WILLIAM I. MOORE is successfully ope- 
 rating a farm of forty-six acres on sec- 
 tion 8, Princeton township, with most excellent 
 results. With its fine location it forms a most 
 attractive spot in the landscape of the township. 
 A portion of the land is devoted to fruit culture, 
 and some of the choicest fruits are raised upon it. 
 
 Mr. Moore was born in Pennsylvania, Decem- 
 ber 6, 1824, and was the youngest child of Alex- 
 ander and Sarah (James) Moore, the latter also 
 a native of that state, where she was married near 
 Harrisburg. The father's birth occurred in Ire- 
 land, was a student at Dublin, aiid came to the 
 United States at the time of the trouble in his 
 country, in the early part of the nineteentji cen- 
 tury. 
 
 At the age of ten years William I. Moore was 
 taken by one of his brother-in-laws to Ohio, and 
 was early thrown upon his own resources. He 
 began learning the tailor's trade, but in 1849 
 started for California, but stopped at Ottawa, 
 Illinois, where he began the study of medicine, 
 but never qualified for practice. In 1852 he locat- 
 ed in Princeton. On the i ith of November of the 
 same year he wedded Maria L. Hughes, who was 
 born in Ohio, May 14, 1826, and was a daughter 
 of Isaac and Jane Hughes, natives of Tennessee, 
 and early settlers of Bureau county, their home 
 being in Dover township. Three children were 
 born of this union — ^Jewel H., deceased; Frank 
 
 A., an attorney of Chicago, and Edward G., a 
 practicing physician of Spring Valley, Bureau 
 county. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Moore assisted in the 
 construction of the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy railroad from Mendota west, and was 
 with the mechanical department of that company 
 for about fifteen years. He has since given his 
 time and attention to the improvement and cul- 
 tivation of his farm. In 1859 he was out on the 
 plains, being at Denver when it contained but 
 four shanties — the winter quarters of some min- 
 ers. He remembers seeing Horace Greeley 
 while on his western trip and hearing him speak 
 of seeing a herd of buffaloes numbering about a 
 million. 
 
 Mr. Moore has been called upon to mourn the 
 loss of his faithful wife, who died on the 7th of 
 October, 1893. She was a consistent member of 
 the Christian church, to which our subject also 
 belongs. In 185 1 he became a member of the 
 Masonic order at Ottawa, and is now a charter 
 member of the blue lodge and chapter at Prince- 
 ton. He took the Knight Templar degrees at 
 Ottawa in 1866, established the commandery at 
 Princeton, and has served as treasurer of all 
 three divisions. He also helped to establish the 
 council at the same place. Seeing the advantages 
 of a good education he provided his children with 
 excellent privileges in that direction. Political- 
 ly, he is an ardent republican, and he stands high 
 in the esteem of his fellow-citizens. In the vari- 
 ous enterprises inaugurated for the advancement 
 of the community he has been a cheerful and 
 ready assistant, and takes a lively interest in the 
 progress of the people around him. He is en- 
 tirely a self-made man, having worked his way 
 upward from childhood unaided, and well de- 
 serves the success which has come to him. 
 
 JAMES HAMILTON, one of the solid and 
 substantial citizens of Bureau county, is now 
 a retired farmer of Princeton. He is a native of 
 Ireland, born in county Down, December 27, 
 1836, and is a son of Hugh and Mary (Craw- 
 ford) Hamilton, whose births occurred in the 
 
The biographical record. 
 
 131 
 
 same county. In religious belief the Hamiltons 
 were what is known in this country as Scotch 
 Presbyterians. The paternal grandparents of 
 our subject, John and Betsy Hamilton, never 
 came to the new world. 
 
 It was in 1857 that the parents of our subject 
 crossed the Atlantic and took up their residence 
 in Princeton, Ilhnois, where they became well 
 known and highly respected, as well as valued 
 and worthy citizens whom to know was to love. 
 The father's death occurred in 1858, at the age 
 of sixty years, but his wife survived him some 
 years, dying at the age of seventy-four. In their 
 family were seven children, five of whom are 
 still living, namely: Eliza, widow of James 
 Campbell and a resident of Princeton; John, a 
 farmer of Bureau county; William, living in Eu- 
 clid, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio; Samuel, who 
 resides with his sister, and James. 
 
 ]\Ir. Hamilton, of this sketch, came to America 
 in 1854 and spent the first year at Cleveland, 
 Ohio, where he learned the carpenter's trade. 
 From 1855 until 1880 he followed that occupa- 
 tion in Princeton and then purchased and re- 
 moved to a farm of three hundred acres in Gold 
 township, to which he later added sixty acres. 
 It was all highly improved, and to general farm- 
 ing and stock raising he devoted his time and at- 
 tention until 1 89 1, having upon his place fine 
 grades of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. While 
 living upon the farm he served as school direc- 
 tor in his district. In 1891 he returned to Prince- 
 ton, and has since lived retired from active busi- 
 ness cares. 
 
 On the 1st of March, 1864, I\Ir. Hamilton was 
 united in marriage with Miss Adeline Baxter, 
 only child of Gardner and Amanda Baxter, na- 
 tives of Steuben county. New York. With the 
 family, Mrs. Hamilton arrived in Bureau county, 
 Illinois, on the 3d of March, 1847, the fifth an- 
 niversary of her birth. Her father was born Sep- 
 tember 15, 1819, and was the son of Simeon and 
 Mary Baxter. On coming to Illinois he pur- 
 chased a farm three and a half miles north of 
 Princeton, but later bought and sold several 
 farms, and carried on agricultural pursuits quite 
 
 extensively. He was known as a business man 
 of good and reliable qualifications, and was high- 
 ly respected for his many sterling traits of char- 
 acter. He passed away March 31, 1884, in the 
 faith of the Methodist Protestant church. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Hamilton was born April 
 9, 1808, and was a daughter of Elihu and Mercy 
 Pike. Her father was well known to the early 
 settlers of Princeton, where he died at the ripe 
 old age of ninety years. His wife had departed 
 this life many years previously in New York. 
 The mother of Mrs. Hamilton was twice mar- 
 ried, her first husband being Danford Warren, 
 by whom she had four sons, as follows: John 
 Franklin, who was born September 24, 1831, 
 and died at the age of sixty years; Phineas C, 
 born March 19, 1833; George W., who was born 
 August 14, 1834, and died at the age of forty-two 
 years, and Daniel K., born March 12, 1836. The 
 four brothers crossed the plains in wagons in 
 the spring of 1852, their destination being Ore- 
 gon, where the two still living yet reside. They 
 encountered many trials and hardships on their 
 journey, and arrived at their destination late in 
 the fall, strangers in a strange land, with only 
 seventy-five cents among them, and one of the 
 number dangerously ill. They lodged at the best 
 hotel and told their story of suffering to the 
 proprietor in an honest, straightforward, boyish 
 way. The kind landlord was favorably impressed, 
 let them stay, told them where they could find 
 work, and even loaned them money, all of which 
 was in due time paid, with their grateful thanks, 
 and they are still fast friends. Danford Warren 
 has become quite wealthy, being president of a 
 bank and railroad, which runs through a town 
 that he laid out, called Warrington. The moth- 
 er's death occurred September 15, 1882, at the 
 age of seventy-two. She was a devout Christian, 
 a lifelong member of the Methodist Protestant 
 church, and noted for her many excellent traits 
 of character. She was a great Bible student, 
 possessed a retentive memory, and few could 
 quote scripture with such freedom and exactness 
 as she. She was a noble type of Christian wom- 
 anhood, having great confidence in the religion 
 
132 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 which she possessed, and her great aim in life 
 was to make others happy. 
 
 The home of our subject and wife has been 
 blessed by the birth of five children, namely: 
 Amanda A., born March i, 1865, is the wife of 
 Edward Newell, a farmer of Fairfield township, 
 Bureau county, by whom she has five children, 
 Frank N., George, Maud, IMyrtle and an infant; 
 Hugh F., born February 17, 1867, married My- 
 netta C. Warrick, by whom he has one daughter, 
 Maud A., and is a farmer of Gold township. Bu- 
 reau county; George W., born December 4, 1870, 
 is also an agriculturist of Gold township; Arthur 
 J., born September 29, 1874, is a natural me- 
 chanic of much promise and an engineer of 
 Princeton, and Nellie May, born May 15, 1884, 
 is a pupil of the public schools of Princeton. The 
 parents are both consistent members of the Luth- 
 eran church and are classed among the best and 
 valued citizens of Bureau county, where they 
 are numbered among the highly respected old 
 settlers. 
 
 BENJAMIN F. TURNER. Like many other 
 residents within the bounds of Marshall 
 county who started out in life with naught but 
 an abundance of determination and indefatigable 
 industry, and a strong and healthy constitution, 
 and who have succeeded through their own dili- 
 gence, energy and economy, we classify the gen- 
 tleman whose name stands at the head of this 
 sketch, who, on arriving in Illinois, had but 
 seventy-five cents with which to begin life. He 
 was actively engaged" in agricultural pursuits for 
 many years, but is now living retired in Wenona. 
 Mr. Turner was born on the 24th of July, 1826, 
 near Zanesville, Muskingum county, Ohio, and 
 is the son of Clem and Dorcas (Snyder) Turner, 
 the former a native of Delaware and the latter 
 of West Virginia. They were among the early 
 settlers of j\Iuskingum county, where the father 
 engaged in farming, and there both died. In 
 their family were eight children — William, de- 
 ceased; Mrs. Nancy Hammitt; Mrs. Rebecca 
 Kelley, and John, both deceased; Jeremiah, who 
 lives in Columbus, Ohio; Benjamin F., of this 
 
 review; Mrs. Margaret Cannon of Fulton coun- 
 ty, Illinois, and Elizabeth D., of the same county. 
 
 When quite small our subject lost his mother 
 and was taken into the family of Judge Thomas 
 Ijms, a prominent man of his time and judge 
 of the county court of Muskingum county. In 
 the district schools of Ohio Mr. Turner secured 
 his education and was reared to farm work. It 
 was in 1845 that he came to Illinois, arriving in 
 Magnolia township, on the 4th of March, accom- 
 panying the late George Dent, and was there 
 employed upon a farm until 1850. 
 
 In that year Mr. Turner led to the marriage 
 altar Miss Hannah L. JNIiller, who was born at 
 Steubenville, Ohio, January 16, 1830, and was 
 the daughter of Abram and Jane (Porter) I\Iil- 
 ler, who located on a farm two miles east of Mag- 
 nolia in 1846. There they made their home for 
 ten years, when they removed to Wenona, where 
 they were numbered among the first settlers, and 
 there spent their remaining days. Her father, 
 who was a carpenter by trade, helped to erect 
 many of the buildings in the village. 
 
 Six children came to bless the union of our 
 subject and his worthy wife, namely: William 
 Emery, who died December 15, 1881, had mar- 
 ried Nellie Moon and they had two children, 
 Guye Franklin, who graduated at the Abilene, 
 Kansas, high school in 1895, and Harry. Abra- 
 ham Martin married Ida Snider, by whom he 
 has two children — Nellie and Cecil. Arthur Lee, 
 who lives in Evans township, Alarshall county, 
 wedded J\Iary Work, of Wenona, by whom he 
 has three children — Benjamin F., Morine and 
 Lee A. L.Turner, and he is now serving as super- 
 visor of Evans township and chairman of the 
 board. Charles Marion, also of Evans township, 
 married Lou Carrithers, and they have four chil- 
 dren. Jennie is the wife of Clarence Axline of 
 Evans township, by whom she has five children. 
 Stella May, who completes the family, died April 
 14, 1883. 
 
 After his marriage ;\Ir. Turner rented land in 
 Putnam county for six years, but in 1857 re- 
 moved to a farm which he purchased on section 
 21, Evans township, three miles west of Wenona, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 133 
 
 and as it was all raw prairie land he at once be- 
 gan its improvement and development. He there 
 continued to make his home until 1884, when he 
 laid aside active business cares and re- 
 moved to ^^'^enona, where his wife died 
 on the 13th of November, 1892, and her 
 remains were interred in the Wenona cem- 
 etery. She was a consistent member of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church, and took an active 
 part in church work. On the i8th of March, 
 1896, Mr. Turner married Mrs. Hannah E. See- 
 bree, nee Hendricks, of Bloomington. Mr. Turn- 
 er is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church 
 and has served as trustee and steward of the 
 same. For many years he was an active member 
 of the Good Templars society, and took a prom- 
 inent part in promoting the temperance cause. 
 He is an influential member of the republican 
 party, has frequently served as delegate to its 
 conventions, and has been called upon by his 
 fellow-citizens to serve in several official posi- 
 tions of honor and trust, being road commission- 
 er in Evans township, a member of the city coun- 
 cil of Wenona from the third ward, and is now 
 serving his eleventh consecutive year as justice 
 of the peace to the general satisfaction of all con- 
 cerned. 
 
 J 
 
 AMES H. CODDINGTON. In the great 
 and fertile west there are some extensive 
 farmers, men who bring to their calling rare bus- 
 iness skill and excellent judgment. Some of the 
 most enterprising of these may be found in Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, among whom is the gentle- 
 man whose name introduces this sketch. He is 
 one of the representative agriculturists of Dover 
 township, where he owns and operates three hun- 
 dred and thirty-three acres of rich and valuable 
 land on section 33, two miles and a half north of 
 the city of Princeton. 
 
 Mr. Coddington was born in the same town- 
 ship January 25, 1847, ^"d is descended from 
 good old Revolutionary stock, of Sc(jtch descent. 
 ^Vhen the colonists resolved to throw off tlie 
 yoke of British oppression his grandfather, Ben- 
 jamin Coddington shouldered his musket and 
 
 went to the front to aid them in securing their 
 independence. When the war was over and 
 peace once more established he located upon a 
 farm in Maryland, which was operated by nu- 
 merous slaves owned by him. 
 
 Upon that plantation James Coddington, the 
 father of our subject, first opened his eyes Janu- 
 ary 25, 1798, and there he grew to manhood. In 
 1832 he left the parental roof and emigrated to 
 Bureau county, Illinois, which was then little 
 better than a wilderness and swamp. During 
 the Black Hawk war, however, he returned to 
 Maryland, but the following year came again to 
 Bureau county, where he entered three eighty- 
 acre tracts of land on section 27, Dover township, 
 now owned and occupied by his son, H. C. Cod- 
 dington. This the father cleared, broke and im- 
 proved, transforming the same into one of the 
 most highly cultivated farms in the community, 
 and gave his time and attention exclusively to 
 agricultural pursuits with excellent results. In 
 this county he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Catherine Fear, also a native of Maryland, who 
 was reared in the same neighborhood as her hus- 
 band. While on a visit to his native state, on 
 his way to the Centennial Exposition, he was 
 thrown from a buggy and accidentally killed in 
 June, 1876, at the age of seventy-eight years, 
 but the mother is still living on the old home- 
 stead with her son, Henry C, at the ripe old age 
 of eighty-two years. They were valued and 
 highly respected citizens and honored pioneers 
 of the county. 
 
 Our subject is the third in order of birth in 
 the family of two sons and four daughters, all of 
 whom grew to maturity. The others are as fol- 
 lows: Mary, is the wife of D. W. Chase, a far- 
 mer of Walnut township. Bureau county; Caro- 
 hne, married Calvin Shugart and died in this 
 county September, 1872; Anna, is the wife of 
 Milford Frazee, an agriculturist of Dover town- 
 ship; Henry C. operates the old homestead farm, 
 and Martha Belle wedded Peter Ostran, of Lan- 
 caster county, Nebraska, where Iut death oc- 
 curred November, 1890. 
 
 Mr. Coddington, of this review, grew to man- 
 
134 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 hood on the home farm, assisting in its labors 
 during the summer months and attending the 
 common schools in the winter seasons. He com- 
 pleted his literary course at Dover academy and 
 remained with his father until his marriage, 
 which important event in his life was celebrated 
 January 25, 1872, Miss Lizzie Keel becoming his 
 wife. She is a native of Ohio, but when a child 
 came to Illinois with her father, J. W. Keel, who 
 was one of the first settlers on North Prairie. 
 Mrs. Coddington completed her education in the 
 Princeton academy. By her marriage to our 
 subject she has become the mother of the fol- 
 lowing children: James K., who graduated at 
 the Western college of Toledo, Iowa, and is now 
 a medical student in Iowa City; John W., who 
 graduated at the Princeton high school, and is 
 now attending the Western college; Harry, 
 Frank, Nellie and Willie, who are students of the 
 Princeton high school; Mattie, who is attending 
 school in the same city; Lloyd and Lottie 
 (twins), and one daughter, who died in infancy. 
 
 For two years after his marriage Mr. Codding- 
 ton lived upon rented land, and then purchased 
 one hundred and fifty acres of the farm on which 
 he now resides. From time to time he has add- 
 ed to the amount until to-day he is the owner of 
 three hundred and thirty-three acres of valuable 
 land in Dover township, which is under excellent 
 cultivation and improved with a neat and com- 
 modious residence, three good barns, cribs and 
 other outbuildings. In fact, it is one of the 
 model farms of Bureau county. 
 
 An ardent republican in politics, Mr. Codding- 
 ton has supported every presidential nominee of 
 that party since casting his first vote for General 
 U. S. Grant, and has served as a delegate to a 
 number of county and state conventions. For 
 several years he has been an efficient member of 
 the school board, and has filled other local offi- 
 ces with credit to himself and to the satisfaction 
 of his constituents. Earnest, conscientious 
 Christian, both himself and wife are faithful 
 members of the United Brethren church. In- 
 dustry, enterprise and perseverance are num- 
 bered among his chief characteristics and have 
 
 been important factors in bringing about the suc- 
 cess which he to-day enjoys, as he started out to 
 fight life's battles in limited circumstances, but 
 has overcome all obstacles and to-day is num- 
 bered among the wealthiest citizens of Dover 
 township. He is widely known as a man of un- 
 doubted integrity, conducting his interests with 
 ability and strict regard to details. 
 
 CLAYTON C. PERVIER, a man who has 
 been useful in his community and ever tak- 
 en a prominent part in the enterprises tending to 
 the enlightenment of the people, the friend of 
 education, and active in political affairs, is now 
 engaged in farming and stock-raising on section 
 17, Concord township. The old idea that the 
 farmer requires little beyond his muscle to en- 
 able him to battle successfully with the elements 
 of the soil is fast passing away, and the fact is 
 everywhere recognized by intelligent men that 
 experience and education go hand in hand in 
 achieving the best results in this as well as other 
 employments of life. 
 
 A native of Bureau county, Mr. Pervier was 
 born in Mineral township, March 4, 1857, a son 
 of Rev. Sylvester L. Pervier, a native of Andover, 
 New Hampshire, where he was reared on a farm 
 in the midst of the pineries. The father's birth 
 occurred September 16, 1816, and in the com- 
 mon schools he acquired his education. Going 
 to Monroe county, New York, he there became 
 acquainted with Miss Philena Coval, who on the 
 2d of February, 1843, became his wife. He had 
 previously entered the ministry of the Christian 
 or Union church, and engaged in preaching in 
 various counties of the empire state until 1845, 
 when he removed to Janesville, Wisconsin. At 
 that place and Beloit, Wisconsin, he had charge 
 of churches for two years, and then came to 
 Henry, Marshall county, Illinois, where he was 
 pastor of the Union church for four years, and 
 later was engaged in the work of the ministry at 
 Prophetstown, Whiteside county, Illinois. From 
 that place he removed to his farm in Mineral 
 township. Bureau county, having purchased a 
 tract of government land at one dollar and a 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 135 
 
 quarter per acre. There his death occurred Feb- 
 ruary 7, 1892, and his remains were interred in 
 Mineral cemetery. Previous to the war he was 
 a strong abolitionist and took an active part in 
 opposition to slavery. In his family were five 
 children — ]Melvin, who lives upon the old home 
 farm; JNIyron, also at home; Donna, who gradu- 
 ated at the Annawan high school, and is now 
 successfully engaged in teaching; Clayton, of 
 this review, and one who died in infancy. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 passed in the usual manner of farmer lads, as- 
 sisting in the labors of the fields and attending 
 the district schools. Later he was a student in 
 the school of Annawan, Illinois, and at the early 
 age of sixteen began teaching, his first school 
 being north of Kawanee, where he had forty- 
 two pupils, many of whom were much older than 
 himself. Meeting with success in this venture, he 
 continued to follow the profession through the 
 winter seasons for a period of sixteen years. In 
 the meantime, however, when eighteen years of 
 age, he entered the University of Illinois at 
 Champaign, which he attended for four terms. 
 
 On the i6th of March, 1881, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Pervier and Miss Jessie M. Cur- 
 tis, a native of Concord township, and a daugh- 
 ter of James M. and Helen M. (Stevenson) Cur- 
 tis. She is a graduate of the Sheffield high 
 school. Four children grace their union, name- 
 ly: Raymond C, Edgar M., Mabel Inez and 
 Carrie May. For six years after his marriage 
 Mr. Pervier operated the old home farm, but in 
 1887 removed to the farm he is now cultivating, 
 comprising a half section of valuable land, which 
 he has placed under excellent cultivation. 
 
 Since casting his first presidential vote for 
 James A. Garfield in 1880 he has been a recog- 
 nized leader in the ranks of the republican party 
 in his locality. In the spring that he attained 
 his majority he was sent as a delegate vo the 
 county convention and has since continually 
 served in that capacity, being chairman of the 
 convention in 1894, and in 1896 refusing to ac- 
 cept the same position. Being well versed in 
 parliamentary rules, he makes a most efficient 
 
 presiding officer. He has also served as a dele- 
 gate to the various district conventions of his 
 party. While a resident of Mineral township he 
 was nominated by the republican party for jus- 
 tice of the peace, and was also elected assessor, 
 receiving the nomination of the democratic or 
 people's party. In 1892 he was appointed collec- 
 tor to fill a vacancy. In 1894 he was elected 
 supervisor by the republican party and re-elected 
 in 1896, a fact which plainly indicates his popu- 
 larity and the confidence and trust reposed in 
 him. He also served as school trustee in Min- 
 eral township. He is now acceptably serving his 
 second term as supervisor, supporting all meas- 
 ures calculated to benefit the community. He 
 was appointed one of the commissioners to levy 
 the special tax for the extension of the mains in 
 the town of Buda, which work has recently been 
 completed. He has been a member of county 
 republican committee for the past eight years, 
 and is a member of the present executive com- 
 mittee who have charge of the campaign work. 
 Mr. Pervier holds membership in the Unitar- 
 ian church at Sheffield. In June, 1892, he was 
 initiated into the mysteries of the Masonic order, 
 becoming a member of Ames lodge, No. 142, 
 F. & A. M., at the first election was made senior 
 warden, one year later junior warden, and is now 
 worthy master. Both himself and wife are con- 
 nected with Ames chapter of the Eastern Star. 
 They joined the order at Buda in 1895, but have 
 since been transferred to Sheffield. They are 
 worthy and valued members of society, and hold 
 an enviable position among the intelligent and 
 enterprising citizens of their native county. 
 
 JAMES O. CRAIG, superintendent of the 
 county farm of Bureau county, has long- 
 been numbered among the prominent residents 
 of Wyanet township. His life has been well 
 spent, and the high regard in which he is held 
 makes him well deserving of representation in 
 this volume. A native of New York, he was born 
 in Delaware county, April 16, 1833, and is a 
 son of Robert Craig, whose birth occurred in 
 Scotland, but when a young man he crossed the 
 
136 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Atlantic to America, locating first in New York 
 city, where he married. There he worked at the 
 veneering trade until his removal to Delaware 
 county, becoming one of its earliest settlers, and 
 cleared and develo'ped a farm in the mid&t of the 
 timber. There he passed his remaining days, 
 dying in his fifty-fourth year. He was a con- 
 scientious, Christian man, a deacon in the Pres- 
 byterian church, to which he belonged, and was 
 a whig in politics. 
 
 Our subject was the eighth in order of birth in 
 a family of eleven children, of whom six are still 
 living. Until twenty-three years of age he re- 
 mained in the county of his nativity, and com- 
 pleted his education at the Delaware academy 
 of Delhi, New York. He also took a prominent 
 part in the literary society of Franklin township, 
 Delaware county. On leaving school he engaged 
 in teaching from the age of seventeen years un- 
 til thirty-two, and proved a most capable in- 
 structor. 
 
 The year i860 witnessed the arrival of Mr. 
 Craig in Bureau county, and for some time he 
 followed the profession of teaching in Neponset, 
 Sheffield and Wyanet townships, and in the lat- 
 ter township he has since made his home. In 
 1863 he turned his attention to farming, and has 
 since followed agricultural pursuits. Two years 
 later he also engaged in general stock shipping 
 in the village of Wyanet, which he continued 
 until he took charge of the county farm in Janu- 
 ary, 1882, and has since faithfully sei^ved in the 
 capacity of superintendent of that institution, 
 proving a most capable and efficient officer. He 
 was also justice of the peace and notary public 
 for a number of years in Wyanet township, and 
 besides has filled many other official positions 
 to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 
 In Wyanet township, Bureau county, Mr. 
 Craig was married in November, 1862, to Miss 
 Nellie Hays, a native of Ohio, who came with 
 her parents, Elijah and Rachel (Thatcher) Hays, 
 to this county, Ijeing numl)ered among its early 
 settlers. Six children \\crc' born of this union, 
 one son and five daughters, but only three are 
 now living — Ella, Herman C. and Maude. 
 
 In his political relations Mr. Craig is a stal- 
 wart republican, and socially is a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity. At the early age of sixteen 
 years he joined the Presbyterian church, but 
 since coming to Illinois has held membership 
 in the Congregational church, of which he is a 
 valued and consistent member. In all the re- 
 lations of life, whether public or private, he has 
 ever been found true and faithful and justly de- 
 serves the high esteem in which he is held. 
 
 REV. FRANK G. BRAINERD, pastor of 
 the First Congregational church of Spring 
 A'alley, is a native of Bureau county, his birth 
 having occurred in Wyanet, December 15, 1862, 
 and is a son of Theodore G. and Elizabeth 
 (Gunn) Brainerd, in whose family were five chil- 
 dren, our subject being the oldest. Amy G., a 
 music teacher, resides at home, and the other 
 three, George, Elizabeth and Mina, all died in 
 childhood. 
 
 Theodore G. Brainerd was born in Canada 
 July 13, 1816, and was married on the 19th of 
 ^lay, 185 1, to Elizabeth Gunn, also a native of 
 that country, and the oldest living child of George 
 and Elizabeth (Brown) Gunn, who were mar- 
 ried in 1827 and became the parents of five chil- 
 dren, two now deceased. The maternal grand- 
 mother, who was born in 1810, is still living, 
 but the grandfather died in 1891, at the age of 
 eighty-seven years. He was a native of Scot- 
 land and was taken to Canada when a child. 
 During his mature years he held a position under 
 the government for her majesty and later retired 
 on a pension. The paternal grandparents of our 
 subject were Ezra and Nancy (Hurd) Brainerd, 
 the former a member of an old Connecticut fam- 
 ily and the latter of an old Massachusetts fam- 
 ily. In 1 85 1 Theodore Brainerd removed to 
 Wyanet, Illinois, and for many years there en- 
 gaged in grain dealing. He was a devout Chris- 
 tian, an active church worker and zealous in pro- 
 moting the cause of the Master. He was well 
 informed on general topics, was widely and fav- 
 orably known throughout the county, and was 
 prominent in his community. For the past 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 139 
 
 twelve years he served as collector of his town- 
 ship. His death occurred September 9, 1896. 
 
 After completing the common school course 
 at Wyanet, Mr. Brainerd of this review entered 
 Oberlin College, of Ohio, where he was a student 
 for two years. On his return to Bureau county 
 he resumed teaching, which he had previously 
 followed, and in all taught five terms in the dis- 
 trict schools. In 1884 he took charge of the 
 grammar room in the De Pue schools, which 
 position he held for two years, and in 1886-7 en- 
 gaged in teaching in Wyanet. For the follow- 
 ing two years he was principal of the schools of 
 Tonica, Illinois, and then gave up that profes- 
 sion for the work of the ministry. 
 
 In July, 1889, Mr. Brainerd began preaching 
 at Cambridge, Illinois, where he supplied the 
 pulpit for two months, and in the fall of that 
 year entered the Chicago Theological Congrega- 
 tional Seminary, where he pursued his studies 
 for one year, during which time he taught a 
 night school at two dollars an evening, thus 
 earning his own way. He also preached every 
 Sunday at Rutland, Illinois, riding a distance 
 of one hundred and twenty-five miles. In May, 
 1890, he became pastor of the Congregational 
 church at Gridley, this state, where he remained 
 for fifteen months, at the end of which time he 
 went to the Lake Superior region for the benefit 
 of his wife's health. He accepted a charge at 
 Portage Entry, Michigan, where he remained 
 from August, 1891, to February, 1893, during 
 which time he converted the mission into an 
 organized church. 
 
 Mr. Brainerd thfen went to Parkersburg, Iowa, 
 where he was pastor until May, 1894, but the 
 February previous brought his wife, who was 
 still ill, to their parents at Wyanet. His salary 
 was allowed to go on and he hired an assistant, 
 whom he paid. He resigned the pastorate there 
 on the 1st of May, 1894, and on the ist of June 
 his wife died at the age of twenty-four years. 
 
 It was on the 26th of June, 1890, that Mr. 
 
 Brainerd had married Miss Efifie M. Carter, 
 
 daughter of Samuel and Jeannetta (Holroyd) 
 
 Carter, old residents of Bureau county and prom- 
 
 8 , : i 
 
 inent farming people of Wyanet. Mrs. Brainerd 
 was a lady of scholarly attainments and pleasing 
 presence. She was a beautiful woman, of a 
 most lovely disposition and popular wherever 
 known. For four years she had engaged in 
 teaching, during that time having charge of one 
 school. She was a devout Christian, having 
 been a faithful member of the Congregational 
 church since 1887. 
 
 Mr. Brainerd came to Spring Valley July 29, 
 1894, to supply the pulpit and the same year ac- 
 cepted a call from his present congregation. Un- 
 der his able pastorate the church has prospered 
 and is now in a flourishing condition. He has 
 the courage of his convictions and in his conflict 
 with the saloon element of the city has succeeded 
 in doing what seemed to many "the impossible" 
 — the closing of the saloons on Sunday, which for 
 years had been open on that day. For the excel- 
 lent services he rendered the village its best citi- 
 zens tendered him a reception, at which he was 
 presented with a plate of gold as a small token of 
 their appreciation. 
 
 GEORGE R. ROSS, a reliable and energetic 
 member of the sturdy sons of toil who are 
 engaged in tilling the soil of Bureau county, is 
 operating a fine farm of one hundred and sixty 
 acres of nicely improved land on sections 14 and 
 23, Ohio township. The buildings on the prop- 
 erty are of excellent and substantial character, 
 and the whole surroundings betoken thrift and 
 prosperity. 
 
 A native of Bureau county, Mr. Ross was born 
 near the village of Ohio, in 1847, ^-nd is a son 
 of Rev. Andrew and Hannah (Randall) Ross, 
 whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. 
 His primary education was obtained in the dis- 
 trict schools, and subsequently he took a two 
 years' course in Abingdon college, where he 
 completed his literary course. He was reared on 
 a farm and with the exception of ten years, when 
 engaged in mercantile pursuits at Ohio, has 
 always followed farming. He is numbered 
 among the most progressive, skillful and ener- 
 getic farmers of the community. 
 
I40 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In 1872 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Ross and Miss Sarah Ross, daughter of Jose])h 
 Ross, of Bureau county, and they now have six 
 children — Harvey, Benjamin A., Howard, Nellie, 
 Debbie and Frank, constituting an interesting 
 family, all at home. The parents and children all 
 hold membership in the Christian church. They 
 enjoy the warmest regard and esteem of the 
 whole community, and are valued members of 
 society. In politics Mr. Ross was formerly a 
 republican, but owing to his views on the tem- 
 perance question, has for the past few years been 
 identified with the prohibition party. He is 
 widely known for his upright dealings and ster- 
 ling qualities, and is universally respected 
 throughout the county where he has always 
 made his home. 
 
 GEORGE M. WHITE, who occupies a fine 
 and well improved farm of two hundred 
 and twenty acres in Lamoille township, is num- 
 bered among its energetic and well-to-do agricul- 
 turists. The residence and its surroundings are 
 highly creditable to the proprietor and indicate 
 him to be a man of industry and enterprise, who 
 has kept his eyes open on what is going on in 
 the world around him, and availed himself of 
 the most approved methods of carrying on agri- 
 culture. 
 
 A native of Bureau county, Mr. White was 
 born in Dover township, December 31, 185,^, and 
 is a son of Oziel and Minerva (Hammer) White, 
 the former a native of New Jersey, and the latter 
 of Indiana. His father came to Bureau county 
 in 1850, and was a merchant in the village of 
 Dover for two or three years. His general oc- 
 cupation was that of a farmer and stock-raiser. 
 He held a number of minor offices, and was a 
 prominent member of the North Prairie Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church, with which he was offi- 
 cially connected. He departed this life November 
 15, 1881, at the age of fifty-four years. The 
 mother, who was born May 2, 1834, is still liv- 
 ing at Princeton, well preserved both in body 
 and mind, and is a devout member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal church. 
 
 George Plammer, the maternal grandfather of 
 our subject, was a native of Kentucky, early re- 
 moved to Indiana, and in 1834 came to Kane 
 county, Illinois, where he owned a good farm, a 
 portion of which is now within the corporation 
 limits of Elgin. He helped to raise the first 
 cabin ever erected in that city. In 1848 he took 
 up his residence in Bureau county, where he be- 
 came quite active in church work, being a class 
 leader in the Methodist church for over half a 
 century. At one time he served as supervisor 
 of Ohio township, and was widely and favorably 
 known throughout the county. He was born 
 in 1810, and died at Princeton in 1887. He was 
 three times married. 
 
 George M. White is one of a family of nine 
 children, of whom Alice, William and Margaret, 
 all died in infancy. Alida R. was the wife of 
 L. N. Perkins of Lamoille township, and died at 
 the age of thirty years. She held membership 
 in the Methodist Episcopal church. Charles O. 
 is a farmer and stock-raiser of Lamoille town- 
 ship. Jennie died at the age of sixteen years. 
 Edson D. is attending college at Evanston, Illi- 
 nois. Percis took a four years course in the wom- 
 an's department of the Norch Western Medical 
 college and engaged in the practice of medicine 
 until her health became impaired. She is now 
 a resident of Princeton. 
 
 After attending the common schools for some 
 time Mr. White, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, pursued his studies for two years in the 
 Princeton high school. He then successfully 
 taught two winter terms in Bureau county, but 
 has principally devoted his time and attention 
 to agricultural pursuits, and has proved a most 
 thorough and skillful farmer. 
 
 On the 14th of September, 1881, ]Mr. \Miitc 
 led to the marriage altar Miss Elizabeth G. Bar- 
 rett, a native of Bureau county, and a daughter 
 of Mark and Josephine Barrett, both of whom 
 were born in IMassachusetts. She is the second 
 in order of birth in their family of seven children, 
 the others being Ernest, a farmer of Lamoille; 
 Mamie, wife of Fred Star of Texas; Dwight FL, 
 a graduate of the State university, and a young 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 141 
 
 man of more than ordinary ability, who died at 
 Baltimore; Arthur L., who married Melissa 
 McCray, and lives in the village of Lamoille, 
 and Grace, a trained nurse residing in Minneapo- 
 lis. The mother of these children makes her 
 home in the village of Lamoille. Two children 
 bless the union of our subject and his wife — Jen- 
 nie B. and Esther. A nephew, Richard J., also 
 finds a pleasant home with them. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. White are earnest and ac- 
 tive members of the North Prairie Methodist 
 Episcopal church in Ohio township, of which he 
 is now trustee, and has also been superintendent 
 of the Sunday school. In his pohtical views he 
 is an ardent republican, always advocating the 
 principles of that party, and has most creditably 
 served in a number of local offices, being for six 
 years commissioner of highways in his township, 
 is now serving his second term as supervisor of 
 the same, and has been school director. He has 
 been very successful in his life work, and being 
 endowed with many virtues and a genial, hos- 
 pitable manner, receives the respect and confi- 
 dence of the entire community. 
 
 Charles O. White, a brother of our subject, is 
 also a leading farmer and stock-raiser of La- 
 moille township, where his birth occurred May 
 5, 1859. He was reared to agricultural pur- 
 suits and decided to make that occupation his 
 life work, though for two terms he engaged in 
 teaching a district school. He owns a valuable 
 tract of one hundred and eighty acres on sec- 
 tion 30, where he resides, and another farm on 
 section 6 and 7, Berlin township. Bureau county. 
 Besides attending to his extensive farming inter- 
 ests he also deals in coal, which has also proved 
 cjuite profitable. 
 
 On the i8th of January, 1883, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Charles O. White and Miss Ella 
 Taylor, a daughter of Matthew and Catherine 
 (Smith) Taylor, respected old settlers of Dover 
 township, the father having come from Ohio to 
 Bureau county in the '50s. Pie has now reached 
 the age of sixty-five years, while his wife is fifty- 
 eight. They have nine children — Sadie L., wife 
 of Madison Hensel, a farmer of Walnut township. 
 
 Bureau county; Ella, Flora, wife of J. O. Belk- 
 nap, a general merchant of Goldfield, Iowa ; Lot- 
 tie, wife of S. M. Morton, a farmer of Eagle 
 Grove, Iowa; Isa, wife of E. G. Smith, a farmer 
 of Conde, South Dakota; Elmer, who married 
 Mary Keel, and operates the home farm in 
 Dover township; George, who died at the age 
 of twenty-three years; John L., who is clerking 
 in his brother-in-law's store at Goldfield, Iowa, 
 and Myrtle, wife of Oscar Matson, a farmer of 
 Dover township. Mr. and Mrs. White have two 
 daughters, Irma Belle and Margaret Faith. 
 
 Like his brother, Charles 0. White supports 
 the men and measures of the republican party, 
 and in November, 1896, expects to vote for the 
 author of the McKinley bill, or, in other words, 
 "Bill McKinley." Socially, he belongs to the 
 Modern \\^oodmen of America, and, religiously, 
 both himself and wife are consistent members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is 
 trustee and steward. 
 
 CHARLES Y. DAHLGREN. As an enter- 
 prising, wide-awake business man of 
 Princeton, and one who, through his own efforts, 
 has established himself among the prominent 
 and well-to-do men of the city, we take pleasure 
 in giving a brief biography of the gentleman 
 whose name stands at the head of this sketch. 
 He is a leading harness and saddle maker of the 
 place, and also a dealer in real estate. 
 
 Mr. Dahlgren was born in Sweden, December 
 5, 1858, and there served a five years apprentice- 
 ship to the trade which he now follows, being un- 
 der the guidance of a gentleman who is now work- 
 ing for him. On the expiration of that time he 
 worked for three years as a journeyman in his 
 native land, but in 1880 he emigrated to the 
 United States, where he also has two brothers 
 and a sister living. As he had two cousins, Theo- 
 dore and A. M. Johnson, residing in Bureau 
 county, he came at once to Princeton, and for 
 one year was employed at railroad work, wnile 
 the following year was spent in a brick yard. 
 
 In the meantime, however, Mr. Dahlgren had 
 worked some at his trade, and after three years 
 
142 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in this country started in business for himself 
 along that line and has now secured an excellent 
 trade, always having in his employ one or two 
 men. He is also interested in Princeton real 
 estate, in connection with John F. Backstrand 
 and J. M. Peterson, being the original proprie- 
 tors of the ten acres known as the Backstrand 
 addition, lying just south of the city, which is 
 now all sold. Pie also has five acres near the city 
 limits, and owns other city property in addition 
 to his store. In Butler county, Kansas, he owns 
 a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres. 
 
 On the i6th day of May, 1880, in Sweden, Mr. 
 Dahlgren was united in marriage with Miss 
 Christina Erickson, and they now have three chil- 
 dren — Theodore, who was born January 17, 1881 ; 
 Theckla, aged eleven years, and Theresa, aged 
 three years. The parents hold membership in 
 the Swedish Lutheran church, in which Mr. 
 Dahlgren has served as trustee and treasurer for 
 six years. He is the president of the Princeton 
 Swedish Sick Benefit society, which was organ- 
 ized about a year ago, and now has one hundred 
 and fifty members. It is kept up by monthly 
 dues and has assisted in many cases of illness, 
 having paid out about five hundred dollars in 
 that way. It is confined to male members only. 
 Since becoming an American citizen Mr. Dahl- 
 gren has given his allegiance to the republican 
 party, which finds in him an earnest advocate, 
 and is now serving as vice-president of the Swed- 
 ish-American Republican State league, being re- 
 cently elected to that position, but had previously 
 been vice-president of the county organization 
 from its beginning. He usually attends the con- 
 ventions of his party, and is at present efficiently 
 serving as city treasurei". Although this coun- 
 try has been his home for a comparatively short 
 time, he has its best interests at heart, and aids 
 in every possible way in promoting its welfare. 
 
 CRISPIN WOOD, who for over forty years 
 has made his home in Putnam county, is 
 both widely and favorably known, and is now 
 practically living retired, at the city of Plenne- 
 pin, surrounded by many warm friends. He was 
 
 born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, December 
 6, 1820, and when a mere child was taken to 
 Warren county, Ohio, by his parents, Joseph and 
 Julia (Elma) Wood. On reaching manhood he 
 wa^ there married October 6, 1852, the lady of 
 his choice being Miss Martha Crosby, whose 
 birth occurred nine miles from Philadelphia in 
 Delaware county, Pennsylvania. One daughter 
 was born to them — Mary Ida, now the wife of 
 Adam Deck of Hennepin. 
 
 Until twenty-four years of age Mr. Wood 
 worked by the month as a farm hand, received 
 from nine to nine dollars and a half, and for the 
 following eight years rented land, but accumulat- 
 ed nothing. After his marriage he leased his 
 father-in-law's place, and on the close of a year 
 had saved five hundred dollars. Coming to Put- 
 nam county, Illinois, in 1854, Mr. Wood sold the 
 one hundred and sixty acre tract which he 
 owned in Central Illinois and purchased two 
 eighty acre tracts near Mt. Palatine, where he 
 made his home for thirteen years. He was one 
 of the first to attempt to raise hogs on the prairies 
 and none were more successful, winning many 
 premiums at the fairs where he exhibited. He 
 next lived at a neat place at the edge of Henne- 
 pin, where he expended five thousand dollars 
 on improvements, but after some years removed 
 to his present location — the Fairfield house — an 
 old landmark opposite the court house, where 
 he has made extensive improvements, and now 
 has a most desirable place. He has a valuable 
 farm of five hundred and forty-eight acres on 
 the liver below Hennepin, which he rents, deriv- 
 ing therefrom a good income. He also owns 
 one hundred and sixty acres near Atlantic, in 
 Cass county, Iowa. He has bred some fine Ken- 
 tucky horses, but met with poor success in that 
 undertaking, suffering the loss of some valuable 
 animals. He now devotes his time and atten- 
 tion to the management of his little home in 
 Hennepin, and to overseeing his fine farm on the 
 river. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Wood is an ardent republican, 
 but has never cared for the honors or emolu- 
 ments of public office, never having filled any 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 143 
 
 political position aside from that of assessor of his 
 township. Since a boy he has been lame, an 
 affection of one hip, and though handicapped in 
 this way has been remarkably successful in his 
 life work, and justly ranks among the most ener- 
 getic and progressive agriculturists of Putnam 
 county. 
 
 In religious belief Mr. Wood is a Universalist, 
 having held to that belief fifty-two years, and the 
 society in whose house of worship he sung as a 
 member of the choir for thirteen years have re- 
 cently erected a new church building at Spring- 
 boro, Warren county, to which he contributed 
 one hundred dollars. On coming to Hennepin 
 he also gave liberally to the support of both the 
 Congregational and Methodist Episcopal 
 churches as there was no church of his choice in 
 the place, and his daughter for a number of years 
 was organist in the former. At one time he in- 
 vited a Universalist preacher to Hennepin and 
 that church was promised him for his use, but 
 the minister of the church refused its use to any 
 "such trash." At the Methodist church he re- 
 ceived no better treatment, with one exception, 
 when they allowed him to hold services. Mr. 
 Wood is a pleasant, genial gentleman, easily 
 winning friends, which he always retains. 
 
 GEORGE P. PETTEE is classed among the 
 well-to-do and influential farmers and 
 stock-raisers of Bureau county, owning three 
 hundred and sixty acres of valuable land on sec- 
 tions 9 and 10, Concord township. A native of 
 the Green Mountain state, he was born Febru- 
 ary 25, 1832, in Rutland county, and is a son of 
 George W. and Eleanor (Wrisley) Pettee, both 
 of whom were natives of Vermont. He spent his 
 boyhood and youth after the manner of most 
 farmers' sons, becoming familiar with plowing, 
 sowing and reaping, and amid the quiet scenes 
 of country life grew up with a healthy constitu- 
 tion and a clear brain. He attended the schools 
 of the neighborhood and obtained a good com- 
 mon school education. 
 
 In 1855, at the age of twenty-three years, Mr. 
 Pettee left the parental roof and the hills of his 
 
 native state to make his home on the broad prair- 
 ies of Illinois. On coming to Bureau county 
 he operated rented land near Princeton until 
 1858, when he made his first purchase of eighty 
 acres, it being the north half of the northwest 
 quarter of section 10, Concord township, a part 
 of his present fine farm. To this he has added 
 as his financial resources have increased until he 
 now has three hundred and sixty acres. He has 
 made all the improvements upon the place, in- 
 cluding some fine maple trees which he planted 
 from seed. His place is supplied with excellent 
 farm buildings and the land is highly cultivated, 
 yielding to the owner bountiful returns for the 
 care and labor expended upon it. He also has 
 three hundred and twenty acres in Buffalo coun- 
 ty, Nebraska, which he leases. 
 
 On the 7th of July, 1857, was solemnized the 
 marriage of Mr. Pettee and Miss Margaret, 
 daughter of Nicholas and Johanna (Bryant) Sin- 
 nott, of Bureau county. She, too, is a native of 
 Vermont, where they became acquainted. Five 
 children came to bless their union, as follows: 
 Mary E., who, after graduating from the Shef- 
 field schools, engaged in teaching for about 
 eleven years, and is the wife of Fi'ank Mock, now 
 living at Cambridge, Henry county, Illinois; 
 George P., a resident of Seatonville, Bureau 
 county, is also a graduate of the Sheffield schools, 
 and has taught for about a dozen years; he at- 
 tended Rush Medical college of Chicago, and is 
 a registered pharmacist; also postmaster of Sea- 
 tonville; John C, is a farmer residing at home; 
 Alice A., a graduate of the Princeton high school, 
 followed the profession of teaching until her 
 health failed. She died November 10, 1890. She 
 was laid to rest in the cemetery of Princeton. 
 William J. graduated both at the Princeton high 
 school and at the Gem Business college of 
 Quincy. He taught for a number of terms, but 
 is now engaged in the insurance business in Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 Mr. PetLee was reared a democrat, and has al- 
 ways supported that party since casting his first 
 presidential vote for James Buchanan in 1856. 
 For many years he has efficiently served as a 
 
144 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 member of the school board. As a man he pos- 
 sesses excellent judgment, is skillful and enter- 
 prising in his farming operations, and in all the 
 relations of life is accounted a useful and desir- 
 able member of society. 
 
 ROBERT PRINGLE. Among the well 
 known men of Scottish birth, who have 
 done much in developing the various industries 
 of Marshall county, especially its farming inter- 
 ests, must be classed the subject of this sketch, 
 who for more than forty years has resided on sec- 
 tion 27, La Prairie township, where, with the 
 help of his sons, he operates one of the best farms 
 in this section. He was born in Dumfriesshire, 
 Scotland, October 10, 1821, and is a son of An- 
 drew and Elizabeth (Pringle) Pringle, the former 
 a native of Selkirkshire, and the latter of Dum- 
 friesshire, Scotland. Although bearing the same 
 name they were not relatives. Andrew Pringle, 
 who was by occupation a shepherd and labor- 
 ing man, came to the United States in 1850, stop- 
 ping for a time in New York, and in 1853 came 
 to Marshall county, where he died at the age of 
 seventy-seven years. His good wife survived 
 him some years, dying in her eighty-eighth year. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 spent in Selkirkshire and Roxburghshire, where 
 he received a limited education, but where he 
 was inured to hard work, commencing at a very 
 early age upon a farm, and continued in that oc- 
 cupation the greater part of the time until com- 
 ing to this country. While pursuing his farm 
 work his thoughts often turned to the new world 
 with its greater possibilities, he had learned, for 
 the poor man. Relatives and friends had crossed 
 the ocean and written back glowing accounts of 
 the land which was destined to be his future 
 home. 
 
 In 1848, when twenty-six years of age, Mr. 
 Pringle bade farewell to the loved ones at home 
 and set sail for the United States. Landing in 
 New York city he proceeded to Ontario county, 
 New York, where he remained about four years 
 and a half, working at whatever he could find to 
 do, and carefully saving his money. In Decem- 
 
 ber, 1852, he came to Marshall county, his rela- 
 tives, the Davidsons, having preceded him. 
 
 While yet residing in Ontario county, New 
 York, Mr. Pringle was united in marriage with 
 Miss Jeannette Turnbull, a native of Roxburgh- 
 shire, Scotland, and a sister of Robert Turnbull, 
 who settled temporarily in New York. To them 
 were born seven children — Beatie, who married 
 John Titus, and died at the age of twenty-two; 
 Lizzie, who married Robert Scoon of La Prairie 
 township. They have four children living — 
 Frank T., Clifford, Beatie, Jeanette; John An- 
 drew, who married Lillie Stewart, who died Oc- 
 tober 23, 1893, leaving one child Lillian; Mary, 
 Adam and Jennie at home. Mrs. Pringle died 
 August 30, 1873. She was a woman of excellent 
 character, a loving mother and faithful wife. 
 
 It was shortly after his marriage that Mr, 
 Pringle came to Marshall county. On his arrival 
 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
 land, a part of his present excellent homestead, 
 for which he paid four dollars per acre. He had 
 just money enough with which to pay for the 
 land, but wishing to keep some for present use 
 he only made a small cash payment. As the 
 land was unimproved, he rented an improved 
 farm, on which he resided until 1854, when he 
 moved to his own land and commenced its im- 
 provement. A little later he purchased one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of improved land, and 
 his life work was well begun. In the early days 
 wheat was a sure crop and the soil yielded large- 
 ly, making it a profitable cereal, notwithstanding 
 the difficulty in marketing. As wheat raising 
 became more and more uncertain, he changed 
 to corn and stock-raising, in which he was quite 
 successful. For some years he fed cattle, and 
 his shipments have annually been from one to 
 four car loads. He was also for a time a breeder 
 of sheep, in which line he continued until that, 
 too, proved unprofitable, when he abandoned it, 
 but the industry has lately been taken up by his 
 sons, with some success, they usually having a 
 flock of some three hundred head on hand, and 
 annually ship from two to four car loads. 
 
 Success has generally crowned the efforts of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 145 
 
 Mr. Pringle in the new world. To his original 
 purchase of one hundred and sixty acres he has 
 added from time to time other tracts until his 
 farm consists of seven hundred acres in one body, 
 all of which is operated by himself and sons. 
 While confining himself generally to farming op- 
 erations, he has occasionally ventured his means 
 in other channels. On the organization of the 
 Lacon woolen mills he became a stockholder to 
 the extent of twenty-five shares. While this has 
 not been as profitable as might be wished, two 
 seasons of prosperity followed the venture, that 
 during the Crimean war and near the close of 
 the civil war. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Pringle has always been a 
 stanch republican, he becoming an American 
 citizen about the time of the birth of that party. 
 He has neither accepted nor sought official posi- 
 tion, his tastes not running in that channel. Like 
 most of his kith and kin, he is a great admirer 
 of Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns, and in 
 Scottish sports and festivities always has a lively 
 interest. A good neighbor, a loyal citizen, he is 
 greatly esteemed by all with whom he has been 
 brought in contact. 
 
 LUCIAN E. PAGE, a prominent and repre- 
 sentative farmer residing on section 8, 
 Princeton township, is a son of Eliel Page, who 
 was born at Cambridge, Vermont, in 1809, and 
 a grandson of Richard Page, a native of New 
 Hampshire, and of an old Xew England family. 
 His mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary 
 A. Nye, was born in 181 5, in Fairfield, Vermont, 
 and was the daughter of Benjamin Nye, also a 
 native of the old granite state. At Fairfield the 
 parents were married and located upon a farm 
 at Cambridge, where the mother died September 
 7, 1851. The father later removed to Lawrence, 
 Massachusetts, but subsequently returned to 
 Vermont, where his death occurred in 1891. 
 After the death of his first wife he married Cyn- 
 thia Abbott. By the first union there were seven 
 children— Major Norman B., who was killed at 
 the battle of Shiloh; Annette, wife of Calvin D. 
 Warren of Hyde Park, A^ermont; Nelson N., 
 
 of Princeton, Illinois; Lucian E., of this sketch; 
 Luman, deceased; Mary, wife of Curtis Wilcox 
 of Des Moines, Iowa, and Martha J., deceased. 
 The parents both held membership in the Meth- 
 odist church. 
 
 Our subject was born at Cambridge, Vermont, 
 May 27, 1842, and after the death of his mother 
 lived with an uncle, while in the common schools 
 of Cambridge he acquired his education. At 
 the age of twenty-one years he came west with 
 his brother, Nelson Page, in 1863. The major 
 was in business at Maiden, Bureau county, Illi- 
 nois, when the civil war broke out, and, raising 
 a company, he was chosen captain. On Tuesday 
 April 30, 1861, with his company, he left for Men- 
 dota, and was solicited to join Colonel Scales' 
 regiment, a thirty days regiment, but refused. 
 His company, which was known as the Bureau 
 County Tigers, became Company B of the Fifty- 
 seventh Illinois Volunteers, and he was promoted 
 to the rank of major. While thus serving and 
 commanding his regiment at the battle of Shiloh 
 he was killed April 6, 1862. On the organization 
 of the company the citizens of Maiden presented 
 Captain Page with a beautiful sword, sash and 
 belt, which he used in the service, and the sword 
 and sash are now in the possession of our svibject, 
 by whom they are cherished in loving and ten- 
 der remembrance. The major had no children, 
 and his widow is also now deceased. 
 
 On his arrival at JMalden Mr. Page, of this re- 
 view, obtained work in a grain house, where he 
 remained for five years. He was married No- 
 vember 8, 1868, to Lucetta Clark, who was born 
 at Waterville, Vermont, November 12, 1847, and 
 was there educated in a select school. To this 
 worthy couple have been born three daughters. 
 Charlotte L., graduated from the Princeton high 
 school in the class of 1893, and is now teaching 
 in the schools of that city; Annette M., graduat- 
 ed at the same institution in 1895, and is also 
 now a teacher, while Ethel F. is a student of the 
 high school. All of the daughters possess good 
 musical talent, and are highly cultured and at- 
 tractive young ladies. 
 
 Seth Clark, the father of !Mrs. Page, was born 
 
146 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 at Johnson, Vermont, in 1808, and was a son of 
 Levi Clark, a native of Belchertown, Massachu- 
 setts. The latter was a member of the home 
 militia, and helped to bury the dead after the bat- 
 tle of Plattsburg. Seth Clark married Lucretia 
 Phillips, who was born at Chester, Vermont, in 
 181 1, and was a daughter of Amaziah Phillips. 
 Their marriage was celebrated at Plainfield, New 
 Hampshire, but they settled at Waterville, Ver- 
 mont, where the mother's death occurred August 
 9, 1880, and the father's in 1884. They were the 
 parents of seven children — Nancy A., wife of Les- 
 ter Terrill of Iowa; Mary J., deceased; Helen C, 
 deceased; Lucetta, wife of our subject; Norman 
 P., a resident of Cass, iowa; Isabel, deceased, 
 and Edwin A., also of Cass, Iowa. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Page rented a farm in 
 Selby township, and it was nineteen years before 
 he owned a place. Four years ago he settled 
 upon his present place, known as the old Tucker 
 farm, which contains the noted Tucker spring, 
 and comprises ninety-seven acres of rich and 
 arable land, where our subject carries on general 
 farming. On his arrival in Bureau county, he 
 had but twenty-seven dollars in his pocket, and 
 with that small capital began life for himself, but 
 he has gradually worked his way upward until 
 he is now the possessor of a good property and 
 is in comfortable circumstances. Socially, he is 
 a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, 
 and, politically, is a stanch republican, and has 
 served as school director. Both himself and wife 
 are earnest and devoted members of the Con- 
 gregational church of Princeton, and in the work 
 of both church and Sunday school take an active 
 part. They are highly respected citizens of the 
 community, and have many warm and admiring 
 friends. 
 
 ORRIS S. PHELPS. One need not carry his 
 investigations far into the history of Bu- 
 reau county before he finds that this gentleman 
 has long been a representative of its interests. 
 The years that form a half century have come and 
 gone and another decade has l)een added to these 
 since he took up his residence in this section of 
 
 the state. Widely known, his career cannot fail 
 to prove of interest to many, and his life record 
 contains valuable lessons and demonstrates what 
 can be accomplished through perseverance, keen 
 foresight and careful management. Genuine suc- 
 cess is not likely to be the result of mere chance 
 or fortune, but is something to be labored for 
 and sought out with consecutive effort, and thus 
 it is that Mr. Phelps has won a place among the 
 substantial citizens of Bureau county. 
 
 Numbered among the sons of the Green Moun- 
 tain state, he was born in jMiddlebury, Vermont, 
 May 3, 1817, and comes of a family of English 
 origin that was founded on American soil in 
 Massachusetts. The grandfather, Nathaniel 
 Phelps, was there born, and during the Revolu- 
 tionary war he served the American army as a 
 blacksmith. The father of our subject. Burn- 
 ham Phelps, was bom in the bay state, also 
 learned the blacksmith's trade, and for some 
 time conducted a smithy at JMiddlebury, Ver- 
 mont. He there Wedded i\Iary Hooker, a na- 
 tive of that state, and subsequently returned to 
 Alassachusetts, following his chosen vocation in 
 Northampton until 1838. In 1839 1^^ located 
 on a farm in Dover township, and his remaining 
 days were spent in Bureau county, Illinois. His 
 death occurred at the home of his son-in-law, 
 Franklin Hope, in Westfield township. In the 
 family were two sons and three daughters, all 
 of whom reached mature years, but O. S., and 
 Christopher C, now a farmer of Selby township, 
 Bureau county are the only ones living. Lovisa 
 died in 1841, Lucy S. became the wife of Frank- 
 lin Hope, and after her death her sister Diantha 
 married Mr. Hope, but she is also now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Phelps of this review spent the greater 
 part of his youth in Massachusetts, but since 1838 
 has been a resident of Bureau county, and is now 
 numbered among its honored pioneers. The 
 first summer after his arrival he worked by the 
 month as a farm hand, and then purchased 
 eighty acres of prairie land in Dover township, 
 and also ten acres of timber land. Of this prop- 
 erty only twenty acres had been broken, while 
 the building improvements consisted of a small 
 
O. S. Phelps. 
 
Mrs. Mary A. Phelps. 
 
THE I'.IOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 151 
 
 one story house, fourteen by twenty feet. In the 
 spring of 1839, Mr. Phelps took up his resi- 
 dence there and for several years afterward ex- 
 perienced the usual hardships and privations of 
 pioneer life. He had to haul his wheat to Chi- 
 cago, where it sold for only forty-four cents per 
 l)ushel, and it usually required ten or twelve days 
 to make the trip with ox teams. After living on 
 his first farm for nine years, Mr. Phelps sold and 
 rented land for a year. He then bought one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres in Westfield township, Bu- 
 reau county, erected thereon a substantial resi- 
 dence and two good barns and made other excel- 
 lent improvements. He also purchased forty 
 acres more in the same township and one hun- 
 dred and fifty-six acres adjoining in Hall town- 
 ship, thus adding to his property until he owned 
 340 acres. ;\Ir. Phelps began life in lUinois a 
 poor man, his cash capital consisting of thirty- 
 five dollars, but he had a resolute heart and will- 
 ing hands. Success follows earnest labor, perse- 
 verance and careful management, and these qual- 
 ities are numbered among his chief characteris- 
 tics. He has become the owner of a valuable 
 farm and a good home in Princeton, which stand 
 as monuments to his former toil. In 1872 he 
 rented his land and purchasing a comfortable 
 home in the city, centrally located, he has since 
 lived retired, enjoying a rest which he richly 
 merits. 
 
 An important event in the life of Mr. Phelps 
 occurred in Bureau county, January 31, 1850, 
 when he wedded Mary Ann Hills, who was born 
 in Rockingham county. New Hampshire, No- 
 vember 15, 1820. Her father, Josiah Hills, was 
 a native of New Hampshire, but her grandfather, 
 who also bore the name of Josiah, was born in 
 England. 3.1rs. Phelps was reared in her native 
 county, and came to Bureau county in 1849. She 
 has been to her husband a most faithful com- 
 panion and helpmeet, ably caring for the home, 
 while he operated the farm, and now, after forty- 
 six years of happy wedded life, they are still 
 traveling together on that journey which leads 
 to the land beyond. They have no children of 
 their own, but have reared two, George and 
 
 Sarah Ledora. The latter was reared in Prince- 
 ton, and after attending its public schools was a 
 student in the college at Ithaca, New York, and 
 in the Iowa City State university. She afterward 
 successfully engaged in teaching for a number of 
 years, but is now the wife of Hans Frederick 
 Rhode, a lawyer of Chicago. With her children 
 she made a trip to Europe and spent some time 
 in visiting England. 
 
 Since the formation of the party in 1856, Mr. 
 Phelps has been a stanch republican, and al- 
 though he has never been an aspirant for office, 
 he has several times been called to positions of 
 honor and trust. He is a warm friend of the 
 cause of temperance and deeply interested in all 
 that pertains to the best development of the 
 county. For many years both he and his wife 
 have been consistent members and active work- 
 ers in the First Baptist church of Princeton. 
 Throughout Bureau county they are widely 
 known and their circle of friends is hmited only 
 by the number of their acquaintances, for their 
 lives have been so spent that all who know them 
 have for them the most sincere regard. 
 
 JOHN W. ELLIS needs no special introduc- 
 tion to the readers of this volume, but the 
 work would be incomplete without the record of 
 his hfe. He is a worthy representative of one of 
 the pioneer families of Bureau county, whose 
 identification with its history dates back to 1832, 
 and in its development and progress they have 
 borne an important part. Our subject is one of 
 the wide-awake and enterprising agriculturists 
 of Dover township, where he owns a fine farm of 
 one hundred and seventy-four acres on section 
 26, pleasantly located four miles north of Prince- 
 ton. 
 
 Dabony Ellis, his grandfather, was a native of 
 Virginia, and from the old dominion brought his 
 family to Illinois in 1832, Ijeing accompanied by 
 a number of families who came through by team 
 and settled in Dover township. Bureau county. 
 They were among the first to locate there, the 
 whole county being an almost unbroken wilder- 
 ness, which abounded in wild animals of various 
 
152 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 kinds, and the Indians were far more numerous 
 than the white settlers. In the family of Mr. 
 Ellis were four sons who had reached maturity, 
 and these entered land here and made for them- 
 selves homes. 
 
 Abbott Ellis the father of our subject, was 
 born in Albemarle county, Virginia, June 22, 
 1812, and here he married Matilda Durham, a 
 native of Kentucky, and a daughter of John Dur- 
 harri, also an honored pioneer of Bureau county. 
 Mr. Ellis laid claim to the farm on which our sub- 
 ject now resides, and with an ox team drove to 
 Galena to enter his land. The family endured 
 all the hardships and privations of life on the 
 frontier, their nearest market being Chicago, and 
 the trip there . and back required several days. 
 The father met with good success in his farming 
 operations, became quite well-to-do, owning at 
 one time about three hundred and forty acres. ^ 
 He was an active republican in politics and was 
 called upon to do service in several positions of 
 honor and trust. His death occurred January 
 31, 1894, at the age of eighty-two years, and his 
 wife passed away in 1869. In their family were 
 two sons and two daughters — Miletus, who gfrew 
 to manhood and married, but is now deceased, 
 dying at Denver, Colorado, where he made his 
 home; Cynthia, who died at the age of fourteen 
 years ; Lucy, wife of Perry Walden, of Colorado, 
 and John W., of this sketch. 
 
 Our subject's birth occurred July 13, 1861, on 
 the farm which is still his home, and in the com- 
 mon schools of the neighborhood acquired a 
 good practical education, which has fitted him 
 for responsible duties. He continued to as- 
 sist his father in the cultivation and improve- 
 ment of the farm, to which he succeeded after 
 the father's death. He is actively engaged in 
 general farming, and has one of the most high- 
 ly improved places of the locality, the residence 
 being large and comfortable and the barns and 
 outbuildings neat and substantial. The land is 
 all well fenced and tiled and in return for the 
 care and labor expended upon it yields bountiful 
 harvests. 
 
 In Dover township, in the fall of 1879, was 
 
 celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ellis and Miss 
 Anna Putcamp, who was born in Wyanet town- 
 ship. Bureau county, and was educated in Prince- 
 ton. Her father, William Putcamp, is a native 
 of Germany, and one of the substantial farmers 
 of this county. Six children were born of their 
 union, but two died in infancy. The others are 
 Albert, Annie, Freddie and Lucy. 
 
 Mr. Ellis gives his political support to the men 
 and measures of the republican party, and is 
 most acceptably serving as a member of the 
 school board and as district clerk. He takes an 
 active interest in everything which will in any 
 way promote the welfare of his native county, is 
 public-spirited and enterprising, and has materi- 
 ally aided in advancing the interests of the com- 
 munity. Socially, he is deservedly popular, as 
 he is affable and courteous in manner, and has 
 the happy faculty of making friends readily and 
 strengthening the ties of a.11 friendships as time 
 advances. 
 
 ANDREW J. BISHOP, one of the self-made 
 men of Marshall county, who now makes 
 his home in Wenona, is the possessor of valuable 
 property, all of which has been accumulated by 
 his own perseverance and industry. He was born 
 in Washington county, Pennsylvania, April 28, 
 1828, and is the son of Thomas and Mary 
 (Heatherington) Bishop. Tlie birth of the father 
 occurred in the same county, in 1800, but the 
 mother was born in Ireland, in 1801, and when 
 three years old was brought by her father, Hugh 
 Heatherington, to America. When a young man 
 the maternal grandfather participated in the re- 
 bellion in Ireland, was for over eighty years a 
 member of the Masonic order, and died in Penn- 
 sylvania at the extreme old age of one hundred 
 and five years. 
 
 After their marriage, in 1824, the parents of 
 our subject located upon a farm in the keyst6ne 
 state, where they spent their remaining days, the 
 father dying in 1854, and the mother ten years 
 later. Both held membership with the Methodist 
 Episcopal church. In their family were eleven 
 children, namely: Mrs. Martha Jane Blackburn; 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 153 
 
 James, deceased; Andrew J., William H., de- 
 ceased; John, of ]\It. Palatine, Illinois; Mrs. Isa- 
 bel Claybaugh of Pennsylvania; Thomas B.. de- 
 ceased; Mrs. Susanna Mateer of Rutland, Illi- 
 nois; Hiram and Margaret Ann, both deceased, 
 and Jeremiah K., of Iowa. The last named 
 served as a soldier in the union army during the 
 civil war. 
 
 The education of our subject was such as the 
 district school afforded, and although he was 
 reared to agricultural pursuits, he also worked at 
 the carpenter's trade. Emigrating to Putnam 
 county, IlHnois, in 1853, he worked by the month 
 as a farm hand for one year, and after his mar- 
 riage lived on Ox Bow Prairie, in that county, 
 until 1861, when he removed to Evans township, 
 ^Marshall county, settling on section 27. The 
 farm of eighty acres which he purchased ^\'as all 
 wild land, but he has now placed it under a high 
 state of cultivation, erected good and substan- 
 tial buildings, and added to the tract until he 
 now has two hundred and forty acres of valuable 
 land. For thirty-three years he made his home 
 in one house, but since 1892 has lived retired in 
 Wenona, where he is surrounded by many warm 
 friends. 
 
 In 1854 ]\Ir. Bishop was united in marriage 
 with Miss Eliza J. Champ, the daughter of John 
 W. and L3'dia (Horrom) Champ, the former a 
 native of Rockingham, New Hampshire, and the 
 latter of New Jersey. Her maternal grandfather, 
 Timothy Horrom, came to Illinois in 1832, set- 
 tling in Grundy county, where he resided until 
 his death. When a young man her father fol- 
 lowed the carpenter's trade, but later went to 
 California and Washington, in the employ of the 
 Hudson Bay company, with which he remained 
 for forty years. Returning to Putnam county, 
 Illinois, although over sixty years of age, he 
 joined the One Hundred and Fourth Illinois Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, as a member of Company H, 
 with which he served for three years, and was 
 then discharged on account of illness. During 
 his service he was taken prisoner by the enemy. 
 He died in 1869, and his wife, who had long pre- 
 ceded him to the other world, passed away in 
 
 1837. They had two children — Mrs. Bishop, and 
 William W., who lives in Hope township. La 
 Salle county, Illinois. 
 
 Mrs. Bishop was the first white child born at 
 Princeton, Illinois, the date of that event being 
 January i, 1834, and losing her mother when 
 only three years old, she was reared by Lyman 
 Horrom, a native of New Jersey, who came to 
 Illinois in 1830, settling on Ox Bow Prairie in 
 Putnam county. There he improved a farm, 
 and in the early days also worked in the lead 
 mines of Galena. He finally laid aside business 
 cares and removed to Henry, Illinois, in 1863, 
 where he passed away in 1886. He had married 
 Eleanor Baker, who still survives him, making 
 her home in Henry at the age of eighty-four 
 years, but for the past ten years has been an in- 
 valid. They had no children of their own, but 
 reared both Mrs. Bishop and her brother. 
 
 Four children were born to our subject and 
 his wife — Charles W., who lives on section 27, 
 Evans township, Marshall county, married Clara 
 Swisher. Mary Ella is the wife of Fred Whiting, 
 by whom she has five children, and they also 
 make their home in Evans township. Lydia, 
 who lives in Nebraska, is the wife of John Mc- 
 Laughlin, and they have four children. Lyman 
 Hamlin completes the family. The children were 
 all provided with good common school educa- 
 tions. 
 
 The parents are both conscientious Christians, 
 worthy members of the Alethodist church, and 
 politically Mr. Bishop is a republican, but has 
 never accepted office with the exception of school 
 director, which position he held for about twelve 
 years. Although starting out in life with no cap- 
 ital, he struggled along and by hard work has 
 succeeded in gaining a competence. During the 
 first year at Ox Bow Prairie he was able to lay 
 up seven hundred dollars. 
 
 WILLIAM MILLER, a well known resi- 
 dent of Maiden, was for many years a 
 leading and energetic farmer of Selby township. 
 Bureau county, but is now living retired. He is 
 a native of the buckeye state, his birth occurring 
 
154 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Clark county December 2, 1822. His grand- 
 father, Cristley Miller, was born in Germany, 
 and on coming to the United States located in 
 Virginia, where was born Isaac Miller, the fa- 
 ther of our subject. The last named spent his 
 boyhood and youth principally in Kentucky and 
 Ohio, and during early manhood participated in 
 the war of 1812. He was married in Ohio to Miss 
 Sarah Searl, a daughter of Timothy Searl, who 
 at an early day came to that state from New 
 York. In Clark county the parents spent their 
 remaining days, the father dying in 1843, ^n^d the 
 mother a number of years previously. 
 
 Upon the home farm in that county our sub- 
 ject remained until after his father's death, aid- 
 ing in the labors of the fields. He is wholly self- 
 educated, as during childhood he had no school 
 privileges, and the knowledg£ he has acquired 
 has principally been gained since reaching man- 
 hood. The year 1848 witnessed his arrival in 
 Bureau county, having made the journey by team 
 from his old home, and here purchased a tract 
 of two hundred acres in Selby township. This 
 he cleared, improved and cultivated for about 
 forty-four years, converting it into one of the 
 best farms in the locality. Renting it, in March. 
 1885, he removed to Maiden, where he pur- 
 chased his present comfortable residence, and 
 there has since made his home. After many 
 years of usefulness he is now enjoying a well- 
 deserved rest, surrounded by everything that goes 
 to make life enjoyable. 
 
 In Bureau county, on the 23d of November, 
 1850, was performed a wedding ceremony which 
 united the destinies of Mr. iMiller and Miss Cal- 
 ista Parlanna Lathrop, a native of Otsego county. 
 New York, and a daughter of John S. Lathrop, 
 a pioneer settler in Bureau county. Here Mrs. 
 Miller has made her home since a child of six 
 years. Their union has been blessed with the 
 birth of the following children: Lucinda, now 
 the wife of William J. Motz, of Maiden; Arlina 
 A., wife of Joseph Miller, a farmer of Bureau 
 county; Marcellus M., who is engaged in busi- 
 ness in Butte City, Montana; Candis I., wife of 
 John McNabb, who is now with her father; John 
 
 H., a veterinary surgeon of Dixon, Illinois; El- 
 sie, who is successfully engaged in teaching in 
 Bureau county ; Cyrenus, who died at the age of 
 four years, and Juliette Ida, who married Charles 
 Ruttann, but is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Miller also have three grandchildren. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Miller is a demo- 
 crat, having supported the principles of that 
 party since attaining his majority, but cares 
 nothing for the honors or emoluments of pubHc 
 office. He has, however, acceptably served as 
 a member of the school board for a number of 
 years. His wife and two daughters hold mem- 
 bership in the Methodist Episcopal church of 
 Maiden, and in social circles stand high. For 
 fifty-one years Mr. Miller has now made his 
 home within the borders of Bureau county, dur- 
 ing which time he has become closely identified 
 with its interests, and being a public-spirited, 
 progressive citizen has materially aided in ad- 
 vancing its welfare and prosperity. His upright, 
 honorable course has made him many friends, 
 and he has the respect of all who know him. 
 
 SAMUEL PAINTER, a prominent farmer 
 and dairyman of Hall township, is one of the 
 industrious and energetic citizens of Bureau 
 county, where he has now made his home for 
 about four years, during which time he has made 
 many friends throughout the community. For 
 the past two years he has given his attention al- 
 most exclusively to the dairy business, in which 
 he has met with a well deserved success. 
 
 Mr. Painter is a native of the keystone state, 
 born in Chambersburg, Franklin county, No- 
 vember 24, 1857, and is a son of George and Re- 
 becca (Marshall) Painter, also natives of Penn- 
 sylvania. The father was a substantial farmer of 
 Franklin county, where he continued the opera- 
 tion of his farm until cahed from this life in 1891. 
 His faithful wife still survives him and now makes 
 her home with a daughter in Chambersburg, 
 Pennsylvania. In their family were eleven chil- 
 dren, seven sons and four daughters, of whom 
 three sons and all the daughters are still living. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 155 
 
 In the county of his nativity Sananel Painter 
 grew to manhood, assisting in tlie labors of the 
 farm and attending the common schools near his 
 home. In 1876 he came west, locating first near 
 Kearney, Nebraska, where he engaged in farm- 
 ing until 1 88 1, in which year he removed to 
 Miami county, Kansas, and there carried on the 
 same occupation for four years. It was in 1892 
 that he took up his residence in Bureau county, 
 and has since been prominently identified with 
 her agricultural interests. 
 
 In JMiami county, Kansas, on the 15th of No- 
 vember, 1885, was celebrated the marriage of ^Ir. 
 Painter and J\liss Loretta Goodrick, who was 
 born, reared and educated in Warren county, 
 Indiana, where her father, John Goodrick, was 
 one of the early settlers. Two children grace 
 this union — Charles Richard and Samuel E. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Painter has ever identified him- 
 self with the republican party, and is a firm advo- 
 cate of protection to American industries. He 
 is a man of good industrious habits and sterling 
 integrity, winning the confidence of the entire 
 community, and well deserves to be mentioned in 
 the history of his adopted country. 
 
 SAMUEL HILLS. Prominent among the 
 successful farmers and extensive stock-grow- 
 ers of Bureau county may be named the subject 
 of this historical notice, whose homestead lies in 
 Lamoille township, and who, by enterprise and 
 energy in the direction of his chosen industry, 
 has given to his work a significance and beauty 
 of which few deemed it capable. 
 
 He was born in Hampden county, Massachu- 
 setts, November 20, 1814, a son of Elijah and 
 Olive (Ryder) Hills, both natives of Connecti- 
 cut. By occupation the father was also a far- 
 mer, and died in the town of Palmer, Massachu- 
 setts, in July, 1841, at the age of seventy-two 
 years, while his wife passed away in May of the 
 same year. In their family were eight children, 
 who, in order of birth, are as follows: Cyrus, 
 Elijah, Sylvester, Sanford, Olive, Hiram, Ly- 
 man and Samuel. With the exception of our 
 subject, all are now deceased. Cyrus became a 
 
 farmer of Clarion township, Bureau county, 
 where his death occurred, and the others all died 
 in the east. 
 
 In the state of his nativity, Mr. Hills, of this 
 review, was reared and educated, and until he 
 had reached man's estate worked on a farm. For 
 fifteen years he was then employed in a paper 
 mill, but the year 1851 witnessed his arrival in 
 Bureau county, Illinois, where he purchased a 
 farm of three hundred and thirty acres on sec- 
 tion 25, Lamoille township, of Simeon Hufifacre, 
 who had entered it from the government. He 
 immediately commenced its cultivation and im- 
 provement, transforming the land into one of 
 the most productive and valuable places of the 
 locality. Most of it he still has in his possession, 
 and its neat and thrifty appearance plainly indi- 
 cates the enterprising, progressive spirit of the 
 owner. 
 
 At East Hartford, Connecticut, on the i8th of 
 October, 1841, was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Hills and Miss Adaline Pitkin, daughter of 
 George Pitkin, a resident of that state. Her 
 death occurred on the 17th of February, 1876, 
 at the age of fifty-nine years and six months. 
 Two children were born to them, but both are 
 now deceased. Mr. Hills was again married 
 February 28, 1878, the lady of his choice being 
 !\Irs. Nancy L. Harwood, a native of the old 
 bay state and a daughter of Eli and Martha 
 (Thayer) Thayer, who wete also born in Massa- 
 chusetts. The father was a farmer and a most 
 highly respected citizen of the community where 
 he made his home. Captain Seth Frary, the ma- 
 ternal grandfather of Mrs. Hills, was a hero of 
 the revolution, and for many years received a 
 pension for services rendered in that war. He 
 married a Miss Scott, whom he survived for 
 many years, and after her death made his home 
 with his daughter, Mrs. Thayer, who was the 
 third in order of birth in his large family of chiU 
 dren. 
 
 The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Hills are as 
 follows: Henry, who died at the age of twenty 
 years; Alanson, who came to Bureau county, 
 where he died at the age of forty -two, and was 
 
156 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 buried in the Lamoille cemetery; two children, 
 who died when quite young; Mary, who wedded 
 Stephen Avery and is now residing at Unadilla, 
 Nebraska; Seth, who died at the age of ten 
 years, and another, who died in infancy. 
 
 In 1854 Mrs. Hills was first married, becoming 
 the wife of Fordice Harwood, with whom she 
 came to Illinois. Tliey first located at Henne- 
 pin, later for several years were residents of Chi- 
 cago, subsequently went to Sterling, and finally 
 settled at Lamoille. By this union three children 
 were born, Carrie Gertrude, born in 1855, died 
 at the age of six months; Mary Newton, born in 
 i860, is the wife of H. M. Stacy, a prominent 
 merchant of Lamoille, and they have two chil- 
 dren, Esther and Helen; Martha, born in 1868, 
 died at the age of seven months. Mrs. Hills died 
 July 19, 1896, and lies buried in the Hills ceme- 
 tery, in Clarion township. 
 
 Mr. Hills gives his political support to the re- 
 publican party, and has most capably filled nearly 
 all of the township offices, actively supports all 
 movements for the benefit of the community, 
 and is a wide-awake, enterprising citizen, whose 
 honorable, upright life has won the commenda- 
 tion of all. 
 
 ALEXANDER BOYD, who is now living a 
 retired life in Princeton, has been a resident 
 of Bureau county for sixty-six years, and with 
 the exception of his brother, Nathaniel, of Shef- 
 field, Bureau county, is probably the oldest liv- 
 ing settler in the county. The great changes 
 which have taken place in that sixty-six years 
 cannot be realized even by those most active. 
 In no thousand years in the previous history of 
 the world have so many events transpired of such 
 importance to mankind as in the years from 1830 
 to 1896. All modes of conveyance have been 
 changed, and the telegraph, telephone, phono- 
 graph, electric lig"ht, steam threshers, steam 
 printing, and a thousand and one other import- 
 ant articles have been invented and come into 
 general use, tlius revolutionizing thought and 
 action. 
 
 Alexander B03 d was born in New York city 
 
 July 3, 1817, and when but three years of age 
 came with his parents, Charles S. and Eliza 
 (Dixon) Boyd, to Illinois, the family locating at 
 Springfield, then a very small village. Charles 
 S. Boyd was a merchant tailor in New York city, 
 and proposed following that occupation in this 
 new country. When he arrived at Springfield 
 he found but two cabins in the place, and he at 
 once erected the third. He resided at Spring- 
 field ten years, working at his trade whenever 
 he could find anything to do, and often took his 
 pa}- in cattle, during the summer and early fall 
 months, and then drive them to Galena, where 
 he would dispose of them to the miners, after 
 which he would work in the mines until spring, 
 when he would return to his home. 
 
 John Dixon, the brother-in-law of Charles S. 
 Boyd, came to Bureau county in 1827, locating 
 in the south part, in what is now Arispee town- 
 ship. Mr. Boyd, in going to and from Galena, 
 would stop at his place, and, taking a fancy to it, 
 purchased the claim, and the locality took the 
 name of Boyd's Grove. To this place he re- 
 moved in 1830, and for ten years was there en- 
 gaged in farming. Mr. Dixon, on selling out, re- 
 moved to what is now Lee county, and estab- 
 lished the ferry across Rock river, and finally laid 
 out a portion of his place, the town taking the 
 name of Dixon, now the county seat of Lee 
 county. 
 
 When Charles S. Boyd removed to his new 
 place there was not another house within twelve 
 miles. It was that distance to the nearest house 
 on the north, and eighteen miles to the nearest 
 house on the south. His home was on the stage 
 route from Springfield to Galena, which passed 
 through Peoria, then known as Fort Clark. Here 
 the stage stopped for refreshments, and many 
 travelers were entertained by Mr. Boyd as long 
 as he remained. At his home stopped many who 
 were looking up claims, and he assisted many 
 in the selection of their future homes. Two years 
 after his removal from Springfield, the Black 
 Hawk war broke out, and the family were sent 
 to Fort Clark. Around his home at this time 
 were camped a large number of Indians, who 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 157 
 
 anno3'ed the faniil)' greatly, and as many were 
 getting- disaffected it was tliought that Mrs. r)0>(l 
 and the younger members of the household 
 should seek a place of safety. 
 
 The Black Hawk war ended, Bureau county 
 attracted many settlers from the east, and the 
 village of Princeton began taking on airs. It 
 was made the county seat, and to that place Mr. 
 Boyd removed with his family in 1840. For 
 many years he engaged in the hotel business 
 and invested quite largely in Princeton real es- 
 tate, owning at one time a large part of the 
 north end, together with many lots in other por- 
 tions of the place. His last days were spent in 
 retirement from active business life, and in 1887 
 he was called to his final rest. His wife had pre- 
 ceded him to the other shore some years be- 
 fore. 
 
 The family of Charles S. and Eliza Boyd con- 
 sisted of five sons and two daughters, as follows : 
 Charles S., who left the county some twenty 
 years ago, and whose whereabouts are unknown ; 
 Alexander, of this sketch; Nathaniel, now living 
 a retired life in Sheffield ; Elizabeth, now the wife 
 of Ebenezer Chamberlain, of Gallatin, Missouri; 
 James, who went to California in 1849 ahd there 
 died of typhoid fever; Angelica, widow of Dr. 
 Allen S. Paddock, now temporarily residing in 
 San Antonio, Texas, with her son. Captain 
 George H. Paddock, of the regular army, and 
 John H., who went to California, and later to 
 the South Sea islands, where he engaged in the 
 wholesale merchandising and there died. 
 
 Alexander Boyd, of this sketch, was thirteen 
 years of age when he came to Bureau county 
 with his parents. He remained at home until 
 after attaining his majority, and for five or six 
 years was engaged in a general store in Prince- 
 ton, going from there to Peru, La Salle county, 
 where he was in the lumber business until 1844. 
 While at Peru he furnished the lumber for the 
 plank road to Arlington, a distance of twelve 
 miles from that place. The plank furnished was 
 three inches in thickness and eight feet long, 
 and the price contracted for was eight dollars and 
 a half per thousand. At that time there was no 
 
 lumber yard in Princeton, and much of his trade 
 was from that place and in its vicinity. Plis busi- 
 ness for some years was quite large. 
 
 Returning to Princeton in 1844, Mr. Bo)d sold 
 dry goods for ten years, in company with J. P. 
 Baldwin. Just previous to this he had failed 
 in business, but has the satisfaction of knowing 
 that in time he paid every cent of his indebted- 
 ness, dollar for dollar. Plis mercantile business 
 in Princeton, from 1844 to 1854, was quite profit- 
 able and very extensive. On closing out this line 
 of trade, he engaged in the fire insurance busi- 
 ness, and later secured the general agency for 
 Illinois in the old Continental Life Insurance 
 company, which position he held for two years. 
 When the company failed he had some five or six 
 poHcies in it on his own life, and other members 
 of his family were likewise insured in it, each of 
 whom took out policies on his recommendation, 
 much to his regret. 
 
 Under the first call for three months' men 
 at the commencement of the rebellion in 1861, 
 Mr. Boyd enlisted and served his time. Nearly 
 thirty years before this he did duty in behalf of 
 his country. In 1832, at the breaking out of 
 the Black Hawk war, he rode his fleet mare. Kit, 
 carrying dispatches to General Stillman at 
 Peoria, a distance of forty miles, making the 
 ride in one-half a day. The fort at Apple river 
 had been attacked by the Indians and two or 
 three killed. His cousin, young Jim Dixon, 
 brought dispatches as far as his father's home in 
 Boyd's Grove, and, being exhausted, persuaded 
 Alexander to go on to Peoria. General Still- 
 man, in appreciation of his gallantry, supplied 
 him with a new suit of clothes and a hat, and 
 some years ago the government granted him a 
 small pension on account of his youth at the 
 time of his making his perilous ride. 
 
 In 1841 Mr. Boyd was rtnited in marriage with 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Chamberlain, whose maiden 
 name was Merritt, the widow of Oscar G. Cham- 
 berlain, who was the brother of the well known 
 Dr. William Chamberlain. She died in 1891, 
 after a happy married life of fifty }'cars. Their 
 children are Charles S., who resides at Los An- 
 
158 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 geles, California; Elizabeth, who married Jerome 
 E. Kilbourne, and now lives at St. Louis, Mis- 
 souri, with her son, who is employed as a sten- 
 ographer in the office of the general manager 
 of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad; James 
 S., who died at the age of thirty years; Elijah 
 Day, who died when twenty-six years of age, 
 and two others who died in childhood. For his 
 second wife, Mr. Boyd married Mrs. Anna J. 
 Lewis, of Ohio township, Bureau county, in 1892. 
 Mr. Boyd has always been fond of hunting, and 
 until within a comparatively short time has made 
 it a rule of his life to engage in this sport, and 
 as a duck hunter would compete with the best. 
 He is well known throughout Bureau county, 
 and enjoys the respect and confidence of all. To 
 such men is due all that the present generation 
 possesses in the way of comfort and the evidences 
 of civilization and culture. Mr. Boyd was origi- 
 nally an old-time whig, but has been a stalwart 
 republican since the organization of that party. 
 
 FENWICK ANDERSON, a retired farmer, 
 residing in the village of Ohio, was bom in 
 the south of Scotland, Januarj' 14, 181 8, and is 
 a son of James and Jane (Murray) Anderson. In 
 that country the father was a shepherd, but on 
 coming to the new world in 1839 located in the 
 midst of the forests of Canada, and there devel- 
 oped a farm, cultivating the same until his death 
 in 1867, at the age of sixty-seven years. His wife 
 died at' the age of seventy-two. In their family 
 were six children, four sons and two daughters, 
 four of whom are still living — Mary and Fergus, 
 who still makes his home on the old home farm 
 in Canada; William, who lives in Australia, and 
 Fenwick. 
 
 Our subject did not long remain in Canada, 
 but went to New York, and in the fall of 1844 
 came to Illinois and was overseer on a stock 
 farm in Ogle county for five years, when he came 
 to Lee county, Illinois. Four years later he pur- 
 chased a half section of government land at one 
 dollar per acre, and to agricultural pursuits con- 
 tinued to devote his time and attention, until 
 laying aside business cares on his removal to 
 
 Ohio, in 1887. He has disposed of some of his 
 land, but still owns a valuable tract of five hun- 
 dred acres, improved with good buildings, in- 
 cluding a commodious brick house, the bricks 
 for which he burned himself. He was also ex- 
 tensively engaged in sheep raising, and in pioneer 
 days clipped the wool from fifteen hundred sheep, 
 hauling the same to market at Chicago, where he 
 often received forty cents per pound. His aver- 
 age flock was about one thousand, but he often 
 had as high as sixteen hundred head, which he 
 would have to place in a pen at night on account 
 of the wolves, and even then lost many. 
 
 On the 15th of May, 1848, Mr. Anderson was 
 tmited in marriage with Miss Jeannette Peek,who 
 was born in Vermont, September 9, 1831, and is 
 a daughter of John and Lucretia (Lamb) Peek, 
 also natives of the Green Mountain state. Their 
 marriage was celebrated in Ogle county, Illinois, 
 and to them have been born thirteen children — 
 Alice is the wife of William Balcom of Ohio, and 
 they have two- children. Pearl and Burt. The 
 next two died in infancy. Fenwick R. is engaged 
 in the livery business in Ohio, Illinois. William 
 H., operating the old home farm, married Katie 
 O'Neal, and has three children, William, Seth, 
 and Nettie. Frank F., a farmer of Ohio town- 
 ship, married Agnes Shehan, and has one daugh- 
 ter, Edna.- Albert J., residing in the village of 
 Ohio, wedded Mary Knuth, and has one child. 
 Pearl. Emma J. is at home. Fergus Lincoln 
 was born just three weeks previous to the as- 
 sassination of President Lincoln, and is now an 
 attorney of Marion, Iowa, but was for many 
 years a telegraph operator. He lost one arm 
 in a threshing machine. Hattie L. is the wife of 
 J. L. Neis of the village of Ohio, and has one 
 child, Adelbert D. Mellona died at the age of 
 one year. Georg-e W. was married June 10, 1896, 
 to Edith Savage of Ogle county, Illinois. Char- 
 ter Samuel completes the family. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were reared in 
 the faith of the Presbyterian church, and are 
 highly respected and honored citizens of the com- 
 munity in which they make their home. They 
 are numbered among the worthy pioneers of the 
 
1'"k,\\\'ick A\1)1-;ks( )\. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 i6i 
 
 state, with whose interests the)' liave now been 
 identified for half a century, and ALr. Anderson 
 was the first man to take a reaper to Ogle coun- 
 ty, this being in 1845. ■'■•'' politics he is an ardent 
 republican, as are also his sons, a firm believer in 
 a h gh protective tariff, and while a resident of 
 Lee county served as supervisor three terms and 
 as justice of the peace four terms. For many 
 years he held membership in the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows, but does not take an ac- 
 tive interest in civic societies at the present time. 
 He occupies an important position in the com- 
 munity as an honorable, upright citizen, and 
 possesses the confidence and esteem of h's fel- 
 low-townsmen. 
 
 MRS. SERENA WINSER, a highly es- 
 teemed citizen of Princeton, is a native of 
 Warren county, Indiana, born Septeml)er 19, 
 1832, and a daughter of Sino and Sarah (Fenton) 
 Alunson, the former a native of New York and 
 the latter of Ohio. By occupation the father was 
 a farmer, and at an early day also conducted a 
 saw and grist mill, which was a very important 
 factor in procuring a maintenance. The mills 
 were located on a stream known as "the Little 
 Pine," in Warren county, Indiana, where Mr. 
 Alunson was among the earlv settlers, locating 
 there when the Indians were still quite numerous 
 in the locality and gave considerable trouble to 
 the white settlers. The father died in Warren 
 county in 1863, at the age of seventy-four years, 
 and the mother passed away in September, 1842. 
 She was a consistent member of the Alethodisl 
 Episcopal church. 
 
 -Airs. Winser is the oldest in a family of six 
 children, the others being Samantha, deceased 
 wife of H. Wilhite; Commodore Perry, who died 
 m infancy: Bestany, who resides in Independ- 
 ence, Indiana; Elizabeth, who died in girlhood, 
 afid Joseph, who died in infancy. In 1843, ac- 
 companied by the other children. Airs. Winser 
 came to Bureau county, Illinois, where she made 
 lier home with relatives and attended school. 
 
 It was on the 12th of August, 1848, that our 
 subject married James Winser, who was born in 
 9 
 
 Hawkhurst, count)- Kent, England, August 18, 
 1824, and was the son of Edward Winser, a na- 
 tive of the same town. At one time his father 
 wa.s a resident of Bureau county, Illinois, but 
 spent his last days in Henry county. On the 9th 
 of September, 1841, James Winser left England, 
 and on his arrival in this country came directly 
 to Bureau county, but located a claim in Living- 
 ston count)-, where he had a brother-in-law re- 
 siding. He followed agricultural pursuits in Hall 
 township, Bureau county, where his death oc- 
 curred August 23, 1884. In religious faith he 
 was an Episcopalian, and in politics a democrat. 
 Four children were born to Air. and Mrs. Winser, 
 Sino, who wedded Mary Deichtiner and is one 
 of the progressive and industrious farmers of 
 Hall township, operating the old homestead; 
 William, who died at the age of twenty-one years; 
 Jennie, wife of Harr)- Philips, a farmer of Dover 
 township, by whom she has one child, Serena, 
 and Isabel, who married Carmi Aliller, residing 
 near Spring Vallc)-, and they have two children, 
 Clauda and P'enton. 
 
 Mrs. Winser is a faithful member of the Con- 
 gregational church, and for many years has been 
 numbered among the worthy and well-to-do peo- 
 ple of Bureau county. She is well acquainted 
 with the hardships and privations incident to 
 pioneer life in Indiana and Illinois, and justly 
 deserved an honored place among the represen- 
 tative citizens of this section. 
 
 MILTON E. NEWBURN, the present su- 
 pervisor of Hennepin township, and a rep- 
 resentative farmer and stock raiser of Putnam 
 county, is actively engaged in his profitable oc- 
 cupation, making a specialty of the breeding of 
 Chester White hogs. He was born in that town- 
 ship September 28, 1843, and is a son of Alahlon 
 and Alary (Ford) Newburn, both natives of Ohio. 
 Previous to their emigration to Illinois they re- 
 sided near Dayton, whence they made the trip 
 to Putnam county by team. They located on 
 government land east of Florid, where they re- 
 mained for some years; four years later were 
 spent in Granville township, after which they 
 
1 62 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 lived on the farm now owned by nur subject. 
 The father's death occurred at Peoria, February 
 14, 1895, at the age of seventy-eight years, and 
 the mother died eiglit years previously. On com- 
 ing to the county the father was almost penniless, 
 but through industry, economy and perseverance 
 succeeded in securing a good property, his home- 
 stead at one time consisting of three hundred and 
 forty acres, which was later reduced to one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. His father, John New- 
 burn, also came to the county, locating upon a 
 farm near Florid, where he died during the boy- 
 hood of our subject, and his wife also passed 
 away at that place. 
 
 The parental household included five children, 
 namely: Alfred, who lived at home and died at 
 the age of twenty years; Milton E., of this re- 
 view ; Stephen, a resident of Long Pine, Brown 
 county, Nebraska; Sarah, the wife of George 
 Baxendale, of Peoria, and Aaron, who received 
 a part of the old homestead, where he died at the 
 age of twenty-three years, after a short married 
 life of two years. 
 
 Until reaching his majority, Milton E. New- 
 burn remained upon the home farm and then 
 began the cultivation of his own farm in the 
 vicinity, while he still continued to live at home 
 for some years. Later he disposed of that prop- 
 erty and secured another farm near Hennepin. 
 It was in 1885 that he purchased his present 
 farm, lying two miles from the city, which he 
 personally operated until 1892, in the meantime 
 devoting considerable attention to the breeding 
 of Chester White hogs. For twenty years he has 
 engaged in that business and has exhibited his 
 stock at the state fairs in Illinois, Iowa and Ne- 
 braska; also at the St. Louis fairs and the 
 World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in 
 1893. There he carried off premiums amount- 
 ing to $1,600 on a herd of nineteen animals, at 
 which time he had the whole world to compete 
 with. Eclipse, No. 6233, which stands at the 
 head of his herd, secured four sweepstakes. He 
 has always adhered to the Chester White breed, is 
 a most successful breeder of those animals and 
 has dtjne considerable advertising, but he finds 
 
 that the fair exhibits have been the best methods 
 of advertising. He raises about one hundred 
 and fifty hogs annually, for w'hich he finds a ready 
 sale and they bring the highest prices in the 
 market. 
 
 On the 1st of May, 1894, Mr. Newburn was 
 united in marriage with Miss May Turner, of 
 Hennepin, daughter of Oakes and Rebecca (But- 
 ler) Turner, who came to Illinois in the 30's and 
 settled at Wyoming, Stark county. They spent 
 their remaining days at Hennepin, the mother 
 dying in 1884 and the father in 1888. In Plenne- 
 pin the daughter was born Alay 16, 1850, and 
 lived after the death of her parents in the home 
 and was housekeeper for her brother until her 
 marriage. 
 
 On the democratic ticket our subject was elect- 
 ed assessor and recently supervisor of his town- 
 ship, although the township usually goes repub- 
 lican, which fact plainly indicates his popularity. 
 He takes an active interest in political affairs, at- 
 tending the conventions of his party, and is well 
 informed on the leading questions of the day. 
 Formerly he took great delight in hunting, being 
 an excellent marksman, but now gives his atten- 
 tion solely to his business interests. In addition 
 to his farm he owns twenty acres of land adjoin- 
 ing Hennepin, having a neat and substantial 
 home lying within the village limits, where he 
 has resided since his marriage. 
 
 CYRUS ROOT, residing on section 24, La 
 Prairie township, Marshall county, is a 
 veteran of the late war and is one of the most 
 highly honored of the good citizens of the coun- 
 ty. He was born just across the line in Peoria 
 county, September 4, 1838, and is the son of 
 Erastus C. and Barbara A. (Reed) Root, both 
 of whom were natives of Delaware county, New 
 York, and who were numbered among the pio- 
 neers, of 1830. Both died on the old farm in 
 Peoria county, the latter October 6, 1881, and 
 the former January 22, 1896. (See sketch of 
 Erastus C. Root.) 
 
 Cyrus Root was the first of the family born 
 on the old homestead, which was the home of the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 163 
 
 father a period of sixty-two years. On that farm 
 he grew to manhood, and in the country schools 
 of the vicinity received his education. The pio- 
 neer Hfe of a farmer boy is one unending round 
 of toil, and that of our subject was no exception 
 to the rule. From the time he was old enough 
 to do the small chores necessary in farm Hfe he 
 had to do his share of the work. This experi- 
 ence formed in him habits of industry that have 
 clung to him through life. 
 
 While engaged in the peaceful avocations of 
 farm life, the call to arms was made by the gen- 
 eral government in defense of the union. Young 
 men all around him were ofifering their services, 
 and he, too, responded to the call, and August 
 27, 1862, he became a private in Company C, 
 Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. This 
 company was raised on the prairies, and six of 
 the number were from La Prairie township, and 
 among those were John Jump, Webster Green 
 and Edson Turner, all of whom passed in safety 
 through the conflict. 
 
 The Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry became a 
 part of the Third Brigade, Second Division of 
 the Fourteenth Army Corps under Thomas, and 
 served in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and 
 Georgia. At the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, 
 Air. Root was severely wounded, and to this day 
 carries three shot in his body, two in his left arm 
 and one on the left side of his face above the 
 eye. While in the hospital at Nashville his regi- 
 ment went on to Atlanta and took part in that 
 campaign. Just as he was convalescing, Hood's 
 army appeared before Nashville, and all those 
 who had been confined in the hospital, but who 
 were then able, were formed into a battalion and 
 took part in the battle following. Mr. Root 
 among the number. Soon after this he rejoined 
 his regiment at Goldsboro, North Carohna, and 
 was with it in the grand review at Washington 
 at the close of the war. He was "only a cor- 
 poral" in his company, but in all his three years' 
 service did his duty faithfully and well. In the 
 battalion formed at Nashville he served as ser- 
 geant. 
 
 On receiving his discharge at the close of the 
 
 war, Mr. Root returned to his father's house and 
 made that his home until December 29, 1869, 
 when he was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
 C. Stowell, a daughter of Ebenezer and Laura 
 (Bridgman) Stowell. Her father was born in 
 Chenango county, New York, October 19, 1807. 
 He first came to Illinois in 1836, in company 
 with Roswell Nurss and his son, Isaiah Nurss, 
 walking much of the way. After looking over 
 the ground, he walked to Quincy, Illinois, and 
 entered land on the north line of Peoria county, 
 one-half mile from the county line, and also in 
 La Prairie township, Marshall count)-. Return- 
 ing to New York, he remained there until 1843, 
 when he made his permanent settlement on his 
 Peoria county farm. His first wife dying, he 
 married Laura Bridgman, and upon the farm 
 adjoining that of E. C. Root they passed the re- 
 mainder of their lives. He died May 7, 1880, 
 she surviving him some years, dying April 26, 
 1889, in her eighty-first year. They were among 
 the original members of the Lawn Ridge Con-" 
 gregational church, and he was the first of the 
 six comprising the organization to pass away. 
 He was a successful farmer, owning at the time 
 of his death a fine farm of six hundred acres and 
 much other valuable property. Of their nine 
 children, Mrs. Cyrus Root and Charles E. Sto- 
 well reside in La Prairie township. Mrs. Root 
 was born on the farm April 4, 1845. 
 
 After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Root took 
 up their home on the farm of his father, where 
 they remained two years, and then removed to 
 their present place of residence. The farm com- 
 prises eighty acres in La Prairie and forty acres 
 in Steuben township. He also owns one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of his father's old home- 
 stead, a part of the original tract entered in 1836. 
 The 'latter he leases to other parties, giving his 
 personal attention only to his home farm. He 
 is a practical farmer in every respect and con- 
 fines himself to no special line, usually keeping, 
 however, a good variety of stock. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Root three children have 
 been born: Wilber S., who was married on 
 Christmas day, 1895, to Miss Minnie J. Smith, 
 
164 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a daughter of William Smith, of La Prairie town- 
 ship ; Emily J., at home, and Laura Barbara, who 
 died at the age of eight months. 
 
 Politically Mr. Root is a republican, and, while 
 not a bitter partisan, has yet an abiding faith in 
 the principles of his party. He cares nothing 
 for the honors of official position, but has served 
 his friends and neighbors as school director and 
 trustee, and also road commissioner. In army 
 matters he yet feels a deep interest, and is a 
 member of Chillicothe post, G. A. R. ^Irs. Root 
 is a member of Lawn Ridge Congregational 
 church, but both attend the ^lethodist Episcopal 
 church in La Prairie township. 
 
 LEANDER S. NEWPORT is one of the rep- 
 resentative agriculturists of Princeton town- 
 ship. Bureau county, his home being upon sec- 
 tion 4. His father, Joseph Newport, was a native 
 of Pennsylvania and a son of Aaron Newport, a 
 member of the Society of Friends. The father, 
 however, was reared in Ohio, and later went to 
 Kentucky, his marriage with Miss Maria Scales 
 being celebrated in Covington, of the latter state. 
 She was born in New Haven, Connecticut, where 
 her father, John Scales, had located on emigrat- 
 ing from England to the new world, but he later 
 became a resident of Kentucky, where his death 
 occurred. 
 
 In 1834 the parents of our subject came to 
 Illinois, settling on Grand Prairie, Putnam coun- 
 ty, upon a tract of wild land, which the father 
 at once began to improve, and erected the first 
 house at Mt. Palatine, for by trade he was a 
 carpenter. Lpon the farm the parents made their 
 permanent home, the father passing away there 
 in 1852, and the mother in 1 87 1. She was a 
 member of the Methodist church. In their fam- 
 ily were six children, namely: Mrs. Amelia Cal- 
 vin, now of Normal, Illinois; Noble, deceased, 
 who was a resident of Streator, Illinois; Leander 
 S.; William, deceased, who lived near Mt. Pala- 
 tine in Putnam county; John, now of Missouri, 
 and Louisa, deceased. 
 
 In Kentucky our subject was born June 18, 
 1823, and with his parents came to Putnam coun- 
 
 ty, Illinois, where he grew to manhood, being 
 reared upon the farm and educated in the sub- 
 scription schools. On the roth of March, 1845, 
 he wedded Mary Ann Ln-'^Min, a daughter of 
 John N. and Mary (Stcv.art) Laughlin, natives 
 of South Carolina and Brown county, Ohio, re- 
 spectively. The Stewarts were all inclined to the 
 ministry. Park Stewart, the son of William Stew- 
 art, was a distinguished Swedenbqrgian minister, 
 and could speak fluently eight languages. The 
 following is a correct copy of pass issued to i\Irs. 
 Newport's great-grandfather and family, which 
 is inserted in this sketch as an interesting bit of 
 history: 
 
 County of Antrim, Ireland. By George Rog- 
 ers, Clerk, one of his majest\''s justices of the 
 peace for said county: 
 
 These are to certify that the bearers hereof, Wil- 
 liam Stewart, linen weaver, and Ann Stewart, 
 otherwise Park, his wife, have lived sevei"al years 
 in this town of Clogh and said county with very 
 fair characters and good reputations, having be- 
 haved themselves very honestly and inoffensively 
 and as they have got encouragement to remove 
 to Pennsylvania, in America, permit them, there- 
 fore, the said William Stewart and Ann Stewart, 
 his wife, with their family of children to pass 
 and repass from hence to Newcastle or any 
 other part of his majesty's dominions in America 
 or Europe without hinderance or molestation, 
 they behaving themselves as becometh good sub- 
 jects. 
 
 Given under my hand and seal at Clogh and 
 said county this 7th day of July, 1762. 
 
 To all officers civil and military. 
 
 AVhen five years of age his father was taken 
 Ijy his parents to ( )hio, and in Brown county was 
 married. As early as 1820, however, he emi- 
 grated to Bond county, Illinois, where he made 
 his home until 1833, when his wife died and he 
 removed to Putnam county, locating upon a new- 
 farm near Union Grove. There his death oc- 
 curred in 1853. For his second wife he married 
 Melinda Paxton, now deceased, and to them were 
 born two children, Thompson, of Peoria county, 
 Illinois, and Samuel, of Nebraska. Five chil- 
 
TtlE i3I0GRAPHlCAL RECORD. 
 
 1^5 
 
 dren graced the first union : Robert S., w ho died 
 in 1893; Alary Ann, the wife of our subject; John 
 Calvin, deceased; ^^'illiam, of Sargent, Nebraska, 
 and Margaret, widow of Xoble Newport, a broth- 
 er of our subject. Two of the sons, William and 
 Samuel, served in the civil war. The father was 
 an anti-slavery man, became a republican in poli- 
 tics and was an elder in the Presbyterian church. 
 
 Airs. Newport was born August 18, 1826, in 
 Bond county, Illinois, and obtained a good edu- 
 cation in a select school of Putnam county. Judge 
 Blanchard, the present judge of the circuit court, 
 was one of the early teachers of the district of 
 Sprinklebury, of which our subject was one of 
 the directors, and he used to study, read, shave, 
 etc., in the school house evenings and Saturdays. 
 Some of the people complained because he used 
 the wood belonging to the district, so Mr. New- 
 port had a load of his own wood taken to the 
 school, and the teacher was asked where his 
 wood would be put. This soon put a stop to all 
 fault finding as regarded the wood question. 
 
 After his marriage, Air. Newport purchased 
 an eighty-acre farm in the Sprinklebury school 
 district, where he remained for twenty-five years, 
 and in 1870 came to Bureau county, settling 
 upon the farm where he yet lives and where he 
 owns three hundred and five acres of valual:ile 
 farming land under a high state of cultivation 
 and well improved. 
 
 To Air. and Airs. Newport have been born 
 six children, as follows: M. Laurena, deceased, 
 was the wife of Gustavus Everts, attorney at 
 Fresno, California, by whom she had one child, 
 Olan E. ; Burton is married and has three chil- 
 dren, Fred, Christopher and Mary; Alice is the 
 wife of W. L; Henderson, an attorney of Cray- 
 ton, Nebraska, and has two children, Gale and 
 Vilas; Beecher Ward is married and has five 
 children, Airs. Alay Roberts, who has an infant 
 son; Lee C, Hazel, Birney and Glen ISeecher; 
 Hale P., now of Ponca, Oklahoma, is married 
 and has three children, Roy, Lee and Darline ; 
 Alarshall, the youngest born of the children, is 
 deceased. 
 
 Air. Newport casts his ballot in support of the 
 
 men and measures of the republican party, and 
 has served as school director of his district. His 
 estimable wife is a member of the Congrega- 
 tional church. He started out in life a poor boy, 
 and that he has succeeded is due solely to ability, 
 steadfast purpose and indefatigable industry. He 
 is surrounded by a circle of friends who appre- 
 ciate his true worth, and he is a man who has 
 acted well his part — living a worthy and honor- 
 able life. 
 
 DA\ ID AlOORE. No country affords great- 
 er opportunity to the poor man than our 
 own ; it is, indeed, the poor man's country. Here 
 an industrious, frugal man has a chance to ac- 
 cumulate wealth. Alany fail to do so, but the 
 best of our population lay by some of their earn- 
 ings and soon find themselves in possession of 
 a handsome propert}-. Among them is the gen- 
 tleman whose name heads this article, and wl:^o 
 is now living a retired life in Wenona. 
 
 His parents, David and Alary (Brown) Moore, 
 were born, reared and married in New Jersey, 
 and about 181 5 removed to Ohio, settling in 
 Waynesville, where the father worked at his trade 
 of a tailor for four years. He then located on 
 a farm in Preble county, that state, in the midst 
 of the forest, which he at once began to clear and 
 improve, and there made his home until 1855. 
 In that year he came to Illinois to live with his 
 son, and there made his home until his death, at 
 the age of ninety-eight years. His wife passed 
 awav in Ohio at the age of fifty-seven years. In 
 their family were five children: Samuel, deceased; 
 David, of this review; Nathaniel, of Chicago; 
 Airs. May Lintner, deceased, and Sarah Bell, 
 also deceased. 
 
 Our subject was born November 15, 1813, in 
 Gloucester county. New Jersey, but was reared 
 upon a farm in Ohio until seventeen years of 
 age, when he began learning the trade of a shoe- 
 maker, which he followed for about fifteen years. 
 In (Jhio, on the 17th of March, 1836, he married 
 Aliss Ann Boradail, also a native of New Jer- 
 sey, and they became the parents of five chil- 
 dren: Rebecca, the oldest, is deceased; Arthur, 
 
1 66 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 who became sergeant in the Light Artillery un- 
 der Captain Vaughn, died near Bolivar, Tennes- 
 see, March 7, 1863; Mary Elizabeth, deceased, 
 was the wife of George G. McAdam, by whom 
 she had three children, Ulysses, Arthur and Wil- 
 liam ; Martha Sarah and Anna are also deceased. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Moore continued to 
 engage in shoemaking, and in connection with 
 his brother also conducted a store in Israel town- 
 ship, Preble county, Ohio, for four years, after 
 which he removed to Kokomo, Indiana, and 
 started a grocery and bakery. He also had a 
 slaughter house and steam sawmill at that place, 
 but most of his property was later destroyed by 
 fire, leaving him in limited circumstances. He 
 next removed to a farm near Fairfield, in How- 
 ard county, Indiana, which he operated three 
 years, and in 1857 came to Illinois, locating upon 
 a partially improved farm in Evans township, 
 Marshall county, where he made his home until 
 1865. He then purchased a farm on Sandy creek, 
 which he continued to improve and cultivate un- 
 til 1 89 1, when his wife died, and he removed to 
 a farm adjoining that place, which he bought of 
 his brother. In 1894, however, he came to Wen- 
 ona, where he now finds a pleasant home. 
 
 On the 14th of August of that year, Mr. Moore 
 was united in marriage with Mrs. Carrie Lezear, 
 who was born January 27, 1828, in Tyler county. 
 West Virginia, and is a daughter of James C. 
 and Sarah L. (Musser) Williamson, the former a 
 native of Wellsburg, Pennsylvania, and the lat- 
 ter of Lancaster, the same state. Her parents 
 both belonged to old Pennsylvania families, 
 were married in that state and later removed to 
 West Virginia, where they made their permanent 
 home and there died. The father, who was edu- 
 cated at Wellsburg, Pennsylvania, became a phy- 
 sician, but later devoted most of his time to agri- 
 cultural pursuits. His father had served as a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary war. 
 
 Mrs. Moore is one of a family of twelve chil- 
 dren, who, in order of birth, are as follows: John 
 M., Alex and James, all deceased; William and 
 Elbert, twins, the latter of whom is deceased; 
 Theodore A., who lives in Sardis, Ohio; Eliza 
 
 Jane, deceased; Adeline, who is the widow of 
 Samuel Cox and lives in Sistersville, West Vir- 
 ginia; Theodosia, deceased; Mrs. Moore, Philip 
 Dodridge, deceased, and Henry R., who also lives 
 in Sistersville. One son, John M., was a soldier 
 in the civil war, Mrs. Moore was educated in 
 West Virginia, and on reaching womanhood 
 married Frank Lazear, by whom she had four 
 children, James, Elbert, Leroy and Eliza Jane. 
 The father of these children is now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Moore still owns three hundred and thir- 
 ty-one acres in Evans township, eighty acres in 
 Bolivar county, Missouri, two houses and lots in 
 Wenona and one-third interest in forty-five lots 
 in Streator, Illinois, all of which property has 
 been gained through his own individual efforts, 
 although he received some assistance from his 
 father, but he has given away more than he ever 
 received. In politics he is a stanch republican, 
 and religiously is a member of the Society of 
 Friends, while his wife has for forty-five years 
 been an active member of the ]\Iethodist church. 
 
 RICHARD HERRICK, ]\I. D., a successful 
 physician and surgeon of Florid, was born 
 near Granville, in Putnam county, February 28, 
 1865, and is a son of James and Ada (Smith) 
 Herrick, both natives of Leicestershire, England. 
 As young people they came from their native 
 land to Putnam county, where they were mar- 
 ried. By trade the father is a shoemaker, but 
 since locating in Illinois has turned his attention 
 to farming. The parents are both still living 
 and make their home at Wyanet, Bureau county, 
 where they removed after a ten years' residence 
 in Putnam county, when our subject was but one 
 year old. 
 
 The doctor remained at home until eighteen 
 years of age, during which time he attended the 
 Sheffield high school, and then took a three years' 
 elective course at Wheaton college. Subsequent- 
 ly for the same length of time he taught school 
 in Bureau county, the last year being employed in 
 the Wyanet schools. While there engaged in 
 teaching he began reading medicine in the office 
 of Dr. Shoemaker, and later entered the Eclectic 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 167 
 
 jMedical college of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he 
 graduated in the class of 1891. 
 
 Dr. Herrick immediately began the practice 
 of his chosen profession at Murrayville, near 
 Jacksonville, Illinois, becoming the successor of 
 Dr. A. M. Cline, the former preceptor of Dr. 
 Shoemaker. In the spring of 1893, however, he 
 located at Florid, succeeding Dr. J. A. Swem, 
 now of Henry, and is now at the head of a large 
 general practice, many of his patrons being old 
 friends of his parents. He gives his ' entire at- 
 tention to his practice, and is on the most friend- 
 ly relations with the physicians of ' the other 
 schools of medicine. 
 
 On the 3d of September, 1891, at Wyanet, Illi- 
 nois, was consummated the marriage of Dr. Her- 
 rick and Miss Jessica J. Mosher, a native of 
 Wyanet township, Bureau county, and a daugh- 
 ter of Elijah Mosher, a prominent man and poli- 
 tician of Wyanet. She was educated in special 
 work at Jennings seminary at Aurora, graduat- 
 ing in 1887, and is quite an artist, making a 
 specialty of pencil and crayon work. Two chil- 
 dren grace this union — Lucile G. and Ada Ruth 
 Etadarppa. 
 
 The doctor and his wife are earnest members 
 of the Presbyterian church, in which he serves 
 as elder, and also takes a prominent part in the 
 work of the Sunday school. Although he usual- 
 ly supports the candidates of the republican 
 party, he is not now bound by party ties, voting 
 for the man whom he thinks best qualified for 
 the office. He finds his chief source of recreation 
 in hunting, being a great lover of that sport. 
 
 WILLIAAI KNOX, an honored pioneer 
 and valued citizen of Princeton town- 
 ship, Bureau county, is a worthy representative 
 of a patriotic family, whose members have borne 
 an important part in the wars of this country. He 
 was born in Highland county, Ohio, ^March 31, 
 1814, a son of Joseph Knox, a native of North 
 Carolina, but who was reared in Southampton 
 county, Virginia. His paternal grandfather. 
 Judge John Knox, was judge of the courts in 
 the Old Dominion for many years, and was a 
 
 faithful member of the Society of Friends. The 
 mother of our subject, who bore the maiden 
 name of Rachel Brooks, was a daughter of Ben- 
 jamin Brooks, who for seven long years aided 
 the colonies to secure their independence as a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary war, and for faith- 
 ful service was granted a soldier's claim in High- 
 land county, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest now living and the 
 fifth in order of birth in a family of fifteen chil- 
 dren, numbering ten sons and five daughters, of 
 whom the latter are all deceased. Three brothers 
 still survive. During the dark days of the re- 
 bellion five of the sons entered their country's 
 service — John, who died in camp, and James, 
 Isaac, Milton and Carey, all of whom returned 
 from the war. John also had four sons and a 
 son-in-law who wore the blue, and two of the 
 former died soon after their return home from 
 effects of starvation and disease while incarcer- 
 ated in Libby prison. With the exception of two, 
 all of the children of this large family lived to 
 maturity. The father's death occurred in Sigour- 
 ney, Iowa, when in his eighty-first year. 
 
 At the age of eighteen, William Knox left the 
 parental roof and started westward, first stopping 
 at Richmond, Indiana, on election day, when 
 General Jackson was making his first race for 
 the presidency, and the excitement was very high. 
 Mr. Knox wintered on the Mississinewa river, 
 and the following year went to the present site of 
 Clifton, Indiana, where he opened up the first 
 farm in the locality. The fall of 1834 witnessed 
 his arrival in Illinois, settling at that time in what 
 is now Lee county. The following spring, how- 
 ever, he came to Bureau county, landing here 
 without a dollar, his capital consisting of only a 
 pair of willing hands and a determination to suc- 
 ceed. 
 
 For two years Mr. Knox made his home with 
 an uncle and aunt, assisting in the labors of their 
 farm, and during that time, by the exercise of 
 economy, succeeded in accumulating one thou- 
 sand dollars, which he invested in one hundred 
 and sixty-six acres of land. This he at once began 
 to improve and cultivate, and made his home 
 
168 
 
 THE BIOC^RAt'HlCAL RECORt). 
 
 thereon for ten years, when he sold out and pur- 
 chased two hundred acres in Princeton township 
 — his present valuable farm. This place he bought 
 in January, 1 85 1, paying for the same a little over 
 fifteen dollars per acre. Forty acres are now 
 within the corporate limits of Princeton, where 
 he owns many valuable houses and lots, besides 
 his farm of one hundred and seventy-six acres, 
 all of which he has accumulated by his own per- 
 severance and industry. In 1836 he took a load 
 of hay to Chicago and returned with a load of 
 salt. 
 
 On the 20th of April, 1837, Air. Knox was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary Mercer, who 
 was born in Harrison county, Ohio, September 
 17, 1815, and is a daughter of Aaron Mercer, 
 deceased. All of the eight children born of this 
 union are still living, namely: Rachel ]., is the 
 widow of Jacob Chritzman, and has two children, 
 Clarence and Lottie; Aaron J. and Sarah are 
 next in order of birth; Oscar, now living in 
 Seattle, Washington, married Aliss Julia Ament 
 and has one child, Winnie; Albert, who has been 
 three times married, is no^v a widower and has 
 one child, Sarah; Alary is the wife of Mr. Dan- 
 ley, of Oklahoma, and has a son and daughter; 
 Alelvina is the wife of John Parks, of Gunnison, 
 Colorado, and has a son and daughter, and 
 Nancy completes the family. In politics Air. 
 Knox is a democrat. Mrs. Knox is a member of 
 the Alethodist Episcopal church. 
 
 Air. Knox has witnessed almost tlie entire de- 
 velopment and progress made by civilization in 
 Bureau county. On his arrival here Indians 
 were still quite numerous in the community, and 
 in 1835 he became acquainted with the chief, 
 Shabona, who was second in command under 
 Tecumseh, but a short time later announced his 
 intention of never again fighting the white men. 
 There was only one house between Princeton 
 and Dixon, and the only dwelling at the latter 
 place being that of John Dixon, which was, in 
 reality, beyond the present limits of that city. 
 Scarcely any roads had been cut through the 
 country, but the old stage road from Peoria to 
 Galena had been laid out and a station was lo- 
 
 cated about two miles north of Princeton. To 
 the company owning this stage line Air. Knox 
 sold the first sheaf of oats that he here raised to 
 feed their horses. On his arrival here Center 
 Prairie was a vast swamp covered with sloughs 
 and ponds, and the country was almost entirely 
 in its primitive condition. He has watched with 
 interest the wonderful changes that have taken 
 place and has been no unimportant factor in as- 
 sisting in its development. He has never cared 
 for the honors or emoluments of public office, 
 the only position which he would ever accept 
 being that of highway commissioner, in order 
 to get roads opened up that were needed. 
 
 DAVID S. ZEARIXG, an influential and 
 leading citizen of Princeton, is a worthy 
 representative of one of the prominent pioneer 
 families of Bureau county, where he has made 
 his home since Alay, 1836. Xo state in the 
 union can boast of a more heroic band of 
 pioneers than Illinois. In their intelligence, cap- 
 ability and genius they were far above the pion- 
 eers of the eastern states, and in their daring and 
 heroism they were equal to the Alissouri and 
 California argonauts. Their privations, hard- 
 ships and earnest labors have resulted in estab- 
 lishing one of the foremost commonwealths in 
 America, the possibilities of which are far great- 
 er than those possessed by any of her sister 
 states. 
 
 Mr. Zearing was born in Cumberland county, 
 Penns}lvania, February 16, 1834, and was there- 
 fore only two years of age when brought to Bu- 
 reau county by his parents, Alartin and Sarah 
 (Shaffer) Zearing, also natives of the keystone 
 state. The fathers birth occurred on the 4U1 
 of July, 1794. Accompanied by his brother John, 
 he came to Illinois in 1835, going by boat to 
 Peoria, thence through Princeton as far as Ot- 
 tawa. Returning to Pennsylvania the following 
 spring, he~ brought his family to this state, the 
 journe}' to Hennepin requiring six weeks. By 
 team they then came to Princeton, where they 
 remained until the following December, when 
 the father purchased one hundred and sixty acres 
 
David S. Zearing. 
 
Mrs. D. S. Zearing. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORt). 
 
 173 
 
 of land in Berlin township, and removed thereon. 
 There he made hs home until called from this 
 life in 1855, at the age of sixt}'-one years. He 
 was an important factor in the development and 
 improvement of this locality, assisting in laying- 
 out many of the early roads, and for a number 
 of years served as justice of the peace. His wife 
 died in 1869, and they now sleep side by side in 
 the Dover cemetery, where a handsome monu- 
 ment marks their last resting place. 
 
 Upon the home farm our subject remained un- 
 til 1859, when he made an overland trip to Cali- 
 fornia by ox team, leaving home in April, and 
 cross-Fig the border into the golden state on the 
 6th of the following September. For nine years 
 lie was engaged in hunting for the yellow metal, 
 his success during which time was varied. (Jne 
 day he secured eight pounds in good-sized nug- 
 gets and throughout his entire mining experience 
 was moderately successful. He returned home 
 by way of the Nicaragua route and Xew York 
 city, arriving in Bureau county in December, 
 1867. He purchased the old homestead, to the 
 cultivation of which he then devoted his time and 
 attention until 1879, when he removed to Prince- 
 ton, but still owns the same. He also purchased 
 and operated the old Bass farm of one hundred 
 and sixt}- acres. He bought more land from 
 time to time until he owned twelve hundred 
 acres, comprised in nine different farms in Dover 
 and Berlin townships, all of which are well im- 
 proved and valuable places. On his removal to 
 Princeton he engaged in merchandising for sev- 
 eral years, but now gives his time and attention 
 wholly to his extensive farming interests. He 
 commenced life lor himself without capital, and 
 all that he now possesses has been secured 
 through his own diligence, enterprise and per- 
 severance. 
 
 In Berlin township. Bureau county, on the 5th 
 of December, 1869, Air. Zearing was united in 
 marriage with Miss Harriet Bass, who was born, 
 reared and educated in this county, and became 
 one of its most successful and talented teachers. 
 She is a daughter of George Bass, now deceased, 
 who was a prominent, early settler of Berlin 
 
 township. Six children have been born to our 
 subject and his wife — Alice, Elmer, who is mar- 
 ried and resides on a farm in Berlin township; 
 George 1!., David S., Roy W. and Martin M., 
 bright and promising children, who are attend- 
 ing the high school of Princeton. 
 
 Since voting for John C. Fremont in 1856, 
 Air. Zearing has been an ardent republican in 
 politics, but takes no active part in political af- 
 fairs, preferring to give his undivided attention 
 to his business interests. For the long period of 
 sixty years he has found a pleasant home in Bu- 
 reau county, and his circle of friends is only lim- 
 ited ])}• his circle of acquaintances. He is a man 
 of superior business capacity, of exemplary 
 h.abits, strict integrity and upright character, and 
 is worthy the confidence that is reposed in him. 
 He and his estimable wife are active members 
 of the Baptist church of Princeton. 
 
 JOHN GRASSLEY. It has been said that 
 biography yields to no other subject in point 
 of interest and profit, and it is especially inter- 
 esting to note the progress that has been made 
 along various lines of business by those of for- 
 eign birth who have sought homes in America — 
 the readiness with which they adapt themselves 
 to the different methods and customs of Amer- 
 ica and recognize the advantages offered and util- 
 ize the opportunities which the new world af- 
 fords. To this class belongs Air. Grassle}-, mas- 
 ter mechanic and foreman of the Bud^ division 
 ol the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. 
 
 He was born in Baden, Germany, November 
 16, 1837, and wdien five years of age v^'as brought 
 to the Gnited States by his parents, John and 
 Reginal Grassley, who stopped first at Newburg, 
 Xew York, where the mother had a sister living. 
 Xot obtaining work at his trade of blacksmith- 
 ing, the father left that place a year later and 
 removed to Columbus, Ohio, where he had a 
 brother residing. For four years he made that 
 place his home, but work at his trade becoming 
 scarce he then went to Adrian, Michigan, where 
 he purchased a home and continued in active 
 business as long as his health and strength per- 
 
174 
 
 THE BIOGRAPI-nCAL RECORD. 
 
 mitted, securing in the meantime a comfortable 
 competence. There were only two children in 
 the family, the sister of our subject being Carrie, 
 now the wife of John B. Gippert, of Davenport, 
 Iowa, who is foreman of the Milwaukee & St. 
 Paul railroad roundhouse. They have five chil- 
 dren. 
 
 John Grassley began his education in the 
 schools of Newburg, continued his studies at 
 Columbus and finished his literary course in the 
 schools of Adrian, Michigan. At the age of sev- 
 enteen he entered the railroad service as fireman 
 on an engine on the Lake Shore & Michigan 
 Southern railroad and fired the first engine on 
 that road, which was run into Detroit in 1854. 
 Later he worked in the shops for a year, and 
 then became engineer on the same road, with 
 which he continued until the strike of 1866. He 
 then went to Galesburg, Illinois, where for two 
 and a half years he was in the shops of the Chi- 
 cago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. Subse- 
 quently he served as engineer, later was pro- 
 moted to testing engines as they came out of the 
 shop, which position he filled for five years, and 
 on the 1st of January, 1884, accepted his present 
 responsible position and removed to Buda. For 
 thirty years he has now been in the service of 
 one road, and his long retention plainly indicates 
 his faithful discharge of duties and the confidence 
 and trust reposed in him by the company. He 
 has been in three wrecks, once while fireman 
 running between Toledo and Detroit, and twice 
 while an engineer on the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy. In the first he went over with the en- 
 gine, but in the other two he had time to jump 
 and thus save his life. 
 
 While a resident of Adrian, Michigan, Mr. 
 Grassley was married, September 23, 1861, the 
 lady of his choice being Miss Marguerite Keck, 
 of Riga, that state, who was born in Bavaria, Ger- 
 many, and is a daughter of Carl and Marguerite 
 Keck. She was provided with good common 
 school advantages and is a lady of culture and 
 refinement. Six children were born to them, 
 namely: Carrie, is the wife of August J. Henig, 
 proprietor of a flouring mill at Manito, IlHnois, 
 
 and they have three children ; Sophia, twin sister 
 of Carrie, is the wife of E. E. Chambers, of Gales- 
 burg, who is a mechanic in the employ of the 
 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. They 
 have two children; John Louis, an engineer on 
 the same road, is married and with his wife and 
 two children reside at Buda; Lizzie, is the wife 
 of C. C. Tyler, of Galesburg, chief clerk in the 
 master mechanic's office of the Chicago, Burling- 
 ton & Quincy. They have two children; Amelia 
 and Edward O. are still at home. The former is 
 a graduate of the Buda high school, and the lat- 
 ter is still a student. 
 
 Although reared a democrat, Mr. Grassley 
 voted for Lincoln in i860, and continued to sup- 
 port the republican party until 1872, since which 
 time he has affiliated with the democracy. He 
 has always refused to accept office on account of 
 his business. His parents were members of the 
 German Lutheran church, but since coming to 
 Buda he has attended the IMethodist Episcopal 
 church, of which his wife and children are all 
 members, with the exception of Louis, who is 
 connected with the Congregational denomina- 
 tion. Socially he belongs to Vesper lodge. No. 
 584, F. & A. M., of Galesburg. He is a public- 
 spirited, enterprising man, taking an active in- 
 terest in everything which seems to promise a 
 benefit to the community, and enjoys the esteem 
 and confidence of all who know liim. 
 
 AS. WALTER, seni,or member of the well- 
 . known firm of A. S. Walter & Son, en- 
 gaged in merchandising in Ohio, is a native of 
 Bureau county, his birth having occurred at 
 Princeton May 18, 1840, a son of John and Eliza 
 (Smith) Walter, natives of Pennsylvania and Bel- 
 mont county, Ohio, respectively. The father was 
 also a merchant, conducting the first clothing 
 store ever established at Princeton. Later he 
 sold the Singer sewing machine and subsequent- 
 ly was agent for the Dickerson pump. He re- 
 membered how the Quakers of Jefferson county, 
 Ohio, assisted the slaves on their way to Canada 
 and freedom, and became one of the first aboli- 
 tionists of Bureau county, being associated with 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 175 
 
 Owen Lovejoy, and serving as one of the con- 
 ductors on the underground railroad through 
 this section of the country. His death occurred 
 June 17, 1894, at the age of eighty-one years. 
 Both himself and his wife were prominent mem- 
 bers of the Congregational church, in which he 
 was a great worker and with which he was offi- 
 cially connected for many years. She is still 
 living, at the age of eighty-five years, and makes 
 her home in Princeton. In their family were four 
 sons and four daughters, but four died in in- 
 fancy. The others are Elizabeth J., wife of E. 
 Curtis, of Princeton; A. S., of this sketch; Nancy, 
 wife of Hart Rawson, of Chicago, and John F., 
 a farmer of Ohio township. Bureau county. 
 
 The education of our subject was such as the 
 common schools of the county afforded, and he 
 began his business career as a clerk for Rawson 
 Bros, in Princeton, with whom he remained for 
 many years. Subsequently he conducted a store 
 in Iowa, but in 1871, after the railroad had been 
 opened through the village, he came to Ohio, 
 where he has since successfully carried on mer- 
 cantile pursuits, with the exception of one year. 
 He was alone in business until 1891, when he 
 admitted his son to partnership, and they now 
 conduct one of the best general stores to be 
 found in the county, their assortment of goods 
 being large and varied. 
 
 In September, 1867, at Princeton, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Walter and Miss 
 OpheHa, daughter of Edgar Bartley, who was 
 born at Fishkill on the Hudson, New York. To 
 them have been born two sons. Hart E. and Fred- 
 erick J. The elder is now connected with his 
 father in business, while the latter is attending 
 medical lectures at the Chicago Homeopathic 
 School of Medicine, a member of the class of 
 1897. He has held the position of assistant phy- 
 sician at the Magno-Medical Cure and Lithia 
 Water Springs, near Attica, Fountain county, 
 Indiana, and is a young man of much promise, 
 taking high rank in his studies. 
 
 The political support of Mr. Walter is ever 
 given the reptiblican party, and fraternally he is a 
 prominent member of the Masonic order, a char- 
 
 ter member of the lodge at Ohio, and also be- 
 longs to the chapter and commandery at Prince- 
 ton and Medina temple, Nobles of the Mystic 
 Shrine, at Chicago. His wife is a cohsistent 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal church. As 
 a straightforward, honorable and capable busi- 
 ness man, Mr. Walter ranks among the best of 
 the county, and enjoys the confidence and re- 
 spect of all with whom he comes in contact either 
 in a business or social way. 
 
 SQUIRE THOMAS JUDD, deceased, was a 
 citizen of Evans township, where, as a leader 
 among men, his memory is held in reverence and 
 honor. Pie was one of the earliest pioneers of 
 Marshall county, settling with his parents upon 
 the old Judd farm on Sandy creek in 1831, and in 
 this county made his home until his death, which 
 occurred on the ist of February, 1892. During 
 those years he was very influential in public af- 
 fairs, as by his strong force of character and un- 
 doubted integrity he early gained the confidence 
 of the people, who saw in him a man they could 
 trust as a guide and well fitted to hold public 
 office. His death has left a vacancy hard to be 
 filled, and was considered a severe blow to the 
 material and moral interests of the community. 
 
 Squire Judd was born in Ashe county, North 
 Carolina, May 26, 1827, and was only four years 
 old when broug'ht to Marshall county, where he 
 was reared on a farm and received an ordinary 
 district school education. He began teaching 
 in Evans township, which at that time was Sandy 
 precinct of La Salle county. On the 31st of Oc- 
 tober, 1851, his marriage with Miss Mary A. 
 Dillman was celebrated. She was born in Brown 
 county, Ohio, August 16, 1830, and is a daughter 
 of Frederick and Mary (Turner) Dillman, the 
 former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter 
 of Maryland. With her parents she came to La 
 Salle county, Illinois, in 1844, locating three miles 
 east of Magnolia, where they made their home 
 until 1861, when they removed to Wenona, but 
 both are now deceased. 
 
 After his marriage the squire lived for three 
 years upon the old Judd homestead, but in 1854 
 
1^6 
 
 fHS BlOGRAt^HICJAL RECORE). 
 
 removed to the northwest quarter of section 20, 
 Evans township, which was then aU raw prairie 
 land, and tlie same summer erected a good frame 
 dweUing. He made that place his permanent 
 home, improving the land himself and made the 
 farm one of the most desirable in this section of 
 the cO'Unty. In the early days he took his grain 
 to Hall's landing on the Illinois river. He was 
 purely a self-made man, having no advantages ex- 
 cept those given him by nature, and his promi- 
 nent characteristics — honesty, economy, temper- 
 ance and industry — were no doubt important 
 factors in his success. 
 
 Squire Judd was always an ardent democrat 
 in politics, took an active part in local affairs, at 
 the early age of twenty was elected justice of the 
 peace, which office he creditably filled for many 
 years, for a number of terms was supervisor of 
 Evans township, also chairman of the board, was 
 school director for a long period, and was once 
 a candidate for representation, but as the distrLCt 
 was strongly republican he was not elected. So- 
 cially, he held membership with the Masonic 
 order, being a Royal Arch Mason, and was also 
 prominently identified with the Grange for many 
 years. He applied himself studiously to qualify 
 himself for his after life, was looked up to by 
 every one, and his advice was often sought. His 
 remains now rest in the Cumberland cemetery. 
 
 Mrs. Judd, who is a faithful member of the 
 Presbyterian church, still survives her husband, 
 and four of their seven children are also yet liv- 
 ing. Francis Lee, who is residing in San Diego, 
 California, married Lettie Ashley, of Kansas, 
 and they have five children — Fannie, Pearl, John, 
 Katie and Ashley. Mary E. is the wife of Joseph 
 Miller. John T., of Wenona, married Ella Dun- 
 lap, and they have tvvo children — Mabel Almeda 
 and Roland De Witt. Alfred, living on section 
 18, Evans township, wedded Annie L. Brenn, 
 and they have three children — Ethel, Gertrude 
 and Roscoe. , 
 
 The only daughter, with her family, now resides 
 on the old homestead on section 20, Evans town- 
 ship. She was married on the i6th of May, 1877, 
 to Joseph Miller, who was born in Carroll coun- 
 
 ty, Ohio, September 10, 1851, and is the son of 
 Abraham and Ruth (Miser) Miller, the birth of 
 the former occurring near Harrisburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1818, and the latter in Tuscarawas coun- 
 ty, Ohio, in 1826. His parents were married in 
 the buckeye state, where they located upon a 
 farm in Carroll county, but in 1865 became resi- 
 dents of Wenona, Illinois, where the father died 
 in November, 1890. The mother is still living. 
 In their family were four children, two of whom 
 survive, the daughter being Mary, wife of Oliver 
 Wingate of Wenona, by whom she has seven 
 children — C. S., Inez Dent, Willis Herbert, J. 
 Roy, Jessie Grimes, Don and Florence. 
 
 Joseph Miller was educated in the public 
 schools of Wenona, and in his younger years 
 learned the trade of a painter, which he followed 
 for some time. He and his excellent wife now 
 have six children — Wallace M., Benjamin F., 
 Thomas J., Bernard O., Frederick J. and Lena. 
 He is prominently connected with the IMasonic 
 fraternity and Evans grange. No. 35, in which 
 he has served as master, and is president of the 
 Farmers' County institute. Politically, he votes 
 independent of party ties, and has been called 
 upon to act as a member of the local school 
 board. Mrs. Miller is a consistent member of the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian church. 
 
 PHILIP REED SHUGART, a retired far- 
 mer of Dover township, Bureau county, 
 now making his home at Princeton, Illinois, was 
 born at Mercersburg, Franklin county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, February 15, 1820, and, with his parents, 
 John and Polly (Reed) Shugart, removed to Rich- 
 land county, Ohio, in 1840, locating near Ash- 
 land. On the 3d of June, 1850, he came to Illi- 
 nois, stopping first in Peoria county, but in the 
 fall of that year came to Bureau county. He 
 was reared at a hotel on the old pike before rail- 
 roads had been constructed through that sec- 
 tion, and after the removal of the family to the 
 buckeye state clerked in a country store for two 
 years. There he also learned the brick and stone- 
 mason's trade, which he there followed for about 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 177 
 
 four years, and was thus employed for a time 
 after coming to Illinois. l'\)r two years he car- 
 ried on farming- in Ohio. 
 
 In what was then a part of Richland, but !s 
 now Ashland county, Ohio, Air. Shugart was 
 married, April 22. 1847, ^o Miss Rebecca K. Cox, 
 a native of that state and a daughter of Rev. John 
 Cox, one of its early settlers, who died when past 
 ninety years of age. The following children 
 graced this union, namely: Mary, now the wife 
 of Allen Smith, of Massena, Iowa; Alice D., wife 
 of Dexter Hempstead, of Shasta county, Cali- 
 fornia; Alargaret, widow of P'rank Wright, by 
 whom she had two children, Beva M. and Arthur 
 \\'., and is now the housekeeper for her father; 
 Hettie Ann, who was killed by a runaway team 
 when ten years of age; Thomas J., who has a feed 
 store at Council Blufifs, Iowa; Carrie, wife of AI. 
 R. Thackerberry, of Tampico, Illinois, and John 
 J., who married Cora, daughter of E. C. Matson, 
 and is farming four miles north of town. 
 
 In the same year of his arrival, the parents of 
 Mr. Shugart came to Bureau county, passing 
 their last years in retirement at Princeton, where 
 the father died in 1864, at the age of seventy-two 
 years, and the mother in 1872, at the same age. 
 The father first located in Dover township, where 
 he owned a farm, and there had settled his broth- 
 er, Samuel, and the latter's son, Zachariah. On 
 leaving Pennsylvania in 1846 the brother had 
 come direct to Peoria county, Illinois, and with 
 the other members of the family located in Dover 
 township. Bureau county, in 1850. John Shu- 
 gart, a brother of our subject, also made his home 
 in the same neighborhood. 
 
 With his wife and two children, Philip R. Shu- 
 gart drove the entire distance from ( )hio, and on 
 his arrival had but fifty dollars with which to 
 begin life in this new countr\-. He at first made 
 his home upon the farm which his father had 
 previously purchased, and with forty dollars of 
 his own money and one hundred dollars which 
 he borrowed of his father he entered one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of land, which at first seemed 
 little better than a swamp. He and his family 
 were forced to endure many hardships before he 
 
 could get a start here, as he could find no work 
 at his trade, and their principal diet was bread 
 and blackberry jam. Added to their other mis- 
 fortunes, the wife was taken ill, and the old cabin 
 was so dilapidated that it was impossible in rainy 
 weather to keep the bed dry on which she lay. 
 During the first few years they suffered much 
 from fever and ague. In the fall after their arri- 
 val, however, he began the erection of a more 
 commodious dwelling, and soon got work at lay- 
 ing foundations for buildings in the county. The 
 first ninety dollars which he earned was worth 
 more to him then than that many thousand at the 
 present time, and for three years he was princi-' 
 pally employed at his trade, especially in the 
 autumn. 
 
 Mr. Shugart sold his first one hundred and 
 sixty acre tract and secured a' farm of one hun- 
 dred and forty acres in Dover township, for which 
 he went in debt, and both himself and wife at 
 times became ver}- much discouraged, and at 
 one time was on the point of selling, but in figur- 
 ing up the property that he owned found that he 
 was getting along very well, and so decided to 
 remain. During the hard times of 1857-8 he had 
 to pay as high as twenty-five per cent on his loan 
 in order to keep his farm. 
 
 In 1863 i\lr. Shugart laid aside agricultural 
 pursuits, and, in connection with his brother, E. 
 L., engaged in the hardware business at Prince- 
 ton under the firm name of Shugart & Company, 
 and this was continued until 1868, when the 
 brother removed to Council Blufifs, Iowa, there 
 engaging in the agricultural implement business 
 and making a fortune of half a million. As his wife 
 would go no further west, our subject returned 
 to the farm, where he erected a good dwelling 
 and began breeding short horn cattle and fine 
 hogs, which occupation his neighbors thought 
 would be a failure, but he was quite successful. 
 He paid for his first two hogs fifty-two dollars. 
 He also became a successful breeder of Norman 
 horses, and at many fairs he has carried off the 
 highest prizes for his stock. He is a life member 
 of the Bureau county Fair association, of which 
 he is also one of the original members, joining 
 
178 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the organization thirty-six years ago, and has 
 since been closely identified with its interests. 
 
 Mr. Shugart has been called upon to mourn 
 the death of his wife, who passed away January 
 II, 1885, and two years later he left the old farm 
 and took up his residence in Princeton, where 
 he is now living retired, resting in the enjoy- 
 ments of the fruits of his former toil. He added 
 to his farni until at one time he had four hundred 
 acres, a part of which he has sold and given to 
 his children, but still owns two hundred and 
 forty acres on section 29, Dover township, where 
 he erected a handsome and commodious brick 
 residence, and his place is now worth about one 
 hundred dollars per acre. A part of his land was 
 so low and level that it was thought by many 
 to be worthless, but he converted it into one of 
 the most highly cultivated tracts in the locality 
 by the use of tiling, being the second man in the 
 community to use that means. He also owns 
 eighty acres in Fairfield township, and a farm 
 of one hundred and sixty acres near Ames, Iowa, 
 in Story county. To his children he has given 
 about eighty acres each. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Shugart is a lifelong republi- 
 can, taking a deep interest in local affairs, at- 
 tending the conventions of his party, but is no 
 politician in the sense of office seeking. His 
 wife was an earnest member of the Baptist 
 church, but he holds membership with no reli- 
 gious organization. He is an upright, honor- 
 able man, one who has the respect and confidence 
 of all with whom he comes in contact, and is 
 numbered among the valued citizens of Prince- 
 ton and Bureau county. 
 
 ARCHIBALD RIDDELL, deceased, was for 
 many years one of the most enterprising 
 and public-spirited men in Marshall county, and 
 to him the people owe a debt of gratitude which, 
 in all probability, they will never meet. He was 
 a native of Scotland, born in Glasgow, January 
 30, 1822. He there grew to manhood, his boy- 
 hood and vouth being mainly spent on a farm. 
 However, for one or two years, in company with 
 
 a brother, he engaged in the mercantile trade in 
 his native city. 
 
 Stories of the new world began to reach his 
 ears, and the desire came into his heart to come 
 to this favored land, and here try his fortune in 
 competition with others. With him the desire 
 for a thing brought about its fulfillment, and so, 
 in 1844, he crossed the Atlantic, and arriving in 
 New York, he proceeded at once to Ohio. After 
 traveling for some time in Missouri and other 
 states, he finally located in Chillicothe, Illinois, 
 where he engaged in the mercantile business in 
 partnership with his brother Robert. In 1846 
 he made his first purchase of land, securing the 
 tract on which his son William now resides in La 
 Prairie township. There were no improvements 
 upon the place at the time of his purchase, and 
 he at once set about the cultivation of the farm. 
 Erecting a small log house he kept "bachelor's 
 haU" for about one year, when, realizing that 
 "it was not good for a man to be alone," he was 
 united in marriage June 19, 1847, with Miss 
 Janet Davidson, of Steuben township, and a 
 daughter of George Davidson, the first Scotch- 
 man to locate in the township. 
 
 Taking his young bride to the primitive home 
 prepared for her reception, he set about in earn- 
 est what was to be his life's work. The partner- 
 ship between himself and brother Robert con- 
 tinued until 1849, when the latter was stricken 
 with the gold fever, and disposing of his interest 
 to our subject, he went to California, the lately 
 discovered "Eldorado." But farming and not 
 mercantile trade was now the chosen occupation 
 of Mr. Riddell, and in a short time he added to 
 his original purchase of land until his home farm 
 consisted of three hundred and sixty acres. For 
 the erection of his barn he hauled lumber and 
 shingles from Chicago with ox teams, a trip re- 
 quiring three weeks. This was rendered neces- 
 sary from the fact there was no mill in this sec- 
 tion of the country. The barn then built still 
 stands the same to-day except for a new roof. It 
 was an exceptionally fine barn, and for years the 
 church meetings were held in it. All the early 
 settlers of southern Marshall and northern Peoria 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 179 
 
 counties remember this barn, which to-day is one 
 of the old landmarks. 
 
 In the beginning of this sketch it was stated 
 that Mr. Riddell was an enterprising and public- 
 spirited man. This was well illustrated in the 
 erection of the Lacon woolen mill, in which he 
 was the prime mover. He stood by the enterprise 
 and backed it up with his means until his death, 
 owning two hundred and live shares of the stock, 
 which is still held by the family. For some years 
 he was president of the woolen mill company and 
 gave it much time and attention, though never 
 receiving any compensation for his services. 
 
 In 1866 Air. Riddell was bereft of his wife, who 
 had truly been to him a loving helpmeet. To 
 them were born five children: John, who died at 
 the age of twelve years ; George D., a grocer and 
 hardware dealer of Watseka, Illinois; William 
 D., on the old home farm; Archie, who married 
 Lydia Gallup, a daughter of William A. Gallup, 
 and who resided on the old home place, but died 
 in May, 1893, at the age of thirty-seven years, 
 leaving no family, and Jessie, who died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Riddell subsequently married Margaret 
 Sockwell, of Canada, where she now lives, hav- 
 ing returned to her old home after the death of 
 her husband. To them was born one daughter, 
 Martha, now a stenographer in the Great North- 
 ern hotel at Chicago. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Riddell was a republican from 
 the organization of the party until within a few 
 years of his death, when he separated from the 
 party, and on one occasion voted the democratic 
 ticket. For years he was an active worker in his 
 party, and his face was a familiar one in all con- 
 ventions. During the war he was an enthusiastic 
 supporter of all measures for the suppression of 
 the rebellion, and had the utmost faith in the 
 great emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. In reli- 
 gious views he was advanced and was well read 
 in the scriptures, having a wonderfully retentive 
 memory for scriptural quotations. He delighted 
 in discussing Biblical subjects, and his great 
 knowledge of the Word of God enabled him to 
 catch preachers of the gospel in misquotations, 
 and it did him good to corner them. His death 
 
 occurred August 30, 1892, while in his seventy- 
 first year. He left not only a sorrowing- family, 
 but a very large circle of friends throughout 
 Marshal! and adjoining counties. 
 
 William D. Riddell, the son of Archibald and 
 Janet (Davidson) Riddell, was born May 8, 1852, 
 in the house in which he now lives. Here his en- 
 tire life has been spent, and on Christmas day, 
 1888, he married Miss Ellen Stephenson of Spar- 
 land, a native of Woodford county, Illinois, and 
 with his wife has made the old farm his home. 
 
 In company with his brother Archie, now de- 
 ceased, William Riddell worked the old farm for 
 a time, when he bought thirty acres near bv, 
 and on the death of his brother purchased the 
 interest of the other heirs, and now owns all the 
 farm, consisting of three hundred and fifty acres. 
 He devotes his attention to mixed farming and 
 stock raising, and has been a successful farmer. 
 Politically he is a stanch republican. 
 
 SAMUEL R. WILSON. Among the ener- 
 getic and influential agriculturists of Prince- 
 ton township. Bureau county, the subject of this 
 sketch occupies a prominent position, and is also 
 a worthy representative of one of the pioneer 
 families of the county. His father, Squire James 
 Wilson, was born in Union county, Kentucky, in 
 1 813, and was a son of Ambrose Wilson. He was 
 there reared, and as early as 1833, became a resi- 
 dent of Illinois, conducting a store at Princeton 
 north of where the railroad has since been built. 
 He also secured a tract of government land in 
 Dover township, to which he removed on dispos- 
 ing of his stock of goods, and developed a good 
 farm, which continued to be his home up to the 
 time of his death, which occurred October i, 
 1888. His remains now rest in Oakland ceme- 
 tery. The mother of our subject, who bore the 
 name of Hannah Heaton, was a native of Ohio, 
 and a daughter of Reece Heaton, who brought 
 his family to Bureau county at an early day in its 
 history. She died in the spring of 1852, leaving 
 six children — Ambrose H., of Dover township; 
 William Harrison of Nebraska; Cyrus E., of 
 Humboldt county, Iowa; Mrs. Parthena Elizabeth 
 
i8o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Hensel, of Lincoln, Nebraska; Samuel R., of this 
 sketch, and James L., of Labette county, Kan- 
 sas. After the death of his first wife the father 
 married Louisa Taylor, who was born in 1812, 
 and died in 1890. The parents were first mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal and later of the 
 Alethodist Protestant church. He first took a 
 prominent part in local afifairs, serving as road 
 commissioner, school director and justice of the 
 peace. One of his sons, Harrison, aided his 
 country during the dark days of the rebellion, 
 serving in Company B, Fifty-seventh Illinois 
 Volunteer Infantry. 
 
 Upon the home farm in Dover township. Bu- 
 reau county, the birth of our subject took place 
 October 6, 1850, and he was there reared, receiv- 
 ing his elementary education in the district 
 schools of the neighborhood, after which he at- 
 tended a select school at Pnnceton. He remained 
 at home until attaining his majority, and then 
 worked by the month until twenty-four years of 
 age. 
 
 On the i6th of December, 1875, a wedding 
 ceremony was performed which united the des- 
 tinies of Mr. Wilson and Miss Sarah Elizabeth 
 Field, who was born December 30, 1853, in 
 Princeton township, and is a daughter of Harry 
 C. and Elizabeth (Reasoner) Field, both now de- 
 ceased. Three children bless this union, namely: 
 Alice jNIav, George Eugene and Leroy. 
 
 For two years after his marriage Mr. Wilson 
 operated land in Bureau township, then removed 
 to a farm in Dover township of eighty acres, 
 which he Still owns, and where he remained until 
 1886. The same year he purchased eighty acres 
 in section 3, Princeton township, where his resi- 
 dence is. In 1891 he purchased sixty acres in 
 section 34, Dover township, adjoining the other 
 eighty acre tract. This made him altogether a 
 valuable tract of two hundred and twenty acres, 
 all under a high state of cultivation and well im- 
 proved. He raises both grain and stock, mak- 
 ing a specialty of Galloway cattle and Clyde and 
 English shire horses. He takes a commendable 
 interest in educational afifairs, and has provided 
 his children with excellent privileges along that 
 
 line, sending them to the Princeton schools. ^Ir. 
 Wilson began life for himself with the limited 
 capital of three hundred dollars, but by his per- 
 sistent and well directed efforts he has succeeded 
 in accumulating a fine property and his success 
 is well deserved. 
 
 JUDGE GEORGE W. STIPP, judge of the 
 Ninth Illinois circuit, including the counties 
 of Will, Grundy, La Salle and Bureau, is justly 
 numbered among the honored pioneers and lead- 
 ing citizens of Princeton, where he has made 
 his home for over forty years. He has been 
 prominently identified with her business inter- 
 ests as a member of the legal profession, and is 
 now serving his eighteenth year as circuit judge. 
 His is an honorable record of a conscientious 
 man, who by his upright life has won the confi- 
 dence of all with whom he has come in contact. 
 The judge was born in Champaign county, 
 Ohio, March 2, 1818, and is a son of Peter and 
 Elizabeth (Harrison) Stipp, the former born on 
 the Potomac, near Sheppardstown, Mrginia, and 
 the latter near Cynthiana, Kentucky. On the 
 paternal side he is of German extraction, while 
 his grandfather Harrison was of English or 
 Scotch descent, and the latter's wife, who was a 
 Crocket, was of Irish lineage. Bv occupation 
 the father of the judge was a farmer, but during 
 his later years preached for the Newlight branch 
 of the Christian church. His death occurred in 
 Fulton county, Illinois, at the age of fifty-seven 
 years, being instantly killed by a runaway team. 
 The mother of our subject, who was a member 
 of the same church, died at the age of thirty 
 years. From Virginia her family had moved to 
 Kentucky, and later to Champaign county, Ohio, 
 where the parents of the judge were married. 
 The maternal grandmother, Martha Harrison, 
 emigrated to Dubuque, Iowa, where she became 
 well known and there died at the age of eighty- 
 four years, in the faith of the Newlight church. 
 Judge Stipp is one of a family of seven children, 
 four of whom died in early life, but the other 
 three are still living. His brother, James, of 
 Pratt, Kansas, is the oldest. In 1837 he settled 
 
Hon. George W. Stiff. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 183 
 
 in Fulton county, Illinois, making the trip from 
 Urbana, Ohio, on horse back, and has now 
 reached his eightieth year. The sister, Mrs. 
 Martha Jane Everett, a widow lady, resides in 
 Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
 The early education of our subject was largely 
 obtained under the guidance of his father, who 
 engaged in teaching during his early days, 
 and was quite proficient in mathematics and 
 grammar, leaving a manuscript for an English 
 grammar, which would have been published had 
 it not been for his sudden death. For eighteen 
 months the judge also attended school in a prim- 
 itive log school house. He began his business 
 career as a farm hand, receiving four dollars per 
 month, and was thus employed for a few months, 
 after which he learned the coopers' trade, work- 
 ing at the same until he was fourteen. For eight 
 years he then engaged in clerking in Bellefon- 
 taine, and from twenty-two until thirty years of 
 age engaged in teaching school and reading law. 
 
 Judge Stipp has a military record of which he 
 may justly be proud. In 1845 he came to Illi- 
 nois, and after a severe illness enlisted for ser- 
 vice in the [Mexican war, becoming first lieu- 
 tenant of Company K, Fourth Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry, under Captain Lewis W. Ross and Col- 
 onel Ed. D. Baker, who was killed at Ball's 
 Bluff. He was taken ill at New Orleans and was 
 sent to Camp Belknap, on the Rio Grande, in 
 Texas. On receiving an honorable discharge he 
 returned to his home in Ohio, in the fall of 1846. 
 He was given a land warrant and the bounty ac- 
 corded the soldiers in that day. For four months 
 lie engaged in teaching at West Liberty, Ohio, 
 after which he went to Bellefontaine, where he 
 studied law with William Lawrence until Octo- 
 ber, 1847, when he entered a law school at Cin- 
 cinnati. 
 
 In the spring of 1848 Judge Stipp located at 
 Canton, Fulton county, Illinois, where he was 
 admitted to the bar, one of his examiners being 
 Hon. Richard Yates. In that city he engaged in 
 practice until the following fall, when he went 
 to Ellisville, Illinois, and for three years was in 
 partnership with his brother in the mercantile 
 10 
 
 business. In 1851 he first came to Princeton, 
 but the same year went to Lewiston, where he 
 engaged in practice with Lewis Ross until the 
 fall of 1853, when he permanently located at 
 Princeton, for five years being in partnership 
 with Joseph I. Taylor. In February, 1857, he 
 was elected state's attorney for one year for Bu- 
 reau, Marshall and Putnam counties. Bureau was 
 then attached to the La Salle circuit and Wood- 
 ford added to the other. He refused to accept 
 the office longer and engaged in general prac- 
 tice in Bureau and surrounding counties until 
 his election to the judgeship of the ninth judi- 
 cial circuit in 1879, which important position he 
 has since creditably filled, his decisions being 
 impartial, giving general satisfaction and seldom 
 reversed by the higher courts. 
 
 At one time Judge Stipp had served as a lieu- 
 tenant in the Ohio militia, and when the late 
 Civil war broke out he raised a company, which 
 left Princeton September 8, 1861, going to the 
 front as Company B in a battalion called the 
 Yates Sharp Shooters, of which he was captain. 
 Being joined by other companies it became a part 
 of the Sixty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
 In November, 1862, Captain Stipp was promot- 
 ed to major, but was forced to resign soon after- 
 \\ard on account of impaired health brought on 
 by his arduous service, and for one year was 
 quite ill. 
 
 On the 28th of May, 1849, Judge Stipp married 
 ;\riss Louisa C. Wolf, w'ho was born March 23, 
 1833, and is a daughter of Truman and Mercy 
 (Perry) Wolf. Ten children have been born of 
 this union, all yet living, namely: Elizabeth M., 
 wife of William Kitterman, a farmer of Bureau 
 county; Dr. James H., of Putnam, Illinois, who 
 married Harriet Barnhardt; Peter C, who mar- 
 ried Harriet Lawrence, and resides in Chicago; 
 William W., an attorney of Princeton; Jessie 
 May, wife of George Kitterman, a farmer of Bu- 
 reau county; George M., an attorney of Prince- 
 ton, who married Rose Q. Clark; Jennie Louisa 
 C, wife of Adelbert Hamrick, a farmer of Bureau 
 county; Richard C, a blacksmith of Princeton, 
 and David C, a successful teacher of Bureau 
 
1 84 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 county. The wife and mother is an earnest mem- 
 ber of the Presbyterian church, and socially the 
 judge belongs to the blue lodge and chapter of 
 the Masonic order and the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows. 
 
 As an advocate Judge Stipp took front rank 
 and was remarkably successful in the trial of 
 causes. In early life he took to public speaking, 
 especially in political campaigns, and was called 
 upon where Lincoln, Douglas, Lovejoy, Brown- 
 ing, were the orators. He is a forcible, eloquent 
 and attractive speaker, and always held the at- 
 tention of his audience. 
 
 Judge Stipp was born and brought up a whig 
 of the Henry Clay school, but upon the dissolu- 
 tion of that party he supported the republican 
 party up to the spring of i860. During the cam- 
 paign of that year he became convinced that the 
 only hope of peace between the North and South 
 was the election of Stephen A. Douglas, whom 
 he supported as the compromise candidate for 
 the Presidency. Since then he has supported 
 the democratic ticket, except in the campaign of 
 1876, when he voted for Peter Cooper. In the 
 estimation of the judge Mr. Cooper was an hon- 
 est, capable man, and a sound democrat, and of 
 his vote for him he is still proud. 
 
 The judge was pleased with the nomination 
 of Mr. Bryan and voted for him at the late presi- 
 dential election. 
 
 Judge Stipp always held that the judiciary 
 should be disconnected from partisan politics, 
 and was three times elected as an independent 
 candidate in a republican circuit. The judge is 
 a man of dignified bearing, gentle and winning 
 in manners and popular with the people. 
 
 ELIJAH MOSHER. The gentleman whose 
 name stands at the head of this sketch is one 
 of the leading agriculturists of Wyanet town- 
 ship, having resided upon his present farm on 
 section 8 since coming to the county in 1858. 
 He is meeting with a well deserved success in 
 his calling, and his fine, well-ordered farm, with 
 its carefully cultured fields, its neat buildings and 
 all their surroundings, denotes the skillful man- 
 
 agement, industry, and well-directed labors of 
 the owner. 
 
 A native of the empire state, ]\Ir. Mosher 
 was born on the loth of April, 1844, in 
 Dutchess county, and there his father's birth 
 occurred December 13, 1813, while his grand- 
 father, Hugh Mosher, who was of English de- 
 scent, was born in the same state, ]\Iarch 23, 1785. 
 The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden 
 name of Charity Rowe, was also a native of 
 Dutchess county, and the daughter of Elijah 
 Rowe, who is supposed to have been born in 
 Germany. Shortly after their marriage, which 
 was celebrated in December, 1835, the parents 
 removed to Chenango county. New York, and 
 in 1858 became residents of Wyanet township, 
 Bureau county, Illinois, locating upon the farm 
 still occupied by our subject, and where they 
 spent their remaining days, the mother dying 
 April 14, 1865, and the father October 26, 1892. 
 
 In the family of eight children our subject is 
 fourth in order of birth, and he began his educa- 
 tion in the schools of New York, being fourteen 
 years of age when he accompanied his parents to 
 this state, where he later attended the district 
 schools for a time. While living peacefully upon 
 the home farm, the dark cloud of war, which 
 had for some time lowered over our beloved 
 country, broke upon our people. Patriotic men 
 from all walks of life thronged to the front in 
 response to the call of the general government to 
 defend our national life. September 10, 1864, 
 ]\Ir. ;\Iosher enlisted in Company H, One Hun- 
 dred and Forty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infan- 
 try, as a private, and remained in the service 
 until the close of the war, when he was mustered 
 out July 10, 1865, and returned home. 
 
 On the loth of June, 1869, ]\Ir. Alosher was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ellen Love, who 
 was born in Toronto, Canada, April 2, 1849, but 
 when only two years of age was taken by her 
 parents, Robert and Margaret (Landers) Love, 
 to Kane county, lUinois. When about three 
 years of age she entered the home of Marcus 
 Lathrop, by whom she was reared, and where 
 she lived until she was married. For about three 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 185 
 
 years before her marriage she engaged in teach- 
 ing at Sandwich, De Kalb county, lUinois. Mr. 
 and ^Irs. Mosher began their domestic Hfe upon 
 their present farm, and there five children were 
 boni to them — Jessie, now the wife of Dr. Rich- 
 ard Herrick, a practicing physician of Florid, 
 Putnam county; Edwin B., Belle D., John G. and 
 Genevieve R. 
 
 Upon his fine farm of two hundred and seventy 
 acres, !\Ir. Mosher is engaged in general farm- 
 ing and stock-raising. He is an ardent republi- 
 can in politics, and by his fellow-citizens has been 
 called upon to fill several important official posi- 
 tions, being elected supervisor in 1886, 1887 and 
 1888, and in 1892 and in 1894 for two years each, 
 so that he has now filled the office for seven years 
 to the satisfaction of all concerned. In 1890 he 
 was census enumerator, and for the long period 
 of twenty-two years has faithfully served as 
 school director. He and his wife are leading and 
 consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, in which the former is serving as trustee 
 and steward. 
 
 WILLIAM H. BECKER, a worthy repre- 
 sentative of the farming and stock-raising 
 interests of Bureau county, is pleasantly located 
 on section 3, Concord township. He was born 
 October 8, 1828, in Schoharie county. New York, 
 a son of Martin and Maria (Becker) Becker. The 
 birth of the father occurred near the county seat 
 of that county, at Gallupville, a place once owned 
 by our subject's grandfather, John Becker, who 
 was the proprietor of extensive grist and saw 
 mills on Fox creek. His great-grandfather had 
 emigrated to this country from Germany before 
 the Revolutionary war, and had erected a stone 
 house on Fox creek, which during that struggle 
 was used as a fortress. He took up the cause 
 of the colonists, aided them in securing their in- 
 dependence, and was commissioned major in the 
 continental army. From earliest times members 
 of the family have either been farmers or millers 
 by occupation, and have been highly respected 
 and valued citizens of the communities in which 
 they made their homes. 
 
 Mr. Becker, of this review, was reared on a 
 farm and was unable to attend school until he had 
 reached the age of eight years, and then only 
 during the winter season until he was twelve. 
 By reading and observation, however, in later 
 years, he has become a well informed man. Un- 
 til twent3'-three years of age he gave the benefit 
 of his labors to his father, who three years previ- 
 ously had sold out his interests in New York, 
 and with a brother-in-law, J. W. Becker, removed 
 to Waukau, Wisconsin, where they built a grist 
 mill. After a short time the father disposed of 
 his interest, and with four others drove to the 
 Indian lands, lying between the Fox and Wolf 
 rivers, which had just been purchased of the red 
 men, and there they made claims and erected a 
 sawmill. Later this partnership was dissolved, 
 and Mr. Becker retired from the milling business 
 and devoted his entire time to the development 
 and improvement of his farm. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of eight children, 
 four sons and four daug'hters, but one of the 
 former died at the age of four years. The other 
 sons accompanied their father to his western 
 home, and were of great assistance to him in 
 clearing and cultivating his new farm. Of these 
 William H. is the oldest; John is now in the fur- 
 niture business at Winneconne, Wisconsin ; Alva 
 removed to Chicago, and was serving on the 
 police force at the time of the great fire, since 
 which time nothing has been heard of him. One 
 daughter, Katie Ann, had married previous to 
 the removal of the family to the west, but in 
 1854 she and her famil_y also went to W^isconsin, 
 and she now lives at Eureka, that state, on the 
 Fox river. The other sisters are all married and 
 living at Amboy, Minnesota. 
 
 William H. Becker had accompanied the fam- 
 ily to Waushara county, Wisconsin, and was 
 there married November 20, 1856, to Miss Roset- 
 ta Hawlcy, of Fox Lake, that state, who died in 
 May, 1861, leaving no children. They began 
 their domestic life in that county where he had 
 secured a squatter's claim in 1849, borrowing the 
 money from his maternal grandfather with which 
 to get the deed from the government. To the 
 
1 86 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD,. 
 
 cultivation and improvement of his farm he then 
 devoted his time and attention. 
 
 But he was rudely awakened from his quiet 
 dreams of the future by the dark cloud of war 
 which overshadowed our beloved country, and in 
 the fall of 1861, his patriotism being aroused, Mr. 
 Becker enlisted in Company D, Eighth Wiscon- 
 sin Volunteer Infantry — the famous Eagle regi- 
 ment. For three years he faithfully served, was 
 in various engagements and participated in the 
 siege of Vicksburg and Corinth. His arduous 
 service broke down his health, and for four 
 months he was confined in the hospital, and 
 later for three years. In the fall of 1864 he was 
 honorably discharged with the rank of corporal, 
 and returned to his Wisconsin home. 
 
 While in the army Mr. Becker began corre- 
 sponding with Miss Sophia M. Lewis of Shef- 
 field, Illinois, who became known to him through 
 a mutual acquaintance. After the war he made 
 her a visit, and their friendship ripening into love, 
 they were married on the 29th of November, 
 1864. She was born at Williamstown, Orange 
 county, Vermont, but when an infant was 
 brought to Illinois by her parents, David C. and 
 ;\Iartha (Reed) Lewis, locating first in Lake coun- 
 ty, where she obtained her education. Eight chil- 
 dren have been born to them, as follows: Edna 
 Sophia, Florence R., wife of William Bodfish, a 
 farmer of Concord township. Bureau county; 
 Philo Lewis, who graduated from a business col- 
 lege at Des Moines, Iowa, in 1896, and is now 
 engaged in farming; Alva Winslow, who man- 
 ages the home farm ; Albert Ernest, who is quali- 
 fying himself for a teacher at the Buda school; 
 Jessie Laura and Elsie May, who were educated 
 at the Buda school, and Clarence Arthur, at 
 home. 
 
 Upon his marriage J\Ir. Becker took his bride 
 to his Wisconsin farm, where they remained until 
 the fall of 1866, when they came to Manlius town- 
 ship. Bureau county, Illinois. He purchased 
 eighty acres of land on which they made 
 their home for a number of years, during which 
 time he added to the original tract until his farm 
 comprised two hundred and forty acres, eighty of 
 
 which lies in Concord township. On this he 
 erected an elegant brick residence in 1889, and 
 there lives, surrounded by all the comforts and 
 many of the luxuries of life. His place is sup- 
 plied with all modern improvements, in fact is 
 one of the most desirable farms in Bureau county. 
 On its organization Mr. Becker joined the re- 
 publican party, casting his first vote for John C. 
 Fremont in 1856, and continued to affiliate with 
 that party until 1880, since which time he has 
 been an ardent prohibitionist, as that organiza- 
 tion embodies his principles on the temperance 
 question. He takes an active interest in political 
 affairs, and has served as delegate to two state 
 conventions. He was baptized in the Presbyter- 
 ian church, which he joined at Poy Sippi, Wis- 
 consin, in 1857, but since his residence in Illinois 
 he and his wife have become identified with the 
 United Brethren church at Manlius, of which he 
 is serving as trustee and steward. An earnest, 
 conscientious Christian, he does all in his power 
 to advance the moral welfare of the community, 
 and has contributed freely to the building of sev- 
 eral different churches. His upright, honorable 
 life commends him to the confidence of all and 
 his sterling worth and strict integrity have gained 
 him hosts of warm friends. 
 
 HEXRY L. WHITE, a farmer in good stand- 
 ing in Hennepin, Putnam county, success- 
 ful as a tiller of the soil, and one who has been 
 prominently identified with local affairs, is pro- 
 prietor of a good farm on sections 10 and 11, 
 which comprises one hundred and sixty-five acres 
 of well improved land. He was born at Norton, 
 Bristol county, Massachusetts, March 17, 1826, 
 a son of Hiram P. and Mary (Carpenter) White, 
 and it is said that the ancestry is traced back to 
 Peregrine White, the first white child born in 
 America. 
 
 The father belonged to a family which was 
 devoted to the foundry business, which he also 
 followed in the east, and besides engaged in comb 
 making. When a boy of seventeen years he had 
 a friend, a ^Ir. Wiswall, who came to Illinois, 
 and it was his desire to come with him, but his 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 187 
 
 father would not allow it. He then had no chance 
 to come to this state until after his marriage, 
 when he brought his family in 1833. He shipped 
 his goods from Providence, Rhode Island, via 
 New Orleans to Jacksonville, Illinois, where his 
 friend was then living, but they did not arrive 
 for a year and a half, having been detained at St. 
 Louis, Missouri, from which place they were for- 
 warded to Hennepin. 
 
 ]\Ir, Wiswall advised J\Ir. White to come to 
 Putnam county, where he had a friend, Mr. Leep- 
 er, living, so after a short stay in Jacksonville 
 he came to this county and visited Mr. Leeper, 
 who was residing near Hennepin, two miles from 
 where our subject now lives. The village at that 
 time contained only two frame houses. A week 
 previous to ^[r. White's arrival William Fairfield 
 had come to Putnam county from Massachusetts, 
 and as his wife was sick he sent for Mr. White 
 and his family. The two gentlemen took up 
 claims together, buying land of old Mr. Patter- 
 son, whose home stood on the present site of our 
 subject's residence. There had been four or 
 five acres broken on the place, which was said 
 to be the first plowing done in the county. They 
 erected a log cabin, which had no floor during 
 the entire winter of 1833-4, and as his household 
 goods had not yet arrived they were not very 
 comfortably fixed. Prairie chickens were their 
 principal meat, and they dried the breasts for 
 summer use, while their bread was made of corn, 
 for during the first year they only had one hun- 
 dred pounds of flour. On reaching the county Mr. 
 White had but twelve dollars remaining and dur- 
 ing the first year the family endured many priva- 
 tions, but the following year a crop was raised. 
 He experienced all the trials and difficulties of 
 frontier life in order to make a home for his fam- 
 ily, and at length success rewarded his labors. 
 His death occurred April i, 1870, on the anni- 
 versary of his birth, as he was born on the ist 
 of April, 1800, and his faithful wife survived him 
 for about five years. For over fifty years they 
 had traveled life's journey together, sharing all 
 its joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity. 
 They left two sons, the brother of our subject be- 
 
 ing Hiram W. White, who is three years his 
 senior, and now resides at Streator, Illinois. 
 
 The father was an active worker and consistent 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal church and 
 formed a class at his cabin in 1834, which con- 
 sisted of but five members — himself and wife. 
 Dr. Richey and wife, who lived at Florid, and 
 ;\Iiss Betsv Carpenter, a half sister of Mrs. White, 
 who lived with her, and later became the wife of 
 John P. Hays. For about two years services 
 were held at the White cabin, at the end of which 
 lime a church was erected at Hennepin, to which 
 Mr. White \\-as a liberal contributor, and during 
 his entire life continued to serve as class leader 
 and steward. In early life he was a whig, and on 
 its organization joined the republican party, and 
 was called upon to serve as school commissioner 
 and coroner. He was well versed in, the use of 
 roots and herbs as medicine, and in the fall would 
 gather a great supply. He was quite successful 
 in his treatment of special diseases and practiced 
 medicine to some extent. 
 
 Henry L. White, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, remained upon the home farm, while his 
 brother owned land in Granville township, but 
 for twenty years they carried on operations in 
 partnership. In connection with general farming 
 they also engaged in threshing and reaping, 
 owning one of the first reapers brought to the 
 county. Later the brother sold out and removed 
 to Putnam, but for the past fifteen years has 
 made his home at Streator. 
 
 Mr. White has added eighty acres to the old 
 home farm, so that he now has a valuable tract 
 of one hundred and sixty-five acres, under a high 
 state of cultivation, and well improved with good 
 and substantial buildings. There he still makes 
 his home, devoting his time and attention to gen- 
 eral farming, but for the past fifteen years has 
 been connected with George C. Reed, as a mem- 
 ber of the firm of White & Reed, lumber dealers 
 at Hennepin. The business, however, is per- 
 sonally managed by Mr. Reed. 
 
 When about thirty years of age Mr. White was 
 united in marriage with Miss Fanny A. White, a 
 cousin, also a native of Norton, Massachusetts, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 who came to Putnam county in 1849. Two 
 daughters were born to them, Cora and Carrie, 
 but both died in childhood. Mrs. White died 
 June 15, 1896. She was a member of the Congre- 
 gational church and was quite active in church 
 work. Her death was sincerely mourned not 
 alone by her husband, with whom she so long 
 traveled life's journey, but by her associates in 
 the church and the community where she had 
 made her home for many years. The political 
 support of Mr. White is given the republican 
 party; he takes an active interest in the suc- 
 cess of his party and attends its conventions. 
 For eight years he acceptably served as coroner, 
 and for three years was supervisor. He belongs 
 to the Congregational church at Hennepin, in 
 which for twenty years he has served as treasurer 
 and has gained the respect and confidence of the 
 entire community where he has so long made his 
 home. 
 
 HENRY SAPP. The subject of this sketch 
 stands second to none among the repre- 
 sentative and prosperous farmers of Wyanet 
 township. Bureau county, whose record it has 
 been deemed wise to preserve in this manner for 
 the perusal of the coming generation. As a judi- 
 cious tiller of the soil he has met with success, 
 and as a man and citizen he holds a good posi- 
 tion among his neighbors. He has an excellent 
 farm of four hundred acres located on sections 
 9 and 10, Wyanet township, which he has placed 
 under a high state of cultivation and supplied 
 with all the conveniences found upon a model 
 farm of the nineteenth century. 
 
 Mr. Sapp was born in Kent county, Delaware, 
 December 13, 1834, and is a son of Solomon 
 Sapp, whose birth occurred in the same state, on 
 the 4th of January, 1808. Before the father had 
 reached his twenty-fifth year he had been three 
 times married, his third union being with Ann 
 Carter, the mother of our subject, who was also 
 a native of Kent county, Delaware. In July, 
 1835, they came to Bureau county, Illinois, lo- 
 cating upon the farm on section 10, Wyanet 
 township, where Henry Sapp now resides, and 
 
 there they continued to make their home until 
 called from this life, with the exception of eight 
 months spent in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, in 
 1836. The mother died in 1886, and the father 
 in 1 89 1, at the age of eighty-four years. 
 
 Henry Sapp was the oldest of the family and 
 was less than one year of age when brought by 
 his parents to Bureau county. In the district 
 schools near his home he acquired his education, 
 and remained under the parental roof until his 
 marriage, which important event of his life was 
 celebrated December 14, 1859. Miss Martha 
 Mills, daughter of John R. and Ann ]^Iills, be- 
 coming his wife. She was born and reared in 
 Elizabethtown, Hamilton county, Ohio, of which 
 county her parents were also natives. Upon 
 their marriage the young couple located upon 
 a farm on section 3, Wyanet township, where 
 they made their home for ten years, and then 
 returned to their present farm — the old home- 
 stead of the Sapp family. Two children have 
 been born to them — Luella, now the wife of 
 Marshall Cusic, a traveling salesman of Chicago, 
 and Charles, who married Nell R. Virden, and 
 makes his home near his parents, and is engaged 
 in farming. 
 
 ^Ir. Sapp is a worthy representative of one of 
 the pioneer families of the section, and in further- 
 ing his own interest in establishing one of the 
 most valuable farms of the community has con- 
 tributed his quota to its progress and prosperity. 
 In politics he is a democrat. He is a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which 
 he is at present serving as trustee, and is a most 
 valued and influential citizen. 
 
 WILBUR F. KEITH, an enterprising farm- 
 er of Bureau county, pleasantly located in 
 Ohio township, is identified with the representa- 
 tive and progressive citizens of the community. 
 He was born in 1859, on the farm which is now 
 his home, a son of Melvin J. and Betsy (Perkins) 
 Keith, both natives of the empire state, but who 
 have been residents of Bureau county, Illinois, 
 for many years. The father was about twenty- 
 five years of age at the time of his arrival here, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 189 
 
 and to agricultural pursuits has principally de- 
 voted his time and attention. He has also been 
 quite prominently identified with public affairs, 
 and most acceptably served his fellow-citizens in 
 the capacity of county clerk. Both himself and 
 wife are still living in Ohio township, surround- 
 ed by many warm friends and accjuaintances. 
 
 The elementary education of our subject was 
 received in the district schools of Bureau county, 
 and he subsequently attended the Princeton high 
 school for three years, thus acquiring a good 
 practical education, which would fit him for the 
 responsible duties of life. His early life was spent 
 upon the home farm with the exception of four 
 years when a resident of Princeton, at which time 
 his father was serving as county clerk. After 
 reaching manhood he spent three years in Da- 
 kota, but with that exception has always made his 
 home in Bureau county. His fine farm in Ohio 
 township comprises eighty acres of rich and pro- 
 ductive land, and its neat and thrifty appearance 
 indicates the owner to be a man of industry and 
 energy. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Keith was joined in wedlock with 
 Miss Lizzie Casterline, a native of Lee county, 
 Illinois, and they now have a bright and inter- 
 esting family of five children — Winnie, Vera, 
 Belva, Charles and Beatrice. At all times Air. 
 Keith gives his unfaltering support to the demo- 
 cratic party, and is a strong advocate of the free 
 coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one. 
 He has never aspired to office, but has efficiently 
 filled the position of school director in his dis- 
 trict. He is a wide-awake, public-spirited citizen, 
 who endorses all measures tending to benefit the 
 community in which he has always found a pleas- 
 ant home. 
 
 LESTER R. BRYANT, a representative citi- 
 zen of Princeton township, whose home is 
 upon section 29, is extensively engaged in fruit 
 raising and the manufacturing of cider vinegar. 
 He was born September 8, 1848, upon the farm 
 where he now resides, which was settled by his 
 father, Arthur Bryant, Sr., in the spring of 1834. 
 Colonel Julian Bryant, a brother of our subject. 
 
 was born November 9, 1836, and died on the 14th 
 of May, 1865. His literary education was ob- 
 tained in the common schools, and having a 
 talent for art, he took a course of painting in 
 New York city. His oil painting of Starved Rock 
 hangs in the parlor of the old homestead, and he 
 also painted a picture of Pilot Knob, five by 
 seven feet, a companion picture of Starved Rock. 
 He became an instructor in painting and draw- 
 ing at the Normal universit}- of Illinois. 
 
 During his boyhood and youth Lester R. Bry- 
 ant attended the common schools near his home, 
 and was reared as a nurseryman upon his place, 
 having immediate charge of the nursery busi- 
 ness where his brother Arthur now resides, where 
 he remained until 1875, and then took charge of 
 the home place, and after the death of his father 
 it passed into his hands, so that his entire life has 
 been passed in Princeton township. 
 
 On the 7th of March, 1877, ^Mr. Bryant led to 
 the marriage altar Miss Jennie Louise Hunt- 
 ington, who was born in Princeton, August 15, 
 1853, and is a daughter of Joseph L. and Harriet 
 (Johnson) Huntington, early settlers of that 
 place, where the father's death occurred, and 
 where the mother is still living. There Mrs. 
 Bryant secured a good common school educa- 
 tion. Four children have been born to our sub- 
 ject and his wife — Hattie, Arthur W., Frank R. 
 and Louise. 
 
 After returning to the home farm 'Sir. Bryant 
 began the manufacture of cider and cider vinegar, 
 and also engaged in fruit raising. The business 
 has rapidly increased, and to-day he is at the 
 head of a large and prosperous trade. At first 
 he had a mill for custom work only, but has 
 since put in a steam mill with all modern machin- 
 ery and apparatus. He has a storage capacity of 
 one thousand barrels, and his shipments are 
 principally within a radius of one hundred miles 
 from Princeton on the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy railroad. He guarantees his vinegar to 
 be strictly pure, the unadulterated juice of the 
 apple, and of excellent strength. His farm com- 
 prises one hundred and fifteen acres of land, on 
 which he has erected new buildings for the ac- 
 
I go 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 commodation of his business, and lias made other 
 vahiable and useful improvements. His office 
 is conveniently situated just two miles south of 
 the court house at Princeton. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Bryant is a re- 
 publican, but has never cared for the honors or 
 emoluments of public office. He takes a com- 
 mendable interest in educational institutions and 
 has served as director in the local schools. He is 
 a member of the State Horticultural society, and 
 also of the Cider and Vinegar association of the 
 northwest, of which he has been secretary for 
 some years, and is now serving- his second term 
 as president, while for three years he served as 
 president of the Princeton Business Men's asso- 
 ciation. He is a prominent and influential citi- 
 zen and enjoys the confidence and regard of all 
 who know him. 
 
 EDWIN BASS, one of the wealthy and influ- 
 ential citizens of Bureau county, now living- 
 retired in the village of Maiden, belongs to a 
 family that was early established in the new 
 world, and has taken a prominent part in public 
 affairs, being well represented in the wars of the 
 country. He was born on the 28th of January, 
 1816, on a farm in what is now the town of Scot- 
 land, then the town of Windham, Windham 
 count)', Connecticut, which has been in the fam- 
 ily for almost two hundred years. His earliest 
 ancestors in America were from England and 
 settled in Massachusetts. His grandfather, Eben- 
 ezer Bass, was a Revolutionary hero, holding a 
 captain's commission, in that terrible struggle, 
 serving on Lake Champlain, while his father, 
 Ebenezer Bass, Jr., also took up arms against 
 Great Britain in the war of 1812. In civil Hfe 
 the family have also taken a prominent and lead- 
 ing part. 
 
 Upon the old family homestead in Connecti- 
 cut, Ebenezer Bass, Jr., was also born July I, 
 1784, was educated in the common schools in 
 the neighborhood, and on attaining to man's es- 
 tate married Sarah McCurty, a native of New 
 Brunswick. They continued to live on the old 
 farm until called from this life, the father dying 
 
 February 28, 1875, at the advanced age of ninety 
 years, and the mother in 1850, at the age of sixty- 
 one. Of their family of seven sons and four 
 daughters, one daughter died at the age of three 
 years and another when she became a young lady. 
 The others are as follows: William, married and 
 settled in Illinois, but later went to Madison 
 county, Iowa, where his death occurred. George 
 became a resident of Bureau county, where he 
 passed away January 9, 1873. Ruth, who never 
 married, died on the old homestead. Edwin is 
 next in order of birth. Henry is a farmer of 
 Henry county, Illinois. Nathan was in 
 the Union service during the Civil war. Clin- 
 ton is a farmer of Jasper county, ^Missouri. 
 Lucian resides upon the old homestead in Con- 
 necticut. Sarah is the widow of William S. Gager 
 and lives in Windham county, Connecticut. 
 Charlotte, who married Charles W. Beckworth 
 of Windham county, is now deceased. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject was 
 passed upon the home farm, and after complet- 
 ing his own education he engaged in teaching in 
 his native state, and also worked by the month 
 as a farm hand. In 1840 he determined to come 
 west, and on his arrival in Illinois purchased 
 ninety acres of land in Berlin township. Bureau 
 county, to which he later added eight)- acres. In 
 1850, however, he sold that place and bought one 
 hundred and sixty acres of raw land, where he 
 now resides. This he immediately commenced 
 to improve and cultivate, erecting thereon a com- 
 modious two-story residence and substantial 
 barns and outbuildings. He converted the tract 
 into a most valuable farrn, all of \\'hich now lies 
 within the corporation limits of Alalden. 
 
 As his financial resources have increased, ]\Ir. 
 Bass has made additional purchases, so that he 
 now has five hundred and sixteen acres of well 
 improved land in Berlin township ; another farm 
 in Selby township of one hundred and sixtv-six 
 acres under cultivation and one hundred and five 
 in timber, a part of which is converted into pas- 
 ture, and six hundred and eighty acres of rich 
 and arable land in Lee county, Illinois. He is a 
 brilliant example of a self-made man as he has 
 
Edwin Bass. 
 

 Mrs. lujwiN Bass. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 195 
 
 made his way in life unaided by capital or influ- 
 ential friends, his success being due to his own 
 energy, enterprise and industry, ably supplement- 
 ed by sound common sense and good business 
 judgment. 
 
 On the 27th of April, 1843, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Bass and Miss Emaline J. Stan- 
 ard, who was born, reared and educated in Mad- 
 ison county, New York. ]Mrs. Bass is a daugh- 
 ter of Libbeus and Luceba (Fay) Stanard, the 
 former a native of A'ermont, born January 25, 
 1785, and the latter of Massachusetts, born 
 ]\Iarch 9, 1792. They were the parents of the 
 following named children: Cornelia, Stillman, 
 David, Philo, Newton, Edward, Emaline, Maril- 
 la, Hiram, Oscar, Caroline and Joseph. The 
 parents came with their family to Bureau county 
 in 1840, where the father entered land in Clarion 
 township, east of Perkins' grove. His death 
 occurred October 10, 1858, while his wife died 
 January 4, 1842. They were both members of 
 the Lamoille Baptist church at the time of their 
 death. Nine sons and two daughters have been 
 born to Mr. and Mrs. Bass, namely: Lucien, 
 who is married and is a real estate dealer of Chi- 
 cago; Luther G., a physician by profession, also 
 of Chicago; Oscar S., a real estate dealer and 
 lawyer of that city; Edwin, a farmer of Berlin 
 township; Wallace, who is married and living 
 at Walnut; Alonzo C, also a real estate dealer 
 of Chicago ; Caroline, deceased, wife of Thomas 
 Phillips; Sidney, who died at the age of four 
 years; Charlotte, who died at the age of a year 
 and a half; Heber, deceased, and Howard, who 
 died at the age of seven months. The latter two 
 were twins. 
 
 Originally ]\Ir. Bass was a democrat, his fath- 
 er being a strong Jackson democrat, but on the 
 organization of the republican party in 1856 our 
 subject joined its ranks, and with it has since 
 affiliated. He has ever taken an active inter- 
 est in political affairs, and being a friend of edu- 
 cation efficiently served as a member of the 
 school board for a few years. Both himself and 
 wife are earnest members of the Baptist church 
 of Dover, are conscientious Christians, and do 
 
 all within their power for the betterment of man- 
 kind. During the fifty-si,\; years of his residence 
 here he has borne an important part in the de- 
 velopment and progress made by the county, and 
 his courteous, affable manners, together with 
 his integrity and ability, have won for him a 
 high place in the reg"ard of his fellow-citizens. 
 
 H EUGENE LEWIS, the popular proprietor 
 . of the livery, feed and sale stable at Xo. 
 522 South Main street, Princeton, was born in 
 that city on the 27th of June, 1856, a son of Al- 
 bert and Ann (Kiser) Lewis, the former a native 
 of Belmont county, Ohio, and the latter of Penn- 
 sylvania. The father is still living, an honored 
 resident of ^felbourn, Iowa, where he has now 
 made his home for four years. In 1850 he came 
 from the buckeye state to Illinois, and first 
 worked at the carpenter's trade and later for 
 about forty years at farming in Bureau county, 
 where he was well and favorably known. Here 
 he held a number of minor offices, including that 
 of road commissioner in Ohio township. His 
 farm, which was situated near the village of Ohio, 
 he sold on his removal to Iowa. In his family 
 were five children, two of whom died in early 
 life, and of the three yet living our subject is the 
 eldest. Nettie is the wife of A. McNary of Iowa, 
 and Elbert makes his home in the same state. 
 
 Upon the home farm H. Eugene Lewis was 
 reared, remaining under the parental roof until 
 he attained his majority, when he purchased a 
 farrri in Ohio township and started out in life for 
 himself as an agriculturist. He sold this farm 
 in the spring of 1882. He went to Iowa, having 
 bought a farm in Marshall county, where he ex- 
 tensively engaged in farming until the ist of 
 3.1arch, 1893. Returning to Princeton, he then 
 became a member of the livery firm of Hender- 
 son & Lewis, but on the ist of the following Oc- 
 tober, bought out his partner, and has since suc- 
 cessfull)' conducted the business alone. He keeps 
 on hand about twenty head of horses, and car- 
 riages and vehicles of various kinds. He secures 
 a liberal share of the public patronage. 
 
 On the i8th of December, 1879, was celebrat- 
 
196 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ed the marriage of Mr. Lewis and Miss Blanch 
 J. Henderson, daughter of Captain Josiah and 
 Mary J. Henderson, now residing at Galesburg, 
 IlHnois. Her father was a prominent county 
 officer of Bureau county, at one time serving as 
 treasurer, and was sheriff at the time of the first 
 disturbance at Spring Valley, and did much to- 
 ward quelling the riot. Mrs. Lewis is the old- 
 est in the family of six children, the others being 
 Warren, who married Lou Waldron, and lives 
 at Galesburg; Arthur, Myrtle, Iva and Hazel. 
 To our subject and his wife have been born two 
 children — Ralph W. and Joseph E. In his social 
 relations Mr. Lewis is a member of the ^lodern 
 Woodmen of America, and the Masonic order. 
 
 MATT F. LAUGHLIN, a lively representa- 
 tive of the business interests of Maiden, 
 and also the popular postmaster of the village, 
 was born in Wayne township, Mifflin county, 
 Pennsylvania, June 2, 1844. His grandfather, 
 Patrick LaughHn, who was a native of Scotland, 
 became an early settler of Mifflin county, where 
 also occurred the birth of the father of our sub- 
 ject, Captain John Laughlin, who won his title 
 in the Mexican war. In his native county he mar- 
 ried Rebecca Glasgow, who was born in the 
 keystone state, of Scotch parentage. They locat- 
 ed upon a farm in Wayne township, but in 1854 
 emigrated to Bureau county, Illinois; there the 
 father engaged in agricultural pursuits until 
 called from this life in 1865. The mother, who 
 survived him several years, died in 1874, and was 
 laid to rest by his side in Greenwood cemetery 
 of Princeton, where a monument has been erect- 
 ed to their memory. 
 
 In the family of three sons and three daughters 
 t\vo sons and two daughters are still living. Sam- 
 uel donned the blue and went to the defense of 
 his country during the civil war and died while 
 in the service. He was a member of Company 
 I, Ninety-third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. John 
 C. is a street contractor, residing in Maiden. 
 !\Irs. M. M. Jacobs makes her hom.3 in Bureau 
 county. Sarah is living with her bi other. [Matt 
 L. completes the family. 
 
 The last named was but ten years of age when 
 he accompanied his parents to Illinois, and in 
 the common schools of Bureau county secured 
 his elementary education. Prompted by a spirit 
 of patriotism he enlisted August 13, 1862, in 
 Company I, Xinety-third Illinois Volunteer In- 
 fantry, with his brother, being at that time but 
 seventeen years of age. On going to the front 
 they were first stationed in West Tennessee, after 
 which they were with Grant on his march from 
 Memphis to Vicksburg. In June, 1863, our sub- 
 ject was discharged on account of disability and 
 returned home. He then resumed his studies, 
 being for several years a pupil in the Dover acad- 
 emy, making the most of his advantages. 
 
 On laying aside his text books Mr. Laughlin 
 engaged in farming for a time, but later learned 
 blacksmithing, and since 1868 has actively en- 
 gaged in that business in Maiden. Besides gen- 
 eral blacksmithing he also engages in wagon 
 making and general repair work, and has built 
 up an excellent trade along these lines. He also 
 conducts a grocery store, in fact, is one of the 
 leading business men of that thriving little vil- 
 lage. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Laughlin was united in marriage 
 with Miss Addie Mead, who was born in Bureau 
 county, and was a daughter of Edgar [Mead, one 
 of its pioneer blacksmiths. Her death occur.red 
 in 1875, ^"d two years later ]Mr. Lavighlin wed- 
 ded Miss Elizabeth Rackley, a daughter of N. 
 F. Rackley, of Maiden. Five children have been 
 born to them — George F., who assists his father 
 in the store and postoffice; Lula, John F., Arthur 
 J. and Matt C. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Laughlin is an ardent demo- 
 crat, taking a deep interest in the success of his 
 party, and has served as a delegate to a number 
 of county and state conventions. He has taken 
 quite an active part in local afifairs, and as he 
 stands high in the estimation of his fellow-citi- 
 zens has been called upon to serve in many im- 
 portant positions. For the long period of thir- 
 teen years he was a member of the corporation 
 board, being its president for eight years; for 
 fourteen years was an efficient member of the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 197 
 
 school board, and for two years was supervisor. 
 He was a member of the democratic central com- 
 mittee for twenty years, and for twelve }'ears 
 was a member of the executive committee. In 
 1893 he received the appointment of postmaster 
 of Maiden, which position he is still filling to 
 the satisfaction of all concerned. For four years 
 he was also police magistrate. In the discharge 
 of all duties he is prompt and faithful, true to 
 every trust reposed in him and has proved a most 
 popular and capable official. Socially, ;\Ir. 
 Laughlin is a prominent member of Ferris post 
 of Princeton, of which he is past commander, 
 and has served as a delegate to the state encamp- 
 ment. He also holds membership in the Knights 
 of Pythias fraternity, and is serving his fourth 
 term as commander of that lodge. The high 
 regard in which he is universally held is plainly 
 indicated by the important position he has been 
 called upon to fill. Mrs. Laughlin, a most estim- 
 able lady, was formerly a member of the Pres- 
 byterian church, but as there is no church of that 
 denomination in !\Ialden she now attends the 
 Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 DR. JOHX RICHARDS, a retired farmer 
 and physician of Buda, Illinois, is one of 
 the honored and valued citizens that Massachu- 
 setts has furnished Bureau county. His birth 
 occurred at Newton, that state, October 20, 181 1, 
 only nine miles from Boston and three miles 
 from the Xewton Baptist Theological seminary, 
 an old and prominent institution. His parents 
 were Thadeus and Mary (Coolidge) Richards. 
 His paternal grandfather, also a resident of New- 
 ton, Alassachusetts, had come to the new world 
 from England in colonial days, and took an ac- 
 tive part in the struggle for independence. 
 
 Upon the old homestead farm Dr. Richards 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and 
 in the schools of the locality began his educa- 
 tion, but was only able to attend about six weeks 
 during the year. After he had attained to man- 
 hood, however, he supplemented the knowledge 
 there acquired by study in an academy at Ips- 
 wich, New Hampshire, paying his own way. He 
 
 earned the money by brushmaking, having 
 learned that trade at the age of seventeen years, 
 and for two and a half years was thus employed. 
 Being gifted as a musician, he took lessons in 
 that art of Lowell Mason and became so profi- 
 cient that he was able to teach. For four sea- 
 sons he taught in Providence, Rhode Island, 
 but at the age of twenty-two began the study 
 of medicine under the direction of Dr. Brown of 
 that city. Subsequently he took a course of lec- 
 tures at Augusta, Georgia, receiving his degree 
 at the age of twenty-seven. He had paid his own 
 way by teaching music. 
 
 Dr. Richards hung out his shingle in Provi- 
 dence, Rhode Island, where for three years he 
 was sucessfully engaged in practice, and then re- 
 moved to Taunton, Alassachusetts, where the fol- 
 lowing eleven years were passed in practice and 
 in conducting a music class. While in that city 
 the doctor was united in marriage with ]\Irs. 
 Eliza Quimby, nee Russell, native of Providence. 
 They became the parents of three children, name- 
 ly: Mary E. is the wife of Thomas J. Almy, of 
 Salt Lake City, L'tah. They have two children — 
 Elizabeth, wife of Captain M. D. Parker of Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio; Grace, who was married to James 
 Shelton. Anna M., who is the wife of Calvin S. 
 Longenecker of Chicago ; they have two chil- 
 dren — Gertrude and Richards, both born in that 
 city. John W., a commercial traveler, living at 
 Fremont, Nebraska, is married and has three 
 children — Elsie, Hasbrouck and Edward. 
 
 In 1856 Dr. Richards left Taunton and took up 
 his residence in Bureau county, Illinois, A\'here 
 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
 open prairie, which he at once began to improve 
 and cultivate. He practically gave up the prac- 
 tice of medicine, as his wife was afraid that so 
 much labor would break down his health. He 
 had met with excellent success in his chosen pro- 
 fession, and during the cholera epidemic had to 
 ride for miles both day and night to care for his 
 numerous patients. He continued agricultural 
 pursuits until 1866, when he sold both his farms 
 and has since lived retired in the village of Buda, 
 enjoying a well earned rest. His success in life 
 
198 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 is but the just reward of his own unaided efforts, 
 perseverance and industry, and he is a self-made 
 as well as a self-educated man. 
 
 About nine years after his arrival in Illinois his 
 first wife died, and on the 24th of July, 1865, was 
 celebrated his marriage with Miss Parmelia M. 
 Read of Providence, Rhode Island, with whom 
 he had become acquainted while living in that 
 city. She was born at Swansea, Bristol county, 
 Massachusetts, a daughter of Mason and Amy 
 (Martin) Read. She, too, is descended from good 
 old Revolutionary stock, her grandfather serving 
 as an officer in that war. She was educated in the 
 schools of Swansea, but for twenty-five years 
 made her home at Providence. 
 
 In early life Dr. Richards was an old line whig, 
 voting for Harrison in 1840, and now affiliates 
 with the republican party. He served as super- 
 visor of Mason township, and as school trustee 
 of Concord township since his removal to Buda 
 in 1866. He attends the Unitarian church, in 
 whose choir his voice is still heard distinct and 
 clear, but his wife is a Baptist in religious belief. 
 They have made many friends throughout the 
 community, and all who know them delight to do 
 them honor. It is safe to say that no couple 
 in Bureau county are held in higher regard than 
 Dr. Richards and his estimable wife. 
 
 JAMES H. SEAA'ERANS, who departed this 
 life on the 17th of February, 1864, was a 
 native of Massachusetts, born March 14, 1821, 
 of which state his father, Charles Seaverans, was 
 also a native. There the latter and his wife spent 
 their entire lives. By occupation he was a 
 butcher. 
 
 Until the age of fourteen years James H. Seav- 
 erans attended the public schools of his native 
 state, but left home at that time and for many 
 years followed a seafaring life. Subsequently he 
 learned the cabinetmaker's trade, which he fol- 
 lowed in connection with farming after coming 
 to Illinois. The year 1840 witnessed his arrival 
 in Bureau county, and in Ohio township he be- 
 came the owner of eighty acres of land which he 
 
 placed under a high state of cultivation, making 
 it one of the most desirable farms in the locality. 
 An earnest Christian gentleman, he was a de- 
 vout member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 and his upright, honorable life won the com- 
 mendation of all with whom he came in contact. 
 He was a stanch republican in politics, but cared 
 nothing for political preferment, though he 
 served as school director, His death was deeply 
 and sincerely mourned by many friends and 
 acquaintances who recognized in him a valued 
 citizen of the community. 
 
 On the 19th of July, 1852, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Seaverans and Mrs. Alaria Mer- 
 ritt, a daughter of Daniel and Pleuma (Scott) 
 Mann, who for many years were honored resi- 
 dents of Illinois. The father, who was a miller 
 by trade, died in 1835, but his wife long survived 
 him, passing away in January, 1888. Previous 
 to her marriage with our subject, Mrs. Seaverans 
 was the wife of Jeremiah Merritt, who died leav- 
 ing one son, William T., now making his home 
 in Oklahoma. To Mr. and Mrs. Seaverans were 
 born the following children: Charles H., James 
 M., deceased; Mary P., wife of Walter Arm- 
 strong; George M. and Sarah, twins, the latter 
 now the wife of Daniel Fishel, and Lyman S. 
 The family is one of prominence, holding an en- 
 viable position in social circles of the community, 
 and its members have the respect and confidence 
 of all who know them. Mrs. Seaverans has long 
 been connected with the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, and is a most estimable ladv. 
 
 FREDERICK HEINTZ is one of the enter- 
 prising and well-to-do farmers of Selby town- 
 ship, owning a valuable place of one hundred 
 and ninety acres on sections 12 and 13, three- 
 quarters of a mile from Hollowayville. He is 
 one of the representative and valued old settlers 
 of Bureau county, having located here in 1839, 
 and during the many years that have since passed 
 has watched its development and progress, while 
 as a loyal citizen he has ever borne his part in 
 its advancement. 
 
THE niOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 199 
 
 ]Mr. Heintz was born on the Rhine, in Bavaria, 
 Germany, May 4, 1814, and is a son of Henry 
 and Mary Catherine (Ginter) Heintz, also na- 
 tives of that country. After the mother's death 
 the father crossed the Atlantic, coming to this 
 state in 1847, but ched seven weeks after his ar- 
 rival. The educational privileges afforded our 
 subject were good, attending the common 
 schools of his native land from five until fourteen 
 years of age, but his knowledge of the English 
 language is almost wholly self-acquired. 
 
 At the age of twenty-five, Air. Heintz decided 
 to leave the Fatherland, and on the nth of May, 
 1839, left his home at Havre, France, and took 
 passage on board a sailing vessel bound for New 
 Orleans, which they reached after a long voyage 
 of fifty-four days, and altogether was three 
 months and four days inmakingthe journey from 
 his home to Bureau county. Fie came at once to 
 Bureau county, by way of the Mississippi and 
 Illinois rivers, and for about a year worked for 
 one hundred and fifty dollars. He was then taken 
 ill with intermittent fever, fro^m which he did not 
 recover for about nineteen months, during which 
 time he attended school for about forty days, 
 and there began the study of the English lan- 
 guage. He also entered a Sunday school, which 
 he has since attended and is now the oldest Sun- 
 day school scholar in Bureau county, having 
 been connected with Sunday school work since 
 1822. Since 1868, till January, 1896, he has read 
 the Bible through thirty times. On his recovery 
 from the fever he resumed farm work, which he 
 has made his life occupation. 
 
 Air. Heintz was married in 1844 to Miss 
 Amanda Piper, a daughter of Ezekiel Piper, one 
 of the pioneers of the county, where he located 
 in 1836, and a sister of H. H. Piper of Berlin 
 township. Bureau county. Upon his marriage 
 our subject settled upon forty acres of the farm 
 which is still his home, and at once began its 
 improvement and cultivation. Besides its oper- 
 ation he also rented land, and as time advanced 
 extended the boundaries of his farm, until now 
 it comprises one hundred and ninety acres of 
 rich and fertile land, which he has placed under a 
 
 high state of cultivation and improved with a 
 commodious, two-story residence, a large and 
 substantial barn and good out-buildings. In 
 the development of his land he uses the best and 
 most improved machinery, and everything about 
 his place denotes the thrift and enterprise of the 
 owner. 
 
 Mr. Fleintz began life here empts-^handed, but 
 by the exercise of industry, perseverance and en- 
 ergy, important traits in his character, he has 
 become one of the substantial citizens of the coni- 
 munity. 
 
 Four children have been born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Heintz, namely: Kate is now the wife of 
 I. A. Watson, of Chicago, who holds a responsi- 
 ble position with the American Express com- 
 pany. Fetnor is the wife of Leander White, of 
 Bureau county. Henry is a prominent stock 
 dealer of Princeton. Anna T., who was given 
 good school advantages, has for ten years held 
 an important position as stenographer and type- 
 writer for a firm in Boston, Massachusetts. 
 There are also twelve grandchildren and three 
 great-grandchildren. On the 8th of February, 
 1894, was celebrated the golden wedding of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Heintz, and also the birthday of the 
 latter, at which time she was eighty years of 
 age. By the Sunday school children of Seaton- 
 ville they were presented with a beautiful silver 
 cup and cane. 
 
 For over fifty years Mr. and Mrs. Heintz have 
 now traveled life's journey together, sharing with 
 each other its joys and sorrows, its adversity and 
 prosperity, and they are surrounded by many 
 warm friends and relatives who have for them 
 the highest respect and esteem. 
 
 Since its organization, Mr. Heintz has always 
 supported the men and measures of the republi- 
 can party, and has been called upon to fill some 
 local offices. A true friend of the public schools, 
 he most acceptably served as a member of the 
 school board for several years. In his native 
 land he was a member of the German Reform 
 church, and in this country joined the English 
 Lutheran church, but now attends the services of 
 any denomination. He is a consistent Christian, 
 
200 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 an upright, honorable man, a loyal citizen and 
 an honored pioneer of Bureau county, one who 
 justly deserves mention among the prominent 
 and representative men of this section of the 
 state. 
 
 ANDREW J. HAINES. Prominent among 
 the settlers of Bureau county, who have 
 witnessed the marvelous development of this 
 section of the state during the past half century, 
 and who have, by honest toil and industry, suc- 
 ceeded in acquiring a competency, and are now 
 able to spend the stmset of Hfe in c]uiet and re- 
 tirement, is the gentleman whose name heads 
 this sketch, and who is a resident of Ohio town- 
 ship. He was born in Waldo county, IMaine, Oc- 
 tober 28, 1828, but since reaching manhood he 
 has made his home in Bureau county, Illinois. 
 
 His parents, James H. and Nancy (Williams) 
 Haines, were also natives of the Pine Tree state, 
 where for a number of years the father engaged 
 in the lumber business. Having failed in this he 
 engaged in teaching and by that means paid off 
 all indebtedness. He then studied medicine un- 
 der Dr. Thompson of Boston, and subsequently 
 engaged in practice at Burnham, Maine, but 
 later turned his attention to hotelkeeping, and 
 afterward engaged in farming in Maine until 
 1844. Our subject then brought the family to 
 Bureau county, where they arrived in 1845, ^^d 
 on the eighty acres of land which they secured 
 the father paid fifty dollars, but the remainder 
 was paid by his son. The following year both 
 parents died of cholera, catching the dread dis- 
 ease from George A. Dodge, who had contract- 
 ed it in Chicago. The mother's death occurred 
 at the age of fifty-four years, and in the morn- 
 ing of the following day the father also passed 
 awav at the age of fifty-two years. In religious 
 belief they were Universalists. The father was 
 an intelligent, well educated man, having a broad 
 knowledge of affairs of state and nation, and for 
 six years most satisfactorily served as representa- 
 tive, and for two years as a member of the sen- 
 ate of IMaine. He was widely known and uni- 
 versally respected, a man of quick perception and 
 
 ready utterance, and his advice and services were 
 considered most valuable. His life was one of 
 great usefulness and his death was sincerely 
 mourned by all who knew him. He was thor- 
 oughly American in all things and was a demo- 
 crat in politics. Our subject is the oldest of his 
 three children, the others being Benjamin, who 
 died unmarried at the age of thirty-two, and 
 Jerusha, wife of I\Iinot Rogers of New York. 
 
 Andrew J. Haines attended the public schools 
 during his boyhood, and secured a teacher's cer- 
 tificate with the intention of following that pro- 
 fession, but was dissuaded therefrom by his fath- 
 er. He learned wood work in a wagon shop, be- 
 coming quite proficient in this line, as he was 
 very handy with tools, but since coming to Illi- 
 nois he has turned his attention to agricultural 
 pursuits. He first purchased one hundred and 
 sixty acres of the Illinois Central railroad com- 
 pany, and so successful has he been that to-day 
 he is the owner of three eighty-acre tracts and a 
 quarter section, which he purchased for his sons. 
 
 Mr. Haines has been twice married, his first 
 union being with Julia A. Williams, of Dela- 
 ware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, and to them were 
 born four children — James H., who married IMin- 
 nie Belle Staples, by whom he has two children, 
 Eva Belle and Elmer E., who is engaged in farm- 
 ing in Ohio township; William H., a farmer of 
 the same township; Ella AI., wife of James S. 
 Fuller, by whom she has one son, Albert Andrew; 
 and Jessie, who died at the age of nine vears 
 Mr. Fuller operates the Haines homestead and 
 has also successfully engaged in teaching for thir- 
 ty-three terms. The mother of these children 
 died March, 1874, at the age of about forty-one 
 years. 
 
 On the 30th day of September, 1874, Mr 
 Haines married Blandena Warner, a native of 
 Jefferson county. New York, and a daughter of 
 Aaron and Nancy (Tremper) Warner. In early 
 life her father was a sailor, but later engaged in 
 coopering and farming. He died in 1878, at the 
 age of seventy-five years, and her mother died 
 November 23, 1884, at the age of seventy-eight, 
 Of the seven children born to them two died in 
 
THE B]OGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 20 1 
 
 early life. The others are Daniel T., who mar- 
 ried Rachel E. Horton, and is a farmer of New 
 York; Airs. Haines, Ambrose B., who married 
 Rebecca E. Rogers, and is also an agriculturist 
 of New York; Amanda M., wife of J. D. Cal- 
 houn, living on a farm in Jefferson county, Xew 
 York, and Araitte, unmarried. Mrs. Haines 
 holds membership in the Methodist Protestant 
 church, of Ohio, and is a most estimable lady. 
 
 Our subject voted for Van Buren, the free soil 
 candidate, and since its organization has been a 
 stalwart supporter of the republican party, but 
 cares nothing for the honors or emoluments of 
 public office. He has the respect and esteem of 
 a large circle of friends and relatives, and his 
 straightforward, honorable career has won the 
 confidence of all with whom he has come in con- 
 tact. 
 
 WILLIAAI H. PARKIXSOX, a thorough 
 and skillful farmer and a business man of 
 ■ more than ordinary capacity, is a representative 
 of the agricultural interests of Evans township. 
 There he is recognized as an important factor 
 in preserving the reputation of Alarshall county 
 as being one of the best counties in this section of 
 the state. His fine farm is located on section 20. 
 
 His father, William Parkinson, Sr., was born in 
 England, in 1800, and when six years old crossed 
 the Atlantic with his parents to the new world. 
 Locating in Licking county, Ohio, he there grew 
 to manhood and married Miss Jane Milliken, 
 whose birth occurred in Westmoreland county, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1 80 1, but she was reared in 
 Licking county, Ohio, where their wedding was 
 celebrated. In 1856 they emigrated to Illinois, 
 making their home upon a farm near Ottawa, in 
 La Salle county, until the father's death, in Nov- 
 ember, i860. The mother then moved to Mar- 
 shall county with her children, residing on a farm 
 four miles west of Wenona, where she died in 
 December, 1877. 
 
 In the family of nine children, five are still liv- 
 ing, namely: Martha, who lives near Garfield, 
 Illinois, is the wife of J. J. Winter, by whom she 
 has five children, three sons and two daughters; 
 
 Margaret is the wife of Clark Downey, of We- 
 nona, and they have two children; Sarah E., 
 who also makes her home in Evans township, is 
 the widow of Aaron G. Martin, and is the mother 
 of three children; Catherine R. is the wife of 
 William Trumbo, of Linn county, Missouri, and 
 they have five children, three sons and two 
 daughters; William H. completes the familv. 
 The mother was an earnest member of the United 
 Brethren church. 
 
 Born in Licking county, Ohio, August 9, 1842, 
 our subject was fourteen years of age when he 
 accompanied his parents to La Salle county, Illi- 
 nois, and there acquired his education. At the 
 age of nineteen he commenced the battle of life 
 for himself and has always turned his attention 
 to agricultural pursuits, at first caring for the 
 home farm. Coming to Marshall county in 
 1865, he settled on a tract of wild land on section 
 29, Evans township, which he at once began to 
 improve and cultivate, but in 1872 purchased 
 his present place which was partially improved. 
 The farm comprises one hundred and six acres 
 of rich and arable land, which he has placed un- 
 der a high state of cultivation and thereon 
 erected his comfortable residence and good barn 
 in 1881. 
 
 In 1866, Mr. Parkinson led to the marriage al- 
 tar. Miss Isabel Gibson, daughter of James and 
 Lucy (Gaylord) Gibson, the former a native of 
 Scotland, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Her 
 maternal grandfather, Lemuel Gaylord, became 
 a resident of Marshall county as early as 183 1. 
 He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, in 
 which struggle his father, Lieutenant Aaron Gay- 
 lord, was killed at the battle of Wyoming. The 
 parents of Mrs. Parkinson were married in Mar- 
 shall county, settled upon section 8, Evans town- 
 ship, where they spent the remainder of their 
 lives, the father dying in 1855, and the mother 
 in 1891. In their family were two children — 
 Isabel and James, of Benton county, Indiana. 
 Previous to her marriage with Mr. Gibson, the 
 mother had been the wife of George Martin, 
 who first came to Marshall county about 1830, 
 and who participated in the Black Hawk war. 
 
202 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 To them were born two children — Aaron G., 
 deceased, and Sylvia, widow of James Kirkpat- 
 rick, who became a member of the One Hundred 
 and Fourth IlHnois Volunteer Infantry during 
 the civil war, and died in the service. 
 
 Mrs. Parkinson was born on section 8, Evans 
 township, December lo, 1843, ^"d was educated 
 in the district schools of the neighborhood. By 
 her marriage with our subject she has become 
 the mother of six children, all of whom have been 
 given good educational privileges. James W. 
 completed the business course and graduated 
 at the Northern Illinois school at Dixon. He 
 also graduated at the Chicago Veterinary Col- 
 lege and is now practicing his profession. Gin- 
 son is deceased. Lucy J., who was also a stu- 
 dent at Dixon and later became a teacher, is now 
 the wife of James Hamilton, of Evans township. 
 Edgar G. also took the business course at Dixon, 
 and is now a student in the Normal at Valparaiso, 
 Indiana. May E. is attending the Normal at 
 Normal, Illinois. Grace A. completes the family. 
 
 The parents are both members of Evans, 
 Grange, No. 35, in which for two years he served 
 as master. Mr. Parkinson has always supported 
 the republican party and is a strong silver man. 
 Himself a well-informed man, for over twenty 
 successive years he has served as school director, 
 for the same length of time has been secretary 
 and treasurer of the Cumberland Cemetery asso- 
 ciation, for two years was president of the Mar- 
 shall County Farmers' Institute, and is its pres- 
 ent secretary and treasurer. When he began 
 life for himself his only property consisted of 
 a fifth interest in one hundred acres of land 
 which sold for twenty-seven dollars per acre, but 
 he has steadily worked his way upward until he 
 is now the possessor of a good farm, which yields 
 him a comfortable income. He has made many 
 friends throughout the county, and all who know 
 him have for him the highest regard. 
 
 Under the auspices of the Katherine Gaylord 
 Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution, in 
 1896, a beautiful monument was erected over the 
 grave of Katherine Gaylord, the wife of Lieuten- 
 ant Aaron Gaylord, and the great grandfather of 
 
 Mrs. Parkinson. In the erection of the monu- 
 ment, contributions were made by descendants of 
 the worthy heroine, Mrs. Parkinson being among 
 the number contributing. The following inscrip- 
 tion was placed on the monument: 
 
 "Katherine Cole Gaylord, wife of Lieutenant 
 Aaron Gaylord, 1745-1840. In memory of her 
 sufiferings and heroism at the massacre of Wyo- 
 ming, 1778, this stone is erected by her descend- 
 ants and the members of the Katherine Gay- 
 lord Chapter of the Daughters of the American 
 Revolution." 
 
 HENRY SARGENT, who resides upon sec- 
 tion 15; Steuben township, Marshall coun- 
 ty, has been a resident of the county for forty-one 
 years. He traces his ancestry back to the twelfth 
 century, one of the family being killed and an- 
 other wounded at the downfall of Jerusalem in 
 1 189. The first of the family to locate in this 
 country was William Sargent, a native of North- 
 amptonshire, England, who came in 1638, and 
 located at Maiden, Massachusetts. The ancestry 
 of our subject, beginning with William, is as fol- 
 lows: William, John, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, 
 Joseph, Daniel, Charles and Henry. 
 
 Charles Sargent was a native of Worcester, 
 Massachusetts. When the second war with 
 Great Britain broke out, he enlisted in the mar- 
 ine service and served until after the close of the 
 war, being discharged at New Orleans in 181 5. 
 From New Orleans he worked up the Mississippi 
 river about 1816, and settled on a farm near Kas- 
 kaskia. He was soon after united in marriage 
 with Sarah Smith of St. Clair county, and con- 
 tinued to work the farm for some years after- 
 ward. He then removed to Belleville, Illinois, 
 where he engaged in mercantile trade, and for 
 some years was sheriff of the county. 
 
 Henry Sargent, the son of Charles and Sarah 
 (Smith) Sargent, was born on the farm of his 
 parents in St. Clair county, Illinois, November 
 II, 1824. When he was' seven years of age his 
 parents removed to Belleville, where his boyhood 
 and youth were passed. His educational ad- 
 vantages were limited to the common schools of 
 
Henry Sargent. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 205 
 
 that early day, and when old enough to be of ser- 
 vice he was placed in his father's store. He next 
 went to work on a farm north of Belleville, and 
 subsequently worked in a mill in company with 
 his cousin. 
 
 Having accumulated a little money, our sub- 
 ject concluded to look around a little to see where 
 he had best invest, and where he should make his 
 permanent home. Accordingly, in 1853, he 
 made a trip on foot through Missouri, Iowa and 
 northern Illinois, taking in the far-famed city of 
 Xauvoo, Illinois. He finally decided to locate 
 near Lacon, that country suiting him better than 
 any other visited. At that time the county was 
 very thinly settled, those then living here having 
 located near the Illinois river and smaller streams 
 and in the timber districts. Two years later, in 
 1855, he took up his permanent abode here, pur- 
 chasing a farm of George Drake, one mile west 
 of Sparland. ]\Ir. Drake was one of the pioneers 
 of Alarshah county, and was a brother-in-law of 
 Asa and Samuel Ellis Thompson, who came from 
 Athens county, Ohio, in 1834, being the first 
 settlers to leave the river and take up their abode 
 on the prairie. Drake subsequently removed to 
 Texas, but the Thompsons lived and died here, 
 the widow of Asa, ]\Iary P. Thompson, surviv- 
 ing until Thanksgiving day, 1895, being the last 
 of the family to reside here. Of the number re- 
 siding here when Mr. Sargent made settlement 
 there remains but three — R. M. Frisbey, David 
 AVatkins and George Mead. 
 
 ;\Ir. Sargent paid sixteen dollars per acre for 
 his farm, it being partially improved. He could 
 have gotten plenty of unimproved land at that 
 time, but was afraid of the title. As soon as it 
 came into his possession he commenced to make 
 improvements, and as years went by the old 
 house gave place to the new, and other tracts 
 were added until at the present time his farm 
 , contains three hundred and three acres, with im- 
 provements fully abreast with the times. He has 
 always followed mixed farming, dividing his time 
 between the cultivation of grain and the 
 raising of stock, principally hogs and cat- 
 tle. At one time he had a very large flock 
 II 
 
 of sheep, the wool industry of the coun- 
 try being at its height. With the low prices 
 prevailing for wool, it has made this business un- 
 profitable, and for that reason he has disposed 
 of his fiock. In other stock he has endeavored 
 to keep a good grade, and usually feeds about 
 one hundred head of hogs. His farm, which 
 is a very productive one, is underlaid with a 
 fine vein of coal. 
 
 Mr. Sargent was married in St. Clair 
 county, Illinois, when twenty-nine years of 
 age, to ^liss Amelia F. Williams, who was 
 born in Pickaway county, Ohio, February 4, 
 1835, ^"d to them was born a family of eight 
 children — William H., of South Riverside, Cali- 
 fornia: George F., of the same place; Charles T., 
 of Barton count}-, Alissouri; James, manager of 
 the home farm; Sarah, at home; Electa, who 
 married Augustus Garrett, of Steuben township, 
 and Ellen and John, at home. 
 
 On account of advancing age Mr. Sargent has 
 given the management of the home farm into 
 the hands of his son James, who has shown him- 
 self well qualified for the trust, having a practical 
 knowledge of every detail of farm work, and an 
 earnest desire to succeed. He is a young man of 
 superior ability, one who will doubtless succeed 
 in every undertaking. A member of Sparland 
 lodge. No. 441, F. & A. M., he has taken inter- 
 est in the work, and is well posted in the history 
 and work of the order. 
 
 Our subject claims to be a dyed-in-the-wool 
 republican, and his claim has been proved by his 
 works. Since the organization of the party he 
 has voted its ticket, and while mistakes may have 
 been made by its leaders, he has never seen any 
 reason why he should change his political views. 
 Religiously, he is a Methodist "from the ground 
 up," and has been a member and active worker 
 in the Bethel Methodist Episcopal church for 
 a period of thirty years. Mrs. Sargent was like- 
 wise a member of that church, and died in the full 
 assurance of faith, July 5, 1895. She was a woman 
 of quiet, domestic taste, a lover of home and 
 family, and her death was mourned by not only 
 the family, but a large circle of friends. 
 
2o6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In the almost half century in which Mr. Sar- 
 gent has been a citizen of Marshall county, he has 
 made many warm personal friends and but few 
 enemies, and no man in Steuben township bears 
 a better reputation for honesty and nobility of 
 character. 
 
 JAMES HENSEL, now living retired at 
 Princeton, was born in Milford township, 
 Somerset county, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1807, 
 and is a son of Frederick and Julia (Shafifer) Hen- 
 sel. The father entered the United States ser- 
 vice in the war of 1812, and was killed in that 
 struggle. His mother afterward became the wife 
 of Henry Shaffer, who was in early life a slave 
 owner, but took his slaves to Pennsylvania, where 
 he gave each a piece of land and their freedom. 
 The mother's death occurred in Ohio. 
 
 When quite small our subject accompanied his 
 parents to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he 
 continued to make his home until coming to Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, in October, 1853, at which 
 time he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty 
 acres in Dover township, five' miles northeast of 
 Princeton, that had first been settled by Sylvester 
 Brigham. He added to his original tract and is 
 now the owner of one thousand and fifty acres 
 in Dover township. Bureau county, and in Iowa, 
 much of which is worth about seventy-five dol- 
 lars per acre. On coming to the state he had 
 about seven thousand dollars, which he invested 
 in land, and throughout his active business career 
 carried on general farming and the raising of 
 hogs, which business proved very profitable. In 
 September, 1892, he left the farm, and has since 
 passed his life in ease and retirement at Prince- 
 ton, where he is surrounded by all the comforts 
 and many of the luxuries of life. Besides his 
 farming operation he at one time conducted a 
 store at Dover, but that enterprise did not prove 
 a paying one. 
 
 Mr. Hensel has been thrice married, his first 
 union being with Lydia Fackler, who died in 
 Ohio, leaving five children. After her death he 
 wedded Mary Frease, who died some nine years 
 ago. For thirty years they traveled life's journey 
 
 together and became the parents of seven chil- 
 dren. On the loth of February, 1889, Mr. Hen- 
 sel was united in marriage with Mrs. Katherine 
 Whitney, of Pottawattamie county, Iowa, widow 
 of Joseph Whitney. Her maiden name was 
 Frease, and she was a sister of Mr. Hensel's sec- 
 ond wife. For fifteen years she had resided in 
 Bureau county. By her former marriage she had 
 three children, namely: Mrs. Alice Brownlee; 
 William, and Charles, of Weston, Iowa. With 
 the exception of one all of the twelve children 
 of Mr. Hensel are still living. Those by the 
 first marriage are: Philip, Henry, of Dodge 
 county, Nebraska; Sarah Ann, Enoch, and one 
 who died when young. By the second union 
 they are John, of Lincoln, Nebraska; IMadison, 
 George, Cyrus, Eliza, Elsie and Harry. All but 
 the two specified are residents of Bureau county. 
 Mr. Hensel cast his first vote for Andrew Jack- 
 son, but since that time has never supported a 
 democratic nominee, and is now a stalwart re- 
 publican. He was the second man in the coun- 
 ty to engage in the construction of gravel roads. 
 With his neighbor, a Mr. Frazee, they began that 
 work in Dover township, each giving one hun- 
 dred dollars, and has always taken an active in- 
 terest in their construction. He held the office 
 of road commissioner of his township for some 
 time, and is one of the most public-spirited and 
 progressive men of the county. He is a consistent 
 member of the English Lutheran church, in 
 which faith he was reared, and is now one of the 
 oldest members of the congregation to which he 
 belongs, as well as one of the most liberal and 
 active. 
 
 T EWIS ERASTUS SKEEL, a ^^'orthy repre- 
 L/ sentative of one of the honored pioneer fam- 
 ilies of Putnam county, Illinois, was born at 
 Xenia, Greene county, Ohio, June 22, 1824, and 
 is a son of Nathan and Olive (Bacon) Skeel,.the 
 former a native of New York, and the latter of 
 Vermont. The Skeel family is of Welsh extrac- 
 tion, descended from three brothers who came 
 from Wales at an early dav. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 207 
 
 The parents were married in New York, where 
 the mother had gone when a child of six years, 
 later became residents of Greene county, Ohio, 
 and when our subject was three years old re- 
 moved to Cincinnati. After three years spent in 
 that citv they started by team for Illinois in the 
 fall of 1830, and was accompanied by their eld- 
 est daughter, then :\Irs. Peter Ellis, and her 
 child. A brother-in-law of ]\Ir. Skeel, Ezekiel 
 Stacy, had come to Illinois four years previously, 
 locating near Springfield, in Sangamon county, 
 where part of the family spent the winter, while 
 the remainder came to Ox Bow Prairie the same 
 fall. In the spring of 1831 they were accom- 
 panied by ^Ir. Stacy to Putnam county. He lo- 
 cated first on Ox Bow Prairie, and later removed 
 to the west side of the river, where he laid out the 
 little town of Webster near the present club 
 house, which was quite a village at one time, but 
 has since disappeared. There Mr. Stacy died. 
 
 The summer of 1831 was spent by Mr. Skeel 
 and his family at Paynes Point, and he made a 
 claim where our subject now lives, erecting a 
 cabin near the site of the latter's present home. 
 There they removed in the following fall, their 
 nearest neighbor being Samuel Patterson, a half 
 mile distant, and a mile only from the Hartzell 
 trading post, which was not in sight. In the fall 
 the Indians began to gather and three or four 
 hundred camped along the river near the trading 
 post during the winter, but in the spring scattered 
 again. Thev belonged to the Pottawattamie 
 tribe, their chief being Shabbonie, while the chief 
 Shirk Shak spent the winter at the mouth of 
 Clear Creek four miles above Henry. 
 
 In the following spring the people became 
 frightened about the Indian troubles and the 
 Skeel family lived a part of the time in Harzell's 
 building which had been removed to the village 
 of Hennepin, and the women would mostly spend 
 the nights there. Some of the time was passed 
 at Fort Cribbs, which stood at Florid, and was so 
 named on acount of being constructed from two 
 old corn cribs and was surrounded by a stockade. 
 They also spent a portion of the time at old Fort 
 Caledonia. The Indians, however, never mo- 
 
 lested them and that year more settlers were 
 added to the community. 
 
 The Skeel family were in limited circumstances 
 and during those pioneer days lived quite fru- 
 gally. In the first cabin erected upon his place 
 the father died June i, 1841, just four weeks 
 after the death of General Harrison. He was an 
 industrious, energetic man and had succeeded in 
 placing eighty acres of his land under cultiva- 
 tion. Wild game was found in abundance and 
 furnished most of the meat used by the frontier 
 families. In the winter of 1831 a man by the 
 name of Gallagher started an ox mill near Florid 
 which ground some corn meal and even flour. 
 
 At the time of the father's death four of the 
 children, three daughters and one son, were mar- 
 ried, while Lewis E., aged seventeen, and Louisa 
 Jane, aged ten years, were still at home. The 
 other son, Linus B. Skeel, married Minerva 
 Payne, who died at the age of twenty-seven 
 years, and he later wedded Miss Flora Morrison, 
 a native of Scotland. He entered one hundred 
 and sixty acres adjoining his father's farm, where 
 he lived until 1846, and then removed to Paynes 
 Point. He later returned to a farm near Florid, 
 where the following twenty years were passed, 
 and then went to Gibson City, Ford county, Illi- 
 nois. He had served in the Black Hawk war. 
 The sister of our subject, who was married on 
 coming to this state, located at Paynes Point. 
 
 Another sister, Lucy Ann, was married in 
 1832 to Daniel Warren, of New York, who made 
 a claim on Big Indian creek in La Salle county, 
 and there died. She later became the wife of 
 Peter H. Dick, who also lived in that county, 
 is now a widow and makes her home at Ottawa. 
 In May, 1832, with her first husband she located 
 twelve miles north of Ottawa, and was there 
 living when Black Hawk started on his cam- 
 paign. The old chief Shabbonie, who was friend- 
 ly with the family, notified them that some Sac 
 and Fox Indians were on the way to that timber. 
 When he arrived at the house, Mrs. Warren was 
 alone, but she called her husband and his brother 
 who were at work at the mill, and they at once 
 started for Ottawa, while Shabbonie went on to 
 
208 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 warn others. Two weeks later, Mr. Warren and 
 his brother went back to see what damage had 
 been done and a captain and young soldier vol- 
 unteered to go with them. On reaching the cab- 
 in they found that the Indians had disturbed 
 nothing, and after resting they started back to 
 Ottawa. When half way, on reaching Buck 
 creek, they stopped to gather wild strawberries 
 which were plentiful at that point, and let their 
 horses graze. Mr. Warren suggested that they 
 start on, as they might be attacked by the Indians, 
 but the captain scouted the idea, and J\Ir. Warren 
 and his brother started on ahead. Hearing the 
 reports of guns they looked back and saw that 
 the young man had been shot and his horse had 
 escaped. The captain was also shot, the ball 
 passing through his leg into the horse, which 
 stood quite still for some time, and then started 
 on a run until it reached the Warrens, when it 
 fell dead. The young man was killed and fear- 
 fully mangled, but the captain escaped with only 
 the wound. The Hall massacre occurred about 
 three miles from that point, further on up the 
 creek. 
 
 After his father's death, in 1841, Lewis E. 
 Skeel assumed the management of the home 
 farm. He has hauled wheat to market in Chi- 
 cago, where he would receive from thirty-eight 
 to seventy-five cents per bushel, and the trip 
 would require nine days. On his return he 
 would bring freight, often hauling lumber. He 
 has extended the boundaries of his farm, and in 
 1846, erected the main portion of his present 
 residence. 
 
 On the 28th of October. 1847, Mr. Skeel was 
 united in marriage with Miss Nancy Jones, who 
 is also a native of, Greene county, Ohio, and came 
 to Illinois in 1 83 1, with her parents, Abram and 
 Mary (Hays) Jones, who were married in Greene 
 county, where they lived in the neighborhood of 
 the Skeel family. Her parents located at Evans 
 Point, Marshall county, but in 1833 removed to 
 Princeton, Bureau county, where the father died 
 in 1858. Their farm included that part of Prince- 
 ton where the depot now stands, and the brick 
 house, in which Mr. and Mrs. Skeel were mar- 
 
 ried, stands one-half mile west of the depot. The 
 mother died in 1885, at the age of eighty-three 
 years. Only two of the family are now living — 
 Mrs. Skeel and Barton Jones, of Columbia City, 
 Iowa. One sister, Mrs. William S. Wilson, died 
 in Ohio, Bureau county, and James, Daniel and 
 John, all farmers, also spent their last days in 
 Bureau county. No children have been born to 
 our subject and his worthy wife, but from the 
 age of eleven years they reared Huron Warren, 
 a nephew, and have given homes to other chil- 
 dren. The mother of Mr. Skeel died at the old 
 home, September 30, 1879, being ninety years, 
 three months and eleven days old. 
 
 Formerly, Mr. Skeel supported the republican 
 party, but is now a strong prohibitionist, and 
 often attends the state convention of his party. 
 Both himself and wife are faithful members of the 
 Aiethodist Episcopal church, belonging to one 
 organized in 1833, of which his mother was one 
 of the original members. For over fifty-two 
 years he has held membership in the same, and 
 most of the time has been one of the ofificers, 
 at the present time being class leader, steward 
 and trustee. By his brother-in-law's will — Peter 
 H. Dick — he was appointed administrator of the 
 estate, which was quite large and has since had 
 charge of the loaning of his sisters money. He 
 continued the operation of his land until eight 
 years ago, since which time he has rented it, and 
 now practically lives retired, enjoying the fruits 
 of his former toil. His identification with the in- 
 terests of Putnam county is as honorable as it 
 is long, and is held in the highest respect and 
 esteem by all wh.o know him. 
 
 THOMAS CROSSLEY, deceased, ^vas for 
 some time one of the leading and reliable 
 business men of Princeton, being the proprietor 
 of the Princeton City ^Mills, now owned and oper- 
 ated by his three sons— Frank, Charles and 
 Maro. In 1871 the mill was purchased by 
 George Crossley, the father of our subject, in 
 company with T. C. Holloway, and on his death, 
 in ]\Iarch, 1892, passed into the hands of Thomas 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 209 
 
 Crossley, who, however, had for four years previ- 
 ous been connected with tlie business, the firm 
 of George Crossley & Sons succeeding Crossley 
 & Holloway. In partnership with himself and 
 father was his brother Frank T. The old mill was 
 destroyed by fire in 1874, and in that and the fol- 
 lowing year was erected the present plant, at a 
 cost of twenty thousand dollars. In 1886 it was 
 remodeled by putting in the roller process, hav- 
 ing ten sets of rollers, with a capacity of fifty 
 barrels daily. "The Queen" is the name of their 
 principal brand of flour. In connection with the 
 operation of the mill, the brothers also do an ex- 
 cellent general merchandise and exchange busi- 
 ness. The present mill, which was erected by 
 their grandfather, is a substantial three-story 
 brick structure, and the product turned out is in 
 every particular first-class. 
 
 Thomas Crossley was born in Clermont coun- 
 ty, Ohio, August 18, 1840, and was fourteen 
 years of age when brought by his father to Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois. Prompted by a spirit of 
 patriotism, on the 12th of October, 1861, he en- 
 listed in the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, Co. K, and 
 was first sent to St. Louis, Missouri. Later he 
 returned home as a recruiting officer, and much 
 of his service was spent in that way. While on 
 active duty he was taken ill and was confined in 
 the hospitals at Helena, Arkansas, and at Jeffer- 
 son Barracks, Missouri, and was discharged on a 
 surgeon's certificate of disability, February 26, 
 1863, and returned home, but never recovered 
 from the effects of his army service, being an in- 
 valid for three years, on which account he secured 
 a pension. He held membership with Ferris 
 post, G. A. R., of Princeton. In politics he was 
 a republican. 
 
 On the 13th of December, 1866, Mr. Crossley 
 led to the marriage altar. Miss Lucy C. Jones, 
 daughter of Cyprian and Harriet (Bassett) Jones. 
 Her father, who was in the meat business, died 
 in 1878, and her mother two years previously, 
 while her only brother, Howard Jones, departed 
 this life in Chicago, in 1888, so that Mrs. Cross- 
 ley is the only one of the family now living. She. 
 is a native of Coshocton county, Ohio, and was 
 
 five years of age when brought by her parents to 
 Princeton, Illinois. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Crossley engaged in 
 the meat business with his father-in-law until 
 1871, when he went into the mill as manager, 
 and was connected with that enterprise until his 
 earthly career was ended, February 2, 1895. He 
 had made many friends throughout the com- 
 munity, and his death was widely and deeply 
 mourned. He was a conscientious and straight- 
 forward business man, so that his life was above 
 reproach. The family consists of the three sons 
 before mentioned, all of whom belong to the 
 Sons of \'eterans, and Frank and Maro are mem- 
 bers of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 Charles married Clara McFarland; and Maro 
 married Tillie Frederickson. They are promi- 
 nent young men and undoubtedly have a bright 
 future before them. 
 
 ISAAC ALLEX GLENN. Among the leading 
 1 and influential farmers and stock raisers of 
 ^Magnolia township, Putnam county, who 
 thoroughly understand their business and pur- 
 sue the avocation of their chosen calling in a 
 methodical and workmanlike manner, is the sub- 
 ject of this biography. He resides on section 
 31, where he has made his home for forty years, 
 and his farm, which at the beginning only com- 
 prised eighty acres, thirty-five of which were 
 under cultivation, now includes four hundred 
 and eighty acres, three hundred of which have 
 been placed under the plow and are well im- 
 proved. The tract was entered by his grand- 
 father Glenn, who came from Tazewell county to 
 Putnam county, where he was among the first 
 settlers, locating on the farm now owned by our 
 subject, when Indians were still to be found in 
 the neighborhood. 
 
 Isaac D. Glenn, the father, was a native of Ken- 
 tucky, where he was reared and married Sarah 
 Allen, who was born in the same state and was 
 the daughter of Archibald Allen, who also set- 
 tled in Magnolia township, Putnam county, at an 
 early day, and there died at the advanced age of 
 ninety-four years. From Kentucky the parents 
 
2IO 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 moved to Indiana, and in 1832 became residents 
 of Illinois, but it was not until three years later 
 that they removed to section 31, jMagnoha town- 
 ship, on the farm where Y. A. Glenn now lives, 
 securing the land from the government. Upon 
 that farm the father died July 7, 1850, and the 
 mother, August 17, 1876. Both were members 
 of the old school Baptist church, in which he 
 served as deacon for many years. In their fam- 
 ily were six children who grew to maturity — ■ 
 Mrs. Xancy H. Young, of Iowa; Samuel, of Var- 
 na, Illinois; Mrs. Elizabeth Larkins and Mrs. 
 ^Margaret Haley, now deceased; Young A., of 
 section 31, Magnolia township; and Isaac A. 
 
 The youngest of the family, our subject, was 
 born on the old homestead on section 31, Mag- 
 noHa township, August 24, 1837, and during his 
 boyhood and youth aided in the operation of the 
 farm during the suiT^mer months, and for about 
 three months during the winter attended school, 
 which was one and a half miles from his home. 
 Before reaching the age of nineteen years, he 
 was married, December 20, 1855, to Miss Mary 
 Jane Stewart, sister of ?.Irs. W. H. German, of 
 Hopewell township, Marshall county, whose 
 sketch appears elsewhere in this work. She was 
 the oldest in the family, born at Hennepin, De- 
 cember 30, 1838, and acquired her education in 
 the district schools of Putnam county. Her 
 father, who was born January 7, 1817, died on 
 the 30th of January, 1896. 
 
 ^Ir. Glenn began his domestic life upon the 
 farm, which is still his home, living first in a log 
 cabin, but in 1861 erected his present residence, 
 and has always given his attention to mixed 
 farming. Eight )-ears ago he began breeding 
 roadsters, having at first Hambletonian stock, but 
 now also has some fine specimens of the Wilkes 
 and Norman breeds. He also has full blooded 
 Hereford cattle as well as other fine grades of 
 stock upon his place. 
 
 Eight children blessed the union of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Glenn, as follows: John E., born October 
 23, 1856, died October 13, 1857; Samuel M., born 
 August 29, 1858, died February 15, 1862; Sarah 
 Sophia, born August 30, i860, is the wife of W. 
 
 H. Burr (see sketch elsewhere in this volume); 
 Eliza Hall, born August 31, 1862, is the wife of 
 Randolph Disosway, of Iroquois county, Illinois, 
 by whom she has three children — Allen R., Wil- 
 liam, and Edwin Eugene; Nancy J., born Sep- 
 tember 18, 1864, died February 23, 1889; Isaac 
 A., born ;\Iay 9, 1867, died August 15, 1871; 
 Jessie Elizabeth, born February 19, 1873, is the 
 wife of D. W. Dunlap, of Evans township, IMar- 
 shall county, by whom she has one son, William 
 Glenn; Robert Edwin, born November 4, 1875, 
 died June 11, 1894. 
 
 '\\r. Glenn is a stalwart democrat in politics, 
 who has served as road commissioner and for 
 fourteen years as school director, and socially 
 holds membership with the ^lasonic lodge at 
 ^lagnolia and Magnolia Grange, No. 179, of 
 Clear Creek. He is one of the active and pro- 
 gressive men of the county, and takes great in- 
 terest in all matters calculated to enhance its 
 value, or to benefit his fellow-men. 
 
 LEONARD J. STRONG. For half a century 
 this gentleman has resided in Bureau countv, 
 and his name is inseparably connected with the 
 agricultural interests of this region, but he is now 
 living retired in the village of JMalden. His 
 thoroughly American spirit and his great energy 
 have enabled him to mount from a lowlv position 
 to one of affluence. 
 
 Mr. Strong was born on the i6th of April, 
 1 82 1, in Greene county, Ohio, a son of Elisha and 
 Phoebe (Vail) Strong, both natives of New York. 
 In the latter state the father engaged in farming, 
 but later removed to Ohio, where in the midst of 
 the forest he opened up a farm and continued 
 its cultivation until his death, which occurred 
 when our subject was a lad of three years. In 
 his native county Leonard grew to manhood, but 
 his school privileges were very meagre, and he 
 is almost entirely self-educated. During early 
 life he learned the carpenter's trade, and for a 
 number of years engaged in contracting and 
 building. 
 
 In Greene county, on the 31st of December, 
 1 841, Mr. Strong was married, the lady of his 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 211 
 
 choice being ]\Iiss ]\Iar_v Arv, a native of that 
 county, where her father, Charles Ary, had set- 
 tled at an early day and became one of its sub- 
 stantial farmers. Ten children were born of this 
 union, namely: Harrison, a farmer, of Benton 
 county, Iowa; ?iIarion, who is operating the old 
 homestead farm in Bureau county; Sylvester, 
 also a farmer, of Benton county; John, a busi- 
 ness man of ^ilalden; William E., an agriculturist 
 of Lee county, Illinois; Hattie, now the wife of 
 Harry Page, a farmer of Bureau county; Ellen, 
 who married Otto Lupton, of Maiden, and died 
 in 1886; Louisa, who died at the age of twenty 
 months ; Eber, who died at the age of six years, 
 and jMartha J., who died at the age of two years. 
 They also have twelve grandchildren. 
 
 On coming to Bureau county, in 1846, Mr. 
 Strong located at Princeton and farmed the place 
 now occupied by the fair grounds. He made 
 the trip from Ohio in a covered wagon, the party 
 consisting of some five families, all of whom lo- 
 cated in Bureau county. The following year 
 he purchased a tract of eighty acres on North 
 Prairie, where he at once removed and began 
 its improvement and .cultivation. At the same 
 time he also bought twenty acres of timber land. 
 During their early residence there the family suf- 
 fered much from chills and fever, but as the land 
 was improved it became more healthy, and there 
 they made their home for several years. They 
 endured all the hardships and privations incident 
 to pioneer life, their first dwelling being a rude 
 log cabin, but out of the unbroken wilderness 
 they developed a fine farm. On selling that 
 place, ]\Ir. Strong purchased two hundred and 
 forty acres of raw land, which he soon placed 
 under a high state of cultivation, and in i860 
 erected thereon a commodious and pleasant two- 
 story residence. In 1888 he laid aside business 
 cares and responsibilities and removed to Mai- 
 den, where he is now enjoying a well-earned rest. 
 
 Besides his valuable farm in this county, 'Sh. 
 Strong also owns two hundred acres of rich and 
 arable land in Benton county, Iowa, which is 
 partially improved, and also has a good home in 
 Maiden. In his career we see what may be ac- 
 
 complished by a man beginning poor, but honest, 
 energetic and industrious. Pie is essentially a 
 self-made man, being thrown upon his own re- 
 sources early in life, and having learned well in 
 the school of experience. 
 
 Since the organization of the repubfican party 
 in 1856, he has been one of its ardent supports, 
 and though he has never sought or desired office, 
 he faithfully served as commissioner of high- 
 ways nine years, and a member of the school 
 board for several years. Himself and wife are 
 worthy members of the ^Methodist Episcopal 
 church, with which he is officially connected. 
 Their hospitable doors have entertained both 
 friend and stranger in a praiseworthy manner, 
 and many are the kind deeds which have not 
 only brightened their own pathway, but have 
 contributed to the comfort and happiness of those 
 around them. In 1891 they celebrated their 
 golden wedding, and have now traveled life's 
 journey together in perfect harmony for fifty- 
 five years, presenting the spectacle of a calm and 
 happ)' old age. 
 
 JA^MES A. JORDAN, a worthy and represent- 
 ative citizen of Princeton, was born in Mif- 
 flin county, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1835, 
 and is a son of John Jordan, now deceased, who 
 was a native of Genesee county. New York. The 
 paternal grandfather, James Jordan, was a son of 
 James Jordan, a native of Ireland, who was a 
 member of the British army before the Revolu- 
 tion, but upon the outbreak of that struggle, he 
 deserted, and joined the colonial forces. The 
 grandfather served in the war of 1812, and the 
 father of our subject desired to go to the Mexican 
 war, but was prevented by his family. The lat- 
 ter married Sarah McKinstry, of Scotch-Irish 
 extraction, and to them were born eight chil- 
 dren, three now deceased, one of whom, Wil- 
 liam, died at the age of forty-five years. Those 
 living are Jemima, the wife of Christopher Se- 
 crist, of Princeton ; Rachel C, wife of John Scott, 
 of Florida; Anna M., wife of Cyrus Coffman, of 
 Princeton; Joseph J., of Marshalltown, Iowa, 
 and James A., who is third in order of birth. 
 
212 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Like his ancestors, Joseph J. took up arms in 
 defense of his country, and participated in the 
 battle of Fort Donelson and others. 
 
 Our subject also wore the blue during the dark 
 days of the rebellion, as a member of Company 
 I, Ninety-third Illinois Infantry, enlisting Au- 
 gust 2, 1862, with which he served for one year. 
 He was injured on a forced march toward Gren- 
 ada, Mississippi; was sent to the hospital at 
 Memphis, and was discharged for disability in 
 the spring of 1863. It was in October, 1852, that 
 he accompanied the family to Bureau county, 
 and for a time he carried on agricultural pur- 
 suits in Princeton township, removing to the 
 city in 1866, and has there since made his home. 
 
 Mr. Jordan was married June 8, 1863, to Han- 
 nah M. McFarland, of Pennsylvania, daughter 
 of James McFarland, now deceased. Two chil- 
 dren graced this union — John R., a dry goods 
 merchant, of Peoria, and Mack J., a marble cut- 
 ter, of Princeton. The latter married Grace 
 Malony and has one child, John C. 
 
 For two years Mr. Jordan served as superin- 
 tendent of the cemetery, and for four years was 
 superintendent of streets. He has always been 
 a hard-working, energetic man, whose sterling 
 worth and strict integrity have gained the confi- 
 dence of all with whom he has come in contact. 
 On account of injuries sustained while in the 
 union service he now_ receives a pension. He 
 has served as chaplain and junior vice-com- 
 mander of the Grand Army post at Princeton. 
 Religiously he holds membership in the English 
 Lutheran church. In politics, is a democrat. 
 
 DAVID K. :M0RRIS, who for almost a third 
 of a century has been employed as a travel- 
 ing salesman, is a well known resident of Mai- 
 den, and whether in public or private life he is 
 always a courteous, genial gentleman, well de- 
 serving the high regard in which he is held. 
 Ohio was his early home, his birth having oc- 
 curred on the 24th of August, 1835,. in Harris- 
 ville, Plarrison county, where his grandfather, 
 David Morris, was one of the pioneer settlers. 
 In that county was born Edward Morris, the 
 
 father of our subject, who there spent his entire 
 life. On reaching manhood he married Susan 
 Matson, a native of Virginia, and a daughter of 
 Benjamin Matson, who became an early settler 
 of the buckeye state. By trade Edward Morris 
 was a carpenter, and followed that occupation 
 successfully in Harrisville, where his death oc- 
 curred in 1894, at the ripe old age of eighty-four 
 years. His wife passed away in August, 1869, 
 and both were interred in the Harrisville ceme- 
 terjr, where a monument marks their last resting 
 place. Of their family of ten children, five sons 
 and five daughters, only three are now living, 
 the brothers of our subject being Benjamin F., a 
 successful teacher and farmer of Bangs, Knox 
 county, Ohio, and Professor John W., a well- 
 known educator, who with his family is living 
 in Harrisville, Ohio. 
 
 The childhood and youth of David K. Alorris 
 were passed in his native city, where he was 
 given good school advantages, and he remained 
 under the parental roof until he had attained 
 his majority. Previous to that time he had 
 learned the shoemaker's trade, at which he 
 worked for five years. In the spring of 1857 he 
 started westward and became a resident of Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, obtaining work upon the 
 farm of Nathan Rackley in Berlin township, with 
 whom he remained one year, and then leased the 
 farm of Mr. Rackley for six years. 
 
 On the 17th of November, 1857, ^Nlr. Morris 
 was united in marriage with Miss Phebe A. Rack- 
 ley, a daughter of Nathan Rackley and a sister 
 of George Rackley, whose sketch appears else- 
 where in this work. For seven years thev made 
 their home upon her father's farm. Three sons 
 were born to them — Nathan E., who is married 
 and engaged in agricultural pursuits in Berlin 
 township. Bureau county; George O., a resi- 
 dent of Maiden, who is also married, and is a 
 farmer by occupation, and David E., a railroad 
 man still residing at home. All were provided 
 with good educational privileges, and the two 
 oldest sons have engaged in teaching. 
 
 In the spring of 1864 Mr. Morris went upon 
 the road as traveling salesman for a Princeton 
 
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Missing Page 
 
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THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 217 
 
 firm, selling all kinds of agricultural implements, 
 and since that time has been a successful com- 
 mercial traveler. His afifable, pleasant manner 
 winning the confidence of those with whom he 
 deals, he is enabled to do a most satisfactory 
 business. For the past nine years he has been 
 connected with Luthv & Company of Peoria, 
 and their relations have proved mutually pleas- 
 ant and profitable. In 1867 !\Ir. Morris brought 
 his family to the village of INIalden, where he now 
 has one of the neatest and most pleasant resi- 
 dences in the place, and the family are held in 
 high esteem. 
 
 Since casting his first presidential vote for 
 John C. Fremont in 1856, jMr. ]\Iorris has never 
 failed to vote for every candidate for that office 
 nominated by the republican party, whose prin- 
 ciples he strongly endorses. Socially he is a 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to 
 Bureau lodge. No. 112, of Princeton, and in reli- 
 gious belief both himself and wife are Congre- 
 gationalists. In their pleasant home they are 
 surrounded by many warm friends and acquaint- 
 ances, and they are justly entitled to a place 
 among the representative and leading citizens of 
 Bureau count v. 
 
 MRS. JEXXIE CHRITZMAX is a native of 
 Princeton, where she still makes her home, 
 born February 4, 1838, and is the widow of 
 Jacob Chritzman. Her parents, William and 
 ;\Iary (Mercer) Knox, are both natives of Ohio, 
 and are now honored residents of Princeton. 
 The father has reached the advanced age of 
 eighty-two years, and the mother was eighty- 
 one September 19, 1896. In 1831 he came to 
 Bureau county, where for a time he worked on 
 the farm of an uncle, and after his marriage 
 operated land of his own, following agricultural 
 pursuits until a few years since, but is now liv- 
 ing retired. His wife holds membership in the 
 Methodist Protestant church. 
 
 Mrs. Chritzman is the oldest of the family of 
 eight children, the others being Aaron J., a 
 resident of Wyoming, who married Nancy 
 Ament, of Princeton; Sarah, wife of Calvin 
 
 Camp, of Afton, Iowa; Oscar, who married Julia 
 Ament, and now lives in the state of Washing- 
 ton; Albert, who married Nellie North, now de- 
 ceased, and lives on a ranch in Wyoming; Mary, 
 wife of Colonel Danley, of Oklahoma; Alalvina, 
 wife of John R. Parks, of Gunnison, Colorado, 
 and Nancy, at home with her parents. 
 
 On the loth of January, 1859, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Jacob Chritzman and Miss Jennie 
 Knox. Mr. Chritzman's birth occurred in Har- 
 risburg', Pennsylvania, November 7, 1833, and he 
 was a son of Henry and Margaret Chritzman. 
 He was the second in order of birth in 
 their family, which consisted of six children, 
 four sons and two daughters. Maria is the wid- 
 ow of Albert Bigler; Christian was door-keeper 
 of the senate at Washington, D. C, for many 
 years; Dr. Harry, who practices at Welch Run, 
 Pennsylvania, is married and has three children ; 
 George, a resident of Kewanee, Illinois, mar- 
 ried Ella ?iloffitt, and has two children; Lottie 
 is the wife of Henry Black. With the exception 
 of George, the other children all reside in the 
 keystone state. 
 
 In 1856, ]\Ir. Chritzman emigrated to Illinois, 
 locating first at Princeton, but after a year set- 
 tled in the northern part of Bureau county, where 
 he carried on the manufacture of agricultural im- 
 plements with good success. Later he dealt in 
 agricultural implements in the city of Princeton, 
 where his death occurred October 16, 1889, and 
 was mourned l)_v many friends as well as his im- 
 mediate family. He was an energetic and pop- 
 ular citizen, and was called upon to fill several 
 positions of honor and trust, being school di- 
 rector for a number of years. He exerted a great 
 influence for good, and his memory will long 
 be cherished by those who had the pleasure of 
 his acquaintance. Socially, he was a Knight 
 Templar Mason, and served as officer in the dif- 
 ferent Masonic bodies. In politics he was a 
 democrat. Mrs. Chritzman, a most estimable 
 lady, is a faithful member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church. 
 
 Six children graced the union of this worthy 
 couple, namely: Albert, who died at the age of 
 
2l8 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 t\AO and a half years; Fannie, who died at the 
 age of five and a half years; Mary, who died in 
 1878, at the age of four years; Mercer, who died 
 the same year at the age of six; Lottie, the wife 
 of Thomas Marks, telegraph operator at Prince- 
 ton, and Clarence, who was married December 
 9, 1895, to Helen Bird, who died June 28, 1896, 
 at the age of twenty years; he now resides at 
 Kewanee. 
 
 ROBERT TURNBULL, residing on section 
 28, La Prairie township, is a well-known 
 citizen of Marshall county, a breeder of Hereford 
 cattle, and a general farmer who thoroughly un- 
 derstands his business. He was born in Rox- 
 burghshire, Scotland, December 10, 1827, and is 
 the son of John and Beatrice Turnbull, both 
 of whom were also natives of bonnie Scot- 
 land. He grew to manhood in his native coun- 
 try, his education being received in the common 
 schools prior to his fifteenth year, at which time 
 he was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's 
 trade. His apprenticeship continued until he 
 reached his majority, and for his services he re- 
 ceived his board, and at the end of the time five 
 pounds sterling. He had a very liberal task- 
 master, and has no complaints to make of his 
 term of apprenticeship. In addition to house 
 carpentering, he learned the trade of a cabinet- 
 maker, everything in that day being made by 
 hand. After serving his time, he engaged with 
 his old employer as a journeyman and continued 
 in his service in that capacity for two years, re- 
 ceiving a salary of four dollars per week. These 
 wages seem very small in comparison with those 
 paid at the present time. He was, however, 
 contented with what he received and did his duty 
 faithfully and cheerfully. 
 
 The new world, with its possibilities, was now 
 opening up before our subject, and in company 
 with his father, mother and sister, he crossed 
 the Atlantic to New York city, and located at 
 Geneva, New York, where he remained three 
 years, working at his trade of carpenter. Three 
 months of this time, however, he spent in Canada, 
 
 but preferring the treatment he received in the 
 United States, and believing his chances for the 
 future much better here, he returned to the 
 States. In 1854, the family came to Illinois and 
 located in the southeast part of La Prairie town- 
 ship, where Robert purchased a tract of land as 
 a home for his parents, on which they moved, 
 but for three years more he continued to work 
 at his trade. 
 
 The time had now come when he was to settle 
 down to that occupation which he had selected 
 for his life work, that of a general farmer. With 
 characteristic energy he set to work improving 
 his farm, and in due time the wild land was 
 transformed into a most productive field, yield- 
 ing its fruit year by year. On this farm his 
 mother died, after having spent a life of devotion 
 to husband and children and with the conscious- 
 ness of rest and reunion "beyond the river." 
 
 ^Ir. Turnbull commenced life upon his farm 
 with a single horse, but soon purchased a yoke 
 of oxen with which he did his breaking. On 
 reaching this country his assets were but about 
 one hundred dollars, which was increased to six 
 hundred dollars on reaching Illinois. This sum 
 he invested in land, and upon this farm he lived 
 ten years, engaging in its cultivation, and mak- 
 ing thereon extensive improvements. During 
 this time he made several small trades, and pur- 
 chased eighty acres of his present farm. 
 
 While residing upon his original farm, ]\[r. 
 Turnbull was united in marriage, February 26, 
 1858, with Miss Mary Smith, a sister of James, 
 William and Andrew Smith, well-known broth- 
 ers, residing in La Prairie township, sketches of 
 whom appear elsewhere in this work. This union 
 was a happy one, and to them were born six 
 children — Minnie, John, William, who died in 
 1866, at the age of four years, Robert, Beattie 
 and Willie. The first named married Robert 
 Hall, manager of one of the departments for the 
 wholesale house of Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co., 
 in Chicago. The others j^et reside at the parental 
 home, except John, who is married and is farm- 
 ing adjoining his father. Mrs. Turnbull died 
 September i, 1877, and is laid to rest in the La 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 219 
 
 Prairie U. P. cemetery. She was a woman of 
 strong character, an affectionate wife and loving 
 mother, and her memory is cherished by those for 
 whom she was ever ready to sacrifice, the lius- 
 band who was left to mourn, and the children 
 she gently ministered unto. 
 
 Robert TurnbuU was always an industrious 
 man. Commencing life in humble circum- 
 stances in a strange land, he saved his earnings, 
 and with the accumulation of some years, made 
 his present purchase of land, to which he added 
 from time to time until he now owns some four 
 hundred and forty acres of as fine land as can 
 be seen in the entire county. While living upon 
 another place, he yet retains the first land pur- 
 chased on coming to Illinois. He now resides 
 on what was long known as the Calvin Stowell 
 farm, which he has greatly improved since it 
 came into his possession. For twenty years he 
 has been a feeder and breeder of cattle and 
 hogs, having at all times upon his place from 
 forty to ninety head. In the raising and feeding 
 of cattle, he has been fairly successful. For ten 
 years he has been a breeder of thoroughbred 
 Hereford cattle and now has about twenty head 
 of fine animals, including "Cherry Boy, second," 
 Xo. 49032, bred by Van Atta, of Fowler, Indiana, 
 This animal took sweepstake prize over all breeds 
 at the state fair at Peoria in 1891 and 1892, also 
 at the Iowa state fair at Des Moines in 
 1892. Several animals bred by Cherry Boy, 
 have been sold by Mr. Turnbull at good prices. 
 In addition to his cattle industries, he feeds a 
 large number of sheep, having under his care in 
 the winter of 1894-5, about fourteen hundred 
 head. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Turnbull is a republican, with 
 which party he has affiliated since becoming a 
 naturalized citizen. He has held about all the 
 township offices and served in convention. While 
 not at present as active as in times past, he yet 
 keeps up his interest in political affairs. Religi- 
 ously, he was reared a Presbyterian, but is now a 
 member of the Congregational church at Lawn 
 Ridge, and is an active worker in the church. 
 He is an advocate of temperance, but is not a 
 
 prohibitionist. As a citizen and neighbor he is 
 universally esteemed. 
 
 John Turnbull, second child and eldest son of 
 Robert and Mary (Smith) Turnbull, was born in 
 La Prairie township, November 9, i860. He 
 grew to manhood on his father's farm, and was 
 educated in the schools of the neighborhood. 
 Until his twenty-fifth year he remained at home, 
 assisting in the farm work, and doing his share 
 in developing the resources of the place. On the 
 9th of September, 1886, he was united in marri- 
 age with ^iliss Clara Noel, of Lacon, daughter of 
 Michael and Margaret Noel. She was educated 
 and is a graduate of the Mt. Morris Female Sem- 
 inary, and for some years was a teacher in the 
 public schools of Marshall county. She is a wo- 
 man of more than ordinary ability and is a 
 worthy helpmeet of her husband. For some 
 time her mother has made her home with her. 
 To them have been born three children — Robert, 
 Andrew and John Lawrence. 
 
 The farm of John Turnbull consists of two 
 hundred and thirteen acres in the center of La 
 Prairie township, known as the old Joseph Cald- 
 er farm. It is w'ell improved in every respect, 
 with good substantial buildings which are a 
 credit to their owner. The buildings at the farm 
 are first-class, and are in keeping with the farm. 
 He, also, like his father, gives special attention 
 to cattle feeding, and in the winter of 1895-6, had 
 upon his place about one hundred head. In poli- 
 tics, he is a republican, and religiously is identi- 
 fied with the United Presbyterian church. 
 
 ISAAC McDLIFFIE, deceased, was for many 
 years one of the most active and highly re- 
 spected agriculturists of Bureau county. His was 
 an honorable and useful life and his sterling 
 worth and strict integrity gained for him the con- 
 fidence and esteem of all with whom he came in 
 contact in the various walks of life. 
 
 He was born September i, 1803, a son of 
 Archibald and Eleanor McDuffie, and his early 
 life was mostly spent in a village in Schoharie 
 county. New York, where he secured a good 
 common school education. At Sloansville, 
 
220 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Montgomery county, that state, he learned the 
 trade of a blacksmith with Walter B. Sloan, and 
 during his apprenticeship received only his board. 
 Subsequently he went to Rochester, where he 
 worked as a journeyman for a number of years, 
 later resided at Bath, Steuben county, and still 
 later at Cameron, the same county, where he 
 opened a shop of his own. 
 
 At Cameron, Mr. McDuffie became acquainted 
 with Miss Cynthia Baker, with whom he was 
 united in marriage on the loth of March, 1829. 
 She was born in Athens, Pennsylvania, March 
 16, 1804, and is a daughter of Samuel and Esther 
 (Fields) Baker, who removed to Cameron, New 
 York, when she was about five years of age. 
 By occupation her father was a miller, lumber- 
 man and merchant, and was ever known as Cap- 
 tain Baker, having served with that rank in the 
 Revolutionary war. He also served in the war 
 of 1812, and was captured by the British at 
 Sackett's Harbor, and carried to Quebec, Canada, 
 where he was held a prisoner for eighteen 
 months, or unfil peace was restored. His son. 
 Urbane, was drafted for service in the war of 
 1812, but the father thinking he was too young, 
 took his place and faithfully 'served in that strug- 
 gle. His oldest son, Daniel, was also drafted 
 and was commissioned Heutenant in the war of 
 1812. 
 
 Mr. McDuffie continued to reside in Cameron, 
 New York, until 1853, where he followed black- 
 smithing, lumbering and wagon-making. He also 
 became connected with the New York & Erie 
 railroad as a machinist, furnishing a great deal 
 of their iron work, and succeeded in accumulating 
 considerable property, but met financial misfor- 
 tune by the failure of the Blossburg & Corning 
 branch of that road, at the time when they owed 
 him a large sum of money. Being left in rather 
 limited . circumstances he brought his family to 
 Concord township. Bureau county, Illinois, 
 where Mrs. McDuffie owned one hundred and 
 sixty acres of land which she had inherited from 
 her father, who died in 1851. From Cameron 
 they traveled by railroad to Dunkirk, New York, 
 thence by lake to Detroit, then on to New Buf- 
 
 falo, from there by boat to Chicago, then to 
 Earlville. In Lee county they spent the fall 
 of 1853, while a house was being erected on the 
 farm in Concord township. It is still standing 
 and is now used as a buggy shed. Here Mr. 
 McDuffie continued to make his home until 
 called from this life, January 10, 1892. He ac- 
 ceptably served as road commissioner and su- 
 pervisor, and in politics was an ardent republi- 
 can, which party his sons also support. In the 
 family were four sons and three daughters, name- 
 ly: Eleanor E. McDuffie, born January 21, 
 1831, is now the wife of Edwin Bryant, a farmer, 
 living three miles south of Princeton, and they 
 have five children. Mr. Bryant is a son of Col- 
 onel Austin Bryant, and a nephew of William 
 Cullen Bryant, the illustrious poet. 
 
 Valeda E., born August 21, 1832, is 
 the wife of Leonard Van Patter, by whom she 
 has four children, and they live on a farm near 
 Hubbard, Hardin county, Iowa. 
 
 William Henry, born June 29, 1835, received 
 a fair common school education in New York, 
 and was eighteen years of age when he accom- 
 panied his parents to Bureau county. He ren- 
 dered much valuable assistance in clearing and 
 developing the wild prairie farm, while his father 
 erected a little shop and did blacksmithing for 
 the farmers of the neighborhood, manufacturing 
 many breaking plows. The latter also estab- 
 lished the first lumber yard at Sheffield, which he 
 conducted for a time, but this venture did not 
 prove a success as he was too good natured for 
 a collector. William still remains on the old 
 homestead with his mother and has placed the 
 land under a high state of cultivation. Prompted 
 by a spirit of patriotism he donned the blue on 
 the outbreak of the rebellion, enlisting as a priv- 
 ate in Company E, Second Iowa Cavalry, but 
 a month later was honorably discharged and be- 
 came a member of Company D, Seventh Kansas 
 regiment, commanded by C. S. Merriman. In 
 June, 1862, he was injured by the fall of a horse 
 and was sent to the Union City hospital, in Ten- 
 nessee. While there General Forrest made an at- 
 tack. He was always found at his post of duty 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 221 
 
 gallantly defending the old flag and the cause 
 it represented until wounded at Black River 
 Bridge, in July, 1862, in Tennessee. He was 
 then taken prisoner, and sent to Mobile, where 
 he was held by the rebels until the following 
 August, when he was exchanged and sent back 
 to Hickman, Kentucky, thence to Columbus, 
 and later to St. Louis hospital, where he was hon- 
 orably discharged in September, 1863. He is 
 now one of the prominent and representative 
 farmers of Concord township. 
 
 Anna E. McDuffle, the fourth child, was born 
 November 1 1, 1838, and is now the wife of Henry 
 ;\lyers, of Portland, Oregon, by whom she has 
 four sons. 
 
 John V. ?\IcDuffie, born }ilay 16, 1841, was 
 attending school at Alarshall, ^Marshall county, 
 Iowa, when the civil war broke out, and enlisted 
 as a private in Company H, Second Iowa Cav- 
 alry, remaining in the service until the close of 
 the war. He was promoted from time to time 
 until he became major. While serving on Gen- 
 eral Granger's stafif, that commander and Gen- 
 eral Ross got into a quarrel and Major JMcDuffie 
 interfered. General Ross turned upon him, 
 using insulting language, and the Major told 
 him that if it were not for his rank he 
 would resent it. The general proposed to lay 
 off his stripes and fight it out as citizens. This 
 they did and the general was badly beaten. The 
 major was court martialed and discharged, but 
 was reinstated. On the close of the war he lo- 
 cated at Selma, Alabama, where he studied law 
 with General Granger, who willed him consider- 
 able property. For twelve years he served as 
 circuit judge in that state, and also served one 
 term in congress. He married a southern lady 
 and has two children. 
 
 James M. McDufifie, born April 9, 1843, ^\as 
 also a member of the union army, enlisting at the 
 first three months' call in 1861, becoming a mem- 
 ber of Company H, Twelfth Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry. He saw much arduous service and 
 was wounded at the battle of Pittsburg Land- 
 mg, after which he helped to carry his captain 
 from the field, and thus over-exerted himself. 
 
 Pie was sent to the hospital at Jefferson bar- 
 racks, near St. Louis, where he died October 27, 
 1863. His remains were interred at Wyanet, 
 Bureau county. 
 
 Samuel A. McDuffie, the youngest child, was 
 born September 20, 1844, and he, too, became 
 one of the brave boys in blue, also enlisting in 
 Company H, Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infan- 
 try. He served throughout the struggle, was 
 taken captive by the rebels, but was not held 
 long. For a time he acted as scout for General 
 Thomas. A well-educated man, he has success- 
 fully followed teaching, and also has engaged in 
 clerking at Monroeville, Alabama, his present 
 home. He lost his left arm in the railroad ser- 
 vice. 
 
 \\'illiam Henry McDuffie, in politics is a stal- 
 wart republican. He has been school director for 
 several years, and road commissioner. He has 
 taken an active interest in educational matters, 
 and in the development of his township. Is a 
 pensioner. 
 
 DAMD HALL. The splendid farm of two 
 hundred and fifty-four acres on section 2, 
 Evans township, owned by this gentleman, is 
 a standing monument to his industry, enterprise 
 and good management. He comes under the 
 category of a self-made man, as on coming to 
 IMarshall county his capital consisted of but forty- 
 seven dollars, and has succeeded only by the ex- , 
 ercise of steady, plodding labor. At present, 
 however, he is one of the prominent representa- 
 tive agriculturists of the locality. 
 
 Mr. Hall was born December 18, 1833, '*'' 
 Fayette county, Pennsylvania, of which count v his 
 parents, Isaac and Nancy (Morrison) Hall, were 
 also natives. The paternal grandfather, Joseph 
 Hall, came to this country from Scotland, while 
 the maternal grandfather, Francis ^Morrison, 
 though born in this country was of English and 
 Scotch descent. The latter was a seventh son, 
 followed the sea during his active life and lived 
 to the extreme age of one hundred and four 
 years. His wife was the daughter of a Revolu- 
 tionary soldier. The parents of our subject al- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ways niade their home in Fayette county, Penn- 
 sylvania, where the father engaged in farming, 
 and were worthy members of the Methodist 
 church. In their family were eleven children, all 
 still living with the exception of two. In order 
 of birth they are as follows: David, Hannah, 
 Rachel, Sabina, Andrew, Olive, Isaac, Eliza Ann, 
 Julius, deceased, Nancy, and William Ambrose, 
 deceased. Andrew was one of the brave boys in 
 blue during the civil war. 
 
 At the age of eighteen years, our subject left 
 the home farm in Pennsylvania, coming to Mar- 
 shall county, Illinois, in 1 85 1, and for two years 
 worked 011 the Illinois Central railroad. It was 
 in 1853 that he married Elizabeth Smith, a native 
 of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and a 
 daughter of Asbury P. Smith, who settled in 
 Evans township about the same time as our sub- 
 ject. For about five years he lived upon his 
 father-in-law's farm, and in 1859 was called upon 
 to mourn the loss of his wife, who died leaving 
 two sons — Will Emmett, who married Josephine 
 Foster, by whom he has five children, and now 
 lives in California; and Robert C, of ^^'enona, 
 who married Addie Ryder, and has two children. 
 In 1858, Mr. Hall located upon his present 
 farm, which at that time was nearly all wild land, 
 but he at once began its improvement and culti- 
 vation, and now the entire tract has been placed 
 under the plow. The buildings there found have 
 been erected at a cost of eight thousand dollars, 
 and the land is all now fenced and tiled. The 
 cereals which he raises are principally corn and 
 oats, he handles a great deal of hay, and also gives 
 considerable attention to the raising of horses, 
 cattle and hogs, having for a number of years 
 imported French draft horses upon his place. 
 
 Mr. Hall was again married in 1861', his sec- 
 ond imion being with Miss Augusta Jones, a 
 daughter of Augustus and Elizabeth (Parks) 
 Jones, who were among the first settlers of La 
 Salle county, but later became residents of Mar- 
 shall county. Nine children were born to our 
 subject and his estimable wife — Fannie, wife of 
 George Merritt; Ross Orville, deceased; Katie 
 and Susie, twins, the former the wife of Harrison 
 
 Whitney, by whom she has one son; Reuben; 
 Lura, deceased; Samuel, Nellie and Jennie. 
 
 A firm supporter of our public school system, 
 Mr. Hall has served for eighteen years as school 
 director, and gives his aid to every worthy en- 
 terprise calculated to promote the welfare of his 
 fellow citizens. He donated the land upon which 
 the school house of district No. 3 was erected. 
 In politics he affiliates with the republican party, 
 and religiously, Mrs. Hall is an earnest member 
 of the Methodist church. Both are highly es- 
 teemed and respected members of society, and 
 enjoy the confidence and regard of all who know 
 them. 
 
 ELDER EUGENE L. MOORE, the subject 
 of this sketch, is a native of New Jersey, 
 born in Sussex county, ]\Iarch 14, 1827, but 
 when about eight years of age he emigrated with 
 his parents, Benjamin G. and Alary B. (Cone) 
 Aloore, to Illinois and settled in Canton. Thev 
 traveled by means of horse teams and were nine 
 weeks making the journey. They lived in Can- 
 ton several years during which time his father 
 superintended the placing of the machinery in 
 the first woolen mill in that city. While here 
 Air. Aloore united with the Baptist church of 
 Canton and has remained a member of the de- 
 nomination ever since. He later moved to a 
 farm near Alonmouth, in Warren county. At 
 this time our subject had already secured a good 
 education, having completed a course in an 
 academy and taken special lessons of Rev. 
 Charles Button, then conducting a school in 
 Canton and who afterward became a noted 
 Baptist preacher in the west. There were eight 
 children in the family, seven sons and one daugh- 
 ter of whom Eugene was next to the youngest. 
 It was the intention that the youngest son, John, 
 should operate the home farm and care for his 
 aged parents, while Eugene should complete his 
 literary course and prepare for the ministry, but 
 the former decided differently and entered Shurt- 
 liff college, where he was graduated and became 
 a minister. He had previously served an ap- 
 prenticeship to the carriage maker's trade. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 2^3 
 
 ^Ir. Aloore of this review was thus compelled 
 to stay at home and look after the farm. How- 
 ever, he did not give up his purpose of entering 
 the ministry, but continued preparatory studies 
 under several leading clergymen, and began 
 preaching to the Union and Young America 
 (now Kirkwood) churches in Warren county. 
 In 1863 he removed from Monmouth to Kewanee 
 and was ordained at that place, becoming one 
 of the leaders of the denomination in the field of 
 his activity. 
 
 In 1869 he removed to Neponset where he 
 resided twelve years, seven years of the time 
 occupying the position of pastor of the Baptist 
 church, where he succeeded in building up a 
 good church and the erection of a substantial 
 house of worship. His fields of labor have been 
 principally within a radius of one hundred miles 
 of Buda. In nearly every place he has either 
 built a church or repaired one already standing. 
 He has labored long and earnestly in the Master's 
 vineyard, giving his time almost wholly for the 
 betterment of mankind and to advance the moral 
 ^\•elfare of the communities in which he has re- 
 sided. Xot being dependent upon his salary, 
 he has refused to accept many charges where 
 financially he could have done better, in order 
 to strengthen and give his support to weak and 
 struggling congregations. Being compelled to 
 retire from the pastorate on account of failing 
 health he removed from Neponset to Buda in 
 1880, where he has since resided, part of the time 
 supplying pastorless churches. 
 
 On the first of January, 1851, Rev. j\Ioore was 
 imited in marriage to ^liss Osee M. Alward, of 
 Fulton county, Illinois, who was also a native of 
 Xew Jersey. Eight children were born to them, 
 three of whom died when young. The others 
 are as follows: Laura E., who received her 
 education in the Kewanee public school and 
 academy, is the wife of Orson P. Bestor, a Baptist 
 minister of Wisconsin, who is a graduate of 
 Brown university and also the Theological Sem- 
 inary of Chicago. They have two children. 
 Hattie A., educated in the Kewanee and Nepon- 
 set high schools, is the wife of Benjamin F. 
 
 \\'aite, a merchant of Buda, Illinois; Emma J. 
 received a liberal education in the high school, 
 spent three years in the old Rock River universi- 
 ty of Dixon, Illinois, and afterward pursued 
 special lines of study under private instructors. 
 She successfully engaged in teaching for a short 
 time when she left the work and accepted the 
 position of bookkeeper for B. F. Waite. She 
 now, while holding an interest in the firm of 
 H. M. Waite & Co., is presiding over the home. 
 Carrie S., a graduate of the Buda high school, 
 read medicine for two years then entered Way- 
 land academy at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where 
 she took a literary course. Subsequently she 
 was a student in the University of Chicago, 
 graduating with the class of 1896. She has been 
 elected professor of science at Wayland, where 
 she also holds the position of preceptress, but 
 still intends to complete her medical course; 
 Ida Eugenia, who is a graduate of the Buda high 
 school and also Beloit academy is now attending 
 school in Chicago. Cultured, refined and pleas- 
 ant, the family is one of prominence, holding a 
 high position in social circles where true worth 
 and intelligence are received as passports into 
 good society. 
 
 The wife and mother passed away in April, 
 1890, and her death was widely and deeply 
 mourned. 
 
 Since voting for Fremont in 1856, ]Mr. ^loore 
 has been an ardent republican, though he was 
 reared a democrat, his father being of that party. 
 
 G 
 
 USTAVE OTTO, a farmer residing on 
 section 27, jMagnolia township, is a rep- 
 resentative of that hardy race that has done so 
 much toward the upbuilding of this country. He 
 was born in Prussia, Germany, July 29, 1838, 
 and there remained until nineteen years of age, re- 
 ceiving a good common school education. While 
 still residing in his native land, he learned the 
 wagon maker's trade, at which he worked until 
 coming to this country. In 1857 he crossed the 
 ocean, coming west directly to Chicago, where 
 he remained six weeks and then came to Mar- 
 shall county, Illinois, and worked for Henry 
 
224 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Weir one month. In the following spring he 
 worked for John Myers, and then came to Mag- 
 nolia township, Putnam county and entered the 
 service of Captain William Haws as a farm hand 
 at a salary of ten dollars per month. 
 
 Mr. Otto continued in the employ of Captain 
 Haws from 1858 until 1865, and then rented the 
 Phillips farm in British Lane, La Salle county 
 for one year, after which he leased the farm of 
 George Hildebrandt in Magnolia township, Put- 
 nam county, for two years. In the spring of 1868 
 he purchased eighty acres, a part of his present 
 farm and which was a part of the Joel Haws 
 farm, where Mr. Haws settled in 1838. In 1862 
 he married Miss Eunice Haws, a daughter of 
 Joel Haws, and a native of Putnam county, born 
 in 1840. Her education was received in the pub- 
 lic schools of Magnolia township. Bv this union 
 seven children were born, all of whom are now 
 living — James A., Helen M., Joel W., Maud M., 
 Bessie, Alice and Lulu. 
 
 As stated the first purchase of land by Mr. 
 Otto was eighty acres of the Joel Haws farm. 
 With that industry and perseverance peculiar to 
 his nationality, combined with habits of strict 
 economy, he commenced the improvement of his 
 place, and as his means would permit added to 
 his possessions until he now has a farm of two 
 hundred and sixty acres, in addition to which he 
 owns forty-six acres of timber land in Marshall 
 county. In addition to general farming he has 
 made something of a specialty of stock raising, 
 and has at all times upon his place a good 
 grade of cattle, hogs and other stock. 
 
 Mr. Otto was reared a Lutheran and has al- 
 ways been attached to the teachings of that 
 church. He is a member of the ^Masonic order, 
 holding membership with the blue lodge at Mag- 
 nolia, and has served in all the chairs to junior 
 warden. A friend of the public schools, he has 
 taken much interest in educational matters, and 
 for fifteen years has served as school director. 
 Politically, he is a democrat, and has been hon- 
 ored by his fellow citizens with local office, 
 serving as road commissioner, township collector 
 and for eight years a member of the board of 
 
 supervisors of the county, three years of which 
 time serving as chairman. 
 
 On coming to this country, Mr. Otto found 
 himself in debt to the amount of seventy-five 
 dollars. To the payment of this debt he first 
 turned his attention and was never satisfied 
 until every dollar was paid. He then began to 
 lay b\- a store of his hard earned means until 
 he felt able to marry and afterward to purchase 
 his farm. He can truly be said to be a self-made 
 man, and never attended an English school. On 
 the death of Captain William Haws he was ap- 
 pointed one of the administrators of the estate 
 and has faithfully discharged the duties of that 
 important trust. 
 
 GEORGE IDEN RICE, :\I. D., now a resi- 
 dent of Princeton, has long been connect- 
 ed with the medical fraternity of Bureau county. 
 He was born at Solebury, Bucks county, Penn- 
 sylvania, January 3, 1832, and comes of a good 
 old Quaker family of Irish descent. He traces 
 his ancestry back to Edward Rice, an Irish gen- 
 tleman, whose son, Edward, Jr., came from the 
 parish of Killman, county Tyrone, in the barony 
 of Dunganon kingdom, Ireland, in 1736, to 
 Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he reared his 
 family of eight children. His old passport is now 
 in the possession of the doctor. One son, Joseph 
 Rice, was the grandfather of our subject, and he 
 spent his entire life upon the old homestead in 
 Bucks county. He m.arried Letitia Hartley, of 
 North Wales, by whom he had four children — 
 William, Catherine, Letitia and Joseph. 
 
 Joseph Rice, Jr., the father of the doctor, be- 
 came a farmer by occupation, and on reaching 
 manhood was united in marriage with ]\Iiss Julia 
 Iden, also a native of the keystone state, and a 
 daughter of George and Hannah (Folk) Iden, 
 who were of ^^^elsh extraction, and in whose 
 family were eight children, namely: Anna, John, 
 Thomas, Greenfield, Jacob, Elizabeth, Paulina 
 and Julia. Four sons were born to the parents 
 of our subject— Joseph G., deceased; William 
 H., George Iden and Lewis C, also a physician, 
 now deceased. In Pennsylvania the parents spent 
 
GiioRGE I. Rick, M. 1). 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 227 
 
 their entire lives, the mother citing in 1861, and 
 the father in June, 1863. Representatives of the 
 family still reside at the old homestead in Bucks 
 county. 
 
 At the age of fourteen years Dr. Rice left the 
 parental roof, going to Doylestown, the county 
 seat of his native county, where he learned the 
 printer's trade, at which he worked until nine- 
 teen, when he went to Jefferson county, Ohio, 
 and there was employed at typesetting for about 
 a month. He then entered William McLean's 
 school for boys at Salem, Columbiana county, 
 Ohio, where he pursued his studies for two years 
 and paid his own way, while his vacations were 
 spent in working in a nursery. 
 
 At the age of twenty-two years Dr. Rice was 
 united in marriage with Miss Julia Newport, of 
 Belmont county, Ohio, and daughter of Nathan 
 and Elizabeth Newport. They became the par- 
 ents of the following children — Elulia, now the 
 wife of Randolph Morrison, of Colorado; Ger- 
 trude C, wife of F. E. Flower, of Princeton, Illi- 
 nois; George Iden, of the same place, and John, 
 deceased. 
 
 From a boy Dr. Rice had wished to study medi- 
 cine, as many of his relatives on the paternal 
 side had followed that profession, and in 1S56 
 kis hopes were realized and he entered the Penn- 
 sylvania Aledical college, from which he was 
 graduated two years later. For a time he then 
 engaged in practice at Morrisville, Bucks coun- 
 ty. On the breaking out of hostilities between 
 the north and south the doctor was commis- 
 sioned assistant surgeon of the Third Regiment 
 Pennsylvania Reserve Veteran Corps, entering 
 the service in 1862, and was with the army of the 
 Potomac until March, 1863, being on the battle- 
 fields at the second battle of Bull Run, South 
 Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. He 
 assisted in carrying one of the twenty Brooklyn 
 Zouaves on a stretcher for miles during a re- 
 treat, which injured his own health, and he was 
 compelled to give up field service. He was then 
 sent to hospital No. i at Nashville, Tennessee, as 
 acting assistant surgeon, where he remained until 
 September, 1864, during which time he had 
 12 
 
 charge of the wards. In this way he gained 
 much valuable, practical experience, which ha.s 
 been of great help to him in his subsequent prac- 
 tice. He was always found at his post of duty 
 and on leaving the service he was so broken 
 down in health that he weighed only ninety 
 pounds. 
 
 When the war was over Dr. Rice began look- 
 ing up a location and decided on Arlington, Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, where he began practice in 
 October, 1864, but in January, 1869, went to La- 
 moille, a few miles distant, at which place he 
 soon built up a large and paying practice. Since 
 March, 1891, he has made his home in Princeton, 
 but for the past three years has been compelled 
 to lay aside his professional duties on account of 
 ill-health — the result of his old army trouble. 
 As a medical practitioner he stands high among 
 his professional brethren and has been very suc- 
 cessful and popular in his chosen caUing. He 
 holds membership in the various medical socie- 
 ties of the state. 
 
 Both the doctor and his estimable wife are 
 faithful members of the Congregational church, 
 and politically he is an ardent republican. Soci- 
 ally, he is a Mason, having served for ten years 
 as worshipful master of Lamoille lodge. No. 383, 
 F. & A. ]\I. ; is a member of the chapter at Prince- 
 ton, and for eleven years attended the grand 
 lodge. He cares nothing for political prefer- 
 ment, but was elected coroner of the county in 
 the fall of 1896, on the republican ticket. 
 
 GRANMLLE JOHNSON. While "the 
 race is not always to the swift nor the bat- 
 tle to the strong," the invariable law of destiny 
 accords to tireless energy, industry and ability a 
 successful career. The truth of this assertion is 
 abundantly verified in the life of Mr. Johnson, a 
 wide-awake, progressive business man of Prince- 
 ton, junior member of the well known real estate 
 firm of Cook & Johnson. 
 
 A native of Bureau county, he was born upon 
 his father's farm in Selby township, December 
 10, 1855, and in the usual manner of farmer lads 
 he spent his. boyhood and youth. He attended 
 
228 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the high schools of Princeton, and was also a 
 student in the Dover Normal & Business college 
 for a time, thus becoming well fitted for the prac- 
 tical and responsible duties of life. 
 
 His father, Henry M. Johnson, was born in 
 Campbell county, Virginia, December i8, 1814, 
 and on attaining his majority walked all the way 
 to the Ohio river, traveling at about the rate of 
 forty miles per day, passing over the Blue Ridge 
 mountains. At Wheeling he took passage on a 
 steamboat down the Ohio river to Cincinnati, 
 and from there he went to Xenia, Greene county, 
 Ohio, where he made his home for about four 
 3'ears. There he wedded Miss Margaret Long, a 
 native of Greene county, in January, 1841. She 
 was a daughter of Henry H. and Mary (Walden) 
 Long. In 1842 he removed with his wife and 
 child by wagon to Bureau county, Illinois, set- 
 tling upon a thirty-six acre tract of wild land in 
 Selby township. His cash capital at that time 
 consisted of but twenty dollars, but before his 
 death he had acquired an estate valued at about 
 fifty thousand dollars, all of which property was 
 accumulated through his own unaided efforts, 
 perseverance and good management. In 1880 
 he removed to Grundy county, Iowa, residing in 
 Morrison for five years, after which he returned 
 to Princeton and made his home on West South 
 street for about six years. He then went to live 
 with our subject, who at that time was residing 
 upon a farm in Berlin township. Bureau county, 
 and in the fall of 1893, they removed to Prince- 
 ton, where the father's death occurred June 30, 
 1894. He was an unassuming man, upright and 
 honorable in all his dealings, attending strictly 
 to his own affairs, and had the confidence and 
 esteem of all who knew him. His faithful wife 
 still finds a pleasant home with our subject. 
 Four children were born to them — Frances M., 
 a resident of Princeton; Joseph Z. is living in 
 Selby township, engaged in farming; James H., 
 who died at the age of twenty-seven years, and 
 Granville. 
 
 On the 8th of September, 1880, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Granville Johnson and Sarah L. 
 Ellis, amiable daughter of Miletus W. and JMary 
 
 E. (Coleman) Ellis, born July 2, 1862. Mr. Ellis 
 was born in Dover township and was the son of 
 Abbott Ellis, a native of Albemarle county, Vir- 
 ginia. Mary Coleman was born in Wyanet town- 
 ship. Mrs. Johnson was born in the same house 
 that her father was born in. He died October 
 27, 1881, at Castle Rock, Colorado. His wife 
 now lives at Boulder, Colorado. They were the 
 parents of four children — Sarah, Frances M., 
 Frank L. and Lucy L., all deceased. Frank and 
 his wife and child met their death by fire in a 
 railroad wreck at Aspen, Colorado. Four weeks 
 later the young couple started by carriage for 
 Grundy county, Iowa, while they shipped their 
 household effects by rail. There Mr. Johnson 
 purchased two hundred and forty acres of land 
 at twenty dollars per acre, and engaged in farm- 
 ing and threshing, owning the first steam thresh- 
 er ever taken to the county. During his ten 
 years residence there he wore out three new 
 machines. He also operated a clover huller, and 
 at one time hulled clover for ex-Governor Boies. 
 He did an extensive and profitable business 
 while a resident of that state, and on selling out 
 in the spring of 1889 he had doubled the capital 
 invested. 
 
 Returning to Princeton Mr. Johnson there 
 lived until the spring of 1890, when he purchased 
 the old McKinstry farm in Berlin township, to 
 which he removed, but the following year he 
 bought the W. C. Henderson farm north of 
 Princeton. In 1891 he purchased the George 
 Barr farm in Berlin township, where he lived 
 until December, 1893, when he again came to 
 Princeton, buying the Stephen G. Paddock resi- 
 dence on East Peru street, where he now finds a 
 pleasant home. He has been eminently suc- 
 cessful in all his financial affairs, to-day owning 
 four hundred acres of fine land valued at from 
 seventy-five to one hundred dollars per acre, 
 besides several thousand dollars worth of valu- 
 able property inside the corporate limits of 
 Princeton. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have two interesting 
 children — Viola B., born July 30, 1885, and 
 Henry E., born November 11, 1886. In politics 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 229 
 
 Mr. Johnson is a republican. In his social re- 
 lations our subject is a member of the ^lasonic 
 fraternity, belonging to Temple Commandery, 
 No. 20, of Princeton, and both himself and wife 
 are members of the Eastern Star of Princeton. 
 Thev hold a high position in social circles and 
 their hospitable home is ever open for the re- 
 ception of their many friends. As a citizen, Mr. 
 lohnson meets every requirement and manifests 
 a commendable interest in everything that is 
 calculated to promote the city's welfare. He is 
 an able financier, a business man of more than 
 ordinary ability, and in manner is pleasant and 
 genial, easily making friends wherever he goes. 
 
 SOLO:\IOX F. ROBIXSOX. Tliis gentle- 
 man ranks among the retired farmers who 
 are now living at their ease in the city of Prince- 
 ton, and who are enjoying the property which 
 they accumulated in their younger years by un- 
 tiring industry and the closest economy. He 
 was born in Williamstown, Orange county, \'er- 
 mont, 'Sizy 13, 1823, and was but twelve years 
 of age when he left his native state and started 
 for Illinois with his parents. Captain David and 
 Lenda (Farnsworth) Robinson, also natives of 
 the Green ]\Iountain state, but the family spent 
 the summer in New York while the father went 
 on to enter land. He obtained his title as cap- 
 tain of a militia company in Vermont during the 
 old training days, and also served in the war of 
 1812 under General Hull, being present at the 
 surrender of Detroit, for which service his widow 
 afterward received a pension. He was a son of 
 Solomon Robinson, of whom but little is known, 
 while the Farnsworths belonged to an old family 
 of Rutland, Vermont. 
 
 In early life Captain Robinson had followed 
 merchandising, but on coming to Bureau county, 
 entered land two miles southeast of Princeton, 
 in Princeton township, and the same fall brought 
 his family to this state, driving the entire dis- 
 tance from Vermont. Their first hom£ here was 
 a small place and the farm consisted of one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres, but the father later owned 
 
 three hundred and twenty acres, all in Princeton 
 township. He was one of the founders of the 
 Presbyterian church in the city, in which for 
 many years he sei'ved as deacon, and was known 
 by every one as Deacon Robinson. Politically 
 he was first a whig and later became a free-soil 
 democrat. His death occurred in 1863, and the 
 mother long survived him, dying in 1886, at the 
 advanced age of ninety-two years, at which time 
 she was still well preserved. She too was a faith- 
 ful member of the Presbyterian church. 
 
 The paternal household included nine children 
 who grew to maturity, five of whom are still 
 living. Elvira, is the widow of Erastus K. Sher- 
 win, late of Princeton township, who there locat- 
 ed in 1835, and she still makes her home upon the 
 old farm four miles southeast of Princeton. 
 George, who died in 1891, was a ranchman of 
 Colorado, where he had lived since i860. Solo- 
 mon F., of this sketch, is next in order of birth. 
 David, who died January 10, 1896, had resided 
 in Chicago since 1873, and there was conducting 
 a liver)' and sale stable. Laura was the wife of 
 Osman Smith, of ;\Ianlius township. Bureau 
 county, and died three years ago. Eliza, who 
 died December 16, 1878, was the wife of W. W. 
 Baker, who went to California in 1863. Ellen, a 
 resident of Denver, Colorado, is the widow of 
 J. M. Thompson, a son of Colonel Thompson. 
 Prentiss J. is a ranchman of Spring Hill, Mon- 
 tana. Thomas AI. is engaged in mining in Colo- 
 rado. Only two of the family are yet residents 
 of Bureau county. 
 
 Until he had attained his majority Solomon 
 F. Robinson remained upon the home farm as- 
 sisting in its operation, after which he engaged in 
 the cultivation and improvement of an eighty 
 acre farm for a time, but later returned home 
 and conducted the farm until his father's death, 
 when it became his. There he remained until 
 selling out in December, 1864, when he came to 
 the city of Princeton. He purchased two hun- 
 dred and forty acres in the township, covered 
 with a heavy growth of timber which he cut, and 
 then disposed of the land. For a time he was a 
 partner with his brother in the mercantile busi- 
 
230 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ness at Xeponset, Bureau county, but never re- 
 sided there. Ten years he served as constable 
 and for two years of that time was also town 
 marshal, which position^ he filled to the satisfac- 
 tion of all concerned. His political support has 
 ever been given to the democracy and bis duties 
 of citizenship are always faithfully performed but 
 he takes no active part in political affairs. He 
 is an upright, honorable man, one who has the 
 esteem and confidence of all who know him. 
 
 On the 3d of September, 1879, was consum- 
 mated the marriage of Mr. Robinson and Miss 
 Sara A. Norton, of Cummington, Massachusetts, 
 the old home of the Bryants. For about five 
 years she engaged in teaching, following that 
 profession for a time in Princeton, where her 
 death occurred September 15, 1883. For his 
 second wife. ^Ir. Robinson chose Mrs. Lydia ^l. 
 Smith, and their wedding was celebrated Octo- 
 ber 15, 1890. She is a native of Illinois, and first 
 married Roy E. Smith, a shoe dealer, by whom 
 she had a son, J. Clyde Smith, a piano tuner of 
 Chicago. A portion of her married life has been 
 passed in Princeton, and she is a faithful mem- 
 ber and active worker in the Congregational 
 church. In 1891, Mr. Robinson erected his pres- 
 ent comfortable residence on the site of the old 
 brick house of Andrew Smith, which had stood 
 for fiftv vears. 
 
 JAMES A. McGONIGLE, a well known agri- 
 culturist of Ohio township. Bureau county, 
 was born in Pennsylvania, in 1859, ^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^ 
 of James and Nancy (Brownewell) McGonigle, 
 also natives of that state, where they continued 
 to make their home until 1895, when they re- 
 moved to Kasbeer, Bureau county. Our sub- 
 ject is the oldest in their family of eighteen chil- 
 dren, sixteen of whom are still living. For almost 
 half a century the father successfully engaged in 
 teaching in the keystone state. The McGonigle 
 family is of Irish origin, while the Brownewell 
 family was early founded in Pennsylvania by 
 emigrants from Germany. Both are noted for 
 longevity, many of their members living to the 
 ages of eighty-five and ninety years. 
 
 Until about sixteen years of age, James A. 
 McGonigle was able to attend school during the 
 winter season and thus acquired a good practical 
 education. He began his hand-to-hand struggle 
 with the world when a lad of nine years, and has 
 since been dependent upon his own resources. 
 At the age of seventeen he came to Illinois, 
 spending the first two years in Ogle county, and 
 then took up his residence in Bureau county, 
 where he has since remained with the exception 
 of one year spent at his old home in Pennsyl- 
 vania. He has always turned his attention to 
 agricultural pursuits, is a thorough and skillful 
 farmer, and through his own exertions has suc- 
 ceeded in accumulating a good property, owning 
 a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in 
 Ohio township, which he has improved with 
 good buildings and placed under a high state of 
 cultivation. 
 
 In February, 1881, ^Ir. ]\IcGonigle wedded 
 Miss ]\Iary J. Hinkle, daughter of George Hinkle, 
 a native of Pennsylvania, where also occurred 
 the birth of Mrs. McGonigle. Eight children 
 have been born to them, as follows: Clarence 
 E., Jessie F., Harry, William, who died at the 
 age of five years; Nellie I., Maud, George and 
 James C. The wife and mother is a consistent 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. 
 McGonigle uses his right of franchise in support 
 of the men and measures of the democratic party, 
 and cares nothing for the honors or emoluments 
 of public office, though he has served as school 
 director. He is largely interested in any move- 
 ment that is for the improvement of the township 
 and county, or that will elevate or benefit the 
 people among whom he lives. 
 
 M 
 
 ERRILL K. AUSTIN, a boiler-maker, 
 now in the employ of the Spring Vallev 
 Coal company, is numbered among the worthy 
 and upright American citizens of this locality, 
 who is deserving in every way of honorable men- 
 tion among the best people of Bureau county. 
 He was born in Windham county, Vermont, Au- 
 gust 13, 1833, of which state, his parents, Arnold 
 and Pattie (Morse) Austin, were also natives. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 231 
 
 By occupation the father was a farmer, but passed 
 his last days in retirement. His death occurred 
 in 1894, at the age of ninety years, and his wife 
 passed away in 1878, at the age of seventy-four. 
 They were well-known and highly respected 
 citizens, and belonged to that class of eastern 
 people to whom we are indebted for the high de- 
 gree of civilization and enlightenment it is our 
 privilege to enjoy. 
 
 In the family were eight children, namely: 
 jNIelvin, born April 25, 1826, served as a union 
 soldier throughout the civil war; Martha Ann, 
 born January 25, 1829, married iMr. Stebbins, but 
 both are now deceased; our subject is next in or- 
 der of birth; Helen Fidelia is the wife of Elliott 
 Wetherbee, of Townsend, Vermont; Addison Ar- 
 nold, born November 28, 1836, was a lieutenant in 
 the union army, married Helen Hall, and now re- 
 sides at Worcester, Massachusetts; Catherine C, 
 born June 13, 1839, was married, but is now de- 
 ceased; Augusta C, born January 11, 1841, mar- 
 ried Ashley Wiswell, and lives in Paxton, Massa- 
 chusetts, and Henry, born April 15, 1844, is mar- 
 ried and is still living at Townsend, Vermont. 
 
 For the past thirty years, M. K. Austin has 
 devoted his attention to boiler-making, which 
 trade he learned in Worcester, Massachusetts, 
 and for sixteen years of that time was in the em- 
 ploy of Charles Brunner, of Peru, Illinois. He 
 has been connected with the Spring Valley Coal 
 company for ten years, and as a boiler-maker 
 has few equals and no superiors. As a business 
 man he is upright, and honorable in all his deal- 
 ings, and is well qualified with practical experi- 
 ence, willing hands and honesty of purpose. 
 
 ]\Ir. Austin was married in Vermont, in 1855, 
 to Miss Olive Sparks, who was born February 
 8, 1835, and is a daughter of Aaron and Lucinda 
 (Simpson) Sparks. She is a Daughter of the 
 Revolution as her grandfathers, Thomas Simpson 
 and Aaron Sparks, Sr., both served in that strug- 
 gle. Mrs. Austin is the seventh in order of birth 
 in a family of twelve children, the others being 
 as follows: Orrin T., born December 17, 1823, 
 died unmarried in i860. He was a prominent 
 man, one of the trustees of Saratoga Springs, 
 
 New York, where his death occurred. He had 
 there resided since the age of sixteen and had ac- 
 cumulated much valuable property ; Asa N., born 
 January 30, 1826, was one of the brave boys in 
 blue who laid down his life on the altar of his 
 country, being killed at the battle of Shiloh, and 
 now fills an unknown grave in the south; Henry 
 D., born December 17, 1827, is deceased; John 
 L., born February 13, 1830, lives in Grafton, 
 Vermont; Lydia E., born April 19, 1831, mar- 
 ried Alphonso Barrett, and is living in Wenona, 
 Illinois; Luther K., born April 30, 1833, was also 
 a union soldier, and has died since the war; 
 Thomas AI. died in infancy; Hannah M., born 
 February 19, 1839, died at the age of fourteen; 
 Martin A., born September 26, 1841, was a 
 soldier and a lieutenant in the union army, re- 
 sides in Townsend, Vermont; Mary J., born Sep- 
 tember 23, 1843, married Richard Bullard, and 
 lives in Grafton, Vermont; Lucy L., born Jan- 
 uary 30, 1846, is the wife of a Mr. Stowell, of 
 Grafton. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Austin have one daughter — Ida 
 M., who was born at Mount Palatine, Illinois, 
 October 16, 1855, and first wedded William Al- 
 lington, by whom she has one son, Arthur. On 
 the 27th of May, 1891, she married Albert Nor- 
 ris, who for many years has faithfully served as 
 conductor on the Chicago & Northwestern rail- 
 road, and is one of the reliable and worthy citi- 
 zens of Spring Valley. Mrs. Norris is an active 
 and prominent member of the Congregational 
 church of that place, and for many years has 
 served as its organist, being the first to fill that 
 position in a Protestant church in Spring Valley. 
 She has also taught for several years in the 
 Sunday school, and it was her class that paid for 
 the communion service. Since early girlhood, 
 Mrs. Austin has also been a member of the same 
 denomination, and both mother and daughter 
 have been most efficient workers among the 
 poor, especially at their old home in La Salle 
 county. The former has been officially con- 
 nected with the leading societies of the church, 
 now serving as secretary of the Ladies' Aid So- 
 ciety, and does all in her power for the better- 
 
232 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ment of mankind. She has proved a faithful 
 helpmeet to her husband, sharing with him the 
 trials and hardships of pioneer life during their 
 early residence in Illinois, and although deeply 
 attached to their first home here, came to Spring 
 Valley, which removal was for his business in- 
 terests. At that time there were only three 
 houses in the village, and with its growth and 
 development they have since been identified. 
 Socially, Mr. Austin is a member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows, and past grand of the lodge, of La Salle, 
 and also the United Workmen, while in politics 
 he is a repubHcan. 
 
 MICHAEL J. DOLAN, railroad postal clerk 
 and insurance agent, residing in the vil- 
 lage of Ohio, was born in Joliet, Illinois, Sep- 
 tember 4, 1849, and is a son of William and ^lary 
 Dolan, natives of Ireland, who were married in 
 Lowell, Alassachusetts, and became early settlers 
 of Illinois. By trade the father was a wool spin- 
 ner, having learned the same at Lowell. He 
 came to America in 1828, and on the 6th of ]\Iay, 
 1844, became a naturalized citizen, ever taking 
 a deep and commendable interest in the affairs 
 of his adopted country. 
 
 On coming to Illinois, the parents located first 
 at Joliet, but in 1836 they went to Palestine 
 Grove, Lee county, to which he drove the cows, 
 hogs and other stock, which he had accumulated, 
 while he sent his wife and goods by team. She 
 arrived in the evening at an old deserted cabin, 
 where the teamster unloaded the wagon, leav- 
 ing Mrs. Dolan and her baby alone. They took 
 refuge in the cabin, but a storm came up, and 
 about midnight the door was burst open and a 
 drove of wild hogs came in. Taking in the 
 dangerous situation at once the mother and child 
 went out into the storm and remained under the 
 trees till morning. This was one of the many 
 adventures the family experienced in pioneer 
 days. For six months she did not see a white 
 woman, but at the end of that period met Mrs. 
 James Daily, who lived about four miles west of 
 Amboy. After an illness of three weeks the 
 father died of cancer of the stomach, July 23, 
 
 1884, at the age of seventy-eight years. Both 
 were devout members of the Catholic church, 
 and at their home at Sandy Hill was held the 
 first mass ever celebrated between Chicago and 
 the Mississippi river, east and west and between 
 Galena and La Salle, north and south. They 
 used to go to the latter place, a distance of 
 twenty-seven miles, in an ox cart to attend mass, 
 traveling all night, and after the service would 
 start for home in order that he would be ready 
 for work Monday morning. He often walked a 
 distance of seven miles every morning and even- 
 ing to work, and endured all the hardships and 
 privations incident to pioneer life. He was a 
 loyal, patriotic citizen and induced many to go 
 to the front during the civil war. His wife died 
 ]\Iarch 3, 1885, at the age of seventy-six years. 
 She was a most estimable woman, liberal and 
 charitable to a fault. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest in order of birth 
 in the family of five children, the others being 
 as follows: Edward, now engaged in mining in 
 New Mexico, enlisted in the union service in 
 1861, and became a member of General Shields' 
 staff, being with that officer until the latter was 
 wounded at the battle of Winchester, when both 
 reurned home. John enlisted in August, 1861, 
 in Company F, Seventy-fifth Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry, and remained in the service for two and 
 a half years, when he was discharged on account 
 of illness. At the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, 
 he was wounded in the neck. He was the first 
 male white child born in May township, Lee 
 county, and in 1866 he wedded Alargaret Dexter, 
 by whom he has four children — Mary, Maggie, 
 Lizzie and Frank. They reside at Denver, Colo- 
 rado, where he is serving on the police force. 
 Willie died at the age of seventeen. Mary wed- 
 ded Charles McGuire, and died at the age of 
 twenty-eight years, leaving two children — Willie 
 and Bell, both of whom hold positions in the 
 asylum for feeble minded children at Lincoln, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Michael J. Dolan was baptized at Joliet, Gen- 
 eral James Shields being present at the time and 
 acting as one of his sponsors. After completing 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 233 
 
 his common school course, he attended the State 
 Normal university for two years, and success- 
 fully engaged in teaching until 1885, since 
 which time he has been in the mail service, his 
 route being on the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy railroad between Chicago and Quincy, 
 a distance of two hundred and sixty-three miles. 
 For six consecutive days he is on duty for six- 
 teen hours, and then is off for six days. During 
 the night he distributes twenty thousand pieces 
 of mail on an average while the train is in mo- 
 tion, frequently running at a rate of a mile a 
 minute as it is the fast mail. 
 
 So faithfully has Mr. Dolan discharged his 
 duties that he has now been in the service for 
 eleven rears. Postal clerks are required to pass 
 an examination every six months on post offices 
 and post routes and to stand over ninety per 
 cent. They are thus required to learn the names 
 of three thousand offices annually. ^Ir. Dolan's 
 last examination was on Colorado, taken right 
 after being on duty for sixteen hours, but his 
 average was ninety-eight and three-fourths. He 
 has handled six hundred and ninety-one cards in 
 thirty-two minutes, more than twenty-one a 
 minute, and is in every way fully qualified to fill 
 his responsible position. 
 
 On the 20th of May, 1874, ^Ir. Dolan was 
 united in marriage with Miss Catherine O'Rourk, 
 daughter of John and Ellen O'Rourk, natives 
 of Ireland, where their marriage was celebrated. 
 In 1844, her parents emigrated to Canada, 
 where the father engaged in buying and ship- 
 ping stock to the Montreal and New York mar- 
 kets, and on leaving that country they came to 
 May township, Lee county, Illinois, locating on 
 a farm. They now make their home, however, 
 in the village of Ohio, Bureau county, the father 
 at the age of eighty years and the mother at the 
 age of seventy-five. They are life long members 
 of the Catholic church, and the parents of thir- 
 teen children — Ella, who died in infancy; Pat- 
 rick, an extensive stock dealer of Canada; Mary 
 Ellen, widow of Duncan McDougal, and a resi- 
 dent of San Francisco, California; Margaret, 
 wife of George Dewar, of Virginia City, Nevada ; 
 
 Catherine, wife of our subject; John, a resident 
 of Montana; Thomas, who married Margaret 
 McFadden and resides in Oelrichs, Dakota; James, 
 who died in infancy; James, the second of the 
 name, who wedded Mary Lannan, and is a farmer 
 of Lee county; Jane, at home; Charles, of Mon- 
 tana; Lizzie, who lives with her sister in San 
 Francisco, and Agnes Mary, at home. 
 
 Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Dolan, namely; Mary Ellen, who died in in- 
 fancy; WilMam John, who is taking a classical 
 course at the state university, a member of the 
 class of 1899; ^lary Agnes, now a teacher in her 
 county, who completed a three years' course at 
 St. Clara's academy at Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, 
 graduating June 25, 1896; Elizabeth and Charles 
 [Mark, who are attending the Ohio schools; and 
 Edith Rose, who assists her father. The parents 
 and children are all faithful members of the 
 Catholic church, and are valued and highly re- 
 spected citizens of the community where they 
 make their home. 
 
 T HO A IAS W. STONER is not only a promi- 
 nent farmer in Hopewell township, but is 
 likewise prominent and is a leader in the councils 
 of the democratic party, taking an active part in 
 the various campaigns, believing it not only the 
 privilege, but the duty of every qualified voter 
 to do all in his power to disseminate his poHtical 
 views and advocate the measures he regards as 
 for the best interest of the people. He was born 
 in Richland county, Ohio, February 2, 1841, and 
 is a son of Henry and Catherine (Castleman) 
 Stoner, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and 
 the latter of Ohio. 
 
 Henry Stoner was born in Berks county, 
 Pennsylvania, in 1796. He was the son of John 
 Stoner, likewise a native of Pennsylvania. He 
 married Catherine Castleman, a native of Jeffei-- 
 son county, Ohio, born in 1800, and a daughter 
 of John Castleman, a native of Pennsylvania, 
 but of German descent. They were married in 
 Ohio, and settled in Richland county, where they 
 made a permanent home and there died some 
 years ago. Of their family of eight children, sev- 
 
234 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 en grew to maturity — Annie, now Mrs. Gotcliall, 
 living in Nebraska; William, who died in Mai'- 
 shall county, in 1866; John, who lives in Michi- 
 gan; George, now living in Richland county, 
 Ohio; Jacob, who lives in Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois; Henry, now living in Nebraska; Mary, now 
 Mrs. Benedict, living in Richland county, Ohio; 
 and T. W., the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Our subject was born February 2, 1841, in 
 Richland county, Ohio, and there grew to man- 
 hood on his father's farm, receiving his primary 
 education in the public schools, then attended 
 the Savannah Academy, in Ashland county, and 
 finishing his course at Baldwin University, near 
 Cleveland, Obio. After leaving the university 
 he taught school for a time in his native cormty, 
 and in 1864 removed to Marshall county, lUinois, 
 where he also taught several terms of school in 
 Bennington township, in connection with his 
 farming operations. 
 
 On the 15th of October, 1868, Mr. Stoner mar- 
 ried Miss Eleanor Ann German, a sister of W. H. 
 German, of Hopewell township. She was born 
 on Ox Bow Prairie, Putnam county, July 19, 
 1848. By this union six children were born, five 
 of whom are now living — Wilbert Lee, Efifie Alay, 
 John R., Edna A., George H., and Harry C. 
 Of the number, John R. is deceased. 
 
 After living upon rented farms for five years, 
 in 1873 ^'^- Stoner came to Hopewell township, 
 Marshall county, and settled upon his present 
 farm on section i. The farm was partially im- 
 proved at the time, but many improvements have 
 since been added by him. He has now five hun- 
 dred acres, of which three hundred and eighty 
 acres are under cultivation. In addition to gen- 
 eral farming, Mr. Stoner has engaged somewhat 
 extensively in stock raising, inwhich line of busi- 
 ness he has been quite successful. Upon his 
 farm he has a number of head of blooded polled 
 Angus cattle, full-blooded Poland China hogs, 
 and also Duroc Jerseys. In addition he has im- 
 ported Belgian and full-blooded draft horses. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Stoner affiliates with the dem- 
 ocratic party, and has taken an active interest 
 in township affairs. For twcTity-three years he 
 
 has served as school director, has been supervisor 
 of Hopewell township four years, tax collector in 
 Bennington township one year, clerk of Hope- 
 well township two years, assessor of Hopewell 
 township three years, and is now serving his 
 third term as justice of the peace. He has been 
 a delegate to county conventions for twenty 
 years, and has been a leader in his party. He 
 comes of a patriotic family, his grandfather, John 
 Stoner, serving in the Revolutionary war, being 
 present at the battle of Bunker Hill. His broth- 
 er Henry was a soldier in the civil war as a mem- 
 ber of the Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. 
 Mr. Stoner is not a member of any church, but 
 was reared a ^Methodist. 'Sirs. Stoner is a mem- 
 ber of the Christian church, and in all religious 
 and benevolent work takes an active interest 
 and does all in her power to advance the interest 
 of the JMaster's cause. 
 
 JOSHUA L. MILLS, one of the most highly 
 respected and prosperous farmers of 3ilag- 
 nolia township, Putnam county, residing on sec- 
 tion II, comes of a good old Pennsylvania fam- 
 ily. His grandparents, Henry and Elizabeth 
 (John) Mills, were natives of that state, the lat- 
 ter the daughter of Abel John, who was of 
 Welsh extract. They made their home in Wash- 
 ington county, Pennsylvania, where the grand- 
 father died about 1829 and his wife two years lat- 
 er. They reared five children to maturity, all of 
 whom are now deceased, namely : Rachel, who 
 married Jehu Lewis and had three children, Sam- 
 uel, Joseph, deceased, and Elizabeth; Alartha, 
 who became the wife of Nathan Pusey, and had 
 six children, ]\lary Ann, Joseph and Parker C, 
 all deceased, William AL, Elizabeth and Joshua; 
 Elizabeth married Nathaniel Gregg and had 
 three children, all deceased, ]\Iartin, Nathan and 
 Ruth Ann; Joseph was the father of our sub- 
 ject, and Abel married Catharine Ulery, by whom 
 he had three children, Emeline, deceased, who 
 married Robert Morris ; Matilda, widow of Wil- 
 liam McVey, and Joseph, who married, but had 
 no children. 
 
■^/-^ 
 
 %-• 
 
 Mrs. J. L. Mills. 
 
JosiiCA L. Mills 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 239 
 
 Joseph Mills, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Pennsylvania, October 29, 1792; was 
 there reared and received a fairly good educa- 
 tion. In that state June 3, 1813, he married Miss 
 Sarah Raley, who was born in Virginia Decem- 
 ber II, 1792. of Irish descent, and a daughter of 
 Eli and ^lary (Lupton) Raley, who removed from 
 Virginia to Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
 where her mother died in 1837. In 1840 her 
 father came to Putnam county, Illinois, settling 
 in ^Magnolia township, where his death occurred 
 three years later. In their family were six chil- 
 dren — Sarah, Joseph, Nancy, Robert, Eli and 
 El-zabeth, all now deceased. 
 
 After their marriage the parents of our sub- 
 ject located in Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
 and later removed to Fayette county, where the 
 father conducted a general store in connection 
 with farming. At one time he also operated a 
 glass factory. Later he returned to Washingfton 
 county, but in 1840, with his wife and younger 
 children, he emigrated to Putnam county, Illi- 
 nois, locating upon a roughly broken tract of 
 land a half mile north of the village of Alagnolia, 
 where his death occurred August 24, 1847. His 
 wife survived him some years, dying "March 4, 
 1864. They were by birthright members of the 
 Friends church, and the father frequently ad- 
 dressed the meetings. He was an influential 
 and popular man, who was often called upon to 
 settle difficulties between his neighbors, and was 
 a thorough business man, taking hold of any 
 work that fell to his lot. In Pennsylvania he 
 served as justice of the peace, and in Magnolia 
 township served as school treasurer. 
 
 The parental household included six children 
 who grew to maturity, as follows: Eli R., mar- 
 ried Elizabeth H. Kimber, both now deceased, 
 and they had seven children, Susan, Joseph and 
 Thomas, deceased, Sarah, Henry C, Andrew H. 
 and Isaac R.; Henry, deceased, married Esther 
 R. Rhodes, and they had seven children, Parker 
 P., John H. and Sarah Elizabeth, all deceased, 
 David R., Elmira, William H. and Esther. Mary 
 Ann is the deceased wife of John Taylor, whose 
 sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Joshua 
 
 L., of this sketch, is next in order of birth. Pusey 
 married Lydia Hartley, both now deceased, and 
 they had five children, Joshua, Rebecca, Willis, 
 Jonathan and Oliver. Abel lives in Magnolia 
 township, Putnam county. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred November 
 25, 1821, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
 and in that state he grew to manhood and re- 
 ceived most of his common school education, 
 only attending school for one month in Mag- 
 nolia township, at which time his teacher was 
 George W. Alinear. He remained upon the home 
 farm until seventeen years of age, when he 
 learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed 
 for two years after coming to this state. On his 
 arrival in Putnam county April 2, 1842, he made 
 his home with his father for two years, and the 
 following six years were passed at his brother 
 Eli's. 
 
 On the 14th of March, 1850, Mr. Mills led to 
 the marriage altar Aiiss Hannah S. Hoyle, who 
 was born in Ohio, September 14, 1831, and was 
 only an infant when brought to Putnam county 
 by her parents, Joseph and Ruth (Newport) 
 Hoyle. Her father had purchased land in Mag- 
 nolia township in 1832, and the following year 
 moved his family to that farm, where the par- 
 ents spent their remaining days. They had three 
 daughters, the sisters of Mrs. Mills — Sabina and 
 Hannah S. being now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Mills began his domestic life in a log cabin 
 on his father-in-law's place, where he remained 
 for five years, and then removed to his present 
 location, the farm at that time being all wild 
 prairie. He has since engaged in its cultivation 
 and improvement, erecting a good residence, 
 barns and other outbuildings, and has set out all 
 the trees upon the place. He has engaged in 
 mixed farming, raising some cattle, horses, hogs 
 and sheep, as well as the cereals adapted to this 
 clime. He is numbered among the self-made 
 men of the county, his accumulations being the 
 result of his own industry, obtained by self-denial 
 and economy, and the exercise of a naturally 
 good judgment, both in regard to agricultural 
 pursuits and business matters. On coming to 
 
240 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the county his property consisted of but five dol- 
 lars, but he now owns seven hundred and fifty 
 acres of valuable farming land, about three hun- 
 dred acres of which was received through his 
 wife. 
 
 Mr. Mills has been called upon to mourn the 
 loss of his excellent wife, who died Alay 28, 1895. 
 She was a member of the Society of Friends and 
 served as elder in her church. In their family 
 were the following children: Mary Louisa is 
 the wife of Oscar Bumgardner of Magnolia town- 
 ship, and they have nine children, William Leslie 
 and L. Raymond, twins, Joseph, Joshua, Jona- 
 than, Isabel, Ethel, Irmy and Ruth; Sabina is 
 the wife of Elmer C. Dickey of California, and 
 they have one child, Ziska; Edith Ann is now 
 deceased, and Ruth Eva is the wife of John C. 
 Sutherland of Magnolia township, by whom she 
 has two sons, Leon Eugene and Wilbor i\Iills. 
 
 jNIr. Mills is also an elder in the Eriends church 
 and takes an active part in the meetings here. 
 Fonnerly, in politics, he was a republican, but 
 now votes the prohibition ticket and attends the 
 state conventions of his party. A warm friend of 
 the cause of education, for years he served as 
 school director, and has also been assessor of 
 ^Magnolia township. He was paymaster for the 
 proposed Plymouth & Kankakee railroad, dur- 
 ing which time he paid out $90,000. He has 
 also been president of the Putnam County Farm- 
 ers' Insurance Company and the Putnam County 
 Agricultural Society. He has been called upon 
 to fill other positions of responsibility and trust, 
 and it is needless to say that he always dis- 
 charged his duties with the utmost fidelity. He 
 settled up the estate of his brother Eli, which 
 was one of the heaviest in the count}', and was 
 guardian for one of the children for nineteen 
 years and three days. They presented him on 
 Christmas, 1874, with an elegant gold watch, 
 upon the inner case of which was inscribed, "A 
 tol<;en of respect to the faithful guardian from 
 those faithfully served." He also closed up the 
 estate of James E. Blake, after which the widow 
 left her share of the property in his hands for 
 twenty years. 
 
 EDGAR D. LARKIX, one of the enterpris- 
 ing and substantial business man of Arling- 
 ton, has been actively and successfully engaged 
 in merchandising at that place for sixteen years. 
 He was born on the 29th of July, 1853, in Har- 
 risville, Harrison county, Ohio, but almost his 
 entire life has been passed in Bureau county, 
 Illinois, where he was brought by his parents 
 in May, 1855, and has since been prominently 
 identified with its interests. 
 
 His father, Townsend T. Larkin, was a son 
 of John Larkin, and a native of Pennsylvania, 
 where the family was founded at an early day 
 in the history of that commonwealth. There 
 the father grew to manhood, receiving a good 
 education, and when a young man went to Har- 
 rison county, Ohio, where he married ]\Iiss Julia 
 A. Richardson, a native of that county. In Har- 
 risville he engaged in contracting and building 
 for a number of years, and in 1849, niade a trip 
 through portions of Illinois and Iowa, but it 
 was in 1855 that he took up his residence in Bu- 
 reau county, settling in Westfield township, on 
 the present site of the village of Arlington, where 
 he engaged first in the lumber business and then 
 in general merchandising, and later in the furni- 
 ture trade. He was one of the most able busi- 
 ness men of the community and continued active 
 operations until his death, which occurred Octo- 
 ber 24, 1876. He held various positions of hon- 
 or and trust, and was a prominent i\Iason, a so- 
 ciety made of the best and most honorable of 
 men. He organized the Temple of Honor of 
 Harrisville, Ohio, and later helped to institute 
 various lodges in that state. On his seventieth 
 birthday, the Larkin family held a reunion at 
 the old homestead at Newton Square, Pennsyl- 
 vania, May I, 1872, at which were present all 
 his brothers and sisters then living, namely: 
 jMrs. Pennell, Mordecai Larkin, ]\Irs. Eliza L. 
 Thomas, ■Mrs. Hannah Sharpless, ]\Irs. Alartha 
 Yost and John Larkin, Jr. The last time the 
 family was previously collected together was 
 May 5, 1824, forty-eight years before, at the 
 marriage of one of the sisters. On that occasion 
 all the children, ten in number, were present, but 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 241 
 
 since then death had removed three, leaving sev- 
 en still living, of whom the youngest was sixty- 
 eight years of age. This is an instance of long- 
 evity not often equaled. Mrs. Larkin died in 
 1888, and was buried by the side of her husband 
 in the Arlington cemetery, where a substantial 
 monument marks their last resting place. 
 
 Our subject is the only son of the family of 
 four children, all of whom are still living, his 
 sisters being Celina T., wife of William Waugh, 
 of Black Hills, South Dakota; Mary Ellen, wife 
 of E. J. Hills, of Tampa, Florida, and Anna L., 
 wife of 'SI. D. Paxton, of Rapids City, South 
 Dakota. 
 
 Mr. Larkin, of this review, acquired his edu- 
 cation in the common schools of Bureau county, 
 and assisted his father in the store, remaining 
 with him until the latter's death. He then took 
 charge of "the estate and cared for his , mother 
 until she, too, was called from his life. In 1880, 
 he made a trip to the Black Hills, where he re- 
 mained for nine months, and on his return to 
 Arlington, embarked in the grocery and jewelry 
 business, having learned the latter with his fath- 
 er. In September, 1886, he formed a partner- 
 ship with J. R. Black, and this firm continued 
 until 1892, when I. C. Black succeeded his son, 
 and the firm now carry a large and complete 
 stock of dry goods, groceries, queensware, glass- 
 ware, etc. They have built up an excellent trade 
 and established a reputation for good goods and 
 fair dealing. 
 
 At Arlington, on the 4th of May, 1877, was 
 celebrated the marriage of Mr. Larkin and 'Sliss 
 Alforetta Berry, a native of Bureau county and 
 a daughter of Rufus B. Berry, an honored pioneer 
 of the county. After completing the high school 
 course at Arlington, ^Irs. Larkin successfully 
 engaged in teaching for a time previous to her 
 marriage. She has become the mother of four 
 children— Justin E., Edna B., Juliette and Town- 
 send T., all attending school. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Larkin gives his support to the 
 republican party, with which he has been identi- 
 fied since casting his first presidential vote for 
 General U. S. Grant, and takes an active part 
 
 in local affairs. He most capably served as 
 mayor for one year, for about ten years has been 
 alderman, and treasurer of the village two years. 
 He has served as a delegate to numerous county 
 conventions and also to the state convention. He 
 has ever proved a faithful and most trustworthy 
 oiTicial, discharging his duties with promptness 
 and fidelity, and his course in both public and 
 private life is worthy the highest commendation. 
 Socially, he is a member of the Masonic frater- 
 nit)r, being at the present time treasurer of his 
 lodge, and though not a member of any religious 
 denornination, he and his wife attend the services 
 of the ^Methodist Episcopal church. They hold 
 a prominent position in the social circles of 
 Arlington, where they are so widely and favor- 
 ably known, and enjoy the friendship and high 
 regard of the best people of the community. 
 
 GUSTAV SHULTZ. As a representative of 
 the agricultural class, and one who has 
 met with good success in his independent call- 
 ing, we take pleasure in giving a brief sketch of 
 the gentleman whose name appears at the head 
 of this notice. He has now, however, laid aside 
 business cares, and is living a retired life in 
 Princeton, Illinois. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred in Prussia, 
 Germany, January zy, 1830, and he is a son of 
 Peter and Mary (Gurtz) Shultz. In that country 
 the father carried on the occupation of farm- 
 ing, and there died in 1853, at the age of sixty- 
 four years. The mother later came to the Lnited 
 States, and her death occurred in Iowa, in 1864, 
 at the age of seventy-six years. Both were mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran church. Eight children 
 were born to this worthy couple, namely: 
 Joseph, wedded ]\Iary Peel, who died in 1891, at 
 the age of sixty-two years, and he died in 1885, 
 in Iowa, at the age of sixty-six; Christopher, 
 who died in Iowa, in 1894, at the age of seventy- 
 two years, left a wife who bore the maiden name 
 of Mary Rahbarg, and is still a resident of that 
 state; Henrietta, wife of John Ahrens, makes 
 her home on a farm in Iowa; Carl, who married 
 Minnie Burns, is a retired farmer of Welcome, 
 
242 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Iowa, near which place the family all reside; 
 Caroline is the wife of Carl Lapp, and is still 
 a resident of Germany ; Gustav is next in order of 
 birth; Henry married Mary Rahberg, and lives 
 on a farm in Poweshiek county, Iowa. 
 
 In 1854, with his brother Charles, Gustav 
 Shultz embarked on a vessel bound for the new 
 world, and on their arrival located at Princeton, 
 Illinois. On the 6th of August, of the same year, 
 he wedded Miss Mary Hechtner, daughter of 
 Godfred and Mary (Kent) Hechtner, who came 
 from the fatherland on the same vessel with our 
 subject, being five weeks upon the Atlantic, dur- 
 ing which time they encountered several storms, 
 but it was considered a quick passage. Mr. 
 Shultz was first employed in a shoe shop, later in 
 a brick yard, and then rented land. In 1858 he 
 went to Iowa, but five years later returned to Bu- 
 reau county, where he remained for three years 
 and then went to Muscatine county, Iowa, there 
 spending the three following years. On selling 
 out there, he purchased a half section of land 
 on Central Prairie, Bureau township, sections 22 
 and 25, which he continued to cultivate and im- 
 prove until coming to Princeton, in 1893, when 
 he sold the same to his children. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Shultz located upon a 
 farm near Princeton, where the father died June 
 24, 1873, 3-t the age of seventy-three years, and 
 the mother departed this life while on a visit to 
 a couple of daughters in Sterling, Illinois, De- 
 cember 6, 1862, at the age of fifty-seven. In 
 their family were six children, all born in Prus- 
 sia. Fred, married Sophia Range, and both are 
 now deceased, his death having occurred De- 
 cember 14, 1890, at the age of sixty-five years, 
 and his wife's in 1896, at the age of sixty; Mary, 
 the wife of our subject, who was next in order of 
 birth, and was born August 24, 1831; Henrietta 
 is the wife of Fred Werth, of Davenport, Iowa; 
 John is the fourth of the family ; Lizzie is the wife 
 of Gotlieb Hessler, of Nebraska; Sophia is the 
 wife of Fred Deitrich, an agriculturist of Iowa. 
 
 Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Shultz — Fred, died at the age of six months, and 
 Mary at the age of fourteen months, and their re- 
 
 mains were interred in Knox cemetery, lUinois; 
 Fred, the second of that name, married Mattie 
 Lempke, by whom he has eight children — Gus- 
 tav, Fred, Emma, Willie, Julius, Carl, Henry 
 and Freda; the family reside upon the old home- 
 stead farm in Bureau township; Henrietta is the 
 wife of John C. Becker, a farmer of the same 
 county; they had six children — Fred; Mary, 
 who died at the age of eight years and a half; 
 Johnnie, Lizzie, Minnie, and Frankie. 
 
 While residing on his farm, Mr. Shultz served 
 as school trustee for several years, and in politics 
 is independent, voting for the best man regard- 
 less of party ties. He and his family are all 
 worthy members of the Lutheran church, and are 
 highly esteemed and honored citizens of Bu- 
 reau county. He was ever one of the best of 
 farmers, enterprising, wide-awake and of the 
 strictest integrity, and is now enjoying a well- 
 earned rest among his many friends. 
 
 CONRAD J. HELD, a well-known and pro- 
 gressive farmer of Hopewell township, 
 Marshall county, resides upon section 36, where 
 he owns a fine farm of over seven hundred acres, 
 all of which he has himself greatly improved. 
 His father, Conrad Held, is a native of Baden, 
 Germany, and came to America in 1845, ^ single 
 man, locating at Hennepin, Illinois. He there 
 married Apalona Freeze, a native of Bierne, Ger- 
 many, November 2, 1845, s-iid shortly after set- 
 tled on section 11, Hopewell township. 
 
 On arriving in this country the father found 
 himself the possessor of only seventy-five dollars 
 in cash, but with true German grit, he determined 
 to achieve for himself a home if not a fortune. 
 The land which he purchased was in a wild state. 
 He first built a log house and then began clear- 
 ing and grubbing out the brush. In due course 
 of time he had the farm well improved, and built 
 a frame house which is still standing. He there 
 hved until 1861, when he sold the place to Enoch 
 Sawyer, and removed to section 25, Hopewell 
 township, where he purchased a farm of Charles 
 Parker, comprising a half section of land partial- 
 ly improved, for which he paid twenty-five dol- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 243 
 
 lars per acre. He fenced the entire tract and in 
 due time tiled the same and the farm became one 
 of the most productive in Marshall county. The 
 house which he found upon the place on his re- 
 moval thereto was burned some years ago, after 
 which he erected a large residence now occupied 
 bv hii son, Peter Held. After being actively 
 engaged in farming and stock raising for some 
 years, in about 1884 he retired from active life, 
 removing to Lacon, where he resided three 
 years. He then moved to Varna, where he still 
 resides. He was a very successful farmer and 
 also a stock dealer, which line of business he 
 followed some years, and all that he now has 
 is the result of his perseverance, industry and 
 good management. 
 
 To Conrad and Apalona Held were born six 
 children, three of whom are now living. Mary 
 married William Kock, and now resides in Rob- 
 erts township. They have three children, Emma, 
 Conrad and Lizzie, the first named now being 
 the wife of Albert Hofifert, also residing in Rob- 
 erts township; Peter W. married Tillie Hofifert, 
 by whom he has three children — Loretta, now 
 the wife of John J. Myers; Olive and Mary. 
 They reside on section 25, Hopewell township. 
 Our subject completes the family. 
 
 Religiously, the father has been a lifelong 
 member of the Lutheran church, while his wife 
 is a member of the German jMethodist church. 
 Politically, he has always been a democrat, and 
 while caring nothing for the honors of office, he 
 has yet served his fellow-citizens in official capa- 
 city, serving three years as supervisor of Hope- 
 well township, and road commissioner two years. 
 He has always taken a great interest in the pub- 
 lic schools and has done all in his power to ad- 
 vance their interests. Purely a self-made man, 
 he is entitled to great credit for what he is and 
 what he has been. 
 
 On the 2nd of November, 1895, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Held celebrated their golden wedding, at the 
 residence of their daughter, Mrs. William Kock. 
 It had not entered the mind of the aged couple 
 to celebrate this event, but their three children 
 determined it should not pass without being 
 
 properly observed. With the exception of the 
 Rev. William Schultz, of Washburn, there were 
 none present but relatives of the couple to the 
 number of thirty-five. A sumptuous dinner was 
 served, one specially fine cake being contributed 
 by ;\Irs. Conrad Held, Jr., which was decorated 
 with monograms. After a very pleasant day 
 and evening being spent all retired to their 
 respective homes with the hope that the father 
 and mother might be spared to celebrate their 
 diamond wedding. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, who is the voung- 
 est child living of Conrad and Apalona Held, 
 was born January 18, 1851, on the old farm on 
 section 11, Hopewell township, where the first, 
 ten years of his life were spent. The family then 
 removed to section 25, in the same township, 
 and there he remained until after attaining his 
 majority. His primary education was obtained 
 in the district schools, and his literary training 
 completed at the Xorthwestern College, of Plain- 
 field, Illinois. The succeeding two years were 
 spent on the farm with his father, and in 1872, he 
 married Miss Helen M. Strawn, a native of Rich- 
 land township, Marshall county, and a daughter 
 of William and Helen M. (Broaddus) Strawn, 
 and a granddaughter of Colonel John Strawn, 
 the first settler of Richland township. She was 
 born July 21, 1854, and was educated in the dis- 
 trict schools of Richland township, and in the 
 high school at Lacon. She received her musical 
 training at Lacon, and has kept up her practice, 
 being a musician of more than ordinary ability. 
 
 After his marriage, our subject was in the stock 
 business with his father for one year, and in 
 1874, settled on his present farm on section 36, 
 Hopewell township. The farm at that time was 
 but little improved, and Mr. Held went to work 
 at once, fencing and tiling and otherwise improv- 
 ing the same. He has put down over three thou- 
 sand rods of tiling and has erected the present 
 residence, barns and other out-buildings. In ad- 
 dition to general farming, Mr. Held has usually 
 been engaged in stock raising and also for a time 
 as a dealer in stock. The family consists of three 
 sons — Ralph Waldo, Edward Lester, and J. Eos- 
 
244 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ter. The first named has been a student at Eu- 
 reka College, and at present Edward Lester is 
 attending the same institution. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Held is a republican, and has 
 taken more or less interest in political affairs 
 since attaining his majority. He has been col- 
 lector of Hopewell township, and is now serving 
 his seventh year as a justice of the peace. He is 
 also serving his twenty-first year as director of 
 school district No. 2. No man in Marshall 
 county has taken greater interest in educational 
 afifairs, and he has ever endeavored to make dis- 
 trict No. 2, one of the model school districts of 
 the county. In doing this he has aimed at all 
 times to secure good teachers, and has always 
 been willing to pay well for the same. Mrs. 
 Held is a member of the Congregational church 
 at Lacon, and takes an active part in the same. 
 
 WALTER T. PLU:\'IB, a wide-awake and 
 progressive business man of Spring Val- 
 ley, was born March 18, 1861, in Oneida county, 
 
 4 
 
 New York, and is the only child of Thomas and 
 Frances (Jones) Plumb, both natives of England. 
 The father, who was a carpenter and contractor, 
 died when our subject was only three years old, 
 and the mother passed away October 3, 1892, 
 at the age of sixty-three years. In religious be- 
 lief she was an Episcopalian. 
 
 The Plumb family was founded in America by 
 three brothers who came from England at an 
 early day and located in the east. From them 
 are descended all who spell the name Plumb in 
 this country. The late Senator Preston B. 
 Plumb, of Kansas, was a fourth cousin of the 
 subject of this sketch, and to the same family be- 
 longs Henry T. Plumb, a jeweler of Des Moines, 
 Iowa, a prominent man, who is well and favor- 
 ably known. 
 
 In the schools of Fulton and Utica, New York, 
 Walter T. Plumb acquired his education, and at 
 an early age began learning the watch-making 
 and jeweler's trade, which he has followed con- 
 tinuously since. He is an excellent workman 
 of much ingenuity and aptness, and is said to be 
 
 one of the best connected with that business in 
 Bureau county. On the death of his mother-in- 
 law, in 1895, Mr. Plumb was called upon to take 
 charge of her general store in Spring Valley, and 
 he has added to the extensive stock already car- 
 ried in his former business. He now has one of 
 the largest and most complete general stores in 
 the place, and carries a full assortment of dry 
 goods, millinery, notions, jewelry, wall paper, 
 sewing machines and bicycles. He is now at 
 the head of a large and profitable trade and is 
 assisted in the store by his wife. 
 
 On the sth of March, 1890, was celebrated the 
 marriage of ;\Ir. Plumb and ]\Iiss Lizzie Smith, 
 daughter of the late Andrew and Sarah Smith, 
 of Spring Valley. Mrs. Plumb is a lady of cul- 
 ture and refinement, and her pleasing ways win 
 her many friends. 
 
 Fraternally, our subject is connected with the 
 Odd Fellows society, of Utica, New York, and 
 is now serving as senior deacon of S. AI. Dalzell 
 lodge, F. & A. M., No. 805, of Spring Valley. 
 He is quite prominent in Masonic circles, being 
 a thirty-second degree Mason; belongs to the 
 Peoria consistory, and is a member of the Nobles 
 of the Mystic Shrine. Although he takes no act- 
 ive part in political afifairs, he is a firm believer in 
 high protection, and therefore an ardent admirer 
 of William McKinley. His ballot is always cast 
 in support of the men and measures of the repub- 
 lican party. He is deservedly popular and has 
 made hosts of warm friends since coming to 
 Spring Valley, where he is numbered among the 
 most valued and enterprising business men. 
 
 JOHN S. SEARL. There is a peculiar inter- 
 <J est attached to the history of the pioneers oi 
 an)- portion of our great state, and particularly of 
 that part of it with which we are closely connect- 
 ed. Mr. Searl arrived in Bureau county on the 
 20th of May, 1834, and has since been identified 
 with its interests. On locating here be found an 
 almost unbroken wilderness, the homes of the set- 
 tlers widely scattered, but few towns or villages ; 
 wild game was to be had in abundance, and the 
 
THE lUOGRAPIilCAL RECORD. 
 
 245 
 
 nearest market was Chicago. To that city the 
 farmers would haul their grain, bringing back 
 the needed supplies, and the trip required from 
 seven to nine days. Our subject experienced all 
 of the hardships and trials which fall to the lot 
 of the pioneer who endeavors to make a home 
 in the midst of the wilderness, but he overcame 
 these and to-day is one of the most substantial 
 and reliable citizens of Selby township, living re- 
 tired upon his fine farm on section 32, surrounded 
 by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of 
 life. 
 
 }ilr. Searl was born in Greene county, Ohio, 
 July 28, 1830, a son of Brown Searl, whose birth 
 occurred in the empire state. The paternal 
 grandfather, Timothy Searl, was also a native of 
 Xew York, where he w^as married and reared 
 his family. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. 
 When a young man, Brown Searl removed to 
 Ohio, becoming one of the early settlers of 
 Greene county, where he married Barbara 
 Hosier, who was born near Wheeling, West 
 Mrginia, of German parentage. The father 
 cleared, fenced and operated a farm in Greene 
 county for several years, emigrating westward to 
 Bureau county, Illinois, in 1834. Here he en- 
 tered six hundred and forty acres of wild land, 
 which he at once began to improve and develop, 
 and erected thereon good buildings. He secured 
 the land from.. the government when it came into 
 market in 1836, and continued to make his home 
 there until called to his final rest in 1869, at the 
 age of seventy-three }-ears. As an influential 
 citizen, he took a prominent part in the early af- 
 fairs of the county, holding numerous local posi- 
 tions of trust and honor, and was instrumental 
 in securing the state road through this section. 
 He was a man of exemplary habits, upright and 
 honorable in all things, and was held in the 
 highest regard by all who knew him. His wife 
 died at the home of our subject in September, 
 1892, at the advanced age of ninety-three years, 
 and was laid by his side in the Ridge cemetery, 
 where a substantial monument marks their last 
 resting place. 
 
 Our subject is the third in order of birth in the 
 
 family of four sons and one daughter, the others 
 being as follows: Timothy, born in 1818, came 
 with the family to Illinois in 1834, but later went 
 to Kansas, and afterward to Page county, Iowa, 
 dying at Clarinda, in November, 1895; Peter H. 
 became a resident of Poweshiek county, Iowa, 
 where he engaged in farming. He met his death 
 by a stroke of lightning, which struck the barn 
 in which he had taken refuge during a thunder 
 storm; William is now living in Hebron, Thayer 
 county, Nebraska; Melissa is the wife of Jesse 
 Hoskins, formerly of Bureau county, but now of 
 Clarinda, Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Searl, of this review, was but a child of 
 four years when brought by his parents to Bu- 
 reau county, and for a time he attended the pub- 
 lic schools here, but is mostly self-educated. He 
 is an intelligent man, well-informed on the lead- 
 ing topics and issues of the day. He remained 
 under the parental roof, and after his fathers 
 death succeeded to a part of the old homestead, 
 which he continued to improve and cultivate, 
 and also purchased more land, now owning ?e 
 eral good and well-improved farms in both Sel- 
 by and Berlin township. Bureau county. He is a 
 man of good business capacity, an able financier, 
 and a practical and progressive farmer, so that 
 the success that he has achieved in life has been 
 mainly due to his good management, sound 
 judgment and industry. 
 
 In Bureau county, August 28, 1851, was con- 
 summated the marriage of Mr. Searl and Miss- 
 Amanda Miller, who was born, reared and edu- 
 cated in Greene county, Ohio, where her parents 
 died, and she came to this county with a brother. 
 Ten children were born of this union — W. W., a 
 farmer of Guthrie county, Iowa; B. F.. a farmer 
 of Selby township. Bureau county; Mary A., wife 
 of William Rawson, of Guthrie county, lo^a; 
 Andrew J., a farmer of Selby township; M. F., 
 a farmer of Berlin township. Bureau county; 
 Samantha, widow of Moses P. Fox, a substantial 
 farmer of Bureau county, who died in February, 
 1894, leaving one son. Miles S., now twelve 
 years of age; Samuel L., a farmer of Selby town- 
 ship; Edwin Grant, also a farmer of that town- 
 
246 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ship ; Maria D., wife of Herbert Hassler, a mer- 
 chant of Bureau Junction, and Sarah A., who 
 died at the age of nineteen years. The wife and 
 mother was called to her final rest February i, 
 1888, and her remains were interred in Ridge 
 cemetery beside those of her daughter. 
 
 Mr. Searl is a Royal Arch Mason, belonging 
 to the blue lodge and chapter at Princeton, into 
 the mysteries of which order he was initiated in 
 1862. He has in his possession a Masonic apron 
 which once belonged to his grandfather, Timothy 
 Searl, and is now treasured in the family as an 
 heirloom. Politically, Mr. Searl is a republican, 
 and has been identified with the party since its 
 organization, voting for its first presidential nom- 
 inee, John C. Fremont. He has taken an active 
 part in local affairs, and has held numerous posi- 
 tions of honor and trust. For seven consecutive 
 vears he served as supervisor of the township, 
 and has filled every township office, save that of 
 justice of the peace. He has represented his 
 township and county in various political conven- 
 tions, and always with credit to himself and sat- 
 isfaction of the people. While living in a demo- 
 cratic township, he never ran for ofSce but what 
 he was elected. The winter of 1895-6, was most 
 enjoyably passed by our subject on the Pacific 
 coast, traveling from Seattle, Washington, to 
 old Mexico, and spending five months in Cali- 
 fornia. He is numbered among the honored old 
 settlers of the county, where he is so widely and 
 favorably known, and his sterling worth and 
 strict integrity have gained him the warm friend- 
 ship of the best people of the community. 
 
 JOHN W. BAILEY, Princeton, was born in 
 Cincinnati, Ohio, October 15, 1830; his par- 
 ents, William S. and Caroline, having settled 
 there some three or four years previous. His 
 early years were spent in the common schools of 
 that day, and when thirteen years of age he com- 
 menced an apprenticeship in a Cincinnati job 
 office. Having a liking for the trade, he applied 
 himself diligently to its mastery. At that time 
 he became interested in storv and character 
 
 sketching, for the daily papers, and for several 
 years he held a reportorial position on several 
 daily papers. In 1855 ^'^^- Bailey assisted a 
 friend in the establishment of a republican paper 
 at ConnersviWe, Indiana. In 1858 he bought a 
 half interest in the Tiffin (Ohio) Tribune, and 
 was there married to Emma, D. jMcClelland, 
 March 2y, i860. A few days later he sold his 
 interest in the Tribune to a brother of his wife, 
 and purchased a third interest in the Toledo Daily 
 Commercial. Here he was so much afflicted 
 with the fever and ague that after less than three 
 years' experience he came to Chicago, and there 
 learned from Joseph Medill, of the Chicago Tri- 
 bune, that the Princeton Republican, owned by 
 Mrs. J. G. Hewitt and John H. Bryant, was for 
 sale. The trip to Princeton was immediately 
 made, and the paper purchased by him in the 
 fall of 1863, and he has remained the editor of 
 the paper from that day to this. In early life 
 Mr. Bailey was identified with the abolition party 
 of Ohio, and had considerable to do with the 
 "underground railroad" business. He was well 
 acquainted with many of the old friends of lib- 
 erty in behalf of the slave, and shared with some 
 of them the exciting trials incident to assisting 
 fugitives to escape to Canada. ^Ir. Bailev cast 
 his first vote for General Winfield Scott, in 1852 
 — although strongly sympathizing with the free 
 soil party, under the lead of John P. Hale, real- 
 izing full well that either Scott or Pierce must 
 be elected at that time. He vigorously, as a 
 journalist, opposed the repeal of the T\Iissouri 
 compromise law, in 1854; voted for John C. Fre- 
 mont in 1856, and for every republican candidate 
 for the presidency from that day to the present, 
 and will vote for William McKinley in November 
 3, 1896, if life is spared him to get to the polls. 
 Mr. Bailey was always an uncompromising op- 
 ponent of slavery, and the firm advocate of lib- 
 erty for all. For forty-eight years he has been 
 actively identified with newspaper work as a 
 writer, and thirty-three of these years were spent 
 in Princeton. He was among the first to advo- 
 cate the policy of arming the negroes to help 
 put down the southern rebellion against the 
 
J. W. Bailey. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL R1<:CURD. 
 
 249 
 
 government, and later he favored the right of 
 the colored people to citizenship and the ballot 
 as a matter of self-protection. His motto has 
 been an honest ballot and a fair count. The best 
 energies of his life have been devoted to what 
 he believed to be the proper conduct of the Bu- 
 reau County Republican during the last thirty- 
 three years. Under his editorial management the 
 Republican has been the unwavering friend of our 
 public school system and schools in general, and 
 the Princeton high school in particular. He has 
 always favored every progressive movement for 
 the betterment of Princeton's public conveniences, 
 such as water works, electric light, sewerage and 
 street railway. He spent the winter of 1861-2 in 
 Washington as a clerk in the folding department 
 of the house, thus giving him good advantages 
 for hearing the debates of members of congress ; 
 and in 1880 and 1890 he served the government 
 of the United States as supervisor of the census 
 for the Third Illinois district, embracing the 
 counties lying between Bureau county and the 
 Mississippi river. He also served the state as 
 first assistant secretary of the Illinois senate for 
 two terms (1887 and 1889), ^I'^d previous to these 
 dates held positions of honor in the Illinois Press 
 association, such as president, vice-president and 
 member of the executive board ; and was, in fact, 
 one of the organizers of this association, which 
 first met at Peoria February 22, 1866. Mr. Bai- 
 ley has been prominent in political matters in 
 Bureau county and Illinois during the period of 
 his residence in Princeton, and served the party 
 to which he belongs on many important com- 
 mittees, and for some time was chairman of the 
 republican county central committee. He is a 
 member of Bureau lodge of Masons, No. 112, 
 Princeton chapter and council, of Temple com- 
 mandery in Princeton, and of Oriental consist- 
 ory, Scottish Rite Masons of Chicago. Himself 
 and wife have been blessed with good health 
 ever since they left Toledo, and they have three 
 sons and two daughters, who have grown to 
 their majority at the Princeton home, namely: 
 William J., now a resident of Chicago; Harry 
 U., and Howard J., at home; Ella C, the wife of 
 13 
 
 Thornton B. lioyer, a resident of Keokuk, Iowa, 
 and Mabel, who is also at home. Two children 
 died in infancy. 
 
 Harry U., having purchased the interest of the 
 late Charles P. Bascom in the Republican, is now 
 associated with his father in the publication of 
 that paper, while Howard J. is connected with 
 the paper as foreman. 
 
 JAY L. SPAULDING, city attorney for 
 Princeton, Illinois, is one of the prominent 
 and successful young lawyers of the place. He is 
 a native of Bureau county, born September 24, 
 1870, and is a son of Rev. J. P. and Kate (Walker) 
 Spaulding. The birth of his mother occurred in 
 Ohio, but at an early day she came to Illinois 
 with her parents, James and Eliza Walker, and 
 experienced all the hardships and privations in- 
 cident to pioneer life. 
 
 The father of our subject was a native of Ver- 
 mont, and grandson of Philip Spaulding, a dwarf, 
 who fought in the French and Indian war, and 
 also in the Revolution. The old Spaulding 
 homestead, still occupied and owned by mem- 
 bers of the family, is located on the eastern shore 
 of Lake Champlain, almost in sight of the present 
 ruins of the old forts Ticonderoga and Crown 
 Point. Arnold sank his fleet in the lake off the 
 shores near this farm, and the family have many 
 relics of the fleet. In the French and Indian 
 war, Philip Spaulding was taken a prisoner to 
 Quebec, and made his escape, but passed through 
 untold hardships before getting back to civiliza- 
 tion. Hiram Spaulding, the grandfather of our 
 subject, who was engaged in the wool and tallow 
 business, was a man of much influence, and rep- 
 resented his district in the state legislature of 
 A'ermont. He died at the age of sixty years of 
 heart disease. 
 
 During the dark days of the rebellion, Rev. 
 J. P. Spaulding enlisted in a Vermont regiment, 
 serving under General McClellan in the army of 
 the Potomac, and took part in the battles of Fair 
 Oaks, Savage Station, Frazier's farm and the 
 seven days' fight in front of Richmond. At the 
 last named battle he was taken prisoner, and for 
 
250 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 many months was incarcerated in Libby prison. 
 On being released he returned home, but again 
 attempted to join the army, but was rejected on 
 account of his disabihty, as his health was com- 
 pletely broken down, the effects of his prison Hfe. 
 He immediately came west to Illinois, where for 
 about twenty-five years he was connected with 
 the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist church, 
 during which time he did much to advance the 
 
 cause of the Master. Since 1888, he has lived 
 upon his farm in Selby township, Btireau county, 
 and has reached the age of fifty-seven years, 
 whilfe his wife is about fifty-five. Our subject is 
 the third in order of birth in their family of eight 
 children, the others being as follows: Sylvia, 
 who was for some years a teacher of Bureau 
 county, and is now the wife of Andrew Staulter, 
 a farmer of Selby township; Everetta, wife of 
 Charles Carbaugh, of Rockford, Illinois; Loa, 
 wife of C. J. Pierce, a farmer of Berlin township, 
 Bureau county; Alma T., who is now successfully 
 engaged in teaching at Bureau Junction; Orin 
 and Warren, twins, and Len D., who is about 
 fifteen years of age. The mother is also a con- 
 sistent and active member of the Wesleyan 
 Methodist church. 
 
 After attending the public schools for a time. 
 Jay L. Spaulding was a student in Dover Acad- 
 emy, and Wheaton College, Illinois, where he 
 completed his literary course. He then read law 
 under the direction of R. M. and ^George S. 
 Skinner, of Princeton, studying under each for 
 a year, and was admitted to the bar on the 5th 
 of December, 1893, after which he at once began 
 practice. He has met with marked success in 
 his chosen profession, and is now at the head of 
 a good practice, which is constantly increasing. 
 In April, 1895, he was elected on the no license 
 ticket as city attorney, for a term of two years, 
 and is now fihing that position with credit to 
 himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 
 On the 13th of January, 1894, Mr. Spaulding 
 was united in marriage with Miss Clara M. 
 Walker, daughter of George and Emma (Patter- 
 son) Walker, now residents of Princeton, where 
 they have made their home for more than thirty 
 
 years, and are well and favorably known. In 
 their family were five children, who grew to 
 years of maturity. For many years the father 
 was connected with the business interests of the 
 city. His father, Elder Walker, was one of the 
 pioneer ministers of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church of Illinois. To our subject and his wife 
 has been born a daughter, Lillian K., now the joy 
 and pride of the home. ^Irs. Spaulding holds 
 membership in the Congregational church, and 
 with her husband occupies a prominent position 
 in social circles. 
 
 MICHAEL GUENTHER, a representative 
 farmer and stock raiser of Hall township. 
 Bureau county, was born in Wurtemburg, Ger- 
 many, January 27, 1830, of which country his 
 parents. Christian and Eva (jMiller) Guenther, 
 were also natives, and there spent their entire 
 lives, both .dying before our subject came to 
 America. The father, born in 1800, died in 
 1857, and the mother, born in 1804, died in 1847. 
 They were the parents of ten children, of whom 
 one son and six daughters were still living in 
 Germany, when Michael visited there in 1892. 
 He had one brother, John, who also came to the 
 new world in 1854. By trade the father was a 
 blacksmith, but also engaged in farming and 
 stock raising. He and his wife were members 
 of the Lutheran church. 
 
 In his native land, Michael Guenther spent his 
 early life, attending the schools near his home 
 and becoming familiar with the labors of the 
 farm, in which vocation he has met with such 
 wonderful success in later years. His father also 
 tried to teach him blacksmithing, but gave it 
 up as he would swing the sledge in his left hand, 
 being naturally left-handed. Although a Ger- 
 man by birth, Mr. Guenther possessed the true 
 American spirit of adventure, and in 1854, with 
 his wife, embarked for America. His means 
 were small, but he was young, strong, full .of 
 hope, and believed in the old adage "Where there 
 is a will there is a way." The sailing vessel in 
 which he and his wife crossed the Atlantic was 
 fort^r-nine days in making the voyage, during 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 251 
 
 which they encountered some storms, but none 
 of an alarming character. 
 
 On landing in New York, Mr. Guenther came 
 at once to Peru, Illinois, where he arrived ten 
 days later. Here his brother John was living 
 with his uncle, Michael Guenther. Our sub- 
 ject secured employment at twenty dollars per 
 month with ]Mr. John L. McCormick, whO' furn- 
 ished a house for himself and wife, and there he 
 remained for three years. In connection with 
 his brother, he then rented land and in this way 
 secured a start in life. His present valuable 
 property is all the result of his own industry, en- 
 terprise and good management, as on arriving 
 at Peru his capital consisted of a Mexican quar- 
 ter. After renting for a number of years, the 
 brothers purchased one hundred acres in Hall 
 township. Bureau county, adjoining the farm 
 which is now his home. As his financial re- 
 sources increased he secured more land and is 
 now the owner of four hundred and fifty acres 
 of rich and fertile land, mostly underlaid with 
 an excellent quality of coal. He has a large 
 pasture, some of which he rents, plants two hun- 
 dred acres in corn and also raises some oats and 
 rve. The buildings upon his place are neat and 
 substantial, and its thrifty appearance invariably 
 attracts the eye of the passing travel. 
 
 In Germany, ^Ir. Guenther wedded Miss ]Mary 
 Hengel, a daughter of Stephen and Sophrona 
 Hengel, and to them have been born six children, 
 as follows: Christian, a prosperous farmer of 
 Bureau county, married Emma Linger, by whom 
 he has three children, Lydia, Ella and Charles; 
 Frederick is still with his father upon the home 
 farm; ]\Iinnie is the wife of Fred Zimmermann, 
 by whom she has two children, Freddie and Le 
 Roy; Anna, who is living in Peru, Illinois, is 
 the widow of Augustus Breining, who, in Au- 
 gust, 1892, was struck by lightning and instantly 
 killed, while taking shelter from a storm under 
 an elm tree. She has four children, Minnie, 
 Emma, Charlotte and Robert; Christianna, the 
 next in order of birth, is at home; Catherine 
 married Martin Sack, a farmer of Hall township, 
 and they have three children, Freddie, Barn- 
 
 hardt and Samuel. The entire family are mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran church. Living with our 
 subject is also William Guenther, his brother's 
 son. John Guenther was born in 1834, and died 
 on the 28th of December, 1874. He was buried 
 at Peru on New Year's day, 1875. His wife still 
 lives in that city at the age of fifty years. He 
 left three sons, William, John and Christian, to 
 whom our subject is deeply attached. 
 
 Politically, ;Mr. Guenther generally adheres to 
 the republican party. To give proper care to his 
 extensive farming interests absorbs the greater 
 portion of his time, but as a public-spirited citi- 
 zen, he pauses between his pressing duties to 
 interest himself in the welfare of his adopted 
 country and assist as opportunity offers the en- 
 terprises tending to the development and prog- 
 ress of his town and county. 
 
 JOHX HARTLEY, who is well and favorably 
 known throughout Marshall county, is now 
 the efficient county clerk, making his home in 
 Henry. He was born at Henry, in January, 
 1859, and is the son of Philip Hartley, a native of 
 County Kilkenny, Ireland, who, on becoming a 
 resident of Henry, there conducted a blacksmith 
 shop until his death, in August, 1864. In the 
 family were two sons, the brother of our subject 
 being James, who succeeded to the business of 
 his father. 
 
 The boyhood of John Hartley was passed in 
 Henry until seventeen years of age, when he 
 went to Chicago, where he was engaged in the 
 grocery trade for five years. Returning to 
 Henry he was then in the coal business until 
 1885, when he was appointed by President Cleve- 
 land as postmaster of that place and held that 
 position for nearly five years. In the fall of 1890 
 he became the democratic candidate for county 
 clerk, and was elected over James C. Long, also 
 of Henry, who had previously held that office. 
 He was re-elected in 1894, at this time the repub- 
 lican candidate being Stern A. Wooley, of Henry, 
 and is now serving his sixth year with credit to 
 himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 As he reads and speaks German he often acts 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 as interpreter in court and his services are there- 
 fore highly prized. He is a member of the 
 Cathohc church, and has hved an upright, honor- 
 able life. 
 
 WILLIAM H. MASON, a farmer, residing 
 in Buda, Concord township, is numbered 
 among the pioneers of 1840. He was born at 
 Chichester, New Hampshire, August 13, 1821, 
 and is a son of John and Abigail (Robey) ^^lason. 
 He came with his parents to Illinois in 1835, 
 when fourteen years old, his father locating on 
 the prairie near Metamora, where he entered 
 land from the government and commenced its 
 improvement. On his arrival he had but two 
 hundred dollars with which to commence life 
 in this new country. After five years he sold 
 out, and in 1840, located at what is now Buda, 
 in Bureau county, and our subject helped to 
 break the prairie where his residence now stands. 
 In that year he helped mold the brick used in 
 the construction of the first brick house in the 
 neighborhood, and which was probably among 
 the first in the county. That house is still stand- 
 ing in a good state of preservation, and yet used 
 as a dwelling. For some years, Mr. Mason has 
 desired to purchase the place as a memorial of 
 old times, but has not been able so to do. For 
 some time after the arrival of the family in this 
 neighborhood they secured their mail at Prince- 
 ton. 
 
 Our subject continued to reside under the 
 parental roof until his marriage, January 24, 
 1844, with Miss Phoebe Ann Drawyer, who was 
 a native of New York. In about one year after 
 marriage, they moved to a farm of one hundred 
 and sixty acres in Concord township, given him 
 b}' his father and which he still owns. They 
 continued to live on that farm until 1888, and as 
 the years went by they added to their possessions 
 until the farm comprised two hundred and forty 
 acres, which was placed under a high state of 
 cultivation and with such improvements a'- 
 marks a progressive farmer. ]\'[rs. Mason died 
 October 31, 1852. 
 
 For his second wife, Mr. Mason married Ma- 
 
 hitable Kairne, a native of New Hampshire, by 
 whom he had one son, William K., who resides 
 on the old homestead. Airs. Mason departed 
 this life October 14, 1886. 
 
 Mr. Alason's present wife was Airs. Elizabeth 
 Rhodes, who is a native of Providence, Rhode 
 Island, and there grew to maturity and married 
 Albert Rhodes, and with him moved to near 
 Buda, Illinois, and by him had seven children, 
 only two of whom are now living. The eldest. 
 Miss Amy, was a teacher for many years, and 
 was a graduate of the Normal school at Provi- 
 dence, Rhode Island. She married J. K. Bliss, 
 a banker of Kewanee, Illinois, and has three 
 children. The second daughter, Eliza, was also 
 a teacher, and married James Pollock, a farmer 
 of Henry county, Illinois, by whom she has 
 three children. 
 
 Mr. Mason was originally in politics an aboli- 
 tionist. Since the organization of the republican 
 party, he has been one of its adherents, voting 
 its ticket at every election. He was the first town 
 clerk in the township of Macon, and also served 
 as school director, and later was elected justice 
 of the peace, but could not serve. For some 
 }-ears he was a member of the Alethodist Epis- 
 copal church, but in religious belief is now a Uni- 
 tarian. He has been a strong temperance man 
 all his life, and was probably made so from the 
 fact that as a boy he had to carry water and 
 whisky to the men at work on the canal from 
 Peru to Chicago, and witnessed the effects of the 
 liquor on those he served. A resident of Bu- 
 reau county for a period of fifty-six years has 
 made him intimately acquainted with all the old 
 pioneers and with them he loves to meet and re- 
 late the story of early days when this portion of 
 the fair state of Illinois was but a wilderness and 
 neighbors were few and far between. 
 
 JAAIES QUINN, deceased, was a well-known 
 citizen of Marshall county, Illinois, and his 
 life well illustrates the possibilities of even the 
 poorest in this free country. Born in poverty 
 in Fermoy, county Cork, Ireland, at the age of • 
 seventeen >ears he came ^\•ith a sister to Black- 
 
THE TUOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 253 
 
 stone, Massachusetts, where he was soon after 
 placed in a cotton mill, and where his young Hfe 
 was mainly spent, toiling early and late, with no 
 chance of obtaining an education only in the 
 night school. However, he gladly availed him- 
 self of the opportunity of doing this, and in that 
 way obtained a little knowledge, which was 
 beneficial to him in after life, backed as it was 
 by a strong will and a steadfast determination to 
 succeed. 
 
 As the years went by the young Irish lad 
 saved his earnings, which were sent across the 
 water to his old home, and with the aid thus 
 given, his mother, two brothers and one sister 
 were enabled also to reach this country. On 
 their arrival here he still continued to assist them 
 as long as it was necessary, and a younger brother 
 he materially assisted in obtaining an education. 
 While still residing in the east he took out natur- 
 alization papers, later came west and for a time 
 worked on the levees along the Mississippi river, 
 principally at Rock Island. The life of a com- 
 mon day laborer, with such meager wages as 
 were paid before the war, did not satisfy his am- 
 bition, and he determined to seek other and bet- 
 ter employment. Therefore he engaged in farm- 
 ing in ]\Ienard county, Illinois, on rented land. 
 
 In order more fully to succeed in Hfe, Mr. 
 Quinn determined to secure a helpmeet, and we 
 find that on the 19th of February, 1863, at Pekin, 
 Illinois, he was united in marriage with Miss Bar- 
 bara Wood, who was born on the Orkney Isl- 
 ands, and came to the United States at the age of 
 seventeen, and was employed as a domestic in 
 various families in Menard, ]\Iason and Taze- 
 well counties, Illinois. That this was a happy one, 
 and fortunate for each, their after life and the 
 success crowning their united efforts will attest. 
 At the time of their marriage, Mr. Quinn was 
 the possessor of one team of common horses, 
 an old wagon and barely enough cash with 
 which to buy the furniture for a house, but scant- 
 ily and economically furnished. 
 
 With faith in the future the young couple went 
 to work, and with the proceeds of the first year's 
 crop purchased eighty acres of land in Peru 
 
 township. Stark county, and thus laid the founda- 
 tion for the success in life which followed them 
 until parted by death. An additional one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres were added to the original 
 eighty, in Saratoga township, Marshall county, 
 making a fine farm of two hundred and forty 
 acres. On this farm they spent eleven years of 
 ceaseless activity, year by year adding to their 
 possessions, both in real estate and personal 
 property. During all this time produce of all 
 kinds brought a good and remunerative price, 
 and therefore, Mr. Quinn confined himself prin- 
 cipally to the raising of grain. 
 
 On leaving the old farm the family removed to 
 a farm of three hundred and sixty acres in Put- 
 nam county, and more attention was then given 
 to stock raising, principally cattle. For years 
 he fed and shipped from two to four cars of his 
 own raising, and in that time his was a familiar 
 figure in the Chicago stock yards. 
 
 On removing to Putnam county, Mr. Quinn 
 did not dispose of his Saratoga township farm, 
 nor did it ever pass out of his possession. In- 
 stead of disposing of any of his landed posses- 
 sions, he continually added to them, and at his 
 death was the owner of about twelve hundred 
 acres, which included the Saratoga farm of two 
 hundred and forty acres, the Putnam county farm 
 of three hundred and sixty acres, eighty acres in 
 Stark county, Illinois, an additional eighty acres 
 in Saratoga township, two hundred and twenty- 
 five acres in Whitefield township, and the home 
 farm of two hundred and forty acres in Henry 
 township, all of which was valued at about sev- 
 enty-five thousand dollars. 
 
 In 1884, ^If- Quinn removed from Putnam 
 county to Henry township, Marshall county, 
 where he spent the remainder of his life. His 
 death occurred January 13, 1895, and his remains 
 were laid to rest in the cemetery in Henry town- 
 ship. While reared in the Catholic faith, for 
 years before his death he ceased to believe that 
 all goodness and righteousness were confined to 
 those of any one belief, and was therefore liberal 
 in his views. He was one of the charter mem- 
 bers of Crow Meadow Grange, and was a firm be- 
 
254 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 liever in the principles of that organization. 
 Farmers should combine together for their 
 rights and without such combination he believed 
 them at the mercy of designing men of other 
 trades and professions. His funeral services 
 were conducted under the auspices of the Grange, 
 and members of the order attended in large 
 numbers and escorted the funeral cortege from 
 his late home to the final resting place. The 
 active pall-bearers were James Harrison, S. L. 
 Case, S. S. Merritt, Clarence E. Burt, of Meadow 
 Grange, and Royal Olmstead and J. S. Town- 
 send, of Telegraph Grange. 
 
 While at all times willing to concede the rights 
 of others, Mr. Quinn was ever tenacious of his 
 own rights and would never yield when he 
 thought he was being imposed on bv others. 
 Believing the attempt made to close a public 
 road, running along the side of one of his farms, 
 the result of spite work, and with the object in 
 view of depreciating the value of his land that 
 they might buy it cheaper, he resisted the efifort 
 to the utmost. Twice was the case tried before 
 a justice of the peace, twice in the circuit court 
 at Lacon, where it was decided in his favor, and 
 was then appealed by his opponents to the su- 
 preme court at Ottawa. The case was there 
 argued at length, and the very morning on which 
 ^Ir. Quinn died, his attorneys, Barnes & Barnes, 
 received word that it was decided by that au- 
 gust tribunal in his favor. In his death he was 
 thus vindicated. 
 
 To Mr. and ]Mrs. Quinn, seven children were 
 born — Mary, Edmund, Elmer, Lillie, Albert, 
 Francis and Edith, all of whom yet reside at 
 home, and all work together in harmony and 
 enjoy the respect of the community in which 
 the)' reside. Mrs. Quinn, the mother, yet pre- 
 sides over the household and enjoys in full meas- 
 ure the love of all who know her. 
 
 JOHN W. HOSIER, M. D., one of the leading 
 members of the medical profession, who is 
 actively and successfully engaged in the practice 
 of his profession in Hollowayville and the sur- 
 rounding country, is one of the oldest physicians 
 
 and surgeons in time of service in Bureau coun- 
 ty. He is by nature a doctor, his mother being 
 an excellent nurse, and a sister who has also read 
 medicine is a successful practitioner, but confines 
 her skill to practice among a few friends and 
 neighbors. 
 
 The doctor was born in Greene county, Ohio, 
 January 7, 1847, ^^d is a son of John Hosier, a 
 native of Virginia, but who, when a lad of thir- 
 teen }ears, was taken to Ohio by his parents, 
 who were of German origin. In Greene county 
 he grew to manhood and wedded ]\Iary Haddix, 
 who was born in Ohio of Scotch parentage. 
 They located upon a farm in Greene county 
 where they reared their family of eight children, 
 four sons and four daughters, all of whom grew 
 to maturity, but two sons and one daughter are 
 now deceased. Tlie doctor is the youngest, and 
 his only brother is Brown Hosier, who is mar- 
 ried, and is engaged in farming in Union county, 
 Iowa. In Greene county, Ohio, the parents con- 
 tinued to make their home until called to the 
 world beyond, the father dying at the advanced 
 age of eighty-three years, and the mother sur- 
 viving him but six months. Their remains we!;e 
 interred in Fairfield cemetery, where a neat and 
 substantial monument marks their last resting 
 place. 
 
 Dr. Hosier spent his boyhood and youth in the 
 county of his nativity, attending the Fairfield 
 high school, and was later a student for three 
 years in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Dela- 
 ware, Ohio. At the age of seventeen he began 
 the study of medicine, which he continued for 
 several years, taking his first course of lectures 
 at the Ohio ]\Iedical college of Cincinnati in the 
 winter of 1871. The next season he returned to 
 that city, where he pursued his studies until 
 graduating from that institution in the class of 
 
 1873- 
 
 After completing his medical course the doc- 
 tor started westward and located at Holloway- 
 ville, Bureau county, Illinois, where his skill and 
 ability soon won recognition and he is now at 
 the head of a large lucrative practice. He stands 
 high among his professional brethren, and is 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 255 
 
 considered one of the most successful physicians 
 and surgeons of Bureau county. 
 
 On the 14th of ]May, 1873, in Bureau county, 
 was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Hosier and 
 Miss Alary C.Harris, a native of the buckeye state, 
 who when a child of only two years was brought 
 to Illinois by her father, Jacob Harris, who lo- 
 cated in Bureau county, where she was reared 
 and educated. Two children have been born of 
 their union — Alta and Robert, and they also have 
 an adopted daughter, \"era. The family is one 
 of prominence in the community, holding a high 
 position in social circles, and are esteemed and 
 beloved by all who know them. 
 
 The doctor is widely known throughout north- 
 ern Illinois, where he ranks among the best in- 
 formed and most skillful physicians, and is a 
 prominent member of the Bureau County Medi- 
 cal society and also the La Salle County Medical 
 society. As a warm friend of the cause of temper- 
 ance he supports the principles and men of the 
 prohibition party, and served as a delegate to 
 both the state and national conventions in 1896. 
 He was the nominee of his party for congress in 
 the fall of 1896, from the Eleventh Congressional 
 district, and, while accepting the nomination, on 
 account of professional duties he could give but 
 little attention to the canvass. The democrats 
 and populists of Bureau county also nominated 
 him for coroner of the county, but he declined 
 the honor as he was an out and out prohibi- 
 tionist. 
 
 MARK GREGORY. One of the active, 
 prominent and enterprising citizens of 
 Marshall county, is the gentleman whose name 
 heads this sketch, who is at present engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits on section 8, Henry town- 
 ship. He made his first appearance on the stage 
 of Hfe beneath the roof of his parents, Harrison 
 and Alary (Sivers) Gregory, in As'htabula county, 
 Ohio, Alarch 24, 1835. The father was born in 
 the same county in 1813, and when our subject 
 was two years of age took his family to Auglaize 
 county, Ohio, where he remained for six years. 
 He then drove across the country to Illinois, and 
 
 in 1843 located upon a farm in Kickapoo town- 
 ship, Peoria county, twelve miles west of the 
 city of Peoria, for which he went in debt. After 
 spending ten years in the improvement and culti- 
 vation of that place he removed to the village of 
 Henry, where the following three years were 
 passed. He next settled in Whitefield township, 
 six miles west of Henry, where he purchased one 
 hundred and sixty acres and there spent his last 
 years. Being in ill health he started for Cali- 
 fornia, but was taken worse while en route, and 
 died four weeks after his arrival in Los Angeles, 
 October 2, 1882, at the age of sixty-nine years. 
 His wife, who was also a native of Ohio, had 
 passed awav two years previous. 
 
 The parental household included ten children, 
 seven of whom grew to maturity, and six are 
 now living. Mark, of this review, is the only 
 one now living in Alarshall county. Ransom 
 makes his home in Pierre, South Dakota. Harry 
 is in the dry goods business at Gibson City, 
 Illinois. Martha is the widow of Frank Skinkle, 
 of York, Nebraska. Fanny is the wife of Cyrus 
 Hutchins, of the same place. Laura is the wife 
 of Charles Jenkins, who is engaged in railroad 
 work at Coolidge, Xew Alexico. 
 
 Mark Gregory remained at home with his 
 father until attaining the age of twenty-three 
 years, when he began farming in Whitefield town- 
 ship, Alarshall county, renting land for four 
 years. In 1863 he purchased his present place, 
 paying twenty-five dollars per acre. It is pleas- 
 antly located two miles northwest of Henry, 
 and contains one hundred and sixty acres of 
 valuable land, which he has placed under a high 
 state of cultivation and improved with a good 
 dwelling and substantial barns and outbuildings. 
 He was soon able to pay for his farm and is now 
 successfully engaged in general farming and the 
 raising of heavy draft horses. 
 
 On the 1st of January, i860, Mr. Gregory 
 wedded Miss Jane Lee, of Henry, who was born 
 in Chittenden county, Vermont, and was ten 
 years old when brought by her parents, Harry 
 and Sophia (Chapman) Lee, to Illinois. They 
 were early settlers of Henry township, ^Marshall 
 
256 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 county, locating upon a farm near where our 
 subject now resides in 1850 and there spent their 
 remaining days. Mrs. Gregory died in 1865, 
 leaving one son, Charles, who became a farmer 
 of Nebraska, but on his return to Marshall coun- 
 ty, was accidentally killed at Henry, at the age 
 of twenty-three years. On the 25th of June, 1866, 
 Mr. Gregory was again married, his second union 
 being with Miss Eleanor U. Goodrich, a relative 
 of his first wife, and also a native of Vermont, 
 where their marriage was celebrated. In politics 
 Mr. Gregory is a firm supporter of the men and 
 measures of the republican party, and in all re- 
 spects has deported himself as an honest man 
 and good citizen. 
 
 M 
 
 ARTIN KING. There are few men more 
 worthy of representation in a work of this 
 kind than the subject of this biography, who is 
 now living upon a fine farm on section 32, Mag- 
 nolia township — the same place on which he 
 first opened his eyes to the light of day on the 
 15th of April, 1835. His entire Hfe has been 
 passed in this locality, and those who know him 
 best are numbered among his stanchest friends. 
 Silas King, his father, was born in Kentucky 
 in 1805, and was the son of Peter King. He 
 accompanied the family to Indiana and later 
 went to the lead mines of Galena, from which 
 he returned to Indiana, and there married Eliza- 
 beth Shields, a sister of Calvin Shields. After 
 making their home for a time in ^lorgan county, 
 that state, they removed to what is now ^lag- 
 nolia township, Putnam county, where they re- 
 mained but a short time, removing to Rob- 
 erts township, [Marshall county, then a part 
 of Putnam county, and were among the first to 
 locate in that township, making their home in 
 the edge of the timber. Until 1856 the father 
 continued to improve and cultivate that tract, 
 when he removed to section 27, Evans township, 
 Marshall county, on a tract of raw land, which 
 he broke and thereon erected a house. The 
 mother of our subject died in 1838, leaving three 
 children, the others being James C, now de- 
 ceased, who married Mrs. Rebecca Knickerbock- 
 
 er, also now deceased, and Sarah, widow of 
 Henry Bagby, by whom she had four children, 
 Samuel P., James, Ida and Lizzie. Tlie father 
 was again married, his second union being with 
 Mrs. Condiff, who is also now deceased, and 
 they became the parents of three children, all of 
 whom have been called to their final rest. 
 Eveline, who was the wife of Selathial Hallam, 
 by whom she had two children, Emma Hotalling 
 and Eva Dial; Matilda, who was the wife of 
 James Brown, and William. Two of the sons, 
 James C. and William, were in the L^nion army 
 during the Civil war. Tlie father was a member 
 of the Methodist church, took considerable in- 
 terest in educational affairs and donated a log 
 house for a school building. He passed away 
 in February, 1858. 
 
 ]\Iartin King was reared in Alarshall county, 
 receiving his education in the district schools 
 and early became familiar with the duties that 
 fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He continued 
 upon the home farm until the death of his father, 
 and after his marriage he rented land for two 
 years. The next year was passed upon a small 
 farm which he purchased in the timber, and then 
 for two years lived upon his father's old farm 
 in Evans township. Being drafted for service in 
 the Civil war, he had to sell his land in order to 
 pay his conscription. His next fami consisted 
 of one hundred and sixty acres Iving east of 
 \'arna, for which he went in debt. It was all raw 
 land, but he at once began its development, erect- 
 ed thereon a little shanty, and there made his 
 home for twenty-four years, during which time 
 he made many valuable improvements, includ- 
 ing a good residence, barns and other outbuild- 
 ings. Selling out to Jacob Lenz, he removed 
 to his present farm in 1889, and in the fall of 
 1895 erected his comfortable residence. The 
 place comprises three hundred and twenty acres, 
 and he also o\\'ns sixty-six acres in Roberts town- 
 ship, Marshall county, and an interest in another 
 farm in Magnolia township. He raises a fine 
 grade of stock in connection with his general 
 farm \\'ork. 
 
 On the 6th of October, 1859, Mr. King led to 
 
Martin King. 
 
Mrs. Martin King. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 261 
 
 the marriage altar Miss Ellen A. Smith, who was 
 born on section 33, ^lagnolia township, July 31, 
 1840, was there reared and was educated in the 
 Caledonia school. They have become the par- 
 ents of nine children, as follows: Silas, now of 
 Iowa, who married Annie Rutan, by whom lie 
 has four children, Harry, ^Myrtle, Lawrence and 
 Alarion; Frank, also of Iowa, who married Jane 
 Rutan, by whom he has two children. Ha and 
 Dawson; Henry B., of ^[agnolia township, who 
 married Xaomi Xorris, by whom he has two 
 children. Blanche L. and Leonard C. ; L. Ben- 
 jamin, of Chicago; Laura E., wife of Grant 
 Trone of Alagnolia township, and the mother of 
 two children, Florence ^I. and Howard M., and 
 Robert E., Hattie E., Annie Edith and Kate E., 
 all at home. 
 
 Ephraim Smith, the father of Mrs. King, was 
 born in Xorth Carolina, in 1805, and a son of 
 Philip and Elizabeth Smith, who were early set- 
 tlers of Sangamon coimty, Illinois, where they 
 passed their last days. At the age of twenty- 
 one, Ephraim left home, going to the lead mines 
 at Galena, and making the journey from Spring- 
 field to that place with an ox team. It was in 
 1830 that he came to Putnam county, and was 
 numbered among the first settlers of ^lagnolia 
 township, locating upon section 33, where he 
 made his permanent home. During the Black 
 Hawk war he served as a ranger. 
 
 Air. Smith first wedded Harriet Angeline Tru- 
 man, who was born in Xew York in 181 7, and 
 died in July, 1857. To them were born nine 
 children — Ervin O., who married Annie John- 
 son, and has two children; JMrs. King; FrauKlin, 
 who married Hattie Weir; Esther, deceased; 
 Laura, wife of Casper Weber ; Hattie, wife of Gil- 
 bert Hiltabrand; Addie and Artilissa, deceased, 
 and James C, who is also married. For his sec- 
 ond wife Mr. Smith chose Jemima Kaxs, who 
 still survives him, and to them were born three 
 children, the oldest of whom died in infancy. 
 The others are Katie R., wife of Vivian Haws, 
 and Eva, wife of Cyril Haws. The father died 
 on the loth of February, 1885, and was buried 
 in ]^Iagnolia cemetery. He was an honest, in- 
 
 dustrious farmer, who attended strictly to his 
 own affairs. 
 
 Socially, Mr. King is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic lodge at A'arna, politically is a stalwart 
 democrat, and has served as road commissioner 
 in Roberts township, and school director for a 
 number of years. Both himself and wife enjoy 
 the friendship and acquaintance of a large num- 
 ber of the best people of Alarshall and Putnam 
 counties. 
 
 JOHX H. HAXSOX, one of Princeton's w.de- 
 awake and progressive business men, now 
 successfully carries on a livery, feed and sale 
 stable. He was born in western Sweden, August 
 22, 1858, and is a son of P. G. and Sarah j\I. 
 (Peterson) Hanson. In his native land the father 
 followed farming, and on coming to America in 
 1 87 1, settled on rented land in Wyanet township. 
 Bureau county, Illinois, but later removed to 
 Mineral township, where his death occurred April 
 5, 1882, at the age of forty-nine years. He was 
 a member of the Lutheran church, as is also his 
 wife who still survives him, and is now living 
 in Alanlius township. Our subject is the oldest 
 in their family of five children, the others being 
 Oscar T., who married Emma Pierson, and re- 
 sides on a farm in Selby township; Ada L., wife 
 of Rev. John A. Edmonds, pastor of the Luther- 
 an church at East L'nion, Minnesota; Fred 
 William, who resides on the old homestead with 
 his mother in }ilanlius township; and \'ictoria, 
 at home. 
 
 Mr. Hanson, of this sketch began his business 
 career as bridgeman for the Chicago, Burlington 
 & Quincy railroad as he was a carpenter l^y 
 trade, and held that position for four years. For 
 the following ten years he operated a rented farm 
 and then purchased one hundred and ninety-six 
 acres on section 25, Princeton township, which 
 he continued to cultivate and improve for five 
 years. On the first of Januar\', 1896, he began 
 the livery business in Princeton and now con- 
 ducts a first-class stable, having fourteen head 
 of horses and buggies and carriages accordingly. 
 His business is conveniently located at 44 and 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 45 Main street, and he is meeting with a fair de- 
 gree of success in his new undertaking. 
 
 In 1887, Mr. Hanson led to the marriage altar 
 Miss Christina C. Anderson, daughter of Jonas 
 and Elizabeth (Nelson) Anderson, natives of 
 Sweden. Her father is a mechanic and a resident 
 of Princeton. Three children now bless this 
 union — Hazel A. E., Herman B. and Gladys E. 
 fraternally, Mr. Hanson is connected with the 
 Modern Woodmen of America, and in politics is 
 a stanch republican, believing in a high pro- 
 tective tariff, and firmly supports McKinley. He 
 is an enterprising, progressive citizen, justly de- 
 serving the high esteem in which he is held. 
 
 DAVID WATKINS, a well known citizen of 
 Steuben township, has been a resident of 
 Marshall county a period of sixty-three years. 
 He is a native of Athens county, Ohio, born 
 February 14, 181 7, and is the son of Isaiah and 
 Mary (Douglas) Watkins, both of whom were 
 natives of Virginia, the former being of Welsh 
 descent and the latter of Scotch. They were mar- 
 ried, however, in Ohio, where they resided until 
 the death of the husband and father, when, in 
 1834, the widow with three children, emigrated 
 to Illinois, locating in Marshall county. One 
 son, Jchiel, preceded the family, and had made a 
 home here, and through his advice the remainder 
 of the family came out. Jehiel, after remaining 
 here twenty-five years, removed to Taylor coun- 
 ty, Iowa. The family located within one mile 
 of where David now lives, taking up a claim and 
 improving a farm. Here the widow lived until 
 called to her reward at the age of about eigjity 
 years. The three children coming with their 
 mother were David, our subject; Mary J., who 
 wedded Isaac Tanquary, and removed with him 
 to Livingston county, where he died in 1895; 
 and where she still resides; and Lucinda, who 
 married James Tanquary, of Steuben township, 
 who also died in 1895. She still resides in 
 Steuben township. 
 
 On coming to 'this country the Watkins were 
 in very limited circumstances, and on the death 
 of the mother David kept the family together 
 
 until the marriage of his sisters. He commenced 
 life for himself, working for ten dollars per 
 month, using the wages obtained in payment of 
 the home farm. He was twenty-eight years old 
 before he felt that he could safely wed. He was 
 then united in marriage with Eliza Jane Hoskins, 
 a daughter of Josiah Hoskins, a pioneer of Steu- 
 ben township. Immediately after the wedding 
 ceremony he removed with his young bride to 
 his present farm, the first one opened on the 
 prairie. An industrious, hard working man, he 
 settled right down to business, and from time to 
 time added to his original purchase until he is 
 now the possessor of about eight hundred acres 
 of as fine land as lies within the borders of Mar- 
 shall county. While carrying on general farm- 
 ing, if it can be said that he has made a specialty 
 of any one litie, it is that of a cattle grower, hav- 
 ing at all times upon his place from one hundred 
 to one hundred and fifty head of fine cattle. He 
 is not what is usually termed a feeder of cattle, 
 but raises a high grade of animals. Attending 
 strictly to his business he has made a success in 
 life. 
 
 In 1856, Air. Watkins was bereft of his wife, 
 she dying leaving two children — Lucinda, who 
 died at the age of sixteen; and Wesley, the pres- 
 ent supervisor of Steuben township. Mr. W^at- 
 kins subsequently married Eliza Jane Brewster, 
 of AIcDonough county, Illinois, who also died 
 some twenty-seven years ago, leaving two chil- 
 dren — Albert W., who married Alary Eva Van 
 Antwerp, and lives on an adjoining farm to his 
 father's; and Eliza Jane, who is her father's 
 housekeeper. She was educated in music at 
 Eureka college, and is a lady of rare attainments, 
 a member of the order of the Eastern Star, well 
 known and universally esteemed. 
 
 David Watkins is in all respects a self-made 
 man. His education, obtained in the old pioneer 
 log school houses, was necessarily limited, but he 
 has been a silent though a close observer of men 
 and events, and is therefore a well-posted man. 
 He is an attendant but not a member of any 
 church. In his younger days he was quite a 
 sportsman with gun and rod. He has always 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 263 
 
 been an admirer and lover of a good horse, and 
 yet loves to be astride of that noble animal. 
 While Hearing his four score years, he is yet in 
 the enjoyment of fair health and is living in 
 peace with all mankind. In politics he is a demo- 
 crat, but never an office seeker. 
 
 Wesley Watkins, the only son of David and 
 Eliza Jane (Hoskins) \\'atkins, is a native of the 
 manor born. His entire life has been spent in 
 ^Marshall county, where he is well known and 
 universally esteemed. He is the owner of a 
 fine farm adjoining that of his father, known as 
 the old John Hoskins farm, Mr. Hoskins having 
 been his uncle. Growing to manhood in his 
 native county, he was educated in its public 
 schools. In politics he is a democrat, having 
 early imbibed the principles of that party. He 
 was first appointed supervisor to fill the unex- 
 pired term of John Hayden, deceased, and has 
 twice been re-elected, now serving his third term 
 as a member of the county board. For some 
 time he has been a member of the democratic 
 central committee of the county, representing his 
 township, and usually is a delegate to the county 
 conventions, where he exercises considerable in- 
 fluence. Fraternally he is a Alason, a member 
 of Sparland Lodge, No. 441, and Sparland Chap- 
 ter, also the order of the Eastern Star. 
 
 PETER HELD, residing on section 25, Hope- 
 well township, has been a life long resident 
 of the township, being born on section 11, on the 
 old homestead of his parents, Conrad and 
 Apalona (Freeze) Held, July 28, 1849. He was 
 reared on the farm, and received his primary edu- 
 cation in the district schools, after which he 
 attended Henry college, and completed his 
 course at Northwestern college at Plainfield, 
 Illinois. 
 
 On returning home from school, he resumed 
 his place upon the farm and worked for his 
 father until his marriage in 1872, with Miss Tillie 
 C. Hofifert, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, 
 and who is a daughter of Isaac and Mary 
 Ursula (Esher) Hofifert, the former a native of 
 Reading, Pennsylvania, born in 181 1. Her 
 
 father was educated at Columbus, Ohio, and was 
 ordained to the ministry in the Evangelical As- 
 sociation and was an itinerant preacher through 
 Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. He subsecjuently 
 located in the suburbs of Chicago on a farm, 
 which he operated, in the meantime preaching on 
 Sundays in the surrounding neighborhood. He 
 was a man of considerable pulpit ability, and his 
 services as a minister were generally in demand. 
 The mother of Mrs. Held was born in France, 
 from which country she emigrated to Warren, 
 Pennsylvania, and after her marriage with Mr. 
 Hofifert they moved to Wheeling, Illinois, and 
 later to Chicago, where the father died in 1876. 
 The mother still survives and yet makes her 
 home in Chicago. Tliey were the parents of 
 nine children, as follows: Mrs. Mary U. Neiber- 
 gall, living in Chicago; Isaac, residing in Chica- 
 go; Airs. Caroline Knoff, of the same city; Tillie 
 C, wife of our subject; Mrs. Sarah E. Snyder, 
 of Chicago; George, also of that city; Alfred E., 
 residing in Roberts township, Marshall county; 
 Jesse R., deceased, and John Jacob, also deceased. 
 The great-grandfather of Mrs. Held, on her 
 father's side, was a soldier in the war of 1812. 
 Airs. Held was the fourth child in the family, and 
 after attending the district schools entered North- 
 western college at Plainfield, Illinois, and when 
 it was removed to Naperville continued with it 
 and completed the course at that place. 
 
 After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Held lo- 
 cated upon a farm one mile north of their present 
 home, where they remained until 1886, and then 
 moved to their present place of residence on sec- 
 tion 25, where they have a fine farm of four hun- 
 dred and eighty acres, all of which is under ex- 
 cellent improvement. Mr. Held has followed 
 farming during his entire life, and has been quite 
 successful, having at the present time a farm well 
 stocked with the best breeds of horses, cattle and 
 swine to be found in this section of the country. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Field three children have 
 been born — S. Loretta, now the wife of John J. 
 Myers, living in Roberts township; C. Olive and 
 ;\Iamie A. living at home. All have received 
 good educations, the eldest having been a stu- 
 
264 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dent in one of the educational institutions of Clii- 
 cago. The family are all members of the Aletho- 
 dist Episcopal church at Varna, of which Mr. 
 Held is a trustee. His wife and her two eldest 
 daughters are teachers in the Sunday school. In 
 the work of the church and the Sunday school 
 they have ever taken the greatest interest, and 
 have always done their part in promoting the 
 Lord's cause. Politically, Mr. Held is a stanch 
 republican. For nine years he has been road 
 commissioner and has served as school director 
 for district No. 2 for a number of years. The 
 family live in an elegant home on section 36, 
 which is well furnished with every convenience 
 found in a modern home. The daughters are 
 well educated in music and have had the best 
 musical training possible. The mother herself 
 is a musician of no ordinary ability, and in her 
 younger days was a teacher of music. Their fine 
 library is in constant use by every member of 
 the family and all keep well posted on the cur- 
 rent literature of the day. 
 
 ALBERT XEWTOX STEVENSON, the 
 efficient treasurer of Bureau county, is 
 recognized as one of the solid men of the county, 
 of which he is a native. He was born in La- 
 moille township, twelve miles northeast of Prince- 
 ton, August 4, 1851, and is the son of George and 
 Elizabeth (Hayes) Stevenson, who were num- 
 bered among the settlers of 1848, in Bureau 
 county. 
 
 George Stevenson was a native of Burke coun- 
 ty, A'irginia, who in an early day removed to 
 Canal Dover, Ohio, where he met and wedded _ 
 Miss Elizabeth Hayes, who is a native of Ohio. 
 He was a tanner by trade and carried on that 
 business in Ohio, and at one time was in fairly 
 comfortable circumstances in that state, but lost 
 almost everything in the panic of 1837. Finding 
 it difficult to again secure a foothold there he 
 determined to emigrate to the newer state of 
 Illinois, and accordingly came to Bureau coun- 
 ty in the fall of 1848, locating in Dover village, 
 M'liere he remained for two years. 
 
 In 1850 he purchased a quarter section of un- 
 improved land, in Lamoille township and there 
 moved with his family, making that his home 
 during the remainder of his life. As a farmer 
 he was quite successful, and added to his or- 
 iginal tract until he possessed two hundred and 
 fifty acres, of highly improved land. On the 
 place when he first purchased it was a small 
 house, which in time gave place to a larger, more 
 substantial and elegant structure, and all im- 
 provements made were of the best order. He 
 was a hard working man and cared little for the 
 applause of the world. It was his aim to do 
 what was right, live peacefully with all men and 
 leave the rest with God. 
 
 Religiously, George Stevenson was a Metho- 
 dist, holding for years membership with the 
 North Prairie Methodist Episcopal church, of 
 which he was a pillar and a large financial sup- 
 porter. He loved the cause of Christ and did 
 much for the advancement of the Master's king- 
 dom in the immediate vicinity. He was well 
 read in both sacred and profane history, and 
 kept up his interest in literature and current news 
 until the last. Politically he was originally a 
 whig, and from its organization gave adherence 
 to the republican party, and was a strong advo- 
 cate of its principles. He never sought nor would 
 he accept ofHcial position, but was content to be 
 a humble follower of his party's camp. 
 
 George Stevenson was a well preserved man 
 physically up to within three years of his death, 
 even when eighty years old being able to read 
 without glasses. His death occurred June 19, 
 1891, at the age of eighty-three years, and his 
 remains were interred in Prairie Hill cemetery. 
 His wife still survives and makes her home 
 with our subject, and at the age of eighty-three 
 years is still well preserved, giving promise of 
 a much longer lease of life. In 1895 she visited 
 alone relatives and friends in the state of Kansas, 
 Nebraska and Iowa. Of their family of four chil- 
 dren, !\Iartha ^I., died at the age of twelve years, 
 before her parents emigrated to lUinois; 
 Sarah J., is the wife of William Garten, of Den- 
 tonville, Kansas; Mary A., is the widow of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 265 
 
 and resides in Dixon, Illi- 
 X. is the subject of this 
 
 Arthur Alucthmore, 
 nois, -while Albert 
 sketch. 
 
 Albert X. Stevenson, of whom we now write, 
 remained upon the old farm subject to the con- 
 trol of his parents until twenty-one years of age. 
 His primary education was obtained in the coun- 
 try schools, and his literary course was finished 
 in the high school of Princeton, from which, 
 however, he did not graduate, his services being 
 needed on the farm. He subsequently took a 
 course in the Aurora Business college, thorough- 
 ly quahfying himself for a business career. 
 
 After his return from Aurora, Mr. Stevenson 
 purchased the personal property of his father, 
 rented the farm and commenced life for him- 
 self, fleeting with good success in his venture 
 he later purchased a part of the home farm, and 
 on the death of his father purchased the interest 
 of the other heirs, and thus secured the entire 
 farm of two hundred and fifty acres which he 
 still retains. After he rented the farm his father 
 continued to make his home with him until his 
 death. His mother yet resides with him in 
 Princeton, to which place he removed when he 
 was elected county treasurer. 
 
 iMr. Stevenson, almost from the time he at- 
 tained his .majority became identified with public 
 interests. For fifteen years he served as school 
 trustee of his township, highway commissioner 
 for six years, and a member of the county board 
 of supervisors six years, being chairman of the 
 board the last year. While a member of the 
 board he served as chairman of various com- 
 mittees, the most important of which was that of 
 finance, although he was the youngest member. 
 In the spring of 1894 he declined a re-election, 
 and that same year was nominated and elected 
 to the office of county treasurer. On December 
 I, 1894, he was inducted into the office, which 
 he has since faithfully filled. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Stevenson is a thorough and 
 uncompromising republican, and cast his first 
 presidential vote in 1872, for General U. S. 
 Grant. He has never since wavered in his sup- 
 port of the party, being a firm believer in its 
 
 principles, and having an abiding confidence in 
 the wisdom of its leaders and advocates. 
 
 On the 20th of March, 1879, Mr. Stevenson 
 was united in marriage with Miss Susan Mal- 
 lonee, of Berlin, Illinois, but a native of Belmont 
 county, Ohio. She came to this state when but 
 ten years of age. 1!)- this union four children 
 have been born— Edna Darlene; Alma Alan- 
 dana, Grace Elizabeth and George Howard, all 
 of whom are yet living at home, and each re- 
 ceiving a good education. Religiously, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stevenson are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church, and in his home church he 
 served some years in an official capacity. They 
 are both firm. believers in the Christian religion 
 and try to live in accordance with the teachings 
 of the Divine Master. Since coming to Prince- 
 ton, Mr. Stevenson has identified himself with 
 the Y. M. C. A. society and is now its president. 
 They have no^\- an elegant suite of rooms, an 
 assembly room, parlor, reading and game rooms, 
 bath room and gymnasium. The association has 
 a membership of two hundred. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson still retains his farm, on which 
 he has placed a tenant. He owns all the stock 
 upon the place, and gives to the farm such of 
 his time as does not conflict with his pubHc 
 duties. He has been a large stock grower and 
 keeps on hand the best known grades of stock 
 and ships annually quite a large number of head. 
 A lifelong resident of the county, with a credit- 
 able official record, he has a large circle of friends 
 and acquaintances who have in him the utmost 
 confidence, knowing that he will not betray a 
 trust. 
 
 T ACOB L. SWEET, one of the best known 
 kj citizens of the western part of Bureau county 
 and now residing at Buda, dates his residence 
 in this county back to 1842. He was born in 
 Jefferson township, Richland county, Ohio, Oc- 
 tober 10, 1818, and is a son of Barton and Sarah 
 (Van Wormer) Sweet. He spent his childhood 
 in the village of Belleville, and in youth on a 
 farm to which his father had moved. The latter 
 was a country physician and not being a good 
 
266 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 collector the family had to struggle for a living. 
 Our subject was next to the youngest in a family 
 of ten children and was compelled to do his 
 share of farm work as soon as he was able to drop 
 corn or hold the handles of a plow. At the age 
 of eighteen he commenced learning the trade of 
 a carpenter and joiner and served an apprentice- 
 ship of three years, receiving four dollars per 
 month and board. Out of his wages he was 
 compelled to clothe himself. His educational ad- 
 vantages were quite limited, his school life being 
 confined to the country schools of the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 Soon after completing his trade, Mr. Sweet 
 concluded to move west and on the 23d of April, 
 1842, landed in Bureau county, and soon after- 
 ward located on the northwest corner of sec- 
 tion 5, JMacon township, having concluded to 
 make farming his life work. At the time of his 
 settlement here there was but one other family 
 in what is now ]\Iacon township. His first entry 
 was of but forty acres to which he subsequently 
 added one hundred and sixty acres, giving him 
 a fine farm of two hundred acres. The greater 
 part of that farm he still owns and has by subse- 
 quent purchase in the townships of Macon and 
 Concord added to his tract until he now owns 
 about six hundred acres in one body, and all in 
 sight of his present dwelling house. 
 
 Mr. Sweet has been twice married, his first 
 union being with Florenda T. Stevens on the 
 25th of June, 1844. By this union there are two 
 children still living. Sarah Minerva, married 
 Wesley D. Barnes, and died in Iowa, leaving no 
 children. Arvilla, married Charles K. Ellis and 
 lives at IMinburn, Iowa, and is the mother of 
 five children; Henry Lewis, married and moved 
 to Custer county, Nebraska, and there died leav- 
 ing four children. John Barton is a lawyer by 
 profession, was educated at Abingdon, Illinois, 
 and now resides at Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is 
 married and has four children. 'Mrs. Sweet died 
 August 29, 1853. 
 
 The second marriage of Mr. Sweet occurred 
 April ID, 1854, his union being with Emeline 
 Nersbaker, by whom he has three children — Ora 
 
 E., married Frank D. White, by whom she has 
 two children, and they reside in Sioux Rapids, 
 Buena Vista county, Iowa; Alfred G. is married 
 and living in Buda; Effie A. still resides at 
 home. 
 
 In early life, ]\Ir. Sweet was an old line whig 
 and cast his first presidential vote in 1840, for 
 Tippecanoe and Tyler too. During the campaign 
 of that year he traveled for three weeks in a 
 log cabin from which speeches were made. He 
 continued to act with the whig party until its dis- 
 solution and being a strong anti-slavery man, 
 he assisted in the organization of the republican 
 party in 1856, and with that party has since con- 
 tinued to act. While being a stanch republican, 
 an earnest advocate of the measures of that party, 
 he is not an offensive partisan and has been hon- 
 ored by his friends and neighbors with various 
 local offices. 
 
 For some years he served as school trustee and 
 for many }-ears as school director, always taking- 
 great interest ,in public schools. He served 
 as constable six years and for six terms as jus- 
 tice of the peace and of all the cases appealed 
 from his ruling there was but one reversed by 
 the higher courts. In i860, he was first elected 
 supervisor of Concord township, and was re- 
 elected, serving four years. Subsequently he was 
 again elected, and re-elected, serving five terms 
 in succession with satisfaction to the people of 
 all parties. For two years he was collector of the 
 township, 1854 and 1855, and also assessor for 
 the years 1865 and 1866. He has frequently 
 served in party conventions as a delegate, be- 
 lieving it the duty of every man to assist in keep- 
 ing alive party organization and working for the 
 best interest of the people. As justice of the 
 peace it was his aim to prevent litigation as far 
 as possible and therefore advised the settlement 
 of claims out of court when it was possible that 
 it could be done. He and his wife are members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which 
 body he has been a member for thirty years, and 
 for many years has served as trustee of the local 
 church. Fraternally he is a Mason, a member of 
 Buda Lodge, No. 399, F. & A. M., and with the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 267 
 
 exception of two years has served as treasurer 
 since its organization. He is a man universally 
 respected and no one stands higher in the esti- 
 mation of his fellow-men. 
 
 GEORGE CASTENDYCK, a farmer and 
 stock raiser of Hall township, is one of the 
 worthy citizens that Germany has furnished to 
 Bureau county. He was born September 2, 1824, 
 in Werdorf, Coblentz on the Rhine, Prussia, a son 
 of Frederick and Louise (HofTmann) Castendyck, 
 who spent their entire lives in that country. For 
 over ten years the father held a high official 
 position under the government. His death oc- 
 curred in 1854, at the age of sixty-five years, and 
 his wife died at the age of eighty-four. In their 
 familv were eight children, four sons and four 
 daughters, namely: Fanny, Charles, Caroline, 
 Joanna, \\'ilhelm, Louis, Wilhelmina and 
 George. The two youngest are the only ones 
 now living, Wilhelmina being a resident of Ger- 
 many. 
 
 Before leaving his native land, George Cas- 
 tendyck served in the Prussian army, and was 
 preparing to enter the government employ when 
 he and his brother Louis determined to come to 
 America, where they arrived in June, 1849. 
 They are the only ones of the family who ever 
 came to this country. In July, 1851, they lived 
 in Erie, Pennsylvania, and then came to Bureau 
 county, where they purchased one hundred and 
 sixty acres of land at seven dollars and a half 
 per acre — the tract on which our subject now 
 resides. The following year they secured a like 
 amount at the same price and to-day ;\Ir. Cas- 
 tendyck is the owner of four hundred and twenty 
 acres of highly cultivated and well improved 
 land. To general farming and stock raising they 
 devoted their time and attention, having a fine 
 grade of Norman horses upon their place and in 
 their ■ undertaking were remarkably successful. 
 For many years Louis resided with our subject, 
 but is now deceased. 
 
 In the spring of 1852, in Bureau county, was 
 celebrated the marriage of George Castendyck 
 
 and Mary 'Betz, who was born May 12, 1827, in 
 Engelstadt, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and 
 died in July, 1863. She was the daughter of 
 Adam and Elizabeth Betz. Her father was a 
 soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte, the great 
 emperor and conqueror, and participated in the 
 world famed battles of Austerlitz and Jena, be- 
 sides a number of other important engagements. 
 By occupation he was a farmer. He came to the 
 United States in 1844, and died at Peru, Illinois, 
 in JMarch, 1864, at the age of eighty-two years. 
 Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Casten- 
 dyck, namely: Charles, now of Peru, married 
 Minnie Wagenkencht, by whom he has three 
 children, Lillie, Essie and Otto; Louisa married 
 Andrew Hummel, and lives on a farm near 
 Spencer, Iowa; William, also residing near that 
 place, married Carrie Knapp; Otto married 
 Clara Hamel, b}- whom he has one son, Charles, 
 and is engaged in the agricultural implement 
 business in La Salle, Illinois; and Gustav is now 
 managing the home farm for his father. 
 
 Mr. Castendyck was again married October 
 15, 1865, his second union being with Charlotte 
 Stuhl, who was born December 7, 1839, in Ham- 
 fenfeld, Bavaria, Germany, and is a daughter of 
 Frederick and Marguerite (Fetzer) Stuhl, of Ger- 
 many, where they were born, reared their family 
 and continued to make their home. The father 
 visited America, but returned to the Fatherland, 
 where his death occurred in December, 1889, at 
 the age of eighty-one years. The mother is still 
 living in that country at the advanced age of 
 eighty-three. Mrs. Castendyck is the oldest in 
 their family of nine children, the others being 
 Mrs. Louisa Mize; Augusta, wife of Henry 
 Piscgardor; Lena; Helen, wife of Robert Hat- 
 tenhauer, of La Salle, Illinois, who is the only one 
 of the family besides Mrs. Castendyck to come to 
 America; Mrs. Wilhelmina George; Robert, the 
 only son; Paulina, who died at the age of twenty; 
 and Marie, who is still with her mother, lly his 
 second marriage, Mr. Castendyck has three chil- 
 dren — Joanna, at home; Ferdinand who assists 
 in the operation of the home farm; and Fannie, 
 wife of William Seaton, of Butler county, Kan- 
 
268 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sas, Ijy whom she has two children, Arthur and 
 Wilhe. 
 
 Entirely independent in politics, Mr. Casten- 
 dyck is bound by no particular platform or creed 
 and votes for men, not measures. He has filled 
 a nimiber of school ofifices and for twelve years 
 faithfully served as justice of the peace. He is 
 universally respected and deservedly ranks 
 among the best men of Bureau county, with 
 whose interests he has been prominently identi- 
 fied for almost half a century. 
 
 HON. LOUIS ZEARING. The history of a 
 county as well as that of a nation is chief- 
 ly the chronicle of the lives and deeds of those 
 who have conferred honor and dignity upon so- 
 ciety. The world judges the character of a com- 
 munity by that of its representative citizen, and 
 yields its tribute of admiration and respect for 
 the genius, learning or virtues of those whose 
 works and actions constitute the record of a 
 state's prosperity and pride. To this worthy 
 class belongs the subject of this review, a lead- 
 ing farmer and stock-raiser, owning a fine farm 
 of two hundred and fifty-three acres on sections 
 31 and 32, Westfield township, and who is also 
 one of the honored pioneers of Bureau count}', 
 dating his arrival here back to 1836. 
 
 Mr. Zearing is a native of Pennsylvania, his 
 birth occurring in Cumberland county, Septem- 
 ber 10, 1827, and is a son of Martin Zearing, 
 who was born in Lancaster county, that state, 
 July 4, 1794. His grandfather, Henry Zearing, 
 who was also a native of the latter county, at the 
 age of sixteen, enlisted in the Continental army, 
 and served through the Revolutionary war, vali- 
 antly aiding the colonies in their struggle for in- 
 dependence. The family is of German origin and 
 was founded in America about 1725, the ances- 
 tors of our subject at that time becoming resi- 
 dents of the keystone state.- 
 
 Martin Zearing was reared to manhood in 
 Cumberland county, where he had removed at 
 an early age and there married Sarah SheafTer, 
 whose family was also of German extraction and 
 was established in Pennsylvania in 1751. By 
 
 trade the father of our subject was a mechanic 
 and engaged in contracting and building in Cum- 
 berland county until coming west in 1835 at 
 which time he selected a location in Bureau 
 county, and the following year brought his fam- 
 ily to Princeton. Soon afterward, however, they 
 settled upon a farm in Berlin township, being 
 among the first to locate there, and making their 
 home near the present village of Dover. To the 
 work of developing and improving his land the 
 father devoted his time and attention until called 
 from this life July 24, 1855. He took a promi- 
 nent and influential part in the early affairs of the 
 county, and was called upon to fill several offi- 
 cial positions, being the first justice of the peace 
 elected in Berlin township. While a resident of 
 his native state he had also held the same office. 
 His wife, who survived him several years, passed 
 away November 29, 1869, at the ripe old age of 
 seventy-three years, and now lies buried beside 
 her husband in Dover cemetery, where a substan- 
 tial monument marks their last resting place. 
 
 Our subject is the fifth in order of birth in the 
 family of five sons and seven daughters, one of 
 whom died in infancy and another in early child- 
 hood, and four sons and three daughters vet 
 survive. IMartin R. is now living, retired in 
 Princeton. David S., a substantial farmer, also 
 makes his home in that city. Samuel M., who 
 was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil 
 war, was killed at the battle of Champion Hill. 
 John M. is a retired farmer of De Kalb county, 
 Missouri. Caroline is the wife of Samuel Alohler 
 of Dover, Illinois. Mary is the wife of Rev. Solo- 
 mon F. Denning of Sterling, Illinois. Susan is 
 the wife of A. L. Steele, of Princeton. ^Irs. 
 Sarah Foster, a widow lady, now resides in Chi- 
 cago. Elizabeth, the third in order of birth, died 
 in Princeton, and Catherine died when a young 
 lady, in Dover, in 1850. 
 
 Louis Zearing was a lad of eight years when 
 he accompanied his parents to Bureau county, 
 and in the district schools of Dover acquired his 
 early education, which was supplemented by a 
 course in the Princeton high school. He re- 
 mained upon the home farm until reaching ma- 
 
Louis Zearing. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 271 
 
 turit}-, but in 1850 left the parental roof, start- 
 ing overland with an ox team for California. He 
 walked the entire distance, which required one 
 hundred and eighty days, and stood guard every 
 night, arriving at his destination on the 30th of 
 September, 1850. For over three years he 
 worked in the mines, and in his search for the 
 yellow metal was fairly successful. He returned 
 by way of the Nicaragua route and New York 
 city, arriving in Bureau county about the 1st of 
 January, 1854. 
 
 On Christmas day, 1853, in New York city, 
 Mr. Zekring was united in marriage with ]\Iiss 
 Jean Cochran, a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, 
 but who was reared and educated in the metropo- 
 lis. Her death occurred on the loth of Novem- 
 ber, 1868. For one year after his return Mr. 
 Zearing engaged in the dry goods business in 
 Dover, but on the ist of April, 1856, purchased 
 a tfact of two hundred and fifty-three acres of 
 raw prairie land, which he at once began to 
 break, fence and improve, and to-day it is one 
 of the most highly cultivated and desirable farms 
 in \\'estfield township, pleasantly situated near 
 the village of Ladd. 
 
 At Alechanicsburg, Pa., Mr. Zearing was again 
 married in February, 1869, his second union be- 
 ing with i\Iiss Helen y[. Whistler, who was born 
 in the same village as our subject and was there 
 reared and educated. For several years she suc- 
 cessfully engaged in teaching. Three children 
 were born of the first marriage — Louis F., a busi- 
 ness man of Chicago; Jessie, wife of L. C. ]\Ic- 
 Kee, of Galesburg; and Martin, cashier of the 
 Ladd bank. There is one child by the second 
 union — S. Francis, a graduate of Oberlin col- 
 lege, Ohio. Mr. Zearing has also lost two 
 children — Margaret, who died in 1864, at the 
 age of three and a half; and John D., who died 
 in 1870, at the age of three years. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Zearing is an uncomprising 
 republican. He cast his first presidential ballot 
 for Winfield Scott, in 1852, while residing in 
 California, and since that time has never failed to 
 vote for each republican nominee. He is one 
 of the prominent and influential citizens of the 
 14 
 
 community, taking an active part in local politics, 
 and has held many positions of trust and honor, 
 the duties of which he has ever discharged with 
 credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his 
 constituents. He has been a delegate to coun- 
 ty, congressional and state conventions, was a 
 member of the board of supervisors, and in 1891 
 was elected to the state senate, being a worthy 
 member of that honorable body for four years, 
 and serving on a number of important commit- 
 tees, some of which he was chairman. He is 
 a charter member of Crystal Fount lodge, No. 
 178, I. O. O. F., of Dover, and religiously is a 
 Baptist, while his estimable wife is a member 
 of the Lutheran church. During the sixty long 
 years of his residence in Bureau county, he has 
 watched with interest the wonderful changes that 
 have taken place within its borders, and in the 
 work of development and progress he has al- 
 ways borne his share, assisting in transforming 
 the wild land into good homes and farms. He 
 is public-spirited and progressive, energetic and 
 industrious and does all within his power to 
 advance the material, moral and educational in- 
 terests of the community. He justly deserves 
 the high esteem in which he is held by all, and 
 his many friends in Bureau county will read with 
 interest this brief record of one of its oldest and 
 most valued citizens. 
 
 DAVID G. STEWART, one of the leading 
 and influential citizens of Seatonville, is. 
 now acceptably serving his second term as mine 
 inspector of Bureau county, a position which he 
 is well qualified to fill, as during his entire busi- 
 ness career he has been connected with mining 
 in all of its various departments. Besides receiv- 
 ing a good common school education in the 
 schools of Will county, Illinois, he also attended 
 a mining school for four years, -thus becoming 
 thoroughly conversant with the business, and 
 now holds a certificate of competency which en- 
 titles him to hold any position connected with 
 the mines in Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Stewart was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, 
 
272 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 July 27, 1857, and is a son of James and Janet 
 (Gray) Stewart, also natives of Ayrshire, where 
 their marriage was celebrated. The father was 
 born February 26, 1834, and in 1868 emigrated 
 with his family to the new world, locating at 
 Braidwood, Will county, Illinois, where he en- 
 gaged in mining for twenty-five years, but since 
 1893 has made his home in Seatonville, where 
 he is held in the highest respect by all who 
 know him. For a quarter of a century he has 
 affiliated with the Odd Fellows' society, filling 
 the office of vice-grand for two terms, and he and 
 his wife hold membership in the Rebecca lodge. 
 They were reared in the faith of the Presbyterian 
 church, to which they have always adhered, and 
 are earnest, consistent Christian people. Their 
 family constitutes the following children, name- 
 ly: David G., of this sketch; Mary, wife of J. 
 W. Patterson, of Braidwood, Illinois; James, who 
 is married and is living at that place; Maggie, 
 wife of James Stirrat, of Braidwood; John, who 
 is married and living in Seatonville, and Katie, 
 wife of James Fleming, also of Seatonville. 
 
 At an early age our subject became connected 
 with -mining operations, first acting in the capa- 
 city of the boy who attends the door, later drove 
 a mule, was then advanced to laying tracks, was 
 subsequently made night manager, and for four- 
 teen years filled the important position of man- 
 ager, having charge of different mines in this 
 state. It was in 1889 that he came to Seaton- 
 ville, to take charge of a shaft as underground 
 manager, and continued to hold that position 
 until elected mine inspector of Bureau county. 
 
 Mr. Stewart has been twice married, his first 
 union being with Isabella Robinson, who died 
 in Seatonville, leaving five daughters — Georgi- 
 ana, Mary, Janet, Pearl and Mabel. They also 
 lost one son. On the 20th of May, 1894, Mr. 
 Stewart was united in marriage with Miss Alice 
 Phelps, a daughter of C. C. Phelps, of Selby town- 
 ship, Bureau county. A lady of culture and re- 
 finement, she was born, reared and educated in 
 this county, completing her literary training in 
 the Princeton high school. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Stewart is a Royal Arch Ma- 
 
 son, belonging to Braidwood Lodge, No. 704, 
 F. & A. M., and Princeton Chapter, R. A. M. 
 He is also connected with the Independent Order 
 of Odd Fellows, and both himself and wife are 
 consistent members of the Presbyterian church, 
 of Seatonville. Almost his entire life has been 
 passed in Illinois, and in its welfare and advance- 
 ment he takes a commendable interest, being one 
 of the most public spirited and enterprising citi- 
 zens of Bureau county. In all the relations of 
 life he has faithfully discharged every duty de- 
 volving upon him and is justly deserving the con- 
 fidence and esteem in which he is held. 
 
 LOTON FRISBEY, residing on section 6, 
 Henry township, Marshall county, is the old- 
 est living settler in the northern part of the coun- 
 ty, having been a continual resident of the vicinity 
 in which he lives for a period of sixty-one years. 
 In fact he has lived on the same section of land 
 the entire period of time, and on his present farm 
 for sixty years. At the time of his settlement 
 here — just three years after the close of the Black 
 Hawk war — the inhabitants were few and far be- 
 tween, and he had but two or three neighbors 
 within a reasonable distance from his cabin. 
 Benijah Alallory, an uncle of his wife, lived on 
 the place now owned by Mrs. Harney, and Col- 
 onel Henry Snider moved in the next year. 
 
 Loton Frisbey is a native of Vermont, that 
 state which was the birthplace of Stephen A. 
 Douglas, the "Little Giant," who beat Lincoln 
 in the race for the senate in 1858, but who was 
 beaten by "Honest Old Abe" for the presidency 
 t\\o years later. Of his native state Douglas 
 often humorously remarked that "it was a good 
 state to be born in if you only emigrated soon 
 enough." Mr. Frisbey was born in the village 
 of Middletown, Rutland county, October 15, 
 1807. He grew to manhood, receiving but a 
 limited education in the primitive subscription 
 schools, and at the age of twenty-three married 
 Miss Rhoda Mallory. Five years later he fully 
 made up his mind that Vermont was a good 
 enough state to be born in, but that if he would 
 prosper as he most earnestly desired, he must 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 273 
 
 seek other fields where the opportunity for ad- 
 vancement was much greater. Illinois, the far- 
 famed prairie state, was then favorably spoken 
 of by emigrants from the east, who had penetrated 
 its wilderness, and here he determined to come. 
 The wisdom of his choice is not to be questioned, 
 for no state ever gave greater evidence of what 
 the future w'ould be, and none has more fully 
 redeemed the prophecies made of it by its 
 friends. 
 
 On reaching Marshall county, 3ilr. Frisbey de- 
 termined here to "set his stakes," and that time 
 would be illy spent in looking farther. The 
 change from the green mountains of Vermont to 
 the wide prairies of Illinois, then so thinly set- 
 tled and so far from the markets of the world, 
 was great indeed. But the "Rubicon" was 
 crossed, and with a stout heart and willing hands 
 he went to work to make for himself and family 
 a home in what was then the far west. In this 
 undertaking he was ably assisted by his young 
 wife, and toiling and suffering together they lived 
 to see the wild prairie blossom as the rose, and 
 neighbors gathered thickly around them, while 
 evidences of civilization sprang up on every 
 hand. But life was not all a burden. There 
 came to gladden their home from time to time 
 children, seven in number, of whom six are now 
 living, as follows : Amanda, wife of Asa Putnam, 
 of ;\Iadelia, ^Minnesota; Eliza, now Islrs. Culver, 
 of 3,Iinnesota; Hiram, of Wabasha, that state; 
 Elvira, wife of Henry Borland, also of jMadelia, 
 Minnesota, and Henry, of the same place. It 
 will be seen that all of the children have left 
 the home nest and are now living in M'mnesota. 
 
 After some thirty-eight years of a joyous 
 wedded life, the mother was called to her heaven- 
 ly reward, leaving behind a precious memory 
 that is hallowed by those who remain. One 
 year later Mr. Frisbey married Mrs. Rachel 
 Motheral, of Bureau county, Illinois, a native of 
 Ohio, and a daughter of Paul and Elizabeth 
 (Laughrey) Riley. When she was but eight 
 years of age her parents removed to Bureau 
 county, locating where the village of Sheffield 
 now stands. There she grew to womanhood and 
 
 married William Motheral, and by that union 
 were born six children, of whom five are yet liv- 
 ing. The children were Elizabeth, widow of 
 Charles Studley, of Neponset, Illinois; Martha, 
 widow of Samuel Conant, of Van Meter, Iowa; 
 Lavina, wife of Adam Norton, of Westboro, Mis- 
 souri; James V., of Webster City, Iowa; Emma, 
 who married Henry Frisbey, and died, leaving 
 one child, who is now deceased, and Jennie, wife 
 of George Biedleman, of Kewanee, Illinois. In 
 1857, Mr. ^lotheral removed with his family to 
 Anderson county, Kansas, took up a claim, and 
 one year later died. Soon after his death his 
 widow returned to Bureau county, lUinois, and 
 was residing in the vicinity of her old home when 
 she married Air. Frisbey. 
 
 Our subject and his wife, while yet residing on 
 the old farm, are practically living retired, rent- 
 ing the farm and making their home with the 
 family. Few men of his age are so well pre- 
 served, and few now living have witnessed so 
 many and so great changes. When he settled 
 in this locality, what is now Marshall and Put- 
 nam counties, were then Putnam county alone. 
 Chicago, which now has one million, seven hun- 
 dred and fifty thousand inhabitants, was then an 
 insignificant village with but a few hundred peo- 
 ple. Railroads were then unknown here and the 
 means of transportation were of a primitive order. ' 
 In early life he was a whig of the old school, and 
 since the organization of the republican party 
 he has voted that ticket. 
 
 ENOCH STRAWX, residing in section 32, 
 Hopewell township, is one of the oldest 
 living settlers in the southern part of Marshall 
 county. His father. Colonel John Strawn, was 
 a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and was 
 a son of Isaiah and Rachel (Reed) Strawn, both 
 of whom were also natives of Pennsylvania. 
 The grandfather, with his family, came to Put- 
 nam county, Illinois, about 1835, locating on a 
 farm where the parents both died. Their re- 
 mains were interred in the cemetery south of the 
 present city of Hennepin. 
 
 John Strawn grew to manhood in his native 
 
274 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 state and married Mary McClish, of Scotch de- 
 scent, but born in the Scioto valley of Ohio. 
 They were married in Pennsylvania, and in 1813, 
 moved to Perry cotmty, Ohio, locating in Hope- 
 well township, where he improved a farm of four 
 hundred acres given him by his father. He built 
 an immense barn there and otherwise improved 
 the place, subsequently selling out, and coming 
 to Marshall county in 1828. After selecting his 
 land he returned to Ohio, and brought his fam- 
 ily to this county in grand style with a six-horse 
 match team. The outfit caused great astonish- 
 ment all along the route. 
 
 The family arrived in Marshall county in Au- 
 gust, 1829, and located on section 4, Richland 
 township, where Colonel Strawn pitched a tent 
 in which the family lived all winter. At the time of 
 their settlement there were no other white fam- 
 ilies in this locality. Indians were numerous 
 and flocked in to see the family in great numbers. 
 In the spring of 1830, the colonel built a double 
 log cabin and lived in it for ten years. He made 
 brick on the farm, and built the brick house, still 
 standing, in 1839. It is the oldest brick house 
 in the county. 
 
 Colonel Strawn mainly gave his attention to 
 his farm, improving an entire section of land. 
 From the very first he was prosperous and added 
 to his possessions until he became one of the 
 wealthiest men in Marshall county. His wife 
 was truly a helpmeet to him. She was a noted 
 woman in this locality, and was well and favor- 
 ably known throughout ^Marshall and surround- 
 ing counties. To Colonel and Mary Strawn 
 we're born eleven children — William, who mar- 
 ried Helen M. Broaddus, who is now deceased; 
 Rachel, the deceased wife of Jesse B. Bane, also 
 deceased ; Mary Ann, widow of James Thomp- 
 son; Enoch, the subject of this sketch; Caroline, 
 the deceased wife of William Thomas, of Lacon ; 
 Emily, deceased wife of D. Holland, also de- 
 ceased; Salome, the deceased wife of William 
 Orr, also deceased; Susan, the widow of Enoch 
 Owen; Levitia, the deceased wife of A. Pich- 
 ereau, of Lacon, and two who died in infancy. 
 The mother of these children dying, Colonel 
 
 Strawn married Miss Mary Hoskins, by whom 
 one son was born — John, who lives in Chicago. 
 This wife dying, he married Miss Ellen Calvert, 
 by whom he had two daughters, ^lary, the de- 
 ceased wife of Eugene Watrous, and Helen, wife 
 of Henry Hart, living in Chicago. 
 
 Colonel Strawn was a noted man in the early 
 history of ^larshall county, which he assisted in 
 organizing. He was a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church, of which body his first wife 
 was also a member, and was a class leader in the 
 same for many years. He was a soldier in the 
 war of 1812, and also commanded a regiment in 
 the Black Hawk war, where he received his title 
 as colonel. Politically, he was a democrat, but 
 never an ofBce-seeker. No man in Marshall 
 county occupied a more prominent position dur- 
 ing the first and second decades of its history. 
 He assisted in the organization of both Hope- 
 well and Richland townships, giving names to 
 each. During his life he accumulated three 
 thousand five hundred and twenty acres of land, 
 and as his children went out from under the 
 home roof, he gave to each a farm. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, who is the only son 
 now living of Colonel and Airs. Strawn, was 
 born in Hopewell township, Perry county, Ohio, 
 January 18, 1822. When but seven years of age 
 he came with his parents to Marshall county, and 
 grew to manhood on the old homestead in Rich- 
 land township. His school life was of short dur- 
 ation, having attended but eleven days after his 
 removal to Illinois. He remained at home until 
 thirty-two years of age, assisting in the cultiva- 
 tion of the farm. On the 7th of April, 1853, he 
 married Hester Ann Van Buskirk, a native of 
 Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Joseph Van 
 Buskirk, a pioneer of Marshall county. Immedi- 
 ately after marriage, with his bride he settled on 
 section 33, Hopewell township, where he lived 
 until he built his present residence on the Four 
 Corners. His wife died January 10, 1857, leav- 
 ing two children— ?\lary, the deceased wife of 
 John Holland, of Iowa, and Mrs. Hessie Ong. 
 
 For his second wife, Mr. Strawn married Julia 
 Gore, of Lacon, a daughter of John Gore, who 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 275 
 
 was also a pioneer of Marshall county. By this 
 union were ten children — Ada Cora, who mar- 
 ried Edgar Alyers, is now deceased ; Enoch Lan- 
 den lives in Iowa; Clara Alice, wife of Charles 
 Day, lives in Hopewell township; George W. is 
 at home; Milan is deceased; Marion is at home; 
 Glenn is also at home; Levisa Julia is at home; 
 Pearl is deceased; Matilda ^lyrtle is also under 
 the parental roof. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Strawn has always advocated 
 the principles of the democratic party. He has 
 been justice of the peace for a period of thirty 
 years, and has performed the wedding ceremony 
 of more couples than any other man in Marshall 
 county. His farm of eighty acres is carried on 
 by his sons, while he practically lives a retired 
 life. A continual residence of sixty-seven years 
 in ^Marshall county has brought him into contact 
 with more persons than any man now residing 
 within its borders. 
 
 WILLIAM H. MESENKOP, one of the 
 prominent and representative citizens of 
 Princeton, belongs to a family of German ex- 
 traction, and in tracing the genealogy we find 
 that five brothers came to America in colonial 
 times, four of whom settled in the southern 
 states, while the fifth, the great-grandfather of 
 our subject, located in New York state, but later 
 settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and 
 served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. 
 
 Our subject was born in Lancaster, Pennsyl- 
 vania, November 13, 1834, and is the oldest of 
 four children born to Lewis and Anna (Brenne- 
 man) Mesenkop, also natives of the same place, 
 the former born April 23, 1798, and the later 
 April 12, 1812. In 1835, the father removed to 
 Wayne county, Ohio, where he carried on a farm 
 for ten years, but previous to this time he had 
 carried on the harness business. On leaving 
 Wayne county, he went to Cuyahoga county, 
 Ohio, and in 1854, removed to a farm in Bureau 
 county, Illinois, and engaged in farming; but 
 after ten years removed to Princeton where his 
 death occurred, in March, 1875, at the age of 
 seventy-seven years. He was a prosperous and 
 
 highly esteemed citizen, never caring for official 
 position, and was a worthy member of the Luth- 
 eran church, to which his wife also belongs. She 
 is still living, and enjoys excellent health for one 
 of her years, having the full use of her faculties, 
 although she passed through all the hardships 
 and privations of pioneer life, both in Ohio and 
 Illinois. Of the children, Mary is the widow of 
 William Whittle, and resides with her mother 
 in Princeton; John enlisted in 1861, for three 
 years as a member of Company H, Twelfth Illi- 
 nois Volunteer Infantry, and served with the 
 western army, taking part in the battles of Forts 
 Henry and Donelson, Shiloh and Corinth. Be- 
 ing taken ill, he was brought home by our sub- 
 ject, where he died a few weeks later, in the fall 
 of 1862, at the age of twenty-five years. He was 
 never wounded nor taken prisoner; Sarah A., 
 widow of S. A. Penfield, is engaged in the music 
 business in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 
 
 In the common schools of Ohio, W. H. Mes- 
 enkop acquired his education, and at the age of 
 seventeen began teaching, which profession he 
 followed for six winters, while his summers were 
 devoted to agricultural pursuits. He began the 
 newspaper business at Hennepin, Illinois, in 1858, 
 as editor of the Putnam County Democrat, which 
 he carried on for one year, and then came to 
 Princeton, where he purchased the Bureau 
 County Democrat, which he owned and edited 
 for eight years, when he sold the paper. In 1872 
 he established the Bureau County Tribune, which 
 he conducted for one year, and 'which is still in 
 existence. He next owned a half interest in the 
 Princeton Gas Light company, being its presi- 
 dent for fifteen years. In 1863, while engaged 
 in newspaper work, he began the insurance busi- 
 ness, and for the past sixteen years has given his 
 attention almost exclusively thereto, and to the 
 loaning of money. He is a persistent worker, 
 an able manager, sagacious and far-sighted, re- 
 liable and energetic, and his success is well de- 
 served, as he has attended strictly to his business 
 interests. Mr. Mesenkop can read, write and 
 speak the Swedish and German languages as well 
 as his mother tongue, and is believed to be the 
 
276 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 only American in Bureau county who has mas- 
 tered the Swedish language, which has been of 
 great assistance to him in a business way. He 
 has done much to promote the varied interests 
 of his adopted city, serving as city treasurer nine 
 years, and alderman twelve years. His support 
 has always been given to the democratic party. 
 j\Ir. Mesenkop has been a member of the county 
 central committee for twenty years, of the state 
 central committee four years; has been a delegate 
 to six state conventions, and was a delegate to 
 the national convention at St. Louis, in 1876, that 
 nominated Samuel J- Tilden. 
 
 On the nth of August, 1858, ]\Ir. ^Mesenkop 
 led to the marriage altar Miss Kate E. Pelton, 
 who was born October 11, 1841, in Cuyahoga 
 county, Ohio, and was left an orphan when quite 
 small. Their home has been blessed by the birth 
 of six children, namely: Jennie V., wife of Prof. 
 Samuel T. Bowlby, of Rock Island, Illinois, by 
 whom she has one son. Earl ; Luna E., a millin- 
 er, of Princeton; Kate M., Minnie M., an invalid, 
 now at Denver, Colorado; Alta, wife of Dr. H. D. 
 Steele, of Moline, Illinois, by whom she has a 
 son, William H.; and William L., who assists his 
 father. The mother is an Episcopalian in reli- 
 gious belief, while Mrs. Bowlby is a Presb3'terian, 
 and Airs. Steele is a Congregationalist. Social- 
 ly, Mr. !vIesenkop is a member of the Masonic 
 lodge of Princeton. 
 
 WILLIAM ALBAN GALLUP, a farmer, 
 residing on section 17, Steuben township, 
 Marshall county, with postofifice at Sparland, al- 
 though not numbered among the pioneers of the 
 county, has spent more than thirty of the best 
 years of his life within its borders, and is recog- 
 nized as one of its best and most deserving citi- 
 zens, a man of culture and refinement, well read 
 in the standard and current literature of the day. 
 He was born in West Greenwich, Kent county, 
 Rhode Island, July 5, 1829, and is the son of 
 Alban W. and Lydia (Tillinghast) Gallup. The 
 latter died when William was but a youth, and 
 therefore he missed much of a mother's loving. 
 
 tender care at a period in life when such loving 
 ministrations are greatly needed. His boyhood 
 and youth were spent in his native village, and 
 his education was finished at its high school. 
 
 The genealogy of the Gallup family can be 
 traced back to 1620, and among its represent- 
 atives have been many professional men, some 
 of whom have been widely known in state and 
 nation. The father of our subject was by pro- 
 fession a physician, and it was his desire that 
 William should also adopt that profession, and 
 to that end directed his education in youth, and 
 also gave him a place in his ofifice, encouraging 
 him in every way in his power, and trying to 
 stimulate his interest in medical study. The 
 night work essential in the 'life of a physician 
 was distasteful to him, however, and the father 
 abandoned his long cherished hope, and the son 
 determined upon the life of a farmer as best 
 suited to his tastes and inclinations. 
 
 When but twenty-one years of age, Mr. Gallup 
 was united in marriage with Miss Marv A. Tan- 
 ner, also a native of Rhode Island, and has never 
 for a moment had cause to regret the step taken, 
 for his wife has to him been truly a helpmeet in 
 the almost half a century in which they have to- 
 gether traveled life's pathway. One year after 
 their marriage, with the assistance of his father, 
 he secured a small farm near West Greenwich, 
 but later removed to Windham county, Connecti- 
 cut, where he lived until 1856, when he deter- 
 mined to come to Illinois, where the opportunity 
 for securing land and success in his chosen life 
 work would be much greater. He first located 
 in Lee county, and there remained until 1865, 
 being fairly successful in his operations. In that 
 year he came to Marshall county, and purchased 
 three hundred and twenty acres, of which he now 
 owns one hundred and sixty acres, comprising 
 a part of his present farm, to which, by sub- 
 sequent purchase he added forty acres, making 
 his fine farm of two hundred acres, which is 
 under a high state of cultivation, and on which 
 all improvements are of a substantial character. 
 For his first tract he paid twenty-two dollars per 
 acre. Taking the improvements into considera- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 277 
 
 tion this land is now valued at one hundred dol- 
 lars per acre. 
 
 Since coming to ]Marshall county, Mr. Gallup 
 has been quite successful, and is numbered 
 among the well-to-do farmers of this section. He 
 has always endeavored to have upon his place a 
 good grade of stock and believes in diversified 
 farming, having no hobby as to any particular 
 branch of his calling. In addition to his farm- 
 ing interests he has given some attention to the 
 coal industry of [Marshall county, and was one 
 of the original stockholders of the Sparland Coal 
 company. 
 
 In early manhood, Mr. Gallup was a whig in 
 politics, but on the dissolution of that party, 
 identified himself with the democrats, and has 
 since been an earnest and consistent advocate 
 of the principles of that party. For official posi- 
 tion, however, he has never had any inclination, 
 but has served his township in some minor offices. 
 He usually represents his party in the township 
 and county conventions, and his influence is al- 
 ways felt on such occasions. Religiously he was 
 reared under the influence of the Calvinistic Bap- 
 tists, but the peculiar faith of that people has nev- 
 er seemed to him consistent with the attributes 
 of a divine being, and therefore he has leaned 
 somewhat to Universalism, but has never identi- 
 fied himself with the Universalist church. In 
 educational matters he has ever taken consider- 
 able interest, believing in good schools, and that 
 every child should have the opportunity given 
 it for an education. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Gallup five children were 
 born: Lydia married Archie Riddell, of La 
 Prairie township, and on the death of her hus- 
 band, returned to her parents' home, where she 
 now resides; Sarah and Eunice both died in 
 young womanhood, their deaths leaving a sad 
 vacancy in the family household; Alvan married 
 Miss Nellie Robb, and lives on a farm adjoining 
 the old homestead; Benjamin yet resides with his 
 parents, and assists in the cultivation of the home 
 farm. 
 
 While declining to be a practitioner, Mr. Gall- 
 up has kept up an interest in medical reading, 
 
 which has always been to him an interesting sub- 
 ject, and the knowledge thus obtained has been 
 of material interest to himself and family. As 
 a neighbor and citizen, he has ever been held in 
 the hisfhest esteem. 
 
 EDGAR P. HANNUM, a member of the well- 
 known firm of Dean & Hannum, furniture 
 dealers and undertakers, of Spring Valley, is one 
 of the prominent business men of that place. 
 One of his leading characteristics in business 
 affairs is his fine sense of order and complete sys- 
 tem and the habit of giving careful attention to 
 details, without which success in any undertaking 
 is never an assured fact. He is a man of intrin- 
 sic worth, esteemed in all the relations of life. 
 
 Born in Columbia county, New York, April 
 27, 1856, Mr. Hannum is a son of Moses and 
 ^lary (Vadakin) Plannum, both natives of Massa- 
 chusetts. The mother's death occurred on the 
 20th of October, 1872. Both were life-long 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in 
 which the father is an officer. He is a very de- 
 vout man, an influential and highly respected citi- 
 zen of the community where he makes his home, 
 and among his many friends is known as Uncle 
 jMoses. Our subject and his twin brother, 
 Oscar, who died in infancy, are the youngest in 
 the family of four children. Loretta, the oldest, 
 is the wife of Frank Hitchcock, of Harvey, Illi- 
 nois, by whom she has three children, Charlie, 
 Ida and Grace; Elizabeth is the wife of Edward 
 Show, of Pelham, Massachusetts, and they have 
 three children. 
 
 During his boyhood and youth, Edgar P. Han- 
 num attended the common schools of the bay 
 state, and in East Hampton, Massachusetts, 
 learned the wagon-makei-'s trade, at which he 
 worked for others until coming to Bureau coun- 
 ty in December, 1876. For several years he was 
 employed as a farm hand, but in 1886 came to 
 Spring Valley, and for one year engaged in team- 
 ing. At the end of that time he formed a part- 
 nership with Mr. Dean, under the present firm 
 style of Dean & Hannum, and they have since 
 successfully engaged in their present business, 
 
278 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 carrying a stock of furniture valued at three 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 In 1883, Mr. Hannum was united in marriage 
 with Miss Clara A. Fleisher, one of a family of 
 eleven children born to John W. and ]\Iary 
 Fleisher, of Pennsylvania. Two children grace 
 their union — Ralph and Verna. The parents are 
 both consistent members of the Congregational 
 church of Spring Valley. In politics, Mr. Han- 
 num is a pronounced republican and a warm sup- 
 porter of Major McKinley. In his career we see 
 what can be accomplished through industry, 
 economy, sobriety, and strict attention to busi- 
 ness, as he started out in life with no capital, 
 save a pair of willing hands and a determination 
 to succeed, and is to-day at the head of a pros- 
 perous and paying business. 
 
 JOHN HECHTNER. We are now permit- 
 ted to touch briefly upon the life history of 
 one who has retained a personal association with 
 the affairs of Bureau county for a number of 
 years, and now makes his home in Princeton. 
 His life has been one of honest and earnest en- 
 deavor and due success has not been denied him. 
 
 He is a native of the city of Stralsund, in the 
 northern part of Prussia, on the Baltic, and there 
 served an apprenticeship to the shoemaker's 
 trade, during which time he received his board 
 and clothes. His employer was Alexander Lore, 
 a Scotchman, but nearly all his fellow-workmen 
 were Swedes, and he learned that language. At 
 an early day he came to the United States with 
 his parents, Gottfried and Mary (Kittendorf) 
 Hechtner, and for two years they made their 
 home in Princeton, building the second resi- 
 dence north of the Christian church, which stands 
 on Main street. 
 
 A year before their arrival Fred Hechtner, a 
 brother of our subject, who had also worked in 
 the shop of Alexander Lore, had come to Ameri- 
 ca, and in 1856 the family all went to a farm 
 which the father had purchased on section 36, 
 Bureau township, and which comprised one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. This was divided in 1861, 
 Fred taking one half, which he sold in 1864, on 
 
 going to Nichol, Muscatine county, Iowa, 
 where he owned and operated a large farm. He 
 died in 1890, at Davenport, Iowa, while under 
 the doctor's care at that place. Before leaving 
 Germany he had married Sophia Range, who 
 died March 21, 1896, at Avoca, Iowa, and they 
 became the parents of seven children, one son 
 and six daughters. 
 
 Besides the brother of our subject there were 
 also four sisters in the family, all of whom were 
 unmarried on crossing the Atlantic. [Mary is 
 now the wife of Gustav Shultz, of Princeton; 
 Henrietta first married F. Frank, and is now 
 the wife of Fred Verth, of Davenport, Iowa; 
 Eliza is the wife of Ernst Hessler, of Sterling, 
 Illinois; Sophia married Fred Dietrich, of Gil- 
 more City, Iowa. Tire parents continued to make 
 their home with John until called from this life, 
 the mother dying in 1863, and the father in 1872, 
 at the age of seventy-two years. For nine years 
 he has served as sergeant in the Prussian arm}'. 
 
 John Hechtner and his brother worked to- 
 gether for seven years, two years in a shop in 
 Princeton, and five on the farm, and in 1861 they 
 divided the land by drawing cuts, the old home- 
 stead falling to Fred. They relied greatly on 
 their father's sound judgment, always consulting 
 him on important questions, and worked together 
 in perfect harmony. Our subject owned one 
 hundred and sixty acres of land in Bureau town- 
 ship, one hundred and twenty acres in Princeton 
 township, and after receiving a part of the old 
 homestead he had four hundred acres of valuable 
 land. Many predicted his failure without his 
 father's guiding hand, but he continued very suc- 
 cessful, and became the owner of much other 
 valuable property. In 1876 he purchased a one 
 hundred and sixty-three acre farm in ^lanlius 
 township, for which he paid six thousand dol- 
 lars cash; in 1878 the Frank Thompson farm in 
 Bureau township, two miles from his home, six 
 thousand four hundred dollars; in 1884, the 
 Joel ]\Iartin farm, of one hundred and sixty acres 
 in Bureau township for nine thousand eight 
 hundred dollars cash; the Carl Smith farm of 
 one hundred and sixty-three acres for eight thou- 
 
John PIpx'iitnek. 
 
^^, 
 
 
 
 
 ^''iillBBliiillipr JiliM 
 
 ^ 
 
 Mrs. John Hechtner 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 283 
 
 sand two hundred dollars cash, and in 1893 
 bought the old home farm of one hundred and 
 sixty acres from Robert Tankinson, who had pur- 
 chased the same from his brother Fred, for 
 which he paid eighty-five dollars per acre, or 
 thirteen thousand five hundred dollars cash. 
 Some of his property he has sold and other tracts 
 he has given to his children, but still owns three 
 farms in Bureau township, amounting to four 
 hundred and eighty acres. 
 
 Besides general farming, Mr. Hechtner has 
 given special attention to stock raising, having 
 horses, cattle and hogs upon his place, which he 
 would feed and sell by the car loads. He was 
 extensively engaged in breeding Norman horses, 
 having an imported stallion which cost him twen- 
 ty-two hundred dollars, and also a half interest in 
 another costing one thousand dollars. He him- 
 self has bred from twelve to eighteen horses per 
 year, and on these animals has received some of 
 the highest prizes at the fairs where they were 
 exhibited. 
 
 On the 20th of December, 1861, }\lr. Hechtner 
 married Miss Elizabeth Mehlin, of Wiel, Switzer- 
 land, who came to the new world at the age of 
 ten years, and located first in Calhoun county, Il- 
 linois but had come to Bureau county in 1857. To 
 them were born the following children: ]\Iary, 
 now the wife of Andrew Rudiger, M-ho is operat- 
 ing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on 
 section 15, Bureau township; Emma, wife of 
 William Dremann, living on the old Hechtner 
 homestead; John, of Chicago; Eliza, who died 
 at the age of eight years; Charley, who mar- 
 ried Xellie W'estbrook, and now lives on a farm 
 in Bureau township; Lizzie, Carrie and Min- 
 nie, all at home, and four others, who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 ;\Ir. Hechtner has taken a prominent part in 
 public afifairs and has been called upon to fill 
 several official positions, being school director 
 in his township for twenty years, pathmas- 
 ter many years, commissioner of highways 
 nine years, and supervisor nine years, his 
 last term expiring in 1892, when he left 
 the township to come to Princeton. Al- 
 
 though the township was strongly republican, he 
 was always elected on the democratic ticket, with 
 which part}^ he always afifiliates, and is a leader 
 in its conventions. His election clearly indicates 
 his popularity and the confidence and trust re- 
 posed in him by his fellow-citizens. He is not 
 a member of any religious organization, but his 
 wife attends the German Lutheran church. He 
 is a Royal Arch Mason, belonging to Bureau 
 lodge, No. 112, F. & A. M., and became a mem- 
 ber of the order at Wyanet. With the chapter 
 at Princeton he has held membership since i860. 
 He is also a Knight of Pythias, being a member 
 of the lodge. No. 19, and Uniformed Rank, No. 
 8. He is a prominent member of Bureau lodge. 
 No. 428, I. O. O. F.. which on his fiftieth birth- 
 day presented him with a beautiful gold watch 
 and chain, for his faithful service in its official po- 
 sitions, and for twelve years he has also attended 
 the grand lodge of that order. 
 
 Mr. Hechtner is an honor to the country that 
 gave him birth and to the country of his adoption. 
 In 1878, being in poor health, he made an ex- 
 tended tour of Europe, visiting the Paris expo- 
 sition — where he met General Grant — Switzer- 
 land and his old home in Germany, Stralsund. 
 He returned in the fall entirely restored in health, 
 and with a broader knowledge of the world. 
 
 JOSEPH GREENLEE is practically a retired 
 farmer, living in a very desirable home on a 
 farm of fifty-five acres adjoining the village limits 
 of Henry, Illinois. While simply one of the peo- 
 ple, a man who has been content to go along 
 the even tenor of his way, neither desiring or ac- 
 cepting official position, he is yet well-known 
 throughout ^larshall and Putnam counties, hav- 
 ing a reputation for honesty and uprightness 
 that is indeed commendable. He is a native of 
 Washington county, Pennsylvania, born Feb- 
 ruary I, 1834, and there grew to manhood on a 
 farm. His parents, Elisha and Eunice (West) 
 Greenlee, were also natives of that county, while 
 his grandfather Greenlee was born in Scotland 
 and emigrated to this country about the begin- 
 ning of the present century. 
 
284 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Our subject remained at home with his pa- 
 rents, assisting in the farm work, and as the op- 
 portunity was afforded him attended the pub- 
 he schools, receiving therein a fair Enghsh edu- 
 cation. Being of an enterprising spirit, and be- 
 heving that in Ilhnois he would stand a much 
 better chance for future advancement, he deter- 
 mined to follow the advice of the lamented Hor- 
 ace Greeley and come west. Accordingly, in 
 1855, shortly after attaining his majority, he came 
 to Marshall county, and purchased a farm of one 
 hundred and sixty acres in Saratoga township, 
 for which he paid ten dollars per acre. With 
 commendable energy, he at once commenced 
 the improvement of the place, and there made 
 his home for ten years. During that time he 
 gave special attention to grain raising, as wheat 
 and corn were almost invariably a sure crop and 
 brought remunerative prices. 
 
 For seven years after Mr. Greenlee came to 
 Illinois, he lived a lonely bachelor's hfe, when 
 realizing that it was not good for man to be 
 alone, he took to himself a wife in the person 
 of Miss Caroline A. Lytle, who was also a na- 
 tive of Washington county, Pennsylvania, but 
 who had come to Illinois with her parents when 
 a mere child of eleven years. Her father, Sam- 
 uel Lytle, was a native of Pennsylvania, while 
 her mother, Elizabeth (Aston) Lytle, was also 
 born in that state. They were there married 
 and there resided until coming to Illinois. They 
 first located in Peoria county, where Mr. Lytle 
 worked at his trade of blacksmith. In 1856 they 
 moved to Saratoga township, Marshall countv, 
 where he carried on farming in connection with 
 his trade. He died there some years ago. His^ 
 widow survived him, dying in March, 1895, at 
 Spencer, Iowa. Of their family two children are 
 living, ^frs. Greenlee and Collin W. Lytle, who 
 resides upon the old homestead in Saratoga 
 township. To Mr. and Mrs. Greenlee one child 
 was born, Charles, who married Elizabeth Duke, 
 a sister of the Duke brothers, of Henry. They 
 have one child, Carrie May, and reside upon 
 the Greenlee farm in Saratoga township. 
 
 Some three years after their marriage, Air. and 
 
 Mrs. Greenlee moved from the farm on section 
 21, which they sold, to one on section 14, in the 
 same township. To his original purchase of one 
 hundred and six acres, he later added one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres adjoining on section 13, 
 giving him a fine farm of two hundred and sixty- 
 six acres. The farm was fairly well improved 
 when he purchased, but he made more extensive 
 improvements, including a large and fine barn. 
 On this farm he continued to live, engaged in 
 mixed farming until 1882, when he purchased the 
 fifty-five acre tract adjoining Henry, to which 
 the family moved, and where they have since 
 continued to reside. 
 
 Mr. Greenlee attained his majority about the 
 time the republican party sprang into existence. 
 Being by nature a liberty loving man and con- 
 scientiously opposed to the further extension of 
 slavery, which then cursed this fair country, he 
 naturally allied himself to that party, and has 
 ever since voted its ticket iti all general elections. 
 His interest in political affairs was never such as 
 to make him aspire to any office in the gift of the 
 people, but he has shown his faith in the prin- 
 ciples of the party by attending its conventions 
 and voting its ticket. While not a member of 
 any church, he endeavors to live in such a man- 
 ner as to bring no reproach upon his name and 
 to live peaceably with all men. 
 
 M 
 
 ARTIN BRENNEjMAX, now living a re- 
 tired life in Princeton, but for a period of 
 over thirty years was one of the active, enter- 
 prising and successful farmers of Bureau county, 
 is numbered among the honored old settlers, 
 dating his residence here back to 1855. A na- 
 tive of Pennsylvania, he was born ]\Iarch 12, 
 1819, in Canestoga township, Lancaster county, 
 and is a son of i\Iartin Brenneman, whose birth 
 occurred in ' the same county. The paternal 
 grandfather was a native of Germany, became a 
 prominent citizen of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 
 and faithfully served the colonies in the Revolu- 
 tionar}' war. 
 
 The father of our subject also took up arms in 
 defense of his country's rights, being a soldier 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 28=: 
 
 in the war of 1812. In his native state he mar- 
 ried Verona Kendrick, \Yho was born in Lan- 
 caster county, and was a daughter of Henry 
 Kendrick. Ten children graced this union, five 
 sons and five daughters, of whom four are still 
 living — Christian, a farmer, of Livingston coun- 
 ty, Missouri, residing near Chillicothe; Anna, 
 widow of Louis L. Messenkop, and a resident 
 of Princeton, Illinois; Fanny, wife of David Get- 
 tle, of ^lerrick county, Nebraska, and Martin, of 
 this sketch. By occupation the father was a 
 farmer, and cleared and opened up three farms 
 in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. In 1830 he 
 emigrated to A\'ayne county, Ohio, settling ten 
 miles east of Wooster, and there also developed 
 three good farms, becoming one of the foremost 
 and most successful agriculturists of the com- 
 munity. His wife died in Stark county, Ohio, 
 after which he made his home with our subject 
 for thirteen years, and on the latter's removal 
 west he went to live with another son. In the 
 fall of 1855, however, he came to Bureau county, 
 spending the last years of his life with our subject, 
 and now lies buried in the ^Maiden cemetery. 
 
 Mr. Brenneman, of this review, began his edu- 
 cation in the schools of his native state, but at 
 the age of eleven years he accompanied the family 
 to Ohio, where his time was taken up in assist- 
 ing his father in clearing and developing his 
 land. His school privileges, therefore, were 
 limited, and he is almost wholly self-educated, 
 having gained most of his knowledge since reach- 
 ing manhood. He learned both the blacksmith 
 and carpenter's trade, and followed the latter oc- 
 cupation for some time. Going to Cuyahoga 
 county, Ohio, he there rented land for about 
 fifteen years, but in 1855 he came to Bureau 
 county, Illinois, and purchased eighty acres of 
 raw prairie land in Selby township, on which he 
 erected a little house. He endured all the hard- 
 ships and privations incident to pioneer life, and 
 owing to a heavy frost, raised neither corn nor 
 oats in 1857. He was not discouraged, however, 
 and soon success crowned his efforts. As his 
 financial resources increased he extended the 
 boundaries of his farm until he owned a valuable 
 
 tract of six hundred and forty acres, upon which 
 he erected a comfortable two-story residence and 
 substantial barns and out-buildings, making it 
 one of the best and most highly improved farms 
 of Selb}' township. There he made his home 
 until 1886, since wdiich time he has lived retired 
 at Princeton, and is numbered among the well-to- 
 do and highly respected citizens. 
 
 On the I2th of January, 1843, in Stark county, 
 Ohio, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Bren- 
 neman and 3iliss Lydia Young, a native of that 
 county, who died in Ohio. Three children were 
 born to them — Alary Ann, now the wife of James 
 Lewis, a farmer of Jackson county, Kansas, by 
 whom she has two sons; Henry, who was a union 
 soldier in the civil war, and met his death by 
 drowning after his return home, and Michael, 
 who died at the age of two years. In Wayne 
 county, Ohio, Mr. Brenneman was again married 
 in 1847, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary 
 Garman, who \\as born in Franklin cotmty, 
 Pennsylvania, December 25, 1823, and was there 
 reared. Her father, Philip Garman, was a na- 
 tive of Germany, and for twelve years served as 
 a soldier under Xapoleon, taking part in many 
 important battles, including that at Moscow. He 
 received two severe bayonet wounds, one through 
 the calf of the leg and the other through the hip. 
 He became an early settler of Pennsylvania, 
 whence he removed to Wayne county, Ohio, but 
 spent his last days in Cuyahoga county, that 
 state. ?ilrs. Brenneman is one of a family of' 
 twelve children, three daughters and nine sons, 
 all of whom grew to maturity but one, and she 
 has five brothers still living — John, Philip, 
 George, Daniel and Charles, all farmers of Ohio, 
 living either in Wayne or Cuyahoga counties. 
 
 Seven children blessed the second marriage 
 of our subject — John, a farmer, of Clay county, 
 Nebraska; George, a farmer, of Selby township, 
 Bureau county; Martin, a farmer, of Adams 
 county, Nebraska; Daniel, a farmer, of Prince- 
 ton township. Bureau county; Amanda Shettle, 
 of Bureau township; Margaret, wife of Levi 
 Coffman, of Clay county, Nebraska, and Hattie, 
 wife of W. y. Stockham, of Hamilton county. 
 
286 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Nebraska. There are also thirty-four grand- 
 children. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Brenneman has ever been iden- 
 tified with the democratic party, a firm believer 
 in Jeffersonian principles, but has never aspired 
 to office, although he has filled several local posi- 
 tions of honor and trust. Both himself and wife 
 are consistent members of the English Lutheran 
 church. He is numbered among the honored 
 old settlers of the county, where he has now made 
 his home for over forty-one years, and has wit- 
 nessed the vast changes which have here taken 
 place, to the labors of which he has contributed 
 his share. He is now enjoying a well-earned 
 rest, and is surrounded by many warm friends 
 and acquaintances, who have for him the highest 
 regard. 
 
 FRANK D. SHAFER, supervisor of Lacon 
 township, is the oldest member of the county 
 board in point of service, and is well-known as 
 a thorough and progressive farmer, and a sincere 
 friend of the public school system. He was born 
 October 5, 1837, in Knox county, Ohio, and is 
 a son of Henry and Nancy (Feazel) Shafer, the 
 former a native of Lancaster county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, born July 4, 1800, and the latter of Knox 
 county, Ohio, born in 1812. Henry Shafer was 
 of German descent, being a son of Michael 
 Shafer, a native of Germany. He was reared in 
 Pennsylvania, but in early manhood removed to 
 Knox county, Ohio, and there married Nancy 
 Feazel, a daughter of Jeremiah Feazel, who set- 
 tled in Hopewell township, Marshall county, in 
 
 1845- 
 
 Soon after their marriage, Henry Shafer and 
 wife came to ^Marshall county, Illinois, and in 
 1846', settled upon the farm where our subject 
 now lives. In 1850 he bought the Williamson 
 place on which was a large brick dwelling house 
 and there the family permanently located. He im- 
 proved that place and there died October 22, 
 1873. His wife died in April, 1888. They were 
 the parents of three children: Mary, now the 
 widow of George Belford, of Lacon township, 
 who is the mother of four children — Annie, Fred, 
 
 Dollie and William; Carrie, now the widow of 
 Henry Phelps, of Springfield, Missouri; and 
 Frank D., the subject of this sketch. Henry 
 Shafer was an old fashioned farmer, a great 
 reader and well posted in the various affairs of 
 che day, especially in political matters. He was 
 a democrat, and was very active in the councils 
 of his party, although he would never accept pub- 
 lic office. He was a friend of the public school 
 system, and did all in his power to advance the 
 interests of the public schools in the locality in 
 which he resided. He was a successful farmer, 
 and a man well known throughout Marshall 
 county. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born October 
 5, 1837, in Knox county, Ohio, and came with 
 his parents to Marshall county. He was reared 
 on the farm, and received his education in the 
 Lacon schools. On the 3d of January, 1865, he 
 was united in marriage with Miss Amelia Cain, 
 a native of Richland township, Marshall county, 
 and a daughter of James and May (Burns) Cain, 
 the former a native of Virginia, and the later of 
 Ireland. James Cain was a son of Abraham 
 Cain, who was born in Pennsylvania, and who 
 was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill. The pa- 
 rents of Mrs. Shafer were married at Wheeling, 
 West Virginia, and came to Marshall county in 
 1835, and settled in Richland township, where 
 they made a permanent home and where he died 
 March 7, 1888, and she in 1885.' Their remains 
 were interred in the Lacon cemetery. They were 
 the parents of two children, ]\Irs. Shafer being 
 the only survivor. Her parents, however, reared 
 James Madden, an orphan boy, bringing him 
 with them to this county and caring for him as 
 their own child. He married Susan Hush, who 
 died, leaving six children. He now lives in Liv- 
 ingston county, Illinois, and has served as jus- 
 tice of the peace and assessor for thirty years 
 each. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shafer are the parents of five 
 children — Jessie, now deceased; Marie, wife of 
 William Porterfield, living in Springfield, Mis- 
 souri; James V., who married Alice Holland, 
 and lives in Richland township; Henry B., and 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 287 
 
 Benjamin F. After their marriage, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Shafer located on their present farm on sec- 
 tion 24. Lacon township, where tliey have since 
 continued to reside. All of the improvements 
 upon the place were made by him and he has here 
 engaged in general farming and stock raising 
 with great success. He is the owner of six hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of fine farming land in Mar- 
 shall county, all of which is under improvement 
 and has also a tract of land in Rush county, Kan- 
 sas. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Shafer is a member of Lacon 
 Lodge, Xo. 61, F. & A. M., and politically he 
 is a democrat. During his entire life he has 
 taken great interest in political matters, and is 
 a firm believer in the principles of the democratic 
 party as enunciated by Jefiferson and Jackson. 
 He has served his fellow-citizens in many of the 
 local offices, having served as a member of the 
 board of education of Lacon for seven years, 
 twelve years as road commissioner, and is now 
 serving his tenth year as supervisor of the town- 
 ship. In all matters pertaining to the best in- 
 terests of ^Marshall county, he is ever at the front, 
 and has done as much as any other one man in 
 this locality to give it front rank among the sister 
 counties of the state. He has been a hard-work- 
 ing, industrious man, and has been prospered 
 much in this world's goods. Few men in Mar- 
 shall county are better known and none more 
 highly respected. 
 
 JOHN WEBER, one of the substantial and 
 prominent citizens of Hall township, Bu- 
 reau county, was for many years actively engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits, but has now laid aside 
 business cares and is resting in the enjoyment of 
 the fruits of his former toil. The history of his 
 life is an interesting one, his experiences varied 
 and in his travels covering almost half the globe. 
 JMr. Weber was born in Prussia, Germany, 
 July 22, 1827, a son of Adam and Elizabeth 
 (Sneider) Weber, who never left that country. 
 The father served as a soldier under Napoleon 
 at the battle of Waterloo, and was with the army 
 
 in Russia. He joined the retreat, while many 
 who remained were frozen to death. He walked 
 back to Germany, where he later died at the age 
 of eighty-five years. His wife there died at about 
 the same age. Our subject was the youngest in 
 their family of three children. Catherine came 
 to America and married John Debus, a farmer 
 of Iowa, where she died in 1891, at the age of 
 sixty-nine years. Her husband is still living in 
 that state; Martin, the oldest of the family, died 
 in the fatherland. 
 
 From the age of six to fourteen years, Mr. 
 Weber, of this sketch, attended the schools of his 
 native land, and for the following six years served 
 as a musician in a band, playing almost any in- 
 strument, but mostly a cornet. He traveled with 
 the Holland navy, visiting Java and Batavia in 
 1845. Before and after this he traveled for four 
 years in a circus band. Five times he has crossed 
 the ocean, twice visiting Europe, first in 1876, 
 and later in 1886. At the age of twenty he en- 
 tered the German army as a musician, serving 
 as regimental bugler for five years, and was in 
 the revolution in Baden in 1849. 
 
 In 1854, Mr. Weber emigrated to the new 
 world, arriving in December of that year, and 
 for twelve years was employed in the coal mines 
 at La Salle, Illinois. On his arrival in that place 
 he had only fifty cents remaining with which to 
 begin life among strangers in a strange land. 
 He has seen much of the rough side of life, has 
 passed through many trying experiences, but 
 has made the most of his opportunities and ad- 
 vantages, until he is to-day the owner of a hand- 
 some property. Together with his sons he owns 
 six hundred and forty acres in Bureau county, 
 and expects soon to buy one hundred and sixty 
 acres more. His first farm was in La Salle comi- 
 ty, but in 1877, he sold out there and bought the 
 E. C. Hall farm of two hundred acres on section 
 21, Hall township, which comprises a part of his 
 present tract. It is one of the model farms of the 
 county, improved with an elegant residence, sur- 
 rounded by a lovely lawn and stately pines. There 
 is also a good orchard and the barns and out- 
 buildings are neat and substantial. Our subject 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 now rents his land so that he may spend his de- 
 chning years in ease and retirement. 
 
 In Germany, on the 30th of September, 1852, 
 was celebrated the marriage of J\Ir. Weber and 
 Miss Julia Hamel, who died March 5, 1885, at 
 the age of fifty-eight years and one day. She was 
 the daughter of George and Isabel Hamel, who 
 spent their entire lives in Germany. She had 
 one brother in La Salle, Illinois, and another, 
 Henry Hamel, who went to California, and is 
 now worth more than a million. 
 
 Six children were born to 3ilr. and Mrs. Weber, 
 the birth of the oldest occurring two months after 
 the arrival of his parents in the United States. 
 In order of birth, they are as follows: Henry 
 married Elizabeth Woubben, by whom he has 
 three children — Frank, Henry and Eddie. They 
 live on a farm near Seatonville, Bureau county; 
 John H., who is residing on the Webster farm, 
 east of Spring Valley, married Anna Herbolds- 
 heimer, and has one son, Irvin; Emma is the 
 wife of Fred Hummel, a hotel-keeper, of Temple- 
 ton, Wisconsin, and they have one child, Anna; 
 Lizzie resides with her sister in AA'isconsin; 
 Lewis married Clara Kuster, and resides on the 
 home farm; Ida is the wife of Frank Herbolds- 
 heimer, and lives near Princeton. The mother 
 of these children was a member of the Lutheran 
 church. 
 
 On the 20th of October, 1887, Mr. Weber was 
 again married, his second union being with IMiss 
 Adella Bartlett, a daughter of Schuyler and 
 Esther (Leigh) Bartlett, the former born in Cana- 
 da, of Scotch parentage, and the latter at Seven 
 Oaks, ten miles east of London, England. They 
 now make their home in Princeton. The father 
 was seventy-two in July, 1896, and his wife will 
 be that age in March, 1897. Mrs. Weber is the 
 youngest of their five daughters, the others being 
 Eliza, wife of Levi Neirkirk, a farmer, of Carroll 
 county, Illinois; Hattie, wife of Albert Stickel, 
 of Princeton ; Anna, wife of Louis Van Scoyk, of 
 Galesburg, Illinois; Amanda, wife of Charles 
 Pierce, of the same city. One child blesses the 
 second union of our subject, Lena, who is now 
 attending school. 
 
 Mr. Weber and his sons, Henry, John and 
 Louis, are all members of the Masonic fraternity, 
 and he, with John and Louis, belong to S. M. 
 Dalzell Lodge, No. 805, F. & A. M. In politics 
 he votes for the best man regardless of party 
 ties. He is a genial, courteous gentleman, and 
 having been among strangers so much, knows 
 how to make a stranger feel at home, therefore, 
 as an entertainer he has few equals. He is a 
 thorough and skillful farmer, an upright, reliable 
 citizen, a business man of more than ordinary 
 ability, and as such is justly entitled to a place 
 among the representative and influential men of 
 Bureau county. 
 
 ADOLPH SWANSON, a leading contractor 
 and builder of Princeton, is a native of 
 central Sweden, born on the 9th of June, 1850, 
 near Tonkaping, and is the fifth in order of birth 
 in the family of eight children born to Swan and 
 Mary (Johnston) Swanson, the others still being 
 residents of Sweden — August, a blacksmith, who 
 married Christina Anderson; John, a farmer, 
 who married Sarah Dandleson; Joseph, a black- 
 smith, unmarried ; Johanna, wife of John Ander- 
 son, a well-to-do farmer; Charles, a faijmer, who 
 married Clara Johnson; Christina, wife of Justus 
 Johnson, a grocer merchant, and Matilda, who 
 still lives with her mother. The father of this 
 family was a blacksmith by trade, and spent his 
 entire life in his native land, where he was killed 
 by accident, while cutting a tree in the woods, 
 dying instantly. He was an upright, honorable 
 man, temperate in all his habits, followed closely 
 the golden rule, and was a faithful member of the 
 Swedish Lutheran church. He was born in 1822, 
 and died in 1893. His wife, whose birth occurred 
 in 181 5, is still living and is a member of the same 
 church. 
 
 In the land of his nativity, Adolph Swanson 
 learned the carpenter's trade, at which he there 
 worked for five years, and in 1870, crossed the 
 broad Atlantic to the new world, making his 
 home for three years in Princeton, but at the end 
 of that time returned to Sweden. Afer five vears, 
 however, we again find him in Princeton, where 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 289 
 
 he has since successfully carried on the occupa- 
 tion of carpentering. He has erected some of 
 the largest residences in the city, besides fine busi- 
 ness blocks, including the homes of Air. Palmer 
 and R. W. Phelps, and he is acknowledged as an 
 excellent workman and reliable business man, 
 faithfully fulfilling his part of any contract. 
 
 On the 15th of January, 1885, Mr. Swanson 
 was married in Bureau county, to j\Iiss Gusta 
 ]\Iatilda Peterson, daughter of Peter and Mary 
 (Johnston) Falgrin, natives of Sweden, who came 
 to the United States in 1886. Her mother died 
 in Ma}-, 1896, at the age of seventy-two years, 
 and her father, who has reached the age of sev- 
 enty-six, finds a pleasant home with our sub- 
 ject. Airs. Swanson is the third in a family of 
 five children, the others being Mary, wife of 
 Alfred Sand, a farmer, residing near Gutten- 
 burg; August, who is employed in a factory in 
 Alinnesota; Enoch, who is employed in the plow 
 factory of Aloline, Illinois, and who married 
 Salma Peterson, and Fred, a carpenter, who is 
 with our subject. Four children grace the union 
 of Air. and A'Irs. Swanson — Huldah, Nannie, 
 Vernie and Joseph R. The parents are worthy 
 members of the Swedish Mission church, while 
 in politics. Air. Swanson earnestly advocates the 
 principles of the republican party, which he has 
 always supported since becoming a citizen of 
 the United States, and he has the best interests 
 of his adopted country at heart. 
 
 FITCHYOU CUAIAIINGS, who resides upon 
 section 20, Concord township, is one of the 
 old and highly respected farmers of Bureau coun- 
 ty, in which he has resided for over sixty-two 
 }-ears. He was born in Gallatin county, Illinois, 
 Alay 8, 1818, and is a son of Thornton and Syl- 
 via (Williams) Cummings, the former a native 
 of Virginia, and the latter of Kentucky. They 
 were among the very earliest settlers of Gallatin 
 county, Illinois, where they resided until 1834, 
 when they removed to Bureau county, locating 
 at French Grove, Concord township. Flere the 
 father entered government land, consisting of 
 two eighty acre tracts, to which he subsequently 
 
 added as he became prosperous. Our subject 
 was but sixteen years of age when his parents 
 removed to this county, and with them he re- 
 mained at work upon the home farm until he 
 reached maturity. His educational advantages 
 were very limited, attending the common schools 
 usually in the winter months. 
 
 On reaching maturity, Mr. Cummings entered 
 a small tract of land which he commenced to 
 improve. On the i6th of May, 1850, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Esther Garrett, of 
 Bureau county, a native of Washington county, 
 Ohio, born November 22, 1828, and a daughter 
 of Horace and Abulah (Meede) Garrett, the 
 former a native of Connecticut, born where the 
 city of Hartford now stands. His father, the 
 grandfather of Airs. Cummings, laid the corner- 
 stone of the court house at Hartford, Connecti- 
 cut. Airs. Abulah Garrett was born in Genesee 
 count}', New York, to which place her father 
 removed at an early day, having gone to that 
 county as a surveyor and engaging in that pro- 
 fession for many years. He was a well-educated 
 man, and stood high among his fellow-citizens 
 in Genesee county. Soon after his marriage, 
 however, he removed to Washington county, 
 Ohio, and about 1837, to Bureau county, Illinois, 
 locating in Concord township. While he was 
 well educated his education was not obtained in 
 the schools, but by home study. While residing 
 in Ohio he taught school for some years, but 
 after coming to Illinois he engag'ed in farming, 
 and continued in that occupation until his death. 
 
 Soon after their marriage. Air. and Airs. Cumr 
 mings removed to the farm on which they now 
 reside and which has been their home for a period 
 of forty-six years. He has in his tract five hun- 
 dred and fifteen acres, which are chiefly cultivated 
 by his sons. By their union eight children were 
 born, four of whom died in childhood — Sidney, 
 born on the home farm, is now married and re- 
 sides on a farm near that of his father. He has 
 four children; Afelissa Jane married E. O. Lee, 
 who is a lawyer by profession, and they now re- 
 side in Salt Lake City, Utah; Delia Louise mar- 
 ried S. V. Trent, bv whom she has one child. 
 
290 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and they also reside in Salt Lake City, Utah; 
 Roxy is now teaching in Salt Lake City, Utah. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Cummings has been a lifelong 
 democrat, and cast his first presidential vote in 
 1840, for ^lartin Van Buren. He has never 
 been an office-seeker, but has always taken a 
 lively interest in political affairs. A farmer by 
 profession he has gone along the even tenor of 
 his way, striving to live at peace with all man- 
 kind, doing his duty in all things and with the 
 desire to live well in the estimation of his fellow- 
 ctizens and no man is more highly esteemed by 
 them. 
 
 HON. JAMES T. THORNTON, a promi- 
 nent and representative citizen of Putnam 
 county, is now living retired in Magnolia. His 
 father, Anthony Thornton, was a native of the 
 Old Dominion and belonged to a good old Vir- 
 ginian family who came from England prior to 
 the Revolutionary war. He was the son of Dr. 
 Henry Thornton, whose birth also occurred in 
 Virginia. 
 
 In his native state, Anthony Thornton grew to 
 manhood and received a good education. While 
 still a young man he went to Kentucky, where he 
 engaged in farming and later in hotel keeping, 
 and there married Miss Ann Lee Barrett, who 
 was born in Virginia, as was also her father, 
 Francis Barret, who was a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary war. She was related to the prominent 
 and well-known Lee family of Virginia. \ v ..en 
 ten years of age she accompanied her family to 
 Kentucky, where she became acquainted with 
 ]\[r. Thornton. After their marriage they lo- 
 cated in Cumberland county, that state, and later 
 removed to Green county, where the father 
 served as high sheriff. His death occurred in 
 1826, and in 1833 the mother came to Illinois, lo- 
 cating near Athens, in what was then a part of 
 Sangamon county, but is now Menard county. 
 Religiously she was a member of the Presbyterian 
 church, and died in that faith in 1847. Her fam- 
 ily consisted of eight children — Ann Fitzhugh, • 
 Henry Fitzhugh, Anthony, William, Mary Mit- 
 chell and Arnold, all deceased; John F., of In- 
 
 dependence, Missouri; and James T., of this re- 
 view. 
 
 The last named was born at Greensburg, Ken- 
 tucky, August 4, 1823, was only three years of 
 age at the time of his father's death, and at the 
 age of ten came with his mother to Illinois. The 
 night of the "falling stars," forever remembered 
 by those who witnessed the wonderful sight, he 
 was lost on Grand Prairie. Previously to com- 
 ing to this state he had attended school but one 
 year, later worked his waj' through a school, 
 but is almost entirely self-educated. 
 
 In 1845 was celebrated the marriage of Air. 
 Thornton and Miss Mary Graff, a native of Spen- 
 cer county, Kentucky, and daughter of David 
 and Susan (Willett) Graff. Her father was a 
 native of Alaryland, of Holland ancestry, and 
 was an early settler in Kentucky. He came to 
 Illinois in 1834, settled in Morgan county, where 
 he died some years ago. Mrs. Thornton was 
 born February 3, 1818. After their marriage, 
 Mr. and Airs. Thornton lived in Alenard county 
 one season, then removed to Iowa, locating a 
 claim in Polk county, which he improved. He 
 was a pioneer in that locality, there making his 
 home before the Indians left for the far west. 
 Erecting a log cabin they lived there for three 
 years and then returned to Alenard county, Illi- 
 nois, but later, in 1849, located at Magnolia. 
 
 On arriving at Magnolia, Mr. Thornton en- 
 gaged in the mercantile business with his brother 
 Arnold and they built up a large and profitable 
 trade in general merchandise and grain. After 
 five years he drew out of the concern and opened 
 a drug store in the same place, which he carried 
 on for ten years. Selling the drug store, he 
 bought and sold stock for a time, and also pur- 
 chased a farm. From time to time he added to 
 his farming land, until he became one of the 
 large land-holders in Magnolia township. He 
 is to-day one of the oldest living settlers in the 
 village, and is now living a retired life. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Thornton four children were 
 born, two of whom are now living. One son, 
 George, was accidently smothered to death in an 
 elevator at Lostant. Those living are: John 
 
Hon. James T. Thornton. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 293 
 
 ^^^, who married Kate Lincoln, by w horn he has 
 two sons; and James ll., who married Emma 
 Fyffe, who died, leaving- no children. Mrs. 
 Thornton, who was a most excellent wife and 
 mother, died August 8, 1896, her death being- 
 mourned by family and many friends. 
 
 Mr. Thornton formerly was a member of the 
 ^Masonic order, with which he has not affiliated 
 for some years. Politically, he was originally 
 a whig and voted for Henry Clay for the presi- 
 dency, being a great admirer of that honored 
 statesman. He assisted in the organization of 
 the republican party, and for many years voted 
 that ticket, but lately has voted the democratic 
 ticket. During the administration of President 
 Lincoln, he served as postmaster of Magnolia. 
 For several terms he served Alagnolia township 
 as a member of the board of supervisors of Put- 
 nam county, and has represented his district three 
 terms in the state legislature. He has taken a 
 deep interest in the schools of his village and 
 county, and has served as school director for 
 years, and also as school trustee. 
 
 'Sir. Thornton has been a hunter in the Rocky 
 Alountains of some note, and his skill is amply 
 attested by elk heads and horns, Rocky [Mountain 
 sheep heads and horns, and the skins of other 
 animals which he has on exhibition at his home. 
 As a citizen be has ever enjoyed the respect and 
 confidence of his neighbors, and has done as 
 much as any other one man to advance the in- 
 terests of his adopted county. 
 
 TRUMAN SPERRY, a veteran in the late 
 war, is a self-made man in every particular. 
 He resides on a beautiful farm on section 29, 
 Hopewell township. His father, Truman Sperry, 
 was a native of Connecticut, born in 181 2. He 
 left home when quite young, going to Dayton, 
 Ohio. In his youth he learned the marble-cut- 
 ter's trade, and after locating in Ohio, engaged 
 in contracting. He built a bridge across the 
 Sciota river at Columbus. He married Miss 
 Sarah Davidson, a native of Virginia, then resid- 
 ing in Frankhn county, Ohio. They were mar- 
 ried at Dayton, Ohio, which place they made 
 IS 
 
 their home until the death of the father in 1841. 
 They were the parents of two children — Elias, 
 who was a soldier in the United States regular 
 army, and was killed at the battle of Chicka- 
 mauga, and Truman, the subject of our sketch. 
 After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Sperry 
 married Charles Carroll, by whom she had one 
 child, Samantha. 
 
 Truman Sperry, who is the only survivor of 
 the family, was born January 7, 1840, at Dayton, 
 Ohio. His boyhood and youth were spent in 
 that city, and he was educated in its public 
 schools. At the age of seventeen he went to 
 Franklin county, Ohio, and in i860, married 
 Miss Leah Harris, a native of that county, and a 
 daughter of stiller and Eleanor (Carr) Harris, 
 both of whom were born in Ohio, the former 
 in 181 1, and the latter in 1812. In 1850 her 
 father started across the plains to California, and 
 died en route. The mother survived him four 
 years, d)'ing in 1854. They were the parents of 
 eight children — Mrs. Nancy Pierce, Mrs. Bar- 
 bara Pierce, Mrs. ]\Iary Penn, Leah, William, 
 John, Sophia and George. One son, William, 
 served in the Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infan- 
 try during the civil war. 
 
 After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Sperry set- 
 tled upon a farm, in Franklin county, Ohio, and 
 he was there engaged in tilling the soil when the 
 civil war commenced. In the fall of 1864, he 
 joined Company E, Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer 
 Infantry, at Atlanta, Georgia. Soon after join- 
 ing the regiment it started on the campaign to 
 Savannah, Georgia; participating in the cele- 
 brated march to the sea, on through the Caro- 
 linas, to Goldsboro, North Carolina, then 
 to Raleigh, and was present at the sur- 
 render of Johnston's army. It was then 
 ordered to Richmond, Virginia, and from 
 thence to Washington, D. C, where it took 
 part in the grand review. From Washington 
 it went to Bladensburg, where it was mustered 
 out of service and the men honorably discharged 
 in June, 1865. During his entire term of ser- 
 vice, the regiment formed a part of the Twentieth 
 army corps. While in the service he was fortunate 
 
294 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in never having received a wound or being cap- 
 tured. 
 
 Returning to his home, Mr. Sperry at once 
 made arrangements for his removal to IlHnois, 
 and in September, 1865, located in Marshall 
 county, where he has since continued to reside. 
 He first settled in Richland township, and in the 
 spring of 1889, purchased his present farm on 
 section 29, which was but partially improved. 
 The farm comprises one hundred and seventy- 
 nine acres of valuable land, one hundred and for- 
 ty acres of which are under cultivation. Since 
 coming to this place he has remodeled the house, 
 built the present barn and otherwise improved it. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Sperry five children have 
 been born — Frank married Clemina Winbern, 
 by whom he has two children, Frank and 
 Charles, and they now reside in Arkansas; 
 Charles married Dora Shayne, and now lives in 
 Kansas; Sherman is yet unmarried, and is liv- 
 ing at home; Annie, who married Fred Weir, 
 resides in Hopewell township, and they have 
 three children — Fred, Charles and Leah; Elsie 
 yet resides at home. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Sperry is a member of Lacon 
 Post, No. 130, G. A. R., and also of the Mutual 
 Aid society of Lacon. Politically, he was born 
 a democrat. In local affairs, however, he votes 
 for the man. At present he is serving as road 
 commissioner of Hopewell township. Each of 
 his children have received a good education in 
 the district schools, his youngest daughter hold- 
 ing a teacher's certificate. 
 
 Mr. Sperry came to Marshall county with but 
 very limited means, but with the determination 
 to succeed if success were possible. He has been 
 a hard and persistent worker, and all that he 
 has is the resuk of his own individual efiforts, as- 
 sisted by his good wife and family. 
 
 MARSHALL LAMB. No man in Bureau 
 county is probably more worthy of repre- 
 sentation in a work of this kind than he whose 
 name stands at the head of this sketch. For 
 many years he has besn identified with the agri- 
 cultural interests of Ohio township, and was born 
 
 in 1850 on the farm which is still his home. His 
 parents, Jeremiah and Martha Ann (Shiflett) 
 Lamb, were both natives of the Old Dominion, 
 where they spent their childhood and youth and 
 were married. From there they removed to 
 Ohio, and subsequently to the farm in Ohio 
 township, Bureau county, Illinois, which is the 
 home of our subject. The father led the quiet 
 life of a farmer, caring nothing for the honors 
 or emoluments of public office. He died in 
 Keokuk county, Iowa, where he had resided less 
 than two years, respected by all, and the mother 
 departed this life in 1891. 
 
 During the boyhood and youth of our subject 
 he attended the district schools near his home, 
 thus acquiring a good practical education, while 
 his training in farming work was reared on the 
 homestead under the able direction of his father. 
 His farm comprises one hundred and twenty 
 acres of rich and productive land, and indicates 
 in all its appointments the supervision of a man 
 of intelHgence and sound judgment, and one who 
 has been remarkably judicious in his investments. 
 i\Ir. Lamb is a self-made man in the broadest 
 sense of the term, having commenced life without 
 any other means than his strong hands and reso- 
 lute will, which were observable at an early 
 period in his life. By industry ana economy he 
 has worked his way upward until to-day he is 
 the owner of a good property. 
 
 In 1875, ^Ir. Lamb led to the marriage altar 
 Miss Emma Yetman, daughter of George Yet- 
 man, who is one of the old and respected citi- 
 zens of Bureau county. Seven children came to 
 bless their union, but only four are now living, 
 namely: Laura, who for the past two years has 
 been a student in the Princeton schools; Jasper, 
 Eunice and Ethel. Mrs. Lamb is identified with 
 the Christian church, while the oldest daughter 
 is a Methodist in religious faith. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Lamb is a stalwart republican, 
 and is an earnest advocate of the principles of 
 that party. While not an aspirant for office, he 
 has creditably served his fellow citizens in the 
 capacity of school director, and is at present road 
 commissioner. Upright and honorable in all 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 29s 
 
 things, he has gained and retained the confidence 
 and respect of his fellow men, and is distinctly 
 one of the leading farmers of Ohio township, with 
 whose interests he has always been identified. 
 
 ISAAC C. BLACK. Prominent among the 
 energetic, far-seeing and successful business 
 men of Bureau county is the subject of this sketch, 
 now a leading merchant and grain dealer of Ar- 
 lington. Integrity, activity and energy have been 
 the crowning points of his success, and his life 
 history most happily illustrates what may be at- 
 tained by faithful and continued effort in any 
 chosen field of labor. 
 
 'Sir. Black was born in Bucks county, Penn- 
 sylvania, September 26, 1831, and is of German 
 descent, his paternal great-grandfather coming 
 from the fatherland, and becoming a pioneer of 
 Bucks county. There the grandfather, Henry 
 Black, spent his entire life. He faithfully served 
 his country in the war of 1812. 
 
 Isaac Black, Sr., the father of our subject, was 
 born, reared and educated in Bucks county, 
 Pennsylvania, where he married Miss Cynthia 
 Carver, also a native of the same county. There 
 he followed his trade of cabinet making until 
 called to his final rest in 1837. His wife, who 
 survived him many years died in 1867. Our 
 subject is sixth in order of birth in their family 
 of nine children, six sons and three daughters, 
 all of whom grew to maturity. The others are 
 Abram, who was killed at the battle of Antietam 
 while serving as a union soldier in the civil war; 
 AA^illiam, now a resident of Walnut, Bureau coun- 
 ty; Levi, of Lambertville, Xew Jersey; Ezra, of 
 Bucks county, Pennsylvania; Jesse,, of Philadel- 
 phia; Sophia, wife of Hile Wood, of Bucks coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania; Catherine, who died when a 
 young lady, and Annie, deceased wife of Joseph 
 Rice. Levi, Ezra and Abram were all mechanics. 
 
 In the county of his nativity, Mr. Black, of 
 this review, passed the days of his boyhood and 
 youth, receiving but limited school advantages, 
 but by reading and observation in subsequent 
 years has become a well informed man. Dur- 
 ing his early life he engaged in the sawmill and 
 
 lumber business. In 1854 he emigrated to Illi- 
 nois, locating in Arlington, where for a few years 
 he followed the carpenter's trade, and then em- 
 barked in the grain business, buying and sell- 
 ing for others. About 1883 he began dealing 
 in grain on his own account, which business he 
 has actively and successfully carried on up to 
 the present time. In April, 1892 he formed a 
 partnership with E. D. Larkin, and they now 
 earn,- one of the large and most complete stocks 
 of general merchandise in Bureau county. Thev 
 do a large and profitable business which is justly 
 merited, as the goods which they handle are first 
 class in every particular, selected with a view 
 of pleasing their patrons. 
 
 Air. Black was married at Dover, Bureau 
 county, in 1858, to Aliss ]\Iyra H. Simpson a 
 native of Belmont county, Ohio, who came when 
 a child of six years to this county with her 
 father, James Simpson, one of the early set- 
 tlers of this locality. Six children graced this 
 union — Anna Estella, who died at the age of 
 three and a half years; Ada D., who first married 
 Harvey Milner, by whom she had one child, 
 Joseph; she is now the wife of W. I. Wolf, of 
 Arlington, by whom she has two children, Lewis 
 and Isaac W. C. ; Alillie, who died at the age of 
 seventeen years; Louis R., who died at the age 
 of sixteen; Joseph R., also now deceased, and 
 Bertha, who died at the age of twelve years. 
 Joseph R. grew to maturity, was well educated 
 in the Arlington schools, and for about six years 
 engaged in the mercantile business with E. D. 
 Larkin. At his death, which occurred in April, 
 1892, he left a wife, who died soon afterward. 
 Mrs. Wolf is the only one of the children now 
 living. 
 
 Mr. Black has ever taken an active interest 
 in political af?airs, in 1856 being one of the or- 
 ganizers of the republican party in this locality, 
 and he cast his first ballot that year for John 
 C. Fremont. He has since supported every presi- 
 dential nominee of that party. He has been 
 called upon to serve in several positions of honor 
 and trust, for three terms being a member of the 
 county central committee, and during President 
 
296 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Harrison's administration efficiently serving as 
 postmaster of Arlington. In the discharge of all 
 duties \'\'hether public or private he has been a 
 like true and faithful, and his fellow citizens have 
 for him the highest regard. He has served as a 
 delegate to both the county and state conven- 
 tions of his party. 
 
 Earnest and sincere Christians, both ]\Ir. and 
 Mrs. Black are faithful and active members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is 
 steward and trustee, and fraternally he is a 
 IMaster Mason and a member of the Independ- 
 ent Order of Odd Fellows. He has passed all 
 the chairs in the latter organization, being at the 
 present time past grand. He was lodge deputy 
 for a number of years and served as a delegate 
 to the state conventions. For forty-two years 
 he has been numbered among the honored and 
 representative citizens of Bureau county, during 
 which time he has witnessed much of its growth 
 and development, and being a public-spirited, 
 enterprising citizen has done much to aid in its 
 advancement and prosperity. Upright and hon- 
 orable in all things, his life is well worthy of 
 emulation. 
 
 J 
 
 A:\IES cherry, superintendent of the 
 Seatonville coal mine, belonging to the Chi- 
 cago, Wilmington & Vermillion Coal company, 
 was born in Northumberland county, England, 
 February 24, 1841, and is a son of William and 
 Jane (Forbes) Cherry, the former a native of 
 England and the latter of Scotland. They re- 
 mained in England, where the father died at the 
 age of sixty-six, and the mother some time later 
 at the age of sixty. By trade he was a plasterer. 
 Our subject is the oldest of their four children, 
 the others being Elizabeth, wife of George Lid- 
 die, of England; Joseph, who died in that country 
 at the age of twenty-two; and William, who is 
 married and is a miner of England. 
 
 The educational privileges afforded our sub- 
 ject were rather limited as he began work in a 
 coal mine when only eight years and three 
 months of age. He has therefore for almost half 
 a century been connected with mining interests, 
 
 and has filled almost every position from "trapper 
 boy" up to superintendent, so that he is thor- 
 oughly familiar with the business in its various 
 departments and is well qualified to fill the re- 
 sponsible position which he now occupies. He 
 passed the required examination at the last ses- 
 sion of the state board for mine managers and 
 received a certificate for his proficiency. 
 
 The year 1868 witnessed the arrival of Air. 
 Cherry in America and he at once began opera- 
 tions as a miner at Braidwood, Will county, 
 Illinois, where he remained for twenty years, 
 during which time he worked his way steadily 
 upward until becoming "Pit boss." It was in 
 1889 that he accepted his present position in the 
 mine at Seatonville, which he has filled with 
 honor to himself and the satisfaction of the com- 
 pany. The mine was opened about 1878 and ten 
 years later was transferred by Mr. Seaton to the 
 present company. They take out about eight 
 hundred tons daily although they have a capacity 
 for lifting one thousand tons or over. It is a 
 good grade of bituminous coal in three veins, and 
 three hundred and twenty-five men are employed 
 on an average all the year round, the number 
 being increased during the winter season. 
 
 On the i6th of December, 1863, in England 
 was celebrated the marriage of j\Ir. Cherry and 
 Miss Elizabeth Lonsdale, a daughter of Thomas 
 and Elizabeth Lonsdale, of that country, where 
 her mother is still living. The father died in 
 i860, at the age of sixty years. IMrs. Cherry is 
 one of a family of eleven children, seven of whom 
 are still living, three sisters being residents of 
 Braidwood, Illinois, and a brother Abraham, a 
 miner of Seatonville. 
 
 Eleven children graced the union of 'Sir. and 
 Airs. Cherry, namely: Elizabeth, married James 
 Kibble, by whom she had five children; James, 
 Fred, deceased; Mabel, Edith and Bell. John 
 died at the age of one year and nine months. 
 John T., the second of that name, works in the 
 Seatonville mine, being night watchman and 
 overseer of the pumps, which position was form- 
 erly held by his father. He married Julia Smith, 
 and has one daughter, Pearl. William, a farmer 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 297 
 
 by occupation, married Edith Swan, daughter of 
 Newton B. Swan, of Hall township. James who 
 works on top of the mine, still lives at home. 
 Jane Ann, Hannah, Isabel, Esther, Joseph and 
 Thomas Lonsdale are still under the parental 
 roof. 
 
 In his political affiliations, Mr. Cherry is an 
 ardent republican, a strong supporter of Major 
 ^IcKinley, for whom he voted in April, 1896, 
 when a delegate to the congressional committee 
 at La Salle, and he has been called upon to fill 
 a number of minor offices. He is a member of 
 Braidwood lodge, No. 704, F. & A. M., and is 
 also a Knight Templar, being connected with the 
 commandery at Peru, Illinois. He is in the prime 
 of a vigorous manhood, is a jovial, genial gentle- 
 man, and although an Englishman by birth has 
 become thoroughly Americanized, giving his 
 earnest support to all our free institutions. He is 
 a thorough believer in protection for American 
 industries, and is one of Seatonville's most 
 worthy citizens. 
 
 THOMAS j: HIGGINS, now living a retired 
 life in Henry, Illinois, is an Illinois pioneer 
 of 1840, and dating his residence in Marshall 
 county since 1855. He was born May 12, 1832, 
 in Butler cotmty, Ohio, that state which has sent 
 out many of the grandest men in the nation, and 
 which ndw ranks with Virginia as the "mother 
 of presidents." His father, James Higgins, was 
 also a native of Butler county, Ohio, while his 
 mother who bore the maiden name of Sally Skill- 
 man, was a native of Virginia, but whom in 
 early life removed with her parents to Ohio, 
 where her marriage with Mr. Higgins occurred. 
 While yet residing in that state to them were 
 born four sons and one daughter, as follows: 
 Skillman V., who was a farmer of Whitefield 
 township, and, dying in 1856, left two children, 
 one of whom 'is yet living; Nellie Ann married 
 John Hixon, a blacksmith of Peoria county, and 
 removed to Dickinson county, Kansas, where 
 she died in 1882; Hiram died at the age of 
 twenty-two years; Thomas is the next in order 
 of birth ; and John was married and engaged in 
 
 farming in Saratoga township, where he died 
 March 17, 1895. The wife of the last named 
 died the year previous, leaving a family who 
 yet reside in Saratoga township. 
 
 In the fall of 1840 James Higgins determined 
 to leave Ohio for Illinois, with a view of not 
 only bettering himself, but giving his children 
 better advantages for their future lives. At this 
 time his eldest son was a lad of but fourteen years, 
 but a sturdy young fellow. Our subject was the 
 next youngest in the family. With teaming and 
 hauling the family and household effects they 
 laboriously pursued their way from their Ohio 
 home, arriving in Farmington, Illinois, January 
 6, 1841. The means of the husband and father 
 were very limited, and consequently he could 
 not purchase even a small farm, but was com- 
 pelled to rent for a period of two years, taking a 
 farm near Kickapoo, Peoria county, from which 
 they removed to La Salle Prairie in the same 
 county. In 1844 his wife died and he subse- 
 quently married Miss Lydia Moats, by whom he 
 had one son, James, now living in Buffalo county, 
 Nebraska, where he is engaged in farming. In 
 1853 ^is moved with his family to Whitefield 
 township, Marshall county, where he spent the 
 remainder of his life, dying in 1865, at the age 
 of sixty-six years. His second wife survived him 
 many years, dying at the home of her son, in 
 Buffalo county, Nebraska, in 1892. 
 
 At the age of twenty-one years, Thomas J. 
 Higgins came to Marshall county, and located 
 in Whitefield township, there following farming. 
 On the 25th of September, 1856, he was united 
 in marriage with Miss Catherine Otto, born in 
 Perry county, Pennsylvania, but who came to 
 Illinois when a child of eight years with her 
 parents, Christopher and Jane Otto, who settled 
 in Peoria county, eight miles west of Peoria, 
 where she grew to lovely womanhood. Her 
 father there died some four years after coming to 
 the state. Her mother, with true maternal love 
 and affection, kept the three youngest children 
 at home and lived on the farm until each grew up 
 and married. She died in Woodford county, 
 Illinois, some twenty years ago. 
 
298 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In 1855, when our subject began life for him- 
 self he had but one horse. He purchased another 
 horse and an outfit for farming on a small scale, 
 on credit, and rented a farm in Whitefield town- 
 ship on which he lived until 1861. He then pur- 
 chased an eighty acre tract on section 12, Sara- 
 toga township, for which he was to pay fifteen 
 hundred dollars. Of the purchase price he paid 
 two hundred and fifty dollars, and had cash 
 enough in hand to purchase all the stock he need- 
 ed for the farm. Fortune favored him and it 
 was but a short time before he cleared the farm 
 from debt and added eighty more acres, giving 
 him a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres. 
 On that farm he resided for thirty-one years and 
 there his family of eight children were reared and 
 grew to be useful citizens. Of that family, 
 Frances is now the wife of George Ettridge, of 
 Russell county, Kansas; Alonzo married Lillian 
 Lumbard, a darrghter of George Lumbard, of 
 Saratoga township, and resides on the old home- 
 stead; Anna is the wife of Leonard Gray, a 
 farmer of Lake county, Illinois; Alice is the wife 
 of Edward Brown, of Saratoga township ; Jennie 
 resides at ^Mount Auburn, Iowa; Ida is a trained 
 nurse residing in Chicago; }\Iinnie also makes 
 her home at Mount Auburn; and Elmer lives 
 with his brother Alonzo on the home farm. 
 
 Feeling that he and his good wife had earned 
 a rest, in 1892 Mr. Higgins removed to Henry, 
 where they are living retired. While on the farm 
 they labored hard and faithfully, and to each of 
 their children as they left the parental roof they 
 ' rendered such assistance as possible. To each of 
 them were given good educational advantages, 
 which were well improved, four of the daughters 
 engaging for a time as teachers in the public 
 schools. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Higgins is a democrat, but 
 simply votes the ticket, leaving to others so in- 
 clined, the honors of public office, for which he 
 has no inclinations. Religiously he and his wife 
 are members of the Methodist Episcopal church 
 of Henry, with which they have recently united, 
 although they have always attended and support- 
 ed the church. In educational matters he has 
 
 always taken an active interest, and has served 
 as school director and trustee for thirty years. 
 As a citizen he endeavors to do his duty faithfully 
 and well. 
 
 DAVID D. OWEN, who resides upon sec- 
 tion 9, Richland township, is a well known 
 citizen of Marshall county, and was born on the 
 farm where he now resides, April 26, 1837, and is 
 a son of Timothy and Jane (Dever) Owen, the 
 former a native of Connecticut, and the latter of 
 Ohio. (See sketch of Timothy Owen elsewhere 
 in this volume.) 
 
 The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
 the farm in Richland township, and was educated 
 in the district schools. He was reared to the life 
 of a farmer and has ever followed that occupa- 
 tion. He was married November 18, 1868, to 
 Miss Emma L. Bequeaith, a native of Tazewell 
 county, born near Pekin, and a daughter of John 
 and Elizabeth (King) Bequeaith, both of whom 
 were natives of Ohio, the former born November 
 ■ I, 1820, and the latter January 7, 1821. Her 
 parents moved from Ohio to Indiana in a verv 
 early day, and there resided until 1832, when 
 they came to Illinois, and settled four miles 
 southwest of Pekin, in Tazewell county, near the 
 Bequeaith bridge. They there resided until 1881, 
 when, retiring from active life, they purchased 
 property on Buena Vista avenue, Pekin, and 
 there resided until his death, September 29, 1893. 
 His widow still survives. Their children were 
 Mrs. Owen, James, Mrs. Alice Ilifif, Mrs. Laura 
 Lloyd and Louis. Three died before reaching 
 maturity. The paternal grandparents of ]\Irs. 
 Owen were Joseph and Elizabeth (Kunkle) Be- 
 queaith, who also moved to Tazewell county in 
 an early day, where both died many years ago, 
 and their remains were interred in the Bequeaith 
 cemetery in Tazewell county. They were the 
 parents of ten children — William', ]Mrs. ]\Iarv 
 Dwyer, ^Irs. Elizabeth Clarry, Joseph, ]\Irs. 
 Annie Dixon, John, Mrs. Susan Whittaker, 
 Michael, Louis and Nicholas. 
 
 ^Irs. Owen was born ^larch 11, 1851, and re- 
 ceived her education in the public schools of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 299 
 
 Pekin. Immediately after their marriage our 
 subject and his wife took up their residence upon 
 their present farm which comprises three hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of highly improved land 
 and where they have since continued to reside. 
 They are the parents of five children, four of 
 whopi are living — Louis R., Jay J., Walter D. 
 and James K. The one deceased was Timothy 
 D., who died in early childhood- The others are 
 all at home. Each have had good educational 
 advantages, passing through the district schools 
 and attending higher institutions elsewhere. 
 
 Politically, ^Ir. Owen has been a republican 
 since the organization of the party, having voted 
 for Lincoln in i860, and for the republican 
 nominees for state and local offices in 1858. 
 While never aspiring for official position, he has 
 served as township clerk and for twenty years 
 has been a school trustee. His son Jay is at 
 present township clerk. 
 
 In his life work, ^Ir. Owen has been quite 
 successful, being a practical farmer and one ever 
 abreast with the times. His place is always kept 
 under the highest state of cultivation and his 
 dwelling and outhouses show taste and refine- 
 ment. In addition to his farm on which the 
 family reside he is the owner of some sixty-six 
 lots in the suburbs of Chicago. Mrs. Owen is 
 the owner of a beautiful residence property on 
 Buena \^ista avenue at Pekin, Illinois, and has 
 also a farm of one hundred and twenty acres 
 three and a half miles southwest of that place. 
 
 S A:\IUEL p. PRESCOTT, a prominent mem- 
 ber of the Bureau county bar, has been 
 actively and successfully engaged in the practice 
 ot law for twenty-six years in this county. He 
 IS a native of the old bay state, born at Methuen, 
 Essex county, on the 14th of October, 1844, 
 while his father, S. P. Prescott, and his grand- 
 father, Asa Prescott, were both natives of New 
 Hampshire. The family is of English ancestry, 
 and was founded in America at an early day, 
 its members becoming pioneers of New Hamp- 
 shire. They have taken a prominent part in pub- 
 lic afifairs in both that state and in Massachusetts, 
 
 many being noted men in the professions, and 
 one cousin of our subject, Hon. B. F. Prescott, 
 was governor of New Hampshire. 
 
 In the state of his nativity, S. P. Prescott, Sr., 
 grew to manhood, becoming a resident of Essex 
 county, ?ilassachusetts, when a young man, and 
 there wedded Miss Mary IM. Carleton, whose 
 birth occurred in that state. For many years the 
 father engaged in the manufacture of shoes at 
 Haverhill and held several important public posi- 
 tions in that municipality, including that of alder- 
 man. There he spent the last years of his life. 
 
 At Haverhill the subject of this sketch was 
 reared, and during his boyhood and youth was 
 furnished with excellent educational advantages, 
 attending Philips Exeter academy, and graduat- 
 ing from Dartmouth college in 1867 with the 
 degree of A. B., and from which institution he 
 received the degree of A. M. in 1874. After 
 completing his collegiate course he engaged in 
 teaching for a time, for two years serving as 
 principal of the Francistown academy of New 
 Plampshire. 
 
 In 1869 Air. Prescott emigrated to Illinois, 
 first taking up his residence at Princeton, and 
 in 1870 was admitted to the bar, and formed a 
 law partnership with George W. Stipp, now judge 
 of the judicial district. After practicing for two 
 years in that city, he moved to Chicago where 
 he remained two years, and then came to Arling- 
 ton, where he at once opened a law office and has 
 since successfully engaged in practice. Since 
 1891 he has also had an office at Mendota and 
 has practiced in all the courts in this section 
 of the state. He has won an enviable position at 
 the bar, and is now at the head of a large and 
 lucrative practice. 
 
 In Princeton, Illinois, October 8, 1871, was 
 consummated the marriage of Mr. Prescott and 
 Aliss Frances A. Van Velzer, who was born in 
 Joliet, but reared and educated in Princeton. Her 
 father, Granville Van Velzer, ^^'as a pioneer mer- 
 chant of that city, but now resides with his 
 daughter in Arlington. Five children were born 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Prescott, three of whom are now 
 living, namely: Mabel, now the wife of Isaac 
 
300 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 W. Wright, of Chicago, by whom she has one 
 child, Ellis W. ; Carl, now nineteen years of age, 
 who holds a business position in Chicago, and 
 Warren, who is a student in the Lamoille high 
 school. Two died in early childhood. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Prescott affiliates with the re- 
 publican party, and strongly advocates the pro- 
 tection of American industries. He is at present 
 serving as attorney for the village of Arlington, 
 and has been a delegate to county, congressional 
 and state conventions, but cares nothing for poli- 
 tical preferment, prefering to give his entire time 
 and attention to his professional duties. He is 
 recognized as a thorough, painstaking lawyer, 
 noted for his unswerving loyalty to the interests 
 of his clients, and as a fluent, earnest and con- 
 vincing advocate has but few equals in this sec- 
 tion of the state. He is past master of Levi Lusk 
 lodge. No. 270, F. & A. M., of Arlington, and 
 also holds membership in the chapter and com- 
 mandery at Mendota. He is faithful and con- 
 scientious in the discharge of every trust reposed 
 in him, and he and his estimable wife have 
 the respect and esteem of the entire community. 
 
 JAMES GILLILAND LAUGHLIN, a retired 
 farmer, residing in Princeton, is a native of 
 Illinois, bom in Bond county, October 6, 1824. 
 His father, Samuel Davis Laughlin, was a na- 
 tive of South Carolina, who left that state with 
 his parents in 1807. There were three families, 
 those of Rev. James Gilliland, a Presbyterian 
 minister; Willis Warnocks and the LaughUns, 
 all leaving South Carolina at the same time on 
 account of slavery, and all locating in Brown 
 county, Ohio. While still residing in that coun- 
 ty, where his youth and early manhood were 
 spent, Samuel D. Laughlin married Miss Re- 
 becca Dunlavey, and in 1820 emigrated to Bond 
 county, Illinois. 
 
 Samuel D. Laughlin in early life learned the 
 blacksmith trade, and became an expert. In after 
 years, while not working regularly at his trade, 
 he was often called upon to assist or complete 
 some job requiring extra skill. On his removal 
 to Bond county, Illinois, he entered a claim for 
 
 one hundred and sixtv acres of land. In 1827 
 he laid claim to a tract of land in what is now 
 Putnam county, being attracted thereto by the 
 settlement in that county of James Willis, who 
 was its first settler, and who likewise came from 
 South Carolina. The Warnocks also came from 
 Ohio, and settled near Union Grove, where a 
 church was erected and presided over by Rev. 
 Mr. McDonald. This building was also used for 
 a school house. 
 
 While the elder Laughhn located his claim in 
 1827, he did not make Putnam county his per- 
 manent home until 1830. His claim was near 
 the present village of Florid, where he developed 
 a fine farm of about four hundred acres, which 
 was his home during the remainder of his life. 
 He died in 1849, ^^ the age of fifty-two years. His 
 wife died on the same farm at the age of fifty 
 years. He was a leading member in the Presby- 
 terian church at Union Grove, though quite lib- 
 eral in his religious views. For man}' years he 
 served as justice of the peace, and was known 
 far and near as Squire Laughlin. 
 
 The anti-slavery views of the father were in- 
 stilled into the heart of the son, and Samuel D. 
 Laughlin was a well known abolitionist. In 
 1830, when he removed from Bond county, he 
 brought with him an escaped slave named 
 George, concealing him for days in his wagon. 
 His home in Union Grove was a well known 
 station on the underground railroad, and he was 
 a conductor on that celebrated line. By his 
 guiding hand many colored men and women 
 were assisted on their wa) to a free land, amid 
 their hearty "God bless you." 
 
 To Samuel D. and Rebecca Laughlin a family 
 of four sons and four daughters were born, as 
 follows: Keziah Jane, who married Earned 
 Davis, lived for some years at ]\[ount Palatine, 
 and is now a widow residing at Hennepin; John 
 Wilson, who was a blacksmith and farmer in 
 Putnam county, removed to Sumner county, 
 Kansas, in 1885, and died there four years later; 
 ^lary Amanda married Harvey B. Leeper, and 
 they now reside in Princeton; James Gilliland, 
 our subject, is next in order of birth; ^^'illiam 
 
James G. Lalghlix 
 
- ^ 
 
 Mrs. J. G. LArciii.iN. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 305 
 
 Martin, who is a justice of the peace, now re- 
 sides in Granville township, Putnam county; 
 Sarah Ann, who married \\^illiam McCord, died 
 at Onarga, Illinois, in 1884; Addison Dunlavey, 
 who was for years a teacher and justice of the 
 peace, now resides in Kewaunee, Kewaunee 
 county, \\'isconsin, and Emma Caroline, died at 
 the age of eighteen. 
 
 After the death of the parents the family scat- 
 tered, each doing as he or she thought best. Our 
 subject remained at home until that time, when 
 he, too, began life for himself. He learned the 
 blacksmith's trade, but engaged principally in 
 farming until 1862, when, in company with his 
 brother John, he established at Mt. Palatine, 
 Putnam county, a blacksmith and wagon shop. 
 They did a general repairing business in connec- 
 tion and built up quite an extensive trade. The 
 partnership continued for eight years, when he 
 sold out and resumed farming at \[t. Palatine, 
 where he owned one hundred and sixty acres 
 of land. He continued thus actively engaged in 
 general farming and stock-raising until 1885, 
 when he removed to Princeton and has since 
 lived a retired life. 
 
 On the 28th of Xovember, 1850, ^Ir. Laughlin 
 was united in marriage with ?\liss Julia Smith, a 
 daughter of Beriah Hartshorn and Philena (Mor- 
 ton) Smith. She was born in Mohawk, Herki- 
 mer county, New York, in 1829, and came with 
 her parents to Putnam county, in 1847. Her 
 father was a native of Connecticut, but of Eng- 
 lish origin, the first of the family coming to 
 America before the year 1700. His grandfather 
 died a French prisoner in the French and Indian 
 wars. Philena Morton was a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, also of English origin. Both parents 
 are now deceased, her mother d\'ing- in Nebraska 
 at the age of seventy-seven years, and her father 
 in Princeton, at the age of eighty-six: 
 
 Xine children came to bless the union of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Laughlin — Marian Eliza, who died in 
 1894, was a woman of strong will and determina- 
 tion, having in 1887 located a claim in Colorado, 
 on which she remained to prove up. She died 
 at Wyanet while she was keeping house for her 
 
 brother in 1894. Charles Emmet also resides 
 in Iowa; Nettie is now the wife of James Mc- 
 Nabb of Putnam county; John Baird is a rail- 
 road agent at Franklin, Idaho; James Adelbert is 
 a farmer of Wyanet township, Bureau county; 
 Jennie is the wife of Fred Lauder of the Chicago 
 stock yards; Frederick -married Rosa Pryor and 
 resides on a farm in Wyanet township; Howard, 
 engaged in the laundry business in Princeton; 
 Mabel, died at the age of two years; Amanda, an 
 adopted child, is the wife of Clay Barr, of Hold- 
 redge, Nebraska. She was reared in the family 
 from the age of six years, took the name of 
 Laughlin, and had the same advantages as the 
 other children. 
 
 Mr. and ^Irs. Laughlin now reside in a neat 
 and comfortable house on West South street. 
 Since coming to Princeton he invested in a farm 
 in \\'}anet township, now occupied by his son 
 Fred. Both he and his wife are members of the 
 Congregational church. In the church and tem- 
 perance work she takes an active interest, being 
 a worker in the Woman's Christian Temperance 
 Union. Politically, Mr. Laughlin is a republican, 
 as are each, of his five sons. For some years he 
 served as justice of the peace at Mt. Palatine, an 
 office which was filled by his father and all of 
 his brothers. He has frequently been a delegate 
 to the various conventions of his party and has 
 always worked in the ranks. With his wife he has 
 taken many tours for pleasure, and together they 
 visited the Centennial, the Columbian exposition 
 and the Atlanta exposition. They beheve in en- 
 joying this life and do enjoy it to the fullest ex- 
 tent. 
 
 PETER MERDIAN, residing on section 5, 
 Henry township, is one of the leading farm- 
 ers and stock raisers of Marshall county. He 
 was born February i, 1852, on the old Merdian 
 homestead, south of the village of Henry. His 
 parents, Johann Joseph and Mary Ursulla (Loth- 
 ringen) Merdian, of whom a sketch is given else- 
 where, were numbered among the pioneers of 
 1843. On that old farm our subject grew to 
 manhood, received a good common school edu- 
 
3o6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cation, and remained at home assisting in the 
 cultivation of the soil until January 25, 1876, 
 when he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Theresa Schubert, a native of Bavaria, and a 
 daughter of George Schubert, of Whitefield 
 township, also a native of that country, who came 
 to the United States in 1874, and direct to Mar- 
 shall county. Her father died in May, 1893. 
 At the time of coming to this country, Mrs. 
 Merdian was twenty years of age. She soon 
 afterward formed the acquaintance of Mr. 3.1er- 
 dian, which acquaintance ripened into love, with 
 the result of marriage as stated. 
 
 After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Merdian 
 removed to a farm of one hundred acres in 
 Whitefield township, where for seventeen years 
 they resided, and where their family of nine 
 children were born — IXIarv, William, John 
 Joseph, Theresa, Mncent, Rosa, Helen, Leo and 
 Bertha. All yet remain at home and are being 
 educated and trained for future usefulness in 
 this life. 
 
 Soon after the death of his father, Mr. Mer- 
 dian removed to his present residence, the farm 
 consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, which 
 came to him on the division of the estate. He 
 is a thorough and practical farmer, and with per- 
 sonal knowledge and experience in every de- 
 partment of farm work. His place is well im- 
 proved and well stocked with labor-saving im- 
 plements of the latest design. Politically he 
 is a democrat, and religiously adheres to the 
 views of his father, being a member of the Ger- 
 man Catholic church. A lifelong citizen of the 
 county, he is well and favorably known through- 
 out its length and breadth. 
 
 GW. TAYLOR, M. D., who for over forty 
 . years has been one of the leading and 
 successful physicians and surgeons of Princeton, 
 as well as one of the highly esteemed and hon- 
 ored citizens, was born in Saratoga county, New 
 York, October 9, 1815, having now passed the 
 eighty-first mile stone on life's journey, but has 
 the vigor of a much younger man, and in spirit 
 and interests seems yet in his prime. There is 
 
 an old age that is a benediction to all that comes 
 in contact with it, that gives out of its rich 
 stores of learning and experience, and grows 
 stronger intellectually and spiritually as the 
 years pass. Such is the life of Dr. Taylor, an en- 
 couragement to his associates and an example 
 well worthy of emulation to the young. 
 
 His parents, Niles and Estella (Morris) Taylor, 
 were natives of Connecticut, where they were 
 married, but in 181 3 removed to Saratoga county, 
 New York. The father served in the war of 
 1812, for which he raised a company, and after- 
 ward received a pension. By occupation he was 
 a farmer and miller. From Saratoga county, he 
 removed to Oneida county, and subsequently 
 to Erie county, New York, where he died at the 
 home of his son, James ^I., at the age of eighty- 
 three years. He was an upright, worthy citizen, 
 a member of the Baptist church. His wife died 
 at the home of our subject, in Oneida county. 
 New York, in 1840, at the age of sixty-eight 
 years. She was reared in the faith of the Pres- 
 byterian church, to which she always adhered. 
 The doctor is the youngest in the family of twelve 
 children and is the only one now living. Of his 
 brothers and sisters, James ^I. was the last sur- 
 vivor, and his death occurred in 1873. 
 
 In early childhood the home of Dr. Taylor 
 was changed to Otsego county, and later to 
 Oneida county, New York. At the age of twelve 
 years he left the parental roof and started out to 
 fight life's battles unaided. Although he has 
 met with many difficulties and trials, he feels that 
 his life has been ruled by a kind and loving father, 
 who has directed and shaped his course. 
 
 In 1839 Dr. Taylor was united in marriage 
 with Miss Orpha Bartholemew, by whom he had 
 three children — Charles, who died in infancy; 
 De Verne, who died at the age of fifteen months; 
 and Juliaette, now the widow of Thomas P. 
 James. She makes her home in JMinnesota, and 
 has seven children — Henry A., George T., Am- 
 asa, Morris, Orpha, Oretha and Juliaette. Mrs. 
 Taylor, who was born in 1813, died December 
 28, 1844. Later the doctor married Christiana 
 Durfee. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 307 
 
 About the time of his second marriage our 
 subject began the study of medicine, and in 
 1846 began its practice. Later he tool< the pre- 
 scribed course of lectures at tlie Syracuse medical 
 college, graduating in 1853, and the same year 
 started with his wife and daughter for Princeton, 
 Illinois, where he has since successfully engaged 
 in practice with the exception of four years spent 
 at Humboldt, Kansas. 
 
 Before leaving his native state, Dr. Taylor 
 visited his brother James ~M. at Buffalo, where 
 he heard for the first time of the people calling 
 themselves Disciples, his brother and wife being 
 members of that denomination. He attended 
 their church on the Lord's day and after listening 
 to the sermon, he said, "I felt it was the first 
 gospel sermon I had ever listened to." In 1840 
 he had joined the Congregational church, but at 
 that time was a Methodist, and on coming to 
 Princeton joined the Disciples, or Christian 
 church. In 1866 he was ordained as a minister by 
 Elder George ^IcAIannis, and from 1880 vmtil 
 1884 ^^'3-s engaged in evangeHcal work at Hum- 
 boldt, Kansas. He also practiced medicine at the 
 same place. In 1878 the L-nited Order of Ancient 
 Templars prevailed in Illinois, and the following 
 year Dr. Taylor was made grand templar for the 
 state. Later for some time he held both the offices 
 of grand templar and supreme templar. All ob- 
 jects for the promotion of the welfare of his fel- 
 low men receive his hearty co-operation, and 
 he takes a leading and prominent part in all 
 church work, presiding at many sessions of the 
 district meetings and ministerial institutes. He 
 has served as justice of the peace and county 
 commissioner. For over fifty years he has been 
 a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows, and a member of the uniform rank of 
 Knights of Pythias since 1872. He has served 
 as delegate to Canada, Davenport, Io«'a, and 
 Kansas City, when the Knights of Pythias held 
 their meetings there, and ]\Iarch 2^, 1895, he was 
 appointed by the major-general commanding, 
 captain and chaplain of the Fifth Illinois Regi- 
 ment Uniform Rank, K. P. On the 27th of Octo- 
 ber, 1890, he was elected assistant surgeon with 
 
 the rank of captain in the supreme lodge of the 
 Uniform Rank of the Knights of Pythias of the 
 world. He is a public-spirited, prominent citi- 
 zen of Princeton, always abreast with the times, 
 and has the love and respect of all who know 
 him. 
 
 DANIEL PI. SMITH, president of the First 
 National bank of Princeton, Illinois, and 
 also president of the Bates-Smith Investment 
 Company, of the same place, is one of the most 
 enterprising men in the city, and few men have 
 a wider acquaintance among all classes of citi- 
 zens of the county. He is a native of Orwell, 
 Vermont, born December 2, 1835, and is a son of 
 Joab and Alary (Horton) Smith, both of whom 
 were natives of the same state. They were the 
 parents of three sons, only one of whom is still 
 living — the subject of this sketch. The father 
 and mother are both deceased. 
 
 Daniel H. Smith was reared upon a farm in 
 his native state and received his education in its 
 common schools, and the academies at Poultney 
 and Johnson. At seventeen he left home and en- 
 tered a store at Sheldon, Vermont, where he was 
 employed as a clerk. He remained there two 
 years, in which time he acquired considerable 
 knowledge of trade, and an insight in human na- 
 ture. Having relatives in Bureau county, Illi- 
 nois, upon their recommendation he came to 
 Princeton in September, 1855, and almost im- 
 mediately secured the position as clerk in the 
 general store of A. & M. Carse, at a salary of 
 four hundred dollars per year. With this and 
 another firm he remained two years, and then 
 removed to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he en- 
 gaged in the real estate business for about a 
 year and a half. Fort Dodge at that time was 
 quite an important place, a government land of- 
 fice being located there, thus attracting a large 
 number of emigrants. While at Fort Dodge, 
 he made some money, but not being satisfied he 
 returned to Princeton, and for about one year 
 was in the grain trade, buying and shipping to 
 the Chicago markets. 
 
 Being their only living child, his parents re- 
 
3o8 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 quested him to return to Vermont, that he might 
 at least be near them in their decUning days. 
 In December, 1859, he went back to Vermont, 
 and located at Sheldon, about one hundred miles 
 from his birthplace. He there engaged in manu- 
 facturing and in general merchandise trade, in 
 which he continued through the war with poor 
 success. In 1866 he returned to Princeton, a 
 poorer man financially than when he left seven 
 )'ears before, but richer in experience. Soon 
 after his arrival he entered the office of the circuit 
 clerk as deputy, a position he acceptably filled 
 for ten years, during which time he made a host 
 of friends. 
 
 In 1876, Mr. Smith was nominated for the 
 office of circuit clerk and was duly elected. After 
 his four year term he was renominated and re- 
 elected, serving the second term. Xo man 
 elected to that business ever filled the office in a 
 more acceptable manner. Thoroughly qualified 
 by nature and education, he acquired a knowl- 
 edge of the work required and every duty was 
 faithfully discharged to the satisfaction of every 
 patron of the office, and to the judges of the 
 circuit court and attorneys practicing at the bar. 
 
 While still serving as circuit clerk, "Sir. Smith, 
 in 1882, was elected by the directors, president of 
 the First National bank. Since 1875, he has 
 been one of the directors of the bank and has 
 shown business tact and ability of a high order, 
 and his associates felt that they had made no mis- 
 take in placing him at the head of the institution. 
 Until the expiration of his term of office as cir- 
 cuit clerk, he could give only such time to the 
 banking business as would not conflict with his 
 official duties, and it can never be charged 
 against him that he neglected his public duties 
 that he might give the time to his private afifairs. 
 
 In 1869, Mr. Smith began a loan business. 
 His experience in the office of recorder, which 
 is combined with that of circuit clerk, in this 
 state, enabled him to become familiar with titles 
 and the knowledge thus acquired has been util- 
 ized in the business. The present Bates-Smith 
 Investment Company is the outgrowth of his 
 loan business, combined with that of a like busi- 
 
 ness established by Charles Baldwin, who died 
 in 1882, and was succeeded by E. C. Bates. In 
 1885 the two united, and did business under the 
 firm name of Bates & Smith. Two years later 
 they opened a branch office in Omaha, Nebraska, 
 and in 1891, the firm incorporated under the 
 name of Bates-Smith Investment Company. The 
 business has at all times been an extensive one, 
 loans and investments being made throughout 
 the northwest. 
 
 The First National bank, of Princeton, under 
 the wise management of ^Ir. Smith, has been 
 quite successful, and is rated as one of the sound- 
 est financial concerns in northern Illinois. It 
 was established in 1865 by Benjamin S., H. H. 
 and W. W. Ferris, the first named being its presi- 
 dent from the date of its organization up to the 
 time of the election of Mr. Smith. The capital 
 stock of the bank is one hundred and five thou- 
 sand dollars, with undivided profits of eighty- 
 nine thousand dollars in the spring of 1896. 
 While no stock is on the market it has been 
 quoted at one hundred and eighty dollars per 
 share. It has always been a conservative and 
 paying institution and owns its building on Main 
 street. 
 
 The Bates-Smith Investment Company, which 
 as already stated was the outgrowth of the private 
 business of Mr. Bates and Mr. Smith, has from 
 a small beginning grown to be one of the colossal 
 concerns of the country. In 1885 the loans of 
 ^Ir. Smith were about four hundred thousand 
 dollars and that of Mr. Bates about the same 
 amount. The company now has some two mil- 
 lion dollars represented on its books, principally 
 in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. It does strictly 
 a loaning business. 
 
 Mr. Smith was married May 27, 1862, at Fair- 
 fax, Vermont, to ^liss Jane M. Hubbell, a daugh- 
 ter of Homer E. and Alaria (Gove) Hubbell, also 
 natives of Vermont. By this union one son was 
 born — Louis J., a dentist, residing and doing 
 business in Chicago. Mrs. Smith is an active and 
 influential member of the Episcopal church of 
 Princeton. While l\Ir. Smith is not a member, 
 he is a liberal supporter of the same. Fraternal- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 309 
 
 ly he is a Mason, and also a mcml^er of the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and has served 
 in the grand lodge of both orders. The family 
 reside in an elegant home on East South street, 
 Princeton. A large private library adds to their 
 enjoyment. 
 
 Since his retirement from office, ]\Ir. Smith 
 has not taken an active part in politics, but yet 
 maintains his interest, and on all national ques- 
 tions votes the republican ticket. 
 
 HERA'EY E. BROADDUS, supervisor of 
 Roberts township, resides upon a fine and 
 well improved farm on section 17. His grand- 
 father, Lunsford Broaddus, who married Nancv 
 Gale, was a pioneer of Marshall county, in 1832. 
 They were both natives of Virginia, where their 
 marriage occurred. On coming to Marshall 
 county, they located in Hopewell township, one 
 and a half miles east of the present city of Lacon, 
 on which farm they spent the remainder of their 
 lives. Their children were Helen M., widow of 
 William Strawn; Elizabeth, the deceased wife of 
 Enoch Sawyer, also deceased; Christopher, de- 
 ceased, who married ^linerva A. Hall, a resident 
 of Urbana, Illinois; Lucy, the deceased wife of 
 F. H. Bond, of Wenona; Caroline, the deceased 
 wife of Henry E. Weir, of Richland township; 
 Leland, the father of our subject; Susan A., 
 widow of Peter Bogardus, who now lives in Kan- 
 sas ; Andrew S. and Irving, of Lacon ; and Reu- 
 ben, of Roberts township. 
 
 Leland Broaddus was reared on the home- 
 stead in Hopewell township, and after attaining 
 his majority, married Harriet M. Crane, who was 
 born near Hamilton, Ohio, ^larch 8, 1830. She 
 is the daughter of Hezekiah T. and Clarissa 
 Crane, the former a native of New Jersey, born 
 January 30, 1797, and the latter born near Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio, July 4, 1803. Her parents came 
 to Marshall county, in 1835, settled in Richland 
 township, where the father improved a farm, but 
 soon after moved into Lacon, where he was 
 county judge, postmaster, notary public and jus- 
 tice of the peace for many years. Both parents 
 died in that city, the father, October i, 1871, and 
 
 the mother, November 25, 1863. Their chil- 
 dren were Eliza, wife of John Conklin, of Gales- 
 burg, Illinois; Flarrict N., the mother of our sub- 
 ject; Martha, who resides at Galesburg, Illinois; 
 Joseph v., who married Alary Nye, and is now 
 deceased; Maria Louisa, wife of X. M. Laws, of 
 Denver, Colorado; Eunice, now deceased. The 
 parents of our subject were married in Marshall 
 county, but immediately removed to Putnam 
 county, locating in Hennepin township, where 
 the father improved a farm in the river bottom. 
 They were the parents of three children, two of 
 whom are now living — Lunsford T. married Ara 
 E. Hailey, by whom he has six children — Myrta, 
 John, Henry, Willard, Walter and Ralph, and 
 our subject is the younger. 
 
 The mother of these children died April 24, 
 1858, and the father married Miss Susan Case, 
 by whom he had four children — John L., Clara 
 E., James and Irving E. The first named mar- 
 ried Emma Burt, by whom he has one child, 
 Clara E. The daughter married Wayne I. Ham, 
 and they have three children — Stella S., Clara 
 Ella and Lee H. James is now deceased. The 
 parents yet reside on the old homestead in Hen- 
 nepin township, Putnam county, and are well- 
 known and universally respected throughout the 
 entire section of the country. Politically the 
 father has been a lifelong democrat. 
 
 Hervey E. Broaddus was born March 27, 1858, 
 in Hennepin township, Putnam county, Illinois. 
 His mother dying when he was but a babe, he 
 was taken by his grandfather. Crane, then resid- 
 ing at Lacon, with whom he remained until four- 
 teen years of age, in the meantime receiving his 
 education in the public schools of that city. On 
 leaving the home of his grandfather, he went to 
 the home of his father, where he remained until 
 grown to manhood. 
 
 On the 22nd of December, 1881, Mr. Broad- 
 dus was united in marriage with Miss Cordelia 
 B. Glenn, a daughter of Y. A. and Elizabeth 
 (German) Glenn, of Magnolia township, Putnam 
 county, Illinois, who have five living children — 
 Isaac Dawson married Helen Otto, by whom he 
 has two children, Murray and Dawson, and they 
 
310 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 live in Magnolia township; Airs. Broaddus is the 
 next in order of birth; Clara Ellen is the wife 
 of Robert G. Wilson, by whom she has two chil- 
 dren, ]\Iarshall Nelson and Young Glenn, and 
 they also live in Magnolia township; Anna Eliza- 
 beth is the wife of Marshall H. Broaddus, and is 
 the mother of one child, ^Minerva Elizabeth, and 
 they live in Roberts township, ]\Iarshall county; 
 Young Sherman, who married Clara Golden, 
 lives in Magnolia township. Mrs. Broaddus 
 was born December 25, 1859, '"^ Magnolia town- 
 ship, and was educated in the district school 
 known as the Caledonia school. 
 
 After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Broaddus 
 settled upon their present farm, which comprises 
 one hundred and sixty acres, on section 17, Rob- 
 erts township, all of which, is under a high state 
 of cultivation. Mr. Broaddus has been a life- 
 long farmer, in which line of business he has been 
 successful. However, during a part of this time 
 he has taught school in Marshall and Putnam 
 counties. He has always taken a great interest 
 in educational matters and has served as school 
 director and school trustee for many years. In 
 politics he is a democrat, and has voted that 
 ticket since attaining his majority. He has 
 served as collector of Roberts township one 
 term, and is now serving the township as su- 
 pervisor. 
 
 Mr. and [Mrs. Broaddus are the parents of 
 three children — Grace Idell, Young Glenn and 
 Leland H., all of whom yet remain under the 
 parental roof. 
 
 ABRAHAM S. LANCE is numbered among 
 the energetic and enterprising farmers of 
 Hall township. Bureau county, residing on sec- 
 tion 5. His operations have been marked with 
 uniform success, and in addition to being a 
 thorough and skillful agriculturist, he is a busi- 
 ness man of more than ordinary ability, wise and 
 judicious in his investments, and has taken ad- 
 vantage of the facilities afforded at this day and 
 age by improved machinery and all the other 
 appliances required by the modern tiller of the 
 soil. He is one of the honored old settlers of the 
 
 county, dating his residence here back to 1854. 
 
 Warren county, New Jersey, was the earliest 
 home of our subject, and where he first opened 
 his eyes to the light, November 28, 1830. His 
 grandfather, George Lance, was a native of Ger- 
 many, while his father, Abraham Lance, Sr., was 
 also born in New Jersey, where he grew to man- 
 hood and wedded Miss jMary Mixsell, and who 
 was also born in that state of German parentage. 
 There they spent their entire lives. The father 
 met his death by accident, being kicked by a 
 horse. 
 
 Mr. Lance, the subject of this memoir, passed 
 his boyhood and youth in the state of his na- 
 tivity, during which time he received but a limited 
 education. He has, however, by study and ob- 
 servation in later years became a well-informed 
 man. When a young man he came west in 1854 
 in company with a brother-in-law, George L. 
 \'room, and from Peru crossed the prairie where 
 he now resides on the nth of May. For one 
 year he worked as a farm hand by the month, 
 and then bought an eighty acre tract in West- 
 field township. Bureau county, which he at once 
 began to clear and cultivate. During the war 
 he was drafted, but sent a substitute. Later he 
 sold his place and purchased one hundred and 
 thirty-three acres on section 5, Hall township, 
 which was but partially improved. This he 
 placed under a high state of cultivation, erected 
 thereon a good two-story residence, together 
 with substantial out-buildings, and he has paid 
 out about six thousand dollars in improving his 
 place. Recently he has sold one hundred acres 
 of his farm and now loans his money. He still 
 continues the operation of the small tract re- 
 maining, but to a great extent is now living re- 
 tired. 
 
 Starting in life with very little capital, in fact 
 nothing but his strong hands and resolute will, 
 the present condition of Mr. Lance, socially and 
 financially, reflects great credit upon him, both 
 as an agriculturist and a business man. Polit- 
 ically he is entirely independent of any partisan- 
 ship, and in the exercise of his elective franchise 
 considers the man and not the party platform. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 3" 
 
 In Selby township, Bureau county, March 26, 
 1864, Mr. Lance led to the marriage altar INIiss 
 Margaret ^.lartin, who was also born in Warren 
 county, New Jerse}', and came to Illinois as a 
 young lady, with her father, Henry Martin, an 
 early settler of Selby township, who spent his last 
 days in 3ilalden, Bureau county. One daughter 
 was born of this union — Olivia, now the wife of 
 James B. Xelson, a prominent citizen of Spring 
 A'alley, by whom she has two children, Lance and 
 George. 
 
 Both ;\Ir. and ]\Irs. Lance are true and sincere 
 Christians, the former holding membership in 
 the Alethodist Episcopal church, and the latter 
 in the Baptist church. For forty-two long years 
 he has been an honored resident of Bureau coun- 
 ty, during which time he has witnessed its won- 
 derful growth and development, and he has faith- 
 fuly borne his share in its advancement and up- 
 building. He is a most worthy citizen, whose 
 honor and integrity are unimpeachable, his word 
 being considered as good as his bond. 
 
 NATHANIEL BOYD. There is particular 
 satisfaction in reverting to the life history 
 of the honored and venerable gentleman whose 
 name initiates this review, since his mind bears 
 impress of the historical annals of the state of 
 Illinois from its earliest pioneer days, and with 
 the interests of Bureau county, he has been iden- 
 tified for the long period of sixty-six years. He 
 was born in New York city, September i, 1819, 
 but the same year was brought to Illinois by his 
 parents, Charles S. and Eliza (Dixon) Boyd, 
 who located at Springfield, where the father 
 erected the third house in the place. He en- 
 tered forty acres of land where the Illinois Cen- 
 tral depot now stands, which he afterward sold 
 for three dollars per acre and thought that he 
 had made a good bargain as it only cost him one 
 dollar and a quarter per acre. He engaged in 
 farming to some extent and also worked at his 
 trade of tailoring whenever he could find any- 
 thing to do in this sparsely settled country. In 
 1830 he came to Bureau county, locating at what 
 is now Boyd's Grove in Milo township, it being 
 
 named in his honor as he was the first to locate 
 there. Our subject was the third in order of 
 birth in the family of seven children, five of 
 whom are still living. One son is now a resident 
 of Princeton. 
 
 The famil)- endured all the hardships and 
 privations incident to life on the frontier where 
 Indians were more numerous than white settlers. 
 In January, 1831, their home was accidently de- 
 stroyed by fire, and the inmates barely escaped 
 with their lives. They knew they must raise a 
 crop, however, or starve, and the younger chil- 
 dren were taken to Fort Clark, now Peoria, for 
 safety, while the father, our subject and an older 
 brother remained to plow and plant their grain. 
 Two would watch for the Indians while the other 
 was plowing and at night they would sleep in 
 the brush thicket so as not to be murdere.d. 
 They lived at Boyd's Grove all through the Black 
 Hawk war. Their home was near that of the 
 Indian chief, Shabbona, who was very friendly 
 and often assisted them during the severe winter. 
 On killing a deer he would cut it in two and 
 bring the T.o\-d family half. He it was who 
 gave the alarm to the white settlers when Black 
 Hawk started on his raid, and with them he 
 took refuge at Fort Clark. The Boyd home- 
 stead was the stopping place for the stage from 
 Springfield to Galena, and after the house v/as 
 destroyed the passengers would sleep on straw. 
 Our subject often used a bull dog for a pillow, 
 and one night he was, offered fifty cents for the 
 use of his dog for the same purpose by a passen- 
 ger. 
 
 In 1840, the father removed to Princeton, 
 where he spent his remaining days, at which 
 time he gave Nathaniel and a brother a piece of 
 land near Peru, La Salle county, Illinois. Our 
 subject at once took up his residence there, keep- 
 ing bachelor's hall for two summers while he 
 cleared, improved and cultivated the land. On 
 the I2th of March, 1844, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss ]\Iary Ann Cummings, of Bu- 
 reau county, who \\as born in Gallatin county, 
 Illinois, February 20, 1827, and had come to Bu- 
 reau county, in 1834, with her parents. Mr. 
 
312 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Boyd had made her acquaintance while peddling 
 dry goods throughout the county. Upon his 
 La Salle county land he erected a cabin, in which 
 they began their domestic life, but the next year 
 so many died of cholera in the locality, that her 
 parents persuaded them to return to Bureau 
 county. Selling out there he purchased eighty 
 acres of the farm in Concord township which is 
 still his home, and subsequently entered two 
 hundred and forty acres from the government. 
 He erected a good frame residence, which he has 
 since remodeled and yet finds a comfortable 
 home. 
 
 To Air. and Airs. Boyd were born eight chil- 
 dren, four of whom are still living: Alary T., 
 wedded Charles Witherell, of Concord township, 
 and they have two children ; Roxey is the widow 
 of Harry Rawson, and with her three children 
 resides in Princeton ; John W. is married, and is 
 a railroad man, residing in Texas; Cummings is 
 a farmer of Concord township, whose sketch is 
 given below. The mother of these children de- 
 parted this life September 20, 1866, and her re- 
 mains were interred in the cemetery near the 
 family homestead. 
 
 In 1840, Air. Boyd cast his first presidential 
 vote for William Henry Harrison, and took a 
 prominent part in that exciting campaign, going 
 all the way with teams from his home in Bureau 
 county to the rally at Springfield. Since voting 
 for Fremont in 1856, he has been an ardent re- 
 publican, but has never cared for political distinc- 
 tion. As a representative man of the county 
 and an old pioneer he stands pre-eminent. His 
 solid worth and energy of character have made 
 him many friends in the community, and all who 
 know him have for him the highest regard. 
 
 CONRAD MERDIAN, a native son of Alar- 
 shall county, holds a good position among 
 the agriculturists of Henry township, where he 
 is engaged in general farming, and from which 
 he derives annually a comfortable income. His 
 birth occurred June 29, 1854, and he remained 
 under the parental roof until after attaining his 
 majority. 
 
 On the 23d of October, 1877, A-Ir. Merdian led 
 to the marriage altar Aliss Atillia Roth, who was 
 born in Ontario, Canada, and came to Illinois 
 at the age of seventeen with her parents, Joseph 
 and Alary (Friese) Roth, who settled in Putnam 
 county, where they both died, the father, Nov- 
 ember 15, 1895, at the age of seventy-three years, 
 and the mother about two years previously. 
 After his marriage our subject rented a part of 
 the old home farm, which he operated until 1882, 
 when he removed to his present tract of one hun- 
 dred and thirty acres of rich and fertile land. 
 This farm his father had purchased the year 
 previous of Peter Alattern, and in the settlement 
 of the estate it fell to our subject. 
 
 Eight children have been born to Mr. Alerdian 
 and his excellent wife — Andrew, Anna Atillia, 
 Joseph, Julia Ella, Alary Eva, Adam Henry, Pau- 
 lina Maggie and Laura, all at home. The family 
 is one of prominence in the community and its 
 members belong to the German Catholic church. 
 He uses 'his right of franchise in support of the 
 democracy, and has served his fellow-citizens as 
 school director. He is pursuing the even tenor 
 of his way as an honest man and good citizen, 
 and has the esteem of all with whom he comes 
 in contact. 
 
 GEORGE STEPHEN AIcLEAN, who is 
 engaged in the undertaking and livery 
 business in Princeton, has been a permanent resi- 
 dent of the city since 1873, during which time 
 he has made many friends and acquaintances in 
 every nook and corner of the county. He was 
 born in Alorris county. New Jersey, October 16, 
 1842, and spent his boyhood and youth upon a 
 farm, assisting in the work and attending the 
 common schools as the opportunity was afiforded 
 him. When seventeen years of age he was ap- 
 prenticed for a term of three years to learn the 
 trade of carriage making, and served his full 
 time, receiving thirty-five dollars for the first 
 year; forty dollars for the second, and forty-five 
 dollars for the third year, including board each 
 year. 
 
 On completing his trade, Mr. AIcLean con- 
 
George S. McLean. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 315 
 
 tinned with his old employer as a journeyman for 
 several months, then went to New York City, 
 and there followed his trade until 1865. The 
 western fever then attacked him and he came to 
 Illinois, and was engaged in farm work prin- 
 cipally in Fulton and [NIcDoiiough counties for 
 two years, a part of which time he was foreman 
 of a large stock farm. Returning- east, he worked 
 at his trade at Hackettstown, New Jersey, and 
 Dover, New Jersey, until 1873, when he came to 
 Princeton, and established the first regular car- 
 riage repository in the place, selling the work 
 manufactured by McLean & Co., of Hacketts- 
 town. Previous to this time comparatively few 
 carriages were used in the county and not one 
 farmer in a hundred indulged in such a luxury. 
 Lumber wagons were considered good enough 
 for the average farmer and he little dreamed that 
 the time would soon come when the farmers of 
 even moderate circumstances would possess such 
 a vehicle. 
 
 ^Ir. [McLean continued in the carriage busi- 
 ness as manufacturer and dealer some twelve 
 years, and many of his make are yet in daily use 
 throughout Bureau and surrounding counties. 
 For some years the firm did a large and profit- 
 able business, but were finally crowded out by the 
 introduction of cheap carriages, manufactured in 
 Cincinnati and elsewhere. In 1878 he engaged 
 in the undertaking business, and two years later 
 added livery, in connection, the double business 
 being yet maintained. He is a practical em- 
 balmer, and has all the embalming facilities 
 found in an establishment of the kind. In his 
 livery department he keeps a number of fine 
 horses, with good buggies and carriages and in 
 both departments does a satisfactory business. 
 In the spring of 1896 he added two fine coaches 
 for funeral purposes. 
 
 About one year after coming to Princeton, 
 Mr. McLean returned to his old home to claim 
 a bride. He was married at Hackettstown, New 
 Jersey, January 14, 1874, to Miss Alice S. 
 Grimes, a daughter of Richard Grimes, of En- 
 glish descent. Her mother died when she was 
 quite small, and she was reared in the family of 
 16 
 
 Casper Jones. By this union nine children have 
 been born— Myrtle M., Charles R., Mary M., 
 George L., Nellie E., Hazel, Nicholas, Richard 
 W., and Alice. 
 
 Immediately after the wedding ceremony was 
 performed, Mr. McLean brought his young bride 
 to his western home, and here they have since 
 resided. They first rented property, but three 
 years later erected a nice co'mfortable dwelling, 
 which was remodeled in 1893. Mrs. McLean -is 
 a woman of domestic habits and tastes and has 
 shown herself a worthy helpmeet of her husband. 
 She is a member of the Presbyterian church, and 
 evinces a lively interest in every department of 
 the work of the church. 
 
 Mr. McLean has never identified himself with 
 the church, but contributes to its support. He 
 has been a member of the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows since 1870, and has passed all the 
 chairs. He represented his local lodge four 
 years in the grand lodge of the state, and is well 
 posted in the principles and work of the order. 
 He is a member of the Princeton Gun club and 
 enjoys a good hunt. This club owns some three 
 hundred and forty acres and has about six thous- 
 and acres leased. With its fifty members, Mr. 
 ^IcLean ranks among the best as a shot, and 
 none enjoys the sport more. 
 
 In addition to his regular business, he has 
 served as director in the Farmers' National bank 
 for some years, and for five years was on the 
 board of directors of the Princeton public schools. 
 Politically, he is independent, voting for such 
 measures as in his judgment will best advance the 
 interests of his city or country. 
 
 CN. BOYD, a farmer and stock-raiser, re- 
 . siding on section 21, Concord township, 
 was born in the village of Sheffield, Bureau coun- 
 ty, on the 1 8th of January, i860, and he spent 
 the days of his boyhood and youth upon the 
 home farm. He completed the prescribed course 
 in the common schools of Sheffield, graduating 
 from the same at the age of sixteen years. The 
 following year he entered the university at 
 Champaign, where he graduated with the class 
 
3i6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of 1881. While attending that institution, at 
 an inter-state oratorical contest he met Mr. 
 Bryan, the democratic presidential nominee of 
 1896, who was then a student at the Illinois col- 
 lege at Jacksonville. 
 
 On the completion of his education, Mr. Boyd 
 turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, 
 which he resolved to make his life work. For 
 four years he engaged in farming in Missouri 
 with a brother — from 1887 until 1891 — and at 
 the same time was extensively engaged in stock- 
 raising. In 1892 he located upon his present 
 fine farm, which comprises two hundred and 
 fifteen acres of well improved, productive land. 
 
 On the 2nd of June, 1890, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Air. Boyd and Miss Addie M. Hum- 
 phreys, who was born and reared in Sheffield, 
 and is the daughter of H. P. and Elizabeth (Fish- 
 er) Humphreys. She is also a graduate of the 
 schools of that place. Four children have come 
 to bless this union, namely: Roland, Edith, 
 Stanton and Marion. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Boyd follows in the foot-steps 
 of his father, supporting the men and measures 
 of the republican party, and cast his first vote for 
 James G. Blaine in 1884. Socially he is a mem- 
 ber of Sheffield Lodge, No. 802, I. O. O. F. His 
 wife holds membership in the Unitarian church 
 at Sheffield, of which she was organist for nine 
 years, and previous to her marriage she also en- 
 gaged in school teaching in that village. They 
 are widely and favorably known throughout the 
 community, and they are much esteemed. 
 
 JOSEPH YERLY, book-keeper for the Chi- 
 cago, Wilmington & Vermilion Coal Com- 
 pany, located at Seatonville, Illinois, was born 
 in Leige, Belgium, May 8, 1868, and is a son of 
 John and Mary (Burton) Yerly, the former a 
 native of Holland, and the latter of Belgium. 
 With their two -children they came to America 
 in 1872, settling in Braidwood, Illinois, where 
 the father worked in the mines until 1886, when 
 he was killed by a falling stone, at the age of 
 forty-four years. In Belgium he had also fol- 
 lowed mining and served in the army for some 
 
 time. He was offered several good army posi- 
 tions, but always refused. His wife is still a 
 resident of Braidwood, where she is now con- 
 ducting a store, and is a woman of excellent 
 business ability. Since the death of her first 
 husband she has married John Baiwir, of Braid- 
 wood, who was also born in Belgium. Our sub- 
 ject is the oldest of four children, of whom one 
 died in infancy. Leona died at the age of seven 
 years and seven months; Peter John, a resident 
 of Braidwood, mai-ried Lucy Maltby. 
 
 The early education of Joseph Yerly was ac- 
 quired in the common schools of Braidwood, and 
 at the age of nine years began work in the coal 
 mines with his father, but during the great strike 
 of 1877 they were thrown out of employment. 
 During this stringent state of affairs he started 
 for himself in the dairy business under his moth- 
 er's able direction, beginning with only one cow, 
 but the number was afterward increased to thirty- 
 five. He was industrious and persevering and 
 displayed great aptitude for business, qualities 
 which he inherited from his mother, and which 
 were indispensable in achieving his success. 
 Ardently desiring to become a good scholar he 
 used the money he made in the dairy business to 
 pay his tuition in school. He gave his best en- 
 deavors to improving himself in his studies and 
 made the most of his opportunities. At the age 
 of thirteen he entered the Chicago & Alton rail- 
 road office as errand boy, which position he filled 
 for three years, and then went into the office of 
 the Chicago, Wilmington & Vermilion Coal 
 Company at Braidwood. There he also served 
 as errand boy, receiving no pay for the first two 
 months while he was becoming familiar with 
 the business, and then was given twenty-five dol- 
 lars per month. So satisfactorily did he dis- 
 charge his duties that at the end of six months 
 his wages were increased to thirty dollars, and 
 eight months later to fifty, at which time he was 
 also given ten dollars back pay. He remained 
 at that place until 1889, when he came to Seaton- 
 ville to accept his present position, and his salary 
 has several times been increased. He has ever 
 proven himself a most valuable aid in the office. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 3^7 
 
 On the loth of October, 1888, A[r. Yerly led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Anna B. Watson, 
 daughter of James Watson, of Sharon, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and one of a family of eight children, the 
 others being Florence, wife of William D. Mc- 
 Miellen, of Sharon; William, who married Mag- 
 gie ^IcXamee, and is a druggist of Braidwood, 
 Illinois; Charles, an engineer, of Sharon; Frank, 
 who married a Miss Barr, and is a druggist of 
 Toluca, Illinois; Alpha, deceased wife of John 
 AYright, a merchant of Sharon ; Conrad, married 
 and residing in Sharon; and Edward, a fruit 
 grower of California. To our subject and his 
 wife has been born a daughter, Florence Theresa. 
 
 ^Ir. Yerly takes considerable interest in polit- 
 ical matters, always voting with the republican 
 party, and the success he has achieved in busi- 
 ness life shows what energy, pluck, perseverance 
 and determination can accomplish wiien guided 
 by sound business judgment. He is a practical 
 book-keeper and excellent accountant, quick to 
 grasp the situation of affairs and prompt to take 
 advantage of the same. 
 
 SniOX PETER BREED, M. D., is one of 
 the oldest and also recognized as one of the 
 best physicians of Bureau county. He is a na- 
 tive of Alanlius, Onondaga county. New York, 
 born February I, 1819, and is the son of James 
 and Elizabeth (Kinne) Breed. His father was 
 born near Syracuse, New York, in the village of 
 Salina, June 13, 1794, and was the son of Ger- 
 shom Breed, a Baptist minister, who was born in 
 Stonington, Connecticut, April 29, 1756, and 
 died in August, 1815. Gershom Breed was the 
 son of Allen Breed, who was born in Linn, Mas- 
 sachusetts, August 29, 1714, a son of John Breed, 
 born January 18, 1663, at Linn, Massachusetts. 
 John was the son of Allen Breed, who was a na- 
 tive of England and came to this country in 1630, 
 locating in Linn, Massachusetts, and founding 
 the family in this country. There are at present 
 one hundred and fifty families, descendents of 
 Allen Breed, living in the city of Linn, Massa- 
 chusetts. 
 
 Rev. Gershom Breed settled in jManlius, New 
 York, in 1792, where he engaged in ministerial 
 work, organizing the first Baptist church in 
 Onondaga county. He married Hannah Pal- 
 mer, by whom he had twelve children, James, the 
 father of our subject, being the youngest son; 
 Allen, the second son, filled his father's charge in 
 the Baptist church. 
 
 James Breed was born June 13, 1794, and died 
 January ij , 1884, at the home of his son, George 
 W., at Silver Creek, New York. He was a farm- 
 er by occupation and a member of the Baptist 
 church. His wife was a daughter of Ezra Kinne, 
 and was born January 18, 1799, in Manlius, New 
 York, and died at Hannibal in the same state. 
 May 22, 1846. She was also a faithful member 
 of the Baptist church. They were the parents of 
 fourteen children — Sophronia, Simon P., Frank- 
 lin, Candace, Hannah, Ezra, George W., ^larvin, 
 Justus H., Levi N., John, Adelia, Sarah E., 
 Xenophon. Of this number, Simon P., George 
 W., Justus PL, Levi N., of the sons, are still liv- 
 ing. Of the daughters, Hannah and Adelia are 
 still living. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood 
 at Cicero, New York, to which place the family 
 removed in his early childhood, and where the 
 father engaged in farming. The part of the town 
 of Cicero in which the family settled was set off 
 in 1825, and organized under the name of Clay. 
 When old enough to be of service Simon was 
 required to do his full duty in the development 
 of the farm and was permitted to go to school 
 usually in the winter months. When he was 
 sixteen he accompanied his parents on their re- 
 moval to Hannibal, New York, and remained 
 at home assisting his father tmtil he was nine- 
 teen years of age, when he started out in the 
 world for himself. The first winter he worked 
 in a sawmill and the summer following at the 
 carpenter's trade, at which he continued another 
 year. In the fall of 1839 ^^^ attended the academy 
 at Manlius, where he remained one year. Pie 
 then taught school winters and attended the 
 academy summers until 1842. In harvest time 
 he worked in the field at cradling, for which he 
 
3i8 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 received a dollar and a half per day. In this 
 work he was an expert as well as in binding. 
 By teaching and working in the harvest field 
 he supported himself and secured means for de- 
 fraying his expenses in school. 
 
 In 1843, 3- young man of twenty-four years, 
 he started for the prairie state, taking a boat at 
 Oswego, going around the lakes and landing at 
 Chicago, though stopping one week in Milwau- 
 kee, where he visited a cousin. From Chicago 
 he went to Peoria, where he took a boat for Ha- 
 vana, going thence tO' Table Grove, Fulton 
 county, where his uncle, Justus Kinne was liv- 
 ing, engaged in farming and blacksmithing, ar- 
 riving there June 13, 1843, being just one month 
 on the road. He soon secured a school in the 
 neighborhood at the munificent salary of thir- 
 teen dollars per month, boarding himself. In 
 the winter following he received seventeen dol- 
 lars per month and "boarded round." 
 
 For some years it had been the earnest desire 
 of our subject to enter the medical profession 
 and the opportunity now presented itself. While 
 teaching he commenced the study of medicine 
 and was so far advanced that in the winter of 
 1846-7 he entered McDowell Medical college, 
 of St. Louis, Missouri, the medical department 
 of the Missouri State university, but that winter 
 exhausted his funds and he was compelled to 
 leave the school. Having a pretty fair knowl- 
 edge of medicine he was advised to at once com- 
 mence practice, and the village of Frederick on 
 the Illinois river was recommended to him as a 
 good place to begin as it was a sickly point. So 
 to Frederick he went, hung out his shingle and 
 for two years there practiced his profession. He 
 then removed to Pleasant View, Schuyler coun- 
 ty, where he remained ten years, building up a 
 large and lucrative practice. His success, how- 
 ever, only intensified his desire to complete his 
 course in some good medical college. The 
 medical department of the state university of 
 Pennsylvania had the most attraction for him, 
 and in that institution he took the full course 
 and received his degree. 
 
 After remaining in Schuyler county eighteen 
 
 years, in 1865, the doctor removed with his fam- 
 ily to Princeton, Illinois, and here he engaged in 
 the practice of his profession, meeting with 
 gratifying success. In 1870 he purchased a 
 drug store in Princeton, and carried on the busi- 
 ness for four years in connection with his prac- 
 tice. About the time he purchased the drug 
 store he also purchased a farm southwest of 
 Princeton in Wyanet township, near the Bu- 
 reau county almshouse. This farm was worked 
 by others until 1876, when the doctor removed 
 to the place with his family and took personal 
 charge, having given up his business in Prince- 
 ton. The original purchase was of one hundred 
 and sixty acres, to which he soon afterward added 
 forty more and a little later a tract of eighty 
 acres, giving him a fine farm of two hundred 
 and eighty acres. To the improvement of the 
 farm the doctor turned his attention and with 
 characteristic energy he soon had a model home- 
 stead, one of the best in the county and well 
 supplied with modern machinery and stocked 
 with good grades of horses, cattle and hogs. 
 He carried on general farming, making a suc- 
 cess of it as he had done in the practice of his 
 profession. In the neighborhood he was re- 
 garded as a model farmer. 
 
 For sixteen years Dr. Breed remained upon 
 his farm, and then feeling that the time had 
 come when he should lay aside business cares he 
 returned with his family to Princeton, and is 
 now living practically a retired life in a beauti- 
 ful home on West South street, which he had 
 erected as the place where in ease and comfort 
 he could spend the evening of his life. While 
 on his farm he entertained liberally and his home 
 was the center of social life and many happy 
 gatherings of friends and neighbors. He lived 
 not so much to make money as the enjoyment of 
 life with his numerous friends. 
 
 Dr. Breed was united in marriage in Vermont, 
 Illinois, December 25, 1848, with Miss Alzina 
 Powers, of JNIcDonough county, Illinois, a na- 
 tive of Essex, Vermont, born June 3, 1827, and 
 a daughter of Isaac Powers, who was a promi- 
 nent farmer in McDonough county. By this 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 319 
 
 union seven children were born, three of wliom 
 — Edoline, Ella and Kate — died in early child- 
 hood. The living are Lena ]\I., Lizzie R., Luella 
 and Ralph Y. The first named is a successful 
 teacher in Bureau county; Lizzie R. is the wife 
 of Edward Sisler, of Lincoln, Nebraska; Luella 
 is also engaged in teaching; Ralph Y. is a grain 
 dealer at Erie, Illinois, but formerly conducted 
 his father's farm. He is a good business man 
 and likewise prosperous. 
 
 Politically, Dr. Breed is a stanch republican. 
 In early life he was imbued with anti-slavery 
 sentiments and on the dissolution of the whig 
 party and when the encroachments of the slave 
 power became almost unbearable, he assisted in 
 the organization of the republican party in Illi- 
 nois. For years he took an earnest and active 
 part in furtherance of the principles of the party, 
 but was never an ofifice-seeker. he cared more 
 for the success of his party than for any honors 
 it might confer upon him in the way of office- 
 holding. 
 
 While in active practice. Dr. Breed was an hon- 
 ored and valued member of the various medical 
 societies, including the Bureau County Medical 
 society. Military Tract Medical society, the Illi- 
 nois State Medical society, and the American 
 Medical association. He assisted in organizing 
 the Military Tract Medical society, and was its 
 first delegate to the State Medical society. He 
 was several times sent as a delegate from the 
 latter to the American Medical association. He 
 is now an honorary member of the Muskingum 
 County Ohio Medical society, and also of the 
 La Salle County Medical society. Of the Bureau 
 County Medical society he is a permanent hon- 
 orary member. 
 
 The doctor has frequently read papers before 
 the different medical associations, which were 
 received with great favor and which were pub- 
 lished in various medical journals and favorably 
 commented upon, the views enunciated being 
 adopted in practice. Among his papers are "A 
 Report on Practical Medicine," "History, Treat- 
 ment and Removal of the Uterine Polypus," 
 "Unconscious Cerebration," and "Epidemic of 
 
 Typho-Malarial Fever." The last disease pre- 
 vailed in Bureau county in 1870. The report 
 on this epidemic was considered of such im- 
 portance that a portion of it was introduced by 
 Dr. Hamil and published in the transactions of 
 the American Medical association. 
 
 Another paper on "Organic Dynamics" was 
 pronounced by the secretary of the State Medical 
 society as exhaustive and the doctor himself re- 
 gards it as one of his best and most elaborate. 
 Other contributions made from time to time to 
 the medical literature of the day were "Illitis, 
 a Post Mortem Examination," which under the 
 improved medical recommendation would prop- 
 erly be called Appendicitis, "How Do Medicines 
 Produce their Effects," "Hysterical Catalepsy," 
 "A Report on Post ^^lortem Examinations Con- 
 taining Cardiac Deposits and Urinary Calculus 
 in the Bladder." A paper which attracted much 
 attention was on the "Use of the Marrow in the 
 Bone." 
 
 In addition to his medical writings the doctor 
 has contributed more or less to the local journals 
 on subjects of living interest, his writings being 
 received with much favor by the general public. 
 His pen is a trenchant one and records his 
 thoughts without fear or favor. However, the 
 doctor has not confined himself to the expression 
 of his views to writing alone but has occupied 
 the platform in the discussion of medical and 
 other questions of general interest. 
 
 The 1st of February, 1896, is a day long to be 
 remembered by Dr. Breed. The occasion of his 
 seventy-seventh birthday friends to the number 
 of fifty called at his lovely home to do him honor 
 and leave with him a slight token of their esteem. 
 After social converse of an hour or two and 
 happy congratulations on the part of his friends 
 the assembly was called to order by General 
 Henderson, who after a few words of commenda- 
 tion and stating the object for which they were 
 assembled called upon Hon. R. M. Skinner, 
 mayor of the city, to voice the sentiment of those 
 present, which he did in a most happy manner. 
 He referred to the fact that Dr. Breed's life was 
 co-existent with that of the imperial state of 
 
320 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Illinois, and said that he was known in a different 
 way to different persons, to some by his connec- 
 tion with the National ^ledical association, to 
 others through his facile, sometimes trenchant 
 pen, to others was kind and helpful, especially to 
 the young and inexperienced, to many by his 
 charity, to all present by his ability, his good citi- 
 zenship and that measure of true manhood, his 
 home life. He voiced the sentiment of all when he 
 said it was a pleasure to meet such a man in his 
 home and to leave with him a testimonial of their 
 regard, a cane, an ebony with silver head and a 
 gold band below, bearing the inscription, "Pre- 
 sented to Dr. S. P Breed on his seventy-seventh 
 birthday, February i, 1896, Princeton, Illinois." 
 It was pleasure to observe the vigor of mind and 
 body which were his and to know that he needed 
 neither catnip nor sage to cheer his old age, and 
 he expressed the wish that when the end came 
 it would be 
 
 Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
 About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. 
 
 Remarks were made by Judge S. ^I. Knox, 
 Hon. Milo Kendall, Dr. George I. Rice, G. B. 
 Harrington, Dr. Cunningham, Dr. F. P. Cook, 
 of Mendota. Letters were read from Thomas 
 Lowry, of iMinneapolis; Chauncy Rice, of Beards- 
 town; Rev. W. H. Jordan, of Brimfield; Richard 
 Yates, Jr., of Jacksonville; O. J\I. and 3.1. R. 
 Powers, of Chicago; Charles Warren, of Ida 
 Grove; George W. Hall, of St. Louis, and others. 
 
 In response it was evident that the doctor was 
 too full for utterance and too wise to attempt 
 to voice his feelings. He said that he had no idea 
 that he was so good a man as his friends had 
 made him out to be, although he had endeavored 
 to practice the virtues and live up to a high moral 
 standard. While he did not belong to any 
 church or to a lodge or club he was not opposed 
 to any such society which appeared to him to be 
 helpful to mankind. This was a very bright 
 spot in his life and the memory of this evening 
 would linger, not only to please but to prompt 
 him to be still more worthy the good opinion 
 of his fellow-men, which he so much prized and 
 
 of which he felt he was not worthy to the extent 
 of the expressions so freely indulged in on this 
 occasion but for which he was so profoundly 
 grateful. 
 
 EDWARD WALTER FOUNTAIN, de- 
 ceased, was a well-known citizen of White- 
 field township, who stood high in the estimation 
 of his fellow-men, and was a devoted son, lov- 
 ing husband and indulgent father. He was born 
 near Yates City, Peoria county, Illinois, Novem- 
 ber 7, 1849, ^nd was a son of William and Jane 
 (McGinnis) Fountain, the former a native of 
 New Jersey, and the latter of Ohio. They were 
 married in the latter state and soon afterward re- 
 moved to Peoria county, Illinois, and about 1851 
 came to Marshall county, locating in the north- 
 western part of Whitefield township, where both 
 died, the father, November 3, 1891, at the age 
 of eighty-three years, and the mother, December 
 17, following, at the age of seventy-nine years. 
 Of their family of seven children, five are yet l.v- 
 ing — Orlando, the oldest, resides at Santa Rosa, 
 CaHfornia; EHzabeth is the wife of Willard Proc- 
 tor, of Grand Rapids, North Dakota; Alartha is 
 the wife of Oliver Pearson, of Wabash, Indiana; 
 Henry grew to manhood, and during the dark 
 days of the rebelHon, enlisted in the army, and 
 gave his life to his country; Milton resides upon 
 the old farm ; Edward W. is the next in order 
 of birth; James also lives on the old homestead. 
 William Fountain was a hard-working, indus- 
 trious man, and during his residence in Marshall 
 comity succeeded in acquiring a handsome prop- 
 erty. His home farm, consisting of four hun- 
 dred and eighty acres, was kept under a high 
 state of cultivation, and the improvements made 
 thereon were such as to show that its owner 
 thoroughly understood his business. He also 
 invested in lands in Dakota and Kansas, but 
 made no improvements in either state. At his 
 death he' left each member of the family in good, 
 comfortable circumstances, with sufficient means 
 to enable them to properly live. In politics he 
 was a republican, with which party he became 
 identified on its organization. From 1876 until 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 321 
 
 his death, he practically lived a retired life, and 
 for some years was an intense sufferer from a 
 cancer which eventually caused his death. 
 
 The subject of this sketch continued under 
 the home roof, doing his duty faithfully as a son 
 until his marriage, January 21, 1869, with Miss 
 Elizabeth Shurts, a native of Huntington county. 
 New Jersey, who, at the age of eighteen months, 
 removed with her parents, Peter and Efifie (Tiger) 
 Shurts, to Bureau county, Illinois. They made 
 a settlement about one mile northwest of White- 
 field postofifice, where they continued to reside 
 until their death, the mother passing away Feb- 
 ruary 6, 1881, at the age of seventy-six, and the 
 father, November 29, 1888, at the age of seventy- 
 six rears. Their family of five sons and one 
 daughter are yet living. 
 
 On the 9th of ?vlarch, 1869, ;\Ir. and Mrs. 
 Fountain settled on the present farm, which was 
 a part of the old homestead. The farm consists 
 of one hundred and twenty acres, which he cul- 
 tivated in connection with a part of that retained 
 by the father. He was ambitious to succeed 
 and toiled early and late for that end. As al- 
 ready stated, his father was for some years an in- 
 valid, and in consequence required a great deal 
 of care, and Edward devoted much of his time 
 in trying to alleviate his sufferings. This he 
 continued to do until his own health was shat- 
 tered, and after a short illness, his spirit departed 
 this life, ^lay 8, 1890, and strange to relate, his 
 father survived him about eighteen months. 
 
 Edward W. Fountain was a man greatly es- 
 teemed by those who knew him, and he had 
 many warm friends. Like his father he was a 
 strong republican, and while having neither time 
 nor inclination for office, he served his township 
 for some years as road commissioner and also as 
 school director, the duties of which office he 
 discharged with conscientious fidelity. He was 
 not a member of the church, though having the 
 utmost respect for the Christian religion and its 
 true professors. Fraternally he was a member 
 of the Modern Woodmen of America, and of 
 Telegraph Grange, and was active in each or- 
 ganization. His death was a sad loss to his fam- 
 
 ily and the community where he had so long re- 
 sided. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Fountain seven children were 
 born as follows: William, Georgie, Florence, 
 Fannie, Bruce, Harry and Orlando, all of whom 
 yet remain at home. Fannie is now the wife of 
 Jasper Newton Young, and they make their 
 home with Mrs. Fountain. 
 
 Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Fountain 
 has carried on the farm with the aid of her chil- 
 dren and hired help. She has shown herself a 
 good business woman, and has made a number 
 of improvements in the place, having erected a 
 neat and commodious barn, set out a new orch- 
 ard, and has done other work of a beneficial char- 
 acter. She has given her children good educa- 
 tional advantages, which have been improved by 
 them, one daughter, Florence, being a successful 
 teacher as well as a skillful musician. Fannie 
 has also decided musical ability. The mother 
 and nearly all the children are members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church, earnest and stead- 
 fast Christians. 
 
 CORXELIUS JONTZ, a retired farmer, now 
 making his home in Princeton, Illinois, was 
 born at Middletown, Pennsylvania, near Harris- 
 burg, ;\Iarch I, 1838, and is a son of Henry and 
 Sarah (Wood) Jontz, also natives of the keystone 
 state. They made their home in Dauphin county 
 until iMay, 1851, when they emigrated to Bureau 
 county, Illinois, where they were numbered 
 among the pioneers. The father turned his at- 
 tention to agricultural pursuits, and became 
 quite well-known among the old settlers. He 
 was born in 1809, and died on the 28th of Decem- 
 ber, 1863. His wife, who was born in June, 1812, 
 survived him until November, 1885. She was 
 a member of the Disciple church, and he also was 
 a believer in the Christian religion. Our sub- 
 ject is one of a family of ten children, six sons 
 and four daughters, two of the latter being now 
 deceased. The others are George, who wedded 
 Mary Smith and resides in ]\Ialden, Illinois; 
 Jacob, who also wedded Mary Smith, but no 
 relative of the other, and now lives on a farm 
 
322 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Jasper county, Iowa; John R., a farmer of Mar- 
 shall county, Iowa; Henry, an agriculturist of 
 Bureau township. Bureau county, who married 
 Sarah Carney; Robert, who married Rachel 
 Crawford, and lives on a farm in Jasper county, 
 Iowa; Ann, wife of Frank Etnyrd, a retired farm- 
 er of Bloomington, Illinois; and Elizabeth, wife 
 of Samuel Etmyer, a farmer of Story county, 
 Iowa. Those deceased are Rachel, who was the 
 wife of John Campbell, and died at the age of 
 fifty-eight, and Barbara, who was the wife of 
 W. H. Morgan, and died at the age of twenty- 
 two years. 
 
 When thirteen years of age Cornelius Jontz 
 had accompanied his parents to Princeton, 
 where he completed his literary education, which 
 was begrm in the schools of Middletown, Penn- 
 sylvania. For three years before leaving his na- 
 tive state he had also worked on a canal boat 
 running between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. 
 Here he was employed on a farm until going to 
 Pike's Peak, in i860, making the journey with 
 ox team, which required twelve weeks. Denver 
 had been started the year previous, and was a 
 small, insignificant place, surrounded by sod 
 houses. After a year spent in gold mining, dur- 
 ing which time he made his expenses, he re- 
 turned home with his brother, George, having 
 purchased a one-horse rig, in which they made 
 the trip. Although the expedition was not a 
 financial success, it greatly benefited his health, 
 making him a strong and rugged man, having 
 no use for a doctor. The return journey re- 
 quired only four weeks. 
 
 Since that time Mr. Jontz has devoted his 
 time and attention exclusively to his agricultural 
 interests, and his success is but the just reward 
 of his own persistent and untiring labors, un- 
 aided by capital or influential friends. He has 
 accumulated considerable property, including 
 one hundred and sixty acres in Manlius township, 
 Bureau county, the same amount in Bureau 
 township, three hundred and twenty acres in 
 Cowley county, Kansas, south of Wichita, and 
 five acres in North Princeton, where his beautiful 
 residence is located. On coming to this state his 
 
 family lived on the Lovejoy farm, which the 
 father operated, and he worked two summers 
 for Owen Lovejoy, during which time he saw, 
 many a darkey about the premises, saw them 
 brought there and taken away. 
 
 On the 22nd of March, 1864, ^Ir. Jontz was 
 united in marriage with Aliss Maria Hewit, 
 daughter of William Hewit, of Manlius town- 
 ship, and they had five children — Alma has for 
 the past ten years been a successful and valued 
 teacher of Bureau county, thoroughly in love 
 with her work; Nettie, who was also a popular 
 teacher of the county, died in 1892, at the age of 
 twenty-three years; Anna M., who was an apt 
 scholar, began teaching in September, 1896, and 
 will no doubt prove successful; Cornelia is a stu- 
 dent in the high school of Princeton ; and the only 
 son, Burt C, the second of the family, died when 
 ten days old. The family attend the English 
 Lutheran church, and in his political views, Mr. 
 Jontz is a stalwart republican. For nine suc- 
 cessive years he served as assessor of Manlius 
 township, and was alo constable. He is a man 
 of undisputed honesty and unflinching integrity, 
 and his sterling worth has gained for him many 
 warm friends. 
 
 JOHN S. KASBEER. Among the energetic 
 and progressive agriculturists of Bureau 
 county the gentleman whose name stands at the 
 head of this sketch holds a prominent place. He 
 is one of the leading farmers of Ohio township, 
 his home being located on section 28, and with 
 the interests of the community he has been iden- 
 tified for many years. He has done much toward 
 the development and improvement of his adopted 
 county, making a specialty of setting out both 
 forest and fruit trees on the wild prairies, and has 
 lived to see many transformed into fine forests 
 and valuable orchards. 
 
 A native of Ohio, Mr. Kasbeer, was born in 
 Wayne county, in 1 81 8, a son of Samuel and 
 Alary (Shull) Kasbeer. The birth of the father 
 occurred in New Jersey, where he spent his early 
 life, and on leaving his native state he settled 
 in Ohio in the vicinity of New Philadelphia. By 
 
J. S. IvASliEER. 
 
Mrs. J. S. Kasbee 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 327 
 
 trade he \\as a blacksmith, which he followed ex- 
 clusively during his younger years, but later in 
 life he also engaged in farming. A strong tem- 
 perance advocate, for many years he served as 
 president of Father ]\Iatthews' temperance or- 
 ganization, and early instilled lessons of sobriety 
 into the minds of his children. He died in 1834, 
 respected by all who knew him. His estimable 
 wife was bom in the Glades in Pennsylvania, and 
 closed her eyes in death at the age of sixty years. 
 
 ]\lr. Kasbeer, of this review, is the eldest in 
 the family of twelve children, six of whom are 
 still living. His educational advantages were 
 ver}' limited, but he made the most of his op- 
 portunities and has become a well informed man. 
 He was twelve years of age when the family re- 
 moved to the farm in Tuscarawas, Ohio, and he 
 early became familiar with the duties which fall 
 to the lot of the agriculturist, becoming a thor- 
 ough and skillful farmer. At an early day he 
 emigrated to Illinois, at first locating in Lee 
 county, where he remained for two years, and 
 then removed to Ohio township. Bureau county, 
 which has since been his home. He is an enter- 
 prising, wide-awake business man, and in his 
 chosen calling has met with excellent success. 
 He has deeded to his children some eight hun- 
 dred acres of valuable land, and in his home place 
 still has two hundred and forty acres of rich and 
 arable land, which he has under high cultivation. 
 His comfortable home is near the village of Kas- 
 beer, which was named in his honor, and is a 
 station on the Illinois Valley & Northern Rail- 
 road, a branch of the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Ouincy. 
 
 In 1 841 was celebrated the marriage of ]\Ir. 
 Kasbeer and }.Iiss Hannah Ross, a native of 
 Ohio, and a daughter of William and Jane 
 (Whitaker) Ross, originally from Pennsylvania. 
 Twelve children blessed this union, but four are 
 now deceased. Those living are as follows: 
 Rebecca is the widow of Dr. Thomas Mercer. 
 Asa married and is a farmer of Ohio township. 
 Ira is a farmer of Allen county, Kansas, and 
 owns about fourteen hundred acres of good farm- 
 ing, oil and grass lands. Joab is a large land 
 
 owner and real estate agent of Denver, Colo- 
 rado. Sumner is a merchant of Kasbeer. Me- 
 lissa is the wife of James Coulter. Dr. W. J. is 
 a leading dentist of Normal, Illinois, and is the 
 dental surgeon for the Illinois Soldiers' Orphan 
 Home. Alice is a very popular young lady resid- 
 ing at home, and is Cjuite active in church and 
 benevolent work. Those deceased are Alary 
 Jane, Rachel, Mildred and Hattie. 
 
 In connection with his property in Bureau 
 county, Mr. Kasbeer also owns about two thous- 
 and acres of grass lands in the west. He has 
 ever taken an active and commendable interest 
 in public afifairs, and for the past thirty-five years 
 has kept a record and register of every important 
 fact which has come under his observation, a 
 book for each year. This in itself makes a valu- 
 able library and is often used by him for refer- 
 ence. In early life he voted with the Whig party, 
 but since its dissolution has always supported the 
 principles of the Republican party. Being an 
 earnest advocate of our public school system, 
 for many years he most capabl)- served in school 
 offices, but has never cared for other official po- 
 sitions, desiring rather to devote his time to his 
 individual afifairs in preference to public office. 
 Both Air. and Airs. Kasbeer are worthy members 
 of the Alethodist Protestant church, with which 
 they have been identified from youth. Of un- 
 swerving integrity and honor they are held in 
 high regard by all who have the pleasure of 
 their acquaintance, and their friends are num- 
 erous throughout the county. 
 
 AUGUSTUS GARRETT. Among the pros- 
 perous farmers of Steuben township, Alar- 
 shall county, the record of whose lives fills an im- 
 portant place in this volume, it gives us pleasure 
 to commemorate the name of the gentleman 
 whose sketch you are now reading, and who is 
 the: owner of a fine farm on section 17. A native 
 of this county, he was born in the Bethel neigh- 
 borhood, July 21, 1859. 
 
 On reaching man's estate Mr. Garrett was 
 joined in wedlock with AFiss Electa Sargent, 
 daughter of Henry and Amelia Sargent, whose 
 
328 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sketch appears elsewhere in this work, and their 
 marriage ceremony was performed on the 17th of 
 October, 1893. The lady was born at the home 
 of her parents, September 6, 1867, and has be- 
 come the mother of one child — Sarah Amelia, 
 born October 6, 1894. She is a faithful member 
 of the Bethel Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 Mr. Garrett devotes his entire time and at- 
 tention to the cultivation of his farm, which com- 
 prises one hundred and sixty acres of rich and 
 valuable land, well improved, and was a part of 
 his father's old homestead. He- is one of the 
 energetic, progressive citizens of Steuben town- 
 ship, and is actively identified with all its inter- 
 ests. In politics he is a stanch democrat, a warm 
 supporter of the principles and beliefs of that 
 party, and socially is identified with Sparland 
 lodge. No. 144, F. & A. M. 
 
 ISAAC H. NORRIS, one of the active, enter- 
 prising and successful young men of Bureau 
 count)', now engaged in farming and breeding 
 standard horses on section 6, Westfield town- 
 ship, is a native son of Bureau county, born on 
 the old homestead July 4, 1866. His father, 
 William Norris, who is one of the honored early 
 settlers of this county, was born in Belmont 
 county, Ohio, ]May 20, 1825, and is of English 
 extraction. He remained with his father in the 
 county of his nativity until 1846, when he emi- 
 grated to Illinois, and the following year pur- 
 chased one hundred and sixty acres of land in 
 Clarion township. Bureau county, a portion of 
 his present farm. In 1852 he made an overland 
 trip to California, where for one year he engaged 
 in mining, and then returned to Bureau county. 
 During the many years of his residence here he 
 has actively and successfully engaged in farming 
 and in breeding fine stock, both cattle and horses, 
 and to-day owns twelve hundred and fifty acres 
 of valuable and well improved land. In 1854 he 
 wedded Mary E. Maus, a native of Bucks county, 
 Pennsylvania, a daughter of William ]\Iaus. This 
 estimable lady died on the 4th of January, 1879. 
 In their family were six children, four of whom 
 are now deceased — Lundy, Pleasant, Luther and 
 
 William. Those living are Alfred and Isaac H. 
 The father is widely and favorably known in 
 Bureau and adjoining counties, and his many 
 excellent traits of character and sterling worth 
 well entitle him to the high regard in which he 
 is held. 
 
 Under his father's able direction our subject 
 early became familiar with agricultural pursuits, 
 and was afforded excellent educational privileges, 
 being a student in the Princeton high school and 
 the state university. After completing his 
 studies in the latter institution he returned home 
 and assisted his father in his extensive farming 
 and stock-raising interests. He has most suc- 
 cessfully engaged in breeding and dealing in fine 
 horses for a number of years, disposing of many 
 that have made excellent records as trotters, and 
 at the present time owns some fine blooded brood 
 mares and young stock. He is widely known 
 throughout northern Illinois as one of the most 
 successful breeders. 
 
 At Arlington, October 18, 1893, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Norris and IMiss Mary E. 
 \'an Law, a native of Bureau county, who was 
 reared in Arlington and is a lady of culture and 
 refinement, having completed her literary course 
 in Oberlin, Ohio. Her father, R. B. Van Law, 
 is the present agent and operator at Arlington 
 for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, 
 and is one of its oldest, most valued and trusted 
 employes. A son has been born to our subject 
 and his wife — William Ruggles, a bright little 
 fellow of two years. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Norris located on a 
 portion of the old homestead where he now 
 resides, operating three hundred and fifty acres 
 of rich and arable land, and has erected thereon 
 a neat and substantial residence. He is identi- 
 fied with the republican party in politics, but has 
 never aspired to office. He takes a deep and 
 commendable interest in the success of his party 
 and has served as a delegate to the county con- 
 ventions. Educational affairs find in him a warm 
 friend, and he is now efficiently serving as a 
 member of the school board. As he is a young- 
 man of superior business capacity, of correct 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 329 
 
 habits and upright character, an honorable career 
 Hes before him in his chosen calhng, and in 
 social circles he and his estimable wife hold an 
 enviable position. 
 
 HAAIILTOX F. COREY, a weaUhy and in- 
 fluential farmer of Ohio township, was 
 born on the 17th of Jul}-, 181 1, in Cayuga coun- 
 ty, New York, and is descended from old and 
 respected families on both sides. His parents, 
 John L. and Lucinda (Rhodes) Corey, spent 
 their entire lives in the empire state, where the 
 father followed agricultural pursuits until about 
 fifty years of age. He was also largely en- 
 gaged in sheep shearing. 
 
 In the state of his nativity, our subject was 
 reared to manhood. As the schools of that early 
 day were of an inferior order his education was 
 rather limited, but by reading and observation 
 in later years he has become a well informed 
 man. At the age of eighteen he purchased his 
 time from his father and started out in life for 
 himself, empty-handed. He began his business 
 career as a farm hand and to agriculture has de- 
 voted his time and attention throughout life. 
 
 In 1835, ]\Ir. Corey emigrated to Morgan 
 county, Illinois, where he successfully followed 
 his chosen calling, saving enough money with 
 which to purchase eighty acres of land in 
 Bureau county. On coming here in 1850, he lo- 
 cated upon a farm in Ohio township, near his 
 present home, and purchased a quarter section 
 of government land which he at once began to 
 clear and cultivate. He added to his possessions 
 from time to time as his financial resources 
 would permit until he at one time owned seven 
 hundred and seventy-six acres, and still has 
 seven hundred and fifteen acres of valuable land. 
 
 In March, 1835, 3.1r. Corey was united in 
 marriage with Aliss Esther ?\Iead, of Onondaga 
 county, New York, who died in 1873. Six chil- 
 dren were born to them, but John, the only 
 son, died in 1892. He was a veteran of the late 
 civil war. The three daughters are Elizabeth, 
 widow of Miles Smith, who was killed at the 
 battle of ]\Iissionary Ridge; Amelia, wife of 
 
 Wesley Hammers, of Missouri, and Elsie, wife 
 of Perry Raynor, of Nebraska. In June, 1875, 
 ^Ir. Corey married Rachel Martin, a daughter of 
 Henry Martin, a native of Kentucky. They have 
 one son, Harry F., who is still with his parents, 
 and like them is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church. 'Mr. Corey has ably assisted 
 his children, g'iving to his daughter in Missouri, 
 three hundred and twenty acres of land costing 
 about three thousand dollars; to the one in Ne- 
 braska five thousand dollars, and to Mrs. Smith 
 of Dakota, seven thousand dollars. He also 
 gave to his older son several thousand dollars. 
 
 Air. Corey started out in life with nothing but 
 his own indomitable energy, and his accumula- 
 tion of this world's goods is attributable to his 
 good judgment, industry, enterprise and econo- 
 my. He has met with reverses, but has steadily 
 overcome these until to-day he is numbered 
 among the prosperous citizens of Bureau coun- 
 ty. During the past few years he has lost over 
 four thousand dollars through bad debts. His 
 word in business transactions is considered as 
 good as his bond, and he is justly recognized 
 as one of the energetic and representative citi- 
 zens of the county. His political support is ever 
 given the republican party but cares nothing for 
 public office. As a citizen of the community in 
 which he has so long lived and been so active, he 
 is highly respected, enjoying the confidence of 
 his neighbors and the regard of all with whom he 
 has come in contact. 
 
 JOHN C. WHITE, M. D., a practicing phy- 
 sician and surgeon of Seatonville, Illinois, 
 was born in Coldstream, Scotland, May 18, 1846, 
 and is a son of John and Mary Caroline (Waite) 
 White, also natives of that country and both now 
 deceased. By profession the father was also a 
 physician, engaged in practice in London, Eng- 
 land, to which city he removed in 1830, and there 
 died in 1870, at the age of seventy-three years. 
 The mother's death occurred in 1873, at the age 
 of sixty-four years. Both were consistent mem- 
 bers of the Scotch Presbyterian church. In the 
 family were eleven children of whom three 
 
330 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 daughters died in infancy. Of the eight sons 
 three are still living — Anthony, who is the owner 
 of considerable property; John C, and Dr. Oc- 
 tavius, a physician attached to Her Majesty's 
 service as brigade surgeon, now residing in Kent, 
 near London, England. 
 
 The education of our subject was acquired 
 both in Scotland and England, graduating from 
 a medical college of England on the 19th of 
 May, 1867, and the following titles were con- 
 ferred upon him, M. R. C. S., in England; L. 
 R. C. P. and L. M., in Edinburg, Scotland, and 
 L. S. A. L., in London, England. He has filled 
 many important positions including those of 
 house physician, house surgeon and junior 
 house surgeon at Westminster hospital; as- 
 sistant medical officer at the Stockwell smallpox 
 hospital, of London, England; surgeon to Her 
 ^Majesty's emigration commissioners of India; 
 and resident medical officer at the Royal Kent 
 dispensary, of Kent, England. He has the high- 
 est testimonials of his skill and ability from those 
 highest in authority in the above named posi- 
 tions, showing that his services were most valu- 
 able and well appreciated. 
 
 In 1873 Dr. White was united in marriage 
 with Miss Mary Merrick, of Wales, by whom he 
 had five children, only one now living — Mary 
 Frances, who still makes her home in the old 
 country. His wife died in 1882, and in that year 
 Dr. White came to America and first located in 
 New York city, but taking Horace Greeley's 
 advice he came west two years later, and prac- 
 ticed in Chicago until the close of 1885. He then 
 removed to Malta, De Kalb county, Illinois, but 
 one year later went to Spring Valley. In that 
 city and in Seatonville he has since successfully 
 engaged in practice. He is one of the leading 
 and influential men of the community, now serv- 
 ing as justice of the peace, notary public and 
 deputy county clerk. He is also assistant sur- 
 geon of the Third Regiment Uniformed Rank, 
 Knights of Pythias. He became a member of 
 that order in Sheridan lodge. No. 198, at Spring 
 Valley, in January, 1889, and for two terms served 
 as chancellor commander, and was twice elected 
 
 grand lodge representative from Ladd, Illinois. 
 He is now a member of Harrison lodge. No. 403, 
 K. P., which he twice represented in the grand 
 lodge, and was instrumental in instituting both 
 Bureau and Harrison lodges, being a charter 
 member of all three of the above named lodges. 
 He also belongs to the Odd Fellows society, of 
 which he is past deputy, and of the Modern 
 Woodmen at Hollowayville, of which he is 
 camp physician. 
 
 In religious belief Dr. White is a Presbyterian, 
 and in politics is a pronounced republican, being 
 vice-president of the jNIcKinley Republican club 
 of Seatonville. He has done all in his power to 
 perfect himself in his chosen calling and has a 
 broad and comprehensive knowledge of the 
 science of medicine and its application to the 
 needs of suffering humanity. His skill in his 
 practice is shown by the liberal patronage which 
 he receives. Besides being one of the leading 
 physicians and surgeons of Bureau county, the 
 doctor is a most useful and valued citizen, such 
 as gives character to a community. 
 
 REUBEN BROADDUS, one of the highly 
 esteemed and progressive farmers of Rob- 
 erts township, traces his ancestry back to Ed- 
 ward Broaddus, who came from Wales, and set- 
 tled upon Gwynn's Island, Virginia, and in 1715, 
 located in Caroline county, Virginia, where some 
 of the descendants of the family yet reside. Ed- 
 ward Broaddus married Mary Shipp. Their son 
 married Frances Prior, and their son Reuben, 
 the grandfather of our subject, married Elizabeth 
 Garland, and their son, Lunsford Broaddus, the 
 father of our subject, was born in 1794, in Caro- 
 line county, Virginia. 
 
 Lunsford Broaddus was reared in his native 
 county, and received a fairly good education. 
 He served as a captain in the war of 1812, and 
 according to all reports was a good and faithful 
 soldier. He married Nancy Gale, also a native of 
 Caroline county, Virginia, born in 1802. She 
 was a daughter of Josiah Gale, who lived and 
 died in Virginia. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Broaddus moved to a plantation in their native 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 331 
 
 count}", which he operated some years. Accord- 
 ing to the custom of that da}- lie was tlie owner 
 of several slaves, but was never satisfied with 
 the institution. For the reason that he was op- 
 posed to slavery, he moved from A^rginia to 
 Indiana, and in the fall of 1835 came to Marshall 
 county by wagon across the prairies and was 
 sixteen days on the road. On arriving here he 
 found a small settlement near Lacon and a few 
 Indians yet remaining in the neighborhood. 
 Wild game was in abundance. He first located 
 one mile east of Lacon, Hopewell township, in 
 a hazel thicket, purchasing the claim of Newton 
 Reeder, on which was a small log cabin, in 
 which he lived for four years. He then built a 
 finer log house on the bluff, and later added to 
 that a gravel and cement house. He died in 
 1864, his wife surviving him and dying January 
 10, 1872. To Lunsford and Nancy Broaddus 
 were born eleven children, (i) Christopher, now 
 deceased, married Minerva H. Hall, by whom he 
 has seven children — Cynthia, Helen, Jessica, Jen- 
 nie, Marshall, Florence and Alice. (2) Eleanor, 
 deceased wife of Eli Strong, who is also de- 
 ceased. Their children were C. C. Strong, an 
 attorney of Pontiac, Illinois; Mrs. Martha Barry, 
 of Chicago, Illinois; Frank, of Kansas; Henry, 
 and ^Irs. Nancy Thompson, of Lacon, Illinois. 
 (3) Elizabeth, married Enoch Sawyer, and both 
 are now deceased. Their children were Luns- 
 ford, Jesse, Simeon, Jordan, Enoch, Lucy, Mark 
 and Christopher, the two last named being 
 twins. (4) Helen M., widow of William Strawn, 
 deceased. Their children are Mrs. Lucy Foster, 
 Jacob, Airs. Caroline Marsh, Leland, Leroy, 
 John, Ellen M. and William, twins, Ralph and 
 Alfred. (5) Leland, who lives in Putnam coun- 
 ty, Illinois, married Harriet Crane, by whom he 
 had two children, Lunsford and Hervey E., and 
 after the death of his first wife married Susan 
 Case, by whom he has three children — John, 
 Clara and Irving. (6) Lucy is deceased wife of 
 Francis H. Bond, of Wenona. (7) Caroline, who 
 married Henry E. Weir, died leaving one child, 
 Mrs. Susan Bullman. (8) Reuben is next in 
 order of birth. (9) Susan married Peter Bogar- 
 
 dus, who is now deceased. Their children were 
 Lunsford, William, Anna, Ida and Charles. (10) 
 Andrew married Sarah Forbes, now deceased, 
 and to them were born the following children — 
 William, Christopher and Gale. After the death 
 of his first wife he wedded Jennie Hewett, and 
 their children are — Benjamin, Viah and Rea. 
 (11) Irving married Ruth Forbes, and their chil- 
 dren are Mrs. Savella Davidson, Mrs. Cora 
 Cook, May, Walter and Nancy. 
 
 Religiously, the father was a member of the 
 Baptist church, while his wife was a member of 
 the Christian church. He was well versed in 
 the scriptures and was ever ready to discusj 
 scriptural questions with any and every one. 
 Politically, he was originally a whig and later a 
 democrat. In local political affairs he took active 
 part, making public speeches in almost every 
 campaign. He was a well known auctioneer and 
 attended sales in not only Marshall but in the 
 surrounding counties. As a fisherman few men 
 were more successful. His death, as well as 
 that of his wife, was mourned not alone by 
 the large family, but by a large circle of friends 
 as well. 
 
 Reuben Broaddus, our subject, was born July 
 6, 1832, in Fayette county, Indiana, and came to 
 Marshall county with his parents, in 1835. When 
 but ten years of age he went with his father 
 to Caroline county, Virginia, making the trip in 
 a four wheeled rig, called a carry-all, with home- 
 made top. They started from home about the 
 last of August, and en route passed through 
 Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West 
 A'irginia, crossing the Alleghany mountains. At 
 the foot of the mountains he heard, for the first 
 time, what is now the old familiar song of 
 "Suwanee River,'' After a very tiresome journey 
 they reached their destination, had a very pleas- 
 ant visit and started back home, where they ar- 
 rived in the middle of October, having traveled 
 over two thousand miles. 
 
 Mr. Broaddus grew to manhood on the old 
 homestead in Hopewell township, and was edu- 
 cated in the log school house. He remained at 
 home until his marriage, November 21, 1855, 
 
3^-^ 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 with Miss Mary J. Forbes, a native of Hopewell 
 township, born September 12, 1835, and a daugh- 
 ter of William and Hannah (Buckingham) 
 Forbes, the former a native of North Carolina, 
 and the latter of Pennsylvania. Her father was 
 a son of Caleb Forbes who came to this county 
 about 1830, while her mother was a daughter of 
 Isaac Buckingham, who came from Pennsyl- 
 vania to Lacon about 1832, coming up the Illi- 
 nois river on a flat boat, and landing among a 
 large band of Indians on the bank. The parents 
 of iNIrs. Broaddus were married October 26, 
 1834, and settled in a log cabin, where W. H. 
 German now lives, in Hopewell township. The 
 father there died November 14, 1842, at the age 
 of thirty-three years. His wife died March 16, 
 1857, at the age of forty-four years. They were 
 the parents of six children — Mary J., now Mrs. 
 Broaddus; Sarah, deceased wife of Andrew 
 Broaddus; Ellen, who first married William 
 Verney, by whom she had two children, Nellie 
 and an infant, both deceased, who dying, she then 
 married Charles Casey, by whom she has three 
 children, ]\[rs. Clara Monier, Laura and Wilbur; 
 Amanda, now deceased; Isaac, who married 
 Sallie Orr, by whom he has one son, William O. 
 and they now live in Anthony, Kansas ; Court- 
 ney, now deceased, married Ozell Trask, l^y 
 whom he had four children — Gilbert F., Belle, 
 Grace J. and Isaac. 
 
 Soon after their marriage our subject and his 
 wife settled on Sandy creek, Roberts township, 
 where they resided until March 10, 1868, when 
 they removed to their present home, which he 
 has greatly improved, and for which he paid 
 sixty dollars per acre. From time to time he 
 has added to his possessions, until he has now 
 over twelve hundred acres of fine tillable land. 
 For many years he has made a specialty of the 
 breeding and raising of fine cattle, a report of 
 which may be found in the state agricultural re- 
 ports of 1877 on page 348. In fact it may be 
 stated that he has been in the cattle business for 
 over fifty-four years. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Broaddus five children have 
 been born — Lawrence married Luella Du 
 
 Chesne, of Varna; Minnie E. is now the wife 
 of Daniel C. Wright, of Varna, and they have 
 one son, Maurice B.; Warner, married Emily J. 
 Spangler, by whom he has one son, Lynn S., and 
 they also reside in Varna; Mary Hannah, mar- 
 ried Morgan Norton, of Varna, and Andrew Lee, 
 married Gertrude [Maleham, and they reside on 
 the old home farm. 
 
 Mr. Broaddus has taken great interest in edu- 
 cational matters, and has been a school director 
 for thirty-nine years continuously. He has been 
 assessor five years, and collector one term. Polit- 
 ically, he is a democrat, ''a man for the people." 
 
 ARTHUR TRUE, residing on section 5. 
 Whitefield township, Marshall county, and 
 receiving his mail at Whitefield post office, 
 Bureau county, came from the old pine tree state. 
 He was born in Portland, Maine, May 10, 1824, 
 and is a son of Benjamin True, also a native 
 of that state. When but a small boy he removed 
 with his father to Dearborn county, Indiana, 
 where he grew to manhood, assisting his father 
 in the development and improvement of the farm, 
 and remaining at home until he attained his 
 majority. Purchasing from his father the home 
 farm, he continued its cultivation until 1853, 
 when he sold out and removed to Alarshall coun- 
 ty, Illinois. His marriage, however, occurred 
 some years prior to this removal, that interesting 
 event taking place March 4, 1846. He married 
 Sophronia Abigail Darling, who was born in 
 Dearborn county, Indiana, ]\Iay 23, 1823. 
 
 On his arrival in this county, Mr. True had but 
 seven hundred dollars with which to begin life 
 in this country. He brought his family and a 
 few household articles by team from his Indiana 
 home, and therefore spent but little on the 
 journey. His first purchase of eighty acres was 
 made on long time. The place was slightly im- 
 proved, and on it was a small house in which 
 the family moved and where they remained sev- 
 eral years. After making some necessary pur- 
 chases, much of the seven hundred dollars was 
 used up, and, as may be imagined, the next few 
 years were not such as to bring tears of jov. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 333 
 
 The discomforts of pioneer life Iiad to be en- 
 dured; ground liad to be broken and sown in 
 grain, barns and outhouses erected, orchards 
 planted and stock purchased and cared for. Sev- 
 eral years of hard labor, ceaseless toil and strict 
 economy were required in which to pay for the 
 land already purchased and add enough more 
 land to make them a respectable sized Illinois 
 farm. It must be remembered that what would 
 constitute a fair sized farm in the east would be 
 considered little more than a garden patch in 
 this new west, and so at the earliest opportunity 
 forty acres more were added to the original pur- 
 chase. This was prior to the war. 
 
 When the war came on, the price of grain and 
 other commodities advanced, and the future with 
 greater abundance of this world's goods was 
 made brighter. Stock raising was also more 
 profitable and ^Ir. True became a breeder of 
 Poland China hogs and quite an extensive feeder 
 of swine. A larger and more commodious dwell- 
 ing house was erected which was occupied until 
 1892, when it was destroyed by fire, entailing on 
 him quite a serious loss. He subsequently re- 
 built and is now comfortably living in the new 
 home. 
 
 To ^Ir. and Airs. True twelve children have 
 been born, as follows: Mary Adeline, wife of 
 Abraham Shurts, of Bureau county; Harriet Ann, 
 widow of Labon H. Cox, of Whitefield township; 
 Huldah Jane, wife of Elliott Bunch, of Perry, 
 Iowa; Albert, a farmer of Saratoga township; 
 Ellen AL, wife of James Patterson of Iowa; 
 WilHam Alorton, of Bureau county; John Wes- 
 ley, at home; Caroline Augusta, wife of George 
 Shurts, of Saratoga township; Ruth Alma, who 
 died at the age of two years ; Alice Eugenie, wife 
 of John Frailey, of Henry, but who first married 
 William Applegate, by whom she had one son, 
 Louis, who makes his home with our subject; 
 Charles Burt, at home, and Sarah Emma, who 
 died in infancy. 
 
 In politics. Air. True was originally a whig, 
 and cast his first presidential vote in 1844, and 
 has voted at every presidential election since that 
 time. By nature and training he was a strong 
 
 anti-slavery man, and it was l)ut natural for him 
 to unite with the republican party on its or- 
 ganization. With that party he has since acted, 
 and has voted for its nominees for president 
 from General John C. Fremont, the great "path- 
 finder," to General Harrison, the warrior and 
 statesman. He was and still is a great admirer 
 of the immortal Lincoln, and while he did not 
 enter the service during the late war, he did 
 much in promoting enlistments and raising 
 bounties for those who could go. 
 
 Religiously, Air. True is a free thinker, in- 
 clined to the L^niversalist belief, although he has 
 never attached himself to that religious body. 
 He has been a Bible reader and has his views 
 in relation to that book. In early life he was 
 quite a sportsman, and loved especially to chase 
 the nimble footed deer, and with a long shot from 
 his rifle secured the game. On coming to Alar- 
 shall county prairie .chickens were in great nvim- 
 bers and it was high delight to take them on 
 the wing. He yet takes an interest in the sport 
 and excels many young men in the use of the 
 rifle. While in his }'outh and early manhood, he 
 was fleet of foot and could out run and out 
 jump almost any one in his vicinity. He was 
 naturally of a strong constitution and could en- 
 dure great fatigue. Of late years he has prac- 
 tically been living a retired life, enjoying the 
 love and respect of family and friends. 
 
 Albert True, of section 13, Saratoga township, 
 Alarshall county, was born in Dearborn county, 
 Indiana, October 4, 1851, and came with his 
 parents to this county when but a child of two 
 years. His boyhood and youth were spent on 
 the home farm, and his education received in 
 the public schools. He remained with his par- 
 ents, assisting in the farm work until twenty 
 years of age, when he commenced life for him- 
 self, renting a farm in Saratoga township, which 
 he operated for eleven years. He then bought 
 his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 on which he has made good improvements, and 
 where he engages in general farming. For twen- 
 ty-six years he has run a threshing machine and 
 corn sheller, and much of his time has been de- 
 
334 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 voted to that work, in connection with a feed 
 grinder. He has operated his machine not alone 
 in Marshall, but in surrounding counties, and is 
 well and favorably known throughout his sec- 
 tion of country. 
 
 Albert True and Miss Mary E. Culton were 
 united in marriage September ii, 1872. She is 
 a native of Canton, Illinois, and is a woman of 
 good judgment and ability. Two children have 
 come to bless their union — Ora May and Jarvey 
 J., both yet residing at home. Like his father, 
 Albert True votes the republican ticket "both 
 spring and fall'' and is' a firm behever in the 
 principles of that party. A practical farmer, an 
 honest, industrious man, he goes on the even 
 tenor of his wa)', doing as his conscience dictates, 
 and as near as possible living up to the teachings 
 of the g'olden rule. 
 
 WILLIA:\I :\IILES, deceased, was for thir- 
 ty years a well-known and highly re- 
 spected business man of Princeton, one having 
 the interests of his adopted city at heart, and who 
 endeavored to so live as to merit the goodwill of 
 his fellow-citizens, doing unto others as he would 
 have others do to him. He was born in Steuben 
 county. New York, July 26, 1822, of which state 
 his parents were also natives. They died when 
 William was quite young, leaving another child, 
 a half brother to our subject. 
 
 On the death of his parents, William was taken 
 by his grandfather, Isaac Miles, and grew up as 
 a member of the latter's family. The grand- 
 father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
 serving two years in a Connecticut regiment, of 
 which state he was a native. In 1823 he moved 
 to Steuben county. New York, and there spent 
 the remainder of his life, living to an advanced 
 age. In Steuben county, he engaged in his 
 trade of blacksmithing, which trade he followed 
 until his death. After his death, his widow made 
 her home a portion of the time with our subject 
 until she too passed away. 
 
 As our subject advanced in years, he was put 
 to work in the lumber yard and mills of the 
 neighborhood, and thus learned the lumber busi- 
 
 ness in all its departments, becoming thoroughly 
 schooled in the trade, and an expert in all varie- 
 ties and qualities of lumber. He received but 
 a limited education in the schools, but being a 
 man of inflexible will and purpose he rose above 
 his environments, and by careful reading and 
 study became a well informed man. 
 
 The marriage of I\Ir. ALiles and Miss Nancy A. 
 Parker was celebrated ^lay 19, 1844. She is also 
 a native of Steuben county. New York, born in 
 the same vicinity as her husband, and there grew 
 to womanhood, receiving her education in the 
 schools of her native county. By this union 
 seven children were born — Harriet M., wife of 
 S. D. Beach, late of Steuben county. New York, 
 but now of Princeton; Luoius P., who resides at 
 home with his mother ; George, of Grinnell, Iowa ; 
 William, with Spaulding Company, also of Grin- 
 nell, Iowa ; Louisa, wife of Guy Bryant, of Prince- 
 ton; James, an attorney of Chicago; and Edward, 
 who lives at home. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Miles embarked in the 
 lumber business for himself, and continued in 
 that line in his native state until 1866, when he 
 came to Princeton, Illinois, which was ever af- 
 terward his home. Just before his marriage he 
 purchased a two-hundred acre tract of wild land, 
 and in company with his wife's father, Lucius 
 Parker, erected a mill and commenced sawing 
 and shipping lumber. Later he purchased an- 
 other tract, erected a mill, and continued the 
 business. The Erie railroad was at this time in 
 process of construction, and he secured some 
 large contracts for the building of railroad fences, 
 furnishing the lumber from his own mills. On 
 coming to this city he again took up his old 
 business, and established a yard, and did a large 
 and successful business for sixteen rears, when 
 he sold out to Cone, Brown & Company, the 
 yard now operated by J. H. Brown. On the 
 organization of the Farmers' National bank, he 
 invested in its stock and became a director, serv- 
 ing as such until his death, giving much of his 
 time to its active management. The success of 
 this bank is due in a large degree to his wise 
 foresight and careful business methods. 
 
WliJ.lA.M Mll.ES. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 337 
 
 Soon after making his home in Princeton, Mr. 
 jNliles purchased a tract of fifteen hundred acres 
 of wild land in Pottawattamie count)', Iowa, 
 which he improved, dividing it into farms of con- 
 venient size, which he disposed of to a good 
 advantage. On one of these farms his son 
 Lucius now resides. Lucius and William were 
 sent by the father to improve the farms and give 
 them their personal attention, a trust which they 
 successfully accomplished. 
 
 ]\Ir. ^liles also invested in two farms in Bu- 
 reau county, which he rented at a fair profit. He 
 also handled some pieces of city property in addi- 
 tion to his elegant home on Elm street, where 
 the last twenty years of his life was spent. It 
 can thus be seen that his life was a busy one, giv- 
 ing personal supervision to so many diversified 
 interests. But few mistakes, however, can be 
 charged to his account, as he was level-headed 
 and cautious in all his investments and move- 
 ments. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Miles was a republican of the 
 strictest sort. The principles of that party were 
 thoroughly grounded into him, and he was ever 
 willing to make such sacrifices as would best ad- 
 vance its interests, believing that the success of 
 the party insured prosperity to the country. 
 While he did not enter into the service during the 
 late war, his heart was in the cause and he gave 
 of his means for its prosecution. Captain George 
 Biles, a brother of Ten Eyck Biles, a partner 
 of Mr. Allies, raised a company, and to each en- 
 listed man, Mr. Miles gave ten dollars and the 
 assurance of help to the volunteer's family, as 
 help was needed. This promise was carried out 
 to the letter. He never sought public office, but 
 took particular pains always to vote and talk for 
 his party and his friends. 
 
 Mr. Miles never became identified with any 
 church, but was reared a Methodist. His time 
 when not required for business was spent at 
 home with his family and with his books. He 
 was well read in history, especially in that of the 
 French. He enjoyed listening to a good lecture 
 and could well appreciate anything of the kind. 
 His bearing was erect, tall and straight, light 
 17 
 
 complexion, blue eyes and of kindly feature. 
 His last picture was taken with his son and 
 grandson, each of whom was named William. 
 Few men in Princeton had more warm friends 
 and his death, which occurred February 2, 1896, 
 was a sad blow, not alone to his family and rela- 
 tives, but to the community as well. His wife 
 survives him, and is living in her old home on 
 Elm street in Princeton, surrounded by many 
 friends who esteem her for her many womanly 
 virtues and arood works. 
 
 EDWIX O. DOWNING, who is successfully 
 operating a good farm of one hundred and 
 sixty acres on section 20, Princeton township, 
 is a native of Illinois, born in Carroll county, 
 December 4, 1839, and is a son of Heman and 
 Rachel (Holbrook) Downing, the former born at 
 South Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1810, and the 
 latter in 181 2, near Keene, New Hampshire. 
 The paternal grandfather, Abner Downing, was 
 a native of Connecticut, but removed to Massa- 
 chusetts at an early day. He came to Illinois 
 about 1837, becoming one of the earliest settlers 
 of Carroll county; while Enos Holbrook, the 
 maternal grandfather, came from New Hamp- 
 shire and permanently located at Lamoille, 
 Bureau county, Illinois, in 1839. 
 
 It was in 1834 that the father of our subject 
 came to Bureau county, and for a time engaged 
 in carpentering in Princeton, erecting some of 
 the first houses of that place. Two years later he 
 was there married and continued to make it his 
 home until the fall of 1837, when he removed 
 to Carroll county, locating upon a farm in Car- 
 roll township, and building the first frame barn 
 in that county. In March, 1856, he returned 
 to Bureau county, this time settling upon the 
 farm now owned and occupied by our subject, 
 and there resided until his death in April, 1882. 
 His wife, who is still living, now resides at Coun- 
 cil Bluffs, Iowa. Both took an active part in the 
 work of the Congregational church, of which 
 they were members and were earnest Christian 
 people. The father was a republican in politics 
 and for vears served as road commissioner. 
 
338 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 The parental household included nine children 
 who grew to years of maturity, namely : Angela, 
 now the wife of Eli L. Shugart, of Council 
 Bluffs, Iowa; Andrew, of Topeka, Kansas, who 
 served as first lieutenant in the Seventh Kansas 
 Infantry during the civil war; E. O., of this 
 review; Elizabeth, wife of Zachariah Shugart, 
 of Nevada, Iowa; Stephen, of Ainsworth, Ne- 
 braska; Enos, of Barber county, Kansas; Mary 
 Eliza, wife of George Fetrow, of Harper county, 
 Kansas'; Flora, wife of Walter Clay, of Iowa, 
 and David, now deceased. 
 
 In the common schools of Carroll and Bureau 
 counties, Mr. Downing of this sketch, acquired 
 his education, and was reared to farm life. On 
 the 23d of December, 1862, he married Miss 
 Susanna Greenamyer, a native of Ohio, and a 
 daughter of Solomon Greenamyer, deceased, 
 who came to Bureau county in 1856. They be- 
 gan their domestic life upon the farm which is 
 now their home, but in 1864 removed to Wyanet 
 township. The following year was again spent 
 upon the old homestead, after which they re- 
 moved to the John Shugart farm on section 28, 
 but in 1866 again returned to their present farm. 
 In the spring of 1867 they removed to Hickory 
 Grove, in Manlius township, and on selling out 
 there in 1870 went to Princeton, where the fol- 
 lowing year was passed. After three years spent 
 upon a little farm in the river bottoms, Mr. 
 Downing purchased the old Pendleton farm 
 on section 32, Princeton township, which he 
 made his home until 1880, when he returned to 
 his present farm and there has since resided, 
 devoting his time and attention to general farm- 
 ing. 
 
 Our subject and hjs wife have become the 
 parents of seven children, as follows: JNIary 
 Angela, now the wife of George Evelhoch, of 
 Coffey county, Kansas, by whom she has four 
 children; Adelaide, wife of Mason Sisler, of 
 Itasca county, Minnesota, by whom she has three 
 children; Mabel, Nora, Olive, Harvey and 
 William. 
 
 Mr. Downing takes a deep interest in politi- 
 cal affairs, always casting his ballot in support 
 
 of the principles bf the republican party, has 
 served as school director for years; and for 
 twelve years was road commissioner, during 
 which time he was instrumental in the establish- 
 ment of the gravel roads in the county. In 1892 
 jMr. Downing commenced the dairy business, 
 supplying milk and cream to the citizens of 
 Princeton, running two wagons, and meeting 
 with fair success. He is public-spirited and pro- 
 gressive and has the welfare of the community 
 at heart. 
 
 RUSSELL' MALLORY FRISBEY, residing 
 on section 16, Steuben township, 3.1arshall 
 county, has been a resident of the county since 
 1843, a period of fifty-three years. He is well 
 known and universally respected by all, a man 
 who has gone in and out among the people, 
 winning their confidence and esteem, and whose 
 friends are many and enemies none. He was 
 born in Middletown, Rutland county, Vermont, 
 March 15, 1812, and comes of good old Revolu- 
 tionary stock, his grandfather, James Frisbey, 
 who prior to the Revolution settled in A^ermont, 
 serving faithfully in that struggle that secured 
 the independence of the American colonies. His 
 father, Samuel Frisbey, was also a patriot and 
 served in the second war with Great Britain, his 
 service being on Lake Champlain. Samuel Fris- 
 bey married Hannah Mallory, a daughter of 
 Silas Mallory, who also served in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, and who drew a pension from the 
 government for such services. Our subject has 
 a clear recollection of his grandfather Mallory, 
 who died at the age of about eighty years. His 
 grandmother subsequently married when she 
 was past eighty years old. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 spent in his native county. His father dying 
 when he was but twelve years old,, he was com- 
 pelled to shift for himself at a very tender age, 
 and rapidly developed the qualities incident to 
 manhood. His marriage with Miss Rosalinda T. 
 Johnson occurred before he was twenty vears of 
 age. She was also a native of Rutland county, 
 A^ermont, and was a woman of superior native 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 339 
 
 ability. About one year afterward they removed 
 to Xew York, and six months later to Summit 
 county, Ohio, where they spent eight years, Mr. 
 Frisbey working for others at odd jobs, but main- 
 ly in a sawmill. 
 
 Not content with their Ohio home, and be- 
 lieving that in Illinois they would find a place 
 better suited to their condition, and with better 
 opportunities for rearing their family and giving 
 them a chance in life, in 1843 they came to Mar- 
 shall county. The trip was made by lake to 
 Chicago, where Mr. Frisbey hired teams to con- 
 tinue their journey. Loton Frisbey, a brother, 
 some seven years previously, had come to ]Mar- 
 shall county and had located northwest of Henry 
 where he now lives. It was by his advice that 
 Russell came to Marshall county. After residing 
 here about one year he purchased forty acres of 
 school land on section 16, Steuben township, for 
 which he paid one hundred dollars in trade. 
 Here he has now resided fifty-three years, and in 
 the many changes that have taken place, develop- 
 ing this country from an almost unbroken wilder- 
 ness, he has borne an honorable part. To his 
 original tract he has added eighty acres, making 
 his home farm consist of one hundred and twen- 
 ty acres, all of which is well and substantially 
 improved. In addition to this, however, he owns 
 nearly three hundred acres on section 14, much 
 of it underlaid with a fine vein of coal. Ten coal 
 banks are now in operation in this vicinity, and 
 a large quantity of the "black diamonds" are 
 annually taken out, much of which is shipped to 
 other points. In the development of the coal 
 interests of this locality, ]\Ir. Frisbey has always 
 been greatly interested, and was one of the or- 
 iginal stockholders in the Sparland Coal Com- 
 pany. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Frisbey are the parents of three 
 children — Edwin, now lives in Sparland; Lewis, 
 died at the age of fourteen years; Orrin, served 
 three years in the war for the Union as a mem- 
 ber of the eighty-sixth Illinois volunteer in- 
 fantry, and now receives a pension for disabili- 
 ties incurred in the service. He married Mrs. 
 Mary Stephenson in 1866, and they have three 
 
 children — William S., who was engaged with 
 George A. Ogle, a leading map publisher of 
 Chicago, Illinois, was drowned July 14, 1896; 
 Russell Mallory, in a drug store in Blue Island, 
 Illinois, and Clara L., now attending the Spar- 
 land high school. 
 
 Russell M. and Rosalinda T. Alallory pursued 
 the journey of life together a period of fifty 
 years. Their married life was a particularly 
 happy one, and the love given each other while 
 yet in their teens was never broken, but rather 
 increased as the years went by. Mrs. Frisbey 
 was called to her long home in March, 1887, 
 leaving behind a tender and loving memory 
 cherished by husband, children and friends alike. 
 
 In politics, ^Ir. Frisbey is a stanch republican, 
 and has voted that ticket since the organization 
 of the party. In its principles he has an abiding 
 faith, believing them best for the interests of the 
 whole country. 
 
 TOHX WILLIAM HARLIN. Among the 
 kj leading and representative agricvilturists of 
 Alarshall county, stalwart and sturdy tillers of 
 the soil, there is none who stands a more promi- 
 nent figure than the gentleman of whom this 
 notice is written. His fine farm is pleasantly 
 located on section 12, Whitefield township. Flis 
 birth occurred in Maryland, January 31, 1827, and 
 at the age of six years was taken to Wayne 
 county, Ohio, and later to Ashland county, by his 
 parents, Solomon and Christina (Winbigler) Har- 
 lin, also natives of Maryland. Fie learned the 
 carpenter's trade, which he followed in that state 
 until 1856, when he accompanied his father and 
 the four children to Illinois, his mother having 
 departed this life some time previous. Before 
 leaving Ohio the father had again married, and 
 by the second union had one son, Franklin, who 
 now resides three miles southwest of Sparland 
 in Steuben township, Marshall county. The chil- 
 dren of the first marriage were Daniel, now of 
 Saratoga township, Marshall county; Roxana, 
 wife of Isaac Walker, of Ashland county, Ohio; 
 Henry, who died in Ohio some nine years ago; 
 
340 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and John and George, who carried on farming 
 together in this state for many years. 
 
 On coming to IlHnois tlie family settled in 
 Senachwine township, Putnam county, west of 
 the lake, where our subject in connection with 
 his brother George purchased two hundred and 
 forty acres of land, paying ten dollars per acre 
 for one hundred and sixty acres and twenty-five 
 dollars for the remainder. They paid five hun- 
 dred dollars down but had to go in debt for the 
 remainder. They gave eighty acres of the land 
 to their father, on which he made his home until 
 his death, which occurred at the age of seventy- 
 five years. His second wife survived him for 
 some years, but has now also passed away. 
 
 For thirty years the brothers engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits in Putnam county, where 
 George died some fifteen years ago. They had 
 purchased their land on five years' time, but 
 after the first crop was raised were enabled to 
 pay ofif the debt and had something left with 
 which to make improvements. They were en- 
 gaged in general farming and stock raising, in 
 which they ever met with excellent success, but 
 after the death of his brother our subject sold the 
 land in Putnam county and removed to his pres- 
 ent farm of two hundred acres in Whitefield 
 township, Marshall county, on which he has 
 erected a pleasant and comfortable residence. 
 
 Until the death of his brother George, ;\Ir. 
 Harlin had always lived in his family, and on 
 coming to Marshall county his brother Daniel's 
 wife was his housekeeper until his marriage. May 
 4, 1887, when Miss Ellen Paris became his wife. 
 She is a native of Fairfax, Franklin county, Ver- 
 mont, where she was educated in the New Hamp- 
 ton institute, a theological seminary, and at the 
 early age of sixteen years began teaching school. 
 She naturally liked study, and the love she had 
 for her work made her a very successful teacher. 
 In 1872 she came to Illinois, having at that time 
 a sister, Mrs. J. G. Paris, living in Whitefield 
 township, Marshall county, but now a resident 
 of Iowa. Making her home with her sister, Mrs. 
 Harlin taught in that township, being for eleven 
 years the efficient teacher at the Crow Meadow 
 
 school house, which position she continued to 
 fill up to the time of her marriage. 
 
 On account of the great liking for her work 
 and the independence of her position, Airs. Har- 
 lin rather disliked the idea of marriage, but finally 
 accepted our subject, and they now have a pleas- 
 ant home upon his farm, where they delight to 
 entertain their many friends. As a teacher she 
 was ever enthusiastic, keeping fully abreast with 
 the times in her chosen calling, and therefore 
 stood quite high as an instructor. She is a great 
 reader, being well versed in poetry, history, the 
 drama, etc., and lover of Scott, Byron, and es- 
 pecially of the American poets Longfellow, 
 Bryant, Whittier, etc. She also keeps in touch 
 with A'ermont authors, among whom is John G. 
 Saxe, and takes all the leading magazines of the 
 day. Being quite an elocutionist, her voice has 
 been often heard in public, especially on temper- 
 ance topics, in which reform she takes a com- 
 mendable interest. Mr. Harlin always supports 
 the democratic party, but his wife is a stanch re- 
 publican and a firm believer in equal suffrage. 
 She was reared in the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, and has always taken an active part in 
 the work of the church and Sunday school. 
 
 AH. S. KEAY, a faithful and trusted em- 
 . ploye of the Chicago, Wilmington & \'er- 
 milion Coal Company, now acting as weigh- 
 master at Seatonville, Illinois, was born on the 
 17th of May, 1859, in England, where his 
 parents, Peter and Emma (Welsh) Keay, spent 
 their entire fives, the former dying in 1869 at 
 the age of forty years, and the latter in 1864, at 
 the age of thirty-five. Both were earnest mem- 
 bers of the 'Methodist Episcopal church, the 
 father being a traveling minister of the same for 
 thirteen years. Our subject is the fifth in order 
 of birth in their family of eight children, five 
 still living: Elizabeth, wife of Henry Stubbs, an 
 Episcopal minister, residing in Sheffield, Eng- 
 land; John, a resident of Springfield, Illinois, who 
 married Emma Griswold, and has three chil- 
 dren— CHnton, XelHe and Willie; William, a 
 molder in iron works of Sheffield, England; A. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 341 
 
 H. S., of this sketch, and Peter Frederick, cash- 
 ier in iron works in Cardiff, Wales. 
 
 Being left an orphan at the tender age of ten 
 years our subject was thrown upon his own re- 
 sources. Previous to this time he had attended 
 school, and though now a well informed man 
 he is almost entirely self-educated. Until twelve 
 years of age he worked in a printing office and 
 then entered the coal mines in Sheffield, where he 
 remained for five years. On the expiration of that 
 period he emigrated to the new world, locating 
 first at Streator, Illinois, where he arrived in 
 1 881, and he continued to work in the mines 
 at that place for seven years. After a short time 
 spent in Pennsylvania, he came to Seatonville in 
 . 1889, ^t which time he was made weigh-master, 
 and has since acceptably filled that position, the 
 company placing in him the utmost confidence. 
 
 In England, March 29, 1880, Mr. Keay was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary Heath, 
 daughter of Thomas and Mary (English) Heath, 
 of that country, and to them were born four chil- 
 dren — Harry Leonard, Albert Heath, Lawrence 
 Edgar and William Oscar. The wife and moth- 
 er died June 4, 1890, at the age of twenty-nine 
 years. On the 26th of October, 1892, Mr. Keay 
 was again married, his second union being with 
 Miss Anna Louisa Stonebreaker, daughter of 
 John M. Stonebreaker, now living in Panola, 
 Illinois. Her mother is deceased. Two children 
 bless this marriage — Mary Clementina and John 
 Marcellus. 
 
 Mr. Keay is a prominent member of the 
 Knights of P3rthias fraternity, having passed all 
 the chairs in the local lodge, and in religious be- 
 lief both his wives have been Episcopalians. His 
 political support is ever given the republican 
 party, and he is a warm supporter of Major Mc- 
 Kinley. For four years he acceptably served as 
 clerk of Seatonville, is now serving his second 
 year as trustee of the village, and was school 
 trustee for two years, which office he refused to 
 fill for a longer period. He is a man of decided 
 views and strong convictions, believes in doing 
 the right as he sees it; and has come to his pres- 
 ent honorable position with very little outside 
 
 aid, being what is commonly called a self-made 
 man. In the battle with the world he has fared 
 well, and his honest methods and pleasant ap- 
 pearance have always been strong arguments in 
 his favor, even before he utters his introductory 
 sentence. 
 
 WILLIAM P. PHILLIPS. Few men re- 
 main long in Bureau county without 
 becoming familiar with this name, which is 
 borne by one of its earliest pioneers and high- 
 ly respected citizens. His farm, which comprises 
 eighty acres of rich and arable land on section 
 2, Westfield township, has been brought to a 
 high state of cultivation, and improved with 
 neat and substanial farm buildings, including a 
 good residence. The place is conveniently lo- 
 cated four and a half miles from Arlington and 
 its thrifty appearance indicates the supervision 
 of an enterprising, industrious owner. 
 
 Mr. Phillips was bom in Massachusetts, near 
 Boston, June 11, 1825, a son of Cyrus and Ruth 
 (Ames) Phillips, also natives of that state, the 
 father's birth occurring in 1800. At an early day 
 he took his family to Rochester, New York, mov- 
 ing with a yoke of oxen and settling upon a 
 tract of land near that city, which he cleared and 
 transformed into a good farm. There he reared 
 his family and spent the remaining years of his 
 life, dying in 1874. His wife survived him two 
 years, passing away in August, 1876. Their re- 
 mains were interred in Mt. Hope cemetery. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of five sons and 
 three daughters, and upon the old homestead in 
 Monroe county, New York, which is now within 
 the city limits of Rochester, spent the days of his 
 boyhood and youth. He is mostly self-educated, 
 much of his knowledge being gained since at- 
 taining to man's estate. It was in 1845 that he 
 emigrated to Illinois, taking up his residence in 
 Bureau county, where for a time he engaged in 
 breaking prairie and running a threshing ma- 
 chine. In 1854 he purchased his present farm, 
 to the cultivation and improvement of which he 
 has since devoted his time and attention with 
 excellent results. 
 
342 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In 1852, in Bureau county, ^Ir. Phillips led to 
 the marriage altar Miss Helen Aldridge, who 
 was born in the town of Walworth, W-ayne coun- 
 ty. New York, and when ten }'ears of age was 
 brought to Illinois by her father, Ira Aldridge, 
 who located in this county in 1839, becoming one 
 of its representative pioneers. He opened up sev- 
 eral farms, and here died in August, 1892, at the 
 advanced age of ninety-two years, six months and 
 twent}' days. Seven children have been born 
 to our subject and his wife, as follows: Ethan A., 
 who is married and resides in Iowa; jMary, wife 
 of A. C. Cullen, of La Salle county, Illinois ; Ida, 
 wife of Newton Thornburg, of Lamoille, Bureau 
 county; Linus, a fruit grower of California; Eliza, 
 at home; Alice, wife of Richard Lacy, of Sand- 
 wich, Illinois, and John, an exemplary young 
 man, who takes charge of the home farm. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Phillips is an ardent repub- 
 lican, believing in a protective tarifif, but cares 
 nothing for the honors or emoluments of public 
 office. On the 9tli of December, 1894, he start- 
 ed for California, and spent a most enjoyable win- 
 ter on the Pacific slope, visiting his son, a sister 
 and two nephews, as well as San Francisco and 
 other points of interest. For fifty-one years he 
 has now made his home in Bureau county, while 
 his wife has here resided for fifty-seven years. 
 They have seen this region transformed from a 
 wilderness and swamp into one of the best coun- 
 ties in this great state and have been important 
 factors in aiding in the advancement and prog- 
 ress that have here been made. They have a wide 
 circle of friends and acquaintances throughout 
 Bureau and La Salle counties and are held in the 
 highest respect by all who know them. 
 
 JOHX NORTON, a retired blacksmith, and 
 reliable citizen of Princeton, Illinois, is a 
 native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, born 
 August II, 1826, and in that state the births of 
 his parents, Jacob and Sarah (Lukens) Norton, 
 also occurred. The father and grandfather John 
 Norton, were also blacksmiths by trade. The 
 former spent his entire life in his native state, 
 dying at the age of seventy-nine years in the 
 
 faith of the Presbyterian church. The mother 
 departed this life in 1830. The family consisted 
 of three sons and two daughters, four of whom 
 are still living. 
 
 At the age of fourteen years our subject en- 
 tered his father's shop to learn the trade, and 
 with the exception of about eighteen months, 
 forty-five years of his life were devoted to black- 
 smithing. On coming west in 1854 he located 
 at Princeton, where for about a year he was in 
 partnership with John L. Storm, but was after- 
 ward alone in business until 1891, since which 
 time he has lived retired, enjoying a well earned 
 rest after so many years of usefulness. 
 
 In 1850 was celebrated the marriage of ]\Ir. 
 Norton and Miss Belle ]\IcDowell, daughter of 
 James McDowell, of Pennsylvania, w^ho died in 
 1877. His second marriage occurred in June, 
 1879, ^liss Mary Blanchard becoming his wife. 
 They are both consistent members of the Pres- 
 byterian church, of which Mr. Norton is an 
 elder, and highly respected citizens of the com- 
 munity. In politics, Mr. Norton has always sup- 
 ported the democracy. 
 
 ;\Irs. Norton is the daughter of John Ray and 
 Sybil (Lovejoy) Blanchard, the latter a sister of 
 Owen and Elijah Lovejoy, who were prominent 
 abolitionists of this state. 3.1rs. Blanchard died 
 in Princeton, at the home of her sister, }ilrs. 
 Noah Wiswall, leaving a husband, with two sons 
 and two daughters to mourn her loss. The 
 younger son, Daniel, was a soldier in the civil 
 war, and the other daughter, Elizabeth J., is the 
 wife of John Mitchener, of Chicago. Charles 
 Edward Blanchard enlisted, while attending 
 school in Rhode Island, in the ist Rhode 
 Island cavalry, becoming captain of Company 
 C, and after the close of the civil war sei*ved 
 in the third auditor's office of the United States 
 treasury, but died December 8, 1867, in Chi- 
 cago, at the age of twenty-four years. He was 
 a young man of much promise and people pre- 
 dicted for him a brilliant future of great use- 
 fulness. His body was interred where the Love- 
 joy monument has been erected. At a meeting 
 of the clerks of the engineer division of the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 343 
 
 third auditor's office, treasury department, the 
 following was gotten up on parchment and 
 sent to the family of the deceased: 
 
 ''Whereas; We have heard with feelings of 
 mingled pain and sorrow of the death of our 
 friend and co-laborer, Charles E. Blanchard, who 
 departed this life on the 8th of December, 1867, 
 at Chicago, Illinois, and 
 
 ''Whereas; He endeared himself to all who 
 came in contact with him by his pleasing deport- 
 ment, afifableness and kindness of heart. He 
 was foremost in works of philanthropy; and 
 
 "Whereas; While paying homage to the 
 shrine of our deceased friend we humbly bow 
 beneath the chastening rod, acknowledging the 
 decree of Him who doeth all things well. 
 
 "Resolved, that by his death we have lost a 
 friend, the remembrance of whose many virtues 
 and integrity of character shall remain green in 
 our memory and the government so manfully and 
 faithfuly served by him in the hour of its need 
 and danger, both as an officer and as a soldier, 
 no less than in the more peaceful duties lately 
 rendered, has been deprived of an honest, faith- 
 ful public servant.'' 
 
 (Signed): Charles P. Vickery, J. W. Swank, 
 Peter Lamond, J. M. Smyth, J. S. Phelps, L. B. 
 Wynne, and George W. Knox. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Norton have one child — Lulu 
 Blanch, now attending the high school, a bright, 
 intelligent young lady. 
 
 WILLIAAI H. BURR is a well-known far- 
 mer residing on section 10, Roberts 
 township. He was born August 30, 1857, and 
 is the son of Ira and EleanoT (Hackelman) Burr, 
 the former a native of New Haven, Connecticut, 
 born in 1802, and the latter of Franklin county, 
 Indiana, born May 31, 1818. 
 
 Ira Burr grew to manhood in his native state 
 and then removed to Wabash county, Indiana, 
 where he engaged in farming, and later married 
 Eleanor Hackelman. After their marriage they 
 continued to reside in Indiana until the fall of 
 1864, when they came to Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois, and took up their residence in Lacon. In 
 
 the following spring they settled in Roberts 
 township, w'here they remained two years, and 
 then removed to Coffey county, Kansas, where 
 he again engaged in farming, and where he con- 
 tinued to reside until his death in 1873. His 
 wife also died during the same year. They were 
 the parents of twelve children — Frank, now de- 
 ceased; Wallace and Warner, twins, now de- 
 ceased; Thaddeus, now deceased; James H. and 
 Jennie, twins, the former residing in Colorado 
 and the latter in Iowa; Lucretia, now deceased; 
 ^lary T. and John, now residing in Iowa; 
 Phoebe, deceased; William H., of this review, and 
 Nettie, who resides in Oregon. Of the sons, 
 Frank and James H. were soldiers in the civil 
 war, Frank dying in the service. 
 
 The subject of this sketch came with his par- 
 ents to Marshall county when but seven years 
 of age, and also went with them to Coffey county, 
 Kansas, where he attended the district schools. 
 His father died when he was sixteen years of age, 
 and he was then forced to commence lite for 
 himself. Returning to Marshall county, he 
 worked by the month fqr various parties until 
 the fall of 1880, when he was united in marriage 
 with Aliss Sarah S. Glenn, who was born in Mag- 
 nolia township, Putnam county, and who is a 
 daughter of Isaac A. and Mary J. (Stewart) 
 Glenn, who yet reside in Magnolia township. 
 Her parents are both natives of Putnam county, 
 and have there spent their entire lives. In their 
 family were eight children, three of whom are 
 now living — Mrs. Burr, Mrs. Eliza H. Disosway, 
 of Iroquois county, Illinois, and Mrs. Jessie E. 
 Dunlap, of Evans township, Marshall county. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Burr four children have been 
 born — Glenn, Earl, Eleanor May, Ira Allen and 
 Edna Jessie. Soon after their marriage they 
 located upon section 11, Roberts township, 
 where they remained until 1882, when they re- 
 moved to their present place of residence. Their 
 farm now comprises four hundred and twenty- 
 four acres, all of which is under a high state of 
 cultivation and with modern improvements. He 
 carries on general farming, but for the past five 
 years has made a specialty of Aberdeen-Angus 
 
344 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cattle, and now has one hundred head of this 
 fine breed, which has no superior. For some 
 years Mr. Burr boug'ht and shipped hogs at 
 Varna, but at present confines himself to his 
 farming operations and the breeding and raising 
 of cattle. Politically he is a republican, and takes 
 that interest in political affairs that every true 
 American should take. While caring nothing for 
 official position, he 'has yet served his township 
 as road commissioner, and for fifteen years has 
 been a school director. He has always taken 
 great interest in educational affairs and thor- 
 oughly believes in giving the youth of the land 
 a good common school education. 
 
 MRS. PARMELIA W. B. FASSETT, widow 
 of the late Elisha W. Fassett, of Lamoille, 
 was bom in Hatfield, Hampshire county, Massa- 
 chusetts, May 21, 1823, a daughter of Cotton and 
 Nancy H. (Herrick) Morton, also natives of the 
 Bay State. The Morton family is of Scotch ex- 
 traction, and for many generations have made 
 their home at Hatfield, Massachusetts. Mrs. 
 Fassett traces her ancestry back to Richard and 
 Ruth Morton, both of whom lived to a ripe old 
 age, the former dying April 3, 1710, and the lat- 
 ter December 31, 17 14. Soon after their mar- 
 riage, in about 1668 or 1669, they removed to 
 Hatfield, ^'lassachusetts, where, for many gen- 
 erations, the family have resided, but the only one 
 now living there is Silas Porter, a cousin of our 
 subject, who is unmarried. 
 
 Fro'm Richard and Ruth ?\Iorton, tracing to- 
 ward the present time and omitting several gen- 
 erations, we find the honored names of Lieuten- 
 ant Jonathan Morton, and his wife Sarah, the 
 latter of whom died October 5, 1760, at the age 
 of seventy-three years. In some of the earlv 
 wars, probably the French and Indian, the for- 
 mer gained his title. Jonathan Morton, the son 
 of this worthy couple, married Eunice Smith, and 
 their only child of whom we have any knowl- 
 edge is William, who married Hannah Chambers 
 June 23, 1783. He died November 12, 1837, and 
 his wife passed away February 25, 1838. 
 
 Cotton Morton, the father of ^Irs. Fassett, 
 
 was one of their family of twelve children. His 
 death occurred February 19, 1845, ^t the age of 
 forty-nine years and ten months, and his wife 
 departed this life in 1886, at the age of eighty- 
 six years, her birth occurring November 30, 1800. 
 IMrs. Fassett is the oldest in their family of seven 
 children, the others being as follows: Plina F. 
 married Eleanor Garmon, of Xew Jersey, who 
 died in October, 1895, and he now resides in 
 California. Caroline M. was married in 1856 to 
 George Brush, who died ^darch 12, 1888, in the 
 sixty-ninth year of his age, and she is now mak- 
 ing her home in Lamoille. Harriet N. is the 
 wife of William Burnside, a resident of River- 
 side, a suburb of Chicago. Andrew J. wedded 
 Mary Cook, and died while on a visit to Chicago, 
 Illinois. Nancy C. is the wife of Isaac Hark- 
 mess, of Bloomington, Illinois. INIartin V. B. 
 married Mary Adam son, and is now living in 
 Princeton. All of the children were born in 
 Hatfield, Massachusetts. 
 
 On the 7th of December, 1842, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Elisha W. Fassett and INIiss 
 Parmelia W. B. Morton, and soon afterward they 
 came to Lamoille, where the latter has longer 
 resided than any of its inhabitants, having now 
 lived there for fifty-four years. She is widely 
 known and has the love and respect of all. Since 
 1838 she has made her home in Bureau covmty, 
 having accompanied her parents on their re- 
 moval to Princeton in that year. She is there- 
 fore numbered among the honored p'.oneers, has 
 witnessed the complete development of this re- 
 gion, and can relate many interesting incidents 
 of frontier life. 
 
 Six children were born to l\Ir. and Mrs. Fas- 
 sett, as follows: Hattie L. P. is the wife of J. R. 
 Woods, a banker of Lamoille, and they have 
 three children — Parmelia F., Riley F. and Lydia 
 M. Fannie died at the age of fourteen years; 
 Charles W. married Sarah B. Rambeau, now 
 deceased. They had one son, Claude V. His 
 second wife was Emma V. Boroflf, bv whom he 
 has two children — Edith V. and Kittie H. Frank 
 married Amanda Long and has two daughters, 
 Florence Vienna and Lillian. Florence \^ienna, 
 

 
 / ///2i^^a^ ^^/^~ 
 
Mrs. p. W. B. Fassett. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 349 
 
 the fifth child of our subject, died at the age of 
 twenty months. EHsha Pearl, a resident of Chi- 
 cago, married Jennie Penfield, of Quincy, Illi- 
 nois, and they have three children — Leon Pen- 
 field, Elisha W. and Charles. 
 
 ]\lr. Fassett was a native of Cheshire county, 
 Xew Hampshire, born June 23, 1823, and was a 
 son of Elisha and Lovina (Angier) Fassett, 
 whose birth occurred at Fitzwilliam, that state. 
 His father was born October 20, 1792, and died 
 in Cannon City, Colorado, November 17, 1884, 
 while his wife passed away in Lamoille August 
 I, 1837. In their family were three children — 
 Xancy, Rosilla and Elisha. The parents were 
 also old settlers of this state, where they arrived 
 in June, 1835, locating in wdiat was then Putnam, 
 but is now Bureau, county. They bravely en- 
 dured all the privations incident to pioneer life, 
 which was a decided change from what they had 
 been accustomed to, as they did not have all the 
 comforts and environments of their loveh' east- 
 ern home. 
 
 Air. Fassett was a man of more than ordinary 
 ability, sagacious and far-sighted in business, 
 and for many years was a successful merchant 
 of Lamoille. He was also prominent in public 
 afifairs, and did much toward securing the Allen 
 school building, the pride and beauty of the vil- 
 lage: His death there occurred October 17, 
 1891, and was mourned by many friends as well 
 as his immediate' family. He was a consistent 
 member of the Baptist church, to which his wife 
 also belongs, and did all in his power for the bet- 
 terment of mankind and for the welfare of the 
 community, with whose interests he was so close- 
 ly identified for many vears. 
 
 ARTHUR BROOKIE. The importance of 
 the farming interests of a county, state or 
 nation cannot be overestimated and the repre- 
 sentatives of this vocation form a substantial ele- 
 ment in the prosperity and steady growth of a 
 locality. J\Ir. Brookie is a worthy representative 
 of this class, and has resided upon his present 
 beautiful farm at the edge of Seatonville since 
 the spring of 1877. 
 
 He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, April 29, 
 1850, and is a son of Dr. John and Sophia 
 (Keedy) Brookie, the father a native of 
 Louisville, Kentucky, and the mother of Boons- 
 boro, Washington county, Maryland, her birth 
 occurring within a mile and a half of the battle- 
 field of Antietam. During that famous fight our 
 subject was at Boonsboro, within hearing of the 
 battle and in sight of the signals, which were 
 given from Washington's monument on the top 
 of South Mountain. He visited the battlefield 
 three days later and the remembrance of that 
 dreadful scene will never be effaced from his 
 memory. Many of the dead were yet unburied, 
 and one sight which particularly impressed him 
 was that of a rebel who had crawled among the 
 tall sprouts which grew out of a chestnut stump. 
 The stock end of his gun was fastened to his 
 shoulder and the other end was resting on a 
 sprout. A rifle ball had entered his head, doing 
 its deadly work, but his position was as upright 
 as in life, with the exception of his bowed head. 
 
 Dr. John Brookie, the father of our subject, 
 started out in life as a farmer, but later took up 
 the study of medicine under Dr. McDonald, of 
 St. Louis, and engaged in practice at that place 
 for many years. Before going to the city he had 
 lived with a brother-in-law, Mr. Kane, in Noble 
 county, Illinois, and planted the first fruit tree 
 set out within its borders — a morilla cherry. He 
 died at Peru, Illinois, August 18, 1865, at the 
 age of fifty-six years, from a second stroke of 
 paralysis, the first occurring three years previous- 
 ly. Both himself and wife were consistent mem- 
 bers of the Christian church. Her death oc- 
 curred in August, 1855. She was the daughter 
 of Jacob and Priscilla Keedy, who came from 
 Alaryland to Noble county, Illinois, in 1868, 
 where both died in 1881. Her father owned 
 valuable property at Mt. Morris, this state. 
 
 Our subject is the seventh in order of birth in 
 the family of eight children, the others being as 
 follows: Sarah is the widow of James K. White- 
 head, of Oakland, California, and is the mother 
 of three children, Howard, Edward and Edith. 
 Fannie is the wife of William Chamberlain, of 
 
350 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Sonora, California, and they have two children — 
 Anna Bell, now the wife of Ernest Wattress, and 
 Dr. White Chamberlain, a physician of Oakland, 
 California. Mary wedded Arnold Zimmerman, 
 the inventor of the refrigerator car, and died in 
 the fall of 1869. William T., one of the brave 
 boys in blue of Company E, Ninety-third Illinois 
 Volunteer Infantry was killed at Altoona, 
 Georgia, five balls entering his body. He was 
 shot in the morning, but was n6t carried off 
 the field until two hours before his death at 
 twelve o'clock at night. After being wounded he 
 went to a ditch to wash his wounds, and return- 
 ing to his loaded gun a rebel saw him and shot 
 him again. He died soon afterward at the age of 
 twenty-three years, and was robbed of a gold 
 v/atch and many valuables. He served under 
 General Corse, who, with two thousand men then 
 at }ilarietta, Georgia, was ordered by Sherman to 
 proceed to Altoona Pass, the latter being his sec- 
 ond base of supply, as it was threatened. With 
 his men, General Corse arrived and the battle 
 opened at nine a. m., and continued until three 
 p. m., about which time General Sherman with re- 
 inforcements arrived from Atlanta, and the Con- 
 federates gave up the fort. Sherman while on 
 the way was nervous, it is thought, fearing that 
 General Corse could not withstand the attack 
 made by the leading general of Hood's army. 
 Several times General Sherman signaled to Gen- 
 eral Corse in these historic and now poetic words: 
 "Hold the fort." "Hold the fort." "Hold the 
 fort, for I am coming." At a later date this be- 
 came the popular song dear to every Christian 
 worker. Anna, the next in order of birth, mar- 
 ried Theodore Coursault, a first lieutenant in the 
 Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 making his acquaintance during the ten weeks 
 he was on provost duty at Boonsboro, Maryland, 
 after the battle of Antietam. During that fight his 
 regiment was almost annihilated, losing four hun- 
 dred men, and at Gctt)'sburg it lost even more. 
 After the war. Lieutenant Coursault returned to 
 Boonsboro, where he married Anna Brookie, 
 and they now live at Columbus, Ohio. Eugenia 
 is the wife of James Zimmerman, of Eldorado 
 
 county, Californiia, where they keep a pleasure 
 resort. James, a machinist by trade, is now en- 
 gaged in farming near Spring Valley, Illinois. 
 
 In the common schools, Arthur Brookie ac- 
 quired a good practical education, and his en- 
 tire business career has been devoted to agri- 
 cultural pursuits. He now owns a valuable place 
 of twenty-nine acres, having laid out quite a lit- 
 tle of his farm in village lots, which he has sold 
 and which comprise the Brookie subdivision of 
 Seatonville. On first coming to Illinois, Air. 
 Brookie located in La Salle county, but later re- 
 turned to Mandand, where he engaged in farm- 
 ing for three years, after which he came to Bu- 
 reau county, clerking in his brother-in-law's store 
 for a time, but later lived in Maryland for a year. 
 On removing to his present location the villages 
 of Spring A'alley, Seatonville or Ladd had now 
 been founded, and he has watched their entire de- 
 velopment and progress. He has a most beauti- 
 ful place, improved with a commodious dwelling, 
 good barns and outbuildings, shade trees and 
 lovely walks, in fact it is one of the prettiest places 
 in Seatonville. 
 
 On the 8th of December, 1870, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Brookie and Aliss Lora E. 
 Munson, a daughter of H. W. and E. J. Munson, 
 of Bureau county. She had four brothers and 
 sisters, namely : Plansina, who was a boy of un- 
 usual promise and a great student, was drowned 
 July 4, 1862, at the mouth of Negro creek when 
 nearly sixteen years of age. Augusta is the* wife 
 of George Swan, Jr., who resides on the pike a 
 half mile above our subject's residence, and they 
 had three children — Rosa L.. now the wife of 
 John Linker, Jr., a farmer of Hall township, Bu- 
 reau county; Nellie ~\l., wife of William Linker, 
 a farmer of the same township; and Pansina, who 
 died at the age of sixteen years while on a visit 
 to Chicago, in 1893, being taken ill during the 
 night and dying in the morning; Airs. Brookie, 
 who is next in order of birth, is followed by 
 William H. Alunson; James, an agriculturist of 
 Hall tonnship, married Lydia Hall, and has three 
 children — Howard, Beulah and Anna. Five chil- 
 dren have been born to Air. and Airs. Brookie, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 351 
 
 as follows: Howard and John, twins, now de- 
 ceased; Neva ^lyrtle, wife of G. P. Petty, who is 
 a druggfist, teacher and postmaster of Seaton- 
 ville; and Lida Eugenia and Anna Bell, who are 
 in "school. 
 
 For the past sixteen years ]Mr. Brookie has 
 efficiently served as school director, and is also 
 filling his third term as police magistrate. The 
 latter has proved a very important position, and 
 during the pioneer da}s of the town he often held 
 court for nine days in succession. The offices he 
 has filled with honor to himself and to the satis- 
 faction of his constituency and all concerned. As 
 a member of the school board he has had much 
 to do in shaping the educational affairs of the 
 village. Both himself and wife were members 
 of the ^lethodist Episcopal church, but as there 
 was no church of that denomination in Seaton- 
 ville, she has recently joined the Presbyterian 
 church. He is politically a democrat, and socially 
 affiliates with the Uniformed Rank of Knights 
 of Pythias, in which he has filled the chair of 
 chancellor commander, been master of ex- 
 chequer and also master of finance. In the sum- 
 mer of 1892 Air. Brookie took a trip which he 
 will long remember on account of the pleasure 
 derived therefrom. On Tuesday, June 28, he 
 and George Petty left Seatonville for Denver, 
 Colorado, on bicycles. They visited friends in 
 various portions of Iowa and Nebraska, and ar- 
 rived at their destination in August, in time for 
 the opening of the Masonic conclave, where they 
 spent a most enjoyable time, and then returned 
 home b\- rail. 
 
 WILLIA.AI MOXIER is a highly successful 
 and prosperous farmer, residing on sec- 
 tion 6, Steuben township, Marshall county, who, 
 commencing life a poor boy, by industry and 
 economy has accumulated a competency, and if 
 need be could banish all care and live at ease 
 the remainder of his days. He was born on the 
 Isle of Man, A'lay i, 1834, and when fifteen years 
 of age came with his parents to America, when 
 they settled upon a farm twenty miles west of 
 Peoria, in Peoria county. His father, William 
 
 Monier, Sr., was a native of the Isle of Man, but 
 of French descent, hi,s great-great grandfather 
 being a native of France. He was a miller by 
 trade, but in later years followed farming. He 
 married Jane Quaile and their family consisted 
 of five sons and three daughters: John, who 
 died in Saratoga township in June, 1890, at the 
 age of sixty-two years; William our subject; 
 Thomas, a farmer of Whitefield township ; James, 
 a farmer of Emerson, Nebraska; Charles, en- 
 gaged in farming in Hopkins, Missouri; Cathe- 
 rine, who married John Neal, both now being de- 
 ceased, the former dying in Peoria county, and 
 the latter in Marshall county, leaving one child, 
 named for his father, but who died at the age 
 of twenty-four years ; Anna, the second daughter, 
 who died at the age of eighteen : and Margaret, 
 who married Patrick Collins, and died in Feb- 
 ruary, 1895. 
 
 On locating in Peoria county William Monier, 
 Sr., purchased eighty acres of land and imme- 
 diately commenced its improvement. His two 
 elder sons, John and William, hired out to other 
 parties, and saving their money, purchased an 
 eighty-acre tract of partially improved land, on 
 which was a small house. This 'house was the 
 family home until the spring of 1857, when they 
 sold out, moved to Saratoga township, Afarshall 
 count}^, and all worked together for one year. 
 On this farm the parents continued to reside 
 until death called them home, the mother dying 
 in Alay, 1884, and the father November 4, of the 
 same year, both having passed their three-score 
 years. Their son, John, also died on that farm. 
 
 The subject of this sketch remained at home 
 until he was twenty-five years of age, when he 
 boug'ht eighty acres of land near that of his 
 brother John, in Saratoga township, and com- 
 menced farming for himself. In due time he 
 purchased forty acres adjoining, and still later 
 added another forty acres, giving him a fine farm 
 of one hundred and sixty acres. As he expresses 
 it, this was all literally dug out of the soil; in 
 other words, it was the result of almost ceaseless 
 toil and the accumulation of some years. 
 
 Having now a good farm with a bright future 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 before him, a helpmeet was the next thought, 
 and on the 25th of December, i860, Mr. Monier 
 was united in marriage with Miss Willmina 
 Doran, a daughter of James and Rebecca (Max- 
 well) Doran, of La Prairie township. Her parents 
 were from St. John, New Brunswick, where she 
 was born July 5, 1841. They settled in La Prairie 
 township, Marshall county, in 1850, and here 
 remained until 1885, when they removed to 
 Chase, Rice county, Kansas, where the father 
 died in October, 1893. The mother still makes 
 her home in that place. One son, Robert Doran, 
 yet resides in La Prairie township. To j\'Ir. and 
 Mrs. iNIonier seven children have been born — 
 Charles, Edward, Anna, Alice, Thomas, John and 
 Halsey. The eldest son, Charles, married Miss 
 Mina Smith, and they have three children, 
 Charles Leland, Wallace and Robert. The sec- 
 ond son married Miiss Clara Casey. 
 
 On the farm in Saratoga township Mr. and 
 Airs. Monier commenced their married life, and 
 there remained until 1868, when he sold out 
 and purchased their present place of residence in 
 Steuben township, to which they at once re- 
 moved. The farm originally comprised three 
 hundred and twenty-seven acres and was bought 
 of Jacob Fisher, the old pork packer of Lacon. 
 It was known as the Oak Glade farm, certainly 
 an appropriate name for it. Since coming into 
 possession of its present owner, extensive im- 
 provements have been made, including the erec- 
 tion of a large and fine dwelling, together with 
 barns and outhouses. To his original purchase, 
 Mr. Monier has added from time to time until 
 his home farm now consists of five hundred and 
 ninety-two acres, all of which is under cultiva- 
 tion. In addition to this, he has owned three 
 farms of one htmdred and sixty acres each in La 
 Prairie township, one-quarter section of which 
 he has lately given his son Charles, and a half 
 section in Milo township. Bureau county, Illi- 
 nois, si.x miles southeast of Bradford, on which 
 his son Edward now lives, one quarter having 
 been lately deeded to him. 
 
 William Monier has made a success in life, 
 brought about by choosing a calling for which 
 
 he felt himself adapted, and attending strictly 
 and closely to his own affairs. He has toiled 
 early and late, in summer's heat and winter's 
 storm, in season and out of season, and the re- 
 sult is shown in his fine farms, well tilled fields, 
 sleek cattle and fine horses. He believes in the 
 best stock of all kinds, and usually feeds and 
 ships about five carloads of cattle per year, be- 
 sides other stock. For several years he has en- 
 gaged in breeding Norman horses, and has 
 kept a fine imported stallion of that breed. He 
 has been very successful in this line, and is a 
 good judge of horseflesh. Shorthorn cattle has 
 also been a favorite with him, and in his herd 
 are generally found some fine specimens of that 
 breed. In the Wyoming fair he has been inter- 
 ested since its inception, and has done much to 
 make it a success. Annually he exhibits some 
 of his stock, and usually he is successful in win- 
 ning some of the best prizes. 
 
 Politically Mr. Monier is a republican, his re- 
 publicanism dating back to the organization of 
 the party, his first presidential vote being cast 
 for the immortal Lincoln, in i860. He usually 
 attends party conventions, votes the ticket, but 
 does not desire official position. A man of peace, 
 he has never in his life had a lawsuit. 
 
 JAMES JOHNSON, a well-known and hon- 
 ored citizen of Princeton, and a retired far- 
 mer, was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, near 
 Aurora, Alay 29, 1828, and is a son of James and 
 Nora (O'Connor) Johnson, the former a native 
 of New York and the latter of England. The 
 mother was sixteen years of age when she 
 crossed the deep with her parents, Edward and 
 Alcy O'Connor, and she died suddenly of heart 
 disease in 1876, at the age of fifty-four years. 
 She was a devout member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal church, as was also her husband, who was 
 an active worker in the same. He was a mill- 
 wright and farmer, owning several farms and 
 his services were in great demand in early days 
 in fixing and repairing mills. He never desired 
 official positions, but took an active interest in 
 political affairs, voted for William Henry Har- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 353 
 
 rison in 1840, and often served as delegate to 
 the whig conventions. His deatli occurred 
 ]\Iarch 20, 1880, at the age of eighty-five years. 
 Socially he was a Royal Arch jNIason, and 
 served as master of the lodge, Xo. 82, at Hills- 
 boro, Indiana. 
 
 Our subject is the third in order of birth in the 
 family of ten children, eight sons and two daugh- 
 ters, as follows: A\''atson lives on a farm in Ur- 
 bana, ^vlissonri; Edward is a farmer of Ralls 
 county, the same state; George is an agricul- 
 turist of Johnson county, ^lissoiiri; Israel oper- 
 ates the old home farm in Dearborn county, In- 
 diana; Nelson lives in Danville, lUinois; Nora 
 is the wife of Hartsell Abbott, a farmer of Dear- 
 born county, Indiana; Eliza was formerly a resi- 
 dent of Bureau county, Illinois, her husband 
 being John Whiteford, now deceased, who was a 
 soldier in the civil war. She has since married 
 again ; William died at the age of forty-six years ; 
 Shadrach died from exposure while serving in 
 the Union army. He and George Young, a 
 brother-in-law of our subject, enlisted in July, 
 1863, in Colonel Eggleston's Indiana regiment, 
 and both returned home, but the former never 
 recovered from the effects of his service. 
 
 The educational privileges afforded Mr. John- 
 son, of this review, were very limited, and at 
 an early age he became quite familiar with agri- 
 cultural pursuits, which he made his life work. 
 On coming to Bureau county in 1859, he located 
 in Dover township, where he made his home 
 until laying aside business cares, since which 
 time he has lived in Princeton. He still owns 
 over one hundred and seventy-four acres on sec- 
 tion 18, and eighty^:wo and a half acres on section 
 6, Dover township, all well improved. In 1880 he 
 removed to a small farm of forty-eight and a half 
 acres on section 9, Princeton township, and to 
 the city in March, 1895. 
 
 In Dearborn county, Indiana, Wednesday, 
 October 29, 1851, was celebrated the marriage 
 of Mr. Johnson and Miss Minerva Ann Young, 
 who was born September i, 1832, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Martin and Margaret Young, natives of 
 New York and Pennsylvania, respectively, who 
 
 for many years made their home in Dearborn 
 county, Indiana. Mr. Johnson has been called 
 upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died 
 December 3, 1884. She was a loving wife, a de- 
 vout Christian lady, giving her time exclusivelv 
 to her home and family, in which she took just 
 pride, and was also a good neighbor and faithful 
 friend. 
 
 Thirteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Johnson, namely: Rev. Calvin, born September 
 28, 1852, died July 11, 1890; he preached his first 
 sermon at Somonauk, Illinois, and for three 
 years had charge of the Humboldt Park Baptist 
 church of Chicago, where 'his death occurred. 
 He was a minister of much promise, and gained 
 the love of all who knew him. He married Anna 
 May Coon, who died in 1891, and their only 
 child was Gary; James H., born November 10, 
 1853, is in the real estate business at Omaha, 
 Nebraska; he married Leonora L. Cook, a resi- 
 dent of Princeton, who died in January, 1895, 
 and they had four children, two still .living — 
 James Cook and Lyle; William H., born August 
 23. 1855, wedded Mary J. Bowen, and they re- 
 side in the township of Bureau, Illinois, with 
 their seven children — Harry, Clay and Gray, 
 twins, Frank, Homer, Calvin, and Almira; Watts 
 A. is county attorney, whose sketch is given else- 
 where in this volume; Mary U., born April 6, 
 1858, is the wife of M. J. Munday, of Furnas 
 county, Nebraska, and they have four children 
 — Frank, Claudius, Virgil and Darlina ; Nora A., 
 born October 10, i860, is the wife of Samuel 
 Harris, by whom she has two children — Berna- 
 dine and Watts A.; Maggie E., born May 18, 
 1863, is a music teacher of Omaha; Florence, 
 born October 11, 1865, died at the age of twenty- 
 three years; Alice, born October 9, 1867, is the 
 wife of R. S. Walker, of Belvidere, Illinois; Leo- 
 netta, born February 2, 1869, died at the age of 
 eighteen; Herbert, born October 2, 1870, resides 
 at home; Arstella, born June 22, 1873, is keep- 
 ing house for her father; Minnie L., born No- 
 vember 16, 1877, is at home. 
 
 In religious belief Mr. Johnson is a Baptist, 
 sociallv is a member of the Masonic order, and in 
 
354 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 politics is an ardent republican. He has held 
 some minor offices, including that of school di- 
 rector, but cares nothing for political prefer- 
 ment. He is now living retired from active busi- 
 ness, having accumulated a sufficiency of this 
 world's goods to enable him to pass his remain- 
 ing years in ease, surrounded with the comforts 
 of life, and enjoying the respect and confidence 
 of his fellowmen in the 'highest degree. 
 
 SA^IPSON T. ROWE, a leading farmer of 
 Marshall county, resides on section 23, 
 Whiteiield township, having in his home farm 
 six hundred and sixty-three acres. In addition, he 
 owns two hundred and forty acres on section 16, 
 •and sixty acres one mile southwest of his home. 
 A native of the county, he was born on the tract 
 where he now lives, April 13, 1837. His parents, 
 William and Harriet (Peters) Rowe, natives of 
 county Cornwall, England, emigrated to this 
 country in 1834. 
 
 On arriving at New York William Rowe, with 
 his family, proceeded directly to Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 A younger brother of his had some time pre- 
 viously emigrated to America, and visiting lUi- 
 nois with the view of locating, was well pleased 
 with the country, and therefore advised William 
 not to stop in Ohio but proceed directly to the 
 Prairie State. Procuring teams at Cincinnati, the 
 brothers started for Illinois. En route they met 
 Charles Knock, who was also on the way to Mar- 
 shall county, and in company they finished their 
 journey. 
 
 Arriving here, William Rowe first selected 
 government land on section 13, Whiteiield town- 
 ship, but not being accessible to market, he squat- 
 ted on a claim near the present village of Henry. 
 Mr. Knock settled twO' miles below Henry, on 
 the present line of the railroad, and lived and 
 died there, but leaving no family. The brother 
 of Mr. Rowe first located where the village of 
 Henry is now situated, but subsequently re- 
 moved to Sugar Grove, in Whitefield township. 
 After a residence there of about twenty years, he 
 sold out and removed to Missouri, where he re- 
 mained until after the war, when he again re- 
 
 turned to Marshall county, and here died some 
 years ago. 
 
 On coming to this county William Rowe was 
 in very moderate circumstances, but he came 
 to this free land that he might better his condi- 
 tion in life, and the better provide for those de- 
 pendent upon him. He was a hard working and 
 industrious man, economical in his habits, and 
 with a steadfast determination to succeed. Suc- 
 cess did crown his efforts, and year after year he 
 continued to add to his landed interests until he 
 owned one thousand and forty-five acres at the 
 time of his death. His land was mostly timber 
 land, which in the early day was thought more 
 valuable than that of the prairie, but this fact 
 was disproved in later years. 
 
 The first house in which Mr. Rowe lived was 
 a log structure of the regulation pattern. There 
 most of the children were born, and in front of 
 the log fire many an air castle was built "as the 
 days were going by." Some years later he erected 
 the brick house which still stands on the place, 
 and where his latter clays were spent. This house 
 was built in the latter part of the 40's and is now 
 about fifty years old, but in a good state of pres- 
 ervation. Major Thompson, well known to all 
 pioneers, made the brick required in its con- 
 struction. 
 
 To William and Harriet Rowe were born ten 
 children — Carolina, wife of William Payne, of 
 Lucas county, Iowa; Sampson T., our subject; 
 Mary A., wife of William Alanchester, of Clin- 
 ton county, Iowa; Roger T., residing on a part 
 of the old homestead ; William A., of Henn-, lUi- 
 _ nois ; Emma Harriet, who married George Har- 
 ris, and died in Henry, leaving five children; 
 Ellen ]^Iaria, wife of Robert Ward, of Lamar, 
 Buchanan county, Iowa; John P., a farmer of 
 southeastern Kansas; Elizabeth Rebecca, who 
 married Jacob ^Manchester, and moved to Clin- 
 ton county, Iowa, where she died, leaving two 
 children; and Joseph Henry, who died at the 
 age of nine years. 
 
 From the organization of the party until his 
 death, William Rowe was an advocate of repub- 
 lican principles and voted the party ticket. As 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 355 
 
 a citizen he was always up witli the times, and 
 served his townsmen in various local official po- 
 sitions. He at all times had the confidence and 
 respect of those \\ith whom he was associated, 
 and his death was a sad loss to the community 
 in which he lived. He died in Augxist, 1863, 
 when but fifty-four years of age. His good wife 
 survived him over twenty years, dying in 1885 
 at the home of one of her daughters in Iowa, 
 where she had resided for several years. 
 
 Sampson T. Rowe, our subject, has spent his 
 entire life in ]\Iarshall county, and was educated 
 in the public schools. Under the instruction of 
 his father he learned every detail of farm work, 
 and determined to make that calling his life work. 
 He remained at home, assisting in the cultivation 
 of the farm until the death of his father, when he 
 took entire charge, and for ten years operated 
 it. The heirs then being of age, it was divided, 
 and Sampson moved to his present residence, the 
 farm comprising three hundred and ninety acres, 
 which included the portion of a younger brother, 
 from whom he purchased it. Other tracts were 
 subsequently added, making the home farm, as 
 stated in the beginning of this sketch. For some 
 years he gave much attention to feeding cattle, 
 but at the present time the raising of hogs is his 
 specialty, though not confined to that branch. 
 He carries on general farming, devoting about 
 •one hundred acres to corn, which he uses prin- 
 cipally in feeding his own stock. The sheep in- 
 dustry has been in times past fairly profitable, 
 and he now has about four hundred head. 
 
 On the 20th of Alarch, 1872, Mr. Rowe was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ellen S. Tidmarsh, 
 a native of Wilkeshire, England, who came to 
 this country when but six years of age, with her 
 parents, Abel and Elizabeth (Wilts) Tidmarsh. 
 Her family located in the neighborhood of 
 Rowes, but later moved to what they considered 
 a better location near Varna, in Roberts town- 
 ship, where her father yet resides. They were 
 there residing when the marriage occurred. By 
 this union seven children were born — William 
 A., who married Bertha Leona Green, and now 
 resides in Whitefield township; and Edward 
 
 Marshall, Ann Elizabeth, Henry Sampson, 
 Charles Garfield, Francis Taylor and Eugene 
 Lloyd, all of whom yet remain at home. 
 
 Mr. Rowe is a thorough and practical farmer 
 and gives personal attention to every detail of 
 the work in carrying on his splendid farm. His 
 two oldest sons are also practical farmers, and 
 are operating the two hundred and forty acre 
 farm two miles from the old homestead. Politi- 
 cally Mr. Rowe is a republican, and is thoroughly 
 grounded in the principles of the party. He 
 cares nothing for political honors or official po- 
 sition. Mrs. Rowe is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church at Henry. The family are all 
 hig'hly honored citizens of the county and re- 
 spected by all who know them. 
 
 MATHIAS M. JACOBY, an enterprising, 
 thrifty and well-to-do agriculturist of West- 
 field township, has a valuable farm of two hun- 
 dred acres on section 14, where, besides general 
 farming, he is also extensively engaged in stock- 
 raising. He was born September 29, 1863, upon 
 the place which is still his home, and here his 
 entire life has been passed. 
 
 His father, Mathias Jacoby, Sr., was born in 
 Luxemburg, Germany, June 29, 1824, and when 
 a young man crossed the Atlantic to the new 
 world, stopping first in Alichigan for about a 
 year, and then coming to Bureau county, where 
 he was numbered among the early pioneers. For 
 several years he worked upon farms Ijy the 
 month, and then rented for two years, after 
 which he purchased an eighty-acre tract of raw 
 prairie land, a part of the present farm of our 
 subject. He immediately commenced its de- 
 velopment and improvement, and as his financial 
 resources increased bought more land until at 
 one time he owned six hundred acres of rich and 
 arable land in Westfield township. He was a 
 man of superior business ability, strict integrity 
 and sterling worth, so that he commanded the 
 confidence of all with whort: he came in contact. 
 He now resides in Mendota, where he has lived 
 retired for several years. 
 
356 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In Bureau county was celebrated the marriage 
 of Mathias Jacoby, Sr., and Miss Catherine S. 
 Pantenburg, a native of Prussia, Germany, and 
 a daughter of Peter Pantenburg, who brought 
 her when a child tO' this country. Ten children 
 graced this union, eight sons and two daughters, 
 all of whom are still living — Frank and Mike, 
 both farmers of Westfield township; John, who 
 is engaged in mining and speculating in Idaho; 
 Maggie, wife of Frank Sheffington, of West- 
 field township; Mathias M., of this sketch; 
 Charles, a jeweler by trade, now residing in South 
 Carolina; Joe, who- is also engaged in mining 
 and speculating in Idaho; William, who assists 
 his brother in the operation of the home farm ; 
 Henry, who is engaged in clerking in Mendota, 
 Illinois; and Mary, wife of Tony Koester, a far- 
 mer of La Salle county, Illinois. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer boys oiir sub- 
 ject was reared, assisting in the labors of the 
 farm and attending the public schools when his 
 services were not needed in the fields. He has 
 never left the old homestead but devotes his 
 time and attention to its cultivation and improve- 
 ment. He also engages in breeding and dealing 
 in standard-bred horses, having at the present 
 time some twenty head of fine yonng horses up- 
 on his place ready for market; also Shetland 
 ponies, donkeys and mules. He also raises full- 
 blooded Poland China hogs, and is prepared 
 to fill all orders for those animals. He is well 
 known throughout this section of the state as 
 one of the most successful and reliable of breed- 
 ers and dealers in fine stock. 
 
 On the 13th of November, 1894, in Lee coun- 
 ty, Illinois, Mr. Jacoby was united in marriage 
 with Miss Lizzie McGovern, who was bom, 
 reared and educated in that county, and is a 
 daughter of Patrick McGovern. Both hold 
 membership in the Catholic church, and have 
 the respect and esteem of all who know them. 
 Mr. Jacoby casts his ballot in support of the 
 men and measures of the democratic party, and 
 takes quite an active part in local poUtical af- 
 fairs, having often served as a delegate tO' the 
 county conventions. For two years he filled 
 
 the office of collector, and being a friend of our 
 public school system, most capably filled the 
 ofhce of school director. To whatever position, 
 he has proved a faithful and efficient officer as 
 well as a trustworthy and honorable citizen. 
 Socially he is a member of the Independent 
 Order of Foresters at Arlington. 
 
 IRA P. E\'ANS, whose earthly career was end- 
 ed October 20, 1864, was identified with the 
 agricultural interests of Bureau county for a 
 number of years, owning a fine farm near the 
 village of Buda, a part of which is still in the 
 possession of the family. At one time it be- 
 longed to Daniel Webster, who entered it from 
 the government. 
 
 A native of Rhode Island, jNIr. Evans was 
 born at Chepachet, March 20, 1819, and there 
 grew to manhood. He received a good practical 
 education, which would fit him for the respon- 
 sible duties of life. 
 
 In 1842, at Colchester, Connecticut, ]Mr. Ev- 
 ans was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth 
 Perkins, a most estimable lady, who was born 
 at New London, Connecticut, and on both the 
 paternal and maternal sides is descended from 
 good old Revolutionary stock. Her parents were 
 Luke and Betsy (Otis) Perkins, natives of New 
 London, Connecticut. In the common schools 
 Elizabeth received a good education. Mr. 
 Perkins was in the war of 1812. He was the 
 son of Obadiah Perkins, who served in the war 
 for independence and was the only one of four 
 brothers that was left after the battle of Groton 
 Heights, Connecticut. Mrs. Betsy Perkins is 
 living at Sharon, Connecticut, in her ninety- 
 seventh year. Her husband, Luke, died in 1838. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Evans were born seven chil- 
 dren: Elizabeth P., now the wife of William H. 
 Phillips, of Eureka, Kansas; Josephine O., at 
 home; Frederick W., died in infancy; Clara C, 
 at home; Lucy A., who was married to Frederick 
 A. Reynolds, now deceased; Robert P., who died 
 young, and Edith H., who became the wife of 
 Erwin R. Graves, now living at Braintree, Mass- 
 achusetts. 
 
Ira p. Evans. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 359 
 
 Ira Pettiplace Evans, Jr., was the youngest 
 son of Ira P. Evans and Ann Phyllis Owen. 
 He was a manufacturer and merchant in his 
 earlier days and had received his education at 
 Fruit Hill, Rhode Island, and at ]\Iunson acad- 
 emy, Massachusetts. At an early age our sub- 
 ject was with his father in business, where he 
 learned merchandising. Subsequently he clerked 
 for Parker & Pond, Providence, Rhode Island, 
 and later was with the house of Nichols & Eddy, 
 Norwich, Connecticut, where he was admitted 
 to partnership. In 1844 he sold out his interest 
 and removed to New York city and engaged in 
 the wholesale grocery business until the spring 
 of 1855, when he closed up his business and re- 
 moved west, settling in Bureau county, Illinois, 
 where he was satisfactorily engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits until called from this life. Pie 
 placed his land under a high state of cultivation, 
 made excellent improvements upon his place, 
 and was numbered among the most thrifty, en- 
 terprising and successful farmers of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Originally ]\lr. Evans was a whig in politics, 
 being a warm admirer of Henry Clay, and on 
 its organization joined the republican party, ever 
 afterward supporting the men and measures put 
 forward by that party. He cared nothing for the 
 honors or emoluments of public office, but was 
 elected and served for one year as assessor. In 
 religious belief he was a Unitarian, but was the 
 only one of that faith in Buda. Upright and 
 honorable in all the relations of life, he merited 
 and received the respect of the entire community, 
 and in his death his fellow citizens felt that they 
 had lost a valued member of societv. 
 
 JAMES M. KIMBALL. Among the influen- 
 tial members of the farming community of 
 Princeton township. Bureau county, and nO'W 
 one of its prosperous citizens, is the gentleman 
 whose name heads this sketch. He is entirely a 
 self-made man in the truest sense of the word, 
 having been the architect of his own fortunes, 
 and has raised himself from a state of poverty 
 to affluence, aided only by his own strong arms, 
 18 
 
 indomitable energy and laudable ambition. He 
 now has a fine farm of two hundred and sixty 
 acres on section 28, Princeton township, all under 
 a high state of cultivation and well improved. 
 
 Samuel Kimball, the father of our subject, was 
 a native of Henniker township, Merrimac coun- 
 ty, New Hampshire, born January 22, 1776, and 
 was a son of Samuel Kimball, of the same state. 
 In that state the former mairied Jennie ]^Iona- 
 han, whose birth occurred at Bedford, New 
 Hampshire, in 1780, and in 1830 they removed to 
 New York, settling in Erie county, but in 1843 
 came to Bureau county, Illinois, where both died, 
 the mother in 1850 and the father two years 
 later. Their only child was our subject. The 
 father, however, had previously been married, 
 his first union being with Betsey Sargent, and to 
 them were born seven children— Mollie, Betsey, 
 Abigail, Lucy, Fannie, Catharine and Joseph, all 
 now deceased. Joseph was a soldier in the Black 
 Hawk and Seminole wars, and has never been 
 heard of since. 
 
 James M. Kimball was born in Henniker, New 
 Hampshire, August 30, 1819, and his early school 
 privileges were quite limited, as his father lost 
 his fortune before leaving that state. At the age 
 of sixteen years he laid aside his text books and 
 entered the Canadian war, training under Gen- 
 eral Scott in 1837. On his return home he worked 
 out by the da)-, and later received ten dollars per 
 month. His health becoming impaired, he came 
 west in 1842, purchasing forty acres of the farm 
 on which he still lives and ten acres of timber 
 land. The remainder of his valuable farm in 
 Princeton township, Bureau county, was bought 
 in 1850. His parents, who were then old and 
 crippled, came to make their home with him, and 
 it required much hard work to get along. 
 
 On the 8th of January, 1851, Mr. Kimball led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Margaret Glasgow, 
 who was born in Pennsylvania, November 14, 
 1 819, and was the daughter of Matthew Glas- 
 gow, who came to Bureau county about 1848, 
 but later returned to his old home in Mifflin 
 county, Pennsylvania, where he died of cholera. 
 The wife of our subject was called to her final 
 
36o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 rest September 25, 1890, and her death was 
 widely and deeply mourned. Three children 
 had been bom to them, two now living — ^James 
 W. and Ida J., now the wife of George Townley, 
 of Princeton, by whom she has a daughter, Mar- 
 garet; Frank died about 1863. 
 
 Mr. Kimball gives his attention exclusively to 
 his farming and stock raising interests, in which 
 he has been quite successful. In early life he 
 was an abolitionist, being connected with the 
 under-ground railroad, but now votes independ- 
 ently, desiring to support the men best qualified 
 for office, regardless of party ties, though he is a 
 believer in high protection. He has always 
 taken an active interest in educational affairs, 
 doing what he can to promote the cause of edu- 
 cation. In local affairs he is willing that others 
 should hold the offices, but served as one of the 
 first constables of Princeton township. He pos- 
 sesses many of the worthy characteristics of the 
 Scotch-Irish race, from which he is descended, 
 and is a reHable, straightforward man. 
 
 CHARLES A. ANDERSON, a leading 
 brick-mason and enterprising citizen of 
 Princeton, was born in Jolmkoping, central Swe- 
 den, February 2, 1852, and is a son of Andrew 
 and Sarah Lena, who spent their entire lives in 
 Sweden, dying before our subject came to Amer- 
 ica, in 1868. He was eighteen days upon the 
 water, experiencing a heavy storm on North Sea, 
 and arrived here during Grant's first campaign, 
 coming at once to Princeton. His brothers, 
 Gustave A. and John P. Anderson^ came to 
 America the year previous. He still has a sis- 
 ter, Hannah, wife of Charles J. Peterson, living 
 in Sweden, but his older sister, Louisa, wife of 
 Samuel M. Samnelson, died in 1895, at the age 
 of sixty-four years. A daughter of a neighbor, 
 who for many years had made her home in this 
 country, persuaded the family to come to the 
 United States, and here our subject has found a 
 pleasant home. 
 
 Mr. Anderson learned his trade in Princeton 
 with Joseph Jones and J. S. Smith, but began 
 life for himself as a farm hand, for the first vear 
 
 being employed by Marion Hight, then by He- 
 man Downing and Ralph Wetherall, now de- 
 ceased. Later he embarked in business as a 
 mason, laying brick and stone, as well as doing 
 plastering and everything in the line of that 
 trade. He has worked at his trade in Princeton 
 for the past twenty-five years, and has had the 
 contract for the mason work of many of the prin- 
 cipal buildings in the city. His work has given 
 the best of satisfaction, as he 'has always faithfully 
 performed his part of the contract. 
 
 Mr. Anderson led to the marriage altar, April, 
 1 88 1, Miss Mary V. Anderson, and they now 
 have five children — Emma Mabel, Nettie L., Or- 
 line, Adalia and Clarence J. The parents are 
 earnest members of the Swedish Lutheran 
 church and are well known and highly respected 
 citizens of the community. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Anderson, John Valine 
 and his wife, Cathrina, make their home in 
 Princeton and are at the age of eighty and sixty- 
 six years respectively. Their children were all 
 born in Sweden, and in 1869 the family came to 
 the nev/ world, locating at once in Princeton. Of 
 the children, Hannah, widow of Charles Sanders, 
 resides in Chicago; Ida, wife of Gust Johnson, 
 lives in DeKalb, Illinois, and the other two sis- 
 ters of Mrs. Anderson; reside in Princeton — Til- 
 lie, and Lottie, wife of Otto Wilander. The father 
 purchased a farm near the covered bridge south 
 of Princeton, which he still owns. 
 
 M 
 
 RS. THOMAS COTTON, proprietor of 
 a hotel in Seatonville, Illinois, is a lady 
 of large business capacity and marked intel- 
 ligence, and is distinguished in the records of 
 Bureau county for her straightforward, womanly 
 course, no less than for the tact and energy she 
 has employed in her business affairs. She was 
 born in Worcestershire, England, October 17, 
 1850, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth 
 (Coutherrington) Fletcher, in whose family were 
 the following children: Matthew Henrv, a resi- 
 dent of Hollowayville, Bureau county, who 
 married Hannah Beckly; Ann, wife of William 
 Smith, of Princeton; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 361 
 
 A^ains, of Princeton; Maria, wife of George 
 Heathcock, of the same city: Alice, whose name 
 introduces this review; j\Iar}- Ann, wife of Jasper 
 Holton, of Princeton; and Joseph, of Topeka, 
 Kansas, who married Lavilla Wilhite. 
 
 The mother of these children died in England, 
 ]\Iarch 13, 1870, at the age of fifty-two years. 
 She was a most excellent woman, of a good 
 education, and an active member of the Con- 
 gregational church, of which denomination her 
 father was a minister for thirty-five years. For 
 twenty-five years of that time she was one of his 
 teachers in the Sunday school, and was also a 
 writer of some notoriety. 
 
 In his native land, Joseph Fletcher, the father 
 of ]\Irs. Cotton, followed coal mining, being pit 
 boss for many years. With his sons-in-law, John 
 Glover, Joseph Vains and Joseph Heathcock, 
 he came to the United States in December, 1869, 
 taking up their residence in Bureau county, and 
 in the following May the rest of the family ar- 
 rived, including the wives of those gentlemen, 
 ]\Iary Ann and Joseph Fletcher. They settled 
 in the coal valley of Selby township, where they 
 opened up a mine on leased land, it being the 
 first one operated in Bureau county. Here the 
 father was employed until called from this life 
 September 3, 1883, at the age of seventy-two 
 years. He was an exemplary man, though not a 
 member of any church, and was well and favor- 
 ably known throughout the community. 
 
 On the 22nd of August, 1868, was celebrated 
 the marriage of John Glover and Miss Alice 
 Fletcher, and to them were born five children — 
 Joseph Henry, of Seatonville, who married Liz- 
 zie Gregg; William Thomas, who married Ella 
 Herley, and also lives in Seatonville; John, a 
 most reliable young man, who for the past few 
 years has been clerk in the store of the Chicago, 
 Wilmington & Vermillion Co.al Company; 
 George, who resides at home and is engaged 
 in the butcher business; and Adaline May, who 
 assists her mother. Mr. Glover was a good 
 business man, prompt and reHable, and for ten 
 years was superintendent of the mine for Isam 
 & James Seaton. His employers, disliked to 
 
 part with him and declared that they had lost 
 one of their most valuable and honest work- 
 men. He was a sincere and earnest Christian, 
 a member of a church and teacher in a Sunday 
 school in his native land, but here was con- 
 nected with no religious denomination as there 
 was no church of his choice in the community. 
 In October, 1877, he brought his family to Sea- 
 tonville, where they were numbered among the 
 earliest settlers, and here our subject owns a 
 large and substantial residence, where she has 
 successfully conducted a boarding house for the 
 past seven years. Mr. Glover died in Septem- 
 ber, 1885. He was a son of Joseph Glover, also 
 a coal miner, and one of a family of seven chil- 
 dren, namely: Priscilla, now Mrs. Thomas 
 Vaughn, of England: Joseph, also a resident of 
 that country; John; James, of England; Lucy, 
 who is married and is living in that country; 
 Noah, of England, and William Thomas. 
 
 ]Mrs. Glover was again married March 5, 1888, 
 becoming the wife of Thomas Cotton, also a 
 native of \Vorcestershire, England, who in early 
 life worked in a rolling mill, but since coming 
 to this country has been enjployed in the coal 
 mines. Mrs. Cotton is a lady of culture and 
 pleasing presence — a most excellent wife, mother 
 and neighbor, and stands deservedly high and is 
 well and favorably known. She is highly re- 
 spected by all and is a hostess of most excellent 
 report. 
 
 LYMAN C. HUNT, an agriculturist of energy 
 and ability, who is residing on section 15, 
 Whitefield township, Marshall county, was born 
 in Putnam county, April 20, 1835, about four 
 miles above Magnolia, at the head of Sunday 
 creek, and is the son of Richard and Ruth (Flor- 
 rom) Hunt, both natives of New Jersey. The 
 mother's birth occurred at Trenton, in 1812, and 
 as early as 1832 she came to Illinois with her 
 brother, Lyman Horrom. Her mother having 
 died, her father, Dr. Timothy Florrom, came to 
 Illinois soon afterward, and engaged in practice 
 near Morris, but his last days were passed at the 
 home of his son Daniel. 
 
362 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1833, Ruth Horrom 
 became the wife of Ridhard Hunt, and they be- 
 came the parents of the following children — Ly- 
 man C, of this review is the eldest; Mahlon L., 
 who during the civil war became a member of 
 Company B, Eighty-sixth Illinois X'olunteer In- 
 fantry, was wounded at Lookout ^Mountain, from 
 the effects of which he died in the hospital in Oc- 
 tober, 1862, at the age of twenty-five years, and 
 his remains were brought home and interred six 
 months later; Timothy owns and operates a farm 
 which belonged to his father; Sylvia is the wife 
 of A. J. Delhi, of Henry, Illinois; Eleanor is on 
 a claim at Hennessey, Oklahoma; Jennie, who 
 became the wife of R. H. Delmedge, died at 
 their home in Lorimer, Iowa, July 26, 1894, at 
 the age of fortj'-seven years, leaving a husband 
 and three children to mourn her loss; Ruth is 
 the wife of Benjamin Andrews, of Ford county, 
 Illinois, and Mary is with her sister on a claim 
 at Hennessey, Oklahoma. 
 
 It was in 1828, that Richard Hunt, the father 
 of our subject came to Illinois, located a claim 
 on Ox Bow prairie, and three years later the 
 family removed to the place. Although born in 
 New Jersey, from the age of nine years he had 
 resided near Zanesville, Richland county, Ohio, 
 whence he came to ^Marshall county. After a 
 two years' residence here, his father, Enoch 
 Hunt, went to Bloomington, where he made 
 his permament home and there died, but his 
 sons, John, Cornelius and Richard, all made 
 homes near the head of Sunday creek. There 
 the uncles of our subject reared their families 
 and spent their last days. For some time his 
 parents lived on the Ox Bow, and for two years 
 at the head of Sunday creek, after which they 
 returned to the former place. In 1842, however, 
 they settled on the west side of the river in 
 Whitefield township, Marshall county, then but 
 sparsely settled. He entered several tracts of 
 land, which he would subsequently dispose of 
 and in this way made considerable money. The 
 land office was then located at Galena, a chstance 
 of one hundred and twenty-five miles, and the 
 journey thither would occupy one day and two 
 
 nights, and he would generally reach the land 
 office in time for it to open at nine a. m. He had 
 many a race tO' that city in order to get ahead 
 of some competitor. He dealt in land quite ex- 
 tensively and still had at the time of his death 
 one thousand acres, which were divided among 
 his children. He improved two good farms of 
 about one-half section. He participated in the 
 Black Hawk war, being a member of a scout- 
 ing party for four months and helped to bury the 
 Davis family who were massacred and two of 
 the Hall girls carried away. His death occurred 
 in September, 1881, at the age of seventy-seven 
 years. Originally, he was a democrat, but later 
 supported the republican party, whose princi- 
 ples he stanchly advocated, and did all he could 
 to sustain the government during the civil war. 
 Though not a member of any church, he was 
 quite familiar with the Bible, and gave his sup- 
 port to religious organizations. Airs. Hunt sur- 
 vived him until the summer of 1894, when she 
 toO' was called to her final rest. They were 
 buried side by side in Whitefield cemetery, where 
 a nice family monument marks the spot. 
 
 Lyman C. Hunt, whose name introduces this 
 review, spent his boyhood and youth in the usual 
 manner of farmer's sons, and remained under 
 the parental roof until thirty-five years of age, 
 the last ten years having charge of affairs. He 
 first settled on land adjoining the old homestead, 
 which he had partly improved while at home, 
 but since 1873 has lived upon his present farm, 
 which consists of five hundred acres of valuable 
 land. He has engaged quite extensively in stock 
 raising, making a specialty of horses, and has 
 had some imported Shire horses upon his place. 
 He has also raised cattle and sheep in consid- 
 erable numbers. Besides his home farm he has 
 also invested in lands in Kansas and Nebraska. 
 
 In 1 871 \yas celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Hunt and Miss Mary Coan, daughter of David 
 Coan, of Henry, and to them were born two 
 children, but one died in infancy. The other, Ola 
 Grant, is operating a farm near his father. In 
 1874 the wife and mother died, and on the 8th 
 of March, 1882, Mr. Hunt was again married, his 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 363 
 
 second union being with Aliss Maria \'an Allen, 
 who was born near Wenona, Illinois, in La Salle 
 county, and is the daughter of J. L. and Sarah 
 Van Allen. Previous to her marriage she had 
 engaged in teaching in Marshall county. Three 
 children grace the second union — Lawrence R. 
 and Elmer Lee, both in school, and Estella, who 
 for the past two years has been in ill health, and 
 receives the watchful and tender care of her 
 mother. 
 
 Although not taking an active part in politics, 
 Mr. Hunt always supports the republican ticket 
 and generally attends the county conventions. 
 He and his estimable wife hold a prominent po- 
 sition in the social circles of the community and 
 have the confidence and esteem of all who know 
 them. 
 
 JOHN MURPHY, whose home is on section 
 10, Roberts township, is a farmer whose 
 identification with the interests of Marshall 
 county is both long and honorable, and the part 
 that he has taken in promoting its best interests 
 has made him one of its valued citizens. He 
 was born in Xew York city June 20, 1855, the 
 only child of Dennis and Mary Murphy, natives 
 of County Cork, Ireland. The father crossed 
 the Atlantic in 1855, but soon after reaching 
 New York was stricken with brain fever and 
 died. He had sent money to his wife that she 
 might join him, but when she arrived she found 
 that her husband had passed from this hfe. Com- 
 ing to Peru, Illinois, she worked for a short 
 time in the family of Dr. Smith, then secured 
 employment in the family of Lyman Horrom, 
 on Ox Bow Prairie in Putnam county. She after- 
 ward married William W. Holmes, who was 
 born in Herkimer county, New York, in 1806, 
 and was one of the pioneers of Hennepin. He 
 bought a farm east of Magnolia, where his death 
 occurred in 1882, after which his widow went 
 to Peru, and there died in 1887. They were both 
 buried in Magnolia cemetery in Putnam county. 
 Of their five children three are Uving — Char- 
 lotte, wife of Robert Studyvin, of Henry, Illi- 
 nois, by whom she has two children, Ralph and 
 
 Rollin; Margaret, wife of Calvin Studyvin, of 
 Saratoga township, Marshall county, by whom 
 she has four children, Blanche, Edna, Maynard 
 and Gladys; and Oliver, of New York. The father 
 of this family accumulated considerable property, 
 and to some extent dealt in real estate. He took 
 quite an active interest in politics and was a 
 stanch republican, but always refused office. 
 During the civil war he was a leader in the 
 Union League. 
 
 Our subject was reared by his step-father, a 
 well educaJted and competent business man, and 
 attended the schools of Magnolia. On the 23d 
 of January, 1884, he married Miss Ida I. Rob- 
 erts, a daughter of Livingston and Margaret 
 (Dent) Roberts. Her grandfather, Jesse S. Rob- 
 erts, was the first settler of Marshall county. He 
 was born in Kentucky, and married Miss Davis, 
 a native of South Carolina. They removed from 
 Smithland, Kentucky, to Montgomery county, 
 Illinois, in 1827, and the three sons, Livingston, 
 Obed and Jesse, planted crops that year. The 
 grandfather selected the land on which Mrs. 
 Murphy is living, in 1828, and Roberts Point be- 
 came a famous place in pioneer days. He made 
 a clearing, erected a rude log cabin without 
 doors or windows, and removed his family to the 
 new farm in 1829. They went through the usual 
 experiences and hardships of pioneer life. Corn 
 ground in a hominy block served as breadstuff, 
 and Pekin was their nearest trading point. Jesse 
 Roberts served as a soldier in the war of 181 2. 
 His death occurred in 1841, and his wife then 
 went to Du Quoi-n. They had six children — 
 Mrs. Jane Phillips, Obed, Jesse and Livingston, 
 all deceased; Mrs. Margaret Winters, of Du 
 Quoin, and Mrs. Martha Gray, deceased. 
 
 Livingston Roberts was born March 24, 181 2, 
 in Livingston county, Kentucky, and was a youth 
 of sixteen when with the family he took up his 
 residence upon the farm which is now the home 
 of Mrs. Murphy, there spending his remaining 
 days. His wife was born in Muskingum county, 
 Ohio, July 18, 1814, a daughter of John Dent, 
 who came to Magnolia, Illinois, in 1833, and 
 made a permanent location. The parents of 
 
364 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mrs. j\iurphy began housekeeping in a new 
 cabin, which they occupied until 1840, when it 
 was replaced by the present brick residence. Tlie 
 bricks for this house were burned in the timber 
 here, the lumber was hauled from Chicago, and 
 the sand from Starved Rock, in La Salle county. 
 The home was then on the direct road between 
 Chicago and Peoria, and early became a stage 
 station, where the horses were changed and the 
 passengers procured meals. It was in this way 
 that Mr. Roberts earned the one hundred dol- 
 lars with which he first purchased land. Rob- 
 erts Point was also the general stopping place 
 for the rnany movers who passed through this 
 region and no one was ever turned from their 
 door. They furnished dinner for as many as 
 eighty-nine persons and during one summer the 
 least number that sat down at their table was 
 twenty-seven. The hospitality of the Roberts 
 household was proverbial and a hearty welcome 
 was ever extended to the guests. Air. Roberts 
 was a peace-loving, honorable man, who was 
 never concerned in any lawsuit, and his word 
 was so implicitly trusted that, although he 
 signed papers for the amount of one hundred 
 thousand dollars he was never asked for security. 
 In the early days he carried one end of the sur- 
 veyor's chain, laying out the state road from 
 Springfield to Chicago. He was a strong, vigor- 
 ous man and tireless worker, and never failed to 
 be present to assist his neighbors at a house 
 raising. He served as an officer of the regulars, 
 and was one of the fifty men who drove the 
 Reeves gang from the country. Although his 
 home was not a regular station on the under- 
 ground railroad, he never turned a negro from 
 his door hungry. He served as a lieutenant 
 during the Black Hawk war, and during those 
 troubles a stockade was built around the Roberts 
 cabin. His early political support was given the 
 whig party, but later he became a republican, 
 and for many years served as postmaster, also as 
 school director and road cotnmissioner. 
 
 This honored pioneer, who was so prominent 
 a figure in the development of Marshall county, 
 died March 2j, 1889, and his wife passed away 
 
 January 28, 1892. On the 24th of January, 1883, 
 they celebrated their golden wedding, issuing 
 seven hundred invitations. Four persons who 
 attended the wedding fifty years previous were 
 present on this occasion. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts 
 had twelve children: Thomas D. married Thene 
 Compton, who died, leaving one child, and for 
 his second wife wedded Dora EUsbury, by whom 
 he has three children; Alonzo, deceased, mar- 
 ried Almira Stateler, and they had one son; 
 Melissa J. is the deceased wife of Joseph Tag- 
 gart, by whom she had a son and daughter; 
 Jesse L. married Josephine Neal, and has five 
 children; Zilphia L. is the wife of John Burns 
 and has one son; John A. wedded Alary Finley 
 and has one daughter; William G. wedded Alan- 
 Glenn and has five children; Elizabeth E. is the 
 wife of Jerry Trone; Henry died in infancy; 
 Riley B. married Minnie Haws and has four 
 children; Airs. Murphy is the eleventh of the 
 family, and Alary H., the youngest, is the wife 
 of Dr. J. W. Evans, and has one daughter. 
 
 Mrs. Murphy was born February 27, 1857, on 
 the farm, where her entire life has been passed 
 and where she yet makes her home. She was 
 married in this house, and here was born the 
 only child of Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, Olney, whose 
 birth occurred August 19, 1887. The farm is 
 the oldest in Alarshall county, and the house 
 has stood for a half century. The place com- 
 prises one hundred and twenty-two acres of rich 
 land, all of which is under a high state of culti- 
 vation. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Alod- 
 ern Woodmen of America ; in politics he is a 
 republican and has served as road commissioner. 
 For many long years both he and his wife have 
 resided in this county, and are widely known 
 among its settlers, many of whom are numbered 
 among their warm friends. 
 
 CHARLES T. WTGGINS, a well known 
 farmer residing on section 22, Princeton 
 township, has for over half a century been identi- 
 fied with the interests of Bureau county. He is 
 a native of England, born at Clapton, Middle- 
 se.x county, January 29, 1824, and is a son of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 36s 
 
 William and Elizabeth (Oglive) Wiggins, the 
 former a native of Northamptonshire, and the 
 latter of Somersetshire. The father was a mer- 
 chant as well as a farmer, carrying on opera- 
 tions within nine miles of London, and in that 
 countr}- spent his entire life. His father, Joseph 
 ^^ is&ins, was also an agriculturist. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest in a family of five 
 children, the others being Joseph, deceased; 
 Elizabeth, living in England; Letitia, deceased; 
 and William. The mother of these children died 
 in 1 83 1, and the father later wedded Mary Watts, 
 a native of England, and to them were bom ten 
 children — ^Irs. Mary Chubb; Ellen; j\[rs. Emma 
 Gray, a resident of Black Hawk, Colorado; Mrs. 
 Eliza Robinson, of Denver, Colorado; Thomas 
 and Aland, deceased; Watts; and three who died 
 in infancy. The father's death occurred in 1849. 
 The parents were both members of the Episco- 
 pal church. 
 
 In his native land Charles T. Wiggins ac- 
 quired his education, and at the age of seventeen 
 )'ears crossed the Atlantic, coming at once to 
 Bureau county, Illinois, and locating at what was 
 then Greenfield, but is now Lamoille. For one 
 month he was employed by a Mr. Hopps, but for 
 the remainder of the winter worked for his board, 
 and in the spring of 1843 went to Galena, where 
 he was engaged in tending a windlass at twenty 
 dollars per month until June. Returning to 
 Bureau county, he worked in the harvest field for 
 David Wells, of Clarion township, for five dollars 
 per month. During those early days he received 
 a letter from home, which lay in the post office 
 for three months, as he did not have twenty-five 
 cents to pay postage. 
 
 Mr. Wiggins was next employed by Mr. Dun- 
 ham at Red Oak Grove, taking care of sheep 
 at seven dollars per month, after which he re- 
 turned to ;\Ir. Wells, with whom he made his 
 home for some time. Until 1846 he then worked 
 for different people and then went to Princeton, 
 where he was employed in the brickyard of John 
 H. Br}''ant, for whom he worked until 1861. Pie 
 suffered much from fever and ague during his 
 early residence here. By his last employer he 
 
 was appointed deputy United States revenue col- 
 lector, and later he served in the same capacity 
 under Henry K. Sanderson, of Galesburg, for 
 about six months, when Mr. Bryant was again 
 appointed, and he remained with him until the 
 end of his term. It was on the 17th of March, 
 1856, that Mr. Wiggins located upon his present 
 farm, comprising one hundred and sixty-eight 
 and a half acres, one hundred and twenty-eight of 
 which he has placed under cultivation. He is 
 a thorough and skillful agriculturist and has 
 been very successful in that occupation. 
 
 j\lr. Wiggins was married September 12, 
 1851, the lady of his choice being Rhoda Bridges, 
 who was born July 2^, 1828, in Jackson county, 
 Tennessee, and died April 7, 1881. They became 
 the parents of five children:* Mary Alice, who 
 graduated at the Princeton high school in the 
 class of 1875, is a teacher of recognized ability 
 and a member of the People's Association of 
 Princeton. Harry Walter is next in order of 
 birth. John H. married Annie L. Wheeler, 
 by whom he has one child, Margery Nell. Har- 
 riet Eliza is deceased. William Charles, now a 
 resident of Fairfield, Iowa, married Minnie B. 
 Swift. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Wiggins was 
 first a stanch abolitionist, later a republican, and 
 now a democrat, and for many years he has been 
 an efficient school director. His industry in the 
 pursuit of his own business, his spotless private 
 life, and the character of the services he has ren- 
 dered in his official capacities, have elevated him 
 to the highest estimation in the community in 
 which he has so long made his home. 
 
 PATRICK COLLINS, residing on section 4, 
 La Prairie township, with postoffice at La 
 Prairie Center, Marshall county, is a representa- 
 tive of that class of men of foreign birth who 
 easily assimilate the American ways and cus- 
 toms, and, while always having a high regard 
 and love for the place of their birth, yet believe 
 they must give their best to the country of their 
 adoption. He is a native of Ireland, born in 
 County Wicklow, Jilarch 17, 1828, and came to 
 
366 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 this country a youth of seventeen years, his par- 
 ents having died some time previous. He was 
 the first of the family tO' come to America, and 
 accompanied by twO' neigfhbor boys, he crossed 
 the ocean, and at once proceeded to Alban\-, 
 New York, near which place he secured work 
 on a farm for one month. At the expiration of 
 this time he went to Chester county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where he worked at farm labor for about 
 five years, four years of which time working for 
 one man, receiving a salary of from nine to 
 eleven dollars per month. 
 
 Leaving Pennsylvania, Mr. Collins came to 
 Illinois, stopping for a time at Chillicothe, Peoria 
 county, and later securing work with Air. Stone 
 on his farm at Lawn Ridge, La Prairie town- 
 ship, Marshall couhty, where he remained one 
 season. He then returned to Peoria county, 
 where he remained one year, after which he 
 came again to La Prairie township, and for two 
 years rented a farm and raised two crops. The 
 desire had long possessed him of being the owner 
 of a farm, and with the accumulations of the 
 )'ears spent in America he purchased one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of land in Bureau county 
 at a cost of eight hundred dollars. He pur- 
 chased this land without having seen it, and 
 when he came to look it over he was not well 
 pleased and determined to sell, -which he did 
 at an advance of one hundred dollars on the 
 purchase price. With the proceeds of this sale 
 he purchased eighty acres where he now re- 
 sides at a cost of one thousand dollars. This 
 was all prairie land and partially improved, but 
 all the land adjoining was in a wild state. His 
 nearest neighbor, Francis Grady, lived one mile 
 away and was one of the pioneers of the locality. 
 
 When Mr. Collins purchased the place he was 
 yet a bachelor, and for one year after lived that 
 lonely life and was then married to Aliss Mar- 
 garet Monier, of Saratoga township. In the 
 little log house, 16x24 feet, then standing on 
 the place, Mr. Collins took his young bride, and 
 the two commenced together the battle of life. 
 But little progress was at first made, the nearest 
 market for his grain and produce being Chilli- 
 
 cothe, which was just then reached by railroad. 
 By and bye the tide began to turn and an era 
 of prosperity dawned upon our subject. Hard 
 work and the practice of economy brought its 
 results, and with their savings eighty acres lying 
 on the north, then owned by Albert Powell, was 
 purchased at a cost of one thousand nine hun- 
 dred and fifty dollars. Mr. Powell, who was 
 a voung man, had begun the improvement of 
 the place, but thought it advisable to sell to Mr. 
 Collins, who about this time also bought one 
 hundred and sixty acres in Stark county, which 
 he shortly sold at an advantage. With the pro- 
 ceeds of this sale he bought other lands adjoin- 
 ing his home farm, one hundred eighty acres of 
 which cost him three thousand dollars. From 
 this time on he continued to add to his posses- 
 sions, securing next the Hill farm of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres, for which he paid nine 
 thousand dollars. This farm was well improved 
 with good buildings. Another purchase of 
 eighty acres about this time cost him four thou- 
 sand dollars. He next purchased one hundred 
 and sixty acres opposite the home farm, for 
 which he paid ten thousand dollars. This also 
 was well improved. Since then he has added 
 one hundred and sixty acres on section 32, pay- 
 ing for it eleven thousand dollars. On section 
 31, Whitefield township, he owns a farm which 
 cost him fourteen thousand dollars for one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. Both of these farms have 
 fine houses and barns. All of these tracts of 
 land yet remain in his possession and are oper- 
 ated by himself and family. 
 
 Politicall)^ Mr. Collins is thoroughly independ- 
 ent. He does not believe that all the intehi- 
 gence, all the honesty, or all the rascality be- 
 long to any one party, and in exercising the 
 elective franchise he votes for the man he con- 
 siders best qualified to fill the office desired. In 
 politics he has always been interested enough to 
 vote as the opportunity w'as given him. He has 
 never had the time or inclination to serve in offi- 
 cial position, but filled the office of road com- 
 missioner for twelve years, because it was a 
 position in which he felt a special and personal in- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 367 
 
 terest. Farming has been his hfe long work and 
 that he has always been a good farmer is proven 
 by the great success which has followed him 
 for a period of over forty years since making 
 his first purchase of land in Marshall county. 
 Stock raising has been a specialty with him, 
 and upon his place at all times may be found 
 one hundred head of cattle, a number of horses 
 and many head of swine. He believes in keep- 
 ing the best stock, and therefore you will find on 
 his place Xorman horses and the best breeds of 
 cattle and hogs. He ships his own stock, and, 
 having no commission to pa}-, his profits are 
 usually satisfactory. 
 
 To Air. and Mrs. Collins nine children were 
 born — Thomas, Charles, James, John, Eddie, 
 Sadie, i\nna, Lottie and Delia. Of this number 
 Thomas married Miss Mary Odell, daughter of 
 William Odell, of Steuben township, and now 
 resides on a farm near Lawn Ridge; Anna is the 
 wife of H. T. Webber, of La Prairie township, 
 while the rest yet remain at home. The wife 
 and mother died February zy , 1895, loved and 
 respected by all, and was buried in the La Prairie 
 cemetery. 
 
 ]\Ir. Collins has never identified himself with 
 any religious organization, but has contributed 
 to those in his vicinity. The golden rule has been 
 his life motto and therefore he has avoided all 
 strife, never having in his entire life had a law 
 suit. A friend of education, he has given more 
 or less of his time to educational matters and 
 has served more than twenty years as a member 
 of the school board and is at present occupying 
 that position. As a friend and neighbor no one 
 has a better reputation than Patrick Collins, of 
 La Prairie township. 
 
 HEXSOX D. BOXHAM is a representative 
 of one of the pioneer families of Marshall 
 county and is one of the leading farmers of the 
 county. His residence is on section 36, White- 
 field township, while his farm, consisting of two 
 hundred and ten acres, lies in both sections 35 
 and 36. He is a native of Pickaway count)', 
 Ohio, born June 30, 1831. His father. Captain 
 
 Warford Bonham, was born in Mar)-land, near 
 the Potomac river, while his mother, Rebecca 
 (Alason) Bonham, was a native of Xew Jersey. 
 At the age of twenty years his father removed 
 to Ohio from Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
 and his mother from her native home at the age 
 of eighteen years. In that new country they be- 
 came acquainted and were married in Ross 
 county. For ten years he worked for one man 
 in a still, finally purchasing it, and also ran a 
 hotel on the main pike road, which was the 
 regular stopping place for the stage coaches. 
 
 Shortly after the commencement of hostilities 
 between this country and Great Britain in 1812 
 Warford Bonham raised a company and served 
 until the close of the war, with the rank of cap- 
 tain. Returning home, he remained in Ross 
 county until about 1824, when he removed with 
 his family to Pickaway county, where they re- 
 sided for about ten years. At that time there 
 was considerable emigration to Illinois, and he 
 determined to try his fortunes in that new coun- 
 try. On coming to this state they first made 
 their home in Tazewell county, where they re- 
 mained one winter, but, not liking the location, 
 in April, 1835, the captain removed with his 
 family to Alarshall county and entered a tract of 
 government land in Whitefield township, which 
 no\v comprises a part of tht farm on which our 
 subject now resides. This land was secured at 
 the government price of one dollar and a quar- 
 ter per acre. 
 
 At the time of his removal here Captain Bon- 
 ham had about eighteen hundred dollars in 
 money, together with a good supply of stock. 
 The family consisted of father, mother and nine 
 children, among them being two married daugh- 
 ters with their husbands — James Tanquary and 
 John S. Iloskins. The latter settled on land ad- 
 joining, in Steuben township. James Tanquar_\- 
 was the father of Cornelius and Addison Tan- 
 quary, who are now prominent citizens of Steu- 
 ben township. 
 
 On the farm on which he originally settled in 
 Whitefield township. Captain Bonham spent the 
 remainder of his life, passing peacefully away 
 
368 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Jul)' 23, i869,at the ripe age of eighty-eight years. 
 His remains were interred in the family burial 
 ground on the home farm, a plat of ground set 
 off by himself for that purpose. There his wife, 
 who died February 17, 1858, at the age of sixty- 
 eight years, was also interred, and side by side 
 they lie at rest, waiting the resurrection morn. 
 
 The tract of land secured by Captain Bonham 
 comprised about one thousand acres, which he 
 extensively improved, and as his children went 
 out from the old home he gave them such assist- 
 ance as seemed best or as they were entitled to. 
 In this way he administered on his own estate, 
 and in a more satisfactory way, the division as 
 made being perfectly satisfactory to every mem- 
 ber of the family. Everything was perfectly har- 
 monious, there being no dissatisfaction expressed 
 by any one. The old homestead was given to 
 our subject, with whom he made his home the 
 last years of his life. 
 
 In early life Captain Bonham was politically 
 a whig, the principles of the party being dear to 
 him, and its great leaders — Webster and Clay 
 — revered. A liberty-loving man, when the whig 
 party ceased to exist, he identified himself with 
 the new republican party and voted its ticket and 
 advocated its principles to the end. His interest 
 in political affairs never wavered, and, while 
 never an office seeker, he was duly honored h\- 
 his fellow citizens in a number of local offices. 
 For about twenty years he was justice of the 
 peace and was well known throughout the 
 county as Squire Warford Bonham. 
 
 While he was a self-educated man, having had 
 little opportunity for an education, either in pub- 
 lic or private schools, he was a great student and 
 well versed in general history and current events 
 of the day. He was very fond of good reading, 
 especially of a theological nature, and was well 
 versed in the Bible. For many years he was a 
 member of the Christian church, being converted 
 under the preaching of Alexander Campbell. He 
 was never bigoted in church matters, although 
 a warm supporter of the church. The same right 
 to hold and advocate his religious views he was 
 willing to concede to others. In a discussion of 
 
 religion or politics he could hold his own with 
 the best. As a republican he was an earnest 
 supporter of Lincoln during the war and was a 
 great admirer of that pure and honest statesman. 
 
 Of the children born to Warford and Rebecca 
 Bonham, George is now residing in Chicago, at 
 the age of eighty-four years; Henson D. is our 
 subject; Mary Ann is now the widow of Henry 
 Hoskins, and resides in Sparland; Eliza is the 
 widow of John S. Floskins, who came to iMar- 
 shall county with the family, and some years ago 
 removed to Iowa and later to Nebraska; War- 
 ford died in June, 1894, and his son, Harrison 
 R., lives on the old farm, which was a part of the 
 original homestead. 
 
 Squire Bonham was a resident of Marshall 
 county for more than a third of a century. He 
 was a well-preserved man, physically and men- 
 tally, and had the happy faculty of making 
 friends, which friendship was always maintained. 
 His death was a sad loss to the community, and 
 few persons were more generally mourned as 
 they passed on to the other shore. 
 
 Henson D. Bonham, of whom we now write, 
 was but four years of age when his parents lo- 
 cated in Marshall county. On the old farm 
 where he now resides he grew to manhood and 
 faithfully served his parents until after he at- 
 tained his majority. His education was obtained 
 in the public schools, his attendance being usu- 
 ally limited to the winter months of each year. 
 As he grew to- manhood he determined to fol- 
 low as his life work the calling of his father, that 
 of a farmer, and to that end bent all his energies, 
 so that when called upon to leave the parental 
 home he would be fully equipped for the battle of 
 Hfe. 
 
 On the 14th of October, 1852, Mr. Bonham 
 and Miss Luana Swift were united in marriage. 
 Six children came to bless their union — Alice R., 
 at home; Roscoe Le Roy, an employe of the 
 Great Northern railroad at St. Paul, Minnesota; 
 Millard Fillmore, who was a storekeeper for the 
 Iron Range railroad, and died February 11, 1893, 
 at Two Harbor, Minnesota; Carrie M., wife of 
 Frank E. Duncan, of Des Moines, Iowa; Emily 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 369 
 
 N., book-keeper and stenog;rapher in the office of 
 F. E. Duncan, at Des Moines; and Lillie, who 
 died at the age of eight months. Each of the 
 children have received liberal educations and 
 have been well equipped for life. For four years, 
 or from the time he was seventeen until he 
 was twenty-one years of age, Millard was en- 
 gaged in teaching in the public schools. He 
 then entered railroad employ and was so engaged 
 at the time of his death. 
 
 Immediately after his marriage Air. Boiiham 
 commenced farming on his own responsibility. 
 In due time his father let him have one hundred 
 and sixty acres of the old homestead, on which 
 he has continued to reside. From the other 
 heirs he purchased fifty acres, giving him a nice 
 farm of two hundred and ten acres. This he has 
 ever kept under a good state of cultivation and 
 his improvements have kept pace with the times. 
 
 Politically Air. Bonham is a stanch republican, 
 the principles of the party being born and bred 
 in the bone. He has never sought office, but has 
 shown his interest in the party by attending the 
 primaries and local conventions and serving on 
 township committees. For thirty years he has 
 been an Odd Fellow and has passed all the chairs 
 in both subordinate lodge and encampment. lie 
 has served the local bodies as a delegate to the 
 Grand lodge and grand encampment. He is now 
 chief patriarch of the encampment at Sparland. 
 A strong temperance advocate, he is decidedly 
 in favor of the total annihilation of the liquor 
 traffic. An almost life long resident of the county, 
 having spent some sixty-one years within its bor- 
 ders, he is well and favorably known throughout 
 its length and breadth. 
 
 EDWARD R. VIRDEX, who for eighteen 
 years was president of the Farmers' Na- 
 tional bank, has made an enviable record as one 
 of the leading and enterprising citizens of Prince- 
 ton. He was born in Norwich, Muskingum 
 county, Ohio, March 23, 1836, and is the son of 
 Jerome and Sarah (Fleming) Virden, both of 
 whom were natives of Ohio. 
 
 Jerome Virden was for years engaged in the 
 
 shoe business in his native state, but later be- 
 came a contractor on the Baltimore & Ohio rail- 
 road, doing work along the hills near the Ohio 
 river. On the completion of that work he re- 
 moved with his family by team to Mount Pleas- 
 ant, Iowa, where he and his wife died many 
 years ago. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood and youth in 
 his Ohio home. In 1854, in company with his 
 parents, he went to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, but 
 one year later came to Princeton on a visit to 
 his uncle, B. Laird, a druggist of the place, and 
 here concluded to remain. Securing a situation 
 as a clerk in the hardware store of A. S, & E. C. 
 Chapman, he continued in their employ for 
 about six years, thoroughly mastering the busi- 
 ness. He commenced low and worked up until 
 he held the most responsible position in the 
 establishment, having for a time the entire charge 
 of the store, the only one of the kind in the 
 county, and doing an extensive business. 
 
 The war for the union was now in progress, 
 and in 1862 he enlisted in the one hundred day 
 service. Company A, Sixty-ninth regiment, and 
 was commissioned lieutenant. Completing his 
 ser\nce, he returned home, but again, in 1864, 
 he raised a company at Princeton, which became 
 Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth 
 Illinois A'olunteer Infantry, of which he was 
 commissioned captain. The regiment was mus- 
 tered into service at Peoria in June, 1862, and 
 saw service in Alissouri and Kentucky, follow- 
 ing General Price, who had been making a raid 
 through those states. 
 
 Captain Virden was usually in command of 
 his company, but was detailed to carry dis- 
 patches from Cairo to New Orleans. The dis- 
 patches were in cipher from President Lincoln 
 to General Canby. He went down the river, 
 making four or five trips, and ruiming great 
 risks from guerillas, who from the river banks 
 were watching the favorable opportunit\- of do- 
 ing up a Yankee. He escaped all harm, how- 
 ver, and served out his time of enlistment, after 
 which he returned home, having been mustered 
 out in November, 1864. 
 
370 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Previous to entering the service Captain Vir- 
 den, in 1862, engaged in the hardware trade in 
 the north end of Princeton, and on his return 
 re-engaged in the trade, in which he actively con- 
 tinued until 1876. After six years' clerkship he 
 had saved one thousand dollars, which he in- 
 vested in the business. For the fu'st three years 
 the business was conducted under the firm name 
 of Richardson Brothers & Virden, and the three 
 succeeding years as Shugart & A^irden, after 
 which time he was sole proprietor until he sold 
 out in 1876. 
 
 The hardware business of A'lr. A^irden was a 
 large and profitable one. In 1872 he was burned 
 out, his entire stock being consumed bv fire, 
 with a loss of over ten thousand dollars, with but 
 little insurance. He was not disheartened, but 
 set to work, .collected his bills and soon retrieved 
 his loss. During this time he erected the large 
 brick building now occupied by Priestly Hard- 
 ware company. 
 
 In 1876 Captain Virden and Captain Clark 
 Grey purchased a controlling interest in the 
 Farmers' National bank, which had been or- 
 ganized a year or two previously. He was elected 
 president and Captain Grey cashier. The capital 
 stock of the concern, which was then fifty thou- 
 sand dollars, was soon afterward increased to 
 seventy-five thousand dollars, and later to one 
 hundred and ten thousand dollars. The business 
 of the bank under the wise and conservative man- 
 agement of Captain Virden grew steadily until 
 it had the largest capital and surplus and indi- 
 vidual deposits oi any bank in Bureau or adjoin- 
 ing counties. The dividends of the bank had 
 about paid back the original stock when Captain 
 A'irden, in 1894, surrendered the presidency and 
 its stock was worth two hundred. The deposits 
 were some two hundred and fifty thousand dol- 
 lars, with surplus and undivided profits of ninety 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 For eighteen years Captain Virden gave his 
 attention almost wholly to the bank, but giving 
 some attention to loaning money on real estate 
 in Kansas and Nebraska and making some in- 
 vestments there from time to time. He now owns 
 
 betvveen five thousand and six thousand acres in 
 those states, together with about three hundred 
 acres in Bureau county. He has never indulged 
 in any speculation, but has confined himself to 
 legitimate trade and banking. He has made ex- 
 tensive improvements in Princeton, and recently 
 erected a fine hall, the finest in the city. 
 
 In politics Mr. Virden has been a loyal and 
 uncompromising republican during his entire 
 life, having received his political training under 
 Owen Lovejoy. He lacked a few months of 
 being of legal age when Fremont ran for the 
 presidency as the first candidate of the newly 
 organized republican party, and therefore did not 
 have the satisfaction of casting his vote for the 
 "Pathfinder,"' but has since at even,- succeeding 
 election voted his party ticket. His first vote for 
 congressman was in i860 for Thomas J. Hender- 
 son, who so long and ably served his district. 
 Since i860 he has been a delegate in nearly even- 
 convention of his party. 
 
 Mr. Virden was married April 26, 1861, to 
 Miss Anna Thompson, of Cambridge, Ohio. 
 They were school children together and the 
 youthful attachment was strengthened as the 
 years went by, and as soon as he felt somewhat 
 settled in life he went to Ohio to claim his bride. 
 Returning immediately after marriage, they have 
 since made Princeton their home, and have now 
 traveled life's journey together for more than 
 thirty-five vears. Mrs. Virden is a devout mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is 
 happy in giving her time and talents to the va- 
 rious lines of church work, including the Sunday 
 school. In everything she takes a leading and 
 active part, and is recognized as a leader by all 
 her associates. 
 
 To 'Sir. and Mrs. Alrden four children were 
 born, one of whom, their only son, E. L., died at 
 the age of seventeen years. The living are Nellie 
 R., the wife of Charles Sapp, of AVyanet town- 
 ship, Bureau county; Martha and Mary, twins. 
 The former is now the wife of J. A. Brigham, of 
 Princeton, while Mary is yet an inmate of her 
 parents' home. All have been well educated in 
 the high school at Princeton. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 371 
 
 Fraternally ^Ir. Virdeii is a Master Alason, 
 being initiated into the order when but twenty- 
 one years of age. Of late years he has not been 
 active in lodge work, but believes in the princi- 
 ples of the order. In educational work he has 
 shown his interests by ser\'ing twelve years as a 
 member of the board of education ; in fact, in 
 everything pertaining to the city's interest he has 
 shown a willingness to do all in his power and 
 evidences of it are seen on everv hand. 
 
 IRWIX BORGER, one of the representative 
 and honored citizens of Bureau county, now 
 serving as postmaster of Ladd, was born on the 
 17th of January, 1832, in Northampton county, 
 Pennsylvania. His paternal great-grandfather, 
 John Borger, was also a native of the same state, 
 and at one time was held a captive by the Indians 
 for six years. The family is of German origin, 
 the founder coming to this country from Hesse. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Theobold and 
 Lydia (]\liller) Borger, spent their entire lives in 
 the keystone .state, only coniirg to Illinois on 
 a visit in 1S58. By trade the father was a black- 
 smith, and in the early days often put on a horse 
 shoe for six cents. He lived a quiet, industrious 
 life, but by all who knew him was held in the 
 highest esteem for his many excellent traits of 
 character and sterling worth. He died in 1867, 
 at the age of sixty-nine years, and his good wife 
 passed away two years later at the age of sixty- 
 nine. Both were consistent members of the 
 German Reformed church. In their family were 
 five children, namely: Ephraim, who married 
 Elizabeth Metsker, is a blacksmith by trade, but 
 is now blind and is living in Pennsylvania. Mary 
 is the widow of Richmond McKee, and is living 
 in Arlington, Bureau county. William married 
 Teressa Schreiber, and is a blacksmith of Penn- 
 sylvania. Pollie married Jacob Wooley, but both 
 are now deceased. Irwin is the youngest. 
 
 Mr. Borger, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, received a common school education and 
 at an early age learned both blacksmithing and 
 carpentering, being very handy with tools. On 
 coming to Illinois in 1857 he located upon a 
 
 farm in Bureau county, three miles west of I.add, 
 wdiere he remained one year, and then removed 
 a half mile north of that village, purchasing 
 eighty acres of land at twenty-five dollars per 
 acre from King & Gibbons, of Pennsylvania, 
 who owned considerable land here. He added 
 to the original tract until he had about two hun- 
 dred acres of rich and valuable land, but has since 
 sold all with the exception of seventy-eight acres, 
 which is underlaid with excellent coal. He also 
 owns a section of land in Sheridan countv, Kan- 
 sas, and still has seventeen acres in Lehigh 
 county, Pennsylvania. Besides his farm prop- 
 ert}-, in connection with Walter Maze, of Peru, 
 Ilhnois, Mr. Borger owns a good lumber yard 
 at Ladd, Illinois. 'They carried a large stock, 
 which was destroyed by fire on the night of May 
 4, 1896, their office, sheds and all being burned. 
 The property was valued at eight thousand dol- 
 lars, on which they carried an insurance of three 
 thousand dollars, but settled with the company 
 for twenty-four hundred and eighty-five dollars. 
 They do an extensive business and have since 
 replaced their stock. 
 
 In :March, 1852, :Mr. Borger was united in 
 marriage with Miss Sarah Bush, who died in 
 February, 1853, at the age of twenty-four years. 
 On the 2nd of February, 1857, he was again mar- 
 ried, in Pennsylvania, his second union being 
 with Miss Emma Faust, who was born April 28, 
 1836, and is a daughter of Paul and Emily 
 (Breinig) Faust, natives of Pennsylvania, and 
 most excellent and worthy people. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Borger have one daughter, Ida M., who 
 married Oscar Combs. He died in 1882, leaving 
 one son, Irwin W. Combs, and Ida has since 
 married John R. Kinder, a resident of Ladd, by 
 whom she has three children — Emma, Pearl and 
 John. 
 
 Under President Cleveland's administration 
 Mr. Borger was appointed postmaster of Ladd 
 in 1888 and also served under President Har- 
 rison. He still continues to fill that position, is 
 prompt and faithful in the discharge of his duties, 
 and his long retention in the office plainly indi- 
 cates the satisfaction he has given. He has also 
 
372 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 been called upon to fill other local positions of 
 honor and trust, including those of collector of 
 his township, pathmaster, school director and 
 commissioner. He voted for both Lincoln and 
 Grant, but is not bound by party ties, always 
 casting his ballot in support of the man whom he 
 thinks best qualified to fill the office. He and his 
 estimable wife hold membership in the Reformed 
 church. He is enterprising and progressive, al- 
 ways keeping abreast with the times in every par- 
 ticular, and is one of Bureau county's most 
 valued and highly respected citizens. 
 
 ORIX T. COLLINS. Prominent among the 
 substantial and enterprising farmers of 
 Westfield township may be found the subject of 
 this biographical sketch, whose home is situated 
 on section 25, and who is considered one of the 
 most industrious and worthy citizens of this part 
 of Bureau county. He has made his home within 
 its borders since 1855 and has therefore wit- 
 nessed much of its growth and development. 
 
 He was born in Hartford county, Connecti- 
 cut, Januaiy 3, 1823, in which state the family 
 was founded at an early day in its history. His 
 grandfather, Simeon Collins, was there born and 
 died at the advanced age of ninety-two years. He 
 had aided the colonies to throw oflf the yoke 
 of British oppression, and for services rendered 
 in the Revolutionary war received a pension 
 from the government. Isaac Collins, the father 
 of our subject, was bom in Hartford county in 
 1793, there grew to manhood and married 
 Sophia Treat, also a native of Connecticut. He 
 followed the occupation of farming and black- 
 smithing in that state, where his death occurred 
 in 1838, at the age of forty-five. 
 
 Mr. Collins, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, was one of a family of five children, and 
 spent his early life in his native county. He 
 was afforded excellent educational privileges, 
 and after attending the public schools en- 
 tered South Glastonbury academy, where he 
 remained for four years under the tutelage of 
 Professor EHhu Barrett. He remained upon the 
 home farm until after his father's death and con- 
 
 tinued to operate the same until 1855. In Hart- 
 ford county he was married in 1846, the lady of 
 his choice being Miss Charlotte Pitkin, who was 
 there bom, reared and educated, and a daughter 
 of George Pitkin. Her family was one of the 
 first to settle at East Hartford and she has in her 
 possession a highly prized chair which has been 
 in the family since 1765 and perhaps longer. 
 
 In 1855 our subject brought his family to Bu- 
 reau county, locating first upon a rented farm in 
 Lamoille township, but in 1858 purchased one 
 hundred and sixty acres of land in Westfield 
 township, his present valuable and highly pro- 
 ductive farm. This he at once began to improve 
 and cultivate and to-day it ranks among the best 
 to be found in the locality. 
 
 ^Ir. Collins lost his wife, who passed away 
 in May, 1878, at the age of fifty-five years, and 
 lies buried in Hills cemetery, Bureau county, 
 where a substantial monument marks her last 
 resting place. To them were born five children, 
 two sons and three daughters, all still living, 
 namely: Georg^e P., a farmer of Sac county, 
 Iowa; Lottie, wife of Amassa Rose, of Yates Cen- 
 ter, Woods county, Kansas; Sophia, who is with 
 her father; Charles P., who is engaged in farm- 
 ing upon the old homestead; and Laura C, who 
 is a stenographer of Chicago. 
 
 In 1878 Mr. Collins assisted in the organiza- 
 tion of the Peru Farmers' Mutual Insurance 
 company, of which he was elected its first presi- 
 dent, and has continued to serve in that capacity 
 since; the company has grown from a small con- 
 cern until it now represents eight hundred and 
 fifty thousand dollars. It is one of the most 
 reliable insurance companies of the state, has 
 paid out several thousand dollars of insurance, 
 every dollar as far as obligated without contro- 
 versy, and for the success of the institution much 
 credit is due its efficient president. He cast his 
 first presidential vote for Plon. Henry Clay, the 
 whig candidate, but since the first election of 
 Abraham Lincoln he has been a stanch repub- 
 lican, always supporting the principles of that 
 party. He cares nothing for public office, pre- 
 ferring to give his time and attention to his busi- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 d,7Z 
 
 ness interests. During liis long residence in the 
 county he has become both widely and favorably 
 known and is numbered among the highly re- 
 spected and representative citizens of the com- 
 munity, while his honorable, straightforward 
 life has gained him the friendship of those with 
 whom he has come in contact either in a business 
 or social way. 
 
 CHARLES L. A' PARKER, one of the sub- 
 stantial and well-known citizens of Prince- 
 ton, Illinois, has accomplished a satisfactory 
 work as a farmer, and acquired a competency to 
 live on in his declining years and has retired from 
 business to make room fbr younger blood, re- 
 quired in the active life of the agriculturist. He 
 is also numbered among the early settlers of Bu- 
 reau county, having been prominently identified 
 with its interests since the fall of 1856 — at which 
 time he took up his residence within its borders. 
 
 ]\Ir. Parker was born near Watertown, in Jef- 
 ferson county, A'ew York, May 13, 1824. His 
 great-grandfather Parker was a native of Eng- 
 land, and on coming to the new world settled 
 at Boston, where he became an extensive dry 
 goods and grocery merchant. Joshua Parker, 
 the grandfather of our subject, was born in that 
 city, Vvas a soldier in the French and Indian wars, 
 and served throughout the Revolution as cap- 
 tain. The last twenty years of his life were spent 
 in New York at the home of his son, Amaziah, 
 the father of our subject. 
 
 Boston was also the birthplace of Amaziah 
 Parker, and in Massachusetts he was reared to 
 manhood and given good educational privileges. 
 At an early day he went tO' New York, becoming 
 one of the pioneer settlers of Jefferson county. 
 He was twice married, his second wife, who bore 
 the maiden name of Sophrona Dillen, being the 
 mother of our subject. Her birth occurred in 
 Cherryville, New York. The father became one 
 -of the substantial farmers of Jefferson county, 
 where he also carried on a cooper shop, but spent 
 his last days upon a farm in Allen county, Indi- 
 ana. He was a member of the militia during the 
 A\'ar of 1812, and was stationed at Sacketts Har- 
 
 bor. He was a commissioned officer and in civil 
 life was also called upon to fill important posi- 
 tions. In his family were four children, two sons 
 and two daughters— Charles C. V^, of this review; 
 Volney, who spent his last days in Grundy 
 county, Illinois; Eliza, widow of James Vande- 
 grifif; and Cynthia, widow of Joseph Wilson, 
 residing at Mazon, IlHnois. 
 
 The educational privileges afforded our sub- 
 ject were meagre, being a student for a short 
 time in the primitive schools at that early day 
 found in Allen county, Indiana, but by subse- 
 quent reading and study in later years he has 
 become a well-informed man. As a young man 
 he came to Bureau county, Illinois, in 1856, and 
 purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land 
 in Wyanet township, entirely unimproved, but 
 to its development he at once turned his atten- 
 tion. He still owns that farm, which has now 
 been in his possession for forty years. As his 
 financial resources increased he purchased other 
 tracts until he now has nine hundred acres of 
 valuable and well improved land. In 1854, in 
 connection with his brother, he engaged in car- 
 pentering, building all the bridges for the Rock 
 Island railroad between Tiskilwa and .Sheffield, 
 but with that exception his entire life has been 
 devoted to agricultural pursuits. He has met 
 with a well-deserved success in his chosen call- 
 ing, and is now numbered among the most sub- 
 stantial citiz'ens of Princeton. 
 
 On the 20th of April, 1856, in Bureau county, 
 was consummated the marriage of Mr. Parker 
 and Miss Persus L. Hinmafi, who was born in 
 Vermont, but was reared in Illinois, coming to 
 Bureau county as a child with her father, Robert 
 Hinman. Four children have been born to this 
 worthy couple — Charles E., who is married and 
 lives upon a farm in Wyanet tow-nship; Emma, 
 who was provided with a good education and 
 was formerly a teacher of Bureau county; Ella, 
 who has also been well educated and has followed 
 the teacher's profession in Princeton and other 
 parts of the county, and Harry L., a civil engi- 
 neer, now with a company in old ^Mexico. The 
 devoted wife and mother died November 23, 
 
374 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 1892, and was laid to rest in Oakland cemetery, 
 where a beautiful monument marks the spot. 
 
 Politically Mr. Parker is an old Jacksonian 
 democrat, having cast his ballot in support of 
 that party since attaining his majority. He takes 
 a deep and commendable interest in educational 
 matters, and for twenty-five years was a faithful 
 member of the school board. Socialh', he is a 
 Master ^Mason, and formerly belonged to the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. During 
 the fortv years of his residence in Bureau county 
 he has witnessed the wonderful transformation 
 that has taken place, making the county one of 
 the best in this great commonwealth, and has 
 contributed his share to its improvement and 
 development. His honorable, upright life has 
 gained him the confidence of all with whom he 
 has come in contact either in a business or social 
 way, and his friends throughout the county are 
 manv. 
 
 \/ T OHN SWANEY, a farmer of Magnolia town- 
 
 J 
 
 ship, residing on section 15, has been one of 
 the most interested witnesses in the progress and 
 development of Putnam county, and no unim- 
 portant factor in bringing it to its present proud 
 position. He was born at Harrisburg, Pennsyl- 
 vania, October 8, 1824, and is a son of James and 
 Nancy (Ralcy^ .Swaney, the former a native of Ire- 
 land, and the latter of Washington county, Penn- 
 sylvania. She was a daughter of Eli Raley, who 
 belonged to an old-time N'irginia family, and was 
 a member of the Society of Friends. The parents 
 were married in Pennsylvania, and in Harrisburg 
 made their home until the father's death in 1829. 
 Four years later the mother removed to Wash- 
 ington county, that state, and in 1842 became 
 a resident of Putnam county, Illinois, settling in 
 Alagnolia township, where she died in 1872. On 
 coming to this state she was the wife of James 
 Moffitt, by whom sihe had one son, Eli, now 
 living at Adrian, Michigan. By her first mar- 
 riage she had three children — John, David, of 
 Nebraska, and Barnett, of Magnolia township. 
 Of her four sons three wore the blue in the civil 
 war, and the other furnished a substitute. 
 
 Our subject came to Putnam county in 1840 
 with his grandfather Raley at the age of sixteen 
 years. His primary education was received in 
 his native state, and on coming to this county he 
 attended school in a log school house, being a 
 pupil of the late Judge Burns, of Marshall coun- 
 ty. Although reared to agricultural pursuits, in 
 early life he learned the wagon maker's trade 
 at Magnolia with Orin Whitcomb, now deceased, 
 and after serving his three years' apprenticeship 
 followed that trade for two years. In 1847 he 
 began steamboating on the Illinois river from 
 St. Louis to La Salle, being second clerk on the 
 Anglo-Saxon, and continued to follow that busi- 
 ness until the breaking out of the rebellion, 
 most of the time as first clerk on the Illinois, 
 Ohio, upper and lower Mississippi and ^Missouri 
 rivers. 
 
 In October, 1861, Mr. Swaney made appli- 
 cation to enter the navy at St. Louis with Com- 
 modore Rodgers, and was commissioned acting 
 master and ordered to the receiving ship ^Maria 
 Denning, where he began his naval drill. Later 
 the ^laria Denning was sent to Cairo, Illinois, 
 carrying the ordinance to equip iron clad gun- 
 boats, built at St. Louis. After the battle of 
 Fort Donnelson he was transferred to the gun- 
 boat Cairo, which was ordered to Nashville, ac- 
 companying General Nelson. They were at 
 Pittsburg Landing, then at the bombardment of 
 Fort Pillow above Memphis, in which they took 
 part. After the naval battle at Memphis, where 
 the rebel gunboats were either destroyed or cap- 
 tured, they were ordered back to Cairo. Acting 
 Master Swaney was then transferred to the 
 Conestoga, under the command of Lieutenant 
 Commander, now Admiral, Selfridge, and his 
 vessel was one of the number engaged in cruis- 
 ing from the mouth of White river down the 
 Mississippi river to Columbia, Arkansas, a dis- 
 tance of sixty miles, the river being divided in 
 naval divisions by Admiral Porter. He vvas next 
 transferred to the United States steamer, Ken- 
 wood, which he commanded with the rank of 
 acting volunteer-lieutenant, until August, 1865, 
 operating on the Mississippi river from the mouth 
 
JolIX SWAXEV. 
 
Mrs. John Swanky, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 379 
 
 of Red river to Baton Rottge and Donnelson- 
 ville. He dismantled his steamer at Cairo in 
 Angust, 1865, but was not discliarged until the 
 following October, when he returned home, after 
 four years of faithful and arduous service. 
 
 On the 17th of ^lay, 1849, ^r. Swaney was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sarah Griffith, 
 daug-hter of George and Sarah (Kirk) Griffith, 
 both of whom were natives of York county, 
 Pennsylvania, where they were married. On 
 leaving their native state her parents removed to 
 Cadiz, Ohio, and as early as 1836 settled on 
 section 15, ]\Iagnolia township, Putnam county, 
 Illinois — the old ^\'luttaker farm — where they 
 made their permanent home. Their first dwell- 
 ing was of logs, but the father later burned the 
 brick and lime for a more substantial structure. 
 The mother of ]\Irs. Swaney passed away May 
 24, 1838, and was the first adult buried in the 
 Friends cemetery. In their family were ten chil- 
 dren — Isaac, William and Julia Ann, all now 
 deceased; ^lartha Jane, of ^Marshall county, 
 low^a; Oliver G., George and John, deceased; 
 Sarah, wife of our subject, and Eliza and Ruth 
 Ann, deceased. After the death of his first wife, 
 :\Ir. Griffith married Lydia Comly, who still sur- 
 vives him, and to them were born four children 
 —Hiram, of ^Montana; one who died in infancy; 
 Frank, of :\Iontana, and Isabel Beck. By birth- 
 right the parents were both members of the 
 Society of Friends. 
 
 Airs. Swaney was born at Cadiz, Ohio, Oc- 
 tober 12, 1830, and like her husband acquired 
 her education in a log school house in Putnam 
 county. Since 1865 they have made their home 
 upon their present farm, Mr. Swaney devoting 
 his time exclusively to agricultural pursuits. 
 Thev are charter members of Alagnolia Grange, 
 in which he has filled all the chairs, and she has 
 also held office. He has served as a member of 
 the state grange executive committee and also 
 went into the first organization of the Grand 
 Army. Like her people, Mrs. Swaney is a faith- 
 ful member of the Society of Friends. 
 
 Politically our subject was first an abolitionist, 
 later a republican, and now supports the prohibi- 
 19 
 
 tion party, taking an active part in its advance- 
 ment, and attending its district, state and national 
 conventions. On both the prohibition and re- 
 publican tickets in 1885, his name was placed as 
 a candidate for state senator, but as his party was 
 in the minority at that time, he failed of election. 
 Occasionally he has contributed some to agri- 
 cultural journals. He established the Clear 
 Creek post office, which was first called Whitaker, 
 and for twenty-one years has now filled the posi- 
 tion of postmaster. He has also acceptably 
 served as school trustee in Magnolia township, 
 and was assistant United States revenue assessor 
 in 1866. 
 
 T OSEPH HAMILTOX BROWX, dealer in 
 J lumber and coal at Princeton, Illinois, is in 
 every sense of the word a self-made man and 
 one of the enterprising men of the city. He is 
 a native of Bureau county, born in Ohio town- 
 ship September 3, 185 1. His parents, John W. 
 and Rachel (Ross) Brown, came to Bureau 
 county from Tuscarawas county, Ohio, in April, 
 1 85 1, locating on a farm of one hundred and 
 sixt_\- acres, where they resided three years. Sell- 
 ing the farm, his father removed with his family 
 to Alalden, Berlin township, and there engaged 
 in the mercantile business for three years. He 
 was not successful in this venture, and in 1857, 
 removed to Princeton, where he spent the re- 
 mainder of his life, principally as a salesman. 
 His death occurred March 9, 1891, at the age 
 of sixty-six years. His widow yet resides in 
 Princeton where she is well-known and univers- 
 ally respected. 
 
 Our subject was but six years of age w'l;ien 
 he came to Princeton with his parents. His 
 education was received in the public schools of 
 the city, finishing his literary course in the high 
 school. However, he was not permitted unin- 
 terruptedly to attend school, but at the age of 
 eleven was clerk in a general store, and from 
 that time until 'he attained his majority alter- 
 nated his time in the store and in school, hav- 
 ing been required all this time by the necessity 
 of the case to care for himself. 
 
38o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 After arriving at legal age, Mr. Brown com- 
 menced farming, in which business he continued 
 two years, but having no taste for farm life he 
 went to Ohio, Bureau county, Illinois, and ac- 
 cepted a position in a lumber yard. Later he 
 went to Walnut, and for six years was a sales- 
 man in a lumber yard at that place, and was 
 then made a partner in the concern, which was 
 owned by Mr. C. Bruce. He put no capital 
 into the business, but simply put his time against 
 the capital furnished by Mr. Bruce, the latter 
 gentleman then residing in Chicago. Mr. 
 Brown had full control of the business and made 
 money from the start. 
 
 Two years later, Mr. Brown sold his interest 
 at Walnut and in February, 1882, he removed to 
 Princeton, and under the firm name of Cone, 
 Brown & Company, continued in the same line 
 of business, the company buying out two old 
 and well established yards, those of William 
 Miles and L. I. Davis & Company. At Prince- 
 ton, Mr. Brown had the general management of 
 the business, the company operating at Henry, 
 and later at other points. For six years they 
 did an agricultural implement business, in con- 
 nection with their lumber trade. After five 
 years, Mr. Ross, the junior member of the firm 
 withdrew and Mr. Cone dying, Mr. Brown suc- 
 ceeded to the business, and since 1891, has con- 
 ducted it alone. The business has been a grow- 
 ing one with very satisfactory^ results and our 
 subject has always given it his close personal at- 
 tention. The average stock in the yards ap- 
 proximates some sixteen thousand dollars. 
 
 On the i6th of !\Iarch, 1876, Mr. Brown was 
 united in marriage with Miiss Eliza Plummer, 
 of Kewanee, Henry county, Illinois, and by this 
 union seven sons have been born — Joseph 
 Harry, Frank, Louie, Lester, John Richard, 
 Ralph Plummer and Edgar Allen. The three 
 first named are now attending the Princeton high 
 school. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Brown is a republican, and 
 has always taken an interest in political affairs, 
 though never seeking oflice for himself, but often 
 assisting others. He frequently attends the 
 
 various conventions of his party, and thus sets 
 a good example to others. He served for a time 
 as a member of the county board of supervisors, 
 and for three years was a member of the high 
 school board, accepting the latter position as an 
 evidence of his interest in the public schools. 
 Fraternally he is a member of the Beansant 
 Lodge, No. 41, K. P. 
 
 Mr. Brown is a lover of a good horse, and 
 has several good drivers in his stable, but it is 
 in poultry that he takes the greatest delight, and 
 shows the greatest interest outside of his reg- 
 ular and legitimate business. For about eigh- 
 teen years he has been engaged in breeding Ply- 
 month Rocks and other fine grades of poultry, 
 and his spare moments have been usually given 
 to poultry literature. At present he is president 
 of the North Central Poultry association. 
 
 In all matters pertaining to the business in- 
 terests of Princeton, Mr. Brown is at the front 
 and gives much of his time and money. He has 
 been a director in the Princeton Business ]Men's 
 association. Starting in life without a dollar, by 
 close and careful attention to business, and doing 
 all things well, whether as an employer or as an 
 employe, he has won the confidence of his fel- 
 low men and has been reasonably successful in 
 Hfe. 
 
 WILLIAM C. MARTIN, an energetic and 
 enterprising agriculturist, residing on 
 section 26, Saratoga township, now represents 
 that township on the board of supervisors. He 
 was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, 
 April 22, 1848, and at the age of two years was 
 brought to Illinois by his parents, John L. and 
 Julia (Organ) Martin, who settled at Lacon, 
 where the father attended the rope ferry for Mr. 
 Fisher for about six years. In 1856 he purchased 
 the present fann of our subject, consisting of 
 one hundred and sixty acres, for which he paid 
 four hundred dollars. Being in a wild unculti- 
 vated state he at once began its improvement and 
 development, but in June of the following year 
 was called to the world beyond, leaving his widow 
 with four small children, our subject, who was 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 381 
 
 the eldest, being only nine years of age. The 
 others were Porter O., now of York, count)', 
 Nebraska; Almira, who became the wife of John 
 Davis, and died some years ago ; and Alfred J-, 
 also of York county, Nebraska. There were 
 also two other children in the family who passed 
 away before the father died. 
 
 The mother still continued to make her home 
 on the farm and two years later became the wife 
 of Frederick Jacobs, after which the family lived 
 there or on the Jacobs farm near by for many 
 years. Four children were born of the second 
 union — Charles, of Platte county, Nebraska; 
 ^lary Alice, wife of James Keenan, of Saratoga 
 township, Marshall county; Adeline, wife of 
 James Holmes, of Rice county, Kansas ; and 
 Sims, who is unmarried and lives on a part of 
 the old home farm. The mother received but 
 little aid from her second -husband, as he later 
 left the countr}^ but she kept her family together 
 and cared for them until they reached maturity. 
 Her death occurred on the 17th of May, 1892, 
 at the age of sixty-two years, and she left many 
 friends as well as her immediate family to mourn 
 her loss. 
 
 At the age of twelve years William C. Alartin 
 started out in Hfe for himself, working by the 
 month as a farm hand in the neighborhood. He 
 later returned to the old homestead farm, of 
 which he took complete charge and became 
 the head of the family. He now owns eighty 
 acres of the old place, to which he has added 
 another eighty acre tract, all of which is highly 
 cultivated and improved. Besides general farm- 
 ing he was also engaged for'a number of years in 
 threshing and has been quite successful in his 
 chosen calling. 
 
 On the i6th of October, 1877, Mr. Martin was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Emma H. Trim, a 
 daughter of Hezekiah and Thirza (Horenden) 
 Trim, the former born in Massachusetts, and 
 the latter in England. Her parents were mar- 
 ried in Peoria county, Illinois, and became resi- 
 dents of Marshall county in 1856, where the}- 
 continued to live until eight years ago, since 
 which time they have been residents of York- 
 
 county, Nebraska. ]\lrs. Martin is the only one 
 of the family now living in Marshall county. 
 By her marriage with our subject she has be- 
 come the mother of three children — Blanche, 
 Leroy and Thirza, all at home. 
 
 Although his father was a democrat, Mr. Mar- 
 tin has ever been identified with the republican 
 party, serving as a delegate to its conventions, 
 has been road commissioner, and in 1895 was 
 elected supen'isor for a term of two years, which 
 offjce he is now creditably filling. Socially he 
 is connected with Sparland lodge. No. 441, F. 
 & A. M., of Sparland. No man takes a deeper 
 interest in the prosperity of Marshall county, 
 where almost his entire life has been passed, and 
 it is safe to say that few have contributed in a 
 larger degree to bring about this result. 
 
 ADAM FLETCHER has since October, 
 1880, been the efficient superintendent of 
 the White Breast Fuel Company, of Ladd, Illi- 
 nois, having charge of one of the largest mining 
 interests of Bureau county, where four hundred 
 and twenty-five men are employed and often as 
 high as sixteen hundred tons of coal are taken 
 out in ten hours. He is thoroughly familiar with 
 the mining business in alUits various departments 
 and is therefore eminently qualified to fill the im- 
 portant position he now occupies. 
 
 Mr. Fletcher was born in Cumberland coun- 
 ty, England, November 8, 1841, a son of Adam 
 and Ann (Clark) Fletcher, also natives of that 
 country. His maternal grandparents were Sam- 
 uel and Catherine (Story) Clark, while the pa- 
 ternal grandparents were Isaac and Jane Fletch- 
 er, in whose family were only two children, 
 Adam, the father of our subject, and Mrs. Mar- 
 garet Fox, who when last heard of was hving at 
 Ravenglass, Cumberland county, England. 
 
 Adam Fletcher, Sr., was an engineer through- 
 out life, and brought his family to America in the 
 spring of 1854, settling first at Youngstown, 
 Ohio, where they remained for one year. They 
 arrived at that place on Saturday in the latter 
 part of July, and on the following Saturday- the 
 father died from sunstroke. He had eaten a 
 
3«2 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 hearty dinner and before supper had passed to 
 the world beyond. He was thirty-nine years of 
 age, a very large man, weighing perhaps two 
 hundred and twenty-five pounds, and a devout 
 Christian, a faithful member of the ^lethodist 
 Episcopal church. He cam'e to this section of 
 IlUnois, intending to buy land between Chicago 
 and Burlington, but for some reason did not. 
 His wife and children were baptized in the estab- 
 lished church of England, but the former, who 
 was a most excellent woman, became a member 
 of the Latter Day Saints, and died in Utah, in 
 1888, at the age of sixty-five years. After the 
 death, of her first husband she wedded James 
 Robinson, who was a union soldier in the civil 
 war, belonging to a Virginia regiment. 
 
 After one year's residence in Youngstown, 
 Ohio, the family removed to Mason county, Vir- 
 ginia, now West \'irginia. There were the fol- 
 lowing named chiildren: Catherine married 
 George Lake in England, and came with the 
 family to this country. Three months after 
 their arrival, Mr. Lake died, and she mamed 
 John Jones, who for thirty years was foreman 
 of the mines of Youngstown, Ohio, but is now 
 deceased. Isaac died at the age of thirt\-six in 
 1871, at Brimfield, and his remains were interred 
 at Kewanee, Illinois. He had married Ellen 
 Robinson, who with her three sons and three 
 daughters now resides on a farm near Pawnee 
 City, Nebraska; Adam died in childhood; Sam- 
 uel resides at Rock Springs, Wyoming, where 
 he owns a pressed brick yard and is also inter- 
 ested in mines. Pie married Lizzie Johnston 
 and has nine sons still living; Adam, of this re- 
 view, is next in order of birth ; Jane, who was 
 born in 1843, removed to Salt Lake City in 
 1863. She married James Redd, and has nine 
 children; Margaret married William Reddin, 
 who was the first white child born in the Salt 
 Lake valley after the Mormons located there. 
 They now reside on the Weber river in Utah, and 
 have seven children; Mary Ann, who resides at 
 the same place, is the wife of James Johnston 
 and the mother of six children. Lizzie, the only 
 child born of the second marriage of the mother. 
 
 was born in Virginia, in 1856. She married 
 Daniel Goulding, a resident of Mendota, Mis- 
 souri, where her death occurred in 1888. With 
 the exception of Catherine, who with her six 
 daughters is a devout member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church, the others belong to the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but 
 were never in sympathy with Brigham Young 
 and his church. 
 
 Mr. Fletcher, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, is entirely self-educated, having never 
 attended school and on entering the army could 
 neither read nor write, but has now mastered 
 both and is a welUnformed man. In early life 
 while a resident of Virginia, he worked in the 
 mines, driving a mule, and assisted in the sup- 
 port of the family for three years before the out- 
 break of the civil war. After President Lin- 
 coln's election, he with forty others were unable 
 to remain at their homes in the south, and had 
 to flee to the mountains, where for three months 
 he remained. Many were the nights, at about 
 half past eleven that he would go to his mother's 
 house from his hiding place, to see how she and 
 his four little sisters were getting along during 
 his absence. The war broke up their home and 
 he has never seen them together since. 
 
 Deciding to join the union forces and aid in the 
 preservation of the union, Mr. Fletcher enlisted 
 at Mason City, Virgiinia, opposite Pomeroy, 
 Ohio, June 5, 1861, in Company A, Fourth Mr- 
 ginia Infantry. During the first year of his ser- 
 vice he was stationed in his own state, there tak- 
 ing part in many important battles and skirm- 
 ishes, and was then with Sherman until the close 
 of the war, taking part in the siege of \'icksburg, 
 the battles of Tuscumbia and Missionary Ridge, 
 the siege of Knoxville, and the Atlanta cam- 
 paign in the spring of 1864. The previous win- 
 ter the troops suffered most terribly from cold 
 and hunger. At one time they were given two 
 days' rations and received no more for twenty- 
 two days, only what they could forage in the 
 vv'inter, which was very little. They ground 
 corn, cobs and all, for meal. From Vicksburg 
 they had gone to Chattanooga, thence to Knox- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 383 
 
 ville, and then followed Longstreet from that 
 place to the Smoky Mountains in Georgia. It 
 was during this time that they suffered from hun- 
 ger and cold as their clothes were in a dilapi- 
 dated condition. Our subject had no shoes ior 
 two months, and was compelled to tie up his 
 feet in rags. The troops were put on pontoon 
 boat.s at Chattanooga and told to make their way 
 to Bridgeport, Alabama, where they should wait 
 for supplies. They started and after going a 
 short distance would get off, build a fire and 
 warm and then resume their journey, keeping 
 this up until they reached Bridgeport. During 
 the last two years of the war they had no cooking 
 utensils except an oyster can, which they could 
 easily carry along with them, and they received 
 the name of Sherman's Bummers. From Atlan- 
 ta the regiment was sent back to Mrginia to be 
 discharged in July, 1864, and on leaving they 
 were highly commended by their colonel for their 
 faithful and valiant service. 
 
 Although Mr. Fletcher acted in the sphere of 
 seigeant and officer of the day, be received only 
 private's wages, and this he always sent to his 
 mother to aid in her support and in the sup- 
 port of the family. With the exception of one 
 brother and our subject, all of his relatives were 
 on the rebel side, either in arms or sympathy. 
 On returning to his home he resumed mining, 
 and for the past twenty-six years has been with 
 his present company, twenty-two years of the 
 time opening and operating mines in Iowa. He 
 had served as superintendent before coming to 
 Ladd. 
 
 On the 28th of January, 1865, Air. Fletcher 
 was united in marriage with Miss Mary Reese, 
 daughter of Reese Reese, of Kewanee, Illinois, 
 where their marriage was celebrated. Nine chil- 
 dren graced their union — Lizzie is the wife of 
 Joseph Bentham, of Kewanee, by whom she has 
 four children, Mary, Katie, Eliza and Isabel; 
 Katie died at the age of one year; Mary Jane is at 
 home; Adam is boss driver of the mines; Hattie 
 is at home ; Henry graduated' from an engineer's 
 school in Pennsylvania, and is now engaged in 
 repairing engines, pumps, etc.; Isaac, who dis- 
 
 plays much aptness for painting and dra\ving, 
 is a painter by trade; and Samuel completes the 
 family. They also adopted a son, Willie. Air. 
 Fletcher has been called upon to mourn the loss 
 of his wife, who died on the 8th of May, 1896. 
 She Vi^as born February 4, 1847, '^i^d led a most 
 exemplary Christian life, being a kind and af- 
 fectionate mother, a devoted wife, and faithful 
 friend and neighbor. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Fletcher affiliates with the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, and formerly was con- 
 nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows, the Knights of the Alaccabees and the 
 Temperance Union, being connected with some 
 of the orders for many years. His political sup- 
 port is given the republican party. He is ever 
 actively interested in all measures which are cal- 
 culated to advance the moral or material welfare 
 of the community, and was instrumental in se- 
 curing the first Protestant church ever erected 
 in Ladd. 
 
 JOSEPH K. HAZEX, an agriculturist, resid- 
 ing on section 10, Princeton township, is 
 numbered among the self-made men of Bureau 
 county, his accumulations being the result of 
 his own industry, obtaiined by self-denial and 
 economy, and the exercise of a naturally good 
 judgment, both in regard to agricultural pur- 
 suits and business matters. He came to Bureau 
 county in 1857, and since that time it has been 
 the field of his operations, and the center of his 
 interests and hopes. 
 
 His father, David W. Hazen, was born in Mor- 
 ris county. New Jersey, in 1801, and was the son 
 of Ziba and Katrina Hazen, also natives of the 
 same state, while 'he traces his ancestry back to 
 Edward Ha^en, who caine from England about 
 two hundred years ago and settled in Connecti- 
 cut. Upon a farm the father was reared, receiv- 
 ing his education in the common schools, and 
 during early life learned the trade of a wheel- 
 wright. He married Sarah Ann Ta}-lor, who 
 was born in 1802, in Huntington county, New 
 Jersey, and a daughter of Abel and Rachel 
 (Everett) Taylor. Her paternal grandfather. 
 
384 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Elijah Taylor, was a native of England, served 
 in the English army during the Revolutionary 
 war, and later became a resident of New Jersey. 
 In 1857 the parents of our subject emigrated to 
 Illinois, locating upon a wild prairie farm in Sel- 
 by township, Bureau county, where they lived 
 for nine years, and then removed to Maiden, 
 where both died in 1882. They were prominent 
 and earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church. In their family were five children, 
 namely: Elijah E. T., a resident of Holyoke, 
 Colorado, who is married and has three children, 
 Clara E., James, Frank L. ; Joseph K., of this 
 review; Ziba H., of Texas; Catherine E., wife of 
 Edson A. Wood, of Chicago, and Ann E., widow 
 of Simon Moon, by whom she has two children 
 — Warren and Sarah. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred July 5, 1830, 
 in Warren county, Xew Jersey, where .he grew 
 to manhood, securing his education in the schools 
 of Hackettstown. He remained at home until 
 twenty-five years of age. In 1855, he wedded 
 Miss Marilda A. Trimmer, who was born in 
 IMorris county. New Jersey, in 1835, and is a 
 daughter of Andrew and Marilda Trimmer, na- 
 tives of that state, of German descent. 
 
 In 1856, Mr. Hazen removed to Illinois, for 
 one year making his home in Stark county, but 
 since that time has been a resident of Bureau 
 county. His first farm consisted of eighty acres 
 of prairie land in Selby township, and after hv- 
 ing in a log cabin for one year, it was replaced 
 by a board shanty, which continued to be the 
 family home until 1861, when a more substantial 
 structure was erected. He remained upon that 
 farm until 1884, during which time it was placed 
 under a high state of cultivation. He then dis- 
 posed of his first farm, purchased and settled on 
 one on section 10, Princeton township, which 
 has since been his home. It was already under 
 cultivation, but many improvements have since 
 been added at a cost of seven thousand dollars, 
 including a comfortable residence erected the 
 year of the purchase. Besides general farming, 
 Mr. Hazen makes a specialty of the raising of 
 hogs, which has proved quite profitable. 
 
 Three children have been born to our sub- 
 ject and his worthy wife — Emily T., now the 
 wife of Louis F Zearing, ol Chicago, by whom 
 she has three children, Joseph H., Louis A. and 
 Ex. Marilda; Sarah M., deceased; and Ehza- 
 beth D., who has completed the Latin course in 
 the Princeton high school. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Hazen holds membership in 
 the [Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is 
 steward, and regularly attends the church serv- 
 ices and Sunday school. His political support 
 is ever given the democratic party, has been 
 road commissioner of Selby township, and has 
 taken a deep interest in local educational affairs. 
 Besides his other business interests, he is also a 
 director in the Citizens' National bank of Prince- 
 ton. His uprightness, integrity and public- 
 spiritedness, have won him the confidence and 
 esteem of his neighbors, and he is classed among 
 the respected representative citizens of Bureau 
 oountv. 
 
 CPIARLES KEUTZER^ is a prominent rep- 
 resentative of the agricultural interests of 
 Westfield township, Bureau county, where he 
 owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 and is numbered among its most enterprismg 
 and thrifty farmers. Since 1854 he has been a 
 resident of Illinois, and has made his home in 
 this county since 1866. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred December 
 20, 1835, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, of 
 which province his father, John Keutzer, was 
 also a native and there grew to manhood and 
 was married. For many )-ears he continued to 
 make his home in the fatherland, but spent his 
 last days at the home of a son in Peru, Illinois, 
 where his death occurred in 1891. Until six- 
 teen years of age Charles Keutzer attended the 
 school of his native land, but his knowdedge of 
 the English language is all self-acquired and 
 gained since crossing the Atlantic to the LTnited 
 States in 1854. He first stopped at Peru, Illi- 
 nois, and in La Salle county worked bv the 
 month for several years. 
 
 In 1 861, on the president's call for troops to 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 38s 
 
 put down the rebellion, Mr. Keutzer joined Com- 
 pany E, Fourth IlKnois Cavalry, under Colonel 
 Eli Dickey, and was made wagon-master. With 
 his regiment he went to Belmont, Missouri, 
 thence to Cairo, Illinois, and later participated 
 in the following battles: Fort Henry, Fort 
 Donelson, S'hiloh, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, 
 luka. Holly Springs, and the siege and capture 
 of A/"icksburg. From the lime of the battle of 
 Fort Henry until the surrender of Mcksburg 
 his regiment acted as body guard to General 
 Grant. In the fall of 1864, at Springfield, Illi- 
 nois, he was mustered out, two months after his 
 term of enlistment had expired. 
 
 On the I2th of September, 1865, in Bureau 
 county, ]\Ir. Keutzer was united in marriage with 
 Miss Caroline Yost, also a native of Hesse-Darm- 
 stadt, born in the same neighborhood as our 
 subject and they were reared as boy and girl 
 together. In that country her father died, and 
 she accompanied her mother and stepfather to 
 America. Five children were born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Keutzer, namely: George, a mechanic, 
 who is married and resides in Chicago; Bertha, 
 wife of John Monroe, who assists in the opera- 
 tion of the home farm, and by whom she has 
 one child, Raymond; Henry Otto, who is mar- 
 ried and is engaged in the implement business 
 in Peru, Illinois; Rudolph F., who is engaged 
 in farming on the home place; and Adam A., 
 also at home. 
 
 For one year after his marriage, Mr. Keutzer 
 Hved upon a rented farm, and then purchased his 
 present place which was but shghtly improved, 
 but he at once began its further development 
 and cultivation, and to-day has one of the best 
 farms in the locality, improved with a substantial 
 residence and good barns and out-buildings. 
 His property is but the just reward of his indus- 
 try and perseverance, aided by sound judg- 
 ment and strict economy. On his arrival here 
 his capital consisted of a pair of willing hands 
 and the firm determination to succeed. Politi- 
 cally he is identified with the republican party. 
 He is a stockholder and charter member of the 
 Peru Farmer's Fire Insurance company, and 
 
 with his family he holds membership in the Ger- 
 man Lutheran church of Peru. His stea'liiig 
 worth and upright life have gained him many 
 warm friends throughout the community where 
 he has so long made his home, and sketch of his 
 life will be received with interest by all who know 
 him. 
 
 JAMES DAMDSON. Quite a number of 
 the leading and prominent citizens of Mar- 
 shall county are of alien birth, and have trans- 
 ported to this land of fertility and plenty the 
 thrifty habits of their native country. Among 
 these there is none that is better known or more 
 widely respected than the gentleman whose 
 name appears at the head of this sketch. Since 
 five years of age he has made his home in this 
 county, and is now one of the extensive farmers 
 and stock rais&rs, residing on section 22, La 
 Prairie township. 
 
 In Roxburghshire, Scotland, Mr. Davidson 
 was born August ly , 1844, and five years later 
 was brought to Illinois by his parents, James and 
 Margaret (Pringle) Davidson, the latter the aunt 
 of Robert and Andrew Pringle. George David- 
 son, a brother of his father, had previously come 
 to Marshall county, locating in Steuben town- 
 ship, where he spent his remaining days. James 
 Davidson, Sr., with his family settled on 
 land adjoining the present farm of our subject, 
 where he made a permanent 'home and there 
 died in 1880, at the age of eighty-two years. Af- 
 ter surviving him for about two years, the moth- 
 er also departed this life at the age of eighty 
 years. The father had but twenty dollars when 
 he landed at Chillicothe, Illinois, and having a 
 wife and six children to support, he at once se- 
 cured land and immediately began its cultivation. 
 He prospered in his undertakings and well de- 
 served the success which came to him. 
 
 Our subject remained with his father until 
 the latter's death, when in company with bis 
 brother Adam he continued to operate the old 
 farm, to which they added more land by sub- 
 sequent purchase. Some twelve years ago, 
 however, he bought his present farm, a fine tract 
 
386 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of one hundred and sixty acres, and also has 
 sixty acres more a half mile distant, all of which 
 he operates. He gives some attention to the 
 breeding of good roadsters of the Hambletonian 
 breed, and has sold horses which were quite 
 noted for their speed, one going a mile in 2:26. 
 He is also engaged in the raising of cattle and 
 hogs. 
 
 On the 3d of February, 1887, a marriage cere- 
 mony was performed which united the destinies 
 of Mr. Davidson and ^Miiss Margaret E. Howe, 
 of Trego county, Kansas, but formerly of Chil- 
 licothe, Illinois, where she was reared. ^Ir. 
 Davidson has now acceptably served as town- 
 ship supervisor for three years, being now on 
 his second term, and has done much toward 
 making La Prairie township one of the best in 
 Marshall county. He is chairman of the pau- 
 per committee, and so efficiently has he done his 
 work that in his own township there is not now a 
 single pauper. He has also served as town- 
 ship collector, and school director for a number 
 of years, and road commissioner for nine years. 
 He has ever discharged his duties, both public 
 and private, in a most able manner, and well 
 deserves the confidence and trust reposed in him 
 by the people. 
 
 GEORGE H. SHAW, a farmer residing on 
 section 30, Roberts township, is a native 
 of Marshall county, and has here resided during 
 his entire life. His father, George Henry Shaw, 
 was born in Kentucky about 1798. He there 
 grew to manhood and received a very liberal 
 education for that day. About 1828, he came on 
 horseback from his native state to ^Marshall 
 county, and selected the present farm of our sub- 
 ject. He then taught school at Ox Bow Prairie, 
 Putnam county, a few terms, and then returned 
 to his Kentucky home. In I831, he brought his 
 family and took up his residence on the land 
 which he had selected on his first visit to this 
 state. His wife bore the maiden name of Pene- 
 lope Edwards, and was also a native of Kentucky, 
 in which state the wedding ceremony was per- 
 formed. Their first house in this county \vz.s 
 
 what was known as an open faced tent, in which 
 they lived a short time, or until the erection of a 
 substantial log cabin. In that dwelling they re- 
 sided until 1844, when he built the brick residence 
 now occupied by our subject. 
 
 On locating here 3ilr. Shaw found neighbors 
 few and far between. Colonel Strawn lived four 
 miles away, and Jesse S. Roberts some three and 
 a half miles distant. The place that he selected 
 was composed of prairie and timber and was long 
 known as Shaw's Point. His house was an old 
 landmark and was the temporary home of many 
 of the early settlers in this locality. Before com- 
 ing to this county, ]\Ir. Shaw bad learned survey- 
 ing and his services were often in demand in 
 this new country. 
 
 To George H. and Penelope Shaw were born 
 seven children: Stoughton in early manhood 
 fell from a tree and was killed; Elizabeth x\nn, 
 widow of Dr. Henry Tesmer, is now postmistress 
 at Sparland, Marshall county; Penelope R., de- 
 ceased, was the wife of Fielding Miles, of Kan- 
 sas; Thomas M., is judge of the circuit court 
 of this district; i\Iary, wife of H. D. Whitcomb, 
 lives in Bloomington, Illinois; Almira is de- 
 ceased; George H. completes the family. The 
 mother of these children died in 1840, and the 
 father married Emma Edwards, a sister of his 
 first wife. She died about 1872. He survived 
 her, dying in February, 1877. 
 
 During the first decade of the history of Mar- 
 shall county, George H. Shaw was a prominent 
 figure. In the Black Hawk war he served as a 
 private soldier. In the establishment of the pres- 
 ent school system he took a livelj' interest and 
 helped organize many of the school districts of 
 the county. Politically he was a democrat, and 
 firmly believed in the principles of the party. 
 For several years he served as supervisor and also 
 collector of Roberts township. In religious be- 
 lief he was a L^niversalist, though never a mem- 
 ber of the church. 
 
 The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
 the farm where he now resides and received his 
 primary education in the district schools, after 
 which he attended school at Lacon for one year 
 
THE lUOGRAPHlCAL RECORD. 
 
 387 
 
 and finished his course at Lombard college at 
 Galesburg. After leaving that institvition he 
 taught the district school near his home and 
 also in the district north. In August, 1861, he 
 enlisted in Company I, Eleventh Illinois A'olun- 
 teer Infantiy, under Captain Fort, and was ap- 
 pointed one of the sergeants. The company was 
 raised in this locality. It joined the regiment at 
 Bird's Point, and served under Grant, taking 
 part in the engagements at Fort Donelson, and 
 also both days at Shiloh. On the lOth of r\Iay, 
 1863, Air. Shaw was promoted second lieutenant 
 of his company, and shortly after was in the bat- 
 tle of Champion Hills, and later in the siege of 
 A icksburg. The regiment was then sent to the 
 Yazoo river, and at Liverpool Heights and Yazoo 
 City met the enemy. It was sent in numerous 
 expechtions from A^icksburg and was in the Jack- 
 son, Mississippi, campaign, in which they had 
 several fights, going and returning. Lieutenant 
 Sha^\■ ^\•as in command of a force protecting a 
 transport of two boats in tow, going to Duvall's 
 Bluff. They landed at night, and were fired into, 
 but came off all right. 
 
 In consequence of ill health. Lieutenant Shaw 
 resigned his commission December 20, 1864, and 
 returned home, and has since resided upon the 
 old homestead, but has never been in the enjoy- 
 ment of good health. He takes no active part 
 in political affairs, but feels a lively interest in 
 the various Grand Army re-unions of this dis- 
 trict. 
 
 ARTHUR C. BOGGS. Among the leading 
 citizens of Princeton no one is more worthy 
 of consideration than the gentleman whose name 
 stands at the head of this sketch. He is a pro- 
 gressive and popular man, and since taking up 
 his residence in Bureau county in 1867, has ex- 
 erted a beneficial influence in promoting its 
 prosperity and development. He is a native of 
 West Virginia, born in Ohio county, four miles 
 east of Wheeling, February 18, 1826, and is of 
 Irish descent. With two brothers, his paternal 
 grandfather came to the United States, landing 
 at Xew York, where one of them settled. He 
 
 was a weaver by trade and took up a claim which 
 is now in the heart of that city, now of great 
 value, and in litigation by some of the heirs. 
 The grandfather of our subject, Francis Boggs, 
 was a native of Pennsylvania. Later he removed 
 to Ohio county, Virginia, and took up a claim 
 of fifty acres (which was known then as a "toma- 
 hawk claim"), to which he added from time to 
 time, until he had a farm of three hundred acres. 
 
 William Boggs, the father of Arthur C, was 
 born in Ohio county, West Mrginia, where he 
 was reared, and where he engaged in farming, 
 and was numbered among the successful and 
 prominent agriculturists of the county. There 
 he married Lee Ann Carter, a daughter of Arthur 
 Carter, also a pioneer of Ohio county. In his 
 political affiliations, Mr. Bo-ggs was a whig, and 
 creditably served in numerous positions of trust 
 and honor. He was born September 7, 1789, 
 and died July 26, 1869. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest in the family of five 
 children, three sons and two daughters — W. J. 
 is married and lives in Pittsburg, Penns3dvania ; 
 David B.is married and is living retired in Prince- 
 ton, Illinois; Beth Ann, married Elijah Wadell, 
 and removed to Christian county, Illinois, where 
 his death occurred; Mary J., wedded the Rev. 
 Josiah Milligan, who for a number of years was 
 pastor of the Presbyterian church at Princeton. 
 He died at Omaha, Nebraska, and his widow now 
 lives in Chicago. 
 
 Aruthur C. Boggs assisted his father in the 
 labors of the home farm tmtil his marriage, which 
 important event in his life was celebrated in 
 Ohio county. West Virginia, September 12, 1854, 
 Miss Man,? Alilligan becoming his wife. She is 
 a native of that county, and a daughter of Hugh 
 ]\Iilligan. Four children were born to them, 
 who grew to mature years, namely: Flora, who 
 married Jacob Thompson, removed with her hus- 
 band to a ranch near Pueblo, Colorado, where 
 he was extensively engaged in the sheep busi- 
 ness, and where her death occurred; Willis A., 
 is married and is a prominent business man of 
 Griswold, Iowa; Mary V., is at home, and Eva 
 joined her sister in Colorado, where she remained 
 
388 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 until her sister Flora's death, and after her re- 
 turn home she too was called to the land be- 
 yond. 
 
 Mr. Boggs began his domestic life upon a 
 farm near West Liberty, in Ohio county, West 
 A'irginia, where he remained until 1867, the year 
 of his removal to Bureau county. He came to 
 Princeton to visit his sister and was so pleased 
 with the prospects of the county that he pur- 
 chased a farm in Dover township, a well im- 
 proved place for those days. He operated that 
 land for two years and then sold out and re- 
 moved to a farm in Princeton township, which 
 he successfully cultivated for twentv years. He 
 then bought his residence property in Princeton, 
 where for the last fifteen years he has found 
 a pleasant home. It is pleasantly located on 
 Church street, nearly opposite the :\Iethodist 
 Episcopal church. He traded his farm in Prince- 
 ton township for one of two hundred acres in 
 Dover township, which is a valuable tract and 
 improved with farm buildings. 
 
 Politically, j\'Ir. Boggs in early life was an old 
 line whig, casting his first presidential ballot 
 for Zachary Taylor, and, since voting for Lin- 
 coln in 1864, has been a stalwart republican. He 
 has taken quite an active interest in local matters, 
 has served as a delegate to numerous county con- 
 ventions, has-been supervisor of his township, and 
 is the present efHcient assessor of Princeton town- 
 ship, having filled that position for nine consecu- 
 tive years to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 He is one of the active and progressive men of 
 the county, and takes great interest in all matters 
 that are calculated to enhance its value, or to 
 benefit his fellow men. Both himself and wife 
 are conscientious Christian people, faithful mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian church of Princeton. 
 
 JAM ES M'KEAN, a representative and worthy 
 citizen of Princeton, was born in Fayette, 
 Pennsylvania, October 20, 1820, and is a son of 
 Thompson and Sarah (Shaw) McKean. His 
 maternal grandfather aided the colonies in 
 their struggle for independence during the Revo- 
 
 lutionai-y war. Thompson McKean was of 
 Scotch descent, but came to this country from the 
 north of Ireland at an early day. He was a 
 man of great vigor and business sagacity, and 
 owned and operated a blast furnace near Union- 
 town, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, for many 
 years. He was one of the contractors who built 
 the national road from Baltimore to Columbus, 
 Ohio, being superintendent of the same in 1835, 
 and later. He was a prominent, energetic and 
 enterprising man, taking a leading part in public 
 affairs. His death occurred at the age of sev- 
 enty-four years, and his wife passed away at the 
 age of eighty-three, at the home of our subject 
 in Buda, Bureau county, Illinois. In their fam- 
 ily were six children — Jane, wife of Joseph L. 
 Weily, both now deceased ; Richard L., who died 
 in Pennsylvania at the age of twenty-four 
 years; Thomas, a resident of Criton, Missouri; 
 James, of this sketch; John, who was superin- 
 tendent of iron works in Mrginia, where his 
 death occurred; and William, who died at Buda, 
 Illinois, at the age of forty, in 1869. 
 
 Our subject was employed at his father's fur- 
 nace until coming to Tiskilwa, Bureau county, 
 on the 1st of April, 1857, since which time he 
 has always made his home in this county, devot- 
 ing most of his life to farming and stock raising. 
 He is the oldest breeder of fine horses in the 
 county, in which business he is still engaged, 
 and now has one horse, Oneida, for which he 
 paid five thousand dollars. For a time he also 
 engaged in cattle raising. His fine farm in ;\Iilo 
 township comprises three hundred and twenty 
 acres of valuable land, one of the best in the 
 county, and yields bountiful returns for the care 
 and labor expended upon it. 
 
 In 1844 Mr. McKean married ]\Iiss Minerva 
 E. Hare, daughter of German D. Hare, of Penn- 
 sylvania, where their marriage was celebrated, 
 and to them were born four children — Sarah, 
 wife of J. W. Arnold, of Tampico, Illinois; Ger- 
 man, living in the West; Thompson, who oper- 
 ates the home farm; and Richard L., of Boyd's 
 Grove, Bureau count}-. The wife and mother 
 died in 1854, at the age of thirty years, and in 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 389 
 
 1856 Air. }ilcKean married Aliss Ann Wiley, 
 who died in 1881. For his third wife he chose 
 Mrs. R. S. Northway, widow of Mavel North- 
 way, who died in 1883, at the age of thirty-eight 
 years. Since 1885 Mr. McKean has made his 
 home in Princeton, where he has become widely 
 and favorably known. In his political views he 
 has ever been identified with the democratic par- 
 ty, but is not much of a politician, caring noth- 
 ing for office, although for several years he served 
 as school director. 
 
 Flavel F. Northway, the first husband of Mrs. 
 AIcKean, was a farmer and stock raiser of Am- 
 bov, Lee county, Illinois. He was born in Steu- 
 ben county. New York, ?\Iay 4, 1844, and was a 
 son of Francis H. and Alinerva (Stewart) North- 
 way, who came west in the fall of 1844, locating 
 two miles north of Amboy. In October, 1864, 
 the son enlisted in Company C, Seventh Illi- 
 nois Cavalry, under Colonel Graham, and was 
 engaged mostly in scouting and garrison duty 
 in Tennessee, ?\Iississippi and Alabama, being 
 mustered out at Huntsville, of the last named 
 state, in October, 1865. In 1873 he married 
 Olive S. Tracy, daughter of Nelson and Louisa 
 (Baird) Tracy, of Cattaraugus county, New- 
 York, who located near Amboy, Illinois, in i860. 
 Her father died in 1895, at the age of sixty- 
 eight years, but her mother is still living, mak- 
 ing her home with her daughter, Alvira, wife 
 of R. W. SproU, who is the youngest of the fam- 
 ily. Besides Mrs. McKean, the others are Ro- 
 setta, who died in 1867, at the age of thirty years, 
 about six months after her marriage to Charles 
 Fenstemaker; and Charles, a carpenter living 
 near Amboy. A notable event in the life of Air. 
 Northway was the tornado of June, i860, which 
 swept his farm, demolishing all the buildings; 
 but the family, numbering seven, escaped with 
 their lives, although all were more or less in- 
 jured. This storm destroyed Comanche, Iowa, 
 lodging much of it in the Mississippi river, and 
 killed one-seventh of all the people in its track. 
 Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. North- 
 way — Daisy M., who was born June 22, 1875, 
 and died April 28, 1879; and Guy Fuller and 
 
 Flavel F., aged respectively sixteen and fourteen 
 years, who are still with their mother. The 
 father was called to his filial rest February 22, 
 1883. 
 
 CORYDON P. SNOW, superintendent of 
 the public schools oi Princeton, comes of 
 a family of educators, and is recognized as one 
 of the leading men of his profession in the state. 
 He is a native of Boston, Massachusetts, born 
 September 9, 1834. His father. Professor Thom- 
 as J. Snow, was a graduate of Harvard and 
 Brown universities, and although educated for 
 the ministry and duly ordained, he did not fol- 
 low that caUing but one year, but chose the pro- 
 fession of teacher and followed that vocation 
 during his entire life. 
 
 During the childhood of our subject, his par- 
 ents removed to Kentucky, locating at Hopkins- 
 ville, from which place they later removed to 
 Russellville, in the same state. In both of these 
 places the father conducted schools which were 
 quite successful in the way of attendance and 
 , good results. Being by nature and training op- 
 posed to slaver)', he left Kentucky in 1850, and 
 moved to Peoria, Illinois, where he resumed his 
 place in the class room, establishing there a se- 
 lect school. Death, however, soon claimed him, 
 he dying in 185 1, at the age of fifty-eight years. 
 He was a thoroughly educated man, a great 
 mathematician and linguist and a natural born 
 teacher. In early Hfe he was a Methodist in 
 religious belief, and as such was ordained to the 
 ministry. Later in life his views changed, and 
 he became identified with the followers of Swed- 
 enborg, dying in that faith. He was of a poet- 
 ical turn of mind and well versed in general and 
 poetical literature. 
 
 Thomas J. Snow married Miss Caroline Wil- 
 bur, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, who sur- 
 vived him four years. She was an educated 
 woman and a worthy helpmeet of a worthy man. 
 The families of both herself and husband were 
 long residents of New England, and were proud 
 of their country. By this union were born six 
 children — Herman W., who now resides at Kan- 
 
390 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 kakee, Kankakee county, Illinois, where he is en- 
 gaged in banking, was a colonel during the late 
 war, and for a time was provost marshal for the 
 state of Georgia. He was elected by the demo- 
 cratic party to the Fifty-third congress, and was 
 made chairman of the pension committee. In 
 the Fifty-fourth congress he served as sergeant- 
 at-arms of the house of representatives, being 
 elected to that position by the democratic mem- 
 bers. He is well known as a citizen and lead- 
 ing democratic politician of eastern Illinois. 
 One daughter, Mrs. A. C. Little, now of Aurora, 
 Illinois, was one of the first teachers in the 
 Princeton high school and filled the position 
 some four or five years when she was Miss 
 Bonnie Vera Snow. Another daughter is now 
 Mrs. D. W. Starkey, of Wheaton, Illinois. She 
 also served as a teacher for some years. The 
 remaining sons were Hector O., a teacher in a 
 private academy at AUensville, Kentucky; he 
 died at Trenton, Kentucky, June 9, 1896; Oren 
 T., who was for thirty years a teacher in a public 
 school at Batavia, Illinois, and died in 1894; 
 and Corydon P., of this sketch. 
 
 On the death of the father, Hector O. and 
 Oren T. succeeded him in the school at Peoria, 
 M'hich they continued two years, then moved to 
 Chicago and established the Garden City Insti- 
 tute, which they conducted five years, and then 
 engaged in public school work, the former going 
 to Jiladisonville, Kentucky, and the latter going 
 to Batavia. All the children were educated bv 
 the father and each of them selected the same 
 profession as their life work. 
 
 Corydon P. Snow, our subject, was seventeen 
 years of age when his father died. Two years 
 later he went with his brothers to Chicago and 
 studied and taught in the Garden City Institute 
 for five years. The building burning, the broth- 
 ers concluded to abandon the school and seek 
 positions elsewhere. Corydon returned to Peo- 
 ria, and for eight years was employed as prin- 
 cipal in one of the city schools. In 1864 he 
 assisted in raising Company H, of the Four- 
 teenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and was com- 
 missioned first lieutenant. With his regiment. 
 
 he joined Sherman's army in the spring of 1865, 
 in North Carolina, and remained with that com- 
 mand until the close of the war. Pie took part 
 in the battle of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and 
 was in many skirmishes during the march 
 through that state. The Fourteenth Illinois 
 took part in the grand review at Washington at 
 the close of hostilities. Its term of service, how- 
 ever, was not over, and it was sent to Nebraska, 
 where it spent the summer of 1865, operating 
 against the Indians. By a general order it was 
 mustered out in Septeruber of that year, and its 
 members honorably discharged. During the 
 greater part of his enlistment. Lieutenant Snow 
 was .in command of his company. 
 
 On receiving his discharge, Air. Snow returned 
 to Peoria and resumed his place in the school 
 room. Two years later he was called to take 
 charge of the Princeton schools as superinten- 
 dent, and September i, 1869, entered upon the 
 discharge of his duties. With the close of the 
 present term, he completes his twenty-seventh 
 year. That his work has been satisfactory is at- 
 tested by his long service. When he came to 
 the city he found the school facilities not of the 
 best, although some improvements have since 
 been made. Under the wise administration of 
 Professor Snow, the public schools have been 
 highly successful. 
 
 The public schools of Princeton have been 
 kept at a high standard, the grading keeping 
 pace with other cities. Two new buildings have 
 recently been erected and every department 
 strengthened. The people have just reason to be 
 proud of the schools, the teachers of which are 
 largely made up of the graduates of the high 
 school. The best years of the life of Professor 
 Snow have been given to the work here, and 
 his reputation as a teacher is second to none in 
 the state. He is a member of the local and 
 state educational associations, and of the national 
 educational association. In these societies he has 
 taken an active part, although he does not class 
 himself as a public speaker. He is not a spe- 
 cialist, but endeavors to be a good all-round 
 teacher and superintendent. 
 
THE r.IOGRAl'HICAL RECORD. 
 
 391 
 
 Professor Snow and Miss Elizabeth Paddock 
 were united in marriage July 2^, 1872, at Prince- 
 ton. She is a daughter of Dr. Solomon Allen 
 and Angelica Hamilton (Boyd) Paddock, the 
 former a native of South Carolina, and the latter 
 of Boyd's Grove, Illinois. Her father died at 
 Bloomington, Illinois, some years ago. Her 
 mother, who was a daughter of Charles S. and 
 Elizabeth (Dixon) Boyd, early settlers of Bureau 
 county, after whom Boyd's Grove was named, is 
 yet living, making her home at San Antonio, 
 Texas, with her son, Captain George H. Pad- 
 dock, of the regular army. The parents of An- 
 gelica R. Boyd were from Hudson, New York, 
 but came to Illinois early in the '30s and were 
 here married. 
 
 Dr. Paddock located at Princeton, where he 
 formed a partnership with Dr. Chamberlain. 
 Some time previous to the war he formed a com- 
 pany, known as the Harden Guards, and on the 
 commencement of hostilities between the states, 
 he raised a company for the Ninth Illinois Cav- 
 alry, and on the organization of the regiment 
 was commissioned lieutenant colonel, and the 
 regiment ordered to Pilot Knob. While en route 
 he died at Bloomington, Illinois, February 18, 
 1862, aged thirty-six years. His death resulted 
 from apoplexy and occurred at the very hour 
 of his thirteenth marriage anniversary. His re- 
 mains were brought back and interred in Oak- 
 land cemetery. The old home in Princeton is 
 yet owned by the widow. 
 
 I\Irs. Snow was born in the house in which she 
 was married. She was educated in the Prince- 
 ton schools, and graduated from the high school 
 in the class of 1871. A member of the People's 
 church, she is quite active in its interests and is 
 the organist. Few persons are better posted in 
 standard and current literature and in all the 
 general news of the day. A believer in equal 
 suffrage, she has the courage of her convictions, 
 which she expresses fearlessly and freely. An 
 accomplished horsewoman, she keeps a Ken- 
 tucky thoroughbred, which she rides without 
 fear of danger and with evident enjoyment. 
 
 Religiously, Professor Snow is a Sweden- 
 
 borgian, and fraternally a Mason, a member of 
 the blue lodge, chapter and commandery. Both 
 himself and wife are members of the Eastern 
 Star. 
 
 JOSEPH CLARK. This prosperous and in- 
 telligent farmer, living on his homestead on 
 section 27, Saratoga township, Marshall county, 
 was born in Berkeley county, West Virginia, four 
 miles from Alartinsburg, July 25, 1844, and at 
 the age of eleven years accompanied his parents, 
 William and Jane (Harper) Clark, to Illinois. 
 After a year s residence in Whiteiield township, 
 Marshall county, in 1856 they removed to Sara- 
 toga township, where they located upon land 
 three quarters of a mile from the present home 
 of our subject. 
 
 The father there secured forty acres of land, 
 for which he paid two hundred and fifty dollars 
 down and went in debt fifty dollars. Seven 
 years previous to coming to this state, he had 
 lived in Ohio, from whence he drove to Mar- 
 shall county, and on his arrival had four hun- 
 dred and fifty dollars. He thought forty acres 
 was all the land he could ever use, but he later 
 added another forty acre tract for which he paid 
 two thousand dollars. There he made his home 
 until his death in 1878, at the age of sixty-six 
 years, and his widow lived upon the same place 
 until she, too, was called to her final rest in Au- 
 gust, 1892, at the advanced age of ninety years. 
 They had four children — Mary, who remained 
 with her mother and is now living in Henry, Illi- 
 nois; Robert, a farmer of York county, Ne- 
 braska; Joseph, of this review: and Thomas, 
 the bridge tender at Henrv. 
 
 The early life of Joseph Clark was passed upon 
 the home farm, and after reaching his majority, 
 he began threshing, but still remained a member 
 of the parental household. His first purchase 
 of land consisted of eighty acres in the eastern 
 part of Saratoga townsihip, wliere he continued 
 to live for seven years, when he came to his pres- 
 ent place, which was formerly the old homestead 
 of Thomas Doyle, his father-in-law. He now 
 has one hundred and sixty acres, on which he 
 
•'M 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 has made many valuable and useful improve- 
 ments. Starting out in life for himself at the 
 age of twenty years, he was able to pay for about 
 half of his first eighty acre tract, the cost price 
 of which was thirty-six hundred dollars, and he 
 had the place cleared and under a high state of 
 cultivation at the end of seven years. For his 
 present farm he paid seventy-one dollars per 
 acre for one hundred and twenty acres of the 
 amount, and fifty dollars per acre for the other 
 forty acres. His wife 'had received five hundred 
 dollars cash as her part of the estate. Besides 
 general farming, he is also engaged to some ex- 
 tent in the breeding of heavy draft horses. 
 
 On the 29th of October, 1875, Air. Clark was 
 united in marriage with Miss Matilda Doyle, who 
 was born in Saratoga township, on the first farm 
 owned by her father in Illinois. They are high- 
 ly esteemed and respected members of the socie- 
 ty which surrounds them, and enjoy the confi- 
 dence and regard of all who know them. As an 
 enterprising and progressive farmer, Mr. Clark 
 has no superior in Saratoga township. Politically 
 he is a stalwart republican, but no office-seeker; 
 and socially, is a member of Sparland lodge, 
 No. 441, F. & A. M,, with which he has been 
 connected for eight years, and for two years has 
 belonged to the Eastern Star. He attends the 
 meetings of the lodges quite regularly, and takes 
 a commendable interest in their work. 
 
 JOHN NORTON, SR., is a retired farmer, 
 living at \'arna, and is numbered among the 
 settlers of 1848. His father, Hiram Norton, was 
 a native of Connecticut, and settled in Ohio, at 
 an early day, locating in Trumbull county, where 
 he married. His wife dying, he was again mar- 
 ried and removed to Holmes county, Ohio, 
 where he made a permanent home and there 
 spent the remainder of his life. 
 
 Tlie subject of this sketch was born January 
 3, 1821, in Trumbull county, Ohio, but in earlv 
 childhood removed with his father to Holmes 
 county, where he grew to manhood. He was 
 reared on a farm and educated in the subscription 
 schools of the early days. In 1844 he was united 
 
 in marriag"e with Miss Eleanor Berry, also a na- 
 tive of Ohio. Pour years later they came to 
 Marshall county, and settled in Lacon, where 
 he remained three years. He then located five 
 miles east of that place on a partially improved 
 farm and there remained fifteen years, when he 
 moved to sections 31 and 32, Roberts township, 
 where his son, John B. Norton, now resides. On 
 removing to the farm in Roberts township he re- 
 modeled the house, built the barn and made 
 other excellent improvements. In 1884 he 
 turned the farm over to his sons and removed 
 to \'arna, where he has since lived a retired 
 life. 
 
 To John and Eleanor Norton were born five 
 children — Elizabeth, now the wife of P. H. Pur- 
 cell, lives in York, Nebraska; George W., who 
 married Jennie Roberts, now deceased, lives in 
 Varna, and his present wife bore the maiden 
 name of Ella O'Mara; Samantha Jane, now de- 
 ceased, was the wife of John Imhofif ; Emily E. is 
 now the wife of McL. Thompson, of West, York 
 county, Nebraska; John B., who married Clara 
 Tidmarsh, now resides in Roberts township. 
 Mrs. Norton dying, May 13, 1857, our subject 
 was again married, March zy, 1861, to Aliss 
 Mary L. Boys, a native of Monroe county, Penn- 
 sylvania, born September 29, 1832. She died 
 Februar\- 4, 1873, leaving four children— Wil- 
 liam O., residing in \'arna; Edwin S., who mar- 
 ried Alma Winget, and now resides in A'arna; 
 Leonard AI.. who married Mollie Broaddus, and 
 lives in A'arna; Letitia M., who married Clififord 
 Roberts, and also makes her home in \'arna. 
 
 Mr. Norton married bis present wife, Decem- 
 ber 31, 1879. She was Miss Ellen B. Boys, born 
 February 14, 1840, in Hopewell townsliip, Mar- 
 shall county, and a daughter of William and 
 Letitia (Morgan) Boys, both of whom were na- 
 tives of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. They came 
 to Marshall county in 1832, and stopped for a 
 short time with Colonel John Strawn, then lo- 
 cated on section 27, Hopewell township, of which 
 he was the first settler. At that time their near- 
 est neighbor was three miles away. On that 
 farm they resided until their deaths, the father 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 393 
 
 dying October 4. 1873, and the mother, January 
 II, 1880. They were the parents of six children 
 — John, now deceased, married Aiargaret Rus- 
 sell, and after her death married Catherine Long, 
 by whom he had two children ; Mary was the 
 deceased wife of our subject; Morgan, now de- 
 ceased, married Annie Hancock, who has also 
 passed away ; Charles, wdio married Aurelia 
 Hall, now resides in Washburn, Illinois; Ellen 
 B. is now the wife of our subject; Emily, who 
 married Stephen Ramsey, resides in Hopewell 
 township. 
 
 Politically, ]\Ir. Norton is a democrat, with 
 which party he has been identified since attaining 
 his majority. He has been supervisor of Rob- 
 erts township, and has also held other township 
 offices, including that of school director, which 
 position he held for many years. When he came 
 to Alarshall county he was in very limited cir- 
 cumstances and for many years was required to 
 toil early and late, but having accumulated a 
 competency, he is now living a retired life in 
 the village of Varna. To each of his children 
 lie has given a good education, the most of them 
 attending higher schools of other localities. 
 
 ABEL TIDMARSH is a leading represent- 
 ative of the agricultural interests oi Mar- 
 shall county, and belongs to that honored class 
 of self-made men to whom success has come as 
 the reward of earnest persistent effort. He was 
 born in Wilkeshire, England, December 27, 
 1821, one of the seven children of Richard and 
 Sarah (Woodham) Tidmarsh, who spent their 
 entire lives in England. Our subject was reared 
 in the land of his birth, and from an early age 
 his life has been one of toil. When a child of 
 seven he began working to help his mother. 
 Later he engaged in team^ing for many years, 
 and thus at various occupations he labored per- 
 sistently until he gained for himself a comfort- 
 able home. 
 
 Mr. Tidmarsh was married January 12, 1845, 
 to Elizabeth Witts, a native of New Castle on 
 Tyne, in England, bom January 31, 1822. Her 
 parents, Seth and- Barbara (Howell) Witts, also 
 
 lived and died in England. Of their seven chil- 
 dren, on!}- one now survives — Mrs. Sarah Wal- 
 ters. Our subject and his wife have four chil- 
 dren — Sarah Ellen, wife of Samson Rowe, of 
 Whitefield township, Marshall county, by whom 
 she has seven children; Emma, wife of John 
 Wetzel, of Roberts township, Marshall county, 
 and the mother of five children; Clara, wife of 
 John ]>. Martin, of Roberts township, and Henry 
 W., who married Elizabeth ^Miller, and with his 
 wife and three children is living on the old home- 
 stead farm. Mrs. Tidmarsh died June 13, 1896, 
 after an illness of but three days. She was a 
 member of the Church of England, and was 
 \\-elI respected by all who knew her. 
 
 Air. Tidmarsh came with his family to America 
 in 1855, and took up his residence in Whitefield 
 township, Marshall county. He worked one 
 season in a brick\ard and then purchased the 
 >-ard, which he operated for four years. In i860 
 he rented a farm of Jesse Bane in Roberts town- 
 ship, cultivating the same for six years, and in 
 1866 he purchased his present home, then but 
 partially improved. His home was a log cabin, 
 but in 1879 this was replaced by a commodious 
 frame residence. He has made excellent im- 
 provements upon his farm, and has extended its 
 boundaries until it now comprises four hundred 
 and four acres of rich and arable land, which 
 yields to him a good tribute. He is a success- 
 ful and progressive general farmer, who arrived 
 in this country with a cash capital of twenty-five 
 cents, but has steadily worked his wav upward 
 to a position of affluence. He has also given his 
 children good educational privileges and they 
 are now settled in comfortable homes. In poli- 
 tics he is a democrat, and has served as school 
 director. 
 
 FRAXCIS H. BOND, one of the represent- 
 ative attorneys and influential citizens of 
 Wenona, was born in Massachusetts, on the i6th 
 i^f December, 1821, and belongs to an old New 
 England family. His parents, Isaac and Susan 
 (Whitcomb) Bond, were also natives of the bav 
 state, where their marriage was celebrated, and 
 
394 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 they began their domestic Hfe at Millbury, Massa- 
 chusetts. The mother died at BoUon, that 
 state, in 1827, after which our subject went to 
 Hve with his maternal grandfather, Jonathan 
 Whitcomb, who was a prominent fanner of 
 Alassacbusetts, where his entire life was passed, 
 and at the time Francis took up his abode with 
 him, owned the only Hmekiln in the state. 3ilr. 
 Whitcomb also took an active part in the work 
 of the Unitarian church, of \\'liich he was a lead- 
 ing member. 
 
 The education of yir. Bond was acc|uired in 
 the seminaries at Westminster and Stow, Massa- 
 chusetts, and he remained in the east vmtil the 
 ■ spring of 1846, when he emigrated to Illinois. 
 The following summer he taught school at Chil- 
 licothe, after which he came to Alarshall county, 
 where he followed that profession for two years, 
 and then began farming in Hopewell townsjiip. 
 
 In 1849 was celebrated the marriage of Air. 
 Bond and Miss Lucy Broaddus, a daughter of 
 Lunsford Broaddus, and a sister of Reuben 
 Broaddus, of Hopewell township, whose sketch 
 appears in another part of this work. The lady 
 was a native of Virginia, and came to Marshall 
 county with her parents. After his marriage, 
 Mr. Bond took his bride to his farm in Hope- 
 well township, where she died September 30, 
 1853, and their only child is also deceased. 
 
 Removing to Wenona, in 1858, Mr. Bond has 
 since been identified with its interests. Previ- 
 ously he had commenced reading la^\■, and later 
 took a regular course in the law department of 
 the University of Chicago, from which he grad- 
 uated in July, 1862; was admitted to the bar by 
 the supreme court of the state the following 
 year. For many years he has now been a suc- 
 cessful lawyer of this place, and also dealt in real 
 estate, still owning a farm in Evans township. 
 Politically he is a republican, having affiliated 
 with that party since its organization, and takes 
 an active interest in its success. He has served 
 as delegate to various conventions, served ac- 
 ceptably as president of the village, board, has 
 been a member of the school board, for several 
 years was township clerk, and was elected jus- 
 
 tice of the peace at Wenona, but not caring for 
 the office he resigned. He has been the archi- 
 tect of his own fortune and well deserves the suc- 
 cess which has come to him. He is a courteous, 
 affable gentleman, and, above all, wherever he 
 is found, whether in public or private life, his in- 
 tegrity is above question and his honor above re- 
 proach. He is a member of no church, but at- 
 tends the Liberal association meetings occasion- 
 allv. 
 
 M 
 
 ICHAEL KENNEDY, the popular mayor 
 of Arlington, is one of the most promi- 
 nent, enterprising and successful young farm- 
 ers of Bureau county, where his entire life has 
 been passed, his birth occurring on the 29th of 
 December, 1869, in the house which is still his 
 home. He is a worthy representative of a fam- 
 ily that has long been prominently identified with 
 the interests of the county. His paternal grand- 
 father, Captain Michael Kennedy, was a man of 
 superior education, a civil engineer by profes- 
 sion, and located the railroad through the county, 
 now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. He was 
 a native of Ireland, but came to Bureau county 
 at an early day, and purchased a large tract of 
 about three thousand acres, on which he platted 
 a town, giving it the name of Port Arlington. 
 He also opened up a large farm, on which he 
 spent his remaining years, and took an. active 
 and prominent part in the early affairs of the 
 community. 
 
 The father of our subject, who also bore the 
 name of IMichael, was born on the Emerald Isle, 
 and accompanied his father to Bureau county, 
 where he grew to manhood. Here he was united 
 in marriage with Miss Emily M. Fitzpatrick, also 
 a native of Ireland, who came to the U"nited 
 States when a child and was reared in 
 this county. Mr. Kennedy was one of 
 the prosperous and substantial farmers and 
 business men of this community, and was 
 influential in public affairs, being called 
 upon to fill a number of responsible positions. 
 He died in the prime of manhood in 1872, and 
 lies buried beside his father, Captain Kennedv. 
 
MiciiAKi, Kkxnedv, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 397 
 
 in the family cemetery, where a neat and sub- 
 stantial monument marks their last resting place. 
 Mrs. Kennedy spent the last years of her life on 
 the old homestead with her son, her death occur- 
 ring September 12, 1896. 
 
 Our subject is the only child and upon the 
 home farm he has spent his entire life. His early 
 education, which was acquired in the Arlington 
 schools, was supplemented by a course at the 
 Niagara University, from which he graduated 
 in 1889. He then returned home to take charge 
 of the farm and business, which he has since so 
 ably conducted. The place comprises over eight 
 hundred acres, three hundred of which is valu- 
 able timber land, and the remainder is either 
 under a high state of cultivation or used for pas- 
 turage. ]\Ir. Kennedy has prepared, dressed and 
 ready for use sufficient lumber taken from his 
 grove to erect a large residence, which is now 
 nearing completion in the fall of 1896. On 
 Thursday, Xovember 26, 3.1r. Kennedy was 
 united in marriage with Miss Theresa Skefifing- 
 ton, of Bureau county, and they now make their 
 home in the beautiful new residence of which 
 mention has just been made. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Kennedy follows in the foot- 
 steps of his father, always affiliating with the 
 democratic party, and soon after attaining his 
 majority was elected mayor of Arlington, to 
 which responsible pwDsition he has been repeat- 
 edly re-elected, so that he is now serving his 
 fourth term. He has proven a progressive, ener- 
 getic official, always working for the best inter- 
 ests of that thriving little village, and in conjunc- 
 tion with the members of the board has put in 
 a very neat and complete system of water works, 
 something very much needed and of great value 
 to the village in case of a fire. Educational mat- 
 ters find in him a warm friend, and for several 
 terms he has been an efficient member of the 
 school board. He has also served as a delegate 
 to the county conventions of his party, and is a 
 member of the county central committee. Soci- 
 ally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of 
 America, being clerk of his camp, and also of the 
 Foresters, of which he is chief ranger. He is a 
 20 
 
 young man of superior business capacity, as an 
 official is prompt and faithful in the discharge of 
 ever}' dut_\- devolving upon him, and is justly 
 entitled to the high regard in which he is univer- 
 sally held. 
 
 JOSIAH M. STARK, a prosperous and hon- 
 ored citizen of Princeton, was for many 
 years one of the leading and representative farm- 
 ers of Bureau county, but has now laid aside 
 business cares, and is enjoying a well-earned 
 rest. He dates his residence here since the 27th 
 of ;May, 1849, and therefore has witnessed almost 
 the entire development of the county. He has 
 seen the lands transformed from an almost un- 
 broken wilderness into good homes and farms, 
 towns and villages spring up, and all modern in- 
 ventions and improvements introduced. 
 
 Mr. Stark was born in Morris count\-, New 
 Jersey, September 30, 1821, and is a son of Red- 
 ding and Sarah (Munson) Stark, the former a 
 native of Morris county, and the latter of Sussex 
 county, the same state. John Stark, the pater- 
 nal grandfather, was of English birth, and be- 
 came an early settler of New Jersey. The father 
 of our subject for many years carried on agri- 
 cultural pursuits in the county of his nativity, 
 but in 1850 emigrated to Bureau county, Illinois, 
 where his death occurred Alarch 16, 1858, and 
 his wife, surviving him a number of years, died 
 November 10, 1869. Their bodies were interred 
 in Oakland cemetery, where a neat and substan- 
 tial monument marks their last resting place. 
 Josiah ]M. is the second in order of birth in their 
 family of five children, three sons and two 
 daughters, the others being as follows: John 
 ;\I. married and spent his entire life in New Jer- 
 sey; Jacob never married and died in Bureau 
 county, and was buried near his parents; Lisba 
 Ann married D. W. Skinner, and resides at Den- 
 ver, Colorado; Marian married J. S. Kinnan, 
 of Bureau county, but both are now deceased. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of Josiah M. Stark 
 were passed in the county of his birth, but his 
 school privileges were rather limited. He is, 
 however, a well-informed man through reading 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and observation in later 3'ears. There he was 
 married, October 28, 1845, the lady of his choice 
 being Miss Mary H. Larason, a native of Mor- 
 ris county, and a daughter of Thomas and Mary 
 H. (Howell) Larason. Her maternal grand- 
 mother, Rachel Howell, was also a native of 
 New Jersey. Airs. Stark has a piece of her 
 grandmother's wedding dress, a striped and 
 figured silk, which is now one hvmdred and six- 
 teen years old. 
 
 For three years after his marriage, r\Ir. Stark 
 engaged in freighting from Jersey to New York 
 city, and in 1849 came to Illinois by way of New 
 York & Erie canal and the lakes, to La Salle, 
 and thence to Bureau county, arriving in 
 Princeton on the 27th of May. There he spent 
 the first year, working at any employment which 
 he could find, and for the following two years 
 operated a rented farm. He then purchased 
 eighty acres in Selby township, to ^^'hich he re- 
 moved in 1852, and to its improvement and cul- 
 tivation devoted his time and attention. He ex- 
 tended its boundaries until it comprised one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres, forty of which were un- 
 derlaid with coal, and he enlarged and remodeled 
 the house which he at first erected, built good 
 barns and out-buildings, and converted the place 
 mto a valuable and productive farm. There 
 he made bis home until 1892, when he purchased 
 his present comfortable home in Princeton, and 
 has here resided. He is truly a self-made man, 
 whose success is but the just reward of his own 
 untiring labors. 
 
 Four cMldren came to bless the union of Mr. 
 and Airs. Stark, one of whom died in infancy; 
 George A., the oldest, is a substantial farmer of 
 Harlan county, Nebraska. He married Emma 
 Alford, and has one daughter, Mary H., now the 
 wife of John Thompson, of the same county; 
 Charles L., a prominent business man of Mal- 
 com, Iowa, married Belle McDowell, and has 
 two daughters, Nelhe Maud and Lizzie Adelia; 
 Josiah R. married Fannie B. Stud3'vin, and is a 
 business man of Peoria. 
 
 Mr. Stark is an old Jackson democrat, always 
 supporting the men and measures of that party. 
 
 and has himself creditably filled several local 
 official positions. He and his wife, surrounded 
 by loving kindred and friends, are now nearing 
 the last milestone that marks the end of life's 
 journey, and on the 28th of October, 1895, cele- 
 brated their golden wedding, having for over 
 fifty years now shared with each other their joys 
 and sorrows, their adversity and prosperity. 
 Their record has been an honorable one, their 
 years have been fruitful with deeds of usefulness, 
 and they have gained the respect and honor of 
 the whole community. For over forty-seven 
 years they have now resided within the borders 
 of Bureau county, and no couple is more deserv- 
 ing of mention in a volume of this character than 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stark. 
 
 MICHAEL SKEFFINGTON. The well- 
 appointed farm of this gentleman is finely 
 located on section 15, Westfield township, Bu- 
 reau county, within whose borders he arrived in 
 1850. About 1867 he located upon the land 
 which he now occupies, a valuable tract of two 
 hundred and forty acres, and to which he has 
 given his close attention with results that can 
 hardly fail to be satisfactory to himself, and 
 where bis labors have met with success. 
 
 Ottawa, Canada, was the earlv tramping 
 ground of our subject, and there his birth took 
 place December 15, 1837. His father, Patrick 
 Sheffington, was a native of Ireland, born in 
 county Meath, about 1814, but when a young 
 man he emigrated to Canada with t\\o brothers. 
 He sawed the first lumber in Ottawa with whip 
 saws, which was used in building the citv and the 
 canal. There he married Nora Stockpole, a na- 
 tive of County Cork, Ireland, and thev began 
 their domestic life upon a farm of one hundred 
 acres which the father cleared and developed. 
 In 1850 he brought his family to Bureau countv, 
 IlHnois, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres 
 of raw land in M'estfield township on which he 
 located. He prospered in his undertakings 
 here and at his death owned over a section of 
 land. He was numbered among the most active, 
 enterprising and successful farmers of Bureau 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 399 
 
 county, and was called upon to serve in a num- 
 ber of local positions of honor and trust. His 
 death occurred in 1876, at the age of sixty-two 
 years, and his wife passed away in 1882. Both 
 lie buried in La Salle cemeten", where a neat and 
 substantial monument marks their last resting 
 place. 
 
 -Michael Skeffington is the oldest in the family 
 of eight sons and three daughters, all of whom 
 grew to maturity, and five sons and two daugh- 
 ters are still living. The others are as follows: 
 INIaria, wife of Patrick Nolan, of Seymour, 
 Champaigii county, Illinois: Ann, who died in 
 girlhood; Peter and Patrick, both farmers of 
 Champaign county; William, John and Joe, all 
 deceased; Dennis, a resident of Kansas City; 
 Frank, a farmer of Westfield township ; and 
 Martha J., who is married and resides in Canada. 
 ^Ir. Skeffington, of this sketch, was a lad of 
 thirteen _\ears when brought b)- his parents to 
 Bureau county, where he grew to manhood and 
 completed his education in the common schools. 
 He early became familiar with farm work, and 
 continued to aid in the cultivation of the home 
 farm for several years. He was married in La 
 Salle county, Illinois, on the 5th of Alarch, 1867, 
 to ]\Iiss Elizabeth Coakely, a native of Bureau 
 county and a daughter of Cornelius Coakely, 
 one of the old settlers of this state, who came 
 when a young man to La Salle county, but after- 
 ward took tip his residence in Bureau .county. 
 His death occurred at Peru, July 3, 1859. His 
 daughter v.-as reared and educated in that city, 
 and for a time was a successful teacher. 
 
 Upon his marriage, Air. Skeffington located 
 upon his present fine farm, which he now has 
 under a high state of cultivation and improved 
 with a substantial two-story residence, good 
 barns and out-buildings. In his undertakings 
 he has been uniformly successful, and is num- 
 bered among the energetic and stirring men who 
 operate to such good purpose in Westfield town- 
 ship. Besides his farming interests, he estab- 
 lished a dry goods store at ArHngton, in 1890, 
 which he conducted for about three years, and 
 was also engaged for two years in the same busi- 
 
 ness at Ladd, his son John managing the store 
 at the latter place. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Skeffington were born the 
 following named children: Eleanore, who died 
 at the age of two years ; John, who completed his 
 education at Niagara college, and is now assist- 
 ing his father in the operation of the home farm; 
 Patrick and Theressa, who are also at home; 
 Elizabeth, who is attending the Sister's school at 
 Utica, Illinois: Eleanora, Joseph, Cornelius and 
 James, all at home; Hcnr\-, who died in 1894, 
 at the age of eight years, and Cleophus, Gene- 
 vieve, Michael S^'lvester and William, who com- 
 plete the family. The parents and children are 
 communicants of the Catholic church at Arling- 
 ton. 
 
 Politically, Air. Skefifington is a stalwart sup- 
 porter of the democratic party, takes an active 
 part in its affairs, has served as chairman of the 
 township central committee for vears, and has 
 been a delegate to numerous county, state and 
 national conventions. He has acceptably served 
 in several official positions, being supervisor six- 
 teen years, township treasurer and school 
 treasurer. To whatever position he has been 
 elected he has proved a most competent and 
 trustworthy officer, and alwa)s faithfully dis- 
 charges every duty devolving upon him, whether 
 public or private. During his long residence 
 here he has gained the confidence and esteem of 
 all with whom he has come in contact and he and 
 his estimable wife have made hosts of warm per- 
 sonal friends among their large circle of ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 J' 
 
 OSIAH BATY, a leading representative of 
 the farming and stock-growing interests of 
 Bureau county, pleasantly located on section 6, 
 Concord township, is a native of Pennsylvania: 
 his birth occurred in Indiana county, on Christ- 
 mas day, 1821. His parents, David and Mar- 
 garet (Caldwell) Baty, were also born in the 
 same state, where the father worked as a me- 
 chanic throughout life. He died when our sub- 
 ject was only three years old, leaving a family 
 of nine children in very limited circumstances. 
 
400 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Jos'ia'h Baty was next to the youngest, and on 
 his father's death went to hve with a maternal 
 uncle, where he remained until seventeen years 
 of age, during which time he acquired the rudi- 
 ments of an education, becoming able to "read, 
 write and cipher.'' By judicious reading in later 
 }ears, however, he has become a well informed 
 man. At the age of seventeen he started out 
 in life for himself on a farm, and to agricultural 
 pursuits he has since devoted his time and atten- 
 tion. On attaining his majority he went to Cat- 
 taraugus county, New York, where he could ob- 
 tain better wages than he was receiving in Penn- 
 sylvania, and became foreman for an extensive 
 lumber dealer. During his ten years" residence 
 in the empire state, he was enabled to save some 
 money. 
 
 In Cattaraugus county, on the 15th of Xovem- 
 ber, 1847, ^^''- Baty was united in marriage with 
 Miss Sarah A. Lockwood, a native of that coun- 
 ty, and a daughter of Thomas and Fannie 
 (France) Lockwood, who were natives respec- 
 tivel}^ of Brooklyn, X. Y., and Pennsylvania. One 
 son was born of this union, William PL, whose 
 home is in Sheffield, Bureau county. Pic is mar- 
 ried and has two sons, Clyde and Harry. 
 
 In 1855, Air. Piaty with his family arrived in 
 Sheffield, Illinois, and soon afterward purchased 
 a tract of eig"hty acres in Concord township, pay- 
 ing thirteen dollars per acre. On that place he 
 has since resided, making his home in the house 
 already erected until 1865, when he built his 
 present comfortable dwelling. Being a thorough 
 and skillful farmer he soon had his land under 
 a higfh state of cultivation and to the original 
 tract added until he now has two hundred acres 
 of fine land in Concord township, besides some 
 in Nebraska. His has been a busy and useful 
 life, and financially he has reason to be satisfied 
 with the results of his labors. From a humble 
 beginning he has made for himself a name and 
 position among his fellow citizens, and justly de- 
 serves the honorable American title of a self- 
 made man. 
 
 ]\Ir. Baty has been a stalwart democrat in 
 politics since casting his first presidential vote 
 
 for James K. Polk, and his been elected to the 
 offices of commissioner of highways and super- 
 visor, which fact plainly indicates his popularity 
 and the confidence reposed in him. He and his 
 wife hold membership in the Unitarian church 
 at Sheffield. 
 
 MAJOR ROYAL 0L:\ISTED, who resides 
 on section 2, Saratoga township, Marshall 
 count}-, is a veteran of the late war with a most 
 honorable record, and well deserves special men- 
 tion in a work of this kind. He was born in 
 Watertown, JefTerson county, New York, Sep- 
 tember 7, 1838, and grew to manhood on a farm 
 and received his education in the common and 
 select schools of that locality. At the age of 
 seventeen he commenced teaching in the public 
 schools of New York, and taught four terms 
 with great credit to himself and his employers. 
 The greater part of his time, however, was passed 
 upon the home farm, assisting his father in its 
 cultivation. He remained at home as a dutiful 
 son until he reached his majority. 
 
 Not being satisfied with life in the east, and 
 believing his chances for future advancement 
 would be better in the west, he determined on 
 emigrating to Illinois. An uncle, Moses Knight, 
 was living near Whitefield, Bureau county, and 
 to his house he came in the spring of i860. 
 Being without capital, he could not purchase 
 land, but worked by the month for Air. Greg- 
 ory for two seasons. The war for the union 
 had now commenced and appeals were made for 
 volunteers to put down the great rebellion. Ac- 
 cordingly, in August, 1 861, he enlisted as a pri- 
 vate in Company D, Forty-seventh Illinois \'ol- 
 unteer Infantry, and was mustered into the ser- 
 vice at Peoria, and with the regiment went to St 
 Louis, and was stationed at Benton Barracks, 
 and at that place and Jefifersoii City, Missouri, 
 the winter of 1861-2 was spent. Soon after his 
 enlistment he was appointed sergeant, and later 
 orderly sergeant of the company. 
 
 In the spring of 1862, his regiment was or- 
 dered with others to Island No. 10, thence to 
 New A'ladrid, then to Corinth, Alississippi, where 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 401 
 
 it took part in the siege and battle following. 
 From Corinth it was sent along the line of the 
 ^Memphis & Charleston railroad, and later to 
 iMeiTiphis, where it did garrison duty in the 
 winter of 1862-3. On the 28th of January, 1863, 
 ]\rr. Olmsted was commissioned second lieuten- 
 ant, and with that rank went with his company 
 and regiment back to Corinth and luka and 
 took part in the second battle of Corinth. The 
 regiment then joined Grant at Vicksburg, tak- 
 ing part in that celebrated siege, resulting in the 
 capture of the city and the opening of the ^lis- 
 sissippi river to our fleet of gunboats. 
 
 Soon after the surrender of Vicksburg the 
 Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry was sent on the 
 expedition up Big Black river, and in the spring 
 of 1864 joined Banks' expedition up Red river 
 under General A. J. Smith. It joined Banks at 
 Alexandria and was with him in all his battles 
 and skirmishes up the river. Returning, it was 
 sent to open up the Mississippi river, where the 
 rebels had blocked it at Greenville while the 
 gunboats were up the Red river. At that point 
 the rebel batteries had succeeded in sinking a 
 number of gunboats and must be silenced. In 
 the fight following three men in Lieutenant Olm- 
 sted's company were killed. 
 
 Soon after the regiment was ordered to I\Iem- 
 phis, and was in the flight at Tupelo against For- 
 est. During the summer it was engaged prin- 
 cipally in watching that general. In the fall of 
 1864 it followed General Price, who was mak- 
 ing a raid through Missouri, and during that 
 time it saw some pretty hard service, or until it 
 reached Warrensburg in that state. It was then 
 ordered to St Louis and later to Chicago, where 
 it was thought that an attempt would be made 
 to liberate the rebel prisoners then confined at 
 Fort Douglas. From Chicago it was sent to 
 Springfield, thence to St. Louis en route to 
 Nashville, to Mr. Hood, who was operating in 
 that vicinity. At Louisville, Kentucky, it was 
 stopped and ordered to Bowling Green, where 
 it spent the winter. 
 
 From Bowling Green, in the spring of 1865, 
 the regiment was ordered to Xew Orleans, 
 
 thence to Mobile, where it assisted in the cap- 
 ture of the city. From Mobile it was sent to 
 iMontgomery and Selma, Alabama, where it 
 spent the summer of 1865. Notwithstanding the 
 war was over, the Forty-seventh was retained 
 in the service and was not mustered out until 
 January 20, 1866, at Spring-field, Illinois. 
 
 In all the moves of the regiment our subject 
 participated, doing his duty fearlessly and satis- 
 factorily to his superior officers and men. He 
 was promoted captain of Company A, October 
 II, 1864, on the re-enlistment and re-organiza- 
 tion of the regiment. As such he served until 
 May 19, 1865, when he was commissioned major 
 and served as such until finally mustered out. 
 During this time, on account of the colonel and 
 lieutenant colonel being on detached duty, he 
 frequently had command of the regiment. It 
 was for a time in the pioneer corps, and after 
 the close of hostilities, IMajor Olmsted was de- 
 tailed to look after the government cotton in 
 .Montgomery, Alabama. 
 
 On being mustered out of the service, the 
 major returned to Marshall county, and Febru- 
 arjr 22, 1866, he was united in marriage with ]\Iiss 
 Amanda Townsend, a daughter of Captain John 
 C. Townsend, formerly captain of Company D, 
 Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantrv, in 
 which the major first served as a private. Imme- 
 diately after his marriage, he rented a farm and 
 commenced what has since been his life work. 
 After renting some three or four years, he bought 
 his present farm on section 2, Saratoga township, 
 where he has since continued to reside. This 
 farm adjoins the old Captain Townsend farm, 
 and is one of the best in this section. Four 
 children have been born to Alajor and Mrs 
 Olmsted — Bessie, wife of James Croft, of Rock 
 Falls, Oklahoma; Emily, wife of George Pace, 
 of Bureau county; Edwin, now assisting his 
 father in the cultivation of the home farm, and 
 John, who died at the age of four years. 
 
 In politics. Major Olmsted is a thorough and 
 uncompromising republican, and has ever taken 
 an active interest in political afifairs. He believes 
 it not only a privilege but the duty of everv legal 
 
402 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 voter to exercise his rights as such, attending the 
 primaries, looking after the nomination of good 
 men, and working for their election. For four 
 years he served his township as supervisor, dis- 
 charging the duties of the office in a satisfactory 
 manner. In 1872 he was defeated for the office 
 of county treasurer. 
 
 ^lajor Olmsted is a practical farmer and car- 
 ries on diversified farming, never having been 
 carried away by any fad for this, that or the 
 other specialty that so often leads captive the 
 average farmer, frequently to his ruin. He is 
 not a member of any church, but believes in every 
 man leading such a life as will merit the good 
 will and confidence of his fellow men. 
 
 HENRY C. SMITH, residing on section 4, 
 Princeton township, is a worthy representa- 
 tive of one of the honored pioneer families of 
 Bureau county, and on both sides is descended 
 from good old New England stock. His father, 
 Eli Smith, was born in Deerfield, Massachu- 
 setts, in 1804, and is a son of Chester Smith, 
 who was born March 2, 1771, and was married 
 December 15, 1796. In their family were 
 nine children: Fannie, Xoadiah, Clarinda, 
 Allan, Eli, Elijah, Ale'linda, Louisa and Ann. 
 In his native state Eli Smith married Miss Clar- 
 issa Childs, who was also born in Deerfield, in 
 1804, and was a daughter of David W. Childs. 
 Her father was born November 17, 1778, and was 
 married September 7, 1802, to Eunice C. Clapp, 
 who was born in May, 1777. They had five 
 children — Herrick, Clarissa, Sylvia, Eunice and 
 David. 
 
 The wedding trip of the parents of our sub- 
 ject was their journey to Illinois by way of the 
 lakes to Chicago, thence by ox team to Bureau 
 county, riding the oxen part of the way. With 
 them came the father's brother, and they lo- 
 cated upon the present farm of Henry C. Smith 
 in 1831, entering the land from the government. 
 They stopped for the first night at the cabin 
 of Elijah Epperson, of Princeton township, and 
 their first home was built of logs. By trade 
 Eli Smith was a carpenter and erected the first 
 
 frame house in the village of Princeton. His 
 first experience at farm labor was upon his wild 
 prairie home, which he broke, improved and de- 
 veloped, giving it his entire attention. He also 
 made the first coffin in the county and was 
 numbered among the prominent pioneers of this 
 region. Twice he was driven from his farm 
 during the Black Hawk war in order to save 
 the scalps of himself and family. 
 
 Eli Smith took an active part in conducting 
 the underground railroad through this section, 
 owning an old sorrel horse named John, whose 
 services were often required in carrying negroes 
 on their way to freedom. His first experience 
 along this line took place at the home of his 
 brother, Elijah Smith, whose cabin stood just 
 across the township line in Dover township. 
 In the summer of 1835, two colored girls, be- 
 longing to Major Dougherty of St. Louis, made 
 their escape and found refuge at Mineral Point, 
 Wisconsin. Some months later a professional 
 slave catcher, named Harris, learned of their 
 whereabouts and captured them, and was on his 
 way back to St. Louis, where he expected to 
 receive the large reward offered for them. He 
 traveled on horseback, leading another horse on 
 which were the two girls, and one cold Decem- 
 ber night, with his two captives, whose feet were 
 badly frozen, arrived at the home of Elijah 
 Smith for entertainment. Eli Smith and wife, 
 with another neighbor, were there spending the 
 evening, and on hearing the girls tell their sad 
 story became interested in their behalf and a 
 plan was adopted for their rescue. The father 
 of our subject hitched up his horse and brought 
 them to his farm, where he hid them in the hay 
 mow until he could take them north to the next 
 station. 
 
 The parental household included eight chil- 
 dren, of whom Eunice is deceased; Harriet, mar- 
 ried Cornelius Denham, by whom she had five 
 children, but both are now deceased; Mary Ann, 
 is the wife of Henry McElfish, of Iowa, and 
 they have three sons; Lucy has passed away; 
 Owen Lovejoy wedded Mary Wood, and they 
 have seven children; Allen married ^Nlarv Shu- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 403 
 
 gart, by whom he has five children, and they 
 live in Iowa; Henry Childs, whose name heads 
 this sketch, is next in order of birth; Eli, mar- 
 ried Clarinda Cusic, by whom he has two chil- 
 dren, and they live at Earlville, Illinois. One 
 son, Allen, served in the union army during the 
 civil war, as a member of Company I, Ninety- 
 third Illinois A'olunteer Infantry. The parents 
 have both departed this life, the father dying 
 August 30, 1 87 1, and the mother January 17, 
 1892. They were members of the old ''Hamp- 
 shire Colony," in which he took an active and 
 leading part. In politics he was first an abo- 
 litionist and later a stalwart republican, and was 
 a highly respected and valued citizen. 
 
 The birth of our subject took place Septem- 
 ber 18, 1846, in the house which is still his 
 home, and upon the fanm he grew to manhood. 
 In the local schools he began his education, which 
 was completed at the Dover academy of Bureau 
 count}-. Since the age of twenty years he has 
 had charge oi the old homestead, operating the 
 one hundred acres of rich and fertile land, and 
 has erected all of the buildings upon the place 
 with the exception of the residence, which has 
 now stood for half a century. He is also a 
 stock shipper as well as farmer, and in this way 
 adds not a little to his income. 
 
 On the 19th of December, 1867, ;\Ir. Smith 
 was united in marriage with ?iliss Anna ^I. 
 Cusic, who was born in Dover township, Bureau 
 county, August 4, 1849, s^iid is a daughter of 
 Dennis A. and Betsy (Cox) Cusic, who came 
 to this county from Ohio, in 1840, settling in 
 Dover township, where they made their perma- 
 nent home. Her father died August 15, 1876, 
 and her mother September 6, 1894. The latter 
 was a member of the [Methodist Protestant 
 church. They were the parents of twelve chil- 
 dren, nine of whom are still living, namely: 
 Frank, married Sarah Lean, by whom he has 
 two sons, and lives -in Chicago; Thomas, now 
 of Iowa, wedded Maria Sill, and has one daugh- 
 ter; Albert, of Chicago, married Sallie Brown, 
 and has five children; Mary A., is the wife of 
 Henry Swartz, of Dover township., and they 
 
 have three children; Mrs. Smith is the next of 
 the family; Oscar, of Princeton, married Emma 
 Weirrich, and has four daughters; Clarinda J., 
 married Eli Smith, a brother of our subject; 
 [Marshall M., of Chicago, married Luella Sapp, 
 and has one child, and Lemuel S., lives in Bu- 
 reau county. Three of the sons wore the blue 
 during the rebellion. TO' [Mr. and Airs. Smith 
 have been born three children — Cora A,, \'irgil 
 PL, deceased, and [Marshall H. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Smith is a repub- 
 lican, taking an active interest in the success of 
 his party. He served as highway commissioner 
 for twelve years, during which time he did much 
 toward securing the good gravel roads to be 
 found in the county, and for twenty years was 
 director of his school district. Both himself and 
 wife attend the [Methodist church, and socially 
 he is a member of the Knights of Honor and the 
 [Masonic order, of Princeton. Pie is progressive 
 in his ideas of conducting his chosen occupation 
 and for two years has served as president of the 
 Bureau County Agricultural board. He is a 
 man worthy of the highest respect, and enjoys 
 the esteem of the entire commtmity. 
 
 LEWIS X. PARSONS, who passed to his rest 
 in 1893, was a native of New York state, 
 born in 1837, and a son of Isaac and Maiy (Coon) 
 Parsons, by whom he was taken to Canada when 
 quite young. In 1851 the family removed to 
 Illinois, and in the schools of Canada and this 
 state our subject acquired an excellent education 
 as he was a bright, intelligent boy, and learned 
 rapidly. In early life 'he also learned the car- 
 penter's trade, and throughout life was employed 
 as a carpenter and architect. In 1853 he went 
 to California, where he followed his chosen oc- 
 cupation until 1866, when he returned to Ohio, 
 Illinois. 
 
 In that village was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Parsons and [Miss Celestia Hawkins, a 
 prominent young lady of Palestine, Illinois. 
 Their wedding trip consisted of a journey to 
 California, where tliey continued to make their 
 home for a decade or until 1877, when they re- 
 
404 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 turned to the prairie state. At Ohio Air. Parsons 
 engaged in carpentering and building until life's 
 labors were ended and he was called to the other 
 world. 
 
 He was a consistent member of the Christian 
 church, and fraternally belonged to the Masonic 
 order, in which be had served as worthy master. 
 He also belonged to the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the 
 Modern Woodmen of America. Pie was an ar- 
 dent republican in politics, but never aspired to 
 public office. Public-spirited and liberal, he sup- 
 ported all worthy enterprises calculated to bene- 
 fit the community and promote its moral, social 
 and material welfare. No man in Bureau coun- 
 ty is more worthy of representation in a work of 
 this kind than the lamented Lewis X. Parsons. 
 
 THE VERY REV. P. LOUIS HAAS, O. R. 
 S., acting president of St. Bede college, 
 Peru, Illinois, is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, 
 and a son of Jo'hn Haas, who emigrated to Amer- 
 ica in 1845, from Wurtemburg, Germany. John 
 Plaas is one of the old and most highly respected 
 citizens of Erie, and though of German birth, is 
 thoroughly Americanized, as is shown bv the 
 fact that in 1861 he shouldered his gun to the 
 call to arms and under General Grant served in 
 a Pennsylvania regiment, thus aiding his adopted 
 country during her hour of peril. He bears 
 well the infirmities of age, being still well and 
 heart}^ at the age of seventy-two years. He is a 
 member of the Catholic church, and for thirty- 
 five years has served as collector of pew rent in 
 one church in Erie. His wife, who was also a 
 life-long member of the same church, and a de- 
 vout Christian, died in 1895, at the age of sev- 
 enty-one. Our subject belongs to a patriotic fam- 
 ily, five of its representatives valiantly aiding the 
 union in the late war. 
 
 Father Haas was educated at St. A'incent col- 
 lege, near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, which is one 
 of the oldest Catholic colleges in this country, 
 having celebrated its centennial anniversary in 
 August, 1896. He completed the classical, phil- 
 osophical and theological courses in that institu- 
 
 tion, graduating in 1878, and for several years 
 was in charge of the same college. Later for 
 four years he had charge of a large parish m 
 Covington, Kentucky, and accepted his present 
 position in June, 1894. 
 
 St. Bede college is located a mile and a half 
 west of Peru, and the same distance from Spring 
 Valley, Illinois, upon the historic farm once 
 owned by America's greatest statesman and ora- 
 tor, Daniel Webster. A more beautiful or pic- 
 turesque site could hardly have been selected. 
 The institution was established in 1891 by the 
 Benedictine fathers of St. \'incent abbey, Penn- 
 sylvania, under the auspices of the Right Rev. 
 J. L. Spalding, D. D., bishop of Peoria, Illinois. 
 It is incorporated under the laws of Illinois and 
 empowered to confer the usual academic degrees. 
 The buildings are situated on a high elevation 
 overlooking the Illinois river, commanding a 
 view of one of the most beautiful and interesting 
 portions of the state. 
 
 The college is conducted by the Benedictine 
 fathers, who spare no pains to stimulate their pu- 
 pils to put fo'rth every effort that will benefit 
 them in their studies, and the most improved 
 methods are employed to aid in the develop- 
 ment of natural talent. The great aim of the 
 fathers is to make their pupils truly educated 
 men, socially and morally as well as intellec- 
 tually. 
 
 The buildings are all new, thoroughly venti- 
 lated, heated by steam, furnished with electric 
 light and provided with all modern improvements 
 that cO'uld contribute to the coinfort and con- 
 venience of the pupils. They present a massive 
 appearance, being five stories in height, built of 
 brick, with Bedford stone trimmings and de- 
 signed with special reference to healthfulness, 
 comfort and safety. All apartments are kept 
 warm in the coldest weather, so that the most 
 delicate pupil can be safe and secure against all 
 exposure to cold at St. Bede, as he could in the 
 best arranged home. The very best water is sup- 
 plied from an artesian \^'ell twenty-three hundred 
 feet deep, and distributed all through the various 
 apartments from a large stand-pipe. The under- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 405 
 
 ground drainage is complete, and the whole 
 plumbing, lavatories and closets are provided 
 witli the latest inventions, so that all danger from 
 infected water, defective drainage, close and un- 
 healthy rooms, and especially fire, is entirel)- re- 
 moved. Graded grounds, gravel walks and ave- 
 nues, and other improvements have been made, 
 so that the general appearance of the surround- 
 ings is made to harmonize with the unsurpassed 
 beauty of the interior of the college buildings. 
 
 The college possesses a library of select works. 
 Good books and periodicals supply sources of 
 mental refreshment, of instruction, of improve- 
 ment and wisdom, which will enable the dili- 
 gent and persevering student to enrich his mind 
 with the garnered wisdom of learned men of the 
 past and present. In short St. Bede college has 
 the equipments and environments of a first-class 
 institution of learning for doing good work and 
 accomplishing its mission — the making of good 
 scholars with all that implies. It is now pre- 
 sided over by a most competent professor and 
 under the leadership of Father Haas its inter- 
 ests have been greatlv advanced. 
 
 FRAXCIS M. JOHXSOX, an able and suc- 
 cessful teacher of Princeton, Illinois, was 
 born in Greene county, Ohio, near Xenia, June 
 15, 1842, and is a worthy representative of one 
 of the pioneer families of Bureau county, his pa- 
 rents being Henry M. and iNfargaret (Long) 
 Johnson, the former a native of Campbell coun- 
 ty, Virginia, and the latter of Greene count}', 
 Ohio. On coming to Illinois they first located 
 near Bloomington, McLean county, where they 
 tarried for awhile, and then the father purchased 
 forty acres of land in Selby township. Bureau 
 county, on the Princeton road, and there he erect- 
 ed a log cabin for his home, but later sold out 
 and bought near Alalden, to which place he had 
 his log cabin removed. This cabin was among 
 the first in the open country there. The tract 
 was wild, still in its primitive condition, and 
 many wild animals, including deer, were still to 
 be seen. The farm of one hundred and twenty 
 acres is still in the possession of the family, and 
 
 the cedar trees set out b)' the father are still 
 standing. He was a whig in early life, assisting 
 in the log cabin and hard cider campaign of 
 1840, and later became a repuljlican. Llis death 
 occurred in July, 1893, but the mother is still 
 living, making her home with her son Granville, 
 in Princeton, at the age of seventy-three years. 
 For some time, however, she has been an invalid. 
 The father was originally a Methodist in relig- 
 ious faith, but afterward joined the Presbyterian 
 church. The paternal grandfather of our subject 
 was a \'irginian. His mother's people make 
 their home near Princeton, she being the oldest 
 of the family. She is the mother of four sons — 
 Frank ]\I., of this review; Joseph, who was born 
 in 1845, is farming on the home farm in Selby 
 township: James H., who was born June 30, 
 1852. and died in 1879, and Granville, of 
 Princeton. 
 
 During his boyhood, Frank AI. Johnson at- 
 tended school at Henry, was later a student in 
 the Dover academy, and for two years in the 
 state normal at Cedar Falls, Iowa. In 1864 he 
 graduated from the law department of the Alichi- 
 gan university at Ann Arbor, and the following 
 vear was admitted to practice in that state, in 
 Iowa in 1878, and in Illinois in 1880, but was 
 obhged to give up that profession on account of 
 failing sight. At Grundy Center he was in part- 
 nership with Fred Gilman, who was professor of 
 law in the law department of the state universit)' 
 at Iowa Citv, and is now an eminent attorney of 
 Alinneapolis. 
 
 Z\lr. Johnson returned to the profession of 
 teaching, which he had previously followed, his 
 first certificate dating back to 1859, and he has 
 successfull}' taught in Illinois, Missouri and 
 Iowa, having at different times taught in all 
 grades and having been principal of several 
 schools. He is a competent and thorough in- 
 structor. 
 
 On the i6th of September, 1879, Mr. Johnson 
 was united in marriage with }iliss Ida L. Wat- 
 son, a native of Bureau county, and one of the 
 five children born to Elias W. and Phidelia 
 (Fisk) Watson, the others being Carrie, at home: 
 
4o6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Charles A., who married Belle Gilchrist, a rela- 
 tive of Congressman Henderson, and is engaged 
 in business in Princeton; Wm. S., operating the 
 home farm for his parents, which is located two 
 miles north of Maiden, and Jennie ]\1., wife of F. 
 S. Wright, of Princeton. To' Mr. and ]\Irs. John- 
 son have been born three children — Ada Grace, 
 a pupil of the high school of Princeton; Jay 
 Howard, and Panza E. 
 
 Mrs. Johnson is an earnest member of the 
 Congregational church, and socially our subject 
 is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, 
 having, after his graduation, in April, 1864, en- 
 listed at Princeton in Company A, C)ne Hundred 
 and Thirty-ninth Illinois A'olunteer Infantry, and 
 served until mustered out in November, 1865. 
 Pie did post duty on the Mississippi, and marched 
 through Missouri and Kentucky, where he par- 
 ticipated in several skirmishes against Price. He 
 advocates bimetallism and protection and gives 
 his un\vavei-ing support to the republican party. 
 Besides his school duties for the past ten vears 
 he has dealt in Iowa and Illinois lands, and has 
 also sold property for the Illinois Central and 
 Rock Island railroad companies. 
 
 JOHX M. ISAAC. As a representative of the 
 intelligent and hardy pioneers who opened 
 up Bureau county for settlement, and have since 
 taken a conspicuous part in developing it, -^ve are 
 pleased to place in this volume a brief sketch of 
 the gentleman whose name .stands at the head 
 of this notice. For many years he was one of the 
 active, energetic and progressive farmers of Ber- 
 lin township, during which time he acquired an 
 ample competence which enables him to lay aside 
 business cares, so that he is now living a retired 
 life in the village of Maiden, surrounded h\ all 
 the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 He is a native of Illinois, born in Paris, Edgar 
 county, ^lay 13, 1830. His father, Elias Isaac, 
 whose birth occurred in North Carolina, in 1804, 
 came to this state when a young married man, 
 locating first at Plennepin, where he engaged in 
 the tanning business and in the manufacture of 
 leather. It was in 1834 that he brought his fam- 
 
 ily to Bureau county, locating in the midst of 
 the wilderness upon a half section of land in 
 Berlin township, where he opened up a farm. He 
 was an active and successful farmer, a useful and 
 influential citizen, and became well and favor- 
 ably known throughout Bureau and adjoining 
 counties. He dealt extensively in lands and be- 
 came quite well-to-do. In Indiana he married 
 Miss Mary Black, a native of Kentucky, but wdio 
 was reared in that state. He died upon the home 
 farm here August 19, 1885, at the ripe old age of 
 eighty-two years, and she survived him about 
 four years, dying in 1889. Their remains were 
 interred side by side in the ^lalden cemetery, 
 where a monument has been erected to their 
 memory. 
 
 John M. Isaac is one of a family of six sons 
 and four daughters who grew to mature years, 
 namely : Allen is a farmer of Allen county, 
 Kansas; ]\[rs. Ardilla Stevenson, of Lamoille, is 
 now deceased; John M. is next in order of birth; 
 William is a prominent business man of Maiden ; 
 Mahala is the wife of William Winans, of Iowa; 
 James is a resident of Plastings, Nebraska, and 
 Mrs. Xancy Height is now deceased; ^lilton 
 was a physician, who died at Corinth, Miss., 
 while temporarily filling the position of assistant 
 surgeon ; Martin, a school teacher, died about 
 1862; Mrs. Mary Cass is a widow living in La- 
 moille township. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads on a fron- " 
 tier settlement, Z\Ir. Isaac, of this review, was 
 reared, and although he is now a well informed 
 man, during his boyhood he was only able to 
 attend the district schools for a few months in 
 the winter. His knowdedge, therefore, has been 
 mostly self-acquired in later years. Until twenty- 
 three y^ears of age he remained upon the home 
 farm and then started out in life for himself as an 
 agriculturist. 
 
 On the 22(1 of January, 1854, in Bureau coun- 
 ty, Mr. Isaac was joined in wedlock with Aliss 
 Celia Bayliff Jay, a native of Ohio, and a step- 
 daughter of George Jay, now deceased. ITe be- 
 came a prominent farmer of Bureau county, 
 where ^Irs. Isaac was reared and educated. Thev 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 407 
 
 have no children of theii' own, but gave homes 
 to two from childhood until they reached matur- 
 ity, providing them with every advantage. The)- 
 are Joseph Isaac, a man of excellent business 
 ability, now holding a responsible position at Bat- 
 tle Creek, Michigan, and Bettie, wife of Clarion 
 Dot}-, a farmer of Berlin township. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Isaac purchased a 
 tract of eighty acres of land near the old home- 
 stead, which he broke and improved, and to 
 which he later added sixty acres, making a valu- 
 able farm of one hundred and forty acres. This 
 he continued to cultivate for thirty-seven long 
 years, but in i8gi rented his place and removed 
 to Alalden, where he purchased a comfortable 
 residence, and has since resided. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Isaac is identified with the re- 
 publican party, but cast his first vote for James 
 Buchanan in 1856. Since that time, however, he 
 has supported every presidential candidate put 
 forward by the republican party, and is deepl)- 
 interested in the success of his party. He has 
 never been an aspirant for office, but being a 
 friend of our public school system, did effective 
 work as a member of the school board lor sev- 
 eral years. Formerly both himself and wife were 
 active members of the Christian church, but 
 since the disorganization of the congregation to 
 which they belonged they have not held mem- 
 bership with any religious denomination. 
 
 For sixty-two long years ^Ir. Isaac has now- 
 made his home in Bureau county, and to-day he 
 is one of the fe^w old settlers left to tell the story 
 of pioneer days, when the county was almost an 
 unbroken wilderness, when wild game of a'.l kinds 
 abounded and the homes of the inhabitants were 
 widelv scattered. In the wonderful transforma- 
 tion that has taken place, he has ably borne his 
 share, and is justly entitled to an honored place 
 among the pioneers and representative citizens 
 of this section of the state, .where he is so widely 
 and favorably known. 
 
 H 
 
 ENRY S. SWARTS, an energetic and reli- 
 able farmer residing on section 30, Dover 
 township, Bureau county, was born on the 27th 
 
 of August, 1844, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 
 a son of ( )wen Swarts, who was a native of the 
 same count}-, where his father, David Swarts, 
 had located on coming to America from Wales. 
 There Owen grew to manhood and married 
 Lydia A. Bruner, who was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, of German parentage, and in that state 
 her death occurred. After farming for a num- 
 ber of years in Bucks county, the father en-ii- 
 grated to Illinois, in 1852, first taking up his 
 residence at Ouincy, Adams county, to which 
 place he removed b}- way of the Ohio and ]\Iis- 
 sissippi rivers. In 1857 he came to Bureau 
 county and purchased a farm in Dover township, 
 section 30, adjoining the one on which our sub- 
 ject now resides. There his death occurred Oc- 
 tober 27, 1859. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of three sons 
 and two daughters, four of whom grew to man 
 and womanhood. Joel came to Illinois in 1852, 
 \vas here married, and died in Dover township, 
 Bureau county, April, 1865; Margaret wedded 
 John M. Matthews, and died in California in 
 1865; Addie married Mason Potts, and died in 
 Princeton, April, 1885. 
 
 By the second marriage to Rebecca Stone, Mr. 
 Swarts had five children: Helen, who died in 
 1858; Ella was married to Dr. W. H. Lachman, 
 and died in Anaheim, California, in 1896; Em- 
 ma, who married ?\Iason Lachman, now resides 
 in Bureau township; Amie is the wife of Dr Al- 
 fred Barter, living in Anaheim, California, and 
 Ona became the wife of Robert Lincoln, a dent- 
 ist at La Grande, Oregon. 
 
 Mr. Swarts, of this review, is the only one of 
 the children by the first marriage now living. 
 He accompanied his father on his removal to 
 Bureau county in 1857, and completed his edu- 
 cation at the ^filler and Wagner school at Prince- 
 ton, known as the Bureau County academy. 
 After his father's death he made his home with 
 his brother-in-law for a few years, and in 1864 
 crossed the plains to California, leaving Prince- 
 ton on the 1 2th of April, and arriving in Stock- 
 ton September 12. For two years, or until his 
 sister's death, he was with his brother-in-law in 
 
4o8 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a grocery store at Marysville, California, and 
 then returned by way of the Isthmus of Panama 
 and New York city to Princeton. He then went 
 on a farm with his brother-in-law, Mr. Potts, and 
 in 1868 began farming on his own account, oper- 
 ating rented land for several years. Subsequent- 
 ly he purchased eighty acres in Dover township, 
 which he cultivated until 1876, when he rented 
 that tract, and for two years leased the farm on 
 which he now resides. He then sold out and 
 purchased the latter place, which comprises one 
 hundred and sixty acres of arable land and sev- 
 enty acres of timber. His home is a neat brick 
 residence, and is surrounded by good barns and 
 other outbuildings, whose neat appearance testi- 
 fies to the thrift and industry of the owner. 
 
 On the i8th of July, 1870, in Dover township, 
 Mr. Swarts was united in marriage to Miss Mary 
 A. Cusic, who was born on the farm where she 
 now resides, and is a daughter of Dennis A. 
 Cusic, a pioneer of the county. He entered the 
 land from the government, walking to the land 
 office in Galena, and broke and improved the 
 farm where his death occurred. Nine children 
 have been born to the parents of Airs. Swarts, six 
 sons and three daughters, all still living. Three 
 brothers,, Frank, Albert and Marshall, are resi- 
 dents of Chicago, and are traveling salesmen for 
 a boot and shoe house of that city; another 
 brother, Oscar, is a carpenter of Princeton, and 
 Thomas is a merchant in Massena, Iowa; Lamuel 
 is a clerk in a store at Jerseyville, Illinois. Of 
 the daughters, Anna was married to Henry 
 Smith, a farmer of Princeton township ; Clarinda 
 is the wife of Eli Smith, living in Earlville, Illi- 
 nois, and Alary. Three children grace the union 
 of Air. and Airs. Swarts — Frank O., who was 
 given good educational privileges and is now as- 
 sisting in the labors of the home farm; Addie, 
 who expects to graduate from the Princeton 
 high school in the class of 1897, and Howard 
 W.. \vho is also a student in that school. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Swarts is connected with the 
 Masonic order, the Modern Woodmen of Ameri- 
 ca and the Knights of the Globe, wliile politically 
 he has been a stalwart republican since voting for 
 
 Lincoln in 1864. For three terms he served as 
 assessor of his township, was also collector six 
 terms, township clerk one term, supervisor four 
 years and school director sixteen years. His ser- 
 vices in public interests have ever been loyal and 
 patriotic, while his career in private life is one 
 that commends him to the confidence and re- 
 spect of all. He has also acceptably served as a 
 delegate to many county conventions of his party. 
 His estimable wife holds membership in the 
 Methodist Protestant church of Princeton, while 
 he is a member of the North Prairie Baptist 
 church of Heaton Point. Mr. Swarts has the 
 confidence and respect of all who know him. 
 The utmost fidelity marks the discharge of all 
 his duties, whether public or private. 
 
 JOHN F. HYDE, deceased, was one of the 
 prominent and influential citizens of Buda, 
 as well as one of its leading business men. He 
 was an eastern man by birth and training, but 
 possessed the true progressive spirit of the west 
 which has produced in the Mississippi valley a 
 development and advancement that places this 
 section of the country on a par with the older 
 east. 
 
 Air. Hyde was born in Sturbridge, Massachu- 
 setts, Augxist 5, 1817, a son of Joshua and Sarah 
 (Fay) Hyde, and was reared on a New England 
 farm. His primary education was received in 
 the common schools, and he subsequently at- 
 tended an academy He was thrice married, his 
 first union being with Sarah Eldridge, who died 
 without issue. By his second marriage he had 
 two children, namely: Airs. Lizzie Gleason, who 
 died leaving four children, and Frederick A., of 
 Aurora, Nebraska, a teacher in the high school, 
 who is married and has three children. 
 
 In the old bay state, on the 26th of April, 1870, 
 was celebrated the marriage of Air. Flyde and 
 Aliss Harriet A. Howard, of Alonson, that state. 
 She is a native of Stafford, Connecticut, and a 
 daughter of Alonzo A. and Angeline (Colton) 
 Howard. During her girlhood she was provided 
 with good common school advantages, and is a 
 well-cultured and most estimable ladv. 
 
THE lUOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 409 
 
 Shortly after his second marriage Mr. Hyde 
 and his wife removed to Henrv county, Ilhnois, 
 where he had previously invested in property, 
 but in 1 87 1 they became residents of Buda. For 
 a few years he was agent for a sewing machine 
 company, and about 1884, in connection with 
 ]\Iessrs. Beckwith and Foster, embarked in the 
 banking business in that village. He continued 
 in that business until called from this life on the 
 3d of September, 1889. 
 
 On attaining his majority, Air. Hyde became 
 identified with the democratic party, but later 
 joined the ranks of the republican party, and on 
 that ticket was elected mayor of Buda, which im- 
 portant position he filled for a few years to the 
 satisfaction of all concerned. He was well fitted 
 for public life, and his strong force of character 
 and undoubted integrity early gained the confi- 
 dence of the people, who saw in him a man whom 
 they could trust as a guide. He was a worthy 
 member of the Congregational church, to which 
 his faithful wife also belongs, and his memory 
 will be long cherished by the many who were 
 the recipients of his countless acts of benevolence 
 and kindness. 
 
 JAAIES SAIITH, of La Prairie township, is 
 a worthy representative of that hardy race 
 whose love for their own land — "bonnie Scot- 
 land" — never dies. The habits and customs of 
 the race have a peculiar fascination, and how- 
 ever widely separated from their own land, the 
 true Scotchman never loses his interest in it. As 
 citizens of the new world, there are none bet- 
 ter, and no section of the country but has a 
 hearty welcome for these people. 
 
 The first to locate in this section of Illinois 
 from Scotland was George Scott, who located in 
 the northern part of Peoria county, near the Alar- 
 shall county line, in 1836 or 1837, near where the 
 -McLaughlins now reside. He came from Dum- 
 friesshire, Scotland, but after a residence of about 
 ten }ears returned to his native land and there 
 died. Air. Scott was an uncle of our subject. 
 
 The second family to locate here was that of 
 William Smith, the father of James. His wife 
 
 was Romina Scott, a sister of George Scott. 
 They came to this locality in 1840 from Dumfries- 
 shire, Scotland, and settled at "Hardscrabble," 
 Steuben township, on a farm belonging to John 
 Hammett. The farm was on the prairie adjoin- 
 ing the timber. Here William Smith lived for 
 three years, dying in the spring of 1843. His 
 family consisted of three sons and one daughter 
 — William, James, Andrew and Mary. The lat- 
 ter married Robert Turnbull, of La Prairie town- 
 ship, and died some }'ears since. William yet re- 
 sides in La Prairie township, and is a highlv re- 
 spected farmer. 
 
 Some five years after the death of the father 
 the famil}' removed to the school section in La 
 Prairie to^\'nship, and together improved the farm 
 on which James Smith now resides. One bv one 
 they each went to farms of their own in due time. 
 Andrew remained at home with his widowed 
 mother and tenderly cared for her until her death, 
 August 13, 1886, when nearly eighty years of 
 age. He never married. His own death oc- 
 curred September 25, 1890. 
 
 Andrew Smith was an active and thorough- 
 going business man, attending strictly to his own 
 private affairs and never thrusting himself upon 
 the attention of others, but was always ready to 
 aid with his influence and means all projects for 
 the material interests of his adopted county and 
 nation. In the establishment of the woolen mill 
 at Lacon he was an active participant, and to- 
 gether with Archibald Riddell became the heav- 
 iest stockholders and served as a director, retain- 
 ing his interest in the manufactory until his death. 
 He was also one of the original stockholders in 
 the Lacon bank, and for years was one ol its 
 board of directors. As a farmer, he ranked 
 among the best in Marshall county, cver\thing 
 around him betokening thrift and a watchful eye. 
 There was no detail of the farm work that he did 
 not give his personal attention to, and as a stock 
 raiser he was eminently successful and for some 
 years annually fed many head of cattle and hogs. 
 His investments were all carefully made and few 
 mistakes were ever made by him. In addition 
 to his landed interests in Marshall county, he 
 
4IO 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 invested in land in Iroquois county, which he 
 had improved and which he still owned at the 
 time of his death. A liberty loving man, on the 
 organization of the republican party he became a 
 strong advocate of its principles. His death was 
 deeply lamented by a large circle of friends and 
 acquaintances. 
 
 James Smith first saw the light of day in Dum- 
 friesshire, Scotland, May 9, 1825, and came with 
 his parents to the United States when but fifteen 
 )'ears of age. He remained at home and was in 
 partnership with his brother until his marriage, 
 March 14, 1858, with Miss Lucy Canterbury, a 
 native of County Wicklow, Ireland, who came to 
 this country when a young miss. She was a 
 daughter of William Canterbury, who settled in 
 Marshall county about 1855, some three years 
 prior to her marriage. 
 
 Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Smith secured 
 one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 9, 
 La Prairie township, for which he paid nine hun- 
 dred dollars. To this farm he removed with his 
 young bride, and there lived until just before the 
 war, when he purchased a partially improved 
 farm adjoining, of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 for which he paid nine thousand dollars. Here 
 thejr resided until 1892, when he removed to the 
 old home of his brother Andrew, who had died 
 two years previously. 
 
 Mr. Smith still retains his farm on section 9, 
 consisting of one half section, and also owns a 
 quarter section on section 5, Steuben township, 
 which he has rented. The old farm he person- 
 ally superintends. Like his brother, James 
 Smith has been a successful farmer and wise man- 
 ager, giving personal attention to every depart- 
 ment of farm work. He was also one of the first 
 stockholders in the woolen mill, and also in the 
 bank at Lacon, and has been a director in each. 
 The former has not been a very successful insti- 
 tution financially, but the latter has always paid 
 reasonably well. 
 
 Mr. Smith has not confined his attention ex- 
 clusively to Marshall county, but has invested 
 largely in Vermilion county lands, owning there 
 about nine hundred acres, divided into four 
 
 farms, which he leases to other parties. His faith 
 in the land of his adoption is evidenced by his 
 investments. 
 
 Mrs. Smith, who was of excellent character, a 
 loving wife and mother, passed to her reward 
 Februar)^ 20, 1878, leaving a family of five chil- 
 dren, three dying in early childhood. The living 
 are Fanny G., now the wife of Lewis Calder, who 
 resides near the old home farm; Mina, wife of 
 Charles Monier, a son of William Monier, well 
 known throughout Marshall and adjoining coun- 
 ties; Mary B., Sarah and Lucy, all at home. The 
 latter is a music teacher in Kendall College, Mus- 
 cogee, Indian Territory. She was educated in 
 and is a graduate of Knox College, Galesburg, 
 Illinois. 
 
 In politics, yir. Smith is a thorough and un- 
 compromising republican, and while caring noth- 
 ing for the honors of local office, has served at 
 different periods for several years as supervisor 
 from his township. He has also served in other 
 local offices and represented his county in various 
 county conventions. A continuous resident for 
 over fifty-six years in IMarshall county, our sub- 
 ject has gone in and out among its people, at all 
 times enjoying the confidence and respect of all. 
 Coming to this country a poor boy, without 
 friends, by his industry and careful management 
 he has become possessed of much of this world's 
 goods, and his success in life should be an incen- 
 tive to all struggling youths and an assurance 
 that the way to prosperity is open to every one. 
 
 BEXJA3iIlN JUDD is a retired farmer living 
 in Wenona. His father, Thomas Judd, was 
 a native of Wilkes county. North Carolina, born 
 in 1800, a son of John Judd, of English descent, 
 who died in North Carolina. The latter came to 
 this country as a soldier in the British army dur- 
 ing the Revolutionary war, and at its close de- 
 cided to remain in this country, and settled in 
 North Carolina, where he spent the remainder of 
 his life. 
 
 Thomas Judd, the father of our subject, mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Darnell, also a native of Wilkes 
 county. North Carolina, born in 1803, and a 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 411 
 
 ■daughter of Benjamin Darnell, who came to ^lar- 
 shall county in 18.28, locating" on Sand)- creek, 
 in what is now Evans township. He was the 
 first white man to settle in that township, and 
 made his settlement in the edge of the timber. 
 Before coming to Marshall county he had read 
 medicine, and engaged in practice. He came to 
 this county with his wife and ten children in a 
 large panelled box wagon, wath room enough in 
 it for several to sleep. On reaching the county 
 they camped at Crow creek at a place called Ben- 
 nington's Grove. At that time his nearest and 
 only wdiite neighbor was Jesse Roberts, who had 
 located in what is now Roberts township, some 
 si.x miles distant. Indians were cjuite numerous 
 and during the time of the Black Hawk war a fort 
 was built on his farm, enclosing his log cabin. It 
 was used as a refuge for families for miles around. 
 Two of his sons served in Colonel John Strawn's 
 regiment during that struggle. In 1839 '^e l^f^ 
 his farm, went to Kendall county, Illinois, im- 
 proved a new farm there and located his children 
 around him. He died there in 1856. The chil- 
 dren Vicre Elizabeth, John, James, Enoch, Lark- 
 ins, Benjamin, Abram, "Sirs. Polly Adams, Mrs. 
 Susan Hollenback and Lucy. The last named 
 died at the age of fourteen years, and was the 
 first death in Evans township and the first to be 
 interred in the Cumberland cemetery located on 
 the old Darnell farm. The others are also now 
 deceased. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in 
 Xorth Carolina, where the father engaged in 
 farming until 1831, when they came to Marshall 
 county and located in Evans township, adjoining 
 the Darnell farm on the north. He built a log 
 cabin in the edge of the timber on Sandy creek, 
 and there remained until his death in January, 
 1848. The mother remained on the farm after 
 the death of her husband and there reared her 
 family. She died at the age of seventy-six years, 
 and the remains of husband and wife lie side by 
 side in Cumberland cemetery. They were the 
 parents of ten children — Alfred, deceased; ^hs. 
 Nancy Gants; John and Thomas, deceased; Ben- 
 jamin, our subject; Mrs. Elizabeth French, de- 
 
 ceased; Frances, deceased; ^Irs. ^latilda Brown, 
 living in W'enona; William and Almira, deceased. 
 
 Before his death Thomas Judd greatly im- 
 proved his farm, leaving it in good condition to 
 his wife and children. He was a well educated 
 man, an old school teacher, and served as county 
 commissioner of schools at one time. He was 
 also a justice of the peace for many years. On 
 coming to this county he was comparatively a 
 poor man, and in the few years of his life here ac- 
 quired a competency. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is the only surviving 
 son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Darnell) Judd. 
 He was born March 14, 1829, in Wilkes county, 
 Xorth Carolina, and was but two years old when 
 he came with his parents to Marshall county. 
 He was terribly afraid of the Indians and manv 
 a time crawled under the bed when they came to 
 the house. .\t one time the red men camped on 
 Sandy creek, about twenty-five rods from the 
 cabin of his father, and there remained for some 
 time and often visited the house for provisions. 
 Benjamin was reared on the old Judd farm in 
 Evans township, and received a limited educa- 
 tion in the subscription schools of pioneer days. 
 At the age of nineteen years he began life for 
 himself, working on the old home farm on the 
 shares. 
 
 On the 20th of November, 1851, Mr. Judd was 
 united in marriage with Miss Frances Talbot, a 
 native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and a 
 daughter of Nathan Talbot, who came from Eng- 
 land to America in 1830, locating in Pennsyl- 
 vania, from which state he moved to Marshall 
 county, Illinois, in 1842, settling in Hopewell 
 township, where the mother of Mrs. Judd died. 
 He subsequently remarried and moved to Evans 
 township, in 1851, where he remained for a time 
 and then returned to Hopewell township, and 
 later went to Long Point, Illinois, where he died. 
 By his first marriage there were ten children — 
 John, Mathias, Nathan, Wilham, Peter, Mar- 
 garet, Mrs. Judd, Elizabeth, Jane and r\Irs. Ra- 
 chel Lyons. Two of his sons, John and James, 
 served in the civil \\ar. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Judd lived 
 
41. 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 on the old Judd farm until 1865, then moved to 
 section 16, Evans township, there lived until 1886, 
 when they removed to Wenona, and have since 
 lived retired. Our subject was quite a success- 
 ful farmer, and it is said that he raised more acres 
 of corn than any other man in Evans township. 
 He planted and harvested forty-two crops of corn 
 in succession. 
 
 Afr. and ^Irs. Judd are the parents of seven 
 children — Adeline, now the wife of Luteins W. 
 Kemp, lives in Evans township, and is the mother 
 of five children; Nelson Perry married Eliza- 
 beth Wilson, by whom he has eight children, 
 and the family now reside on the Judd farm; 
 James Ashley married Delia Haws, bv whom he 
 had four children, and they too reside on the old 
 Judd farm; Thomas D., who is a furniture dealer 
 and undertaker in Wenona, married Ida Wilson, 
 by whom he has one child; Clara Jane resides at 
 home; Alary Frances married Alonzo D. Brown, 
 principal of the Wenona grammar schools, bv 
 whom she has two children; Julia Dell also re- 
 sides at home. 
 
 Afrs. Judd is a member of the Presbyterian 
 church, and takes an active interest in the work 
 of that body. 'Mr Judd is connected with the 
 Masonic order, belonging to the blue lodge at 
 Wenona and the chapter at Rutland, Illinois. 
 He has passed through all the chairs of the for- 
 mer and has been a delegate to the Grand lodge. 
 He has always taken a deep interest in ^Masonry. 
 In politics he is a democrat of the old school and 
 has served in many of the local ofBces of his 
 township. To each of his children he has given 
 a good education and has prepared them for use- 
 ful lives. He is the oldest living resident of 
 Evans township, and perhaps the oldest resident 
 of the county. 
 
 GEORGE R. PHELPS, who has long been 
 identified with the agricultural interests 
 of Princeton township, is a worthy represent- 
 ative of one of the honored pioneer families of 
 Bureau county. He traces his ancestry back to 
 William Phelps, who, in 1630, came from Eng- 
 land to Dorchester, Massachusetts, but about 
 
 five years later went to Windsor, of the same 
 state, where his death occurred July 14, 1672. 
 Pie became a prominent citizen of that place, 
 serving as magistrate for many years, and he 
 and his wife were members of Rev. Mr. \\"ar- 
 ham's church. She died in 1689. In their fam- 
 ily were seven children — William, Xathaniel, 
 Samuel, Joseph, Timothy, JMary and Sarah. 
 
 The second of that family, Xathaniel Phelps, 
 removed to Northampton, IMassachusetts, in 
 1650, and on the 17th of September, of the same 
 year, married Elizabeth Copley, who died De- 
 cember 6, 1712, and his death occurred Alav 2j, 
 1702. He served as deacon of his church, and 
 was the father of six children— Mary, Nathaniel, 
 Abigail, ^^'iIliam, Thomas and :Mercv. 
 
 Of that family, Nathaniel Phelps was born 
 April 2, 1653, and died June 20, 1719. On the 
 27th of August, 1676, he married Grace Martin, 
 who died August 2, 1727. She was a native of 
 England, and a woman of strong will and char- 
 acter. Two children born to them, Grace 
 and Nathaniel, both died in infanc}-, and the 
 others were Samuel, Lydia, Grace, Elizabeth, 
 Abigail, Nathaniel, Sarah and Timothy. 
 
 Nathaniel Phelps, of the above family was 
 born February 13, 1692, and died October 14, 
 1747. He married Abigail Burman, who died 
 June 12, 1727, and Isiay 25, 1730, he wedded Mrs. 
 Catherine Heacock. By the first marriage four 
 children were born — Charles, Anne, Nathaniel 
 and Alartin; and by the second, Catherine, 
 Lydia, John and Afehitable. 
 
 The third of the first famih-, Nathaniel Phelps, 
 was born December 13, 1721, and died October 
 29, 1789. In 1750 he was united in marriage 
 with Elizabeth Childs, of Deerfield, ]\Iassachu- 
 setts, who died July 28, 1769, and in 1773, he 
 married Mrs. Rebecca Childs. Their children 
 were Burnham, Elizabeth, Abigail. Nathaniel, 
 Elijah, Ann and Rufus. 
 
 Of that family, Nathaniel was born June 5. 
 1757, and died [March 4, 1833. He was married 
 June 5, 1781, to Lucy Strong, whose death oc- 
 curred in 1834. To them were born the follow- 
 ing children — Diana, Burnham, Ebenezer S.. 
 
George R. Phephs. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 415 
 
 Xathaniel, Lucy, who dietl in infancy; Adelia, 
 Lewis, Lucy, Lucinda and Charles. 
 
 The last named, Charles Phelps, was born in 
 Northampton, Massachusetts, (V-tober 24, 1802, 
 and became the father of our subject. He de- 
 parted this life at Princeton, Illinois, July 2, 1874. 
 On the loth of June, 1824, he led to the mar- 
 riage altar Mary Strong, who was born Decem- 
 ber 24, 1801, and died December 2, 1877. In 
 June, 1836, they emigrated to Bureau county, 
 Illinois, locating first on section 3, Princeton 
 township, and later on section 10. He had en- 
 tered his land in 1835, and devoted his entire 
 time to farming. He was an upright, reliable 
 citizen, and himself and wife were both faithful 
 members of the Congregational church, of which 
 he was trustee for many years. In their family 
 were eight children — 3.1aria, who died in in- 
 fancy, August II, 1826; George R., of this 
 sketch; Harriet ^M., who married Isaac Car- 
 penter and after 'his death John Lloyd, and now 
 resides in Princeton; Ebenezer S., of Princeton; 
 ]\Iarv E., who wedded William Green, and later 
 William Starkey, and died February 14, 1895; 
 Charles P., a resident of Princeton; Elijah P., 
 who died in childhood, and Lucy A., wife of 
 Gilbert Spaulding, of Nebraska. Ebenezer S. 
 Phelps, an uncle of our subject, was one of the 
 first of the colony from Massachusetts to come 
 to Bureau county, and was a leading member of 
 the Congregational church here. He was born 
 September 3, 1788, and on the 24th of February, 
 1812, married Anna Wright, who was born May 
 10, 1781, and died in 1873. His death occurred 
 the year previous. 
 
 In Plampshire county, Massachusetts, George 
 R. Phelps, of this review, was born February 20, 
 1827, and attended the common schools of Bu- 
 reau county, which in that day were not very 
 efficient in promoting excellence in scholarly at- 
 tainments. With the exception of two years in 
 the furniture business with his brother, E. S., 
 his entire life has been devoted to agricultural 
 pursuits, and he owns a good farm of sixteen 
 acres on section 9, Princeton township. 
 
 On the 17th of May, 1871, he was united in 
 21 
 
 marriage with Miss Julia R. Phelps, who was 
 born in Northampton, Massachusetts, Novem- 
 ber 19, 1828, and is a daughter of Lewis and 
 Asenath Phelps, both of whom died in 1872, at the 
 age of seventy-five and seventy-seven \ears re- 
 spectively. The former was a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal church, and the latter of the Con- 
 gregational church. In early life the father was a 
 clothier, but later engaged in farming, and was 
 well and favorably known throughout the com- 
 munity where he made his home. The wife of 
 our subject was one of a family of nine children, 
 five of whom died in infancy. The others are 
 Fanny E., widow of Horace Augur, and a resi- 
 dent of New Haven, Connecticut; Calvin W., of 
 Northampton, ^lassachusetts, and Adelia C, 
 wife of William E. Augur, of West Haven, 
 Connecticut. 
 
 One daughter has been born to Mr. and Airs. 
 Phelps, Grace M., a graduate of the Princeton 
 high school, who has been engaged in teaching 
 in Bureau county for several years. The family 
 are worthy members of the Congregational 
 church. Mr. Phelps is a demitted member of 
 the Masonic order, and in politics is a republican. 
 He has satisfactorily filled the offices of assistant 
 supervisor, commissioner of roads, and for many 
 years has been a member of the board of school 
 trustees, taking a deep and commendable interest 
 in educational matters. In early life his father 
 supported the whig party, and later became an 
 abolitionist, being in close sympathy with the 
 movements of the underground railroad in Bu- 
 reau county. 
 
 CHARLES WESTON. Prominent among 
 the citizens of Concord township. Bureau 
 county, mentioned in this work, is the gentleman 
 of whom this history is written. He is one of 
 the energetic and enterprising farmers and stock- 
 raisers of this portion of the county. His home 
 is situated on section 22, where he carried on 
 agricultural pursuits with good success, and 
 where he has one of the most highly cultivated 
 farms in the locality. 
 
 Mr. Weston comes from the far of¥ state of 
 
4i6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Maine, his birth occurring in Bloomfield town- 
 ship, Somerset county, May 3, 1831. His pa- 
 rents, Joseph and Hannah (Webb) Weston, emi- 
 grated to IlHnois in 1856, locating near the vil- 
 lage of Buda, in Bureau county, on a farm of 
 one hundred and twenty acres which the father 
 purchased. There he spent his remaining days, 
 dying January 29, 1886, and his remains were 
 interred in Hopeland cemetery, west of Buda, 
 beside those of his wife, who died two years pre- 
 viously. In their family were six children, of 
 whom our subject is the fourth in order of birth, 
 and of whom five are still living. Joseph W. 
 lives at Plymouth, Pennsylvania; James W., is 
 a well known grocery merchant of Buda; Mrs. 
 Gratia A. Burns is a resident of the same place, 
 and Mrs. Emily R. Waite died, leaving four 
 children. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 passed on his father's farm in Maine, and he ob- 
 tained his literary education in the country 
 schools of the neighborhood, which he attended 
 for about six weeks of each year. On attaining 
 his majority he went into the pineries in the 
 northern part of the state, where he was em- 
 ployed for six years, and thus obtained his start 
 in life. In 1857 he came west to Illinois, and 
 passed the following two years at the home of his 
 father. 
 
 In 1858 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. 
 Weston and Miss Lydia Cummings, by whom he 
 had two children — Lyman W., now a resident of 
 Cando, Towner county, North Dakota, and Sher- 
 man, who assists in the operation of the home 
 farm. The wife and mother died October 11, 
 1876. ]Mr. \\'eston wedded for his second wife 
 Leah Jane Bates, whose death occurred August 
 22, 1893. On the 9th of October, 1894, he mar- 
 ried Mrs. Elizabeth Aker, a native of Archibald, 
 Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter 
 of William and Martha (Morgan) Jerman. By 
 her former marriage she has one daughter, 
 Martha. 
 
 For one year Mr. Weston made his home in 
 Henry county, Illinois, after which he sold out 
 and returned to Concord township, Bureau 
 
 county, where he purchased ninety acres of good 
 land, on which he has since resided. He has 
 met with a fair degree of success in his chosen 
 calling, and the neat and thrifty appearance of 
 his places shows him to be a most progressive 
 and energetic farmer. He is now an ardent 
 democrat in politics, but was reared a republican 
 and voted that ticket until 1884. He is highly 
 esteemed and respected by the members of so- 
 ciety that surround him and enjoys the confi- 
 dence and regard of all. 
 
 ISAAC PARSONS, deceased, was for many 
 years one of the leading and representative 
 farmers of Ohio township, Bureau county. He 
 was born in New York in 1833, a son of Isaac 
 and Mary (Coon) Parsons, who were also na- 
 tives of the same state. When quite young he 
 was taken by his parents to Canada, whence they 
 later removed to Illinois, locating first in ^Ic- 
 Henry county, where they remained for two 
 years. From there they removed to Lee county, 
 and finally settled in Bureau county, where the 
 father engaged in farming as long as he was 
 physically able. With his wife and five children 
 he went to California in 1867, being passengers 
 on the first train that ran through to that state. 
 There the deaths of both parents occurred. 
 
 Our subject was the eighth in order of birth 
 in their family of thirteen children, and with them 
 came to Illinois in 1850. He accompanied them 
 on their various removals, until finally locating 
 in Ohio township. Bureau county, where he 
 opened up and improved a farm, devoting his 
 time to agriculture until called from this life. 
 He lived near Ohio and Palestine until about 
 the close of the civil war, when he purchased the 
 farm on which his widow yet resides, and there 
 his death occurred on the 29th of April, 1891. 
 
 On the nth of October, 1851, Mr. Parsons 
 was united in marriage with Miss Fannie E. 
 Hawkins, a daughter of John R. and Lucretia 
 (Umpsted) Hawkins, who were born in New 
 York, and became residents of Illinois. She has 
 five brothers and sisters, one of whom is Celes- 
 tia, now the widow of Lewis N. Parsons, a broth- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 417 
 
 er of Isaac, who died in 1893, greatly mourned 
 by all who knew him. The union of our subject 
 and wife was blessed by the birth of four chil- 
 dren, yet living, namely: Electa A., Homer, 
 [Mortimer, and Estella, wife of Albert Garrett, of 
 Chicago, Illinois. 
 
 A conscientious, earnest Christian, Mr. Par- 
 sons was a faithful member of the Church of 
 Christ. His integrity of character, unbounded 
 benevolence and never-failing courtesy made him 
 beloved by all who had the honor of his acquaint- 
 ance, and in his death the community felt like 
 they had lost a most valued and worthy citizen. 
 He was one of the oldest settlers of Ohio town- 
 ship and did much to promote its development 
 and welfare. 
 
 Mrs. Parsons and her sister, Mrs. L. N. Par- 
 sons, now reside on the Parsons homestead in 
 Ohio township, and are surrounded by many 
 warm friends who esteem them highly for their 
 many womanly virtues. They are devoted mem- 
 bers of the Christian church and take an active 
 part in all benevolent and church work. 
 
 T OHN HOWARD BRYANT, who for sixty- 
 vj four years has been a resident of Princeton, 
 is held in the highest esteem by those who know 
 him, and all admire him for his work's sake. He 
 traces hia genealogy back many generations, his 
 ancestry on both his father's and mother's side 
 coming from England in the Mayflower. 
 Through all the generations that have since 
 passed, the name of Bryant has been a familiar 
 one in Xew England history, and those of the 
 name have done much in moulding public 
 opinion. 
 
 John H Bryant was born in Cummington, 
 Massachusetts, July 22, 1807, and is the son of 
 Dr. Peter and Sarah (Snell) Bryant. His father 
 was of the fourth generation from Stephen Bry- 
 ant and Abigail Shaw, of Plymouth, Massachu- 
 setts. His mother was a descendant of Josiah 
 Snell, who married Anna Alden, granddaughter 
 of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, who were 
 immortalized by Longfellow. Dr. Peter Bryant 
 was thoroughly educated and a most skillful phy- 
 
 sician. Though naturally a strong man physi- 
 cally, his long rides over rough mountain roads 
 and exposure in all kinds of weather doubtless 
 shortened his life, he dying at the age of fifty- 
 two years. His wife, who by nature and train- 
 ing was a typical wife of a physician, died in 
 June, 1847, '" her eightieth year. 
 
 John H. Bryant has always had great love for 
 his New England home, and in one of his earliest 
 poems he thus writes: 
 
 "There stands a dwelling in a peaceful vale. 
 With sloping hills and waving woods around, 
 
 Fenced from the blast. There never ruder gale 
 Bows the tall grass that covers all the ground; 
 
 And planted shrubs are there, and cherished 
 flowers. 
 
 And brightest verdure born of gentle showers. 
 
 'Twas there my young existence was begun ; 
 
 ^ly earliest sports were on its flowery green; 
 And often, when my schoolboy task was done, 
 
 I climbed its hills to view the pleasant scene. 
 And stood and gazed till the sun's setting ray 
 Shone on the height — the sweetest of the day." 
 
 There was yet much reality as well as poetry 
 in the home life of Mr. Bryant. The farm work 
 must be attended to, and every member of the 
 family must do his part. No one was allowed to 
 shirk, nor was it in the nature of John thus to do. 
 With the others, he worked early and late, glad 
 of the opportunity of attending school three 
 months in the winter. His progress in school 
 was for a time rather slow in consequence of 
 weak eyes, caused by intently looking at an 
 eclipse of the sun without the intervention of col- 
 ored glass, "(Vhen but four years of age. But he 
 was a close student and made the best of his op- 
 portunities, finishing his course at the academy 
 in Cummington, and in the Rensselaer school, 
 now the Rensselaer Polytechnic institute, at 
 Troy, New York. Before attending the latter 
 school, however, he had two winters' experience 
 as a teacher in the public schools. A literary 
 club in the neighborhood for the improvement 
 
4i8 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 of the young people in reading and composition 
 was very helpful to him. In his spare hours he 
 contributed to the Boston Philanthropist some 
 special articles, and also some poems for the 
 Williamstown paper. 
 
 In 1830 Mr. Bryant took the census for that 
 part of Hampshire county lying west of the Con- 
 necticut river, and in the winter of 1830-31 taught 
 school in Plainfield at a salary of fourteen dollars 
 per month and board around. The time had 
 now come to trace his steps westward, where the 
 opportunities were greater for success in life 
 than in the almost barren hills of his native state. 
 Accordingly, in the spring of 1 831 he set out for 
 Illinois, and in due time arrived in Jacksonville, 
 having been five weeks in making the journey, 
 and at a cost of sixty dollars. 
 
 At Jacksonville Mr. Bryant spent about a year 
 in clerking and farming his brother Arthur's 
 land, and in September, 1832, set out on horse- 
 back for Princeton, accompanied by his brother 
 Cyrus. They were induced to come here be- 
 cause of the settlement of the Hampshire colony, 
 which, however, had been scattered by the Black 
 Hawk war. On their arrival they were directed 
 to a spot now well known as the John H. Bryant 
 place. The tract had been claimed by ]\Iichael 
 Kitterman, but in his absence had been jumped 
 by "Curt'' Williams, who also left it. The Bry- 
 ants erected a small cabin and began the im- 
 provement of the place, but in their absence, one 
 Sunday morning, Williams returned with his 
 family and took possession of the cabin. He was 
 eventually bought of¥ and the brothers had no 
 further trouble. 
 
 While residing in Jacksonville !Mr. Bryant 
 formed the acquaintance of ]\Iiss Hattie Wiswall, 
 and in the spring of 1833 returned to Jackson- 
 ville to claim her as his bride. The wedding 
 ceremony took place June 7, 1833, and imme- 
 diately thereafter the young couple went to Mere- 
 dosia and took passage on a boat on the Illinois 
 river for Hennepin, from which place they came 
 "overland" to Princeton, arriving at the Bryant 
 cabin June 11, 1833. In that cabin they lived 
 until the following spring, when Mr. Bryant 
 
 erected another cabin on the site now occupied 
 by his present spacious mansion. All the work 
 on the building, except the making of window 
 sash and aid in raising, was performed by his 
 own hands. At the raising of the cabin no in- 
 toxicating liquors were used, which was a rather 
 strange proceeding in those days. That cabin 
 was to be an historical one. At its fireside sat 
 many a negro man or woman fleeing to a land of 
 freedom, for it was a station on the underground 
 railroad. Preachers, politicians, temperance ora- 
 tors, all were entertained by the hospitable own- 
 er and his good wife. The home farm consisted 
 of three hundred and twenty acres, which he en- 
 tered in 1835. 
 
 ~\\t. Brj'ant has ever been an active man, and 
 in the history of Bureau county the space filled 
 by him is large indeed. Almost every office in 
 the gift of the people has been held by him, 
 Originally a democrat, he acted with that party 
 until 1844, when, on account of its attitude on 
 the slavery question, he became a member of the 
 Free Soil party, and on the organization of the 
 republican party in 1856 he united with that or- 
 ganization. He was present as a delegate to the 
 first national convention of that party at Pitts- 
 burg in 1856, which nominated the great "Path- 
 finder," John C. Fremont. Again, in i860, he 
 was a delegate to its national convention at Chi- 
 cago, and assisted materially in the nomination 
 of Honest Old Abraham Lincoln for the presi- 
 dency. During the war following the election 
 of Lincoln he was always foremost among those 
 active in supplying men and means for its vigor- 
 ous prosecution. In 1862 he was appointed col- 
 lector of internal revenue for the Fifth district 
 of Illinois, and served four years. The duties of 
 the office he discharged with rare fidelity, and at 
 a time when the internal revenue was very un- 
 popular and when its strict enforcement was 
 bound to make enemies. 
 
 The war ended, and other issues being before 
 the people, Mr. Bryant could not agree with his 
 republican associates on questions of currency 
 and tariff, and therefore cut loose from that party 
 and again returned to the democratic fold, the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 419 
 
 views of that party on the questions at issue 
 more nearly coinciding with his own. 
 
 To Mr. and J\Irs Br3-ant two children were 
 born: Henry W., born April 17, 1835, died 
 April 26, 1854, of typhoid fever; Elijah W., born 
 December 2, 1836, married June 6, 1865, Aliss 
 Laura Smith, born ^Xlarch 2j, 1846, and a daugh- 
 ter of Sidney and Laura (Doolittle) Smith, the 
 former a native of Massachusetts and the latter 
 of Xew York. By this union the following- 
 named were born: Frances E., Kate, John H., 
 William C, Laura S., and John Howard, Jr. 
 After a happy wedded life of fifty-four years, 
 [Mrs. Harriet E. Bryant died, October, 1888, at 
 the age of eighty years. She was a woman of 
 domestic tastes and habits, noted for hospitality 
 and good management. Mr. Bryant's biograph- 
 er, I\Ir. E. R. Brown, of Elmwood, Illinois, says 
 of Mrs. Bryant that the last twenty-one verses 
 of the last chapter of Proverbs fitly describes this 
 worthy helpmeet of a noble man. 
 
 In his religious views, ;\Ir. Bryant was always 
 extremely liberal and never sectarian. Love to 
 God and love to man embodies it all. Speaking 
 of him as a poet, his biographer says: "As a 
 poet, Mr. Bryant's writings are not numerous, 
 but they cover a space of seventy years in time, 
 and were written as the spirit moved, and at such 
 odd times as ever busy man could take from 
 the steady demands on his time and strength. 
 His poems are characterized by good taste and a 
 high and even flight, with nothing in them ap- 
 proaching the sensational or morbid. There is 
 no affectation, no trick of tinkling meter, but all 
 is modest, manly, straightforward and genuine." 
 
 As a citizen, no man was ever more alive to 
 the interests of his adopted city, county and state. 
 He went at his own expense with one or two 
 others in the winter of 1836 to Vandalia, then 
 the capital of the state, and secured the division 
 of Putnam county and the creation of Bureau 
 county, and on its organization was made re- 
 corder of deeds. In later years, for the erection 
 of the present court house, he took the county 
 bonds to New York, negotiated their sale and 
 thus secured for Princeton the county seat for 
 
 all time to come. When the high school build- 
 ing was needed he also went with the bonds ren- 
 dered necessary and disposed of them to good 
 advantage, with others personally guaranteeing 
 them to the money lenders. 
 
 The familiar face and figure of John Howard 
 Bryant is known by every man, woman and 
 child in Princeton. A spotless life, thorough 
 sympathy with the common people, and a perfect 
 willingness to do all in his power for the better- 
 ment of mankind has endeared him to all, and 
 the example of his life is worthy of emulation by 
 coming g"enerations. 
 
 AMOS T. PURVIAXCE, who for forty years 
 has efiicicntl}- served as county clerk of Put- 
 nam county, was born near Smithfield, Jefferson 
 county, Ohio, ?ilarc'h 6, 1823, and is a son of 
 James and Margaret (Tipton^ Purviance, the 
 former a native of Redstone, Pennsylvania, and 
 the latter of Baltimore, jiaryland. In the key- 
 stone state they \\ ere married, later removed to 
 Ohio, and in 1846 became residents of Putnam 
 county, Illinois, locating on a farm near Henne- 
 pin, where the father died in 1877, at the age of 
 seventy-six years. A brother of our subject. 
 Price Purviance, now resides upon the old home- 
 stead in Granville township. 
 
 Amos spent his boyhood mainly upon the 
 home farm, but at the age of sixteen years en- 
 tered the office of the Steubenville Herald, then 
 conducted by Judge Wilson, at Steubenville, 
 Ohio, and during his three years' apprentice- 
 ship only received his board and clothes. Soon 
 after learning the printer's trade, in connection 
 with a cousin, who was an attorney, he purchased 
 the paper, which they published for about a year, 
 and on seUing out he came west. 
 
 Previously Mr. Purviance was married August 
 7, 1845, i"^ Jefferson county, Ohio, to Miss ^lary 
 M. Ong, a native of that county, and to them 
 were born two children. Margaretta, at home, 
 was for one year engaged in teaching at Lacon, 
 and has also done special work in the county 
 clerk's office. Frank, who clerked for some time 
 
420 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in Chicago, has for the past three years served 
 as deputy county clerk in Putnam county. 
 
 Coming to this county in 1847, Mr. Purviance 
 located on a farm of eighty acres, given him by 
 his father and near the latter's farm in Granville 
 township, and for seven years devoted hiniselt 
 to farming, but with not very flattering success. 
 In 1854 he came to Hennepin, where for one 
 year he clerked for a Mr. Pulsifer, who owned a 
 warehouse on the west bank of the river, of 
 which our subject took charge. He was then 
 elected sheriff of Putnam county, in which office 
 he served for two years, and the following year 
 was a member of the firm of Grable, Coles & 
 Purviance. 
 
 It was in 1857 that he was first elected county 
 clerk, and he has been repeatedly re-elected imtil 
 he has now filled the office for thirty-nine con- 
 secutive years, which will be extended to forty- 
 one before his present term expires. His con- 
 tinuous service well indicates his faithful dis- 
 charge of duty, always being found at the office, 
 and was without a deputy until within the last 
 three years, when his son, Frank, has served in 
 that capacity. He has been the regular candi- 
 date of the republican party, twice having no 
 opponent, but several times there has been a 
 close contest, he at one time receiving a majority 
 of only sixteen votes. He has never taken an 
 active part in politics, devoting his entire time 
 and attention to his official duties, but is well 
 informed on the leading issues and questions of 
 the day. He was reared in the Society of Friends, 
 but has never identified himself with any religious 
 organization. Socially, he is a member of the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 In 1895 Mr. Purviance and his estimable wife 
 celebrated their golden wedding, one hundred 
 and fifty guests being present, and were enter- 
 tained at their home in the woods. His friends 
 presented him with a handsome gold-headed 
 cane, in token of their respect and esteem. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Purviance purchased a wooded 
 tract of about thirty acres, including an isle of 
 several acres in the river — the site of the old 
 Hartzell trading post, which was established in 
 
 1817, and is now marked with a suitable stone. 
 There are about a dozen depressions, where it is 
 said the Indians would cache their corn where 
 Mr. Hartzell could watch it. These holes are 
 nearly all filled with leaves, still they are yet 
 plainly visible. 
 
 Mr. Purviance has expended considerable 
 time on the improvement of his place, but en- 
 deavors to leave it as near a state of nature as 
 possible, allowing no trees to be cut, and has 
 added many varieties of trees and plants. He 
 has brought here hundreds of rocks which show- 
 peculiar formations, especially from various parts 
 of Putnam county, has erected several choice 
 rustic seats, platforms, etc., from which one gets 
 a grand view of the river. In fact it is one of 
 the most beautiful and attractive spots to be 
 found for miles around. He has many interest- 
 ing relics of the Indians, the stone age and of 
 pioneer life, ,uv\ his room at the court house also 
 contains an interesting collection, many of the 
 relics having a value from some local connec- 
 tion. Courteous, genial, well-informed, alert and 
 enterprising, Mr. Purviance stands to-day one of 
 the leading representative men of the county, 
 holding a high place in the hearts of the people 
 whom he has served so capably for forty years. 
 
 WILLIAM SAHTH, who resides upon sec- 
 tion 10, La Prairie township, has been a 
 citizen of ^Marshall county since 1840, a period 
 of fifty-six years. He is a native of Dumfries- 
 shire, Scotlanrl, born May 4, 1823, and is a son 
 of William and Wilhelmina (Scott) Smith, both 
 of whom were also natives of .Scotland. (For 
 matters of famih' record see sketch of James 
 Smith, elsewhere in this volume.) 
 
 Our subject came to this country with the 
 family, and in partnership with his brothers, 
 helped improve the farm upon section 16, now 
 owned by James Smith. He then improved a 
 farm in Saratoga township, where he remained 
 until February 15, 1870, when he removed to 
 his present farm, which he secured from his 
 wife's people, ."^oon after he traded his Sara- 
 toija farm for one hundred and si.xtv acres ad- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 421 
 
 joining and still later added the Bell farm of one 
 hundred and sixty acres. Each of these farms 
 were improved, but he has added much in the 
 way of barns and outbuildings, making them 
 equal to any farms in the township with respect 
 to improvements. 
 
 'Sir. Smith has engaged in general or mixed 
 farming, raising vast Cjuantities of grain, much 
 of which he has fed to his stock, and what was 
 not required for that purpose disposing of in the 
 general market. He usually feeds a large num- 
 ber of hogs and some cattle, and has engaged 
 more or less in breeding a fine grade of horses, 
 both draft and roadsters. With his brothers, he 
 invested somewhat extensively in the woolen 
 mills at Lacon and was one of the original stock- 
 holders in the bank at that place. He has, ht)w- 
 ever, disposed of all his stock in both institu- 
 tions, and of late years has given his attention 
 almost exclusively to his farming interests. 
 
 In politics Air. Smith has been a republican 
 since the organization of the party, and formerly 
 was quite active in political affairs, attending 
 conventions and assisting with his influence and 
 means in perfecting party organization and dis- 
 cipline. While never in reality caring for the 
 honors or emoluments of public office, for al- 
 most his entire life he has served his fellow- 
 citizens in some official capacit\'. For about 
 twenty years in Saratoga and La Prairie town- 
 ships he served as justice of the peace to the sat- 
 isfaction of all concerned. For some years he 
 was supervisor and road commissioner m Sara- 
 toga township, and also school trustee. Fie was 
 the first township clerk of La Prairie township, 
 and was also townsJiip assessor in the early days 
 of the township organization. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Smith is a Presbyterian, and 
 was one of the first and is now the only surviv- 
 ing member of the organization perfected at the 
 home of George Scott, early in the '50s. He has 
 ever been a communicant of that church, and 
 one of the trustees of the church in La Prairie 
 township. His interest in the organization has 
 always been maintained and his faith in the 
 Christian religion has never wavered. 
 
 On the i8th of February, 1859, Mr. Smith was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ottilia Fostbinder, 
 of German aiicestry, and birth, and a sister of 
 Charles Fostbinder, of Wenona. Eight children 
 came to bless their union : Mary, Christina, Wil- 
 liam, Charles, Lottie, Minnie, James and Robert. 
 Of this number, Mary wedded William Riddell, 
 of Sparland, who is engaged in the grain busi- 
 ness at that place; Christina is the wife of Frank 
 Marshall, a farmer of La Prairie township; Wil- 
 liam is a veterinar\- surgeon; Lottie is the wife 
 of Estep Duncan, of Sparland, and Minnie is 
 the wife of Wilbur Root, of La Prairie township. 
 The sons all remain under the parental roof. No 
 family in La Prairie township is held in higher 
 esteem than that of \\'illiam Smith, the subject 
 of this sketch. 
 
 JACOB O. SWARTS is one of the highly re- 
 spected and valued citizens of Bureau coun- 
 ty, making his home upon a farm on section 5, 
 Princeton township. His father, Jacob L. 
 Swarts, was born in AI orris county. New Jersey, 
 November 15, 1828, and is a son of David and 
 Elizabeth (Blaine) .Swarts, who died in that state. 
 I'he mother of our subject, who bore the maiden 
 name of Mary A. Alpaugh, was born July 27, 
 1 830, and was a daughter of David and Rachael 
 (Clouse) Alpaugh, both of whom spent their en- 
 tire lives in New Jersey. In 1856 the parents 
 emigrated to Illinois, making their home for two 
 years in the city of Princeton, and then removed 
 to the farm on which our subject now resides. 
 It was mostly all timber land, on which a clear- 
 ing had been made and a log house erected, inti 1 
 which the family moved, while the father at once 
 Ijegan its further improvement and development. 
 Fle died January' 15, 1867, leaving the mother 
 with two children : George Edgar, now of Chi- 
 cago, married Sarah A. Fetrow, and has one 
 child, Alamie; and Jacob O., of this sketch. The 
 mother still survives her husband. Both were 
 members of the English Lutheran church, with 
 which he was officially connected and was an ac- 
 tive worker in the same. Originally he was a 
 democrat in politics, but later supported the re- 
 
422 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 publican party, and took a commendable inter- 
 est in educational matters, efficiently serving as 
 school director of his district. After coming here 
 he worked some at his trade of carpentering, and 
 all that he possessed was accumulated through 
 his own unaided efforts and good management. 
 
 Upon his present farm, J. O. Svvarts was born 
 May 31, 1861, and was educated in the district 
 schools of the neighborhood, while upon the farm 
 he early became familiar with agricultural pur- 
 suits. He was married September 8, 1885, to 
 Miss Sarah C. Shugart, who was born Mav 5. 
 1863, in Wyanet township, Bureau county, and 
 received a common school education. They now 
 have three interesting children, namely: Clar- 
 ence Jacob, LeroY Calvin and Ethel Mary. 
 
 Calvin A. Shugart, the father of Mrs. Svvarts, 
 was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, Au- 
 gust I, 1833, and was married after coming to 
 Bureau county, to Caroline M. Coddington, who 
 was here born June 10, 1843, 'ind was a daughter 
 of James and Catharine (Fear) Coddington, of 
 Dover township. He took his bride to a farm in 
 Wyanet township, but a few years later removed 
 to, Dover township, subsequently returned to his 
 first farm in Wyanet township, but now makes 
 his home in Princeton township. The wife and 
 mother died November 23, 1872. She had four 
 children — Sarah C, wife of our subject; James 
 S., deceased; ]\Iyra B., wife of Fred Reese, of 
 Chicago, by whom she has two children, Carrie 
 and John, and Milford, of Princeton, who mar- 
 ried Amanda Bodfish, and has one daughter, 
 Caroline Margaret. The father afterward mar- 
 ried Ellen Reynolds, now deceased, and they had 
 one son, Marion ^I. He enlisted in the union 
 army during the civil war, but did not serve 
 long. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. .Swarts are conscientious and 
 earnest Christians, taking an active part in the 
 work of the United Brethren church, of which 
 thev are members, and assist in every enterprise 
 that is calculated to elevate mankind. He stud- 
 ied for the ministry and for three years engaged 
 in the local work of the Free ^lethodist church. 
 But is now connected with the United Brethren 
 
 church, and in 1890 traveled between seven and 
 eight thousand miles in its interests, since which 
 time he has preached at Dover, Princeton and 
 A'an Orin, being a member of the northern Ilh- 
 nois conference. He still operates his farm, how- 
 ever, which comprises one hundred and ten acres 
 of rich and arable land, and is serving as school 
 director. He also has a class in the English 
 Lutheran church of Princeton, and politically is 
 an ardent prohibitionist, as that party embodies 
 his views on the temperance question. 
 
 GEORGE RACKLEY, ESQ., was for many 
 years one of the prominent and representa- 
 tive business men of Maiden, but has now laid 
 aside the cares and responsibilities of such a life 
 and is living retired in that place, enjoying a well- 
 earned rest. He is also one of the honored pio- 
 neers of the county, having here made his home 
 for sixty years, and with its interests has been 
 actively identified. 
 
 Born in Orange county, Vermont, Xovenii^er 
 2, 1821, our subject is a son of Xathan and Su- 
 sanna (Judd) Rackley, also natives of the Green 
 mountain state. On leaving his farm m Orange 
 county the father removed to Genesee county, 
 New York, where he resided for eight years, and 
 in 1836 emigrated by team to Illinois, the family 
 riding in a covered wagon. They stopped first 
 at Joliet, where our subject spent his first 4th 
 of July in the west. The city celebrated in grand 
 style, among the many attractions being a free 
 dinner and a fine military display. 
 
 On their arrival in Bureau county the Rack- 
 ' ley family located in Berlin township, where the 
 father purcliased one himdred and sixty acres 
 of land, now adjoining the corporation limits of 
 Maiden. Here he opened up a farm and added 
 to his original purchase until he owned three 
 hundred acres of rich and arable land, which he 
 placed under a high state of cultivation. He was 
 one of the most prosperous and thrifty agricul- 
 turists of the community, and continued the 
 operation of his farm until eighty-eight years of 
 age, when he rented it and removed to Maiden. 
 There his death occurred in April, 1S95. at the 
 
THE r.IOGRAPHICAL RKCORD. 
 
 423 
 
 advanced age of nearly ninety-five years. His 
 wife, who died some years previousl)-, was nine- 
 ty-one when called from this life. Their re- 
 mains were interred in Maiden cemetery, where 
 a substantial monument marks their last resting 
 place. They were widely known and universally 
 respected. Our subject is the oldest of their four 
 children, the others being Louisa, deceased wife 
 of Martin R. Zearing; Xathan F., who is also 
 living retired in Maiden; and Phoebe A., wife 
 of I). K. ^lorris, of the same place. 
 
 During his boyhood and youth, Air. Rackley, 
 of this sketch, accjuired a good practical educa- 
 tion in the common school, and was reared to 
 farm life. On reaching manhood he was married 
 in Berlin township, March 24, 1842, to Miss 
 Calista Abel, who was bcrn in Erie county, Xew 
 ^'ork, but when a young lad}' was brought to 
 Illinois by her father, Thomas Abel. They be- 
 gan their domestic life upon a farm in Lee coun- 
 ty, Illinois, which his father had previously pur- 
 chased, and which our subject cleared and devel- 
 oped. After three years spent upon that place 
 they returned to Berlin township, but for about 
 three years Air. Rackley was now engaged in ac- 
 tive business. He then began dealing in grain 
 and lumber at Maiden, which he successfully car- 
 ried on for over twenty years, and also bought 
 and sold land and shipped live stock to the city 
 markets. After a long and prosperous business 
 career he sold out and is now living retired. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rackley have one daughter, 
 Julia. She is the wife of J. A. Perry, a merchant 
 of Maiden, and the on!}- child born to them, 
 George X., died in 1888, at the age of nine years. 
 ]\frs. Perry, a most estimable wife, has for sev- 
 eral years been an active member of the Congre- 
 gational church. 
 
 Our subject is prominently identified with the 
 republican party, of which he was one of the or- 
 ganizers in this locality, although his family were 
 originally all strong democrats. Since casting his 
 first vote for John C. I'Vemont, he has never 
 failed to support its presidential nominees. He 
 has taken an active part in local politics, and has 
 served with distinction in several minor posi- 
 
 tions of honor and trust, among which were the 
 offices of collector of his township and justice of 
 the peace. The latter position he filled for eight 
 years in Bureau county, and had previously held 
 the same office in Lee county. For eleven con- 
 secutive years he was supervisor, being first elect- 
 ed in i860, and later served for five years. He 
 finally declined to accept political honors. He 
 had also been a delegate to a number of county 
 and congressional conventions, and discharged 
 all public as well as private duties with prompt- 
 ness and fidelity, thus winning the commendation 
 of all concerned. Socially Mr. Rackley is a 
 Knight Templar Mason, and a member of Dover 
 lodge, I. O. O. F., in which he has filled all 
 the chairs, and served as a delegate to the grand 
 lodge, where he was elected grand deputy for sev- 
 eral years. He is classed by his fellow-citizens as 
 one of the public-spirited representative men of 
 the community, and merits and receives the 
 warmest confidence and esteem of all who know 
 him. 
 
 WILLIAM C. DRAKE was engaged in the 
 earlier years of his life in agricultural pur- 
 suits, but is now retired from active labor, and 
 .occupies a pleasant home in Princeton. He was 
 born in Knox county, Ohio, Xovember 26, 1821, 
 and is a son of William Y. and Jane (Carey) 
 Drake, both natives of Xew Jersey, where they 
 were married. In 1808 they emigrated to Jef- 
 ferson county, Ohio, and later went to Knox 
 county, locating upon a farm. The father had 
 learned the blacksmith's trade, and his expe- 
 rience rendered, him a very useful man m the 
 neighborhood in those early times. On coming 
 west he located in Princeton township, Bureau 
 county, where he began the improvement of a 
 farm. He was very fortunate in his location, 
 settlingamong the Hampshire-Massachusetts ccl- 
 onv, wliich was composed of a very intelligent, 
 industrious and worthy class of people. There 
 his death occurred May 31, 1852, at the age of 
 eightv-one years. He was a hard-working, en- 
 terprising citizen, who gave his entire attention 
 to his business interests and cared nothing for 
 
4^ 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 public office. His wife, who was born in 1775, 
 died in December, 1849. Their marriage was 
 celebrated in Morris countv. New Jersey, in 
 1791, and both held membcTship in the Presby- 
 terian church. Of their thirteen children, eleven 
 grew to years of maturity- and two are still liv- 
 ing, the sister of our subject being Mrs. Rachel 
 Stocker. Another sister, Ann, who was born in 
 New Jersey in 1804, became the wife of Robert 
 Murphey, and died in March, 1896, at the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-one years. 
 
 William C. Drake early became familiar with 
 the duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, 
 and Bureau county has been the scene of his 
 farming operations. Although he is now living 
 retired, he still owns a quarter section of land 
 near Britt, Hancock county, Iowa. He served 
 as school director in his district, but has ever de- 
 clined to fill other political positions. 
 
 On the Qth of September, 1874, ^Jr. Drake was 
 married, the lad}- of his choice being Mrs. .-Vdelia 
 E. Langwortliy, daughter of Oliver and Eliza- 
 beth (Jeremiah) Perkins, both of whom were na- 
 tives of \'ermo'nt, and are now deceased. Mrs. 
 Drake was also born in the Green mountain 
 state, but was reared at Saratoga Springs, New 
 York, Avhcre her father was general manager in 
 a large shoe store, many workmen being under 
 his supervision. In the fall of 1836 he came to 
 Bureau county, having previously purchased a 
 quarter section of land in Arispe township, on 
 which his death occurred three years later at the 
 age of fifty-five. His wife died in the same town- 
 ship in 1864, at the age of seventy-four years. 
 In their family were seven children, namely: Sid- 
 ney, who died in 1893, at the age of seventy-six 
 years; Mrs. Drake; Alice, widow of Ephriam 
 Fellows; Nancy, widow of George Sisler; Caro- 
 line, widow of Mr. Thorpe; Susan, wife of Thom- 
 as Courser, and one who died in early life. 
 
 Bv her former marriage, Mrs. Drake became 
 the mother of seven children — Oliver, Lewis, 
 Charles, Adelia, Clara, Edward, who married 
 Miss Hoffman, and resides in Chicago, and Ag- 
 nes E. The last named took a course at the free 
 kindergarten training school, ndw the regular 
 
 department of the Armour institute of Chicago, 
 where she graduated in 1888, and is now teach- 
 ing in a kindergarten. For several years she has 
 successfully engaged in teaching in Princeton 
 and elsewhere, and has always given general 
 satisfaction. 
 
 ]\Ir. and Mrs. Drake are both consistent mem- 
 bers of the Congregational churc'h, and have 
 many friends throughout the community. Since 
 the organization of the party he has been a stal- 
 wart republican, and is a public-spirited, progres- 
 sive citizen. 
 
 ANTON W^ALTER. -Many of the most en- 
 terprising and prosperous farmers of Bu- 
 reau county have come from the land beyond the 
 sea, and especially is this true of the many who 
 have left their home in the German empire and 
 sought homes in this land of freedom. Among 
 these quite a prominent figure is the gentleman 
 whose name introduces this sketch, and who 
 makes his home on section 2, Ohio township. 
 
 Mr. Walter was born in Germany in 1833, and 
 is a son of Mathias and Catherine (Schwerel) 
 Walter, who were also natives of the same coun- 
 try and crossed the Atlantic to America in 1866, 
 • taking up their residence upon the farm \vhich 
 is now the home of our subject. There the father 
 engaged in farming until called to his final rest. 
 In the schools of the fatherland Anton \A'alter 
 obtained his education, continuing his studies un- 
 til fourteen years of age, when he began working 
 in a vineyard, where he was employed until he 
 accompanied his parents to the new world in 
 1866. He also located in Ohio township. Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, where he now owns a fine 
 farm of one liundred and sixty acres and is num- 
 bered among the solid and prosperous agricul- 
 turists of the community. 
 
 In 1862 was consummated the marriage of Mr. 
 AValter and ]\Iiss Sophia Conrad, also a native of 
 Germany, but whose family became residents of 
 Bureau county. Her brother, Peter J. Conrad, 
 is one of the leading citizens of Ohio township. 
 Seven children were born of this union, as fol- 
 lows: Mary, Peter, Anton, Frederick, Lizzie, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 4-25 
 
 Henry and Katie. The three oldest sons are all 
 married. Peter is the manager of his uncle's, 
 Peter J. Conrad, business at ^Mendota, Illinois, 
 and Anton is the manager of his large stock 
 farm and horse barn at the village of Ohio. The 
 family is one of prominence and highly respected. 
 In politics ]\Ir. Walter has alwa^'s been a demo- 
 crat since becoming an American citizen, but 
 at present favors the party which represents 
 sound money. He and his family are devout 
 members of the Roman Catholic church. Pub- 
 lic-spirited to a great degree, he takes quite an 
 interest in every measure which is calculated to 
 benefit the community, or to accrue to the good 
 of society in general. 
 
 ALLEX IIORTOX, who resides on section 
 8, ^lacon township. Bureau county, Illinois, 
 has been a resident of the county for more than 
 half a century. He is a native of Bedford coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, born near the village of Ston- 
 erstown. The place of his birth is known in that 
 locality as Broadtop, a branch of the Allegheny 
 mountains. He was born December 31, 1819, 
 and was second in the family of eight children, 
 of whom three are now living, our subject being 
 the eldest. Carey T. resides at Austin, Texas, 
 with his son, who is a contractor and builder of 
 iron bridges. Politically he is a republican, and 
 is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 xhurch. .Septimus resides in Xemaha county, 
 Kansas, and is an agriculturist. Politically he is 
 a democrat. Both Septimus and Carey were sol- 
 diers during the war of the rebellion and served 
 three years. ^ 
 
 Septimus Horton, the father of our subject, 
 was also a native of Bedford county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, born Xovember 11, 1795, and , died May 
 20, 1 83 1. His wife was born April 9, 1794, and 
 died March 31, 1881. The father was reared to 
 the trade of a blacksmith, but made farming his 
 chief avocation. He was a Jacksonian demo- 
 crat, and cast his last vote for Andrew Jackson. 
 He emigrated to Ohio, in October, 1822, locat- 
 ing in Highland county, near Hillsboro. There 
 he remained until his death, which took place on 
 
 the farm of ex-Governor Trimble. The mother, 
 Wellliy Foster Horton, was also a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, and lived to the good old age of eiglity- 
 seven, dying at the home of her son Allen. 
 
 Allen Horton was but two years of age when 
 his parents emigrated to Ohio. The trip was 
 made overland by wagon and required four 
 weeks. He remained with his parents until nine- 
 teen years of age, when he returned to his old 
 home in Pennsylvania, and there remained a lit- 
 tle more than one year. While in Pennsylvania 
 he commenced to learn the trade of a carpenter 
 and joiner and followed that occupation after his 
 return to his Ohio home. In 1840 he again re- 
 turned to Pennsylvania, and there remained but 
 a short time. His educational advantages were 
 limited, the log schoolhouse in which he obtained 
 his primary education being but sixteen feet 
 square, the logs of which it was constructed be- 
 ing round, the chinks being daubed with mud. 
 It was heated by an old-fashioned fire-place, the 
 chimney of which was constructed of mud 'and 
 sticks. The windows were made by cutting out 
 a portion of two logs and inserting an eight by 
 ten paper card for glass. These were in the 
 rear of the room where the big boys and girls 
 sat to write. The last schoolhouse where he at- 
 tended school was of brick, and thirty by forty 
 feet, and was a radical change and great im- 
 provement over the first. 
 
 On the 22d of December, 1842, in Licking 
 county, Ohio, Air. Horton married Miss Maggie 
 Zink, also a native of Bedford county, Pennsyl- 
 vania. By this union eight children were l:)orn, 
 only three of whom are now living — Septimus I., 
 who resides in Santa Cruz, California, and who 
 has spent almost his entire hfe in railroading. 
 He was a soldier during the rebellion, and served 
 about one year. Pie was one of the guards placed 
 to watch the body of the lamented Lincoln after 
 the assassination. He married Miss Anna A. 
 Dolan, and four children grace their union. Po- 
 litically he is a repubhcan. Alice C. is the wife 
 of William Crisman, Jr., who is a son of William 
 Crisman, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this 
 work. Addie is the wife of John W. McClain, 
 
426 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and for a time they were residents of Kansas, but 
 are now residing on the old homestead. Mrs. 
 Horton was born January 13, 1820, and was the 
 fifth in a family of thirteen children, born to Sam- 
 uel and Catherine (Hanniwalt) Zink. Of the 
 family only five are now living — James is a black- 
 smith by trade and a farmer by occupation, who 
 resides in Knobnoster, Missouri; Mrs. Horton is 
 next in order of birth ; Cxeorge is a retired farm- 
 er residing in Buda, Illinois; Hannah is the wife 
 of John H. Robinson, a farmer residing near 
 Tiskilwa, Bureau county; William L. is a 
 farmer residing in Greenwood county, Kansas. 
 Samuel Zink was a native of Pennsylvania and 
 was a wagonmaker by trade. In 1844 he came 
 west, locating in Fulton county, Illinois, where 
 he remained two years and then came to Bureau 
 count}-. Both himself and wife died in this coun- 
 ty and their remains were interred in Bunker Hill 
 cemetery. 
 
 In the spring of 1844 Air. Horton came to 
 Bureau county in company with John and 
 George Zink, and it required about three weeks 
 to make the trip. After prospecting for a time 
 he finally concluded to settle in Macon township. 
 When he first landed he was eleven dollars worse 
 oft" than nothing, but had plenty of the good old 
 Pennsylvania grit, and determined that he would 
 succeed in life. The first work he did was in 
 Fulton county, Illinois, where he engaged in the 
 erection of a carding mill. He remained there 
 for about two years and in the summer of 1844 
 John Zink went back east for his father's family, 
 and then returned accompanied also by the wife 
 of Mr. Horton. In April, 1847, ^^r. and Airs. 
 Horton moved to French Grove, near Sheffield, 
 and there rented a farm of Fitzyou Cummings. 
 After locating there, Mr. Horton was ready to do 
 any work which would give him an honest living. 
 At the time of his locating here, neither the 
 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, nor the Rock 
 Island roads were surveyed. The present thriv- 
 ing towns of Buda, Sheffield and Xeponset were 
 unknown, and Princeton was but a small village 
 with but three stores. They were building the 
 first court house when Mr. Horton came to the 
 
 county, much of the lumber used in its con- 
 struction being hauled from Chicago. 
 
 It was about 1851 when Mr. Horton purchased 
 the one hundred and sixty acres on section 5, in 
 Macon township, at one dollar and twenty-five 
 cents per acre. The land was entirely unim- 
 proved, and his brother, Septimus, agreed to 
 break the north half of it. The first house erect- 
 ed was a log cabin on the southeast quarter of 
 section 5, and when the first survey of the Chi- 
 cago, Burlington & Quincy railroad was made 
 the line went through the corner of the house. 
 The house was afterward moved to the present 
 site, on the northeast quarter of section 8, and 
 was converted into a barn. 
 
 Commencing life in Bureau county a poor 
 man, Mr. Horton has been unusually successful 
 and is numbered among .the most substantial 
 farmers of Macon township. On his arrival here 
 almost the entire township was an unbroken 
 wilderness. Wild game of all kinds was abund- 
 ant and Mr. Horton has seen as many as twen- 
 ty-three deer in one herd, and often the wolves 
 made the night hideous. The Indians now and 
 then came into the country and at one time quite 
 a camp of them located near the present village 
 of Sheffield. While in camp they were visited by 
 Mrs. Horton and her brother, Samuel, who wit- 
 nessed them cooking their supper. The town- 
 ship of Macon was not organized until April, 
 1 85 1, the first election being held at the cabin 
 of Mr. Horton and he was the first person elect- 
 ed supervisor of the township. After the or- 
 ganization of the township it was proposed to 
 give it the name of Jefferson, but learning that 
 there was already a township by that name, Air. 
 Horton suggested that of Macon. At that time 
 there was no school organized, and four congres- 
 sional tov/nships held their election at French 
 Grove. There was no church nearer than Prince- 
 ton and services were often held at neighbors' 
 houses. Originally, Mr. Horton was an old line 
 whig and cast his first presidential vote for Hen- 
 ry Clay. At heart he was a strong abolitionist, 
 and at the birth of the republican party he cast 
 his presidential vote for General John C. Fre- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 427 
 
 mont. Since that time he lias voted for every 
 presidential candidate of that party. He remem- 
 bers with pleasure and describes in a graphic 
 manner the campaign of 1840, when "Tippecanoe 
 and T}ler too" were the candidates. He was one 
 of a Tippecanoe club of three hundred who went 
 in wagons and on horseback to Wilmington, 
 Clinton county, Ohio, to attend a great meeting 
 during that campaign. In addition to serv'ug as 
 supervisor of the township, Air. Horton was road 
 commissioner for vears and laid out most of the 
 roads in the township. He is a firm friend of 
 the public schools and has been a member of 
 the school board for a number of years. He is a 
 meniber of the A'lethodist Episcopal church, of 
 which body his wife is also a member and Ijoth 
 are held in the highest esteem, not only in Ala- 
 con, but throughout Bureau county, and it is 
 with pleasure that we present this biography to 
 the readers of the Biographical Record of Bu- 
 reau cormtv. 
 
 NIAIROD F BROWX. This gentleman, 
 who spent his early manhood in active busi- 
 ness, and mainly in agricultural pursuits, is now 
 living retired in A\'enona. A man of great en- 
 ergy and more than ordinary business capacity, 
 his success in life has been largely due to his own 
 efforts, and the sound judgment by which he has 
 been enabled to make wise investments and take 
 good advantage of his resources. 
 
 His paternal grandfather, Samuel Brown, was 
 a native of Xew Jersey, but emigrated to Penn- 
 sylvania at a very early day, crossing the Alle- 
 ghany mountains on foO't and settling in Fayette 
 county, where he marked out the lines for his 
 farm with a tom.ahawk. There he located in the 
 timber and opened up a new farm, which he 
 made his home until his death at the ripe old 
 age of seventy-eight years. His wife bore the 
 maiden name of Beulah Taylor. 
 
 In Fayette county, Pennsylvania, Charles 
 Brown, the father of our subject, was born in 
 1800, was there reared upon a farm and obtained 
 a fairly, good common school education. On 
 reaching man's estate he was united in marriage 
 
 with Aiiss Maria Forsythe, a native of the same 
 county, born August 25, 1801, and a daughter 
 of Jesse Forsythe who was of Irish lineage. After 
 their marriage thc}- settled upon a part ol the 
 old lirovvn homestead, but in the spring of 1842 
 emigrated to Illinois, and resided in Putnam 
 county, within one mile of Magnolia, for five 
 years. They then removed east of that village in 
 La Salle county, where they continued to make 
 their home until 1853, at which time they came 
 to Wenona and here conducted the first hotel in 
 the village. The father remained in that busi- 
 ness until his death, which occurred in Novem- 
 ber, 1856. His wife passed away in 1880, and 
 they now sleep side b} side in the Magnolia 
 cemetery. She was a member of the Cumber- 
 land Presbyterian church in Pennsylvania, but 
 after coming to this state united with the Pres- 
 byterian church, of which she was ever after- 
 ward a faithful member. On coming to Illinois 
 the family was in very limited circumstances, in 
 fact the father had to borrow fifteen dollars at 
 Hennepin with which to complete the journe\-, 
 and at first rented a farm, but success crowned 
 his efforts and he became quite well-to-do, al-' 
 though he was never in robust health. 
 
 The parental household included seven chil- 
 dren, who were reared in Illinois, namely; John- 
 son, now residing in Wenona; Airs. Jane Judd, 
 deceased; Joseph, wh.o died in 1847; Ximrod 
 F., of this sketch; Benjamin, living in Nebraska ; 
 Airs. Sarah A'an Allen, of Osage township. La 
 Salle county, Illinois, and Samuel, of Chicago. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred on the old 
 homestead farm in Fayette county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, September 11, 1831, in a log house, and 
 he was a lad of eleven years when brought by his 
 parents to Illinois. He attended the district 
 schools of Putnam and La Salle counties and re- 
 mained at home on the farm until he attained 
 his majority. 
 
 On the 6th of December, 1855, was consum- 
 mated the marriage of A-Ir. Brown and Miss Ala- 
 tilda Judd, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth 
 (Darnell) Judd, and sister of Benjamin Judd, of 
 Wenona, whose sketch is given elsewhere in this 
 
428 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 vohime. She was born upon her father's farm in 
 Evans township, INJarshall county, October 30, 
 1837, there grew to womanhood and was mar- 
 ried. She attended the same school as her hus- 
 band. Five children were born to them, as fol- 
 lows: Alice and Fannie are now deceased; Al- 
 meda is the wife of George Gaboon, of Wenona, 
 and they have one son, Guy; May is the wife of 
 Chase Wells, of Nokomis, Illinois, by whom she 
 has one son, Emil; Benton also lives in No- 
 komis. All of the children were given good edu- 
 cational advantages, the son being a graduate of 
 the W'enona high school, and were well fitted for 
 the responsible duties of life. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Brown located on the 
 north end of the Judd farm, where he erected 
 a house and there continued to live until 1864, 
 when he purchased one hundred and sixty acres 
 of land in Osage township. La Salle county. Al- 
 though the land had been broken, he had to fence 
 the same, plant trees and erect the buildings. 
 The farm comprises one of the best quarter sec- 
 tions in the township, consisting of prairie land, 
 and lies one and a half miles east of Wenona. 
 The place is all well tiled and three and a half 
 miles of hedge fence have been set out. Besides 
 the excellent dwelling, Mr. Brown built the first 
 octagonal barn in the locality, at a cost of thir- 
 ty-five hundred dollars. He devoted his time 
 to general farming and stock raising, for fifteen 
 years making a specialty of draft Englishshire 
 horses, which usually took the premiums at the 
 fairs where they were exhibited. Since Septem- 
 ber, 1890, he has rented his farm and makes bis 
 home in Wenona. He votes as his sentiments 
 and beliefs dictate with the democratic party, 
 served as assessor and road commissioner in 
 Osage township and justly ranks among the most 
 highly respected and honored citizens of the com- 
 munitv where he has so long made his home. 
 
 WILLIAM H. STONER is one of the lead- 
 ing agriculturists and self-made men of 
 Bureau county, residing upon the farm on sec- 
 tion =;. Princeton township, where the family lo- 
 cated on coming to Bureau county in 1858 from 
 
 the keystone state. His father, Frederick Stoner, 
 was born in Pennsylvania, March 5, 1810, and 
 is descended from one of three brothers, who 
 came from German}- to America, one locating in 
 York county, another in Dauphin county, and 
 the third in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. In 
 Cumberland count}', that state, the father mar- 
 ried Catharine Swarts, who- was there born in 
 1823, and there they made their home upon a 
 farm until emigrating to Illinois in 1858. In 
 their family were twelve children — Mrs. Hilary 
 Ann Fctro\Y, Epbraim, Emanuel, William H., 
 Daniel Webster, Samuel, Susanna and Jacob, liv- 
 ing; Andrew, Angeline, Benjamin and Freder- 
 ick, deceased. The mO'ther's death occurred in 
 1869, and the father, who long survived her, died 
 in 1892. She was a member of the English Luth- 
 eran church, and he was a good Christian man, a 
 great bible reader, but not a member of any re- 
 ligious denomination, though he gave liberally 
 to the church. He served as school director in 
 his district. Two of the sons, Ephraim and 
 Emanuel, were soldiers of the union army in 
 the civil war. 
 
 In Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, William 
 H. Stoner was born March 26, 1841, and ac- 
 companied his parents on their removal to Illi- 
 nois. His educational privileges were meager, 
 but his training at farm work was not so limited, 
 and from the age of nine years until twenty-eight 
 he gave the benefit of his services to his father. 
 
 ^farch 10, 1867, was performed a wedding 
 ceremony which united the destinies of ^Ir. Ston- 
 er and Miss Leah Rupert, who was born in York 
 county, Pennsylvania, August 21, 1846, and is a 
 daughter of Andrew and Lydia Rupert, who on 
 coming to Illinois in 1866, settled at Mendota. 
 The mother is deceased, but the father is still 
 living. Seven children 'have been born to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stoner, as follows: Irena, wife of Pe- 
 ter ?\Iaas, of Princeton, by whom she has two 
 children, Gertrude and Howard; Ida M., wife of 
 James Tarbotten, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 
 Rosie, deceased; Clara C, Myrta V., William 
 H., and Frederick A., all at home. 
 
 Upon his marriage, Mr. Stoner took his bride 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 429 
 
 to the old home farm, where they have since re- 
 sided witli the exception of thirteen years, most 
 of whicli time was passed in Bureau county, but 
 from 1885 to 1889, they were residents of Lee 
 county. The farm here, of one hundred and 
 twentv-two acres, is all well improved and under 
 a high state of culti\ation, our subject devoting 
 himself exclusively to general farming. The 
 place is the old Epperson farm, the first to be 
 settled b}- white people in Bureau county, and 
 the corn crib, which still stands upon it, is built 
 of the timbers of the old house. Through the 
 farm goes a stream called Epperson run, which, 
 during the thirty-six years it has been under the 
 obsen-ation of our subject, was never dry until 
 the summer of 1895, when it was without water 
 for two months. 
 
 Both ;\Ir. Stoner and his wife are members of 
 the English Lutheran church, in which he is 
 serving as deacon, and in political afifairs he votes 
 independent of party ties. His straightforward 
 methods of doing business and his value as a 
 member of the community, have gained for him 
 a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, who 
 have watched his career with interest and are 
 not slow to acknowledge that he is deserving of 
 all the good that has fallen to him. 
 
 JEFFERSON DURLEY, clerk of the circuit 
 court of Putnam county, Illinois, has filled 
 that position continuously since 1876. He was 
 born in Sangamon county, Illinois, about ten 
 miles south of Springfield, December 7, 1822. 
 His father, Jehu Durley, was a native of South 
 Carolina and was of English descent, the family 
 it is supposed coming from Durleyville, a little 
 town in the north of England. His mother, 
 Jane (Rankin) Durley, was a native of North 
 Carolina, of Scotch descent. Jehu Durley and 
 Jane Rankin were married in South Carolina, 
 and emigrated to Illinois in 1818, the year in 
 which the state was admitted to the Union. They 
 were both members of the Scotch Presbyterian 
 or Seceders' church, and lived the strict lives 
 of those connected with that body. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared upon 
 
 the home farm and received a limited education 
 in the old subscription schools. His father died 
 in 1840, and two years later, at the age of twentv, 
 he went to the Galena lead mines, where he re- 
 mained two years engaged in trading and pros- 
 pecting. In 1844 he came to Putnam county 
 and .located on a farm two miles from Hennepin. 
 His mother came from Sangamon county about 
 this time and they united their forces in the cul- 
 tivation of the farm. On the 24th of December, 
 1846, he was united in marriage with Miss Elea- 
 nor Seaton, who came from Indiana with her 
 parents at the age of eight years. By this union 
 were five children — Leslie, who is an attorney 
 by profession, is now with the Northeastern rail- 
 road at Boston, in charge of their warehouses; 
 Rosalie is deputy circuit clerk and has charge of 
 the abstract department; Frances is the widow 
 of W. S. Lamb, of Sheldon, Iowa; Helena is the 
 wife of George F. Stanton, county treasurer of 
 Putnam county, and Anna, who died at the age 
 of thirty-three years. 
 
 Air. Durley continued farming until 1852, 
 three years of which time on a farm six miles 
 from Hennepin, in Granville township. He then 
 sold out, and in company with several others left 
 Hennepin for the gold fields of California, the 
 outfit requiring four wagons. With the party 
 was Enos Prickett, Mr. Watson, now of Tiskilwa, 
 and Porter Durley, who died about three years 
 since at Puget Sound. It required one hundred 
 and twenty-one days' time in making the journey. 
 They crossed the ^Missouri river at St. Joseph, 
 Missouri, and were shortly afterward joined by 
 a doctor from. Ohio, who proposed making one 
 of their company across the plains He was 
 very much afraid of Indians, and one night when 
 it came his turn to stand guard in company with 
 our subject he became so frightened that he 
 pulled out and left the company. The road for 
 miles was lined with dead animals l}'ing liy the 
 wayside. 
 
 Mr. Durley remained in California some three 
 years, engaged in mining with moderate success. 
 He then returned home, and the following year 
 w^as elected sheriff, succeeding Amos T. Pur- 
 
430 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL KECOKD. 
 
 viance, and served one term. In 1861 he went 
 to Colorado at a time when the Pikes Peak fever 
 was raging throughout the country, but con- 
 tinued on to the Salmon river mines in Wash- 
 ington Territory, where he found a1x)ut forty 
 claims had already been taken. There was great 
 suffering in the camp at the time and as high as 
 two hundred and fifty dollars in gold was paid 
 for a sack of flour. From the mines he went to 
 Elk City, Washington, and in the fall of 1863 re- 
 turned home with no better success than before, 
 but with plenty of experience. The war for the 
 Union had now been in progress for two years, 
 and he determined to enter the service. Raising 
 a company for the one hundred day service, 
 which became Company B, One Hundred and 
 Thirty-ninth Illinois \'olunteer Infantry, he was 
 elected and comimissioned captain. With his 
 company and regiment he went to Cairo, and 
 from that city into Kentucky. The regiment 
 was shortly sent back to Peoria, and later or- 
 dered to St. Louis, ^lissouri, and took part in 
 the campaign against General Price. For a time 
 they were stationed at St. Louis and Franklin to 
 guard the former city. After serving some five 
 and a half months the regiment was mustered 
 out. 
 
 Captain Durley returned home after receiving 
 his discharge, and in 1864 raised a new com- 
 pany, of which he was commissioned captain, and 
 which became Company I, Forty-seventh Illinois 
 A^olunteer Infantry. He joined the regiment at 
 Spanish Fort, and was later sent to Blakesly, 
 AEontgomery and Demopolis, Alabama, where 
 his regiment was stationed until Lee's surrender. 
 It was a part of General A. J. Smith's army corps, 
 and after the surrender of Lee it was retained in 
 Alabama to guard government supplies. For a 
 time the captain was district provost marshal at 
 Selma, Alabama, where he had charge of nine 
 companies, and where he had several interesting 
 experiences. The regiment was mustered out 
 and discharged in February, 1866., 
 
 Returning home, Captain Durley clerked in a 
 general store at Hennepin for four years, and 
 was then elected sheriff of Putnam county, and 
 
 re-elected in 1872. After an intermission of two 
 \ears, in 1876 he was elected circuit clerk, which 
 ofSce he has filled to the satisfaction of the people 
 to the present time. Since the organization of 
 the party he has been an uncompromising repub- 
 lican, and with one exception has been elected to 
 office by safe majorities. He has always taken 
 an active part in political affairs, and has done 
 yeoman service in every campaign. He has close 
 personal acquaintance of almost every man in 
 Putnam county. At the congressional conven- 
 tion held in Peoria in 1894, he was elected chair- 
 man and served with ability. 
 
 Captain Durley has been a resident of Putnam 
 county for fifty-two years, and for fifty years he 
 and his good wife have traveled life's journey to- 
 gether. Both are well known and highly re- 
 spected. Fraternally, Captain Durley is a mem- 
 ber of the Grand Army of the Republic and has 
 served as commander. 
 
 WILLIAAI HENRY BUTTS, deceased, 
 was one of the well-to-do and prosper- 
 ous farmers of Princeton township. Bureau coun- 
 ty, residing on section 4, and one of tliose men 
 who thoroughly understood the business which 
 he was pursuing, and was progressive in all 
 things. He was the architect of his own for- 
 tune, having started in life with but little capital 
 beyond his own industry and laudable ambition 
 to rise in the world. 
 
 His father, William Butts, was born in New 
 York, December 27, 1803, was there reared up- 
 on a farm, but at the early age of five years was 
 left an orphan, and soon had to begin life for 
 himself, depending upon his own exertions for 
 a livelihood. He learned the shoemaker's trade, 
 and used to go "cat whipping'" from house to 
 house. On the i8th of March, 1832, he was 
 united in marriage with Elizabeth Potter, who 
 was born ]\Iay 9, 1814, in Connecticut, where 
 she was reared, and their early married life was 
 passed in that state and in New York. Coming 
 to Illinois in 1853, they spent a few months at 
 Withersfield, but in the fall of the same year 
 came to Bureau county, settling in the south- 
 
Mr. and Mrs. W. II. B 
 
 UTTS. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 433 
 
 west corner of ^Vyanet township. In 1866, they 
 removed to Tiskilwa, where the following year 
 was passed, and then located upon the Walker 
 farm in Princeton township, but later settled on 
 the farm owned by the late W. H. Butts, our 
 subject. Subsequently they lived in the dty of 
 Princeton. The father died while on a visit to 
 the home of a daughter at Hastings, Nebraska, 
 January 10, 1892, and the mother passed away 
 September 6, 1888. In their family were six 
 children, namely: Charlotte, wife of Robert G. 
 Holmes, of Hastings, Nebraska, by whom she 
 has six children; William H., of this sketch; Ed- 
 win C, a soldier in the late war, was killed Jan- 
 uary 3, 1863; Anna Eliza, who was married to 
 Clark Hayes, and died at her mother's home in 
 Tiskilwa, leaving one child, Alyra; Garwood P., 
 a resident of Omaha, Nebraska, who married 
 Elsie Waterman, and has seven children, and 
 George 'SI., of Clarion county, Illinois, who mar- 
 ried ;\Ielissa Colver, and has one child. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred in Dutchess 
 county, New York, January 17, 1838, and in the 
 fall of 1853, he accompanied his parents to Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, where he ever afterwards 
 resided. He received a common school educa- 
 tion, and early became familiar with the duties 
 that fall to the lot of the agricuUurist. 
 
 On the 8th of February, 1865, Mr. Butts led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Martha Haiselden, 
 who was born at Hackensack, New Jersey, Feb- 
 ruary 16, 1845, and is a daughter of John and 
 Mary (Maycock) Haiselden, both natives of Eng- 
 land, who came to America when young, and 
 were married, and located in New Jersey, where 
 the father died December 12, 1845. He was born 
 April 17, 181 1, and his wife January 6, of the 
 same 3-ear. She brought her family to Bureau 
 county, Illinois, in the fall of 1854, settling at 
 Buda, where her death occurred November 27, 
 1884. In her family were six children, as fol- 
 lows: Mary Ann, wife of Benjamin J. Wester- 
 velt, by whom she has two children; Elizabeth, 
 deceased, wife of Henry Copcutt, by whom she 
 had two children; George, a resident of Chi- 
 cago, who married Lizzie Dickey, and had two 
 22 
 
 children; Martha Augusta, deceased; Samuel, 
 deceased, who married Florilla Backus, and they 
 had one child; and Mrs. Butts. Seven children 
 were born to our subject and his wife, but only 
 four are now living — Edwin W., who married 
 M}Ttle Edna ^laham, and now lives on section 
 9, Princeton township ; Samuel, Nettie and Nora. 
 Those who died were: Rena, born November 
 3, 1870, died February 3, 1871 ; Georgia, born 
 August 7, 1874, died November, 1878, and Lil- 
 lian, born March 14, 1872, died November 12, 
 1878. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Butts rented a farm in 
 \A'yanet township for eleven years, and then 
 purchased eighty acres in the southwest corner of 
 the same township, but in 1881 settled upon the 
 farm in Princeton, which comprises one hundred 
 and ninety acres, under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion and well improved with all the conveniences 
 and accessories which go to make up a model 
 farm. His ballot was cast ifi support of the prin- 
 ciples of the republican party, and for several 
 years he was director of one of the best district 
 schools in Bureau county. His wife is a member 
 of the Congregational church of Princeton, and 
 takes an active part in the work of both church 
 and Sunday school, being a teacher in the lat- 
 ter. 
 
 The death of Mr. Butts occurred April 9, 1896, 
 in his fifty-ninth year, and was a sad blow to 
 family and friends, and the community in which 
 he so long resided. He was a man universally 
 respected by all who knew him, and his circle of 
 acquaintances was unusually large. Every one 
 admired him for his sterling worth as a man, 
 while in the family he was tender and true. ^Irs. 
 Butts yet resides upon the home place and is 
 carrying on the farm. She is a woman of good 
 business ability, and has patiently taken up the 
 burden laid down by the one she loved. 
 
 CHARLES FIFIELD, a wide-awake, pro- 
 gressive agriculturist, is extensively en- 
 gaged in general farming and stock raising on 
 section 25, Concord township. Bureau county, 
 and makes a specialt}' of the raising of short 
 
434 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 horn cattle. He is a native of New England, born 
 at Andover, New Hampshire, July 12, 1857, of 
 which place his father, Silas C. Fifield, was also 
 a native, while his mother, who bore the maiden 
 name of Lucy A. Jackman, was born at Enfield, 
 New Hampshire. She is still living, but the 
 father's death occurred in that state in February, 
 1894. By occupation he was a farmer. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather of our subject, Peter Fifield, 
 was also born in the granite state, and was 
 of Scotch-Irish ancestry. 
 
 Three children were born to them — Silas, liv- 
 ing on the old home farm, at Andover; our sub- 
 ject; Irwin, now farming at Milford, Iowa. 
 
 On the home farm Charles Fifield was reared, 
 and in the common schools of the locality began 
 his education. At the age of sixteen years he en- 
 tered Proctor academy to prepare for college. 
 After a three years' course in that institution he 
 became a member of the freshman class at Dart- 
 mouth, where he was graduated with honors in 
 1882, taking front rank in a class numbering 
 sixty-two. The following year he was employed 
 as principal of the schools of Williamsville, Con- 
 necticut, after which he entered upon the study 
 of medicine at Dartmouth, as he had decided to 
 follow the medical profession. For one year he 
 pursued his studies along that line and then re- 
 ceived notice that he was heir to his present farm 
 by the death of a cousin, Albert J. Fifield. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Fifield located upon this farm, 
 which comprises three hundred and twenty acres 
 of rich and valuable land, that he has placed un- 
 der a high state of cultivation. During early life 
 he became thoroughly familiar with agricultural 
 pursuits upon the old homestead and therefore 
 was well qualified to undertake the management 
 of the extensive farming interests which fell to 
 his lot. 
 
 On the 1st of June, 1886, Mr. Fifield was united 
 in maiTiage with Miss Alice I. Davis, who was 
 born in Slieffield, Concord township, Bureau 
 county, and is a daughter of Hiram D. and Mary 
 A. (Lawler) Davis. Pier mother died on the 
 i6th of Julv, 1893, but ber father is still living, 
 making his home in Sheffield. Mrs. Fifield was 
 
 reared on his farm three miles from that village, 
 and in its schools she obtained her education, 
 graduating with the class of 1876. For two years 
 she then had charge of countr)- schools, was a 
 teacher in the Sheffield schools for three years, 
 and for five years successfully taught in the 
 schools of Buda. While at the last named place 
 she became acquainted with her future husband. 
 They are a pleasant, cultured couple, and occu- 
 py a high social position in the community. They 
 now have t^vo interesting children — Gertrude, 
 born August 11, 1890, and Clarence Eugene, 
 bom June 27, 1895. 
 
 In politics }\It. Fifield is a loyal and faithful 
 democrat, which party his ancestors have always 
 supported. Both himself and wife hold mem- 
 bership in the Unitarian church at Buda, of which 
 he is one of the trustees. 
 
 REV. CLES FREDERICK PAAIP, the reg- 
 ularly installed pastor of the Swedish Mis- 
 sion church, of Princeton, Illinois, was born in 
 Central Sweden, December 20, 1845. His 
 father, Anders Pamp, was a private soldier in the 
 Swedish army, and participated in the war 
 against Germany, remaining in the service until 
 he reached old age, when he was granted a pen- 
 sion and retired. He died in 1866, at the age of 
 eighty-five years, and the mother of our subject 
 passed away the year previously at the age of 
 seventy-five. Both were consistent members of 
 the Swedish Lutheran church. The father was 
 twice married and had twelve children, only three 
 of whom are now living, all by the second wife. 
 Gustav Anderson, the oldest, still makes his 
 home in Sweden. Twice he came to this coun- 
 try, but finally located in his native land, where 
 he works at the tailors' trade. Mrs. Sophia 
 Swanson also makes her home in Sweden, at the 
 age of fifty-six years. 
 
 Our subject, the youngest of those still living, 
 came with quite a colony to America in 1869. 
 His early education was obtained in his native 
 land and there he also worked on the tailors' 
 bench with his brother. On coming to the 
 shores of the new world, he made his home in 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 435 
 
 Chicago until September, 1895, at which time he 
 located at Princeton. In 1884 he began preach- 
 ing at the Swedish Covenant church of Chicago 
 and was also leader of the Sabbath school. 
 Later he was pastor of the church at Lake View, 
 which is continually growing, and in the near 
 future \\ill also be among the largest in the cit^•. 
 The membership of the Princeton church num- 
 bers two hundred, composed of the best Swedisli 
 families of the city, and the Sabbath school is 
 among the largest in the place. The cause of 
 Christianity finds in him an untiring worker, and 
 during his short residence here his labors have 
 met with good results and he has gained the con- 
 fidence, not only of his parishioners but of the 
 commtmity at large. 
 
 In Chicago, in 1870, ]\Ir. Pamp married Miss 
 Hannah Sophia Anderson, who had come alone 
 to the United States in that year. Her parents, 
 together with two brothers and one sister yet 
 reside in Sweden, and she also has a sister living 
 in Chicago. Thirteen children have been born 
 to our subject and his wife, six of whom are still 
 living and are at home with their parents, 
 namely: Alma S., Anna, Ellis, Fred, David and 
 Clarence. 
 
 HEXRY COOK, a retired farmer, living on 
 Peru street, Princeton, has been a resident 
 of Bureau county for sixty-two years. He was 
 born in that part of Genesee county, now Living- 
 ston county, New York, April 22, 1832, and is 
 the son of Deacon Caleb and Lucy (Clapp) 
 Cook, the former a native of Hadley, Massachu- 
 setts, and the latter of Northampton of the same 
 state, her family being among the early settlers 
 of New England, and of English descent. Their 
 marriage was celebrated in Northampton, Janu- 
 ai-y 30, 1830. 
 
 Deacon Cook, in early life, learned the brick- 
 maker's trade, but followed farming some 
 years previous to his coming west, and never 
 afterward resumed his trade. In October, 1834, 
 he landed in Bureau county with his wife and two 
 children, having driven the entire distance from 
 New York. On arriving here, in addition to his 
 
 team and a few household goods, he found him- 
 self possessor of five hundred dollars cash. He 
 located about four miles southeast of Princeton, 
 where he secured four hundred and eighty acres 
 of land, lying in sections 23 and 25. The land 
 not then being in market he purchased a squat- 
 ter's claim, for which he paid two hundred dol- 
 lars. When the land was thrown on the market 
 he entered the tract, paying for it the government 
 price of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. 
 One quarter-section, however, he had previously 
 sold to his brother-in-law, Seth Clapp, who de- 
 veloped a fine farm and there resided for several 
 years. 
 
 Caleb Cook improved his tract of three hun- 
 dred and twenty acres, and for years cultivated 
 such grain as was profitable and also engaged 
 quite extensively in stock-raising. When the 
 railroad was completed to Chicago, he engaged 
 for a time in buying and shipping grain and 
 stock, in which business he was quite successful. 
 He later invested in lands in Iowa and Wisconsin 
 which he disposed of, however, previous to his 
 death, which occurred on the farm March 28, 
 1876, at the age of sixty-eight vears. His wife 
 died April 13, 1883, at the age of sevent}'-six 
 years. 
 
 Tlie family of Caleb and Lucy Cook consisted 
 of eight children — Mary Ann, born September 
 23, 1830, married James Durfee, and died on the 
 home farm, October 7, 1887. Henry, of this 
 sketch, is next in order of birth. Maria, born 
 March 23, 1834, died in infancy. Jane, born 
 April 27, 1836, is now the wife of U J. Trimble, 
 of Bureau township. Sidney, born March 20, 
 1839, died June 5, 1841. Ellen, born September 
 20, 1841, died December 6, 1850. Dwight, born 
 November 22, 1843, died ]\Iarch 15, 1850. 
 Lucy, born August 8, 1846, is now the wife of 
 L}'sander Ward, of Avoca, Iowa. 
 
 Caleb Cook was originally an abolitionist and 
 later in life was a republican. He always took 
 an active interest in political affairs, and was 
 quite radical and firm in his views, especially on 
 the slavery question. He was an associate of 
 Owen Lovejoy in anti-slavery agitation and was 
 
436 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a member of the Congregational church of 
 Princeton where Lovejoy preached, and was a 
 deacon in the same. His wife was also a mem- 
 ber of that church, and both died in the blessed 
 assurance of a life beyond the grave, and with 
 the further assurance that a crown awaited them. 
 
 Deacon Cook was quite a student of the Bible, 
 and a firm believer in all its precious promises. 
 He maintained family worship and daily offered 
 up his prayers and thanksgiving to God. The 
 services of the Lord's house were ever a source of 
 delight to him, and in religious or political dis- 
 cussion, he could usually hold his own with any 
 who cared to discuss such subjects with him. 
 He was equally radical on the temperance ques- 
 tion, and always lived up to his professions. 
 Few men have left behind them a better record 
 and his memory is cherished by all who knew 
 him. He loved his wife and children and always 
 showed his devotion to their interests. Espe- 
 cially may this be said of his love and devotion 
 to his wife, who traveled with him life's journey 
 for forty-six years, each supplemented the good 
 in the other, and loved to be in each other's com- 
 pany. 
 
 Plenry Cook, our subject, was but two years 
 old when he came with his parents to Bureau 
 county, and here his entire life has since been 
 passed. He grew to manhood on his father's 
 farm, and remained at home until his marriage, 
 November 12, 1855, with Miss Orrilla S. Rich- 
 ards, of Paynesville, Ohio. He then purchased 
 eighty acres of his father's farm, and commenced 
 life for himself in earnest. To his original. eighty 
 he added from time to time, until he was the 
 owner of three hundred acres, divided into two 
 farms. On one of these he lived until March, 
 1895, when he sold one farm and removed to 
 Princeton. The other farm he yet retains and it 
 is cultivated under his direction. 
 
 To Mr. and Airs. Cook were born three chil- 
 dren — Herbert, who married Aliss Anna M. 
 Sower, now resides at Fairfield, Iowa, where he 
 is engaged in the flour and feed business. Ber- 
 tha A., is now the wife of George P. Williams, of 
 Fairfield, Iowa, her husband being a partner of 
 
 her brother in the flour and feed business. Jes- 
 sie H., residing at home, has been a teacher in the 
 graded schools of the county for a number of 
 years and ranks as a successful teacher. 
 
 Air. Cook commenced life with but limited 
 means, but by careful management and industry 
 has made a success and ranks among the well- 
 to-do farmers of Princeton township. Politi- 
 cally, he is independent, though generally vot- 
 ing the republican ticket. He is not controlled 
 by party bosses, and votes as his conscience and 
 best judgment dictate. Mrs. Cook, who is a 
 woman of good disposition and natural ability, is 
 a member of the Congregational church, and her 
 life is such as will bear testimony to the divine 
 principles of Christ. 
 
 JF. STEVENSON, a prominent farmer and 
 . valued citizen of Lamoille township. Bu- 
 reau county, was there born on the 2d of Febru- 
 ary, 1855, a son of Aaron L. and Delilah (Brown- 
 ing) Stevenson, natives of Ohio and Indiana, re- 
 spectively. The father was a farmer and stock- 
 raiser by occupation, and on coming from Jeffer- 
 son county, Ohio, to Bureau county, in 1848, 
 located upon a farm on North Prairie, where he 
 made his home for several years. Subsequently 
 he removed to Mendota, from there to Perkins 
 Grove, and later to Lamoille, where his death 
 occurred July 7, 1889, at the age of sixty-four 
 years. In religious belief he was a Methodist, 
 and in politics was first a whig and later a repub- 
 lican. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was 
 Thomas Stevenson. His father, Thomas Steven- 
 son, Sr., was a member of the militia of Virginia, 
 and during the French Indian war was called 
 out to suppress the outbreak on the frontier. 
 He was wounded and taken prisoner to Fort Du 
 Quesne, now Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and later 
 to Canada. After a year and a half he was re- 
 leased and returned to his home in Virginia — 
 months after they had supposed him to be dead 
 — thus making glad the hearts of his family and 
 restoring the home once more to happiness. He 
 belonged to one of the first families of Virginia. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 437 
 
 with whose interests they were prominently con- 
 nected. 
 
 The mother of our subject died when he was 
 in his infancy, leaving- three children, the others 
 being George T., of Lamoille, and E. J., a re- 
 tired farmer of Alendota, Illinois. The former 
 maiTied Nellie ]\Ierritt and has five children — 
 Susie, Joseph, Charles, John and Fannie. E. J. 
 Vvedded Fanny McMurray, of Pennsylvania, and 
 has two children — Lisle and Ralph. 
 
 In the district schools near his home, J. F. 
 Stevenson acquired his early education, which 
 was completed at ]\Iendota, and his life work has 
 been that of a farmer. His vacations are spent 
 in travel, which he greatly enjoys, and one trip 
 he visited the principal points of interest in Ire- 
 land, Scotland, Eng-land and France, this being 
 in 1878. Later he went to Victoria, Van- 
 couver, Seattle, Portland, Tacoma and other 
 noted places on the Pacific. In this wa\- he has 
 gained much valuable information that could not 
 be obtained from text books. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson takes a deep interest in political 
 matters, always casting his ballot in support of 
 the men and measures of the republican party, 
 and in Alay, 1896, had the honor of being chosen 
 a delegate to the convention held at Springfield. 
 For years he has been one of the foremost and 
 also one of the most consistent and straightfor- 
 ward workers in the republican ranks of his 
 county, and his open, fair and able judgment and 
 conduct in political matters have been such that 
 he enjoys the confidence and respect of his party. 
 His voice is loud and clear for jMcKinley, pro- 
 tection and the best interests of America with all 
 that implies. Socially, he is connected with the 
 Masonic fraternity, and has held a number of of- 
 fices in his local lodge. 
 
 FRANK F. DUNBAR, a hvely representative 
 of the mercantile interests of Princeton, is 
 now conducting one of the leading book and 
 jewelry stores of the place. In 1871 he embarked 
 in the jewelry trade, and two years later pur- 
 chased the book business of Mr. Bascom. He 
 has since carried both lines of merchandise, and 
 
 is now conducting an extensive and profitable 
 business. In connection with the current books 
 of the day, he also keeps on hand school books 
 and supplies, and the dailies and periodicals as 
 they appear. His jewelry store is by far the lar- 
 gest to be found in the county, and the store is 
 supplied with one of the best fire and burglar 
 proof vaults. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar was born on the 14th of May, 
 1839, in Waldo county, Maine, and his parents, 
 Otis and Mar}- (Talbot) Dunbar, were natives 
 of Massachusetts and Maine respectively. In 
 1855 the father first came to Princeton, and the 
 following year brought his family to this place. 
 By occupation he was a contractor and builder, 
 but on coming to Princeton opened a lumber 
 yard, where Mr. Brown now carries on the same 
 business. This he owned for several years, and 
 then again took up building and contracting. 
 The last five years of his life, however, he spent 
 in retirement from active business cares, dying 
 September 30, 1891, at the age of eighty-four 
 years. In early life he was a whig, and later 
 became a republican in politics. He attended 
 and supported the Congregational church, of 
 which his wife was a life-long member. Her 
 death occurred in 1887, at the age of seventy-two 
 years. She was a model Christian woman and 
 an active worker in her church. 
 
 Our subject is the second in order of birth in 
 the family of six children, four sons and two 
 daughters, the others being Camilla B., widow 
 of John P. Richardson, a hardware merchant of 
 Princeton; Mary, wife of H. H. Ferris; Edward 
 B., a druggist of Lenora, Kansas; Charles J., a 
 member of the firm of Dunbar & Company, who 
 married Gertrude Henderson (see sketch of Gen- 
 eral Hcndci'son elsew-here in this work), and 
 Holmes, who died at the age of six years. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar, of this review, was educated in 
 the academy at Waterville, Maine. On the 6th 
 of September, 1868, he married Miss Kate I\Iar- 
 tin, a native of New York, and a daughter of 
 John H. and Catherine ^lartin, of ^Minnesota. 
 Three children were born of this union — Alary, 
 who died at the age of nine years; George A., 
 
438 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 now clerking in the store of C. J. Dunbar & 
 Company, and Rutia Martin. Mrs. Duntjar, 
 who was a consistent member of the Congrega- 
 tional church, died in 1887, at the age of thirty- 
 nine years. Mr. Dunbar was .again married 
 October i, 1890, his second union being with 
 ^liss Sarah E. Kennon, daughter of the late 
 Judge Kennon, of Princeton, and a native of 
 Ohio. One child has been born to them — Ca- 
 milla. 
 
 From September, 1859, until April, 1861, Mr. 
 Dunbar worked as a journeyman watchmaker in 
 Xorth Carolina, and left at an opportune mo- 
 ment — the day on which President Lincoln called 
 for seventy-five thousand troops to put down the 
 rebellion. He was in that state during the excit- 
 ing presidential campaign of i860, and through 
 the courtesy of a state senator who vouched for 
 him, he was a visitor at the Virginia state con- 
 vention at Richmond when the ordinance of 
 secession was passed. Mr. Dunbar has been an 
 ardent republican since the second eleciion of 
 President Lincoln, and socially is a prominent 
 member of the jMasonic order, belonging 10 the 
 blue lodge, chapter and commandery. Both 
 himself and wife are earnest members of the Con- 
 gregational church, in which he is a deacon. The 
 pleasant and hospitable qualities of this worthy 
 couple are well known, and they enjoy the esteem 
 and respect of the entire community to a marked 
 degree. 
 
 RICHARD DAA'IDSOX, who resides on 
 section 17, La Prairie township, is a worthy 
 representative of that land which can with pride 
 boast of its great warriors and statesmen in the 
 persons of Bruce, Wallace and others; its great- 
 est of all novelists. Sir Walter Scott, and in later 
 days of Black, ^laclaren and Crockett; and of its 
 great poet, the immortal Burns. No braver, 
 prouder or more steadfast people ever lived than 
 those inhabiting the land of poetry and song, 
 "Bonnie Scotland." However far from the land 
 of his birth, the true Scotchman never forgets 
 and often sighs for its blue-clad hills, its beautiful 
 lakes and its heavy forests. Its manners and 
 
 customs are ever dear to his heart, and while he 
 may discard the highland garb for the more 
 modern garment, his heart will thrill with rapture 
 at the sound of the bagpipe as it plays an old fa- 
 miliar tune, and however staid he may be in 
 other matters, he will dance with you the high- 
 land fling. Scotch games and amusements ap- 
 peal to every fiber of his being, and he is seldom 
 so busy but he will take at least one dav in the 
 year to join with others in Scottish festivities. 
 Marshall county has within its borders many rep- 
 resentatives of this hardy race, and none stand 
 higher in the estimation of the people than the 
 subject of this sketch, who, leaving his native 
 land to seek a home and fortune in America, can 
 say with Burns, 
 
 " Adieu, a heart-warm, fond adieu. 
 
 Tho' I to foreign lands must hie, 
 Pursuing fortune's slippery ba' 
 With melting heart, and brimful eye, 
 I'll mind you still, tho' far awa'." 
 
 ^Ir. Davidson comes of good, old stock, a 
 grand uncle of his being a famous character in 
 Sir Walter Scott's novel, "Guy Mannering." 
 "Dandie Dinmont," the grand-uncle, was the 
 originator and breeder of the celebrated terriers 
 known as the Dandie Dinmont breed, and called 
 "Pepper' and "Alustard." His home was in the 
 South Highlands and the family were devoted 
 to the chase and other active pursuits. His son, 
 John Davidson, who lived in Steuben township 
 for a time, inherited his father's characteristics. 
 In 1849 lie went to California, but returned and 
 died in Steuben township. A daughter, Jean- 
 nette, is now Airs. John Williamson, and lives on 
 the old homestead, in Steuben township. 
 
 James Davidson, the father of our subject, was 
 reared on a farm and in early manhood married 
 ^Margaret Pringle, a sister of Andrew Pringle, 
 late of La Prairie township, who ^^'as the father 
 of Robert Pringle. In 1845, lie rented a farm 
 in Peebleshire, Scotland, but the low prices ex- 
 perienced before the Crimean war, caused him 
 to lose almost his all, leaving him barely enough 
 to bring him and his family to America. With 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 439 
 
 his family, consisting of wife, four sons and two 
 daughters, he came direct to Marshall county in 
 1850. His brother, George Davidson, six years 
 previously, had settled in Steuben township, 
 ^larshall county, and by his advice he deter- 
 mined to try his fortunes in the new world. On 
 his arrival he purchased one h\mdred and sixty 
 acres of land at government price. He did not 
 have the mo'ne\- with which to make the pur- 
 chase, but borrowed it of ^Ir. Bradus, of Lacon, 
 paying fifty dollars for its use a period of three 
 months. The land was bought of Rev. Seth 
 Bliss, of Boston, and is now the home farm of 
 Adam Davidson, on section 23. It took several 
 years to pay ofif the debt incurred in the pur- 
 chase of the land and in making the improve- 
 ments thereon. But it was finally done and 
 other tracts were added from time to time. This 
 farm remained his home until called to the better 
 land June 20, 1880, in his eighty-third year. His 
 good wife survived him nearly four years, dying 
 January 14, 1884, also in her eighty-third year. 
 
 In the old country, James Davidson and his 
 wife were members of the Presbyterian church, 
 but on coming to America their religious con- 
 victions underwent a change and they united 
 with the Baptist church in Steuben township, 
 with which they were faithful members till death. 
 In speaking with old friends and neighbors about 
 this worthy couple, with one accord they assert 
 that in James Davidson was found a man of kind 
 impulse, one in whom there abode nothing of a 
 selfish nature, nor would he dissemble in the 
 least. Always plain and outspoken, none were 
 ever at a loss to know where he stood upon any 
 subject which he had given any thought. A 
 close Bible reader, he was thoroughly posted on 
 the religious controversies of the day, and while 
 not disposed to be argumentative, he had fixed 
 opinions on all subjects and could express him- 
 self plainly and satisfactorily. A kind husband, 
 a loving father, and a steadfast friend, his death 
 was mourned by family and friends alike, ^'frs. 
 Davidson was also known and loved by many 
 throughout ]Marshall and adjoining counties. 
 She was a woman of superior natural ability, but 
 
 her educational advantages were limited in child- 
 hood, but she, too, could express herself intelli- 
 gently upon the various questions of the day. To 
 James Davidson and wife were born six children, 
 all of whom grew to man and womanhood with 
 the exception of one — Richard, the subject of 
 this sketch; Adam, now residing on the old 
 homestead; James, the present supervisor from 
 La Prairie township; Jeannette, who died in mid- 
 dle life; Margaret, now the widow of Alexander 
 Burnett, of Ford county, Illinois; and Walter, 
 who died at the age of fifteen years. 
 
 Richard Davidson, of whom we now write, was 
 born in Roxburghshire, Scotland, July 13, 1830, 
 and his boyhood and youth were spent in his na- 
 tive country. He was twenty years old when 
 he came with the family to the United States, 
 and continued under the parental roof for seven 
 years longer, assisting his father in the cultiva- 
 tion of the home farm and in his getting a good 
 start in the new world. On the 9th of January, 
 1857, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
 Scott, a daughter of Thomas and Jennet (Elliott) 
 Scott. Her father was also a native of Rox- 
 burghshire, Scotland, a shepherd by occupation 
 in his native country. He came to America in 
 1845, driving from Chicago to ^Marshall county, 
 and making his first stop with George Davidson, 
 in Steuben township, and first locating just 
 across the line in Peoria county; but in 1848 he 
 settled on section 16, La Prairie township, where 
 he opened up a farm and there died in 1855. His 
 wife sui"vived him many years, dying m 1874. 
 Their family consisted of two sons and three 
 daughters. One son, Henry, lived on the old 
 homestead, married, and died in 1875, leaving a 
 widow, but no family. William was drowned in 
 the Illinois river, while crossing on the ice at La- 
 con, stepping into a hole made by the ice men. 
 His wife and children still reside on a farm in La 
 Prairie township. Of the daughters, Jeannette, 
 married John Wiley, and both have since died, 
 leaving no family; Mary is the wife of our sub- 
 ject; while Ellen married Robert Grieve, moved 
 to Stark county and there died. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Davidson 
 
440 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 commenced He on a rented farm, where the\- re- 
 mained three years, when he purchased eighty 
 acres of land on section 17, giving his notes for 
 two thousand dollars, the purchase price. With 
 characteristic energy he went to work to pay of¥ 
 the indebtedness and improve the place. Wheat 
 at that time was almost a sure crop and brought 
 a good price, and to this cereal he devoted a 
 good part of the farm. It was not many \ears 
 before the indebtedness was paid ofi, and other 
 tracts were added, until to-day his fine farm con- 
 sists of two hundred and eighty acres under the 
 most substantial improvements and also two 
 htmdred acres in Cass county, Iowa. For one 
 eighty acre tract of his land he paid five thou- 
 sand, five hundred dollars. 
 
 Mr. Davidson is a thorough, practical farmer, 
 and has never taken up with any special hobby, 
 either in regular farming or stock-raising. 
 Wlien grain was thought to be the most profita- 
 ble he wcKuld raise grain; if, on the other hand he 
 thought best to give special attention to stock, 
 he would do so. He endeavors at all times to 
 raise a good breed of animals, and therefore has 
 invested largely in Poland-China hogs, some of 
 which he has with success exhibited at local fairs. 
 He usually ships his own stock and therefore 
 does not divide profit with the middleman. For 
 some years he has been a stockholder and direc- 
 tor in the Wyoming fair, and served one year 
 as its president. 
 
 In 189s ^Ir. Davidson erected what mav be 
 termed a model country home, one having all the 
 conveniences of the city home, and Irere with his 
 pleasant and happy family life will indeed be en- 
 joyable, and he proposes to make the most of life. 
 He sees no reason why the farmer should live 
 more of a humdrum life than the many in any 
 other profession. With time well spent, prop- 
 erly divided between work and recreation, the 
 farmer could be well posted in all the standard 
 and current literature of the day. 
 
 In politics Mr. Davidson is a republican, and 
 has voted with that party since first he became 
 a naturalized citizen. His first presidential vote 
 was cast for Abraham Lincoln in i860. He be- 
 
 lieves it to be the duty of every legal voter to at- 
 tend the primaries of his party, and use his influ- 
 ence for good, without fear or for reward. For 
 many years he served as delegate from his town- 
 ship and county to the county, district and state 
 conventions. He has satisfactorily filled almost 
 every local office, including collector, assessor, 
 commissioner of highways and justice of the 
 peace, which position he now holds. 
 
 To ^Ir. and Airs. Davidson seven children 
 have been born: James, now residing in Cass 
 county, Iowa, where he is engaged in farming; 
 Thomas, engaged in mining in Summit county, 
 Colorado; John, who took a course in a business 
 college at Quincy, at home; William Henry, a 
 farmer of Stark county, Illinois ; Richard Grant, 
 at home; ?\Iary Scott educated at Monmouth 
 College, Monmouth, Illinois, at home; and 
 Richard Walter, who died in infancy. The fam- 
 ily are members of the United Presbyterian 
 church. Mr. Davidson belongs to Lawn Ridge 
 lodge, Xo. 415, F. & A. M., and has taken a 
 fairly active part in its work. 
 
 He is a man of literary tastes and spends some 
 of his most pleasant hours in the companionship 
 of the friends in his library. His special favorite 
 may well be the poet of his own native land, 
 Robert Burns, who is not only the poet of Scot- 
 land, but of all lands, for he is beloved by thou- 
 sands throughout the whole world. His is "the 
 touch of nature" that "makes the whole world 
 kin." His songs, so sweet, appeal to every heart, 
 and the spirit of the reader attunes to the rhythm 
 of— 
 
 " Ye banks and braes and streams around 
 Tbe castle o' Montgomery." 
 
 Again we seem to see and kno\y that kindly, 
 sympathetic nature, who could write — 
 
 " I truly sorrow man's dominion 
 Has broken Nature's social union, 
 An' justifies that ill opinion 
 
 Which makes thee startle 
 At me, thy poor earth-born companion. 
 An' fellow-mortal!" 
 
 Mr. Davidson is now acting as president of 
 the Burns Anniversary meeting at C'hillicothe to 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 441 
 
 celebrate the birthday of the immortal bard and 
 foster love for the man in whom honor and 
 pathos, strength and weakness, firmness and ten- 
 derness were so strongly blended, yet who was 
 "a man for a' that;" nor can we better close this 
 record than with the words of the well-loved 
 Burns: 
 
 " Then let us pray that come it may, 
 As come it will for a' that. 
 That sense and worth, o'er a' the earth, 
 
 May bear the gree, and a' that 
 For a' that, and a' that, 
 
 It's coming yet, for a' that, 
 Tlidt man to man, the warld o'er 
 Shall brothers be for a' that." 
 
 JACOB KEMP. Marshall county has many 
 well-to-do and successful farmers, men who 
 have accumalated what they have of this world's 
 goods through individual effort. Among this 
 class the name of the subject of this notice is en- 
 titled to a place. On beginning life for himself 
 his only property consisted of a rather worn-out 
 team and one dollar and a half in money. The 
 latter he paid out for one hundred pounds of 
 flour, which he then thought would last him a 
 life time, and arrived in this state with only a 
 pair of willing hands and a determination to suc- 
 ceed. He is now residing on section 15, Evans 
 township, where he is industriously engaged in 
 the prosecution of his noble calling, and is meet- 
 ing with more than ordinary success. 
 
 Plis paternal grandfather, John Kemp, who 
 was a native of Germany, married a lady of Welsh 
 birth, and settled in Xew Jersey, where Charles 
 Kemp, the father of our subject, was born in 
 1791. At an early day the latter removed with 
 his family to Somerset county, Pennsylvania, 
 where he was reared upon a farm, and on reach- 
 ing his majority he engaged as a stage driver on 
 the old Xational road, then called the Braddock 
 road. He was united in marriage with Sarah 
 Smith, daughter of Jacob Smith, who kept a tav- 
 ern along that highway, and for whom Mr. Kemp 
 worked for a time. She died in 1818, leaving one 
 son, Julius, now living in Somerset county, Penn- 
 sylvania, at the age of eighty-two years. 
 
 Charles Kem]5 was engaged in teaming while 
 the Xational road was being built, and drove the 
 first stage from Chambersburgh to Uniontown 
 across the Allegheny mountains, which occupa- 
 tion he followed until his second marriage. He 
 wedded Sarah Clements, who was born in Pay- 
 ette county, Pennsylvania, in 1798, and was the 
 (taughter of Jacob Clements. In 1824 the father 
 gave up stage driving and purchased a farm in 
 Fayette county, on which he lived until his death. 
 His wife died in 1867, a faithful member of the 
 Methodist church. In their family were ten chil- 
 dren — Jacob, of this review; Lucinda, Katie Ann 
 and John, all deceased; Thomas, of Wenona, 
 Illinois: Elizabeth Ann, deceased: William, of 
 Wenona; and Anna Belle, Charles and an infant 
 daughter, all deceased. 
 
 Jacob Kemp was born in Somerset county, 
 Pennsylvania, Xovember 25, 1821, but was reared 
 upon a farm in Fayette count)-, and there secured 
 his education in the common schools. He was 
 married March 2. 1843, to Sarah Parnell, who 
 was born in that count}-, April 25, 1822, and died 
 June 6, 1854. Five children graced their union, 
 three still living — Xicholas M., of Ford county, 
 Illinois, who married Catherine Axline, and has 
 eight children; Jasper X. and Thomas M., de- 
 ceased: Sarah M., wife of William H. Griffin, of 
 livingston county, Illinois, by whom she has 
 three children and Mariam E. On the isth 
 of February, 1855, ^h. Kemp was again married, 
 his second union being with Catherine Brown, 
 who was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, 
 June 28, 1818, and died in August, 1868. To 
 them were born three children — Laura Belle and 
 Jervis B., deceased; and Jennette B. 
 
 On the 31st of March, 1870, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. Kemp and Sarah Dilliner, who 
 was born on the old home farm in Greene county, 
 Pennsylvania, May 31, 1838, and is the daughter 
 of Ambrose and Elizabeth (Griffiin) Dilliner, also 
 natives of Greene count}-, the former bora in 
 1815, and the latter in 1813. Her parents have 
 lived upon their present home since 1825. In 
 their family were seven children — Mrs. Kemp: 
 Mrs. Caroline Everlv, deceased: Mrs. Lydia F 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Sturgis, who has three children; Lizzie, deceased; 
 Wilham L., of Greene county, Pennsylvania, who 
 is married and has three children; and George 
 S. and Walter, both deceased. Uv this union six 
 children were born to our subject — Ambrose G., 
 of Belle Plain township, Alarshall county, who 
 married Carrie Carrithers, by whom he has one 
 child; Anna Belle, who has taught for three yeai=s 
 in Ford county, Illinois; Emeline, deceased; 
 Jacob Ezra; Lucy May and Franklin Rogers. 
 
 After his first marriage, Mr. Kemp located 
 upon his father's farm in Fayette county, where 
 he made his home until 1856, and then removed 
 to Illinois, at first settling in Hope township. La 
 Salle count)', where he continued to reside until 
 1864, when he removed to his present farm — a 
 valuable tract of eighty acres, highly cultivated 
 and improved. Besides general farming he has 
 also operated a thresher and corn sheller for 
 eighteen years. 
 
 For forty years, Mr. Kemp has been one of the 
 most active and influential members of the Meth- 
 odist church at Cherry Point, during which time 
 he has served as steward and class leader, and 
 has also been superintendent of the Sunday 
 school ; while socially, for forty-five years he has 
 held membership with the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows. Although reared a democrat, he 
 became a republican after Fort Sumter was fired 
 upon, and his son, Nicholas AI., valiantly served 
 in the Union army. He has been road overseer, 
 collector and assessor, and for fifteen years 
 school director, in which offices he gave general 
 satisfaction. 
 
 PHILIP F. McGOWAN, of Princeton, was 
 formerly a cabinetmaker, but is now living- 
 retired from active labor. Hi? name stands high 
 or the military records of the late civil war, as 
 he was one of the brave defenders of the Union, 
 risking his life on many a southern battle field. 
 A native of Ohio, he was born at Pickerington, 
 Fairfield county, January 30, 1818, and there 
 learned cabinet-making with his father, Samuel 
 McGowan, who was a native of County Down, 
 Ireland, and came to America when ten years of 
 
 age. The latter first located in Pennsylvania, but 
 in 1795, located in Ohio, being numbered among 
 its earliest settlers. In 1856, he came to Illinois, 
 and died in McLean county at the age of seventy- 
 four years. In the war of 181 2 he seitved under 
 General Hull, and was at the surrender of De- 
 troit, for which service he never received a pen- 
 sion. The mother of our subject, who bore the 
 maiden name of Sarah Mcintosh, was from Scot- 
 land, was married in Pennsylvania, and died at 
 Pickerington, Ohio. In the family of twelve 
 children only two survive — Philip F., and Sam- 
 uel, of Decatur, Illinois. 
 
 On attaining to man's estate our subject was 
 united in marriage with Miss Eliza Parish, of 
 Fairfield county, Ohio, and they began their do- 
 mestic life upon a farm in Hancock county, that 
 state. Removing to Findlay, Ohio, he later en- 
 gaged in the furniture trade, and subsequently 
 took up carpentering, which he followed in Han- 
 cock county until coming to Illinois in 1856. 
 He accompanied his father to this state, locating 
 at Lytleville, ten miles south of Bloomington, in 
 McLean county, where he worked at the carpen- 
 ter's trade, beco^ming an extensive contractor, 
 having in his employ from ten to fifteen men. 
 He next went to DeWitt county, Illinois, where 
 he continued carpentering until the breaking out 
 of the civil war. 
 
 Laying aside personal interests, ]\Ir. AIcGowan 
 enlisted August 5, 1861, in the Forty-first Illinois 
 Infantry, and was made sergeant of his com- 
 pany, with which rank he took part in the bat- 
 tles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Shiloh. 
 He was with Van Dorn at Hatches river, where 
 they took three hundred prisoners. This was a 
 severe engagement, and the bridge was an es- 
 pecially dangerous place, as it was guarded by 
 six-pounders. After being promoted to lieuten- 
 ant, Mr. McGowan participated in the siege of 
 Vicksburg, which lasted for forty-seven davs, 
 most of the time having charge of his company. 
 They were in the ditches during the day time, 
 which they would hold until night, when they 
 were relieved and would rest until the next day. 
 After the fall of Vicksburg, with his company. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 443 
 
 Lieutenant ]\IcGo\van was ordered to go in pur- 
 suit of Johnson, who had made a stand at Jack- 
 son, Mississippi, having- already fortified that 
 place, and his was the last division to reach Jack- 
 son, and filled the space from Pearl river to cen- 
 tral 3.1ississippi where vacancies existed. They 
 were ordered to drive back the rebel pickets. 
 Lender General Laughman, the Forty-first, Fifty- 
 third and Twenty-eighth Illinois and Third Iowa 
 regiments charged upon the enemy, whom they 
 followed until within sixty yards of the latter's 
 breastworks, when the rebels turned loose their 
 musketr}- and cannon, and one-half of ^Ir. AIc- 
 Gowan's company was killed within a space of 
 fifteen minutes. This was the hottest engage- 
 ment in which he participated, and resulted in a 
 terrible slaughter. He had command of the com- 
 pany at this time. Plis division was then ordered 
 to Xatchez, where they did guard dut}-, and later 
 did similar service in the rear of \'icksburg. 
 While at tlie latter place his term of service ex- 
 pired and he returned home with an honorable 
 war record, of which he is justly proud. He was 
 always found at his post of duty, being in all the 
 engagements in which his company took part, 
 was badly wounded in the right shoulder at the 
 battle of Shiloh, and at Fort Donelson his clothes 
 were pierced by many bullets. Samuel was also 
 in the army, enlisting from Clinton, Illinois, 
 where he raised a company. 
 
 On leaving the .-.ervice, 'Sir. McGowan came to 
 Princeton, where his wife had removed during 
 his absence, and has here since made his home. 
 He resumed work at his trade, and for ten years 
 was foreman of the wood work of the Princeton 
 Agricultural ^lanufacturing company. He has 
 never recovered from the effects of his army 
 service, and was obliged to give up work at his 
 trade, and for a time handled sewing machines. 
 The government now gives him a handsome pen- 
 sion, which enables him to live comfortably, and 
 he has erected a pleasant dwelling on West Peru 
 street, where he expects to spend his remaining 
 days in ease and retirement. 
 
 A'Ir. ]\IcGowan has been called upon to mourn 
 the loss of his loving wife, who died on the 22nd 
 
 of April, 1894. In their family were the follow- 
 ing children: Delia, who is now her father's 
 housekeeper; Emma, wife of George Harrington, 
 of Chicago; Lena, wife of Fred Pelly, of the same 
 city; ]\Iary, wife of Calvin Coddington, of Wy- 
 anet township, Bureau county ; Parker and Bige- 
 low, twins, both of whom enlisted in the union 
 service at the age of seventeen years and served 
 until the close of the war, but the latter has since 
 died in Clay county, Illinois, and the former is 
 now a resident of Pike county, Alissouri; and 
 Frank, the youngest, who is engaged in the lum- 
 ber business at CarlinviUe, Macoupin county, 
 Illinois. The parents were both members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church for thirty years, and 
 Mr. ]\IcGowan has served as steward and class 
 leader of the same. Fraternally he is connected 
 with the Grand Army post, and also the Masonic 
 order, while politically he is identified with the 
 prohibition party. 
 
 THEODORE PO.SCHARSKY, a wide- 
 awake and progressive farmer, residing in 
 Wyanet township. Bureau county, is a native of 
 Prussia, Germany, born on the banks of the Elbe, 
 June 2, 1833, and is a son of Charles Poscharsky, 
 whose death occurred in that country in 1866. 
 In the family were three children, the two broth- 
 ers of our subject being William, who now 
 makes his home in Princeton, Illinois, and Her- 
 man, yet a resident of the old world. 
 
 In the land of his nativity, Theodore Poschar- 
 sky grew to manhood, receiving a good education 
 in the gymnasium, which he attended until iiis 
 mother's death, in 1846. With his father he 
 learned gardening, but for five years followed the 
 miller's trade, after which he again served as a 
 gardener with his father. In 1859 he married 
 Miss Amelia Gerber, who was born in 1838 in 
 Eilenburg, in the province of Saxony, Germany, 
 and they now have six children: Mrs. Emma 
 McMinnie; Charles is married and living in 
 Bureau township; Mrs. Minnie Birky; Ernest is 
 married and farming on land adjoining his fath- 
 er's ; Theodore and Mollie are at home. 
 
 For three vears Mr. and ?»Irs. Poscharskv made 
 
444 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 their home in her native place, where he carried 
 on gardening, but as he saw slight possibility 
 of his rising in the land O'f his birth, he determined 
 to seek his fortune in America, and in 1862 
 crossed the Atlantic. On his arrival in New York 
 city, he came at once to Princeton, Illinois, where 
 he remained for two months, working in a nur- 
 sery, but on the 19th of August, of that year, 
 purchased his present farm, to which he removed 
 in the fall, and has since engaged in its operation. 
 He has met with many difficulties and obstacles, 
 but he has overcome these, and is to-day num- 
 bered among the most prosperous farmers of the 
 community. On his arrival he had but five hun- 
 dred dollars, and had to gO' in debt for his farm 
 of one hundred and thirty-four acres, paying 
 eight per cent interest. His first crop was a fail- 
 ure, but by perseverance and industry, he has 
 worked his way upward, assisted by good man- 
 agement, and has been able to present his sons 
 with two good farms. His comfortable residence 
 was erected in 1886, and he has also built good 
 sheds, granaries and other outbuildings. His 
 place is all well fenced and tiled, and thereon is 
 a good orchard. 
 
 Mr. Poscharsky cast his first vote in support 
 of the republican party, later voted independ- 
 ently, but is now a firm advocate of the principles 
 of that party. For fourteen years he has been 
 school director, and provided his own children 
 with good school privileges. The family are 
 members of the Lutheran church, and, socially, 
 Mr. Poscharsky belongs to the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows, and has passed all the 
 chairs in the local lodge at Princeton. As a 
 public-spirited citizen, he interests himself in the 
 welfare of his adopted country, and has the re- 
 spect and confidence of all who know him. 
 
 NEWEL NURS, a prominent and influential 
 farmer of La Prairie township, and justice 
 of the peace, was born in Peoria county, Illinois, 
 on the 17th of June, 1848, and was reared in the 
 usual manner of farmer boys. After reaching 
 his majority he engaged in teaching school in 
 Iowa for a vear and a half, and after his return 
 
 to Illinois married Miss Eliza Root, February 22, 
 1872. (See the sketch of Erastus C. Root else- 
 where in this volume.) Two children bless this 
 union — Edwin Mead, who married Minnie Hall; 
 and Fred Dean, at home. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Nurs took his bride to 
 his present farm, near Lawn Ridge, where he has 
 since continuously resided. He has eighty acres 
 of highly cultivated land and is there engaged in 
 general farming. For seven years he has capably 
 served as justice of the peace and is also notary 
 pubhc. He attends to about all the business along 
 those lines in this section of the county. Polit- 
 ically, he is a stanch adherent of the doctrines 
 formulated by the republican party, finding in 
 that organization what to him seem the principles 
 most calculated to perpetuate our form of pop- 
 ular government. He has always voted that 
 ticket, and regularly attends the conventions of 
 his party, in which he has taken an active interest. 
 Both himself and estimable wife are consistent 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of 
 which he has served as trustee and steward, and 
 has also been Sunday school superintendent. 
 
 The family name has been variously 
 spelled as Nurs, Nurse, Nourse and Nurss. 
 and our subject traces his ancestry back 
 to Francis Nurse, of Salem, Massachu- 
 setts, who was born in Norfolk county, 
 England, in 1618, and died November 22, 1695. 
 Fie was married August 24, 1644, to Rebecca 
 Lowry, who was born in 1 62 1, and was the 
 daughter of William and Johanna Lowry, of Yar- 
 mouth, England. They resided in Salem during 
 the time of the witchcraft excitement, and Rebec- 
 ca Lowry Nurse was hanged for a witch, July 19, 
 1692. Their eldest, son, John, married Elizabeth 
 Smith, while their son, John, married Elizabeth 
 Gale. The next in direct descent was Samuel, 
 
 who married Hannah , and their son, 
 
 Caleb, wedded Sarah Field. The son of the last 
 was Roswell Xurs, the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, who married Jerusha Barton. 
 
 Isaiah Nurs, now deceased, who was the father 
 of Newel, cam'e to Illinois July 4, 1836, and was 
 one of the honored pioneers of this section of the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 445 
 
 country, for many }-ears making his home in Hal- 
 lock township, Peoria county, Illinois, but also 
 owning the farm in Marshall county, where our 
 subject now resides. He was born at Bainbridge, 
 Chenango county, Xew York, Alarch 19, 181 5, 
 and dying on the old homestead, in Peoria 
 county. August 12, 1894, his remains were in- 
 terred at Blue Ridge. On the ist of July, 1836, 
 he had arrived in that county in company with 
 his father, Roswell Xurs, and Ebenezer Stowell, 
 of whom mention is made in the sketch of Cyrus 
 Root. On the 4th of the same month he located 
 on the land where he made his home until called 
 to the world beyond. He walked the entire dis- 
 tance to Quincy, in order to enter the tract, soon 
 after built upon it, and did not return to his native 
 state for twenty years. His father, however, went 
 back to Xew York, and brought the family to 
 this almost unbroken wilderness, d\ing, March 
 9, 1863, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife 
 had long preceded him, dying in 1838, at the age 
 of twenty-seven years. She was one of the first 
 to be interred in an old burying ground near the 
 edge of the brush, near Northampton, but as 
 her husband was buried at Blue Ridge, fifty-two 
 years later her body was taken up and laid by his 
 side. 
 
 In connection with his father, Isaiah Xurs en- 
 tered several tracts of land, amounting to eight 
 hundred and eighty acres, lying along the boun- 
 dary line between Peoria and Marshall counties, 
 a portion in each, but he made his home in 
 Peoria county, one-half mile south of the county 
 line. On the 1st of January, 1838, at X^orthamp- 
 ton, Peoria county, he led to the marriage altar 
 Miss Mary X'ewell Hill, a native of Xew Hamp- 
 shire, and to them were born four children — 
 Jerusha Barton, married H. S. Daman, and both 
 died in Knox county, Missouri; Martha E., is 
 the wife of C. T. X' ewell, and they now make their 
 home in Princeville, Illinois; Henry H. married 
 Lucinda Stevens, and lives on the old homestead ; 
 and X^ewel E., whose name introduces this re- 
 view, completes the family. The mother of these 
 children died June 15, 1892, after a happy mar- 
 ried life of fifty-four years. 
 
 In the home farm, Isaiah Xurs had one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres, which he placed under a 
 high state of cultivation, and also a like amount 
 in Marshall county, one-half of which now be- 
 longing to his son Xewel. He was a careful, 
 conscientious business man, who met with fair 
 success, and was quite prominent in township 
 and county affairs, serving as road commissioner 
 when the roads were laid out through his portion 
 of the county. Being a strong anti-slavery man, 
 he was therefore a strong republican, and his 
 eldest son, Henry, served for three years in the 
 Union army during the civil war, losing his left 
 leg below the knee at Silver Run, near Golds- 
 boro. North Carolina, the last battle in which 
 Sherman's army participated. While in the ser- 
 vice he was a messmate most of the time of Cyrus 
 Root. He belonged to Company C, Eightv- 
 sixth Illinois X'olunteer Infantry. 
 
 In 1847 the father became a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church, in which he served 
 as class leader for many years, and assisted in 
 the organization of the Sunday school at Blue 
 Ridge, of which he was superintendent for some 
 time. He was a prominent member of the Old 
 Settlers' society, and was a strong anti-Mason 
 until after his son Xewel joined that organiza- 
 tion, now belonging to Lawn Ridge lodge. 
 No. 415, when he became more liberal in his 
 views. Ahhough he attained a ripe old age, he 
 was still well preserved, and was an exceedingly 
 intelligent and well informed man, never given 
 to argument, and never had but one law-suit. 
 
 ADA3,1 CARPER, residing on section 28, 
 Macon township. Bureau county, Illinois, 
 has been a resident of the county for a period of 
 forty-two years. He is a native of Bedford 
 county, Penns)'lvania, born Januar\- 19, 1838, and 
 is the fourth in the family of nine children born 
 to John and Catherine (Smith) Carper. (For full 
 genealogy see the sketch of Jacob S. Carper else- 
 where in this work.) On the old Iiome farm in 
 the keystone state our subject spent the first six- 
 teen years of his life, and in the common schools 
 of the neighborhood received his primarv edu- 
 
44(J 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 cation. He is properly classed as a self-made 
 and self-educated man, and is a worthy example 
 of what may be accomplis'hed by honest industry 
 and a determination to succeed. Coming with 
 his parents to Bureau county, he remained upon 
 the home farm until the age of thirty-two years; 
 about twelve years of which time, in addition to 
 regular farm labor, he engaged in threshing in 
 Macon and surrounding townships. He has been 
 inured to hard work and knows well the mean- 
 ing of the term. 
 
 The first tract of land purchased by our subject 
 was eighty acres on section 28, Macon township, 
 now comprising a part of the home farm, on 
 which he w^as enabled to make only a partial pay- 
 ment. After clearing this land and making the 
 necessary improvements he added another eighty 
 acre tract, making him a fine farm of one hundred 
 and sixty acres of as fine land as can be found 
 in Macon township. On the farm he has erected 
 a beautiful and comfortable residence, and every 
 improvement shows the hand of one who thor- 
 oughly understands his business. 
 
 ]\Ir. Carper was united in marriage November 
 18, 1869, with Miss Mar}' Kegarice, a native of 
 Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and by this 
 union seven children were born, four of whom are 
 now living — Myrtle, is now the wife of Richard 
 W. Robinson, who is a prosperous farmer of 
 Macon township. They have two children, one 
 son and one daughter — Harry I. and ^lary Rose. 
 Mr. Robinson is a native of Illinois, was edu- 
 cated in the comimon schools of Macon town- 
 ship, and also took a business course at Daven- 
 port, Iowa. Politically, he is a democrat. Re- 
 ligiously, Mr. Robinson is a member of the 
 Church of God; John Irving is a well educated 
 man, a graduate of Barkeyville academy, Penn- 
 sylvania, in the class of 1893, and also a graduate 
 of Findlay college, Ohio, in the class erf 1896. 
 In one year he completed a course in the Barkey- 
 ville academy which usually requires two years, 
 arid in two years, at Findlay college, completed a 
 course that usually required three years; Josie, 
 who received her education in the common 
 schools at home, who also has received instruc- 
 
 tions in vocal and instrumental music, }et resides 
 under the parental roof; Jacob Elmer, the young- 
 est of the family, also resides at home. Those 
 that died were Margaret, Ira and an infant. 
 
 Mrs. Carper was born March 18, 1846, and 
 was the seventh in a famil}- of eleven children 
 born to John and Margaret (Inscho) Kegarice, 
 of whom eight are now living — Jacob, a retired 
 farmer of Scranton, Iowa; Philip, a mason by 
 trade, who resides at Paton, Iowa; Barbara, 
 widow of Robert Spencer, of Peoria; Mrs. Car- 
 per, wife of our subject; Sallie, wife of Ezra Os- 
 borne, a farmer of Creston, Iowa; Alargaret, 
 w'lie of William Suter, of West Virginia; Susan, 
 wife of George Emic, a farmer of Belwood, Penn- 
 s}-lvania; Nancy, wife of I. ]\I. Roberts, a grain 
 dealer of Douglas, Nebraska. John Kegarice 
 was a native of Pennsylvania, born December 10. 
 1 81 1, and died August 30, 1878. He was a 
 blacksmith by trade, and although receiving but 
 a common school education, engaged in teach- 
 ing. He was a member of the Seventh Day Ad- 
 ventists, and politically was a stanch republican, 
 but originally was an old-line whig. Mrs. Ke- 
 garice was a native of New Jersey, born June 20, 
 1813, and died October 16, 1882. She was reared 
 in Pennsylvania, and was also a member of the 
 Seventh Day Adventists. After the death of her 
 husband she came west and made her home with 
 her daughter, Mrs. Carper. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Carper has been a republican 
 since the organization of the party, and cast his 
 first presidential vote for Honest Old Abe. He 
 has represented his party as a delegate in various 
 county conventions and has endeavored to pro- 
 mulgate republican principles to the best of his 
 ability. Religiously, ]\Irs. Carper is a member 
 of the Church of God, located in ]\lacon town- 
 ship, and known as the Bunker Hill church. She 
 takes an active interest in all church work, and 
 is a member of the Ladies' Foreign ^lissionary 
 society. For some years she engaged actively in 
 Sunday school work. 
 
 The home farm of ^Mr. Carper comprises one 
 hundred and seventy acres of well cultivated 
 land, with ,a good residence and outbuildings. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 447 
 
 On commencing life together, in 1869, he was the 
 possessor of but eighty acres, on which was a 
 mortgage of two tliousand dollars. With the 
 assistance of his excellent wife the mortgage was 
 cleared, and they began to add to their posses- 
 sions, until they are now numbered among the 
 best and most substantial farmers of Alacon 
 township, and no family in Bureau county are 
 held in more universal esteem. 
 
 CHRISTIAX STABLER. There is no ele- 
 ment which has entered into our compo- 
 site national fabric which has been of more 
 practical strength, value and utility than that 
 furnished by the sturdy, persevering and hon- 
 orable sons of Germany, and in the progress of 
 our union this element has played an important 
 part. Intensely practical, and ever having a clear 
 comprehension of the ethics of life, the German 
 contingent has wielded a powerful influence, and 
 this service can not be held in light estimation b)' 
 those who appreciate true civilization and true 
 advancement. 
 
 The subject of this review, who for almost a 
 third of a century has successfully engaged in 
 merchandising in Hollowayvi'lle, Bureau county, 
 was born in Bavaria, Germany, ^lay 20, 1821, a 
 son of C. Stadler, also a native of that country. 
 There he acquired a good practical education in 
 his native tongue, and served a three years' ap- 
 prenticeship to the wagonmaker's trade. Re- 
 solved to try his fortunes in the new world, he 
 sailed from Rotterdam in 1846, and reached Xew 
 Orleans after a long and tedious voyage of forty- 
 six days, during which time they encountered 
 two severe storms. He was accompanied by two 
 neighboring families from his old home, and from 
 the crescent city they came up the river to St. 
 Louis, thence to Peoria, Illinois, and then took 
 up their residence in Selby township, Bureau 
 county. 
 
 After working for others for several years. Air. 
 Stadler purchased eighty acres of raw land, which 
 he at once began to improve and develop, and 
 later added forty acres adjoining. This he sub- 
 sequently sold, and purchased a partial!}- im- 
 
 proved farm of eighty acres, which he cultivated 
 for some years on a small scale. He then em- 
 barked in the grocery business in HoUowayville, 
 and as his financial resources increased he added 
 to his stock. For over thirty years he has now 
 carried on an extensive and profitable business. 
 He has a large and well selected stock of general 
 merchandise, including dry goods, clothing, gro- 
 ceries, hardware and agricultural implements, 
 queensware, etc., and his fair-dealing and cour- 
 teous treatment of his customers has secured 
 him a liberal share of the public patronage. Be- 
 sides his business property he owns five or six 
 good residences in the village, and the success 
 that he has achieved is but the just reward of his 
 persevering, well-directed efforts. In 1861, dur- 
 ing President Lincoln's administration, he was 
 appointed postmaster of HoUowayville, and 
 during the long period that has since passed has 
 most creditably filled that position. 
 
 In Bureau county, in 1848, Mr. Stadler was 
 united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Lehrer, 
 who was born, reared and educated in the same 
 locality in Bavaria as her husband. Four chil- 
 dren graced their union, namely: Ludwig, who is 
 in the store with his father, married Mary A. 
 Alarkel, and has three children; Emma K., who 
 also assists in the store; Christian L., and Bertha 
 H. Hannah, the second child of our subject, is 
 now the wife of Rev. Ernst Nabholz, pastor of the 
 Lutheran church at Lancaster, Wisconsin. 
 Christian G. is married and resides upon a farm 
 in Bureau county. Elizabeth, who is at home, 
 completes the family. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Stadler is identified with the 
 republican party, in whose success he takes a deep 
 interest, and has been quite active in local po- 
 litical afifairs, often serving as a delegate to the 
 county conventions. He has faithfully and effi- 
 ciently discharged the duties of several public 
 positions of honor and trust in his localit\-, in- 
 cluding the offices of supervisor, treasurer and 
 collector. Socially, he belongs to Venus lodge. 
 No. 536, I. O, O, F., in vi'hich he has passed all 
 the chairs, and has represented his lodge in the 
 Grand lodge, while religiousl\- he and his est;- 
 
448 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 mable wife hold membership in the German 
 Lutheran church. For half a century Mr. Stadler 
 has now been identified with the interests of 
 Bureau county, aiding in its development and 
 progress, and he has witnessed the wonderful 
 changes that have here taken place, the wild, 
 almost unbroken wilderness being transformed 
 into lovely homes and farms, and villages and 
 cities springing up everywhere. In all of this 
 work he has faithfully borne his share, and justly 
 deserves the high regard and esteem in which he 
 is held. His exemplary habits and sterling worth 
 well entitle him to the confidence of all, and no 
 man in Bureau county is more worthy of repre- 
 sentation in a volume of this character than 
 Christian Stadler. 
 
 HON. MILO KENDALL. "Biography is 
 the most universally profitable and pleas- 
 ant of all studies," wrote Carlyle. It sets forth 
 many valuable lessons, showing how others have 
 achieved success, what methods they have pur- 
 sued and what plans they have followed in at- 
 taining prosperity. Mr. Kendall is a representa- 
 tive of the legal profession and in no calling does 
 advancement depend more upon individual ef- 
 fort. Xatural and acquired ability, earnest ap- 
 plication and careful labor are the important fac- 
 tors which insure success in his calling and by 
 the exercise of these elements he has risen to a 
 prominent position at the bar. For over half a 
 century he has engaged in practice at Princeton, 
 Illinois, where he located in April, 1846, and has 
 been a resident of Illinois since September, 1845. 
 Mr. Kendall is a native O'f the Green Mountain 
 state, his birth occurring in Waterford, Cale- 
 donia county, April i, 1819, and he belongs to a 
 family of English descent which was early estab- 
 lished in Massachusetts. His grandfather, Wil- 
 liam Kendall, was a native of the latter state. He 
 took up arms against the British government 
 during the Revolutionary war, and was one of 
 the brave soldiers who fought so valiantly at 
 the battle of Bunker Hill. At an early day he 
 removed to Caledonia county, Vermont, where 
 he reared his familv. 
 
 Captain Jerreb Kendall, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Massachusetts, and accompa- 
 nied his parents on their removal to Caledonia 
 county, Vermont. He won his title as captain 
 of a cavalry troop of militia in early life. In 
 Caledonia county he married ^liss Lucy Woods, 
 a native of Vermont, and a daughter of John 
 Woods, who was also a Revolutionary hero, and 
 took part in the battle of Bunker Hill. When a 
 young man Captain Kendall learned the trade 
 of miller, which he followed for a time, later en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits for a number of 
 years, then conducted a hotel, but spent his last 
 vears in retirement, dying at the age of seventy- 
 two. His wife, who survived him a number of 
 )ears, passed away at the ripe old age of eighty- 
 four. He was one of the prominent men of the 
 county, and held numerous official positions of 
 honor and trust. 
 
 Milo Kendall is the ninth in order of birth in a 
 family of twelve children, eleven sons and one 
 daughter, of'whom eleven grew to maturity and 
 nine became heads of families. They are as fol- 
 lows: Jerreb, came west to Illinois, locating on 
 a farm near Lamoille, Bureau county, where he 
 died in 1839; John, who was a physician, prac- 
 ticed in Vermont and Ohio, was married in Ohio 
 and subsequently removed to Bureau county, in 
 1835, and died at Lamoille in 1847; George, mar- 
 ried and spent his entire life upon a farm in Ver- 
 mont; James E., married and settled upon a 
 farm in Bureau county, where he resided for a 
 number of years, but spent his last days at the 
 home of his brother. Judge Kendall, of this re- 
 view; Larnard L., married and remained in Ver- 
 mont, where his death occurred; Lyman, came 
 to Bureau county in 1836, and located at La- 
 moille, where he passed away; Alonzo R., was 
 married in Vermont, later resided on a farm in 
 Bureau county for a number of years, and then 
 removed to Orange county, California; Lorenzo, 
 married in Vermont, and removed to Bureau 
 county, where he resided on a farm for a num- 
 ber of years, after which he returned to the Green 
 Mountain state, and there spent his remaining 
 days. The judge is the next in order of birth; 
 
V. 
 
 o 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 451 
 
 Chester, died in infancy; William W., came to 
 Illinois in 1845, but in 1849 went to California, 
 where he remained some years, after which he 
 returned to Princeton, and here died in 1876. 
 The only daughter, Lucy, married Lucius Rob- 
 inson; they settled at Xewport, Vemiont, where 
 they died. 
 
 Judge Kendall grew to manhood in his na- 
 tive state, and received a good academic educa- 
 tion. After completing his studies he engaged 
 in teaching for several years, and then read law 
 with Bartlett & Fletcher of Linden, A^ermont. 
 In 1845 he came to Illinois with C. K. Harvey, 
 an attorney, and first located at Knoxville, Knox 
 county, where he was admitted to the bar. In 
 the spring of 1846 he made a permanent loca- 
 tion at Princeton, which was then an unpreten- 
 tious village of about four hundred inhabitants, 
 and he became one of the pioneer lawyers of 
 Bureau county. He at once opened an office, 
 and has met with excellent success, being one 
 of the leading lawyers of the community. In 
 1857 he formed a law partnership with Judge 
 Ide, under the firm name of Kendall & Ide, which 
 connection continued until 1871, and during 
 that time they had an extensive practice all 
 through northern Illinois. For forty years Mr. 
 Kendall was attorney for the Chicago, Burling- 
 ton & Quincy Railroad, and before its construc- 
 tion secured its right of way through Bureau and 
 Henry counties. As an advocate his arguments 
 are clear, incisive and logical, and during the 
 half a century with which he has been connected 
 with the bar of Bureau county he has won many 
 prominent and important cases. 
 
 In St. Lawrence county. New York, Septem- 
 ber 13, 1848, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Kendall and Miss Orpha Ide, who was born, 
 reared and educated in Vermont, and was the 
 daughter of Rev. John Ide, who for fifty years 
 was a minister of the Baptist church. Mr. Ken- 
 dall has been called upon to mourn the loss of 
 his wife, who died at Princeton, November 6, 
 1890. She was a woman of modest and retir- 
 ing disposition, a true Christian in every sense 
 of the term. She gave herself to the Savior early 
 23 
 
 in life and never for a moment forsook her love 
 for the Blessed One. She came of an intellectual 
 family and inherited a very retentive memory, 
 and was an almost infallible authority on his- 
 tory and current events of the day. Her presence 
 impressed every one with whom she was brought 
 in contact, and her death was sincerely lamented 
 by a large circle of friends whO' mingled their 
 tears with the loved ones of the family. Surely 
 it is a blessing to weep. 
 
 "Weep, ye who sorrow for the dead, 
 
 Thus breaking hearts their pain relieve, 
 And reverenced are the tears they shed 
 
 And honored ye who grieve. 
 The praise of those who sleep in earth, 
 The pleasant memory of their worth. 
 The hope to meet when life is past, 
 Shall heal the tortured mind at last." 
 
 Four children were born to them, of whom 
 two sons died in infancy. Those living are Wil- 
 liam Ide, who is married and is a prominent 
 business man of Princeton, and Helen, now the 
 wife of Harry A. Winter, living at Grand Rapids, 
 Michigan, and superintendent of a manufactur- 
 ing establishment. 
 
 Mr. Kendall took part in recruiting soldiers for 
 the war for the union, and was at Vicksburg 
 during part of the siege. 
 
 Politically, Air. Kendall is an old Jackson 
 democrat, with which party he has been identi- 
 fied since casting his first vote, but has never 
 been an aspirant for office or political honors, 
 preferring to give his exclusive attention to his 
 law practice. However, all worthy enterprises 
 calculated to promote the welfare of his county 
 and state received his hearty endorsement, and 
 he is numbered among the honored old settlers 
 and the valued and influential citizens of the 
 community, with whose interests he has been 
 identified for so many years. 
 
 PETER J. CONRAD, one of the most wide- 
 awake and progressive business men of Bu- 
 reau county, who for many years has been identi- 
 fied with the agricultural and commercial inter- 
 ests of Ohio township, was born on the 24th of 
 September, 1855, at Biidesheim, Bingen on the 
 
4S2 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Rhine, Germany, of which country, his parents, 
 Peter and Anna M. (Wendd) Conrad, were also 
 natives. The father, who was a business man 
 and farmer, there died at the age of fifty-two 
 years. 
 
 In May, 1866, .with her family the mother 
 crossed the Atlantic, and became a resident of 
 Ohio township, Bureau county, Illinois, where 
 she purchased an improved farm of two hundred 
 sixteen acres. She was a woman of more 
 than ordinary. business capacity, conducting her 
 affairs intelligently and with great skill, and be- 
 came widely and favorably known throughout 
 the community. From girlhood she was a de- 
 vout member of the Catholic church, to which 
 her husband also belonged. Her death occurred 
 in the village of Ohio, March 17, 1888, at the age 
 of seventy-five years. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest of a family of 
 eleven children, only three of whom grew to ma- 
 ture years. Sophia, wife of Antone Walter, lives 
 on the old homestead farm. Fred was for some 
 time a leading merchant of Ohio. In connection 
 with our subject, and under the firm name of 
 Conrad Brothers, he established a general store 
 in 1871, which they successfully conducted. He 
 was an honest, industrious man, whose word was 
 considered as good as his bond, and gave to the 
 store a well-deserved reputation for fair deaHng, 
 which it still carries. He was an important fac- 
 tor in the business circles of the village, and had 
 the respect and confidence of all who knew him. 
 He was born in Germany, August 12, 1848, ac- 
 companied his mother on her removal to the new 
 world, and at Sublette, Illinois, in 1874, was 
 united in marriage with Miss Kate Koehler. 
 They had no children, and he died I\Iarch 18, 
 1893. 
 
 At the country schools, Peter J. Conrad ac- 
 quired his education, and at the age of fourteen 
 years began clerking in a store at Amboy, Illi- 
 nois, where he remained for two years, at the end 
 of which time he embarked in mercantile pur- 
 suits in company with his brother in the village 
 of Ohio. Out of respect for the latter he still 
 retains the name of Conrad Brothers, though he 
 
 is sole owner of the business. His double store 
 is well stocked with a fine grade of general mer- 
 chandise, and he enjoys an extensive trade, which 
 is justly merited. Robert Spencer is full man- 
 ager and has four clerks under him. 
 
 ;\Ir. Conrad is also interested in general farm- 
 ing and stock raising, having one of the largest 
 stock farms in this part of the county, which 
 comprises five hundred eighty-five acres of well- 
 improved land, stocked with an excellent grade 
 of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. This farm is 
 managed by Anton Walter, Jr. He also owns 
 his good store buildings in the village of Ohio 
 and is the senior partner of the firm of Conrad, 
 Baumgartner company of Mendota, who carry a 
 full and complete line of stoves and hardware and 
 do an excellent business in plumbing and tin- 
 smithing. This establishment is managed bv P. 
 J. Walter of Mendota. 
 
 ^Ir. Conrad is one of the leading business men 
 of Bureau county, whose prosperity cannot be 
 attributed to a combination of lucky circum- 
 stances, but has risen from energy, enterprise, 
 integrity and intellectual eiTort well directed. 
 His business has been conducted on the strictest 
 principles of honesty. On political questions he 
 votes independently, favoring whom he consid- 
 ered the best man rather than the party. Relig- 
 iously he is a Catholic, and socially holds mem- 
 bership in the Knights of Pythias fraternity. 
 
 WATSOX FREEMAN LAWTOX. To a 
 student of biography there is nothing 
 more interesting than to examine the life history 
 of a self-made man and to detect the elements of 
 character which have enabled him to pass on the 
 highway of life many who at the outset of their 
 careers were more advantageously equipped or 
 endowed. The subject of this review has 
 through his own exertions attained an honorable 
 position and marked prestige among the repre- 
 sentative men of Bureau couiity, and with signal 
 consistency it may be said that he is the architect 
 of his own fortunes. He is prominently identi- 
 fied with the agricultural interests of the county, 
 and is a leading resident of Sheffield. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 453 
 
 'Sir. Lawton was born December 29, 1828, at 
 Wilmington, ^^'indha■m county, Vermont, and is 
 tbe son of Israel and Melissa (Freeman) Law- 
 ton, also natives of the Green Mountain state, 
 where their parents, who were born in Massachu- 
 setts, had located before the Revolutionary war, 
 in which Israel Lawton and his father partici- 
 pated. Our subject is one of a family of seven 
 children, three of whom are still living. 
 
 Lpon a farm in his native state, Air. Lawton 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and in 
 1852, emigrated to Illinois, where he had old 
 friends hving at Perkins Grove, Clarion town- 
 ship, in Bureau county. He had no definite 
 thought of remaining and his father supposed 
 that he would be back in a few weeks, but in that 
 township he purchased one hundred sixty acres 
 of land, at six dollars and a quarter per acre, 
 which claim had been partly fenced. At that 
 time his capital consisted of two hundred and 
 fifty dollars which he had earned and this he in- 
 vested, going in debt for the remainder. Here 
 he has since made his home, but the winter of 
 1852-53 he spent in the east. 
 
 Again returning to Vermont, ]\[r. Lawton was 
 there married January 30, 1856, at Wilmington, 
 to ]^Iiss Carrie Estabrook, who was born in the 
 same house where his birth occurred, and whom 
 he had always known. The}' now have two chil- 
 dren — Alice, the wife of Henry Howard, a farmer 
 of .Sheffield, and Edwin Watson, who is associ- 
 ated in business with his father. 
 
 The first year of his residence in Bureau 
 county was a hard one for Mr. Lawton as he 
 was ill much of the time. The next year he 
 raised good crops, which he stored for two years 
 as prices were so low, wheat bringing only thirty 
 cents, corn ten cents and oats eight cents per 
 bushel, but by keeping his products until 1854, 
 the demand caused by the Crimean war raised 
 prices and he received a dollar and thirty cents 
 for wheat, sixty cents for shelled corn and 
 thirty-five cents for oats, realizing about three 
 thousand dollars in cash. In this way he got his 
 start in life, and in 1854, removed to Sheffield, 
 but retained his original farm until during the 
 
 civil war, when he sold the one hundred and 
 sixty acres for which he had paid one thousand 
 dollars for eight thousand. 
 
 On coming to Sheffield, Mr. Lawton opened a 
 store, in connection with E. F. Pulsifer, now of 
 Chicago. This was the same fall that the rail- 
 road was completed to the place and three stores 
 had been started the previous spring, belonging 
 to Nash & Andrews, J. C. Niles and Carrell & 
 Johnson. Our subject continued in the mercan- 
 tile business until 1864, but during the hard times 
 from 1857 until i860, lost considerable through 
 bad debts. This was when the wild cat cur- 
 rency was in circulation and he received all kinds 
 of mone}' which he took to New York, when 
 bu\-ing goods, and made about fifteeen per cent 
 on all he handled. He was very careful in receiv- 
 ing mone}', always using a bank detector which 
 was published daily. 
 
 In 1864, Mr. Lawton formed a partnership 
 with William Wilson under the firm name of 
 Lawton & \\'ilson, and for eight years they con- 
 ducted a general store, dealt in agricultural im- 
 plements and engaged in shipping stock, the last 
 being quite profitable and in all lines being very 
 successful. In 1872 our subject began the oper- 
 ation of a farm of eight hundred acres in Mineral 
 township, two miles west of the village, but con- 
 tinued to reside in the latter place, his farm being 
 cultivated by hired help. He also began breed- 
 ing stock and feeding cattle for the market, to 
 which he has since devoted his attention, his son 
 being his partner for the last seven years. 
 
 In connection with J. M. Curtis, of Sheffield, 
 he purchased a tract of fifteen hundred acres in 
 Gold township, Bureau county, on which are 
 three sets of farm buildings, and about one sec- 
 tion is used for pasturage. For this land he paid 
 from three to fifteen dollars per acre, it being 
 swamp land along the Winnebago slough, but 
 since being drained it has become quite valuable 
 and is worth forty dollars per acre. He also 
 owns a half section of land in Woodson county, 
 Kansas, and is a stockholder in the Citizens' Na- 
 tional bank of Princeton. For his land he has 
 paid as high as fifty-five dollars per acre. 
 
454 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Mr. Lawton takes a deep interest in political 
 affairs, always voting with the republican party, 
 and has served as delegate to the local and state 
 conventions. He was elected supervisor when 
 the county first began the drainage system, and 
 held that position for eight years, taking an 
 active part in that work, which resulted in re- 
 claiming all the swamp land in the county, now 
 being worth several times their original value. 
 Mr. Lawton was reared a Universalist, but is 
 now a member of the Unitarian church, being 
 one of its original members, and contributed 
 largely to the erection of the house of worship in 
 1870. For the past thirty years he has been a 
 member of the village board for the greater part 
 of the time, being its president for four years, 
 and took an active part in establishing the pres- 
 ent system of water works, which cost twelve 
 thousand dollars. He stands for high license 
 and has assisted in putting in force that law in 
 Sheffield since 1885. As will be seen, he is pub- 
 lic spirited and enterprising, having the best in- 
 terests of his town and county at heart and well 
 deserves to be numbered among the influential 
 and popular citizens. 
 
 XEXOPHON CARDINAL WILMOT is a 
 well-known citizen of La Prairie township, 
 Marshall county, where he has resided for nearly 
 half a century. He was born in Cattaraugus 
 county. New York, December 13, 1827, and is 
 the son of Stephen Bunnell and Betsy (Clauson) 
 Wilmot, the former a native of Connecticut, and 
 the latter of Ithaca, New York. The Wilmots 
 were originally from England and at an early 
 date settled in Connecticut, removing from that 
 state to New York when Stephen B. was a boy of 
 five or six years of age. He was for some years 
 engaged in the lumber trade, running down the 
 Susquehanna river and operating near Bingham- 
 ton. New York. Later he was in the same line 
 in Steuben county. New York, where our subject 
 spent his boyhood, the family removing to that 
 county when he was but one year old. As soon 
 as old enough to be of any service, he was put 
 to work in the mill with his father, and became 
 
 quite an expert in the handling of logs and 
 lumber. 
 
 In 1837 Stephen Wilmot came to Illinois and 
 superintended the building of a dam on Fox 
 river, in the northern part of the state, a business 
 in which he was an expert. In 1845 hs deter- 
 mined on his removal to this state, and with his 
 family, consisting of a wife and six children, he 
 came by river, landing at Quincy, Illinois, and 
 going from thence into the township of Lima, in 
 Adams county, where they remained one year, 
 then moved to La Salle Prairie, Peoria county, 
 wliere they remained another year. In 1847 they 
 came to La Prairie township, Marshall county, 
 and for two years cultivated a rented farm, then 
 purchased a portion of the school section of the 
 township, and at once commenced its improve- 
 ment. On this farm the father lived and died 
 at the age of seventy-nine years. His remains 
 were interred in the cemetery opposite the farm, 
 which is now owned by Lewis Calder. His 
 widow survived him some years, dying at the age 
 of eighty-two. They lived, however, to celebrate 
 their golden wedding, as did his brothers, Amos, 
 Asahel Lyman and Jesse. 
 
 In politics, Stephen B. Wilmot was a thorough 
 and uncompromising whig until the dissolution 
 of that party immediately after the disastrous 
 Scott campaign of 1852. He then identified 
 himself with the democratic party, being natur- 
 ally a conservative man. In the presidential 
 election of i860 he voted for Stephen A. Doug- 
 las, but when Fort Sumter was fired upon, he be- 
 came a republican, and acted with that party un- 
 til his death. 
 
 Of the family of nine children Xenophon C. 
 is the only representative in Marshall county. 
 The others are scattered abroad. Stephen B. re- 
 sides in Dickinson county, Iowa; Lola EHza 
 married George Scholes, an old citizen of the 
 count\-, who died in Henry in 1895, since which 
 time she has removed to Greenfield, Iowa, where 
 her children now reside; Jane married Job 
 Prowler and now resides in Ellsworth county, 
 Kansas; Asahel removed to Stark county, Illi- 
 nois, where he died in 1889 ,and where his widow 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 455 
 
 and family now reside; Susan married in 1856 
 and died one year later; and one daughter died 
 in her maidenhood. Two died in New York be- 
 fore removal to this state; one died in Peoria 
 county. 
 
 Xenophon C. Wilmot came to }»Iarshall 
 county «ith his parents and soon afterward pur- 
 chased eighty acres of land where he now re- 
 sides. In ;\Iarch, 1853, in company with his 
 brother Asahel and Andrew De Remer, of New 
 York, he started overland for California. Ar- 
 riving at Salt Lake City they sold their outfit 
 and there remained five months. He then 
 joined a company of Mormons en route for Los 
 Angeles, California, and with them continued his 
 journey, having a rough time of it. From Los 
 Angeles he went by steamer to San Francisco, 
 and on to the mines near Placerville, where he en- 
 gaged in mining some eighteen months with 
 poor success financially. However, he gained 
 considerable knowledge of humanity and knew 
 more of the faults and foibles of mankind than he 
 ever expected to learn. 
 
 After an absence of nearly two and a half 
 years, Mr. Wilmot returned home by way of the 
 Isthmus of Panama, rich in experience, and but 
 little richer in purse. The worst "take in'' he ex- 
 perienced while away was when he stopped at a 
 fifth-class hotel in New York. Arriving at his 
 old home, he settled down to a farm life and has 
 been content to here remain, believing that Mar- 
 shall county, especially La Prairie township, is 
 good enough for him, "or any other man." To 
 his original eighty acres, in due time he added 
 eighty acres more, giving him a fine farm of a 
 quarter of a section. Purchasing wild land, he 
 has made extensive improvements upon the 
 place, laying it out with fine evergreen drives and 
 lanes, good house and outbuildings, making it a 
 number one farm and model home. In his 
 farming operations he has followed no fad, but 
 has carried on general farming, giving attention 
 to the proper cultivation of the soil, and engaging 
 in stock raising to some extent. For a time, 
 however, he was a breeder of Polled Angus 
 cattle. 
 
 On the 23d of September, 1858, Mr. Wilmot 
 was married in New York to Lucy Ann 
 Dutcher, of Steuben county, that state. After a 
 happy married life of five years, she died May 27, 
 1863, leaving two children — A^istula Ann, now 
 the wife of Eli Frantz, of Storm Lake, Iowa; and 
 Douglas, who married Nancy Gehr, of Sparland, 
 and who is now a stock grower of Eagle county, 
 Colorado. 
 
 Mr. Wilmot was again married, taking to wife 
 Mary E. Waughop, of Washington, Tazewell 
 county, Illinois, where she was born April 22, 
 1838- The marriage ceremony took place April 
 9, 1868. By this union four children were born: 
 Rosa May, at home; Roswell, who died in in- 
 fanc}': Arthur X., state agent for the Cyclone 
 Fence company, with headquarters at Peoria; 
 and John Alfred, at home, connected with the 
 Cyclone Fence company. 
 
 In politics, 'Sir. Wilmot is a republican, and 
 while not extremely active, yet takes an interest 
 in political affairs of state and nation. Socially, 
 he is a Mason, a member of the lodge at Lawn 
 Ridge, but was duly initiated at Chillicothe, Illi- 
 nois. Religiously, he is a member of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church, with which body he has 
 been connected for a few years, and of which his 
 wife has been a member from childhood. ■ 
 
 OSCAR BRENNEMANN is one of the 
 prominent citizens of Hennepin township, 
 residing in section 30, where he owns a valuable 
 farm of three hundred acres. He was born in 
 Prussia, Germany, on the 6th of December, 1848, 
 and when only four years old was brought to 
 America by his parents, Joseph A. and Josephine 
 (Unsicker) Brennemann, who came at once to 
 Putnam county, Illinois, locating in Granville 
 township, north of the village of Granville. The 
 father purchased three hundred acres of land at 
 five dollars per acre, and continued the cultiva- 
 tion and improvement of his land up to the time 
 of his death in 1890, at the age of eighty-three 
 years. He was a Mennonite in religious belief, 
 and assisted in the organization of a church at 
 Granville. His wife had died soon after coming 
 
4S6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 to the United States. Two of their children 
 died in childhood, and four grew to mature years, 
 namely: Eliza, wife of Charles Butterweck, of 
 Hennepin; Bertha, wife of Theodore Holly, of 
 Granville; Oscar, of this sketch; and Julius, a 
 stock dealer of Peru, Illinois, and the owner of 
 the old homestead. 
 
 Mr. Brennemann, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, remained at home until twenty-five years 
 of age, in company with his brother Julius oper- 
 ating the farm. In partnership with Mr. Holly, 
 his brother-in-law, he then engaged in the grocer\' 
 business at Peru for six years. On the 30th of 
 October, 1875, he was joined in wedlock with 
 ^liss Eliza Holly, who was born on a farm in 
 Granville township, and is the daughter of Daniel 
 Holly. Six children have been born to them — 
 Paul, George, Lillian, Erna, Daniel and Elsie, all 
 at home. 
 
 In 1882 ]\Ir. LJrennemann purchased his pres- 
 ent farm of Dr. A'anderslete, which had pre- 
 viousl)' belonged to James Harrison, one of the 
 old settlers of the county- He now has one hun- 
 dred and eighty acres, for which he paid sixty 
 dollars per acre, but has added to the original 
 tract until he now owns about three hundred 
 acres, comprising some of the best and most fer- 
 tile land in the locality. He gives considerable 
 attention to stock raising, having upon his place 
 fine grades of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs, and 
 makes a specialty of Cottswold sheep, which 
 have been quite profitable. He also feeds from 
 one to two car loads of cattle annually. He is 
 one of the most enterprising and prosperous 
 farmers of Hennepin township, and he merits 
 and receives the esteem and respect of all with 
 whom he comes in contact either in a business or 
 ■social way. 
 
 AC)PPEXHEIAI, who for over a luarcer of 
 . a century has been numbered among the 
 leading business men of Princeton, is a worthy 
 representative of that country from which have 
 come many of the best citizens of this free land. 
 He is a native of l.aden, Germany, born Decem- 
 ber 31, 1845. I" the fatherland he grew to man- 
 
 hood and received a fairly good education. Like 
 all the youth of that land, he was reared to habits 
 of industry, and spent some time at work in a 
 manufacturing establishment. 
 
 As he approached man's estate the desire to 
 better himself in life took possession of him, and 
 the new world, across the broad Atlantic, opened 
 before his view with its- limitless opportunities 
 for the enterprising and deserving, and he de- 
 termined to emigrate to this favored country. 
 Bidding good-by to family and friends, and tak- 
 ing a steamer, in due time arrived at New York, 
 from which place he proceeded directly to Bluff- 
 ton, Indiana. He was now in his twentieth }ear, 
 a poor boy in a strange land, but with that char- 
 acteristic energy peculiar to his race, he deter- 
 mined to achieve success. For about two years 
 he was engaged in merchandising in Blufifton, 
 but believing that a little further west the oppor- 
 tunities would be more favorable, in 1868 he 
 came to Princeton, and here secured employ- 
 ment as a clerk with Mr. Dinham, with whom he 
 remained five years, or until he embarked in his 
 present business, as junior member of the firm of 
 Bamberg & Company, dealers in ready-made 
 clothing, gent's furnishing goods, etc. The busi- 
 ness of the firm was quite extensive and con- 
 stantly grovi^ing when Mr. Bamberg died. Soon 
 after his death, Mr. Oppenheim purchased the 
 interests of the heirs, since which time he has 
 carried on the business alone in his own name, 
 and with most gratifying success, securing a lib- 
 eral share of the public patronage. His stock is 
 the largest kept in any similar establishment in 
 Princeton, and at all seasons he carries a full line 
 of goods and of the best quality. 
 
 October 18, 1872, ^Ir. Oppenheim was united 
 in marriage with Miss Margaret Winter, who was 
 born in Peru, Illinois, and they have now two 
 children — Edwin and Eva. 
 
 Fraternally. Mr. Oppenheim is a member of 
 the r^Iasonic order, holding membership in the 
 blue lodge, chapter and commandery at Prince- 
 ton. Fie is also a member of the uniformed rank 
 of Knights of Pythias. Politically, "he is repub- 
 lican, and while never aspiring to office, vet takes 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 457 
 
 a deep interest in eventhing pertaining to the 
 welfare of his adopted city and country. As a 
 citizen he is highly respected by all, and in the 
 development of Princeton and Bureau county is 
 always ready and willing to do his part. 
 
 HARRY A. WINTER, a reliable and intelli- 
 gent agricvilturist of Evans township, re- 
 siding on section 8, first drew the breath of life 
 at Ottawa. Illinois, Xovember 28, 1856, and.is the 
 son of John J. and ^Martha Maria (Parkinson) 
 \Mnter, the former born in Pennsylvania, Sep- 
 tember 19, 1832, and the latter August 17, 1832. 
 In April, 1855, the father located at Ottawa, but 
 now makes his home in Garfield, La Salle county, 
 where he is engaged in merchanchsing, and also 
 cultivates a fine farm of three hundred and twenty 
 acres. He has ever been quite a prominent man 
 in his locality, serving in a number of official po- 
 sitions, including that of justice of the peace. The 
 mother, who is a consistent member of the Pres- 
 byterian church, is the sister of William H. Par- 
 kinson, of Evans township, whose' sketch ap- 
 pears elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 In the family were six children, five still liv- 
 ing, of whom our subject is the eldest. Oral 
 Dell is the wife of Patrick Jennett, of Iowa, and 
 the mother of ten children. Lyman Lee married 
 Anna Lechner, b}- whom he has four children, 
 and lives in Garfield, Illinois. William D., of 
 Garfield, married Ida Thrasher, and they have 
 one child. Sarah Jane is the wife of Jefif R. 
 Eward, of Garfield, and is the mother of three 
 children. 
 
 Harry A. Winter was educated at Ottawa, and 
 in 1873 accompanied his parents to Garfield. At 
 the age of fourteen he began life for himself, en- 
 gaged in teaming in Ottawa, and for three win- 
 ters worked in the coal mines. It was in 1877 
 that he first came to Evans township, where he 
 was employed on the farm of Aaron G. Martin 
 until December, 1878. 
 
 On the 26th of Eebruary, 1879, a marriage 
 ceremony was performed which united the desti- 
 nies of Mr. Winter and Miss Florence Wilson, 
 a daughter of Joshua and Rosanna (Spillers) Wil- 
 
 son, both natives of Pennsylvania. Her parents 
 were married in ( )hio, and came to Putnam 
 county, Illinois, where they resided for a time, 
 but later settled upon the farm where our subject 
 now resides. This the father improved and cul- 
 tivated until his death, in 1876. The mother, 
 who survives him, now makes her home in We- 
 nona. They were the parents of thirteen chil- 
 dren, ten of whom are now living — Oliver, of 
 Lincoln, Nebraska, who married Addie Wilson, 
 and has four children : Corwin, of Iowa, who 
 wedded Mary Dillman, and has seven children; 
 Emma, who is the wife of A. I. Theirry, of We- 
 nona, and has an adopted child; Luretta, wife of 
 F. F. Theirry, of Wenona, and the mother of two 
 children; Martin V., of Wenona, who married 
 Plettie A. Downey, by whom he has one child; 
 Reuben M., of Kansas, who married Anna An- 
 derson, now deceased, by whom he had one son ; 
 Rosella, wife of Joseph Stranard, of Creston, 
 Iowa, and the mother of three children; Mrs. 
 Winter; Ida B., wife of Thomas D. Judd, of We- 
 nona, by whom she has one child; and Joshua 
 Walter, of Evans township, who married Alinie 
 Brenn, and has two children. The parents were 
 both members of the Society of Friends, and in 
 politics the father was a republican. 
 
 Airs. Winter was born on the farm where she 
 now resides, September 2"], 1858, and attended 
 the district schools of the neighborhood. By her 
 marriage with our subject she has become the 
 mother of two children — Jay W., born October 
 21, 1882, and Reuben Roy, born January 27, 
 1884. The farm, consisting of one hundred and 
 four acres, which is a part of the Joshua Wilson 
 estate, is well improved, with good buildings, 
 fences, tiling and water works, and the land is 
 under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Winter is 
 engaged in mixed farming and the operation of 
 a threshing machine, and is meeting with a fair 
 degree of success. 
 
 Conscientious and earnest Christians, both 
 Air. and Airs. Winter are worthy members of the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian church and teachers 
 in the Sunday school, while he has been superin- 
 tendent of that organization and president of the 
 
458 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Christian Endeavor society. Socially, he is con- 
 nected with the Modern Woodmen of America, 
 and politically, is an adherent of republican prin- 
 ciples, and served for three years as road com- 
 missioner, and is still serving in that capacity. 
 
 OTIS H. PITKIN, a well-known jeweler and 
 news dealer of Princeton, Illinois, first 
 opened his ej'es to the light Alay 19, 1852, in 
 Geauga county, Ohio, and is a son of Truman S. 
 and Lydia (Howe) Pitkin, natives of Connecticut 
 and Ohio, respectively. The father is a retired 
 farmer living at Andover, Ohio, and has now 
 reached the ripe old age of eighty-three years. 
 The mother, who was born May 18, 1824, died 
 on the 26th of January, 1896. Truman S. Pit- 
 kin was twice married, his first wife being in her 
 maidenhood Miss Eliza Lusk, sister of Spencer 
 Lusk, the great penman, and to them was born a 
 daughter, Mary E., now the wife of Harvey D. 
 Lamb, of Arkansas City, Arkansas. Our subject 
 is the oldest of the three children that graced the 
 second marriage, the others being Frank H., a 
 jeweler of Andover, Ohio, who married Hattie 
 Brown, and Ella, wife of William H. Osborn, an 
 attorney of Chardon, Ohio. 
 
 The education of Otis H. Pitkin was obtained 
 in the schools of Chardon, Ohio, after which he 
 spent about a year in a cheese box factory. He 
 then began learning the watchmaker's trade in 
 that city, which he completed at Wellington, 
 Ohio, about 1874. On the 4th of March, 1875, 
 he began business for himself at Chardon, and 
 there continued operations until 1888, when he 
 went to Princeton, and on the 21st of July of 
 that year he opened his business store. He 
 keeps a full assortment of such articles as the 
 trade demands, and from the beginning his trade 
 has constantly increased, so that he is now doing 
 a successful and lucrative business. He also 
 manufactures a pegwood, an invention of his 
 own, designed for jeweler's use, known as the 
 Pitkin's Antibreak Pegwood, which article every 
 watchmaker shouW use. It saves time and pa- 
 tience, as it never breaks off in the finest pivot 
 hole, and he has a very fair sale for the same. 
 
 selling to jobbers, who deal with the watch- 
 makers. 
 
 On the 7th of June, 1877, was performed a 
 marriage ceremony which united the destinies 
 of Mr. Pitkin and Miss Clara L. Wight, a daugh- 
 ter of James H. Wight, of Wellington, Ohio, 
 of which state she is a native. They have be- 
 come the parents of four children, namely: Grace 
 ^lay, Ava Vesta, Ruby Louise, and James Wight. 
 Both ^Ir. and ^Irs. Pitkin are earnest members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he 
 has served as an official for more than fifteen 
 years. He holds membership in the Indepen- 
 dent Order of Odd Fellows and has passed 
 through all the chairs of his lodge, and he has 
 filled the chair of deputy grand master. He also 
 belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the 
 Knights of the Globe, while politically he is a 
 pronounced republican, believing in protection, 
 honest money and good government. He is a 
 very liberal and public-spirited man and takes a 
 foremost position in every movement or enter- 
 prise which promises to accrue to the benefit of 
 the people in general. 
 
 AL'GUSTCS AIYERS, a prosperous and 
 honored citizen of Concord township, owns 
 and operates three hundred and twenty acres of 
 valuable and well improved land, constituting 
 one of the best farms of Bureau county. He was 
 bom on the 21st of September, 1833, ™ Hunter- 
 don county. New Jersey, and belongs to a fam- 
 ily of early pioneers to that .state. His grand- 
 father, Andrew Myers,- there spent his entire life. 
 Samuel Myers, the father of our subject, was 
 also a native of Hunterdon county, and there 
 grew to manhood and married Catherine Smith, 
 who was ,born in the same county. He was a 
 carpenter and joiner by occupation, and was 
 thus employed until coming to Bureau county, 
 in 1854, when he purchased a farm in IMineral 
 township, which he cleared and cultivated for 
 many years. His last days, however, were spent 
 in retirement in the village of Shefiield, where 
 his death occurred in 1890, at the ripe old age 
 of eightv-five vears. His wife survived him 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 459 
 
 about two years, departing this life in 1892, and 
 was laid b}- his side in Sheffield cemetery. They 
 were well known .throughout the community and 
 had hosts of warm friends, who deeply mourned 
 their loss. In their family were eight sons and 
 one daughter, all of whom grew to mature years, 
 but three sons are now deceased. 
 
 The priman,- education of our subject was ob- 
 tained in the public schools of Xew Jersey, but he 
 completed his literary course in the Geneseo 
 seminan-. after which he engaged in teaching for 
 a time during the winter seasons, while the sum- 
 mer months were spent on the farm. He ac- 
 companied his parents on their emigration to Illi- 
 nois, and in Ilureau county \\as married October 
 7. 1858, to Aliss Eliza Ann Xeff, who was born in 
 Ohio, but later lived in Indiana, coming to Bu- 
 reau county, Illinois, in 1854. Her father, G. W. 
 Xefif, located upon a farm in Manlius township, 
 which he cultivated until some time before his 
 death. Four children were born of this union: 
 AA'ellman Lincoln became a resident of Spirit 
 Lake, Iowa, where he was married and there died 
 in 1887; Charles Lovejoy is engaged in business 
 in Denver, Colorado: Frank Grant received an 
 excellent education in the schools of Sheffield, 
 and for several years has successfully engaged in 
 teaching; Arthur Augustus is at home. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Afyers operated rented 
 land for several years, but in 1865, purchased a 
 tract of forty acres in Concord township, to 
 which he has added from time to time as his 
 means would permit until to-day he is the owner 
 of three hundred and twenty acres of rich and 
 fertile land, which he has placed under a high 
 state of cultivation and improved with a neat and 
 substantial residence and good barns and out- 
 buildings, making the place one of the first-class 
 farms of the locality. Although he started out 
 in life in limited circumstances he has steadily 
 worked his way upward by industry, enterprise 
 and good management until he has secured a 
 handsome competency. 
 
 Politically, ^Ir. ]\Iyers has been identified with 
 the republican party since casting his first presi- 
 dential vote for Abraham Lincoln, in i860. He 
 
 has taken quite an active interest in local affairs 
 and has been elected to several official positions, 
 the duties of which he has always faithfully dis- 
 charged. He has served as a delegate to county 
 and congressional conventions, was supervisor for 
 seven ^'ears, and chairman of the county board one 
 year, the only chairman that has ever been ap- 
 pointed from Concord township. He also most 
 acceptably sei"ved as commissioner of highways 
 During the forty-two long years of his residence 
 in Bureau county, Mr. Myers has watched with 
 interest its growth and development and been an 
 important factor in bringing about the wonderful 
 changes that have taken place. He is greatly 
 esteemed in the communit}' as representing the 
 best type of its moral and social element and has 
 the confidence and respect of all with whom he 
 comes in contact. 
 
 ABEL MILLS. There is no class of biogra- 
 phy more interesting to read than that of 
 the industrious, enterprising farmer boy who has 
 risen unaided to a position of affluence and com- 
 fort. Prominent among the men of Putnam 
 county who have thus laboriously toiled onward 
 and upward is the individual of whom this sketch 
 is written. He now owns a good farm of one 
 hundred and sixty acres on section 12, Magnolia 
 township, and ten acres of timber on section 16. 
 He was born in Washington county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, June I, 1829, and in 1840 came to Putnam 
 county with his parents, of whom mention is 
 made in the sketch of Joshua L. Mills on another 
 page of this work. 
 
 Our subject acquired his education in the 
 schools of Magnolia, and on reaching manhood 
 he was married August i, 1850, to Arthelia Bos- 
 ley, who was born in Fayette county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1 83 1, and was the daughter of Green- 
 berry and Huldah (Morris) Bosley, who became 
 residents of Hennepin township, Putnam county, 
 in 1 85 1, where their deaths occurred. They 
 were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
 church. Nine children were born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Mills, namely: Anna Maria, deceased; 
 Martha, wife of Oliver Wilson; Milton, who 
 
460 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 married Emma Sibley, by whom he has two chil- 
 dren, I-Iarry A, and Ellsworth, and lives in Chi- 
 cago; Oliver P., who married Lilhan Edsall and 
 lives in Aiagnolia township; Huldah R., de- 
 ceased wife of Oliver Smith, by whom she has 
 four children, William Eddy, Anna, Herbert and 
 Edith ; and William L., who married Edith Price, 
 and lives in Magnolia township. The other 
 three died in youth — Joseph Greenberry, Julia K. 
 and Edwin. The wife and mother departed this 
 life April 12, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Mills was again married on the 8th of No- 
 vember, 1866, Miss Elizabeth Wilson becoming 
 his wife. She was born August 11, 1835, and is 
 a daughter of Amos and Anna (Morris) Wilson, 
 the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter 
 of Ohio. They were married in Ohio and came 
 to Putnam county, Illinois, in 1851 from Belmont 
 county, Ohio, and settled on section 23, ^lag- 
 nolia township, the place now owned by Amos B. 
 Wilson. They were the parents oi ten children, 
 of whom six are now living, as follows: Re- 
 becca, now the widow of Isaac P. Howard; ]\Ior- 
 ris A., who first married Mary V. Smith, and she 
 dying he married Lydia E. John; Mary, now the 
 wife of Henry K. Smith; Amos B., who married 
 Anna S- Griffith ; Oliver, who married Ella How- 
 ard, and after her death wedded Martha Mills, 
 by whom he had one child, Lois A.; and Eliza- 
 beth, the wife of our subject. All these reside in 
 Magnolia township, except Rebecca, who is a 
 resident of Nebraska. The deceased are Ruth, 
 Anna, Sarah, who married William Fell, and 
 Laura C, who was buried in the Friends' ceme- 
 tery on Clear creek beside her parents. The 
 parents resided on the old homestead until their 
 death, the father dying in January, 1881, in his 
 eighty-seventh year, and the mother in January, 
 1895, in her ninetieth year. They were both 
 prominent members of the Society of Friends 
 and filled at times nearly all the official positions 
 in the church, Mr. Wilson at one time being- 
 clerk of the Ohio Yearly Meeting. 
 
 ;\[r. Wilson was twice married, his first wife 
 being Hannah Brown, by whom he had five chil- 
 dren, four of whom are now living: David, now 
 
 living a retired life at Wenona; Margaret ^l., 
 now the widow of Henry P. Merritt, of Lostant; 
 Joshua B., deceased, who married Rosanna Spill- 
 ers, now of Wenona ; Thomas, who first married 
 Mary Keith, and on her death married Mary Bat- 
 tin, now resides in Corning, Iowa ; and Hannah, 
 now the widow of Perry Hoge of Wenona. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Mills five children have been 
 born: Charles W., a graduate of Harvard uni- 
 versity; Clarence C, a veterinary surgeon; Al- 
 bert T., a graduate of the Kansas State Normal 
 school; Amos P., deceased, and LeRoy Addi- 
 son, at home. A'ictoria, daughter of Warner and 
 Narcissa Trueblood, of Indiana, an orphan, has 
 been a member of their household for about nine 
 years. 
 
 Until 1865 Mr. ]Mills lived on the old home- 
 stead of his father, and then removed to his pres- 
 ent place, which at that time was all wild prairie 
 land, but he now has it under a high state of 
 cultivation, tiled and fenced, and has erected all 
 of the good and substantial buildings found 
 thereon. His place is stocked with full-blooded 
 Jersey cattle and high-grade horses. By earn- 
 est, persistent effort he has achieved his success 
 in life as he received but little from his father's 
 estate. 1 
 
 By birthright Mr. and Mrs. ^lills are members 
 of the Society of Friends and are actively en- 
 gaged in the Lord's work. They are both well 
 read in the scriptures and in religious literature, 
 especially that of the Friends. Their faith in the 
 precious promises of the word of God is un- 
 bounded, and in their lives they endeavor to con- 
 form themselves to the teachings of the lowly 
 Nazarene. For twenty-three successive years 
 Mr. Mills served as overseer in the church, and 
 for many years was an elder. He has been a 
 minister in the society since 1 87 1, and was regu- 
 larly recommended in 1882. Mrs. Mills has also 
 served some years as an elder, the duties of 
 which office she faithfully and conscientiously 
 discharges. Their children have all been well 
 educated and have become useful and respected 
 members of society. Politically, ]\Ir. Mills was 
 first a whig, later a republican, and for many 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 461 
 
 years has now been a strong and unflinching sup- 
 porter of the prohibition party, voting the 
 straight ticket, and taking a deep interest in the 
 success of his party. He cares nothing for polit- 
 ical preferment but served many years as school 
 director. As a citizen, he is esteemed by all, and 
 no person, knowing the man, but places the ut- 
 most confidence in his honesty, integrity and 
 Christian character. 
 
 TOH\ D. PHILIPS, one of the honored and 
 kj highly respected citizens of Bureau county, 
 is now living retired at the home of his son on 
 section 26, Dover township, four miles northeast 
 of Princeton. In 1854 he , settled in Berlin 
 township, where he lived until 1892. He for 
 many years was numbered among the energetic 
 farmers of the county. A native of Pennsyl- 
 vania, his birth occurred on the 9th of Decem- 
 ber, 1817, on the old family homestead in Ches- 
 ter county, where his great-grandfather, Joseph 
 Philips, had located on coming to the new world 
 from \\'ales, in 1755, For over a hundred and 
 forty years that place has now been in the pos- 
 session of the family. Four sons of the original 
 ancestor in this country took up arms against 
 Great Britain in the Revolutionary war, and all 
 were commissioned officers in one company. 
 Josiah Philips, the grandfather of our subject, 
 was a native of Wales, and was a mere child 
 when brought to America by his father. 
 
 Joseph Philips, Jr., was also born on the old 
 homestead in Chester county, Pennsylvania, 
 where he grew to manhood and there spent his 
 entire life. He married Rebecca Dennison, who 
 was born in Ireland, but was only three years old 
 when brought to this country, and in Chester 
 county was reared and educated. Six children 
 were born of this union, two of whom grew to 
 maturity and are still living — John D., of this 
 sketch, and Amanda, wife of Frederick Binga- 
 man, who first settled upon a part of the old 
 homestead, but is now living in Pittsburg, Penn- 
 sylvania. The father died in 1825, in the prime 
 of life, being but thirty-seven years of age. The 
 
 mother faithfully reared her children and died 
 in 1840, at the age of fifty-four years. 
 
 Like most farmer boys, John D. Philips spent 
 his boyhood and youth, and was provided with 
 good common school privileges for those early 
 days. On attaining to man's estate he was mar- 
 ried in Chester county, Pennsylvania, February 
 13, 1840, to JMiss Ellen E. Lewis, a native of that 
 county and a daughter of Thomas and Sarah 
 Lewis, who belonged to another of the old 
 families of that state. They began their domestic 
 life upon a part of the old homestead, where the 
 wife died June 12, 1852, leaving five sons, three 
 of whom are still living, namely: Thomas L., a 
 farmer of Lee county, Illinois, married Carrie 
 Bass, a daughter of Edwin Bass, of Maiden, Bu- 
 reau county, and after her death wedded Ida 
 Lemon, a daughter of Rev. Mr. Lemon, for- 
 merly from Maryland. By the latter union he 
 has four children — Ellen T., Carrie, Mary L. and 
 John D.: Rev. Joseph P., the second son, is a 
 minister of the Baptist church, and is now located 
 at Mt. Carroll, Illinois. He married Clara 
 Olney, daughter of Squire Olney, of Belvidere, 
 Illinois, and they have three children — Thomas 
 I., .Margaret and Clara O. William D., third 
 son, died July, 1854; Mason K., fourth son, 
 died in April, 1854, at ^Nlt. Carroll, Illinois; John 
 H., the youngest, is a substantial farmer of Do- 
 ver township, section 26. He married ^Irs. 
 Jennie Campbell, a daughter of James and Sere- 
 na Winsor, of Bureau county, and they have one 
 child, Serena. For his second wife Mr. Philips 
 chose Mrs. Hannah M. Lockhart; their wedding 
 was celebrated February 21, 1856. She was 
 born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where she 
 was first married, and was a daughter of Lewis 
 Morgan. Her death occurred October 30, 1890. 
 In 1854 Mr. Philips came to Bureau county, 
 Illinois, where he arrived in July, and at first 
 purchased eighty acres of slightly improved land 
 in Berlin township. He at once began its fur- 
 ther development and improvement, and to the 
 original purchase added until he had one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of rich and arable land, all 
 under a high state of cultivation. To its opera- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tion he devoted his time and attention for almost 
 forty years, but has now laid aside the arduous 
 labors and responsibilities of farm life and finds 
 a pleasant home with his son, John H., where he 
 is enjoying- a well earned rest. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Philips has always been identi- 
 fied with the democratic party, and has taken an 
 active part in local affairs, being for four years 
 supervisor, assessor for eight years, and a mem- 
 ber of the school board for several years. He is 
 a consistent member of the Baptist church, and 
 is- especially valued as a large hearted, public 
 spirited citizen, whose enterprise and benevo- 
 lence have contributed largely to the happiness 
 and comfort of the people around him. His 
 sterling worth and strict integrity have gained 
 him the confidence and respect of all, and no 
 man in Bureau county is more widely or favora- 
 bly known. 
 
 On the 30th of May, 1877, our subject had the 
 pleasure of attending a reunion of the Philips 
 family held in the Vincent Baptist church of 
 Chester county, Pennsylvania, one of the oldest 
 churches in that part of the county, and to which 
 his great-grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph 
 Philips, belonged. Here were gathered together 
 three hundred of the descendants of the original 
 ancestor in the new world, and they represent 
 about seventeen hundred now living and are 
 scattered throughout the various states of the 
 union. 
 
 STEPHEN HARRISON. Among the prom- 
 inent and representative citizens of Putnam 
 county whose names are scattered through the 
 pages of this volume none is more worthy of 
 mention than the gentleman whose name heads 
 this brief biographical notice. A native of Penn- 
 sylvania, he was born in Dauphin county, March 
 26, 1823, and was born two months after his 
 father's death, being the youngest in a family of 
 four children, of whom the eldest was only eight 
 years old. The father, Stephen Harrison, Sr., 
 died at the early age of twenty-six years. An 
 uncle took the older son, Richard, and the rest of 
 the family were widely scattered for ten years. 
 
 The woolen mill which was owned by the 
 father was rented after his death until Richard 
 Harrison had reached manhood, when he began 
 its operation and again united the family. After 
 three years thus passed in Dauphin county, Penn- 
 sylvania, they sold out in 1837 and emigrated to 
 Putnam county, Illinois, our subject at that time 
 being in his fifteenth year. With the capital 
 which the mother and Richard had accumulated 
 they purchased the farm one and a half miles 
 south of Florid, which is now owned by Oscar 
 Brennemann. The family remained together, 
 operating the farm, until the marriage of Rich- 
 ard, when he located upon a portion of the same 
 place, and there died at the age of thirty-three 
 years. His widow is now the wife of Joel W. 
 Hopkins, of Granville. The two sisters of our 
 subject were IMary Elizabeth, who wedded ]Madi- 
 son Durley, of Hennepin, where she died several 
 years ago, and Eleanor, who married Joel W. 
 Hopkins, and resided near Granville until her 
 death. 
 
 The mother of our subject, who bore the 
 maiden name of Eleanor De Armand, lived with 
 her daughter Eleanor for some years, but passed 
 her last days upon the old homestead with Ste- 
 phen, there dying at the age of sixty-six years. 
 On the 7th of May, 1850, was performed a mar- 
 riage ceremony which united the destinies of 
 Stephen Harrison and Miss Mary E. Dunlavy, 
 daughter of Captain James and Nancv (Laugh- 
 lin) Dunlavy, of Union Grove, Hennepin town- 
 ship, Putnam county. 
 
 After his marriage Air. Harrison continued to 
 reside upon the old homestead farm south of 
 Florid until just before the war, when he sold 
 out and purchased a half section in Granville 
 township, paying $30 per acre. This farm he 
 turned over to his son Richard about two years 
 ago, and now makes his home upon a tract of 
 one hundred acres near the village of Granville. 
 His time and attention have been devoted to 
 general farming and stock raising, in which he 
 has been fairly successful, being at one time one 
 of the most extensive stock feeders in Putnam 
 county. He also owns a half section of land 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 463 
 
 near Holdrege, Xcbraska, where his son James 
 lives. 
 
 Ten children were born to ]\Ir. and Mrs. Har- 
 rison, namely: Ellen, now the wife of Henry 
 \\'are, of Webster City, Iowa; ^lary, wife of Gil- 
 ford \\'hitney, of South Bend, Indiana: Charles, 
 an attorney of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Clara, wife 
 of Dr. John Ristine, of the same city; James, who 
 is operating four hundred and eighty acres of 
 land near Holdrege, Nebraska: Olive, a music 
 teacher of Jacksonville, Illinois ; Hattie, wife of 
 Rev. Carl Patton, a Congregational minister of 
 Auburn, ]\Iaine; Grace, who is principal of the 
 high school of Granville, and lives at home with 
 her father: Richard, who carries on the old home- 
 stead, and Stephen, a dental student now attend- 
 ing the Chicago College of Dental Surgery in 
 Chicago, and who will complete the covu-se in 
 April, 1897. The wife and mother was called to 
 her final rest on the 3d of ]\Iarch, 1895, after 
 nearly forty-five years of happy married life. 
 \Mth her husband, she was a consistent member 
 of the Congregational church for nearly forty 
 vears, and was a most estimable lady, beloved by 
 all who knew her. The children were all pro- 
 vided with excellent educational advantages, six 
 being college graduates. Charles, Clara, Hattie 
 and Grace and Stephen all completed the course 
 at Oberlin college; Olive graduated at the New- 
 England Conservatory of Music, Boston, and 
 ]\Iary completed her education in Chicago. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Harrison is identified with the 
 republican party, and has held the office of 
 township supervisor and school treasurer of 
 Granville township. He is a conscientious, 
 earnest Christian, and for several years has been 
 deacon of the Congregational church, in which 
 he holds membership. By the exercise of in- 
 tegrity, industry and intelligence he has grown 
 to be one of the prosperous and honored citizens 
 of the county, and has gained the confidence and 
 esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. 
 In August, 1896, there was held a reunion of 
 the family, in which were gathered under the 
 hospitable roof of our subject every member of 
 the family then living, twenty-eight in number, 
 
 including children and grandchildren. That the 
 occasion was an enjoyable one goes without 
 question, the remembrance of which will always 
 be a pleasing one. 
 
 RANSO:\I O. CALDWELL, residing on sec- 
 tion 20, La Prairie township, is classed 
 among the representative farmers of the town- 
 ship and one of its most highly honored citizens. 
 He is a native of Greene county. New York, 
 born twelve miles west of Coxsackie, on the 
 Hudson river, June 13, 1821. His parents, Oba- 
 diah and Sally Ann (Green) Caldwell, were orig- 
 inally from Putnam county, New York, but who 
 located in Greene county at a very early day, 
 purchasing a farm wliich extended across the 
 Greene county line into Albany county. Of 
 their family of five children three are now living. 
 The parents have long since passed to their 
 re\vard. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of Ransom were 
 passed on his father's farm in the old empire 
 state and his education was received in the com- 
 mon schools, finishing his course in the Green- 
 ville academy. He was a studious youth, and at 
 a ver}- early age began to teach in the common 
 schools of his native state. For a time he enter- 
 tained the idea that he was to adopt some other 
 calling than that of a farmer, and so secured a 
 situation as a clerk in a store at Brandy Hill, 
 Greene county, and later in country stores in 
 Albany county. A short time previous to his 
 removal west he was a partner with his brother 
 in a store in Coeyman's Hollow, Albany county. 
 The great west was now being rapidly settled, 
 and, in common with thousands of others, he felt 
 the opportunity for future advancement would 
 be improved by his removal to one of the new 
 states. Illinois seemed to him the most attrac- 
 tive, and with a much brig'hter future than any 
 of its sister states in the Mississippi valley, and to 
 this state he determined to come. Before taking 
 this step, however, he took the more important 
 one of marriage with the one he had chosen to 
 go with him through life's journey, and in 1845 
 his marriage occurred with Miss Sally Marinda 
 
464 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Stewart, a native of Albany county, New York. 
 This was a liappy union, and for forty-six years 
 they endured the joys and sorrows of this hfe to- 
 gether, reared their family of children, who 
 proved a blessing to them, and lived in the con- 
 sciousness of each other's love. She passed away 
 July 22. 1891, leaving a blessed memory that will 
 be cherished by husband, children and friends 
 while life shall last. Of their family of six chil- 
 dren, Armina A. is housekeeper for her father, 
 Frances died in infancy ; Laura A. married Wes- 
 ley Powell, of La Prairie township; Andrew died 
 at the age of seventeen years; Adelbert married 
 Caroline Briggs, and lives on a part of the home 
 farm; and Rosetta is the wife of Fillmore Calder, 
 and is also residing upon a part of the home farm. 
 
 About one year after his marriage ^Ir. Cald- 
 well came to Marshall county, Illinois, and pur- 
 chased land in La Prairie township, which is part 
 of his present farm. He came by way of the 
 lakes, and while upon Lake Michigan encoun- 
 tered a severe gale, which had a very depressing 
 effect upon the eight hundred passengers aboard 
 the vessel, the entire number, with the exception 
 of' perhaps twenty-five, becoming violently sea- 
 sick. 
 
 On landing at Chillicothe, Mr. Caldwell found 
 his entire cash capital \\-as but fifty-six dollars, 
 but he purchased his land, consisting of one 
 hundred and sixty acres of the militar\- tract, for 
 which he paid $120 for the tax title. At this 
 time much of the land in the military tract was 
 defective in title, and much trouble, inconveni- 
 ence and loss were occasioned by the earlv set- 
 tlers before the cloud was removed from the 
 title of their lands. For some years after his 
 settlement here ^Ir. Caldwell acted as agent for 
 other parties in perfecting land titles, making 
 somewhat of a study of the subject. Probably 
 the title of half of the land in La Prairie town- 
 ship was passed on by him as agent for would-be 
 purchasers. 
 
 To his original purchase of one hundred and 
 sixty acres Mr. Caldwell added from time to time 
 until his main farm consisted of three hundred 
 and sixty acres. He also owned for some vears 
 
 a half section in Stark county, for which he paid 
 twice on account of defective title, but which he 
 sold some years ago. While Mr. Caldwell came 
 to the county in 1846, it was not until 1848 that 
 ■he removed to his farm, where he has since con- 
 tinued to reside, and where he has devoted him- 
 self to his farming interests with good success, 
 having a fine farm, well improved in every re- 
 spect. For some years, however, he has prac- 
 tically lived a retired life, turning the farm over 
 to his sons. The first house built by him is a part 
 of the present dwelling, the lumber for which 
 was hauled from Chicago, which then required 
 from a week to ten days in making the round trip. 
 Politically, IMr. Caldwell is classed as a demo- 
 crat, though he is not a bitter partisan. In the 
 discharge of his duties as a citizen he has filled 
 almost all the township offices, with credit to 
 himself and his constituents. For some years 
 he was a member of the Christian church, but 
 now attends the Methodist Episcopal church of 
 La Prairie township. As a citizen he is respected 
 and honored bv all who know him. 
 
 WILLIAM SCHMIDT. Among some of 
 the most enterprising citizens of Bureau 
 county are those who were born in Germany, 
 and who have brought to this fertile and pro- 
 ductive country the thrift and economy of the 
 old world. Among these there is no figure that 
 stands out more prominently in the history of 
 \\'yanet township than ]\lr. Schmidt, who owns 
 a valuable farm of two hundred and sixty-three 
 acres on sections 4 and 5, where he is engaged 
 in general farming and stock-raising- 
 Mr. Schmidt was born in the Province of Po- 
 merania, Gennany, July 28, 1849, and there his 
 early life was passed. His father was John, and 
 his mother was Fredericka Schmidt. Five chil- 
 dren were born to them — Marv, widow of Fred- 
 erick Zabel, of Chicago; Fredericka, wife of 
 Henr)' Parchen, Ohio township; Charles, de- 
 ceased; our subject, and ]\Iinnie, the wife of 
 John Schurfif, of Concord township. He attend- 
 ed the schools of the fatherland, and as soon as 
 old enough began work upon a farm. At the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 46s 
 
 age of seventeen years he accompanied his pa- 
 rents to the United States, going first to Chicago, 
 where for nine years he was engaged in teaming, 
 after which he came to Bureau county. At the 
 end of seven years, however, he went to Adair 
 county, Iowa, where he purchased a farm of two 
 hundred acres, which he cultivated for six years, 
 and then returned to Bureau county, purchasing 
 his present farm. 
 
 At Chicago, in 1873, was celebrated the mar- 
 riage of 'Sir. Schmidt and j\Iiss }ilinnie Hopp, a 
 native of Germany, A\ho came to America in 
 1870. They have become the parents of five 
 children, tA\o sons and three daughters, namely: 
 Annie, wife of Bryant Olds, of Princeton; Ida, 
 Millie, Emma and Johnnie. 3.1r. Schmidt is en- 
 tirely a self-made man, his possessions being the 
 result of his own persistent labor and good man- 
 agement, and he justly deserves the success 
 which has come to him. For six years he effi- 
 ciently served as school director, and takes an 
 active interest in everything that is intended to 
 promote the welfare or advance the interests of 
 his adopted county. In politics he is a demo- 
 crat, and in religious belief he is a Lutheran, and 
 is a most highly respected and honored citizen. 
 
 ROBERT JOHLES is a talented artist of 
 Princeton, Illinois, doing excellent work in 
 either crayon, oil, pastelle or water colors. He 
 was born on the 27th of February, 1864, in cen- 
 tral Russia, where his parents, Leon and Natasha 
 Johles, spent their entire lives. The father, who 
 was also an artist, passed away in 1889, at the age 
 of seventy-six years. With the exception of our 
 subject, all the children of the family, numbering 
 two sons and three daughters, are still residing 
 in Russia. His only relatives in America are 
 }ilr. and ^Mrs. E. Menkos, of Denver, Colorado, 
 the latter being his mother's sister. 
 
 In his native land. Air. Johles began his edu- 
 cation, which he completed in the schools of 
 Chicago, Illinois. In 1877 he bade good-by to 
 friends and native land, soon after the close of 
 the Russia-Turkish war, in which his father had 
 taken part. His destination was Denver, Colo- 
 
 rado, but on reaching New York, where his aunt 
 met him, he was taken ill, and was compelled to 
 remain in that city until his recovery. He is a 
 good Latin scholar, and was greatly aided on 
 coming to the United States by his knowledge 
 of German, but soon, however, learned the Eng- 
 lish language. 
 
 Mr, Johles does all kinds of painting and dec- 
 orating. He has put the artistic finishing to the 
 circuit court room and English Lutheran church 
 of Princeton, the design for these decorations 
 being original. He has also painted the por- 
 traits of the ministers and many of the leading- 
 citizens of Princeton and vicinity to the number 
 of over a hundred, and his work is first-class in 
 every particular, giving an excellent degree of 
 satisfaction. He gives special attention to ex- 
 pression, making his pictures vivid and life-like, 
 and his pictures from nattire are also of a high 
 order. He has now made his home in Princeton 
 since 1893, and is numbered among its highly 
 respected and honored citizens. 
 
 On Sunday, June 12, 1892, in Chicago, was- 
 celebrated the ^marriage of Mr. Johles and Miss 
 Nettie AMiiting, daughter of Frank and Cor- 
 nelia (Packingham) Whiting, of Granville, Illi- 
 nois, where her father is one of the leading at- 
 torneys. To them has been born a daughter — 
 Lucile. The parents are both Christian, but 
 have not identified themselves with anv particu- 
 lar church in Princeton. Mr. Johles is thor- 
 oughly posted on the political issues of the day, 
 and is an earnest advocate of the sound money 
 policy. 
 
 M 
 
 RS. MARY SCHROEDER, whose home 
 is on section 20, Dover township. Bureau 
 county, is a lady of excellent business ability, 
 successfully managing her fine farm of two hun- 
 dred and forty-seven acres in that township, 
 pleasantly located five miles north of Princeton. 
 She was born in Germany Ma\- 10, 1844, a daugh- 
 ter of Mr. and Mrs. Heck. In that country the 
 father's death occurred when Mrs. Schroeder 
 was a mere child, and soon afterward the mother 
 brought her children to the new world, locating 
 
466 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 in the town of Forest, Ohio. There she died in 
 a short time, and our subject and her sister Mar- 
 garet then went to live with strangers. 
 
 Until fifteen years of age Mrs. Schroeder made 
 her home in the family of Dr. Samuel Watt, but 
 was provided with very limited advantages for 
 securing an education. She has become well in- 
 formed, however, by reading and study in later 
 years. On leaving the home of Dr. Watt she 
 went to live with an aunt in Evansville, Indiana, 
 where she remained until her marriage, at Can- 
 nelton, Indiana, which was celebrated Decem- 
 ber 14, 1862. Her husband, Christian Schroeder, 
 was born in Herford, Westphalia, Germany, Feb- 
 ruary 10, 1830, and was there reared and edu- 
 cated. They began their domestic life in Cal- 
 houn, Kentucky, where he was engaged in the 
 grocery business until the spring of 1865, when 
 they came to Bureau county, Illinois. For two 
 years he was successfully engaged in the same 
 line of trade in Princeton in a building which he 
 owned, and then purchased a farm of eighty 
 acres in Dover township. On selling out there 
 he bought the present farm now owned and 
 operated by ^Mrs. Schroeder, and continued its 
 cultivation and improvement until called from 
 this life, June 28, 1887. Besides the farm, he left 
 a good brick store building on North Minn 
 street, now occupied by Mr. Swartout. In polit- 
 ical matters, he supported the democratic party. 
 He was a wide-awake, energetic business man, 
 upright and honorable in all his dealings, and 
 had the confidence and respect of all who knew 
 him. 
 
 By her marriage, ]\Irs. Schroeder became the 
 mother of five children, namely: Lizzie, now 
 the wife of Henry Tonkinson, a business man of 
 Kearney, Xebraska; Lena, who married Leroy 
 Matson, and died in January, 1895, at Kechi, 
 Kansas, leaving one child, Harry Lee, the pride 
 of ^Mrs. Schroeder; Henrietta, the present wife of 
 Leroy Matson; Minnie, wife of Grant Burnham, 
 of Bigelow, Minnesota, and Henry, an enterpris- 
 ing young man, who now assists his mother in 
 the management of the farm. 
 
 Since the death of her husband. ^Irs. Schroe- 
 
 der has displayed much ability in the manage- 
 ment of his business affairs, successfull)' operat- 
 ing the farm, and has the love and respect of the 
 entire neighborhood. She and her family are 
 members of the Lutheran church of Princeton, 
 of which church her husband was also a member. 
 Her children have been provided with such ad- 
 vantages as would fit them for the practical and 
 responsible duties of life, and they have become 
 useful and honored members of society, which 
 fact reflects great credit upon their estimable 
 mother. 
 
 IWIRS. F 
 i V 1 knowi 
 
 ELLEN E. liCRXETTE, a well 
 nown and highly esteemed lady of La- 
 moille, was born in Jonesboro, Michigan, Sep- 
 tember 7, 1844, and is a daughter of George and 
 IMar}' (Brown) Kane, who were born, reared and 
 married in Genesee county, New York. When 
 their daughter was quite young thev became 
 residents of Bureau county, where the father 
 left his family while he went south, and there 
 died. The mother's death occurred in Lamoille, 
 in 1880, at the age of fifty-three years. She was 
 a consistent member of the Alethodist Episcopal 
 church. Mrs. Bnrnette is the oldest in the family 
 of four children, the others being Charles, now 
 a resident of ^lissouri; Ida, wife of George 
 Graves, of Lamoille; and ^lar)-, wife of J. ^^^ 
 Hills, of the same place. 
 
 On the i6th of October, 1863, our subject be- 
 came the wife of Lauren Holbrook, who was 
 born October i, 1841, and was a son of Jona- 
 than T. and Mary R. (Angier) Holbrook, natives 
 of New Hampshire, where their marriage was 
 celebrated. His father was born in 1810, a son 
 of Enos and Elizabeth (Thompson) Holbrook. 
 In the east Jonathan T. Holbrook was a dealer 
 in woodenware, and in 1834 emigrated to Illi- 
 nois, stopping first at Chicago, but not being 
 pleased with its muddy prospects, came to Bu- 
 reau county, where he arrived in July of the same 
 year. In Lamoille he successfully engaged in 
 merchandising until 1869, and died at that place 
 on the loth of May, 1877, at the age of sixty- 
 seven years. Being a strong Abolitionist, his 
 
Mr. and Mrs. J. Y. Burnette and Daughter. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD. 
 
 469 
 
 home was a station on the underground railroad, 
 and for many years he was an active member and 
 deacon of the Baptist church. He was enter- 
 prising and pubUc-spirited, active in all good 
 work, and gave his support to all measures that 
 promised for the best welfare of the community. 
 He held a number of local offices, among which 
 Avas that of justice of the peace, which office he 
 held for many years. His wife died at Daven- 
 port, Iowa, in 1894, at the age of seventy-two 
 years. 
 
 Lauren A. Holbrook was the second in order 
 of birth in their family of six children. The oth- 
 ers are as follows: Josephine, who died at the 
 age of thirteen years; Clara, the wife of O. C 
 Woods, of Davenport, Iowa; Myron A., who 
 married Carrie Chaddock, and died in 1894; 
 Erwin, a resident of Davenport, Iowa, who mar- 
 ried Ann Staunton; and Eugene P., who died at 
 the age of four years. 
 
 By occupation Lauren A. Holbrook was a 
 farmer, and with his family removed to Mis- 
 souri, purchasing property adjoining the rail- 
 road land near Hannibal, Alissouri. He was 
 taken ill with typhoid fever, and died six weeks 
 later, October 10, 1869. He was a brave, pa- 
 triotic man, and in 1861 enlisted in the Union 
 service, becoming a member of the Fifty-second 
 Illinois A'olunteer Infantry under Colonel Bowen, 
 with which he served for about a year. His 
 brother JMyron was in the one hundred days' 
 service. In religious behef the former was a 
 Baptist, and was a highly respected and valued 
 citizen of the community. Two children were 
 born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook. 
 Mamie, born May 9, 1865, died of diphtheria 
 April 29, 1876. She held membership in the Bap- 
 tist church. Louis Cleveland, born in Bureau 
 county March i, 1867, is now an enterprising 
 farmer of Lamoille township. He was educated 
 in the common schools, and remained with his 
 mother until 1889, when was celebrated his mar- 
 riage with Miss Emma F. Thornbury, a daughter 
 of James and Louisa Thornbury, who came to 
 Bureau county from Ohio. One child graces 
 their union, Louis Cedric. Mr. Holbrook is a 
 24 
 
 member of the Baptist church, while his wife 
 belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. 
 They are well known and highly respected, and 
 he has acceptably served as constable of Lamoille 
 township since 1894. She is the sixth in order 
 of birth in a family of eight children, namely: 
 Newton, of Lamoille, who married Ida Phillips; 
 Carrie, who is the widow of John Geiger, and is 
 also a resident of Lamoille; William, who died 
 at the age of thirty years; John, who lives in 
 Iowa; Richard; Emma F., wife of Louis C. Hol- 
 brook; and Ella and Frona, still at home, re- 
 siding with their mother in Lamoille. The fath- 
 er's death occurred in 1875. 
 
 On the i6th of August, 1878, our subject was 
 again married, becoming the wife of Jeremiah 
 Y, Burnette, who was born ^lay 25, 1834, i'n 
 Schoharie county. New York. His grandfather, 
 Joseph Burnette, was a native of New Jersey, and 
 became one of the pioneers of Schoharie county, 
 New York, where he followed his trade of car- 
 pentering and there died. Joseph Burnette, Jr., 
 the father of Jeremiah, was born in New York 
 city, and was twelve years of age when he ac- 
 companied his father to Schoharie county, where 
 he died in 1862. He served his country in the 
 war of 1 812. His wife, who bore the maiden 
 name of Jane Havens, was a daughter of Jere- 
 miah and Elizabeth (Young) Havens, and died 
 in 1878. In their family were the following chil- 
 dren: :\rrs. Alary A. Champlin, Mrs. Jane Brand, 
 Joseph O., David H.,George H,, Mrs. Huldah 
 E. Bare and Jeremiah Y. 
 
 The last named was a carpenter by trade, and 
 on coming to Illinois, in 1855, located at Men- 
 dota, where he remained for three years. He 
 then came to Lamoille, where he followed his 
 trade until 1872, when he embarked in the lum- 
 ber business, which proved a successful venture, 
 and he continued the same for more than twenty 
 years, selling out to F. M. Fassett, who later 
 disposed of the business to F. E. Dayton. Mr. 
 Burnette owned several lumber yards on this 
 branch of the Chicagfo, Burlington and Quincy 
 railroad, including one at Ohio, Van Oren and 
 Tampico. He was a man of excellent business 
 
470 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ability, sagacious and far-siglited, and was ap- 
 pointed one of the trustees of the Allen school 
 and executor of the Allen estate. He contributed 
 liberally to all worthy enterprises, especially to 
 church work, and was a faithful member and 
 deacon of the Congregational church. On the 
 2ist of November, 1893, he was called to his 
 final rest, after a long and well spent life of al- 
 most sixty years. By his marriage with our sub- 
 ject he had one daughter — Blanche, who is still 
 with her mother. By a former marriage with 
 Olive Smith he had two children — Alice, wife of 
 G. M. Murphy, a grain merchant of Crete, Ne- 
 braska, by whom she has three children ; Nellie 
 Allen and Ralph ; and Hattie, wife of L. J. Ken- 
 dall, a lumber dealer and farmer of Tampico, Illi- 
 nois, who was a former partner of Mr. Burnette. 
 A conscientious, earnest Christian, ^Irs. Bur- 
 nette is a valued member of the Baptist church, 
 in whose work she takes an active part. She 
 merits and receives the warmest respect and es- 
 teem of the entire community, and is beloved by 
 all who know her for her many excellent traits of 
 character. 
 
 JAMES ^I. ]^IYER, a worthy representative 
 of the agricultural interests of Selby town- 
 ship, has here made his home since 1838. He 
 has watched the development of the resources of 
 the county with the interest which every intelli- 
 gent man feels in regard to the section of the 
 country where he has spent the best years of his 
 life, and should feel satisfaction in the thought 
 that he has been no unimportant factor in bring- 
 ing it to its present condition. He experienced 
 all the trials and difficulties of frontier life, but 
 is now enjoying the reward of his labors, being 
 the owner of a good farm of two hundred acres 
 pleasantly located four miles east of Princeton. 
 
 A native of the keystone state, Mr. Myer was 
 born near-Towanda, May 7, 1837, a son of Ste- 
 phen and Marilla (Morehouse) Alyer, whose 
 births occurred in the same state. In 1838 the 
 father brought his family to Illinois, taking up 
 his residence near De Pue, on Pigeon creek, Bu- 
 reau countv. In connection with a Mr. Mills, 
 
 who had come with him from Pennsylvania, he 
 erected a saw and grist mill on that creek, and 
 there for five years they engaged in the manu- 
 facture of flour and lumber. Mr. Alyer pur- 
 chased a tract of eighty acres of raw land, which 
 he at once began to clear and cultivate, and so 
 successful was he in his operations that he soon 
 became the owner of three hundred acres of valu- 
 able land. Later he purchased the place on 
 which our subject now resides, and there spent 
 his remaining days, dying in 1852. His wife 
 survived him many years, passing away in 1886, 
 and her body was buried in Princeton cemetery. 
 The father's remains were interred in the Ottville 
 cemeter}-. Prominent and influential in public 
 affairs, he was called upon to fill several positions 
 of honor and trust in the locality, but as a general 
 thing declined to hold office, preferring to give 
 his undivided attention to his business interests. 
 In the family were three sons and two daughters 
 — Elizabeth, who died during childhood in Penn- 
 sylvania ; Charlotte Elizabeth, now the widow of 
 Cyrus Todd, and a resident of Denver, Colorado ; 
 George F., who went to California in 1862, and 
 there spent his last days; James ^M., of this re- 
 view, and Edward, who died at De Pue, Illinois, 
 when thirteen years of age- 
 James M. ^lyer grew to manhood in Bureau 
 county and acquired his early education in its 
 common schools, pursuing his studies for a time 
 at Seatonville. He then attended the Princeton 
 high school, and was afterward a student in the 
 Henry academy. On laying aside his text books 
 he took up the occupation to which he was 
 reared, that of farming, and since the death of his 
 father has had charge of the old homestead, 
 which he has most successfully managed. 
 
 In Friendsville, Pennsylvania, in lanuary, 
 1859, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. }ilyer 
 and ^iliss r\[artha Ann Cozier, who ^vas born in 
 Litchfield county, Connecticut, but was reared 
 and educated in Pennsylvania. Her father, Em- 
 bree Cozier, was a native of France. Ten chil- 
 dren blessed this union, of whom eight are now 
 living, namely: Harriet, now the wife of Wil- 
 liam Gudgel, of Streator, Illinois: Ada, now the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 471 
 
 wife of Alartin A. Barrett, of Kansas Cit}-; 
 George F., who is married and resides on a farm 
 near Ottawa, Illinois; Linnie, now the wife of 
 Harry Gudgel, an agriculturalist of Grandridge, 
 Illinois; Cora, now the wife of Henry Hostetter, 
 who is operating a farm on an island near Otta- 
 wa; Edward, who married Emma F. Clark, now 
 assists in the cultivation of the home farm ; 
 Emma, who married Charles M. Buck, of Prince- 
 ton; Eveline, at home; Charles, the oldest, and 
 Mary, the youngest of the familv, died each at 
 the age of a year and a half. The wife and 
 mother departed this life July 14, 1895, and was 
 laid by the side of her children in Princeton 
 cemetery. 
 
 Since fifteen years of age Mr. Myer has re- 
 sided upon his present farm, which is now under 
 a high state of cultivation and improved with 
 good farm buildings. He is numbered among 
 the thrifty and successful farmers of Selby town- 
 ship and holds a high place in the estimation of 
 his fellow citizens. Since casting his first presi- 
 dential ballot for Abraham Lincoln in i860, he 
 has always supported the republican party, but 
 has never aspired to office, though often urged 
 to accept public position. For almost sixty )'ears 
 he has now made his ho'me within the borders of 
 Bureau county, and those who have known him 
 longest are numbered among his staunchest and 
 most faithful friends. 
 
 PUTNAM BECKWITH. Many of the 
 prominent and representative citizens of 
 Marshall county served their country during the 
 dark days of the rebellion, making a record hon- 
 orable and glorious. One of these brave boys 
 is now a leading farmer of Evans township, re- 
 siding on section 8, and is a highly respected 
 citizen. He was born in Magnolia township, 
 Putnam county, Illinois, November 27, 1842, and 
 is a son of Zera P. and Mary Ann (Gaylord ) Beck- 
 with, the former a native of New York. 
 
 Samuel Beckwith, the paternal grandfather of 
 our subject, came to Illinois in 1835, settling on 
 a farm in Roberts township, ?ilarshall county, 
 but at that time was a part of Putnam county, 
 
 and there made his home until his death, about 
 1847. The maternal grandfather, Aaron Gay- 
 lord, located in Putnam county in 1834, upon 
 Sand)' creek. He was the son of Lemuel Gay- 
 lord, a revolutionar\- soldier and a pioneer of 
 Illinois. 
 
 Zera P. Beckwith was eighteen years of age 
 when he came with his father to Marshall county, 
 was married in Roberts township, but for years 
 made his home at Magnolia, Putnam county, 
 where he worked at his trade of a tailor and kept 
 a clothing store. Coming to Evans township in 
 1854, he rented land for two years, and then lo- 
 cated upon his farm on section 29, which he im- 
 proved and cultivated for a number of years. Flis 
 last days were spent in retirement at Wenona, 
 where he passed away in December, 1886, and 
 his wife, who was born in 1819, died on the 25th 
 of January, 1896. They were both consistent 
 members of the Christian church, and during the 
 civil war he served as a drummer in the One 
 Hundred and Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
 but was discharged on account of disability. Two 
 of his- sons, our subject and Leonidas, were also 
 members of the union army, belonging to the 
 same regiment, and the latter died while in the 
 service. In the family were five children who are 
 yet living — Putnam; Albert, of Normal, Illinois; 
 Orrin, residing on section 29, Evans township ; 
 ^Irs. Emma Ball, of Bennington township, ;\tar- 
 shall county, and Clara. 
 
 The primary education of our subject was ob- 
 tained in the public schools of Magnolia, and as 
 he was only eleven years old on coming to Evans 
 township, he here continued his studies in the 
 district school. After his return from the war 
 he was for a time a student in the schools of We- 
 nona. On the breaking out of the terrible strug- 
 gle, he at once took steps to place himself among 
 the brave boys who were going forth to fight the 
 battles of our country, and enlisted July 3, 1861, 
 in Company A, First Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, 
 for three years. 
 
 The regiment was organized at Alton under 
 Colonel Tom ]»,farshall, was at once sent to the 
 front, going to St. Charles, !\Iexico, St. Louis 
 
47-^ 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and Jefferson City, Missouri, and then to Lexing- 
 ton, that state, where it was placed under Colonel 
 Mulligan, and there participated in the siege. 
 During that engagement ]\fr. Beckwith was 
 wounded in the right hand by buckshot and in 
 the left shoulder by grapeshot. His company 
 charged into the enemy and retook a piece of 
 artillery, and it was while thus engaged that he 
 was injured. Later the regiment surrendered, 
 was paroled and marched to Hamilton, ]\Iis- 
 souri. At St. Louis they received their discharge. 
 
 After a short time spent at home the regiment 
 reorganized at Benton Barracks, Missouri, and 
 in April, 1862, went to Raleigh, that state. It 
 joined General Curtis' army hear the Arkansas 
 border. ^Ir. Beckwith was then on guard duty 
 until June, 1862, and while stationed as a picket 
 at West Plains, Missouri, May 18, 1862, was 
 wounded in the right hip by a pistol ball. He 
 was first sent to the field hospital, later to a hospi- 
 tal at St. Louis, Missouri, and on the 14th of 
 July, 1862, was mustered out. 
 
 After his recovery, Mr. Beckwith re-enlisted 
 September 4, 1862, in Company C, Fourteenth 
 Illinois Cavalry, and was made sergeant of his 
 company. Tlie regiment was organized at Peoria 
 under Colonel Horace Capron, was sent to Ken- 
 tucky with the army of the Ohio, and took part 
 in the engagement at Salina, that state, and as- 
 sisted in the capture of John Morgan's command. 
 The troops were next under Burnsides in the en- 
 gagements in East Tennessee, and after the en- 
 gagement at Knoxville took part in a most severe 
 fight at Beam Station, against General Longstreet. 
 That was the hardest experience in his army rec- 
 ord, as he was stationed between the fires of both 
 armies, and were then sent into North Carolina 
 after a band of Indians, and succeeded in killing 
 fiftv and capturing fifty-five others. In the 
 spring of 1864 the regiment joined Sherman's 
 armv at Big Shanty and was stationed on the 
 right of that army until Atlanta was reached. 
 
 The command then participated in the Stone- 
 man raid, going to Macon, Georgia, and Stone- 
 man gave Colonel Capron the privilege to cut his 
 \vd.y out. This he did, and our subject came 
 
 through safely. After being in the saddle eight 
 days continuously, during which time they had 
 but little sleep, they were surprised by the enemy, 
 but with eight others ^Ir. Beckwith succeeded in 
 making his escape and got back to Atlanta. 
 After the capture of that city the regiment was 
 sent to Louisville to be remounted, and then 
 marched from there through Nashville and on 
 to Hood's army. Their next engagement was 
 ^A'ith Forest. While on picket duty our subject 
 with a comrade were cut off from the command 
 and were six days in getting back. He next 
 participated in the battles of Franklin, Nashville 
 and Pulaski. For gallant service he was pro- 
 moted second lieutenant of Compan}- C, and as 
 such was mustered out in May, 1865, after almost 
 four years of most faithful and arduous service. 
 
 After his return home, Mr. Beckwith resumed 
 farming, for four years made his home in Roberts 
 township, and then removed to his present farm 
 of two hundred and five acres in Evans township. 
 In 1869 he was united in marriage with Frances 
 Dagen, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of 
 Charles Dagen. They now have four children — 
 Bertha ^lay, Herbert Horace, Charles Putnam 
 and Mary Gaylord. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Beckwith entered Merer hospital 
 at Chicago, where he underwent an operation — 
 scraping the bone and cutting on diseased bone — 
 and suffered intense pain from inflammation for 
 months. He has since been compelled to use ' 
 crutches. His political support is unwaveringly 
 given the republican party; for two terms served 
 as collector, and is an honored member of the 
 Grand Army post at ^Magnolia. Both himself 
 and wife are devoted members of the Methodist 
 church at Cherry Point, of which he is trustee, 
 and endeavor by their blameless lives to set good 
 example. 
 
 TOHN BORNEMANN. Among the sturdy 
 kj and sta]\yart citizens of Putnam county whose 
 place of birth was the far-away German father- 
 land, and who, with the industry and thrift so 
 natural to the people of their native land, have 
 rapidly progresserl toward that financial condi- 
 
THE r.IOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 473 
 
 tion so coveted by all, is the subject of this per- 
 sonal history. He is now a leading farmer of 
 Putnam county, residing upon section 22, Gran- 
 ville township. 
 
 jMr. Bornemann was born in Elesse, Germany, 
 April 13, 1829, was reared upon a farm, and in 
 his native land served for two years as a member 
 of the Prussian army. It was in 1852 that he 
 took passage on a vessel bound for the new 
 world, and after landing in this country came at 
 once to Putnam county, Illinois, where for three 
 or four years he worked as a farm hand, receiv- 
 ing six dollars per month. He next rented land 
 of Joseph Reinhardt, in this county, for several 
 years, after which he purchased a farm near his 
 present residence, but after two years bought 
 the farm which he now occupies, paying thirty 
 dollars per acre for part of it and seventy-five 
 dollars for the remainder. He has devoted his 
 time and attention to general farming, and has 
 erected upon his place good and substantial 
 buildings. 
 
 In 1858 3ilr. Bornemann led to the marriage 
 altar ]\Iiss Louisa Rompt, also a native of Hesse, 
 Germany, and to them have been born four chil- 
 dren — Katie, now the wife of Rev. Walter Cripps, 
 pastor of the Lutheran church at Tinley Park, 
 near Chicago; Carrie, wife of Robert Chinesha- 
 fer, of Lostant, Illinois; Lizzie, at home, and 
 Philip, who carries on the home farm. The fam- 
 ily are consistent members of the Lutheran 
 church and are people of the highest respectabil- 
 ity and sterling worth. Mr. Bornemann is recog- 
 nized as a valued citizen of the community, and 
 his many virtues and pleasant ways have gained 
 him a host of warm friends. 
 
 WILLIAM S. MAYHALL was born in 
 New London, Missouri, August 28, 1850. 
 His father, Samuel W. Mayhall, was a native of 
 Franklin county, Kentucky; was of revolution- 
 ary stock. His mother, Louisa B. Alsop, was of 
 Virginia blood, dating back also to participants 
 of Valley Forge. When eleven years of age the 
 war of the rebellion broke out, and Missouri 
 being a border state, the unsettled condition of 
 
 the country precluded any schools until the fall 
 of 1865. At the age of fifteen he entered the 
 village academy. At this time he was unable to 
 write a word and was as ignorant of figures as the 
 wildest of savages. By close study he gained 
 rapidly in the elementary principles of the com- 
 mon branches. Read law for a year or more. 
 December 11, 1870, when a few months past 
 twenty, he was married to Miss Sarah Jane Ross, 
 of Ohio, Bureau county, Illinois. She is the 
 oldest daughter of Elder Andrew Ross, one of 
 the pioneers of the county. In the spring of 1871 
 ]\Ir. Mayhall located on a farm in Ohio township. 
 This was an entire new venture, having never 
 tried this business before. In March, 1874. with 
 his wife and two older children, he removed to 
 his old home in Missouri. Not succeeding in 
 farming there, he returned to Illinois in March, 
 1876. In 1877 he was elected justice of the 
 peace, in which office he served four years. In 
 the spring of 1880 he was elected collector of the 
 taxes for the township. In July, 1893, he pur- 
 chased the Walnut Motor, a newspaper estab- 
 lished in 1876. He is one of the men that can- 
 not be driven to uphold that which he thinks is 
 wrong. Having with one or two exceptions 
 voted the republican ticket, he has always upheld 
 the principles of the party. In the campaign of 
 1896, while holding !Mr. McKinley personally in 
 highest esteem, he regarded the free coinage of 
 silver as paramount to party ties and supported 
 W. J. Bryan for president. Always on the side 
 of temperance and morality, he gives more space 
 in his paper to the churches than any other two 
 papers in the county. 
 
 He is the father of nine children ; two (one boy 
 and one girl) died in infancy. He has one 
 daughter, Miami, married; one daughter, Miss 
 Georgia, attending medical college in Chicago. 
 His two sons, Ross and Ray, are the main helps 
 in the printing office. The three younger girls, 
 Lucy, Louisa and Ruth, are attending school in 
 Walnut. He has made the Motor a successful 
 advertising medium and placed it on a paying 
 basis, a condition it had not been in for years. 
 He has been a member of the Christian church 
 
474 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 since February, 1870. His great care in life is 
 the success and happiness of his family. His is a 
 happy, light-hearted, cheering disposition, al- 
 ways trying to put everyone around him in a 
 happy mood. 
 
 PHILIP HEXSEL, residing on section 2, 
 Dover township, Bureau county, is a self- 
 made man, who, without extraordinary family 
 or pecuniar)' advantages at the commencement 
 of life, has battled earnestly and energeticall}', 
 and by indomitable courage and integrity has 
 achieved both character and fortune. To-day he 
 is one of the prosperous agriculturists of the 
 community, owning two hundred acres of fine 
 land in Dover township. 
 
 Mr. Hensel was born in York township, Tus- 
 carawas county, Ohio, August 28, 1833, a son 
 of James Hensel, whose birth occurred in 1807, 
 in Somerset county, Pennsylvania. In 1814, 
 however, the latter was taken to Tuscarawas 
 county, Ohio, by his stepfather, Henry Shafer, 
 who there cleared and developed a farm in the 
 midst of the wilderness. In that county James 
 Hensel was united in marriage with Lydia Fack- 
 ler, a native of York county, Pennsylvania, who 
 died in February, 1845. Besides his farming in- 
 terests in Tuscarawas county, the father also 
 dealt extensively in stock, carried on a cooper 
 shop and engaged in the manufacture of lum- 
 ber. In 1853 he came to Bureau county, Illi- 
 nois, and bought the Ellis place in Dover town- 
 ship, where he followed the occupation of farm- 
 ing and also dealt to some extent in live stock. 
 Fle was very successful in his undertakings, ac- 
 cumulating about a section of land, but since 
 1892 has lived retired in the city of Princeton. 
 He has now reached the advanced age of eighty- 
 nine years. He is widely and favorably known 
 throughout the county and universally held in 
 high esteem. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of eleven chil- 
 dren, the others being as follows: Henry J., a 
 farmer of Dodge county, Nebraska; Enoch, a 
 farmer of Ohio township, Bureau county; Sarah 
 Ann, wife of Isaiah Remsburg, who is living 
 
 south of the village of Ohio; John W'., of Lin- 
 coln, Nebraska; Madison, an agriculturist of 
 Walnut township, Bureau county; George W. 
 and Cyrus, both farmers of Dover township; 
 Eliza, wife of George Steele, of Dover township; 
 Elsie, wife of Gus Nichols, and Harvey E., who 
 is living in the village of Dover. 
 
 In the common schools of Tuscarawas coun- 
 ty, Ohio, Philip Hensel obtained his education, 
 and remained with his father until he reached 
 mature years. In 1856 he made his first pur- 
 chase of land, which comprised eighty acres, to 
 the cultivation and improvement of which he at 
 once turned his attention, and as his resources 
 increased added to that amount until to-day he 
 owns a valuable place of two hundred acres of 
 arable land, improved with a large and substan- 
 tial residence and good outbuildings. His en- 
 tire property has been gained through his own 
 exertions, as he began life with limited means. 
 
 In Dover township, Mr. Hensel was married 
 September 28, 1865, to Miss Margaret ^licKira- 
 han, whose early life was passed in Belmont 
 county, Ohio, the place of her nativity. They 
 have five children — James Grant, a well-educated 
 young man, now holding a responsible business 
 position in Chicago, attended the Dover acad- 
 emy, and later graduated at the Northwestern 
 university. Of Evanston, Illinois; Eva was also 
 provided with good educational advantages, and 
 is now a successful teacher of Bureau county ; 
 George P. is engaged in farming near Kearney, 
 Nebraska ; Jennie is at home, and John S. has 
 for the last two years been a student in the 
 Northwestern university. One child died in in- 
 fancy. 
 
 Politically Air. Hensel gives his unwavering 
 support to the republican party, with which he 
 has always voted since casting his first presi- 
 dential ballot for John C. Fremont in 1856. He 
 has never sought or desired public office, but for 
 a number of years served as a member of the 
 school board. Mrs. Hensel is a consistent mem- 
 ber of the Methodist protestant church, to which 
 her husband has always been a liberal contrib- 
 utor, although not identified with anv religious 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 475 
 
 organization. He is easily approachable, showing 
 courtesy to all with whom he comes in contact, 
 and is a companionable, genial gentleman, hav- 
 ing a host of warm friends. In his home he is 
 an indulgent father and kind and devoted hus- 
 band, and his genuine worth and many manly 
 virtues are widely recognized. He never acts 
 except -from honest motives and in all his varied 
 relations in business and social life, he has main- 
 tained a character and standing that has im- 
 pressed all with his sincere and manly purpose 
 to do b\- others as he would have others do 
 bv him. 
 
 THO.MAS HARRIS, an active and energetic 
 business man of Princeton, is now success- 
 fully conducting a combined bakery, grocery 
 and restaurant, under the firm name of Harris 
 & Sons. A native of England, he was born on 
 the 4th of August, 1842, in Somersetshire, and 
 is a son of ^^'ilHam and Elizabeth E. Harris, the 
 latter of whom is still living in Princeton, at the 
 age of eighty-one years. Here the father's death 
 occurred in 1857, at the age of forty-seven years. 
 It was in the fall of 1854 that he crossed the At- 
 lantic and brought his family to Princeton, Illi- 
 nois, where he carried on a bakery, which has 
 since been run by some member of the family. 
 He was a modest, unassuming man, but highly 
 respected by those who knew him. Of the nine 
 children, seven are still living. One son, Edward 
 H., owns a shoe store at Princeton, and a daugh- 
 ter, Hattie, widow of G. R. Cottel, also resides 
 in that city. 
 
 The primary education of our subject was re- 
 ceived in the schools of his native land, and he 
 completed his literary course at Princeton. For 
 two seasons he worked upon a farm, and then 
 entered the bakery, which at that time was con- 
 ducted by his mother. He has engaged in the 
 business ever since and has met with good suc- 
 cess in his chosen calling. 
 
 On Xew Year's day, 1867, Mr. Harris led to 
 the marriage altar }iliss Mary E. Mathis, a 
 daughter of Samuel Mathis, one of the earliest 
 settlers of this locality, and to them have been 
 
 born six children — ^Fred and Edward, both mem- 
 bers of the firm of Plarris & Sons, the latter of 
 whom married Nellie Dunham, of Princeton; 
 ^Maggie, wife of Harry E. Phillips, of the same 
 place, and Alaud, Cassie and Blanche, who all 
 assist in the store. The parents and three of the 
 daughters are members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal church, and socially Mr. Harris affiliates 
 with the ^lodern 'Woodmen and the Masonic 
 fraternities, belonging to the blue lodge chapter, 
 commandery and consistory of the latter order, 
 while his political support is unwaveringly given 
 the republican party. He is closely identified 
 with the interests of his adopted country, is an 
 active, capable business man, possessing a clear 
 judgment, and is amply endowed with those 
 C[ualities which make an honorable citizen, and 
 secure for him the highest respect and regard of 
 Ills' fellow-men. 
 
 JAMES .MASTERS CURTIS. Xew York 
 lias contributed a large quota of the sturdy, 
 energetic agriculturists of Bureau county, and 
 among them are to be found men of sterling 
 worth and integrity, who have succeeded in life 
 through their own energy and perseverance, not 
 as the recipients of any legacy. Among this 
 class of citizens is the subject of this notice, who 
 began life on his own account when twenty years 
 of age, with no means, and who by economy and 
 diligence has accumulated a handsome property. 
 ^Ir. Curtis was born at Schaghticoke, Rens- 
 selaer county, New- York, August 2, 1822, the 
 son of Daniel and M'ehitable (Masters) Curtis, 
 also natives of the empire state. When only a 
 year old he was taken to Otsego county, X'ew 
 York, but in 1837, the family returned to the 
 vicinity of their old home in Rensselaer county.' 
 lie was reared upon a farm and at the age of 
 sixteen began working for others, receiving- 
 seven dollars per month, which went toward the 
 support of the family. Returning to the home 
 farm, he gave his father the benefit of his services 
 until twenty years of age. He obtained his edu- 
 cation in the public schools and at the academy 
 
476 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 at West Poultney, Vermont, so that he was well 
 fitted for teaching, which pro'fession he began 
 following when nineteen years of age. 
 
 In 1848 Mr. Curtis left the east and came to 
 Adams county, Illinois, where he had two uncles 
 living, and there engaged in teaching for three 
 winters and one summer. 
 
 In the fall of 1849, he and his brother, Alark, 
 started out on a prospecting tour for land. Tliey 
 went by steamboat from Quincy to St. Louis, 
 and thence to Peoria, where they started on foot 
 for a trip through Bureau county. After select- 
 ing their land they footed their way to Dixon, 
 where the government land office was located, 
 and after making their entries, walked back to 
 Quincy. 
 
 They selected a section of land, our subject 
 taking the southeast quarter of section 18 and 
 southwest quarter of 17, while his brother took 
 the northeast and northwest quarters of those 
 sections, in Concord township. Mr. Curtis trav- 
 eled on foot from Peoria to St. Louis, to Dixon, 
 Illinois, and to Quincy, with nothing in sight 
 but government land in any direction. The 
 nearest neighbors were William Studley and 
 Green Reed, and old Mr. Cummings in sight a 
 little farther south, and four families located at 
 Devil's Grove, two miles north. Tliis was be- 
 fore the railroad was built. 
 
 In the spring of 1849, ^^'th his brother, ^lark, 
 he made a trip into Iowa to see the country. They 
 walked from Quincy to Xauvoo, where they 
 crossed the river, and walked to Muscatine, from 
 which place they embarked on a boat for Quincy. 
 
 On the 15th of December, 1850, Mr. Curtis 
 was tmited in marriage with ;\Iiss Helen ]\Iaria 
 Stevenson, of Adams county, living ten miles east 
 of Quincv, who was a native of Carroll county, 
 Maryland, and had been brought A\hen a child to 
 Illinois in 1837. To them were born si.x chil- 
 dren, namely: Clifton, now of Carson, Iowa; 
 Harmon Edward, living upon a part of the old 
 home farm; Jessie May, wife of Clayton C. 
 Pervier, an agriculturist; Charles Edgar, on the 
 home farm; Helen Maria, who died at the age 
 of nineteen vears, and Carrie Belle, wife of Brad- 
 
 ford Reed Battey, of Tiskilwa, Bureau county. 
 After the death of his first wife, November 7, 
 1 87 1, Mr. Curtis was again married January 9, 
 1878, his second union being with Miss ^Maria 
 C. Rice, of Hannibal, Oswego county, Xew 
 York. They have one son, Robert Rice, who is 
 attending school. 
 
 In the spring of 1 85 1, Mr. Curtis located upon 
 his land, but his brother went to Cahfornia, 
 where he remained two years, so that he did not 
 make a settlement until 1852. There the latter 
 made his home until his death in January, 1872, 
 and his wife is alsO' deceased. They had no chil- 
 dren. On coming to the county, our subject 
 had two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and 
 he erected a sinall house of lumber, most of 
 which he sawed at the Stephens mill. His near- 
 est market on the river was Hennepin. In the 
 year when he located here the survey was made 
 for the railroad, and settlers began flocking in 
 and soon dotted the prairies with their homes. 
 It is now forty-five years since he located upon 
 his present farm and in that time he has seen the 
 country develop from an almost unbroken wil- 
 derness into one of the most highly cultivated 
 and productive tracts in the state. His present 
 residence was erected during the war, thirty-four 
 years ago. He was formerly engaged in feeding 
 cattle and hogs in connection with general farm- 
 ing. His home farm, which he had leased for 
 nine years, contains four hundred and fiftv acres, 
 for a part of which he paid as high as thirty-five 
 dollars per acre. This farm is now cultivated by 
 his sons, Harrrion E. and Charles E. He also 
 has another farm of three hundred and twenty 
 acres, and still another of one hundred and twen- 
 ty, two miles north of his home. In connection 
 with W. F. Lawton, he owns a valuable tract of 
 fifteen hundred acres in Gold township. 
 
 Mr. Curtis uses his right of franchise in sup- 
 port of the men and measures of the republican 
 party, and though he cares nothing for public 
 office, served for nine years as supei^visor. He is 
 one of the original members of the Unitarian 
 church of Sheffield, which was there organized 
 in 1869, and has been officially connected with 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 477 
 
 the same since that time. He is a valued and 
 highly respected citizen of the community, with 
 whose interests he has been identified for almost 
 half a century, and his personal honor and in- 
 tegrity are without a blemish. 
 
 MARIOX J. FRENCH, an enterprising and 
 progTessive farmer residing on section 6, 
 Evans township, is the son of Elbridge E. and 
 Elizabeth (Judd) French. The father was born 
 in Alaine, in 1823, was reared to manhood in that 
 state, and came with his father, Elbridge E. 
 French, sr., and family, to Illinois, in 1850. The 
 mother, who was born Xovember 8, 1830, was 
 but an infant when brought to Alarshall county, 
 and was reared on the farm where our subject 
 now resides. She was the sister of Benjamin 
 Judd, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this 
 work. In 1855 she was called to her final rest, 
 but the father is still living. To them were born 
 two children — Marion J., whose name heads this 
 sketch, and William, deceased. After the death 
 of his mother our subject was taken to the home 
 of his Grandmother Judd, who died April i, 1879, 
 at the age of seventy-five years, and on the farm 
 where he still lives grew to manhood. 
 
 Alfred Judd, his uncle, remained single, and 
 tmselfishly devoted his life to the care of his 
 mother. His birth occurred on the 5th of No- 
 vember, 1822, and at the age of nine years, with 
 his parents, he located upon the farm which was 
 ever afterward his home. His education was 
 such as the district schools of the neighborhood 
 afiforded, but he was always a great student, and 
 devoted much time to general reading, so that 
 he became one of the best posted men of the lo- 
 cality. He made agriculture his life work, and 
 all his interests seem to center around his farm 
 and his home. On the death of his father, he 
 purchased the interest of the other heirs in the 
 old homestead, and as years advanced added to 
 the original tract, made extensive improvements 
 upon the place, including the present substantial 
 building there found, and placed the land under 
 a high state of cultivation. He accumulated 
 much property, which at his death was left to his 
 
 brothers and sisters, or their legal heirs, his 
 nieces and nephews, twenty-one in all. He was 
 a man of the strictest integrity and honor, 
 straightforward and reliable, and his advice was 
 often sought by his neighbors, who placed in 
 him the utmost confidence. After a long and 
 useful life, replete with many acts of charit}-, his 
 earthly career was ended on the 2d of Septem- 
 ber, 1895, and he was laid to rest in the Cumber- 
 land cemetery. Among his many worthy deeds 
 was the giving of six acres, which now forms the 
 grove lying between the cemetery and the Cum- 
 berland Presbx-terian church. He cared nothing 
 for the honors or emoluments of pubHc office, and 
 the only position he would accept was that of 
 school director, which he filled for several years. 
 
 Mr. French was born October 19, 1853, and 
 during his boyhood and youth attended the com- 
 mon schools of Evans township. On the 20th of 
 ]\Iay, 1880, he was united in marriage with ^liss 
 ^lar}- E. Stratton, who was born November 11, 
 1859, and obtained her education in the schools 
 of Bennington township. Her parents, James 
 and Marsha (Chalcraft) Stratton, were both born 
 near London, England, the former in 1820, and 
 the latter in 1826. The father crossed the At- 
 lantic to Am.erica in 1836, settling first in In- 
 diana, but four years later became a resident of 
 Illinois, remaining a short time at Round 
 Prairie, Marshall county. Later he located in 
 Bennington township, where he was numbered 
 among the early settlers, and upon the wild 
 prairie improved a fine farm. There he died in 
 1892, but his wife, who survives him, still lives 
 on the old homestead. In their famil) were ten 
 children, namely: Mrs. Ruth A. Ball; James H.. 
 deceased; WiUiam R., David M., Mrs. French, 
 :Mrs. Sarah E. Litchfield, ^Irs. Louisa :\r. Car- 
 rithers, ^Irs. Naomi A. Litchfield, James L. and 
 Emma 'M. The mother is a faithful member of 
 the Christian church. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. French have been born three 
 children— Hattie E., Lola M., and Ralph W. and 
 the family is pleasantly located upon the old Judd 
 homestead on section 6, Evans township, where 
 nearlv the entire life of our subject has been 
 
47H 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 passed. He gives liis exclusive attention to his 
 farming interests, owning six hundred and thir- 
 teen acres of valuable and productive land and 
 the neat and thrifty appearance of the place 
 plainly indicates that it is under the supervision 
 of one who thoroughly understands the business 
 which he is following. On political questions he 
 affiliates with the democratic party, and has 
 served as school director in district No. 3. Airs. 
 French, a most estimable lady, holds member- 
 ship with the Christian church. 
 
 FRAXCIS MARIOX BRAUGHT, deceased, 
 was for many years a prominent and highly 
 respected citizen of Princeton, where his birth 
 occurred on the 2d of October, 1843, ^ son of 
 John Braught, a native of Warsaw, Indiana, who 
 became one of the early settlers of Bureau coun- 
 ty. Two members of the family still make their 
 home in Illinois, William F. Braught, a brother 
 of our subject, being a resident of Ohio, Bureau 
 county, and a sister, Emma, now the wife of A. 
 C. Hemy, trainmaster at Mendota. 
 
 The subject of this memoir spent his early life 
 in his native town, where he learned the print- 
 er's trade, being employed in the offices of the 
 Bureau County Republican and the Bureau 
 County Tribune. During the civil war he worked 
 in the United States government printing office. 
 He had joined the union service, becoming a 
 member of Company A, One Hundred and For- 
 ty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but on ac- 
 count of his feeble constitution was transferred 
 to the printing bureau. On being discharged 
 from the service, September 5, 1865, at Nash- 
 ville, Tennessee, he returned home and later he 
 went to Chicago, where he was employed on the 
 Daily Times for a period. 
 
 Mr. Braught was twice married, his first wife 
 being in her maidenhood Miss Emma J. Mon- 
 roe, and of the four children born to them all are 
 now deceased. On the 28th of April, 1878, he 
 was united in marriage with Aliss Euphemia J. 
 Sharp, a daughter of S}'lvester and Mary E. 
 fBunn) Sharp, of Princeton. For four years her 
 father faithfullv served his countr\- during the 
 
 rebellion, and in one of the great battles of that 
 terrible struggle was wounded in the calf of the 
 leg. He died February 6, 1895. Mrs. Braught is 
 one of a family of five children, two still living, her 
 brother being John H. Sharp. One sister, Eliza 
 K., died at the age of thirteen years. Airs. Sharp 
 died when her daughter Emma was only five 
 years old and two years later the father broke 
 up housekeeping and Mrs. Braught went to live 
 with the family of Alonzo West, of Princeton, 
 where she was reared, and from whose house she 
 was married. 
 
 On the 6th of September, 1890, Mr. Braught 
 passed away, after eight years of illness, six years 
 of which time he was confined to his bed. He 
 bore his sufferings with great fortitude, was 
 pleasant and patient through it all, and his mem- 
 ory will long be cherished by his many friends 
 and acquaintances. He was a valued and es- 
 teemed citizen, one who gained the confidence 
 and love of those with whom he came in con- 
 tact, and his circle of friends was indeed wide. 
 Mrs. Braught, who is a most estimable woman, 
 tries to look on the bright side of life, and by 
 her gentle ways and courteous manner has. like 
 her husband, gained the love and respect of the 
 entire community. She now receives a widow's 
 pension from the government. 
 
 HORATIO CHURCHILL has been identi- 
 fied with the business interests of Buda; and 
 is one of the self-made men of Bureau county. 
 Genuine success is not likely to be the result of 
 mere chance or fortune, but is something to be 
 labored for and sought out with consecutive ef- 
 fort. It comes as a reward of earnest endeavor, 
 and it is thus that Air. Churchill has gained the 
 prosperity to which a well spent life justlv en- 
 titles him. 
 
 Born in the town of Aloose River, Somerset 
 county, Alaine, April i, 1843, he is a son of Asa 
 and Alary (Holden) Churchill. The family is of 
 English origin and was founded at an early day 
 in America by three brothers, one of \yhom set- 
 tled in Maine and another in Ohio, but the lo- 
 cation of the third is not known. Our subject 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 479 
 
 was but four years old when his father died, and 
 he then made his home witli Ozaias H. McFad- 
 den until he had attained the age of eighteen, 
 Avhen he started out in life for himself as a farm 
 hand. He obtained a fair common school edu- 
 cation in his native state. After being employed 
 at farm labor for some time he entered a saw- 
 mill, where he continued to work until coming to 
 Bureau county in 1867, during which time he 
 succeeded in accumulating one thousand dollars. 
 
 On his arrival in this state, Mr. Churchill be- 
 gan the manufacture of brick at Buda, in connec- 
 tion with C. P. Mason, which partnership con- 
 tinued for one year, when he purchased Mr. Ma- 
 son's interest. He then sold out a half interest 
 to J. X. Pervier, who remained in the business 
 for three years, when he sold out to John 
 Churchill, the latter remaining in the firm for 
 three years. Samuel Bager then bought out John 
 Churchill's interest and held the same for about 
 three years, when the subject of this sketch be- 
 came sole proprietor, and removed the plant to 
 its present site just south of the town of Buda. 
 
 Although he began operations on a small scale 
 he soon enlarged his plant and facilities to meet 
 the demand of his growing trade, and subse- 
 quently added the tile business. Tlie capacity 
 of the plant is about one million brick and five 
 hundred thousand tile annually. Both brick and 
 tile are of excellent quality, and for which he 
 finds a ready sale. In connection with his busi- 
 ness property, Mr. Churchill also owns twenty- 
 five acres of fine timber land in Macon town- 
 ship. Bureau county. He is a wide-awake, pro- 
 gressive business man, and his honorable deal- 
 ing and thorough reliability has justly made him 
 a leader in manufacturing circles. His life has 
 been one of industry and perseverance. 
 
 On the 1 2th of September, 1874, was solemn- 
 ized the marriage of Mr. Churchill and Miss ?\le- 
 linda H. Kealiher, by whom he had two sons, 
 Daniel L. and Oscar W. For his second wife 
 he chose Miss Mary H. Hodgetts, of Kewanee, 
 their wedding being celebrated September 8, 
 1881. Three children have been born to them — 
 Mellie May, born September 12, 1883; Bessie 
 
 E., born January 16, 1885, and Hazel .M., born 
 ^lay 5, 1890. 
 
 Mrs. Churchill was born in England, August 
 13, 1861, and is the daughter of Edward and 
 Mary (Shelton) Hodgetts, who emigrated to the 
 United States in 1865. 
 
 Politically, j\Ir. Churchill adheres to the prin- 
 ciples of the republican party, which he has sup- 
 ported since casting his first presidential ballot 
 for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and religiously 
 both himself and wife are members of the Uni- 
 tarian church. He is a Master ^lason and has 
 served as tyler, junior and senior deacon and 
 junior and senior warden of his lodge. With 
 his wife he is also connected with the Eastern 
 Star, in which she has filled the offices of Ruth 
 and warden. 
 
 JW. HOLETOX, one of the energetic and 
 • progressive farmers of Evans township, re- 
 sides upon a farm of one hundred and forty acres 
 of well-improved land, which he ov»ns on section 
 21, and is now devoting his attention to its cul- 
 tivation with most excellent results. Lie is lion- 
 ored and respected by the entire community, 
 who look upon him as one of their most wide- 
 awake farmers and model citizens. 
 
 His father, Francis H. Holeton, who was of 
 Scotch descent, was born in Muskingum coun- 
 ty, Ohio, in 1818, there grew to manhood and 
 was united in marriage with Hannah Cockerell, 
 whose birth occurred in Loudoun county, A'ir- 
 ginia, in 1814. She was the daughter of Elias 
 and Sarah (Butler) Cockerell, with whom she 
 removed to ^luskingum county, Ohio, in 1824. 
 After their marriage the young couple made 
 their home upon a farm in that county until 1856, 
 when thev went to Iowa, but in the spring of the 
 following year came to Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois, where for six years they rented a farm. The 
 father then purchased the farm now owned by 
 the heirs of John Kane, then in its primitive con- 
 dition, and he continued its cultivation and im- 
 provement upon his removal to A'ermilion' coun- 
 ty, this state. LTpon his farm there he lived a 
 comparatively retired life until his death on the 
 
48o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 4th of April, 1888. The mother, who still sur- 
 vives him, finds a pleasant home with our sub- 
 ject. Both were earnest and consistent members 
 of the Alethodist church and he took an active 
 part in the Sunday school. Of the five children 
 born to them, three grew to maturity — Edith, 
 deceased, wife of Jacob ^l. Brenn, by whom she 
 had one child, Hannah Thayer; J. W., of this 
 sketch, and George H., of Omaha, Nebraska, 
 who married Lizzie Ogle. 
 
 ^Ir. Holeton, whose name introduces this 
 notice, first opened his eyes to the light April 
 23, 1845, in Muskingum county, Ohio, and was 
 twelve years of age when he became a resident 
 of Marshall county. After pursuing his studies 
 for some time in the district schools, he com- 
 pleted his literary course at the old seminary in 
 Wenona, and he remained at home until reach- 
 ing manhood. On the ist of April, 1869, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Edith Olive, who 
 was born in [Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1846, 
 and died in 1872, leaving two children — ^Walter 
 O., of Vermilion county, and Jesse M., de- 
 ceased. 
 
 ^Ir. Holeton was again married January 31, 
 1876, his second union being with ]Mrs, Susan 
 Gage, nee Washburn, a daughter of Ira F. 
 Washburn, who was born at Sackett's Harbor, 
 New York, in 1813, and became one of the earl}' 
 settlers of Rock county, Wisconsin. In his na- 
 tive place the father married Jane E. Pratt, who 
 was born in the same county in 1824, and in 
 1834 he emigrated to Wisconsin, where he 
 opened up a new farm. His death occurred Oc- 
 tober 31, 1889, and his wife passed away April 
 29, 1878. Thev held membership with the Bap- 
 tist church, in which he served as deacon and 
 took an active part in its work. In their family 
 were four children, namely: Louisa, wife of 
 James A. Millett, of Nebraska, by whom she has 
 five children; George W., also of Nebraska, 
 wdio was one of the brave boys in blue during 
 the civil war; Mrs. Holeton, and Frank F., of 
 Arkansas, who is married and has two children. 
 
 ]\Irs. Holeton, who was born in Rock county, 
 AA'isconsin, in 1846, was educated in the district 
 
 schools and at the seminary at Fulton, that state. 
 By her former marriage she has one child, 
 Georgia Leone, wife of Eugene Cusac, of Ben- 
 nington township, Marshall county, and the 
 mother of one child, Beulah. Six children have 
 been born to Mr. and Mrs. Holeton — Frank H., 
 Eddie W., Edith M., Edna S., Gracie E., and 
 Winifred M. 
 
 It was in 1870 that our subject settled upon 
 his present farm, then all raw prairie land, but 
 has now placed it under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion and devotes his time and attention exclu- 
 sively to his farming interests, raising principally 
 grain. His ballot is cast in support of the men 
 and measures of the republican party, has served 
 as road commissioner and school director, and 
 is an intelligent, industrious man, who well de- 
 serves the regard of those with whom he has so 
 long made his home. 
 
 JACOB SUCHER, who, after the labors of a 
 long and busy life, is spending his later years 
 in ease and retirement in the village of Gran- 
 ville, Putnam county, was born on the 6th of 
 March, 1829, in the village of Lopsann, Alsace, 
 France, now a part of Germany, and that section 
 of the country where the battles of the Franco- 
 Prussian war were fought. In 1845, with his 
 parents, George B. and Margaret (Knopf) 
 Sucher, he came tO' America, alreadv having two 
 brothers and a sister in this country. The form- 
 er had located in Du Page county, Illinois, eight- 
 een miles from Chicago, ancV there the parents 
 also settled, the father purchasing a farm, on 
 which he resided until his death. For ten vears 
 our subject operated that farm, but soon after 
 his father's death he sold out and in 1855 came 
 to Putnam county, where his wife's parents were 
 living. 
 
 On the isth of September, 1850, ^Ir. Sucher 
 was united in marriage with ]\Iiss Catherine 
 Krebs, the ceremony being performed in Du 
 Page county, where the lady was visiting at the 
 time. When sixteen years of age she was 
 brought to America by her parents, Jacob and 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 481 
 
 Sophia (Bender) Krebs, who lived on a farm 
 near the Rhine, in Alsace, and emigrated to this 
 country in 1847. They located upon a farm in 
 Putnam county, a half mile southeast of Gran- 
 ville, on section 10, Granville township, where 
 they resided until well advanced in years, when 
 they removed to Tonica, where the father died 
 August 26, 1875, while the mother survived him 
 but six months, and they were both laid to rest 
 in Granville cemetery. In the familv were three 
 daughters, the sisters of Mrs. Sucher being Sa- 
 lome, now the wife of Henry Kammermeyer, of 
 Peru, Illinois, and Caroline, widow of Fred 
 Knopf, and a resident of Pontiac, Livingston 
 county, Illinois. On coming to the L^nited States 
 ~S[r. Krebs brought with him five thousand francs 
 in his trunk in the hold of the vessel, and he paid 
 for his land in five franc pieces, carrying the 
 money in a sack on his back to the court house 
 in Hennepin. 
 
 Mr. Sucher had about fourteen hundred dol- 
 lars on his arrival in Putnam county, which he 
 paid on an eighty-acre farm, the cost price of 
 which was two thousand and fifty dollars, and 
 he later paid fifty dollars per acre for one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres. His half section of land 
 lies partly on section 12 and the remainder on 
 section 13, Granville township, and while en- 
 gaged in active business carried on general farm- 
 ing, but since 1878 has lived retired, having pur- 
 chased a house and seven acres of land in the 
 village of Granville, while his sons carry on the 
 farm. 
 
 To Mr. and "Sirs. Sucher were born seven chil- 
 dren, six of whom are now living. Mary is the 
 wife of Fred Bender, of La Salle county, Illi- 
 nois. Frederick operates the farm of one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres on section 13. Jacob, now 
 a resident of Peoria, for many years carried on 
 the farm on section 12. Anna is the wife of Wil- 
 liam Henshaw, of Peru. George B., a graduate 
 of Knox college, for two year-s taught school in 
 Auburn, Illinois, was admitted to the bar, and 
 in 1895 was elected police magistrate in Peoria, 
 being the only democrat on the ticket who was 
 elected. Mrs. Caroline Gunn, who lives at home 
 
 with her parents, has one little daughter, Crcr- 
 trude. 
 
 Air. and Mrs. Sucher were reared in the Luth- 
 eran church, but are quite liberal in religious 
 belief, holding membership with no church or- 
 ganization. She is a lady ol culture and intelli- 
 gence, and like her husband, has many friends 
 throughout Putnam county. He always casts 
 his ballot in support of the men and measures 
 of the democratic party, and is a straightforward, 
 reliable citizen, who has gained the confidence of 
 all with whom he has come in contact. 
 
 ANDREW W. WALTON. Few men are 
 more prominent or more widely known 
 in Bureau count}- than the gentleman whose 
 name introduces this sketch. He has been 
 an important factor in business circles and 
 his popularity is well deserved, as in him 
 are embraced the characteristics of an un- 
 bending integrity, unabating energy and in- 
 dustry that never flags. He is public-spirited and 
 thoroughly interested in whatever tends to pro- 
 mote the moral, intellectual and material welfare 
 of his adopted county. He is one of the promi- 
 nent business men of Sel'by township, residing 
 on section 17, and is extensiveh- engaged in 
 the manufacture of tile and in coal mining, be- 
 sides the operation of his fine farm. 
 
 Mr. Walton was born in New Richmond, Cler- 
 mont county, Ohio, September 11, 1832, a son 
 of Newell E. and Elizabeth (Connor) Walton, 
 whose sketch is given on another page of this 
 work. In the schools of his native count}- he 
 acquired a good practical education, completing 
 his literary course in the Parkers academy. In 
 the fall of 1853 he came to Bureau count}-, Illi- 
 nois, where for eleven years he followed carpen- 
 tering on boats on the Illinois river, which trade 
 he had previously learned in his native state. He 
 then located upon his farm in Selby town.ship, 
 and actively and successfully engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits. In 1873 he began coal min- 
 ing, which has also proved a profitable business. 
 In his mines are found three valuable veins of bi- 
 tuminous coal, the second vein of which, at a 
 
48. 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 depth of one hundred and fift)' feet, is four and 
 a half feet thick, and the third, at a depth of four 
 hundred feet, is three and a half feet thick. These 
 yield a large quantity of excellent coal, which is 
 sold mostly in the local markets, principally at 
 Princeton. In 1879 Mr. Walton also embarked 
 in the manufacture of tile, using a superior qual- 
 ity of clay, and the product which he turns out 
 is first-class in every particular. 
 
 In Selby township, in April, 1876, ^Ir. Wal- 
 ton was united in marriage with Miss Charity 
 W. Long, a daughter of H. H. Long, of Bureau 
 county, where she has spent her entire life. She 
 is a talented, well-educated lady, holding a first 
 grade teacher's certificate, and previous to her 
 marriage successfully followed the profession of 
 teaching. They now have one son, Andrew W., 
 jr., who has been given good educational privi- 
 leges, and now assists his father in his business. 
 
 By his ballot Mr. Walton upholds the princi- 
 ples and men of the republican party, but for him- 
 self cares nothing for the honors or emoluments 
 of political positions. Fraternally he is a Royal 
 Arch ;\Iason, and also a member of the Knights of 
 Pythias. During the forty-three years of his resi- 
 dence here, j\Ir. \Valton has made manv friends 
 throughout the county and has gained the con- 
 fidence and esteem of all with whom he has 
 come in contact. He is a man of broad capabili- 
 ties, as his varied and extensive business inter- 
 ests indicate, is straightforward and honorable in 
 all his dealings, and his example is well worthy 
 of emulation. 
 
 MRS. HARRIET X. BARNHART. During 
 the pioneer days of a state the women bear 
 no unimportant part, and among those who first 
 settled in Bureau county this lady is especially 
 worthy of notice in a work of this kind. She was 
 born in the town of Pitkin, St. Lawrence county, 
 Nev.' York, September 24, 1825, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Levi W. and Eliza R. (Dickinson) Gleason, 
 the former born in Langdon, New Hampshire, 
 September 15, 1797, and the latter in Glossen- 
 burg, Connecticut, Noveml^er 19, 1802. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of nine children, 
 
 eight of whom grew to maturity and all were liv- 
 ing until December, 1895, when occurred the 
 death of Caroline L., widow of Philemon Bing- 
 ham, of Palo, Michigan, who was next younger 
 than Mrs. Barnhart. The others are as follows: 
 A-Irs. Elizabeth Countryman, of Hastings, Min- 
 nesota; George M., of Gouverneur, Xew York; 
 Ephraim W., of the same place ; Levi, of Dun- 
 das, ^.linnesota; Mrs. Lydia M. Alanchester, who 
 is residing near Austin, Minnesota, and Mrs. 
 Laura A. Manchester, of Ottawa, Illinois. 
 
 In 1844 Mrs. Barnhart accompanied the fam- 
 ily of Luther Bullard to Bureau county, Illinois, 
 arriving here on the 7th of November, and locat- 
 ing at Lamoille. No railroad had yet been laid 
 out through this section, and most of the land 
 was still in its primitive condition. Where now 
 are seen waving fields of grain at that time the 
 land was either a swamp or covered with tall 
 prairie grass and timber. No cities or villages 
 had been established, and Chicago was a mere 
 hamlet in the midst of a frog pond. She has 
 watched with interest the wonderful changes that 
 have taken place until to-day Bureau county 
 ranks among the best in this great common- 
 wealth. 
 
 On the 19th of February, 1848, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Matthew L. Barnhart and Miss 
 Harriet X. Gleason, at Lamoille. He was born 
 in the town of Marlboro, Ulster county, New 
 York, February 4, 1819, was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and died in La Salle county, Illinois, ^Ma)' 
 17, 1874, and his remains were mterred in the 
 cemetery at Lamoille, where a substantial monu- 
 ment marks his last resting place, tie Avas an 
 active and consistent member of the Baptist 
 church, and served as superintendent 6f the La- 
 moille Sunday school for seven vears. Mrs. 
 Barnhart has had no children of her own, but 
 adopted three, only one of whom is still living — 
 William, who was born October 15, 1854, mar- 
 ried, and is now a conductor on a through 
 freight, running between Galesburg and Chica- 
 go, with headquarters at Galesburg. 
 
 Mrs. Barnhart only lived for a few vears in 
 La Salle county, when she returned to Bureau 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 483 
 
 county, and lias since made her home in Prhice- 
 ton. She, too, is a faithful member of the Bap- 
 tist church in Princeton, and is the center of a 
 wide circle of friends and acquaintances. \vho 
 have for her that love and regard which only a 
 worthy life can establish. J'ew of the old set- 
 tlers who were here on her arrival are still living, 
 and she realizes that the time will soon come 
 when their voices will all be hushed in death, 
 and while such is the case, she can look back 
 over a well spent life, knowing that she has not 
 lived in vain, and that the world has been made 
 better by her presence. 
 
 DAVID G. PALMER. Among the young 
 men of Bureau county who have selected 
 agriculture as their vocation in life, and judging 
 from their present indications, are bound to suc- 
 ceed in their chosen calling, is the subject of this 
 biographical notice, who is a resident of Dover 
 township. He was born on the farm which is 
 still his home, February 11, i86g, a son of George 
 X. and Ellen M. (Russell) Palmer. The father, 
 who is a native of Xew York, on coming west 
 stopped first in Ohio, and later became a resi- 
 dent of Bureau county, Illinois, for many years 
 successfully engaging in farming in Dover town- 
 ship. Since 1894, however, he has retired from 
 active life, and makes his home in Princeton. He 
 and his estimable wife are in excellent health and 
 are enjoying the twilight of their lives in peace 
 and happiness. 
 
 They became the parents of six children — 
 Charles A., a practicing physician of Princeton; 
 Frank R., now engaged in mining in Colorado; 
 Jennie AL, who became the wife of Elijah Hay- 
 den, of Dover township; Alice B. was married 
 to David Milliken, of Walnut township; the sub- 
 ject of this biography, and Fannie A., at home. 
 
 The primary education of our subject was se- 
 cured in the district schools near his home, and 
 he subsequently attended the Princeton high 
 school for two years. In the usual uneventful 
 manner of farmer boys he spent his childhood 
 and vouth, early becoming familiar with the du- 
 
 ties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and 
 under the able guidance of his father became a 
 thorough and skillful farmer. He is operating 
 twO' hundred and forty acres of highly cultivated 
 land in Dover township, improved with excel- 
 lent modern buildings, and he is successfully en- 
 gaged in raising grain, stock and fruit. 
 
 In this stock business he is associated with his 
 brother, Charles A., under the firm name of 
 Palmer & Palmer. They are breeding the Aber- 
 deen-Angus stock, and are very successful. 
 
 February 7, 1894, Mr. Palmer was united in 
 marriage with Miss Alta Bo wins, a daughter of 
 J. H. Bo^\lus, of Ohio, Illinois. Thev, bv this 
 union, have two children — Edith and Ethel, 
 twins, the joy and pride of the household. Mrs. 
 Palmer is a consistent member of the Methodist 
 Protestant church, while socially our subject is 
 connected with the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica, Princeton camp, Xo. 208. He is strong in 
 his faith in the principles of the republican party, 
 and never falters in his allegiance to that or- 
 ganization. 
 
 NEWELL E. WALTOX, who is now living 
 retired upon his farm on section 17, Selbv 
 township. Bureau county, was born on the 28th 
 of July, 1805, in Bracken county, Kentucky, and 
 is a son of Edward and Elizabeth (Black) Wal- 
 ton, the former a native of Virginia, and the lat- 
 ter of Kentucky. They were married when but 
 eighteen and fourteen years of age, respectively, 
 and at the earl}- ag^ of twenty Mrs. \\'alton was 
 left a widow. 
 
 In the state of his nativity our subject grew 
 to manhood, there securing a good education, 
 and on attaining his majority went to Clermont 
 county, Ohio, where for a time he \\'or]<ed at the 
 tanner's trade, after which he engaged in mer- 
 chandising for a number of years at Xew Rich- 
 mond. He led to the marriage altar Elizabeth 
 Connor, who was born in Pennsylvania, but was 
 reared and educated in Clermont count}', Ohio, 
 where her father, Andrew Connor, was num- 
 bered among the earl}- settlers. He served as a 
 soldier in the war of 1812. 
 
-1 84 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Walton brought his family to 
 Illinois, and began operating a rented farm in 
 Selby township, Bureau county, where he later 
 purchased a wild tract, which he soon trans- 
 formed into one of the most highly cultivated 
 farms in the locality. For many years he was 
 numbered among the active, enterprising and 
 substantial farmers of the county, but has laid 
 aside business cares, living retired for the past 
 twenty years. At the age of ninety-one years he 
 is now resting in the enjoyments of the fruits of 
 his former toil. His faithful and devoted wife 
 passed away February 10, 1885, at the age of 
 eighty years, and was laid to rest in Princeton 
 cemeter\-, a substantial marble monument mark- 
 ing the spot. 
 
 Their family constituted the folkr.ving named 
 children: Mary E. pursued her studies in Cler- 
 mont academy of Ohio, and for two }-ears en- 
 gaged in teaching in that state, and for t\\enty- 
 five years after coming to Illinois. Andrew \\ . 
 is a prominent business man of Selby townsiiip, 
 where he engages in coal mining and the manu- 
 facture of tile. (His sketch can be found on an- 
 other page of this work.) Harriet, who was edu- 
 cated in the Princeton academy, also engaged in 
 teaching for a number of years, and married John 
 Wolfersberger, by whom she had one son, Nevi- 
 ell S., now a student in the Princeton high 
 school. She is now deceased. For three years 
 her husband engaged in farming in Allen county, 
 Kansas, where her death occurred in 1881. Emily 
 completed her literary training in the Princeton 
 academy, and for about thirty years was one of 
 the efficient and successful teachers of Bureau 
 county. She also taught for three years in 
 Whiteside county, Illinois. John E. was also 
 given good educational privileges, and after his 
 marriage removed to Allen county. Kansas, 
 where he died in 1889. Susie attended the Prince- 
 ton academy, and after finishing her education 
 married ^larcus Austin, of Selby township, who 
 died in 1879, leaving one daughtci-, Mary S. 
 Misses Mary and Emily Walton, Mrs. Austin and 
 her daughter and Newell S. Wolfersberger, all 
 reside on the old homestead with the father. He 
 
 and his daughters are consistent members of the 
 Baptist church. 
 
 After casting his first vote for General Jack- 
 son, Mr. Walton continued to support the demo- 
 cratic party until i860, when he voted for Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, and has since been a stalwart 
 republican. He and his son, Andrew W., cast 
 the first republican votes cast in Selby township. 
 He has never failed to vote at each presidential 
 election since attaining his majority, always tak- 
 ing an active interest in political affairs, and for 
 a number of years acceptably served as justice 
 of the peace. ITe has witnessed much of the 
 growth and development of Bureau county, 
 which has now been his home for over forty-four 
 years, and in the wonderful changes that have 
 taken place he has always borne his part. True 
 to the duties of both public and private life, he 
 has so lived as to merit the high esteem in which 
 he is universallv held. 
 
 w 
 
 'IXFIELD S. EX'AXS, who is properly 
 ranked as one of the self-made men of 
 Bureau county, began his career at the foot of 
 the ladder in life, without other resources than 
 Iris own indomitable will and steady plodding in- 
 dustry. From a humble position he has risen to 
 that of one of the representative men of a more 
 than ordinarily intelligent community. The 
 greater part of his life lias been devoted to ag- 
 ricultural pursuits, but he has now laid aside busi- 
 ness cares and is living retired in Princeton. 
 
 ^Ir. Evans claims Xew Hampshire as the state 
 of his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
 Rockingham county, March S, 1816, and he is 
 a son of Samuel Evans, who was born in Straf- 
 ford county. New Hampshire. The paternal 
 grandfather, Edmund Evans, was a native of 
 England, and with a brother emigrated to the 
 new world, locating in Strafford conntv, where 
 they cleared land and opened up a farm, which 
 is still in the possession of the Evans family, Sol- 
 omon Evans, an uncle of our subject, now owning 
 the place. Both served as soldiers in the Revo- 
 lutionary war. Samuel Evans was one of a fam- 
 ily of nineteen children, all of whom grew to ma- 
 
W. S. Evans 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 487 
 
 ture years. The oldest, Louisa, married a Mr. 
 La}-ton, a farmer of the granite state, and died 
 when in her one hundredth year. 
 
 On reaching- manhood, Samuel Evans mar- 
 ried Miss Hannah ^^'oodman, a native of New- 
 Hampshire. He worked at his trade of black- 
 smithing in Xottingham, where his death oc- 
 curred when our subject was but seven \-ears 
 old, and tl-ie following year the mother also 
 died, ^^■infield S. was the third in order of birth 
 in their family of six children, the others being 
 Elvin A., who was" engaged in business at Sa- 
 lem, Massachusetts, after reaching manhood; 
 ^^'illiam Harrison, who died in early life; Sam- 
 uel Phu-nmcr, -who after the death of his parents 
 was reared by old Governor Plummer, and on 
 reaching manhood held some responsible posi- 
 tions, but died in early life; Sophronia, who 
 married George W. Knowlton, of Lowell, Massa- 
 chusetts, where her death occurred, and Leazer 
 ^^'. R., who served as a union soldier in the civil 
 war. -was a licensed minister of the Universalist 
 church, and died in Bureau county, Illinois, 
 where he located after the war. 
 
 The advantages afforded our s-Liljject for se- 
 curing an edtication were ver)- meager, and he 
 is almost entirely self-educated, l)ut has become 
 a well informed man through his own efforts. 
 After the death of his parents he was reared 
 by others, but was early thrown upon his own 
 resources. For a time he worked for his brother 
 in Salem, Massachusetts, and then returned to 
 Xew Hampshire, where he was employed on a 
 farm for a few months, but the following winter 
 and spring, however, he was again with his 
 brother. Going to Brookline, Massachusetts, he 
 secured a position as gardener for a gentleman, 
 with w-hom he remained for three years, after 
 which he went to Boston, where he was employed 
 as porter in a bank, and v/as then for two \ears 
 with a baker, boarding with his family. 
 
 In Boston, July 13, 1842, was celebrated the 
 marriage'of Mr. Evans and Miss Sarah J. Lang- 
 ley, who was born, reared and educated in the 
 same neighborhood in Xew Hampshire as our 
 subject. After his marriage he was engaged in 
 25 
 
 the market business in that city for a time, and 
 for two years looked after the property of a 
 widow lady. He next purchased a team and en- 
 gaged in teaming and freighting for several 
 years. 
 
 In 1855 ;\lr. Evans started westward, and from 
 Chicago came to Bureau county to visit some 
 friends, but with no intention of locating here. 
 However, he -was so pleased with the locality 
 that he returned to Boston, and the following 
 year brought his family to this county, where he 
 has since made his home. In Berlin township he 
 purchased one hundred and sixty acres of which 
 about thirty had been broken, and a good house 
 stood upon the place. He at once began the 
 further development and improvement of his 
 farm, to which he added as his financial resources 
 increased, buying eighty acres adjoining, and 
 still later a tract of one hundred and sixty acres 
 near Arlington. He was very successful and for 
 twenty years devoted his time exclusively to his 
 farming interests, transforming his land into one 
 of the best farms of the locality. In 1876 he 
 came to Princeton, where he purchased the Dr. 
 Converse property, and has there since made his 
 home, enjoying a rest which he so justly deserves 
 after many } ears of arduous and unremitting 
 toil. 
 
 ]\Ir. Evans has been called upon to mourn the 
 loss of his wife, who died in April, 1880. One 
 son was born to them, George P., who was pro- 
 vided with good educational privileges. He 
 carried on the home farm for a few vears, but 
 since the death of his mother has lived in Prince- 
 ton with his father. He married Arabella 
 ^lohler, a daughter of Samuel and Caroline 
 Mohler, natives oi Harrisburg. Pennsylvania, 
 and they have three children — Caroline ]., wlio 
 wedded Scott R. Coppins, yardmaster Chicago, 
 Lake Shore & Eastern railway at South Chicago ; 
 Samuel Scott, who is holding a responsible busi- 
 ness position in Princeton, and Harry A., at 
 home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Evans now supports the pro- 
 hibition party. Originally he was a whig, tak- 
 ing an active part in the campaign of 1840, vot- 
 
488 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ing for "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," and was 
 later an ardent republican. He has never cared 
 for the honors or emoluments of public office, 
 preferring to give his time and attention to his 
 business interests. For forty-one long years he 
 has now been a resident of Bureau, during which 
 time he has seen the wonderful changes that 
 liave here taken place, and has been an important 
 factor in bringing about this transformation. 
 He is a man of the strictest integrity and honor, 
 and his upright life has gained him the confidence 
 and respect of all with whom he has come in 
 contact. 
 
 JAMES KENNING. Among the finest speci- 
 mens of the hardy yeomanry of our country, 
 there are few that are the peers of the representa- 
 tives of the Scotch-Irish race, who are so mate- 
 rially helping in the development of our coun- 
 try. These people are essentially Scotch, and 
 Ireland to them has been but a temporary abid- 
 ing place, as they seldom assimilate with the na- 
 tives of that island. To their descendants this 
 country is much indebted for one of its most in- 
 flexible and unswerving elements of probity and 
 uprightness. Their sturdy physical strength and 
 inborn frugality, thrift and industry, are char- 
 acteristically developed in their representatives in 
 America. The subject of this sketch, who is one 
 of the most extensive land owners and stock 
 raisers of Granville township, Putnam county, 
 is a magnificent specimen of this hardy race. 
 
 Mr. Henning was born in County Antrim, Ire- 
 land, September 15, 1826, and is a son of William 
 and Catherine (Nickolls) Henning, the former 
 a native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and the lat- 
 ter of County Antrim. For twelve years his 
 father served in the British army, being with 
 ^^'ellington at the battle of Waterloo, where Na- 
 poleon was so badly defeated, and after his dis- 
 charge he rented a farm belonging to an Irish of- 
 ficer. He had secured a life lease, but on com- 
 ing to America this he sold. 
 
 The boyhood of our subject was passed upon 
 a farm in his native land, but in 1845, ^^ the age 
 
 of nineteen years, he accompanied his parents to 
 the United States, and at once proceeded to 
 Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where his brother 
 William was working in a rolling mill. There 
 he was also employed for five years, during 
 which time he became familiar with even,- detail 
 of the business, and received from two and a 
 half to three dollars per day for his services. On 
 account of a lack of business, the mill closed 
 down for a while in 1849, ^"d with a little money 
 which he had saved he came to Illinois. At Che- 
 mung, McHenry county, for two years he was 
 employed as teamster and in the grist mill and 
 general store for a gentleman who was exten- 
 sively engaged in business at that place. The 
 following two years he again worked in the mill 
 at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, but since 1854 he 
 has been a permanent resident of Illinois. His 
 brother William also came to this state, and for 
 twelve years carried on the grain business at 
 Lostant, where his death occurred. Another 
 brother, Robert, lives at Hennepin, while Sam- 
 uel has always been with our subject, and John 
 lives in Granville. 
 
 \Miile a resident of ^NIcHenry county, his pa- 
 rents had come to Putnam county, Illinois, set- 
 tling in Granville township, where his father ched, 
 and on his return to this state, Mr. Henning 
 joined his mother, \\'ho made her home with him. 
 up to the time of her death about eight \-ears 
 ago. For six years he rented land near his pres- 
 ent farm, and then for three vears he rented the 
 latter place of Ralph Ware, who owned a half 
 section here. On the death of ^Ir. \Vare the 
 farm was divided into three parts, two of which 
 our subject secured, making two hundred and 
 ten acres, for which he paid forty dollars per 
 acre, but was only able to pay a third of the 
 amount, going in debt for the remainder. At the 
 present time, however (in 1896), he owns one 
 hundred acres north of Granville, forty acres one 
 mile south of Florid, which is a timbered tract, 
 and one hundred and sixty acres in Hand coun- 
 ty. South Dakota. In 1895 he met with a heavy 
 loss, having his sheds destroyed by fire, and all 
 their contents, including six head of horses, ag- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ricultural implements, harness, etc., on which he 
 had no insurance. 
 
 Air. Henning has given considerable attention 
 to the raising of cattle and horses, feeding about 
 a car load of the latter per year. He has found 
 the breeding of heavy draft horses a profitable 
 source of income, making a specialty of the 
 Clydesdale and Shire horses, and has exhibited 
 some fine thoroughbreds at fairs. He sold one 
 two-year-old animal for four hundred and fifty 
 dollars. From eighty to one hundred acres of 
 his land is devoted to corn. Upon his place he 
 sunk a well thirteen hundred and fifty feet deep, 
 when he reached artesian water, but it lacks one 
 hundred feet of coming to the surface, so that he 
 has had to put in a wind pump. He has a tank 
 of three hundred barrels' capacity, which he 
 keeps filled and in this manner his stock are al- 
 ways well supplied. It is the same water as is 
 found at Hennepin and Spring Valley. The cost 
 of this well was three thousand two hundred 
 dollars and four or five men were employed an 
 entire j-ear in its construction. Gas was struck 
 when nine hundred and seventy-four feet down; 
 two veins of coal, from four to five feet in thick- 
 ness, at three hundred and sevent)- and four hun- 
 dred and seventy feet, and a three-foot vein of 
 plumbago at five hundred feet. 
 
 ;\Ir. Henning is what may be termed a self- 
 made man, as he had no capital when he crossed 
 the bi'east of the stormy Atlantic and landed on 
 the shores of America. His excellent business 
 tact, coupled with his industry, frugality, and the 
 other noble traits common to his people, are the 
 onlv architects of his substantial fortune. He is 
 one of the representative men of the county and 
 a credit to the land that gave him birth. In 
 political sentiment he is a republican. 
 
 SAMUEL KEEL, an intelligent, energetic 
 farmer of Dover township, makes his home 
 on section 34, about two and a half miles from 
 Princeton, where he owns, and operates two hun- 
 dred and twenty acres of rich and productive 
 land, which he has tiled and placed under a high 
 
 state of cultivation. He also owns forty acres of 
 timber land two miles from his farm. 
 
 A native son of Bureau county, he was born 
 in Ohio township, J\Iay 13, 1856, and here has 
 spent his entire life. His father, John W. Keel, 
 first opened his eyes to the light in Cumberland 
 county, Pennsylvania, January 12, 1809, but was 
 reared in Stark county, Ohio, where he was tak- 
 en by his father, Joseph Keel, about 1819. There 
 the latter opened up a farm and reared his 
 family. 
 
 On reaching manhood, John W. Keel was in 
 Stark county, after which he removed to Put- 
 nam county, Ohio, where his wife died, and he 
 later wedded Barbara Bridenbaugh, a native of 
 the buckeye state. In 1853 he brought his fam- 
 ily to Bureau county, Ihinois, first purchasing 
 land in Ohio township, which he made his home 
 for ten years. On the expiration of that period 
 he sold out and purchased the farm on which 
 our subject now resides. He at once began its 
 improvement and development, and for many 
 years was numbered among the progressive and 
 prosperous agriculturists of Dover township. Pie 
 spent his last years, however, in the village of 
 Dover, where his death occurred July 13, 1891, 
 at the age of eighty-three. His wife is still liv- 
 ing in that place at the age of seventy-eight 
 years. In their family were the following chil- 
 dren: Nathan, who is married and is living in 
 Bureau county; Lavina, wife of J. E. Scoti, of 
 Whiteside county, Illinois ; John, who is married 
 and engaged in farming in Dover township ; Liz- 
 zie, wife of J- H. Coddington, whose sketch ap- 
 pears elsewhere in this volume: Samuel, of this 
 review, and Mattie A., wife of Ed. Xichols, a 
 business man of Princeton. 
 
 As soon as old enough, Samuel Keel began to 
 assist in the arduous labors of the farm, and in 
 the district schools acquired his education. He 
 continued to reside upon the old homestead in 
 Dover township, to which he succeeded after the 
 death of his father, and has actively and success- 
 fully engaged in its operation. He is a thorough 
 and skillful agriculturist, as the neat and thrifty 
 appearance of his place plainly shows. 
 
49° 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 On the 8th of February, 1880, in Dover town- 
 ship, ^h. Keel was joined in wedlock with Miss 
 Lelia M. Conant, who was there born, reared 
 and educated, and after leaving school success- 
 fully engaged in teaching for several years. Hy 
 their marriage have been born three children — 
 Mary, Lizzie and Pearl, all at home. 
 
 Mr. Keel uses his right of franchise in sup- 
 port of the men and measures of the republican 
 party, and cast his first presidential ballot for 
 Hon. James A. Garfield. He takes quite an ac- 
 tive part in local politics, has served as delegate 
 to a number of county conventions, and has been 
 elected to several local offices, now serving his 
 second year as road commissioner. He does all 
 in his power to promote the cause of education, 
 and has most efficiently served as a member of 
 the school board. Religiously, both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Keel hold inembership in the United Brethren 
 church of Dover, in the work of which thev lake 
 a prominent and active part. Their exemplary 
 Christian lives have gained them the respect of 
 all with whom they have come in contact and are 
 certainly worthy of emulation. 
 
 JASPER WOOD, one of the extensive farm- 
 ers of Bureau county, Illinois, now residing 
 on section 13, Mineral township, was born in 
 Groton township, Erie county, Ohio, November 
 It, 1829, and is a son of Burdette and Rhoda 
 (Harrington) Wood. The father became a large 
 land owner, securing land in Iowa on ^Mexican 
 soldier's warrants, and also had a tract near Ster- 
 ling. Illinois. His death occurred on the 25th 
 of I'^ebruary, 1889, at the age of eighty-six }-ears. 
 Burdette Woods was the son of Jasper 
 Woods, of English descent, who was in the war 
 of 1812. His family were early settlers in Ohio, 
 locating on the western reserve. Seth Harring- 
 ton, the father of Rhoda Harrington, was also in 
 the war of 1812; he was a captain and had com- 
 mand of Fort Bloomingville, at the head of Lake 
 Erie. 
 
 On the i8th of March, 1850, our subject start- 
 ed for California, in company with a friend, and 
 driving a four-mule team. At Fort Leavenworth 
 
 they were joined by twenty-one men, and their 
 train consisted of six teams. The trip from Ohio 
 to the golden state required one hundred and 
 thirtv-two days, arriving there on the 3d of Au- 
 gust. For four years Mr. Wood engaged in 
 mining, the most of which time he was quite 
 successful, returning home with three thousand 
 one hundred dollars in gold. This journey was 
 made by the way of the Isthmus of Panama and 
 Xew Orleans, reaching his destination in April, 
 1854. 
 
 In the fall of that year ^Ir. Wood came to 
 Sheffield, Bureau county, Illinois, and secured 
 one hundred and sixty acres of land near Green 
 river, for which he paid six dollars per acre. It 
 is located in Gold township, and there he made 
 his home for thirteen years, during which time 
 he added to it until the boundaries of the farm in- 
 cluded six hundred and eighty acres, and at the 
 present time he has ten hundred and forty acres 
 there all in one body, improved with three sets 
 of farm buildings, and for some of which land he 
 paid as high as thirty dollars per acre. .A.fter 
 making his first purchase, Mr. Wood invested 
 the remainder of his capital in cattle, purchasing 
 one hundred and thirty-six head in Bond coun- 
 ty, Illinois, which he brought here tlie same fall. 
 For thirty-five years he engaged in the cattle 
 business, keeping in stock from fifty to one hun- 
 dred head annually, which business proved a 
 profitable source of income. 
 
 It was in 1867 that Air. Wood removed to his 
 present farm, a tract of one hundred and sixtv 
 acres a mile and a half northwest of Sheffield, 
 in Mineral township, upon which he has made 
 many valuable improvements, and has added to 
 the same until the place now comprises twelve 
 hundred and forty acres, on which are five sets 
 of buildings. Most of this tract is under his own 
 supervision, though he employs six hired men, 
 and upon his farm in Gold township has two 
 more. His land here cost him from eleven to 
 sixty-five dollars per acre, and it is as valuable 
 property as any to be found in this section of the 
 state. He also owns two tracts in Xcljraska, 
 comprising nine hundred acres, one tract in Sn- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 line count}- of four hundred and twenty acres, on 
 which his son Richard hves, and another tract, 
 four hundred and eighty acres, in Frankhn coun- 
 ty, and eighty acres in Jefferson count\-, Illinois, 
 near ;Mt. Vernon. 
 
 In Alba township, Henry county, Illinois, Mr. 
 Wood was married October 22, 1857, the lady 
 of his choice being Miss Ruhecy Goble, who was 
 born in Rock Island county, this state, and when 
 twelve years of age went to Henry county with 
 her parents, Benjamin and Barbara (Vandrufif) 
 Goble, the former a native of southern Illinois, 
 and the latter of Pennsylvania. Six children were 
 born of this union, as follows: Benjamin Bur- 
 dette died in childhood; Flora Gertrude be- 
 came the wife of Alfred McKee, and died May 
 22, 1884, leaving two children — Blanche Sophia 
 and Jasper Burdette W., who make their home 
 with our subject; Richard Boyleston lives in 
 Saline county, Nebraska; Thaddeus Jasper re- 
 sides upon the home farm; Ada Sophia is the 
 wife of Charles W. Gunkel, a merchant of Shef- 
 field; Henry Lester is in the lumber Ijusiness 
 in Sheffield. 
 
 In religious belief Mr. Wood is a Unitarian, 
 and politically is identified with the republican 
 party, but is no politician. For three years he 
 served as supervisor of Gold township, was 
 school trustee for twenty-one years, or as long 
 as he would accept the position; road commis- 
 sioner nine years, and justice of the peace for 
 some eight or ten years. He is a prominent and 
 representative citizen, whose friends in the com- 
 munity are many, and by all who know him he 
 is held in the highest regard. 
 
 HEXRY C. CODDIXGTOX. Among the 
 agriculturists of Bureau county who have 
 attained success from a financial point of view is 
 the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. 
 He is a large land owner and one of the most 
 progressive and energetic farmers of Dover 
 township, and is a complete master of the call- 
 ing which he is following. His sterling integ- 
 rity and honorable, upright manhood, full}' en- 
 title him to the position which he holds in the 
 
 estimation of the people of the communit}-. He 
 is the owner of three hundred and eighty-three 
 acres of rich and arable land, and his home is 
 pleasantly situated on section 27, in Dover 
 township. 
 
 Mr. Coddington was born on the 14th of Au- 
 gust, 1850, upon the old family homestead, where 
 he now resides, a son of James and Catherine 
 (Fear) Coddington, James having been born, 
 reared and married in Allegany county, Mary- 
 land, but at an early day emigrated to Bureau 
 county, Illinois. (A more extended mention of 
 the father is given in the sketch of J. H. Cod- 
 dington elsewhere in this work.) 
 
 The subject of this sketch passed his child- 
 hood upon the home farm, assisting in its culti- 
 vation and attending the district schools in the 
 neighborhood. He remained with his father un- 
 til after the latter's death, when he succeeded to 
 two hundred acres of the old homestead. With 
 him his mother still finds a pleasant home, and is 
 still well preserved at the age of eighty-two. 
 
 At East Pawpaw, Lee county, Illinois, De- 
 cember 23, 1876, was celebrated the marriage 
 of Mr. Coddington and Miss Mary Ann Pierce, 
 who has spent her entire life in Illinois, and is 
 a daughter of Charles Pierce, a pioneer of Lee 
 county. He was a native of Kingston, Penn- 
 sylvania, where he grew to manhood and was 
 married, and as early as 1835 he became a resi- 
 dent of Lee county, Illinois, where he opened up 
 a farm of three hundred and twenty-five acres, be- 
 came one of its prominent and representative 
 citizens and there spent the last years of his life. 
 Six children bkss the union of jMr. and Mrs. 
 Coddington, namely: Charles James, now being- 
 educated at the Western college of Toledo, Iowa; 
 Emma, Mabel, Mary and Martha, twins, and 
 Philip Raymond. 
 
 In his political views, Air. Coddington coin- 
 cides with the principles of the republican party, 
 which he has supported since casting his first 
 presidential ballot for Gen. U. S. Grant in 1872, 
 but cares nothing for political preferment, desir- 
 ing rather to give his time and attention exclu- 
 sivelv to his business interests. Fraternallv he 
 
49-^ 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 is a Royal Arch Mason, belonging to Bureau 
 lodge, Xo. ii2,F.& A.M., of which he has served 
 as master, and Princeton chapter, Xo. 28, R. A. 
 M., of which he was the first high priest, and is 
 now filling his second year in that office. In his 
 private relations he is kindly and courteous, an 
 agreeable companion and a firm friend, and in 
 all the affairs of life his straightforward, honor- 
 able course has won the commendation of all. 
 
 DAXIEL WEIRICK, who is now living re- 
 tired in the village of Sheffield, Illinois, was 
 born on the ist of August, 1832, in Lebanon 
 county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of John and 
 Katharine (Vechtel) Weirick. There the father, 
 who was of German lineage, spent his entire life. 
 ' Upon the home farm our subject remained until 
 fifteen years of age, receiving his education in the 
 schools of the locality, and then began learning 
 the tailor's trade at Myerstown, Pennsylvania, 
 serving a three-years' apprenticeship, during 
 which time he received no wages. He then 
 worked as a journeyman for three or four years, 
 partly in his native state and the remainder of 
 the time in Clarion, Ohio. Thence he went to 
 La Fa}'ette, Indiana, and after a year passed in 
 that place, to Attica, but -soon returned to Penn- 
 sylvania, where he was married on the 23rd of 
 March, 1857, the lady of his choice being Aliss 
 Sarah Donges, of Myerstown, that state, and 
 with whom he had been acquainted for a num- 
 ber of years. She is a daughter of George and 
 Henrietta (Stoner) Donges, and was provided 
 with good common school advantages. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Weirick took his 
 bride to Attica, Indiana, where he established a 
 tailoring establishment of his own, which he con- 
 tinued for three years, and then removed to 
 Princeton, Illinois, there carrying on business 
 for a year and a half. Owing to ill-health he 
 gave up work at his trade and removed to a farm 
 of one hundred and sixty acres in Manlius town- 
 ship. Bureau county, located on section 18. He 
 had to go in debt for his place and his first home 
 was a rude affair costing but seventy-five dollars, 
 but by industry, perseverance and economy, he 
 
 had soon paid off all indebtedness and replaced 
 the first house by a more commodious and sub- 
 stantial residence. To the cultivation and im- 
 provement of his land he devoted his time and 
 attention from 1861 until 1896, since which time 
 he has laid aside active labors, and is noW living 
 retired in Sheffield in the enjoyment of all the 
 comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Weirick were born five chil- 
 dren, namely: Adda Victoria, wife of G. F. 
 Stoodley, the owner of a good farm on section 
 19, ]\Ianlius township, on which they reside; Ira 
 D., who married Miss May Toin, of Carroll 
 county, Iowa, where he is engaged in farming, 
 and their only child is Lulu : William S., of Pipe- 
 stone, Minnesota, who married Maggie Allen, 
 and has two children. Earl and Sadie: Minnie 
 S., wife of W. A. Cooper, of Moberly, ^vlissouri, 
 by whom she has four children, Daniel, Percy, 
 Vernia R., and Perry; Lettie V., at home. 
 
 Since the organization of the republican party, 
 Mr. Weirick has been one of its stanch support- 
 ers, and has most capably and efficiently served 
 in a number of local offices, being highway com- 
 missioner for the long period of twenty years, 
 assessor of his township two years, town clerk 
 two years and school director twenty-five years. 
 Socially he has affiliated with the Alasonic order 
 ^ for many years, now holding membership with 
 the lodge at Sheffield. Since becoming a resi- 
 dent of the county, Mr. Weirick has taken an act- 
 ive interest in its progress and development, giv- 
 ing his encouragement and his more substantial 
 support to various enterprises calculated to up- 
 build the community and for the good of the 
 people. 
 
 MICHAEL RYAX, now of Sheffield, was 
 formerly a farmer and enjoyed more than 
 ordinary success, but is now living retired from 
 active labor and is surrounded by all the com- 
 forts and many of the luxuries of life. He was 
 born in the village of Gloucester, Kings county, 
 Ireland, August 15, i8ig, was reared upon a 
 farm and remained at home with his parents 
 until thirty-two years of age. On crossing the 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 493 
 
 Atlantic to America, in 1 85 1, he joined his brotli- 
 er then hving in Schenectady, N. Y., and for two 
 years was employed in a brick yard, receiving- 
 nine shilHngs per day. He managed to save a 
 little money, but the first which he earned he sent 
 home to his mother, and he later paid the pas- 
 sage of a niece from Ireland to New York. 
 
 For one year, ;\Ir. R)an was in an engine 
 manufactory, where he received one dollar per 
 day, and the following two years were spent in 
 railroad work in Ohio, after which he returned 
 to Schenectady, being employed at general 
 work at twenty dollars per month for a firm en- 
 gaged in the lumber, coal and hardware business. 
 He remained with them for about seven years. 
 
 During that time, ;\Ir. Ryan was married Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1856, to 2\Iiss Catherine ( )'Hare, who 
 was born in County Down, Ireland, and came 
 to the United States when ten rears of age. 
 They now have one son, William, who is still 
 with his parents. In i860, Mr. Ryan came to 
 Illinois, stopping at Princeton, wdiere his wife 
 had a sister living, and until 1862 worked as a 
 farm hand. 
 
 On the 2nd of August of that year he enlisted 
 in Company I, Xinety-third Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry, under Colonel Putnam, of Freeport, 
 Illinois, and remained in the service until honor- 
 ably mustered out August 26, 1865. With his 
 company he took part in the battles of Mcks- 
 burg. Fort Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, and 
 Champion Hill. During the siege of Vicks- 
 burg, which lasted six weeks, every day or two he 
 was in the rifle pits, and on the 22nd of Mav was 
 in the charge, after which he was on patrol duty. 
 After a thirty-days' furlough he rejoined his regi- 
 ment and took part in the battle of Missionary 
 Ridge, where Colonel Putnam was killed, and 
 after that engagement only thirteen men of his 
 company were fit for duty. The division then 
 went with McPherson to Huntsville, Alabama, 
 to guard railroads, but was ordered back to Chat- 
 tanooga to guard a train on its way to join 
 Sherman. In an engagement at Dalton, 
 Georgia, in July, 1864, his knee and back were 
 severely injured from a ball, and he was sent 
 
 to the field hospital at Chattanooga. As soon 
 as able for service he was placed in the Veteran 
 Reserve Corps, and did guard duty at the hos- 
 pital until his discharge. He now receives a 
 pension as he has never recovered from the in- 
 juries sustained at the last active engagement 
 in which he participated. 
 
 On being discharged, Air. Ryan returned to 
 Princeton, and the next year removed with his 
 family to a small farm in Alanlius township, Bu- 
 reau county. There he still owns one hundred 
 and sixty acres, and also has eighty acres in 
 Concord township. For twenty-seven years he 
 made the former place his home, but for twenty 
 years of that time was dependent upon hired 
 help, as his own health would not permit him 
 to engage activel)- in its cultivation and improve- 
 ment. At the time of his first purchase he had 
 but one thousand dollars, but has now accumu- 
 lated a handsome property, so that his declining 
 days may be passed in ease and retirement. Up- 
 on his farm in Manlius township, six and a half 
 miles northeast of Sheffield, he built a fine resi- 
 dence, but three years ago removed to Ottawa, 
 where he bought property, which he still retains, 
 but an old friend urged him to return to this vi- 
 cinit}', and after considering the situation, deci- 
 ded to locate at his present home in Sheffield, 
 where he and his estimable wife are sur- 
 rounded by many warm friends, and have the re- 
 spect and confidence of all who know them. They 
 are devout members of St. Patrick's Catholic 
 church, and in his political views, Mr. Ryan is a 
 republican. In all the relations of life he has been 
 trustworthy and reliable, and has manifested that 
 same loyalty to his adopted country in days of 
 peace as when following the old flag to victory 
 on southern battle fields. 
 
 M.l 
 
 DUNN is numbered among the stal- 
 wart and substantial citizens of the vil- 
 lage of Ohio, who are of alien birth, but who 
 have, by their own unaided exertions, raised 
 themselves from a state of comparative poverty 
 in which they came tO' this country, to their pres- 
 ent prosperous condition. For many years he 
 
494 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was successfully engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising in Lee, Bureau county, but is now living 
 retired from active business cares. 
 
 Mr. Dunn was born August 15, 1833 in Coun- 
 ty Galway, Ireland, of which country his pa- 
 rents, Thomas and Hannah Dunn, were also na- 
 tives, and there the father died when our sub- 
 ject was only twelve years old and his mother 
 three years later. In religious belief tliev were 
 Catholics. Until 1850, Mr. Dunn attended the 
 schools of his native land, but in that year came 
 to America to join his brother, Lawrence, who 
 had crossed the Atlantic in 1847, ^^^ ^^^^ 
 worked as a farm hand and on the railroad. The 
 latter has become quite well-to-do and is now 
 living in Ontario county, New York. 
 
 In the new world our subject began life as 
 a railroad hand, working for seventy-five cents 
 per day, but hoping to benefit his financial con- 
 dition he started westward. At Buffalo, Xew 
 York, he took a boat for Detroit, Michigan, on 
 which three of the passengers had the cholera. 
 The others left the boat, but he gallantly re- 
 mained to nurse the sick, and on reaching De- 
 troit they were taken to the hospital where two 
 died the first night. After remaining in that city 
 for a short time, Mr. Dunn went to Chicago, but 
 as that dread disease had also broken out there, 
 he boarded a canal boat for Ottawa, Illinois, 
 where he remained over night and the next day 
 went to La Salle, where he was in the employ of 
 the Illinois Central railroad, grading and lay- 
 ing track from La Salle to Decatur. The win- 
 ter of 1855 he passed on the levee in Mississippi, 
 and while there received an offer to act as over- 
 seer of slaves on a plantation, but declined to 
 serve in that capacity and returned north. 
 
 For eighteen months, Mr. Dunn worked as a 
 farm hand in Illinois, receiving thirteen dollars 
 per month, and on the expiration of that time, 
 in connection with Messrs. Scully and Shields, 
 he purchased tveo hundred and forty acres of 
 his employer. So successful has he been in his 
 farming operations that to-day he is the owner 
 of four hundred and twenty-seven acres of valu- 
 able land, all the result of his own industry, per- 
 
 severance and good management. His place is 
 pleasantly located on section 24, Hamilton town- 
 ship, in Lee county, Illinois. Besides general 
 farming he also engaged in fruit culture and in 
 the raising of cattle, sheep and hogs, but has 
 now laid aside the cares and responsibilities of 
 business life, renting his farm, while he lives re- 
 tired in the village of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Dunn is the youngest in a family of seven 
 children, the others being as follows: ;\Iary, 
 wife of Patrick Picket, who spent their entire 
 lives on the Emerald Isle; Bridget, vi'ife of P. 
 Haney, who also lived in that country until their 
 'deaths; John, who died unmarried in Lee coun- 
 ty, Illinois, at the age of sixty-two years; Law- 
 rence, who married Ellen Scully, and lives in 
 Ontario county. New York; Alice, widow of 
 James Shields, of Dixon, Illinois, and Nancy, 
 who died at the age of sixteen years. 
 
 On the 17th of March, 1857, Mr. Dunn was 
 united in marriage with Miss ]\Iary Ann Dow- 
 ner, a daughter of Jo'hn and Joanna (Casey) 
 Downey, who at an early day came to the United 
 States from Ireland, and in 1836 emigrated to 
 Illinois, locating in East Grove township, Lee 
 county, to which place they drove from Chicago. 
 They had one child bom in Maine, two in New 
 York, and Mrs. Dunn was the first white child 
 born in East Grove township. Her father died 
 in 1876, at the age of seventy-two years, and the 
 mother in 1890 at the age of over eighty years. 
 In their family were eleven children, namely: 
 Elizabeth, wife of Michael Coleman, now of East 
 Grove, but for some time made their home in 
 Bureau county; James, who wedded Alargaret 
 Fitzgerald, and lives in the west; Dennis, de- 
 ceased; Mrs. Dunn: Thnothy, a resident of East 
 Grove township, Lee county; Joanna, deceased; 
 Ellen, wife of Ben McCune; John, of East Grove 
 township; Margaret, wife of John Hogan, of 
 Iowa. The oldest daughter remained in Ireland 
 until twenty-one years of age with her grand- 
 parents. She married a Mr, Donovan, and later 
 Thomas Todd, of East Grove. 
 
 Thirteen children blessed the union of Mr. 
 Dunn and his estimable wife, namely: Mary 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 495 
 
 Jane is the wife of John Scully, of Lee county, 
 and has five children, John, Frank, Edward, 
 Mary and George; Elizabeth, who was for some 
 time a most successful teacher of Bureau, White- 
 side and Lee counties, is now the wife of Jere- 
 miah Sullivan, of Lee county, and has three 
 children, Alice, Gertrude and Frank; John, a 
 traveling salesman for a wholesale tea house, 
 married Alar}^ ]\Iellet, by whom he has four chil- 
 dren, Ellen, John, Loretta and Marguerite, and 
 they reside at St. Paul, Minnesota; ]\lichael, who 
 for three years served as assessor of his town- 
 ship, married Eliza Kilday, and now resides in 
 Chicago: Margaret is at home; James ha^^ 
 filled several official positions, being assessor 
 of his township three years, school director four 
 years, a delegate to the democratic county con- 
 vention and one of the democratic central com- 
 mittee; Steven is next in order of birth; Ellen 
 and Agnes are twins, the former of whom is 
 keeping house for her brother, James, and the 
 latter is attending college at Dixon, Illinois; 
 Timothy and Joanna are at home; Josephine 
 died at the age of seven weeks, and Joseph com- 
 pletes the family. The parents and children are 
 all commvmicants of the Catholic church, and 
 are well and favorably known throughout the 
 community. For three terms, ]\Ir. Dunn most 
 efficiently served as supervisor, was treasurer 
 three years, school director nine )ears, justice of 
 the peace four years, road commissioner and 
 overseer of roads. He has proved a most pop- 
 ular and capable official, discharging his duties 
 with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of 
 all concerned. 
 
 WC. GROSSCUP. :\Iany of the best class 
 . of citizens of Marshall county have 
 come from over the sea, particularly from the 
 empire of Germany. They have transported to 
 this country the industry, thrift and economy of 
 their native land, and have been important fac- 
 tors in the development and upbuilding of this 
 section of Illinois. Of this class of honest, hard- 
 working alien born citizens, there are none who 
 occupy a more prominent place than Mr. Gross- 
 
 cup and his family. He was born in Prussia, 
 Germany, June i6, 1842, there received his edu- 
 cation, and later came with his parents to Amer- 
 ica in 1857. Ten days after the arrival of the 
 father in Chicago he there died. The mother 
 still makes her home in that city at the advanced 
 age of eighty-nine years, and four of the chil- 
 dren are also living — Frederick, W. C, Charles 
 L., and Mrs. Caroline Gork, of Chicago. 
 
 In November, 1857, our subject started out 
 in life for himself, coming alone to ^larshall 
 county, where he worked for three years on the 
 farm of S. G. Allen, now deceased, and for two 
 winters he attended the public schools of We- 
 nona, thus gaining a good knowledge of the 
 English language. After working by the month 
 for two )'ears on a farm on Sandy creek, he re- 
 turned and rented the farm of S. G. Allen for the 
 following year. He next leased the farm of Chris 
 Broaddus for several years. In 1867, however, 
 he purchased eighty acres of his present farm, 
 then wild prairie land, and the first year put in 
 a crop of wheat. He boarded near his farm in 
 1869, and engaged in its cultivation and improve- 
 ment, but for the next two years rented it and 
 was again with Air. Broaddus for a year. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Grosscup was joined in marriage 
 with Aliss Isabel Philson, who was born in Tus- 
 carawas county, Ohio, September 10, 1841, and 
 is the daughter of Thomas and Charlotte (Mc- 
 Carty) Philson. Her parents were born, reared 
 and married in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, 
 whence they removed to Tuscarawas count)-, 
 Ohio, and after a ten years' residence there came 
 to Putnam county, Illinois, in 1846, locating on 
 Ox Bow prairie in Magnolia township. There 
 the father died in 1878, and the mother departed 
 this life on the 12th of January, 1896. In their 
 family were six children, five still living — Mrs. 
 Mary Champ, Mrs. Grosscup, John, and Alex 
 H. and Mrs. Lydia J. Newby, twins. Our sub- 
 ject and his estimable wife have five children — 
 Jennie Pearl, Lawrence W. and Clarence P., 
 twins; Dora Charlotte, and Charles F. 
 
 For two years after his marriage, Mr. Gross- 
 cup lived upon the farm of his father-in-law, but 
 
496 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 at the end of that time built his present resi- 
 dence, into which the family moved in 1873, and 
 there remained for five years. After the death 
 of Mrs. Grosscup's father they removed to Ox 
 Bow prairie, where the following eight years 
 were passed, and since that time have resided 
 upon their present farm. The place comprises 
 one hundred and si.xty acres of excellent land, 
 on which our subject has made the various im- 
 provements, erecting good buildings, fencing the 
 land and tiling it. He raises principally corn and 
 oats. Although he began life with no capital or 
 aid from any source, he has by persistent effort 
 gained a handsome property. 
 
 Politically, Air. Grosscup is identified with the 
 republican party. Taking an active interest in 
 educational matters, he has done effective work 
 as a school director for fifteen years, and has sup- 
 plied his children with good educational privi- 
 leges. Earnest members of the Alethodist 
 church, both himself and wife are regular at- 
 tendants on the services of both church and 
 Sunday school. 
 
 CLARKE W. HOXIE. Prominent among 
 the representative business men and lead- 
 ing citizens of Buda is the gentleman whose 
 name introduces this sketch — a well known gro- 
 ceryman. A native of Rhode Island, he was 
 born in W^ashington county, November 9, 1830, 
 and is a son of John and Penelope (Janes) Hoxie, 
 both of whom were born in Rhode Island, of 
 English ancestry. The great-grandfather of our 
 subject, Samuel Hoxie, came to America before 
 the Revolutionary war and settled in that stale, 
 where also occurred the birth of Thomas Hoxie, 
 the grandfather. For generations the family fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits, and religiously were 
 members of the Society of Friends. 
 
 In much the usual manner of farmer boys, our 
 subject spent his early life assisting in the work 
 of the farm and attending the local schools, 
 where he acquired a good common school educa- 
 tion. In his native state he was married in Au- 
 gust, 1849, to Miss Hannah Peckham, of Wash- 
 ington county, Rhode Island, and to them was 
 
 born a daughter, Hannah, now a widow, and 
 the mother of two children, one by her first hus- 
 band, Archie O. Simpson, and the other by her 
 second husband, Maxwell H. Mason. Her sec- 
 ond union was with J. R. .Mason. She makes her 
 home now in Buda. 
 
 After the death of his first wife, which occurred 
 in Rhode Island, April, 1859, ^^i"- Hoxie wedded 
 Miss Susan Champlin, also of Washington coun- 
 ty. In 1858 he left the east, coming to Buda, 
 Illinois, where he at once embarked in the gro- 
 cery business, which he has since successfully 
 conducted. Here his second wife died, and he 
 returned to Rhode Island, where he was united 
 in marriage \\ith Aliss Abbie A. Holland. The\- 
 have since made their home in Buda, where they 
 are surrounded by many warm friends, who es- 
 teem tliem highly for their sterling worth and 
 many admirable traits of character. 
 
 Like his father and grandfather before him. 
 Air. Hoxie gives his unfaltering support to the 
 democratic party, but has never taken a very ac- 
 tive part in political affairs, although he has 
 served as a delegate to county conventions. Be- 
 ing a public-spirited, enterprising citizen, he 
 most efificiently served as alderman of Buda. The 
 success which he has achieved in life is due en- 
 tirely to his own industry, perseverance and good 
 mana.gement, as on starting out in life for him- 
 self his capital consisted only of a pair of willing 
 hands and a determination to succeed. 
 
 PATRICK CARTNEY, one of the self-made 
 men of La Prairie township, w'hose early 
 home was on the other side of the Atlantic, com- 
 menced life without other capital than his strong 
 hands and resolute will and has attained to a fine 
 position, socially and financially, among his fel- 
 low-citizens. His homestead, one of the most 
 noticeable in the township, embraces a fertile 
 tract of four hundred acres of land under thor- 
 ough cultivation. Both as a business man and 
 citizen, the proprietor stands well among the men 
 of his township and vicinity as having materially 
 assisted in the development of Marshall county. 
 Air. Cartney was born in County Louth, Ire- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 497 
 
 land, in ]\Iarch, 1824, was reared to agricultural 
 pursuits and became steward for a market gar- 
 dener. In i860 he emigrated to the new world, 
 coming at once to Peoria, Illinois, where he spent 
 one month with C. Carroll, and later worked by 
 the month on the farms of R. O. Caldwell and 
 O. S. Smith, in all about five years. At the end 
 of that period he had about fifteen hundred dol- 
 lars to invest, so purchased seventy-two and a 
 half acres of his present farm, to which he has 
 later added, until the boundaries of his land 
 include four hundred acres. He also gives some 
 attention to the raising of hogs and cattle be- 
 sides his general farm work. Six years ago he 
 erected his present fine residence. 
 
 Soon after the close of the civil war, in July, 
 1865, ^Ir. Cartney was united in marriage with 
 [Miss ]Mar\- Mackin, who was born in the same 
 parish in County Louth, Ireland, as her husband, 
 and after coming to the United States worked for 
 ten years for rich families in New York. She 
 has been an industrious, hardworking woman, 
 and to her is due not a little of the success which 
 has come to them. To them have been born five 
 children — Jane, wife of William Green, of Fair- 
 mont, Nebraska; Katie, at home; Johnnie, who 
 assists his father in the operation of the home 
 farm; Maggie, wife of Frank Colgan, a farmer 
 residing near the Cartney homestead, and 
 Thomas, at home. The family are all devout 
 members of the Catholic church at Camp Grove. 
 Although a democrat in politics, ;\Ir. Cartney is 
 not strictly partisan, and at local elections casts 
 his ballot for the man whom he thinks will best 
 fill the office. He has held the position of school 
 director, discharging its duties faithfully and well. 
 
 FRIDOLIN WOLF. Many of the most en- 
 terprising and prosperous citizens of Put- 
 nam county have come from the land beyond the 
 sea, and among these quite a prominent figure 
 is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, 
 and who is now living on section 3, Magnolia 
 township. "He was born March 5, 1841, in Ba- 
 varia, Germany, and in 1848 was brought b\- his 
 parents, ^lartin and Catharine (Erich) Wolf. 
 
 Both were also natives of that country, the for- 
 mer born in 1808, and the latter in 1810, and there 
 the father followed farming. On coming to 
 the new world, he located in Hope township, La 
 Salle county, at the old Prospect house, on an 
 improved farm of one hundred and twenty 
 acres, to which he later added more land. There 
 his wife died in 1852, and he passed away in 1878. 
 In their family were four children who grew 
 to years of maturity — Michael, deceased, married 
 Eve Omrehne, by whom he had five children; 
 Joseph, married Christina Appel, by whom he 
 had eight children, and they live in La Salle 
 county; Fridolin is next in order of birth, and 
 Charles wedded ;\Iary Welling, by whom he has 
 four children, and lives in Sedgwick county, Kan- 
 sas. The parents were devout members of the 
 Catholic church, and in politics the father was a 
 democrat. 
 
 In this country our subject attended the dis- 
 trict schools and remained at home until his 
 marriage, April 13, 1863, Miss Clara Merdian 
 becoming his wife. She was a native of [Marshall 
 county, Illinois, where her father, John Joseph 
 Merdian, wdio was born in Bavaria, Germany, 
 had settled at an early day. Twelve children 
 were born to [Mr. and [Mrs. Wolf, nine yet liv- 
 ing, namely; George J., of Magnolia township, 
 who wedded [Mary Newhaver, by whom he has 
 two children; [Mary Emma, wife of Phil Dose, 
 of La Salle county, by whom she has four chil- 
 dren; John Edward; Clara [M., wife of George 
 Ziegler, of La Salle county, by whom she has 
 one child; Peter Lewis; John Frederick ; [Mary; 
 Katie T., and Frank Henry. 
 
 In 1865 [Mr. Wolf settled on his present farm, 
 \\hich was then all wild land, comprising one 
 hundred acres, but at that place now has one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres and the same amount else- 
 where. His pleasant residence was erected fif- 
 teen years ago at a cost of $2,600, and his barn, 
 which was built in 1868, cost $1,000, while the 
 other buildings upon the place are in keeping 
 ^vith these, being substantial structures. He is 
 a general farmer, raising both stock and grain, 
 to which he devotes his entire time and atten- 
 
498 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tion, and has al\va3's refused public office. Like 
 liis father, he is an advocate of democratic prin- 
 ciples, and both himself and wife are faithful 
 members of the Catholic church at Mt. Palatine. 
 
 WALLACE W. HURLBURT, a leading- 
 drayman of Princeton, was born in Wash- 
 ington county. New York, October 8, 1821, a 
 son of Benjamin and Cynthia (Trobridge) Hurl- 
 burt. The father, who was also a native of the 
 empire state, died when in his one hundredth 
 year, and his wife also reached an advanced 
 age, dying at ninety-three. Our subject is the 
 eighth in order of birth in their family of nine 
 children, three of whom are still living: Fanny, 
 married Samuel Newman, and died at the age 
 of seventy-five years, leaving five children ; Se- 
 renas served in the union army during the civil 
 war, from April, 1861, until its close. He was in 
 the Army of the Poto^mac, and was never wound- 
 ed nor taken prisoner. He married Emily Har- 
 low, bv whom he has several children, and is now 
 living on a farm in Steuben county. New York; 
 Louisa, married Hiram Miller, and, after his 
 death, Robert McNorton, and had seven chil- 
 dren; Silas, enlisted from Marshall county, Kan- 
 sas, and served throughout the civil war as a 
 member of the Army of Southwest. He died 
 in 1894; Warren married Laura Sheldon, a 
 great singer in her day; both were members of 
 the Baptist church. In 1857 he was killed at 
 the sawmill at Bureau, being caught in the belt 
 and thrown against the machinery; Amanda, is 
 the wife of F M. Coddington, who also served 
 during the entire struggle to preserve the union, 
 and was shot through the wrist. For two years 
 after the close of the war, he was in the employ 
 of the government at Rock Island; Caleb enlist- 
 ed from Kansas, and ever since the close of the 
 war has been in poor health; Francis, the young- 
 est of the family, was shot through the foot at 
 the battle of Vicksburg, having joined the federal 
 army on the opening of hostilities. He remained 
 with his regiment, but gangrene set in and he 
 died at Adrian, Ohio, while on his way home. 
 The 8th of September, 1849, vvitnessed the ar- 
 
 rival of our subject in Bureau county, when but 
 few houses stood on, the present site of Prince- 
 ton. Much of his early life was spent in grist 
 and saw mills, and on his arrival here, together 
 with his brother Warren and S. P. Bingam, he 
 built a mill west of the town of Bureau, which 
 was first run by water and later by steam. The 
 old race is all that is left to mark the spot 
 where the old mill stood. He lost money in 
 this enterprise, and has since devoted his time 
 to farming and teaming, now carrjdng on the 
 latter occupation with good success. 
 
 On the 29th of December, 1859, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Hurlburt and Miss Frances 
 Wilcox, daughter of Lyman and Mary (Scoville) 
 Wilcox, who were married in New York, and 
 came with their family of three children to Bu- 
 reau county in 1850, J^Irs. Hurlburt being the 
 oldest, born April 23, 1843. Her sister Harriet, 
 born February 13, 1845, married Philip Shmaus, 
 by whom she has three children, Harry, ]\Iay and 
 Philip. They reside in Fulton county, Illinois. 
 Clara is the wife of Samuel Garmon, of Prince- 
 ton, and they have eight children — Harriet, wife 
 of Ferris Aldridge ; Daisy, wife of William John- 
 son, George, Grace, Willie, Floss, Ernie, and 
 Bonnie. Lyman Wilcox was a native of Rome, 
 N. Y., and for some time worked at the car- 
 penter's trade in Rome. On his arrival in Prince- 
 ton, he continued to work at that trade, and 
 erected several of the mills of Bureau county. 
 He became boss in chief in constructing many of 
 the bridges for the Rock Island railroad. He 
 was a devout Christian, holding the office of 
 deacon in the Baptist church, of which he was a 
 member, and was widely and favorably known. 
 He was born May i, 181 3, and died on the 27th 
 of October, 1887. His faithful wife, who was 
 born at Watertown, New York, August 31, 1821, 
 is still living, and well preserved for one of her 
 }'ears. She has been a life long and active mem- 
 ber of the Baptist church, and is thoroughly con- 
 versant with the scriptures. 
 
 Ten children blessed the union of ^Ir. and 
 Mrs. Hurlburt — Alice, the wife of John T. Reed, 
 a farmer of Maiden township, Bureau county, by 
 
THE r.lOClRAl'HlCAL RECORD. 
 
 499 
 
 whom she has six children — Bessie, Charhe, 
 Wallace, Francis, Alerl and Johnnie; Cora, wife 
 of John Hubbard, of Princeton, by whom she has 
 two children, Effie and Inez ; Mildred, who mar- 
 ried Clell Sutton, and died in 1888, at the age of 
 twenty-two; Lawrence, who married Martha 
 Stropth, and lives in Peoria; Nettie, who died 
 at the age of eight years; M'assilon, who died 
 at the age of eighteen; George, who died at the 
 age of two years; Bertha, Edward, and Robert, 
 at home. 
 
 Mr. Hurlburt is a valued and useful citizen, 
 enterprising and public spirited, and in his polit- 
 ical views is an ardent republican, voting for pro- 
 tection and sound money. He is a highly re- 
 spected citizen, having the confidence of all who 
 know him. Mrs. Hurlburt is an earnest member 
 of the Baptist church. 
 
 WILLIAM P. HOYLE. This gentleman is 
 credited with the ownership of one of the 
 best farms in ^Magnolia township, his residence 
 being on section 4, and all the buildings and ma- 
 chinery found thereon are in keeping with the 
 enterprise and progressive spirit of the propri- 
 etor. Upon his present farm he first opened his 
 eyes to the light of day on the 4th of July, 1849. 
 
 His father, William Hoyle, was a native of 
 Berkshire, England, and a son of John Hoyle, 
 who, on crossing the Atlantic to America, set- 
 tled in Jefferson county, Ohio, where his death 
 occurred. In his native land the father grew to 
 manhood, coming to this country when twenty- 
 two years of age and making his first home in 
 Jefiferson county, Ohio. He married ^liss Edith 
 Xewport, and to them were born three children — 
 Elma, widow of Jonathan Wilson, living in Grun- 
 dy county, IlHnois, and Lindley and Nathan Ed- 
 ward, both dying unmarried. For his second 
 wife, Mr. Hoyle chose Mrs. Sarah Sharpless, nee 
 Wheatley, a native of Pennsylvania. By her 
 marriage with R. Sharpless she had four chil- 
 dren— -Mrs. Elizabeth Guss and Mrs. Jeannette 
 J. Ong, Mrs. Adeline Gudgell and Mrs. Nar- 
 cissa ]\Iurphy, the three younger now deceased. 
 
 In 1836 the father emigrated to Putnam coun- 
 
 ty, where he was numbered among the pioneers, 
 and was one of the first to jilant an orchard in 
 this section, having the apple trees brought by 
 boat at a very earl_\' day and alwa_\-s taking a 
 great interest in fruit culture. He lost his right 
 arm by catching it in the first threshing machine 
 ever brought to this locality. In connection with 
 his brother, he introduced the first reaper here. 
 
 On his arrival Mr. Hoyle located on wild land 
 on section 4, Magnolia township, where he con- 
 tinued to live for several years, greatly improving 
 his place, and then removed to the farm now 
 owned by our subject. He made many useful 
 and valuable improvements upon the place, in- 
 cluding a good dwelling, and there devoted his 
 attention to farming and stock raising, having 
 good grades of cattle, horses and hogs. Al- 
 though he began life here in moderate circum- 
 stances, he became quite well-to-do, and his hon- 
 orable, upright life won the respect and confi- 
 dence of all with whom he came in contact. 
 Quiet and unassuming, he always talked to the 
 point, was a man of sound judgment and good 
 business ability. By birthright he belonged to 
 the Society of Friends and was one of the lead- 
 ing members and elder in his church. Being a 
 strong abolitionist, he joined the republican par- 
 ty on its organization, which he supported up 
 to the time of his death, January g, 1876. The 
 mother of our subject died in October, 1885. 
 There were only two children by the second 
 union, our subject, and Sarah L., who married 
 William G. Parker, a native of Ohio, by whom 
 she has four children — Anna, Mary, William and 
 Fred. She now resides in Pomona, California. 
 
 Mr. Hoyle, whose name introduces this sketch, 
 grew to manhood upon his present farm, re- 
 ceiving his education in the district schools of 
 the neighborhood, and assumed the management 
 of the place on attaining his majority. On the 
 27th of May, 1874, he was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elvira Hoyle, who was born July 
 13, 1852, in Belmont county, Ohio, where their 
 wedding was celebrated, and is a daughter of 
 Benjamin and Julia (Willis) Hoyle, the two fam- 
 ilies being distantly related. For several years 
 
500 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 they lived where they now reside, but subse- 
 quently passed six years on section 9, Magnolia 
 township, and seven years in the city of Henry. 
 In 1895, however, they returned to the old home- 
 stead, remodeling and enlarging the residence, 
 and has built a large cattle barn and other out- 
 buildings. Buying and selling stock has been 
 his specialty, and he now owns twelve hundred 
 and fift)'-five acres of excellent land, well im- 
 proved, in Alagnolia township. 
 
 Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hoyle — Lizzie J., Sarah W., Warren J., Ben- 
 jamin G., Hannah Marie, and Paul, deceased. 
 The mother is a consistent member of the Con- 
 gregational church, taking an active part in its 
 work. Air. Hoyle uses his right of franchise in 
 support of the men and measures of the repub- 
 lican party, for two terms served as road com- 
 missioner, was a member of the city school board 
 of Henry, and has also been school director in 
 Magnolia township. 
 
 M 
 
 OXS CARLSON is prominent among the 
 agricultural interests of Princeton town- 
 ship, and is one of its most prosperous and en- 
 ergetic men, who from a humble beginning in 
 life has accumulated a handsome property. He 
 not only commenced without means, but was 
 obliged to battle with the elements of a foreign 
 soil and the customs of a strange country, as 
 he is of Swedish birth and parentage. He was 
 born September 29, 1821, and in Sweden was 
 reared and educated. In- his native land he 
 worked upon a farm and also learned the cabi- 
 net-maker's and carpenter's trades. 
 
 In 1854, A'lr. Carlson bade adieu to home and 
 friends and sailed for America, arri\ing in 
 Princeton, Illinois, on the 13th of July, with 
 only ten dollars in his pocket — a stranger in a 
 strange land, unable to speak a word of English. 
 He was first employed by Mr. Triplett and John 
 Warficld, and also worked some at carpentering, 
 assisting in the erection of the railroad depot 
 at W)fanet, where he fell from a scaffold, and 
 the injuries sustained prevented him from work- 
 ing for some time. He was next employed in 
 
 a cabinet shop and put up most of the book 
 cases in the court house and also the patent 
 drawers in the grocery stores. 
 
 Mr. Carlson purchased a farm near Wyanet, 
 in 1869, of a Mr. Mann. It was a partially im- 
 proved tract, though not well developed, but 
 he soon placed it under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion and was very successful in farming opera- 
 tions there. In March, 1885, he sold out and 
 removed to a farm on section 35, Dover town- 
 ship. This was also an improved place, which 
 he tiled and erected a good granary and corn 
 cribs, and there made his home until the spring 
 of 1895, when he purchased the old Henr}- C. 
 Field farm on section 3, Princeton township, 
 where he is now residing. It comprises two 
 hundred and sixty acres of highly developed 
 land. He has built a good granary, and is now 
 engaged in general farming and in raising 
 graded stock. He is one of the most skillful 
 and thorough farmers in Bureau countv, and 
 his success has come as a just reward of his un- 
 tiring labors. He has tables, stands and book- 
 cases in his own home, which he made when 
 over sixty years of age, cutting the timber and 
 doing all the work by hand. 
 
 Air. Carlson was married in i860, to Caroline 
 Christine Stowell, who was born in Sweden, 
 February 24, 1833, and is a daughter of John 
 G. Stowell, who came from that country to 
 America in 1852, locating at Princeton, Illinois, 
 where he worked at shoemaking and where him- 
 self and wife both died. They had two children 
 who are still living — Mrs. Carlson and Swan, 
 now a resident of Nebraska. Our subject and 
 his wife have become the parents of four chil- 
 dren — Emma, born July 27, 1862; William G., 
 born May 29, 1864; Jennie S., born July 29, 
 1867, and Alary AT, born September 10, 1870. 
 The children have all been given good educa- 
 tional privileges, and two of the daughters are 
 graduates of the Princeton high school. The 
 two younger are expert crayon and pastel work- 
 ers in Chicago, and Mary is a fine musician of 
 much natural ability. The son devotes his time 
 and attention to farming. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 501 
 
 Politically, Mr. Carlson is identified with the 
 democracy, but votes for the man rather than 
 the party in local affairs ; served as road commis- 
 sioner at Wyanet, and has also been a school di- 
 rector for several years. He has ever been a 
 hard worker and is purely a self-made man and 
 a highly respected citizen. 
 
 ORRIN L. DAYTON, a carpenter and con- 
 tractor of Princeton, native of Bureau coun- 
 ty, born at Lamoille, July 12. 1846, can trace his 
 ancestry back to Captain Alichael Dayton, his 
 great-great-grandfather, of English descent, who 
 gained his title in the colonial service during the 
 Revolutionary war, being captain of a Massachu- 
 setts company. He was the father of sixteen 
 children, ten sons and six daughters, one of 
 whom was Charles Dayton, the great-grand- 
 father of our subject. The grandfather bore the 
 name of Charles Dayton also. The parents of 
 our subject are Chauncey L. and Lydia (Brain- 
 ard) Dayton, of whom more extended mention 
 is made in the sketch of Frank E. Dayton, else- 
 where in this work. As early as 1838 the father 
 took up his residence in Bureau county, where 
 for many years he was numbered among the 
 prominent agriculturists. He is an honored and 
 respected pioneer and citizen. 
 
 In the schools of Mendota and Galesburg, Illi- 
 nois, our subject acquired his literary education, 
 and on laying aside his text books he began 
 learning the jewelry business and silver plating 
 at Springfield, Illinois, where he remained six 
 years. Going to Linn county, ^lissouri, he there 
 learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked 
 in connection with farming and stock raising for 
 the following sixteen years. Sheep raising, too, 
 claimed much of his attention there, and in this 
 venture he was very successful. 
 
 On his return to Illinois, Mr. Dayton assisted 
 his father on the homestead farm in Lamoille 
 township, Bureau county, until March, 1892, 
 since which time he has lived in Princeton, where 
 he has followed his trade, winning a well merited 
 success. He is a skilled workman and has 
 
 erected several good residences, which he has 
 sold. 
 
 On the 23d of December, 1874, Mr. Dayton 
 was united in marriage with Miss Emma Mc- 
 Candless, of Springfield, Illinois, a daughter of 
 John B. McCandless, who died in 1894. He was 
 a bookbinder and old resident of Springfield, 
 coming from the east at an early day. In his 
 family were the following children: Lizzie, de- 
 ceased, wife of John H. Gordon; Amanda, wife 
 of James Graham; Richard, a resident of Texas; 
 Charles, of St. Paul, Minnesota; Emma; Willie, 
 a grocer of Horton, Kansas; Fannie, wife of 
 Charles R. Coon, and Maggie, wife of Edward 
 Gathers. r\Irs. Dayton died February 4, 1877, 
 leaving one child, Alta, now a successful teacher 
 of Bureau county, this being the second year 
 she has followed that profession. 
 
 ^Ir. Da}ton was again married October 2, 
 1888, his second union being with Miss Helen 
 Gordon, daughter of William B. and Mary A. 
 (Stevens) Gordon, of New Jersey, of which state 
 Mrs. Dayton is a native, her birth occurring 
 near Basking Ridge, in Morris county. In 1852 
 she accompanied her parents to Springfield, Illi- 
 nois, where her father became superintendent of 
 the woolen mill of Armstrong & Thayer, filling 
 that position for about four years. He died in 
 1857 in that city at the age of forty-seven years. 
 He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, and was a great musician, a good vocalist 
 and also leader of a band. In many ways he 
 was a most thoroughgoing and useful citizen. 
 His wife, who died in January, 1882, at the age 
 of seventy-three years, was a member of the 
 Presbyterian church. 
 
 Mrs. Dayton is the fifth in order of birth in 
 the family of seven children, the others being 
 as follows: Henry S., died at the age of twenty- 
 one years; John H., enlisted in April, 1861, in 
 the union army, as a member of I'.attery A, 
 Third Illinois Lig'ht Artillery. He married Lizzie 
 McCandless, who died in December, 1878, at 
 the age of thirty-five years; Samuel R., enlisted 
 in 1861, in the Tenth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, 
 and served three years. He was severely wound- 
 
502 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 ed by being thrown from a horse, and later was 
 honorably discharged, but served for a time in 
 the -commissary department. He died in 1889, at 
 the age of fifty-two years; Benjamin A., a resi- 
 dent of Springfield, was for many years an en- 
 gineer on the Wabash railroad, and served in 
 that important capacity during the war. He also 
 learned carpentering, which occupation he has 
 followed more or less since that struggle. He 
 married ^Margaret }ilanning; Nathaniel D., died 
 in Springfield of cholera, at the age of six years ; 
 Robert B. died in New Jersey at the age of one 
 year and two months. 
 
 Miss ]\Iary E. Gordon, a daughter of John H. 
 and Lizzie (McCandless) Gordon, was adopted 
 by ;\Irs. Dayton as her own child after the death 
 of the child's mother, and has found a happy 
 home with our subject and wife since the age 
 of three months. Tlie maternal grandfather of 
 ^Irs. Dayton was Henry Stevens, who married 
 Sarah, a daughter of the elder Cornelius Van- 
 derbilt. Her grandfather Gordon was a Scotch- 
 man, while her maternal ancestry were from 
 German}-. 
 
 Both Mr. and ^Irs. Dayton attend the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal church, and for the past twelve 
 years the former has been an ardent prohibi- 
 tionist in politics. They have a home, the house 
 being planned and erected by our subject, and 
 they justly deserve the confidence which is so 
 freeh' accorded them by a large circle of friends 
 and acquaintances. 
 
 JA^^IES H. SMALL is one of the honored and 
 leading citizens of New Bedford, where he 
 is serving as postmaster and notary public, and 
 is also proprietor of a hotel and feed stable. A 
 native of England, he was born in County Kent, 
 April 18, 1 83 1, a son of William Small, now de- 
 ceased, whose birth also occurred in that coun- 
 ty. With the hope of bettering his financial con- 
 dition, our subject sailed for the new world in 
 T852, and on his arrival spent a short time in 
 the country of the empire state, after which he 
 returned to New York cit\-, where for several 
 
 years he was employed in the distribution of pa- 
 pers, handling the Tribune, Evening Post and 
 others. 
 
 In 1857, Air. Small came west to Bureau coun- 
 l)', Illinois, locating at Dover, where for a year 
 and a half he was in the employ of Dr. Robin- 
 son, who assisted him in obtaining the ofifice of 
 postmaster of that place, in which capacity he 
 served for seven years. At the same time he was 
 also engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1867, 
 he came to New Bedford, and in the fall of the 
 same year was made postmaster, which office he 
 must acceptably filled until 1873. He also served 
 as assistant postmaster for John Scott from 1881 
 until 1884, and in 1889, under President Harri- 
 son's administration, was again appointed post- 
 master and is still holding that position to the 
 satisfaction of all concerned. Since becoming 
 an American citizen he has been an ardent sup- 
 porter of the republican party, whose principles 
 he stanchly advocates, and has taken a promi- 
 nent part in local political affairs. For several 
 years he served as town clerk in Dover and for 
 many years in Ne\v Bedford. It was also the 
 desire of his friends that he should become jus- 
 tice of the peace, but he refused to accept the posi- 
 tion. He is a public-spirited citizen, taking a 
 deep interest in the welfare of his adopted coun- 
 try and throughout Bureau county has made 
 many warm friends. 
 
 In New York city Air. Small was married, 
 April II, 1855, the lady of his choice being Aliss 
 Ann Terry, also a native of Kent, England, who 
 was his playmate during their childhood. She 
 is a daughter of Philip Terry, now deceased, 
 who brought his family to the United States in 
 1853. To Mr. and Airs. Small were born six 
 children, four of whom are still living, namely: 
 Horace H., a barber, of Princeton, Illinois; 
 Julia J., now the wife of Albert Dodge, an attor- 
 ney, of Grand Rapids, Alichigaii, by whom she 
 has three children, Edith J., James H. and Tohn 
 B.; George E., a barber, of Harvey, Cook coun- 
 ty, Illinois, who married Anna Stauffer. of New 
 Bedford, and Charles F., of New Bedford, who 
 married Lillie Peterson. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 503 
 
 ARCEXE PICHEREAU is a well-known 
 citizen of Marshall county, and is now liv- 
 ing a retired life in the citv of Lacon. He was 
 one of a colony of fifteen persons who left Lc- 
 man, France, in 1833, for the new world. This 
 colony was fitted out b}- one of Napoleon's old 
 captains, a nobleman of France, named Louis 
 De Guilbert, and sailed from Havre for Xcw 
 Orleans. 
 
 It was the intention of the colony to locate in 
 Tennessee, but the promises held out by the 
 Tennessee agents were not fulfilled, and hearing 
 of the condition of Illinois after the Black Hawk 
 war, it was decided to try that favored country. 
 Arriving at St. Louis, the colony secured pass- 
 age on the steamer "Bee" up the lUinois river to 
 Pekin. De Guilbert selected a site at Black 
 Partridge, where he erected a saw and grist 
 mill that he had brought from Paris, and set his 
 little colony to work. Some seven years later 
 the colony scattered and De Guilbert himself 
 settled in Tazewell county, and became an indus- 
 trious farmer, where he died some fifteen years 
 later, and was soon followed by his wife. Their 
 son, Louis De Guilbert, now resides on Richland 
 creek, Woodford county, and with our subject is 
 the only survivor of that little colony. 
 
 The mill at Black Partridge furnished lum- 
 ber for the Peoria market. That place was then 
 known as Fort Clark, and was not much like the 
 Peoria of to-day. The mill did a good business, 
 people hauling their logs to it for twenty-five or 
 thirtv miles around. It was known as the 
 French mill. 
 
 Another well-known person who came to 
 America on the same vessel bringing the colony 
 was John B. Duchesne. He had been educated 
 for the priesthood, but was married in St. Louis, 
 and reared a family, of whom three sons served 
 in the army during the civil war. He also lo- 
 cated near Black Partridge, but later came to 
 Marshall county, finally locating on Coon creek, 
 but spending his last days in Lacon, dying in 
 
 1893. 
 
 Jaque Pichereau, the father of our subject, 
 was a day laborer. His wife and daughter died 
 26 
 
 of cholera at New Orleans soon after landing 
 from the vessel. He subsequently married Mrs. 
 Rock, who resided near Metamora, and surviv- 
 ing her, late in life married another estimable 
 lady. He first located at Black Partridge, where 
 he resided until advanced in years, when he re- 
 moved to Lacon, and there died in 1875, in his 
 ninety-third year. The only surviving member 
 of the family is our subject. 
 
 Mr. Pichereau, of whom we now write, was a 
 lad of eleven years when the colony came to the 
 United States. When twelve years old he 
 commenced work at the carpenter's trade. 
 He scored and hewed timber, helped put up 
 log cabins, and made clapboards for the 
 roof. When no work was to be had at his 
 trade he made rails, and was an expert at 
 the business. In 1836, he says, he had . all 
 the work that he could do in fencing gardens 
 with palings, that kind of work being in great 
 demand. In winter he would make ox bows 
 and sleds, which had a ready sale. In 1838 
 there was a great demand for shingles, the peo- 
 ple but then commencing to use shingle roofs. 
 He \\ould hew the rafters and rim out the slats on 
 which to nail the shingles. About this time the 
 people also began to use clapboard siding, and 
 in due time to have frame houses. Mr. Pich- 
 ereau, with other carpenters, was obliged to hew 
 all the framing timbers, and it can be surmised 
 the frames would be strong. He remained 
 with his father at Black Partridge until 1839, 
 when he came to Marshall county. He left the 
 colony because of a desire to become better ac- 
 quainted with the English language. He liked 
 the Americans and their ways and wished for 
 a time to live among them. 
 
 On coming to Marshall county, he secured 
 work with Colonel John Strawn, who paid "clean 
 cash," about the only man in the county that 
 did so. He made forty-five thousand shingles 
 for him and helped frame the large barn on his 
 place, which is one hundred and twenty feet 
 long and forty feet wide. He made the greater 
 part of the siding used and helped nail on the 
 clapboards. The barn was erected under the 
 
504 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 superintendency of Deusel Holland, who was a 
 good carpenter. The shingles used on this barn 
 stood the wind and weather for fifty-two years, 
 the south side being re-shingled in 1896. After 
 working for Mr. Strawn for nearly seven years, 
 he married his youngest daughter, Levicia 
 Strawn, the first white child born in Marshall 
 county; the wedding ceremony was performed 
 October 8, 1846. He then commenced farming 
 on his own account, and soon had his place 
 cleared, which yet remains in his possession. It 
 is located near the old Strawn farm, in Richland 
 township, and is regarded as one of the best in 
 that locality. Here he lived from 1846 until 
 1865, when he removed to Lacon. While re- 
 siding there for some years he engaged in the 
 grain trade with fair success, also in the grocery 
 business for about twelve years. In 1874 his 
 wife died, leaving the following children: \^ic- 
 torine, now the wife of Joseph Wallace, of 
 Wichita, Kansas; Arcene J., of Madison, Iowa; 
 Josephine, now the wife of Gus Moatz, of Kan- 
 sas City, Missouri; Acil, an attorney, of Chi- 
 cago, Illinois; Frank, of Fort Worth, Texas, and 
 Hortense, wife of Kenyon Levous, of Kansas 
 City, Missouri. 
 
 For his second wife, Mr. Pichereau married 
 Mrs. Maggie D. Arnold, a native of Lacon, and 
 a daughter of Flenry L. Crane, and widow of 
 Frank Arnold. By this union there is one 
 daughter. May. By her first marriage, Mrs. 
 Pichereau had one daughter, Laura, wife of 
 James Howard, of Lacon. Mr. Crane, the fath- 
 er of our subject's wife, was a native of New 
 Jersey, but came to this county at a very early 
 day — he was a popular and much respected citi- 
 zen, and served two terms as sheriff; he was one 
 of the best masons and builders in this section of 
 the county. 
 
 After residing in Lacon a few years, Mr. Pich- 
 ereau returned to the farm, where he remained 
 until 1885, when he again took up his home in 
 Lacon, where he has since continued to reside 
 Flis career has been somewhat remarkable. 
 Coming to this country a very poor l3oy, he has 
 worked hard and been rewarded with much of 
 
 this world's goods. As a boy he was quick with 
 tools, and for a time was engaged as clerk in a 
 furniture store. As a man his strength was tre- 
 mendous. At one time he lifted thirteen hun- 
 dred pounds on a pair of scales. In height he 
 is full six feet, and his weight has varied from 
 two hundred to two hundred and seventy-five 
 pounds. 
 
 Mr. Pichereau has ever been a lover of liberty. 
 Even as a boy he rebelled against the demands 
 of the Catholic church and the priesthood, and 
 has always been an admirer of Tom Paine and 
 Voltaire, and for what they stood in liberty and 
 freedom from priestly domination. The United 
 States has always been to him the home of the 
 free, and he has ever had an unbounded faith in 
 its possibilities. He has been a man of peace, 
 and many quarrels have been settled by his in- 
 tervention. Powerful in physique, his blow 
 would have felled an ox. He was a dangerous 
 enemy and outspoken in his views. A fluent 
 conversationalist, he could at any time entertain 
 a crowd of eager listeners. 
 
 ARTHUR L. TURNER, one of the prominent 
 and influential agriculturists of Evans town- 
 ship, residing on section 22, is at present the pop- 
 ular chairman of the county board of supervisors. 
 He was born in Hope township, La Salle coun- 
 ty, Illinois, March 22, 1856, and is the son of B. 
 F. Turner, whose sketch appears on another 
 page of this work. He was an infant of but one 
 year when brought by his parents to Evans town- 
 ship, and was reared to manhood upon the old 
 homestead farm on section 21. After completing 
 the course in the district schools, he .entered the 
 high school at Wenona, and was later a student 
 at Eureka college, where he completed his liter- 
 ary training in 1877. For eight years he then 
 engaged in teaching. 
 
 On the 26th of December, 1882, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Turner and ^liss Mary T. 
 Work, who ^^■as born in Osage township. La 
 Salle county, April 7, 1856, and is the daughter 
 of James B. and Sarah A. (Miller) Work, both 
 natives of Pennsylvania, but who were married 
 
THE BI()(^,RAPHICAL RECOiiD. 
 
 50s 
 
 in Whiteside county, Illinois. Her father came 
 to 3ilarshall county in 1836, which was his home 
 until the fall of 1855, when he moved to Oshl^l- 
 township, La Salle count}', locating- upon a farm 
 which he greatly improved. He had previously 
 been married, having by the first union three 
 sons — Albert, living in Oklahoma; William, of 
 the state of ^^''ashing•ton, and James, of Bloom- 
 ington, Illinois. Albert and William aided their 
 country in the preservation of the union during 
 the civil war. The father, who was a life-long 
 member of the Presbyterian church, in which he 
 served as elder, died on the 7th of September, 
 1880. He was deeply imbued with the doctrines 
 of abolitionism; his home became a station on the 
 underground railroad, and he was one of three 
 who formed the republican party in the locality 
 where he made his home. He was c|uite an unas- 
 suming man, but took a very active part in mat- 
 ters pertaining to his party, and served as census 
 enumerator in his township. 
 
 ^Irs. Turner is the oldest in the family of six 
 children, the others being Grace G., Maggie, 
 Lizzie, Edward and Hattie P. She was educated 
 in the Wenona high school and is a cultured, re- 
 fined lady, who extends a hearty hospitalit)- to 
 their many friends. Around their domestic 
 hearth is gathered their little family of three chil- 
 dren — Benjamin P., JMary Alaurine and Arthur 
 Lynn. 
 
 Since 1883 Air. Turner has made his home 
 upon his present farm, consisting of one hundred 
 and twenty acres of valuable land, and has placed 
 thereon many useful and substantial improve- 
 ments, which have added greatly to its attrac- 
 tive appearance. He has ever been a firm sup- 
 porter of the principles advocated b}- the repub- 
 lican party, and has frequently served as dele- 
 gate to the county, senatorial, congressional and 
 state conventions, while he is at present a member 
 of the county central committee from Evans 
 township. He is now acceptably serving his third 
 term as township supervisor, and was elected 
 chairman of the board in the spring of 1895. A 
 man of unswerving integrity and honor, Mr. 
 Turner has gained and retained the confidence 
 
 and respect of his fellow-men, and is distinctly 
 one of the leading citizens of Marshall count}-, 
 with whose interests he has always been closely 
 identified. Socially, he affiliates with the Mod- 
 ern Woodmen of America. 
 
 THOMAS MONIER, who resides on section 
 9, Whitefield township, is of a family well 
 known to almost every citizen of Marshall coun- 
 1}'. He was born on the Isle of Man, April 3, 
 1840, and came to this country when ten years 
 of age with his parents, William and Jane 
 (Quaile) Monier. (See sketch of William Monier 
 for family histor}.) He grew to manhood in this 
 county, in Saratoga township, and worked in 
 common with the brothers until twenty-two years 
 of age, when he had set off for him eighty acres 
 as his share of the land which had been pur- 
 chased by the family. He remained, however, 
 with the famil}- for ten years longer, and is in- 
 debted to his brother John and his mother for 
 much assistance and advice. 
 
 After receiving the eighty acres, Mr. Monier 
 commenced its cultivation and general improve- 
 ment, and during the ten following years was su 
 prospered that he was enabled to purchase an 
 additional eighty acres, for which he paid thirty- 
 four hundred dollars, or forty-five dollars per 
 acre. He had also accumulated some money and 
 was the owner of considerable stock. The time 
 had now arrived for him to forsake the rank of 
 bachelors and take for himself a wife. Accord- 
 ingly on the 4th of February, 1874, he married 
 Miss Charlotta Smith, a daughter of John T. 
 Smith, a pioneer of the count}-, but a native of 
 New Jersey, and who but recently passed to his 
 reward. Mrs. Monier was born in Marshall 
 county on the farm where they now reside. 
 
 Mr. Monier now began life in earnest and with 
 a loving and faithful companion to aid and coun- 
 sel, he has been successful even beyond his most 
 sanguine expectations. For three years they re- 
 sided upon the original farm of Mr. Monier, when 
 feeling" that he could better himself materially, 
 he sold out and purchased a farm of two hundred 
 and forty acres in Whitefield township, for which 
 
5o6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICA'L RECORD. 
 
 he paid about eighty dollars per acre. With the 
 additions and improvements since made the farm 
 has cost more than one hundred dollars per acre. 
 Soon after moving to his new place in 1877, he 
 purchased sixty acres adjoining, and later one 
 hundred and sixty acres one-half mile west, for 
 which he paid nine thousand six hundred dollars. 
 
 On each of the farms, Mr. Monier has made 
 great improvements, tiling many acres, and set- 
 ting out good hedge fences around them. Some 
 four years ago he erected a fine dwelling, which 
 is furnished with all the modern conveniences of 
 a country home. While devoting much of his 
 land to grain, he has in time past given much at- 
 tention to stock raising, feeding one or two car 
 loads of cattle each year, together with over one 
 hundred head of hogs and many head of horses. 
 For some years he has practically lived a retired 
 life, renting the place, which comprises four hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of excellent land. 
 
 Two children have blessed the home of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Monier. The eldest, Charles Clyde, 
 born January 15, 1875, died June 19, 1893. He 
 was a young man of exemplary habits, the pride 
 of fond parents, and seemingly had a bright fu- 
 ture before him when death called him awa}. 
 The void thus left in the home of his parents can 
 never be filled and the bruised hearts never 
 healed. Thomas Floyd, the second born, came 
 into their home June 25, 1881. He is now a 
 sturdy youth, loved by parents and friends, and 
 respected by all who know him. 
 
 E. R. Hannum, who was for some years a 
 teacher in the school attended by Charles, gave 
 the following tribute to his character at the time 
 of his death: "As Charles grew to be a boy he 
 early gave evidence of those manly, chivalrous 
 traits that only left room in his loving parents' 
 hearts for thankfulness to God for granting unto 
 them the guardianship of such a noble spirit. Al- 
 ways precocious, in an unassuming practical 
 way, for one of his years, he became companion 
 at once and son to his father, entwining himself 
 about his heart and growing into his very life 
 with a holy love that can only be surpassed in 
 that haven of love where Charley is now peace- 
 
 fully resting. To his mother, O what weak words 
 of mine can portray the gentle acts, the sunny 
 smiles, the pure and holy serenity of character, 
 that daily and hourly filled that mother's heart 
 and life with a heavenly peace and joy, that trans- 
 formed the mother love for the babe into a glo- 
 rious, all-pervading adoration for the manly boy. 
 Ah, blessed mother, for seventeen years you re- 
 joiced in the sunshine of that glorious spirit, 
 drank at that fountain of purity, learning ever 
 a new lesson of love and loyalty from that boun- 
 teous inspiration. In speaking of his school life 
 we touch a chord that vibrates in our own heart. 
 Noble, manly, energetic, generous hearted boy! 
 Vv e knew you as teachers and schoolmates, only 
 to bless you. Unquestioning obedience, un- 
 swerving purpose in appHcation, constant acts 
 of boyish respect and loyalty to our administra- 
 tion was our portion as teachers, at your hands, 
 while your daily school life, so free from guile, 
 from faultfinding, from resentment, from vin- 
 dictiveness, was a constant inspiration toward all 
 that is pure and noble and generous in youtli, 
 to all your playmates. 
 
 "For seventeen years the good Father above 
 granted to those worshiping parents, these lov- 
 ing, admiring friends the presence of this noble 
 spirit; but kindred spirits in that land of constant 
 love, of golden streets, of jasper walls, of fade- 
 less flowers, would no longer be denied their 
 own, and on the evening of June 19, 1892, he 
 bade farewell to earthly friends and joined that 
 ransomed throng. To the grief-stricken father 
 his dying admonition was, 'Pa, don't worry for 
 me ; this world is but an empty dream.' ^Mother, 
 will you mourn as one without comfort? Heark- 
 en to his triumphant death song, 'Up among the 
 shining angels there is room for me and plenty 
 more.' Could those words fall from lips that 
 were not fully attuned to strains that are only 
 sung around the great, white throne? To the 
 brother what a priceless heritage was in the 
 words, 'Good-bye Floyd, be a good boy; be hon- 
 est and truthful.' 
 
 "There was a strong attachment between the 
 brothers, and while the loss to the parents is so 
 
THE BIO'GRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 507 
 
 great, what can be said to cheer and comfort the 
 lonely brother? We can only repeat the dying- 
 admonition: 'Ce good, be honest and truthful,' 
 and the reunion will come by and by.'' 
 
 ^^'ith the exception of the first three years 
 after marriage, and the time the family lived in 
 Henry, the life of Mrs. Monier has been spent 
 upon the farm where they now reside. She is a 
 lady well known throughout ^Marshall and sur- 
 rounding counties, and with her husband enjoys 
 the respect and good will of those with whom 
 they have been brought in contact. In politics 
 ;Mr. Alonier is a republican, with which party 
 he has acted since attaining his majority. As a 
 citizen he is ever willing to do his part in ad- 
 vancing the best interests of his adopted coun- 
 try, and no American has those interests more at 
 heart. 
 
 The history of Marshall county would be in- 
 complete without full reference to the Moniers, 
 and none are more worthy of mention than the 
 subject of this sketch. 
 
 JOHN TAYLOR, now living retired in We- 
 nona, presents in his life a splendid example 
 of downright hard labor, close application to 
 business and perseverance. He commenced life 
 at the foot of the ladder, but is now able to live 
 comfortably in the enjoyment of the fruits of his 
 early industry. He has met with many trials and 
 adversities, but being an industrious, temperate 
 and moral man has risen above these and now 
 in his declining days is peacefully waiting the 
 time when he shall be called to join the loved 
 ones gone before. 
 
 Samuel Taylor, his father, was a native of 
 Pennsylvania, and a son of Berial Taylor, whose 
 birth occurred in Kew Jersey, but was of Welsh 
 descent. In the keystone state the father wedded 
 Eleanor Thirkeel, also a native of Pennsylvania. 
 He followed the cooper's trade in early life, but 
 later turned his attention almost exclusively to 
 farming, and in 1842 brought his family to Illi- 
 nois, locating in Putnam county, about three 
 miles south of Florid, where he purchased an im- 
 proved farm. At the end of three years, how- 
 
 ever, he sold out and became the owner (if a 
 tract of raw prairie land one and a half miles 
 north of Magnolia, and there spent his remaining 
 days. His loving wife, who was a faithful mem- 
 ber of the Methodist church, died at the home of 
 her eldest daughter in Bureau county, and thev 
 both lie buried in the cemetery at Magnolia. He 
 was an upright, moral man, who attended strictly 
 to his own affairs and was the architect of his 
 own fortune. In the family were eight children, 
 namely: Charles, and Mrs. Louisa Wilson, both 
 deceased; John, of this sketch; Samuel J., of We- 
 nona; Mrs. Eleanor Kimber, of Dade county, 
 Missouri; William Henry, deceased; Mrs. Emily 
 Fullerton, of Page county, Iowa, and Mrs. Clar- 
 issa Kenyon, deceased. 
 
 Our subject was born in Fayette county, Penn- 
 sylvania, June 29, 1 81 7, was there entered in the 
 district schools, learned the trades of a cooper, 
 tanner, blacksmith and shoemaker, doing his 
 own smithing and shoemaking for many years, 
 and proving himself a genius in many lines. He 
 also engaged in farm and carpenter work during 
 his early years. His life has been an eventful 
 one and during his long and busy career he has 
 met with several painful accidents, in several 
 of which he nearly lost his life. The first of these 
 was caused by disobedience when at the age of 
 fourteen years. His father had told him not to 
 take up the ax during his absence, but he did 
 so and in striking a blow it struck a knot, slipped 
 and cut him at the knee joint. On the outside 
 it healed up, but gathered inside, confining him 
 to his bed for three months, and the doctor said 
 the limb would have to be amputated. A woman 
 of the neighborhood persuaded them to try a 
 slippery elm poultice, which healed the wound, 
 but the knee remained stiff. However, he later 
 fell upon it, and it was relieved somewhat. Dur- 
 ing his apprenticeship in a tan yard, while pulling 
 a hide to the vat, he slipped and fell in, dislocat- 
 ing his right shoulder, which several times since 
 has been thrown out of joint. While living in 
 Pennsylvania, his horse ran away and in jump- 
 ing from the wagon, he became entangled in the 
 lines and was dragged a considerable distance, 
 
5o8 
 
 THEi BIOGRAPHICAL RE^OORD. 
 
 and badly bruised before the horse stopped. At 
 another time, while in a sleigh, his horse ran 
 awa}', going- through an apple orchard, and when 
 passing under a tree a limb struck him in the 
 mouth, knocking out three of his upper teeth 
 and causing him to lose consciousness. He was 
 thought to be dead, but finally revived. At one 
 time he was caught in the fly-wheel of the engine 
 and only escaped instant death by accidentally 
 putting his haixl on the cut-ofT rod, which shut 
 ofif the steam and stopped the engine. Now. at 
 the ripe old age of seventy-nine years, he is in 
 almost perfect health and in the possession of 
 all his faculties. This he attributes to his tem- 
 perate, religious and upright life. 
 
 In 1840 Mr. Taylor was united in marriage 
 with Miss Isabel Ann Murphy, who was born 
 near Uniontovvn, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, 
 but after a happy married life of ten mqnths she 
 was called to her final rest. At the time of his 
 parents' removal to this state, he accompanied 
 them, and on June 26, 1844, was here joined in 
 wedlock with Miss Mary Ann Alills, who was 
 born in \\'ashington county, Pennsxlvania, June 
 15, 1819, and was the daughter of Joseph and 
 Sarah (Railey) Mills, who located in Magnolia 
 township, Putnam county, in 1840. By birth- 
 right, Mrs. Taylor was a Friend, and at her death 
 February 16, 1891, was laid to rest in the Friends' 
 cemetery at Clear Creek, Putnam county. How- 
 ever, for many years she had been a devoted 
 member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. 
 
 Six children graced the second union: Albert 
 R., president of the Kansas state normal school 
 at Emporia, Kansas, married Minerva Dent, liy 
 whom he has two children. Martha Isabel is 
 the wife of Owen M. Scott, of Portland, Oregon, 
 and they have two children. Joseph M. married 
 Kittie Conant, by whom he has two children, and 
 is now residing at North Marshfreld, Massachu- 
 setts. John Franklin married Lillian Cram, and 
 lives at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Sarah is the wife 
 of George Ewing, of Kansas City, Missouri, and 
 they have three children. William Henry wedded 
 Ettie Barber, by whom he has four children, and 
 they also make their home in Kansas Cit)-. 
 
 After his marriage he lived near the old Grif- 
 fith's sawmill, running it for six months, then 
 moved into the old Mills cabin just north of 
 ^lagnolia for a couple of years, then moved on 
 to the George Griffith prairie farm for two years 
 and finally located upon an unimproved prairie 
 farm a mile and a half north of Alagnolia, in Put- 
 nam county, which he at once developed, erect- 
 ing good buildings, setting out a fine orchard. 
 During all these }'ears he ran a threshing ma- 
 chine, which he built himself, and did all the 
 threshing for miles around. In i860, however, 
 he removed to Wenona for the purpose of manu- 
 facturing a self-raking reaping machine, whicli 
 he had patented. Business thrived and for sev- 
 eral years he manufactured wagons, buggies and 
 cultivators, also doing a general repair business 
 in connection with it. He disposed of his busi- 
 ness in 1885, and is now living a retired life. Fie 
 owns several houses and some twenty acres of 
 land adjoining the city. He was the first man in 
 the communit)- to use a cultivator with a tongue, 
 and two horses. During the first season spent 
 in Putnam county, he took a load of wheat to 
 Chicago by team, camping out along the road, 
 and on reaching there only received forty-eight 
 cents per bushel for it. He is emphatically a self- 
 made man. 
 
 Mr. Taylor has invented many highly-prized 
 agricultural implements, including a self-rake on 
 a harvester; a cylinder corn sheller; a self-cleaner 
 attachment for threshing machines; a riding cul- 
 tivator, dodged by an adjustable frame in front; 
 a walking cultivator of four shovels: a self-feed 
 to a corn sheller, called a direct feed; a window 
 balancer, with spring tops; a swinging wing 
 windmill, which needed no regulator, and an ad- 
 justable roller for rolling ground. He has some 
 ideas peculiar to himself, one of which is his 
 belief that the earth does not pass around the 
 sun, but has an orb of its own, in wdrich it makes 
 its daily and yearly motions. 
 
 Mr. Taylor is an earnest and consistent mem- 
 ber of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, in 
 which he has served as elder for half a centurv, 
 and has always taken an active part in its work. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 509 
 
 as well as in the work of the Sunday school, act- 
 ing- for a long time as teacher and superintend- 
 ent. The cause of temperance has ever found in 
 him an earnest advocate; he has been a memljer 
 of the Red Ribbon society and the Sons of Tem- 
 perance, was one of the founders of the Good 
 Templars lodge at W'enona, and now on account 
 of his views on that important Cjuestion, since 
 1S72 has been a stalwart supporter of the prohi- 
 bition party. He has done all in his power to re- 
 move the evils of the liquor traffic, which has 
 injured so many worthy citizens in. this fair land 
 of ours. He was born a democrat, but voted for 
 Lincoln for president and for twelve years affil- 
 iated with the republican party. Although he 
 has never cared for political preferment, he has 
 served as a member of the city council of 
 Wenona. 
 
 S^HTH P. HILL is a retired farmer living in 
 Henry, Alarshall county, to which place he 
 removed from his farm in Whitefield township, 
 in 1883. He was born in Geneseo, Livingston 
 county, New York, December 27, 1827. When 
 but ten years of age he came west with his pa- 
 rents, John and Leah (Ogden) Hill, both of 
 whom were natives of western New York. The 
 family located near Princeville, Peoria county, 
 Illinois, on land purchased by the husband and 
 father of a man who had served in the war of 
 1812, and had secured it by reason of such serv- 
 ice, it being a part of the military tract. On this 
 farm John Hill lived until his death in 1844, while 
 in the prime of life. 
 
 On the death of her husband, Mrs. Leah Hill 
 showed that she was the worthy wife of a pioneer, 
 and that she had the will and ability to success- 
 fully carry on the farm and properly rear a large 
 family of children. Our subject was now seven- 
 teen years old, and with the assistance of his 
 older and younger brother the farm work was 
 accomplished, and improvements made upon the 
 place, increasing its value year by year. Of the 
 seven children three are now living. Clark now 
 lives upon the old homestead; Mrs. Emeline 
 Mandel in Russell, Kansas, and Smith P., in 
 
 Plenry. ( )ne daughter, Joanna, died at the age 
 of nine }'cars. James died in 1892, in Carbon- 
 dale, Illinois, at the age of si.xtv-scvcn years. He 
 resided for some years in Whitefield township, 
 Marshall county, where he improved a farm, but 
 removed from the township about 1865. One 
 daughter, Mrs. Permelia Ware, died in Prince- 
 ville, while the other. Airs. Goodman, died in 
 Champaign county, Illinois. The mother died 
 on the old farm many years ago, greatly beloved 
 by family and many friends. 
 
 Smith P. Hill grew to manhood in Peoria 
 county, receiving such education as the schools 
 of that early day afforded. He remained at home 
 with his mother, assisting in the farm work until 
 1855, Avhen he felt it his duty to go out from 
 the old home and prepare a new one for himself 
 and family. Six years prior to this time, he had 
 married Aliss Harriet Williams, a native of Peo- 
 ria county, and daughter of Captain John Will- 
 iams, the wedding ceremony taking place Jan- 
 uary 22, 1849. Their home was blessed with the 
 birth of seven children. John H. died at the age 
 of eleven years. Josephine died at the age of 
 seventeen years. James A. is a merchant, resid- 
 ing in Paxton, Illinois. He married Ella Mock, 
 and their five children are Walter, Grace, Bon- 
 nie, Harry and Stella. Arobine H., wife of N. J. 
 W^ebber, a commission merchant of Chicago. 
 Their four children are Vade, Bert, Jessie and 
 Ray. Joseph O. married Flora Brown, and they 
 reside on the old homestead, and have two chil- 
 dren, Roy and Elsie. Elizabeth is the wife of 
 Harvey Divelbiss, and they reside at Brock, Ne- 
 braska. Ina, Leslie and Florence are their three 
 children. William C. resides in Peoria, Illinois. 
 He married Miss Adda Stringer, by whom he has 
 two children, Mabel and Jennie. 
 
 After careful investigation, Mr, Hill deter- 
 mined to locate at Sugar Grove, Whitefield town- 
 ship, Marshall county, where he purchased a 
 tract of unimproved land. On this he erected a 
 small house, into which the family moved and 
 where tliev continued to reside while living on 
 that farm. After residing there a few years, and 
 making the wild land a finely improved farm, he 
 
516 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICA'L RECORD. 
 
 sold out and purchased a tract of one hundred 
 and sixty acres farther west on section 8, where 
 his son now Hves. That was his home until he 
 removed to Henry. 
 
 Mr. Hill was a very successful farmer and 
 while residing upon the farm attended strictly to 
 business. On coming to Marshall county he had 
 about six hundred dollars. Land had to be pur- 
 chased, a house erected and farm stocked. It 
 can well be seen that six hundred dollars would 
 not go very far, but he made the best use of what 
 he had. Of course it was necessary for him to 
 go somewhat in debt, but in doing so he was very 
 cautious, purchasing only such things as were 
 absolutely necessary, and with the determination 
 to pay every dollar of the debt at the earliest mo- 
 ment possible. While success has crowned his 
 efforts he has the satisfaction of knowing that 
 every dollar accumulated was the result of hon- 
 est toil. Of the old farm he has deeded his son 
 eighty acres and yet retains the rest. 
 
 Mrs. Harriet Hill departed this life in 1871, 
 at the age of forty-two years, while living upon 
 the farm in the western part of Whitefield town- 
 ship, and her body was laid to rest in the ceme- 
 tery at Sugar Grove. She was a woman of ex- 
 cellent disposition, a loving wife and mother, 
 with many friends in Marshall and Peoria coun- 
 ties. She was an active worker and devout mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 The second marriage of Mr. Hill occurred 
 February i, 1872, when he wedded Mrs. Sarah 
 (Heth) Adams, of Corydon, Harrison county, In- 
 diana. She was a widow and was visiting in the 
 family of Dr. Reeder, who was then living in 
 Whitefield township, but later removed to York, 
 Nebraska, where he has since died. By her first 
 marriage Mrs. Hill has three children living — 
 Benjamin Adams, now of Clear Lake, Iowa; 
 Frank, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Addie, wife 
 of G. W. Self, an attorney of Corydon, Iowa. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Hill's paternal grandfather, Rich- 
 ard Heth, was the first county clerk in Harrison 
 county, Indiana. This was in 1819, not long 
 after the state was admitted into the union. After 
 Richard's death Henry W. Heth, the father of 
 
 Mrs. Smith P. Hilf, served as county clerk of that 
 same county for thirty-three consecutive years. 
 H. W. died at the age of fifty-nine years. It is 
 very questionable if Mr. Henry Heth's official 
 record has ever had a parallel in the state of In- 
 diana, either in length of time or efficiency of 
 service. Politically Air. Hill is a prohibitionist, 
 and firmly believes in the principles of that party. 
 He believes that if all Christian voters would 
 come together as one man the saloon power 
 would soon be blotted out. On account of ill 
 health for the past twenty years, he has been un- 
 able to take the active part in political affairs he 
 has desired, but has the satisfaction of voting 
 as he prays and praying as he votes. Frater- 
 nally he has been a Master Mason for over thirty 
 years, having membership with the lodge at 
 Whitefield Corners. Formerly he took quite an 
 active part in lodge work, but of late years has 
 not been able so to do. Religiously he has been 
 identified with the Methodist Episcopal church 
 for many years, and has in the local church held 
 the position of class leader, trustee and steward. 
 Mrs. Hill is also a member of that church, and 
 takes an active interest in all its work for the 
 salvation of mankind. They were both among 
 the first members of the church at Whitefield 
 Center. 
 
 THOMAS FRANCIS CLOVER. This able 
 lawyer of Henry, Illinois, now serving as 
 state's attorney, was born on the Delaware In- 
 chan reservation in the Territory of Kansas, 
 January 23, 1859. His father, G. Clover, is a na- 
 tive of Indiana, of German descent. During the 
 revolutionary war two brothers came over with 
 the Hessian army, and taking a fancv to the 
 country and its brave men who fought so cour- 
 ageously for their independence, concluded to 
 remain here. One of the brothers settled in New- 
 York and his descendants yet remain there in 
 large numbers. The other settled in Pennsyl- 
 vania. From the Pennsylvania brother our sub- 
 ject traces his descent. 
 
 In early childhood G. Clover was taken by his 
 parents to Grundy county, Illinois, and there 
 
T. ¥. Clo 
 
 JVEk. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 513 
 
 grew to manhood. Before attaining' his major- 
 ity, however, he went to Hardin eounty, Iowa, 
 where he formed the acquaintanee and wed Miss 
 Susan D. ]\laddo.\, who was also born in Indiana, 
 but grew to womanhood in Iowa. While both 
 were natives of the same state and both lived for 
 a time in Illinois, it was not until removal to 
 Iowa that they became acquainted. By this 
 union were two sons, Edward L., an attorney 
 and democratic politician of IMorris, Illinois, and 
 our subject. 
 
 Soon after their marriage the young couple 
 moved to Kansas and settled on the Indian reser- 
 vation, and there began to improve a farm. They 
 were not, however, permitted to occupy it and 
 were forced to abandon their claim, not having 
 sufficient means to pay the price demanded. 
 \Miile residing here with the intention of mak- 
 ing it their permanent home our subject was 
 born. 
 
 From Kansas the family returned to Iowa. 
 The war for the union was now in progress, and 
 the husband and father determined to enlist. 
 Bidding his loved ones good-bye, as a private in 
 the Sixteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, he 
 marched to the front, after spending a few days 
 in camp at ^larshalltown. The sixteenth Iowa is 
 noted as being one of the fighting regiments from 
 that state. In almost all the great battles of the 
 southwest it was actively engaged, including 
 Shiloh, luka, first and second battles of Corinth 
 and Holly Springs. It was with Sherman on his 
 march to the sea. In all this service Mr. Clover 
 did his duty faithfully and well, and while meet- 
 ing many hairbreadth escapes, came off without a 
 serious wound. 
 
 While at Goldsboro, North Carolina, the time 
 of the regiment expired, and there Mr. Clover 
 received his discharge. Taking a vessel he went 
 to Xew York and there by rail hurried to his 
 home. Before arriving there he was offered a 
 colonelcy and $1,000 in cash if he would again 
 enter the service. While only a private he was 
 a thorough drill master and this fact was ap- 
 preciated by those in authority. But three years' 
 active service was enough and he put aside the 
 
 oft'er that he might again enjoy the society of 
 wife and children. 
 
 While he was in the service his wife returned 
 with the children to Grundy county, Illinois, and 
 thither he hastened. On a farm near Gardner 
 they resided for several years, until on account of 
 the failing health of the father, they removed to 
 Labette county, Kansas, and there remained 
 three years, and again returned to the old home 
 in Grundy count}', Illinois, where they still re- 
 side, Mr. Clover being postmaster at Gardner. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 passed in Grundy county, where he was engaged 
 in farm work during the summer months, while 
 through the winter season he attended the dis- 
 trict school, completing his course at the Morris 
 high school, of which he is a graduate. At the 
 age of eighteen years he engaged in teaching 
 for one term in Kansas, where his father was 
 then living. With the design of making 
 the law jjrofession his life work, at Oswego he 
 began reading law in the office of Webb & Glass, 
 prominent attorneys of that city, and was ad- 
 mitted to the Kansas bar in 1880 before he had 
 attained his majority. 
 
 Returning to Illinois, Mr. Clover was examined 
 before the supreme court of this state, and was 
 admitted to practice here. Locating at Braid- 
 wood, he there followed his chosen profession 
 
 until coming to Henry in i 
 
 He has here 
 
 built up a large and paying practice, ranks high 
 among his professional brethren, and in 1892 
 was elected state's attorney for four years, being 
 the regular democratic nominee. He takes an 
 active part in political affairs, and at the Peoria 
 convention in 1894 placed in nomination the 
 democratic candidate for congress, Hon. George 
 O. Barnes, of Lacon. He also goes as a delegate 
 to state conventions, and takes a prominent part 
 in all campaigns, being particularls- active in 
 committee work. 
 
 On the 27th of April, 1893, Mr. Clover was 
 united in marriage with Miss Losty Delzer, who 
 \vas born in Henry, and was there reared and 
 educated. She takes quite an active part in the 
 Woman's club, and is a devout member of the 
 
514 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECOR]). 
 
 German Catholic church. Socially, Mr. Clover 
 is a charter memher of Henry lodge, No. 489, 
 Knights of Pythias. 
 
 Our subject is a man who thoroughly loves his 
 profession, and is eminently gifted with the capa- 
 bilities of mind which are indispensable at, the 
 bar. He was counsel in the Seeley case in which 
 Mrs. Seeley applied for separate maintenance, 
 and argued before the appellate and supreme 
 courts that the plaintiff would not have to prove 
 the same degree of cruelty for separate main- 
 tenance as for divorce. The supreme court sup- 
 ported this view, and the fact has become pre- 
 cedent in such matters. He has also been en- 
 gaged on many other important cases in which 
 he has come off victorious. In preparing a case 
 for trial every fact, however insignificant, is care- 
 fully studied and its possible relevancy to the 
 merits of the case weighed and considered. He 
 is thoroughly familiar with authority and never 
 at a loss for a precedent. He has a large circle 
 of personal friends, the regard of the entire pro- 
 fession and has won the respect of all with whom 
 business or social relations have brought him in 
 contact. 
 
 JAMES S. ECKELS for nearly forty years 
 has been engaged in the practice of law in 
 Princeton, and enjoys the reputation of being 
 one of the best attorneys, as well as one of the 
 most esteemed citizens of the city. He is a na- 
 tive of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, born 
 December 7, 1827, and is the son of W'illiam 
 and Jane (Starr) Eckels, both of whom were 
 also natives of the same county and state. On 
 the father's side the family are of Scotch-Irish 
 extraction, Nathaniel Eckels, the grandfather of 
 our subject, being a native of Belfast, Ireland, 
 but who emigrated to this country prior to the 
 beginning of the present century. Wm. Eckels 
 was born AUxrch 3, 1787. 
 
 William Eckels was married three times. Plis 
 first wife was Rebecca Plouston, by whom he 
 had five children: Isabella, Jonathan, Nathaniel, 
 Margaret and William Houston, all dead. After 
 her death in January, 1820, Mr. Eckels was mar- 
 
 ried the second time to Jane Starr, by whom lie 
 had four children, Mary, Francis M., John S., 
 and James .S. Mrs. Eckels died December 23, 
 1830. All the children died but our subject. His 
 third wife was Hannah, cousin of the second wife, 
 by whom he had two children: John S. and 
 Samuel C, all deceased. 
 
 He was a farmer by occupation and an active 
 member of the Presbyterian church, having a 
 love of the cause of Christ at heart, and a stead- 
 fast desire to live in accordance with the will of 
 the divine Master. His death occurred Novem- 
 ber 15, 1 861. His wife preceded him to their 
 heavenly home many years, her death occurring 
 December 23, i8jo, at the age of about forty 
 years. They were the parents of twelve children, 
 three of whom died in infancy, while the others 
 all lived to mature years. Of the number, how- 
 ever, our subject is the only one now living. Two 
 of his brothers, Wm. H. and John S., died with- 
 in the past three years, the former at the age of 
 seventy-five years. The others all died before 
 reaching the age of three score and ten years. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 spent on the home farm in his native state, and 
 his primary education was received in the dis- 
 trict schools. Entering Jefferson college in 
 Pennsylvania, he^ pursued the regular course and 
 graduated with honors in the class of 1853. The 
 profession of law he decided upon as his life's 
 work, and after a course of reading he entered 
 the Albany law school, from which he was grad- 
 uated in 1857. Immediately after receiving his 
 ■ diploma he turned his face westward, coming to 
 Princeton, where he at once formed a partner- 
 ship with J. T. Kyle for the practice of law, and 
 under the name of Eckels & Kyle, the firm have 
 since engaged in their profession with good suc- 
 cess, prosecuting in all the ^'arious courts of the 
 state and in the United States courts. The un- 
 di\ided attention of our subject has been given 
 to his profession from the time he came to Prince- 
 ton to the present time. Political preferment has 
 never had any attraction for him, and he has al- 
 ways felt that he would rather be a good lawyer 
 than a poor politician. As a lawyer he ranks 
 
THE lUOGRAPHlCAL RECORD. 
 
 ;i5 
 
 high at the bar, his abilities being recognized l)y 
 his associates and the community in general. As 
 a trial la\v\er he is unexcelled in ISureau county, 
 his knowledge of the law, aptness in i|ncstiou- 
 ing and cross-questioning witnesses, and his 
 readiness of speech make him very effective and 
 almost invincible. As a public speaker he is 
 among the best, and if he had turned his atten- 
 tion to political afTairs he would have exercised 
 a great influence in state and nation. 
 
 Afr. Eckels was married October 19, 1854, in 
 his old Pennsylvania home, with Miss Margaret 
 D. Herron, a daughter of James and Isabel 
 (Johnson) Herron, of Cumberland county, Penn- 
 sylvania, where Mrs. Eckels was bom. By this 
 union four children have been born: Frank J., 
 a graduate of the Albany law school, in the class 
 of 1875, and who for five years practiced law in 
 Princeton, but who is now residing near Welling- 
 ton, Ohio, where he is engaged in farming. Plis 
 wife was I\Iiss Jennie Wadsworth, and the\- ha\'e 
 seven children, Elmer P., Jennie W., Herron A., 
 Frank J., jr., Maria E., James S., and Benjamin. 
 James Herron, who since March, 1893, has been 
 comptroller of currency under President Cleve- 
 land, and who is now temporarily residing in 
 Washington. He is a graduate of the Prince- 
 ton high school, and also of the Albany, law 
 school, class of 1880. After his graduation he 
 removed to Ottav.a, Illinois, where he devoted 
 himself to his profession until his appointment as 
 comiptroller. In this latter position he has made 
 a fine reputation and his good judgment on finan- 
 cial matters is conceded by all. He was mar- 
 ried December 13, 1887, at Ottawa, Illinois, with 
 Miss Fannie L. Reed, of that cit>-, and they have 
 one child, Phoebe. Jane Isabel, now the wife of 
 Dr. Charles A. Palmer, of Princeton, and the 
 mother of four children, Margaret Ellen, Charles, 
 Alice and Eckels. George M., who is a graduate 
 of the Columbian law school, Washington, D. C, 
 is now engaged in the practice of his profess'on 
 in Chicago. His marriage with Aliss Edith 
 Oberly occurred in Washington, District of Co- 
 lumbia, April 18, 1892. They have one son, 
 George M. 
 
 The wife and mother passed t(j her reward 
 •March 7, i8(j2. She was born December 23, 
 1830, and was therefdre in her si.\t\'-second year. 
 As a member of the Presbyterian church, she 
 lived the life of a devout Christian, and died in 
 the full assurance of the life beyond. While 
 in this life she gave as best she could of her time 
 and talent to the work of the church vi'hich she 
 so dearly loved. Mr. Eckels is also a member 
 of the Presbyterian church and is well grounded 
 in the faith. As a citizen he has always mani- 
 fested an interest in the prosperity of his adopted 
 city and state, and in social circles he is ever 
 welcomed. 
 
 SD. CLIFFORD. The farm in Evans town- 
 . ship, owned and occupied by this gentle- 
 man, invariably attracts the eye of the passing 
 traveler as being under the supervision of a 
 thorough and skillful agriculturist, and a man 
 otherwise of good business qualifications. Pie 
 was born December 21, 1834, in Harrison coun- 
 t\', ( )hi(i, where the marriage of his parents, Ed- 
 ward and Rebecca (Dunlap) Clifford, was cele- 
 brated. 
 
 His father, whose birth occurred in Virginia, 
 in 1806,, was the son of Samuel and Xancy 
 (Walker) Clifford, the former a native of Ireland, 
 but at an early da)- became a resident of the Old 
 Dominion. Accompanying his parents to Har- 
 rison county, Ohio, in 1814, Edward Clifford 
 was there reared. His wife was born in that 
 county, in 1807, and was the daughter of Samuel 
 and Sarah (Dickerson) Dunlap, both of whom 
 died in Ohio. 
 
 For a time after their marriage, Mr. and Airs. 
 Clifford continued to reside in Ohio, but in 1853 
 came to Illinois, and located upon the old Jones 
 farm, which was partially improved, on section 
 10, Evans township, Marshall county. There 
 the father died August 20, 1881, but the mother 
 still survives him. He was exclusively a farmer 
 and erected a good residence and barn upon 
 his place. Politically, an earnest democrat, he 
 served as a delegate to the Greeley convention, 
 
5i6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 and in liis township held the office of road com- 
 missioner. 
 
 Tlie parental household included seven chil- 
 dren, five still living, as follows: Sarah is the 
 wife of James Phillips, by whom she has eight 
 children — Donelson, Mrs. Jane Colehower, Mrs. 
 Amanda Bosnian, Edward Clifford, John, Mrs. 
 Ida Morris, Mrs. Eva Hollenbeck, and Boyd. 
 Nancy lives upon the old home farm. Our sub- 
 ject is the next in order of birth; Jane is the 
 widow of William Dunlap, of Wenona, and is 
 the mother of six children — Edward, Joseph, 
 Mrs. Ella Judd, Retta, deceased; William Der- 
 ley, and Lucy; Margaret is at home; Susan is 
 the wife of W. T. Hamilton, of Galesburg, Illi- 
 nois, and they have four children — Mrs. Ettie 
 Evans, John, James, and Samuel. 
 
 In 1853, our subject came with his parents 
 from Ohio to Illinois, walking the entire dis- 
 tance, and in the high school at Wenona com- 
 pleted his education, which was begun in his 
 native state. He remained upon the home farm 
 until his marriage, which important event in his 
 life was celebrated in 1863, ]\Iiss Sarah E. Hoyt 
 1)ecoming his wife. A native of Marshall coun- 
 ty, she was born in Roberts township, July 6, 
 1842, and after attending the district schools, 
 was later a student at both Henry and Gales- 
 burg, this state. Five children graced this union, 
 four still living — Leslie, who married Hattie Get- 
 ter, by whom he has tw-o children, Jo Sterling 
 and Mona, and is now living at Scotia, Ne- 
 braska; Anita M., wife of Plarry Day, of ChiUi- 
 cothe, Illinois, by whom she has one son, Frank- 
 lin C. ; Hoyt, and James S. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. CHfford are James and 
 Maria (Hitchcock) Hoyt, who were married in 
 New York city, and came to Illinois in 1837. 
 The following year they located in Marshall 
 count\', where they rented land for three year?, 
 and then purchased land in Roberts township. 
 The mother died in 1850, but the father, who was 
 bom in 1807, still survives at the advanced age 
 of eighty-nine years. Four of their nine chil- 
 dren are also still living — Julia, wife of John 
 Bobhitt, of Sutherland, Nebraska, bv whom she 
 
 has eight children; James Henry, a farmer, of 
 Golden City, Missouri; Mrs. Clifford, and Sey- 
 mour, ex-county judge and attorney at law, liv- 
 ing in Dade county, ^^lissouri. After the death 
 of his first wife, Mr. Hoyt wedded Eliza Jane 
 Mathis, and they have two children — Charles E. 
 and Jennie M., wife of Judge Richmond, of La- 
 con. 
 
 After his marriage, Air. Clifford settled upon 
 the old family homestead, where he remained un- 
 til 1870, and then removed to his present farm, 
 which was then but partially improved, but is 
 now under a high state of cultivation. It com- 
 prises eighty acres of fertile land. Politically he 
 supported the men and measures of the demo- 
 cratic party, and served as school director and as- 
 sessor. He provided his children with excellent 
 educational advantages, his oldest son being a 
 graduate of the Normal school at \''alparaiso, 
 Indiana. Mr. Clifford was suddenly taken sick 
 on Sunday, May 31, 1896, and died June 12 fol- 
 lowing. His funeral, which was one of the larg- 
 est ever held in Evans township, was from the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian church, on Sunday, 
 June 14, the services being conducted by Rev. 
 Freeman. While not a member of the church, Air. 
 Clifford was a believer in the Christian religion, 
 and his reputation for honesty and integrity was 
 well known throughout the community. 
 
 THCjMAS I. STRAWN, a well-known and 
 leading agriculturist of Bureau township, 
 residing on section 2, is a representative of one 
 of the old and highly esteemed families of Bu- 
 reau county, with whose interests its members 
 have been identified for over ' forty-five years. 
 He was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, 
 January 16, 185 1, but when only two years of 
 age was brought to Bureau county by his pa- 
 rents, Levi and Elizabeth (Ingram) Strawn, also 
 natives of Greene county, Pennsylvania, where 
 the father's birth occurred in 1810. On coming 
 to this state he first located on a farm two miles 
 cast of Princeton, but a year later purchased 
 a farm in Bureau township, to the cultivation 
 and improvement of which he devoted his time 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 517 
 
 and attention until called from this life in March, 
 1880, at the age of seventy years. His wife 
 passed away in 1876. 
 
 In their family were eight children who grew 
 to mature years, namely; Olive, who married 
 James H. Dutro, a resident of Henry county, 
 Missouri, where her death occurred ; William, 
 who married and resided at Alontrose, jMissouri, 
 for years, now deceased; Elizabeth, deceased 
 wife of J. ^lanley, of Sioux City, Iowa; Mrs. 
 Adeline Hulderman, of Chillicothe, Missouri ; 
 ^Irs. Susan Ashenfelter, of Bureau county; Mrs. 
 Sarah Tucker, of Montrose, Missouri; Thomas 
 I., of this review, and B. F., who is living in 
 Omaha, Xebraska. There w'ere also three sons 
 who died in childhood. 
 
 In Bureau county, Thomas Strawn grew to 
 manhood, remaining under the parental roof 
 until he had attained his majority, when he be- 
 gan operating rented land. In 1884 he pur- 
 chased his present farm, comprising eighty acres 
 of rich and arable land, and besides its cultiva- 
 tion also operates one hundred and sixty acres 
 which he rents. He is one of the successful and 
 representative agriculturists of Bureau town- 
 ship, being thoroughly familiar with farm work 
 in all its departments. 
 
 In Alarch, 1872, In Bureau county, was per- 
 formed a wedding ceremony which united the 
 destinies of ^Ir. Strawn and Miss Mary Cole, 
 who was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, and 
 came here with her mother and sister. Her 
 father was Henry Cole, of Trumbull county. 
 Five children have been born to our subject and 
 his wife, as follows: Harry L., who is married 
 and resides at Walnut, Illinois, and William E., 
 Oma, F. L., and Bessie, all at home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Strawn is identified with the 
 democratic party, being an earnest advocate of 
 free silver, and he takes quite an active part in 
 local politics. He is now serving his ninth year 
 as commissioner of highways, has been a mem- 
 ber of the school board for fourteen years, and 
 has been delegate to county and congressional 
 conventions. He has made a most faithful and 
 efficient officer, winning the commendation of his 
 
 political enemies as well as his constituents. 
 Fraternally, Mr. Strawn is a Master Mason, be- 
 longing to Wyanet lodge, and is also a member 
 of Princeton lodge. No. 89, I. O. O. F. During 
 his long residence in Bureau county he has wit- 
 nessed the wonderful changes which have taken 
 place within its borders, the wilderness and 
 swamps transformed into good homes and farms, 
 and villages springing up. He is well known 
 throughout the community as a man of good 
 business capacity, whose career is above re- 
 proach, and he is justly entitled to be represented 
 in the biographical record of this section of the 
 state. 
 
 LUTHER DICKINSON GUNN. In the 
 career of this gentleman we find a very ex- 
 cellent example for young men just embark- 
 ing in the field of active life, of what may be 
 accomplished by a man beginning poor, but 
 honest, ]:)rudent and industrious. He was born 
 in Pittslield, ^Massachusetts, July 28, 1814, and 
 was onl_\- a week old when his father, Luther 
 Gunn, died. His mother, who bore the maiden 
 name of Delia Dickinson, was left with the care 
 of two children, his sister being Sarah. The 
 family is an old one of Montague, .Massachusetts, 
 and his paternal grandparents were Captain Na- 
 thaniel and Hannah (]\Iontague) Gunn, the 
 former the son of Lieutenant Nathaniel Gunn, 
 of Sunderland, Massachusetts, and the latter a 
 daughter of ]\Iajor Richard Montague, one of 
 the founders of North Leverett, of the same 
 state, where he died in 1794. During the French 
 and Indian war, the Major was in the battle 
 of Crown Point in 1759, while in the Revolu- 
 tion he took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, 
 and was an able officer. 
 
 x\fter the death of the father of our subject, 
 his mother took her two children to the home 
 of her father at Whately, Massachusetts, where 
 she remained until her marriage with Levi Gunn, 
 a second cousin of her first husband, after which' 
 they made their home at ^tontague, the step- 
 father \\'orking at his trade of blacksmithing. 
 The mother's death occurred at Greenfield that 
 
5i8 
 
 THE MOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 state. Two children b\' her second marriage 
 no^\■ reside in the west. 
 
 The boyhood of Luther D. Gunn was prin- 
 cipally passed at Conway, IN'fassachusefts, and 
 at the age of sc/enteen years there entered upon 
 an apprenticeship to learn the carpenter's trade, 
 \^ith John Ilowland, with whom he remained 
 until reaching his majority. He received his 
 board, clothes, one winters schooling and a 
 set of bench tools at the end of his uerm of 
 apprenticeship. During the winters he was ern- 
 ]jloyed- at wagonmaidng, and all kinds of shop 
 work, in which line he became quite proficient. 
 When his time expired he had no money with 
 the exception of twentv-five cents which his 
 mother had given him to treat his associates with 
 spruce beer. He remained with Mr. Elowland 
 for three months after the expiration of his ap- 
 prenticeship, during which time he received 
 twenty dollars per month. He had always been 
 a great reader and at the first opportunity again 
 entered school. 
 
 Going to New York city, Mr. Gunn there 
 worked at his trade for a few weeks, and in that 
 city met Colonel John Ware, whom he had 
 known in Massachusetts, but who at that time 
 was a merchant of Hennepin, Illinois, and de- 
 cided to accompany that gentleman back to 
 Putnam county. They made the trip by boat on 
 the Ohio, ^Mississippi and Illinois rivers, arriv- 
 ing here in June, 1836. On the voyage the rud- 
 der was broken in a storm and was repaired by 
 Mr. Gunn, for which he received two dollars. 
 He has since made his home in Putnam county, 
 being at first employed in finishing the store oi 
 Colonel Ware and later his house, for which 
 he received from a dollar and a half to two dol- 
 lars per day. He continued to work at his trade 
 in Hennepin for a time in connection with Rob- 
 ert Leech, of Florid. 
 
 On the 14th day of November, 1839, Mr. Gunn 
 was united in marriage with Miss Emirancy Col- 
 lins, the ceremony being performed by Rev. 
 James H. Dickey, of the Presbyterian church. 
 She is the daughter of Joel S. and Sally (Spraguc) 
 Collins. Her father, who was a native of Massa- 
 
 chusetts, was taken to Warren county, New 
 York, when six years of age, and died when his 
 daughter was twelve years old. The birth of 
 her mother occurred in Vermont, where she was 
 reared, but she was married in New York. After 
 the death of her first husband she became the 
 wife of Amos Dewey at Hartford, New York. 
 Mrs. Gunn was born in Granville, W^ashington 
 county. New York, and in 1836, when fourteen 
 years old, was brought to Illinois, the family 
 making their home in Granville township, Put- 
 nam county. Her mother died while on a visit 
 to the Green Mountain state. She has one sister, 
 Mary Louisa, now living in the state of Washing- 
 ton. 
 
 Mr. Gunn invested five hundred dollars in 
 Hennepin town lots, which never r-ealized any- 
 thing, and two years after his marriage he lo- 
 cated upon a farm in Granville township, com- 
 prising two hundred and forty acres, for eighty 
 of which he paid two hundred dollars. That 
 place he sold in 1866, and purchased one hun- 
 dred antl seventy acres a mile east of Granville, 
 paying forty dollars per acre. With the ex- 
 ception of three hundred dollars which belonged 
 to his wife he has had no outside assistance 
 \\'hatever, but has succeeded in accumulating 
 a handsome property through his own industri- 
 ous efforts. Upon his farm he erected a hand- 
 some and commodious dwelling, the finest in the 
 neighborhood, at a cost of five thousand dollars, 
 but four years ago this was destroyed by fire, 
 causing a heavy loss. Since that time he has 
 made his home in the village of Granville. 
 
 To Mr, and Mrs. Gunn have been born tlie 
 following children, namely: Joel Collins, born 
 December i, 1840, married Nellie E. Howe in 
 1870, and died in 1888, leaving a widow and 
 sc\'en children: Frances Eliza, born 1841, and 
 died in 1842: Amos Dewey, born in 1843, mar- 
 ried in i860 to Percis E. Graves, and now resides 
 at Index, \\'ashington; Levi Parker, born in 
 1844, died in 1843; Fannie Ellen, born in 1846, 
 married in 1871 to B. A. Dickinson, and now 
 resides in Chicago; Lucy Caroline, born in 1847, 
 married in 1867 to C. K. Ware, and now resides 
 
THE ClOGRAl'HICAL RFXORD. 
 
 5^9 
 
 at Downs, Kansas: Hilary Antoinette, born in 
 1849, niarried in 1874 to 1!. Newport, and died 
 in 1883; Luther Hubbard, born in 185 1, died in 
 1852; Esther Evelyn, born in 1853, married in 
 1878 to C. H. \^an \\'ormer, and now resides at 
 ^\'est Salem, Wisconsin; Sarah Emiranc}', bom 
 in 1856, married in 1877 to L. L. Parmalee, and 
 now resides at Downs, Kansas: Ella Louzette, 
 born in 1831), married in 1886 to J. S. ]\Iartin, 
 and now resides at Granville, Illinois: Delia M., 
 born in 1861, died the same year; Henry Dick- 
 inson, born in 1863, married in 1889, to Carrie 
 Sucher, and now resides in Roggcn, Colorado; 
 Xellie Louise, born in 1864, is a music teacher; 
 Clara Philena, born in 1866, married in 1891 to 
 G. B. Sucher, and now resides in Peoria, Illinois. 
 Eleven of the children grew to vcars of maturitx . 
 They also have fort}- grandchildren and four 
 great-grandchildren. Two of the grandchildren 
 liave been reared by our subject and his wife. One 
 of these, Pearl Gunn, has made her home with 
 them since six years of age and is now a teacher. 
 Their daughter Ella L. is now the widow of 
 Joseph ^fartin, and with her two children, Helen, 
 aged eight, and Joseph, aged six, she makes her 
 home with her parents. 
 
 Before her marriage, Mrs. Gunn was a mem- 
 ber of the Presbyterian church, but for over 
 forty-two years both she and her husband have 
 been connected with the Congregational denom- 
 ination and are earnest Christian people. Their 
 hospitable home is always open to the many 
 friends of the family, whom they delight to en- 
 tertain, and by all they are held in the highest 
 regard. Although a stalwart republican, Mr. 
 Gunn has never cared for official positions, pre- 
 ferring to give his entire time and attention to 
 his business interests. He is still quite active and 
 energetic, and on his eightieth birthday, assisted 
 in cutting down a two hundred and fifty foot tree 
 in Washington, from a piece of which he has had 
 a stand-table made. Each of his children as they 
 went out from the home roof have been assisted. 
 
 On the 14th of November, 1889, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gunn celebrated their golden wedding, 
 which was a red letter day in their lives, about 
 
 two hundred guests being present, many coming 
 from long distances to present in person their 
 congratulations. All their children were present 
 but one. 
 
 JUHa LEECPI. Among the pioneer settlers 
 of Putnam county, the Leech family is es- 
 pecially worthy of notice in a work of this kind, 
 as its members have long been prominently 
 identified with its interests. John Leech, the 
 father, was born and reared in Washington coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, and when a young man re- 
 moved to Jefferson county, Ohio. He was well 
 educated, having attended Jefferson college, now 
 W'ashington and Jefferson college at Cannons- 
 burgh, Pennsylvania. 
 
 In lefferson county, ( )hio, John Leech mar- 
 ried Miss Mar\- Parr, of Scotch-Irish descent, 
 born in the north of Ireland. When a child she 
 became a resident of Jefferson county, where 
 their marriage was celebrated in 181 1, and there 
 nine children were born to them. It was in May, 
 1832, that they landed at Peoria, Illinois, having 
 come by way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Illi- 
 nois rivers, and there the father purchased eigh- 
 ty acres of land, which now lies within the city 
 limits. As his family were in poor health at that 
 place, in April, 1833, he removed to the farm 
 near Florid, still owned and occupied by mem- 
 bers of the family. He secured three hundred 
 and twenty acres at the government price of one 
 dollar and a quarter per acre. A small cabin had 
 been erected by the party who laid claim to the 
 tract and he added another log cabin, but later 
 built a frame house after a mill was started in the 
 vicinity. He also became the owner of other 
 tracts of good land in Putnam, Warren and Pike 
 counties. His death occurred on the home farm 
 here in 1839, at the age of sixty-six years. 
 
 In the family were nine children who grew to 
 maturit)', namely: James, who married Electa 
 Hawks, and died in 1852, leaving a widow and 
 seven children, the widow also now being de- 
 ceased; Robert, born May 18, 1814, died Au- 
 gust 4, 1895, at the age of eighty-one years; Jane 
 married Lucian Livingston, a farmer, in Put- 
 
520 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 nam county, by whom she had eight children. 
 He died some years ago, and the widow is now 
 living in Chicago; John Walker married Vir- 
 ginia B. Turner, and now resides in Hennepin. 
 He owns a farm adjoining the old homestead, 
 as well as his home in the village. Their children 
 died in infancy; Mary is the widow of Rev. James 
 Templeton, and resides on the old home farm; 
 Susanna, who died two years ago, was the wife of 
 Captain James Campbell Moore, of Peoria ; Mar- 
 garet first married Alexander Armstrong, and 
 after his death, Gaspard L. Tetu, of Peoria ; Sam- 
 uel Gilmore manages the old homestead, and 
 Elizabeth is the wife of Dr. J. T. Milling, of Peru. 
 
 After his father's death, Robert Leech took 
 charge of the business, carrying on the home 
 farm, and became the father of the family. In 
 connection with his brother, Samuel G, he added 
 to the original farm a tract of one hundred and 
 sixty acres, and there devoted his attention to 
 general farming and stock-raising with excellent 
 success. He was very active in public matters, 
 was a strong democrat in politics, and often 
 served as a delegate to the conventions of his 
 party. For some years he was supervisor of his 
 township, and also held the offices of commis- 
 sioner and school director. During the war he 
 took an active and leading part in public affairs, 
 and did much toward relieving the distress of 
 many a soldier's widow. 
 
 Samuel G. Leech, the youngest son of the 
 family, as he grew up aided his brother in the 
 operation of the farm, and by purchase, became 
 half owner of the place. For about ten years 
 he dealt in grain at Hennepin, but since that 
 time has given his entire attention to the cultiva- 
 tion and improvement of the farm. After the 
 death of his brother he became sole owner. 
 
 The mother, whose death occurred in April, 
 1888, at the advanced age of ninety-three years, 
 was ever devoted to the interests of her home and 
 family, and was well preserved, retaining all her 
 faculties to the last. A consistent member of the 
 United Presbyterian church, she was a great 
 Bible student and followed closely its teachings. 
 She had a wide acquaintance throughout the 
 
 county, and her house was ever open for the en- 
 tertainment of her many friends, and she also 
 took great pleasure in extending her hospitality 
 to many noted men of the state. 
 
 In attending the various district and state con- 
 ventions, Robert Leech had won the friendship 
 of many prominent men, and at one time was a 
 candidate for the legislature. He was a man of 
 much natural ability and was well read, but 
 never cared for discussion and did not force his 
 views on others. He was never involved in liti- 
 gation, but still maintained his rights, and made 
 no enemies. 
 
 Rev. James Templeton, who married Miss 
 Mary A. Leech, was a native of Union county, 
 Pennsylvania, and died December 3, 1843, after 
 a short married life of only three years and a 
 half. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and his 
 boyhood was passed in his native state, and at 
 Jefferson college at Cannonsburgh, he secured 
 both his classical and theological education. He 
 at once entered the work of the ministry in Ohio, 
 and in 1839 came to Illinois, organizing the 
 Associate church at Granville, Putnam county, 
 which has now disbanded. He devoted his en- 
 tire time and attention to the Master's cause, 
 and was a most earnest and devout Christian. 
 He lies buried at Union Grove cemetery. Two 
 children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Templeton 
 — Samuel Rutherford, well and favorably known 
 throughout the county, who died July 22, 1893, 
 and Mary C. On coming to Putnam county, 
 Mr. Templeton purchased several tracts of land, 
 which are still owned by his heirs. His death 
 was a sad loss not alone to the wife and children, 
 but to the community and the church he loved 
 so well. 
 
 WILLIAM FOUNTAIN, deceased, was 
 numbered among the Marshall county 
 pioneers of 1852, and deservedly ranked high 
 among the best citizens of the county. He was 
 a native of Sussex county, New Jersey, born July 
 26, 1808. In his youth, he removed to Ohio, and 
 there formed the acquaintance of Miss Jane Mc- 
 Ginnis, a native of that state, born March 5, 1818. 
 
William Fountain. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 523 
 
 They wore duly wedded, and in 1846 removed to 
 Peoria county, Illinois, locating about one mile 
 from Farmington, where he engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits. Having in early life learned 
 the trade of a shoe maker, he did some little 
 cobbling, and made all the boots and shoes in 
 use by the family. This he continued for some 
 }'ears after coming to Illinois. He also learned 
 the coopers trade, and in dull seasons of farm 
 work, he was employed in that line. Industri- 
 .ously inclined, and with an earnest desire to bet- 
 ter himself in life, he let few moments go idly by. 
 If he could not work at one thing he could at 
 another, and so it was, as the years went by, he 
 continually added to his possessions. 
 
 After remaining in Peoria county some six 
 years, ]Mr. Fountain removed with his family to 
 IMarshall county, locating near the boundary line 
 between Bureau and Marshall counties, and 
 about one mile from the old village of Whitefield. 
 He remained on that farm, however, but one 
 year, removing in 1853 to the present family 
 homestead, purchasing four hundred acres of 
 wild prairie land, for which he paid fourteen dol- 
 lars per acre. He at once commenced the im- 
 provement of the place, and the house he there 
 built is vet standing and in use by the family. It 
 is a two-story brick structure, and Mr. Fountain 
 carried the workmen all the brick and mortar 
 used in its erection. 
 
 Mr. Fountain made the purchase of his land 
 on time, using what little money he had in the 
 erection of his dwelling and in other improve- 
 ments. Grain was a profitable commodity at that 
 time and he put almost the entire farm in grain 
 of various kinds, including corn, wheat and oats. 
 Success crowned his efforts, and in due time his 
 farm was paid for and eighty acres added to it. 
 He also bought a farm near Henry, on which he 
 built a nice residence and there resided for a time. 
 The change, however, was not satisfactory and 
 he returned to the old homestead, where he con- 
 tinued to reside until called to the upper and bet- 
 ter world. 
 
 While Mr. Fountain was a hard working man 
 and never sufTered his pleasures to interfere with 
 27 
 
 his business, he yet spent many a pleasant day 
 in sport. There were few, if any, better shots 
 in the country with a rifle, and game fared hard 
 if within his rifle reach. In politics he was a 
 strong and enthusiastic republican, and during 
 the war was a firm supporter of the government. 
 Two of his sons he gave to the service, one 
 of whom died from quick consumption three 
 months after his enlistment, brought on by ex- 
 posure. The other, Orlando, raised a company 
 for the Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
 was commissioned captain, and later was pro- 
 moted major of the regiment. He served three 
 years and until the close of the war. 
 
 To ]\Ir. and Mrs. Fountain seven children were 
 born: Orlando, now resides at Santa Rosa, Cal- 
 ifornia, where he is engaged in the boot and shoe 
 trade; Elizabeth married William Proctor, and 
 now resides in Lamoure county. North Dakota; 
 !\Iartha is the wife of Oliver Pearson, of Wabash, 
 Indiana; Henry died in the army at the age 
 of twenty-o>ne years ; Milton resides on the home 
 farm; Edward W. is also deceased; and James 
 is also on the home farm, which he operates in 
 partnership with Milton. James married Miss 
 Sarah E. Johnson, October 27, 1886, by whom 
 he has one child, Luella. Her father, Francis 
 M. Johnson, was a native of Washington county, 
 Pennsylvania, and there married Jane Brown, 
 also a native of same county and state. Their 
 marriage was celebrated November 8, 1849, in 
 Licking county, Ohio, where they both then re- 
 sided. In 1855, they removed to Marshall coun- 
 ty, Illinois, locating on a farm near the old village 
 of Whitefield. On that farm they remained a few 
 vears, removing thence to a farm across the line 
 in Bureau county, where they lived about three 
 )'ears, and again returned to the old farm, but 
 later purchased forty acres adjoining on the west, 
 on which was a very nice residence, and where 
 the remainder of their days were spent. They 
 were the parents of seven children : George W. ; 
 William Oren, now residing near the old home 
 farm; Sarah E., wife of James Fountain; John 
 Weslc}' ; ^larietta, who married John Long, and 
 resides near Afton, Iowa; Frances Emeline, who 
 
524 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 married John Townley, of Chesterville, Texas; 
 and Luella Jane. 
 
 Mr. Johnson was a member of the Methodist 
 church, and Mrs. Johnson of the Presbyterian 
 church. She was converted at the age of twelve 
 years, and Hved a consistent Christian hfe to the 
 end. Both died in the full assurance of faith. 
 Mr. Johnson was never physically a strong man, 
 but had a very strong mind. For years he en- 
 gaged in buying and selling stock, shipping prin- 
 cipally to Chicago. His control over cattle was 
 marvelous, they seeming to recognize his mas- 
 tery. Pie was also a good judge of horseflesh. 
 His death occurred in November, 1885, while his 
 wife survived him nearly ten years, dying Octo- 
 ber 6, 1895. Their remains were interred in 
 Whitefield cemetery. By his will the estate re- 
 mained intact vmtil the death of his wife, when 
 it was divided among the legal heirs. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fountain were zealous mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which 
 he was a class-leader for many years. To the 
 work of the church they gave much of their 
 time and such talents as God had given them. 
 When the end came they could each say, as did 
 the grand apostle of the Gentiles, "I have fought 
 a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
 kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for 
 me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 
 the righteous judge, shall give me in that day." 
 Mr. Fountain was the first to be called home, 
 his death occurring November 3, 1891. Six 
 weeks later his wife followed him, dying Decem- 
 ber 17, 1 89 1. Side by side their bodies were in- 
 terred in the family lot in the old cemetery in 
 Whitefield township, there to await the resurrec- 
 tion day. Kind and loving to family and friends, 
 and loyal to their God, their memory is cherished 
 by all with whom they were acquainted. 
 
 THEODORE HOLLY, a prominent repre- 
 sentative of the farming interests of Gran- 
 ville township, Putnam county, is a native of 
 the buckeye state, born in Butler county, April 
 30, 1845, but was only two years of age when 
 brought to Illinois by his parents, Daniel and 
 
 Helen (Bender) Holly, both natives of Hesse, 
 Germany. At the age of sixteen years his father 
 had come to the new world, locating in Ohio, 
 where he met and married Miss Bender, and on 
 coming to Rutnam county, Illinois, they settled 
 in Granville township on section 33. There he 
 owned several different farms, but about forty 
 years ago purchased the place now occupied by 
 our subject. Later he went to Peru, Illinois, and 
 passed his remaining days at the home of a 
 daughter in La Salle county, dying in 1888. 
 There his wife is still living. All his property 
 was the just reward of liis own hard work and 
 good management. He owned the farm of one 
 hundred sixty acres now occupied by our sub- 
 ject, a one hundred and seventy acre tract which 
 he purchased soon after coming to the countv, 
 and one hundred acres in La Salle county, for 
 some of which he paid ten dollars per acre, but 
 part cost him as high as seventy-two dollars per 
 acre. In his family were seven children, who 
 grew to years of maturity: ^Mary, wife of Chris- 
 tian Brennemann, of La Salle county; John, who 
 lives on a part of the home farm; WiUiam, of 
 Peru, Illinois; Theodore, of this sketch; Gustav, 
 of Republic county, Kansas; Eliza, wife of Os- 
 car Brennemann, and George, living in La Salle 
 county. 
 
 Until attaining his majority, Theodore Holly 
 remained upon the home farm, and was then 
 employed in a store at Peru for about five rears. 
 He then rented his father's La Salle county farm, 
 which he operated until returning to the old 
 homestead on his father's removal to Peru. To- 
 gether they had started a tile factory on the farm, 
 which was conducted for about nine years, mak- 
 ing about six thousand dollars" worth of tile per 
 year and having in their employ seven men. 
 They continued this business until the surround- 
 ing country was pretty well supplied with that 
 commodity, since which time our subject has de- 
 voted his attention exclusively to general farm- 
 ing and the breeding of Clydesdale horses. The 
 latter business he has since carried on with satis- 
 factory results for the past ten years. In his home 
 farm he has one hundred and fifty-eight acres of 
 
THE P.IOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 525 
 
 valuable land, and in the vicinity also owns an- 
 other good farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
 which he rents. 
 
 On the 30th of September, 1869, ]Mr. Holly 
 led to the marriage altar ^^liss Bertha Brenne- 
 mann, and they no-\v have five children, Julius 
 D., who took a course in a business college at 
 Bloomington and is now engaged in the opera- 
 tion of the home farm ; AA'illie, who was also edu- 
 cated at the same place and is now located 
 at Spring Valley, Illinois; Eliza, at home; Laura 
 H., a graduate of the Normal university at Nor- 
 mal, this state, now engaged in teaching in Chi- 
 cago, and Clara ^lay, who attended the Peru 
 high school, and from there attended high school 
 at Chicago. "Willie has collected and arranged 
 a fine cabinet of Indian arrows, axes, etc. All 
 of the children are more or less musicians, and 
 they have a piano at their pleasant home. 
 
 Formerly ]\Ir. Holly was a republican in poli- 
 tics, later for twelve years voted independent of 
 party ties, but now supports the people's party. 
 He has served as delegate from his congressional 
 district at Omaha, was the fourteenth district 
 delegate to the national convention at St. Louis, 
 and has also attended many local conventions, 
 in which he has taken an active and prominent 
 part. In the fall of 1896 he was nominated for 
 congress bv the people's party, but made no spe- 
 cial canvass for the position. In his views upon 
 the national questions at issue before the peo- 
 ple, he is outspoken and makes no uncertain 
 sound. His position is that the rights of the 
 people have been invaded, and that the people 
 must come forward and take the reins of gov- 
 ernment in their own hands, regardless of what 
 the money power or the monopolists of the 
 country may say or think. He is a fluent writer 
 and has often served as a newspaper correspond- 
 ent. He is a member of the Religious Confeder- 
 ation of central Illinois, belonging to the church 
 at Peru. This is a liberal organization similar 
 to that of Miss Bartlett of the People's church 
 at Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has ever been a 
 friend of education and has given his children 
 excellent educational advantages, which have 
 
 been improved by each. In all the relations of 
 life he is upright and honorable, gaining the 
 confidence of those with whom he comes in con- 
 tact, and no man in Putnam county is held in 
 higher esteem. 
 
 SAMUEL W. SKELTON, who after the la- 
 bors of a long and busy life, is spending his 
 later years in retirement in Toluca, Illinois, was 
 born on the 5th of June, 1845, '" Morgan county, 
 Indiana, but since an early age has been identi- 
 fied with the interests of Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois, where for many 'years he was successfully 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. His parents 
 were Joel and Jemima S. (Sutherland) Skelton. 
 The father was born in what is now Clark coun- 
 ty, Indiana, April 21, 1815, and from there re- 
 moved to Morgan county, where he engaged in 
 farming until 1850, which year witnessed his ar- 
 rival in Marshall county, Illinois. In Benning- 
 ton township he entered one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land from the government, and so suc- 
 cessful was he in his farming operations that he 
 became the owner of four hundred acres of valu- 
 able and- well improved land, although on com- 
 ing to the state he was in limited circumstances. 
 Here his death occurred April 20, 1896, He was 
 twice married, his first wife, who died in 1881, 
 being the mother of our subject. 
 
 Of the nine children born of this union, two 
 died in infancy. Leroy graduated from the 
 schools of Eureka, Illinois, became a Christian 
 minister, and at the time of his death, at the age 
 of twenty-five, was preaching in Bloomington. 
 He was buried at Eureka. James S., who lacked 
 one year of graduation from the schools of 
 Eureka, enlisted as a private of Company G., 
 Seventeenth Illinois Infantry, and was killed at 
 the battle of Shiloh, Sunday morning. He too 
 was buried at Eureka, where the parents had re- 
 moved for the purpose of better educating the 
 children. Five of the family are still living — 
 Sarah, wife of Elmer H. Ward, of Rutland, Illi- 
 nois; Marietta, wife of Thomas Shockley, of 
 Peiiria; Samuel W., of this sketch; WiUiam H., 
 who is married and living upon a farm at Blue 
 
526 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHrCAL RECORD. 
 
 Hill, Nebraska, and David F., who lives near 
 Toluca. 
 
 The father was a natural musician, and for a 
 time taught vocal music. Most of the family pos- 
 sessed the same talent, some of them being able 
 to carry a tune before they could talk. Joel 
 Skelton was reared in the old school Baptist 
 church, but became an active member of the 
 Christian church. His brother was a Baptist 
 minister, but was incHned toward the Christian 
 faith, but his father, John Skelton, was a stern 
 Baptist, until on his death, when he called his 
 son to him and said, "You are right in your 
 preaching, go ahead." In early Hfe Joel Skelton 
 was a whig, supporting Harrison in 1840, but in 
 1856 voted for John C. Fremont, and ever after- 
 ward gave his allegiance to the republican party. 
 He served as supervisor of Bennington township, 
 but cared nothing for ofScial distinction. 
 
 Samuel W. Skelton was but five years of age 
 when he accompanied his parents to Marshall 
 county, where he grew to manhood, receiving his 
 primary education in its public schools. When 
 eleven years of age the family removed to 
 Eureka, where he attended school for five years, 
 and then returned to the farm with his father, 
 two years before he would have graduated. At 
 the age of twenty, he engaged in teaching for 
 one year, but did not like the profession, so gave 
 it up, and turned his attention to farming. 
 
 On the 22d of February, 1871, was consum- 
 mated the marriage of Mr. Skelton and Miss 
 Elizabeth H. Stevenson, of Bennington town- 
 ship, a daughter of Joseph and Jane (Mc- 
 Donough) Stevenson, who were from Washing- 
 ton county, Pennsylvania, where her birth 
 occurred. Two children grace this union: 
 Myrtle, a music teacher, who is now taking her 
 second year at the Conservatory of Music at 
 Galesburg; and Charles L., a boy of thirteen 
 years. The parents and daughter are faithful 
 members of the Christian church, of which Mr. 
 Skelton is deacon. He has served as superin- 
 tendent of the Sunday school, and is now teacher 
 in the same, while Miss Myrtle is an active 
 worker in the Christian Endeavor society. The 
 
 family is one of prominence, holding a high posi- 
 tion in social circles, and have the esteem of all 
 who know them. 
 
 Mr. Skelton inherited forty acres of land from 
 his father's estate, to which he added by purchase 
 eighty acres, but has sold the eighty acres to the 
 Devlin Coal company, and still owns the original 
 forty and is now living retired. Since casting his 
 first presidential ballot for General Grant in 1868, 
 he has been an ardent republican in politics. In 
 1879 he was elected sheriff of the county, which 
 office he acceptably filled for one term, and has 
 also filled the position of school trustee, and been 
 a delegate to various county and senatorial con- 
 ventions of his party. 
 
 JOHN W. PARKER. There are no rules for 
 building characters and no rule for achieving 
 success. The man who can rise from the ranks 
 to a position of eminence is he who can see and 
 _ utilize the opportunities that surround his path. 
 The essential conditions of human life are ever 
 the same, the surroundings of individuals differ 
 but slightly; and, when one man passes another 
 on the highway to reach the goal of prosperity 
 before others who perhaps started out before 
 him, it is because he has the power to use ad- 
 vantages which probably encompass the whole 
 human race. 
 
 Among the most prominent business men of 
 Marshall county to-day is Mr. Parker, teller and 
 stockholder in the First National Bank of To- 
 luca. He was born in Evansville, Indiana, Oc- 
 tober 25, 1850, and is a son of Edward and Sarah 
 (Ruston) Parker, both natives of England. When 
 a child the mother was brought to America by 
 her parents, but the father grew to manhood in 
 his native land. Their marriage was celebrated 
 in Indiana, Axhere the mother died when our sub- 
 ject was but thirteen years of age, and two years 
 later the father broke up housekeeping. 
 
 Thus at the early age of fifteen years John W. 
 Parker was thrown upon his own resources. 
 Coming to Livingston, Illinois, he worked on a 
 farm for a )'ear at ten dollars per month, and in 
 1867 came to Marshall county and obtained em- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 527 
 
 ployment upon a farm located where the village 
 of Toluca now stands, but at that time there was 
 not even a railroad through the place. Here he 
 ^\'orked for a number of years as a farm hand. 
 
 In the public schools of Evansville ]\Ir. Parker 
 had begun his education, and as the opportunity 
 was afforded attended school in this state, thus 
 acquiring a good common school education, 
 which he supplemented after attaining his ma- 
 jority by a course in a commercial college of 
 Evansville, from which he was graduated in 
 1872. Returning to Marshall county he con- 
 tinued to work by the month until the spring of 
 1877, when he began the operation of rented 
 land. At the end of four years he was able to 
 ptirchase eighty acres in Bennington township, 
 which he cultivated for seven years, and then re- 
 moved to the little village of Toluca, where he 
 embarked in general merchandising, conducting 
 the first store in the place, and continuing opera- 
 tions along that line until i8c)3. He was very 
 successful in this venture, but in the latter year 
 sold out, and became a stockholder and one of 
 the charter members of the First National bank, 
 of which he has been the first and only teller. He 
 is also the owner of a good farm of one hundred 
 sixty acres in Calhoun county, Iowa. 
 
 On the 22d of November, 1877, J^Ir. Parker led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Sarah A. Litchfield, a 
 native of ^Marshall county, and they now have 
 two sons: Lawrence G., who graduated from the 
 Rutland schools in 1895, at the age of fifteen 
 years, and Roy S., who is still a student in the 
 public schools. 
 
 Since voting for Tilden in 1876 Mr. Parker 
 has been a stalwart democrat in politics, and has 
 served his fellow citizens in several official posi- 
 tions, being town clerk of Bennington township 
 eight years, school trustee six years, was the 
 first village clerk, which office he resigned in or- 
 der to enter the bank. He has also been a dele- 
 gate to various conventions of his party. He is 
 a charter and prominent member of both the 
 Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows fraternities, 
 joining the former in Varna and the latter in 
 Rutland, but now belongs to both lodges in 
 
 Toluca. He has been master of exchequer, vice- 
 chancellor and chancellor commander in the 
 Knights of Pythias; and treasurer, vice-grand 
 and noble grand in the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, at the present writing holding the 
 highest offices in each. His life has been a suc- 
 cess, and his honorable, straightforward course 
 justly entitles him to the high regard in which he 
 is universally held. 
 
 JOHN D. McVICKER, a valued citizen and 
 representative farmer of Marshall county, is 
 now living a retired life in the city of Henry, 
 W'here he is enjoying that rest which should al- 
 ways follow a long and useful career. He was 
 born in Hampshire county. West Virginia, 
 March 4, 1826, but wdien only two years old was 
 taken to Aliami county, Ohio, by his parents, 
 Archibald and Susan (Custer) McVicker, the 
 latter a cousin of General Custer. The father's 
 birth occurred on the same farm in Loudoun 
 county, Virginia, where his father, Archibald Mc- 
 A^icker, Sr., was born and there made his home 
 for half a century. Together they removed to 
 Miami county, Ohio, and in 1844, came to Peoria 
 county, Illinois, but subsequently the grand- 
 father returned to the buckeye state, where he 
 lived for a few years. His youngest son, Hugh, 
 then went after him to bring him to this state, but 
 he was taken ill on the way, and died and was 
 buried in Evansville, Indiana. At the time of his 
 death he was about eighty years of age. His 
 wife'^ who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth 
 Burns, passed away in Ohio, in 1844. 
 
 In 1 85 1 the father of our subject came to Mar- 
 shall county and began the operation of a farm 
 which he had purchased in Saratoga township. 
 Here his death occurred when in his sixty-ninth 
 year. He was widely and favorably known in 
 this section of the state, and was called upon to 
 fill several official positions of honor and trust in 
 his locality. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest in a family of ten 
 children, the others being as follows: David, a 
 farmer of Eagle Lake, Iowa; William, also a resi- 
 dent of the same place, who for fifteen months 
 
528 
 
 THE BIO-GRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 was in the union service during tlie civil war, 
 enlisting in 1864, and serving in the army of 
 the southwest until hostilities had ceased; Oliver, 
 a farmer residing in Nebraska; Elizabeth, widow 
 of Syric Fox, and a resident of Kansas; Mary 
 Catherine, wife of Daniel Ketchum, who lives 
 near Henry, Illinois; Martha, wife of Grotus 
 Deyo, of Henry; Margaret, wife of Nelson Ken- 
 drick, of Atkinson, Henry county, Illinois; 
 Archibald, who died at the age of fourteen, and 
 Joseph Portmus Burns, who was named for his 
 two grandmothers, and died at the age of thirty- 
 two. He married Abigail Essex, by whom he 
 had three children, Charles, Hattie and Susan. 
 
 Throughout his business career, J. D. Mc- 
 Vicker followed agricultural pursuits, and still 
 owns the old farm in Saratoga township, where 
 his father settled on coming to the county. His 
 landed possessions aggregate five hundred acres 
 of valuable land on sections 14 and 15, Saratoga 
 township, which are now rented. A thorough and 
 skillful agriculturist, he was very successful in his 
 operations, and gave his undivided attention to 
 his farming interests and stock breeding. 
 
 In 1873, Mr. McVicker crossed the ocean to 
 France and imported the first Norman horses 
 brought into Marshall county, which he success- 
 fully bred up to the time he retired from active 
 life. 
 
 On the 19th of April, 1849, was celebrated the 
 marriage of Mr. McVicker and Miss Virginia C. 
 Lytle, a native of Marietta, Ohio, and a daughter 
 of George W. and Eve Lytle, who were born in 
 Pennsylvania. Of the two children born of this 
 union. Worth D. is a farmer of Saratoga town- 
 ship, Marshall county. He married Louisa Neal 
 and has two children — John D. and Bessie Marie. 
 Gertrude Maude, who resides with our subject, is 
 the wife of Edward Kane, and has one child, 
 McVicker. 
 
 Politically, Mr. McVicker is an ardent sup- 
 porter of the men and measures of the repub- 
 lican party. He is one of the active and progres- 
 sive men of the county, taking a deep interest 
 in all matters calculated to enhance its value, or 
 to benefit his fellow men. His wife is an earnest 
 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal church. A 
 generous hospitality is shown at their comfortable 
 home, which is the center of a cultured and re- 
 fined society circle. 
 
 JONAS DIVELBISS. This gentleman occu- 
 pies no unimportant position among the 
 leading citizens of Henry, where he is now living 
 a retired life, passing his declining years in ease, 
 and enjoying the respect and confidence of his 
 fellow men in the highest degree. He was born 
 in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, ^lay 7, 1819, 
 a son of John and Catherine (Russell) Divelbiss, 
 the former of whom was a native of Maryland, 
 and the latter of the keystone state. His pater- 
 nal grandfather, Michael Divelbiss, in company 
 with his brother George, carme from Germany to 
 America in 1731 and settled in Maryland, the 
 former in Hagerstown and the latter in Fred- 
 erickstown. In their journal appears the fol- 
 lowing: "Michael Divelbiss and George Divel- 
 biss, raised in Palatinate, sailed from Rotterdam, 
 Holland, September 16, 1731, in the English ship 
 Brittania, Captain Franklin. The ship touched 
 at Southampton." The grandfather served 
 throughout the entire Revolutionary war in the 
 Continental army. He continued to reside at 
 Hagerstown until his children were all grown, 
 and then removed to Frankhn county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where his death occurred at a ripe old age. 
 His family were as follows: John, Jacob, jNIichael, 
 George, David, Frederick, who was a soldier of 
 the war of 1812; and Catherine, wife of David 
 Miley. All had gone to Kentucky before the 
 parents' removal to Pennsylvania, and have now 
 passed away. 
 
 John Divelbiss, the father of our subject, 
 learned the tanner's trade with his father, later 
 worked at saddle-tree making until his marriage, 
 and then followed the occupation of a farmer. 
 He was well educated, having attended a German 
 school for seven yeai's and an EngHsh school four 
 years. He was a natural mathematician, an ex- 
 cellent accountant and was well informed on the 
 leading subjects of the day. For fifteen years 
 he served as justice of the peace by appointment 
 
TFIE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 52') 
 
 of the governor of Pennsylvania and for the 
 same period filled the position by election. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest in a family of ten 
 children, the others being as follows: Jacob, a 
 wagon-maker by trade, married Catherine 
 Schenck, and removed to Springfield, Illinois, 
 where his death occurred; John, born in 1800, 
 came to Illinois, but later went to Kansas, where 
 he passed away* ]\Iichael, emigrated to Ohio and 
 later went to Indiana, where he opened up a farm 
 and there died near Columbia City. Pie married 
 Miss Margaret Schwenck, daughter of one of the 
 Hessian soldiers, who were hired to aid the Brit- 
 ish in the Revolution; George, a shoemaker by 
 trade, wedded Alary Fosnough, and on coming 
 to Illinois first located in the city of Peoria, but 
 spent his last days upon a farm in Peoria county; 
 Frederick married Miss Elizabeth Heniline, and 
 died in Huntingdon county, Indiana, February 
 25, 1896, at the age of eighty-seven; Daniel, a 
 wagon-maker by trade, married RosanaPhenicie, 
 and died at Angola, Indiana; Samuel moved to 
 Peoria county, Illinois, in 1845, and after a time 
 spent in that county went with our subject to 
 ^Marshall county in 1850. In 1875, while he and 
 his wife were on their way to camp meeting in 
 Stark county, IlHnois, his team became frightened 
 by the cars and ran away, throwing him out of the 
 buggy. After three days' unconsciousness he 
 passed away. Both he and his wife were devout 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal church; 
 Catherine, who married Jacob McCown, and 
 :\Iargaret, who married John McAtee, spent their 
 entire lives in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Being reared to agricultural pursuits, Jonas 
 Divelbiss continued to follow the same through- 
 out his active business life, and still owns a good 
 farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Alar- 
 shall county, which he rents. He and his brother 
 purchased a soldier's warrant and entered land in 
 the county, the cultivation and improvement of 
 which he continued until his removal to Henry. 
 He was numbered among the substantial, enter- 
 prising and energetic farmers of the county, and 
 is one of the honored and valued citizens of the 
 community, one who has the happy faculty of 
 
 easily making friends and retaining them. His 
 political support is unswervingly given the re- 
 publican party, and in early life he was a whig", 
 casting his first presidential ballot for WiUiam 
 Henry Harrison. Although he has acceptabb; 
 filled several local offices, he cares nothing for 
 political distinction. 
 
 In Pennsylvania, on the nth of February, 
 1845, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Divel- 
 biss and Miss Nancy Phinicie, who was born May 
 16, 1816, a daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Long) 
 Phinicie. She died May 24, 1891. She was a 
 faithful member of the Dunkard church. One 
 child was born of this union; Francis Louisa, 
 now the wife of Newton Ray, a retired farmer of 
 Chillicothe, Illinois, by whom she has two chil- 
 dren: Cludia Madge and Clemens Sumner. 
 
 Air. Divelbiss was again married May 6, 1894, 
 his second union being with Mrs. Sarah N. He- 
 cock, a native of Canada and a daughter of 
 Charles and Britanna (Howard) Davison. Her 
 mother was also born in Canada, and was the 
 daughter of Dr. Peter Howard, an eminent phy- 
 sician of that country. Charles Davison was 
 born in Massachusetts, July 7, 1800, and died 
 September 3, 1873. He was twice married, his 
 first wife being Britannia ElHs, by whom he had 
 three children: Patrick, Elizabeth and one who 
 died in infancy. After her death he wedded 
 Britanna Howard, who was born August 17, 
 1806, and died May 30, 1851, and they became 
 the parents of six children: Amelia, widow of 
 Rev. John Breden, a Wesleyan minister of On- 
 tario, Canada; Charles B., also a resident of On- 
 tario; Mrs. Divelbiss; Peter H. and Adaniram J., 
 who died in infancy; and Emma T., wife of Frank 
 Phillips, a farmer of Lawrence county. South 
 Dakota. The parents of these children were 
 faithful members of the Baptist church, in which 
 Mr. Davison served as deacon for many years. 
 
 On the 31st of August, 1848, was consummated 
 the marriage of Russell E. Plecock and Miss 
 Sarah N. Davison, and immediately after their 
 marriage they came to the United States. He 
 was born in Canada, December 19, 1816, and 
 first came to Illinois in 1837, locating on the Fox 
 
53° 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 river, where for some time he worked at the 
 mason's trade. Later he went to what is now 
 the city of Chicago, and in 1841, came to Mar- 
 shall county. After working at his trade in 
 Henry, in 1857, he removed to a farm a mile 
 north of that city, which he made his home until 
 his death February 22, 1889. He was one of the 
 family of ten children born to Nathan and Eliza- 
 beth Hecock. His sister Elizabeth is the widow 
 of John Hindmarsh, who was killed by lightning 
 and was the first to be interred in the new Henry 
 cemetery. Another sister, Minerva, is the wife 
 of a Mr. Gyle, of Canada. Mr. Hecock was a 
 charter member of the Odd Fellows society of 
 Henry, and was one of the honored pioneers 
 and well known citizens of Marshall county. For 
 four years after her husband's death, Mrs. He- 
 cock continued upon the farm, and then re- 
 moved to Henry, where she later became the 
 wife of Mr. Divelbiss. She is a most highly 
 esteemed lady and a worthy member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 With her for the past twenty years has re- 
 sided Miss Mary E. Smith, a daughter of Thomas 
 T. and Maria R. (Eggleston) Smith, natives of 
 Westchester county, New York, both now de- 
 ceased, the former dying in 1866, at the age of 
 fifty-eight years, and the latter in 1859, at the age 
 of fifty-two. Mary E. is the youngest of their three 
 children, the oldest being Warren E. and the 
 other Prosper E., who was a soldier in the Union 
 army during the civil war. Her maternal grand- 
 father. Prosper Eggleston, was a revolutionary 
 soldier, and erected his house on the site where 
 General Washington camped. In 1872, Miss 
 Smith came to Illinois, and soon afterward took 
 up her abode with Mrs. Divelbiss. She too is a 
 faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church. 
 
 EBENEZER S. PHELPS, a leading furniture 
 dealer and undertaker of Princeton, where 
 he established his present business in i860, is a 
 native of Hampshire county, Massachusetts, and 
 a son of Charles and Mary Phelps, whose births 
 
 also occurred in the old bay state. In Princeton 
 our subject was reared and educated, having 
 come here with his parents in 1836, and at 
 Springfield, Illinois, learned the cabinetmaker's 
 trade. From 1856 until 1859 ^^ worked at his 
 trade at Cedar Falls, Black Hawk county, Iowa, 
 and then returned to Princeton, where for a time 
 he was employed with his father-in-law, E. M. 
 Fisher, in the circuit clerk's office. 
 
 As before stated, Mr. Phelps began the fur- 
 niture business in i860, under the firm name of 
 W. H. Green & Company, but a year later pur- 
 chased his partner's interest, conducting the busi- 
 ness alone until 1870, under the name of E. S. 
 Phelps. For three years the firm was then Phelps 
 Brothers, his partner being his brother George, 
 who returned to Massachusetts. Then Charles 
 Phelps, his father, took brother George's place 
 under the style of E. S. Phelps & Company, and 
 this partnership lasted until the death of the 
 father, in July, 1874. In 1882, our subject sold 
 out to P. J. Newell. In 1889, Mr. Phelps re- 
 sumed business again, becoming a member of 
 the firm of Phelps, Houck & Company, which 
 was composed of E. S. Phelps, C. W. Carpenter 
 and G. W. Houck. Our subject purchased jNIr. 
 Houck's interest in 1892, and the firm name has 
 since been changed to The Phelps Furniture 
 Company, Mr. Carpenter still retaining his share 
 in the concern. They carry a large and complete 
 stock of furniture in order to satisfy the de- 
 mands of their extensive trade, and their under- 
 taking establishment is also complete, including 
 a fine hearse. They receive a liberal share of the 
 pubHc patronage, and their business is on a good 
 and solid footing. 
 
 On the 20th of December, 1857, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Phelps and Miss Sarah A. 
 Fisher, daughter of E. M. and Jane Fisher, of 
 Belmont county, Ohio. One child graces their 
 union, Harry P., now in the boot and shoe busi- 
 ness in Kansas City, Missouri. He married 
 Emma Farnham, daughter of Rev. Lucien Farn- 
 ham, one of the oldest ministers in the Congrega- 
 tional church, of Princeton, Illinois, and who 
 died at Newark, Kendall county, Illinois. The 
 
E. S. PlIELl'S. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 533 
 
 wife of our subject is an earnest member of the 
 Congregational church of Princeton, wliilc so- 
 cially he is connected with the Masonic order, 
 and politically is a firm prohibitionist. They are 
 well known and highly respected citizens, and 
 have a host of warm personal friends in the 
 community. 
 
 J A:\IES E. PORTERFIELD, manager and 
 stockholder of the Toluca Lumber & Hard- 
 \\are Company, and one of the wide-awake and 
 energetic business men of Toluca, is a native son 
 of Illinois, his birth occurring near Dover, in 
 Bureau county, October 9, 1849, ^"d with the 
 commercial and agricultural interests of this sec- 
 tion of the state he has been prominently identi- 
 fied. His father, James Porterfield, Sr., was a 
 native of Belmont county, Ohio, and a son of 
 John Porterfield, who was born in the north of 
 Ireland, and on coming to the new world first 
 located in Pennsylvania, but finally settled in Bel- 
 mont county, Ohio, where he engaged in farm- 
 ing throughout the remainder of his life. In his 
 family were sixteen children, all of whom reached 
 years of maturity. The father of our subject was 
 reared and educated in the county of his nativity, 
 and in 1836 emigrated to Bureau county, Illinois, 
 where he married Eliza Brigham, a native of 
 Xew Hampshire, and they became the parents of 
 three children: Joseph B., of Normal, Illinois, 
 who is married and has two children; John, of 
 Fullerton, Nebraska, who is married and has six 
 children, and James E., of this reviews After the 
 death of his first wife the father was again mar- 
 ried, but had no children by the second union. 
 
 James Porterfield, Sr., was one of the honored 
 pioneers of Bureau county, where he entered 
 government land, and although he was in limited 
 circumstances on his arrival, by industry, enter- 
 prise and good management, became well-to-do. 
 Being a strong anti-slavery man, he assisted 
 many a helpless negro on his way to Canada and 
 freedom, and aided Lovejoy and Holbrook in 
 their good work. He was a consistent and ac- 
 tive member of the Congregational church. His 
 
 oldest son was in the one hundred days service 
 during- the civil war. 
 
 Upon the home farm in Bureau county our 
 subject grew to manhood, and besides the coun- 
 try schools also attended an academy. At tJie 
 age of nineteen he began teaching, which pro- 
 fession he successfully followed for four years. 
 On the 25th of December, 1872, Mr. Porter- 
 field was united in marriage with Miss Icedora 
 Miller, daughter of Henry J. and Jennie (Will- 
 iams) Miller. Two daughters blessed their union: 
 Edna, who was born near Spring Valley, ac- 
 ciuired her education in Princeton and at Oberlin 
 college, Ohio. She is now the wife of C. A. 
 Brown, of Princeton, by whom she has one son, 
 James E. Ada Lois, the younger daughter, is at 
 home. 
 
 For a few years after his marriage, Mr. Porter- 
 field followed farming in Illinois, and then re- 
 moved to Wilson county, Kansas, where he dealt 
 in live stock for over a year. On account of his 
 wife's health he returned to Bureau county, 
 where he remained until 1881, when he went to 
 Emporia, Kansas, where for a year he engaged 
 in stock dealing. Subsequently he purchased 
 land in Greenwood county, that state, where he 
 still owns eight hundred and seventy-five acres of 
 productive and well stocked land. Two years 
 later he again came to Illinois, this time locating 
 in La Salle, where he engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of brick and tile for a short time, and then re- 
 moved to a farm near Spring Valley. Later he 
 became connected with the Spring A^alley Coal 
 Company, and in 1885 again turned his attention 
 to agricultural pursuits, which he followed for 
 three years. On the expiration of that time he 
 embarked in the grocery and shoe business at 
 Spring Valley, being at that place during the 
 memorable miners' strike. For a few years he 
 was in the employ of a lumber firm in that city, 
 and in 1893 came to Toluca, to accept his present 
 position, which he has since filled to the satis- 
 faction of all parties concerned. He is also a 
 director and stockholder in the First National 
 bank of Toluca, and secretary of the Devlin Coal 
 company. He is a man of good executive ability. 
 
534 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 sound judgment, and is one of the most capable 
 business men of Marsliall county. 
 
 Mr. Porterfield is a firm adherent in the princi- 
 ples of the republican party, which he has always 
 supported since casting his first vote for General 
 Grant in 1872, but has never cared for the honors 
 or emoluments of public office, preferring to give 
 his exclusive time and attention to his business 
 interests. He is a faithful member of the Congre- 
 gational church, and while a resident of Spring 
 Valley served as trustee of the church at that 
 place. 
 
 ELIZA A. CAAIP, nee Ham, widow of Abner 
 Camp, is one of the honored and highly 
 esteemed residents of Henry, Illinois. She was 
 born in Dover, New Hampshire, April 27, 1817, 
 and is a daughter of Titus and Nancy (Purse) 
 Ham, natives of New Hampshire and Massa- 
 chusetts respectively. She is descended from 
 good old Revolutionary stock, her parental grand- 
 father having aided the colonies in their struggle 
 for independence, while her father was a valiant 
 soldier of the war of 1812. By occupation the 
 latter was a farmer, and was a man widely and 
 favorably known. He died at Dover, New Hamp- 
 shire, as did also his faithful wife. In their family 
 were eight children, two sons and six daughters, 
 of whom four are still living. Mary, a sister of 
 our subject, is the wife of David Littlefield, of 
 New Hampshire; Louisa is the widow of Leander 
 Hough, and a resident of Massachusetts; and 
 Carrie E. completes the family. 
 
 Since 1852, Mrs. Camp has been a resident of 
 Plenry, Illinois, where was celebrated her mar- 
 riage with Abner Camp in 1853. He was a native 
 of New York, and from 1870, until 1887, con- 
 ducted a hotel at Henry, of which place he was an 
 old and respected resident. In pohtics he was an 
 ardent republican, and was a great temperance 
 worker. He was well known and honored 
 throughout the community as a man of inflexible 
 honor and stability of character. 
 
 Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Camp: Clara Belle, who is with her mother, and 
 Charles A., who is now conducting the Camp 
 
 house. He married Miss Ella S. Leech, a native 
 of Hennepin, Illinois, and to them was born a 
 son, Ivan C, who was born in 1882, and died in 
 1887. The primary education of Charles A. 
 Camp was obtained in the public schools of 
 Henry, and he later attended Grand Prairie semi- 
 nary, where he was graduated in 1875. Two 
 years later he took charge of the hotel, which he 
 has since successfully carried on. Since Mr. 
 Camp took charge of the Camp hotel, he has 
 made many improvements, among which is a 
 bath house, where the luxury of a hot sulphur 
 bath can always be had. The Camp house is 
 widely known for its good table and hospitable 
 management, and is the leading and most popu- 
 lar hostelry of the city and county. He is a 
 recognized leader in the republican party of this 
 community, and on that ticket was twice elected 
 alderman of Henry. He is now acceptably serv- 
 ing his second year as mayor of the city. The 
 system of putting down permanent cement walks 
 was inaugurated by Mayor Camp and has been 
 pretty thoroughly carried out, and few cities in 
 the state are supplied with better sidewalks. He 
 also had established a curb line which was a much 
 needed reform. The manner in which its various 
 public interests are being managed and adjusted 
 gives ample evidence of the efficiency and good 
 judgment of its present head. 
 
 HENRY WINK. Among the citizens of 
 Toluca who are of German birth is the 
 gentleman of whom this narrative is written. He 
 was reared in his native land, and there learned 
 the traits of economy and frugality which have 
 been the source of his present competency. Many 
 of the best citizens of Marshall county are his 
 countrymen, and they almost invariably merit 
 and receive the esteem and respect of the com- 
 munity to the same degree that he does. For 
 several years he was actively engaged in farming, 
 but is now living a retired life. 
 
 Mr. Wink was born in Kur Hassen, Germany, 
 July 19, 1832, a son of Herman and Elizabeth 
 (Eigenbroedt) Wink, and was reared in the usual 
 manner of farmer boys. Until fourteen years of 
 
THE ISIOCRAPIIICAL RECORD. 
 
 535 
 
 age he attended school, and then began learning 
 the tailor's trade, bnt did not follow the same long- 
 as his services were needed upon the home farm. 
 At the age of twenty- he entered the German 
 army, in which he valiantly served for three years, 
 and at one time his regiment was ordered to the 
 front in the Crimean war, but the order was 
 countermanded before they started. 
 
 In 1856, ^Ir. \A'ink bade good-by to the friends 
 and scenes of his youth, and at Bremen took 
 passage on a sailing vessel bound for America, 
 which it reached after a voyage of eight weeks 
 and four days. Landing at New Orleans, he 
 came up the Mississippi to St. Louis, a trip that 
 required twelve days, and near that city worked 
 on a farm for one year. Subsequently he was 
 similarly employed for the same length of time in 
 Putnam county, Illinois, and then operated a 
 rented farm for a couple of years. 
 
 In Putnam county, November 19, 1858, Mr. 
 Wink was united in marriage with Miss Anna 
 Henn, with whom he was acquainted in the 
 fatherland, she too being a native of Germany. 
 Four children came to bless their union : Joseph 
 is a well educated man, having attended school 
 at Lacon, Rvitland and Chicago. Henry J., who 
 is living on the old home farm, is married and has 
 one son, George. Lizzie is the wife of Plenry 
 Falk, a farmer of Bennington township, Marshall 
 county, by whom she has two children, William 
 and Dora. Annie is the wife of Conrad Leesge, 
 also a farmer of Bennington township, and they 
 have one child, Edgar, born July 4, 1895. Mr. 
 Wink has been called upon to mourn the loss of 
 his wife, who passed away on the ist of August, 
 1896, and was laid to rest in the German burying 
 ground near La Rose. She was a highly es- 
 teemed lady, and a member of the Lutheran 
 church, to which her husband and children also 
 belong. 
 
 In 1863, Mr. Wink came to Marshall county, 
 and for five years cultivated a rented farm in Belle 
 Plain township, after which he purchased one 
 hundred and twenty-frve acres in Bennington 
 township, that he still owns. Later he added to 
 this another eighty acres, and continued the culti- 
 
 vation and improvement of his land until Decem- 
 ber, 1892, when he removed to Toluca, where the 
 year previously he had established the fourth 
 store in the place, then being conducted by his 
 son. He is now, however, living retired, enjoying 
 the fruits of his former toil. After taking out his 
 naturalization papers he voted for Lincoln in 
 1864, but is now independent in politics, support- 
 ing the man whom he considers best qualified for 
 the office, regardless of party ties. He has 
 served as a delegate to various conventions, and 
 has held the offices of assessor for three terms 
 and collector once. Coming to this country in 
 limited circumstances he has been the architect 
 of his own fortunes, and is deserving of the high- 
 est commendation. Possessing the esteem and 
 respect of the entire community, he may well be 
 ranked among the honest and representative Ger- 
 man citizens of Marshall county. His honor and 
 integrity are unimpeachable, his word being con- 
 sidered as good as his bond, 
 
 GEORGE M. LOCKE, salesman for the 
 White Bronze Monumental Works, of 
 Bridgeport, Connecticut, is a well known and 
 leading citizen of Henry, Illinois. He was born 
 in Knox county, this state, April 20, 1841, and 
 traces his ancestry back to Capt. John Locke, 
 who came to the new world from Yorkshire, 
 England, in 1638, and located first at Dover, New- 
 Hampshire, whence he removed to Fort Point, 
 the same state, in 1652. He married Elizabeth, 
 the daughter of Wilham Berry, the first settler of 
 Hampton, New Hampshire, locating at what is 
 now Sandy Beach, but was then called Rye 
 Beach. There the Locke family meet annually 
 on the 24th of August to celebrate the anniver- 
 sary of John Locke. They come from nearly 
 every state of the Union, and often as' high as 
 three hundred will be present. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, John 
 Locke, the fifth in descent from Capt. John 
 Locke, known as "Honest John, the miller," was 
 born in 1769, and married Mercy Dame, by 
 whom he had the following children: Sarah, 
 Daniel, William, Elizabeth, Abner, John, Abigail, 
 
536 
 
 THE DlDGRAPI-irCAL RECORD. 
 
 Abner D., Silas, Sampson B. and Mercy D. The 
 father of this family was the owner of a grist mill, 
 and as toll keeper derived his title of "Honest 
 John," by never exacting more than the right 
 amount of toll. He and his family were all born 
 at Barrington, New Hampshire. 
 
 Capt. John Locke was an energetic man, noted 
 for his bravery in defending the town of Barring- 
 ton from the Indians, but at the hands of the red 
 men he met his death. While at work in the 
 harvest field, August 24, 1696, he was attacked 
 by eight Indians, but succeeded in killing seven 
 of them with the sickle he was using, which is 
 now numbered among the relics of the Historical 
 society of New Hampshire. The boy who was 
 with him in the field escaped by hiding in a 
 shock of grain, and by him the story was told. 
 The place where he was killed was formerly 
 known as Joselyns Neck, but was subsequently 
 changed to Locke's Neck. Our subject has in 
 his possession a scalping hatchet used by the 
 Indians, and given him by his maternal grand- 
 father, Ephraim Hoyt. 
 
 His parents, Silas and Hannah L. (Hoyt) 
 Locke, were natives of Barrington, New Hamp- 
 shire, and Remsen, Oneida county. New York, 
 respectively, and in their family were four chil- 
 dren: George M., Silas H., Washington B., de- 
 ceased, and Mercy V. The mother, who was 
 born February 5, 1807, is still living in Henry in 
 the enjoyment of good health, and is one of the 
 honored pioneers of the state, having come here 
 with her parents in 1835. She is a relative of 
 General Sherman, through the Hoyt family, her 
 mother and the general's mother being first 
 cousins. 
 
 Silas Locke, the father of our subject, was born 
 November 17, 1807, and early in life served as 
 foreman in a carpenter shop in Boston. On 
 coming to Illinois he first located in Tazewell 
 county, but after his marriage went to house- 
 keeping in a little cabin near Victoria, Knox 
 county, which is still standing. In 1844, he came 
 to Henry, where his death occurred on the 2nd of 
 February, 1849. Here he erected what is now the 
 Paskell hotel with the distinct understanding that 
 
 no intoxicants would be furnished. He issued 
 his manifesto that there would be plenty to eat 
 and drink except liquor. It was the first hotel 
 which refused to supply intoxicants, but it met 
 with success. His house was open for services 
 of any religious denomination, Protestant or 
 Catholic. For a number of years he was an ac- 
 tive member and leader of the choir in the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church, but finally withdrew, 
 though he always attended services. He was 
 very strict in his observance of the Sabbath and 
 all religious duties. Being a fine musician, his 
 services were in demand at an early day in giv- 
 ing lessons in that art. He was an enthusiastic 
 supporter of General Harrison during the cam- 
 paign of 1840, and built a log cabin on wheels 
 which he took around tO' the different rallies in 
 Knox county. He was a prominent and influ- 
 ential citizen, and has the respect and confidence 
 of all with whom he came in contact. 
 
 Silas H. Locke, Jr., the brother of our subject, 
 enlisted in October, 1864, in Company D, Forty- 
 seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served 
 until the close of the war. Subsequently he re- 
 moved to Minnesota, where his death occurred 
 October 30, 1872, at the age of thirty years. 
 Mercy Victoria, the only sister, is the wife of E. 
 H. Hutchins, a merchant of Henry. 
 
 In the schools of Henry, George M. Locke 
 acquired his education, and in i860 and 1861 en- 
 gaged in teaching. On the i6th of August, of 
 the latter year, he became a private of Company 
 D, Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry, but in 1862 
 and 1863, served as clerk at General Mower's 
 headquarters, and was subsequently appointed 
 sergeant major of the regiment, in which capacity 
 he served until mustered out October 11, 1864. 
 He took part in the battles of New Madrid, Point 
 Pleasant, Island No. 10, Farmington, May 9, 
 1862, and Jackson, May 14; siege of Corinth, 
 May 28 and 29; luka, September 19; Corinth, 
 October 3 and 4; the siege of Vicksburg, May 
 22, 1863; Mechanicsburg, 1863. Here he did a 
 great deal of writing for General Sherman. He 
 was taken seriously ill with malarial fever, and as 
 he refused to^go to the hospital was taken care of 
 
THE lUOCRAl 
 
 :l^:CORD, 
 
 537 
 
 by three plnrsicians at headquarters. He secured 
 a leave of absence for a montli, and came home, 
 \\hen he was so weak he \\-as unable to walk. He 
 was on special detail at Springfield in 1864 secur- 
 ing and transferring substitutes and recruits for 
 the service. 
 
 On being mustered out, Mr. Locke returned 
 home, and was again offered the school which 
 he had previovisly taught, but declined to accept 
 it, and embarked in the hardware business at 
 Henry. Owing to ill health, at the end of a year 
 he disposed of the business, and removed to a 
 farm in Putnam county, now known as the Un- 
 derclifif Summer Resort. Later in connection 
 with a partner he carried on the lumber and hard- 
 ware business, and was the first to bring the 
 Marsh harvesters, automatic binders, sulky and 
 gang plows into the county. On the division of 
 his father's estate, the old Planter House fell to 
 Silas H., who kept it for a time, wlien our sub- 
 ject purchased, running it about six months and 
 then leased it to the present popular proprietor, 
 who subsequently purchased and still runs it. 
 ]\fr. Locke is now doing an excellent business 
 as agent for metal monuments made of zinc, 
 which are manufactured at Bridgeport, Connec- 
 ticut and are noted for their durability. It is 
 claimed for them that they never grow old or 
 attract moss or lichens, and will be as good at 
 the end of two thousand years as a stone monu- 
 ment would be at the end of forty, while their ex- 
 pense is not more than the best stone. 
 
 On the loth of October, 1867, Mr. Locke was 
 united in marriage with Afiss Samantha E. Kitt- 
 redge, the only child that grew up of Leonard and 
 Miriam (Hurd) Kittredge, who were born near 
 Bedford, New Hampshire. On coming west her 
 parents located in the southwestern part of Mar- 
 shall county, where Mrs. Locke was born. Her 
 father, whose birth occurred June 22, 1812, is still 
 living where he first settled, but the mother died 
 July I, 1895, at the age of eighty-two ycar^^. 
 
 Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Locke, namely: Clara V., married June 11, 1890, ,, 
 wife of James A. Speers, a farmer of Stark coun-J 
 ty, Illinois; Leonard, who died at the age of affi 
 
 year and a half; George, also deceased; Latha 
 Kittredge, Miriam H., and Bessie, who died at 
 the age of five years. The parents and children 
 are members of the Congregational church, and 
 the fahiily is one of prominence in Henry. Form- 
 erly, Mr. Locke was a republican in politics, but 
 now gives his earnest support to the prohibition 
 party, and socially is connected with the Grand 
 Army of the Republic. He is a worthy repre- 
 sentative of one of the honored pioneer families 
 of ^larshall county, with whose interests he has 
 been identified for half a century, and those who 
 have known him longest are numbered among 
 his stanchest friends. 
 
 WILLIAM M. REPINE. One of the 
 prominent representatives of the jour- 
 nalistic profession in Bureau county is the gen- 
 tleman whose name heads this brief notice, the 
 well kndwn editor and proprietor of the Tiskilwa 
 Chief. He was born in Indiana county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, January 18, 1865, a son of J. W. and 
 Hannah Repine, the former of French and the 
 latter of German descent. In the keystone state 
 the father engaged in merchandising. 
 
 Our subject spent the first thirteen years of 
 his life in his native state, and then accompanied 
 his parents to Rock Island, Illinois, thence to 
 Reynolds, afterward to Millersburg, and from 
 there to Woodhull, Illinois, where he learned the 
 printer's trade. At Reynolds he attended the 
 public schools, and in 1882 graduated from the 
 high school of Millersburg. 
 
 Having mastered his trade, Mr. Repine estab- 
 lished the Woodhull Gazette in 1885, which ven- 
 ture did not prove a success, and he removed to 
 New Windsor, Illinois, where for a year and a 
 half he published the New Windsor Gazette. On 
 the expiration of that period he came to Tiskilwa, 
 where in 1887 he established the Chief, which en- 
 tered at nnce upon a prosperous era, and to-day is 
 recognized as one of the leading journals of the 
 county. It has a circulation of six hundred copies 
 as well as an extra large advertising patronage. 
 bit is published every Wednesda>', and has now 
 ientered upon the ninth year of its existence. A 
 
538 
 
 THE BLOCRA, 
 
 R2CORD. 
 
 Avell equipped job printing establishment is run 
 in connection witli tlie paper, which also enjoys a 
 large patronage. 
 
 On the 3d of July, 1886, Mr. Repine was united 
 in marriage with Miss Theodocia Burd, of Wood- 
 hullj where she was educated in the public 
 schools. Her father. Rev. J. W. Burd, was at one 
 time a presiding elder, and was one of the bright- 
 est orators of his day, while her mother \\as a 
 descendant of the Hammond family of Pennsyl- 
 vania, one of the oldest and wealthiest families of 
 that state. Mr. and Mrs. Repine have two chil- 
 dren — Etta, born February 13, 1889; and Ruth, 
 born June 16, 1891. 
 
 On attaining his majority, Mr. Repine was 
 a strong prohibitionist, and in 1884 ran for the 
 legislature on that ticket, but for several years 
 has been a conservative voter. He held the office 
 of town clerk of New Windsor, and is now one 
 of the school directors of the Tiskihva public 
 schools. A prominent member of the Masonic 
 order, he is at present holding his membership in 
 Grove Lodge, No. 824, F. & A. M., of Downers 
 Grove, Illinois, of which he was the first worship- 
 ful master, having organized the lodge under dis- 
 pensation in 1892. He was installed under char- 
 ter by Grand Master L. A. Goddard of Chicago. 
 In religious belief he is an Episcopalian, belong- 
 ing to St. Jude's church of Tiskilwa. He is one 
 of the valued and prominent citizens of that place, 
 highly respected by all who know him. 
 
 JOHN SPENCER BURT, editor of the 
 Henry Semi-Weekly Times, is one of the 
 ablest journalists of Marshall county, and one of 
 the prominent and representative citizens of 
 Henry. He was born on the i6th of ]\Iarch, 1834, 
 in Hartford, Connecticut, a son of George Burt, 
 whose birth occurred in New York, January 26, 
 i8o'6. In early life the father was a tanner and 
 currier, but after coming to ?\farshall county, Illi- 
 nois, in 1846, turned his attention to agricultural 
 pursuits. Pie held several minor offices, includ- 
 ing those of school director, tax assessor and 
 town clerk, the duties of \vhich he discharged in 
 a most capable manner. He was a faithful mem- 
 
 ber of the Baptist church, with which he was 
 officially connected, and by his honorable, up- 
 right life gained the confidence and respect of all 
 who knew him. He died at the ripe old age of 
 eighty-two years. 
 
 In Hartford, Connecticut, in May, 1833, was 
 celebrated the marriage of George Burt and i\Iiss 
 Jerusha Spencer, who was born in 1800, and died 
 in 1882. She was reared a Presbyterian, to which 
 belief she always adhered. Our subject is the 
 oldest of their five children, the others being as 
 follows: George, editor of the Henry Repub- 
 lican; Clarence E., who operates the old home 
 farm; Cornelia E., twin sister of Clarence, and 
 the wife of George Losee, of Lake City, Iowa, 
 and Elizabeth R., who died at the age of twenty- 
 five years. 
 
 At Knox college and Lombard university of 
 Galesburg, Illinois, our subject completed his lit- 
 erary education, and later successfully engaged 
 in teaching for some years in Marshall and Put- 
 nam counties. While thus employed the civil 
 war broke out, and he enlisted April 25, 1861, in 
 Company D, First Illinois Cavalry, but was not 
 mustered in until the follo^^■ing July. Being taken 
 a prisoner at Lexington, he was parolled and sent 
 horne. Later the company was called into service 
 by the officers, but were mustered out again 
 when it was learned that they were parolled men. 
 
 Mr. Burt again followed the teacher's profes- 
 sion until 1869, when he established a news and 
 notion store in Henry, which he conducted until 
 1888, since which time it has been successfully 
 carried on by his wife. In the latter year he pur- 
 chased the Henry AA'eekly Times, and has ever 
 since been engaged in its management. In May, 
 1894, he started the Semi-Weekly Times, which 
 is issued Tuesdays and Fridays. It now has a 
 large and constantly increasing circulation, which 
 is certainly justly merited, as it is a bright, newsy 
 sheet, neatly and well printed, and the editorials 
 show deep culture. The Times also publishes the 
 "Poultrydom," a monthly magazine devoted to 
 the interests of poultry raising. It is now in its 
 second volume and is successful. 
 
 On the 1 2th of April, 1868, Mr. Burt was united 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 539 
 
 in marriage with ^Hss Julia Chapman, a native 
 of IlHnois, and a daughter of Hiram and Eleanor 
 (Rogers) Chapman. One son has been born of 
 this imion — Robert F., who was married in Janu- 
 ary, 1896, to Elizabeth Smith, of Henry, and 
 assists his father in the ofifice. 
 
 Politically, ;\Ir. Burt affiliates with the demo- 
 cratic party, and fraternally is connected with the 
 Odd Fellows society, in which he has filled all the 
 chairs, and is a member of the Lookout Aloun- 
 tain post, G. A. R., of Henry, of which he is the 
 present adjutant. His genuine worth gives him a 
 high place in the regard of his fellow citizens, and 
 in social as well as business circles he holds an 
 enviable position. 
 
 WILLIA:M W. twist, the present efficient 
 postmaster of Toluca, is one of the most 
 popular and influential citizens of that thriving 
 little village, of which he is really the founder, 
 and with whose interests he has been closely 
 identified since it sprang into existence. He is a 
 native of Alarshall county, his birth occurring 
 near the present town of \^arna, April 2, 1842, 
 and is a son of J. W. and ^lary (Davison) Twist. 
 
 The father was born in London, England, but 
 when a mere boy was brought to America by his 
 parents, who located in New York city, where 
 he grew to manhood, and with his father, John 
 Twist, learned the cabinetmaker's trade. There 
 he wedded Mary Davison, a native of that city, 
 and soon afterward came to Illinois, becoming- 
 one of the early pioneers of Marshall county, and 
 one of its well-to-do farmers. He was a worthy 
 and prominent citizen, a democrat in politics, 
 and was called upon to serve in various township 
 offices. His death occurred in 1883, but his faith- 
 ful wife is still living. Of the three children bom 
 to them James died in the spring of 1895, leav- 
 ing a family, who still make their home in Mar- 
 shall county, and Mary is the wife of Leander 
 Burns, of Scotland county, Missouri. 
 
 Our subject, who is the oldest of the famil\', 
 spent his boyhood days in much the usual man- 
 ner of farmer lads, assisting in the labors of tho 
 fields and acquiring his education in the public 
 
 schools. At the age of twenty-one he began life 
 on his own account as a farmer upon rented 
 land, but soon began speculating in property, in 
 which venture he was very successful. In 1875 
 he invested in land on which the village of Toluca 
 now stands, purchasing an eighty-acre tract be- 
 fore the railroad was constructed, and carrying 
 on farming. It was in 1887 that the railroad was 
 built, and two years later he laid out the town, 
 but in 1892 sold out to the Devlin Coal company. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four years, Mr. Twist was 
 united in marriage with Aliss Louisa Palmer, of 
 Marshall county, who died in 1886. On the loth 
 of September, 1896, he led to the marriage altar 
 ]Mrs. May Aloffett, nee Saxton, a native of New 
 York. 
 
 Mr. Twist is one of the leaders of the demo- 
 cratic party in the community, has served as a 
 delegate to its various conventions and labored 
 hard for its success. He has filled all the town- 
 ship offices with the exception of supervisor and 
 justice of the peace, which he refused to accept, 
 was made the first postmaster of Toluca, but 
 after serving for fourteen months resigned. How- 
 ever, he was again appointed in 1893, and is still 
 filling the position with credit to himself and to 
 the satisfaction of the rnany patrons of the office. 
 As a man of sound judgment and intelligence, he 
 is well worthy of representation in a work of this 
 kind, and his many friends have been attracted 
 to him by his geniality and kindness. Those 
 who have known him longest have for him the 
 highest regard, a fact which certainly indicates 
 an honorable and well spent life. 
 
 WILLIAM R. STRATTON, a well known 
 resident of Toluca, was born on the 25th 
 of August, 1854, in Richland township, Marshall 
 countv, lUinois, and is a worthy representative of 
 one of its honored and highly respected families. 
 His parents, James and Marcia (Chalcraft) Strat- 
 ton, were both natives of England, the former 
 born in 1820, and the latter in 1826. When chil- 
 dren they accompanied their respective parents 
 to America, and both became residents of In- 
 diana, where they met and were married. Tlie 
 
540 
 
 THE BIOiGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 paternal grandfather, John Stratton, located near 
 Evansville, where he engaged in farming until his 
 death. 
 
 For some time after their marriage, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stratton continued to reside in the hoosier 
 state, and there two children were born to them, 
 while the birth of our subject occurred the year 
 after their arrival in Marshall county, Illinois. 
 For a few years the father rented land here, and 
 then purchased a tract on section 9, Bennington 
 township, near the present site of Toluca. He 
 became a well-to-do and prosperous farmer, mak- 
 ing the most of his opportunities, and in politics 
 was an adherent of republican principles. He 
 has now passed away, but his excellent wife still 
 survives him, making her home near Toluca. 
 
 Ten children were born to this worthy couple, 
 nine of whom are still living, namely: Mrs. Ruth 
 A. Ball, now a widow, living west of Toluca, and 
 the mother of four children; James, who died at 
 the age of eight years; William R., of this sketch; 
 David, a resident of Memphis, Missouri, who is 
 married and has four children; Mary E., wife of 
 Marion J. French, of Evans township, Marshall 
 county, by whom she has three children; Marcia 
 Louisa, wife of Frank L. Carithers, of Benning- 
 ton township, by whom she has three children; 
 Sarah L., wife of J. P. Litchfield, of Toluca, by 
 whom she has two children; Ada Naomi, wife of 
 R. L Litchfield; and James L. and Emma M., 
 still at home with their mother. 
 
 During his boyhood and youth our subject at- 
 tended the common schools near his home, and 
 remained under the parental roof until thirty-four 
 years of age. For his faithful service there his 
 father gave him eighty acres of land, on which 
 there was an indebtedness of one thousand dol- 
 lars. For three years he continued its cultivation 
 and improvement and then removed to Toluca, 
 where he has now made his home for over five 
 years. At first he was employed in a lumber 
 yard. 
 
 On the 2d of November, 1887, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Stratton and Miss Martha J., 
 daughter of John and Emily Litchfield, whose 
 sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Four 
 
 children have come to bless this union, namely: 
 Arthur, born February 26, 1890; Lucile, born 
 February 5, 1892, and Earl, born February 3, 
 1894. 
 
 Mr. Stratton has been a strong republican in 
 politics since voting for R. B. Hayes in 1876, but 
 cares nothing for the honors or emoluments of 
 public office. He is a straightforward, honorable 
 citizen, and has made many warm friends 
 throughout the community. 
 
 WILLL\^'I CRISMAN, residing on section 
 9, Macon township, Bureau county, Illi- 
 nois, has been a resident of the county since 
 April 7, 1855. He is a native of Bedford 
 county, Pennsylvania, born in St. Clair town- 
 ship, Denens' Creek, June 26, 1825, and is the 
 sixth in a family of fifteen children born to 
 William and ?\Iargaret (Wisecarver) Crisman, of 
 whom six are now living — John, is a resident 
 of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and is a farmer 
 by occupation, is married and has seven children; 
 Eve, is the widow of Solomon Beegle, is also a 
 resident of Bedford county, as is also Eliza, 
 widow of David Icakes ; William is next in order 
 of birth; Closes, is a farmer residing in Blair 
 county, Pennsylvania, is married and has six 
 children ; Joseph, is also a farmer by occupation, 
 and resides in Adams county, Nebraska, is mar- 
 ried and has eight children. 
 
 AVilliam Crisman, the father of our subject, 
 was also a native of Bedford county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, of German ancestry, as also his wife, and 
 was educated in the primitive schools of his day. 
 He was, however, practically a self-educated man, 
 and followed the occupation of a farmer during 
 his entire life. Politically he was a democrat, but 
 never aspired to any official position. In addi- 
 tion to his agricultural pursuits, he for a short 
 time engaged in surveying, being a skilful sur- 
 veyor. Both himself and wife were earnest and 
 devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church and died in that faith. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a self-educated and 
 self-made man, his school life being of very lim- 
 ited extent. When he was seventeen years of 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
THE LUOCRAlMdlCAL RECORD. 
 
 543 
 
 a,iL,^e, with the consent of his father, he left the 
 parental home, November 2, 1S42, to learn the 
 trade of a milhvrig'ht, going out from ■ thence 
 without a dollar and with but a single suit of 
 clothes. He spent four years as an apprentice, 
 commencing his trade under AYilliam S. Fluke, 
 of Waterside, Pennsylvania, and finished under 
 Robert Elder, ^\'hen he completed his trade, he 
 had attained his majority and for two years 
 worked as a journeyman in the village of Water- 
 side. About this time he was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elizaljeth Bowser, daughter of John 
 and Margaret (Hisong) Bowser, and a native of 
 Bedford county, where her parents were born, 
 and was born ^larch 3, 1828. They were mar- 
 ried on the 29th of April, 1848, and lived together 
 as man and wife for thirty-seven years, her death 
 occurring October 10, 1885. By this union eight 
 children were born, of whom seven are yet liv- 
 ing—Calvin, is an agriculturist, residing in Ma- 
 con township, is married and has three children. 
 In politics he is a republican and religiously is a 
 Baptist; William A., also residing in Macon 
 township, is married and has five children. Politi- 
 cally he is a republican ; \"iola, is the wife of John 
 Ober, who resides on the old homestead, and 
 has four children. ]\Irs. Ober is a member of 
 the Baptist church. Politically her husband is 
 a republican; flattie L. and Arthur B., twins, are 
 both at home. Mattie was educated in the Buda 
 public schools, and was also a student for a time 
 in the Princeton high school. She has been a 
 successful teacher in Bureau county for some 
 years, and is an accomplished young lady. Car- 
 rie is the wife of Lewis Akin, who is connected 
 with the foundry in Buda. They have three 
 children: Anna is the wife of John G. Ander- 
 son, and resides with her husband on a farm 
 in Macon township. 
 
 In 1854 ^Ir. Crisman decided to move west 
 and came on a prospecting tour, traveling 
 through Iowa and Illinois, finally making choice 
 of Bureau count\'. He then returned home and 
 in April, 1855, ^"^'itli his wife and three children, 
 bade good-bye to the blue Alleghanics and be- 
 came a citizen of the prairie state. On first com- 
 28 
 
 ing to this county he commenced work at his 
 trade of carpentering at what is now the city of 
 Buda, but which then contained but two or three 
 houses, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy rail- 
 road having just been finished to the place. He 
 did not lose a day's time, and for three years re- 
 mained in Buda, working at his trade. At the 
 end of that time he rented land for two years, 
 and finally purchased one hundred and sixty 
 acres of raw prairie land, on which he made a 
 payment of one hundred dollars. He had a 
 friend who aided him at this opportune moment, 
 which enabled him to make the required im- 
 provements u]jon the place. As already stated, 
 Mr. Crisman is a self-made man and by hard 
 labor and strict economy he has become one of 
 the well-to-do farmers of Macon township, as 
 well as one of the leading agriculturists of Bu- 
 reau count)-. He is a gentleman who shares 
 fully the confidence and good opinion of all who 
 know him, and has set a good example to his 
 children, w'hich will be remembered with pride 
 in the }-ears to come. 
 
 Politically, Air. Crisman was formerly a demo- 
 crat and cast his first presidential vote for James 
 K. Polk, and with that party he acted mitil the 
 birth of the republican party in 1856. Since that 
 time he has been an earnest advocate of its prin- 
 ciples. He was a great admirer of Abraham Lin- 
 coln and also of Grant and Garfield. Officially 
 he has been commissioner of his township for 
 years, and in him the public schools have always 
 found an earnest friend, having served on the 
 school board as director and trustee for a period 
 of fourteen years. He has advanced ideas on the 
 qualification of a teacher and does not stand on 
 the dollar in engaging one. Pie has often been 
 selected as a deleg-ate to the state and county con- 
 ventions of his party, and has worthily repre- 
 sented it. 
 
 In the death of his devoted wife, Mr. Crisman 
 \\?s sarljy l)creaved and his children lost a most 
 excellent mother, who was ever ready to make 
 sacrifices for their welfare. She was a devout 
 member of the Baptist church, and died in the 
 hope of the blessed resurrection. Her remains 
 
544 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 were interred in the Hopeland cemetery, west of 
 Buda, where a beautiful monument has been 
 erected, sacred to her memory. Mr. Crisman 
 \'et has his children around him, and is now 
 enjoying that peace which is a Christian's herit- 
 age. He is a member of the Baptist church at 
 Buda, with which he has been identified since its 
 organization in 1857, and aided materially in its 
 advancement. Officially, he is a trustee and dea- 
 con of the church, and takes an active interest 
 in all its work. 
 
 The Crisman homestead is situated three and a 
 half miles southwest of Buda and comprises four 
 hundred acres of beautiful rolling prairie land, 
 with good buildings, and all the improvements 
 which betoken an excellent agriculturist. 
 
 J OHN I. WILKINS, M. D. Among those 
 kj who devote their time and energy to the 
 practice of medicine and have gained a leading 
 place in the ranks of the profession is Dr. Wilkins 
 of Tiskilwa. He is a man of broad mental culture 
 and his deep research into the realms of medical 
 science has made him one of the most able phy- 
 sicians in this section of the state. 
 
 The doctor was born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 
 13th of September, 1827, and spent the days of his 
 boyhood and youth in his native city. Its publx 
 schools afforded him a good literary education, 
 and he afterward took up the study of medicine 
 with the view of making its practice his life work. 
 Completing the regular course of study he was 
 graduated from the Dublin Medical university 
 and later from the Rotunda Female Institute and 
 Lying-in hospital, completing the course in the 
 latter institution in 1852. Soon after his gradua- 
 tion the doctor received an appointment as ph\- 
 sician on one of the Atlantic passenger ships and 
 in that capacity made several voyages across the 
 ocean. He then determined to establish a home 
 in the new world and made his way to Illinois. 
 
 In Bureau county the doctor joined four 
 brothers who had already come to the United 
 States. They emigrated to this country in 1842 
 and first located in Peoria county, Illinois. 
 William W., the eldest brother of the family, was 
 
 an Episcopal clergyman and spent his entire life 
 in Ireland. Of those who became identified with 
 the interests of IlHnois, Charles was the eldest. 
 All were men of broad education, Charles being a 
 graduate of Trinity college ; Edward and Richard 
 of the Royal School of Raphael, and George who 
 was educated in Dublin. After several years' resi- 
 dence in Peoria county, Edward Wilkins died, 
 but Richard and George subsequently came to 
 Bureau county, and later went to Henry county. 
 
 The doctor is now the only survivor of this 
 family. He joined his brothers in Bureau county, 
 and in 1852 established himself in the practice of 
 medicine in Whitefield, where he remained until 
 1857, when he came to Tiskilwa. During the 
 long vears of his residence here he has not only 
 won a liberal patronage but has also gained the 
 high regard of all with whom he has come in 
 contact. At the time of the civil war he put aside 
 all personal considerations to enter the service of 
 his adopted country, enlisting in 1862 as a mem- 
 ber of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry. Later 
 he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 
 Fourteenth Cavalry, and served in that capacity 
 until the close of the war. In the Stoneman raid 
 in Georgia, on the 26th of July, 1864, he was 
 captured and held a prisoner for six months, 
 spending one half of that time in Libby prison. 
 In the early part of 1865 he was exchanged, im- 
 mediately thereafter joined his regiment and con- 
 tinued at the front until July 18, 1865, when the 
 war having ended he was honorably discharged 
 in Pulaski, Tennessee. He at once returned to 
 Tiskilwa, where he has since enjoyed a large and 
 remunerative practice. 
 
 Dr. Wilkins was married in Peoria county, Illi- 
 nois, in 1856, to Miss Mary J. Church, a daughter 
 of William Church, a substantial farmer and 
 prominent citizen. The lady was born in Penn- 
 sylvania, and during her early girlhood came 
 with her parents to Illinois, the family first lo- 
 cating in St. Johns, whence they removed to 
 Pennsylvania, and later came to Illinois. The 
 doctor and his wife have two living children, one, 
 however, being an adopted daughter. Their son, 
 Charles LesHe, is a druggist and pharmacist of 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 545 
 
 Tiskilwa. The daughter, Blanche S., who has 
 Hved with them since the age of three years, is 
 a cultured young lady, still at home. They lost 
 two children: Charlotte Elizabeth, who died of 
 diphtheria at the age of four years, and Mamie, 
 who died at the age of ten years. The doctor and 
 his family are members of the Episcopal church, 
 and their hospitable home is the center of a cul- 
 tured society circle. In politics he has been a 
 stalwart republican since he fought for the old 
 flag on southern battle fields. He has served as 
 alderman, and was president of the board of com- 
 missioners, but has never been an office seeker. 
 He is a [Master Mason, and is a charter member 
 of the Odd Fellows society of Tiskilwa. He also 
 belongs to the County Medical society and for 
 several years has been surgeon of the Rock 
 Island Railroad company. 
 
 ROBERT C.McWILLIAMS,the popular and 
 efficient postmaster of Henry, Illinois, was 
 born in [Mercer county, Pennsylvania, August 19, 
 1 85 1, and is a son of John and Margaret J. (Al- 
 bin) AlcWilliams, natives of Beaver and Mercer 
 counties, Pennsylvania, respectively. The father 
 was born April 24, 1824, and died September 23, 
 1888. He was an extensive farmer of his native 
 state, was widely and favorably known through- 
 out the community in which he lived, as an up- 
 right, honorable man, and justly deserved the 
 high regard in which he was universally held. 
 His wife, who was born November 18, 1825, ,was 
 called to her final rest November 22, 1883. She 
 was an earnest Christian and ardent church work- 
 er, belonging to the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 of which her husband was also a consistent mem- 
 ber. Her father, William Albin, was local minis- 
 ter of that denomination and a very devout man, 
 who rendered most acceptable service to his 
 church in pioneer days. He and his wife, Sarah 
 Albin, have long since passed to their reward. 
 
 Our subject is the second in order of birth in a 
 family of ten children, of whom the others are as 
 follows: Martha, wife of Robert McCune, a resi- 
 dent of Pennsylvania; William, who died at the 
 ago of twenty years; Sarah, wife of John McCon- 
 
 nel, of Clficago; Horatio Seymour, who married 
 Jennie Bell, of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and 
 is now serving as postmaster of Abingdon, Knox 
 county, Illinois; John, of Chicago, who married 
 Nellie Scott, of Chicago; Alice, wife of William J. 
 Hayes, of Crawford county, Pennsylvania; Ed- 
 ward, of Chicago ; James, who died at the age of 
 six years, and Anna, wife of Henry Hayes, of 
 Crawford county, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Robert C. [McWilliams is indebted to the pub- 
 lic schools of his native state for his educational 
 privileges, and after completing his own educa- 
 tion he engaged in teaching for one term. He be- 
 came familiar with the duties of an agriculturist 
 upon the home farm, and after coming west hi 
 April, 1875, worked upon a farm in Knox county, 
 Illinois, for one summer. Going to Galesburg, 
 he secured employment in the corn planter fac- 
 tory of George B. Brown, where he worked at the 
 painter's trade for a year and a half, and was 
 later a clerk in a store. For about twelve years 
 he made Galesburg his home, but in the mean- 
 time he had clerked in the Fair of Chicago one 
 vear, and had engaged in business for himself in 
 [Monmouth, Aledo, Geneseo and Moline. Finally 
 he bought out his old employer, Mr. Pratt, in 
 Galesburg, and there dealt in fancy goods for 
 two vears. Subsequently he followed the same 
 business both in Ottumwa and Fairfield, Iowa. 
 
 On the 14th of June, 1887, Mr. McWilHams 
 settled in Henry, Illinois, when he embarked in 
 the notion business, which he successfully carried 
 on until appointed postmaster May 2, 1894. The 
 first of June, following, he assumed the duties of 
 the office, and disposed of his stock of notions to 
 J. M. Powers, who still conducts the store. Mr. 
 McWilliams devotes his time exclusively to the 
 duties of his office, which he discharges in a 
 most satisfactory manner, and it is seldom that 
 one meets with a more pleasant or accommodat- 
 ing official. Although his residence in Henry is 
 of comparatively short duration, he has gained 
 many warm friends and acquaintances, and all 
 who know him have for him the highest regard. 
 
 In Galesburg, January 4, 1877, Mr. McWill- 
 iams led to the marriage aUar Miss Mary J. Law- 
 
546 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.. 
 
 rence, a daughter of William and Eliza (Parker) 
 Lawrence, natives of Lincolnshire, England, who 
 emigrated to the United States together in 1821, 
 locating in Ohio first, where they were married 
 in 1832. From Ohio they went to Indiana, then 
 in 1852, to Illinois, settling near Knoxville, Knox 
 county, where the father died in 1866, at the age 
 of fifty-six years, and the mother died January 8, 
 1888, at the age of seventy-three years. Both 
 were earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, to which Mrs. McWilliams also belongs. 
 Our subject and his estimable wife have one son, 
 Fred R., born May 2, 1887. In politics Mr. 
 McWilliams is a democrat. 
 
 JOHN P. LITCHFIELD, one of the repre- 
 sentative business men of Toluca, was born 
 on the home farm in Bennington township, Mar- 
 shall county, August 24, 1862, a son of John and 
 Emily (Palmer) Litchfield, whose sketch appears 
 elsewhere in this work. There he passed his boy- 
 hood and youth, assisting in the labors of the 
 fields and attending the district schools. At the 
 age of nineteen, he entered Eureka college, where 
 he pursued his studies for one year, and then en- 
 gaged in teaching in IMarshal! county, his first 
 school being in Evans township. For some time 
 he followed that profession during the winter 
 season, while the summer months were spent in 
 farming. 
 
 On the 27th of December, 1886, was solem- 
 nized the marriage of Mr. Litchfield and Miss 
 Sarah E. Stratton, a native of Bennington town- 
 ship, Marshall county, and a daughter of James 
 and Marcia (Chalcraft) Stratton, a sketch of 
 whom may also be found on another page of this 
 volume. They have become the parents of two 
 interesting children: Rollie J., born on the farm 
 in Belle Plain township, Marshall county, Octo- 
 ber 2, 1889, ^""^^ Leta L., born in Toluca, May 5, 
 
 1895. 
 
 Upon a farm in Belle Plain township, Mr. 
 Litchfield continued to reside until March, 1893, 
 when he removed to Toluca, to accept his present 
 position as clerk in the hardware department of 
 the Toluca Lumber & Hardware Company. He 
 
 is a stockholder and charter member of the same, 
 also a stockholder in the First National bank of 
 Toluca, and interested in the grain business un- 
 der the firm name of Litchfield & Company. He 
 is a straightforward, reliable business man, and 
 wins the confidence of all with whom he comes 
 in contact. 
 
 Mr. Litchfield cast his first presidential vote for 
 Grover Cleveland in 1884, and has since sup- 
 ported the men and measures of the democratic 
 party. He received the nomination for assessor, 
 but was defeated in the great landslide of 1894. 
 In 1893 he was elected village trustee, becoming 
 a member of its first board. He takes a promi- 
 nent and active part in civic societies, having 
 served as secretary and vice-grand in Toluca 
 lodge, I. O. O. F., which he joined in 1894 and is 
 a charter member; as prelate and vice-chancellor 
 of the Knights of Pythias lodge, No. 461, of 
 which he is also a charter member; and as secre- 
 tary of the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 REV. JACOB RINGENBERGER. No man 
 in Bureau county is probably more worthv 
 of representation in a volume of this character 
 than the gentleman whose name introduces this 
 sketch. He is the owner of a good farm of one 
 hundred and sixty acres on section 8, Wheatland 
 township, and is successfully engaged in agricul- 
 tural pursuits. A native of the German father- 
 land, he was born in Bavaria, October 21, 1848, 
 and is a son of Christian Ringenberger, who 
 crossed the Atlantic to America in 1867, and set- 
 tled upon a farm in Bureau county, where his last 
 days were spent, dying in 1890. 
 
 Our subject received a good German education 
 in his native land, but is wholly self-educated in 
 English, being unfamiliar with the language at 
 the time of his arrival here in 1869. In company 
 with his brother John and a friend, he sailed from 
 Bremen and in October of that year reached the 
 shores of the new world. Coming at once to 
 Bureau county, IlUnois, he joined his father and 
 family in Wheatland township, and for about a 
 year worked as a farm hand by the month. He 
 then operated rented land for a number of years, 
 
THE BIOGRAPIlfCAL RECORD. 
 
 547 
 
 leasing the place A\here he now resides for over a 
 decade, after which he purchased it. He has 
 erected a good and substantial house and barn, 
 tiled and improved the land, until to-day it is a 
 highly productive and valuable farm. 
 
 Rev. Ringenberger has been twice married. In 
 Bureau county, in 1877, he wedded Aliss Cath- 
 erine Albright, a daughter of Peter Albright, one 
 of the early pioneers of the county. She died in 
 1880, leaving one daughter, Katie, who resides 
 with her grandmother. In Tazewell county, Illi- 
 nois, in 1881, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Phoebe Sutter, who was born and reared in 
 Germany, and they now have nine children, five 
 sons and four daughters. 
 
 Formerly, Rev. Ringenberger was a democrat 
 in politics and served in several local positions of 
 honor and trust, but at present takes no active 
 part or interest in political affairs. At the age of 
 fifteen years he became a member of the 
 Alennonite church, and was ordained a minister 
 in 1892, since which time he has usually preached 
 every Sunday. He is a devoted, earnest Chris- 
 tian, and in the work of the ministry has done 
 effective service for the cause of Christ. As a 
 citizen he is well worthy the high regard in which 
 he is universally held, and his friends are many 
 throughout Bureau and surrounding counties. 
 
 JOHN JACOB SEIBEL, deceased. A brill- 
 iant example of a self-made American citizen 
 and a grand exemplification of the progress that 
 an ambitious foreigner can make in this country 
 of unbounded opportunities is shown in the case 
 of Air. Seibel, who was one of the leading Ger- 
 man-American citizens of Bureau county. His 
 singular success was due to his own energy and 
 the high ideal which his lofty and laudable am- 
 bition placed before him. Success in any walk 
 of life is an indication of earnest endeavor and 
 persevering effort — characteristics that he pos- 
 sessed in an eminent degree. He was cut off in 
 the midst of his usefulness, meeting with an un- 
 timely death. On the nth of March, 1880, while 
 he and his son Frank were on a cattle train at 
 Englewood, Illinois, it was run into by a passen- 
 
 ger train, and both were so injured that they 
 died within a couple of hours of the accident. 
 Their remains were brought back and interred 
 near the homestead, at the United Brethren 
 church in Greenville township. Their deaths 
 were widely and deeply mourned, for they were 
 held in the highest regard. 
 
 Air. Seibel was born November 23, 1816, at 
 Breidenstein, in the Archduchy of Hesse, Ger- 
 many, there grew to manhood upon a farm, and 
 obtained his primary education in the common 
 schools. He greatly supplemented the knowl- 
 edge there acquired by attending night schools 
 and study in the evenings. Thus he became 
 very proficient in mathematics, surveying and 
 drawing, and the family still have in their pos- 
 session some of his early drawings, which show 
 marked ability. Fie also picked up a knowledge 
 of building, drawing his plans for the house in 
 which his widow now resides, and also helping 
 in the erection of the barn. His work along this 
 line was exact, and all his business affairs were 
 conducted in a most methodical and painstaking 
 manner. 
 
 While still a resident of his native land Mr. 
 Seibel was engaged in arranging levels or mak- 
 ing surveys for drainage of land, for which he re- 
 ceived very meager wages, but so economically 
 did he live that, after paying his board and cloth- 
 ing himself, he managed to save enough to pay 
 his passage to America, coming to this country 
 when about thirty years of age. For a short time 
 he stopped in Ohio, and then went to St. Louis. 
 Subsequently he started overland to California, 
 where for about a year he was engaged in gold 
 mining. While on the Pacific coast he became 
 acquainted with Lewis McKune, who had as- 
 sisted him in keeping his claim, and between 
 them a friendship at once sprang up. They re- 
 turned home together, making the trip by way 
 of the Isthmus of Panama to New York, and 
 thence to Pennsylvania, wdiere Air. McKune's 
 wife was living. 
 
 There Air. Seibel met Miss Priscilla P. Follet, 
 an aunt of Mrs. McKune, who became nis wife 
 on the 9th of February, 1852. She is a native of 
 
548 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, born in the 
 town of Hartford, and, is a daughter of Warren 
 and Patty (Tingley) Follet. Accompanied by 
 Mr. A/[cKune and his family, they came at once 
 to Illinois, stopping first in Lee county, while 
 the gentlemen looked up a desirable location. 
 Mr. Seibel purchased one hundred and sixty acres 
 on section 9, Manlius" township, on which his 
 family still reside, and erected a small house of 
 two rooms, buying the lumber at Hennepin and 
 Peru, whence he hauled it by team to its destina- 
 tion. Owing to the poor roads and wet condi- 
 tion of the country, he often had to unload his 
 lumber and carry it on his back across the mud 
 holes. After a three years' residence here a 
 more substantial and commodious dwelling was 
 erected. He prospered in his farming operations 
 and succeeded in accumulating a tract of nine 
 hundred acres in the home farm and consider- 
 able swamp land in Gold township, which he 
 greatly improved. He was a man of great in- 
 ventive genius, and during the war, when labor- 
 ers were scarce, he invented a reaper which 
 would carry the men who did the binding. For 
 the manufacture of this reaper he erected a shop, 
 put in the engine and necessary machinery, but 
 the enterprise proved a failure and all was lost. 
 In developing his inventions he was greatly as- 
 sisted by his daughters, Celia and Chloe, who 
 aided him in putting the models together, as 
 their fingers were more nimble than his, owing 
 to his mining experience. His daughter Celia, 
 who was possessed of considerable mechanical 
 ingenuity, used to help him in the shop, and so 
 skillful was she that he preferred her assistance 
 to that of any man whom he could employ. 
 
 To Mr. Seibel was given the credit of first in- 
 venting the tongueless cultivator. A company 
 was organized for manufacturing these machines 
 at Buda, but on account of mismanagement was 
 not successful. Pie was the first to start and 
 carry out the project of straightening the bed of 
 Green river in Gold township. He and his faith- 
 ful wife had much to contend with in the early 
 days. When they moved into tlieir new house in 
 the winter time it was only partially constructed, 
 
 being singlfe boarded and there was no underpin- 
 ning or cellar. The wild wintry blasts swept 
 through the house at will. It was one of the 
 coldest winters they ever experienced. Mr. Seibel 
 came near losing his life that winter. He went 
 to the woods to chop and had his ears and face 
 frozen, and it was some time before he recovered. 
 
 During the course of his life Mr. Seibel met 
 with a number of adventures which did not prove 
 the most attractive. While on their overland 
 trip one of the party was severely injured by the 
 blowing up of some powder, and ^Ir. Seibel 
 gave his blanket to protect him from the cold, 
 which left him exposed to the weather. He be- 
 came very sick and too weak to travel. The 
 party were inclined to leave him behind, believ- 
 ing he would die and did not care to be bothered 
 with him. Pie arose early and managed to strug- 
 gle ahead of the teams, and finally kept along 
 with them. At a station where they stopped he 
 procured some wine and cheese, which so 
 strengthened him that he was able to keep up. 
 
 Mr. Seibel was reared in the Lutheran faith, 
 but united with the Free Methodists, but later 
 left that body. He never acted except from hon- 
 est motives, and in all his varied relations in 
 business and social life he maintained a charac- 
 ter and standing that impressed all with his sin- 
 cere and manly purpose to do by otTiers as he 
 would have others do by him. He made a close 
 study of political issues and questions of the day, 
 and generally supported the republican ticket. 
 In school work he took great interest, and, in 
 fact, all worthy enterprises that had for their ob- 
 ject the upbuilding and benefit of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Of the twelve children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seibel nine grew to years of maturity: Celia K., 
 who received a good education, is now the wife 
 of George W. Briggs, a farmer of Glidden, Car- 
 roll county, Iowa, by whom she has four chil- 
 dren; George E. of ]\Ianlius township, Bureau 
 county, was well educated and also studied book- 
 keeping, is now married and has three children; 
 Chloe P., who graduated from the Sheffield high 
 school, is the wife of Samuel P. Burns and has 
 
THE ISIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 54y 
 
 four children ; Charles, residing in Gold town- 
 ship, Bureau county, is married and has five 
 children; Frank, who was killed at the time of 
 his father; ]\Iark B. of Manlius township, is mar- 
 ried and has three children; Clark J., who is 
 married and living in Santa Rosa, California, 
 and is there engaged in the mercantile business; 
 ]\Jax P., living upon the home farm with his 
 mother, and Karl, who graduated from the Shef- 
 field high school, and later pursued his studies in 
 Chicago and Bushnell, Illinois, and is now read- 
 ing law at Albany, New York. 
 
 Max P. Seibel married Miss Emma E. Nelson 
 of ]\ranlius township, and they now have one 
 child. Glee Page, born September ii, 1893. Those 
 who died young were Fred, at the age of seven 
 months; Herman, at the age of twelve months, 
 and Lillie, at the age of three years. The chil- 
 dren have grown up to be an honor to their 
 parents, and hold an enviable position in busi- 
 ness and social circles, and their widowed mother 
 may well be proud of them. All of the sons and 
 sons-in-law have held responsible positions in 
 their respective localities. 
 
 CHARLES NORTON, one of the prosper- 
 ous business men of Neponset and num- 
 bered among its liberal-minded and public- 
 spirited citizens, has for some time engaged in 
 dealing in stock, in which he has achieved an en- 
 viable reputation. He is a native son of Bureau 
 county, born near Neponset, February 22, 1857, 
 and here has spent his entire life. 
 
 The birth of his father, William Norton, oc- 
 curred in 1810, in Yorkshire, England, where he 
 grew to manhood, but in 1832 'he left the old 
 world, and on reaching the shores of this country 
 came at once to Illinois, locating first in Scott 
 county. In 1834, however, he came to Bureau 
 county, when the whole country was a vast wil- 
 derness, scarcely an improvement having been 
 made. Fie settled near the present village of Ne- 
 ponset and helped to build the first habitation — 
 a log house — in this part of the county. He took 
 up a claim, entering the land from the govern- 
 ment, broke and fenced the tract, which he de- 
 
 veloped into a good farm. Fie bought more 
 land, becoming the owner of several hundred 
 acres, and was numbered among the most active, 
 enterprising and successful farmers and stock 
 rai'^ers of the county. He was quite liberal, giv- 
 ing with a ready and willing hand to all worths- 
 enterprises, and the poor and needy always found 
 in him a friend, none ever seeking his aid in vain 
 or being turned away empty-handed. He was 
 universally loved and respected, and in his death 
 the community felt that they had indeed lost a 
 valued and worthy citizen, as well as an honored 
 pioneer. 
 
 In Bureau county was celebrated the marriage 
 of William Norton and Eleanor Mocroft, also a 
 native of England, where she was reared and edu- 
 cated. From their farm they removed to the vil- 
 lage of Neponset, where their last days were spent 
 in retirement. The mother's death occurred in 
 the winter of 1882, and the father passed away 
 July 25, 1886, when in his seventy-seventh year. 
 They now rest side by side in the West cemetery, 
 where a monument has been erected to their 
 memory. 
 
 Charles Norton, the only son and heir of his 
 parents, was educated in the public schools of 
 Neponset, and after arriving to mature years took 
 charge of the farm and business. At the present 
 time he owns two valuable and well-improved 
 farms, which he rents, and for the past fifteen 
 years has given his time and attention to buying, 
 selling and shipping stock with remarkable suc- 
 cess. 
 
 In Bureau county, October 10, 1882, Mr. Nor- 
 ton was united in marriage with ]\Jiss Lottie ^I. 
 Robinson, also a native of Bureau county, and a 
 daughter of John S. Robinson, one of its early 
 settlers. Here she was reared and educated. 
 Two sons bless this union: Willie and George. 
 
 Mr. Norton uses his right of franchise in sup- 
 port of the men and measures of the democratic 
 party, and has served as a delegate to county 
 and state conventions. For several years he has 
 been a member of the town board, of which hon- 
 orable body he has been president for some time. 
 In whatever position he has been called upon to 
 
550 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 fill he ha? proved a most competent and faithful 
 officer. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, be- 
 long-ing to the lodge at Neponset. A straight- 
 forward, honorable business man, loyal and patri- 
 otic citizen, his name deserves mention among 
 the most prominent and influential citizens of his 
 native county. His circle of friends is extensive, 
 and he is well worthy the high regard in which he 
 is held by all who know him. 
 
 FRANK SHIPLEY, who is interested in the 
 Toluca Bottling works, of Toluca, Illinois, is 
 a native of ^larshall county, born on section I, 
 Evans township, November 4, 1855, and is a son 
 of Benjamin and Rebecca (Hunt) Shipley. The 
 father's birth occurred in Kentucky, but when 
 only two years old he was taken by his parents 
 to Indiana, locating near Bloomington on a farm, 
 where he remained until seventeen years of age. 
 He then accompanied a brother-in-law to Put- 
 nam county, Illinois, and later returned and 
 brought his parents to the same place. It is be- 
 lieved that the mother of our subject was the 
 first white child born in what is now Marshall 
 county, but was then a part of Putnam county, 
 and that her birth occurred in the old fort there. 
 Her father was one of its earliest pioneers, and 
 took a prominent part in the Indian wars, during 
 which time his farnily lived in the fort. For many 
 years Benjamin Shipley engaged in farming, but 
 he and his estimable wife are now living retired 
 in Wenona. Our subject is the oldest of their 
 seven children, all of whom are still Hving and 
 are married. Politically, the father is a republi- 
 can, and has filled various township offices to the 
 general satisfaction of all concerned, while re- 
 ligiously he was formerly a Presbyterian, but 
 now holds membership in the Methodist Episco- 
 pal church. 
 
 Upon the old home farm in Evans township, 
 Frank Shipley grew to manhood, and in the pub- 
 lic schools of the neighborhood obtained his 
 education. His father giving him his time, he 
 started out in life for himself at the age of nine- 
 teen years, working by the month at farm labor, 
 lie also purchased a threshing machine, which 
 
 he operated very successfully for four years, thus 
 securing a small capital. 
 
 On the 24th of February, 1876, he was mar- 
 ried, the lady of his choice being ?\Iiss Mattie 
 Curtis, of Llope township. La Salle county, Illi- 
 nois, who was born in Indiana, and is a daughter 
 of Edward and ^^lary (Mathews) Curtis. They 
 had two children: Alice Alay, born in Evans 
 township, in September, 1880, and Emma Flor- 
 ence, who was born in Bennington township, 
 Marshall county, January 22, 1885, and died June 
 25. 1895- 
 
 ^Ir. and Mrs. Shipley began their domestic 
 life upon the old home farm in Evans township, 
 where they remained until 1883, when he pur- 
 chased one hundred and twenty acres on section 
 10, Bennington township, to the cultivation and 
 improvement of which he devoted his time and at- 
 tention until his removal to Toluca in ?\Iarch, 
 1896. Soon afterward he purchased an interest 
 in the bottling works, with which he has since 
 been connected. He is a charter member of the 
 Knights of Pythias lodge of Toluca, and in poli- 
 tics has been an ardent republican since voting 
 for R. B. Hayes in 1876. For six years he most 
 acceptably served as commissioner of highways, 
 and was the first republican elected in the town- 
 ship for a period of fifteen years, which fact plain- 
 ly indicates his popularity and the high regard 
 in which he is universally held. 
 
 REV. PATRICK HUGH O'COXNELL. 
 There is no position held by man more im- 
 portant than that of a pastor of a church, nor is 
 there a position that has attached to it greater im- 
 portance or responsibility when properly con- 
 ceived and conscientiously discharged. This is 
 more essentially the case with the clergyman of 
 the Catholic faith, for he is held more as an in- 
 structor and guide, not only in religious matters, 
 but in moral and social conduct, by his congre- 
 gation. There are few men by character and edu- 
 cation better fitted to preside over a people in 
 all these relations than the reverend gentleman 
 whose name stands at the head of this biography. 
 The subject of this memoir and pastor of St. 
 
Rev. p. H. O'Co.n.xell 
 
THR RI()(;RAPHICAL RECOR]). 
 
 55.. 
 
 Patrick's church of Sheffield, Ilhnois, was l)orn 
 at Dunmore, County Cahvay, Ireland, June 12, 
 1859, and was educated at St. Jarlath's college 
 at Tuani, the same county, where he was gradu- 
 ated with the class of 1879. Subsequently he 
 came to the United States, and going to Troy, 
 New York, took the theological course at St. 
 Joseph's seminary. Completing his studies 
 there in 1886, he was ordained at Rochester, 
 Xew York, by Rt. Rev. B. AIcQuaid, D. D. 
 After his ordination he was sent at once to Bishop 
 John L. Spalding of Peoria, Illinois, where he be- 
 came assistant to \^ery Rev. RIcHurley, vicar 
 general of St. Patrick's church of that city, and 
 where he remained for four years. 
 
 On the 27th of August, 1889, he took charge 
 of the parish of Sheffield, to the building up of 
 which he has since devoted himself. The Shef- 
 field congregation has been constantly gaining 
 under Father O'Connell's pastorate, and now 
 has a membership of a hundred families. They 
 have a fine commodious building, which was 
 erected in 1883, at a cost of thirteen thousand 
 dollars, most of which was donated by the pa- 
 rishioners. The building was erected under the 
 pastorate of Father Kelley, now of El Paso, Illi- 
 nois, who had charge of the church for seven 
 years. The elegant and very home-like parson- 
 age was erected by Father O'Connell in 1893, at 
 a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars. 
 
 The first priest who served at Sheffield was 
 Father Hugh O'Gara McShane, who was fol- 
 lowed by Father Smith. The first resident 
 priest was Father Groggan, who was succeeded 
 in 1880 by Father Kelley. The latter was suc- 
 ceeded by Father Edward McCartney, and he by 
 the subject of this sketch. In addition to his 
 charge at Sheffield Father O'Connell holds serv- 
 ices at Tiskilwa. 
 
 Father O'Connell is a man of good address 
 and winning manners. He is a zealous, active 
 and efficient worker for the church, and is held 
 in high esteem not only by the people of his own 
 congregation, but by the residents of Sheffield 
 generally. In the pulpit he is especially gifted. 
 His voice is rich and well trained, and his man- 
 
 ner of delivery pleasing. His discourses are 
 scholarly and effective in their appeals to follow 
 tlie teachings of the Master. 
 
 J 
 
 OHN HEBI, the popular circuit clerk of 
 .Marshall county and formerly a leading 
 butcher of Flenry, was born in what was then 
 Putnam, but is now Alarshall county, Illinois, 
 April 15, 1856, and is a son of Jonathan and 
 Mary (Adams) Heim, natives of Pennsylvania. 
 The father, a contractor and builder by occupa- 
 tion, came to the west in 1853, locating at Henry, 
 where he spent the remainder of his life, dying in 
 1873, at the age of fifty-three years. He was a 
 consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, of which his wife has also been a lifelong 
 member. At the age of seventy-seven years, she 
 is still living with a daughter, Mrs. Mary Won- 
 der, of Lodi, Illinois. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of twelve chil- 
 dren, eight of whom still survive, his seven sis- 
 ters being Harriet, wife of John Heckert, of 
 Peoria; Catherine, wife of Aaron Defenbaugh, 
 a farmer of Kansas ; Sophia, wife of Joseph Mer- 
 dian, of Henry, Illinois; Sarah, wife of W. G. 
 Snyder, of Wyoming, Illinois; Mary, wife of 
 George Wonder, of Lodi; Bettie, wife of D. W. 
 Horrom, of Henry, and Amanda, wife of Thomas 
 Gilkerson, of Battle Creek, Michigan. The 
 others all died in early life. 
 
 In the public schools of Henry, John Heim 
 secured his literary education, and began his 
 business career as a clerk in a dry goods store, 
 after which he was similarly employed in a 
 grocery store, both in Henry. In 1873 h^ em- 
 barked in the meat-market business, which he 
 has since successfully carried on. He is a man 
 of high standing in financial circles, as he con- 
 ducts his business on strictly honest principles, 
 and is looked upon as a useful and honorable 
 citizen. 
 
 In 1877, -^Jr. Heim was united in marriage 
 with Miss Sarah Walter, daughter of Allen Wal- 
 ter of Streator, Illinois, and to them have been 
 born two children: Grace, a graduate of the 
 Henry schools, and Lyia, who is attending 
 
554 
 
 THE r.IOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 school. The parents are both earnest members 
 of the .Methodist Episcopal church, and socially, 
 Air. ITeim is connected with the Knights of 
 1\\ tliias fraternity, a cliarter member of the Com- 
 mercial club of Henry, and a prominent member 
 of the Odd Fellows lodge, in which he has passed 
 all the chairs. 
 
 Air. Heim was elected alderman of the first 
 ward in the spring of 1895, the first republican 
 ever elected in that ward. He was nominated by 
 acclamation at the republican convention held at 
 Lacon in August, 1896, candidate for circuit 
 clerk, and was elected by a liberal majority over 
 a popular candidate. Since old enough to vote, 
 Air. Heim has been identified with the republican 
 party, in the success of which he takes a deep in- 
 terest. He is one of the influential and promi- 
 nent citizens of Henry, and is a man of much 
 force of character, strong individuality, and his 
 pleasant, social manner has won him a host of 
 warm friends. 
 
 JAAIES B. NELSON, county -supervisor of 
 Hall township and a leading butcher and 
 stock dealer of Spring Valley, is a native of 
 Bureau county, born in Providence, July 12, 
 1863, but when six months old was taken by his 
 parents, James and A/Iary (Barrett) Nelson, to 
 Arlington, where he remained until coming to 
 Spring A'alley in 1886. His father, a native of 
 Canada, came to the United States in 1852, and 
 engaged in farming in Bureau county, but is now 
 living a retired life in Spring Valley. He has 
 been a lifelong democrat, but takes no active part 
 in politics. The birth of the mother occurred in 
 Zanesville, Ohio. 
 
 Our subject is the oldest in the family of six 
 children, the others being as follows: Lizzie is 
 the wife of J. C. Sitterly, a liveryman of Spring 
 Valley; George died in 1876, at the age of four- 
 teen years; Charles married Emma Aliley and is 
 engaged in the butchering business at Ladd, Illi- 
 nois. He has two children: Alay Belle and Mar- 
 guerite. W. G. married Alalissa Anderson, and 
 is operating the old homestead farm. Martha is 
 the wife of AI. C. McWicks, private secretary for 
 
 S. M. Dalzell, manager of the Spring Valley Coal 
 company. 
 
 The education of James B. Nelson was ob- 
 tained in the common schools of Arlington, and 
 after its completing he devoted his time to agri- 
 cultural pursuits until coming to Spring Valley 
 in 1886, when he began his present business. 
 Since the age of fifteen he has handled stock, and 
 has probably done a more extensive business 
 along that line than any man of his years in this 
 section of the state. He has been quite success- 
 ful in his undertaking, and is now doing the larg- 
 est batcher business in the place. 
 
 On the 8th of December, 1887, Air. Nelson was 
 united in marriage with Aliss Olivia, only child 
 of Abraham and A'largaret (Alartin) Lance, who 
 are eastern people by birth. Two children grace 
 this union, namely : Lance Adelbert, aged seven 
 years, and George H., aged five. The parents 
 attend the Congregational church and are highly 
 esteemed in social circles. 
 
 In politics A'Ir. Nelson is a reptiblican, and has 
 always taken an active interest in public affairs. 
 In 1891 he was elected supervisor for Hall town- 
 ship, which is strongly democratic, and has twice 
 been re-elected without opposition, which fact 
 plainly indicates his popularity and the confi- 
 dence and trust reposed in him by his fellow citi- 
 zens. He is one of the rising men of the county, 
 prompt and faithful in the discharge of every 
 duty, whether public or private, and is public 
 spirited and progressive. Socially he is a mem- 
 ber of the Alasonic fraternity, belonging to the 
 blue lodge, chapter and the Eastern Star, and 
 also affiliates with the Knights of Pythias. 
 
 RKY AI. C. O'BRIEN, pastor of St. Annis 
 Catholic church of Toluca, is a native of 
 Ireland. After completing his theological studies 
 in Troy, N. Y., he was ordained in Lowell, Massa- 
 chusetts, in September, 1879, by Archbishop 
 Williams, in the church of which his brother was 
 assistant pastor. His first pastorate was in 
 Champaign, Dhnois, where he served as assistant 
 priest, and also served in the same capacity at 
 Alonmouth. His first charge as pastor was in 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 S55 
 
 Ohio, Bureau county, Illinois, after which he was 
 transferred to Lacon. 
 
 St. Annis church of Toluca was established 
 through the efforts of Father O'Brien, then pas- 
 tor of the Immaculate Conception church at La- 
 con, where he had located in 1884. In October, 
 1893, he came to Toluca, where he succeeded in 
 calling together a meeting of perhaps fifty per- 
 sons, who were members of other parishes, and 
 services were first held in a building in what is 
 now known as the old town. In the following 
 October he became a resident of Toluca and the 
 regular pastor, holding services in the Fay hotel, 
 which was tiot then completed. Father O'Brien 
 raised the funds with which he erected the first 
 house of worship, and mass was there celebrated 
 for the first time on Christmas morning, 1893. 
 The old building is still standing, but a much bet- 
 ter church has since been erected. It is a beauti- 
 ful, modern structure, one hundred by forty-four 
 feet, with a seating capacity of six hundred, and 
 was erected at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. 
 7"his was raised through the efforts of Father 
 O'Brien, who is an indefatigable worker in its in- 
 terests. Here services were first held Easter 
 morning, 1896, and on the 19th of the following 
 July the church was dedicated, and a class of sixty 
 confirmed by Bishop Spaulding. 
 
 Father O'Brien is a conscientious, earnest 
 Christian, faithful in the discharge of his duties, 
 a friend to the poor and needy, and he has the 
 love and respect, not only of his parishioners, but 
 of the community at large. Under his pastorate 
 his present congregation has steadily increased. 
 In p>olitics he is a democrat, and an advocate of 
 free silver. 
 
 GUSTAVUS TIBBETTS, one of the well- 
 known farmers of Neponset township. 
 Bureau county, came to the county in 1854, and 
 has assisted in its progress and development. 
 He is entirely a self-made man, beginning life 
 here empty-handed, but through industry, perse- 
 verance and good management he has accumu- 
 lated a handsome property, his home farm on 
 section 29 comprising one hundred and sixty 
 
 acres of well-improved and valuable land, and 
 also owning another tract of eighty acres on sec- 
 tion 28, Neponset township. 
 
 A native of the old pine tree state, :\Ir. Tib- 
 betts was born on the 2d of May, 1825, in the 
 town of Belgrade, Kennebec county, a son of 
 Nathaniel and Hulda (Page) Tibbetts, whose 
 births also occurred in that state. The father was 
 a pioneer of Kennebec county, where he cleared 
 and opened up a farm, reared his family and died 
 at the age of sixtv-seven years. His wife sur- 
 vived him a few years. In their family of five 
 sons and three daughters, all of whom grew to 
 years of maturity, only two are now living: James 
 P., a substantial farmer of Neponset township. 
 Bureau county, and Gustavus, of this sketch. 
 
 The last named acquired a good education in 
 the Belgrade academy of his native county, and 
 remained at home, assisting his father in the 
 labors of the farm until he had attained his ma- 
 jority. For the following seven years he was em- 
 ployed in an oil-cloth factory, but in 1854 came 
 west to Illinois, joining his brother in Bureau 
 county, who had come here some years previous- 
 ly, and for whom he worked for three years. He 
 then purchased eighty acres, where he now re- 
 sides, and immediately commenced its develop- 
 ment and cultivation, erecting thereon a small 
 frame residence and other buildings. Subse- 
 quently he added eighty acres to the original 
 purchase, making a fine farm of one hundred 
 and sixty acres, and he has replaced his first 
 dwelling by a commodious two-story residence. 
 All of the improvements are of a substantial 
 character, making the farm one of the best in 
 the township. He is a progressive, thorough 
 and skillful farmer, and his success is certainly 
 well deserved. 
 
 Having obtained a home, Mr. Tibbetts next 
 wished some one to preside over it, and, return- 
 ing east, was married at Topsham, Vermont, 
 February 23, i860, to Miss Mary Caldwell, a na- 
 tive of that state, where she acquired a good edu- 
 cation and successfully engaged in teaching for 
 a time. She also followed that profession for a 
 time in Illinois previous to her marriage. Her 
 
556 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 father, James Caldwell, was a well-to-do farnier 
 of Orange eoimty, Vermont, where he spent his 
 entire life. Five children have been born to our 
 subject and his estimable wife, namely: James 
 Henry, who is married and operates a farm of his 
 own of one hundred and twenty acres, adjoining 
 that of his father; Jennie, at home; Ida, who is a 
 teacher in the Kewanee schools, and Minnie and 
 Anna, also at home. The son has had three 
 daughters: Mary M., Charity C. and Leila, de- 
 ceased. 
 
 Politically, ^Ir. Tibbetts has been identified 
 with the republican party since its organization, 
 earnestly advocating its principles. He served 
 as assessor of Neponset for eleven consecutive 
 years, and has also filled the office of tow nship 
 trustee and been a delegate to a number of county 
 conventions of his party. He was one of the 
 organizers of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance 
 company of Neponset and Macon townships, in- 
 corporated in 1872, and has served in the capac- 
 ity of president and secretary, holding the former 
 office for a number of years. He is an intelli- 
 gent, industrious citizen, in favor of advance- 
 ment and well respected. 
 
 SPENCER ELLSWORTH, the late well- 
 known editor of the Lacon Home Journal, 
 was born at Denmark, New York, June 10, 1824. 
 His parents, Benjamin and Rpxana Ellsworth, 
 moved to Cattaraugus county when he was seven 
 years of age. He only attended the common 
 schools of the day, but was a student and lover 
 of books all his life, and at his death left a library 
 of several hundred volumes. At eighteen years 
 of age he came west and found employment in a 
 general store at Galena, Illinois. Two years later, 
 by strict attention to business and frugal use of 
 his money, he was enabled to start a store of his 
 own at Wyota, Wisconsin. In 1850 he married 
 Lucy R'IcCollum, daughter of Dr. Asa McCol- 
 Ij-im, of Leicester, Massachusetts, who survives 
 him. Three children were born to them, the first, 
 Lillian, living only sixteen months ; the other two 
 are: Evelyn Ninetta, now Mrs. T. L. Jones, of 
 Henry, Illinois, and Spencer Ellsworth, the pres- 
 
 ent publisher of the Journal. He removed to 
 Elkader, Iowa, in 1855, where he engaged in 
 general merchandise until 1862. In 1862 he lo- 
 cated in Lacon, and, associating himself with E. 
 H. Halsey under the firm name of Ellsworth & 
 Halsey, continued in the dry goods business un- 
 til 1866. 
 
 He had a facile pen and all his life up to this 
 time he had written more or less for local papers, 
 and for several years had used the nom de plume 
 of "Crowquill." In 1866 he bought the Illinois 
 Gazette, one of the oldest papers in Illinois, 
 chai.ging its name to the Lacon Home Journal. 
 He loved his paper and his business, and he gave 
 himself to it with a constancy that for eighteen 
 rears never flagged, and under his management 
 the Journal became popular and one of the best 
 country papers in central Illinois. He was es- 
 pecially interested in and instrumental in the or- 
 ganization of the Marshall County Old Settlers' 
 association. His love of the old and primitive 
 led him to collect a large amount of historical 
 matter in regard to the settlement and organiza- 
 tion of Marshall and Putnam counties, which he 
 published in book form under the title, "Records 
 of the Olden Time," a work of real merit. He 
 was public-spirited, ever interested in the ad- 
 vancement of Lacon and was emphatically the 
 father of the woolen mills, now in successful 
 operation. He was a republican in politics, a 
 Mason and a Knight Templar, a successful busi- 
 ness man and universally respected. He died 
 July 26, 1884, from injuries received in a run- 
 away accident. 
 
 JOHN GUNNING, a wide-awake, progressive 
 farmer of Bureau county, residing on section 
 24, Neponset township, where he owns two hun- 
 dred acres of valuable land, was born in County 
 Down, Ireland, February 22, 1827, a son of 
 Thomas Gunning, who spent his entire life on the 
 emerald isle. In the family were thirteen chil- 
 dren, of whom those living are: Eliza, wife of 
 Abram Burnett, a retired farmer living in the 
 village of Neponset ; Jane, also a resident of that 
 place ; Mary, wife of Andrew Spears, of Mineral, 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 557 
 
 Bureau county: Bella, wife of Samuel H. Alaun- 
 der, of \\'ashington county, Kansas; Matilda, 
 wife of Robert Stokes, of Kewanee, Illinois; 
 Esther, wife of John Robinson, of Belfast, Ire- 
 land; and John, of this sketch. 
 
 Our subject passed the days of his boyhood 
 and youth in County Down, where he received 
 very limited school privileges, and his education 
 has been mostly self-acquired since reaching 
 manhood. In the county of his nativity he was 
 married February i8, 1850, the lady of his choice 
 being ^liss Margaret Porter, who was also born, 
 reared and educated in that county. Two weeks 
 later they started for the new world, embarking 
 on a sailing vessel at Belfast, but when three 
 weeks out they were shipwrecked and returned 
 to that city, where the vessel was repaired, and 
 they again started on their way. This time they 
 reached Xew York in safety, July 7, 1850, after a 
 long and tedious voyage of six weeks and three 
 days. 
 
 Mr. Gunning first located in Rensselaer coun- 
 ty, Xew York, where for about six years he 
 worked on a farm, and in the spring of 1856 emi- 
 grated to Illinois, settling first on a farm in Stark 
 count)'. Later he bought a little home in the 
 village of Osceola, where he lived for three years, 
 during which time he operated rented land in 
 that county. In i860 he sold out and removed to 
 X^eponset township, Bureau county, where he 
 also rented a farm for about five }'ears. At the 
 end of that period he purchased one hundred and 
 twenty acres of the farm which is still his home, 
 and to the improvement and cultivation of the 
 land has since devoted his attention with most 
 gratifying results. His residence is large, neat 
 and substantial, and all the other buildings upon 
 the place are in keeping with a model farm of 
 the nineteenth century. He is in the broadest 
 sense a self-made man, being both the architect 
 and builder of his own fortunes. Although he 
 started out in Hfe in limited circumstances, he 
 has become one of the most successful and well- 
 to-do citizens of Neponset township through his 
 own unaided efforts. 
 
 Mr. Gunning has been called upon to mourn 
 
 the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 26th 
 of July, 1880, and was interred in Osceola ceme- 
 tery, where a neat and substantial monument has 
 been erected to her memory. Two of their chil- 
 dren died in early life, and the three yet living 
 are Thomas J., who married AUce Carpenter, "by 
 whom he has three children, John S., Thomas 
 P. and Alice C, and is the owner of a fine farm of 
 one hundred and twenty acres adjoining that of 
 his father; Catherine Elvira, who is her father's 
 housekeeper, and Hugh G., who married Emma 
 Pickering, and operates the home place. There 
 were born to them: Hugh, Mabel M., Stella A., 
 Laura, George and Robert. Our subject also has 
 seven grandchildren. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Gunning has been a 
 republican since becoming an American citizen, 
 casting his first presidential vote for Abraham 
 Lincoln in i860, since which time he has never 
 missed an election. He has served as a delegate 
 to a number of count}- conventions, was a faith- 
 ful member of the school board for twelve years 
 and highway commissioner for seven years, the 
 duties of w liich positions he discharged in a most 
 creditable manner. He and his children are 
 earnest and faithful members of the .Xeponset 
 Congregational church, and the family is one of 
 prominence in the community where they make 
 their home. Mr. Gunning is emphatically a man 
 of enterprise, positive character, indomitable 
 energy, strict integrity and liberal views, and is 
 thoroughly identified in feeling with the growth 
 and prosperity of his adopted county. He "is a 
 stanch and loj'al friend, fond of good fellowship 
 and devoted to those who have his confidence. 
 
 GRANVILLE C. PARKS, an old-time agri- 
 culturist of large experience, is now num- 
 bered among the elderly residents of Neponset 
 township. Bureau county, living retired at the 
 old homestead on section 33. By the people of 
 the communit\' he is held in that re^'erence and 
 respect tacitiv accorded those whose lives have 
 been distinguished by integrity and usefulness. 
 
 A native of Virginia, Mr. Parks was born in 
 Washington county, August 15, 181 2, and is a 
 
558 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 son of William Parks, whose birth occurred near 
 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. When a young- 
 man the latter removed to Washington count}-, 
 Mrginia, where he married Miss Agnes Bu- 
 chanan, a native of that county, where her father, 
 jMatthew Buchanan, had gone when young. He 
 was a native of the keystone state, took part in 
 three Indian wars, two> in Virginia and one in 
 Kentucky, and was a soldier of the Continental 
 army during the Revolution, serving as baggage 
 guard at the battle of Kings Mountain. He was 
 of English origin, while the paternal grandfather 
 of our subject was of Irish birth. 
 
 In 1835 the parents of our subject left the Old 
 Dominion, coming to IlHnois, and spent the first 
 winter at Decatur. In 1836, the father took up a 
 claim near Osceola in Stark county, where he 
 became one of its earliest pioneers, and there 
 broke the land and improved a farm, on which he 
 erected a house when there was not another 
 dwelling within seven or eight miles of his place. 
 He became one of the substantial farmers of the 
 locality, and one of its honored and valued citi- 
 zens, serving as magistrate for several years. 
 There his death occurred in 1857, at the age of 
 eighty years, and his wife, who long survived 
 him, passed away in 1877, at the advanced age of 
 ninety-one years. Of their family of three sons 
 and four daughters, two of the latter are now 
 deceased. Matthew, Joseph, Eliza and Nancy H. 
 are all unmarried and occupy the old homestead 
 in Stark county; Rebecca Jane married David 
 Currie of Stark county, and is now deceased; 
 Polly Ann became the wife of Adam Oliver, and 
 both died in Stark county. 
 
 Granville C. Parks was reared upon the home 
 farm in Virginia and received very limited school 
 advantages, so that he is also entirely self-edu- 
 cated. Learning the blacksmith's trade he con- 
 tinued to follow the same in his native state and 
 for one winter after coming to Illinois. Here he 
 arrived in 1854, and spent the first two \ears in 
 Stark county, after which he came to Bureau 
 county. Until 1 857 he rented land, and then pur- 
 chased one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie 
 land, cleared away the brush and erected a neat 
 
 and substantial frame dwelling. It was the same 
 farm upon which he still resides, but wonderful 
 have been the changes which have since taken 
 place. He at once began to break and improve 
 the land, planted an excellent orchard, and also 
 planted the set from which have grown many 
 of the shade trees upon his place that are now 
 two feet in diameter. For over thirty years he 
 was one of the most active, enterprising and suc- 
 cessful farmers of the community, but has now- 
 laid aside business cares and is enjoying a well 
 earned rest. 
 
 In Washington county, Virginia, March 12, 
 1835, !Mr. Parks was united in marriage with 
 Miss Nancy McKee, also a native of that county, 
 and a daughter of James and Sarah (Roe) ^NIc- 
 Kee. Ten children blessed this union, nine of 
 whom grew to years of maturity and are still 
 living. Robert Benjamin, a veteran of the late 
 civil war, was formerly engaged in the manu- 
 facture of agricultural implements at Princeton 
 and Kewanee, Illinois, but is now an extensive 
 stock-raiser and dealer of Aspen, Colorado: 
 Eliza Jane, is the wife of Philip C. Rhea, of Xe- 
 ponset; Sarah Ann, is the wife of Alexander 
 Tomlinson, also a native of Virginia and a sub- 
 stantial farmer and stock-raiser of Neponset, who 
 now owns and operates the Parks homestead. 
 He is extensively engaged in breeding short 
 horn and black Galloway cattle, Shropshire sheep 
 and Norman and Percheron horses, all of the 
 best grade; William Andrew, is married and is a 
 farmer of Stark county; John Roe is a mechanic, 
 lumber dealer, contractor and builder of Gunni- 
 son, Colorado ; Joseph Buchanan, is married and 
 resides at Wilcox, Arizona, where he is state 
 stock inspector and shipper; Rebecca Bertha is 
 the wife of Dr. A. J. Robinson, of Aspen, Colo- 
 rado; James McKee, grew to manhood, mar- 
 ried, but is now deceased; David Oliver is mar- 
 ried and living in New York city, where he holds 
 a responsible business position; Clifford Clark, 
 is a prominent resident of Denver, Colorado, and 
 has served as state auditor of that state. He will 
 go into the banking business when his term of 
 office expires. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 559 
 
 Politically, Mr. Parks is a free silver republican, 
 but has never had any aspirations for public 
 office, preferring to give his time and attention 
 to his farm and other business interests. He has 
 made several trips back to his old Virginia home, 
 visiting the friends and scenes of his boyhood 
 and youth, and has often visited his children in 
 the beautiful state of Colorado. He has been 
 called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who 
 died January 20, 1876, and was laid to rest in 
 Elmira cemetery. The family are members of the 
 Baptist church. 
 
 For forty-two long years Mr. Parks has been 
 identified with the growth and development of 
 Bureau county, taken an active interest in its 
 welfare and upbuilding and has always supported 
 those enterprises which he believed were for the 
 best interests of the community. Although he 
 has now passed his eighty-fourth year, he is still 
 enjoying good health, and is spending the even- 
 ing of life surrounded by many kindred and 
 warm friends who delight to do him honor, H^is 
 exemplary habits, strict integrity, upright and 
 honorable life have gained him universal respect 
 and we are pleased to present this brief record of 
 his life to the readers of this volume. 
 
 JOHN ARAISTROXG, a stalwart and sturdy 
 representative of the noble yeomanry who 
 make up the agricultural population of Bureau 
 county, is living upon section 32, Neponset town- 
 ship, where he owns a valuable farm of two hun- 
 dred and forty acres that he has placed under a 
 high state of cultivation and improved with ex- 
 cellent farm buildings. 
 
 Like many of the best people of this section of 
 the state, Mr. Armstrong is a Scotchman b}- 
 birth, born in Roxburghshire, three miles from 
 the English line, on the 17th of February, 1836. 
 His father, William Armstrong, also a native of 
 the same county, was a stone mason by trade, and 
 spent his entire life in Bonnie Scotland, his death 
 there occurring in 1876. He wedded Margaret 
 Telfar, who was also born there and died in 1882. 
 Of their family of four sons and three daughters, 
 all grew to mature years, and with the except'on 
 
 of one son all are still living. Three are still 
 residents of their native land, but the others have 
 come to the United States. Mary, is the wife of 
 J. H. Turnbull, of Elmira, Illinois; Walter, a 
 farmer living near Creston, Iowa, and John, of 
 this review. 
 
 The childhood and youth of the last named 
 were passed in Scotland, where he attended 
 school, and at the age of twelve years began 
 learning the mason's trade with his father, work- 
 ing at the same until coming to America in 1856, 
 when a young man of twenty years. He first lo- 
 cated in Elmira, Stark county, Illinois, where for 
 three and a half years he worked by the month. 
 
 On coming to Bureau county in 1859, ^^^ rent- 
 ed a farm for one year, and then purchased 
 eighty acres of raw land, upon which he now re- 
 sides. He at once began its development and 
 cultivation and soon transformed the wild tract 
 into richly cultivated fields. Twice he has added 
 eighty acres to the original purchase, so that he 
 now has a fine farm of two hundred and forty 
 acres of rich and arable land. His comfortable 
 and commodious two-story residence is surround- 
 ed by neat and substantial barns and out-build- 
 ings which testify to the thrift and enterprise of 
 the owner. He started out in life here with 
 nothing but his own indomitable energy, and 
 his accumulation of this world's goods may be 
 attributed to his sound judgment, good business 
 ability, perseverance and industry. 
 
 In Stark county, on the 6th of June, 1864, was 
 solemnized the marriage of Mr. Armstrong and 
 ]\liss Ellen Hall, who was born in the same vil- 
 lage as her husband, where they were reared. 
 She came to the United States with her mother 
 in 1854, settling in Stark county. Of the children 
 William, is married and is engaged in farm- 
 ing in Stark county; Alary, at home; Charles, 
 who assists in the operation of the home farm; 
 Harry, who is attending college at Quincy, Illi- 
 nois, and Jennie, Nellie, John, Andrew and 
 Martha, all at home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Armstrong is identified with 
 the republican part\-, and has supported that 
 party since casting his first presidential vote for 
 
s6o 
 
 THE UIOGRAPiHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln, in 1864. He has never cared 
 for office, preferring to give his exchisive atten- 
 tion t(i his business interests, but being a firm 
 friend of our pubHc schools, has acceptably serv- 
 ed as a member of the school board for twelve 
 3'ears. He and his wife hold membership in the 
 United Presbyterian church of Elmira. For 
 forty years, Mr. Armstrong has now made his 
 home in Illinois, during which time he has wit- 
 nessed most of its growth and development and 
 in the advancement of this section has borne an 
 important part. As a citizen of the community 
 in which he has so long lived and been so active, 
 he is highly respected, enjoying the confidence 
 and esteem of his neighbors, and the respect of 
 all with whom he has come in contact in the 
 various walks of life. He takes a genuine inter- 
 est in the enterprises set on foot for the progress 
 and welfare of his adopted county, and is one of 
 the public-spirited and progressive men of the 
 community. 
 
 JAAIES H. :McLAIN, M. D., possessing the 
 typical, progressive spirit of the west, stands 
 to-day a leading representative of the medical 
 fraternity of Bureau county. He is now located 
 in the village of Bureau, and throughout the sur- 
 rounding country has an extensive practice, 
 which his skill and ability justly merits. 
 
 The doctor \vas l^orn in Licking county, Ohio, 
 .September 15, 1864, and is a son of John W. ^Ic- 
 Lain, a native of Pennsylvania who brought his 
 family to Crawford county, Illinois, in 1865, lo- 
 cating upon a farm where our subject was reared 
 to manhood. His preliminary education was ob- 
 tained in the common school's, but this was sup- 
 plemented b)' a course at the college of Danville, 
 Indiana. In 1888 he graduated from the Ken- 
 tucky School of Afedicine at Louisville, and dur- 
 ing the following five years was successfullx' en- 
 gaged in practice at Yale, Jasper county, Illinois. 
 
 Coming to Bureau, Illinois, in January, 181)3, 
 Dr. .McLain at once entered upon a large and lu- 
 crative practice which has steadil\' increased, and 
 he has met with remarkable success in his chosen 
 profession, licing successful in his treatment of 
 
 several very severe and peculiar cases since lo- 
 cating here. While a resident of Crawford coun- 
 ty, he was a member of the medical society there, 
 and now holds membership in the Illinois State 
 Medical association and the Bureau County 
 Afedical society. On the 15th of September, 
 1888, Dr. McLain led to the marriage altar Miss 
 Allie Barlow, a daughter of Thomas Barlow, of 
 Eaton, Crawford county. They have made many 
 warm friends since locating in Bureau, and in 
 social circles hold an enviable position. 
 
 JOHN SCOTT, one of the able and prominent 
 attorneys at law of Princeton as well as a 
 farmer, stock raiser and stock feeder, was born in 
 Harrison county, Ohio, on the 19th of December, 
 1840, and is a son of John and Mary fBoyce) 
 Scott, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respec- 
 tively. The grandfather, Scott, came with his 
 parents from Scotland when he was four vears 
 of age, and settled in Westmoreland county. He 
 was a surveyor. The educational privileges of 
 the father were very good for that early day, and 
 he became an excellent penman, a most success- 
 ful school teacher, and a practical bookkeeper. 
 For some time he was engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of iron, which proved quite profitable. In 
 the war of 1812 he served as an officer, and in 
 civic affairs took a prominent and important 
 part. In 1847 he came to Bureau county, IIH- 
 nois, purchasing a tract of new land in Dover 
 township, and became familiar with all the duties 
 and privations which fall to the lot of the pioneer. 
 He was well and favorably known as a man of 
 sterling integrity and much business capacity, 
 and was called upon to fill a number of local 
 offices, including that of county commissioner. 
 He was an earnest Christian, a member of the 
 Presbyterian church, of which for many years he 
 was an elder, and his wife was also a life-long 
 and worthy member of the same denomination. 
 He died in 1877, at the age of eighty-three vears, 
 and his wife passed away while a resident of 
 Ohio, at the age of forty years. 
 
 In the parental household were seven children, 
 all now deceased, with the exception of our sub- 
 
,/\ 
 
 J<>ll\ SctJTT. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 563 
 
 ject, who was fifth in order of birth. Nancy 
 died at the age of twenty-two years. Milo A. 
 died at the age of sixty }'ears, leaving a widow, 
 who bore the maiden name of EHzabeth Bevan, 
 and who is still living. Joseph, who was a fine 
 scholar, graduated at Knox college, in 1856, 
 standing second in a class of fifteen, all of whom 
 filled important positions. He became a Baptist 
 minister, and wrote a book, the title of which was 
 "History of the Pilgrims and Their Persecu- 
 tions," which he had just completed at the time 
 of his death, in 1857, but which has never been 
 published; Samuel died in 1853, at the age of fif- 
 teen years; Archibald was by occupation a 
 farmer, but died in 1890 in Chicago, where he was 
 then living; Louisa, who died in 1875, was a 
 teacher of splendid scholarship, was thoroughly 
 in love with her work, and was numbered among 
 the best of the profession in Bureau county. 
 
 When he had reached a sufficient age, John 
 Scott entered the common schools of Princeton, 
 later attended Smith's academy, and completed 
 his literary education by two years' study in 
 Knox college, Galesburg, Illinois. He began 
 reading law under the instruction of Judge Stipp, 
 and was afterward with Levi North of Henry 
 county for one year. He was admitted to the 
 bar in 1871, being examined by the circuit judge, 
 Edward S. Leland, and began the practice of his 
 profession in Princeton the following year. Most 
 of the time he has been alone in business, though 
 at one time he formed a partnership with M. T. 
 Peters, and for the past four years has had asso- 
 ciated with him John A. Davis, who was a law- 
 student in his office. He stands high in the 
 ranks of his professional brethren, and is one of 
 the most prominent and thorough lawyers in 
 this section of the state. He has been connected 
 with some of the most important cases ever tried 
 in Bureau county. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Scott married Aliss Harriet 
 Waterbury, who died soon afterward, and five 
 years later he chose for his second wife Miss Car- 
 rie J. Betts, a daughter of William H. and Sarah 
 Betts of Ogle county. The home has been 
 blessed in the birth of one child — Mabel E., now 
 29 
 
 the wife of Benjamin Bowen, who for some time 
 was in the United States mail service, and was 
 later promoted to transfer clerk in Chicago. 
 Mr. Bowen is a native of Tennessee, where his 
 father, Charles Bowen, who was a colonel in the 
 Confederate service, made his home. He re- 
 ceived an excellent academic education, stood his 
 examination before a congressional committee 
 for a cadetship, was passed, and sent from the 
 Nashville district, and for three years attended 
 the West Point Military academy, when his 
 health gave way and he was obliged to give up 
 his studies there. He then for four years was 
 connected with the government mail service, 
 postal department. He is now mail-transfer clerk 
 at the Illinois Central depot, in connection with 
 his medical studies. He is a young man of most 
 excellent character and of fine ability. Both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bowen are now studying medicine 
 in Chicago, where they reside, the former attend- 
 ing Rush Medical college, and the latter the Ben- 
 nett Medical college. 
 
 Mr. Scott has always supported the men and 
 measures of the republican party, and has taken 
 quite an active part in the political affairs of his 
 count)- and district, but has never cared for po- 
 litical preferment. He is a well-known and 
 highly respected citizen, enjoying the regard of 
 all with whom he has come in contact. For 
 thirty years his estimable wife has been a devoted 
 member of the Congregational church. 
 
 JAMES TURNBULL is one of the most 
 genial and whole-souled men of Neponset 
 township. Bureau county, now living retired at 
 his home on section 32. His tastes always inclin- 
 ed him to agricultural pursuits, which he suc- 
 cessfully followed for many years, and his prop- 
 erty has all been secured through his own thrift 
 and industry. 
 
 Mr. Turnbull was born November 25, 1824, in 
 Dumfriesshire, Scotland, a son of William and 
 J\Iar^' (H^arvey) Turnbull, also natives of the 
 same country, who with their family came to the 
 new world in 1849. At Glasgow they took pas- 
 sage on a sailing vessel bound for Quebec, which 
 
564 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 they reached after a voyage of eight weeks, dur- 
 ing which time they experienced some severe 
 storms. On landing they came at once to lUi- 
 nois, where they arrived in September, and all 
 located in Stark county, where the parents spent 
 their remaining days, the mother dying in 1877, 
 and the father in 1882. 
 
 In their family were seven sons and four 
 daughters, all of whom grew to mature years: 
 Robert, the eldest, was married in Scotland, and 
 on coming to the United States first located in 
 Stark county, Illinois, but later came to Bureau 
 county; George, died unmarried in 1850; James, 
 is next in order of birth; Ellen, is the deceased 
 wife of Andrew Oliver, of Stark county; Eliza- 
 beth, is the wife of William Oliver, of Henry 
 county, Illinois ; John, is a farmer of Stark coun- 
 ty; Alexander, is a substantial farmer of Bureau 
 county; Margaret, married William B. Turnbull, 
 of Osceola, Illinois, where her death occurred; 
 Stephana, is the deceased wife- of David Murray 
 of Stark county; William, operates the old home- 
 stead farm in Stark county; Thomas, a veteran 
 of the civil war, is now living in Kansas. 
 
 In the land of his nativity, James Turnbull 
 grew to manhood, being provided with very 
 limited school advantages, so that he is almost 
 wholly self-educated. There he was married in 
 1847, to Miss Ann Matthewson, who was born 
 and reared in the highlands of Scotland. With 
 the other members of the family they came to 
 America in 1849, locating first in Stark county, 
 where Mr. Turnbull worked by the month for a 
 few years. He then built himself a house on 
 his father's farm and purchased forty acres of 
 land, to which he later added another forty acre 
 tract bought of a brother. There he made his 
 home for many years, making many substantial 
 improvements upon the place, including the erec- 
 tion of a good dwelling. On selling out in 1868 
 he came to Bureau county, and purchased an 
 improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres on 
 section 32, Neponset township, which is still his 
 home. He also owns eighty acres of valuable 
 and improved land in Stark county. From a 
 humble beginning he has worked his way up- 
 
 ward to a position of wealth and affluence, hav- 
 ing come to the new world empty-handed, but 
 is now the possessor of a handsome property 
 which is certainly well deserved. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull have nine children, 
 as follows: William, a farmer of Grinnell, Iowa; 
 Isabella, wife of James Rule, a hardware mer- 
 chant of the same place; Mary, wife of Robert 
 Scott, a farmer of Stark county; Flora, wife of 
 John Beaty, also an agriculturist of that county; 
 John M., who is now operating the old home- 
 stead; Ellen, wife of Walter Rule, a farmer of 
 Bureau county; Sophrona, wife of Thomas An- 
 derson, of Robinson, Brown county, Kansas; 
 Margaret, at home; George A., who assists his 
 brother in carrying on the home farm. They 
 also lost one daughter, Sarah, who died at the 
 age of seven years. 
 
 Since voting for Abraham Lincoln, in i860, 
 Mr. Turnbull has supported every presidential 
 candidate of the republican party. Lie has 
 served as highway commissioner for a num- 
 ber of years and as school director. With the 
 United Presbyterian church, both himself and 
 wife hold membership and they enjoy the love 
 and esteem of the entire neighborhood. Mr. 
 Turnbull is widely and favorably known through- 
 out Bureau, Stark and Henry counties, where his 
 sterling worth and strict integrity have com- 
 mended him to the confidence of all. 
 
 P' 
 
 >ARKER NOYES MASON, publisher of 
 the Buda Plain Dealer, of Buda, Illinois, 
 was born October 4, 1862, at Buda, and is the 
 son of Cyrus P. and Sarah G. (Noyes) Mason. 
 The father was a native of Pittsfield, New Hamp- 
 shire, and the mother of Springfield, same state. 
 They were the parents of two children: Our 
 subject and Orris W., farmer in Concord town- 
 ship. The parents were farmers and located at 
 Buda, section 33, in 1844, having emigrated to 
 the state in 1832. Our subject was reared on the 
 home farm and was educated in the common 
 schools of Buda. Subsequently he, with his 
 brother and father, engaged in the creamery busi- 
 ness under the firm of C. P. Mason 8; Sons, The 
 
THE r.IOCRAPHlCAL RILCOIU). 
 
 56s 
 
 farming was also carried on together. Tliis ar- 
 rangement continued until 1887, when he estali- 
 lished the Plain Dealer at Buda. He had pre- 
 viously a small plant as early as 1885 at the home 
 farm, where he learned printing and did job work. 
 He learned the business practically by himself. 
 He has since conducted his paper at Buda. It 
 is a fine quarto paper, issued every Thursday, 
 and republican in politics. Mr. Mason was 
 united in marriage at Buda, July 3, i88g, to Ger- 
 trude Emma, daughter of William S. and Bar- 
 bara E. (Buchan) Seguine, a native of Buda. 
 The father is a native of New Jersey and the 
 mother a native of Canada of Scotch parentage. 
 They have bv this union two children: Wayne 
 and Ross. ]Mrs. Mason is a member of the Bap- 
 tist church. Husband liberal in religion. In 
 politics ^Ir. Mason is a republican. He has 
 taken an active part in local politics, has been a 
 member of county and state conventions, etc. Is 
 at present village clerk. Is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic order lodge of Buda, No. 399 ; Eastern Star, 
 No. 248, I. O. O. F.; Buda lodge. No. 575; Buda 
 encampment. No. 130; Rebekah lodge, No. 339. 
 j\Ir. Mason has been quite successful in his 
 newspaper venture. He has secured for it a good 
 circulation and he has a liberal patronage in his 
 job department. Tlie Plain Dealer is a bright, 
 newsy sheet, in neat dress, and is ably conducted, 
 etc. 
 
 T SAAC T. WHITAKER, proprietor of a hotel 
 1 in Wenona, was born in Breckinridge county, 
 Kentucky, December 19, 1823, and is the son of 
 Jesse Whitaker, whose birth occurred in Barren 
 county, of the same state, in 1791. However, 
 Isaac Whitaker, the paternal grandfather, was a 
 native of Virginia and of English descent, the 
 family having been founded in that state by ten 
 brothers who came over from England about the 
 timeof the Revolutionary war, in which he served 
 as a teamster. He later emigrated to Kentuck)', 
 but his last (la\-s were spent in Vigo county, 
 Indiana. The mother of our subject, who bore 
 the maiden name of Sallie Pearson, was born 
 
 in Shelby county, Kentucky, in 1797, and was the 
 daughter of Moses Pearson, a Welshman, who 
 also served as a teamster in the war for independ- 
 ence, emigrated to Kentucky, and removed to 
 Vigo county, Indiana, where his death occurred. 
 
 In Shelby county, Kentucky, in 1816 the mar- 
 riage of the parents of our subject was celebrated, 
 and in 1825 they located upon a new farm in 
 Vigo county, Indiana, where they made their 
 home until 1 85 1, when they became residents of 
 Coles county, Illinois. The father was a very 
 patriotic man, who served in the war of 1812, be- 
 ing under General Jackson at the battle of New 
 Orleans, raised a company for the Mexican war, 
 but hostilities ceased before his troops were ac- 
 cepted and during the civil war, although sixty- 
 six years of age, he enlisted as a private soldier 
 in the Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
 with which he swved for one year, and was then 
 discharged on account of an injury sustained 
 while lifting a cannon. Returning to his home 
 in Coles county, he there lived until 1865, when 
 he settled at Lacon, where his death occurred in 
 January, 1879. The mother of our subject hav- 
 ing died in Vigo county, Indiana, he wedded Mrs. 
 Rhoda ^IcCIure, a widow lady, who also died in 
 January, 1879. The parents were both earnest 
 members of the Baptist church. 
 
 Our subject is the fourth in order of birth in 
 the family of seven children born of the first mar- 
 riage, the others being Moses P., who faithful!)- 
 served his country during the civil war and died 
 in 1871, leaving two children; ^Frs. Resenah 
 Aken, who is living in Vigo county, Indiana, and 
 has two children ; Dorcas, deceased wife of Rice 
 Stark, by whom she had six children; William C, 
 who died while in the union service, leaving three 
 children; Willis P., who died in 1895, leaving 
 six children, and Jesse A., ex-sherifif of Marshall 
 county, who at his death left one child. 
 
 The early life of Isaac T. Whitaker was passed 
 in \ igo county, and on the loth of March, 1846, 
 he was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Jane 
 Smith, who was born in Shell))- county, Indiana, 
 in 1828, and was the daughter of John C. Smith, 
 a native of Kentucky. He then located upon a 
 
566 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 farm in the hoosier state, which place continued 
 to be his home until coming to Illinois in Sep- 
 tember, 1849, when he settled at Washington, 
 but the following year he became a resident of 
 Lacon, where he was engaged in mechanical 
 work until 1862. After six years then spent in 
 Peoria, he removed to a farm in Evans township, 
 Marshall county, which he continued to improve 
 and cultivate until 1875. At that time he came to 
 Wenona, where he has since successfully con- 
 ducted a hotel. , 
 
 In September, 1850, Mr. Whitaker's first wife 
 died. To them were born two children, one 
 still living, Levi S., of Greeley, Colorado. He 
 was again married in September, 1851, Mrs. Han- 
 nah Martin becoming his wife. She was born in 
 Harrison county, Ohio, in April, 1831, and a 
 daughter of Francis Worley, who came from 
 Ohio, to Marshall county, Illinois, in 1835, but 
 after a residence of about twelve years removed 
 to Iowa, where his death occurred. By the 
 second union were born three daughters, all of 
 whom died while young. 
 
 For forty years, Mr. Whitaker has been an 
 earnest and consistent member of the Baptist 
 church, to which his wife also belongs, and for 
 a number of years was chorister in the church. 
 In his younger years he also taught music all 
 over Marshall and Putnam counties. He is a 
 stanch adherent to the principles of the republic- 
 an party in politics, and supports the candidates 
 offered by that organization on all occasions. 
 
 HENRY W. IMMKE, photographer in North 
 Princeton, Illinois, is an artist of wide ex:- 
 perience and stands high in his profession. His 
 patrons include the best class of people in the 
 county, and his photographs are as fine as can be 
 produced in any of the best establishments in the 
 state. 
 
 A native of Hesse Cassel, Germany, Mr. 
 Immke was born in the village of Wenders- 
 hausen, March 9, 1839, a son of John and K. 
 Christina (Apel) Immke, who spent their entire 
 lives in the fatherland. John was the son of John 
 Henry Immke and Anna K. (Yaeger) Immke. 
 
 By trade the father was an expert weaver of 
 damask linen, one of the best skilled in his line 
 in the country, and he worked only for the 
 wealthy. He was born January 7, 181 1, and 
 died in 1848, at the early age of thirty-six years. 
 He was a member of the German Reformed 
 church, as was also his wife. She was born 
 January 28, 1818, and her death occurred in Han- 
 over, near Goettingen, March 31, 1896, at the 
 age of seventy-eight years. Our subject is the 
 oldest of their five children, the others being 
 Maggie, wife of William Blume, residing near 
 Worthington, Minnesota; Henry, residing on a 
 farm near Pontiac, in Livingston county, Illinois; 
 Mary, wife of Fred Wisthufif, a farmer near 
 Chatsworth, Livingston county; and M. Eliza- 
 beth, who died at Odell, Livingston county, in 
 1873, at the age of twenty-four years. 
 
 In the schools of his native land our subject 
 received a good German education, and in 1855, 
 at the age of sixteen years, crossed the Atlantic 
 to America, coming directly to Peru, Illinois, 
 where for eight years he was employed on a 
 farm. He then began the study of photography 
 with the late S. M. Fassett, of Chicago, who had 
 one of the largest and best equipped galleries in 
 the United States during the vvar. There ^Ir. 
 Immke learned the business, and in September, 
 1866, located in Princeton, where he purchased 
 an interest with W. H. Masters, and began the 
 photograph business. This partnership continu- 
 ed for five and a half months, when it was dissolv- 
 ed, our subject starting a gallery in the north 
 end of Princeton, while Mr. Masters remained in 
 the south end. There Mr. Immke has since suc- 
 cessfully engaged in business, doing all kinds of 
 work along his line. He is an artist of more 
 than ordinary ability, which his pictures plainly 
 show. A few years since he photographed a 
 group of old settlers, in which over four hundred 
 faces are embraced in a frame, forty-four by fifty- 
 six inches. As a work of art it is an interesting 
 study, a faithful likeness of those honored 
 pioneers who came to Bureau county when it was 
 little better than a wilderness, and the picture 
 plainly indicates that it was executed by a master 
 
THE lUOGRAPfflCAL RECORD. 
 
 567 
 
 workman. Mr. Immke is deserving of great 
 commendation for the excellency of his work, 
 but more for the enterprise and generous public 
 spirit with which he oerformed this difficult un- 
 dertaking. He has taken an active interest in 
 educational affairs, and is now serving his ninth 
 year as school director. Both himself and wife 
 are earnest members of the Presbyterian church. 
 
 On the 29th of May, 1864, Mr. Immke wedded 
 Miss ]\Iary R. Steinbrook, who was born in 
 Aluskingum county, Ohio, July 13, 1843, ^^'i to 
 them have been born four children: Henry 
 ^^'illiam, a business man of Chicago, who mar- 
 ried Alartha S. Slavens, of Kansas City, Mis- 
 souri, daughter of Judge L. C. Slavens, and had 
 two children, William Luther and Martha, who 
 died at the age of four months ; Minnetta, wife of 
 Fred H. Bacon, of Canton, South Dakota, by 
 whom she has one child, Neva; Pansy M., who 
 graduated at the Princeton high school in 1896; 
 and Leroy S., who was born April 2, 1884, and 
 died ]March 6, 1892. 
 
 Plenry Steinbrook, the father of Mrs. Immke, 
 was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Oc- 
 tober I, 1796, but when young was taken by his 
 parents- to Aluskingum county, Ohio, where he 
 engaged in farming and later in the manufacture 
 of salt and in coal mining. By trade he was a 
 wheelwright. In 1821 he married Sarah Lef- 
 fler, who was born January 28, 1806, and died 
 April, 1892. His death occurred May 4, 1873. 
 Fourteen children were born to them, three of 
 whom died in infancy. The others were Samuel, 
 a resident of Raysville, Vinton county, Ohio, 
 who wedded Mary Shago, of Zanesville, that 
 state; Henry, who married Mary Seright, and 
 died at the age of sixty-two years; Sarah, who 
 married Joseph Garrett and lives on the old home 
 place in Ohio; Catherine, who died a year after 
 her marriage to Bruce Crauslin; Peter, who mar- 
 ried Emma Sheldon and lives on a farm near 
 Taylorsville, Ohio; Caroline, who married Absa- 
 lom Miller, and died in 1874, at the age of thirty- 
 five; Margaret, wife of Mahlon Miller, of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio; Anna, who married George LefHer, 
 and died July 4, 1876; Elizabeth, who died at the 
 
 age of nine months; Mary R., now Mrs. Imnikc; 
 George, who married Melissa Cameron, and lives 
 on a farm in Cherokee county, Kansas; Matilda, 
 who married J. L. Gurrad, of Petersburg, Illinois, 
 and died July 27, 1876. 
 
 JA^IES C. SPANGLER, a leading agricultur- 
 ist of Belle Plain township, residing on sec- 
 tion 14, was born in Richland township, Mar- 
 shall county, November 5, 1847. Thirteen years 
 previous his parents had taken up their residence 
 in the latter township, and the name of the family 
 is therefore engraved on the rolls of Marshall 
 county's pioneers. The father, William Spangler, 
 was born in Franklin county, Ohio, July 13, 181 1, 
 and in 1834 started for Illinois. At that time the 
 Indians still inhabited this region and wild ani- 
 mals were frequently seen, while various kinds of 
 wild game was plentiful. At one time, Mr. 
 Spangler was compelled to climb a tree and re- 
 main there for several hours through the night 
 to save himself from wild hogs. He hauled 
 wheat to Chicago and with the proceeds derived 
 from his crops purchased the necessary dry goods 
 and groceries for his family. Many were the 
 hardships and privations to be endured, but at 
 lengch a comfortable home was established here 
 on the frontier. William Spangler married 
 Emily McCune, who was born in Pennsylvania, 
 June 16, 1818. Of their twelve children seven are 
 living, namely: William, John B., Charles C. and 
 James C, twins; Mary L., wife of James O. 
 Ramp; Carrie, wife of H. T. Foster, and Belle, 
 wife of William T. IlifT. 
 
 James C. Spangler spent his boyhood days in 
 the usual manner of farmer lads and was early 
 inured to the arduous labors incident to frontier 
 life. The common schools of the neighborhood 
 afforded him his educational privileges. After 
 arriving at years of maturity he was married 
 January 18, 1872, to Amanda Carruthers, who 
 was born in Richland township, Marshall coun- 
 ty, February 3, 1851. Her father, William B. 
 Carruthers, was born near Terre Haute, Indiana, 
 January 22, 1826, came to Marshall county in 
 1844, and was married September 14,. 1846, to 
 
S68 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Minerva Owen, by whom he had two children: 
 Charles E., born Jtnie i6, 1848, and Mrs. Spang- 
 ler. The grandfather, Timothy Owen, removed 
 from Mansfield, Connecticut, in 1819, to Sciota 
 county, Ohio, where on the 25th of ^larch, 1823, 
 he wedded Jane Dever. In 1832 he came to Alar- 
 shall county, and spent his remaining days in 
 Richland township. In his family were ten 
 children, five of whom are living: Minerva, 
 David D., Ruth O., wife of William Kunkle; 
 Samuel H., and Jane, wife of George Kunkle. 
 Mr. Owen located here immediately after the 
 Black Hawk war, entered one hundred and sixty 
 acres of land on Round Prairie, and afterward 
 purchased other lands from the government. He 
 killed as many as three deer in one day, for 
 those animals were very numerous at that time. 
 He followed farming, carpentering and wagon 
 making and for many years manufactured all the 
 coffins needed in the settlement. He also made 
 many barrels and invented the first corn-planter 
 drawn by horses in the United States. He pos- 
 sessed much mechanical genius, and with tools 
 could produce almost anything that was needed. 
 In 1833, on Crow Creek he built the first saw- 
 mill in Marshall county, and in 1836, he began 
 operating the first gristmill in the county, the 
 same being patronized by people who came for 
 thirty miles. This mill was destroyed by fire 
 about 1853, the day after the insurance had ex- 
 pired, and thus vanished one of the old land- 
 marks of the county. Mr. Owen died on the old 
 homestead May 3, 1885, aged eighty-six years, 
 and his wife died March S, 1883, at the age 
 of eighty years. Mrs. Spangler's father served in 
 the union army as a member of Company C, 
 Sixty-fifth Illinois Infantry, was for a time with 
 General Sigel's command, and afterward went 
 with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea. 
 At the time' of his discharge he was in the com- 
 pany commanded by Captain Henry Fisher, of 
 Lacon, Illinois. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Spangler had nine children, eight 
 of whom are living, as follows: Hattie B., wife 
 of William McCulloch, of Varna, Illinois, by 
 whom she has one child, Nita; Emily J., wife 
 
 of Warner Broaddus, of Vai"na, by whom she 
 has one son, Lynn S.; Charles E., Fred, Walter 
 R., Calla E., Anna V., and J. Cliff. 
 
 .Mr. Spangler removed to his present farm in 
 1870, and here owns and operates three hundred 
 and forty acres of valuable land, which is under a 
 high state of cultivation and well improved. He 
 follows farming and stockraising and his syste- 
 matic methods, industry and honorable dealing 
 have brought to him a handsome competence. 
 Pie has served as school director and road com- 
 missioner and is deeply interested in all that per- 
 tains to the welfare and advancement of the coun- 
 ty, where his entire life has been passed. 
 
 CHARLES H. JUSTIS, a leading and en- 
 terprising business man of La Rose, and 
 the present efficient supervisor of Belle Plain 
 township, Marshall county, was born on the 4th 
 of July, 1859, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 
 is a son of Charles H. Justis, an engraver. His 
 mother died when he was but three years of age, 
 and after his father's second marriage he was 
 taken to New York city and placed in the New 
 York Juvenile asylum. A few months later he 
 was sent west, and was taken by Lewis Lime- 
 barger, a farmer of Wilmington, Will county, 
 Illinois. In 1869, Mr. Limebarger removed to 
 Stanford, where he engaged in the grain business 
 until 1871, and then came to La Rose, where he 
 erected an elevator. 
 
 Mr. Justis remained on the farm until 1873, 
 when he also came to La Rose, where he has 
 since made his home with the exception of two 
 years, one spent in buying grain in Lacon, and 
 the other in Munster, La Salle county. For some 
 time he was employed in the elevator in La Rose, 
 which he ran for one year on his own account, 
 but it was then sold, and he has since been con- 
 nected with the Santa Fe elevator at the same 
 place. He was also agent for the Chicago & 
 Alton railroad at La Rose from the spring of 
 1879 ""til the spring of 1882. 
 
 On the 13th of March, 1879, was celebrated the 
 marriage of JMr. Justis and IMiss Belle Rains, a 
 daughter of Robert W. Rains, now a resident' of 
 
THE BlOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 56<) 
 
 Fairfield, Iowa. Her fatlier was a pioneer of 
 Woodford couiaty, Illinois, but at an early day 
 came to Marshall county, where he experienced 
 all the trials and difficulties of frontier life. In 
 1882 he removed to Jefferson county, Iowa, and 
 is now living a retired life in Fairfield. In his 
 family were several children, one of whom died 
 when small and three after they had attained 
 adult age. Those living are Lavina, Tliomas, 
 Robert, Caroline, William, Belle, Columbia and 
 Charles. To our subject and his wife has been 
 born a daughter: Carrie E., whose birth oc- 
 curred December 10, 1880. 
 
 Politically, J\Ir. Justis is identified with the 
 repubhcan party, and has served as a member of 
 both the township and county central commit- 
 tees, being chairman of the former. For five 
 years he was president of the village board, is at 
 present clerk, and was village trustee for some 
 time. For one year he filled the office of justice 
 of the peace, and is now serving his third year as 
 supervisor. He is one of the prominent and in- 
 fluential men of the community, widely and 
 favorably known, and has materially aided in ad- 
 vancing the welfare and in promoting the in- 
 terests of La Rose. Both as a business man and 
 true citizen he is held in high esteem, and he 
 certainly deserves much credit for the success 
 which he has achieved. Socially, he is connected 
 with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and 
 the Knights of Pythias fraternities, while his 
 estimable wife and daughter are members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 JAMES FOSTER is a representative of the 
 agricultural interests of Alarshall county 
 and also one of its native sons, his parents hav- 
 ing located here in pioneer days, from which 
 time the name of Foster has figured conspicu- 
 ously in the annals of Marshall county. The 
 father of our subject, Joshua Foster, was born in 
 Ohio, in 1 82 1, and about the time he attained his 
 majority came to this county. He was mar- 
 ried in Hopewell township to Betsey Brumsey, a 
 sister of Nathan Brumsey, and they began their 
 domestic life on Sandy creek, afterward remov- 
 
 ing to a farm at the head of that stream. Sul)- 
 sequently they made a permanent location on 
 section 25, Roberts township, where the father 
 brought the land under cultivation, transform- 
 ing it into a highly improved farm. Fie began 
 life poor, but his industry and well-managed busi- 
 ness interests brought to him prosperity. His 
 political support was given the democracy, anil 
 he served as township trustee and school di- 
 rector. The cause of education found in him a 
 warm friend, and his children were provided 
 with good advantages in that direction. Flis 
 death occurred in April, 1895, and his wife passed 
 away in about 1885. Their surviving children 
 are: Benjamin, Louis, Albert and George, all of 
 Evans township; James and Walter in 3,far- 
 shall county, and Wilber, of Livingston county, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Mr. Foster of this review was born December 
 15, 1858, on section 25, Roberts township, and 
 on the homestead farm grew to manhood, early 
 becoming familiar with all the duties that fall to 
 the lot of the agriculturist. His life has been 
 given to general farming, and he is today the 
 owner of eighty acres of improved land, which is 
 now rented. In politics he is a democrat, but 
 has had no desire or inclination for public office. 
 In business he is straightforward and honorable, 
 and as one of the early settlers of the county well 
 deserves representation in this volume. 
 
 GEORGE L. GOLLIVER, one of the enter- 
 prising and prosperous citizens of La 
 Rose, was born in Wells county, Indiana, on the 
 28th of February, 1859, and is a son of James 
 M. Golliver, a native of Miami county, Ohio. 
 Upon the home farm he was reared and in the 
 common schools of the locality acquired his ed- 
 ucation. On coming to Illinois in 1879, he first 
 located in Washburn, Woodford county, where 
 for three years he engaged in farming-, and for 
 the same length of time followed the blacksmith's 
 trade. 
 
 It was in the spring of 1885 that Mr. Golliver 
 became a resident of La Rose, and here also 
 worked at the blacksmith's trade for about seven 
 
S^o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPmCAL RECORD. 
 
 years. Subsequently he was engaged in mercan- 
 tile pursuits, but now owns and operates a steam 
 thresher, using the Nichols & Shepard separator 
 and engine. He is a very active, energetic man, 
 and an excellent workman. 
 
 On the 13th of September, 1883, Mr. Golliver 
 was joined in wedlock with Miss Margaret Whit- 
 ton, daughter of Thomas Whitton, now deceased, 
 who was a native of Scotland, and an early set- 
 tler of Marshall county, where Mrs. Golliver's 
 birth occurred. Four children have been born of 
 this union, but James M., the oldest, died when 
 in his ninth year. Those living are Harry S., 
 George L., and W. A. 
 
 Although never an office-seeker, Mr. Golliver 
 has most creditably served as justice of the peace. 
 He is deeply interested in civic societies, affiliat- 
 ing with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Modern 
 Woodmen of America. He holds membership in 
 the Christian church, while his wife is a Presby- 
 terian in religious belief. They are held in high 
 regard by all who know them and have a host 
 of warm friends throughout the community. 
 
 LOUIS STUEBING, a prominent represen- 
 tative of the commercial interests of Mar- 
 shall county, is successfully engaged in general 
 merchandising in La Rose. He is a German by 
 birth and training, but possesses the true Ameri- 
 can spirit of progress, which together with the 
 habits of industry and economy learned in the 
 fatherland, has enabled him to become a well- 
 to-do and prosperous citizen. 
 
 Our subject was born near Berlin, Germany, 
 September 27, 1849, 3-i^d is a son of Gotleib and 
 Marie XBinn) Stuebing, the former born in Gor- 
 litz, Schlesien, and the latter near Berlin, where 
 the father's death occurred. Louis obtained a 
 good common school education in his native 
 place, and in October, 1871, sailed for the new 
 world. Landing at New Orleans, he remained 
 in that city until the following spring, when he 
 came to Piano, Illinois, where he was employed 
 in the Piano binder works until 1877. In that 
 year he came to La Rose and opened a small 
 
 stock of general merchandise, but as his trade 
 constantly increased he added to it until he now 
 carries a stock valued at five thousand dollars, 
 consisting of dry goods, groceries, hats, caps, 
 boots and shoes, clothing, notions, paints, oils, 
 crockery, queensware and glassware. He re- 
 ceives a liberal share of the public patronage, 
 which his courteous treatment of customers and 
 well selected goods justly merits. 
 
 Mr. Stuebing was married October 17, 1876, 
 to Alarie Zilm, daughter of William Zilm, of 
 Belle Plain township, and they now have seven 
 children: Ernest, Alma, Wanda, Herbert, Doris, 
 Louis and Verner. Ernest is now clerking in a 
 store in Chicago, but the others are still at home. 
 In 1873, the mother of our subject came to the 
 United States, and now makes her home with 
 her son Leopold, in West Pullman, Illinois. For 
 seven years, Mr. Stuebing has served as school 
 treasurer in La Rose, and has ever taken a deep 
 interest in all enterprises which will in any way 
 benefit the community. He and his family are 
 communicants of the Lutheran church, and are 
 highly respected by all who know them. 
 
 DANIEL D. DOW, one of the most trusted 
 employes of the Rock Island Railroad com- 
 pany, now serving as agent for the same at 
 Bureau, Illinois, and as express agent, is a na- 
 tive of this state, his birth having occurred in 
 Cook county, January 29, 1841. His father, 
 John Dow, was born in New York, and about 
 the close of the Black Hawk war came to Illi- 
 nois, locating on the swampy tract where Chi- 
 cago now stands. He was a painter by trade, 
 making a specialty of ornamental work and sign 
 painting, and did much of the lettering on the 
 lake steamers. Later he removed to Hinsdale, 
 west of Chicago, where his death occurred in 
 the fall of 1894. He married Margaret Kelly, 
 and to them were bom four children, two of 
 whom are still living— Daniel D., of this review, 
 and Josephine, wife of John Englehardt of Blue 
 Island, Illinois, by whom she has one son, 
 Harry. 
 
 Our subject acquired his education in the pub- 
 
^t^"^ 
 
 **ss* 
 
 D. D. D<jw, 
 
THE BIOGRAPfflCAL RECORD. 
 
 573 
 
 lie schools of Blue Island and Chicago, and at the 
 age of eighteen learned telegraphy. During the 
 civil war he served for one year in the military 
 telegraph service of the United States govern- 
 ment, and on the close of the war became opera- 
 tor and clerk in the freight office of the Chicago, 
 Rock Island and Pacific railroad, in whose em- 
 ploy he has since remained. In November, 
 1866, he came to Bureau, Illinois, to take charge 
 of the office at this place. He has \\itnessed al- 
 most the entire growth and development of the 
 village, as at the time of his arrival it contained 
 but one store. For a time the train dispatch- 
 er's office was located here, and Air. Dow 
 served as chief train dispatcher for the Illinois 
 division of the road for ten years. His long re- 
 tention plainly indicates his faithful discharge of 
 duty and the confidence and trust the company 
 repose in him. 
 
 In Xovember, 1868, was celebrated the mar- 
 riage of Air. Dow and Miss Mary Moore, daugh- 
 ter of Nicholas Moore, now deceased, who lo- 
 cated at Peru, Illinois, over thirty-five years ago. 
 Four children were born of this union, three of 
 whom still survive, namely, De Witt C, Maggie 
 and Ollie, all at home. Socially, Mr. Dow is a 
 Royal Arch Mason, and in religious belief is a 
 Presbyterian. His gentlemanly deportment and 
 genial manners have gained him hosts of warm 
 friends, and he is numbered among the most 
 highly respected, prominent and influential citi- 
 zens of Bureau, with whose interests he has now 
 been closely identified for over thirty years. 
 
 JOHN D. BALL, an enterprising farmer re- 
 siding on section 12, Belle Plain township, 
 Marshall county, was born in Lacon, Illinois, Feb- 
 ruary 24, 1855. His father, Jonas L. Ball, a native 
 of Massachusetts, located in Lacon in 1841, 
 traveling from Hamilton, Ohio, on horseback. 
 He had lived in the latter place from boyhood, 
 and for a number of years served as foreman in 
 the packing house of Jabez Fisher. In the em- 
 ploy of that gentleman he came to Lacon, where 
 he had charge of a packing house for four years. 
 He then turned his attention to general mer- 
 
 chandising and also bought potatoes, shipping 
 them to St. Louis by boat. In 1855 he removed 
 to a farm and after two years located on section 
 1, Belle Plain township. He hauled wheat to 
 Chicago, and on the return trip brought the lum- 
 ber with which to build his house. His wife, 
 Elizabeth C. Ball, was a daughter of Dr. Fetter, 
 who in 1845 removed from Uniontown, Pennsyl- 
 vania, to Caledonia, Putnam county, Illinois, 
 where his death occurred about 1850. He had 
 an extensive practice, and was a prominent and 
 highly respected citizen. 
 
 Jonas and Elizabeth Ball were parents of seven 
 children, three of whom are living: John D., 
 Jonas T. and Gertrude, wife of Sain Welty, an 
 attorney of Bloomington, Illinois. The father 
 of this family was a member of the Christian 
 church, and a valued and influential citizen, high- 
 ly esteemed by all. Flis wife is still living at the 
 age of seventy years and makes her home with 
 her daughter in Bloomington. 
 
 Under the parental roof John D. Ball was 
 reared to manhood, no event of special import- 
 ance occurring in his boyhood days, which were 
 passed midst play and work on the home farm. 
 He was married February 24, 1876, to Anna M. 
 Griffin, daughter of Hamilton R. Griffin, de- 
 ceased, who came to Marshall county from 
 Smithville, Pennsylvania, in 1848. After con- 
 ducting a hotel for a year in Henry he located in 
 Evans township, Marshall county, where he made 
 his home until 1892, removing then to Wenona, 
 where his death occurred in 1894. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ball have been born six children, four of 
 whom are living, namely: Electa L., Ella G., 
 and Jonas H. and Josie L., twins. One died in 
 infancy, and Charles L. died at the age of near 
 two years. 
 
 Mr. Ball gives his attention to agricultural pur- 
 suits and his energy, close application and sound 
 judgment have brought to him a handsome com- 
 petence. His home farm comprises four hundred 
 and forty-five acres of valuable land, and he also 
 owns two hundred and forty acres in Ford coun- 
 ty. All the improvements and conveniences 
 known to the model farm of the nineteenth cen- 
 
574 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 tury are found on his place and indicate the thrift 
 and enterprise of the owner. His home is one 
 of the finest in the count}-, a two story frame 
 residence, heated by a hot air furnace, and sup- 
 plied with water which is piped into the house. 
 The furnishings are tasteful, and in this desirable 
 home hospitality reigns supreme. In 1895 Mr. 
 Ball erected a large barn. He is very progres- 
 sive and follows the most advanced methods in 
 all things. His sterling worth has occasioned his 
 selection to public office, he having served as 
 school director several years, as school trustee, 
 assessor for five years and supervisor for three 
 years. He is United States reporter for this 
 township, to obtain statistics of the agricultural 
 products. Religiously he is connected with the 
 Christian church, and socially is a member of the 
 Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen of 
 America. His life has been well spent and he 
 well deserves mention among the leading citi- 
 zens of Marshall county. 
 
 WILLIAM V. MORROW, who is engaged 
 in the transfer business and carrying the 
 mail at La Rose, Illinois, is a native of the buck- 
 eye state, his birth occurring in Jackson county, 
 July 28, 1847. His father, Abraham Morrow, 
 was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
 of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the great-grandfather of 
 our subject coming over to this country from the 
 north of Ireland at an early day and settling in 
 Pennsylvania, of which state John Morrow, the 
 grandfather, was a native. The mother of our 
 subject, who bore the maiden name of Mary 
 Meredith, was a native of Guernsey county, Ohio, 
 and a daughter of George Meredith, whose father 
 had come to the new world from Wales in 
 colonial days, and was an ofScer in the American 
 army in both the Revolution and the war of 1812. 
 The maternal grandmother of our subject was 
 also of Irish parentage. 
 
 When a small boy, William V. Morrow was 
 taken by his parents to Guernsey county, Ohio, 
 and in August, 1863, accompanied them to Rich- 
 land county, Illinois. During the dark days of 
 the rebellion he manifested his loyalty and pa- 
 
 triotism by three times enlisting in the union 
 army, but was twice rejected on account of his 
 age. He was finally accepted, but the war ended 
 before his company was fully made up. In No- 
 vember, 1864, he came to Marshall county, lo- 
 cating in Belle Plain township, where he en- 
 gaged in farming until 1892, when he came to 
 La Rose, and has since engaged in his present 
 business. 
 
 On the i8th of July, 1866, Mr. Morrow led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Martha A. Perry, a 
 daughter of William Perry, of Washburn, Illi- 
 nois, who at an early day came from Kentucky 
 and settled in Marshall county, Illinois. Four 
 children have been born of this union, namely: 
 Frank, who died at the age of twenty years; 
 Fred ; Minnie, now the wife of John Kerrick, of 
 Libertyville, Iowa, and Elta, wife of Ora Spang- 
 ler, of Belle Plain township, by whom she has 
 one son, Ray Lester. 
 
 Mr. Morrow has served his fellow citizens in 
 various official positions, including those of 
 school director and highway commissioner, 
 which he filled for several years; for sixteen 
 years has been justice of the peace, and county 
 coroner since 1892. He is prompt and faithful 
 in the discharge of every duty whether public 
 or private, and has proved a most popular and 
 capable ofiEcer. Fraternally he affiliates with the 
 Modern Woodmen of America and Knights of 
 Pythias, and religiously he and his excellent wife 
 are earnest members of the Presbyterian church. 
 They are widely and favorably known through- 
 out this section of the county, and enjoy the 
 friendship of a wide circle of acquaintances. 
 
 JEREMIAH R. ILIFF, who is residing on 
 J section 18, Belle Plain township, is num- 
 bered among the pioneers of Marshall county. 
 He came to the county in 1857, and made a per- 
 manent location in 1861, since which time his 
 identification with its interests has been continu- 
 ous. His career is that of a man who has been 
 loyal and true to all the duties that devolve upon 
 him, and in his business undertakings he has won 
 
THE BIOGRAPHK/AL Rl^CORD. 
 
 575 
 
 a success resulting from honorable dealint;- and 
 indefatigable industry. 
 
 Air. Ilifif was born in Perry county, Ohio, No- 
 vember 3, 1833. His grandfather, John Ilifif, was 
 a soldier in the war of 1812. His father, Thomas 
 Iliff, now deceased, was a native of Bucks county, 
 Pennsylvania, and when twelve years of age re- 
 moved to Ohio, where he followed farming as 
 a life work. Jeremiah R. Iliff was reared on his 
 father's farm, and his district school education 
 was supplemented by study in the Wesleyan uni- 
 versity of Delaware, Ohio. He then left the 
 school room to learn the more difficult lessons 
 taught by experience in the practical affairs of 
 life, ^^'hen a young man of twenty-four he left 
 home to seek his fortune in the west, and after 
 one year spent in Marshall county, Illinois, re- 
 moved to Kansas. In 1859, however, he returned 
 to this county, and made his home with his broth- 
 er-in-law, William Watt, who had taken up his 
 residence here in 1857. Air. Iliff did not make a 
 permanent location until 1861. In the spring of 
 1862 he removed to his present home and has 
 since engaged in general farming and stock rais- 
 ing, having here a well developed farm of three 
 hundred and thirty acres, whose richly cultivated 
 fields attest his supervision, while the excellent 
 improvements upon the place indicate his thrift 
 and enterprise. 
 
 On the 23d of December, 1861, Air. IliiT mar- 
 ried Alargaret Spangler, daughter of William 
 Spangler, deceased, a pioneer of Alarshall coun- 
 ty. Her death occurred in 1866, and on the 6th 
 of September, 1870, he wedded Elizabeth Kelly, 
 daughter of Joseph Kelly. She was called to the 
 home beyond December 25, 1879. They had six 
 children, four of whom are living: Edna AT, 
 William K., Arthur C. and Thomas E. The first 
 named is now the wife of Professor E. Frank 
 Perry, principal of the schools of La Rose, Illi- 
 nois. On the I2th of October, 1881, Mr. Ilifif 
 was joined in wedlock to Mrs. Alary E. Kleiber, 
 daughter of Miles Pierce. There are five chil- 
 dren by this union: Mabel E., Minnie B., Mag- 
 gie H., Elbert R. and Charles A. 
 
 Air. Ilifif and his family are members of the 
 
 Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is 
 a republican, supporting the party by his ballot, 
 but has steadily refused public office, preferring 
 to give his attention to his business interests, in 
 which he has met with signal and well deserved 
 success. 
 
 T OHN F. HATTAN. One does not have to 
 kj carry his investigations far into the history 
 of Alarshall county to find that this gentleman 
 has been a prominent factor in its development 
 since an early day. He is numbered among the 
 pioneers of 1835, and is one of the few now left 
 to tell the story of the early settlement of this 
 locality, the hardships and trials of the frontiers- 
 men and the work they accomplished in open- 
 ing up the rigion to civilization. He was born 
 in Rockbridge county, Virginia, December 8, 
 1823. His father, Forsyth Hattan, was a native 
 of the same county, and in March, 1830, emi- 
 grated to Brown county, Ohio, whence he came 
 to Illinois in the fall of 1835. He located on sec- 
 tion 35, Belle Plain township, Marshall county, 
 and went through the usual experiences of 
 pioneer life, hauling grain to Chicago and bring- 
 ing back lumber, shingles, dry goods and gro- 
 ceries. The metropoHs of the west was then a 
 small town, but was the market for settlers for 
 miles around. The Indians sometimes visited this 
 locality, although they no longer made their 
 homes here. Wild game of all kinds was plenti- 
 ful, including deer, turkeys and prairie chickens. 
 Mr. Hattan, of this review, has seen as many 
 as fifty deer in a drove at one time, and his trusty 
 rifle has brought down many of them, thus sup- 
 plying the family with venison. Little of the land 
 in the county had been fenced and the few set- 
 tlers lived along the belts of timber skirting the 
 streams. Although there were many hardships 
 to be endured in connection with this life, it was 
 also not without its pleasures, and the homes of 
 the early settlers were justly noted for their hos- 
 pitality. Neighbors were often miles apart and 
 days passed at a time when famiHes saw no one 
 except the members of their own household. 
 
576 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 Forsyth Hattan wedded Mary Campbell, a 
 native of Rockbridge county, Virginia, and to 
 them were born ten children, six of whom are 
 living: Mrs. Jane Baker, Mark, Mrs. Nancy 
 Perry, William, Mrs. Sophia Shreve and John 
 F. One son, Francis, served for three years in 
 the civil war, and for eighteen months was incar- 
 cerated in Andersonville prison. About a year 
 after his return home, while stacking wheat, he 
 was injured by a pitchfork and died ten da_\-s 
 later. Andrew died at the age of twenty-five 
 years, and the other children died in early life. 
 The father passed away February i8, 1876, at the 
 age of seventy-six years, and the mother in 
 August, 1880, aged eighty-four. 
 
 John F. Hattan shared with the family in the 
 hardships, the trials and the pleasures which came 
 to them in their pioneer home. He has always 
 resided in Belle Plain township with the excep- 
 tion of three years, from 1882 until 1884, which 
 he spent in Montgomery county, Kansas. He 
 was married May 10, 1846, to Elizabeth, daugh- 
 ter of Thomas McKinney, who came from Brown 
 county, Ohio, to Marshall county, about 1843. 
 
 Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hattan: Mary J. is the wife of Mark Hattan of 
 Nuckolls county, Nebraska, and has seven chil- 
 dren, Lizzie, Elmer, John, Hattie, Effie, James 
 and Pearl ; Mark, of Clay county, Nebraska, mar- 
 ried Victoria Short, and has six children, Ina, 
 Cora, Arthur, Sanford, Ettie and Edna; Thomas 
 F., who is living on the old homestead, married 
 Martha Brock, and has two children, Claudie 
 and Gaylon; Jacob wedded Mary Jail and has 
 five children, Roy, Floyd, Rosa, Guy, and Leslie; 
 Hillery, of Montgomery county, Kansas, mar- 
 ried Lilhe Fulton, and has three children, Ola, 
 Eugene and Arrene; Sarah is the wife of Jaines 
 Wilson, of Montgomery county, Kansas, and has 
 seven children, F. Edward, Richard, DoUie, 
 Cleveland, John, and two little girls; Nancy A. 
 is the wife of Paschal Short, of Independence, 
 Kansas, and has three children, Grace, Earl and 
 Claude; Ada is the wife of Frank Davison, of 
 Woodford county, Illinois, by whom she has one 
 daughter, Lillie; Carl, of Montgomery county. 
 
 Kansas, married Belle Yates, and has two chil- 
 dren, Robert and Rhoda; Francis M., of Belle 
 Plain township, married Efifie B. Ditch, and has 
 two children, Clarence and Elsie Ray. The 
 mother of this family departed this life Novem- 
 ber 5, 1887, aged sixty-two years. She was a 
 devoted member of the Christian church, and 
 her well spent life won her the love and esteem 
 of all. 
 
 Mr. Hattan and most of his children are also 
 members of the same church. Throughout life 
 he has followed farming and is now the owner 
 of three hundred and eighty acres of valuable 
 land. He has also engaged in stock raising and 
 has added not a little to his income in this way. 
 He started out in life empty-handed, but has 
 steadily worked his way upward, overcoming all 
 obstacles by determined purpose and securing a 
 comfortable competence through earnest labor 
 and capable management. He has traveled con- 
 siderably over this country and was one of the 
 first passengers on the Union Pacific railroad to 
 California, making the trip in 1872. In Decem- 
 ber, 1892, he again went to the Pacific slope and 
 visited his brother and sister in Oregon, and 
 spent some time in the golden state. 
 
 J AMES B. FOSTER, a progressive and in- 
 fluential agriculturist, now residing on sec- 
 tion 15, Belle Plain township, was born on the 
 old family homestead on the adjoining section, 
 September 2, 1856. His father, Benjamin Fos- 
 ter, was born in Franklin county, Ohio, twelve 
 miles from Columbus, on the 4th of January, 
 1820, and at an early day came to Illinois, taking 
 up his residence in Richland township, Marshall 
 county^ where he remained through the follow- 
 ing winter. He then removed to Hopewell town- 
 ship, near Henry, and about twelve years later 
 came to Belle Plain township, locating on sec- 
 tion 16. The land was then wild, the only im- 
 provement upon the place being a small frame 
 house in poor repair, but he energetically began 
 the task of developing a farm and soon placed 
 the tract under a high state of cultivation. He 
 also engaged quite extensively in stockraising in 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 577 
 
 an early day and drove his cattle to market at 
 Chicago. He butchered them on the prairie and 
 sold to the dealers in the city. He was very 
 prosperous, accumulating considerable property, 
 and at one time was the owner of fourteen hun- 
 dred acres of valuable land, which before his 
 death was divided among his children. 
 
 Benjamin Foster was united in marriage with 
 Miss ]\Iary Lindse}', who was born in North 
 Carolina about 1824. By this marriage they be- 
 came the parents of eight children, five of whom 
 are now living, namely: Thomas, Harding, 
 James B., Kendrick D. and Charles. The father 
 died April 26, 1889, in his seventieth year, but the 
 mother is still living. 
 
 James B. Foster has spent his entire life in 
 Marshall county, and has witnessed its growth 
 and development for forty years. To the com- 
 mon schools he is indebted for the educational 
 privileges which he enjoyed. As soon as old 
 enough to handle the plow he began work on 
 the home farm, and continued his labors there 
 until his marriage. He is now the owner of a 
 rich and fertile tract of two hundred and sixty 
 acres, and the well tilled fields yield a golden trib- 
 ute to his care and cultivation. There are good 
 improvements upon the place and its neat ap- 
 pearance well indicates his careful supervision. 
 
 On the 30th of January, 1880, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Foster and JMiss Julia Reed, 
 daughter of Wesley Reed, of Varna. She was 
 born in Wisconsin in 1861, and two interesting 
 children grace this marriage: Iva, born in Oc- 
 tober, 1887, and Edith, born November 23, 1892. 
 Politically, Mr. Foster is democratic and cast his 
 first ballot for president for Samuel J. Tilden; 
 never an aspirant for or wanted office, but gives 
 his time to his farm and business. 
 
 TOHN LITCHFIELD, a retired farmer whose 
 "^ home is on section 7, Bennington township, 
 Marshall county, was born in Cambridgeshire, 
 England, December 11, 1821, a son of Richard 
 and Sarah (Kendrick) Litchfield. In the fall of 
 1836 the family left London, bound for the Unit- 
 ed States, but it was thirteen weeks before they 
 
 reached the shores of this country, as they en- 
 countered several severe storms and were also 
 becalmed. They were three weeks in getting out 
 of the British Channel, were delayed for one 
 week at Teneriffe Island, and were several days 
 in trying to enter the Mississippi river. Finally 
 landing at Nfew Orleans, they took passage on a 
 river boat and proceeded to their destination — 
 Vanderburg county, Indiana, where they arrived 
 early in the year 1837, and were numbered 
 among its pioneer settlers. There the father 
 opened up and developed a small farm, on which 
 he spent his remaining days. 
 
 Amid the scenes of frontier life our subject 
 grew to manhood, and acquired a fair common 
 school education in the primitive log school- 
 house. He gave the benefit of his services to his 
 father until he had attained his majority, and 
 then began life for himself by working as a farm 
 hand bv the month, and also ran flatboats for a 
 couple of years. In 1848 Mr. Litchfield was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ann Palmer, by 
 whom he has one son, Edward, now engaged in 
 the banking business in Flanagan, Livingston 
 county, Illinois. 
 
 In 1849 M''- Litchfield came to Illinois, locat- 
 ing first in McDonough county, but two years 
 later came to Marshall county, where he is num- 
 bered among the early settlers. He entered land 
 in Bennington township, and located thereon 
 when there was no one living between his place 
 and Long Point on the east. He met with suc- 
 cess in his farming operations, and is now the 
 owner of four hundred acres of valuable land, 
 lying partly in Livingston county. He assisted 
 in the organization of his township, which was 
 at first a part of Belle Plain, and while they were 
 still together served as town clerk. He became 
 the first clerk of Bennington township, which 
 position he acceptably filled for several years, 
 was later supervisor for a number of terms, and 
 also school treasurer. After taking out his natur- 
 alization papers, he cast his first vote for Henry 
 Clay in 1844, but supported Pierce in 1852, and 
 has since been an ardent democrat. He is one of 
 the representative men of the county, widely and 
 
578 
 
 THE BIOGR'APH'ICAL RECORD. 
 
 favorably known, and during his long residence 
 here has gained the confidence and respect of all 
 with whom he has come in contact, either in busi- 
 ness or social hfe. 
 
 After the death of his first wife, A'Ir. Litchfie'd 
 married her sister, Emily Palmer, and to them 
 were born ten children, who are still living: 
 George, a lumber dealer of Flanagan, Illinois; 
 Sarah, wife of J. W. Parker, of Toluca ; William 
 R., a merchant of Flanagan; Martha J., wife of 
 W. R. Stratton, of Toluca; John P., who is a 
 business man of Toluca; Robert I., May E., Char- 
 ity D., Joseph G., and Emily Louise, all at home. 
 
 Of this family, Robert I. Litchfield was born 
 on the home farm in Bennington township, May 
 24, 1864, and was provided with a good common 
 school education. In April, 1888, he led to the 
 marriage altar Miss Ada Naomi Stratton, of Ben- 
 nington township, a daughter of James and 
 Marsha (Schalcraft) Stratton. They have be- 
 come the parents of three interesting children: 
 Emily M., born in Bennington township, March 
 22, 1889; Ray D., born in the same township, 
 July 10, 1891, and Ruth, born in Belle Plain 
 township, January 2, 1894. Mr. Litchfield is now 
 living upon a farm of his father's in Belle Plain 
 township, which he is successfully operating. He, 
 too, is a strong democrat in his political views, 
 casting his first vote for Grover Cleveland in 
 1888. He was elected highway commissioner of 
 Bennington township, but, owing to his removal 
 to Belle Plain, did not serve. For one term he 
 filled the office of school director. He is one of 
 the most progressive and energetic agriculturists 
 of the community, and one of its honored and 
 respected citizens. 
 
 WLLIAM M. HATTAN. Among the 
 prosperous farmers and stock raisers of 
 Marshall county, the record of whose lives fill 
 an important place in this volume, it gives us 
 pleasure to commemorate the name of the gen- 
 tleman \\hose sketch you are reading. He is one 
 of the active and progressive agriculturists of 
 Bennington township, his home being located on 
 section 33, 
 
 A native of Ohio, Mr. Hattan was born in 
 Brown county, October 14, 1832, and is a son of 
 Mark and Martha (Campbell) Hattan, both na- 
 tives of the old dominion, where their marriage 
 was celebrated. In 1830 they removed to Brown 
 county, Ohio, and subsequently came to Mar- 
 shall county, Ilhnois, settling in Belle Plain 
 township, where the father purchased land and 
 spent his remaining days. By trade he was a 
 blacksmith. The mother's death occurred the 
 next summer after their arrival in this state. Our 
 subject is the second in order of birth in their 
 family of seven children, five of whom are still 
 living, one son, Andrew, being a resident of Belle 
 Plain township. 
 
 In the common schools Mr. Hattan, of this 
 sketch, acquired a fair education, and at an early 
 age began to assist his father in the shop, but 
 never followed the trade elsewhere. At the age 
 of twenty years he started out in hfe for himself 
 empty-handed, at first working by the month for 
 thirteen dollars, out of which he had to pay his 
 board. In the early days, during the winter 
 season, he would carry the mail on horseback 
 from Bloomington to ^Magnolia. After working 
 by the month for a year he had accumulated 
 enough money to purchase a horse and bought 
 another one on time. With this team he began 
 the operation of rented land. Later he pur- 
 chased an interest ■ in a threshing machine, and 
 about 1856 bought eighty acres of wild land, a 
 part of his present valuable farm. The house he 
 erected two years later is still used as a dwelling, 
 even the shingles being in a good state of preser- 
 vation, but in 1890 was built his present com- 
 fortable residence. In 1872 he added eighty 
 acres to the original purchase, and to-day has two 
 hundred acres of rich and arable land under a 
 high state of cultivation and well improved. 
 
 In 1858 Mr. Hattan led to the marriage altar 
 Miss Nancy J. Bennington, daughter of Thomas 
 and Cynthia (Mason) Bennington, and to them 
 were born four children, but two died in infancy. 
 Emma is the wife of Samuel Perrv, of Fillmore 
 county, Nebraska, b)- whom she has two chil- 
 dren, Lottie and Harry. James E. is married 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 579 
 
 and living in Farmington, New Mexico. Mrs. 
 Rattan was called to her final rest October 12, 
 1893, and her remains were interred in Belle 
 Plain township. 
 
 Mr. Rattan was reared a democrat, but on the 
 organization of the republican party he voted for 
 John C. Fremont in 1856, and has since been one 
 of its stanch adherents. Re has served his fel- 
 low citizens in various township of^ces, includ- 
 ing those of clerk and supervisor, and in 1872 was 
 elected circuit clerk, which position he accepta- 
 bly filled for one term. Religiously he is a faith- 
 ful member of the Christian church of Belle 
 Plain, and socially is a ]\'Iaster IMason, connected 
 with the lodge at Alinonk. No man in Marshall 
 county is held in higher esteem or has more warm 
 friends than William M. Rattan. 
 
 WELLIAAI CHALCRAFT, a wide-awake, 
 progressive farmer residing on section 16, 
 Bennington township, Marshall county, was born 
 on the 20th of July, 1832, in Surrey, England, but 
 when less than five years old was brought to 
 America by his parents, James and Mary (Ead) 
 Chalcraft. After a long and tedious voyage they 
 landed in New York, whence they made their 
 way to Indiana by way of Pittsburg, and down 
 the Ohio river to ]\It. Vernon, Indiana. At New 
 Rarmony the father secured work by the month, 
 where they remained for two years, and then 
 came by team to Edwards county, Illinois, where 
 he became a land owner and spent his remaining 
 days. After obtaining his naturalization papers 
 he supported the democratic party. Seven chil- 
 dren accompanied the parents to the new world, 
 and here the family circle was increased by the 
 birth of two more, all of whom lived to be grown 
 and matried, while six are still living. 
 
 Until attaining his majority, William Chalcraft 
 remained upon the home farm with his parents, 
 in the meantime securing a fair common school 
 education. On starting out in life for himself he 
 worked by the month for nine dollars, and later 
 his wages were increased to fourteen. With the 
 money he was able to save he purchased a horse, 
 and in company with his brother operated rented 
 
 land. In 1853 his father died, and two years 
 later he took charge of the home place, where he 
 remained until 1857, when he went to Nebraska. 
 At the end of eighteen months he returned to 
 Illinois a poorer but wiser man. It was in 1859 
 that he located in Marshall county, where he 
 rented a farm and also purchased a tract of wild 
 land, which he developed and improved, culti- 
 vating the same for about fourteen years after his 
 marriage. Re then purchased the eighty-acre 
 tract on which he still lives, and erected thereon 
 a good and substantial dwelling, and made other 
 useful and valuable improvements. 
 
 On the i8th of February, 1869, Mr. Chalcraft 
 was joined in wedlock to Miss May Colyer, a 
 native of Edwards county, and a daughter of Ed- 
 ward and Jane (Thread) Colyer, who were born 
 in England, but both came to Illinois in the 
 spring of 1818, and were married before it be- 
 came a state. Mrs. Chalcraft was given excellent 
 school privileges, completing her education in a 
 select school in Salem, Marion county, Illinois, 
 and for four years she successfully engaged in 
 teaching in Edwards county. By her marriage 
 she has become the mother of two children: 
 Anna B. was born in Bennington township, Mar- 
 shall county, and after attending the district 
 schools took a two years' course in the com- 
 mercial department of Eureka college, from 
 which she graduated. She is now following 
 teaching, as is also her sister, Florence M., who 
 was similarly educated. 
 
 Mr. Chalcraft cast his first presidential ballot 
 for James Buchanan, but has since been a repub- 
 lican in politics. Being endowed with a remark- 
 able amount of energetic spirit and with good 
 business tact, he has, since coming here, suc- 
 ceeded in achieving a fair amount of success. His 
 place evinces, both in its culture and in the good 
 and substantial buildings erected thereon, the 
 diligence and thrift of the owner, and prosperity 
 seems to wait upon his steps. He and his wife 
 and daughters arc all members of the Christian 
 church, of which he is a deacon. They are all ex- 
 tremely active in religious matters, giving largely 
 of their time and means to the furtherance of the 
 
58o 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 spread of the gospel, are Sunday school workers, 
 and the daughters are prominent members of the 
 Christian Endeavor society. They hold a h'gh 
 place in the estimation of all who know them, 
 and certainly deserve honorable mention in this 
 volume. 
 
 A patriotic, loyal citizen, Mr. Chalcraft enlisted 
 in 1864 in Company C, Eighth Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry, and was in the service for over a year, 
 or until hostilities had ceased. He was in the 
 battles of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, near 
 Mobile Bay, was on patrol duty for about a 
 month, and was then sent to Texas, where he was 
 stationed on the expiration of his term. He was 
 honorably discharged and mustered out at New 
 Orleans. 
 
 LOUIS FARNER, who is now practically liv- 
 ing a retired life at the home of his son in 
 Bennington township, Marshall county, is one of 
 the representative German- American citizens 
 who have borne so important a part in the up- 
 building and development of Illinois, and are 
 numbered among her most valued and useful 
 citizens. He was born in Wittenberg, Germany, 
 August 14, 1825, a son of Jacob and Mary 
 (Fleisch) Earner, who died when he was quite 
 young, and he was thus early thrown upon his 
 own resources for a livelihood. - He received a 
 good German education and continued to work- 
 by the month in his native land until twenty-seven 
 years of age. 
 
 With the hope of benefiting his financial con- 
 dition, Mr. Earner then came to America, leav- 
 ing the fatherland in April, 1852, and arriving in 
 New York after a long and tedious voyage of 
 fifty days. He proceeded at once to Buffalo, 
 where he worked for three months in a brick 
 yard, and then went to Chicago. After a few 
 days spent in that city he went to La Salle, Illi- 
 nois, and was employed on the railroad being 
 constructed to Princeton, after which he was with 
 the Rock Island railroad for a time. Subse- 
 quently he went to Iowa, but soon returned to 
 Illinois, this time locating in Marshall county, 
 where he at first worked at anything by which 
 
 he could earn an honest dollar. In 1853 he se- 
 cured employment upon a farm, where he was 
 employed for three years, and for the following 
 six years operated rented land. His first pur- 
 chase consisted of eighty acres, to which he has 
 added from time to time as his financial resources 
 have increased, until he now has a valuable place 
 of three hundred and eighteen acres on section 
 14, Bennington township. His first home is still 
 standing, but in 1892 he erected a more com- 
 modious and modern residence. 
 
 Mr. Earner was married in 1856, the lady of 
 his choice being Miss Anna Rief, a native of 
 Prussia, and they became the parents of three 
 children, namely : Mary is now the wife of Rich- 
 ard A'inecore, by whom she has one child; John, 
 born May 26, i860, was married September 11, 
 1895, to Laura Spangler, daughter of William 
 H. and Mary J. D. (Hall) Spangler; Louis, born 
 July 9, 1862, wedded Ella Spangler, and has two 
 children. The mother of these children was called 
 to her final rest in 1895. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Earner was always a democrat 
 until 1896, when he supported the gold standard. 
 He was reared in the Catholic church, but his 
 sons are members of the Christian church. 
 Through his own energy, enterprise and good 
 management Mr. Earner steadily worked his way 
 upward to the goal of success, and through his 
 unaided exertions has secured a competence 
 which enables him to spend his declining years 
 in that ease and retirement which should always 
 follow a useful and well-spent life. He is highly 
 esteemed in the community as an honorable, up- 
 right and trustworthy man. 
 
 CHARLES CUSAC, a representative farmer 
 of ^Marshall county, is finely located on sec- 
 tion II, Bennington township, where he is main- 
 taining his place among the progressive and in- 
 telligent men around him, engaged in farming 
 and keeping a choice assortment of graded stock. 
 Pie was born near Zanesville, Muskingum coun- 
 ty, Ohio, June 29, 1838, a son of J. B. and Ehza- 
 beth (Slack) Cusac. 
 
 The father was born in Bucks county, Penn- 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 58t 
 
 sylvania, of Scotch descent, his early ancestors 
 being natives of Scotland, whence they removed 
 to the north of Ireland, and finally founded the 
 family in America. The mother's people were 
 of English origin. In early life the father re- 
 moved to Ohio, where he met and married Eliza- 
 beth Slack. By occupation he was a miller, own- 
 ing and operating both a saw and grist mill on 
 Johnson's creek in ^^luskingtim county. Al- 
 though he started out in life a poor man, by per- 
 sistent labor, economy and sound judgment he 
 succeeded in accumulating a handsome prop- 
 erty, owning three hundred and twenty acres of 
 valuable land. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were 
 spent in attending the common schools near his 
 home, and assisting his father in the work of the 
 farm and mills. He remained under the paren- 
 tal roof until coming to Marshall county, Illinois, 
 in 1859, at which time he located upon a rented 
 farm in Evans township, near Wenona. Tlie fol- 
 lowing year, however, he returned to Ohio, 
 where on the 5th of September, i860, he married 
 ;\Iiss Louisa J. Smith, a native of Muskingum 
 county, and a daughter of William and Harriet 
 (ilorrison) Smith, who were born in Muskingum 
 county, Ohio, and Loudoun county, A'irginia, re- 
 spectively. Her paternal grandfather was of Ger- 
 man birth and spelled the name Schmidt. In the 
 common schools she acquired a good education. 
 
 Mr. Cusac carried on farming and worked in 
 the mill of his father until the spring of 1862, 
 when he enlisted in the national guards for five 
 years, becoming a member of Company A, 
 Eleventh Ohio regiment, -but was afterward 
 transferred to the One Hundred and Fifty-ninth. 
 He was principally engaged in doing guard duty 
 in Ohio and aided in driving the rel^el General 
 ;\Iorgan from the state. He was allowed to re- 
 main at home a part of the time, and only while 
 on active duty was he paid. 
 
 In the spring of 1865 Mr. Cusac returned to 
 Marshall county, where he again rented land for 
 a number of years. Two years previous to his 
 return, however, he had made a trip to Califor- 
 nia, by way of New York city and the Isthmus 
 30 
 
 of Panama, being forty-three days en route, dur- 
 ing which time they encountered several severe 
 storms, and the machinery of the vessel breaking, 
 they were compelled to drift. In 1887 Mr. Cusac 
 purchased one hundred and sixty acres on sec- 
 tion II, Bennington township, his present fine 
 farm, which he has under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, and improved with good and substantial 
 buildings. ♦ 
 
 Seven children were bom to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cusac, who in order of birth are as follows: 
 William PL, born April 5, 1862, was educated in 
 the common schools, and now lives on a farm 
 north of Wenona. He married Margaret Ship- 
 lc\', and lias four children: Ethel, Berenice, Lela 
 and Oval Ue Witt. Charles A., born May 20, 
 1854, also lives near Wenona. He married May 
 Hunt and has one son, George. Louis Sherman, 
 born in ^farshall county, January 20, 1866, mar- 
 ried Minnie Robinson, and has four children: 
 Louis Sherman, Charles, Leeta Waneta and 
 William AIcKinley. James Justin, born May 27, 
 1868, died November 12, 1891, and was buried in 
 the ^\^enona cemetery. Ulysses Grant, born 
 July I, 1870, lives in Bennington township, and 
 by his marriage with Georgiana Gage has one 
 daughter, Beulah Blanche. Minnie Etta, born 
 in Muskingum county, Ohio, June 20, 1873, is 
 the wife of Elbert Meredith, of Tampico, White- 
 side county, Illinois, and has two children : Or- 
 ville De Witt and Hazel. Cora Estella, born in 
 Marshall county, January 20, 1875, is the wife of 
 Thomas ?iteredith, of Bennington township, and 
 has one child. Oral J. 
 
 The father of our subject was a whig in poli- 
 tics, and held various township offices, such as 
 justice of the peace. Mr. Cusac, of this review, 
 cast liis first vote for Abraham Lincoln, in i860, 
 and has since been a stanch republican, but has 
 never taken a very active part in political affairs, 
 aside from attending the township caucuses. For 
 many years he has served as school director, and 
 was elected highway commissioner on the repub- 
 lican ticket, although the township generally has 
 a democratic majority of one hundred and sixty, 
 a fact which plainly indicates his popularity and 
 
582 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 the confidence and trust his fellow citizens place 
 in him. He and his estimable wife are consistent 
 members of the Presbyterian church of Wenona, 
 and their worth and ability are justly recognized. 
 
 ROBERT CINNAMON. Among the self- 
 made men of Marshall county — men who 
 have accumulated a sufficiency of this world's 
 goods through their own energy and thrift — 
 may be reckoned the gentleman whose name 
 heads this sketch. He is pleasantly located on 
 section 23, Bennington township, where he owns 
 two hundred and forty-seven acres of rich and 
 productive land, which is not only well culti- 
 vated, but is improved with good and substantial 
 farm buildings. 
 
 i\Ir. Cinnamon first opened his eyes to the light 
 m County Down, Ireland, twenty miles from 
 Belfast, in 1830, a son of John and Mary (Ma- 
 ginnis) Cinnamon. He was the youngest in 
 their family of eight children, and was only one 
 month old at the time of his mother's death, 
 while his father died when he was in his ninth 
 }'ear. He then made his home with an older sis- 
 ter until thirteen years of age, when he started 
 out to seek his own fortune. He was given a 
 good common education, which would fit him 
 lor the responsible duties of life, and in his na- 
 tive land attended the Church of England. 
 
 In 1849 ^'^''- Cinnamon crossed the broad At- 
 lantic to the new world, landing at Quebec, after 
 eight weeks spent upon the water. Stopping 
 first at Kingston, Canada, where his brother John 
 was living, he remained there from June until 
 October, and then came to Lacon, Illinois, his 
 brother James being a carpenter of that place. 
 In Marshall county he began work on a farm at 
 eight dollars per month, but during the three 
 years he was thus employed his wages were in- 
 creased. Going to Lacon, he secured a position 
 with Mr. Shinn to drive a stage and carry the 
 mail from that place to Peoria, Kappa, Spring 
 Bay, Hennepin, Wenona, Tonica and other 
 ]:)oints in Illinois, remaining in that service for 
 eighteen months. The following summer he 
 again worked by the month, after which he pur- 
 
 chased a team and broke prairie at three dollars 
 per acre during the year 1855. His next ven- 
 ture was in operating a thresher, which he pur- 
 chased in Ohio and run for about nine years, and 
 this proved a profitable investment. 
 
 It was in 1863 that Mr. Cinnamon began farm- 
 ing on his own account, and after operating 
 rented land for four years, purchased an eighty- 
 acre tract of wild land — a part of his present fine 
 farm. It was still in its primitive condition, but 
 he erected a little house, which is now used for a 
 granary, and at once began to break, develop and 
 cultivate his land. To the original purchase he 
 has added until within the boundaries of his farm 
 are comprised two hundred and forty-seven 
 acres of excellent and well-improved land. His 
 present comfortable and commodious residence 
 was built in 1886. Besides his farm he also owns 
 property in Rutland. He has had very little time 
 for idleness, and the success which he has 
 achieved is but the just reward of honest toil, 
 guided by sound judgment. 
 
 In February, 1864, Mr. Cinnamon wedded 
 iMiss Jane AIcLain, and to them were born six 
 children, five of whom are still living: Emma, 
 now the wife of Douglas Vinecore, of Rutland, 
 Illinois, by whom she has four sons; Robert, Al- 
 bert. Sarah and Vena. The wife and mother de- 
 parted this life August 7, 1888. 
 
 On the Sth of March, 1891, Mr. Cinnamon was 
 again married, his second union being with :\Irs. 
 S. A. Syfert, nee Newton, a native of Susque- 
 hanna county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of 
 David and Sarah Ann (Brundage) Newton. 
 When she was an infant her mother died and her 
 father later married again. At the age of six 
 )ears she accompanied him to Stark countv, lUi- 
 nois, there grew to womanhood and received a 
 good common school education, which fitted her 
 to begin teaching at the age of seventeen, which 
 profession she followed for four terms. She then 
 married Simpson Syfert, of Shelby county, Illi- 
 nois, by whom she had two children: William 
 N., a farmer of Groveland, Tazewell county, Illi- 
 nois, wdio is married and has three children; and 
 Mary Ida, wife of Thomas Sudduth, of Edinburg, 
 
THE r.IOGRAPILICAL RECORD. 
 
 583 
 
 Christian count}-, by whom she has two children. 
 Mr. Cinnamon has been an ardent repiibhcan 
 since voting for Lincohi in i860, but has steadily 
 declined becoming an office-seeker. He and his 
 estimable wife, who are numbered among the 
 most valued residents of the community, attend 
 the Christian church, though she was reared a 
 Baptist. 
 
 TA}>IES STRATTOX, deceased, was for many 
 U years one of the leading agriculturists and re- 
 spected citizens of Marshall county. He came 
 from over the sea, his birth occurring ^lay 29, 
 1820, at Ramsay, Xew Fenn, Huntingtonshire, 
 England, and was the fifth in the family of ten 
 children born to John and Sarah (Wooley) Strat- 
 ton. When thirteen years of age he accom- 
 panied them on their emigration to America, com- 
 ing in a colony who had clubbed together to 
 make the trip. In A'anderburg county, Indiana, 
 near Evansville, the father purchased land on the 
 old state road, and there spent his remaining days, 
 dying in August, 1845. He brought enough 
 gold with him from England, which, if jvidicious- 
 ly invested, would have made him a rich man, but 
 he settled in a thicket upon a tract of land which 
 would take a lifetime to clear and develop. 
 
 Amid pioneer scenes James Stratton grew to 
 manhood, with no school advantages, all the 
 education that he received being obtained in the 
 schools of his native land before coming to the 
 United States. The children were all kept bus}' 
 by aiding in the development and improvement 
 of the farm, where James remained until nine- 
 teen years of age, when he obtained work in a 
 brickyard in Evansville. On the death of his 
 father he came into possession of eighty acres of 
 land, but, owing to its being heavily mortgaged, 
 derived but little benefit therefrom. 
 
 In 1846 Mr. Stratton became acquainted with 
 Miss Marcia Chalcraft, of Posey county, Indiana, 
 who was on a visit to a sister in Evansville, and 
 on the 24th of December of that year they were 
 joined in marriage. She was born in Tillford, 
 near Farnham, Surre}-, England, November 13, 
 1826, and was nearly twelve years of age when 
 
 she came with her parents, James and Mary(Ead) 
 Chalcraft, to the new world. They located in 
 Posey county, where the father had come two 
 years previously and rented land, but in 1844 he 
 removed to Edwards county, Illinois, where he 
 spent his remaining days. Mrs. Stratton ob- 
 tained a good education for those early days, 
 which she has greatly supplemented by an ex- 
 tensive course of reading in later life, and would 
 often read aloud to her family on the current 
 issues and events. 
 
 In 1853 Mr. Stratton, with his wife, two chil- 
 dren and mother, came to Marshall county, by 
 way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers 
 to Lacon, where they landed on the 19th of 
 March. By team they proceeded to Benning- 
 ton township, where he located a land warrant, 
 and also purchased government land at two dol- 
 lars and a half per acre, in all a tract of one hun- 
 dred and twenty acres, to which he later added 
 eight}-. He was an energetic, enterprising man, 
 but never enjoyed robust health. 
 
 Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Strat- 
 ton, of whom nine are still living: Ruth Ann, 
 widow of William Ball, by whom she had four 
 children ; James Henry, who died at the age of 
 eight years; William R., whose sketch appears 
 elsewhere in this volume; David M., of Mem- 
 phis, Missouri, who is married and has four chil- 
 dren; Mary E., wife of Marion J. French, who 
 lives near Wenona, Marshall county, and bcy 
 whom she has three children; Sarah E., wife of 
 John Litchfield, of Toluca, by whom she has two 
 children; Louise Marcia, wife of Frank Ca- 
 rithers, of Bennington township, by whom she 
 has three children ; Ada Naomi, wife of Robert 
 Litchfield, by whom she has four children; and 
 James Lemuel and Emma M., both at home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Stratton was originally a whig, 
 and later supported the republican party. He 
 passed away October 2, 1892, and was laid to rest 
 in the cemetery of Rutland, Illinois. It is but 
 just and merited praise to say that, as a citizen, he 
 was lionorable, prompt and true to cvor\- engage- 
 ment, as a man he held the honor and esteem 
 of all classes of citizens, and as a husband and 
 
584 
 
 THE BIOGR'APHICAL RECORD. 
 
 father he was worthy of all imitation. He waS a 
 man of the time, broad-minded, public-spirited 
 and progressive, and in his daily life and action 
 was ever genial and afifable. Mrs. Stratton was 
 always his close companion, aiding and cheering 
 him in his work, and was truly a model helpmeet. 
 Like her husband, she is surrounded by many 
 warm friends and has the respect of all who know 
 her. 
 
 ELLIS K. MERCER, editor and proprietor 
 of the Bureau County Tribune, and postmas- 
 ter of Princeton, Illinois, was born on the farm 
 of his grandfather, Ellis IMerrer, in Center Grove, 
 Wyanet township, in Bureau county Illinois, 
 on the 27th of November, 1844. He was the 
 first born of William B. Alercer and his wife, 
 whose maiden name was Rebecca Frankeberger. 
 His father, William B., came to Illinois with his 
 parents from Belmont county, Ohio, in 1835, and 
 died in Princeton, Illinois, in 1850, at the age of 
 twenty-nine years. His mother also came to Illi- 
 nois with her parents from Ohio, and at an early 
 day, 1835 or 1836. Her father was William 
 Frankeberger, who died at Wyanet in the spring 
 of 1884, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. Mr. 
 Mercer resided with his grandparents from child- 
 liood: accompanied them to Webster county, 
 Iowa, in 1855; returned to Illinois in the spring 
 of 1861, and in the following spring, at the age 
 of seventeen, enlisted in Captain Lash's com- 
 pany of sixty-day men to guard prisoners at 
 Camp Douglas, and on the next morning after 
 his arrival at the camp re-enlisttd for three years 
 in Battery M, First Illinois Light Artillery. He 
 ' accompanied his battery to Louisville in Oc- 
 tober, 1862, and being stricken with typhoid 
 fever a week after his arrival there, lay tmcon- 
 scious upon a sand knoll back of Louisville, 
 while his company was chasing John Morgan 
 over Kentucky. He joined his company in the 
 advance on Nashville in the spring of 1863, par- 
 ticipated in the Shelbyville campaign, and in 
 the succeeding Chattanooga campaign, closing 
 with the battle of Chickamauga, where he re- 
 
 ceived a wound which disabled him until the 
 next spring. He rejoined his battery a few days 
 before the beginning of the Atlanta campaign, 
 into which he was initiated by being hauled with 
 his gun-squad and gun between midnight and 
 daylight of the 5th of May, 1864, up the precipi- 
 tous side of Rocky-faced Ridge to try the effect 
 of his ten-pound rifled Rodman on the famous 
 "Buzzards' Roost." He continued in this cam- 
 paign, which ended with the fall of Atlanta, and 
 participated in all of its great battles and its con- 
 tinuous fighting — continuous, because from the 
 5th of May until the close of the campaign at 
 Lovejoy's Station on the 15th of the following 
 October, he and his battery were engaged with 
 the enemy, some time during the day or night of 
 every day but five. After the close of the At- 
 lanta campaign, by a general order of Major- 
 General George H. Thomas, commanding the 
 army of the Cumberland, Battery M, First Illi- 
 nois Light Artillery, was relieved from all further 
 active duty during the remaining term of its en- 
 listment (six months) as a reward for meritorious 
 service in the field. The remaining term of his 
 service was spent in garrison duty, and he was 
 mustered out with his company at Chicago in 
 August, 1865. 
 
 After his discharge Mr. Mercer spent a term 
 or two at school, followed bookkeeping, school 
 teaching, grain buying and insurance, and then 
 became a commercial traveler, which business he 
 quit July I, 1872, to take a one-half interest in 
 the Bureau County Tribune, of which he is now 
 editor and owner. He has served as secretary 
 and chairman of the democratic county central 
 committee, has been secretary and president of 
 the library board, now serving his fourth year in 
 the latter position; is also filling his third term 
 as president of the city school board, and on the 
 1st of April, 189s, was appointed postmaster of 
 Princeton, a position he fills to the satisfaction 
 of all the patrons of the ofifice. 
 
 On the 31st of December, 1873, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. Mercer and Miss Juliet 
 Sapp, who was born in Bureau county, August 
 19, 1850, a daughter of Solomon Sapp. Three 
 
THE BIOGRAPI-nCAL REC()RD. 
 
 585 
 
 children bless their union, namely: Fred, born 
 January 25, 1875; Blanche, born September 11, 
 1876; and Nellie, born Alay 28, 1881. 
 
 WILLIAM LE:\IUEL BALL, who was 
 called from earth in the midst of his use- 
 fulness, spent his entire life in Marshall county, 
 his birth occurring in Lacon, November 19, 1848, 
 and his death on his farm in Bennington town- 
 ship, August 12, 1884. His parents, Jonas L. 
 and Elizabeth C. (Feller) Ball, continued to re- 
 side in Lacon until he was about twelve years of 
 age, the father following general merchandising. 
 He then removed his family to a farm in Belle 
 Plain township, where he became the owner of a 
 large tract of land, on which he continued to 
 live until about two years before his death, when 
 he went to Bloomington, Illinois, and there 
 passed away April 7, 1888. He was one of the 
 honored early settlers of Marshall county, a 
 man highly respected by all who knew him. 
 
 Besides the education received in the countrv 
 schools, William L. Ball also attended school in 
 \\'enona, and completed his literary course 'in 
 Eureka college, in which he was a student for 
 several years. On leaving the school-room he 
 was for a time a clerk in a dry goods store of 
 Lacon, during which time he also read medicine, 
 but at the end of a year gave up the idea of fol- 
 lowing that profession and began farming on his 
 own account. 
 
 On the 22d of February, 1871, Mr. Ball led to 
 the marriage altar Miss Ruth A. Stratton, who 
 was born in Vanderburg county, Indiana^ Au- 
 gust 10, 1848, and is a daughter of James and 
 Marcia (Chalcraft) Stratton. Four children 
 graced this union: Gertrtide, who was born on 
 the home farm January 3, 1872, and was mar- 
 ried November 21, 1894, to Roscoe Vayne, of 
 Chicago; Cora E., born September 13, 1873; 
 Frank D., born November 5, 1875, and William 
 J., born August 24, 1881. Cora was educated 
 in the Normal and Eureka college, while Frank 
 attended the last-named institution two years, and 
 also pursued his studies for one year in Gales- 
 burg. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ball began their domestic life 
 upon a farm of two hundred acres given him by 
 his father, where she still resides. For three 
 years they made their home in the old house 
 standing there, and then erected the present com- 
 fortable residence of the family. The land was 
 unimproved, but to its cultivation and develop- 
 ment i\Ir. Ball devoted his time and attention un- 
 til Hfe's labors were ended, and transformed the 
 place into one of the most desirable farms of the 
 locality. At the time of his death he was serv- 
 ing as vice-president of the Wenona Union Fair 
 association, and for years had taken an active 
 part in promoting its interests and making it a 
 success. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Ball was a life-long democrat, 
 was repeatedly elected supervisor of Benning- 
 ton township, and was a prominent and influen- 
 tial member of the board at the time of his death. 
 His name was often spoken of in connection witli 
 the democratic nomination for the legislature, 
 and had he lived he would undoubtedly have bei-n 
 nominated and elected. He also served as school 
 treasurer. From boyhood he was a consistent 
 member of the Christian church, to which his 
 wife and family also belonged, and was one of 
 its most liberal supporters. His influence was 
 great and always for good. Plis sympathy, his 
 benevolence, his kindly greetings, will long be 
 remembered. His duties were performed with 
 the greatest care, and throughout his life his 
 personal honor and integrity were without blem- 
 ish. His home life was beautiful and exemplary. 
 Ardent and constant in his aiifections, he was a 
 most tenderly devoted husband, and an indulgent 
 father. His body now rests in Antioch cemetery. 
 
 IRVING BROADDUS, one of the prominent 
 1 and representative citizens of Lacon, Illinois, 
 is a native of Marshall county, his birth occur- 
 ring July 24, 1840, and is a son of Lumsford and 
 Nancy (Gayle) Broaddus, natives of Fredericks- 
 burg, Virginia, and honored pioneers of Illinois. 
 He traces his ancestry back to Edward Broaddus, 
 who came from Wales to the new world in 171 5, 
 and settled on Gwynn Island in the James river, 
 
586 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHiICAL RECORD. 
 
 Virginia. He was twice married, his second 
 union being with Mary Shipley, by whom he had 
 nine children, one being Reuben Broaddus, the 
 grandfather of our subject. His great uncle, Rev. 
 Andrew Broaddus, held a debate with Rev. Alex- 
 ander Campbell, of the Christian church, on the 
 subject of baptism, and was pronounced the most 
 formidable opponent the latter ever encountered. 
 To the Broaddus family belonged the mother of 
 Hon. R. W. Thompson, of Indiana, a member of 
 President Hayes' cabinet. Rev. John A. Broad- 
 dus, D. D., LL. D., the youngest son of the 
 founder of the family in the United States, was 
 born in Culpeper county, Virginia, January 24, 
 1827, and died in 1895. He was one of the most 
 noted divines of his day in the Baptist church 
 in Kentucky, and rendered to both chufch and 
 state valuable and noteworthy service. 
 
 Reuben Broaddus, the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, married Elizabeth G. Garland, and to them 
 were born seven children, all now deceased, name- 
 ly: Christopher, who died childless; Lumsford, 
 father of our subject; Leland, who also died 
 childless; Andrew S., Nancy, Lucy, who became 
 the wife of Nathaniel Motley, and Eleanor, who 
 married Reuben Richardson. Andrew S. Broad- 
 dus of this family was a prominent attorney, and 
 for several terms served in the Virginia legisla- 
 ture. After his removal to Texas in 1854, he be- 
 came the most noted criminal lawyer of the state, 
 was also a member of the legislature there for 
 several years, and later filled the office of judge. 
 
 In Virginia, about 1819, was celebrated the 
 marriage of the parents of our subject. After the 
 Nat Turner slave insurrection, they became dis- 
 gusted with the institution, and determined to 
 sell out and remove to the north. By keelboat 
 they went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and thence by 
 wLgon route to Connersville, Indiana, where the 
 father purchased two hundred acres of land, on 
 which they continued to live for three years. 
 There two of their children, Reuben and Susan, 
 were born. In August, 1835, they arrived at La- 
 con, Illinois, thus becoming pioneers of Marshall 
 county. The father had the honor of naming 
 Hc:])c\vell township, served as supervisor of the 
 
 county, and also county assessor. In religious 
 belief he was a Universalist, was one of the best 
 Bible students in the state, being able to quote 
 most of it, especially the New Testament. He 
 was a fine historian, also well read on the cur- 
 rent events of the day, and being a good speaker, 
 delivered the first temperance lecture in Marshall 
 county. Besides his farming and stock raising in- 
 terests, he also became a noted auctioneer in 
 those early days. He purchased land in 1835, in 
 Hcpewell township, which is still in the posses- 
 sion of our subject, and became one of the most 
 successful farmers and stock raisers in the coun- 
 ty, his hogs being the best sold to the packing 
 house owned by Jabez Fisher of Boston, and 
 with the money thus obtained he paid his taxes. 
 After an upright, honorable life, he passed away 
 December 6, 1864, at the age of seventy years 
 and six months, and his faithful wife, who was 
 born in 1796, died in 1872. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest in their family of 
 eleven children, six of whom are still living: 
 Christopher, married Minerva Hall, who is still 
 living: Eleanor, became the wife of Eli Strawn, 
 but both are now deceased; Elizabeth, married 
 Enoch Sawyer, and both have passed away; 
 Helen, was married at the age of seventeen to 
 William Strawn, who died in 1894, leaving ten 
 children, the oldest fifty-two years of age and the 
 yoi;ngest twenty-nine. Mrs. Strawn still resides 
 upon a farm in Marshall county; Leland, first 
 wedded Harriet Crane and after her death Susan 
 Case. He lives in Hennepin, Illinois; Lucy, is 
 the deceased wife of F. H. Bond, of Wenona, who 
 was a noted teacher, who came to Marshall coun- 
 ty from Massachusetts, and to whom our subject 
 went to school in 1846; Caroline, married H. E. 
 Wire, but both are now deceased; Reuben, 
 wedded Mary J. Forbes, who lives in Varna, Illi- 
 nois ; Susan, is the widow of P. J. Bogardus, and 
 a resident of Oklahoma; Andrew S., married 
 Sarah Forbes, and after her death, Jennie Hewit. 
 He makes his home in Lacon, and is the father 
 of Christopher Broaddus, the present deputy 
 sheriff of Marshall county. 
 
 After attending the common schools of his na- 
 
THE P.KKlRAPIiilCAL RECORD. 
 
 58;.- 
 
 tive county for some time, Irving Broaddus pur- 
 sued his studies in Bloomington, and on laying 
 aside liis text books turned liis attention to farm- 
 ing, which he successfully followed for forty 
 years. He still owns his valuable farm of three 
 hundred and twenty acres on section 31, Hope- 
 well township, which was his home for fifty-four 
 years, or until coming to Lacon in 1894. Besides 
 general farming he was also an extensive stock 
 raiser, having upon his place a fine grade of 
 cattle, sheep and hogs, as well as horses, of which 
 he is very fond and an excellent judge. 
 
 Since 1870, ]\Ir. Broaddus has been one of the 
 most successful and noted auctioneers of the 
 state, and for fifteen consecutive years his income 
 from this source amounted to one thousand dol- 
 lars annually. During one of his most successful 
 seasons, from September i, 1879, until the ist of 
 the following z\pril, he made thirteen hundred 
 dollars. On the 21st of April, 1893, he sold thir- 
 ty-six thousand dollars worth of lots in Toluca, 
 Illinois, and his largest sale of stock and farm 
 products was at ^Magnolia, for ^Ir. Patterson, 
 amounting to seven thousand eight hundred dol- 
 lars. One day in February, 1896, he also sold 
 for his brother in Varna six thousand nine hun- 
 dred dollars worth of property. 
 
 Mr. Broaddus was married November 18, 1863, 
 to ;\Iiss Ruth Forbes, who was born in Hope- 
 well township, Marshall county, and is a daughter 
 of Peter and Sarah (Buckingham) Forbes, the 
 former a native of North Carolina and the latter 
 of Pennsylvania. By occupation her father was a 
 farmer and stockraiser, being one of the best cat- 
 tle men in this section of the state. He died in 
 i860, on the day of President Lincoln's first elec- 
 tion, at the age of forty-tv,fO years, and his wife 
 departed this life in 1870, at the age of fifty- 
 one. Their religious faith was that of the Uni- 
 versalist church. In their family were seven 
 children: Mary, who wedded John Kennedy, 
 and died leaving seven children, three of whom 
 are teachers; William, of Harper county, Kan- 
 sas, who married Laura Mayes, and has two chil- 
 dren; Mrs. Broaddus, Isaac M., of Hopewell 
 township, Marshall county, who married Fanny 
 
 Thorp, and has one child; Caleb, who married 
 Nellie Green, and is now deceased, and has three 
 children; and Sarah E., wife of Samuel Croft, o!' 
 Harper county, Kansas, by wliom she has seven 
 children. 
 
 Five children have been born to ]\Ir. and Mrs 
 Broaddus, namely; Savilla, wife of John David- 
 son, a farmer of Hopewell township, by v^fhom 
 she has four children, John, Ruth I., Le Roy and 
 Isaac; Cora, wife of Leroy Cook, of Chicago, who 
 has been connected with the Simons saw manu- 
 factory since thirteen years of age; Lillie May, 
 at home. Walter, who is a member of the class 
 of 1897, at Brown's Business college of Peoria, 
 and Nancy R., who will graduate at the Lacon 
 high school in 1897. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Broaddus is a free silver demo- 
 crat, and socially is connected with the ]\Iodern 
 Woodmen of America. He is public-spirited in 
 an eminent degree and has always done much in 
 behalf of his county's interests and in the general 
 welfare of his community. He is popular and is 
 the center of a large circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances who honor and esteem him for his 
 many virtues and his genuine worth. 
 
 HON. GEORGE F. WIGHTMAN is a well 
 known civil engineer of Lacon, one who has 
 a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances, 
 and who is truly a representative citizen of Mar- 
 shall county, of which he has been a resident since 
 1846, save for the period mentioned further along 
 in this sketch. He was born in Ontario, Canada, 
 near St. Catherine, February 5, 1827, and is the 
 son of Samuel and Anna (Roy) Wightman, who 
 emigrated from that country in 1836, when our 
 subject was but nine years old, locating in Mercer 
 county, Illinois. There the father secured a tract 
 of government land and commenced its improve- 
 ment. He was a natural mechanic and in addition 
 to carrying on the farm engaged in mechanical 
 pursuits, having a shop on his place. He did all 
 kinds of mechanical work and the Wightman 
 shop was patronized by all who were in need of 
 repairs of any kind or who wished some new 
 contrivance made. His house was a station on 
 
588 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHiICAL RECORD. 
 
 the underground railroad, and many a poor slave 
 was sent by him on the road to freedom, our 
 subject on more than one occasion acting as 
 conductor, taking the escaped slaves to a stition 
 at Andover, in Henry county, from which place 
 they were sent on their way. The father died in 
 1863 at the age of seventy years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch remained upon the 
 home farm until he was seventeen years of age, 
 and in that time only attended school two weeks, 
 his primary education being attended to by his 
 mother, who was a well educated woman. In 
 1846 he spent two months on a boat on the Mis- 
 sissippi river, after which he helped take a barge 
 up the Rock river as far as Dixon, that river be- 
 ing then a navigable stream. His time, how- 
 ever, was principally spent in labor upon the 
 farm or in the shop with his father. Having 
 thoroughly mastered the cooper's trade, on leav- 
 ing home he came direct to Lacon, where he 
 entered the employ of William Fisher & Co., in 
 their cooper shop and packing house and after 
 working about four years was made foreman. 
 For thirteen years he remained with that com- 
 pany, working, however, only in the fall and 
 winter season. In the summer he took up civil 
 engineering in company with General Curtis on 
 the survey of the Air Line railroad. He was em- 
 ployed on this work and in the office of the gen- 
 eral engineer in Lacon for some time. General 
 Curtis was a West Point student and during the 
 rebellion was in command of the Army of the 
 Arkansas. His son, Samuel Curtis, now residing 
 at Omaha, was also engaged with Mr. Wightman 
 in the survey of this road. 
 
 In 1859 ^""i i860 Mr. Wightman was engaged 
 in steamboating on the Illinois river, having the 
 command at different periods of three vessels, the 
 Edmonia, the Movaster and the Diana. His run 
 was from La Salle to St. Louis, and his vessels 
 were for freighting purposes only. For the first 
 season or two he did a fairly prosperous business, 
 but later it fell off perceptibly. He continue'], 
 however, in business until the breaking out of 
 the civil war, when he secured a position in the 
 quartermaster's department. After the battle of 
 
 Pittsburg Landing he enlisted in the Independent 
 Tennessee Infantry and served until after the 
 capture of Vicksburg, when he again engaged in 
 steamboating, as captain of Mississippi river 
 transports for the government, and also on a 
 gunboat. He continued in this line until the 
 close of the war on the Mississippi river and at 
 Galveston, Texas, and was there made superin- 
 tendent of ocean and river transportation with 
 headquarters at Galveston. He was on the trans- 
 port Diligent at the time of the Red river ex- 
 pedition, and was engaged in carrying dispatches. 
 Later the boat was sunk near Austin, Missis- 
 sippi. He was mustered out of service and honor- 
 ably discharged at Galveston, in April, 1866, one 
 year after the surrender of Lee. 
 
 Returning to Lacon, Major Wightman again 
 engaged in his old occupation as a civil engineer, 
 and made the survey of the Keithsburg, Lacon 
 & Eastern railroad, which is now a part of the 
 Central Iowa railroad, and was its chief engineer. 
 He was also chief engineer of the Chicago, La- 
 con & Keokuk railroad, making its survey. He 
 was assistant engineer in building the road from 
 Lacon to Wenona, which now forms a part of 
 the Chicago & Alton railroad. His work in this 
 hne was always satisfactory to those by whom he 
 was engaged and his reputation as a civil engineer 
 was second to none in the locality. While still 
 engaged in these duties, he was nominated on 
 the republican ticket as a representative from the 
 twentieth senatorial district to the general as- 
 sembly of the state. He was triumphantly elected 
 and served with credit to himself and constitu- 
 ents, declining a re-election. It was during this 
 session that the ever memorable contest occurred 
 resulting in the election of John A. Logan as 
 United States senator. Major Wightman was 
 loyal to General Logan, for whom he had the 
 greatest respect, admiring his ability both as a 
 warrior and statesman. While still serving as 
 representative he was appointed by President 
 Hayes as postmaster of Lacon, duly qualified 
 and served one year, making an efficient ofificer. 
 
 After serving about one year as postmaster, the 
 position of civil engineer for the city of Peoria 
 
THE BIOGRAPHiICAL RECORD. 
 
 589 
 
 its mayor and common 
 position he accepted the 
 
 was tendered him by 
 council. Resigning hi 
 
 offer from Peoria and at once removed to that 
 city, where for twelve years he continued to act 
 as civil engineer. Those twelve years were busy 
 ones and during that time the present fine sewer 
 system of that city was inaugurated, as was also 
 the brick paving, he being a pioneer in this line 
 in the state of Illinois. Brick paving is now ex- 
 tensively used throughout the whole country, but 
 when 'SlajoT Wightman first advocated the sys- 
 tem he was laughed at by almost the entire com- 
 munity. His experimental block, however, satis- 
 fied the people, and at the end of twelve years 
 there were laid in that city about five miles of 
 brick pavement. The sewer system, of which 
 mention has been made, reflects great credit upon 
 his ability as an engineer, and during his term 
 about thirty miles of sewer were constructed. He 
 also laid two miles of asphalt. His entire at- 
 tention, while in Peoria, was given his profession- 
 al duties and his work was eminently satisfactory. 
 On the 8th of July, 1893, he severed his con- 
 nection with the work in Peoria and returned to 
 Lacon. He is now vice-president of the Peoria, 
 Lacon & Northern railroad, with a capital stock 
 of $1,000,000, virhich has recently been granted a 
 charter to build a railroad from Peoria to Spring 
 Valley, a distance of fifty-two miles, and open up 
 Lacon, Putnam and Granville with the coal cen- 
 ter, and also open up the finest agricultural coun- 
 try in the state without a railroad. Major Wight- 
 man has made the survey and is at present (spring 
 of 1896) engaged in securing the right of way. 
 Among those interested with him in the road may 
 be mentioned Edward Howlitt and Dr. Mc- 
 Ilvaine, of Peoria; Judge McNabb, of Putnam 
 county, and Hon. Robert B. Fort, of Lacon. In 
 addition to the railroad work now occupying his 
 attention our subject has been made civil engin- 
 eer in the survey and construction of the Asylum 
 for the Incurable Insane at Peoria. The build- 
 ings are now in process of erection. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1849, Major Wightman 
 was united in marriage at Lacon with Miss Dor- 
 cas Lindsay, at the residence of Dr. Boal, she 
 
 being an orphan and reared in the doctor's fami- 
 ly. To them were born two children: Charles 
 R., who is a civil engineer and is engaged in 
 business with his father, and Laura, now residing 
 with her father, is the widow of William Bellows, 
 of Lacon, who was an engineer on the Chicago 
 & Alton railroad, and was killed in a wreck while 
 on duty, leaving three children : George, William 
 and Annie. 
 
 Major Wightman is not a member, but is a 
 supporter of the , Episcopal church. He was 
 made a Master Mason in Lacon lodge, No. 61, 
 about 1850, and was one of the first initiated here 
 into the mysteries of that ancient order. He has 
 also been made a Royal Arch Mason, and holds 
 membership in Lacon. In the work of the order 
 he has ever manifested a commendable interest 
 and has filled nearly all the chairs. In politics he 
 is an uncompromising republican, and firmly be- 
 lieves in the principles of that party. He was 
 a delegate to the Bloomington convention in 
 1856, at which time the party was formally 
 brought into existence in this state. He was also 
 a delegate to the state convention in 1858, and 
 favored Abraham Lincoln as the party's candi- 
 date for the United States senate. Mr. Wight- 
 man has never sought office, but served as coun- 
 ty surveyor for some years. As a citizen, friend 
 and neighbor he is highly esteemed by all, and 
 his life affords a good example to the young. 
 
 FELIX BOYLEN, a leading blacksmith and 
 wide-awake business man of Lacon, Illinois, 
 was born in County Cavan, Ireland, September 
 15, i846,a son of James and Catherine (McEntee) 
 Boylen. In 1850, the family came to the new 
 world, landing at New Orleans, but while coming 
 up the Mississippi river the father died of cholera. 
 The mother with her children proceeded to Cin- 
 cinnati, Ohio, where they made their home for 
 some time. In 1855, our subject came to Lacon, 
 and his mother three years later, where her death 
 occurred in 1883, at the age of seventy years. In 
 her family were four children, but one died on the 
 Emerald Isle. Patrick enlisted in the union ser- 
 vice in March, 1862, in Company C, Sixty-fifth 
 
59° 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHilCAL RECORD. 
 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and after three years 
 and a half on southern battle fields was honorably 
 discharged in August, 1865. His death occurred 
 in 1872, at the age of twenty-nine years. Alary, 
 the sister of our subject, is the wife of Charles 
 Bradley, a farmer of Iroquois county, Illinois. 
 
 In early life, Felix Boylen learned the black- 
 smith's trade, which he has made his life work, 
 and has the name of being a most proficient and 
 painstaking workman. In 1875 he led to the 
 marriage altar Miss Martha Deal, a native of Ver- 
 mont, and a daughter of Adam and Alartha Deal, 
 who were also born in the Green Mountain state. 
 Five children blessed this union: Catherine, 
 Frank, Alary, Isabel and Nellie. ,The wife and 
 mother was called to her final rest November 12, 
 1887, at the age of thirty-four years. She was 
 a devout member of the CatTiolic church, to which 
 her husband also belongs. Fie is a worthy and 
 valued citizen, and has been called upon to serve 
 as commissioner of highways and alderman, be- 
 ing twice elected to the latter position and the 
 present incumbent from his ward. In politics he 
 is a democrat. Fie stands high in the regard of 
 his friends and acquaintances, and as a public 
 officer has won the commendation of even those 
 opposed to him politically. 
 
 RICHARD MELLOW, a dealer in monu- 
 ments at Lacon, Illuiois, is conducting a 
 successful and well established business, which 
 occupies an important place among the various 
 industries of this thriving city. Uprig-ht and re- 
 liable in his dealings, he has gained the confi- 
 dence of the public and justly merits the liberal 
 patronage which he receives. 
 
 Mr. Mellow was born in Cornwall, England, 
 Jtdy 25, 1852, a son of William and Caroline- 
 (Hotten) Mellow. The father, whose birth oc- 
 curred in 1828, was a quarryman in early life, 
 but i' now living retired in his native land. There 
 the mother's death occurred at the age of fifty- 
 three years. 
 
 In the schools of his native land, Richard Mel- 
 low acquired a fair education, and there learned 
 the trade of a granite cutter. On crossing the 
 
 Atlantic to America in 1882, he located first at 
 St. Louis, where he worked at his trade for dif- 
 ferent firms for about three years, and in July, 
 1885, came to Peoria and engaged with the Peo- 
 ria Steam, Marble and Granite Works Company. 
 April 20, 1884, he was married to Lillian H. 
 Coker, daughter of James R. and Mary S. Coker, 
 Peoria. In 1890 Mr. Mellow removed to Lacon 
 and started business for himself, dealing in all 
 kinds of domestic and foreign stones, granites 
 and marbles, for building and monumental pur- 
 poses. He has erected many of the best monu- 
 ments found in different cemeteries of Alarshall, 
 Putnam, Peoria and other counties. He put up 
 the Reed monument in Wenona cemetery and 
 that of the late Albert Judd in Cumberland ceme- 
 tery, which weighs about twenty-seven thousand 
 pounds. He also erected the soldiers' monument 
 of Lacon. His excellent workmanship stands 
 well the test of time and criticism, and its merit 
 is justly recognized. 
 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. Alellow has been 
 cheered by the birth of three children: Howard 
 C, Spencer R. and Olive May. The parents both 
 hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, which Mr. Mellow joined when nineteen 
 years of age, and his wife when still younger. He 
 takes but little interest in political affairs, aside 
 from casting his ballot in support of the men and 
 measures of the republican party. Socially, he 
 afifiliates with the Knights of Pythias fraternity 
 and the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 
 ANSON J. SCHAEFFER, editor and pro- 
 prietor of the Marshall County Democrat, 
 puljlished at Lacon, Illinois, is a native of Ohio, 
 his birth having occurred June 26, 1864, in 
 Williams county. His parents, John and Fran- 
 ces (Bardner) Schaeffer, were both born in Mary- 
 land, but were married in Doylestown, Wayne 
 comity, Ohio, where the father engaged in farm- 
 ing for some time. He now makes his home in 
 Butler, Indiana, at the age of sixty-six years, but 
 his wife died September 22, 1887, at the age of 
 sixty years. In their family were four children, 
 namely: Mary, who married William Killinger, 
 
THE BIOGRAPI-nCAL RECO'RD. 
 
 591 
 
 of Edgerton, Ohio, but is now deceased; How- 
 ard, who married Addie Kleckner, and is in the 
 mercantile business in Hicksville, Ohio; Caro- 
 line, widow of A. J. Ackerman, and a resident of 
 Butler, Indiana, and A. J., of this review. 
 
 Our subject was a student in the high school 
 of Edgerton, Ohio, and subsequently attended 
 Oberlin college for three years, but was unable 
 to complete the course on account of trouble 
 with his eyes. After leaving college, he traveled 
 for nearly t\\'o years through the south, prospect- 
 ing in company with another gentleman. In 1887 
 he embarked in the newspaper business at Ed- 
 gerton, Ohio, and later conducted the Sandusky 
 Cour.ty Democrat at Clyde, same state, for a 
 year. The following four years were spent at 
 Spencerville, that state, as editor and proprietor 
 of the Spencerville Journal, and on selling out 
 there he came to Lacon, Illinois, November, 
 1893, where he has successfully conducted the 
 ^larshall County Democrat, which was founded 
 in 1852. It is an ably edited, well printed sheet, 
 and receives a liberal patronage from the read- 
 ing public. 
 
 ?\Ir. Schaefifer was married March 17, 1888, to 
 ]Miss Flora Yackee, a native of Ohio, and a 
 daughter of Lewis and Rachel Yackee, who are 
 still residents of that state. Three children 
 graced this union: Marie, Helen, and Ila, who 
 died July 30, 1896, at the age of two years and 
 four months. 
 
 Fraternally, ^Ir. Schaefifer holds membership 
 in the Masonic order and the Knights of Pythias, 
 while politically he is identified with the demo- 
 cratic party. He is a fluent, able writer, and in 
 his chosen calling has met with a well deserved 
 success. A worthy citizen, genial and courteous 
 in manner, he is well calculated by disposition 
 and dealing to make and retain hosts of friends. 
 
 AMASA GARRETT, deceased, was for many 
 years a familiar figure in Marshall and ad- 
 joining counties, and was doubtless personally 
 known by as many men as any other person 
 within the radius of fifty miles. He was a native 
 of Washington county, Ohio, born April 14, 
 
 1818, of which state his father, who was of French 
 ancestry, was a pioneer. In 1836, the family re- 
 moved to Bureau county, Illinois, and located in 
 that section which was then a part of Putnam 
 county. Subsequently he removed to Bulbona 
 Grove, near the present village of Wyanet, Bu- 
 reau county. 
 
 In early life our subject commenced trading in 
 furs, in which line of business he continued for 
 some years. Later he engaged in the stock busi- 
 ness, buying and shipping cattle, principally to 
 the Chicago markets. He then became an agent 
 for the location and sale of land lying in the Mili- 
 tary Tract of Illinois, making the subject of titles 
 a study, and becoming a recognized authority 
 on titles of the lands. The Military Tract com- 
 prised that territory lying between the IlHnois 
 and Mississippi rivers, and north of the base line 
 near Quincy, Illinois, a portion of which was set 
 aside in payment for services rendered the gen- 
 eral government in time of war. The operations 
 of ;\Ir. Garrett extended within a radius of forty 
 miles, and within that distance he invested in the 
 military lands, owning at one time about one 
 thousand acres. When these lands were mostly 
 disposed of by the government, he turned his at- 
 tention to his farming interests and confined him- 
 self to the cultivation of the soil and raising 
 stock. He was a very active man and always 
 pushed his business until within a year or two of 
 his death. 
 
 Mr. Garrett was thirty years old before he 
 entered the married state, his union with Miss 
 Sarah Orr occurring at Lacon, February 20, 
 1848. She is a daughter of James and Sarah 
 (Ramse}^) Orr, both of whom were natives of 
 Maryland, from which state they removed when 
 .Sarah was but eight years old, locating in Mar- 
 shall county. Her father was by occupation a 
 farmer and entered land one and a half miles 
 from the village of Lacon, in Lacon township. 
 This tract he proceeded to improve, and in time 
 it was one of the best cultivated farms in the coun- 
 ty. Of their family of six children, Sarah was 
 one of the youngest, and is the only one now liv- 
 ing. One daughter, Mary, who married Asa 
 
592 
 
 THE BIO GRAPHIC AL RECORD. 
 
 Thompson, resided for years in Steuben town- 
 ship, and died on Thanksgiving day, 1895. O"^ 
 daughter, Elizabeth, married WilHam Hancock 
 and died some years ago. The father died when 
 upward of seventy years of age. 
 
 When the marriage of Mr. Garrett and Sarah 
 Orr occurred, he was residing in Bureau coun- 
 ty, but had purchased land in Marshall county, 
 in what was known as the Bethel neighborhood, 
 where he erected a house and to which he took 
 his young bride. On that farm he resided for 
 twelve years, when he removed to the farm now 
 the home of Mrs. Garrett in Steuben township. 
 Five children came to bless their union: James 
 O.; Josephine, who married Samuel ^IcFar- 
 land, both of whom dying left two children. 
 Alma S. and Anna Josephine, the latter now be- 
 ing a member of JNIrs. Garrett's family ; Augustus, 
 who married Electa Sargent, lives near the old 
 farm; Clara, now deceased, and Allison, who 
 runs the home farm. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Garrett was a stanch democrat, 
 and for years served as justice of the peace, and 
 at a time when the office in his township was of 
 some consequence. For sixteen consecutive 
 years he served as supervisor from Steuben town- 
 ship, a fact that speaks well for the confidence 
 and esteem in which he was held by his fellow 
 citizens. A great admirer of the lamented Ste- 
 phen A. Douglas, he followed the fortunes of that 
 great statesman until the death of the latter, and 
 served as a delegate in the Baltimore conven- 
 tion which nominated Douglas for the presi- 
 dency. His face was a familiar one in the coun- 
 ty, state and district conventions, and his influ- 
 ence was great among his fellow members. He 
 was a candidate for county office at a time when 
 the party was in a hopeless minority, and while 
 he always made a good campaign, he yet failed 
 of election. His relation with W. E. Cook, also 
 a prominent politician, was a close and intimate 
 one. 
 
 ]\'Jr. Garrett was well posted on current litera- 
 ture and thoroughly enjoyed the reading of good 
 books. He was a good neighbor and always 
 tried to avoid strife, never engaging in needless 
 
 lawsuits, but settling all differences out of court. 
 He was not what is called a society man, though 
 of a social turn, neither did he ever affiliate with 
 the fraternal societies of the day. His death oc- 
 curred August 24, 1 89 1, and his remains were 
 interred in the Bethel cemetery. Mrs. Garrett 
 resides on the old homestead, loved and respect- 
 ed by all. A member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, she lives the life of a true Christian wo- 
 man, doing her duty faithfully to her family, 
 friends and neighbors. 
 
 MAJOR HANSON J. DE PUE, an honored 
 veteran of the late civil war, and a promi- 
 nent citizen of Lacon, is a native son of Illinois, 
 born in Du Page county, April 7, 1846. His 
 parents, James and Eliza (Daniels) De Pue, were 
 natives of Ravenna, Ohio, and New York, re- 
 spectively. The major began his education in 
 the conmion schools, but at the age of sixteen he 
 laid aside his text books to don the blue and go 
 to the front in defense of his country. On the 
 nth of August, 1862, he enlisted in Company F, 
 One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Volunteer In- 
 fantry, which was a part of President Harrison's 
 brigade. He was always found at his post of 
 duty, and participated in every engagement in 
 which his regiment took part until the battle of 
 New Hope Church, Georgia, May 25, 1864, when 
 he had his arm nearly shot off. It w^as then am- 
 putated by the regimental surgeon, and on the 
 loth of September, following, he was honorably 
 discharged after twenty-five months of faithful 
 and arduous service on southern battlefields. 
 
 After his return home, Major De Pue was for 
 three years a student in the Soldiers college of 
 Fulton, Illinois, and was then engaged in teach- 
 ing country schools for many terms. In 1873 he 
 was elected treasurer of Marshall county, and so 
 satisfactorily did he fill the office, that he was 
 twice re-elected. For a few years he then fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits, but in ]\Iarch, 1889, 
 soon after his inauguration. President Harrison 
 appointed him postmaster of Lacon, the duties of 
 which position he discharged in a prompt and 
 able manner for a little over four vears. He was 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 593 
 
 not only a member of General Harrison's brigade 
 fJuring- the rebellion, but is his warm personal 
 friend as well. 'Sir. De Pue has also been called 
 upon to fill other ofTficial positions within the gift 
 of the people, including the offices of supervisor 
 and alderman, which he held for one term each. 
 A recognized leader in the ranks of the republic- 
 an party in ]^Iarshall county, he has twice served 
 as chairman of the central committee, the last 
 being in the campaign of 1896. 
 
 ^lajor De Pue was married October 3, 1876, 
 the lady of his choice being Miss Stella A. Bane, 
 a daughter of Jesse B. Bane, of Marshall county, 
 and they now have four children : Florence, Fan- 
 nie, Helen and Georgia. Mrs. De Pue is a mem- 
 ber of the Congregational church. For the past 
 eight years the major has served as commander 
 of the Lacon Grand Army post, and in August, 
 i8q6, at ^linonk, was elected commander of the 
 Big Bend Reunion association. 
 
 YOUNG A. GLENN, the owner of one of 
 the most desirable homesteads in Putnam 
 county, located on section 31, Magnolia town- 
 ship, belongs to an honored and highly respect- 
 ed pioneer family of the county. Plis father, 
 Isaac D. Glenn, was born in Kentucky, in 1800, a 
 son of Samuel and Elizabeth Glenn, who came 
 from Indiana to Illinois in 1830 and settled on 
 section 31, Magnolia township, where they were 
 numbered among the earliest pioneers and were 
 living at the time of the Black Hawk war, in 
 which the grandfather participated. His wife 
 died in ^lagnolia township, and was buried on 
 the farm where our subject now resides, after 
 which he went to Iowa, where his death occurred. 
 Isaac D. Glenn was reared in Kentucky, but 
 at an early day accompanied his parents to Craw- 
 ford county, Indiana, where he remained until 
 1828, whence he removed to McLean county, 
 Illinois. Tv o years later he took up his residence 
 in Schuyler county, this state, and in 1832 set- 
 tled upon the farm which is still the home of our 
 subject. I'he father had purchased the claim the 
 year previously, and was the first white man to 
 locate thereon, his first home being a log cabin. 
 
 Indians were still c|uite numerous in the locality, 
 and the family endured all the hardships and 
 privations incident to frontier life. Our subject 
 well remembers of a time when there was no 
 bread in the house for three days, and they were 
 obliged to live on potatoes. 
 
 In Indiana was celebrated the marriage of Isaac 
 D. Glem: and Sarah Allen, a native of Kentucky, 
 and a daugfiter of Archibald Allen, who came to 
 Illinois in 1838 and died at the home of her son- 
 in-law. To Mr. and Mrs. Glenn were born six 
 children who grew to maturity. The parents 
 were both earnest members of the Baptist church, 
 of which the father served as deacon for a num- 
 ber of years, and in politics he was first a demo- 
 crat and later a free soiler. He died in 1850, 
 and was interred by the side of his wife in Cale- 
 dotna cemetery. 
 
 In McLean county, Illinois, Young A. Glenn 
 was born November 18, 1828, and was therefore 
 quite small when brought by his parents to Put- 
 nam county, where he was reared upbn his pres- 
 ent farm and educated in the schools of Cale- 
 donia. Since his father's death he has operated 
 the farm which has been his home for the long 
 period of sixty-four years. On taking possession 
 oilly thirty acres of the original one hundred 
 sixty had been cleared and cultivated, but he now 
 has five hundred twenty acres of valuable land in 
 Magnolia township, four hundred eighty of which 
 is highly improved. The old frame house was 
 replaced by his present comfortable residence in 
 1873, and good and substantial outbuildings also 
 add to the neat and thrifty appearance of the 
 place. In connection with general farming he 
 has also been a stock dealer and feeder for thirty 
 years, and has met with excellent success in this 
 line of endeavor. 
 
 In 1854, Mr. Glenn led to the marriage altar 
 Miss EHzal)cth L.German, who was born Decem- 
 ber II, 1832, in Ohio, and accompanied her par- 
 ents to Putnam county when quite young. In the 
 schools of Magnolia she was educated. Of the 
 seven cliildrcn born of this union, five are still liv- 
 ing, namely: Isaac Dawson, of Magnolia town- 
 sliip, v.'ho married Helen Otto and has two chil- 
 
594 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dren, jVhirray and Dawson ; Cordelia, wife of H.E. 
 Broaddns, of Roberts township, whose sketch is 
 given on another page of this work; Clara Ellen, 
 wife of Robert Wilson, of Hennepin township, 
 Putnam county, by whom she has two children, 
 Marshall and Young; Annie, wife of Marshall 
 Broaddns of Roberts township, by whom she 
 has one child, Elizabeth Minerva; and Young 
 Sherman, who married Clara Golden and lives 
 in Caledonia. 
 
 When nineteen years of age, Mr. Glenn was 
 thrown from a horse and has since had to use 
 crutches, but although handicapped in this v,^ay 
 he is self-reliant and energetic and has met with 
 remarkable success in his undertakings. His sup- 
 port is ever given the men and measures of the 
 democratic party, and before attaining his ma- 
 jority vas made school director of district No. 
 4, which office he most creditably filled for a 
 quarter of a century. 
 
 ELI RALEY MILLS was numbered among 
 the early settlers of Putnam county and al- 
 though he fell asleep in Jesus many years ago his 
 memory is treasured by all who were so fortunate 
 as to know him in this life. He was a native of 
 Washington county, Pennsylvania, born July i8, 
 1814, and was a son of Joseph and Sarah (Ralev) 
 Mills, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and 
 the latter of Virginia, both of whom were mem- 
 bers of the Society of Friends, and were quite 
 influential in the church as well as in the com- 
 munity in which they lived. 
 
 The early life of Eli was spent upon a farm, 
 and he was from childhood inured to hard work. 
 His educational advantages were limited to the 
 subscription schools of the first part of the pres- 
 ent century before the free school system was 
 adopted. He was quite a student, however, and 
 made the most of his opportunities and by read- 
 ing and reflection became quite well posted in 
 general literature as well as in the current events 
 of the day. Reared as a member of the Society 
 of Friends, he was well po.sted in the literature 
 of that body and clung tenaciously to its views. 
 In his youth he learned the carpenter's trade, 
 
 which he followed for a time, but later engaged in 
 boating on the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois 
 rivers. 
 
 On the 226. of September, 1830, Mr. Mills was 
 united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Kimber, 
 a daughter of Abram and Susanna (Hoag) Kim- 
 ber, of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Her moth- 
 er was reared a member of the Society of Friends, 
 while her father made no profession. The latter 
 was a native of Pennsylvania, and the former of 
 Ohio. Immediately after their marriage, the 
 young couple located at Bridgeport, Fayette 
 county, Pennsylvania, and there remained until 
 the spring of 1843, when they removed to Put- 
 nam county, Illinois, where they resided during 
 the remainder of their lives. 
 
 The first year after their removal to Putnam 
 county, the family made their home with a broth- 
 er of Mrs. Mills, Isaac R. Kimber, who was liv- 
 ing upon a farm six miles southeast of Henne- 
 pin. While residing there Mr. IMills secured a 
 tract of land a mile and a half northwest of Alag- 
 nolia, and erected a house into which the fam- 
 ily moved in the spring of 1844. For some years 
 he had been engaged in steamboating on the 
 Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers, and after his 
 removal to Putnam county still continued in that 
 business, commanding boats and enjoying a very 
 profitable trade. Before the introduction of rail- 
 roads in the west, the river traffic was very large 
 and Captain Mills at all times secured his full 
 share. From the profits derived from his busi- 
 ness on the river he was enabled to invest quite 
 extensively in land, and also to materially assist 
 every one of his brothers and sisters to a home. 
 Nor did he confine his assistance to his own 
 household, but aided many worthy and honest 
 people at a time when such assistance was great- 
 ly needed, putting them on the road to prosper- 
 ity. He believed that as God had blessed him, so 
 it was his duty to be a blessing to others. 
 
 In early times Mr. IMills was a Henry Clay 
 \^hig, being a great admirer of that eminent 
 statesman and a firm believer in the views wdiich 
 he advocated upon the political issues of the day. 
 He was, however, strongly opposed to slavery. 
 
THE lUOCrRAPH'lCAL RKC(_)'RD. 
 
 595 
 
 and in later life advocated the principles that 
 found expression in the republican platform on 
 that party coming into existence. He was not a 
 politician in the current use of that term, but in 
 its true meaning he took that interest in govern- 
 mental affairs that all worthy citizens should do. 
 
 Captain Mills followed the river until impaired 
 health compelled him to desist, when he retired 
 to his farm, which had been ably managed by his 
 wife during his absence. But he was not long 
 for this world and in the prime of life he was 
 called, his death occurring August i8, 1855, at 
 the age of fort)'-one years and one month. His 
 loving wife and faithful helpmeet soon followed 
 him, dying September 22, 1855, aged thirty-eight 
 years ten months and nineteen days, and together 
 they were laid away to rest, side by side, in the 
 Friends' cemetery on Clear creek. 
 
 Eli R. 'SLiUs was a consistent member of the 
 Society of Friends, in which he had a deep and 
 abiding interest. His sense of justice toward all 
 with whom he came in contact was of the highest 
 type. He was dignified and courteous in man- 
 ner, never deigning to do a little or mean thing. 
 The iniluence of his life and character was felt 
 wherever he moved, at home or abroad. 
 
 To Eli R. Mills and wife nine children were 
 born. Susan K. is the wife of Robert X. West, 
 by whom she has five living children and three 
 deceased; Joseph, deceased, \\'edded Mary E. 
 Merritt, by whom he had six children; Thomas 
 K., deceased, married Amanda Bell, and has 
 three living children and two deceased; Herman 
 is also deceased; Sarah M. is the widow of Phi- 
 lonzo Given, by whom she has one living child 
 and two deceased; Henry C. is represented else- 
 where in this work; Andrew H., assistant state's 
 attorney, living in Decatur, Illinois, married 
 Elizabeth Bell, and they have five children; Isaac 
 R., who for eight years has served as state's at- 
 torney at Decatur, first married Mattie ?\lahan- 
 nah, by whom he had four children, and after her 
 death he married Matie Hackenburg, by whom 
 he has two children ; and Eli is deceased. 
 
 On the death of the parents the family were 
 kept together and remained in the old home un- 
 
 til they went out one by one to found homes of 
 their own. This was made possible by Miss Mary 
 Johnson, who when quite young was taken into 
 the family and who consented to remain and act 
 as housekepeer and as far as possible a mother 
 to the orphaned ones. The five living children 
 are now scattered, but all are living useful Hves 
 and are well respected citizens, an honor to their 
 noble father and well beloved mother. 
 
 HARRISON T. IRELAND, who represents 
 Richland township as a member of the 
 board of sup_ervisors of Marshall county, enjoys 
 the reputation of being one of the most enterpris- 
 ing, though conservative, citizens of the county, 
 one who never courts popularity, but one whom 
 his friends and neighbors are pleased to honor 
 with their respect and highest confidence. His 
 residence is on section 35, Richland township, 
 where he has lived as a boy and man for nearly 
 forty years, not always upon the same farm, how- 
 ever, but on one of two farms on that section. 
 He is a native of La Porte county, Indiana, born 
 October 2, 1848, and is a son of Pleasant and Ma- 
 tilda B. (Newell) Ireland, the former a native of 
 Preble county, Ohio, born January 23, 1813, and 
 the latter of Kentucky, born December 11, 181 1. 
 She was the daughter of John Newell, who came 
 to Lacon about 1856, and later returned to La 
 Porte, Indiana, where he died. 
 
 Pleasant Ireland was the son of James Ireland, 
 who lived in Ohio, but late in life removed to In- 
 diana, where his last days were spent. The boy- 
 hood and youth of Pleasant were spent in Ohio, 
 where he grew to manhood on a farm, and his 
 education was received in the pioneer schools of 
 his native state. He removed to Indiana with 
 his parents, and was there married to Matilda B. 
 Neweh, in 1833. Until 1855 he made La Porte 
 county, Indiana, his home, and during that time 
 was engaged in farming. Coming to Jifarshall 
 county, Illinois, at that time, he resided for twn 
 years in the city of Lacdu, then settled on a farm 
 on section 35, Richland township. On this sec- 
 tion the parents resided until their death, the 
 mcther dying November 15, 1890, and the father 
 
596 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 September i, 1892. They were the parents of 
 five children, two of whom died in infancy. 
 Three are still living, who are as follows: Frank 
 N., a banker of Washburn, Illinois; Harriet, wife 
 of Isaac Wikoff, residing in Winfield, Kansas, 
 and our subject. Frank N. was a member of 
 the Seventy-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
 and discharged his duties faithfully and well dur- 
 ing the dark days of the civil war. 
 
 Pleasant Ireland and his wife were members of 
 the Christian church, having united with that 
 body at an early day, and both were well ground- 
 ed in the faith. He was a close student of the 
 Bible and well versed in theological discussions 
 of the times, able to hold his own with any op- 
 posed to his views. For some years he served 
 as deacon in his local church. Politically, he 
 was a republican from the organization of the 
 party, and in his political views was as strong as 
 in his religion. He cared nothing for the honors 
 of office, we believe served in no official capacity 
 save that of township assessor. 
 
 Mr. Ireland, whose name introduces this sketch, 
 was but seven years of age when he came with 
 his parents to Marshall county, Illinois, and here 
 his entire life has since been spent. His educa- 
 tion was received in the district schools, and, hke 
 most farmer bo}-s, he was early trained to work, 
 and taught that he must do his part in the cul- 
 tivation of the home farm. He continued to re- 
 side at home, assisting his parents until he 
 reached his majority, when he began life for him- 
 self, and his active career has made him one of 
 the foremost citizens of the county of his adop- 
 tion. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Ireland was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elizabeth M. Owen, a native of Rich- 
 land township, Marshall county, born July 16, 
 1849, ^""^l '1 daughter of Walter Owen, an early 
 settler of this locality, but who now resides near 
 Lexington Illinois. She grew to womanhood in 
 this township, and received her education in the 
 district schools. By this union four children 
 have been born, three of whom are now living — 
 Frc:nk B., a medical student; Walter O., now re- 
 siding in Washburn, Illinois; Zylphia Ludell, at 
 
 home. Each of these children have had good 
 educational advantages, such as to prepare them 
 for useful lives. 
 
 Mr. Ireland has always been a farmer and suc- 
 cess has crowned his efforts. From time to time 
 he has added to his possessions until he now owns 
 one thousand and sixty-four acres of well im- 
 proved land, his home farm being well stocked 
 and all the buildings of a most substantial char- 
 acter. He is thorough and systematic in all his 
 work and gives personal attention to every de- 
 tail. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Ireland is a member of the 
 Christian church, of which body his wife is also 
 an active member, both taking an active interest 
 in the work of the church, aiding the cause in 
 every way possible. For some years he has held 
 official position in the church. Politically, he is 
 a stanch republican, and has taken an active part 
 in the councils of the party. He has been town- 
 ship clerk, township collector, school treasurer 
 of his township for the past sixteen years, and 
 for two years has been a member of the board of 
 supervisors, re-elected second term of two years 
 and chosen chairman of the board in 1896. In 
 every position held he has been faithful to the 
 trust reposed in him,«and no man enjovs the con- 
 fidence and respect of his fellow citizens to a 
 greater extent. 
 
 HENRY C. MILLS, a wide-awake and enter- 
 prising farmer, residing on section 23, Mag- 
 nolia township, Putnam county, was born in that 
 township on the 21st of March, 1849, and is the 
 son of Eli Raley and Elizabeth H.(Kimber) ~\Iills, 
 the former a native of Washington county, Penn 
 sylvania, and the latter of B'ayette county, Penn- 
 sylvania, a sketch of whom will be found in this 
 volume. The family came to Putnam county in 
 1843, and in the spring of 1844 settled on a farm 
 on section 22, Magnolia township, then in its 
 primitive condition. This land was improved and 
 a good brick residence and brick barn erected 
 thereon. Here the parents resided until their 
 deaths, which occurred in 1855. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 597 
 
 Our subject was but six years of age when his 
 parents died, but the family was kept together 
 and on the home farm he grew to manhood, and 
 as he passed from childhood to youth he assisted 
 in the farm work, faithfully discharging the duties 
 devolving upon him. In the common schools of 
 the neighborhood of his home he received his 
 primary education, which was supplemented by 
 a course at Lincoln university and the State Nor- 
 mal university, although he never graduated. 
 
 Leaving school, Mr. Alills settled down to the 
 lifo of a farmer, which he proposed to follow and 
 one in which he felt himself especially adapted. 
 He remained upon -the home farm until twenty- 
 eight years of age, assisting in its cultivation and 
 preparing himself for the active duties of life. 
 Some time before this he formed the acquaintance 
 of ]\Iiss Hattie A. Badgley, a native of Auglaize 
 county, Ohio, who was visiting relatives and 
 friends in Putnam county. The result of this was 
 a trip to Ohio on the part of Mr. Mills, where at 
 St. Clary's, on the 2d of January, 1877, the couple 
 were united in marriage at the home of the bride's 
 mother. Mrs. ]\Iills is the daughter of George 
 and Martha (Watkins) Badgley, both of whom 
 were also natives of Ohio, the father born at Gal- 
 lipolis, and the mother at St. Mary's. Her father 
 died in 1857, when she was but an infant, and she 
 therefore never knew a father's love and tender 
 care. He was a consistent member of the Bap- 
 tist church, and died in the full assurance of faith. 
 Her mother is also a member of the same church, 
 and has always taken an abiding interest in the 
 work of the Tilaster. 
 
 Mrs. Mills grew to womanhood in her native 
 county, and at St. Clary's received her education. 
 She remained at home until her marriage with 
 Mr. Mills. 
 
 Immediately after that event was consum- 
 mated the couple returned to Putnam coun- 
 ty, and in the spring of that year located on their 
 present farm on section 23, Magnolia township. 
 The land was then partially improved, but many 
 improvements have since been made until to-day 
 we see a model farm of two hundred and forty 
 acres, supplied with all the latest labor-saving 
 31 
 
 implements, both for the farm and housework. 
 The present fine, comfortable residence was 
 erected in 1887, and the large barn two years 
 previously. Everything about the place shows 
 the good taste of its occupants, and the home of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mills is a most hospitable one. In 
 connection with his general farm work for the 
 past two years Mr. Mills has been engaged in 
 bu}'ing and shipping horses, a business for which 
 he is well adapted, being a good judge of that 
 noble animal, which is well attested by his own 
 fine stock. 
 
 Mr. Mills and his estimable wife are members 
 of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and 
 socially he affiliates with Magnolia lodge, No. 
 103, F. & A. M., in which he has held office, 
 wliile politically he is an ardent republican, and 
 has served as township school treasurer. No 
 couple in all Putnam county are held in higher 
 esteem than Mr. and Mrs. Mills. 
 
 ERASTUS COLEMAN ROOT, deceased, 
 for si-xty years resided on the Marshall 
 county line, but his house was just across the 
 line in Peoria county, while his farm extended 
 on either side. He was a man as well known 
 in [Marshall as in Peoria county. He was born 
 in Roxbury, Delaware county, New York, July 
 26, 1805, and was the son of Jeriel and Sarah 
 (Coleman) Root, both of whom were natives of 
 Coventry, Connecticut, but who in an early day 
 removed to Dutchess county. New York, and 
 later to Delaware county in the same state. 
 Here the family lived in proximity to Jason 
 Gould of Gould's Hollow, relatives of the cele- 
 brated Jay Gould of latter day fame. In 181 7, 
 he concluded they could better their fortunes 
 by going farther west, and we find them en 
 route to Ohio, with two covered wagons, one 
 drawn by horses, and the other by oxen. In due 
 time they reached Richmond, Ross county, 
 Ohio, where they made their home for thirteen 
 years. Our subject was twelve years of age 
 when the family moved to Ohio, and it may 
 well be surmised that his educational advantages 
 were not of the best, but he made the most of 
 
598 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 hU opportunities, and wliile his school life was 
 of sJiort duration, I))- reading and reflection he 
 liccame a well-informed man. 
 
 In 1830 the family once more set its face west- 
 ward, this time for the prairies of Illinois, of 
 wliich much had been heard, and where land 
 wa; cheap and very productive. The Roots 
 were accompanied by Aaron Reed, Joel Hicks, 
 Samuel Reed, Thomas Miner and George Leigh. 
 Reaching Peoria county, they made their first 
 camp on the east side of the Illinois river at 
 Peoria. The river was very low at the time and 
 quite a number of Indians forded it and visited 
 the new settlers. The company separated at this 
 point, Jeriel Root and his family locating on La 
 Salic prairie in Hallock township, on the north- 
 cast quarter of section 24, township 11, north 
 of range 8 east. The mother died here soon 
 afterward, and the father subsequently married 
 Sarah I\Iarks. He died some years later at the 
 residence of our subject at the age of seventy- 
 seven years. His second wife also died there. 
 
 The settlement in Illinois, as stated, was in 
 1830. The winter following was one never to be 
 forg(jtten by those old enough to realize or re- 
 member an3'thing. It has always since been 
 spoken of as "the winter of the deep snow," 
 and many stories are told of the hardships and 
 sufferings of those residing in Illinois. Snow- 
 began to fall early in December and fell to a 
 tlepth of three feet on the level and never passed 
 awav until the following spring. Wild game of 
 all kinds perished with hunger and cold. With 
 the aid of snow shoes men would walk on top of 
 the crust, and many nimble footed deer were 
 knocked in the head with axes in the hands of 
 the settlers. 
 
 The subject of this sketch had reached his 
 twenty-fifth year when the family settled in Illi- 
 nois. At that time he was a bachelor, but soon 
 after he became a benedict, being united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Barbara A. Reed, December 
 J 6, 1830. She was the daughter of Samuel Reed, 
 a native of Alidclletown, Delaware county. New 
 N'ork, born Se|)tcmber 15, 1811, and a sister 
 of Simon Reed, one of the emigrants who came 
 
 with the party. Erastus C. Root was third in a 
 family of ten children, of whom but two are now 
 living — Alfred, of Chenoa, Illinois, and his twin 
 sister. Alma, now the wife of Timothy Atwood, 
 of Fremont, Nebraska. 
 
 Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Root 
 conmienced their domestic life on a farm near 
 that of her brother, Simon Reed. There they 
 lived until September, 1831, when Mr. Root built 
 a log cabin on his father's farm, to which they 
 rem(5ved. One year later the cabin was taken 
 down and rebuilt at a point on the river bank, 
 the present site of the village of Chillicothe. In 
 speaking of their residence at this point, Air. 
 Root said: "For nine months, my wife, myself 
 and little son, constituted the entire population 
 of Chillicothe. Not a house but one between 
 Rome and the Hammett place." In 1832 there 
 occurred the Black Hawk war, and a stockade 
 was built at Simon Reed's but Mr. Root sent his 
 wife to Mackinaw for safety. In 1832 he en- 
 tered the land upon which he resided. At that 
 time there was a burr oak near by which had 
 the bodies of three Indian children suspended in 
 the branches, and beneath were found beads, 
 brooches and bones fallen from other bodies 
 that had been disposed of in a similar manner. 
 In 1833 he fenced and broke twenty acres of 
 land. In that year Samuel T. McKean, who 
 was the second settler at Chillicothe, built a 
 cabin on section 28, and laid out two blocks of 
 the town. In 1835 Mr. Root sold his farm for 
 one thousand dollars to Mr. Bird, who later sold 
 it to Temple 81 Jamison, who laid it out in town 
 lots. 
 
 After disposing of the Chillicothe tract, Mr. 
 Root, with the proceeds of the sale, purchased 
 the tract on which he spent the remainder of 
 his life. This land is seven miles northwest of 
 Chillicothe on the line between Peoria and Mar- 
 shall counties, and lies within both counties. 
 His first house was a log cabin, thirteen feet 
 square, where he lived two years, when he erected 
 a cabin eighteen feet square, one and a half 
 stories in height. This was the home of the 
 family until 1851, when the present residence 
 
THE iUOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 599 
 
 was erected. On this place the family of nine 
 children were reared, and all now reside within 
 a few miles of the old homestead, and all well 
 settled in life. The children living are J. Perry, 
 who married Nancy Booth; James L., who 
 married Harriet Montgomery; Cyrus, who mar- 
 ried Mary Stowell; William, who married j\Jary 
 Ann Caldwell; Alonzo, who married Lillian 
 Ellsworth; Charles, who married Ella Clem- 
 mer; Erastus, single; Lovina, who married 
 Loren Wilson, and Eliza, who married Newell 
 Nurs. 
 
 ^h. Root departed this life January 22, 1896. 
 For about eight years he had been totally blind, 
 but he bore up cheerfully under the affliction, 
 and never lost his interest in the current news 
 of the day, which he would have read to him 
 by some member of the family. Even upon his 
 death bed he inquired the news, especially the 
 actions of congress, desiring to know what ac- 
 tion was being taken by that body. In religious 
 belief he was a Universalist, having strong faith 
 in the love and compassion of the Heavenly 
 Father for the children of men. At -the request 
 of the family, his funeral sermon was preached 
 by Rev. Thomas ^vlartin, of the Presbyterian 
 church, who was an old neighbor and knew well 
 the life and character of the deceased. His sons 
 acted as pall bearers and the worn out body was 
 laid to rest in Blue Ridge cemetery, the oldest 
 burying ground in Peoria county. Mrs. Root 
 ]ireceded her husband to her heavenly home, 
 liaving died October 6, 1881. She was a woman 
 of strong character and sterling worth, greatly 
 esteemed by all. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Root was a stanch and un- 
 compromising republican and always liked to 
 discuss political and religious subjects. A 
 strong temperance man, he was for some years 
 actively engaged in temperance work as a mem- 
 ber of the order of Sons of Temperance, and 
 represented that body in its grand lodge on one 
 or more occasions. A member of the Old Set- 
 tlers' association; he loved to dwell on past 
 events, and had a very retentive memory of the 
 scenes of pioneer life in Ohio and Illinois. The 
 
 first to locate in the northern part of Peoria 
 county, he was the last to pass away. A man of 
 peace, he never had a law suit in his life, and 
 would rather be wronged than to wrong another. 
 Successful in life, all that he had was obtained 
 largely through his own efforts, assisted, of 
 course, by his good wife, and in later years by 
 his cliildren. Fie was always abreast of the times 
 in matters of public improvement and in labor 
 saving appliances, and was the first man in his 
 section to use the modern reaper. Physically 
 he was a fine specimen of man, standing five feet 
 eleven inches in height. He was a man of good 
 judgment and solid worth, and well deserves to 
 be remembered by coming generations. 
 
 HON. THO:\lAS M. SHAW, judge of the 
 eighth judicial circuit of lUinois, compris- 
 ing the counties of Putnam, Marshall, Woodford, 
 Tazewell, Peoria and Stark, is a man greatly es- 
 teemed for his worth's sake. He is a native of 
 Marshall county, born in Roberts township, Au- 
 gust 20, 1836. At that time Marshall was still 
 a part of Putnam county, and white settlers were 
 few and far between. Indians still lingered about, 
 althoug-h four years after the close of the Black 
 Hawk war. His parents, George H. and Pene- 
 lope (Edwards) Shaw, were both natives of Ken- 
 tucky, who emigrated to this section in 1829, 
 making settlement on a section of what is now 
 Roberts township, where they spent the remain- 
 der of their lives. Their nearest neighbors were 
 Col. Strawn on the south and Jesse Roberts on 
 the north. With that determination characteris- 
 tic of the pioneers, they began to make for them- 
 selves a home in this wilderness. The wife and 
 mother, however, was not long for this world, 
 her death occurring in 1840, when our subject 
 was but four years old. Later the father married 
 Miss Emma Edwards, a sister of his first wife, 
 who passed away in 1871, while he survived un- 
 til 1877. As a friend and neighbor he was highly 
 respected, having those traits which distinguish 
 the Kentuckian the world over. 
 
 The subject of this sketch grew to manhood 
 on the old farm, and from early childhood did 
 
6oo 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 his part in the cultivation and improvement of 
 the place. He received his primary education in 
 the common schools of the neighborhood, which 
 was supplemented by partial courses in the col- 
 leg-es of Alount Palatine, Putnam county, and 
 Alount ?\Iorris, Ogle county. The profession of 
 law he determined as 'his life's work, and in 1855 
 began reading in the office, and under the in- 
 struction of ^^''illiam D. Edwards, of Lacon. 
 
 In the year 1857, when but twenty years of 
 age, he was admitted to the bar, after an exami- 
 nation by a committee appointed for that pur- 
 pose by the circuit judge, then holding court at 
 Lacon. Still pursuing his studies he remained 
 another year at Lacon and then removed to Hen- 
 nepin, Putnam county, and there commenced 
 practice. 
 
 After a residence of five years at Hennepin, 
 where he met with as good success as could rea- 
 sonably be expected, he returned to Lacon richer 
 in experience and better able to cope with the 
 older attorneys at the bar. ?\Iark Bangs, now one 
 of the leading attorneys of Chicago, had been 
 practicing at this place for some years, and with 
 him he formed a partnership, which continued 
 uninterruptedly for seventeen years, to their mu- 
 tual profit. It is said the two made an excellent 
 combination, the studious habits and close appli- 
 cation of ]\Ir. Shaw being supplemented by the 
 oratorical powers of Air. Bangs, who was always 
 effective in jury trials. On the dissolution of the 
 co-partnership, caused by the removal of ^Ir. 
 Bangs to Chicago, 3ilr. Shaw became a partner 
 of Robert E. Edwards, that relation continuing 
 until' his elevation to the bench in 1885. 
 
 In his profession, the judge never made a 
 specialty of an\' particular line, but attended to 
 general practice, being a good all-around law- 
 yer, a safe counsellor in every respect. He never 
 resorted to an}' of the clap-trap peculiar to some 
 members of the profession, but gave his whole 
 thought, time and attention to the business in 
 hand. Few attorneys have exercised the caution 
 displayed !.i\ him in the preparation of a case. 
 He must know he was right before he would 
 proceed. If a client came to him with a case, he 
 
 must know that it was a good one, and that law 
 and equity was upon his side. Never did he 
 hesitate to tell a client that his case was not good 
 if so convinced. A good, fat fee was no tempta- 
 tion to him, if he knew the law was against him. 
 A point made l^y him in a trial was seldom over- 
 ruled by the presiding judge. His practice was 
 not local, but extended throughout adjoining 
 counties in the various circuit and county courts, 
 and in the supreme court of the state, and of the 
 United States courts, before which honorable 
 body he argued many cases. 
 
 Among his associates at the bar the judge al- 
 ways stood high. They recognized his abilities, 
 knew his studious nature, his conservative opin- 
 ions and actions, and by them was he first sug- 
 gested for the bench. In the spring of 1885 he 
 was duly nominated and at the regular June elec- 
 tion of that year 'he was triumphantly elected. 
 After serving his term of six years he was re- 
 nominated and re-elected in 1891. The same 
 points that characterized him as an attorney at 
 the bar have followed him upon the bench. While 
 quick to grasp a point, and with a breadth of per- 
 ception enabling him to see a case from every 
 point of view, he must feel assured that he is 
 right before a decision is rendered. His impar- 
 tiality and absolute fairness is acknowledged by 
 every member of the bar comprising the district, 
 and none fear to leave the decision of a case in 
 his hands. But few of his decisions appealed 
 from here have been reversed by the higher 
 courts. 
 
 Politically Judge Shaw has always held to the 
 principles of the democratic party, especially as 
 advocated by the fathers. He is not a partisan, 
 however, his judicial mind forbidding it, but in 
 the advocacy of his political views he asks no 
 favor. By his party he was given the nomination 
 for congi-ess in 1878, but the district being over- 
 whelmingly republican, he suffered the expected 
 defeat. Two years later, in 1880, he was nomi- 
 nated and elected a member of the state senate 
 from the district comprising the counties of Put- 
 nam, Alarshall and Woodford. He served the 
 term of four years with credit to himself and con- 
 
THE BlO'GRArHlCAL RRCORD. 
 
 60 [ 
 
 stitiieiits, serving on several important commit- 
 tees, among which was the judiciary. This was 
 the only political office he ever held, unless we 
 except that of mayor of Lacon, an office he held 
 t«o terms to the satisfaction of all concerned. 
 
 (hi the 24th of December, 1863, Judge Shaw 
 and ;\Iiss Nellie F. Hirch, of Metamora, Wood- 
 ford county, Illinois, were united in marriage. 
 She is a native of New Hampshire and a daugh- 
 ter of Fred F. and Caroline (Starrette) Hirch, 
 both of whom were also natives of New Hamp- 
 shire. They came west and settled in Woodford 
 county, when Airs. Shaw was but twelve years 
 of age. The judge and IMrs. Shaw 'have one 
 daughter, Daisy, who yet remains at home, and 
 is a musician of fine abilit}', who often sings in 
 public to the delight of her heai^ers. Airs. Shaw 
 and daughter are members of the Congregational 
 church. Fraternally the judge is a member of the 
 Elks. A life-long resident of Marshall county, 
 it can be truly said that no man stands higher in 
 the estimation of his fellow-citizens, and none 
 more highly deserve the honor. In every ques- 
 tion pertaining to its best interest he is always 
 found upon the side of right. 
 
 WILLIAAI STRAWN, the eldest son of 
 Colonel John and Mary (McClish) 
 Strawn, was born in Ross county, Ohio, October 
 16, 1814, and in September, 1829, reached Alar- 
 shall county, Illinois, locating in Richland town- 
 ship. The year previous his father had visited 
 this place, and by driving a stake in the grass es- 
 tablished his claim to a tract of land. In the fall 
 of 1829, with one covered wagon, with six horses 
 attached, he brought his family to this spot and 
 unloaded his goods. William was then in his 
 fifteenth year. He became an expert hunter and 
 killed m.any deer and wolves in this locality. His 
 rifle was also brought into play while he was 
 serving as a volunteer of the home guards dur- 
 ing the Clack Hawk war. 
 
 William Strawn remained with his parents un- 
 til twenty-six years of age, when on the 30th of 
 Septeniber, 1840, he married Helen M., daugh- 
 ter of Lunsford Broaddus, of Hopewell town- 
 
 ship, Marshall county. He then secured eighty 
 acres of land, half a mile from his father's home, 
 and in a log cabin they 1 icgan housekeeping. He 
 was a tireless worker and would leave home early 
 in the morning, taking his dinner with him and 
 remain in the forest until night, cutting wood. 
 He would cut three cords per day, and haul it 
 two and a half miles to the nearest town; thus 
 his land was cleared and as the trees disappeared 
 crops were planted. He continued to actively 
 operate his farm until seventy \ears of age, such 
 was his enterprise and perseverance, and to his 
 original purchase he added until he owned over 
 fifteen hundred acres. He was also extensively 
 engaged in stock raising, and in 1850 he began 
 raising apples. ITe was told by the old farmers 
 that this fruit could not be successfully cuhi- 
 vated on the prairies, but for twenty years he 
 gathered large crops of apples and thereby ma- 
 terially added to his income. He made exten- 
 sive improvements upon his farm in the way of 
 buildings and fences and his money was alwa\s 
 invested in more land until he became one of the 
 largest owners in this section of the state. 
 
 Mr. Stra-\vn was in early life a zealous demo- 
 crat, but afterward united his interests with the 
 greenback party, and later became a prohibition- 
 ist. He was always an active political worker, 
 although he never sought office. He was ever 
 well informed on the issues of the day, studied 
 tlie question of the civil war from both the north- 
 ern and the southern standpoints, and was ex- 
 trem.ely well read on general literature. For 
 thirty years he was a member of the American 
 Bible society, and had a number of diplomas 
 for his faithful service therein. His church re- 
 lationship was with the Methodist denomination 
 in early life, but he afterwards united with the 
 Congregational church, and for many years was 
 superintendent of its Sunday school. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Strawn lived to celebrate their 
 golden v/edding, at which was present his sister, 
 Susan, wlio had witnessed the nuptials of the 
 young couple fifty years before. For some time 
 prior tu his death Mr. Strawn never weighed 
 more than one hundred and forty pounds, but his 
 
6o2 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 nniscles seemed of iron, and his constitution 
 could endure almost anything. He died on the 
 old homestead June 21, 1894. His property was 
 divided by will and the day before his death he 
 had the details of the funeral arrangements writ- 
 ten out and signed it, desiring that his sons 
 should act as pall-bearers. He retained his con- 
 sciousress almost to the last moment, and then 
 passed away quietly and calmly, ending an hon- 
 orable life, which furnishes many examples which 
 are well worthy of emulation. His obituary was 
 written by an old-tirae friend, George O. Barnes, 
 and his funeral was one of the most largely at- 
 tended in Marshall county. His remains were 
 laid to rest in Lacon cemetery, but the memory 
 of his life remains as a blessed benediction to all 
 who knew him. His widow still resides on the 
 heme farm, a kindly old lady who has the re- 
 spect and love of all. 
 
 GEORGE BURT, editor and proprietor of 
 the Henry RepubHcan, has been a resi- 
 dent of Marshall county since 1846, and since 
 1865 has been connected with the paper, and 
 from 1869 has been its sole proprietor. He is a 
 native of Connecticut, born in Hartford, March 
 29, 1836, and is a son of George and Jerusha 
 (Spencer) Burt, the former a native of New York 
 and the latter of Hartford, Connecticut. 
 
 George Burt, Sr., in early hfe removed from 
 Ne\>^ York to Hartford, Connecticut, where he 
 formed the acquaintance of Miss Jerusha Spen- 
 cer, and they were married in that city. To 
 them were born five children, as follows: John 
 Spencer, editor and publisher of the Times, of 
 Henry; George, our subject; Elizabeth, deceased; 
 Clarence E., a farmer near Henry; Cornelia, wife 
 of George N. Losee, of Lake City, Iowa. 
 
 In his native state and in Connecticut the 
 father worked at his trade of tanner and currier, 
 and was considered a master workman. Dull 
 times and the possibilities of the great west 
 caused him to turn his face in that direction, 
 and in 1846, accompanied by his family, he came 
 to Marshall county and located on a farm near 
 Henry, and to the close of his Hfe successfully 
 
 followed the occupation of a farmer, save for 
 one winter, when he went to Chicago and worked 
 at his trade. For years he was well known to 
 almost every citizen of the county. Politically 
 a democrat, but never an office-seeker, he wielded 
 a great influence in the councils of his party. 
 Religiously, he was a Baptist, and for many years 
 was clerk of the church at Henry. In all mat- 
 ters pertaining to the welfare of the church he 
 took a lively interest, and in his life endeavored 
 to exemplify the teachings of the blessed Savior. 
 He died in the faith and the blessed assurance of 
 a life beyond the grave, in April, 1888. His 
 good wife, who was reared a Congregationalist, 
 but who usually worshiped with him at the J5ap- 
 tist church, preceded him to the other world 
 some eight years, dying in 1880. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was but ten years 
 of age when he came with his parents to Mar- 
 shall county. The succeeding seven years of his 
 life were spent upon his father's farm assisting 
 in the necessary work of developing a productive 
 farm from the \ni\<1 state in which it was found. 
 As the opportunity was afforded him he attended 
 the pioneer schools and obtained a limited edu- 
 cation. The desire to learn the printer's trade 
 took possession of him, however, and in 1853 
 he went to Ottawa, 111., and entered the office of 
 the Free Trader, but the proprietor selling out 
 before the expiration of his apprenticeship, he 
 finished his trade at La Salle, Illinois. 
 
 After completing his trade, the roving spirit 
 that has seemed to possess nearly every printer 
 from the early days of the art to the present time 
 took possession of him, and for the next eight or 
 ten years he held cases in offices in Peoria, Illi- 
 nois; Syracuse and Rochester, New York; New 
 York city; Hartford, Connecticut; Springfield, 
 Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. 
 In the spring of 1865 he returned to Henry, and 
 in September following purchased an interest in 
 the Henry RepubHcan, and four years later be- 
 came sole proprietor and editor. 
 
 While working in Springfield, Massachusetts, 
 Mr. Burt became acquainted with Mrs. CorneHa 
 Anna Blake, nee Burt, and one year after becom- 
 
THE BIOGRAPI 1 1 CAL KEC( )RD. 
 
 603 
 
 ing interested in the Republican, on September 
 21, 1866, the}' were united in marriage, at Fond 
 du Lac, Wisconsin. Although her maiden name 
 was Burt, she was not a relative of our subject. 
 Ininiediately after marriage ;\Ir. Burt brought 
 his ycung bride to his western home, and for 
 nearly thirty years they lived secure in each 
 other's love. But death claimed the wife and 
 mother, and on the 31st of May, 1895, she was 
 called to her heavenly home, leaving her husband 
 and two children to mourn her loss. Anna J., 
 the eldest child, in June, 1896, married Frank 
 Jenks, a merchant of Savannah, Illinois, and now 
 resides in that city. George A., the youngest, 
 yet remains at home and assists in the office of 
 the Republican. One child died in 1871. Mrs. 
 Burt was reared in the Episcopalian faith, but 
 on coming to Henry her views underwent a 
 change and she embraced those of Swedenborg 
 and became a member of the Swedenborgian 
 church of this place. She was a woman of lovely 
 disposition, a true Christian, a loving wife and 
 mother, and her memory is cherished not alone 
 by the husband and children, but innumerable 
 friends who knew her in this life. One of the 
 finest monuments in the cemetery at Henry has 
 been placed over her grave by her loved com- 
 panion, who thus attests his love and devotion 
 to her who walked with him along life's journey 
 so many years, and who was to him truly a 
 helpmeet. 
 
 Mr. Burt is a thorough out-and-out republican, 
 while his father and the entire family were and 
 are democrats. He attained his majority just 
 after the birth of the republican party. For some 
 years prior to this the slavery question was 
 prominently before the people. The south was 
 determined to force slavery upon some of the 
 new territories, notwithstanding the Aiissouri 
 compromise, and the people of the north were 
 awakened to the fact that unless they resisted 
 the encroachments of the slave power they would 
 be at its mercy. The New York Tribune, edited 
 by Horace Greeley, was the great organ of the 
 anti-slavery people, and the reading of this paper 
 had its influence upon our subject. With all the 
 
 ardor of youth he entered into the fight, and 
 being naturally a lover of freedom and equal 
 rights of every man, whether white or black, he 
 struck telling blows at the monster evil (jf slav- 
 ery. In i860 he advocated the election of Lin- 
 coln, and again in 1864. In 1865, as stated, he 
 purchased an interest in the Republican, and for 
 thirty-one years, as its editor, has advocated the 
 principles of the repubhcan party and has done 
 much in moulding public opinion. 
 
 When Mr. Burt took possession of the Re- 
 publican it was a weak, country paper with lim- 
 ited circulation. He has improved it in ever)- 
 respect, editorially and mechanically, and to-day 
 it is one of the best country papers in the state, 
 with a circulation of sixteen hundred copies. It 
 is a six column quarto, all home print, and is a 
 credit to the city and county in which it is 
 printed. As editor, Mr. Burt is alive to everV 
 interest calculated to build up the city of Henr\' 
 and surrounding country, and no enterprise 
 worthy of encouragement but has his hearty sup- 
 port. The office is well equipped, with a steam 
 power press, two jobbers, paper cutter, newspa- 
 per folder, and book and job type of latest style. 
 He is continually adding novelties in type, and 
 can and does compete with offices in larger cities. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. Btirt is a Swedenborgian, and 
 is active in the work of the church at Henry. 
 He is a firm and consistent believer in the doc- 
 trines promulgated by that man of God, Emanuel 
 Swedenborg, and has the courage of his con- 
 victions. Fraternally, he is a Mason and has at- 
 tained the rank of Knight Templar. 
 
 JOHN T. Sr\IITH, deceased, was for more 
 than a third of a century one of the most 
 highly respected citizens of Marshall county, and 
 while his life was not noted for any events of any 
 ])articular stirring interest, it was such as to be 
 worthy of emulation of those coming after him. 
 He was a thoroughly honest and truthful man, 
 his word at all times being as good as his bond. 
 Fev,' men have left a better record for such traits 
 of character as go to make up the true man. He 
 was a native of New Jersey, born in French- 
 
6o4 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 town May ii, 1819, and in youth removed with 
 his parents to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where 
 he formed the accjuaintance, and October 9, 1838, 
 married Miss Ann Bates, who was born at Bris- 
 tol, that county, July 15, 1818. 
 
 Eight years after marriage, Mr. Smith removed 
 with his family to firimfield, Peoria county, Illi- 
 nois, and ten years later came to Marshall coun- 
 ty, where the remainder of his life was spent. His 
 large farm on section 9, Whitefield township, was 
 his home for twenty-one years, with the excep- 
 tion of a few years spent in Henry, where he 
 moved for the purpose of educating his children, 
 and there his children grew to manhood and 
 wonjanhood, and from which they went out to 
 occupy honored places in society. 
 
 Mr. Smith was a successful farmer, giving per- 
 sonal attention to every detail of farm work. In 
 1877, he sold his place to his son-in-law, Thomas 
 Monier, and removed to Henry, and while prac- 
 tically living a retired life invested his money 
 in loans and had quite an extensive interest of 
 that character. In later years he again invested 
 a portion of his means in farm lands, and de- 
 voted his time to looking after his property in 
 ccrnection with his loans. 
 
 In 1847, about one year after coming to Ilh- 
 nois, Mr. Smith was converted and became a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal church, with 
 which body he was identified until called to the 
 upper and better world. Gifted in prayer, his 
 influence was felt in revival meetings and in the 
 regular social meetings of the church. With an 
 earnest desire to do something for his Master 
 he labored for the good of others, and by precept 
 and example besought them to turn to the Lord. 
 Mrs. Smith was also an earnest and devout fol- 
 lower of Christ and a hfe-long member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church. The Lord's house 
 was to her a home, and a foretaste of the heav- 
 enly home to which she longed to go. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. Smith consisted 
 of nine children. William N. is now a resident 
 of Independence, Kansas. Elwood was a pros- 
 perous farmer in Whitefield township, who died 
 in middle life. Charles now resides in Henry, 
 
 Illinois. Angeline died at the age of eleven 
 years. Arabella is the wife of John H. Chft, of 
 Fairbury, Illinois. Lewis is a stock dealer in 
 Henry, lUinois. Cyrus died at the age of eleven 
 years. Charlotta S. is the wife of Thom- 
 as Monier, of Whitefield township. Jennie is the 
 wife of Luke Gregory, of Whitefield township. 
 Each of these children have been well provided 
 for in this hfe. 
 
 John T. Smith was a man of great will power, 
 who when convinced of the right or wrong of 
 any matter could not be swerved from his views. 
 His death occurred December 3, 1893, and his 
 body was laid to rest in the cemetery at Henry. 
 His wife survived him two years, dying April 
 17, 1895. She had been in failing health for 
 some time, and during her last illness was cared 
 for by her daughter, Mrs. Monier, who gave her 
 loving attention, trying to soothe the weary one, 
 and as far as possible lightening her sufferings, 
 making her last hours peaceful and happy. The 
 fond husband and loving wife both died in the 
 full assurance of faith, trusting in the precious 
 promises of the Almighty Eather and his son 
 Jesus Christ, and it can well be said of them that 
 "They have fought the good fight, they have 
 kept the faith and henceforth there is laid up for 
 them the crown of righteousness, which the 
 Lord, the righteous judge, will give them in that 
 day." 
 
 THOMAS DOYLE, deceased, was for many 
 years one of the prominent and representa- 
 tive citizens of Saratoga township, Marshall 
 county. He was born near Shirleysburg, Hunt- 
 ingdon county, Pennsylvania, October 4, 181 1, 
 and on emigrating westward he first located in 
 Macon county, Illinois, twelve miles east of De- 
 catur. In the keystone state he had married 
 Hannah Smalley, who was also a native of Hunt- 
 ingdon county, and they came by team to this 
 state. He was in limited circumstances, and 
 after spending ten years in Macon county he 
 went to Peoria, where for a year he was engaged 
 in teaming. In 1848 he purchased a tract of 
 
THE niOGRAPITICAL RECORD. 
 
 605 
 
 land nine miles north of that city, where he made 
 his home for four years. 
 
 It was on the 15th of September, 1852, that 
 Mr. Doyle, with his family, settled upon land in 
 Saratoga township, ^larshall county, his farm 
 adjoining the one on which his son Wesley now 
 lives. For the one hundred and si.xty acres he 
 paid two thousand dollars, but had to go in 
 debt for much of the amount. There he made 
 his home for eight years, and after renting land 
 for three years went to ^Missouri. He traveled 
 over much of the state with the view of locating, 
 but, as the war broke out, he returned to Sara- 
 toga township, Marshall county, and became the 
 owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land on 
 section 27, where his daughter, Mrs. Clark, and 
 her husband now reside. This became his per- 
 manent home, and he gave his entire time and at- 
 tention to its cultivation and improvement until 
 about twelve or fifteen years before his death, 
 when he laid aside business cares, living retired 
 while his son attended to the duties of the farm. 
 He was quite successful and rendered assistance 
 to each of his children as they started out in life. 
 In politics he was an adherent of republican 
 principles, and religiously both he and his wife 
 were faithful members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal church. His death occurred August 20, 
 1877, and after surviving him for five years she 
 also died on the old homestead and was laid to 
 rest by his side in the Saratoga cemetery. 
 
 In the family were the following children — 
 Mary Ann, wife of David Saylor, of Nuckolls 
 county, Nebraska; Wesley S.; Owen, of Sara- 
 toga township; Florence, who died at an early 
 age; Simeon, of Whitefield township, Marshall 
 county; Matilda, wife of Joseph Clark, whose 
 sketch may be found on another page of this 
 work; Franklin, a minister of the Alethodist 
 Episcopal church, now located in Johnson 
 county, Nebraska, and Eliza, wife of Alfred Betz, 
 of Whitefield township. 
 
 Wesley S. Doyle, the second of the above fam- 
 ily, remained under the parental roof until 
 twenty-six years of age, but after attaining his 
 majority was dependent upon his own resources. 
 
 Flis first purchase of land consisted of eighty 
 acres of the farm on which he now resides, and 
 to which he has since added another eighty acre 
 tract just north of the old farm. He was mar- 
 ried September 29, 1870, the lady of his choice 
 being Miss Mary Ann Saylor, who was born and 
 reared in White county, Indiana. She is a sister 
 of David Saylor, who had been a resident of 
 Saratoga township for eleven years previous to 
 their marriage. She engaged in teaching for 
 some time both in Indiana and in Marshall 
 county. By her marriage with Mr. Doyle she 
 has one daughter, Eva, now the wife of Peter 
 Lewis, of Whitefield township. She is a con- 
 sistent member of the Saratoga Methodist Epis- 
 copal church. In his political views Mr. Doyle 
 is a stanch republican, and has acceptably served 
 ill several minor township offices. 
 
 JOHAXN JOSEPH MERDIAN, deceased, 
 was a man of marked individuahty, and a 
 pioneer of Marshall county. He was born on 
 the Rhine in Bavaria, Germany, November 18, 
 181 1, where his bo}'hood and youth were spent, 
 and where at the age of sixteen he commenced 
 learning the wagonmaker's trade, serving a regu- 
 lar apprenticeship and mastering the business 
 in all its details. In 1836 he crossed the ocean, 
 landing in New York, where he again took up 
 'his trade, at which he worked until coming west. 
 While yet residing in New York city, Mr. Mer- 
 dian formed the acquaintance of Miss Mary Ur- 
 sulla Burgen, and on the 24th of January, 1838, 
 they were united in marriage. She is a native 
 of Lothringen, France, born February 9, 1822. 
 Some five years after their marriage they came 
 to Marshall county, stopping at the old landing 
 about one mile below the present village of 
 Henry. Two children had been born to them 
 at' this time, and Mr. Merdian thought that in 
 this new and rapidly growing country he could 
 the better provide for his family. However, he 
 was greatly discouraged on his arrival from the 
 fact that he could find nothing to do, and had not 
 the capital with which to set himself up in busi- 
 ness. In consequence of this feeling he deter- 
 
6o6 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 mined to return to New York to work at his 
 trade. 
 
 A new difficulty now confronted him. He had 
 not the means with whicli to defray the expenses 
 of the return trip of the family, and therefore 
 determined on leaving his wife and children un- 
 til he could save enough with which to send for 
 them. A short time after his arrival in New 
 York he met his wife's brother, who, after hear- 
 ing his story, kindly loaned him five hundred 
 dollars. With that sum of money in his pocket 
 he hurried back to join his family with a far 
 lighter heart than when he sorrowfully left them 
 a few weeks previously. 
 
 With a portion of the five hundred dollars so 
 providently secured, Air. Merdian purchased 
 forty acres of land, which became the nucleus for 
 the large landed possession which he owned at 
 the time of his death. With zeal and energy, he 
 commenced the improvement of his place, and in 
 addition to his farming operations he worked at 
 his trade, carrying on a shop on his farm. After 
 fifty years' use one or two of his wagons are still 
 seen in Alarshall count)^ 
 
 As fast as his means would permit, Mr. Mer- 
 dian purchased other tracts of land until he 
 owned over thirteen hundred acres, about four 
 hundred of which was in his home farm, and 
 included one hundred and sixty acres two miles 
 north of Henry, two farms of eighty and one 
 hundred acres each in Whitefield township, one 
 hundred and sixty acres in Minonk, and one 
 hundred and thirty acres near the home place. 
 He was a thorough and practical farmer, con- 
 finmg himself to no special department of farm 
 work. While raising from fifty to sixty head of 
 cattle and some other stock, he devoted him- 
 self largely to raising grain. Success crowned 
 his efforts, and at the time of his death his es- 
 tate was valued at over seventy-five thousand 
 dollars. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Merdian thirteen children 
 were born, three dying in infancy, and one, 
 Christina, at the age of nine years. The living 
 are Josejjh, of Henry, Illinois; Mary, widow of 
 Marcus Reiser, of Henry; Clara, wife of Fred 
 
 Wolf, of Mt. Palatine, Putnam county; George, 
 of Vancouver, Washington; Peter, of Henry 
 township; Conrad, who is engaged in farming 
 near the old homestead; John, of Minonk, Illi- 
 nois; Bernard, on the home farm, and Henry, of 
 Whitefield township. All of the children are well 
 settled in life. 
 
 One of the most enjoyable occasions in the 
 life of Mr. and Mrs. Merdian was the celebra- 
 tion of their golden wedchng in 1888. In ad- 
 dition to their own family many relatives and 
 friends were present to shower their congratu- 
 lations upon them as they reached the fiftieth 
 milestone in their wedded life. Forty-five of the 
 fift)' years were spent in Marshall county, and 
 the old settlers from far and near responded to 
 the invitation to the wedding feast. Incidents 
 of pioneer days were related, stories were told 
 of gray-haired men and women, who were boys 
 and girls, young men and young women, when 
 Mr. and Mrs. Merdian first came to the county 
 and determined here to abide. Toils and priva- 
 tions were experienced by each alike, but the 
 pleasures and joys of the early days more than 
 counterbalanced them, and as story after story 
 was told the hearty laugh rang out, and each felt 
 that now their lines were fallen in pleasant places. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Merdian was a life-long demo- 
 crat, and while caring nothing for public office, 
 took an active interest in political affairs, and kept 
 well posted in the current political events of the 
 day. ReHgiously he was a faithful and consist- 
 ent member of the Catholic church, of which 
 body his wife has been a life member, and both 
 were well grounded in the faith. On coming to 
 Marshall county, he joined a few persons of like 
 faith, and meetings were held from time to time 
 in private houses, when the services of a priest 
 were secured. In the building of the German 
 Catholic church at Henry, he was a liberal con- 
 tributor, and took a very active interest in its 
 erection. When completed he and his estimable 
 wife felt indeed that they now had a church home, 
 where they could meet for the worship of the 
 Almighty God and His blessed Son, our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 607 
 
 Age Avas now creeping on, the strong man oi 
 1843 began to \A-eaken, and on the 8th of March, 
 1803, he quietly surrendered his spirit to the 
 God vho gave it, and entered upon his reward. 
 The funeral services, which were largely attend- 
 ed, were conducted by Rev. Father Baak. While 
 living quietly and ]5eacefully among his fellow- 
 citizens, his life work affords a useful lesson to 
 the rising generation in showing the possibilities 
 that may be attained by the poorest in this fa- 
 vored land. His estate, estimated at over sev- 
 enty-five thousand dollars, was divided according 
 to the terms of his will, his beloved wife being 
 the executrix. 
 
 JOHN C. MOODY, for thirty-six years a resi- 
 dent of Henry, Illinois, is well and favorably 
 known throughout Marshall and Putnam coun- 
 ties, lie is a native of Dauphin county, Penn- 
 sylvania, born June 17, 1826, and is a son of 
 Joseph and Jane (Quigley) Moody, both of whom 
 were also natives of Dauphin county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, tlie father being, however, of Scotch-Irish 
 descent. Robert Moody, the grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in County Derry, Ireland, and 
 when eighteen years of age left his native land 
 and settled in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, 
 where he married and reared a family. He came 
 to America prior to the Revolutionary war, and 
 during that struggle for a time served his adopted 
 country in the military service. His death oc- 
 curred in Dauphin county some time in the 
 forties at an advanced age. 
 
 By occupation, Joseph Moody was a farmer, 
 and continued as such until his death. Plis wife 
 d3dng in 1836, two years later he left Pennsyl- 
 vania and with his family first went to Warren 
 county, Ohio, where he remained but a very 
 short time, and then located in Miami county, 
 that state. In 1841 he, too, was called away. 
 For years he was a consistent and devoted mem- 
 ber of the Presbyterian church, of which body 
 his wife was also a member. Both died in the 
 blessed hope of an unending life beyond the 
 grave. 
 
 Our subject was twelve years of age when he 
 
 accompanied his father to Ohio. ITe remained 
 at home until hit parent's death, when he went 
 to live with an older brother, then married and 
 residing on a farm about five miles from Coving- 
 ton, Ohio. It had been his aim to take a course 
 in Miami university and he had shaped his 
 studies in the common schools to that end. The 
 death of the father compelled him to abandon 
 the idea of a collegiate education, much to his 
 regret. 
 
 After remaining with his brother, assisting in 
 the farm work for three years, in 1844 Mr. Moody 
 left the farm, went to Covington and entered 
 upon a three years' apprenticeship to learn the 
 trade of a harness and saddle maker. On com- 
 pleting his term of service he took the most im- 
 portant step of his life, and on the 28th day of 
 September, 1847, ^'^'•is united in marriage with 
 Miss Rachel S. Orr, of Covington, Ohio, but 
 born near Dayton, that state, and a daughter of 
 Joshua and Anna Orr, the former a native of 
 Virginia and the latter of Kentucky, both now 
 deceased. By this union nine children were 
 born, six of whom are now living: Joseph G., 
 who for some years was engaged in mining, but 
 is now clerking in the store of his brother at 
 Santa Rosa, California; Nathan W., who for 
 twelve years was postmaster of Fresno, Cali- 
 fornia, but is now county collector of taxes of 
 Fresno county, that state; Robert Clarence, a 
 boor and shoe dealer of Santa Rosa, California; 
 John Thomas, foreman of a large vineyard in 
 Fresno county, California; William, a commer- 
 cial traveler, and Anna Jane, widow of E. B. 
 Emerick, and the housekeeper for her father. 
 The deceased are Charles Rollin, Martha Eliza- 
 beth and Emm.a Frances. 
 
 Soon after his marriage Mr. Moody moved to 
 Fletcher, Ohio, where he was engaged in the 
 harness and saddlery trade for six years. Con- 
 stant confinement at the bench injured his health 
 somewhat and he sold out and for a time en- 
 gaged in other work of not such a confining 
 nature. In i860, however, he came to Henry, 
 Illinois, and for twenty-one years was foreman 
 in the harness shop of Louis Snyder. With- 
 
6o8 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 dra\vir,£; from that shop, at the expiration of that 
 time, he commenced work for himself, and has 
 since continued in the harness trade. His work 
 has ahvays been of the best quahty. Learning 
 his trade in its entirety, he has ahvays prided 
 himself on his work and in giving satisfaction to 
 his patrons. 
 
 For many years Mrs. Moody was an invahd, 
 and while everything was done to alleviate her 
 suffering and restore her to health, yet death 
 claimed iier and the summons was answered 
 April 1 6, 1880. She was a consistent Christian 
 woman, a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church for many years, but on account of the 
 state of her health could not take that active part 
 which she so earnestly desired. She always re- 
 joiced in the victories of the church and mani- 
 fested every interest possible. Her body now 
 lies at rest in the beautiful cemetery at Henry, 
 there to await the blessed resurrection day, when, 
 joined by 'the loved ones gone before and those 
 who yet remain, she will sing the songs of the 
 Lamb, world without end. 
 
 Mr. Moody was converted at the age of nine- 
 teen years, and united with the Methodist Epis- 
 copal church, and has ever since been an active 
 and useful member. For many years he has 
 served as steward and is now class-leader, and 
 for nine years was superintendent of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Sunday school at Henry. In 
 the Sunday school work he has always been an 
 efficient worker and now has charge of an 
 adult Bible class. He was made a blaster Mason 
 in Ohio, and was past master when he came to 
 Henry. His membership is now with the Henry 
 lodge. AH in all, Mr. Moody is well entitled to 
 a place in the biographical record of Marshall 
 county. 
 
 TIMOTHY S. HUNT. Among the influen- 
 tial and wealthy citizens of Marshall coun- 
 ty, the subject of this sketch occupies a promi- 
 nent position. He is now engaged in general 
 farming upon his valuable farm of six hundred 
 acres on sections 21 and 27, Whitefield town- 
 ship. He was born in Putnam count}', near the 
 
 old town of Caledonia, on Ox Bow prairie, Jan- 
 uary 15, 1840, and is the son of Rich and Ruth 
 (Horromi Hunt, of whom extended mention is 
 made in the .sketch of L. C. Hunt, on another 
 page of this work. 
 
 Our subject remained with his father until 
 July I, 1861, when he joined the Eighty-sixth 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but was not sworn 
 in, as his father objected to his enlistment. His 
 brother, Malilon, however, became a member 
 of that regiment, and died in the service. Tim- 
 othy began farming upon a tract of forty acres 
 which his father had given him, to which he soon 
 added one hundred acres, paying eighteen dollars 
 per acre, but had to go in debt for most of the 
 amount. He has been very successful in his 
 operations, and besides his home farm also has 
 a half section in Rush county, Kansas, one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres near Allerton, Iowa, and 
 forty acres in Monona county, Iowa, all of which 
 property has been quite profitable. He has also 
 bought and sold cattle, sometimes having as 
 high as twelve or thirteen hundred head upon 
 his place. For about six years he conducted the 
 only brick yard west of the river, making two 
 hundred thousand brick annually. His land is 
 underlaid with a fine grade of coal, and from 
 that industry derived a handsome income, but 
 the operation of the mines is now unprofitable. 
 
 On the 29th of January, 1862, jNIr. Hunt led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Zermiah Platter, of 
 Whitefield township, a daughter of Jacob Plat- 
 ter, who died on the farm where Mr. Bogner 
 now lives. To them were born si.x children — 
 Richard, warden in the insane asylum at Steila- 
 coom, Washington ; Hannah, who died at the age 
 of twenty-three of quick consumption, as did also 
 her mother; Horrom T., at home; and one child, 
 who died at the age of seven years, and two in in- 
 fancy. The mother of these children departed 
 this life July 3, 1879. For his second wife, Mr. 
 Hunt chose Mrs. Belle Cornell, who bore the 
 maiden name of Arabella Jones, and is a native 
 of Bureau county, Illinois. She was the widow of 
 William Cornell, a land agent at Sparland, by 
 whom she had two children — Carrie, wife of Ola 
 
THE ni( ^GRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 609 
 
 Hunt, a nephew of our subject, and John L., liv- 
 ing at home. Four children bless the second 
 union of our subject and his wife — Charles, Lib- 
 bie, Bennie and Leota. 
 
 J\lr. Hunt g'enerally affiliates with the republi- 
 can party, but is not strictly partisan, preferring 
 to vote for the man whom he thinks will best fill 
 the office, regardless of party ties. He has served 
 as a delegate to conventions and is at present 
 justice of the peace. He has settled many diffi- 
 cult cases, but often counsels the parties to set- 
 tle their disputes out of court. Soon after the 
 completion of a fine barn belonging to jNIr. Hunt 
 it was destroyed by fire, which with its contents 
 caused him a loss of five thousand dollars, as 
 there was but a slight insurance upon the prop- 
 erty. He is a highly respected citizen and at the 
 time when there was a Christian church in White- 
 field township he was one of its most active 
 members. As most of its members left he finally 
 devoted the proceeds of the sale of the old 
 building to the church at Henry, amounting to 
 two hundred dollars, and has since belonged to 
 no congregation. 
 
 REV. CHARLES L. :\I, RIAHIELS is the 
 present pastor of the Church of Immaculate 
 Conception at Lacon, Illinois, and also St. Pat- 
 rick's church of Camp Grove, which congrega- 
 tions comprise over one hundred families. A 
 native of Bavaria, Germany, at the age of fifteen 
 years, he came to the United States, and was 
 educated in the Benedictine college of St. Vin- 
 cent at Latrobe, Pennsylvania. After complet- 
 ing the course in 1869, he was ordained by 
 Bishop Stephen A^incent Ryan, of Buffalo, and 
 his first charge was at Dunkirk, New York. From 
 that state he came to the diocese of Peoria eight- 
 een years ago, and served in various parishes un- 
 til coming to Lacon two years ago, succeeding 
 Rev. Father Bryant, who had been stationed 
 here for nine years. The school at Lacon is in 
 the hands of the Sisters of Mercy, and is in a 
 flourishing condition, having about fifty children 
 in attendance. Father Rimmels is entirely de- 
 
 voted to his parochial duties, and has the love 
 and confidence, not only of his own church mem- 
 bers, but of all who know him. 
 
 The Church of the Immaculate Conception 
 was organized by Rev. Father Montori, who 
 came to Lacon once a month. The first house 
 of worship, a portion of which was of frame and 
 the remainder of logs, now forms part of the 
 residence of Jesse Whittaker. The next priest 
 was Father Rinalda, an Italian, who built the 
 frame church which lasted until 1867. Rev. 
 Thomas Lynch had charge of the congregation 
 from December 31, 1853, until his death, July 
 15, 1856, and his remains lie buried beneath the 
 present brick church, while a tablet in the church 
 wall is dedicated to his memory. The succeed- 
 ing priests were Fathers Francis McGuire, Me- 
 han, Thomas Ogden, Walter H. Power, John N. 
 Harrigan, James Wall, E. Delihanty, John Kil- 
 kenny, P. Flannigan, M. ^IcDermott and P. J. 
 Campbell, who died while in the service of the 
 church, and his tombstone in front of the church 
 edifice reads: Rev. P. J. Campbell, born in 
 Keady, County Armagh, Ireland, May 10, 1839, 
 died ^lay 26, 1877. Rev. Father Power was then 
 in charge of the parish for five years, followed 
 by Rev. Father Murphy,- who is now located at 
 Tecumseh, Nebraska. For the next nine years 
 Father O'Bryan was here located and was suc- 
 ceeded by Father Rimmels of this review. 
 
 DAVID R. BLACKWELL is a progressive 
 farmer residing on section 16, Steuben 
 township, and has a large and extensive ac- 
 quaintance throughout Marshall and adjoining 
 counties. He was born July ,3, 1848, and is 
 the son of Rev. David Blackwell. His father, 
 who was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, and a member of the IlHnois conference 
 of that body, died when he was but two weeks 
 old. After his father's death his mother went 
 with her two children, the other being William 
 R., now a minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
 church, to reside with her husljand's parents, at 
 Mt. Vernon, Illinois. They there made their 
 home until our subject was four years and 
 
6io 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 a half old, when she removed to Marshall 
 county, where she had formerh' resided ami 
 where she met and married Rev. David Black- 
 well, who then had charge of the Methodist 
 church in Lacon. 
 
 Six months after the return of the family, Mrs. 
 Blackwell was united in marriage with James 
 Tanquary, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere 
 in this volume. Mr. Tanquary, who later in 
 life was known to every one as Uncle Jimmy 
 Tancjuary, gave a home to the two fatherless 
 boys, and to all intents and purposes became a 
 father to them. William R. grew to manhood, 
 graduated at the Wesleyan university at Bloom- 
 ington, Illinois, and at the age of twenty-eight 
 years commenced preaching the gospel as a 
 minister in the Methodist Episcopal church. At 
 present he is residing at Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to 
 which place he removed in order to give his chil- 
 dren good educations. His work in the church 
 was in the northern central part of Illinois, and 
 he is well and favorably known throughout this 
 section. 
 
 Both boys grew to manhood on the farm of 
 their step-father, and our subject continued 
 there to reside until his marriage, August ii, 
 1872, with Miss Rebecca Hoskins, who was born 
 in Steuben township, January 10, 1853, and is 
 a daughter of John and Eliza (Bonham) Hos- 
 kins. Her father was a native of Pickaway 
 county, Ohio, and there married Eliza Bonham, 
 and immediately started for Illinois in company 
 with her parents', Narford and Rebecca (^lason) 
 Bonham. The Bonhams settled in Whitefield 
 township, three miles north of Sparland, while 
 John Hoskins settled on the bottoms, from 
 which he removed to the prairie, where Mrs. 
 Blackwell was born. He died in i8yq. but her 
 mother is still living in Nebraska. Mrs. Black- 
 well is the only representative of the family now 
 residing in Illinois. 
 
 Soon after their marriage our subject and his 
 wife moved to a farm which he rented near 
 Pontiac, Livingston county, Illinois, where the>' 
 resided three years and then went to Adair coun- 
 ty, Iowa, but on account of failing health re- 
 
 turned to Illinois, and located in Steuben town- 
 ship. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell eight children 
 have been born — WiUiam, Edson, Lillian, Lu- 
 cinda, Leslie. Rowland, James and Fred, all of 
 whom yet reside at home. William, however, 
 at present writing, is a student in the Western 
 Normal college at Bushneh, Illinois. He is a 
 graduate of the Gem City Business college at 
 Quincy, Illinois, and has had two years' experi- 
 ence as a teacher. The family are members of 
 the Bethel Methodist Episcopal church, of which 
 Mr. Blackwell is a trustee. In politics he is a 
 republican. 
 
 DAVID WILSON, after the labors of a long 
 and busy life, is spending his later years in 
 ease and retirement in Wenona. He belongs to 
 an honored old Pennsylvania family, members 
 of the Society of Friends, its founder in America 
 belonging to William Penn's colony. There the 
 great-grandfather of our subject, Samuel Wilson, 
 and the grandfather, Daniel Wilson, were both 
 born. 
 
 The birth of Amos Wilson, the father, occurred 
 in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1794, and he 
 there married Hannah Brown, who was born in 
 the same county in 1800, and was a daughter of 
 David Brown, a native of Ireland, who came 
 to America when a boy. The parents left Penn- 
 s)'lvania, in 1826, locating upon a farm in Bel- 
 mont county, Ohio, where the mother died the 
 following year, at the age of twenty-six. To 
 them had been born five children: Joshua B., 
 now deceased, who was married and had ten 
 children; Mrs. Margaret Merritt, of Lostant, 
 Illinois, who has eight children; David, of this 
 sketch; Thomas, of Corning, Iowa, who has 
 fourteen children, and Mrs. Hannah B. Hoge, of 
 Wenona, who has six children. 
 
 After the death of his first wife, Amos Wilson 
 married Anna Morris, and in 1851, with his fami- 
 ly, removed to Illinois, locating upon a new farm 
 of prairie land in Putnam county, two miles north 
 of Magnolia, which he placed under a high state 
 of cultivation. He there made his home until 
 
THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 6ii 
 
 his death about twelve years ago, at the age of 
 eighty-seven years. His second wife, who sur- 
 vived him, died in 1895, at the age of ninety-one 
 years. Nine children graced their union, namely : 
 Ruth Anna, deceased; Mrs. Rebecca Howard, of 
 Chester, Nebraska, who has seven children; 
 Sarah, deceased, who was married and had two 
 children; Jilrs. Elizabeth Mills, of Putnam coun- 
 ty, Illinois, who has four sons; Morris, of the 
 same county, who has four children; Mrs. Mary 
 Smith, also of Putnam county, who has seven 
 children; Amos, of Putnam county, who has two 
 daughters; Oliver, of Putnam county, who has 
 one child, and Laura, deceased. The father fol- 
 lowed farming exclusively, was a quiet, unob- 
 trusive man of temperate hal^its, and in politics 
 \A as first a whig and later a republican. Both 
 parents of our subject were members of the 
 Society of Friends, belonging to a liberal church, 
 of which the father served as elder, and he was 
 a strong friend of the cause of education. 
 
 JMr. Wilson, whose name introduces this 
 sketch, was born in Chester county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, May 24, 1822, and was reared by his step- 
 mother in Belmont county, Ohio, where he at- 
 tended the district schools. He learned the trade 
 of a harness maker, but also engaged in farming. 
 In 1846 he was joined in wedlock with Eliza P. 
 Greenleaf, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 
 1825, and was the daughter of John and Ann 
 (Evans) Greenleaf, the former a native of Rhode 
 Island, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Her 
 father was a distant relative of the well beloved 
 poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. 
 
 Mrs. Wilson died in 1873. By her union with 
 our subject she became the mother of eleven chil- 
 dren, ten still living: Mrs. Mary A. McCarty, liv- 
 ing in Iowa, has six children; Mrs. Anna B. 
 Gants, of Wenona, has four daughters ; Mrs. 
 Sarah Spargrove, of Normal, Illinois, has one 
 daughter; Mrs. Ruth Ella Griffith, of Sonoma 
 county, California, has four children; Alice is at 
 home; John N., of La Salle county, Illinois, has 
 three sons; David is deceased; Mrs. Jennette 
 McLaughlin, Jiving in Clay county, Nebraska, 
 has five children; Amos lives at Wenona; Mrs. 
 
 Bessie Newburn, of Marshall county, has three 
 children, and Mrs. Laura E. Carrithers also 
 makes her home in Marshall county. 
 
 For a time after his marriage, Mr. Wilson 
 worked at his trade in Ohio, but in the fall of 1851 
 came to Illinois, locating first in Magnolia town- 
 ship, Putnam county, where he remained a few 
 years, and then removed to a farm in Evans 
 township, Marshall county, three miles west of 
 \\'enoiia, which he improved and cultivated. 
 Going to Evans Station he there made his home 
 for twenty years, but since 1889, he has lived 
 quietly at Wenona, resting after years of ceaseless 
 toil. His political support is unswervingly given 
 the republican party, and both himself and wife 
 are devoted members of the Society of Friends. 
 
 On the 2ist of November, 1881, Mr. Wilson 
 was united in marriage with Lydia A. Foulkc, a 
 nati\-e of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of John 
 and Ann (Sinclair) Foulke. She was educated at 
 Sharon seminary, a Friends school near Phila- 
 delphia, and has had much experience as a 
 teacher. For three years and a half she served as 
 an army nurse during the civil war, entering a 
 hospital in Philadelphia as a volunteer in 1862, 
 and there remained for four months without pay, 
 while a friend boarded her for nothing, as a con- 
 tribution to the soldiers. The nurses were form- 
 ed into an organized band and were distributed 
 among the different wards. At Baltimore, Mary- 
 land, a warehouse on the wharf near the railroad 
 depot was used, and there Mrs. Wilson was 
 next on duty. After the battle of Gettysburg 
 they had both rebel and union soldiers to care 
 for. At length she returned to her home for two 
 weeks and while there received a note from Annie 
 Wittenmyer, v\'ho had established special diet 
 kitchens in all the western hospitals, asking Mrs. 
 Wilson to meet her at Louisville, Kentucky, 
 which she did and was placed in charge of special 
 diet kitchen. No. i, at Chattanooga, where she 
 v,as assisted by Miss Anna Miller, of Iowa. They 
 received their supplies from the general field 
 agent of the Christian commission, and furnished 
 meals to nine convalescent soldiers who were un- 
 able to go to the general dining room. She also 
 
6i. 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 visited wards daily and tried to supply any extras 
 she could. In January, 1865, Mrs. Wilson was 
 transferred to Cumberland hospital at Nashville, 
 Tennessee, but was only there two weeks when 
 she was taken ill and was cared for at the Chris- 
 tian Commission Home about three weeks. As 
 scon as able she went to Decatur, Illinois, on a 
 thirty days leave of absence, after which she went 
 to Findlay hospital at Washington, D. C, where 
 she remained until the close of the war in Au- 
 gust, 1865. She was in that city at the time of the 
 grancl review and when President Lincoln was as- 
 sassinated. She now receives a well deserved 
 pension from the United States government for 
 her unselfish and faithful devotion to the wound- 
 ed soldiers. She has often addressed public meet- 
 ings, and is now an honored member of the 
 Woman's Relief corps. 
 
 JAMES THOMPSON, deceased, was num- 
 bered among the pioneers of 1837. He was 
 a native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, 
 born in 1813. In his native state he grew to 
 manhood, was educated in the subscription 
 schools of the early day, and remained at home 
 until h'e was twenty-four years of age. Emi- 
 gration was then tending westward, and in the 
 spring of 1837, he came to Marshall county, 
 where he found employment with John Strawn, 
 at five dollars per month. After the close of 
 the season he leturned to his eastern home, where 
 he spent the winter of 1837-8. 
 
 In the spring of 1838, he again started west 
 by way of Cincinnati, at which place he secured 
 passage on the steamer Moselle, which was 
 heavil)'' laden with freight and passengers. 
 While laying at the wharf the boilers of the 
 steamer exploded with terrific effect, instantly 
 killing a large number of her passengers. Mr. 
 Thompson had been sitting in the cabin, but had 
 just gone to the hurricane deck, when the ex- 
 plosion occurred. He escaped on a raft that 
 lay alongside of the boat, and providentially was 
 uninjured. 
 
 Arriving in Marshall county in due time, Mr. 
 Thompson again went to work for Mr. Strawn, 
 
 and in December, 1838, married Miss Mary A., a 
 daughter of Colonel John Strawn. Soon after 
 their marriage the young couple commenced 
 house-keeping in a log cabin on section — , La- 
 con township, and on that farm resided until 
 1852, when they moved into Lacon, where our 
 subject engaged in the lumber business, and 
 where his death occurred in 1857, while in the 
 prime of life. 
 
 To James Thompson and wife, six children 
 were born, the oldest dying in infancy. The 
 surviving members of the family are John S., 
 Samuel H., James H., and Stephen Douglas. 
 
 On the death of the father, the oldest member 
 of the family was but seventeen years of age. 
 Mrs. Thompson took charge of the household, 
 reared and educated the children, and all are 
 filling useful positions in life. 
 
 THOMAS WELLS SHEPARD. The name 
 of this lamented citizen of Putnam county, 
 who passed to his rest on the loth of July, 1891, 
 is remembered as that of one of the pioneers of 
 the county, and a man who assisted greatly in 
 its developm<->nt and prosperity. He was born 
 in Kentucky, November 20, 1812, and when six 
 years old was taken by his parents, John Wesley 
 and Rachel Shepard, to Davis county, Indiana, 
 where he grew to manhood. 
 
 At the age of twenty-three years, Mr. Shepard 
 came to Putnam county, working in a saw mill 
 at Florid, Putnam county, with a man named 
 Millatt. He had often boated down , the Ohio 
 and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans with pro- 
 visions, and after locating in Putnam county, 
 took ice by boat from Hennepin to Baton Rouge, 
 which business proved quite profitable. 
 
 On the 5th of December, 1844, "ear Henne- 
 pin was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Shepard 
 and Miss Catherine Ham, who was born in 
 Dutchess county. New York, May 9, 1825, and 
 in 1 83 1, was brought to Putnam county by her 
 parents, William and ATargaret (Clum) Ham', also 
 natives of Dutchess county. Here they located 
 three miles from Hennepin, and during the In- 
 dian troubles, in which the father took part, they 
 
THE BIOGRAPH'ICAL RECORD. 
 
 613 
 
 lived at the fort at Florid. The parents died on 
 the old home farm, the father, at the age of sev- 
 enty-five years. In their family were four chil- 
 dren — Philip, of Hennepin; Maria, who became 
 the wife of Bushrod Franceway, but both are 
 now deceased; Peter, of Independence, Iowa, 
 and Catherine, widow of our subject. After the 
 mother's death, J\Ir. Ham was again married, his 
 second union being with Miss Susan Dysart, 
 who survived him until February, 1893. They 
 had two children — William, now of Indepen- 
 dence, Iowa, and Susan, wife of Charles Brad- 
 dish, of Sansom, Illinois. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Shepard purchased a 
 farm in Granville township, where he resided 
 for two years, and then removed to a farm on 
 Hennepin prairie, comprising three hundred 
 acres, which he placed under a high state of cul- 
 tivation, and improved with a large frame resi- 
 dence and the other accessories which go to make 
 up a model farm. At one time he bought a sec- 
 tion of Kansas land which he held for some 
 vears. He became an extensive stock-grower 
 and cattle feeder, in which business he was quite 
 successful, and for som.e years he owned an in- 
 terest in a grist mill at Hennepin, being natur- 
 ally a good mechanic and fond of machinery. 
 
 A strong abolitionist, Mr. Shepard aided many 
 a colored man on his way to Canada and freedom, 
 and during the war helped to raise troops to put 
 down the rebellion and loosen the shackles from 
 a million slaves. For almost twenty consecu- 
 tive years he served as township supervisor, was 
 trustee more than twenty-one years, and held 
 other offices of honor and trust, the duties of 
 which he always faithfully discharged. As a 
 boy of thirteen he became a Christian, joining 
 first the ?^Iethodist Episcopal church, and later 
 the Wesleyans. He erected a house of worship 
 on his farm in Hennepin, was a zealous and earn- 
 est Christian, doing all in his power to advance 
 the Master's cause, and always lived at peace 
 with his neighbors. However, he was quite 
 firm in his opinions and would always stand up 
 for his own rights, provided they did not con- 
 flict wit'n the rights of his fellow-men. His esti- 
 32 
 
 mable wife also belonged to the Wesleyan church 
 for some time, but now holds membership in the 
 Congregational church. 
 
 Eight children were born to them — Rachel, 
 wife of Archie Gerrow, of Hennepin township; 
 William Henry, a farmer, who died at the age of 
 twenty-six years; James, of Neosho county, Kan- 
 sas; Thomas, of Beadle county. South Dakota; 
 George, of Franklin county, Nebraska; Ella, who 
 lives at home with her mother; Richard, of Black 
 Hawk county, Iowa, and Grant, of Granville 
 township, Putnam county. At his death the old- 
 est son left a child, Percie, then only a year and 
 a half old, who was taken by his paternal grand- 
 parents and reared by them. He is now em- 
 ployed in a hardware store at Hennepin. 
 
 In December, 1887, Mr. and Mrs. Shepard 
 left the farm, removing to Hennepin, where he 
 died of palsy after a ten days' illness. He was 
 by nature liberal and public-spirited, and where- 
 ever he took up his abode maintained an interest 
 in the people around him, and contributed to the 
 best of his means and ability to their improve- 
 ment socially and morally. No man is more 
 worthv of a representation in a work of this 
 ' kind, and there is none whose name is held in 
 more grateful remembrance. The farm has 
 since been sold and Mrs. Shepard finds a pleas- 
 ant home in Hennepin, where she is surrounded 
 by many warm friends. 
 
 MAC M. MALLARY, county superintend- 
 ent of schools of Marshall county, Illi- 
 nois, was born in Greenfield, Iowa, April 29, 
 1865, and came with his parents, E. N. and Mary 
 (Hamilton) Mallary, to Illinois, the family lo- 
 cating in Peoria county. His father is a native 
 of New York and his mother of Ohio. They 
 now reside in La Prairie township, M^irshall 
 county. Previous to locating in Iowa, the father 
 had resided in Marshall county, to which place 
 he came at the age of twenty with his father, 
 Sylvanus K. Mallary. They located here about 
 1845, settHng in Whitefield township, near Hen- 
 ry. There Sylvanus K. Mallary died at the age 
 of seventy-five years. 
 
6i4 
 
 THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 
 
 After locating in Marshall county the father of 
 our subject learned the cabinet maker's trade, 
 which he followed a short time and at the age of 
 about twenty-three years married Mary Hamil- 
 ton, who resided near the village of Henry. Soon 
 after their marriage they went to Iowa, where 
 Mac M. was born. From Peoria county they 
 removed to Stark county, where our subject re- 
 sided until twenty years old. Until sixteen years 
 of age he attended the country schools, after 
 which he entered the Wyoming high school. 
 Later he was a student in the Northwestern 
 Normal school at Geneseo, Illinois, from which 
 he graduated with the class of 1882. Prior to 
 entering the last named institution, he taught 
 school for one year, and also taught while pur- 
 suing the course. His progress in his studies 
 was quite rapid, in two and a half years com- 
 pleting the course which usually required four 
 years. 
 
 When but sixteen years of age, Mr. Mallary 
 decided to make teaching his profession, and 
 after graduating was for five years a teacher in 
 the Lacon graded schools. In the fall of 1894 
 he was nominated on the Republican ticket for 
 the office of county superintendent of schools ■ 
 and was the only one of that party elected that 
 year in Marshall county. For more than two 
 years he has now served as superintendent and 
 it is but justice to him to say that the schools 
 of the county have been vastly improved. At 
 
 present there are about one hundred twenty- 
 seven teachers employed in the county, over 
 one-half of whom have had normal training. 
 The wages of teachers in the county ranges from 
 thirty-three to seventy-five dollars per. month. 
 The grade of teachers has been raised and the 
 wages raised as well. The county has a teach- 
 ers' association, in which every teacher is re- 
 quired to participate, the certificate of each being 
 effected by attendance at the institute. Mr. Mal- 
 lary is a member of the Central Illinois Teach- 
 ers' Association and State Teachers' Association, 
 in both of which he takes an active part. He is 
 also a member of the Schoolmasters' Club, com- 
 posed of superintendents and principals, and has 
 been a contributor to the School Journal. He 
 keeps up his reading and study in the classics 
 and is a hard student. 
 
 On the 13th of July, 1885, Mr. Mallary was 
 united in marriage with Miss Catharine Noel, of 
 Lacon, a native of Ogle county, Illinois, and 
 who received her education at Mt. Morris, this 
 State. Two children have come to bless their 
 union — Ernest and Mae. Both himself and wife 
 are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
 of which he is vestryman. He was made a Ma- 
 son at Lawn Ridge, Illinois, but has since trans- 
 ferred his membership to the Lacon lodge. He 
 has filled all the chairs, and served as master of 
 the lodge for three years. He has also served 
 as a delegate to the grand lodge of the state. 
 
iNDK^:^:. 
 
 Ammon, Martin 84 
 
 Anderson, Charles A 360 
 
 Anderson, F 158 
 
 Armstrong, John 559 
 
 Austin, Merrili K 230 
 
 Baguley, Richard 129 
 
 Bailey, John W 246 
 
 Ball, Wm. L, 686 
 
 Baker, Alfred A 123 
 
 Ball, John D 673 
 
 Barnhart, Mrs. H. N 482 
 
 Bass, Edwin 190 
 
 Baty, Josiah 399 
 
 Becker, William H 186 
 
 Beckwith, Putnam 471 
 
 Beckwith, W. N 94 
 
 Bishop, Andrew J 152 
 
 Blachley, L. S 64 
 
 Black, Isaac C 295 
 
 Blackwell, D. R 609 
 
 Blood, Daniel N 40 
 
 Boal, Dr. Robert 60 
 
 Boggs, A. C 387 
 
 Bond, F. H 393 
 
 Bonham, H. D 367 
 
 Boon, M. M 69 
 
 Borger, Irwin 371 
 
 Bornemann, John .>>*i» 472 
 
 Boyd, Alexander 156 
 
 Boyd, C. N 316 
 
 Boyd, Nathaniel 311 
 
 Boylen, Felix 689 
 
 Brainerd, P. G 136 
 
 Braught, F. M 478 
 
 Breed, Dr. S. P 317 
 
 Brenneman, Martin ..^. 284 
 
 Brennemann, Oscar ...?>*f. 456 
 
 Broaddus, H. B 309 
 
 Broaddus, Irving 58ri 
 
 Broaddus, Reuben 330 
 
 Brookie, Arthur 349 
 
 Brown, J. H 379 
 
 Brown, N. F 427 
 
 Bryant, Arthur 72 
 
 Bryant, J. H 417 
 
 Bryant, Lester R 189 
 
 Buck, Samuel 59 
 
 Burnette, Mrs. Ellen E 466 
 
 Burnham, J. P 79 
 
 Burr, William H 343 
 
 Burt, John S 538 
 
 Burt, George 602 
 
 Butts, William Henry 430 
 
 Caldwell. R. 463 
 
 Camp. Eliza A 534 
 
 Carlson, Mons 600 
 
 Carlstrom, Rev. J. A 110 
 
 Carper, Adam 445 
 
 Cartney, Patrick 496 
 
 Castendyck, George 267 
 
 Chalcraft, Wm . .' .579 
 
 Cherry, James 296 
 
 Chritzman, Mrs. Jennie 217 
 
 Churchill, Horatio 478 
 
 Cinnamon, Robert 582 
 
 Clark, Atherton 66 
 
 Clark, Joseph 391 
 
 Clifford, S. D 615 
 
 Clover, T. F 
 
 Coddington, H. C 
 
 Coddington, James H. 
 
 Collins, O. T 
 
 Collins, Patrick 
 
 Conrad, Peter J 
 
 Cook, Henry 
 
 51(1 
 
 491 
 
 133 
 
 372 
 
 365 
 
 451 
 
 435 
 
 Cook, W. E '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.Ul 
 
 Corey, H. F 329 
 
 Cotton, Mrs. Thomas 360 
 
 Craig, James 135 
 
 Crisman, William 540 
 
 Crossley, Thomas 208 
 
 Cummings, Fitchyou 289 
 
 Curtis, J. M 476 
 
 Cusac, Charles 580 
 
 Dahlgren, Charles Y 141 
 
 Dalzell, Samuel M 113 
 
 Davidson. James 385 
 
 Dayton, Orrin L 501 
 
 Davidson, Richard 438 
 
 Dayton. Frank E 124 
 
 De Pue, H. J 592 
 
 Divelbiss, Jonas 528 
 
 Dolan, Michael J 232 
 
 Dore. Patrick rr-r^ 126 
 
 Dow, Daniel D 670 
 
 Downing, B, 337 
 
 Doyle, Thomas 604 
 
 Drake, William C 423 
 
 Dunbar, Frank F 437 
 
 Dunn. i\r. T .j, 493 
 
 Durley, Jefferson .;ff>r 429 
 
 Eckels, James S 514 
 
 Elliott, Simon 80 
 
 Fills, John W 161 
 
 Ellsworth. Spencer 56i> 
 
 Fmerick, B. B 85 
 
 Bmerick, George W 580 
 
 Evans, Ira P 356 
 
 Evans, W. S 484 
 
 Earner, Louis 580 
 
 Fassett, Mrs. P. W. B 344 
 
 Ferris, Harry H 30 
 
 Fifleld, Charles 433 
 
 Fletcher, Adam 381 
 
 Forbes, Isaac M 100 
 
 Poster. James 569 
 
 Foster, James B 576 
 
 Fountain, B. W 320 
 
 Fountain. William 520 
 
 French. M. J 477 
 
 Frisbey, Loton 272 
 
 Frisbey. R. M 338 
 
 Puller. Henry 43 
 
 Gallup. William A 276 
 
 Garrett. Amasa 591 
 
 Garrett, Augustus 327 
 
 German, William H 104 
 
 Gibons, R. R 26 
 
 Glenn, Isaac A....>rr 209 
 
 Glenn, Y. A >-r. 593 
 
 Golliver, George L ..569 
 
 Grassley, John 173 
 
 Gregory. Mark 256 
 
 Greenlee, Joseph 283 
 
 Grieves, John 49 
 
 Grosscup, W. C 495 
 
 Guenther, Michael. 
 
 Gunn, L. D :■ 
 
 Gunning, John ... 
 Haas, Rev. P. L... 
 Haines, Andrew J. 
 
 250 
 
 517 
 
 566 
 
 404 
 
 200 
 
 Hall, David 221 
 
 Hamilton, James 130 
 
 Hancock, A. R 102 
 
 Hannum, B. P 277 
 
 Hanson, John H 261 
 
 Harlin, J. W 339 
 
 Harrington, George B 32 
 
 Harris, Thomas 475 
 
 Harrison, Stephen 462 
 
 Hartley, John 261 
 
 Haws. William .Trr 122 
 
 Hattan, John F 575 
 
 Hattan, Wm. F 578 
 
 Hazen, J. K 383 
 
 Hechtner, John 278 
 
 Helm, John 553 
 
 Heintz, Frederick 198 
 
 Held, Conrad J 242 
 
 Held. Peter 263 
 
 Henderson, T. J 10 
 
 Henning, James . . .TTT. 488 
 
 Hensel, James 206 
 
 Hensel, Philip 474 
 
 Herrick, Dr. Richard 166 
 
 Higgins, T. J 297 
 
 Hildebrand. P 103 
 
 Hill. Smith P 509 
 
 Hills, Samuel 156 
 
 Holeton, J. W 479 
 
 Holly, Theodore. .?:-: 524 
 
 Holmes, Lewis « 106 
 
 Holmes, Samuel 120 
 
 Hopkins, Joel W. .v, 56 
 
 Horton, Allen 426 
 
 Hosier, Dr. John W... 254 
 
 Hoyle, William P...i,»i»^. 499 
 
 Hoxie, C. W 496 
 
 Hunt. L. C 361 
 
 Hunt, T, S 608 
 
 Huntley, Dr. Oscar H 15 
 
 Hurlburt. W. W 498 
 
 Hyde, John F 408 
 
 Ilift, Jeremiah R 574 
 
 lliff, Robert W 92 
 
 Immke, Henry W 566 
 
 Inks, Mr. S. K 63 
 
 Ireland, H. T 595 
 
 Isaac, John M 406 
 
 ■lackson, B. K 60 
 
 Jacoby, M. M 365 
 
 Johles, Robert 465 
 
 Johnson, F, M 405 
 
 Johnson, Prank A 99 
 
 Johnson, F. S 95 
 
 Johnson, Granville 227 
 
 Johnson, James .' 352 
 
 Johnson, Watts A 34 
 
 Jones, Luther A 75 
 
 Jontz. Cornelius 321 
 
 Jordan, James A 211 
 
 Judd, Benjamin 410 
 
 Judd, Squire Thomas 175 
 
 Justis, Charles H 568 
 
6i6 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Kasbeer, John S 322 
 
 Keay, A. H. S 340 
 
 Keedy, John A 52 
 
 Keel, Samuel 489 
 
 Keith, Wilbur F 188 
 
 Kemp, Jacob 441 
 
 Kendall, Mile 448 
 
 Kennedy, Michael 394 
 
 Keutzer, Charles 384 
 
 Kimball, J. M.... 359 
 
 King, Martin ...X«-. 256 
 
 Knox, William 167 
 
 Lamb, Marshall 294 
 
 Lance, A. S 310 
 
 Larkin, Edgar D 240 
 
 Laughlin, J. G 300 
 
 Laughlin, M. F 196 
 
 Lawton, W. F 452 
 
 Leech, John...^^,- 519 
 
 Lenz, Louis A 35 
 
 Lewis. H. Eugene 195 
 
 Litchfield, John 577 
 
 Litchfield, John P 546 
 
 Locke, George M 535 
 
 Lytle, Dr. James P 33 
 
 Magee, Andrew J 81 
 
 Mallary, Mac M 613 
 
 Martin, W. C 380 
 
 Mason, P. N 664 
 
 Mason, William H 252 
 
 Mayhall, William S 473 
 
 McDuflie. Isaac 219 
 
 McGonigle, James A 230 
 
 McGowan. P. F 442 
 
 McKean, James 388 
 
 McLain, Dr. James H 560 
 
 McLean, George S 312 
 
 McVieker. John D 527 
 
 McWilliams, Robert C 545 
 
 Mellow, Richard 591 
 
 Mercer, B. K 684 
 
 Merdian, Conrad 312 
 
 Merdian, J. J 605 
 
 Merdian, Peter 305 
 
 Mesenkop, William H 276 
 
 Miles, William 334 
 
 Miller, Henry J 21 
 
 Miller, Jacob 44 
 
 Miller, John H 74 
 
 Miller, William 153 
 
 Mills, Abel ...^V 459 
 
 Mills, Eli R..Trr 594 
 
 Mills, H. C..>r 596 
 
 Mills, Joshua L. .??? 234 
 
 Monier, John 82 
 
 Monier, Thomas 505 
 
 Monier, William 351 
 
 Moody, John C.y f07 
 
 Moore, David .yC 166 
 
 Moore, Elder Eugene L 222 
 
 Moore, William 1 130 
 
 Morris, D. K 212 
 
 Morrow, Wm. V 574 
 
 Mosher, Elijah 184 
 
 Murphy. John 363 
 
 Myer. James M 470 
 
 Myers, Augustus 458 
 
 Nelson, James B .^...y: 554 
 
 Newburn, Milton B.T^^ 161 
 
 Newport. L. S 164 
 
 Norris, I. H 32S 
 
 Norton, Charles 549 
 
 Norton, John 342 
 
 Norton. John, Sr 392 
 
 Nurs, Newel 444 
 
 O'Brien, Rev. M. C 564 
 
 O'Connell, Rev. P. H 550 
 
 Olds, John H 74 
 
 Olmsted, Major Royal 400 
 
 Ong, C. N J2 
 
 Oppenheim, A *oo 
 
 Otto, Gustave . .■r^ 223 
 
 Owen, D. D 298 
 
 Page, L. E 1*5 
 
 Painter, Samuel 154 
 
 Palmer, D. G 483 
 
 Pamp, Rev. C. F 434 
 
 Parker, C. L. V 373 
 
 Parker, John W 526 
 
 Parkinson, William H 201 
 
 Parks, Granville C 657 
 
 Parsons, Isaac 416 
 
 Parsons, L. N 403 
 
 Pervier, C. C 134 
 
 Pettee, George P 143 
 
 Phelps, Ebenezer E 530 
 
 Phelps, George R 412 
 
 Phelps, Orris S 146 
 
 Philips, John D 461 
 
 Phillips, W. P 341 
 
 Pichereau, A 503 
 
 Pitkin, Otis H 458 
 
 Plumb, Walter T 244 
 
 Pollock. Dr. Robert M 89 
 
 Porterfield, J. E 533 
 
 Poseharsky, Theo 443 
 
 Potter, F. S 46 
 
 Prescott, S. P 299 
 
 Pringle, Robert 144 
 
 Purviance, A. T..*-rr. 419 
 
 Quinn, James 252 
 
 Rackley, George 422 
 
 Reeder, I. H 23 
 
 Remley, George 91 
 
 Repine. William M R37 
 
 Rice, Dr. George 1 224 
 
 Richards, Dr. John 197 
 
 Richmond, Elijah D 96 
 
 Richmond. S. L 76 
 
 Riddell. Archibald 178 
 
 Rimmels, Rev. C. L. M 609 
 
 Ringenberger, Rev. Jacob 546 
 
 Robinson. S. F 229 
 
 Root. Cyrus 162 
 
 Root, E. C 697 
 
 Ross. George R 139 
 
 Rowe, S. T 354 
 
 Ryan, Michael 492 
 
 Rack. Martin 84 
 
 Sanwald, George 54 
 
 Sapp. Henry 188 
 
 Sargent, Henry 202 
 
 Schaetter, A. J 690 
 
 Schmidt. William 464 
 
 SchrcJSer. Mrs. Mary 466 
 
 Scott, John 660 
 
 Scott, John L 63 
 
 Searl, John S 244 
 
 Reaverans. James H 198 
 
 Selbel, John J 547 
 
 Shafer, Frank D 286 
 
 Shaw. George H 386 
 
 Shaw, T. M 599 
 
 Shepard, T. W.TT^. 612 
 
 Shipley, Frank 550 
 
 Shugart. P. R 176 
 
 Shultz, Gustav 241 
 
 Skeel. Lewis E..»r?v 206 
 
 Skefflngton. M 398 
 
 Skelton, Samuel W 525 
 
 Skinner. Richard M 9 
 
 Small, James H 502 
 
 Smith, Ansnn 73 
 
 Smith, D. H 307 
 
 Smith, H. C 402 
 
 Smith, James 409 
 
 Smith, John T 603 
 
 Smith, William 420 
 
 Snow, C. P 389 
 
 Spangler, James C 567 
 
 Spaulding, Jay L 249 
 
 Sperry, Truman 293 
 
 Stadler, Christian 447 
 
 Stark, J. M 397 
 
 Stevenson, A. N 264 
 
 Stevenson, J. F 436 
 
 Stewart, D. G 271 
 
 Stewart, J. B 126 
 
 Stipp, George W 180 
 
 Stoner, Thomas W 233 
 
 Stoner, William H 428 
 
 Stratton, James 583 
 
 Stratton, William R 539 
 
 Strawn, Enoch 273 
 
 Strawn, Thomas 1 516 
 
 Strawn, William 601 
 
 Strong, Leonard J 210 
 
 Stuebing, Louis. ...^ 670 
 
 Sucher, Jacob ...Irf^. 480 
 
 Swaney, John ...V. 374 
 
 Swanson, Adolph 288 
 
 Swarts, H. S 407 
 
 Swarts, J. 421 
 
 Sweet, Jacob L 265 
 
 Tanquary, James 13 
 
 Taylor, G. W 306 
 
 Taylor, John 507 
 
 Taylor, Dr. John F 70 
 
 Thompson, Charles N 116 
 
 Thompson, James 612 
 
 Thompson , James Strawn 16 
 
 Thornton, J. T...i..i 290 
 
 Tibbetts, Gustavus 555 
 
 Tidmarsh, Abel 393 
 
 True, Arthur 332 
 
 Turnbull, James 563 
 
 Turnbull, Robert 218 
 
 Turner, Arthur L 504 
 
 Turner, Benjamin F 132 
 
 Twist, William W 639 
 
 Virden, E. R 369 
 
 Vixtrum, Dr. John A 90 
 
 Walter, Anton 424 
 
 Walter, A. S 174 
 
 Walton, A. W 481 
 
 Walton, N. E 483 
 
 Warfleld, John 36 
 
 Watkins, David 262 
 
 Weber, John 287 
 
 Weirick, Daniel 492 
 
 Weston, Charles 415 
 
 Weyer, Hiram J 115 
 
 Whitaker, Isaac T 565 
 
 White, George M 140 
 
 White, Henry L..»Tr; 186 
 
 White, Dr. John C 329 
 
 Wiggins, C. T 364 
 
 Wightman, George F 587 
 
 Wilkins, Dr. John 1 544 
 
 Wilmot, X. C 454 
 
 Wilson, David 610 
 
 Wilson, Samuel R 179 
 
 Wink, Henry 534 
 
 Winser, Mrs. Serena 161 
 
 Winter, H. A 457 
 
 Wixom. Charles H 62 
 
 Wolf. Fridolin A ,Tn. 497 
 
 Wood, Crispin trrr: 142 
 
 Wood, Jasper 490 
 
 Wright, Hiram C 71 
 
 Yerley, Joseph 316 
 
 Zearing, David S 168 
 
 Zearing, Louis 268 
 
 Zearing, Martin R 65